Thomas de Buittle
Encyclopedia
Thomas de Buittle [Butil, Butill, Butyll, Butyl, Bucyl] (died c. 1420–1422) was a Scottish
prelate
, clerk and papal auditor active in the late 14th and early 15th centuries. Probably originating in Galloway
, Scotland
, Thomas took a university
career in canon law
in England
and France
, before taking up service at the court of Avignon Pope Benedict XIII. He obtained a number of benefice
s in the meantime, including the position of Archdeacon of Galloway
, and is the earliest known and probably first provost
of the collegiate church
of Maybole
. The height of his career came however when the Pope provided him to the bishopric of Galloway, a position he held from 1415 until his death sometime between 1420 and 1422.
in Kirkcudbrightshire
, Galloway
, lands in the control of the Douglas family. In 1388, it was claimed that he had been a scholar of Decrees (i.e. Canon law
) at the University of Oxford
for five years, a claim to some extent confirmed by the grant of safe-conduct from the English crown on 18 February 1380, to travel and study at Oxford for a year.
By 18 April 1390, he had obtained a Bachelors degree (in Decrees) from the University of Avignon
; he appears in the Avignon university student rolls on 9 August 1393 and again on 21 October 1394. Thomas had obtained a doctorate (in Decrees) sometime between 15 July 1401 and 9 June 1410. He witnessed Bishop Henry de Wardlaw's foundation charter of the University of St Andrews
on 28 February 1412 and was named in the grant of privileges made to the new university by Pope Benedict XIII on 28 August 1413.
On 1 February 1388, a letter from Avignon Pope Clement VII to the official of the diocese of Glasgow says that Thomas "holds the provostship of the chapel of St Mary de Mayboyl, Glasgow diocese, which is a simple benefice without cure". The collegiate church
of Maybole was founded under the patronage of John Kennedy, Lord of Dunure
, a short time before 2 February 1382, when a mandate was issued by the papacy confirming its erection. A year previously the Lord of Dunure had founded a chapel to St Mary beside the parish church of Maybole, and the erection established a provost
, two chaplains and a clerk. Thomas de Buittle held the vicarage there. It is possible that Thomas was the senior priest there when it was erected into a collegiate church; Thomas is certainly the earliest known provost, and neither the appointment nor the death of any predecessor are noted anywhere.
He held the vicarage of Lochrutton in Kirkcudbrightshire
in 1388, when a papal letter indicated that he was expected to resign Lochrutton after obtaining the benefice of Maybole in the gift of the Prioress of the nunnery of North Berwick. He still held Lochrutton on 18 April 1390, when the letter was repeated. Thomas remained provost of Maybole until at least 1401, and perhaps until his consecration as Bishop of Galloway
in 1415. No-one else is known to have held the position of provost there until 1439, although this proves nothing as the evidence for such things in the south-west of Scotland
in this period is always scarce.
On 2 March 1391, Thomas was provided by the papacy to be Archdeacon of Galloway
. On 23 May a mandate was sent to the senior clergy of the bishopric of Glasgow authorising them to collate Thomas to the archdeaconry of Galloway, at that point occupied "unlawfully" by Patrick Smerles; the mandate gave dispensation for Thomas to retain control of both the provostship of Maybole and the vicarage of Lochrutton. He was still litigating with Smerles on 9 August 1393, by which point in time he had resigned Lochrutton; he was in firm possession of the archdeaconry by 21 October 1394. During his time as Archdeacon of Galloway, the church of Penninghame was annexed as a prebend of the office.
. Sweetheart Abbey
, overlords of Kirkholm parish, dispossessed him briefly of this benefice, but Thomas obtained papal restitution in a papal mandate dated 13 October 1410. He got papal provision on 5 December 1412, to the politically important vicarage of Dundonald in Kyle
, but this was unfruitful as the previous vicar turned out still to be alive. Presumably in its place he obtained the vicarage of Abernyte
in the diocese of Dunkeld
on 30 January 1413, but despite promising annates, failed to obtain possession.
He did however successfully obtain provision to the church of Kinkell in the diocese of Aberdeen
, and the prebend of Inverkeithny
in the diocese of Moray
with its associated canonry in Elgin Cathedral
. As Thomas seems to have spent most of the early 15th century outside of Scotland in the employment of the papacy, these positions were probably given to supplement Thomas' income. When he was in Scotland in February 1412 witnessing the foundation charter of St Andrews University, he was said to hold to elevated post of "auditor of the sacred apostolic palace". He had returned to Pope Benedict's court in Spain later in the same year, and can be found conducting various business there over the next few years, both for the papacy and as a proctor
for people in Scotland.
, Aragon
and Castile
, Thomas was provided to the bishopric of Galloway following the death of Elisaeus Adougan
, the previous bishop. This occurred on 14 June 1415. Although the local chapter had elected one Gilbert Cavan
, a clerk of the Earl of Douglas, to fill this position, Benedict overturned this election and put Thomas there instead. This probably occurred against the will of the Douglas family, to whom Cavan was a senior clerk. Thomas resigned the archdeaconry of Galloway, with Gilbert Cavan succeeding him there. Presumably in compensation, Gilbert also received Thomas' previous holdings in the dioceses of Moray and Aberdeen. It had been supposed by some authorities that Thomas supported the capitulation
of Narbonne
, renounced his allegiance to Pope Benedict and supported the adherence to the Council of Constance
in December 1415, but this is based on a misreading of the evidence.
It is not clear that, with possible Douglas opposition, Thomas obtained possession of the bishopric smoothly. There is a mandate, dated 5 September 1415, to the subdean of Glasgow Cathedral
, ordering the latter to protect "Thomas and his successors in possession of the lands and heredities of Innermasan, Dyrmor, Innysmocrinyl, Kykkenot, Mirtum and Nicoltum in Candida Casa [i.e. Whithorn] diocese ... which are being molested". No more of such problems are heard. Thomas is next found testifying to an inspeximus at Perth
on 17 March 1416. This was made by Bishop Henry de Wardlaw of St Andrews
on the request of the Council of Constance, a sign of the waning loyalty in Scotland and perhaps in Thomas to the Avignon papacy. Bishop Thomas appears to have been suffering ailing health by 1420. In this year he failed to attend a provincial council
of the Scottish church at Perth, although he did sent a proctor. He died at some point between 16 July 1420 (date of the council) and 4 December 1422, when Alexander Vaus
, Bishop of Caithness
, was translated to be Thomas' successor as Bishop of Galloway. Professor Donald Watt
believes that his death probably occurred sometime in 1422.
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...
prelate
Prelate
A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...
, clerk and papal auditor active in the late 14th and early 15th centuries. Probably originating in Galloway
Galloway
Galloway is an area in southwestern Scotland. It usually refers to the former counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, Thomas took a university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
career in canon law
Canon law
Canon law is the body of laws & regulations made or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Catholic Church , the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, before taking up service at the court of Avignon Pope Benedict XIII. He obtained a number of benefice
Benefice
A benefice is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The term is now almost obsolete.-Church of England:...
s in the meantime, including the position of Archdeacon of Galloway
Archdeacon of Galloway
The Archdeacon of Galloway was the only archdeacon in the medieval Diocese of Galloway , acting as a deputy of the Bishop of Galloway. The following is a list of archdeacons:-List of archdeacons of Galloway:* Robert, fl. 1154 x 1186...
, and is the earliest known and probably first provost
Provost (religion)
A provost is a senior official in a number of Christian churches.-Historical Development:The word praepositus was originally applied to any ecclesiastical ruler or dignitary...
of the collegiate church
Collegiate church
In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons; a non-monastic, or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, which may be presided over by a dean or provost...
of Maybole
Maybole
Maybole is a burgh of barony and police burgh of South Ayrshire, Scotland. Pop. 4,552. It is situated south of Ayr and southwest of Glasgow by the Glasgow and South Western Railway. ...
. The height of his career came however when the Pope provided him to the bishopric of Galloway, a position he held from 1415 until his death sometime between 1420 and 1422.
Background and education
Thomas' name suggests a strong likelihood that he came from BuittleBuittle
Buittle is an ecclesiastical and former civil parish in the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright in the South West of Scotland.-History:The name is ancient, as it is derived from the Northumbrian term boðl, settlement or Hamlet. Northumbrian expansion into what was the kingdoms of Rheged and Strathclyde in...
in Kirkcudbrightshire
Kirkcudbrightshire
The Stewartry of Kirkcudbright or Kirkcudbrightshire was a county of south-western Scotland. It was also known as East Galloway, forming the larger Galloway region with Wigtownshire....
, Galloway
Galloway
Galloway is an area in southwestern Scotland. It usually refers to the former counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire...
, lands in the control of the Douglas family. In 1388, it was claimed that he had been a scholar of Decrees (i.e. Canon law
Canon law
Canon law is the body of laws & regulations made or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Catholic Church , the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...
) at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
for five years, a claim to some extent confirmed by the grant of safe-conduct from the English crown on 18 February 1380, to travel and study at Oxford for a year.
By 18 April 1390, he had obtained a Bachelors degree (in Decrees) from the University of Avignon
University of Avignon
The University of Avignon is a French university, based in Avignon. It is under the Academy of Aix and Marseille.-See also:...
; he appears in the Avignon university student rolls on 9 August 1393 and again on 21 October 1394. Thomas had obtained a doctorate (in Decrees) sometime between 15 July 1401 and 9 June 1410. He witnessed Bishop Henry de Wardlaw's foundation charter of the University of St Andrews
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
on 28 February 1412 and was named in the grant of privileges made to the new university by Pope Benedict XIII on 28 August 1413.
First provost of Maybole
Collegiate church
In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons; a non-monastic, or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, which may be presided over by a dean or provost...
of Maybole was founded under the patronage of John Kennedy, Lord of Dunure
Dunure
Dunure is a small village in the South Ayrshire area of Scotland. Located on the coast of the Firth of Clyde, Dunure is near to Maybole.-The villages:...
, a short time before 2 February 1382, when a mandate was issued by the papacy confirming its erection. A year previously the Lord of Dunure had founded a chapel to St Mary beside the parish church of Maybole, and the erection established a provost
Provost (religion)
A provost is a senior official in a number of Christian churches.-Historical Development:The word praepositus was originally applied to any ecclesiastical ruler or dignitary...
, two chaplains and a clerk. Thomas de Buittle held the vicarage there. It is possible that Thomas was the senior priest there when it was erected into a collegiate church; Thomas is certainly the earliest known provost, and neither the appointment nor the death of any predecessor are noted anywhere.
He held the vicarage of Lochrutton in Kirkcudbrightshire
Kirkcudbrightshire
The Stewartry of Kirkcudbright or Kirkcudbrightshire was a county of south-western Scotland. It was also known as East Galloway, forming the larger Galloway region with Wigtownshire....
in 1388, when a papal letter indicated that he was expected to resign Lochrutton after obtaining the benefice of Maybole in the gift of the Prioress of the nunnery of North Berwick. He still held Lochrutton on 18 April 1390, when the letter was repeated. Thomas remained provost of Maybole until at least 1401, and perhaps until his consecration as Bishop of Galloway
Bishop of Galloway
The Bishop of Galloway, also called the Bishop of Whithorn, was the eccesiastical head of the Diocese of Galloway, said to have been founded by Saint Ninian in the mid-5th century. The subsequent Anglo-Saxon bishopric was founded in the late 7th century or early 8th century, and the first known...
in 1415. No-one else is known to have held the position of provost there until 1439, although this proves nothing as the evidence for such things in the south-west of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in this period is always scarce.
Archdeacon of Galloway
Archdeacon of Galloway
The Archdeacon of Galloway was the only archdeacon in the medieval Diocese of Galloway , acting as a deputy of the Bishop of Galloway. The following is a list of archdeacons:-List of archdeacons of Galloway:* Robert, fl. 1154 x 1186...
. On 23 May a mandate was sent to the senior clergy of the bishopric of Glasgow authorising them to collate Thomas to the archdeaconry of Galloway, at that point occupied "unlawfully" by Patrick Smerles; the mandate gave dispensation for Thomas to retain control of both the provostship of Maybole and the vicarage of Lochrutton. He was still litigating with Smerles on 9 August 1393, by which point in time he had resigned Lochrutton; he was in firm possession of the archdeaconry by 21 October 1394. During his time as Archdeacon of Galloway, the church of Penninghame was annexed as a prebend of the office.
Papal career and other benefices
He resigned the vicarage of Maybole through a proxy (Patrick de Houston) at the papal court on 16 February 1398, in exchange with Gilbert Adounane for the church of Kirkcolm in WigtownshireWigtownshire
Wigtownshire or the County of Wigtown is a registration county in the Southern Uplands of south west Scotland. Until 1975, the county was one of the administrative counties used for local government purposes, and is now administered as part of the council area of Dumfries and Galloway...
. Sweetheart Abbey
Sweetheart Abbey
Sweetheart Abbey , south of Dumfries, near to the Nith in south-west Scotland, was a Cistercian monastery, founded in 1275 by Dervorguilla of Galloway, daughter of Alan, Lord of Galloway, in memory of her husband John de Balliol...
, overlords of Kirkholm parish, dispossessed him briefly of this benefice, but Thomas obtained papal restitution in a papal mandate dated 13 October 1410. He got papal provision on 5 December 1412, to the politically important vicarage of Dundonald in Kyle
Dundonald, South Ayrshire
Dundonald is a village in South Ayrshire, Scotland.-The village:The village is mostly known for Dundonald Castle, which was built in the 14th century by king Robert II, on the ruins of a castle built earlier Dundonald (Gaelic: Dùn Dhòmhnaill) is a village in South Ayrshire, Scotland.-The...
, but this was unfruitful as the previous vicar turned out still to be alive. Presumably in its place he obtained the vicarage of Abernyte
Abernyte
Abernyte is a village in Perth and Kinross in Scotland. The village lies roughly northwest of the former Inchture railway station, and around west of Dundee. The village has a heritage organisation, the Abenyte Heritage Group, which was formed in 1988...
in the diocese of Dunkeld
Diocese of Dunkeld
The Diocese of Dunkeld was one of the 13 historical dioceses of Scotland preceding the abolition of Episcopacy in 1689.-History:It is thought that the diocese was constituted as far back as the middle of the ninth century. The first occupant was styled Bishop of Fortriu, the name by which the...
on 30 January 1413, but despite promising annates, failed to obtain possession.
He did however successfully obtain provision to the church of Kinkell in the diocese of Aberdeen
Diocese of Aberdeen
Diocese of Aberdeen was one of the 13 dioceses of the Scottish church, before the abolition of the episcopacy in 1689.-Early history:...
, and the prebend of Inverkeithny
Inverkeithny
Inverkeithny is a village in the Formartine area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The village lies where the Burn of Forgue crosses the River Deveron, 7 miles west of Turriff and 3 miles south-east of Aberchirder....
in the diocese of Moray
Diocese of Moray
The Diocese of Moray was one of the most important of the medieval dioceses in Scotland. It was founded in the early years of the 12th century by David I of Scotland under its first bishop, Gregoir...
with its associated canonry in Elgin Cathedral
Elgin Cathedral
Elgin Cathedral, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, sometimes referred to as The Lantern of the North is a historic ruin in Elgin, Moray, north-east Scotland. It was established in 1224 on an area of ground granted by Alexander II that was close to the River Lossie and outside of the burgh of...
. As Thomas seems to have spent most of the early 15th century outside of Scotland in the employment of the papacy, these positions were probably given to supplement Thomas' income. When he was in Scotland in February 1412 witnessing the foundation charter of St Andrews University, he was said to hold to elevated post of "auditor of the sacred apostolic palace". He had returned to Pope Benedict's court in Spain later in the same year, and can be found conducting various business there over the next few years, both for the papacy and as a 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:...
for people in Scotland.
Bishop of Galloway
As a reward for his service to the "Avignon Pope", now only recognised in Scotland, SicilySicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
, Aragon
Aragon
Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...
and Castile
Crown of Castile
The Crown of Castile was a medieval and modern state in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and parliaments of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the accession of the then King Ferdinand III of Castile to the vacant Leonese throne...
, Thomas was provided to the bishopric of Galloway following the death of Elisaeus Adougan
Elisaeus Adougan
Elisaeus Adougan was a late 14th century and early 15th century Scottish cleric. His name has been said to have occurred for the first time in a papal letter datable to November 25, 1390, but this letter is simply a repetition of another addressed to him, dated August 2 of that year; both letters...
, the previous bishop. This occurred on 14 June 1415. Although the local chapter had elected one Gilbert Cavan
Gilbert Cavan
Gilbert Cavan was a cleric based primarily in Galloway in the early 15th century, a servant of the earls of Douglas and briefly Bishop of Galloway-elect...
, a clerk of the Earl of Douglas, to fill this position, Benedict overturned this election and put Thomas there instead. This probably occurred against the will of the Douglas family, to whom Cavan was a senior clerk. Thomas resigned the archdeaconry of Galloway, with Gilbert Cavan succeeding him there. Presumably in compensation, Gilbert also received Thomas' previous holdings in the dioceses of Moray and Aberdeen. It had been supposed by some authorities that Thomas supported the capitulation
Capitulation (surrender)
Capitulation , an agreement in time of war for the surrender to a hostile armed force of a particular body of troops, a town or a territory....
of Narbonne
Narbonne
Narbonne is a commune in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Once a prosperous port, it is now located about from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea...
, renounced his allegiance to Pope Benedict and supported the adherence to the Council of Constance
Council of Constance
The Council of Constance is the 15th ecumenical council recognized by the Roman Catholic Church, held from 1414 to 1418. The council ended the Three-Popes Controversy, by deposing or accepting the resignation of the remaining Papal claimants and electing Pope Martin V.The Council also condemned and...
in December 1415, but this is based on a misreading of the evidence.
It is not clear that, with possible Douglas opposition, Thomas obtained possession of the bishopric smoothly. There is a mandate, dated 5 September 1415, to the subdean 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...
, ordering the latter to protect "Thomas and his successors in possession of the lands and heredities of Innermasan, Dyrmor, Innysmocrinyl, Kykkenot, Mirtum and Nicoltum in Candida Casa [i.e. Whithorn] diocese ... which are being molested". No more of such problems are heard. Thomas is next found testifying to an inspeximus 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...
on 17 March 1416. This was made by Bishop Henry de Wardlaw of 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....
on the request of the Council of Constance, a sign of the waning loyalty in Scotland and perhaps in Thomas to the Avignon papacy. Bishop Thomas appears to have been suffering ailing health by 1420. In this year he failed to attend a provincial council
Provincial council
Provincial councils are organisational bodies within the Gaelic Athletic Association, each made up of several GAA counties. The provincial council is responsible for the organisation of club and inter-county competitions such as the provincial championships, and the promotion of Gaelic games within...
of the Scottish church at Perth, although he did sent a proctor. He died at some point between 16 July 1420 (date of the council) and 4 December 1422, when Alexander Vaus
Alexander Vaus
Alexander Vaus [Vause, de Vaus] was a late 14th century and 15th century Scottish prelate. Said to have been the younger son of one Patrick Vaus , he apparently held "church livings" in Galloway as early as 1421....
, 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...
, was translated to be Thomas' successor as Bishop of Galloway. Professor Donald Watt
D. E. R. Watt
Donald Elmslie Robertson Watt FRSE was a Scottish historian and Professor Emeritus at St Andrews University....
believes that his death probably occurred sometime in 1422.