Samson of Brechin facts for kids

Samson of Brechin was a very important person in Scottish history. He was the first known Bishop of Brechin. A bishop is a high-ranking church leader.

Samson lived a long time ago, in the 1100s. We know about him because his name appeared on important old documents called charters. Charters were like official papers or agreements from a king.

Samson's Time as Bishop

Samson's name is found on a charter given by King David I of Scotland. This paper was for a group of people living in a place called Deer. This charter was written down in the Book of Deer, which is a very old and special book.

We think this charter was made around the year 1150. This shows that Brechin had a bishop and was an important church area, called a bishopric, by that time. There was another charter from King David I that also mentioned the bishop of Brechin and a group called the Céli Dé.

Samson continued to be bishop even when a new king, Máel Coluim IV, ruled Scotland (from 1153 to 1165). Samson's name appeared on another important paper as late as 1165. This paper was from Richard, who was the Bishop of St. Andrews.

Samson's Family and Brechin's Beginnings

Samson was from Brechin itself. He was probably the son of a man named Léot. Léot was an earlier leader, an Abbot, of the church in Brechin. Samson also had a son named Domnall, who later became an Abbot in Brechin too.

This family connection is quite interesting! It helps us understand how the Bishopric of Brechin started. Many church areas in Scotland, including Brechin, grew out of older Gaelic Céli Dé groups. These were like special religious communities. Sometimes, the leadership of these communities, and later the bishoprics, stayed within the same family for a long time.