Nicholas de Balmyle
Encyclopedia
Nicholas de Balmyle also called Nicholas of St Andrews, was a Scottish administrator and prelate in the late 13th century and early 14th century. A graduate of an unknown university, he served his earliest years as a clergyman at St Andrews, moving on to hold churches in Lothian
as well as deputising (as Official) to two archdeacons of Lothian.
In the late summer and in the autumn of 1296, between the death of Bishop William Fraser
and the arrival of the new Bishop of St Andrews William de Lamberton
, Nicholas was placed in charge of the diocese of St Andrews as Official. Nicholas thereafter can be found exercising a senior role in Scottish affairs, and by early 1301 he was Chancellor of Scotland. In his late 60s or (more probably) his 70s by this stage, Nicholas was an extremely old man, yet in 1307 he became Bishop of Dunblane
. He held this position until his death in either 1319 or 1320.
It is highly unlikely that Nicholas was born later than the 1230s, as he was styled Magister by 1259, indicating that by that date he possessed a Master's degree
. It was rare for someone under twenty years old or even older to have such a qualification in this period. The university or universities he attended are not known.
Until 1295, Nicholas was referred to as Nicholas of St Andrews (de Sancto Andrea), but in February of that year he began to be called de Balmyle, one source referring to him as de Balmyll dictus de Sancto Andrea (de Balmyle called de Sanctoandrea). It is probable that he adopted de Sancto Andrea when he finished training at St Andrews
and went elsewhere, and that he dropped it in 1295 when he moved back.
Nicholas' apparent surname, de Balmyle, points to an association with Balmyle near Meigle
, in the region where Gowrie
and Angus
border, though that is only one of two possible locations.
, Bishop of St Andrews, in 1259. He does not appear very often in any witness lists during the following few decades, but does appear along with other St Andrews clerics witnessing a charter of William
, Earl of Mar
at Falkland
on 21 January 1268.
He disappeared from the records until found as Official to the Archdeacon of Lothian
(1283 × 1285). It is possible that in this period he left Scotland for further study. The position of Official was held under the absentee Archdeacon of Lothian, Adam de Gullane, and afterwards, Archdeacon William Frere, and was probably held along with the post of vicar of Haddington
; the latter he definitely held by 1295. Nicholas is found as Official in a document dating certainly between 1273 and 1285, a document which can probably be more precisely dated to between 1283 and 1285.
He was pastor
of the church of Calder Comitis, Midlothian
, by September 1296. Both churches were indirectly under the patronage of the Bishop of St Andrews, William Fraser
. The rector of Haddington was St Andrews Cathedral Priory
and although the church of Calder Comitis was normally under the patronage of the Mormaer of Fife, at that point in time the wardship of the young mormaer's lands was being held by the Bishop of St Andrews.
On 6 November 1292, he acted as a substitute auditor on behalf of John de Balliol
at Berwick
in the Great Cause. The latter was the legal process by which Edward I
, King of the English, mediated the succession dispute to the Scottish throne, the end result of which Balliol was selected by King Edward to be king on condition of open subordination.
Nicholas attended King John's first parliament in February 1293 at Scone
. He is found witnessing a charter at Newbattle Abbey
on 20 November 1293, as Archdeacon William Frere's Official, and on December 20 is mentioned by Frere as a commissary
of the Official of the diocese of St Andrews appointed to adjudicate on 4 January 1294, a case involving Kelso Abbey
. He witnessed a charter along with Archdeacon Frere and Bishop William Fraser at Inchmurdo on 13 February 1295.
. Nicholas, as pastor of Calder-Comitis, swore fealty to King Edward at Berwick on 28 August 1296. His lands were restored thereafter, on 2 September, Edward having notionally confiscated all the lands of the Scottish clergy earlier in the year pending homage.
In the following year, William Fraser, the Bishop of St Andrews, died, and it was Nicholas who was chosen to be Official of the diocese and to administer it during the vacancy. He performed this function until the return to Scotland from France of the new bishop, William de Lamberton
.
After his return in August 1299, Lamberton was Guardian of Scotland
and Nicholas became his close associate. Nicholas can be seen to have benefited as a result. He became Chancellor of Scotland by 30 January 1301. Balmyle's pension for being Chancellor was to be paid by Arbroath Abbey
, for which the abbey later fell into arrears.
Later in the year, in April, he was one of four Scottish envoys sent to Canterbury
for abortive talks with the English and French. In the next few years, Nicholas' activities are difficult to trace, but he was probably involved in much diplomatic activity, including perhaps having a hand in drawing up the brief
which Baldred Bisset
would later deliver to the pope in the interests of Scottish independence. It was probably in this time too that Nicholas became a clerk at Arbroath Abbey and perhaps a canon
of Dunblane Cathedral
.
Nicholas may have remained as Chancellor until 1305. His accession as Chancellor by 1301 corresponded with a renewed emphasis on the authority of King John in government documents. Becoming Chancellor by 1301, in the words of Geoffrey Barrow, meant that he became "one of the handful of key men who directed the national struggle".
Following the death of his namesake Nicholas, Bishop of Dunblane
(and former Abbot of Arbroath
), Nicholas de Balmyle was among the canons of Dunblane with the responsibility of selecting a successor. Bishop Nicholas had died sometime between 1306 (after his last attestation on 26 January) and late 1307. The election was done by compromissarii (a short-list of canons delegated to perform election), with John, Abbot of Arbroath excluded from the vote, perhaps because of his known pro-English tendencies.
The seven compromissarii were the dean
(name not known), Maurice
, Abbot of Inchaffray
, William, Abbot of Lindores
, Michael, Abbot of Cambuskenneth
, William de Eaglesham, Henry de Stirling, and Nicholas de Balmyle. They were instructed to elect from among themselves, and their decision was the promotion of Nicholas de Balmyle. Nicholas, Bishop-elect of Dunblane, travelled to the Apostolic See
along with proctor
s of the cathedral chapter. After the election was confirmed by Pope Clement V
, Nicholas was consecrated by Nicholas
, Cardinal-Bishop of Ostia at Poitiers
on 11 December 1307.
It was Geoffrey Barrow's belief, supported by Donald Watt
, that their decision was the result of pressure from the new Scottish king, Robert de Brus
, who may have valued Balmyle's experience and trusted his political record. The usual secular patron of the diocese was the Mormaer of Strathearn, but the incumbent Maol Íosa III
was at that stage a prisoner-exile at Rochester in England, thus allowing Robert to take his place.
He witnessed a charter of Cambuskenneth Abbey
along with John de Kininmund, Bishop of Brechin
, on 12 September 1311. He is found witnessing many ecclesiastical and royal documents through 1312, 1313 and beyond. He witnessed royal acts at Inchture
and Dundee
in April 1312, at Ayr
on 27 May 1315, at Edinburgh
on 9 March 1317, at Scone
on 14 June that year, at Melrose
on 24 July 1317, again at Scone on 3 December 1318 and at Arbroath
on 8 February 1319.
On October 6, 1312, he came to an agreement with Bernard
, Abbot of Arbroath, which resolved Nicholas' complaints concerning the non payment of his pension as well as more official disputes between the bishopric of Dunblane and the abbey. In the following year he was in a dispute with Dunfermline Abbey
regarding the church of Logie-Atheron in Stirlingshire
, a dispute which was never resolved during Nicholas' episcopate.
On 9 May 1315, he is found at Perth
assisting William de Sinclair, Bishop of Dunkeld
, in a judgment regarding Donnchadh de Strathearn
. On 27 March 1318 he was named as papal mandatory to oversee the provision of the Italian Robert Barducii of Florence to the deanery of Glasgow Cathedral
.
It is not known exactly when Bishop Nicholas died. The see of Dunblane is first known to have been vacant on 30 January 1320 and Bishop Nicholas' last appearance in the records was witnessing a charter of Coupar Angus Abbey
at Arbroath on 8 February 1318: his death therefore fell between these two points.
Lothian
Lothian forms a traditional region of Scotland, lying between the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and the Lammermuir Hills....
as well as deputising (as Official) to two archdeacons of Lothian.
In the late summer and in the autumn of 1296, between the death of Bishop William Fraser
William Fraser (bishop)
William Fraser was a late 13th century Bishop of St Andrews and Guardian of the Kingdom of Scotland. Before election to the bishopric, he had been and Royal Chancellor of King Alexander III of Scotland and dean of Glasgow...
and the arrival of the new Bishop of St Andrews William de Lamberton
William de Lamberton
William de Lamberton, sometimes modernized as William Lamberton, was Bishop of St Andrews from 1297 until his death. Lamberton is renowned for his influential role during the Scottish Wars of Independence. He campaigned for the national cause under William Wallace and later Robert the Bruce...
, Nicholas was placed in charge of the diocese of St Andrews as Official. Nicholas thereafter can be found exercising a senior role in Scottish affairs, and by early 1301 he was Chancellor of Scotland. In his late 60s or (more probably) his 70s by this stage, Nicholas was an extremely old man, yet in 1307 he became Bishop of Dunblane
Bishop of Dunblane
The Bishop of Dunblane or Bishop of Strathearn was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Dunblane/Strathearn, one of medieval Scotland's thirteen bishoprics. It was based at Dunblane Cathedral, now a parish church of the Church of Scotland. The bishopric itself certainly derives from an older...
. He held this position until his death in either 1319 or 1320.
Background and early life
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
. It was rare for someone under twenty years old or even older to have such a qualification in this period. The university or universities he attended are not known.
Until 1295, Nicholas was referred to as Nicholas of St Andrews (de Sancto Andrea), but in February of that year he began to be called de Balmyle, one source referring to him as de Balmyll dictus de Sancto Andrea (de Balmyle called de Sanctoandrea). It is probable that he adopted de Sancto Andrea when he finished training at St Andrews
St Andrews
St Andrews is a university town and former royal burgh on the east coast of Fife in Scotland. The town is named after Saint Andrew the Apostle.St Andrews has a population of 16,680, making this the fifth largest settlement in Fife....
and went elsewhere, and that he dropped it in 1295 when he moved back.
Nicholas' apparent surname, de Balmyle, points to an association with Balmyle near Meigle
Meigle
Meigle is a village in Strathmore, Scotland. It lies in the council area of Perth and Kinross in the Coupar Angus and Meigle ward. The nearest town is Forfar in neighbouring Angus. Other smaller settlements nearby are Balkeerie, Kirkinch and Kinloch. Meigle is accessed from the north and south...
, in the region where Gowrie
Gowrie
Gowrie may refer to several places:* Gowrie, a province in Scotland** Carse of Gowrie, the southern part of Gowrie noted for its farmlandGowrie may also refer to:* Gowrie, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra, Australia...
and Angus
Angus
Angus is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland, a registration county and a lieutenancy area. The council area borders Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross and Dundee City...
border, though that is only one of two possible locations.
Early career
As a graduate, Nicholas is first found active at St Andrews in the entourage of GamelinGamelin (bishop)
Gamelin was a 13th century Bishop of St Andrews. He had previously been the chancellor to King Alexander III of Scotland, as well as Papal chaplain. He was postulated to the see in Lent, 1255, and confirmed by Pope Alexander IV on 1 July 1255, who also agreed to overlook Gamelin's apparent "defect...
, Bishop of St Andrews, in 1259. He does not appear very often in any witness lists during the following few decades, but does appear along with other St Andrews clerics witnessing a charter of William
Uilleam, Earl of Mar
Uilleam of Mar - Uilleam mac Dhonnchaidh - was perhaps the greatest of the Mar mormaers, ruling Mar from 1244 to 1276....
, Earl of Mar
Earl of Mar
The Mormaer or Earl of Mar is a title that has been created seven times, all in the Peerage of Scotland. The first creation of the earldom was originally the provincial ruler of the province of Mar in north-eastern Scotland...
at Falkland
Falkland
-Places:*Falkland, British Columbia, Canada*Falkland, Nova Scotia, Canada*Falkland Ridge, Nova Scotia, Canada*Falkland, Newbury, a ward of Newbury, Berkshire, England.*Falkland, Fife, a burgh in Fife, Scotland....
on 21 January 1268.
He disappeared from the records until found as Official to the Archdeacon of Lothian
Archdeacon of Lothian
The Archdeacon of Lothian was the head of the Archdeaconry of Lothian, a sub-division of the Diocese of St Andrews. The position was one of the most important positions within the medieval Scottish church; because of his area's large population and high number of parish churches, the Archdeacon of...
(1283 × 1285). It is possible that in this period he left Scotland for further study. The position of Official was held under the absentee Archdeacon of Lothian, Adam de Gullane, and afterwards, Archdeacon William Frere, and was probably held along with the post of vicar of Haddington
Haddington, East Lothian
The Royal Burgh of Haddington is a town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is the main administrative, cultural and geographical centre for East Lothian, which was known officially as Haddingtonshire before 1921. It lies about east of Edinburgh. The name Haddington is Anglo-Saxon, dating from the 6th...
; the latter he definitely held by 1295. Nicholas is found as Official in a document dating certainly between 1273 and 1285, a document which can probably be more precisely dated to between 1283 and 1285.
He was pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
of the church of Calder Comitis, Midlothian
Midlothian
Midlothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy area. It borders the Scottish Borders, East Lothian and the City of Edinburgh council areas....
, by September 1296. Both churches were indirectly under the patronage of the Bishop of St Andrews, William Fraser
William Fraser (bishop)
William Fraser was a late 13th century Bishop of St Andrews and Guardian of the Kingdom of Scotland. Before election to the bishopric, he had been and Royal Chancellor of King Alexander III of Scotland and dean of Glasgow...
. The rector of Haddington was St Andrews Cathedral Priory
St Andrews Cathedral Priory
St Andrews Cathedral Priory was a priory of Augustinian canons in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. Plans were made for its foundation in the reign of Alaxandair mac Maíl Choluim , who set aside some land for that purpose. It was finally established by King David I and his son in 1140 with canons from...
and although the church of Calder Comitis was normally under the patronage of the Mormaer of Fife, at that point in time the wardship of the young mormaer's lands was being held by the Bishop of St Andrews.
On 6 November 1292, he acted as a substitute auditor on behalf of John de Balliol
John de Balliol
John de Balliol was a leading figure of Scottish and Anglo-Norman life of his time. Balliol College, in Oxford, is named after him.-Life:...
at Berwick
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed or simply Berwick is a town in the county of Northumberland and is the northernmost town in England, on the east coast at the mouth of the River Tweed. It is situated 2.5 miles south of the Scottish border....
in the Great Cause. The latter was the legal process by which Edward I
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
, King of the English, mediated the succession dispute to the Scottish throne, the end result of which Balliol was selected by King Edward to be king on condition of open subordination.
Scone, Scotland
Scone is a village in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The medieval village of Scone, which grew up around the monastery and royal residence, was abandoned in the early 19th century when the residents were removed and a new palace was built on the site by the Earl of Mansfield...
. He is found witnessing a charter at Newbattle Abbey
Newbattle Abbey
Newbattle Abbey was a Cistercian monastery near the village of Newbattle in Midlothian, Scotland, which has subsequently become a stately home and then an educational institution.-Monastery:...
on 20 November 1293, as Archdeacon William Frere's Official, and on December 20 is mentioned by Frere as a commissary
Commissary
A commissary is someone delegated by a superior to execute a duty or an office; in a formal, legal context, one who has received power from a legitimate superior authority to pass judgment in a certain cause or to take information concerning it.-Word history:...
of the Official of the diocese of St Andrews appointed to adjudicate on 4 January 1294, a case involving Kelso Abbey
Kelso Abbey
Kelso Abbey is what remains of a Scottish abbey founded in the 12th century by a community of Tironensian monks first brought to Scotland in the reign of Alexander I. It occupies ground overlooking the confluence of the Tweed and Teviot waters, the site of what was once the Royal Burgh of Roxburgh...
. He witnessed a charter along with Archdeacon Frere and Bishop William Fraser at Inchmurdo on 13 February 1295.
Nicholas and the wars of Scottish independence
In 1296, the agreement that had followed from the Great Cause between King Edward I and the King of the Scots, John Balliol, broke down. King Edward resolved to depose King John, invading the kingdom and beginning the Wars of Scottish IndependenceWars of Scottish Independence
The Wars of Scottish Independence were a series of military campaigns fought between the independent Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England in the late 13th and early 14th centuries....
. Nicholas, as pastor of Calder-Comitis, swore fealty to King Edward at Berwick on 28 August 1296. His lands were restored thereafter, on 2 September, Edward having notionally confiscated all the lands of the Scottish clergy earlier in the year pending homage.
In the following year, William Fraser, the Bishop of St Andrews, died, and it was Nicholas who was chosen to be Official of the diocese and to administer it during the vacancy. He performed this function until the return to Scotland from France of the new bishop, William de Lamberton
William de Lamberton
William de Lamberton, sometimes modernized as William Lamberton, was Bishop of St Andrews from 1297 until his death. Lamberton is renowned for his influential role during the Scottish Wars of Independence. He campaigned for the national cause under William Wallace and later Robert the Bruce...
.
After his return in August 1299, Lamberton was Guardian of Scotland
Guardian of Scotland
The Guardians of Scotland were the de facto heads of state of Scotland during the First Interregnum of 1290–1292, and the Second Interregnum of 1296–1306...
and Nicholas became his close associate. Nicholas can be seen to have benefited as a result. He became Chancellor of Scotland by 30 January 1301. Balmyle's pension for being Chancellor was to be paid by Arbroath Abbey
Arbroath Abbey
Arbroath Abbey, in the Scottish town of Arbroath, was founded in 1178 by King William the Lion for a group of Tironensian Benedictine monks from Kelso Abbey. It was consecrated in 1197 with a dedication to the deceased Saint Thomas Becket, whom the king had met at the English court...
, for which the abbey later fell into arrears.
Later in the year, in April, he was one of four Scottish envoys sent to Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
for abortive talks with the English and French. In the next few years, Nicholas' activities are difficult to trace, but he was probably involved in much diplomatic activity, including perhaps having a hand in drawing up the brief
Brief (law)
A brief is a written legal document used in various legal adversarial systems that is presented to a court arguing why the party to the case should prevail....
which Baldred Bisset
Baldred Bisset
Baldred Bisset was a medieval Scottish lawyer.During the Scottish Wars of Independence, he was responsible for the Scottish submissions to the papal curia of 1301...
would later deliver to the pope in the interests of Scottish independence. It was probably in this time too that Nicholas became a clerk at Arbroath Abbey and perhaps a canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
of Dunblane Cathedral
Dunblane Cathedral
Dunblane Cathedral is the larger of the two Church of Scotland parish churches serving Dunblane, near the city of Stirling, in central Scotland.-History:...
.
Nicholas may have remained as Chancellor until 1305. His accession as Chancellor by 1301 corresponded with a renewed emphasis on the authority of King John in government documents. Becoming Chancellor by 1301, in the words of Geoffrey Barrow, meant that he became "one of the handful of key men who directed the national struggle".
Episcopal election
Bishop of Dunblane
The Bishop of Dunblane or Bishop of Strathearn was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Dunblane/Strathearn, one of medieval Scotland's thirteen bishoprics. It was based at Dunblane Cathedral, now a parish church of the Church of Scotland. The bishopric itself certainly derives from an older...
(and former Abbot of Arbroath
Abbot of Arbroath
Abbot of Arbroath was the head of the Tironensian Benedictine monastic community of Arbroath Abbey, Angus, Scotland, founded under the patronage of King William of Scotland from Kelso Abbey and dedicated to St Thomas of Canterbury. The abbot, John Gedy, was granted the mitre on 26 June 1396...
), Nicholas de Balmyle was among the canons of Dunblane with the responsibility of selecting a successor. Bishop Nicholas had died sometime between 1306 (after his last attestation on 26 January) and late 1307. The election was done by compromissarii (a short-list of canons delegated to perform election), with John, Abbot of Arbroath excluded from the vote, perhaps because of his known pro-English tendencies.
The seven compromissarii were the dean
Dean (religion)
A dean, in a church context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church.-Anglican Communion:...
(name not known), Maurice
Maurice of Inchaffray
Maurice was a 14th century Scottish cleric who became Prior of Inchmahome, Abbot of Inchaffray and then Bishop of Dunblane. He was Prior of Inchmahome Priory in Menteith after 1297. He became abbot of Inchaffray Abbey in Strathearn between March 1304 and October 1305...
, Abbot of Inchaffray
Abbot of Inchaffray
The Abbot of Inchaffray, before 1221 Prior of Inchaffray, and then by the end of the 15th century, the Commendator of Inchaffray, was the head of the community of Augustinian canons of Inchaffray Abbey and their lands. Inchaffray is in Strathearn, in southern Perthshire, Scotland...
, William, Abbot of Lindores
Abbot of Lindores
The Abbot of Lindores was the head of the Tironensian monastic community and lands of Lindores Abbey, Fife . The position was created when the abbey was founded sometime between 1190 and 1191 by King William the Lion's brother Prince David, Earl of Huntingdon and Lord of Garioch...
, Michael, Abbot of Cambuskenneth
Abbot of Cambuskenneth
The Abbot of Cambuskenneth or Abbot of Stirling was the head of the Arrouaisian monastic community of Cambuskenneth Abbey, near Stirling...
, William de Eaglesham, Henry de Stirling, and Nicholas de Balmyle. They were instructed to elect from among themselves, and their decision was the promotion of Nicholas de Balmyle. Nicholas, Bishop-elect of Dunblane, travelled to the Apostolic See
Apostolic See
In Christianity, an apostolic see is any episcopal see whose foundation is attributed to one or more of the apostles of Jesus.Out of the many such sees, five acquired special importance in Chalcedonian Christianity and became classified as the Pentarchy in Eastern Orthodox Christianity...
along with proctor
Proctor
Proctor, a variant of the word procurator, is a person who takes charge of, or acts for, another. The word proctor is frequently used to describe someone who oversees an exam or dormitory.The title is used in England in three principal senses:...
s of the cathedral chapter. After the election was confirmed by Pope Clement V
Pope Clement V
Pope Clement V, born Raymond Bertrand de Got was Pope from 1305 to his death...
, Nicholas was consecrated by Nicholas
Nicolo Albertini
Nicolò Albertini was an Italian Dominican, statesman, and Cardinal.-Life:He was born at Prato in Italy. His early education was directed by his parents, both of whom belonged to illustrious families of Tuscany...
, Cardinal-Bishop of Ostia at Poitiers
Poitiers
Poitiers is a city on the Clain river in west central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and of the Poitou-Charentes region. The centre is picturesque and its streets are interesting for predominant remains of historical architecture, especially from the Romanesque...
on 11 December 1307.
It was Geoffrey Barrow's belief, supported by Donald Watt
D. E. R. Watt
Donald Elmslie Robertson Watt FRSE was a Scottish historian and Professor Emeritus at St Andrews University....
, that their decision was the result of pressure from the new Scottish king, Robert de Brus
Robert I of Scotland
Robert I , popularly known as Robert the Bruce , was King of Scots from March 25, 1306, until his death in 1329.His paternal ancestors were of Scoto-Norman heritage , and...
, who may have valued Balmyle's experience and trusted his political record. The usual secular patron of the diocese was the Mormaer of Strathearn, but the incumbent Maol Íosa III
Maol Íosa III, Earl of Strathearn
Maol Íosa III of Strathearn, who ruled Strathearn 1271 to 1317, is the sixth known Mormaer of Strathearn; but this is a source problem and in no way means that he was the sixth in reality....
was at that stage a prisoner-exile at Rochester in England, thus allowing Robert to take his place.
Bishop of Dunblane
When Nicholas returned to Scotland, and the exact nature of his activities over the next few years, remain unclear matters. His episcopal rank makes it likely that he attended the parliaments and took part in the affairs of the kingdom during the early years of his episcopate, but direct proof is lacking.He witnessed a charter of Cambuskenneth Abbey
Cambuskenneth Abbey
Cambuskenneth Abbey is a ruined Augustinian monastery located on an area of land enclosed by a meander of the River Forth near Stirling in Scotland. The abbey is largely reduced to its foundations. The neighbouring modern village of Cambuskenneth is named after it.Cambuskenneth Abbey was founded...
along with John de Kininmund, Bishop of Brechin
Bishop of Brechin
The Bishop of Brechin is the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Brechin or Angus, based at Brechin Cathedral, Brechin. The diocese had a long-established Gaelic monastic community which survived into the 13th century. The clerical establishment may very well have traced their earlier origins...
, on 12 September 1311. He is found witnessing many ecclesiastical and royal documents through 1312, 1313 and beyond. He witnessed royal acts at Inchture
Inchture
Inchture is a village in Scotland on the A90 trunk road between Perth and Dundee on the northern side of the Firth of Tay. It is approximately nine miles from Dundee city centre and 13 miles from Perth centre...
and Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
in April 1312, at Ayr
Ayr
Ayr is a town and port situated on the Firth of Clyde in south-west Scotland. With a population of around 46,000, Ayr is the largest settlement in Ayrshire, of which it is the county town, and has held royal burgh status since 1205...
on 27 May 1315, at Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
on 9 March 1317, at Scone
Scone, Scotland
Scone is a village in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The medieval village of Scone, which grew up around the monastery and royal residence, was abandoned in the early 19th century when the residents were removed and a new palace was built on the site by the Earl of Mansfield...
on 14 June that year, at Melrose
Melrose, Scotland
Melrose is a small town and civil parish in the Scottish Borders, historically in Roxburghshire. It is in the Eildon committee area.-Etymology:...
on 24 July 1317, again at Scone on 3 December 1318 and at Arbroath
Arbroath
Arbroath or Aberbrothock is a former royal burgh and the largest town in the council area of Angus in Scotland, and has a population of 22,785...
on 8 February 1319.
On October 6, 1312, he came to an agreement with Bernard
Bernard of Kilwinning
Bernard was a Tironensian abbot, administrator and bishop active in late 13th- and early 14th-century Scotland, during the First War of Scottish Independence...
, Abbot of Arbroath, which resolved Nicholas' complaints concerning the non payment of his pension as well as more official disputes between the bishopric of Dunblane and the abbey. In the following year he was in a dispute with Dunfermline Abbey
Dunfermline Abbey
Dunfermline Abbey is as a Church of Scotland Parish Church located in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland. In 2002 the congregation had 806 members. The minister is the Reverend Alastair Jessamine...
regarding the church of Logie-Atheron in Stirlingshire
Stirlingshire
Stirlingshire or the County of Stirling is a registration county of Scotland, based around Stirling, the former county town. It borders Perthshire to the north, Clackmannanshire and West Lothian to the east, Lanarkshire to the south, and Dunbartonshire to the south-west.Until 1975 it was a county...
, a dispute which was never resolved during Nicholas' episcopate.
On 9 May 1315, he is found at Perth
Perth, Scotland
Perth is a town and former city and royal burgh in central Scotland. Located on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire...
assisting William de Sinclair, Bishop of Dunkeld
Bishop of Dunkeld
The Bishop of Dunkeld is the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Dunkeld, one of the largest and more important of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics, whose first recorded bishop is an early 12th century cleric named Cormac...
, in a judgment regarding Donnchadh de Strathearn
Donnchadh de Strathearn
Donnchadh de Strathearn was a 14th century bishop of Dunkeld. He was probably from the family of the Gaelic Earls of Strathearn, perhaps even the son of Maol Íosa IV, Earl of Strathearn. He was in the company of, as his brother Maol Íosa V was, Edward Balliol when the latter invaded Scotland and...
. On 27 March 1318 he was named as papal mandatory to oversee the provision of the Italian Robert Barducii of Florence to the deanery of Glasgow Cathedral
Glasgow Cathedral
The church commonly known as Glasgow Cathedral is the Church of Scotland High Kirk of Glasgow otherwise known as St. Mungo's Cathedral.The other cathedrals in Glasgow are:* The Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew...
.
It is not known exactly when Bishop Nicholas died. The see of Dunblane is first known to have been vacant on 30 January 1320 and Bishop Nicholas' last appearance in the records was witnessing a charter of Coupar Angus Abbey
Coupar Angus Abbey
Coupar Angus Abbey was a Cistercian monastery near Coupar Angus, in central Scotland, on the boundary between Angus and Gowrie.It was founded on the old royal manor of Coupar in 1161 x 1162 with the patronage of Máel Coluim IV , King of Scots, by Cistercian monks from Melrose Abbey...
at Arbroath on 8 February 1318: his death therefore fell between these two points.