The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1879-07-10
Scottish Abbeys.

In the crowded and busy manufacturing
town of Dunfcrmline, on the high bank of
rivers bed, stand the walls Of one of the
grand old palaces of the Scottish kings; a
reminder of the greatness of the ancient
realm of North Britain. Close by them is
the large abbey, still retaining some beau
tlful portions Of its original structure. The
ancient transepts and choir were destroyed,
and their place has been supplied by a
large, but painfully modern structure, i'll
tended as Il memorial to King Robert the
Bruce, whose body was laid in front Of the
altar of the old building; ii is now under
taste his name and title are displayed in
huge letters of stone around the top of the
central tower The nave. however, stood
through the reformation. 1t has suffered
from the hands of rcstorcrs who have re-
placed some Nf its ancient windows by
those OF more modern shape, and have
built against its walls, supposed to he in
danger of falling, flying buttrcsscs many
times larger than were needed to support
them but all the external beauty which
its Norman builders gave il is not lost. And
the interior has its massive arches ard pill
lars almost us when they were built. Some
of the latter show strikingly bold Zigzag
cuttings, like that on two of the pillars at
Durham, only with the ornamental appear
ancc of Il lance head at each Of the upward
points; and according to the spectators
position, they can be made to present diff
fcrcnt optical dclusions, seeming to taper
at one time towards the top, and at another
towards the bottom, or again appearing per-
fcctly uniform in shape. The northern
doorway, uninjurcd, except by the hand of
timc is still very beautiful. Outside of the
present east wall of the building, but
within the enclosure of the old Lady chapel,
a part of the foundations Of which yet re-
main, are the broken stones which made
the grave of st. Margaret of Scotland and
of her royal husband. The tomb is not re-
paired, because ii has not been decided to
which of two boards OF commissioners il
belongs to attend to it, But the graves of
some Of the greatest and hest of the anccs-
tcrs of the present sovereign should not be
thus neglected. Cambuskcnncth. OF this
old abbey, not far from the winding river
which separates it from Sterling, there is
left only the great square tower, and foun-
tlation stones which mark the outline OF the
large church. NIclrosc. Within range
of twenty miles stand The ruins of the three
great abbeys of Mcrose, Dryburgh, and
Jcdbnrgh, founded respectively by the
Cistcrcians, the OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES, and
the Augustnians. The ruins OF the three
buildings are full of interest, suggesting the
time when each was the center of tenn
poral rs well as spiritual activity. Except
1T Dryburgh, there are few, irany, remains
of the conventional buildings. Mcrosc
Abbey has lost three bays from the west
end Of its nave, and the rest of that part of
the building is much disiigurcd by the great
modern pillars which have been put in on
one side. But the graceful ancient columns,
The strangely narrow northern aisle, and
the two aislcs on the south with their
numerous chapcls- all three with the old
stone roois-nrc still standing for nearly
half OF the original length. | cannot de
scribe the hrauly of the chanccl, where the
rlst window retains large part of its won
dcrtul trncrry and the roof is unbrokrn, or
HAT OF the transcps. Sir Walter Scots
verses may serve TO suggest il. In II chanccl
aisle is the grave Of Michael Scott; and il is
little startling to find IL covered with Il
broken stone, SO that one can look down into
the grave and wonder if the wizard and his
hook are still there. The best exterior
views OF the abbey are, | think, from the
north and the northeast. Pmnaclcs and
tying huiresscs, statues and ornamental
tnrvings, adorn every part What must it
have been in the days when ii was perfect
~ bulSlI. llc uitnilcclurc mere DplOnES
to II time close to those in which the Nor
man style prevailed g; il is well seen in the
windows high up in the south transcpt.
Nearly opposite is the only part of the
abbey which has Il roof or the walls of
which are in tolcrably good preservation
and in this part rests, against the great day,
the body OF Sir Walter Scott, his Immediate
family lying close about him. Many of the
other buildings of the monastery can he
easily traced; and some Of them, us for in
stance, the chaptcr-housc are well pre-
served. The west wall of the rcfcclory,
pierced by wheel window OF almost prim-
tive construction, is covered with very
mNuriant growth of IVY There is not even
village in the vicinity of Tie ruins; and
they seem TO have about them IN air Of
peace and rest wcll-s,licd to the thoughts
which one likes to have suggested by such
place. Jrdhurgh. The eastern, and
oldest, part of Jcdburgh Abbey is almost
utterly ruined but the nave ls carefully
kept in repair by the noblcmnn who owns
the property and who has built for the vii
'agc new parish church in order that he
might restore the old building to its former
condition. II is especially noticeable for
its light clcrcstory with some forty five
pointed arches on either side, rising above
the two rows of arches hclow. When the
aisle walls were standing and the original
carvings We're unharmcd, il must have been
IN extremely beautiful cdilice.