KELSO ABBEY, Roxburghshire.
In 1113, David, Earl of Huntingdon, introduced thirteen Reformed Benedictine monks from Tiron, in France (hence called Tironenses), and settled them at Selkirk, near his castle there. But the place was not found suitable, and in 1128, after David had become king, the monks, with the consent of the Bishop of Glasgow, were removed to Kelso, where they were established near the royal castle of Roxburgh. The foundation of the new abbey was laid in 1128, and the church was dedicated to the blessed Virgin Mary and St. John the Evangelist. The monastery soon became the richest and most powerful in Scotland. In 1165 the Pope granted permission to the abbot to wear the mitre, and the abbot claimed precedence of all the superiors of monasteries in Scotland. But in 1420 this precedence was decided by James I. in favour of the Prior of St. Andrews. Many of the abbots of Kelso were men of learning and celebrity, and were employed in important offices in and out of the kingdom, and others were promoted to bishoprics.
During the War of Independence the abbey, which lay near the Border, suffered severely. The monastery was laid waste, and the monks were supported by contributions from the other houses of the order. In 1344, the buildings of the abbey having been destroyed by fire, David II. granted permission to the monks to cut wood in Selkirk and Jedwart Forest, to enable them to carry out the necessary reparations.
In 1511 the abbacy passed into the hands of the Bishop of Caithness, as commendator, and its decline soon followed. After the Battle of Flodden, in 1513, David Ker of Cessford took possession of the abbey, and had his brother made abbot. In 1522-3 invasion and havoc spread over Teviotdale. Lords Ross and Dacre pillaged the town, sparing the
Fig. 311.—Kelso Abbey. Ground Plan.
abbey; but in 1523 Lord Dacre sacked and burned it. The abbot’s house and buildings surrounding it, the Chapel of the Virgin, and the cells of the dormitory were all reduced to ashes; the lead was stripped from the roof, and the abbey rendered uninhabitable. All religious services were stopped, and the monks had to retire in want and poverty to a village near. From 1536 till 1558 James Stewart, natural son of James V., filled the office of abbot, and drew the revenues. In 1542 the Duke of Norfolk,
