Twelfth-century intellectual exchanges between Glasgow and Durham: the evidence of two texts from the episcopate of Herbert of Kelso (1147–1164)

Two short Latin works survive from the episcopate of Herbert of Kelso (1147–1164), Bishop of Glasgow, providing a glimpse into the intellectual culture of that institution in the mid-twelfth century; both concern Saint Kentigern, the diocese’s patron saint and founder. This article examines the evidence that these – namely a fragment of an early hagiography of the saint and a poem describing his role in bringing victory over Somerled, Lord of the Isles (died 1164) – provide for comprehensive intellectual contacts between Glasgow and Durham. An analysis of near-contemporary Durham manuscripts shows the nature and extent of these exchanges and their importance as a case study for the wider cross-border intellectual networks which shaped northern Britain across the turbulent twelfth century.