Chapter XVI: Monastic Economics
At one time they had a fishing between the Isle of Renfrew and Partick, but latterly they seem to have possessed only on the river the fishing, or a third part of the fishing, of the Cruiketshot. This was purchased by Abbot Thomas Tervas in 1452 from Lord Lyle. That peer was in great need of money for certain expenses he had incurred, [20] and parted with the fishings to the Abbot for a moderate sum. [21] They were connected with the lands of Auchintorly and Dunnerbouk, and were worked with nets. Besides these two famous fishings, the Abbey possessed others at Paisley, at Muncton, on Lochwinnoch, and on the Gryffe. The latter river was fished by cruives at a place called Auchindonan, and latterly they were at Blaxton, near the Abbot's grange. During the period to which the rental-book refers most of the fishings appear to have been let, and each paid so many fish annually to the Convent. The following are some of the notices of these sources of monastic revenue. Several others are scattered throughout the rental-book. [22]
The fyschyng of Linbrane, set to my Lord of Ergill for five years, paying thirty-six salmon.—Surety, Donald Campbell of . . .
The fyschyng of Crukitshot, set to George Brownside for . . .
The fyschin of the water of Paisley . . .
The fyschyn of the water of Blaxton, with the crewis.
The fyschin of the loch of Lochtwynnoch with one boat, set to James
Glen of the Bar during our will alanerly, payand . . .
The rental of some of these fishings is not given, from which we may probably infer that the Abbot retained them in his own hands, sending for his fish at such times as he needed them.
The Abbey possessed an orchard, a kale yard, and a columbarium. The orchard consisted of six acres and one perch of land, [23] and lay on the opposite side of the river from the Abbey. The dovecote was near the orchard, and the cabbage or kail yard opposite the Abbey mill, on the other side of the river.
For fuel the monks, in the early days of the Convent, used wood, which the Stewart had given them the right to take from his forests. In later times they burned peats, and had a right of peatry which they retained when they felled the lands on which Paisley was built. It was situated in a moss to the north of the town, and bore the name of “the monks' rooms.” They got abundance of coal from their Ayrshire estates, the tenants of which were charged to lay down so many loads at the Abbot's “Place.”
We may conclude this sketch of monastic economics, by giving the rules which one of the Abbots drew up for the government of his tenantry. They give us a very good idea of that potentate in his character of landlord. We have somewhat softened the rough Scottish dialect in which they are given, but any reader who wishes to see them in their original form will find them in the Rental-book, from the pages of which they are extracted:—
“First, that no man taking land, or tenant within the Abbot's land, make tenant, or set, or make interchange of land under him without leave of the Abbot, asked and obtained, under the penalty of one hundred shillings, and forfeiture of his holding, and removal from it without mercy.
[20] Videlicet ad exponendum in prosecutione fiends terrarum de le Garriach mihi jure hereditaxis pertinentium.
[21] Reg. de Pas., p. 251.
[22] Page 175 original MS.
[23] It extended from what is now 12 Causeyside to what is called Gordon's Loan. Abbot Shaw feued it in 1490, but excepted the columbarium. For the latter the ministers of the Abbey Parish draw stipend at the present day. There is a very fine specimen of a columbarium at Crossraguel.