PRAT, John ¹

   User ID: X381.

  General Notes:

"In 1491 the first chaplain presented by Thomas Prat, burgess of Aberdeen to the newly founded service of SS Thomas Apostle and George Martyr was his son, sir John Prat." (page 141)

"This is illustrated by the service of SS Thomas and George, founded by the burgess family of Prat. The first chaplain, sir John Prat, was a son of the founder." (page 142)

"Sir John Prat, first chaplain at his father's chantry may have remained in clerk's orders at least as late as 1503." (page 152)

"On 23 February 1494/95 the council granted licence to sir John Prat 'to pass to Sanct James his pilgrimage but preiudice to his chaplanry of the croice altar', which was to be served in his absence by sir Matthew Nicholson." (page 159)

"On 25 Oct 1512 he (John Fife) was given possession of the altar of the Holy Rood, a burgh service vacant by the death of sir John Prat. (page 221)

"Sir John Prat :
First appears 15 Nov 1488 as a chaplain of the college of St Nicholas, and is listed as such in 1491. On 18 Apr 1491 his father, Thomas Prat, endowed the altar of SS Thomas and George. Sir John was to be its chaplain and to hold no other service outside the parish church. He still held the chantry on 8 Jan 1503/4. On 23 Feb 1494/95 the council granted licence to sir John 'to pass to Sanct James his pilgrimage but preiudice to his chaplanry of the croice altar'. Sir Matthew Nicholson was to serve at the altar until his return. Prat next occurs on record on 9 Jan 1502/3. He last appears on 6 Oct 1511, but clearly lived until shortly before 25 Oct 1521, on which date S1r John Fife was presented by the burgh council to the altarage of the Holy Rood vacant by Prat's death. (page 253)

from Medieval Burgh Kirk ¹

  Research Notes:

CLERK

The original context of this word was a religious one. Clerk, in medieval times, and earlier, was synonymous with cleric, or clergyman, that is a person who belonged to a class of men who were priesta or who were training to be priests, a person ordained by the church.
A person who wanted to be a priest had to have some education, including the learning of Latin, enabling him to take religious orders, and therefore to conduct church services. By extension, because reading and writing were almost exclusively linked to the priestly class in society, it came to mean a person who was literate or educated. ^{2 3}