NLS, MS Adv

337 Pages·2012·5.36 MB·English

by  Andrew Smith

Smith, Andrew (2011) The Kelso Abbey cartulary: context, production
and forgery. PhD thesis.

http://theses.gla.ac.uk/3322/

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The Kelso Abbey Cartulary: Context, Production and Forgery

Andrew Smith, M.Litt.
University of Glasgow

A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy,
University of Glasgow, January 2011
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Abstract

Very little critical work has been done on collections of charters surviving from
medieval Scotland. Using cutting-edge methodologies, this study deconstructs the
largest of these collections, namely the Kelso Abbey cartulary, and attempts to answer
questions such as when, why and how was it produced, and is its content authentic?
Ultimately, it concludes that the manuscript is not a straightforward, objective
transcript of the monastery’s charters, and evidence to support this is presented in four
chapters, a conclusion and two commentary sections. Chapter one demonstrates that
the production of the cartulary was tied to a specific period in the abbey’s history and
was certainly produced as part of a campaign to rebuild after the wars of the early
fourteenth century and their ramifications. These ramifications included the
destruction of the monks’ charters, the destruction of their home and property, and the
upheaval of the native landholding establishment by King Edward I and King Robert
I. Chapter two reinforces the above suggestions by dating the production of the
manuscript between 1321 and 1326 - i.e. the precise years in which King Robert was
working to help many of the religious houses in Scotland to reassert themselves after
the war. Apart from contextual considerations, chapter two also establishes that the
cartulary is not a completely accurate representation of the documentation in the
monastery’s archive. Among other things, portions of the manuscript appear to be
missing, and the scribes who produced it adopted selection criteria which led to the
omission of charters or of diplomatic. Thereafter, chapters three and four evaluate the
authenticity of the material in the manuscript. Chapter three demonstrates that there
are severe problems with the information, diplomatic, witness lists and other features
found in a number of its charters, and chapter four demonstrates that these items share
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a number of conspicuous features in common, including their locations, conditions
and the circumstances which appear to have led to their production. In combination,
chapters three and four build a strong case against the authenticity of a number of
items in the manuscript, and both of these discussions are complemented by
exhaustive commentaries which discuss each of the problematic charters in detail.
Finally, this study concludes by demonstrating that certain features of the Kelso
Abbey cartulary appear to call into question the veracity of several well-established
paradigms, including the notion that cartularies were created for the sole use of the
inhabitants of religious communities. It also suggests that the consequences of the
Anglo-Scottish wars in the early fourteenth century may be comparable to the
consequences of the Norman Conquest of 1066 in terms of inspiring religious houses,
like Kelso, to forge charters, and it builds a strong case that this needs to be an area of
future inquiry.

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Table of Contents

Title Page 1
Abstract 2
Contents 4
List of Figures, Maps, Tables and Plates 7
Preface and Acknowledgements 14
Author’s Declarations 16
Conventions 17
References and Abbreviations 19

Introduction 21
I. The Historiography of Source Criticism in Scotland and Elsewhere 22
II. Criticism in this Study 31
III. Sources 36

Chapter 1: The History of Kelso Abbey Prior to the Production of the 48
Cartulary
I. The Social and Political History of Kelso Abbey Before 1296 49
II. The Economic History of Kelso Abbey Before 1296 63
III. The Social and Political History of Kelso Abbey After 1296 77
IV. The Economic History of Kelso Abbey After 1296 81
V. Conclusion 90

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Chapter 2: The Composition of the Kelso Abbey Cartulary 93
I. The Current Codex vs. The Original Codex 93
II. Stages of Development 98
III. The Policies of the Compilers of the Manuscript 102
IV. Date of Production 118
V. Conclusion 122

Chapter 3: The Authenticity of the Charters in the Kelso Abbey Cartulary 125
I. Contextual Anachronisms 129
II. Contradictions 139
III. Deletions and Interpolations 142
IV. Diplomatic 151
V. Other Elements Which Suggest that Charters are Forgeries 163
VI. Conclusion 166

Chapter 4: The Common Characteristics of the Questionable Charters in 168
the Kelso Abbey Cartulary
I. Location in the Manuscript 169
II. Condition in the Manuscript 177
III. Catalysts which Spurred Production 180
IV. Conclusion 198

Conclusion 200
I. Notitiae 202
II. Witness List Omission 205
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III. Function of the Cartulary 206
IV. Thoughts for the Future 209

Commentary I 214

Commentary II 280

Appendix 298

Bibliography 314

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List of Figures, Maps, Tables and Plates

Introduction
Figure:
0.1: An Illustration of the Textual Features of Quires 10 & 11 43
Tables:
0.1: Catchwords 42
0.2: Quire-Signatures 42
0.3: Details Concerning the Surviving Originals in the Melrose
and Holyrood Archives 45
Plates:
0.1: NLS, Adv. MS 34.5.1, f. 125v 41
0.2: NLS, Adv. MS 34.5.1, f. 126r 41

Chapter One
Figure:
1.1: Legend for Maps 1-9 68
Maps:
1.1: Holdings by Religious Houses in 1124 69
1.2: Holdings by Religious Houses in 1153 70
1.3: Holdings by Religious Houses in 1165 71
1.4: Holdings by Religious Houses in 1189 72
1.5: Holdings by Religious Houses in 1214 73
1.6: Holdings by Religious Houses in 1249 74
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1.7: Holdings by Religious Houses in 1296 75
1.8: Holdings by Religious Houses in 1296 Including Possessions Known to
Have Been Held By Monasteries in Galloway at the Reformation 76
1.9: Routes of Edward I in Southeastern Scotland 77

Chapter Two
Figures:
2.1: Quires 1 and 2 in the Current Codex 94
2.2: The End of the Original Cartulary on Folio 164 99
2.3: Lost Charters 110
2.4: Acts for Which No Charter References or Charters Survive 110
2.5: Totals of Figures One and Two 110
2.6: Survival Rates of Private Charters Recording the Initial Donations of
Churches or Chapels 111
Tables:
2.1: Catchwords 95
2.2: Quire-Signatures 95
2.3: Collation of the Original Codex 98
2.4: The Original Cartulary 100
2.5: Additions to the Original Cartulary 101
2.6: Later Entries 102
Plates:
2.1: Portion of Folio 5r from Quire 1 97
2.2: Portion of Folio 165r from Quire 15 97
2.3: An Example of a Notitia Found on f. 5 which Summarises the Content of
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King Mael Coluim IV’s General Gonfirmation Charter which Survives
as an Original 104
2.4: Section of Thomas son of Thomas of Gordon’s Mid-Thirteenth-Century
Charter (NLS, MS Adv. 34.5.1 f. 32r) 117
2.5: Charter by King Alexander II to Gill’Andreas McLeod, 19 April 1232 117

Chapter Three
Figures:
3.1: Statistical Overview of the Non-Royal Charters in the Kelso Cartulary 128
3.2: Statistical Overview of the Non-Royal Charters in the Melrose Archive 128
3.3: Statistical Overview of the Non-Royal Charters in the Holyrood Archive 128
3.4: Incorporation of Pro Anima Clauses into Melrose Abbey’s Charters 135
3.5: Use of Phraseologies which Distinguish Between the Living and the Dead
in the Melrose Abbey Archive 135
3.6: Incorporation of Pro Anima Clauses into Kelso Abbey’s Charters 135
3.7: Use of Phraseologies which Distinguish Between the Living and the Dead
in the Kelso Abbey Cartulary 136
3.8: Use of Scriptum, Littera or Carta in the Address Clauses of Melrose and
Holyrood’s Charters 154
3.9: Use of Scriptum, Littera or Carta in the Address Clauses of Kelso’s Charters 154
3.10: Use of “Kingdom of Scotland/Scots” in Comparative Clauses in
Melrose & Holyrood Archives 155
3.11: Use of “Kingdom of Scotland/Scots” in Comparative Clauses in
Kelso Abbey Cartulary 156
3.12: Use of Caritatis Intuitu in the Kelso Abbey Cartulary 159
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