The Prior of May then Prior of Pittenweem (later Commendator of Pittenweem) was the

religious superior In a hierarchy or tree structure of any kind, a superior is an individual or position at a higher level in the hierarchy than another (a "subordinate" or "inferior"), and thus closer to the apex. General A superior generally has the power t ...

of the

Benedictine monks The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, the ...

Isle of May Priory The Isle of May Priory was a monastery and community of Benedictine monks established for 9 monks of Reading Abbey on the Isle of May in the Firth of Forth, Scotland, in 1153, under the patronage of David I of Scotland. The priory passed into the ...

, which later moved to the mainland became called

Pittenweem Priory Pittenweem Priory was an Augustinian priory located in the village of Pittenweem, Fife, Scotland. History The 6th century religious recluse St Monan is believed to have lived at a monastery at Pittenweem before leaving to take up residence i ...

. The priory was originally based on the

Isle of May An isle is an island, land surrounded by water. The term is very common in British English. However, there is no clear agreement on what makes an island an isle or its difference, so they are considered synonyms. Isle may refer to: Geography * Is ...

, but was moved by 1318 to its nearby mainland site of

Pittenweem Pittenweem ( ) is a fishing village and civil parish in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 1,747. Etymology The name derives from Pictish and Scottish Gaelic. "Pit-" represents Pictish ''pett'' 'pl ...

Fife Fife ( , ; ; ) is a council areas of Scotland, council area and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in Scotland. A peninsula, it is bordered by the Firth of Tay to the north, the North Sea to the east, the Firth of Forth to the s ...

, passing from the overlordship of

Reading Abbey Reading Abbey is a large, ruined abbey in the centre of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. It was founded by Henry I in 1121 "for the salvation of my soul, and the souls of King William, my father, and of King William, ...

(Benedictine) to

St Andrews Cathedral Priory St Andrews Cathedral Priory was a priory of Augustinian canons in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. It was one of the great religious houses in Scotland, and instrumental in the founding of the University of St Andrews. History Plans were made for i ...

(Augustinian). The following is a list of priors and

commendator In canon law, commenda (or ''in commendam'') was a form of transferring an ecclesiastical benefice ''in trust'' to the ''custody'' of a patron. The phrase ''in commendam'' was originally applied to the provisional occupation of an ecclesiastical ...

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List of priors

* Achard, 1141x1150 * Robert, 1161 x 1162-1165 x 1166 * William, 1166x1171 * Hugh de Mortimer, 1198–1205 * John, 1206–1215 * Richard, 1221–1222 * Radulf, 1233 * John, 1248-1251 * William, 1251 x 1260 * Hugh, 1260–1269 * William de Gloucester, 1269–1270 * Thomas de Houburn, x 1306 * Jordan, 1309 * Martin, 1313–1318 * Adam de Pilmor, 1345 * Robert de Anderston, c. 1380 * Robert de Leuchars, 1405 * William Nory, 1402–1408; 1409-1419 x 1421 *

James de Haldeston James Haldenston or James Haldenstoun (died 18 July 1443) was an Augustinian churchman from 15th-century Scotland. Probably from somewhere in eastern Fife, Haldenston became an Augustinian at St Andrews, earned several degrees on the continent, ...

, 1407-1418 * John Litstar, 1418 * Thomas de Camera (Chalmers), 1419 x 1421-1447 * William Stury, 1421 * James Kennedy, 1447-1465 * Walter Monypenny, 1465-1467 ** John Woodman, 1465-1477 * Patrick Graham, 1466-1478 * Walter Davidson, 1477–1479, 1489 * Thomas Kymner, 1486 * William Scheves, 1487-1497

List of commendators

Andrew Forman Andrew Forman (11 March 1521) was a Scottish diplomat and prelate who became Bishop of Moray in 1501, Archbishop of Bourges in France, in 1513, Archbishop of St Andrews in 1514 as well as being Commendator of several monasteries. Early life He ...

, 1495-1515 x 1521 * Robert Forman, 1516–1526 * John Roul, 1525–1553 * Adam Blackadder, 1531 * John de Moncreif, 1550–1551 *

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 ...

, 1550-1567As Commendator of St Andrews. * Sir James Balfour of Pittendreich, 1567–1573 * James Haliburton, 1575–1583 *

William Stewart of Houston Sir William Stewart of Houston (c. 1540 – c. 1605) was a Scottish soldier, politician and diplomat. He is often known as "Colonel Stewart", or the Commendator of Pittenweem. Life He began his career as a soldier in the Netherlands, where he ...

, 1583-1603 x 1605

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. 94–5 * 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. 143–9 {{DEFAULTSORT:Prior Of May (Pittenweem)

May May is the fifth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. May is a month of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. Therefore, May in the Southern Hemisphere is the ...

List of priors

List of commendators

See also

Notes

Bibliography