This once noble edifice, of which even the remaining fragments are
amongst our finest examples of mediæval architecture, stands in the
fertile plain of Moray, in the centre of the region which borders the
Moray Firth, and is remarkable for the pleasantness and salubrity of its
climate. This province was long a subject of contest between the
Scottish kings and the Mormaers of Moray. The latter were defeated by
Alexander I., and more permanently subdued by David I., who both
proceeded to carry out the ecclesiastical policy of their family by
founding in this newly-acquired land various religious establishments.
The priory of Urquhart, of which now not a stone remains, was
established by David I., near the mouth of the Lossie, in 1125, for
Benedictines from Dunfermline; and the abbey of Kinloss, near the
Findhorn, was founded, in 1150, for Cistercians from Melrose. The
churches of Birnie, Spynie, and Kineddar also come into notice about
this period.
The chartulary of the Bishopric of Moray goes no further back than the
year 1200, but the see of Moray is believed to have been founded by
Alexander I. about 1107, and the bishopric certainly existed in his
time.[46] The seat of the bishop, however, was not fixed for a
considerable period thereafter, being sometimes at Birnie and other
times at Spynie and Kineddar. But in 1203 application was made by
Bricius, the sixth bishop to Pope Innocent III., requesting that the
site of the cathedral should be fixed, and the Pope decided that it
should be settled at Spynie. This situation was, however, found to be
too remote, and Pope Honorius was approached for the purpose of having
the see changed to the banks of the Lossie, where an extensive and
suitable site for the cathedral had been obtained from Alexander II.,
who was a great patron of Elgin.
The introduction to the _Register of the Diocese_, p. xii., states that
the application for the transference of the see to Elgin was made by
Bishop Bricius, though the change did not take place till after his
demise. This bishop established a chapter of eight secular canons, and
gave the cathedral a constitution founded on the usage of Lincoln, which
was ascertained by a special mission to England. Bishop Bricius died in
1222, and was succeeded by Andrew de Moravia, a member of a powerful
family in the north. Under him the transference of the Episcopal See to
Elgin was effected, and the cathedral of the Holy Trinity was founded in
1224, on the site of an older church with the same dedication. The works
proceeded under Bishop Andrew’s supervision during the eighteen
remaining years of his life.
Munificent donations were bestowed on the see by the bishop’s family,
and through his influence the number of the prebends was increased to
twenty-three. It is recorded that Master Gregory, the mason, and
Richard, the glazier, were two persons employed on the work.[47]
The edifice was probably well advanced in the course of the thirteenth
century, when in 1270, as we are informed by Fordun, the cathedral and
the houses of the canons were destroyed by fire. Mr. Billings is of
opinion that the most of the structure now remaining was erected after
that date. It will, however, be seen that this can scarcely have been
the case. In 1390 the building suffered from another great
conflagration, caused by Alexander Stewart, son of Robert II., who bore
the title of Earl of Buchan, but was better known as the “Wolf of
Badenoch.” Having interfered with some of the cathedral lands, and
refusing reparation, he was excommunicated by the bishop, and by way of
revenge the “Wolf” descended in force from his mountain fastness and
plundered Forres and Elgin, reducing the latter town and cathedral to
ruins.
It is evident, however, from the style of much of the work which still
remains that this catastrophe, terrible as it was, caused only a partial
destruction of the cathedral, and it is likely that the previous fire
(in 1270), above referred to, was not of so serious a character as this
one, the memory of which long lingered in the province as the most
terrible disaster ever experienced there. The aged Bishop Bur appealed
for redress to the king, and the “Wolf of Badenoch” was not only forced
to do penance, but also to contribute largely towards the expense of the
restoration of the damage he had caused.[48]
The work of reconstruction proceeded under Bishops Spynie and Innes and
other Bishops, and probably lasted during the most of the fifteenth
century. At the election of a new bishop in 1414, after the death of
Bishop Innes, the canons agreed and made oath that the new bishop about
to be elected should bestow one-third of the revenues of the bishopric
on the rebuilding of the church until its complete restoration was
accomplished. Several parts of the work, such as portions of the west
front and the interior of the chapter house, indicate by their
architecture that they belong to the fifteenth century. Early in the
sixteenth century the central tower showed signs of weakness, and had to
be rebuilt in 1538.
Some years before the Reformation the period of decline began. In 1535
Patrick Hepburn, son of the first Earl of Bothwell, was made bishop.
Like many of the other Church dignitaries of that period he caused great
dilapidation of the ecclesiastical possessions, and almost all the
charters of alienation of the cathedral lands were granted by him.[49]
In 1568 the exigencies of the Regent Moray compelled the Privy Council
to order the removal of the lead from the roofs of the cathedrals of
Aberdeen and Elgin that money might be provided for the soldiers, but
the ship which was conveying the lead to Holland for sale sank, and the
whole was lost. The roofs were thus left unprotected, and in a great
storm which occurred in 1637 the rafters were blown down.
The destruction of the interior soon followed, and was hastened by the
action of the General Assembly, which, in 1640, empowered Gilbert Ross,
minister of Elgin, and others to break down the timber screen between
the nave and choir. Spalding states that the paintings on the rood
screen--the Crucifixion on the west side, illuminated with gold stars,
and the Day of Judgment on the east side--notwithstanding their exposure
for “seven score years,” were still in excellent preservation when the
demolition took place.
Next followed the destruction of the tracery of the great west window
and other features, which is believed to have been caused by Cromwell’s
troops in 1650-60.
By the end of the seventeenth century the double aisles of the nave seem
to have disappeared, as they are not shown in Slezer’s view (published
in 1693). But the chief catastrophe which overtook the edifice was the
fall of the central tower on Easter Sunday, 1711. It fell towards the
west, thus overwhelming in its ruin the nave and transepts, and causing
their complete destruction. The ruins thereafter became, as usual, the
quarry of the district, till, in 1807, by the exertions of Mr. King of
Elgin, a wall was built round the enclosure. In 1816 the Barons of
Exchequer took possession of the ruins, and appointed as keeper John
Shanks, who was an enthusiast in excavating and preserving any ancient
sculpture he could discover, and is said to have wheeled out over 3000
barrows of rubbish.
The enclosure which surrounded the precincts of the cathedral was of
considerable extent, and comprised within its bounds the houses of the
canons and the town house of the bishop. The former are now entirely
demolished and the latter is hastening to decay, a large portion having
recently fallen.[50] One gate of entrance to the precincts still
remains.
Whether we regard the extent and completeness of the arrangement of the
buildings or the beauty of the architecture, Elgin Cathedral, when
perfect, must have held a place in the first rank of our Scottish
ecclesiastical edifices. It was complete in all departments (Fig. 543),
having a large nave with double aisles, an extended choir and
presbytery, north and south transepts, a lady chapel, and a detached
octagonal chapter house. It also possessed a great tower and spire over
the
[Illustration: FIG. 543.--Elgin Cathedral. Plan.]
crossing, two noble towers at the west end, and two fine turrets at the
east end. Most of the existing portions had also the advantage of being
erected during the thirteenth century, at which period Scottish
architecture was at its best. Good examples of the Scottish decorated
period are also represented, and the testimony of ancient historians to
the beauty of the internal sculpture and decoration is well supported by
the fine fragments which still survive, of which a collection is formed
in the chapter house.
Although slightly inferior in dimensions to our larger cathedrals at St.
Andrews and Glasgow, that of Elgin is in some respects superior. The
splendid western portal is undoubtedly amongst the finest examples of
that feature in Scotland, if not in Britain, and recalls rather the
noble portals of French architecture than those of this country.
The two grand western towers (Fig. 544) are also very notable portions
of Elgin Cathedral, and are unsurpassed by any western towers in the
kingdom. From the simple and bold lines of their design, these towers
have likewise more affinity with French than British Gothic.
On entering the nave by the great western doorway it is apparent from
the remains of the bases of the piers, which are all that now survive of
that portion of the edifice, that the nave has consisted of a main
central compartment with two aisles on each side, thus forming five
divisions, with four rows of arcades running along the length of the
nave. These comprised six bays in the length with an additional bay in
the central compartment between the two western towers. The internal
length of the central aisle of the nave was 118 feet by 32 feet in
width, and the width of the double aisles on each side was 26 feet, thus
making the total width of the nave 84 feet.
The nave was also entered by two large vaulted porches, one on the north
side and the other on the south side, adjoining the western towers.
These porches are now much destroyed, especially that on the north side.
The choir is of unusual length, containing from the crossing to the east
end seven bays, and extending to a total length of 211 feet. This
includes the two bays of the presbytery which, as usual in large
Scottish churches, extend eastwards beyond the aisles and are lighted
with windows on three sides. The three steps leading up to the high
altar still remain. The great eastern window of the choir (Fig. 545) is
divided into two arcaded stories with five lights in each, and the upper
story is surmounted by a large circular opening, the tracery of which,
now broken, was evidently inserted at a later time. In the side walls
there is no triforium, but the clerestory is lofty and forms a
continuation of the upper story of the east end, extending along both
sides of the choir (see Fig. 545). This upper story has separate arches
on the exterior and interior of the wall, and contains a passage between
them for access to the upper part of the building. The arcades of the
east end and clerestory are all ornamented with
[Illustration: FIG. 544.--Elgin Cathedral. West End.]
distinct shafts, having round moulded caps and bases and fine bold
mouldings in the arches. The hollows between the shafts and mouldings
are enriched with numerous and elegant forms of the dog-tooth ornament.
[Illustration: FIG. 545.--Elgin Cathedral. Interior of Choir.]
The windows are almost all lancets, but some of the side windows are
larger, and some of those in the east end have a little tracery
introduced, thus indicating a rather late date in the style. The elegant
turrets at
[Illustration: FIG. 546.--Elgin Cathedral. East End.]
[Illustration: FIG. 547.--Elgin Cathedral. South Transept and South Side
of Choir.]
the east end (Fig. 546) are ornamented with trefoiled arcades, and have
been finished on top with octagonal pyramidal roofs and canopied
windows. All the features of the choir seem to point to its having been
erected late in the thirteenth century, probably after the fire in 1270,
reported by Fordun. The details are all of pure first pointed form, but
from the exuberance of the enrichments the building was apparently
somewhat late in the period.
The buttresses on the exterior of the clerestory are of small size (Fig.
547), the building having evidently not been designed for a vault, but
only intended to carry a wooden roof over the central choir. The side
aisles, however, were vaulted and groined. About the centre of the side
walls of the choir there is a projecting respond on each side (see Fig.
545), which seems to indicate that at one time it had been intended at
this point to throw an arch over the choir to separate it from the
presbytery, and the buttress at this point is of extra size; but some
change of the first design has apparently taken place, and the space
above the caps of the responds has been sloped off in a pyramidal form,
and ornamented with a series of small leaf enrichments. Whether this
change of design was adopted voluntarily, or in consequence of damages
caused by the fire above referred to, it is now impossible to say, but
the result proves how beautifully an accidental alteration could be
turned to good account in the olden time. Possibly the choir only
extended to this point before 1270.
The aisles of the choir do not extend the full length of the choir, but
stop short, as is usual, by two bays so as to admit more light into the
presbytery. The north aisle is separated from the central choir by a
solid wall, having only one opening, through which a passage leads from
the choir across this aisle to the chapter house. Along the south side
of the choir there runs another and wider aisle (Fig. 548), which is
said to have formed the lady chapel. It was connected with the choir by
wide arched openings having first pointed piers and mouldings with round
moulded caps, and contains several ancient monuments. The tracery and
other details of this aisle (see Fig. 547) prove that it has been
considerably altered at a later date than the choir.
Before completing the description of the choir it may be pointed out
that the north wall presents some peculiarities. It has already been
mentioned that the wall is solid, having in the lower part no openings
to the side aisle, except that leading to the chapter house. It would
appear, however, that this was not always the case, as there are traces
in the side next the aisle of a window which has been built up. The wall
is also in its lower part built with rubble, and it may be conjectured
that this wall was part of the original choir of the Church of the Holy
Trinity, which had been begun when the see of the bishop was transferred
to the site of that church. Another peculiarity is that the windows in
the triforium of the western portion are smaller than those of the rest
of the choir. Possibly the western aisle, which was cut off from the
choir by a solid wall, was used as the sacristy.
[Illustration: FIG. 548.--Elgin Cathedral. South Aisle of Choir, or Lady
Chapel.]