William of Binning or William of Binin was a 13th-century
Cistercian
The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...
monk. His name indicates that he came from Binning, in
Uphall
Uphall ( sco, Uphauch, gd, Ubhalaidh) is a village in West Lothian, Scotland. It is a swiftly growing village in a conurbation with Broxburn to the east, Dechmont to the west and the major town of Livingston to the south west. Uphall is 30 mile ...
parish,
West Lothian
West Lothian ( sco, Wast Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Iar) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and was one of its shires of Scotland, historic counties. The county was called Linlithgowshire until 1925. The historic county was bounded geogra ...
,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
;
[A. A. M. Duncan, "Binning , William of (d. in or after 1258)".] otherwise, his background is obscure. He emerges on 29 November 1243 when he is styled "Prior of Newbattle" (deputy
Abbot of Newbattle
The Abbot of Newbattle (later Commendator of Newbattle) was the head of the Cistercian monastic community of Newbattle Abbey, Midlothian. It was founded by David I of Scotland in 1140.
List of abbots
* Radulf, 1140-1147x1150
* Amfrid, 1159-1179
...
) and elected to be
Abbot of Coupar Angus
The Abbot of Coupar Angus (later Commendator of Coupar) was the head of the monastic community and lands of Coupar Angus Abbey, on the boundary between Angus and Gowrie in Scotland. The abbot David Bane (David Bayn) was granted the mitre in 1464. ...
.
[Watt & Shead, ''Heads of Religious Houses'', p. 44.] According to Alexander Myln's 16th century ''Vitae Dunkeldensis ecclesiae episcoporum'' ("Lives of the Bishops of Dunkeld"), when William was at
Newbattle Abbey
Newbattle Abbey ( gd, Abaid a' Bhatail Nuaidh) was a Cistercian monastery near the village of Newbattle in Midlothian, Scotland, which subsequently become a stately home and then an educational institution.
Monastery
It was founded in 1140 by mo ...
he authored a ''vita'' (that is, a
biography
A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or ...
) of
John the Scot Johannes Scotus or Skotus, John Scotus, or John the Scot may refer to:
* John Scotus Eriugena (c. 815–877), Irish theologian, philosopher, and poet
* John Scotus (bishop of Mecklenburg) (c. 990–1066)
* John Scotus (bishop of Dunkeld) (died 120 ...
(died 1203), successively
Bishop of Dunkeld
The Bishop of Dunkeld is the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Dunkeld, one of the largest and more important of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics, whose first recorded bishop is an early 12th-century cleric named Cormac. However, the first k ...
and
Bishop of St Andrews
The Bishop of St. Andrews ( gd, Easbaig Chill Rìmhinn, sco, Beeshop o Saunt Andras) was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of St Andrews in the Catholic Church and then, from 14 August 1472, as Archbishop of St Andrews ( gd, Àrd-easbaig ...
.
The ''vita'' has failed to survive.
William resigned his position as
Abbot
Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The fem ...
of
Coupar Angus
Coupar Angus (; Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic: ''Cùbar Aonghais'') is a town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, south of Blairgowrie and Rattray, Blairgowrie.
The name Coupar Angus serves to differentiate the town from Cupar, Fife. The town was traditi ...
on 29 September 1258.
He died at an unknown date afterwards.
[A. A. M. Duncan, "Binning , William of (d. in or after 1258)"]
Notes
References
*
Duncan, A. A. M., "Binning , William of (d. in or after 1258)", in the ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 200
, retrieved 16 Feb 2007*
Watt, D. E. R. & Shead, N.F. (eds.), ''The Heads of Religious Houses in Scotland from the 12th to the 16th Centuries'', ''The Scottish Records Society'', New Series, Volume 24, (Edinburgh, 2001)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Binning, William of
13th-century deaths
Scottish Cistercians
13th-century Scottish writers
People from West Lothian
Scottish abbots
Scottish biographers
13th-century Scottish Roman Catholic priests
Year of birth unknown