Sweetheart Abbey
An Abaid Ur | |
Early English | |
Site | |
---|---|
Location | New Abbey, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, United Kingdom |
Visible remains | Abbey church, precinct wall, chapter house |
The Abbey of Dulce Cor, better known as Sweetheart Abbey (
History
Founding
The abbey, located on the banks of the New Abbey Pow (river), was founded by
Under the first
Other abbots included - Henry, 1275; Eric, 1290; John, 1300; Thomas, 1400; William, 1470; Robert, 1503; John, 1539; Gilbert, 1565–1612.
Vicissitudes
The immediate abbey precincts extended to 30 acres (120,000 m2) and sections of the surrounding wall can still be seen today. The abbey church, dedicated to St
The Abbot of Sweetheart was a member of the First Estate and sat ex officio in the
During the First War of Scottish Independence, King Edward I of England himself resided at the abbey in 1300, while campaigning in Galloway. After 50 years of warfare in the region, however, the abbey was left in a dilapidated state. The Bishop of Galloway bemoaned Sweetheart's "outstanding and notorious poverty". Archibald Douglas, 3rd Earl of Douglas (1328-1400), often referred to as Archibald the Grim, became a major benefactor of the abbey and financed wholesale repairs and the rebuilding of the abbey complex.[1] The depredations suffered by the abbey in subsequent periods, however, caused the graves of the foundress and her husband to be lost.
The abbey continued in quiet obscurity until it was eventually suppressed in the Scottish Reformation.
Suppression
Starting in 1565, the Scottish crown placed the abbey under a series of
When, in 1633, King Charles I established the Diocese of Edinburgh, he pleaded with Spottiswoode to relinquish the lands of New Abbey, which he wanted to grant to the new diocese. Though Spottiswoode agreed, he was not paid for the lands, and when the royal grant to the diocese was cancelled, the king restored the estate back to Spottiswoode in 1641. He was soon forced into exile, however, so the estate continued in possession of the Crown.
Burials
- John de Balliol and his wife Dervorguilla of Galloway
- James Carruthers (1759–1832) was a Catholic priest and historian.
- Eric Drummond, 7th Earl of Perth (1876- 1951).
- Hon. Angela Mary Constable-Maxwell, daughter of the 11th Lord Herries of Terregles, Countess of Perth, (1877Marmaduke Constable-Maxwell, 11th Lord Herries of Terregles - 1965 ) wife of the 7th Earl of Perth.
- William Paterson (banker) founder of the Bank of England. (1658 - 1719)
Current status
The village which stands next to the ruins today, is now known as New Abbey. At the other end of the main street is Monksmill, a corn mill. Although the present buildings date from the late 18th century, there was an earlier mill built by and for the monks of the abbey which serviced the surrounding farms.
The abbey ruins dominate the skyline today and one can only imagine how it and the monks would have dominated early medieval life as farmers, agriculturalists, horse and cattle breeders. Surrounded by rich and fertile grazing and arable land, they became increasingly expert and systematic in their farming and breeding methods. Like all Cistercian abbeys, they made their mark, not only on the religious life of the district but on the ways of local farmers and influenced agriculture in the surrounding areas.
A 14th century prayer book known as The Sweetheart Abbey Breviary [1] is now in the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh.
See also
- Abbot of Sweetheart, for a list of abbots and commendators
- List of places in Dumfries and Galloway
References
- ^ a b c "Sweetheart Abbey: A graceful ruin". Historic Scotland.
- ^ a b New Abbey from the Catholic Encyclopedia