This monastery, whose abbots once possessed regal sway over nearly the whole of Carrick, now stands a solitary deserted ruin in a small sequestered valley, about two miles from Maybole, on the road leading by Kirkoswald to Girvan. The monastic buildings, although much ruined, are still of considerable extent, and comprise, besides the church, more remains of ecclesiastical and domestic structures than are usual in our Scottish religious establishments. This has probably arisen from the quiet and secluded nature of the site, as well as from the protection afforded by the powerful Earls of Carrick.
The chartulary of the abbey is lost, but many of the scattered charters have been collected and printed by the Ayrshire and Galloway Archæological Association, and edited by Mr. F. C. Hunter Blair, 1886. From these and the introductory chapter most of the following historical notes are gleaned.
The abbey was founded by Duncan, Earl of Carrick, in the end of the twelfth century. By him lands and churches were granted to the Abbey of Paisley, on condition that the monks should found a monastery in his province of Carrick, after their own Order of Cluny, to which the said endowments should be handed over. These conditions were evaded by the monks of Paisley, who contented themselves with erecting a cell at Crosraguel, and kept the rest of the revenue to themselves. Such conduct was naturally complained of by the earl, and it was decided by William de Bondington, Bishop of Glasgow, that a monastery should be forthwith erected at Crosraguel. Earl Duncan is said to have superintended the erection of the structure, in which case it must have been in progress between 1244, the date of the bishop’s decision, and 1250, when the earl died. In 1265 the Pope confirmed the “Scriptum de Crosragmol” of Bishop Bondington.
Additional grants were made to the abbey by Earl Nigel, the successor of the founder. The church was dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The monks were of the Order of Cluny, in France. This order was first introduced into England at Wenlock, in Shropshire, whence monks were brought to Paisley Abbey by Walter, first Steward of Scotland. The ecclesiastics of that convent, being the superiors of Crosraguel, naturally colonised it with monks of their own order of Cluniacs.
During the fourteenth century the abbey is much associated with the history of the Bruces. The romantic marriage of the father of King Robert to the Countess of Carrick established the family in the earldom. The countess and her husband were benefactors of the abbey, and their neighbouring Castle of Turnberry became a protection to the monks.
During Edward’s invasion, in 1296, Henry de Percy was appointed Sheriff of Ayr. In 1306 he held Turnberry Castle, and a letter, dated by him from Crosraguel, asking for two engines of war to be sent to him, shows that siege operations were in contemplation.
During this disturbed period of Scottish history it seems probable that this abbey, like many other similar institutions throughout the country, suffered from the effects of war. The buildings show that the original structure of the monastery has been demolished, and that new edifices were erected in the fifteenth century; and it is supposed that this reconstruction was rendered necessary by the damage caused during the English invasion. When the kingdom became settled, after the War of Independence, King Robert granted a charter to the abbey, confirming the endowments of Earl Duncan; and in 1329-30, gifts from the royal purse, for the repair of the monastery, are noted in the Exchequer Rolls. The king was lavish in benefactions to the abbey. In 1324 he presented it with lands, and, as a mark of special favour, he erected the domains of the abbey into a barony. Shortly after the accession of David II. the abbot received the king’s penny for three years (amounting to £100, 1s. 10d.) to assist him in the repair of the buildings.
Under the Stewart kings Crosraguel still continued to receive the royal favour. In 1374 Robert II. confirmed the Crown charters of Robert I.; and in 1404 the great Crosraguel charter was granted by Robert III. confirming all the abbey lands and property to be held for ever in free regality. By this charter the abbot was raised into the position of an absolute sovereign over all the abbey possessions, which comprised nearly the whole of the southern division of Ayrshire. The abbey continued to occupy a high position during the fifteenth century. The abbot was in favour at Court, and was employed on special missions and diplomatic services.
In 1460 the Abbot Colin, a man of some eminence, was elected. He devoted much care to the church and buildings, which he found in a dilapidated condition, and is believed to have built the existing chapter house. He died in 1491.
Abbot David obtained a confirmation of the special rights of the abbey from the Archbishop of Glasgow, and, in 1515, procured a special dispensation from inspection by the Archbishop of St. Andrews, who was delegated by the Pope to visit every monastery in Scotland, and to punish the “excess and enormity of the brethren dwelling therein.”