INGELRAM who had been
chancellor of the kingdom was, on 10th September, 1164, elected
Bishop of Glasgow, in succession to Herbert who died in that year,
and he was consecrated by Pope Alexander III. at Sens in France, on
28th October. In a letter of the latter date, addressed to Salomon,
the dean, and the canons of Glasgow, and all the clergy and people
dwelling in the bishopric, the Pope states that Ingelram had come to
him for consecration and had brought letters from Malcolm, the
illustrious King of Scots. Although the messenger of the Archbishop
of York was present and strongly opposed the proceedings, the Pope,
mindful of the necessity, both in spiritual and temporal matters,
which threatened the church of Glasgow from the want of a pastor,
consecrated the new bishop and cordially commended him to the people
in his diocese. Ingelram had succeeded Asceline as archdeacon, in
1160, and had then distinguished himself as one of the leaders of
the Scottish church in opposing the claims of the Archbishop of
York, conduct which sufficiently accounts for the opposition to his
consecration. [Dowden's Bishops, pp. 297-8; Lawrie's Annals, pp.
84-86, 149.]
King Malcolm died in
1165 and was succeeded by his brother, usually styled William the
Lion, whose long reign, extending into seven episcopates, lasted
till 1214. In these early reigns —those of David, Malcolm and
William—the King travelled from place to place attended by a retinue
of prelates, earls, churchmen and barons, administering existing
laws and sometimes sanctioning new or imported ordinances. Latterly
assemblies of King, bishops, earls and barons, and great councils,
attended by the "magnates" of the land, come into notice, but it was
only after a long course of years that these developed into what
could be properly called a National Parliament. Subsidiary to such
assemblies and councils, sheriffs and justiciars, bishops of
dioceses, abbots of monasteries, and the greater of the crown
vassals likewise exercised judicial and administrative functions of
varying degree, and throughout the twelfth century these baronial
courts increased both in number and power. By an ordinance of King
William, passed at Stirling on 14th July, 1180, " throw common
consent of prelatis, erlis and barounis and fre haldaris," it was
provided that neither bishops, abbots, earls, barons nor freeholders
should hold their courts unless the King's sheriff or his sergeant
were summoned thereto to see that the court was rightly held. If,
however, neither sheriff nor sergeant should attend, it should be
lawful for the baron to hold his court in their absence. The four
Pleas of the Crown—murder, rape, robbery and wilful
fire-raising—were reserved, and it was specially declared that no
baron might hold court of life and limb, "as of jugement of bataile
or of water or of het yrn," unless the sheriff or his sergeants were
there to see law and justice done. [A.P.S. i. p. 374; Trial by
Combat, p. 83.] It may, therefore, be assumed, in the absence of any
definite evidence on the subject, that the bishops of Glasgow, by
themselves or through their bailies and other officers, were
entrusted with the preservation of order and the dispensing of
justice throughout their territories, long before the date of any
extant record of court procedure or even of any charter bearing on
the subject. Such baronial jurisdiction was of course quite apart
from the proceedings of the bishop's spiritual or consistorial
courts, presided over by a judge, named the Official, and latterly
monopolizing most of the judicial business transacted throughout the
diocese. [The Medieval Church in Scotland (Dowden), chap. xviii.]
It is during
William's reign that charters to royal burghs begin to make their
appearance, but all such charters, with the exception of that of the
burgh of Ayr, were granted to burghs already existing, most of these
burghs tracing their constitution and privileges to a time when the
soil was either all "folc" or public land, or just beginning to be "boc"
or individually owned land and crown property. [Ancient Laws and
Customs, i. p. xxxvii.] As an illustration of the form of such
grants it may be mentioned that, by the Rutherglen charter,
previously referred to, [Antea, p. 39.] King William confirmed to
that burgh and to his burgesses there, all customs and rights which
they had in the time of King David, and those marches which he
granted to them. Then follow the bounds of a wide district which
apparently included the whole of the bishop's territory north of the
River Clyde and east of the Kelvin, within which area no one was to
bring anything for sale unless it was first presented at the burgh.
It was also declared that if any one should take away the toll or
other rights which belonged to the town in the time of King David,
the lord of the land in which such abstracted toll might be attached
should assist the officers of Rutherglen in recovering the same and
securing the King's rights. [Acts of Parliament, i. p. 86.] A
similar provision as to customs occurs in the charter of erection of
the burgh of Ayr, which was granted by William between the years
1202 and 1207. Here also a wide district is assigned for the
collection of "toll and other customs," five outlying places, on the
boundaries of the shire and commanding the principal roads by which
merchandise could be taken to and from the burgh, being named as the
stations where the dues were to be given and received. [Ayr Charter,
pp. 1-4.] The provision as to sale of goods at the burgh is in
accordance with an old Burgh law, attributed to William's reign,
whereby it is ordained that all merchandise should be presented at
the market cross of burghs, and there "preofferit" to the merchants
of the burgh, "and the custome therof salbe payit to the king." By
another old law it is provided that all dwellers in the country, as
well freeholders as peasants, should come with all their moveable
wares for sale to no other than the king's market within the
sheriffdom where they dwell. [Ancient Laws, i. pp. 61, 183.]
Scottish prelates and
monasteries frequently purchased at Rome confirmations of their
lands and privileges, and many such writings by the Popes in favour
of the church of Glasgow are recorded in the Register of the
Bishopric. In this way Pope Alexander III. confirmed to Bishop
Ingelram the tenth of the "chan" of lands in Carrick, Kyle and
Cunningham, of Strathgrif and Largs, and the eighth penny of fines
exacted in the king's courts throughout the bishopric, all of which
had been granted by King David, and at the same time the chapel of
Roxburgh castle and the churches of Carmichael and Carnwath were
confirmed. The year in which this confirmation was obtained is not
stated, but it seems to have been after 1164. By another writing of
the supposed date 26th April, 1166, the Pope required the patrons of
churches in the diocese to present to the bishop persons fit for the
cure of souls, and to supply them with becoming stipends. In a Papal
Bull dated 5th April, 1170, the church of Glasgow and all its
possessions, among which are enumerated a number of churches
throughout the diocese, were taken under the protection of St. Peter
and the Roman see, and confirmed to the bishop and his successors.
[Reg. Episc. Nos. 24, 26, 27; Lawrie's Annals, pp. III, 149.] Unless
there is some ambiguity in this document it would appear that
seventeen of the churches were mensal, the revenues of such
belonging to the bishop, under burden of the maintenance of vicars
for the due observance of religious services. Several of these
churches, however, such as Glasgow parish, Govan and Cadiho, had
already been constituted prebends of members of the chapter.
Included in the list of mensal churches are one in the town of the
daughter of Sadin (villa flue Sadin) and another on the lands of
Conclud, but beyond vague references in subsequent confirmatory
Papal Bulls and Charters there is no subsequent trace of these
churches, and their sites are unknown. Villa llie Sadin becomes
Inienchedin (and by misprint Mineschadin) in subsequent documents,
the prefix "Inien" being the Gaelic equivalent of the Latin "filie,"
and latterly develops into Schedinestun, now known as Shettleston.
A Papal Bull, dated
25th March, 1172, was addressed to Salomon, the dean, and to the
canons of Glasgow, whereby their possessions were confirmed. These
comprehended the parish of Glasgow with all its rights, liberties
and teinds, as they were given in the time of Bishop John, and with
the addition of a ploughgate of land at the burgh of Renfrew which
Bishop Herbert gave in augmentation of the prebend; the church of
Govan, with the whole of Perdehic; the church of Renfrew, with the
teinds and customs which it held from the time of King David; a
ploughgate of land in Glasgow, with the church of Cadiho and its
pertinents, as in the time of King David; Barlanark, with Budlornac,
which Bishop Herbert gave for augmentation of the prebend; the
prebend which the same bishop instituted of one measured ploughgate
of land in Glasgow and of one-seventh part of the proceeds of the
benefices in common which were formerly divided among six canons;
the prebend which Bishop John instituted of the teinds of the farms,
as well in cheeses as in grain and in other things which came into
the bishop's cellar, and of the teind of the eighth penny of the
king's pleas. After the enumeration of these prebends, presumably
possessed by members of the cathedral chapter as then constituted,
the Bull provides for the bishop and the canons having sole
jurisdiction and patronage within the territories of Glasgow, Govan,
Partick and Shettleston; and the customs of Sarum which had been
adopted in the cathedral by Bishop Herbert were likewise confirmed.
[Reg. Episc. No. 28; Lawrie's Annals, pp. 151-2. Shettleston is
again alluded to postea p. 98; and for further particulars and
speculations on the subject reference may be made to the Rev. J. F.
Miller's paper, Old Shettleston, printed in Transactions of the Old
Glasgow Club (1918-19), vol. iv. pp. 16-24.]
Two undated charters
were granted by King William to the church, but whether in the time
of Bishop Ingelram or in that of one of his successors is uncertain.
By the first of these charters the king confirmed to God and St.
Kentigern and to the bishop of Glasgow, Conclud, Cader and
Badermonoc, with their whole lands and pertinents, which had
originally been given by King Malcolm, in perpetual alms. By the
second charter the king bestowed forty shillings yearly from the
farms of his burgh of Rutherglen, to be applied for the lights of
the church. [Reg. Episc. Nos. 29, 31.]
By Badermonoc is
understood to be meant the district now included in the parish of
Old Monkland. The territory of New Monkland was bestowed by King
Malcolm on the monks of Neubotle. [Reg. de Neubotle, p. xxxvi.] That
part of the lands of Old Monkland called Kermil, now Carmyle, had
likewise been given by Bishop Herbert to the monks, but after the
middle of the thirteenth century these lands were redeemed and
dedicated for the sustenance of three chaplains who were to
celebrate divine services in the church of Glasgow. [Glasgow
Protocols, No. 1934, and authorities there cited.] |