Robert de Keldeleth
Encyclopedia
Robert de Keldeleth (died 1273) was a 13th century Benedictine
and then Cistercian abbot
. He started his senior career as Abbot of Dunfermline
(1240–52), becoming Chancellor of Scotland later in the 1240s. He took a prominent role as a supporter of Alan Durward
during the minority of Alexander III of Scotland
, and appears to have lost the Chancellorship as result. Following his resignation of the abbacy of Dunfermline, he became a Cistercian monk at Newbattle Abbey
while continuing a comparatively less active role on the wider stage. In 1269 he became Abbot of Melrose
(1269–1273), Newbattle's mother house, and held this position for the last four years of his life.
parish, Midlothian
.
Robert began his career as a Benedictine monk
at Dunfermline Abbey
, Fife
, Scotland
. After the death of Abbot Geoffrey III on October 5, 1240, he was chosen as the new Abbot of Dunfermline
. He became one of Dunfermline's most successful abbots and enjoyed a close relationship with King Alexander II of Scotland
. After a request was made by the king, on May 3, 1245, Pope Innocent IV
wrote to Abbot Robert granting permission for the latter to use a mitre
and a ring, a privilege which increased the abbey's status. Robert further elevated the abbey's status by successfully spearheading a campaign to canonise Saint Margaret of Scotland
, a figure who had been claimed to be Dunfermline's founder and whose shrine lay in the town; the translation
of her remains took place in June 1250. Such successes were undoubtedly helped by Robert's good relationship with the Pope. Robert was officially a Papal chaplain, and, for instance, the Pope had charged Robert to assist in a dispute with the Bishop of St Andrews regarding a benefice
that he wished to bestow on a Florentine
follower.
and the other around Alan Durward
; Robert became a firm member of the Durward faction. The Comyn's later accused Robert of using his seal
(the Great Seal of the Chancellor) and influence in an attempt to legitimise Durward's wife, a bastard daughter of Alexander II, an act which would have made Durward heir to the throne. However, Robert's position became difficult when in 1251 the Walter Comyn gained control of the government. In 1252 Robert lost the position of Chancellor.
. Nevertheless, Robert did not cease to be active on the wider stage, and his relationship with Pope Innocent continued even as a humble monk of Newbattle. In August and September 1260, Robert was used as a messenger between King Alexander III of Scotland
and King Henry III of England
. Moreover, by the end of the 1260s he rose again to the position of Abbot. After the resignation of John de Ederham, Robert was chosen to become Abbot of Melrose
. Melrose Abbey
was the mother-house of Newbattle and the position of Abbot of Melrose was the senior Cistercian post in Scotland. Robert held the position for four years. He resigned and died in the year 1273. He was probably buried in Melrose Abbey
.
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...
and then Cistercian 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...
. He started his senior career as Abbot of Dunfermline
Abbot of Dunfermline
The Prior, then Abbot and then Commendator of Dunfermline was the head of the Benedictine monastic community of Dunfermline Abbey, Fife, Scotland. The abbey itself was founded in 1128 by King David I of Scotland, but was of earlier origin. King Máel Coluim mac Donnchada had founded a church there...
(1240–52), becoming Chancellor of Scotland later in the 1240s. He took a prominent role as a supporter of Alan Durward
Alan Durward
Alan Hostarius was the son of Thomas de Lundin, a grandson of Gille Críst, Mormaer of Mar. His mother's name is unknown, but she was almost certainly a daughter of Máel Coluim, Mormaer of Atholl, meaning that Alan was the product of two Gaelic comital families.Alan was one of the most important...
during the minority of Alexander III of Scotland
Alexander III of Scotland
Alexander III was King of Scots from 1249 to his death.-Life:...
, and appears to have lost the Chancellorship as result. Following his resignation of the abbacy of Dunfermline, he became a Cistercian monk at Newbattle Abbey
Newbattle Abbey
Newbattle Abbey was a Cistercian monastery near the village of Newbattle in Midlothian, Scotland, which has subsequently become a stately home and then an educational institution.-Monastery:...
while continuing a comparatively less active role on the wider stage. In 1269 he became Abbot of Melrose
Abbot of Melrose
The Abbot and then Commendator of Melrose was the head of the monastic community of Melrose Abbey, in Melrose in the Borders region of Scotland. The abbey was founded in 1136 on the patronage of David I , King of Scots, by Cistercian monks from Rievaulx Abbey, Yorkshire...
(1269–1273), Newbattle's mother house, and held this position for the last four years of his life.
Dunfermline
His name suggests he came from or was associated with Kinleith, in CurrieCurrie
Currie is a civil parish and suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland, situated 10 kilometres south west of the city centre. A former village within the County of Midlothian, it lies to the south west of the city, between Juniper Green and Balerno on the Lanark Road...
parish, Midlothian
Midlothian
Midlothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy area. It borders the Scottish Borders, East Lothian and the City of Edinburgh council areas....
.
Robert began his career as a Benedictine monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
at 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...
, Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. After the death of Abbot Geoffrey III on October 5, 1240, he was chosen as the new Abbot of Dunfermline
Abbot of Dunfermline
The Prior, then Abbot and then Commendator of Dunfermline was the head of the Benedictine monastic community of Dunfermline Abbey, Fife, Scotland. The abbey itself was founded in 1128 by King David I of Scotland, but was of earlier origin. King Máel Coluim mac Donnchada had founded a church there...
. He became one of Dunfermline's most successful abbots and enjoyed a close relationship with King Alexander II of Scotland
Alexander II of Scotland
Alexander II was King of Scots from1214 to his death.-Early life:...
. After a request was made by the king, on May 3, 1245, Pope Innocent IV
Pope Innocent IV
Pope Innocent IV , born Sinibaldo Fieschi, was pope from June 25, 1243 until his death in 1254.-Early life:...
wrote to Abbot Robert granting permission for the latter to use a mitre
Mitre
The mitre , also spelled miter, is a type of headwear now known as the traditional, ceremonial head-dress of bishops and certain abbots in the Roman Catholic Church, as well as in the Anglican Communion, some Lutheran churches, and also bishops and certain other clergy in the Eastern Orthodox...
and a ring, a privilege which increased the abbey's status. Robert further elevated the abbey's status by successfully spearheading a campaign to canonise Saint Margaret of Scotland
Saint Margaret of Scotland
Saint Margaret of Scotland , also known as Margaret of Wessex and Queen Margaret of Scotland, was an English princess of the House of Wessex. Born in exile in Hungary, she was the sister of Edgar Ætheling, the short-ruling and uncrowned Anglo-Saxon King of England...
, a figure who had been claimed to be Dunfermline's founder and whose shrine lay in the town; the translation
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
of her remains took place in June 1250. Such successes were undoubtedly helped by Robert's good relationship with the Pope. Robert was officially a Papal chaplain, and, for instance, the Pope had charged Robert to assist in a dispute with the Bishop of St Andrews regarding a benefice
Benefice
A benefice is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The term is now almost obsolete.-Church of England:...
that he wished to bestow on a Florentine
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
follower.
National politics
Robert's career rise continued when, at an unknown point between 1247 and 1251, he became Chancellor of Scotland. He was on the Council of Guardians formed to govern Scotland after the death of Alexander II on July 6, 1249. The governing Council broke down around two rival factions, one centred around Walter ComynWalter Comyn, Lord of Badenoch, jure uxoris Earl of Menteith
Walter Comyn, Lord of Badenoch, jure uxoris Earl of Menteith was the son of William Comyn, Justiciar of Scotia and Mormaer or Earl of Buchan by right of his second wife....
and the other around Alan Durward
Alan Durward
Alan Hostarius was the son of Thomas de Lundin, a grandson of Gille Críst, Mormaer of Mar. His mother's name is unknown, but she was almost certainly a daughter of Máel Coluim, Mormaer of Atholl, meaning that Alan was the product of two Gaelic comital families.Alan was one of the most important...
; Robert became a firm member of the Durward faction. The Comyn's later accused Robert of using his seal
Seal (device)
A seal can be a figure impressed in wax, clay, or some other medium, or embossed on paper, with the purpose of authenticating a document ; but the term can also mean the device for making such impressions, being essentially a mould with the mirror image of the design carved in sunken- relief or...
(the Great Seal of the Chancellor) and influence in an attempt to legitimise Durward's wife, a bastard daughter of Alexander II, an act which would have made Durward heir to the throne. However, Robert's position became difficult when in 1251 the Walter Comyn gained control of the government. In 1252 Robert lost the position of Chancellor.
Robert the Cistercian
In the same year Robert resigned his position as Abbot of Dunfermline and retired to be a Cistercian monk at Newbattle AbbeyNewbattle Abbey
Newbattle Abbey was a Cistercian monastery near the village of Newbattle in Midlothian, Scotland, which has subsequently become a stately home and then an educational institution.-Monastery:...
. Nevertheless, Robert did not cease to be active on the wider stage, and his relationship with Pope Innocent continued even as a humble monk of Newbattle. In August and September 1260, Robert was used as a messenger between King Alexander III of Scotland
Alexander III of Scotland
Alexander III was King of Scots from 1249 to his death.-Life:...
and King Henry III of England
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
. Moreover, by the end of the 1260s he rose again to the position of Abbot. After the resignation of John de Ederham, Robert was chosen to become Abbot of Melrose
Abbot of Melrose
The Abbot and then Commendator of Melrose was the head of the monastic community of Melrose Abbey, in Melrose in the Borders region of Scotland. The abbey was founded in 1136 on the patronage of David I , King of Scots, by Cistercian monks from Rievaulx Abbey, Yorkshire...
. 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...
was the mother-house of Newbattle and the position of Abbot of Melrose was the senior Cistercian post in Scotland. Robert held the position for four years. He resigned and died in the year 1273. He was probably buried in 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...
.