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Site of a monastery of Trinitarian Friars, in existence by 1274, and site of later Trades Hospital. William the Lion is said to have bestowed his palace (see NJ90NW0043) on the friars in 1211. Trinity Church is probably on the site of the monastic church, to the west of which was a large walled garden. The friary was sacked by Reformers in 1560, but the buildings remained and the church continued in use until 1794 when it was demolished (a new church was built on the site - see also NJ90NW0716). The rest of the property had been acquired in 1633 by the Incorporated Trades who built Trinity Hall on the site. Nothing is now visible of the monastic buildings. The exact location of the site of the Trinitarian Friary is unclear but it was near the current junction of Guild Street and Trinity Street. For most religious establishments in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, foundation dates and founders were uncertain and prone to speculation, especially without accurate documentation: Trinity Friary was one such establishment. The first mention of Holy Trinity was in 1273 when Friar Laurence of Dalery and members of Holy Trinity were witnesses to the confirmation charter of the grant of land called the 'madderyard in the Green' to the Carmelites by Thomas le Bouer, burgess of Aberdeen. Since this was a confirmation grant, it was likely that the original gift was given some years prior to 1273 and that Holy Trinity had been established for some time. The establishment of any monastery or friary takes time, money and support from the outside world and therefore firm dating is difficult to pinpoint. The order of Trinitarians was founded in late 1189, and if the supposed story of two friars of the order being sent to Scotland by Innocent III in order to establish a house in Aberdeen is to be believed, it was likely that the friary was founded between 1198 and 1216. The house was said to be founded by King William I and Queen Ermegard in order for the Trinitarians to support poor pilgrims and to help ransom captives in the Holy Land (the Third Crusade began in circa 1187 and ended in circa 1197). An unreliable date of circa 1211 has been suggested as its date of foundation because King William was said to have gifted his royal residence to the friary at this time. In addition, he also granted the lands of Banchory, Coway, Merelley with fishing on the Dee and Don, and the mills of Skerthar, Rothenny, Tullifully and Manimuch in the same year. A foundation date of circa 1211 would make Holy Trinity the earliest establishment of a friary in Aberdeen. As the Trinitarians were not a mendicant order, they were allowed endowments. The revenue of these were divided into three parts: one for the brothers and upkeep of the friary; one for the support of the poor and one to help ransom captives in the Holy Land. The grants from the twelfth and thirteenth century, unfortunately, do not survive and it is unclear as to how much land and revenue the friary had in its early development. One of the only known grants in this period was from Walter de Malewyle, burgess, and his wife Sybil, who granted lands (not specified) and an annual sum from the land of Fotyn in the 1280s. We know that Friar Hugh gave homage to Edward I in August 1296 and in September 1296, the property of the friary was restored. This suggests that they held extensive property throughout the burgh of Aberdeen. It is not until later that we become aware of the extent of property and revenue the friary had yearly and what connections they had in the burgh. Later grants to the friary were extensive and include annuities from many properties in the burgh as well as land in the burgh. It was not surprising that many of the grants were annuities for property in the burgh as this revenue was needed to ransom captives in the Holy Land and support the poor. Land, however, was used not only for the maintenance of the brothers of the house, but could also be leased out for revenues. These included lands in the Green, Shiprow, Guestrow, Fittie, Ferryhill, Castlehill, the Netherkirkgate, Gallowgate and Huxteraw-which were given by a number of benefactors. Some of the grants survive, while others have been lost or destroyed. For example, one of the only grants of land to the friary in the fourteenth century was from William of Daltoun, friar of the order of preachers (Blackfriars) and son of Hugh Daltoun, late burgess of Aberdeen. In 1381 he granted to the brothers of Holy Trinity an annual sum of 13s. 4d. from his land in Shiprow. In the early fifteenth century, a grant from Isabella Douglas, Countess of Mar, gave Trinity an annual rent of 10 merks from the lands of Wistoun, Kyncragy and Terlane. This was for the maintenance of a priest to celebrate daily mass in the church of Holy Trinity and to pray for her soul, the soul of her deceased husband, William, Earl of Douglas, and the souls of her ancestors. In the sixteenth century, the friary received an annuity of 10s from a land in Huxteraw resigned by William Buchan and Marjorie Fechit, his wife, and a further 5s from John Anderson's land in the Gallowgate that was resigned by Marjory. In 1519, Sir John Waus, resigned waste land in the Green to Trinity in return for an annual payment to the chaplains of the college of Aberdeen of 20s. Andrew Stratoun, burgess, granted further annuities in 1522 of 8s. 4d from his land in the Netherkirkgate. Additional annuities were granted in 1522 by William Blinsell, cowpar/cooper, burgess, of 13s. 4d. Scots from his house in the Shiprow 'for the weal of his soul, the souls of his wives, Margaret Chalmer and Annabell Scrogis, his parents and others, especially those whose goods he had unjustly obtained'. Further grants came from John, the earl of Caithness, of an annuity of 10 merks from the few mailles of the lands of Stroma in the earldom of Caithness in 1523, and later a piece of waste land in Futy Fittie was given to the friary that had been resigned by Norman Leslie in 1525/6. These grants, however were just a few of those given to the friary during its lifetime. It must have been difficult for the friary to obtain the revenue from their lands as we find the ministers of the friary, or their advocates, processing claims to receive annual back payments throughout the fifteenth century for their lands in the Green, Shiprow and Guestrow. For example, we find Friar John, processing a claim for an annual payment of 30d. from a land in the Green and a further 5s. for land in Shiprow in 1434. In September 1437, Friar David had put in a claim for an annual of 6s. 8d. from land in the Guestrow; this process was repeated again in January 1442. In 1447 and 1448, the friary was processing a claim for 3s. 4d. from a waste land in the Green and later, Alexander Young, chaplain and procurator for Friar David of Trinity, was processing a claim for an annual sum of 3s that was due for the same waste land and 3s from six roods of land in the Green in 1489. Similar claims were made for their lands in Fittie, Castlehill, Netherkirkgate, Gallowgate throughout the fifteenth century. The friary must have been able to receive their annual sums on a more regular basis as we do not find them processing claims for these lands again until the early sixteenth century and not as frequently. Most of the annuities from the lands or properties were still collected up until 1560 and at least until 1589. The Trinity Friars have been linked to the well-known family of the Menzies of Aberdeen and their connection to the house began as early as 1494. John Menzies granted to the friary his land near the place of the friary. After the Reformation in 1560, Gilbert Menzies of Cowlie was given the buildings and place of the friary. There have been tales that the friary was burned and raised to the ground in 1559 and that a Brother Francis was brutally murdered, but this cannot be proven. Unlike many monasteries and friaries that were destroyed or damaged at the Reformation, Holy Trinity seemed to have survived in some state. An ordinance by the Privy Council states that the places of the Friars were 'un-demolished' and they were to be used for services of the town and their revenue applied to good use. In 1576, Thomas Nicholson received the life-rent of the friary and was listed as the minister or prior of the place. He was still minister of Holy Trinity at least until 1589, which seems to suggest that the friary was still operating in some capacity as a place to receive the poor. The friary was still in possession of its properties until this date when the friary reverted to the Crown. Documentation regarding Trinity friary is scarce after 1589. One of the first ships built in Aberdeen was built on gardens beside the friary, the south wall that overlooked the upper part of the harbour or part of the estuary of the Dee. Authority to build a bark was granted to Alexander Davidsoun, timberman of St. Andrews, in February 1606. He was allowed to build the ship in the garden of the friary as it was considered to be 'filthilie abusit be middingis and the maist meit and convenient place for bigging of the said bark'. In 1628 King Charles I granted the friary to Thomas Mowat of Ardo, burgess of Aberdeen, the life-rent of the friary, which had reverted to the crown on the death of Thomas Nicholason, the last minister. In 1631 Mowat sold the friary to William Guild, for the purpose of a hospital and meeting place for the Incorporated Trades. In 1632, the Town Council granted support to Thomas Garbyn, tailor and deacon of the 'haill craffies' of the burgh, that he could build and repair the friary that William Guild had mortified to be a hospital for 'decayis craftismen'. By 1633, the place of the Trinity friars had been transformed into the Trades Hospital. From the list of annuities due to the Trades Hospital, some idea of the extent of the friary's properties and revenues can be observed. The friary received annuities from the lands in Ferryhill, Craibstone in the Garioch, Cromar, Lethenty in the Garrioch and the lands of Stroma. Property within the burgh of Aberdeen amounted to: a house beside the 'shoar', a rig in Crabstane and the butts at Futty Fittie, a house at Shiprow Port, a house in Broad Gate, lands in Netherkirkgate, the 'place of the Carmelite friars', a house in the Green, lands in the Green, lands in Shiprow, lands in the Gallowgate, houses in the Gallowgate, houses in the Castlegate, the house and yard beside the friary, lands in the Guest Row and land in Futty. The annual sum collected would have amounted to approximately £60 10s. 2. The extent of the building and the furnishings of the friary are unknown. In April 1534 however, it was estimated that £200 was required for parts of the roof of their church: a new 'thak, new laicht, and new cuppills' . This reference to repairing the roof was the only indication of rebuilding efforts or repair work done to the building. There are no visible remains of the friary. Buildings of the friary and chapel were restored and gateway built for the use of the Trades Hospital. The gateway was taken down some time during the 1840s and 1850s when the hospital and chapel were removed to make way for the building of Guild Street and Exchange Street. In 1857 when removing the last of the buildings, human remains, small finds and extensive foundations were found which were believed to relate to the friary and possibly King Williams's palace (see also NJ90NW0043).
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Historic Environment Records (HER) 
Aberdeen City
HER -
NJ90NW0052 - TRINITY FRIARS' MONASTERY