Paisley Abbey – merklands giving merks
The table below gives more detail about Paisley Abbey properties which are referred to in the Paisley text file. The question at issue is whether we can use the abbey rent-roll to establish a relationship between valuations and silver rent paid. In short, does 1 merkland of land give 1 merk silver rent? Since Paisley received its first properties within about 30 years of Scotland’s first coinage, and my suggested inception of the merkland valuation system, the monastery may have embedded that relationship into its property portfolio. Can we use the evidence from the Paisley rental to demonstrate this?
Depending upon how you classify them, and count them, the Paisley Rental mentions about 160 different subjects. These include individual houses, annual returns, town properties, mills and churchlands, besides the farms which were its most important assets. From this list I have stripped out everything which would not be classified as a farm. I have also excluded everything that was not in Renfrewshire – so omitting the substantial estates in Ayrshire and the Lennox. We are left with 70 farms (two of which are combined farms). These range from the 2s worth of Todholm to the 18 merkland (240s) of Inch. The data is not always consistent. Some paid part of their rent in cash, some only paid in oats. In a number of cases, the merkland valuation, or the silver rent, is not sufficiently clear for us to make comparisons.
From the set of 70 we can subtract 9 where the merkland valuation matches the render in terms of chalders of oats. There are another 5 which should be left out because they paid in cheese and stirks, or in cheese alone. But here, too, there seems to have been a standard rental of 120 stones cheese and 6 stirks from a 3 merkland unit.
From the remaining 56 we should omit a further 18 where the evidence is simply insufficient to give us a clear answer. We either lack data on merklands, or on rents, or both; or the data is inconsistent over time. We are left with 38 properties where we can make a clear comparison between the merkland valuation and the cash rent paid. 37 of these match – that is a 40s unit paid 40s rent, a 5m unit paid 5m rent etc. There is only one exception which is the kirkland of Eastwood. It had a land-valuation of 1m and paid £2 (3m) rent.
The conclusion is that there is a simple clear-cut relationship between valuation and silver rent paid. I would argue that this relationship was established before the properties were first given to Paisley Abbey. That the relationship was implicit in the merkland system set up by David I and his Norman supporters. That it was embedded into Renfrewshire sometime between c. 1136 and the 1160s. That it became locked into Paisley’s property portfolio as the standard rental. That despite inflation, currency depreciation and rent rises elsewhere, it remained a constant. Cameron Lees paints a very rosy picture of monastic beneficence. I am not sure I would agree with him on this but rural conservatism may have been the real reason why silver rents remained static. It is also possible that rents were subtly increased by the monks in other ways. Should we see surreptitious rent increases in ‘boon-silver’ and poultry and carriages?
By itself this evidence may not seem sufficient to prove my case for the origin of merklands in Scotland. However, it reinforces the other evidence I have presented, as in the table of Promissory Notes.
The letter in square brackets after each location indicates the parish.
P=Paisley, E=Eastwood, M=Mearns, L=Lochwinnoch, K=Kilbarchan, N=Neilstoun, R=Renfrew
| Location | Merklands
(where known) |
Cash Rent or
Chalders of oats |
Valuation = Rent
U = Uncertain data |
| Balrogear [L] | 40s (3m) | 40s (3m) | Match |
| Bourtrees [L] | 12s | 12s | Match |
| Merburn [L] | £4 (6m) | 80s (6m) | Match |
| Mosside [L] | 18s | U | |
| Stokbrig [L] | 33s 4d | U | |
| Foulton [K] | U | ||
| Drumgrane [N] | U | ||
| Lynwood [K] | 40s (3m) | 40s (3m) | Match |
| Auchinch [K] | 4m | 53s 4d (4m) | Match |
| Blaxton [K] | 20s | 20s | Match |
| Ferguslie [P] | £6 (9m) | £6 (9m) | Match |
| Whitecrook [P] | U | ||
| Mekilriggs [P] | £8 (12m) | U | |
| Brideland [P] | 20s | 20s | Match |
| Corsbar (2m) and
Thomasbar (3m) [P] |
5m | 5m | Match |
| Carriagehill [P] | 4m | 4m | Match |
| Todholm [P] | 2s | 2s | Match |
| Nether Thornlie [P] | 5m | 5m | Match |
| Ruchbank [P] | 5m AE | 5m | Match. See below. |
| Durschatside [P] | 20s | 20s | Match |
| Kirkhill [M] | 20s | 20s | Match |
| Kirkland, Over Pollok [M] | 8s | 8s | Match |
| Grenlaw [P] | 2m | 2 chalders oats | 1 merkland = 1 chalder oats |
| Snawdon [P] | £6 | U | |
| Bridelande [P] | 26s 8d | U | |
| Mains of Paisley [P] | 5m | U | |
| Sedhill [P] | U | ||
| Corsflat [P] | 40s (3m) | 40s | Match |
| Hillington [P] | 9m | 9 chalders oats | 1 merkland = 1 chalder oats |
| Ricards Bar [P] | 40s | 3 chalders oats | 1 merkland = 1 chalder oats |
| Newtoun [P] | 4m | 4 chalders oats | 1 merkland = 1 chalder oats |
| Erkilston [P] | 9m | 9 chalders oats | 1 merkland = 1 chalder oats |
| Candrane [P] | 5m | 5 chalders oats | 1 merkland = 1 chalder oats |
| Inch [R] | 18m | 18 chalders oats | 1 merkland = 1 chalder oats |
| Marksworth [P] | 1m | 1m | Match |
| Berscawan [P] | 4m | 4 chalders oats | 1 merkland = 1 chalder oats |
| Gallowhill [P] | U | ||
| Lylesland [P] | 20 bolls oats | U | |
| Lyncleave [P] | 4m | 4 chalders oats | 1 merkland = 1 chalder oats |
| West Kers [L] | 43s 4d (3¼m) | 43s 4d (3¼m) | Match |
| Neder/Easter Kers [L] | 43s 4d (3¼m) | 43s 4d (3¼m) | Match |
| Joffrais Tak [L] | 23s 4d | U | |
| Barnklaw [L] | 10s (¾m) | 10s (¾m) | Match |
| Mawisbank [L] | 10s (¾m) | 10s (¾m) | Match |
| Langstainle [L] | 15s (1⅛m) | 15s (1⅛m) | Match |
| Camehill [L] | 20s | 20s | Match |
| Laurensbank [L] | 1m | 1m | Match |
| Langzarde [L] | 2m | 2m | Match |
| Aldzarde [L] | U | ||
| Farhill [L] | 20s | 20s | Match |
| Gavilmos [L] | 12s | 12s | Match |
| Gilliszarde [L] | 23s | 23s | Match |
| Gerzarde [L] | 30s | U | |
| Brigend and Bar [L] | 10m | 10m | Match |
| Mylnbank [L] | 24s | 24s | Match |
| Cloughog [L] | 40s | 120 st. cheese, 6 stirks | |
| Litill Clooch [L] | 10s | 10s | Match |
| Langcroft [L] | 10s | 10s | Match |
| Queensidmor [L] | 40s | U | |
| Came [L] | £4 (6m) | 120 st. cheese | |
| Bernaucht W. [L] | 30s | 30s | Match |
| Bernaucht E [L] | 40s (3m) | 120 st. cheese, 6 stirks | |
| Tandilmore [L] | 40s (3m) | 120 st. cheese, 6 stirks | |
| Monyabrock [L] | 40s (3m) AE | 40s | Match – AE stated |
| Auchinane [L] | 40s | 120 st. cheese, 6 stirks | |
| Aldhous [E] | 5m | 5m | Match |
| Linthills [L] | 40s | U | |
| Kirkland [E] | 1m | £2 (3m) | NO MATCH |
| Brablo [P] | 28s 4d | U | |
| Knasland [P] | 5s | 5s | Match |
Conclusions
The table shows 70 properties (or combined properties). Of these:
18 x U – i.e. where data is contradictory or insufficient to draw conclusions from
37 match – i.e. there is a match between merkland valuation and merks of silver rent
1 does not match
9 show a match between the number of merklands and the chalders of oats paid as rent
4 show match between 40s (3m) valuation and rent of 120 stones cheese + 6 stirks
1 (Came) shows a rent in cheese only.
RSS III (873) c. 1544 is a charter of feufarm made by the Abbot of Paisley – before monastic life ended. It included the 5m ‘antiqui extentus’ (Auld Extent) of Rouchbank. The silver rent matched the valuation.
Monyabrock and Ruchbank/Rouchbank were both Auld Extent and their valuations were probably accorded before they were given to Paisley monastery.
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