St Mary's Abbey, Melrose is a partly ruined

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whic ...

of the

Cistercian order The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Sain ...

Melrose Melrose may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Melrose, Scottish Borders, a town in the Scottish Borders, Scotland ** Melrose Abbey, ruined monastery ** Melrose RFC, rugby club Australia * Melrose, Queensland, a locality in the South Burnett R ...

Roxburghshire Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh ( gd, Siorrachd Rosbroig) is a historic county and registration county in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. It borders Dumfriesshire to the west, Selkirkshire and Midlothian to the north-west, and Be ...

, in the

Scottish Borders The Scottish Borders ( sco, the Mairches, 'the Marches'; gd, Crìochan na h-Alba) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Dumfries and Galloway, East Lothian, Midlothian, South Lanarkshire, West Lot ...

. It was founded in 1136 by Cistercian monks at the request of King David I of Scotland and was the chief house of that order in the country until the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

. It was headed by the abbot or commendator of Melrose. Today the abbey is maintained by Historic Environment Scotland as a

scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and ...

. The east end of the abbey was completed in 1146. Other buildings in the complex were added over the next 50 years. The abbey was built in the Gothic manner and in the form of a St. John's Cross. A considerable portion of the abbey is now in ruins. A structure dating from 1590 is maintained as a museum open to the public. Alexander II and other Scottish kings and nobles are buried at the abbey. A lead container believed to hold the embalmed heart of

Robert the Bruce Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (Scottish Gaelic: ''Raibeart an Bruis''), was King of Scots from 1306 to his death in 1329. One of the most renowned warriors of his generation, Robert eventuall ...

was found in 1921 below the Chapter House site; it was found again in a 1998 excavation and documented in records of his death. The rest of his body is buried in Dunfermline Abbey. The abbey is known for its many carved decorative details, including likenesses of saints, dragons, gargoyles and plants. On one of the abbey's stairways is an inscription by John Morow, a master mason, which says, ''Be halde to ye hende'' ("Keep in mind, the end, your salvation"). This has become the motto of the town of Melrose.

History

Old Melrose

An earlier monastery was founded by, then later dedicated to, Saint

Aidan of Lindisfarne Aidan of Lindisfarne ( ga, Naomh Aodhán; died 31 August 651) was an Irish monk and missionary credited with converting the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity in Northumbria. He founded a monastic cathedral on the island of Lindisfarne, known as Li ...

on a site about two miles (3.5 km) east of Melrose Abbey."Melrose Abbey", BBC
/ref> This was shortly before his death in 651 at

Bamburgh Bamburgh ( ) is a village and civil parish on the coast of Northumberland, England. It had a population of 454 in 2001, decreasing to 414 at the 2011 census. The village is notable for the nearby Bamburgh Castle, a castle which was the seat o ...

. Set in a bend of the

River Tweed The River Tweed, or Tweed Water ( gd, Abhainn Thuaidh, sco, Watter o Tweid, cy, Tuedd), is a river long that flows east across the Border region in Scotland and northern England. Tweed cloth derives its name from its association with the R ...

, a graveyard marks the site. Saint Cuthbert (died 687), who grew up nearby, trained at Old Melrose abbey. He was prior from 662 before he moved to

Lindisfarne Lindisfarne, also called Holy Island, is a tidal island off the northeast coast of England, which constitutes the civil parish of Holy Island in Northumberland. Holy Island has a recorded history from the 6th century AD; it was an important ...

(Holy Island). Æthelweald was a novice at Lindisfarne when Cuthbert became bishop. He attended Cuthbert on some of his missionary journeys, and witnessed at least one of his miracles. He later became prior and then abbot at Melrose."Northern Saints", 'This is Durham', Durham County Council
/ref> Saint

Oduvald Saint Oduvald (died 698) was a Scottish nobleman, monk, and abbot of Melrose Abbey. His feast day is 26 May. Monks of Ramsgate account The monks of St Augustine's Abbey, Ramsgate wrote in their ''Book of Saints'' (1921), Butler's account The ...

(died 698) was a Scottish nobleman who followed Cuthbert as abbot. The visionary

Dryhthelm Dryhthelm (fl. c. 700), also known as Drithelm or Drythelm, was a monk associated with the monastery of Melrose known from the ''Historia Ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum'' of Bede. According to the latter, before entering the religious life he liv ...

was also a monk there in the early eighth century. The abbey site was raided by Kenneth I of Scotland in 839.

Cistercian abbey

Melrose was the first Cistercian abbey in Scotland. King David I wanted the new abbey to be built on the same site, but the

Cistercians The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...

insisted that the land was not good enough for farming and selected the current site. It was said to have been built in ten years. The church of the convent was dedicated to

St. Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

(like all Cistercian houses) on 28 July 1146. The abbey became the

mother church Mother church or matrice is a term depicting the Christian Church as a mother in her functions of nourishing and protecting the believer. It may also refer to the primary church of a Christian denomination or diocese, i.e. a cathedral or a metropo ...

of the order in Scotland. Its first community came from Rievaulx Abbey, the North Yorkshire house colonised from Cîteaux.Barrett, Michael. "Abbey of Melrose." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 10. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 31 May 2016 In the 12th century, around Melrose, the Cistercians implemented new farming techniques and marketed Melrose wool throughout the great trading ports across northern Europe. A town slowly grew up around the abbey. During a time of famine four thousand starving people were fed by the monastery for three months. The monastery had 100 monks, exclusive of the abbot and dignitaries. The privileges and possessions of the abbey were very extensive. Its founder David endowed it with the lands of Melrose, Eildon, and other places; and the right of fishery on the River Tweed. Succeeding monarchs increased their property. The house was famed for its wealth, for many of its abbots were men of distinction and honour. Waltheof of Melrose, stepson of King David and at one time prior of Kirkham, was abbot of Melrose from 1148 to 1159. He endowed Melrose with a reputation for sanctity and learning which placed it on a par with houses such as Fountains and Rievaulx and made it the premier abbey in Scotland. The tomb of St. Waltheof, in the chapter house, later became the focus of pilgrimage."Melrose", Cistercians in Yorkshire Project
/ref> One of the earliest accounts of the

Magna Carta (Medieval Latin for "Great Charter of Freedoms"), commonly called (also ''Magna Charta''; "Great Charter"), is a royal charter of rights agreed to by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15 June 1215. First drafted by t ...

agreement reached at

Runnymede Runnymede is a water-meadow alongside the River Thames in the English county of Surrey, and just over west of central London. It is notable for its association with the sealing of Magna Carta, and as a consequence is, with its adjoining ...

in 1215 is found in the ''Chronicle of Melrose Abbey''. Melrose was located on one of the main roads running from

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

to the south making it particularly vulnerable to attack. In 1322, the town was attacked by the army of

Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to ...

, and much of the abbey was destroyed. It was rebuilt by order of King

, with Sir James Douglas being the principal auditor of finance for the project. In 1385, the abbey was burned by the army of

Richard II of England Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father ...

, "partly because of support for the Avignon Pope Clement VII" he forced the army of

Robert II of Scotland Robert II (2 March 1316 – 19 April 1390) was King of Scots from 1371 to his death in 1390. The son of Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland, and Marjorie, daughter of King Robert the Bruce, he was the first monarch of the House of S ...

back to Edinburgh. It was rebuilt over a period of about 100 years – construction was still unfinished when

James IV James IV (17 March 1473 – 9 September 1513) was King of Scotland from 11 June 1488 until his death at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. He inherited the throne at the age of fifteen on the death of his father, James III, at the Battle of Sauch ...

visited in 1504. From 1541, the abbacy was held by a series of commendators. In 1544, as English armies raged across Scotland in an effort to force the Scots to allow the infant

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legitimate child of James V of S ...

to marry the son of

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

, the abbey was again badly damaged and was never fully repaired. On 29 September 1549 an English soldier discovered the

pyx A pyx or pix ( la, pyxis, transliteration of Greek: ''πυξίς'', boxwood receptacle, from ''πύξος'', box tree) is a small round container used in the Catholic, Old Catholic and Anglican Churches to carry the consecrated host (Eucharist), ...

that had been suspended over the high altar and gave it to the Earl of Rutland. War damage led to its decline as a working monastery. The last abbot was James Stuart (an illegitimate son of

James V James V (10 April 1512 – 14 December 1542) was King of Scotland from 9 September 1513 until his death in 1542. He was crowned on 21 September 1513 at the age of seventeen months. James was the son of King James IV and Margaret Tudor, and du ...

), who died in 1557. In 1590, Melrose's last monk died. The abbey withstood one final assault, and some of its walls still show the marks of cannon fire after having been bombarded by

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three ...

's troops during the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I (" Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of r ...

. In 1618, a portion of the abbey's church was converted into a

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

for the surrounding town. A plain vault was inserted into the crossing, removing the original ribbed vaulting in the central section. It was used until 1810 when a new church was erected in the town. In 1812, a stone coffin was exhumed from the aisle in the abbey's south chancel. Some speculated the remains were those of

Michael Scot Michael Scot ( Latin: Michael Scotus; 1175 – ) was a Scottish mathematician and scholar in the Middle Ages. He was educated at Oxford and Paris, and worked in Bologna and Toledo, where he learned Arabic. His patron was Frederick II o ...

, the philosopher and "wizard." At the beginning of the nineteenth century,

Sir Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy ...

was appointed Sheriff-Depute of Roxburghshire. In 1822, with the financial assistance of the Duke of Buccleuch, Sir Walter supervised the extensive repair work that was to preserve the ruins. In 1918, the duke gave the ruins to the state, by which time the abbey had undergone further restoration and repair. It is now in the care of Historic Environment Scotland.

Robert the Bruce

Robert Bruce's heart is said to have been buried in the church, perhaps brought back from a crusade with the body of Lord Douglas in either 1330 or 1331. The position was marked by a small metal plaque. In 1996, an archaeological excavation on the site unearthed a conical lead container and an engraved copper plaque that read "The enclosed leaden casket containing a heart was found beneath Chapter House floor, March 1921, by His Majesty's Office of Works." The casket was investigated by AOC archaeology in

Leith Leith (; gd, Lìte) is a port area in the north of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith. In 2021, it was ranked by ''Time Out'' as one of the top five neighbourhoods to live in the world. The earliest ...

and contained a still recognisable human heart in a thick black liquor. As there are no records of anyone else's heart being buried at Melrose it was presumed to be that of Robert the Bruce. The container was reburied at Melrose Abbey on 22 June 1998 under a memorial stone. There is no way to prove conclusively whether the heart belonged to King Robert. There is no record of any other heart being buried on the site; however, the Chapter House would be an unusual location for a king's heart to be buried: most high-status burials would have happened next to the altar.

Description

The abbey is laid out on a traditional east–west axis. The west section is almost wholly absent other than its foundations. The eastern section is more intact. A graveyard serving the local community lies to the south and southeast of the abbey. The majority of stones date from the 19th century. The abbey is the only Scottish abbey to still retain some of its original floor tiles. The northern cloisters are equally erased to foundation level.

Abbots

* Eata first abbot, a pupil of Aidan, Bishop of Lindisfarne. * Richard was abbot in 1473. * Robert was abbot in 1519. * Thomas Ker was abbot in 1524. * William Ker commendator (died before 31 July 1566). * Michael Balfour commendator in 1568.Romanes, 1914, p.xlvi. * James Douglas, abbot and commendator from 1 May 1569 to 9 December 1606.

Gallery

Scotia_Depicta_-_Melrose_Abbey_-Plate-.jpg, Engraving of the abbey by James Fittler in ''Scotia Depicta'', published in 1804 Melrose Abbey & ruined interior.jpg, An interior view of the abbey, 1835 Melrose Abbey by Henry Fox Talbot.jpg, Photograph of Melrose Abbey in 1844, by

Henry Fox Talbot William Henry Fox Talbot FRS FRSE FRAS (; 11 February 180017 September 1877) was an English scientist, inventor, and photography pioneer who invented the salted paper and calotype processes, precursors to photographic processes of the later 1 ...

Melrose Abbey Interior of the Eastern End,RW Billings approx 1850.jpg, Engraving of the East End of the Abbey from "The Baronial and Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Scotland" (RW Billings, ca 1850)

Burials

* Jocelin (Bishop of Glasgow) * Waltheof of Melrose * William de Bondington – Bishop of Glasgow *

William Douglas, Lord of Liddesdale Sir William Douglas, Lord of Liddesdale (–1353), also known as the Knight of Liddesdale and the Flower of Chivalry, was a Scottish nobleman and soldier active during the Second War of Scottish Independence. Family and early life Douglas' f ...

* William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas * James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Douglas *

Philip de Valognes Philip de Valognes, Lord of Ringwood, Benvie and Panmure was an Anglo-Norman Scottish noble. He was the Lord Chamberlain of Scotland between 1165–1171 and 1193–1214. Philip was the fifth son of Roger de Valognes and Agnes filia John, came ...

, Chamberlain of Scotland *

Alexander II of Scotland Alexander II ( Medieval Gaelic: '; Modern Gaelic: '; 24 August 1198 – 6 July 1249) was King of Scotland from 1214 until his death. He concluded the Treaty of York (1237) which defined the boundary between England and Scotland, virtually un ...

Alexander Ormiston Curle Alexander Ormiston Curle FSAS CVO LL.D. (1866–1955) was a Scottish lawyer and archaeologist who rose to be Director of the National Museum of Scotland from 1913 to 1919 and Director of the Royal Scottish Museum on Chambers Street in Edinburgh ...

* Sir

Brian Layton Sir Brian Layton, also spelled Laiton, Leyton, or Leighton, (died 27 February 1545) was an English soldier and Captain of Norham Castle. Border service As Captain of Norham, Layton watched the border between Scotland and England. In December 1539 ...

* Sir

David Brewster Sir David Brewster KH PRSE FRS FSA Scot FSSA MICE (11 December 178110 February 1868) was a British scientist, inventor, author, and academic administrator. In science he is principally remembered for his experimental work in physical optics ...

(1781–1868), inventor of the Kaleidoscope * Walter, 8th Duke of Buccleuch * Mary, Duchess of Buccleuch * John, 9th Duke of Buccleuch

Tributes

Sir

Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy ...

described Melrose Abbey in one of his poems, "The Lay of the Last Minstrel, Canto Second". A Presbyterian congregation in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, has built what may be the last Gothic cathedral in the U.S. and patterned it after Melrose Abbey. The church, Kirk in the Hills, completed in 1958, is located on a lakeside setting north of

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

.Kirkinthehills.org
/ref>

Tourism

The abbey is part of five other abbeys and historic sights through Scotland on Borders Abbeys Way walk. In 2019 the site received 61,325 visitors.

References

External links

*
The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction
', No. 290, Saturday, December 29, 1827, available from

Project Gutenberg Project Gutenberg (PG) is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, as well as to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks." It was founded in 1971 by American writer Michael S. Hart and is the oldest digital libr ...

*Engraving o
Melrose Abbey
by James Fittler in the digitised copy o
Scotia Depicta, or the antiquities, castles, public buildings, noblemen and gentlemen's seats, cities, towns and picturesque scenery of Scotland
1804 at

National Library of Scotland The National Library of Scotland (NLS) ( gd, Leabharlann Nàiseanta na h-Alba, sco, Naitional Leebrar o Scotland) is the legal deposit library of Scotland and is one of the country's National Collections. As one of the largest libraries in t ...

{{authority control Buildings and structures completed in 1146 Christian monasteries established in the 12th century Ruins in the Scottish Borders Cistercian monasteries in Scotland Scheduled Ancient Monuments in the Scottish Borders Wars of Scottish Independence Religious organizations established in 1136 1609 disestablishments in Scotland Museums in the Scottish Borders Religious museums in Scotland 1146 establishments in Scotland Tourist attractions in the Scottish Borders Ruined abbeys and monasteries Historic Scotland properties in the Scottish Borders Burial sites of the House of Balliol Melrose, Scottish Borders Ruined abbeys in the Scottish Borders