Chapter VIII: Part 8

The existing structure consists (Fig. 719) of a plain oblong chamber, which has been greatly rebuilt, but part of the walls of which may be of the thirteenth century. The building measures internally 88 feet in length by 17 feet 6 inches in width. The east end or chancel is the most ancient part. It is about 30 feet in length, and has first pointed buttresses and small lancet windows in the side walls. One of the lancets remains in the south wall (Fig. 720), and two in the north wall (Fig. 721). There is also a pointed priests’ doorway in the south side wall. The three pointed windows in the east end seem to have been altered. The broad

skew, with cross on the gable, and its remarkable footstone are restorations. The nave or western portion of the church, which is of the same width as the chancel, has been rebuilt at different times, and much of it shows in its windows, buttresses, &c., work of a very late period, probably the sixteenth century. There is a south porch near the west end, with a stone bench on each side. The entrance is by an elliptic arch, with plain splay on edge. The belfry is plain, but picturesque. A wing or north aisle has been added at a late date. It is called the Denmiln aisle, and was erected by Sir Robert Balfour in 1661, and bears his arms and the date over the doorway. In the choir there is a slab with a fine cross carved on it, and also a recumbent effigy (see Fig. 721), considerably worn away by the weather.

CHAPEL ON “THE ISLE,”[113] WIGTONSHIRE.

“The Isle” is a rocky promontory, formerly an island, but now connected with the mainland at low tide. It stands near the south end of the main part of Wigtonshire, about two miles north from Burrow Head and three miles south-east of Whithorn. On this isle stand the ruins of an ancient chapel. It is roughly built, with walls 2 feet 8 inches in thickness, and, from its pointed arches, appears to be of first or second pointed date. The structure (Fig. 722) measures 37 feet 6 inches in length by 22

feet in width externally, and has originally been very exactly measured off. The doorway has been in the south wall, but it is now broken down and the freestone dressings removed. There has been a tall pointed window in each of the north and south walls, and a similar window, though apparently wider, in the east end wall. The dressings have been torn out, but the pointed sconsion arches still remain (Figs 723 and 724). There is a small square ambry in the north wall, and a similar, but larger, one in the south wall. The exterior is quite plain, and without buttresses or break of any kind.

The simple bowl of the font has been recovered, after having served for generations as a trough to bruise whins in for food for horses (Fig. 725). It is now preserved at Whithorn.

Much discussion has taken place regarding this chapel, some supposing it to be the original _Candida Casa_ of St. Ninian. The style of the structure puts that view out of the question; but it is still thought by some--amongst others by Mr. T. S. Muir[114]--that the isle was a much more likely place for St. Ninian to fix his first settlement on than at Whithorn, where he would be in the midst of a probably not very friendly people. In that case the Chapel on “The Isle” would be the successor of the original _Candida Casa_. But there is nothing at either place to determine with any degree of certitude the site of the first Christian edifice in Scotland.

CHAPEL, DUNSTAFFNAGE CASTLE, ARGYLESHIRE.

A plan and detailed drawings of this first pointed chapel are given in connection with the description of the castle,[115] but the general view of the interior (Fig. 726) is now illustrated, in order more fully to explain the description above referred to. The ruin is densely covered with ivy, but the jambs of the chancel arch, enriched with rows of dog-tooth ornament, are distinctly visible (see Section). The arch is now built up, and the chancel is converted into a tomb-house. A section of the window jambs and shaft between is also shown in Fig. 726. This edifice is one of the few examples of enriched first pointed work to be found in the Western Highlands and Islands.

Another very interesting specimen of a first pointed church exists at Skipness, Kintyre, which is also described and illustrated in _The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland_.[116]

BUITTLE CHURCH, KIRKCUDBRIGHTSHIRE.

A ruin, situated about three to four miles west from Dalbeattie. The original name was Kil-Ennan, that of Buittle being comparatively modern. A notice of the church occurs as early as 1275, when it was granted by Devorgilla to the monks of Sweetheart; and on the 16th July 1381, Pope Benedict XIII. confirms a charter by Thomas, Bishop of Galloway, granting the Church of St. Colmanel of Butyll to the Abbey of Sweetheart. We are informed that a new church was erected before the Reformation. This was, doubtless, part of the present ivy-clad ruin. The church and lands were annexed to the Crown in 1587.[117]

The building is peculiar in form (Fig. 727), the choir being wider than the nave--the former measuring 26 feet 6 inches, and the latter 22 feet in width over the walls. The choir is about 30 feet and the nave 44 feet in length internally. The walls and gables are well preserved (Fig. 728), but the whole building is so completely covered with ivy that any architectural features which may exist are concealed. There is a pointed chancel arch between the nave and choir, and the latter part of the church is lighted with three lancet windows in the east gable.

To judge from the appearance of the building the nave and its belfry were, doubtless, the parts erected shortly before the Reformation, and the choir is the more ancient portion. It is probably of first pointed date.

The straight lintelled doorway in the east end, under the three pointed windows, is part of the work done in Presbyterian times.

TUNGLAND ABBEY, KIRKCUDBRIGHTSHIRE.

Of this ancient and important abbey there now remains only one doorway (Fig. 729). The abbey stood on a level piece of ground at some height above the rocky bed of the River Dee, about two miles from Kirkcudbright. The situation is a fine one, and the modern manse is yet surrounded with splendid old trees. The abbey was founded by Fergus, first Lord of Galloway, in the twelfth century, and occupied by Premonstratensian Monks from Cokersand Abbey, in Lancashire. The abbot sat in the Parliament summoned at Brigham, in 1290, to settle the succession to the Crown of Scotland. Robert I. and David II. both enriched it with endowments.

In 1503 James IV. appointed Damiane, an Italian, to be abbot. He was an alchemist, and professed to be able to fly; but in endeavouring to carry out his scheme from the walls of Stirling Castle, his wings gave way, and he fell and broke his leg.[118]

The abbey was annexed to the Crown in 1587. Symson mentions that in 1684 the steeple and part of the walls were standing. It is said that the present church which adjoins is erected on part of the walls of the old abbey.

The part of the abbey which contains the ancient door has evidently been refitted as a church in post-Reformation times, and has a gable with a plain belfry.

The old doorway has some features (Fig. 730) which make it doubtful whether it belongs to the first pointed style, or is only one of the reproductions in imitation of that style which were common in the time of James VI.

COCKPEN CHURCH, MID-LOTHIAN.

The ruins of the ancient parish church of Cockpen stand in a burial ground about one mile south from the modern parish church, which is situated about a mile from Dalhousie Railway Station. The walls of the old church are in tolerable preservation, but they have been so much altered, probably soon after the Reformation, so as to render them suitable for Presbyterian worship, that the original features are almost obliterated. The structure (Fig. 731) is a simple oblong, 65 feet 6 inches in length by 15 feet 2 inches in width. There are some remains of narrow lancet windows at the east end, but they have been much altered, one of them being widened to form an outside doorway to a gallery. The side windows have been similarly altered and new square-headed windows inserted, so that almost all trace of the original features is lost. The ruins are also so completely covered with a dense growth of ivy that the details of the architecture cannot be properly investigated. Some burial vaults have been thrown out from the side walls, probably in the sixteenth century. From the scanty materials available it may be inferred that the original church was a structure of the thirteenth century.

PENCAITLAND CHURCH, HADDINGTONSHIRE.

This structure, which is still in use as the parish church, lies in the valley of the Tyne, about four miles south from Tranent. It consists (Fig. 732) of a long narrow building measuring about 83 feet in length by about 23 feet in width over the walls, with a western tower, not quite square in plan. On the north side of the chancel there is a chapel of first pointed work, and adjoining it on the west a seventeenth century aisle. Taking the chapel on the north side first as being architecturally the most important, it measures in the inside about 22 feet 8 inches long by about 10 feet wide. On the north side (Fig. 733) it is divided into two bays, and had originally shallow buttresses of 18 inch projection, terminating with a gabled top. The buttresses have been enlarged at a later date. Between the buttresses there were large pointed windows, probably once filled with tracery, but which is now destroyed. There is another wide window in the east end, which has met with the same treatment. In the west end there is a high window of two lights, with a pierced opening in the apex under the arch. The mouldings round the windows consist of thin reed-like beads, separated by deep narrow hollows. The labels round the outside terminate as shown in Fig. 734. Over the buttresses there is a set-off on the wall (see Fig. 733), and above this one deep course of masonry, carrying a corbel course of small size, decorated with human and animals’ heads. The top course and set-off are closed in at each end with a large skew stone, on which there is wrought the original start of the sloping gable at a slightly lower level

than the existing gable (Fig. 735), showing that there has been some change made here, the existing skew puts of gables not being original. The north wall is bent outwards considerably. It is not unlikely that the chapel was originally vaulted in stone, and, with the view of strengthening it, the shallow buttresses have been enlarged as indicated. The wide opening into the church shown on the Plan was afterwards made, and the vault, thus losing its support on that side, would be taken down. As a confirmation of the opinion that this chapel was vaulted we find[119] that the roof was at one time covered with flagstones. These, owing to their weight, are generally found only on vaulted buildings, as at Borthwick and numerous other churches. From the appearance of the flat arch of this opening it seems to be of later work than the chapel, and on the east side of the ingoing there are the remains of what appear to have been the jambs of a doorway. The chapel would thus originally be separated from the church by a solid wall with a door of communication, and what we have called a chapel may have been the sacristy. This separating wall, it will be observed from the Plan, is much thicker than the buttressed north wall, and, doubtless, was so made for the purpose of resisting the thrust of the vault.

Although the church adjoining appears to be mainly a building of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, it undoubtedly occupies the site of an earlier church, known to have existed at Pencaitland in the twelfth century. Possibly portions of this earlier church are incorporated in the existing walls, and it is not unlikely from the narrowing of the east end on the north side (see Plan) that a chancel arch may have existed. Over the tower doorway there is the date 1631, with the initials of the incumbent, John Oswald, who probably built the tower. About the same time the north-west aisle was built. It contains some details resembling those to be seen at Wyntoun House, in the immediate neighbourhood. In the _Caledonia_, Vol. II. p. 527, Chalmers mentions that Pencaitland was possessed by Everard de Pencaithlan, and that he probably obtained the lands from William the Lion (1165-1214), as he granted the church of his manor of Pencaithlan to Kelso, with its tithes and other rights, in pure alms for the salvation of his lord, King William. After 1309 it is not mentioned among the churches belonging to Kelso. The manor was forfeited during the War of Succession, and was granted by King Robert the Bruce to Robert de Lawder; but soon after it appears in the hands of Sir John Maxwell, younger brother of Sir Eustace Maxwell of Caerlaverock, who granted to Dryburgh the advowson of the church with an annuity from his lands of Pencaitland. This was confirmed by William (Landal), the Bishop of St. Andrews, in 1343, and by David II. two years later. A view of the tower and west end of the church, with some details, will be found in _The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland_.[120]

GOGAR CHURCH FONT, MID-LOTHIAN.

Scarcely a vestige remains of the old Church of Gogar, but the burial ground still survives. It is situated about five to six miles west from Edinburgh. The church was ancient, but after the Reformation the parish was divided amongst the three adjoining ones. The bowl of the old font still exists in the churchyard. It is very simple in design (Fig. 736), and would appear from its mouldings to be of first pointed date. The stand on which it is set is modern.

THE ABBEY OF INCHCOLM, FIFESHIRE.

An account of this abbey is given in _The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland_,[121] in connection with its occupation by the English, in the time of Henry VIII., as a fortification. But being an important ecclesiastical structure, and in some respects a unique one, it is thought desirable to give it a place in this volume, with some additional particulars and illustrations.

The Island of Inchcolm, or Æmonia, as it was originally called, is believed to have formed the cradle of religion in the East of Scotland, as the more famous Iona did in the West; and it is thought that the first seeds of religion were implanted in it by St. Columba himself. In early times the founders of Christianity loved to establish themselves on islands, and in the Frith of Forth ecclesiastical remains are found not only at Inchcolm, but also on Inchkeith, the Bass, the Isle of May, and the Island of Fidra.

Like Iona, the Island of Inchcolm became especially celebrated as a place of burial, and large sums were paid for the privilege of interment on the island. This circumstance is referred to in _Macbeth_,[122] in connection with the defeat of “Sweno, Norway’s King”--

“Nor would we deign him burial of his men Till he disbursed at St. Colm’s Inch Ten thousand dollars to our general use.”

The island appears to have been inhabited up to the twelfth century by a Columban hermit. Fordun narrates that the abbey owes its foundation to Alexander I., who, in 1123, was driven ashore on the island by a storm, where he and his followers were maintained for three days by the hermit who then made Inchcolm his retreat, and who divided with them his scanty fare of shellfish and the milk of one cow. In recognition of his safe delivery, Alexander founded and endowed a monastery, and brought to it Augustinian Canons from the abbey he had established at Scone. The monastery continued to prosper, and, in 1216, received a large addition to its possessions from Allan Mortimer, proprietor of the domain of Aberdour, on the mainland adjoining, who purchased the right of interment in the church by bestowing on the abbey one half of his estate.

It is from this period that the existing buildings began to be erected, and the construction probably went on for a considerable length of time thereafter. In 1265 Richard, Bishop of Dunkeld, built the new choir at his own expense. He was High Chamberlain in 1255-57, and, at his death in 1272, his heart was laid, according to Father Hay, in the wall of the new choir.

Although the island position of the monastery made it usually a safe retreat, it did not protect it from the attacks of the English fleet during the War of Independence. In 1335 it was harried by the English, who carried off the precious chalices and censers, crosses and chandeliers, relics, vestments, and images. The abbey was again attacked in 1336, and in 1384 the fleet of Richard II. plundered it and set it on fire. Some repairs were, doubtless, required thereafter, and we find that in 1402 the chapel of the Blessed Virgin, adjoining the south side of the choir, was founded by the Prior, Richard of Aberdeen, and Thomas Crawford, Canon of Inchcolm.

In 1418 Walter Bower, the editor and continuator of the _Scotichronicon_ of Fordun, was appointed abbot, and carried out his literary work in the abbey.

As the period of the Reformation approached, the monastery seems to have fallen off, and in 1543 Abbot Henry resigned office, and the abbey was deserted.

After the battle of Pinkie, in 1547, the Duke of Somerset occupied Inchcolm as the best post for commanding the Frith of Forth.

The lands of West Aberdour were acquired from Abbot Nicholas by James Stewart of Ochiltree, who became Commendator of the Abbey; and his second son, James Stewart, Lord Doune, was, in 1611, created a peer, with the title of Lord St. Colm. He married the daughter of the Regent Murray, and the lands were united to the estate of the Earl of Moray, who thus became proprietor of Inchcolm.

The island is about half a mile in length, and lies about one mile and a-half from the harbour of Aberdour, on the north side of the Frith of Forth. It consists of an elevated portion at each end, with a low lying isthmus between them, on which the abbey is built, the buildings extending across the full breadth of the land.

Notwithstanding the many attacks and injuries the structure has sustained, its remote situation has preserved the monastic buildings in a more complete state than in most of our old abbeys. The edifice, as it now stands (Fig. 737), consists of the usual cloister court (about 45 feet square), having the church on the north side and the chapter house beyond the east range. The monastery has the remarkable peculiarity of having had the buildings surrounding the cloister constructed so as to contain on the ground floor nothing but the cloister walk, and on the upper floor, above the ambulatory, the refectory, dormitory, and other domestic apartments of the canons. The cellars, stores, and other offices have been erected in a wing to the south-east. A detached building to the north of the church, now in ruins, was possibly the infirmary. To the west of the monastery lay the garden, which is enclosed with a wall. The well, which is sunk on the south of the garden, is built round with ashlar, is 50 feet deep, and contains a supply of good fresh water. A strong retaining wall runs along the north side of the buildings next the sea, and encloses the monastery on that side.

A very interesting relic of the original eremitical occupation of the island still survives at the north-west angle of the garden. This is a small cell covered with a pointed vault, the true importance of which was first pointed out by the late Sir James Y. Simpson,[123] who drew attention to it as the cell of the Columban recluse who occupied Inchcolm at or before the unexpected visit of Alexander I. It consists (Fig. 738) of an irregular stone building, measuring internally 15 feet 7 inches in length on the north side and 17 feet on the south side, by a width of 6 feet at the east end and 5 feet at the west end. The height from the floor to the spring of the arch is 4 feet 8 inches, and to the crown of the arch 8 feet. The cell is covered with a pointed barrel vault, the arch of which is composed of radiating stones, and is covered with stone flags, which form a curved roof on the exterior. The form of the arch indicates that the vault is not of the most ancient type of Celtic building, in which the arch consisted not of radiating, but of overlapping, stones pushed out horizontally over each other till they met with a flat stone in the centre.[124] The doorway, however, which is at the south-west angle, presents on the interior some appearance of the latter form of construction (Fig. 739),[125] while on the exterior (Fig. 740) it is formed with a round radiating arch. There is one small square-headed window in the east end, 13 inches in width and 24 inches in height, the jambs of which are in single stones, without moulding or chamfer. In the south wall there is a rude ambry, 12 inches wide and 17 inches deep.

This cell has, doubtless, been often repaired (indeed, it requires some repair now), and it is possible that the vault and stone roof may not be the original ones; but the walls are certainly ancient, and the structure is very interesting from its being one of the very few relics of the Columban church which survive in the eastern part of Scotland.

Horizontal Arch of the Door, as seen from within the Cell.]

Exterior Arch of the Doorway.]

As above pointed out, the abbey buildings are of different periods, and have evidently been subjected to several alterations at different times. The church appears to be the oldest part of the edifice. It has originally consisted (see Fig. 737) of a nave, internally 35 feet in length by 20 feet in width; a central tower, 24 feet long by 22 feet wide

externally; and a choir to the east of the tower, of which a fragment survives, but which was subsequently superseded by a new choir. The church was lofty as compared with its width, as is apparent from the high pointed arches (Figs. 741 and 742) in the east and west walls of the tower. It is not now discoverable how the nave and choir were roofed, but from the absence of buttresses, and the built water tables in the tower with steep slope, the roof was most probably of timber. Over the arch leading from the tower to the choir there is a doorway (see Fig. 741), which gave access to a chamber in the roof. The church was entered from the cloister by a high pointed doorway (Fig. 743) in the south wall of the tower. Adjoining this, in the south wall, a wheel stair led to the upper stories of the tower. The nave has been much altered, but still retains along the north side an early trigonal string course. The south doorway and other details of the tower also indicate a date early in the thirteenth century (see the details of the doorway in Fig. 750). The tower (see Figs. 741 and 742) rises to two stories above the church roof, and contains windows, each having two smaller arches enclosed within a round arch, and having the spandrils pierced with simple quatrefoil openings. The parapet is supported by first pointed corbels (Fig. 744). In each of the north and south walls of the tower there was originally, at the level of the church, a single pointed lancet window, the upper part of which has in each case been preserved, although greatly altered at a later date. The upper part of the south window is visible in Fig. 743; and a similar portion of the north window is preserved over the door to the transept. The tower had simple buttresses at the angles, one of which is still preserved on the south side (see Fig. 743), where it has been incorporated with the later cloisteral structures, while the other buttresses have been altered. A fragment of the original choir also still survives in a portion of the south wall, which has been incorporated with the later building of the dormitory to the south. This fragment still retains, though built up, the plain round arch of a small window, and its large, round sconsion arch--the former now looking into the dormitory (Fig. 745), and the latter being visible in the interior of the choir (see Fig. 741). This window is, doubtless, of the period of the tower and nave. It has formed part of the exterior south wall of the choir, thus showing that the space opposite it was open, and that the dormitory, which is on the first floor, and blocks it up, has been added at a later period.

What the original form of the cloister buildings may have been it is now difficult to determine. As has been pointed out above, their arrangement is very unusual, the cloister walk occupying the whole of the ground floor, and the domestic buildings being on the first floor. This arrangement is quite contrary to that generally adopted, the usual plan being to have a one-story cloister walk round the court, giving access on the ground floor to the sacristy, chapter house, &c., in the east range, to the refectory in the south range, and to the cellars, &c., in the west range. At Inchcolm the ambulatory, or cloister walk--about 15 feet wide--occupies the whole of the ground floor round the east, south, and west sides of the square, while the church stands on the north side. This arrangement would be somewhat awkward as regards the principal entrance to the church through the tower, which would be left in the open court without any covered way leading to it. An attempt has been made at a late date to obviate this drawback by continuing a one-story cloister walk round the north side of the court (see Fig. 737).

The ambulatory is lighted by small round-headed windows towards the court (see Fig. 743), having wide square ingoings with stone seats (Fig. 746); and the sill of the recess is raised about 12 inches above the level of the cloister walk. Entering from the east walk is the chapter house, an octagonal building, 24 feet in diameter, of a somewhat later date than the nave and tower.

At the south-west angle of the cloister court was the staircase which led to the upper floor (see Plans). The latter (see Fig. 745) has been very greatly altered, and has been divided by cross walls and partitions, so as to form a dwelling-house. A square tower has also at a late period been added on the exterior next the south-west angle (Fig. 747). It would appear, however, that formerly the apartments, although situated on the

first floor, were arranged in the usual manner. The dormitory occupied the east side, and had direct communication with the choir. The refectory was in the south range, and the pulpit from which one of the monks read during meals is yet preserved, with a few steps in the thickness of the wall leading up to it (see Fig. 745). The pulpit is also seen projecting on the exterior in Fig. 747. The west side was probably occupied by the lay brethren. A large fireplace, corbelled out on the exterior, was built in the east wall of the latter department, as shown in Fig. 754. There was an exterior door to the garden from the cloister walk on this side.

The nave, tower, and original choir were, without doubt, the earliest parts of the edifice. The two-story cloisters did not at first exist, as is apparent from the exterior window of the south wall of the choir, above referred to. Probably there was then an ordinary cloister walk running south from the principal doorway of the church, from which a one-story building would enter on the east, according to the usual plan, containing sacristy, chapter house, &c. Remains of a stone seat, which exist along the east wall of the ambulatory, may indicate the original position of the chapter house; and there are distinct evidences of alterations in the east wall, to the south of the existing chapter house. At first the refectory would probably be on the ground floor of the south range, and the dormitory may have been on the first floor over it. The above would be the arrangement of the monastery when built about the beginning of the thirteenth century, soon after it received the gift of Wester Aberdour from Allan Mortimer.

Less than a century later a complete remodelling of the edifice took place. The ground floor was converted into the ambulatory and heightened into two stories, and the new chapter house was erected to the east, with a doorway from the new cloister walk. At the same time, the then existing accommodation having been found too small, the old church was abandoned as such, and the tower and nave were converted into the abbot’s house, a new church being erected to the eastward. The evidences of the conversion of the church into the abbot’s house are quite distinctly apparent. The large arches in the east and west walls of the tower (see Fig. 741) were built up with pointed arches introduced in the inserted building, and the height of the nave and tower divided into two stories by the insertion of a round barrel vault carrying a floor. An extra thickness of 15 inches was added to the nave walls, so as to carry the inserted vault (see Fig. 737). A wing was also added to the tower in the position of a north transept, in order to provide another room on the first floor level, the north window of the tower being converted into a door. The south window was widened and furnished with a stone seat; but, as above mentioned, the arched head of both these windows is preserved. The north room is provided with a fireplace and garde-robe. The ragglet for the roof of the north addition is not built like those on the east and west sides of the tower, but is cut into the tower wall, thus showing it to be an

afterthought. The upper stories of the tower were remodelled, that over the first floor having a pointed barrel vault inserted, and the story over being made into a dovecot, with built nest recesses all round. A wider wheel stair was added at the south-east angle of the tower, to give access to the abbot’s house. The ground floor of nave and tower under the new arch became cellars; and a round aperture, 3 feet 8 inches in diameter, is provided in the floor of the tower for access from the cellar to the first floor. The upper floor of the nave now became the hall of the abbot’s house, having a large fireplace with overhanging hood built in the west wall, of which the remains still exist. Windows were also cut in the north wall to light the hall. The old door to the church was built up, and a new door provided from the cloister walk into the new church.

It is difficult to determine when these alterations took place, and possibly they did not all happen at one time. We are informed that a new choir was erected by Richard, Bishop of Dunkeld, towards the end of the thirteenth century. It seems not unlikely that the remodelling may have taken place about that time, and it is well known that almost no building was carried on in Scotland from that period till the fifteenth century. Besides, the frequent disturbances caused to the abbey by the English fleet during the fourteenth century rendered building operations at that time impossible. The church, however, seems to have been spared, as it is on record that the lady chapel to the south of the choir was added to it in the beginning of the fifteenth century.

The general appearance of the cloister ambulatory (see Fig. 746) would at first sight lead one to suppose it to be of an old date. The small round-headed windows without caps and with chamfers on edge (see Fig. 743), their wide recesses, with stone seats, and the round vault of the ambulatory, have an archaic look; but on close inspection, it will be noticed that the west wall is built against and partly bonded into the original south-east buttress of the tower (see Fig. 743), thus showing that this wall is more recent than the tower. This fact also confirms the view given above that the space opposite the south wall of the choir (where the old window is) was open, and that at least the upper floor, where the dormitory now is, was a later addition.

The chapter house (Fig. 748) seems also to have been erected towards the end of the thirteenth century. It is in the first pointed style, as the mouldings of the caps, bases, window jambs, &c. (Fig. 749) show. It is one of the very few octagonal chapter houses in Scotland, that of Elgin Cathedral being the only other with which we are acquainted. The octagon is regular and the ribs of the vault, which spring from a round shaft 4½ inches in diameter in each angle, meet in a carved boss in the centre, having a circular aperture from which a light might be suspended. The bases of the angle shafts are of first pointed character, and rest on the stone bench. The ribs of the vault have a hollow in the centre (see

Fig. 749), like some of those in Glasgow Cathedral. The building is lighted by pointed and moulded windows (see Fig. 748) on three sides, and one window on the north-east side, which is smaller than the others, and has a plain trefoiled arch head in the interior. The window jambs have no caps. A small circular window occurs near the top of the arch of the south-west side of the octagon (Fig. 751). The doorway enters through the wall of the east ambulatory. It has jambs containing free shafts and first pointed mouldings (Fig. 752). The caps of the shafts are first pointed in style, but they have no bases (see Fig. 749). The jamb mouldings terminate in a rather unusual way on a broad splay. The arch is semicircular, or nearly so. A stone bench runs round the interior of the chapter house, and is raised one step above the floor. In the east end are three arched recesses (see Fig. 748) with good jamb mouldings, finishing on a splay at bottom, but without caps or bases (see Fig. 749). These were, doubtless, the seats of the abbot, prior, and sub-prior. They are raised two steps higher than the other seats. Externally, the chapter house is provided with buttresses on the angles (Fig. 753), terminated with gablets, except on the north side, where a continuous water table, with numerous set-offs, is provided, probably because this side was concealed by the choir, and there was no room for buttresses.

Over the east wing of the ambulatory is the dormitory, which is covered with a lofty pointed barrel vault, and is lighted by small, square-headed windows (see Fig. 743) looking into the cloister court. There is also a squinch in the east side, from which the high altar could probably be seen. From the east side of the dormitory a steep stair leads to a building which has been erected at a late date over the chapter house. Tradition states that Walter Bower had this upper story built as a quiet retreat, where he might carry on his literary labours undisturbed. It is a rude erection (see Fig. 753), and greatly damages the external appearance of the chapter house. It has eight sides, and is clumsily roofed with a pointed barrel vault. There is a large chimney in the north side, a large double window in the south side, and a small window in the south-east side.

The new choir or church erected to the east of the tower has been a structure of considerable size, having been probably about 100 feet in length by about 20 feet in internal width; but this building has now been almost entirely removed, the stones having been used, as we are informed, for the erection of a mansion on the mainland opposite. Only the fragment at the south-west angle, which is incorporated with the dormitory, and in which the ancient window already mentioned exists, now survives. At the east end of the south wall one moulded jamb of the sedilia can be traced (see Fig. 750), from which it is apparent that the choir must have extended some feet further eastwards.

Near the sedilia is the entrance to the lady chapel, a structure about 28 feet long by 22 feet wide internally. It is placed at right angles to the choir, and has been covered with a barrel vault, a portion of which

still overhangs on the west side (see Fig. 741). In the east wall is a destroyed piscina, which no doubt adjoined the altar. The entrance archway has had on the jambs a half-round shaft and two splays on each side (see Fig. 750). A few feet of it remain, together with the base (see Fig. 750), which is of late design, and might correspond with the date of Richard of Aberdeen, by whom the lady chapel is said to have been built.

It has been mentioned that the cloister walk was continued across the north side of the square by a one-story structure. This is now demolished; but, from the foundations which remain (see Fig. 737), it has evidently consisted of a thin parapet wall, strengthened with five buttresses. The passage was about 11 feet wide, and had a wide arch in the solid wall at each end opening into it (Fig. 754). The roof was probably entirely of wood, and there is a ragglet cut in the stone work at each end, which shows that the slope of the roof was flat. These ragglets are rudely cut into the masonry, and that at the west end passes across the corbel of a projecting chimney. This passage would thus appear to have been a late addition.

The cellars, stores, &c., which are frequently in the west range of the cloister buildings, have in this instance been erected in a wing to the south-east. This wing (Fig. 755) is two stories in height. On the basement floor (see Fig. 737) it contains towards the east end a vaulted cellar, about 50 feet in length by 13 feet in width, lighted by loops in the south wall. At the east end a large oven is built out towards the north side, and had a room over it. On the upper floor (see Fig. 745) there has been a series of five or six offices, two containing large fireplaces, and one an oven in the angle. At the west end (see Fig. 747) the building has been carried up a story higher, and had a wheel stair in the re-entering angle. An entrance passage to the interior of the monastery passed through two archways under the north-west portion, and led to the entrance tower near the south-west corner of the cloister.

The south or exterior wall of the above range of offices has been strengthened with buttresses, but, being close to the sea, the south wall has been considerably damaged, and only the basement now survives.

As above mentioned, the south-west tower of the cloister (see Fig. 747) appears to be an addition of probably the fifteenth or sixteenth century, when, indeed, the most of the upper floor of the south and west walls would appear to have been erected. The corbels at the parapet of the tower have the character of those of the castles of the period. A window in the south-west gable (see Fig. 747) is round headed, and has a hood moulding with carved terminals, which look like sixteenth century work. The pulpit is projected on two buttresses, the space between which forms a recess for a seat on the ground floor. The projection for the pulpit has the appearance of being an addition. The large, square-headed upper

windows in the south wall have a moulding on the jambs, and appear to be of late date.

A good view of the whole monastery is obtained from the eastern eminence of the island (see Fig. 755). On the summit of this height there is a flat piece of ground, which has been made available as a fortress, and is enclosed with an embrasured wall, one part being of extra strength and height, and, doubtless, formed the citadel. These fortifications were erected about a century ago, during the war with France.

Doorway in Interior of South-West Tower.]

MIDDLE POINTED OR DECORATED PERIOD.

Attention has been specially directed in the Introduction[126] to the fact that while, during the Norman and first pointed periods, a strong resemblance is observable between the architecture of England and Scotland, after the first pointed period there is a break in the continuity of the architecture of the two countries. Towards the end of the thirteenth century, owing to the political events which then took place, architecture in Scotland came to a standstill, and was not generally resumed till the end of the fourteenth or the beginning of the fifteenth century, when the country began to recover from the disastrous effects of the long struggle with England. Various restorations had been encouraged by royal grants during the fourteenth century, but some of the edifices so aided were only reconstructed to be again demolished by raids from the South.

In consequence of the unfortunate condition of the country, there is thus a wide gap in the continuity of the architecture of Scotland during the fourteenth century. When the country revived, and building again began in the fifteenth century, attention was chiefly devoted to the restoration of the churches throughout the country, which had nearly all suffered severely during the constant disturbance of the previous hundred years. Few new works were undertaken, all the energy and resources available being required for the rebuilding and completion of some of the more venerated and cherished cathedrals and monasteries.

The nave of Glasgow Cathedral appears to have been completed in the early part of the fourteenth century, and the west end of St. Andrews Cathedral was also to some extent repaired and rebuilt about that time. Elgin Cathedral was in a large measure rebuilt after the great destruction by the “Wolf of Badenoch” in 1390, and the Northern Cathedral of Ross, at Fortrose, was enlarged about the same period.

Of the ancient monasteries, those in the Border lands were much destroyed. Melrose Abbey now retains not a single portion of the original church. It had been completely demolished in the first part of the fourteenth century, but was partly rebuilt, through the liberality of Robert I., after the middle of that century; only to be again destroyed by Richard II. during his raid in 1385. To that savage raid was due the destruction of most of the sacred edifices of the south-east of Scotland. Richard’s troops penetrated as far as Edinburgh, when the town and church of St. Giles were consumed; and, in their retreat, the invaders set fire to the abbeys of Newbattle, Dryburgh, and Melrose. Paisley Abbey, in Renfrewshire, and Crosraguel and Kilwinning Abbeys, in Ayrshire, were also greatly injured during the contest with England. Jedburgh was likewise much damaged in the Border warfare, and Holyrood and Arbroath Abbeys show signs of having required restorations in the fifteenth century.

When all the adverse circumstances of the country during the fourteenth century are considered, it is not astonishing to find that examples of the decorated style which prevailed in England at that time are rare in Scotland. The representatives of that style are not only scanty in number, they are also late in date. When building in Scotland revived, the decorated style had been superseded in England by the perpendicular; but the two countries being no longer in unison, the former style did not reach Scotland till it had passed away in England. It was, however, ultimately adopted in the northern part of the island, and the architecture of Scotland, during the early part of the fifteenth century, was carried out in a style which approaches nearer to the decorated than any other style.

This style, as we shall see, passes gradually into a later and somewhat debased style, which, while it exhibits many features borrowed both from France and England, yet possesses some interesting peculiarities which render it a distinctly Scottish style, and will be treated of as the third or late pointed style of Scotland.

The decorated structures of Scotland, though somewhat belated and inferior in size, are yet in many respects not unworthy in point of design to take their place beside those of the later part of that period in the sister country.

The decorated or middle pointed period in Scotland extends till about 1460. Up to that time the architecture is comparatively pure in style, and is chiefly based on the decorated work of England; but after that date it degenerates and becomes of a debased and mixed character, and contains indications of late importations from abroad.

The first building which illustrates the Scottish decorated period is the Abbey of Sweetheart in Dumfriesshire. This edifice was probably begun about the time when hostilities broke out between England and Scotland, and is intimately associated with the name of Baliol. What length the works may have gone when stopped by the war cannot now be ascertained, but the original design in the early decorated style has to all appearance been carried out when building was resumed. The large traceried windows and the details of the nave arcade and clerestory all point to the decorated period. Possibly, owing to the English connection of the Baliols, the design may have been brought from the South in the latter part of the thirteenth century, and carried out with modifications at a later time.

Amongst the principal structures of the Scottish decorated period, Melrose Abbey holds a prominent place. This building, which had been partly restored through Bruce’s influence, was destroyed by Edward II. in 1322. The restoration was again proceeded with, and the structure was again partly demolished by Richard II. in 1385. The works had to be once more restored, and the structure was not completed till the beginning of the sixteenth century.

A considerable mixture of styles, as would in the circumstances be expected, is therefore found in the different parts of Melrose Abbey; but there can be little doubt, from the nature of the work, that some parts of the building belong to the Scottish decorated period, while other parts have a stronger leaning to the perpendicular style than any other Scottish church. A comparison of the details of this structure with those of York Minster, to which they bear a close resemblance, is convincing evidence of the decorated character of much of the work at Melrose. Whether we look at the beautiful windows and tracery, or at the buttresses, with their simple, but elegant, outlines and panelled surfaces; or at the elaborate and beautiful niches which adorn them, with their fine tabernacle work and spirited sculptures and figures; or at the pinnacles, with their carved crockets and foliaged finials, the style of the whole of the details will be found to correspond very completely in the decorated portions of these two buildings at York and Melrose. Other portions of the work have likewise considerable similarity to the later perpendicular work at York.

The details which connect the other structures of this period with the decorated style will be more particularly referred to in the descriptions of the buildings. A general statement of the characteristic features and details of the style has already been given.[127]

Special attention should, however, be drawn to one feature of Scottish architecture which became very prominent in, and characteristic of, the later phase of its development--viz., the pointed barrel vaulting carrying a stone roof, which covered almost all the churches of the third period.

This we find introduced for the first time during the Scottish decorated period at Lincluden College, a building which was erected early in the fifteenth century, and is a very fine example of decorated work. The roof was designed as a double one, the lower roof over the choir being groined and vaulted in the usual manner; while above this vault there was a pointed barrel vault, with strengthening ribs at intervals, on which rested a roof composed of dressed overlapping stones. Beneath the slope of the upper vault a small room was introduced between the two vaults. At the parish church of Bothwell, also erected by the same Earl of Douglas about the year 1400, a pointed barrel vault supporting a stone roof is employed, but there is no inner groined vault.

These two structures are early examples of a mode of construction which specially distinguishes the churches of the late pointed architecture of Scotland--viz., the almost universal use of the pointed barrel vault supporting a stone roof.

The above two edifices further illustrate another circumstance in connection with the churches of the fifteenth and subsequent century. We have seen that during the fourteenth century, and in the early part of the fifteenth century, attention was chiefly directed to the restoration and completion of the large cathedrals and abbeys begun in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. After the latter date large edifices of a similar description ceased to be undertaken. The religious enthusiasm of the people which gave birth to these splendid structures seems to have exhausted itself, and pious efforts were now chiefly confined to the liberality of individuals who endeavoured to raise monuments to commemorate themselves by the erection of small collegiate and other churches, or by founding altarages and chantries in the large edifices already in existence.

As already mentioned, the decorated style in Scotland is of a belated character, and is not generally so pure as that of the corresponding period in England. It will, however, be recognised that the examples given are sufficient to justify the division of the styles herein proposed. It will also be observed that the examples of the decorated style form a striking contrast, both to the preceding edifices of the first pointed period and to the buildings of the later or third pointed style, by which they were succeeded.

NEW ABBEY, OR SWEETHEART ABBEY, KIRKCUDBRIGHTSHIRE.

The remains of this beautiful edifice are situated in a quiet sequestered vale near the base of the hill of Criffel, about seven miles south from Dumfries. The abbey stood on level ground near the Pow Burn, a stream which flows into the estuary of the Nith.

The ruins, though much dilapidated, are extensive, and belong to a fine period of Scottish Gothic, of which comparatively few examples survive. The conventual buildings have been almost entirely demolished and carried off as building materials, only a small portion of the chapter house and some foundations of walls still remaining. The church, however, is complete in all its divisions, although the roof is gone and the walls are much damaged. It comprises (Fig. 756) a choir without aisles, a nave with two side aisles, north and south transepts (with eastern chapels opening off them), and a square tower over the crossing. A level field, extending to about twenty acres, called the Precinct, surrounds the abbey, and is still partly enclosed with a strong wall built with large blocks of granite.

The monastery derives its name of New Abbey from having been founded a considerable time after Dundrennan Abbey,[128] in the same county, which was regarded as the Old Abbey.

Sweetheart Abbey was inhabited by Cistercian monks, and dedicated to the Virgin. The founder was Devorgilla, daughter of Allan, Lord of Galloway, and mother of King John Baliol. Her husband was John Baliol of Castle Barnard, in Yorkshire. When he died, in 1269, his wife had his heart embalmed and placed in an ivory coffin, which she carried about with her, and, finally, at her death in 1289, at the age of 76, it was buried with her in a grave in front of the high altar of the abbey--hence the touching name of Sweetheart Abbey. The institution was richly endowed by Devorgilla, who had abundant means. She was the foundress of Balliol College, Oxford; and by her the old bridge over the Nith at Dumfries was erected, portions of which still survive.