Restenneth Priory was a monastic house of Augustinian canons founded by Jedburgh Abbey, with the patronage of King Malcolm IV of Scotland, in 1153. Although there is little literary evidence, archaeological evidence strongly indicates that there was a monastery at Restenneth from very early times. There is also speculation that Restenneth may even have been the Pictish church dedicated to

St Peter ) (Simeon, Simon) , birth_date = , birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire , death_date = Between AD 64–68 , death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire , parents = John (or Jonah; Jona) , occupation ...

(mentioned in

Bede Bede ( ; ang, Bǣda , ; 672/326 May 735), also known as Saint Bede, The Venerable Bede, and Bede the Venerable ( la, Beda Venerabilis), was an English monk at the monastery of St Peter and its companion monastery of St Paul in the Kingdom o ...

) built in 710 for Nechtán mac Der Ilei, King of the Picts. Augustinian Restenneth was always a small priory and very dependent on its mother-house at Jedburgh. In 1501 there were only two canons and an annual income of £120 (compare Arbroath Abbey, which had £10,924 in 1561). There was an attempt to incorporate it into the Royal Chapel in this year, but this failed to occur, and King

James IV of Scotland James IV (17 March 1473 – 9 September 1513) was King of Scotland from 11 June 1488 until his death at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. He inherited the throne at the age of fifteen on the death of his father, James III, at the Battle of Sauchi ...

suggested its incorporation into the

archbishopric 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 ...

. This too evidently did not occur, as priors continue to be on record. The priory was, however, turned into a secular lordship for Thomas Erskine, Viscount Fentoun, in 1606. Among the owners of Restenneth following the Reformation was George Dempster of Dunnichen (1732-1818), who chose part of the choir as a burial site for his family. Also reported to have been buried in the Priory about 1327 is John Bruce youngest son of Robert I, King of Scots and his 2nd wife Elizabeth de Burgh who was the twin brother of David II of Scotland. The site was excavated in 1883 by William Galloway and Dr John Stuart. All except the tower is now in ruins, which are a Scheduled Ancient Monument. For the tourist, Restenneth Priory is just outside the medium-sized town of Forfar. It shares an access road with the Angus Archives. There is a short path from the closest parking area to the priory. While at the priory, the town and the roads nearby are not visible, so the fields and the medieval (or maybe earlier) architecture are the only things to be seen.

Bibliography

* Cowan, Ian B. & Easson, David E., ''Medieval Religious Houses: Scotland With an Appendix on the Houses in the Isle of Man'', Second Edition, (London, 1976), pp. 53, 66, 95-6 * 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), pp. 182–6

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Angus Archives
Augustinian monasteries in Scotland Buildings and structures in Angus, Scotland History of Angus, Scotland 1153 establishments in Scotland Religious organizations established in the 1150s Christian monasteries established in the 12th century Scottish parliamentary locations and buildings Scheduled Ancient Monuments in Angus Former Christian monasteries in Scotland {{Scotland-church-stub

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