Chapter X: Part 10

2. But supposing that John Morow, to whom the tablet was erected, was a master mason. It is assumed that John Morow was a Scot. The inscription emphasises the statement that he was “born in Paris certainly,” from which it may be fairly inferred that his French birth and, probably, education had to do with his appointment. This might indicate that he was a French master mason; and it is known that many French master masons were employed under James IV. and V.

3. It is assumed that the name Morow is identical with Murray (an idea which was suggested, in 1854, by the late Dr. John Smith[137]), but this is entirely hypothetical. Besides, there is absolutely no evidence produced to show any connection between John Morow and John Murray of Faulohill.

4. Nor can it be shown that the latter had any connection with building or architecture.

Let us now glance at the descriptions of the various portions of Melrose Abbey which are assumed by Mr. Chalmers to be the work of John Morow.

There seems to be nothing in Mr. Chalmers’ views antagonistic to the general divisions of Scottish mediæval architecture adopted in this book; indeed, his observations seem to confirm these divisions, which assign to the decorated work in Scotland the period before 1460, and to the late or third pointed work the subsequent period.

Supposing this to be correct, we suspect that some of the work which Mr Chalmers attributes to John Morow, and of the date of about 1490 to 1510, is in the earlier category. At Melrose, as we have seen, the decorated work is before 1460, and the later work is quite inferior. Hence the necessity for the introduction of the earlier John Morvo, to whom we have no objections, if his existence could be proved. At all events, it must be conceded that the earlier or decorated work was not executed by the “Scots Mediæval Architect,” John Morow.

The same remark will, we think, be found to apply to the rood screen at Lincluden,[138] and to that at Glasgow,[139] the work at both of which is very superior to the sixteenth century work at Melrose, and therefore, in all probability, considerably earlier than John Morow’s time.

We observe that Mr. Chalmers considers the choir and presbytery of Melrose, in which a strong similarity to perpendicular work is perceptible, to be of the time of James IV., and sarcastically remarks on what he considers the unworthy exaltation of the king and his queen to the place of honour on the apex of the east gable of a building dedicated to God. But this is an entire assumption. There is no proof that these figures represent James IV. and Queen Margaret Tudor. The figures in the east gable appear to us to represent the coronation of the Blessed Virgin, a frequent subject in similar positions.

]

We have already remarked on the similarity of much of the work at Melrose to that of York Minster, and there occurs in one of the bosses of the latter a representation of the coronation of the Blessed Virgin (Fig. 797), in which the figures are almost identical in every respect with those in the east gable of Melrose choir. The attitude is precisely the same in both. At York, the Saviour is represented as having a beard and long flowing hair. He is crowned, and holds up the right hand in benediction, while in the left hand he supports the globe. The Virgin holds her hands palm to palm, in the attitude of adoration, while an angel places the crown on her head, and on the other side an angel throws the censer. Another similar example from Dore Abbey is shown in Fig. 798.[141]

The figures at Melrose are somewhat wasted by exposure, but a comparison of the above sketches with that of the east gable (Fig. 774) will show that, while there is no ground for the assumption that the latter represents James IV. and Queen Margaret, there is every reason to believe that it personifies the more appropriate subject of the coronation of the Blessed Virgin. In the series of niches on each side there still remain kneeling figures of adoring angels, which, while most appropriate to the latter subject, would be quite out of place in the former.

Mr Chalmers gives some interesting details and observations regarding the chapels in the east aisle of the transept. He points out that these were probably dedicated to the saints whose statues stand, or stood, on the west side of the transept, opposite each chapel. Thus, in the north transept, the chapels would be those of St. Peter and St. Paul, whose statues still survive in the west wall; while those in the south transept would be dedicated to St. Andrew and St. John. Mr. Chalmers suggests that the statue of St. Andrew (see Fig. 769), which previously stood opposite his chapel in the south transept, was removed and placed in a niche in one of the south buttresses, the pedestal being heightened to receive it, as the statue was too short for the niche. The south chapel of the transept he believed to be that of St. John. John Morow’s tablet is opposite this chapel, and his prayer to “Sweet St. John” is, therefore, most appropriate. Mr. Chalmers points out that the chapels at the east end of Glasgow Cathedral are dedicated to the same saints and in the above order.

LINCLUDEN COLLEGE, KIRKCUDBRIGHTSHIRE.

This small, but valuable, example of Scottish decorated architecture is pleasantly situated on a quiet level holm at the junction of the water of Cluden with the river Nith, about one mile north from Dumfries. Although the surviving portions of the church are fragmentary, they exhibit many beautiful details of the Scottish decorated style.

Originally the site was occupied by a convent of Black or Benedictine nuns, which was founded in the twelfth century by Uchtred, son of Fergus, Lord of Galloway, who endowed the convent with lands.[142] Of this establishment only trifling remains can be traced. The edifice whose ruins now exist was founded anew, about the end of the fourteenth century, by Archibald the Grim, Earl of Douglas and Lord of Galloway. He is said to have expelled the nuns on account of their “insolence;” but it is also recorded that he acquired considerable possessions by the transaction. Be this as it may, the earl showed his devotion by rebuilding the church and endowing a new establishment. The new foundation consisted of a collegiate church, with the necessary domestic structures. It comprised at first a provost and twelve canons, Elise, or Elias, being appointed the first provost in 1404. The second provost was named Cairns, and under him the college consisted of eight canons, twenty-four bedesmen, and a chaplain.[143] The surviving remains of the domestic buildings for the accommodation of the inmates extend in the form of a long wing to the north of the church (Fig. 799). These now consist of a series of vaulted cellars, dimly lighted with one small loophole in each, and entered by a few steps down from the ground level. On the floor above the cellars there was probably a large hall; and at the north end a portion rose into a keep or tower, which probably formed the residence of the provost (Fig. 800). In Grose’s _Views_, drawn in 1789, the tower is shown much more complete than it now is, a large part having tumbled down a good many years ago. The staircase turret on the west side was also much higher at the end of last century, having fallen so recently as 1851. It bore the royal arms and the arms of Provost William Stewart. These out-buildings would thus appear to have been built about the beginning of the sixteenth century. Foundations of other structures are observable, which probably formed a courtyard to the west; while, on the eastern side, the outline of a wall which enclosed a considerable space of ground can be traced in the grass-grown mounds. There is a high mound adjoining to the south-east, which had a winding path leading to the summit, and from which an extensive view can be obtained over the level country around.

It is believed that Lincluden was a frequent residence of the Earls of Douglas. They were the Wardens of the Western Marches; and a parliament of the Border chiefs was held here in 1468 by Earl William, in order to revise the laws of Border warfare.

Many of the Provosts of Lincluden were men of distinction. For instance, John Cameron (who died in 1446), besides holding important offices under the Crown, was afterwards made Bishop of Glasgow; John Winchester, who died in 1458, became Bishop of Moray; Andrew Stewart, who died in 1501, was appointed to the Bishopric of Moray; and William Stewart (1545) became Bishop of Aberdeen. Robert Douglas, the last Provost, enjoyed the benefice for forty years after the Reformation. Like other incumbents about that period, he endeavoured to dispose of the property for his own benefit, but was opposed by the prebendaries. Some of the latter continued to occupy the college till 1567;[144] and mass was sung in the church so late as 1586, under sanction of Lord Maxwell. The reversion of the provostry fell to William Douglas of Drumlanrig, grand-nephew of the last Provost. Lincluden was erected into a temporal barony in 1565, and subsequently passed into the hands of the Earl of Nithsdale, whose descendant, Captain Maxwell of Terregles, has done much for the repair and preservation of what remains of this charming old building.

A few traces of the original Norman masonry have been discovered. The church seems to have occupied the same site as the existing building, and to have consisted of a nave, 56 feet by 20 feet, and a choir of the same width. There was a north aisle, 9 feet wide, with cylindrical pillars and a depressed arcade. A south aisle probably also existed. The western door (4½ feet wide) can be traced, which had a semicircular arch of several orders. These facts were all ascertained during recent excavations.[145]

The Plan (see Fig. 799) shows the arrangements of the church of the fifteenth century and the other buildings, so far as preserved. The church consisted of a choir, which is in a fair state of preservation, except the roof and vaulting, the former of which has disappeared since Grose’s time. It is separated by a stone screen, with a wide doorway, from the nave and transept, which are greatly demolished, only the walls of the south transept and part of that of the south aisle of the nave now remaining. The choir is without aisles, and consists of three bays. It is 44 feet in length by 19 feet 6 inches in breadth internally. The nave and transept measured about 56 feet in length from the choir screen, and the nave appears to have contained three bays, with a window in each. It had an aisle on the south side. The responds of the piers still partly exist at the east and west ends. The nave and transept were about the same size as the original nave--viz., 56 feet long, the former being 20 feet and the aisle 12 feet broad.

The transept was without aisles, and was 14 feet in width, and projected 12 feet 6 inches beyond the nave aisle. There are foundations traceable on the north side of the nave, but it is not clear to what buildings these belonged. It is not improbable, however, that there may have

been a north aisle. The sacristy is entered from the north side of the choir. The door is very ornate, and contained, on two shields, the arms of Archibald the Grim and his lady (Fig. 801). The sacristy was covered with groined vaulting, and had an entrance from the court of the domestic apartments.

The details of the architecture of the choir are of great beauty (Fig. 802). It has often been remarked that they are unusually large and massive, as if intended for a larger structure, which gives them great picturesqueness of effect. The corbels which carry the vaulting shafts are carved in the form of angels, some playing musical instruments. The caps of the shafts are richly ornamented with foliage and armorial bearings; and as these are well preserved in the durable red stone of the district, the heraldic decorations tell the story of the intimate connection of the Douglas family with the structure (Fig. 803).

Large pointed windows, originally filled with fine geometric tracery (Figs. 800 and 804), are inserted in all the bays of the south side of the nave and choir and in the gable walls of the choir and transept. The design of the tracery may be easily restored from the surviving fragments (see Billings). The windows of the north wall of the choir are placed high in the wall and are of small dimensions, owing to the large monument in that wall, and also because part of the wall was covered by the roof of the sacristy. The mullions and tracery are all very massive and of purer geometric form than is generally met with in Scotland. The somewhat debased tracery common in later Scottish structures is here entirely absent.

The exterior of the structure (see Fig. 800) is simple, but chaste, in design, and accords well with that of the interior. The base mouldings and the beautifully-carved cornice are decorated in character.

The splendid monument in the north wall of the choir (see Fig. 801) was erected in memory of Margaret, daughter of Robert III. and wife of Archibald, 4th Earl of Douglas, son of Archibald the Grim. He went to France in 1423, with a large retinue, to the aid of Charles VII., by whom he was created Duke of Touraine. He was killed at the battle of Verneuil, in 1424. The countess survived till about 1440. She made grants to the college in 1429, which were confirmed by her brother, James I. She also founded a chapel, and increased the number of inmates from thirteen to thirty-four. The monument is evidently part of the original design. The choir would, therefore, appear to have been in

progress during the countess’s lifetime, and may thus not have been completed till the first half of the fifteenth century was well advanced. In confirmation of this, we find that the arms of Provost Haliburton (see Fig. 803) are carved on the south wall, and he was superior of the college about 1430. The architecture of the church corresponds in style with the decorated work usual in Scotland in the first half of the fifteenth century, of which it forms an important example.

The monument to the Countess of Douglas is amongst the finest specimens of that kind of structure in Scotland. It is, like the other features of the church, of large size for the small building in which it is erected. The principal arch is semicircular in form, a peculiarity of common occurrence at all periods in this country. It is very richly ornamented with running foliage and small shafts and mouldings, and the inner arch is enriched with a large traceried border, elaborately foiled and cusped, while the outer label is decorated with carved crockets, and is carried up with an ogee curve to a large foliaged finial on top. The sides are bounded by buttresses of light and simple form, finished with crocketed finials, and a bold cornice, enriched with leaf ornaments, runs along the top. The base which enclosed the sarcophagus displays an arcade of nine trefoiled arches, each containing a shield, on which the arms of the family were formerly blazoned, but they are now much decayed by the weather.

“The Lordship of Annandale is represented by its saltier and chief; a lion rampant, the cognisance of the M‘Dowalls, typifies Galloway; three stars show the Moray arms, which the founder of Lincluden acquired by marriage; three stars of the first, with a man’s heart below, indicate the escutcheon of the Douglases when rising nearer the political zenith. * * * One of the shields displays a fess chequé, surmounted by a band ingrailed; another, the same emblem, without the band, these telling, in heraldic language, of the Royal Stewarts’ connection with the Douglases, the chequered fess illustrating the old tally method by which stewards kept their accounts.”[146]

Within the triangle formed by the label over the main arch there occurs a very remarkable design, consisting of three cups or chalices (Fig. 805), each accompanied with a star following one another round the triangle. As Grose suggests, these probably represent the insignia of the earl’s office as “panitarius” or cupbearer to the king. Some letters are engraved at the angles, but they are difficult to decipher. At the back of the monument are carved the following inscriptions, “A l’aide de Dieu,” and, lower down, “Hic jacet Dña Margareta Regis Scotiæ filia quondam Comitessa de Douglas Dña Gallovidiæ et Vallis Annandiæ.”

The tomb has been rifled, and is now empty, and the effigy of the countess, which still reposed on the monument in Pennant’s time (1772), has now disappeared.[147]

On the opposite side of the choir are the triple sedilia and piscina (see Fig. 802), both fine works, but sadly mutilated. They are of the usual style of the period, and are adorned with much carving of a similar description to that of the tomb.

Behind the place of the high altar, three large plain corbels are inserted in the wall (see Fig. 802). These seem to have carried a reredos of carved stone, and some fragments of a sculptured stone, such as would have suited for this purpose, still survive (Fig. 806).

As in other churches, the choir was reserved for the ecclesiastics, being separated from the nave by a stone screen (see Fig. 804), in which, however, there is a large doorway, six feet wide, which was furnished with an iron grating, through which the interior could be seen from the nave. The upper part of this screen formed a loft, approached by a turnpike stair. The loft, no doubt, carried the rood. It is wider than the screen wall, and is supported by three corbelled courses, decorated with carved work of a large and massive character. The two upper rows represent angels, with wings, and having their hands crossed in front of the breast. The lower row shows a number of groups of figures, much damaged, but apparently representing scenes from the life of Christ. The large arch over the screen formed the western termination of the choir.[148]

It will be observed that the springing of the groined vaulting of the choir (which is now demolished, or, possibly, was never completed) is still visible, rising from the caps of the vaulting shafts (see Fig. 802). The groining, like the other features of the structure, was of a complete character, corresponding to the perfected style of the architecture. It comprised the usual transverse, diagonal, and wall ribs, and had also, as is common in English examples, intermediate ribs, or tiercerons and ridge ribs. These can all be traced in the remaining fragments. But what is more remarkable is that the remains of another and independent tier of vaulting can be observed above the groined roof. This is evident from the Sketch (see Fig. 802), which shows the springing of an upper plain pointed barrel vault, strengthened at intervals with transverse ribs. Grose compares this with the vaulting of King’s College Chapel, Cambridge; but he has mistaken the purpose of the different vaults. That of Cambridge was introduced in order to carry the pendants of the fan-vaulting below, whereas that of Lincluden has evidently been built to support a stone roof above. Plain pointed barrel vaults are very common in Scottish churches, and are invariably introduced for the purpose of supporting a roof of overlapping stone slabs. Numerous examples occur in this work, and roofs of that description were also very usual in the castles--as at Borthwick, &c. Generally, the barrel vault is visible from the interior; but in the present instance, the building being a decorated one, a roof of groined vaulting has been intended under the plain vault.

Grose speaks of a third roof of timber over the barrel vault, and both his drawing and Pennant’s indicate a turf or straw covering. But that could hardly be original. The building was, in their time, almost as ruinous as now, and it is very likely that the stone slabs of the roof had been removed, and a temporary wooden roof substituted, or a covering of turf laid over the barrel vault, which, perhaps, at that time still remained.

The space between the two vaults would form a chamber, which may have been used as a sleeping apartment. The window in the gable is still visible. A similar apartment, with a window, seems to have existed over the vaulting of the south transept, and both appear to have entered from the turret stair in the wall between the nave and choir.

A similar roof to the above occurs at St. Mirren’s Aisle, Paisley Abbey, where the two vaults, with a small chamber between them, still exist.

The ornamental work of the nave (see Fig. 804) is similar to that of the choir, and of the same date. The vaulting shafts are carried on brackets carved with the figures of angels, and the caps are of similar massive design to those of the choir. The tracery of the windows was of the same geometric or decorated style as that of the choir. The foundations of the west end of the church are quite distinct, but the foundations on the north side of the nave seem to have belonged to later buildings, as they do not harmonise with the design of the church.

The domestic wing has already been noticed. The cellars of the basement enter from the courtyard. Some of these have ambries in the walls. An octagonal turret, about the centre, contained the entrance doorway and a wheel stair to the upper floor. It was also provided with the shotholes usual in the sixteenth century.

Another turret, in the angle next the sacristy, contained a private door to the latter, and, probably, another stair to the upper floor. The provost’s tower has evidently, from Pennant’s view, contained at least four stories; but it is now much decayed and demolished. These buildings present very much the appearance of a secular dwelling or castle of the sixteenth century.

The whole edifice being now surrounded with an iron railing, and properly looked after, it is hoped that this interesting specimen of Scottish ecclesiastical architecture will be long preserved from further ruin.

FORTROSE CATHEDRAL, ROSS-SHIRE.

According to tradition, the origin of the Church of Rosemarkie, the first cathedral of Ross, is ascribed to St. Boniface, otherwise known as Albanus Kiritinus or Cuiritan. This saint is now supposed to have been an Irish monk named Cuiritan, who, in the seventh century, adopted the Roman ecclesiastical forms, and, coming to Scotland, endeavoured to introduce them there. The legend of Bonifacius is evidently connected with the revolution by which King Nectan and the Picts conformed to Rome. After visiting various places in Pictland, and being well received by King Nectan, St. Boniface founded churches at Restennet[149] and Invergowrie, which were dedicated to St. Peter. Finally, he landed at Rosemarkie, on the north side of the Moray Frith, the site of an old Columban monastery founded by Lugadius or Moluog of Lismore, where, also, he built a church, and named it after St. Peter and Bonifacius.[150]

On this site, which is just opposite the long spit of land which runs far across the Frith from the south side at Fort George, there arose in later times a small town, while a larger ecclesiastical establishment, called the Chanonry, was afterwards founded about one mile further west. These two places were united under one charter by James II., in 1444, with the name of Fortrose, and the two small towns still remain in the same relative position.

The Culdee College continued at Rosemarkie till the Romanising influences of Queen Margaret’s sons were brought to bear upon it. In 1126 there occurs the first mention of the Bishop of Rosemarkie in a charter of David I. It seems probable that here, as at other places, King David converted the existing Culdee College into a chapter, and appointed the abbot, or prior, as the bishop of the diocese. The Bishop of Ross has this peculiarity, that he takes his title from the province, and not from the town, where he holds his see.

When Argyle had been brought under the royal power, the whole of North Argyle was, in 1221, added to the Earldom of Ross, and the diocese was largely increased by the addition to it of the churches in that county.

Up to 1227 the Chapter of Rosemarkie was small, consisting of the dean, the treasurer, the archdeacon, and four canons; but in 1235 Pope Gregory IX. gave leave to the bishop to found and endow new canonries, and increase the endowment of the other four.[151]

It seems probable that at the period of the enlargement of the chapter the cathedral was moved from Rosemarkie to Chanonry, or Fortrose. Although most of the buildings which would have fixed the date of this change are now removed, there still remains one structure which, from its style, seems to be of the first half of the thirteenth century. This is the undercroft of the sacristy, an erection the enlargement of which would be called for by the increased size of the chapter.

The cathedral then constructed was a large and important building. It stood on level ground not far from the Moray Frith, over which it commanded a fine prospect. The ruins still occupy the central position in the town of Fortrose, and stand in a large open plot of grassy ground, where they can be well seen, and where they are well cared for.

The existing portions of the cathedral are very fragmentary. The greater part of the church and the houses of the bishop and chapter have entirely disappeared. All that now remains consists of the south aisle of the nave and the sacristy or undercroft of the chapter house. So completely have the nave and choir of the church been swept away, that Mr. Muir was led to imagine that the existing south transept was the main body of the cathedral, and that it had only had an aisle on the north side.[152] But the excavations undertaken, about twenty-five years ago, by the Commissioners of Her Majesty’s Woods and Forests, laid bare the foundations of the choir and nave, and showed that the cathedral had been a complete structure, with a choir 85 feet in length, and a nave 100 feet in length, the width of both being 25 feet.

What the style of the edifice was we have now no means of knowing; but it may be assumed that, like the sacristy, it was built in the first pointed style, which prevailed in the thirteenth century, when the see is believed to have been removed from Rosemarkie to Fortrose.

Mr. Muir may well have been deceived with regard to the existing south aisle, for it is a structure of unusual size and splendour, and, in its present solitary condition, presents rather the appearance of a complete church, with distinct choir and nave, than that of a nave aisle. It is composed of two parts (Fig. 807), an eastern portion, which measures 41 feet 6 inches in length by 21 feet broad, and a western portion, 56 feet 6 inches long by 14 feet 9 inches broad, with a bell turret projecting at the angle where the two parts meet.

Both of the divisions are elegantly vaulted in the English style, with ridge ribs and tiercerons or intermediate ribs. On the north side is a range of clustered pillars and arches, forming five bays, which separated the aisle from the nave. Some of the arch openings are enriched with canopied monuments.

The east end (Fig. 808) contained a large traceried window of five lights, and some fragments of the tracery still cling to the arch. The window is rather short for its width, being kept high, so as to admit of an altar and reredos. The south wall has also been pierced with traceried windows, now, unfortunately, mutilated. The other division towards the west end contains a doorway, formerly sheltered by a large porch, now demolished.

The exterior (Fig. 809) presents, at the east and west ends, the appearance of complete gables, with a span roof, not a lean-to roof, as is usual over aisles. The buttresses are of good form, and the enriched cornice still survives. The parapet is gone, but at the west end a wide stone gutter, or alure, supported on corbels and roofed in, still remains. The windows of the western portion are less elaborate than those of the eastern portion.

In the angle between the two divisions of the aisle a staircase and bell turret are erected. Rising from a square base the walls are changed by a set-off on each angle into an octagon; a balcony is carried round the turret, and the top is finished with a modern pointed roof.

The whole of the architecture of the aisle is of unusually good design, and the building is altogether quite unique and full of beauty and interest.

Not the least remarkable feature in the structure is the range of canopied monuments which stand between the pillars on the north side. In connection with these monuments, the history of the edifice has been ingeniously traced by Mr. Chisholm-Batten.[153] The eastmost monument (see Fig. 808) is traditionally stated to be that of a Countess of Ross; and Mr. Chisholm-Batten, from various indications in the building, shows that it was, in all probability, the Countess Eufamia, daughter and heiress of the Earl of Ross, who erected this aisle, and is buried under the eastern monument therein. This lady was possessed of ample means to erect such a splendid structure. She married, first, in 1366, Walter de Leslie, and succeeded, in 1372, to the estates of Ross. Leslie died in 1382; and in the same year the countess espoused the Earl of Buchan, better known as the “Wolf of Badenoch.” He died in 1394; and thereafter the countess took the veil, and became abbess of the convent of Elcho.

Mr. Chisholm-Batten has detected the arms of Leslie, her first husband (on a bend three buckles), on one of the bosses of the vaulting of the western division; while on another boss is carved a bull’s-head caboshed, the arms of Bishop Bulloch, who occupied the see from 1420 to 1439.

As the style of the architecture accords with these dates, the inference is that the western part of the aisle was erected either by the countess or her son, Alexander Leslie, Earl of Ross, and completed during the episcopate of Bishop Bulloch, and that the monument to the countess was erected by her son in the noble aisle which she had built, and in which she, no doubt, took great pride. The death of the countess took place before 1398. The aisle would thus date about the end of the fourteenth or the beginning of the fifteenth century, and must be regarded as a splendid example of Scottish architecture of that period. Possibly some portions of the western division are older; but, if so, it has been remodelled and vaulted at the above date. The piers next the nave (Fig. 810) have the peculiar feature of a square plinth (somewhat like the small buttresses which enclose the adjoining tombs) running up the inner side to form a support for the springing of the vaulting (Fig. 810). This feature has the appearance of being an addition to the piers, thus suggesting that the aisle and its vaulting are of later date than the nave of the cathedral. The piers are clustered, and have moulded caps with round abaci.

The monument in the western division of the aisle (see Fig. 810) is believed to be that of Bishop Fraser, who occupied the see from 1498 to 1507;

and the style of the work confirms this view. The arched canopy, with its ogee head, and the third pointed carved work of its crockets and finial are in good preservation. The figure of the bishop is also well preserved. The fragments of a third tomb still exist under the arch, between the two already described (see Fig. 808). This has evidently been a late structure, with a canopy supported on a series of arches; but it is now so mutilated that its features cannot be distinctly made out. It is believed to be the tomb of Bishop Cairncross (1539-45).

It is thought that the western division of the nave was the chapel of St. Boniface;[154] for when Bishop Tulloch, about 1460, presented the bell (which still hangs in the south turret) to the church, he dedicated it to St. Mary and St. Boniface, probably because the chapels adjoining the bell turret were dedicated to these saints.

Besides the tracery of the windows and the beauty of the tombs, the aisle is rich in details. In the south wall there is a fine piscina (Fig. 811), and in the north wall an ambry, with a small stone penthouse. All the windows have label terminals, many of them finely carved with heads.

An octagonal font of remarkable design (Fig. 812) stands against the east wall of the aisle.

We have seen that the sacristy is the only part of the original building which now remains. This is a plain rectangular structure, two stories in height, 45 feet long by 12 feet wide internally, which stands quite detached in the centre of the open space surrounding the site of the cathedral. The upper floor is, with all probability, believed to have been the chapter house; but it has been rebuilt, and is now used as the place of meeting of the Town Council. Externally the building has the appearance of a plain modern stone erection; but internally the ground floor preserves most of its original features. It is vaulted in six bays, with groined vaulting; but being low, and provided with very few small windows, the interior can only be dimly seen. The dog-tooth and other details, however, seem to indicate first pointed work. There is a range of arched seats, and an ambry at each side, towards the east end. The doorway entered from the choir, in the centre of the south side; and a staircase in the west wall led to the upper floor.

Mr. Chisholm-Batten thinks that this undercroft was the chapel of St. Nicholas, where a consistorial office was held in 1451, being more suitable for such an assembly than the open south aisle of the nave. So far as can now be ascertained, there were no other aisles connected with the cathedral.

The history of the cathedral subsequently to the Reformation is not well known. Under the Regent Morton the lead was removed from the roof, and the structure fell into disrepair. But it was partially repaired by Bishop Lindsay in 1615; and in 1649 it was not very ruinous. It would, therefore, appear that the tradition is probably correct which says that the masonry of the walls was removed by Cromwell, like that of Kinloss Abbey, for the construction of his citadel at Inverness.

CROSRAGUEL ABBEY, AYRSHIRE.

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.”

During the forty years prior to the Reformation the abbey enjoyed the protection of the Earl of Carrick, two eminent members of the family being about that time abbots in succession to each other. At this period the right of appointment to vacant benefices was gradually passing into the hands of the Crown, and by 1550 that change was completed.

In those troublous times the Church was felt to be in danger, and Abbot William Kennedy, who had acted as guardian to the young Earl Cassilis, who was then abroad, wrote to him to return to Scotland to look after the interests of the abbey. At the same time the Archbishop of Glasgow sent all his possessions to Crosraguel, as to a place of safety. These consisted of embroidered vestments, gold and silver plate, jewels, and a library of books of great value.

Abbot William was succeeded by his nephew, Quintin Kennedy (1547-64), an ardent champion of the Church, whose contest with Knox at Maybole in 1562 is well known. It is thought that he was the first abbot to occupy the abbots’ tower, a fortified pele which stands at the south-east corner of the grounds. Gilbert M‘Brayar, one of the monks, is said to have made many “sumptuous additions” to the monastery. These were probably domestic structures in the cloister, whose ruins are still traceable.

In 1561 an Act was passed by the Privy Council suppressing “Idolatori and all monumentis thairof,” and Arran, Glencairn, and Argyle were despatched to the West to carry the Act into execution. Amongst the other demolitions executed by them was the casting down of part of Crosraguel.

Ten years before the Reformation leases of church lands were frequently granted to nobles and other powerful individuals who were able to protect them. Thus, in 1564, the whole benefice of Crosraguel was leased to the Earl of Cassillis for 700 marks (£466, 13s. 4d.) Under his protection the monks continued to occupy the monastery till 1592, probably later than any other abbey in Scotland.

In 1570 occurred the famous “roasting of the abbot.” The Earl of Cassillis had resolved to get the whole property of the abbey into his hands, and endeavoured, by torturing Allan Stewart, the abbot, to force him to surrender the titles of the lands of the abbey, and he thus succeeded, in consideration of a large sum, in becoming sole proprietor of the regality. The abbot survived, but was maimed for life. He disposed of every shred of the monastic property, and died in 1587. The annexation to the Crown took place the same year. The possessions had been gradually disposed of by Queen Mary and her son to numerous retainers. George Buchanan received a pension out of the revenues, and King James intended to restore the abbey as a residence for his son Henry.

In 1617 the whole benefice was annexed to the Bishopric of Dunblane, in order to provide a suitable support for the bishop. On the overthrow of Episcopacy, in 1689, the revenues were annexed to the Crown; and now the sole relic of the great regality of Crosraguel is the small plot of ground enclosing the ruins.

The abbey buildings (Fig. 813) have been of considerable extent, and still comprise, besides the remains of the church and cloisters, with the usual ecclesiastical buildings surrounding them, an outer court to the south-west, with a picturesque gatehouse, pigeon-house, and other domestic structures. There was also an eastern courtyard, which contained the abbot’s hall, and the adjoining tower or keep, the infirmary, &c. The whole precincts were enclosed with a high wall, which included an extensive garden. The small burn which flows along the south side is believed to have fed fish-ponds in the neighbourhood. The church (Fig. 813) is a simple oblong structure, consisting of choir and nave, without aisles and without transepts. It would appear, however, from excavations carried out by the Ayrshire and Galloway Archæological Association, that the original church of the thirteenth century contained a north and south transept, some traces of the foundations of which were disclosed. A few other relics of this earlier church are observable in the base of the western part of the nave, in traces of the jambs of the western doorway and the jambs of the north doorway of the nave; but the remainder of the church has been entirely rebuilt, chiefly on the old foundations.

It is thought by Mr. Morris, who illustrates and describes the abbey in the publication of the above Association, that part of the older building is traceable in the wall between the choir and the sacristy, where vaulting shafts exist on the sacristy side in such a position as not to be available in the present structure (Fig. 814). From this fact he forms the deduction that these shafts and the wall they are attached to are part of the original church. He is further of opinion that the part of the ancient church

which he supposes has survived at this point formed the model on which the restored building was designed. From the character of the design,

this seems very doubtful. The three shafts referred to doubtless indicate a change in the design at the date of the restoration in the fifteenth century. The choir appears to have been erected, and a chapter house contemplated (if not actually carried out) immediately to the south of it, in the position formerly occupied by the south transept. The three shafts were apparently erected at that time (say before 1450). The bases of the shafts correspond in design with the bases of the choir, and are clearly fifteenth century work. The walls of the chapter house (afterwards changed into the sacristy) were evidently erected at this time, as the usual stone seat of the chapter house still runs round two of the sides. At a later date (towards the end of the fifteenth century) a new range of buildings was erected on the east side of the cloister. These consisted of a new chapter house, while that first erected was converted into the sacristy. The new range was of less width than the chapter house originally contemplated, and, therefore, new vaulting shafts, spaced so as to suit the vaulting of the new width, were introduced; and three of the old vaulting shafts were allowed to remain, although two of them were no longer of use.

The architecture of the interior of the choir (Fig. 815) is peculiar, and clearly indicates a structure of the fifteenth century. The three-sided eastern apse is characteristic of the fifteenth century, and is among the earliest examples of that form then introduced into Scotland. Crosraguel obtained its great charter in 1404, and was, no doubt, then in a very flourishing condition; and it seems likely that the church was rebuilt soon after that period. The style of the architecture corresponds with other buildings of that date in Scotland. The windows, which have been filled with tracery (now, unfortunately, all destroyed), show, in their remaining jambs, shafts, and arch mouldings (especially in the apse), a character resembling Scottish decorated work. The triple wall shafts which divide the bays are carried down to decorated bases in the sanctuary only, the others being stopped on a corbel at the level of the central string course (see Fig. 815). The sedilia (Fig. 816) and piscina of the choir (see Fig. 815) are also beautiful specimens of the decorated style. The buttresses of the choir and apse (Fig. 817) are simple, and of an early type. The nave (Fig. 818) has windows on the north side only. Here, as already observed, a few traces of the original church are found in the early forms of the base mouldings and the shafts of the north doorway. The arch supported by these shafts, and forming the upper part of the doorway, is of very inferior design, and is evidently a very late restoration. The shafts are sloped off at top, so as to fit a straight impost. The buttresses also show relics of older work. One of the nave windows is filled with tracery; but it is of peculiar design, having been constructed in connection with the erection of a monument to Egidia Blair, Lady Row, a benefactress of the abbey, who died in 1530. The engraved recumbent stone over her grave, bearing her arms and name, still exists; but scarcely a trace of the monument survives.

The nave is divided from the choir by a wall, which has been erected in the sixteenth century (the upper part is seen in Fig. 819), probably when the monks required protection, or owing to their number having become diminished, when so large a church was unnecessary. This central wall partly blocks up one of the nave windows, thus showing that it was an afterthought. It seems, however, to have been substituted for an older wall, which may have contained an arch between the nave and

choir. The nave, thus separated from the choir, was known as St. Mary’s or the Virgin’s Aisle. The wall contained a wheel staircase, and is crowned with a good double belfry, surmounted by a well-carved cross (Fig. 820), containing hearts in the centre, and having each arm cut into the form of a cross. This may possibly be in imitation of the crossleted crosses of the Kennedy arms. The pointed doorway from the nave to the choir is of good, simple design, and has been defended with a strong sliding bar, the slot in the wall for which still exists.

Crosraguel Abbey.

Cross on Belfry.]

The sacristy entered from the south side of the choir by a door having a semi-elliptic arch, and mouldings and bases corresponding with those of the choir (see Fig. 815). This doorway also led to a wheel stair, which conducted to the scriptorium and library on the upper floor, and, through them, to the dormitory. The ancient south transept was wider than the present sacristy which occupies its site, as was disclosed by the excavations above mentioned. The sacristy and the chapter house adjoining are the best preserved parts of the edifice. They are both elegantly vaulted, and lighted with windows, the tracery of which is partly preserved (Fig. 821). The corbels (Fig. 822) which carry the ribs of the sacristy vaults are carved in a quaint and rather debased style, and point to a late date. The vaulting of the sacristy (see Fig. 814) is peculiar, the ribs being arranged in the sexpartite form. The apartment is considerably longer than it is wide; and the usual method of vaulting such an apartment would be to divide it into two bays, each bay having the usual cross ribs; but here the whole is vaulted in one bay, having six ribs. This arrangement makes the axes of the side vaults oblique, and produces the effect of twisting in the four side spaces of the vaults towards the centre. The vaulting here, being wider than that of the chapter house, rises higher, and thus rendered the floor of the scriptorium above it higher than that of the library over the chapter house, and necessitated some steps in the passages from the dormitory to the church. The opening to the sacristy from the choir is recent, this position having formerly been occupied by an altar platform, believed to have been erected in honour of Robert III. in 1404. The position of the high altar is still distinctly marked, being placed against a detached wall carried across the apse, and provided with a small door for access to the space behind. The three steps leading up to the east end are also discoverable, and each step is beaded on the edge (see Fig. 815). A plain doorway, with a drop arch, leads from the south-west angle of the choir to the east walk of the cloister (see Fig. 819). Only the foundations of the outer wall of the cloister walks are now traceable. This, no doubt, carried pillars and arches (or wooden posts), on which the wooden roof of the cloister walks rested. There may have been stone piers