The ecclesiastical architecture of Scotland from the earliest Christian times to the seventeenth century; vol. 1/3

by David MacGibbon; Thomas Ross

ARCHITECTURE OF FOURTEENTH, FIFTEENTH, AND SIXTEENTH CENTURIES IN SCOTLAND.

The reigns of Alexander II. and III., extending from 1214 to 1286, comprised the first pointed work in Scotland. Those reigns were characterised by quietness and prosperity at home and peace abroad. The Norman invasion of the previous century seemed to have become complete, and the country had settled down and accepted the new conditions imported from the South, both as regards matters secular and ecclesiastic. The king’s writ extended all over the land, except in the Western and Northern Islands, and the Roman rule in ecclesiastical affairs was co-extensive with it. The country was prosperous, and is believed to have been more wealthy than at any time till after the Union with England. These conditions favoured architecture, and, coming as they did in the first pointed period, the consequence was that the edifices erected during the thirteenth century were the largest and contained the finest architecture which Scotland can boast of. But this fortunate state of matters was doomed to a sudden extinction. The disputed succession following the death of the third Alexander, in 1286, opened to Edward I. an opportunity for endeavouring to complete the Norman conquest of the country. This, as we have seen, had been already achieved so far as social relations were concerned, and Edward resolved that it should also be so politically.

The resistance of the country and Edward’s hostile attitude had the immediate effect of causing the withdrawal of the Norman settlers, who owed allegiance to Edward for their estates in England, along with their dependants. These carried with them much of the civilisation and culture which they had introduced. Moreover, the incessant state of war and disturbance which arose during the struggle for independence, and lasted over so many years, put a stop to all commerce and agriculture, and reduced the country to a condition of the utmost poverty and barbarism.

Even after King Robert’s death, in 1329, a part of the South of Scotland remained in the hands of the English for a considerable time, and suffered much from lying in the track of war.

Melrose Abbey had been partly rebuilt through the pious devotion of King Robert, but in 1385, this and other abbeys in the south-eastern district, together with the town of Edinburgh, including St. Giles’ Church, were again destroyed by Richard II.

In the midst of all these depressing influences it is obvious that the ecclesiastical architecture of the country must for a long time not only have suffered a total cessation from progress, but must also have endured severe injury.

It has been pointed out how deep was the poverty of the country during the fourteenth century, and with what difficulty the nobles, amongst whom Bruce had distributed the forfeited lands, were able to raise even a small pele tower for the defence of themselves and their retainers.[58] The Church, patriotic as it was, suffered in the general distress, and for a time funds were lacking for the completion of works in progress, or the execution of new undertakings.

In these circumstances, it is vain to look in Scotland for much architecture during the fourteenth century. This being the period during which Gothic art reached its highest expression, both in England and abroad, it is unfortunate for Scottish architecture that it should be so imperfectly represented by edifices worthy of that time.

The country may be said not to have recovered from the impoverishment of the war of independence till the fifteenth century was well advanced, and when that period arrived, the desire for the erection of cathedrals and establishment of monasteries had to a large extent ceased, and endowments were, after that time, principally devoted to the erection of smaller structures in the nature of Collegiate Institutions.

The connection with England having now been completely severed, and a political alliance having been formed with France, it is natural to find a departure in the architecture of Scotland from the close resemblance to that of England which had hitherto characterised it, and to detect the introduction of features from abroad. These elements play an important part in the architecture of the end of the fifteenth century and succeeding period, and produce a mixed style, not distinctly the same either as that of the perpendicular in England, or of the Flamboyant in France, but a style peculiar to Scotland, which includes elements derived from both these styles, and also retains some features of the earlier phases of Gothic architecture. This style has a distinct character of its own, and is in Scotland parallel to the third period of Gothic both in England and France.

The paucity of examples in Scotland during the fourteenth century, and the absence in the succeeding century of any distinctly marked features assimilating Scottish architecture especially either to the perpendicular or Flamboyant styles of the later pointed epochs of England and France, have led writers on the architecture of Scotland to the conclusion that this country was entirely devoid of any representatives of the decorated or middle pointed style, as distinguished from the late or third pointed period, and they have, therefore, included all Scottish architecture after the first or early pointed period under the title of second pointed.[59] We are satisfied that this is a mistake, and we trust to be able to show that Scotland, although somewhat scantily represented by its architecture during the decorated period in England, does possess a fair number of parallel buildings corresponding in style to the decorated work of other countries, although erected at a somewhat later date, and also that the third or late pointed period is fully represented.

The wars had rendered the country backward in every respect, and it is only natural to find it backward in architecture also.

As already mentioned, King Robert’s work at Melrose had been grievously damaged by Richard II.; but some of it remains, and in this, as well as other structures of the period, are exhibited beautiful examples of decorated work.

A considerable number of churches and monastic buildings executed about the end of the fourteenth and first half of the fifteenth centuries are fair representatives of the decorated period. Although not so pure in style, nor so important in point of size as the corresponding edifices in England, they yet exhibit, on a scale commensurate with the reduced state of the country, a worthy effort to sustain the character of its architecture and give expression to its devotional feelings. Some of these structures were erected in the fourteenth century and others in the first half of the fifteenth century, and although differing somewhat in detail from both English and foreign examples, they possess a sufficiently close relation to decorated work to ally them with that style and to distinguish them from the structures of the later or third pointed period. The buildings of the latter period, as above mentioned, have in some respects connection both with the English perpendicular and the French Flamboyant.

It is therefore proposed to divide the Church Architecture of Scotland during the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth centuries into two periods, under the titles of the Middle Pointed or Decorated Period and the Third or Late Pointed Period. The middle pointed or decorated style corresponds to the decorated period in England and the fully developed Gothic of France, and extends in Scotland from the middle of the fourteenth century till about the middle of the fifteenth century. The third or late pointed period extends from about the middle of the fifteenth century till the Reformation in 1560, and corresponds with the perpendicular or third pointed period in England and the Flamboyant in France. The second pointed period includes a few fine structures, such as the nave of Glasgow Cathedral, part of Melrose Abbey, Lincluden College, Linlithgow Church, Crosraguel Abbey, &c., which contain good decorated work, and are in every respect superior to the later structures of the succeeding period, with which it seems to us erroneous to class them.