Adam of Melrose facts for kids

Adam of Melrose was an important church leader who lived a long time ago. He was the Abbot of Melrose, which is like being the head of a monastery, and later became the Bishop of Caithness. Caithness is a region in the far north of Scotland. Adam is remembered for his tragic death, when he was killed by local farmers in Caithness. At that time, Caithness was part of the Jarldom of Orkney, which was connected to the Kingdom of Norway.

Adam's Journey to Becoming a Bishop

Adam became the head of the Melrose monastery, known as an Abbot, in 1207. On August 5, 1213, he was chosen to be the Bishop of Caithness. The main church for the bishop was then in a place called Halkirk.

About a year later, on May 11, 1214, Adam was officially made a bishop. This important ceremony was led by William de Malveisin, who was the Bishop of St. Andrews. Other bishops, like Walter of Glasgow and Bricius of Moray, helped with the ceremony.

In 1218, Bishop Adam traveled all the way to Rome with Bishop Walter and Bishop Bricius. They went to meet Pope Honorius III. Their mission was to get forgiveness for the Scottish King, Alexander II, and for all of Scotland. The King and the country had been put under a special church punishment called excommunication.

The Butter Tax Problem

When Adam returned to Caithness in 1219, he started having problems with the people living there. Bishop Adam had decided to increase a special payment, or "tax," that farmers had to give to the church.

Before, farmers had to give a "span" of butter (a small amount) for every twenty cows they owned. Bishop Adam changed this, asking for a span of butter for every ten cows. This meant farmers had to pay twice as much!

The farmers were very unhappy about this new tax. They complained to the local ruler, Jon Haraldsson, who was known as the Jarl. The Jarl wasn't very interested in their complaints, but he was also annoyed with the Bishop for other reasons. He famously said:

The devil take the bishop and his butter; you may roast him if you please!

A Tragic End for Bishop Adam

On September 11, 1222, a large group of farmers gathered at Halkirk to protest the bishop's tax increase. They were very angry and started shouting, Roast him alive!

Serlo, who was a church leader from Newbattle Abbey and a good friend and advisor to the Bishop, tried to calm the crowd. He went out to talk to them, but after some discussion, the angry mob attacked and killed Serlo.

Bishop Adam then tried to make a deal with the farmers, but they were too furious. They grabbed the bishop and dragged him into his own kitchen. Then, they set the kitchen on fire, and Bishop Adam tragically died in the flames. His body was later buried in the church of Skinnet.

A writer from that time, Boethius the Dane, blamed the Jarl for Adam's death. However, the Jarl swore that he was innocent. He was the last Jarl in the area who was originally from Norway.

The story of Bishop Adam's death is told in an old Norse story called Brenna Adams byskups.

What Happened Next

When King Alexander II heard about what happened, he saw it as a chance to show his power over Caithness. He traveled to Caithness himself and took strong action against those responsible. He punished many of the farmers severely.

King Alexander's actions were praised by Pope Honorius III. Even a quarter of a century later, another Pope, Pope Celestine IV, continued to commend him in an official church letter called a Papal bull.

In 1239, Bishop Adam's successor, Gilbert de Moravia (also known as Saint Gilbert of Dornoch), moved Adam's body. It was moved to the newly built Cathedral in Dornoch.