Part 22

of designing such elevations. The north transept shows the early manner of dividing the façade into several stories, piled one above the other; while the west front, which is chiefly in the transition style, indicates the beginning of the later form of façade, in which the whole front is treated as a single design.

The west doorway and the north door-piece are especially interesting. The former is a remarkably rich specimen of the elaborate carved work which characterised the late Norman period. Unfortunately, the south half of this door-piece has perished. But, from what remains (see Fig. 315), it is evident that it consisted of a large door-piece, or quasi-porch, projecting upwards of 5 feet, and finished with a sloping gable, with

stone roof. The jambs (see Fig. 316) contained five detached shafts set in nooks, and having Norman bases and carved caps. Over each of these shafts there springs a circular order, carved with rich Norman ornament, now, however, very much decayed. The jambs of the doorway also formed moulded shafts, supporting their order in the arch.

The door-piece in the north wall of the transept (see Fig. 318) is also a prominent feature. It projects about 4 feet 6 inches from the main wall, is carried up two stories, and is roofed in with a sloping stone roof.

The lower story contains the doorway (Fig. 319), which is 5 feet 6 inches wide, and has plain jambs. It is set back about 3 feet 6 inches, and the ingoing for about 2 feet is square, and contains two shafts of ordinary size, with a small one between them; then follows a nook containing a shaft, and then the jamb. The shafts have the usual Norman caps and bases. The mouldings of the arch (see enlarged outline in Fig. 319) are peculiar in their profile. They are enriched--the outer one with small medallions, the central one with the billet, and the inner one with rosettes. Above the archway there is an arcade of interlacing round arches, the shafts, which are gone, having Norman caps. The tympanum of the gable is covered with a reticulation of round beads or rolls.

The tower (see Figs. 315 and 320), of which the south and west sides and a small portion of the north and east sides remain, is 35 feet square over the walls. It is carried up with plain masonry externally, but the interior has immediately over the great arches of the crossing an arcade of round moulded arches, supported on triple shafts similar to those of the choir. Above this arcade is another story containing simple round arched openings, which are lighted on the exterior by circular windows containing quatrefoils. Over this tier is the top story, which contains three pointed and deeply-recessed windows on each side of the tower. Broad flat buttresses are placed at each angle of the tower, similar to those of the main building, and these were, no doubt, originally finished with turrets like those of the transepts.

It has already been said that the upper part of the tower is later than the lower part. This is apparent from the pointed windows of the top story, and the quatrefoiled circular windows of the story beneath. The lower story immediately over the great arches is, without doubt, of about the same date as the choir.

The approach to the upper floors is now by one staircase in the north-west angle of the transept, but there were, doubtless, other similar staircases in parts of the structure now removed. This staircase gives access to passages which run round the building on every floor (Figs. 321 and 322) between the arcades and the outer walls. In the angles of the tower there are small wheel stairs leading to every floor, and passages running round the tower on every story (Fig. 323.) These arcades and passages have tended to weaken the structure, which it has been found necessary to strengthen with numerous iron tie-rods, iron beams, &c.

There was an outer door in the south-west angle of the transept, and another in the north wall of the nave adjoining the crossing.

The style of the caps of the arcade on the ground floor (Fig. 324) is somewhat florid and unusual. The interlacing arches are also in some places much carved and ornamented, and some portions are wonderfully well preserved.

A recess for a tomb is seen in the south wall of the transept (see Fig. 312), and in the recess beneath there are two ambries or lockers and a piscina, the only one remaining in the building.

To the south of the transept there is a vaulted chamber, 26 feet long by 10 feet 6 inches wide, which may have been the sacristy. It has a wide entrance from the west, and an arcade with detached shafts and round arches has run along each side. There has been a window at the east end, and in the north-east angle a passage leading at a doorway to the exterior, and also probably into the church.

ST. MARTIN’S CHURCH, HADDINGTON.

This ruined structure stands on a slightly-elevated site at the east end of the Nungate, a suburb of the town of Haddington, on the right bank of the Tyne. The Nungate is joined to the town by an ancient bridge of three wide arches and two smaller ones. St. Martin’s belonged to the Abbey or Nunnery of Haddington, which was situated about one mile to the east of the town. The nunnery was founded in 1178 by Ada, Countess of Northumberland, widow of Prince Henry (son of David I.), and mother of Malcolm IV. and William the Lion. The abbey is now entirely demolished, and not a stone of it remains. St.

Martin’s Chapel is the only ecclesiastical structure connected with it which still survives. In 1567 the prioress, with consent of the chapter, disponed the greater part of the lands of the abbey, which were conferred by Queen Mary on William Maitland of Lethington.

The chapel has all the appearance of being very ancient, “and probably existed as a church when Alexander de St. Martin gave over to the prioress and nuns his lands and tenements of St. Martinsgate.”[183]

It is a simple oblong (Fig. 325), 55 feet in length by 16 feet 6 inches in width internally, and appears originally to have had no buttresses; but several have been added at a later date. The side walls are 4 feet 6 inches in thickness, but do not appear to have been sufficiently strong to resist the thrust of the barrel vault with which the building was covered, and a portion of which (Fig. 326) still exists.

In the east wall there is an opening (Fig. 327) with plain jambs and round arch, which is sometimes called the doorway, but which is clearly the chancel arch. From excavations made a few years ago, it was ascertained that there were foundations of a choir 12 feet square, with a square east wall. The arch is, doubtless, late Norman in design, having a simple moulding on each jamb to form the imposts, and a plain moulding running

round the exterior of the arch stones on the side next the church. The remains of a piscina adjoin the opening on the south side. The round-headed windows in the side walls are tall and narrow, widely splayed towards the interior, and covered with a large round arch on the inside sconsion. There have originally been two entrance doors opposite each other in the north and south walls, near the west end. The west wall (Fig. 328) had a single-light window, similar to those in the side walls; but it is now destroyed. The south doorway has been renewed, but some portions of

the jambs of the north doorway still exist in a mutilated state. The sconsion arch is segmental.

The vault is lofty, and there has evidently been a story above it, as is apparent from the windows in the west gable. The gables are very steep and lofty, and are so constructed in order to admit of rooms in the top

story. The plan of having an upper story of this kind was not uncommon in early churches.

The window in the west gable is pointed, and it and the gables themselves may be of later date than the original Norman church.

As already mentioned, three buttresses have been built against each of the side walls. These are entirely constructed with ashlar work of a white freestone, and those at the east and west ends have the ashlar work let irregularly into the old walls, as would undoubtedly be the case in an addition. Besides, they have steep water-tables, such as were introduced in the first pointed style, but were not used in the Norman period. The old walls are built with irregularly-coursed brown freestone, which is greatly worn away, and presents quite a marked contrast to the buttresses, which have stood the weather well. A peculiarity of the old walls is that they have numerous holes, about 10 inches square in three courses in the height, running right through the wall. These may have been putlog holes, used for scaffolding; but the extraordinary thing is that they should all be left open. Possibly they were only closed with a stone on the outside and inside, so as to be easily made available at any time if required, and these stones may now have fallen out. Similar rows of holes may be observed in the walls at St. Helen’s and elsewhere.

The church is surrounded by a burial-ground, which was used for interments within recent years, but is now abandoned.

KIRKLISTON CHURCH, LINLITHGOWSHIRE.

Some portions of the old Church of Kirkliston, situated about seven miles west of Edinburgh, including the tower and two ancient doorways, stand in the churchyard, on the high north-west bank of the Almond Water, in the village of Kirkliston. The main body

of the church, so far as can now be ascertained, was an oblong structure (Fig. 329) about 60 feet in length by 26 feet in width externally, but part of the north wall has been removed, so as to allow the church to be extended. The old tower (Fig. 330) stands at the west end of the structure. It is about 21 feet square, and has the solid buttresses projecting on both sides of the angles, which indicate early work--transition

or first pointed. A square projection at the south-east angle of the tower contains a wheel staircase. The windows are mere slits. The roof of the tower is evidently comparatively new. It has a picturesque seventeenth century belfry on the east gable.

There is an old archway in the east wall of the tower, which connected it with the main building of the church.

In the south wall of the church there still exists, though partly restored, a splendid Norman doorway. (Fig. 331.) The doorway itself measures 4 feet 9 inches in width, and the whole door-piece measures 14 feet 7 inches over all. Besides the attached rolls on the jambs, which form shafts with caps, there are seven detached shafts on each side, arranged alternately large and small, with three large ones at each outer angle. These had all caps of transition form, but the carving is now almost completely destroyed. The arch, which is semicircular, has numerous mouldings, which are not arranged in the usual square orders, but have

received a freer treatment. The divisions may be regarded as composing four orders, of which the inner order and the third order are enriched with chevron ornaments. The hood moulding has also been carved with the chevron, but the ornament has now almost all disappeared.

The wall of the church in which the above doorway stands is undoubtedly of considerable antiquity, the cornice which carried the original parapet being still _in situ_. (See Fig. 330.)

At the north-east angle of the existing church another Norman doorway, removed from elsewhere in the building, has been re-erected. (Fig. 332.) The round arch consists of three plain square orders, which spring from the enriched caps of two nook shafts and the jamb moulding. Most of the caps have a transition character, and the carving is fairly preserved.

At the south-east angle of the church is erected the burial-house of John, Earl of Stair, born 1672, died 1747. Over the moulded doorway is the inscription, “Virtute decet non id sanguine niti. 1629.”

Kirkliston from an early period belonged to the Knights Hospitallers of St. John, who held much land in the locality. The church, as altered, is still used as the parish church of Kirkliston.

ST. MARY’S CHURCH, RATHO, MID-LOTHIAN.

The village of Ratho lies about one and a quarter mile south from the railway station of the same name, and about eight miles west from Edinburgh.

The parish church is dedicated to St. Mary, and the “Lady’s Well,” in the vicinity, is still in use. Although greatly altered and mostly

rebuilt, the church still retains some indications of its Norman origin. The view (Fig. 333) shows the west end of the church, crowned with its belfry. The buttresses indicate considerable age, but it is scarcely possible to fix their date. The only Norman relic preserved is the doorway in the south-west wall (seen in the sketch). It is built against by the wall of a wing, so that only a portion of the doorway remains visible. This consists (Fig. 334) of one jamb, which had a nook shaft and a cushion cap, carrying a plain round arch with a hood mould, carved with a zigzag or saw-tooth ornament.

Ratho Church was connected with Holyrood Abbey, and was a rectory. In 1444 the tiends and patronage were, with the consent of the Archbishop of St. Andrews, made over to the College Kirk of Corstorphine, which was then established. By this means four prebendal stalls were endowed.

ST. PETER’S CHURCH,[184] PETERHEAD, ABERDEENSHIRE.

The remains of the Church of St. Peter, Peterhead (Fig. 335), consist of the side walls of the chancel and the entire chancel arch, with a square tower projecting outwards in the centre of the west wall of the nave. No other portion of the nave remains. The tower and west wall are late, but the chancel is of the Norman period. The arch is quite plain, and is supported on square jambs having Norman cushion caps.

There is a supposed reference to the church in the Book of Deer, in 1132, concerning a gift consecrated to St. Peter, Columcille, and Drostan, who “were the tutelar saints of the Churches of Peterhead, St. Colms, and Deer, which were the only churches in the district dedicated to these saints.”[185] Their endowments were then gifted to the great Columban Church of Dunkeld, with which they remained till the founding of the Abbey of Deer, in 1218, when, it is believed, the patronage of the Church

of St. Peter, at Peterhead, was conveyed to that abbey by the charter of foundation, now not known to exist.

ST. MARY’S CHURCH,[186] RUTHERGLEN, LANARKSHIRE.

Only the merest fragment of this ancient church now remains, consisting of the east wall (Fig. 336), with an eastern tower attached to it. The masonry of the east wall shows it to be of the Norman period. There has been no opening of any kind in this wall. The returns of the chancel walls are only indicated on the east wall by the slightest traces in the jointing, so completely have they been cut away. The eastern tower (Fig. 337) is quite a unique feature in Scotland. It had no connection with the church, although built against it, and is of later erection by probably two or three centuries. The doorway is low and lintelled, and has a simple splay. The upper part of the tower has apparently been rebuilt, and, with the slated roof, dates doubtless from the seventeenth century. The tower is about 10 feet 6 inches square inside, and about 34 feet high to the top of the masonry. It contains no stair.

In Ure’s _History of Rutherglen_ it is stated that there was a nave with side aisles, 62 feet long by 25 feet wide, “exclusive of the additions on the back and front;” that is, exclusive of the side aisles. Assuming these to have been eight or ten feet wide, we should have a church nearly corresponding in size with the present erection, built about a century ago, and occupying the site of the nave, as shown in outline on the plan, on which are also indicated the nave piers. The nave was thus about 62 feet long by 45 feet wide, and the chancel was about 42 feet long by 20 feet wide inside. Ure, by a mistake easily made, gives the dimensions of the chancel as ten feet less in length. He also mentions that there were five pillars on each side of the nave. This may mean four whole pillars and two halves (the responds), as shown in the plan, which, however, merely pretends to approximate to something like what the original was.

Ure gives a drawing of the interior of the church, with detailed sketches of some of the capitals of the piers. Four of these capitals are preserved in a garden rockery in Rutherglen, and the annexed sketch (Fig. 338) shows them as they are seen lying there half covered up and concealed. The upper one, which shows the bed of the capital, is a respond from one of the end walls, and the diameter of the column, as indicated by the inner circle, is 18 inches, the breadth across the abacus being 2 feet 5 inches. The enrichments of these capitals correspond with those indicated by Ure in his view, and he informs us that the pillars, of which there were five on each side, “are smooth and round, except the middle ones, which are octagonal.” He further says that the arcade “arches are pointed, but the point is hardly discernible,” and with this the view in his book agrees. Above the arcade he shows a small square window, probably measuring about 2 feet each way, and widely splayed inside. Immediately above this was the roof. The walls were “about 20 feet high, including the pillars on which they are supported.” It is satisfactory to find Ure’s description of the church supported by the

remaining fragments. The lower member, shown in Fig. 338, is a carved stone, probably part of the chancel arch. It is enriched with the alternate billet ornaments so frequent in such arches during the Norman period.

The church was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and was granted to the Abbey of Paisley by William the Lion before the year 1189, and it continued in their possession down to the period of the Reformation. There were several altars, with endowed chaplains.

The church stands near the west end of the cemetery, on the north side of the main street. The entrance from the street is through a picturesque lych-gate of Renaissance design, dated 1663. (See Fig. 337.) It is surmounted by a sundial, dated 1679.

The cemetery is mentioned in the charters of Paisley (No. 85) in the year 1262, when the widow of John of Perthie grants to Paisley a piece of land lying between the church of the Virgin Mary and the river Clyde.

LAMINGTON CHURCH, LANARKSHIRE.

The Norman doorway of this ancient church is still preserved. The church has been altered and the doorway built up; but, doubtless, some of the old walls still exist.

The church and village were founded by one Lambin, in the twelfth century. The doorway (Fig. 339) is in the north wall of the church. It

is an elaborate example to find in this remote and quiet pastoral district. The arch mouldings and ornaments are well preserved, but, unfortunately, the shafts are wanting. The caps are quite plain. There are three orders of mouldings, all enriched with characteristic Norman ornaments. It will be observed that in that of the outer order the spaces between the rings gradually diminish from the caps to the crown of the arch.

ST. BOSWELLS CHURCH, ROXBURGHSHIRE.

The Church of St. Boswells stands near the right bank of the Tweed, at a point about half-way between the village of Lessudden and Maxton Railway Station. The village of St. Boswells is stated to have formerly stood near the church, but it has gradually and entirely disappeared, and the nearest village to the church is now Lessudden, which is fully a mile off. The situation is very fine, and the views of the Tweed, with its wooded banks, in the vicinity are very beautiful.

The place is of great antiquity, and is supposed to have derived its name from Eadwine of Northumbria. The church, which has been entirely rebuilt, contains a few small relics of the Norman edifice which undoubtedly once stood on the site. These consist of some carved corbels (Fig. 340) and other fragments, which are evidently of Norman date, and which have been preserved by being built into the restored church.

The Church of Lessudden was bestowed on Dryburgh Abbey in the middle of the twelfth century.

SMAILHOLM CHURCH, ROXBURGHSHIRE.

As in Berwickshire, so in Roxburghshire, a large number of Norman churches were erected during the Norman period. We have not attempted to compile a list of these, as in most cases almost no trace of them now remains, or so little that it can only be detected by an antiquarian. There is, for example, the Church of Hassendean, of which Cardonell gives a view of the chancel arch, granted by David I. to the Bishop of Glasgow. This, judging from Cardonell’s view, must have been a rich and important structure, with an eastern end similar to what we

find existing at Leuchars and Dalmeny. The Church of Upper Crailing was granted in 1147 to the Abbey of Jedburgh; and at the same time Ganfrid de Percy grants to the same abbey the lands adjacent to the Church of Oxenham; and Ranulph de Sulis at the same time gives to the abbey the Church of Castletown, and a little later in the century the Church of Hownam and Eckford are similarly bestowed. The Church of Smailholm (Fig. 341) is distinctly a Norman structure throughout its entire length. David I. granted the manor of Smailholm to David Olifard, and in the ancient _Taxatio_ (beginning of the thirteenth century) the Church of Smailholm was rated at 45 marks. Walter Olifard, who died in 1242, gave the Church of Smailholm to Coldingham Priory.

Merely the shell of this building is Norman. It was greatly altered in the seventeenth century, when probably the chancel arch was cut out; and in later times it has suffered severely, so that all its original architectural details have been destroyed.

The church consists of a nave, about 46 feet 6 inches long by 17 feet 3 inches wide; a chancel, 25 feet 9 inches long by 14 feet wide--being a total length of about 72 feet 3 inches. The present doorway to the nave is, doubtless, in the position of the original one, and has been enlarged. The chancel doorway is of the seventeenth century, and the windows adjoining are probably enlargements of the originals made at the same time. There were no windows in the north wall, and one in the west wall is quite modern.

There is a sundial on the south-west corner, bearing the date 1622, which date is probably the date of the alterations referred to and of the erection of the belfry.

LINTON CHURCH, ROXBURGHSHIRE.