medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Salvete!
She was certainly culted in Scotland as well as Ireland, though I don't
know about identifying her with Scotland. (Identified by whom?) As far as
I know, she is never regarded as a national patron by Scots - expats were
particularly keen on Ninian, and Andrew and Margaret are important in certain
contexts.
Her efficacy for help with the cows is probably most famously evidenced in
Scotland in Sir David Lindsay's "The Monarche", where devotion to various
saints is mocked, including Bride who cures the kine (in the section
'Off Imageis Vsit amang Cristin Men', ll 2279-2708 in vol i of the
Scottish Text
Society edition of his Works, ed. Hamer). This is 1540s, I think.
The Douglases had a particular devotion to St Bride, probably because Douglas
parish church was dedicated to St Bride, if I remember rightly. Before
going to
crusade in Spain with Robert I (Bruce)'s heart, 'The Good' Sir James Douglas
endowed prayers at St Bride's altar in Newbattle Abbey (1330). Egidia Douglas
(countess of Orkney by marriage) had an obit at that altar (endowed sometime
in C15, but I can't remember the date right now) - according to some slightly
dodgy C17 transcripts, but that part is reasonably convincing! I have a vague
recollection of Douglas endowments of St Bridget's altar in Melrose abbey as
well.
It would be worth seeing how her office in the Aberdeen Breviary (1510)
relates
to English and Irish liturgical books, I expect. And it will probably be worth
distinguishing between the gaidhealtachd (have I spelt that remotely
correctly?)
and elsewhere, if that isn't stating the blindingly obvious.
I hope this is of some interest!
Pax et bonum,
Helen Brown
Quoting "Cormack, Margaret Jean" <[log in to unmask]>:
> medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
>
> Hello,
> A friend of mine is looking for information about St. Bridget / Bride.
> He'd like to know:
> - how common it would have been to identify her with SCOTLAND instead
> of Ireland
> - how common an association with milk, cattle, or distribution of
> food would be
> (I suspect this is pretty standard, myself!)
> - whether she is commonly associated with other saints, and if so,
> which (the Virgin Mary?
> Barbara?)
> He is dealing with sources from the late Middle Ages to the c. 1650.
> Thanks in advance,
> Meg
>
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--
Helen Brown (Miss)
Doctoral student
Scottish History Department,
University of Edinburgh,
17 Buccleuch Place, Edinburgh
Veritas liberabit.
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