ABSTRACT
The superintendent considered over one quarter of those canons whom he examined to be unfit to serve as ministers and suitable only for appointment as a reader or an exhorter. There does not appear to have been any attempt to secure the office of commendator of the priory immediately following the assassination. However, William Douglas of Lochleven, Lord James' maternal half-brother, appealed to the Scottish nobility for the patronage of the priory. After almost nine months the priory of St Andrews had its new commendator. However, Stewart did not command respect. In giving his 'estimate of the Scottish nobility' one contemporary described him as 'a man paste lx, simple, and of lyttle action or accompte'. In Lord James' absences Winram was careful to guide and direct the canons, ensuring that the priory retained its identity as a corporate body. Stewart retained his position but alienated many of his chapter by giving away much of the priory's resources.
