History of St. Andrews, episcopal, monastic, academic, and civil, comprising the principal part of the ecclesiastical history of Scotland

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HISTORY or ST ANDREWS. " It was a very fine day. Dr Johnson seemed quite wrapt up in the scenes which were presented to him. He kept his hat off while he was upon any part of the ground where the Cathedral had stood. He said well — that Knox had set on a mob, without knowing where it would end ; and that, differing from a man in doctrine, was no reason why you should pull down his house about his ears.1* — Boswell's Life of Johnson. HISTORY OF ST ANDREWS, EPISCOPAL, MONASTIC, ACADEMIC, AND CIVIL ; COMPRISING THE PRINCIPAL PART OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF SCOTLAND, FROM THE EARLIEST AGE TILL THE PRESENT TIME. BY THE REV. C. J. LYON, M.A., FORMERLY OF TRINITY COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE, AND NOW PRESBYTER OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH, ST ANDREWS IN TWO VOLUMES. VOLUME I. WILLIAM TAIT, EDINBURGH; SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, & CO., LONDON ; AND JOHN CUMMING, DUBLIN.

MDCCCXLIII. EDINBURGH : Printed by William Tait, Prince's Street. TO THE RIGHT REVEREND THE PRIMUS AND BISHOPS OF THE REFORMED CATHOLIC CHURCH IN SCOTLAND; THIS WORK, CONTAINING AN ACCOUNT OF THE LIVES AND TIMES OF SOME OF THE MOST ILLUSTRIOUS OF THEIR PREDECESSORS, IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED BY THEIR MOST OBEDIENT SERVANT AND HUMBLE PRESBYTER, THE AUTHOR.

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. Some account ofthe ancient Metropolitan See of St Andrews, — once the Canterbury of Scotland — the seat of its oldest University — the nursery of the Reforma tion — and the scene of many memorable occurrences, — may be thought deserving of attention in this age of general inquiry. By nothing was St Andrews so much distinguished, from the ninth to the seventeenth century, as by its long line of Bishops and Archbishops, among whom the sons and grandsons of our Scottish kings did not disdain to rank themselves. To an historical and biographical account of these Prelates, I have devoted a large, and I hope not an uninteresting, portion of this work ; which will be found to include, at the same time, the principal events in the ecclesiastical annals of our country. The history of St Andrews goes back to very early times, independent of the well-known tradition as to St Regulus and his followers.

Here it was that, according to the venerable Wyntoun, Hungus king of the Picts, in gratitude for the supposed assistance he had received from St Andrew, richly endowed the ancient Culdean church of this place ;

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. " Then furth in his devotioune, Added the dotatioune Of Sanct Andrewys kyrk in fee, And landis in regality." Here Alexanderl., with the singular ceremony of leading " His comely steed of Arahy, Saddled and hrydled costlyly," up to the altar of the " auld kyrk " of St Rule, en dowed the same Church with the celebrated Cursus Apri or " Boaris chace;" which valuable endowment was confirmed by his brother and successor, the saintly David, when " Of Sanct Andrewys the city til He came, and hys son the earl Henry, And with them lords richt mony," for the purpose of inspecting the newly-begun Priory of Saint Augustine, and having an interview with Bishop Robert, its principal founder. And here, in the same kirk of St Rule, Malcolm, "the Maiden King," honoured with his presence the consecration of Arnold, the nineteenth Bishop of St Andrews, which was performed by the Bishop of Moray, legate of Pope Alexander III.

The same king presided, not many months after, at the foundation of the Cathedral church : — " Malcolme at that foundatioune Was present in hys awn persoune ;" and, one hundred and fifty-eight years after, it was so lemnly dedicated, in the presenceof Robertthe Bruce, " The kyng Robert honourably Was there in persoune bodyly ; And seven byshopis were seen, And abbotis also were there fifteen

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. IX And mony other gret gentilmen Were gadryd to that assembly then." The same stately edifice witnessed the marriage of the fifth James to the mother of our much-injured Mary, — it saw within its walls most of the contemporary kings, nobility, and mitred prelates of Scot land, — and its sacred precincts still contain the ashes of some of the most distinguished primates, governors, and chancellors of the kingdom ; whose monuments indeed the fury of an ultra-reformation has swept away, but whose dust is still incorporated with the consecrated soil. Over the misguided zeal which, under the name of Reformation, destroyed so many sacred edifices in this country, all right-thinking persons must mourn ; and particularly must we lament the destruction of our once-magnificent metropolitan Cathedral, on which vast expense, consummate skill, and many years of assiduous labour, had been bestowed.

But not to dwell here on circumstances which will be detailed in their proper places, I shall only remark, that what we have chiefly to do in the present times, is to revive, as far as possible, the memory of what is gone ; and, in reviewing the conduct of our ancestors, to derive all the benefit in our power, both from their errors and their virtues : for, unless we do this, it is only a waste of time to investigate their history. Especially should we learn to imitate their piety, zeal, and munificence, without adopting their superstition and intolerance ; and, in particular, should the nobility and gentry of Scotland take example from the in stances which will be quoted, of the religious libe rality of their predecessors in the middle ages, to be

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. X less sparing in their contributions to the impoverished Reformed Catholic Church in Scotland, of which most of them are members, — and which they are the more bound to uphold, from the well-known fact, that not a few of them are enriched by its spoils. The middle ages in the history of Great Britain are termed " the dark ages;" but I apprehend they are only dark to us, from the imperfect records which have been transmitted to us of their real state and charac ter. It seems to me, that the more we discover con cerning those ages, the more brilliantly do they shine, and the greater excellencies do they unfold. The present work will, it is believed, confirm this impression, as it respects Scotland ; and thus lead us to judge more favourably of our forefathers than we have been accustomed to do, especially when we compare them and their opinions with the men and the opinions of the distempered age in which we live — an age, I will venture to affirm, as much in need of a true Reforma tion as any that ever preceded it.

We might learn many a useful lesson from our forefathers, if our self conceit would permit us to seek instruction at their hands; for, if we excel them in arts, sciences, and civilisation, it must be allowed that they surpassed us in the more valuable qualities of self-denial, disinterestedness, and devotion — in religious munificence, and generous hospitality. To make the records of the middle ages more acces sible to the generality of readers, I have translated, from the Latin originals, those of them that had refer ence to the subject of this work. I may venture to say, that the following documents connected with the

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. XI Bishoprick, Priory, and University of St Andrews, — numerous bulls of the Popes — the correspondence be tween Edward III. and John XXII. — various safe conducts to pass into England and foreign parts — the proofs of our King Alexander III.'s designs against the property of this see, not hitherto noticed by historians — the charters and statutes of the Colleges — the register of our once-celebrated priory, which has only recently come to light, and, connected with it, the sup plementary Denmylne Papers preserved in the Advo cates' Library — letters from the Epistolæ Regum Scot orum — and, lastly, Archbishop Sharp's presentation charter to his diocese, (not to mention some other papers of minor importance,) — have either never before been printed, or never till now appeared in an English dress.

I have availed myself, as was my duty, of the la bours of the older as well as the more recent histori ans of Scotland ; and, in doing so, have generally preferred extracting their own words, to giving the substance of them in mine. The advantage of this is, that it not only prevents any unconscious colouring or exaggeration on my part, but also more effectually conveys the reader back, in imagination, to the times described, and brings the scenes delineated more im mediately before his eyes. This may, indeed, be thought by some to detract from an author's praise, by saving him the labour of condensation ; but this is a species of detraction I am very willing to endure, if the plan I have adopted be found to contribute, as I have no doubt it will, to the satisfaction of the reader. In particular, I have quoted largely from John de Fordun and Andrew de Wyntoun — the for-

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. XII mer of whom, or rather his continuator, has given us, in his " Scotichronicon," an account of the Priors of St Andrews down to his own time ; while the latter, in his "Original Chronykyl of Skotland," confines himself chiefly to the Bishops of the diocese, — a coin cidence which is somewhat remarkable ; for, although these two writers were contemporaries, there is no reason to believe that either of them was aware of the progress, or even the existence of the other's work. Wyntoun was a canon-regular of the priory of St An drews. In 1395 he was elected by his brother canons Prior of Lochleven, a dependency of their own, and one of the oldest religious houses in our country; having been founded for the Culdees, in the seventh cen tury, by Brud son of Dargard king of the Picts, and endowed with ample revenues by subsequent kings and bishops of Scotland — a foundation that, " for cen turies of darkness and violence, kept alive the lamp of a civilizing religion."

There, doubtless, the good prior composed his " Chronykyl ;" but there now — instead of a pious and learned fraternity pursuing their peace ful occupations, the only inhabitants of the little island are a few sheep, which find a partial shelter from the inclemency of the weather among the mural fragments of the ancient monastery. My quotations from the venerable Wyntoun, in the simple rhymes of the vernacular language of his day, will, I doubt not, be read by many with a lively interest. For an ele gant and accurate edition of this work, antiquaries are deeply indebted to the late Mr David Macpherson. We can never sufficiently regret that " the Register of the diocese of St Andrews " should have perished.

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. XIII No volumes would have thrown so much light upon the ecclesiastical history of the middle ages of Scot land. We may conceive how large a collection of documents this work must have contained, when we know that even the Register of the comparatively small diocese of Moray, which has happily been preserved, occupies a closely-printed quarto volume of about 500 pages. The chartulary of our celebrated priory, however, has happily survived, or rather a copy of it ; and, I am sorry to add, an imperfect copy. But, such as it is, it has recently been printed for the Ban natyne Club, by 0. T. Bruce, Esq. of Falkland, from a copy in the possession of Lord Panmure, and has been of immense use to me in compiling my History of St Andrews. By Mr Bruce I was obligingly presented with a copy of that volume, on my making him acquainted with the work in which I was engaged.

The defects of the Register are, in some measure, supplied by the Denmylne Papers, and various papal bulls ; the originals of which are happily preserved in that de pository of ancient learning, as well as modern literature, the Advocates' Library, Edinburgh. When we consider the " violent and disordered " manner in which the Reformation was conducted in this country, the wonder is, not that so many of these documents should have perished, but that so many of them should have been saved. The lay-holders of church property perhaps thought that, if the charters were once destroyed, their possession of the lands was less likely to be questioned ; and besides, they could have had no great pleasure in referring to manuscripts which, while defining the boundaries of their lands.

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. XIV denounced, at the same time, a curse upon those who diverted them from their original pious destination, — a curse which, I have shown, was remarkably fulfilled, by the violent death, or failure of male issue, or both, of the sacrilegious plunderers. When I come down to more modern times, I have endeavoured to represent, in their true light, those in fluential men who, in their day, acted conspicuous parts in St Andrews ; and to remove some of the false glare and exaggerated colouring in which their too partial biographers have delighted to paint them. This remark applies more particularly to Calderwood's "History of the Church of Scotland," Dr M'Crie's Lives of "John Knox" and "Andrew Melville," as well as his " Miscellaneous Writings," and to Wodrow's " History of the Sufferings of the Church of Scotland," as edited by Dr Burns of Paisley.

The statements of these writers, in their attacks on Episcopacy, have been too long permitted to influence the public mind. If we would get at the truth, it is necessary that some thing more should be advanced on the opposite side, particularly from those authentic sources which the literary clubs of Edinburgh and Glasgow have recently disclosed. It may be rash in me, indeed, to contend against such formidable opponents; but my pretensions rise no higher than to advocate the cause of re ligious and historical truth with the same zeal which, it seems to me, they have shown in impugnino* it. Some may think that I have not done justice to the Scottish Reformers ; and, I confess, that a close ex amination of their character and behaviour has rather tended to lower, than raise my admiration of them.

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. XV It may be questioned whether they were justified in assuming to themselves the difficult and responsible office of Reformers at all — an office, for the fulfilment of which few of them were qualified, and none of them possessed either divine or human authority. Their " zeal for the Lord " against the pope, seems to have resembled that of Jehu against Ahab ; with this important difference, that they wanted the sovereign power and divine commission with which the Israel itish Reformer was invested for the due accomplish ment of his task. Still, they did assume the office of Reformers, and they swept away some of the abuses of Romanism. But we must regret that, in doing this, they should have swept away much that was really valuable, the loss of which cannot now be re covered. We must also regret that few of the Re formers acted from praiseworthy motives ; and, above all, that in getting rid of some acknowledged evils, they were not prepared to substitute a better ecclesi astical system in the room of the one which they had precipitately overthrown — a system that should have prevented those disorderly proceedings and repeated changes in the established religion of the country, which followed close upon the Reformation, and are far from haviiuj yet subsided.

In short, we must la ment that they were not prepared to constitute The Church upon the truly Catholic faith and practice of the first centuries, the rule so wisely acted upon by the English Reformers, the " quod semper, quod ubique, quod ab omnibus creditum est," — antiquity, universality, and general consent ; " a rule," says the learned Bishop Sage, in his " Fundamental Charter of

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. XVI Presbytery," " which the common sense of mankind cannot but justify, when it is considered soberly and seriously, without partiality or prejudice ; a rule in deed, which, had the Reformers of the several churches followed unitedly and conscientiously, in those times when the churches in the western part of Europe were a-reforming, we had not had so many different faiths, so many different modes of worship, so many different governments and disciplines, as, alas ! this day divide the Protestant churches, and, by consequence, weaken the Protestant interest ; a rule which, had the pre tenders to reformed religion in Scotland still stood by, we had not possibly had so many horrid rebellions, so many unchristian divisions, so many unaccountable revolutions, both in Church and State, as, to our sad experience, have, in the result, so unhinged all the principles of natural justice and honesty, and disabled, nay, eaten out the principles of Christianity among us, that now we are not so much disposed for anything as for downright atheism."

It is possible that some of my Presbyterian readers may consider that I have occasionally betrayed feelings unfriendly to their religious polity. On this subject I shall only say here, that, ever since I understood the difference between Episcopacy and Presbyterianism, (a difference which, strange as it may appear, very few persons will give themselves the trouble to understand,) I have been satisfied that the latter is in a wrong po sition — a position which it is not probably destined to maintain. But my objection is to Presbyterian?'-?^, not to Presbytermws, whom it would be unfair to make responsible for the conduct of their predecessors, fur-

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. XVII ther than they choose to identify themselves with it. With several Presbyterian ministers I live on the most friendly terms, who, I am sure, will not be offended at the freedom with which I have spoken of their system. Most of them, indeed, acknowledge the excellence of our Episcopacy, and would have no objections to see it established, if they could be sure of carrying the bulk of the nation along with them. Whether the existing Establishment, notwithstanding its acknowledged defects, be better than anything that is likely to be substituted in its room, were it subverted, 1 am not prepared to say ; but I entertain, in common with many others, a deep conviction, that nothing has injured the cause of our common Christianity in these lands, so much as the establishing by law two churches, differing from each other so essentially, that there never was, and never can be, any religious communion between them.

For when the people see their rulers, who are God's vicegerents upon earth and responsible to Him for their conduct, consenting to establish whatever system seems to them most expedient, without the least regard to Truth, which is " the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever," what are they to conclude, but that religion is a mere piece of State policy, intended only to serve worldly interests and temporal purposes ? What are they to infer when they see the State treating two religions with equal regard — nay, granting endowments to various anti-church communities, both at home and in the colonies, — what can the people infer, but that their rulers consider none of them of much importance ? But waiving this, either the difference between the two Established churches is vol. I. b

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. XVIII essential, or it is small. If essential, as we Episco palians hold, they cannot both be branches of Christ's " one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church ;" and if the difference be small, as some very liberal persons allege, then the lesser, in not uniting with the greater, must be guilty of schism — a sin which is as strongly condemned in Scripture as any that can be named. So that, in whatever point of view we regard the matter, a heavy load of responsibility lies both upon our rulers and people, for suffering things to remain in their present anomalous and most unchristian state. Not that it is meant by this that the Scottish Epis copal Church seeks to be received into connexion with the State. I believe, on the contrary, that our bishops and clergy, though they cannot boast much of the ad vantages ofthe Voluntary system, have no desire what ever, even if they had the means, to avail themselves of the existing distractions for their own reestablishment.

Their practice has always been, not to lead Providence, as is now too commonly done, but to wait patiently till they are led by Providence — persuaded that " in quietness and in confidence is their strength." But it, nevertheless, remains an incontrovertible truth, that, for the same government to establish, in the same island, two fundamentally different religious communities, was, to say the least, purchasing a precarious peace at the expense of principle ; and must therefore prove, in the end, no less impolitic and injurious, than it was time-serving and inconsistent. If, in the following pages, I have dwelt longer than, to some, may seem proper, on the defects of the system established by Andrew Melville, resumed during the

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. XIX Grand Rebellion, confirmed at the Revolution, and now more rampant than ever, under the names of Invisible headship, and Non-intrusionism, — I have only to assign, as my reason, that as that system is still upheld by a considerable portion ofthe community, my object was to open their eyes, if possible, to the evils which uniformly, and I conceive necessarily, spring out of it ; and, in doing this, I have rested my proofs chiefly on the ad missions of its advocates, and on historical facts, as re corded by themselves. The language and behaviour of the leading men, at the several periods just referred to, are so strikingly alike, that accident will not account for the resemblance : it must be sought for in some inherent peculiarity of the system ; or in what one of the most strenuous of its modern defenders calls " the bold republicanism of Presbytery."

Since the foregoing was written, the anticipated secession from the Scottish Establishment has occurred. All the circumstances connected with it tend to con firm the remarks I have interspersed in that part of my history which relates to the period between the Reformation and the Revolution, as to the true character of Presbyterianism, when carried out to its na tural results, and the consequences which may at all times be expected from the ascendancy of puritanical democracy. It seems to me that the Seceders, even on their own principles, and admitting that they are much in the right in their quarrel with the State, as they fondly persuade themselves, ought to have re mained at their posts, and patiently suffered for their testimony to the truth. This would have been a more Christian course, nay, more effectual in ultimately

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. XX gaining their own object, than throwing off all con trol, running away from danger, adding one more to the numerous sects which are already the reproach of Protestantism, distracting the minds of the ignorant, and stirring up a popular agitation against " the powers that be, which are ordained of God." But then, this would have looked very like an approximation to the doctrine of "passive obedience," which they have always repudiated. Nevertheless, by following an opposite course, they have incurred a more awful re sponsibility ; and there is too much reason to fear, judging from the well-known character of their leaders, and the historical precedents with which they iden tify themselves, that they will use their influence for evil much more than for good, under the mistaken con viction " that they are doing God service ;" breathing out, as they openly do, hatred of the Establishment which they have quitted, — of the civil government, — the courts of law, — the aristocracy of the land, — and, above all, of Episcopacy, which they are constantly labouring to disparage under the name of Puseyism.

The effect of all this must be, the increase of fanaticism, insubordination, and infidelity ; though we must hope that a gracious Providence will overrule all in the end for good. But, in the meantime, the movement involves an attempt to throw Scotland back two centuries, — to the era, namely, of the Grand Re bellion : nay, it so happens, to the very year of the Solemn League and Covenant and the Westminster Assembly ; the first of which they will probably revive, as they have already announced their resolution to celebrate the bi-centenarv of the second !

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. XXI But I must not dwell here on this painful subject. Let us pray that Heaven may, in mercy, avert from us a renewal of the fatal consequences to which the movement of 1643 gave rise ; or rather, save us from " our offences, and the offences of our forefathers," which are too likely to bring down, in some form or other, the divine judgments on our heads ! I take this opportunity of returning my grateful thanks to the learned Principals and Professors of this University, for access to their valuable library, with out which I could scarcely have executed my task ; and more particularly am I obliged to their librarian, Mr M'Bean, for the readiness with which he at all times exerted himself to procure for me the books which I required — a liberality on the part of these gentlemen the more commendable, because they must have been aware that I was engaged in a work which would contain religious opinions differing materially from their own.

To the Advocates' Library in Edinburgh, I have also been greatly indebted for the use of several scarce books and MSS. ; and especially are my acknowledg ments due to W. Turnbull, Esq., F.S. A. Scot., a member of that learned body, for his kindness in aid ing my researches, and particularly in transcribing for me various manuscript documents which were not allowed to be removed from the Library. I will now conclude this long preface, by observing, that if, in the course of my work, opinions are advanced which will not be generally responded to in this self styled liberal and enlightened age, particularly in Scot land, — I have only to say, that nothing is advanced

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. which I am not ready to defend, — nothing of which I am not deeply convinced, both of the truth and the importance, — and nothing but what I have the satisfaction to know has been held by an immense majority of the wise and the good in all ages. St Andrews, June 1843. CONTENTS OF VOLUME I.

Chapter I

Locality of St Andrews. Page Description of the city and neighbourhood, ... 1 Present and former population, ..... 2 Old plans remaining — Scores — Harbour, .... 4 Ancient and modern state of the city — Statistics, . . 5 Climate — Temperature — Rain — Winds — Geology, . . 6 Mandate of Bishop Bane as to the encroachment of the sea, 1 2 Bull of Pope Gregory XI. on the same subject, . . 13 Supposed upheavings of the land, . . . . .15

Chapter II

Traditional Origin and Early History of the City. History of St Regulus, . . . . . .16 Probability of its truth — Relics of St Andrew, . . .1.9 St Regulus' (or Lady Buchan's) cave, .... 21 The Pictish king, Hungus, assisted by St Andrew, . * 22 His ample gifts to the church in consequence, ... 24 Kenneth II. confirms the same— Abernethy, . . . 25

Chapter III

The Culdees. Culdean monastery at St Andrews — Marriage of their priests, 2si How far connected with Rome — St Ninian — St Palladius, 28 Abbot of Iona — Nature of his authority over bishops, . . 29 Culdeeism merges into Romanism, . . . . .32 Early bishops of Scotland, ...... 35 Episcopacy the only known polity in ancient times, . . CONTENTS. XXIV

Chapter IV

Lives and Times of the Bishops of St Andrews, from their Commencement in the Ninth Century, till the Death of Bishop Robert, the Founder of the Augtjstinian Priory, in a.d. 1159, in whose Episcopate the Supremacy of the Pope was First acknowledged throughout Scotland. Page Extent of the diocese of St Andrews, 39 St Adrian, the first bishop — Killed by the Danes in the Isle of May, 40 Kellach I. — Religious convention at Scone, . . .41 Constantine III. becomes abbot of the Culdees, ... 42 Fothad I. banished from his see — His silver casket, . . 43 Lochleven priory — Tithes, parishes, and patronage, . . 44 Malisius I. — Religious convention at Forfar, ... 45 Kellach II. said to go to Rome for confirmation, . . ib. Fothad II. negotiates a peace between Grime and Malcolm, 46 Diocese of Aberdeen — Monymusk, . . . .ib.

Maldun — Grants to Lochleven priory — Macbeth, . . 47 Fothad III. marries Malcolm III. to Margaret — Convention at St Andrews, ....... 49 Gregory — Veremundus archdeacon of St Andrews, . 50 Godricus crowns King Edgar, who founds Coldingham priory, 5 1 Turgot consecrated by the Archbishop of York — Parish church of St Andrews, ...... 52 Its altarages and choristers — Their subsequent appropriation, ........ .54 The bishop resigns, and retires to Durham — His works, . 55 Eadmere, his acceptance and resignation of the see, . . 56 Robert, grant of the "Cnrsus Apri" — Ceremony on the occasion, ......... 61 Deed of the bishop's consecration by the Archbishop of York, 64 Foundation of the priory — Its constitution, ... 65 Interview between David I. and the bishop, . . 67 St Andrews made a royal burgh — Its early commerce, . 69 Papal legate — Bull of Honorius II. — and of Adrian IV., . 70 The bishop's death, and place of burial — Seal, • . . 72 Robert, the first prior of the monastery, .... 73 Bull of Alexander III. as to the next bishop, . *h. CONTENTS. XXV