Chapter IV: The Founding of the Monastery
WALTER, the son of Alan, greeting, to all sons of Holy Mother Church, present and to come; Be it known to you that I have given and granted, and by this charter have confirmed, to God and Saint Mary, and the church of Saint James, and Saint Mirin, and Saint Myldburge de Passelet, and to the prior and monks serving God there according to the order of Clugny: for the soul of Henry, King of England, and for the soul of King David, and King Malcolm, and Earl Henry, and my departed forefathers, and for the spiritual welfare of my Lord King William, and David his brother, and of myself, and my wife, and my heirs, in perpetual alms, free from all temporal service, the Church of Ennyrwic, with all its possessions, and the mill of Ennyrwic, except a mark of silver in it which I have given Randolph of Kent; and the Church of Ledgerwode, with all its possessions, and the carucate of land in Hastendene which Walter the Chaplain held, by those boundaries by which he held it, and the Church of Kathkert, with all its possessions; and all the churches of Stragrif, with all their belongings, except the Church of Inchinan; [27] and that carucate of land which Grimketel held, with the boundaries by which he held it; and the Drep, with all its possessions by land and water according to the boundaries by which William held it; and the Church of Passelet, with all its possessions, and two carucates of land, measured and perambulated, about the river Kert, beside the church, and that land beyond Kert out of part of the wood which I and my son Alan perambulated, according to those boundaries which we perambulated with honest men, and that portion of land which is below the dormitory of the monks, and all the land which Scerlo Held, according to its boundaries, with that house above the rock where my hall was built, and the whole Island near my town of Renfru, with the fishing between that Island and Perthec, and a full toft in Renfru, and half a mark of silver from the rent of that burgh for lighting the church, and a net for salmon and the mill of Renfru; and the land where the monks first dwelt; and that carucate of land which is between Kert and Grif; and the church of Prestwic, with all that land which Dovenald the son of Ywen perambulated for them between the land of Simon Loccard and the land of Prestwick as far as Pulprestwic; and along Prestwic as far as the sea; and from the sea by the torrent between the land of Arnold and the land of Prestwic, to the boundaries of Simon Loccard; and that church of my burgh of Prestwic, with all its possessions; and the salt pit in Kalentir which belonged to Herbert the chamberlain. I have given likewise and confirmed a full tenth of my hunting, with the skins; and all the skins of the deer which I slay in my forest of Fereneze; and four shillings from the mill of Passelet for the lighting of the church; and that they may grind there, without multure, next to him whom they may find grinding there, except when I myself am grinding the corn which comes from my own granary. And besides this, a full tenth of that mill of Passelet, and of all the mills which I have, or may have hereafter. I have given to them, and by this Charter have confirmed to them, a full tenth of all my waste lands, and of all lands in my forest which have been or will be reclaimed; and all the privileges of my forest of Passelet, and the same right of pasture in it for the cattle and swine of their house as belongs to me and my men. But if it should happen that I or any of my heirs wish to have our swine below the forest, part of the forest sufficient for their animals shall be provided for them; and in addition to this foresaid charity of mine, with their other honours, I grant and confirm to them these privileges, namely, right to fines and to hold courts; freedom from tolls and customs; to hold slaves and punish thieves.
[27] Excepta Ecclesia de Inchinan. Inchinan had been previously bestowed by David I. upon the Knights Templars. On their suppression in 1312 it passed into the hands of the Knights of St. John. Its church was dedicated to Saint Convallus, one of the disciples of St. Kentigern. Boece tells us that in his day the relics of the Saint, in a stately shrine at Inchinnan, were held in great reverence. The stone on which the Saint is said to have sailed up the channel from Ireland, called St. Conval’s chariot, may still be seen in the wood at Blythswood, on the right bank of the Cart. It was supposed, down to a comparatively late date, to possess the virtue of working cures both in man and beast.—See Semple's Lairds of Glen; Origins Parochiales, Art. Inchinan; Forbes' Scottish Saints, Art. Convallus. In the Aberdeen Breviary, the life of this saint is given.