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Title: The ecclesiastical architecture of Scotland from the earliest Christian times to the seventeenth century; vol. 3/3
Author: MacGibbon, David, Ross, Thomasina
Language: English
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SCOTLAND FROM THE EARLIEST CHRISTIAN TIMES TO THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY; VOL.
3/3 ***
THE ECCLESIASTICAL ARCHITECTURE
OF SCOTLAND
FROM THE EARLIEST CHRISTIAN TIMES TO THE
SEVENTEENTH CENTURY.
_Edinburgh: Printed by George Waterston & Sons_
FOR
DAVID DOUGLAS
LONDON, SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, HAMILTON, KENT, AND CO., LIMITED
CAMBRIDGE, MACMILLAN AND BOWES
GLASGOW, JAMES MACLEHOSE AND SONS
THE
ECCLESIASTICAL
ARCHITECTURE
OF SCOTLAND
FROM THE EARLIEST CHRISTIAN TIMES TO THE
SEVENTEENTH CENTURY
BY
DAVID MACGIBBON AND THOMAS ROSS
AUTHORS OF “THE CASTELLATED AND DOMESTIC ARCHITECTURE OF SCOTLAND”
_VOLUME THREE_
[Illustration]
EDINBURGH: DAVID DOUGLAS
MDCCCXCVII
_All rights reserved._
PREFACE.
In issuing the concluding Volume of this work, we take the opportunity
to notice some points in the previous portions which have given rise to
discussion.
In Vol. I. p. 297 we express disagreement with Mr. W. Galloway’s opinion
regarding the age of the chancel walls of St. Blane’s, Bute. Mr.
Galloway having asked for an opportunity of defending his views, we have
pleasure in publishing his observations in the Appendix to this Volume.
Reference is made in Vol. II. p. 172 to Mr. T. L. Watson’s theory
regarding the vaulting of the lower church in St. Mungo’s Cathedral,
Glasgow. Having recently had the privilege, on the invitation of Mr. P.
Macgregor Chalmers, of attending a meeting on the spot, when the usually
obscure edifice was well lit up, and when it was shown by Mr. Chalmers
that the points on which Mr. Watson based his opinion were untenable, we
see no reason to believe that the beautiful design of the vaulting and
the plan of the shrine were ever intended to be carried out in a mode
different from that in which they are executed.
When treating of Melrose Abbey (Vol. II. p. 378) we ventured to
criticise the views expressed by Mr. Chalmers in his work, _A Scots
Mediæval Architect_. As Mr. Chalmers has been kind enough to approach us
directly, taking exception to our remarks, we are glad to afford him, in
an Appendix to this Volume, the opportunity he desires of stating his
defence of his views.
Mr. Chalmers has done good service in drawing attention to some examples
of Scottish mediæval architecture of a late date, which show a
remarkable revival in point of design when compared with the general
architecture of the country at the time.
From the series of examples given in this Volume there can scarcely be
any question as to the gradual deterioration of ecclesiastical
architecture which occurred generally throughout Scotland during the
latter half of the fifteenth and the first half of the sixteenth
centuries, and it is certainly surprising to find some exceptionally
good work in a few structures of that period. Amongst these is the aisle
of Car Fergus, in Glasgow Cathedral, the vaulting of which building is
of about the date of 1500, as is evident from its containing several
specimens of Archbishop Blacader’s arms. The work is not all equal, but
the vaulting has the groining (a rare kind of construction in Scotland
at the period) well executed, and the bosses show a wonderful amount and
variety of design. Some of the latter (such as that in the illustration
kindly supplied by Mr. Chalmers in the Appendix) are admirable.
Mr. Chalmers has brought forward a considerable amount of evidence
regarding the rood screen in St. Mungo’s, which point to its being an
exceptionally fine specimen of late pointed work. The vaulting and some
other portions of the presbytery of Melrose Abbey are also classed by
Mr. Chalmers in the same category.
The subject is an interesting one, and all students of Scottish
architecture must feel indebted to Mr. Chalmers for drawing special
attention to it. We trust the point will be further investigated.
There is one consideration connected with this revival to which we would
draw attention, viz., that mentioned in the text (Vol. III. pp. 6 and 7)
that a certain excellence in the carving and the design of the smaller
features of the architecture observable in the later work may have been
due to the foreign artists introduced at the time. We might, in view of
the above circumstances, have given this remark a wider scope, so as to
apply to such works as those above referred to and similar examples.
There is abundant evidence in the Exchequer Rolls that French
master-masons were employed by James IV. and V. Thus the Merliouns,[1] a
distinguished family of French master-masons, were in the royal service
at Stirling in 1496, and members of the family are found at Linlithgow,
Dunbar, Ravenscraig, Perth Church, &c. Latterly the king’s _French
master-mason_ became a regular court appointment, and the office was
held by several Frenchmen.[2]
This importation of foreign artists may perhaps account for some of the
exceptionally good examples, especially in connection with places
favoured by royalty; but a good deal of time would necessarily elapse
before such work could become general. Hence the revival was limited,
while the architecture generally gradually deteriorated or changed to
Renaissance.
The monument of Bishop Kennedy, in St. Salvator’s, St. Andrews (a design
undoubtedly superior to the general Scottish work of the period), is
probably a French example, both in design and execution.[3]
Mr. Chalmers lays stress on the influence of Queen Margaret’s marriage
to James IV. as probably having produced some of the imitations of
English perpendicular work found at Melrose and Linlithgow, and this may
possibly have been the case.
In a review of Vol. II. in the _Glasgow Herald_ attention was drawn to
an error in the description of St. Andrews Cathedral (p. 31), where the
restored illustration (Fig. 453) shows a single central shaft in the
windows of the chapter house, instead of two coupled shafts. The shafts
are gone, but the two bases are still traceable.
* * * * *
We have to thank the numerous clergymen, proprietors, custodians, and
others, to whom it has been necessary to apply for permission to visit
the various churches, for their assistance, which was always freely
given. Our acknowledgments are also due to those gentlemen who have
kindly continued their contributions to our work in the form of drawings
and descriptions of churches, especially to Mr. T. S. Robertson, Dundee,
and Mr. William Galloway, Whithorn. Mr. R. Weir Schultz, London; Mr.
John W. Small, Stirling; Mr. F. R. Coles, Edinburgh, and others have
also been good enough to furnish us with several drawings and
descriptions for this Volume, as is noted in the text.
To the Librarians of the Advocates’ Library and the University Library
of Edinburgh, and the Keeper of the National Museum of the Antiquaries
of Scotland, we are greatly indebted for their valuable assistance.
We desire, further, to express our obligation to Mr. Alexander Ross,
architect, Inverness, and Mr. R. Bruce Armstrong, for permission to use
illustrations from their published works; and to Mr. W. Rae Macdonald,
Edinburgh, and Mr. R. C. Walker, Dundee, for their aid in connection
with the heraldry of the buildings and monuments.
EDINBURGH, _October 1897_.
CONTENTS.
PAGE
Third or Late Pointed Period--Gradual transition from Middle Pointed
Style--Inferior, but peculiarly Scottish--Middle Pointed buildings
large and complete--Large Late Pointed examples, chiefly restorations
and collegiate, and designed as single chambers without aisles--Some
designed as cross churches, but often unfinished--Characteristic
features--Eastern three-sided apse and pointed barrel vault, with
stone roof--Groins avoided, and contrivances in lieu thereof--Windows
low--Surface vaulting instead of ribs generally used, but ribs
sometimes applied to surface--Examples--Stone roofs carefully
wrought--Independent invention--Examples of groined vaults--Decorated
barrel vault, and straight arches at Rosslyn--Forms of buttresses,
pinnacles, windows, tracery, &c.--Influences of Late English and French
Gothic--Doorways, porches, arms, central towers--Monuments--Figure
carving--Sacrament houses and smaller features well executed, perhaps
the work of French artists--Collegiate churches spread over the whole
country--Parish churches converted into collegiate churches, 1-7
DESCRIPTIONS OF BUILDINGS.
Paisley Abbey (_Cluniac_), Renfrewshire, 7
Dunkeld Cathedral (St. Columba’s), Perthshire, 28
Iona Cathedral (_Cluniac_ Abbey), Argyleshire, 47
St. Machar’s Cathedral, Old Aberdeen, 75
Trinity College Church, Edinburgh, Mid-Lothian, 89
Parish Church of St. John the Baptist, Perth, Perthshire, 104
Do. Dundee, Forfarshire, 123
Glenluce Abbey (_Cistercian_), Wigtonshire, 132
Parish Church of Torphichen, Linlithgowshire, 139
St. Anthony’s Chapel, Edinburgh, Mid-Lothian, 145
Collegiate Church of St. Matthew, Rosslyn, Do. 149
Do. St. Mary, Dunglass, Haddingtonshire, 179
Parish Church of St. Marnan, Fowlis Easter, Perthshire, 189
Collegiate Church of St. Salvator, St. Andrews, Fifeshire, 199
Do. St. Nicholas, Dalkeith, Mid-Lothian, 205
Parish Church of St. Mungo, Borthwick, Do. 214
Do. Our Lady, Ladykirk, Berwickshire, 218
Collegiate Church of St. Mary and Holy
Cross, Seton, Haddingtonshire, 223
Collegiate Church of Arbuthnott, Kincardineshire, 235
Do. Saints Mary and Kentigern,
Crichton, Mid-Lothian, 243
Collegiate Church of St. John the Baptist,
Corstorphine, Do. 250
Collegiate Church of St. Macrubha, Crail, Fifeshire, 263
Parish Church of St. Mary, Whitekirk, Haddingtonshire, 269
Do. Mid-Calder, Mid-Lothian, 279
King’s College Chapel, Old Aberdeen, 287
Church of the Carmelite Friars (St. Mary’s),
South Queensferry, Linlithgowshire, 296
Collegiate Church of St. Bothan, Yester, Haddingtonshire, 309
Parish Church of the Holy Rood, Stirling, Stirlingshire, 315
Collegiate Church of St. Saviour, Tullibardine, Perthshire, 330
Do. St. Mary, Maybole, Ayrshire, 338
Do. St. Mary, Biggar, Lanarkshire, 343
Do. Carnwath, Do. 349
Do. St. Mary, Castle Semple, Renfrewshire, 351
Church of the Franciscans or Greyfriars, Elgin, Morayshire, 356
Do. do. do. Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, 358
Church of the Priory of St. Clement, Rowdil,
Harris, Inverness-shire, 363
Church of the Priory of St. Oran or St.
Columba, Oronsay, Argyleshire, 372
Font of Church of St. Maelrubba, Skye, Inverness-shire, 381
EXAMPLES ARRANGED ALPHABETICALLY BY COUNTIES.
ABERDEENSHIRE.
Church of Kinkell, 383
Do. Kintore, 386
Chapel of St. Adamnan, Leask, 387
ARGYLESHIRE.
Church of St. John the Baptist, Ardchattan, 389
Collegiate Church of St. Mund, Kilmun, 390
AYRSHIRE.
Alloway Kirk, 393
Parish Church of Old Dailly, 394
Do. Straiton, 396
BANFFSHIRE.
Collegiate Church of St. Mary, Cullen, 398
Parish Church of St. John Evangelist, Deskford, 406
Do. St. Bean, Mortlach, 408
BERWICKSHIRE.
Church of Abbey St. Bathans (Cistercian Nuns), 410
Parish Church of Our Lady, Bassendean, 412
Do. Cockburnspath, 413
Do. Preston, 416
BUTESHIRE.
Church of St Mary’s Abbey, Rothesay, 418
DUMBARTONSHIRE.
Parish Church and Collegiate Church of St. Mary, Dumbarton, 423
Chapel at Kirkton of Kilmahew (St. Mahew), 426
DUMFRIESSHIRE.
Canonby Priory (Austin Canons), Fragment of, 431
Parish Church of Kirkbryde, 431
Church of St. Cuthbert, Moffat, 433
Do. Sanquhar, 435
FIFESHIRE.
Parish Church of Carnock, 436
Do. St. Serf, Dysart, 437
Do. St. Monan, Kilconquhar, 441
Do. St. Irenaeus, Kilrenny, 442
Do. Rosyth, 444
Church of the Dominicans or Blackfriars, St. Andrews, 445
Do. St. Leonard’s College, St. Andrews, 448
Do. the Holy Trinity, St. Andrews, 451
FORFARSHIRE.
Parish Church of Airlie, 452
Do. Invergowrie, 454
Do. Mains, 455
Do. Maryton, 456
Do. Pert, 458
Do. St. Vigean’s, 459
HADDINGTONSHIRE.
Church of the Red or Trinity Friars, Dunbar, 462
Parish Church of St. Maelrubba, Keith, 465
KINCARDINESHIRE.
Church of St. Palladius, Fordoun, 468
KIRKCUDBRIGHTSHIRE.
Church of Old Girthon, 469
LANARKSHIRE.
Priory of Blantyre (Austin Canons), 470
Parish Church of St. Michael, Covington, 472
LINLITHGOWSHIRE.
Parish Church of Auldcathie, 474
MID-LOTHIAN.
Collegiate Church of St. Triduan, Restalrig, 475
PEEBLESSHIRE.
Parish Church of Newlands, 479
Holy Cross Church, Peebles, 482
Church of St. Andrew, Peebles, 485
PERTHSHIRE.
Parish Church of St. Cathan, Aberuthven, 485
Church of St. Moloc, Alyth, 487
Do. St. Mechessock, Auchterarder, 488
Do. Cambusmichael, 489
Abbey of Coupar (Cistercian), 491
Parish Church of Dron, 497
Church of Ecclesiamagirdle or Exmagirdle, or Glenearn, 499
Parish Church of Forgandenny, 500
Abbey of Inchaffray (Austin Canons), 502
Collegiate Church of Innerpeffray, 507
Parish Church of Kinfauns, 513
Do. Meigle, Font of, 517
Collegiate Church of Methven, 519
Chapel of Moncrieff, 521
Parish Church of Wast-town, 522
RENFREWSHIRE.
Parish Church of Renfrew (Monument), 525
Parish Churches of Houston, St. Fillan’s, and Kilmalcolm, 527
SELKIRKSHIRE.
Parish Church of Selkirk, 529
WIGTONSHIRE.
Parish Church of St. Machutus, Wigton, 533
CHURCHES OF THE SIXTEENTH AND SEVENTEENTH CENTURIES.
PAGE
Mediæval Architecture terminated with the Reformation, 1560--Under
James I. and Charles I. and II. a revival attempted--Two
styles practised, one plain, the other somewhat ornate--Specimens
of each--Influence of Domestic Architecture on
Ecclesiastical--Picturesque examples, 534
The following churches of this period are arranged in alphabetical
order:--
Parish Church of St. Drostan, Aberdour, Aberdeenshire, 535
Parish Churches of Anstruther, Easter and
Wester, Fifeshire, 536
Parish Church of St. Mary, Auchterhouse, Forfarshire, 541
Do. Aytoun, Berwickshire, 543
Do. Ballingry, Fifeshire, 543
Do. Blair, Blair-Atholl, Perthshire, 544
Do. St. Brandan, Boyndie, Banffshire, 545
Do. St. Michael, Cupar, Fifeshire, 547
Do. St. Bridget, Dalgety, Do. 549
Do. St. John, Dalry, Kirkcudbrightshire, 551
Do. Drainie and Michael Kirk, Morayshire, 553
Do. Durness, Sutherlandshire, 557
Do. St. Cuthbert, East Calder, Mid-Lothian, 559
Parish Churches of Eassie and Nevay (St.
Neveth), Forfarshire, 560
Pulpit from St. Cuthbert’s Church, Edinburgh, Mid-Lothian, 562
Parish Church of St. Cavan, Fetteresso, Kincardineshire, 562
Chapel of Fordel, Fifeshire, 565
Parish Church of Garvald, Haddingtonshire, 567
Do. St. John, Gamrie, Banffshire, 567
Do. Gladsmuir, Haddingtonshire, 569
Steeple of the Tron Church, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, 571
Chapel of St Mary, &c., Grandtully, Perthshire, 571
Parish Church of Greenlaw, Berwickshire, 574
Do. Insch, Aberdeenshire, 575
Do. Kemback, Fifeshire, 576
Do. Kilmaurs, Glencairn Monument
at, Ayrshire, 577
Do. Kinneil, Linlithgowshire, 578
Do. St. Bean’s, Kinkell, Perthshire, 579
Do. Kinnoull, Monument in, Do. 580
Parish Church of Kirkoswald, Ayrshire, 582
Do. Lauder, Berwickshire, 582
Do. Leswalt, Wigtonshire, 585
Do. St. Colm, Lonmay, Aberdeenshire, 587
Do. Loudoun, Galston, Ayrshire, 587
Do. Lyne, Peeblesshire, 589
Do. Morham, Haddingtonshire, 591
Do. St. Fiacre or Fittack, Nigg, Kincardineshire, 592
Do. Oldhamstocks, Berwickshire, 594
Do. St. Giles’, Ormiston, Haddingtonshire, 596
Church of the Priory of Pittenweem, Fifeshire, 599
Parish Church of Polwarth, Berwickshire, 601
Do. Prestonpans, Heraldic
Panel from, Haddingtonshire, 602
Do. St. Ethernan or Eddran,
Rathan, Aberdeenshire, 604
Chapel and Castle of Southannan, West
Kilbride, Ayrshire, 607
Parish Church of Stenton, Haddingtonshire, 609
Do. Stow, Mid-Lothian, 611
Church at Terregles, Kirkcudbrightshire, 615
Parish Church of St. Congan, Turriff, Aberdeenshire, 615
Do. Walston, Lanarkshire, 617
Do. Weem, Perthshire, 619
Do. Yester, Haddingtonshire, 622
Specimen of Early Sculpture from Forteviot, Perthshire, 623
APPENDIX, 625
THE ECCLESIASTICAL ARCHITECTURE OF SCOTLAND
FROM THE EARLIEST CHRISTIAN TIMES TO THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY.
VOLUME III.
THIRD OR LATE POINTED PERIOD.
In passing from the Middle Pointed to the Late Pointed periods in
Scotland, we do not find any distinct break in the style of architecture
such as exists between the First and Second Pointed periods. The middle
pointed style passes by gentle gradation into the late pointed style,
and there is some difficulty in fixing the period when the one ceases
and the other begins. When buildings such as Melrose Abbey and Lincluden
College are compared with Dunglass, Corstorphine, and other collegiate
churches of the late period, the difference of style is very apparent,
and it is at once seen that these edifices belong to different
categories. But between such examples as Haddington Church and Paisley
Abbey the distinction of style is not at first sight so striking. It is
only when the whole character of the architecture is considered that it
can be determined to which category each structure belongs. Although the
line of division is thus to a certain extent arbitrary, there are some
characteristics of the third pointed period which are peculiar to it,
and render it a distinct and well marked epoch. This period, although
inferior in many respects to those which preceded it, yet comprises more
than any other certain elements which give it a claim to be considered
peculiarly Scottish and national.
Many of the structures described in Vol II. as belonging (in part at
least) to the decorated period bear some resemblance to those of the
same style in England. These edifices are mostly of considerable size,
and contain all the usual divisions of choir, nave, and transept, nearly
always with aisles. They are also generally vaulted with groined vaults,
having wooden roofs above the vaults. The details of the buildings are
likewise of similar character in both localities.
As in the preceding period, the large churches of the third pointed
period in Scotland are nearly all restorations. No new churches of great
size were undertaken. Some of the older large churches which had been
damaged were reconstructed, but the new churches erected were almost
entirely confined to parish or collegiate structures. The largest new
church is that of Trinity College in Edinburgh, founded by the widowed
queen of James II. Only a few of the larger of these churches have
aisles, and are roofed with groined vaulting.
Most of the new edifices of the late pointed style in Scotland differ
from those in England in many particulars. The Scottish churches are, as
already stated, usually smaller in size, and consist of single
compartments without aisles. Although frequently designed as cross
churches, with choir, nave, and transepts, they are rarely finished, the
choir or the choir and transepts being often the only portions carried
out. The east end frequently terminates with a three-sided apse. This
feature is almost entirely characteristic of the late pointed period. It
undoubtedly owes its origin to the Scottish alliance and intercourse
with France. But the leading and distinguishing feature of our late
pointed style is the vaulting, the pointed barrel vault being almost
universally employed. We have seen that a pointed barrel vault was used
at Lincluden and Bothwell collegiate churches. It was, however, in the
later edifices, after the middle of the fifteenth century, that that
form of vault came into general use. This kind of arch was of simple
construction, and was much employed in the castles of the period, being
found convenient--first, because it was of easy construction; and
second, because it could conveniently carry a roof composed of
overlapping stones. This style of roof had the double advantage of being
fireproof, and in the case of the castles, where it was often kept flat,
of forming a platform from which the defenders could operate.
It has already been pointed out[4] that many features of domestic
architecture were at this time imported into ecclesiastical
architecture, and the above feature of the pointed barrel vault carrying
a stone roof is the first and most important.
In carrying out this kind of vaulting in churches, several difficulties
were encountered and had to be overcome. The most serious of these
difficulties was the junction of the transepts, or side chapels, with
the choir and nave. In the earlier Gothic churches this was managed by
running the vault of the transepts or chapels into that of the nave, and
forming a groin at the intersection. But the peculiarity of the late
Scottish churches is that they carefully avoid all groins and
intersections of arches. The junction of the vaults at the above
intersections is, therefore, managed by a special contrivance, viz., by
keeping the barrel vaults of the transepts or chapels quite apart from
those of the central nave, the side vaults being stopped on gables
carried up on arches in the line of the main side walls to receive them.
The main nave vault is thus carried throughout the whole length of the
central nave without a break, and where the opening into the transepts
or chapels occurs, the main vault rests on an arch thrown across the
side openings in the line of the main walls, and at a level below the
springing of the main vault. The outer stone roofs of the transepts are
also kept independent of that of the central nave, and do not mitre into
it.
The windows of these churches, which have nearly always pointed
arch-heads, are necessarily placed at a low level, so as to allow the
point of the arch-head to come beneath the spring of the main vault.
This is done so as to avoid even a small groin, such as would be
required if the window arch-head were carried up into the main vault.
The object is two-fold--first, to escape the difficulty of the
intersection of the vaults; and second, to avoid the small gablets over
the windows and the small stone roofs and valleys which would be
required at the junction of these with the main external stone roofs.
The above features are all well exemplified at Ladykirk, Seton College,
Corstorphine, and many other churches.
It should be borne in mind that the vaulting in England in the fifteenth
and sixteenth centuries had also to some extent reverted to the plan of
relying chiefly for strength on plain surface vaulting, and not on the
ribs as in the earlier period. The example from Winchester Cathedral[5]
helps to explain this. The intersection of the vaults is there very
slight, and the numerous ribs introduced are almost all used
ornamentally. This is also the case in the fan vaulting, so common in
England in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, in which the ribs or
tracery are applied as ornaments on the surface of the vaults.
Ornamental ribs are not uncommon in Scottish roofs. An early example,
somewhat similar to that at Winchester, still exists over the presbytery
of Melrose Abbey, where the intersection of the vaults is almost
entirely abandoned, and numerous ornamental surface ribs are introduced.
In later examples, however, the intersection of the vaults is completely
given up, and any ribs employed are useless except as ornaments. Such
are the roofs of St. Mirren’s Chapel, Paisley, and the choir of Seton
College.
An example of the shifts the builders were put to in order to escape
intersecting vaults may be seen in the apse of Stirling Church. In other
examples, such as Dunglass and Queensferry, the nave, choir, and
transepts have walls carried up on the four sides of the crossing,
against which the pointed barrel vaults are stopped, and access is
furnished to the various arms of the church by small archways like
doorways in the walls. At Whitekirk the crossing is exceptional, having
a groined vault; but the choir, &c., have pointed barrel vaults, which
stop upon walls at the crossing.
In the case of the apse of Linlithgow Church the difficulty of the
intersection of the apse with the choir vault was avoided by sticking on
the apse against the east end wall, like a large bow window. This
enabled the apse windows to be carried to a good height. Generally
speaking the windows in the apse are very low, being kept down below the
main arch, and admit little light, thus rendering the vault extremely
dark, as, for instance, at Seton Church.
In most of the collegiate churches the barrel vaults supported a roof
composed of carefully wrought flag-stones. These stones are arranged in
courses, running from the eaves to the ridge, and every alternate course
is higher than, and rests on, the edges of the intermediate courses.
Each stone also overlaps the course which is below it in the slope of
the roof. There is thus a considerable amount of cutting and fitting
required, which is usually carefully executed. Sometimes each stone is
hollowed in the centre, so as to carry the water away from the joints.
The gutters are also wrought in stone on the same principle. Roofs of
this description might evidently be made almost level, and in the case
of many of the castles (as on the keep of Craigmillar Castle) that is
done, and a platform for defence is thus created. In the churches,
however, the stone roofs are usually pretty steep.
It is remarkable that this form of roof was a reproduction in Scotland,
in the fifteenth century, of a fireproof form of construction which was
much used in Provence in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. But in this
country it was to all appearance an independent invention, as Provence
in the fifteenth century was, architecturally speaking, very remote, and
was cut off from Scotland by the intermediate styles of England and
France.
It should be noted that the pointed barrel vault, although very general,
was not universally employed in Scotland during the third period. One or
two notable examples of well constructed groined vaults are to be found,
such as the vaulting of Trinity College Church and that of “Blackader’s
Aisle” in Glasgow Cathedral. But these are exceptions to the general
rule.
In Rosslyn College we have the finest example of the late Scottish forms
of vaulting carried out to their fullest extent, together with some
exceptional designs. This church differs from most of the other
collegiate churches in having side aisles, and also in having groined
vaults in the east end. The plan of the latter portion of the building,
being copied from the arrangement at the east end of Glasgow Cathedral,
has been carried out with groining, in imitation of the original; but in
the other parts of the structure the vaulting conforms to that of the
third pointed period in Scotland. The main central roof is covered with
a continuous pointed barrel vault without a break, except an ornamental
rib over each division of the bays. The soffits of each panel of the
arch thus formed are carved with stars, fleur-de-lys, and other
enrichments. The side aisles are also covered with a series of pointed
barrel vaults. Each of these aisle vaults forms an extension of the main
pier arch of the choir, carried across the aisle at right angles to the
main choir. The Scottish plan of avoiding groins is thus adhered to. The
above arrangement of the aisle vaults also enables the aisle windows to
be carried up to a good height. The barrel vaults across the aisles rest
on flat arches (made to resemble straight lintels), which run between
the caps of the main piers and the responds against the walls. The whole
construction recalls that of a castle with a large central hall roofed
with a barrel vault, and having a series of side chambers entering off
it, each covered with its separate barrel vault running at right angles
to the main building. If the partitions between these side chambers were
removed, and plain arches or lintels substituted, the construction would
be exactly that of Rosslyn Church. Such a series of chambers, with
barrel vaults running at right angles to a passage, is of common
occurrence in the ground floors of the Scottish castles. An exceptional
feature connected with the main vault of Rosslyn Church is that the same
stones which form the interior arch also form the outside roof--the
usual overlapping stone covering being omitted, possibly to avoid the
extra weight. The exterior of the roof is thus curved like the interior.
During the late pointed period many varieties of details were indulged
in. The buttresses are generally somewhat stunted. They are plain and
solid, and have often rather elaborate canopies and corbels for statues
placed on the front of the buttresses, without recessed niches. The
buttresses have frequently numerous set-offs, and are generally finished
with stunted square pinnacles having crocketed finials. The windows are
almost always pointed, and contain simple tracery derived from the
earlier styles. The copying of the forms of the older styles is
specially noticeable in the windows and traceries.
At Ladykirk, the unusual form of elliptical windows is introduced,
probably in order to admit as much light as possible at the haunches. As
above explained, there are generally no aisles, and the windows, being
kept down below the springing of the main arch, are, as usual, low, and
here leave on the exterior a high space of blank wall above them.
The above form of construction does not require or admit of a triforium
and clerestory. At Rosslyn, where there are side aisles, the side walls
of the choir are carried up so as to permit of clerestory windows. The
tracery is almost always set in the centre of the wall, and the same
mouldings, usually double chamfers, are repeated in the reveal both on
the inside and outside.
Where the choir, nave, and transepts have square ends, there is
generally a large traceried window carried up in the gable under the
barrel vault of the roof, by which the principal light in the church is
obtained.
The details of the late pointed churches in Scotland have comparatively
little connection with the late work either in England or France, but
some signs exist of importations from both these countries.
At Melrose Abbey, Linlithgow Church and Palace, and a few other places,
there are distinct indications of the influence of the perpendicular
style of England; while the French influence is traceable in the apsidal
terminations of the choir and occasionally of the transepts, and in some
approaches to Flamboyant tracery. The latter influence may probably have
also led to the crown-like terminations of some of the church towers. On
the whole, however, it will be found that the details of the Scottish
late pointed period are peculiar to itself, and are principally founded
on survivals and revivals of details of the earlier styles.
The doorways, for instance, are generally of the old, round-headed form,
with late foliage and enrichments. The common English perpendicular
doorway, with four-centred arch enclosed in a square frame, is never met
with; and although elliptical or three-centred arches occur over
doorways and windows, the four-centred arch-head is never used. Fan
tracery vaulting is also entirely absent in Scotland.
Porches to doorways are occasionally introduced, as at Aberdeen
Cathedral and Whitekirk; and smaller porches are formed by arches thrown
between buttresses, as at Rosslyn and Trinity College Churches.
Coats of arms are very commonly carved on shields at this period, and
are often useful in determining the dates of portions of the buildings,
monuments, &c.
A tower is generally erected, or intended, over the crossing, and is
carried on the four walls, which, as we have seen, were generally built
in this position, in order to stop the four barrel vaults of the
different divisions of the church. The towers are somewhat stunted, and
they are usually finished with short, stunted spires, having a number of
lucarnes, or small dormer windows, inserted in them. The latter feature
was probably imported from France or the Low Countries, where similar
dormers abound in late work.
Monuments are of more common occurrence than in the earlier periods.
They are frequently placed in arched and canopied recesses, which are
ornamented with crocketed labels and finials. The carving of the
crockets and other foliage is, doubtless, founded on the conventional
perpendicular foliage of England. This, however, is mixed with a
considerable revival of carving, copied from older work.
The introduction of numerous small figures of men and animals is a
peculiarity of the period generally, and is found both at home and
abroad. Much of the carving of Rosslyn Church is of this description,
and similar carving may be seen at Melrose Abbey and Stirling Castle,
and on the rood screens in Glasgow Cathedral and Lincluden College.
Elaborate figure carving is common in other countries at this period, as
at Henry VII.’s Chapel, Westminster, and in the churches of France and
Spain.
Richly carved sacrament houses, such as are occasionally introduced, are
a further indication of the taste for minute sculpture which prevailed
at this time. It is not unusual to find in late buildings that some of
the smaller features, such as sedilias, piscinas, and heraldic work,
are well designed and carved with much spirit. Perhaps some of this good
carving may be due to the French masons who, we know, were numerous in
Scotland during the reigns of James IV. and especially of James V.[6]
During the period now under consideration, the structures chiefly
erected were, as already mentioned, either parish or collegiate
churches. A considerable number of the latter were built and endowed by
private founders during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. A list of
the collegiate churches existing in Scotland at the Reformation is given
by Dr. David Laing in his preface to _The Collegiate Churches of
Mid-Lothian_.[7] They amounted, according to that list, to thirty-eight
in number, and were spread over nearly every county in Scotland. Only
two of these had been founded in the fourteenth century, the remaining
thirty-six being all founded during the fifteenth century and the first
half of the sixteenth century.
The structures connected with a considerable number of these college
churches are more or less perfectly preserved, and these, as well as
several others not mentioned by Dr. Laing, are described in the
following pages.
Many of these establishments had previously existed as parish churches
or chapels before they were enlarged and made collegiate, and endowed by
the munificence of the founders.
PAISLEY ABBEY, RENFREWSHIRE.
Paisley Abbey is fortunate in having found in the Very Rev. J. Cameron
Lees, D.D., formerly one of the ministers of the parish, so able a
historian. We are largely indebted to his work, _The Abbey of Paisley,
1163-1878_, for the following historical notices.
The Abbey was founded by Walter, son of Alan, the High Steward of
Scotland, who had accompanied David I. from Shropshire, and received
lands from him in Renfrewshire. Having resolved to follow the example of
his patron, and found a monastery on his estate, Alan entered into an
agreement with Humbold, prior of Wenlock Abbey, in the native county of
his family, to establish at “Passelay” a house of the Cluniac Order of
Benedictines, being the same order as the house at Wenlock. Humbold
therefore, in 1169, brought thirteen monks from the parent house, and,
having settled them in Renfrewshire on an island of the Clyde called the
King’s Inch, returned to Wenlock. There would at that time appear to
have been a very ancient church in existence at Paisley, dedicated to
St. Mirinus, an Irish saint of the sixth century, who had been a
disciple of the great school of St. Comgal at Bangor. A new monastery
was now to supersede the establishment of St. Mirin, but the name of
the ancient saint was preserved in the dedication of the abbey.
It was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin; to St. James, the patron saint
of the Stewarts; to St. Milburga, the patron of the monks of Wenlock;
and to St. Mirinus, the Celtic missionary of the locality. The monastery
was at first established as a priory; but, in 1245, it was raised to the
rank of an abbey by Pope Honorius III.
The establishment was well endowed, and during the first half of the
thirteenth century it was thoroughly consolidated under Abbot William,
who presided from 1225 to 1248. During the prosperous reigns of Kings
Alexander II. and III. the church was erected, but of the work of that
period (the thirteenth century) there remain only a portion of the west
front and part of the south wall of the nave, including the south-east
doorway to the cloister, and three windows. The structure appears to
have suffered severely during the War of Independence. It stood in the
vicinity of Elderslie, the lands of Sir William Wallace, and doubtless
met with a similar savage treatment to that allotted to the patriot
leader. It is stated to have been burnt by the English in 1307, and the
burning would appear to have led to a very complete destruction of the
edifice, as the portions of the original work which survive are very
small.
The connection of the Stewart family with the abbey continued till,
through the marriage of Walter with Margery, daughter of Robert the
Bruce, the Stewarts succeeded to the throne. The earlier Stewarts were
all buried in the abbey, which also contains the tomb of Robert III.
In consequence of the destruction of the monastery, caused by the wars
with England, the buildings long remained, like other structures in
Scotland at that period, in a dismantled condition; but gifts having
been received from the Bishops of Argyle and Glasgow to aid the monks in
their distress, and to assist in restoring the fabric, operations were
begun. Part of this work was apparently carried out by Bishop Lithgow
(1384-1433), who was buried, by his own desire, in the north porch,
where the inscription to his memory is still preserved. The chief part,
however, of the rebuilding of the Abbey Church was carried out under
Abbot Thomas de Tervas (1445-1459). This abbot obtained the privilege of
having a tavern and selling wine within the gates of the monastery, and
is believed to have raised money thereby for the reconstruction of the
church. According to the ancient chronicle of Auchenleck, he found the
place in ruin and the “kirk unbiggit.” He carried up the triforium and
clerestory, and finished the roof. He also erected a great portion of
the steeple, and built a stately gatehouse. Having completed the
building of the church, he proceeded to Rome, in order there to procure
suitable furnishings, and brought back adornments of sumptuous
character--jewels, cloths of gold and silver, precious books, the
“statliest Tabernkle in al Scotland,” and “ane lettren of brass.”
During the fifteenth century many altars were erected and endowed by the
burgesses, and the Chapel of St. Mirin, which occupies part of the site
of the south transept, was erected in 1499, and endowed by James
Crawford of Kylwynet, a burgess of Paisley, and his wife.
At the decease of Abbot Tervas, Pope Pius II. decreed that the
disposition of the office of abbot and of the whole revenues of the
monastery should fall to the Pope. A commendator thus came to be
appointed, and the rights of the abbey began to be invaded. However,
Abbot George Shaw (1472-1498) endeavoured to guard the possessions of
the monastery from encroachments. He also succeeded in having the
village of the abbey erected into a burgh, with the usual privileges.
Abbot Shaw likewise improved the buildings of the abbey. He erected a
refectory and other structures, and reared a lofty tower over the
principal gate, and enclosed the grounds and gardens of the convent with
a wall of ashlar, about one mile in circuit, and adorned it with statues
and shields.
Abbot Shaw placed his arms on several parts of this wall, and in the
middle of the north portion he inserted three shields--the central one
bearing the royal arms; that on the right the Stewart arms, for the
founder; and that on the left the abbot’s own arms. He also erected a
tablet on the north-west angle, containing his name and the date of
erection. Only a small portion of this wall remains, but the panels
containing the royal arms and the inscription are preserved in the
Coates Museum. The latter is as follows:--
“Ya callit ye Abbot Georg of Schawe
About yis Abbay gart make yis wav
A thousande four hundereth zheyr
Auchty ande fywe the date but veir
[Pray for his saulis salvacioun]
Yat made thys nobil fundacioun.”[8]
Mr. Chalmers[9] is of opinion that this inscription was designed by John
Morow, whose name appears on a tablet at Melrose Abbey.[10] “The
character of the lettering in design and workmanship is the same as at
Melrose. The references to the building operations, the poetical form of
the compositions, the manner in which the names are introduced--‘Callit
was I,’ and ‘ye Callit’--and the devout expressions with which they
close, make it clear that the inscriptions are the work of the same
author.” Whether that is so, or whether the inscriptions simply reflect
the style, both literary and artistic, of the period is questionable. In
any case, the idea is ingenious. Mr. Chalmers points out that the fifth
line, which is erased, was probably cut out by the Reformers, as being
out of keeping with their religious views, while the remainder indicates
the care with which the historically valuable part was preserved.
The days of Abbot John Hamilton (1525-1544), who became Bishop of
Dunkeld, and was afterwards promoted to be Archbishop of St. Andrews,
were evil for the monastery of Paisley, as for all other similar
institutions in the country. When driven from St. Andrews, the
archbishop sought safety at Paisley; but that house being sacked and
burnt by the Reformers, he had to take refuge at Dumbarton Castle, where
he was made prisoner, and afterwards executed at Stirling.
The Master of Sempill had been appointed bailie of the monastery, and,
at the dissolution, the whole of the church property was handed over to
Lord Sempill. The property finally came into the possession of Lord
Claud Hamilton, nephew of the archbishop, and the monastic buildings
were converted into the “Place of Paisley,” the residence of the
Abercorn family.[11]
Before the Reformation the monastery consisted of the church, the
cloister, and the conventual buildings. The church (Fig. 953) comprised
a long aisleless choir, a nave with aisles, a north transept, a south
transept, with St. Mirin’s Chapel attached to the south of it, and a
tower and spire over the crossing.
The choir can still be traced, as the walls remain standing to the
height of 9 feet, and contain an elegant sedilia and piscina. The choir
measures, internally, about 124 feet in length by 22 feet in width. It
may be questioned whether the choir was ever finished during the
restoration. The walls present rather the appearance of having been
abandoned at a certain stage in the progress of their erection than of a
building which had fallen into ruin. They stand at a uniform level,
marked by a string course all round, and have not the irregular heights
generally found in ruins. The building is of fifteenth century work, and
doubtless occupies the place of an earlier choir, which had been
demolished.
The wall at the east end of the nave, which separates it from the
transept, is of a substantial kind, and may have been erected when the
structure was restored in the fifteenth century, with the intention of
rendering the nave a complete church, until the transept and choir were
restored. The latter seems never to have been carried into effect, but
to have been in progress when all work was interrupted by the
Reformation.
There are no indications at the junction of the choir and transept of
the large piers which would naturally be built so as to correspond with
those at the west side of the crossing (Fig. 954). The fine sedilia,
although greatly mutilated (Fig. 955), is the principal feature in the
eastern part of the edifice. It is 11 feet 2 inches long, and contains
four seats, contrary to the usual practice, which is to have three
seats. The design is elegant, and resembles that of the sedilia at St.
Monan’s, Fifeshire. Adjoining the sedilia is the piscina, the basin of
which is broken, but the aperture is still visible. The recess, which
has an angled head, slopes backwards.
[Illustration: FIG. 953.--Paisley Abbey. Plan.[12]]
In this respect it resembles one at Auchterarder. On each side are two
small recesses, about 12 inches wide, for holding the sacred vessels.
The north transept (see Fig. 954) is in ruins, but the north wall, with
the remains of a fine traceried window (Fig. 956), still exists, as well
as a traceried window in the west wall. These traceries were restored a
few years ago. The mode in which the turrets at the angles above the
buttresses are corbelled out recalls similar features at Dunkeld
Cathedral. These turrets resemble the roofed bartizans of castellated
structures.
[Illustration: FIG. 954.--Paisley Abbey. Junction of Nave with North
Transept.]
The south transept is also in ruins, and the tower and spire have
disappeared. The Chapel of St. Mirin, however, is still well preserved,
but the openings connecting it with the south transept have been built
up.
The nave is the only part of the main divisions of the church which
survives as a whole. It measures, internally, 92 feet in length by 60
feet in width, and contains six bays, divided by massive piers, all
surmounted by a triforium and clerestory. There is a porch on the north
side and two doorways from the cloister on the south side.
The oldest portion of the building is, undoubtedly, the eastern part of
the south wall of the south aisle of the nave, where it adjoins the
transept. This portion of wall consists of three bays (Fig. 957),
containing the south-east doorway from the cloister to the nave, and
three pointed windows in the upper part. The doorway is of the
transition style, having a round arch-head, with numerous bold mouldings
springing from carved and foliaged
[Illustration: FIG. 955.--Paisley Abbey. Sedilia in Choir.]
caps with square abaci (Fig. 958). The windows above are very simple in
style, and are apparently early first pointed work. This part of the
building probably dates from the first half of the thirteenth century.
The western portion of the south aisle of the nave (Fig. 959) and the
whole of the south clerestory (see Figs. 957 and 959) are evidently
portions of the restored church of the fifteenth century. The south
aisle wall contains the south-west and south-east doors from the nave to
the cloister. The windows of the south wall have the sills placed at a
high level, so as to admit of the roof of the cloister walk being
placed against it. The corbels which supported the roof still exist, and
are shown in the sketches.
[Illustration: FIG. 956.--Paisley Abbey. Windows in North Transept.]
[Illustration: FIG. 957.--Paisley Abbey. East Part of South Side of
Nave.]
The west end of the nave (Fig. 960) is also in part amongst the ancient
portions of the structure. The western entrance doorway is clearly, from
the style of its architecture, a work of the thirteenth century. The
doorpiece
[Illustration: FIG. 958.--Paisley Abbey.
South-East Doorway in Cloister.
A. Door Jamb.
B. Arch Moulding.
]
projects, and has a nook shaft on the projecting angles. The doorway is
a single pointed opening, deeply recessed, with a series of free shafts
in the jambs, having rounded and moulded caps, and the arch mouldings
are arranged in square orders. The outer order contains a dog-tooth
ornament. A sharply pointed arch flanks the doorway on each side, and
has similar shafts and mouldings to those of the central opening. The
aisle windows of the west front also belong to the first pointed period.
The thin nook shafts, with moulded caps having round abaci and central
bands, are all in the style of the thirteenth century.
The upper portion of the west front above the two large windows is
undoubtedly of considerably later date. The design of the west front,
which contains above the doorpiece two large windows, with pointed
niches and small circles inserted between the arch-heads, is probably
original, but the upper portion and gable, including the large traceried
window, are doubtless part of the restoration of the fifteenth century.
The tracery of the two central windows is peculiar, and may possibly be
of the fourteenth century, but that of the large upper window is later,
probably of the same period as the restoration of the interior of the
nave. The tracery of the large upper window is a specimen of the late
kind of design employed in Scotland in the fifteenth century. The change
of style caused by the restoration of the fifteenth century is well
marked in the interior at the west end of the nave. The first or western
bay of the main arcade is original (Figs. 961 and 962), including the
first arches (one on each side), the first pillars and the arches
between them, and the aisle responds. These pillars and arches are of
large dimensions and first pointed section (Fig. 963), and appear to
have been designed to carry western towers, but a part of their
thickness has been cut off next the choir. A portion of the triforium
wall, a piece of the string course over the main arcade, and the
corbelled vaulting shaft in the angle as high as the top of the
triforium, are also parts of the original structure. The later work has
been joined to the above old parts in a very awkward manner. The wall
over the large pillars has been thinned on the side next the nave, and
the different width and sections of the mouldings have not been properly
adjusted, the result being that part of the older moulding is left at
the springing of the second arch on the north side, and the mouldings of
the later section are butted against it (see Fig. 961).
[Illustration: FIG. 959.--Paisley Abbey. West Part of South Side of
Nave.]
[Illustration: FIG. 960.--Paisley Abbey. West End of Nave: Exterior.]
[Illustration: FIG. 961.--Paisley Abbey. West End of Nave and Part of
North Side.]
[Illustration: FIG. 962.--Paisley Abbey. West End of Nave and Part of
South Side.]
There are signs of further alteration above the west arch. A clumsy new
string course is introduced, which slightly changes its section after
passing along half a bay. A second vaulting shaft is carried up in the
[Illustration: FIG. 963.--Paisley Abbey.
West Piers and Respond in Nave.]
angle beside the original one as high as the triforium arch and there
stops. The first triforium arch, which is pointed (all the others being
round), abuts against the wall in an awkward manner (see Fig. 961), the
original design being changed.
The cap of the west pier on the north side belongs to the first pointed
work, while the corresponding cap on the south side (see Fig. 962) and
all the other caps belong to the restoration of the fifteenth century.
The above cap and all the later caps in the nave have the upper
mouldings run in a straight line without any break, while the lower
mouldings break round the section of the piers (Fig. 964).[13] A moulded
shaft, considerably off the perpendicular, rises from the top of the
above cap to the string course at the junction of the old and the
restored wall.
The piers of the nave, except the west piers, are of a clustered form
not uncommon in late work in Scotland. The caps and main arches have
good mouldings, and might be about the date of the restoration of St.
Giles’, Edinburgh (which they resemble), in the early part of the
fifteenth century.
The design of the triforium is very remarkable (see Figs. 961 and 962),
consisting of large segmental arches the same width as the main arches,
springing from short clustered piers introduced between them. Each arch
is filled in with two pointed arches resting on a smaller central shaft.
These arches and the spandril between them are treated with bold
cusping.
The triforium of the nave of Dunkeld Cathedral somewhat resembles that
at Paisley Abbey. It contains a series of semicircular openings filled
with similar pointed arches and cusping, but the work at Paisley is
superior, and would appear to be the earlier of the two. In neither
church is there any vaulting shaft to divide the bays.
The clerestory is probably designed in imitation of that of Glasgow
Cathedral. It is divided into two pointed arches in each bay. These
spring from a series of clustered shafts with round moulded caps, which
have an early character, but are evidently late imitations of early
work. The exterior views (see Figs. 957 and 959) show that each
clerestory window contains a central shaft, with two cusped arches and
quatrefoil in the arch-head.
The parapets of the nave and nave aisles are evidently, from the style
of the mouldings and ornaments, of late date.
There seems to be no reason to doubt that, as above stated, the upper
portions of the nave were carried out about the time of Bishop Tervas,
in the middle of the fifteenth century. The earlier part of the
restoration, including the main piers and arches, and perhaps the
tracery of the two lower windows of the west front, were possibly
executed by Bishop
[Illustration: FIG. 964.--Paisley Abbey. Pier of Nave.]
Lithgow, who built the north porch, and the completion of the nave was
carried out by Bishop Tervas. A striking peculiarity of the interior of
the nave is a series of large corbels (see Figs. 961 and 962), which
project from the spandrils of the triforium arcade. The object of these
corbels appears to have been to enable a passage, which is formed in the
interior of the clerestory windows, but does not run through the wall in
a straight line from end to end as is usual, to be carried round the
solid piers introduced between the windows. These projections recall, by
the small corbels arranged in rows into which they are divided, the
corbels generally used for the support of the bartizans of castles. Each
of the large corbels springs at its lowest point from the sculptured
grotesque figure of a man or animal. Dr. Lees states (p. 209) that these
figures “were mostly the work of Thomas Hector, a sculptor who lived at
Crossflat, and whom the abbot retained for his skill in his art.” One of
the corbels on the south side (near the west end) represents a man
wearing the garb of Old Gaul. It may be mentioned that a somewhat
similar gallery exists in Rouen Cathedral. It is carried round the piers
of the nave on the side next the aisles, and is supported on shafts
springing from corbels. This gallery has a light stone parapet resting
on it. The design is of the thirteenth century, and is elegantly carried
out; but it has, notwithstanding, a rather heavy appearance. It must be
admitted that the projecting corbels at Paisley are clumsy, and
considerably mar the effect of the interior. There appears to have been
a parapet in front of the clerestory passage opposite the windows, and a
similar parapet may have been carried round the large corbels, otherwise
walking round them would have been dangerous. This would add still more
to the heaviness of their appearance. Vaulting shafts are carried up
between the windows of the clerestory, but the buttresses being very
light, a vaulted roof has apparently not been contemplated. The present
plaster vaulting is modern. The north wall of the nave aisle, except the
doorway of the north porch, which is of first pointed work, has been
rebuilt in the fifteenth century. The ingoing of the window jambs and
arches consists, both on the inside and outside of the wall, of a great
hollow, with the tracery set in the centre of the wall. The large north
porch (shown in Billings’ work) was taken down in 1863, in order to be
erected anew, in what was considered a finer style. The porch contains
the tomb of Bishop Lithgow, who selected this porch as his burial-place,
and was interred there in 1433. Some of the tracery in the aisle windows
is good for the period, like that in some of the windows of Dunkeld
Cathedral, which building (as above mentioned) has considerable affinity
with Paisley Abbey Church.
St. Mirin’s Aisle (Fig. 965), as already pointed out, occupies the south
end of the south transept, and was erected in 1499. It is a chapel 48
feet 3 inches long by 23 feet wide, having a vaulted roof about 32 feet
6 inches high. The main vault, like that of so many structures of the
latter part of the fifteenth century, consists of a pointed barrel
vault, the curve of which is drawn from a point lower than the springing
of the arch, and thus forms an angle at the junction with the side
walls. The surface of the vault is strengthened with a series of ribs,
most of which spring from corbels in the side walls. The ribs are
arranged so as to cross one another at the ridge, as if the roof were
[Illustration: FIG. 965.--Paisley Abbey. St. Mirin’s Chapel, looking
East.]
groined; but they are almost entirely ornamental. The mouldings of the
corbels are well designed, and show an imitation of first pointed work.
The corbels being at a lower level than the top of the wall, the ribs
project considerably in passing that point. The ridge has a bold rib
enriched with carved bosses, and one of the transverse ribs is divided
into two branches, so as to avoid descending on the top of the large
arch in the north wall. There is a large pointed window in the east end,
having jambs with single shafts (like the clerestory of the church). It
has mullions dividing it into four lights, and the arch-head is filled
with good simple tracery. Beneath this window runs a frieze 1 foot 8
inches broad, partly carved, with groups of figures showing, as
discovered by Dr. Lees,[14] events in the life of St. Mirin. The east
end of the chapel, where the altar stood, is raised four steps above the
western part. The west wall contains an outer doorway from the cloister
court, and there is a window with simple tracery above it; a curious
large ambry adjoins the door in the outer wall. The chapel was connected
with the south transept by two wide archways, now built up. There is a
piscina near the east end (Fig. 966), with three-sided head, like that
in the choir.
Above the vaulting of St. Mirin’s Chapel, and in the angle formed by the
sloping roof, there is introduced a chamber, with a pointed barrel
vault, about 12 feet wide and nearly 10 feet high, to the apex of its
sharply pointed vault. The three sides of this chamber thus nearly form
an equilateral triangle. Like the chapel below, it is 48 feet in length.
It is lighted by trefoil headed windows in the gables. Access to this
chamber, which may have been occupied by one or more priests, is
obtained from the adjoining buildings. It is to be regretted that the
south and south-east sides of St. Mirin’s Chapel are concealed from view
by buildings of a poor description. It will be observed that the
construction of the roof of St. Mirin’s bears considerable analogy with
that of Lincluden Abbey, although later in its features. There is a
similar double vault over both these buildings, with a small chamber
between them. At Lincluden the lower vault was (if it ever was
completed) of a genuine groined construction, while at St. Mirin’s the
ribs were only imitative. The roof of St. Mirin’s Chapel was clearly
intended to be formed of stone slabs, resting on the pointed arch, but
has never been carried out, the present roof being slated.
On the floor of this chapel there now stands an ornamental altar tomb
(see Fig. 965), which was found lying in fragments near the abbey by Dr.
Boog, one of the ministers of the parish, who, in 1817, had it brought
here and put together again. It supports a recumbent female figure,
believed to be the effigy of Margery, daughter of King Robert I., and
mother of Robert II. The head of the figure is surmounted by a large
cusped canopy, placed in n horizontal position, on the end of which is
carved a crucifixion. The pedestal is covered with a series of Gothic
compartments, in each of which there is carved a shield, enriched with
heraldic blazons and figures of ecclesiastics. The panels at the west
end (Fig. 967) contain--the first the fess chequé of the Stewarts
between three roses; the third the fess chequé, surmounted of a lion
rampant, and the central one, two keys saltierwise, between two crosiers
in pale.
Mr. Semple[15] is of opinion that the monument is made up of fragments
from various quarters. On each side there are nine full compartments of
[Illustration: FIG. 966.--Paisley Abbey.
Piscina in St. Mirin’s Chapel.]
an oblong or oval form, and one half compartment at each end. At the
foot the compartments are empty. On the right side the 1st compartment
contains a bishop with crosier; the 4th, a bishop at prayer, and, on a
scroll, the name Robert Wyshart (Bishop of Glasgow). On the left, the
1st compartment contains a bishop celebrating, with the name Johes D.
Lychtgow (Abbot of Paisley); the 4th, an abbot at prayer, with the name
of Abbot Lythgow repeated. Several compartments contain monks at prayer,
and others are blank. Mr. Semple thinks that the left side may be part
of Abbot Lithgow’s monument, and the right side part of that of Bishop
Wishart.
Of the cloisters and conventual buildings few traces remain; but the
outline of the cloister court is preserved. It is surrounded (see Fig.
953) with post-Reformation structures, occupying the site of the chapter
house, refectory, &c. These were converted into the “place of Paisley,”
as the residence of the Abercorn family, which has been already fully
described.[16] These buildings probably contain portions of the walls of
the refectory and other conventual structures erected by Abbot Shaw at
the end of the fifteenth century. The western side of the cloister
buildings was removed about twenty years ago, in order to widen the
adjoining street. The wall, gatehouse, &c., erected by Abbot Shaw, have
now almost entirely disappeared.
The cloistral buildings were much altered and added to in 1675 by the
Earl of Dundonald, and fitted up as a mansion house, and they still bear
traces of considerable splendour in panelled walls, with stone
fireplaces and ornamental ceilings. One of the latter on the upper floor
is a fine example of the plaster and painted decoration of the period.
Turning to the ground Plan, it seems highly probable that the walls are,
in part at least, of pre-Reformation date, and that we have here
[Illustration: FIG. 967.--Paisley Abbey. End of Altar Tomb in St.
Mirin’s Chapel.]
part of the work of Abbot Shaw, who erected a refectory and other
buildings at the end of the fifteenth century. It will be observed that
the main wall of the south range, running east and west, is very thick
(4 feet to 5 feet), while the outside wall, forming the south side of
the cloister, is only about 2 feet thick. The latter was probably
erected when the place became a mansion house, in order to form a
passage, and thus obviate the necessity of passing through the rooms,
while the thick wall was the original outside wall of the refectory or
of cellars below it. The south wall of this building also probably
consists in part of the south wall of the refectory, but the large
windows in it are, doubtless, insertions.
The building marked as chapter house on the Plan occupies the position
in which that chamber would likely be. It is now divided into two, and
has lost all traces of its ecclesiastical purpose--one side being used
as a bottling store and the other as a stable. There is a large
fireplace in the north wall, of distinctly Gothic design. That is not a
usual feature in a chapter house; but in the sacristy over the chapter
house of Glasgow Cathedral there is a large fireplace. At Paisley, the
arrangement may have been reversed. The vestry may have been on the
ground floor and the chapter house above. This building is at present
some five stories in height, the upper floors being reached by the wheel
stair shown on the Plan. It is from this high building that the chamber
over St. Mirin’s is reached, which is a fair indication that this
chapter house tower, as it may be called, is as old as St. Mirin’s. The
same stair also accommodates the refectory range of buildings on the
south side of the cloister, which are three stories in height, and have
another stair at the west end.
It is thought by some that the first central tower erected over the
crossing was of inferior workmanship and gave way. Another central tower
is believed to have been erected by Abbot Tervas. This tower probably
fell during the siege by Lennox and Glencairn, no doubt destroying much
of the choir and transept in its fall. It has been mentioned above that
western towers appear to have been contemplated. Possibly it may be one
of these to which Martine, when speaking of John Hamilton, Archbishop of
St. Andrews, refers when he says, “At which church [Paisley] he built a
prettie handsome steeple, which fell before it was well finished.”[17]
It is thought that the body of Archbishop Hamilton was buried in the
abbey, and a tablet in the church looks as if it marked his grave. It
contains his arms and initials, J. H., and “the motto he assumed, which
contrasts strangely with his troubled life, ‘Misericordia et pax.’”
Several monuments with inscriptions of sixteenth century date exist in
the building. On the west buttress of the north transept, at 21 feet in
height, is the shield of the Stewarts, with a pastoral staff and the
word “Stewart.”
One of the south piers of the nave is called the Cathcart pillar, having
carved upon it a shield with the Cathcart arms (see Fig. 964). This is
believed to be a memorial of Sir Allan Cathcart, one of the knights who
sailed for the Holy Land with Bruce’s heart. The heart was brought back
by Sir Allan, and buried at Melrose.
DUNKELD CATHEDRAL, PERTHSHIRE.
Situated in the beautiful, though rugged, glen which forms the pass to
the Highlands from the fertile lowlands of Perthshire, this grey and
venerable ruin adds an unexpected and charming interest to the lovely
scenery of the locality. The mountain range through which the pass
penetrates long formed a barrier to the access of the Scottish kings to
the Celtic provinces further north, and the nearness of the Highland
clans was a constant source of menace to the Church. For that reason the
bishop’s palace had to be constructed as a fortified stronghold; hence,
perhaps, the name of Dunkeld, the fort of the Keledei or Culdees.
After the destruction of Iona by the Norsemen in the beginning of the
ninth century, Dunkeld was selected by the King of the Picts as a secure
place, remote from the sea, and comparatively safe from the attacks of
the Vikings, in which a mother church in lieu of Iona might be
established. To this retreat a portion of the relics of Columba were
brought by King Kenneth Macalpine in 850, and here he resolved to place
the abbot of his new monastery as bishop over the Church in the
territories of the Southern Picts, with a view to the ready
reorganisation of the Scottish monasteries, so that they should form one
diocese under one bishop.[18]
But the primacy of the Pictish Church did not remain long at Dunkeld,
being transferred in the end of the ninth century to Abernethy, on the
south side of the Frith of Tay.
The abbots in those days had become great lay proprietors, having lawful
wives, and succeeding to the benefices of their abbacies by hereditary
descent. One of these lay abbots of Dunkeld married a daughter of
Malcolm II., and it is remarkable that it was by their descendants that
the religious order in Scotland was changed. The new order of things,
which had been initiated by St. Margaret, was continued by her son,
Alexander I., who, in 1107, created two new bishoprics in the more
remote and Celtic portion of his kingdom, the first being that of Moray,
and the second that of Dunkeld. Alexander I. also brought, in 1115, a
body of canons regular to Scone Abbey, and a few years later he
established the same order in the diocese of Dunkeld. He also, in 1122,
introduced canons regular to a monastery he had built on an island in
Loch Tay, and, in 1123, founded the monastery of Inchcolm, and
introduced the same order there.[19]
The Cathedral of Dunkeld has been the see of several distinguished
bishops. Bruce’s friend and supporter, Bishop Sinclair, held this see;
and Gavin Douglas, the well-known scholar and translator of the _Æneid
of Virgil_, was Bishop of Dunkeld.
The buildings which now exist are of much more recent date than the days
of Queen Margaret’s sons. Alexander Myln, a canon of Dunkeld in 1505,
and afterwards Abbot of Cambuskenneth and first President of the College
of Justice, has fortunately left a history of the lives of the Bishops
of Dunkeld, which professes to give a more minute account of the
[Illustration: FIG. 968.--Dunkeld Cathedral. Plan.]
dates of the different parts of the structure of the cathedral than we
have of any similar building in the country. From this account it would
appear that the existing structure is chiefly of the fifteenth century.
The edifice (Fig. 968) consists of an aisleless choir, a nave with two
aisles, a north-west tower, and a chapter house to the north of the
choir. The choir measures 103 feet long by 29 feet wide internally, and
the rectangular chapter house attached to the north side is 27 feet long
and 20 feet wide. Some portions of the choir indicate the style of the
thirteenth
[Illustration: FIG. 969.--Dunkeld Cathedral. Wall Arcade at North-West
Angle of Choir.]
century; but this part of the structure was almost entirely rebuilt in
the beginning of the present century. An original fragment may, however,
still be observed in damaged portions of a first pointed arcade (Fig.
969) in the interior of the north wall near the west end. The arcade is
below the level of the window sill, and extends to six arches of trefoil
form, springing from the carved caps of single shafts. All the details
(Fig. 970) are pure and good. A post to support a modern gallery cuts
into the arcade, as shown in Fig. 969. From the floor to the top of the
caps measures 5 feet 9 inches. The choir is now fitted up and used as
the parish church.
The chapter house, on the north side of the choir, is now converted into
a mausoleum for the families of the Dukes of Atholl, and contains
several Renaissance monuments. It is two stories high (Fig. 971), the
[Illustration: FIG. 970.--Dunkeld Cathedral. Details of Wall Arcade in
North-West Angle of Choir.]
lower story being vaulted and of considerable height (Fig. 972), and is
lighted by tall lancet windows cusped at the arch head. The buttresses
are simple, and the whole character of the work is early, but it has
been altered. The vaulting (Fig. 972) is round arched, but the wall ribs
are pointed; the roof has thus a flat appearance, and there are no
horizontal ridge ribs. The chapter house structure has been added after
the erection of the choir, as is evident from the portion of the
original exterior base of the choir which still exists in the south-west
angle of the interior of the chapter house adjoining the door (see Fig.
972). From the style of the design, this structure was probably an early
addition. The upper
[Illustration: FIG. 971.--Dunkeld Cathedral. Chapter House from
North-West.]
chamber over the chapter house is doubtless later. The staircase leading
to the upper floor is inserted in the south-west angle and projects into
the chamber,[20] and cuts through the groined ceiling (see Fig. 972).
The heightening of the chapter house was apparently carried out by
Bishop Lauder, whose arms, a griffin segreant (Fig. 973), are carved
near the top on the face of the north buttress on the east side. The
upper
[Illustration: FIG. 972.--Dunkeld Cathedral. Interior of Chapter
House.]
chamber has been lighted by small windows, which are now partly built
up. The windows of the lower story have been fitted with wooden shutters
on the inside, some of which are still in position (see Fig. 972). At
the doorway leading into the choir there is a curious small stoup cut on
the base (see Fig. 972).
Against the centre of the north wall there is a recessed tomb (Fig.
974), which exhibits that peculiar kind of design, having mixed Gothic
and Renaissance features, frequently found in the seventeenth century.
It contains in the pediment a shield bearing--1st and 4th, a fess chequé
for Stewart; 2nd and 3rd, three pallets for Athole, a pelican at top,
and
[Illustration: FIG. 973.--Dunkeld Cathedral. Section of Jamb of West
Doorway, and Arms of Bishop Lauder on Chapter House.]
the motto, _Furth Fortoun et fil ye Feteris_. The recess for the figure
is 4 feet 11 inches wide by 3 feet 11 inches high, but it contains no
effigy.
On the south wall there is a large eighteenth century monument with
inscription (see Fig. 972), and, at the sides, thirty-two coats of arms,
arranged in two rows of eight on each side, besides other arms.
Resting on the floor, and against the walls of the chapter house, there
are numerous carved stones, several having arms, which appear to have
come from some sixteenth or seventeenth century buildings; and in the
room over the chapter house the remains of a rich Renaissance monument,
carved in oak, lie scattered on the floor.
[Illustration: FIG. 974.--Dunkeld Cathedral. Monument in Chapter
House.]
Abbot Myln relates[21] that in 1312 Bishop William de St. Clare (Bruce’s
“own bishop”) brought Magistrum Robertum Cementarium to the work of the
choir and church, which he built from the foundation. This clearly
refers to a restoration, as part of the thirteenth century walls is
still in existence. Bishop Sinclair died in 1337, and was buried in the
choir built by him, having filled the see for twenty-five years.
To the west of the choir is the nave, which measures, internally, 120
feet in length by 60 feet wide, and consists of a central compartment of
seven bays, separated from the side aisles by arcades, which rest on
plain round pillars. We are informed by Abbot Mylne that this part of
the cathedral was founded by Bishop Cardeny on the 27th day of April
1406, and that he carried it up to the second arches, “vulgariter le
blynd storijs.” This bishop conferred great benefits on the see by
acquiring lands for it and otherwise. He also founded and adorned the
altar of St. Ninian in Dunkeld, and decorated all the windows of the
choir with glass. Having on one occasion made a narrow escape during an
attack on his house, he constructed a strong tower for the bishop’s
residence. He died in 1436,[22] and his fine monument (Fig. 975) is
still preserved in the south wall of the nave.
In 1447 the king’s secretary, John of Ralstoun, was made bishop, but he
lived for only three years after his appointment.[23] He made provision
of hewn stones from the quarry of Burnbane for continuing the building
of the nave begun by Bishop Cardeny. Bishop Ralston died in 1450, and
was succeeded by Bishop Lauder, who completed the nave and decorated all
the windows with glass, and finished the roof. He also constructed a
handsome portico to the church before the southern doorway, and placed
figures of sculptured art therein. With his own hands Bishop Lauder
dedicated the church in 1464. But still untired of his sacred work, he
founded the campanile (Fig. 976) on 5th March 1469, and continued the
building on high. The chapter house was also founded by him in 1457.
This, no doubt, refers to the erection of the upper floor of the two
story building on the north side of the choir above described. Perhaps
this edifice contained the sacristy on the ground floor, on the level of
the choir, and the upper story added by Bishop Lauder may have been the
chapter house. At Glasgow Cathedral, the similar two story building
contained the sacristy on the upper floor, on the level of the choir,
and the chapter house on the lower story. This “Great and worthy High
Priest” likewise, in 1461, constructed a bridge over the Tay, near his
own palace, partly of stone and partly of wood. He likewise presented
the church with numerous splendid vestments and silver vessels,
including a silver cross containing part of the true Cross. He also had
paintings executed at the high altar, representing the twenty-four
miracles of St. Columba, and he constructed the bishop’s throne and
stalls in the choir.
In 1481 this prelate died full of years and of good works. By Bishop
Lauder’s influence the cathedral lands north of the Forth were raised
into
[Illustration: FIG. 975.--Dunkeld Cathedral. Monument of Bishop Cardeny
in Nave.[24]]
[Illustration: FIG. 976.--Dunkeld Cathedral. View from South-West.]
the barony of Dunkeld, and those south of the Forth into the barony of
Aberlathy.[25]
The bishops of Dunkeld, in addition to their palace or tower at Dunkeld,
had also a country seat at Loch Cluny (where their house still exists on
an island in the loch) and a residence at Cramond, in Mid-Lothian.[26]
The successors of Bishop Lauder are not stated to have added any
buildings to the cathedral; but it is mentioned that some of them,
especially Bishop Brown, adorned the interior with images and paintings,
and added to the store of rich vestments and ornaments.
The Reformation came not long after the completion of the internal
decorations and fittings. In 1560 two of the neighbouring lairds were
commissioned to take down the images and burn them in the churchyard,
and also to cast down the altars and purge the church of all kinds of
monuments of idolatry. They were enjoined to see that the desks,
windows, and doors were unharmed, nor the glass or iron work broken. But
the spirit of destruction once let loose was not easily restrained, and
the church was completely destroyed and the roof burnt.
The architectural style of the different portions of the edifice
corresponds generally with the above dates fixed by Abbot Myln. The
massive round pillars of the nave, 4 feet 6 inches in diameter (Fig.
977), and the heavy semicircular arches of the triforium have been
supposed to indicate Norman work; but the details prove that here, as
frequently occurs in Scotland, the ancient forms are repeated in later
times. The caps and bases of the piers show that they belong to an
advanced period, while the mouldings of the triforium arches and the
trefoiled filling in clearly indicate work of the latter half of the
fifteenth century. These features are, undoubtedly, peculiar; but other
examples show that they are not singular. Thus at Aberdour Church[27]
and Aberdeen Cathedral (late works), the pillars of the piers are
circular, and have similar caps to those at Dunkeld; and at Paisley the
triforium arches are segmental, and are divided with cusped arches
somewhat similar in style to those of Dunkeld Cathedral. The clerestory
is very plain, and the windows are small. From the number of holes in
the wall, used for the support of rafters and other woodwork, it seems
likely that this portion of the wall was partly concealed by the timbers
of the open wooden roof, and perhaps partly covered with panelling.
The great window in the western gable (see Fig. 976) is evidently a late
feature, and seems to have been added sometime after the west wall had
been erected. This is apparent not only from the style and the peculiar
unsymmetrical position of the window, but also from the construction of
the exterior (Fig. 978), where it will be observed that the original
west door has had a portion of wall somewhat rudely added in front of
the original wall, in order to support a balcony or gallery carried
across at the base of the window. The older moulded doorway (the jamb of
which is shown in
[Illustration: FIG. 977.--Dunkeld Cathedral. Nave, looking West.]
Fig. 973) is thus overlapped and buried by two square piers, carrying
plain arches above, stuck on in front of the original wall; while in a
similar opening or recess, between the south pier and the tower at the
[Illustration: FIG. 978.--Dunkeld Cathedral. West End.]
south side, the space is lintelled over between the square pier and the
stair turret. As the stair turret probably existed (at least for part of
its height) before this alteration, the large window, which occupies the
full available width, had to be squeezed in as best it could, and thus
came to stand in the unsymmetrical position it occupies (see Fig. 977).
This supposed alteration may also, perhaps, explain the peculiar way in
which the ogee canopy of the window is twisted to one side at the top
(see Fig. 976), which Mr. Billings has difficulty in accounting for. The
small circle in the gable being right over the entrance door (as the
original window in the west end doubtless also was), it was found, when
the window came to be enlarged, that there was no room to carry the
canopy and its fleur-de-lys finial straight up without removing the
small circular opening, and so the canopy and finial had to be pushed to
one side.
The side aisles are 12 feet in width, and the south one has been
vaulted. The tracery in many of the windows still survives, and is
varied and generally good in design. A restoration of the tracery in the
west window may be seen in Mr. Billings’ work. The tracery is of the
kind common in the Scottish architecture of the fifteenth century.
Attention has already been drawn to the peculiar flat-headed windows at
the west end of the north aisle of Dunblane Cathedral. At Dunkeld, the
corresponding window is flat arched (Fig. 979), and at St. John’s
Church, in Perth, the window in the same position is either flat arched
or has a lintel. It is singular and interesting to find this similarity
of treatment, as regards the north-west window, in these three churches,
which are all situated in one part of the country. Over the north-west
window at Dunkeld are the arms of Bishop Brown (a chevron between three
fleur-de-lys), surmounted by a mitre. There is an inscription on a
ribbon round the arms, but it would require a very minute inspection to
make it out. George Brown was consecrated Bishop of Dunkeld by Pope
Sixtus IV. in 1484, and died 14th January 1514-1515, aged seventy-six
years.
The ruins of a large porch still exist on the south side of the nave
(see Fig. 976). From the forms of the finials and other details it has
evidently been a somewhat late addition. This was, doubtless, the
portico which Canon Myln states was erected by Bishop Lauder at the
south entrance to the church.
The upper part of the stair turret of the west front, the broken angle
pinnacle at the base of the gable, and the corbelled octagonal finial on
the south-west angle of the south aisle are all late additions. The
corbelled turret at the angle resembles the angle turrets of the
castles. A similar turret exists at the angle of the north transept of
Paisley Abbey.
The north-west tower is simple and good in design. According to Abbot
Myln’s account, it was not founded till 1469, and in style is good for
the period. The windows of the ground floor and top story are well
designed, and quite equal to the rest of the church. The ground floor is
vaulted, and has been painted in a handsome manner, part of the painting
being still preserved.
The monument of Bishop Cardeny in the south aisle of the nave, with
[Illustration: FIG. 979.--Dunkeld Cathedral. North-West Angle of Nave
and Tower.]
its recumbent statue (see Fig. 975), its carved sarcophagus and arched
canopy, is a good example of Scottish work of the fifteenth century. It
is now much damaged, but the fine carving of the crockets and ornaments,
and the sculptured figures of the angels bearing shields, are still
fairly preserved. The arms on the shields are now so far decayed as to
be with difficulty legible.[28]
A very fine altar tomb (Fig. 980) still remains in the south side of the
eastern part of the choir, now used as a vestibule to the parish church.
This is the monument of the famous “Wolf of Badenoch,” son of Robert
II., at one time a great enemy to the Church, and the destroyer of Elgin
Cathedral. Having been compelled by the king to do penance, he received
absolution at the hands of the Archbishop of St. Andrews, in the
[Illustration: FIG. 980.--Dunkeld Cathedral. Monument of the “Wolf of
Badenoch.”]
Blackfriars Church, at Perth. The monument dates from about 1394. It
contains a massive figure of the “Wolf” in complete armour, with his
feet resting on a lion. On the sarcophagus are carved a number of
figures in armour, in different attitudes.[29] There is a mutilated
headless figure, supposed to represent Bishop Sinclair, lying beside the
“Wolf of Badenoch’s” monument; and other memorials of him are the
engrailed crosses on the east and west gables. These are cut out of the
solid stone, and have probably been renewed.
Nearly opposite Bishop Cardeny’s monument, against the north wall of the
nave, there is one of those grave slabs (Fig. 981) of which several
[Illustration: FIG. 981.--Dunkeld Cathedral. Grave Slab.]
examples have been illustrated, and unfortunately, like most others, it
is in a very wasted condition from exposure to the weather. It is also
broken, as shown on the sketch. The slab is of red sandstone, and
measures 5 ft. 8 in. long by 3 ft. 4 in. wide. It is divided into four
sunk panels, with a three-quarter size figure in each panel, and the
figures are flush with the general surface. It cannot be determined what
the costumes of the figures are. No. 2 has, on the dexter side, a
bishop’s crozier, and, on the sinister side, what may have been a
shield. No. 1 was probably distinguished in the same way, there being
something visible on the sinister side. No. 3 has, on dexter side, a
shield with a lion rampant; on sinister side, a square with initials
only, the last of which (S) is legible. No. 4 is certainly the figure
of a woman, with large epaulets and a necklace; on her dexter side is a
shield with three innescutcheons, probably for Hay, and, on the sinister
side, the initials B. H. Beneath each pair of figures there has been an
inscription--the upper one, as far as legible, being, “This is the
honorabille Bv ... Spovs of Arnetvllie.” Of the other marginal
inscriptions nothing legible can be made out. Along the base of the
stone there are sculptured seven small figures.
The dates of the different parts of the cathedral, as given by Abbot
Myln, would, if thoroughly reliable, be invaluable in connection with
the history of Scottish architecture. Few, if any, of our ecclesiastical
edifices have the periods of their erection so distinctly recorded. The
peculiarity of the design, however, renders it somewhat difficult to
make any general application of the above dates to the architecture of
other buildings. It seems likely that the different parts of the
structure were begun at the dates given by Abbot Myln, but not completed
for some time thereafter. From the analogy with other Scottish
structures, especially with Paisley Abbey, which it in some respects
closely resembles, the nave of Dunkeld Cathedral must undoubtedly be
classed as belonging to the third pointed period.
IONA CATHEDRAL, ARGLYESHIRE.
The original settlement of St. Columba in Iona took place A.D. 563.[30]
Dr Skene has shown[31] that the place where the monastery was first
situated lay a short distance to the north of the existing ruins. The
vallum which enclosed the establishment can still be traced, as well as
the burying-ground, the site of the mill, and other features; but the
principal erections, being constructed of wood and wattle, have
necessarily disappeared. Owing to the destruction of the buildings by
fire in 802 and the slaughter of the monks, it was thought desirable, in
818, to rebuild the monastery in stone for greater security, and also to
remove it to the present site, which is better protected by nature. But
the buildings were again destroyed by the Northmen, and seem to have
remained in a ruinous state till 1074, when some attempt to restore the
monastery was made by Queen Margaret.
In 1099 the last of the old order of abbots died, and for more than
fifty years there is an unbroken silence regarding Iona. All the Western
Islands had at this time passed under the rule of the Norwegian King of
the Isles, by whom nothing was done to maintain the religious
establishments, and Iona fell into a state of decay. The rule of the
Norwegian Kings of the Isles having become oppressive, Somerled, King of
Argyll, was applied to for protection, and after a great naval battle,
fought between him and Godred, King of the Isles, in 1156, all the
islands south of Ardnamurchan Point were ceded to Somerled. Amongst
these was Iona, where Reginald, the son of Somerled, undertook the
rebuilding of the monastery on a larger scale. He adopted the policy of
the Scottish kings, and introduced one of the religious orders of the
Roman Church.
“Macvurich tells us that ‘three monasteries were formed by him--the
monastery of Black Monks in I or Iona, in honour of God and Saint
Columchelle; a monastery of Black Nuns in the same place; and a
monastery of Gray friars in Sagadul, or Saddle, in Kintyre;’ and he
appears to have established the Benedictines or Black Monks in Iona in
the year 1203.”
“The deed of confirmation of the Benedictine Monastery still exists in
the Vatican. It is dated the 9th December 1203, and is addressed to
Celestinus, abbot of Saint Columba, of the island of Hy, and his
brethren professing a religious life; and the pope takes the monastery
of Saint Columba under the protection of Saint Peter and the pope, in
order that the monastic order which has been instituted in that place,
according to the rule of Saint Benedict, may be preserved inviolate in
all time to come; and he confirms to them the place itself in which the
said monastery is situated, with its pertinents, consisting of churches,
islands, and lands in the Western Isles.”[32]
Celestine, the abbot of this monastery, appears to have attempted to
thrust out the prior Celtic community; but the latter, with the support
of the clergy of the north of Ireland, resisted and vindicated their
right to remain in the monastery. The Celtic community, however, appear
to have ultimately adopted the Benedictine rule, “while the functionary
formerly known as the Head of the Culdees was represented by the prior
of Iona, whom we afterwards find in the monastery.”
About 1200 the districts to the west of the great range of Drumalban,
which formerly belonged to the diocese of Dunkeld, were separated from
it and formed into a new bishopric, first called of Argyle and
afterwards of Lismore.
During the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries Iona was under the Bishop
of Dunkeld, but in 1507 John, Bishop of the Isles, obtained the
annexation of Iona to his see, and the Abbey Church became the cathedral
of the diocese, and so continued till the Reformation.
In 1561 the abbey suffered from the Act anent “demolishing all the
abbeys of monks and friars, and for suppressing whatsoever monuments of
idolatrie were remaining in the realm.” The carrying out of this Act was
remitted to Argyll and Glencairn, and much has been written with regard
to the great damage caused by the mob to the buildings and monuments and
the valuable library.
The island passed into the hands of M‘Lean of Duart, but from 1567
onwards the Protestant bishops of the Isles seem to have had the abbey
in their possession. The buildings, however, appear to have been
neglected, and Charles I., in 1635, directed £400 to be spent in
repairing them. But that does not appear to have been done, and by the
end of the seventeenth century the edifices had fallen into ruin. In
1693 the island came into the hands of the House of Argyll, and within
recent years the ancient buildings have been put in a good state of
preservation by the present Duke.
The edifices which still survive in the island, although ruinous,
exhibit probably the completest and most interesting group of ancient
ecclesiastical structures in Scotland.
There is first the Chapel of St. Oran, a small twelfth century
structure, surrounded by the very ancient churchyard, which contains so
many beautiful specimens of Highland carved tombstones,[33] admirably
illustrated by the late James Drummond, R.S.A., in his work on Highland
monuments. Then there are the remains of the Benedictine Monastery, and
those of the Benedictine Nunnery, at a short distance on each side of
St. Oran’s, both of which, though sadly mutilated, still show the
general plan of the church and domestic edifices of these monastic
establishments more completely than any other Scottish examples.
The Church of St. Oran has already been described.[34]
The nunnery is also described among the Norman structures.[35]
The abbey or cathedral, which is now to be described, is classed along
with the buildings of the third pointed period, as the greater part of
the work connected with it belongs to a late date.
When the great distance of the Island of Iona from the centre of
operations of mediæval architecture is considered, it is not unnatural
to find those deviations from the rules and practice of the art which
are so frequent in Scottish architecture even more accentuated here than
is usual. The connection of the locality with the Celtic art of Ireland
and the west of Scotland has also had considerable influence in moulding
the style of the carving and decoration of the Cathedral of the
Isles.[36]
These facts, although rendering the building somewhat difficult to class
along with the general architecture of the recognised periods of Gothic
in Scotland, yet add much to the interest of this isolated and unique
structure.
It should also be noticed that the cathedral shows signs in all
directions of having been much altered and added to; but as the style of
the masonry of the walls is much the same throughout, whatever its date,
it is somewhat difficult to trace the points of junction of the work of
the various periods. This masonry of all dates consists of large blocks
of red granite of irregular shape, set with flat untooled face to the
outside, and with filling-in of smaller pieces of granite and slaty
stones between the larger blocks.
The monastery (Fig. 982) consists of the church, which contains a
[Illustration: FIG. 982.--Iona Cathedral. Plan.]
choir, 62 feet 6 inches long by 23 feet wide, with a south aisle; a
nave, 60 feet 9 inches long by 22 feet 6 inches wide; north and south
transepts,
[Illustration: FIG. 983.--Iona Cathedral. The Choir, looking East.]
and a tower over the crossing. The eastern part of the choir (Fig. 983)
forms the presbytery, which, like that of most Scottish churches, is
without aisles, and is lighted by a large central and two side windows,
all containing late tracery. On the south side of the choir, west of the
presbytery, is an aisle, separated from it by two circular piers and
three arches. From above the caps of the piers two bold arches are
thrown across the south aisle, after the manner of flying buttresses
(Fig. 984). It will be observed from this view that there is a
peculiarity of construction in the upper part of the choir walls, the
clerestory windows being placed over the piers and not over the arches,
as is usual. This arrangement has had the effect of preventing the
flying arches or buttresses from being carried as high as they might
have been (Fig. 985) had the windows been placed over the arches in the
ordinary manner. The flying arches or buttresses are thus very low, and
interfere with the space in the aisle (see Plan). There are a sedilia,
with three divisions, and a piscina (Fig. 986) near the east end of the
south wall of the choir. Part of the pavement there still exists, and
two steps are observable in the floor.
On the north side of the choir is the sacristy, which occupies the place
of the north aisle. The door to the sacristy (Fig. 987) is of fine
design, and the ornament of the caps of the shafts (Fig. 988), together
with the caps of the piers between the choir and the south aisle and the
arches of the crossing (Figs. 989 and 990), exhibit fine examples of
Celtic carving, mixed with grotesque figures. Carving of an identical
description is shown in Figs. 991 and 992 on slabs in St. Oran’s Chapel,
one of which, dated 1489, also exhibits late Gothic ornaments on the
edge. This stone bears the following inscription, from which it would
appear to be in memory of the father of Abbot Macfingone, and of the
abbot himself (whose tomb and monument are preserved in the choir, as
will be pointed out further on):--“Hec: est: Crux: Laeclanni: Meic:
fingone: et: ejus: fil--Ohannis: Abbatis: de: Hy: facta: Anno: domini:
Mº. CCCCLXXX: IXº. Numerous examples of carving of a very similar
description occur throughout the West Highlands, and, where dated, are
all of about the above period. The undated specimens are also distinctly
in the same style and of the same epoch. There can, therefore, be no
hesitation in assigning the sculpture in the cathedral, which is of a
similar character (such as the caps in Figs. 988 and 990), to about the
same date. The dog-tooth ornaments in Fig. 993 and other similar
examples, which are not rare at Iona and throughout the Western Islands,
are thus clearly a revival, at a late date, of ancient forms.
Close to the sacristy door, but raised to a considerable height above
the choir floor, stands a round column (see Fig. 983), which supports
two pointed arches. These arches appear to have opened into an upper
aisle or chapel. They are carved with rows of dog-tooth or nail-head
ornaments, which have the appearance of thirteenth century work; but as
they are
[Illustration: FIG. 984.--Iona Cathedral. View from South-East.]
much decayed, they are probably of the late date to which, as we have
seen, many examples of imitation dog-tooth enrichments at Iona and
elsewhere belong.
The parapet of the choir (see Fig. 984) is simple, and is supported on
massive corbels, like those common in the castles of Scotland. The water
of the gutters escapes by small apertures through the parapet.
[Illustration: FIG. 985.--Iona Cathedral. Choir Pier and Arch of South
Aisle.]
The nave contains a good western doorway of late design (Fig. 994), with
three orders of mouldings in the jambs, which have no caps, but have the
jamb mouldings carried round the pointed arch. The nave and transepts
have no aisles. The windows of the nave (Fig. 995) are much damaged. At
each end of the south wall is a small single pointed light,
[Illustration: FIG. 986.--Iona Cathedral. Sedilia and Piscina in
Choir.]
and there has been a triple light window, with tracery, in the centre.
The single light window at the east end of the nave has a carved head,
with a water table over it, inserted above the window. Part of the north
[Illustration: FIG. 987.--Iona Cathedral. Door to Sacristy.]
wall of the nave is demolished (see Fig. 994), and a door to the
cloister near the west end has been built up (see Plan).
The north transept has two deeply-arched recesses in the east wall,
containing small windows and a central arched recess, which seems to
have contained a statue. This is apparently the oldest part of the whole
edifice, the arches, shafts, and caps in the east wall (Fig. 996)
having very much the character of transition work. A small window in the
west wall, raised so as to be above the cloister roof (see Fig. 994),
throws light on the point where the altar stood.
[Illustration: FIG. 988.--Iona Cathedral. Caps of Doorway to Sacristy.]
The south transept is 22 feet by 17 feet, and is lighted by a three
light traceried window in the south gable wall (see Fig. 984), and a
small window placed at a considerable height in the west wall (see Fig.
995). The parapet and corbel table are the same as those of the choir.
The crossing has four arches opening into the choir, nave, and
transepts, which carry a tower, 29 feet by 25 feet, over the walls,
rising to two stories in height above the eaves, and crowned with a
plain parapet, supported on simple corbels (see Figs. 984 and 994). The
upper story has rectangular windows on each face, three of them filled
with tracery of late patterns, and the one on the north with a window
containing simple tracery
[Illustration: FIG. 989.--Iona Cathedral. Caps of Piers of Choir and
Crossing.]
(Fig. 997). The lintels are composed of straight arches, supported by a
remarkable shaft on the inside, which recalls the turned shafts of
pre-Norman work. The access to the tower is by a small wheel staircase
at the south-west angle of the crossing. The original doorway of the
staircase entered from the nave, but, after the Reformation, the
adjoining
[Illustration: FIG. 990.--Iona Cathedral. Caps of Crossing, &c.]
west arch of the crossing was built up, and a new door, with a small
enclosing wall, was formed from the crossing into the wheel stair (as
shown in the Plan). In the upper part of the tower are built recesses,
as if meant for pigeons’ nests; and the upper floor in the roof of the
[Illustration: FIG. 991.--Iona Cathedral.
Carved Slab in St. Oran’s.]
[Illustration: FIG. 992.--Iona Cathedral.
Macfingone’s Slab in St. Oran’s.]
tower is lighted with slits in the wall near the corners, except on the
south side, where a larger opening is introduced and filled with tracery
(see Fig. 984).
The whole of the church has been roofed with timber, but is now quite
open to the weather. The stone corbels intended to carry the principals
of the roof still remain where the walls are complete (see Fig. 983).
Externally, the most prominent features are the buttresses and base
course (see Figs. 984 and 995). These exist round most of the south wall
of the nave, part of the south transept, and the east end of the choir.
The angle buttresses have the general form, with bead on angle and
sloping table on top, of thirteenth century work, and the broad, sloping
base has also a similar character. Several small intermediate buttresses
are introduced, which are in many cases awkwardly situated as regards
the windows, being kept below the window sills. The base course on the
south side of the nave is set at a level several feet above that of the
south transept (see Fig. 995). It is stopped suddenly before reaching
the eastmost bay of the nave. The base also stops equally suddenly on
the west wall of the south transept, a few feet from the south-west
angle buttress. The base course and buttresses would thus seem, where
they exist, to indicate a rebuilding of those portions of the walls, the
portions left without a base course being possibly older. Although the
forms of the base course and buttresses are of early design, there is no
doubt but that they are late erections, and that the forms and design
are revivals or imitations of older features. Their association with the
late doorway of the nave and the late traceries of the choir and south
transept sufficiently proves their comparatively recent construction.
[Illustration: FIG. 993.--Iona Cathedral.
Dog-tooth Ornaments on Slab.]
In the above general description of the cathedral, the probable dates of
the various parts have been casually referred to. It is now proposed to
explain more fully the dates we would assign to the different portions
of the structure and the reasons for doing so.
Dr. Skene has the following footnote[37]--
“One of the columns which supports the great tower of the Abbey Church
has on the upper portion the inscription, ‘Donaldus O’Brolchan fecit hoc
opus,’ and seems to think that that inscription fixes the name of the
builder of the church. Messrs. Buckler, in their description of the
architecture of the cathedral,[38] give the above inscription as
reading, ‘Donaldus ornatum fecit hoc opus.’”
The inscription is not now legible, but even if it were, it could give
little clue to the date of the edifice.
[Illustration: FIG. 994.--Iona Cathedral. View from North-West, showing
Cloister Garth, Central Tower, &c.]
[Illustration: FIG. 995.--Iona Cathedral. General View of Cathedral and
St. Oran’s Chapel, from South-West.]
There will probably be little difference of opinion regarding the
antiquity of the east wall of the north transept (see Fig. 996). The
character of the arches, shafts, and caps, even worn away as they are,
is distinctly late Norman or transition. The small round headed windows
in the recesses of the wide internal bays are also quite in keeping with
that
[Illustration: FIG. 996.--Iona Cathedral. East Side of North Transept.]
style. The depth of the recesses on each side of the central arch, with
its figure, which form a special feature, was rendered necessary by the
extra width of the wall required (as will be pointed out further on) to
admit of a passage in the thickness of the wall above. Almost all the
rest of the church appears to be of a much later date, and to belong,
with small exceptions, to the late fifteenth or early part of the
sixteenth century.
Part of the crossing, however, is probably older; but the other portions
of the crossing seem to have been rebuilt at a late date, as the
following indications show. The original arches of the north and west
sides have no mouldings, but are only chamfered, and the caps, so far as
visible, have an ancient character. The north arch has, at some period,
been strengthened by the insertion of additional piers, and an
additional arch within the then existing piers and arch (see Plan). The
old arch is distinctly visible in the wall, and portions of the old
piers are also exposed to view.
[Illustration: FIG. 997.--Iona Cathedral. North Side of Refectory.]
The arches of the east and south sides of the crossing are of a
different character from the above, the arches being fully moulded. The
piers (Fig. 998) do not differ much from those of the older sides, and
are all of an early form of design. The same character is kept up in the
inserted piers of the north arch, although these must undoubtedly be
later than the original piers. The mouldings seem all to have been
imitated from early forms (such as we find in the choir arch of the
nunnery).[39] The changes in the plans of the piers and mouldings,
common in the central districts of the mainland, would be long in
reaching this distant spot, and the old forms appear to have been,
therefore, adhered to. Such continuations or imitations of early forms
are very common in Scotland. It should be observed that the outer or
central shaft of each pier has a fillet on its central line, which
indicates (especially here) a somewhat advanced date (see Fig. 996). The
bases are of a very late type, as also the caps, both of which differ
from those of the earlier piers. From these facts we infer that the
south and east sides of the crossing have been rebuilt at a late period,
possibly at the time when the tower was erected. That part of the
edifice is always justly regarded as being very late, and the
rectangular windows and their tracery clearly support that view. If the
above supposition is correct, then the insertion of the additional piers
and arch under the north tower arch is explained. That addition would be
made at the time the tower was built, in order to make sure that the
support was sufficient to carry it. Similar extra strengthening was not
necessary in the case of the west arch, as it already had sufficient
piers and supports; and the additions to the piers of the north arch,
which
[Illustration: FIG. 998.--Iona Cathedral.
South-East Pier of Crossing.]
previously were small, simply made them of similar strength to those of
the west arch.
We therefore conclude that the original north and west arches and piers
of the crossing are old, perhaps of the thirteenth century; while the
east and south arches and piers have been rebuilt, and the additional
piers and arch added to the north opening, probably when the tower was
erected.
Let us now turn to the choir. When we consider the forms of the tracery
of the three windows of the presbytery (see Figs. 983 and 984, and the
north window in Fig. 999), the thickness of the mullions, and the number
and smallness of their mouldings, there cannot be much difficulty in
assigning these windows to a late date. The forms and decorations of the
arches of the sedilia (see Fig. 986) also clearly indicate a late
period. These are exceedingly good of their kind, and it is a misfortune
that the Celtic ornament with which they are covered is now so far
decayed as to be scarcely legible; but there can be no question as to
the lateness of their date.
On turning to the south aisle the same impression is received. The
circular and stunted form of the piers, with their remarkable bases and
the peculiar form of their enriched capitals (see Figs. 989 and 990),
strike one at once with the idea that they belong to a late and rather
debased epoch. The insertion of the clerestory windows over the piers
(an arrangement which is also met with at the nunnery) is bad
construction, and led to the adoption of the low and poor flying
buttresses (which are evidently an afterthought) as a means of steadying
the main structure.
[Illustration: FIG. 999.--Iona Cathedral. Window in North Side of Choir,
East End of South Aisle, &c.]
The north side of the choir is so peculiar in its arrangements that
little can be gathered from it with regard to dates. If the pillar and
[Illustration: FIG. 1000.--Iona Cathedral.
Section of Arch Mouldings.]
arches of the high chapel over the sacristy (see Fig. 983) are of
thirteenth century work, as their ornamentation would at first sight
lead one to suppose, they might possibly have been re-erected in their
present position; but they are more likely to have been made in
imitation of thirteenth century work, and built here at a late period.
The section of the arch mouldings (Fig. 1000) is almost identical with
that of the chapter house arches, which (as will be afterwards
explained) are almost undoubtedly of very late date.
These arches gave a view of the altar from a high chapel, which, as will
be pointed out, was perhaps connected with the library or dormitory. The
chapel has been added to the church, and the walls are not bonded into
the choir. The decoration of the upper portion, with its imitation
dog-tooth or nail-head ornament round a straight sided arch (Fig. 1001),
shows that it is of very late date.
[Illustration: FIG. 1001.--Iona Cathedral. Interior of Sacristy and
Chapel above.]
This structure appears to occupy the position of the original north
aisle, which at one time extended (or was contemplated) the full length
from the presbytery to the north transept. The water table over the old
aisle roof runs the whole length, and has a sloping water table where
the roof abutted against the north transept. The old corbels to receive
the timbers of the aisle roof also still exist. The aisle would no doubt
block one of the Norman transept windows, but that could not be
avoided.
The doorway from the choir to the sacristy (see Fig. 987) is a very fine
feature, and one would be inclined to consider it somewhat earlier than
the other parts of the sacristy and upper chapel. Possibly it may have
formed an access to the aisle before the upper chapel was raised to its
present position.
The above examination of the choir, south aisle, and sacristy leads to
the belief that they are all of a late period, probably about 1500. The
entire building bears evidence of having been in whole or part
re-erected about the end of the fifteenth century or the beginning of
the sixteenth century, possibly when it became the Cathedral of the
Isles in 1506. Some portions, such as the north transept, the north and
west sides of the crossing, the wheel stair to the tower and parts of
the walling connected therewith, are older; but all the rest, including
the east and south arches of the crossing, is of a much later date.
Besides the points to which attention has been drawn above, it may be
noted that the buttresses of the choir, which from their form may have
been raised from ancient bases, have on each angle a single bead on
their lower part and a triple bead on the upper part (see Fig. 984). The
upper story of the tower, which is admittedly very late, has also a
triple bead on the angles of the top story. May it not have happened
that the building suffered from some cause, or was intentionally taken
down and reconstructed about the end of the fifteenth or beginning of
the sixteenth century? Such an event might account for the antique form
of the buttresses, which may have been raised from existing portions of
old buttresses; while the triple bead on their upper story would show
the change of style introduced at the time of the reconstruction. It
would also explain the preservation of the old doorway to the sacristy,
while the upper parts of the walls were rebuilt. The very irregular
appearance of the lower part of the north wall of the choir might also
be thus accounted for. The interior string course on the north side,
which rises in large steps from the sacristy door, is composed of stones
partly enriched and partly plain, as if it formed part of a
reconstruction in which old materials had been reused. The clerestory
windows, with their ancient forms, are doubtless reproductions of the
outlines which formerly existed.
The section of the south-east pier of the crossing (see Fig. 998) shows
that the south transept is of about the same period as the choir, the
round responds in each corresponding with the circular piers of the
choir, and the carved caps being very similar in both (see Figs. 989 and
990); and the south wall of the transept, with its late traceried window
and buttresses and base course, is evidently of the same period as the
presbytery. The mouldings of the mullions are in both cases returned
along the sills, an unusual and late arrangement.
The rebuilt part of the crossing has arch moulds which correspond in
style with those of the south aisle arches, and the sculpture of the
caps
[Illustration: FIG. 1002.--Iona Cathedral. Chapter House.]
also corresponds with that of the aisle piers, both containing, as above
mentioned, fine examples of Celtic foliage and figures. The peculiar
traceried windows at the east end of the south aisle of choir and the
adjoining piscina (see Fig. 999) are also clearly of late date.
The cloister lies to the north of the nave; it measures 73 feet from
north to south by 66 feet from east to west. The cloister walk has had a
wooden roof all round, resting on corbels (see Fig. 994) in the main
wall, and on an arcade on the side next the cloister garth. Some
fragments of the shafts and arches of the arcade are preserved in the
chapter house, and the bases of a twin column, socketed for the shafts,
stand on the wall at the north-west angle. The arcade would thus appear
to have rested on coupled shafts, and, so far as can be ascertained by
examination of the only surviving portion at the south-west angle and
the fragments in the chapter house, the arches were pointed and carved
with Celtic ornament somewhat similarly to the arches of the sedilia in
the choir (see Fig. 986). In each angle of the cloister walk an arch has
been thrown across the walk diagonally, so as to strengthen and steady
the walls. Only one of these arches, that at the south-west angle (see
Fig. 994), remains entire, those in the other angles being reduced to
fragments. This arch is the only one which is moulded on the edge, the
others being splayed. These arches have evidently been built after the
walls adjoining, as they fit awkwardly against previously existing
doorways at the north-east and north-west angles. That at the south-west
angle butts against a structure which seems to have formed a turret
adjoining the north-west angle of the nave. This turret contains a small
chamber, at about 7 feet to 8 feet above the floor of the nave, which
enters by a small door from the nave, and is said to be the porter’s
lodge. It has a curiously cusped loophole opening in the direction of
the church door.
The cloister is surrounded by buildings on the east and north. The north
transept has a door to the cloister, and a benitier is placed near the
entrance. Next to the transept on the north is a chamber, 10 feet wide,
entering from the cloister (see Fig. 982), and lighted by a window to
the east. There is a fireplace in the east wall of this room, being the
only fireplace in the monastery. It seems doubtful whether this chamber
was not originally the slype or passage from the cloister towards the
east, as there is no other passage.
Next to this, on the north, is the chapter house, which projects beyond
the general line of the buildings, the portion next the cloister having
the appearance of a vestibule. The inner cloister enters from the
vestibule by two arches (Fig. 1002), which rest on a central round
pillar and corbels at the sides. This pillar is sometimes stated to be
of Norman work, and the chapter house is, consequently, regarded as of
Norman date. But a careful examination of the pillar and its capital
leads to the conclusion that it is comparatively a late structure. The
carving of the cap (Fig. 1003) is very peculiar. On the outer or west
side, the ornament, which is somewhat decayed, resembles that of the
caps of the adjoining nunnery church, and may easily be mistaken for
ancient. But the ornament of the inner or east side of the cap (see Fig.
1003) is quite different, and is undoubtedly of very late design, being
similar to that on the carved tombstones of the fifteenth or sixteenth
centuries, such as that in Figs. 991 and 992. The dog-tooth or nail-head
ornament of the arches, although at first sight like first pointed work,
is found, on closer inspection, to consist of late imitations--showing
three small nail-heads placed close together, so as to form an
enrichment in a manner not at all transition like. The same remark
applies to the enrichments of the high chapel in the choir (see Fig.
1000).
[Illustration: FIG. 1003.--Iona Cathedral. Details of Central Pillar in
Chapter House.]
The walls of the eastern part of the cloister are not over 2 feet 6
inches in thickness (which would be very unusual in Norman work), and
they have been strengthened by interior piers when the present flat
barrel arch was erected over the chapter house. This probably took place
when the upper part of this portion of the building was raised a story
in height, possibly in order to form the library on the upper floor. It
is evident, from an examination of the junction of the walls on the
exterior, that the upper floor of this part of the building was added at
a late period. Both vestibule and chapter house appear to have had a
stone seat running along the walls, and the whole may possibly have
formed the place of assembly of the monks. Probably, like the chapter
house at St. Andrews, the western portion, or vestibule, was the
original chapter house, and the inner division was added at a later
period.
From the chapter house a passage is visible in the upper part of the
east wall of the north transept. In order to admit of this, the wall of
the transept (as above pointed out) has required to be made of great
thickness, and this explains the depth of the two recesses under it in
the transept previously referred to. As already mentioned, there was an
upper floor over the chapter house and the adjoining portions of the
east range of the cloister buildings. Part of this upper floor is
believed to have been the library--the literary treasures of which were
famous--and part would, no doubt, be the dormitory of the monks.
It seems not improbable that the passage in the transept wall may have
led from the library or dormitory to the chapel in the upper aisle of
the choir over the sacristy, and the use of that chapel would thus be
explained. The chapel, as already mentioned, is a structure of late
erection, as is apparent from the imitation dog-tooth running round the
straight-sided arch of the east window (see Fig. 1002). The passage in
the transept wall may be much older, but was possibly utilised in
connection with the late reconstruction of the monastery, as above
suggested.
To the north of the chapter house are two chambers of good size, over
which an upper story has extended, as the remains of the windows show.
The north side of the cloister has been occupied by the refectory, a
building 63 feet long by 20 feet wide. It is situated on the first or
upper floor, and is of late work; but seems to occupy the position of a
previous refectory, which formerly stood on the site, and of which some
portions of the walls remain. The first refectory appears to have been
on the ground floor, as the remains of what must have been a handsome
doorway in the south wall near the west end of this range prove. This
doorway has had three orders of mouldings with shafts and caps, about 7
feet high, apparently of thirteenth century work, of which some
fragments remain, partly built into the adjoining angle structure. The
latter is evidently a late erection, as it encloses part of the west
jamb of the above doorway. The pier of the diagonal arch of the cloister
walk at the east end of the refectory also encroaches on the door beside
it. At a somewhat late period the refectory has been raised to the upper
floor, and an entrance made to it by a wide staircase at the east end
(which would also probably form the day staircase to the dormitory). The
ground floor is low, and has loopholes for windows. It has apparently
been used for cellars or storages. There is a wide pointed doorway
leading into it at the north-west angle (see Fig. 997). The north
elevation of the structure is fairly preserved.
The buttresses seem to be reconstructions on the lines of the original
ones, but the windows, both in the north elevation and towards the
cloister, are of later date.
The eastern range of buildings is continued northwards beyond the
refectory by a chamber 33 feet long by 12 feet 6 inches wide, which
seems to have been connected on the upper floor with a lavatory and
latrine. The latter has a built channel, evidently intended, from the
low aperture at each end, for the passage of a stream of water, which
could be easily led into it from the neighbouring burn. To the west of
this stand the walls, 3 feet high, of a nearly detached edifice, with a
separate outer doorway, which may perhaps have been an infirmary. To the
north-east, the low walls are observable of a detached structure 58 feet
9 inches long by 21 feet 6 inches wide. The only wall opening traceable
is the doorway, which has been of simple design. This is supposed by
some to have been the kitchen, but it seems doubtful. There is no
appearance of a fireplace.
A small detached chapel, 38 feet in length by 20 feet 9 inches in width
over the walls, lies to the north-east of the chapter house. It has had
a doorway in the north wall, a small centre window in the east wall, and
a similar window in each of the side walls near the east end. The
windows are trefoil headed and cusped, and appear to be late. The
doorway had two orders, with a bead on each. The orientation of this
building is different from that of the cathedral.
Adjoining the south-west angle of the cloister, and built out from it,
is a small enclosure containing stone coffins (see Fig. 994).
Immediately beyond this are the remains of another enclosure, connected
with a Celtic cross (called St. Martin’s) near the west end of the
cathedral (see Fig. 995). The inner of these chambers, which encloses
the stone coffins, is called “St. Columba’s Tomb.” Dr. Skene is of
opinion that it is actually the structure which contained the body of
St. Columba, the coffin of that Saint being placed on the right or south
side, and that of St. Blathmac (a martyr who died in defending the abbey
against the Northmen in 825) being placed on the left or north side.
This view is, however, controverted by Sir Henry Dryden in a MS. of
1879, deposited in the Antiquarian Museum in Edinburgh.
There is also a well in the same locality as the above enclosures.
The ruins of a chapel of some size (48 feet long by 30 feet wide over
the walls) lie at a short distance to the west of the cloister. The
walls are reduced to a few feet in height, and are partly rebuilt in a
rough manner. There seems to have been a doorway in the east end, but
this is doubtless not original. A turret can be traced at the south-east
angle and another at the south-west angle.
To the north-east of the cloister lie the total ruins of what is called
the Abbot’s House, and at some distance to the south-east of the church
may be observed the greatly demolished remains of a chapel.
In the choir are preserved several monuments. On the south side, close
to the sedilia (see Fig. 986), lies the well sculptured effigy of Abbot
Kenneth; and on the north side, near the door of the sacristy, is the
effigy of Abbot M‘Kinnon, the last abbot of Iona (the head being visible
in Fig. 987), around which is legible the following inscription, “Hic
jacet Johannes MacFingone, Abbas de Hy qui obiit anno Domini Millessimo
Quingentessimo cujus animae propitietur Deus Altissimus. Amen.”
In the floor of the choir a large slab shows the remains of brass work,
and against the east wall rests the carved figure of a knight, with
shield and spear, said to be the monument of a M‘Lean (see Fig. 983).
ST. MACHAR’S CATHEDRAL, OLD ABERDEEN.
Old Aberdeen is situated on the river Don, about two miles north from
the town of Aberdeen on the Dee. The cathedral, which is dedicated to
St. Machar, is built in granite, and is now considerably reduced in size
from its original dimensions. The nave (Fig. 1004) is entire and is used
as the parish church. The walls of the transepts exist only to the
height of about 10 feet. The choir has been entirely destroyed. The
bishop’s palace, which stood at the east end of the cathedral, has also
disappeared. It was a large building, and “had a fine court, having a
high tower at each of its four corners; an outer and inner gate; with a
deep well in the middle of the court; and an iron gate by which the
bishop passed from his palace into the choir.”[40]
The cathedral stands on the north side of an extensive churchyard, and
the situation is pleasant, having the houses of the chanonry--some of
them quaint-looking and interesting--approaching it on the south. On the
north it is skirted by high trees, which grow on a steep bank sloping
down from the cathedral towards the Don.
The seat of the bishop was translated from Murthlack or Mortlack, in
Banffshire, to Aberdeen by King David I. in the year 1136, St. Nectan
being the last bishop of Mortlack and the first of Aberdeen. The third
bishop, Matthew Kinninmond, began to build a cathedral between 1183 and
1199 to supersede the primitive church then existing, “which [new
building], because it was not glorious enough, Bishop Cheyne threw
down.”[41]
A second edifice was begun by Bishop Cheyne shortly after 1282, and the
work went on till the time when the country was involved in the war with
Edward I. After Bruce was seated on the throne, Cheyne was temporarily
banished, and “during his absence the king, seeing the new cathedral he
had begun, made the church to be built with the revenues of the
bishoprick.”[42]
The cathedral thus erected was in its turn thrown down by Bishop
Alexander Kinninmond, who succeeded in 1355, and he began a new building
on a still larger scale about the year 1370. Of his operations there
remain two large piers for the support of the central tower, which form
the earliest portion of the structure of St. Machar’s now remaining.
These piers are built of red freestone, and are much more graceful and
[Illustration: FIG. 1004.--St. Machar’s Cathedral. Plan.]
refined in character than the succeeding work, most of which is
constructed in granite. Bishop Kinninmond may possibly have built the
bay of the nave adjoining for a buttress to the central tower. Freestone
mouldings similar to those of the tower still remain at the springing,
as if they had continued across to the first pillar; but the arch must
have been taken down, as the existing bays are all of granite, and the
granite mouldings--which are of quite a different section--are seen to
butt against those of Kinninmond’s time.
The nave may be said to be all of one period, and appears to have been
principally built, including the two western towers, by Bishop Henry
Leighton between 1422 and 1440. It was roofed in by his successor,
Bishop Lindsay, and in the _View of the Diocese_ it is said to have been
leaded over by the Bishops Elphinston and Dunbar, and “ceiled by this
last,” A.D. 1518-1531. The flat ceiling of oak erected by Bishop Dunbar
still remains (Fig. 1005), having been constructed by him at his own
“pains and expenses.” “James Winter, an Angus man, was architect of the
timber work and ceiling of said church; which was well done, and may
make his name famous to after ages.”[43] It is ornamented with heraldic
decorations, containing the arms of various European kings, Pope Leo X.,
the Scottish nobility, and Churchmen. These have been drawn and
illustrated in colour by the New Spalding Club. Bishop Dunbar also
finished Leighton’s towers by adding the spires (Fig. 1006) in grey
freestone. The general colour of the granite work is of a reddish yellow
tint.
The edifice as it now stands measures on the outside as follows,
viz.--length of nave about 143 feet, width 77 feet. The transept is
about 121 feet long by 37 feet 6 inches wide. The centre alley of the
nave is 30 feet 6 inches wide. The towers are about 23 feet 6 inches
square, and about 111 feet high.
The west front of St. Machar’s (see Fig. 1006) is entirely built with
granite, except the spires, and is one of the most impressive and
imposing structures in Scotland. It is extremely plain, not a single
scrap of carving being visible anywhere, and most of the openings are of
the simplest kind. This front is a veritable piece of Doric work,
depending for its effect on its just proportion and the mass of its
granite masonry. The towers and spires are of equal height, and almost
identical in design. The great corbels and machicolations of the parapet
are clearly derived from castellated forms, and the embrasured bands
round the spires and their numerous lucarnes are distinct signs of the
late date of their construction. The entrance doorway (Fig. 1007) is
remarkable, the jambs being mere rounds and hollows, with a flat stone
laid along at the springing of the round arch, marking where the
capitals usually stand, while the arch mouldings are of the most
elementary kind, all being designed to suit the hard granite of which
they are constructed. Above this doorway is one of the most striking
features of the composition, viz.--the seven lofty narrow windows (see
Fig. 1006), about 26 feet in height, and each crowned
[Illustration: FIG. 1005.--St. Machar’s Cathedral. The Nave, looking
West.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1006.--St. Machar’s Cathedral. West Front.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1007.--St. Machar’s Cathedral. West Doorway.]
with a round and cusped arch (Fig. 1009). The ground story of both
towers is barrel vaulted; the apartment in the south tower has had a
rude door knocked through the front wall, and is now used as a place for
keeping spades and shovels in.
[Illustration: FIG. 1008.--St. Machar’s Cathedral. View from
South-West.]
The south elevation (Fig. 1008) is marked by the same simplicity as the
west front, being designed to suit the intractable material of which it
is built. The clerestory is an absolutely plain wall, pierced by narrow
round arched windows, without a moulding of any kind, while the windows
of the side aisles are filled with the simplest tracery. The effect of
this part of the building is much marred by the removal of the parapet
which formerly ran along the top of the wall. The south porch is a
dignified structure. It was evidently meant to have a room over the
entrance, for which a window is provided; but there is no indication of
there ever having been an upper floor or an access stair, and the
considerable height, as viewed from the inside, has an unmeaning
appearance. The resemblance between this porch and the south porch of
St. Michael’s, Linlithgow, is striking, both having the inner
crow-stepped gable built on the aisle wall. In the latter porch the
upper room has been completed.
[Illustration: FIG. 1009.
St. Machar’s Cathedral.
Top of West Windows.]
The north aisle wall of the cathedral, which is fortunately not so well
seen as the south wall, is quite modern, and has a mean and paltry
appearance.
The pillars in the nave (see Fig. 1005) are all round on Plan, with
round moulded caps and very simple bases. These are shown in section in
Fig. 1005, and also on a larger scale in Fig. 1010, which contains
Scougal’s monument (afterwards referred to), and where there is also a
view of part of the interior of the large west window. Beside the sketch
of this monument will be seen a stone containing the arms, surmounted by
a mitre, probably of Bishop Stewart, who died in 1565 (a fesse chequé
debruised by a bend engrailed).
In the view of the interior (see Fig. 1005) it may be observed that the
full thickness of the clerestory walls does not come down to the caps of
the pillars, but stops short a few feet above. This arrangement has an
unpleasing effect in perspective, leaving a portion of the cap
projecting and bearing nothing. The two piers at the crossing, as
already mentioned, are of freestone and are of clustered form, and have
richly carved capitals. These capitals are necessarily concealed by the
building up of the arches, which lead from the nave to the crossing.
Fig. 1011 shows a part of one of these capitals, which can be seen from
the transept.
Regarding the choir nothing can be now said from observation, as it was
destroyed in 1560, and the ruins have since been entirely removed.
Alluding to this, Orme says (p. 104)--“The glorious structure of said
Cathedral Church being near nine score years in building, did not remain
twenty entire, when it was almost ruined by a crew of sacrilegious
church robbers.”
There was an old choir standing in Bishop Elphinston’s time, early in
the sixteenth century, which, as Boece tells us in his life of that
prelate,[44] was considered by the bishop to be in a style unworthy such
a church, and he began to rebuild it on a plan corresponding with the
western part of the building; “but lest he should die before it was
completed, he would not take down the old choir till everything was in
readiness to begin the new one, so that a considerable part was finished
before his death.” The work was continued by his successors, but it
seems doubtful if it ever was entirely completed before the Reformation
burst on the country.
The building of the central steeple, which had been partly carried out
by Bishop Leighton, was finally completed by Bishop Elphinston about
1511. The tower was supported by the four pillars of the crossing. “It
[Illustration: FIG. 1010.--St. Machar’s Cathedral. Monument of Bishop
Scougal in South-West Angle of Aisle.]
was four storey high, and square, and had two battlements, and seems to
have been about 150 foot high.”[45]
Bishop Leighton also built, in 1424, the north transept, or, as it was
called, St. John’s Aisle, where the beautiful sculpture of that bishop’s
effigy now lies inglorious beneath a rough brick arch (Fig. 1012). His
tomb appears to have been entire when Orme (who died about 1725) wrote
his description of the cathedral.[46] He describes it as an effigy _in
pontificalibus_, on an altar tomb with a canopy, under which is this
inscription: “_Hic jacet bone memorie Henricus de Lichtoun_,” &c.
Huddled in behind the figure there is a large stone slab with an
inscription, which can hardly be seen on account of the rubbish and ivy.
The south transept was built by Bishop Dunbar in 1522. And so recently
as the time of Orme large portions of it, which have now disappeared,
[Illustration: FIG. 1011.--St. Machar’s Cathedral. Part of East Pier
from Transept.]
were standing, if, indeed, it was not almost entire at that date. Orme
speaks of the “top of this aisle” as having then been taken down for the
miserable purpose of furnishing stones for new buildings at the college;
and he also mentions large windows as then existing, all of which have
vanished. Indeed, almost nothing of this transept now remains except the
tomb of the founder, Bishop Gavin Dunbar (Fig. 1013), and an empty tomb
to the left of it, which were complete when Orme wrote. The latter
contained the effigy of a bishop, “a lion at his feet, and under his
head a pointed helmet for a cushion; arms, a lion rampant _queue
fourche_ debruised by a bend charged with three escallops.”[47] This
was probably a tomb of the end of the sixteenth century. The foliage
round the arch, modelled from seaweed, is carved with great spirit.
Dunbar’s tomb is perhaps the finest of the minor pieces of work now
remaining here. It is remarkable how it escaped destruction on various
occasions, and especially in 1693, when a gang of religious fanatics
broke his effigy in pieces, defaced the inscription, smashed the hanging
cusped tracery round
[Illustration: FIG. 1012.--St. Machar’s Cathedral.
Monument of Bishop Leighton.]
the arch (apparently firing guns at it), and threw down the top of the
monument. The existing cornice, with its two rows of corbels, was
erected afterwards; and it must be allowed that it harmonises well with
the earlier work, although it has more of the spirit of domestic than of
ecclesiastical architecture. A similar kind of battlement is introduced
over the centre panel of the Amond Monument, at Ellon, in the same
county (see
[Illustration: FIG. 1013.--St. Machar’s Cathedral. Tomb of Bishop Dunbar
in South Transept.]
Fig. 1014), erected just about the time that this monument was repaired.
In the spandrils of the arch of the bishop’s tomb are the royal arms of
Scotland and those of Dunbar (three cushions pendant at the corners in a
bordure). The label terminals near the head and feet of the effigy are
designed as angels bearing shields. Orme states that, in 1640, under the
direction of the Earl of Seaforth and others, “A mason struck out
[Illustration: FIG. 1014.--Monument at Ellon, Aberdeenshire.]
Christ’s arms in hewn work, on each end of Bishop Dunbar’s tomb,” “and
likewise chesel’d out the name of Jesus” from another part of the
building.[48] Both of the above tombs are of freestone.
A very interesting monument, also in freestone, is built into the south
wall of the nave (Fig. 1015). It is in bas relief, the depth of the
recess above the effigy being only two inches from the projection of the
arch moulding, yet within this slight recess the sculptor has obtained
a wonderful effect in the beautiful figure, supposed to represent
Archdeacon Barbour, the poet, who died in 1396. If this is Barbour’s
monument, it must have been erected a considerable time after his death,
as the nave was not built till after that event. There is a long
inscription beneath the monument, which, so far as we know, has never
been decyphered. The length of the recess in which the figure lies is 3
feet 11½ inches.
[Illustration: FIG. 1015.--St. Machar’s Cathedral. Monument in South
Wall of Nave.]
The whole breadth of the monument is 4 feet 4 inches, and the height,
including the inscription and base course (exclusive of the lower
inscription), to the top of the horizontal cornice is 2 feet 6 inches.
It stands at a height of 6 feet 6 inches from the floor to the bed of
the figure.
At the west end of the south aisle is the monument (see Fig. 1010) of
Bishop Patrick Scougal, who, as his epitaph says, “enriched the
Cathedral of St. Machar,” and other places in Aberdeen, “with
considerable tokens of his great bounty.” The monument was erected in
1685, the year of his death.
TRINITY COLLEGE CHURCH, EDINBURGH.
This church stood in the hollow between the Old and New Towns of
Edinburgh, on the west side of Leith Wynd. It was founded by Mary of
Gueldres, Queen of James II., shortly after that king’s death in 1460,
the charter of erection being dated 1462. The edifice was dedicated to
the “honour and praise of the Holy Trinity, to the ever blessed and
glorious Virgin Mary, to Saint Ninian the Confessor, and to all the
saints and elect people of God.”[49]
The foundation was established for a provost, eight prebendaries, and
two clerks, and in 1502 there were added a dean and sub-dean. Lands and
benefices sufficient were bestowed on the establishment for its
maintenance.
Connected with the college was “Trinity Hospital,” also founded by Queen
Mary of Gueldres. After the Reformation the endowments passed into the
hands of the Town Council, who maintained the Hospital as a city charity
for decayed burgesses and their families.
The church became the place of worship of a new parochial division
called “Trinity College Parish,” and so continued till 1848, when it was
removed to make way for the station of the North British Railway
Company.
Trinity College Church was a very fine specimen of the Scottish Gothic
architecture of the fifteenth century. It showed (as has been pointed
out in the Introduction) that much of the middle pointed or decorated
style continued to be used in this country long after it had been given
up in England. This view is supported by Richman, who says of this
church: “The interior is a very beautiful decorated composition, with
the capitals of the piers enriched with foliage, not exceeded in design
or execution in any English cathedral”; and he also adds, “This building
is all of good decorated character, and deserving of minute examination
and study.” During the erection of the church “the master of works” was
John Halkerston, who, in recent books, is frequently referred to as the
architect; but, as has been pointed out elsewhere,[50] he seems to have
acted as paymaster, not as designer.
The church (Fig. 1016)[51] consisted of a choir, with north and south
aisles, and a five-sided eastern apse, north and south transepts, with
the commencement of a tower over the crossing, and a north sacristy.
The nave was never erected, the arch leading to the west from the
transept being built up, and having a circular window inserted therein.
It is supposed that the progress of the structure was arrested by the
death of the foundress, which occurred in 1463. The choir, including the
apse, was 69 feet in length by 25 feet in width internally. The north
and south aisles extended along the three bays of the choir, the north
aisle
[Illustration: FIG. 1016.--Trinity College Church. Plan.]
being 13 feet wide and the south aisle 9 feet wide. The apse was the
full width and height of the central choir, and had a lofty window in
each of its three central divisions. The transepts had small
projections; the whole internal length of the transept, including the
crossing, being 74 feet and the width 24 feet.
The choir and aisles were roofed with fine groined vaulting. That of the
side aisles was simple, but the vault of the choir was ornamented with
ridge ribs and several intermediate ribs, or tiercerons, springing from
vaulting shafts, supported on corbels and provided with carved caps, and
all the vaults were studded with carved bosses. The effect of the
vaulting of the apse was specially beautiful. Each bay of the choir had
clustered piers (Fig. 1017), with finely carved capitals. Above these
was a string course, then a piece of plain wall in the space usually
occupied by the triforium, and the whole was crowned with the traceried
clerestory
[Illustration: FIG. 1017.--Trinity College Church.
Piers of Choir.]
windows. A good general view of the interior, taken a short time before
its destruction, is given by Billings.[52]
Owing to the removal of the building, it has been impossible to make
original illustrations for this work, but we are fortunate in being able
to publish copies of a series of sketches made by the late James
Drummond, R.S.A., in 1845. These picturesque sketches give a good idea
of the nature of the structure, both internally and externally. Fig.
1018 is a view of the exterior of the south side of the choir, showing
the three bays into which the aisle was divided by buttresses, from
which flying arches extended to the upper part of the choir. The
buttresses had simple set-offs, and were crowned with pinnacles, which,
for the most part, seem to have been greatly decayed. In the depth of
the buttresses next the south transept a porch was formed, which was
roofed with fine groined vaulting. This porch is also well shown in Fig.
1018. The arch is moulded, and dies against the buttresses, and is
crowned with a reversed curve and a flowered finial. There were
carefully carved canopies and corbels for statues on the face of the
buttresses on each side of the porch, and the other buttresses seem to
have had similar niches. A round-headed doorway in the porch gave access
to the choir, and had a square-headed window over it.
The aisle windows had double splayed jambs and arches (Fig. 1019) both
in the exterior and interior of the wall openings, but the original
tracery had been broken, and its place was supplied with one upright
mullion in the centre and a transome (Fig. 1020). This sketch also shows
the south end of the south transept, which preserved its four mullions,
of varied thickness, and its tracery. The latter is of a kind not
uncommon in late Scottish churches.
Fig. 1021 shows the exterior of the north transept, and the north side
of the choir and the sacristy. The north end wall of the transept
corresponds
[Illustration: FIG. 1018.--Trinity College Church. South Side of
Choir.]
with that of the south transept--the great window having double splays
on the outer ingoing, and tracery, mullions, and transome similar to
those of the south window. The angle buttresses and pinnacles, and
parapet with corbel course, enriched with rosettes and gargoyles, all
correspond at both ends of the transepts.
The upper part of the north side of the choir is also seen in this
sketch. It had a plain parapet with bold gargoyles, and in each bay
[Illustration: FIG. 1019.--Trinity College Church.
Window Jamb.]
a moulded window in which the original tracery was preserved. This
showed a central mullion with quatrefoil in the arch-head, and the
smaller arches foiled or cusped. The buttress at the sacristy was well
preserved. The pinnacle was apparently original and of good design. On
the front of the buttress a small additional pinnacle was introduced,
which would give considerable character to the design. Fig. 1018 shows
that the same arrangement was evidently adopted in the corresponding
buttress on the south side. The arches of the flying buttresses are also
visible in the sketches of both sides of the church. The roof of the
north aisle seems to have been covered with stone slabs.[53]
A building 17 feet in length by 16 feet in width internally projected
from the north wall. It is sometimes called the chapter house, but was
more likely the sacristy. It had a round-headed doorway opening into the
north aisle (Fig. 1022), a good window to the east, and a smaller
square-headed window to the west. There are two ambries in the west and
north walls, a fireplace in the north wall, and a squint window in the
south-east angle commanding a view of the high altar. At the north-east
angle there was a buttress with a pinnacle, and at the north-west angle
(see Fig. 1021) an octagonal projection, which, doubtless, contained a
wheel stair to an upper floor, the window of which is seen in the
sketch. The roof was covered with stone slabs, and a chimney with
battlement ornament crowned the north gable. The fireplace of the
sacristy is said to have comprised a fine specimen of a Gothic chimney.
Fig. 1023 shows the interior of the south transept. The transept had no
aisles or chapels. The main arches of the crossing spring from clustered
responds against the walls with carved caps, and the groined vaulting of
the transept--which was similar to that of the choir--with its numerous
moulded ribs enriched with bosses, is seen springing from wall shafts
and corbels. The south window, with its mullions and
[Illustration: FIG. 1020.--Trinity College Church. South Porch and South
Transept.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1021.--Trinity College Church. North Transept and
North Side of Choir.]
tracery, is also well shown. A small circular window, with eight bold
cusps, was inserted within the western wall arch.
Fig. 1024 is taken from the parapet walk of the south transept, and
shows the upper part of the south side of the choir, the top of the
stair turret, and the angle pinnacle of the transept. Of the choir there
are
[Illustration: FIG. 1022.--Trinity College Church. North Aisle.]
visible the parapet, with enriched corbel course, and the bold gargoyles
and pinnacles of the east end buttresses. The south clerestory windows
had lost their tracery, and a plain mullion and transome had been
substituted. The cape house of the stair turret is plain, but
picturesque, and the pinnacle of the angle buttress is of good, though
late, design. Those of the apse are evidently similar.
[Illustration: FIG. 1023.--Trinity College Church. South Transept.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1024.--Trinity College Church. Choir, from Parapet
of South Transept.]
Fig. 1025 shows a view from the parapet of the choir looking south
across the south transept. We here see the construction of the parapet
and its corbel course, and an example of one of the gargoyles carved in
the form of an animal. The monkey was a favourite subject of the carvers
in this church, and it as well as other figures were used in great
profusion. The cape house and angle pinnacle are also again visible.
[Illustration: FIG. 1025.--Trinity College Church. Looking South from
Parapet of Choir.]
To the right is the roof of the south transept, terminated with a
foliated cross. A small ridge ornament of stone may also be observed on
the top of the stone ridge of the roof.
In Fig. 1022 a small credence table or piscina is visible, which is
illustrated on a larger scale in Fig. 1026. Fig. 1027 is a piscina which
was probably in the choir. The carving has apparently been of a good
style, but late. Fig. 1022 further shows that there was a doorway at
the east end of the north aisle, which appears to have nearly blocked up
the traceried window, the head of which is visible above. The Plan shows
that there was a similar doorway at the east end of the south aisle.
[Illustration: FIG. 1026.--Trinity College Church.
Credence Table in North Aisle.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1027.--Trinity College Church. Piscina.]
Fig. 1028 shows the interior of the south aisle looking westwards. These
sketches in the north and south aisles show that the central aisle was
shut off from the side aisles by solid partitions at the time the
sketches were made.
In Figs. 1029 and 1030 are shown a great variety of the picturesque
carvings with which the corbels, caps, &c. were enriched. These
sculptures are all of a very grotesque and some of a debased character,
and point to the late style of much of the work.
In Fig. 1031 is preserved a view of part of the exterior of the apse and
of some old-fashioned structures adjoining. Although the building of
Trinity Hospital is removed, the charity still exists and adds to the
comfort of a number of old men and women.
When the church was demolished, a careful search was made to discover
the remains of the royal foundress; and a skeleton, in an
antique-shaped leaden coffin, was found in the apse, near the place
where the high altar must have stood. This was probably the remains of
the queen dowager.[54]
A very interesting memorial of Trinity College Church has been preserved
in a painting, which is believed to have been the altar-piece. It is
[Illustration: FIG. 1028.--Trinity College Church. South Aisle, looking
West.]
a Diptych, painted on both sides, and contains portraits of King James
III. and his queen, Margaret of Denmark. It was executed in 1484, and
has
[Illustration: FIG. 1029.--Trinity College Church. Carved Corbels, &c.]
been restored to this country from Hampton Court by the gracious
permission of Her Majesty, and is now exhibited in the Picture Gallery
of
[Illustration: FIG. 1030.--Trinity College Church. Corbels, Gargoyles,
&c.]
Holyrood House. Dr. Laing has endeavoured to prove its original purpose
by identifying the portraits of Edward Bonkill, the queen’s confessor,
and
[Illustration: FIG. 1031.--Trinity College Church. Hospital and Part of
Apse, from North-East.
(From a Drawing by William Douglas, 1845.)]
probably that of Mary of Gueldres herself, in the character of an angel
seated at the organ of the church, which forms the reverse of one of the
panels.[55]
THE PARISH CHURCH OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST, PERTH.
The ancient City of Perth, one of the favourite residences of the kings
of Scotland, formerly possessed, as might be expected, many well endowed
religious establishments. The principal of these was the Dominican or
Blackfriars’ Monastery, founded by Alexander II. in 1231. The buildings
were extensive, and formed the residence of the Scottish kings when in
the Fair City. It was here that James I. was staying at the time of his
assassination. The Carmelites or Whitefriars had also a convent close to
Perth, founded in the reign of Alexander III. The Charter House or
Carthusian Monastery in Perth was the only house of that order in
Scotland. It was founded by James I. and his queen in 1429. The
Franciscans’ or Greyfriars’ Monastery was founded by Lord Oliphant in
1460. There were also numerous nunneries and chapels, some of very
ancient date; but all these religious establishments have now entirely
disappeared, the only ancient ecclesiastical structure still remaining
(and it has been greatly changed) being the Parish Church of St. John
the Baptist, from which the city derived the title of “St. John’s
Town.” This edifice still serves its original purpose of the parish
church of the town, but it has in modern times been divided by walls so
as to form three places of worship.
So far as we have been able to discover, no complete history of this
church has ever been written, and the circumstances connected with its
original erection and subsequent reconstruction do not appear to have
been definitely ascertained and described. It is certain that a church
existed here in the twelfth century, and it is obvious, from an
inspection of the structure, that not a single stone of that early
building remains to enable its size and appearance to be determined. All
knowledge in regard to the existing fabric must, therefore, be derived
from the internal evidence of the building itself, with such slight aid
as can be got from written records. The following are some scattered
notices of St. John’s Church gathered from various sources.
The earliest mention of the church occurs in the _Registrum de
Dunfermelyn_[56] under the years 1124-1127, when it was granted by David
I., with its property and tithes, to the Abbey of Dunfermline.
Between the years 1189 and 1199 William the Lion granted a charter to
Henry Bald of “that land which is in the front of the street, which
leads from the Church of St. John Baptist to the Castle of Perth, on the
east side opposite to the house of Andrew, the son of Simon.” The same
Henry Bald granted, about the year 1225, to the Abbey of Scone “these
two booths which are in the front of the street which leads from the
Church of St. John Baptist towards the Castle of Perth, on the east side
opposite to the house of Andrew, the son of Simon; those two booths, to
wit, which are towards the north.”[57]
The Church of St. John the Baptist was consecrated by David de Bernham,
Bishop of St. Andrews, in 1242.[58] In Hay’s _Sacra Scotia_ (p. 323) it
is stated that the heart of Alexander III. was buried in the Church of
St. John.
In course of time the abbots of Dunfermline allowed the building to
become ruinous, and endeavoured to lay on the citizens of Perth the
burden of upholding the fabric. It is probable that early in the
thirteenth century the Dominican Monastery was built in Perth, and about
the middle of the century the Carmelite or Whitefriars’ Monastery was
erected, and the interests of the citizens may thereby have been
diverted somewhat from the parish church. It was perhaps in connection
with the repairs required at the time that Robert the Bruce, in 1328,
granted that stones might be taken from the quarries of Kyncarachi and
Balcormac, belonging to the Abbey of Scone, “for the edification of the
Church of Perth.”[59]
In 1335 King Edward III. was in Perth and slew his brother, John of
Eltham, Earl of Cornwall, before the high altar of the Church of St.
John, for his excesses and ravages in the western districts of Scotland.
In 1379 the tomb of Robert II. was brought from Leith to Perth, and
temporarily deposited in St. John’s Church before being taken to the
Abbey of Scone and set up in it.[60]
In 1393-4, after the holding of a Parliament at Scone, Walter Trail,
Bishop of St. Andrews, performed divine service in St. John’s
Church.[61]
From 1401 till 1553-6 there is a continuous record[62] of the founding
of altars in the parish church, and of endowments to already existing
altars. In one of these, founded in 1402, it is stipulated that if the
stipend of the chaplain of St. James the Apostle should exceed a certain
sum, the excess of the endowment meant for that altar should be applied
by the Provost and Town Council “for the maintenance and reparation of
the windows and ornaments of the parish church.”
The chapel in which St. James’s altar was situated stood on the south
side of the church, and having fallen into a state of ruin, it had been
rebuilt about the year 1400, chiefly with the assistance which the
magistrates received from William Whitson, a wealthy burgess of Perth.
By a notarial instrument made in 1410, containing certain obligations
and confirmations, Euphame, Countess of Stratherne, “gave her bodily
oath on the gospels to observe the same. Done in the Parish Church of
the Burgh of Perth on St. Martin’s altar.”[63]
The foundation charter of the altar of St. John the Evangelist, founded
in 1448 by Sir John de Bute, states that the altar was situated “in the
new choir of the Parish Church.”
The accounts of the Lord High Treasurer contain a payment under the year
1489--“To the Kirk werk of Pertht, xviijs.”[64] And again in
1496--“Item, the xij day of March, in Sanct Johnstoun, giffin to the
kirk werk on the bred (altar) xjs. vjd.”[65] Along with other offerings
at this time in St. John’s there occurs the following--“Item, that samyn
day giffin to Walter Merlioune, masoune, for his fee quhill Witsonday
nixt tocum, quhilk is the Mertymes fee bipast, xxlib.”
This church has the unenviable notoriety of having been the centre
whence issued, in 1559, the unruly mob who in a short time demolished
the splendid monasteries and other numerous religious houses of Perth
and the neighbourhood, and whose example was only too readily followed
by other communities throughout the whole country. Such was the effect
of a sermon preached here by John Knox. The fabric of St. John’s was
spared after being purged of all monuments of idolatry. Nothing was left
but the bare walls and roofs, which were retained for use as the Parish
Church. Before the end of the century, the building was fitted up with
galleries, and in course of time it was divided into three separate
places of worship by thick walls, which still exist.
In 1585 the kirk-session declared the church to be in a “ruinous,
pitiful, and lamentable state,” and the minister was requested to preach
a sermon and obtain a collection for the repair of the fabric,[66] but
apparently not till 1598 did “the town begin to repair the new kirk in
wallis and wandows.”[67] The next item in the _Chronicle_ regarding St.
John’s shows that the existing lead-covered spire on the central tower
is of a considerable age, for in March 1607, “Thair rais ane great
extaordinarire winde, that blew the lead of the steipill, to Mr John
Malcolme’s back yett.”[68] This was evidently a formidable mishap, as
ten years elapsed before the session, in 1617, “appointed David Sibbald
to be master of work to the reparation of the decayed parts of the
steeple, and to recieve furth of an chest, containing the Hospital’s
writts, the sum of £20 (Scots), left over the last collection lifted for
reparation of the kirk, and help to repair the said seeple with.”[69]
As already mentioned, nothing now remains of the church of the twelfth
century, referred to in the earlier of the above notes, no part of the
present structure being older than the beginning of the fifteenth
century. The rebuilding of the Chapel of St. James in 1400 is spoken of
above, but that chapel no longer exists. In 1448 the east end of the
church is referred to as the “New Choir,” and we shall see as we proceed
that the other portions of the edifice are of still more recent origin.
The church (Fig. 1032)[70] consists of a choir and nave, with north and
south aisles, and a north and south transept without aisles. The total
length of the main building within the walls is about 191 feet by about
58 feet 9 inches wide. The nave and choir are of almost equal length.
The transept measures about 91 feet in length from north to south, by
about 23 feet 6 inches in width. There was a chapel on the west side of
the north transept, which no longer exists, but the wide arch of the
opening into it is partly visible in the transept. A view of this chapel
is given in the _Memorabilia of Perth_, of which Fig. 1033 is a copy. It
is represented as a lean-to of two stories in height, adjoining the
north transept, the upper story being evidently reached by a stair in
the erection on the west side.
It will be remembered that, in 1448, the east end of the church is
referred to as the “New Choir,” and it is quite evident from its style
[Illustration: FIG. 1032.--St. John the Baptist’s, Perth. Plan.]
that the choir and crossing beneath the central tower are of about that
period. The transepts may be later, and, judging from the details of the
wide arch which exists in the west wall of the north transept, that arch
[Illustration: FIG. 1033.--St. John the Baptist’s, Perth. View from
North-west, from the _Memorabilia_.]
must undoubtedly be later, one of the arch-jambs being patched on to the
great pillar of the tower. The north gable of this transept was rebuilt
in 1823.
The south transept is probably of the same period as the north
transept.
[Illustration: FIG. 1034.--St John the Baptist’s, Perth. View from the
south.]
A view of the church dated 1775, given in the _Chronicle of Perth_,[71]
and of which Fig. 1034 is a copy, shows the south side of the whole
church, and the transept is drawn very much as it still remains. Another
view of the south transept, made in 1765, and published in the papers
referring to the Blackfriars’ Monastery (where it is by mistake called
the “north” front), shows the south transept nearly the same as the
above.
A curious row of corbels is partly seen in the interior, projecting
through the plaster along the top of the east wall of this transept.
They were probably meant for supporting the upright pieces of timber
which secured the feet of the rafters.
The two eastern bays of the main arcade of the choir are more
elaborately moulded than the others, and round the eastmost pillar on
the south side there is finely cut the following inscription (Fig.
1035), which is carved on a band running round the shafts of the pier,
as shown in Fig. 1036:--
[Illustration: FIG. 1035.--St. John the Baptist’s, Perth. Inscription on
East Pillar of Choir.
Iohan̄es: fullar: et: uxor: ejus: mariota: foullar.]
It will be observed that the husband and wife mentioned in the
inscription have the same name, with a slightly different spelling. The
two shields
[Illustration: FIG. 1036.--St. John the Baptist’s, Perth. Inscription on
East Pillar of Choir.]
contain the same charges--viz., a key with a mullet--while on one are
also carved the last letters of the lady’s first name.
It has been recently pointed out by the Rev. John Ferguson, of
Aberdalgie,[72] Perthshire, that John Fullar was one of the bailies of
Perth, and that his name occurs as a witness in more than one of the
charters belonging to the Charter House, Perth, of the year 1441. His
identity is placed beyond doubt by the fact that the charges on the seal
attached to the charter are the same as those on the two shields on the
pillar, viz., a key in pale and a spur in fess. Mr Ferguson further
states:--“We know from the _Registrum de Dunfermline_ that an
arrangement was made between the monastery and the magistrates of Perth,
by which the latter received
[Illustration: FIG. 1037.--St. John the Baptist’s, Perth.
Piscina in Choir.]
the tithes of Perth for six years, subject to paying the vicar and a
certain sum to the monastery, along with the fees for the right of
burial in the choir, for the purpose of building ‘Chorum, et vestibulum
ecclesie parochiale dicti burgi de Perth, prout eis placencius et
honestius videatur, ac eadem postquam fuerint edificata perpetuis
temporibus sustentabunt in omnibus et singulis reparacionibus choro et
vestibulo pertinentibus tectura,’ &c. This agreement was made in 1440,
the year before John Fullar was made a bailie. It is possible that the
tithes and fees did not suffice for the execution of the work laid upon
the magistrates, and that John Fullar and his wife volunteered to pay
for a part, certainly for the pillar on which their names are
inscribed.” From this it is evident, as Mr. Ferguson remarks, that the
work of renewing the building was to be begun after 1440. It is somewhat
singular that the above two persons, who were evidently great
benefactors to this church, should have been so completely forgotten
that their good work at St. John’s required to be rediscovered and
brought to notice again here.
In the second bay of the choir from the east, on the north side (at B on
Plan), there is a round arched doorway, now built up. It led to the
sacristy or revestry, as it was sometimes called. After the Reformation
the sacristy was used for meetings of the kirk-session, but it was taken
down about the beginning of this century, and the meetings were
[Illustration: FIG. 1038.--St. John the Baptist’s, Perth. North Side of
Choir.]
afterwards held in the building, shown in Fig. 1034, on the south side
of the nave near the west end, which has also since been in its turn
removed.
The existing north and south doorways in the choir are modern, although
the south one is in the position of the old doorway, as the print from
the _Chronicle_ shows (see Fig. 1034).
The four piscinas marked A on Plan and shown by Fig. 1037 all resemble
each other.
The choir (Fig. 1038) has no triforium, but good plain masonry instead,
undivided by wall shafts. The clerestory windows are small and round
arched, and are divided into two lights by a central mullion, and have
[Illustration: FIG. 1039.--St. John the Baptist’s, Perth.
Section of Pier of Choir.]
plain tracery in the arch-head. The whole details of the choir are very
simple and refined for their period, and contrast favourably with most
of our late Scottish churches. The section (Fig. 1039) shows that the
pillars are simply and beautifully moulded. They are surmounted with
good caps, and rest on plain bases (Fig. 1040). The mouldings of the
arches (Fig. 1041) are distinctly marked, and rest well on the caps
above the shafts or mouldings of the pillars. Some of these details
resemble first pointed work, especially the section of the piers which
is almost identical with that of the choir piers of St. Andrews
Cathedral, from which it is probably copied. The details of the crossing
(Fig. 1042) are simple and effective, even as seen under the very
unfavourable circumstances that a partition wall blocks up the east
arch, and that there are galleries beneath the others. There is a west
gallery, but it is omitted in the sketch. The massive piers, with their
rounded shafts and very broad fillets, have a striking effect. The
groining is of the usual kind found in this position in Scotland. It
will be observed that in the ridge ribs, holes for bell ropes are most
carefully wrought through the ribs, which are strengthened at those
parts. The holes are not all equidistant from the centre. On the two
great western piers of the crossing there are projecting corbels to
carry the beams on which the rood was placed. Strong iron hooks are
fixed in the tower arch above, which were doubtless used for the support
of the rood, or to steady it.
Of the rood itself, as a matter of course, nothing remains. The
south-west pier is built hollow to contain the stair to the tower. Since
the Plan (Fig. 1032) was made the original doorway to this stair has
been discovered, as shown in the view. The door shown on the Plan has
been cut out at some later time.
As already stated, the nave is almost of the same length as the choir
[Illustration: FIG. 1040.--St. John the Baptist’s, Perth. Cap and Base
of Choir Pier.]
(being only about 12 inches less), but each of the arches of the arcade
is of rather smaller span than those of the choir, owing to the internal
projecting responds at the west end, which may be regarded as fulfilling
the purpose of buttresses, and also to the enlargement of the two great
piers on the west side of the crossing. Like the choir, the nave is
divided into five bays. It has no triforium nor clerestory, but owing to
the comparative lowness of the arcade arches (see Fig. 1042), while the
ridge of the roof throughout is kept at about the same level as in the
choir, there is a deep blank wall above the arcade arches. This wall is
of rough masonry compared to that in the choir, and the whole of this
part of the church is of a much coarser and ruder description,
betokening a later age. The capitals of the piers are of the very rudest
kind, and are a perfect contrast to the delicate work of the choir. In
the meagre descriptions of St. John’s to be found in the books on Perth,
this rudeness is pointed to as a sign of great antiquity, but the
reverse is unquestionably the case. This nave is undoubtedly “the New
Kirk of Perth” referred to in the _Chronicle_, in which “ane Synodall
assemblie” was held in April 1606.
It will be seen from the views (Figs. 1043 and 1044) that the top of the
wall over the piers of the nave just shows itself and no more on the
[Illustration: FIG. 1041.
St. John the Baptist’s, Perth.
Section of Arch Mouldings in Choir and Nave.]
outside, rising above the lean-to roof of the aisles. It has been
contemplated, early in this century, to raise this wall and erect a
clerestory, and two of the windows adjoining the tower on the north side
(see Fig. 1043) have actually been built as part of a pretentious
design, with massive buttresses surmounted by high finials, but the work
has never been carried further, and indeed could not be carried further
to the west, as there is no proper support for such massive building.
Below the new clerestory (but not shown on the Plan) a new wall has been
brought up to support it.
Fig. 1044 shows a peculiarity in the west wall, which seems to indicate
that there has been some change of design here, the gable being thinned
above the western doorway. There is a tradition that the church extended
further west at one time, and it seems not improbable that a western
tower in the centre of the front may have been contemplated and even
begun. This tower, like those at Stirling, Linlithgow, and Dundee, may
have been intended to open towards the church, with a wide arch, of
which the jambs still remain; but this idea having been abandoned, and
any part of the tower which then had been built having been taken down,
the present makeshift gable was put up instead to fill up the gap,
which, in these circumstances, would be left for the supposed opening
into the church.
There is a large porch on the north side of the nave (see Fig. 1043),
called Halkerston’s Tower, the structure having been at one time much
higher than it is now. It was a two storied building, the upper story
having evidently been of great height and vaulted, as well as the lower
one (see Fig. 1033). Two-storied porches are met with at Aberdeen
Cathedral and Linlithgow Church, but they are not so rich in
architectural
[Illustration: FIG. 1042.--St. John the Baptist’s, Perth. Crossing,
looking South.]
adornment as this one seems to have been. This sketch is copied from a
drawing in the _Memorabilia_, a book seldom to be seen, so that this
[Illustration: FIG. 1043.--St. John the Baptist’s, Perth. View from
North-West showing New Clerestory, &c.]
view is not well known. The circular part of the stair which formerly
led to the upper floor, and now leads to a gallery over the north aisle,
[Illustration: FIG. 1044.--St. John the Baptist’s. Perth. View, showing
West End, &c.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1045.--St. John the Baptist’s, Perth. Lower Story of
Halkerston’s Tower.]
was finished with a conical spirelet like the corresponding feature at
Linlithgow, and the top of it is seen in the view. The lower part of the
tower, which forms the porch, is very effectively vaulted (Fig. 1045).
The round arched doorway leading from the porch to the church partakes
of the rudeness already referred to as characteristic of the whole
western part of the church. A curious coincidence between a part of this
church and of the Cathedrals of Dunblane and Dunkeld, all in the county
of Perth, may be referred to. The north-west window of the nave aisle in
the three buildings is treated in very much the same way in each
edifice, and these windows have all a very decided resemblance to each
other, and are quite unlike the other windows in their respective
structures. They are all three light windows, and have square heads at
Perth and Dunkeld, while at Dunblane the head is practically square,
having a very flat segmental arch. The south aisle wall of the nave
(Fig. 1046) is a curious medley (which we hope will not be restored).
The round arched doorway near the east end is, we presume, original; but
it is not easy to tell the new work from the old, as the mouldings of
all windows and doors on the outside have received a great amount of
patching with cement and paint, owing to the crumbling nature of the
stone.
The erection of the west end of the church is clearly referable to about
the time (1489) when, according to the _Lord High Treasurer’s Accounts_
(already cited) small payments were made “to the kirk werk of Pertht.”
It will be remembered that on the same day the payments were made to
Walter Merlioune, the mason, and the conjunction of the two payments
suggests the idea that Merlioune was the builder of the church. We have
already partly traced his career[73] and found that in all probability
he built the palace in Stirling Castle. The resemblance between the
fretted work over the panels containing statues at Stirling Castle and
that over the upper window in Halkerston’s Tower is certainly very
remarkable. There is also a resemblance in this feature of Halkerston’s
Tower to the large fretted panel over the outside of the east entrance
to Linlithgow Palace. At Linlithgow the panel is filled with heraldic
emblems, while at Perth it appears to have been intended to fill it with
statues, as indications of brackets for supporting them are shown in
three rows. There was a John Halkerston, “master of the work” to Mary of
Gueldres at the building of Trinity College Church, Edinburgh, between
1461 and 1469. It is quite possible that he may in some way have been
connected with the erection of the nave of St. John’s, and so his name
became attached to this tower as it was to a steep wynd in Edinburgh.
However this may be, all the details of the western part of this church
obviously belong to a late period, corresponding with above date.
The central tower (see Fig. 1046), which is about 31 feet square, could
only have been built after the adjoining part of the nave was reared.
It is a very simple structure, with one window in each face. The
parapet and corbelling were renewed about forty years ago, following in
the main
[Illustration: FIG. 1046..--St. John the Baptist’s, Perth. The Nave,
from South-West.]
the old details, which were, however, much obliterated. A good deal of
the stone facing was renewed at the same time.
The exterior of the church has been considerably altered and _improved_
at various times. An open parapet has been carried along the top of the
walls of the choir over the clerestory windows, and also along the walls
of the aisles and up the sloping gables of the east end. Dormer windows
to light the presbyterian galleries break in on this parapet on the
aisle walls, and windows for the same purpose, constructed of wood, are
seen on the roofs of the nave (see Fig. 1046). These dormer windows are
all shown on the print in the _Chronicle of Perth_ (see Fig. 1034), but
not the parapets. This print shows a large and very elaborate porch,
with a round arched doorway of many orders richly ornamented, as
occupying the eastmost bay of the choir. This was originally the gateway
or porch of the Carthusian Monastery of Perth, which, after the
demolition of the abbey in 1559, was set up in this position, where it
remained till about the end of the eighteenth century, “when it was
demolished by an edict of the Magistrates.”[74]
The effect of the interior of St. John’s is greatly marred by the cross
partitions already referred to. This is much to be regretted, as the
interior is exceedingly interesting, and, being in a comparatively fair
state of preservation, exhibits more of its original features than the
exterior does. When the church was complete, the effect of the gloomy
nave, with its lofty unpierced wall above the main arcade, and the noble
centre crossing, with the light refined choir beyond, must have been
very striking and grand.
A peculiarity of the church and another resemblance to the nave of
Dunblane and the north nave aisle of Dunkeld is the absence of vaulting
in the aisles which many of our Scottish churches have. The aisles in
St. John’s never were vaulted, the only parts so constructed being the
crossing and the north porch; the latter, it will be remembered, having
also an upper vaulted story. This want of vaulting is a great defect of
the church.
DUNDEE CHURCH TOWER.
The earliest notice in history of Dundee occurs in the first charter of
Lindores Abbey, executed before 1198, in which the Church of Dundee is
bestowed on the abbey. The church then existing is stated to have been
erected by Earl David of Huntingdon, as a thankoffering for his escape
from a great tempest. The Church of Dundee thus belonged to the Abbey of
Lindores, which stood on the opposite side of the Frith of Tay, and a
little further up the river.
In the time of Abbot James of Rossy (1442), an agreement was entered
into between the abbot and the Provost and Burgesses of Dundee, by which
the latter took on themselves the construction and maintenance
[Illustration: FIG. 1047.--Dundee Church Tower. View from North-West.]
of the choir of the Parish Church of Dundee.[75] The only portion of the
ancient parish church which now remains is the western tower (Fig.
1047). Although this structure had no immediate connection with the
choir, it has evidently, as its style shows, been erected about the
middle of the fifteenth century, probably about the time when the choir
was built by the Provost and Burgesses in terms of the above agreement.
Three parish churches in connection with the tower were gradually
developed from the original chapel. They comprised a large cruciform
[Illustration: FIG. 1048.--Dundee Church Tower. Plan.]
structure, the various portions of which were called St. Mary’s, or the
East Church; St. Paul’s, or the South Church; and St. Clement’s, or the
West Church. The structure was greatly damaged by the English before the
Union, and St. Clement’s had suffered so much that it required to be
rebuilt in 1789. The three churches were almost totally destroyed by
fire in 1841, and in consequence the choir and transepts were thereafter
rebuilt, St. Mary’s still occupying the choir, St. Paul’s the transept,
and St. Clement’s the nave.
The ancient tower has escaped these various destructions and
restorations, and is now the only representative of the church erected
in the fifteenth century. It is a large and massive structure, measuring
about 40 feet square over the walls (Fig. 1048), which are about 8 feet
thick. Its total height is about 165 feet. The tower forms a prominent
object in all views of the town. It contains in the lower stage the
western
[Illustration: FIG. 1049.--Dundee Church Tower. West Doorway.]
doorway to St. Clement’s Church, or the nave (Fig. 1049), consisting of
two round arched doorways, 8 feet 11 inches high, comprised within a
larger circular or elliptical arch, which again is enclosed by a square
moulding. The arch mouldings are enriched with foliage. The jambs and
central pillar are moulded (Fig. 1050) with alternate rounds and
hollows. The carved capitals have a continuous abacus, enriched either
with rosettes or flowing foliage. In the spandril over the centre shaft
there is a circular panel, enclosing the Virgin and Child; and below, on
a shield, are the arms of the Diocese of Brechin. “The late Bishop
Forbes blazoned them _Argent_, three piles in point gules; but Dr.
Woodward thinks they should be _Or_, three piles in point gules.”[76]
This doorway, as well as much else about the tower, was greatly restored
by Sir Gilbert Scott, and probably only certain of the carvings are
genuine. One of these, which has not been touched, represents, on the
ingoing of the northern capital, a boar eating acorns from a branch. It
is quite in the spirit of such scenes as occur on the ancient sculptured
stones which are so abundant in the neighbourhood of Dundee. The base is
peculiar (see Fig. 1050). It projects but little beyond the outer member
of the jamb, and the face is upright; but considerable effect is
obtained by the curved terminations of the various members. Above the
doorway rises a lofty traceried
[Illustration: FIG. 1050.--Dundee Church Tower. Details of West
Doorway.]
window (Fig. 1051) divided, in the late Scottish mode, by a large
central mullion having two arched branches which form two principal
openings, each filled with late tracery of the ordinary kind. Above this
window the tower is vaulted. In connection with this vaulting and what
appears to have been an apartment below it there are some peculiarities.
The floor of the tower is about 12 inches lower than the ground at the
entrance, and the height from the floor to the groined ceiling is about
47 feet. It will be observed from the Plan and Fig. 1051 that at each of
the four corners there is a large circular shaft, measuring about 13¼
inches diameter. Each individual shaft is fitted into its position in a
manner different from the others. These differences are not of a slight
or accidental kind, but appear to have been purposely made, there not
having been any “restoration” on this part of the building. At the inner
or eastern shafts (Fig. 1052) the walls are considerably bevelled
towards
[Illustration: FIG. 1051.--Dundee Church Tower. Interior, looking
West.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1052.--Dundee Church Tower. Interior, looking
East.]
the opening into the nave, and form parts of the piers of the great
archway from the tower into the church. This opening, which is now
blocked up, was about 17 feet 10 inches wide, and was arched beneath the
vaulting (see Fig. 1052). The tall angle shafts have bases and caps, the
mouldings of the latter being continued along the bevelled walls.
The vaulting ribs do not spring directly from the four angle shafts, as
there appears to have been an intermediate floor of timber (or a gallery
along the sides), which rested on the angle shafts and on large corbels
visible in the side walls. Over each of the main shafts there rises, for
about three feet or so, a group of very delicate shafting, having carved
caps, from which spring the ribs of the groining. These delicate shafts
are quite a contrast to the massive lower shafts, and, at first sight,
suggest the idea of a great change having been effected in the vaulting
at some later period. The mouldings above the small upper shafts are
carried along the west wall and ingoing of the large window (see Fig.
1051). There is a considerable resemblance between the treatment here
and that at the large west window in Paisley Abbey. There are stone
benches round three sides of the tower.
Over the large west window there is another window (see Fig. 1047), with
round arch-head, entirely filled with tracery, composed of small cusped
circles, and above it a two-light pointed window. The tracery in the
first of these windows recalls that in the tower windows of Iona
Cathedral.
The tower is divided into two principal stages by an enriched parapet
and outside passage, which surround it above the last mentioned window,
at a height to the walk of about 96 feet. The parapet is pierced with
quatrefoils and ornamented with crocketed pinnacles. The lower stage of
the tower has boldly projected buttresses, which are just carried as
high as is necessary for resisting the pressure of the vaulting, and
each is crowned with a crocketed pinnacle, having a small flying
buttress attached. Above these buttresses the tower is carried up with
square angles, like most of the Scottish towers of the period. The upper
stage has the wall set back, so as to allow of the passage round, and is
divided into two stories. The lower story is the belfry and has triple
pointed and cusped openings in the various sides, except the north side,
where, owing to the space occupied by the staircase, there are only two
openings. There is a bead on the angles of this story. The upper story
appears to project slightly over the lower story, and contains two
pointed and cusped windows over the solids, between the windows beneath
them. The north side has only one such window. The tower is crowned with
a cornice and an elaborate pierced parapet, having corbelled pinnacles
at intervals, the ornamental upper parts of which are unfortunately
wanting. The ornamentation of the parapet strongly resembles that of the
tower of St. Giles’, Edinburgh. The roof of the tower is of the
saddle-back kind,
[Illustration: FIG. 1053.--Dundee Church Tower. View from North-East.]
having gables towards the east and west, a form of roof with which
ancient Scottish towers were often crowned.
Although the tower is thus finished, a careful examination shows that it
was undoubtedly meant to have an open crown termination, but for what
reason the idea was abandoned we cannot tell. The preparations exist for
the springing of the angle arches. When the tower lately underwent
renovation, it was proposed to remove the present cape house and put up
a crown; and a design for this was prepared, and is engraved in Lamb’s
_Book of Old Dundee_. Very fortunately the design was not carried out.
Attached to the north-east angle is a boldly projected stair turret,
which ascends from the foundation to the summit. Figs. 1047 and 1053
illustrate this feature. The pierced parapet at the top returns round
it, and the turret is finished with a pointed roof. A great many
loopholes in the turret show the number of the winding spirals of the
staircase. In the view (Fig. 1053) there is seen on the east side of the
tower a plain, square-headed window, having four brackets arranged
around it. We presume these were for supporting figures. Beneath them,
and near the ridge of the church roof, there is a panel with a coat of
arms, which is too far off to be made out.
This tower is undoubtedly the boldest and most striking edifice of its
kind and date in Scotland.
GLENLUCE ABBEY, WIGTONSHIRE.
This abbey, like so many others, stands in a fertile holm or flat ground
in the quiet valley of the Water of Luce, about one mile and a half from
the town of Glenluce. Although sometimes called _Vallis Lucis_, the name
is probably the same as Luss in Dumbartonshire, meaning a place of
herbs. The abbey was founded in 1190 by Roland, Lord of Galloway, and
colonised by Cistercians from Melrose.
The buildings were at one time “extensive and magnificent,” but the
ruins are now very scanty. Of the church (Fig. 1054) there remain only
parts of the south wall of the choir and the south wall of the south
transept. The cloister enclosure is still marked by a good wall, but of
the conventual buildings which formerly surrounded it, only the chapter
house and some vaulted cellars on the east side survive.
The existing ruins cover about an acre of ground, but formerly the
enclosure of the garden and orchard extended to twelve Scotch acres.
Little is known of the annals of the monastery. Its earliest charter is
by Robert I., granting the property of the abbey to be held as a free
barony, and this was confirmed by David II. At the Reformation the lands
were leased at a low rate to the Earl of Cassilis, who was created
[Illustration: FIG. 1054.--Glenluce Abbey. Plan.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1055.--Glenluce Abbey. Chapter House.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1056.--Glenluce Abbey. View from South-East.]
bailie of the abbey. In 1587 the estates were annexed to the Crown.
James VI. erected them into a temporal barony in favour of Laurence
Gordon, commendator at the time. The lordship of Glenluce afterwards
passed to the Stair family, and the lands to the Hays of Park.[77]
[Illustration: FIG. 1057.--Glenluce Abbey. Doorway to Chapter House:
Exterior.]
In this remote region the buildings remained long undisturbed, and as
late as 1646 the abbey is referred to in the Records of the Presbytery
of Stranraer as having received little injury.[78] “The steeple,” says
Symson, who wrote in 1684, “and part of the walls of the church,
together with the chapter house, the walls of the cloyster, the
gatehouse with the walls of the large precincts, are for the most part
yet standing.”
So far as can now be ascertained from the ruins, the church (see Fig.
1054) seems to have comprised a nave with aisles about 90 feet in
length,
[Illustration: FIG. 1058.--Glenluce Abbey. Doorway to Chapter House:
Interior.]
now entirely destroyed; a transept, of which part of the southern arm
with its eastern aisle or chapels remains; and an aisleless choir, of
which only a fragment of the south wall survives. From Symson’s
statement, above quoted, there was also a steeple, but whether over the
crossing or not does not now appear. To the south of the nave lay the
cloisters, the walls of which (partly old and partly reconstructed) now
subsist, and enclose a space measuring 89 feet from north to south by 86
feet from east to west. The north, west, and south sides are enclosed
with a stone wall, and on the east side there is a row of structures
comprising the chapter house in the centre, a ruined heap on the north
side of the chapter house, and two cellars with plain barrel vaults on
the south side.
The chapter house (Fig. 1055) is the only portion of the abbey in good
preservation. It consists of an apartment about 24 feet square, with a
central pillar, from which spring the ribs of the groined vaulting. At
the side walls the ribs rest on corbels. The apartment is lighted with
two traceried windows (Fig. 1056), the tracery of which has been renewed
within recent years, after the pattern of the old tracery. The door
enters from the cloister on the west. It is of semicircular form (Fig.
1057), and exhibits in its capitals some peculiar and striking
sculpture. The leaves of the foliage are large and the design is
remarkable, some of the leaves, which are probably intended to represent
sun flowers, having very much the appearance of starfish. The interior
of the chapter house doorway (Fig. 1058) has also some peculiar
sculpture, and the manner in which the ribs of the vaults descend on the
round arch-head is well managed.
[Illustration: FIG. 1059.--Glenluce Abbey.
Corbel in Chapter House.]
The stone benches which surrounded the chapter house, including the
abbot’s chair between the two windows (see Fig. 1055), are much
destroyed, but the central pillar and the vaulting are well preserved.
The capital of the pillar is carved with foliage of a late character,
and the corbels supporting the ribs of the vaults at the wall show
similar work. One of these corbels is quaintly carved, in imitation of a
figure clothed in the costume of the fifteenth or sixteenth centuries
(Fig. 1059), thus giving an indication of the date of the building. From
this and the work on the doorway above referred to, as well as the
character of the work generally, we have no hesitation in fixing the
date of this part of the abbey about the end of the fifteenth century.
The bosses of the vaults are carved with various devices, one of them
bearing a lion rampant, which is probably meant to represent the arms of
the founder, the Lord of Galloway.
The design of the tracery in the windows (see Fig. 1056) is good for the
period. It is remarkably like that of the chapter house at Crosraguel
Abbey, which was also fifteenth century work.
This sketch likewise shows the small portions of the church which still
remain. The lofty south gable of the transept is visible with the
sloping water table of the roof of the building, which stood on the
south of it. This building has apparently been at least two stories in
height. It no doubt extended over the chapter house wing, and contained
the dormitory, &c. (as at Crosraguel). A small lancet window on each
side of the water table near its apex and another small window over it
seem to indicate that there was an apartment in the roof of the
transept. The wall seen in the distance is part of the south wall of the
choir. It contains the water table of the roof of the east aisle of the
transept, and is broken off at the jamb of a high window, which lighted
the choir or presbytery, thus showing that the latter must have extended
further eastward than the existing ruin.
TORPHICHEN CHURCH, LINLITHGOWSHIRE.
This church, from the circumstance of its castle-like appearance and its
possessing a complete dwelling-house over the transepts, was included in
_The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland_, Vol. II. p.
131, in which a full description of it is given, illustrated with
numerous drawings. The building is here introduced with the view of more
fully explaining some features formerly omitted, and also to form a
complete record of such an important example.
The new features introduced in the Plan (Fig. 1060) are the choir, the
nave, and an outbuilding to the north. The width and height of the choir
and the arch leading into it are clearly seen against the central tower
(Fig. 1061), while the lower part of the east wall and part of the north
wall of the choir are still standing, as shown in the Plan, although
reduced to only a few feet in height.
The present parish church (Fig. 1062) occupies the site of the nave, the
ancient splayed base being utilised in the north wall, where it is
visible along the whole length. It is also probable that the west end of
the present church corresponds with the position of the old west end. In
that case the dimensions were as follow, viz.:--The choir was about 63
feet 6 inches long by 25 feet 6 inches wide, and the nave was about 65
feet 6 inches long by 25 feet wide. The total length of the church was
158 feet 3 inches outside measure. The total length of the transept was
about 68 feet. There was apparently an aisle along the south side of the
nave, the beginning of the wall of which is visible on the Plan. A row
of buildings existed as a continuation northwards of the north transept,
and at a distance of about 31 yards northwards a portion of these
buildings still remains, measuring about 40 feet in length. The first
erection to the north of the transept had a window with stone seats
looking into the church, and it had also a communication with the house
over the church. There may thus have been a row of dormitories on the
upper floor extending northwards.
[Illustration: FIG. 1060.--Torphichen Church. Plan.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1061.--Torphichen Church. View from South-East.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1062.--Torphichen Church. View from South-West.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1063.--Torphichen Church. Transept, looking South.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1064.--Torphichen Church. Recess for Monument in
North Transept.]
Fig. 1063 is a general view of the transept looking towards the south,
and shows the recess for a tomb under the south window. Fig. 1064 is
[Illustration: FIG. 1065.--Torphichen Church. Doorway at North-West
Angle of Transept.]
an enlarged view of this tomb recess; the centre stone of the ogee arch
has dropped slightly, owing to a failure in the walls at the south-east
corner. The piscina alongside has a neatly constructed square basin.
Fig. 1065 shows the outside of an angular headed doorway near the
north-west corner of the transept. The doorway with the projecting hood,
seen alongside, leads into the staircase giving access to the house.
Measured drawings of these two last subjects were given in the account
already referred to.
ST. ANTHONY’S CHAPEL, EDINBURGH.
This edifice occupies a very picturesque situation on the summit of a
crag in the bosom of Arthur’s Seat, not far above the base of the hill.
Immediately to the north and west of the walls the ground descends in an
abrupt and precipitous manner, and to the south the surface, which
gradually rises, is rough and rocky (Fig. 1066); while on the east a
huge wall of rock towers high above the building, completely hemming it
in on that side.
Only the north wall of the chapel and the returns of the west and east
walls remain, together with the foundations of the south wall, enough,
however, to enable it to be determined fairly well what the completed
building was like. In the drawings (Fig. 1067) the indications existing
are completed and restored, so as to give a better idea of what the
structure was like than can be done by description alone. The present
condition of the edifice is shown in the ground Plan, section from east
to west and north elevation (Fig. 1068), and in the general view from
south-east (Fig. 1069). The building measures on the outside 43 feet in
length by 18 feet 3 inches in width, but the internal dimensions of the
chapel proper (see Plan) are only 32 feet 9 inches by 12 feet.
The chapel (see Fig. 1068) was divided into three bays by a vaulted and
groined ceiling, portions of the ribs of which, with their corbel
supports, still exist in the north wall. The height of the vaulting at
the wall is about 14 feet.
There was a window in the central and eastern bay of the north wall, and
a doorway in the west bay, and, according to Maitland,[79] the same
arrangement existed on the south side. There is a locker in the usual
place at the east end of the north wall. Maitland further says that in
the “southern wall near the altar is a small arched niche, wherein was
put the holy water.” This, however, does not now exist. There was a
priest’s house over the western bay, the size of which can still be
determined by the existing return of its east wall, as seen in the north
elevation, and the longitudinal section. Part of the building, at the
west end, on the ground floor, was screened off from the chapel by a
partition wall, of which the indications exist. On the ground floor this
was vaulted, as shown by
[Illustration: FIG. 1066.--St. Anthony’s Chapel. Plan of Site.]
section at tower, and contained a locker. Within this space at the
south-west corner there was, doubtless, a wheel stair, which by the
first revolution led to an entresol over the arched space just referred
to. This entresol was probably a garderobe, and was lighted by a small
window, shown on the Plans and Section. The stair, continuing upwards,
would land at the first floor over the chapel, which consisted of a room
about 15 feet by 13 feet, lighted by a north window. Adjoining this
window a portion of the north wall is thinned by about 15 inches at the
floor level so as to form a recess, which contains a window. Over this
the wall is carried at its usual thickness by a half arch, as shown by
the longitudinal section. Probably this recess was screened off from the
room to form a small closet. There was a fireplace in the west gable;
part of its flue still remains, with one of its corbels for supporting
the lintel and chimney breast. In the restored drawing (see Fig. 1067)
it is supposed that there was an upper room. Assuming that the
[Illustration: FIG. 1067.--St. Anthony’s Chapel. Suggested Restoration.]
first floor room was 10 feet high in the ceiling--and it is not likely
to have been higher--the height of the existing wall at the north-west
corner warrants this assumption, as above the 10 feet level it rises 3
feet more in its present broken down condition. That it rose to a higher
level than it does now is almost certain, in which case an upper room
would be obtained, as shown by section at tower (see Fig. 1067). This
corresponds with Maitland, who says that the tower was perhaps upwards
of 40 feet in height. The second floor room would, of course, be reached
by a continuation of the stair. At the staircase landing a small outside
bartizan is introduced in the restored drawing, such as is frequently
found in the pele towers. This arrangement of the two upper rooms is
similar to what is found in the church of the Carmelite Friars at South
Queensferry and at Torphichen, both of the same period as St. Anthony’s.
There is also, but on a more elaborate scale, something of the same
arrangement at Stobhall in Perthshire, already illustrated.[80]
To the south and west of the chapel there are remains of walls, and
particularly of what is called the hermitage (see Fig. 1066); but these
are very fragmentary, and so intermixed with the natural rock, which
crops up everywhere, that not much can be made out in connection with
them.
Of the origin of the chapel nothing appears to be known, and almost the
same may be said of its history. One of the earliest notices of it--if
not the earliest--occurs in the _Treasurer’s Accounts_ of 1473, as
follows--“Item, vj^{to} Februarij, to offir in Sanct Antonis in the
crag, to the King, xijs.” In the same accounts it is again referred to
in 1491 and 1496--“Item,
[Illustration: FIG. 1068.--St. Anthony’s Chapel. Plans, Section, and
North Elevation of Existing Structure.]
at he laid down for the King, on Sanct Anthonis day in Sanct Anthonis
chapel, besid Edinburgh, to the Kings offerand ixs.” Again in 1498, the
King (James IV.) made an offering in “Sanct Anthonis of the crag of xjs.
viijd.”
An exhaustive review of the present condition of the chapel and
hermitage, and an account of the various references to them by different
writers, has been prepared by Mr. Fred. R. Coles.[81] Mr Coles gives
reproductions of various old views, with notes on all the earlier known
drawings, as also observations on St. Anthony and churches dedicated to
him, and for further information on this subject we beg to refer readers
to this valuable paper.
Grose states that hermitages were frequently erected on the sea coast,
and at dangerous places, and that the patron or tutelary saint of these
hermitages was St. Anthony the hermit, and suggests that the situation
of St. Anthony’s on the crag which stands conspicuous from the Firth of
Forth
[Illustration: FIG. 1069.--St. Anthony’s Chapel. View from South-East.]
was perhaps chosen with the intention of attracting the notice of seamen
coming up the Firth, who, in cases of danger, might be induced to make
vows to its tutelar saint. There is a fine spring of clear water close
to the site, which may have led to the establishment of the hermitage
there. The building contains almost no features by which its date can be
ascertained, but it is here classed along with the buildings of the
third period, to some of which it bears in certain respects an analogy.
THE COLLEGIATE CHURCH OF ROSSLYN, MID-LOTHIAN.
The village of Rosslyn is picturesquely situated on the high north bank
of the river North Esk, about seven miles south from Edinburgh; and the
ancient castle of the St. Clairs[82] stands on an isolated promontory
called the College Hill, which, adjoining the village of Rosslyn, juts
out
[Illustration: FIG. 1070.--The Collegiate Church of Rosslyn. Plan.]
into the deep valley of the Esk. The celebrated Church of Rosslyn,
erected by the proprietors of the castle, stands on the brow of the
steep bank of the river above the castle, and commands a splendid view
of the valley. The church, so far as erected, is in perfect
preservation, and is a charming portion of an incomplete design. It is,
in some respects, the most remarkable piece of architecture in Scotland;
and had the church been finished in the same spirit as that in which it
has been so far carried out, it would have gone far to have realised a
poet’s dream in stone. When looked at from a strictly architectural
point of view, the design may be considered faulty in many respects,
much of the detail being extremely rude and debased, while as regards
construction many of the principles wrought out during the development
of Gothic architecture are ignored. But notwithstanding these faults,
the profusion of design so abundantly shown everywhere, and the
exuberant fancy of the architect, strike the visitor who sees Rosslyn
for the first time with an astonishment which no familiarity ever
effaces.
The principal authority regarding the history of the church and the
family of the St. Clairs of Rosslyn is Father Richard Augustin Hay,
prior of St. Pieremont, whose mother, by a second marriage, became wife
of Sir James St. Clair of Rosslyn. About the year 1700, Father Hay made
copious extracts from the family documents, which have been since lost,
and these extracts, together with his comments, have been published
under the title of the _Genealogie of the Sainteclaires of Rosslyn,
including the chartulary of Rosslyn_.
The edifice was erected by Sir William St. Clair, third Earl of Orkney,
who succeeded to the estates about 1417. About thirty years afterwards
he founded the Collegiate Church of Rosslyn. Certain letters which occur
on shields along the cornice of the north wall have been ingeniously
deciphered by Dr. Thomas Dickson, of the Register House, Edinburgh, as
the initial letters of the following words,[83] viz.:--WILZAME · LORDE ·
SINCLARE · FUNDIT · YIS · COLLEGE · YE · ZEIR · OF · GOD · MJJJJL. The
structure appears, however, to have been begun a few years earlier,
about 1446, as in the year 1447 the continuator of the _Scotichronicon_
says, “Dominus Willelmus de Sancto Claro Comes Orcadiæ _est in
fabricando sumptuosam structuram apud Roslyn_;”[84] and probably the
foregoing inscription refers to some ceremonial event connected with the
building. Sir William died in 1484, and he appears to have left the
building very much in the condition in which we now find it. In that
case its erection would be the labour of about forty years.
The church was a collegiate foundation, for a provost, six prebendaries,
and two singing boys or choristers, and was dedicated to St. Matthew. It
consists (Fig. 1070) of a choir with north and south aisles, connected
[Illustration: FIG. 1071.--The Collegiate Church of Rosslyn. View from
South-East.]
by an aisle which runs across the east end, and gives access to a series
of four chapels beyond it to the east. The dimensions of the building
are as follow, viz.:--interior--length of choir, 48 feet 4 inches; width
of central aisle, 17 feet 10½ inches; width over aisles, 35 feet; total
exterior length, 69 feet 8 inches; height to the apex of the roof, 41
feet 9 inches. The original intention was to have completed the building
as a cross church, with choir, nave, and transepts, but the choir only
has been completed. The transepts have been partly erected, the east
wall being carried up to a considerable height, but the nave has not
been erected. The length across the transepts, as founded, is about 72
feet. Mr Thomson, the custodier of the chapel, who saw the west walls of
the transept exposed, states that the transepts were intended to be 18
feet wide, as drawn on Plan. The Rev. Mr. Thompson, Rosslyn, in his
guide to the chapel, says that the foundations for the entire building
had been laid, and that those of the nave, which extended to about 91
feet to the west, were dug up and exposed at the beginning of the
present century. This exactly corresponds with the length which the
nature of the ground would permit.
The choir, both internally and externally, is remarkably symmetrical,
the bays being all of the same dimensions, with only slight differences
in the carving, which do not affect the general design. Thus (Fig. 1071)
all the buttresses rise unbroken by set-offs to the wall head of the
aisles, where the cornice continues round them, and they have all on the
face canopies of the same size and style. Above the cornice on the ten
buttresses on the north and south sides of the choir there rise on each
two massive pinnacles, connected by a small flying buttress between them
(Fig. 1072). The outer pinnacles, which are flush with the face of the
buttresses, are square on Plan, and are decorated according to two
alternate patterns (Fig. 1073), viz., canopied niches in the one, and
large rosettes set in hollows in the other. The inner pinnacles (Fig.
1074), which rest on the thickness of the wall, are all practically
alike. They are oblong on Plan, and are so placed as to offer most
resistance to the flying buttresses, which are thrown across the aisles
and rest upon them. The pinnacles are ornamented with rosettes on the
angles, and crockets on the sloping top. The back of these pinnacles and
the lower parts, where not seen from below, are left plain, without any
ornament. The flying arches abutting against the pinnacles are carved
with a revived Norman-like chevron.
The pinnacles (Fig. 1075) on the buttresses of the east chapels are
naturally somewhat different, as they have no thrusts from flying
buttresses to counteract. There is only one pinnacle on each of these
buttresses, and although they are all of different design, their effect
corresponds with that of the outer pinnacles of the aisles of the choir.
The back of these pinnacles is left unfinished (Fig. 1076), like those
at the sides, but the portions visible are very elaborately carved.
The windows of the aisles (see Fig. 1072) are all of two lights, and
[Illustration: FIG. 1072.--The Collegiate Church of Rosslyn. North
Doorway and Buttresses, &c.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1073.--The Collegiate Church of Rosslyn. South Side
of Choir, looking East.]
have the same mouldings and orders of decoration both in the inside and
outside of the wall, each jamb having two beaded shafts with carved
caps. These beads are continued round the arches, and a large hollow
[Illustration: FIG. 1074.--The Collegiate Church of Rosslyn. Pinnacles
on Buttresses, from Roof of Aisle.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1075.--The Collegiate Church of Rosslyn. Pinnacles
at East End.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1076.--The Collegiate Church of Rosslyn. Pinnacles
over East Chapels, from Roof of Aisle.]
moulding connects them, which in the arches is always filled with
carving. In the jambs there are two different patterns in the alternate
windows, the one being a simple niche with canopy and bracket for a
figure, and the other the same, but with a moulded block instead of the
figure. There is very little variety in the tracery. The windows on each
side correspond with those on the opposite side. In the eastern chapels
four of the windows have the engrailed cross of the St. Clairs wrought
into the tracery.
The clerestory windows (see Fig. 1072) are all after one design, the
shafts, mouldings, and arches on the outside being repeated in the
interior (Fig. 1078). These are similar to those of the aisle windows
just described. Their decoration consists of large rosettes, occurring
at regular intervals in the hollow moulding between the shafts of the
jambs. All the clerestory windows are single lights. The tracery of the
large window in the east end (Fig. 1077) is modern. Its design is
probably founded on ancient remains, but whether or not it accords well
with the rest of the building.
The north and south doorways, which are opposite each other, are
recessed in quasi porches (see Figs. 1072 and 1073), formed by round
arches thrown between the buttresses, and the minor differences of the
doorways are shown in the sketches. The upper part of a window appears
over each, as in the south doorway of Glasgow Cathedral. The aisle roofs
being flat, there is no triforium or blind story, and the clerestory
windows are carried down to the string course over the main arches (see
Fig. 1078).
Turning now to the interior, it will be observed that the main piers are
composed of a series of round mouldings, separated by slight square
fillets, and that the corresponding wall shafts or responds (Fig. 1079)
are of trefoil form, with good caps and carved bases, which rest on the
side bench. The arch mouldings of the main arcade (see Fig. 1078) are
shallow, with regularly recurring orders of decoration, each arch having
an enriched hood moulding. The upper part of the wall slightly overhangs
on a bold carved and moulded string course. The wall space between the
clerestory windows is ornamented with two canopies and massive brackets
placed one over the other.
The choir roof, which consists of a pointed barrel vault (see Fig.
1080), is divided by strengthening ribs into compartments corresponding
with the bays, and each compartment is decorated differently (see Fig.
1078). The dividing ribs are moulded, and have large projecting cusps in
the form of fleurs-de-lys, &c., on the soffit. The compartments of the
roof are entirely “powdered with stars” or rosettes, set square or
diagonally. The construction of the aisle roofs is peculiar, although
something similar is frequent in castles, as will be afterwards alluded
to. A regularly constructed straight arch with proper radiating joints,
concealed behind upright joints, spans each aisle (see Fig. 1079) from
pillar to wall shaft. These horizontal arches or lintels have flat
relieving arches over them, which in some instances are visible. The
aisles are roofed with a series of
[Illustration: FIG. 1077.--The Collegiate Church of Rosslyn. East End of
Choir, above Roof of Aisles.]
pointed barrel vaults thrown between the above straight arches, and
running at right angles to the axis of the building (Fig. 1081). This is
[Illustration: FIG. 1078.--The Collegiate Church of Rosslyn. Interior of
Choir, looking East.]
one of the most unusual features of construction in the edifice. The
straight arches or lintels, as they may be called, are all most
profusely
[Illustration: FIG. 1079.--The Collegiate Church of Rosslyn. Interior of
West End of North Aisle.]
carved with foliage or figure carving (Fig. 1082), the amount of
decoration on each being, as usual, of corresponding artistic value.
On the arched roofs of the north and south aisles, to the east of the
[Illustration: FIG. 1080.--The Collegiate Church of Rosslyn. Transverse
Section.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1081.--The Collegiate Church of Rosslyn. East Aisle
and ’Prentice Pillar.]
doorways and of the east aisle, there is carved in each bay an engrailed
cross, the one limb running along the crown of each arch, and the other
downwards from this on each side. But in the north and south aisles, in
the three bays west from the doorways, the engrailed band is only
continued along the crown of the arch, the other limb being omitted,
which may possibly be meant to distinguish the more sacred part of the
edifice.
The eastern chapels are the only part of the building in which there is
groined vaulting. The compartments are oblong, and have pointed cross
arches (Fig. 1083), the diagonals meeting at the apex. Elaborately
carved pendants, about 4 feet long, occupy the place of the usual boss;
while at the springing of the arches, against the east wall, great
projecting horns, resting on curved corbellings or cones above the caps
of the wall shafts, radiate outwards and downwards, one horn to each
rib, so that they are in groups of three.
[Illustration: FIG. 1082.--The Collegiate Church of Rosslyn. Details of
Carving of Straight Arches.]
The object of these curved cones, with their projecting horns, may be
explained as follows:--It will be seen on referring to the Plan (see
Fig. 1070) that the centre line of the east chapels is not in the centre
of the space between the two eastmost buttresses, and consequently not
in line with the centre of the north and south windows between those
buttresses. In order to make the centre line of the vaulting coincide
with the centre of the windows, it was necessary to introduce some kind
of support for the foot of the east arches, at a distance of about 2 or
3 feet from the east wall. The above cones and horns were introduced for
this purpose, and from them the vaulting on the east side springs. In
connection with this arrangement, the late David Roberts, R.A.,
contended that the “east wall of Rosslyn had been pulled down and set
further back, to give 3 feet more room.”[85] But this supposition finds
no warrant whatever from an examination of the building. A more likely
explanation is that the above cones may have been introduced as a kind
of imitation of the springing of
[Illustration: FIG. 1083.--The Collegiate Church of Rosslyn. Eastern
Chapels.]
the fan vaulting common in England in the fifteenth century. The heavy
pendants were also probably derived from the same source.
Against the east wall of the choir were the remains of four altars,
which have been restored (see Fig. 1083), one of them being situated
over the stair leading to the lower chapel. Beside it there is a square
headed piscina, and on the south side of the other altars there are ogee
headed recesses in the wall. On the east side of the south doorway there
is a richly carved stoup.
In the transepts (Fig. 1084) there are remains of three canopied
piscinas, two in the south transept and one in the north transept. They
bear a general resemblance in their details to the sacrament houses in
some of the churches in the north, and to the piscinas in Melrose Abbey.
Between the two in the south transept there is a recess in the wall,
showing where an altar has been intended, and a similar indication in
the north transept on the north side of the piscina shows the same
intention. Over each of these altars there are three moulded and carved
brackets, probably meant for statues. On the south side of the centre
opening into the choir there is a recess for another altar, and on the
north side there is an arched piscina; both have carved brackets above
them. A bracket in a similar position, relative to the altar and
piscina, exists at Dunglass Church.
A singular feature of the church, which would have been more apparent
had it been finished, is that the choir is almost cut off by a solid
wall from what would have been the other divisions of the structure.
Fig. 1084 shows the wall as seen from the outside. The openings into the
side aisles are about 4 feet 3 inches wide and about 11 feet high, and
the opening on the ground level into the central aisle is about 7 feet
wide. These three openings are all covered with straight arches. Above
the central opening there is a lofty aperture like a window covered with
a pointed arch, probably meant to contain the rood. Above the caps of
the jambs of the side openings there are two carved figures (Fig. 1085),
that on the north being St. Sebastian, and that on the south St.
Christopher.
Beyond the east end of the church and on a lower level, so as to suit
the slope of the ground (Fig. 1086), a chapel has been erected, which is
reached from the south aisle by a straight stair of twenty-five steps.
This chapel measures 36 feet in length from east to west by 14 feet
wide. It is barrel vaulted (Fig. 1087), and is lighted by one window
only, at the east end. The window is a simple pointed one, without
tracery. There are several ambries in the walls, and an eastern altar
with a piscina. There are also a fireplace and a small closet about 11
feet square on the north side. A door leads out on the south to what has
been an open court, where there are indications of other buildings
having existed or been intended. It would thus appear that in all
probability
[Illustration: FIG. 1084.--The Collegiate Church of Rosslyn. West End of
Choir and East Wall of Transepts.]
there was a residence here, and the chapel may have served both as
sacristy and private chapel.
This chapel or sacristy is supposed to have been built in the lifetime
of Sir William St. Clair’s first wife, Lady Elizabeth or Margaret
Douglas, daughter of Archibald, fourth Earl of Douglass, and first Duke
of Touraine, from the circumstance that her arms (Fig. 1088) are
sculptured on the east wall. The shield has two coats impaled: _Dexter_,
a coat quarterly, dimidiated, viz.--First a galley within a double
tressure, flory counter
[Illustration: FIG. 1085.--The Collegiate Church of Rosslyn. Caps of
Openings to Choir.]
flory, for Orkney; 3rd a cross engrailed for St. Clair, being the 1st
and 3rd quarters of the arms of the Earl of Orkney; _Sinister_, in base
a heart, and on a chief three mullets, for Douglas, the shield being
surmounted of a fess charged with three fleurs-de-lys (2 and 1) for
Touraine. Lady Elizabeth died in 1452.
The barrel vault of the sacristy (see Fig. 1087) is semicircular, and
supports a flat roof formed with overlapping stones. The vault is
strengthened with transverse ribs carved with the engrailed cross, which
spring from corbels sculptured with figures of angels and saints (Fig.
1089).
In considering the history of Rosslyn Church many of the statements of
Father Hay regarding the St. Clairs and Rosslyn require to be received
with considerable caution. He was a hero worshipper, and Sir William was
his hero. The latter is represented by the Father as living in more than
royal magnificence at Rosslyn, with many of the nobles of Scotland
waiting upon him as servants. That is a very incredible statement, as is
also the assertion that under the fostering care of Sir William, Rosslyn
became the “chiefest town in all Lothian, except
[Illustration: FIG. 1086.--The Collegiate Church of Rosslyn. Section
through East End of Church and Lower Chapel.]
Edinburgh and Haddington.” But few who visit this chapel will be
inclined seriously to quarrel with the Father on account of his
enthusiasm for the Rosslyn family. To the purest in Gothic architecture
Rosslyn may seem barbarous and debased, but it must be allowed to be
splendid barbarism, meted out with the most liberal hand. Sir William is
further represented by Father Hay as bringing artificers from foreign
lands, and setting them to work on Rosslyn College, and on this
unsupported statement many writers have found the prototype of this
building abroad, some in France and some in Spain, and even Rome is
hinted at in the well known story of the ’Prentice Pillar. The unusual
richness of the ornamentation of the edifice, so different from most of
the structures
[Illustration: FIG. 1087.--The Collegiate Church of Rosslyn. Lower
Chapel or Sacristy, looking West.]
erected in this country at the time, has doubtless led to these attempts
to attribute the design to a foreign architect or a foreign country,
where richly decorated structures exist.
[Illustration: FIG. 1088.
The Collegiate Church of Rosslyn. Arms of Sir W. Sinclair’s First Wife.]
But this amount of decoration, being so exceptional in Scottish
edifices, seems to have proved misleading. No parallel to Rosslyn has,
so far as we know, been discovered abroad, and it is unnecessary to go
so far afield in search of a model. The leading principles of the design
are really Scottish, and it will be found, on careful analysis, that
Rosslyn Church presents a rich and finished epitome, both as regards
constructive and decorative elements, of the Scottish ecclesiastical
architecture of the third or late pointed period. The plan of the east
end of Rosslyn Church so closely resembles that of the choir of Glasgow
Cathedral, that there is hardly room to doubt that the latter was the
model after which the former was designed. The disposition of the
pillars in the two buildings agrees exactly, the side aisles in both
being connected by an eastern
[Illustration: FIG. 1089.
The Collegiate Church of Rosslyn. Corbels in Lower Chapel.]
aisle, which in each case has a central pillar in the east arcade, and
in each edifice a series of chapels beyond this aisle forms the east
end. The details are, as is natural, seeing that the buildings are about
two centuries apart in date, entirely different, but it is curious to
observe how in both cases even the minute parts of the design are
remarkably alike. Thus the triple niche over the central pillar of the
east arcade at Glasgow finds a counterpart in the same position at
Rosslyn (see Fig. 1078). The east wall and gable of both choirs occupy
the same relative position, rising above the eastern aisle and chapels.
Churches with an eastern aisle are not unknown in England, such as Abbey
Dore, Herefordshire, and Romsey Abbey, Hampshire; but the former has
three openings in the east end, thus showing an arch in the centre;
while Romsey Church, Glasgow Cathedral, and Rosslyn Church have the
peculiarity of having a pillar in the centre of the east arcade.
Much has been made of the resemblance between the barrel vaults of
Rosslyn and those of the south of France, but there does not appear to
be any connection between them. The pointed barrel vault was the form
commonly practised in Scotland in the fifteenth century, both in
churches and castles. Mr Fergusson says that this kind of vault is
“foreign and unlike the usual form of vaults found in Scotland,” but the
examples given in this book show that he is mistaken. Pointed barrel
vaults are to be found in the churches at Seton, Queensferry, Ladykirk,
Whitekirk, Borthwick, Crichton, Corstorphine, Dunglass, and many others,
and numerous examples might be given from the castles. There can,
therefore, be no doubt that the masons of Scotland were at this period
quite familiar with that system of vaulting, some of which, such as the
vaults of Borthwick Castle, in the same district and built a little
earlier than Rosslyn, are of considerably larger dimensions. The pointed
barrel vaults of castle halls and churches are generally covered with
sloping stone roofs, as at Bothwell, Borthwick, &c., but at Rosslyn the
curved form of the roof has been adhered to, externally as well as
internally. The coping of the east gable has been finished to this curve
(see Fig. 1077), and there is no indication of any straight roof having
been intended. It is possible, however, that it had been originally
contemplated to cover the extrados of the choir vault, which still
remains unprotected, with an outer stone roof, in accordance with the
usual practice; but, owing to the slightness of the clerestory walls,
the outer stone roof was omitted in consequence of its great additional
weight, which, it may have been believed, would be too great for the
side walls to sustain. The roofs of the aisles and east chapels, which
are almost flat, are covered with overlapping flags. Until the building
was restored some thirty years ago, these parts of the building were
covered with a temporary slated roof, which cut off one half of the
clerestory windows. The mark of this roof is still visible in the walls.
When we examine smaller details, we find the same methods adopted by the
Rosslyn builders as were familiar to the other builders of the country,
thus all the lintels or straight arches connecting the main pillars with
the side walls, which are such striking features at Rosslyn, are
composed of small stones, having radiating joints in the same manner as
is frequent in the lintels of the wide fireplaces in the halls of the
castles. It may also be noted that the jambs of these fireplaces often
terminate in curious moulded caps, often very clumsy, and not unlike the
caps of the responds at the east wall of Rosslyn. The plans of the
castles sometimes show a series of small parallel apartments, with
barrel vaults abutting at right angles upon a passage or wider hall,
which may have suggested the parallel barrel vaults of the aisles of
Rosslyn. But, indeed, the form of the main arcade itself suggests such
an arrangement. The carved canopies and corbels placed on the face of
the buttresses and window jambs (see Fig. 1090) are thoroughly
characteristic of the Scottish churches of this period, and when their
general design is considered, these features at Rosslyn will be found
not to differ materially from those of the churches of Melrose,
Linlithgow, Seton, Trinity College, and other buildings. Compare the
disposition of small canopied niches round some central feature, such as
the buttress niche (Fig. 778) at Melrose, and the pinnacles (see Figs.
1075 and 1076) at Rosslyn.
On the sides of each buttress at Rosslyn (see Figs. 1072, 1073, and
1091) there is a splayed moulding, a kind of set-off which runs from the
front of the buttress back to the wall, on the top of the base string
course. A somewhat similar set-off occurs on some of the buttresses of
the chapter house of Glasgow Cathedral, built a few years before
Rosslyn.
A large number of details from Melrose have a very decided resemblance
to those found at Rosslyn. Thus the staircase turret (Fig. 773)
[Illustration: FIG. 1090.--The Collegiate Church of Rosslyn. Corbels on
Window Jambs and Buttresses.]
at the west side of the south transept of Melrose is in spirit so very
like the work at Rosslyn that, had it been included in the illustrations
of the latter, only those who have local knowledge would have detected
it. The same remark applies to the south doorway from Dalkeith Church,
given further on. A striking resemblance also occurs between the
mouldings of the sacristy doors at Lincluden and Bothwell and the
details of the clerestory windows at Rosslyn. In all these examples the
mouldings consist of an outer and inner shaft, separated by a large
hollow, containing carved work; and the shafts have, in every case, caps
and bases treated in a similar manner.
The soffit cusping so common in the arches at Rosslyn is a decoration of
the most frequent occurrence throughout Scotland; at this period,
indeed, there is hardly an arched tomb recess in the country which is
not so decorated. Carved rosettes set in hollows, which abound
everywhere at Rosslyn, are likewise the common decoration of the
period, both in churches and castles. Similar decorative enrichments are
also very common in Tudor buildings in England, as, for example, in
Henry VII.’s Chapel at Westminster, where also the small figures so
frequent at Rosslyn above the caps and on buttresses, &c., find their
counterpart, thus showing an association of ideas with English rather
than foreign work.
[Illustration: FIG. 1091. The Collegiate Church of Rosslyn. Base
Mouldings and Lower String Course, with Peculiar Moulding above the
latter.]
The doorways at Rosslyn, with the porches formed in front of them by
arches thrown between the buttresses, are paralleled by the doorways at
Glasgow Cathedral; Trinity College, Edinburgh; and St. Salvator’s, St.
Andrews. The engrailed cross which enters so largely into the decoration
of Rosslyn, being employed all along the arched roof of the aisles and
of the lower chapel, and forming the motive for the tracery of some of
the windows at the east end, is peculiarly local, being the distinctive
feature of the St. Clair arms, while the loop tracery in many of the
windows is of common occurrence in Scotland. A number of details
illustrated in Fig. 1092, being chiefly the corbels of niches, have a
very marked resemblance to the similar carvings at Trinity College,
Edinburgh. Those containing the fox preaching to the geese and the
dromedary are specially interesting. Other examples (such as Fig. 1093)
show that the character of the foliage is the same as that of many of
our Scottish churches. Much of the carving at Rosslyn has considerable
affinity with the late wood work in English churches (see Fig. 1082).
These comparisons are probably enough to prove that Rosslyn Church was
built after the manner and style of its age and country, and only
differs from other Scottish churches of the same period in possessing a
superabundance of rich detail and carving in excess of what is usually
found.[86]
The transepts, which project two bays to the north and south, were
obviously intended to be two stories high, and probably of the same
height as the clerestory walls of the choir. Indeed, a part of the east
wall of the north transept exists of this height. The walls of the
transept are well buttressed, as if to maintain a vault, and there are
no windows in the existing lower part of the transepts, the intention
probably being to light them with large traceried windows at each end,
as in Trinity College.
The portions of the transepts and crossing which have been completed are
too small to enable it to be clearly determined how these parts of the
structure were intended to be carried out and vaulted. The west gable
[Illustration: FIG. 1092.--The Collegiate Church of Rosslyn. Details of
Corbels.]
of the choir (see Fig. 1084) is built with a curved outline on top,
which seems to indicate the form of an intended barrel vault. The gable
has been left unfinished, and the existing belfry is obviously a late
addition. The above curve, if completed, would comprise the full width
of the chapel, embracing both the centre aisle and the side aisles, and
would rise considerably above the apex of the roof. The space included
between the curves is about 36 feet wide, which is a wider span than
would likely be undertaken at this period. The curved form of the top of
the west wall of the choir may, therefore, be dismissed as an indication
of a probable vault.
Attention has already been drawn to the usual mode of finishing the
barrel vaults of churches at this period (see _ante_, page 3), viz., by
the introduction of four solid walls (with small apertures) at the four
sides of the crossing on which the barrel vaults of the various arms of
the churches were stopped. This system has, so far as the structure is
completed, been adopted at Rosslyn, the wall on the east side of the
crossing
[Illustration: FIG. 1093.--The Collegiate Church of Rosslyn. Details.]
being built so as to receive the barrel vault of the choir. There seems
to be no reason why the same plan should not have been intended to be
used for the completion of the other sides of the crossing. The edifice
would then be in harmony with the other collegiate churches of the
period, and may have been intended to be completed with a central tower.
The building shown by dotted lines at the west end is a vestry and organ
chamber erected a few years ago.
The sculpture with which the chapel is so profusely adorned generally
represents Scriptural scenes, and has been very minutely described by
the Rev. Mr. Thompson in his _Guide to Rosslyn Chapel_.
One of the most unique examples amongst the remarkable decorations of
the edifice is the ornamentation of the south pillar of the east aisle,
[Illustration: FIG. 1094.--The Collegiate Church of Rosslyn. Carved Slab
over Entrance to Vault.]
generally known as the “’Prentice Pillar” (see Fig. 1081). It consists
of a series of wreaths twisted round the shaft, each wreath curving from
base to capital round one quarter of the pillar. The ornamentation of
the wreaths corresponds in character with the other carving of the
church; and the grotesque animals on the base find a counterpart in
those of the chapter house pillar at Glasgow Cathedral.
Beneath the choir are the vaults in which many of the St. Clairs are
buried. The entrance is under a slab on which the incised outline of a
knight in armour is carved (Fig. 1094), with a dog at his feet, and a
small shield at his head, bearing a lion rampant contourné.
[Illustration: FIG. 1095.--The Collegiate Church of Rosslyn. Monument to
George, Fourth Earl of Caithness.]
The monument to George, fourth Earl of Caithness, who died in 1582,
originally stood against the wall of the north aisle. It was removed in
1736, and placed against the wall at the west end of the north aisle
(see Fig. 1079). This monument (Fig. 1095) contains the family motto,
“Commit thy work to God,” and the arms of the St. Clairs.
THE COLLEGIATE CHURCH OF DUNGLASS,[87]
HADDINGTONSHIRE.
This deserted but very complete edifice is situated within one mile of
Cockburnspath Railway Station. It is in a good state of preservation,
and its masonry may be described as almost entire, with the exception of
the damages done to it during last century, when it was fitted up for
stabling and other farm purposes; or, as stated in the Hutton
Collection,[88] made in the eighteenth century, “It is at present
employed in a great variety of domestic uses.” The structure now stands
a neglected ruin, and is put to no purpose whatever, except that the
south transept is used as the burial-place of the family of the Halls of
Dunglass.
The building (Fig. 1096) is cruciform, and consists of a nave 40 feet
long by 20 feet wide internally, a choir 33 feet 3 inches long by 17
feet 9 inches wide, and north and south transepts, each 21 feet 7 inches
long by 13 feet 9 inches wide. The total internal length of the church
is 90 feet 8 inches, and the total length of the transept from north to
south
[Illustration: FIG. 1096.--The Collegiate Church of Dunglass. Plan.]
is 63 feet. There is a sacristy 19 feet 3 inches in length by 13 feet 7
inches in width internally on the north side of the choir, from which it
enters by a low centred arch, pointed and splayed.
The edifice (Fig. 1097) is roofed throughout, with the exception of the
tower over the crossing, with a continuous pointed barrel vault over
each arm of the cross, having a roof of heavy overlapping stone slabs
resting on the outside of the arch. There is thus no timber used in the
construction of the walls and roof.
The tower has been divided, internally, into three stages, and the
[Illustration: FIG. 1097.--The Collegiate Church of Dunglass. View from
North-West.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1098.--The Collegiate Church of Dunglass. Interior
of Nave, looking Eastward.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1099.--The Collegiate Church of Dunglass. Interior
of Crossing from the Choir, looking West.]
corbels for supporting the floor beams still remain. The lower set of
corbels are set immediately above the apex of the tower arches, one of
them being seen in the sketches of the interior of the crossing (Figs.
1098 and 1099). In the north side of the west wall of the tower (see
Fig. 1098) a door opens into the nave at a high level, which probably
was reached by wooden steps, there being no stone stair of access to the
tower chambers.
[Illustration: FIG. 1100.--The Collegiate Church of Dunglass. Plan of
Piers of Tower.]
It will be seen from the drawing (Fig. 1100) that the plan of the tower
piers is peculiar. The two western piers stand out from the angle of the
walls of the nave and transept, to which they are attached by a strip of
masonry, only some 9 or 10 inches thick. The tower is thus considerably
off the centre of the transept, and is much less in breadth than the
limbs of the cross. The two eastern piers project from the angle into
the choir, but not so as to diminish the width of the transept. It is
difficult to account for the extremely unusual and eccentric position of
the tower supports. Possibly the choir and tower were first built, and
when the nave and transepts were erected, it was thought desirable to
make them wider than at first intended. The piers of the crossing are
simply splayed and notched on the inner diagonal faces, and they are all
alike; but the arch faces or mouldings vary, those of the nave and
transepts corresponding with the piers, while the choir arch is moulded
on both faces with shallow mouldings. The former arches spring from
moulded caps (see section Fig. 1100) and the latter from caps carved and
moulded
[Illustration: FIG. 1101.
The Collegiate Church of Dunglass.
Cap of Tower Arch, Choir.]
(Fig. 1101). The splayed base of the piers is omitted on the chancel
side.
The windows in the end walls of the nave, choir, and transepts are all
pointed, and were filled with tracery; but the tracery in every case is
gone, and the west wall under the window sill has been cut out to allow
of the passage of carts and horses. Below the end windows of the
transept and sacristy are sepulchral recesses, which were probably
enriched with cusping, which is now cut away. The ornamental brackets
for supporting these enrichments have label terminations of angels. One
of these, playing on a stringed instrument, is shown in Fig. 1102. The
side windows of the church have segmental sconsion arches and double
lights, with massive tracery (see Figs. 1099 and 1103). The north and
south doorways of the nave are round arched, with moulded jambs (see
Fig. 1097). The other doorways are plain, with lintels.
[Illustration: FIG. 1102.
The Collegiate Church of Dunglass.
Corbel in Sacristy.]
The sedilia in the south wall near the east end (Figs. 1103 and 1104) is
a very beautiful one, and is fairly well preserved. It contains the
usual three seats indicated by three ogee crocketed arch-heads. These
arches rest on carved capitals at each end (Fig. 1105), and the
intermediate ones on corbels supported by angels, one holding a shield,
and the other playing on a voil. The sedilia is recessed about 13
inches, and is 6 feet 6¾ inches long (see Fig. 1103) by about 5 feet 3
inches high from the seat to the springing of the arches. Between the
sedilia and the east wall and below the sill of the window there has
been a piscina, which has been cut away, and its position is merely
indicated against the wall, as shown in Fig. 1103. It appears to have
been supported by a shaft from the floor. Adjoining this, in the east
wall, is seen (see Fig. 1104) a projecting corbel with a shield on the
face. This was probably meant either to support a light or a figure in
connection with the altar.
[Illustration: FIG. 1103.--The Collegiate Church of Dunglass. Sedilia
and South Window in Choir.]
In the sacristy there are on the side walls four consecration crosses at
the points marked on the Plan.
There is a diversity of opinion as to the name of the founder and the
date of the founding of the Church of Dunglass. According to Nisbet[89]
it was founded by “Sir Thomas Home, in the reign of Robert III.”
(1390-1406). He married Nicola or Nicolas Pepdie, who brought him the
[Illustration: FIG. 1104.--The Collegiate Church of Dunglass. Sedilia
and South Window of Choir.]
lordship of Dunglass, and their arms (Fig. 1106), which adjoin the north
transept window, Nisbet says are impaled, viz., the lion for Home, and
the “three birds called papingoes, relative to the name of Pepdie.” In
Keith’s _Catalogue_ and by Spottiswoode we are told that the Collegiate
Church of Dunglass was founded in the year 1450 by Sir Alexander Home of
that Ilk. Chalmers, in the _Caledonia_, Vol. II. p. 512, says it was
founded by Sir Alexander Home of Home in 1403. He was the son of Sir
Thomas and Nicolas Pepdie. Sir James Hall, in a letter written in 1789
(see Hutton Collection), finds from examination, evidently of original
documents in his possession, that it was founded by Sir Alexander in
1403. Dr. Laing also adopts this date as correct.[90] Perhaps, as above
suggested, the choir and tower may have been built in 1403, while the
nave was not erected till after 1450.
[Illustration: FIG. 1105.
The Collegiate Church of Dunglass.
Details of Sedilia.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1106.
The Collegiate Church of Dunglass.
Arms of Sir Thomas Home and his Wife in North Transept.]
Dunglass Church is generally regarded as having been Collegiate. In the
appendix to the _Scotichronicon_, it is stated that in the reign of
James II. the buildings of Douglas (probably a mistake for Dunglass)
were in progress,[91] and in the _Originales Parochiales_, Vol. I. p.
153, the following note occurs:--“About the middle of the fifteenth
century a petition regarding the erection of the Parish Church of
Douglas (evidently mistaken for Dunglass) into a Collegiate Church was
presented to the Apostolic See, but though the Pope’s consent seems to
have been obtained, the purpose never was fulfilled.”
FOWLIS EASTER CHURCH, PERTHSHIRE.[92]
This edifice, which is one of the best preserved and most interesting of
the minor churches of its date in Scotland, is situated about six miles
north-west from Dundee.
The lands of Fowlis came into the possession of the family of Gray by
marriage about the year 1397, when the only daughter of the last
Mortimer of Fowlis and Aberdour married Sir Andrew Gray of Broxmouth. He
was the first Lord Gray, and was succeeded by his son Andrew, the second
Lord Gray, and it was doubtless by this Andrew Gray that the church was
built. He died in 1469, and, judging from the style and various features
of the architecture, the building seems to have been erected in his
lifetime. Spottiswoode states that it was built by Sir Andrew Gray of
Fowlis during the reign of James II. (1437-1460), and there is still
[Illustration: FIG. 1107.--Fowlis Easter Church. Plan.]
more conclusive evidence that the church was built by Sir Andrew. He
married Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Sir John Wemyss of Rires and
Kincaldrum, and the arms of Gray and Wemyss are carved on the skew
stones of the church. Further, in the _Old Statistical Account_ it is
stated that the “beam which supported the organ loft” bore the
inscription:--“Hoc Templum Structum fuit Anno Millesimo Centesimo
Quadragesimo Secundo ab A. Gray.”
The church (Fig. 1107) is a simple oblong structure without buttresses
or projections of any kind. It measures about 88 feet long by 28 feet
wide outside the walls. It is built of fine ashlar in large courses of
stone, obtained from the den of Fowlis in the immediate neighbourhood.
The stone is of a bluish-grey colour, and has well stood the test of
time. There are north and south doors (Fig. 1108) nearly opposite each
other near
[Illustration: FIG. 1108.--Fowlis Easter Church. View from South-East.]
the west end, and a priest’s door near the east end, all round arched.
The edifice was divided into a nave and chancel by a rood screen and
loft.
[Illustration: FIG. 1109.--Fowlis Easter Church.
Corbels, &c., at Rood Screen.]
The corbels for supporting the loft still exist, as shown on the Plan
and in Fig. 1109. The nave is lighted by a large four light window in
the west gable (see Fig. 1110), and one narrow lofty pointed window in
the south wall (see Fig. 1108). There are one upper and one lower window
in the south wall at the rood loft, the lower window pointed and the
other square headed, and immediately to the east, in the south wall,
another narrow and tall pointed window. Between the priest’s door and
the east gable the chancel is emphasised by a large three light
traceried window in the south wall (see Fig. 1110), and also by a slight
rise in the base, which runs all round the church. There is a small
round window in the east wall fitted with a piece of cast iron tracery,
put in about the beginning of this century. Only one window occurs in
the north wall, viz., at the rood loft, which corresponds to the lower
window on the south side, and is furnished with similar corbels at each
side, for the support of the rood loft. There is in addition a lower
corbel a few feet west from the window, which was probably the wall rest
of the upper step of the stair leading to the loft. The south-west
doorway (Fig. 1111) has a very impressive appearance. The jambs and arch
are moulded with two deep and wide hollows, having a filleted round
between, which terminates, like many late Gothic mouldings, on a splayed
base. The round arch is surmounted by a richly carved ogee shaped label,
resting at each side on figures bearing shields, and terminating with a
heraldic display at the top, where on a shield couché are carved the
arms of Lord Gray, namely, a lion rampant, within a bordure
[Illustration:
Window in South Wall of chancel.
Window in West End Wall.
FIG. 1110.--Fowlis Easter Church.]
engrailed, above which is a helmet supported by two lions, and bearing a
swan’s head and neck, with wings elevated for crest. The carving is,
unfortunately, a good deal decayed.
Adjoining the interior of each of the west doorways is a stoup; that on
the north side is shown in Fig. 1112.
The ambry or sacrament house stands in the east wall on the north side
of the altar. It is one of the most elaborately carved and sculptured
examples now remaining in Scotland. The sacrament house is well shown in
the drawing by Mr. Robertson (Fig. 1113). It is 5 feet 6 inches high by
3 feet wide across the cope and base. The opening, which is checked
[Illustration: FIG. 1111.--Fowlis Easter Church. South-West Doorway.]
for a door, has an ogee arch with richly carved buttresses on each side.
Above the recess is sculptured a remarkable group (Fig. 1114). In the
centre is the bust of the Saviour, on a larger scale than the other
figures, holding in His left hand the globe, surmounted by a small
cross--the attribute of sovereignty. On each side is an angel--that on
the right holding the cross, and that on the left the pillar of the
scourging. Both
[Illustration: FIG. 1112.
Fowlis Easter Church.
Stoup in North Wall.]
have a nimbus, but are without wings. Above the cornice which runs along
the top of the ambry and in the hollow of the roof or cope the
Annunciation is sculptured. The Blessed Virgin stands on one side and
the angel on the other, holding the scroll with the salutation. Between
them is the pot of lilies, and behind the Virgin an open book,
symbolising the prophecies regarding her.
Above the ambry are seen indications of broken work, as if there had
been something more sculptured above, and in the village, built into one
of the cottages, there is a series of figures (Fig. 1115), which have
clearly been taken from the church, and which possibly stood over this
ambry. These carvings are just the length required to fit the space, the
panel containing them being 3 feet 1½ inch wide. Mr. Robertson, however,
thinks that these figures formed part of a tomb, and that the broken
remains on the top of the ambry indicate the former existence of some
kind of parapet; but in any view, to bring these figures back to the
church would be a fitting conclusion to the admirable work which has
lately been carried out by the minister, the Rev. Dr. Burr, with the
assistance of Mr. T. S. Robertson, architect.
The alterations lately effected consisted in removing a partition wall,
which, along with the rood screen, separated the east end of the
building from the part used as the Parish Church, and in removing the
plaster ceiling, which cut across the tracery of the west window,
preparatory to putting on a new open timber roof. The belfry replaces a
nondescript erection of last century. The bell (Fig. 1116), which is
old, is 14 inches high by 17¼ inches in diameter at the lip, and is
attached to the stock by three canons. The stock is of oak, and,
although bound with iron, is much rent. The bell is very heavy and of
simple but beautiful form. The letters of the inscription seem to have
been formed separately, and fitted round the mould in which the bell was
cast.
The font (Fig. 1117) is richly sculptured, but is much mutilated. It is
octagonal in shape, and measures 3 feet high, with a round basin, 20½
inches wide. In the panels round the basin are sculptured scenes from
[Illustration: FIG. 1113.--Fowlis Easter Church. Sacrament House.]
the life of Christ, which are much broken and defaced. The Baptism
occupies one space, and Christ bound with a figure on each side (Fig.
1118)
[Illustration: FIG. 1114.--Fowlis Easter Church. Sculpture on Ambry.]
is carved on another. The panels also contain the arms of Gray and
Wemyss, with others now obliterated.
[Illustration: FIG. 1115.--Fowlis Easter Church. Sculpture in Village.]
The door of the rood screen is still preserved. It is of dark oak, and
is one of the few examples of pieces of furniture of this description
remaining in Scotland (Fig. 1119). It has open work in the upper part,
occupying nearly half the height (see details in Fig. 1120) and four
[Illustration: FIG. 1116.--Fowlis Easter Church. Bell.]
panels below, the lower two having the linen pattern, and the two above
(forming the centre of the door) being decorated with tracery work.
One of the most remarkable features of this church consists of four
large pre-Reformation paintings on oak panels, two being at present hung
on the east wall and two on the north
[Illustration: FIG. 1117.--Fowlis Easter Church.
Font.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1118.--Fowlis Easter Church.
Carvings on Font.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1119.--Fowlis Easter Church. Half of Door of Rood
Screen.]
wall.[93] The two on the east wall are in much the better state of
preservation. The upper picture represents our Saviour on the Cross, the
soldier on horseback on his right thrusting the spear into his side, and
numerous
[Illustration: FIG. 1120.--Fowlis Easter Church.
Details of Upper Part of Rood Screen.]
other figures on both right and left. The lower consists of eleven
panels, each representing a saint, some male and some female. The tenth
panel has near the foot the Gray shield in colours. On the north wall
the upper painting has the middle part entirely rubbed off, and also, to
a considerable extent, the central part of the upper division; but what
remains shows a large head and shoulders, surrounded with a glory.
Probably this part of the picture was a representation of the Trinity.
To the right of this is a female saint with a sword piercing a king’s
head; at her feet and behind her there probably was another figure, now
wanting, to balance the two figures on the left, namely, John the
Baptist, holding the lamb in his arms, and behind him the Virgin and
Child. The lower division has in the centre a representation of the
entombment, with three figures on either side. The panels of the other
picture are not in their correct places, but they represent some figures
on horseback, and others on foot--subject uncertain.
As already mentioned, the skew putts contain arms. These are as follow,
viz.:--
S.W. Wemyss of Reres 1st and 4th lion rampant, 2nd and 3rd a bend.
S.E. A lion rampant within a bordure engrailed for Gray, impaling
the dexter half of the foregoing arms, namely, 1st a lion rampant,
3rd a bend.
N.E. Scotland, lion rampant within a double tressure flory counter
flory.
N.W. Lion rampant; for what family is uncertain.
COLLEGIATE CHURCH OF ST. SALVATOR, ST. ANDREWS, FIFESHIRE.
The College of St. Salvator was founded and endowed by Bishop Kennedy,
in 1456, for a provost and prebendaries. This bishop was distinguished
for his liberality to the Church. He also founded and endowed a
Franciscan Monastery in St. Andrews, which has now entirely disappeared.
The Church of St. Salvator is the only portion of the college buildings
which still survives. It is now attached to the united colleges of St.
Leonard’s and St. Salvator, which form the existing University of
[Illustration: FIG. 1121.--Collegiate Church of St. Salvator. Plan.]
St. Andrews, and the other buildings of which are modern. The church
bears the marks of the period when it was erected, the latter half of
the fifteenth century. It consists (Fig. 1121) of a single oblong
chamber about 107 feet long and 28 feet wide internally, with a
three-sided apse at the east end. There are now no windows in the north
and west walls, but the south wall is divided by buttresses into seven
bays, with a large pointed window in each, which, together with the
three windows of the eastern apse, sufficiently light the church. The
central window of the apse is larger than the others. The tracery in the
windows is modern. The buttresses between the bays are bold and
effective (Fig. 1122), having a broad moulded base and being enriched
with canopied niches for statues on their face. The canopies on the
buttresses next the apse are placed
[Illustration: FIG. 1122.--Collegiate Church of St. Salvator. View from
South-East.]
facing one another on the angle of the buttress instead of on the face,
an arrangement not easily explained. The buttresses are now finished on
top with gabled pinnacles, but these are a modern restoration. The
original pinnacles were, doubtless, of the late and rather stunted
character usual at the period, of which one specimen survives, at the
north-east
[Illustration: FIG. 1123.--Collegiate Church of St. Salvator. South-West
Porch.]
angle of St. Salvator’s, where, however, it is little seen. Between two
of the buttresses, near the south-west corner, a porch is introduced
under the
[Illustration: FIG. 1124.--Collegiate Church of St. Salvator. View from
South-West.]
window (Fig. 1123), the buttresses being slightly extended beyond the
others to receive it. The porch is roofed with groined vaulting, and has
a stone bench on each side, and a canopied niche on each side of the
wide entrance arch. A shield at the apex bore the arms and mitre of
Bishop Kennedy. The doorway within the porch has a three-sided head or
arch, and the north door opposite it has a similar top.
The tower at the south-west angle of the church is of the usual plain
unbuttressed form (Fig. 1124) common at the period in Scotland. On the
ground floor it contains the gateway to the college. Over the outer
archway are the arms of Bishop Kennedy in a cusped panel (Fig. 1125),
having a canopied niche on each side. Over this the tower rises to the
string course under the belfry story, with no features but small loops
in the wall. The belfry story has a lofty double window on each of its
four sides.
[Illustration: FIG. 1125.--Collegiate Church of St. Salvator.
Bishop Kennedy’s Arms in Tower.]
These windows are pointed and cusped, and a broad cusped transome
divides them in their height. The angles of this story are splayed, and
it is finished with a new plain parapet resting on a simple corbel
course. The tower is surmounted by an octagonal spire of the stunted
kind common at this time, and with a very marked entasis. It is divided
by two string courses in the height, and has two tiers of lucarnes.
In the interior of the north wall, close to the apse, stand the remains
of the splendid monument erected by Bishop Kennedy (Fig. 1126). It forms
in appearance the interior of an apse with five sides, elaborately
carved with minute niches and recesses, and is covered with vaulting
(now broken). This apse is spanned by a moulded and pointed arch carried
on clustered shafts. Beside these, and over the arch, there is a
succession of niches and figures, interspersed with tall much subdivided
windows. Unfortunately this monument was greatly damaged by the fall of
the roof, which occurred last century. According to tradition six
splendid silver maces were found within the tomb, one of which is
preserved in the college, and the others were distributed amongst the
other Scottish universities. But it has been shown by Mr. Alex. J. S.
Brooke, F.S.A. Scot., in a paper read before the Society of Antiquaries
of Scotland (see _Proceedings_, 1892, in which these and other Scottish
maces are fully illustrated), that this tradition is erroneous, and that
the maces of Glasgow,
[Illustration: FIG. 1126.--Collegiate Church of St. Salvator. Monument
of Bishop Kennedy.]
Aberdeen, and Edinburgh Universities are of different dates, and were
made expressly for these universities. The three maces belonging to St.
Andrews are:--1, The mace of the Faculty of Arts; 2, the mace of the
Faculty of Canon Law, now the Theological Faculty; and 3, the mace of
St. Salvator’s College--all of St. Andrews. No. 1 has a beautiful knop
or head of tabernacle work, in three stages. It probably dates from
early in the fifteenth century, and is of French workmanship. No. 2 is
of a somewhat similar design, but is probably of Scottish manufacture.
No. 3 is the most beautiful of the three St. Andrews maces. It bears the
arms and initials of Bishop Kennedy, and the knop is of elaborate
tabernacle work, containing allegorical and other figures. The style of
workmanship of the mace of St. Leonard’s, which is still preserved at
the College, corresponds with that of the tomb. The inscription on the
mace states that it was made in Paris, by John Maiel, in the year 1461.
It seems not improbable that the tomb was also designed in France. To
the right of the monument there is a very effectively designed sacrament
house, having the royal arms, and those of Bishop Kennedy above it. The
shield of the latter, with his mitre, is also seen to the left of the
monument. This sacrament house is somewhat earlier in date than several
others given below, and is of superior design. In this case the pyx,
supported by two angels, is carved on the corbel beneath. Shafts, with
cap and base on each side of the ambry, support a pointed arch above,
ornamented with crockets and finial. A crocketed pinnacle encloses the
composition on each side. The whole design is good and is well carried
out.
THE COLLEGIATE CHURCH OF DALKEITH, MID-LOTHIAN.
The town of Dalkeith stands between the rivers North and South Esk,
about six miles south from Edinburgh. A church dedicated to St. Nicholas
existed here from an early period. It was raised into a collegiate
church in the fifteenth century, and since the Reformation has been the
church of the parish.
This church (Fig. 1127) consults of a nave of three bays with aisles,
and a western tower, north and south transepts, and an aisleless choir
of three bays, with an eastern apse. The western part of the church and
a portion of the choir extending as far as the south doorway (at which
point a wall has been erected across the building, as indicated by
dotted lines) are used as the Parish Church. About 1854 this church
underwent a thorough restoration. Much of the interest attached to it as
an ancient building was thus effaced, but the original plan has not been
greatly altered. The appearance of the building before the above date is
shown by Fig. 1128, which is reproduced from a drawing in the Hutton
Collection in the Advocates’ Library.[94] The steeple shown in this
view is said to have been built in 1762.[95] It resembles somewhat the
old steeple of Glasgow College,[96] and is much more likely to have been
built, as the latter was, in the seventeenth century than in the
eighteenth. The tower was probably repaired at the latter date, when, as
we are informed, the church itself was so treated. The walls of the
tower, where they have been left unrestored, and the staircase turret
adjoining are undoubtedly older than the eighteenth century.
The eastern portion of the choir (Fig. 1129) has stood for centuries in
a roofless and ruinous condition. It has originally been vaulted,
probably with a pointed barrel vault supporting a stone roof. As much
[Illustration: FIG. 1127.--The Collegiate Church of Dalkeith. Plan.]
of the vault remains (Fig. 1130) as is self-supporting, and has on the
surface and in the angles of the apse moulded ribs at intervals
springing from corbels. The east end terminates in an apse of three
bays, in each of which, and in the bays of the south wall, are windows
of three lights, filled with plain looped tracery. The windows of the
apse have been partially built up (see Fig. 1129). The apse windows are
built at the same level as the other windows, thus leaving a great
height of plain wall above them. This height of wall over the windows
was
[Illustration: FIG. 1128.--The Collegiate Church of Dalkeith. View from
South-East. (From a Drawing by Charles Sanderson in the Hutton
Collection in the Advocates’ Library.)]
rendered unavoidable by the barrel vault of the interior, which required
the arches of the windows to be kept below the springing of the main
vault, as may be observed at Ladykirk, Seton Church, and elsewhere. In
the churches of Linlithgow and Stirling the central window of the apse
is larger than the others, but in those cases the vaulting is different,
and allows greater height for the windows. The parapet above the walls
of the choir is plain and rests on a string course, which has been
carved with foliage. The doorway in the south side (Fig. 1131) is round
arched, and in the freedom of the treatment of its details very much
resembles what is found in the neighbouring Church of Rosslyn.
[Illustration: FIG. 1129.--The Collegiate Church of Dalkeith. The
Eastern Apse.]
The buttresses (Fig. 1132), like those of Rosslyn, are massive, and
although they have five or six stages, they do not recede at these
stages till the wall head is nearly reached, where they are finished
with a gablet beneath which a large gargoyle is projected. The
buttresses were crowned with square pinnacles, finished with crockets
and finials, only two of which now remain, in a very ruinous state. They
have been carefully wrought on the inside, so as to adjust themselves to
the sloping flanks of the stone roof, the water from which was conveyed
through the buttresses by the projecting gargoyles to the ground. There
is a canopied niche on the face of all the buttresses, as well as those
on each side of the south doorway.
A monument in the choir (Fig. 1133) contains two recumbent figures, a
husband and wife side by side. The effigies (Fig. 1134) are not
recessed, as is frequently the case in an arched tomb in the wall, but
lie in the open church where shown on the ground Plan, and they appear
to be
[Illustration: FIG. 1130.--The Collegiate Church of Dalkeith. Interior
of Apse.]
in their original position. From the heraldic coats on the monument (see
Fig. 1133) it is obvious that the knight was a Douglas, and that the
lady was of royal descent. On a lozenge at the head of the knight are
the
[Illustration: FIG. 1131.--The Collegiate Church of Dalkeith. South
Doorway.]
arms of Douglas of Dalkeith, viz., two stars on a chief. And on a
similar lozenge at the head of the lady are the same arms impaled with
those of Scotland (Fig. 1135). The same arms are also repeated at the
sides of
[Illustration: FIG. 1132.--The Collegiate Church of Dalkeith. North-East
Side of Apse.]
the monument (see Fig. 1133), with what appear like coronets above them,
from which Mr. James Drummond[97] gives it as his opinion that the
persons represented are James, 4th Lord of Dalkeith, who was created
Earl of Morton in 1457, and his wife Johan, third daughter of King James
I. The former died about 1498. Mr. Drummond supposes the lady survived
her husband, but the Lady Johanna must have died before the year
1490.[98] The facts on which that view is founded are the presence of
the royal and Douglas arms impaled, and “the male figure being
sculptured with an earl’s coronet, to which none of the previous lords
of Dalkeith had a right, although they were allied to royalty.”[99]
[Illustration: FIG. 1133.--The Collegiate Church of Dalkeith. Monument
in Choir.]
The monument is in a very dilapidated condition, the base and lower half
of the pedestal being buried in earth and rubbish, the accumulation of
centuries. The arms on the pedestal (see Fig. 1133) are the same as
those already referred to as carved at the heads of the figures. They
are repeated on the opposite side of the pedestal, but in inverse order.
The canopied work along the top of the pedestal is similar to what is
seen surmounting a fragment of royal arms at Dunfermline (see Fig. 218),
which fragment may also have been part of a tomb.
The precise date of the founding of the Chapel of St. Nicholas does not
appear to be known, but since 1372, when Robert II. granted a licence to
James of Douglas to endow a chaplainry therein, frequent notices of it
appear.[100]
In 1390 Sir James Douglas, first Lord of Dalkeith (already referred to),
“bequeathed, besides a cup and a missal, a sum of money for the
reparation and roofing of the Chapel of St. Nicholas at Dalkeith;” and
by another
[Illustration: FIG. 1134.--The Collegiate Church of Dalkeith. Effigies
on Monument in Choir.]
deed two years later, “he assigns the residue of his goods to the fabric
and ornament of the said chapel,”[101] and for other purposes. Before
his death, in 1420, he raised the chapel to the rank of a Collegiate
Church, and is supposed to have finished the building, endowing it with
“stipends and manses for a provest and five prebendaries, as perpetual
chaplains.”[102] In 1467 St. Nicholas was disjoined from Lasswade, and
Dalkeith was made a separate parish, and in 1477 the church was enlarged
by the
[Illustration: FIG. 1135.--The Collegiate Church of Dalkeith.
Shield at Head of Lady.]
addition of three canonries, endowed by the Earl of Morton. At the
Reformation, St. Nicholas’ was settled as the Presbyterian church of the
parish.
In 1686 the minister reported the church to be ruinous, and the
Presbytery ordered it to be made wind and water tight.
On the north side of the church there is a vault occupied as the funeral
vault of the Buccleuch family.
ST. MUNGO’S CHURCH, BORTHWICK, MID-LOTHIAN.
This church is situated near the well known castle of the same name in
the south-east part of the county, and about nine miles from Edinburgh.
With the exception of the south aisle or chapel, the church (Fig. 1136)
was entirely rebuilt about forty years ago.[103] To judge from what of
the old plan can now be made out, the structure has originally been a
Norman one, with aisleless nave and choir, and a circular eastern apse.
The reconstruction of the edifice included that of the apse and the
south wall of the chancel, which, although not entirely new, are yet
practically so, none of the ancient architectural features being left,
but only, at most, some of the walling. The apse is about 16 feet wide
by about 10 feet 6 inches deep, and was lighted by three narrow widely
splayed windows. The chancel was about 16 feet 6 inches long by 22 feet
wide. The south wall contained two windows, and apparently a piscina,
but all these features have disappeared, as well as the more important
arches which formed the entrance to the chancel and the apse.
A south aisle or chapel (see Fig. 1136) has been added to the church. It
is entire and is a good example of Scottish Gothic of the latter half of
the fifteenth century, having in all probability been built about the
same time as the castle, the licence for the erection of which is dated
1430. William de Borthwick, a man of some eminence, was created Lord
Borthwick shortly before that date, and the aisle is believed to have
been erected by him. This aisle is vaulted with a pointed barrel vault,
covered on the
[Illustration: FIG. 1136.--St. Mungo’s Church. Plan.]
outside with a stone roof (Fig. 1137), to resist the thrusts of which
massive buttresses are provided. The roof consists of overlapping stone
flags, carefully wrought, and the cornice at the wall head (Fig. 1138)
is ornamented with carved heads and leaves alternately. The chapel
contains in the south wall a recess for a monument, and the remains of
two piscinas and a locker in the south and west walls. There is a small
pointed window in
[Illustration: FIG. 1137.--St. Mungo’s Church. South Aisle, from
South-West.]
the west side, and a larger one in the south end. The tracery of the
latter is probably modern, as is the west doorway. The wide arch which
[Illustration: FIG. 1138.--St. Mungo’s Church. Cornice of Aisle.]
formerly opened into the church has been built up.
A stately monument (Fig. 1139), containing two recumbent figures, is
built against the east wall of the aisle. The statues are supposed to be
those of the founder of the castle and the aisle, the first Lord
Borthwick and his wife, who was a Douglas. The monument is not now in
its original position. Before the time of the rebuilding it stood in
the inside of the wall of the apse, and it was then removed and placed
in its present position, where it has apparently suffered from
[Illustration: FIG. 1139.--St. Mungo’s Church. Monument of Lord
Borthwick and his Wife.]
over restoration. The effigies, which are remarkably well preserved,
have been entirely coloured, and considerable traces of the colour still
remain. The length of the arched recess in which the figures lie is 7
feet, and the depth of the recess 3 feet 8½ inches. The height to the
arched recess is about 3 feet 6½ inches, and the total height of the
monument is 10 feet 3 inches, and the width over the buttresses 8 feet
11 inches. The design is of a usual form, and the enrichments indicate a
late date in the fifteenth century.
The Church of Borthwick was annexed by Chancellor Crichton to his newly
erected College of Crichton. After the Reformation Borthwick was united
to Heriot and Stow, and served by a reader, but in 1596 James VI.
erected it into a separate parish. In 1606 the kirk-session complained
that the church was falling into ruin for want of proper repair.
Commissioners from the Presbytery met the complainers, and after
deliberation they refused to “stent” themselves for the repair of the
church, but offered instead to sell the vestry (see Plan) “as a family
burial-place to any gentleman who would pay such a price as would enable
them to repair the choir.”[104] An offer of the building was made to Sir
James Dundas of Arniston, who ultimately purchased it, and with the
money thus raised the church appears to have been repaired in a rough
fashion. The chancel arch was built up and a gable wall erected above
it, which thus became the east end of the church, and the apse was left
outside. A gallery was then placed against the east gable. The structure
remained in this condition till 1780, when it was destroyed by fire. The
walls which survived the fire are those shown on the Plan (see Fig.
1136). The vestry (now the Dundas burial vault) and south aisle, both
having stone roofs, remain comparatively unscathed. The nave and the
north wall of the chancel have entirely disappeared.
LADYKIRK CHURCH, BERWICKSHIRE.
This very complete and almost unaltered church stands on the high north
bank of the river Tweed, nearly opposite Norham Castle. Before the
Reformation the parish consisted of the two parishes of Upsetlington and
Horndene. In 1296 the parson of the former swore fealty to Edward I.,
who, while endeavouring to arrange regarding the succession to the crown
of Scotland, adjourned the Scottish Parliament from Brigham in England
to an open field in Upsetlington. The existing church is said to have
been built in 1500, and dedicated to the Blessed Virgin by James IV., in
gratitude for his delivery from being drowned by a sudden flood of the
river Tweed.
The structure (Fig. 1140) is a specially characteristic example of the
Scottish church architecture of the period. It is a triapsidal cross
church, without aisles, having an apsidal termination at the east end of
the chancel and at the north and south ends of the transept. The body
of the church and the transepts are covered with pointed barrel vaults,
with ribs at intervals, springing from small corbels (Fig. 1141); and
the whole is roofed with overlapping stone flags (Fig. 1142). The nave
and chancel are 94 feet 6 inches in length by 23 feet 3 inches in width
internally, and the transepts, which are very short, each measures 12
feet in depth from north to south by 19 feet in width. The side windows
are of considerable width, but being entirely below the springing of the
vault, they are low compared with the height of the church. The side
walls rise greatly above the windows on the exterior, and have a heavy
appearance, while the lofty vaults of the interior render the building
dark. The arches
[Illustration: FIG. 1140.--Ladykirk Church. Plan.]
which open from the main church into the transepts (see Fig. 1141) are
also kept below the springing of the main vault, and are therefore low,
but the windows in the transepts are kept well up. To resist the
pressure of the heavy vaults and roof the walls are well buttressed, and
the buttresses terminate with the somewhat stunted pinnacles in vogue at
the time. It will be noticed that the overlapping stone roofs are
constructed in three distinct portions, viz., one roof extending over
the whole of the nave and chancel, and two separate roofs over each
transept. The roofs and vaults of each of the transepts terminate
against a gable raised on the side walls of the main part of the church,
and the transepts are entered by low arches, on which these gables
rest.
[Illustration: FIG. 1141.--Ladykirk Church. Interior, looking East.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1142.--Ladykirk Church. View from South-West.]
Both the interior and exterior of the church are quite plain, especially
the former, in which there is no attempt at ornament of any kind. As
regards the exterior, the buttresses with their pinnacles, and the
windows with their simple tracery, give a pleasing effect, especially as
seen from the east (Fig. 1143).
Perhaps the most striking feature of the exterior is the elliptic form
of the arches over the side windows of the nave and choir (see Fig.
1142). This peculiar form has evidently resulted from the desire to make
these windows as wide as possible, so as to admit light. But as all the
window
[Illustration: FIG. 1143.--Ladykirk Church. View from South-East.]
arches required to be kept below the springing of the vaults, the
interior is but imperfectly lighted. There are three doorways in the
building--the south-west door in the nave, the priest’s door in the
chancel, and a door in the south transept. These are all semicircular in
the arch-head, as is common in Scottish examples. That in the south
transept is now built up.
The tower at the west end is 14 feet square externally. The lower part
is of the same date as the church, and has the base courses returning
round it. The upper part has been rebuilt. The doorway to the tower is
from the outside.
SETON COLLEGIATE CHURCH, HADDINGTONSHIRE.
A disused edifice situated in the private grounds of Seton Castle, about
two miles east from Prestonpans Railway Station. The parish of Seton
having been joined to that of Tranent in 1580, service in the church has
from that time been abandoned.
There was a church here from an early date. It is rated in the ancient
Taxatio at 18 merks. In a MS. pedigree of the family of Seton, by
Maitland of Lethington, quoted by Grose,[105] it is stated that Sir
Alex. Seton, in the time of David II., was buried in the Parish Church
of Seton. Also that Katherine Sinclair, wife of William, first Lord
Seton, about 1390, “Biggit ane yle on the south side of the Paroch Kirk
of Seton of fine estlar, pendit and theikit it with stane, with ane
sepulchar thairin quhair she lies.” Her son John (died 1441) was buried
in this aisle.
George, the second Lord Seton, in 1493, made the church collegiate. He
built the sacristy and covered it with stone in the reign of James IV.
He died in 1507, and was buried near the high altar.
George, the third Lord Seton, who was slain at Flodden, “Theickit the
Queir of Seton with stane.” Jane Hepburne, his widow, after his decease,
“Biggit the forewark of Seton above the zit, and also she biggit the
northomoss yll of the College Kirk of Seton and took down the yll biggit
be Dame Katherine Sinclair on the south side of it, the said college
kirk, because the syde of it stood to the syde of the kirk, to mack it a
parfecte and a proper cornet and a cross kirk and biggit up the steeple
as ye see it now to ane grit hight swa that it wants little of
compleiting.” This lady also presented the church with many ornaments of
silver and rich vestments.
From the above quotations it would appear that the parish church existed
in the fourteenth century. This church was probably rebuilt towards the
end of the fifteenth century, and was added to by the second Lord Seton
when he made the church collegiate in 1493, and completed by the third
Lord Seton. The transepts and tower and spire would appear to have been
erected by the Dowager Lady Seton in the sixteenth century, after her
husband’s death at the Battle of Flodden.
The collegiate foundation consisted of a provost, six prebendaries, one
clerk, and two singing boys. The edifice has undoubtedly been rebuilt or
restored at the date of its being made collegiate. It corresponds in
style with the numerous collegiate foundations established in the
fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The eastern apsidal termination, the
stone roof supported on a pointed barrel vault, and other details point
to its date and associate it with the other collegiate churches of
Scotland erected in the fifteenth century.
In 1544 the structure suffered much at the hands of the English
invaders, who carried off the organ and bells, and burnt the timber
work.
[Illustration: FIG. 1144.--Seton Collegiate Church. Plan.]
The stone roof of the choir was removed at some period. The masonry,
however, survived, and the edifice has now been roofed in and properly
defended from the weather by the late Lord Wemyss, who, along with his
Countess, is buried in the choir. The broken tracery of the windows has
been renewed by the present Lord Wemyss. The church was designed
[Illustration: FIG. 1145.--Seton Collegiate Church. View from
South-East.]
as a complete cross without aisles, and with a central tower and spire
over the intersection, but the nave has never been built. The portions
erected (Fig. 1144) consist of the choir (with its three-sided apsidal
east end), a north sacristy, a north and south transept, and a central
tower and spire over the crossing. The choir is 53 feet in length by 22
feet in width internally. The exterior (Fig. 1145) is divided into three
bays, separated by buttresses. There is a round-headed doorway in the
central bay of the south wall, with a panel containing a coat of arms in
the upper part of the wall, and mullioned windows in the other bays
(including the apse), except that in the north wall at the part where
the sacristy is built. The arched heads are all filled with tracery of a
simple character and of
[Illustration: FIG. 1146.--Seton Collegiate Church. Corbels on
Buttresses.]
a pattern common in third pointed work. The buttresses are of good
substantial form, and each is crowned with a square, but rather stunted,
pinnacle, the enriched pyramidal tops of nearly all of them being
wanting. A carved corbel and canopy are placed on the face of each
buttress to receive a statue, but they are now all empty. Fig. 1146
shows two of these corbels, one containing the Seton arms. The cornice
of the choir is enriched with flower ornaments.
The interior of the choir (Fig. 1147) is extremely simple. It is roofed
with a pointed barrel vault, the surface of which, towards the east end,
is ornamented with moulded ribs. These ribs spring from corbels in each
angle of the apse and in the side walls, and extend to nearly the
centre of the choir, where they cease, leaving the remainder of the
vault plain. The idea has apparently been, by the introduction of these
ribs, to make the presbytery somewhat ornamental. The windows, being
below the
[Illustration: FIG. 1147.--Seton Collegiate Church. Choir, looking
East.]
springing of the vault, are necessarily low, and the vault is in
consequence dark. There are a plain sedilia, with elliptic arch, and an
ornate piscina (Fig. 1148) at the east end of the south wall. Opposite
them in the north wall a monument (Fig. 1149) under the north-east
window contains, in an arched recess, an effigy, probably that of the
second Lord Seton, who erected the church into a college. The choir is
now roofed with wood and slates above the vault, but it was no doubt
originally
[Illustration: FIG. 1148.
Seton Collegiate Church.
Piscina in Choir.]
covered with a roof of overlapping stone slabs. The door to the sacristy
is opposite that in the south wall. The sacristy is about 14 feet by 12
feet. It has a plain barrel vault, which supports an upper story, of
which the window is visible (Fig. 1150), but there is no apparent means
of access to it. The building has a roof of overlapping stone flags. The
sacristy has one small eastern window, with a piscina near it, and a
fireplace. In the angle next the apse there is a squint commanding a
view of the altar.
The tower is 25 feet square. On the ground level there are arched
openings 9 feet 6 inches wide (Fig. 1151) towards the choir and each
transept, and also in the west wall towards the intended nave, the
latter being built up. The stair turret is placed at the south-east
angle, and partly projects into the south transept (Fig. 1152). It is
also visible on the exterior (see Fig. 1145). The tower is carried up
over the crossing one story in height above the roof, and is crowned
with a broach-spire, the top of which is unfinished. This is one of the
very few examples of broach-spires in Scotland. The ground floor over
the crossing is groin vaulted, and has a circular opening in the centre.
The transepts are each about 27 feet long by 18 feet wide, and each is
divided into two bays, with buttresses, pinnacles, and traceried
windows, similar to those of the choir. These traceries were all much
damaged, but they have been repaired by Lord Wemyss. The vaulting (see
Figs.
[Illustration: FIG. 1149.--Seton Collegiate Church. Monument under
North-East Window.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1150.--Seton Collegiate Church. View from
North-East.]
1151 and 1152) is of the pointed barrel kind, similar to that of the
choir, but without ribs, and supports a roof composed of overlapping
stone flags
[Illustration: FIG. 1151.--Seton Collegiate Church. Transept, looking
South.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1152.--Seton Collegiate Church. View from South
Transept, looking North.]
(see Figs. 1145 and 1150). The north and south end windows of the
transepts (Fig. 1153) are peculiar. They are of considerable size, and
[Illustration: FIG. 1153.--Seton Collegiate Church. Transept, from
South.]
each is divided into two compartments by a large stone mullion built in
courses, each compartment being filled with smaller tracery. Several
examples of this mode of treating large windows about this period may
be mentioned, such as King’s College, Aberdeen; Haddington Church, &c.
There is an arched recess under the two large end windows of the north
and south transepts (see Figs. 1151 and 1152), which perhaps at one time
contained monuments. A piscina occurs in the east wall of the south
transept (Fig. 1154), and another, supported on three heads, on the
north-west pier of the tower. Other monuments in the Renaissance
[Illustration: FIG. 1154.--Seton Collegiate Church. Piscina in South
Transept.]
style have been erected against the east walls of the transepts (see
Fig. 1151). An octagonal font (Fig. 1155), carved with shields bearing
the Seton and other arms, is placed in a temporary manner in the
crossing.
From the history of the structure it would appear, as above mentioned,
that the transept and tower were erected by Jane Hepburne (Lady Seton)
in the sixteenth century. The style of the transept is
[Illustration: FIG. 1155.--Seton Collegiate Church. Font at Crossing.]
evidently later than that of the choir, but the details of the
buttresses have been copied in the later part of the structure from
those of the earlier part.
THE COLLEGIATE CHURCH OF ARBUTHNOTT, KINCARDINESHIRE.
This church, which is dedicated to St. Ternan, is situated about three
or four miles from Bervie, and not far from the old mansion of
Arbuthnott. It is an exceedingly interesting and picturesque structure,
and contains work of three distinct periods, representing different
phases of Scottish ecclesiastical architecture. There is first the
chancel (Fig. 1156), dedicated by Bishop Bernham in 1242, and possibly
the nave may also be in part of the same period. Then there is the very
striking south wing or aisle, which is known, from the Arbuthnott
Missal, to have been built by Sir Robert Arbuthnott in the end of the
fifteenth century. This aisle (Fig. 1157), which is two stories in
height, is a remarkable example of the style with which we are familiar
in the collegiate and other churches of the period. In the third place,
the quaint west end (Fig. 1158) represents an example of the application
to an ecclesiastical structure of features of the domestic architecture
of the country, of which there are so many examples throughout
Scotland. In February 1889 “the nave, then the only part in use, was
burned, and the fire destroyed a partition which cut off the chancel.”
None of the structural features of the church suffered any damage, and
the chancel and the south aisle, having little or nothing in their
construction of a combustible nature, escaped altogether. The church has
been well restored by Mr. A. M. Mackenzie, architect, Aberdeen,[106] a
new roof having been placed on the nave and chancel, and suitable new
fittings and furniture introduced. The three windows in the east wall of
the chancel have been renewed, exactly after the remains of the original
ones.
[Illustration: FIG. 1156.--The Collegiate Church of Arbuthnott. Plan.]
The nave, which measures internally about 60 feet 6 inches long by 18
feet wide, has a north and south round-arched doorway, with a bead
moulding on the angles. These doorways are, perhaps, of the sixteenth
century. The three windows on the south side have centre mullions, and
are finished with straight lintels (see Fig. 1157); and, although
renewed, they represent the original arrangement. Besides these there
are two small windows in the west gable (see Fig. 1158). A stoup in the
wall inside adjoins the south door.
The chancel arch is about 12 feet wide by 13 feet high. It has a double
splay on each side, and is acutely pointed. The chancel is about 26 feet
5 inches long by 15 feet 6 inches wide. The total internal length of
the church is 90 feet. There is a small north doorway in the chancel,
which was evidently not meant to lead to the outside, but to a
[Illustration: FIG. 1157.--The Collegiate Church of Arbuthnott. South
Aisle.]
sacristy or some such apartment; and projecting tusk stones in the
corner outside the door show that such a building was contemplated. The
chancel (Fig. 1159) is lighted by small widely splayed windows on each
side, and three lintelled windows in the east end (Fig. 1160). Mr.
Mackenzie shows reasons for believing that this gable has been
reconstructed, and that it originally had only two windows in the lower
part, with perhaps some kind of central window at a higher level,
something like what is found at Mortlach. The pointed piscina (Fig.
1161) beneath the eastmost south window (see Fig. 1160) has, as usual,
been mutilated.
[Illustration: FIG. 1158.--The Collegiate Church of Arbuthnott. View
from South-West.]
To connect the chancel with the Arbuthnott Aisle a round archway (see
Fig. 1160), 7 feet 8 inches wide, has been cut through the chancel wall.
The details of this arch are shown in Fig. 1162. This chapel or aisle,
which has an apsidal south end, measures about 20 feet 3 inches long by
12 feet 11 inches wide, and has a vaulted stone roof (Fig. 1163) about
18 feet high, with a semi-octagonal dome over the apse. This view gives
an idea of the appearance of the interior of the chapel. In front of the
apse windows stands a sarcophagus 6 feet 2 inches long by 2 feet 2
inches wide, having a rude recumbent figure on the top. It contains the
following arms on the front, beginning at the head, viz., Douglas,
Arbuthnott, Arbuthnott, Stewart; and there appear to be indications that
there have been other shields, now cut away. There is a round arched
entrance door to the aisle on the west side (see Fig. 1157), with a
stoup beneath the adjoining window on the inside, and in the east wall
are the remains of a credence. A turret staircase (see
[Illustration: FIG. 1159.--The Collegiate Church of Arbuthnott. View
from North-East.]
Fig. 1157) gives access from the aisle to a priest’s chamber on the
upper floor, which Bishop Forbes, believing it to have been the place
where the Missal referred to below was written, describes at some
length.[107] It had a strong door, which folded back into a recess. The
room is of the same size and shape as the aisle below, and is lighted
with three windows with square heads, two in the apse, and one (the
largest) looking towards the west (see Fig. 1157). The latter is
strongly guarded with an iron grating of the usual construction. The
windows are fitted with seats like those commonly found in the castles.
“There is a stoup for holy water at the
[Illustration: FIG. 1160.--The Collegiate Church of Arbuthnott. Interior
of Chancel.]
entrance, and a small ambry, ornamented with a single trefoil, probably
for the reservation of the holy Eucharist.”[108]
[Illustration: FIG. 1161.
The Collegiate Church of Arbuthnott.
Piscina beneath Eastmost South Window.]
The external appearance of this chapel is illustrated in Fig. 1157,
where the fine angle buttresses of the apse, with their considerable
projection and height (owing to the upper story) and their picturesque
pinnacles, and the stair turret are fully shown. The buttresses have
each an ornamental corbel and canopy for a statue placed on their face,
but without any niche. Fig. 1164 shows one of them with its elaborate
carved work. The very quaint aspect of the whole building looking from
the west is seen in the drawing (see Fig. 1158). The height of the two
turrets, as shown on Mr. Mackenzie’s geometrical drawings, is the same,
viz., 41 feet 6 inches.
[Illustration: FIG. 1162.
The Collegiate Church of Arbuthnott. Details of Arch to South Aisle.]
The Arbuthnott Missal, already referred to, with its two companion
volumes the Psalter and Office of the Blessed Virgin, have been well
described by Mr. William MacGillivray. They were specially written for
the use of this church by the vicar, James Sybbald. The Missal was
finished in the year 1491, and was presented by the writer and the
founder
[Illustration: FIG. 1163.--The Collegiate Church of Arbuthnott. Interior
of Chancel.]
of the aisle “to the high altar of the pious Bishop St. Ternan.” The
Psalter was finished in 1482, and from internal evidence the last of the
three volumes was probably written a short time before the Psalter.
[Illustration: FIG. 1164.--The Collegiate Church of Arbuthnott. Corbel
and Canopy on Buttress.]
From the Register of the Great Seal of date 30th May 1505, it appears
that the chapel was then endowed by Robert Arbuthnott, “James Sybbald,
Vicar of Arbuthnott,” being one of the witnesses. Sir Robert died in
1506, and the vicar in the year following.
The building adjoining the church, seen in Fig. 1158, is the old manse.
THE COLLEGIATE CHURCH OF CRICHTON, MID-LOTHIAN.
This edifice stands on the south side of the valley where the river Tyne
takes its rise, about four miles from Tynehead Railway Station. It is
seen from the railway, together with Crichton Castle, from which it is
only about a quarter of a mile distant.
The building is still in use as the parish church. It consists (Fig.
1165) of a chancel, measuring internally about 44 feet from east to west
by about 24 feet 10 inches in width, a central tower about 24 feet
square,
[Illustration: FIG. 1165.--The Collegiate Church of Crichton. Plan.]
and north and south transepts, the total length of which, from north to
south, is about 70 feet. The north wall of the nave is erected for a
length of about 16 feet, but of the south wall only a few feet have been
built.
To adapt the edifice to the Presbyterian system of worship, probably the
very worst plan which could have been devised has been adopted, and is
shown on the Plan by clear lines. The original fabric may be said to
remain, but it is greatly deformed. As the tower opened into the unbuilt
nave it had necessarily to be walled up, and has an entrance doorway
left in the centre. This doorway, which is round arched, seems to be
old,
[Illustration: FIG. 1166.--The Collegiate Church of Crichton. View from
South-East.]
and was probably brought from a building which appears to have formerly
stood on the north side of the church. Across the interior of the tower
a stone wall has been built to enclose the modern church. The portion of
the tower outside this wall thus forms a vestibule, from which a stair
[Illustration: FIG. 1167.--The Collegiate Church of Crichton. Window on
North Side.]
leads to a west gallery fitted up in the enclosed portion of the tower.
Another door has been slapped through the east wall to the outside, and
an outer stair at the east end leads to an inserted gallery running
across that end. One window and a sacristy or similar building on the
north side have been done away with, to allow the erection of a passage
for reaching another gallery, which runs along the north side of the
chancel. The north transept has, perhaps, been worst used of all. A wall
has been built between the moulded responds to a height of about 5 feet,
and the whole area of the transept at this level is roofed over to form
a burial vault. The south transept is not utilised in any way except as
a sort of lumber place.
Instead of this unsuitable and costly arrangement, the area of the
church as it stood would suffice to give more accommodation than is thus
obtained, and that without sacrificing the dignity of the building, as
has been done by the arrangements just described.
It would appear from a letter by the Rev. John Gourlay, the parish
minister, to General Hutton, dated Crichton, 4th April 1789, that the
[Illustration: FIG. 1168.--The Collegiate Church of Crichton. Sedilia.]
tower, with probably the transepts, then sufficed for the congregation.
He says, “There is a high building upon the one end where the bell
hangs, and where divine service was lately performed, but since
considerable reparations were given, it is now again altered to what is
called the quire.”
The original entrance to the church was on the south side of the chancel
(see Fig. 1165). It has been partly destroyed and is now built up, but
portions of its moulded jambs can still be seen. The mouldings are of a
common kind, consisting of two beads separated by a hollow. The doorway
has been 3 feet 10 inches wide. Above the doorway a window has been
roughly hacked through the wall, and on the inside of the sill there are
rudely carved the initials P. L., with the date 1729. These are probably
the initials of the worthy who contrived certain of the alterations
above described. At the same time two small windows have been knocked
through the side walls beneath the original windows on the north and
south sides nearest the east end. One of these is shown in the view Fig.
1166, and the other on the north side is shown on the Plan. These
windows have been referred to by Mr. Muir and in the Architectural
Publication Societies Dictionary as examples of lychnoscope or offertory
windows; but undoubtedly they were inserted to give light beneath the
east gallery, and are of no older date than last century. Only one of
the original windows, that on the north side, retains the original
tracery (Fig. 1167). Indications of the tracery of the transept windows
also still remain. The choir has been divided into three bays by
buttresses, which have the numerous set-offs of the period, and are
finished with the ordinary late pinnacles. The high blank wall over the
windows, which generally
[Illustration: FIG. 1169.
The Collegiate Church of Crichton.
Arms in West Wall.]
accompanies the pointed barrel vaults, has been in this case lightened
by the introduction of a false parapet (see Fig. 1166), with enrichments
of square shaped flowers, both in the main cornice and in the upper
cornice, which represents the cope of the parapet. But here there is no
parapet wall, the eaves of the roof being placed where the parapet cope
would be in ordinary circumstances. This is a plan often adopted in
domestic buildings, from which the idea was, no doubt, borrowed in this
instance. The transepts are without buttresses and have a bare
appearance. Adjoining the south entrance doorway there are what appear
to be the remains of a sedilia (Fig. 1168). The lower portion is
entirely concealed, and the eastern shaft and recess are almost blocked.
In the north wall opposite the original entrance there can be seen on
the inside the indications of a round arched doorway, now built up,
which probably led to the sacristy or a chapel, now destroyed, as
already mentioned. Five feet east from this blocked doorway there are
slight remains of a sixteenth or seventeenth century monument (see
Plan), now cut away to permit of the erection of the gallery over, and
it seems probable that from this monument was taken the coat of arms
(Fig. 1169) now built into the wall which closes up the west archway of
the tower. The shield bears the Nicolson arms, and are probably those of
Agnes Nicolson, third wife of Patrick, first Lord Elibank, who possessed
the ecclesiastical lands of the Collegiate Church of Crichton about the
beginning of the seventeenth century. Mr. Billings shows another coat of
arms on the outside of the turret stair, but this part of the building
is now a dense mass of ivy. The turret stair is in the north wall of the
nave, and is placed at some distance from the tower. Fig. 1170 shows the
piscina in the south transept. Across this
[Illustration: FIG. 1170.
The Collegiate Church of Crichton.
Piscina.]
transept, where shown on the Plan, there is a wooden screen (Fig. 1171)
of late erection, but not without some character, near its centre, and
beneath the south arch of the tower there stands up, a few inches from
the pavement, a broken worn stone about 12 inches square, the purpose of
which is not obvious.
The church throughout is vaulted with a pointed barrel vault, but no
provision has been made for the vaulting of the nave. Crichton Church
was converted, in 1449, by Sir William Crichton, well known as
Chancellor Crichton, into a collegiate establishment for a provost, nine
prebendaries, and two singing boys, and was suitably endowed. The
existing structure was probably erected at that time. Sir William also
built an extensive addition to the Castle of Crichton, and doubtless the
same builders were employed on church and castle, as many of the details
closely resemble each other. From Mr. Gourlay’s letter, already referred
to, it appears that there was a provost’s house about a mile distant. He
mentions that it was then used as a farmhouse and called Rosehall, and
that there was a place of worship beside it and a churchyard, but with
the exception of the latter nothing now remains.
The tower is supported by pointed arches springing from responds in the
four sides. The responds are of simple section, and the caps contain
some good late foliaged carving (see Fig. 1171).
The walls are carried up with one low story above the set-off
[Illustration: FIG. 1171.--The Collegiate Church of Crichton. Arch and
Screen in South Transept.]
immediately over the sloping water table of the roofs. This story
contains, in each face, a two-light window with square lintel and
central mullion. The story is surmounted by a plain parapet, supported
by a corbel course, and the tower is finished with a gabled roof, having
a simple belfry on the apex of the east gable.
THE COLLEGIATE CHURCH OF CORSTORPHINE, MID-LOTHIAN.
The village of Corstorphine is situated about three miles west of
Edinburgh.
The church is intimately associated with the Forrester family. It was
erected and endowed by them, and their tombs and monuments, emblazoned
[Illustration: FIG. 1172.--The Collegiate Church of Corstorphine. Plan.]
with heraldic emblems, are conspicuous on its walls. The manor was
acquired by Adam Forrester, a burgess and provost of Edinburgh, in the
year 1376, and the title of Lord Forrester of Corstorphine continued in
the family till the year 1763.
There was a chapel at Corstorphine as early as the year 1128, which was
granted to the new Abbey of Holyrood. This structure afterwards became
the parish church, and continued to be so after the erection of the
collegiate church, which still exists. Of this original chapel no trace
now remains. It stood on the north side of the present building, on part
of the ground now occupied by the existing north transept. This
transept, which was built in the present century, is not the immediate
successor of the old parish church, but takes the place of an aisle
which was built in 1646, the erection of which caused the removal of
what remained of the old parish church.
The existing church (Fig. 1172) consists of a chancel, a nave with north
and south transepts situated at its west end, a western tower and spire,
and a sacristy on the north side of the chancel. The whole building is
small in size and of low proportions, the height of the tower and spire
[Illustration: FIG. 1173.
The Collegiate Church of Corstorphine.
Stone Built into Wall of Field.]
being only 50 feet, but although somewhat debased in style, it is very
quaint and picturesque.
The structure suffered great alteration and damage from a restoration
which took place about the beginning of this century. At that time the
north transept, together with the seventeenth century aisle, above
mentioned, and a part of the nave were taken down.[109] A new north
transept was built, and a new additional nave was erected on the north
side of the old nave. A doorway was knocked through the east wall of the
chancel, which necessitated the shortening of the large east window
above it by raising the sill. At the same time, the chancel was
converted into a lumber chamber and porch, by the process of building up
the chancel arch. As regards the sacristy, its floor has been dug out to
a depth of about 7 feet, and it is now used as a heating chamber and
coal cellar.
During this restoration a quantity of carved and moulded stones was
removed from the church to Juniper Green, in the vicinity, where
probably about fifty fragments, several containing the Forrester arms,
were built into a wall on the road leading from the above village to
Baberton House, but the wall has since been removed. Fig. 1173 is a
sketch of one of these stones, bearing three hunting horns impaling a
bend engrailed. At Hermiston House, also, several carved blocks
[Illustration: FIG. 1174.--The Collegiate Church of Corstorphine. View
from South-East.]
removed from Corstorphine Church have been preserved, some of which
contain the Forrester arms.
The plan of the building (omitting the alterations above described) is
remarkable. It seems to consist of two portions--(1) the transepts and
division to the east of them, forming one church, and (2) the choir
further
[Illustration: FIG. 1175.--The Collegiate Church of Corstorphine.
Sedilia in the Chancel.]
to the east, which seems to have formed an independent chapel. This view
is supported by the history of the structure.
In the east wall of the chancel a stone is fixed, with an inscription in
memory of the first provost of the college, the stone being “apparently
transferred,” says Mr. Laing, “from the place where the provost was
buried.” The inscription is in the following terms, viz.:--
Istud · collegiū · incepit · āno · dn̄i · Mº,ccccºxxix · et · eodē ·
āno: maḡr · nicholay^{q} · bānachtȳ · p^{r}posit^{q} · hic · subt^{q} ·
iacēs · qui · obiit · āno: dn̄i · Mºcccc{o}lxx ... cui^{q} ·
āniu^{r}sare · simul · pr̄ isq · mr̄ is: celebrabitur · xiiiiº ·die ·
mēsis · iunii · p · quo · ānuus · redditus · x: s · in · villa · de ·
kyrk · cramuound · orate · pro · āib^{q} · eor^{l.} [This collegiate
church was begun in the year of our Lord 1429, and in the
[Illustration: FIG. 1176.--The Collegiate Church of Corstorphine.
Piscina in Chancel.]
same year Mr. Nicol Bannatyne was provost here, who, lying beneath, died
in the year 1470. A commemoration of him and his successors in office
will be celebrated on the 14th of June annually, for which an annual
rent of £10 is set apart, out of the lands of Kirk Cramond--Pray for
their souls.]
This inscription clearly fixes the date of the commencement of the
collegiate church, but although it has been transferred to the chancel,
there is nothing to show that the collegiate church it refers to is the
chancel. It is quite as likely to have reference to the church to the
west of the chancel, from which it was probably removed to its present
position. Both from the arrangement of the Plan and the aspect of the
eastern part of the building generally, it presents a distinct
individuality. It is both
[Illustration: FIG. 1177.--The Collegiate Church of Corstorphine. Tomb
of Sir John Forrester and his Wife.]
higher and wider than the church to the west, and suggests the idea of
having been built at a different time. Now it is matter of history that
Adam Forrester, already mentioned, who died in 1405, built a chapel
dedicated to St. John the Baptist adjoining the parish church, and it is
not unlikely that this chancel was that chapel.
In 1425-6 a charter was granted by King James I. for the endowment of
three chaplainries in the chapel contiguous to the Parish Church of
Corstorphine,[110] and securing to it, amongst other things, the annual
rents in Edinburgh bestowed by the late Sir Adam Forrester. That charter
clearly shows that this chapel, wherever situated, was in existence
before
[Illustration: FIG. 1178.--The Collegiate Church of Corstorphine.
Tomb of Sir John Forrester (younger) and his Wife.]
the year mentioned in Provost Bannatyne’s inscription. Further, in the
Chamberlain Rolls of 1434,[111] reference is made to the three chaplains
of the Chapel of St. John the Baptist--“contiguous to the Parish Church
of Corstorphine,” showing the independent existence of that chapel after
the date in the Bannatyne inscription. It seems, therefore, most
probable that this was the chapel erected by Sir Adam Forrester.
Sir Adam was succeeded by his son Sir John Forrester, who filled the
office of Great Chamberlain of Scotland, and on the return of James I.
from England was appointed Master of the Household in 1424. The
[Illustration: FIG. 1179.--The Collegiate Church of Corstorphine. Tomb
in South Transept.]
collegiate church was founded and endowed by Sir John. Although the
inscription to Bannatyne, the first provost, says that it was begun in
1429, the foundation was only completed by a Papal Bull in 1444, at
which date Sir John was probably living. The foundation consisted of a
provost, four prebendaries, and two singing boys.
From the above records, and also from the style of the architecture,
there can scarcely be a doubt but that the church to the west was the
collegiate church erected after 1444, and in designing it, the plan was
so arranged as to incorporate the older Chapel of St. John the Baptist
as the chancel of the new church. It is remarkable that, although the
chancel
[Illustration: FIG. 1180.--The Collegiate Church of Corstorphine. Tomb
in South Transept.]
contains monuments to his successors, there is none to Sir Adam, the
supposed founder of it. It may, however, be mentioned that Mr. Laing
believes that an inscription on a stone, which has been built out of its
proper place, in the small porch to the west of the tower, has been
taken from a monument to Sir Adam.
Whether the above view of the history of the Church of Corstorphine is
correct or not, the chancel or the Chapel of St. John the Baptist is the
[Illustration: FIG. 1181.--The Collegiate Church of Corstorphine. Window
and Arms in South Transept.]
most interesting part of the building. It measures internally 25 feet 6
inches in length by 21 feet in width, and is covered with a pointed
barrel vault, having a roof of overlapping stone flags. It contains an
[Illustration: FIG. 1182.--The Collegiate Church of Corstorphine. View
from South-West.]
east window of three lights (Fig. 1174), having perpendicular tracery,
the lower part of which has been altered, as above pointed out.
There are two small windows in the south side of the chancel, and
between them, in the interior, is a fine sedilia, somewhat mutilated
(Fig. 1175). Beside it is a piscina (Fig. 1176), with the basin, as
usually happens, cut away. In the niche of the piscina there is a stone
shelf used as a credence table, and over the niche a projecting round
canopy. A very similar canopy exists over the upper small niche on the
exterior of the east gable.
In the north wall of the chancel are two recessed tombs (Figs. 1177 and
1178). These monuments, judging from the disturbed appearance of the
surrounding masonry and from the different character of the two designs,
were apparently not original parts of the chapel, but were subsequently
inserted as the occasion arose. The arch stones of the westmost tomb
(see Fig. 1177), that of Sir John Forrester (the eldest son of Sir Adam)
and his wife, are cut away or concealed by the west wall of the chapel,
an arrangement not likely to have been adopted had the tomb been erected
when the chapel was built. This monument is usually called the Founder’s
Tomb, from the circumstance that Sir John founded the collegiate church.
He was twice married: first, to Jean Sinclair, daughter of Henry, first
Earl of Orkney; and, second, to Dame Marion Stewart, Lady Dalswinton,
widow of Sir John Stewart.[112] His effigy rests on the tomb, along with
that of one of his wives. Sir John died after the year 1444.
The eastmost tomb (see Fig. 1178) is that of the son of the foregoing,
also Sir John, who died before 1454. It contains his effigy and that of
his wife. It does not appear to be known to what family the lady
belonged; but from the heraldic blazons (to be afterwards described) she
seems to have been a member of the Wigmer family.
There is another tomb situated in the south transept (Figs. 1179 and
1180). It is believed to be that of Sir Alexander Forrester, son of the
last mentioned Sir John. The date of his death is not recorded, but he
is known to have been alive in 1467. It contains his effigy only. There
has been a finial on the tomb, which is now gone.
The amount of heraldic carving on the above tombs, on the gable of the
south transept (Fig. 1181), and on the western porch (Fig. 1182) is
considerable and is well preserved.[113]
The arms represented on the various shields throughout the whole series
comprise, for the different members of the Forrester family above
mentioned,
FORRESTER OF CORSTORPHINE, viz.:--
Argent, three hunting horns stringed sable.
These occur alone and conjoined with the arms of their wives,
viz.:--
I. Sinclair, Earl of Orkney.
1st and 4th. Azure, a lymphad within a double tressure, flory
counter flory, or (for Orkney).
2nd and 3rd. Argent, a cross engrailed (for Sinclair).
II. Stewart of Dalswinton.
Or, a fesse chequé azure and argent, surmounted of a bend engrailed
gules.
III. Wigmer.
Argent, on a bend sable a ribbon dancettée of the field.
IV. Forrester (differenced with Sinclair--probably an unauthorised
coat).
Argent, a cross engrailed and couped between three hunting horns
sable.
The above arms are distributed as follow on the three tombs--
FIRST TOMB, SIR JOHN FORRESTER (see Fig. 1177).
1st shield. Forrester.
2nd shield. Forrester impaling Sinclair, Earl of Orkney. The dexter
half only--viz., 1st and 3rd quarters of the complete arms--being
given.
3rd shield. Forrester.
4th shield. Forrester impaling Stewart of Dalswinton.
5th shield. Forrester.
SECOND TOMB, SIR JOHN FORRESTER, son of above--Eastmost (see Fig.
1178).
1st shield. Forrester.
2nd shield. Forrester impaling Wigmer.
3rd shield. Forrester.
THIRD TOMB, SIR ALEXANDER FORRESTER (see Figs. 1179 and 1180).
1st shield. Sinclair of Orkney (1st and 3rd quarters only) impaling
Forrester (the same arms as first tomb, 2nd shield, but reversed,
in error).
2nd shield. Forrester.
3rd shield. Forrester differenced with Sinclair.
The shields on the gable of the south transept (see Figs. 1174 and
1181) are as follow--
1st. Central shield, Forrester.
2nd and 3rd. (Two shields, one on each side of the large window.)
Forrester impaling Wigmer.
These shields are all reversed, so that the shield is couché the
wrong way and the crest looks the wrong way. The impaled shields
have Forrester on the sinister instead of the dexter, and the
Wigmer arms make the bend and ribbon sinister instead of dexter.
SOUTH TRANSEPT.
The shields, both on the gable outside and on the tomb inside, seem to
have been carelessly executed from an impression of the arms, thus
placing everything in the reverse way; so that what in the original is
on the dexter side of the shield is here on the sinister, a bend is
converted into a bend sinister, and so throughout.
The two shields on the porch are--1st, Forrester; 2nd, Forrester
impaling Wigmer.
The sacristy, on the north side of the chancel, enters by a plain
lintelled door between the two tombs (see Fig. 1172). It has a rough
pointed barrel vault, and looks, from there being windows at two levels,
as if it had contained two stories. The sill of the east window projects
about 11 inches; and Mr. Muir considers it, without doubt, to have been
an altar.[114] Adjoining this window is a piscina, with the orifice of
its drain wrought on the base mouldings outside.
As regards the architecture of the church, it accords well with the
other collegiate structures of the latter half of the fifteenth century.
The perpendicular tracery in the east window of the chancel and the
south window of the transept (see Figs. 1173 and 1181) is remarkable,
such tracery being very uncommon in Scotland. These two large windows
are recessed in the wall, the outer jambs having two or three broad
splays. The side windows have the tracery flush with the outer face of
the wall.
The buttresses have the usual numerous set-offs. They have now finials,
consisting of cubic stones carved as sundials; but, as Mr. T. S. Muir
states, these are modern additions, the buttresses having doubtless been
originally pinnacled above the eaves.
The tower to the west of the transept (Fig. 1182) is one of the most
characteristic features of the structure. It measures externally about
18 feet 6 inches from north to south by 17 feet 3 inches from east to
west. The tower has a door to the church, and also a west doorway. It
thus formed an entrance porch to the building; but another porch has
been added to the west, which is vaulted and covered with a stone roof.
The tower is built with ashlar, and rises, without buttresses, to the
eaves. A two-light window is introduced on each face under the cornice.
Above the tower there is a stone spire of the stunted description usual
at the period. Four pinnacles give some relief to the angles at the base
of the spire. The latter is divided by battlemented string courses into
three stories, and has lucarnes in the middle story.
After the Reformation the collegiate church became the church of the
parish in 1593, and has so continued ever since.
THE COLLEGIATE CHURCH OF CRAIL, FIFESHIRE.
The quaint old seaport of Crail lies near the eastern point of the north
side of the Frith of Forth. It is one of the earliest places in Scotland
which are known to have carried on commerce with the Continent, having
had intercourse with the Netherlands in the ninth century, where its
salt fish were sold, and the name of Crail occurs on a map of the
twelfth century.
There was in ancient times a royal castle at Crail, in which David I.
resided, and a number of names still exist in the locality, showing its
connection with royalty. The earliest charter of the burgh was granted
by Bruce in 1310, and confirmed by subsequent kings. It is believed that
at one time Crail was the site of a priory dedicated to St. Rufus, the
tradition of which is preserved in several local names, such as, the
prior’s croft, the prior’s walls, the nun’s peat field, and the house of
the prioress, which in 1640 was in the hands of a neighbouring
proprietor.
The Church of Crail belonged from an early date to the Cistercian Nuns
of Haddington. In 1177 the stipend is mentioned. This church was made
collegiate and well endowed by Sir William Myreton, vicar of Lathrick in
1509. He also established the altar of St. Michael the Archangel in
1512, and in 1514 he founded an altar to the praise and honour of God,
the Virgin Mary, and all saints, which he placed in the presentation and
donation of the bailies and community. Sir William Myreton also showed
himself a benefactor of the town by founding schools there in 1525, one
being for the teaching of grammar and the other of music. In 1515,
besides the above chaplainries, there existed in the church chaplainries
of St. James the apostle, St. Bartholomew, and St. Nicholas. An
inventory has been preserved, from which it appears that the various
altars were well furnished with plate and vestments. On account of the
foundation of the new College in the parish church, a charter was issued
by Andrew, Archbishop of St. Andrews, confirming letters by the Prioress
of Haddington, by Sir William Myreton, by the bailies and community of
Crail, and by the parishioners of the parish church, for the foundation
of a provostry with ten prebendaries, to be in the gift of the Prioress.
In 1520 another prebend was added, viz., that of St. John the Baptist.
The priory of Haddington having been erected in 1621 into a temporal
lordship in favour of John, Master of Lauderdale, the kirk lands of
Crail fell to him.
But in 1587 James VI. had granted a charter to the town of everything
belonging to the chaplainries, altarages, and prebends, or to the kirk
or college, except what pertained to the Abbey of Haddington. This
charter was granted on account of the prebendaries and others following
the usual course as the Reformation approached, and alienating the lands
of their benefices for their own private advantage. The old College
Church thus passed into the hands of the burgh, and was confirmed to it
in 1633 by Act of Parliament, and is still used as the parish
church.[115]
Although the fabric has been subjected to a considerable amount of
modern improvement, many of the original features still remain. The
main body of the church (Fig. 1183) consists, as it has always done, of
an oblong main structure, divided by two rows of columns into a central
nave, and two side aisles. The nave is 63 feet long, the central
division being 27 feet 6 inches wide, and the side aisles 11 feet wide.
The central columns carry pointed arches (Fig. 1184), and in the wall
above them was originally a small window over each column (not over the
arches as usual) with widely splayed jambs and trefoil head. The roof of
the aisles, being below the sill of these clerestory windows, was
necessarily low. This was found in recent times to be a disadvantage,
and the walls of the aisles have been rebuilt and heightened, so as to
allow the roof of the central nave to run down over them without a break
(Fig. 1185). The old clerestory windows are thus roofed in, and are only
visible in the inside
[Illustration: FIG. 1183.--The Collegiate Church of Crail. Plan.]
of the nave. The windows of the aisles are all modern. The piers are
round and bear simple caps (see Fig. 1184), and these and the clerestory
windows are plainly of a very late date, although the cap mouldings (see
Fig. 1184) have been copied from old forms.
To the east of the nave was the choir, now converted into a vestry 20
feet 6 inches long by 17 feet wide. The chancel arch springs from two
responds, the shafts of which have an ancient appearance, but they have
probably been reconstructed in imitation of ancient work. One of the
small original windows is preserved in the north wall of the chancel. It
is about 18 inches in width, and has a plain pointed arch with chamfer
on edge.
There has been an arch at the west end of the church with similar
shafts to those of the chancel arch. This arch opened into the tower
which rises against the centre of the west wall of the church, and is
divided into several floors, and provided with a newell stair leading to
them.
The tower (see Fig. 1185) is a picturesque object, though perfectly
plain. It rises with square angles, without buttresses or other breaks
from the base to the parapet. Its short spire, together with the
projection containing the turret stair, form a pleasing group. The whole
presents a characteristic specimen of our simple Scottish church
steeples.
[Illustration: FIG. 1184.--The Collegiate Church of Crail. Main Arcade
and Clerestory Windows.]
Although it has been thought that some of the features (above referred
to) belong to the first pointed period, it is much more likely that the
whole structure, except the recent work, dates from the beginning of the
sixteenth century, when the collegiate establishment was instituted, and
when the old parish church appears to have been reconstructed. Several
similar towers of late date in the locality will be illustrated.
The church has apparently been renovated, internally, after the
Reformation, when a good deal of carved oak work has been introduced.
This oak work (Fig. 1186) is now employed as a lining of the walls along
the south and east sides of the church, and is obscured by a number of
pews which abut against it. It is excellent work of the period, and it
is
[Illustration: FIG. 1185.--The Collegiate Church of Crail. View from
North-West.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1186.--The Collegiate Church of Crail. Carved
Woodwork.]
unfortunate that it should be so completely lost to sight. One of the
panels contains a shield with a coat of arms, apparently that of
Cunningham of Barns, with the initials A. C. and the date 1605. When the
church was handed over to the town the rights of Cunningham of Barns
were reserved. He had thus some interest in the church or lands. This
carved work seems to have been the gift of Alexander Cunningham, who at
the above date was Laird of Barns. The arms of his wife, Helen, daughter
of Thomas Myrton of Cambo, are seen, with her initials, on the smaller
panel to the right. Another shield bears the coat and initials of
Katherine Lindsay, wife of Thomas Myrton of Cambo, with the date 1598.
Other shields (not shown in the illustration) bear the arms of Learmonth
of Balcomie (1594).
ST. MARY’S, WHITEKIRK, HADDINGTONSHIRE.
This charming old building is one of the few rural parish churches of
mediæval times still used for divine service. The church seems to have
had its origin in a neighbouring holy well. The following extract from
documents in the Vatican gives some account of its origin and
history:--[116]
“The great number of miracles performed at this well were so
numerous that in 1309 John Abernethy, with the assistance of the
monks of Melrose, procured a shrine to be erected, and dedicated it
to the Holy Mother. In 1413 there were no less than 15,653 pilgrims
of all nations, and the offerings were equal to 1422 merks. In
1430, James I., King of Scotland, being a good man who loved the
Church, built the Abbey of the Holy Cross at Edinburgh, and took
the Chapel of Fairknowe into his protection, added much to it by
the building of houses for the reception of pilgrims, called it
Whitechapel, where he often went and made it a dependant on his own
abbey of the Holy Cross. In 1439, Adam Hepburn of Hailes built a
choir all arched with stone, agreeable to the mode of Peter de
Main, and so it continued in great prosperity as a place of
sanctity until the year 1540, that the cup of vengeance was full,
and heresy covered the North.”
Whitekirk was a dependency of Holyrood, as mentioned in the above
extract. It was a great place of pilgrimage, and was visited, amongst
others, by Pope Pius II. (Æneas Sylvius), who came to render thanks to
the Virgin for his safe landing in Scotland.
In the seventeenth century the east end was used as a church and the
west end as a school. In 1760 the Parish of Tynningham was added to
Whitekirk, and some of the fittings of the former were brought to the
latter. Thus the Haddington gallery in the north transept was adorned
with the front of the gallery from Tynningham. During this century some
attempts have been made to improve the structure. In 1832 a “pseudo
south transept” was built, and the Seacliffe gallery (which resembles a
large Dutch cabinet) was introduced.
This church, like many others erected in the fifteenth century, is on
[Illustration: FIG. 1187.--St. Mary’s, Whitekirk. Plan.]
the plan of a cross without aisles (Fig. 1187). The choir is vaulted
with a pointed barrel vault, and the outer roof is slated. Over the
crossing (Fig. 1188) rises a square tower, finished with a plain
parapet. The east
[Illustration: FIG. 1188.--St. Mary’s, Whitekirk. View from
South-West.]
end is square, and there is a fine entrance porch at the south-west
angle. The church is built with red freestone, which is toned with age,
and the whole building is one of the most picturesque and pleasing of
our old parish churches.
The nave and choir measure internally 103 feet in length by about 22
feet in width. The choir is divided by bold buttresses into two bays,
[Illustration: FIG. 1189.--St. Mary’s, Whitekirk. Buttress and Window in
Choir.]
in each of which is a traceried window, the cusping of which is
peculiar. The forms of the buttresses and tracery are shown in Fig.
1189. The east end has a small circular quatrefoiled window set high in
the wall (Fig. 1190), over which is a panel containing a shield bearing
a fessé with a crozier behind it, probably the arms of Abbot Crawford of
Holyrood (1460-1483).
The west end (Fig. 1191) and the south transept have been rebuilt.
The south-west porch (Fig. 1192) is one of the most striking features
[Illustration: FIG. 1190.--St. Mary’s, Whitekirk. East Gable.]
of the structure. It measures 13 feet wide by 9 feet deep internally,
and has a stone bench on each side. The entrance is by an open archway,
with clustered shafts, having enriched caps from which spring the bold
mouldings of the arch. At each of the outer angles of the porch is a
diagonal buttress having a niche on the inner face, and finished on the
top with crocketed pinnacles. Over the doorway there is a panel with
small buttresses at the jambs, and canopied head with scroll ornament
over.
The interior of the porch is roofed with pointed barrel vaulting, having
ribs springing from carved corbels. The door to the church is square
headed and is surmounted by a niche, which formerly contained a statue
of the Blessed Virgin.
The interior of the church (Fig. 1193) is very plain. The tower is
supported on arches at the crossing, which spring from attached piers
with moulded caps. The space over the crossing is vaulted with groins,
having a circular boss in the centre. The tower (see Fig. 1188) is
carried up with plain walls to two stories above the roof, and has in
the upper
[Illustration: FIG. 1191.--St. Mary’s, Whitekirk. View from North-West.]
part or belfry a window on each side, with central mullion, now much
decayed by the weather. A stair turret (Fig. 1194) is attached to the
north-west angle of the tower, and enters from the exterior. The north
wall of the nave has been altered at the point adjoining the tower.
At a distance of about 100 yards north from the church stands a plain
[Illustration: FIG. 1192.--St. Mary’s, Whitekirk. South-West Porch.]
building (Fig. 1195), which is believed to have been the tithe barn of
the parish. It is situated on the edge of a rocky ridge which slopes
steeply
[Illustration: FIG. 1193.--St. Mary’s, Whitekirk. Interior, looking
East.]
downwards on the north side. In the view (Fig. 1196) taken from the low
ground on the north side the top of the church spire is seen. The barn
measures about 65 feet 4 inches in length from east to west, by about 20
feet in breadth over the walls. It has been built at two periods. The
western portion, measuring on the outside about 21 feet 3 inches by 20
[Illustration: FIG. 1194.--St. Mary’s, Whitekirk. The Tower, from
North-West.]
feet, has originally been a pele tower, with walls about 5 feet in
thickness, and was altered at a later period, when it was extended into
a barn. The present entrance to the keep is in the south wall, which
appears to have been rebuilt of the same reduced thickness (2 feet 4
inches) as the barn walls. This doorway leads into a vaulted ground
floor, from which a door
[Illustration: FIG. 1195.--St. Mary’s, Whitekirk. Plans of Tithe Barn.]
to a small lobby gives access to a narrow straight stair leading to the
first floor, contained in the thickness of the north wall. The stair is
lighted
[Illustration: FIG. 1196.--St. Mary’s, Whitekirk. Tithe Barn, from
North-East.]
with narrow slits, and the door at the top leading into what was
originally the hall is finished in the way usual in such structures,
with well wrought splays round the stone jambs and lintel. On the first
floor the east wall of the pele tower has been taken down. The junction
of the tower with the barn is plainly visible from the rough face of the
masonry in the interior of the north wall, where the east wall of the
tower has been cut away. The upper part of the tower being thus thrown
into the barn, a few steps, as shown on the Plan, lead up to the latter.
There is an upper floor in
[Illustration: FIG. 1197.--St. Mary’s, Whitekirk. Tithe Barn, from
North-West.]
the roof of the barn supported on the ties of the roof and reached by a
wooden stair. The windows of this floor are shown in the gables. When
the barn was built the upper part of the north wall of the keep (Fig.
1197) was lowered sufficiently to allow of the eaves of the roof of the
new and narrower building being continued straight along over the wider
building of the tower. The barn proper is entered from the south side by
a doorway 7 feet 7 inches wide, and is lighted by two windows in the
south side and one in the gable. There is also a narrow doorway on the
north side, which can only have been for occasional use, the ground
being steep on that side, with only a narrow footing along the wall,
which is kept back from the line of the tower in order to obtain this
footing. At the west
[Illustration: FIG. 1198.--St. Mary’s, Whitekirk.
Panel in South Wall of Tithe Barn.]
end of the barn and in the old wall of the keep there is a fireplace 8
feet 6 inches wide, with a stone division. The fireplace, which is 5
feet high, has an oaken lintel with a well wrought relieving arch over
it. This fireplace must have been used before the wall above was taken
down, and indicated that the tower had probably been first enlarged as a
residence and the whole afterwards converted into a barn. In the north
wall near the fireplace there is a flat recess with a pointed arch 13
inches deep, the sill being about 3 feet above the floor. There are
indications (see Plan) that the barn walls once extended further
eastwards.
Near the west corner of the south wall is a panel (Fig. 1198) with an
effaced coat of arms.
MID-CALDER CHURCH, MID-LOTHIAN.
The town of Mid-Calder is situated in the western part of the County of
Mid-Lothian.
The church was begun in the sixteenth century by Master Peter
Sandilands, Rector of Mid-Calder, a younger son of the sixth Knight of
Calder. Having raised the walls of the vestry or revestry and laid the
foundations of the choir, and being then an old man, he provided the
money for the entire completion of the church, including the nave,
tower, &c., and paid a sum over to Sir James Sandilands of Calder (his
nephew) and his son John, who bound themselves to complete the structure
according to a bond engrossed in the public records. This bond is to the
following effect:--[117]
After the usual preliminaries and having acknowledged the receipt
of the sum of “xvj hundrethe merkis gude and vsuale money of the
realme,” they undertake “to big and compleit the revestrie of the
paroche kirk of Caldor with ane walter tabill at the heich that it
is now vnder the thak inlikwise with ane wthir walter tabill abone
the thak on the est gauill of the queir weill pendit in half round
to the said queir vnder the said tabill inlikeuise weill thekit
with thak stane And sall rais abone the said tabill in the est
gauill of the queir and abone the turneqres and the tabill thairof
tua lichtis als fair as thai may be had efferand to the heicht of
the queir And abone the walter tabill abone the thak of the
revestre and thre penis thairof to ryse cunteranis of buttreis
vpoune the said eist gauill thre penis thairof And the remanent of
the said queir to be endit of the lenthe and widenes as it is
foundit and in heicht fra the sollis of the said queir duris to the
vuer pairt of the walter tabill vnder the thak thairof xxxij futtis
And the south thre lychtis in the sydevall of the said queir betuix
the foure buttreis to ryse as thai are foundit als heich as thai
may be had in the pend of the said queir efferand to the heich
foirsaid And the saidis buttereis tobe compleit endit as thai ar
now foundit And the north turneqres in the west pairt of the north
sydevall thairof tobe tane avay And the said north vall to ryse xvj
futtis of heicht as it is foundit rouch werk with corbell and
walter tabill on the vther pairt thairof for ane closter and fra
thine vp effeirand to the heicht of the said queir aislar werk And
the said queir tobe compleitlie pendit with croce brace and rinruif
conforme to Sanct Anthonis Yle in Sanct Gelis Kirk And at the west
end of the said queir forgane the south west buttreis to rais ane
substantious wall of rouch werk sevin fut of breid fra ilk sydewall
with ane brace to be raisit tharein als heych as it may be had to
serue the west gavil of the queir with hewin oggeruris And abone
the said brace in the forsaid west gavill sulyeis tobe laid and ane
stepil tobe raisit tharepoun viij futis of breid and lenth or vj
futis braid and xij futis lenth within the sidwallis of the said
stepill quhilk sidwallis salbe of vj futis of heich abone the queir
thak at all partys with lychtis at all partis for the sound of the
bellis in the said stepill to be persit for the orlage hand and
bell in place maist gagand and convenient tharto And in the northe
angell betuix the foresaid wall vnder the grete brace and northe
wall of the kirk syd to rais ane commodious turngreis to serue the
rud loft of the said kirk and stepill foresaid als esaly as it may
be had Item to big ane kirk on the west pair(t) of the said queir
nixt the said brace contenand in lenthe iiijxx of futis and xxviij
futis braid within the wallis respectiue of rouche werk And the
wallis thairof to be foure futis thik and xxvj futis heych fra the
sole of the durris to the vuir part of the watter tabill of syd
wallis with foure buttreis one ilk syd of the said kirk eslar werk
efferand to the queir and four lycht to be biggit in the southsyd
wall of the said kirk of x futis of wydnes and als heych as thai
may be had squair lintalit efferand to the said heicht And in the
southe wall of the said kirk betuix the twa buttreis to be biggit
ane honest dur with ane plain proche with sege stabill on ilk syd
thikyt with thak stane and ane honest dur in the west gavill of the
said kirk with ane lycht abone the samen in myd gavill xij futis of
breid rysand of heich in poyntcast als heich as it may be had
efferand to the heycht of the gavill with sufficient mygallis in
all the lychtis of the said kirk and queir with plane substantious
cornettis of stane or irne quhilk salbe thocht maist gainand in the
lychtis raisit of poyntcast And to put in ilk lycht of the wyndois
grete lokartis of irne for binding of glas thareto And inlikuiss to
put grete crukis in the said kirk durrys as efferis And the said
haill kirk to be pendyt and weill thekyt with thak stane and the
watter tabill of the sidwallis of the said kirk and queir to be
larg of sulye betuix buttreis and buttereis and in ane caisment
hevin for leid to be lad thairin to schout the watter by the
wyndowis of the said kirk and queir to the angellis next the
buttreis And ilk buttere of the foirsaid kirk and queir to haif ane
honeste fiall And the alter of the queir tobe biggit of aislar werk
and the haill queir tobe weill pathit with greis befoir the said
alter and vther wayis as efferis with tua halie wattir fattis weill
hewin to the said kirk and queir And the foirsaidis kirk and queir
to be biggit and completit in maner foirsaid That is to say the
said queir within the space of thre yeris nixt efter the dait herof
And the said kirk within the space of vthair thre yeris nixt and
immediatlie thairefter.” Following on this, John Sandilands,
already mentioned, binds himself to give a “Charter and
infeftment,” securing to the chaplain the sum “of xx merkis money”
annually.
[Illustration: FIG. 1199.--Mid-Calder Church. Plan.]
The actual building (Fig. 1199) consists of a choir with tripartite apse
having a sacristy or vestry to the east, and it has been carried out, so
far as completed, very much in terms of the foregoing bond.
The vestry, which projects from the east end of the choir, seems to have
been erected before the bond was executed, and the foundations of the
choir seem to have been laid at that time. The remainder of the choir
was apparently carried out afterwards, but the nave, which was carefully
specified in the bond, was never erected.
The vestry contains two stories, the lower one being a burial vault,
which is “pendit” or vaulted, while the upper floor forms the vestry.
The
[Illustration: FIG. 1200.--Mid-Calder Church. View from South-East.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1201.--Mid-Calder Church. View from North-East.]
small stair leading to both floors is placed in the north-east angle of
the apse. The east wall of the choir (Fig. 1200) is raised above the
roof of the vestry, and is provided with a traceried window to the east;
but there is no window in the north-east side of the apse, which is
occupied by the wheel stair (Fig. 1201). The buttresses are erected as
required by the
[Illustration: FIG. 1202.--Mid-Calder Church. Pinnacles on Sacristy.]
bond, and the three south windows are introduced between them. The north
wall is carried up with rough masonry, and without any windows or
openings, and has the water table and corbels prescribed as suitable for
the roof of a cloister walk along that side (see Fig. 1201). The choir
roof has been intended to be vaulted and the lower courses of the
springing are built, but the vault was never completed. The springings
show that the vault was intended to be groined. It is specified to have
a “cross brace and rinruif,” like a chapel in St. Giles’ Church, but the
meaning of these terms is not definite.
At the west end of the choir a very thick wall is built on each side,
with a pointed arch between (described as a brace) to support the
belfry,
[Illustration: FIG. 1203.--Mid-Calder Church. Terminations of Labels.]
which is minutely specified. The latter, however, was not executed till
recently. The lower part, however, above the roof was built, and the
modern belfry has been carried up upon it. In the north pier is a
“turngreis” or wheel stair described as leading to the rood loft, but
in reality it now leads to the family gallery and to the lower part of
the belfry (see Fig. 1201). A proposed nave is also minutely described.
It was to be 80 feet in length and 28 feet in width, to have four
buttresses on each side of ashlar work, and four windows in the south
wall, 10 feet
[Illustration: FIG. 1204. Mid-Calder Church. Arms on Corbels supporting
Rood Loft.]
wide, and square lintels. Also an “honest dur,” and a porch on the south
side with stone seats and stone roof, and another “honest dur” in the
west gable, with a large window over it. The windows were to be glazed
and the roof provided with gargoyles.
The altar was to be built with ashlar, and the floor paved and steps
placed before the altar. The above instructions have, so far as the
structure is executed, been carefully complied with, and the edifice
presents a favourable example of the work of the early part of the
sixteenth century. Ornament has not been spared, and is specially
exhibited in the heraldic carving on the shields, with which the weather
mouldings terminate. These shields generally contain the arms of the
Sandilands family and their connections the Douglases, of which several
examples are given below.
[Illustration: FIG. 1205.--Mid-Calder Church. Woodcarving.]
The following is a short notice of the arms on the different parts of
the building. On the angles of the projecting sacristy (the lower story
of which contained the family burial vault) there are two pinnacles,
with very late crocketing, and finials (Fig. 1202). The south pinnacle
contains the Sandilands arms and the initials of J. Sandilands, and
other lettering,
[Illustration: FIG. 1206.--Mid-Calder Church. Middle Bay in Choir.]
much decayed. The north pinnacle exhibits the Sandilands arms quartered
with Douglas, and having two angels as supporters, the arms surmounted
by a helmet, with a lion’s head for crest.
The arms on the label terminations are as follow:--
On the central apse window, north side, Douglas; south side,
Sandilands (a bend).
1st window west from central one.
Dexter side--Lion or Griffin rampant.
Sinister side--Cockburn--The family being allied to the Cockburns
of Ormiston.
2nd window to west.
Dexter side--Lindsay (fesse chequé) (Fig. 1203, D).
Sinister side--Sandilands quartered with Douglas, and initials P.
S. (Fig. 1203, A).
3rd window to west.
Dexter side--Douglas (Fig. 1203, C).
Sinister side--Sandilands and Douglas, with initials J. S. (Fig.
1203, B).
In the interior of the church the same arms occur on corbels as in the
one supporting the rood loft, now the family gallery (Fig. 1204).
There in also a remarkable carved panel in oak (Fig. 1205), which
combines the above arms _reversed_, with the initials J. S. and J. L.,
and the date 1595, together with certain Scripture texts.
The Douglas descent is throughout prominently displayed, and the heart
and stars sometimes occupy the chief part of the shield. One coat, from
centre window (see Fig. 1203, D), exhibits the bearings of a fess chequé
of four tracts, with a St. George’s cross in chief, being the arms of
the distinguished predecessor of Sir James Sandilands, Lord of
Torphichen, and St. John, viz., Sir Walter Lindsay, head of the Knights
of St. John of Jerusalem in Scotland, the cross having reference to the
badge of the order.
The tracery in the large windows is well preserved, and is of a kind
usual in late work in Scotland, having curved bars without cusping
(Figs. 1200 and 1206). The round-headed doorway to the choir is
introduced in the central bay under the window, the lower part of which
is stepped up to allow of its introduction.
KING’S COLLEGE CHAPEL, ABERDEEN.
The west end of this fine chapel, with its extremely picturesque tower
(Fig. 1207), fronts the main street of Old Aberdeen, and forms the
north-west corner of the college quadrangle.
The chapel (Fig. 1208) is a long narrow building, with a three-sided
apsidal east end, measuring inside the walls about 122 feet 6 inches in
length by about 28 feet in width. It is divided into six bays by
projecting buttresses, and has a large window filled with mullions and
tracery in each bay on the north side, except the second one from the
[Illustration: FIG. 1207.--King’s College Chapel. West End and Tower.]
west, which contains a doorway. Similar large windows are continued
round the apse (but the centre one is built up), and there is also one
in the east bay of the south side. Over the west doorway there is a
large west window (see Fig. 1207) of four lights, with solid built
mullions and loop tracery enclosed within a round arch. All the other
large windows just referred to have pointed arches (except the second
from the east end on the north side), the tracery in those of the apse
and in each adjoining window being modern. The other four north windows
have, like the large west window, a solid built central mullion going
right up to the apex of the arch, and having each half filled with the
usual loop tracery. This mode of division of the tracery of a window by
a large central built mullion into two distinct portions, each filled
with its own tracery, is not uncommon in Scotland, as, for instance, at
Seton College, where, however, the mullion divides into two arches and
forms two pointed divisions in the arch-head. Besides the north doorway
[Illustration: FIG. 1208.--King’s College Chapel. Plan.]
already mentioned, there are two to the quadrangle and one in the west
end, all having elliptic arched tops. The mouldings of the west doorway
have bases, but no caps. The south side of the chapel (Fig. 1209) forms
a complete contrast to the north side. Instead of large windows
occupying each bay, small clerestory windows, with flat arch-heads,
occur at intervals along the top of the wall, while the lower part of
the wall is left plain, being doubtless intended as a provision for a
covered cloister walk. This, however, was never carried out, but instead
of it Bishop Stewart (1532-1545) erected a building against this side of
the chapel, consisting of two floors, and containing a library, a jewel
house, vestry, and class-rooms. These were taken down and re-erected on
the same site about 1725, and about fifty years afterwards were
destroyed by fire, when the south side of the chapel assumed its present
appearance, being “cased and buttressed with granite as we now see
it.”[118] Dr. Macpherson further tells us that the coats of arms which
now adorn this side of the chapel had been nearly all on the walls of
the library, and, having escaped the fire, were, along with some others,
inserted in the new granite work. These arms, along with many other
coats throughout the building and the college, have been minutely
described.[119] We need only mention here the arms of the founder of the
college, Bishop William Elphinston, which occur at the west end of the
south side of the chapel, viz., a chevron between three boars’ heads
[Illustration: FIG. 1209.--King’s College Chapel. South Side.]
erased, surmounted by a mitre between the initials W. E. and “at sides
O. B. A. D. MDXIV. Æ.S. LX (XX) IV.” The royal arms occur on the
northmost buttress of the west front of the tower, dated 1504, while
those of Margaret Tudor, wife of James IV., appear on another shield in
the west front. Adjoining the west doorway an inscription informs us
that the chapel was begun by James IV. in 1500. It apparently occupied
about
[Illustration: FIG. 1210.--King’s College Chapel. Rood Screen.]
six years in building, as the contract for covering it with lead is
dated 1506.
[Illustration: FIG. 1211.--King’s College Chapel. Tower, from
South-East.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1212.--King’s College Chapel. Upper Part of Tower.]
The interior is divided by a wooden screen of very rich carved work, the
central portion of which (Fig. 1210) is about 9 feet 7 inches wide, with
[Illustration: FIG. 1213.--King’s College Chapel. Plan of Crown.]
double folding doors about 5 feet 9 inches wide by 7 feet 3 inches high.
The side portions of the screen within the choir form a continuation of
the canopied stalls occupying each side of the choir. Owing to the
circumstance of the nave having been fitted up as a library, the ancient
arrangement of the screen with its rood loft, ambone, and altars on the
nave side were destroyed. Dr. Macpherson, in the paper already referred
to, has by illustrations and description traced its original
construction, and to this the reader is referred.
The tower at the south-west corner (Fig. 1211) is not quite square,
measuring over the walls about 29 feet from north to south, and about 4
feet less from east to west. It has massive corner buttresses, with
numerous stepped intakes towards the top, similar to the buttresses of
the chapel, being a style of buttress of very frequent occurrence in
Scottish late churches, as, for example, at Stirling Church. The tower
is finished with one of the few crown steeples remaining in Scotland,
being, with that of St. Giles’, Edinburgh, and the Tolbooth, Glasgow,
the only three surviving of those which we could at one time boast. The
general style of the structure is very similar to that of St. Giles’,
but in this case there are only four arches thrown from the angles of
the tower to the central lantern (Fig. 1213), while in the case of St.
Giles’ there are eight, which produce a fuller and richer effect. The
tower (see Fig. 1211) is about 63 feet in height to the top of the
battlements. From that point to the base of the lantern pillars (Fig.
1212) is about 15 feet 9 inches, from whence to the top of the cross is
about 20 feet. The total height is thus about 99 feet.[120]
The upper part of the steeple was blown down in a violent storm on 7th
February 1633. Spalding, under that date,[121] says:--“This hideous
winds was marked to be such, as the like had never been seen here in
these parts, for it would overturn countrymen’s houses to the ground,
and some persons suddenly smo’red within, without relief. It also threw
down the stately crown bigged of curious eslar work, off the steeple of
King’s College of Old Aberdeen, whilk was thereafter re-edified and
built up, little inferior to the first.” The part blown down was
probably only the lantern on the top of the four arches, the details of
this part having a decidedly Renaissance character, and being different
from the other parts of the tower. Doubtless the arches themselves would
suffer in the crash, and would require repairing and rebuilding in part,
which was evidently done, as the date 1634 is carved on the soffit of
the crossing. This difference of detail is interesting, as showing how
persistently these old designers wrought in the style of their time.
Although it is evident that the present lantern is not quite the same as
the original one, it must be admitted to be an extremely happy and
picturesque composition.
In connection with the rebuilding Spalding mentions two names. First,
under the year 1640 he says:--“Dr. Gordon, medicinar, and one of the
founded members of the College of Old Aberdeen, and common procurator
thereof, departed this life upon the 10th of March, in his own house in
Old Aberdeen; a godly, grave, and learned man; singular in publick works
about the college, and putting up on the steeple thereof the stately and
glorious crown, which you see thereon, which was thrown down by the
wind.” Second, under the year 1642 he says:--“Saturday the 10th
September, George Thomson, Master Mason, new come frae Strathboggie to
Aberdeen, suddenly fell over Thomas Thomson’s stair, and with the fall
became speechless and senseless, and departed this life upon the
Thursday thereafter. An excellent mason, of singular device; he builded
sundry brave buildings; among the rest, he re-edified the steeple of the
College Kirk of Old Aberdeen.” It has been supposed[122] that Dr. Gordon
was the architect who designed the lantern, but the same claim might be
put forward for the then Bishop, for in Gordon’s description of Aberdeen
(p. 23) we are told--“Bot the crown was quicklie afterwards restored in
a better forme and condition, by the direction of Patrick Forbes of
Corse, then Bishop of Aberdeen.” It is quite as likely that Thomson was
both the architect and builder, and that the bishop and Dr. Gordon were
the men of affairs.
The old lantern, which had stood for upwards of a century, appears to
have been neglected and to have fallen into a state of disrepair, as in
1620 the authorities ordained “that the heid of the gryt stepill sould
be mendit in steane leid and tymer as the samen was abefoir;”[123] but
evidently nothing was done, and so it yielded to the storm.
Most of the windows on the west front of the tower appear to be modern.
This tower, with its crown and most of the chapel, is built of
sandstone.
THE CHURCH OF THE MONASTERY OF THE CARMELITE FRIARS, SOUTH QUEENSFERRY.
Queensferry is a town on the south side of the Frith of Forth, at the
point where the water narrows and is spanned by the Forth Bridge.
At the time the drawings of this church were made, about thirty years
ago, it was entire, as shown on the Plan (Fig. 1214), the nave only
being roofless; but a few years afterwards the nave was ruthlessly cast
down, and the materials were entirely destroyed. The transept and
[Illustration: FIG. 1214.--Carmelite Friars’ Monastery. Plan.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1215.--Carmelite Friars’ Monastery. View from
North.]
choir, with the stone roof of the latter, were almost entirely hidden
from view beneath a dense mass of ivy; while the beautiful east end was
quite unapproachable owing to the incongruous surroundings. The
[Illustration: FIG. 1216.--Carmelite Friars’ Monastery. Crossing, from
Transept.]
tower, the arches of which originally opened into the church being built
up, was used as a stable, while the transept was turned into a potato or
coal store and a huckster’s shop. The fortunes of the structure were at
the lowest ebb when, at the end of 1889, its renovation as a place of
worship was undertaken by the Dean and Chapter of St. Mary’s Cathedral,
Edinburgh, under the direction of Mr. J. Kinross, architect.
[Illustration: FIG. 1217.--Carmelite Friars’ Monastery. Interior of
Choir.]
The church stands at the west end of Queensferry, on the north side of
the street, and the description of its situation in the oldest extant
charter relating to it, which is of the year 1457, is quite intelligible
at this time. James Dundas of Dundas grants “to God and the Virgine
Mary, and brethren of the Order of the Virgine Mary of Mount Carmel,
and their successors, a piece of ground lying in the town of the Ferry,
with the pertinents, with the yard and green adjacent to the church of
the Virgine Mary, and whole houses builded in form of a monastrie, as
also that other piece of ground lying betwixt the burn which runs near
the cross of the said town on the east parts [this burn can still be
identified where it comes down by the road immediately to the west of
the town house] and the highway [the present main street of Queensferry]
and ditch that goes towards Echline [a neighbouring farm, and still
known by this name] on the south parts, and the rivolute [still to be
seen] running from the town of Echline to the sea on the west,
[Illustration: FIG. 1218.--Carmelite Friars’ Monastery. Section through
Choir.]
and the sea on the north parts.” The “houses builded in form of a
monastrie” have all disappeared, except a portion of the north wall,
seen in shadow in the accompanying view from the north (Fig. 1215).
[Illustration: FIG. 1219.--Carmelite Friars’ Monastery. View from
South-West.]
The monastic buildings were on the north side of the church, between it
and the sea. The above wall, which stands on the shore of the Frith of
Forth, at the distance of about forty paces northward from the church,
determines the width of the monastery from north to south, while its
length from east to west can also be fairly well ascertained. The
eastern buildings of the monastery occupied the position seen on the
left part of
[Illustration: FIG. 1220.--Carmelite Friars’ Monastery. Doorway in Nave
(now destroyed).]
the church in the north view, between the point where the water tabling
ends and the small pointed window near the east end; and perhaps also
some of the old houses on the east occupy the sites of monastic
buildings. In like manner the western buildings in all likelihood
occupied the position of the old house seen on the right hand in the
same view. A covered cloister ran along the north side of the church,
the corbels for carrying its lean-to roof being still visible, as well
as the stone tabling for protecting the same.
[Illustration: FIG. 1221.
Carmelite Friars’ Monastery.
Door in Choir.]
The church is an aisleless structure 97 feet long by 30 feet 2 inches in
breadth over the
[Illustration: FIG. 1222.--Carmelite Friars’ Monastery.
East Window.]
walls (see Fig. 1214). It has a south transept projecting 22 feet 9
inches and 25 feet in width. The crossing is separated from the three
limbs of the church by projecting piers (Fig. 1216) carrying round
arches, above which rises the central tower. When the masonry which
blocked up the archway leading into the choir was lately taken down, it
was found that there had been a parapet about 3 feet high separating the
crossing from the choir. The responds of the massive parapet coping were
discovered wrought on the stones of the piers on either side. The choir
and crossing only have stone vaults. These are barrel vaults, as shown
in the view of the choir (Fig. 1217), where the vault is pointed, and in
the crossing (see Fig. 1216), where it is round and at right angles to
that of the choir, from which it is cut off and separated by the tower
arch. The springing of the tower arches is kept below that of the vault
over the crossing, as is usually done, in similar circumstances, in late
structures, so as to avoid the difficulties of groined vaulting. The
roof covering of the choir is of large overlapping stones, wrought after
the manner so often found in the castles and churches of the fifteenth
century. A wide gutter runs along the eaves (Fig. 1218), from which the
water escapes by numerous gargoyles.
There was a pointed entrance door in the south wall (Figs. 1219 and
1220) at the west end of the nave, and leading into the choir there is a
[Illustration: FIG. 1223.--Carmelite Friars’ Monastery.
Window in Choir.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1224.--Carmelite Friars’ Monastery.
West Window of Nave (now destroyed).]
round-arched door (Fig. 1221), which is, however, lintelled in the
interior (see Fig. 1217). In the opposite wall a door leading to the
cloisters has the reverse arrangement, being round-arched in the inside
and lintelled on the exterior, where, on its west jamb, there is a
Maltese cross. A similar cross is visible on the west side of the
transept near the south end. There was a door into the cloisters from
the crossing (see Fig. 1215) and another existed from the nave.
The windows of the choir (Figs. 1222 and 1223) are all pointed, and
filled with the simplest tracery. Those of the nave and transept (Figs.
1224 and 1225) have square heads formed of straight arches, as shown in
the detailed drawings. These windows have cusped tracery, which, in the
nave, remained entire to the last, while that of the transept window
(Fig. 1226) was destroyed, the tracery having been cleared out to make a
cart entrance; but sufficient indications existed to permit of its
restoration. There are various small cusped windows throughout the
church, including the small one already referred to in the north wall of
the choir, that window and a high straight headed one in the tower being
the only church windows in the north side. The two upper windows in the
east
[Illustration: FIG. 1225.--Carmelite Friars’ Monastery. Window in
Transept.]
wall (Fig. 1227) serve, from their high position, to light the roof,
and, as seen from the interior (see Fig. 1217), they recall similar
features often found in the halls of castles, notably at Borthwick. On
the outside of the east end between these two smaller windows over the
large one there is a niche, which probably held a statue of the Virgin.
It is surrounded with various shields, the charges of which are effaced.
Above this, on the apex of the gable, there remains the corbelled base
of a belfry. The window in the tower above referred to is peculiar, as
will be seen from an enlarged sketch (Fig. 1228). It has a
deeply-splayed sill and lintel, with moulded jambs butting against them
at top and bottom. The piscina is shown in Fig. 1229, and the ambry and
sedilia are seen in the view of the choir (see Fig. 1217) and in the
enlarged drawings (Figs. 1230 and 1231). On either side of the choir
there is a row of large splayed corbels at the springing of the arched
roof, which seems to indicate that there was an upper room over the
choir.
Over the tower vault at the crossing there is an upper vault containing
two floors, the exposed ruinous arch of which is seen in the view from
the
[Illustration: FIG. 1226.--Carmelite Friars’ Monastery. Transept and
Tower, from South.]
south (see Fig. 1226). These floors are reached by the wheel stair shown
on Plan. The intermediate floor, having been of timber, was supported on
stone corbels. In each room there is a fireplace in the south wall; the
one in the lower room is about 6 feet wide, and is suggestive of having
been used for a kitchen; and there can be no doubt (as will be seen from
the terms of a charter to be quoted) but that these rooms formed a
residence. From the lower room there is a square window (now built up)
looking into the choir. It is immediately under the vault, and measures
about 3 feet wide by 4 feet high, and had probably some kind of closing
shutter. The windows of these rooms are all square-headed, and
overlooked the monastery.
[Illustration: FIG. 1227.--Carmelite Friars’ Monastery. East End.]
The upper part of the tower is gone, but it was doubtless finished with
a cape-house and parapet walk, after the manner of termination so
[Illustration: FIG. 1228.--Carmelite Friars’ Monastery.
North Window in Tower.]
frequent in Scotland in the castles of the fifteenth century, which were
contemporaneous with the monastery. The similar tower at Torphichen
Church, about eight miles distant, that of Dysart on the opposite shore,
and various other examples throughout the country are finished in the
same way. In the rocks on the shore adjoining there has been cut out a
haven for small boats, which is traditionally believed to have been the
work of the friars.
This monastery and church were founded and endowed by the family of
Dundas of Dundas, it is believed, about the year 1330. The earliest
notice of it is about a century later, in a charter of confirmation
dated 1st October 1457, granted by Lord Seton, Baron of Winchburgh, of a
charter granted by James Dundas of Dundas, dated 6th March 1440, the
terms of which have already been quoted. The
[Illustration: FIG. 1229.--Carmelite Friars’ Monastery.
Piscina.]
monastery existed for about two hundred and fifty years, and in 1585
James VI. disponed to Sir Walter Dundas the whole revenue of the
establishment, “together with the kirk of the said place, and whole
bounds, with the steeple and houses above the same.” The place has ever
since remained in the possession of the same family.
The present structure is evidently, from its style, of a late date. The
construction of the vaulting, with its low arches at the crossing, and
pointed vault covered with stone roof over the choir; the plain outline
of the tower and walls, without buttress or break of any kind; and the
square lintelled windows, are all indications of a date about the end of
the fifteenth or beginning of the sixteenth century.
[Illustration: FIG. 1230.--Carmelite Friars’ Monastery.
Ambry.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1231.--Carmelite Friars’ Monastery.
Sedilia in Choir.]
ST. BOTHAN’S COLLEGIATE CHURCH, YESTER, HADDINGTONSHIRE.
A structure partly old and partly new, which stands beside the mansion
house of Yester, the seat of the Marquis of Tweeddale. Its position is
very fine, situated as it is by the side of a clear flowing stream, and
surrounded by splendidly wooded braes.
The construction of the old part of the building, as seen in the
interior, is very massive and, considering its small dimensions,
imposing, and it remains in a good state of preservation.
The edifice (Fig. 1232) consists of a choir and transepts. Of the nave
hardly anything exists, and there is nothing to indicate that it ever
was built. The present west wall is modern, probably of this century.
The choir measures, internally, 13 feet from east to west by 18 feet 6
inches wide. The total length across the transepts is about 53 feet 6
inches from north to south by 13 feet in width, all inside dimensions.
It will be observed that the nave and choir are not quite in the same
line.
The crossing (Fig. 1233) is covered with a pointed barrel vault in
continuation of that of the choir, and is supported at the springing by
very massive low round arches, which span the entrance to each transept.
The choir vault is separated from the crossing by a late arch, supported
on pillasters of a Renaissance form, and it has been emphasised by
having ribs on the surface of the vault, as shown on the Plan by dotted
lines, but these do not now exist. The transepts are also vaulted with
plain pointed vaults carried to a considerable height, but cut off from
the crossing, as at Ladykirk and Queensferry, by the arches introduced
to carry the central vault of the crossing. As the church was without
buttresses, the walls are of considerable thickness (not less than 4
feet) in order to resist the pressure of the arches. In the north wall
of the south transept, near the apex of the roof (see Fig. 1233), there
is a small door, now built up, which probably gave access to a small
chamber in the haunch of the vault over the crossing.
[Illustration: FIG. 1232.--St. Bothan’s Collegiate Church. Plan.]
In the east wall of the north transept there is a piscina (Fig. 1234),
enriched with carved crockets round the ogee arch. The basin is, as
usual, broken away. On one side of the arch is a shield, having a
smaller shield on the dexter side, bearing three inescutcheons, and on
the sinister side three cinquefoils, being the arms of Hay of Tweeddale.
The piscina is 22½ inches wide, measuring over the enrichments, by 26
inches high, and 3 feet 3 inches from the floor up to the level of the
basin.
[Illustration: FIG. 1233.--St. Bothan’s Collegiate Church. From South
Transept.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1234.--St. Bothan’s Collegiate Church. Piscina.]
There is an end window in each of the three limbs of the cross, and none
in the side walls. The windows in the transepts (Figs. 1235 and 1236),
although not entirely alike in their details, have a general resemblance
to each other. They are flat arched, and have mullions with a plain
space above, occupying the centre of the thickness of the wall. The
windows are of three lights, with circular tops fitted with cusping. The
space above the lights, usually occupied
[Illustration: FIG. 1235.--St. Bothan’s Collegiate Church. Transept
Window (Exterior).]
by tracery, is filled with solid masonry. The window in the east end
(Fig. 1237) is pointed, and is filled with tracery which has been
renewed, and is dated over the centre arch 1635. In the south transept
there is a simple monument of Renaissance character (see Fig. 1236),
which contains a fine shield with the Hay and Cockburn arms impaled--the
first a mullet between three inescutcheons and the initials W. H., and
the second a crescent between three cocks with the initials H. C. This
shield contains traces of colour, and on the frieze there are five
pateræ also in colour.
[Illustration: FIG. 1236.--St. Bothan’s Collegiate Church. Monument in
South Transept.]
An earlier church than that just described existed here, and was
dedicated to St. Bothan, after whom also the parish was named, until, on
the erection of the present mansion house, the baronial name of the
extensive domains of Yester superseded the old parochial name.
In the ancient _Taxatio_ (1176) the Ecclesia de Bothani was rated at 30
marks, and it is again referred to in Bagimont’s Roll (1275) as the
[Illustration: FIG. 1237.--St. Bothan’s Collegiate Church. East End.]
Præpositura de Bothans, and is rated at £40. The territory of Yester was
from the twelfth century in the possession of the family of Gifford, and
in 1418 it passed, by marriage, into the possession of Sir William Hay
of Locherwart, with whose descendants it still remains.[124]
In 1421 Sir William founded the Collegiate Church of St. Bothan for a
provost, six prebendaries, and two singing boys. And he and his
successors endowed it with sufficient revenues. After the Reformation it
continued to be the parish church till 1708, when a new church was built
in the neighbouring village of Gifford.
PARISH CHURCH, STIRLING.[125]
This is one of the best preserved of the old churches of Scotland, and
although it has suffered severely by various renovations and
restorations, it is still a building of very considerable interest. The
church occupies a high situation on the Castle Hill, and as approached
up the steep streets, the lofty east end which first appears to view,
with its prominent buttresses and tall windows, has a most imposing and
picturesque effect.[126] The edifice consists of two divisions, the nave
and choir, which were built at two different periods. The nave, which is
the oldest part, is undoubtedly the church referred to in the
Chamberlain’s Accounts for the year from July 1413 to June 1414, in
which he “discharges himself of the issues of ayre held at Stirling,
because it was granted to the work of the parish church which had been
burnt.” Of the earlier church which had been burnt nothing now remains.
The date of the east end or choir is known to be between 1507 and 1520.
The building (Fig. 1238) consists, from end to end, of a central nave
with north and south aisles (the aisles being vaulted in stone), an
eastern apse, and a western tower. The nave has five bays, the choir
three bays, and they are separated by a wide bay, which may be termed
the crossing. The crossing now serves as an entrance hall to the two
churches which are located in the edifice, walls being built across each
side of the crossing so as to enclose the choir as one church and the
nave as the other. The total internal length of the building, exclusive
of the apse and tower, is about 160 feet by about 55 feet in width;
including apse and tower the internal length is about 200 feet.
The original entrance to the church was through the western tower, and
as the ground rises considerably towards the west, there must have been
steps down to the floor of the nave. The western doorway was destroyed
in 1818, when the sill of the window above was lowered into the space
occupied by the door arch, but the bases and lower part of the door
jambs still remain (Fig. 1239). The tower, which is vaulted, opens into
the nave (as at Linlithgow) through a lofty pointed arch, springing from
moulded responds (Fig. 1240).
[Illustration: FIG. 1238.--Stirling Parish Church. Plan.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1239.--Stirling Parish Church. Tower, from
South-West.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1240.
Stirling Parish Church.
Responds of Tower Arch.]
The piers of the nave (with the exception of two) are round and massive
cylinders, and the east and west responds (Fig. 1241) are
semi-cylinders. The piers and responds have circular and delicately
carved and moulded capitals (see Fig. 1241), with but slight projection
or undercutting. The moulded bases, where not destroyed, are also round
and of slight projection, those of the responds terminating on
semi-octagonal plinths. The general appearance of these pillars
illustrates what is so often found in Scotland (both
[Illustration: FIG. 1241.--Stirling Parish Church.
West Respond of Nave Arcade.]
in ecclesiastic and domestic work) during the fifteenth century and
onwards, viz., a tendency to imitate Norman and early pointed details.
This tendency is also seen in the nave piers of Dunkeld Cathedral, in
the piers and arches of the naves of Aberdour Church and Dysart Church,
in the imitation of first pointed work in the late cloisters of Melrose,
and many other examples which might be cited. But the later counterfeit
is never perfect, there being always some touch of contemporary design
which reveals the imitation. The two exceptional piers, above referred
to as not being cylindrical, are the fourth piers (Fig. 1242) from the
west end (Fig. 1243). These piers are composed of clustered shafts with
moulded capitals, the upper members of which do not follow the contour
of the piers, but sweep unbroken across the cap in the same manner as in
the caps in
[Illustration: FIG. 1242.--Stirling Parish Church.
Piers in Nave in Fourth Bay from West End.]
the choir (Fig. 1244), and in those of the interior of the oriel windows
in the great hall of Stirling Castle adjoining (Fig. 1245), at
Torphichen, and other late churches; and in the capitals of the
clustered jambs of the hall fireplaces in many castles throughout the
country. It will be observed from Fig. 1243 that the nave aisles are
vaulted with groined arches, while the central nave has a wooden roof.
The Plan (see Fig. 1238) shows that the two piers of the fifth bay from
the west end of the nave consist of a semi-round attached to a square.
These formed the west piers of the crossing. The next piers (the first
in the choir) are, like the last, of large size, and suggest that a
[Illustration: FIG. 1243.--Stirling Parish Church. Interior of Nave from
North Aisle, looking West.]
central tower was contemplated, if not built. There was, over the
crossing, an upper room known as the king’s room, from which the service
could be seen. It was destroyed about the middle of this century. The
room was reached by a wheel staircase in the north wall, where the door
leading to it is still to be seen. This staircase is now filled with the
chimney flues of a heating apparatus. The bay between the tower piers
is arched with round arches, which are now almost concealed, this part
of the church being occupied with modern staircases, vestries, and
gallery. A round arch also spanned the church between the eastmost of
the two piers of the crossing. The latter arch was taken down about the
year
[Illustration: FIG. 1244.--Stirling Parish Church. Piers, Caps, and Arch
Mouldings in Choir.] 1869, thus destroying the room above, and the pier
was enlarged. From the enlarged part a pointed arch was thrown across,
thus sacrificing the beauty and fitness of the church, in order to
introduce a small gallery. About the same time the interior stone work
was, unfortunately, redressed.
Fig. 1247, together with the view from south-west, above referred to,
gives some idea of the effect of the apse and the picturesque appearance
of the church as seen from the north-east. The south side of the
building
[Illustration: FIG. 1245.--Stirling Castle. Oriel in Great Hall.]
has been lamentably injured by a kind of great porch or transept erected
in the centre, which gives access to the two churches into which the
edifice is now divided.
Of the building of the east end or choir interesting particulars are
given in the Register of Dunfermline. In the year 1507 an agreement was
entered into between James Beaton, Abbot of Dunfermline, and the Town
Council and community of Stirling, wherein it is stated that the latter
having “takin apon hand to big and compleitlie edifye, and end ane gud
and sufficient queyr conformand to the body of the peroch kirk of the
said burght,” they were to deliver to the abbot the “body” of the parish
church (that is the west end or nave) to be used by the Convent as a
“queir ay and quhill the said queyr now to be biggit, be fully and
compleitlie biggit and endit.” Under this arrangement the Convent was to
[Illustration: FIG. 1246.--Stirling Parish Church. Interior of Choir.]
pay £200 Scots, and to provide all the ornaments necessary for the high
altar and for the upholding of the same, and promised infeftment yearly
[Illustration: FIG. 1247.--Stirling Parish Church. View from
North-East.]
of 40s. Scots. On the other hand, the Council agree to uphold the queir
perpetually in all things “swa that the hie alter thair sall be honestly
and honourably uphalding in the said ornaments as thai resceve the
samyn thairto fra the said abbot and Convent.” By the year 1520 the work
appears to have proceeded so far that a service, by order of the Provost
and Bailies, was held in the choir, but it does not appear to have been
then quite finished, as in 1523 Robart Arnot, “Maister of the kirk
wark,” is ordered to make payment for timber for the queir.[127] The
choir (see Fig. 1247) consists of three bays with north and south
aisles, and an eastern apse of five sides. The latter is applied like an
oriel window to the east end of the church, somewhat in the same way as
the apse of St. Michael’s, Linlithgow. It is wider than the central
division of the choir, and fits on awkwardly to it, causing the two side
divisions of the apse to be lost to view when one looks from the west
end (see Fig. 1246). The vaulting of the apse is managed in a peculiar
manner, arches being introduced
[Illustration: FIG. 1248.--Stirling Parish Church. Plan of Chapel of St.
Andrew.]
on each side in order to bring the central space into a form as nearly a
parallelogram as possible, and thus enable it to be covered with a
pointed barrel vault, strengthened with small ribs.[128] The mullions of
the apse are treated somewhat like perpendicular work.
The side aisles are vaulted with stone, and the tracery is modern. The
piers are of an ordinary late section (see Fig. 1244), and the details
recall the later work of St. Giles’, Edinburgh. The caps are of the
character of many late Scottish buildings, such as St. Giles’ and St.
Michael’s (choir), the abacus containing a number of straight members,
while the bed moulding breaks round the mouldings of the piers. The
small shreds
[Illustration: FIG. 1249.--Stirling Parish Church. Interior of Chapel of
St. Andrew.]
of foliage introduced are very peculiar. The bases also recall some of
the above buildings. There is no triforium, and the clerestory windows,
which are round-headed, are brought down to the string course
immediately over
[Illustration: FIG. 1250.--Stirling Parish Church.
South-East Corner of St. Andrew’s Chapel.]
the arches of the main arcade.
At the north-west corner of the church there was a small chapel (now
removed), with a wide opening into the church. It had a vaulted roof,
which abutted against the clerestory. Half buried in the ruins of this
chapel is the recess of what appears to have been a piscina. The chapel
is called Queen Margaret’s, and is supposed to have been built by James
IV. in honour of his queen.
Another chapel dedicated to St. Andrew, at the north-east end of the
nave, is still entire. This chapel (Fig. 1248), which till within the
last
[Illustration: FIG. 1251.--Stirling Parish Church.
North Window of St. Andrew’s Chapel.]
few months was private property, has been handed over to the keeping of
the authorities of Stirling, and is now, for the first time for many
years, if not centuries, made accessible to the public, so that drawings
of the interior can now be made. The partition which closed the access
to the chapel from the church still remains, and a door which was cut
through the east wall at the time the partition was put up is still in
use, but these alterations are not shown on the Plan (Fig. 1248).[129]
The chapel measures about 15 feet 9 inches in length, and has a width of
about 12 feet from the north wall. Its height from the original floor
to the apex of the roof is about 15 feet 8 inches. It enters from the
church by a round
[Illustration: FIG. 1252.--Stirling Parish Church. Section of North
Window of St. Andrew’s Chapel.]
arched opening about 10 feet wide (Fig. 1249), with splayed and notched
jambs and arch, the jambs having a very simple moulded cap (Fig. 1250).
[Illustration: FIG. 1253.--Stirling Parish Church. Details of St.
Andrew’s Chapel.]
This opening is not in the centre of the chapel. There are a north and a
west window. The former (Fig. 1251) is pointed, and is divided by
mullions into three lights, and retains the original tracery. Fig. 1252
shows the section of the mouldings of the arch and jambs. The window
[Illustration:
Durham of Mollet. Durham and Murray.
FIG. 1254.--Stirling Parish Church. Arms in St. Andrew’s Chapel.]
in the west wall is square lintelled, and has a straight sconsion arch
(see Fig. 1249). This chapel exhibits, in small space, three methods of
[Illustration: FIG. 1255.--Stirling Parish Church.
Founder’s Arms in St. Andrew’s Chapel.]
covering an opening, the architect being apparently indifferent as to
which was used, so that it served the purpose.
The chapel is groined in the ordinary manner, the masonry being, as
usual, very fine. The ribs are all of the same general section (Fig.
1253, A A), but each set is slightly different in size, the diagonals
being the largest. There are no wall ribs. The details of the carved
bosses at the intersections are shown in Fig. 1253, B. A stone bench
runs
[Illustration: FIG. 1256.--Stirling Parish Church.
Arms and Initials in St. Andrew’s Chapel.]
along the west side only.
There is a roughly formed square recess, about 12 inches wide (see Fig.
1248), in the north wall near the east end, and in the east wall at the
south-east corner (see Plan and Fig. 1250) there is an ogee-headed
recess, about 7 inches high by 5 inches wide and 2½ inches deep, at
about 3 feet 6 inches from the floor. There are recesses somewhat
similar to the latter at Paisley Abbey.
St. Andrew’s Chapel was erected by Duncan Forrester of Garden, Knight,
whose initials are cut on the lintel of the west window (see Fig. 1253,
C), and his arms, together with a saltier for St. Andrew, are carved on
the centre boss (see Fig. 1253, B). The name of Duncan Forrester occurs
in charters
[Illustration: FIG. 1257.--Stirling Parish Church.
Details of Niche in St. Andrew’s Chapel.]
relating to Stirling in 1479 and onwards for a period of forty years. He
was provost of the town of Stirling, and appears to have been a liberal
benefactor to this church. As shown on the Plan there are three
interesting grave slabs in the chapel. One of these, of the date 1584,
contains the arms of Durham of Grange (Fig. 1254); but as no member of
that family had A. D. as initials at that period, the monument may
probably have belonged
[Illustration: FIG. 1258.
Stirling Parish Church. Exterior Base.]
to the Durhams of Mollet, one of whom, with the above initials, married
Eliz. Murray. This would correspond with the initials and lower shield
on the slab (see Fig. 1254) in which the Durham and Murray arms are
impaled. The adjoining slab exhibits six shields. One of these contains
the founder’s arms (Fig. 1255), and another a curious figure arranged
saltier-wise. Nothing can be determined as to the carving on the other
shields. The remaining slab contains the arms and initials of Duncan
Forrester (Fig. 1256), possibly the son of the founder, and the Erskine
arms with the initials M. E. A consecration cross is shown (see Fig.
1253), which is carved on the north wall of the chapel.
In Fig. 1257 are shown detached portions of a niche, including the
canopy and corbel, lying on the floor. The exterior base of the church,
which is partly returned round the west side of this chapel, is shown in
Fig. 1258.
There were north and south doorways to the nave, opposite each other, in
the second bay from the west. The south one had a large porch, now
destroyed.
The tower, which is oblong in plan, measures about 31 feet from north to
south by about 22 feet from east to west, and, according to Mr. Ronalds,
it is 85 feet high to the top of the parapet, and 15 feet more to the
apex of the spirelet. It is quite evident that it has been built at two
periods. The lower part, judging from the window mouldings and what
remains of the base of the west door, is contemporary with the church,
or of early fifteenth century work. The upper part is contracted to
nearly a square of about 25 feet on Plan, there being a balcony on the
north and one on the south (see Fig. 1239). A turret stair in the
north-west corner gives access from the church to the top. This tower,
especially as seen from the west, is very picturesque, where the long
unbroken line of the stair turret contrasts beautifully with recessed
outlines of the other corner (see Fig. 1248).
This tower is amongst the best specimens of the Scottish architecture of
the sixteenth century, as applied to ecclesiastical structures.
TULLIBARDINE CHURCH, PERTHSHIRE.
This edifice, which is unused, although in an almost perfect state of
preservation, is situated about six miles south from Crieff. It “was
founded in honour of our Blessed Saviour, for a provost and several
prebendaries, by Sir David Murray of Tullibardine, ancestor of the Duke
of Athol, in
[Illustration: FIG. 1259.--Tullibardine Church.
Arms of Sir David Murray in Chancel.]
the year 1446.”[130] Sir David died the same year and was buried in the
church, where his arms (Fig. 1259) still remain on the interior of the
north side of the choir, quartered with those of his wife Isobel, second
daughter of Sir John Stewart of Innermeith and Lorn. The lady’s arms, it
will be observed, occupy the first and fourth quarters.
This is one of the few collegiate churches in Scotland which were
entirely finished and still remain unaltered. It is of a cruciform plan
(Fig. 1260) and has a small western tower entering from the church by a
narrow doorway. The building measures internally from east to west along
the south side 62 feet 1½ inches, and along the north side 64 feet 6½
inches by 18 feet 5½ inches in breadth, and the walls are 14 feet 3
inches high from the floor to the wall head. The measurements over the
transepts are 64 feet 5 inches from north to south, by 15 feet 10 inches
in width (inside measure). The tower is a small apartment of 6 feet 11
inches by 4 feet 9 inches.
There are two entrances, one being at the west end of the south wall
(Fig. 1261). It is round-arched with a bead and hollow moulding and a
rude string cap. The other is a plain lintelled doorway in the north
transept.
In each of the north and south walls of the transept there is a
traceried window, the one to the south (Fig. 1262) having three lights
and the other (Fig. 1263) two lights. The walls are of considerable
thickness, and the tracery is well recessed (Fig. 1264) and gives, in
consequence,
[Illustration: FIG. 1260.--Tullibardine Church. Plan.]
a massive and substantial appearance to the otherwise well designed
windows.
The other windows are simple and such as are found in castles and minor
churches. That adjoining the entrance to the south transept is
interesting from having its sconsion arch (Fig. 1265) neatly constructed
so as to die away upon the splay. In the west gable there are two narrow
windows. The lintels of these, instead of being level, lie at the same
angle as the slope of the gable, and just a little below it (Fig. 1266).
A similar kind of window may be observed at Dunblane at the east end of
the room over the north aisle of the choir. The transepts each open from
the church by a segmental arch (see Fig. 1265), springing from splayed
[Illustration: FIG. 1261.--Tullibardine Church. South Doorway.]
responds, having moulded bases and caps (Fig. 1267). From the floor to
the top of the caps measures 8 feet 2 inches, and the arch has a rise
of 2 feet 10 inches, in a width of 11 feet 9½ inches. It is difficult
to say how the roof at this part was finished originally. The present
roof at the east end is of considerable antiquity, having timbers about
6 inches square, but the part resting on the transept arch is
comparatively modern. That it was not finished as it is now is almost
certain, as there appears to have been a gable over the arch, separating
the transept roofs from the main roof.
There are several ambries in the church. The one at the east end of the
south wall is handsome (Fig. 1268), having a pointed ogee arched
[Illustration: FIG. 1262.--Tullibardine Church. View from South-East.]
head, with bead and hollow mouldings and bases wrought in the hollows.
In the east jamb of the south transept arch (see Plan and Fig. 1265)
there is a narrow arched recess about 6½ inches wide by 3½ inches in
depth.
The east end of the church appears to have been covered with tapestry,
as the laths for attaching it to are still in position on the walls. At
the west wall and the end walls of the transepts the pieces securing the
feet of the rafters are brought down the walls flush with the face, and
would also afford facilities for hanging tapestry.
A peculiar feature of the church is the rise of the floor at the west
end by two steps. The steps appear to be original, and may possibly be
in connection with a burial vault beneath.
In the exterior of the north wall of the transept (see Fig. 1263) are
inserted two shields. The one over the doorway (Fig. 1269) contains the
arms of Murray of Tullibardine--three stars within a double tressure,
[Illustration: FIG. 1263.--Tullibardine Church. North Transept.]
flowered and counter-flowered. The other contains the arms of Sir
William Murray of Tullibardine (son of Sir David, the founder of the
College) impaled with those of his wife Margaret, daughter of Sir John
Colquhoun of Luss. On the skew stones (Fig. 1270), which are peculiarly
shaped, the star is frequently wrought.
In the west wall of the tower there is a niche (Fig. 1271) with a
canopy and bracket. If it ever was adorned with a figure it is now
empty, and the figure has disappeared. Beneath the niche there is a
[Illustration: FIG. 1264.--Tullibardine Church. North and South
Transepts.]
small round opening, a kind of spy hole or shot hole from the tower,
which was doubtless a place of security.
[Illustration: FIG. 1265.--Tullibardine Church. Interior, looking
South-East.
We have to thank Mr. T. S. Robertson for assistance in connection with
this Sketch.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1266.--Tullibardine Church.
Window in West Gable.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1267.
Tullibardine Church.
Jamb of Transept Arch.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1268.--Tullibardine Church.
Ambry at East End of South Wall.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1269.--Tullibardine Church.
Arms on Exterior of North Transept.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1270.--Tullibardine Church.
Skew Stone.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1271.
Tullibardine Church.
Niche in Tower.]
COLLEGIATE CHURCH, MAYBOLE.
The ancient town of Maybole, which is situated on the side of a hill
about nine miles south from Ayr, was formerly the capital of Carrick,
and contained the castle of the Earl of Cassillis[131] and the town
houses of the lairds of the district. Being within two miles of
Crosraguel Abbey and having a collegiate establishment within the town,
the ecclesiastical
[Illustration: FIG. 1272.--Maybole Collegiate Church. Plan.]
element would not be wanting in the society of the place. At the
Reformation the house of the provost was the scene of a celebrated
debate between John Knox and Quentin Kennedy, Abbot of Crosraguel, in
September 1561.
The college stands on gently sloping ground near the base of the hill on
which the town is situated, and is now enclosed within the streets.
In 1371 a chapel was founded in Maybole by Sir John Kennedy of Dunure,
and endowed for one clerk and three chaplains. This was probably the
earliest foundation of the kind established in Scotland, but it had many
successors as collegiate churches in the following century.
[Illustration: FIG. 1273.--Maybole Collegiate Church. View from
South-West.]
In Abercrummie’s description of Carrick,[132] written in the end of the
seventeenth century, the collegiate church is mentioned as being still
entire, “being now used as the burial-place of the Earl of Cassillis,
and other gentlemen who contributed to the putting of a roofe upon it,
when it was decayed.” It is further mentioned that the “Colledge
consisted of a rector and three prebends, whose stalls are all of them
yet extant, save the rector’s.”
The houses or “stalls” of the prebends are now all gone, and the church
is again roofless. The freestone has been taken away from many of the
buttresses, and the tracery of the windows is broken and most of the
windows built up.
The church as it now stands (Fig. 1272) consists of a simple oblong 52
feet long by 18 feet wide internally, but there are evidences of its
having been altered. There was a small sacristy on the north side, with
a good pointed doorway leading into the church.
[Illustration: FIG. 1274.--Maybole Collegiate Church. Tracery in
Windows.]
Both in the north and south walls (Fig. 1273) of the edifice there is a
very narrow pointed and cusped window, which does not correspond with
the other details of the building, and close to the narrow window in the
south wall there is a dressed corner, now built against, which seems to
indicate a complete change in the structure at this point. The east
window and the two windows adjoining it in the north and south sides
still retain part of their tracery (Fig. 1274), which is of a late
character. A recess with pointed arch-head for a tomb or an Easter
sepulchre in the north wall of the choir (Fig. 1275) contains mouldings
enriched with imitations of the dog-tooth, and the arches of the
south-west doorway (see Fig. 1273) have also similar dog-tooth
ornaments. The church having been founded in 1371, when the first
pointed period (to which the dog-tooth belongs) had long passed away,
there can be no doubt of the above ornaments being very late revivals,
even if the style of their execution did not make that apparent.
The south-west doorway is, however, a good late _adaptation_ or
imitation of a thirteenth century design, like other imitations of early
work which were common during the third pointed period. The doorway is
surmounted by a shield bearing the Kennedy arms.
The west end (see Fig. 1273) has a buttress in the centre, while in the
inside opposite it the recess of a built up window is observable (see
Plan), thus further indicating alteration. It seems probable that the
church was originally small, and the narrow windows, above referred to,
may possibly be remains of the original fabric. Then at a later date the
[Illustration: FIG. 1275.--Maybole Collegiate Church. Interior of East
End.]
structure was probably enlarged and partly rebuilt, when the enlarged
traceried windows, the recess in the choir, and the south-west
doorway--all of which are undoubtedly late--were introduced. This may
have occurred about A.D. 1500. The ruined sacristy still retains its
barrel vault (Fig. 1276).
Abercrummie further says--“On the north syde of the kirk is the buriall
place of the laird of Colaine within ane enclosure of new square-stone
lately built.” This enclosure remains, and its architecture corresponds
with the date mentioned, viz., seventeenth century. The entrance doorway
(see Fig. 1276) is elaborate, but considerably decayed, and over
[Illustration: FIG. 1276.--Maybole Collegiate Church. Doorway to Burial
Vault.]
it a large shield bears the Kennedy arms, impaled with another. The
church itself is now used as a burial ground by certain families of the
name of Kennedy.
BIGGAR COLLEGIATE CHURCH, LANARKSHIRE.
The town of Biggar lies in a valley in the Upper Ward of Lanarkshire,
through which communication is obtained between the upper reaches of the
Clyde and the Tweed. From an early period Biggar was a rectory in the
Deanery of Lanark. The parson of Biggar is mentioned in deeds of the
twelfth century, and several of the rectors held important appointments
at Court.
In 1545 the Church of St. Nicholas was founded and endowed by Malcolm,
Lord Fleming, the Lord High Chancellor of Scotland. The charter of
foundation still exists. It was addressed by Lord Fleming to Cardinal
Beaton, and states that the church was to be erected in honour of the
Holy Trinity, the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Nicholas the patron of
Biggar, and St. Ninian. The purpose of the foundation was to support a
provost, eight canons or prebendaries, four singing boys, and six poor
nuns, and the presentations and endowment of these officials were
reserved to the Lord Fleming. The special duties of the prebendaries
were as follow:--The first prebendary was to instruct the singing boys
in music, the second was to be master of the grammar school, the third
was to act as sacristan--to ring the bell, to light the tapers on the
four altars, and to attend to the vestments and ornament thereof--and
the fourth prebendary had charge of the poor nuns and gave them their
allowances. A hospital was to be provided for the poor nuns, and
suitable houses were to be erected for the provost and canons.
During the progress of the work, Malcolm, Lord Fleming, died. The
building was carried on by his son, and scarcely completed before the
Reformation supervened to interrupt the work.[133]
This church (Fig. 1277), like many of the collegiate edifices erected
prior to this time, is cruciform in plan, consisting of chancel with
apsidal east end, transept, and nave, with square tower over the
crossing. There are no aisles in any part of the church.
It is supposed by Grose (who saw the building more than 100 years ago,
before it was restored) that the nave, which is built with whinstone
rubble work, was probably part of an original church which was enlarged
by Lord Fleming, by the addition of a transept and chancel. This may
have been the case, but the nave is now so completely altered and
modernised that it is impossible to say. The chancel, transept, and
tower
[Illustration: FIG. 1277.--Biggar Collegiate Church. Plan.]
over the crossing are evidently of a different period from the nave,
being all built with freestone ashlar.
The total length of the structure internally is 112 feet by 20 feet
[Illustration: FIG. 1278.--Biggar Collegiate Church. South Transept and
Tower.]
4 inches in width, but about 24 feet have been cut off the west end of
the nave so as to form a lobby and staircase to a gallery and a vestry
at the west end. A south-west porch gives access to these places.
Formerly the
[Illustration: FIG. 1279.--Biggar Collegiate Church. View from
South-East.]
chapter house existed on the north side of the chancel, but it was
removed, and a new vestry is now erected in its place.
The principal entrance into the collegiate church was by a round arched
doorway in the south wall of the transept (Fig. 1278), and it is
believed that there was also a door in the west end. A small wheel
staircase in the south-east angle of the north transept leads to the
roof and tower, and also to an organ gallery in the north transept. The
top of the stair turret, as seen in the view, is modern.
The exterior, as viewed from the south-east (Fig. 1279), has a good
[Illustration: FIG. 1280.--Biggar Collegiate Church.
Details of Doorway in South Transept.]
effect, with the square battlemented tower rising boldly above the
buttressed chancel and transept. The windows are all pointed and filled
with simple tracery, and the buttresses are of simple but good design,
having a broad water table on top, and no pinnacles.
The windows are each set in a rectangular recess, which, although a
novelty, cannot be said to to be an improvement. It is in keeping with
the square forms of the Renaissance then being introduced. The arches
and jambs have triple splays. The doorway in the south transept is a
little more ornamental. The arch is round, as very usual in Scotland,
and there are two recessed arches, the inner one moulded and the outer
having enriched caps (Fig. 1280).
The tower contains a room on the first floor with a fireplace, and over
it is the belfry.
It is understood that the ancient roof was of oak, and that the timbers
in the chancel were gilt and emblazoned, doubtless with the arms of the
Flemings, who were buried there.
The interior (Fig. 1281) has been greatly remodelled, but the principal
arches at the crossing are preserved. The roof being of timber, the
arches
[Illustration: FIG. 1281.--Biggar Collegiate Church. Interior, looking
East.]
of the transepts are carried well up, and the windows are also of good
size, so that the church is well lighted, and forms, in this respect, a
striking contrast to Ladykirk and similar vaulted structures.
After the Reformation the offices and emoluments passed into the hands
of laymen.
CARNWATH CHURCH, LANARKSHIRE.
Carnwath is situated about two miles west from Carstairs Junction.
The original foundation of this church dates from a very early time. In
the middle of the twelfth century it was bestowed by William de
Sumerville on Glasgow Cathedral, which grant was confirmed by Pope
Alexander III. in 1170. The existing building is, however, of much more
recent date. It formed the north wing of the parish church, and was
added after a Collegiate foundation had been erected in 1425 by Thomas,
first Lord Somerville, for a provost and six prebendaries, and is thus
[Illustration: FIG. 1282.--Carnwath Church. Plan of North Transept.]
described in the _Memoire of the Somervilles_, written about the end of
the seventeenth century:--“The yle itself is but little, however neatly
and conveniently built opposite the middle (on the North side) of the
church; all aisles, both within and without, haveing pinickles upon all
the corners, wherein are engraven, besydes other imagerie the armes of
the Somervills and Sinclaires (the family of the wife of the founder),
very discernable to the occular aspectione, albeit it be two hundereth
and fyfie-eight years since they were placed there.”[134]
The parish church, which formerly consisted of chancel, nave, and
transept, has been removed, and there now only remains a portion of the
north transept, which has been used as the burial-place of the Lords
Carnwath-Somerville till the latter half of the seventeenth century, and
the Lockharts since then.
The building (Fig. 1282) stands north and south, and measures about 25
feet long by 22 feet 6 inches wide (externally). The style (Fig. 1283)
[Illustration: FIG. 1283.--Carnwath Church. View from North-West.]
is generally like that of the contemporary churches of Scotland; but the
large north window is remarkable from having a closer affinity than
usual with the English perpendicular. In order to carry the heavy stone
roof, shown in the sketch, the building is covered with a pointed barrel
vault such as is generally employed for this purpose; and, as frequently
happens, the vault is divided into bays, and is ornamented with
decorative ribs springing from shafts attached to the wall. Some of the
caps bear the arms of the founder and his spouse. The vaulting gives
rise to the massive buttresses employed, and to the depressed form of
the two-light square-headed side windows on each side, one of which is
seen in the sketch.
The building having been restored, several new features have been added.
Thus the belfry on the south gable and the cross on the north gable are
modern. The north doorway under the large window is also an insertion,
but is believed to have been formed with the stones of the old doorway
of the church. The pinnacles referred to in the above quoted description
still exist (although partly restored), but the coats of arms on the
buttresses are no longer visible. The outline of the arch in the south
gable, which formerly opened from the transept into the church, can
still be traced (see Plan).
The interior contains a fine altar-tomb, bearing the recumbent figures
of Hugh, Lord Somerville, who died in 1549, and his second wife, Janet,
daughter of William Maitland of Ledington, who died about 1550. Lord
Hugh was a great favourite of James V., who frequently visited him at
his Castle of Cowthally.
In the churchyard of Carnwath there is another recumbent effigy,
apparently of older date, but its history is unknown.
CASTLE SEMPLE COLLEGIATE CHURCH, RENFREWSHIRE.
This somewhat remarkable structure stands in the midst of beautiful
woodland scenery, on a gentle acclivity above Lochwinnoch, near the
point at the north end where the Black Cart flows from the loch.
A collegiate church was founded on this site, and endowed in 1504
[Illustration: FIG. 1284.--Castle Semple Collegiate Church. Plan.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1285.--Castle Semple Collegiate Church. View from
South-East.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1286.--Castle Semple Collegiate Church. View from
North-West.]
by John, first Lord Sempill, near his own residence of Castle Semple.
The establishment consisted of a provost, six chaplains, two boys, and a
sacristan. The church (Fig. 1284) measures within the walls 66 feet in
length by 19 feet in width. The building is a simple oblong, terminating
toward the east in a three-sided apse, and having a square tower
projecting from the centre of the west wall.
[Illustration: FIG. 1287.--Castle Semple Collegiate Church. Monument to
John, Lord Sempill.]
The style of the east end (Fig. 1285) is very remarkable. The forms of
the double windows indicate plainly that they are very late survivals of
spurious Gothic work, and a close examination of the building tends to
confirm this view. The other windows in the side walls have been greatly
altered, but they do not present any features at all like those of the
apse. Over the door to the chancel are two coats of arms with the
letters R. L. S. and A. M. S., the dexter shield bearing the Sempill
arms and the sinister the Montgomerie. The square tower at the west end
(Fig. 1286) is extremely simple, and has no analogy with the work at the
east end.
[Illustration: FIG. 1288.
Castle Semple Collegiate Church.
Slab to Gabriel Sempill.]
There can be little doubt that the tower and most of the side walls are
of about the date of the original foundation, while the east apse has
been added in the sixteenth century, to receive the monument of John,
Lord Sempill, who fell at Flodden in 1513. A few remains of the original
square-headed windows in the side walls are still traceable.
The interior has, within recent times, been divided by two solid walls
into three compartments, so as to form separate private burial-places,
and this operation seems to have caused the further alteration and
building up of the side windows.
In the eastern compartment stands, against the north wall, the large
monument to Lord Sempill (Fig. 1287), which bears the following
inscription:--
· · · JOHN · LORD · SEMPIL ANDE · HIS · LAYDI · D · · · MARGARITA · · ·
It must have been erected after 1513, and shows the last expiring effort
of the Gothic decorative spirit. The cusped half-arch half-lintel is a
kind of compromise between the Gothic and Renaissance, and the exuberant
foliage of the upper portion shows late Gothic forms run wild.
The architecture of the apse windows corresponds in extravagance with
that of the monument.
A monumental slab in the central compartment (Fig. 1288) is erected in
memory of “Gabriel Sempel,” who died in 1587. This shows the style
[Illustration: FIG. 1289.--Castle Semple Collegiate Church.
Carved Stone.]
of lettering which was in use about that time, together with the Sempill
arms.
A carved stone (Fig. 1289) (from a sketch by Mr. William Galloway),
which seems to have been the socket of a cross, stands in the building,
and was perhaps used at one time as a font. It is octagonal in form, and
has an oblong sinking in the centre.
GREYFRIARS’ CHURCH,[135] ELGIN.
The mendicant orders were introduced into Scotland by Alexander II.
(1214-49), who is stated to have founded eight convents for Dominicans,
but only two for Franciscans. From an old undated charter it is believed
that the latter order was established in Elgin under Alexander III., but
their original monastery appears to have fallen into decay. It was,
however, revived under James I. (1424-37) for the order of Observantines
introduced into Scotland by that king.
[Illustration: FIG. 1290.--Greyfriars’ Church, Elgin. Plan.]
Their first convent was in Edinburgh, where these friars were
established in 1446. This convent was followed by one in St. Andrews,
and a third house was settled at Aberdeen in 1450. The order then
extended to Elgin, where it was introduced by John Innes, a member of a
well-known Morayshire family, in 1479. The Franciscans, having no
rentals to be taxed and no lands to alienate, probably fled when the
Reformation came. Their convent was plundered by Montrose, but the
church was not demolished, and still stands with its four walls
complete, though sadly damaged. The domestic buildings have been
obliterated or converted to modern uses.
The church (Fig. 1290) is a simple oblong structure, 110 feet in length
by 22 feet in width internally. It had an entrance door for the public
in the north wall, near the west end. From the marks in the wall above
it (Fig. 1291) there seems to have been a wooden porch or awning over
the doorway.
The church has been well lighted with large traceried windows (see Fig.
1291) in the east and west end walls, and with six side windows in
[Illustration: FIG. 1291.--Greyfriars’ Church, Elgin. View from
North-West.]
the north wall and one in the south wall. Each of the end windows had
three mullions with intersecting tracery in the arch, and the side
windows were all divided into two lights by a central mullion, with two
curved divisions in the arch. Near the centre of the building, and on
both sides, there occur two small windows, one over the other, the lower
one being single with ogee head, and the upper one having a central
mullion. These windows have evidently been for the purpose of lighting
the rood screen and loft. The lower windows would light the space under
the rood loft, where there was no doubt an altar, and the upper windows
the gallery or space over the screen. The corbels which carried the loft
can still be traced on both sides of the church. A piscina in each of
the side walls, close to the screen, shows that there were altars
placed against it. In the north window, adjoining the screen, there is a
stone sink, probably used by the priests as a lavatory. At the east end
of the church there is an ambry in each of the side walls, and a window
in the south wall to light the sanctuary. Under it is a recess, probably
used as a sedilia. The conventual buildings have evidently been built to
the south of the church. The junctions of four walls forming buildings
on two sides of a courtyard still remain, and in the south wall of the
church, between the above, may be observed the corbels which carried the
roof of the cloister walk. There are also two doors from this side into
the church. The structure is of a plain and simple style, corresponding
to the character of the mendicant friars who occupied it. It was
doubtless erected soon after the Observantines were introduced in 1479,
and bears the character of the architecture of the period.
After the Reformation the church was no longer used for service.
Criminal Courts sat in it till the middle of the seventeenth century,
and it also served as a place of meeting of the crafts or trades in
Elgin. Afterwards it became a place for Episcopal services, and it is
now the property of the Convent of St. Mary of Mercy.
GREYFRIARS’ CHURCH, ABERDEEN.
This structure, which took the place of an older one, was built by the
well-known prelate Bishop Gavin Dunbar[136] at his own expense, between
the years 1518 and 1532. Its architect was Alexander Galloway, parson
[Illustration: FIG. 1292.--Greyfriars’ Church, Aberdeen. Plan.]
of Kinkell, a well-known Churchman, who is specially referred to in the
description of the later church. This church was dedicated to the
Virgin. At the Reformation it was bestowed on Marischal College, and
was thereafter known as the College Kirk. It was at first an oblong
structure (Fig.
[Illustration: FIG. 1293.--Greyfriars’ Church, Aberdeen. View from
South-West.]
1292)[137] with massive buttresses, but in 1768 the north projection was
built, and the length of the church was reduced by 20 feet,[138] and
probably
[Illustration: FIG. 1294.--Greyfriars’ Church, Aberdeen. South
Elevation.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1295.--Greyfriars’ Church, Aberdeen.
Carved Bench End.]
the west end (shown in Fig. 1293) was then erected. There was formerly a
spire or steeple, probably at the west end. The church now extends to
six bays in the length (Fig. 1294), divided by buttresses, and having a
pointed window in each bay. It is fitted up with galleries in the most
incongruous style, but has several good examples of carved bench ends
and other wood-work (Fig. 1295).
The chief feature of the building is the east end (Figs. 1296 and 1297),
with its immense window, one of the largest examples of tracery now
remaining in Scotland. It is divided into seven lights, and although it
is of the simplest design, being merely a series of intersecting arches,
an agreeable variety is obtained by stopping several of the bars near
the top from running their full course, and thus obtaining larger
openings, which contrast with the others of smaller size. A similar kind
of design was very frequent in
[Illustration: FIG. 1296.--Greyfriars’ Church, Aberdeen.
Window in East End.]
late work in Scotland, but none of the other examples possess the size
and elegance of this one. The delicate detail of its slightly arched
transome is noteworthy. The buttresses (see Fig. 1297) also are of a
good form; indeed, it is remarkable, considering its lateness, how pure
and simple the details are.
In the process of extending the college, it was contemplated to
demolish this church, but fortunately, we believe, that intention has
been abandoned.
[Illustration: FIG. 1297.--Greyfriars’ Church, Aberdeen. East Wall and
Window.]
THE PRIORY CHURCH OF ST. CLEMENT, ROWDIL, HARRIS, INVERNESS-SHIRE.
Amongst the numerous remains of ancient ecclesiastical structures still
surviving in the Western Isles, the Church of St. Clement, situated near
the south point of Harris, holds a prominent place, being one of the
very few ancient structures in that region which are not ruinous, and
are still in use for public worship.
The origin of the church is uncertain, but it is supposed to have been
originally founded by an emissary from Iona, and to have fallen into
decay during the occupation of the Norsemen. It is thought that the
necessities of the monastery, thus arising, were probably relieved by
David I. “from the revenues of the newly instituted Abbey of Holyrood
House,” and that this may have given the monks of the latter the claim
to St. Clement’s, which they afterwards substantiated.[139]
It is agreed amongst writers on the subject[140] that the church was
restored or rebuilt by Sir Alexander M‘Leod, Rector of Harris, who seems
to have used the materials of an older building in the restoration. This
is evident from the random manner in which some carved figures are built
into the walls of the west tower.
Mr. Ross points out that Alaster Crotach or Humpback had, in 1498, a
charter from King James IV. for the hereditary lands of Ardmanich, &c.,
and that he was succeeded by his son William, who died in 1553.
The _Old Statistical Account_ informs us that the church was repaired by
the said Alexander M‘Leod, who died (as the inscription on his tomb in
the church bears) in 1527.
Of the domestic buildings of the priory not a stone now remains. The
church was burnt and was repaired in “1784 by the late patriotic Alex.
M‘Leod, Esq., of Harris. After the church was roofed and slated, and the
materials for furnishing it within laid up in it to a considerable
value, it unfortunately took fire at night through the carelessness of
the carpenters, who had left a live coal in it among the timbers. So
zealous, however, was this friend of religion and mankind in his design
of repairing it, that by his orders and at his expense it was soon after
this accident roofed, and it is now [1794], though left unfinished since
the time of his death, used as one of the principal places in the parish
for celebrating divine service.”
The church was again repaired in 1787. About 1866 it had once more
become dilapidated, and was repaired under the supervision of Mr.
Alexander Ross, architect, Inverness, to whose kindness we are indebted
for permission to use the description and illustrations in his
[Illustration: FIG. 1298.--Priory Church of St. Clement. Plan.]
article on St. Clement’s in the _Proceedings of the Society of
Antiquaries of Scotland_, above referred to.
[Illustration: FIG. 1299.--Priory Church of St. Clement. View from
South-East.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1300.--Priory Church of St. Clement. Interior of
South Side.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1301.--Priory Church of St. Clement. Interior of
North Side.]
The building is chiefly remarkable from containing an elaborately
sculptured monument to Alexander M‘Leod of Dunvegan or Harris.
The structure (Fig. 1298) is small and is cruciform in plan. It has a
square tower at the west end, the full width of the nave, which is
founded on a rock at a higher level than the nave (Fig. 1299).
The choir is not architecturally distinguished from the nave, and the
whole building is 61 feet in length (internally) by 15 feet in width.
It has a square east end, and is lighted by a large traceried east
window, and by two small windows in the side walls. The former is
[Illustration: FIG. 1302.--Priory Church of St. Clement. Responds and
Mouldings at Entrance to Transepts.]
pointed, and is divided by two mullions into three lights. The tracery
in the arch-head consists of a circle divided by six radiating bars.
The church (Fig. 1300) has two square-headed windows and two pointed
windows in the south wall, and one square and one round-headed window in
the north wall (Fig. 1301), and the entrance doorway, which is in the
north wall, is also square lintelled.
The transept consists of a north and south chapel, which are not exactly
opposite one another. They have square-headed windows in the north,
south, and east walls. Each chapel is entered from the nave by a moulded
and pointed arch (see Figs. 1300 and 1301) springing from responds. The
latter have both in their section and caps (Fig. 1302) a certain
resemblance to Norman work. As pointed out by Mr. Muir, the details
indicate the second pointed period, “though, as in the mouldings at
Iona, the adoption of forms resembling Norman and first pointed has
given to it an appearance of greater antiquity.”
[Illustration: FIG. 1303.--Priory Church of St. Clement. Monument in
Choir (East of South Transept).]
The monuments are the most remarkable features in the building. These
are three in number, two of them being placed against the south wall,
one in the choir and one in the nave (see Fig. 1300) on either side of
the arch leading into the south transept. The third monument is at the
south end of the south transept.
The monument in the choir is the most elaborate, being specially rich
in sculpture. Its form (Fig. 1303) is peculiar, having, in addition to
the usual recessed arch, a sloping gable-shaped moulding, which encloses
the design on top, and is continued perpendicularly down each side. The
space between the arch and the enclosing moulding is divided into nine
panels, each containing a distinct carving of figures. That in the apex
represents God the Father, holding between his knees a cross bearing a
figure of the Crucifixion. Each of the panels at the sides contains one
or two figures of angels waving censers, and saints holding scrolls. The
wall
[Illustration: FIG. 1304.--Priory Church of St. Clement. Effigy of
Alexander M‘Leod of Harris.]v
at the back of the arch is also divided into panels, containing
sculptures in three rows. In the upper row the panels comprise angels
censing with a star in the centre, and at each side an angel holding a
candle. In the central row the chief panel contains the Virgin and
Child, supported by a bishop or abbot on each side, one of whom holds a
skull. These figures are each enclosed in a Gothic canopy. The left
panel shows the faint outline of a castle, and that on the right a
galley (the M‘Leod arms). The third row exhibits several panels. That on
the
[Illustration: FIG. 1305.--Priory Church of St. Clement.
Effigy in South Transept.]
left is a hunting scene, a knight with sword and spear, followed by
attendants holding dogs in leash. The next panel contains three stags,
well carved. To the right of this is a panel representing an angel
holding up a pair of scales to weigh the souls of the departed, in which
process he is interfered with by a demon. A similar scene is carved on
one of the pier caps in the choir of Iona Cathedral (see Fig. 985).
To the right is a long panel containing the following inscription in
Gothic letters:--
HIC · LOCULUS · CŌPOSUIT · · · · ALLEXĀDER · FILIUS · VILM̄I · MAC ·
CLOD · DN̄O · DE · DŪVEGAN · ANNO · DN̄I · Mº · CCCCCº · XXVIIIº
The meaning of this apparently is that Alexander, son of William MacLeod
of Dunvegan, made this tomb A.D. 1528.
On the pedestal under the arch lies the effigy of the said Alexander
M‘Leod of Dunvegan (Fig. 1304), clad in full armour, and holding a long
sword with cross hilt. The effigy is unfortunately much decayed. The
head rests on a pillow with an animal above, and the feet rest on a
lion. At the side of the monument a lion encloses the tomb.
The style of the carving and the subjects represented recall the
sculptures at Iona. The figures of the abbot and bishop are similar in
style to that of the abbess at the Iona Nunnery, and the scene of the
angel weighing souls with a demon interfering occurs on one of the caps
in the Iona
[Illustration: FIG. 1306.--Priory Church of St. Clement. East
Elevation.]
choir. The division of the flat surfaces into panels, each containing a
separate subject, is characteristic of Celtic decoration. The hunting
scene and the ship are also common in Celtic work. The peculiar Celtic
foliage of Iona is here wanting. Enough, however, exists to associate
the style of the work with that of the rest of the Western Isles, while
the Gothic influence is also very distinct.
The date is fixed by the inscription, and the introduction of the
nail-head ornament shows the revival here, as at Iona, of earlier forms,
as above pointed out by Mr. Muir.
The tomb in the recessed arch to the west of the south transept is of
much simpler design than the corresponding one to the east above
described. It consists (see Fig. 1300) of a semicircular moulded arch
with a hood moulding stopped on carved corbels at each end. Over the
upper part of the hood a triangular space is enclosed with a moulding,
finished at the apex with a fleur-de-lys. This triangular space contains
an oblong panel, much decayed, exhibiting the Crucifixion, with a figure
on each side. The effigy “represents a man in armour with high peaked
bassinet and camail over a habergeon reaching to the knee. The nature of
the defences of the feet and legs is not indicated. He holds a long,
straight, cross-hilted sword in front, the pommel reaching to the
breast, and the point placed between the feet. A dagger hangs at his
left side, but the military belt is wanting.”[141]
[Illustration: FIG. 1307.--Priory Church of St. Clement. North-East
Elevation.]
The third tomb is at the end of the south transept. The effigy (Fig.
1305) is somewhat similar to the last described, but is much wasted by
exposure.
A remarkable recessed tomb having some analogy with those at Rowdil is
described and figured in a paper by Professor Norman Macpherson in the
_Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland_, Vol. XII. p.
583. It consists of a plain round arch in the north wall of the ruined
Church of St. Donan in the island of Eigg. In the wall at the back of
the recess is a large square panel containing sculptures, which “afford
an interesting example of Celtic notions of heraldry.” These sculptures
appear to represent the Clanranald shield, having in the place of the
first quarter a hand grasping a cross, in the second what appears
[Illustration: FIG. 1308.--Priory Church of St. Clement.
Figure, &c., in West Elevation.]
to be a lion, in the third a galley, and in the fourth a castle. A tree,
like a laurel, springs from the base and stretches to the top, with a
bird on the highest branch.
The external appearance of St. Clement’s is shown by Fig. 1299 and by
the elevations (Figs. 1306 and 1307). The latter also show the tower and
the peculiar carved heads and other figures, above alluded to, as
probable insertions from an older structure. Fig. 1308 shows the small
figure of a saint, inserted over the cabled string course on the west
side of the tower, and the narrow cusped window above it. The north
elevation (see Fig. 1307) and the sections (see Figs. 1300 and 1301)
explain the mode in which the tower is built upon a higher level than
the church.
ORONSAY PRIORY,[142] ARGYLLSHIRE.
Notwithstanding the very numerous small churches and chapels found in
the Western Isles,[143] there are comparatively few remains of
monasteries. The original Celtic religious establishments were,
doubtless, monastic in their form and structure, but of convents in the
later sense, corresponding with those so common on the mainland, few
traces are now to be seen. Next to the great Abbey of the Isles at Iona
and the nunnery on the same island, the largest monastic establishment
in the Western Isles of which the structures survive is the Priory of
Oronsay.
This island lies about ten miles west from Jura, and can be most
conveniently reached from Portaskaig, in Islay. The isle is about two
and three-quarter miles broad from east to west by about two miles from
north to south. It stands at the south end of the larger island of
Colonsay, from which it is separated by a narrow channel, dry at low
tide.
It is traditionally narrated that St. Columba and his companion, St.
Oran, landed on Oronsay after leaving Ireland; but finding that the
latter country could still be seen from the highest point of the island,
they forsook it and sailed to Iona. St. Oran, however, gave his name to
the island, and, together with Colonsay, it seems, from the numerous
remains of churches which once existed on these islands, to have been a
sacred locality, the remains of nine old churches and the sites of three
more--ten in Colonsay and two in Oronsay--being still traceable. The
most important appears to have been the Monastery of Kiloran, in
Colonsay, of which no remains now exist. Next to it was the Priory of
Oronsay. This priory of Canons Regular of St. Augustine appears to have
been founded in the fourteenth century by the Lord of the Isles as a
cell of the Abbey of Holyrood at Edinburgh.
The priory is situated at the extreme west end of the island, on the
lowermost slope of the _Beinn Oronsay_, just short of the point where
its rugged cliffs front the Atlantic.
The general arrangement of the buildings (Fig. 1309) is peculiar. The
ground slopes rapidly from north to south, necessarily carrying the
drainage with it; yet, contrary to the usual custom, the cloisters and
residential buildings were placed to the north of the church. Exclusive
of projections at the north-east and south-west angles, and a mortuary
chapel on the south, the structures occupy a parallelogram about 87 feet
from north to south, by 65 feet from east to west. The latter length is
also that of the church proper, which occupies the south side of the
square, but has at the west end a narthex about 15 feet square
internally, which projects beyond the general range of the buildings.
The walls of the narthex are now level with those of the church, but as
there are roughly hewn corbel stones for carrying a floor overhead, it
is probable this is only the lower stage of a bell-tower, of which the
upper part has been long since demolished. The greater thickness of the
walls and two sadly injured freestone buttresses on its south face (Fig.
1310) favour this idea. Entrance is obtained by a doorway with a plain
pointed freestone arch, having a hood moulding close to the westmost
buttress (see Fig 1310). The church is, internally, nearly 18 feet in
width; and at the right hand, on entering, there remains the solid
foundation of a stone stair leading to a tribune or organ gallery,
recesses for the ends of massive beams to carry it being still visible,
together with rough rubble corbelling on either side.
On the left is a narrow doorway, neatly formed with thin schist stones,
leading to the cloisters. Internally the church is entirely devoid of
architectural decoration, but an extensive range of stalls, of which
traces still exist, and other wood-work, including an open roof, must
have redeemed an otherwise bald interior, into which very little light
can have been admitted. The principal source of light was a 5 feet wide
window at the east end (Fig. 1311), divided by mullions into three
lanciform lights,
[Illustration: FIG. 1309.--Oronsay Priory. Plan.]
the pointed arch-heads of which run up to the main arch. The other
gable, seen on the right in Fig. 1311, is modern, and forms the entrance
porch to what may have formerly been the chapter house, but which has
been appropriated, in recent times, as a burial-place by the proprietor
of the island. Apart from this there were only three windows in the
nave, two very small, and another rather longer with a cusped head, all
formed in freestone, and on the extreme east end of the south wall near
the altar a square-headed window with slab lintel and sill. Between
these windows a
[Illustration: FIG. 1310.--Oronsay Priory. Cross and South Side of
Narthex and Church.]
plain schist doorway gives access to the mortuary chapel of the
M‘Duffies or M‘Fies, which is about 25 feet long by 12 feet wide over
the walls. These are unbonded into the south wall of the church, and
were covered with a plain lean-to roof, in which there was evidently a
priest’s apartment. The chapel is lit from the south by two small
windows, and in a recess on the north side is the burial-place of Abbot
M‘Duffie, covered with a carved slab representing the abbot fully
vested, with his right hand raised in benediction, and a pastoral staff
in his left. Pennant says:--“In the same place is a stone enriched with
foliage, a stag surrounded with dogs, and a ship with full sail; round
which is inscribed ‘Hic jacet
[Illustration: FIG. 1311.--Oronsay Priory. East End of Church.]
Murchardus Macdufie de Collonsa An. Do. 1539 Meuse Mart Ora me ille,
Ammen.’”[144] Beyond this chapel, at the south-east angle of the church,
is a singularly massive buttress, at the bottom of which, on the level
of the floor and accessible by a narrow opening from the interior of the
church, is a curious ambry about 3 feet cube, strongly lintelled
overhead, and designed, no doubt, for the safe keeping of the church
treasure, but is now desecrated as a “bone-hole.” The altar still
remains built of freestone, evidently reused from some previous
building.
On the north side of the chancel the arrangement is very peculiar. An
opening about 8 feet wide, with a plain pointed freestone arch (Fig.
1312) resting on schist impost caps, gives access to a kind of trance or
passage, having an ambry at the ground level on the left and a blocked
up window on the right. It is formed between the north wall of the
church and the south end of the chapter house, which is gabled
independently of the church. Its only apparent use may have been as a
sacristy. It is roofed in by large flat stones, with a rapid slope to
the east. The east range of buildings is pretty complete, except on the
north, where the gable fell some years ago. On the ground floor a large
apartment, 19 feet 6 inches long by 15 feet 4 inches wide, with a
doorway entering on the east cloister walk, was no doubt the chapter
house.
The range of domestic buildings on the north has been sadly ruined, this
having been the point where entry was obtained, in recent times, for the
removal of materials, and thus of the north and south walls only
fragments remain. A massive wall, still happily intact, encloses the
cloister on the west. The internal area is rather over 41 feet square,
with cloister walks about 7 feet broad, and the arcading presents some
very singular features. The south arcade (Fig. 1313), which is evidently
the most ancient, is composed of five low narrow arches with circular
heads, very neatly turned with thin schist slabs, without any freestone
or architectural dressing of any kind. The other three arcades were
evidently part of a later restoration, and the peculiar form in which
they were constructed is evidently due to the nature of the materials
employed, viz., schist slabs of the same quality as that used for the
sculptured slabs.
When Martin visited the island in the latter part of the seventeenth
century, the three arcades and the enclosing walls were quite complete.
A century later, in 1772, Pennant found the north arcade demolished with
the exception of the end arches, while the east and west arcades
remained intact. These subsequently disappeared also, and it was not
until 1883 that Mr. Galloway found, scattered throughout the church and
churchyard, sufficient materials to complete the restoration of one
arcade. This was accordingly done on the west side (see Fig. 1313) in
that year. Amongst the shafts and “pillars” found there were happily
both of those mentioned by Martin as bearing inscriptions. The hewn work
of these arcades was formed entirely of the peculiar kind of schist used
in the sculptured crosses and memorial stones in the Western Highlands,
and it may have been the facility of obtaining this material in the
slab, rather than the cube form, which determined the special character
of the arcading. Each arcade had openings or arches nearly 30 inches
from centre to centre, there being seven in the east and west arcades,
and probably one or two more in the north arcade. They were built with
slab shafts, averaging 2 feet 10 inches high by 1 foot broad, and 2 or 3
inches thick, with neatly moulded and socketed caps and bases. On these
[Illustration: FIG. 1312.--Oronsay Priory. Arch on West Side of
Church.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1313.--Oronsay Priory. South and West Arcades of
Cloister.]
there rested the slabs, shaped at each end so as to meet exactly in the
middle, thus forming a straight lined arch, and the haunches were filled
up with rubble. With this both Martin’s and Pennant’s descriptions
exactly agree.
The north range of the buildings, which no doubt contained the refectory
and dormitories, has been too much dilapidated to admit of any
intelligible description. In a line with it, however, and extending
eastward beyond the priory square (see Plan), there is a small chapel of
very early character, built entirely in rubble, without any freestone
dressings. It is 17 feet over the walls and 33 feet in breadth; but for
no apparent reason the west gable is slewed round to the south, making
an inequality of 2 feet in the length of the sides. There has been a
wide window in the east gable, but owing to the demolition of the wall
its character cannot be judged. There are two small windows in the north
side and one in the south, mere slits with no provisions for frames or
glazing. There is an entrance doorway on the south side at the west end
and a priest’s door at the east. On the north side there is a very small
door nearly opposite that of the entrance on the south.
The foundations of the altar still remain, and a line of stones still
indicates the position of the chancel rail. The base of the pulpit
remains on the north side, and at the west end there has been a tribune
or organ gallery, which has been accessible by a door in the east gable
of the priory buildings. In this gable, on the ground floor, an archway
has been formed 6 feet 8 inches in width, with a plain pointed rubble
arch, which seems to have been subsequently filled in, and a
square-headed doorway of much smaller size substituted.
Immediately to the north of this chapel, and separated from it by an 8
foot wide passage, is a most interesting example of a monastic barn and
byre, 39 feet in length by 22 feet in breadth. It is an excellent
specimen of rubble building with freestone dressings to the windows,
&c., in the same style as the church, and may be coeval with the later
restoration. The windows are small, and on the north side close to the
ground are openings for the discharge of refuse from the byre. In the
south-east angle a small chamber has been formed for the herd, with a
little eyelet and ambry, and it would no doubt be cut off by
partitioning from the other occupants. At the south-west angle there is
a small door opening inwards, and some indications that a chamber had
been formed between the building itself and the north wall of the
priory. At the south wall head (internally) there has been inserted a 4
or 5 foot long schist slab, with a quaint human head carved in the
centre. It serves no purpose where it is, and must evidently have been a
relic of some older structure. There can be no doubt there was a doorway
to the west, but, if so, the present entrance shows no traces of it. The
building is still roofed, and in use.
Pennant states that the church “contains the tombs of numbers of the
ancient islanders, two of warriors recumbent (7 feet long), a flattery
perhaps of the sculptor to give to future ages exalted notions of their
prowess. Besides, there are scattered over the floor lesser figures of
heroes, priests, and females, the last seemingly of some order, and near
them is a figure cut in stone of full size, apparently an abbess.”[145]
These figures, as illustrated by Pennant, strongly recall the
corresponding monuments at Iona and elsewhere throughout the West
Highlands and Islands.
The slabs have now been set up against the walls of the church (see Fig.
1311), while others still exist in the burying-ground outside.
Close to the south-west angle of the narthex stands the celebrated
Oronsay cross[146] (see Fig. 1310). It stands on mason work covered by a
slab 3 feet by 3 feet 3 inches, perforated with a hole in which the
cross is fixed. The shaft is 12 feet in height. On the west face there
is a Crucifixion on the disc, and the shaft is carved on both sides with
the usual Celtic ornament in round panels. The inscription near the base
is now illegible.
ST. MAELRUBBA, LOCH EYNORT, SKYE.
The site of the ancient Church of St. Maelrubba, at the head of Loch
Eynort in the south of Skye, is now occupied by a more recent ruin.[147]
A very interesting relic of the ancient church is, however, preserved in
the remarkable font (Figs. 1314 and 1315), which, after some wandering
and neglect, has at last found a suitable resting-place in the Museum of
the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland in Edinburgh. An account of its
transference from the shore of Loch Eynort to the Museum is given by Mr.
J. Russell Walker, in a paper on “Scottish Baptismal Fonts” in the
_Proceedings_ of that Society, 1886-7, p. 412. The bowl is circular,
both externally and internally, and the basin is 1 foot 6½ inches in
diameter and 13 inches deep. The circumference is divided into four
equal parts by four figures representing--(1) The Crucifixion, (2) The
Blessed Virgin with the Child, (3) a mitred bishop in full canonicals
with a crosier in his left hand, and (4) St. Michael slaying the dragon.
The panels to the right and left of the Crucifixion are filled with
interlaced work, and those to the right and left of the bishop with
inscriptions not now legible. On the lower sloping parts between the
figures are floral designs. The font is of hornblende gneiss, and the
carving is remarkable in that hard material. There seem
[Illustration: FIG. 1314.--St. Maelrubba. Font.]
to be the remains of four caps, as if there had been four shafts to
support the bowl.
[Illustration: FIG. 1315.--St. Maelrubba. Font.]
The carving of this font is a striking illustration of the peculiar
mixture of Celtic and Gothic work, of which numerous specimens are above
noticed in connection with the structures of the Western Highlands and
Islands, as at Iona, Rowdil, &c.
* * * * *
The examples of the third or late pointed period of Gothic architecture
given above sufficiently indicate the progress of the style during the
period, and show its gradual decline.
The following examples of this period, being for the most part
fragmentary, are arranged alphabetically by counties.
KINKELL CHURCH, ABERDEENSHIRE.
A ruinous building, very prettily situated on the left bank of the Don,
about three miles north from Kintore. Kinkell was once, as its name
signifies, the head church of the district, and had under it six
subordinate churches. In 1754 the Lords Commissioners for plantation of
kirks annexed one third of the parish of Kinkell to that of Kintore, the
remainder going to augment the parish of Keithhall. In 1771 the Church
[Illustration: FIG. 1316.--Kinkell Church. Plan.]
of Kinkell was unroofed in order to supply materials for use in the
Church of Keithhall. The Church of Kinkell was remarkable for its fine
design and workmanship, and contained several monuments and sculptures;
but it is now sadly ruined, only the north wall and parts of the east
and west walls remaining.
The edifice (Fig. 1316) was a simple oblong 73 feet in length by 18 feet
6 inches in width internally. There has been a large east window, only
one jamb of which partially remains, and there are no other window or
door openings preserved. The north wall seems to have been entirely
without openings. A large modern burial vault has been erected in the
centre of the church.
One or two features of the former fine ornamentation of the structure
still remain _in situ_, but other portions have been removed, and are
now to be found elsewhere, as will be pointed out.
In the north wall near the east end is a fine sacrament house (Fig.
1317). The design consists, as usual in these details, of a buttress on
each side of the ambry, with crocketed finials, the carving of which is
of a late style. Between the pinnacles is a panel which seems to have
been
[Illustration: FIG. 1317.--Kinkell Church. Sacrament House.]
ornamented with the usual monstrance supported by two angels, but the
carving is nearly obliterated. Above this panel there runs a small
crenelated parapet, supported by a double row of corbels. Immediately
over the parapet is an oblong panel, which doubtless contained a
Crucifixion or similar sculpture, but it is now empty.
To the right and left of the pinnacles are two panels, each containing a
ribbon of different design. That on the left bears the inscription “HIC
EST SVATV,” and that on the right the words “CORPS DE VIGIE NATUM,”
which may be read, “Hic est servatum corpus de Virgine Natum.”
On the base of the ambry are the letters ANO. DNI. 1528, in the centre
MEORARE, and on the right the initials A. and G. united by a cord. The
letter G. also occurs at the end of the inscription in the right hand
panel, and is probably a repetition of the last letter of the initials
A. G.
[Illustration: FIG. 1318.--Kinkell Church.
Panel in North Wall of Church.]
The base is supported on a continuous corbel carved with foliage, and
has in the centre a shield, bearing a lion rampant.
The initials A. G. twice repeated and the date, together with the late
style of the work, point to the sacrament house having been designed by
Alexander Galloway, who was rector of Kinkell in 1528, and who was also
the architect of the first bridge of ten arches over the Dee at
Aberdeen.
Another panel (Fig. 1318) is built into the north wall of the church a
little to the west of the sacrament house. It contains a Crucifixion,
with a figure of the Virgin Mary on one side and an angel on the other.
The initials of Alexander Galloway occur three times on this sculpture,
and the date 1525.
The font which was removed from the Church of Kinkell long stood in a
garden, but is now restored and placed in St. John’s Episcopal Church,
Aberdeen. Of the original font only the granite basin now exists. It is
octagonal in form, and each face is illustrated with one or more sacred
emblems, as shown in Fig. 1319, except one face, on which occur the
initials of Alexander Galloway, parson of Kinkell. He was one of the
best known ecclesiastics in Scotland before the Reformation, and gifted
this font to the Church of Kinkell. Galloway appears to have been one
of the most able public men of his time, of whom Boece says,[148] “He
was so great a favourite
[Illustration: FIG. 1319.--Kinkell Church. Font.]
with the Bishop (Elphinston) that none of his concerns of moment were
transacted without him.”
SACRAMENT HOUSE, KINTORE, ABERDEENSHIRE.
Another piece of sculpture (Fig. 1320) said to have been removed from
the Church of Kinkell is preserved at the Church of Kintore. It was at
one time built into the outer wall of the Church of Kintore, but it has
now been removed for better preservation into the interior. It
[Illustration: FIG. 1320.--Sacrament House, Kintore.
Old Monument built into Wall.]
originally consisted of two parts, the lower portion containing the
ambry for the reception of the sacramental elements, and the upper
portion being enriched with a beautifully carved bas-relief,
representing a monstrance of elaborate tabernacle work, supported by two
angels, and crowned with a sculptured crucifix. The ambry is now
wanting, except the lintel, which bears the words Jesus Maria. Over the
lintel is a panel which no doubt formerly contained sculpture, now
removed. The whole design is surrounded with a frame composed of a
series of baluster shaped shafts, covered with flat foliage of a
Renaissance character.
Whether this decorated work came from Kinkell or not, it evidently
belongs to the period when that church was built, being of the latest
Gothic design, which prevailed immediately before the Reformation.
ST. ADAMNAN’S CHAPEL, ABERDEENSHIRE.
A small chapel situated near Leask, some two or three miles inland from
the old Castle of Slains. It is surrounded by what appears to have been
a churchyard, but is now covered with stunted trees. The chapel (Fig.
1321) is filled with its own ruins and is utterly uncared for. The walls
are fairly entire for a height of about 7 feet, while the east gable is
nearly complete, and contains a pointed window about 7 feet wide, which
was probably filled with tracery. The outside jambs are gone, but the
inner splayed face of the arch is still entire. In the east wall are the
remains of what may have been a piscina, and there is an ambry in the
south wall adjoining. There are a window in the south wall and two
openings of some kind in the north, with a narrow window high up in the
west gable. The doorway is on the south side, but its jambs are gone,
and only the bar hole remains to indicate that it was the doorway. The
church measures, externally, 45 feet from east to west by 23 feet 3
inches from north to south.
Not much is recorded about this chapel. In the _View of the Diocese of
Aberdeen_[149] it is referred to as the Parish Church of Fervie,
“dedicated to St. Fidamnan, Abbot of Icolmkill.”
From the charters preserved at Slains, we learn that “a letter of
manrent by the Lard of Essilmont is dated ‘at the Chapell of Laske’ on
[Illustration: FIG. 1321.--St. Adamnan’s Chapel. Plan and Interior View,
looking East.]
the 11th of September 1499.”[150] Probably the church was erected during
the foregoing century.
ARDCHATTAN CHURCH, ARGYLESHIRE.
Slight fragments of this ancient church are to be found on the north
shore of Loch Etive, about four miles from Bonawe Ferry, near Taynuilt
Station. This priory, dedicated to St. Modan, is said to have been
founded in 1231 by Duncan Mackowle or MacDougal of Lorn, for monks of
the order of Vallis Caulium. The remains (Fig. 1322) consist of the
north, east, and west walls of what has been an oblong chamber, and
apparently
[Illustration: FIG. 1322.--Ardchattan Church. Plan.]
the choir of a church. It measures 66 feet in length by 28 feet in
width. In the small part of the south wall which survives there is a
sedilia (Fig. 1323) with three seats. Each seat is marked by a sharply
pointed arch, and the whole are enclosed in a deeply moulded
semicircular arch. Some fragments, including a piscina, are now built
into the back of the seats, but these are modern insertions. At the
right hand termination of the large arch a small lion is sculptured,
which recalls some of the carved work at Iona, and at the bases of the
smaller arches carved leaves are introduced. There has also been an
ambry in the east wall (see Plan).
At the west end of the building a double wall 9 feet in thickness has
been erected. It is pierced with a round-headed archway, and has
projecting jambs in the centre. This archway now leads into an open
courtyard connected with a mansion. Its former use is difficult to
determine.
To the north of the choir is preserved the outline of an irregular
structure, which may have been a sacristy. It is 42 feet long by 14 feet
wide at the east end, and 11 feet wide at the west end, and has been
connected with the choir by a doorway and two windows. The exterior
walls are now nearly demolished.
[Illustration: FIG. 1323.--Ardchattan Church. Sedilia.]
To the south of the choir is an open space enclosed with a wall 18 feet
long by 15 feet wide, evidently erected as a burial-place. It has an
arched entrance gateway at the south end. On the keystone of the arch
are the letters C. K. and the date 1614. Lying within the choir are
several monuments, one being in the recess of the larger window opening
into the sacristy. Two are monuments of priors of the Macdougal family,
and bear the dates of 1500 and 1502. The inscriptions have given rise to
much discussion.
In 1644 the Macdonalds, led by Colkitto, burnt and destroyed the priory.
KILMUN CHURCH, ARGYLESHIRE.
On the north shore of the Holy Loch, about one mile and a half from
Strone, stand the small ruins of the ancient Collegiate establishment
of Kilmun. According to Dr. Skene a Columban establishment was here
founded by St. Fintan Munnu of Teach in Munnu in Ireland. The district
of Cowal, in which this establishment was situated, was long in the
possession of the Lamont Clan, but was subsequently acquired by the
Campbells. The church had, in the thirteenth century, passed into lay
hands, “as, between 1230 and 1246, Duncan, son of Ferchan, and his
nephew Laidman, son of Malcolm, grant to the monks of Paisley lands
which they and their ancestors had at Kilmun, with the whole right of
patronage in the church of Kilmun.”[151]
In 1442 a collegiate establishment was founded by Duncan Campbell of
Lochow, for a provost and six prebendaries. The founder was buried
[Illustration: FIG. 1324.--Kilmun Church. Plans.]
here in 1453, and Kilmun has since then continued to be the burial-place
of the Argyll family. The great Marquis of Argyll was interred here in
1661, and the mausoleum of the family stands in the churchyard.
Of the College Church only a small portion remains, a modern church
having been erected on the site of the old structure.
The remaining portion (Fig. 1324) consists of a tower about 20 feet
square and about 40 feet in height. The basement floor is vaulted, and
contains a doorway which entered from the west end of the church, and
small loops in each of the south and west sides. That the church
extended eastward from the tower is apparent from the fragments of the
side walls and the mark of the roof, which still exist on the east side
of the tower (see Fig. 1325). A wheel stair is carried up in the
south-west angle of the tower, which gave access to three stories on the
upper floors. The first floor contained a small rectangular window to
the south. The floor above had a fireplace and a south window with
pointed and cusped arch-head
[Illustration: FIG. 1325.--Kilmun Church. View from South-East.]
(Fig. 1325). Over this was an attic, now ruined. From the above
fireplace and ornamental window, we may perhaps assume that the tower
was the abode of the provost, and from the strength with which it is
built, and general resemblance to a keep, the tower was doubtless
designed to form a place of strength in case of need.
ALLOWAY KIRK, AYRSHIRE.
This old structure, made famous by the genius of Burns, stands in its
churchyard, surrounded with ancient trees, on the banks of the Doon,
about three miles southwards from Ayr. The burying-ground contains many
strangely sculptured tombstones, and a plain slab marks the grave of the
poet’s father. Mention of Alloway occurs in 1236. In the beginning of
the sixteenth century, when James VI. refounded and enlarged the Chapel
Royal of Stirling, he annexed to it the Church of Alloway in Kyle, to
form the prebend of one of the canons of that collegiate chapel. In 1690
the parish of Alloway was annexed to that of Ayr, and the church allowed
to become ruinous.
[Illustration: FIG. 1326.--Alloway Kirk. Plan.]
The building (Fig. 1326) is 40 feet long by 20 feet broad internally. It
is evident that the walls are ancient, but owing to alterations it is
difficult to assign the building to any definite date. The principal
feature is the two-light window (Fig. 1327), enclosed within one arch in
the east gable, but this might be of almost any period before the
seventeenth century. The belfry is massive and by no means without good
effect, but it is clearly a post-Reformation structure.
On the outside of the south wall an old stoup or benitier has been let
into the wall, but what purpose it can have served is far from clear.
The church has evidently been used for worship in the seventeenth
century, but is now a roofless ruin.
Part of the roof was standing when Captain Grose visited it in the end
of last century.
[Illustration: FIG. 1327.--Alloway Kirk. View from North-East.]
OLD DAILLY CHURCH, AYRSHIRE.
A ruin situated in the vale of the Girvan Water, about three miles east
from Girvan. It stands in the centre of a spacious churchyard, planted
with noble trees. Within its walls rest the remains of several of the
Martyrs of the Covenant. The church was anciently called Dalmakervan,
and was dedicated to St. Michael. It was granted by Duncan, first Earl
of Carrick, to the monks of Paisley, and confirmed to them by Alexander
II. in 1236. It was afterwards transferred to the monks of Crosraguel,
and the name was changed to Dailly, possibly from the site of the church
having been changed.
The structure (Fig. 1328) is very long and narrow, being 92 feet in
length and 26 feet wide over the walls. There is a gable wall at each
end, and each gable is crowned with a belfry (Fig. 1329). It is
difficult to account for the presence of the two belfries. That on the
east gable is the more
[Illustration: FIG. 1328.--Old Dailly Church. Plan.]
ornamental of the two, but its ornament is obscured by ivy. The western
belfry is plain and rather ruinous. The walls contain no doorways, and
[Illustration: FIG. 1329.--Old Dailly Church. View from North-East.]
only part of one window. From the details of the latter, the work seems
to be of the seventeenth century, but the walls may be older. A new
church was erected at New Dailly, and divine service transferred to it
in 1696, since which period the old church has fallen into ruin.
A burial vault has been constructed within the east part of the
building, in connection with the Bargeny Estate, which adjoins. Another
similar vault for the use of the Killochan Estate, situated on the
opposite side of the Girvan Water, has been erected at the north-east
angle of the church (see Fig. 1329). It is evidently a seventeenth
century structure. The north front is peculiar, having a deep niche on
each side of the doorway. The latter is now built up.
STRAITON CHURCH, AYRSHIRE.
The village of Straiten stands near the north base of the mountains
which form the boundary between Ayrshire and Kirkcudbrightshire. It is
situated in a pastoral district about seven miles south-east from
Maybole, and near the right bank of the Girvan Water.
[Illustration: FIG. 1330.--Straiton Church. South Wing.]
The existing church is plain and of post-Reformation date, except a wing
(Fig. 1330) which extends like a transept to the south, and measures
about 21 feet 3 inches each way. This wing has been built in Gothic
times, and when first erected probably formed part of the church, having
a large traceried window in the south end, and a piscina in the inside
of the east wall. The wing is now divided into two stories by a floor
which has been inserted about 6 feet from the ground level, so as to
convert the
[Illustration: FIG. 1331.
Straiton Church.
South Doorway and Panel over.]
upper story into a gallery, with a private room adjoining, for the use
of the Blairquhan family, whose domain adjoins. This upper floor is
entered by a stair which has been erected on the south side of the wing
(but is omitted in the sketch).
The south wing or transept contains, besides the large east window above
referred to, a doorway (Fig. 1331) in the north-west angle, with an ogee
shaped arch, surmounted by a panel having a pointed and trefoiled
arch-head, and an enriched moulding surrounding the jambs and arch.
These features all indicate a late date. The large window in the south
gable is of handsome form and construction, and the tracery is well
designed and executed. It would naturally be assigned to the fourteenth
century, but for the lower members, which are formed with straight
lines, and certainly point to a later period, probably the sixteenth
century. This window thus shows the tendency there was in Scotland to
revert at the latter date to the forms of an earlier period.
The mode of finishing the gable also indicates a late time. Large gabled
crowsteps, such as are seen here, are rare features in ecclesiastical
edifices in this country. We do not recall any example of such large
crowsteps, except at Methven Church, Perthshire, which is undoubtedly a
late example.
The Church of Straiton was dedicated to St. Cuthbert, and granted, by
Alexander II. in 1236, to the monks of Paisley, but afterwards
transferred to Crosraguel Abbey.[152]
CULLEN CHURCH, BANFFSHIRE.
The ancient town of Cullen stood on the right bank of Cullen Water, at a
little distance from the coast. It was greatly destroyed in the time of
Montrose, and has been rebuilt on a new site nearer the sea. The old
church, however, which is dedicated to St. Mary, still stands,
surrounded
[Illustration: FIG. 1332.--Cullen Church. Plan.]
by the churchyard, on the old site near Cullen House, and continues to
be used as the Parish Church. Although it has been altered at different
times it still retains part of the ancient work, the oldest portions
being the east end and the south aisle. The edifice (Fig. 1332) is
cruciform in plan, having nave, choir, and transepts, all without
aisles. The choir would appear, from the coats of arms it bears on the
outside, and from the splendid monument in the interior of the north
wall, to have been erected by Alexander Ogilvie, who died in 1554, and
his second wife, Elizabeth Gordon.
There was a chaplainry in the church dedicated to St. Ann. This
foundation, with the name of the founder and other particulars, are
recorded by inscriptions cut upon different parts of the south aisle or
transept.[153] “The first quoted inscription is from the arch of a
recess tomb on the west side of the aisle. It is carved in raised and
prettily formed capitals, and accompanied by a craftsman’s mark.
“IHON · HAY · LORD · OF · FORESTBON̄ · AZ̄E · & · TOLIBOVIL· GVDSIR · TO
ELEN · HAY · Y^{t} · BIGIT · YIS · ILE · LEFT · A · CHAPLARI · HEIR · TO
· SING PERSONALI · OF · HIS · LĀDIS · OF · ORDIHVF.”
The places named in the above inscription were received by Alexander
Seton of Gordon (first Earl of Huntly) through his marriage with the
heiress of Sir John Hay of Tilibody. “It was probably John’s son, David
Hay, who, about 1390-1406, had a charter from Robert III. of the place
of Cullen.”
“The next quoted inscription not only presents the important and
interesting facts of the name of the chaplainry, the extent of the gift,
and the services required, but also the names of the founder of the
chaplainry and the persons to be prayed for, together with those in whom
the patronage of the living was to be vested after the decease of the
heirs of the donor. It is carved round the arch of the large window of
the south aisle, in the same style as the above inscription.
“SANT · ANIS · CHAPLAN · HEIR · DOTAT · Y^{t} · 35 (?) ACRE · GVD ·
CROFT LĀD · IN · CULĀ · & · TENEMENTIS · SAL · BE · A · GVDE · SINGAR ·
OF · HALI LIF · BVT · ODIR · SERVICE · & · DAELI · RESIDENT · TO · PRAIE
· FOR · ELEN HAY · · HER · BARNIS · HIS · FYIV · DŌRS · AT · GIFT · OF ·
ION · DUF · & HIS · ARIS · OF · MADAVAT · & · FALING · YAROF · AT · GIFT
· OF · YE · BALZEIS AND COMUNITIE · OF · COLĀ.”
The words PER · ELENA · HAY are carved upon the lower side of one of the
stones of the arch of the south window. Upon the west side of the arch
is this notice of the building of the aisle:--
“· · · ELENGE · HAY · IŌN · DUFFIS · MODR · OF · MALDAVAT · YAT · MAID
YIS · ISLE · YE · CHAPLANRI. · · ·”
The two inscriptions last quoted “show that Elen Hay was mother of John
Hay of Muldavit, who died in 1404, to whom, until 1792, there was a
recumbent effigy in the recess tomb in the south aisle at Cullen, also
an inscribed slab with a rudely engraved figure in armour.”
The entrance to St. Ann’s Chapel from the main church is by an arch with
pilasters and capitals, and below the caps of the west pilaster are the
words ME · MĒTO · MORI, and on the east DISCE · MORI. Below the last
[Illustration: FIG. 1333.--Cullen Church. South Aisle and Choir.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1334.--Cullen Church. Monument of Alexander
Ogilvie.]
motto is the name of the mason who built the aisle, viz., ROBERT · MOIR
MASON, and his mark, †/x. On the outside of the aisle (Fig. 1333)
one corner stone bears PER ELENA · HAY, and another SOLI DEO · HONOR ·
ET · GLORIA.
Although Mr. Jervise attributes the above inscriptions and the erection
of the chapel to 1404, the style of the lettering and the abundance
[Illustration: FIG. 1335.--Cullen House.
Sacrament House in Choir.]
of it, together with the style of the mottoes, would rather tend to the
conclusion that the work is of a considerably later date. The arch
forming the entrance from the church to the chapel, with its pilasters,
has certainly the character of sixteenth century work. The group of four
pointed windows in the south end of the south aisle has not the
appearance of decorated work, such as prevailed about 1404. On the
contrary, these windows recall the revived and imitative work of the
sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. This group of windows, with its
four pointed lights (round the inside of which one of the above
inscriptions occurs), is evidently a late design. Possibly an aisle was
built in the beginning of the fifteenth century, when the bequest was
made, but it seems to have been rebuilt in the following century, when
the inscriptions, which are scattered very irregularly over the
structure, were reinserted and added to. The edifice was probably
rebuilt when, about 1543, the Church of Cullen was converted into a
college by Alexander Ogilvie of Deskford and Findlater, for the
accommodation and maintenance of a provost, six prebendaries, and two
singing boys. A bead-house was also erected by the same individual, for
the support of a number of decayed men and women.
The choir, which is a portion added at the east end, contains a richly
decorated monument in the north wall, erected by Alexander Ogilvie at
the date of the church being made collegiate. The monument (Fig. 1334)
is large, and extends from the floor to the roof. It consists of an
arched recess with a group of ornamental shafts at each side, and large
spandrils above, containing two large round panels, each having in the
centre a sculptured figure in bas-relief. Along the top runs a series of
canopies
[Illustration: FIG. 1336.--Cullen Church. Interior of Choir.]
and pinnacles of peculiar design. Within the arch lies an effigy of the
founder clad in armour, supported on a basement, which is divided into
eight panels, each containing a figure attired in a hood and long robe
with book in hand. On a slab at the back of the arched recess is carved
the following inscription:--
CORPUS · ALEX^{r} · OGILVY · DE · FINLATER · HĒROS ·.· AC · SPONSĒ ·
ELEZABETH · GORDON · BTRVMQ · EBBAT PRESIDE · PVRIS · BISTER · PVERISQ ·
DVOBUS ·.· HAS · IACINT · EDES · IV̄ CTVS · VTERQ · PIVS MIGRAVIIT · ET
· HAC · LVCE · HIC · DIE · 4 · MĒNS · IVLII 1554 · ILLA · DIE · · · · ·
· MĒSIS · · · · · · 155-
[Illustration: FIG. 1337.--Cullen Church.
Carved Wooden Pillar.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1338.--Cullen Church.
Carved Wooden Pillar.]
The inscription is accompanied by a variety of curious carvings, and by
the Ogilvie and Gordon arms. The style of the monument corresponds with
the date upon it, being one of the last attempts in the style of Gothic
work executed just before the Reformation.
Mr Jervise mentions that in 1863, when alterations were made on the east
portion of the church, a stone altar-piece and ambry, in fine
preservation, were found. These were 5 to 6 feet in height, embellished
with the representation of two angels raising the host and other
ornaments, and the text (John vi. 54-56) below the cornice.
CARO · MEA · VERE · EST · CIB · ET · SANGVIS · ME · VERE · Ē · POT · Q
MĀDVCAT · MEĀ · CARNĒ · T̄ · BIBIT · MEV̄ · SĀGVINĒ · VIVET · Ī ·
ETERNV̄.
[Illustration: FIG. 1339.--Cullen Church.
Carved Wooden Pillar.]
It is further stated that the ambry and altar-piece were unfortunately
reconsigned from view. A sacrament house, answering somewhat to the
above description of the ambry, is, however, now visible in the north
wall of the choir, to the east of the monument (Fig. 1335). The design
shows the two angels supporting a monstrance, and is very similar to,
but much simpler than, the sacrament house at Deskford, “which bears to
have been erected by Alexander Ogilvie, and his second wife, Elizabeth
Gordon,” of which an illustration is given below.
The east end of the church has evidently been a good deal altered, as is
apparent from the south wall (see Fig. 1333), where doorways are
visible, which have been built up, and windows introduced above.
The coats of arms of the Gordons and Ogilvies on the exterior correspond
with those in the interior. The choir contains a large east window
divided by three mullions, which cross one another in curved branches,
forming plain tracery in the arch-head (Fig. 1336).
On the south side of the choir is still preserved a fine example of a
laird’s pew (see Fig. 1336). It is in two stories, the upper story
(which forms a gallery) being supported on four solid square wooden
pillars (Figs. 1337, 1338, and 1339), which are well carved with
numerous ornaments of Renaissance work, and bear the date of 1608. The
upper portion or gallery is also old, and contains some good carved
woodwork of the post-Reformation period. It is still used as the
proprietor’s pew, and is occupied by the Earl of Seafield, whose mansion
of Cullen House is close to the church. The lower story is occupied by
ordinary pews.
DESKFORD CHURCH, BANFFSHIRE.
The old church of Deskford is situated in its ancient churchyard, about
four miles south from Cullen. The church is now a roofless ruin, a new
church having been erected in the vicinity. The building is a plain
parallelogram, and has no features of note, except the large sacrament
house in the north wall near the east end. It seems to have been the
fashion in the sixteenth century in this part of the country to make
these features very ornamental. Such are the ambries or sacrament houses
at Kinkell, Auchendoir, and Cullen. The last was erected by the same
individual to whom that at Deskford is attributed, viz., Alexander
Ogilvie of Deskford and Findlater, whose splendid monument exists in
Cullen Church (see Fig. 1334).
The sacrament house at Deskford (Fig. 1340) is very large, being 8 feet
in height by 3 feet 6 inches wide. The design is somewhat similar in all
the above sacrament houses, consisting of two angels above the ambry
supporting a monstrance, with a quasi-buttress on each side, and several
inscriptions and enrichments. At Deskford the side buttresses are a good
deal broken and their pinnacles removed. The whole design is surrounded
with a scroll ornament of grapes, and there are several inscriptions on
various parts of the design. The first is on two scrolls immediately
over the ambry, “Os meum es et cara mea”--“Thou art my bone and my
flesh;” and another occurs on the broad sill of the ambry, “Ego sum
panis vivus qui de celo descendi quis manducaverit ex hoc pane vivet in
æternum”--from sixth chapter of John’s Gospel. Beneath the latter are
two shields, the first containing the arms of Ogilvie of Deskford and
Findlater, viz., 1st and 4th a lion passant gardant gules for Ogilvie,
2nd and 3rd argent a cross engrailed sable for Sinclair of Deskford,
with motto Tout jour. The initials A. O. occur at the sides of this
shield. The second shield contains, impaled with the above, the arms of
Gordon, for Alexander Ogilvie’s second wife, Elizabeth Gordon, and the
motto Laus Deo.
Under the coats of arms there is a long inscription, which is remarkable
as being the only one in English on any of the above sacrament houses.
It also authorises the name of sacrament house for these ornamental
ambries. It is as follows:--
THIS · PN̄T (present) LOVEBLE · VARK · OF · SACRAMĒT · HOVS · MAID · TO
YE · HONOR [M] LOVĪG · OF · GOD · BE · ANE · NOBLE · MAN · ALEXANDER
OGILVY · OF · YAT · ILK [M] ELEZABET · GORDON · HIS · SPOVS · THE · ZEIR
OF · GOD · 1551.[154]
The date would lead one to expect the very debased Gothic work which is
found here, the influence of the approaching Renaissance being very
apparent in the style of the ornamentation.
[Illustration: FIG. 1340.--Deskford Church. Sacrament House.]
ST. MOLOC’S OR ST. MOLUOG’S CHURCH, MORTLACH, BANFFSHIRE.
It was formerly believed, on the evidence of Boece, that Malcolm ii. in
a battle with the Danes, looking up to the Chapel of St. Moloc at
Mortlach, vowed that, if successful, he would there erect a cathedral
and found a bishop’s see. The record of the See of Aberdeen appeared to
support this statement, and mentioned further that the see was
afterwards transferred by David i. to Aberdeen. But Professor Cosmo
Innes has
[Illustration: FIG. 1341.--St. Moloc’s or St. Moluog’s Church. Plan.]
proved that these stories are forgeries, and must be entirely rejected.
It is, however, probable that there was an early religious settlement at
Mortlach, which may have given some foundation for the above fables. At
all events, in 1157, a Bull of Pope Adrian IV. mentions the monastery of
Mortlach and the five churches belonging to it.
The existing structure (Fig. 1341) consists of an old building of simple
oblong form, 83 feet in length internally by 24 feet in width, to which
was added, in 1826, a large north wing or aisle. This wing was further
vefynded in 1876, and now measures, internally, 36 feet long by 26 feet.
A small wing or projection has also been added to the south to contain
an organ, and the whole church has been reseated and fitted up for
service in modern style. There are two lancet windows in the east end,
which, together with some portions of the walls, may be ancient (perhaps
of thirteenth century date), as it is understood that these windows were
found built up, and were reopened during the late restoration, but the
remainder of the church has been completely modernised.
[Illustration: FIG. 1342.--St. Moloc’s or St. Moluog’s Church. Effigy of
Alexander Leslie.]
Under a pointed arch in the thickness of the north wall, close to the
east end, lies the recumbent effigy of a knight in armour (Fig. 1342),
supposed to be the monument of Alexander Leslie, the first of
Kininvie,[155] who died about 1549. The figure used to stand upright,
but has now been placed in its proper position.
A remarkable sculptured stone[156] stands in the flat ground below the
church, where the battle with the Danes is said to have taken place, and
of which it is traditionally believed to be a memorial.
ABBEY ST. BATHANS, BERWICKSHIRE.[157]
The Abbey of St. Bothan was a convent for Cistercian nuns. Its scanty
remains are situated about four miles south-west from Grant’s House
Railway Station, in a beautiful valley on the right bank of the
Whitadder, which here flows a calm full stream, surrounded by gently
swelling hills--an ideal situation for such a house. The modern parish
church appears to occupy the site of the ancient church of the abbey,
and probably the nunnery buildings were included within the existing
churchyard, which lies on the south side of the church. The east wall of
the
[Illustration: FIG. 1343.--Abbey St. Bathans. East Wall.]
church only is old, and is entirely ivy clad, the east window (Fig.
1343) being just visible. It is round-arched and is of two lights, each
9 inches wide, with a quatrefoil above, having rather rudely formed
cusping. The mullion is modern, and the tracery is recessed to about the
middle of the thickness of the wall, being about 18 inches back from the
outer face. There is a set-off on the gable, hidden by ivy. It is
impossible to say how much of the other walls are old, but probably the
modern church occupies the old foundations, in which case the ancient
church was
[Illustration: FIG. 1344.--Abbey St. Bathans.
Figure of a Prioress.]
of small size, being about 45 feet long by 24 feet wide.[158] There is a
sundial on the wall-head of the south wall at the east end. At the north
corner of the east end there are indications of a wall with a splayed
base having extended eastwards.
In the interior of the church a modern arched recess (or what appears on
the face as modern) contains the recumbent figure of a prioress (Fig.
1344). It measures 6 feet long, and is in good preservation. There
appears to have been a dog lying at her feet, but it has been knocked
off.
About a quarter of a mile to the south of the church, on the slope of a
hill, there are the foundations of a chapel (Fig. 1345) measuring about
38 feet long by 15 feet wide internally. The end walls are each about 5
feet thick, and the side walls about 3 feet. Nothing else belonging to
the church remains, except a few fragments of what was probably a
circular font, and a window sill lying amongst the ruins. It shows that
the window was eight inches wide. A plain slab 6 feet long by 18 inches
wide lies in the centre of the building.
The Convent of St. Bothan’s was founded by Ada, daughter of William the
Lion, in 1184. She married Patrick, Earl of Dunbar, and they made
adequate endowments to the convent.[159] According to Chalmers there was
a previous church here, dedicated to St. Bothan,
[Illustration: FIG. 1345.--Abbey St. Bathans. Plan of Chapel.]
which was probably given to the Countess Ada’s nuns. It is just possible
that the second church, noticed above, may be the church referred to.
BASSENDEAN CHURCH, BERWICKSHIRE.
The ancient parish of Bassendean is now incorporated with that of
Westruther, both in the south-west part of Berwickshire, and the church
has long been disused.
The remains of Bassendean Church, which was dedicated to St. Mary, lie
five and a half miles west of Greenlaw. The walls are broken down,
[Illustration: FIG. 1346.--Bassendean Church. Plan.]
but the plan (Fig. 1346) can still be traced. The structure is a simple
oblong, measuring 54 feet 6 inches in length by about 20 feet in width
externally. The doorway is in the south side, and has been provided with
a slot for a bolt. The remains of a stoup and ambry exist beside the
door, and there is a recess for a piscina near the east end, and an
ambry in the north wall opposite it. In the centre of the south wall
there has been a single-light window, and towards the east end a larger
two-light
[Illustration: FIG. 1347.--Bassendean Church. (From _The Churches of
Berwickshire_.)]
window with a central mullion, now built up (Fig. 1347). The plan of the
jamb (Fig. 1348) shows that the structure has been of an
[Illustration: FIG. 1348.
Bassendean Church.
Window Jamb.]
advanced date. The grooves for the glass are in the centre of the wall.
There is no window in either of the east, north, or west walls.
Fragments of the font are lying amongst the rubbish in the inside.
The old church of Bassendean is still used as a burial-place by the
Homes of Bassendean.
The church belonged to the priory of Coldstream, and appears to have
been abandoned at the Reformation. It was again used for divine service
from 1647 to 1649, when a new church was erected at Westruther, and St.
Mary’s was allowed to fall into ruin.
COCKBURNSPATH CHURCH, BERWICKSHIRE.
The village of Cockburnspath is situated about seven miles south-east of
Dunbar. The church here is peculiar and unique, in having a round tower
in the centre of the west wall. It is a long narrow building (Fig.
1349), measuring about 80 feet in length by 18 feet 3 inches in width.
The structure has been much knocked about, having undergone at least two
restorations at different times, the last being about twenty years ago.
It is therefore not surprising to find that there is nothing left inside
the building of any architectural interest. Four angle buttresses at the
corners, however, remain intact, together with portions of an early base
course near the east end, and the head of a window, containing
geometrical tracery (Fig. 1350), has been preserved and built into the
south wall over the door near the east end. Judging from these details
and from the thickness of the walls (3 feet 2 inches) it seems probable
that the church is not later than the sixteenth century.
The tower (Fig. 1351) is about 9 feet in external diameter, and its
interior diameter is about 6 feet. It is about 30 feet high, and
contains
[Illustration: FIG. 1349.--Cockburnspath Church. Plan.]
a circular stone stair. There is a string course above the level of the
ridge of the church, above which the tower rises one story. In this
there are several openings or loop holes of a roughly formed cross
shape, similar to those sometimes found in the old castles. The tower is
built of rubble work in quite a different style of masonry from that of
the church. There is nothing to indicate that it is older than the
church, except its position. Mr. T. S. Robertson[160] is probably
correct when he states, “From its position, I am clearly of opinion that
it existed before the church, and that the church walls were built up to
it. I cannot believe that any one capable of building the round tower
would have taken out the centre of a gable fully 3 feet thick to insert
this tower,” for it will be observed that the tower projects inside.
“The most that would have been done, had the church been earlier than
the tower, would have been to slap a door of communication through the
wall of the church.” The tower was probably erected independently as a
belfry and for other occasional purposes. A circular stair beginning at
the level of the church floor, and entering from the church by a
square-headed door, is carried up as far as the upper story of the
tower, which has been mended with brick work, otherwise the tower is all
of one age. The walls are only 18 inches thick, but the
[Illustration: FIG. 1350.--Cockburnspath Church. Door and Window Head at
East End.]
stone steps of the stair bind them together, and make the building as
strong as if it had been built of one solid mass of masonry.
The small building at the east end is probably a century later than the
church. It has a pointed barrel-vaulted roof, and an original
square-headed doorway in the centre of its east wall. It is now used as
the heating chamber of the church.
On the apex of the south-west buttress there is a remarkable sundial,
which has already been illustrated.[161]
From Mr. Ferguson’s remarks[162] it is evident that the history of this
building has not been investigated. There were a chapel and a hospital
at
[Illustration: FIG. 1351.--Cockburnspath Church. View from South-West.]
Cockburnspath in early times. Robert, Chaplain of Colbrundspath, is
mentioned in 1255, but Mr. Ferguson has doubts as to this being the site
of the chapel referred to.
PRESTON CHURCH, BERWICKSHIRE.
A ruined church situated about two miles north from Duns. It is in a
state of complete dilapidation, and is densely covered with ivy. The
structure (Fig. 1352) consists of a nave and chancel of equal width, the
whole internal length being about 70 feet by 14 feet 6 inches in width,
and the chancel is about 18 feet 6 inches long. The round chancel arch
is blocked, and it is doubtful if it is original. There are two narrow
pointed windows in the east wall and one in the west wall, all widely
splayed towards the interior, and finished with a segmental arch.
Another window in the south wall of the chancel (shown in Fig. 1353) is
of the same character, only that it is lintelled on the inside instead
[Illustration: FIG. 1352.--Preston Church. Plan.]
of being arched. Beneath this window there is a peculiar piscina (see
Fig. 1353). It consists of a triangular shelf projecting about
[Illustration: FIG. 1353.--Preston Church. Piscina.]
17 inches from the wall (Fig. 1354) and having a shallow basin supported
on a rounded base. Above the shelf there is a round-arched recess 2 feet
2 inches high by 18 inches wide. The back of this recess leans forward,
so that while it is 8½ inches deep at the base, it is only 3 inches at
the crown of the arch.
There are two south doors with square lintels, one in the chancel and
another in the nave near the west end. A later door has been made at the
east end of the nave.
All the doors and windows are finished on the outside with a simple
chamfer.
There has probably been a sacristy on the north side of the nave.
Mr. Ferguson[163] assigns this church to an early period. The small
windows
[Illustration: FIG. 1354.--Preston Church. Plan of Piscina.]
in the end walls and the shallow buttresses at the west end have an
early appearance, but the same cannot be said of the details shown in
Fig. 1353. Mr. Muir[164] is doubtful as to its “just claim to
antiquity.” This church, with that of Bunkle, about two miles distant,
belonged to the Bishopric of Dunkeld.
ST. MARY’S ABBEY, ROTHESAY, BUTESHIRE.
About half a mile westwards from the town of Rothesay, and approached by
an avenue of fine old trees, there stands in the ancient burial-ground
the choir of the Abbey Church of St. Mary. The west end has been built
up with a wall containing a wide gateway, but otherwise the chancel
remains in fair preservation, although roofless. A modern church has
been erected beside it, but with an interval of a few inches between the
new and old structures.
The ancient chancel (Fig. 1355) now measures 27 feet in length by 18
feet in width internally. The east wall, with its gable (Fig. 1356),
still survives, and contains a large three-light window, of which the
tracery has been of the simple intersecting kind. The east ends of the
side walls had each a single pointed light with pointed rear arches.
Near the west end of the north wall is a plain pointed doorway, and a
small window with square lintel. The west end of the south wall
contained a doorway, now built up.
Opposite one another, in the centre of the north and south walls, are
erected two more than usually interesting monuments. Both are recessed
in the wall, and are covered with an arched canopy, and in each the
effigy of the person commemorated is preserved. The monument in the
south wall (Fig. 1357) is the larger and finer of the two. It measures
nearly 11 feet over the side buttresses. The ogee arch in which it is
enclosed contains bold, but late, mouldings. The arch has been
ornamented with large crockets, but they are now much wasted away. The
monument has doubtless been erected in memory of one of the Stewarts of
Bute, who buried here, but its heraldry is peculiar. At the apex there
is a shield, which appears to contain the royal arms, but has two lions
for supporters, instead of the usual unicorns. There is also on the
base or pedestal of the monument a coat of arms, containing quarterly
first and fourth the Stewart arms, and second and third the royal arms.
The shield is supported by two angels. In a paper by Mr. John
Mackinlay,[165] written in 1825, these arms are fully described and
illustrated. They were then doubtless better preserved than they now
are, but the arms can still be deciphered. Mr. Mackinlay tries to
explain the remarkable circumstance of the Stewart arms having
precedence in the lower shield over the royal arms, by supposing that
they are placed on the tomb of the chief of the
[Illustration: FIG. 1355.--St. Mary’s Abbey, Rothesay. Plan.]
Clan. But the name of the person whose monument this is has not been
discovered.[166] As the bearings in quartered shields are often reversed
by mistake, the same may have happened here.
The effigy is that of a knight in complete plate armour. The head rests
on a tilting helmet, with a dog’s head for crest, which is attached to a
cap put on over the helmet. The round hollow visible to the spectator
represents the inside of the helmet. The feet rest upon a lion. The
figure is considerably worn, but the plate armour and the gauntlets are
still distinctly seen. The bottom of the shirt of mail worn under the
cuirass and the jewelled sword belt and hilt of the sword are also
clearly visible. A coat of arms, similar to that on the pedestal, is
carved on the breast, being intended to represent the arms wrought in
embroidery on the surcoat.
The lower part of the monument has been divided into panels, each
containing a quatrefoil, and between the panels there were at one time
small
[Illustration: FIG. 1356.--St. Mary’s Abbey, Rothesay. View from
South-East.]
figures of armed knights, each holding a spear. When Mr. Mackinlay
wrote, one of these figures survived; now they are all gone, together
with parts of the quatrefoils, and an irregular empty space is left
where they once stood. Mr. Mackinlay mentions that some excavation was
made, and an arched recess was found under the monument in which the
coffins had been placed, and three skulls were discovered therein. In
the upper part of the monument over the arch are two recesses, which
probably at one time contained coats of arms.
[Illustration: FIG. 1357.--St. Mary’s Abbey, Rothesay. Monument in South
Wall.]
The other monument (Fig. 1358) in the north wall of the chancel has been
erected in memory of a lady and child, whose effigies it contains. The
[Illustration: FIG. 1358.--St. Mary’s Abbey, Rothesay. Monument in North
Wall.]
figures of the lady and child are cut in a thin slab of stone, and have
not the bold effect of the knight in armour. There are no arms or
inscription on this monument, and the name of the person commemorated
is unknown. The arch over the figures is of the same description as that
of the opposite monument, but it is lower and not so effective. The
mouldings are also similar, and there have been crockets over the arch,
which are now greatly decayed. The width of the monument over all is
fully 8 feet.
The lower part of the monument on which the effigies rest is divided
into eight panels by shafts, and each panel contains a sculptured
figure. Mr. Mackinlay says that they represent saints, and that amongst
them is the Virgin and Child. In their decayed condition the latter is
not now recognisable. The figures seem rather to resemble persons in the
dress of the fifteenth century, and some of them appear to be kneeling.
At the east end of the chancel there is a pointed piscina in the south
wall (see Fig. 1357) and an ambry in the east wall.
The style of the structure and of the monuments is undoubtedly late,
probably sixteenth century.
THE PARISH CHURCH AND THE COLLEGIATE CHURCH OF ST. MARY, DUMBARTON,
DUMBARTONSHIRE.
The town of Dumbarton is situated on the left bank of the river Leven,
near its junction with the Clyde, and not far from the detached rock on
which stands the Castle of Dumbarton. A church existed here from a very
early time, and the parish church appears to have been rebuilt at least
three times, and is now a modern edifice of 1811. Previously the parish
church was represented by the quaint structure shown in Fig. 1359, which
has entirely disappeared, along with the hospital or bead-house
adjacent, which was erected in 1636 by Buchanan of Auchmore, and endowed
by him with £1021. This view is copied from a pencil sketch made by Paul
Sandby in 1747, which forms part of a valuable collection of sketches
relating to Scotland, preserved in the Library of the Royal Scottish
Academy, to the Council of which we are indebted for permission to
reproduce it.
The parish church (see Fig. 1359) was probably intended to consist of a
choir and nave with a central tower, but only the choir and tower would
seem to have been built. As frequently happened, a north aisle or
transept appears from the view to have existed. This contained what was
known in later times as Mr. Campbell of Stonefield’s gallery and the
town council gallery, and it was entered by an outside stair. From the
description of the interior in Glen’s _History of Dumbarton_, p. 74, the
church was evidently a typical specimen of those picturesque, though
plain, interiors which have now almost disappeared. The pulpit stood on
the south side, and there were various galleries for the trades and for
the
[Illustration: FIG. 1359.--Dumbarton Church and Hospital. (From a
Drawing by Paul Sandby, 1747.)]
garrison, while an upper end gallery called the hen-bauk was occupied by
single ladies. In 1622 Dame Jean Hamiltone, Lady of Luss, having no
convenient seat, was granted liberty by the kirk-session “to build ane
seat for hirsel, upon ye top of the east gavil.” The spire was of wood,
and was presumably covered with lead. Shortly after this sketch was made
the spire appears, from the Burgh Records, to have been ruinous, so that
its leaning appearance may be quite correct. The tower was of the low
squat form, with plain parapet, common at the time.
The hospital appears, from the view, to have been of considerable
extent. It was evidently two stories in height, and was lighted by
round-headed windows. This bead-house and the small chapel attached to
it
[Illustration: FIG. 1360.--Portion of Tower of Collegiate Church,
Dumbarton.]
were ultimately dismantled and lay in a ruinous state till, in the year
1758, they were entirely demolished by the magistrates, and the stones
used to build the East Bridge and for other purposes. The church appears
to have been used as the parish church till about 1810, when it was
taken down and a new church built on the site.
The Collegiate Church and Hospital of St. Mary were founded in 1450 by
Lady Isabella, Duchess of Albany and Countess of Lennox. She was the
widow of Murdoch, Duke of Albany, who was beheaded at Stirling in 1425.
About the beginning of the sixteenth century, the Earl of Lennox gifted
the church, with the temporality, to the Abbey of Kilwinning. The
chapter consisted of a provost and six canons, and was endowed with the
parish churches of Bonhill, Fintry, and Strathblane, and also held
considerable lands in the neighbourhood of Dumbarton, which yielded to
Kilwinning at the Reformation an annual revenue of £66, 13s. 4d.
sterling.
The founder erected the college for the repose of the souls of “her
dearest husband, her father, and her sons,” who had been slain by their
relative James I. of Scotland, under the belief that they had been to
blame in connection with his long imprisonment in England.
After the Reformation the college was allowed to fall into ruin, and its
materials were gradually carried off. In 1858, in order to make room for
the railway station, the last remnants of the edifice, one of the pier
arches and its piers (Fig. 1360) were removed from their position on a
grassy knoll, from which a fine view of the Leven was visible, and
re-erected as the gateway of a house.[167]
CHAPEL AT THE KIRKTON OF KILMAHEW,[168] DUMBARTONSHIRE.
This structure is an interesting example of a private ecclesiastical
foundation. The remains of the chapel stand in an ancient churchyard, on
a knoll close to a small stream, about one and a half miles north-west
from Cardross Railway Station. The building has attached to it the piece
of land with which it was endowed, and is surrounded by the estate of
Kilmahew, the property of John William Burns, Esq., to whom we are
indebted for bringing the structure under our notice.
This chapel is believed to have been erected for the convenience of the
inhabitants of the locality, owing to the great distance of their parish
church at Roseneath, and also of the church of the neighbouring parish
of Cardross. The Napiers were proprietors of Kilmahew from about 1300.
John Napier was one of the defenders of Stirling Castle in 1304, along
with Sir William Olyfard. In 1406 William Napier obtained a charter of
the half lands of Kilmahew, “where the chapel is situated.”[169]
A chapel existed here in 1370, when a charter was granted to Roger
Cochran of the lands of Kilmahew, “with the chapel thereof.” In 1467 a
new chapel was erected by Duncan Napier, then proprietor of Kilmahew,
who endowed it with an annual rent of 40s. and 10d. out of tenements in
Dumbarton. In the above year the new chapel, dedicated to St. Mahew,
was consecrated by George, Bishop of Argyll, in mitre and full
pontificals, with the permission of the Bishop of Glasgow, in whose
diocese it was situated. Possibly the existing chancel is part of the
structure then dedicated.
At the Reformation this chapel was used as a preaching station by a
reader under the minister of Roseneath, but when the site of Cardross
Church was altered so as to bring it into its present more convenient
position as regards this locality, the chapel fell into disuse. The
burying-ground attached to it, however, continued in use for interments
till recent years. In 1640 a portion of the chapel was turned into a
school, in terms of an agreement between Robert Napier of Kilmahew and
the other heritors. Under this agreement Kilmahew bound himself--first,
“to give the use of his chapel of Kilmahew bewest the quir thereof, for
and in place of a school; second, to mortify to the schoolmaster
annually five
[Illustration: FIG. 1361.--Chapel at the Kirkton of Kilmahew. Plan.]
bolls one firlot of tiend bear, and also a house and a piece of land
layand thereto beside the chapel of Kilmahew, extending to about an acre
or therby, together with ane piece of land for pasture, which was of old
possest by the priest of Kilmahew, by order of the said Robert Napier of
Kilmahew his predecessors in time of superstition and popery; and in
case the annual value of these provisions should fall short of eighty
merks to make it up to that sum; third, to entertain the school master
present and to come, in meat, drink, and bedding, in household with
himself within the house of Kilmahew, so long as he shall discharge the
duty of family exercise and prayer within the said family.”[170]
The acre of ground above referred to is now in the possession of the
School Board, together with two acres excambed in 1795 for the priest’s
right of pasturing a cow on Kirkton farm.
The building is now unoccupied, but it is kept in good repair. It
consists (Fig. 1361) of an eastern portion or choir, which is roofed,
and of a western portion or nave, which is roofless. The former is
ancient, but the latter appears to be comparatively modern. The choir
is, internally, 13 feet 6 inches in length from west to east, by 16 feet
3 inches in width from north to south, and the walls are 3 feet in
thickness. In the west wall there is a rounded and chamfered arch 9 feet
2 inches in width, now built up. The choir has two windows, one in the
north
[Illustration: FIG. 1362.--Chapel at the Kirkton of Kilmahew. View from
South-East.]
wall and one in the south wall (Fig. 1362), each of which is
square-headed, and the outer jambs and lintel have a double splay. The
doorway, which is in the south wall, has also a square lintel and a bold
bead and hollow round the opening. In the interior of the north wall
there is an arched recess 8 feet in length by 2 feet in depth, which may
have contained a monument, or may have been an Easter sepulchre. The
east wall has two recesses, one of which may have contained a piscina,
while the other (Fig. 1363) is an ambry of an ornamental character, but
evidently of very late date. There is also a window in this wall placed
at a very high level, and out of the centre (see Fig. 1362). The gables
are finished with crowsteps, and on the south skew putts there are
shields
[Illustration: FIG. 1363.--Chapel at the Kirkton of Kilmahew.
Ambry In East Wall.]
(Fig. 1364), that at the south-west end containing the sacred monogram
I. H. S., and that at the south-east end the initials M. C. In the east
gable, which has a set-off above the wall-head, there is a window placed
so as to light an upper room in the roof, which probably formerly
existed.
The nave measures 34 feet 7 inches in length by 19 feet 8 inches in
width over the walls, which are thinner than those of the choir. There
is a doorway in the west end, and the enclosure contains some flat
monuments lying on the ground, which commemorate some of the Napiers of
Kilmahew and Buchanans of Drum (1789-80). This enclosure probably
occupies the
[Illustration: FIG. 1364.--Chapel at the Kirkton of Kilmahew.
South Skew Putts.]
site of the original nave, but the wall appears to have been rebuilt.
There was apparently a nave in existence in 1640, as it was the chapel
“bewest the quir” which Robert Napier then agreed to give as a school.
[Illustration: FIG. 1365.--Canonby Priory. Sedilia.]
CANONBY PRIORY, DUMFRIESSHIRE.
“Some remains of this canonry were, until recently, visible at
Halgreen.... A portion of the ancient church (the sedilia) may be seen
in the churchyard.”[171]
This priory was founded during the reign of David I. by Turgot de
Rossendal, near the junction of the Esk and Liddel, and was destroyed by
the English after the battle of Solway Moss in 1542. The annexed
illustration (Fig. 1365) shows the only fragment that survives. It is
probably of thirteenth century work (but was omitted in Vol. II.)
The priory, as the residence of the canons, became known as Canonbie.
KIRKBRYDE CHURCH, DUMFRIESSHIRE.[172]
A ruin situated five or six miles south-east from Sanquhar.
The church (Fig. 1366) measures 42 feet 4 inches in length by 14 feet 6
inches wide inside.
[Illustration: FIG. 1366.--Kirkbryde Church. Plan.]
There is a north chapel, measuring about 10 feet by 9 feet 3 inches,
opening into the church by a round arch.
The east wall (Fig. 1367), on which is the belfry, is almost entire, as
is also the greater part of the west wall and the south wall (Fig.
1368). The north wall is pretty well preserved at the east end, as well
as the chapel and north archway (Fig. 1369). At the west end the north
wall is very fragmentary.
[Illustration: FIG. 1367.--Kirkbryde Church. East Elevation.]
The doorway in the south wall has a pointed arch cut out of two stones
(see Fig. 1368). There are three windows on the south side of
[Illustration: FIG. 1368.--Kirkbryde Church. South Elevation.]
the church (see Fig. 1368). One of them is entire, and has a pointed
arch cut out of two stones. A kind of shoulder is wrought on the
[Illustration: FIG. 1369.--Kirkbride Church. View from North-West.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1370.--Kirkbride Church.
Window in South Wall.]
stone above the arch (Fig. 1370). The east window is square lintelled,
and is provided with strong iron bars. There are no windows in the north
wall.
The masonry of the north chapel is of a better kind than that of the
main building. The opening arch is about 7 feet 2 inches wide, and is
entirely plain, without even a splay on the edge.
ST. CUTHBERT’S, MOFFAT, DUMFRIESSHIRE.
On a hill on the opposite side of the River Annan from the town of
Moffat stand the small remains of St. Cuthbert’s Church.
The building is believed to have been originally erected by the Knights
Templars, who had considerable possessions in this locality. All that
now remains of the structure is a portion of what appears to have been
the west wall, containing parts of a pointed window (Fig. 1371), which
has been divided into three lights by two mullions, one of which, and
one arch and half of another, only remain. The three lights had sharply
pointed openings, and the principal arch had two splays on its ingoing.
The design might belong to almost any period of Gothic, but the form
adopted was common in late work.
The east wall of the church appears to have been made available as part
of a farmhouse, and its features are quite obliterated. Considerable
foundations of other structures are observable in the grassy mounds
scattered around.
[Illustration: FIG. 1371.--St. Cuthbert’s, Moffat.]
SANQUHAR CHURCH, DUMFRIESSHIRE.
The old church of Sanquhar was demolished in 1827, and the present
church was built partly on its site, as indicated by the dotted lines
shown
[Illustration: FIG. 1372.--Sanquhar Church. Plan.]
on the Plan (Fig. 1372). In 1895 Lord Bute had excavations made, which
partly revealed the Plan now submitted.[173]
The position of the east wall was thus determined, as likewise that of
the east end of the north wall with one buttress, and considerable
portions of the south wall throughout its whole length, with indications
of three buttresses and the return of the west wall at the south-west
[Illustration: FIG. 1373.--Sanquhar Church.
Effigy.]
corner. The dimensions of the building were ascertained to be about 96
feet from east to west by about 30 feet 6 inches from north to south
over the walls. The angle buttresses shown at the east end are
conjectural, and are based on a tradition that the corners of the
existing church were copied from the form of the east end of the old
church.
Mr. Schultz states that an old burial list, of which the date is
uncertain, but which may be of the seventeenth or early eighteenth
century, alludes to certain graves which can still be recognised as so
many feet from the “queer pillar” (buttress), _i.e._, the buttress
opposite which the chancel arch is represented. Mr. Schultz assumes from
this that the choir or “queer” extended as far as this buttress; and the
fact that a splayed base was found all along the choir wall as far as
this point, and that no such splay existed farther west, gives a certain
sanction to the above view, as does also the circumstance that the nave
or western part of the building had no buttresses. It is frequently
found that the eastern end was treated in a different manner from the
west end. A foundation was found inside the building, at a distance of
about 6 feet from the east wall, and it is conjectured that this may
represent the seat of an altar. The windows, of which several stones
were found, appear to have had single mullions with simple pointed
arches.
Although only demolished in this century, there does not appear to be
any view of the old church known. It is described by Symson, in his
_Large Description of Galloway_, “as a considerable and large fabrick,
consisting of a spacious church and stately quire, where are the tombs
of the Lord Crichtons of Sanquhar, wrought in freestone, and before them
some Lords of the name of Ross.”[174]
The effigy of an ecclesiastic (Fig. 1373) was taken from Sanquhar to
Friars Carse when the old church was demolished, but it has recently
been brought back by Lord Bute.
CARNOCK CHURCH, FIFESHIRE.
A ruinous structure comprising some fragments of the ancient parish
church which was remodelled soon after the Reformation. The church (Fig.
1374) now measures, internally, about 42 feet in length by 17 feet 6
inches in width. The east end contains one narrow, but complete, pointed
window, with a simple jamb moulding, and the remains of another similar
window, both having wide internal splays. Another narrow
[Illustration: FIG. 1374.--Carnock Church. Plan.]
pointed window yet exists in the north wall, but in the south wall the
windows have been enlarged. The west wall (Fig. 1375) has been rebuilt
or heightened, and a belfry of Renaissance style erected upon it. A
round-headed doorway has been inserted in each of the north and south
walls, and the round arch of the south door now stands detached. A south
porch has also been added (see Fig. 1375) with a stone seat on each
side, and having a round-headed entrance with large bead on jambs and
arch. Two small windows near the ground at the west end seem to
indicate that there has been a gallery above them at that end. The
church is now disused, but still stands in the old churchyard, and is
greatly covered with ivy.
[Illustration: FIG. 1375.--Carnock Church. View from South-West.]
John Row, the ecclesiastical historian, was minister of this parish from
1592 to 1646. It is situated about three miles west from Dunfermline.
DYSART CHURCH, FIFESHIRE.
This church has already been illustrated and described at length;[175]
but as it is a building of considerable importance, it is introduced
here in order to illustrate some points not formerly brought out. The
edifice is a long parallelogram, with central avenue and north and south
aisles, and is fairly entire along its whole length, except the outer
wall of the north aisle. It has a lofty pele-like tower quite entire at
the west end of the south aisle (Fig. 1376), which enters from the
interior of the church by a doorway about 10 feet above the floor.
The tower is strong and quite capable of resisting a considerable
attack. The main arcade is supported chiefly on round pillars, but at
intervals the piers may be described as portions of the wall, as they
[Illustration: FIG. 1376.--Dysart Church. View from North-East.]
extend to five feet and even 9 feet in length, and have rounded ends
corresponding to the intermediate pillars. The pillars at the east end
are gone, but there were probably seven bays in the whole internal
length of 135 feet. The tower occupies one bay at the west end of the
surviving bays. Only the bay adjoining the tower on the south
[Illustration: FIG. 1377.--Dysart Church. South and East Side of Tower.]
side and the two bays opposite on the north side now remain (see Fig.
1376). The centre pillar on the north side is low, and supports lofty
pointed arches. The second piers from the west are the large ones
already described. Their caps are, as will be seen, at different
levels, being higher on the east side than the west. The arcade to the
eastwards may thus have been round arched, at all events the arches were
not so acutely pointed as the western ones. The corbels for supporting
the rafters of
[Illustration: FIG. 1378.--Dysart Church.
Niche on South Porch.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1379.--Dysart Church.
Cap in North Aisle.]
the roof are visible along the north face of the tower, and those for
supporting the roof of the north aisle, with the drip moulding above,
will be observed over the two arches at the west end, there being no
stone vaulting used in the building. Fig. 1377 shows the east and south
sides
[Illustration: FIG. 1380.
Dysart Church.
Cap of Piers at south Aisle and North-West Respond.]
of the tower, and the large south porch with its stone covered roof and
round arched doorway, over which is the canopied niche (Fig. 1378), and
the bracket, ornamented with the pot of lilies, for supporting a statue.
The figure was therefore probably one of the Virgin. The windows in the
south aisle wall were (some of them at least) square headed.
Fig. 1379 shows the capital of the pillar in the north aisle as far as
it can be seen, on account of the modern wall in which it is almost
lost. It is formed to the shape of the double splayed arch moulding, and
dies off into the round pillar below. The mouldings of the cap indicate
very late work. Fig. 1380 is a still simpler cap from the south aisle
and from the north-west respond.
KILCONQUHAR CHURCH, FIFESHIRE.
A small ruin consisting of three arches of an old church, which stood on
the ancient site before the present modern structure was erected in the
immediate vicinity. The village of Kilconquhar is situated on a large
loch about one mile and a half north-west from Elie.
[Illustration: FIG. 1381.--Kilconquhar Church. View from South-West.]
The name is derived from the ancient Saint Connacher. There is little of
the history of the church preserved. It was granted in 1200 by Duncan,
Earl of Fife, to the Convent of North Berwick, and in 1266, after a
controversy between the Laird of Kilcomath and the prioress of North
[Illustration: FIG. 1382.--Kilconquhar Church. Plan.]
Berwick regarding the right of patronage, it was resigned into the hands
of the Convent.[176]
The three arches (Fig. 1381) are all that now survive of the old
church. They probably formed the arcade between the centre and side
aisle, but there is nothing to show how the rest of the building was
placed with reference to them. The north wall of the enclosure of a
burying-place (shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1382) has an ancient look,
and may be part of the old church.
The arches have plain splays. The round pillars have caps formed by a
single hollow without any necking, and the bases are formed with a
splay. Both caps and bases follow the curve of the pillars. They
indicate a structure of very late date, probably about the time of the
Reformation.
KILRENNY CHURCH, FIFESHIRE.
The village and church of Kilrenny stand about one mile inland from the
coast at Anstruther. The only record before the Reformation is that in
1268 a pension was given to the vicar, who in 1336 was a certain
“John.”[177] The tower of the church (Fig. 1383) is old, and is attached
to a modern edifice. It is of the form common in Fife about the time of
the Reformation, being carried up (Fig. 1384) without buttresses or
ornament,
[Illustration: FIG. 1383.--Kilrenny Church. Plan of Tower, &c.]
and having a parapet supported on corbels similar to those used in the
castles of the period. There are traces of a large arch in the east wall
of the tower, and another in the south wall, as if intended to open into
a building, possibly the old church. The mark of the roof over the
building on the south side still remains, and also a portion of a thick
wall running southwards from the tower. In the internal angles of the
tower there are square shafts with rude caps, apparently intended to
support a vault, but there are now no traces of any vaulting. There are
also the remains of a two-light window in the north wall of the tower.
Attached to the west end of the tower is a stately monument erected by
the family of Lumsdaine of Innergelly.
In the churchyard of Kilrenny may still be seen the monument of Cardinal
Bethune or Beaton. It is an enclosure which stands to the eastward
[Illustration: FIG. 1384.--Kilrenny Church. Tower, &c., from
South-West.]
of the church, built with ashlar and ornamented with Ionic pillars. The
frieze and cornice are unfortunately wanting.
The entrance is in the east end, and in the opposite wall is a
well-carved representation of the arms of Bethune of Balfour, viz.,
quarterly, 1st and 4th, azure a fesse between three mascles, or, for
Bethune; 2nd and 3rd, argent on a chevron sable an otter’s head erased
of the first, for Balfour. Crest, an otter’s head proper; motto,
“Debonnaire.”
ROSYTH CHURCH, FIFESHIRE.
A ruin situated on the shore of the Frith of Forth about five miles west
from North Queensferry and about one mile east of Charleston.
[Illustration: FIG. 1385.--Rosyth Church. Plan.]
Part of the structure is ancient, but the western portion has been added
in post-Reformation times. All that now remains of the building consists
[Illustration: FIG. 1386.--Rosyth Church. View from North-East.]
(Fig. 1385) of the east wall and gable, and a considerable part of the
north wall. The east end (Fig. 1386) contains two narrow pointed windows
with a simple moulding on the outside, which is returned round the sill.
The moulding (see Fig. 1386) is rebated on the exterior for a shutter.
The ingoings are widely splayed and have pointed rear arches. The
ancient part of the north wall is built with ashlar work, the stones
being of a cubic form, resembling Norman work, and the mortar is well
washed out of the joints. The remainder of the north wall is built with
irregular courses, and the wall opening has a straight lintel. There is
an ambry in the north wall near the east end, and a recess in the wall
near the doorway. The church has been 15 feet wide internally, and
probably about 50 feet in length.
THE CHURCH OF THE DOMINICANS OR BLACKFRIARS, ST. ANDREWS, FIFESHIRE.
Amongst the many remains of religious establishments still visible in
this old ecclesiastical centre, the ruins of a small part of the Church
of the Blackfriars are prominent from their situation, being an ivy clad
fragment of the church which stands detached in the grounds of the
Madras College, and forms a conspicuous object close to South Street,
one of the leading thoroughfares of the town.
The Dominicans or Friars preachers were introduced into Scotland in 1231
by Bishop Clement of Dunblane, and they were encouraged by Alexander
II., who founded eight houses of the order in the principal towns of
Scotland. This order was brought to St. Andrews by Bishop William
Wishart, well known from the great works carried out by him at the
cathedral.
Bishop Elphinstone, the distinguished prelate of Aberdeen and founder of
the University in that city, died in 1514, leaving a sum of £10,000,
part of which Prior Hepburn of St. Andrews succeeded in obtaining from
the executor, Sir Thomas Myrton, Archdeacon of Aberdeen, for the purpose
of rebuilding the convent of the Friars preachers in St. Andrews. In
connection with this arrangement, the provincial of the order, John
Adamson, a great reformer, held a chapter at Stirling in 1519, in which
the revenues of the convent at Cupar and part of those of St. Monans
were transferred to St. Andrews, while these convents were
suppressed.[178]
No record is preserved of the buildings erected at this time, but
probably the church was rebuilt and a series of domestic structures
erected round a quadrangle on the south side of the church. The
monastery was attacked and pillaged by the mob in 1560. The possessions
of the convent had been gradually disposed of in the beginning of the
sixteenth century, and after the Reformation the monastery was
abandoned, and the buildings gradually fell to pieces, the materials
being carried off in the usual manner.
The only portion now surviving is an apsidal wing or chapel (Fig. 1387)
which projected from the north side of the church. It is 26 feet long by
21 feet in width internally. The three-sided form of the north end is
not uncommon in the sixteenth century in Scotland, but it is not usually
adopted in side chapels or transepts, being generally reserved for the
east end of the chancel. At Ladykirk, Berwickshire, however, we have an
example of the three-sided apse introduced in the chancel, and also
[Illustration: FIG. 1387.--Church of the Dominicans or Blackfriars, St.
Andrews. Plan of North Chapel.]
in the north and south transepts. There is a window in each of the three
sides of the apse (Fig. 1388), the central one containing four lights
and the diagonal windows three lights. A large window in the west wall
has also four lights. The tracery in the windows has been renewed in
modern times in a somewhat imperfect manner. The buttresses on the
exterior angles have been almost entirely carried away. The altar
probably stood on the east side, where there is an ambry, with the
arch-head carved with a debased form of tracery. There seems to have
been a doorway in the east wall, now built up.
The vaulting of the chapel (see Fig. 1388) is partly preserved. That
over the square portion is a pointed barrel vault with ribs, arranged
in sexpartite form. The ribs spring from corbels and small shafts. One
of the corbels is carved with the Hepburn arms. The central boss of the
vault bears the heart surrounded with two hands and feet,
[Illustration: FIG. 1388.--Church of the Dominicans or Blackfriars, St.
Andrews. North Chapel.]
emblems of the Passion. The vault of the apse is broken away, but it has
been divided into three panels by ribs rising to a point at the apex.
The vaulting of the main part of the chapel is of plain barrel form,
and the cross ribs are introduced as ornaments on the surface, a common
arrangement in late work. The ribs of the apse spring from two vaulting
shafts rising from corbels, the caps of which have shields bearing the
Hepburn arms (on a chevron a rose between two lions rampant). The
chevron is still distinguishable. From the threefold repetition of these
arms, it is supposed that this chapel was erected by Prior Hepburn, as a
memorial and, perhaps, a burial chapel. The responds at the entrance,
with their caps and other details, are of the third pointed period, and
correspond with the date when the chapel was erected. A row of plain
corbels, visible over the main arch, doubtless supported the roof of the
principal nave of the church.
THE CHURCH OF ST. LEONARD’S COLLEGE, ST. ANDREWS, FIFESHIRE.
In the middle of the thirteenth century the Hospitium or Guest Hall of
St. Leonard’s was founded by Prior John White, for the reception of
pilgrims and visitors to St. Andrews. Some remains of the Guest Hall
[Illustration: FIG. 1389.--Church of St. Leonard’s College, St. Andrews.
Plan.]
have recently been excavated in the ground eastward from St. Leonard’s
Church, from which it appears that it was a hall with central nave and
two side aisles. The building was afterwards converted into a nunnery.
In 1512 it was appropriated for a college.
[Illustration: FIG. 1390.--Church of St. Leonard’s College, St. Andrews.
South Side.]
This college was founded by John Hepburn, Prior of St. Andrews, in
conjunction with Archbishop Alexander Stewart. It remained under the
authority of the prior and chapter, and was designed for the education
of twenty-four poor students. The college, however, soon became famed
for its learning, and was attended by sons of the nobility. The students
were specially instructed in music, and helped to spread a knowledge of
sacred music throughout the country. George Buchanan, the well-known
scholar, was at one time Principal.
The chapel (Fig. 1389) is a simple oblong chamber, being, internally,
about 80 feet in length by 20 feet 6 inches in width, and has no
division between chancel and nave. The design of the windows and
buttresses (Fig. 1390) accords well with the date of erection in the
sixteenth century, being in the perpendicular style, such as is common
in the colleges in England. The windows are all square-headed, and the
three-light ones have the heads of the lights cusped like quatrefoils.
The church appears, from the marks in the walls, to have been extended
24 feet at the east end, probably at the time when it was converted into
the college.
On the north side of the church is a room with a round barrel vault,
probably the sacristy. From the door of the sacristy a narrow passage
runs along the east end of the church in the thickness of the wall, and
from it there are two loops into the church. Above this passage, and
also in the thickness of the wall, another narrow passage is constructed
in the east wall, which is continued round in the north wall as far as
the vault of the sacristy extends. There is a shallow piscina in the
east window sill. The west end has a door in the centre, and three
remarkable niches above it. They have the appearance of having been
placed there in recent times, when the west end was rebuilt. The arms of
Prior Hepburn are inserted in this wall, and they are also carved on one
of the south buttresses.
There are no windows in the north wall, but the interior contains
several good Renaissance monuments. In the floor is the flat tombstone
of John Wynram, Superintendent of Fife, who died in 1582; and against
the north wall is the monument of Robert Stewart, Earl of March, who was
commendator of the priory after the Regent Moray’s death.
The church was for long used for public worship, but after the College
of St. Leonards was united to that of St. Salvator in 1747, the former
was abandoned in 1759.
A long range of buildings on the south side of the church was occupied
as the students’ lodgings, but these were also abandoned, and have now
been converted into private residences.
Several alterations were likewise made on the church within recent
times, the steeple being taken down, and the west end “set back,” so as
to give more room for access to one of the private houses.
CHURCH OF THE HOLY TRINITY, ST. ANDREWS, FIFESHIRE.
[Illustration: FIG. 1391.--Church of the Holy Trinity, St. Andrews.
Tower, from North-East.]
This church, usually called the Town Church, is of ancient foundation,
but was almost entirely rebuilt at the end of last century. The church
which was then demolished is believed to have been erected in 1412. The
north-west tower (Fig. 1391) is the only part of the old structure which
survives. Like the north-west tower at Cupar it rises from the north and
west walls of the north aisle, without buttresses to mark its outline or
break the upright form of the walls. The square outline, however, is
partly relieved by a square projection at the north-west angle, which
contains the staircase. The east and south walls are carried by arches,
which formerly allowed the lower story of the tower to be included
within the church, and the round pier at the south-east angle is made of
extra thickness, so as to bear the weight of the tower. The tower is
carried up square to the parapet with only a string course beneath the
windows of the belfry story. In the latter trefoil-headed double windows
are introduced, except on the north side, where a mullioned window is
inserted between the stair turret and the east angle. The parapet is
plain and rests on simple corbels. Above this rises an octagonal spire,
with lucarnes. The spire is rather short and stunted, like most of the
late Scottish examples.
Over the staircase a small turret with pointed roof is carried up within
the parapet, and groups picturesquely with the main spire. The tower
resembles that at Wester Crail, and, like it, is of fifteenth century
date.
AIRLIE CHURCH, FORFARSHIRE.
Two relics of the ancient church of St. Medan (demolished 1783) have
been preserved, one being a mutilated figure of St. John the Baptist
(Fig. 1392) built into the west gable of the existing church, and the
other a sacrament house (Fig. 1393) inserted in the wall under
[Illustration: FIG. 1392.--Airlie Church.
Figure in Tower.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1394.--Airlie Church.
Belfry.]
the stair to the gallery. The sacrament house is of rude design and
workmanship, and is evidently of very late date. The ambry has an
opening 10½ inches in width, and its size over all is 2 feet 5 inches in
height by 21 inches in width. It has, as usual in such features, a broad
base surmounted by the recess to contain the consecrated host. The
opening is finished with an ogee arch-head having a cable-moulding on
the jambs and arch, and a fleur-de-lys on top. As usual the ambry is
[Illustration: FIG. 1393.--Airlie Church. Sacrament House.
(From Sketch kindly supplied by Mr. Archibald M‘Pherson, architect.)]
flanked by small buttresses. In the panels at the spandrils there are
carved on one side a cross with a crown of thorns, and on the other the
heart, with hands and feet showing the five wounds of the Passion.
The back of the ambry is formed with a stone containing the initials W.
F., and the arms of the Fentons of Baikie, which are turned upside down,
probably by mistake, when rebuilt in the present position.
The belfry of the church (Fig. 1394) is a good example of a structure of
that description of the date it bears (1783).
INVERGOWRIE CHURCH, FORFARSHIRE.
A simple oblong ruin situated about three miles west from Dundee. The
site is associated with the Celtic Church, and is one of the churches
believed to have been founded by St. Boniface, in Angus, about the
[Illustration: FIG. 1395.--Invergowrie Church. Plan.]
beginning of the seventh century, Restennet being another.[179] Several
fine sculptured stones of an early period are still preserved in the
building.
[Illustration: FIG. 1396.--Invergowrie Church. View from South-East.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1397.
Invergowrie Church.
South Window.]
Between 1153 and 1165 the Church of St. Peter, Invergowrie, was given to
Scone by Malcolm IV.; but of this early structure nothing whatever
remains, and the existing building is probably not earlier than the
first half of the sixteenth century. The walls of the structure (Fig.
1395) are entire, although the west gable hangs in a very tottering
manner. The building measures inside about 46 feet in length by 15 feet
9 inches in width. There are two doorways in the south wall (Fig. 1396),
the one towards the west end being round-arched, but not built on the
arch principle, being cut out of two large stones. The other doorway is
lintelled. There are two windows also in the south wall, the one being
round-arched and cusped (Fig. 1397) and having the
[Illustration: FIG. 1398.
Invergowrie Church.
Cross-like Object.]
arch cut out of a single stone. The other window is lintelled and had a
central mullion. There is a high window in the west gable, and a west
doorway, which probably dates from Presbyterian times. A stoup adjoins
the western doorway in the interior of the south wall, and a locker
recess occurs in the east gable. Lying inside the church there is the
curious cross-like object (Fig. 1398). It is pierced in the centre, and
appears to have had a shaft, which is broken, as shown.
MAINS CHURCH, FORFARSHIRE.
This fragment of a church is situated in the centre of its churchyard,
on the margin of a romantic glen, on the opposite side of which stands
the ruined Castle of Mains, in the region of Strath Dichty, about three
miles north from Dundee. The remains consist of a small building which
projected from the south side of the church, and which Mr. Muir[180]
calls “the sacristy of the demolished church of Mains.” The view (Fig.
1399) shows three lancet windows in the south gable, which are of very
simple design, having merely a splay on their outer edge. The place is
locked up, but Mr. Muir says that the windows have separate rear-arches.
Over the window there is a very beautiful sculptured fragment
representing the Annunciation. It is sadly wasted, the head of the
Virgin, and what may have been the descending dove, being an indistinct
mass. The lower part of the figure, however, is well preserved, and is
extremely graceful. The figure of the angel, although wasted, is in good
preservation, while the scroll and pot of lilies are fairly distinct.
Beneath the pot there is a shield on which are visible two piles issuing
from a chief, with the remains of what may be mullets or annulets on the
piles. There were probably three piles at first.
[Illustration: FIG. 1399.--Mains Church. Surviving Fragment.]
The Church of Mains belonged to the Abbey of Arbroath.
There is a sundial, of more recent date than the building, carved on the
south-west corner, similar to the sundials on the porch of Linlithgow
Church and on the south transept of Melrose.
MARYTON CHURCH, FORFARSHIRE.[181]
Maryton Church is situated about two miles south-west of Montrose.
The fine grave slab (Fig. 1400) was found by Mr. Robertson lying broken
and uncared for; and at his suggestion the minister, Mr. Fraser,
[Illustration: FIG. 1400.--Maryton Church. Grave Slab.]
had it removed and placed in the church vestry. The upper part is
occupied with a finely incised figure of a knight in sixteenth century
costume, and the lower portion is occupied with the arms, supporters,
helmet, and mantling. The arms are, an oak tree growing out of a mount
(for Wood of Bonyton), between two cross crosslets (for Tulloch of
Bonyton). Walter or William Wood married Dorothy Tulloch, one of the
co-heiresses of Bonyton, sometime before 4th January 1493, in which year
they got a confirmation of a charter by James IV. An inscription can
still be partly traced round the slab, and it is believed to date from
1530.
PERT CHURCH, FORFARSHIRE.[182]
An old church situated on the North Esk about midway between Montrose
and Edzell. The building (Fig. 1401) is in a state of ruin and covered
with ivy. It measures in the inside about 43 feet from east to west by
about 18 feet in width.
[Illustration: FIG. 1401.--Pert Church. Plan.]
There is a door in each of the north and south walls near the opposite
ends, which have square lintels with rounded shoulders, as shown in Fig.
1402; and three narrow lancet windows (Figs. 1402 and 1403), two in the
east wall and one
[Illustration: FIG. 1402.--Pert Church.
Doorway and Window.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1403.--Pert Church.
Central Buttress.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1404.--Pert Church.
Belfry.]
in the west wall. These windows are about 12 inches wide, and have the
arches cut out of two stones, with wide splays towards the interior.
Between the two, in the east gable, there is a central buttress with
splayed base (see Fig. 1403).
These features appear to indicate that this was originally rather an
early church, probably of about the close of the first pointed period,
but it appears to have been almost rebuilt, probably in the fifteenth
century.
The belfry on the west gable (Fig. 1404) is even later, and bears the
date of 1676.
ST. VIGEAN’S CHURCH, FORFARSHIRE.[183]
This church is pleasantly situated at the head of a little valley
through which winds the stream of the Brothock, at a distance of between
one and two miles north from Arbroath or Aberbrothock. Previous to the
Reformation it was the parish church of Arbroath. The edifice stands on
the top of a regularly shaped mound, and occupies nearly the whole of
the summit. It has been the site of a religious settlement from a very
remote period, far earlier than the erection of the great abbey at
Arbroath. This is shown by several Norman wrought stones that have been
found on the site, as well as a large and most important group of
elaborately carved sculptured stones, relics of the Celtic church which
once stood here. Vigianus has been recognised as the Latinised form of
the name of St. Fechin of Fohbar, an Irish saint who died in 664. Dr.
Joseph Anderson mentions that the twelfth century builders had utilised
a large quantity of fragments of sculptured monuments as building
materials.[184]
In 1871, under the direction of Dr. R. Rowand Anderson, architect, the
church was restored and considerable additions were made to it. A large
polygonal apse, with massive buttresses, was built at the east end, a
second aisle was formed on the north side of the existing north aisle,
and the tower was raised and finished with a saddle-back roof. At the
same time a new roof and internal fittings were added, making the
edifice one of the most seemly parish churches in Scotland.
Previous to this restoration, the structure consisted (as shown in Fig.
1405) of a central nave of eight bays, with north and south aisles, and
a western tower. The original Norman church appears to have occupied the
site of the north aisle, and to have extended in width to about the
centre
[Illustration: FIG. 1405.--St. Vigean’s Church. View from South-East
(before 1871).]
[Illustration: FIG. 1406.--St. Vigean’s Church, looking West.]
of the present nave. Parts of the east and west gable walls still
remain. At a later period, probably about the middle of the fifteenth
century, the church was extended to the south, and was converted into a
building with a nave and a north aisle; and again at a still later
period, in 1485, the south wall was taken down and a south aisle
erected. The north and south aisles correspond in a general way with
each other (Fig. 1406), and although the pillars on the north side are
round and those on the south side are octagonal, both have very simple
caps and bases, all of late form.
The arches of the arcade on both sides are round with broad notched
splays. There are three clerestory windows on the north side, of a
square shape. They formerly had oak lintels on the inside, but these,
being decayed, were removed during the restoration, and the stone arches
shown in Fig. 1406 were put in. On the south side there are eight
clerestory windows, arched throughout.
The west tower is not in the centre, but occupies the space between the
centre of the nave and the line of the south arcade. It appears to be an
addition, but its lower plain vaulted story was probably erected before
the addition of 1485, while the upper portion is of later construction.
There is an entrance through the tower to the church, which, from the
relative positions of the two, is not in the centre. The opening of a
flat arched form is shown in Fig. 1406.
In 1242 Bishop de Bernham consecrated the Church of St. Vigean. It was
again consecrated, along with two altars and the cemetery, in 1485 after
the additions were built by Bishop George O’Brien, Bishop of Dromore, in
Ireland,[185] acting probably, as Dr. Duke says, for the Bishop of St.
Andrews.
MONASTERY OF RED OR TRINITY FRIARS, DUNBAR, HADDINGTONSHIRE.
This fragment (Fig. 1407) is all that remains of the monastery of the
Red Friars at Dunbar. The field in which it stands is still known as the
Friars’ Croft.
[Illustration: FIG. 1407.--Monastery of Red or Trinity Friars, Dunbar.
Plan.]
It is generally supposed[186] that this building was originally a belfry
of the monastery, and that it was, at a subsequent period, converted
into a pigeon house; but it is much more likely that, besides being the
belfry, it was also the pigeon house of the monastery from the first. It
appears to be still very much in its original state. The walls which
support the central portion (Fig. 1408), which rise from arches in the
interior (Fig. 1409) and give the structure its belfry-like aspect, are
evidently as old as any other part of the structure, and the supporting
arches with their corbels are not insertions.
[Illustration: FIG. 1408.--Monastery of Red or Trinity Friars, Dunbar.]
It will be observed that in order to get solidity and strength in the
walls under these arches, the nests or pigeon holes are almost entirely
left out in those portions (see Fig. 1409). The cross beam and upright
post seen in the sketch are old. The ladder, which is fixed, enabled a
man to go up and search for the eggs.
This monastery was founded in 1218 by Patrick, sixth Earl of Dunbar,
[Illustration: FIG. 1409.--Monastery of Red or Trinity Friars, Dunbar.]
but these remains clearly belong to an age some two or three centuries
later. From the history above referred to, the monastery appears to have
been suppressed before the Reformation, about the year 1529, at which
date the brethren were translated to Peebles.
KEITH CHURCH, HADDINGTONSHIRE.
On a knoll within the grounds of Keith House, situated about five miles
east from Tynehead Station, and a similar distance south from Ormiston,
stand the ruins of an ancient church. It is surrounded by an old
churchyard, and has a number of monuments erected against the south
wall. According to an inscription on a tablet fixed to the wall, this
edifice was “erected as a private chapel in the reign of David I.
(1224-53) by Hervie de Keith, King’s Marischal; in the reign of
Alexander II. (1214-49) it became the church of the parish of Keith
Marischal; in 1618 this parish was joined to that of Keith Hunderbey,
now called Humby.”[187]
[Illustration: FIG. 1410.--Keith Church. Plan.]
The church (Fig. 1410) is now a ruin and is covered with a thick growth
of ivy. It measures, internally, 59 feet 8 inches in length by 14 feet
in width at the east end, and 15 feet in width at the west end. The east
end is apparently the oldest portion, the east wall and north wall, as
far as the break shown in the Plan, and a corresponding portion of the
south wall being faced with ashlar. The remainder of the structure,
westwards from the above, is built with rubble, and is apparently of
later date. The north wall is much broken down, but the other walls are
in fair preservation. The east end, as viewed from the interior (Fig.
1411) (where the growth of ivy allows the features to be tolerably
seen), is an unusual and rather striking design, consisting of two
narrow lancet windows, widely splayed internally, and a large
vesica-formed opening above them. These windows have a broad double
splay on the exterior of the jambs and arches.
One round-headed and cusped window survives in the south wall close to
the east end (Fig. 1412), and the Plan shows that there has been another
window adjoining, but it is now built up. The west end wall (Fig. 1413)
[Illustration: FIG. 1411.--Keith Church. Interior of East End.]
contains a single small pointed window, evidently of a late date. So far
as can now be ascertained from the building the east end or chancel is
comparatively ancient, probably of the beginning of the sixteenth
century, and the remainder has been rebuilt not long after the
Reformation.
A good seventeenth century monument is erected against the south wall
(see Fig. 1412).
[Illustration: FIG. 1412.--Keith Church. View from South-East.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1413.--Keith Church. West Wall.]
ST. PALLADIUS’ CHURCH, FORDOUN, KINCARDINESHIRE.
The village of Fordoun lies in the picturesque glen of the Luther Water,
about 2½ miles west from Fordoun Railway Station. The name of Saint
Palladius, the early “apostle of the Scots,” is attached to a small
[Illustration: FIG. 1414.--St. Palladius’ Church, Fordoun. Plan.]
chapel which stands in the churchyard surrounding the parish church. Dr.
Skene’s opinion[188] is that Palladius was sent to Ireland (then the
country of the Scots) and that Terrananus or Ternan, his disciple,
brought
[Illustration: FIG. 1415.--St. Palladius’ Church, Fordoun. View from
South-West.]
his relics either from Ireland or from Galloway (in one of which places
he had been martyred) to his native district in the territories of the
Southern Picts, and as the founder of the church of Fordoun, in honour
of Palladius, became to some extent identified with him. Be that as it
may, the name of Palladius has been handed down from the fifth century
in connection with a religious establishment in the place. A chapel, a
well, and an annual fair are named after him. The small chapel which now
bears the name of the Saint is a modern restoration. It is a plain
oblong structure (Fig. 1414), 39 feet by 18 feet internally. The walls
are low, and there is a pointed gable at each end (Fig. 1415). The east
wall has a recess, which probably contained a monument, and the west
wall a round-headed entrance doorway. There are three small
square-headed windows in the south wall and a doorway in the north wall.
The east end is probably the oldest part. There is a burial-vault
beneath it. An ambry with round head near the north door, and a plain
pointed piscina at the south side of the eastern recess, are the only
ancient appurtenances.
A chapel here is frequently mentioned in the records of the Priory of
St. Andrews. It is not called a church till 1244.[189]
The Friars’ Glen, which runs north-westward from Fordoun, was, in the
fifteenth century, in the possession of the Carmelite Friars of
Aberdeen.
OLD GIRTHON CHURCH, KIRKCUDBRIGHTSHIRE.[190]
A roofless ruin (Fig. 1416), about two miles south of Gatehouse, with
walls fairly entire. It measures internally about 71 feet long by about
20 feet wide, and is lighted by windows in the south wall, and two high
narrow windows in the east end, over which, in the apex, there is a
shallow niche. There is only one small high window in the north wall.
[Illustration: FIG. 1416.--Old Girthon Church. Plan.]
The entrance door is in the south wall, not far from the centre of the
church. In each end of the church there is a doorway, but these are
probably modern. In the south wall, near the east end in the usual
position of the piscina, there is what Mr. Coles calls an ambry,
roughly formed out of a single stone. It is surrounded with a large
hollow moulding 4 inches wide, over which it measures 1 foot 8 inches
wide by 2 feet 6 inches high, and 9 inches in depth.
Mr. Muir[191] classes Girthon with a number of other churches which may
be either of the Norman or first pointed period.
BLANTYRE PRIORY, LANARKSHIRE.
The fragmentary ruins of this structure are situated on the left bank of
the Clyde near Bothwell, at a point where the river forms a sudden bend
from west to north, and where the priory is confronted on the opposite
side by the great donjon of Bothwell Castle. The eastern walls of the
priory stand on the very edge of a precipice, which rises perhaps 80 or
100 feet above the river. The buildings at this part are situated on
fairly level ground, but immediately to the west the ground rises
rapidly, so that the cloister garth (Fig. 1417) and the western
enclosing walls are on a considerably higher level than the main
buildings. The ruins cover a space of ground measuring about 150 feet
from east to west by about 115 feet from north to south. The western
enclosing wall is from 5 to 10 feet in height, and the northern wall
stands to the height of about 10 feet. The southern wall is nearly all
gone, except a part at the return of the buildings at the east and west
ends.
At the north-east corner stands a two-storied structure, the walls of
which, except the south one, are almost entire. This was probably the
prior’s house. It enters by a doorway at the west end of the south wall,
and adjoining the door there appears to have been a stair to the upper
floor (which is the floor shown on the Plan), but the place is in so
confused a state with ruins and vegetation, that little regarding its
arrangement can be made out. The house contained two rooms, one at each
end, with the stair between. There are a fireplace and a window in each
gable, and the eastern window looks straight across the river to the
castle donjon. Along the north side of the house the ground is steep and
inaccessible. On the south side of this house there was a courtyard with
a building at the east end, the end wall of which still stands two
stories high, in continuation of the gable of the prior’s house.
Adjoining this to the south is an apartment said, by the local guide, to
be the chapel. Of this, however, almost nothing remains, except a part
of the west wall, in which there is a stoup (Fig. 1418) hollowed out of
a stone wrought with all the appearance of a corbel, like those found in
the castles. On the face of the corbel is an incised cross. It is this
feature which has obtained for the apartment the name of the chapel.
There is a window in the west wall above the stoup, but with nothing of
[Illustration: FIG. 1417.--Blantyre Priory. Plan.]
an ecclesiastic character about it. This building does not appear to
have been the church. It is more likely that the latter was placed
somewhere about the line of the south boundary wall. It could not have
stood anywhere outside of what is shown in the Plan on the north side,
as in all this locality the ground is inaccessible.
A ruined fragment stands at the south-east corner of the monastery. It
is a vaulted apartment, commanding the long reach of the river before
[Illustration: FIG. 1418.--Blantyre Priory.
Stoup.]
it takes its northern bend. There is a narrow pathway in front of this
apartment, giving access to it. The path is protected from the cliff by
a parapet wall returned at the south end, where there is a shot hole.
This parapet has gone on to join the buildings at the prior’s house.
The parish church of Blantyre stood in a village of the same name, and
belonged to the priory, which is said to have been founded for Austin
canons, and endowed with the tithes and revenues of the parish church,
by Alexander II. Spottiswoode asserts that Blantyre was a cell depending
on Holyrood. In _Bagimond’s Roll_ (1275), it is valued at £66, 13s. 4d.
Chalmers states that this small monastery was founded by Alexander II.
for canons regular brought from Jedburgh, and that the monks of Jedburgh
retired here during the war with England.
The barony belonged to the Dunbars as far back as 1368. Walter Stewart,
son of the Laird of Minto, was made commendator by James VI., and the
Barony of Blantyre was erected, in 1606, into a temporal lordship in his
favour, with the title of Lord Blantyre.
COVINGTON CHURCH, LANARKSHIRE.
Covington is a hamlet in the Upper Ward, about four miles south from
Carstairs Junction. A church existed here from the time of David I., and
is frequently referred to in deeds. It stood near the Castle[192] of the
Lindsays of Covington, who acquired the manor before 1442, and was no
doubt in their gift and that of their predecessors in the property. The
dedication seems to have been to St. Michael.[193]
[Illustration: FIG. 1420.--Covington Church. View from South-East.]
The existing church (Fig. 1419) is of considerable age, but has been a
good deal tampered with. It stands in the old churchyard, no doubt on
the same site as the original edifice. The church is a simple oblong
[Illustration: FIG. 1419.--Covington Church. Plan.]
chamber 72 feet 3 inches in length and 22 feet 4 inches in breadth
externally. The old pointed windows (Fig. 1420) still remain in the
south wall, three of them having a mullion and simple tracery, that of
the eastmost being very good. The eastmost window has also good
mouldings in
[Illustration: FIG. 1421.
Covington Church.
Mouldings of South-East Window.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1422.
Covington Church.
Arms in North Doorway.]
the jambs and arch (Fig. 1421). The second window from the east is
narrow and ogee headed, and probably marks the position of the rood
screen.
An old doorway remains, though built up, near the north-west angle. In
the arch there is inserted a shield (Fig. 1422) bearing the arms of the
Lindsays, to whom the castle belonged, and the letters W. L. and the
date 1659.
The east end has been entirely altered, the east window having probably
been built up, and an outside stair erected to give access to a gallery
at that end.
AULDCATHIE CHURCH, LINLITHGOWSHIRE.
Before the Reformation Auldcathie formed a separate parish, but it is
now included in the parish of Dalmeny, of which it forms a detached
portion. The ruins of the old church (Fig. 1423) now stand neglected in
the middle of a large field. The walls are much reduced, and are
gradually crumbling away, but the plan is still quite entire. The
structure measures, internally, about 30 feet in length by 15 feet in
width. There has been a door near the west end, both in the north and
south walls, two windows in the south wall, and none in either of the
north, east, or west walls. There is a recess for a benitier, an ambry,
near the south door, and an ambry in the east wall. Some more ancient
stones seem to have been
[Illustration: FIG. 1423.--Auldcathie Church. Plan.]
used in building the latter. The features are all so simple that it is
difficult to fix the date of the edifice, but it does not appear to be
very old.
In the ancient _Taxatio_ this church is valued at only 4 marks. As it is
not taxed in _Bagimond’s Roll_, it appears to have belonged in the
thirteenth century to some religious house.
RESTALRIG COLLEGIATE CHURCH, MID-LOTHIAN.[194]
According to the legendary history of the Blessed Virgin Triduan,
Lestalrig or Restalrig, a village to the east of Edinburgh, might claim
a very great antiquity. Triduan is said to have died at Restalrig in the
year 510.
A church can be traced here as early as the twelfth century, and it
afterwards became the parish church of Leith. This edifice is frequently
mentioned in connection with gifts bestowed upon it. The church of
Restalrig was erected into a Collegiate establishment by James III., and
was rebuilt by him, as stated in the Papal Bull of 1487. James IV. was
also a benefactor to the foundation, and endowed an additional chaplain
in 1512, and twelve years later another rectory was annexed to the
church by James V.
The edifice has unfortunately been almost entirely destroyed. In 1560 it
was resolved “that the Kirk of Restalrig, as a monument of Idolatrie be
[Illustration: FIG. 1424.--Restalrig Collegiate Church. Plan of Chapter
House.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1425.--Restalrig Collegiate Church. Section.]
raysit and utterlie caste downe and destroyed.” This was apparently
done, as it is recorded that the ashlar work from the church was used by
a
[Illustration: FIG. 1426.--Restalrig Collegiate Church.
Jambs and Mouldings of Windows.]
certain citizen “to big his hous with.” In 1836 the church was restored,
being practically rebuilt.
In the churchyard, however, there still exists a somewhat remarkable
structure. Externally it is a mausoleum-like building, covered with
turf. It is sometimes supposed to be “the crypt or family vault erected
by Sir Robert Logan of Restalrig (who died 1440-41), by whom indeed it
may have been built, while it has been used as such by successive
proprietors.” “It was undoubtedly
[Illustration: FIG. 1427.--Restalrig Collegiate Church. Vaulted Roof.]
attached to the college, perhaps as the chapter house or St. Triduan’s
Chapel.”
[Illustration: FIG. 1428.
Restalrig Collegiate Church.
Pier and Arch Ribs.]
This building is a hexagon on plan (Fig. 1424), measuring 29 feet in
internal diameter, and stands about 3 feet from the south wall of the
church, against which the angle buttresses have impinged.
On each of the three sides facing towards the south there is a window,
now built up, each of which has a very flat four-centred arch, and
contains three cusped lights (Fig. 1425), divided by two mullions. The
section of the jambs and mullions is shown in Fig. 1426. The roof is
vaulted (Fig. 1427) with ribs springing from a central pier, which has a
filleted roll towards each angle (Fig. 1428).
[Illustration: FIG. 1429.--Restalrig Collegiate Church.
Details of Carved Bosses and Caps.]
The ribs of the vault are moulded, and there is a ridge rib running
round, with bosses and shields at the junctions with the other ribs (see
Fig. 1427). The ribs spring from the caps of the central pillar and the
caps of shafts in the angles. The style of the carving of these caps and
the foliage of the bosses is evidently of the third or late period (Fig.
1429). From its use as a sepulchral vault the floor has now been greatly
filled up with earth, which rises almost to the caps of the central
shaft and wall shafts.
It is not known when the turf was piled up over the roof, but it is very
desirable that it should be removed, and the windows opened up, and the
interior cleaned out. It would then be seen to be, as Mr. Laing says, “a
charming specimen of the architecture of the fifteenth century.”
NEWLANDS CHURCH, PEEBLESSHIRE.
The ruined church of Newlands stands in the midst of the old churchyard,
in the retired and quiet valley of the Lyne, which flows southwards
towards the Tweed from near the foot of the Pentland Hills. It is about
four miles from West Linton Station on the Dolphinton Railway.
[Illustration: FIG. 1430.--Newlands Church. Plan.]
The church (Fig. 1430), which is a simple oblong in plan, is evidently
in some degree of ancient date; but it has been considerably altered in
post-Reformation times, in order to make it suitable for Presbyterian
service. For this purpose two large square-lintelled windows (Fig. 1431)
have been inserted in the south wall, and one doorway near the east end
of that wall (Fig. 1432) (the lintel of which bears the date of 1705).
The ancient round-arched doorway near the west end (see Fig. 1431) has
been
[Illustration: FIG. 1431.--Newlands Church. View from South-West.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1432.--Newlands Church. View from South-East.]
preserved, and has also been made available in later times. The later
internal arrangements would thus be the usual Presbyterian ones, of
having the pulpit placed in the centre of the south wall, with a large
window on each side of it, and a central passage down the church, to
which access was obtained by the two doorways near the east and west
ends.
The church was doubtless originally lighted by several small windows in
the south and west walls, and by a large pointed window in the east
wall. The latter (see Fig. 1432) and the round-headed doorway near the
west end of the south wall are the principal ancient features. The
doorway has a bead on edge, and a plain hood moulding. It has all the
appearance of being of early date. The east end is partly built with
ashlar, and has a moulded string course near the ground running along
part of it. The pointed window has double splays on the jambs and arch,
both in the interior and exterior. It has doubtless had mullions at one
time, but it is now impossible to find traces of them. The window is
doubtless of third pointed date.
Various sepulchral enclosures have been added to the church, both
internally and externally. That at the west end (see Fig. 1431) has
probably had a coat of arms in the recess above the door, but it is now
gone.
A number of quaintly carved tombstones of seventeenth and eighteenth
century date are still crumbling away in the churchyard.
“The name of Newlands refers to the era when the lands lying around the
Kirktown were first brought into cultivation by Scoto-Saxon bands.”[195]
At the end of the thirteenth century Newlands belonged to the monks of
Dunfermline. In _Bagimond’s Roll_ the _Rectoia de Newland_, in the
Deanery of Peebles, is valued at £16.
CROSS CHURCH, PEEBLES.
The fragmentary ruins of the church of the monastery of the Redfriars
stand in the middle of a fir plantation immediately to the west of the
town of Peebles. All architectural interest connected with the edifice
has been destroyed. The freestone work which Grose specially commends
has been carried away, leaving only bare and ragged whinstone walls, and
giving the structure a very desolate appearance. The monastic buildings
were situated on the north side of the church; and the fir plantation,
which seems to represent their extent, runs in that direction for about
100 feet, with an average length from east to west of about 250 feet,
the whole extent of the plantation being a little less than an acre. It
is probable, from these dimensions, that the monastic buildings were
extensive, but, unfortunately, their destruction has been very complete.
The ruins of the nave remain (Fig. 1433), and measure, within the walls,
about 70 feet 6 inches from east to west by a width of 26 feet 9
inches. Grose gives the length of the church as 102 feet, and there are
indications (see Plan) that it was longer at one time than it is now.
There is a tower at the west end, which measures about 20 feet by 21
feet, and had an opening into the church, now built solidly up. From a
view of the church in Grose’s _Antiquities of Scotland_, the building
was evidently in a much better condition in 1790 than now. It appears to
have been then entire, wanting only the roof, and the tower was finished
with a projecting parapet and two gables, after the manner of a pele
tower.
[Illustration: FIG. 1433.--Cross Church, Peebles. Plan.]
So completely has the place been harried that little is left to
describe. There were three pointed windows in the south wall and one in
the east gable, the latter of which (Fig. 1434) still partly remains.
Against the north wall of the church there is an erection called the
Douglas vault, to which a door opens from the church. It is in a very
dilapidated state, although the vaulted roof is complete. Immediately to
the west of this vault, with a passage between of about 7 feet, there
are indications of other vaulted buildings, and similar indications are
found at the east end of the church, all in a very fragmentary
condition. In the historical books relating to the locality, a story is
repeated of the finding, on this site, of a magnificent cross in 1261,
of the miracles performed by it, and the ultimate founding of a church
by the king, which was called the Cross Church. Such a church existed in
1296, for Frere Thomas, Mestre de la Maison de Seint Croce, de Pebblis,
swore fealty to Edward I. at Berwick.[196]
At the Reformation the Cross Church became the church of the parish, and
on the lintel of the door at the east end are cut the words “Feir God,”
with the date 1656. A portion to the west of this may have been
[Illustration: FIG. 1434.--Cross Church, Peebles. View from South-West.]
the part, about 30 feet in length, which Grose says was walled off to
form a school, probably at the date just mentioned.
The monastic buildings were used for various purposes, such as a school
and schoolmaster’s house, and for persons suffering from the plague, but
from about the beginning of the eighteenth century they gradually became
ruinous, and have now reached their present lamentable condition.
ST. ANDREW’S CHURCH, PEEBLES.
Rather less than a quarter of a mile west from the Cross Church there
stands the tower of St. Andrew’s Church. It has been so completely
restored or transformed by the late Dr. Chambers, that it is now of no
interest whatever as a specimen of the ancient architecture of Scotland.
A view of the tower as it appeared at the end of the eighteenth century
will be found in the _Antiquities of Scotland_ by Captain Grose; and on
the Ordnance Map there is a plan of the church, from which it may be
gathered that the tower was a western one, in a similar position to that
of the Cross Church. The plan shows a nave measuring about 75 feet long
by 40 feet wide, and a choir about 50 feet long, having apparently a
building of some kind, either an aisle or chapel, along the north side.
The total length of the building was about 140 feet.
The Church of St. Andrew at Peebles was consecrated by Bishop Jocelin of
Glasgow in 1195.[197] St. Andrew’s was the parish church of Peebles.
In 1543 this church was made Collegiate. In 1548 it was burned down by
the English, and never rebuilt. Captain Grose says that all the arches
of the doors and windows were semicircular.
ABERUTHVEN CHURCH, PERTHSHIRE.
A ruined church situated near the village of the same name, about two
and a half miles east from Auchterarder. The walls are almost entire,
except part of the south one, which has been knocked down to give room
[Illustration: FIG. 1435.--Aberuthven Church. Plan.]
for a mausoleum of the Montrose family, bearing the inscription “John
Adam--fecet 1736.”
The church (Fig. 1435) measures, externally, 65 feet 2 inches by 21 feet
9 inches. Its only architectural features are a seventeenth century
belfry on the west end (Fig. 1436), and two small pointed windows (Fig.
1437) in the east end. The belfry, almost concealed with ivy, has long
[Illustration: FIG. 1436.--Aberuthven Church.
View from South-West.]
narrow openings on the east and west sides, and small side openings. The
east windows are between 2 and 3 feet above the floor, and are about 8
inches wide. The daylight of the northmost of these windows (Fig. 1438)
is 2 feet 8½ inches high, and for some inexplicable reason that of the
south window is about 4 inches less. Both have an ogee arch-head, and
are lintelled on the inside. There is an ambry in the north wall near
the east end. The usual set-off occurs on the east wall just above the
windows.
The west end of the church is occupied by a modern burial vault and
[Illustration: FIG. 1437.--Aberuthven Church.
Interior of East End.]
is not accessible, but it appears to be vaulted with a barrel vault.
Another burial vault occupies
[Illustration: FIG. 1438.--Aberuthven Church.
North Window in East Wall.]
the centre of the building. The church was a cell of Inchaffray, and was
dedicated to St. Cathan. The existing structure is evidently of late
date.
ST. MOLOC’S CHURCH, ALYTH, PERTHSHIRE.
Alyth is now a busy manufacturing town, and forms the terminus of a
small branch line off the main railway between Perth and Forfar. It
stands on the north side of Strathmore, at the point where the hills
begin to rise, and the houses of the old part of the town are
picturesquely terraced on the hillside. On one of these terraces may be
seen the ruins of the ancient
[Illustration: FIG. 1439.--St. Moloc’s Church, Alyth. Plan.]
church of St. Moloc or Malachi, according to the _Statistical Account_,
but Mr. Muir calls it St. Ninian’s. The original fair of the village is
still called St. Mologue’s and the date corresponds with the day of St.
Moloc. Before the Reformation the benefice of Alyth was attached to one
of the prebends of Dunkeld, and the patronage was exercised by the
Bishop.
[Illustration: FIG. 1440.--St Moloc’s Church, Alyth. Arcade.]
The old church was demolished about 1845, having been unroofed at that
date when the last _Statistical Account_ was written.
The portion which still survives (Fig. 1439) in the middle of the
churchyard consists of the south arcade of the nave and part of the
chancel. The arcade (Fig. 1440) has plain octagonal pillars and three
round arches with broad splays. The caps and bases are moulded, and
indicate a late date.
The chancel is surrounded with a plain wall 6 to 7 feet high, and has a
piscina in the south wall.
AUCHTERARDER CHURCH, PERTHSHIRE.
This old church is situated a little to the north of the town, and is
surrounded by an old churchyard. It is densely ivy clad and generally
[Illustration: FIG. 1441.--Auchterarder Church. Plan.]
concealed by vegetation, and thoroughly neglected. The church (Fig.
1441) measures about 81 feet long by about 24 feet 6 inches wide
externally. There is almost no architectural feature now
[Illustration: FIG. 1442.
Auchterarder Church.
Piscina.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1443.--Auchterarder Church. View from South-West.]
visible except a piscina (Fig. 1442) in the usual place in the south
wall near the east end, which part of the building is walled off as a
tomb house. The piscina is triangular headed, somewhat like the one in
the choir of Paisley Abbey. It is only visible through a chink in the
door of the tomb. There has been some kind of projection in the south
wall near the centre, but owing to vegetation and rubbish (Fig. 1443) it
cannot be properly examined, nor for the same reason can anything be
made out regarding any openings in the south wall. Both of the side
walls are considerably ruined. There is a slightly projecting splayed
base at the east wall, with the usual set-off just below the gable.
The edifice was dedicated to St. Mechessock, and in 1198 the church of
Auchterarder was given by Gilbert, third Earl of Strathearn, to the
Abbey of Inchaffray, but the existing ruin belongs to a much later age.
A well at a short distance south from the church still bears “St.
M‘Kessog’s” name, and on his day (10th March) the principal fair of the
town is held.[198] The church was served by a parochial curate appointed
by the Abbot of Inchaffray.
CAMBUSMICHAEL CHURCH, PERTHSHIRE.
Finely situated on one of the most beautiful reaches of the Tay, a
little below the Linn of Camsie and opposite the village of Stanley,
this ruined church, with its churchyard, occupies the end of a plateau
which slopes suddenly down to the river on the north side, and to a deep
[Illustration: FIG. 1444.--Cambusmichael Church. Plan.]
ravine on the east; so that, like most churches bearing the name of St.
Michael, it stands on a height. The building, as will be seen from the
Plan (Fig. 1444) and the view (Fig. 1445), is still in a fair state of
preservation, although it is quite evident, on the spot, that the trees
which crowd the inside (but which are not shown on the sketch) will soon
work the destruction of the walls. One great trunk has half obtruded
itself into the heart of the wall at the doorway, and has so burst the
wall that the doorway and the whole of the south-west corner will
probably soon come to the ground. Another tree has toppled over the
upper stone of the belfry, which lies not yet broken to pieces.
The church is finely built, and is well worth some little attention. It
is of small dimensions, measuring on the outside 50 feet 5 inches by
[Illustration: FIG. 1445.--Cambusmichael Church.]
20 feet 6 inches, and on the inside 43 feet 10 inches by 15 feet. The
doorway, which is in the usual place on the south side near the west
end, is round-arched with a wide splay, and is built with large stones.
There
[Illustration: FIG. 1446.--Cambusmichael Church. Centre Window.]
were probably three windows, all on the south side. One adjoining the
doorway is lost where the wall is ruined, and another at the east end
has only the sill remaining. The centre window (Fig. 1446) is complete;
it is 5 inches wide with a slight chamfer on the edge, and with the
opening on the inside splayed out to 3 feet 5 inches wide. An ambry
occupies the usual position in the north wall. Both of the end walls
have a set-off at the level of the eaves, as shown by Fig. 1445. The
projecting eaves course and this set-off coincide, and their splays are
very simply worked out (see Fig. 1446). The belfry on the west gable is
a pre-Reformation example of a type which became very common in
Presbyterian times. Below the belfry there is a small splayed slit with
a segmental arched lintel. The east gable is terminated with a cross
with a massive gableted base.
COUPAR ABBEY, PERTHSHIRE.[199]
Of this once great abbey almost nothing remains. The present parish
church stands partly on the site of the monastic church, and the
conventual buildings, with the cloister garth, occupied the ground which
now forms the churchyard, at the south corner of which is the gateway
with the
[Illustration: FIG. 1447.--Coupar Abbey.
Gateway.]
angle buttress shown in Fig. 1447. This small fragment is the only piece
of building, properly so called, which exists. It comprises a plain
opening 6 feet wide by about 7 feet high, leading through a wall about 9
feet thick, and at the corner it is flanked by a massive angle buttress.
The ruin rises to a height of about 25 to 30 feet, and stands about 70
yards south from the church.
The churchyard extends for a distance of about 400 feet from east to
west, by about 280 feet from north to south, and these dimensions in all
probability give an idea of the extent of ground formerly occupied by
the monastery, and which is believed to have been the site of a Roman
camp.
The monastery was founded by Malcolm IV. in 1164, and was the sixth in
the order of construction of the thirteen Cistercian Abbeys in Scotland.
William the Lion granted a site for the abbey of about 50 acres of
land, and also gifted it with the King’s Chase and a portion of waste
land. In 1233 the church was dedicated, under the invocation of the
Blessed Virgin, during the time of Alexander, the eighth abbot. King
Alexander II. was a generous benefactor to the abbey, and amongst the
nobles the Hays of Errol and the Earls of Athole were conspicuous in
their gifts, the latter presenting, amongst other things, timber for the
construction of the buildings. At the Reformation the value of the
estates of the abbey are estimated by Dr. Rogers “as equal to at least
£8000 of present money.”
The buildings, it is believed, were destroyed by the excited multitude
who wrecked the religious houses at Perth and neighbourhood in 1559, and
a portion of the buildings seems to have been occupied as a residence by
Leonard Leslie, the first lay commendator, who died in 1605. In 1606
James VI., desirous to “suppress and extinguish the memorie of the
abbacie,” converted the lands and baronies into a temporal lordship in
favour of James Elphinstone, second son of the first Lord Balmerino,
with the title of Baron Coupar. This lord appears to have made the abbey
his residence, as in 1645 it was assailed by 200 soldiers belonging to
the army of Montrose, in revenge for the support given to the
Covenanters by Elphinstone. Probably this was the finishing blow given
to the buildings, as in 1682 the place is described as “nothing but
rubbish.”
In the Rental Book, from 1480 and onwards, there are several notices of
the Porters, who, from their office, assumed that name as their family
designation, the office having become hereditary. When the last of them
demitted office it is stated in a charter that they had been hereditary
porters from time immemorial, and in the Chamberlain’s Accounts Robert
Porter received a commuted allowance, consequent on the secularisation
of the abbey.
At the west end of the present church there are the remains of some of
the main piers of the nave. As shown by Fig. 1448 these indicate work of
the first pointed period, probably of the thirteenth century.
A broken slab, measuring about 3 feet 3 inches high by 3 feet in breadth
(Fig. 1449), is lying in the churchyard. In the Rental Book it is
referred to as being built into the wall of the church which preceded
the present one (erected about thirty years ago), and as bearing “the
effigies of a priest,” with the inscription on the margin--_Monachus de
Cupro qui obiit anno dni. Millesimo quadringentesimo quqgesio_.[200]
From the present state of the fragment it is evident that little respect
is paid in Coupar to the remains of the ancient abbey.
The two sculptured slabs (Figs. 1450 and 1451) which are at present
lying in a tool-house in all likelihood adorned the base of a mural
tomb. They are evidently works of the end of the fourteenth century or
of the fifteenth century. They are supposed to be remains of a monument
to the Hays of Errol. Fig. 1451 appears to represent a pair who have
been guilty, and are suffering under the prospect of finding themselves
in the hands of the headsman.
[Illustration: FIG. 1448.--Coupar Abbey.
Main Piers of Nave.]
On a house opposite the abbey occur the royal arms, shown by Fig. 1452,
and throughout the village there are numerous carved and moulded stones
to be seen, showing that the whole place has been built out of the ruins
of the monastery.
In the Chamberlain’s Accounts for 1563 he describes the chapel “as being
so completely wrecked, that with a view to preserve the timber, he had
built up both doors; also the undermost door of the steeple. In the
cloister he had collected the slates which had been removed from the
roof. He had also repaired the broken windows, providing them with iron
framework. The abbot’s apartments he had partially
[Illustration: FIG. 1449.--Coupar Abbey.
Broken Slab.]
restored, and with proper fastenings made secure the granaries and
store-houses. From having, in August 1562, accommodated the royal stud
(during a passing visit of Queen Mary), the stables of the monastery are
in the Account styled the ‘quenes stables.’”[201]
We have already referred to the Earls of Errol as benefactors to the
abbey, and amongst the Errol Papers[202] there occurs a “Copy of the
Tabill Quhilk ves at Cowper of all the Erles of Erroll quhilk ver Buryd
in the Abbey Kirk thair,” from which it appears that sixteen Earls were
buried in the monastery. Of these we suppose no memorial now remains;
but we may take this opportunity of introducing a sketch (Fig. 1453) of
a recumbent figure, now built into the churchyard wall of
[Illustration: FIG. 1450.--Coupar Abbey. Sculptured Slab.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1451.--Coupar Abbey. Sculptured Slab.]
Errol (Carse of Gowrie), which, from the following inscription, probably
represents the eighth Earl referred to in the above “tabill”--“Item
penultimo die mensis Ianuarij, Anno Domini M.D.LX(X)III. obijt bone
memorie Georgius comes De Errol. apud Pertham et sepultus est Errolie.”
There are few notices of the buildings of the abbey. A plan of it was
made about 1820 by William Mitchell, a mason, who corresponded with
[Illustration: FIG. 1452.--Coupar Abbey.
Royal Arms.]
General Hutton regarding it; but they evidently could not come to terms,
and it is not in his collection in the Advocates’ Library. Mitchell
calls it “a true and just plan of the outlines of that pile of
building.”
Dr. Marshall, in his _Historic Scenes in Forfarshire_, p. 144, had this
plan before him when he wrote, and he characterises it as being
unreliable. After a good deal of correspondence we obtained a sight of
it, and have no hesitation in saying that it is a pure work of
imagination, and is not a plan of the abbey at all; and, judging from
the correspondence with General Hutton, we suspect the author intended
to play a hoax on him, and yet was afraid to go the full length, and
this is probably the reason why the General never got the plan.
In 1492 and following years there are references to Thomas Mowtray,
mason. He was sworn to be “leyl and trew,” during the term of his life,
to the abbot and chapter, and he is obliged to “wyrk leilly and
profitably the masonwerk of our forsaid abbay, and to be the master of
the werk, in al thingis that langis hys craft of masonry in our abbay or
in our qwarellis
[Illustration: FIG. 1453.--Coupar Abbey. Recumbent Figure.]
as it nedis.” He was to have 6 “markis” yearly with his meat and drink,
a house with 2½ acres of land; further, the Lord Abbot “promised to give
him yearly one of his old albs reaching to the ankles.” He was to
instruct the “prentys” in all “craft of masonry.”[203]
In 1485 John, the mason, and his son are continued in the service of the
abbey. In 1468 Thomas Bel was hired “for the constant carpentry” of the
abbey; he had workmen under him and apprentices. There are also
agreements with smiths, as John Lutare, smith, who “was hired (in 1484)
for the common work of the monastery in the forge,” and next year David
Smyth is hired to succeed William Byning, who was formerly in the same
service. John Duncanson, tiler, in 1492, was to labour in his trade and
in every other work which he knew. Nine years earlier John Sclater was
hired as apprentice to work at his trade of tiler (_tegulator_). Patrick
Dog (in 1490) was the abbey sawyer, with three workmen under him, who
each day were to turn out “fourteen draughts for each saw.”[204]
DRON CHURCH, PERTHSHIRE.
A ruin situated on the braes of the Carse of Cowrie, in the parish of
Longforgan, about two miles distant from Fowlis Church. It is in a very
fragmentary condition (Fig. 1454), only the chancel arch remaining in
anything like a perfect state, together with the foundations of the side
[Illustration: FIG. 1454.--Dron Church. View from South-West.]
walls and part of the east wall. As shown in Fig. 1455, the chancel is
about 28 feet long by 19 feet wide inside. The width of the chancel arch
is about 11 feet, and from the ground to the top of the cap is about 7
feet 2 inches.
The jambs and arch mouldings (Fig. 1456) are of a simple character, and
they are separated by a moulded cap, shown in Fig. 1457. From the form
of the base of the jambs and the section of arch and jamb, it may be
[Illustration: FIG. 1455.--Dron Church. Plan.]
inferred that the building is not earlier than the end of the fifteenth
or beginning of the sixteenth century.
It will be seen from the Plan that the base of the east wall of the nave
[Illustration: FIG. 1456.--Dron Church. Jamb and Arch Mouldings.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1457.--Dron Church.
Base and Cap Mouldings.]
extends a considerable distance northwards from the arch, which is
suggestive of the idea that the church had a transept.
There appears to have been at one time a churchyard beside the church,
which has now disappeared, having been absorbed into a neighbouring
farm.
The Church of Dron belonged to the Abbey of Coupar, which was distant
about six miles, in a north-westerly direction.
ECCLESIAMAGIRDLE OR EXMAGIRDLE CHAPEL, PERTHSHIRE.
A small ruined chapel situated on the north side of the Ochil Hills,
about three miles south-west from the Bridge of Earn. It is surrounded
by an old burial-ground, and adjoins the picturesque seventeenth century
mansion of Glenearn.
The building (Fig. 1458), which is roofless, is otherwise fairly entire,
but it is densely covered with ivy and its features are not easily seen.
It measures about 25 feet 7 inches long by about
[Illustration: FIG. 1458.--Ecclesiamagirdle or Exmagirdle Chapel. Plan.]
11 feet 5 inches wide inside the walls. The door in the south wall is
lintelled and has a splay all round. There is a round-headed window
(Fig. 1459) at the east end about 9 inches wide and about 2 feet high,
having a stepped sill on the inside. A lintelled window in the west
gable, now filled with a monument on the inside, measures about 29
inches wide. Both of these windows are splayed on the outside. The end
window has been fitted with a smaller window at some later period.
In the centre of the east wall there appears to have been a recess about
4 feet 2 inches wide, and, as far as can be seen, it does not show on
the outside. Its sill is about 4 feet up from the floor, and there has
evidently been some kind of fixture against the end wall here, probably
an
[Illustration: FIG. 1459.--Ecclesiamagirdle or Exmagirdle Chapel.
Round-headed Window at East End.]
altar. Adjoining this, on the north wall, is a small ambry, checked for
a door flush with the inside wall.
FORGANDENNY CHURCH, PERTHSHIRE.[205]
The small fragment of ancient work left at Forgandenny, a few miles
south of Perth, along with the more important remains in the district,
point to the importance of Strathearn in early times. That this has been
originally a Norman church there can be no doubt, and it is suggestive
and interesting to find such work here and at Dunning, each about two
miles distant from Forteviot, the residence of the early Pictish kings.
The building is still in use as the parish church, but has been greatly
altered at various times, and now it is only in some bits of detail that
its antiquity can be detected. It measures on the inside (Fig. 1460) 70
feet 7 inches long by 21 feet 7 inches wide.
The east wall is in the main of Norman masonry. It has a splayed base,
which returns at each corner, but is soon lost, as shown on Plan, by
the rapid rising of the ground towards the west. From the east end the
ground slopes downwards to a wooded dell which skirts the churchyard on
that side.
Two widely splayed narrow windows are shown on the Plan in the east
wall, but only the built centre mullion or pier now exists. It is of
fine masonry, in four courses 2 feet 10 inches high, and is set at a
height to the sill of about 8 or 9 feet above the floor. These windows
have been built up, and all traces of them were lost till an examination
of the wall for the purpose of preparing this Plan revealed their
existence.
[Illustration: FIG. 1460.--Forgandenny Church. Plan.]
Two or three windows in the side walls, with double splays on the
exterior, probably belong to the fifteenth century. They are
square-headed, and have been greatly knocked about. In the north wall
there is a peculiar narrow door about 2 feet 3 inches wide, splayed on
the exterior and lintelled like the windows just mentioned.
The doorway to the church, which is now built up, was in the south side
near the west end. It appears to have been of Norman work, and a small
piece of its enrichment still remains, consisting (Fig. 1461) of the
trigonal moulding with a double notch enrichment, frequently found in
the outer member of Norman arches. At some later time a porch has been
added, as shown on the Plan, when probably the Norman door was
dismembered, and the fragment now shown was built into the wall.
Sometime after the Reformation, a laird’s seat (belonging to the
Oliphants
[Illustration: FIG. 1461.--Forgandenny Church.
Enrichment of Norman Doorway.]
of Condie) was projected into the church, as shown by dotted lines on
the Plan. It was on a high level, and the congregation gained access
under it. This seat was done away with by giving the Oliphants of Condie
the
porch, which they converted into a burial vault, enlarging it at the
same time, and making their seat over it, with an opening into the
church.
[Illustration: FIG. 1462.--Forgandenny Church.
Font.]
The Ruthven vault, situated further east, is probably a structure of the
sixteenth or seventeenth century. Some closed up windows have features
of that period. The seat belonging to Freeland House is situated over
it.
The foundations of a building were recently discovered on the north side
of the church, exactly opposite this vault (as shown by dotted lines on
Plan), suggesting the idea that the simple Norman building had been
converted into a cross church.
The bowl of the font (Fig. 1462) still remains. It is octagonal, but
[Illustration: FIG. 1463.--Font at Muckersey.]
not equal sided, and is somewhat broken. It measures 2 feet 1½ inches
over all by about 15 inches high.
Fig. 1463 shows another font which exists at a chapel at Muckersey, a
few miles distant. It likewise is octagonal and not equal sided, and has
a coat of arms on one side, which we have not been able to identify. The
chapel at Muckersey is now used as a family vault, and has no other
ancient features.
INCHAFFRAY ABBEY, PERTHSHIRE.
The ruins of the Abbey of Inchaffray, the ancient Insula Missarum, stand
on a wooded mound not far from Madderty Station, about six miles east of
Crieff.
The abbey was founded by Gilbert, Earl of Stratherne, who succeeded his
father, Earl Ferteth, in 1171, and died in 1223, and his first wife,
Matildis, the daughter of William de Aubegni. Their eldest son,
Gilchrist, was buried in 1198 at Inchaffray, which had been founded
before that date. In 1200, when the great charter of the abbey was
granted, the Earl and Countess endowed it with various churches,
including St. Mechesseok of Ochterardouer and St. Beanus of Kynkell
(illustrated in this volume). They declared their affection for
Inchaffray, affirming “so much do we love it that we have chosen a place
of sepulture in it for us and our successors, and have already buried
there our eldest born.”
The abbey was dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin and St. John the
Evangelist, and was a house of the canons regular of the order of St.
Augustine. Although not reckoned as one of the great monasteries of
[Illustration: FIG. 1464.--Inchaffray Abbey. Plan.]
Scotland, it was “endowed with many privileges and immunities by David
and Alexander, Kings of Scotland,” but its principal benefactors were
the family of the Earls of Stratherne, Earl Robert, the son (1223 and
1231) of Gilbert being particularly liberal.
Only one of the abbots, Abbot Maurice, has obtained any popular
recognition in history. He it was who blessed the Scottish army at
Bannockburn in 1314. Five years afterwards he was promoted to the See of
Dunblane, within which diocese Inchaffray is situated.
The first head of the house was Malis, a religious hermit, in whose
piety and discretion Earl Gilbert and Matildis had full confidence. At
the Reformation Inchaffray suffered the usual fate. Alexander Gordon,
brother of George, fourth Earl of Huntly, was made commendator in 1553.
Five years later he was promoted to the See of Galloway, and shortly
afterwards he was accused, by the General Assembly, of neglecting his
duties, and in particular, that he had resigned Inchaffray in favour of
a young child, and set divers lands in feu in prejudice of the kirk. The
young child was James Drummond, son of David, Lord Drummond of
Innerpeffray, in whose favour the abbey was erected into a temporal
lordship.
The ruins of the abbey are situated on ground which rises slightly above
the surface of the valley. This valley in ancient times was a great
[Illustration: FIG. 1465.--Inchaffray Abbey. Exterior of North Gable.]
marsh extending for many miles, and it was from this feature of its
situation that the abbey received the name by which it was very
generally known throughout the middle ages, of “Insula Missarum,” or
Isle of Masses. As early as the year 1218 the monks had reclaimed a
portion of this marsh, and they doubtless continued their labours; but
it was not till 1696 that an Act was obtained, under the authority of
Parliament, for dealing effectively with it.[206]
[Illustration: FIG. 1466.--Inchaffray Abbey.
Plan of Doorway.]
The fields around the abbey are now all cultivated, and the ruins are
enclosed with stone dykes, as shown by double lines on the Plan (Fig.
1464); so that the few fragments which remain are now properly
protected. Within the dykes almost nothing is visible but a dense mass
of trees and brushwood, with mounds of ruins in the utmost confusion. A
gable at the north-west corner stands entire (Fig. 1465), with a
round-arched vault adjoining, about 21 feet long by 10 feet 6 inches
wide and 10 feet high. This is one of the
[Illustration: FIG. 1467.--Inchaffray Abbey. Interior of North Gable.]
cellars of the western range of buildings. The walls of this range are
fairly entire along their whole length for a height of 7 or 8 feet. The
south end wall is also standing for about the same height. The length of
this range from north to south is about 97 feet 7 inches. It is probable
that the adjoining cellar to the south is entire, but the place is so
covered with vegetation that little can be ascertained. The doorway
entering from the cloister to the north-west cellar is undoubtedly of an
early date. Not much of it remains, but enough to enable the Plan (Fig.
1466) to be made. The nook shaft, a fragment of the capital of which
exists, is not later than the beginning of the thirteenth century.
The high gable adjoining (Fig. 1467) is certainly in part at least of a
later date; the upper part and the chimney, with its corbelled cope,
being of the sixteenth or seventeenth century. On the first floor there
has been a large fireplace, the flue of which is still partly visible
(see Fig. 1467). A part of the north wall of the cloister stands near
the gable. This was part of the south wall of the church (see Plan), and
the greater portion of the church would thus be situated outside the
present enclosing dyke on the north side.
There are indications at the north-east corner of the surviving gable
(at A on Plan) of a wall having extended northwards, which was probably
the west wall of the church. At the junction of the south wall of the
church and the wall of the western range, and at the height of about 15
feet above the ground, there still exists the corner corbel for
supporting the roof of the cloister walk. We can remember when there
were other corbels along the church wall also, but they have now
disappeared. The part of this wall now standing is in a very precarious
state. It evidently extended eastwards for about 120 feet, when it met a
cross wall, now represented by a mass of rough masonry about 7 or 8 feet
square (see Plan). This mass may represent one of the great piers of a
central tower. There are other pieces of masonry throughout the
enclosure with numerous trenches and mounds, but, owing to the rank
vegetation, it is impossible to make a more satisfactory Plan than the
one now given. If the place were cleared out and a judicious search
made, considerable remains would doubtless be found.
The average length of the enclosure as it now stands is about 210 feet.
INNERPEFFRAY CHURCH, PERTHSHIRE.
The structure of this church is still entire, although the building is
now only used as a place of burial. It is situated on a high knoll
overlooking the river Earn, about four miles south-east from Crieff.
Near the church on the bank of the river stands the ruined Castle of
Innerpeffray, elsewhere described and illustrated.[207] Close to the
west end of the church is the Library of Innerpeffray (shown in Fig.
1469), founded by David, Lord Madderty, in 1691. It contains a fine
collection of early printed books, and is open to the public and is well
worth visiting.
[Illustration: FIG. 1468.--Innerpeffray Church. Plan.]
The church (Fig. 1468) is divided, by modern walls, into three parts. It
is a long narrow building, measuring, internally, about 76 feet in
length by about 21 feet 4 inches in width. There was a sacristy on the
north side near the east end, its width and position being indicated by
the
[Illustration: FIG. 1469.--Innerpeffray Church. View from South-West.]
absence of the moulded wall-head plinth (Fig. 1469), which runs round
the whole side walls except at this part. The door between the church
and sacristy still remains, but is built up. On the sacristy side it has
a rough flat arch. To the east of this door there is, on the exterior,
a splayed aperture about 2 feet 9 inches wide (see Plan) by about 2 feet
high, and about the same height above the ground. There is no trace of
it inside, the walls being plastered. This may have been what is called
a squint,
[Illustration: FIG. 1470.--Innerpeffray Church. Arch near West End.]
being situated in the same relative position as those at Seton and other
churches.
The Church of Innerpeffray is peculiar, from having what resembles a
chancel arch, situated at a distance of about 7 feet 6 inches from the
west end. This arch (Fig. 1470) is round and about 14 feet 2 inches
wide. It has a splayed squint about 2 feet wide on the south side, as
shown on the sketch. It is difficult to give a satisfactory explanation
of this arch, but it seems to have formed a vestibule in connection with
the stair leading to an apartment on the upper floor. The archway
appears to have been fitted with some kind of timber screen, which, if
it was a close one, would help to explain the object of the squint.
There is a room on the first floor reached by the wheel stair in the
[Illustration: FIG. 1471.--Innerpeffray Church.
Lintel of Eastmost Window.]
north-west angle. This room, as it now exists, is of later construction
than the church, and is not older than the seventeenth century. The
stair, however, is part of the original construction, and is believed to
have given access to a belfry on the west wall, as well as to the room
which doubtless existed from the first over the vestibule, and which
(see Fig. 1469) was provided with a fireplace and a window in the west
gable.
The ceiling of the existing room (see Fig. 1470) cuts across the archway
in an awkward manner. Doubtless the original room was at a slightly
higher level, so as not to interfere with the arch. The ceiling and
floor of the room are in a very ruinous state, the greater part having
fallen. The ceiling is painted in bright colours. It has a figure of the
sun in the centre with rolling clouds around, and till lately there was
a complete figure of an angel on one side, of which only slight
indications now remain. On
[Illustration: FIG. 1472.
Innerpeffray Church.
Jamb Moulding of South Door.]
the south side the ceiling has entirely fallen, and with it the figure
of an angel corresponding to the one on the north side, and soon the
whole thing will come to the ground.
The church, in its original state, had three doorways, one in the centre
of the west end and one in the south wall, the latter being secured (see
Plan) by a sliding bar. Both these doors have bead and hollow mouldings.
The third door was in the north wall and is now built up. There are six
windows in the south wall, the two westmost ones adjoining the great
arch being markedly narrower than the others, and having evidently some
connection with the west arch. These windows have all double splays on
the exterior, except the eastmost one (Fig. 1471), which has a large
quarter hollow moulding continued round the lintel, on which occurs a
shield with the Drummond arms.
All the windows and doors have square lintels, with the mouldings or
splays of the jambs continued round the lintels. The mode of securing
the side door has already been referred to; all the windows are likewise
strongly secured with iron interlacing bars.
[Illustration: FIG. 1473.--Innerpeffray Church. South Doorway.]
Fig. 1472 shows the jamb moulding of the south doorway. Over this
doorway there is a small pointed opening (see Fig. 1469), probably
intended to throw light on the rood screen which stood near it, as is
evident from the corbels for carrying it, three of which still exist on
the south side (see Plan) and one on the opposite side, the others
having been removed to admit a monument. On the north side two of these
corbels are placed (Fig. 1473), one on each side of one of the windows,
which, as will be seen, has been converted into a doorway to give access
to the central burial vault. Alongside the south door there is the stoup
(see Figs. 1473 and 1474). It is of plain design, with a slightly
projecting bracket. The piscina or small recess at the east end is quite
plain, not even having a splay.
A very interesting feature of this church is the altar, which is still
standing against the east wall (see Plan). It has been rough cast over,
so that it cannot be examined thoroughly. It is needless to say that few
ancient altars remain in Scotland, one of the best preserved ones being
at
[Illustration: FIG. 1474.
Innerpeffray Church.
Stoup.]
the Church of Stobhall, about twenty miles distant, a view of the
exterior of which church is subjoined (Fig. 1475).[208] Stobhall and
Innerpeffray churches were both built by the same family of the
Drummonds, who adhered to the ancient faith, and successfully defied the
power of the reformed Church to cast down their monuments of idolatry,
as altars and other appendages of the ancient Church were termed.
The east gable at Innerpeffray is quite plain, with the exception of a
small niche, which probably held a figure. Besides the painted ceiling
already referred to, there are considerable traces of painting
throughout the interior, particularly on the east wall. Several
consecration crosses are also painted on various parts of the church.
From what has been said, it will be seen that this is a church of very
considerable interest and some almost unique peculiarities, and it is
unfortunate that it should be divided up with unseemly walls, and that
no effort should be made to preserve the painted work, of which so
little remains in Scotland. Were it put in the same condition as the
Church of Stobhall and as well cared for, it would be a circumstance for
which all who are interested in Scottish church architecture would be
grateful.
This church, which was a Collegiate one, was dedicated to the Blessed
Virgin, and was founded by Sir John Drummond, the first of Innerpeffray,
in 1508. In the account which follows (kindly supplied by Mrs. Birnie,
keeper of the Library) it appears that a church existed here in the
previous century, and indeed it is stated[209] that it is mentioned as
early as 1342. The existing building, however, was doubtless erected at
the period above mentioned.
“In 1483 the Church of Innerpeffray must have been in existence, as the
patronage is then conveyed by the Mercers to Lord Oliphant.
[Illustration: FIG. 1475.--Stobhall Church, from Courtyard.]
“One reason for considering the foundation of considerable antiquity is
the fact that the market held on the day of dedication (Lady-day) was
one of the great marts and one of the great holidays of Strathearn. (The
market was removed to Crieff about eighty years ago.) Institutions so
popular as this are generally found to have their origin in a remote
antiquity.... Its proximity also to the meeting point of the four Roman
roads, from Ardoch and the south, from Comrie and Loch Earn on the west,
from the Sma’ Glen on the north, and from Perth on the east, made it a
suitable centre.... Convenience of access and the popularity of Lady
Fair appear to confirm the remote date of the church, &c.
“John Freebairn, minister and preacher of the Gospel at Madderty
(1620-1657), who was connected with the Drummonds by marriage, in a
genealogical history of the House of Drummond, leaves on record the
following:--‘John, first Lord Drummond, having re-edified the Chapel of
Innerpeffray from the ground and erected it into a college for some few
prebendaries to pray for requiems for him and his house, ordained it to
be their burying-place for all time coming, and being near 80 years of
age he framed one of the most material and perfyte testaments that ever
I saw and syne closed his eyes and time togidder and was most honourably
interred at Innerpeffray, in the year 1519.’
“On 4th June 1507 the King confirmed in Mortmain the charter of John,
Lord Drummond, by which (for the souls of the King and Queen, for his
own soul and that of Elizabeth Lindesay, his wife, and the umquhile
Margaret Drummond, his daughter, &c.) he granted as a pure free almsgift
to four chaplains, to celebrate the divine offices for ever at the four
altars in the church, dedicated in honour of the Blessed Virgin, of
Innerpeffray, an annual income of forty marks from his lands of
Innerpeffray and Dunfallys, with houses, residences, and gardens to be
marked off and built for each, with the right to each of them of
obtaining necessary fuel in the Common Mure of Innerpeffray with four
sums for grasses and for one horse. In 1508 occurs the name of Walter
Drummond, the first Provost of Innerpeffray. Here was buried the second
Master of Drummond, who died before his grandfather, and left an infant
son, David, afterwards second Lord Drummond....
“The King, on 20th October 1581, confirmed the charter of William
Lindesay, provost or principal perpetual chaplain of the Church of the
Blessed Virgin Mary of Innerpeffray, in which with consent of Patrick,
Lord Drummond, patron of the said provostry, he demised to James
Drummond of Innerpeffray six acres of land, the Smithlands, &c. &c.,
reserving to the said provost one chamber (camera) only when he should
stay there.[210]... Four roundles or towers stood one at each corner of
the churchyard, and tradition says that these formed the residences of
the four chaplains.”
KINFAUNS CHURCH, PERTHSHIRE.
This edifice is situated about four miles east from Perth, and continued
to be the parish church till about forty years ago, when it was
abandoned and allowed to fall into ruin. It is now roofless and the
walls are very much reduced, except the south aisle, which contained the
seats of the family of the Greys of Kinfauns and their burial-place.
When the church was dismantled a painting was found on the plaster
inside the west wall, but unfortunately no drawing was made of it, and
it has now entirely disappeared.
The church (Fig. 1476) measures about 65 feet long by 18 feet 2 inches
wide within the walls, and is probably a structure of the fifteenth
century. It has been considerably altered during Presbyterian times, new
windows and doors having been broken through the walls. The south
doorway is original, and is round arched with a bead moulding towards
the outside,
[Illustration: FIG. 1476.--Kinfauns Church. Plan.]
and lintelled on the inside with a stone slab having a cross carved on
it, evidently a companion stone to the one shown in Fig. 1477. This
cross, which wants part of its length, measures 5 feet 11 inches long by
1 foot 7 inches in width at top, tapering to 1 foot 4 inches at lower
end by 10 inches thick. It is well wrought with sloping sides, having
the form of the cross completed, as seen by the rounded disc rising out
of the slope on each side. There was probably a south doorway opposite
the north doorway, adjoining the stoup shown in the south wall. The
eastmost window on the south side is also original; it is square
lintelled and has the usual wide splay all round.
The most interesting feature in the church is the arched recess in the
north wall (see Fig. 1477), which was probably an Easter sepulchre. It
was only discovered after the church became a ruin, having previously
been covered over. It has thus been well preserved, except that the
projecting crockets along the top of the hood moulding, as well as most
of the hood itself, have been chipped away, so as to make an even
surface at the wall. It measures about 6 feet 6 inches long by 3 feet in
depth, and about 4 feet high. It has well wrought mouldings, which die
against
[Illustration: FIG. 1477.--Kinfauns Church. Recess in North Wall.]
a rounded jamb, supported on a short shaft having a very simple cap and
base. The floor of the recess was slightly raised above the floor of the
church. The details of the mouldings show that this is a late design,
probably sixteenth century.
The “Gray Aisle” on the south side of the church is roofed with a late
example of groined vaulting (Fig. 1478), and it is curious to observe
how the tradition of this kind of work survived to a period when the
style of art practised throughout the country was of the kind
represented by the panels on the east and west walls. There are three
panels on these
[Illustration: FIG. 1478.--Kinfauns Church. The “Grey Aisle,” looking
West.]
walls. The central one on the west side (see Fig. 1478) contains the
Lindsay arms, as shown. On the east side there are two coats (Fig. 1479)
containing the Charteris arms. On one of the panels of that side is the
following inscription, which gives the name of the founder of the
aisle:--
[Illustration: FIG. 1479.--Kinfauns Church. Panels in East Side.[211]]
“John Chartrvs and Jannat Chisolim In ovr tym buildit this,” and on the
other is the inscription, “George Chartus sonn and har to the sad John
and deppartit. Bot suecs/nuvn” (without succession). The date over the
entrance door is 1598.
MEIGLE CHURCH FONT, PERTHSHIRE.
The old country town of Meigle is situated in the middle of Strathmore,
not far from Alyth Junction on the railway between Perth and Forfar.
The church stood in the middle of the village, and was rebuilt about
the beginning of this century. When the old building was demolished, a
font was dug out of the rubbish and erected on a pedestal in the
minister’s garden. It remained there for a time, but when an Episcopal
chapel was built, the font was removed into it, and is now in use there.
It is one of the best specimens of an old font now remaining in
Scotland,
[Illustration: FIG. 1480.--Meigle Church Font.]
and it evidently belongs to a late period, probably sixteenth century.
The font is octagonal and made of one stone. It is 2 feet 3 inches in
diameter, and the basin measures 1 foot 9 inches across. Each of the
sides of the octagon contains an arch with carved crockets, and the
angles are marked by small buttresses and pinnacles. The carved work has
been very spirited, but is now much damaged. In each arch is a
bas-relief containing emblems and scenes connected with the Passion.
[Illustration: FIG. 1481.--Meigle Church Font.]
Fig. 1480 shows three sides, which represent--(1) the Crucifixion, (2)
the seamless coat and the scourges and dice, (3) the Resurrection. Fig.
1481 shows--(4) the Cross and crown of thorns, (5) the pierced hands,
feet, and heart (showing the five wounds of the Passion), (6) the pillar
with the rope twisted round it, and the cock on the top. The seventh
side contains the ladder and the spear, reed, and sponge arranged
saltierwise, and the eighth the three nails and the hammer.
These sculptures are all well preserved and well executed, but whether
of native workmanship or not it is impossible to say.
METHVEN COLLEGIATE CHURCH, PERTHSHIRE.[212]
Of the Church of Methven, consecrated by Bishop David de Bernham of St.
Andrews on 25th August 1247, nothing now remains.
The Collegiate Church or Provostry of Methven, as it is generally
called, was founded in 1433 by Walter Stewart, the aged Earl of Athole.
Before this time, King James i. had conferred the liferent of the
Earldom of Strathearn upon the Earl of Athole, so that he was the great
lord of the district, and was, besides, a son of Robert ii. Three years
after the founding of this church he suffered a terrible death, for his
supposed connivance in the assassination of James i. in Perth.
What now remains of the church is the north transept, the north wall and
gable of which are shown in Fig. 1482. In the _Edinburgh Architectural
Association Sketch Book_[213] a plan of the church is given without any
information as to how it was ascertained. Assuming it to be correct, it
shows a cross church, having a chancel 40 feet long by 24 feet wide over
the walls, with north and south transepts, and a nave of the same width
as the chancel, extending for an indefinite length. The north transept
extended from the north wall of the church 22 feet, and has a width over
the walls of 21 feet, with walls 3 feet thick. The end window, which is
the principal feature of the structure, is 6 feet 3 inches wide in the
daylight; it has three lights, and the tracery, which is of a flowing
pattern, is placed, as usual at this period, in the centre of the
thickness of the wall. The mouldings of the jambs, which consist of a
double splay, are stopped at the springing of the arch by a continuous
impost moulding, and the arch mouldings are of a different section. On
the east side of the window there is a bracket with a canopy over for a
statue, possibly that of St. Marnoch, the patron saint of Methven.
In a panel on the west side of the window there are traceable the lion
rampant of the royal arms, surmounted by a crown.
The gabled crowsteps with which the gable is coped form one of the best
examples of that feature, which, however, is a rare one in the churches
of this period. The cross on the apex is modern.
The collegiate church was in use as the parish church till 1783, and for
long after the Reformation the Presbyterian minister was called “Provest
of Methven, and Chaplin of Auldbar,” the Church of Auldbar having been
granted to Methven on its foundation in 1433.
[Illustration: FIG. 1482.--Methven Collegiate Church. North Transept.]
MONCRIEFF CHAPEL, PERTHSHIRE.
A ruined chapel situated in the grounds adjoining the mansion house of
Moncrieff, about three miles south-east of Perth. It is closely hemmed
in with trees and is completely ivy clad, and measures in the inside
about 34 feet 6 inches long by 13 feet wide. The building (Fig. 1483) is
a pre-Reformation
[Illustration: FIG. 1483.--Moncrieff Chapel. Plan.]
church, but has evidently been used and altered in Presbyterian times,
and within the last few years it has been enlarged with an apse and
transepts, so as to form a burial-place. Most of the stones for this
purpose were taken from the ruins of the splendid old bridge which
[Illustration: FIG. 1484.--Moncrieff Chapel.
Stoup.]
crossed the Earn about a mile distant at Bridge of Earn.
There is a north aisle about 7 feet 8 inches wide by 7 feet 3 inches
long, which is entered by a round arch, and is lighted by a window 14
inches wide,
[Illustration: FIG. 1485.--Moncrieff Chapel.
Apex Stone.]
which has grooves for glass. The gable of this aisle has crowsteps. The
doorway is in the south wall, and adjoining it on the west is a stoup
(Fig. 1484) with a pointed arch cut out of a single stone, and in the
north wall there is the usual ambry. There are two windows in the south
wall and one in the west gable. This gable has the usual set-off at
about 5 feet above the ground, and at the ground level in this wall
there is a wide relieving arch, apparently intended to give scope for a
tree root. The skews of this gable are finely wrought, and the apex
stone, now lying inside (Fig. 1485), has the edge fillet continued as a
saltier on the face of the ridge roll.
The belfry, entirely concealed by ivy, occupies an unusual position on
the east gable. All the openings are lintelled, and appear to have been
altered in Presbyterian times.
WAST-TOWN CHURCH, PERTHSHIRE.
A ruined structure situated in the centre of its churchyard, in the
decayed hamlet of Wast-Town, at a distance of about two miles northwards
from Errol Railway Station, and not far from the old Castle of Kinnaird.
The church (Fig. 1486) has consisted of a nave and chancel, the former
about 43 feet long by 15 feet 2 inches wide inside, having walls from 3
to 4 feet thick. The chancel was apparently of the same width as the
nave,
[Illustration: FIG. 1486.--Wast-Town Church. Plan.]
but it has been entirely demolished, and the chancel arch has been built
up. This was doubtless done to make the church suitable as a preaching
station after the Reformation. There are a north and a south doorway,
the former square-headed with a splay, the latter (Fig. 1488) round
arched with a bead on edge all round. In the south side there are two
windows with square tops and a bead moulding, and one window in the
north side having a cusped and pointed top, as shown in Fig. 1487. This
window has a moulding on the outside consisting of a hollow, wrought on
a broad splay. All the windows are finished on the inside in a manner
similar to the one shown, the width of their daylight being about 13
inches. There are three openings through the walls at the west end (see
Fig. 1486) about 7 inches square and about 4 feet above the ground, the
object of which is not very clear, and they are now considerably ruined.
Possibly they are putlog holes.
[Illustration: FIG. 1487.--Wast-Town Church. Window in North Side.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1488.--Wast-Town Church. View from South-East.]
The chancel arch, which is 9 feet 9 inches wide, is in two orders (Fig.
1489), each splayed on edge. The wall is 2 feet 4 inches thick, and the
[Illustration: FIG. 1490.--Wast-Town Church.
Belfry.]
arch springs from wide spreading caps, which either rested on shafts,
now removed, or only on corbels. This cannot at present be determined,
[Illustration: FIG. 1489.
Wast-Town Church.
Chancel Arch.]
owing to the building up of the archway. The detail of this cap or
corbel is somewhat novel and peculiar in design.
There is a plain belfry (Fig. 1490) on the west gable.
The date of this church is probably in the sixteenth century.
MONUMENT IN RENFREW CHURCH.
This monument is placed in the modern parish church of Renfrew. It
consists of a recumbent effigy resting on a sculptured tomb, and
enclosed within an arched canopy. The inscription round the arch in
Gothic raised letters is as follows:--“Hic iacet Johēs Ros miles
quo(n)dam dominus de Hawkehede et Marioria uxor sua orate pro ipsis qui
obit.”
Crawford mentions in his _History of Renfrewshire_, p. 66, that Sir
Josias (he means Sir John) Ross of Halkhead married “Marjory Mure, a
daughter of Caldwel,” and that their statues “as big as the life, with
their coats of arms over them,” are carved on the monument. The arms of
the lady are not there now. Crawford states that this was “the first of
the family who laid the foundation of that hereditary honour, which his
successors have ever since enjoyed, who, being a favourite of King James
IV., was by that prince created a baron of this realm, with the title of
Lord Ross of Hawkhead and Melvil, about the year 1492.”[214] It is to be
observed, however, that the arms on the tomb are simply those of Ross,
whereas the arms of Melville were quartered with those of Ross after the
marriage of Sir John Ross with the heiress of Melville in the time of
Robert II.
The monument (Fig. 1491) has been partly restored, the shafts at the
sides with their bases and caps are modern, but they probably follow the
original design. The mouldings of the arch, which are thickly coated
with paint, appear to be original. The effigies, of which there are two,
husband and wife, with the table on which they rest, remain untouched.
The tomb is 8 feet 6½ inches long by 2 feet 6 inches high, but the base
is probably buried beneath the floor. The front is richly sculptured in
a somewhat rude but vigorous manner, and is divided into eleven
compartments. Each of the end compartments contains an angel playing on
a musical instrument, namely, a violin and a viol. The other nine
compartments contain shields supported by angels, with the following
armorial bearings, as described by Mr. W. R. Macdonald:--
1. A chevron chequé between three hunting horns, for Semple.
2. A pale, for Erskine.
3. A griffin segreant, for Lauder of Hatton.
4. Quarterly, 1st and 4th--A lion rampant within a double tressure
flory counterflory, for Scotland, as on No. 5; 2nd and 3rd--A fesse
chequé (with four rows of panes), for Stewart, as on No. 6.
5. A lion rampant within a double tressure flory counterflory, for
Scotland.
6. A fesse chequé (also with four rows of panes), for Stewart.
7. A bend, for----.
[Illustration: FIG. 1491.--Monument of Sir John Ross and Spouse in
Renfrew Church.]
8. A chevron chequé between three water budgets, for Ross of
Halket.
9. A chevron chequé between a hunting horn in dexter chief, a water
budget in sinister chief, and a demi hunting horn combined with a
demi water budget in base, being the shields 1 and 8 dimidiated,
but showing no dividing line.
On the knight’s breast a chevron between three water budgets, for Ross
of Halket, as in No. 8.
The Church of Renfrew was granted by David I. as a prebend of Glasgow,
and is believed to have stood on the present site.
In 1557 mention is made of the chaplainry of St. Christopher in the Lord
Ross’s Aisle on the south side of the Church of Renfrew. The monument is
situated on the south side of the present church. The Chapel of St.
Christopher was probably connected with the ferry across the Clyde.
THE CHURCHES OF HOUSTON, ST. FILLAN’S, AND KILMALCOLM, RENFREWSHIRE.
These three churches lie to the north-west of Paisley, in a straight
line, about four miles apart. The Church of Houston is modern, and the
only thing belonging to the ancient church which formerly stood there is
shown in Fig. 1492, being the recumbent figures of one of the Houston
family and his wife. The monument which contained these statues is
entirely gone, and they now lie in a lighted closet, built for their
reception, beside the new church. The Houston arms are carved on the
knight’s armour (a fesse chequé between three martlets). The figures
probably date from the fifteenth century, and are believed to represent
Sir Patrick Houston of that Ilk, who died in 1450, and his wife, Agnes
Campbell, who died in 1456. Crawford states[215] that Sir Patrick,
departing this life 1450, was buried in the Chapel of Houston, where
there is a fair monument erected to the memory of him and his wife, with
this inscription:--“Hic jacet Patricius Houstoun, de Eodem, miles, qui
obiit anno MCCCCL; et D. Maria Colquhoun sponsa dicti Domini Johannis
quae obiit MCCCCLVI.”
The parish of KILFILLAN or KILLALLAN was incorporated with Houston in
1760, and the church dedicated to St. Fillan has probably been in a
state of ruin since about that time. It stands in a beautiful hollow in
an elevated situation overlooking the valley of Strathgryfe, midway
between Houston and Kilmalcolm. The walls are fairly entire, but without
the gables, and are densely covered with ivy. The masonry shows that
they are of considerable age, if indeed they are not of the Norman
period. While this may be so, all the openings are of seventeenth
century work, and the doorway at the west end of the south wall is dated
1635. About that time the openings were probably changed into their
present forms, and the pre-Reformation character of the building was
altered to suit Presbyterian
[Illustration: FIG. 1492.--Houston Church. Effigies of Sir Patrick
Houston and his Wife.]
ideas. The old plan (Fig. 1493), however, resembles many of the ancient
churches in its long proportions, and in having the north and south
doors
[Illustration: FIG. 1493.--St. Fillan’s Church, Killallan, Renfrewshire.
Plan.]
opposite each other. Adjoining the church and churchyard there still
exists a quaint old Scottish mansion house of seventeenth century style,
which may probably have been the residence of the clergymen.
KILMALCOLM.--The church here was dedicated to King Malcolm III., who
along with his wife, Queen Margaret, were commemorated as saints. A
fragment of the east wall of a pre-Reformation church remains, with
three plain lancet windows, which may possibly belong to the thirteenth
century. It forms a part of the parish church. The above three churches,
along with all the others in Strathgryfe (except Inchinnon), were
comprehended in the grant which Walter, the son of Alan, made to the
Abbey of Paisley in 1164.
PARISH CHURCH, SELKIRK.
Of the important churches which existed here in the twelfth century no
trace now remains. The parish church was in a state of ruin at the
beginning of the sixteenth century, when a new one was built, which in
turn followed its predecessors, and in the year 1747 another church was
erected, the ruins of which still exist.
The following description of the church taken down in 1747 occurs in
_Our Journall into Scotland_, p. 15.[216] “They have a very pretty
church where the hammermen and other tradesmen have several seats
mounted above the rest, the gentlemen below the tradesmen in the ground
seats; the women sit in the high end of the church, with us the choir,
there is one neat vaulted porch in it, my Lord Bucplewgh’s (Buccleuch)
seat is the highest in the church, and he hath a proper (private)
passage into it in at the outside of the vaulted porch. On a corner of
the outside of the choir is fastened an iron chain with a thing they
call the Jogges,” &c. “The form of it is a cross house, the steeple
fair, handsomely tiled as the Royal Exchange at London, it having at
each corner four pyramidal turrets, they call them pricks; my Lord
Maxfield’s house at Langham being of the form of the steeple. The church
was tiled upon close joined boards and not lats” (laths).
[Illustration: FIG. 1494.--Selkirk Parish Church. Slab in Wall of
Church.]
The grave slab shown in Fig. 1494 is built into one of the walls of the
existing ruins. It is of red sandstone, and measures 6 feet 4 inches
high by 2 feet 5 inches wide. It is very much mutilated, and from its
exposed situation and the friableness of the stone, it is rapidly
decaying, and unless some proper means are taken to preserve it, will at
no distant date be obliterated. The figure represents that of a stout
yeoman with hands folded on the breast, having a belt round his waist.
On a shield at his feet is a bend, any other charges which may have been
on it being obliterated. The inscription in raised letters is more than
half gone, but from the first syllable of the place of Aikwood being
still legible, and in
[Illustration: FIG. 1495.--Selkirk Parish Church. Stoup.]
conjunction with the arms, it is supposed by Mr. T. Craig Brown[217] to
commemorate one of the Scots of Harden, who lived at Aikwood or Oakwood,
a tower still standing not far from Selkirk. The stone probably dates
from about the early part of the sixteenth century.
The following figures represent three stoups in the possession of Mr.
Craig Brown, Selkirk. Fig. 1495 shows the five sides of one of these. On
one face is a lion rampant, and on the adjoining space to the right is a
human face, the mouth of which forms an opening for emptying the basin.
On the space to the left is carved the figure of a buck or hart. The
other two faces are broken. On one is the hind quarters of an ox having
a long tail and cloven feet, and on the other the forequarters and head
of a hare in full flight.
The lion may be heraldic or it may have a symbolic meaning. The hart is
probably an allusion to the beginning of the xlii. psalm--“As the hart
panteth after the water brooks.” This verse is inscribed on a font of
the eleventh century, at Potterne, Wilts,[218] and the figure of a hart
is of frequent occurrence on Celtic and Norman work, where, as is now
generally
[Illustration: FIG. 1496.--Selkirk Parish Church. Stoup.]
believed, it has a symbolic meaning. The ox and hare, being also animals
referred to in Scripture, are probably to be considered in the same
category. This example is from Peebles, and was given to Mr. Brown by a
gentleman who believes it was found at some ruined building there. It
measures about 13 inches across on top by 9¾ inches high, and the bowl
is 4 inches deep.
[Illustration: FIG. 1497.--Selkirk Parish Church. Stoup.]
Fig. 1496 shows two views of a stoup, which is square, with the angles
cut off, converting it into an unequal-sided octagon. It is decorated in
a very curious manner with signs and letters of which we can give no
explanation. It was found built into an old house at Selkirk when it
was taken down many years ago. A mason took possession of it and used
it for a flower pot, and chiselled a hole in the bottom. The fragment
measures about 14⅝ by 16 inches. The basin is 11 inches over by 10
inches deep.
Both of these specimens are cut out of red sandstone.
The third stoup (Fig. 1497) is cut out of hard blue whinstone, and has
an unfinished appearance. It is decorated with shields, some having an
incised cross, and with foliage of a Gothic character. The plan on the
under side is in the form of a Greek cross. It measures about 18 inches
in diameter by 10½ inches high, with a basin 11 inches wide by 9 inches
deep.
WIGTON CHURCH, WIGTONSHIRE.[219]
An ivy clad ruin standing in the old churchyard of Wigton. Only the east
end (Fig. 1498) with a considerable portion of the south wall and a
small portion of the north wall remain. The first measures 21 feet 2
inches wide on the inside, and the south wall extends for a length of
about 55 feet.
[Illustration: FIG. 1498.--Wigton Church. Plan.]
Mr. Muir writes of this church as follows:[220]--“By the remains of a
string course and other bits of minor detail at the east end, it would
appear that the building has been originally of first pointed date,
though perhaps still earlier features were destroyed at the various
repairs which it underwent in modern times. One or two objects--The
stump of a cross, and a small baptismal font of tapering form” (which
seems to have now disappeared)--“were to all appearance Norman, and very
likely, therefore, the earlier portion of the primitive structure was of
twelfth century date.” The church was dedicated to St. Machutus, and
belonged to the Priory of Whithorn.
A ruined building of late date, with walls about 7 feet high, projects
about 17 feet out from the south wall by about 23 feet in width outside
measure.
CHURCHES OF THE SIXTEENTH AND SEVENTEENTH CENTURIES.
The ecclesiastical architecture of the mediæval period terminated at the
introduction of the Reformation in 1560, but during the latter half of
the sixteenth and the greater part of the seventeenth century a number
of churches were erected which show some attempt to maintain or revive
the style of earlier times. This tendency was doubtless encouraged by
the strenuous effort which was made, under James I. and Charles I. and
II., to establish the Episcopal forms of Church government and service
in Scotland. These forms being contrary to the desire of the
Presbyterians, who comprised the great body of the people, gave rise to
two opposing parties. The party favourable to the Episcopal form of
religion supported the erection of churches and the maintenance of the
worship as nearly as possible after the old model, while the
Presbyterians and Puritans discouraged everything which savoured of the
ancient faith, whether in buildings or services. The result was that
during the century which followed the Reformation there were two styles
of ecclesiastical structures erected in the country, one style showing
some reverence for the house of God in its form and decoration, and in
the appropriateness of the divine service; while the other seemed to be
designed, both in its buildings and forms of worship, to be as far
removed as possible from any outward or visible sign of inward sweetness
or grace.
It is proposed to conclude this work with some examples of the different
styles of churches erected during the above period.
A number of specimens have already been given in a former work.[221]
These churches were introduced into a work on the domestic architecture
of the country, in order to illustrate the influence of the domestic
style on the ecclesiastical architecture of this period. Many of these
edifices were, therefore, only partially illustrated, and it has been
thought desirable to treat some of them more fully in this book, so as
to complete the illustration and description of their architecture.
The examples which are now given will amply illustrate the remaining
specimens which still survive of this somewhat heterogeneous epoch.
Most of the churches of the seventeenth century are either very poor
imitations of Gothic work or tasteless examples of plain walls, while a
few contain the germs of what might have been wrought into a picturesque
style, founded on the domestic architecture of the period. Such, for
example, are the churches of Stirling (west end), Anstruther Easter, and
Pittenweem.
Several of the monuments of the period are also given.
The following examples are arranged in alphabetical order.
ABERDOUR, ABERDEENSHIRE.
A village about eight miles west of Fraserburgh. In the _Book of Deer_
it is written, “Columcille and Drostan son of Cosgrach his pupil came
[Illustration: FIG. 1499.--Aberdour. Plan.]
from I as God had shown to them unto Abbordo-boir and Bede the Pict was
mormaer of Buchan before them, and it was he that gave them that
[Illustration: FIG. 1500.--Aberdour. View from South-West.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1501.
Aberdour.
Jamb of Arch to Aisle.]
town in freedom for ever from Mormaer and tosech.” In these words a
scribe, writing in the eleventh or twelfth century, tells of the
planting of Christianity in the North about A.D. 580. It is probable
that the clerics tarried at Aberdour for a time, and founded a monastery
on the land which had been granted to them.[222] In later times the
parish church was dedicated to St. Drostan, and in 1178 and 1318 there
are notices of its erection into a prebend of St. Machar’s
Cathedral.[223] In 1557 there is a mandate
[Illustration: FIG. 1502.--Aberdour. Tomb in North Wall.]
by William, Bishop of Aberdeen, for the institution of Master Robert
Carnegy in the canonry and prebend of the Rectory of Aberdour. Again, in
1599, there is a seisin of Robert Ramsay in the kirk lands and glebe
with the vicar’s manse of Aberdour. The existing ruins (Fig. 1499) are
not earlier than the sixteenth century, and consist of a nave 70 feet
long by 21 feet 3 inches wide, and a south aisle 30 feet 4 inches long
by 17 feet 4 inches wide, all outside measure. The
[Illustration: FIG. 1503.--Aberdour.
Font.]
walls (Fig. 1500) are still tolerably entire, but are fast crumbling
away. The west end of the nave has been partitioned off into two burial
vaults, as also is the aisle. The arch between the nave and aisle is
round, with an impost moulding (Fig. 1501) at the springing of the arch.
The arch and jambs are chamfered, the chamfer terminating on a splayed
base. In the north wall of the nave is the round arched mural tomb shown
in Fig. 1502.
The font is still in existence. It is quite plain and octagonal, being 2
feet in diameter by about 2 feet 2 inches high. After the abandonment of
the church the font appears to have been built into the wall, and to
have had a sundial carved on its lower end (Fig. 1503).
ANSTRUTHER, EASTER AND WESTER, FIFESHIRE.
These adjacent towns form one of the very interesting group of ancient
seaports and places of commerce on the northern shore of the Frith of
Forth. Anstruther is divided into two portions by the little river
Dreel, which formed the harbour of Anstruther Wester, while Easter
Anstruther extends in a wide crescent along the coast, and has a larger
harbour of its own.
Anstruther Wester belonged to the Priory of Pittenweem, and the parish
church was dedicated to St. Nicolas. The town obtained a charter from
the monastery in 1549, and another in 1554.[224] The church is now
modernised, but the old tower (Fig. 1504) is a fair specimen of the
keep-like structures so often erected in connection with Scottish
churches in the sixteenth century.
[Illustration: FIG. 1504.--Anstruther Wester.]
Anstruther Easter was, before the Reformation, in the parish of
Kilrenny, and was disjoined from it by the General Assembly, with the
consent of the bailies and council of the town, in 1639. In 1640
Anstruther Easter was erected into a separate parish, and the reason
assigned in the Act was “the Burgh being a part of the parish of
Kilrenny a mile distant of deep evil way in winter and rainy
times.”[225]
A proposal to build a church at Anstruther Easter had thus been in
contemplation for some time, and in 1636 an agreement was come to
regarding it between Mr. Colin Adams, the first minister of the parish,
and the bailies and council. The new church was erected, and “ten years
later a steeple was added after a Dutch model.”[226]
The arrangement of the Plan (Fig. 1505) and the design of the tower
seem, however, to contradict the latter statement. The debased but
picturesque architecture of the tower (Fig. 1506) so strongly resembles
the other Scottish church towers of the period as to render its origin
beyond dispute. It combines the ornamental treatment of the upper part
with the plain features of the lower portion, so usual in the castles of
the time; and the classic balustrade and the gabled termination of the
staircase recall similar domestic features of Scottish castellated
architecture very common in the seventeenth century, both in churches
and houses.
[Illustration: FIG. 1505.--Anstruther Easter. Plan.]
The church measures, externally, 92 feet in length by 41 feet in
breadth. The entrance doorway leads into a simple barrel-vaulted passage
9 feet wide. This originally opened directly into the body of the
church, having a staircase to the gallery on the south side and a small
room or vestry on the north side. The body of the church is of the usual
oblong form (Fig. 1507) and is lighted with windows, which, from their
mullions and round arches, retain a slightly ecclesiastical appearance.
This is chiefly striking in the large east window. There were originally
two doorways in the south wall, but one has been built up.
Altogether, this church, the date of which is known, forms a complete
and characteristic example of the Scottish ecclesiastical architecture
of the earlier part of the seventeenth century.[227]
[Illustration: FIG. 1506.--Anstruther Easter. West End and Tower.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1507.--Anstruther Easter. View from South-East.]
ST. MARY’S PARISH CHURCH, AUCHTERHOUSE, FORFARSHIRE.
[Illustration: FIG. 1508.--St. Mary’s, Auchterhouse.
Chancel Arch.]
The village of Kirkton or Auchterhouse is situated about five miles
north of Dundee.
[Illustration: FIG. 1509.--St. Mary’s, Auchterhouse.
Section of Chancel Arch Mouldings.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1511.--St. Mary’s, Auchterhouse.
Jamb of Doorway in Chancel.]
The old church consists of a nave and chancel, with a square west tower.
The nave is about 56 feet long by 33 feet wide, and the chancel is about
27 feet long by 21 feet 6 inches wide. The date (1630)
[Illustration: FIG. 1510.--St. Mary’s, Auchterhouse.
South Doorway in Chancel.]
is carved on the east gable, but the building undoubtedly is, in part at
least, of older date. There are a great many stones, pieces of window
tracery, and other carved work lying about the churchyard, which show
that there was a former building, probably of fifteenth century work,
here, which was doubtless in part taken down and rebuilt in the
seventeenth century. The chancel arch (Fig. 1508) belongs to this
earlier church. It is 12 feet 3 inches wide and is acutely pointed; the
wall is about 3 feet 2 inches thick. The mouldings of the arch consist
of double hollows, as shown on section (Fig. 1509), with a cap moulding
of the form shown on the same figure.
[Illustration: FIG. 1512.--St. Mary’s, Auchterhouse. South Doorway.]
The south doorway in the chancel (Fig. 1510) also belongs to the earlier
church. The moulded jambs (Fig. 1511) abut against a square lintel,
somewhat in the same manner as occurs in one of the windows in the tower
at South Queensferry. The jambs rise at the base from a splay sloping
inwards. The doorway to the nave (Fig. 1512) is more classic in design,
and is of the seventeenth century. No other features of the church,
except its sundials (see _The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of
Scotland_, Vol. V.), call for special notice.
AYTOUN CHURCH, BERWICKSHIRE.
The town of Aytoun (formerly written Eytun) stands on the river Eye,
about seven miles north from Berwick-on-Tweed, and half a mile from the
railway station.
The old church is situated in an open burial-ground, in connection with
which a new church was erected some years ago. The old building appears,
from the remains of its ivy-covered walls, to have been of considerable
extent, but no details can now be made out. The only portion which
remains in a tolerable state of preservation appears to have formed a
south aisle or wing.
[Illustration: FIG. 1513.--Aytoun Church.]
There is a plain segmental headed doorway in the east side, and a large
circular headed window in the south end (Fig. 1513). The latter is
divided by two mullions into three lights, each finished at the top with
a round-arched head. The window has a transom in the centre. It is
evident from the nature of the design and the form of the mouldings that
the window is of late date, probably of the end of the sixteenth
century.
Aytoun was granted by the Scottish Edgar to St. Cuthbert’s Monks, and
thus became the property of the Priory of Coldingham, and shared its
fate.
BALLINGRY CHURCH, FIFESHIRE.
The present church of Ballingry is a modern structure built in 1831. It
stands on the site of a pre-Reformation edifice, which has entirely
disappeared. The window shown in Fig. 1514 clearly belongs to the
seventeenth century, being part of a north aisle, which was evidently
built about that time. The window is the only feature of interest in
the
[Illustration: FIG. 1514.--Ballingry Church. Window in North Aisle.]
building, and it is a good example of the Renaissance style, modified by
the grafting on to it of Gothic features.
BLAIR CHURCH,[228] BLAIR-ATHOLL, PERTHSHIRE.
The walls of this old church (Fig. 1515) still stand within the grounds
of Blair Castle, the seat of the Duke of Atholl, and about five minutes’
walk from the Castle. The building is roofless and the walls are almost
complete, but they have been much slapped and altered to make the place
suitable for Presbyterian worship.
The masonry is rubble work, built with stones gathered off the hills.
The doors and windows have hewn jambs and lintels of freestone, all
square-headed and splayed. A gravestone, dated 1579, has been built in
the inside of the north wall. The chief interest of the ruin arises from
its containing the vault in which Claverhouse is buried. A tablet on the
inner face of the south wall of the church, west of the aisle which
contains the vault, bears the following inscription:--
[Illustration: FIG. 1515.--Blair Church. Plan.]
Within this vault beneath
Are interred the remains of
JOHN GRAHAM OF CLAVERHOUSE
Viscount Dundee
Who fell at the Battle of Killiecrankie
27 July 1689, aged 46
This memorial is placed here by
John, 7th Duke of Atholl, K.T.
1889
ST. BRANDAN’S, BOYNDIE, BANFFSHIRE.
The ruined Church of Boyndie or Inverboyndie stands on a slight
elevation near the mouth of the small river of the same name, about two
miles west from the town of Banff. The parish was formerly conjoined
with Banff till 1634, when it was erected into a separate parish. The
church is of ancient foundation, and was granted in 1211-14, along with
that of Banff, to the monks of Arbroath.
The old church stands in the churchyard, which is still used. It was
abandoned in 1773, when a new church was built. Since that time it has
fallen into complete decay, so much so that the plan cannot now be
properly distinguished. The only portions still preserved in tolerable
condition are the west wall and belfry (Fig. 1516). These do not appear
to be of great age. The wall contains the entrance doorway of the
church. It has a round arch and jambs with a small splay, such as was
common in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The top of the gable
has a small belfry, which has latterly occupied the position of a former
one, which was much larger. The older belfry must have been of
considerable size, as is apparent from the large corbels which carried
it, and which project boldly from both sides of the wall. These were
arranged so as to carry an octagonal erection, which must have had a
very picturesque effect.
[Illustration: FIG. 1516.--St. Brandan’s, Boyndie.]
They are evidently copied from the domestic architecture of the period.
This structure seems to belong to the seventeenth century.
ST. MICHAEL’S CHURCH, CUPAR, FIFESHIRE.
The old Church of Cupar having become decayed, the Prior of St. Andrews,
in 1415, erected a new church on a new site in the town. But in 1785
this church was also found to be in a decayed condition, and was rebuilt
on the same site as that of the fifteenth century. Part of the old
structure at the north-west angle was, however, not destroyed, and still
survives. This portion (Fig. 1517) comprises three arches of the main or
central nave and the tower at the north-west angle. The latter (Fig.
1518) is quadrilateral, and its north and west walls are raised upon the
outer walls of the church at the north-west angle, portions of which
walls still exist, together with the jamb of a large west window. The
tower is unrelieved by buttresses. On the east and south the walls are
carried on arches, the lower story being thus included in the interior
of the church.
[Illustration: FIG. 1517.--St. Michael’s Church, Cupar.]
The pier at the south-east angle which supports these arches is
hexagonal in form, while the remaining piers of the church are round.
The caps and bases are of the usual late form. The tower is oblong in
plan, being 22 feet from east to west, and 18 feet from north to south.
This inequality produces a peculiar effect in the broached spire which
surmounts it, and which was erected in 1620 by the Rev. William Scott,
the minister of the parish, at his own expense. The balustrade forming
the parapet and the other features of the spire are quite in the
character of the Scottish seventeenth century steeples, common in
Fifeshire, such as those at Anstruther and Pittenweem.
The tower itself is plain with simple pointed lights, those of the upper
story being double, so as to be suitable for the belfry. In the west
wall there occurs a small window with peculiarly shaped head, and below
it the string course is studded with square shaped flowers.
In the present church is preserved a good recumbent effigy (Fig. 1519)
of one of the Fernies of Fernie, but it is without date. The arms over
[Illustration: FIG. 1518.--St. Michael’s Church, Cupar. Tower.]
the monument--a fesse between 3 lions’ heads erased--are those of Fernie
of that Ilk. Several members of this family were Constables of Cupar in
[Illustration: FIG. 1519.--St. Michael’s Church, Cupar. Monument of one
of the Fernies of Fernie.]
ancient times. The lands of Fernie lie a few miles to the west of the
town.
ST. BRIDGET’S CHURCH, DALGETY, FIFESHIRE.
A remarkable structure, which stands near the Forth at the head of a
small bay about two miles south-west from Aberdour, the road to it
passing through the beautiful grounds of St. Colm House.
The old church (Fig. 1520) forms the eastern part of the structure,
while to the west has been erected a two-story building, containing on
the ground floor a burial vault, and on the upper floor a “laird’s loft”
or room for the Lord of the Manor, from which access was obtained to a
gallery in the church.
The ancient church was dedicated to St. Bridget in 1244. It retains a
simple pointed doorway at the south-west angle, a number of altered and
square-headed windows in the south wall, and a piscina at the east end
of the same wall, but there are scarcely any of the old details
preserved to indicate the date of the building. It has evidently been
greatly altered, to make it suitable for Presbyterian worship after the
Reformation. There are two projecting buildings on the north side and
one on the south
[Illustration: FIG. 1520.--St. Bridget’s Church, Dalgety. Plan of Ground
Floor.]
side, all much ruined, but the mouldings of the jambs of the northern
projections at the openings into the church are preserved and indicate
Renaissance work. These outside structures were probably burial vaults.
[Illustration: FIG. 1521.--St. Bridget’s Church, Dalgety. View from
South-West.]
The house at the west end is undoubtedly post-Reformation. In the vault
is buried the celebrated Chancellor Seaton, and the building, to judge
[Illustration: FIG. 1522.--St. Bridget’s Church, Dalgety.
Plan of First Floor.]
from its style (Fig. 1521), was probably erected by him about the
beginning of the seventeenth century. The upper floor is reached by a
projecting octagonal stair turret on the north side. The interior of the
walls of the principal room on the first floor (Fig. 1522) is built with
ashlar work, and the walls are divided into moulded panels in stone work
and a stone cornice runs round the room.
A wide aperture in the east wall of the room opens into the church at a
high level, and no doubt gave access to a gallery at the west end. The
belfry is placed on the west gable of this room and still contains a
small bell, the chain for ringing which has cut a deep groove in the
wall outside. The small room at the south-west angle contains a
fireplace. There has been another gallery at the east end of the church.
The outside staircase for access to it still remains. A good monumental
slab is built into the north wall of the church, bearing date 1540.
ST. JOHN’S CHURCH, DALRY, KIRKCUDBRIGHTSHIRE.[229]
The village of Dalry or St. John’s Town stands on the east bank of the
Dee, in the northern or Glenkens district of Kirkcudbrightshire, and is
about ten miles north from Parton Railway Station. The old parish church
was removed in 1829-31, when a new church was erected on the old site.
An old burial vault formerly attached to the church, and known as the
Kenmure burial aisle, has, however, been preserved, which (Fig. 1523),
with its crow-stepped gable and large antiquely grilled window and
panelled coat of arms, forms an interesting relic of the seventeenth
century.
This adjunct to the old church formed a projection on its south side,
and measures internally 17 feet in length by 14 feet 2 inches in width
(Fig. 1524). The entrance from the church, which was about 7 feet wide,
was by a plain rubble archway, which is now built up. The doorway in the
west wall is square-lintelled, and 2 feet 8 inches wide. The window in
the south wall is also square-lintelled, and the iron grill appears to
have been built in along with the wall. The coat of arms in the panel
over the window is divided in pale, having the three boars’ heads of the
Gordons on the dexter side, and a lion rampant on the sinister side.
These, Mr. Galloway suggests, may be the arms of John Gordon of Kenmure,
who was Justiciar of the Stewartry in 1555, and died in 1604, and who
here combines the provincial with the family arms--the lion rampant
being the heraldic emblem of the province of Galloway.
There is an ambry in the south-west angle 1 foot 7 inches wide by 1 foot
9 inches high, and 1 foot 3 inches deep.
[Illustration: FIG. 1523.--St. John’s Church, Dalry. View from
South-West.]
On the outside of the north-east angle there is an interesting relic of
the south wall of the old church, a portion of one rybat of a window
having been preserved. Three courses of freestone yet remain, having a
bold splay externally, a groove for glass, and a splayed ingoing. This
shows that the chancel of the old church must have extended some
distance to the eastward.
Some of the dressed granite stones of the old church have been reused in
the modern building.
[Illustration: FIG. 1524.--St. John’s Church, Dalry. Plan.]
DRAINIE CHURCH AND MICHAEL KIRK, MORAYSHIRE.
These two churches are examples of the revived Gothic architecture of
post-Reformation times. The parish of Drainie was formed by the union of
the two old parishes of Kineddar and Ogstown. They both lie on the
Morayshire coast, about five to six miles north of Elgin, and fully two
miles from Lossiemouth. The country is low lying, and used in former
times to be marshy. Kineddar was a seat of the Bishopric of Moray before
it was moved to Spynie, and ultimately to Elgin. There too stood a large
fortified castle (of the first period), consisting of a great wall of
enceinte surrounded by a deep ditch, but it has now been taken down, and
the plough passes over the site. This castle formed the residence of
some of the Bishops of Moray before Spynie Palace was erected.
The Church of Drainie was built in 1666, and is a good example of the
period. It has evidently been designed to meet the requirements of the
Presbyterian service of the time (Fig. 1525). The pulpit would be in the
centre of the south wall, with a window placed on each side of it.
Beyond these, on either hand, are two doors, each admitting to a short
passage, which would give access to a central one. The main body of the
church is 62 feet in length by 24 feet in width, and in the centre of
the north side is a wing 24 feet by 18 feet. This wing or “aisle” is
spanned by a stone arch, which may have carried a gallery above, to
light which a small window is introduced in the north gable. The ground
floor of the north wing would be seated in the usual manner, and is
provided with an entrance door and two windows. Similar arrangements of
plan are common in the Scottish churches of post-Reformation times.
[Illustration: FIG. 1525.--Drainie Church. Plan.]
The windows and doors (Fig. 1526) have pointed arches, and the windows
are each divided by one mullion, which branches into two in the
arch-head. These door and window dressings are all chamfered on the
edges. The cornice is of classic form, and the gables are crow-stepped.
The west gable is finished on top with an ornamental belfry in the
Renaissance style of the period, in which some revival of Gothic
features was attempted.
* * * * *
MICHAEL KIRK.--About half a mile west from Drainie stood the ancient
church of Ogstown, the site of which is now occupied by the remarkable
specimen of revived Gothic shown in Fig. 1527. This edifice was erected
as a mausoleum for his family by Lodvic Gordon of Gordonston, an estate
in the vicinity. Mr. Gordon belonged to a branch of the
[Illustration: FIG. 1526.--Drainie Church. View from South-West.]
Sutherland family, the first baronet being Sir Robert Gordon, the author
of the _History of Sutherland_.
[Illustration: FIG. 1527.--Michael Kirk.
Ornaments in East Window.]
The edifice (Fig. 1528) is 45 feet in length by 20 feet in width
externally. It has large pointed and traceried windows in the east and
west gables, and the south wall contains a central door and a two-light
window at each side of it. The openings are all pointed, and the windows
have a kind of tracery. The north wall has no openings, being apparently
designed to receive monuments, of which it already contains several.
This structure bears the date of 1703, and is a remarkable product of
that period. The forms of the tracery (Fig. 1530) indicate a very slight
acquaintance with Gothic, and the mouldings have all more of a
[Illustration: FIG. 1528.--Michael Kirk. Plan.]
classic than a Gothic character. The ornaments introduced in the
transoms are peculiar. Those in the east window consist of a series of
Cupids’ heads
[Illustration: FIG. 1529.--Michael Kirk.
Ornaments in West Window.]
(Fig. 1527), while those of the west window show a variety of flower
patterns (Fig. 1529) carved with considerable spirit. The urns which act
as finials on the gables betray the Renaissance feeling of the period.
In the architrave-like moulding which surrounds the door and windows are
introduced a series of alternating stars and roses.
It may be thought astonishing to find a revival of Gothic so prominent
in this northern region; but it must be borne in mind that the Episcopal
form of Church government encouraged by royalty in the seventeenth
century found considerable favour in this part of Scotland.
[Illustration: FIG. 1530.--Michael Kirk. View from South-West.]
DURNESS CHURCH, SUTHERLANDSHIRE.[230]
It is interesting to find in the neighbourhood of Cape Wrath a specimen
of ecclesiastical architecture, even though of the seventeenth century.
The old parish church, which is now a ruin, occupies the site of a cell
of Dornoch monastery. It was built in 1619. The Plan (Fig. 1531) is
somewhat irregular, but not unlike, in general form, to many of the
churches of Scotland at the same period, having the pulpit placed in the
centre of the long side wall, and facing the wing.
In a recess is the grave of Duncan MacMorroch, a relation of the chief
of the clan, believed to have been very serviceable in getting rid
quietly of
[Illustration: FIG. 1531.--Durness Church. Plan.]
troublesome hindrances. This gentleman was desirous to be buried in the
sacred edifice, but as some doubts existed as to his sanctity, it was
resolved
[Illustration: FIG. 1532.--Durness Church. View from South-West.]
not to admit his body quite into the church, so he was buried under the
wall. His tomb is dated 1619, and his epitaph hands down his name to
posterity in the following words:--
“Duncan MacMorroch here lies low
Was ill to his friend, waur to his foe
True to his master in weird and wo.”
The adjoining gable has crowsteps and is topped with a belfry (Fig.
1532). The lintel of the doorway in the wing bears the letters and
figures 16 · HMK · A. In the gable of the wing there is a two-light
window with a pointed arch, a central mullion dividing into two small
arches at the head (the space between being left solid), and a transom.
An old font lies in the main part of the church.
EAST CALDER CHURCH, MID-LOTHIAN.
This edifice was the parish church of East Calder till 1750, when a new
church was erected at Kirknewton, and East Calder was united with that
parish. These two parishes lie about ten miles west from Edinburgh.
The Church of East Calder was dedicated to St. Cuthbert. At the
accession of William the Lion the church was granted to the monks of
Kelso. This parish was formerly called Calder-Clere, to distinguish it
from
[Illustration: FIG. 1533.--East Calder Church. Plan.]
Mid-Calder, which lies about one mile west of it, on the opposite side
of the river Almond. The church, which is now a ruin, stands in its old
churchyard. It is a simple oblong (Fig. 1533), internally 56 feet in
length by 17 feet in width. The north wall has been removed, and the
interior divided into burial-places, separated by walls and railings.
The doorways and windows have been built up, and few of the wall
openings can now be seen. One window is still partly preserved in the
east end (Fig. 1534). It has evidently been divided into two lights by a
mullion, which is removed, and each light has had a round-arched head.
Another window in the south wall, near the east end, is of similar
form. The mullion and round heads of the opening have been preserved by
being built up. A doorway, also built up, adjoins the window in the
south wall on the west.
[Illustration: FIG. 1534.--East Calder Church. View from South-East.]
There may be other built up openings, but the wall is so thickly covered
with ivy that they cannot be identified. The belfry on the west gable is
plain, and evidently late in date. The few details which survive
indicate a post-Reformation style, probably of about 1600.
EASSIE AND NEVAY, FORFARSHIRE.
Two ruined parish churches, each in its churchyard, situated within two
miles of each other and about nine miles south-west of Forfar. They are
small buildings, measuring respectively 56 feet 6 inches by 15 feet 6
inches, and 53 feet 6 inches by 18 feet 6 inches within the walls (Fig.
1535). Neither church has any openings in the north wall. At Eassie
(Fig. 1536) all the doors and windows are square-headed, and at Nevay
they are the same, except that the west doorway is round-headed, but not
arched, being cut out of one stone. At Eassie the westmost doorway on
the south side is of eighteenth century work, but the eastmost one is
original. An ivy-mantled belfry crowns the west end of each edifice.
On the lintel of the south door at Nevay there is the date 1695, with
the initials D. N. between the first two and last two figures. These are
[Illustration: FIG. 1535.--Eassie and Nevay Churches. Plans.]
doubtless the initials of David of Nevay, whose father, a Senator of the
College of Justice, died shortly before this date. The church, however,
[Illustration: FIG. 1536.--Eassie Church.]
appears to be of earlier date, as a tombstone of 1597 is built into its
walls.
These churches were in the diocese of St. Andrews, and in 1309 “Robert
I. gave the advocation and donation of the Kirk of Eassie to the Monks
of Newbottle.[231]”
St. Neveth, martyr, to whom the church was dedicated, and from whom it
received its name, was a bishop “in the north,” who was slain by the
Saxons and the Picts, and Bishop Forbes[232] suggests that the martyr
was buried at Nevay.
Eassie was dedicated to St. Brandon.
At Eassie Church there is one of the finest of the Scottish sculptured
stones.
PULPIT FROM ST. CUTHBERT’S CHURCH, EDINBURGH.
The annexed sketch (Fig. 1537) shows the old pulpit of St. Cuthbert’s
Church as it stood in St. Cuthbert’s Poorhouse, Lothian Road, Edinburgh,
before that building was removed in 1868. It appears[233] that when St.
Cuthbert’s Church was demolished in 1773, the pulpit was transferred to
the Poorhouse. Its date can be pretty well ascertained. From a minute of
the kirk-session of 15th August 1651, we find that Cromwell’s soldiers
had so completely sacked the church that there was “nayther pulpit,
loft, nor seat left therein,” all doors and windows having been broken,
and the roof by cannon shot completely ruined. Steps were immediately
taken to repair the damage, and in April 1652 the church was reopened
for public worship. This pulpit was doubtless made between the above
dates, and its style is characteristic of the time. It is of oak, and
probably in the old church it stood on a loftier base than is shown in
the sketch.
FETTERESSO CHURCH, KINCARDINESHIRE.
The parish of Fetteresso included a considerable part of the town of
Stonehaven on the east coast of Kincardineshire. The old church, the
ruins of which stand in a large churchyard, is situated near the Carron
Water, about one mile and a half south-west from Stonehaven. The
structure probably occupies the site of a very ancient church, dedicated
to St. Cavan, which stood at the Hamlet of Fetteresso. It is beautifully
situated amongst fine old trees.
[Illustration: FIG. 1537.--Pulpit from St. Cuthbert’s Church,
Edinburgh.]
The existing edifice, which is roofless, appears, from the style of its
architecture, to be chiefly post-Reformation. The walls and gables are
well preserved and much covered with ivy.
[Illustration: FIG. 1538.--Fetteresso Church. Plan.]
The church (Fig. 1538) is, internally, 81 feet in length from east to
west by 17 feet 6 inches in width from north to south. It has a wing
[Illustration: FIG. 1539.--Fetteresso Church. View from North-West.]
thrown out to the north, which is about 17 feet square, and bears the
date of 1720. A small adjunct to the west of the wing carries the date
of 1857. The wall openings are almost entirely in the south wall, in
which there are three doorways and six windows. There is one window in
the east end and one pointed doorway in the north wall. The north wing
contains a north doorway and two windows in the east wall. This wing,
doubtless, contained a gallery. The openings in the south wall are all
built up, and the interior is converted into a private burial-ground.
The details have all the character of eighteenth century work. The
belfry (Fig. 1539) stands on the top of the west gable and still retains
its bell, which is used on the occasion of funerals. The church and its
surroundings are very picturesque.
FORDEL CHAPEL, FIFESHIRE.
This is a private chapel in the beautiful grounds of Fordel Castle,[234]
about two miles north from Inverkeithing. It bears the date of 1650, and
tradition has it that the works were interrupted by Cromwell’s soldiers.
The edifice is now used as a mortuary chapel by the proprietors of
Fordel House.
[Illustration: FIG. 1540.--Fordel Chapel. Plan.]
The structure bears the mark of the period when it was erected in the
mixed style of its architecture, being partly an imitation of Gothic and
partly Renaissance. It measures (Fig. 1540) about 40 feet in length by
16 feet in width internally, and is a simple oblong in plan, with a
doorway in the centre of the south side. It is lighted (Fig. 1541) by
four symmetrically arranged windows in the south side, one in the centre
of the north side, and a large three-light window at each end. The
windows are divided by mullions, and have a species of tracery in the
round arch-heads.
The west gable is crowned with a belfry having a small spire. The stone
cresting on the ridge has the small ornaments common at the period.
[Illustration: FIG. 1541.--Fordel Chapel.]
Over the doorway (Fig. 1542) are the quaintly carved arms of J.
Henderson and his wife, M. Monteath (the Hendersons being the ancient
[Illustration: FIG. 1542.--Fordel Chapel. Arms over Doorway.]
proprietors of the domain), with their initials and the date 1650. The
same initials are repeated on tablets both on the exterior and interior
of the chapel.
GARVALD CHURCH, HADDINGTONSHIRE.
Situated about five miles south-east from Haddington, in the secluded
valley of the Papana Water, stands the rebuilt Church of Garvald. Only a
very few fragments remain (Fig. 1543) of the ornament of the ancient
[Illustration: FIG. 1543.--Garvald Church. String Course.]
Norman structure which formerly existed. These are built into the walls
of the church, which was restored and enlarged in 1829.
GAMRIE CHURCH, BANFFSHIRE.
This church, dedicated to St. John the Evangelist, has a splendid
situation, standing high above the cliffs overlooking the sea, and
having a small fishing village on the beach immediately below. The
building is now a ruin, only the walls remaining. It is a curious
looking structure and
[Illustration: FIG. 1544.--Gamrie Church. Plan.]
has been built at two periods. The east end is the earliest part. The
total length of the church internally (Fig. 1544) is about 94 feet 4
inches by 15 feet 6 inches wide. The later part of the structure is
about 10 inches wider than the earlier, the walls being thinner. The
external dimensions are 96 feet long by 21 feet 8 inches wide. The
chancel or east end was probably heightened at the time when the west
end was built. The east gable has a sett-off at the level of what was
apparently the original height (Fig. 1545). There are two doors on the
south side, that in the chancel being lintelled and having a hole for a
sliding bar, while the other in the nave is round arched, as is also a
door in the opposite wall. These doors have all beaded mouldings. There
is only one window on the north side. On the south side the windows are
of various sizes, and are scattered about in an irregular way. Two of
them, which are placed high in the wall, are checked for outside
shutters; the others have all simple splays.
[Illustration: FIG. 1545.--Gamrie Church. View from South-East.]
There is a plain ambry in the east wall at a high level, and adjoining
it in the north wall there is a recess, probably a _credence_, as
suggested by the Rev. Dr. Pratt.[235] This part of the building is in a
neglected condition, being fitted up as a toolhouse for the
gravedigger’s implements. There is built into the interior of the east
gable a memorial tablet, with very quaintly carved letters and
mouldings, to the memory of Patricius Barclay dominus de Tolly, and his
wife, Joneta Ogilvy, who died in 1547.[236] There were other interesting
memorials connected with the church which are referred to by Dr. Pratt,
but of these only mutilated fragments remain. The indignant remonstrance
of the Rev. Dr. against the condition of the building, written thirty
years ago, backed up by a poem by Principal Geddes, has not availed to
secure any respect for the old walls.
The Church of Gamrie is frequently referred to in the twelfth and
following centuries. It was granted by William the Lion to Arbroath
between 1189 and 1198,[237] and in 1513 Mr. Henry Preston was presented
to the Church of Gamrie by the Abbot of Arbroath. Probably the existing
walls were erected about the latter date, but the details indicate that
great alterations have been made on the building, which convert it into
a seventeenth century structure.
GLADSMUIR CHURCH, HADDINGTONSHIRE.
A ruin near the village of Longniddry.
The parish of Gladsmuir was formed out of several other parishes in
1695, at which time this church (Fig. 1546), now in ruins, was erected.
[Illustration: FIG. 1546.--Gladsmuir Church.]
It was an oblong structure, and measures about 71 feet long by 25 feet
[Illustration: FIG. 1547.
Gladsmuir Church.
Sundial.]
6 inches wide outside. There was, as frequently happens, an aisle on the
north side about 24 feet square, opening into the church by the wide and
lofty arch seen in the view. This arch, which is simply splayed on both
faces, has two of its voussoirs projected about 6 inches beyond the
others. These may have been rests for diagonal pieces to carry the
continuation of the roof at the arch. A sundial (Fig. 1547), bearing the
date 1700, stands in the usual place at the south-west corner.
The district was formerly served by a chapel which stood a mile or so to
the south of Gladsmuir, of which all traces having been recently
removed, only its site can be pointed out.
[Illustration: FIG. 1548.--The Tron Steeple, Glasgow.]
THE TRON STEEPLE, GLASGOW.
This tower, with its spire, stands in the Trongate, the most crowded
thoroughfare of the city of Glasgow, and, as will be seen (Fig. 1548),
it projects on to the street. It is believed that it is in contemplation
to remove it; and as the old college buildings were got rid of a few
years ago without much regret being expressed, the removal of a small
steeple like this will, doubtless, be regarded as a very simple matter.
Yet its destruction will deprive us of a very interesting example of a
genuine seventeenth century spire, of which few were erected or now
survive in Scotland. This steeple was erected in 1637. It has clearly
been built in imitation of that of the cathedral, having similar
features translated into the style of its time, and with rather a happy
effect.
The steeple was attached to a church of older date, which was burned
down in 1793. This was the Collegiate Church of St. Thenaw, which was
erected in 1525, with the consent of the archbishop, Gavin Dunbar.
From the proximity of the public weighing machine or Tron to the church,
it gradually came to be known as the Tron Church, and latterly the
instrument itself stood in the ground floor of the steeple, which was
then enclosed with solid walls. About forty years ago the Tron was
removed, and the ground floor of the building was opened up to form an
open passage along the street pavement. The wide arches on the street
floor are thus modern.
GRANDTULLY CHAPEL, PERTHSHIRE.[238]
This chapel stands a little to the east of Grandtully Castle at a place
called Pitcairn (anciently Petquharne), about three miles from
Aberfeldy. It is situated at a considerable height above the valley of
Strathtay, and commands an extensive view of mountain scenery. Any one
seeing the chapel for the first time, and unacquainted with its
existence, might easily mistake it for part of the adjoining farm
buildings, it is so plain and humble in appearance. Only the presence of
the churchyard surrounding it, and a very small cross on the east gable,
serve to call attention to the fact that it is a sacred edifice, which
on inspection is found to possess features of considerable interest.
The building (Fig. 1549) may be said to be entire in walls and roof. It
measures on the outside about 79 feet long by about 23 feet 3 inches
wide, and is at present divided into two parts by a stone partition.
There are two doors and several small windows on the south side. These
openings are all straight lintelled and quite unadorned. A door on the
north side is probably modern. There is a small locker, 14 or 15 inches
square, in the usual position in the north wall near the east end. This
ambry, which is about four feet from the floor, is of great interest, as
it is quite entire, having a wooden door and hinges, an almost unknown
condition in Scotland. There is another small recess about 17 inches
square and about 3 feet from the ground in the east wall. But the
principal feature of the chapel, and what renders it almost unique, is
the
[Illustration: FIG. 1549.--Grandtully Chapel. Plan.]
painted ceiling at the east end. This ceiling is constructed, as shown
on the sketch (Fig. 1550), at the west end of the eastern division. The
roof consists of rafters and ties, on which, at the east end, boards are
fixed so as to present a circular form, in the same way as in several of
the other painted ceilings of Scottish castles and mansions, such as
Pinkie, Culross, and Earl’s Hall. It is not known whether this painted
roof extended the whole length of the chapel or was confined, as it now
is, to the east end. The painting presents four rows of circular discs,
each containing six circles, which are variously ornamented. Four of
them are occupied with the four Evangelists, and others with coats of
arms, including the royal arms--1st and 4th, Scotland; 2nd, England;
3rd, Ireland, with an inner-escutcheon. The arms of England and Scotland
also occur on separate shields, as well as those of the Earls of Athole
and of the Laird of Grandtully and his wife, Dame Agnes Moncrieff. The
paintings were rather exposed for some years to damp, and in many places
the subjects and inscriptions, which are numerous, are considerably
effaced; but further decay is arrested by the roof having recently been
put in good order. Amongst the paintings there are complicated
monograms, and a large panel in the centre contains an elaborate
composition showing buildings with quaint figures.
This chapel is first noticed in a “Notarial instrument, recording sasine
given by Alexander Steuart of Garntulye, from devotion and with the view
of promoting divine worship” of certain lands, “in terms of a charter to
be made, to Alexander Young, sub-prior of St. Andrews, as representing
the curate who is to officiate at the chapel built near the manor-place
of Petquharne, and to be consecrated to God, the Virgin Mary, St. Andrew
the Apostle, St. Adamnanus and St. Beanus. Dated 9th May 1533.”
Following this, in the 3rd June of the same year, is the charter
referred to conveying the land and privileges to the church and to a
chaplain, “who was to be a suitable curate, personally residing and
celebrating divine worship and the sacraments irreproachably in the
Church of St. Mary of Grantulye.” The church was “to be held for prayers
to be made by the
[Illustration: FIG. 1550.--Grandtully Chapel. Interior.]
said chaplain for the universal church, the prosperity of King James V.
and his kingdom, the granter’s own soul, and the souls of certain of his
relatives,” &c.
This gives us the period of the erection of the church, but the painting
is later, being shown by the style and by the arms to have been done by
Sir William Steuart about the year 1636. Sir William was an intimate
friend from childhood of King James VI., and was by him greatly beloved.
He married Agnes Moncrieff, daughter of Sir John of that Ilk, and, as
already mentioned, their arms are on the ceiling, and their initials are
also carved over a small window in the east gable.
GREENLAW CHURCH, BERWICKSHIRE.
This church, with its venerable tower, overlooks, in a very prominent
manner, the small county town of Greenlaw. The present building occupies
the site of an early church, and probably dates from the
[Illustration: FIG. 1551.--Greenlaw Church.]
beginning of last century. It is a very simple structure, and harmonises
well with the ancient tower. The latter (Fig. 1551), which is a part of
an earlier church, is an interesting example of a Scottish church
tower. It is quite plain in its lower stages, and has a corbelled out
parapet at the top, which is reached by a stair in the projecting
turret, seen in the sketch. The tower is a place of considerable
strength, being vaulted on the ground floor, and is probably a building
of the fifteenth century.
The manor of Greenlaw belonged to the Earls of Dunbar and Gospatrick,
and the third Earl granted the church, in 1159, to the Abbey of Kelso.
Greenlaw was one of the churches dedicated by Bishop David de Bernham.
INSCH CHURCH, ABERDEENSHIRE.
The town of Insch is a station on the Great North of Scotland Railway
between Aberdeen and Huntly. The old parish church, which is
[Illustration: FIG. 1552.--Insch Church. Front and Side View of
Belfry.]
abandoned, stands in the churchyard. The west wall, crowned with its
belfry, is almost all that now survives. The belfry (Fig. 1552) is
ornate, and is a good specimen of the Scottish Renaissance designs
erected in the beginning of the seventeenth century. It bears the date
of 1613, when it is believed the church was erected. On the south side
the tympanum carries a shield with the Leslie arms and the initials M.
I. L.
KEMBACK CHURCH, FIFESHIRE.[239]
Situated at the entrance to Duraden, near Dairsie Railway Station, are
the ivy-covered ruins of the sixteenth century church of Kemback,
surrounded with its ancient burial-ground. The building (Fig. 1553)
[Illustration: FIG. 1553.--Kemback Church. Plan.]
retains the Gothic feeling in the external splays on the square-headed
doors and windows, but the Renaissance influence is apparent in the east
window. Contrary to the usual practice, the door and windows are in the
north wall.
About half a mile distant the site of an older church is pointed out,
but all that remains of it is the late headless effigy of a lady.
THE GLENCAIRN MONUMENT, KILMAURS, AYRSHIRE.
The Church of Kilmaurs, situated near the village of that name about two
and a half miles north-west from Kilmarnock, was formerly collegiate,
having a provost and six prebendaries. It has been rebuilt, and the
[Illustration: FIG. 1554.--The Glencairn Monument, Kilmaurs.]
burial aisle of the Earls of Glencairn, which no doubt was formerly
attached to it, now stands apart. The aisle was erected by the seventh
Earl in 1600, and contains the fine monument (Fig. 1554) of William,
ninth Earl, who was Lord High Chancellor of Scotland. He died in 1664,
and was buried in St. Giles’, Edinburgh.
The monument is of a classic design, somewhat resembling some others in
the south of Scotland, such as that of the Kennedies at Ballantrae and
M‘Lellan at Kirkcudbright,[240] having shafts at each side, and an
entablature crowned with a panel containing the family arms.
Within the frame formed by the pillars and entablature are half-length
figures of the Earl and his lady, with open books in front of them, and
a panel between which contained a long inscription, now illegible. A row
of small figures beneath doubtless represents the family of the
deceased.
KINNEIL CHURCH, LINLITHGOWSHIRE.
The ruins of this old parish church are situated a few yards to the west
of the ancient mansion house of Kinneil, near Bo’ness. The church
[Illustration: FIG. 1555.--Kinneil Church.]
was abandoned about 1636, at which time a new one was built at Bo’ness,
about one mile distant. What remains of the old church is the west wall,
crowned with a double belfry (Fig. 1555), and the returns of the side
walls. The end wall measures 26 feet wide outside, and is 3 feet 9
inches thick. The length of the church cannot now be traced, but there
are indications of buildings at a distance eastwards of about 64
feet.[241] From indications on the north side of the church, there
appear to have been some attached buildings. The ruins are quite
overgrown with ivy, and nothing definite can be said further regarding
them.
ST. BEAN’S CHURCH, KINKELL, PERTHSHIRE.
Situated on the right bank of the Earn about two miles south from
Auchterarder, this church, which is a post-Reformation one, stands in
the centre of a small churchyard on a hillock overlooking the river, and
[Illustration: FIG. 1556.--St. Bean’s Church, Kinkell.]
is entire, but roofless (Fig. 1556). It is now divided by cross walls
into three burial-places. The building (Fig. 1557) measures about 65
feet 2 inches in length by 23 feet wide externally. Like most of the
early Presbyterian churches it has a considerable resemblance, in plan,
to those of the Gothic period, being long and narrow, with a south door
near the west end, south windows, and an end window high up in each
gable. All the openings are lintelled and splayed. There was a belfry on
the west gable.
[Illustration: FIG. 1557.--St. Bean’s Church, Kinkell. Plan.]
The church was probably built about the end of the sixteenth century. It
was repaired about the year 1680 at the instigation of the Bishop and
Synod of Dunblane, and shortly afterwards the parish of Kinkell was
absorbed into that of Trinity Gask, when the building was allowed to
fall into ruin.
The Church of Kinkell was dedicated to St. Bean, and was a cell of
Inchaffray.
MONUMENT IN KINNOULL CHURCH, PERTHSHIRE.
The old church of Kinnoull stood on the east side of the Tay opposite
Perth. It may be said to have entirely disappeared with the exception of
an aisle which was attached to the church, and now contains a
seventeenth century monument to the Earl of Kinnoull (Fig. 1558). The
monument is of a pompous kind, and inspires none of those feelings of
reverence begotten by the monuments of the Middle Ages. It occupies the
full width and height of the aisle, and has a high dado richly
sculptured on the pedestals and sides with arms and insignia of power,
and contains an ornate central panel. From the dado there rise three
columns resting on pedestals. The columns themselves are twisted and
carved. The capitals, which are in imitation of Corinthian, are very
debased. The two end columns are backed by projecting pilasters at the
wall. Above the columns there runs a carved entablature with cornice,
supporting, by way of finish, a heraldic slab in the centre, with
various separate figures on each side of it.
The principal feature of the monument, to which all the above are
accessories, is the life-sized statue of George, first Earl of Kinnoull
and Chancellor of Scotland. His history will be found in Crawford’s
_Lives of the Officers of State_. The monument was erected in 1635.
[Illustration: FIG. 1558.--Monument in Kinnoull Church.]
KIRKOSWALD CHURCH, AYRSHIRE.
Kirkoswald is a village on the road between Girvan and Maybole in
Carrick, containing an old church and churchyard. The church (Fig. 1559)
is a simple oblong measuring about 93 feet 6 inches in length by 28 feet
4 inches in width over the walls. It seems originally to have consisted
of plain walls without buttresses, but within modern times the
[Illustration: FIG. 1559.--Kirkoswald Church.]
structure has been converted into a mausoleum by building up all the
windows, and by adding buttresses along the south side. The pointed
blank windows and the large pointed doorway in the south wall are also
modern additions. The modern applied buttress at the south-west angle is
now falling away.
At first sight the building presents an ancient appearance, but closer
examination shows that it has been modernised beyond recognition.
LAUDER CHURCH, BERWICKSHIRE.
The small town of Lauder stands in the wide and fertile vale of the
Leader Water, about six miles (over a high hill) from the nearest
railway station at Stow. The ancient parish church of Lauder was
bestowed, in the reign of David i., on Sir Hugh Morville, Constable of
Scotland. It was afterwards given by Devorgilla, wife of John Baliol, to
Dryburgh Abbey, to which it remained attached till the Reformation. It
appears that there were two chapels connected with the parish church in
different parts of the parish.
The existing parish church (Fig. 1560) stands in the ancient churchyard.
It has apparently been entirely rebuilt in 1673, which date is carved on
the north gable. Chalmers, however, says that the ancient church was
relinquished in 1617, when a new church was erected. The present
structure, although very late, shows some reminiscences of Gothic forms,
both in its plan and elevations.
[Illustration: FIG. 1560.--Lauder Church. Plan.]
The plan is a Greek cross having four equal arms extending from a
central crossing. The latter is 14 feet square, and each arm is 28 feet
6 inches in length by 16 feet in width internally. The crossing is
surmounted by four pointed arches, which spring from a massive pier at
each angle, and carry the central tower. In the north-west and
south-east angles of the arms there are introduced two entrance lobbies,
giving access to the four arms and to staircases, leading to a gallery
in each arm. The space on the ground floor below the galleries is low,
and is lighted by two square windows in the end wall of each arm (Fig.
1561), with moulded jambs and lintel, while each upper floor or gallery
is lighted by means of a large pointed window in the gable, filled with
plain intersecting tracery, with mullions and transoms.
The entrance doorways have round arches with hood moulding, and the side
windows of the staircases are pointed. The external angles of the
building and the outline of the windows are all finished with a broad
fillet, projected so as to receive rough casting. The skews of the
gables are plain and do not project, and the joints are horizontal. Each
skew has a large projecting stone at bottom. These appear to have
carried small pyramidal ornaments, two of which are still preserved.
[Illustration: FIG. 1561.--Lauder Church. View from North-West.]
The central tower is square till it reaches the ridge of the main roofs,
above which point it becomes octagonal, and is finished with a slated
roof. A small round-headed window of a late style is inserted in four
sides of the octagonal part or belfry.
The staircase buildings in the two angles do not appear to be parts of
the original structure, or at least would seem to have been a good deal
altered.
In the neighbourhood of Lauder is Thirlestane Castle,[242] the
residence of the Duke of Lauder, well known in connection with the
attempted introduction in the seventeenth century of Episcopacy into
Scotland. It seems not unlikely that the quasi-Gothic character of the
church may have been the result of his influence.
LESWALT CHURCH,[243] WIGTONSHIRE.
A ruined church, the predecessor of the present one, which was built
early in this century. It stands about four miles west from Stranraer.
All the dressed stones of the wall openings have been taken out, so that
nothing remains to tell the date of the structure. In the seventeenth
century a wing (Fig. 1562) has been erected against the north wall,
which probably contained a gallery above and a burial-place below, as
was frequently the case in similar erections about that time. The wall
between the wing and the church is still standing several feet high.
[Illustration: FIG. 1562.--Leswalt Church.]
The wing has been entered by a plain flat lintelled door in the north
wall (Fig. 1563), over which is a window divided into four compartments
by a moulded mullion and transom. This window would light the private
room or gallery on the upper floor. A panel (Fig. 1564) below the window
shows that the place was used as a burial vault, as it contains an
inscription and two coats of arms. The inscription states that it is in
memory of Patritus Agnew of Lochnaw, Earl of Wigton, and Margaret
Kennedy, his spouse; A.D. 1644. The arms on the shields beneath are
those of Agnew and Kennedy.
[Illustration: FIG. 1563.--Leswalt Church. North Gallery.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1564.--Leswalt Church.
Panel over Door.]
After the new church was erected the old one was used as the parish
school, which accounts for a fireplace still visible in the east wall of
the church.
Fig. 1565 shows its present ruined condition.
Before the Reformation the Church of Leswalt belonged to the Monks of
Tungland, and in Episcopal times to the Bishop of Galloway.
[Illustration: FIG. 1565.--Leswalt Church.]
ST. COLM’S CHURCH, LONMAY, ABERDEENSHIRE.
Only the merest fragment of this church now remains. Its dimensions can
be determined as having been 62 feet in length by 15 feet 3 inches wide
inside. Part of the west gable survives for a height of about 10 or 12
feet, with a small square-headed window. Nothing else is left but
grass-covered ruins and fallen pieces of masonry.
LOUDOUN CHURCH, GALSTON, AYRSHIRE.[244]
This was originally a structure of the first pointed period, but it is
now in a state of complete ruin, except the choir, which has been fitted
up in the seventeenth century as a burial vault.
The west gable stands nearly entire, but the side walls are completely
demolished, except at the choir (Fig. 1566). The building is externally
[Illustration: FIG. 1566.--Loudoun Church. Plan.]
64 feet long by 27 feet wide. The choir is about 14 feet 9 inches long,
and is separated from the nave by a plain round arch 15 feet 6 inches
wide (Fig. 1567). In the east wall (Fig. 1568) there are two pointed
windows about 10 inches wide, with slight splays on the outside, and
widely splayed inside (Fig. 1569), where they are finished with round
arches. There are two set-offs on the east wall, and the same occur on
the west wall. The structure has been greatly modified in the
seventeenth century. The south doorway into the choir and the window,
with
[Illustration: FIG. 1567.--Loudoun Church.
Chancel Arch.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1568.--Loudoun Church.
Elevation of East End.]
panels and arms (Fig. 1570), are probably all insertions of that period,
as also is the vault seen in the drawings. The ground has accumulated
[Illustration: FIG. 1569.--Loudoun Church.
Section, looking East.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1570.--Loudoun Church.
South Doorway, &c.]
round the church so that the splayed base seen in Mr. Schultz’s drawings
is now buried to the extent of about 2 feet.
The masonry of the ruin is of fine ashlar, in regular courses.
LYNE CHURCH, PEEBLESSHIRE.
This building, which is still used as the parish church, is situated on
the Lyne Water, near the Tweed, about three miles above Peebles. It
stands on the summit of a mound, which is occupied as the churchyard.
[Illustration: FIG. 1571.--Lyne Church. Plan.]
The building (Fig. 1571) is a tiny one, measuring internally only about
34 feet by 11 feet. The windows and doorway are on the
[Illustration: FIG. 1572.--Lyne Church. View from South-East.]
south side (Fig. 1572) and in each gable, there being no opening in the
north wall. The windows have simple tracery of a late type, and the
jambs have backfillets (a late feature) round the openings. There are
angle buttresses at the west end, and a modern belfry on the apex of the
west gable.
[Illustration: FIG. 1573.--Lyne Church. Pulpit.]
Some good fragments of old woodwork survive in the church, particularly
a pulpit (Fig. 1573), which, it is usually stated, was made in Holland.
Lyne is distant from the sea and must have been difficult of access; for
which reason, amongst others, we doubt whether there is any truth in the
tradition. The pulpit, which is circular in plan, is quite simple in
design, and its construction would not present a formidable task to a
Scottish country wright, judging by other examples of woodwork made in
Scotland about this time. Some of the other woodwork bears the date
1644, and one of the pews, now removed, was dated 1606.[245] The church
has been frequently repaired, which accounts for the loss of such
examples.
“The district was, in the twelfth century, a chapelry dependent on
Stobo.”[246] Robert, the chaplain of Lyne, is a witness to a charter in
the Register of Glasgow, between 1208 and 1213; but of the early church
then existing nothing now remains, the present structure probably dating
from the beginning of the seventeenth century.
MORHAM CHURCH, HADDINGTONSHIRE.
A retired parish church about four miles east from Haddington. It is
stated to have been built in 1724, but some portions of ornamental
carving built into the south wall (Fig. 1574) would seem to indicate
that they had formed part of an earlier structure.
[Illustration: FIG. 1574.--Morham Church. Fragment built into South
Wall.]
The only architectural feature connected with the church is the
elevation of the north wing or aisle (Fig. 1575), which, although it
corresponds well with the date of the building, is in a somewhat unusual
style for a Scottish church of the period.
[Illustration: FIG. 1575.--Morham Church. North Aisle.]
CHURCH OF ST. FIACRE OR FITTACK, NIGG, KINCARDINESHIRE.
A ruined church standing in the centre of an ancient churchyard,
situated about three miles south-east from Aberdeen. The church is
probably one of those built during the short period of Episcopal
government in the seventeenth century. It consists (Fig. 1576) of a
single chamber, but there are indications of an arch across from side to
side, where shown by dotted lines on the Plan, which may have marked a
chancel. The building is 48 feet 6 inches in length by 20 feet 6 inches
in width internally, and has been roofless for more than half a
century.
[Illustration: FIG. 1577.--Church of St. Fiacre or Fittack, Nigg. View
from South-West.]
The lintelled door is on the south side, and there are two other doors
on the north side, one of them being in the supposed chancel.
The belfry (Fig. 1577) appears to have been rebuilt in 1703. A row of
projecting corbels, which probably supported a previous belfry, are left
projecting under the new one.
[Illustration: FIG. 1576.--Church of St. Fiacre or Fittack, Nigg. Plan.]
Immediately adjoining the ruin there is a stately seventeenth century
house, formerly the manse, now occupied by an agricultural tenant and
farm labourers.
The building is on the site of an early church, which was granted by
William the Lion to his favourite Abbey of Arbroath, and it remained as
one of its dependaries till the Reformation.
OLDHAMSTOCKS CHURCH, BERWICKSHIRE.
The main portion of this church, although its walls may in part be old,
is not of much architectural merit, but the chancel (Fig. 1578) is not
without interest as a specimen of late Gothic work. It is now used as a
burial vault, and is completely ivy clad. It measures about 18 or 20
feet square, and is of modest height, being some 10 or 12 feet to the
eaves.
The chief feature is the east window, with its rude tracery. The latter,
which is of a different stone from the jambs and sills, is probably a
restoration of late in the sixteenth century, while the chancel itself
may be a little earlier. The building is vaulted with a barrel vault,
and is covered on the exterior with overlapping stone slabs. It is
impossible to say whether it contains any features of pre-Reformation
times. The door seen on the south side of the choir is dated 1701.
Of the panels half concealed in the ivy, the one on the right contains
the arms of Thomas Hepburn, incumbent of Oldhamstocks, and of his wife,
Margaret Sinclair, who died in 1581. This Thomas Hepburn was admitted
Master of Requests to Queen Mary two days after her marriage with
Bothwell, and he was tried and convicted for aiding the Queen in her
escape from Lochleven.[247]
[Illustration: FIG. 1578.--Oldhamstocks Church.]
This church is of an old foundation. In 1127 Aldulph, the presbyter of
Aldehamstoc, witnessed a charter of Robert, the Bishop of St. Andrews,
and the church is rated in the ancient _Taxatio_ and in _Bagimond’s
Roll_. It is also recorded as an existing rectory in the Archbishop’s
Roll of 1547.
There is a peculiar sundial on the south-west corner of the church,
which is illustrated.[248] It may be mentioned that in the centre of the
west end of the church there is a tower which is finished at the top
with a modern belfry. This tower or turret is probably of
pre-Reformation date.
ORMISTON CHURCH, HADDINGTONSHIRE.
Only a small portion of the old church of Ormiston, in which Wishart and
Knox more than once officiated, has been preserved. It stands close to
the mansion house of Ormiston Hall, about one mile south from the
village of Ormiston. A new church having been erected about a quarter of
a mile distant, the old church has been allowed to go to decay. The
surviving fragment of the latter appears to have been the east end.
There are several stones built into the walls which must have belonged
to a Norman church, being carved with the chevron ornament.
The Church of Ormiston was dedicated to St. Giles. It was granted to the
Hospital of Soltre, founded by Malcolm IV., which was confirmed by the
Bishop of St. Andrews in the thirteenth century.
This church was subsequently made a prebend of the Church of the Holy
Trinity at Edinburgh, founded by Mary of Gueldres.
[Illustration: FIG. 1579.--Ormiston Church. Plan.]
The building (Fig. 1579) has been enclosed at the west end with a modern
wall, and measures, within the enclosure, 16 feet 6 inches in length by
13 feet 6 inches in width. It contains in the south wall the outlines of
two windows, now built up, and of one window in the north wall. These
have apparently been altered at some time and made square-headed. An
archway of considerable height (Fig. 1580) stands in the continuation of
the south wall westwards. It is in two orders, the outer order square
and the inner order splayed. This doorway has apparently entered into
the church, which, judging from the height of the archway, must have had
side walls of considerable height. They are now reduced as shown, and a
roof was put upon the east portion during this century, which renders
the interior very dark.
In the north wall of the chancel there is a monument of some importance
(Fig. 1581), as it contains one of the few brasses which exist in
Scotland. The brass consists of an engraved plate containing an
inscription to the memory of Alexander Cockburn, one of the members of
the family to whom the adjoining mansion house belonged. He died, as the
inscription tells, at an early age. The upper part of the inscription is
metrical, and was composed by the learned George Buchanan, and
[Illustration: FIG. 1580.--Ormiston Church. South Side.]
appears in his published works. Alexander Cockburn was a pupil of John
Knox, and in 1547 sought refuge in the Castle of St. Andrews. On the
dexter base of the brass are engraved the Cockburn arms, and on the
sinister base the arms of Sandilands, for the mother of a Cockburn, who
was of the family of Sandilands of Calder. These arms are quartered with
the arms of Douglas, and show the ancient relationship between that
family and the Sandilands.[249]
The barony of Ormiston was the property of the Cockburns from the middle
of the fourteenth century, when they acquired it by marriage.
The monument was no doubt erected not long after the death of the person
commemorated, or towards the end of the sixteenth century. It
corresponds in style with that of the Regent Murray, in St. Giles’
Cathedral,
[Illustration: FIG. 1581.--Ormiston Church. Monument to Alexander
Cockburn.]
Edinburgh[250] (1570), the inscription on which was also composed by
George Buchanan. That at Ormiston is as follows:--
Omnia quæ longa indulget mortalibus ætas
Haec tibi Alexander prima juventa dedit
Cum genere et forma generoso sanguine digna
Ingenium velox, ingenuumque animum
Excolint virtus animum ingeniumque Camenae
Successu studio consilioque pari
His ducibus primum Peragrata Britannia deinde
Gallia ad armiferos qua patet Helvetios
Doctus ibi linguas quas Roma Sionet Athenae
Quas cum Germano Gallia docta sonat
Te licet in prima rapuerunt fata juventa
Nonimmaturo funera raptus obis
Omnibus officiis vitae qui functus obivit
Non fas nunc vitae est de brevitate queri
Hic conditur Mr. Alexander Cokburn
primogenitua Joannis domini Ormiston
et Alisonae Sandilands ex preclara
familia Calder, qui natus 13 Januarii 1535
post insignem linguarum professionem
Obiit anno ætatis suae 28 Calen. Septe.[251]
PITTENWEEM PRIORY, FIFESHIRE.
Of the old monastery of Pittenweem, which was connected with that on the
Isle of May in the Frith of Forth, only some altered fragments survive.
The priory seems to have derived its name from its being built close to
a cave or “weem” on the shore of the Frith of Forth, with which it had
communication by a vaulted chamber in the garden and a long straight
staircase. The monastic buildings surrounded a courtyard. On the south
side was the prior’s mansion (now restored and occupied by the Episcopal
clergyman of the place). On the west side was the refectory, now
converted into the Town Hall, and to the north of it the dormitories.
Some of the walls of these structures still exist, with two square
projecting windows overlooking the courtyard. On the east side is the
gatehouse, a battlemented structure with a round archway passing through
it, now greatly decayed and covered with ivy. Beyond the courtyard to
the north lay some outer grounds and a chapel.[252]
[Illustration: FIG. 1583.--Pittenweem Priory. Tower, from North-East.]
After the Reformation the buildings passed into the hands of laymen, and
the monastery became the “manor place of Pittenweem.” In 1588 a portion
of the grounds was granted to the burgh, in order that a suitable church
might be erected, which was carried out soon thereafter (Fig. 1582).
Possibly some portions of the church of the priory are included in this
building, but it has in recent years been restored and extended.
[Illustration: FIG. 1582.--Pittenweem Priory. Plan.]
The quaint tower (Fig. 1583), with its mixture of Gothic and classic
features, is the only part which has not been interfered with. The
tower, which stands at the north-west angle of the church, is about 18
feet square externally. It rises with a plain square outline for a
considerable way without buttresses or anything to distinguish it from a
castle keep. There are even shot-holes under the windows, as in the
domestic structures of the time. The stair turret in the north-east
angle has the outline and corbelled gablet similar to the cape-house of
the stair turrets of the Scotch castles of the period. The spire, with
its remarkable lucarnes, helps to give the erection a little more of an
ecclesiastical character, but the balustrade again recalls the attention
to the domestic and Renaissance style of the design.[253]
POLWARTH CHURCH, BERWICKSHIRE.[254]
This church (Fig. 1584) was reconstructed in 1703, and is believed to
rest on the foundations of an older structure, dedicated by Bishop
Bernham in 1242. The building measures 55 feet by 24 feet over the
walls. Although of such a late date, it is of pleasing form, and has
fine large mouldings round the doors and panels above them. A stone on
the east gable contains the Polwarth arms, three piles engrailed.
The font of the old church stands outside the building. It is of a round
form 28 inches in diameter. The basin, which is 22 inches in diameter,
[Illustration: FIG. 1584.--Polwarth Church.]
is 11½ inches deep, with a central aperture. The height of the fragment
is 21 inches.
HERALDIC PANEL FROM PRESTONPANS CHURCH, HADDINGTONSHIRE.[255]
This panel (Fig. 1585) was discovered in 1891 during some alterations of
the seating of the church. It then formed the back of a seat in the
gallery, and was concealed by a green cloth. Doubtless, from its
heraldic decorations, it must originally have occupied a more prominent
position. The arms and initials show that it belonged to the Hamiltons
of Preston. The date on the panel (1604) connects it with an earlier
church, the present church having been erected later. The panel is of
oak and in good preservation, except where cut away to make it fit its
new position, and the colours are still rich and fresh. The panel is in
two pieces, each 2 feet 3 inches high. The whole is divided into eight
compartments, of which only four bear arms. They are all arched, and are
separated by
[Illustration: FIG. 1585.--Heraldic Panel from Prestonpans Church.]
pilasters. On the four compartments arms, surrounded by laurel wreaths,
are blazoned in colour, together with initials. The initials G. H. and
B. C., which refer to George Hamilton, Laird of Preston, and Barbara
Cockburn, his wife, are carved in relief in the spandrils. The letters
painted within the arches, viz.,S/J. H. and D./K. H. stand for Sir John
Hamilton, the son of the above, and Dame Katherine Howieson, his second
wife, married 1620. The lady died 1629. The shields beneath these
initials contain the Hamilton arms twice, and the Cockburn and Howieson
arms for the wives of the father and son. The initials of the son and
his wife were carved over the windows of the tower, while over the
centre window they appear in a monogram with the date 1626.
This panel, which is one of the very few early coloured decorations
which survive in Scotland, is now in the possession of General Sir
William Stirling Hamilton of Preston.
RATHAN CHURCH, ABERDEENSHIRE.
A ruinous building situated about three miles south from Fraserburgh,
and standing in an old churchyard. The east end has entirely
disappeared, and only a small part of the north wall remains (Fig.
1586). What
[Illustration: FIG. 1586.--Rathan Church. Plan.]
survives of the south wall of the nave is 49 feet long, but it doubtless
considerably exceeded that length; the interior width is 21 feet. A
south aisle is entire, but roofless. It enters from the nave by a plain
round-arched opening (Fig. 1587) 8 feet 8 inches wide, and the outside
dimensions of the aisle are 35 feet long by 20 feet 8 inches wide.
The nave (see Fig. 1587) has a door in the west end, with a window
[Illustration: FIG. 1587.--Rathan Church. Interior of South and West
Sides.]
above and a belfry on the apex of the gable, dated 1782, which probably
superseded an earlier one.
[Illustration: FIG. 1588.--Rathan Church. Doorway of Aisle.]
The aisle has a round-arched doorway (Fig. 1588) with a bar hole in the
west wall, and over it a panel with an inscription in raised letters,
“ALEXANDER FRASER OF PHILORTH, PATRON,” a coat of arms, and part of a
broken stone with an inscription. It is possible that these stones are
not original, but have been inserted; they are so covered with ivy that
it is not easy to determine. In the south gable (Fig. 1589), which is
crow-stepped, there is a well-moulded window with a straight lintel, and
a sundial over. In the east wall there is an ambry (Fig. 1590) with an
ogee arch, and alongside it what was probably a piscina is now filled
with an old memorial inscription.
[Illustration: FIG. 1589.--Rathan Church.
Window in South Gable.]
The Church of Rathan was dedicated to St. Ethernan or Eddran, from whom
the place is said to take its name. This saint lived towards the end of
the sixth century. “He consecrated several churches, and particularly
Rethin, which was afterwards dedicated to his own memory.”[256]
Richard, parson of Rathen, is a witness to charters by Adam, Bishop of
Aberdeen, between 1207 and 1228, and the benefice of Rathyn was given to
the Chapter and College of Canons of St. Machar’s Cathedral by Robert i.
in 1328; and in 1520 Rathyne was let in lease for the yearly rent of
£212.[257]
Of the early church nothing remains. On the south aisle of the existing
structure, according to the Rev. Mr. Pratt, there is the date
[Illustration: FIG. 1590.--Rathan Church.
Ambry.]
1646. It may be that part of the church is somewhat older than this
date. Ten years earlier there appear to have been building and repairs
going on; and an action was brought before the Privy Council to restrain
Alexander Fraser of Philorth from putting up his arms on the newly built
kirk stile.[258] What was the result of the case we do not know, but
Fraser evidently succeeded in getting his name carved on the church, as
we see, together with his arms and his title of patron.
SOUTHANNAN CHAPEL AND CASTLE, WEST KILBRIDE, AYRSHIRE.
About one mile south from the railway station of Fairlie, on the level
ground facing the sea, and with its back close to the railway, stands
the ruin of Southannan Castle. It has been an extensive structure (Fig.
1591), having had a high enclosing wall, with a courtyard and an arched
entrance porch to the west, defended with shot-holes (Fig. 1592). There
[Illustration: FIG. 1591.--Southannan Chapel and Castle. Plan.]
has been a considerable range of dwelling-house accommodation, two
stories in height, along the north side, and smaller buildings on the
east side, leaving a large courtyard in the centre, now forming the
garden of the adjoining farmhouse (Fig. 1593). The situation is fine,
and the edifice is backed by the high range of thickly wooded hills
which extends between Largs and Kilbride.
The lands of Southannan were granted to Lord Semple in 1504. Chalmers
says[259] that John, Lord Semple, in the reign of James IV., built a
chapel, which was dedicated to St. Annan or St. Ennan, and granted for
the support of the chaplain in it an annual rent of 10 merks from
certain lands, “with two sowmes of pasture grass in the mains of
Southennan,
[Illustration: FIG. 1592.--Southannan Chapel and Castle. View from
West.]
and an acre of land on the north side of the cemetery belonging to the
said chapel for the chaplain’s manse. This grant was confirmed by the
king in June 1509. The ruins of the chapel are still extant in the
[Illustration: FIG. 1593.--Southannan Chapel and Castle. North-West
Angle of Courtyard.]
front of the fine mansion of Southennan, which is also in ruins.” “Saint
Inan or Innan is said to have been a confessor at Irvine, and to have
died in 839.”
The castle was much enlarged by Robert, fourth Lord Sempill, ambassador
to the Court of Spain in 1596; but some of the existing remains have the
appearance of being still more modern. The old mansion was dismantled
towards the end of last century, and the materials used in the erection
of farm-buildings and dykes. “What remains are chiefly the outer walls
to the left (north) of the courtyard and some more ancient-looking
remnants at the back (east), attached to which are remains of what may
have been the chapel of the saint.”[260] This may be the case, as some
of the walls are old and have been altered; but the vaulted chamber to
the east has the appearance of being much more modern.
On the whole, we fear that the chapel has entirely disappeared, and that
this account of Southannan should rather have appeared amongst the
castles than the churches of Scotland.
STENTON CHURCH, HADDINGTONSHIRE.
The village of Stenton is situated about three and a half miles
south-east from East Linton Railway Station. The church (Fig. 1594),
which, with the exception of the tower and the entrance doorway, is a
total ruin (Fig. 1595), extends for a length of about 65 feet, but as
the east end is
[Illustration: FIG. 1594.--Stenton Church. Plan.]
entirely gone, it is impossible to say how much longer it was. The width
of the building within the walls is about 18 feet. The doorway (Fig.
1596), which is on the south side near the west end, is arched with a
flat segment of a circle, with the mouldings of the jambs (Fig. 1597)
continued round the arch, and with a splayed impost separating the arch
and jambs. The arch is finished with a hood moulding. The small
flat-headed window seen alongside the doorway (see Fig. 1595) is an
insertion probably of the seventeenth century, and no other feature of
the church is now in existence, except indications of a north door (see
Plan).
The tower, however, stands complete and entire at the south-west corner
of the structure. It measures about 16 feet 6 inches by 15 feet
[Illustration: FIG. 1595.--Stenton Church. Tower, &c., from South-East.]
9 inches over the walls, and is two stories in height. It is entered by
a narrow flat lintelled door on the south side. The space inside is
about 10 feet by 7 feet, but it has been narrowed by masonry at the
ground level, as shown on the Plan, to a width of about 5 feet. The
tower communicated with the church by a doorway, now built up.
[Illustration: FIG. 1596.--Stenton Church. Doorway.]
The upper story, which has a timber floor, has been reached by a ladder.
It is lighted by a window on each face, round arched
[Illustration: FIG. 1597.--Stenton Church.
Moulding of Doorway.]
and widely splayed, and the arches are cut out of single stones. The
tower finishes with a saddle-backed roof and crow-stepped gables, the
whole being of the original construction.
From indications remaining against the north wall of the tower, there
has doubtless been a high window in the west gable of the church.
[Illustration: FIG. 1598.--Font and Top Stone of Gable.]
The whole structure appears to be of the sixteenth century. The top
stone of the east gable and a simple circular font (Fig. 1598) are lying
near the ruin.
STOW CHURCH, MID-LOTHIAN.
The village of Stow is situated on the Gala Water, in the southern part
of Mid-Lothian, near the borders of Roxburghshire and Peeblesshire.
The parish was originally called Wedale, and the church belonged to the
Bishop of St. Andrews, who had a residence there. Hence the village was
known as the Stow of Wedale.
[Illustration: FIG. 1599.--Stow Church. Plan.]
The original Church of St. Mary was at a distance from the village, but
the existing ruin, which is partly of some antiquity, stands in the
ancient churchyard close to the village.
[Illustration: FIG. 1600.--Stow Church. View from South-West.]
The structure is for the most part of seventeenth century date, but a
portion at the south-west angle is much older, and has been
incorporated with the newer building. The plan of the church, as it now
stands (Fig. 1599), consists of an oblong 67 feet in length by 21 feet
in width internally, with a wing on the south side 14 feet long by 11
feet wide within the walls.
The principal oblong chamber appears to have been constructed at two
different times, there being a break in the interior of the wall at 20
feet from the east end. There is also a slight exterior projection on
the outside of the north wall at the same point. The eastern addition
has evidently been made so as to provide a gallery, probably a private
one, at this end. The gallery was entered by a long slope or ramp on the
exterior of the east wall, beneath which was a door giving access to the
space below the gallery. The gallery and space below were lighted by
square-headed windows in the south wall. On the jamb of the east doorway
is carved the date 1799.
The arrangements at the west end have been similar to those at the east
end. There was a gallery, lighted by a large traceried window (Fig.
1600) in the west wall of seventeenth century design, and the space
below the gallery had two square-headed windows in the same wall,
divided with mullions. A round-headed doorway in the south wall gave
[Illustration: FIG. 1601.
Stow Church.
Mouldings of South Doorway.]
access to the space under the gallery, the mouldings of which (Fig.
1601) clearly indicate a late date. Adjoining this doorway is the
portion of the structure above alluded to as being of ancient date. This
consists of a plain buttress built with freestone ashlar, and a small
part of the south and west walls connected with it, including a base
splay on the south side. These walls are built with the same kind of
materials as the buttress, while the greater part of the walls are
constructed with rubble work. The buttress has the broad form with small
projection, and the simple water table of Norman or transition work.
The projection or “aisle” on the south side of the church has also
contained a private gallery, with a fireplace in the south wall. The
mouldings of the doorway indicate seventeenth or eighteenth century
work.
There are no windows in the north wall, but some portions of the masonry
are of ashlar work and may be of the period of the south-west angle.
The belfry, the vane of which bears the date of 1794, is a comparatively
late addition. It is supported on corbels projecting from the inside of
the wall.
[Illustration: FIG. 1602.--Terregles Church after Restoration.]
[Illustration: FIG. 1603.--Terregles Church before Restoration.]
TERREGLES CHURCH, KIRKCUDBRIGHTSHIRE.
This curious structure (Fig. 1602) is situated about two and a-half
miles north-west from Dumfries. It was erected by the fourth Lord
Herries shortly before his death in 1583.
A few years ago this “queir” or choir was completely restored, and the
buttresses were then added. Omitting these it may be regarded as a fair
example of the quaint architecture of James VI.’s time, when the revival
of Gothic was attempted, along with the revival of Episcopacy.
[Illustration: FINIALS ON CORNERS OF CHANCEL
AGNES LADY HERRIES
FIG. 1604.--Terragles Church. Details of Finials and Coat of Arms of
Agnes, Lady Herries.]
We are fortunate in being able to show a drawing (Fig. 1603) of the
church made by the late Mr. W. F. Lyon, architect, in 1872, before it
was restored. Fig. 1604 shows details of the finials and the arms of
Agnes, Lady Herries, which are carved on the church. The date 1585 is
cut in the cornice over the east window.
Before the Reformation this church belonged to the nunnery of Lincluden,
and the collegiate church which succeeded it.
TURRIFF CHURCH, ABERDEENSHIRE.
This ancient church, which was dedicated to St. Congan, is a very old
foundation, having probably been established, in the seventh century, by
a follower of St. Columba. It received donations at various early dates,
amongst others one by King Robert the Bruce. In 1272 it was attached by
the Earl of Buchan to an almshouse for thirteen poor husbandmen. The
church was 120 feet long by 18 feet wide, but is now reduced to the
fragment of the choir, crowned with the picturesque belfry shown by the
sketches. The belfry (Fig. 1605) is interesting as an example of the
application to an ecclesiastical edifice of the Scottish style so
general in
[Illustration: FIG. 1605.--Turriff Church.
Belfry.]
the domestic architecture of the seventeenth century. There is a strong
dash of Renaissance taste in the design; but the cornice with its small
corbels, and the string course with its moulded supports, might be
details from any old Scottish castle. The bell bears the date 1557. A
curious relic of the older structure has, however, been discovered in
the choir in the form of an antique wall-painting of St. Ninian.
The interior of the choir contains
[Illustration: FIG. 1606.--Turriff Church. Gateway to Courtyard.]
a very interesting and remarkably picturesque series of monumental
slabs, with a quantity of well-executed lettering. One of these tablets
is to the memory of a member of the family of Barclay of Towie, of date
1636, with a Latin inscription still legible.
The churchyard contains a number of interesting monuments of the same
date as the belfry.
The gateway to the churchyard (Fig. 1606) is a simple but pleasing
specimen of the early Scottish Renaissance, similar in style to the
belfry.
WALSTON CHURCH, LANARKSHIRE.
The parish church of Walston stands on a height overlooking the vale of
the river Medwin, about two miles west from Dolphinton. Till near the
end of the thirteenth century the Church of Walston was a lay rectory in
the gift of the Lord of the Manor. It is specially referred to in an
award of 1293.[261] The edifice stands in an ancient churchyard, and not
far from what was formerly a mansion known as the “Place of Walston.”
[Illustration: FIG. 1607.--Walston Church. Plan.]
The existing church (Fig. 1607) stands north and south, and is a long
single chamber 64 feet 6 inches in length and 16 feet in width
internally. A portion has been cut off the north end to form a vestry.
The original church is believed to have stood east and west. At the
south end a portion of the existing structure is evidently, from its
workmanship, of a different period from the remainder. The ashlar work
of which it is built is seen to stop beyond the first window from the
south (Fig. 1608). This was doubtless the wing or transept erected by
Robert Baillie of Walston, in 1650, as a burial-place for his family.
The remainder of the church was rebuilt in its new position in
continuation of the south wing by the Rev. Patrick Molleson, minister
(born 1746, died 1825), who has placed the letters M. P. M. and the date
1789 on the north gable.
[Illustration: FIG. 1608.--Walston Church. View from South-West.]
The south wing is the only part worthy of notice. The window shows the
feeling for the Gothic revival of the seventeenth century. In the panel
over it is the inscription “Give God the onlie honour and glory.
[Illustration: FIG. 1609.--Walston Church, showing Dormer.]
Anno 1656.” The entrance doorway to the wing, which contained a tomb
below and a gallery above, is in the east side. Over the flat lintelled
door is the quotation, “Keep thy foot when thou goest to the House of
God, and be more ready to hear than to give the sacrifice of
fools.--Ecclesiastes, chapter V., verse 1.” The tomb and gallery are now
removed, and the space thrown into the church. In the pavement on the
site is inscribed “In memory of John Allain, Esq., of Elsrickle.” The
quaint dormer window, shown in Fig. 1609, was taken down during the
repairs made on the church a few years ago.
WEEM CHURCH, PERTHSHIRE.[262]
The ruined church of Weem stands in the village of that name, near the
entrance to Castle Menzies, at a short distance from Aberfeldy. It is
still in a fair state of preservation, the walls being entire, although
greatly overgrown with ivy, and the roof being still intact, with the
belfry on the west gable. The building has been abandoned for many
years. According to Mr. A. H. Millar[262] the Church of Weem is
mentioned about 1296 in the oldest charter at Castle Menzies, and
references in charters are continuous till, in 1510, the Barony of
Menzies was erected by charter from James IV., when “the patronage of
the Kirk of Weem was specially included in the gift.”
[Illustration: FIG. 1610.--Weem Church. Inscription over East Doorway.]
The existing building, however, appears to be of a later date, since
over the eastmost doorway there are the impaled arms of Sir Alexander
Menzies and his wife, Margaret Campbell, with their initials, and the
date 1600, together with the inscription shown in Fig. 1610.[263]
The church (Fig. 1611) is an oblong building, measuring internally about
62 feet 5 inches from east to west by about 19 feet wide, and has a
north transept projecting 21 feet by 17 feet in width. It is ceiled and
plastered at the roof ties. There are two doors and three windows on the
south side, all of which are square headed. In each gable, high up near
the ceiling, there is a window of a pointed form. All the windows and
doors have large bead mouldings. In the inside of the south wall there
are two ambries, one of which contains the initials of Duncan Menzies
and his wife, Jean Leslie, sister of the Earl of Rothes, who were
married in 1623. And on the other occur the initials D. M.
There are several interesting grave slabs in the church, but the most
remarkable feature is the monument shown in Fig. 1612, which stands
against the north wall near the east end, as indicated on the Plan. It
is an important example of Scottish Renaissance work, and contains a
great amount of detail, much of it very elaborate.
The sixteenth or seventeenth century monuments in Scotland may be
divided into two classes, viz.:--First, the class represented by the
Montgomery monument at Largs,[264] and the seventeenth century monument
in Seton Church, which are almost pure Italian, with very little of the
previous Gothic manner, and almost nothing of local or Scottish feeling.
Monuments of this class may probably be the design, if not the work, of
foreign hands. In the second class are the monuments which seem to
[Illustration: FIG. 1611.--Weem Church. Plan.]
owe their design and execution to native skill, and amongst these may be
included this monument at Weem. The structure measures about 13 feet in
length at the base, and has a projection from the wall of about 2 feet.
The general scheme of the design is of an ordinary form, consisting of
an arched recess above a dado or pedestal, which is divided into three
panels separated from each other by delicate tapering shafts. At each
side rises a half round engaged shaft to carry the moulded arch above.
These shafts have capitals, rudely carved with oak leaves, supporting
square abaci. Above the arch there is a level cornice slightly broken at
intervals over figures beneath. At each side of the monument a large
figure stands on a finely designed pedestal, the one representing Faith
and the other Charity. The former holds a book with the inscription,
_Quidquid fit sine Fide est peccatum_, while the figure of Charity is
represented in the usual typical manner. The figures are surmounted with
very beautiful canopies reaching nearly up to the cornice. Above the
cornice a rudimentary pediment contains the Menzies and Campbell arms
and monograms, over which, and leaning forward, is a panel having a
figure with
[Illustration: FIG. 1612.--Monument in Weem Church.]
outstretched arms, supposed to symbolise the Creator. At each end of the
cornice is a kneeling figure placed before a small pedestal shaped like
a prie-dieu.
This monument having been erected not to the memory of one individual,
but of several, was probably not intended to contain any recumbent
figure, although the space for one is provided. Such a figure would
have in a great measure concealed the descriptive tablet and its
accompanying heraldry, which occupy the background of the recess. The
monument bears the date of the 24th January 1616, and was erected
by the Sir Alexander Menzies already referred to, to perpetuate the
memory of his two wives and of his maternal ancestors, beginning with
his great-great-grandmother. The names of all these ladies, with the
arms of their respective houses, adorn the monument, and need not be
repeated here, as full information regarding them will be found in Mr.
Millar’s work, already cited.
YESTER CHURCH, HADDINGTONSHIRE.
The parish church of Yester stands at the north end of the village of
Gifford, about four and a half miles south of Haddington. The
[Illustration: FIG. 1613.--Gifford Tower, from South-West.]
ancient church of Yester has already been described. It was superseded
last century by the present structure, which is a plain oblong chamber
of the usual style of the period, but with a tower on the south side
(Fig. 1613), which is a good example of that class of erection at the
period.
NOTE.
The illustration or tailpiece on the following page shows a remarkable
specimen of early Scottish sculpture, preserved in the Museum of the
Society of Antiquaries of Scotland in Edinburgh.
The stone, which is about 6 feet in length, was found in the River May,
Perthshire, and is supposed to have come from an ancient church which
formerly occupied a site within a rath or stronghold which stood on the
Holy Hill, on the bank of the river, near Forteviot, about two miles
from Forgandenny.[265] The last traces of the rath and church were swept
away by a flood which occurred in the beginning of this century.
This early church is probably that referred to in the legend of St.
Andrew given in the _Pictish Chronicle_ as the church built at Forteviot
by Hungus, the Pictish king (731-761), in the last year of his reign,
after the arrival of the relics of St. Andrew in Scotland.[266] Although
the character of the sculpture seems rather to suggest a date not quite
so early, it may, nevertheless, be surmised that the figures depicted on
the stone are those of King Hungus and his three sons, seated in the
usual royal attitude, with the sword across the knees.
From the arched form of the stone it seems most likely to have been a
chancel arch, a feature which would scarcely be expected in Scotland in
the eighth century. The primitive church may, however, have been
rebuilt, possibly in the tenth century, when a church with a chancel
would more probably be erected, having the stone in question for its
chancel arch. The small upright animal in the centre of the arch, having
a cross in front of it, seems to represent the Paschal lamb; while the
other nondescript animal at the feet of the king may be an early example
of the practice usual in mediæval monuments of resting the feet of the
effigy on an animal.[267] On the Ruthwell Cross the figure of the
Saviour appears standing on the heads of two animals.
[Illustration: Sculptured Stone from Ruins of Ancient Church at
Forteviot, Perthshire.]
APPENDIX.
The following is a statement by Mr. W. Galloway in defence of his views
regarding the date of the walls of St. Blane’s Church, Bute:[268]--
“Objections are taken in the notice of St. Blane’s Chapel, Bute
(Vol. I. p. 297), to the views advanced by me in the _Archæologia
Scotica_ (Vol. V. p. 217) as to the priority in date and
construction of the rubble part of the chancel, over the Romanesque
structure conjoined with it. These are specially summarised under
three heads, in the first of which exception is taken to the fact
of there being a base, topped with a small splayed freestone
course, with rubble above and below, which is supposed to
contravene the ideas ordinarily entertained as to Celtic practice.
This practice, however, was strictly dependent upon and fixed by
the nature of the building materials that happened to be available
in any particular locality. In out of the way districts and far-off
islands, where freestone was unknown or not procurable, the builder
had to be content with the stone that came most readily to hand,
necessity, not choice, compelling his selection. This is proven by
the avidity with which the Celt took to freestone whenever it could
be got.
“No better illustration can be selected than Oransay Priory (Vol.
III. pp. 372-381). There the south cloister arcade, the door to the
church adjoining it, with the chapel projecting at the north-east
angle (and to these may be added the _Teampul na ghlinne_, on the
Colonsay side of the strand), are examples of rubble building, in
the local schist, where arches are turned and openings formed
without a trace of freestone or any material that could be hewn.
The portion of a mullion of transitional date found in the ruins
proves that freestone had been imported to the island by the close
of the twelfth century, and was in constant use thereafter.
“It would be a serious mistake, however, to place in the same
category the Island of Bute, where freestone (red) occurs locally,
and the best qualities of rock on the adjoining mainland. Freestone
was in common use with the Romans both for monumental work and
building, and it is precisely this simple splayed form of base
which is most frequently to be found. As to its use in Celtic work
there may be cited Cruggleton Chapel (Vol. I. pp. 212-215), about
three miles from Whitherne Priory, which by every criterion is
extremely primitive, much earlier than the priory, and also Celtic,
founded most probably by the Carrols or M‘Kerlies, who wrested the
castle from the Norse jarls. There the base, which has been laid on
the grass level, has a base course precisely similar to that of St.
Blane’s, with rubble above and below. In fact, the entire building
is rubble, except the dressed work and the chancel arch. It is not
freestone, but silurian grit, from the Stewartry shores. It is no
doubt later in date than St. Blane’s, but Bute is much more
favourably situated for freestone than Wigtonshire, where it is
locally non-existent, and the combination of rubble and hewn work
at Cruggleton is a striking testimony to the difficulty even of
obtaining grit.
“The second head refers to the mode in which the strings and base
courses would be stopped against the rubble. According to my
drawings there has been a string on the north side of the nave,
which dropped nearly two feet, has also run along the ashlar work
of the chancel, but only two feet or so of it remains. On the south
side this feature is entirely destroyed. The base, both on north
and south sides of the nave, returns round the chancel gable and
_there terminates_. Whether they were dropped also I cannot tell,
as these drawings were made previous to the later reduction of the
soil to the original level.[269] An important point in this
junction of rubble and ashlar walls must be noted, viz., that while
the ashlar walls are 2 feet 7 inches thick, the rubble wall on the
south side is only 2 feet 5 inches, and that on the north 2 feet 3
inches. The walls meet flush on the outside, and on the inside the
ashlar corner is splayed off in accommodation to the thinner
rubble, and those who managed thus would find no difficulty in such
trivialities as a string or a base.
“Under the third head it is queried whether the ‘_Norman_ builders’
were likely to show such tender mercy to a rubble fragment? I
presume ‘Norman’ here means _Anglo_-Norman, the conquering race,
who looked with contempt on all that pertained to those they held
in thrall. Civil changes notwithstanding, in Bute it was otherwise.
There the same traditions were handed down from Celt to Scot, and
the name of St. Blaan was reverenced, not merely on local grounds,
but as being still more intimately associated with a northern see.
The very curious _melange_ at the east end of the chapel is
attributed to one of those ‘accidents’ which, from a variety of
sources, often befel buildings in ancient times. The late Mr John
Baird, at a meeting of the Architectural Institute of Scotland held
in Glasgow a good many years ago, suggested that the original
termination had been an apse, but the chancel being found too
small, this feature was demolished and the building extended to its
present limits. Notwithstanding all that has been said, I consider
both the apse and the accident theories to be at once untenable and
unnecessary, and will, as briefly as possible, give three
_criteria_ on which I regard the proof of antecedency in date and
construction of the rubble work ultimately to depend, and to be
incontrovertible. First, in a rubble wall of any posterior date,
built to conjoin with a previous ashlar one, it is only reasonable
to suppose it would have been gauged to the same thickness, so that
the respective wall faces might be flush, both externally and
internally, so as to avoid the very awkward junction which there
really has been. Second, this rubble wall must necessarily have
been carried to the same height and level, in the wall-head, as the
ashlar built portion, instead of being dropped nearly three feet
below it, as the present rubble work really is. Third, the existing
Romanesque structure shows that freestone, both red and white, was
readily to be had by importation or otherwise in Bute, during the
twelfth century, and ever afterwards, and it is beyond all reason
and experience, that in the chancel especially rubble of some local
rock should have been adopted when the superior quality previously
in use could be so easily obtained.
“These three _criteria_ combined, the thinness (relatively) of the
rubble walling, the lower level of the wall-head, and the extreme
improbability of any subsequent builders being reduced to the
necessity of falling back on rubble, lead irresistibly to the
conviction that on this site there existed a much smaller and more
ancient chapel, of which the _sacrarium_, carefully respected by
all subsequent builders, now alone remains.”
At the special request of Mr. P. Macgregor Chalmers, author of the work
_A Scots Mediæval Architect_, we insert in this Volume extracts, revised
and approved by him, from his reply to our criticism contained in Vol.
II. pp. 378-382, in the hope that they may be found to throw additional
light on the late period of Scottish architecture. It must, however, be
understood that we are not to be held as concurring in all Mr. Chalmers’
views. Our notice of his work was written after our second volume was to
a large extent in type, and we should not have quoted Mr. Pinches’
reference to church building in Galloway in 1508 (p. 378), as Mr.
Chalmers had already shown in his work that this was a mistake; and on
the same page we should have acknowledged his labours on the Melrose
inscriptions. Mr. Chalmers says:--
“You tabulate four formal objections to my work (p. 380). The first
appears to be that I have adopted a certain opinion, which differs
from yours; and you think my work is therefore a ‘fiction,’ a
‘romance,’ a ‘dream.’ The second objection, based on your
_inference_ that a man who had a Scots name was a Frenchman by
extraction, because he was born in Paris at a time when Scotsmen
were rife in France, need not be taken seriously. The answer to
your third and fourth objections is that I have _proved_, from
original documents quoted, that ‘Morow’ is ‘Murray,’ and that the
variation in spelling, indicated in the Melrose inscriptions, is
the variation for Murray. When you have grasped the importance and
significance of my deduction from the evident choice of Melrose for
the memorial inscriptions, I feel certain you will find more than
‘fiction’ in my work.
“I stated that the rood screen at Glasgow was erected by Archbishop
Blacader, and that it was probably begun about the year 1492. The
charter evidence is that the archbishop founded the two altars in
their present position in the base of the screen, and that he
founded the altar _for which the screen was erected_, the altar of
Holy Cross. As the screen encroaches considerably on the original
length of the choir, being of great depth from west to east, it is
natural to suppose that its erection would entail the remodelling
of the choir fittings. It was in the archbishop’s time, then, that
the new choir stalls were constructed. From the measurements given
in the contract for this work, between ‘the dene and cheptour of
Glasgw on the tapairt, and Mychell Waghorn, wrycht, on the toder
pairt,’ it is evident that the carved canopy work was carried as a
cornice across the east or choir side of the screen. Rejecting my
work, you state that the screen at Glasgow was probably built by
Bishop Cameron, who died in 1446. You have no charter evidence to
support you. You have only the mouldings and the sculpture of the
two periods to found your opinion upon. In the illustration I send
you (Fig. 1) I show the earlier mouldings at A and the later
mouldings of the screen at B. Students can now estimate the value
of your opinion. The only moulding in the aisle of Car Fergus, of
Blacader’s time, is the vaulting rib which I show at C. This, you
say, is a ‘coarse’ moulding. But the coarseness is not apparent
when you compare it with the rib in the
[Illustration: FIG. 1.
Mouldings of Rood Screen at St. Mungo’s.]
sacristy (D), of date about 1446; the rib in the chapter house (E),
of date about 1425; or the same rib in the lower church, of date
about 1240. You frequently give expression to your opinion that the
work executed in Scotland about the year 1500 was ‘inferior.’
Sweeping generalisations of this kind are of no value in our work.
I send you a process block (Fig. 2). It illustrates the carved boss
in the vaulting of the aisle of Car Fergus, of Blacader’s time,
being the very first seen on entering, and so close to the eye that
it may almost be touched by the hand. No work of any
period--certainly not of Bishop Cameron’s time--can excel it in
beauty, and it is only one of many equally beautiful. You state
that the work in the screen ‘is considerably superior to that of
the adjoining altars, which are _certainly_ by that bishop’
(_Archbishop_ Blacader). It is a fact that you are here comparing
work, which is as sharp as when it left the carver’s hand, with
work at the floor level which is now so worn and defaced as almost
to be obliterated. The altars are of different design, and that now
on the north side is of _earlier date_, and was rebuilt and
repaired only by the archbishop. If this single altar stood
originally in the centre, as the one of the same name did at
Durham, and if, as is not impossible, it was originally built by
Bishop Cameron, then you condemn as ‘inferior’ what, if you had
only known, you ought to praise as ‘superior.’
“Mr. Honeyman, whose early opinion you quote, writing to me, for my
use here, says, in reference to the Glasgow rood screen--‘I must
say that circumstances which you have brought to my notice have
considerably changed my opinion regarding this. I quite recognise
the close affinity of the south transept door at Melrose and the
rood screen at Lincluden, and I am quite prepared to believe that
the man who designed these, also designed the rood screen here. If
it can be proved that the work at Melrose and Lincluden was not
executed till about 1480, or later, then I shall feel bound to
agree with you as to the age of our screen.’ The proof as to the
age of the Melrose door has been given in my book.
“Your reliance on your unwise generalisation regarding the
‘inferior’ quality of _all_ work at the end of the fifteenth
century has blinded you to the facts at Melrose, as elsewhere. The
magnificent panel carved with the royal arms, of which I gave an
enlarged photograph (p. 55), is dated 1505. There is nothing finer
of its kind in the country, and the carved bosses in the presbytery
vault are remarkable for their rare beauty, and yet one of them
bears the arms of Margaret, wife of James IV. You state that ‘the
building or restoration of the eastern part of the edifice seems,
from its style, to have been carried out towards the middle of the
fifteenth century’ (p. 372). The further statement is made that
‘the design of the choir appears to have been borrowed from that of
the transept’ (p. 370). These statements are contradictory. The
south transept was not erected until after the middle of the
fifteenth century, by Abbot Andrew Hunter. His arms are to be found
carved on it, and also in the nave chapel, where the work is
unmistakeably from the hand of the same designer. It is indubitable
that the ‘perpendicular’ work was inserted in the older transept.
It has never occurred to you to endeavour to explain the presence
in Scotland
[Illustration: FIG. 2.--Carved Boss in Vaulting of Aisle of Car
Fergus.]
of so marked a type of English art _in the middle of the fifteenth
century_, and you have thought it wise to ignore my interpretation
that this style was adopted as an expression of the international
good feeling arising from the marriage of James IV. with Margaret
of England. Perpendicular work is also present at Linlithgow and
Stirling, and there also it is associated with Queen Margaret.
“I described the statues at the apex of the east gable at Melrose
as those of James IV. and Margaret (p. 53). You say ‘this is an
entire assumption’ (p. 381), and then you immediately _assume_ that
they illustrate the coronation of the Blessed Virgin. If your
interpretation is correct, the act of coronation must be indicated,
and the two figures must be correlated, Christ being turned towards
the Blessed Virgin, either to crown her by His own hand, or to
indicate His interest in the ceremony, whilst Mary is turned
towards Christ in an attitude of tenderness and adoration. These
are obvious requirements. The figures are so disposed in the
examples you cited and illustrated, and it is true of all the
examples I have studied on the Continent and in the cathedrals of
England. At Melrose the figures are not in any way related to each
other. They look straight forward, and, as I proved by the aid of a
telescope before writing my description, no act of crowning is
indicated. The male figure corresponds exactly with that on the
seal of James IV. to which I referred, and the group does not
differ from that shown in a MS. of the middle of the fifteenth
century, which represents a king and queen and their court. I
understand and appreciate the fact that you see no significance in
the angels in the niches below the central group of the king and
queen, and that it is of no importance to you that the figures
which were ranged on either side were not those of saints and
martyrs, but of Churchmen, evidently contemporaries of King James.
As the statue of an archbishop graces the apex of the east gable of
York Minster, there is nothing ridiculous, as you would wish to
make it appear, in a king and queen occupying a similar place at
Melrose. The circumstances and temper of the moment made it appear
appropriate. There is no sarcasm in the concluding paragraph of my
work, although you profess to be able to detect it. It was not
unpleasant to me to find that the point made by the author of _The
Stones of Venice_, from exactly similar exhibitions of vainglory,
could be made from the stones of Scotland.
P. MACGREGOR CHALMERS.”
TOPOGRAPHICAL INDEX OF BUILDINGS DESCRIBED IN THE WHOLE WORK.
ABERDEENSHIRE.
Aberdeen, King’s College Chapel
---- Greyfriars’ Church
---- St. Nicholas’
Aberdour, St. Drostan’s
Auchendoir Church
Deer Abbey
Deer Parish Church
Ellon Monument
Insch Church
Kinkell Church
Kintore Church
Leask, St. Adamnan’s
Lonmay, St. Colm’s
Monymusk Church
Old Aberdeen, St. Machar’s Cathedral
Peterhead, St. Peter’s
Rattray, St. Mary’s
Rathan Church
Turriff Church
ARGYLESHIRE.
Ardchattan Priory
Dunstaffnage Castle Chapel
Eilean Munde, Lochleven
Eilean Naomh
Faslane Church
Islay, Kilchieran Church
---- Kildalton Church
---- Kilnaughton Church
---- Kilneave Church
Iona Cathedral and Priory
---- Nunnery
Iona, St. Oran’s
Inchkenneth, Ulva
Kilmun Collegiate Church
Kintyre, Cara Church
---- Gigha, St. Catan’s
---- Kiels, St. Columba’s
---- Kilchenzie Church
---- Kilchieven Church
---- Kilchouslan Church
---- Killean Church
---- Sanda, St. Ninian’s
Knapdale, Eilean Mor
---- Kilbride Church
---- Kilmory Church
---- St. Carmaig’s, Keil
Lismore Cathedral
Mull, Laggan Church
---- Pennygowan Church
---- Inch Kenneth
Oronsay Priory
Tiree, Kilchenzie Church
---- Kirkapoll Church
AYRSHIRE.
Alloway Kirk
Crosraguel Abbey
Kilmaurs, Monument
Kilwinning Abbey
Kirkoswald Church
Loudoun Church
Maybole Collegiate Church
Monkton, St. Cuthbert’s
Old Dailly Church
Prestwick, St. Nicholas’
Southannan Castle and Church
Straiton Church
BANFFSHIRE.
Boyndie, St. Brandon’s
Cullen Collegiate Church
Deskford, Sacrament House
Gamrie, St. John’s
Mortlach, St. Moloc’s
BERWICKSHIRE.
Abbey St. Bathans’
Ayton Church
Bassendean Church
Bunkle Church
Chirnside Church
Cockburnspath Church
Coldingham Priory
Dryburgh Abbey
Duns Church
Edrom Church
Greenlaw Church
Ladykirk Church
Lauder Church
Legerwood Church
Oldhamstocks Church
Polwarth Church
Preston Church
St. Helen’s, Cockburnspath
BUTESHIRE.
Rothesay, St. Mary’s Abbey
Rothesay Castle Chapel
St. Blane’s Church
CAITHNESS-SHIRE.
Lybster, St. Mary’s
Olrig Church
DUMBARTONSHIRE.
Dumbarton Collegiate Church
Dumbarton Parish Church
Kirkton of Kilmahew
DUMFRIESSHIRE.
Canonby Priory
Kirkbride Church
Moffat, St. Cuthbert’s
Sanquhar Church
ELGIN OR MORAYSHIRE.
Altyre Church
Birnie, St. Brandon’s
Drainie Church
Elgin Cathedral
---- Greyfriars’ Church
Kinloss Abbey
Michael Kirk
Pluscardine Priory
FIFESHIRE.
Abdie Church
Anstruther, Easter and Wester, Churches of
Ballingry Church
Balmerino Abbey
Burntisland, St. Adamnan’s
Carnock Church
Crail, St. Macrubha’s Collegiate Church
Creich, St. Devenic’s
Cupar, St. Michael’s
Dalgety, St. Bridget’s
Dunfermline Abbey
Dysart, St. Serf’s
Fordel Chapel
Inchcolm Abbey
Inverkeithing, St. Peter’s
Kemback Church
Kilconquhar Church
Kilrenny Church
Leuchars Church
Lindores Abbey
Markinch Church
Pittenweem Priory
Rosyth Church
St. Andrews Cathedral and Priory
---- Dominican Church
---- Holy Trinity
---- St. Mary’s, Kirkheugh
---- St. Leonard’s
---- St. Regulus’ or St. Rule’s
---- St. Salvator’s
St. Monans Church
FORFARSHIRE.
Airlie Church
Arbroath Abbey
---- Abbot’s House
Auchterhouse, St. Mary’s
Brechin Cathedral
---- Maison Dieu
Dundee Church
Eassie Church
Invergowrie Church
Lundie, St. Lawrence
Mains Church
Maryton Church
Nevay Church
Pert Church
Restennet Priory
St. Vigean’s Church
HADDINGTONSHIRE.
Dunbar, Redfriars’
Douglass, St. Mary’s
Garvald Church
Gladsmuir Church
Gullane, St. Andrew’s
Haddington, St. Martin’s
---- St. Mary’s
Herdmanston, Font
Keith, St. Maelrubba’s
Luffness, Redfriars’
Morham Church
Ormiston, St. Giles’
Pencaitland Church
Prestonkirk, St. Baldred’s
Prestonpans Church
Seton Collegiate Church
Stenton Parish Church
Tynninghame Church
Whitekirk Church
Yester Parish Church
---- St. Bothan’s
INVERNESS-SHIRE.
Barra, St. Michael’s, Borve
---- Kilbar
Beauly Priory
Benbecula, Nuntown
---- St. Columba’s, Balivanich
Harris, Sound of Pabba
---- Toehead
Raasay, St. Moluac’s
Rowdil, St. Clement’s Priory
Skye, Kilmuir
Skye, St, Maelrubba’s Font
---- Mugstot
---- Skeabost
---- Trumpan
Uist, North, Carinish
---- South, Howmore
KINCARDINESHIRE.
Arbuthnott Collegiate Church
Cowie Church
Feteresso, St. Cavan’s
Fordoun, St. Palladius’
Nigg, St. Fiacre’s
KIRKCUDBRIGHTSHIRE.
Buittle, St. Colmonel’s
Dalry, St. John’s
Dundrennan Abbey
Lincluden College
New Abbey or Sweetheart Abbey
Old Girthon Church
Terregles Church
Tungland Abbey
LANARKSHIRE.
Biggar Church
Bothwell, St. Bride’s
Blantyre Priory
Carnwath Collegiate Church
Covington, St. Michael’s
Douglas, St. Bride’s
Glasgow, St. Mungo’s Cathedral
---- Tron Spire
Lamington Church
Lanark, St. Kentigern’s
Rutherglen, St. Mary’s
Walston Church
LINLITHGOWSHIRE.
Abercorn Church
Auldcathie Church
Bathgate Church
Dalmeny Church
Kinneil Church
Kirkliston Church
Linlithgow, St. Michael’s
Strathbroc, St. Nicholas’
Queensferry, South, Carmelites’ Church
Torphichen Church
Uphall, St. Nicholas’
MID-LOTHIAN.
Borthwick, St. Mungo’s
Calder, East, St. Cuthbert’s
Cockpen Church
Corstorphine, St. John Baptist
Crichton, St. Mary’s
Dalkeith, St. Nicholas’
Duddingston Church
Edinburgh Castle, St. Margaret’s Chapel
---- St. Anthony’s Chapel
Edinburgh, St. Cuthbert’s Pulpit
---- St. Giles’ Collegiate Church
---- Trinity College Church
Gogar, Font
Holyrood Abbey
Lasswade Church
Mid-Calder Church
Newbattle Abbey
Ratho, St. Mary’s
Restalrig, St. Triduan’s
Rosslyn, St. Matthew’s Collegiate Church
Stow Church
Temple Church
ORKNEY.
Birsay, Brough of
Deerness, Brough of
Egilsey Church
Enhallow Church
Head of Holland Chapel
Halcro Chapel, South Ronaldshay
Linton Chapel, Shapinsay
Orphir Church
St. Ola, Kirkwall
St. Magnus, Kirkwall
St. Tredwell’s Chapel
Swendro Church, Rousay
Westray Chapel
Wyre Church
PEEBLESSHIRE.
Lyne Church
Newlands Church
Peebles, Holy Cross
Peebles, St. Andrew’s
Stobo Church
PERTHSHIRE.
Aberdalgie, Monument
Abernethy Round Tower
Aberuthven, St. Cathan’s
Alyth, St. Moloc’s
Auchterarder Church
Blair Church
Cambusmichael Church
Coupar Abbey
Culross Abbey
---- Parish Church
Dron Church
Dunblane Cathedral
Dunkeld Cathedral
Dunning, St. Serf’s
Ecclesiamagirdle Church
Forgandenny Church
Forteviot Church
Foulis Easter, St. Marnan’s
Grandtully, St. Mary’s
Inchaffray Abbey
Innerpeffray Collegiate Church
Kinfauns Church
Kinkell, St. Bean’s
Kinnoull Church
Meigle Church
Methven Collegiate Church
Moncrieff Chapel
Muckersey Font
Muthill Church
Perth, St. John Baptist
Stobhall Church
Tullibardine Collegiate Church
Wast-town Church
Weem Church
RENFREWSHIRE.
Castle Semple Collegiate Church
Houston Church
Kilmalcolm Church
Paisley Abbey
Renfrew Church
St. Fillan’s Church
ROSS-SHIRE.
Dun Othail, Lewis
Eorrapidh, Lewis
Fearn Abbey
Flannain Isles, or Seven Hunters
Fortrose Cathedral
Holy Cross, South Galston, Lewis
St. Aula, Gress, Lewis
St. Columba’s, Ey, Lewis
---- Isle, Lewis
St. John Baptist, South Bragair, Lewis
St. Ronan, North Rona
Tain, St. Duthus’
Teampull, Beannachadh
---- Pheadair, Lewis
---- Sula Sgeir
Tigh Beannachadh, Lewis
ROXBURGHSHIRE.
Jedburgh Abbey
Kelso Abbey
Linton Church
Melrose Abbey
St. Boswell’s Church
Smailholm Church
SELKIRKSHIRE.
Selkirk Church
SHETLAND.
Culbinsbrough, Bressay
Kirkaby, Westing, Unst
Meal, Colvidale, Unst
Ness Kirk, North Yell
Noss Chapel, Bressay
St. John’s Kirk, Norwick, Unst
Uya, Church at
STIRLINGSHIRE.
Airth Church
Cambuskenneth Abbey
Inchmahome Priory
Stirling Parish Church
SUTHERLANDSHIRE.
Durness, Church of
WIGTONSHIRE.
Cruggleton Church
Glenluce Abbey
Kirkmaiden Church
Leswalt Church
St. Ninian’s, the Isle
Wigton, St. Machutus’
Whithorn Priory
GENERAL INDEX
TO THE WHOLE WORK.
Abailard, II. 1.
Abb’s, St., Chapel, I. 437.
Abbey St. Bathans, description, III. 410.
Abdie, II. 218.
---- St. Magridin’s Church, II. 293.
Abercorn Church, I. 318, description, 346.
Aberdalgie, Monument at, II. 551.
Aberdeen Cathedral, I. 47, III. 6, 40, 117, 408; description, 75.
---- Carmelites, III. 469.
---- King’s College, II. 285, 445, 504, III. 234.
---- Greyfriars’ Church, description, III. 358.
---- St. Nicholas, description, I. 426.
Aberdour, Aberdeenshire, III., description, 535.
Aberdour Church, Fifeshire, III. 40, 318.
Abernethy Tower, I. 11, 15, 26, description, 175; II. 86, 209.
Aberuthven Church, description, III. 485.
Adamnan, I. 11.
---- St., Church of, Aberdeenshire, description, III. 387.
Aidan, St., I. 11.
Airlie Church, description, III. 452.
Airth Church, description, I. 465.
---- Castle, I. 465, 469.
Aldcamus Church, I. 325.
Alexander I., I. 29.
---- II. and III., I. 50.
Allen, J. Romilly, I. 2, 306.
Alloway Kirk, description, III. 393.
Alnwick, I. 47.
Altyre Church, II. 290.
Alyth Church, description, III. 487.
Amiens Cathedral, II. 65.
Anchorites, I. 1.
Ancient details revived, III. 52.
Anderson, Dr. Joseph, I. 2, 3, 66; II. 209, 210; III. 459.
Anderson, R. Rowand, architect, II. 92; III. 459.
Anstruther, Easter and Wester, description, III. 536-547.
Anthony, St., Chapel, description, III. 145.
Antiquaries of Scotland, I. 101; III. 623.
---- Society of, III. 381.
Apses and square east ends, II. 4; III. 2, 3.
Arbroath Abbey, I. 38, 47, 48, 49; II. 2, 3,
4, 218, 332, description, 30; III. 456, 459.
---- Abbot’s House, II. 49.
---- Regality Court House, II. 48.
Arbuthnott Church, II. 92; description, III. 235.
Arched Style of Building, I. 32.
Architecture, new development of, II. 1.
---- Scottish, of Fourteenth to Sixteenth centuries, I. 50.
---- division of, I. 53.
---- ceases to be like English, I. 52.
---- connection with French, I. 52.
---- gap in, II. 331.
Ardchattan Priory, II. 146, 245; description, III. 389.
Ardoilean, I. 8.
Armstrong, R. Bruce, I. 465; III. 431.
Aroise Abbey, Artois, France, II. 230.
Auchindoir Church, description, II. 281; III. 406.
Auchterarder Church, description, III. 488.
Auchterhouse, St. Mary’s, description, III. 541.
Augustine, St., I. 12.
Aula, St., Gress, Lewis, I. 83.
Auldcathie Church, description, III. 474.
Aytoun Church, description, III. 543.
Baberton House, III. 251.
Bairhum, Andrew, painter, I. 417.
Ballingry Church, description, III. 543.
Balmerino Abbey, II. 345, description, 505.
Bangor Monastery, I. 5.
Barrel vaults, II. 333; III. 2.
Bassendean Church, description, III. 412.
Bathgate Church, description, I. 474.
Batten, E. Chisholm, II. 147, 245, 395, 399, 402, 543.
Bays, design of, II. 4.
Beauly Priory, I. 289, 416, 417; II. 2, 146, 544, description, 245.
Bede, I. 12.
Beehive cells, I. 7, 24, 68.
Benedict Biscop, I. 12.
Beverley Minster, I. 54; II. 362.
Biggar Collegiate Church, description, III. 343.
Billings, R. W., II. 122, 389; III. 23, 43, 247.
Birnie, St. Brandon’s, description, I. 218; II. 121.
Birsay, Brough of, I. 135.
Black’s _Brechin_, II. 204, 215.
Blackadder’s Aisle, Glasgow, II. 165, 170; III. 4, 628.
Blair Church, Blair-Atholl, description, III. 544.
Blane’s, St., Bute, description, I. 292.
Blantyre Priory, description, III. 470.
Boniface, St., I. 14.
Border monasteries destroyed, II. 331.
Borthwick Church, III. 173, description, 214.
---- Castle, III. 173, 305.
Boswell’s, St., description, I. 377.
Bothwell Church (St. Bride’s), II. 333, description, 531; III. 173, 174.
---- Castle, III. 470.
Boyndie, St. Brandan’s, description, III. 545.
Brandon’s, St., Birnie, I. 218.
Brechin Cathedral, I. 49, 57; II. 3, 86, 223, description, 203.
---- Tower, I. 26, 48; II. 209.
---- Maison Dieu, I. 48; description, II. 215.
Brendan, St., I. 67.
Brook, J. S., III. 203.
Brown, J. Harvey, III. 372.
---- T. Craig, III. 531.
Brude, King, I. 10.
Buchanan, George, III. 450, 597.
Buckler, Messrs., architects, III. 61.
Buittle Church, Kirkcudbrightshire, II. 334, description, 300.
Bunkle Church, description, I. 314.
Burgundy, I. 35.
Burntisland Church, description, II. 269.
Bute, Marquis of, II. xiii, 6, 19, 23, 482,
---- St Blane’s, I. 292.
Buttresses introduced, I. 34.
Caithness Cathedral, I. 47; II. 3.
Cambuskenneth Abbey, I. 30; II. 3, 515, description, 225.
---- Abbot of, III. 29.
Cambusmichael Church, III. description, 489.
Campbell, Rev. Dr., Balmerino, II. 505.
_Candida Casa_, I. 3, 5; II. 479.
Canmore, Malcolm, I. 15, 29.
Canonby Priory, description, III. 430.
Canterbury Cathedral, I. 12, 30.
Cara, Gigha, Kintyre, I. 82.
Cardonnell’s Views, I. 446.
Carinish, North Uist, I. 81.
Carmaig, St., Eilean Mor, I. 89.
---- Knapdale, I. 84.
Carnock Church, description, III. 436.
Carnwath Collegiate Church, description, III. 349.
Carving, third pointed, III. 6.
Cashels, Irish, I. 7.
Castle Semple Church, description, III. 351.
Castletown Church, I. 378.
Catan’s, St., Kintyre, I. 95.
Cathedrals, Scottish, I. 49.
---- chiefly thirteenth century, II. 2.
Caves, I. 5.
Cellach, I. 15.
Celtic art, I. 1.
---- carving, I. 426; III. 52, 370, 383.
---- Church, I. 65.
---- churches standing alone, I. 78.
---- ---- built with chancel and nave, I. 93.
---- ---- with pointed or late features, I. 95.
---- structures in Scotland, I. 65.
Chalmers, P. Macgregor, architect, II. 196, 199, 378,
379, 380, 381, 382, 393, 483; III. 9, 627.
Chambers, Dr. Wm., II. 443, 455.
Chancel architecturally distinguished, I. 79.
---- added to nave, I. 79.
Chapel on “The Isle,” Wigtonshire, description, II. 297.
Chirnside Church, description, I. 322, 314.
Choir and nave, relative length of, II. 5.
Churches, dry-built, I. 80.
---- oblong, modified, I. 82.
---- with nave or chancel added, I. 88.
---- on islands, I. 105.
---- in Orkney, I. 100.
---- in Shetland, I. 101, 145.
Clackmannan Church, II. 231.
Claverhouse’s Grave, Blair-Atholl, III. 544.
Clement’s, St., Rowdil, description, III. 363.
Clonmacnoise, I. 10.
Cluny Loch, III. 40.
Coalisport Loch, I. 10.
Cockburnspath Church, I. 323; description, III. 413.
Cockpen Church, II. 303.
Coldingham Priory, I. 30, 48, 318, 379, 387, description,
437; II. 345; III. 543.
Coldstream Priory, III. 413.
Coles, Fred. R., III. 148, 469, 533.
Collegiate Churches, I. 51, 60; II. 334; III. 2, 7.
Collie, J., II. 163, 186.
Columba, St., I. 5, 10, 67, 69.
Columba Church, St., Balivanich, I. 88.
---- Ey, Lewis, I. 91.
---- Kiels, Kintyre, I. 92.
---- Isle, Lewis, I. 97.
Columban Church, I. 11, 12, 13.
---- Churches, I. 25.
Comgall, St., I. 5.
Cooper, Rev. J., III. 356.
Cordiner, II. 152, 157.
Cormac’s Chapel, I. 28.
Corstorphine Church, I. 371; III. 1, 3, 173, description, 250.
Coupar Abbey, II. 345; III. 445, 499, description, 491.
Covington Church, description, III. 472.
Cowie Church, Kincardineshire, II. 273.
Craigmillar Castle, III. 4.
Crail Church, III. 452, description, 263.
Crailing, Upper Church, I. 378.
Cramond, III. 40.
Creich Church, II. 554.
Crichton Church, III. 173, 218, description, 243.
Crosraguel Abbey, I. 57, 58; II. 76, 332, 342, 478,
description, 402; III. 138, 338, 394, 397.
Cross, St., Church, I. 36.
Cross Church, Peebles, description, III. 482.
Crosses, I. 9, 10, 17, 20.
Cruggleton Church, description, I. 212.
Culbinsbrough Church, Bressay, I. 157.
Culdees, I. 14, 15, 30.
Cullen Church, description, III. 398, 406.
Culross Abbey, I. 48; II. 2, 3, description, 231.
---- Palace, III. 572.
---- Old Parish Church, II. 243.
Cupar-Fife, St. Michael’s, description, III. 547.
Cuthbert, St., I. 5, 12.
Dalgety, St. Bridget’s, III. 549.
Dalkeith Church, III. 174, description, 205.
Dalmeny Church, I. 38, 309, 378, description, 298.
---- Early Sculpture at, I. 302.
Dalriada, I. 10.
Dalry, Kirkcudbrightshire, description, III. 551.
David I., I. 29, 30, 38.
Decorated style, I. 52, 53; II. 331.
---- examples rare in Scotland, II. 332.
---- Churches in England, III. 1.
Deer Abbey, II. 345, description, 274.
---- Church, description, II. 278.
Deerness, Brough of, I. 68, 101.
Denis, St., I. 8.
Deskford Church, description, III. 406.
Details, late, III. 5.
Devenish, Round Tower, I. 27.
Dioceses, Scottish, I. 29.
Donoughmore, County Meath, II. 210.
Doorways, I. 55.
Dore Abbey, Hertfordshire, II. 186, 381; III. 172.
Dornoch Cathedral, II. 3.
Douglas Church, description, II. 520.
Drainie Church, description, III. 553.
Dron Church, description, III. 497.
Drummond, James, R.S.A., I. 2, 323, 426; III. 49, 91.
Dryburgh Abbey, I. 38, 47, 48, 49, 57, description, 448;
tailpiece, 478; II. 4, 267, 332, 345, 346, 349, 365.
Dryden, Sir Henry, I. 3, 68, 101, 172, 273, 282, 288, 290, 292.
Duddingston Church, I. 39, 382, description, 333.
Dumbarton Parish and Collegiate Churches, description, III. 423.
Dunbar, Redfriars, description, III. 462.
Dunblane Cathedral, I. 38, 48, 49, 50; II. 2,
3, 4, 116, description, 86; III. 121, 123, 331.
---- Celtic Cross at, II. 102.
Dundee Church, II. 218, 235; III. 116, description, 123.
Dundrennan Abbey, I. 30, 47, 48, 387, description, 388; II. 2, 3, 335, 342.
Dunfermline Abbey, I. 38, 309, 439,
description, 230; II. 3, 92, 147, 486; III. 105.
Dunglass Church, III. 1, 3, 167, 173, description, 179.
Dunkeld Cathedral, I. 47, 49, 62; II. 3;
III. 12, 21, 23, 121, 123, 318, 418, 487, description, 23.
Dunning, St. Serf’s, description, I. 204; III. 500.
Dun Othail, Lewis, I. 81.
Duns Church, description, I. 381.
Dunstaffnage Castle, I. 48.
---- Chapel, description, II. 299.
Durham Cathedral, I. 37; II. 92, 345, 471.
Durness Church, description, III. 557.
Dysart Church, II. 235; III. 308, 318, description, 437.
Earl’s Hall, III. 527.
Eassie Church, description, III. 560.
East Calder Church, description, III. 559.
Ecclesiamagirdle, description, III. 499.
Edinburgh Castle Chapel, I. 29, description, 224.
Edinburgh, St. Giles’, description, II. 419.
Edrom Church, I. 314, 316; II. 162.
Edward I., I. 51.
Egilsay, Orkney, Church on, I. 26, 27; II. 209.
---- Choir, I. 100.
Eilean, Naomh, I. 66.
---- Mor, I. 77, 89.
---- Munde, I. 83.
Elgin Cathedral, I. 47, 48, 49, 387;
II. 2, 3, 4, 146, 147, 152, 154, 196, 372, 331, description, 121.
---- Greyfriars’ Church description, III. 356.
---- St. Giles’, II. 157.
Ellon Monument, III. 85.
Ely, II. 92.
England, Church in, I. 12.
English Cathedrals, I. 40, 43.
---- influence, III. 5, 6.
Enhallow, Orkney, I. 116.
Eorrapidh, Lewis, I. 99.
Errol, Earl of, III. 493.
Eyre, Archbishop, II. 195.
Fail Abbey, II. 76.
Falaise, Normandy, II. 30.
Farne Island, I. 12.
Faslane Church, II. 557.
Fearn Abbey, Ross-shire, II. 542.
Ferguson, Mr. J., Duns, I. 382; III. 410, 416, 417.
Ferguson, Rev. John, III. 112.
Fernie, Cupar-Fife, III. 547.
Ferrerius, John, I. 416; II. 246.
Fetteresso Church, III. 562.
Fillans, St., Church, III. 527.
Finnian, St., School of, I. 5.
First pointed style, I. 39; II. 1, 2.
---- Introduced from England, II. 3.
---- in Scotland, I. 46.
---- Details of, II. 4.
Flamboyant style, I. 2, 57, 58.
---- tracery, III. 6.
Flannain Isles, I. 77.
Font at Birnie, St. Brandon’s, I. 219.
---- Forgandenny, III. 502.
---- Fortrose, II. 401.
---- Foulis Easter, III. 196.
---- Gogar, III. 306.
---- Herdmanston, I. 384.
---- Inverkeithing, II. 549.
---- Isle, the, II. 298.
---- Kinkell, III. 385.
---- Meigle, III. 517.
---- Muckersey, III. 502.
---- Newbottle, II. 258.
---- Restennet, I. 185.
---- Selkirk, III. 529.
---- Stenton, III. 611.
---- Strathbroc, I. 345.
---- Whithorn, II. 485.
Fordel Church, description, III. 565.
Fordoun, St. Palladius, description, III. 468.
Forgandenny Church, description, III. 500.
Fortrose Cathedral, I. 57; II. 331, description, 394.
Fortune, Mr. G., architect, III. 410.
Foulis, Easter Church, description, III. 189.
France, architecture in, I. 40, 42, 43.
Franciscans, Haddington, II. 492.
French influence, III. 5, 6.
Fullar, John, III. 111.
Galloway, Cathedral of, II. 3.
---- A church in, II. 378.
---- William, architect, I. 178, 185, 213, 297, 383;
II. 76, 80, 81, 297, 482, 486; III. 356, 372, 377, 551, 625.
Galloway, Alex., III. 358, 385, 386.
Gallowhead, I. 80.
Gamrie Church, description, III. 567.
Garvald Church, description, III. 567.
Germany, I. 35.
Gibbs, Wm., architect, I. 426.
Giles’, St., Edinburgh, I. 49, 51, 57,
60, 62; II. 331, 457, 460, 466, 504,
description, 419; III. 130, 295, 324.
Giric, King, I. 15.
Gladsmuir Church, description, III. 569.
Glasgow, Bishop of, I. 29.
---- Tron Steeple, description, III. 571.
---- Cathedral, I. 47, 48, 49, 50, 57, 58;
II. 2, 3, 4, 125, 186, 324, 331, 379, 382,
520, description, 160; III. 4, 6, 21, 159, 172, 174, 175, 179.
---- High Kirk, II. 378.
---- College, III. 206.
---- Tolbooth, III. 295.
Glenluce Abbey, II. 379, description, III. 132.
Gloucester Cathedral, I. 401.
Gogar Church Font, description, II. 306.
Gothic architecture in Scotland, I. 2.
Grandtully Church, description, III. 571.
Greenlaw Church, description, III. 574.
Grose, Capt., I. 444, 446; II. 76, 80, 171,
204, 391, 393; III. 223, 343, 393, 482, 485.
Gullane, St. Andrews, I. 339.
Haddington, St. Martin’s, description, I. 362.
---- Priory, III. 264.
---- Nunnery, II. 492.
---- St. Mary’s Parish Church, II. 445 description, 491; III. 1, 234.
Haddow’s Hole Church (St. Giles’), II. 454.
Hagnaston Church, Derbyshire, I. 306.
Halcro Chapel, South Ronaldshay, I. 105.
Halkerston, John, III. 121.
Hassendean, I. 378.
Hay, Rev. R. A., III. 151.
Head of Holland, Church at, I. 105.
Helen’s, St., Church, I. 314, 366, description, 323.
Henry VII.’s Chapel, III. 6, 175.
Heraldic Panel, Prestonpans Church, description, III. 602.
Herdmanston Font, description, I. 384.
Heriot Parish, III. 218.
Hermiston House, III. 251.
Hermits’ cells, I. 73.
Hexham, I. 12; II. 6, 345.
Holy Cross Church, Lewis, I. 83.
Holyrood Abbey, I. 30, 38, 47, 48, 371, 416;
II. 2, 3, 4, 330, 332, description, 53;
III. 251, 269, 363, 373.
Honeyman, John, architect, II. 160, 161, 165, 168, 169, 171, 198.
Horndene, III. 218.
Houston Church, description, III. 527.
Howmore, South Uist, I. 70.
Hunter, Blair, F. C., II. 402.
Hutton Collection, I. 180; III. 180, 188, 205, 496.
Iffley Church, I. 317.
Inchaffray Abbey, III. 486, 489, description, 502.
Inchcolm Abbey, I. 29, 48; II. 2, 92, description, 307; III. 29.
---- Oratory, I. 24; II. 310.
Inchkenneth, Ulva, I. 98, 165.
---- Mull, I. 165.
Inchmahome, I. 48; II. 3, description, 112.
Innerpeffray Collegiate Church, description, III. 506.
Insch Church, description, III. 575.
Inverboyndie Church, III. 545.
Invergowrie Church, description, III. 454.
Inverkeithing Church, II. 507; description, 547.
Inverness Fort, I. 417.
Iona, I. 10, 11, 14.
---- Cathedral, I. 49, 62; III. 29, 130, 363, 370, 381, 389, description, 47.
---- Carved Slabs, I. 23.
---- St. Oran’s Chapel, I. 220.
---- the Nunnery, description, I. 421.
Irish influence, I. 2, 9.
Irish style of building, I. 8, 9.
---- Round Towers, I. 26, 27, 28.
Islands, Churches on, I. 8.
---- Western, Architecture of, I. 65, 80.
Isle, the, Chapel on, description, II. 297.
Jarrow, I. 12, 13.
Jedburgh Abbey, I. 38, 49, 309, 387,
description, 398; II. 2, 75, 162, 332, 345.
Jervise, Andrew, II. 282, 283; III. 399, 404, 469.
John Baptist, Church of, Lewis, I. 95.
John, St., Kirk of, Unst, I. 148.
Keith Church, description, III. 465.
Kelso Abbey, I. 38, 39, 387, description, 347; II. 2, 75, 345, 520.
Kemback Church, description, III. 576.
Kenmore Aisle, III. 551.
Kentigern, St., I. 11.
Kerr, Henry F., architect, II. 492.
Kevin, St., cell of, I. 9.
Kiels, Knapdale, I. 84.
Kilallan (_see_ St. Fillans).
Kilbar, Barra, I. 71, 72.
Kilbride, Knapdale, I. 98.
Kilchenich, Tiree, I. 88.
Kilchenzie, Kintyre, I. 93.
Kilchieran, Islay, I. 96.
Kilchoman Cross, I. 22.
Kilchouslan, Kintyre, I. 92.
Kilconquhar Church, description, III. 441.
Kildalton, Islay, I. 96.
Kilfillan (_see_ St. Fillans).
Killean, Kintyre, I. 98.
Kilmahew, Kirkton of, description, III. 426.
Kilmalcolm Church, description, III. 527, 529.
Kilmaurs, Monument at, III. 577.
Kilmory, Knapdale, I. 85.
Kilmuir, Skye, I. 84.
Kilmun Collegiate Church, description, III. 390.
Kilnaughton, Islay, I. 96.
Kilneave, Islay, I. 96.
Kilrenny Church, description, III. 442.
Kilrimont, I. 11.
Kilwinning Abbey, II. 2, 3, 4, 332, description, 73; III. 425.
Kineddar Church, II. 121; III. 553.
Kinfauns Church, description, III. 513.
King’s College, Aberdeen, I. 62; II. 285, 445, 504; description, III. 287.
---- Cambridge, II. 393.
Kinkell Church, Aberdeenshire, description, III. 383, 386, 406.
---- St. Bean’s, description, III. 579.
Kinloss Abbey, I. 30, 289, description, 416; II. 121, 232, 246, 345, 402.
---- Abbot’s House, II. 417, 421.
Kinneil Church, description, III. 578.
Kinnoul Church, description, III. 580.
Kinross, J., architect, II. 6, 23; III. 300.
Kintore, Sacrament House, III. 386.
Kintyre, I. 3, 10, 82.
Kirkaby, Westray, Shetland, I. 147.
Kirkapoll, Tiree, I. 87.
Kirkbryde Church, description, III. 431.
Kirkham Priory, I. 317.
Kirkheugh, St. Mary’s, II. 29.
Kirkliston Church, description, I. 366.
Kirkmadrine, Crosses at, I. 4.
Kirkmaiden, description, I. 383.
Kirkoswald Church, description, III. 582.
Kirkton of Kilmahew, description, III. 426.
Kirkwall, St. Magnus’ Cathedral,
I. 38, 48, 50, 417, description, 259; II. 3, 4.
---- St. Ola, I. 109.
Ladykirk, III. 3, 5, 173, 208, 310, 349, 446, description, 218.
Laggan, Mull, I. 98.
Laing, Alexander, II. 218, 219, 220.
---- Dr. David, II. 429; III. 7, 103, 188, 251, 253, 258, 475.
Lamington Church, description, I. 376; II. 37.
Lanark Church, I. 50; description, II. 266.
Lancet windows, II. 4.
Lasswade Church, description, I. 471; III. 214.
Late or third pointed style, I. 58.
---- in Scotland, I. 60; III. 1, 2.
Lauder Church, description, III. 582.
Lees, Very Rev. Dr. J. Cameron, III. 7, 23, 25.
Leeswalt Church, description, III. 585.
Legerwood Church, I. 314, 382, description, 320.
Leonard’s, St., St. Andrews, description, III. 448.
Lerida Cathedral, Spain, II. 37.
Leuchars Church, I. 38, 378, description, 309.
Lewis, Butt of, I. 75.
Lincluden College, I. 57; II. 120,
333, 379, 381, 535, description, 383; III. 1, 6, 174.
Lincoln Cathedral, I. 45, 47; II. 3, 121.
Lindisfarne, I. 11; II. 354.
Lindores Abbey, II. 4, 294, description, 217; III. 123.
Linlithgow Church, I. 57; II. 445, 504, description,
455; III. 3, 82, 116, 117, 121, 174,
208, 315, 324, 456.
---- Palace, III. 121.
Linton Church, Roxburghshire, I. 318, description, 378.
Linton Chapel, Shapinsay, I. 122.
Lismore Cathedral, description, II. 263.
Loch Tay Monastery, III. 29.
Logierait Cross, I. 18.
Lombardy, I. 35.
Lonmay Church, description, III. 587.
Loudoun Church, description, III. 587.
Luffness Monastery, description, II. 288.
Lundie, St. Lawrence, description, I. 382.
Lybster, Caithness, I. 162.
Lyne Church, description, III. 589.
Macalpine, Kenneth, I. 14.
Macdonald, W. Rae, III. 45, 198, 261, 525.
Maces of Universities, III. 203.
Mackenzie, A. M., architect, III. 236, 359.
Mackison, William, architect, II. 227.
M‘Lean’s Cross, Iona, I. 21.
Macpherson, Dr. Norman, III. 289, 371.
Macpherson, Archibald, architect, III. 453.
Madoe’s Cross, I. 17.
Maelrubba, St., Skye, Font, description, III. 381.
Magnus’, St., Cathedral, Kirkwall (_see_ Kirkwall).
Mains Church, description, III. 455.
Maison Dieu, Brechin, description, II. 215.
Margaret, Queen, I. 15, 28, 29.
Marischal College, Aberdeen, III. 359.
Markinch Church, description, I. 193.
Martin, III. 377.
Martin’s, St., Haddington, description, I. 362.
---- St., Cross, Iona, I. 21.
Martine’s _Reliquiæ Divi Andreæ_, II. 19, 23, 24, 27, 29.
Mary’s, St., Lybster, I. 93, 94.
---- Ratho, description, I. 371.
---- Rutherglen, description, I. 372.
Maryton Church, description, III. 456.
Mason’s contract, St. Giles’, II. 420.
Matheson, Robert, architect, I. 262.
Mavisbank House, II. 258.
May, Isle of, III. 599.
Maybole Collegiate Church, description, III. 338.
Meal, Colvidale, Unst, I. 148.
Medan’s, St., Cave, I. 5.
Meigle Font, III. 517.
Melrose Abbey, I. 30, 47, 49, 51, 52
, 55, 58, 62, 451; II. 19, 160, 251,
277, 331, 332, 342, 438, description, 344.
---- Resemblance of details to York, II. 333;
III. 1, 3, 6, 167, 174, 456, 627.
---- Old, I. 11.
Merlioun, Walter, III. 106, 121.
Methven Church, III. 397, description, 519.
Michael’s, St., Barra, I. 95.
Michael Kirk, description, III. 553.
Mid-Calder Church, description, III. 279.
---- Bond concerning, III. 279.
Middle Ages, art of, I. 2.
Middleton Church, I. 317.
Middle pointed style, characteristics, I. 53.
Middle pointed style in Scotland, I. 55; II. 331; III. 1.
Miller, Rev. Alex., III. 557.
---- A. H., III. 619.
Mirin’s, St., Chapel, III. 3, 9; description, 23.
Moffat, St. Cuthbert’s, description, III. 433.
Moluac, St., Raasay, I. 98.
---- Teampull, Lewis, I. 99.
---- Mortlach, description, III. 408.
---- Alyth, description, II. 487.
Monans, St., III. 10, 445.
Monasteries established, I. 31.
---- in Scotland, proportions, I. 49.
Moncrieff Chapel, description, III. 521.
Monkton Church, description, II. 285.
Monkwearmouth, I. 12, 13.
Monuments--
Abbey St. Bathans, III. 411.
Abdie, II. 296.
Abercorn Church, I. 346.
Aberdalgie, II. 551.
Aberdeen, St. Machar’s, III. 83, 84, 85, 86, 88.
---- St. Nicholas’, I. 431.
Aberdour, III. 536.
Airth, I. 469.
Ardchattan, III. 390.
Balmerino, II. 517.
Bathgate, I. 475.
Beauly, II. 249.
Borthwick Church, III. 216.
Bothwell, II. 536.
Cambuskenneth, II. 231.
Carnwath Church, III. 349.
Castle Semple Church, III. 354.
Coldingham, I. 446.
Corstorphine Church, III. 261.
Coupar Abbey, III. 496.
Creich, II. 556.
Crichton Church, III. 247.
Cullen Church, III. 401.
Culross Parish Church, II. 245.
Cupar, III. 549.
Dalgety, III. 549.
Dalkeith, III. 209.
Deer Church, II. 278.
Douglas, II. 520.
Dunblane, II. 112.
Dundrennan Abbey, I. 395, 398.
Dunfermline Abbey, I. 258.
Dunkeld Cathedral, III. 32, 43, 45.
Durness Church, III. 559.
Edinburgh, St. Giles’, II. 449.
Elgin Cathedral, II. 142.
Ellon, III. 85.
Errol, Earl of, III. 493.
Fearn, II. 546.
Fortrose Cathedral, II. 399.
Glasgow Cathedral, II. 203.
Glencairn, Kilmaurs, III. 577.
Haddington, II. 498.
Holyrood, II. 54.
Houston Church, III. 527.
Inchkenneth, I. 171.
Inchmahome, II. 119.
Iona, I. 426; III. 74.
Keith Church, III. 466.
Kennedy, Ballantrae, III. 577.
Kilmaurs, III. 577.
Kilrenny Church, III. 442.
Kinfauns, III. 513.
Kinnoul, III. 580.
Kirkwall Cathedral, I. 290.
Lasswade Church, I. 474.
Leswalt, III. 585.
Lindores, II. 225.
Maryton, III. 456.
Maybole, III. 341.
M‘Lellan, Kirkcudbright, III. 578.
Montgomerie, Largs, III. 620.
Mortlach, III. 409.
Newbottle, II. 251.
Oransay, III. 376.
Ormiston, III. 596.
Paisley Abbey, III. 25.
Renfrew Church, III. 525.
Rosslyn, III. 179.
Rothesay Abbey, III. 418.
Rowdil, III. 367.
St. Andrews, St. Leonard’s, III. 450.
---- St. Salvator’s, III. 203.
St. Giles’, Edinburgh, II. 441; III. 597.
St. Mirren’s Chapel, III. 25.
Sanquhar Church, III. 436.
Selkirk, III. 530.
Seton Church, III. 228, 234, 620.
Stirling Church, III. 324, 328.
Weem, III. 620.
Yester Church, III. 312.
Monymusk, I. 30; description, 215.
Morham Church, description, III. 591.
Morris, James A., II. 405.
Mortlach, III. 75, 238; description, 408.
Muckersey Font, III. 502.
Mugstot, Skye, I. 69.
Muir, T. S., I. 2, 26, 65, 195, 214, 316,
323; II. 215, 247, 283, 299, 395, 396,
449, 479; III. 247, 263, 368, 370,
381, 418, 455, 470, 487, 533.
Murray, Regent, Monument, III. 597.
Muthill Church, description, I. 196.
Nattes, J. Claude, I. 196.
Neal’s _Ecclesiological Notes_, II. 538, 540.
Ness, North Yell, I. 151.
Netherlands, I. 2; III. 264.
Nevay Church, description, III. 560.
New Abbey, I. 50; II. 332, description, 334.
Newbattle Abbey, I. 30; II. 75, 332, 345, 346, description, 251.
Newlands Church, description, III. 479.
Newtown, Benbecula, I. 83.
Nicholas’, St., Aberdeen, I. 39; description, 426.
Nicholas’, St., Strathbroc, description, I. 342.
Niddisdale, II. 378.
Nigg Church, description, III. 592.
Ninian, St., I. 3.
---- Sanda, I. 97.
Norham Castle, III. 218.
Norman architecture, I. 1, 28.
---- in Scotland, I. 191.
Norman immigrants, I. 30.
---- influence, I. 79, 84.
---- piers, II. 4.
---- style, I. 35.
---- ---- in Scotland, I. 38, 314.
Norsemen, I. 14.
North Berwick, Convent, III. 441.
Northumbria, Church in, I. 11, 12.
Noss, Kirk of Bressay, I. 146.
Nunnery, Iona, description, I. 421.
Ola’s, St., Kirkwall, I. 109.
Old Dailly Church, description, III. 394.
Old Girthon Church, description, III. 469.
Oldhamstocks Church, description, III. 594.
Olrig Castle, Caithness, I. 99.
Oran’s, St., Iona, I. 220.
Oransay Cross, I. 22.
---- Priory, description, III. 372.
Oratories, Irish, I. 8.
“Orders” in architecture, I. 33.
Orkney, I. 3.
---- Cathedral, II. 3.
Orkney and Shetland, churches in, I. 101.
---- characteristics, I. 159.
---- dates, I. 162.
---- monuments, I. 160.
---- proportions, I. 161.
Ormiston Church, III. 596.
Ornament, I. 35.
Orphir, Church, Orkney, I. 141.
Oswald’s, St., Oxtail, I. 47.
Oudenarde, Belgium, I. 447.
Oxenham Church, I. 378.
Oxford Cathedral, I. 403.
Oxtall, St. Oswald’s, I. 47.
Pabba, Harris, I. 84.
Painting in churches, I. 417; II. 123; III. 196, 217, 509, 511.
Paisley Abbey, I. 47, 62; II. 75,
286, 332, 378, 379, 393,
402, 501; III. 1, 40, 43, 47,
130, 328, 394, 397, 488, description, 7.
Palladius, St., I. 5.
---- Church, Fordoun, description, III. 468.
Papa, Westray, I. 106.
Parish churches, II. 5.
Parochial divisions, I. 31.
Parwick Church, Derbyshire, I. 306.
Patrick, St., I. 5.
Peebles, Cross Church, description, III. 482.
---- St. Andrew’s, description, III. 485.
Pencaitland Church, description, II. 304.
Pennant’s _Tours_, II. 392, 394; III. 376, 377, 380, 381.
Pennygowan, Mull, I. 98.
Periods of architecture, I. 2.
Perpendicular style, I. 2, 57, 58; III. 350, 450.
Pert Church, description, III. 458.
Perth, Blackfriars, III. 46, 104, 105.
---- St. John the Baptist’s, description, III. 105.
---- Carmelites, III. 104, 105.
---- Carthusians, III. 104, 123.
---- Greyfriars, III. 104.
Peterhead, St. Peter’s, I. 371.
Petrie, Dr., I. 3, 26.
Pictish Church, III. 29.
Piers, I. 55.
---- first-pointed, II. 4.
Pillar stones, I. 9.
Pinches, Frederick, II. 378.
Pinkie House, III. 572.
Pittenweem Priory, III. 547; description, 599.
Pluscardine Priory, I. 58; II. 2, 3, 4, 153, 349, description, 146.
Pointed arch, I. 79.
---- in Scotland, II. 2.
---- style, I. 40; II. 2, 3.
Polwarth Church, III. 601.
Porches, III. 6.
Pratt, Rev. Dr., III. 568.
Pre-Norman Churches, I. 13, 186.
Preston Church, Berwickshire, description, III. 416.
Prestonkirk Church, description, II. 271.
Prestonpans Church, III. 602.
Prestwick Church, II. 286.
---- de Burgo, II. 286.
---- Monachorum, II. 286.
---- St. Nicholas’, description, II. 285.
Provence, III. 4.
Queen Mary of Gueldres, III. 89, 104, 121.
Queensferry, Carmelites’ Church, III. 3, 147, 173, 310, 542; description, 296.
Ramsay, John, II. 253, 255.
Rathan Church, description, III. 604.
Ratho, St. Mary’s, description, I. 371.
“Raths,” Irish, I. 6.
Rattray, St. Mary’s, II. 292.
Redfriars’ Monastery, Luffness, II. 288.
Reeves, Dr., I. 3.
Reformation, architecture after, III. 534.
Regulus’, St., St Andrews, I. 13, 28; description, 185.
Reilig Oran, I. 28.
Renfrew Church, description, III. 525.
Restalrig Collegiate Church, I. 471; description, III. 475.
Restennet Priory, I. 13, 48, description, 178; III. 454.
Restoration of churches in fifteenth century, II. 331.
Ribs, ornamented, III. 3.
Richard II., I. 51, 57.
Rievalle, II. 345.
Rievaux Abbey, I. 47.
Ripon, I. 12.
Robb’s _Guide to Haddington_, II. 492, 504.
Robert I., I. 51, 55, 57.
Roberts, David, R.A., III. 165.
Robertson, T. S., architect, I. 181, 382;
II. 42, 48, 49, 50, 51, 273, 517;
III. 11, 21, 189, 191, 193, 236,
414, 456, 458, 459, 517, 544, 576, 585.
---- Dr. Joseph, I. 185.
Roman Church, I. 12, 14, 15, 65.
---- Masonry, I. 32.
Romanesque architecture, I. 1, 28, 32, 33.
---- abandoned, II. 1.
Romsey Abbey, I. 401; III. 172.
Ronan’s, St., I. 73, 426.
Rosemarkie, II. 394, 395.
Ross, Alexander, architect, III. 363.
Ross, Cathedral of, II. 331.
Rossie, Priory Cross at, I. 19.
Rosslyn Church, II. 186, 199; III. 5, 6, 208; description, 149.
Rosyth Church, description, III. 444.
Rothesay Castle Chapel, II. 517.
---- St. Mary’s Abbey, description, III. 418.
Round arch in Scotland, II. 2.
---- churches, I. 145.
Rowdil, St. Clement’s, description, III. 363.
Royal Domain, France, I. 40.
Royal Scottish Academy, III. 413.
Rutherglen, St. Mary’s, description, I. 372.
Ruthwell Cross, III. 623.
Sacrament Houses--
Airlie Church, III. 452.
Auchindoir Church, II. 283.
Cullen Church, III. 402.
Deskford Church, III. 406.
Kinfauns Church, III. 514.
Kinkell Church, III. 384.
Kintore Church, III. 386.
Lundie, I. 383.
Pluscardine Priory, II. 156.
Temple Church, II. 489.
Salisbury Cathedral, I. 41, 44; II. 3, 186.
Salvator’s, St., St. Andrews, I. 471.
Sanquhar Church, description, III. 434.
Saxon influence, I. 1.
Schultz, R. Weir, architect, III. 431, 435, 587.
Scone Abbey, I. 29, 47; III. 29, 105, 106.
Scott, Sir Walter’s, grave, I. 464.
---- Sir G. Gilbert, II. 172.
Sculptured stones, I. 3, 15, 16.
---- from Forteviot, III. 623.
Sculptures, symbolic, I. 10.
Selkirk Church, description, III. 529.
Semple, David, III. 9, 26.
Seton Church, II. 501; III. 3, 173, 174, 208, description, 223.
Seton, Chancellor, tomb of, III. 551.
Seven Hunters, I. 77.
Sharp’s _Cistercian Architecture_, II. 241, 242.
Shetland, I. 3.
---- Churches in, I. 101, 145.
Sixteenth and seventeenth century churches, III. 534.
Skeabost, Skye, I. 68.
Skellig, Mhichel, I. 7.
Skipness, St. Columba, I. 48; II. 300.
Slabs, cross-bearing, I. 9, 15, 17.
Slezer (Culross), II. 233, 234, 235.
Small, J. W., architect, III. 326.
Smailholm Church, description, I. 378.
Smith, Dr. John, II. 378.
Southannan Castle and Church, description, III. 607.
Spires, with open work, I. 62.
Spottiswoode, Archbishop, II. 19, 29, 107.
Spynie Church, II. 121, 140; III. 553.
Stirling Parish Church, III. 3, 116, 208; description, 315.
---- Castle, III. 6, 121, 318.
Stobo Church, I. 39; description, 329.
Stenton Church, description, III. 609.
Stobhall, III. 511.
Stokes, Miss, I. 3; II. 209.
Stoney, Oxfordshire, I. 317.
Stone roofs, II. 333; III. 3, 4.
Stow Church, III. 218; description, 611.
Strathbroc, St. Nicholas’, description, I. 342.
Straiton Church, description, III. 396.
Subordination of arches, &c., I. 35.
Suger, Abbé, I. 40.
Sweetheart Abbey, I. 49, 67, 395; II. 300, 332, description, 334.
Swendro, Rousay, I. 108.
Symbols, I. 16.
St. Abb’s Chapel, I. 437.
St. Adamnan, I. 11; III. 387.
---- Burntisland, II. 269.
St. Aidan, I. 11.
St. Alban’s Abbey, II. 73, 92.
St. Andrews, Blackfriars’, III. 445.
---- Cathedral and Priory, I. 15, 30, 38, 47, 49;
II. xiii, 2, 3, 4, 53, 86, 125, 256, 331, 342,
378, 379, description, 5; III. 72, 114, 469.
---- Franciscans, III. 199.
---- Holy Trinity, description, III. 451.
---- St. Leonard’s, description, II. 448.
---- St. Mary’s, Kirkheugh, II. 29.
---- Towers, II. 3.
St. Andrew’s, Peebles, III. 485.
---- Gullane, I. 339.
St. Anthony’s Chapel, description, III. 145.
St. Augustine, I. 12.
St. Aula, Gress, Lewis, I. 83.
St. Bathans, Abbey, description, III. 410.
St. Bean’s, II. 86.
St. Blane’s, Bute, I. 292; II. 86; III. 625.
St. Bothan’s, Yester, description, III. 309.
St. Brandan, Boyndie, description, III. 545.
St. Brandon’s, Birnie, I. 218.
St. Brendan, I. 67.
St. Bride’s Collegiate Church, Bothwell, description, II. 531.
St. Bridget’s or St. Bride’s, Douglas, description, II. 520.
---- Dalgety, III. 549.
St. Carmaig, Eilean Mor, I. 90.
---- Knapdale, I. 84.
St. Catan’s, Kintyre, I. 95.
St. Cavan’s, Fetteresso, description, III. 562.
St. Clement’s, Rowdil, description, III. 363.
St. Colmanel of Butyle, description, II. 300, 344.
St. Columba (_see_ Columba).
St. Comgall, I. 5.
St. Cuthbert, I. 5, 12.
St. Cuthbert’s, East Calder, III. 559.
---- Edinburgh, Pulpit in, III. 562.
---- Monkton, II. 285.
St. Denis, I. 40.
St. Duthus’ Church, Tain, description, II. 537.
St. Fillan’s, III. 527.
St. Giles’, Edinburgh, I. 49, 51, 57, 60, 62;
II. 331, 457, 460, 466, 504;
description, 419; III. 130, 295, 324.
---- Divisions of, II. 454.
---- mason’s contract at, II. 420.
---- Elgin, II. 157.
St. Helen’s Church, I. 314, 366; description, 323.
St. John’s, Gamrie, III. 567.
---- Dairy, description, III. 551.
St. John Baptist, Lewis, I. 95.
St. John, Unst, I. 148.
---- Baptist, Perth, description, III. 104.
St. Kentigern, I. 11.
---- Lanark, description, II. 266.
St. Kevin, Cell of, I. 9.
St. Leonard’s, St. Andrews, II. 23; description, III. 448.
St. Machar’s Cathedral, Aberdeen, III. 535; description, 75.
St. Madoe’s Cross, I. 17.
St. Maelrubba, Skye, III. 381.
St. Magnus’ Cathedral, Kirkwall, I. 17; description, 259; II. 3.
St. Magridin’s, Abdie, description, II. 293.
St. Mahutus, Wigton, III. 533.
St. Martin’s, Haddington, description, I. 362; II. 491.
---- Cross, Iona, I. 21.
St. Mary’s, Kirkheugh, St. Andrews, II. 29.
---- Auchterhouse, III. 541.
---- Grantully, III. 571.
---- Haddington, II. 445, description, 491.
---- Lybster, I. 93, 94.
---- Ratho, description, I. 371.
---- Rattray, II. 292.
---- Rothesay, description, III. 418.
---- Rutherglen, description, I. 372.
---- Whitekirk, III. 3, 6, 173, description, 269.
St. Medan’s Cave, I. 5.
St. Michael’s Church, Linlithgow, description, II. 455, 445, 504.
St. Michael’s, Barra, I. 95.
---- Cupar-Fife, description, III. 547.
St. Mirren’s, Paisley, description, III. 25.
St. Moloc, Alyth, description III. 487.
---- Mortlach, description, III. 408.
St. Moluac, Raasay, I. 98.
St. Moluach, Lewis, I. 99.
St. Monan’s, description, II. 471; III. 10.
St. Mungo’s Cathedral, Glasgow, I. 47, 48, 49, 50, 57, 58;
II. 2, 3, 4, 125, 186, 324, 331, 379, 382, 520; description, 160;
III. 4, 6, 21, 159, 172, 174, 175, 179.
---- Borthwick, III. 214.
---- Church, Culross, II. 232.
St. Nicholas’, Aberdeen, I. 39; description, 426.
---- Newcastle, II. 445.
---- Prestwick, description, II. 285.
---- Strathbroc, description, I. 342.
St. Ninian, I. 3.
---- Sanda, I. 97.
St. Ninian’s on “The Isle,” II. 297.
St. Ola, Kirkwall, I. 109.
St. Oran, Iona, I. 220.
St. Oswald, Oxstall, I. 47.
St. Palladius’, I. 5; III. 468.
St. Peter’s, Peterhead, I. 371.
St. Regulus’, St. Andrews, I. 13, 28; description, 185.
St. Ronan, I. 73.
St. Salvator’s, St. Andrews, I. 471; III. 175; description, 199.
St. Serf’s, Dunning, description, I. 204.
St. Stephen’s, St. Albans, II. 73.
St. Thenaw’s, Glasgow, III. 571.
St. Tredwell’s, I. 106.
St. Vigean’s, Cross of, I. 20.
---- Church, III. 459.
Tain, St. Duthus’, description, II. 537.
Talla Castle, II. 113, 119.
Tapestry, III. 333.
Teampull, Chalumchille, I. 89.
---- Pheadair, Lewis, I. 83.
---- Rona, I. 73, 74.
---- Sula Sgeir, I. 75, 76.
---- Na-Trianaide, I. 81.
Temple Church, II. 486.
Terregles Church, description, III. 615.
Third or late pointed style, II. 332.
Thirlstane Castle, III. 584.
Thomas, Capt., I. 82.
Throndhjeim Cathedral, I. 273, 280.
Tigh Beannachadh, I. 76, 77, 78, 80.
Tiles, encaustic, II. 262.
Toehead, Harris, I. 83.
Tolbooth Church, St. Giles’, Edinburgh, II. 454
Torphichen Church, II. 235; III. 147, 308, 318; description, 139.
Towers, Central, II. 3.
---- late, III. 6.
Transition style, I. 387; II. 2.
---- from Celtic to Norman, I. 174.
Tredwell’s, St., Chapel, I. 106.
Triforium omitted, II. 4.
Trinity College Church, Edinburgh, I. 57, 60;
II. 426, 478; III. 2, 4, 6, 175;
description, 89, 596.
Trinity, Holy, St. Andrews, description, III. 451.
Trinity Hospital, III. 89, 100, 121.
Tron Steeple, Glasgow, III. 571.
Trophime, St., Arles, I. 33.
Trumpan, Skye, I. 84.
Tudor buildings, III. 175.
Tullibardine Church, description, III. 330.
Tungland Abbey, description, II. 301.
Turgot, I. 29; II. 6.
Turriff Church, description, III. 615.
Tynninghame Church, I. 325, description, 326; II. 234; III. 269.
Uphall Church, I. 39; description, 342.
Upsalla Cathedral, I. 273, 280.
Upsetlington Church, III. 218.
Urquhart Priory, I. 30; II. 121, 146.
Uya Church, Shetland, I. 149.
Vaults, Barrel, I. 33; II. 333; III. 2.
---- groined, I. 34; III. 4.
---- late, I. 58.
---- pointed, I. 40; II. 2.
---- in England, III. 3.
---- in Scottish Castles, III. 5.
Vigean’s, St., Church, description, III. 459.
---- Cross of, I. 20.
Walker, J. Russell, architect, III. 381.
Walker, R. C., III. 127, 236.
Walston Church, III. 617.
Wast-town Church, description, III. 522.
Watson, Robt., architect, II. 172, 173, 184.
Watt, J. C., architect, III. 295.
Wattle construction, I. 6.
Wedale Church, III. 612.
Weem Church, description, III. 619.
Wenlock Abbey, I. 47; III. 7.
Westness Chapel, I. 108.
Westray, Orkney, I. 124.
Whitekirk, St. Mary’s, I. 326; III. 3, 6, 173; description, 269.
---- Tithe Barn, III. 275.
Whithorn, crosses at, I. 4.
---- Priory, I. 213, 306; II. 379, 542; description, 479.
Wigton Church, description, III. 533.
Wilfred, St., I. 12.
William the Lion, I. 38.
Wilson, Sir Daniel, I. 2.
Winchester Cathedral, I. 61; II. 373; III. 3.
Windows, late, III. 2, 3.
---- elliptical, III. 5.
Wooden roofs, I. 60; II. 2.
Wyntoun House, II. 306.
Wyntown’s _Chronykill_, II. 8, 19, 27.
Wyre, Orkney, I. 113.
Yester, St. Bothan’s, description, III. 309.
---- Monument in, III. 312.
---- Parish Church, description, III. 622.
York Cathedral, II. 3, 333, 363, 381.
FINIS.
[Illustration]
FOOTNOTES:
[1] See _The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland_, Vol.
V. p. 530.
[2] _Ibid._ Vol. V. pp. 536, 538.
[3] See Mr. Chalmers’ remarks in his work, p. 37.
[4] _The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland_, Vol.
III. p. 25.
[5] See Vol. I. p. 61.
[6] _The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland_, Vol.
V. p. 536.
[7] The Bannatyne Club, 1861.
[8] _St. Mirin_, David Semple, p. v.
[9] _A Scots Mediæval Architect_, p. 14 (P. M‘Gregor Chalmers).
[10] See _ante_, Vol. II. p. 378.
[11] The “place” is illustrated and described in _The Castellated and
Domestic Architecture of Scotland_, Vol. V. p. 11.
[12] We are indebted to Mr. T. S. Robertson for assistance in
connection with this Plan.
[13] From a Sketch by Mr. T. S. Robertson.
[14] Lees’ _Paisley Abbey_, p. 211.
[15] _St. Mirin’s_, p. 23.
[16] See _The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland_, Vol.
V. p. 11.
[17] Martine’s _Reliquiæ Divi Andreæ_.
[18] _Celtic Scotland_, Vol. II. p. 307.
[19] _Ibid._ p. 374.
[20] The steps of the wheel stair, which exist, have been accidentally
omitted in the Plan.
[21] Myln’s _Vitæ Dunkeldensis Ecclesiæ Episcoporum_, p. 13.
[22] _Ibid._ pp. 16, 17.
[23] _Ibid._ p. 20.
[24] Inscription on tomb of Bishop Cardeny:--“Hic jacet Dns.
Robertus de Cardony Eppis Dunkeldenni qui ... ad incarnationem Dne.
MCCCCXX.”--_Monuments and Monumental Inscriptions in Scotland_, by Rev.
Charles Rogers, LL.D., &c., for Grampian Club, 2 vols., 1871 and 1872.
[25] Myln’s _Vitæ Dunkeldensis Ecclesiæ Episcoporum_, p. 22.
[26] _The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland_, Vol.
III. pp. 432 and 589.
[27] _Ibid._ Vol. II. p. 478.
[28] The following reading of the arms on this monument is kindly
supplied by Mr. W. Rae MacDonald:--On the recessed tomb of Bishop
Cardeny in the nave there are several coats of arms. These, so far as
they are legible, are--In centre of arch a small shield, quarterly
1st and 4th, a fess chequé (of two rows of panes only) between three
open crowns, for Stewart and the Lordship of Garrioch; 2nd and 3rd, a
bend between six crosses potent fitchée, for Mar; the 3rd quarter is
defaced, but no doubt was the same as the 2nd. These arms appear on the
seal of Alexander Stewart, Earl of Mar in right of his wife, Isabell
Douglas (see Laing’s _Seals_, Vol. I., No. 796). There
is a shield at each end of the arch label; that on the east side is
defaced; the west one bears two chevronells engrailed, and has a mitre
above it, for Bishop Cardeny. On the pedestal there are four shields,
supported by angels under arched canopies, the shields being separated
by five figures of ecclesiastics with folded hands, and standing on
pedestals. These four shields bear--(1) Three pallets, for Atholl; (2)
two chevronells, for Strathearn (?); (3) defaced, but probably same as
first; (4) faint traces of two chevronells.
[29] Inscription on tomb of the “Wolf of Badenoch”:--“Hic jacet
Alexander Senescalus, filius Roberti Regis Scotorum et Elizabeth More,
Dominus de Buchan et Dns _de Badenoch, qui obit vigessimo quarto
die Julii_.” The words in italics have been restored, and there
is a mistake in the date, as Alexander Stewart died 20th February
1394.--_Monuments and Monumental Inscriptions in Scotland_, by Rev.
Charles Rogers, LL. D., &c., for Grampian Club, 2 vols., 1871 and 1872.
[30] Introduction, Vol. I. p. 10.
[31] _Celtic Scotland_, Vol. II. p. 96.
[32] _Celtic Scotland_, Vol. II. p. 416.
[33] Vol. I. p. 20.
[34] _Ibid_. p. 220.
[35] _Ibid_. p. 421.
[36] _Ibid_. p. 20.
[37] _Celtic Scotland_, Vol. II. p. 415.
[38] In _Iona_, by the Bishop of Argyll and the Isles (1866).
[39] Vol. I. (Fig. 382.)
[40] _View of the Diocese of Aberdeen_: Spalding Club, p. 151.
[41] _Ibid._ p. 148.
[42] _Ibid._ p. 163.
[43] Orme’s _Description of Old Aberdeen_, p. 61.
[44] See Orme, p. 28.
[45] View of the Diocese, p. 150.
[46] Orme, pp. 42 and 62.
[47] _Ibid._ p. 43.
[48] Orme, p. 132.
[49] Wilson’s _Memorials of Edinburgh_, Vol. II. p. 133.
[50] _The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland_, Vol.
V. p. 532.
[51] This Plan is copied from that in the _Collegiate Churches of
Midlothian_, by D. Laing.
[52] Vol. II.
[53] Sir D. Wilson states that the whole church was roofed with stone
till 1814, when slates were substituted.--_Memorials of Edinburgh_,
Vol. II. p. 174.
[54] _The Collegiate Churches of Mid-Lothian_, p. xxxi.
[55] _The Collegiate Churches of Mid-Lothian_, p. xxii.
[56] Bannatyne Club, 1842.
[57] _Memorabilia of Perth_, pp. 63-66: Perth, 1806.
[58] _The Church of Scotland in the Thirteenth Century_, by William
Lockhart, A.M.
[59] _Memorabilia_, p. 23.
[60] _Exchequer Rolls_, Vol. II. p. cxii.; Vol.
III. p. lxxii.
[61] _Book of Perth_, p. xxvi., by John Lawson: Edinburgh, 1847.
[62] _Perth: Its Annals and Archives_, by David Peacock, 1849, p. 589.
[63] _Historical Manuscripts Commission_, 14th Report, Appendix, Part
III. p. 26.
[64] _Accounts of the Lord High Treasurer_, Vol. I. p.
121.
[65] _Ibid._ p. 323.
[66] _Book of Perth_, p. 168.
[67] _Chronicle_, p. 7.
[68] _Ibid._ p. 11.
[69] _Book of Perth_, p. 275.
[70] We are indebted to Mr. Ramsay Traquair, architect, Edinburgh, for
assistance in connection with the Plan of this church.
[71] _Chronicle of Perth_, Maitland Club.
[72] _Scottish Antiquary_, January 1897, p. 137.
[73] See _The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland_, Vol.
V. pp. 529, 530.
[74] _Book of Perth_, p. 109.
[75] _Lindores Abbey_, by A. Laing, pp. 55, 107.
[76] Mr. R. C. Walker, Dundee.
[77] M‘Kerlie’s _Galloway_, Vol. i. p. 172.
[78] _New Statistical Account._
[79] _Maitland’s History of Edinburgh_, p. 152.
[80] _The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland_, Vol.
II. p. 358.
[81] _Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries, Scotland, 1896._ We
are indebted to Mr. Coles for the Plan of the site (see Fig. 1066).
[82] See _The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland_, Vol.
I. p. 366.
[83] _Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries, Scotland_, Vol.
XII. p. 223.
[84] _The Collegiate Churches of Mid-Lothian_ (Bannatyne Club), p. xciv.
[85] _Transactions of the Royal Institute of British Architects, 1846._
[86] In this connection George Gilbert Scott, in his _Essay on the
History of English Church Architecture_, p. 111., says that it is an
“exceedingly able example of the style of the Scottish architecture of
the fifteenth century.”
[87] See _The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland_, Vol.
III. p. 26.
[88] In the Advocates’ Library, Edinburgh.
[89] _Heraldry_, Vol. I. p. 274, and Vol.
II. pp. 21 and 151.
[90] _Preface to Churches of Mid-Lothian_, Bannatyne Club, p.
III.
[91] _Collegiate Churches of Mid-Lothian_, by David Laing. Bannatyne
Club, p. II.
[92] We are indebted to Mr. T. S. Robertson, architect, Dundee, for
assistance with the drawings and description of this church.
[93] We have to thank Mr. W. R. Macdonald for descriptive notes of
these pictures.
[94] We have to thank the Curators for permission to publish this
illustration.
[95] _Collegiate Churches of Mid-Lothian_, Bannatyne Club, p. xci.
[96] See _The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland_, Vol.
IV. p. 160.
[97] _Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland_, Session
1857-8, p. 25.
[98] _Ibid._ p. 94.
[99] _Ibid._ p. 27.
[100] See BANNATYNE MISCELLANY, Vol. II. p. 101.
[101] _Collegiate Churches in Mid-Lothian_, Bannatyne Club, p. lxxxiv.
[102] _Ibid._
[103] A plan and view of the church before it was rebuilt and some
notes regarding the building are given in the _Arniston Memoirs_, by G.
W. T. Omond, p. 6.
[104] _Arniston Memoirs._
[105] Vol. I. p. 64.
[106] In regard to this church we are indebted to an illustrated
article by Mr. A. M. Mackenzie, in the _Transactions of the Aberdeen
Ecclesiological Society, 1890_, and to Mr. T. S. Robertson and Mr. W.
S. Walker of Dundee.
[107] Arbuthnott Missal, 1864, p. lxxxvii. The Pitsligo Press.
[108] _Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries_, Session 1892. Vol.
II. third Series, by William MacGillivray, W.S., F.S.A.,
Scot.
[109] Particulars regarding this church are to be found in _The
Collegiate Churches of Mid-Lothian_, Bannatyne Club, edited by David
Laing; and a paper by the same author in the _Proceedings of The
Society of Antiquaries of Scotland_, Vol. XI. 1874-76, p.
353.
[110] _The Collegiate Churches of Mid-Lothian_, p. lxvi.
[111] Chamberlain Rolls, Vol. III. p. 263.
[112] See Crawfurd’s _Officers of State_, p. 311; and Crawfurd’s
_Peerage_, p. 148.
[113] We have to thank Mr. W. Rae Macdonald for assistance in
connection with this heraldry.
[114] _Ancient Parochial and Collegiate Churches of Scotland_, p. 53.
[115] See _The East Neuk of Fife_, p. 405, and _sequ._
[116] From _The Churches of St. Baldred_, by C. L. Ritchie, p. 31.
[117] See _Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland_,
Session 1857 and 1860, p. 160, where the “bond” will be found
transcribed, with other information regarding the church.
[118] _Archæologia Scotica_, Vol. V. Part
III. p. 436, by Norman Macpherson, LL.D.
[119] _Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland_, New
Series, Vol. XI., by P. J. Anderson, M.A., LL.B.
[120] We are indebted for these dimensions and for Figs. 1208, 1212,
and 1213 to Mr. J. C. Watt, architect, Aberdeen.
[121] _The History of the Troubles and Memorable Transactions in
Scotland_, by John Spalding.
[122] _Early Scottish History_, by Innes, p. 314.
[123] _Fasti Aberdonenses_, p. 283.
[124] _Caledonia_, pp. 433, 512, 534. Nisbet, _An Essay on Armories_,
p. 98.
[125] A short account of this church, pointing out the relation
which existed in the sixteenth century between the domestic and
ecclesiastical architecture of Scotland, is given in _The Castellated
and Domestic Architecture of Scotland_, Vol. V. p. 141,
but the main features of the edifice are not there fully described.
[126] See Fig. 1258 in Vol. II. p. 142 of _The
Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland_.
[127] _The Story of the Parish Church of Stirling_, by Treasurer
Ronald, p. 12.
[128] See also Fig. 1259 in _The Castellated and Domestic Architecture
of Scotland_, Vol. V. p. 143.
[129] We are indebted for this Plan and other details of the chapel to
Mr. John W. Small, architect, Stirling.
[130] Spottiswoode.
[131] Illustrated in _The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of
Scotland_, Vol. III. p. 498.
[132] _History of the Kennedies_, p. 167.
[133] _Biggar and the House of Fleming_, p. 164.
[134] _The Upper Ward of Lanarkshire_, Vol. II. p. 483.
[135] Information regarding the history of this church is derived
from a paper on the subject by the Rev. J. Cooper, M.A., in the
_Transactions of the Aberdeen Ecclesiological Society, 1891_.
[136] _View of the Diocese of Aberdeen_, p. 200.
[137] We are indebted to A. Marshall Mackenzie, A.R.S.A., architect,
Aberdeen, for the plan and measured drawings of this church.
[138] _New History of Aberdeenshire_, Vol. I. p. 157.
[139] _Old Statistical Account_, Vol. X. p. 378.
[140] See paper by Alexander Ross, architect, Inverness; _Proceedings
of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland_, 1884-85, p. 118. See also
Muir’s _Characteristics_, p. 69.
[141] See Mr. Ross’s Paper, p. 125.
[142] We are indebted to Mr. William Galloway, architect, for the Plan
of this priory and for most of the description of the buildings; while
our thanks are due to Mr. J. Harvey Brown for the photographs from
which the views are copied.
[143] See Vol. I. p. 65.
[144] Pennant, Vol. II. p. 271.
[145] Pennant, Vol. II. p. 270.
[146] Figured by Pennant, and in Stuart’s _Sculptured Stones of
Scotland_, plates 38 and 39.
[147] T. S. Muir, _Ecclesiological Notes_, p. 34.
[148] “Life of Bishop Elphinston,” _Orme’s History_, p. 26.
[149] Spalding Club, p. 388.
[150] _Antiquities of Aberdeen and Banff_, Vol. III. p.
147.
[151] _Celtic Scotland_, Vol. II. p. 411.
[152] Statistical Account.
[153] For information regarding the inscriptions in this church, we are
indebted to a paper by the late Mr. Andrew Jervise in the _Proceedings
of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland_, Vol. IX. p.
278.
[154] See _Aberdeen Ecclesiological Society’s Transactions, 1893_, p.
95.
[155] See _The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland_, Vol.
IV. p. 394.
[156] Illustrated in Dr. Stuart’s work on the sculptured stones.
[157] In connection with the Berwickshire churches, we are indebted to
Mr. Ferguson and Mr. Fortune, Duns.
[158] Mackenzie Walcott, in his notice of “St. Bothan’s,” in _The
Ancient Church of Scotland_, p. 379, says, “The chapel measured 58 feet
by 84 feet,” and he quotes the _Caledonia_, where, however, nothing is
said about its dimensions.
[159] _Caledonia_, Vol. II. p. 344.
[160] To whom we are indebted for the drawings and notes in connection
with this church.
[161] _The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland_, Vol.
V. p. 382.
[162] _The pre-Reformation Churches of Berwickshire_, p. 18.
[163] _The pre-Reformation Churches of Berwickshire_, by J. Ferguson,
Duns, to whom we are indebted for the Plan.
[164] _Characteristics of Old Church Architecture_, p. 57.
[165] _Archæologica Scotica_, Vol. III. p. 1.
[166] There is also an interesting paper on this subject by Mr.
James C. Roger in the _Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of
Scotland_, Vol. II. p. 446.
[167] Information regarding the history of the above structures has
been kindly supplied by Mr. Donald M‘Leod, author of _The God’s Acres
of Dumbarton_, and other works relating to the district.
[168] The particulars of the history of this chapel are taken from
Irving’s _Dumbartonshire_.
[169] The ancient castle of the Napiers at Kilmahew is illustrated
in _The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland_, Vol.
III. p. 443.
[170] Irving’s _Dumbartonshire_, p. 431.
[171] _History of Liddesdale and the Debateable Land_, by R.
Bruce Armstrong, p. 119. We are indebted to Mr. Armstrong for the
accompanying illustration.
[172] The plan and sketches of this structure are copied from drawings
made and kindly lent by Mr. Robert Weir Schultz, architect, Gray’s Inn
Square, London.
[173] This Plan has been kindly supplied by Mr. Robert Weir Schultz,
architect, London, under whose directions the excavations were made.
[174] _History of Sanquhar_, by James Brown. Menzies & Co., 1891.
[175] _The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland_, Vol.
V. p. 145.
[176] _East Neuk of Fife_, p. 92.
[177] _East Neuk of Fife_, p. 93.
[178] “The Dominican Friars at St. Andrews,” _Transactions of the
Aberdeen Ecclesiological Society_, by David Henry, F.S.A. Scot. 1893.
[179] _Celtic Scotland_, Vol. II. p. 230.
[180] _Mainland Characteristics_, p. 47.
[181] The annexed drawing is from a sketch by Mr. T. S. Robertson.
[182] For the drawings of this church we are indebted to Mr. T. S.
Robertson.
[183] For a fuller notice of this church and its sculptured stones,
see _Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland_, Session
1870-72, Vol. IX., by the Rev. Dr. Duke, to whom we are
indebted for assistance; as also to Mr. Robertson for some notes and a
sketch.
[184] _Scotland in Early Christian Times_, p. 49.
[185] For an account of this Bishop see _Antiquities and History of
Ireland_, by the Right Honourable Sir James Wace, Knight; Dublin, 1705,
p. 68 of Lists of Bishops.
[186] _History of Dunbar_, by James Miller, p. 184.
[187] See _Caledonia_, Vol. II. p. 332.
[188] _Celtic Scotland_, Vol. II. p. 27.
[189] A. Jervise in _The Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of
Scotland, 1874_, p. 730.
[190] We are indebted to Mr. F. R. Coles for the drawings and notes of
this church.
[191] _Characteristics_, p. 56.
[192] _The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland_, Vol.
III. p. 239.
[193] _Upper Ward of Lanarkshire_, Vol. I. p. 462.
[194] See preface to _Registrum of the Collegiate Churches of
Mid-Lothian_, by D. Laing, p. xliii.
[195] _Caledonia_, Vol. II. p. 950.
[196] _Caledonia_, Vol. II. p. 942.
[197] _Caledonia_, Vol. II. p. 942.
[198] A. G. Reid, _Notes and Queries_, 8th. e. January 1897, p. 45.
[199] Information regarding this abbey has been obtained from the
_Rental Book of the Cistercian Abbey of Coupar Angus_, edited by the
Rev. Charles Rogers, LL.D. The Grampian Club, 1879.
[200] _Rental Book of Coupar_, Vol. I. p. xxiii.
[201] _Rental Book of Coupar_, Vol. II. p. xxxiv.
[202] _The Spalding Club Miscellany_, Vol. II. p. 348.
[203] _Rental Book of Coupar_, Vol. I. pp. 304, 309.
[204] _Rental Book of Coupar_, Vol. I. pp. 304, 309.
[205] In connection with Forgandenny Church we are indebted for
assistance to Mr. Collingwood Lindsay Wood of Freeland and Mr. T. T.
Oliphant, St. Andrews, by the former of whom certain works were done to
enable the building to be examined.
[206] See _Liber Insula Missarum_, Bannatyne Club, 1847.
[207] _The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland_, Vol.
II. p. 193.
[208] For description of Stobhall Church, see _The Castellated and
Domestic Architecture of Scotland_, Vol. II. p. 359.
[209] _Chronicles of Strathearn_, D. Philips, Crieff, 1896, p. 325.
[210] Possibly the chamber over the vestibule above described.
[211] From a sketch by Mr. T. S. Robertson.
[212] The history of this church and its provosts, _The Provostry of
Methven_, was written by the late Rev. Thomas Morris, assistant Old
Greyfriars’, Edinburgh, and privately printed by the late William
Smythe, Esq., Methven, 1875. See also _Memorials of Angus and Mearns_,
by Andrew Jervise.
[213] Vol. II. New Series, 1887-1894.
[214] _Crawford’s Renfrewshire_, p. 54.
[215] _Crawford’s Renfrewshire_, p. 100.
[216] _Our Journall into Scotland_, A.D. 1629, by C.
Lother. Edinburgh: David Douglas, 1894.
[217] _History of Selkirkshire_, by T. Craig Brown.
[218] _Early Christian Symbolism_, by Romilly Allen, p. 374.
[219] We are indebted for the Plan of this church to Mr. F. R. Coles.
[220] _Ecclesiological Notes on some of the Islands of Scotland, &c._
p. 245.
[221] _The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland_, Vol.
V. p. 130.
[222] _Book of Deer_, preface, p. iv.
[223] _Shires of Aberdeen and Banff_, Vol. II. p. 373.
[224] _East Neuk of Fife_, p. 343.
[225] _Ibid._ p. 361.
[226] _Ibid._ p. 632.
[227] A number of examples of this style have been illustrated and
described in _The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland_.
See “Churches and Monuments,” Vol. V. p. 130.
[228] We have to thank Mr. T. S. Robertson, architect, Dundee, for the
Plan and description of this church.
[229] We have to thank Mr. William Galloway, Whithorn, for the drawings
and particulars of this structure.
[230] The Plan is drawn from a sketch kindly supplied by the Rev. Alex.
Miller of Buckie.
[231] _Angus or Forfarshire_, by Alexander J. Warden, Vol.
III. p. 205.
[232] _Kalendars of the Saints._
[233] “The Old Pulpit of St. Cuthbert’s,” by Rev. Cumberland Hill;
_Edinburgh Daily Review_, November 1868.
[234] Described and illustrated in _The Castellated and Domestic
Architecture of Scotland_, Vol. II. p. 237.
[235] _Guide to Buchan._
[236] _Shires of Aberdeen and Banff_, Spalding Club, Vol.
IV. p. 580.
[237] _Ibid._ Vol. II. p. 363.
[238] See _Red Book of Grandtully_, Sir William Fraser. Privately
printed.
[239] We are indebted to Mr. T. S. Robertson, architect, for the Plan
and description of this church.
[240] _The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland_, Vol.
II. p. 155, and Vol. III. p. 304.
[241] Since this description was written the foundations of the side
walls have been excavated by the Duke of Hamilton, and from these
operations it has been discovered that the church was originally of
Norman construction. The foundations of a south-west doorway have been
laid bare, and show that it has had nook-shafts with Norman bases. A
north door, opposite the above, has also been discovered.
[242] See _The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland_, Vol.
IV. p. 339.
[243] We have to thank Mr. T. S. Robertson, architect, for the drawings
of this church.
[244] For the illustrations of this church we are indebted to Mr. R.
Weir Schultz, architect, London.
[245] _Origines Parochiales._
[246] _Ibid._
[247] See _Caledonia_, Vol. II. pp. 479 and 550.
[248] _The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland_, Vol.
V.
[249] See Mid-Calder Church.
[250] See Vol. II. p. 453.
[251] See description by Rev. John Struthers, _The Proceedings of the
Society of Antiquaries of Scotland_, Vol. IV. p. 225.
[252] See paper by the late Walter F. Lyon, in _The Proceedings of the
Society of Antiquaries of Scotland_, 1892-3, p. 79.
[253] See _The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland_, Vol.
V. p. 149.
[254] For further information see _Pre-Reformation Churches of
Berwickshire_.
[255] This church is illustrated in _The Castellated and Domestic
Architecture of Scotland_, Vol. V. p. 171. See Paper by the late J.
Fowler Hislop in _The Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of
Scotland_, 1892, p. 241.
[256] _View of the Diocese of Aberdeen_, Spalding Club, p. 133.
[257] _Shires of Aberdeen and Banff_, Vol. II. p. 392.
[258] _Ibid._ Vol. IV. p. 126.
[259] _Caledonia_, Vol. III. p. 561.
[260] _Pont’s Cunningham_, by Dobie, p. 325.
[261] _The Upper Ward of Lanarkshire_, Vol. I. p. 385.
[262] _The Historical Castles and Mansions of Scotland_, p. 60.
[263] We are indebted for this sketch to Mr. A. H. Millar.
[264] See _The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland_, Vol.
V. p. 193.
[265] See _ante_, p. 500.
[266] _Chronicle of the Picts and Scots_, p. 183.
[267] _Sculptured Stones of Scotland_, Vol. II.
p. 58; _Celtic Scotland_, Vol. I. p. 297 and Vol.
II. p. 265; _Early Christian Symbolism_, by J. Romilly
Allen, p. 239.
[268] Since this proof was revised by Mr. Galloway, a month ago, we
regret to be informed of his death.
[269] Since Mr. Galloway’s drawings were made the ground round the
chancel has been excavated, and the Norman base is seen to extend along
the Norman part of the chancel, as mentioned in the text.
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