Abbeys -- Scotland; Cathedrals -- Scotland; Church architecture -- Scotland
In the reign of Malcolm IV. the bishopric of St. Andrews included the
counties of Fife, Kinross, Clackmannan, the three Lothians,
Berwickshire, Roxburghshire, parts of Perthshire, Forfarshire, and
Kincardineshire; and, although the see was lessened by the creation of
new bishoprics, the importance of St. Andrews was always great, for at
the Reformation the primate's ecclesiastical jurisdiction included 2
archdeaconries, 9 rural deaneries, the patronage of 131 benefices, the
administration of 245 parishes. In 1471 or 1472 the see was erected into
an archbishopric by a bull of Pope Sixtus IV. and at this time the
Archbishop of York surrendered his claim to have the Bishop of St.
Andrews as his suffragan--a claim repeatedly made since the time of
Turgot and as frequently resented. The office of bishop or archbishop
involved great spiritual and temporal power; the primates were lords of
regality and ultimate heirs of all confiscated property within their
domains; they levied customs and at times had the power of coining
money; they presided at synods, controlled the appointment of abbots and
priors, were included with the King in the oath of allegiance, and took
precedence next to the royal family, and before all the Scottish
nobility. There were in all thirty-one bishops and six archbishops, who
held the see in succession from 908 to 1560, and among the more famous
of them may be mentioned Turgot, the friend and biographer of Queen
Margaret (1107-1115); Robert, prior of Scone, who founded the Priory of
St. Andrews, received the gift of the Culdee Monastery of Lochleven, and
built the church and tower of St. Rule (1124-1158); Arnold, Abbot of
Kelso, who started the building of the great cathedral (1158-1159);
William Wishart of Pitarrow, who was lord-chancellor and bishop
(1273-1279), and rebuilt, between 1272 and 1279, the west front, which
was blown down by a tempest of wind; William Lamberton (1298-1328), who
consecrated the cathedral in 1318, in the presence of King Robert the
Bruce; Henry Wardlaw (1404-1440), who founded in 1411 the University of
St. Andrews; James Kennedy (1440-1466)--the greatest of all the
bishops--who founded St. Salvador's College; James Stewart (1497-1503),
second son of James III., Duke of Ross and Marquis of Ormond, who was
made primate at twenty-one; Alexander Stewart (1506-1513), who was the
natural son of James IV., and fell with his father at Flodden; James
Beaton (1522-1539), who founded St. Mary's College and burnt Patrick
Hamilton; David Beaton, nephew of James Beaton (1539-1546), who burnt
Wishart and was murdered; John Hamilton (1549-1571), who was the author
of the Catechism of 1552.[35]
As to the buildings, St. Regulus' or St. Rule's, standing in the ancient
churchyard at a distance of about 120 feet south-east of the east end
of the Cathedral of St. Andrews, was unquestionably the earlier
Cathedral Church, and occupies probably the site of the earlier Celtic
church.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account