[Illustration: FIG. 979.--Dunkeld Cathedral. North-West Angle of Nave
and Tower.]
its recumbent statue (see Fig. 975), its carved sarcophagus and arched
canopy, is a good example of Scottish work of the fifteenth century. It
is now much damaged, but the fine carving of the crockets and ornaments,
and the sculptured figures of the angels bearing shields, are still
fairly preserved. The arms on the shields are now so far decayed as to
be with difficulty legible.[28]
A very fine altar tomb (Fig. 980) still remains in the south side of the
eastern part of the choir, now used as a vestibule to the parish church.
This is the monument of the famous “Wolf of Badenoch,” son of Robert
II., at one time a great enemy to the Church, and the destroyer of Elgin
Cathedral. Having been compelled by the king to do penance, he received
absolution at the hands of the Archbishop of St. Andrews, in the
[Illustration: FIG. 980.--Dunkeld Cathedral. Monument of the “Wolf of
Badenoch.”]
Blackfriars Church, at Perth. The monument dates from about 1394. It
contains a massive figure of the “Wolf” in complete armour, with his
feet resting on a lion. On the sarcophagus are carved a number of
figures in armour, in different attitudes.[29] There is a mutilated
headless figure, supposed to represent Bishop Sinclair, lying beside the
“Wolf of Badenoch’s” monument; and other memorials of him are the
engrailed crosses on the east and west gables. These are cut out of the
solid stone, and have probably been renewed.
Nearly opposite Bishop Cardeny’s monument, against the north wall of the
nave, there is one of those grave slabs (Fig. 981) of which several
[Illustration: FIG. 981.--Dunkeld Cathedral. Grave Slab.]
examples have been illustrated, and unfortunately, like most others, it
is in a very wasted condition from exposure to the weather. It is also
broken, as shown on the sketch. The slab is of red sandstone, and
measures 5 ft. 8 in. long by 3 ft. 4 in. wide. It is divided into four
sunk panels, with a three-quarter size figure in each panel, and the
figures are flush with the general surface. It cannot be determined what
the costumes of the figures are. No. 2 has, on the dexter side, a
bishop’s crozier, and, on the sinister side, what may have been a
shield. No. 1 was probably distinguished in the same way, there being
something visible on the sinister side. No. 3 has, on dexter side, a
shield with a lion rampant; on sinister side, a square with initials
only, the last of which (S) is legible. No. 4 is certainly the figure
of a woman, with large epaulets and a necklace; on her dexter side is a
shield with three innescutcheons, probably for Hay, and, on the sinister
side, the initials B. H. Beneath each pair of figures there has been an
inscription--the upper one, as far as legible, being, “This is the
honorabille Bv ... Spovs of Arnetvllie.” Of the other marginal
inscriptions nothing legible can be made out. Along the base of the
stone there are sculptured seven small figures.
The dates of the different parts of the cathedral, as given by Abbot
Myln, would, if thoroughly reliable, be invaluable in connection with
the history of Scottish architecture. Few, if any, of our ecclesiastical
edifices have the periods of their erection so distinctly recorded. The
peculiarity of the design, however, renders it somewhat difficult to
make any general application of the above dates to the architecture of
other buildings. It seems likely that the different parts of the
structure were begun at the dates given by Abbot Myln, but not completed
for some time thereafter. From the analogy with other Scottish
structures, especially with Paisley Abbey, which it in some respects
closely resembles, the nave of Dunkeld Cathedral must undoubtedly be
classed as belonging to the third pointed period.