Pre-history
Persons from the 7th Century
Persons from the Middle Ages
Some lesser mortals from the Middle Ages
Prior Thomas de Melsonby
Local Rhyme
Booklets

[St Mary in catholic medieval Europe, Mary mother of God (Christ) was revered. She had by far the largest following of any saint. In the Christianity of the Middle Ages the worship of Christ and Mary produced a balanced religion with both male and female aspects. In Protestantism she was ignored as there was nothing in the Bible to suggest her worship.]

St Margaret of Scotland (1046-1093) Although of the royal house in England and described as a southern Saxon, she had received most of her education in exile in Hungary. She and her family were back in England when it was conquered in 1066, and again she was exiled. She arrived in the Scottish court at Dunfermline and married Malcolm Canmore in 1069. When not producing children (Edgar was one of their sons), it is claimed that she was a considerable influence in civilising the Scottish court. She appears to have been a devotee of St Cuthbert and encouraged her family to be likewise. At great religious moments at this time in Durham there was an exclusive presence of the Scottish monarchy. In 1250 she was made a saint with her shrine at the east end of Dunfermline Abbey. The oldest surviving building in Edinburgh Castle is a small Norman chapel later to be dedicated to St Margaret.

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Blackadder family The (river) Blackadder for most of its course either flowed in Coldinghamshire or was part of its boundary. This was the source of the family name and beside it was the seat of a section of the family. One of the family's most famous members was the first Archbishop of Glasgow, Robert Blackadder
(1445-1508). The only remaining pre-reformation rood screen in Scotland is in Glasgow Cathedral. It was put up by the first Archbishop as was the Blackadder Chapel there. He also had an aisle built in Edrom Church, although little of it is to be seen today. Two Blackadders were Priors of Coldingham including the
Archbishop's son Robert who was murdered in 1519 by a Home.

Cromwell In 1649 the King, Charles , was executed by the English under a puritanical influence. This also denied the Scots their monarch, and there had been little consultation with the Scots, so many Scots backed the royalists and recognised Charles as king. This brought the puritanical parliamentarian army
under Cromwell to Scotland. The Scots and the parliamentarian army met at Dunbar. The Scots gave up their strategic position on Doone Hill to be defeated and captured on the low ground near Broxmouth.

Some royalists had taken over the old Coldingham Priory buildings and this invited Cromwell to dislodge them by canon from Coldingham Law. Only two walls were left standing.

Dunbar family In 1074 the Scots king, Malcolm Canmore, made Cospatric, a former foe, the first Earl of Dunbar. (In 1072 Cospatric had been deprived of his earldom of Northumbria by William the Conqueror.) Up to 1435 the Earls of Dunbar were responsible for the security of S.E. Scotland, part of the former northern province of Northumbria. The earls were benefactors and protectors of Coldingham Priory.

Edgar, King of Scots, was the third son of King Malcolm Canmore and Margaret (she became St Margaret of Dunfermline). Malcolm Canmore was killed near Alnwick together with his first son by Margaret in 1095. The royal family were taken south to be Normanized. The Normans tried to place Duncan (a half brother of Edgar) on the Scottish throne but he was quickly murdered. The Normans were successful with Edgar who held the Scottish throne until a natural death.

Grose At the request of Walter Scott, he sketched the antiquites of Scotland and then had them published in book form (1789).

Home family With the downfall of the Earl of Dunbar & March (the boundary) in 1435, it was the Homes, a branch of the Dunbar family, that filled the power vacuum, but not without a struggle and many challenges including those of the monarch. The first Home to hold any post attached to Coldingham Priory was Alexander Home of Dunglass who became the bailie and so replaced the Prior in administering 'justice'. In 1464 Alexander managed to have his son John, Canon at Dunbar, made Prior of Coldingham. In 1473 Alexander became the first Lord Home. The Home family held various strongholds in the eastern borders. In the 19 C Chambers wrote of Coldingham Priory "the history of no religious house would throw so much light on the bloody scenes and wretched government of this country from the 14 - 17 C as this, were it carefully written". It was the sixth Lord Home, who in 1606, gave up the spirituality of Coldingham. Since then the most famous member of the family has been the historian and philospher David Hume (1711-76). He was so ashamed of his family that he changed his name from Home to Hume. Several memorials from about 1900, and carrying the name Home, are to be found within Coldingham Priory Church.

Lyon King of Arms From 1318 the ultimate judge for all matters armorial in Scotland; that is titles, coats of arms, etc.

Walter Scott (1771-1832) His work as author & poet dwelt on the historical and epic. By this he rekindled an interest in Scottish History. He popularised Highland dress and indirectly helped the Lowlander to become more sympathetic to the displaced destitute Highlanders. He fought to make sure that Scottish bank notes remained in circulation. The gigantic gothic monument to him dominates East Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh.

Prior Simon There is some difficulty here as Simon is said to be the first recorded Prior of Coldingham (1141) but his grandson, also Simon, appears in later documents as a Prior. The seal is at present (2000) on display in the Treasury at Durham Cathedral. The Cathedral date the Prior on the seal to c 1189-1203.

The Royal House of Stuart A family of monarchs who were a catastrophe for Coldingham and country. James I forced S.E. Scotland into a century of chaos. James III stole the Priory and much of its income, so alienating the Homes, who then with others defeated and then murdered him. James IV had his natural son
Alexander made Prior of Coldingham. Both were killed at Flodden, James having responded to a request by the Queen of France to do something chivalrous.

Even after the suppression of the monasteries, generations of the Stuarts and Homes continued to be in open competition for the title of Prior or Commendator of Coldingham. Perhaps the most famous Stuart prior was Lord Johnnie, half brother and favorite of Mary, Queen of Scots.

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Aberdeen Breviary (1509-10) by Bishop Elphinstone of Aberdeen was Scotland's first printed book. It elevated the profile of Scottish saints and gave details of their lives on their appropriate saint days.

Black Death A 14th century plague which reduced the human population in Europe by half. The infection was carried by black rats then fleas common to both mammals carried the infection through their bites from the rats to humans.

Reivers Gangsters originating from either side of the border. They were responsible for murder, robbery, and general destruction.

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