The Abbot of Dundrennan was the head of the Cistercian monastic community of Dundrennan Abbey, Galloway. It was founded by Fergus of Galloway in 1142. Dundrennan was a large and powerful monastery in the context of the south-west. It became secularised and protestantised in the 16th century. In 1606 it was finally turned into a secular lordship in for John Murray of Lochmaben, afterwards earl of Annandale.
The royal warrant in 1886 which revived the office of Dean of the Chapel Royal also gave the Dean the titles of Abbot of Crossraguel and Abbot of Dundrennan.Stair Memorial Encyclopaedia of the Laws of Scotland, Volume 7: The Crown, paragraph 838.
The following is a list of abbots and commendators: __NOTOC__
List of abbots Silvanus, fl. 1167Known when, in 1167, he was elected abbot of Rievaulx, Dundrennan's mother-house. William, 1180 Nicholas, 1196 x 1200 [? Egidius], fl. 13th centuryKnown only by a graveslab; graveslab thought to date to the 13th century. Gaufridus (Geoffrey), 1209 x 1222 Robert Matursal, 1223 x 1224 Jordan, 1236 Leonius, 1236–1239 Ricardus (Richard), 1239 Adam I, 1250 Brian, 1250–1273 Adam II, 1294 Walter, 1296 John, 1305 William, 1332 Giles, 1347 - 1358 x 1381 Thomas, 1381 Patrick MacMen, x 1426 Thomas de Levinstone, 1429 Patrick Maligussal [Maxwell], 1431 Thomas de Levinstone (again), x1440-1454Became abbot on 20 May 1429. He suffered from blindness. He had resigned the abbacy on 30 November 1429, but was abbot again when he became bishop of Dunkeld in 1440. He was perhaps the nomination (to Dunkeld) of the Anti-Pope Felix V; he was probably confirmed by Pope Nicholas V, however he never gained possession of the see, and was deprived of it in 1441 by Pope Eugenius IV for recognizing the Council of Basel. He took a pension in 1454, and he died sometime before 10 July 1460; also Abbot of Coupar Angus and previously Abbot-elect of Newbattle. Alexander Brady, 1441 John Hunter, 1441 William Lowierii (Lilburn), 1454–1472 John Fuogo [Fogo], c. 1473-1476 Alexander Pettigrew, x 1474-1479 John Lockhart, 1476 Hugh Foulis, 1479 William Bewister, 1485 Edward Story (Edward Meldrum), 1488–1515 Robert Hunter, 1490 James Hay, 1516-1524Became bishop of Ross in 1524. John Dingwall, 1518 Adam Symson, 1518 Edward Bangal, 1519 John Maxwell, fl. 1524Previously abbot of Holyrood. Cristofer Boyd, fl. 1526-1527
List of commendators Henry Wemyss, 1529-1541Had been bishop of Galloway since 1526; was also commendator of Tongland (1530-1541). Adam Blackadder, 1541–1562 Edward Maxwell, 1562–1599 John Murray of Lochmaben, 1599–1606
Notes
Bibliography Thompson, Barbara, "Monks and Other Officers of Dundrennan", (Dundrennan Abbey; unpublished) 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. 63–7