Abbot of Holyrood

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

* Alwin, 1128-1151
* Osbert, 1151
* William (I), 1152-1172
* John, 1173-1178x1184
* William (II), 1187x1189-1206
* Walter, 1210-1217 or 1218 [Formerly Abbot of Inchcolm.]
* 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 [Became Bishop of Galloway.]
* Radulf, 1253x1256-1258
* Robert, 1273 x1279
* William de Haddington, 1285
* Adam, 1291-1299
* Elias, 1309-1320 or 1321
* Simon de Wedale, 1321-1327 [Became Bishop of Galloway.]
* 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 [Possibly elected in opposition to Dryden. Bower did not push the claim, and claim was nullified in March 1432.]
* Patrick Witherspoon (Wotherspoon), 1423-1445 [Formerly Prior of St Mary's Isle.]
* William, 1425
* James Cameron, 1446-1450 [Was prior of St Mary's Isle (1426-1446); became Prior of Whithorn in 1446 before being provided to Holyrood. Resigned in 1450.]
* Archibald Crawford, 1450-1484
* Robert Ballantyne, 1484-1500 [Formerly Prior of St Mary's Isle.]
* James Stewart, 1498-1500 [Was Archbishop of St Andrews (1497–1504), Commendator of Dunfermline (1500-1504) and Commendator of Arbroath (1503-1504)]
* George Crichton, 1500-1526 [Became Bishop of Dunkeld.]
* William Douglas, 1526-1528
* Robert Cairncross, 1528-1538 [Became Bishop of Ross.]
* David Douglas, 1530-1531

List of commendators

* Robert Stewart, 1539-1568 [Illegitimate son of King James V of Scotland; became prior of Whithorn (1568-1581 x 1582).]
* Adam Bothwell, 1568-1582 [Also bishop of Orkney (1559-1593)]
* John Bothwell, 1582-1606

Notes

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

ee also

* Holyrood Abbey