The ruins of this abbey stand on the banks of the Forth, about a mile
eastward from Stirling. The buildings are almost completely ruined, the
detached tower at the west being almost the only part which remains in
anything like a complete state. The plan of the church and the abbey
buildings can only be conjectured from grass-grown foundations, with
here and there a base course of dressed stone. The west doorway,
however, although in a very mutilated condition, is nearly entire, as
also is a portion of a gable wall and side walls at the extreme
south-east corner of the buildings. All else is in the most fragmentary
condition. The ground on which the church and cloister were erected is
level, but to the east it slopes downward to the river, as indicated on
the Plan (Fig. 632).
[Illustration: FIG. 632.--Cambuskenneth Abbey. Plan.]
Till 1864 the whole site was covered with grassy mounds of earth, which
indicated where buildings had formerly stood. In that year excavations
were made, an account of which, together with a plan of the site by Mr.
Mackison, architect, Stirling, was published.[80]
The church (see Fig. 632) was cruciform, having a nave, with a north
aisle only; transepts, with eastern aisles; and a short aisleless
presbytery. The length of the nave was about 120 feet, and the width
about 35 feet between the walls. The transepts were about 70 feet long
from north to south by about 38 feet in width within the walls, and the
total internal length of the church was about 190 feet. The whole
structure was of one period, being entirely of first pointed or
thirteenth century work; so much at least can be surmised from the Plan
and from the west doorway (Fig. 633). The doorway projects about 9
inches from the face of the wall, and in the ingoing had five shafts in
each jamb, all detached except one, and there was also a shaft in the
outer angles of the projection in front of the west wall. In the nooks
between the shafts there are smaller beads or shafts, all treated with
separate caps. On either side of the outer shafts the dog-tooth ornament
occurs. The jamb mouldings are much better preserved than those of the
arch, the former having been buried in the ruins for centuries, while
the latter, being within the reach of mischievous hands, have been very
much defaced. An idea of the character of the mouldings will be obtained
from the enlarged section (see Fig. 633); there was only one enrichment,
and that was the dog-tooth. It will be observed that the inner moulding
of the arch does not come to a point, but has a kind of flat keystone
introduced, although the outer mouldings appear to have met in the usual
way. A few bases of the shafts of a wall arcade remain against the south
wall of the nave. An angle buttress at the north-east corner of the
transept indicates later work, probably inserted here owing to the
failure of the original buttresses, which are flat, and have little
projection to support the vaulting.
The cloister, which lay on the south side of the church, was about 80
feet square. On the east side of the cloister, in a line with the south
transept, there occurred first the slype and then the chapter house. The
latter was a small apartment of about 21 feet square, which was, as
usual, vaulted, and had an octagonal centre pillar.
A long, narrow building, which was doubtless the refectory, occupied the
south side of the cloister. It measured about 70 feet long by 25 feet
wide. To the east of this there are situated a cottage and an outhouse;
the latter is certainly quite modern, and the cottage may have been a
part of the monastery.
About 180 feet east from the chapter house a long range of buildings
extended for upwards of 250 feet in a north and south direction; but as
these are fragmentary, and as the detached buildings of a monastery were
not conformable to a general plan, it is needless to attempt to define
these further than to point out that the upper story of the south-east
building was a dovecot, the walls of which are entire to a height of
about 20 feet. The range of buildings, of which the dovecot forms the
end next the river, extends, in its present condition, for about 120
feet westwards.
[Illustration: FIG. 633.--Cambuskenneth Abbey. West Doorway.]
[Illustration: FIG. 634.--Cambuskenneth Abbey. The Tower from
South-East.]
The tower (Fig. 634), which is the best preserved portion of the
monastery, stands near the north-west angle of the church, but is
detached from it. The abbey being situated on the extensive plain known
as the Carse of Stirling, probably after the Reformation the tower was
found to be useful as a place of outlook over the level country around,
and also, perhaps, as a place of security. The monastery was difficult
of access, being almost surrounded by the river Forth, which winds here
in a remarkable manner. It is, therefore, not unlikely that for the
above reasons the tower has been preserved entire. It measures rather
more than 30 feet square, with walls about 6 feet thick. It is groin
vaulted on the ground floor, and has an octagonal turret stair leading
to the top. From old plates it appears to have been finished on the top
with the usual cape house and chimneys. The existence of fireplaces
indicates, as above suggested, that the tower was taken possession of as
a watch tower or castle, and was thus preserved. It is peculiar in being
detached from the church, from which it is separated about 20 feet. The
entrance to the tower (see Fig. 634) is by a narrow doorway in the south
front. It has a slightly projecting porch with a high gablet, containing
a niche, and is surmounted by a buttress. There are indications of
buildings having been attached to the tower on the east side, but they
have been of later construction than the tower, and were probably
outhouses, such as are frequently found in connection with the pele
towers. The finishing of the upper part of the parapet is modern. The
tower is four stories in height, and is of good simple design in the
later first pointed style.
The abbey was founded by King David I., with the consent of his eldest
son, Prince Henry. The foundation charter is without date, but it
probably belongs to the year 1147.[81] It appears to have been the
original intention to call the abbey by the name of St. Mary, Stirling,
as in the first charter it is by this name that the lands and fishings
of Cambuskenneth are granted, and in all the early charters during the
time of the first three abbots it is so designated. In 1201, as appears
from two bulls by Pope Innocent III., the name was changed to St. Mary,
Cambuskenneth.
The abbey was a house of the Canons Regular of St. Augustine, brought
from Aroise Abbey, in the French province of Artois. The monastery was
richly endowed. In 1445 the establishment consisted of the abbot, the
prior, and seventeen monks. Many of the abbots were distinguished men,
and were much employed as statesmen and Ambassadors.
About one hundred years after the above date of 1201 the abbey was in a
distressful condition, owing to losses which it had suffered “by the
wars which had for a long time raged in those parts, and by the conduct
of certain sons of iniquity, who had seized and carried off the
chalices, books, and the rest of the ornaments of the altar and other
goods belonging to the abbey, and through the destruction of the bell
tower by lightning, which had so reduced their circumstances that they
were totally unable to repair the choir of the abbey, which was going to
ruin.”[82] The abbot and convent appealed to Clement V., and, by a bull
dated 15th September 1306, he conferred on the convent, by way of
compensation, the perpetual vicarage of the Parish Church of
Clackmannan. Probably it is to about this time that we may assign the
erection of the tower, and that it should be constructed so as to form a
place of strength, as suggested above, seems natural from the foregoing
narrative.
During the time of Abbot Mylne (1517-48) the great altar and chapter
house were rebuilt, and two new cemeteries were formed. These were
consecrated and dedicated, on 11th July 1521, by James, Bishop of
Dunblane. Regarding the existence of a previous chapter house there is
ample evidence, but the circumstances which required a new one to be
built are not known.
During the time of Adam Erskine as commendator (1562-1608), his chief,
John, Earl of Mar, Lord Erskine, built his palace in the High Street of
Stirling, and the tradition is that he used the carved stones of the
abbey for this purpose. There is no evidence in support of this, and we
do not think there is anything in the circumstances to confirm it. We
have already referred to the matter at some length.[83]
The Abbey of Cambuskenneth figured prominently in many events of
national importance. James III. and his queen, Margaret of Denmark, were
here interred before the high altar, and their remains were found in the
excavations of 1864, and were reinterred, a stone altar-monument being
erected over them by Queen Victoria.