Bernard of Kilwinning
Encyclopedia
Bernard was a Tironensian
abbot
, administrator
and bishop
active in late 13th- and early 14th-century Scotland
, during the First War of Scottish Independence
. He first appears in the records already established as Abbot of Kilwinning
in 1296, disappearing for a decade before re-emerging as Chancellor of Scotland then Abbot of Arbroath
.
A senior figure in the administration of Scotland during the 1310s and 1320s, he is widely said by modern writers to have drafted the Declaration of Arbroath
, and although there is no direct evidence for this, he nevertheless probably played a role. By early 1328, his service to the king had earned him a bishopric – the bishopric of the Isles
– a position he held for three or four years before his death in 1331.
The name "Bernard abbe de Kilwynin" (abbot of Kilwinning) occurs on the Ragman Rolls
, 28 August 1296, and he is recorded again in a document of Melrose Abbey
on 25 December. Bernard is unrecorded as abbot of Kilwinning
after this year, but it is possible that he was ejected from Kilwinning Abbey
by the English king in one of the following years, probably retiring to another Tironensian monastery, Arbroath Abbey
. A document dated 1296 x 1305, names one otherwise unknown Roger as Abbot of Kilwinning, meaning that Bernard had ceased to hold this position by 1305 at the latest.
Although once regarded as a historical dead-end, it is now established that this Bernard was the same Tironensian who was later Chancellor of Scotland, Abbot of Arbroath
and Bishop of the Isles
. Since 1726, Bernard had been erroneously identified with Bernard de Linton
, parson
of Mordington
, a name which occurs only in the Ragman Rolls. Professor A. A. M. Duncan first argued that Bernard of Arbroath was the same as Bernard of Kilwinning, rather than Bernard de Linton, in 1988, and has since been accepted by other historians.
From 1308, Bernard appears in the charters of Robert I
, King of the Scots, as "Dom Bernard the Chancellor". It was in 1308 that Robert finally got full control over the province of Angus
, where Arbroath Abbey is located. The Abbot of Arbroath at the time, John de Angus, appears to have been an English appointee, and was subsequently ejected from office. On 1 November 1309, John de Angus was "released" from the responsibility of his office by the Bishop of St Andrews, though he retained Haltwhistle
as rector
, a parish church in Tynedale
, Northumberland
, which belonged to the abbey.
Bernard was elected as the new abbot sometime in 1310, probably by August. John de Angus continued to be styled "Abbot of Arbroath" in English sources, though he became a Scottish prisoner in 1312 and was holding Haltwhistle from the Bishop of Durham by 1313. After his blessing as abbot, Bernard traveled to the Kingdom of Norway to negotiate an agreement with the Norwegian king. He returned in February 1312, and on 29 October 1312 Norwegian ambassadors met King Robert at Inverness
in royal Moray
, and agreed to the Treaty of Inverness. The treaty involved a renewal of the Treaty of Perth
, and resolution of earlier tit-for-tat acts of hostility against each other, like the seizing of goods from Scottish merchants in Norway and the kidnapping by the Scots of the Steward of Orkney.
The fifteenth-century Lowland Scottish chronicler Walter Bower
attributed to Abbot Bernard a poem in Latin
about the Battle of Bannockburn
, from which Bower quoted many lines. It may however have come from another Arbroath monk, as Bower appears to hint elsewhere. Bernard has been widely credited since the eighteenth-century as the author of the Declaration of Arbroath
, a document from his period as Abbot of Arbroath. Professor A. A. M. Duncan doubts this however, arguing that "the skilled use of the papal cursus in that text points rather to a professional rhetorician". Professor G. W. S. Barrow
thought that Alexander de Kininmund
(Kinninmonth) was a more likely candidate, on similar reasoning to Duncan.
Bernard's name was certainly on the Declaration of Arbroath, and as chancellor he certainly had some role. He held this administrative office throughout his time as Abbot of Arbroath, until his election as Bishop of the Isles by 1328. He would have had a significant role in royal government and the issue of charters, and many royal acts are dated by Bernard's whereabouts. His role as chancellor appears to have been used for the benefit of his abbey with nine of the sixteen royal charters extant from the period 1312–3 having the abbey as the beneficiary.
He was consecrated between 26 June and 12 November 1328, perhaps in Norway, where the see's metropolitan, the Archbishop of Trondheim, resided. Bernard's election was not straightforward, as some the "canons of Snizort
", the seat
of the diocese, had elected a different successor, Cormac Cormacii. Cormac's representatives were in Bergen
in July 1331, and persuaded the Archbishop of Trondheim to order an examination of the election. They were ultimately unsuccessful, as no confirmation is attested. Despite this success, Bernard's episcopate was not long-lasting, as he had died by 10 June 1331. Although the last notice of Bernard in any contemporary document dates to 1328, it is very likely he died in 1331, as the Chronicles of Mann said he was bishop during four different years. The Chronicles of Mann further notes that he was buried at Kilwinning Abbey, his original monastery and the location where he first rose through the ranks.
Tironensian
The Tironensian Order or the Order of Tiron was a Roman Catholic monastic order named after the location of the mother abbey in the woods of Tiron in Perche, some 35 miles west of Chartres in France)...
abbot
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
, administrator
Bureaucrat
A bureaucrat is a member of a bureaucracy and can comprise the administration of any organization of any size, though the term usually connotes someone within an institution of a government or corporation...
and bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
active in late 13th- and early 14th-century Scotland
Kingdom of Scotland
The Kingdom of Scotland was a Sovereign state in North-West Europe that existed from 843 until 1707. It occupied the northern third of the island of Great Britain and shared a land border to the south with the Kingdom of England...
, during the First War of Scottish Independence
First War of Scottish Independence
The First War of Scottish Independence lasted from the invasion by England in 1296 until the de jure restoration of Scottish independence with the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton in 1328...
. He first appears in the records already established as Abbot of Kilwinning
Abbot of Kilwinning
The Abbot of Kilwinning was the head of the Tironensian monastic community and lands of Kilwinning Abbey, Cunningham , founded sometime between 1162 and 1167. The patron is not known for certain, but it is likely to have been Richard de Morville, Lord of Cunningham...
in 1296, disappearing for a decade before re-emerging as Chancellor of Scotland then Abbot of Arbroath
Abbot of Arbroath
Abbot of Arbroath was the head of the Tironensian Benedictine monastic community of Arbroath Abbey, Angus, Scotland, founded under the patronage of King William of Scotland from Kelso Abbey and dedicated to St Thomas of Canterbury. The abbot, John Gedy, was granted the mitre on 26 June 1396...
.
A senior figure in the administration of Scotland during the 1310s and 1320s, he is widely said by modern writers to have drafted the Declaration of Arbroath
Declaration of Arbroath
The Declaration of Arbroath is a declaration of Scottish independence, made in 1320. It is in the form of a letter submitted to Pope John XXII, dated 6 April 1320, intended to confirm Scotland's status as an independent, sovereign state and defending Scotland's right to use military action when...
, and although there is no direct evidence for this, he nevertheless probably played a role. By early 1328, his service to the king had earned him a bishopric – the bishopric of the Isles
Bishop of the Isles
The Bishop of the Isles or Bishop of Sodor was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Sodor, one of Scotland's thirteen medieval bishoprics. The bishopric, encompasing both the Hebrides and Mann, probably traces its origins as an ecclesiastical unity to the careers of Olaf, King of the Isles,...
– a position he held for three or four years before his death in 1331.
Abbot of Kilwinning
Ragman Rolls
Ragman Rolls refers to the collection of instruments by which the nobility and gentry of Scotland subscribed allegiance to King Edward I of England, during the time between the Conference of Norham in May 1291 and the final award in favor of Baliol in November 1292; and again in 1296...
, 28 August 1296, and he is recorded again in a document of Melrose Abbey
Melrose Abbey
Melrose Abbey is a Gothic-style abbey in Melrose, Scotland. It was founded in 1136 by Cistercian monks, on the request of King David I of Scotland. It was headed by the Abbot or Commendator of Melrose. Today the abbey is maintained by Historic Scotland...
on 25 December. Bernard is unrecorded as abbot of Kilwinning
Abbot of Kilwinning
The Abbot of Kilwinning was the head of the Tironensian monastic community and lands of Kilwinning Abbey, Cunningham , founded sometime between 1162 and 1167. The patron is not known for certain, but it is likely to have been Richard de Morville, Lord of Cunningham...
after this year, but it is possible that he was ejected from Kilwinning Abbey
Kilwinning Abbey
Kilwinning Abbey is a ruined abbey located in the centre of the town of Kilwinning, North Ayrshire.-The establishment of the Abbey:The ancient name of the town is 'Segdoune' or 'Saigtown', probably derived from 'Sanctoun', meaning the 'town of the saint'. Saint Winnings festival was on 21 January...
by the English king in one of the following years, probably retiring to another Tironensian monastery, Arbroath Abbey
Arbroath Abbey
Arbroath Abbey, in the Scottish town of Arbroath, was founded in 1178 by King William the Lion for a group of Tironensian Benedictine monks from Kelso Abbey. It was consecrated in 1197 with a dedication to the deceased Saint Thomas Becket, whom the king had met at the English court...
. A document dated 1296 x 1305, names one otherwise unknown Roger as Abbot of Kilwinning, meaning that Bernard had ceased to hold this position by 1305 at the latest.
Although once regarded as a historical dead-end, it is now established that this Bernard was the same Tironensian who was later Chancellor of Scotland, Abbot of Arbroath
Abbot of Arbroath
Abbot of Arbroath was the head of the Tironensian Benedictine monastic community of Arbroath Abbey, Angus, Scotland, founded under the patronage of King William of Scotland from Kelso Abbey and dedicated to St Thomas of Canterbury. The abbot, John Gedy, was granted the mitre on 26 June 1396...
and Bishop of the Isles
Bishop of the Isles
The Bishop of the Isles or Bishop of Sodor was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Sodor, one of Scotland's thirteen medieval bishoprics. The bishopric, encompasing both the Hebrides and Mann, probably traces its origins as an ecclesiastical unity to the careers of Olaf, King of the Isles,...
. Since 1726, Bernard had been erroneously identified with Bernard de Linton
Bernard de Linton
Bernard de Linton was the parson of Mordington mentioned in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, where he is styled persone del Eglife de Mordington, del counte de Berewyk, "parson of the church of Mordington, in the county of Berwick". Nothing else is known of him...
, parson
Parson
In the pre-Reformation church, a parson was the priest of an independent parish church, that is, a parish church not under the control of a larger ecclesiastical or monastic organization...
of Mordington
Mordington
Mordington is an agricultural parish in the extreme south-east of Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders region. It is five miles from Berwick-upon-Tweed and borders Northumberland to the east, and south , Foulden to the west, and Lamberton to the north. The parish is bisected by the A6105 Berwick to...
, a name which occurs only in the Ragman Rolls. Professor A. A. M. Duncan first argued that Bernard of Arbroath was the same as Bernard of Kilwinning, rather than Bernard de Linton, in 1988, and has since been accepted by other historians.
Chancellor of Scotland & Abbot of Arbroath
Robert I of Scotland
Robert I , popularly known as Robert the Bruce , was King of Scots from March 25, 1306, until his death in 1329.His paternal ancestors were of Scoto-Norman heritage , and...
, King of the Scots, as "Dom Bernard the Chancellor". It was in 1308 that Robert finally got full control over the province of Angus
Angus
Angus is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland, a registration county and a lieutenancy area. The council area borders Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross and Dundee City...
, where Arbroath Abbey is located. The Abbot of Arbroath at the time, John de Angus, appears to have been an English appointee, and was subsequently ejected from office. On 1 November 1309, John de Angus was "released" from the responsibility of his office by the Bishop of St Andrews, though he retained Haltwhistle
Haltwhistle
Haltwhistle is a small town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, situated east of Brampton, near Hadrian's Wall, and the villages of Plenmeller, Rowfoot and Melkridge...
as rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
, a parish church in Tynedale
Tynedale
Tynedale was a local government district in south-west Northumberland, England. It had a resident population of 58,808 according to the 2001 Census, and was named after the River Tyne . Its main towns were Hexham, Haltwhistle and Prudhoe...
, Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, which belonged to the abbey.
Bernard was elected as the new abbot sometime in 1310, probably by August. John de Angus continued to be styled "Abbot of Arbroath" in English sources, though he became a Scottish prisoner in 1312 and was holding Haltwhistle from the Bishop of Durham by 1313. After his blessing as abbot, Bernard traveled to the Kingdom of Norway to negotiate an agreement with the Norwegian king. He returned in February 1312, and on 29 October 1312 Norwegian ambassadors met King Robert at Inverness
Inverness
Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
in royal Moray
Moray
Moray is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland.- History :...
, and agreed to the Treaty of Inverness. The treaty involved a renewal of the Treaty of Perth
Treaty of Perth
The Treaty of Perth, 1266, ended military conflict between Norway, under King Magnus VI of Norway, and Scotland, under King Alexander III, over the sovereignty of the Hebrides and the Isle of Man....
, and resolution of earlier tit-for-tat acts of hostility against each other, like the seizing of goods from Scottish merchants in Norway and the kidnapping by the Scots of the Steward of Orkney.
The fifteenth-century Lowland Scottish chronicler Walter Bower
Walter Bower
Walter Bower , Scottish chronicler, was born about 1385 at Haddington, East Lothian.He was abbot of Inchcolm Abbey from 1418, was one of the commissioners for the collection of the ransom of James I, King of Scots, in 1423 and 1424, and in 1433 one of the embassy to Paris on the business of the...
attributed to Abbot Bernard a poem in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
about the Battle of Bannockburn
Battle of Bannockburn
The Battle of Bannockburn was a significant Scottish victory in the Wars of Scottish Independence...
, from which Bower quoted many lines. It may however have come from another Arbroath monk, as Bower appears to hint elsewhere. Bernard has been widely credited since the eighteenth-century as the author of the Declaration of Arbroath
Declaration of Arbroath
The Declaration of Arbroath is a declaration of Scottish independence, made in 1320. It is in the form of a letter submitted to Pope John XXII, dated 6 April 1320, intended to confirm Scotland's status as an independent, sovereign state and defending Scotland's right to use military action when...
, a document from his period as Abbot of Arbroath. Professor A. A. M. Duncan doubts this however, arguing that "the skilled use of the papal cursus in that text points rather to a professional rhetorician". Professor G. W. S. Barrow
G. W. S. Barrow
Geoffrey Wallis Steuart Barrow DLitt FBA FRSE is a British historian and academic. He is Professor Emeritus at the University of Edinburgh, and arguably the most prominent Scottish medievalist of the last century....
thought that Alexander de Kininmund
Alexander de Kininmund (d. 1344)
Alexander de Kininmund was a 14th century Scottish churchman. The first mention of Alexander occurs when, as a canon of Dunkeld he is one of three ambassadors sent by King Robert I of Scotland to Avignon in 1320. The purpose of this embassy was to present a letter to Pope John XXII known as the...
(Kinninmonth) was a more likely candidate, on similar reasoning to Duncan.
Bernard's name was certainly on the Declaration of Arbroath, and as chancellor he certainly had some role. He held this administrative office throughout his time as Abbot of Arbroath, until his election as Bishop of the Isles by 1328. He would have had a significant role in royal government and the issue of charters, and many royal acts are dated by Bernard's whereabouts. His role as chancellor appears to have been used for the benefit of his abbey with nine of the sixteen royal charters extant from the period 1312–3 having the abbey as the beneficiary.
Bishop of the Isles
The years of service offered by Bernard were rewarded in the winter of 1327/8, when he was advanced to the bishopric of the Isles, a bishopric King Robert had reserved for his own patronage back in 1324. This election likely occurred between 9 November 1327 and 14 January 1328. The office of chancellor, and the accompanying salary of 200 marks, was resigned by Bernard later in the year, probably on 3 April 1328. King Robert assigned Bernard £ 100 towards the expenses of his election, and was granted the grain tithes from the lands of the church of Abernethy, for seven years, to complement the meagre income of the diocese of the Isles.He was consecrated between 26 June and 12 November 1328, perhaps in Norway, where the see's metropolitan, the Archbishop of Trondheim, resided. Bernard's election was not straightforward, as some the "canons of Snizort
Snizort
Snizort is an area of the Isle of Skye comprising the head of Loch Snizort and the western coast of Trotternish up to Uig, which is the largest settlement....
", the seat
Cathedra
A cathedra or bishop's throne is the chair or throne of a bishop. It is a symbol of the bishop's teaching authority in the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, and has in some sense remained such in the Anglican Communion and in Lutheran churches...
of the diocese, had elected a different successor, Cormac Cormacii. Cormac's representatives were in Bergen
Bergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
in July 1331, and persuaded the Archbishop of Trondheim to order an examination of the election. They were ultimately unsuccessful, as no confirmation is attested. Despite this success, Bernard's episcopate was not long-lasting, as he had died by 10 June 1331. Although the last notice of Bernard in any contemporary document dates to 1328, it is very likely he died in 1331, as the Chronicles of Mann said he was bishop during four different years. The Chronicles of Mann further notes that he was buried at Kilwinning Abbey, his original monastery and the location where he first rose through the ranks.