Amongst the picturesque and beautiful remains of our ancient church
architecture, the ruins of Melrose Abbey most deservedly occupy a
distinguished place. Apart altogether from the charm which attaches to
this edifice from the poetic interest which has been thrown around it,
and the attractive nature of the beautiful locality, the architecture of
the building is of a high order, and particularly valuable from the
richness and completeness of its details, which afford a fine
illustration of a period of Scottish architecture the examples of which
are not numerous. The building stands in the sheltered and cultivated
vale of the Tweed, surrounded by gentle pastoral hills, presenting one
of those peaceful sites dear to the Cistercians, by whom the abbey was
colonised. It was founded by David I., who brought to it from Rievalle,
in Yorkshire, the first monks of the Cistercian order in Scotland. A
more ancient Abbey of Melrose had existed from the seventh century, on a
broad meadow, nearly surrounded by a “loop” of the Tweed, about two and
a-half miles lower down the river. It was established about the year
650, and the first abbot was Eata, one of the chosen band of disciples
educated by Aidan, the missionary from Iona, who converted the heathen
Northumbrians, and founded the Abbey of Lindisfarne. In the primitive
monastery of Old Melrose St. Cuthbert spent much of his early life
before passing to more distinguished charges at Hexham and Lindisfarne.
Here also the monks of Lindisfarne, when expelled by the Danes, found
refuge, bringing with them St. Cuthbert’s sacred body, which, after many
wanderings, found a final and worthy resting-place at Durham. This
establishment at Old Melrose suffered many vicissitudes, and in the
eleventh century was a ruined and desolate place. It afterwards became
the retreat of a few monks, amongst whom was Turgot, the confessor and
biographer of Queen Margaret, and subsequently Bishop of St. Andrews. A
chapel was erected and dedicated to St. Cuthbert, which at first
belonged to Coldingham, but was finally presented by David I. to his new
Abbey of Melrose.
The latter abbey was founded, in 1136, at a place then called Fordell,
and was endowed by King David and his nobles with ample lands. The
church then erected was in course of building for ten years. It was
consecrated in 1146, and was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin. As only a
short time had elapsed since the founding of the abbey, the buildings
then constructed probably consisted of the residence of the monks and an
oratory. These erections were no doubt in the Norman style of the
period, of which style some examples are preserved in the other
monasteries founded in the district about the same period, such as the
Abbeys of Kelso, Jedburgh, and Dryburgh.[132] How long the original
structures continued it is now impossible to say, as every trace of them
has long since disappeared. From its situation, in the direct path
between England and Scotland, Melrose was particularly exposed to
danger, and frequently suffered in the wars between the two countries.
Many of the abbots were distinguished men. Waltheof, an early abbot, was
reputed a saint and worker of miracles. The connection with the parent
house of Rievalle was kept up, and monks from Melrose sometimes became
abbots of the Yorkshire monastery. Melrose also sent abbots to other
Cistercian houses, including Kinloss, Coupar, Newbattle, Deer, and
Balmerino.
The possessions of the abbey soon increased, and it held lands in many
parts of Scotland. Its property was considerably augmented, in 1235, by
a grant from King Alexander II. of the lands of Ettrick Forest.
In 1246 Abbot Matthew erected many convenient offices and buildings and
a magnificent hall on the bank of the river for himself and his
successors, but these structures have now disappeared.
In 1291 Edward I. granted protection to the monks of Melrose, but when
John Baliol opposed him, he took possession of their lands. These,
however, he subsequently restored, on the monks doing homage to him as
liege lord. His letters to the sheriffs of counties show how extensively
the monastery’s lands were spread, extending even into England. These
letters were addressed to the sheriffs in Berwick, Ayr, Jedburgh,
Peebles, Edinburgh, Roxburgh, Dumfries, and Northumberland.
Edward II., in 1322, invaded Scotland as far as Edinburgh, and, in
retiring from his unsuccessful expedition, he slew the monks and
pillaged and destroyed the abbey. The church and other buildings seem to
have been greatly ruined on this occasion, and were rebuilt thereafter
chiefly through the influence and liberality of King Robert Bruce. In
1326 King Robert granted the monks rents from forfeited lands equivalent
to a sum of £2000 (which would now represent £15,000), to enable them to
rebuild the abbey, which lay in ruins; and in 1329, shortly before his
death, he addressed a letter to his son and successor, recommending the
abbey to his favour, and desiring his heart to be buried in the church.
Melrose, along with other portions of the south of Scotland, remained in
the hands of Edward III. for about forty years.
In 1385 Richard II. carried out another unsuccessful, though
destructive, invasion of the south of Scotland. As he retreated
homewards he lodged one night in Melrose Abbey, and next morning set
fire to it and destroyed it, as he also did to the abbeys of Newbattle
and Dryburgh.
About the middle of the fifteenth century Andrew Hunter was abbot. He
was confessor of James II., and was employed in many offices of State,
being Ambassador to France in 1448, and concerned in negotiations with
England till 1460. He was also Lord High Treasurer, 1449-53.
This abbot being a man of such high office, it is natural to look for
some benefit arising to the abbey through his influence, and accordingly
we find that he has left his mark on the church, his coat of arms being
carved at least three times on different parts of the building. This
leads to the conclusion that some portions of the structure were erected
by him, and gives a clue to the date of erection of those portions.
The secularisation of the property of the abbey followed the usual
course in the sixteenth century. In 1535 King James V. was invested with
the administration of the revenues, and, in 1541, he conferred the abbey
on his infant son--Durie, the abbot, retiring on a pension to make way
for him.
During the repeated invasions of the Generals of Henry VIII., the abbeys
of the south of Scotland suffered along with the churches and domestic
buildings of the district. In 1544 Melrose was damaged by Sir Ralph
Eure and Sir Bryan Laiton, who also defaced the tombs of the Douglases
in the church--a disgrace which was avenged the following year by the
defeat of the English at Ancrum Moor. The above destructive attack was
followed by that of the Earl of Hertford, who demolished what of the
Border abbeys had not already been destroyed.
In 1558 Cardinal Guise was Commendator of Melrose, and, in 1559, the
abbey was taken possession of by the Lords of the Congregation. In 1560
it was annexed to the Crown; but an allowance was granted to eleven
monks and three portioners, being apparently all who survived of the
inmates of the monastery, who, in 1542, numbered one hundred monks and
as many lay brethren.
Under Queen Mary the estates were granted to the Earl of Bothwell, with
the title of Commendator, and, after passing through the hands of
Douglas of Lochleven and Sir John Ramsay, they were ultimately acquired
by the Scotts of Buccleuch.
The abbey appears never to have recovered the destruction of the
sixteenth century, and gradually fell into decay. The materials of the
buildings were used for the erection of other structures, and Douglas,
the Commendator, built a house for himself out of the ruins.
The masonry long continued to form a quarry for the supply of the
locality, being used, amongst other purposes, for the erection of the
Tolbooth and for repairing the mills and sluices.
In 1618 the portion of the structure which still remained was fitted up
as the parish church, and, in order to render it secure, a plain pointed
barrel vault was thrown across the nave, and was supported by plain
square piers built against the old piers on the north side. The original
vaulting seems to have been previously demolished.
By remarkable good fortune the statues and images which filled the
niches escaped destruction till 1649, when they suffered at the hands of
an iconoclast, but by whose orders it is not known.
The charters of the abbey have been kept amongst the archives of the
Earl of Morton, and form “the finest collection of ancient writs
preserved in Scotland.”[133]
Of the once extensive structures connected with the Abbey of Melrose
there now only remain the ruins of the church.
The domestic buildings and cloister, including the hall of Abbot Matthew
above mentioned, were situated, somewhat contrary to the usual practice,
on the north side of the church. The course of the Tweed has altered
since the thirteenth century; and possibly this arrangement of the plan
may have had some connection with facilities for water service in the
then course of the river. A mill-lade still flows along what would
formerly be the north side of the monastery; but
[Illustration: FIG. 763.--Melrose Abbey. Plan.]
the domestic structures have now entirely disappeared, leaving only a
portion of the cloister to indicate their position on the north side of
the nave. A door at a high level in the north transept shows the access
of the monks to the church from the dormitory, which lay to the north. A
similar high door, leading from the dormitory to the church by a
straight stair, still exists at Pluscardine Priory, and there is a
corresponding doorway at Dryburgh Abbey; but in these convents the
monastic buildings lay on the south side of the church.
The church is cruciform, and the Plan (Fig. 763) has this peculiarity,
that the choir is unusually short and the nave is unusually long. The
choir extends, with aisles, only two bays eastwards from the crossing,
beyond which point the presbytery is carried one bay further, without
aisles, and is lighted by large windows on the north and south sides, as
well as by the great eastern window.
[Illustration: FIG. 764.--Melrose Abbey. Plan of Nave Pier.]
The shortness of the choir rendered it necessary that part of the nave
should be appropriated for the accommodation of the monks, and the
enclosing screen wall of this portion of the “choir” extended to the
fourth pier west from the crossing, where it was carried across the nave
and formed the rood screen. This arrangement is apparent from the broken
portions of the screen wall, which formed integral parts of the
structure of the nave piers (Fig. 764), having been built along with
them, thus showing that the screen constituted a feature in the original
design. The part of this screen which crosses the nave still exists. It
is wide, and contained a gallery, on top of which stood the rood. Fig.
765 shows the door through it from the nave. On the left is the small
stone stair leading to the gallery.
[Illustration: FIG. 765.--Melrose Abbey. Doorway in Rood Screen.]
The nave now extends to eight bays in length, but it has been intended
to be longer, the west end being incomplete; it is impossible, however,
to say how far it was meant to extend. It is stated that the foundations
of the nave have been found, in excavating, to reach to a considerable
distance westward. The existing nave is 160 feet in length, and has
north and south aisles. Extending southwards, beyond the south aisle, is
a series of eight chapels, which produce, externally, along with the
south aisle the appearance of a double aisle (Fig. 766).
The north aisle is narrower than the south aisle, the former being 6
feet and the latter 11 feet in width. This difference may have arisen
from the plan of the original abbey of the twelfth century being adhered
to in the later reconstruction. The position of the cloister may have
hampered the design, and prevented the north aisle from being widened in
the direction of the cloister.
The central nave is 26 feet in width, and the depth of the south chapels
13 feet 6 inches, and the total width of the nave, with aisles and
chapels, is 68 feet.
The transept consists of two portions--the north and south
transepts--and contains the usual eastern aisle only, in which are
situated four chapels. The total length of the transept over the
crossing is 114 feet 6 inches, and the width of the north transept,
including the aisle, is 40 feet 6 inches, while that of the south
transept is 42 feet 6 inches.
The length of the choir and presbytery is 59 feet, and the width 26
feet. The aisles of the transept return along each side of the choir for
two bays, leaving the length of the aisleless presbytery 24 feet.
The plan or outline of the walls of the church, as above described, is
still almost all preserved, but the superstructure has suffered
severely. The western part of the nave beyond the rood screen is very
greatly demolished. The portion eastwards from the rood screen is in
better condition. The vaulting of the aisles (Fig. 767) remains, and is
in good preservation; but that of the centre aisle is demolished, a
pointed tunnel vault (Fig. 768) having been constructed in 1618, as
above described. A few courses of the springing of the original groins,
seen rising above the vaulting shafts of each bay, have been left
standing. The level cornice at the springing of the inserted arch
defaces the clerestory windows, and builds up the upper half of them in
the interior. The roof over the arch is composed of slabs of stone
carefully dressed (see Figs. 766 and 769). The carved work of the caps
of the piers and other enrichments of this portion of the nave are well
preserved and are of beautiful workmanship (Fig. 770).
The eight chapels which extend along the south side of the nave are in
good preservation, although some parts of the three furthest west are
somewhat damaged and have lost their vaulting. That of the remaining
five still exists, and is protected by a flat slated roof, which
stretches
[Illustration: FIG. 766.--Melrose Abbey. Nave, from South-West.]
[Illustration: FIG. 767.--Melrose Abbey. South Side of Nave.]
over the south aisle and the chapels (see Fig. 766). The tracery in the
windows of those chapels is good, and has suffered much less than usual.
The vaulting of the nave, south aisle, and chapels is supported by a
series of flying buttresses, which form one of the most prominent and
beautiful
[Illustration: FIG. 768.--Melrose Abbey. Rood Screen and Nave.]
[Illustration: FIG. 769.--Melrose Abbey. Niche, in Nave Pinnacle, with
Figure of St. Andrew.]
elements of the building. No church in Scotland retains such a striking
example of that important feature of Gothic architecture.
[Illustration: FIG. 770.--Melrose Abbey. Caps of Piers in Nave.]
The eastern piers of the crossing have been demolished, probably in some
of the attempts to blow up the building in Henry VIII.’s time. Their
destruction has entailed that of the central tower, of which only the
western wall remains (see Fig. 766). The transepts have suffered by the
fall of the tower, the vaulting of the north transept being demolished,
except in one chapel, while that of the south transept is reduced to the
south bays of the central nave and the adjoining chapel (Fig. 771).
Fortunately the south wall of the transept, with its splendid decorated
window, is still in good preservation (Fig. 772). From the south
transept access is obtained to the roof of the aisle of the nave and the
upper parts of the structure by a turnpike stair, which also forms the
only mode of approach to the tower (Fig. 773).
The choir (Fig. 774), so far as the east end is concerned, is well
preserved, the buttresses and gable, the celebrated eastern window, and
the remarkable vaulting (Fig. 775) of the presbytery being all in good
order. The remainder of the choir, however, has been greatly wrecked by
the fall of the central tower; but many of the windows of the choir and
transept,
[Illustration: FIG. 771.--Melrose Abbey. South Transept.]
with their perpendicular tracery, have escaped destruction and afford
the best example in Scotland of that form of design (Fig. 776).
[Illustration: FIG. 772.--Melrose Abbey. South Transept: Exterior.]
Having described the present condition of the edifice, we shall now
consider the different parts in the order of their age, so far as
ascertainable.
[Illustration: FIG. 773.--Melrose Abbey. South-West Angle of South
Transept.]
There seems to be no part now traceable of the church erected in the
twelfth century, except perhaps one or two tombstones. It has been
[Illustration: FIG. 774.--Melrose Abbey. East End of Choir.]
pointed out above that the arrangements of that original church and
cloister probably influenced the position of the north wall of the nave,
and thus caused the narrowness of the north aisle. It seems not
improbable that some of the original north wall may be preserved as the
core of the present wall, having been faced up with newer work on each
side.
[Illustration: FIG. 775.--Melrose Abbey. Interior of Choir.]
But, speaking generally, the building, as it now stands, is all of a
date subsequent to Bruce’s time, and much of it is later than the
destruction which occurred under Richard II. in 1385. The nave, from the
crossing to the rood loft, and part of the transepts are, undoubtedly,
the oldest
[Illustration: FIG. 776.--Melrose Abbey. South-East Angle of Transept
and Choir.]
portions of the existing edifice. The work in these is, for the most
part, of the Scottish decorated period. The nave piers, with their
beautifully-carved caps, and the mouldings of the arches are distinctly
decorated work; and the flying buttresses and pinnacles on the south
side of the nave are, without doubt, of the same period (see Figs. 766
and 773). So also is the south wall of the transept, with its
magnificent window and tracery and its buttresses, enriched with fine
canopies and quaint figures carved as corbels (see Fig. 772).
[Illustration: FIG. 777.--Melrose Abbey. Niche.]
All these features bear a close affinity to the decorated work of the
nave of York Minster, erected about 1400. The flying buttresses, with
pinnacles enriched with crockets and foliaged finials (see Fig. 766);
the niches (Fig. 777), with their elaborate canopies and corbels
composed of figures of monks and angels (see Figs. 769 and 778); the
statues which formerly filled the niches, of which very few now remain;
the decorated tracery of the south transept window (see Fig. 772); and
the whole character of the work, both in its general scope and in its
details, is of fine decorated design, and vividly recalls that of York,
Beverley, and other English examples. It is not improbable that some
parts of the nave and transept were erected during the period between
the death of King Robert Bruce and the invasion of Richard II. It should
be mentioned that Bruce’s bequest was not all received till 1399, and
the operations also, probably, proceeded slowly. The doorway in the
south wall of the south transept (Fig. 779) is apparently an insertion
in older work. It is of a later style than the window above; and the
irregular setting of the masonry on each side indicates that there has
been some patching and restoration in this part of the building. Fig.
780 shows the jamb mouldings of this doorway. A passage or gallery
passed along the interior at the base of the large south window. It had
a parapet of pierced work, now destroyed, supported on a carved cornice
(Fig. 781), having angels playing on instruments introduced at
intervals.
It is sometimes said that the north wall of the transept (Fig. 782) is
of earlier date than the rest; and, at first sight, the three simple
lights and the semicircular doors might give ground for that view. But,
on closer inspection, it is seen that the windows correspond with those
of the clerestory of the nave, and the round arches are simply one of
the peculiarities of Scottish Gothic in which that form is preserved,
especially in doorways, throughout all the periods of the style. The
long lying panel about the middle of the north wall further indicates a
late date.
[Illustration: FIG. 778.--Melrose Abbey. Pinnacle on South Side of Nave,
with Statue of Virgin.]
It seems to have contained a row of statues, as fourteen pedestals or
corbels still occupy its base. The small circular window in the gable,
filled with simple tracery (similar to a window at Dryburgh), is also a
late feature.
[Illustration: FIG. 779.--Melrose Abbey. Doorway in South Transept.]
The south chapels of the nave have apparently been added during the
repairs of the earlier part of the fifteenth century. The forms of the
flying buttresses (see Fig. 766), which extend beyond the outer wall of
the chapels so as to comprise them, show that the restoration of this
part of the nave is all part of one design; and the arms of Abbot Hunter
(Fig. 783), which occur on the niche-corbel of the east buttress,
indicate that these buttresses were probably executed towards the middle
of the fifteenth century. The tracery in the windows of the south
chapels would tend to confirm the belief that they belong to the
decorated period, but for the fact that this feature cannot be fully
relied on in Scotland as an index of date, tracery similar to this being
sometimes used at a later time.
[Illustration: FIG. 780.--Melrose Abbey. Door Jamb in South Transept.]
[Illustration: FIG. 781.--Melrose Abbey. Cornice under Gallery, inside
South Window of Transept.]
There is a distinct change in the design of the transepts from that of
the nave, as if the former had been added to the latter at a later
period.
[Illustration: FIG. 782.--Melrose Abbey. North Transept.]
This is observable in the west wall of the north transept (see Fig.
782), but still more so in the west wall of the south transept (Fig.
784). The window nearest the nave is of a different design from that of
the one further off. The former (Fig. 785) may be older, and the latter
(which is the same as the other windows of the choir and transept) was,
probably, built at the same time as the latter. The stair turret is,
doubtless, also of this date. It may be remarked, in connection with
this point, that the bases of the two piers of the south aisle of the
nave, next the crossing (see Fig. 784), differ from those of the
remainder of the nave aisle (Fig. 786), as well as from the bases of the
east piers of the transept (Fig. 787). These bases also differ from
those of the nave piers (Fig. 788). The same Fig. also shows the
exterior base of the choir. The pier at the angle of the south aisle
with the transept has no wall-shaft to carry the vaulting, which springs
from a corbel (see Fig. 784). The vaulting at this angle is also
peculiar, and does not fit well with the aisle vaults further west, but
has a straight piece of wall built in perpendicularly for the cross rib
to stop upon (see Fig. 784). These points appear to indicate that the
piers next the crossing are older than the remainder. The vaulting
shafts of the main nave piers are somewhat unusual in design (Fig. 789),
having in their lower part the appearance of a double shaft, although
above the corbel, near the level of the capitals, they assume the form
of a triple vaulting shaft of the usual design. The same arrangement has
been copied in the transept (Fig. 790), where the piers seem to have
been carried up from old bases, as the double vaulting shaft has no
proper base, but simply buts against the round form of the ancient base
(see Fig. 787), and in some cases fits on to it awkwardly.
[Illustration: FIG. 783.--Melrose Abbey. Abbot Hunter’s Arms.]
Turning now to the choir, we find that the east wall and the other
eastern parts of the structure are more recent than the nave. Probably
this portion of the church (see Fig. 774) had been more damaged by
Richard II. than the nave, and required to be almost wholly rebuilt. The
style here corresponds closely with the “perpendicular” of England which
prevailed in the fifteenth century. Most of the clerestory windows of
the choir and presbytery are markedly in this style. The great eastern
window (see Fig. 774) is exceptional and unique, but it has more of the
character of perpendicular than any other style. The design of the
buttresses is slightly different from that of the south wall of the
transept (compare Figs. 772 and 774), but the niches and canopies are
very similar. The upper part of the gable consists of a series of
niches
[Illustration: FIG. 784.--Melrose Abbey. West Side of South Transept.]
over the window arch, which diminish as they ascend towards the apex;
and the gable coping, crowned with a pierced parapet, filled in with
quatrefoils, corresponds generally in both cases. The design of the
choir appears to have been borrowed from that of the transept, but is of
a lighter character; or possibly the latter may have been damaged in
1385, and the upper part of both gables may have been designed by the
artist who had charge of the restoration in the fifteenth century. It
will be observed that flying buttresses are continued round this part of
the structure as well as the nave.
[Illustration: FIG. 785.--Melrose Abbey. Clerestory Window in West Wall
of South Transept.]
As above stated, the upper portion of the choir walls has been
reconstructed at a date in the fifteenth century later than the nave.
The
[Illustration: FIG. 786.--Melrose Abbey.