The Abbot of Paisley (later Commendator of Paisley; Prior of Paisley before 1219) was the head of the Cluniac monastic community of Paisley Abbey and its property. The monastery was founded as a priory at Renfrew in 1163, but moved to Paisley in 1169. It became an abbey in 1219. The founder was Walter fitz Alan, Seneschal (Steward) of Scotland. The line of abbots ended when it was turned into a secular lordship for Lord Claud Hamilton in 1587/1592. The following is a list of abbots and commendators: List of priors ???, 1163 x 1165 Osbert, 1173-1180x1192 Roger, 1195 x 1196 -1208 x 1214 List of abbots ???, 1220 William, 1225/6 -1238, 1248? Stephen, 1272–1285 Walter, 1296 A[ ? ], 1301 Roger, 1318–1325 John, 1327 James, 1349 John, 1362–1370 John de Lithgow I, 1384-1408 x 1412 Alan de Govan, 1412 John de Lychcar, 1412 William de Cheshelme, 1414 Roland, 1414-1415 John de Lithgow II (?Lychcar), 1415-1431 x 1432 Thomas Morrow, 1418–1444 Richard Bothwell, 1444–1445 Thomas de Tarveis, 1445–1459 Henry Crichton, 1459–1471 Patrick Graham, 1466–1471 George Shaw, 1471–1499 Robert Shaw, 1498–1525 List of commendators John Hamilton, 1525-1553 Claude Hamilton, 1553–1587 Robert Lord Sempill, 1569–1573 William Erskine, 1581-1584 Claude Hamilton, 1586-1592 as 1st Lord Paisley See also Paisley Abbey Notes Bibliography Cowan, Ian B. & Easson, David E., Medieval Religious Houses: Scotland With an Appendix on the Houses in the Isle of Man, Second Edition, (London, 1976), pp. 64–5 Watt, D.E.R. & Shead, N.F. (eds.), The Heads of Religious Houses in Scotland from the 12th to the 16th Centuries, The Scottish Records Society, New Series, Volume 24, (Edinburgh, 2001), pp. 167–73 Cluniacs Scottish abbots Lists of abbots