History, Wonder Tales, Fairy Tales, Myths and Legends The Flemish | Page 69

Cloth, either dressed or undressed manufactured from Scottish wool and in 1 418 the
Compter at Bruges was ordered to refrain from all commercial relations with the Scots.
But affairs improved in 1442 when the Scottish Parliament agreed to endow a chapel
of St. Ninian in the Carmelite House at Bruges and tolls were collected from ships for
its support. It was here the Scottish merchants worshipped when they were in
Flanders and they had their own chaplain there. It was near to their ‘Place’, near to
their Consular House, adjoining the Augustinian Monastery but in 1470 the merchants
transferred themselves to the Place St. Martin, then called Scottenplaets. For some
time in the 14th century the Scottish Staple was at Bruges.
One of the most famous of the Bruges merchants at this time was Anselm Adorne. His
family was influential in Bruges and he himself was widely travelled. In 1468 he came
to Scotland on a trade mission to try to re-establish trade between Scotland and
Flanders and while he was in Scotland he met King James III. In 1472 he returned to
Bruges and was made Conservator of Scottish privileges granted by the Duke of
Burgundy to 3pursue, procure, request or defend the goods of the said merchants and
their rights and actions in the said city of Bruges.” He was back in Scotland in 1 474
and was made Keeper of Linlithgow Palace by James III. He ran into trouble in Bruges
in 1477 and was put into prison for misuse of funds. On his release he returned to
Scotland and in 1483 he was murdered. He was buried in Linlithgow and there is now
a plaque in the church there to commemorate him. His heart was cut out and sent to
Bruges to be buried beside his wife Margaret in the family church : the
Jerusalemkerke in Bruges.
A later conservator of Scottish privileges was Andrew Halyburton (1493-1503). It was
said of him that “he looked after the weal of his fellow Scots carefully and saved them
much expense”. In 1620 Peregrine Paterson was the Conservator and had a difficult
time as he had to assist and relieve many ruined Scottish merchants.
By the 16th century the Conservator was lodging in Antwerp for that town had
provided a pleasant house for the use of the Conservator in which he might also lodge
Scottish traders’ Merchandise. When a fleet arrived from Scotland and there were too
many for that house the Burgomaster was empowered to find them other lodgings.
The Government of Scotland was said to be very content with their treatment. The
Famous Treaty of Free Trade was ratified at Antwerp in 1551. Mary, Queen of Scots
had drawn it up on one side and Charles V on the other.
But the links between Scotland and Flanders encompassed much more than the wool
trade, valuable to both countries as that was. Religion also played its part. During the
early Middle Ages Europe was united by a common faith and scholars, monks and
clergymen travelled freely from country to country teaching, preaching and learning
(For example, a Scot, Henry de Leighton, was Rector of Louvain in 1432 and later
Bishop of Aberdeen). There was frequent communication between the houses of the
different Monastic orders. Travel to the Papal Court in Rome (and also in Avignon) by
clergymen from every country in Europe was commonplace.
But perhaps the greatest number of travellers were the Crusaders and pilgrims who
had recognised routes to Jerusalem and to the shrines of the Saints such as St.
James at Compostella and St Giles at the Mouth of the Rhone. St Giles also forms a
link between Scotland and Flanders. The High Kirk of Edinburgh is dedicated to St

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