The Prior of Coldingham was the head of the Benedictine monastic community of Coldingham Priory in Berwickshire, Scotland. The priory was founded in the reign of David I of Scotland, although his older brother and predecessor King Edgar of Scotland had granted the land of Coldingham to the Church of Durham in 1098 AD, and a church was constructed by him and presented in 1100. The first prior is on record by the year 1147, although an earlier foundation is almost certain. The monastic cell was a dependent of Durham until the 1370s, and in 1378 King Robert II of Scotland expelled the Durham monks; for the following century the cell had two priors, one chosen by Durham and one chosen by the Scots. It became a dependent of Dunfermline Abbey. It was subject to increasingly secular control from the late 15th century into the 16th century.
List of priors
- Edward, fl. 1124 x 1153[1]
 - H.[...], fl. 1147 x 1150
 - Sampson, fl. x 1159-1161 x 1162
 - Alan, fl. 1165 x 1173
 - Herbert, 1172x1174-1175
 - Bertram, 1188-1189[2]
 - Simon, 1189 x 1203
 - Radulf, x 1203-x 1207
 - Ernald, x 1207-1208 x 1211
 - Thomas, 1212-1221 x
 - Radulf, 1218 x 1234
 - Thomas de Melsonby, 1229-1234[3]
 - Anketin, 1239-1242
 - Bertram de Mediltone, 1242 x 1244[3]
 - Richard, x 1245-1247 or 1248
 - Henry de Sylton, 1248-1260
 - German, 1260
 - Roger de Wolviston, 1263-1274 x 1276
 - Henry de Horncastre, 1276-1296
 - William de Midilton, 1304
 - William de Gretham, 1304-1305
 - Adam de Pontefract, 1309-1311
 - William de Gretham, 1311-1321
 - Richard de Whitworth, 1322-1325
 - Adam de Pontefract, 1325-1332
 - Robert de Graystanes, 1333
 - Alexander de Lamsley, 1334
 - William de Scaccario, 1336 x 1337
 - Alexander de Lamsley, 1338-1339
 - John Fossour, 1340-1341
 - Walter de Skaresbrekis, 1341-1354
 - William de Bamburgh, 1355-1362
 - Robert Berrington de Walworth, 1363-1374
 - Robert de Claxton, 1374 x 1379
 
List of priors with allegiance to Durham
- Robert de Claxton, 1374-1391
 - John de Ayclif, 1392-1416
 - William Drax, 1418-1441
 - John Oil, 1441-1447
 - Thomas Nesbitt, 1447-1456
 - John Pencher, 1456-1465 x 1467
 - Thomas Haughton, 1467
 - Thomas Wren, 1470
 
List of priors with allegiance to Dunfermline
- Adam de Carale, 1374 x 1379
 - Michael de Inverkeithing, 1379-1389
 - William Reid, 1389-1390
- Simon Marischal, 1389
 
 - John Steele, 1390-1402
 - Alan de Lyn, 1402
 - Richard Mongal, 1402-1409
 - Andrew Raburn, 1409-1414 x 1418
 - Robert Bowmaker, 1419
 - William Brown, 1419-1430
 - Stephen Bryg, 1432
 - William Boyce, 1442-1445
 
List of prior-commendators
- Patrick Home, 1461-1478[4]
 - John Home, 1464-1503
 - Ninian Home, 1501-1508
 - John Home, 1509
 - Alexander Stewart, 1510-1513[5]
 - David Home, 1513-1517
- Thomas Nudre, 1514
 
 - Robert Blackadder, 1518-1519
 - William Douglas, 1519 -1526[6]
- George Patricii, 1520
 - Patrick Blackadder of Tulliallan, 1521 -1525[7]
 - Andrew Home, 1522
 - John Forman, 1523
 
 - Adam Blackadder, 1523-1541
 - John Stewart, Commendator of Coldingham, 1541-1563[8]
 - Francis Stewart, earl of Bothwell, 1565-1567[9]
 - John Maitland, 1st Lord Maitland of Thirlestane, 1567-1571
 - Alexander Home I [senior], 1570
 - Alexander Home II [junior], 1571-1587
 - Francis Stewart, earl of Bothwell (again), 1584-1590
 - John Stewart, 1589-1592
 - Alexander Home, 6th Lord Home, 1592-1606
 
Notes
- ↑ Known only as monachus de Coldingham, but the fact he occurs three times in high circles means he was probably head of the monastery.
 - ↑ Became Prior of Durham.
 - 1 2 Became Prior of Durham.
 - ↑ Also Archdeacon of Teviotdale.
 - ↑ Also Archbishop of St Andrews (1504-1513).
 - ↑ Becomes Abbot of Holyrood.
 - ↑ Administered the cell as Archdeacon of Glasgow.
 - ↑ Illegitimate son of James V of Scotland: see Stewart, John (1531-1563) (DNB00
 - ↑ Was two years old.
 
References
- 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. 55–6
 - 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. 29–42