Chapter XVI: Monastic Economics
The lands of the Abbey were in Renfrew, Dumbarton, Ayrshire, Peebles, and Roxburgh. How they managed their Peebleshire land of Orde we have almost nothing to tell us, but on their other properties they had granges—large farm-houses under the care of a person called a granger, probably a lay brother, where were gathered the cattle, implements, and stores needed for the cultivation of their lands. The chief grange of the Abbey was at Blackston, a few miles from the church, on the river Gryfe, which is often mentioned as “being in the Lord Abbot's hands for grange.” The “barns” of Kilpatrick are also noticed as the head steading of the Abbey on the other side of the Clyde, and the “Place” of Muncton was the centre of management for their Ayrshire estates. At Huntlaw, [1] near Hassendean in Roxburgh, there is a ruin still called the “Monk's tower,” the only approach to a grange possible in that wild border land. The tenantry of the Abbey consisted of two classes—the cottars, who paid a small rent, from ten to forty shillings, and laboured on the monks' lands, and the farmers, who paid their rent chiefly in grain, and who cultivated their land with oxen and implements furnished by the Abbot. The latter description of holding is termed steel bow, and all the large farms of the Abbey appear to have been let on leases of this kind. Thus the lands of Candren were let to two parties, and it is specially noted that
“Those tenants have of goods of the Abbey forty-eight bolls of oats, six bolls two firlots of second bere, ten acres of medo wyn and stakyt, one chalder of horse corn, four oxen, twenty-four tidy kye.”
The crops grown were wheat, oats, and barley, and as an instance of a farm paying rent in those kinds of grain, we may give that of Barns in Kilpatrick:—
“It is let to Thomas Hasty and Thomas Knock, paying annually four chalders flour, eight bolls corn, and eight bolls barley.”
The notices of holdings whose tenants paid small rents, and gave various services at the Abbey granges, swell the pages of the rental book. Most of the rents are payable in kind, but there is also mention of “le bon silvuer,” a money payment also exigible from them. The items of the rental payable in kind are varied—stirks, calves, poultry, capons, chickens, geese, stones of cheese, wedders, and loads of coal. It is impossible for us to give the exact value of these products, which must have kept the Abbey larder and coal cellar well supplied; but in a late rental we find a valuation which helps us to form some idea of the amount brought in by those rentals in kind :—
[2]
“Memorandum of the statute of the do service. That each capon is 8d.; each poultry, 4d.; each chicken, 2d.; the load of coals, 4d.; the plough, 2s.; the day shearing, 3d. Also two poultry for a capon, two chickens for a poultry ; also each laid of coals, three creels of huch, to be laid in the Abbot's place betwixt Whitsonday and Michaelmas, or else the price of the laid, 6d. The entry of the fowls begins at Pasch, capons and chickens at Michaelmas, and from Michaelmas, poultry till Pasterns Eve. The penny mail to be paid at Whitsonday and Martinmass. The do service, as carriages, plowing, harrowing, and shearing, to be paid at Martinmass, with the rest of the coals and fowls, and the sergeant to answer therefor as he does for the penny mail of them that are unspecified ; also, after each plough, 6d, for harrowing each merk land, three capons, each long carriage, 10s.”
The personal service referred to in this valuation was of a very varied kind. It consisted chiefly in work done on the monks' lands, with ploughs, harrows, and carts, tillage in spring, shearing in harvest, and grass-cutting in summer. Sometimes, also, the tenant was bound to give a riding man, and at others a bed when required. There was a duty also called long-carriage, which probably refers to the transportation of necessaries between the Monastery and their granges. The Ayrshire tenants were almost all liable to this service. We give a few instances, taken at random from the rental-book, of the duties payable by the tenantry to their superiors :—
“It is ordained that each tenant in the town of Foulton shall pay annually four bonys [3] in autumn : two carriages, one in summer and one in winter ; one day with harrows, one day in summer, ad fenum, anglice, a day's work of mowing."
[1] There is only one notice of Huntlaw in the Rental. It is let to John Hamilton of Stirkfield, and the place called “ane dogleche.”
[2] It is at p. 177 original MS.
[3] Bonsilver? or perhaps bondagers.