Reinald Macer
Encyclopedia
Reinald Macer [also called Reginald] (died 1213) was a medieval Cistercian monk
and bishop
, active in the Kingdom of Scotland
during the reign of William the Lion
. Originally a monk of Melrose Abbey
, he rose to become Bishop of Ross
in 1195, and held this position until his death in 1213. He is given the nickname Macer in Roger of Howden's Chronica, a French
word that meant "skinny".
in January 1192; again on purely speculative grounds, he may have had some involvement at Kinloss Abbey
in the late 1180s. Reinald was a monk of Melrose Abbey
when, on 27 February 1195, he was elected to succeed Gregoir
as Bishop of Ross
, an episcopal see
whose seat at that time was located in Rosemarkie
.
His election was recorded and indeed celebrated by the Melrose Chronicle, written at the abbey:
declared that his appointment "provided the crown with a dependable ally in an influential position, within a region where its authority continued to be challenged". The occurrence of the election at Dunfermline
, a long way from Rosemarkie, was probably to secure royal control.
Reinald, as "Bishop-elect" (electo Rosensi), is found witnessing a confirmation by the king of a grant by Jocelin, Bishop of Glasgow, to Jedburgh Abbey
on 4 July; it was issued at Jedburgh
. Between his election and consecration, Reinald was found witnessing a charter by Bishop Jocelin to Melrose Abbey. The Chronicle of Melrose goes on to say that Reinald was consecrated at St Andrews
by John, Bishop of Dunkeld
.
in Hampshire
consecrating an altar
. He witnessed two royal grants issued at Elgin
to the Cistercian Kinloss Abbey
on 31 July 1196. On 3 April, in a year falling inclusively between the years 1196 and 1207, probably 1199, he witnessed a royal confirmation of a grant by Thomas de Lundin
to Coupar Angus Abbey
; the confirmation was issued at Forfar
in Angus
. Bishop Reinald attended the legatine council of the Scottish church held at Perth
in December 1201. He witnessed a royal grant to Hugh of Benholm of land in the Mearns
on 5 April, either 1201 or 1202; this grant was issued at Kincardine
.
A papal mandate dated to 27 May 1198, instructed Reinald and the Bishop of Orkney
(Bjarni Kolbeinsson Skald) to compel the Bishop of Caithness
to stop preventing the collection of Peter's Pence
, which Earl Harald Maddadsson
had granted. This errant Bishop of Caithness was John
; he was standing up for the peasantry of his diocese, as well as perhaps his own revenues; collection of the Pence had a strong history in Scandinavia
, and John's resistance resulted in his mutilation by Earl Harald, who had the bishop's eyes and tongue cut out.
in this period is unclear. The Melrose Chronicle recorded his obituary:
The date of his death in modern terms was 13 December 1213. The aforementioned Andreas de Moravia
did eventually become a bishop, becoming Bishop of Moray
in 1222. Reinald was one of several Cistercian, in fact Melrose, monks whom King William forwarded to Scottish bishoprics; notable others were the former Abbots of Melrose Jocelin of Glasgow
and Adam
of Caithness
.
has argued that Reinald was a friend of Roger of Howden, and that Reinald provided information to Roger regarding Rosemarkie and events in northern Scotland both in person when Roger visited Scotland and in a letter written to Roger around 1199 in the French language; Roger, it is argued, incorporated this material into his Chronica.
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
and bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
, active in the Kingdom of Scotland
Kingdom of Scotland
The Kingdom of Scotland was a Sovereign state in North-West Europe that existed from 843 until 1707. It occupied the northern third of the island of Great Britain and shared a land border to the south with the Kingdom of England...
during the reign of William the Lion
William I of Scotland
William the Lion , sometimes styled William I, also known by the nickname Garbh, "the Rough", reigned as King of the Scots from 1165 to 1214...
. Originally a monk of Melrose Abbey
Melrose Abbey
Melrose Abbey is a Gothic-style abbey in Melrose, Scotland. It was founded in 1136 by Cistercian monks, on the request of King David I of Scotland. It was headed by the Abbot or Commendator of Melrose. Today the abbey is maintained by Historic Scotland...
, he rose to become Bishop of Ross
Bishop of Ross
The Bishop of Ross was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Ross, one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics. The first recorded bishop appears in the late 7th century as a witness to Adomnán of Iona's Cáin Adomnáin. The bishopric was based at the settlement of Rosemarkie until the mid-13th...
in 1195, and held this position until his death in 1213. He is given the nickname Macer in Roger of Howden's Chronica, a French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
word that meant "skinny".
Pre-episcopal life
It is thought possible that Reinald had been in the company of Roland, Lord of Galloway, at some point, perhaps being involved with Roland's foundation of Glenluce AbbeyGlenluce Abbey
Glenluce Abbey, near to Glenluce, Scotland, was a Cistercian monastery called also Abbey of Luce or Vallis Lucis and founded around 1190 by Rolland or Lochlann, Lord of Galloway and Constable of Scotland...
in January 1192; again on purely speculative grounds, he may have had some involvement at Kinloss Abbey
Kinloss Abbey
Kinloss Abbey is a Cistercian abbey approximately 3 miles east of Forres in the county of Moray, Scotland.The abbey was founded in 1150 by King David I and was first colonised by monks from Melrose Abbey. It received its Papal Bull from Pope Alexander III in 1174, and later came under the...
in the late 1180s. Reinald was a monk of Melrose Abbey
Melrose Abbey
Melrose Abbey is a Gothic-style abbey in Melrose, Scotland. It was founded in 1136 by Cistercian monks, on the request of King David I of Scotland. It was headed by the Abbot or Commendator of Melrose. Today the abbey is maintained by Historic Scotland...
when, on 27 February 1195, he was elected to succeed Gregoir
Gregoir of Rosemarkie
Gregoir [Gregory, Gregorius] is the third known 12th century Bishop of Ross, an episcopal see then based at Rosemarkie. According to the Chronicle of Melrose, Gregoir was consecrated by Ernald, Bishop of St Andrews acting as a Papal legate, in 1161.He occurred in a document of Scone Abbey in...
as Bishop of Ross
Bishop of Ross
The Bishop of Ross was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Ross, one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics. The first recorded bishop appears in the late 7th century as a witness to Adomnán of Iona's Cáin Adomnáin. The bishopric was based at the settlement of Rosemarkie until the mid-13th...
, an episcopal see
Episcopal See
An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
whose seat at that time was located in Rosemarkie
Rosemarkie
Rosemarkie is a village on the south coast of the Black Isle peninsula in northern Scotland.-Geography:Rosemarkie lies a quarter of a mile east of the town of Fortrose...
.
His election was recorded and indeed celebrated by the Melrose Chronicle, written at the abbey:
This historian Richard Oram
Anno M.C.XCV. obiit Gregorius episcopus de Rosmarkin, poft quem electus est dompnus Reinaldus monachus de Melros apud Dunfermelin iij. kalendas Martii feria ij. qui et consecratus est iiij. idus Septembris. O mira Dei dispositio de qua processit talis electio In the year 1195, Gregorius, bishop of Rosemarkie, died. After him, sir Reinaldus monk of Melrose, was elected at Dunfermline, on the third day before the Kalends of March, the second day of the week [Monday 27 February]; and he was consecrated on the fourth day before the Ides of September [10 September]. Oh marvellous disposition of God, from which has proceeded such an election!
Richard Oram
Professor Richard D. Oram F.S.A. is a Scottish historian. He is a Professor of Medieval and Environmental History at the University of Stirling and an Honorary Lecturer in History at the University of Aberdeen. He is also the director of the Centre for Environmental History and Policy at the...
declared that his appointment "provided the crown with a dependable ally in an influential position, within a region where its authority continued to be challenged". The occurrence of the election at Dunfermline
Dunfermline
Dunfermline is a town and former Royal Burgh in Fife, Scotland, on high ground from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. According to a 2008 estimate, Dunfermline has a population of 46,430, making it the second-biggest settlement in Fife. Part of the town's name comes from the Gaelic word...
, a long way from Rosemarkie, was probably to secure royal control.
Reinald, as "Bishop-elect" (electo Rosensi), is found witnessing a confirmation by the king of a grant by Jocelin, Bishop of Glasgow, to Jedburgh Abbey
Jedburgh Abbey
Jedburgh Abbey, a ruined Augustinian abbey which was founded in the 12th century is situated in the town of Jedburgh, in the Scottish Borders just north of the border with England at Carter Bar...
on 4 July; it was issued at Jedburgh
Jedburgh
Jedburgh is a town and former royal burgh in the Scottish Borders and historically in Roxburghshire.-Location:Jedburgh lies on the Jed Water, a tributary of the River Teviot, it is only ten miles from the border with England and is dominated by the substantial ruins of Jedburgh Abbey...
. Between his election and consecration, Reinald was found witnessing a charter by Bishop Jocelin to Melrose Abbey. The Chronicle of Melrose goes on to say that Reinald was consecrated 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....
by John, 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...
.
Bishop of Ross
On 29 December the same year, Bishop Reinald was at ChristchurchChristchurch, Dorset
Christchurch is a borough and town in the county of Dorset on the south coast of England. The town adjoins Bournemouth in the west and the New Forest lies to the east. Historically in Hampshire, it joined Dorset with the reorganisation of local government in 1974 and is the most easterly borough in...
in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
consecrating an altar
Altar
An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
. He witnessed two royal grants issued at Elgin
Elgin, Moray
Elgin is a former cathedral city and Royal Burgh in Moray, Scotland. It is the administrative and commercial centre for Moray. The town originated to the south of the River Lossie on the higher ground above the flood plain. Elgin is first documented in the Cartulary of Moray in 1190...
to the Cistercian Kinloss Abbey
Kinloss Abbey
Kinloss Abbey is a Cistercian abbey approximately 3 miles east of Forres in the county of Moray, Scotland.The abbey was founded in 1150 by King David I and was first colonised by monks from Melrose Abbey. It received its Papal Bull from Pope Alexander III in 1174, and later came under the...
on 31 July 1196. On 3 April, in a year falling inclusively between the years 1196 and 1207, probably 1199, he witnessed a royal confirmation of a grant by Thomas de Lundin
Thomas de Lundin
Thomas de Lundin, often referred to as Thomas l'Ussier or Thomas Durward , was a 13th century Scottish nobleman.Thomas takes his name from the villa of Lundie in Angus , and was one of two known sons of Máel Coluim of Lundie . His father had married a daughter of Gille Críst, Earl of Mar...
to 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...
; the confirmation was issued at Forfar
Forfar
Forfar is a parish, town and former royal burgh of approximately 13,500 people in Angus, located in the East Central Lowlands of Scotland. Forfar is the county town of Angus, which was officially known as Forfarshire from the 18th century until 1929, when the ancient name was reinstated, and...
in 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...
. Bishop Reinald attended the legatine council of the Scottish church held 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...
in December 1201. He witnessed a royal grant to Hugh of Benholm of land in the Mearns
Mearns
Mearns can refer to*Mearns Academy* Mearns, Alberta* Mearns Castle*Mearns Castle High School* Mearns FM* Mearns Primary School* Kincardineshire, the County of Kincardine, The Mearns in Scotland* Newton Mearnsin biology:...
on 5 April, either 1201 or 1202; this grant was issued at Kincardine
Kincardine
Kincardine or Kincardine-on-Forth is a small town located on the north shore of the Firth of Forth, in Fife, Scotland. The town was given the status of a Burgh of barony in 1663. It was at one time a reasonably prosperous minor port...
.
A papal mandate dated to 27 May 1198, instructed Reinald and the Bishop of Orkney
Bishop of Orkney
The Bishop of Orkney was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Orkney, one of thirteen medieval bishoprics within the territory of modern Scotland. It included both Orkney and Shetland. It was based for almost all of its history at St...
(Bjarni Kolbeinsson Skald) to compel the Bishop of Caithness
Bishop of Caithness
The Bishop of Caithness was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Caithness, one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics. The first referenced bishop of Caithness was Aindréas, a Gael who appears in sources between 1146 and 1151 as bishop. Aindréas spent much if not all of his career outside his...
to stop preventing the collection of Peter's Pence
Peter's Pence
Peter's Pence is payment made more or less voluntarily to the Roman Catholic Church. It began under the Saxons in England and is seen in other countries. Though formally discontinued in England at the time of the Reformation, a post-Reformation payment of uncertain characteristics is seen in some...
, which Earl Harald Maddadsson
Harald Maddadsson
Harald Maddadsson was Earl of Orkney and Mormaer of Caithness from 1139 until 1206. He was the son of Matad, Mormaer of Atholl, and Margaret, daughter of Earl Haakon Paulsson of Orkney...
had granted. This errant Bishop of Caithness was John
John of Caithness
John of Caithness is the second known bishop of Caithness, based then at Halkirk. He witnessed various charters in Scotland between the years 1187 and 1199....
; he was standing up for the peasantry of his diocese, as well as perhaps his own revenues; collection of the Pence had a strong history in Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
, and John's resistance resulted in his mutilation by Earl Harald, who had the bishop's eyes and tongue cut out.
Death and succession
There is little more information about Reinald, and his role in the rebellions and warfare which took place in RossRoss
Ross is a region of Scotland and a former mormaerdom, earldom, sheriffdom and county. The name Ross allegedly derives from a Gaelic word meaning a headland - perhaps a reference to the Black Isle. The Norse word for Orkney - Hrossay meaning horse island - is another possible origin. The area...
in this period is unclear. The Melrose Chronicle recorded his obituary:
Anno M.CC xiij. obiit Reinaldus episcopus Rosensis, quondam monachus Melrosensis, ipso die sancte Lucie, post cujus obitum electus est magister Andreas de Mureuia, qui renuens episcopari, quesita licencia a dompno papa, tante dignitatis honorem humiliter resignavit; loco cujus subrogatur Robertus capellanus domini W[illelmi] regis Scottorum. In the year 1213, Reinaldus, the bishop of Ross, formerly a monk of Melrose, died, on the day of St Lucy. And after his death, master Andreas de Mureuia was elected: but refusing to be bishop, he sought permission from the lord pope, and humbly resigned the honour of so great a dignity. Robert, the chaplain of the lord William, king of the Scots, was put in his place.
The date of his death in modern terms was 13 December 1213. The aforementioned Andreas de Moravia
Andreas de Moravia
Andreas de Moravia was a 13th century Scottish bishop. He may have been from the "de Moravia" family of Flemish origin who were lords of Duffus and other areas in the Greater Moray region in this period. In the time of Bishop Bricius' episcopate , there was a man called "Andreas" who was rector of...
did eventually become a bishop, becoming Bishop of Moray
Bishop of Moray
The Bishop of Moray or Bishop of Elgin was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Moray in northern Scotland, one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics...
in 1222. Reinald was one of several Cistercian, in fact Melrose, monks whom King William forwarded to Scottish bishoprics; notable others were the former Abbots of Melrose Jocelin of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
and Adam
Adam of Melrose
Adam of Melrose was Abbot of Melrose and Bishop of Caithness, famously burned to death by the husbandmen of Caithness.He rose to the position of Abbot in 1207, and on 5 August 1213, was elected to the bishopric of Caithness, then based at Halkirk. On 11 May 1214, he was consecrated by William de...
of Caithness
Caithness
Caithness is a registration county, lieutenancy area and historic local government area of Scotland. The name was used also for the earldom of Caithness and the Caithness constituency of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . Boundaries are not identical in all contexts, but the Caithness area is...
.
Reinald and Roger of Howden
Professor A. A. M. DuncanArchie Duncan
Archibald Alexander McBeth Duncan, FBA, FRHistS, FRSE is a Scottish historian.From 1962 to 1993 he was Professor of Scottish History and Literature at the University of Glasgow. On giving up his professorship, he became Clerk of Senate and Dean of Faculties, retiring from the University in 2000...
has argued that Reinald was a friend of Roger of Howden, and that Reinald provided information to Roger regarding Rosemarkie and events in northern Scotland both in person when Roger visited Scotland and in a letter written to Roger around 1199 in the French language; Roger, it is argued, incorporated this material into his Chronica.