The Abbot of Holyrood (later Commendator of Holyrood) was the head of the Augustinian monastic community of

Holyrood Abbey Holyrood Abbey is a ruined abbey of the Canons Regular in Edinburgh, Scotland. The abbey was founded in 1128 by David I of Scotland. During the 15th century, the abbey guesthouse was developed into a List of British royal residences, royal r ...

, now in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

. The long history of the abbey came to a formal end in July 1606 when the parliament of Scotland turned the abbey into a secular lordship for the last commendator, John Bothwell (confirmed by charter in December 1607). The following is a list of abbots and commendators:

List of abbots

Seal of Adam * Alwin, 1128-1151 * Osbert, 1151 * William (I), 1152-1172 * John, 1173-1178x1184 * William (II), 1187x1189-1206 * Walter, 1210-1217 or 1218 * William (III), 1217 x 1218-1221 * William (IV) son of "Owin", 1221-1227 * Gilbert, 1236 * Elias son of Nicholas, 1227-1236 x 1253 *

Henry Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...

, 1236 x 1253-1255 * Radulf, 1253x1256-1258 * Robert, 1273 x1279 * William de Haddington, 1285 * Adam, 1291-1299 * Elias, 1309-1320 or 1321 *

Simon de Wedale Simon de Wedale was a 14th-century Augustinian canon who rose to become Abbot of Holyrood and then Bishop of Galloway. Little is known of Simon until he appears on 27 February 1321 as Abbot of Holyrood Abbey near Edinburgh.Watt & Shead, ''Heads ...

, 1321-1327 * John de Cambusnethan, 1328-1339 * Bartholomew, 1342 * Thomas de St Andrews, ?1347-1370 * John, 1370-1378 * David Bell, 1379-1386 * John de Leith, 1386-71415x1420 * Henry de Dryden, 1420-1423 **

Walter Bower Walter Bower (or Bowmaker; 24 December 1449) was a Scottish canon regular and abbot of Inchcolm Abbey in the Firth of Forth, who is noted as a chronicler of his era. He was born about 1385 at Haddington, East Lothian, in the Kingdom of Scotl ...

, 1420 * Patrick Witherspoon (Wotherspoon), 1423-1445 * William, 1425 * James Cameron, 1446-1450 * Archibald Crawford, 1450-1484 * Robert Ballantyne, 1484-1500 *

James Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military aviator. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morali ...

, 1498-1500 * George Crichton, 1500-1526 * William Douglas, 1526-1528 *

Robert Cairncross Robert Cairncross (died 1544) was a Scottish bishop. At various times he was provost of Corstorphine, abbot of Holyrood. He was appointed bishop of Ross in 1539, holding ''in commendam'' the abbacy of Fern. He also held office as Lord High ...

, 1528-1538 * David Douglas, 1530-1531

List of commendators

Seal of Robert Stewart abbot * Robert Stewart, 1539-1568 *

Adam Bothwell Adam Bothwell, Lord of Session (c.1527, Edinburgh – 1593, Edinburgh), was a Scottish clergyman, judge, and politician. Overview Adam Bothwell served as Bishop of Orkney (1559), Commendator of Holyrood House (1570), Extraordinary Lord of Sessi ...

, 1568-1582Also

bishop of Orkney The Bishop of Orkney was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Orkney, one of thirteen medieval bishoprics of Scotland. It included both Orkney and Shetland. It was based for almost all of its history at St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall. The ...

(1559-1593) * John Bothwell, 1582-1606

Notes

Bibliography

* Cowan, Ian B. & Easson, David E., ''Medieval Religious Houses: Scotland With an Appendix on the Houses in the Isle of Man'', Second Edition, (London, 1976), pp. 90–1 * Watt, D.E.R. & Shead, N.F. (eds.), ''The Heads of Religious Houses in Scotland from the 12th to the 16th Centuries'', The Scottish Records Society, New Series, Volume 24, (Edinburgh, 2001), pp. 92–6

List of abbots

List of commendators

Notes

Bibliography

See also