The Magdalen Chapel (or Magdalene Chapel) is a 16th-century

chapel A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...

Cowgate The Cowgate (Scots language, Scots: The Cougait) is a street in Edinburgh, Scotland, located about southeast of Edinburgh Castle, within the city's World Heritage Site. The street is part of the lower level of Edinburgh's Old Town, Edinburgh, ...

in the

Old Town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins. In some cases, newer developments on t ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. It is designated as a Category A

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

History

Michael MacQueen and Jonet Rynd

The chapel was built between 1541 and 1544 using money bequeathed by Michael MacQueen or MakQuhen (died 1537), supplemented by his widow, Jonet Rynd or Rhynd. MacQueen was a merchant who supplied spices and linen to the royal household. The Foundation Charter of 1547 reads: "when the said Michael was greatly troubled with an heavy Disease, and oppressed with Age, yet mindful of Eternal Life, he esteemed it ane good Way to obtain Eternal Life, to erect some Christian Work, for ever to remain and endure". It was designed to accommodate a chaplain and act as an

almshouse An almshouse (also known as a bede-house, poorhouse, or hospital) is charitable housing provided to people in a particular community, especially during the Middle Ages. They were often built for the poor of a locality, for those who had held ce ...

for seven poor men who were to pray for the soul of

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was List of Scottish monarchs, Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legit ...

. Prior to the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

, the Queen Regent,

Mary of Guise Mary of Guise (; 22 November 1515 – 11 June 1560), also called Mary of Lorraine, was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from 1538 until 1542, as the second wife of King James V. She was a French people, French noblewoman of the ...

arranged academic lectures there. Jonet Rynd died in December 1553 and was buried in the chapel. Michael MacQueen seems to have had a son Patrick by his first marriage. Another early donor was Isobel Mauchan who gave £1000 Scots in 1555. Isobel was probably a close friend or relation of Jonet Rynd.

Incorporation of Hammermen

Patronage of the chapel passed to the Incorporation of Hammermen (metalworkers) on the death of Janet Rhynd in 1553. After the Reformation, the patrons – the Hammermen – met financial trouble. The chaplain, who remained a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

, was replaced by a

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

minister, but successfully sued to continue to receive his salary until his death in 1567. Under the terms of the Foundation Charter, the Chapel was required to undertake Roman Catholic worship and the Hammermen were prohibited from doing anything against Roman Catholic interests or the property would revert to Janet Rynd's heirs. Since these terms were now breached, the tenants stopped paying their rent, knowing the Hammermen could not force them to pay. Only the wealth of the Hammermen allowed them to continue as patrons. From 1596 it was also the regular meeting place of the Convenery of the Trades of Edinburgh. The meeting-place was so closely identified with the Convenery of Trades that "Magdalen Chapel" was often used as a metonym for the Convenery itself. The General Assembly of the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland (CoS; ; ) is a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity that holds the status of the national church in Scotland. It is one of the country's largest, having 245,000 members in 2024 and 259,200 members in 2023. While mem ...

was held in the Chapel in April 1578. There is a tradition that the first General Assembly in December 1560 was also held in the Chapel. The Dominican friar turned Reformer John Craig preached in the Chapel, speaking in Latin because he had been out of Scotland for so many years. Several conventicles of the

Covenanters Covenanters were members of a 17th-century Scottish religious and political movement, who supported a Presbyterian Church of Scotland and the primacy of its leaders in religious affairs. It originated in disputes with James VI and his son ...

were held in the Chapel, the largest being that of 17 May 1674 at which William Weir was the preacher. The bodies of the Marquis of Argyle in 1661, Hew Mackail in 1666, and John Dick in 1684 were prepared for burial in the chapel after they were executed. The heads and hands of martyred Covenanters were displayed in various locations in Edinburgh in 1689, and were collected at the chapel prior to burial in

Greyfriars Kirk Greyfriars Kirk () is a parish church of the Church of Scotland, located in the Old Town, Edinburgh, Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is surrounded by Greyfriars Kirkyard. Greyfriars traces its origin to the south-west parish of Edinburgh, f ...

. The Chapel was used by

Episcopalian Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protes ...

s, and notably housed the second

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

congregation in Edinburgh in the 18th century. This Baptist church originated in 1765 when Robert Carmichael, a minister from an Old Scots Independent congregation in Candlemakers’ Hall, became convinced that baptism should be for believers only and by immersion. In May 1765, Carmichael and seven others withdrew from their Independent church and formed a new fellowship in the Magdalen Chapel. After being baptized himself in London, Carmichael baptized four men and three women in the Water of Leith at Canonmills on 25 November 1765, an event partially witnessed and reported by The Scots Magazine. The Baptists worshipped here regularly till 1774. A printing press was located either in the Chapel or a nearby building in the 18th century. In the early nineteenth century it was used as a place of worship by the Bereans, a Protestant sect following former Scottish

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

minister John Barclay (1734-1798) who held to a modified form of

Calvinism Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Christian, Presbyteri ...

. The Hammermen sold the chapel in 1857 to the Protestant Institute for Scotland, and it was used by the Edinburgh Medical Missionary Society. Following a fund-raising campaign supported by Alex Neish, Architects Simpson and Brown undertook a major restoration programme in 1992/93. It is now the headquarters of the Scottish Reformation Society.

Design features

DSCN4575 Magdalen Chapel stained glass window

An inscription over the door reads 'He that hath pity upon the poore lendeth unto the Lord and the Lord will recompence him that which he hath given, Pro. XIX vers XVII.' A semi-circular wooden platform was installed at the east end around 1615 and the layout of the Chapel was altered. The carved armorial panel over the door was created by John Sawer in the same year, and was moved to its current location in 1649. The tower and spire were added about 1620. A bell, by the Dutch bell founder Michael Burgerhuys of

Middelburg Middelburg may refer to: Places and jurisdictions Europe * Middelburg, Zeeland, the capital city of the province of Zeeland, southwestern Netherlands ** Roman Catholic Diocese of Middelburg, a former Catholic diocese with its see in the Zeeland ...

, dates from 1632. The original ceiling, no longer extant, was painted in 1725 by Alexander Boswall in 'skye colour with clouds and a sin (''sic'': sun) gilded in the centre'. ' A fragment is on display on the south wall. The panelling records gifts from members of the Incorporation of Hammermen. The

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

in the middle window of the south wall features the

Royal Arms of Scotland Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Roy ...

and the Arms of Mary of Guise.Rachel M. Delman, "Always at the Gate? Unlocking Medieval Women's Stories in Modern-day Edinburgh", Janay Nugent, Cathryn Spence, Mairi Cowan, ''Gender in Scotland 1200–1800: Place, Faith and Politics'' (Edinburgh University Press, 2024), p. 74. It is the only intact pre-

stained glass window in Scotland. A sword that reputedly belonged to the Covenanter Captain John Paton and the table used to prepare the bodies of the Covenanters for burial (after their execution in the nearby

Grassmarket The Grassmarket is a historic market square, market place, street and event space in the Old Town, Edinburgh, Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland. In relation to the rest of the city it lies in a hollow, well below surrounding ground levels. Locati ...

) are still present in the chapel. Janet Rynd's tomb, with her coat of arms and an inscribed border, is in the south east of the church. Stained glass in the main south window dates from 1893 and is by William Graham Boss.

References

External links

Scottish Reformation SocietyIncorporated Trades of Edinburgh
{{morecat, date=March 2024 Chapels in Scotland History of Edinburgh