THE ALPHABET OF LINDORES ABBEY

A

AQUA VITAE

Aqua Vitae “VIII bolles of malt wherewith to make aqua vitae”

What was produced at Lindores Abbey back in 1494 would have been a clear spirit created through the distillation of barley harvested from the Abbey’s fields and then steeped in the Holy Burn and dried in the great barn of Lindores, the remains of which still stand next to the burn. Though somewhat less ‘sophisticated’ than today’s methods this would then have been distilled in copper vessels and infused with locally sourced flora and fauna to make it palatable though a great deal of ‘aqua vitae’ would have also been used as linament as well. We are working with the students from the department of brewing and distilling at Herriot Watt University to create our own line of ‘Lindores Aqua Vitae’ incorporating the historical fruits from the Lindores Orchards, famous for their plums, pears and apples.

In the 13th Century, a prelate named Theoricus wrote a paper wherein he;

“Prayseth it to the nineth degree. He destinguishe the three sortes Simplex, composita and Perfectissima. He declareth the simples and ingrediences thereto belonging. He wisheth it to be taken as well before meate as after. It dryeth up the breaking up of hands, and killeth the fleshe wormes, if you wash your hands therewith. It skoureth all skurfe & shaldes from the head, being daily therewith washte before meales. Being moderately taken, sayth he, it sloeth age strengtheneth youth,, it helpeth digestion, it cutteth fleume, it abandoneth melancholy, it relisheth the hart, it lighteneth the mynd, it quickeneth the spirites, it cureth the hydropsie, it healeth the strangury, it pounceth the stone, it expelleth gravell, it puffeth away all Ventositie, it kepeth & preserveth the hed from Whirlyng, the eyes from dazelyng, the tongue from lispyng, the mouth from mafflyng, the teeth from chatteryng, the throte from rattling, the weasan from stieflyng, the stomacke from wambling, the belly from wirtchyng, the guts from rumbling, the hands from shivering, the sinowe from shrinking, the veynes from crumpling, the bones from akyng, the marrow from soaking.

A

Alexander, son of King Alexander III and heir to the throne of Scotland, died at Lindores Abbey on 21st January 1283.

Only a few months earlier his marriage had been celebrated with great splendor, this marriage was the cause of great rejoicing throughout Scotland as it gave promise to the removal of the possibility of a disputed succession. His death caused great sorrow across Scotland and it was recorded that he was filled with forebodings as to which the Scotland would be exposed to by his death, and ‘Upon the night before he died, he talked wildly about an approaching contest with his Uncle (Edward I), and suddenly exclaimed.

‘Before tomorrow’s sun ride, the sun of Scotland will have set’.

His words were eerily accurate as the succession of events that followed bore testament to, these events are described throughout this A-Z of Lindores Abbey

B

BREW HOUSE

It is known that Ale was the main drink in mediaeval times and there is record of a ‘Brewhouse’ at Lindores in the rental rolls of 1480.

And an instance referring to this took place at a trial held in the Chapter House of Lindores Abbey in 1309. A dispute had arisen between Abbot Thomas and the burgesses of Newburgh regarding the payment of the Brew house tax to the convent.

Robert de Keith was deputed to hold an inquest for the purpose of effecting a settlement and the court met on the 29th June.

Bishop Lamberton of St Andrews and the Abbot of Arbroath were present and when the names of the jurors were called the burgesses objected to Andrew Gray because he was a servant of the Abbot.

The objection was sustained and another juror was selected, I’m delighted to report that the decision was in favour of the convent.

This establishes that brewing and brew houses were long established by this time, but also that the jury system as we know it today was already very much also a well tried and tested system.

C

COMYN, JOHN, LORD OF BADENOCH. On Lammas day 1294, John Comyn visited Lindores, in the company of John de Baliol and Alexander Baliol.

John ‘The Red’ Comyn, Lord of Badenoch and Lochaber was a Scottish nobleman who was an important figure in the wars of Scottish independence, and was Guardian of Scotland when he visited Lindores Abbey.

He is (unfortunately) best known for being stabbed to death by the future Robert I of Scotland before the altar at the church of the Greyfriars at Dumfries.

His Father, John II Comyn, Lord of Badenoch, known as ‘Black Comyn’, was one of the competitors for the Crown of Scotland, claiming his descent from King Donald III of Scotland. His Mother was Elanor Balliol, the Red Comyn might thus be said to have combined two lines of Royal descent, Gaelic and Norman.

D

Douglas, Earl of. On 15th April 1488, James, 9th Earl of Douglas died at Lindores, ending the famous ‘Black Douglas’ line.

The Earl spent the last years of his life at Lindores, after the murder of his brother by James II, Douglas nailed a placard to the door of Parliament house, renouncing his allegiance and so started his war on the Stewarts that was to last the rest of his life.

After thirty years of struggle the elderly Earl was captured at the Battle of Lochmaben but King James took pity on him and the sole punishment on the war torn chieftain was that he must quit the world and spend the remainder of his life at Lindores Abbey, it is said thjat when the Earl learned of his fate he turned to those behind him with a bitter smile and used the proverb, ‘He that can do no better must needs be a Monk’.

Near the end of the reign of James III, Douglas was solicited by the malcontents of the nobility, urged once more to take up the cause, but he desisted and tried to talk them out of rebellion. On hearing this, the King solicited him to come out and lend him his support, whereby the Douglas responded, ‘You have kept me and your black box too long under lock and key to be of any use to you’.

E

Edward I, King, ‘Hammer of the Scots’ When his Nephew Alexander died at Lindores he declared that before sunrise, the sun of Scotland will have set’ this accurately foretold what happened next at Lindores, a series of events that shapes our nation still to this day.

On 12th July 1291 King Edward I came to Lindores Abbey amongst a ‘glittering escort’ and it is recorded that John, Abbot of Lindores was amongst the nobles who, ‘Touched the Host, kissed the gospels, and swore upon the great alter of the Abbey Church, allegiance to Edward

Then in 1296 Lindores had the questionable honour of a second visit from King Edward I, he was here after Baliol had capitulated by resigning the Crown into Edwards hands, and as he travelled he compelled people of all classes to gather and swear allegiance to the Crown.

King Edward and his party stayed at Lindores on Thursday 9th August and remained on the Friday for St Laurence’s day, and then leaving on the Saturday for St Andrews, it was whilst on this tour that he carried off with him the Coronation Stone of Scone.

F

Friar John Cor is the Monk referred to in the first known written reference to a batch of Scotch whisky on June 1st, 1494.

‘To brother john Cor, by order of the King, to make aqua vitae VIII bolls of malt’- Exchequer rolls 1494- 95.

Brother John Cor (Johanni Cor/John Kawe) was a Tironensian of Lindores Abbey, who in his position of ‘Bailie of Lindores’ was charged with the task of making aqua vitae for King James IV, who’s hunting lodge was at nearby Falkland Palace. Brother Cor/Kawe, was known to the king and was a servant at the court, the King gave him a gift of 14shillings on Christmas Day in 1488 and at Christmas time in 1494 he was given black cloth from Lille in Flanders.

The Tironensians were well regarded for their skills as alchemists and apothecaries and indeed Lindores Abbey is known as ‘The Spiritual Home of Scotch Whisky’ and leading whisky writer Michael Jackson refers to Lindores in his book ‘Scotland and its whiskies, saying “For the whisky lover it is a pilgrimage”.

G

Guido, first Abbot of Lindores; When David, Earl of Huntingdon founded Lindores Abbey in 1198 he brought Prior Guido, and a ‘sufficient number of brethren’ from Selkirk Abbey to oversee the building and running of Lindores Abbey.

It is likely that the church and other erections were designed by him, the beauty of the individual parts being left to the skill and taste of the workmen themselves. Guido, beside his duties at the abbey gave attention to public affairs and his name appears as witness to various charters.

One of these was from a session convened by Pope Innocent III at Perth in 1212 presided over by the Bishops of both St Andrews and Glasgow to sanction a fresh crusade to free Jerusalem from the infidels.

Few serviceable persons came forward to earn the Popes promised rewards, many of the faithful having by this time secured a promise of paradise by fighting against the Albigenses.

H

Huntingdon, David, Earl of.

Lindores Abbey was founded by David, Prince of Scotland, earl of Huntingdon on land bestowed on him by his Brother, King William (The Lion).

In his novel ‘The Talisman’, Sir Walter Scott records the story that Prince David of Scotland, returning from the third crusade, where he had fought bravely alongside his friend Richard the Lionheart, was lost, believed drowned along with all his fellow shipmates.

On hearing this news King William prayed to the Blessed Virgin and vowed he would build a Monastery in her honour should he be found alive.

Miraculously their vessel was washed up on the Firth of Tay and the spot by Lindores was chosen, it had forests and quarries nearby as well as Salmon from the Tay and clear running water from Lindores Loch which ran past the Abbey as it still does to this day, in fact the ‘Holy Burn’ is the water course dug by the Monks to divert the natural water course to the Abbey.

I

Industrious;

The Tironensians were a very ‘industrious’ order whereby each Monk had to already be skilled in some way, there were carpenters, blacksmiths, sculptors, painters, husbandmen, calligraphers, apothecaries, horticulturalists, weavers, thatcher’s, herbalists, masons, brewers, distillers and all the other skills required to build and run a Monastery the size of Lindores. The land on which the abbey is built and all the land around it had to be ‘tamed’ and then, using practices learned in France, had to be cultivated and the massive Orchards that sprang up around the Abbey bore testament to their skills.

But they were also educators, with days of the week allocated to teaching the lay members of the community the skills so that they could then carry out the continuing tasks required to maintain the Abbey and its policies as well as the more cerebral elements of the monastic order, such as illustrating manuscripts and calligraphy.

J

John Knox.

In September 1540 Lindores Abbey was sacked by ‘A company of good Christians’, this showed the unrest that was already prevalent in Scotland nearly twenty years before John Knox rose to prominence. There was great unrest in Scotland as the Church appeared to turn its back on the common man, and after a sermon by John Knox at nearby Perth on 11th May 1559 the people began to take matters into their own hands to voice their frustration and on their way to a second Perth sermon a group of Fifeshire reformers turned aside and purposefully ‘purged’ Lindores Abbey.

Knox wrote. “We came to the Abbey of Lindores, a place of black monks, distant from St Andrews twelve miles. We reformed them, their alters overthrew we, their idols, vestements of idolatorie and mass books we burnt in their presence, and commanded them to cast away their monkish habits”

This was in fact ‘moderate’ treatment and this may be because the Abbot of Lindores (John) had shown leanings towards the reformers doctrines, he was an ‘excellent and tried man’ and would have suffered great soul searching, but the Queen, a bigoted Romanist, gave Abbot John intimation that he would not receive any part of his living from the abbey churches “Because he had submitted himself to the congregation, and had put some reformation in his place”.

K

Kings. Lindores was visited by a number of Reigning Monarchs over its relatively short existence, they obviously enjoyed great hospitality at Lindores as the Guestmaster was enjoined to follow the rule of St Benedict whereby ‘Hospites tamquam Christus suscipiantur’ (Guests are to be received as if they were Christ himself).

The Kings and Queens who visited Lindores are;

King William (The Lion) 1191

King Alexander III 14th March 1265

King Edward I (Hammer of the Scots) 23rd July 1291

King John Baliol 1293

King Edward I (again) 9th August 1296

King David II 25th Dec 1365

Queen Mary (of Lorraine) Queen of Scots and wife of King James V 1539

As most of the Abbey records were destroyed in the reformation it is not known whether Mary, Queen of Scots ever visited Lindores Abbey but it is highly probable as John Leslie, the Bishop of Ross became the last Abbot of Lindores, he was Mary’s greatest companion through her life, and the proximity of Falkland Palace adds credence to the theory that she would have visited Lindores. L

Lindores Abbey, or ‘Church by the water’ was founded in 1191 by David, Earl of Huntingdon on land given to him by his brother King William (the Lion) The Abbey is built from red sandstone taken from the quarry of Parkhill which was on the Abbey lands, there was ample wood from the forests of BlackEarnside, Salmon from the Tay and clear running water from Lindores Loch.

Another reason for the chosen location was its proximity to one of the main ‘thoroughfares’ of Scotland heading North and South along the by Perth.

In its day the Abbey owned property across England and Scotland from which it received rentals and great wealth was amassed through the Crusades where the Knights and nobles paid the monks of Lindores to pray for their and their families’ souls for eternity.

The Abbey was run by the Abbot, but there were a number of others whose work was intrinsic to the day to day running of the property.

In an Abbey such as Lindores there would have been;

The Abbot

The Prior; the Abbots deputy, who himself would be assisted by a Sub-Prior.

The Chamberlain; responsible for all the clothing, the shaving of heads (every three weeks) and bathing (four times a year!)

The Fraterer; in charge of the ‘refectory’ (the monks dining room) and the ‘lavatorium’ (the wash- house).

The Grainger; in charge of the grain supplies and the bake house

The Infirmer; responsible for the sick

The Kitchener; responsible for feeding the brothers and running the kitchen

The Librarian, responsible for the abbey’s books, their care, repair and preparation in the ‘scriptorium’

The Novice Master; responsible for the education and preparation of new monks

The Precentor; responsible for Church services and Church music

The Refectorian; he arranged the serving of the meals

The Sacristan; who looked after the Church vestments and church plate.

The Woodward; responsible for the collection, storage and use of wood and peat

The Chamberlain at Lindores had a special duty, to supply the monks with fur coats (Pellicae) for use at the early church services and because of the cold climate the Pope also gave special dispensation to wear caps.

The Abbot of Lindores also had three key men in the ‘Almoner’, in charge of the alms and distribution of food to the poor; The ‘Cellarer’, the abbey’s chief link to the outside world- he was the abbey’s buyer and supplied the monks with provisions and their material needs (he was, in turn, assisted by the ‘Bailie’s’ of the town)

For the medieval man and woman, the church touched every aspect of their daily life. The Abbey of Lindores provided education to those who were of value to the church, gave work to the fit and succoured the needy.

The first Lindores Abbey mill was set up around 1198 and the monks ran eight others on their properties as well as running various farm steadings. The agricultural and horticultural interests were under the supervision of the ‘Grainger’ and the Abbey employed ‘Cottars’ and husbandmen who were not monks.

The Abbey pear and apple orchards were famous throughout Scotland, the monks cultivated the fisheries of the Tay, particularly those of nearby Mugdrum Island, which they called ‘Reddinche’, ‘the island of the reeds’, this is the largest reed bed in Britain.

M

Michael, one of the four bells in the eighty-foot-high bell tower of Lindores Abbey, the others were ‘Gabriel’, ‘Raphael’ and the ‘Lady Bell’

The bells were rung several times of day to call the monks to prayer from the fields and surrounding areas, they would have been audible for some distance. The monk responsible for the bell ringing would have been the ‘Sacrist’, or church warden, this was an important role as he was also responsible for organizing the ceremonial water and wine, alter cloths, wax candles as well as the burial of the dead, though he was allowed to ask for assistance from the others to cover his may duties.

The Lady Bell was made of solid silver and after the reformation it was sold to the parish church of Auchtermuchty, in Victorian times the authenticity was checked and the bell has a relief of Gabriel appearing to Mary on one side, and on the other, Mary and Jesus after Calvary.

In 1618, Newburgh and Auchtermuchty both decided that each should have a new church bell. The place to go for the best bells was the Netherlands, which had trading links with the coastal villages of Fife, so orders were therefore dispatched to the appropriate bell makers to make the bells.

The officials travelled with them but when the bells were being swung out of the hold on to the land at Newburgh pier one of them fell and was cracked, and the official from Newburgh was most perturbed and started to fuss about which community should have the remaining bell.

The official from Auchtermuchty was quite calm, he announced that before setting out on the voyage across the sea he had marked the ‘Muchty bell with chalk, and sure enough, the undamaged bell had a chalk mark and was claimed, unloaded and dispatched along the road with great speed.

When the official from Newburgh later examined the remaining bell he found that, it to, had a chalk mark, but by that time it was too late and possibly that’s where the rivalry between the two neighbouring towns began!

N

Newburgh is built on the south side of the river Tay opposite Mugdrum Island where the navigable channel of the ‘South deep’ runs right along the riverbank. Its site is a sloping one, for the land climbs steeply to form the eastern end of the Ochil hills.

Two forces came together to shape Newburgh, the church and the river. There was probably a fishing settlement established here in 1191. That was the year in which David, earl of Huntingdon founded Lindores Abbey on the site at the east end of what is todays Newburgh.

Newburgh’s ‘coming of age’ was in 1266 when Alexander III gave the monks of Lindores Abbey permission to establish the town as a ‘Burgh, with a weekly market.

Under this Charter the Abbey could divide its orchard into long narrow strips and allow ordinary people to live and work on them in exchange for a proportion of the crop, so people could keep animals and grow vegetables under the trees.

Over the centuries, after the Abbey was overthrown by John Knox the orchard strips were handed down through the generations and the gardens changed hands may times but to this day the legacy of the monks of Lindores Abbey exists in the shape of the annual Plum markets which attract visitors from far and wide.

O

Order de Tiron

The monks who came from Kelso with prior Guido to build Lindores Abbey were Benedictines of the Order of Tiron, founded by St Bernard of Abbeville, in France.

Earl David (of Huntingdon) had grown to respect these hard working monks who favoured the practical life within a cloistered existence. The life of the monastery was open to all who could endure its privations. The chief function of the Lindores community was the due performance of the ‘Opus Dei’, the divine office.

The monastic day at Lindores began about midnight when the monks arose from sleep in the ‘Dorter’ (dormitory) and went down the night stair into the abbey’s south transept. There they processed into the choir to sing the fifteen gradual psalms leading to the recital of the ‘Nocturns’, the first of the seven canonical hours of the day.

The monks remained in the choir till dawn to sing ‘Matins’ and at sunrise there followed the service known as ‘Prime’. After this the monks left the church to change from their night shoes into their day footwear and to visit the ‘Rere-dorter’ (the monk’s lavatory, known as the ‘Necessarium’) and returned to recite service of ‘Tierce’ and to assist at ‘Morrow Mass’.

From the choir they then processed to the Chapter-house, where, after prayers, they were addressed by the Abbot or Prior who called upon them to confess their sins, listen to complaints and discuss the business of the Abbey.

Work was then conducted and the monks returned to the church for the recital of ‘Sext’, the celebration at the high alter of mass, and the service of ‘None’. By this time it would be after noon and the monks would have a meal, only a light breakfast would have been taken at around eight in the morning.

Two hours of reading and meditation, and work mon duties of the day, led to ‘Vespers’ around five o’clock and supper. ‘Compline’ completed the office for the day and the monks retired to bed, about half past six in the winter and eight in the Summer.

The Tironensian monks of Lindores Abbey brought with them the knowledge of the most approved modes of cultivation; luxuriant crops of their fields, and rich fruits of the orchards soon became standing evidence of what undisturbed industry could effect. They were pioneers in improvement and were the first to adopt every discovery calculated to increase the productiveness of the soil, through their interaction with their brethren both at home and abroad.

There is also every reason to believe too that the monks were the first to introduce the grinding of corn by machinery into this neighbourhood, the confirmation of the Abbey lands by the Pope in 1198 expressly mentions ‘The Mill of Lindores’ as part of the monk’s property.

P

Peat.

In 1235 Roger de Quincy, Earl of Winchester and Constable of Scotland, bestowed on the monks the right of taking ‘Two hundred cart loads of brushwood or heather; and as many peats as they require for the use of their house, from the peatery which is called ‘Menegre’ in the moor of Kindlouche, non else having the right to dig peats there without their permission; together with an acre of land to dry their peats on and two acres of land on which to store their peats and heather, with pasturage for ten ewes and two kye (cows) for the use of the keeper of their fuel on the moor” De Quincy also gave the monks of Lindores “The further favour, patronage and revenues of the church of Cullessey (Collessie); this was confirmed by Pope Nicholas IV on 13th December 1288, on condition that a suitable portion of the revenues be reserved for a perpetual vicar.

Peat was the common fuel of the country, ‘The Moor of Kindeloch’ became known as ‘Monks Moss’. The Abbey of Lindores was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and in honour of her the monks named their newly acquired possession ‘Our lady’s bog’, which over time became ‘Ladybog’ and is now known as a ‘Ladybank’.

*Roger de Quincy died in 1264 and his vast estates in Scotland descended to his three daughters, who, by marriage, carried them into the families of Comyn, De Ferrars and De la Zouche, whose representatives forfeited the whole, by espousing the cause of Baliol in the wars of succession.

Such were vast fortunes made, and lost!

Q

Mary Queen of Scots/John Leslie

John Leslie, the last Abbot of Lindores, occupies a prominent position in the history of his time. The Popish nobles of Scotland sent him to France to win the attachment of Mary, the young Queen, to their cause. When she came to claim her crown and Kingdom he accompanied her, He was appointed a privy councilor and in 1564 sat as one of the Lords of session and in on 24th February 1566 her majesty bestowed on him the Abbacy of Lindores.

He was in Holyrood Palace the evening Rizzio murdered and ever remained true to his mistress Mary, Queen of Scots, this led to him being imprisoned and tortured in the tower of London (1572) but still remained faithful to her cause and amid the closing scenes of her unhappy career she remembered him and besought Philip of Spain to show kindness to him, which he did by facilitating his move to Europe where he retired ultimately to the Monastery of the order of St Augustine at Gertrudenberg, near Brussels where he died peacefully in 1596.

It is highly probable that Mary visited Lindores with John Leslie when she was at nearby Falkland Palace, this was prior to the reformation and Lindores would have been a haven of peace for Mary in her times of need.

John Leslie was the last Abbot of Lindores, after his death a Patrick Leslie (no relation) was made Commendator of Lindores, he was less wise than his forebear and possibly best known for his failed attempt to take over the Isles of Harris and Lewis.

‘In 1559 a company of Fifeshire Gentlemen, including the commendator, banded together to take possession of the Islands of Harris and Lewis, which had been confiscated by the Government owing to the turbulence of the chiefs thereon. The islanders resisted the intruders, killed nearly all the attacking parties, seized the leaders, and only released them eight months after on the understanding that they would never return. R

Rothesay, 1st Duke of. In 1401, David, the ill-fated 1st Duke of Rothesay was quickly buried at Lindores after his untimely death (aged 24) at nearby Falkland Palace at the hands of his Uncle the Duke of Albany, who had designs on the Scottish throne and saw the young Prince as rival.

In his records of 1401-02, Sir James Balfour recorded it thus;

“He was taken betwixt Neydin and Strathtyrin, and led captive to St Andrews, but shortly thereafter removed to the castell of Falkland, quher he was committed to the custody of two of the Duck of Alanaye’s ruffians, John Selkirke and John Wright, quho handled him so roughly that he dyed on 7th Aprille, as they gave out, of a dyentary, but the truth was, that through extream hunger and famine he eat his awen fingers”

As eldest son of King Robert III of Scotland, David was heir to the throne, the heir to the throne of Scotland inherits the title ‘Duke of Rothesay’, HRH Prince Charles is the current 23rd Duke of Rothesay.

S

Scotland

After the reign of King David I in the twelfth century, the Scottish Monarchs are best described as Scoto- Norman, preferring French culture to native Scottish Culture. Alexander II and his son Alexander III, were able to annexe the remainder of the western seaboard, culminating in the treaty of Perth with Norway in 1266. Scotland established its independence from England under figures including William Wallace in the late thirteenth century and Robert the Bruce in the fourteenth century. In the fifteenth century under the Stewart dynasty, despite a turbulent political history, the crown gained greater political control at the expense of the independent Lords and regained most of its lost territory to approximately the modern borders of the country.

However, the Auld Alliance with France led to the heavy defeat of a Scottish army at the Battle of Flodden in 1513 and the death of King James IV, which would be followed by a long minority and a period of political instability.

Christianity introduced Monasticism and what has been identified as Celtic Christianity. Nevertheless, the church accepted Papal authority and from the eleventh century embraced monastic reform, developing a flourishing religious culture that asserted its independence from English control.

Scotland grew from a relatively small area in the eastern Lowlands, to approximately its modern borders, the varied and dramatic geography of the land provided a protection against invasion, but limited central control. It also defined the largely pastoral economy, with the first burghs being created from the twelfth Century (Newburgh became a burgh in 1266).

The population may have grown to a peak of a million before the arrival of the black death in 1337, in the middle ages society was divided by a small aristocracy and larger numbers of freeman and slaves. Serfdom disappeared in the fourteenth century and there was growth of new social groups.

T

Trade

The Tironensian Monks of Lindores traded locally and with the outside world, notably Flanders.

There is record on 15th August 1507 of the Abbot of Lindores, Andrew Cavers, sending his man with ‘Plowmyss’ (plums) to the King at Falkland Palace for which the King gave the messenger three shillings.

The bailie’s of Newburgh (John Kawe) were also involved in the selling of oor trading the abbey’s produce, such as ‘To Bruge, 15 barrels of Salmon from the Abbey’s fishing’s on the Tay, it was recorded that ‘Off thar was 2 rottin and castin in the water at Lyill (Lisle), this produce was often exchanged for silks or tapestries.

The Monks traded Salmon and wool in Flanders with a Bailie or a Proctor acting as agent across the water, ensuring that the Monastery received appropriate payment for its good and also ensuring the quality of its purchases, for instance;

October 7 1502, Lindores- ‘Obligation of the Abbot and convent to Andrew Charters to the amount of 60lbs. ‘usual money of the Kingdom of Scotland’ for the payment by Andrew or his factors to them or their proctors of 20lbs of ‘grossi’, to be paid in Flanders or Zealand within six days of the sight of their obligation, the 60lbs Scots to be paid within forty days after the receipt of the aquittance of the monks proctors for the 20lbs of ‘grossi’.

U

University of St Andrews

In 1416 Lawrence of Lindores was elected Dean of the Faculty of Arts at St Andrews University.

Lawrence of Lindores was born in 1372 and studied at The University of Paris from 1393. He was the first philosopher recorded at the University of St Andrews and he became the leading figure in its early days, being Regent of Pedagogy and Rector and Governor of the University. Under Lawrence the University adopted the Paris system of division into four nations. He was Bursar from 1426-28 and he was the driving force behind the aggressive claim of the Faculty, at the end of 1424, to be the sole judge of its liberties and powers. This was seen as a threat to the Mother University and steps were taken to systamise the office of dean, to introduce assessors and to make the Bursar (then Lawrence) answerable for his accounts.

King James 1st used this rivalry between Bishop-Chancellor Wardlaw and Lawrence to petition the Pope in 1426 to transfer the University from St Andrews to Perth, in line with the Kings policy of bringing the Scottish church under royal control, the move failed but it made the academic community aware of its common interests.

Lawrence exercised a unifying influence by reason of his great reputation as a scholar, by his tenure of both offices of the University of St Andrews and the Faculty of Arts, by the powers of his purse and his strong personality.

He was also Papal Inquisitor of Heretical Pravity in Scotland, whose main job was to root out heresay, and he is now mainly remembered for burning heretics, including Paul Craw. His works were widely read in Continental Universities over the succeeding hundred years and were Capernicus’s source of knowledge of medieval physics.

V

King James IV

King James IV (1473-1513) is generally regarded as the most successful of the Stewart Monarchs of Scotland, but his reign ended with the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Flodden, where he became the last monarch not only from Scotland, but from all of Great Britain, to be killed in battle. He recognized that peace between England and Scotland was in the interest of both countries and established good diplomatic relations with England. He was a trued renaissance Prince who spoke several languages and had a great interest in practical and scientific matters, he turned Edinburgh castle into one of Scotland’s foremost gun foundries, and welcomed the establishment of Scotland’s first printing press in 1507. At Stirling Castle he maintained an alchemical workshop with a furnace of the quintessence, the project consumed quantities of quick-silver, golden litharge and tin, it was said that one of his alchemists, father Damien, attempted to fly from Stirling Castle! He enjoyed Falkland Palace as his hunting lodge and there was frequent trade between there and Lindores and the entry in the exchequer rolls of i494 is buried deep within the Fife section of the long scroll so it is most probable that it was from Falkland that the now famous ‘order’ was issued.He favoured Falkland and its hunting grounds, this is evident from an excerpt that describes what happened to the forests of Fife when James commissioned what at the time was the biggest ship in the world, “The Great Michael” “Ane verrie monstrous great schip” named the Great Michael, “It tuik so meikle timber that she wasted all the woodis of Fife, except Falkland wood”.

W

William Wallace

On 12th June 1298 the Guardian of the Kingdom, William Wallace vanquished the English at the Battle at Ironside in Fife, with their general and leader Aymer de valance, earl of Pembroke.

Blind Harry, the famous chronicler of the Wallace’s life, devoted over four hundred lines of his poem about Wallace to the Battle of Black Irnsyde (Earnside).

He described the fortification of the wood by the erection of barriers between the trees and the placing of Wallace’s bowmen.

At first onslaught the English were ‘All dysarayit and agait’, forty lay slain at the barricade. After such a fight the English were beaten off for a time, and Wallace himself ventured out for water for his thirsty and famished followers, encouraging them in their privations with cheerful words.

“The worthy Scots go into the barrier, wash all their wounds, refresh and make good cheer.

“At many bouts” said Wallace “I have been, but such a fierce attack have scarcely seen” Then from a strand of water running by

He, all his men supplied abundantly

Drank first himself, then said in sober mood

“The wine in France I ne’er thought half so good”

This strand of water is what we now know as the ‘Holy Burn’, the stream running by the Abbey to this day.

We hear of 300 men coming from Sanct Johnstoun (Perth) to aid their hero. The English, however were also re-inforced. It is impossible to to then follow exactly the details of the renewed struggle, suffice it that after a desperate struggle Wallace triumphed, the Sheriff of Fife was among the casualties.

The battle over and the last of the English stragglers gone, Wallace and his men entered the Abbey in triumph.

“Wallace, Crawford and with them gud Guthrie,

Rychard Wallace had lang beyn melle.

And Longaweill in to Lundoris baid still;

Fastyt thai had to lang agayn thar will.

Wallange thai maid their stwart for to be;

Off meit and drynk thai fand aboundandie.”

Through the arched Slype of Lindores the gallant, battle-stained, and weary band passed, while Rowan returned to Sanct Johnstoun and Sir John Ramsay set off to his capture of Cupar (9 miles from Lindores), which surrendered without demur.

If the chronology that gives 12th June 1298 as the the date of the battle of Blackearnside is correct, then the hero of Scotland was within six weeks of crushing defeat, through the treachery of his cavalry at Falkirk Field, which was fought on 22nd July 1298.

X

Xmas

King David II of Scotland visited Lindores on August 3rd 1364, his presence confirmed through a charter by Sir David de Lindsay of Crawford providing for a light to be burned daily at the tomb of his wife, Lady Mary, in the choir of the Abbey church, that same day he also confirmed a grant to Lindores of the lands of Craigie, near south Queensferry

That King David II liked Lindores is unquestionable as in 1365 the Royal household stayed here for ten days over Christmas, numbering over a hundred, their horses fed and watered and all entertainments laid on, King David, characteristically departed without recompensing the abbot for the heavy charges to which they had been put.

The King died in 1370 leaving his debts to the Nation and Lindores unpaid, The Sheriff of Fife however, out of shame of his Sovereign’s default, reimbursed the Monastery, and in 1372 the Chamberlain rolls contain an entry of £6, 13s. 4d. “Allowed for the expenses of the late King when he kept Christmas at Lindores”

Y

Yeast

In 2013 Chris Burke, a Msc student from the department of Brewing and Distilling at Heriot Watt University produced his thesis on ‘Wild Yeasts’, the purpose of which was to establish whether there were wild yeasts existant at Lindores Abbey back in 1494 that could have been used in brewing and distilling, and if so, would any have survived to this day, the short answer is ‘Yes’!

It was a very well received project and its author has travelled the world presenting his thesis to students, brewers and distillers however it is 59 pages long so I would be happy to send a copy to the more scientifically minded of you.

Z

Zzzzz, the sound of the Abbey of Lindores sleeping, and from 2017 the sound of the Lindores Abbey Distillery’s spirit sleeping in its casks, ready to be bottled when it has matured sufficiently to be labeled a whisky good enough to carry the name ‘Lindores Abbey’