“ ... In the north half of the new kyrke-
Cathedral, an arch he gert men wyrke,
Now seen betwene Tombis twa,
Of Gamyle the eastmast is of tha.
And, in a space that was levyd (raised),
Be-twene the Pulpyte and his Hevyd (head).
Ane Arche of fayre werk and of fyne
The Byschape Waltyr gert make syne.
Under that tomb now lyis he.
Thus lyand ar thai Byshapys thre
On the north half of the Hey Kyrk (High Kirk)
In Tombys that themselves gert Wyrk.”—(B. VIII., cxxiii.)
On the north side of the nave, near the west end, there still remains a built tomb, empty and desecrated, with slight indications of what was a stately monument in the wall. Of seventeenth century flat stones a large collection is gathered and preserved in the chapter house. [Fig. 452] shows one of these. Against the north wall of the nave, on the outside, there are three square foundations (see Plan). Two of these may possibly be the foundations of a porch.
The cathedral was in a very ruinous state when Martine wrote (1685). Apparently the north half of the west gable fell in his time, and, considering the sudden wrench to the structure caused by this catastrophe, had the remaining half not been a good piece of masonry, it might easily have followed.
Fifty years before Martine wrote, when Spottiswoode was archbishop, in 1635, the restoration of the cathedral was provided for. The rents and fruits of the benefice, except a small sum reserved for the archbishop, were to be applied for “building and repairing the cathedrall,” until the same “be perfected and finisht.” “And the church being finished then and no sooner,” the archbishop and his successors were to have the full privilege of the use of the rents, but subject to the upholding of the fabric. The structure would thus appear not to have been in a very ruinous state at that time. Nothing appears, however, to have been done, and the work of destruction was continued, and soon reduced the church to nearly its present condition.
ST. MARY’S CHURCH, Kirkheugh, St. Andrews.
This church is situated between the cathedral wall on the north-east and the sea (see C, [Fig. 457]). It was entirely lost sight of till the year 1860, when the foundations were exposed. Little else remains except the foundations. The east wall rises about 3 feet above the ground, and the other walls run from nearly level with the surface to about 2 feet in height. The structure ([Fig. 460]) consisted of a nave, transepts, and chancel. The nave and chancel do not coincide in their orientation. There was probably a low central tower supported on four arches, with a stair to the tower at the north-west corner, where the foundation of what appears to have been the stair turret is traceable. The remains of a bench are visible in the north transept. The chancel is the best preserved portion, and is of the first pointed period. It has a base all round, including the buttresses, of which those at the north-east corner have disappeared. There has been a narrow splayed doorway on the north side. A projecting piece of masonry in the south wall may have been a sedilia. A large square of masonry, 11 feet by 4 feet 4 inches, at the east end suggests the position of an altar. There is an early slab in the chancel, carved with a cross, set on steps, and a sword beside it. Another monument, of a hog-backed type, lies to the north of the nave. The existence of other stones at further distances indicate this as the position of an ancient cemetery. The masonry of the chancel is finer than that of the nave and transept, but which is the earlier it is not possible to say with any confidence.
Fig. 460.—St. Mary’s Church. Plan.
The history of this chapel, with a descriptive account, will be found in the Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries, Session 1860-61, Vol. IV. p. 82. The internal dimensions of the chapel are:—Length of nave, 27 feet; width, 18 feet 11 inches. Length of chancel, 46 feet 8½ inches; width, 20 feet 2 inches. Total length inside, 97 feet 11½ inches; outside, 105 feet.