History & Haunting of : Dunfermline Abbey ,Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland The Benedictine Abbey of the Holy Trinity and St Margaret, was founded in 1128 by King David I of Scotland, but the monastic establishment was based on an earlier foundation dating back to the reign of King Máel Coluim mac Donnchada (i.e. Malcolm III or Malcolm Canmore, r. 1058-93) and his queen. At its head was an abbot, the first incumbent being Geoffrey of Canterbury, former prior of Christ Church, Canterbury, the Kent monastery that probably supplied Dunfermlines first monks. At the peak of its power it controlled four burghs, three courts of regality and a large portfolio of lands from Moray in the north down into Berwickshire. Dunfermline - Abbey - Robert The Bruce Last Resting Place Video here > https://youtube/watch?v=xiYj8vEGyt4 In the decades after its foundation the abbey was the recipient of considerable endowments, as seen from the dedication of 26 altars donated by individual benefactors and guilds and it was an important centre of pilgrimage after Dunfermline became a centre for the cult of St Margaret (Malcolms wife and Davids mother), from whom the monastery later claimed foundation and for which an earlier foundation charter was fabricated. The foundations of the earliest church (the Church of the Holy Trinity) are under the present superb Romanesque nave built in the 12th century. During the winter of 1303 the court of Edward I of England was held in the abbey, and on his departure next year most of the buildings were burned During the Scottish Reformation, the abbey church was sacked in March 1560. Some parts of the abbey infrastructure still remain, principally the vast refectory and rooms over the gatehouse which was part of the former city wall. The nave was also spared and it was repaired in 1570 by Robert Drummond of Carnock. It served as the parish church till the 19th century, and now forms the vestibule of a new church. This edifice, in the Perpendicular style, opened for public worship in 1821, occupies the site of the ancient chancel and transepts, though differing in style and proportions from the original structure. Also of the monastery there still remains the south wall of the refectory, with a fine window. Next to the abbey is the ruin of Dunfermline Palace, also part of the original abbey complex and connected to it via the gatehouse. Dunfermline Abbey, one of Scotlands most important cultural sites, has received more of Scotland’s royal dead than any other place in the kingdom, excepting Iona. One of the most notable non-royal names to be associated with the abbey is the northern renaissance poet, Robert Henryson. The tomb of Saint Margaret and Malcolm Canmore, within the ruined walls of the Lady chapel, was restored and enclosed by command of Queen Victoria The current building on the site of the choir of the old Abbey church is a Parish Church of the Church of Scotland, still with the name Dunfermline Abbey Ghost By theburningred .As you may expect, with two buildings that are nearly 1000 years old, a number of ghost stories have crept through over the years. Stories about the Palace are few and far between, but those of the Abbey are told more frequently and with more belief. The couple of stories I have heard from the Palace are unconfirmed as the sightings are few and far between. It is not a place I have visited often, and on my few visits have seen nothing. However, one or two people have said that a lady walks the grounds of the former Dunfermline Palace, a lady who is dressed as beautifully and royally as ever you will see. Some believe her to be the first Queen live at the Palace after it’s rebuilding, Anne Of Denmark, who was given the Palace as a wedding gift, having married James I in 1503. She is reported to say nothing at all, or even notice what is going on around her. She merely walks around what was previously her home, perhaps sad at the fact it is now in such disrepair. The first story I heard of the Abbey itself, was from a curator at the old place itself. I was visiting there with my grandmother at the age of about 9, and the man was telling my gran the story, and they both didn’t know that I was listening in. He told her that in the main Hall of the Abbey, in which there is a sort of upstairs/balcony area, there is a white, glowing lady, who often visits to overlook the tourists. She will stand in the upstairs area of the building and will look down. He told us that not many people see her because a lot of people will fail to look up at the roof, merely because it is so high. A similar lady has been spotted by others, standing at the top of the stairs to the resting place of the Bruce, as if to block it off. No one however, knows who she is. Another ghost story I have frequently heard about the Abbey, is that of a hooded figure who walks the cemetery at night. The figure only arrives for about a week or so, once a year and walks slowly around, stopping at certain intervals. It is believed that this person lost someone unexpectedly in their natural life, and doesn’t know where they are, and have been destined to look for them in the cemetery forever. I visited the Abbey recently and took a number of photos of the place. At the time when I took them I hadn’t been reading pictures and so had no practice and didn’t really know what to look for. However, now that I have, when I look at my pictures of inside the main hall, I sense a very sad woman. She is dressed all in black and has a lace veil over her face, as if she is attending a funeral. Her head is constantly bowed and she feels alone. I sense that this could be the woman, who looks after the Bruce. It is also worth saying as a final note on these fine structures, that within the Abbey itself, there are a huge, and I mean huge number of cold spots around the place ghostplace/ Video here > https://youtube/watch?v=DnFw8p6Xu6k Photo 1by Kim Traynor -West door of Dunfermline Abbey photo 2 & 4 bysearchingfordragons.wordpress- photo 3 by hartforth-The tomb of King Robert the Bruce in Dunfermline Abbey. photo 5 by Kim Traynor -Ruined Refectory of Dunfermline Abbey, Fife photo6 & 7 8 by bikelove-scotland.blogspot.co.uk/ photo7 Dunfermline Abbey had two Kitchens, one above the other, only the lower one now remains. Photo 8 A view from inside the Gatehouse tower to see more great photos go to bikelove-scotland.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/dunfermline-abbey-palace.html
Posted on: Sat, 15 Nov 2014 18:31:57 +0000
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