Visiting the Malnificient’s Favorite Town… and the Left Coast
Day 17: Heading Back to the City
Today marked our last major travel day, heading down from Aviemore along the North Sea ending the day in Edinburgh. Along the way we saw several castles, cathedrals and the Declaration of Arbroath.
Dunnotar Castle
Scotland has some magnificently located castles. Think no further than Stirling Castle or Edinburgh Castle, both built on top of rocks that allow them to dominate the landscape for miles around. But if we had to pick just one to trust with our lives in a time of great danger then it would without any doubt be Dunnottar Castle. No other Scottish castle comes close in terms of a sense of sheer brooding impregnability. This is a castle which looks across to the nearby coastal cliffs and whose presence, even today, conveys a very simply message: "Don't mess with me."
The outcrop of rock on which Dunnottar Castle stands might have been designed specifically to permit the building of the most impregnable fortress in Scotland. Sheer cliffs 160ft high almost completely surround a flat area over three acres in size. The rock was once joined by a narrow fin to the mainland, but even this was carved away to ensure access along it was not possible.
During its active life there were only two ways into or out of Dunnottar Castle. The first was via the incredibly strongly defended main gate set in a cleft in the rock where unwanted callers would be vulnerable to attack from all sides. The second was via a rocky creek leading to a cave on the north side of the rock. From here a steep path led up the cliff to the well defended postern gate.
Given Dunnottar's obvious defensive qualities, it is no surprise to find that it has been home to fortifications of one sort or another for most of the past two thousand years and probably much longer. The very name "dun" is Pictish for fort and it is believed that St Ninian came to Dunnottar in the late 400s, converting the Picts to Christianity and founding a chapel here.
Brechin Cathedral
Round towers are typically Irish. Nearly 100 may have been built in Ireland between AD 900 and 1200, and more than 60 of those survive today. They were primarily used as bell towers, though they also often found use as treasuries and refuges. Only three round towers are known outside of Ireland:
Brechin
Abernethy
Peel, Isle of Man
There is no direct architectural link between these towers and the round towers attached to churches found in Orkney.
Though it’s attached to the cathedral today, Brechin Round Tower predates the rest of the building. Brechin’s religious community probably dates back to at least the reign of Kenneth II (971-5), with the tower likely built a century or two later. The tower was free-standing until 1806, when it became connected to the south-west angle of the cathedral’s nave. Its ornamental carved doorway, 2m above ground level, was the original entrance and was accessed by ladder. The tower is built with massive blocks of irregular sandstone, and probably originally had six storeys with wooden floors.
Arbroath Abbey
Arbroath Abbey shows how Scotland’s medieval monarchs mixed piety and politics. William I – also known as William the Lion – founded the abbey in 1178. He asked the Tironensian monks from Kelso Abbey to establish the monastery. The abbey was intended:
as a memorial to William’s childhood friend Thomas Becket, the murdered Archbishop of Canterbury
to help the king to expand his authority in the north-east of Scotland
to demonstrate the king’s right to rule
The king was buried in front of the abbey’s high altar following his death in 1214. Before this, Scottish monarchs had traditionally been laid to rest in the royal mausoleum at Dunfermline Abbey. William’s legacy was an outstandingly beautiful building. Though badly damaged, it remains an important symbol and landmark.
The abbey church at the heart of the monastic complex comprised:
a presbytery
a monks’ choir
two transepts
chapel aisles
a nine-bay nave with aisles
The presbytery, sacristy and south transept survive to a large extent. But the most complete part of the abbey is its strikingly beautiful west front – a captivating example of European twin-towered church façade design. Domestic buildings were grouped around a small cloister on the south side of the church and, unusually, a second cloister further south. Most of these survive only as foundations, except for:
the abbot’s house – one of the most complete abbot’s residences in Britain
the gatehouse, the guesthouse and a substantial stretch of precinct wall
Religious life in the abbey continued until the Protestant Reformation of 1560. Parts of the abbey were dismantled in 1580 to build a new burgh church. The condition of the buildings has been much the same since 1700. The abbey’s famous ‘Round O’ – the circular window in the south transept gable – became a landmark for mariners. Robert Stevenson, grandfather of the novelist Robert Louis Stevenson, rebuilt it in 1809. The Stone of Destiny was found beside the high altar in March 1951, three months after its removal from Westminster Abbey. The event put Arbroath Abbey in the national spotlight once more.
Declaration of Arbroath
Arbroath Abbey is best known for the Declaration of Arbroath. The most famous document in Scottish history was a letter to Pope John XXII sent by 39 Scottish nobles, barons and freemen in response to the renewed excommunication of Robert the Bruce. Although Robert I defeated Edward II of England at Bannockburn in 1314, the Wars of Independence carried on. Robert I had been excommunicated in 1306 – after murdering his rival John Comyn and seizing the crown – but was absolved by Bishop Wishart of Glasgow. Robert I went on to capture Berwick from the English in 1318, during a papal truce. The English persuaded Pope John to renew his excommunication.
The letter to Pope John was an ‘apologia’ (formal written defence) setting out Scotland’s case that it was an independent, sovereign kingdom. Abbot Bernard of Arbroath – chancellor to Robert I – likely drafted the letter, which was sent from the abbey in April 1320. Its most famous lines are: “It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom – for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself.”
St. Andrew’s Cathedral
St Rule’s Church was likely built around 1130, as the first place of worship in Scotland for the newly arrived Augustinian canons. This Continental reformed order supplanted the existing clergy. The 33m tall St Rule’s Tower may have been a beacon for pilgrims heading for the shrine of St Andrew.
The cathedral was begun in 1160–2 by Bishop Arnold. Work continued over the next 150 years, but was stalled by a storm in 1272, which blew down the west front, and by the first War of Independence against England. When the cathedral was finally dedicated in 1318 – in the presence of Robert the Bruce, by then king – it was by far the largest church in Scotland. So it was fitting that St Rule’s became the headquarters of the Scottish Church. The cathedral church is now ruined, but large areas survive.
Its superb remains include the:
east gable of the presbytery, which housed the relics of St Andrew
south wall of the nave
majestic west front
The cloister retains its ruined chapter house and the restored stone-vaulted undercrofts that now house the cathedral museum. On display are fascinating artefacts from the early medieval era to post-Reformation times.
The Pends Gate (the main entrance into the cathedral precinct) and much of the precinct wall survive. Beyond the wall, on a ledge above the sea, are the foundations of the church of St Mary on the Rock. This was probably built to house the successors of the Culdee foundation, displaced from the cathedral site by the Augustinians.
In 1559, John Knox preached a fiery sermon in St Andrews parish church, and the cathedral was ‘cleansed’ as a result. In 1561, it was abandoned and replaced by the parish church as the chief place of worship. St Rule’s was then left to fall into ruins.
St. Andrew’s Castle
St Andrews Castle was the official residence of Scotland’s leading bishop (and later archbishop) throughout the Middle Ages. Its size signalled the power and wealth of these important churchmen. Some key moments leading up to the Protestant Reformation in 1560 took place inside the castle walls. These include the:
burning of the Protestant preacher George Wishart
murder of the Catholic Cardinal David Beaton
great siege of 1546–7, when the church reformer John Knox was one of the garrison
Bishop Arnold (1160–62) began building a new cathedral on an unprecedented scale. Bishop Roger (1189–1202) began the new castle as his official residence. St Andrews Castle suffered significant damage during the Wars of Independence with England (1296–1356). It had to be substantially rebuilt by Bishop Walter Trail (1385–1401). The bishops of St Andrews gained overarching responsibility for the Scottish Church in the later medieval period.
Religious tensions grew in the early 16th century, leading to more building works. Archbishop James Beaton (1521–39) built new gun towers to strengthen the castle’s defences, which were soon put to the test by his nephew and successor. Cardinal David Beaton (1539–46) strongly opposed the progressive move towards closer political ties with Henry VIII’s Protestant England. He had Protestant preacher George Wishart burned in front of the castle. In response, a group of Protestant nobles occupied the castle and assassinated Beaton. The siege that followed, led by the Regent Arran, caused extensive damage. It also resulted in the creation of the castle’s most remarkable features – the mine (dug by Regent Arran’s troops) and countermine (dug by the Protestant rebels). These underground passages of medieval siege warfare are unique.
Archbishop John Hamilton (1546–71) repaired the badly damaged castle, giving it a new entrance front. The ornate Hamilton Façade is in stark contrast to the defences built by previous residents. It reflects Hamilton’s wealth and power as well as changes in architectural styles. But Hamilton’s tenure was brought to an early end, because he opposed the Reformation. He was eventually hanged. St Andrews Castle was left without a resident or a purpose when bishops were abolished in 1592. It fell rapidly into ruin. In 1801, the Great Hall collapsed and most of it plunged into the sea. There were further losses until a sea wall was built in 1886.
St. Salvator’s Chapel
The hub of life in Scotland's oldest University, the chapel is a rare and beautiful example of Late Gothic architecture. Founded in 1450 as a part of Bishop James Kennedy's College of the Holy Saviour, the Chapel of St Salvator has had a long and varied history.
Originally founded with a missionary as well as an educational function, St Salvator's College stands out among the many similar mediaeval foundations of Europe. Unlike the colleges of Oxford and the continent, Kennedy's institution was very much a part of the local community. Furthermore, it was intended to have a national role through the improvement of the theological education of the Scottish clergy. Thus, unlike the secluded colleges of Oxford, St Salvator's presents its face to the wider world, as can be seen most spectacularly in the chapel.
The main entrance to the chapel faces out onto the street and not into the college courtyard. From its beginnings, the building had a dual role both as the college chapel and as a collegiate church serving the wider community. Despite the violent history of religion in St Andrews, the chapel remains a central focus for worship both within the University and the wider world. Nevertheless, history has left its marks upon the building.
The cobbles beneath the bell tower bear witness to the turbulent events of the 16th century. The initials 'PH' set in to the cobbles marks the site where 24-year-old Patrick Hamilton (died 1528) was burnt at the stake for his Protestant beliefs. Local tradition adds a twist to this gruesome history by suggesting that the mysterious face carved into the stone work of the college tower high above the gateway is that of the martyred Hamilton. Fortunately, St Andrews today is unlikely to treat its students in quite the same way as it did Patrick Hamilton!
Tom Brady is Everywhere!
Dunfermline Abbey and Palace
Dunfermline Abbey has a special place in the nation’s heart. Laid to rest here are some of Scotland’s great kings and queens – including Robert the Bruce. The abbey’s great nave is also the most visually stunning example of Romanesque architecture in Scotland. Dunfermline’s story stretches back to the 11th century – the time of Malcolm III and his queen, Margaret. Their son, David I, raised the status of the little priory to abbey in the 12th century. He endowed it richly, and brought stonemasons from Durham Cathedral to build it.
The abbey church is famous as the mausoleum of:
Margaret (later canonised as St Margaret)
David I
Robert I
Late on in its history, the abbey guesthouse range became a royal palace, along with some additional buildings. The ill-fated Charles I was born here in 1600.
In 1070, Margaret founded a priory in Dunfermline on the site where she had married Malcolm III. She introduced a small community of Benedictine monks from Canterbury, and so laid the foundations of the first Benedictine house in Scotland. David I made the priory an abbey in 1128. He had a new church built on a grand scale, of which the magnificent nave survives. The Romanesque pillars are similar to those of Durham Cathedral, and it’s likely that the same masons carved them. In 1250, St Margaret’s remains were moved to an elaborate shrine at the east end of the church. A 19th-century parish church (Abbey Church) now stands on the site of the choir and presbytery. This is the location of the tomb of Robert I and the other royals buried here. It is home to an active Church of Scotland congregation.
After Edward I badly damaged Dunfermline Abbey in 1303, Robert I financed its rebuilding. It was a move that showed confidence in the affluence and self-reliance of his kingdom following the Wars of Independence with England. The most impressive of the new buildings was the monks’ refectory, a soaring structure with an elaborate façade, which took full advantage of the sloping site. Robert I was interred before the high altar in 1329. His heart was taken on crusade before eventually being buried at Melrose Abbey.
After the Protestant Reformation in 1560, the:
nave was converted into a parish kirk for the people of Dunfermline
old choir was allowed to collapse
The state assumed responsibility for the care of the nave after the new parish church was built on the site of the choir between 1818 and 1821.
Medieval abbeys typically had several grades of accommodation, and it’s likely that the guesthouse was a royal residence right from the start. After the Reformation, a new palace was created out of the guesthouse and the west range of the abbey. Dunfermline Palace became the personal residence of James VI’s queen, Anna of Denmark. The future Charles I was born here in 1600, the last monarch to be born in Scotland. Royal interest in Dunfermline waned when James and Anna left for London in 1603, and the palace fell into disrepair.