SECT. I. Of the institution of the University, and foundation of King's College, by Bishop Elphinston-Grants by King James IV.—Prin- cipal Boece and various other matters previous to the Reformation SECT. II. Of Principal Anderson-Principal Arbuthnot-Offices in the College suppressed-attempts to establish a new foundation— Bishop Forbes reforms various abuses-Visitations by the Marquis of Huntly, &c.-Principal Leslie-Union of the two Colleges-Profes- sorships of Theology, of Oriental Languages, and of Mathematics, SECT. III. Of Dr. Jack, the present Principal-Plan of Education— and the several Academical Classes—Discipline, and Internal Eco- SECT. IV. Of the Edifice of the College-Common Hall-Library- Chronological List of the Chancellors, Principals, and Professors of No. II. Common Indenture between the Brethren of Guild and the No. III. Charter by King Charles I. to the borough of Aberdeen p. 457 No. IV. Collection of curious Cases tried by Jury before the Baillie ANNALS OF ABERDEEN. BOOK II. CHAPTER III. Of Saint Nicholas Church, and Quire, in ancient and modern timesChapel of Saint Katharine, &c.—Chapel of Saint Ninian-Chapel of Saint Clement, (Futtie,) &c.—and Grey Friars' Church. CHURCH OF SAINT NICHOLAS. THE town of Aberdeen was originally comprehended in one parish, distinguished by the name of Saint Nicholas. The church was dedicated to that Saint,* who was also patron of the borough. This was the earliest ecclesiastical establishment of the place, and the only one in it at the epocha of the Reformation. The period of its foundation VOL. II. A St. Nicholas was Bishop of Myra, a city in Lycia, a province in Asia Minor; he lived about the beginning of the fourth century, and, during the persecution of Licinius, the Roman emperor, was sent into banishment; but, after the death of that tyrant, he revisited his diocese, and threw out all the idols which he found in it. He is said to have assisted at the general council of Nice, where he strenuously opposed the Arians. He was famous among mariners, of whom he was the patron, for his miracles and apparitions by sea. His anniversary was commemorated on the 6th of December, with much festivity, by the citizens of Aberdeen, in the age of popery. In 1505, John Arthur, burgess, presented to the college and chaplains six volumes of Nicholas' works, for which a suffrage of thirty masses was to be celebrated for his soul, yearly, at the festival of Saint Bartho lomew, the apostle.-[Cartulary of St. Nicholas Church, f. 31.] foundation being very remote, cannot be ascertained; but the church was of considerable antiquity, and seemed to have been in a flourishing state in the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth centuries; which circumstance is confirmed by various records. It seems, however, to have been gradually declining, in its splendour and importance, towards the dawn of the Reformation. The bishop of Aberdeen was parson of the parish, and titular of its tithes, both parsonage and vicarage, as well as of the tithes of certain salmon fishings of the rivers Dee and Don. The parsonage must have been very scanty indeed, for the only lands within the parish were, the crofts belonging to the several monasteries established in the town, the borough roods, and some other patches of ground, of small consideration. The vicar was the next dignitary of this church. John de Kyngorne, the first ecclesiastic who filled that office, was instituted to the vicarage, about the year 1342, by Bishop Alexander of Kynynmounde, the first of that name, who succeeded to the episcopal see of Aberdeen in the year 1329.* The vicar of Saint Nicholas was generally the sixth prebendary of the cathedral; but it appears, from the cartulary of the church, that, on some occasions, a prebendary of another cathedral had been preferred to that dignity; for we find, in the year 1519, that John Dingwall, prothonotary and archdeacon of Caithness, filled the office of vicar of Aberdeen. The officiating members of the church were the curate and chaplains, who performed divine service in it, and celebrated masses at the several chantry al tars, * At this period, there was no metropolitan church, or any building which merited the name of a cathedral, belonging to the diocese. Bishop Alexander of Kynynmounde, who occasionally resided at Mortlach, Rain, and Fetterneir, had fixed his principal residence at Kirktown of Seaton, in the parish of Saint Machar, about a mile distant from Aberdeen, where there was a small church, dedicated to Saint Macarius, and where he erected a lodging, afterwards dignified with the name of the bishop's palace. One of his successors, of the same name, commenced the erection of a cathedral only about the year 1357, on the site of the old church, which was demolished. † Hence this place, having become the seat of the bishop, was distinguished as the city of Aberdeen, and, in subsequent ages, was known by the name of Old Aberdeen. Cartulary, f. v. 105. Boetius de Vit. Epis. Abred. f. 6, 7, 8.- Spottiswood, p. 102. tars, which were appropriated to services of devotion, according to the custom of the times. Some of these chaplains held their appointments during life; others of them were only temporary priests. All these, with the vicar, formed an ecclesiastical college, which was constituted by certain statutes,* enacted by Bishop Ingeram Lindesay, who succeeded to the episcopal see of Aberdeen in the year 1441; and afterwards confirmed by Bishop Thomas Spens, his * "Informatio tradita capellanis de Aberdene circa divinū cultum et eorum admistracionem per Ingeramu Lindesay, Epm Aberdoneñ, ac ecia p Thoma Spens Epm confirmal, (circa A.D. 1441.) "In primis, qomi die Sabati omnes capellani tam conducticii q fundati qui dină celebrant in ecclesia de Aberdene unacum vicario capellano perrochiali hora nona vel circa simul q veniāt in capto eiusdem eccție et ibi statuant per modum tabule per ebdomida et precipue pro festis contingentib' infra eandem de singulis mistr pro singulis officiis et mistrationib' fiendis unicuiq, intunetur officiū sibi limitatū ut aliquã possint excusatione pretendere. Et q in ecctia nullus occurrat defectus circa mistrationem fiendam. " Item in diebus diñcis et festiuis quando seruiciu in ecclesia sit faciendū cum nota siue in matutinis magna missa vel vespis omes capellani intrent chorum cum superpelliciis mūdis propter honorē Dei et ecclesie. Item q sacrista et clerici perrochiales intersint ibi cum aliis qui in singulis amistracionibę tam in ecclesia q circa pulsum campanarum iuxta ordinacione capituli se exerceant. Item 4 omia ista ordinētur principaliter iuxta auisiamētum vicarii curati et aliorum seniorum de ecclesia. Item q dificientis circa huiusmodi puniantur et corrigantur secund discretōm et arbitriu vicarii et curati cum consilio seniorum qui duŝint ad hoc vocandos. Et si aliqua gravia occurrant referant officiali ñro et nobis pro ut finit oportunū. " Item q si q debate vel confuersie oriantur inter aliquos capellanos q per mediu pmissorum reformētur et emendentur. Et q nullus ab eorù defmiatione valeat se subtraher. Item q secund auisiamētum maioru et senioru prenõiatorum statuantur aliq collectores qitum ad omia omia occurrēcia circa quascunq, missas peculiares ex quibuscunq, relictis vel deputatis circa qcunq funeralia aut exeqas et q omia illa equaliter distribuun? illis precise qui infsint in officiis dinis et nulli alteri. " Item q omnes capellani qui ex aliqua fundatione ħint suū sustentamētū in dicta ecctia compellantur per ōēm censurā eccfiasticā ad subeund onus dīni cultus et seruitii circa omia pmissa. "Item si qui ex capellanis conductitiis vel ex se vel ex instigatione đnorum suoru eos conducentiu ad pmissa onera subeunda uoluerint consentire ppl honorem ecclesie et augmetacionem cultus diuini q simpliciter suspendať2 ab ingressa chori tempor quo celebrantur dina solempniter in eodem etiam a perceptione quoruncunq, couni superuēiencia ex miss funeralibę vel exequiis aut aliis quibuscunq. Item si contingat q aliquis scptus ad aliquid seruicm ex aliqua causa rationabili infirmitatis vel als dictum officiu poterat nuēs pro tempe omode adimplere q, alius quicunq capellanus pns pro tempore ad mandatum vicarii vel capellani perrochialis defectum absentis pro tunc supleat pro suplemēto juxta arbitriu predictorum et sedm antiqua consuetudine in eccția inibi obseruata certum quid recipiat. Et de omia contingen absentem. Et ne varietur sub incerto supleti defectum in officio Diaconi vel cantoris pro qualibę hora recipiat deñm̃.” successor. of the vicar. The curate was president of the college, in the absence In the year 1491, there were the curate, and twenty-two chaplains and clerks, belonging to the church, who, for the better government of the members of the college, in their respective ministerial departments, and for settling their several interests in their temporalities, established certain rules and regulations, which were sanctioned and confirmed by Bishop William Elphinston.* In the year *«Thir aks, constitutionis, and statuts, under writen, was maide and ordanit in ye suppleinge, augmenting and uphalden of Godd's service, be ye curat and chaplains of ye haill college of Aberdene underwriten, ye sext day of October, the zer of God 1491. "In ye first, it is statut and ordanit, yat ilk ane chaplane being in office, and writen yarto, yat is to say, abdomitar, dekin, or chantor, for ye oulk, als oft as he falzeis in execution of his office, for every hour he sal pay 1 d. quhilk sal be given to him yat supplies that falt, als oft 1 d. I “Item, yat ilk ane chaplane, writen to ye holy blude mess, mess in lentrin or uỹr mess, to be said for saulis, falzeande in ye doinge of thame, shall pay шd. to ye supplear. "Item, yat ale chaplanes, being written yair turne, suppos yai be not in office, and yai be absent fra ale hours ye haill day, without ane necessary causs, and leif askit and optenit of ye president, sal pay 1 ob. " Item, yat ale chaplanes, writen yair turne, and absent ye haill oulk fra ale hours, sal be secludit fra ale commons accidence for ane zere, bot gif yai be sike in yair personis, or occupeit in secret erands, and leif askit and optenit of ye president. "Item, yat ale chaplanes yat are absent fra solempt processions in solempnit fests, sal pay 1 d. unforgiven, and yat yai use not to say messes in tyme of processions and offerands. " Item, yat ye segirstane sale keip his hours in ringyne of bellis yat is limited to him, be ye sicht of ye chapter, under ye payne of puttyne in ye stokks. Item, yat nay chaplane knole ye bell to cause ye segirstane to ringe, bot at ye hour ordanit be ye chapter. «Item, yat nay chaplane of ye college, nor utwith, sale have ye queyre buks out of ye queyre, under ye payne of 1 d. als oft as yai falt yairin. I "Item, ye haill chaptour sale choiss ane writar, quhilk sal be suorne to writ ye falts, and present yame every Setterday befor ye chaptor; and ye collectour sal resave yame, and make compt of yame, at ye quarter of the zer's end. "Item, pat nay chaplane pass out of ye queyre fra ye beginning til ye endinge of hour messes, matyngs, and evin sangs, and specialy fra ye mess of ye holy blude, without lief askit of ye president or ye vicar, and, falzeing of him, ye curat, and, in his absence, ye collector. "Item, yat nayne halde talk in ye queyre, in tyme of ye hour, under ye payne yat he may incur and he war absent fra yat houre. " Item, |