Series 4 > Knights of St John of Jerusalem in Scotland

INTRODUCTION
xxxix
whole nation, a fact which should not be overlooked. In December
1412 he obtained his desire and was provided by Benedict,
describing him as a brother of the order, to the preceptory called
priory of Torphichen, vacant by the death of Alexander de Seton,
former prior, or by death of John de Avat, Theobald de Paris or
Hildebrand Anglicus, or howsoever, despite its occupation by
Binning unlawfully provided by de Naillac, the ‘former’ grand
master.1 In 1414 Binning, Leighton, and a third brother, Thomas
Goodwin (who appears for the first time) were summoned by the
prior of England to London to attend the chapter-general of the
order in England;2 but Leighton may understandably have been
reluctant to attend, for in January 1415 he is found at Arbroath
issuing charters as ‘brother Alexander de Leighton, Knight of the
Order of St John of Jerusalem, Prior of Torphichen’.3 Clearly he
had been at least partly successful in obtaining control of the
Hospitallers’ property in Scotland; but in March 1415 Benedict
received a fresh petition from him asserting that Binning and
Goodwin had combined with Philbert de Naillac and other schis¬
matics in supporting Alexander v and John xxm, and had detained
fruits lawfully due to him.4 The following January de Naillac
ordered Leighton to appear before him at the Council of Constance
because of litigation among the brothers in Scotland.5 Leighton
never seems to have been completely successful in dispossessing his
rivals, for Binning and Goodwin were still there in 1418 when the
Great Schism was finally resolved, and a report on the state of
Scotland was made to the general chapter of the order meeting at
Avignon. John d’Ancuno, Garcias de Torres and Pascal Martinez
de Torella, brothers of the order, reported to Naillac and the chapter
on the Hospitallers’ properties in Scotland, and on their allocation
among the three brothers in Scotland. Binning held the church at
Torphichen and ferme of Lochcote (Torphichen) for a responsion
of 71 scuta: Goodwin held the church of Balantrodoch, two mills
and the vills of Hudpeth, Esperston and Outerston (in Temple) for
a responsion of 39 scuta: the remainder, and the lion’s share, was
held by Leighton for a much larger responsion of 289 scuta, making
1 Benedict XIII Letters, 261-2 2 CDS, iv, no. 857
3 Brechin Registrant, 18-19, 37 4 Benedict XIII Letters, 312-13
5 Malta Cod., 338, f. 1291