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

by David MacGibbon; Thomas Ross

COLDINGHAM PRIORY, Berwickshire.

The picturesque village of Coldingham, with the remains of its ancient priory, lies in a small valley about 3½ miles eastward from Reston Railway Station, and within a mile of the sea.

The great precipice of St. Abb’s Head, overlooking the German Ocean, is only a few miles off. It is believed that Ebba, daughter of the Northumbrian King Ethelfrid, and sister of King Oswy, in the bright days of that kingdom, about the middle of the seventh century, founded the monastery of Urbs Coludi, or Coldingham. There Ethelrida, Queen of Egfrid, took the veil, and she afterwards founded the church and monastery of Ely, of which she became abbess.[194]

The Convent of Coldingham was several times sacked by the Danes, and after its destruction by them in 870, it remained desolate till it was restored in 1098 for a colony of Benedictines.

Fig. 397.—Coldingham Priory. Plan.

The foundations of an early church with an eastern apse were found in excavations made in 1854. The outlines of this early church, as shown on a plan prepared by Mr. Hunter, in 1858, for his history of the priory, are drawn in outline on Fig. 397. These were, doubtless, the remains of the church erected in 1089. It had the circular apse of the early Norman churches.

The Priory of Coldingham was refounded at the above date by Edgar, son of Malcolm Canmore and Queen Margaret. His charter is still preserved at Durham. The church was dedicated to St. Cuthbert and St. Ebba, and granted by Edgar to St. Cuthbert’s Canons Regular of Durham, in acknowledgment of assistance he had received from England. It was colonised by Benedictine monks, sent to it by the abbot of Durham.

The priory thus remained long subordinate to the English Church, although upon Scottish soil. The Canons of Durham controlled it, and drew its revenues till 1504, when it was annexed to the Scottish Crown. In 1509, the priory was at length detached from Durham, and placed under the rule of the Abbey of Dunfermline, in which position it remained till the Reformation.

In the unsettled period of Robert III., and the regency of the Duke of Albany, the monks found it desirable to place the convent and its revenues under the protection of Archibald, Earl of Douglas, who appointed the Laird of Home as his under-keeper, and the Homes continued to be the bailiffs of the priory till the Reformation, when it fell entirely into their hands.

In order to provide support for the Chapel-Royal in Stirling, which James III. had founded, he attempted to suppress the Priory of Coldingham and annex its revenues, and this was approved by the Parliament of 1485. However, the proposal was opposed most strenuously by the Homes and Hepburns, and tended to bring about the rebellion by which King James lost his life.[195]

The buildings of the convent are said to have suffered severely from fire on three different occasions—viz., in 1216, in 1430, and in 1544. The structure was also greatly damaged by Cromwell, and since his time has served as a convenient quarry to the villagers. The result of the dilapidations thus caused has been that but little of the monastery now remains. The church is said to have consisted (see Plan) of nave and choir, each 90 feet by 25 feet, and transept, 41 feet by 34 feet. At the north-west angle of the latter rose a massive square tower 90 feet in height.

Of these once extensive structures there now only remain the north and east walls of the choir, and some fragments of the south transept. The nave has been entirely removed, and the great tower fell rather more than a century ago. In 1662, the west and south walls of the choir were

Fig. 398.—Coldingham Priory. View from North-East.

rebuilt to render that portion of the edifice suitable for a place of worship, and in 1854-55 the choir was restored, its west and south walls being again partly rebuilt, a south porch added, and the corner turrets carried up to their present height. The whitewash was also removed from the beautiful work of the interior.

Fig. 399.—Coldingham Priory. North and East Sides of Interior.

The church thus restored is 84 feet in length by 23 feet in width internally, and comprises the ancient north and east walls of the priory choir. The choir never had aisles, the walls having evidently been designed to form the exterior of the building. They are two stories in height ([Fig. 398]), the ground floor consisting of a series of double round arches, inserted in the intervals between flat Norman-like buttresses. The arches are carved with chevron ornaments, and they spring from slender shafts, each having a square abacus and refined cushion cap. The bases rest on flat corbels, round which a string course breaks. All this Norman-like work is exceedingly fine, and very unlike genuine Norman design.

Fig. 400.—Coldingham Priory. Caps of Lower Arcade.

Its refined character shows that it is of transition style. On the upper story the spaces between the buttresses contain in each a single lancet window, with a nook shaft on each side, and bold first pointed mouldings in two orders in the arches. The shafts have strongly marked early first pointed features in the foliaged caps, with square abaci, central band, and beaded base resting on a string course stepped up to receive it.

The above design extends round the east end, and the whole of the north side, except the two bays at the west end of the latter, where the design is interrupted so as to admit of a porch which seems formerly to have existed there, but is now removed. The angle turrets have a nook shaft at each projecting corner like Norman work. They have now been restored on top with modern masonry.

The design of the interior of the north and east walls ([Fig. 399]) is very beautiful. It is carried out, like the exterior, in two stories. The lower story consists of a continuous pointed arcade, placed close to the wall, with single detached shafts and bold first pointed arch mouldings. The bases of the shafts rest on a stone bench 1 foot 6 inches high, and the caps are varied with rich transition and first pointed carving ([Fig. 400]). Curious trefoil and vesica openings are inserted in the spandrils. ([Fig. 403.])

Fig. 401.—Coldingham Priory. Plan of Upper Gallery.

The upper story consists of a detached arcade, having a passage behind it in the thickness of the wall ([Fig. 401]). The arcade comprises an alternation of high and low pointed arches, two of the latter occurring between every two of the former. The shafts are alternately cinquefoil and double in section, as shown in the geometrical drawing ([Fig. 402]). All these details are prominently first pointed in style, the caps being elaborately carved with foliage of that period, and the mouldings being bold and distinct ([Fig. 403]). The little bits of foliage introduced at the points of the arches and ends of the labels and strings are also characteristic of early first pointed work.

That the design is late transition or very early pointed work is apparent from all the details. The lower story of the exterior having refined Norman ornaments, and the early date of the first pointed work being emphasised by the whole of the abaci of the caps being square in form, possibly this portion of the edifice may be due to restorations executed after the fire of 1216.

The portions of the south transept still left are very fragmentary, and there are now no traces of a north transept, although in Mr. Hunter’s plan some indications of such a structure are shown. At the north-west angle of the south transept there is an arch, which has been rebuilt, being partly made up of old fragments, but the lower part seems to be ancient. The lower portions of two piers on the east side of the transept still survive ([Fig. 404]), and exhibit good mouldings. These seem to have formed the piers between the transept and an eastern aisle. When

Fig. 402.—Coldingham Priory. Elevation of part of West Side.

Grose’s views were drawn in 1789, one of the pier arches still stood, and a corresponding arch of the north transept is also shown as then existing. Part of the west and south walls of the transept, with the shafts (or at least the bases of the shafts) of an arcade, similar to that of the choir, is also still preserved. This building shows a doorway in the south-west angle.

Lying at a distance of 76 feet south from the church, and at a somewhat lower level, are the walls of a great hall (see [Fig. 397.]). The wall, which runs east and west, is fully 100 feet in length, and has attached to it pilasters of segmental form, measuring 1 foot 10 inches across, at

Fig. 403.—Coldingham Priory. Interior of North-East Angle.

intervals of about 12 feet. From excavations recently made, the width of this building has been ascertained to be 28 feet. The south wall has been 5 feet in thickness, and seems to have been buttressed.

There are three doorways in the north wall, with steps leading down into the building. Part of the east wall also remains, in which is a recess 4 feet 6 inches wide, with splayed jambs, and having an ambry in the back of it. The structure has been vaulted, as is apparent from the remains of ribs and corbels. Part of it may have been the refectory. Unless steps are taken shortly to preserve this building, it will probably very soon disappear.

There seem to have been buildings along the east, extending from this hall to the church. These may have formed the eastern side of a court or cloister, of which the hall formed the southern side and the church the north side.

Fig. 404.—Pier in South Transept.

The east wall of the cloister, which partly remains, has traces of an old doorway (see Plan) about 4 feet 6 inches wide, now built up. It was secured by a sliding bar, the channel for which is still in existence. This doorway is shown in Cardonnell’s Picturesque Antiquities of Scotland as a round arched door. Above it is shown a pointed arched window, and at about 20 feet to the south a great pointed archway, not unlike the arching of the “Pends” at Arbroath. This great archway is also shown by Grose, but the above-mentioned doorway with the sliding bar is not seen in Grose’s view owing to a wall hiding it from his point of view; however, he shows the pointed arched window above. Both the above authors indicate that a wall ran eastward at right angles.

There are several grave-slabs at Coldingham, of which four are illustrated. Three of these are small in size, and the fourth is considerably larger. That shown in [Fig. 405] has bevelled edges, with a foliaged cross containing thirteenth century carving. At the top of the cross there is a wasted bust, and at the foot there are Calvary steps. The slab measures 2 feet 2 inches high by 11½ inches wide at the top, tapering to 8 inches at foot. The other three crosses are apparently of a later date.

Figs. 406 and 407 are, like Fig. 405, of small size, the first measuring 32 inches high by 10⅜ inches at the top of the slab, and tapering to 8⅛ inches at the base, and the latter 27 inches high by 10 inches without taper.

[Fig. 406] is of an elaborate and peculiar design. On the flat slab a shallow bead with a circular head encloses the design. This consists of two stars at the top, and then of three upright flat-beaded figures about 6 inches high, with corded lines across them; then a Greek cross, a star, and, finally, a double row of three stars. The arrangement of the stars somewhat resembles the similar features at the chancel arch of Legerwood, Berwickshire. The small slab ([Fig. 407]), which may be

Fig. 405.

Fig. 406.		Fig. 407.		Fig. 408.
Coldingham Priory. Grave Slabs.

supposed to have covered the grave of a child, appears also to have had an incised sword.

[Fig. 408] is 5 feet 2 inches by 16½ inches at the head, tapering to 14 inches at the base, and has bevelled edges, with a flat bead at the sides only. It bears the incised outline of a sword, with a large carved knob for the pommel.

Fig. 409.—Cushion Capital.

There are several stones at Coldingham preserved from an earlier church than the existing one. [Fig. 409] represents one of these, being a Norman cushion capital from a respond. The fragment is 14¾ inches wide by 11 inches high.