most important feature was the chancel arch, which was 8 feet in width.
Its architecture, which was extremely simple, was of the early Norman
style. It had three orders on the side next the nave (see Fig. 179),
each side having two nook shafts, built in courses and provided with
cushion caps. The inner jambs were plain, and the aperture in the wall
was simply faced with a square ingoing of ashlar, and enclosed on the
side next the chancel (Fig. 180) with a single square-edged arch
springing from a very plain impost.
Mr. Muir points out that when he visited the church the walls, “except
the west one, which wants the gable, are at about their full height; but
[Illustration: FIG. 181.--Cruggleton Church. Plan.]
most of the dressed stones have been torn from the corners of both
compartments, the chancel arch and other parts easily got at.” He could
not discern traces of there having
[Illustration: FIG. 182.--Cruggleton Church. North Doorway as Restored.]
ever been more than two windows, “that on the east a small and very
plain round headed one, widely splayed within, and the west one of the
same shape, but much broader, and set square in the wall.” In the
restoration carried out by Mr. Galloway great care has been taken to
restore every part (so far as precedent could be obtained) to its
original condition. As an example of Mr. Galloway’s patient research we
may quote his account of the steps by which the original design of the
south doorway was ascertained. “To begin with, a stone or two of the
internal sconsions remained _in situ_. This gave the position and size
internally of the long demolished doorway. Part of the paving and
massive rubble steps at the outside also remained. Of the external
features there seemed at first to be no trace. The discovery of one
stone threw a flood of light on it. This was the base of a column which
had never been shifted out of its position, but simply lifted and laid
on its side, with the bottom bed outwards, so as to look like an
ordinary courser. I also found about the same place several plain arch
stones, also a capital of simple form, and from these materials, and
especially the base found _in situ_, there could be no doubt that the
external features were a plain ring like that of the chancel arch
carried on engaged columns. In taking down some of a dry stone dyke a
large rybat and an arch stone checked and chamfered were found, which
could only be part of the actual doorway. The only uncertainty is the
height; the original may have been lower, but we cannot be certain. I
adhered to the proportions usual in other examples.” Fig. 182 shows the
restored doorway, “a recovery out of the long forgotten past.”
MONYMUSK CHURCH, ABERDEENSHIRE.
A few remains of the ancient church of Monymusk still survive and are
incorporated with the modern church now erected on the old site. The
village is situated in the valley of the Don, about one mile from the
station of the branch railway to Alford, and is about seven miles up the
valley from Kintore Junction. Monymusk is a place of great antiquity,
being one of the oldest seats of the Culdees in the North of Scotland. A
church is said to have been founded here by Malcolm Canmore, who
[Illustration: FIG. 183.--Monymusk Church. Plan.]
vowed it to St. Andrew, and marked off the tower with his spear before
engaging in battle against the Mormaer of Moray. Dr. Skene[152] points
out that the community of Keledei at Monimusc were connected with St.
Andrews, having probably been founded by the Bishop of St. Andrews. The
church here, like that at St. Andrews, was dedicated to St. Mary. The
Culdees first appear at Monymusk in 1170, and it is said that Gilchrist,
Earl of Mar (1199-1207), built them a convent on condition that they
should subject themselves to canonical rule. Disputes having arisen
between the Culdees and the Bishop of St. Andrews, an arrangement was
finally come to, by which the Keledei were allowed to retain their lands
and dues, they promising to do nothing to the prejudice of the church of
St. Andrews or the parish church of Monymusk. They were thus brought
under the more direct control of the Bishop who is called the
[Illustration: FIG. 184.--Monymusk Church. View from South-West.]
founder of their house, and they were thus assimilated to the state into
which the Keledei of St. Andrews had been brought. Like them, they
consisted of a prior or head, with twelve members, and, like them, were
excluded from all parochial functions. In 1245 the Keledei of Monymusk
had entirely disappeared, and instead we have a confirmation by Pope
Innocent II. to the “prior and convent of Monymusk of the Order of St.
Augustine.”
The remains of the ancient Norman church establish the antiquity of the
foundation. These consist of the lower part of the tower and the chancel
arch. The church, as it now stands (Fig. 183), is a plain oblong modern
structure 45 feet in length by 20 feet 3 inches in width internally,
with a north wing or aisle, and galleries in the north, west, and east
divisions entered from outside stairs. The ancient tower at the west end
and the ancient chancel arch at the east end clearly fix the length of
the original structure, and the modern side walls probably mark the
position of the original side walls. To the east of the chancel arch
there is an apartment about 15 feet square, used as a vestry, and in
continuation of this structure to the eastward are the roofless walls of
a building 34 feet in length. This enclosure is used as a burial-place.
It has a modern doorway in the north wall, and all the walls are so
covered with ivy that no traces of ancient work, if such exist, can be
discovered.
[Illustration: FIG. 185.--Monymusk Church. Chancel Arch.]
The west tower (Fig. 184) is 22 feet by 23 feet externally. It appears
to have been almost entirely rebuilt, except the doorway in the west
wall, which seems to be ancient. It has plain square jambs and round
arch head, with hood mould enclosing the arch stones. The opening in the
west wall of the tower leading into the church has been by a round
archway 9 feet in width, now built up. This wall has been much altered,
but there appear to have been Norman imposts to the arch. The chancel
arch (Fig. 185) is 8 feet 6 inches wide. It has had a large attached
centre shaft and two smaller side shafts in each jamb. The north centre
shaft has been removed and a wooden substitute introduced. The shafts
have all had Norman caps of the cushion pattern (see enlarged sketch in
Fig. 185), but they are now so battered as to be scarcely
distinguishable. The arch is much concealed under the east gallery. To
the right of it is a monumental tablet of the seventeenth century, which
bears the arms of Leslie and Forbes impaled.
From the style of the architecture of the Norman remains, it seems most
probable that they form part of the convent erected by the Earl of Mar
in the beginning of the thirteenth century.
ST. BRANDON’S, BIRNIE, MORAYSHIRE.
Birnie is believed to have been the original seat of the Bishop of Moray
before he migrated, in the first place, to Kineddar, then to Spynie, and
finally to Elgin. Simeon, the fourth Bishop, was buried here in 1184.
The church is situated about three miles south from Elgin, near the
river Lossie, and the road to it from Elgin passes through a pleasant,
well cultivated country, diversified with numerous undulations and
woods.
[Illustration: FIG. 186.--Birnie Church. Plan.]
The church, which is dedicated to St. Brandon, stands on the top of a
small alluvial hill and is conspicuous from a distance. It is evidently
ancient, and, although perfectly plain externally, impresses one at
sight, from the nature of its masonry, as being of Norman workmanship.
The stone work is all of square dressed freestone ashlar, both
externally and internally. The west wall was rebuilt in 1734 (the date
on the belfry), when the church was shortened by a few feet, and
although the old materials were reused, the inferiority of the new
workmanship to the old is very apparent.
As it now stands, the edifice (Fig. 186) consists of nave and chancel,
without aisles. The former measures 42 feet long by 18 feet 6 inches
wide internally, and the latter is 16 feet long by 13 feet wide. The
nave has a doorway in the south wall, and another immediately opposite
it in the north wall. The chancel has a small round-headed window in
each of the north and south walls, and it is remarkable that there is no
window in the east wall. There is also a doorway in the south wall of
the chancel, which has evidently been added or enlarged at a
comparatively late period. Every part of the building, both externally
and internally, is perfectly plain. The only portion which presents the
smallest approach to ornament is the chancel arch (Fig. 187). The
opening is 7 feet 6 inches in width, and is flanked at each side by a
substantial semi-circular attached shaft, which has a moulded base and a
heavy Norman cap of the pattern founded on the cushion, with
[Illustration: FIG. 187.--Birnie Church. Chancel Arch and Font.]
numerous subdivisions. The upper part of the cap has also a small
stepped ornament, similar to what exists at Jedburgh and elsewhere. The
square abacus of the caps carries an arch which forms one square order,
and the angles of the jambs support another square order on each side of
the first. The architecture, though simple, is good, and, together with
the chancel arch, indicates a rather advanced date in the Norman period,
probably towards the end of the twelfth century. Within the chancel arch
there stands a very interesting relic of Norman design, probably of
older date than the church. This is the stone font, the upper part of
which consists of a semi-hemispherical stone basin, with portions cut
off vertically, like a cushion cap, while the top plinth has small
portions at the angles cut off, thus making it an irregular octagon. The
pedestal on which the basin rests is circular, and is fluted with small
spirals passing round it. This, we understand, was supplied recently.
The church also contains a very rare and interesting specimen of the
ancient square shaped Celtic bell, which may possibly indicate that the
present church was preceded by a Celtic monastery, of which this is a
relic, but of which no record remains.
ST. ORAN’S CHAPEL, IONA, ARGYLLSHIRE.
St. Oran’s Chapel is the name given to a small edifice which stands in
the ancient burial-ground situated a short distance south-west from the
cathedral. The name of the churchyard is “Relig Oran,” being so called
from Oran, one of St. Columba’s companions, who was probably the first
of his followers who died on the island.
As stated in the Introduction,[153] this chapel is supposed by Dr.
Reeves to have been built by Queen Margaret about 1074. The chapel (Fig.
188) is a plain oblong, 30 feet long by 16 feet wide internally. As
often happens in West Highland chapels, there is no window in the east
wall.
[Illustration: FIG. 188.--St. Oran’s Chapel. Plan.]
The only light was obtained from two narrow windows near the east end,
one in the north and the other in the south wall, immediately opposite
one another.
The entrance doorway (Fig. 189) is in the west wall. It is more
elaborate than most of the West Highland chapels, having (Fig. 190) two
nook shafts on each side with plain cushion caps, surmounted by a
semi-circular arch in two orders with a label, all of which have been
elaborately carved with Norman enrichments. Those of the label consist
of a series of round and rather pointed knobs. The outer order seems to
have been carved with a bird’s head ornament, and the inner order with a
kind of chevron. All the carved work, however, is greatly decayed by
exposure to the weather. The building has a gable at each end, and has
had a wooden roof. In the interior of the south wall a somewhat
elaborate monument (Fig. 191) has been inserted, which, from its style,
is evidently of late date. The canopy consists of two orders, one of an
ogee form, with weather table, which has been ornamented with crockets,
and has a crucifixion introduced in the pinnacle at the top of the arch.
The label terminations at each side
[Illustration: FIG. 189.--St. Oran’s Chapel. View from West.]
consist of animals like lions of an exaggerated size. The inner arch has
a large cusp which has been filled with Celtic carved scroll work, but
it is now much decayed. A broken piscina stands at the west side of the
monument. A number of very interesting and finely carved Celtic
monumental slabs are preserved in the chapel, and a great many more,
some of
[Illustration: FIG. 190.--St. Oran’s Chapel. West Doorway.]
them said to be the monuments of Scottish, Irish, and Norwegian kings,
lie exposed in the churchyard, and are gradually wasting away. They are
all elaborately carved with the floral ornament peculiar to this part of
the country, while some also contain the dog-tooth ornament, which was
revived here at a late date. This will be further referred to in
connection with Iona Cathedral.
[Illustration: FIG. 191.--St. Oran’s Chapel. Monument.]
Mr. Romilly Allen has shown that the Norman carved work in England was
executed between 1135 and 1190, and that hardly any carving exists on
churches of an earlier date. It could, therefore, not be looked for here
till towards the end of the twelfth century. The carved work in the west
doorway of the chapel, being of a somewhat advanced character of
ornament, can, therefore, scarcely be earlier than about the beginning
of the thirteenth century.
THE CHAPEL IN EDINBURGH CASTLE, KNOWN AS “ST. MARGARET’S CHAPEL.”
When treating of Edinburgh Castle in the _Castellated and Domestic
Architecture of Scotland_,[154] this chapel was briefly described and
illustrated; but it has been thought of sufficient importance to be
included in this volume, with additional illustrations[155] and
descriptive matter.
[Illustration: FIG. 192.--St. Margaret’s Chapel, Edinburgh Castle. Plan
and Sections.]
The exterior walls of the chapel (Fig. 192) form an oblong, measuring 31
feet 7 inches from east to west, by 16 feet in width at the east end and
14 feet 4 inches at the west end. The angles of the structure are thus
not right angles. Although the building is extremely simple in its
external aspect, it is more ornamental and of a more developed form of
plan in the
[Illustration: FIG. 193.--St. Margaret’s Chapel, Edinburgh Castle.
Elevations.]
interior. The plan comprises a nave with a chancel arch, and a chancel
which has a round apse formed within the square east end of the
exterior. The nave is 15 feet 10 inches long by 10 feet 4 inches and 9
feet 9 inches wide at the east and west ends respectively. The chancel
is 9 feet 7½ inches long, and the same width at the west end. The total
interior length is 27 feet 4½ inches. The nave is waggon vaulted,
without ribs; and the apse is roofed with a vault forming the quadrant
of a dome. The nave vault is about 10 feet 8 inches high. (See sections,
Fig. 192.)
The chapel stands on the extreme summit of the Castle rock, and the rock
which is seen rising against it on all sides, except the north (on which
side the level outside is nearly the same as that of the floor), has, it
is understood, in recent years been partially cut away on the south,
east, and west sides. (Fig. 193.) This operation has to be kept in view
in considering the masonry of the exterior walls, for on those three
sides there has necessarily been a certain amount of underbuilding,
which is consequently of a much more modern character than Norman
masonry.
[Illustration: FIG. 194.--St. Margaret’s Chapel, Edinburgh Castle. View
from South-West.]
The genuine surviving Norman masonry begins below the line of the south
windows (see Fig. 194). The first two or three courses, which extend up
to the sills of the south windows, are built of reddish stone, above
which are five courses of a bluish grey stone, the upper course being
above the windows. All the masonry above that level on the south and
north sides is later work.
The masonry of the north and east sides has been greatly interfered
with, as has also that of the west end, where, however, there are
several consecutive Norman courses. The east wall appears to have been
carried to a greater height than the other walls (Fig. 194), as if some
higher building had been attached to the chapel.
The alterations above referred to show that the side and end walls have
been raised, and we have no doubt that the upper part of the west gable
above the window, with the ridge course, is modern, or at least of a
date long subsequent to the original building.
The present porch in front of the entrance door on the north side, near
the west end, is quite modern, although the doorway itself is ancient. A
[Illustration: FIG. 195.--St. Margaret’s Chapel, Edinburgh Castle.
Elevation of Chancel Arch.]
square-headed doorway, with splayed opening, has, possibly in the
sixteenth or seventeenth centuries, been cut through the west wall (see
Fig. 194). There are indications of a narrow doorway having formerly
opened into the chancel on the north side. It is now built up, and forms
an ambry on the inside. (See Fig. 192.)
There are three windows in the south wall, one of them being in the
chancel. There is also a window in each of the end walls, the one in the
west end being at a considerably higher level than the other (see Fig.
194). All the windows are splayed widely on the inside, and slightly so
on the outside, and they are round arched. They are all about 8 inches
wide by about 2 feet high. The two westmost windows in the south
[Illustration: FIG. 196.--St. Margaret’s Chapel, Edinburgh Castle.
Chancel Arch Details.]
wall, and the high window in the west gable, give light to the nave; the
east window in the south wall, and that in the east wall, light the
chancel, the former being in the south side, and the latter in the
centre of the circular apse.
There is a locker on the north side of the chancel, and a piscina
projects, without any recess in the wall, from the south side. This
piscina
[Illustration: FIG. 197.--St. Margaret’s Chapel, Edinburgh Castle.
Chancel Arch.]
has a very new look, as if it had been rewrought or renewed; but we have
no reason to doubt but that it faithfully represents the original
piscina. It has the usual drain.
The chancel arch (Fig. 195), while quite in proportion to the chapel, is
little larger than an ordinary doorway. Its opening measures 5 feet 1
inch wide by 6 feet 4 inches to the springing of the arch, and 9 feet in
height, measuring from the nave floor to the soffit of the arch, and
there is a step up to the chancel. Each jamb (Fig. 196) has two
monolithic shafts, set in nooks, with cushion cups. The arch, which is
in two corresponding orders, is decorated with the ordinary chevron
design. (Fig. 197.) Enclosing the arch is a label moulding, enriched
with a lozenge pattern. The arch on the chancel side is quite plain.
The arched roof of the nave, which is built with carefully-dressed
stones, seems to be of a later date than the walls, the masonry being
finer, and of a different and lighter coloured stone.
The existence of this chapel was long lost sight of, till the late Sir
Daniel Wilson, in the course of his explorations in Old Edinburgh,
discovered the true nature of the building. He thinks that it is in all
probability the chapel used by Queen Margaret during her residence in
the Castle before her death in 1093, and that it is probably the most
ancient chapel in Scotland. It does not, however, appear to be a very
early specimen of Norman work, but rather a fairly-advanced example of
the style, both in plan and decoration. Had the chapel been erected in
the eleventh century, it would certainly have been of a much ruder style
of architecture. No Norman building of that period can be shown to exist
in Scotland. Sir Daniel supposes it to be earlier than the Norman part
of Holyrood, which was founded in 1128; though probably no part was
erected till a considerable time thereafter. Now, the doorway on the
south side of Holyrood (the only Norman portion of that building
remaining) is not unlike the chancel arch here. The caps of the shafts,
the chevron decoration of the arches, and the enriched label are all
similar in design, and there is no reason whatever for supposing the one
to be older than the other.
After the chapel was discovered, it was intended to be used for its
original purpose; a font was gifted to it, and the windows were filled
with stained glass. It has now, however, degenerated into a shop for the
sale of nicknacks to tourists.
DUNFERMLINE ABBEY, FIFESHIRE.
Situated north of the Forth, or “Scots Water,” in the heart of the old
Pictish kingdom, Dunfermline was from an early period occupied as a
secure and pleasant site by the kings of Scotland. Here Malcolm Canmore
had his tower (of which a few crumbling remains still survive), and here
he entertained the royal fugitives from England, and married the
Princess Margaret, one of these refugees, in 1070.
The King and Queen ended their lives in 1093, within a few days of each
other--the first at the siege of Alnwick, and the other in Edinburgh
Castle.
According to Turgot, her confessor and biographer, Queen Margaret,
immediately after her marriage, founded a church “in that place where
the nuptials were celebrated.” This church was dedicated to the Holy
Trinity in 1074. It became the place of royal sepulture, and Queen
Margaret was buried there a few days after her death. From that time
onwards there are continuous references to grants to the Church of the
Holy Trinity, and to interments of royal personages therein.
As no notice has been preserved of the erection of any new church till
the building of the choir in the first quarter of the thirteenth
century, it has been supposed that the nave of the existing structure
(which is in the Norman style) may have been the church founded and
erected by Queen Margaret. But the style of the building forbids this
supposition. None of the English cathedrals were founded till the end of
the eleventh century, and few were carried out till the expiry of the
first quarter of the twelfth century. Scotland would certainly not be in
advance of England in its style of architecture, and we know that
little, if any, Norman work was executed in this country till the days
of David I. Professor Innes is, therefore, no doubt right when he
says--“The original church of Canmore, perhaps not of stone, must have
been replaced by a new edifice when it was dedicated in the reign of
David I.”[156] The style of the structure is early Norman, and would
naturally follow the erection of Durham Cathedral, which took place
about twenty-five years earlier.
Probably the original church of Malcolm stood where the new choir was
afterwards erected, and David I. added the Norman nave to it. The nature
of the site seems to favour this view, as the ground to the west slopes
rapidly away, and scarcely allows room for the west end of the nave;
while the conventual buildings, for want of suitable space, have had to
be carried with an archway over a public street.
It is believed that Alexander I. contemplated the erection of the church
into an abbey, and had possibly made arrangements for the introduction
of monks. At any rate, in the year of the accession of his successor,
David I. (1124), canons of the Order of St. Augustine were brought from
Canterbury and established at Dunfermline.
It was, no doubt, soon after that event that David I. carried out
extensive works at the new monastery, and probably added the Norman nave
to the then existing church of his parents, Margaret and Malcolm. The
monastery continued to flourish, and was largely endowed. The early
church was soon found to be too small, and it was resolved to rebuild
it, so as to form a new choir and transept worthy of the dignity and
importance of the convent. This was accordingly carried out between 1216
and 1226, when the choir, with its aisles, the transept, and the
presbytery were erected. Abbot Patrick, who had formerly been Dean
[Illustration: FIG. 198.--Dunfermline Abbey. Plan.]
and Prior of Canterbury, presided at Dunfermline during the whole of the
above time. After him came Abbot William (II.), whom we find appealing
to Pope Honorius III. for certain patronages and presentations on
account of the great expense incurred during the last ten years in
carrying on the extended fabric, whereby the monastery had been greatly
impoverished. Again, in 1231, a similar appeal was made to Pope Gregory
IX., both on account of the expenses of the church,
[Illustration: FIG. 199.--Dunfermline Abbey. Plan of Nave.]