PREFACE.
Glasgow having been originally a Bishop's Burgh, the charters illustrative
of its early history formed part of the muniments of the Bishopric. But these
muniments were removed to France by James Bethune, the last Catholic
Archbishop, at the time of the Reformation, and were deposited by his
directions, partly in the archives of the Scots College, and partly in the
Chartreuse, of Paris.
Recognising the importance of possessing a copy of the chartulary of the
bishopric, the University of Glasgow addressed a letter to the superiors of
the Scotch College, on 1 May (old style), 1738, in which, among other things,
they requested to be allowed, at their own charge, to obtain a notarial copy
of that record. A reply to the application was received from Father Innes,
Pro-Primarius of the College, and well known as the author of the "Critical
Essay on the Ancient Inhabitants of the Northern parts of Britain or
Scotland," originally published in 1729. It assured the University of "the
kindly and respectful acceptance" that the application had met with from all
in the College, and furnished some interesting information as to the records
of the Church of Glasgow. A few weeks later, viz., on 22 October, 1738,
an official answer was made by the College, accompanied by authentic copies
of a number of documents. "With these," it was stated,—
"we send authentic and notarial copies of the three chief records of the foundation of the
university, taken from the ancient chartularys, together with some authentic transcripts
from the protocols of Cuthbert Simson, notary and scribe of the chapter of Glasgow,
containing all we could find among the records of Glasgow of the ancient endowments of
the university by the archbishops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Among other pieces, we send you some faithful copies of some of the most ancient charters
of the church and city of Glasgow, taken from the most ancient chartularys of Glasgow,
especially the introduction of the old chartulary, written about five hundred years ago, and
containing the best accounts of the antiquity of the church of Glasgow."
As to a copy of these chartularys, "that is not possible at present to us to send; but
without being at the trouble or expense, you may easily cause make one from a very exact
copy containing not only the records contained in the chartularys, but others taken from
the originals, about the year 1726, for the right honourable earl of Panmure, and still in
the hands of the present earl, his son." (fn. 1)
The letter from the College was reported to the University on 12th December,
1738, along with the copies of the several papers which accompanied it, and a
committee was appointed to write a letter of thanks to the College, and to
request Father Innes to apply, on behalf of the University, to Lord Panmure
for permission to make a copy of the chartulary in his possession, and also to
ask Father Innes to collate and attest the copy. Whether the application to
Lord Panmure thus suggested was made does not appear. But it was not
till 1766 that the University succeeded in procuring the transcript of the
chartulary which is still preserved in its archives. Professor Cosmo Innes
thus describes it:
"This copy of 'the authentic transcript,' is in two volumes quarto, in old French red
morocco binding, consisting together of 1216 pages. It contains a full copy of the
Ancient Register and the Red Book, and of a very large number of original charters not
recorded in either, but which were, at its date, preserved in the archives of the Scots
College, or of the Chartreuse at Paris. These materials are arranged chronologically.
Each entry refers to the source from which it is taken; and each bears a careful marking
of collation, and where taken from an original, a statement with regard to its seal and
its state of preservation. At the end, is the attestation of its accuracy by Principal
Gordon. (fn. 2) This, the most complete collection of the muniments of the bishopric of
Glasgow now known to exist, was entrusted to me for the purpose of this edition by the
Principal and Professors of the University." (fn. 3)
Nor were the Town Council of that time awanting in their laudable desire
to secure authentic copies of the early charters and documents of the burgh.
With the public spirit which has distinguished their successors, and to which
the present volume largely owes its existence, they, on 20th February, 1739,
remitted to the magistrates "to procure authentick copies of the townes writes
"and others belonging to the burgh, which were carried off at the Reformation,
"and lodged in the College of Dowie, and to apply to proper persons for
"procuring the same." (fn. 4) Inquiry doubtless resulted in their ascertaining that
the records of the bishopric were not in the College of Douay, but in the Scots
College, and an application to the authorities of the latter institution was
rewarded by the presentation to the magistrates of a transcript of such
portions of the chartulary as had special relation to the city. The transcript,
is a small volume, bound in red morocco, consisting of 136 pages of paper,
written, according to Professor Cosmo Innes, (fn. 5) "in the hand of a French scribe,
but collated and corrected in the well-known hand of Father Thomas Innes,
who has also marked, at every entry, the source from whence the deed is
copied, whether from either of the registers, or from an original charter." (fn. 6)
The subsequent fate of the records in the Scots College, so far as
is known, is described by Professor Innes in his Preface to the Register of
the Bishopric of Glasgow. During the French Revolution, when the College
was broken up, several MSS., including the two volumes of the original
Chartulary of Glasgow, and the book known as the Red Book, or Liber Ruber
Ecclesice Glasguensis, were brought over to England. The Chartulary was
placed in the hands of Bishop Cameron of Edinburgh, by whom it was transferred to Bishop Kyle of Aberdeen. The Red Book was lent to, and remained
in the possession of, Mr. George Chalmers. These volumes, along with the
transcripts belonging to the city, and the transcripts belonging to the university,
were communicated to and used by Professor Innes in the preparation of the
Register of the Bishopric edited by him, and presented by Mr. James Ewing
to the Maitland Club in 1843.
In the preparation of the present collection of charters and documents
relating to the city of Glasgow, the Register of the Bishopric, edited by
Professor Innes, has been used—such of the charters contained in it
as are given in this volume having been also collated with the transcript
belonging to the city. Occasional reference has also been made to the
transcript belonging to the university. The sources from which the other
documents in this collection are taken are stated in the Abstract of Charters
and Documents appended to this volume. (fn. 7) In printing the present collection
it has been considered expedient not to retain the contractions as they appear
in the university and city transcripts, and in the Maitland Club edition of
the Register, but to print the words with their terminations in full, and in
every case to subjoin a translation in English, which may be verified by a
reference to the Latin of the document itself.