DRYBURGH ABBEY, Berwickshire.
Situated on the north bank of the Tweed (and, consequently, in Berwickshire), this once important abbey belonged to the series of monastic establishments founded in the twelfth century in the valley of the Tweed. It occupies a beautiful position amongst fine woods on an elevated peninsula, surrounded on three sides by a loop of the river Tweed, about five miles below Melrose.
It is said that a religious establishment existed here under the presidency of St. Modan, in the eighth century, but the evidence is scanty.
The monastery, of which the fragmentary remains are still visible, was founded, in 1150, by Hugh de Morville, Constable of Scotland, and received a charter from David I. The canons introduced into it were of the Premonstratensian order, from Alnwick, and, from their dress, were called White Friars.
A large part of the domestic buildings seems to have been erected within fifty or sixty years of the date of the foundation, as they are built in the transition style of the beginning of the thirteenth century. The church appears to have been in progress during the thirteenth century, as in 1242 the Bishop of St. Andrews, owing to the debts incurred in building the monastery, and other expenses, gave the canons permission to enjoy the revenues of the churches under their patronage—one of their number performing the office of vicar in each parish.
The canons took the oath of fidelity to Edward I. in 1296, upon which their property was restored to them. Their possessions were widely spread, and extended into several counties, as appears from letters addressed by Edward regarding them to the sheriffs in the counties of Fife, Berwick, Roxburgh, and Edinburgh.
Amongst the distinguished men connected with the abbey was Ralph Strode, a friend of Geoffrey Chaucer and John Wiclif. He devoted himself
Fig. 410.—Dryburgh Abbey. Plan.
to philosophic studies, and was the author of several works. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries Andrew Forman was superior of Dryburgh, a man much occupied with affairs of Church and State under James IV. and V. He was appointed, in 1501, to the Bishopric of Moray, and held at the same time the priories of Coldingham and Pittenweem, and the Commendatorship of Dryburgh. Afterwards he became Archbishop of Brouges, and finally Archbishop of St. Andrews.
Lying, as the abbey did, in the path of the invaders from the South, it received many unfriendly visits, and suffered much at the hands of
Fig. 411.—Dryburgh Abbey. East Side of Monastic Buildings.
the English. In 1322 the monastery received a destructive visit from Edward II. on his return from an unsuccessful invasion of Scotland. His army camped in the grounds of the abbey, and next morning set it on fire, when great damage was done. Large contributions were received from Robert I. for the repairs of the damage thus caused.
The buildings were again destroyed, in 1385, by Richard II. on his retreat from Scotland, on which occasion he likewise burnt the abbeys of Melrose and Newbotle. In 1544 the edifice once more suffered at the hands of Lord Eure, when the fittings were carried off.
The abbacy was held in commendam from the beginning of the sixteenth century, and, in 1587, it was annexed to the Crown. Finally, it was erected into a temporal barony, with the title of Lord Cardross, in favour of the Earl of Mar, from whom it has passed, by purchase, through the hands of several proprietors.[196]
The monastery ([Fig. 410]) has consisted of the usual buildings surrounding the cloister, having the church on the north side, standing about ten steps above the level of the cloister garth. The sacristy, chapter house, fratery, and other apartments stretch from the transept southwards along the east side; and above these, on the upper floor, were the dormitories, entering by an open staircase from the south transept, in a similar manner to the dormitories at Pluscardine, Melrose, &c. Along the south side of the cloisters lay the refectory, which, owing to the slope of the ground, was raised on a basement floor of vaulted cellars. On the west side of the cloister garth there are now only a few vaulted cellars. A small stream runs along on the south-west side of the monastic buildings, and beyond the stream are the remains of what seems to have been a detached chapel.
The oldest portions of the structure are those forming the eastern range ([Fig. 411]), which, from their style of architecture, are evidently of transition date, or about the beginning of the thirteenth century. The sacristy is 28 feet long by 13 feet wide. It has a stone bench round the walls and three steps in the floor. There is a door from the transept and an outer semicircular-headed doorway of transition character from the cloister ([Fig. 412.]) Access is also obtained by a small door in the north side to a wheel-stair leading to the upper floors, and visible as a projecting turret at the south-east angle of the transept (see [Fig. 412.]).
The east window of the sacristy is remarkable, having two round-headed windows, surmounted by a visica-formed aperture (see [Fig. 411.]).
The sacristy has a piscina in the south wall near the east end.
The apartment next the sacristy is 28 feet long by 11 feet wide. It has now been appropriated as a mausoleum, but may have originally been a parlour. There is an ambry in the south wall near the east end. The doorway is semicircular, and of Norman character (see [Fig. 412.]).
The east window is plain, and consists of two round-headed openings enclosed in a large semicircle (see [Fig. 411.]). The above two apartments are on the level of the cloisters; but the floor of the chapter house, which is next in order, is several feet below the level of the cloister walk.
The ordinary central doorway and side windows opening from the cloister (see [Fig. 412.]) are, however, placed in their usual position on the level of the cloister walk. The door is thus some five feet above the floor, and if the doorway was used for access to the chapter house, it must have been provided with a stair down, of which there is now no trace. The
Fig. 412.—Dryburgh Abbey. Transept and East Side of Cloisters.
Fig. 413.—Dryburgh Abbey. Doorway of Chapter House.
Fig. 414.—Dryburgh Abbey. Interior of Chapter House.
side openings were unglazed, and were used for seeing and listening to what was proceeding in the chapter house below.
The doorway ([Fig. 413]) is large and deeply recessed, having three shafts on the sloping ingoing, and plain mouldings above in the round arch, divided into several orders. The jambs and arch over them are enriched with a bold dog-tooth moulding. The outer arches of the windows on each side of the doorway are plain semicircles, filled in with two pointed lights, having a central shaft.
Fig. 415.—Dryburgh Abbey. Carved Figure in Chapter House.
The chapter house is 48 feet in length by 23 feet in width, and retains its round barrel vault ([Fig. 414]), which is about 20 feet in height. It has three pointed windows in the east end (see [Fig. 411.]) and two similar windows in the side walls, where the chapter house projects beyond the general line of the buildings. In the interior a round arched arcade runs along the east side, supported on single shafts, and there are traces of a similar arcade having run round the side walls. There is an entrance doorway in the south wall, which is probably not original, and the approach to it has been modernised. The east gable wall over the chapter house still exists (see Fig. 411.) It has simple flat buttresses of a Norman type at the angles and between the windows, but the pointed arches indicate transition work.
Amongst the fragments of carved work preserved in the chapter house is that shown in Fig. 415. It represents the pascal lamb slain,
Fig. 416.—Dryburgh Abbey. South-West Angle of Cloisters.
and is surrounded by a wreath of foliage, above which are the letters I H S. The vine leaves flowing from the lamb may represent the branches springing from the true vine.
To the south of the chapter house is a large apartment, 50 feet in length by 23 feet wide. It has been vaulted at a late period, and the vaulting shafts still remain attached to the east, west, and south walls. Their details are of the third pointed period. There is a fireplace in the centre of the west wall, and an outer doorway at the south end of the same wall. The apartment was lighted by three plain round arched windows in the east wall, one of which has had tracery inserted in after times. At the north-west angle, opening from the level of the cloister, there is a round-headed doorway, and traces of a staircase, which doubtless served as the day access to the dormitory. The large apartment just described was probably the fratery or monks’ day room. This is the more likely from its having a fireplace, where the monks might warm themselves
Fig. 417.—Dryburgh Abbey. Arms of John Stewart, 1555.
in cold weather. At the south-east angle of the room, and in the thickness of the wall, a narrow staircase leads up to where the dormitories were situated. South of the fratery is the slype or passage 10 feet in width, with arched openings to the east and west. It has also a doorway to the fratery, and another to the apartment on the south side. The latter now only exists in part, the south end of the range having been destroyed.
The range of buildings above described still retains its eastern wall to the full height of two stories (see [Fig. 411.]), the upper story being, doubtless, the dormitory. The wall is all built in a simple early style, with flat buttresses between the windows, and the latter are plain round-headed openings, with a single recessed order. The hood mould is in some cases carved with a notch ornament.
On the south side of the cloister, where the refectory once stood, there
Fig. 418.—Dryburgh Abbey. West End of Nave—Interior.
are now only the ruins of the vaulted basement on which it stood. At the east end of this range there is a doorway from the cloister giving access to a staircase, which led down to the lower level of the fratery, &c. The remainder of the south side was probably all occupied by the refectory,
Fig. 419.—Dryburgh Abbey. Western Doorway.
which would thus be about 77 feet in length by 27 feet in width. The west wall is almost all that survives. It is ivy clad, and contains a picturesque circular window, with radiating tracery ([Fig. 416]). Adjoining
Fig. 420.—Dryburgh Abbey. North and South Ends of Transept.
this wall in the south-west angle of the cloister there is an arched recess in the west wall, apparently intended for a tomb and monument; but it is empty. Over the doorway in this angle is a large shield ([Fig. 417]),
Fig. 421.—Dryburgh Abbey. North Transept and Choir.
which contains the arms of John Stewart, who was commendator in 1555. On the shield are the initials “J. S.,” with the crozier in the centre. He was brother of the Earl of Lennox, and uncle to Lord Darnley, who married Queen Mary. The arms are those of the Stewarts of Lennox.
The cloister occupies a space of 93 feet by 91 feet. It has been surrounded by a vaulted walk, which has entirely disappeared. It is evident that the cloister walk was at least partly vaulted from the small remains of the springing of the vaults which are visible in the eastern wall on each side of the doorway to the chapter house (see [Fig. 413.]). From the way in which these springings die away to nothing against the wall, without corbel or support of any kind, it is apparent that the vaulting must have been of a late date. The corbels which supported the top of the wooden roof over the vaulting are also still visible in the east wall.
The south wall of the nave of the church extends along the north side of the cloister. At the north-east angle is the doorway which led from the cloister into the nave. It is a handsome specimen of the transition style, having a circular arched head deeply recessed in four or five orders, springing from three shafts, and two moulded members in the jambs. It is noteworthy regarding this doorway that the two inner orders of the jambs and arch had been removed and erected in private grounds, and, after many years’ absence, were restored to their original position only a short time ago.
The nave of the church is entered through this handsome doorway by ten steps up from the cloister. It presents a scene of terrible destruction. All the piers of the nave are demolished, and only slight traces of the north wall remain; of the south wall, more is preserved. The west end wall ([Fig. 418]), however, has to some extent escaped destruction, and shows by the responds attached to it the form of the nave piers, with their caps and bases. The position of the piers along the nave is now roughly indicated by a collection of fragments arranged, as nearly as possible, in the original position and form. The mouldings indicate a late date, and were, doubtless, restorations; but the responds, which were not so liable to destruction, are of first pointed date. The responds which form part of the west wall show that there was a central nave 28 feet wide and side aisles, each about 13 feet 6 inches wide, making a total width of 55 feet. There have been side chapels in the nave, apparently divided by walls, some portions of which remain, with ambries in the chapels.
The western doorway ([Fig. 419]) has a round arched head, but its details show that it is of late design. This part of the edifice has apparently been restored in the fifteenth century, after the destruction of the abbey by Richard II. in the end of the fourteenth century.
The transept has a slight projection to the north and south. It is 80 feet in length internally from north to south and 37 feet in width, including an eastern aisle.
This part of the building and all to the east of it are evidently of
Fig. 422.—Dryburgh Abbey. Choir-Aisle and North Transept.
thirteenth century work, but, unfortunately, only a few detached portions remain. These include (see [Fig. 412.]) the very picturesque gable of the south transept, with its large window filled with simple pointed tracery, rising in steps above the roof of the dormitory ([Fig. 420]). The arch through which the stair to the dormitory passed is visible in this wall. (See [Fig. 420.])
To the east of the transept is a choir of two bays, with aisles, beyond which is an aisleless presbytery, 42 feet long by 24 feet wide, now almost reduced to foundations. The buttresses and base course are traceable, and a doorway in the north-east angle, which probably led to a small staircase. The portion of the structure still preserved to the north is a part of the north transept wall, with the eastern aisle of the transept and the two north bays of the choir ([Fig. 421]).
These portions are of very beautiful design, both internally and externally. The exterior ([Fig. 422]) is of very simple, but elegant, first pointed work, while the interior shows symptoms of somewhat more advanced design. The angle pier of the crossing and the piers of the choir consist of round shafts with fillets, divided by square angles. These are surmounted by moulded caps, with round abacus and first pointed mouldings. From these spring the pier arches, composed of three orders of plain splays, with hood moulding. Over the main arches is a low triforium marked by string courses above and below. It has flat arched openings filled in with circles having six cusps.
The clerestory is of beautiful design. Each bay contains an arcade of three arches, the central one, which is opposite the window, being larger than the side arches. The arches are supported on detached piers, behind which runs a gallery. These piers each consist of two shafts, with central fillet. They have first pointed round caps, over which a round block receives the arch mouldings as they descend.
A small portion of the north end of the transept adjoins the above, which shows that the structure has been carried up in two stories of richly moulded windows (see [Fig. 420.]), all in the same style as the adjoining portion of the choir. The remaining portion of the aisle is vaulted with moulded ribs springing from responds and corbels corresponding in style with the choir.
The whole of this part of the church is of very fine design and workmanship, but it is, unfortunately, a mere fragment. Additional interest attaches to it from its forming the last resting-place of Sir Walter Scott and members of his family.
AIRTH CHURCH.[197]
This ruined church adjoins the old Castle of Airth, which lies half a mile from the Forth and eight miles south-east of Stirling. The church is in part a building of considerable antiquity, dating from the transition period about the end of the twelfth or the beginning of the thirteenth century, but it has undergone many alterations, and only a small part of the early structure remains. The building as it now stands ([Fig. 423]) consists of a
Fig. 423.—Airth Church. Plan.
nave and chancel, having a south wing or aisle, containing the Airth vault, and forming a transept, with a tower at the re-entering angle of the Airth aisle, and with indications of an aisle on the north side of the choir. There are also two burial vaults attached to the building, one on the north side and the other at the south-west angle, called respectively the Bruce and Elphinstone aisles. The internal length of the church is 79 feet 3 inches by about 19 feet 9 inches in breadth. The most ancient part of the church ([Fig. 424]) is on the north side of the nave, and consists of a bay of what has been a nave arcade, opening into a north aisle. One pillar and respond (tinted black on the Plan), with the connecting round arch, still
Fig. 424.—Airth Church. North Arcade.
stand. The original arcade probably consisted of three bays extending to near the west gable, where there are indications, at the ground level, of what appears to have been the western respond. Whether there was originally a south arcade or not cannot now be determined, as this part has been entirely rebuilt, and all traces of the north and south aisles of the nave, if there was a south aisle, have perished. The existing north bay is 11 feet 3 inches wide, and the pillar, which is circular, is about 17 inches in diameter. It has a capital, carved with simple foliage ([Fig. 425]), and has a square abacus. The arch has a double set of plain arch stones, with plain soffit.
The few details which survive are extremely interesting, and show this to have been a building of some importance. Behind the above bay now stands the burial aisle of the Bruces of Powfoulis. It bears over the doorway the initials of Sir James Bruce and his wife, Dame Margaret Rollox, of Duncrub, and on another part the date 1614. It seems probable that this, as well as the other aisles shown on Plan, contained, on the upper floor, the family seats or galleries of the respective houses whose arms they bear, and a burial vault beneath.
Fig. 425.—Airth Church. Cap of Pillar.
Judging from the few details left, the Airth aisle is a structure of the fifteenth century. It measures about 24 feet 3 inches long by 13 feet 3 inches wide, and has contained a large traceried south window, which is now destroyed, and brought to the condition shown in Fig. 426. The external hood moulding of the window remains with nicely carved terminations ([Fig. 427]). Beneath this window is seen the top of an arched tomb, in which probably the recumbent effigy ([Fig. 428]) once lay. There is a small square-headed window in the east wall, divided by a mullion; but, as appears from its mouldings, it is an insertion of perhaps the seventeenth century. Adjoining this is the usual ambry. Beneath this aisle is the burial vault (indicated by dotted lines on the Plan), which is reached by the stair shown. On the outside of the east wall there is a niche for a statue ([Fig. 429]). It has the usual canopy and bracket so frequent on the churches of this late period. The bracket ([Fig. 430]) contains the Bruce arms—viz., the chief and saltier; the chief being charged with two incised cinquefoils, which may point to an alliance with the Livingstone family. The same arms, but without the cinquefoils,
Fig. 426.—Airth Church. The Airth Aisle, looking South.
appear beneath each of the first crow steps of the gable. This aisle was probably erected by Alexander Bruce of Stenhous and first of Airth (1452 to 1483), who was a son of Sir Robert Bruce of Clackmannan,[198] and is stated to have married (first) Janet, daughter of the first Lord Livingstone, by whom he had no issue. It was probably “our Ladie Aisle, founded and situated on the south side of the Kirk of Airth,” the chaplainrie of which was presented by Sir Alexander Bruce of
Fig. 427.—Airth Church. Terminations.
Airth, the patron, to Robert Bruce, younger, his son, on 30th October 1572.
Fig. 428.—Airth Church. Effigy.
The effigy (see [Fig. 428.]), which, as already stated, probably occupied the tomb in the Airth aisle, lies at present in a mutilated state in the
| Fig. 429.—Niche for Statue. | Fig. 430.—Bracket. | Fig. 431.—Stone in Airth Castle. |
eastern portion of the church. There is no certainty whom the recumbent figure represents, but it is in all likelihood an effigy of one of the ladies of either the family of Erth or of the Bruces of Airth. It has been stated that another effigy lies beside the one referred to, but we understand from a person who has examined the ground that nothing of the kind is to be found. This effigy, which is 6 feet 3 inches long by 1 foot 10 inches in breadth, is greatly mutilated; but the coverlet extending from the waist downwards is well preserved, and is very finely carved, and, so far as we know, is unique amongst Scottish figures.
In Airth Castle is preserved the stone shown in Fig. 431. It appears to have been taken from the church and to have formed a part of a piscina or ambry. The fragment measures about 2 feet high, with an opening about 12½ inches wide. It doubtless belonged to the Airth aisle.
Fig. 432.—Airth Church. Stone in South Gable of Elphinstone Aisle.
The Elphinstone aisle, which is separated from the nave by a semicircular arch, presents no architectural features of note; but on the exterior of the gable towards the south there is a well-preserved stone ([Fig. 432]), with shield bearing the Elphinstone arms, parted per pale with those of Livingstone and Calendar quarterly, with the motto “Cavis Cavis” (Caus Caus), the date 1593, and at either side the letters M A ♢ E and I ♢ L ME, the initials of Alexander, fourth Lord Elphinstone, and his wife Jane, eldest daughter of William, sixth Lord Livingstone.
The tower contains, on the lintel of the doorway, the inscription I V L Y + THE + 15 + 1647, doubtless the date of its erection. The other parts of the church appear to be of late seventeenth century work, and need not be further referred to.