Melrose Abbey - Melrose, Borders (HS)
The history of Melrose Abbey begins not in the location of the present abbey ruins, but at Old Melrose, east of the town and in a loop of the River Tweed, like its neighbour at Dryburgh. St. Aidan of Lindisfarne established a monastery here around 650, with the first Abbot, Eata, one of 12 Saxon men taught by St. Aidan himself. At that time, this area was part of the kingdom of Northumbria. It was to Old Melrose that the local St. Cuthbert first came, progressing in due time to become Prior here and later at Lindisfarne. His miraculously preserved body came back to the new Abbey at Melrose when Lindisfarne came under attack by the Danes. Old Melrose itself had been destroyed by the Scots under Kenneth MacAlpin in 839. The site of the original Abbey is still marked by its boundary ditch.
Under David I of Scotland, there was a great religious regeneration and many new abbeys were founded, with existing ones re-endowed and this is what happened at Melrose. David invited the Cistercians at Rievaulx in Yorkshire to Melrose in 1136 and here they established themselves as landowners, farmers and traders in addition to their severe religious life. At one time, Melrose was among the largest sheep farmers in Europe and with the wealth gifted by its benefactors, it became one of medieval Scotland's richest monasteries. In 1249, King Alexander II gave instructions that he be buried in the church at Melrose. The second Abbot of Melrose, David's step-son St.Waltheof, was buried in the Chapter House and it may be his finely decorated tomb stone excavated in the 1920's which is now on display in the Commendator's House.
In 1146, the first church at Melrose was dedicated to St. Mary, but very little now remains of this building. It was relatively simple in construction, echoing the mother church at Rievaulx, with a stepped east end, cruxiform in shape with an aisled nave. There would have been various side altars where Mass was said for the repose of the souls of the abbey's benefactors and deceased monks and a pulpitum or screen separating the monks in the presbytery from the lay-brothers in the nave. Life in the abbey followed the rhythm of prayers, services and seasons, with progressive construction of the church and the surrounding abbey buildings.
In 1296, however, the English invaded under Edward I and Melrose, in its vulnerable border position, came under attack. Under Edward II, in 1322, Melrose was again sacked. King Robert Bruce helped the monks rebuild Melrose and his heart was brought here after traveling to the Holy Land with his friend Sir James Douglas. It was brought back by Sir William Keith and a white marble stone heart now marks the reputed spot of its burial outside the ruined church.
After a period of uneasy peace, the Anglo-Scottish Wars recommenced under David II of Scotland and Richard II of England. Melrose was burned to the ground again by the English army, but once again, the Cistercians set about rebuilding. The resulting church became one of the most splendid examples of gothic architecture in Britain, with very high quality carving, delicately traceried pointed arched windows and exuberant details, such as the famous bag-pipe playing pig, even high up where no-one could clearly see from the ground. The earliest parts, such as the presbytery, were funded by Richard II and have a strongly English influence in their perpendicular style. The later parts, such as the south transept, have a more French, flowing style. The work continued through the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, with glazed floor tiles in yellow, green and brown set in the floor. The function of the abbey also underwent change, with the lay-brothers declining and the adoption of the church for parish worship in 1443. In 1541, James V's son, James Stewart, was appointed as Commendator in lieu of an abbot and this political rather than spiritual role (he was still a small child at the time) sealed the decline in the standards of monastic life echoed throughout Europe.
During the minority of Queen Mary Stewart, the Abbey was once again attacked and burned in 1544. The Reformation, sixteen years later, finally sealed the fate of Melrose and it gradually fell to ruins, despite the continued use of the presbytery as the parish church for some time.
Melrose is now in the care of Historic Scotland and is a delightful place to visit. The museum in the Commendator's House is full of interesting artifacts from the Abbey's history and the town of Melrose too is worth visiting.