CHARTERS, BULLS, ETC.

I

[Symon, bishop of Dunblane, grants the church of St. John of Inchaffray to Isaac and his successors.1]

Symon, bishop of Strathern, makes known to all the parsons, priests, clerks and laymen of his bishopric' that he has granted and confirmed to this Isaac and all his successors' the church of St. John the Evangelist, of Inchaffray, with all pertinents acquired or to be acquired. He also grants the right of sepulture at Inchaffray to all who desire it, the dues of their own [parish] church having been paid. Any one who after three warnings continues to oppose the purport of this writ shall be subject to excommunication. A blessing is invoked on those who accept it. Witnesses.. [c. 1190.]

II

[Earl Gilbert grants to the brethren of Inchaffray a croft of three acres.]

Gilbert, earl of Strathern, makes known that he has given to God, St. John of the Isle of Masses, and the brethren serving God there, three acres of land near the water-trench (stagnum) which comes from the said Isle, at Fowlis, free of all secular service. Witnesses... [c. 1195.]

1 The headings of the charters do not always follow the Latin headings. They are intended to indicate briefly the purport of the several charters, which the rubrics often fail to do.

III

[Earl Gilbert grants to the brethren of Inchaffray the church of Abruthven.]

Earl Gilbert makes known that he has given to the brethren serving God and St. John at the Isle of Masses in Fowlis, the church of St. Cathan of Abruthven, for the weal of his soul and the souls of his wife and his ancestors, together with all the tithes, oblations, and obventions of all kinds, and with the land which his father, Ferteth, and his mother, Ethen, gave to the said church in dowery, with common pasture and all other easements. To be held in frankalmoign. Witnesses . [c. 1198.]

IV

[Earl Gilbert grants to Inchaffray the church of Madderty.]

Earl Gilbert makes known to all his friends and his men that he has given to God and the church of St. John the Evangelist in Inchaffray, and to those serving and to serve the same church, the church of Madderty with all its just pertinents, for the weal of the souls of himself, his wife, his ancestors, and his children, to be held in pure and perpetual alms. Witnesses. Witnesses... [c. 1199.]

V

[Earl Gilbert grants to Inchaffray a tithe of his cains.]

Earl Gilbert makes known that he has given to God and the church of St. John the Evangelist in Inchaffray and to the 'servitors' of the same church a tithe of his cains in wheat, meal, malt, and cheese, and in other things which pertain to provisions, and a tithe of all the fish brought to his court; for the weal of the soul, etc. Witnesses... [c. 1199.]

VI

[King William's confirmation of the earl's gift of the church of Abruthven.]

W., king of Scots, makes known that he confirms to God and to the church of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist, of Inchaffray in Fowlis, and to the brethren there serving God, the church of

St. Cathan of Abruthven in Strathern, which Earl Gilbert gave to the same place. To be held in frankalmoign with all its liberties. and just pertinents. Witnesses At Scone, 5 Sept. [1199 or 1200].

VII

[Grant of the Abthen of Madderty by John, the First, bishop of Dunkeld.]

John, bishop of Dunkeld, makes known that he gives, on the petition of Gilbert, earl of Strathern, and Malise, his brother, to God and the church of St. John of Inchaffray and the brethren there serving and to serve God, his land in Madderty, which land is called Abthen, for the redemption of the souls of himself and his ancestors and of Earl Gilbert and his ancestors. To be held by the brethren and their successors in free and pure alms. Reddendo to the bishop and his successors, one mark yearly, half at Whitsunday and half at Martinmas. The land was to be held free of all exaction, custom, and secular service pertaining to the bishop, in wood and plain, meadows and pastures, waters and mills, and all other easements, as freely as any land in his bishopric saving only the aforesaid pension. Witnesses [c. 1199.]

VIII

[Bull of Innocent II. in favour of J. hermit and the brethren of St. John of Strathern.]

Innocent, bishop, servant of the servants of God, in response to the petitions of J. hermit, and the brethren of St. John of Strathern, takes under the protection of St. Peter and himself, their persons and property of all kinds, especially the possessions granted to their house by Gilbert, earl of Strathern, in alms. 'To no man therefore is it lawful to infringe this writ of our protection and confirmation, etc.' 'Given at the Lateran ij. Non. Dec. in the third year of our pontificate' [4 Dec. 1200].

IX

[The Great Charter of Earl Gilbert, founding the monastery of Austin Canons.]

'In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is co-equal and co-eternal with God the Father and the Holy Spirit. I, Gilbert,

M

son of Ferthead, by the favour of God, earl of Strathern, and I, Matildis, daughter of William of Aubigny, countess, at the inspiration of God, desiring to exalt the church of God in our fee and patrimony, and for the worship of God to plant in the same place nurseries of holy religion,' with the assent of our bishops John of Dunkeld, and Jonathan of Dunblane, and the concurrence of our knights and thanes' give, grant and deliver to our Lord Jesus Christ and blessed Mary, his Mother, and to St. John the Apostle, Inchaffray, which in Latin is called Insula Missarum,' free and quit of all exaction, service, custom, and secular subjection . . . and it, with all the possessions which the divine bounty has conferred on it or will confer by ourselves or by others of the faithful, we commit to the custody and administration of Sir Malise, presbyter and hermit, on whose discretion and piety we entirely rely.' Malise is to have freedom to associate with him whomsoever he wills, and to instruct them, as he thinks fit, in the service of God according to the rule of St. Augustine. After the decease of Malise the head was with the assent of the earl to be chosen only by the concordant election of the brethren; and neither any bishop nor any of the earl's heirs was to presume to intrude any one into the office contrary to the will of the brethren. 'For we hold the place in such affection that we have chosen in it a place of burial for ourselves and our successors, and have already buried there our first-born son. To God, therefore, and St. Mary, ever Virgin, and St. John the Apostle, guardian (procuratori) of the same, and to the aforesaid Malise and all serving and to serve God in the aforesaid Isle' the earl grants and confirms by the present writ with the impression of his seal, the churches of St. Cathan of Abruthven, St. Ethernan of Madderty, St. Patrick of Strogeith, St. Makkessog of Auchterarder, and St. Bean of Kinkell. Likewise a tithe of all the earl's cains and rents, in wheat, meal, malt, and cheese, and of all foods which were yearly used in his court, and a tithe of all the fish which was brought to his kitchen; a tithe of all venison, and a tithe of all the profits which came from his courts, and from other obventions of every kind. Also leave to fish wherever they liked in the Pow Water (Pefferin); and leave to take from his woods, where it was most convenient to them, timber for the construction of their buildings, for their utensils, and for their fires. Likewise the three acres of land nearest to Inchaffray towards the north, which he gave at the dedication of the chapel thereof. All these things with their

pertinents were to be held by Malise and those serving or to serve God with him, or after him, in the said Isle, of the earl and his heirs in pure and perpetual alms, and in the peace of God, the king, and the earl, for the weal of himself, his children, and all his friends, and for the souls of all his ancestors, and especially for the soul of Gillecrist, our first-born, who rests there.' He strictly prohibits, under threat of his full forfeiture, any of his people causing trouble or injury to that place, or its ministers, or even to those who fled to it for peace. And whoever of our friends and faithful men charitably grants anything of his resources to the same place, may the Lord grant to him good things in the land of the living. This confirmation was made in the year from the Incarnation of our Lord 1200; Indiction 3; in the thirty-fifth year of the reign of King William; in the second year from the decease of our aforenamed son, Gillecrist.1 Witnesses. . .

X

[Jonathan, bishop of Dunblane, confirms all the grants of Earl Gilbert's Great Charter, so far as his diocese is concerned.]

Jonathan, bishop of Dunblane, after expressing his joy at the piety of earl Gilbert and Matildis the countess, as shown in founding the monastery, makes known that he confirms to Inchaffray and its inhabitants, dwelling there in the service of God, all its possessions, immunities, and goods of all kinds, whether in churches, or tithes, or farms, or obventions. He declares that the place called in the Scottish tongue Inchaffray is assigned for ever to the exercise of religion according to the rule of St. Augustine. He then specifies by name the four churches, the tithe of cains and rents, etc., " as the charter of the earl made thereanent testifies.' He adds the right of sepulture, saving the rights of the parish churches of the persons desiring to be buried at the monastery. He prohibits all interference with the possessions of the monastery, 'saving in all things the canonical dues of us and our successors." He threatens with excommunication those who at the suggestion of the devil act contrary to the purport of his

1 He died on iij Non. [5th] October.