east-lothian-1924/05-109

Transcription

HADDINGTON.] -- INVENTORY OF MONUMENTS IN EAST LOTHIAN -- [HADDINGTON.

projects from the north choir aisle. It retains
a benatura beside the entrance. A vault below
is the burial place of the Lauderdale family.
MONUMENTS.-Against the north wall of the
revestry is an ornate Renaissance monument of
marble-the inscribed slabs being black-
shown in fig. 4. It consists of a plinth with
moulded cornice and base, two bays bounded
by Corinthian columns supporting on decorated
consoles an entablature, enriched on its inner
surface, and a pediment with moulded cornice
broken at the apex, where rises the Maitland
achievement-arms and supporters beneath a
helmet in profile with mantling, crest above and
motto below (cf. p. 45). On either side are
dexter impaled arms of Maitland and Fleming
(cf. p. 45) and sinister Maitland and Seton. In
the bays, behind the flat arch of the entablature,
the recesses are arched semi-circularly with
enrichments on the face and others on the
coved soffit arch. Below are recumbent effi-
gies of alabaster representing dexter John
Maitland Lord Thirlestane, Chancellor of Scot-
land in the reign of James VI. (died 1595),
with his wife Jane Fleming (died 1609), and
sinister their son John, first Earl of Lauderdale
with his countess Isabella Seton (died 1638).
On the outer curve of the arch are shields,
which represent families connected by descent
or marriage with these personages. Reading
from the dexter corner of the dexter bay, these
are for Douglas (Earl of Morton) Cranston, Seton,
Maitland, Maitland impaling Fleming (for the
pair below), Fleming, royal arms debruised of
a bend engrailed (for Janet Stewart, paternal
grandmother of Janet Fleming and illegitimate
daughter of James IV), Hamilton Earl of
Arran, and Douglas ; while the next bay
repeats several of these with, in this case, the
centre impaled coat of Maitland and Seton and
substitution of Hamilton of Sorn and Sanquhar
(Gules, a chevron argent between three cinque-
foils ermine), Drummond and Earl Crawford,
these being in the immediate ancestral line of
Isabella Seton. The Maitland arms again
appear on the cartouche in the panel dividing
the plinth. Shields and sculptures still show
traces of their original painting and gilding.
The inscriptions on the black marble panels
commemorate also a daughter of each pair,
who died young and record that the whole
monument was erected by John Earl of

41

Lauderdale. The pediment once bore verses
by James VI. on the high qualities of his
Chancellor, but it appears to have suffered
some damage previous to 1785, and this feature
is now entirely gone ; the pediment is
possibly a reconstruction.2 Against the east
wall of the north transept of the church is
another fine Renaissance monument erected in
1682 by his wife Agnes Black, in memory
of William Seton a former provost of Hadding-
ton, who was of the family of Seton of Northrig.
The monument bears the three crescents of
Seton impaled with a garb between three boars'
heads erased.
CONSECRATION CROSS.-On the west face of
the east respond of the north arch of the
crossing, an eight-limbed cross within a circle
is incised. This may be a consecration cross
but the form is unusual.
ECCLESIASTICAL VESSELS.-(a) A brass alms
dish 17 3/4 inches in diameter, repoussé with a
bead and spinnel border, bears a representation
of the Temptation.
(b) A second, 20 3/8 inches in diameter, bears
a similar representation but has a vine scroll
border. Both vessels probably date from the
17th century.
HISTORICAL NOTE.-The church of St.
Mary of Haddington, with the chapels, was
granted about 1139 by David I. at Haddington
to the church of St. Andrew of " Chilrimont "
i.e., St. Andrews. Some two years later the
same king gave to St. Mary's the lands of
" Clerchetune " or Clerkington, a grant re-
peated by his son Henry about the same time.
The grant to St. Andrews was confirmed by
successive popes and continued till the Reform-
ation, the church being served by a vicar.
St. Mary's was the ' mother church ' and the
chapels were separate buildings. These were
dedicated to Sts. Laurence, Anne, Catherine,
Kentigern and John.
On May 28, 1462 we have a receipt from the
bailies, councillors and community of Hadding-
ton as dominos of the parish church to the
prior and convent of St. Andrews for £100,
which the latter had bound themselves to pay
within five years for the construction and
repair of the choir of the church (pro con-
structione et reparatione chori ecclesiae parroch-
iales) and the furniture (ornamenta) of the high
alter.3 In the Haddington records, there is,

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Douglas Montgomery

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