THE CULDEES.
In Joculiue's
51
—
of Keutigern (or St Miingo), written in the twelfth century
but which
describes the miracles of a man who lived in the sixth
we find what Dr Beeves calls the
life
—
name and
earliest Scottish record of the
the discipline of the Celc-cU or Callcdci.
In this
us that he derived his information from an ancient life of the saint,
biography, Joceline tells
existing in the cathedral church of Glasgow, of which he states that it was written in a
barbarous language, and that on the face of it were statements adverse to sound doctrine, and
opposed to the Catholic faith.
"
Here we
find another testimony to the fact, so generally detailed
that the early
Church
Middle Ages.
Joceline undertakes in his
differed in point of doctrine
improve his doctrine too
The
"
"
work
to
from the
Eoman
improve the
by medireval
writers,
Catholic Church of the
style of his predecessor,
and
to
^
!
disciples of this saint
were very numerous, and we are further informed by Joceline
manner
of the primitive church, possessing nothing, they lived piously and
that,
in small dwellings (casulis) of their own, and there, like Kentigern himself,
soberly apart
after the
matured wisdom, whence they were called single clergy
(clcrici singularcs),
speech (vulgo) Culdees (Callcdci)."
But our chief interest in Scottish Culdeisra arises from
belief
was
first
its
alleged origin in lona.
who says, " that in
the name of Culdees,
Dr Lanigan
attacked by
and in common
This
the whole history of the
in 1822,
or any name tantamount
monastery of Hy (lona) and of its dependencies,
"
Dr Eeeves (1864) shows that the Culdees are mentioned in ancient
to it, never once occurs."
records which allude to lona, but in such a manner, he argues, as both to disconnect them
from the Columbites, and to establish their comparatively recent origin.
By a still later
the facts upon which these conclusions are based have been subjected to a
writer, however,
which it would appear that they may be interpreted in precisely an
sense to that which has been generally accepted on the deservedly high authority of
opposite
Dr Eeeves.^ The Annals of Ulster relate, at the year 1164, that a deputation of the chiefs of
the family of la, consisting of Augustine the archpriest, Dubsidhe the lecturer, MacGilladuff
further analysis, from
the recluse, MacForcellaigh, head of tlic CciU-ncU, and such as were of eminence in the island,
"
From
waited on the Abbot of Derry, and invited him to accept the abbacy of their church.*
"
that the Ccli-de of Hy were only a section of the community,
tliis we learn," says Dr Eeeves,
'
whose superior was styled a
head,' not
'
and took a low rank among the notables of
prior,'
On the oth W"