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CASTLES
TOWNS
ABBEYS
VILLAGES
INVASIONS
CATHEDRALS
PALACES
BATTLES
WHISKY
CITIES
CHURCHES
REBELLIONS
GOLF
CLUBS
STATELY HOMES |
With more than 900 entries in alphabetical order,
The Historical Handbook To Scotland provides a factual overview of the country's
historical landscape from the Roman occupation to the
present day. Integrated among its largest cities and smallest
villages, that number more than 260
locations, are some 500
historical buildings. These range from the most
strategically defended castles to the more venerable ruined
abbeys that stand as testaments to the struggles and strife
of the nation, during which many of the structures were
designed and doctrines upheld. Between these are the 90 battles and periods of conflict.
The comparatively modern history of more than 100
distilleries and golf clubs serves to reflect the
industrialisation and urbanisation of 19th and 20th century
Scotland, and like most of the other entries, start with
the subject name, region, location and earliest history,
eventually ending with a modern day summary that the reader
can experience first-hand.
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DUMFRIES &
GALLOWAY
On a steep bank 5 miles N of Dumfries stands a lofty tower that
was once the seat of the Anglo-Norman Charteris family who settled
in Scotland in the 12th Century. In 1280 Sir Thomas Charteris became
Lord High Chancellor, and a descendant, Alex Charteris, was beheaded
at Edinburgh Cross in 1650 for his Royalist sympathies. Above the
entrance to the second floor are the family arms with the initials
I. C. and the date 1600, when the tower was erected, probably by
the same builder who previously designed the nearby Elshieshields,
albeit in a less imaginative way. Three storeys high, the first
floor comprised a hall and kitchen, the second floor the proprietor's
living room with guard-robes, and almonries within the walls with
access stairs to the tower and courtyard, while the third
floor includes the family bedroom with access to three of the corbelled
turrets with their shotholes. Above these is a small attic room
overhung by two storeys which lead to the watch tower. In 1636 the
barony passed to John Dalziel of Newton and in 1720, Janet, daughter
of Francis of Amisfield, married James 4th Earl of Wemyss. Close
by is a later house built in the reign of Charles I which is now
absorbed into a more recent mansion.
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ANGUS
The ruins of the Abbey which stand in the town's High
Street and near the Parish Church
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were founded by William
the Lion in 1178 (who was buried here in 1214) in honour of Thomas
a Becket. Completed in 1233 in a blend of late Norman and early
Gothic styles, its plan was of the usual cruciform church bordering
the south side of the cloister garth with the domestic buildings
on either side. The dexterity of its Benedictine monks who were
of the Tironensian Order from Kelso and the large endowments from
royalty made it one of the richest abbeys in Scotland by the 13th
century, and the heartbeat of the area which provided the impetus
for growth of the east coast towns from Montrose to Dundee. The
monks were also custodians of the Brecbennach, the consecrated
banner of St Columba which he had acquired from Pope Benedict
and which was carried by the Scots at Bannockburn. From 1288 under
Abbot Henry and Henry de Linton it became the hub of nationalist
activity culminating in the Scottish nobility signing the Declaration
of Arbroath here in 1320, which was a reaffirmation of Scotland's
sovereignty that was despatched to Rome. Frequently attacked by
English ships in the late 14th century when its church was also
struck by lightning. The blend of piety and warlike countenance
of its many abbots was indicative of their noble birth. Amongst
them were Abbot Hepburn who died at Flodden, 1513, when its Commendators
included three successive members of the Beaton family, the last
of whom was James Beaton, before the Abbey was burnt by the Reformers.
Later it passed to a number of owners who included Lord Claud
Hamilton and the Earl of Dysart. The last before its final decline
was Patrick Maul of Panmure, the minister of James VI, after which
it was continually pillaged for its red sandstone until it received
protection from the Government in 1815. Shortly after the tomb
of William I was discovered before the high altar. The last chapter
in the Abbey's history came in 1951 when it was thrust into the
limelight by a group of Scottish students reasserting Scotland's
claim to the Stone of Destiny, thought to have been Jacob's pillow
at Bethel which had served as the Westminster Coronation Stone
since its seizure by Edward I from Scone in 1296. After a nation-wide
police hunt it was found in the Abbey and returned to Westminster
where it was used for the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953,
but it was returned to Scotland in 1996 and is now housed in Edinburgh
Castle. Today's substantial ruins, mainly of the church, are of
the entrance doorway, many of the support pillars of the nave
with its south wall, transept, sacristy and the east gable. The
Chapter House and domestic buildings are to the south and the
Abbot's House and gatehouse to the west. In its graveyard are
a number of interesting gravestones.
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