426 Dr. John Stuart on the History of Dunbar. 



possessed of the title and estates of the Earls of Moray, was 

 engaged in many of the political transactions and conflicts 

 of the time of David II. He frequently went on pilgrimage 

 to the shrine of St. Thomas a'Becket at Canterbury, and was 

 the husband of the heroic Lady Agnes, daughter of the 

 Regent Randolph, who will ever be recollected as " Black 

 Agnes," the scornful and successful defender, in her husband's 

 absence, of the Castle of Dunbar, against the besieging Eng- 

 lish. 



The constitution of the Collegiate Church is set forth in a 

 charter of confirmation by William, Bishop of St. Andrews, 

 which is also sealed with the great seal of the Earl of Dun- 

 bar, and is dated on the feast of St. Matthew, 1342. 



By it, the Parish Churches of Dunbar, Linton, Dunse, and 

 Chyrnsyd, with their chapels, of the patronage of all which 

 the Earl had the heritable right, were erected into a college 

 church under the following scheme of government : — It was 

 to have a dean, an archpriest, and eight canons. The deans 

 and archpriests were bound to constant residence, except 

 when called elsewhere by the Bishop or his chapter. The 

 canons were also bound to make residence, under pain of 

 loss of their share of commons and a third of the fruit of 

 their prebends, if absent three months on end in one year, 

 unless they had a dispensation from the Bishop. The fore- 

 said dean, archpriest, and canons, whether resident or not, 

 were to have priests continually residing in the said church 

 in decent habit of canons-secular singing the offices accord- 

 ing to the use of the Scottish Church by day and night, and 

 every day celebrating two masses, one of the blessed Virgin 

 and the other for the dead. 



The dean was to be over the arch-priest, and canons, and 

 servants, and to correct neglects or faults done within the 

 precints, and to maintain rule and discipline, he having or- 

 dinary jurisdiction under the bishop, with power to see 

 that Divine worship was performed in a becoming manner. 

 He was to receive as his prebend all the tithes and offerings 

 of the Parish of Whittingham, where he was to have a vicar, 

 presented and instituted by the bishop, with a salary of 

 ten marks. 



The arch-priest was to have care of the chaplain^ in the 

 churches and chapels of the parish, except the Vicar of 

 Whittingham. He was to receive the tithes and offerings 

 of the altarages of the whole Parish of Dunbar, besides the 



