CRICHTON, William Rector of the Church of Crichton ¹

   Another name for William was DE KREITTON, William.¹

  General Notes:

"By charter dated 27 May 1338, William de Kreitton, rector of the Church of Kreitton, and son and heir of the deceased Thomas de Kreitton, burgess of Berwick, for the wellbeing of his own soul, and the souls of his father Thomas, his mother Eda, and his step-mother Isabella, and also of the souls of Thomas Nicholas and Sir John de Kreytton, granted to the Abbey of Newbottle his lands in the holding of New Cranston in Lothian, and this grant was confirmed the same day by Radulph de Cranston dominus de Newcranston, son and heir of the deceased Andrew de Cranston, from whom Thomas de Kreitton, burgess of Berwick, and father of the said William, had originally received the said lands.

About the same time there appear among the witnesses to an undated charter by the same Radulph, dominus de Cranystoun, in favour of the Hospital of Soltre, dominus Johannis, dominus de Crechtoun, and dominus Willelmus, rector ejusdem."

from Scots Peerage (vol 3) ¹

  Research Notes:

RECTOR

"The new canon law of the later eleventh and early twelfth century required that every parish church should have someone in charge called a rector, whose primary duty was now defined, not as head of a group of clerks, but, as St Gregory had seen the role, as the governor of souls exercising cura animarum (cure of souls) in his parish. The rector now had a duty to live in his parish in person- although provision was made that if he was unable to do so, he must appoint an agent (vicar) to deputise for him and to act in his place. The rector, or his vicar, now had to act as confessor, seeing that his flock made at least one annual confession, and had a duty also to give spiritual advice. In this capacity the rector became the holder of a benefice, which usually gave him the right to enjoy a lifelong tenancy and annual income from tithes, in particular, as well as the temporary profits from the emoluments of his office."

from parishwindow.co.uk website ²