52 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1956-57. IV. DOCUMENTS RELATIN PRIORE ISLE MAYF TH TH EO O F GYT O , c. 1140-1313. BY A. A. M. DUNCAN, M.A., F.S.A.ScoT. INTRODUCTION . I. 1 In 1868 the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland published a volume with the title Records of the Priory of the Isle of May, edited by Dr John Stuart and containing the text of documents relating to that house preserved in the charter roll of 35 Edward I and in the now lost Register of St Andrews priory. The following documents supplement that collection and are in e maith n derived fro ma cartular f Readinyo g abbey, Egerto . 3031MS n (cited henceforward as E), which is now in the British Museum.2 This sourcr Archibal Si s use y wa edb d Lawri printeo wh e d three charterf o s David I therefrom in his Early Scottish Charters, and these three are here reprinted thao s 3 t thi s complet a collectioe b y a esupplemen ma n s a t possible least ,a t fo12te rth h century,Ho that publishe 1868 Stuart'n dr i D . s introduction requires modificatio mann no y pointlighe th documentf o tn si s printed in his volume and in this one,5 and some account of the priory of 1 I have to thank Professor W. Croft Dickinsou and Dr D. B. Easson for reading these pages and making many useful comment . BarroS d . suggestions s answerean W sw ha . G r dM .man y queries with unfailing patience. The errors which remain are, of course, my own responsibility. 2 Catalogue of Additions Manuscriptso t Britishe th n i Museum, 1921-5, . 302-3 maie pp Th n. texf o t this manuscrip writtes wa t n lase inth t decad 12te th documente hf eth o century l al d an s, here printed from it were entered then. A good colour photograph of one page is to be found in M. R. James, Abbeys (Great Western Railway, 1925 reduce a paga . 82) ,p f d Scottisf o e o ,an e don h . ThoytscharterB . B n ,si How to Decipher and Study Old Documents (2nd ed. 1903), p. 92. 3 Nos. 42-4. 4 The documents are numbered in continuation of those in Stuart's collection; the latter is cited as "Stuart" when no document number can be given. Citations of "No. 1" to "No. 41" refer to Stuart, of "No. 42" to "No. 59" to the text following this introduction. r StuarD 5 e readintth denie) x g. "Inveri(p s fuie nqu t Averin favoun "i f "Inverio r e fuiqu nt Averni invento s d "fictitiouan a s s landowner called Avernus manuscripd r ha thi e Fo sh . t authority, suco n hd authorit ha contradictes i fictitious e t i hi H t r . yfo bu E sy clasdb gilleserff so s (pp. Ixxi-lxxv) Gilleserd an personaa s fi l nam . BarrowS e. (seW . e,G "D rGilleserfe Stuarth d an tClackmannan,f so " Scottish Gaelic Studies, vn, 193-5). Dr Stuart fathers upon earlier writers (such as Spottiswoode, p. Ixv, view) 1 vere . n sth y opposit thosf eo e which certai thew no y ns i held that I t Adrian.S t subjece th , f to lata e medieva identifiee b islande l th o cult n s i o t,d cels wit hi t Ethernanl hS e therd th ha n eo i wh , 9th century (cf. No. 53 with Stuart, p. xv, n. 1). For a revised list of priors and a different account of the transfer of the priory from Beading to St Andrews, see below, pp. 61-70. Many of Dr Stuart's references are wrong, and in particular all references in his Preface to the documents in the "Appendix to Preface" are eight pages short of the true page number—probably because the extracts from the Treasurer's accounts were inserted afte preface th r printes ewa d off. DOCUMENTS RELATING TO PRIORY OF ISLE OF MAY. 53 May willhopeds i t i , , serv usefua s ea l introductio whole th o net collection. It is not intended to discuss the priory after it had become Augustinian and settlemainlane th n do t Pittenweemda . II. The abbe Readinf yo foundes gwa kiny db g Henr Englanf o yI 112n di 1 independenn a s a t hous f blaceo k monks followin e customgth obserd san - vances of Cluny.1 The evidence to show when David I founded a cell of his brother-in-law's abbey in Scotland is meagre and of uncertain value. Four papal confirmations earliese th , 20tf to h June 1123 lasEugeniue f ,th (o t s III) datable 1145 x 53, list the possessions of Reading without mention of king David's endowments.2 Adrian IV's bull, datable 115 , introduce8 4x e th s latte fora n rmi which yield evidenco sn monastif eo c colonisation—manerium quod dicitur Rindalgros . insulam Mail . .3—and not until the bull of Innocen I doeII e tgif th st appea s "tha rs it ewity l prioral hMa f o y appurtenances. the y priorb A nd " beeyha n existencni r somefo e fifty years. It may b4 e judged that the similar failure of Eugenius III to mention the Scottish possessions of Reading in his bull is not evidence that they must have been granted after 1145. Papal confirmations were not an up-to-date record of the monastery's6 possessions, but the length of the s uncertaini tim g ela probabld an , y varied. These bull e mosar s t safely use indicato dt e wha firse th t t Scottish endowments were—Rindalgros (now parise Rhynd)e th th f h o isl e Mayf e,th froo d man , earl Gospatrick, "a house in port.a priorite Th " y give papan ni l document Rindalgroo st borns si e out by the Scottish evidence, for king David gave that vill—lying three miles eas Perth—betweef o t n 114 115d 1an 0 wit provise hth r o e thah f i t his heirs e giftadde thao th s , a conveno tdt t coul maintainede db , then Reading abbey should sen a dconven o thit t s placeking'e Th .s letter, witnessess datee whicit b y n db h ca addresses i , abboe th Readingf o dt o , 6 Brian fitz Count (who kept Wallingfor e empresth r fo ds Matildae th d an ) conven Readingf o t stated an , s that Rindalgro beed sha n perambulatey db the king, William Giffard, Herbert the Chamberlain, and others unnamed. Two of these persons—Brian fitz Count and William Giffard—deserve some consideration. Brian fitz Counfira s m wa tsupporte emprese occurrence th th f o rd san e 1 See note at the end of this introduction for the unusual status of Beading abbey. 2 Walther Holtzmann, Papsturkunden in England, iii [Abhandlungen der Akademie der Wissen- schafte Gottingenn i u , Philologisch-Historische Klasse, dritt . eThi 85 folge , . 331s 28 Nr ,, Nos12 , 9 . volum s hereafteei r cite s Holtzmannda England,U P , s obtainabli t iiiI . Edinburgn ei h University Library. 3 Ibid., . 126No . Cat. Papal Letters, i, 28; Migne, Opera Innocentii III, II, 1123. 4 5 The earliest possible date of Eugenius Ill's bull. 6 No. 1. 54 . PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1956-57. nams ohi f thin ei s context suggests tha lettee th t r belong tima o st e when he exercised royal rights of patronage over Beading abbey on behalf of Matilda, a time when king Stephen was not in control of Berkshire. The years which best satisfy these conditions are 1141—4. William Giffard appears in the witness list of king David's letter as a mon1 k and in a position which departs fro usuae mth l hierarchy: "fratre Willelmo Giffard, Gaufrido abbat Dunfermeline d e , Edwardo cancellario, Walter e Bidunod , Nicolao clerico, Dunecano comite, Hugone de Morevilla, Herberto camerario, Walter e Lindesied o , Leo e Brechind d , apud Dunfermelin." William 2 Giffard occur onln sothei o ytw r place Scottisn si h sources e firstth ; , king David's giff halo t f Balgalliy prioryMa o ,t n wher e witnesseth e e ar s "Gregorio episcop e Duncheldend o t Andree , a episcop e Cateneisd o t e , Willelmo Giffard et Dunecano comite et Alfwino filio Archil, apud Dun- fermelin; e seconth e samd th d an e" king's confirmatio e giff o th t f o n Liddesdale church to Jedburgh abbey by Randolph de Sules, where the •witness list reads "WilleZmo Falc'. WilleZmo Giffard. abbafe Calcoensi Arnaldo/priore de Rading'. Eduuard cancellario regis. Engelramo cancel- lario comitis. Nicholao/clerico. Waltero de Bidim. Gospatric comite. Hugone de Moreui'ZZa. " Liddesdale church does not feature in the general confirmations given by3 David I and earl Henry to Jedburgh abbey, August 1147 x 12th June 1152,4 and de Sules' gift and the king's confirmation are to be dated withi e samnth e limits firse Th t .fou r namee lasth tf witnesso s list present difficulties 'Williar fo , m Falc. otherwiss i ' e unknow Arnald nan d was almost certainl prioe th abboReadingf e t o ryth Kelsf no o t d t I oan . is just possible that William Giffard by the time of this last writ was prior of Reading quitd an , e certai somnd thaha ee h tspecia l connection wite hth Reading dependencie Scotlandn i s thesn i r efo , three lists—all connected with Reading—he enjoys a priority over all but bishops.