Ardvreck Castle Loch Assynt Sutherland Scotland Source : Wikipedia

While travelling all over Scotland we’ve discovered a great number of ruins and visited some of them, from the grandiose remains of castles, abbeys and churches, often set in dramatic landscapes, to the more modest and heartbreaking crofts and villages burnt during the infamous period of the Highlands evictions in the 18th and 19th centuries…

Dumfries & Galloway Sweetheart Abbey churchyard © 2004 Scotiana

We’ve also visited a number of churchyards. Not that we feel particularly attracted to the macabre but we do love the peaceful atmosphere of these solitary places, the beautiful pages written on the stones, some in a most melancholy and pathetic tone, others in the epitaph’s irresistible style, and we also like very much the funeral art which is particularly interesting in Scotland. Last but not least, as Janice happens to have Scottish roots, and as she is trying to find clues on the graves about her family history, we’ve been haunting the Scottish graveyards in 2006 and 2007, to find stones bearing the name of ‘Mitchelson’, even extending our field of investigations to that of ‘Mitchell’…

Melrose Abbey churchyard © 2001 Scotiana

‘The pillared arches were over their head,

And beneath their feet were the bones of the dead.’

(Sir Walter Scott – The Lay of the Last Minstrel II – 7)

In Melrose churchyard we’ve lingered some time, puzzling, as usual, over the cryptic nature of some grave symbols but if a Scottish king and a wizard are actually buried on the site we may well have walked on their grave without knowing they were there. We did not know either that Sir Walter Scott had had a stone erected there in memory of Tom Purdie, his much loved servant. Sure, we’ll have to put our Sherlock Holmes suit when we go back there, for it doesn’t seem obvious to find these tombs. Legend or reality? Let us try to know more …

The Lay of the Last Minstrel - Sir Walter Scott - Edinburgh and Charles Black 1869

We first learned about the king and the wizard tombs on reading Sir Walter Scott’s The Lay of the Last Minstrel. Strange as it may appear today, in a world of hi-tech cinematography, our interest aroused from the first lines of this long narrative poem dating back to the 1860s and which tells us about a still more ancient story taking place on the Scottish Borders at a time of feudal wars, in the 16th century.

Quite appropriately, Sir Walter Scott has been called the “magician of the north” and his magic is still working today for those who make the effort to read him. Line after line, like a magic wand, his pen conjures up images:  Melrose Abbey in the moonlight, the old monk bent with age and penance (‘A hundred years had flung their snows/On his thin locks and floating beard.’), the strong armoured knight bursting noisily in the silent place in the middle of the night (‘The arched cloister, far and wide,/Rang to the warrior’s stride’),  a warrior not much inclined to go to church nor even pray, except for an ave maria in case of great danger, both contrasting characters  sitting side by side on the royal grave and waiting for the hour when the luminous red cross is due to fall on the tomb  (‘Lo, Warrior! now the Cross of Red/Points to the grave of the mighty dead; /Within it burns a wondrous light,/To chase the spirits that love the night’), and finally the climax of action with the opening of the tomb by the frightened warrior and the terrific figure of the magician in his tomb holding the magical book in his cold hands… these are pages full of suspense and mystery which would not have been out of place in a novel by JK Rowling orTolkien…

Steel engraving and enhancement of the Great Seal of Alexander II, King of Alba (Scotland) Wikipedia

‘They sate them down on a marble stone,
(A Scottish monarch slept below;)’

(Walter Scott – The Lay of the Last Minstrel – Canto II 12)

In these two verses from The Lay of the Last Minstrel we learn about the existence of a king’s tomb but no indication is given in the poem about its location in the Abbey nor even about the name of the king. There is a foot note, however, which must have been written by Sir Walter Scott and which reads : “A large marble stone, in the chancel of Melrose, is pointed out as the monument of Alexander II, one of the greatest of our early kings; others say, it is the resting-place of Waldeve, one of the early abbots, who died in the odour of sanctity.”

Alexander II was the 28th Scottish king and a great king too. He fell ill and died in 1249 on the Isle of Kerrera, near Oban, while fighting the Norwegians. Is he actually resting at Melrose? Who knows, many kings have been buried on the isle of Iona, not far from Oban.

I have found more clues about the tomb and its royal occupant in Magnus Magnusson’s The Story of a Nation, a very interesting book I’m glad to have in my library. As it can be seen on the back cover of this hardback edition, Magnus Magnusson who was a very popular Scottish author (he died in 2007), was also a great admirer of Sir Walter Scott.

Scotland Magnus Magnusson Harper Collins 2000 back cover

Scotland Magnus Magnusson Harper Collins 2000

Alexander II fell ill in Kerrera Sound. He died there, either on his ship or on land, on 8 July 1249; no cairn commemorates the spot, but a grassy field beside the shore is known to this days as ‘Dalrigh’ – Gaelic for ‘the field of the king’. He was buried in Melrose Abbey, in accordance with his last wishes; his unmarked tomb is in a recess in the wall of the presbytery to the south of the High Altar, but there is no plaque to identify it for visitors, as yet. (Scotland: The Story of a Nation – The Thirteenth century; Alexander II and III – Magnus Magnusson HarpersCollinsPublishers 2000)

In my old edition of The Life of Sir Walter by John Lockhart, I’ve also fallen on a very interesting and funny text about this tomb :

John Gibson Lockhart (1794-1854)

[Footnote 73: [From the journal of three English ladies, travellers in Scotland in the summer of 1817, we get another glimpse of Johnnie Bower, and a pleasant sketch of Sophia Scott:--
"In the chancel Miss Scott, a very charming, lively girl of seventeen, pointed out to us 'The Wizard's Grave,' and then the black stone in the form of a coffin, to which the allusion is made in the poem, 'A Scottish monarch sleeps below,'--said to be the tomb of Alexander II. 'But I will tell you a secret,' she half whispered; 'only don't you tell Johnnie Bower. There is no Scottish monarch there at all, nor anybody else, for papa had the stone taken up, not long ago, and no coffin nor anything  was to be found. And then Johnnie came and begged me not to tell people so. "For what wull I do, Miss Scott, when I show the ruins, if I canna point to this bit, and say, 'A Scottish monarch sleeps below'?"' As, however, he had the pleasure of saying this to us the evening before, Miss Scott thought we might fairly have her secret....

Now, if it may appear quite irreverent to walk on a royal tomb (as on any tomb indeed!), how more perilous it would be to awaken a wizard, so we’d better try to solve the mystery of his grave before going back there!

Sir Walter Scott The Lay of the Last Minstrel Edinburgh Adam and Charles Black 1869

“In these far climes it was my lot
To meet the wondrous Michael Scott,
A wizard, of such dreaded fame,
Than when, in Salmanca’s cave,
Him listed his magic wand to wave,
The bells would ring in Notre Dame!
Some of his skill he taught to me;
And Warrior, I could say to thee
The words that cleft Eildon hills in three,
And bridled the Tweed with a curb of stone:
But to speak them were a deadly sin;
And for having but thought them my heart within,
A treble penance must be done.

(Sir Walter Scott – The Lay of the Last Minstrel – XIII)

Here’s another extract, picturing the climax of this fantastic scene :

Before their eyes the Wizard lay,
As if he had not been dead a day;
His hoary beard in silver roll’d,
He seem’d some seventy winters old ;
A palmer’s amice wrapp’d him round,
With a wrought Spanish baldric bound,
Like a pilgrim from beyond the sea :
His left hand held his Book of Might ;
A silver cross was in his right ;
The lamp was placed beside his knee ;
High and majestic was his look,
At which the fellest fiends had shook,
And all unruffled was his face ;
They trusted his soul had gotten grace.

(The Lay of the Last Minstrel – Canto 22 19)

Quite impressive is the character described in The Lay of the Last Minstrel.  But it’s poetry and how far legend and reality mingle here, as well as in the collective imaginary, we don’t know exactly. The character of Michael Scott seems to have been in life as impressive as in fiction. He left his mark all over the world as a scientist but he is also said to have tried his hand in more occult matters such as astronomy, alchemy and even sorcery…

I’ve found a lot of very interesting information in the Appendix added by Sir Walter Scott, at the end of his  Lay of the Last Minstrel (Note 2 C. entitled “The wondrous Michael Scott” ). I’ve typed the whole of this text for those who want to know more about the character of Michael Scott and also to show how important it is not to take literally what is described in fiction or poetry, be it historical or not.  Sorry too for the Latin, Italian and old English passages. We can try to guess what they mean since I’ve found no note translating these passages and I only have a French version of Dante’s book in my library Anyway I wanted to transcribe the whole passage for readers who can be interested.  Here again, I will  need my magnifying glass to decipher the text in my old book! People must have had an extremely good vision at the time of Sir Walter!

Sir Walter Scott Portrait J. Graham Gilbert 1829

Sir Michael Scott of Balwearie flourished during the 13th century, and was one of the ambassadors sent to bring the Maid of Norway to Scotland upon the death of Alexander III. By a poetical anachronism, he is here placed in a later era. He was a man of much learning, chiefly acquired in foreign countries. He wrote a commentary upon Aristotle, printed at Venice in 1496; and several treatises upon natural philosophy, from which he appears to have been addicted to the abstruse studies of judicial astrology, alchymy, physiognomy, and chiromancy. Hence he passed among his contemporaries for a skilful magician. Dempster informs us, that he remembers to have heard in his youth, that the magic books of Michael Scott were still in existence, but could not be opened without danger, on account of the malignant fiends who were thereby invoked. Dempsteri Historia Ecclesiastica, 1627, lib. xii. p. 495. Lesly characterises Michael Scott as “singularie philosophiae, astronomiae, ac medicae laude prestans ; dicebatur penitissimos magiae recessu indagâsse.”  Dante also mentions him as a renowed wizard ; -)

“Quell altro che ne’ fianchi è cosi poco,
Michele Scotto fu, che veramente
Delle magiche frodè seppe il guioco.”
Inferno, Canto xxmo.

A personage, thus spoken of by biographers and historians, loses little of his mystical fame in vulgar tradition. Accordingly, the memory of Sir Michael Scott survives in many a legend ; and in the south of Scotland, any work of great labour and antiquity, is ascribed, either to the agency of Auld Michael, of Sir William Wallace, or of the devil. Tradition varies concerning the place of his burial ; some contend for Home Coltrame, in Cumberland ; others for Melrose Abbey. But all agree, that his books of magic were interred in the grave, or preserved in the convent where he died. Satchells, wishing to give some authority for his account of the origin of the name of Scott, pretends, that, in 1629, he chanced to be at Burgh under Bowness, in Cumberland, where a person, named Lancelot Scott, showed him an extract from Michael Scott’s works, containing that story ; -)

“He said the book which he gave me
Was of Sir Michael Scott’s historie ;
Which history was never yet read through,
Nor never will, for no man dare it do.
The ryche and pure him menyde bath,
For of his dede was mekil skath.”

Some years ago, a person digging for stones, about the old castle of Hermitage, broke into a vault, containing a quantity of chaff, some bones, and pieces of iron ; amongst others, the curb of an ancient bridle which the author has since given to the Earl of Dalhousie, under the impression that it posssibly may be a relic of his brave ancestor. The worthy clergyman of the parish has mentioned this discovery in his Statistical Account of Castletown.

Young scholars have pick’d out something
From the contents, that dare not read within.
He carried me along the castle then,
And shew’d his written book hanging on an iron pin.
His writing pen did seem to me to be
Of hardened metal, like steel, or accumie ;
The volume of it did seem so large to me,
As the Book of Martyrs and Turks historie.
Then in the church he let me see
A stone where Mr. Michael Scott did lie ;
I asked at him how that could appear,
Mr Michael had been dead above five hundred years ?
He shew’d me none dust bury under that stone,
More than he had been dead a few years agone ;
For Mr. Michael’s name does terrifie each one.”

(History of the Right Honourable Name of Scott)

In an old edition of John Lawson Stoddard’s Lectures, in the volume 9 dedicated by the great travelling writer to  Scotland, England and London, there is a picture of a place in Melrose Abbey showing a stone supposed to be the wizard’s tomb as well as a very strange statue of a man wearing a turban:

Grave of the Wizard Michael Scott from John Lawson Stoddard's Lectures volume 9 Scotland England London

When we visited the Abbey, we didn’t see the stone supposed to be the wizard’s tomb nor the statue with its turban. However, in 2001, our son took a picture a part of which looks like Stoddard’s old black and white photo, featuring an ogival window, two niches in the wall and some bits of tombstones on the ground…

We’ll pay more attention next time we go there and will ask a guide, a descendant of Johnny Bower to tell us more about this mystery…

Melrose Abbey Church © 2001 Scotiana

Before leaving Melrose Abbey and its unsolved mysteries let us have a silent thought in front of the moving stone Sir Walter had had erected in memory of Tom Purdie, his faithful servant and much cherished friend. One of our readers happens to be one of his descendants. He may be pleased to read again Lockhart’s passage about the death of his relative and the beautiful elegy written by one of the greatest Scottish writers :

The close of the autumn was embittered by a sudden and most unexpected deprivation. Apparently in the fullest enjoyment of health and vigour, THOMAS PURDIE leaned his head one evening on the table, and dropped asleep. This was nothing uncommon in a hard-working man; and his family went and came about him for several hours, without taking any notice. When supper was ready, they tried to awaken him, and found that life had been for some time extinct. Far different from other years, Sir Walter seemed impatient to get away from Abbotsford to Edinburgh. ‘I have lost,’ he writes (4th November) to Cadell, ‘my old and faithful servant—my factotum—and am so much shocked, that I really wish to be quit of the country and safe in town. I have this day laid him in the grave. This has prevented my answering your letters.’
The grave, close to the Abbey at Melrose, is surmounted by a modest monument, having on two sides these inscriptions—
_In grateful remembrance of the faithful and attached services of twenty-two years, and in sorrow for the loss of a humble but sincere friend; this stone was erected by Sir Walter Scott, Bart., of Abbotsford.
Here lies the body of THOMAS PURDIE, wood-forester at Abbotsford, who died 29th October 1829, aged sixty-two years.—’Thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things._’—St Matthew, chap. xxv. ver. 21st.”
The Life of Sir Walter Scott, CHAPTER XV,  John Lockhart.

Now, I’m leaving for a short trip to visit a very picturesque Stuart town in France and also a witchcraft museum… YES ! and it will be the subject of my next  “Scottish-French connection” post on Scotiana.

So, stay tuned!

A bientôt. Mairiuna

Indeed, we didn’t know much about Scotland and its history for it was our first journey there, only seven days in June which left their mark on us forever. Our first impressions of Scottish people, culture, landscapes, cities, monuments and history date back from these days and, since then, our quest for Scotland has never ceased to go on.  Each new travel there, be it virtual or physical, brings its lot of marvels and adds new pieces to our great and beautiful Scottish puzzle…

Melrose Abbey & churchyard © 2006 Scotiana

Melrose Abbey is one of the Scottish marvels, not only because it is an architectural gem but also because it is rich in history and full of mystery. Its red-tinted ruins include the dilapidated remains of a 12th century old Cistercian monastery, the magnificent and well-preserved gothic-style Abbey Church and a graveyard with the usual lot of mossy weathered stones.

Charles S. Olcott The Country of Sir Walter Scott Cassell edition 1913

Spreading herbs and flowerets bright
Glistened with the dew of night;
Nor herb nor floweret glistened there
But was carved in the cloister arches as fair.

Seven graceful arches, forming stalls or seats once used by the dignitaries of the church, make a continuous line along the eastern wall. Above the arches, and joining one to another, are stone carvings of rare delicacy and beauty. Of the more than a hundred separate figures in this frieze no two are alike. There are roses, lilacs, thistles, ferns, oak leaves, and scores of other representations of the forms of nature, all exquisitely carved with inimitable accuracy. Scott admired these arches so greatly that he copied one of them for the fireplace of the entrance hall at Abbotsford.

The ‘steel-clenched postern door,’ through which the monk and the knight now entered the chancel, stands nearly intact. Its three arches rest on graceful pilasters surmounted by capitals, with carved foliage so delicate that a straw can be passed behind the stalks of the leaves. We found it interesting upon entering this door to note the accuracy of the poet’s descriptions, which the guide quoted with great fluency. The pillars supporting the lofty roof spread out to form the great arches, seeming to be ‘bundles of lances which garlands had bound.’

We stood beneath this arched roof for a long time to admire the beautiful East Window, and the guide quoted; -
The moon on the East Oriel shone
Through slender shafts of shapely stone
By foliaged tracery combined.

(The Country of Sir Walter Scott – Charles S. Olcott 1913)

A lot of people, religious or not, have been buried there but most of them have been forgotten since a long time. A few legendary figures still survive however and they can still trigger the visitor’s imagination.  Among them, two Scottish kings and a very mysterious wizard …

Sir Walter Scott Monument Edinburgh © 2007 Scotiana

There are many intriguing tales and legends attached to this old abbey and Sir Walter Scott, who lived nearby and was a recurrent visitor of the place, much contributed to popularize them. The reading of Sir Walter’s books is allowing us to venture in territories which would be quite difficult for us to tread otherwise, I mean, local and national feud and history. But we’ve fallen under the spell of the Magician of the North and, to say the truth, we can more easily follow the steps of Sir Walter in the fields – the battlefields -  of historical fiction, than the more arduous paths of archaelogists, historians and scholars …

Sir Walter received many people at Abbotsford. He was reputed for his hospitality, his cheerfulness, his kindness and, of course, his visitors could not have found better guide to make them visit the neighbourhood. A number of Sir Walter’s visitors were themselves writers and they have left very lively memories of their meetings with the master of Abbotsford. Irving Washington, a well-known American writer, has been one of the most famous visitors. John Lockhart quotes him largely in his Life of Sir Walter Scott. I can’t help to share with you a very interesting extract.

My edition of John Lockhart’s book is rather ancient (1865) , the text is divided into two columns and the letters are so small that I must use my cross-stich magnifying-glass to read it… but it’s worth the effort! This text is one more example of Sir Walter’s entertaining character and we also get acquainted with Johnny Bower, Melrose Abbey’s sexton then and a passionate guide of the place. Such a colourful man must have left his mark in the history of Melrose!

Abbotsford entrance door © 2001 Scotiana

So, let us follow Washington Irving in his visit to Abbotsford and Melrose Abbey…

Memoirs of the Life of Sir Walter Scott John Lockhart 1865 Cadell edition titlepage

Memoirs of the Life of Sir Walter Scott John Lockhart 1865 Cadell edition frontispiece

“Before Scott reached the gate, he called out in a hearty tone, welcoming me to Abbotsford, and asking news of Campbell. Arrived at the door of the chaise, he grasped me warmly by the hand: ‘Come, drive down, drive down to the house,’ said he; ‘ye’re just in time for breakfast, and afterwards ye shall see all the wonders of the Abbey.’
“I should have excused myself on the plea of having already made my breakfast. ‘Hut, man,’ cried he, ‘ a ride in the morning in the keen air of the Scotch hills is warrant enough for a second breakfast.’
“I was accordingly whirled to the portal of the cottage, and in a few moments found myself seated at the breakfast-table. There was no one present but the family, which consisted of Mrs Scott; her eldest daughter, Sophia, then a fine girl about seventeen; Miss Ann Scott, two or three years younger; Walter, a well-grown stripling; and Charles, a lively boy, eleven or twelve years of age.
“ I soon felt myself quite at home, and my heart in a glow, with the cordial welcome I experienced. I had thought to make a mere morning visit, but found I was not to be let off so lightly.’You must not think our neighbourhood is to be read in a morning like a newspaper,’ said Scott; ‘it takes several days of study for an observant traveller, that has a relish for auld-world trumpery. After breakfast you shall make your visit to Melrose Abbey; I shall not be able to accompany you, as I have some household affairs to attend to; but I will put you in charge of my son Charles, who is very learned in all things touching the old ruin and the neighbourhood it stands in; and he and my friend Johnnie Bower, will tell you the whole truth to believe, unless you be a true and nothing-doubting antiquary. When you come back, I’ll take you out on a ramble about the neighbourhood. To-morrow we will take a look at the Yarrow, and the next day we will drive over to Dryburgh Abbey, which is a fine old ruin, well worth the seeing.’ – In a word, before Scott had got through with his plan, I found myself committed for a visit of several days, and it seemed as if a little realm of romance was suddenly open before me.”

After breakfast, while Scott, no doubt, wrote a chapter of Rob Roy, Mr Irving, under young Charles’s guidance, saw Melrose Abbey and Johnnie Bower the elder, whose son long since inherited his office as showman of the ruins, and all his enthusiasm about them and their poet. The senior on this occasion was loud in his praises of the affability of Scott. “He’ll come here sometimes,” said he, “with great folks in his company, and the first I’ll know of it is hearing his voice calling out Johnny! – Johnny Bower! – and when I go out I’m sure to be greeted with a joke or a pleasant word. He’ll stand and crack, an’ laugh wi’ me just like an auld wife, – and to think that of a man that has such an awfu’ knowledge of history!”
On his return from the Abbey, Irving found Scott ready for a ramble.”
(John Lockhart Memoirs of the Life of Sir Walter Scott – ‘Washington Irving – 1817′ -  Edinburgh : Robert Cadell, St. Andrew Square 1865)

Narrative of the Life of Sir Walter Scott, Bart 2010

Hum, Janice ! I think I’m going to invest soon in a new book ! This new edition of John Lockhart’s  book does look good and I must preserve my rare edition of it… as well as my vision too

Melrose Abbey Robert the Bruce's heart casket © 2006 Scotiana

It’s only during our last trip to Scotland, in July 2007, that we’ve had the opportunity to see the emblematic carved stone which marks the place where the leaden casket supposed to be containing Robert the Bruce’s heart has been reburied in 1997.
This round stone, carved with the symbolic design of a heart intertwined with St Andrew’s cross, is the result of a competition launched by Historic Scotland and won by Victoria Oswald, a BBC sound engineer. The golden words engraved in early Scots around the plain circular stone read “A noble hart may have no ease, gif freedom failye” which means in modern language, “A noble heart can know no ease without freedom.” These words come from John Barbour’s long narrative poem The Brus, a historical and patriotic text which celebrates Robert the Bruce and James Douglas, and also focuses on the Scottish victory at Bannockburn.
How can we be sure, you may ask, that it is Robert the Bruce’s heart which is enclosed in the Melrose casket? Many people think it is and that could certainly be proved, or refuted, with DNA tests but is it necessary to lift the veil?
An exhumation of the king’s body at Dunfermline, in 1818, has already showed that the heart had effectively been taken from it, probably to be embalmed and placed in a casket as it was the custom then. Of course, like most venerated relics, it is surrounded by an aura of mystery.

Robert the Bruce portrait Source : Wikipedia

A lot of ink has been spilled over the long story of Robert Bruce’s heart…  let us content to say that, in 1329, while he lay dying, Robert the Bruce asked Sir James Douglas to take his heart to the Holy Land. In 1330, while trying to do so, Sir James was killed in Spain, with a number of Scottish knights, in a heroic battle against the Moors. Before dying, however, and in a desperate effort to prevent the royal casket from falling into the hands of the enemy, Sir James threw it to his fellow knights, shouting. ‘Now pass thou onward before us, as thou wast wont, and I will follow thee or die.’One of the surviving knights was Sir William Keith. He took with him Bruce’s heart casket and the remains of his unlucky companions and went back to Scotland. Some time later, Robert the Bruce’s heart was buried in Melrose Abbey.

The Country of Sir Walter Scott photo Melrose Charles S. Olscott Cassell 1913

Beneath the window lies the heart of Robert Bruce. It had been the desire of the monarch that his heart be interred in the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem. After his death the body was buried beneath the high altar of the church at Dunfermline, but the heart was taken out and committed to the keeping of James, Lord Douglas, who undertook to carry it to the Holy Land. But James was defeated and killed by the Saracens, and the heart of his royal master was taken to Melrose and buried there. This was as it should be, for the heart of Bruce, figuratively speaking, was always in Melrose. After the destruction of the abbey in 1322 by Edward II on his retreat from Scotland, Bruce made a grant of £2000 sterling, a sum equivalent to about  £ 50,000 in the money of to-day. Because of this munificence the abbey was rebuilt in all the beauty and perfection which Gothic architecture could suggest, so that even in ruins it is still a structure of graceful magnificence. In 1384, the abbey was again destroyed, but later restored. In 1544, 1545, and finally a century later under the Reformation, the abbey suffered serious damage from which it never recovered. (The Country of Sir Walter Scott – Charles S. Olcott 1913)

Clan Douglas coat of arms Source:Wikipedia

It is interesting to note that following the times of this heroic battle in Spain, in the 1330s, the arms of the Douglas changed, now bearing on their shield the heart as an emblem…
A long long time after these events, in 1921, excavations took place beneath the Chapter House of the Abbey and a leaden casket supposed to contain Robert the Bruce’s heart was discovered then. It was  soon reburied in due place but in 1996 it was removed again to be re-examined before being reburied a second time, on 22 June 1998. A commemorative plaque has been put on the site on 24 June, the anniversary date of Bruce’s victory at Bannockburn.

Nigel Tranter Robert the Bruce Trilogy Volume 1 The Steps to the Empty Throne 1st edition Hodder and Stoughton 1969

Since we are speaking of Robert the Bruce I would like to introduce today Nigel Tranter, a very popular Scottish author who has written, among many other books of historical fiction, a trilogy about the great Scottish king. He died in 2000, at the age of 90.  He was a great admirer of Sir Walter Scott and indeed, we discovered this author in 2006, at Abbotsford where a very interesting exhibition was devoted to him in Sir Walter’s bedroom  … but I will let Janice tell you more about this fascinating author…

Abbotsford Nigel Tranter exhibition author's typewriter © 2006 Scotiana

Bonne lecture !

A bientôt.

Mairiuna.

As we have not had the chance to visit this architectural gem by night, as suggested by Sir Walter Scott in his marvelous poem ” The Lay of the Last Minstrel”, this little video created with the photos we took while visiting the site will inspire a certain “sense of place”… 

From: Scott's Poetical Works -Edinburgh Edition -1869

By Sir Walter Scott   

Canto I   

If thou would’st view fair Melrose aright,  

Go visit it by the pale moonlight;  

For the gay beams of lightsome day  

Gild, but to flout, the ruins grey.  

When the broken arches are black in night,  

And each shafted oriel glimmers white;  

When the cold light’s uncertain shower  

Streams on the ruin’d central tower;  

When buttress and buttress, alternately,  

Seem framed of ebon and ivory;  

When silver edges the imagery,  

And the scrolls that teach thee to live and die;  

When distant Tweed is heard to rave,  

And the owlet to hoot o’er the dead man’s grave,  

Then go–but go alone the while–  

Then view St. David’s ruin’d pile;  

And, home returning, soothly swear,  

Was never scene so sad and fair!  

Canto II (…)  

Click here => to read the poem’s six cantos in its entirety  (French & English Version) 

Melrose Abbey By Night, Scotland - Source: In Search of Ancient Scotland, by G.M & D.A. Ruzicki

Melrose Abbey was a Cistercian abbey built by David in 1136 making it the oldest Cistercian monastery in Scotland. All told, it was destroyed and rebuilt about nine times. Although the English nearly finished it off in 1545, monks lived in the abbey for a long time after that. They were only able to stay because they renounced monasticism and joined the Reformed Church.  

Up until 1590, when the last monk died off, the records document complaints by the monks about people stealing rock and other materials from the abbey.  

Melrose Abbey once must have looked similar to English abbeys and cathedrals like Durham. In its heyday, this huge structure could porbably be seen far away. The stone work is graceful but imposing.  

Even on a gray, cold, misty morning in March, we immediately noticed the dramatic flying buttresses and elegant windows. Many stone carvings adorn the walls, a few of them whimsical, like a pig playing the bagpipe. We’d seen a picture of this pig in a book but couldn’t find it on two different visits.  

Melrose Abbey roof "pig playing bagpipes" carving © 2007 Scotiana

Parts of abbeys were frequently used for parish churches. Sadly, an ugly stone wall stands in the monk’s choir. Made of rubble taken from the abbey structure, this wall is a remnant of the post-Reformation parish kirk tornd down in 1810.  

Very little remains of other abbey structures. Only foundation walls demarcate the monk’s range and cloister. The chapter house featured tiled floors, one of only two abbeys in Scotland. The other, Glenluce Abbey in Galloway, still contains some floor tiles.  

The heart of Robert the Bruce is believed buried at Melrose Abbey. Prior to his death, he asked his trusted friend, James Douglas, to take his heart on a crusade to the Holy Land. After Douglas was killed in Spain, Bruce’s heart was returned to Scotland and presumed buried at Melrose. In 1921, archaelogists discovered a mummified human heart beneath the ground of the Chapter House. They reburied it.  

In 1996, archaeologists surveying the Chapter House rediscovered the heart in its lead container. This momentous event made headline news in British papers and on TV. We chanced to visit Melrose the day of the discovery and experienced some of the excitement.  

Another famous person, Michael Scot the wizard, is believed buried in the south transept in a grave set into the floor with a cross on it. Michael Scot lived in the 13th century. He denounced magic but loved science and astrology. His exploits fostered a large body of Scottish legend.  

Historic Scotland manages Melrose Abbey with a gift shop on premises. Signs mark the various abbey structures. At night, floodlights produce dramatic scenes and provide good photo opportunities.  

In Search of Ancient Scotland by Gerald M. and Dorothy A. Ruzicki , Aspen Grove Publishing 2000 

In Search of Ancient Scotland

To get there : Melrose is located off the A6091 close to Galashiels between the A7 and the A68. The area is richly associated with Sir Walter Scott. His museum-like home, Abbotsford, occupies a pastoral spot on the nearby Tweed River.  

Enjoy the read and talk soon,  

Janice 

Melrose Abbey © 2006 Scotiana

Melrose Abbey is a religious, historical and architectural landmark in Scotland, one you must not miss when you visit the Scottish Borders, together with the three other very beautiful  Border abbeys : Dryburgh, Jedburgh and Kelso. They are in ruins but we love them all,  especially Melrose and Dryburgh where Sir Walter Scott is buried with other members of his family. The town of Melrose is situated at the foot of the Eildon Hills, in the heart of Sir Walter Scott’s country, not far from Abbotsford, Selkirk and of course the famous Scott’s View from where you can get a splendid panoramic view of the local landscape, with the Eildon Hills in the background.  ‘Melrose’  means ‘the bare peninsula’  and it refers to the original site of a former monastery founded, as recorded by the Venerable Bede,  by Saint Aidan in the 7th century, about two miles of Melrose Abbey, in a bend of the river Tweed.

Turner Melrose Abbey: Moonlight water-colour commissioned c 1822 by Walter Fawkes to illustrate poems by Walter Scott

If thou would’st view fair Melrose aright,
Go visit it by the pale moonlight;
For the gay beams of lightsome day
Gild, but to flout, the ruins grey.
When the broken arches are black in night,
And each shafted oriel glimmers white;
When the cold light’s uncertain shower
Streams on the ruin’d central tower;
When buttress and buttress, alternately,
Seem framed of ebon and ivory;
When silver edges the imagery,
And the scrolls that teach thee to live and die;
When distant Tweed is heard to rave,
And the owlet to hoot o’er the dead man’s grave,
Then go–but go alone the while–
Then view St. David’s ruin’d pile;
And, home returning, soothly swear,
Was never scene so sad and fair!

(Walter Scott - The Lay of the Last Minstrel – Canto II – I)

No wonder Walter Scott loved Melrose Abbey so much.  Here, amidst its beautiful ruins, he used to come and sit meditating, drawing inspiration from the romantic atmosphere of the place. We visited the Abbey several times, which gave us the opportunity to know it better and to feel how its atmosphere can change dramatically under different skies.

Melrose Abbey © 2000 Scotiana

They sate them down on a marble stone,
(A Scottish monarch slept below;)

(Walter Scott – The Lay of the Last Minstrel – Canto II 12)

Under a blue skye, as a moving testimony to its past splendour, the old Abbey proudly stand with its pinky tones, amidst very ancient graves scattered all over a thick carpet of green grass.  Light and shade create effects like in a theatre. Here, a ray of sunlight suddenly falls on a name, there it reveals a carving, a statue, or the delicacy of the stone tracery.

The view will be quite different if you find yourself on the north side of the Abbey walking among the ruins of the two cloisters or on the south side where, while wandering among the graves, you can admire what remains of the magnificent south transept, with its gothic window ornamented with very fine stone tracery.

If you don’t fear heights, you can climb up to the top of the abbey, not only to see things from above and have a panoramic view of the whole area but also to have a closer look at the many statues, gargoyles and carvings which can hardly be seen from the ground.

Melrose Abbey roof "pig playing bagpipes" carving © 2006 Scotiana

Some of them are very intriguing like that of a green man which reminded us of those seen at the Rosslyn Chapel or quite incongruous and comical like that of a pig playing… bagpipes! We’ve been said it was playing bagpipes, for with only what is left of the instrument we would not have guessed!

Melrose Abbey © 2006 Scotiana

When the weather is bad it is very chilly here and you quicken your pace through the dark and empty buildings of the abbey, looking for improbable shelters and losing yourself in the gloomy stone labyrinth while the wind, like a malicious spirit, roams about the place, blowing from empty gothic windows to dilapidated arcades and round massive pillars, while its lamenting voice seems to be carrying echoes of the past and the rain is gurgling down through the gaping mouths of grimacing gargoyles.

Melrose Abbey © 2006 Scotiana

As you can’t expect to find any comfort in the gloomy churchyard you’d better hurry to the nearby Abbey’s shop where you can  enjoy a hot cup of tea or coffee while looking at the books and souvenirs displayed there or, still better, to the Commendator’s House which serves as a museum. You’ll probably be drenched to the skin before reaching it for you’ll have to walk across the soaked grass carpet of the great cloister, the foundations of the monks’ ruined kitchen and refectory and another big field where you can admire, under the rain the monastery ingenious drain system.

Melrose Abbey Museum © 2006 Scotiana

The museum is well worth a visit for it is full of very interesting objects found on the site of the old abbey. Thanks to the genial work of Historic Scotland* they are given a second life here. Each object displayed is very well documented and replaced in its original context. Thanks to a number of lively figurines we learn how the monks lived here. Quite fascinating! Melrose Abbey is full of history and mystery…

In one of my favourite old books, The Glory of Scotland by J.J. Bell, a Scottish author and journalist,  I’ve found a very interesting page about Melrose Abbey history.  So, let us read it :

Sir Walter Scott, as plain ‘Mister,’ was a sheriff of the Shire  [Selkirkshire] – a monument to his memory stands in front of the Court House – but his heart was over at Melrose, and we are going there now, a short run through lovely country. The name suggests a fragrance, though it probably means ‘blunt’ or ‘bare promontory.’ Centuries before the noble Abbey was even a thought, there was a little monastery two miles east of the site. Founded by St Aidan, it stood on a peninsula in the Tweed, and was called Melrose. So fair is this situation that when the Wordsworths were there, in 1803, Dorothy wished the famous ruins might have been transported thither. When in 1136 David I founded a new abbey at Little Fordell, he transferred to it the old name from the peninsular monastery, then extinct, and so Little Fordell became Melrose. Yet the ruins we see to-day are not those of David’s abbey, which, thanks to invaders from the South, was in fragments by 1300; they are those of a reconstructed abbey begun in 1326, under the practical encouragement of King Robert the Bruce. One must admire the spirit of the old monks, as well as that of the fighting men. Like people living in an earthquake area, while yet they wept over the wreckage of their homes they were planning to raise new and finer ones in the same perilous places. But earthquakes could hardly have done more damage than, for example, the Earl of Hertford in 1545. Within a fortnight his armies in the Borders destroyed four abbeys, sixteen castles and towers, five market towns, and 243 villages. It was then that Melrose suffered for the last time. Generals Evers and Layton burned it. There is an ironic end to their story. The day after the burning, their army was badly beaten on Ancrum Moor, a few miles away, and both were slain. And, a little later, their bodies found Christian burial at the Abbey, under its still warm walls.
Constructed in the decorated and perpendicular styles of Gothic, the Abbey in its good days must have been a glorious spectacle. Even its remnant gives the impression not only of rich magnificence, but of delicate grace. We can still form pictures of its pristine splendour from an inspection of the nave, choir, transepts, cloisters, and chapter house; of its infinite beauty from the sculptured figures, canopies, and pinnacles of the buttresses, and the exquisite traceries of the windows. It is no wonder that every year thousands of people come to look at Melrose Abbey, the most precious jewel of the Borders; no wonder that Scott, who loved its every gleam and gloom, was inspired to tell the world about it. I have doubt as to whether ‘poetical quotations’ are welcome in a book like this, but so illuminating are these lines of Scott’s that I am asking you to read them – slowly :

Through slender shafts of shapely stone,
By foliaged tracery combined;
Thou wouldst have thought some fairy’s hand
‘Twixt poplars straight the ozier wand,
In many a freakish know, had twined;
Then framed a spell, when the work was done,
And changed the willow-wreaths to stone.

That is the wonder of Melrose Abbey in a thought.

(The Glory of Scotland – J.J. Bell – 1932)

Melrose Abbey Historic Scotland Museum French Mason John Morrow figurine © 2006 Scotiana

As I’m always eager to discover new links between Scotland and France, I was particularly happy to discover that a French mason had contributed to the building of Melrose Abbey and that he had even designed one of the most beautiful parts of the Abbey, the magnificent south transept. His name is John Morrow and I’ve learned that he had also contributed  to much building work throughout southern Scotland at the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries. In the museum, a stone carved head of a bearded man is supposed to be a self-portrait of the mason.  By way of signature, John Morrow also left  a quotation engraved on a stone  in gothic letters. The original stone, which is displayed in the museum, has badly weathered and is hardly readable but there is a beautiful facsimile of it in the abbey church. It reads : ‘John Morrow sometimes called was I and born in Paris certainly and had in keeping all the mason work of St Andrews, the High Kirk of Glasgow, Melrose and Paisley, of Nithsdale and Galloway. I pray to God and Mary both and sweet St John to keep this holy church from harm’ – has he prayed loud enough, I wonder ! -  the quotation ends beautifully on these words: ‘As the compass goes evenly about, so truth and loyalty shall do without doubt.’

Melrose Abbey Historic Scotland Museum French mason John Morrow's quotation © 2006 Scotiana

We could not leave Melrose Abbey without a little pilgrimage to a most sacred place … the place where a leaden casket supposed to be containing King Robert the  Bruce’s heart has been interred in 1997, or I should say ‘re-interred’ for it had already been here for a long time.

The King’s body is buried (without his heart) at Dumfermline Abbey. The abbey is grandiose and the tomb sumptuous there but here, at Melrose, there is only a simple carved stone to commemorate Robert I with, on it, a motto (from the Bruce)  which reads: “A noble hart may have nane ease gif freedom failye”.

Melrose Abbey Robert Bruce's Heart casket © 2006 Scotiana

In 2000 and 2001, when we visited Melrose Abbey the weather was very fine and in 2006 it was rainy and  wintry. How we’d like to visit Melrose in winter now, just to experience such feelings as described by H. V. Morton at the very  end of his second book In Scotland Again (1933) : ‘Never shall I forget those frosty morning walks, the red sunrise over Melrose, the headstones rising from white grass, the sharp morning air into which man and beast breathed a little mist of steam, and all day long from dawn until dusk the world alight, as with a million little stars, with the robin’s plaintive song.’

Looking forward to hearing the robin’s winter song at Melrose, I wish you ‘une bonne lecture’.

A bientôt. Mairiuna

*Historic Scotland was created as an agency in 1991 and was attached to the Scottish Executive Education Department, which embraces all aspects of the cultural heritage, in May 1999. As part of the Scottish Government, Historic Scotland is directly accountable to the Scottish Ministers for safeguarding the nation’s built heritage, and promoting its understanding and enjoyment.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historic_Scotland

Balquhidder old kirk Scotiana.com 2006

Now try to imagine me sitting on the wooden bench you can see in the above picture, in the shade of that impressive green creature which is standing just behind, with R.J. Stewart’s book Robert Kirk, Walker Between the Worlds in my hand. So far, being as interested as puzzled by what I’ve been reading, there are still more questions in my mind than answers. The little bells hanging on Reverend Kirk’s tree will go on ringing in the wind on Doon Hill and the Reverend’s story will probably remain forever what it has always been, a mystery.

Balquhidder new parish church Scotiana.com 2006

But look, there is another church here! A very nice one, indeed! It appears to be much more recent and in a far better condition than the one beside which I’m sitting. It’s a beautiful stone building with a high pitched slate roof,  a nice porch, arched windows and a tall belfry leaning on one of the two gables. Where on earth can I be? you may ask yourselves, unless you happen to have visited this beautiful site, and what can be the link between this peaceful scene, Reverend Kirk and Rob Roy?

Balquhidder old kirk and new parish church Scotiana.com 2006

In this quiet and green setting, the old ruined kirk, the moss-covered tombs, the rustic parish church compose a most romantic scene but let us try to know more about the place. There is an illustrated board on the wall which gives information.

Balquhidder information board Scotiana.com 2004

Very interesting this board, indeed ! That’s something I like very much in Scotland. Wherever you go and whatever your interest, be it wildlife or history, you always find  detailed information on your path. So, here, I can read that the old kirk was built in 1631 by David Murray, Lord Scone, who happened to hold the patronage. Altered and repaired in 1774, it was used for worship until 1855 when the present church was built. I would have thought it was older than that. By the way, I’ve read somewhere that the first known church in Balquhidder Glen had been built in 1250 AD and archaeologists have found christian traces dating back to the late 600s.

Before moving to Aberfoyle parish, Robert Kirk had been the reverend of Balquhidder parish for about 25 years. Since he was born in 1644 and died at Aberfoyle in 1693 he must have preached in the old kirk, not far from the place where I’m sitting… WOW ! just imagine what kind of sermon such a charismatic man could have delivered to his second-sight gifted parishioners ! Balquhidder Parish Church, the new one, was built in 1853 by the architect David Bryce and funded by David Carnegie of Stronvar who happens to be buried here with his family. I’ve seen a large engraved stone with their name on it in the old kirk.

But since we’re speaking of the tombs we’ve found in Balquhidder churchyard,  the above picture shows the most famous of them, if not the most beautiful one. It attracts many visitors, especially those interested by the life of the legendary Scottish hero. Did you know there was a “Rob Roy Trail”? I’ll come back to that in my next post.  So, it is here, under this rather simple grave, on the very place of the altar of the first Balquhidder kirk, that Robert Roy MacGregor (1671-1734) lies together with his wife Mary, his second son, Cool, and his youngest son Robin Oig whose unlucky fate was to be hanged in Edinburgh. Just thinking things and calculating…  Rob Roy must have been 12 years old when the Reverend Kirk left Balquhidder for Aberfoyle and when the minister disappeared in the fairies realm, Rob Roy, who was also known as Red MacGregor because of his red hair, was 26. I wonder if the roads of these two famous Scots happen to cross one day or another…  Maybe Walter Scott who was the first to publish The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns and Fairies in 1815 speak about that in his great novel entitled Rob Roy (1818).  So far, I’ve only read a few extracts of this book but as with Janice,  we’ve made the oath, at Abbotsford, to read all Walter Scott’s books (see Scotiana’s reading list growing dangerously…;-)) we might be able to say more about that in a near future.

For generations, Balquiddher churchyard has also been the burial ground for the Clan MacLaren often at war with the Mac Gregors ! Much feud requires good burial ground and there seems to have been much feud in Scotland ! Maybe that is one of the reasons why the churchyards are so interesting there. History stone books ! We’ve spent hours there, trying to decipher weathered inscriptions, symbols, taking photos and even cleaning some graves…;-) The Scottish funeral art has become one of our favourite themes so we’ll come back to that too in Scotiana.

Balquhidder Christina MacNaughton of Inverlochlarig gravestone Scotiana 2006

Balquhidder churchyard Christina MacNaughton of Inverlochlarig grave Scotiana 2006

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As an illustration of what I’ve just said, here’s one of our “coups de coeur” in Balquhidder churchyard. Here’s the beautiful gravestone of Christina McNaughton of Inverlochlarig (it’s the place where Rob Rob died). The very nice sculpture you can see on it has been based upon a photograph of Christina.

Balquhidder old kirk new parish church cemetery engraving scotiana.com 2004

A very busy place this site! Just have a look at this engraving and see the famous people who have come there.  As far as I’m concerned, though I like very much this place, I’m not sure I would come back at night… There is much folk-lore here, and not always of the cheerful kind !

Balquhidder old kirk Scotiana.com 2006

By the way, did you notice the hill in the background ? Alas we did not have time to climb it up, which is a pity for we certainly could have get a panoramic view of the whole area up there, the Trossachs, aka as “Rob Roy Country”.

A bientôt. Mairiuna.