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those officers were allotted the whole revenues of the numerous altars and
chapelries, that pious people had founded within this church through several
ages. To the king was reserved the nomination of the dean or provost of this
collegiate establishment, who was to enjoy the tithes and other revenues of
St. Giles's church, with the adjacent manse, and the provost had the right of
choosing a curate, who was to be allowed yearly 25 marks, with a house
adjoining (m). William Forbes, the provost of this college, was obliged in
1482 to institute a suit in parliament against the magistrates for recovering
his salary of 220 marks. The lords auditors, on seeing the obligation of the
magistrates with the king's confirmation, ordained them to pay the provost's
salary on pain of imprisonment in Blackness castle (n). Gawin Douglas, the
celebrated translator of Virgil, enjoyed this rich endowment under James IV.
and James V. before he was raised to the bishopric of Dunkeld. In 1546
Robert Crichton, the provost of St. Giles's, was prosecuted in parliament
for purchasing of the pope the bishopric of Dunkeld (o). Mary of Guelder,
the widowed queen of James II., founded near Edinburgh in 1462, on the
north, a collegiate church for a provost, eight chaplains, two choristers or
singing boys, and an hospital adjoining for thirteen poor persons. For the
support of this collegiate establishment she assigned by apostolic authority
the various churches and revenues of the house of Soltre. Her foundation
was confirmed in the same year by James, bishop of St. Andrews (p). Mary,
the foundress, died on the 16th of November 1463, and was buried in her
own foundation (q). Sir Edward Boncle was the first provost of the Trinity
College, and he was soon obliged to apply to parliament for enforcing the
payment of his rents in Teviotdale (r). James IV. in 1502 granted to the
provost and prebendaries of this collegiate church, the lands of Powis
and Camestoun, with a walk-mill in Stirlingshire (s). The provost of the
Trinity College sat in the parliament of June 1526, and was appointed one of
the auditors of causes (t). In 1567 the whole of this establishment was granted
by the regent Murray to Sir Simon Preston, the provost of Edinburgh, and
was by him given to the magistrates, and they were diligent to purchase of
(m) Maitl. Edin., 271, where the stipends of the several members of the collegiate church are
specified for the illustration of manners.
(n) Parl. Rec., 285.
(o) Ib., 693. The simoniacal offence of Crichton was a breach of an act of parliament against such
purchases of the pope.
(p) Maitl. Edin., 207-10.                        (q) Lesley, 314.                         (r) Parl. Rec., 174-256-7.
(s) MS. Donations.                                  (t) Parl. Rec., 557.