Chapter VIII: The Prosperous Times of Alexander III, 1248-1286
Like many of that time, he desired to make a pilgrimage to one or other of the holy places—Jerusalem, Rome, or Compestella in Spain. Of these he chose the last, which at that time was a favourite place of pilgrimage. [11] The shrine of Saint James, the patron saint of his house, was there. He was one of the saints to whom the Abbey of Paisley was dedicated, and his image in pilgrim garb, with staff in hand, gourd by his side, and cockle-shell in his hat, appeared on its seal. It was a long and dangerous journey between Paisley and the Spanish shrine, and before taking it the Stewart sought the blessing of the Abbot and Convent. On the second Sunday of Advent, 1252, he came to the Abbey [12] and received their benediction and permission to depart in peace on his sacred errand, “that in devotion and holy pilgrimage he should visit the bounds of the blessed Apostle James.” We know well from the formularies of the Church the religious rite that was performed that day in the Abbey over the Stewart and his companions. After confessing their sins they lay prostrate before the altar. Special prayers and psalms were then said and sung ; when these were over, the pilgrims arose from their prostrate position, and the Abbot consecrated their scrips and staves, saying, “The Lord be with you.” He next sprinkled holy water upon their scrips and staves, and placed the scrip round the neck of each pilgrim, accompanying these acts with other religious services. Afterwards, he delivered to them the staff, with similar prayers.[13] Before leaving the Abbey the Stewart confirmed by charter all the gifts made by his ancestors, and added that if he should, “as might perhaps be the case,” be cut off in this pilgrimage, his heirs were to fulfil his desires, at the peril of their souls if they failed. The departure of the Stewart was a day of great solemnity at the Abbey. All his household seem to have been gathered around him, for his brother, his chaplains, and his knights, with “many others,” witness his deed.
The gleanings of the Chartulary—almost our only authority for the history of the Abbey at this early period—tell us nothing of the pilgrim's adventures, but we know that he was back in Scotland in 1255, when he was appointed one of the regents of the kingdom, and began to take a prominent part in public affairs. Eight years later, 2nd October, 1263, he distinguished himself at the battle of Largs, when he led the Scottish army in repulsing Haco, King of Norway, from the shores. It must have been an anxious time for the inmates of the Abbey. Before the invaders landed at Largs a detachment of their fleet had sailed up Loch Long, dragged their galleys across the Isthmus of Tarbert, and launched them on Loch Lomond. They had ravaged the lands of the Lennox, and their doings in this district, with which the monks of Paisley had so intimate a connection, must have been faithfully reported at the Abbey. Many of their lands and churches were in the fertile county of Ayr, where the Norsemen sought to effect a landing The Danes were from earliest times the despoilers of monasteries, and the distance between Largs and Paisley is but short. Happily, fears of rapine were soon dissipated. In the accounts that have come down to us, both from Scottish and Norwegian sources, the Stewart is a prominent and gallant figure. In one of the most graphic pictures of the fray, that by Boece, he is called by the designation of “Pasley,” and doubtless many of the men of Strathgrif, and perhaps even the tenants of the church, as a rule exempt from bearing arms, partook of the glory of the victory. “Incontinent,” says the quaint old writer, “Alexander Stewart of Pasley came with ane bachment of fresche men to the middleward, quhair King Alexander wes fechtand aganis King Acho with uncertane victory. The Danis seand this Alexander cum gaff bakkis, on whome followit the Scottis, with gret cruelte, throu all Cunninghame, and maide ithand slauchter on thaim, quill the nicht put ane end to all their labor.” No doubt the Abbey rejoiced in the victory of their protector, for had the result been different it would assuredly have gone hard with them.
[11] See Fosbrook.
[12] Reg. de Pas.,pp. 90, 91.
[13] Fosbrook, p. 433.