16
dissimilarities of local division, the intelligent reader must perceive an obvious
difference in the lineage of the people of the two kingdoms, who differed so
widely in their domestic economy, in their personal habits, and in their usual
pursuits. In the South we see a Saxon policy; in the North, we perceive
Gaelic customs. Of course Celtic Scotland any more than Celtic Ireland
had not any of those minute divisions which existed in England, of rapes, laths,
tithings, hundreds, and wapentakes (y). The policy of sheriffdoms was intro-
duced gradually into both those Celtic countries, after the government of both
had become Anglo-Norman, and every intimation concurs to prove that a
revolution in policy took place within North-Britain, when the children of
Malcolm Canmore imperceptibly introduced some of the laws of England into
those districts, wherein a new people superseded the Celtic customs which had
come down from the original settlers.
§ XL Of its Ecclesiastical State.] The ecclesiastical divisions of North-Britain
must he referred to much earlier periods and to very different origins than the
civil jurisdictions, which have just been mentioned as singular. The highest
order of spiritual persons preceded the lowest, and bishops consequently
existed before presbyters or priests, even at the dawn of Christianity (z).
Several prelates distinctly appear in the exercise of their appropriate functions
during the Pictish period of the North-British history, though without any
prescribed diocese (a). Nor did sees commence till towards the end of the
subsequent era of the North-British annals. It was not till the reigns of
Alexander I. and of his brother David that the Scottish bishops began to enjoy
their several sees, with episcopal authority and baronial rights. At the demise
of David I. in 1153 there existed ten dioceses in Scotland when the episcopal
church had acquired her usual forms and enjoyed her accustomed revenues.
The bishopric of Argyle was established by William the Lion about the year
1200 (6). The bishoprics of Man and Orkney were naturally conjoined,
when those territories were acquired by the Scottish crown, and the see of
Edinburgh was not established till the recent reign of Charles I. (c). The see
of St. Andrews was erected into an archbishopric in 1471, and the see of
Glasgow was made an archbishopric in 1489. But the great fabric of
(y) Led wich's Antiq. p. 216 ; Harris's Hibernia, part ii. p. 66.
(z) Caledonia, i. 322-3.                             (a) Ib. book 2 ch. 5.
(b) Ib. 685.
(c) Sir Ja. Dalrymple's Col. 321 ; Keith's Catalogue ; Lord Hailes's An. i. p. 95—9