While out and about in Stirling I
decided to take a walk from the city centre out to Cambuskenneth. This peaceful village is situated on land
almost encircled by the River Forth and is dominated by the tower of the abbey
that stands there. The tower being
pretty much all that is left of the abbey, the rest having long ago fallen down
with the stone being taken for housing and other buildings nearby and in
Stirling.
.jpg "Cambuskenneth Abbey Bell Tower")
.JPG "Archway into the burial ground")
.JPG "View from the abbey grounds to the Wallace Monument")
.JPG "View from the abbey grounds")
.jpg "Remains of the abbey dovecot")
.JPG "Pigeons nesting in the dovecot")
The abbey was founded in 1147 by King
David I for the monks of the Order of St Augustine, who came from Arras, in the
province of Artois in France. Under the
King’s protection the abbey became very rich with donations from those seeking
his favour. The King also decreed that ‘half
the skins and tallow of all the beasts slain for the King’s use at Stirling’ be
donated to the abbey.
The abbey soon became an economic
powerhouse with properties across Scotland.
It was granted the fishing rights for the River Forth and also
controlled the salt making industry along the river. This enabled it to trade in a much desired
staple of the day, dried and salted fish.
Much of this was sold in the locality while some made its way to foreign
markets. This was a nice little earner
for the abbey and boosted their finances somewhat.
.JPG "View of the Bell Tower")
.JPG "View of the Bell Tower")
Between 1303 and 1304, the armies of King
Edward I of England invaded Scotland and the abbey at Cambuskenneth was one of
many to be pillaged. The lead was taken
from its roof, the ornaments and the precious manuscripts were stolen, and the
abbey buildings set on fire. However, its
fortunes soon recovered and in 1314, after his victory at the Battle of
Bannockburn, Robert the Bruce held the first of many parliaments at the abbey. During the 14th Century parliaments were held
so often at the abbey that one of the buildings became known as Parliament
Hall.
In 1385 the abbey was again pillaged and
vandalised, this time by the armies of King Richard II in a series of revenge
attacks for Scottish border raids. However,
as previously the abbey quickly overcame its misfortune making quite a bit of
cash from burying the wealthy and privileged within its grounds. Those buried there being assured of a holy
resting place for their mortal remains and that prayers would be said for the
salvation of their souls.
In 1487, King James III of Scotland paid
a small fortune to have his wife, Margaret of Denmark, buried there. For those of you worried that this may have
been a misogynistic act to rid himself of an unwanted spouse let me reassure
you that she was dead at the time of her burial, having succumbed to illness a
few days before. A short time later, in
June 1488, the King himself was buried there, murdered after fleeing from
defeat by a rebel army at the Battle of Sauchieburn. Excavations in 1864 uncovered the royal tomb
and the skeletal remains of two bodies, believed to be those of Margaret and
James, were found in coffins beneath a slab of stone. Queen Victoria then paid for a new tomb,
positioned where the high altar once stood.
.JPG "The tomb of King James III & Margaret of Denmark")
.JPG "The tomb of King James III & Margaret of Denmark")
%20%20Shearer's%20guide%20to%20Stirling,%20Dunblane,%20Callander,%20the%20Trossachs%20and%20Loch%20Lomond%20Killin,%20Loch%20Tay,%20Loch%20Awe,%20Crianlarich,%20and%20Oban.jpg "Cambuskenneth Abbey and Tomb of King James III from Shearer’s Guide to Stirling, etc.")
After the Reformation the abbey fell
into disuse and a large portion of the lands and the abbey itself were given to
John Erskine, the Earl of Mar. He had
much of the abbey pulled down and the stones from it used to construct a nice,
new house for himself and his family, this being Mar's Wark, the ruins of which
can be found on St John Street in Stirling.
.jpg "View of the Bell Tower")
.jpg "View of the Bell Tower")
.jpg "Bell Tower grotesques")
.jpg "Bell Tower grotesques")
.jpg "Bell Tower grotesque")
After wandering around the abbey ruins
and enjoying the peace and tranquillity of the site I was caught in a sudden
downpour and took shelter in the tower. Then
a few minutes later when a bright, hot sun was once again beating down I went
back out and left a Skulferatu in a gap in the crumbling cement and stone of
the abbey’s foundations.
.JPG "Skulferatu #75")
.JPG "Skulferatu #75 in abbey foundations")
.JPG "Skulferatu #75 in abbey foundations")
.jpg "Map showing location of Skulferatu #75")
The coordinates for the location of the
Skulferatu are –
Latitude 56.123423
Longitude -3.917658
I used the following sources for information on Cambuskenneth Abbey –
Information Boards at
the Site
Bell the Cat; or Who
Destroyed the Scottish Abbeys
By John Jamieson
1902
Shearer's guide to
Stirling, Dunblane, Callander, the Trossachs and Loch Lomond, Killin, Loch Tay,
Loch Awe, Crianlarich, and Oban
R S Shearer & Son
1895
The Illustrated London
News – Oct 6, 1866
Undiscovered Scotland –
Cambuskenneth Abbey
