Adam Abell
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Adam Abell (ca. 1480ca. 1540) was a Scottish
Friar A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders founded in the twelfth or thirteenth century; the term distinguishes the mendicants' itinerant apostolic character, exercised broadly under the jurisdiction of a superior general, from the ...
at
Jedburgh Abbey Jedburgh Abbey, a ruined Augustinian abbey which was founded in the 12th century, is situated in the town of Jedburgh, in the Scottish Borders north of the border with England at Carter Bar. History Towards the middle of the 9th century, when ...
. He wrote a chronicle in the 1530s that gives an insight into contemporary thought and contains anecdotes that appear in later writings. The manuscript of the Roit or Quheil of Tyme is kept at the National Library of Scotland, Ms. 1746. It was donated by Lt.-Colonel W. W. Cunninghame of Caprington.


Life

Abell was born at
Prestonpans Prestonpans ( gd, Baile an t-Sagairt, Scots language, Scots: ''The Pans'') is a small mining town, situated approximately eight miles east of Edinburgh, Scotland, in the Council area of East Lothian. The population as of is. It is near the si ...
(then known as Salt Preston) around 1480. He was related to the Bellenden family; Robert Bellenden, Abbot of Holyrood was his great-uncle. Abell became a monk at
Inchaffray Abbey Inchaffray Abbey was situated by the village of Madderty, midway between Perth and Crieff in Strathearn, Scotland. The only traces now visible are an earth mound and some walls on rising ground which once (before drainage) formed an island where ...
in 1495, then moved to be an Observantine
Franciscan , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...
Friar at
Jedburgh Jedburgh (; gd, Deadard; sco, Jeddart or ) is a town and former royal burgh in the Scottish Borders and the traditional county town of the historic county of Roxburghshire, the name of which was randomly chosen for Operation Jedburgh in s ...
. His chronicle, the ''Roit or Quheil of Tyme'' ends in 1537. Possibly Abell died soon after. The manuscript survived in the family of Sinclair of
Roslin Castle Roslin Castle (sometimes spelt Rosslyn) is a partially ruined castle near the village of Roslin in Midlothian, Scotland. It is located around 9 miles south of Edinburgh, on the north bank of the North Esk, only a few hundred metres from the fa ...
.


''The Roit or Quheil of Tyme''

Abell recounts much legendary history including the story of
King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane ...
and his daughters, and Macbeth and the witches. The chronicle ends in 1537 mentioning a process of divorce between
Margaret Tudor Margaret Tudor (28 November 1489 – 18 October 1541) was Queen of Scotland from 1503 until 1513 by marriage to King James IV. She then served as regent of Scotland during her son's minority, and successfully fought to extend her regency. Ma ...
, and Harry Stewart, Lord Methven.
Norman Macdougall Norman Macdougall is a Scottish historian who is known for writing about Scottish crown politics. He was a senior lecturer in Scottish history at the University of St Andrews. Macdougall has written biographies of the kings James III of Scotland ...
thought the three pages of the ''Quheil of Tyme'' that refer to
James III of Scotland James III (10 July 1451/May 1452 – 11 June 1488) was King of Scots from 1460 until his death at the Battle of Sauchieburn in 1488. He inherited the throne as a child following the death of his father, King James II, at the siege of Roxburgh ...
significant enough to print in his study of the king. Abell said of the death of James III in 1488:
"thai conspirit againis the king and gaif him batell beside striwiling and thare he wes slane. He wes confessit before with maistir Johne Yrland proffessor of theologie., ... thai slew him in the mill of bannoburne.
Macdougall found nothing strikingly original in Abell's account of James III, which depends in part on
Hector Boece Hector Boece (; also spelled Boyce or Boise; 1465–1536), known in Latin as Hector Boecius or Boethius, was a Scottish philosopher and historian, and the first Principal of King's College in Aberdeen, a predecessor of the University of Abe ...
, but was able to infer that his other sources for the reign were sympathetic to James III and
Alexander Stewart, Duke of Albany Alexander Stewart, Duke of Albany (7 August 1485), was a Scottish prince and the second surviving son of King James II of Scotland. He fell out with his older brother, King James III, and fled to France, where he unsuccessfully sought help. In 1 ...
, and to Abell's contemporary,
John Stewart, Duke of Albany John Stewart, 2nd Duke of Albany (8 July 14822 July 1536) was the regent of the Kingdom of Scotland and the count of Auvergne and Lauraguais in France. Early life John was a son of Alexander Stewart, Duke of Albany, son of King James II of S ...
. Writing in 1537 of events in the previous year, Abell tells the story of the visit of
James V of Scotland James V (10 April 1512 – 14 December 1542) was King of Scotland from 9 September 1513 until his death in 1542. He was crowned on 21 September 1513 at the age of seventeen months. James was the son of King James IV and Margaret Tudor, and du ...
to
Mary of Bourbon Mary of Bourbon or Marie de Bourbon (29 October 1515 – 28 September 1538) was a daughter of Charles, Duke of Vendôme, and Françoise d'Alençon, daughter of René, Duke of Alençon. Mary was the subject of marriage negotiations of James V of ...
, with the interesting suggestion that there had been an exchange of portraits;
"In ane dissimilit vestement he com to the duik of Vendôme fathir of the lady that he suld haif marreit. He wes knawin thare be his picture."
Alasdair Stewart contends that Abell's moralising handling of his subject matter and the examples he offers show his own strong character, contemporary attitudes and a unique view of international events from the cloister at Jedburgh.Alasdair M. Stewart, (1996), 230-235.


References


Sources

*Norman Macdougall, ''James III, a political study'', John Donald (1982) *Alasdair M. Stewart, 'The Final Folios of Adam Abell's 'Roit or Quheil of Tyme,' in Janet Hadley William, ed., ''Stewart Style 1513-1542'', (Tuckwell, East Linton, 1996), 227-253.


External links


"Adam Abell's "The riot or quheill of tyme" : an edition": The entire text presented as a PhD by Stephanie Malone Thorson.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abell, Adam 1480s births 1540s deaths Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain People from Prestonpans 16th-century Scottish people Scottish chroniclers 16th-century Scottish historians Manuscripts in the National Library of Scotland 16th-century Scottish writers 16th-century male writers