Day of Abbeys (Sunday, December 7th)

by Chris Wicke

We woke up to the beautiful scenery at Bairnkine. Since we drove in at night, waking up was a surprise. Our cottage is on a working sheep farm and we look forward to exploring more of the farm while we are here.

We decided to set out today and visit a few local and renowned abbeys in the area.

Dryburgh Abbey
Founded in 1150 by the Cistercian Order, this is one of a large number of abbeys established under the influence of King David I. The English burnt the abbey twice in the 14th century and at least once again in the 16th. Each attack necessitated rebuilding, the character of which differed with the Abbey’s changing fortunes. Most of the photos you see are the remains of the original structure built in the late 12th century. Some exquisite carvings and original plaster work (inside the arches) still exist. A truly beautiful place.

After Dryburgh Abbey we went on to Melrose and stopped in for a bite of lunch in town. All of us (except Dad) had the ‘Afternoon Tea’ meal which consisted of finger sandwiches, pot of tea, and a tray of homemade treats: scones, shortbread, scotch pancakes and meringue with cream. We used the cream in the meringue for our scones and topped it off with strawberry preserves! YUM! After lunch we walked down the street to the Melrose Abbey.

Melrose Abbey
Interesting things we learned:

• Founded in 1136, there are only a few remains of the original foundation.
• The vestibules along the outside of the abbey had drainage in them to receive water and wine that had been blessed and then used for ceremony.
  
• These vestibules were created for the more than 50 monks to pray individually more than 6 times a day.
• The last monk died in the mid 1500s. The abbey was essentially abandoned from that time on.
• Robert the Bruce had always had a special feeling for Melrose Abbey. He died shortly before being able to go on Crusade and as a last act of faith, his heart was taken along on the Crusade, so that he could be a part of it. Supposedly, after the Crusade, they brought his heart back and buried it in Melrose Abbey. During an excavation in the 90s, they found a small casket buried under the abbey. When they drilled a tiny hole in the casket and pushed a fiber optic line down into the casket, they found a lead box inside with an inscribed copper plate on it. The inscription, dated 1921, said that a human heart was inside the lead box. Since there was no way to confirm that the heart belonged to Robert the Bruce, they left the box alone.
• The Cistercians are a strict order of monks who were allowed only 2 sets of clothing. A robe and a tunic, and a second set so they could wash one set and still wear the other. In later years, the order relaxed their restrictions for the more northerly abbeys and would allow the monks to wear all of their clothes at the same time to stay warm. In the early years of the order, these monks were only allowed to wear the tunic and a robe, even in Scotland where the winters can get a bit chilly. In the summer the monks would sometimes be allowed a second meal for the day.
• King Richard the First burned the abbey down and then paid for it to be rebuilt in order to save his mortal soul.
• Lay Brothers outnumbered the monks about 3 to 1; sometimes more. Lay Brothers were the menial workers of the abbey. They were typically people who did not have the birth to become a monk. They had a hard life, but at least they had a roof over their heads, steady work, and steady meals. That’s quite a bit during those times.
  

It was dark when we left Melrose Abbey and we made our way onto Peebles to shop for some groceries. There isn’t a big supermarket in Jedburgh (population 4000) so we wanted to shop in Peebles, which is about double the size in population. We always find interesting food stuffs in the markets…so our shopping excursions are an adventure and full of new discoveries!

After shopping we went onto West Linton to meet up with Shona (mom’s second cousin; Barbara’s sister) and her husband Shaun at the Old Bakehouse for dinner. It was a cozy little place and the food was excellent. We had great conversation and lots of fun at the end of our meal with the ‘crackers’, while Mom and Shona looked over albums of old family photos.

It was a great day of history and connecting with our roots. Another day that by the time we hit our bed sheets, we were all sound asleep. (Yawn).