Church and State in the 1400s

In the 15th century government came from the king and his supporters, representing the great magnates, landowners, bishops and the burghs. Through growth and supporting legislation the burghs and trade became more important during the century. A new kind of church was devised: the collegiate church. Soon there were around 40 all across Scotland. The 15th century was the century of collegiate churches. Mary, Queen of James II, founded Edinburgh's Trinity College in 1462. As a collegiate establishment it supported a group of clergy whose duty was to say masses as directed by the founder and other benefactors. To support them, the revenues of ordinary parishes were given to the clergy which caused problems in later years. This entire building was relocated to Chalmers Close when the North British Railway bought the original site.

Wealthy landowners devoted revenue to the churches near their homes. Corstorphine Old Parish Church was very much the work of the Forrester family, lairds of the parish for 300 years. Sir Adam Forrester, a wealthy merchant who was twice provost of Edinburgh, began it. His son Sir John continued the work, gaining permission to erect his father's chapel into a college. Although much altered in the 17th century the medieval origins of this building are plain to see. Landowners in the north and Isles also supported the Church. The MacDuffies (Macfies) were lords of Colonsay and their burial place was the nearby Augustinian priory on Oransay (Oronsay), just to the south. The MacDuffies provided many of the priory's clergy. By the end of the 1400s the priory supported an important school or workshop of masons that continued into the next century. The Oronsay cross is one of the most important products of the workshop.

As trade increased, steps were taken to ensure that each side in a bargain worked with the same weights and measures. Standards were devised and representative samples were prepared from which all other weights and measures were compared. The Scots pint measure was held in the burgh of Stirling, the ell (a measure of distance) in Edinburgh, the pound in Lanark and the firlot (a dry capacity measure for grain) in Linlithgow. The burgh of Falkland was one of 18 royal burghs created in Fife as trading centres. But it was also a home to the Stewart kings, who hunted in the nearby countryside. James II (1437-60) began to build a hunting lodge at Falkland in the 1450s (although much that survives is a royal palace from the following century) and he created the Royal Burgh of Falkland around the same time. This act encouraged a nucleus of merchants to settle beside the palace. The burgh charter gave them rights to govern themselves and to trade.

Throughout the 1400s Scotland had problems with its currency. 'Light' coins were minted and lower denominations were no longer made in pure silver - even copper pennies appeared (for a while). Increasing imports of continental goods meant there was a steady drain of cash out of Scotland. Money was used by more people for more transactions and so an increasing number of coins were needed, further increasing pressure on Scotland's bullion supplies.

As burghs were mainly trading communities it often happened that disputes arose between neighbours. Perth, an older foundation, was concerned that Dundee, nearer the mouth of the Tay, would take away its rightful trade. By going to law both burghs hoped to gain documents that clearly stated the extent of their rights. Sometimes the representatives of other burghs sitting in parliament adjudicated, but the result of actions was usually presented in charters issued in the name of the crown.

In the 15th century parliament was often able to defy the king, but both acted together to preserve the customs of the kingdom. This document shows parliament and the crown acting together to regulate salmon fisheries in 1424. Even at this early date it was known that a 'close' season helped to maintain stocks. Although now a sport fish, salmon was a staple of medieval Scotland.