Scotland Melrose and its Abbey, Scottish Borders

Melrose lies between the banks of the River Tweed and the triple peaks of the Eildon Hills, The Romans had a major fort nearby known as Trimontium, although all that is left are crop marks on the ground.

There is nothing left either of the C6th abbey founded by St Aidan, bringing monks from Iona. St Cuthbert was a monk here having seen a vision whilst looking after sheep on the Lammermuir Hills. Melrose Abbey dates from the C12th and settlement grew up round it.

Being on the Border, it was in the path of invading English armies, and attacked several times. In the mid C16th it was an established wool and linen producing centre, although it was never as important as other local towns.

It is still an important local centre with a good range of shops and is also popular with toourists. . The town centre has the advantage of being bypassed by the A6019 which runs along the line of the old railway past the old station building, immediately to the south of the town. Heavy traffic is kept away from the centre.

There is a map of the towm here and a town trail.

The Mercat cross is in the market place overlooked by the former red sandstone town hall building.

Across the road is the Ormiston Institute which was built in 1882 and bequeathed to the town by Charles Ormiston. It now houses the Trimontium Museum. The clock is dated 1892 and dedicated to the physician and surgeon John Meilke, erected by grateful patients.

High Street drops down from the Market Place and is the main shopping area with small locally owned shops.

Melrose has a strong tradition of rugby and the Melrose Sevens has been a regular spring time event since 1883.

Melrose has two very attractive small gardens owned by the National Trust for Scotland. Priorwood Garden is a walled garden next to Melrose Abbey. There is a wide herbaceous border which was used for cut flowers for drying and preservation. It also has a n orchard growing over 70 different types of apples. These are for sale from a small honesty kiosk.

Harmony Garden is a few yards away across Abbey Street from the Abbey. These were the gardens of Harmony House, a splendid Georgian building built from the proceeds of a lime and pimento platation in Jamaica. This is now a holiday let.

There is a large grassed area in front of the house which is covered with flowering bulbs in the spring with shrubs and trees.

Around the house are the ornamental gardens with herbaceous borders.

It also has a kitchen garden with greenhouse and raised beds for growing vegetables.

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[Eleanor]

Melrose Abbey - some history and the site

This was one of the richest and most powerful abbeys in Scotland.

In 1136 David I founded a Cistercian monastery here near the site of the C6th abbey and endowed it with vast tracts of land. It was one of a number of abbeys he established across the Borders to show off not only his piety but also his domination across the area. Situated between the River Tweed and the Eildon Hills, it took nearly 50 years to complete and dominated the valley.

In 1322 Melrose Abbey and town were attacked by the English army of Edward II. Much of the abbey was destroyed and many monks were killed. The subsequent rebuilding was partially funded by Robert the Bruce. After his death, Robert the Bruce’s body was interred at Dunfermline Abbey, but his heart was returned to Melrose Abbey for burial.

Church largely destroyed by army Richard II in 1385 and had to be rebuilt. Taking over 100 years to complete, it is a masterpiece of medieval architecture, partly financed from customs exemptions on their wool exports.

The abbey was again badly damaged by English armies in 1544 during what is known as the Rough wooing when Henry VIII tried to force a marriage of the young Mary Queen of Scots to his son Edward. It was never fully repaired and with the growing move to Protestantism, its importance as working monastery declined . Last abbot died in 1557 and was not replaced. In 1560 legislation was passed by the Scottish Reformation Parliament abolishing Catholic worship in Scotland. The remaining monks were allowed to live at the abbey and the and last remaining monk died in 1590. Part of the abbey church was dismantled for building stone. Abbey lands were sold off and the Monks’ choir became the parish church.

A new church was built in 1810. The abbey ruins were romanticised by people like Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scot and Turner, bringing tourists to the area. Iy passed into the care of the State in 1918 and is now managed by Historic Environment Scotland.

The Abbey Church still dominates the site with some walls standing to nearly their full height.

To the south is the original town graveyard. The remains of the monastic buildings ( now just foundations) are to the north and west.

The River Tweed provided a plentiful supply of water for the infirmary and kitchens as well as powering the corn mill and flushing the latrines.

Until the 1400s, most of the manual labour was undertaken by the lay brothers and they had their own cloister and accommodation block and worshipped in the west end of the nave, away from the monks.

The abbey was surrounded by vast tracks of land. The king granted them the right to fish the river and take wood from the local forests. They were major sheep farmers with around 17,000 sheep in the 1300s. wool was exported to the continent and was an important source of income and wealth.

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[Eleanor]

Melrose Abbey cont...

The Abbey church was the centre of Monastic life and monks attended at least eight services a day. It was built in the traditional cruciform shape with two transepts and a central crossing with a tower and nave. (In 2024, there was still no access into the church as it was closed while high level. masonry inspections take place. The west end was covered in scaffolding.)

This had a south aisle with a series of chapels which would have been separated from the nave by wooden screens. Each would have had an altar and piscina.

The planned late C15th extension to the west end was never built, possibly as there were fewer lay brothers then, and just a few foundations survive.

The exterior of the church, particularly the south transept and doorway is a visual delight with beautiful tracery windows, elaborate carving (including a bagpipe playing pig) and flying buttresses.

Immediately to the north of the church is the cloisters and the domestic buildings. All that remains of these are low stone walls.

Nothing is left of the Chapter House apart from a few medieval tiles in the ground and the modern plinth commemorating where the casket containing the heart of Robert the Bruce was found in 1922. Previously this had been marked by a small metal plate.

Next to this would have been the monks’ dormitory and latrine block which was flushed by the great drain.

In the Cloisters is the remains of the lavatorium where monks washed before eating in the refectory.

Near here is the kitchen block with the remains of the drains.

The lay brothers quarters including dormitory, refectory and kitchens, lay along the west wall of the cloister and they had their own smaller cloister near the great drain.

The lay brothers range continues across Cloisters Road.

The tanning pits are here, near the main drain.

There is also a small well.

The Commendator's House is here.

cont....

 

[Eleanor]

Melrose Abbey cont - The Museum in the Commendator's House

The Commendator’s House is a splendid red sandstone building dating from around 1400. It was converted into a home by James Douglas, the last Commendator in 1590. The Commendator was a lay administrator and they were increasingly supplanting abbots in running the monastery. The House was designed to show off his power and influence.

It is now the museum, which has one of the largest collections of medieval artefacts on display in Scotland, spread across two floors.

Pride of place are four statues from the abbey walls dating from the 1400s. They were damaged during the Protestant Reformation and by later weathering. They were replaced by new carvings and moved into the museum in the 1980s. They depict the Virgin and Child, St Paul, St Andrew with his cross and St Peter. holding a book.

There are other fragments of carved stone along with ceiling bosses.

Display cases have displays of medieval tiles, pottery fragments and also medieval urinals.