CACrown ArchivesThe cinema collection
EN/FR
Search
Menu
Research dossier · General Reference

Prior of Pluscarden

Open-knowledge reference entry

Cross-disciplinary reference desk with index cards, atlas, dictionary and catalogue
General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionNov 3, 2024
Entity authorityQ7245437 ↗
Source-derived summary

The Prior of Pluscarden (later Commendator of Pluscarden) was the head of the monastic community and lands of Pluscarden Priory, Moray, Scotland. The Priory was founded in 1230 by King Alexander II of Scotland for the Valliscaulian Order. In March 1454 it incorporated the foundering neighbouring establishment of Urquhart Priory and became a dependency of Dunfermline Abbey, whence it became Benedictine. The following are a list of abbots and commendators:

List of priors

Simon [I], 1239

Andrew, x 1275

William, 1275

Simon [II], 1280–1286

John Suryass, 1291

John Wysy, 1345–1346

Thomas, 1367–1398

Alexander de Pluscarden, 1398–1426

"Eugenius Macfeturis" (Eóghann mac Pheadair), 1417-1428 x 1431

David Cran, 1427–1428

Andrew Symson, 1428-1439

Richard Lundy, 1435

William de Breneth, 1436–1449

Andrew Haig [I], 1447–1454

John Benally, 1454–1456

William Boyce, 1457–1476

Andrew Haig [II], 1469–1471

David Ruch, 1474–1475

Thomas Foster, 1476–1479

Gavin Dunbar, 1479

David Boyce, 1481–1482

Robert Harwar/Herwot/Harrower, 1487–1509

George Learmond (or George Learmonth), 1509-1529

Alexander Dunbar, 1529–1560

George Dunbar, 1561

George Seton, 1561–1569

William Cranston, 1562

List of prior-commendators

Alexander Seton, 1565-1587.

James Douglas, 1577–1581

See also

Pluscarden Priory

Prior of Urquhart

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. 61, 84-5

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.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Prior of Pluscarden” as open-knowledge reference entry. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Prior, Pluscarden and Open-knowledge.

Editorial reviewA concise reference frame for defining the subject, testing terminology and identifying the institution closest to the evidence. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1230, 1454, 1239, 1275—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Prior, Pluscarden and Open-knowledge providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Prior of Pluscarden”, the useful work is to connect “open-knowledge reference entry” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Nov 3, 2024. The linked authority identifier is Q7245437. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1230, 1454, 1239 and 1275.

Critical limits

Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
Verify next

The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Prior of Pluscarden”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Prior of Pluscarden primary sources, Prior of Pluscarden archive and Prior research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Prior of Pluscarden”?
  2. What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
  3. Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Prior of Pluscarden” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.