At Melrose Abbey: The Heart of Robert the Bruce about one hour south of Edinburgh. Melrose Abbey and the mystery of Robert the Bruce's heart The 1996 summer archeological excavations of the Chapter House floor of Melrose Abbey undertaken designed to increase knowledge of this important medieval building. The team from Historic Scotland investigated the lead container said to contain King Robert the Bruce's heart which had been removed from beneath the Chapter House floor. Under laboratory conditions in Edinburgh they drilled a small hole into the casket and looked inside with a fibre-optic cable. What did they see? What looked like another casket. So they carefully opened the larger one and found a small conical lead conatiner and an engraved copper plaque which said; "The enclosed leaden casket containing a heart was found beneath Chapter House floor, March 1921, by His Majesty's Office of Works" The smaller conical casket is about 10 inches high and 4 inches in diameter at the base tapering to a flat top about one and a half inches in diameter. Despite being pitted with age it was in good condition.

Richard Welander, one of the investigators, said that although it was not possible to prove absolutely that it is Bruce's heart, "We can say that it is reasonable to assume that it is". There are no records of anyone else's heart being buried at Melrose. The casket containing the heart was not opened, and remained in Edinburgh until it was buried again during a private ceremony at Melrose Abbey on 22 June 1998. On the 24th June, coinciding with the anniversary of the victory of Bruce's army over the English at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, the Scottish Secretary of State, Donald Dewar, unveiled a plinth over the place in the abbey grounds where the heart is now buried. About the life of Robert the Bruce Son of Robert Bruce, Earl of Carrick and Annandale, and Marjorie, Countess of Carrick. Born in 1274, was 31 when he became king, he died in 1329 in Cardross (probably of leprosy). Married Isabella of Mar and then Elizabeth de Burgh. Their son was King David II.

King Edward I of England regarded him as a traitor. Edward's commander in Scotland, the Earl of Pembroke defeated him in 1306 at Methven near Perth and he went into hiding in the hills and forests. All seemed hopeless. It was at this time while secluded in a cave that he noticed a spider continually remaking its web. Every time a strand broke, the spider repared it. This was the moment at which he vowed to keep trying to free Scotland from the English. Three of his brothers were executed by Edward I. With the help of Edward Bruce, Thomas Randolph and Sir James Douglas (the famous "Black Douglas" whose name was used by English mothers to threaten discipline to their children, thus: "If you dont do such and such, the wicked Black Douglas will come and get you") he gradually and courageously recaptured Scottish castles and land from the English. Edward II advanced on Bruce's army with 20,000 soldiers. At Bannockburn, near Stirling, on the 24 June 1314, Bruce's army defeated the English who then fled south of the border. When he died in 1329 his body was buried at Dunfermline.

His heart was removed and taken on the Crusades by the Black Douglas (Sir James), who, just before he was killed in Moorish Spain, hurled it at the enemy. The heart was recovered and taken back to Melrose Abbey where the new king, David II (Bruce's son), had asked for it to be buried. Related Pages: Melrose Abbey and the Heart of Robert the Bruce, Melrose Historical Association, Scotland Melrose Abbey and the Heart of the Bruce by Dr.Bill Lonie In August,1289 the quiet Spanish town of Teba in Andalusia was invaded by a Scottish force led by the Earl of Selkirk and bearing a one-ton slab of Dumfriesshire marble. The Earl is chieftain of the Clan Douglas and the slab commemorates the valorous death of Sir James Douglas, the Black Douglas, at the Battle of Teba on 25th August,1330. The Douglas was bearing the heart casketed in enamelled silver of King Robert I, the Bruce, on crucade to the Holy Land. With feasting, piping and dancing, the stone was installed in the Plaza d'Espana, now Plaza Douglas.

From these celebrations came the suggestion that Teba should have a social link with a Scottish town, and what better than one with Melrose, in whose ancient abbey the heart of the Bruce lies buried and with which there such strong Douglas ties. The town link has proved impossible to realise. While there are, in and around Melrose, a surprising number of speakers of Spanish, English is a rare commodity in rural Andalusia, and there are postal communication problems. The fat Teba File slumbers on its shelf. One of its dockets poses the question,, 'why should Melrose Abbey have been so especially dear to Bruce's heart?'. My enquiries led me to friend and fellow MHA member Muriel Hood who supplied me with abstracts of charters, brievs and letters concerning the Bruce and Melrose Abbey. To each of these I attach account of Bruce's contemporary activities, in the hope that answer to the question may emerge. Whatever your judgement on the matter I am the better of the excercise. The inculcated hero-worship of childhood, dimmed by the cynicism of middle-life, has been replaced by awe of the man.

On July 11th 1274 Marjorie of Carrick, wife of Robert Bruce the younger, bore Robert Bruce the 6th of that name, thereafter Earl of Carrick 1292-1309, Guardian of Scotland 1298-1300, King Robert I of Scotland 1306-1329. He was 55 years old at his death. 1302. Bruce Spares Melrose Abbey Tenants Army Service Bruce's letter of the 11th.March,1302 to 'the anxious monks of Melrose Abbey' (ML No 351 and Barrow,1988) assures them that, although in the past he had enrolled the abbey's tenants into his army of Carrick and led them all over the country, now 'troubled in conscience' he promises never to demand such service in the future 'unless the common army of the whole realm is raised for its defence'.

Bruce refers to events five years before when, in 1297, William Wallace raised rebellion against the Earl of Warenne, Edward's governor of Scotland subdued, as did others including Robert Bruce, Earl of Carrick, then 23 years of age. The tenants referred to would seem to be those of the abbey lands of Mauchline and Ochiltree. Lay brothers too may have been liable to impressment. Two years earlier still, in July, 1295 the Scottish leaders, sick of Edward I's humiliations, had convened a Parliament at Stirling at which King John Balliol was effectively deposed and a Council formed comprising four earls, four barons and four bishops. The closest precedent for such a council was the regency council of six, the Guardians of 1286. In its broad composition it expressed the 'community of the realm' of Scotland (Barrow 1988), a unique concept for the times. A treaty with France was a priority. Robert Bruce and John Comyn were appointed Guardians, essentially Field-Marshalls. In February 1296 the Scots parliament was again convened and ratified the treaty with France, thus declaring war on England.

Edward's demand of October 1295 that the castles of Berwick, Roxburgh and Jedburgh be handed over for the duration of the war with France, and other restraints, were rejected. A number of English merchants in Berwick were reported to have been killed. The feudal host of England, returned from the war in France, met at Newcastle on 1st March. In late March of 1296 John Comyn of Badenoch, the Guardian's son, and seven earls, crossed the Solway, and burned the villages from Arthuret to Carlisle, not a great enterprise. The city garrison, commanded by Robert Bruce, lord of Annandale, in company with his son, the young earl of Carrick, Robert I of Scotland to be, repulsed the attacking force. In April the same Scottish earls left Jedburgh to devastate Redesdale, Coquetdale and Tynedale, burning Corbridge, and Hexham and its abbey. The raid failed in its purpose, if it ever had one, of diverting Edward. Attrocities by the Scots were alleged, no doubt with some foundation, and probably in retaliation for the sack of Berwick.

In the same late March 1296 of the abortive Scottish attack on Carlisle Edward I stormed and sacked Berwick upon Tweed killing some 10,000 of its common people but sparing the nobility. The wars in France had brutalised the English army, and a feudal nobility lacking man-power was impotent. On 27th April the Earl of Warenne, besieging Dunbar, was attacked by the Scottish feudal host. The host had not been excercised in battle since 1235, when used by Alexander II against rebel Carrick. The Scots suffered total defeat with heavy casualties to the foot soldiers. Numerous Scots lords surrendered. Scottish resistance collapsed, excepting that by Alexander Macdougall, Lord of Lorn. It was one of the tragedies of the War of Independence that Lorn and the Bruce found themselves in conflict, to the lasting forfeiture of the Macdougalls. After his victory at Dunbar Edward I commanded the Scots earls, barons and lesser lairds to attend him at Berwick for a swearing of fealty, the infamous Ragman's Roll. Edward then progressed throughout the land.

All of Edinburgh, Stirling, Perth, Montrose, Aberdeen, Elgin, Rothes, Kildrummy, Brechin, Arbroath, Dundee, St Andrews, and Dunfermline in turn felt his presence. In May, still of 1296, Edward ordered the Scottish records, regalia and the Stone of Destiny to be taken to London. King John Balliol was systematically humiliated, and finally resigned kingship and kingdom to Edward at Montrose on 8th July. With the subjugation of Scotland complete Edward returned to England and his wars with the French, leaving the Earl of Warenne as his governor and English garrisons in castles throughout the land. The pacifying shock of defeat and humiliation did not last long. In the following year, 1297, William Wallace, a vassal of the Stewart in Strathclyde, raised popular rebellion against Warenne, as did independently the Bishop of Glasgow and James the Stewart. Robert Bruce, earl of Carrick, was also active in SW Scotland. Warenne had lost control of the situation. In only one of many guerilla operations Wallace burned some hundred English ships in Aberdeen harbour.

Many of these were supply ships for the scattered English garrisons in the north-east. These were cut off and almost all surrendered. Edward's paranoid hatred of Wallace had cause. The battle of Stirling Bridge, another victory for Wallace, did not improve his temper. In July,1298 Edward I in person led his army to Temple Liston, and from there to a slaughter of the Scots at the Battle of Falkirk. The Scots were now led by John Comyn and Robert Bruce, joint Guardians in place of Wallace, but in violent disagreement as to the conduct of the campaign. In 1299 Bishop Lamberton was appointed third Guardian but failed to reconcile the Comyn and the Bruce. Bruce resigned and retired to his own lands of Carrick. In 1302 Bruce married Elisabeth de Burgh, daughter of the Earl of Ulster. The Earl was a staunch supporter of Edward I. Bruce submitted to Edward and acted as his advisor on Scotland. Despite these acts of homage and service, Bruce thus strengthened the link between Carrick and Ulster, and the latter as a base for operations against Edward I in both Scotland and Ireland.

Baigent & Leigh,1989 suggest he had plans for a pan-Celtic confederation, but this is probably a modern political interpretation. The Anglo-Scottish Wars were essentially an 800-year long tussle of kings and lairds on both sides for the dismembered carcase of sister kingdom Northumbria. Concerning the letter of 1302 to the 'anxious monks' it is difficult to see why Bruce should have shown any special consideration for Melrose Abbey at that time, but by his actions to date he is revealed as long-sighted and ruthless, even of his own honour. As renegade vassal and advisor to Edward he was already planning treason and the resumption of rebellion. The betrayal of William Wallace and his cruel execution in in 1305 brought Bruce to a decision. He was driven into hiding and his family imprisoned and foully treated. 1309. Bruce Grants Eskdale to Melrose Abbey In or about March,1309 (RRS No 385) Bruce confirmed a charter to Melrose Abbey of the lands of Eskdale held by it of Nicholae de Graham.

These lands were originally granted to the abbey by Malcolm IV but the Grahams, not alone in such action, had taken advantage of the Anglo-Scottish wars to repudiate the charter. Only two years before, in Feb.1307, Bruce, then in rebellion against the English occupation, had landed with a force of Scots and Ulstermen in Carrick and commenced a campaign of guerilla warfare which was to continue for seven years. In July of the same year 1307, en route to restore order in Scotland, Edward I died and was buried in Holm Cultram abbey, Cumbria. The war of liberation and unification continued. In 1308 Bruce led his army in a savage campaign against the Comyns and their supporters. The MacDougalls were defeated in the Pass of Brander and the Comyns at Inverurie. The chiefs of both houses went into exile. The Earl of Ross capitulated in 1309 and in the same year a parliament in St Andrews proclaimed Bruce King of Scotland. His status was recognised by all except the Pope and Edward II.

On the 10th February 1306 Bruce killed John Comyn, the Red Comyn at the altar of Grayfriars church, Dumfries. Barbour,1375 regarded the deed as an act of hot blood, but admitted the possibility of other explanations. Baigent & Leigh,1985 suggest the killing to have been planned and to have had strong Celtic ritualistic elements. Kings have a morality apart from lesser mortals. Whatever his motive Bruce was excommunicated for the murder. Bishops Lamberton of St Andrews and Wishart of Glasgow ignored this development. The Scottish church was ever under threat from Canterbury, but enjoyed Papal protection in that matter. In 1309 Bruce is seemingly secure and the confirmation of the charter granting Eskdale to Melrose abbey appears no more than a routine item of royal administration. 1315. The 20-Year Gift of a Parish Revenue for Pittance. In 1315 (ML 293) Melrose Abbey was given a 20-year gift of revenue from a parish, not named, for pittance for the monks.

Pittance is food extra to the usual fare, possibly for monks recovering from the privations of vigil. Edward II's intrusion in the winter of 1310-11 failed as Bruce avoided open battle. While no damage to Border abbeys is specifically recorded they can hardly have escaped unscathed. On the 24th June 1314 Bruce accepted battle at Bannockburn, There the English under Edward II numbered some 20,000 foot and 3,000 knights, the Scots 17,000 and 500 foot and horse respectively. The English, overconfident and on unsuitable ground, were disasterously defeated. The English host had entered and left Scotland by way of Lauderdale, and again the Border abbeys must have suffered. At 1315 Melrose Abbey and its granges were no doubt in need of repair and restocking after the passage of English armies in 1310 and 1314. The gift was generous, at best to God's servants in gratitude for the victory of Bannockburn, at least a share of the spoils of war, Edward's treasury and noble ransoms.

1316. Charter, Letters Patent, Brieve and Safe Conduct to or from Melrose Abbey. Early in January of 1316 Bruce had brought a considerable force to Berwick in an unsuccessful attempt to re-take that town. A charter of 8th.June,1316 (RRS 95) shows him to have been at Melrose Abbey at that date. At Kilwinning on 28th.June,1316 he granted letters patent 'of three clauses', to Melrose Abbey (RRS 96). On the 21st.Nov.1316 Bruce was again at Melrose for he signed a brieve there to James, Lord of Douglas (RRS 108). On the 6th.Oct.1316, the Abbot of Melrose was provided with an English safe-conduct to go into England, no doubt bearing Bruce's safe-conducts for English negociators to come north, for on 21st.November two English envoys arrived at Jedburgh to negotiate a truce. Meantime Edward II lodged at York.

These activities at and concerning Melrose took place in the euphoric climate of the English expulsion from Scotland in 1314 and their serious defeats and weakening in Ireland during 1315 at the Battles of Connor and Dunscull. But famine stalked the land in Ireland as in much of Europe, and the starving Scottish army had moved back to Ulster. For Bruce at that time Melrose appears to have been a convenient and congenial base from which to conduct negociations with Edward II of England. Ecclesiastical buildings in general, including those at Melrose and Jedburgh, appear to have been spared serious damage in the campaigns so far. The austere Cistercian regime might well have had strong appeal for an austere warrior king and the serenity of the mother-house of the Order in Scotland at a time of high hopes become a lasting good memory. Briefly, from 1316 to 1318, Robert I was in communion but, having failed to please Pope John XXII by supporting his own Scots bishops against the Pope's nominees, was again excommunicated.

In May,1316 Edward Bruce, brother of Robert I, was inaugurated King of Ireland, though with less than full Irish support. The English stronghold of Carrickfergus fell after a year-long seige. Famine became desperate in parts of Ireland. Robert Bruce, with reinforcements, joined Edward in Ireland in December.1316. The sea routes to Ireland were evidently under firm Scottish control. Robert Bruce moved into Meath in February 1317 and threatened Dublin. He avoided a seige, but wasted English estates throughout Kildare, Carlow, Kilkenny and Tipperary. Even the churches of Kells and Cashel did not escape destruction, acts throwing some doubt on his pan- Celtic ambitions. O'Brian did not greet him at Castleconnel on the Shannon and neither Munster nor Connacht rose for him. Mortimer with fresh English forces threatened. In May of 1317 the starving Scottish army made the long 200 mile retreat through a famine-stricken land from Castleconnel on the lower Shannon to Ulster, with heavy losses. Robert left Ireland, never to return, but he remembered the weapon of starvation.

Edward Bruce rashly moved out of Ulster in October 1318 to defeat and death at Fochart near Dundalk. A Gaelic confederation may have been among Robert Bruce's motives for the invasion of Ireland, as suggested by McNeil and Nicholson,1975 but he left instead a bitter memory of Edward Bruce as 'the destroyer of all Erin in general and the worst man since Herod'. 1318. Melrose and Holm Coultram. A King's Cleric Gambit Refused In early 1318 (CDS iii 605) Edward II 'considering that the abbey of Holm Cultram, a daughter house of Melrose, required to elect a successor to its late abbot Robert, but could not do so without the presence of the abbot of Melrose, therefore grants a safe-conduct to the latter, together with two fellow monks,to attend the election'. This seems like a conciliatory gesture on the part of Edward II, taking account of the burial at Holm Coultram of the fathers of both monarchs, and deference shown to the rights of a mother house even in an enemy land, for a truce had not yet been acheived.

The response of the abbot of Melrose is not recorded but the approach did not soften Bruce's attitude towards either Edward II or to Pope John XXII. In March 1318 continued attempts by the Pope to secure a truce were halted by Bruce's taking of the town and castle of Berwick. Bruce lodged there briefly before appointing son-in-law Walter, Steward of Scotland, as governor. By the end of May the English castles of Wark (on the Tweed), Harbottle (Coquetdale), and Mitford (nr.Morpeth) had fallen and Douglas had plundered Northallerton, Boroughbridge, Ripon and Scarborough. Ripon Abbey was spared, for a blackmail. In June of 1318 Edward II assembled his army at York but could not, for internal problems, bring them to Berwick until September. Heavy attacks by land and sea sustained until mid-1319 failed to take the town. The seige was lifted when In mid-1319 a raid by Douglas and Murray into Yorkshire was opposed by a tumultuary army of towmsfolk of York with many clerics in its ranks lead by Archbishop William de Meton.

At Milton on the Swale the Scots cavalry broke the rabble and slaughtered four thousand of the innocents in the rout. The raiders withdrew with their loot. In a later raid in the same year Douglas wasted Gillesland (south Tyne and upper Tees) to Brough on Stainmore. Returning by way of Westmorland and Cumberland he looted and utterly destroyed the abbey of Holm Cultram, sepulchre of Edward I and Bruce's father, an act that may have sealed the fate of Melrose abbey, destroyed three years later. With the failure of the seige of Berwick and with the devastating Scots raiding, Edward II sought and obtained a two-year truce. The brief period of peace was used by the Scots to attend to domestic affairs neglected during the war. In 1319 Robert I granted Stocket forest and fishing on the Don and Dee to the city of Aberdeen. Bruce was Lord of Garioch only 20 miles away. His sister was Countess of Mar with Kildrummy Castle the main seat of the earldom. Daughter Marjory was often at Kildrummy as a child.

In 1320 either Bruce or Bishop Cheyne of Aberdeen ordered the Brig O' Balgownie to be built. On the 6th. of April,1320 the Declaration of Arbroath, was signed by eight earls and thirty-one other nobles. This famous document, unique in its time, contains an affirmation of Scottish independence and a statement of the duties of a king. In the latter it appears to revive and codify an ancient Celtic form of kingship. In June of the same year, 1320 the Bishops of St Andrews, Dunkeld, Aberdeen and Moray were ex-communicated for their refusal to appear before Pope John XXII to answer for their insubordination. These years of peace and politics did not last long. In January 1322 the two-year truce ended. Douglas, Moray and Walter Stewart raided into NE England. Tees-side, Darlington, Hartlepool and Cleveland were plundered and Richmondshire, 75miles from the border, blackmailed. The Scots retired without challenge. On July 1st 1322 Bruce led a raid down the Cumberland coast to Furness.

The Cistercian abbey there was blackmailed but then plundered, a sad lapse. Bruce then led his force over the Kent estuary to burn out Lancaster and Preston, 90 miles south of the modern border. Edward had his troubles at home. Edward II's court favourites, the Despensers, had provoked the marcher earls Hereford and Lancaster to rebellion. Lancaster betrayed Edward II by failing to counter the Scots raid on the NE, but in a march to join the raiders was defeated at Boroughbridge by Andrew Harcla and his Cumberland and Westmorland levies. The rebel earls were killed or later executed. 1322. Melrose and Dryburgh Abbeys Suffer their First Destruction In 1322 Edward triumphant at home and resentful of the Scots raiding, campaigned deep into Scotland to the gates of Edinburgh. The Scots retreated before him, harassing his army in a scorched and empty land. Frustrated of a military victory, Edward despoiled several Scottish abbeys, including Melrose, as he retreated from Edinburgh (CDS No 1018) At Melrose the convent resisted, killing four of Edward's men.

Prior William de Peebles and three invalids were killed and the abbey looted, desecrated and extensively damaged. Dryburgh Abbey, a Premonstratensian house founded in 1140. appears to have been spared until 1322 when it too was destroyed by Edward II's army in retreat from Edinburgh. Robert I is said to have helped rebuild it too. With Edward in retreat Bruce sought to cut him off by a strike through the Eden valley into north Yorkshire with a host drawn from the Forth valley and the Isles. With Edward at Rievaulx abbey only a few miles away Bruce's army over-ran a large English force under Richmond on Scawton Moor, 1322. Richmond and many other nobles were captured. Edward escaped but left his treasure to the Scots for the second time in eight years. Despite the Scots' capture of this treasure at Rievaulx after the battle the abbey appears to have been spared. Neither Barrow,1988 nor New 1985 make mention of any loss or damage at that time.

Almost certainly Bruce would have spoken with the abbot of Cistercian Rievaulx, the mother-house of Melrose. That must be a conversation savoured by tomorrow's time travellers. In 1323 Robert I made a 13-year pact of truce with Edward II. As reward for this good behaviour, in 1324 Bruce was again made communicant and recognised as King Robert I of Scotland by the Pope. It was during this truce that the rebuilding of Melrose abbey became a concern of the king's. The episode at Rievaulx may have brought home to the Bruce just how heavy was the price that had been paid by the abbeys, particularly those of the Cistercian order, for Bruce's ambitions and actions 1326. Grants to Melrose of the King's Dish and for the Reconstruction of the Abbey In January of 1326 Robert I granted to the abbey of Melrose �100 per annum to furnish every monk with 'The King's Dish' every day (ML ii 326, RRS No 288) This was, in theory at least, a suppliment to the standard rations.

In return the monks were to clothe and feed 15 of the poor on Martinmas day. To provide the monies for the King's Dish Bruce chartered Melrose to receive an annual sum of �100 from the 'fermes or new custom' of Berwick, and from the 'new custom' of Edinburgh and Haddington. In March of the same year Robert I granted to the abbey of Melrose specifically for the reconstruction of its church all his feudal incidents from the whole county of Roxburgh until these should amount to �2000 sterling (RMS ii 331/430). In a letter to the abbot and convent of Melrose a few days later, Bruce made it known that James, lord of Douglas, was appointed superauditor of receipts and expenses, and would enforce payment (RRS No 269) The reluctance to pay implicit in the enforcing role of James Douglas was evidently real for in August 1326 Bruce felt compelled to issue the sheriff of Berwick with a mandate to enforce payment within one month under penalty of !0 merks, which was to be applied to the abbey's fabric (RRS No 308).

Both Tweeddale and the Lothians were thus charged, literally, with the rebuilding of Melrose abbey and the temporary support of the convent, This was the very area that had borne the brunt of Bruce's scorched earth policy on Edward II's intrusion of !322 only three working years earlier. . Whatever Bruce's motives regarding Melrose, the truce that had enabled recovery lasted only four years, until 1327. Then Edward II was deposed and Bruce apparently considered he had no pact with the usurper king Edward III. Bruce struck into NE England again as far south as Barnard Castle. Edward took the field against him and in a parody of campaigning the two armies went up hill and down dale looking for each other. Finally the Scots, who seem to have been the main engineers of the evasions, launched a highly successful night attack on Edward's army in camp, the battle of Stanhope Park, July 4th 1327. Come the dawn the Scots were off home as too, discumfited, was Edward. The Scots continued their raids into both NE and NW England until Edward, beset with problems within his realm, sued for peace.

A treaty guaranteeing Scottish independence was concluded in March 1328. This campaign and treaty of 1327-1328 was a magnificent essay in statescraft, in the bloody language of the times. But the King was dying. 1329. My Heart to Lie in Melrose Abbey Protected for All Time. The King was dying, it was said of the dreaded disease of leprosy, endemic in medieval Europe. Bruce had built himself a modest hall opposite Dumbarton Castle, ancient Al Cluith, where the River Leven runs into the River Clyde. Dumbarton and Berwick were the only two Royal Castles retained by Bruce. All the others had been slighted on their recapture from the English. From this haven he issued his final instructions regarding Melrose, a Letter Patent of protection and a Letter to his son and heirs urging payments to the abbey with the reminder that his heart was to be buried there (RRS Nos 379, 380). Both documents are dated 11th May 1329. The king died on June 7th 1329, less than a month later.

On his death-bed Bruce charged that his heart be taken to the Holy Sepulchre by a knight on crusade. Sir James Douglas took up the charge, and our story comes full circle. It is not possible to study this period of British history without being awed by Robert I of Scotland, This awe patently filled his nobles, his churchmen and his people The conviction grows that Melrose Abbey was intended as more than the sepulchre of his heart, more perhaps as the instrument by which his being might join the King of Kings. References Dunfermline - Abbey - Robert The Bruce Last Resting Place. - YouTube Dunfermline - Abbey - Robert The Bruce Last Resting Place. Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later.

Published on Apr 29, 2012 Dunfermline Scots: Dunfaurlin, Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Phàrlain) is a town and former Royal Burgh in Fife, Scotland, on high ground 3 miles (4.8 km) from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. According to a 2008 estimate, Dunfermline has a population of 46,430, making it the second-biggest settlement in Fife. The town's name comes from the Gaelic words "dun" (meaning "fortified hill"), "fearam" (crooked) and "linn" (stream). The area around Dunfermline became home to the first settlers in the Neolithic period, but did not gain recognition, until the Bronze Age as a place of importance. The town was first recorded in the 11th century, with the marriage of Malcolm III, King of Scotland and Saint Margaret at the church in Dunfermline. As his Queen consort, Margaret established a new church dedicated to the Holy Trinity which evolved into an Abbey under their son, David I in 1128.

The graveyard of this abbey would become the burial place for many of Scotland's kings and queens. There have been various interpretations of the name, "Dunfermline".[5] The first element, "dun" translated from Gaelic, has been accepted as a (fortified) hill, which it is assumed to be referring to the rocky outcrop as the site of Malcolm Canmore's tower in Pittencrieff Glen (now Pittencrieff Park).[6] The rest of the name is problematic.[6] The second element, "the ferm" may have been an alternative name for the tower burn according to a medieval record published in 1455 and that together with the Lyne Burn to the south, suggest the site of a fortification between these two watercourses.[5][6] The first record of a settlement in the Dunfermline area was in the Neolithic period. This evidence includes finds of a stone axe; some flint arrowheads and a carved stone ball which was found near the town.[7] A cropmark which is understood to have been used as a possible mortuary enclosure has been found at Deanpark House, also near the town.

By the time of the Bronze Age, the area was beginning to show some importance. Important finds included a bronze axe in Wellwood and a gold torc from the Parish Churchyard.[7] Cist burials from the Bronze Age have also been discovered at both Crossford and Masterton, the latter of which contains a pair of armlets, a bronze dagger and a set necklace believed to have complemented a double burial.[7] The first historic record for Dunfermline was made in the 11th century.[8] According to the fourteenth-century chronicler, John of Fordun, Malcolm III, King of Scotland (reign 1058--93) married his second bride, the Anglo-Hungarian princess, Saint Margaret at the church in Dunfermline between 1068 and 1070;[9] the ceremony was performed by Forhad, the last Celtic bishop of St Andrews.[8][10] Robert the Bruce (1274 - 1329) - Find A Grave Memorial Death: Jun. 7, 1329 Scottish Monarch.

Robert was the first son of Robert de Brus, 6th Lord of Annandale and Marjorie, Countess of Carrick. When the Scottish revolt against Edward I broke out in July 1297, James Stewart, 5th High Steward of Scotland lead a group of Scots, including young Robert into patriotic resistance. Commands were sent ordering Bruce to support Edward I, yet Robert resisted, continuing to support the revolt. On July 7, Bruce agreed to terms with Edward by a treaty called the Capitulation of Irvine and was pardoned for his recent violence in return for swearing allegiance to King Edward. Shortly after the Battle of Stirling Bridge, Bruce again defected to the Scots. He attacked Annandale and the English-held castle of Ayr. When William Wallace resigned as Guardian of Scotland after his defeat at the Battle of Falkirk he was succeeded by Robert Bruce and John Comyn as joint Guardians. The two men could not work beyond their personal differences and Robert finally resigned as joint Guardian. In July, 1301 King Edward I launched his sixth campaign into Scotland. It was around this time that Robert the Bruce submitted to Edward.

However his wavering support of both the English and Scottish armies had led to a great deal of distrust towards Bruce among the community. John Comyn, a much stauncher opponent of the English, had become the most powerful noble in Scotland. In the summer of 1305 John Comyn swore in a secret agreement to forfeit his claim to the Scottish throne in favor of Robert Bruce upon receipt of the Bruce lands in Scotland. Comyn betrayed his agreement with Bruce to King Edward I, and was accused of treachery by Robert. Comyn and Robert met in the Chapel of Greyfriars Monastery in Dumfries on February 10, 1306, where Robert killed Comyn before the high altar. Bruce asserted his claim to the Scottish crown and began his campaign by force for the independence of Scotland. Six weeks after Comyn was killed in Dumfries, Bruce was crowned King of Scots by Bishop William de Lamberton at Scone, near Perth on March 25, 1306. On July 7, King Edward I died, leaving his heir, Edward II, to rule.

In April, 1307 Bruce won a small victory over the English at the Battle of Glen Trool, before defeating Aymer de Valence, 2nd Earl of Pembroke at the Battle of Loudoun Hill. In March 1309, he held his first Parliament at St. Andrews, and by August, he controlled all of Scotland north of the River Tay. The next three years saw a host of battles: Linlithgow in 1310, Dumbarton in 1311, Perth in 1312, Castle Rushen in Castletown in 1313, Stirling Castle in 1314 and the Battle of Bannockburn, in which Robert secured Scottish independence from England. Robert had been suffering from a serious illness first documented in 1327. It is thought that he mat have suffered from one of many diseases, including leprosy, tuberculosis, syphilis or even a neurologic deficit. His last journey was a pilgrimage to the shrine of Saint Ninian at Whithorn. Robert died June 7, 1329, at the Manor of Cardross, near Dumbarton.

The king's body was embalmed and his sternum was sawn to allow extraction of the heart, which Sir James Douglas placed in a silver casket to be worn on a chain around his neck, then to be taken on a crusade against the Saracens and carried to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, before being brought back to Scotland. The body was taken to Dunfermline Abbey, and Robert I was interred beneath the high altar. On February 17, 1818, workmen breaking ground for the new parish church to be built on the site of the ancient Dunfermline Abbey uncovered a vault before the location of the former abbey high altar. On November 5, 1819 the remains of a wood coffin, containing a skeleton shrouded in gold cloth were exhumed. The sternum was found to have been sawn open from top to bottom. Robert the Bruce's remains were ceremonially re-interred in the vault in Dunfermline Abbey on November 5, 1819.

They were placed in a new lead coffin, into which was poured 1,500 pounds of molten pitch to preserve the remains, before the coffin was sealed. (bio by: Sean McKim) MacBraveheart - Bruce's Heart still in Edinburgh Bruce's heart still in Edinburgh The following story appeared in the Herald newspaper of Friday January 16th, 1998 under the headlines: (See update of 18th February at the bottom of this page) Relic's return demanded Bruce's heart still in capital Tony Armstrong WHEN Robert the Bruce ordered on his deathbed that his heart should be cut from his body and taken to the Holy Land he could hardly have dreamed that, 669 years later, it would be languishing in an Edinburgh laboratory. It was back in the summer of 1996 that the lead casket reputedly containing the heart of the Scottish hero king was dug up in the grounds of Melrose Abbey. Historic Scotland promised that it would be returned to the abbey after laboratory tests and reburied with due ceremony befitting the memory of the patriot who defeated the English at Bannockburn.

But 18 months later; the casket is still held in an Edinburgh laboratory and the people of Melrose are demanding the return of the precious relic which could be a valuable tourist draw. Chief executive of the Scottish Borders Tourist Board Riddell Graham is to meet Historic Scotland representatives within the next few days to seek assurances over the return of the heart. He said yesterday: "I am disappointed that Historic Scotland should hold on to it for nearly two years, despite their original promise to return it promptly. If there are good reasons, they have not given us any. There has been a total lack of communication. Even a simple note to the community would have helped. "We have already lost last years tourist season and now we are being told the heart will not be back in time for this season. At the very least Historic Scotland should have provided some sort of sign saying where the heart is and why it was dug up. "It could explain the link between Robert the Bruce and Melrose Abbey and help reduce the disappointment of the large number of tourists who come to Melrose after reading in guidebooks that the heart is here." The saga of the heart started immediately after Bruces death in 1329.

It was cut and sent in a casket to the Holy Land in the care of Sir James Douglas. But the Scottish knight died in a battle with the Moors in Spain and the heart was brought back to Scotland by his friend Sir William Keith. It was buried at Melrose - 60 miles from the resting place of the king's body; Dunfermline Abbey. The casket was briefly dug up in the 1920s and reburied immediately. Then in 1996 came the excavations that saw the heavy lead container dug up and taken to Edinburgh for tests. Melrose has waited patiently since then for the return of the casket, but that patience is wearing thin. Local councillor Bill Smith says: "Historic Scotland are not well known for moving swiftly, but they seem to be dragging their feet on this." The chairman of the towns traders association, Mr Douglas Hardie, says "We want to combine a reburial ceremony with the annual Melrose Festival in June when the Melrose Queen is crowned in the abbey grounds and lays a wreath on the spot where the casket was buried.

"I dont see the difference between a ceremony in the autumn and a ceremony in June which would come at the start of the main tourist season and give the town a shot in the arm. Nor can I see the case for the heart lying in a lab in Edinburgh or any justification for holding onto it for 18 months. It is part of our heritage and we want it back here as soon as possible." A spokeswoman for Historic Scotland last night blamed the delay on a competition to design an appropriate memorial stone for the burial site and extended excavations last year to delve into the history of the abbey chapter house. She said "We hope to be able to announce the winning entry by the end of February, but because we want the work carried out to a higher standard which will take several months, it could be that we will not be able to have a ceremony to rebury the heart until the autumn. "We are looking for some significant date connected with Bruce, but if the winning memorial design is relatively simple the ceremony could possibly be pushed forward to the summer.

"There was tremendous international interest when the casket was dug up and we intend to make the reburial a major occasion that will be of benefit to Melrose." For earlier information see Bruce's heart examined in laboratory Update 18th February, 1998 It was announced on Scottish TV news tonight that the heart of King Robert the Bruce will indeed be returned to its burial place at Melrose Abbey in time for the summer tourist season. Question from William N Greer (19th February, 1998):- Q. I would like to know the following: For the many who may be wondering about their genealogical descent from the Bruce, would not a tissue extraction from the heart -- for the purpose of DNA testing -- be very much in order? A. During the TV news story of 18th February, 1998, it was explained that: a) The inner container which contains the heart has not been, and will not be opened (see Bruce's heart examined in laboratory ) before it is reburied. b) All circumstantial evidence indicates that this is the heart of The Bruce - therefore no need to pull it apart to prove it.

Your interesting question raises serious and less serious issues/questions such as: If we had some of the Bruce's DNA, maybe we could "clone" him. We did it with 'Dolly' the sheep - why not with as a future Scottish monarch (or SNP leader at least). DNA testing which verified present-day descendants of the Bruce, might be not be too comfortable for the incumbent monarchy, especially at this point in Scotland's history. If the heart casket was not opened for these sort of purposes, why was it been kept in Edinburgh for 18 months? During the TV story, no mention was made of the competition to design a memorial stone for the reburied (eventually) heart. Update 23rd February, 1998 It was announced on BBC Scotland Radio news tonight that: a) The heart was back at Melrose today. b) A winner has been selected for the memorial stone. c) The winning design will be realised and installed in a ceremony on 24th June, 1998. Robert the Bruce (1274 - 1329) - Find A Grave Memorial Cardross Argyll and Bute, Scotland Scottish Monarch.

The son of Robert Bruce, Earl of Carrick and Marjory of Carrick, he was a descendant of Alexander II, King of Scots. He was married to Isabella of Mar in 1295, and Elizabeth DeBurgh in 1302. He was the father of two sons and three daughters. Around 1298, when Scotland was under English rule, he was appointed a Guardian of Scotland along with John Comyn. It was discovered that Comyn intended to sell out his country and become a puppet king under Edward I, and Bruce killed him in 1306. He was then taken to Scone and crowned Robert I in March. He then began a guerilla war against Edward I. While not initially successful, he gradually gained support and captured several castles. In 1314, at the Battle of Bannockburn, although vastly outnumbered, he defeated the English forces. King Edward II agreed to sign the Treaty of Edinburgh in 1328, recognizing Scotland's independence. Gravely ill with leprosy, Bruce died at Cardross the following year.

His body was entombed at Dunfermline Abbey, while his embalmed heart was taken on Crusade by Sir James Douglas (Black Douglas) before being returned to Scotland and entombed at Melrose Abbey. Did You Know? - Robert the Bruce's Heart Did You Know? - Robert the Bruce's Heart On his deathbed in 1329, Robert the Bruce asked that his heart should be carried into battle against the "Infidels" because he himself had not been able to go on a Crusade. (Removing internal organs after death was a common practice in those days). Bruce's body was buried in Dunfermline Abbey and when it was exhumed in 1818 it was found that his ribs had been sawn through, indicating that his heart had indeed been taken from his body. Sir James Douglas is said to have taken Bruce's heart in a casket with him to Spain in 1330 but, in a battle against the Moors, Douglas was killed. Sir William Keith brought Bruce's heart back to Scotland and it was buried in Melrose Abbey.

In 1921, during excavations beneath the Chapter House at Melrose Abbey, a conical leaden casket was discovered. It measured 10 inches high and was 4 inches in diameter at the base but tapering towards the top (see illustration above, right). It was pitted but otherwise in good condition. The casket was reburied but in 1996, it was removed again from beneath the Chapter House floor and examined once more. Historic Scotland said "It is not possible to prove absolutely that it is Bruce's heart. But it is reasonable to assume that it is". On 22 June 1998 it was reburied at Melrose Abbey. On 24 June (the anniversary of Bruce's victory at Bannockburn in 1314) the Scottish Secretary of State unveiled a plaque on the ground at the place where the heart now lies. The design for the stone slab was created by Victoria Oswald a BBC sound engineer.

The inscription on the stone, from Barbour's "The Brus" reads "A noble hart may have no ease, gif freedom failye" Translated, this reads "A noble heart cannot be at peace if freedom is lacking" It incorporates a carving of a heart entwined in the Saltire, the basis of Scotland's national flag. Use the "Back" button on your browser or click here to return to the Index of "Did You Know?" Where else would you like to go in Scotland? Links Pages

Question: Robert the Bruce is buried in which town?
Answer: Dunfermline