Pluscarden Abbey
Encyclopedia
Pluscarden Abbey is a Roman Catholic Benedictine
monastery
located in the glen
of the Black Burn about 10 kilometres south-west of Elgin
, in Moray
, Scotland. It has been for most of its history a priory
and was founded in 1230 by Alexander III of Scotland
for the Valliscaulian Order
.
In 1454, following a merger with the priory
of Urquhart
, a cell of Dunfermline Abbey
, Pluscarden Priory became a Benedictine
House. The years immediately preceding the Scottish Reformation
, and those after, saw the decline of the priory. By 1680 it was in a ruinous condition. Some work to arrest the decay took place in the late 19th century but it wasn't until 1948 when restoration of the priory was begun by monks from the Benedictine Prinknash Abbey
in Gloucestershire. In 1966 the priory received its independence from the mother-house and was elevated to abbatial status in 1974.
. The now defunct Valliscaulian Order was small compared to the great medieval religious houses and emerged at a time when austere monasticism had spread across Europe c. 1075–1200. The founder of the Order was Viard who trained as a lay cleric at the Charterhouse of Lugny
.
The founding priory was Val des Choux around 20 km from Châtillon-sur-Seine
in Burgundy. Viard, who drew up the ascetic rules governing the Order, received consent from Pope Innocent III
in 1205/6; a copy of this bull was preserved in the Chartulary of Moray. The consequential legal charter, the Ordinale, provided the exact details of the liturgy, the obligations of office bearers and the conduct of the Order. The Ordinale contains rules that show close resemblances to Cistercian and, to a lesser degree, Carthusian practices. The most obvious difference in approach from the Cistercian practices would have been the separate cells for the monks – most likely a partitioned dormitory as practised by the Grandmontines
– and the vegetable plots where the brothers were allowed to tend their private gardens in the afternoons when not engaged in official priory duties. Another Carthusian rule adopted by the Valliscaulians was that the priory should have no more than 20 monks. This meant that with the small size of the community, survival would be difficult without wealthy patrons. The Valliscaulians only had 21 houses in total, according to JAP Mignard, the Order's 19th century historian and three of these were in Scotland, namely Pluscarden, Beauly
in Ross-shire
and Ardchattan
in Argyll
. Despite the fact that Valliscaulians were closer to the Cistercians, the main outward aspects of the Order caused Walter Bower
, Abbot of Inchcolm
, to have taken the three Valliscaulian houses for that of the Carthusians. He recorded this in his Scotichronicon of 1437 and so must have been aware of their customs so soon after the establishment of the one and only Scottish Carthusian monastery in Perth in 1429.
Alexander II granted the Order extensive lowland estates between the rivers Ness
and Spey
. He also gave the priory the earnings of mills in Pluscarden, Elgin, Dunkinedir, Molen, Forres
and Dulpoten and salmon fishing rights in both the Findhorn and Spey. The priory was also granted a tithe
on all the iron mined in the forests of Pluscarden. All of these taken together meant that Pluscarden prospered.
Contemporary chronicles from the priory do not exist however the Liber Pluscardensis is a history of Scotland which borrows heavily from the writings in the Scotichronicon and Fordun and was penned in Pluscarden in 1461 at the behest of the Abbot of Dunfermline. The document was written by a secular cleric called Maurice Buchanan but he gives no information originating from the priory's monastic establishment.
It has traditionally been held that there were two 14th century fires at the priory. The first was ascribed to Edward I of England
in 1303 and the second, in 1390, to Alexander Stewart, 1st Earl of Buchan
, and called the Wolf of Badenoch. Certainly the physical evidence confirms that there was a significant fire and that the damage caused to the transepts were never restored points to dwindling resources. In 1398 Prior Thomas Fullonis resigned having served for 21 years. He wrote to the Bishop of Moray
informing him of the hard times at the priory but that Prior Alexander (1398 – c 1417) had been elected and had been tasked with repairing the deteriorating church and living areas.
The state of the house, both physically and politically, had by the 15th century, become serious with regular arguments breaking out over who should be prior. Falling income and disjointed contact with France due to the Hundred Year War (1337–1453) exacerbated the situation. The Scottish houses were given an exemption from attending the yearly General Chapter at Val de Choux
In 1453, John Bonally, the Prior of Urquhart formally requested from the Pope that his monastery and Pluscarden be merged. At that time, Urquhart had only two monks and Pluscarden had six. A papal Bull was issued by Nicholas V on 12 March 1453 joining the priories and from then on Pluscarden became a daughter-house of the Benedictine Dunfermline Abbey
. Pluscarden was chosen over Urquhart for the priory location as the buildings were more spacious and thought easier to restore and Bonally was appointed as its first Benedictine prior. However, the Abbot of Dunfermline's representative informed him that he found the priory in need of much renovation; the consequence of nearly 60 years of neglect was that vaulted roofs of the choir and crossing were in danger of collapsing. About the time of John Bonally irregularities had become common place in the priory of Pluscarden as well as before that at Urquhart and the priors of both places were accused of much sinfulness. Following a commission held into the alleged abuses, Bonally resigned and was succeeded by William Boyce who was the sacrist at Dunfermline Abbey. William Boyce, the second Benedictine Prior of Pluscarden, was given responsibility for the maintenance of the church fabric of Dunfermline Abbey from Abbot Richard de Bothwell (1445–70) at the time that the west end of the abbey's nave was restored. The inference has been made that it was during this prior's tenure that some major improvements were carried out at Pluscarden. Indeed by 1506, King James IV was able to stay at the priory and was noted as giving the masons working on the building a sum of 15 shillings for buying drink.
The 16th century complement at Pluscarden as shown by their signatures on charters show that there was seven monks in 1500, nine in 1508, thirteen in 1524 and also in 1548, and eleven in 1558. After the Reformation, the rental of the priory in 1561 gives details of the inhabitants – five monks, a chamberlain with two servants, a master-cook, master-baker, porter and a gardener. George Learmonth (1509–29) and Alexander Dunbar (1529–60) were the last two priors before the Reformation who, although they were secular clerics, both wore the Benedictine habit. Dunbar, in a similar manner to his contemporary Bishop Patrick Hepburn at Elgin, carried out large-scale alienation of the priory property – in Dunbar's case, to his own family. Dunbar died in 1560 and the community was made the responsibility of a succession of lay commendatory priors who saw to the monastic revenues and the welfare of those monks that remained. The last monk recorded at Pluscarden was Thomas Ross who along with the commendatory prior, Alexander Seton
(later to become the 1st Earl of Dunfermline), both witness a grant of fishings in 1586. After the priory ceased to have a monastic community, the estates were administered by lay priors.
During the 17th century, the priory became ruinous and was used as a quarry for the rebuilding of St Giles Kirk, in Elgin. The payments made to hauliers imply that the pulling down of the building must have been on a large scale. The lands at Pluscarden came into the ownership of the Earls of Fife and the 4th Earl arrested further deterioration when he converted the east range into a shooting lodge. The property was then bought by John Patrick Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute in 1897 who commenced a restoration of the church but was halted in 1900 upon his death.
in 1943. The community arrived in 1948 and within seven years the church's bell tower had been roofed. Restoration work continued and in 1966 the priory obtained its independence from Prinknash, achieving Abbey status in 1974.
In 1987, Pluscarden accepted the request of St. Mary's Monastery, Petersham
, USA, to attain canonical status as a dependency of Pluscarden. In 1990, Dom Anselm Atkinson of Pluscarden was appointed Superior of St. Mary's by Abbot Alfred Spencer. He remained in this office at Petersham until elected Abbot of Pluscarden on 9 August 2011.
* The exact tenure of the prior is unknown
St. Mary's Monastery, Petersham, (daughterhouse) website
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
located in the glen
Glen
A glen is a valley, typically one that is long, deep, and often glacially U-shaped; or one with a watercourse running through such a valley. Whittow defines it as a "Scottish term for a deep valley in the Highlands" that is "narrower than a strath."...
of the Black Burn about 10 kilometres south-west of Elgin
Elgin, Moray
Elgin is a former cathedral city and Royal Burgh in Moray, Scotland. It is the administrative and commercial centre for Moray. The town originated to the south of the River Lossie on the higher ground above the flood plain. Elgin is first documented in the Cartulary of Moray in 1190...
, in 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 :...
, Scotland. It has been for most of its history a priory
Abbeys and priories in Scotland
List of religious houses in Scotland is a link page to any abbey, priory, friary or other religious house in Scotland.-Abbreviations and Key:-Aberdeen:-Aberdeenshire:-Angus:-Argyll & Bute:-Dumfries and Galloway:...
and was founded in 1230 by Alexander III of Scotland
Alexander III of Scotland
Alexander III was King of Scots from 1249 to his death.-Life:...
for the Valliscaulian Order
Valliscaulian Order
The Valliscaulian Order was a religious order of the Roman Catholic Church, so named after "Vallis Caulium", or "Val-des-Choux", its first monastery, in Burgundy...
.
In 1454, following a merger with the priory
Priory
A priory is a house of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or religious sisters , or monasteries of monks or nuns .The Benedictines and their offshoots , the Premonstratensians, and the...
of Urquhart
Urquhart Priory
Urquhart Priory was a Benedictine monastic community in Moray. It was founded by King David I of Scotland in 1136 as a cell of Dunfermline Abbey in the aftermath of the defeat of King Óengus of Moray. It remained a dependency of Dunfermline, and by 1454 had only 2 monks. The pope, Nicholas V,...
, a cell of Dunfermline Abbey
Dunfermline Abbey
Dunfermline Abbey is as a Church of Scotland Parish Church located in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland. In 2002 the congregation had 806 members. The minister is the Reverend Alastair Jessamine...
, Pluscarden Priory became a Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
House. The years immediately preceding the Scottish Reformation
Scottish Reformation
The Scottish Reformation was Scotland's formal break with the Papacy in 1560, and the events surrounding this. It was part of the wider European Protestant Reformation; and in Scotland's case culminated ecclesiastically in the re-establishment of the church along Reformed lines, and politically in...
, and those after, saw the decline of the priory. By 1680 it was in a ruinous condition. Some work to arrest the decay took place in the late 19th century but it wasn't until 1948 when restoration of the priory was begun by monks from the Benedictine Prinknash Abbey
Prinknash Abbey
Prinknash Abbey is a Roman Catholic Benedictine monastery situated in the Vale of Gloucester in the Diocese of Clifton, near the village of Cranham....
in Gloucestershire. In 1966 the priory received its independence from the mother-house and was elevated to abbatial status in 1974.
Valliscaulian priory
The Valliscaulian priory of Pluscarden was founded by King Alexander IIAlexander II of Scotland
Alexander II was King of Scots from1214 to his death.-Early life:...
. The now defunct Valliscaulian Order was small compared to the great medieval religious houses and emerged at a time when austere monasticism had spread across Europe c. 1075–1200. The founder of the Order was Viard who trained as a lay cleric at the Charterhouse of Lugny
Lugny
Lugny may refer to the following places in France:* Lugny, Saône-et-Loire, a commune in the department of Saône-et-Loire* Lugny, Aisne, a commune in the department of Aisne* Lugny-Bourbonnais, a commune in the department of Cher...
.
Châtillon-sur-Seine
Châtillon-sur-Seine is a commune of the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France.-Population:-Personalities:Châtillon-sur-Seine was the birthplace of:* Auguste Marmont, duke of Ragusa , Marshal of France...
in Burgundy. Viard, who drew up the ascetic rules governing the Order, received consent from Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III was Pope from 8 January 1198 until his death. His birth name was Lotario dei Conti di Segni, sometimes anglicised to Lothar of Segni....
in 1205/6; a copy of this bull was preserved in the Chartulary of Moray. The consequential legal charter, the Ordinale, provided the exact details of the liturgy, the obligations of office bearers and the conduct of the Order. The Ordinale contains rules that show close resemblances to Cistercian and, to a lesser degree, Carthusian practices. The most obvious difference in approach from the Cistercian practices would have been the separate cells for the monks – most likely a partitioned dormitory as practised by the Grandmontines
Grandmontines
Grandmontines were the monks of the Order of Grandmont, a religious order founded by Saint Stephen of Thiers, towards the end of the 11th century. The order was named after its motherhouse, Grandmont Abbey in the homonymous village, now part of the commune of Saint-Sylvestre, in the department of...
– and the vegetable plots where the brothers were allowed to tend their private gardens in the afternoons when not engaged in official priory duties. Another Carthusian rule adopted by the Valliscaulians was that the priory should have no more than 20 monks. This meant that with the small size of the community, survival would be difficult without wealthy patrons. The Valliscaulians only had 21 houses in total, according to JAP Mignard, the Order's 19th century historian and three of these were in Scotland, namely Pluscarden, Beauly
Beauly
Beauly is a town of the Scottish county of Inverness-shire, on the River Beauly, 10 miles west of Inverness by the Far North railway line. Its population was 855 in 1901...
in Ross-shire
Ross-shire
Ross-shire is an area in the Highland Council Area in Scotland. The name is now used as a geographic or cultural term, equivalent to Ross. Until 1889 the term denoted a county of Scotland, also known as the County of Ross...
and Ardchattan
Ardchattan
Ardchattan and Muckairn is a civil parish within Argyll and Bute in Scotland. It lies north of Oban, bordering Loch Etive and includes Glen Ure, Glen Creran, Barcaldine, Benderloch, Connel, Bonawe and Glen Etive. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 2,443...
in Argyll
Argyll
Argyll , archaically Argyle , is a region of western Scotland corresponding with most of the part of ancient Dál Riata that was located on the island of Great Britain, and in a historical context can be used to mean the entire western coast between the Mull of Kintyre and Cape Wrath...
. Despite the fact that Valliscaulians were closer to the Cistercians, the main outward aspects of the Order caused 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...
, Abbot of Inchcolm
Abbot of Inchcolm
The Abbot of Inchcolm, or until 1235, the Prior of Inchcolm, was the head of the Augustinian monastic community of Inchcolm .-Priors of Inchcolm:...
, to have taken the three Valliscaulian houses for that of the Carthusians. He recorded this in his Scotichronicon of 1437 and so must have been aware of their customs so soon after the establishment of the one and only Scottish Carthusian monastery in Perth in 1429.
River Ness
The River Ness is a river flowing from Loch Ness in Scotland, north to Inverness and the Moray Firth. On a hill above the river in Inverness stands Inverness Castle. The river is overlooked by the Eden Court Theatre, one of the largest theatres in Scotland. St. Andrews Cathedral also lies along...
and Spey
River Spey
The River Spey is a river in the northeast of Scotland, the second longest and the fastest-flowing river in Scotland...
. He also gave the priory the earnings of mills in Pluscarden, Elgin, Dunkinedir, Molen, Forres
Forres
Forres , is a town and former royal burgh situated in the north of Scotland on the Moray coast, approximately 30 miles east of Inverness. Forres has been a winner of the Scotland in Bloom award on several occasions...
and Dulpoten and salmon fishing rights in both the Findhorn and Spey. The priory was also granted a tithe
Tithe
A tithe is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash, cheques, or stocks, whereas historically tithes were required and paid in kind, such as agricultural products...
on all the iron mined in the forests of Pluscarden. All of these taken together meant that Pluscarden prospered.
Contemporary chronicles from the priory do not exist however the Liber Pluscardensis is a history of Scotland which borrows heavily from the writings in the Scotichronicon and Fordun and was penned in Pluscarden in 1461 at the behest of the Abbot of Dunfermline. The document was written by a secular cleric called Maurice Buchanan but he gives no information originating from the priory's monastic establishment.
It has traditionally been held that there were two 14th century fires at the priory. The first was ascribed to Edward I of England
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
in 1303 and the second, in 1390, to Alexander Stewart, 1st Earl of Buchan
Alexander Stewart, 1st Earl of Buchan
Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan, Alasdair Mór mac an Rígh, and called the Wolf of Badenoch , was the third surviving son of King Robert II of Scotland and youngest by his first wife, Elizabeth Mure of Rowallan. He was the first Earl of Buchan since John Comyn, from 1382 until his death...
, and called the Wolf of Badenoch. Certainly the physical evidence confirms that there was a significant fire and that the damage caused to the transepts were never restored points to dwindling resources. In 1398 Prior Thomas Fullonis resigned having served for 21 years. He wrote to the Bishop of Moray
Bishop of Moray
The Bishop of Moray or Bishop of Elgin was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Moray in northern Scotland, one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics...
informing him of the hard times at the priory but that Prior Alexander (1398 – c 1417) had been elected and had been tasked with repairing the deteriorating church and living areas.
The state of the house, both physically and politically, had by the 15th century, become serious with regular arguments breaking out over who should be prior. Falling income and disjointed contact with France due to the Hundred Year War (1337–1453) exacerbated the situation. The Scottish houses were given an exemption from attending the yearly General Chapter at Val de Choux
Benedictine priory
Dunfermline Abbey
Dunfermline Abbey is as a Church of Scotland Parish Church located in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland. In 2002 the congregation had 806 members. The minister is the Reverend Alastair Jessamine...
. Pluscarden was chosen over Urquhart for the priory location as the buildings were more spacious and thought easier to restore and Bonally was appointed as its first Benedictine prior. However, the Abbot of Dunfermline's representative informed him that he found the priory in need of much renovation; the consequence of nearly 60 years of neglect was that vaulted roofs of the choir and crossing were in danger of collapsing. About the time of John Bonally irregularities had become common place in the priory of Pluscarden as well as before that at Urquhart and the priors of both places were accused of much sinfulness. Following a commission held into the alleged abuses, Bonally resigned and was succeeded by William Boyce who was the sacrist at Dunfermline Abbey. William Boyce, the second Benedictine Prior of Pluscarden, was given responsibility for the maintenance of the church fabric of Dunfermline Abbey from Abbot Richard de Bothwell (1445–70) at the time that the west end of the abbey's nave was restored. The inference has been made that it was during this prior's tenure that some major improvements were carried out at Pluscarden. Indeed by 1506, King James IV was able to stay at the priory and was noted as giving the masons working on the building a sum of 15 shillings for buying drink.
Alexander Seton, 1st Earl of Dunfermline
Alexander Seton, 1st Earl of Dunfermline was a Scottish lawyer, judge and politician. He was Lord President of the Court of Session from 1598 to 1604 and Lord Chancellor of Scotland from 1604 to 1622....
(later to become the 1st Earl of Dunfermline), both witness a grant of fishings in 1586. After the priory ceased to have a monastic community, the estates were administered by lay priors.
During the 17th century, the priory became ruinous and was used as a quarry for the rebuilding of St Giles Kirk, in Elgin. The payments made to hauliers imply that the pulling down of the building must have been on a large scale. The lands at Pluscarden came into the ownership of the Earls of Fife and the 4th Earl arrested further deterioration when he converted the east range into a shooting lodge. The property was then bought by John Patrick Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute in 1897 who commenced a restoration of the church but was halted in 1900 upon his death.
Benedictine abbey
Lord Colum Crichton-Stuart who now owned the buildings at Pluscarden gave the priory and its land to the Benedictine Prinknash AbbeyPrinknash Abbey
Prinknash Abbey is a Roman Catholic Benedictine monastery situated in the Vale of Gloucester in the Diocese of Clifton, near the village of Cranham....
in 1943. The community arrived in 1948 and within seven years the church's bell tower had been roofed. Restoration work continued and in 1966 the priory obtained its independence from Prinknash, achieving Abbey status in 1974.
In 1987, Pluscarden accepted the request of St. Mary's Monastery, Petersham
Petersham, Massachusetts
Petersham is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,234 at the 2010 census. Petersham is home to a considerable amount of conservation land, including the Quabbin Reservation, Harvard Forest, the Swift River Reservation, and Federated Women's Club State...
, USA, to attain canonical status as a dependency of Pluscarden. In 1990, Dom Anselm Atkinson of Pluscarden was appointed Superior of St. Mary's by Abbot Alfred Spencer. He remained in this office at Petersham until elected Abbot of Pluscarden on 9 August 2011.
Priors and Abbots of Pluscarden
| TENURE | SUPERIOR | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| VALLISCAULIAN PRIORY | ||
| 1239 ? 1264 | Simon John Frer John Suryass |
Exact dates unknown |
| 1264–1274 | Andrew | Later Abbot of Kinloss |
| 1274 |
William | Bagimond |
| 1286 |
Simon | |
| 1345 |
John Wise | |
| 1367–1398 | Thomas Fullonis | |
| 1398 |
Alexander de Pluscardyn | Brother of Henry de Pluscardyn, Chancellor at Elgin Cathedral Elgin Cathedral Elgin Cathedral, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, sometimes referred to as The Lantern of the North is a historic ruin in Elgin, Moray, north-east Scotland. It was established in 1224 on an area of ground granted by Alexander II that was close to the River Lossie and outside of the burgh of... |
| c.1417 |
Eoghann MacPheadair | David Cran, monk of Deer intruded briefly as prior. |
| 1428 |
Andrew Symson | Monk of Deer |
| 1435 |
Richard Lundy | Monk of Melrose; did not take up office – the monks of Pluscarden elect William Birnie, a Pluscarden monk, but this was disputed by Symson and law suit continued until 1439 |
| 1447 |
Willam Hagis | Monk of Pluscarden; election challenged by William Birnie. |
| 1449–1454 | Andrew Haag | Bull of Pope Nicholas V dated 1454 commanding the union of the priories of Urquhart and Pluscarden |
| FIRST BENEDICTINE PRIORY | ||
| 1454 |
John Bonally | Pluscarden and Urquhart priories merge by Papal Bull. John Bonally, monk of Dunfermline and Prior of Urquhart appointed Prior of Pluscarden. |
| 1456–1476 | William Boyce | Monk of Dunfermline |
| 1476–1480 | Thomas Foster | Monk of Dunfermline; Gavin Dunbar, cleric of Moray Diocese, later Bishop of Aberdeen, attempts to become prior in 1479. |
| 1481 – 1486? | David Boyce | Monk of Dunfermline and elected by the community. |
| 1487–1509 | Robert Harrower | |
| 1509–1529 | George Learmonth | Secular cleric of St Andrews Diocese. Died March 1531. |
| 1529–1560 | Alexander Dunbar | Secular cleric of Ross Diocese. Died September 1560 |
| COMMENDATORY PRIORY | ||
| 1561 |
Master William Cranston | 1561 – 1562 George, 7th Lord Seton named Yconomus of Pluscarden. |
| 1565–1577 | Alexander Seton Alexander Seton, 1st Earl of Dunfermline Alexander Seton, 1st Earl of Dunfermline was a Scottish lawyer, judge and politician. He was Lord President of the Court of Session from 1598 to 1604 and Lord Chancellor of Scotland from 1604 to 1622.... |
Alexander Seton was the 4th son of the 7th Lord Seton George Seton, 7th Lord Seton George Seton V, 7th Lord Seton was a Lord of the Parliament of Scotland, Master of the Household of Mary, Queen of Scots and Provost of Edinburgh. He was the eldest son of George Seton, 6th Lord Seton and Elizabeth Hay, a daughter of John Hay, 3rd Lord Hay of Yester... and was the Prior of Pluscarden after being appointed by Queen Mary Stuart. In 1577, he was deprived of Pluscarden for failing to adhere to Protestantism. |
| 1577–1582 | James Douglas | Intruded as prior. |
| 1587 | Alexander Seton | Pluscarden was erected into a temporal lordship belonging to Seton. He became Lord Urquhart upon his appointment to the legal bench and later received the title of Lord Fyvie in 1597, and then Earl of Dunfermline in 1605. He became Chancellor of Scotland under King James VI. |
| LAY PRIORY | ||
| 1595–1611 | Kenneth Mackenzie of Kintail | |
| 1611–1633 | Colin Mackenzie 2nd Lord Kintail | |
| 1633–1649 | Thomas Mackenzie of Kintail | |
| 1649–1655 | Sir George Mackenzie of Tarbat | |
| 1655–1662 | Sir George Mackenzie | |
| 1662–1664 | George Sinclair, Earl of Caithness and Major George Bateman | Joint lay priors of Pluscarden |
| 1664–1687 | Major George Bateman | Sole lay prior of Pluscarden |
| 1687–1709 | James Grant of Grant | |
| 1709–1763 | William Duff of Dipple | Later 1st Earl of Fife |
| 1763–1809 | James, 2nd Earl of Fife | |
| 1809–1811 | Alexander, 3rd Earl of Fife | |
| 1811–1857 | James, 4th Earl of Fife | |
| 1857–1879 | James, 5th Earl of Fife | |
| 1879–1889 | Alexander, 5th Earl of Fife, 1st Duke of Fife | |
| 1889–1900 | John, 3rd Marquess of Bute | |
| 1900–1945 | Lord Colum Crichton-Stuart | |
| SECOND BENEDICTINE PRIORY AND FIRST ABBEY | ||
| 1945–1948 | Dom Benedict Steuart | Titular Prior of Pluscarden |
| 1948–1951 | Dom Brendan McHugh | Local Superior and acting Prior |
| 1950 | Dom Wilfred Upson | Abbot of Prinknash (1938–1963) declared de jure Prior of Pluscarden by Lord Lyon, King of Arms |
| 1951–1961 | Dom Norbert Cowen | Local Superior and acting Prior |
| 1963 | Dom Dyfrig Rushton | Abbot of Prinknash (1963–1979) and Major Superior of Pluscarden Abbey (1963–66) |
| 1961–1966 | Dom Columba Wynne | Local Superior and acting Prior |
| 1966 | Pluscarden becomes an independent conventual Priory | |
| 1966–1974 | Dom Alfred Spencer | Conventual Prior |
| 1974 | Pluscarden becomes an Abbey | |
| 1974–1992 | Dom Alfred Spencer | 1st Abbot of Pluscarden |
| 1992–2011 | Dom Hugh Gilbert Hugh Gilbert (bishop) The Right Reverend Hugh Edward Gilbert, OSB is the Bishop of Aberdeen. He was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI on 4 June 2011. He had previously served as abbot of Pluscarden Abbey. He was ordained bishop by Cardinal Keith O'Brien on 15 August 2011.Edward Gilbert was born in 1952 in Emsworth to an... |
2nd Abbot of Pluscarden |
| 2011 — | Dom Anselm Atkinson | 3rd Abbot of Pluscarden and Abbot Visitor of the English Province of the Subiaco Congregation of Benedictines 2003 — |
See also
Pluscarden Abbey websiteSt. Mary's Monastery, Petersham, (daughterhouse) website
Main references
- Anson, P F: A Monastery in Moray, London, 1959
- Birch, W De Gray Ordinale Conventus Vallis Caulium. London, 1900
- Bower, W: Scotichronicon, Watt, D E R (ed). Aberdeen, 1987, vol 8
- Hannah, I C: Screens and lofts in Scottish churches, Proc Soc Antiq Scot,)
- Historia Gentis Scotorurn, ed Skene, W F (Historians of Scotland vols 1 & 4), Edinburgh, 1871/2
- Macphail, S R: History of the Religious House of Pluscardyn.1881 Edinburgh.
- McCormick, Finbar: Excavations at Pluscarden Priory, Moray, Proc Soc Antiq Scot,)
- Webster, J: Dunfermline Abbey. Dunfermline, 1948