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Glossarium. The charters placed before the reader in this volume supply at least two contributions to such a supplement. Beside the usual officers of the household and establishment of a great noble, the 'dapifer' or 'senescallus,' the camerarius,' the 'dispensarius, the pincerna,' the ‘judex,' and the capellani,' we find the early Earls of Strathern possessing a 'rennarius.'1 Research in other directions, resulting in no satisfactory explanation of the word, it was natural to conjecture that the word might be formed upon some term of Celtic origin; and Gaelic scholars were consulted.

Professor Donald Mackinnon has been so good as to furnish, through Dr. J. Maitland Thomson, the following note: 'Rennarius is manifestly a Latinised form of the Gaelic rannaire, literally "the divider." In old Gaelic Saga, the Fled Bricrend (Feast of Bricriu), for example, the rannairi carved or distributed (or both) the portions of food offered to individual guests. The word is glossed partista in Irish Glosses (No. 9), and the old lexicographer Cormac, who spells it ronnaire, derives the word from ronnad "a distribution he makes of the food" and -aire, "chief." The more correct analysis of the word is rannaim, “I divide" (now roinn) and -aire, cognate with the Latin -arius, a suffix indicating personal agent. The word is usually translated "spencer," "butler."" Professor Mackinnon adds, I have not come upon the name as a retainer of a Gaelic chief."

We now call attention to another obscure word, also probably of Gaelic origin, which appears in Charters Nos. cxIII., CXIV. In 1283 Earl Malise grants, inter alia, to the religious of Inchaffray annually four marks from the thanage of Dunning which they were wont to give the Earl pro fretellis.' 2

Professor Mackinnon writes, I take this word to be formed from the Gaelic fritheil, a verb used in several shades

1 See Nos. V., XII., XLVI., and, more particularly, XXXIX., XL., LVIII. In No. LVIII. the form is ronnarius.'

2 In No. CXIV. the form is pro frecellis.

of meaning, all carrying the idea of "attending upon," 'serving." Service, including watch and ward, might express the idea conveyed by the term here.' I venture to suggest that we have perhaps a word formed upon the same Gaelic vocable in a charter, of the year 1272-3, granted by Alexander Cumyng, Earl of Buchan, in which the grantees were declared to be free for ever, ab omni custuma ab omni tol frithelagio vel carriagio.1 If carriagium is here explicative of frithelagium, it points to the kind of service which had been remitted. In any case, it falls in with the notion that frithelagium was some kind of service due by vassals to their superior.

A word or two must be added on the important bull (7 April 1251) of Innocent Iv. printed in the Appendix (No. 1.). In the course of examining the documents in the Dupplin Collection this bull came to light; and, although it has no connection with Inchaffray, the editors were convinced that the opportunity should be taken of making it known to historical students, as adding an interesting incident, hitherto unknown. in the prolonged struggle between the Keledei of the ancient church of St. Mary, at St. Andrews, and the Canons Regular of the priory of the cathedral city. This bull illustrates, and is in turn illustrated by, the bull of 7 June 1252, printed by Theiner.2

Pope after Pope (Lucius II., Eugenius III., Adrian Iv., Alexander III., Lucius I., Gregory VIII., Innocent III., and Honorius .) had reiterated the command that on the death or resignation of any of the Keledei his prebend and possessions should be transferred to the Priory of Canons Regular. Yet even after a hundred years had intervened we find the Keledei still maintaining the contest.

The claim of the Keledei to have a voice in the election of the Bishops of St. Andrews, which continued to be made for over a century, is another piece of evidence contributing to

1 Regist. Episcopat. Aberdon., i. 32.

2 Monumenta, No. CXLV.

the conviction that the Keledei of St. Andrews formed a community of considerable vigour and persistency of purpose.

The reader will be pleased to find here (Appendix No. v.) the short charter of Malise, Earl of Strathern (21 February 1268-69), from the Dupplin Collection, relating to the lands of Strathy, in which the Abbey of Inchaffray had an interest (No. cxvI.).

J. D.

PART II

THE EARLS OF STRATHERN; OTHER BENEFACTORS AND PRINCIPAL PERSONS MENTIONED IN THE CHARTERS

THE Earldom of Strathern, which in remote ages probably formed a kingdom with Menteith, was situated in the heart of Scotland, and included most of the fertile plains lying directly north of the Forth and south of the great range of mountains called the Mount, extending in a semicircle from the Clyde to Aberdeen. This space was occupied by four earldoms, Strathern and Atholl on the north-west, Fife and Angus on the east. South-west of Strathern lay Menteith, while west of the mountains lay the two Argylls. Beyond the mountains on the north was Moravia, and over them must have travelled the families which bore that famous surname.

Our information respecting the original Celtic rulers of 'Cismontane,' Scotland north of the Forth, is not precise, and any collection of charters such as those printed in this volume may be of great importance for the elucidation of the ancient history of our country, so admirably begun by the late Dr. Skene.1

What happened in Strathern is perhaps unique, but it illustrates the whole process of feudalising the Celts.

We have a picture, roughly drawn, of a ruling Celtic family first opposing with contempt, then accepting and developing the feudal system of King David and the Normans; finally

1 Skene's Ancient Alban.

welcoming that splendid ecclesiastical organisation which Christianised feudalism. In Strathern we see earls instead of maormars substituting the Catholic Hierarchy for missions (if the Culdee centres can be thus described), and introducing that system of what may be termed feudal monasticism, which throughout the civilised world became a distinguishing feature of the Apostolic and Roman Church.

Ferteth, Earl of Strathern, must have had the principal share in the erection of a diocese called of Strathern or Dunblane, having its cathedral where Culdees had previously a home, the first bishop of which in certain record appears in 1155. His son completed his work and founded the house of Augustinian Canons where a hermit' with a community of brethren had been. Neither of these operations would have been performed by Celts who adhered to the Celtic ecclesiastical system, under which there was to have been one bishop styled Episcopus Scottorum, proved by record and illustrated by the early seals of St. Andrews. There is, however, tradition of an ancient see of Dunblane, long void.1

The Charters here printed have also a political value, for we get glimpses here and there of a peculiar feudal system. We find something to help in the study of thanage, for of the several great lay fiefs within the earldom the owners of two are expressly called my thanes,' namely, Dunning and Struin. Now we observe that whatever the tenure of a thanedom may have been,-respecting which the present editors at least are no more clear than English lawyers are respecting tenure by Barony,'-the churches of these thanedoms belonged to the earl, who granted them to his monastery. There is no trace of the thanes themselves giving the churches and of their gifts being confirmed by the earls, as happened to some extent in respect of English manors; but the earls granted, kings, bishops, and popes confirmed.

1 Theiner, xci.

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