CHAPTER XV

ROXBURGHSHIRE

MELROSE: KELSO: JEDBURGH

MELROSE (_Cistercian_)

635, Monastery founded--839, Destroyed by Kenneth MacAlpine--1136, Re-founded by David I.--1322, Stormed by 300 men sent by Edward II.--The prior slain--Part of the building set on fire by Richard II.--1322-1505, The abbey slowly rebuilt--1544, Sir B. Layton, Sir R. Eure, and the Earl of Hertford injure this religious house--1545, The abbey again sacked and burnt by these men--1618, Nave rudely vaulted afresh--1649, Attacked by a Presbyterian mob--1822, Restored by Duke of Buccleuch.

By moonlight or starless dark, by dusk or full daylight, Melrose Abbey is a thing of beauty and romance. Built on the site of an ancient Columban monastery, the abbey, colonised by monks from Lindisfarne, flourished until the Reformers, instigated by John Knox, demolished it with many other religious houses.

The remains of this most beautiful structure of the Scottish Middle Ages are considerable, and demonstrate the former architectural beauties of the abbey. They consist of parts of the church and cloister. Of the former three bays of the nave, eight small chapels, with elegant traceried windows to the south of the south aisle, a portion of the central tower, and the transepts of the choir remain. Many architectural styles are shown, and a curious mingling of the old with later Decorated work is a noticeable feature. The arches which divide the nave from its aisles are remarkably beautiful and many excellent windows light the church. Those in the nave are Perpendicular, while the trefoiled four-light windows in the choir and presbytery are Decorated or Early Perpendicular. Some of the vaulting still remains in the south aisle and also above the site of the high altar. This edifice was originally 215 feet long by 116 across the transepts. Joanna, wife of Alexander II.; the “wondrous Michael Scott”; and Sir David Brewster are buried here, and the heart of the hero, Robert Bruce, is interred beneath the site of the high altar. The cloister, containing some wonderfully rich carving of exquisite workmanship, was placed on the north side of the nave, and beyond, the garden extended to the river bank, a quarter of a mile distant.

Of the Anglo Saxon monastery founded in Melrose in 635, comparatively little is known. St Cuthbert, then a dreamy shepherd boy, imagined he saw a vision of angels carrying a soul to heaven, and hearing subsequently that Aidan, Bishop of Lindisfarne, had died that same night, was convinced that he had been privileged to see his saintly soul. Wishing to join a religious community St Cuthbert went to the monastic settlement at Melrose, then consisting only of a few log huts, joined the brotherhood there (A.D. 651), and in course of time became its prior. Bede says--

“Cuthbert’s skill in speaking was so great, his power of persuasion so vast, and the light of his countenance so angelic that no one in his presence concealed from him the secrets of his soul: all confessed their misdeeds, because they thought that what they had done could not escape his prescience, and atoned for them by such penance as he enjoined.”

When the mother abbey of Lindisfarne required a new prior, Cuthbert was appointed, and after fulfilling his religious duties here for twelve years retired to an island to live the life of a recluse. After eight years had elapsed he became Bishop of Lindisfarne, where at the end of three years’ work he was buried. His shroud was made by the abbess of Tynemouth, and his tomb visited for many years by hundreds of pilgrims. When in 875 Lindisfarne was attacked by the Danes the monks fled for safety, carrying with them the relics of St Cuthbert, and, after visiting many places, in the hope of escaping the enemy, placed them finally in the woods of Durham. The humble church, which in course of time was built there to guard the sacred remains, preceded the present magnificent cathedral of Durham “half church of God, half citadel, ‘gainst the Scots.” In the meantime the settlement of Melrose had prospered, but in 839 was burnt down by Kenneth MacAlpine and remained a desolate ruin for nearly two centuries. Good King David I. “that sair saunt for the crown,” then founded the abbey, in which for several centuries the Cistercian monks laboured--cultivating the land and instituting law and order amongst the country folk of the district.

Dire as was the fate of the English abbeys, that of the Scottish religious houses was immeasurably more bitter. Robbed, ruined, sacked and burned, the once mighty edifices have fallen the prey to thrifty citizens, who, careful of their own future, assigned to themselves various portions of the land and buildings, with the result that in close proximity to many of these buildings, modern and inartistic huts, workshops and inns may be seen. Melrose is particularly unfortunate in these vandalisms. Incredible as it may seem, the Abbey Hotel actually encroaches upon the hallowed nave, and a great amount of the space occupied by the former grounds and buildings is now disfigured by cheap dwellings and crowded gardens. The local presbytery of 1618 deserve even more contumely for their hideous disfigurement of the three bays of the nave that still remained, which were rebuilt, and walled in in most ruthless fashion.

The wonderful charm of Melrose Abbey as a building is not its only feature. The remains lie here of King Alexander II. and his spouse; Douglases without number; and many other men and women who have loomed largely in the history of our island. A few of the numerous statues that adorned the walls still remain, although many were destroyed by the Presbyterians. A certain zealot climbed in 1649 to the buttress pinnacle to shatter the statue of our Lady with the Holy Child, upon which the first fragment split off, struck, and broke his arm. Since then the image has been left in peace. Strangely prophetic words are uttered in the inscriptions written in abbreviated Latin words on scrolls borne by monks in the south transept, “He suffered because He Himself willed it” and “When comes Jesus the Mediator, darkness will cease.”

KELSO (_Benedictine_)

1126, Founded by David I., and colonised by Benedictine monks from Selkirk (a Tironensian abbey founded by David I. seven years previously)--The church suffers by fire during the wars between Bruce and Baliol--1523, The Lady chapel, the abbot’s house, and the dormitory demolished by Lord Dacre--1545, Stormed by the English under Lord Hertford, Sir G. Bowes, etc.--1547, Attacked by Protector Somerset--1560, Monks expelled by a body of fanatical Presbyterians--1649, The transept roofed in--1771, No longer used as place of worship.

“Bosomed in woods where mighty rivers run, Kelso’s fair vale expands before the sun; Its rising downs in vernal beauty swell And fringed with hazel woods, with flowery dell, Green spangled plains to dimpling lawns succeed, And Tempe rises on the banks of Tweed: Blue o’er the river Kelso’s shadow lies And copse-clad aisles amid the waters rise.”

Standing on the bridge of five arches which spans the Tweed at Kelso, a magnificent view can be gained of this picturesque town on the northern bank, with

the ruins of its abbey beautifully situated in a well-wooded valley; also of the fast decaying walls of Roxburgh castle on the south bank, once the stronghold of that old town and demolished in 1460; of Fleurs Palace; the heights of Eildon and Mellerstain, and the confluence of the Tweed and Teviot. Kelso has risen in importance since the destruction of its neighbouring town, and has frequently suffered from pillage and fire during the English invasions. In 1715, the Pretender was proclaimed as King James VIII. by the forces assembled here.

The ruined abbey church, a somewhat heavy, massive-looking structure, indicative of strength and of almost baronial character, still holds part of its great central tower aloft, and is an excellent example of Norman work, both Early and Transitional. The church alone survives the many violent attacks made upon the abbey in the 16th century, and was originally cruciform, having a nave of only two bays, north and south transepts of two bays, a choir of three bays with aisles, and a magnificent central tower of two stories. Of this characteristic Norman building only a shattered western front, one bay of the nave, two bays of the choir, the west and south sides of the tower, and both transepts remain. The faces of the latter resemble the west front, which was flanked by pilaster buttresses, and crowned with octagonal turrets. Though chiefly of unadorned simplicity, the church contains in some places rich mouldings, including some of foliage design, and possesses a lightness of character in parts, showing the coming influence of Early English architectural art.

The siege and capture of the abbey in 1545 by the Earl of Hertford is a fine rousing story of Border warfare. After repulsing attack after attack, the defenders made a final stand in the church itself, but were finally overpowered by weight of numbers, and slaughtered, with the exception of two or three monks, who retreated to the topmost platform of the tower, which they kept all night. These doughty “men of peace” somehow or other managed to escape next day. This of course settled finally the fate of the abbey, and from that day to this, it has been put almost exclusively to a series of degrading purposes--from a barracks to a stable. Nevertheless, Kelso is unique and priceless as an example of a castellated Border church as it was in the 12th century.

JEDBURGH (_Augustine Canons_)

1118-47, Founded by David I.--1286, The marriage of Alexander III. celebrated in the abbey--1296, Church fired and unroofed by Sir R. Hastings, and Edward I. disperses the monks among the northern English monasteries--They subsequently return to Jedburgh--1524-44, Attacked by Lord Surrey and Lord Eure--1559, A battle takes place between the French allies of the Scotch and the Spanish mercenaries of England which reduces the buildings to a ruinous state.

Jedburgh, one of the most noted of old Border towns, is now the chief town of Roxburghshire. It lies on the banks of Jed Water and enjoys a sheltered situation amidst the wooded hills and rocky eminences which enclose this vale, the Scottish Arcadia, on every side. After the union of the two kingdoms, Jedburgh became the centre of an extensive contraband trade, which was however eventually checked by the English excise. The picturesque market town once possessed a stately castle and abbey, but though the former building (of which nothing remains) has been replaced by a massive gaol, known as the Castle of Jedburgh, only the church is left of the latter most beautiful fabric. This building is fortunately complete, with the exception of the south transept and the greater portion of the choir.

Of grand proportions, yet of severe simplicity, the church displays some fine decoration in its flowered capitals and beautiful mouldings. Portions of the

choir and tower are evidently Early Norman work, while later styles are seen in the great nave of nine bays, composed of a combination of Transitional Norman and English Gothic, and again in the unspoiled north transept of Decorated character. The nave is 130 feet in length, having above the triforium a clerestory consisting of a magnificent arcade of lancets. Two doorways to the west and south are excellent examples of Norman work, but the former, with its deep carvings of the most delicate workmanship, is the better specimen. The arches of the tower (86 feet high) are richly clustered and chevroned at the edges; indeed, so exquisitely wrought and beautiful are some of the decorative mouldings of the church, that the work is attributed by many to an Italian artist. The north transept is aisleless, and possesses a large window of four lights filled with geometrical tracery.

Jedburgh was another of the many holy institutions founded by David I. of Scotland, although, technically speaking, it owed its existence to Lord Lauderdale, then Constable of Scotland. King David, however, was doubtless the moving spirit in the project. Jedburgh was a priory at first, but in 1147 it was raised to the dignity of an abbey with Osbert as first abbot. From this date henceforth the abbots of Jedburgh held high places in the kingdom. Unfortunately for the abbey, and still more so for the town, Jedburgh lay right in the track of every army crossing the Border from the other side, and was therefore sacked and burnt again and again by the English. In 1296, Sir Richard Hastings was the ravager; in 1464, the Earl of Warwick; in 1524, the Earl of Surrey; and last of all, Lord Eure in 1544, who, acting for the Earl of Hertford, did his disgraceful work all too well. The commendator at the time, one John Hume, restored the burned abbey to a certain extent, but during the reign of the Presbyterians the building fell steadily into decay. The story of the abbey in the last century is one of bickerings and lawsuits, until in 1875 the Marquis of Lothian, sickened at the sight of the degradation of this great relic, built a new church, since when the abbey church has not been used for public worship. Jedburgh Abbey has fallen on gentle days, and the ruins stand now dignified, solemn, self-respecting and secure, safe in the honourable custody of the Marquises of Lothian.