Lordship or regality were more important:  the lord could rule in all cases except treason.  The priory’s lands were a regality and the prior was lord. This privilege was granted by the Earl of Douglas in 1447 and ratified by the King in 1450;  it includes the priory’s barony in Ayrshire.  The abbot’s administrator was called a bailie, and was frequently from the abbot’s family – probably Lord Fleming.

1538 Andrew Stevenson had 1000 marks of gold and silver taken from his room in the dormitory, where he probably held them as safe-keeping.

Churches:  Whithorn had 14:  12 in Wigtownshire, and at least 2 on the Isle of Man.

Whithorn had the shrine of St Ninian, which was 1 of 4 ‘held pilgrimages’ in Scotland.  It attracted lots of pilgrims.

The religion of Scotland changed in August 1560 but there was no destruction of Catholicism.  11 canons subsisted at Whithorn in 1560.  In the 20 years following, there were not enough ministers, so canons became readers who read the service under the supervision of protestant ministers.  In 1574 5 canons were still doing this.

The nave of Whithorn church was used for Protestant worship until 1822 (DILWORTH).