Smith, Andrew (2011) The Kelso Abbey cartulary: context, production and forgery. PhD thesis. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/3322/ Copyright and moral rights for this thesis are retained by the Author A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the Author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the Author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Glasgow Theses Service http://theses.gla.ac.uk/ [email protected] The Kelso Abbey Cartulary: Context, Production and Forgery Andrew Smith, M.Litt. University of Glasgow A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, University of Glasgow, January 2011 2 Abstract Very little critical work has been done on collections of charters surviving from medieval Scotland. Using cutting-edge methodologies, this study deconstructs the largest of these collections, namely the Kelso Abbey cartulary, and attempts to answer questions such as when, why and how was it produced, and is its content authentic? Ultimately, it concludes that the manuscript is not a straightforward, objective transcript of the monastery’s charters, and evidence to support this is presented in four chapters, a conclusion and two commentary sections. Chapter one demonstrates that the production of the cartulary was tied to a specific period in the abbey’s history and was certainly produced as part of a campaign to rebuild after the wars of the early fourteenth century and their ramifications. These ramifications included the destruction of the monks’ charters, the destruction of their home and property, and the upheaval of the native landholding establishment by King Edward I and King Robert I. Chapter two reinforces the above suggestions by dating the production of the manuscript between 1321 and 1326 - i.e. the precise years in which King Robert was working to help many of the religious houses in Scotland to reassert themselves after the war. Apart from contextual considerations, chapter two also establishes that the cartulary is not a completely accurate representation of the documentation in the monastery’s archive. Among other things, portions of the manuscript appear to be missing, and the scribes who produced it adopted selection criteria which led to the omission of charters or of diplomatic. Thereafter, chapters three and four evaluate the authenticity of the material in the manuscript. Chapter three demonstrates that there are severe problems with the information, diplomatic, witness lists and other features found in a number of its charters, and chapter four demonstrates that these items share 2 3 a number of conspicuous features in common, including their locations, conditions and the circumstances which appear to have led to their production. In combination, chapters three and four build a strong case against the authenticity of a number of items in the manuscript, and both of these discussions are complemented by exhaustive commentaries which discuss each of the problematic charters in detail. Finally, this study concludes by demonstrating that certain features of the Kelso Abbey cartulary appear to call into question the veracity of several well-established paradigms, including the notion that cartularies were created for the sole use of the inhabitants of religious communities. It also suggests that the consequences of the Anglo-Scottish wars in the early fourteenth century may be comparable to the consequences of the Norman Conquest of 1066 in terms of inspiring religious houses, like Kelso, to forge charters, and it builds a strong case that this needs to be an area of future inquiry. 3 4 Table of Contents Title Page 1 Abstract 2 Contents 4 List of Figures, Maps, Tables and Plates 7 Preface and Acknowledgements 14 Author’s Declarations 16 Conventions 17 References and Abbreviations 19 Introduction 21 I. The Historiography of Source Criticism in Scotland and Elsewhere 22 II. Criticism in this Study 31 III. Sources 36 Chapter 1: The History of Kelso Abbey Prior to the Production of the 48 Cartulary I. The Social and Political History of Kelso Abbey Before 1296 49 II. The Economic History of Kelso Abbey Before 1296 63 III. The Social and Political History of Kelso Abbey After 1296 77 IV. The Economic History of Kelso Abbey After 1296 81 V. Conclusion 90 4 5 Chapter 2: The Composition of the Kelso Abbey Cartulary 93 I. The Current Codex vs. The Original Codex 93 II. Stages of Development 98 III. The Policies of the Compilers of the Manuscript 102 IV. Date of Production 118 V. Conclusion 122 Chapter 3: The Authenticity of the Charters in the Kelso Abbey Cartulary 125 I. Contextual Anachronisms 129 II. Contradictions 139 III. Deletions and Interpolations 142 IV. Diplomatic 151 V. Other Elements Which Suggest that Charters are Forgeries 163 VI. Conclusion 166 Chapter 4: The Common Characteristics of the Questionable Charters in 168 the Kelso Abbey Cartulary I. Location in the Manuscript 169 II. Condition in the Manuscript 177 III. Catalysts which Spurred Production 180 IV. Conclusion 198 Conclusion 200 I. Notitiae 202 II. Witness List Omission 205 5 6 III. Function of the Cartulary 206 IV. Thoughts for the Future 209 Commentary I 214 Commentary II 280 Appendix 298 Bibliography 314 6 7 List of Figures, Maps, Tables and Plates Introduction Figure: 0.1: An Illustration of the Textual Features of Quires 10 & 11 43 Tables: 0.1: Catchwords 42 0.2: Quire-Signatures 42 0.3: Details Concerning the Surviving Originals in the Melrose and Holyrood Archives 45 Plates: 0.1: NLS, Adv. MS 34.5.1, f. 125v 41 0.2: NLS, Adv. MS 34.5.1, f. 126r 41 Chapter One Figure: 1.1: Legend for Maps 1-9 68 Maps: 1.1: Holdings by Religious Houses in 1124 69 1.2: Holdings by Religious Houses in 1153 70 1.3: Holdings by Religious Houses in 1165 71 1.4: Holdings by Religious Houses in 1189 72 1.5: Holdings by Religious Houses in 1214 73 1.6: Holdings by Religious Houses in 1249 74 7 8 1.7: Holdings by Religious Houses in 1296 75 1.8: Holdings by Religious Houses in 1296 Including Possessions Known to Have Been Held By Monasteries in Galloway at the Reformation 76 1.9: Routes of Edward I in Southeastern Scotland 77 Chapter Two Figures: 2.1: Quires 1 and 2 in the Current Codex 94 2.2: The End of the Original Cartulary on Folio 164 99 2.3: Lost Charters 110 2.4: Acts for Which No Charter References or Charters Survive 110 2.5: Totals of Figures One and Two 110 2.6: Survival Rates of Private Charters Recording the Initial Donations of Churches or Chapels 111 Tables: 2.1: Catchwords 95 2.2: Quire-Signatures 95 2.3: Collation of the Original Codex 98 2.4: The Original Cartulary 100 2.5: Additions to the Original Cartulary 101 2.6: Later Entries 102 Plates: 2.1: Portion of Folio 5r from Quire 1 97 2.2: Portion of Folio 165r from Quire 15 97 2.3: An Example of a Notitia Found on f. 5 which Summarises the Content of 8 9 King Mael Coluim IV’s General Gonfirmation Charter which Survives as an Original 104 2.4: Section of Thomas son of Thomas of Gordon’s Mid-Thirteenth-Century Charter (NLS, MS Adv. 34.5.1 f. 32r) 117 2.5: Charter by King Alexander II to Gill’Andreas McLeod, 19 April 1232 117 Chapter Three Figures: 3.1: Statistical Overview of the Non-Royal Charters in the Kelso Cartulary 128 3.2: Statistical Overview of the Non-Royal Charters in the Melrose Archive 128 3.3: Statistical Overview of the Non-Royal Charters in the Holyrood Archive 128 3.4: Incorporation of Pro Anima Clauses into Melrose Abbey’s Charters 135 3.5: Use of Phraseologies which Distinguish Between the Living and the Dead in the Melrose Abbey Archive 135 3.6: Incorporation of Pro Anima Clauses into Kelso Abbey’s Charters 135 3.7: Use of Phraseologies which Distinguish Between the Living and the Dead in the Kelso Abbey Cartulary 136 3.8: Use of Scriptum, Littera or Carta in the Address Clauses of Melrose and Holyrood’s Charters 154 3.9: Use of Scriptum, Littera or Carta in the Address Clauses of Kelso’s Charters 154 3.10: Use of “Kingdom of Scotland/Scots” in Comparative Clauses in Melrose & Holyrood Archives 155 3.11: Use of “Kingdom of Scotland/Scots” in Comparative Clauses in Kelso Abbey Cartulary 156 3.12: Use of Caritatis Intuitu in the Kelso Abbey Cartulary 159 9