The Lord of Abernethy was from the 12th century to the 14th century the hereditary holder of the church and lands of the Scottish

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

Abernethy Abernethy may refer to: Places Scotland * Abernethy, Perth and Kinross, a village ** Abernethy (NBR) railway station, a former railway station in this village * Nethy Bridge, Highland, a village formerly known as Abernethy * Abernethy Forest, ...

. It gradually evolved alongside the title Abbot of Abernethy, displacing that term in extant sources by the end of the 13th century. It was held by the descendants of

Gille Míchéil, Earl of Fife ''Gillie'' or ''ghillie'' is an ancient Gaelic term for a person who acts as a servant or attendant on a fishing, hunting, deer stalking or hawking expedition, primarily in the Scottish Highlands or on a river such as the River Spey. In origin ...

. As Lord Abernethy, it is a subsidiary title of the Dukes of Hamilton and Brandon. The

Mormaer In early Middle Ages, medieval Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, a mormaer was the Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic name for a regional or provincial ruler, theoretically second only to the Kings of Scots, King of Scots, and the senior of a ''Toísech'' (chi ...

s and Earls of Fife had enjoyed the privilege of crowning new Kings of Scots. Following the failure of the main MacDuff line, and after the execution of the Stewart Murdoch, Earl of Fife in 1425, the privilege fell back to the second line of MacDuffs, those of Abernethy. Through them this honour was regarded as passing to the Douglas Earls of Angus, notably at the coronation of James III in 1460 when

George Douglas, 4th Earl of Angus George Douglas, 4th Earl of Angus, Lord Douglas, Abernethy and Jedburgh Forest (c. 1427 – 12 March 1463)Alan R. Borthwick, 'Douglas, George, fourth earl of Angus (c.1417–1463)’, ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University ...

proclaimed "There! Now that I have set it upon your Grace's head, let me see who will be so bold as to move it." This continuity has survived to the current era, most notably at the coronation of

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

in 1953, when the then Lord Abernethy and Angus,

Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 14th Duke of Hamilton Air Commodore Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 14th Duke of Hamilton and 11th Duke of Brandon, (3 February 1903 – 30 March 1973) was a Scottish nobleman and aviator who was the first man to fly over Mount Everest. When German Deputy Führer Rudol ...

bore and presented the

Crown of Scotland The Crown of Scotland ( gd, Crùn na h-Alba) is the crown that was used at the coronation of the monarchs of Scotland. It is the oldest surviving crown in the British Isles and dates from at least 1503, although it has been claimed that the cir ...

to the Queen at St. Giles' Cathedral. Hamilton's son the 15th Duke, and the 16th Duke performed similar duties at the opening of

Scottish Parliament The Scottish Parliament ( gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Pairlament) is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. Located in the Holyrood area of the capital city, Edinburgh, it is frequently referred to by the metonym Holyro ...

s since 1999.

Abbots and lords of Abernethy

The abbots of Abernethy were descendants of

. The abbacy may have been held by Áed (called ''Hugo'' or ''Eggu'' and other Latinised forms), son of Gille Míchéil, but the abbacy is first attested when Áed's son Orm is confirmed in possession of it by King William of Scotland in the 1170s, in condition for making concessions favorable to the King's new monastic establishment at

Arbroath Abbey Arbroath Abbey, in the Scottish town of Arbroath, was founded in 1178 by King William the Lion for a group of Tironensian Benedictine monks from Kelso Abbey. It was consecrated in 1197 with a dedication to the deceased Saint Thomas Becket, whom ...

.Barrow, "Reign of William the Lion", p. 80; McGladdery, "Abernethy family (per. c.1260–c.1465)". The title of Abbot disappears in the sources during the abbacy of Laurence, with the title of ''dominus'' predominating: * Orm de Abernethy ( fl. 1170s) *

Laurence de Abernethy Laurence is an English and French given name (usually female in French and usually male in English). The English masculine name is a variant of Lawrence and it originates from a French form of the Latin ''Laurentius'', a name meaning "man from L ...

(fl. 1190s) *

Hugh de Abernethy Hugh may refer to: *Hugh (given name) Noblemen and clergy French * Hugh the Great (died 956), Duke of the Franks * Hugh Magnus of France (1007–1025), co-King of France under his father, Robert II * Hugh, Duke of Alsace (died 895), modern-day ...

(d. 1291) *

Alexander de Abernethy Alexander de Abernethy (after 1271 – c. 1315) was a Scottish baron. He was a son of Hugh de Abernethy and Maria de Ergadia. Alexander was a descendant of abbots of Abernethy; his great-grandfather Laurence, great-grandson of Gillemichael, Ea ...

(d. c. 1315) Following the death of Alexander Abernethy, the title passed to his daughter Margaret who married

John Stewart of Bonkyll Sir John Stewart (died 22 July 1298), the brother of James Stewart, 5th High Steward of Scotland, Sir James the 5th High Steward of Scotland, was a Scottish knight and military commander during the First Scottish War of Independence. Origins Sir ...

, who assumed the title, as well as being granted the forfeited Earldom of Angus.

Douglas lords of Abernethy

His granddaughter

Margaret Stewart, 4th Countess of Angus Margaret Stewart, Countess of Angus and Mar (died 1417) was Countess of Angus and Lady of Abernethy in her own right. Her father was Thomas Stewart, 2nd Earl of Angus. She was married to Thomas, Earl of Mar with whom she had no children. After ...

and Lady of Abernethy, had an illegitimate son by

William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas (c. 1323 – 1 May 1384) was a Scottish nobleman, peer, magnate, and head of the Black Douglas family. Under his leadership, the Black Douglases continued their climb to pre-eminence in Scottish politics ...

. In a

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the rec ...

of 1389, Lady Angus transferred the titles of Earl of Angus and the Lordships of Abernethy and Bonkyll to her child. *

George Douglas, 1st Earl of Angus George Douglas, 1st Earl of Angus (1380–1403) was a Scottish nobleman and peer. Life He was born at Tantallon Castle, East Lothian, Scotland. He was the natural-illegitimate son of William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas and Margaret St ...

, Lord of Abernethy and Bonkyll (1380–1403), upon his betrothal to Princess Mary, daughter of

Robert III of Scotland Robert III (c. 13374 April 1406), born John Stewart, was King of Scots from 1390 to his death in 1406. He was also High Steward of Scotland from 1371 to 1390 and held the titles of Earl of Atholl (1367–1390) and Earl of Carrick (1368– ...

For further Lords of Abernethy please see: *

Earl of Angus The Mormaer or Earl of Angus was the ruler of the medieval Scottish Provinces of Scotland, province of Angus, Scotland, Angus. The title, in the Peerage of Scotland, is held by the Duke of Hamilton, and is used as a courtesy title for the eldes ...

Duke of Hamilton Duke of Hamilton is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created in April 1643. It is the senior dukedom in that peerage (except for the Dukedom of Rothesay held by the Sovereign's eldest son), and as such its holder is the premier peer of Sco ...

Notes

References

* * Bannerman, John, "MacDuff of Fife", in A. Grant & K. Stringer (eds.) ''Medieval Scotland: Crown, Lordship and Community, Essays Presented to G.W.S. Barrow'', (Edinburgh, 1993), pp. 20–38 * Barrow, G. W. S., "The Reign of William the Lion", in Scotland and its Neighbours in the Middle Ages", (London, 1992), pp. 67–89 * Maxwell, Rt. Hon Sir Herbert. ''A History of the House of Douglas''. Freemantle, London, 1902 * McGladdery, C. A., "Abernethy family (per. c.1260–c.1465)", in the ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 200
, accessed 11 August 2007
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abernethy Extinct lordships of Parliament Noble titles created in 1233