Abbot_of_Holyrood

Abbot of Holyrood

Abbot of Holyrood

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The Abbot of Holyrood (later Commendator of Holyrood) was the head of the Augustinian monastic community of Holyrood Abbey, now in Edinburgh. The long history of the abbey came to a formal end in July 1606 when the parliament of Scotland turned the abbey into a secular lordship for the last commendator, John Bothwell (confirmed by charter in December 1607). The following is a list of abbots and commendators:

List of abbots

Seal of Adam
  • Alwin, 1128-1151
  • Osbert, 1151
  • William (I), 1152-1172
  • John, 1173-1178x1184
  • William (II), 1187x1189-1206
  • Walter, 1210-1217 or 1218[1]
  • William (III), 1217 x 1218-1221
  • William (IV) son of "Owin", 1221-1227
  • Gilbert, 1236
  • Elias son of Nicholas, 1227-1236 x 1253
  • Henry, 1236 x 1253-1255[2]
  • Radulf, 1253x1256-1258
  • Robert, 1273 x1279
  • William de Haddington, 1285
  • Adam, 1291-1299
  • Elias, 1309-1320 or 1321
  • Simon de Wedale, 1321-1327[3]
  • John de Cambusnethan, 1328-1339
  • Bartholomew, 1342
  • Thomas de St Andrews, ?1347-1370
  • John, 1370-1378
  • David Bell, 1379-1386
  • John de Leith, 1386-71415x1420
  • Henry de Dryden, 1420-1423
  • Patrick Witherspoon (Wotherspoon), 1423-1445[5]
  • William, 1425
  • James Cameron, 1446-1450[6]
  • Archibald Crawford, 1450-1484
  • Robert Ballantyne, 1484-1500[7]
  • James Stewart, 1498-1500[8]
  • George Crichton, 1500-1526[9]
  • William Douglas, 1526-1528
  • Robert Cairncross, 1528-1538[10]
  • David Douglas, 1530-1531

List of commendators

Seal of Robert Stewart abbot

Notes

  1. [1]
    Formerly Abbot of Inchcolm.
  2. [2]
    Became Bishop of Galloway.
  3. [3]
    Became Bishop of Galloway.
  4. [4]
    Possibly elected in opposition to Dryden. Bower did not push the claim, and claim was nullified in March 1432.
  5. [5]
    Formerly Prior of St Mary's Isle.
  6. [6]
    Was prior of St Mary's Isle (1426-1446); became Prior of Whithorn in 1446 before being provided to Holyrood. Resigned in 1450.
  7. [7]
    Formerly Prior of St Mary's Isle.
  8. [8]
    Was Archbishop of St Andrews (1497–1504), Commendator of Dunfermline (1500-1504) and Commendator of Arbroath (1503-1504)
  9. [9]
    Became Bishop of Dunkeld.
  10. [10]
    Became Bishop of Ross.
  11. [11]
    Illegitimate son of King James V of Scotland.
  12. [12]
    Also bishop of Orkney (1559-1593)

Bibliography

  • Cowan, Ian B. & Easson, David E., Medieval Religious Houses: Scotland With an Appendix on the Houses in the Isle of Man, Second Edition, (London, 1976), pp. 90–1
  • Watt, D.E.R. & Shead, N.F. (eds.), The Heads of Religious Houses in Scotland from the 12th to the 16th Centuries, The Scottish Records Society, New Series, Volume 24, (Edinburgh, 2001), pp. 92–6

See also
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