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
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- 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
- Walter Bower, 1420[4]
- 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
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- Robert Stewart, 1539-1568[11]
- Adam Bothwell, 1568-1582[12]
- John Bothwell, 1582-1606
Notes
edit- ^ Formerly Abbot of Inchcolm.
- ^ Became Bishop of Galloway.
- ^ Became Bishop of Galloway.
- ^ Possibly elected in opposition to Dryden. Bower did not push the claim, and claim was nullified in March 1432.
- ^ Formerly Prior of St Mary's Isle.
- ^ Was prior of St Mary's Isle (1426-1446); became Prior of Whithorn in 1446 before being provided to Holyrood. Resigned in 1450.
- ^ Formerly Prior of St Mary's Isle.
- ^ Was Archbishop of St Andrews (1497–1504), Commendator of Dunfermline (1500-1504) and Commendator of Arbroath (1503-1504)
- ^ Became Bishop of Dunkeld.
- ^ Became Bishop of Ross.
- ^ Illegitimate son of King James V of Scotland.
- ^ Also bishop of Orkney (1559-1593)
Bibliography
edit- 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