Balmerino Abbey, or St Edward's Abbey, in Balmerino, Fife,

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

, was a Cistercian

monastic community A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

which has been ruinous since the 16th century.

History

It was founded from 1227 to 1229 by monks from

Melrose Abbey St Mary's Abbey, Melrose is a partly ruined monastery of the Cistercian order in Melrose, Roxburghshire, in the Scottish Borders. It was founded in 1136 by Cistercian monks at the request of King David I of Scotland and was the chief house of th ...

with the patronage of

Ermengarde de Beaumont Ermengarde de Beaumont (c. 1170 – 11 February 1233/1234) was Queen of Scotland as the wife of King William I. She is reported to have exerted influence over the affairs of state as queen, though the information of her is lacking in detail. Her ...

and King

Alexander II of Scotland Alexander II ( Medieval Gaelic: '; Modern Gaelic: '; 24 August 1198 – 6 July 1249) was King of Scotland from 1214 until his death. He concluded the Treaty of York (1237) which defined the boundary between England and Scotland, virtually un ...

. It remained a daughter house of Melrose. It had approximately 20 monks at the beginning of the sixteenth century, but declined in that century. In December 1547 it was burned by an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

force, and allegedly damaged again in 1559 by Scottish

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

s as part of the Reformation's destruction of perceived idolatrous structures. In combination with several centuries of plundering for building stone the entire main abbey is absent and only the smaller support structures to the north survive, most notable of which are the fan-vaulted cloisters. In 1606\07 its name was revived as a secular lordship for

James Elphinstone, 1st Lord Balmerino James Elphinstone, 1st Lord Balmerino (1553?-1612) was a Scottish nobleman and politician, disgraced in 1609. Life to 1605 He was the third son of Robert Elphinstone, 3rd Lord Elphinstone, by Margaret, daughter of Sir John Drummond of Innerpe ...

Current condition

Window and door details at Balmerino Abbey

In 1910 the landowner employed

Francis William Deas Francis William Deas (1862 –13 November 1951) was an influential Scottish Arts and Crafts architect and landscape designer in the late 19th century and first half of the 20th century. He was a keen amateur painter, largely of landscapes. His m ...

to survey the building and execute a program of repairs and consolidation. The abbey is now under the stewardship of the

National Trust for Scotland The National Trust for Scotland for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, commonly known as the National Trust for Scotland ( gd, Urras Nàiseanta na h-Alba), is a Scottish conservation organisation. It is the largest membership organi ...

, and a small entrance fee is requested at an

honesty box An honesty box is a method of charging for a service such as admission or car parking, or for a product such as home-grown produce and flowers, which relies upon each visitor paying at a box using the honor system. Tickets are not issued and such ...

, with no ticket booth or manned presence on-site. The ruin consists of a substantial section of the east wall of the main church. More substantial ruins of some of the associated buildings exist to the side of this but access is currently prohibited due to their poor state of repair. As of summer 2007, a sign on-site states that entrance fees will be used to contribute towards a possible future stabilization of these ruins to improve safety for visitors to enter once again. The ruins are designated a

scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

Burials

Queen of Scotland The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional form of government by which a hereditary sovereign reigns as the head of state of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies (the Bailiw ...

Notes

Bibliography

* Cowan, Ian B. & Easson, David E., ''Medieval Religious Houses: Scotland With an Appendix on the Houses in the Isle of Man'', Second Edition, (London, 1976), pp. 72–3 * Dixon, Piers, 'Balmerino Abbey: Resurvey and Topographic Analysis', in T. Kinder (ed.), ''Life on the Edge: the Cistercian Abbey of Balmerino, Fife'' (Citeaux, Commentarii cistercienses 59)(Forges-Chimay 2008), pp. 163–67 * Fawcett, Richard, 'Balmerino Abbey: the Architecture', in T. Kinder (ed.), ''Life on the Edge: the Cistercian Abbey of Balmerino, Fife'' (Citeaux, Commentarii cistercienses 59)(Forges-Chimay 2008), pp. 81–118 * Hammond, Matthew, 'Queen Ermengarde and the Abbey of St Edward, Balmerino', in T. Kinder (ed.), ''Life on the Edge: the Cistercian Abbey of Balmerino, Fife'' (Citeaux, Commentarii cistercienses 59)(Forges-Chimay 2008), pp. 11–35 * Kerr, Julie, 'Balmerino Abbey: Cistercians on the East Coast of Fife', in T. Kinder (ed.), ''Life on the Edge: the Cistercian Abbey of Balmerino, Fife'' (Citeaux, Commentarii cistercienses 59)(Forges-Chimay 2008), pp. 37–60 * Márkus,Gilbert, 'Reading the Place-Names of a Monastic Landscape', in T. Kinder (ed.), ''Life on the Edge: the Cistercian Abbey of Balmerino, Fife'' (Citeaux, Commentarii cistercienses 59)(Forges-Chimay 2008), pp. 119–62 * Oram, Richard D., 'A Fit and Ample Endowment? The Balmerino Estate, 1228-1603', in T. Kinder (ed.), ''Life on the Edge: the Cistercian Abbey of Balmerino, Fife'' (Citeaux, Commentarii cistercienses 59)(Forges-Chimay 2008), pp. 61–80 * Watt, D.E.R. & Shead, N.F. (eds.), ''The Heads of Religious Houses in Scotland from the 12th to the 16th Centuries'', The Scottish Records Society, New Series, Volume 24, (Edinburgh, 2001), pp. 12–15 {{Coord, 56, 24, 33, N, 3, 02, 28, W, display=title, region:GB_type:landmark_source:dewiki Religious buildings and structures completed in 1229 Christian monasteries established in the 13th century 1229 establishments in Scotland Religious organizations established in the 1220s Cistercian monasteries in Scotland History of Fife Religion in Fife 1603 disestablishments in Scotland National Trust for Scotland properties Tourist attractions in Fife Scheduled Ancient Monuments in Fife Former Christian monasteries in Scotland 1227 establishments in Scotland

History

Current condition

Burials

See also

Notes

Bibliography