SCOTTISH COLLEGIATE CHURCHES
The creation of collegiate churches was a practical endeavour toward
ecclesiastical reform in the fifteenth century, when the foundation of
monastic establishments ceased. They had no parishes attached to them,
and were regulated very much as the cathedrals. They arose with the
purpose of counteracting the evils incidental to the monastic system,
and were formed by grouping the clergy of neighbouring parishes into a
college, or by consolidating independent chaplainries. They were called
præposituræ, were presided over by a dean or provost, and the
prebendaries were generally the clergy holding adjacent cures. In
Scotland, during more recent times, the term "collegiate" was applied to
a church where two ministers (as at St. Cuthbert's, Edinburgh) served
the cure as colleagues, but in the fifteenth century the term had a
different and wider significance. Collegiate churches were then an
expression of the zeal and munificence that were displayed in the
enlargement and decoration of buildings, when all classes vied with each
other in the endowment of chaplainries for the maintenance of daily
stated service, always including prayers and singing of masses for the
souls of their founders, their relations, and benefactors. The
collegiate churches were also an evidence from within the Church itself
of the need for reform in the great Benedictine and Augustinian abbeys
that were then in the ascendant throughout the country.
Scotland possessed forty-one collegiate churches, but space will only
permit us here to deal with nine of them: Biggar, Bothwell, St. Nicholas
(Aberdeen), King's College (Aberdeen), Roslin, Stirling (Chapel Royal),
St. Giles (Edinburgh), St. Mary's and St. Salvator's (St. Andrews).
_Biggar (Lanarkshire)._--The collegiate parish church of St. Mary was
founded in 1545 by Malcolm, third Lord Fleming, for a provost, eight
prebendaries, four singing boys, and six bedesmen. It is interesting as
being among the latest, if not indeed the last, of the Scottish
pre-Reformation churches. It belongs to the Late Pointed period, is
cruciform in plan, consists of chancel with apsidal east end, transept,
and nave, with square tower and north-east belfry turret over the
crossing. There are no aisles. Formerly a chapter-house existed on the
north side of the chancel, but it has been removed. The ancient roof was
of oak, and the timbers in the chancel were gilt and emblazoned.
_St. Bride's Collegiate Church, Bothwell_, was founded by Archibald "the
Grim," Earl of Douglas, in 1398, for a provost and eight prebendaries.
He endowed and added a choir to the existing parish church. The present
church is a fine Gothic building, erected in 1833, with a massive square
tower to the height of 120 feet. East of this tower is the choir of the
old collegiate church, of the Middle Pointed or Decorated period; it is
a simple oblong chamber with a sacristy on the north side. The church,
externally divided by buttresses, has four bays with a series of pointed
windows in the south wall, and three windows in the north wall. The arch
of the entrance doorway in the south wall is elliptic in form. The roof
of the church is covered with overlapping stone slabs, which rest on a
pointed barrel vault--one of the earliest examples met with. In the
sacristy there are a piscina and a locker, and in the south wall of the
choir the remains of a triple beautifully carved sedilia and a piscina.
The sacristy is roofed with overlapping stone flags supported on a
vault. Monuments to the two Archibald Douglases, Earls of Forfar, are in
the church. In this church David, the hapless Earl of Rothesay, wedded
Marjory, the founder's daughter, in 1400, and one of its provosts was
Thomas Barry, who celebrated the victory of Otterburn in Latin verse. It
has been recently restored and made worthy of its great past.
_New Aberdeen._--The Parish Church of St. Nicholas, said to be the
largest mediæval parish church in Scotland, was made collegiate about
1456 by Bishop Ingeram de Lyndesay (1441-1459), and is said to have
possessed, besides the vicar, "chaplains to the number of thirty."[230]
Its clergy were named the "College of the Chaplains" of St. Nicholas,
and after, as before, the institution of this new order the church
remained the parish church. Only two portions of the ancient building
now remain--the transepts and the crypt at the east end below the
choir.[231] The present nave was rebuilt about 1750; the choir was taken
down in 1835 and rebuilt in the most tasteless fashion; the walls of the
crypt and transepts were all refaced except the north front of the
transept, which was altered considerably in the seventeenth century; the
central tower was burned in 1874, and the existing central spire was
thereafter erected. A carillon of thirty-seven bells has been placed
within it.
After the Reformation the rood-screen gave place to a wall, and St.
Nicholas was divided into two churches, the West consisting of the
former nave, the East of the choir, and the Romanesque transept between
(known as Drum's and Collison's aisles) serving as vestibule. For the
early architecture attention must be confined to the interior of the
transept and crypt. The transepts are of the transitional style of the
end of the twelfth century; the piers which carry the central tower are
of the usual transitional type, having graceful capitals and square
abaci supporting round arches; on each side of the north transept there
are two original clerestory windows, and one of them has angle shafts,
with carved caps and mouldings. The present large north window has
remains of its original features, but its tracery is of late work. There
is a transition attached shaft with carved cap and square abacus in the
low pointed recess. There is only a shaft on one side of the recess, and
the pointed arch of this recess, as well as the tomb alongside, below
the large window, are of later work.[232] On the west side of the north
wall there has been a round arched doorway, and traces of it are yet
visible. The crypt is at the east end of the choir, but is on a lower
level, and was approached by two stairs, one from the north and another
from the south aisle of the choir. Only their round arched openings
remain as recesses in the walls of the crypt. The present stairs are
modern. The crypt consists of one central and two side aisles, with an
eastern apse; it is pronounced to be a very picturesque and interesting
structure, and it fortunately escaped being rebuilt, like the rest of
the church. It has a groined roof, and the three compartments in the
length are separated by pointed arches that spring from moulded caps on
octagonal responds. "The opening into the apse has a stunted round arch,
and is a prominent example of the love of the Scottish builders for
this form of arch all through the Gothic period."[233] Each compartment
of the apse has a central boss, and there is a considerable amount of
carved woodwork in the crypt--some of the fifteenth or sixteenth
century, and some later. The choir that was recently taken down
superseded an older one, and it is probably to this former choir that
references are contained in the _Council Register_ for about a century
from 1442.
_Old Aberdeen, King's College._--Of Bishop Elphinstone of Aberdeen
(1488-1514) it is said: "With no private fortune, and without
dilapidating his benefice, he provided for the buildings requisite for
his University and Collegiate Church, and for the suitable maintenance
of its forty-two members; and the Cathedral Choir, the King's College,
and the old gray bridge spanning the valley of the Dee are monuments to
his memory that command the respect of those who have no sympathy with
his Breviary, rich in legends of Scottish Saints, and who would scarcely
approve of his reformed Gregorian chant."[234] The college was dedicated
to the Holy Trinity and the Virgin Mary, and being placed under the
immediate protection of the King, came to be known as King's College.
King James IV. and Bishop Elphinstone endowed it with large revenues. It
was a faithful copy of the University of Paris. The Collegiate Church of
St. Mary, on the north side of the quadrangle, was consecrated by
Edward, Bishop of Orkney, and had eight priests or vicars choral
belonging to it, and six singing boys.[235] It was begun in 1500 and
finished in 1506, and it was said that all its stones and beams proclaim
Bishop Elphinstone their founder, who also presented the chapter with
many valuable vestments, vessels, etc. The chapel is a long, narrow
building, with a three-sided apsidal east end. It is divided into six
bays by projecting buttresses, and has a large window filled with
mullions and tracery in each bay on the north side, except the second
one from the west, which contains a doorway. Similar large windows are
continued in the apse, and there is also one in the east bay of the
south side. Over the west doorway there is a large west window of four
lights, with solid built mullions and loop tracery enclosed within a
round arch.[236] The tower at the south-west corner has massive corner
buttresses. It is finished with one of the few crown steeples remaining
in Scotland, forming,
"with that of St. Giles, Edinburgh, and the Tolbooth, Glasgow, the
only three surviving of those which we could at one time boast. The
general style of the structure is very similar to that of St. Giles,
but in this case there are only four arches thrown from the angles
of the tower to the central lantern, while in the case of St. Giles
there are eight, which produce a fuller and richer effect.... The
part blown down (by a violent storm in 1633) was probably only the
lantern on the top of the four arches, the details of this part
having a decidedly Renaissance character, and being different from
the other parts of the tower. Doubtless the arches themselves would
suffer in the crash, and would require repairing and rebuilding in
part, which was evidently done, as the date 1634 is carved on the
soffit of the crossing. This difference of detail is interesting as
showing how persistently these old designers wrought in the style of
their time. Although it is evident that the present lantern is not
quite the same as the original one, it must be admitted to be an
extremely happy and picturesque composition."[237]
The chapel suffered both externally and internally in the course of the
centuries, but, thanks to the enlightened liberality of Aberdeen
citizens and alumni, it has been recently restored under the direction
of Dr. Rowand Anderson. In 1823 the choir end was fitted up for worship
on the Sundays, and the nave was occupied by the library, which was not
removed and located in a building of its own until 1873. The choir
screen was then shifted westward from its original position, where its
west front formerly bisected the chapel.
"In the ideas of Bishop Elphinstone," said the late Principal Sir
William Geddes, "and his age, the choir-screen was intended to
partition off the sacred _clerus_ from the _non-clerus_ or laity,
and, by the predominance of anthems and songs in the choir-service,
to image forth the conception of the blest society in heaven, where
there is only praise; but the 'Collegium' which he constituted has,
through historical causes, given way to the wider society of the
'Congregation,' in which preaching is as prominent as praise, and
hence came the removal of the choir-screen westward, so as to
accommodate a larger audience than the Collegium proper. This
removal the Restoration Committee of 1891 acquiesced in and
accepted, but the change is one for which they are not
responsible."[238] It will be interesting to give here a brief
resumé of what has been stated by the Principal regarding shields
and symbolism in the restored chapel. (1) As to the treatment of the
floor: no shield has been admitted into the floor but such as
represent persons in close relation to the King's College, of a date
antecedent to the Scottish Reformation of 1560. When the series is
completed, they will be found to represent:--
_Royal Shields_
1. James IV., the Royal Founder. Motto, _Leo Magnanimus_.
2. Margaret Tudor, his Queen. " _Rosa sine spina_.
3. St. Margaret, Queen of Malcolm " _Crux columbis lex_.
III. (Canmore).
_Episcopal_
4. Bishop Elphinston. Motto, _Non confundar_.
5. " Gavin Dunbar. " _Sub spe_.
6. " William Stewart. " _Virescit vulnere virtus_.
7. " John Leslie. " _Memento_.
_Literary_
8. Principal Hector Boece. Motto, _Silva frequens trabibus_.
9. Dean Robert Maitland. " _Consilio et animis._
_In Ante-Chapel_
1. (North side) _Domine, dilexi decorem domus tuae_ (Lord, I have
loved the beauty of Thy House), Psalm xxvi. 8.
2. (East side) _Initium sapientiae timor Domini_ (The fear of the
Lord is the beginning of wisdom), Motto of the University.
3. (South side) _Te Deum laudamus, te Dominum confitemur_ (We praise
Thee, O Lord, we acknowledge Thee to be the Lord).
4. (West side) _In te Domine speravi: non confundar_ (In Thee, O
Lord, have I trusted: let me never be confounded).
The roof has a continuous system of decoration in colour and floral
ornament, except in the four compartments at the extreme east end
over the apse, where structural necessities imposed a variation. The
central space of the roof is filled with scrolls containing the
words, Laus, Potestas, Honor, Gloria, in ecclesiastical letter,
varied by insertions of the monogram of the Saviour, I.H.S., at
intervals recurring. "Below these, and towards the junction of the
roof with walls, appears what may be called a flying scroll of
inscriptions, being a series of Latin texts and chants, chiefly from
the Vulgate, capable of being read continuously, round the roof, and
interrupted only by the apse, which, as explained, has a separate
treatment." "In the apse, which, like Scottish apses of that period,
is not semicircular, but has three facets, being semi-hexagonal, the
frieze inscriptions are the University motto in its two clauses,
with Sursum Corda in the centre. These occupy severally the three
divisions into which the apse frieze falls, while in the
compartments above are the symbolical figures in gold usually
associated with the four Evangelists, viz. the Angel of S. Matthew,
the Lion of S. Mark, the Ox of S. Luke, and the Eagle of S. John.
The flying scroll attached to these figures is the text in
Revelation (iv. 8). The band at the springing of the arched roof is
variegated by a series of shields or disks, in which the sacred
monogram alternates with the emblems of the Passion. The order in
which the emblems have been placed is as follows:
_West End_
South side ends. North side begins.
15. Moon. 1. Sun.
14. Ladder. 2. Bag of Judas.
13. Spear and Sponge. 3. Lantern.
12. Dice. 4. Cock.
11. Seamless Coat. 5. Scourges.
10. Hammer and Pincers. 6. Pillar and Cords.
9. Three Nails. 7. Crown of Thorns.
8. Cross, I.N.R.I.
_East or Apse End_
"The figures of the sun or moon, which are usually represented in
the Crucifixion scene, on either side of, and close to, the cross,
have here by a certain liberty been made to commence and close the
series." ... "Fortunately the fretwork, when reversed, was found,
though fragile, to be fairly sound; and, although not all entirely
on a uniform pattern, a large section of it, when turned upward,
presented the appearance of a series of Pots of Lilies, side by
side, a discovery which largely reconciled one to the alteration,
inasmuch as this emblem of the Virgin is known to have been not only
familiar to, but also a favourite with, the Founder of the College.
The King's College, besides, was originally the College of S. Mary."
_Chancel and Apse_
The Professorial stalls have for the cresting the emblems of the
Seven Virtues, viz. the four cardinal virtues of the Philosophers,
and the three celestial virtues, or Graces of the Theologians. The
sequence is:--
{1. Justice, symbolised by the Scales and Balance.
{2. Courage " " Thistle.
{3. Temperance " " Bridle.
{4. Prudence " " Compasses (Mariner's and Carpenter's).
{5. Faith " " Pillar with Wreath of Victory.
{6. Hope " " Anchor.
{7. Love " " Flaming Heart.
They are repeated in such order on both sides, and the four Cardinal
Virtues are towards the west or exterior; the three Theological
Virtues toward the east or interior of the apse. On the stall
forming the eighth on the south side, there is the monogram of the
Alpha and Omega. On the panels of the stalls, "the leading idea
sought to be maintained was the representation in sequence of the
various emblems of Christ and the Christian life, as drawn from the
cornu copiæ of Nature, in the fruits and flowers of the vegetable
world, that unfallen portion of creation which the Divine Teacher
honoured by drawing from it, and from it alone, His similes and
parables. They are severally as follows, commencing from the west:--
1. The Lily.}
2. The Palm.}
3. The Rose.}
4. The Trefoil.
5. The Vine and Grapes.}
6. The Olive. }
7. The Wheat-ears." }
At the eighth panel on the south side, under the [Greek: Alpha] and
[Greek: Omega] of the cresting, stands the Pot of Lilies as a symbol
of the Virgin.
We have given an account of the late learned Principal's paper as
appropriate to this history. It shows how art can both express the
spirit of the place and become a servant of religion. It illustrates
Professor Flint's declaration:--"God as the perfectly good is not only
Absolute Truth and Absolute Holiness, but also Absolute Beauty. He is
the source, the author, the giver of all beautiful things and qualities.
All the beauties of earth and sea and sky, of life and mind and spirit,
are rays from His beauty. The powers by which they are perceived are
conferred by Him. The light in which they are seen is His light."[239]
_Roslin (Mid-Lothian)._--The church was founded in 1450 by Sir William
St. Clair, Baron of Roslin and third Earl of Orkney. It was dedicated to
St. Matthew, and founded for a provost, six prebendaries, and two
choristers. In the quaint language of Father Hay:--
"His adge creeping on him, to the end that he might not seem
altogither unthankfull to God for the benefices he receaved from
Him, it came in his mind to build a house for God's service, of
most curious worke: the which that it might be done with greater
glory and splendor, he caused artificers to be brought from other
regions and forraigne kingdomes, and caused dayly to be abundance of
all kinde of workmen present: as masons, carpenters, smiths,
barrowmen, and quarriers, with others. The foundation of this rare
worke he caused to be laid in the year of our Lord 1446: and to the
end the worke might be the more rare: first he caused the draughts
to be drawn upon Eastland boords, and made the carpenters to carve
them according to the draughts thereon, and then gave them for
patterns to the masons that they might thereby cut the like in
stone."
He was probably himself the source of the design, and his enlightened
liberality attracted to the place the best workmen in Scotland, as well
as from parts of the Continent. It has been said by the most recent
authorities:--
"The church, so far as erected, is in perfect preservation, and is a
charming portion of an incomplete design. It is, in some respects,
the most remarkable piece of architecture in Scotland; and had the
church been finished in the same spirit as that in which it has been
so far carried out, it would have gone far to have realised a poet's
dream in stone. When looked at from a strictly architectural point
of view, the design may be considered faulty in many respects, much
of the detail being extremely rude and debased, while as regards
construction many of the principles wrought out during the
development of Gothic architecture are ignored. But notwithstanding
these faults, the profusion of design so abundantly shown
everywhere, and the exuberant fancy of the architect, strike the
visitor who sees Rosslyn for the first time with an astonishment
which no familiarity ever effaces."[240]
The original intention was to complete the building as a cross church,
with choir, nave, and transepts, but the choir only has been completed.
The transepts have been partly erected, the east wall being carried up
to a considerable height, but the nave has not been erected. The church
consists of a choir, with north and south aisles, connected by an aisle
which runs across the east end, giving access to a series of four
chapels beyond it to the east. Beyond the east end of the church, and on
a lower level, to suit the slope of the ground, a chapel has been
erected that is reached from the south aisle by a stair. It is
barrel-vaulted and is lighted by an eastern window. There are ambries in
the walls and an eastern altar with a piscina. There are also a
fireplace and a small closet on the north side. On the south a door
leads to what has been an open court, where there are indications of
other buildings having existed or being intended. In all probability
there was a residence here, and the chapel may have served both as
sacristy and private chapel. This chapel was probably built by the
liberality of Lady Douglas, Sir William St. Clair's first wife.
The church is profusely adorned with sculpture which generally
represents Scripture scenes, and one of the most curious examples in the
remarkable decoration of the edifice is the ornamentation of the south
pillar of the east aisle, known as the "Prentice Pillar"--named by
Slezer (1693) as the "Prince's Pillar" and by Defoe (1723) the
"Princess's Pillar." It consists of a series of wreaths twisted round
the shaft, each wreath curving from base to capital round one quarter of
the pillar. The ornamentation of the wreaths corresponds in character
with the other carving of the church, and the grotesque animals on the
base find a counterpart in those of the chapter-house pillar at Glasgow
Cathedral.
At the Reformation the lands and revenue of the church were virtually
taken away, and in 1572 they were relinquished by a formal deed of
resignation. The chapel does not seem to have suffered much violence
till 1688, when a mob did much mischief. It remained uncared for, and
gradually became ruinous till the middle of the eighteenth century, when
General St. Clair glazed the windows, relaid the floor, renewed the
roof, and built the wall round about. Further repairs were executed by
the first Earl of Rosslyn, and again by the third Earl, who spent £3000
principally in renewing and retouching the carvings of the Lady
Chapel--a work said to have been suggested by the Queen, who visited the
church in 1842. Since 1862, services in connection with the Scottish
Episcopal Church have been held within it. At the west end a vestry and
organ-chamber were erected a few years ago.
_Stirling (Chapel Royal, St. Mary's, and St. Michael's)._--On the north
side of the Castle Square is the building erected by King James VI. as a
chapel, and generally called now the armoury. There seems to have been a
chapel in the castle founded by Alexander I., and it was connected with
the monastery at Dunfermline. The original dedication is unknown, but in
the fourteenth century there is mention of the chapel of St. Michael,
which may possibly date from the time when an Irish ecclesiastic--St.
Malachi or Michael--visited David I. at Stirling Castle, and healed his
son, Prince Henry. The chapel was rebuilt in the early part of the
fifteenth century, and in the time of James III. became an important
church. It was constituted both as a royal chapel and as a musical
college, and endowed with the rich temporalities of Coldingham Abbey.
This chapel was the scene of the penitence of James IV., who, after the
victory at Sauchie, "daily passed to the Chapel Royal, and heard matins
and evening song: in the which every day the chaplains prayed for the
King's grace, deploring and lamenting the death of his father: which
moved the King, in Stirling, to repentance, that he happened to be
counselled to come against his father in battle, wherethrough he was
wounded and slain. To that effect he was moved to pass to the dean of
the said Chapel Royal, and to have his counsel how he might be
satisfied, in his own conscience, of the art and part of the cruel deed
which was done to his father. The dean, being a godly man, gave the King
a good comfort: and seeing him in repentance, was very glad thereof."
James IV. endowed the chapel with large revenues, and in 1501 erected it
into a collegiate church for dean, subdean, chanter, sacristan,
treasurer, chancellor, archpriests, sixteen chaplains, six singing boys
and a choir master. It was the richest of the provostries, and held many
churches. The deans of the chapel, who were first the provosts of
Kirkheugh at St. Andrews, afterwards the bishops of Galloway, and
eventually the bishops of Dunblane, possessed in their capacity as deans
an episcopal jurisdiction. The chapel, erected by James III., fell
evidently into a ruinous condition, and in 1594 James VI. pulled the old
structure down and erected on its site the present building. It was the
scene of the baptism of Prince Henry.
ST. GILES, EDINBURGH
"In the centre of the old town of Edinburgh," writes Dr. Cameron
Lees, "stands the great church of St. Giles. From whatever point of
view the city is looked at, the picturesque crown of the steeple is
seen sharply outlined against the sky. Soaring aloft unlike every
other spire in its neighbourhood, it seems like the spirit of old
Scottish history, keeping watch over the city that has grown up
through the long years beneath its shadow. Edinburgh would not be
Edinburgh without it. The exterior of the church itself is plain and
unadorned, and it is evident that unsympathetic hands have been laid
upon it and modernised it; but when one enters the building, a vast
and venerable interior is presented to him, and every stone seems to
speak of the past. St. Giles is a church whose history is closely
interwoven with the history of Scotland from the very earliest ages,
and it has been the scene of many remarkable events which have left
their impress upon our national character."[241]
Dr. David Laing thinks that a parish church of small dimensions may have
existed nearly coeval with the castle and town,[242] and the present St.
Giles occupies the site of the original parish church of Edinburgh.
Symeon of Durham, who flourished in the early part of the thirteenth
century, includes Edinburgh under the year 854 in reckoning the churches
and towns belonging to the Bishopric of Lindisfarne or Holy Island, in
the district of Northumbria, a see which, previous to the Scoto-Saxon
period, extended over the range of Lothian and the more southern
districts of North Britain.[243] The name "Edwinesburch" is taken as
having a special reference to the castle and town.[244] When David I.
founded the abbey in honour of the Holy Cross, the Virgin Mary, and all
the saints, he conferred upon the canons (among other churches) the
church of the castle, the Church of St. Cuthbert under the castle wall,
and at the period there were lands lying to the south of Edinburgh which
bore the name of St. Giles' Grange--so called from being the grange of
the vicar of St. Giles' Church. These lands were gifted by King David I.
to the English abbey of Holm Cultram or Harehope in Cumberland, and
probably the church went along with them; at all events, it continued to
belong to some monastery. In 1393 it belonged to the Crown, and King
Robert III. granted it to the Abbey of Scone; to that house it belonged
for some time, remaining still an humble vicarage.[245]
It is the most reasonable conjecture that the parish church, dedicated
in honour of St. Ægidius or St. Giles, and which has ever since
retained the name of that patron saint, was erected during the reign of
Alexander I. (1107-1124), the founder also of the Abbey of Scone and
other religious houses.[246] Some fragments of this church remained till
the end of last century, the richly ornamented Norman porch, which had
formed the entrance to the nave on the north side of the church, being
removed about 1797.[247] Dr. Lees thinks that possibly some of the
pillars of the choir, and also the door at the entry to the royal pew,
belonged to the first church of St. Giles.[248] The edifice appears to
have been rebuilt about the time of David II.[249]
In the frequent wars with England, Edinburgh suffered much, notably so
in 1322 and 1335. This latter raid, having occurred in February, was
afterwards known as the "burnt Candlemas." A reconstruction of the
church was probably required after these repeated conflagrations, and
this appears to have been carried out during the fourteenth century. But
shortly afterwards a devastation of the town and its buildings was
occasioned by Richard II. in 1385, when, during his occupation of five
days, he left the town and parish church in ashes. The citizens, with
the help of the Crown, made a great effort to repair the disaster to
their church, and from this period the history of the present structure
may be said to date.
"It is said that during the restoration, which took place in
1870-80, traces of fire were observed on the pillars of the choir,
and it is inferred that these pillars must have existed before the
burning caused by Richard II. This view is confirmed by the fact
that, after 1387, when, doubtless, the town authorities were doing
all they could to complete the restoration of St. Giles', they
entered into a contract with certain masons to erect five chapels
along the south side of the nave, having pillars and vaulted roofs,
covered with dressed stone slabs. These chapels still exist, and the
wall rib of the vaulting is yet visible on the south side of the
arcade, next the south aisle; but the vault and stone roof have been
removed, and a plaster ceiling of imitation vaulting substituted.
The above contract indicates that the walls of the nave then
existed. We must, therefore, assume that the church had been rebuilt
previous to the destruction of 1385, and that the above contract was
an addition to the building connected with its restoration two years
after the fire. Although, doubtless, much injured by the
conflagration, the walls and pillars of the church seem to have
escaped total destruction. The style of the architecture would lead
to the same view; the octagonal pillars of the choir, with their
moulded caps, being most probably of the fourteenth century."[250]
The church, as restored and added to after 1387, is regarded as
consisting of a choir of four bays, with side aisles; a nave of five
bays, also with side aisles; a central crossing, north and south
transepts, and the five chapels just added south of the nave.[251] An
open porch, to the south of these chapels, was also erected along with
them, with a finely groined vault in the roof, and over it a small
chamber, lighted by a picturesque oriel window, supported on a corbel,
carved with an angel displaying the city arms.[252] The whole of the
main divisions of the structure were vaulted, and the massive octagonal
piers of the crossing were probably raised about this period.[253] The
vaulting of the crossing, with its central opening, was executed about
1400.[254] The ancient Norman porch, forming the north entrance to the
nave, was the only part of the twelfth century structure then preserved.
The restoration seems to have continued from 1385 to 1416.
Shortly after the erection of the five south chapels, another chapel,
called the Albany Aisle, was built on the north side of the nave to the
west of the old doorway. It opens from the nave with two arches, resting
on a central pillar, and the roof is covered with groined vaulting in
two bays.[255] On the pillar are sculptured the arms of the Duke of
Albany and also those of the Earl of Douglas. Their names are often
ominously found together in the history of the times, and both were
accused of the murder of the Duke of Rothesay, heir to the throne. They
were justly accused, and, although acquitted of the deed, the stain
continues to rest on their memory. The chapels were either built to
expiate their crime, or more probably to get a reputation for piety and
obtain the favour of the Church.[256]
Two other chapels were probably added to the north side of the nave
about the same period; they were on the east side of the Norman doorway,
and between it and the transept. One of them has disappeared, and the
eastern one was dedicated to St. Eloi. The vaulting of the north aisle
of the nave was necessarily rebuilt at the time when the north chapels
were erected.[257]
About fifty years later, great extensions and improvements were carried
out under the auspices of Queen Mary of Gueldres, by whom Trinity
College Church was also founded in 1462. The Town Council and merchants
of Edinburgh also endowed it. The extensions of St. Giles consisted of
(1) the lengthening of the choir by one bay; (2) the heightening of the
central aisle of the choir and vaulting it anew, together with the
introduction of a new clerestory; and (3) the lengthening of the
transepts.[258] The church is thus the work of many generations, and is
the outcome of public and private contributions. That the choir was
enlarged at this period is chiefly made evident by the heraldic devices
and armorial bearings still existing. While the pillars nearest to the
centre are plain octagons, with arches corresponding in simplicity,
those at the east end have decorated capitals, supporting moulded
arches. The King's pillar, as it is called, is the first from the window
on the north side, and is near the spot where stood the High Altar. On
the foliated capital are four coats of arms, and the first has the lion
within the double tressure, and the armorial bearings are usually
supposed to be those of King James II. (1436-1460); the second, impaled,
of his Queen, Mary of Gueldres (1449-1463); the third has also the lion
within the double tressure and a label of three points, which is held to
denote a prince or heir, if not a younger son. The fourth shield has
three _fleurs-de-lys_ for France.[259] These shields clearly connect the
pillar with Mary of Gueldres, and her husband, James II., and their son,
James III., who was born in 1453. The work was probably executed between
1453 and 1463.[260] On the opposite pillar, on the south side of the
high altar, are also four coats of arms, viz. those of the town of
Edinburgh and of the families of Kennedy, Otterburn, and Preston. To
commemorate other benefactors, on the demi-pillar, on the north side of
the eastern window, we have the arms (three cranes _gorged_) of Thomas
Cranstoun, chief magistrate of Edinburgh in 1439 and 1454; on the south
side, those of Napier of Merchiston, Provost of Edinburgh in 1457--a
saltier engrailed, cantoned with four rosettes.[261] (2) The heightening
of the choir and the introduction of a new clerestory were also carried
out shortly after the middle of the fifteenth century, the height of the
former choir being shown by the vault of the crossing, which it
doubtless resembled, and which was not altered at that time. The outline
of the old roof may also be observed against the east and west walls of
the tower--the raglet and a stepped string-course above it being yet
preserved, and being specially visible on the east side next the choir.
The beauty of the vaulting of the central choir aisle is noticeable when
contrasted with that of the side aisles.[262] The central crossing, with
its vault, was left unaltered, and still remains in the same position,
with its vaulting at the level it was raised to about 1400. It forms a
break between the nave and the choir, in both of which the vault has
been raised.[263] (3) The transepts were extended, their original length
being marked by breaks in the roof, where the vaulting terminates.
In a charter dated 11th January 1454-1455,[264] it is narrated that
William Preston of Gourtoun, after much trouble and expense abroad, and
aided by "a high and mighty prince, the King of France, and many other
Lords of France," had succeeded in obtaining an arm bone of the patron
saint, which he generously bequeathed to the church. The Town Council
were so gratified with the gift that they resolved to add an aisle to
the choir in commemoration of the event, and to place therein a tablet
of brass recording the bounty of the donor. This aisle was to be built
within six or seven years "furth frae our Lady isle, quhair the said
William lyis." It thus appears that the south aisle of the nave was
known as the lady chapel, and that Sir William was buried there. The
resolution was carried into effect, and a new aisle called the Preston
Aisle was constructed, south of the lady chapel. The Preston Aisle was
afterwards known as the Assembly Aisle. In carrying out the work the
south wall opposite the three westmost bays of the choir was removed,
and three arches carried on two piers substituted. These piers and
arches correspond with the work of the same period at the east end of
the choir. One of the caps contains a shield bearing the three unicorns'
heads of the Prestons. The structure extends into the choir the great
width of the four aisles of the church previously formed in the nave,
and adds greatly both to spaciousness and grandeur. The church was now
complete in all its parts, as, internally, it still remains, with a few
exceptions, to the present day.[265]
Several additional chapels were afterwards thrown out. In 1513 an aisle
of two arches was formed by Alexander Lauder of Blyth, Provost of the
city; in 1518 the altar of the Holy Blood was erected in this aisle,
which lay on the south of the nave, and to the east of the south porch,
immediately adjoining the south transept. It opened into the south
chapels of the nave with two arches, and had two windows to the south.
There was within it a handsome monument containing a recumbent statue,
or forming, as some suppose, part of the altar canopy. The monument is
still preserved, but one half of the chapel was obliterated in 1829.
In 1466 the parish church of St. Giles was erected by charter of James
III. into a collegiate establishment, but it is not called collegiate
till 1475. The chapter consisted of a provost or dean, sixteen
prebendaries, a master of the choir, four choristers, a sacristan, and a
beadle with chaplains. The revenues of the altars and chaplainries in
the church were appropriated for the support of the several officers in
the new establishment. The King reserved the nomination of the dean or
provost, who enjoyed the tithes and other revenues of St. Giles' Church,
with the adjacent manse; the provost had the right of choosing a curate,
who had a yearly allowance of 25 marks with a house adjoining.[266] In
subsequent charters the church is called the College Kirk of St. Geill
of Edinburgh.
About this period a few additions were made. A small chapel, called the
Chapman Aisle, was thrown out from the Preston Aisle close to the south
transept. It was dedicated to St. John the Evangelist by Walter Chapman,
called the Scottish Caxton, from his having introduced into Scotland in
1507 the art of printing. The chapel was dedicated within a month of
King James' death at Flodden. The south transept seems to have been
extended southward during the erection. The chapel to the east of the
north transept contained several storeys and a staircase. It is said to
have been erected after the Reformation. Used as the Town Clerk's
office, and later as a vestry, it has been recently set apart to contain
the monument of Dr. William Chambers, by whose liberality the cathedral
has been recently restored.
In 1829 the church was entirely renewed as regards the exterior, and two
chapels to the south of those built in 1389 and the south porch were
removed. The round arched doorway of the south porch was again erected
between the north pillars of the crossing as the entrance to the central
division of the church. It has now been transferred to the entrance
doorway to the royal pew at the east end of the Preston Aisle.[267] The
only portions of the exterior which escaped the unfortunate renewal of
1829 were the tower and steeple. Fortunately the well-known crown of St.
Giles was not interfered with. It was probably erected about 1500.[268]
"This crown," say the same authorities, "seems to have been a
favourite feature with Scottish architects. The crown of the tower
of King's College, Aberdeen, was built after 1505, and similar
crowns formerly existed on the towers of Linlithgow and Haddington
churches. The crown of St. Nicholas' Church, Newcastle, which is
probably the only other steeple of this kind in Great Britain, is
also of a late date. There is a crown of the same description on the
tower of the Town Hall at Oudenarde, in Belgium, which is also of
late Gothic work.... Some of the above crown steeples have an arch
thrown from each angle to a central pinnacle, an arrangement which
renders them rather thin and empty looking; but that of St. Giles'
has, in addition to the arches from the angles, another arch cast
from the centre of each side to the centre pinnacle. This produces
an octagonal appearance, which, together with the numerous crocketed
pinnacles with which the arches are ornamented, gives a richness and
fulness of effect which is wanting in some of the other steeples of
this description. The steeple of St. Giles' was partly rebuilt in
1648."[269]
In the tower was placed the great bell of St. Giles, which must have
been heard far and near on special occasions, as when, after the news of
the disastrous field of Flodden, the inhabitants were ordered at the
tolling of the common bell to assemble in military array for the defence
of the city. The bell was cast in Flanders.[270] About 1500 several of
the guilds had chapels assigned to them, and for these they contributed
to the church funds. Many famous Scotsmen were buried within St. Giles,
and amongst them were the Napiers of Merchiston, although it is doubtful
whether Baron Napier rests there or not.[271] The Regent Murray,
assassinated at Linlithgow in 1569, was buried in the south aisle; his
monument was destroyed, but the brass plate, with the inscription
written in his honour by George Buchanan, was rescued, and is inserted
in a new monument erected in the Murray Aisle. The scattered members of
the body of the great Montrose were collected and buried in the Chapman
Aisle, in the south part of St. Giles, in 1661, but all trace of his
remains has now been lost, and no monument until recently indicated his
grave.
The last day on which mass was said in St. Giles was probably the 31st
of March 1560;[272] the disturbances connected with the Reformation
broke out in Edinburgh at an early date, and St. Giles' Church was one
of the first to suffer.
All things have their end.
Churches and cities, which have diseases like to men,
Must have like death that we have.
The images were stolen from the church; that of St. Giles was carried
off by the mob, drowned in the North Loch, and then burned; his arm
bone, so precious before, is supposed to have been thrown into the
adjacent churchyard; the church was pillaged and the altars and images
cast down; the valuables were taken by the authorities and sold, while
the proceeds were spent in the repairs of the church.
"Irreverence," writes Dr. Lees, "had long been common. It was not to
be expected that with the change of religion would come any
additional reverence for the things and places which the old
religion had proclaimed sacred. We read without much surprise,
therefore, of weavers being allowed to set up their looms and
exercise their craft 'in ane volt prepared for them in the rufe of
Sanct Gellis Kirk,' of the vestry of the church being turned into an
office for the town clerk.... It is almost inconceivable that old
associations should so thoroughly and quickly have died out."[273]
The church suffered from the over-zeal of the early reformers and also
from the effects of civil contention when Sir William Kirkaldy of Grange
and Queen Mary's adherents retained possession of the castle. Kirkaldy
took forcible possession of St. Giles' Church, and placed some of his
men in the steeple to keep the citizens in awe.
They made "holes in the vaute of the Great Kirk of Edinburgh, which
they made like a riddell, to shoot thorough at suche as they pleased
within the kirk, or at such as would prease to breake down the
pillars."[274]
In 1560 St. Giles' again became the parish church, with John Knox for
its minister. It was afterwards considered too large for Protestant
worship, and in Knox's time the Magistrates began to cut it up into
sections and formed several churches. Other alterations were made at
different times, so that besides the High Church in the choir and the
Tolbooth Church in the nave there were under the same roof a grammar
school, courts of justice, the Town Clerk's office, a weaver's workshop,
and a place for the Maiden, or instruments of public executions! In
1633, on the introduction of Laud's form of worship, the church became
the seat of a bishop, and the choir was used as a cathedral. Between
1637 and 1661 it was again Presbyterian; from 1661 to 1690 it was once
more Episcopalian; at the Revolution the Presbyterian worship was again
restored, and the cathedral was divided with walls and filled with
galleries. The Tolbooth Church occupied the south-west angle, and
Haddow's Hole Church the north-west angle. The Old Church comprised the
south transept and portions adjoining; the Preston Aisle was used as a
place of meeting for the General Assembly and other purposes. The dark
portions under the crossing and north transept were occupied as the
police office. The alterations and rebuilding of 1829 left the cathedral
still divided into three separate churches, and "the ancient
architecture of the exterior of St. Giles was entirely obliterated by
the reconstruction."[275] As to this "restoration," Dr. Lees writes,
"What ensued was deplorable, and can scarcely be conceived by those who
have not themselves seen what was done."[276] On the other hand,
advantage was obtained by the removal of the small houses and booths
that had been built against the structure and between the buttresses.
All must at least be grateful that the steeple "was left alone."
The position of affairs remained thus until Dr. William Chambers, the
Lord Provost of Edinburgh, conceived the idea of removing the partitions
and opening up the whole building. By his exertions, and largely by his
own personal munificence, the restoration was effected between 1870 and
1883.
"The Cathedral," says Dr. Cameron Lees, "restored from end to end,
was opened with a public service on the 23rd May 1883. Her Majesty
the Queen was represented by a Scottish nobleman (the Earl of
Aberdeen), and representatives of all the chief corporations in
Scotland attended. The ceremonial was fitting the occasion, and
three thousand persons filled the immense building. The whole scene
recalled the brilliant pageants of an earlier day. But there was
sadness in the hearts of all present, for three days previous to the
ceremonial Dr. William Chambers had passed away. The words of the
preacher[277] received, and still receive a response from many. 'So
long as these stones remain one upon another, will men remember the
deed which William Chambers hath done, and tell of it to their
children.' Two days after the reopening of the church, the funeral
service of the restorer was conducted within the building his
patriotism had beautified and adorned, and amid a vast and solemn
crowd his body was borne forth from the place he loved so well, and
for which he had done so much, to his burial."[278] "What a strange
story its old gray crown, as it towers high above the city, tells
out day by day to all who have ears to hear. It is the story of
Scotland's poetry, romance, religion--the story of her progress
through cloud and sunshine, the story of her advance from barbarism
to the culture and civilisation of the present day."[279]
_St. Andrews--St. Mary's, or Kirkheugh._--A very old chapel, known as
St. Mary's on the Rock, is said to have stood on the Lady's Craig, but
no trace of it now remains. Another chapel, also dedicated to St. Mary,
stood on the Kirk Heugh, and was known as the Chapel of the King of
Scotland on the Hill. All traces of it were for a long time lost, but in
1860 the foundations were discovered, and they show it to have been a
cruciform structure. It is between the cathedral wall on the north-east
and the sea. It had a provost and ten prebendaries.[280]
_St. Salvator's, St. Andrews._--The College of St. Salvator was founded
and endowed by Bishop Kennedy in 1456 for a provost and prebendaries.
This bishop was distinguished for his liberality to the Church. The
Church of St. Salvator is the only portion of the college buildings
which still survives. It is now attached to the united colleges of St.
Leonard's and St. Salvator, which form the existing University of St.
Andrews, and the other buildings of which are modern.
The church bears the mark of the period when it was erected, the latter
half of the fifteenth century.[281] It consists of a single oblong
chamber, with a three-sided apse at the east end, a tower, with
octagonal spire, at the south-west angle of the church. In the interior
of the north wall, close to the apse, there is the splendid monument
erected to Bishop Kennedy, the founder of the college. The south wall is
divided by buttresses into seven bays.