Dates from the ‘Chronicle of Holyrood’
Source: A Scottish Chronicle known as the Chronicle of Holyrood, ed. Marjorie
Ogilvie Anderson with Alan Orr Anderson. Scottish History Society, 3rd series, vol.
30 (Edinburgh, 1938).
Note: not all events related to Scotland have been included
Colour Code:
Events involving members of the royal family are in purple.
Events involving bishops, abbots, priors and other ecclesiastics are in green.
Events involving other laypeople are in brown.
Natural and astronomical phenomena are in pink.
1115 (31.5)
1118
1124 (25.4)
1125
1128
1130
1133 (5.8)
1136 (7.7)
1147
1150
(17.11)
1152
(3.5)
(12.6)
1153 (24.5)
(6.11?)
1154
(27.2)
1155
1156
1157
Death of Mary, countess of Boulogne (dr. King Malcolm III)
Death of Matilda, queen of England
Death of King Alexander I
A great famine
‘The church of Holyrood in Edinburgh began to be founded’
‘Angus earl of Moray was killed by the Scots’
An eclipse occurred
Church of Glasgow dedicated
Death of John, bp. Glasgow
Church of Dunfermline dedicated
‘Alwin the abbot (of Holyrood) voluntarily deposed himself
from the pastoral charge, and Osbert received it.’
Death of Osbert, ab. Holyrood
William, ab. Holyrood, elected
Death of Matilda, queen of England
Death of Earl Henry, son of King David I
Death of King David I
‘Somerled and his nephews, the sons of Malcolm [Macheth],
allied with themselves very many men, and rebelled against
King Malcolm, and disturbed and disquieted Scotland to a great
extent’
A ‘great famine and pestilence among animals’ in Scotland
‘Arthur, who was about to betray king Malcolm, perished in
[trial by] combat’
Death of Geoffrey, ab. Dunfermline; succession of his nephew,
also Geoffrey
Death of Duncan [I], earl of Fife
King Malcolm ‘gave the church of Tranent to the canons of
Maidens’ Castle’ (Edinburgh or Holyrood). [see RRS i, no. 127]
Christian, bp. Galloway (Whithorn), consecrated at
Bermondsey by archbishop of Rouen.
Death of Alwin, abbot of Holyrood.
Donald, Malcolm’s son, captured at Whithorn, imprisoned with
father.
Malcolm Macheth ‘reconciled with the king of Scots’
1159
1160
1161 (12.5)
1162 (24.1)
(? 13.9)
1163
1164
1165
(28.3)
(9.12)
(24.12)
1167
1168 (19.9)
(23.9)
1169
Malcolm IV restores Northumberland and Cumberland to
Henry II; Henry restores Huntingdon to Malcolm
Death of Robert, bp. St Andrews
‘Malcolm king of Scotland went with Henry king of England to
Toulouse, and he was girt by king Henry with the sword of
knighthood, in the [city] of Tours.
‘William bishop of Moray, who had been sent to Rome by king
Malcolm, was received by the aforesaid (sic) pope Alexander
with the highest honour, and was sent back to Scotland with the
favour and [general legation?] of the apostolic see.
‘King Malcolm three times led an army into Galloway’
‘Fergus prince of Galloway took the canonical habit in the
church of Holyrood in Edinburgh, and gave to [the canons] the
vill that is called Dunrod’
Arnold, ab. Kelso, elected bp. St Andrews
John elected ab. Kelso, blessed by Herbert bp. Glasgow
Death of Fergus prince of Galloway
Death of William, bp. Moray, papal legate
Malcolm IV’s sister, Ada, married Florence, count of Holland
Death of Isaac, pr. Scone
Robert, canon of Jedburgh, appointed first abbot of Scone
Death of Arnold, bp. St Andrews
‘Richard, chaplain of the king of Scotland, and nephew of
Alwin ab. Edinburgh [Holyrood -ed.] was elected bishop of St
Andrews’
‘King Malcolm gave his brother David, and other noble boys of
his kingdom, as hostages into the hand of the king of England’
Death of Thor, archdeacon of Lothian
‘King Malcolm transferred [transtulit] men of Moray’
Master Andrew made archdeacon of Lothian
Somerled lands at Renfrew, killed there with son and large host
‘The convent came to Coupar, and was reverently received, and
the abbot was blessed, namely F[ulk], by Geoffrey bp.
Dunkeld’
Death of Herbert, bp. Glasgow
Ingram, king’s chancellor, elected bp. Glasgow, consecrated by
Pope Alexander
Nicholas, king’s clerk, made chancellor
Richard consecrated bp. St Andrews by the bishops of Scotland
Death of King Malcolm IV
Inauguration of King William
Death of the Empress Matilda
‘The moon was suffused with a blood-red colour for nearly a
whole hour about cockcrow; then blackness followed, and she
returned to her proper light’
Ralph Malchael and Richard son of Baldwin and Master Imerus
killed ‘by the treachery of the Scots’
Death of Malcolm Macheth, earl of Ross
Death of Gregory, bp. Dunkeld
David, brother of King William, ‘received arms from the elder
King Henry of England’
(14.6)
Crowning of Henry ‘the young king’
(29.12)
Murder of Thomas Becket, archbishop of Canterbury
(20.12)
Death of Fulk, first abbot of Coupar Angus Abbey
‘He was succeeded by Ralph’
1173 (20.8)
King William goes to Carlisle with an army; attacks and
plunders
1174
King William attacks Northumbria two more times
(13.7)
King William captured at Alnwick
Henry the young king, King William and the king of France all
made peace with King Henry II
1175 (Feb.)
King William returns to his kingdom
(Aug.)
King William meets King Henry at York.
Jocelin, bp. Glasgow, consecrated.
1177, for 1176
Cardinal Vivian visits Scotland and Ireland
1178, for 1177
Cardinal Vivian holds council at Maidens’ Castle (Edinburgh)
Death of Walter the king’s steward
1179, for 1178 (Lent) Death of Richard, bp. Dunkeld
(summer)
Death of Richard, bp. St Andrews
Schism between John and Hugh over see of St Andrews
1180 (15 June)
Master John consecrated at Maidens’ Castle by the legate
Alexis
(a few days later)
Renewed opposition of King William, exile of Bp. John
1182
General council for three days between King William and three
papal legates anent St Andrews schism
1183
Master John and Hugh both went to Rome
1184
‘The convent came to Rothin’
1185 (29.12.1184)
Death of Andrew, bp. Caithness
(1.5.1185)
Eclipse of the sun, about the ninth hour.
1186 (5.9)
King William marries Ermengarde at Woodstock.
(17.11)
‘… the peace of the holy church was broken at Coupar through
the violence of Malcolm earl of Atholl. For Adam, surnamed
also Donald’s son, who was the king’s outlaw, was captured;
and one of his companions, his nephew, was beheaded before
the altar; and the others, numbering 58, were burned and put to
death in the abbot’s guest-house.’
1187 (31.7)
Donald MacWilliam, ‘an opponent of William king of
Scotland’, killed in Ross, ‘and many powerful opponents fell
with the rest’.
1189 (1.8)
Death of Ralph, ab. Coupar.
1170 (31.5)
Appended:
‘1285’ (19.3.1286)
1296 (30.3)
(27.4)
1297 (11.9)
1298 (22.7)
‘1302’ (24.2.1303)
Death of King Alexander III, ‘by an accidental fall on the way
to Kinghorn’
Berwick taken by the English.
Battle of Dunbar
Battle of Stirling fought by William Wallace
Battle of Falkirk
Battle of Roslin
1306 (25.3)
(19.6)
1308 (25.12)
‘1312’ (7.1.1313)
‘1313’ (19.2.1314)
(14.3.1314)
1314 (23-23.6)
1318 (9.4)
Robert de Brus made king of Scotland at Scone.
Battle of Methven
Castle of Forfar taken
Town of Perth taken
Castle of Roxburgh taken
Castle of Edinburgh taken
Battle of the Bannock
Town of Berwick taken by the Scots
1355 (6.11)
(13.1.1356)
Capture of Berwick by the Scots
Capture of Berwick by the English