east-lothian-1924/05-133

Transcription

NORTH BERWICK.] HISTORICAL MONUMENTS (SCOTLAND) COMMISSION. [NORTH BERWICK.

Alexander Hume, son of the late Alexander
Hume of Polwarth. The names include four
Humes, and others bearing such names as
Halyburton, Crichton, Douglas, Sinclair, Ram-
say, etc., indicating that, as usual, the inmates
were probably drawn from the gentry of the
district. In 1548 Margaret, the prioress, and
the convent granted their principal estate at
North Berwick to (her brother) Alexander
Hume, brother of Patrick Hume of Polwarth,
in consideration of a sum of £2000 received for
the repair and rebuilding of their " place " as
well as for the payment of sums due by them.
Other alienations to other parties followed.
By 1586 " the place quhair the Abbay Kirk
and Closter of Northberuik stuid before . . .
is ruinous " and in 1587 the temporality or
other than purely ecclesiastical property of the
nunnery was erected into the barony of North
Berwick in favour of Alexander Hume. In
1596 Dame Margaret Hume as prioress and
one nun, Dame Margaret Donaldsone, were all
that remained of the conventual body, with no
revenues except what came from three of the
Fife churches, which, on the other hand, were
required for the support of ministers. These
therefore also were abandoned, and in 1597
an Act of Parliament ratified and approved of
the resignation of all the Kirks and suppressed
" the said Abbacie and Monasterie for euir."
A grant by the Archbishop of St. Andrews
of the perpetual vicarage of the church of
North Berwick, confirmed by Pope Clement
VII. in 1529-who alone speaks of the "abbess"
-had been made in consideration of its losses,
due to wars in which it was plundered and its
church burnt.
The perils to which the monastery was thus
exposed are further illustrated by the formal
restoration by the prioress Dame Margaret
Hume, on 14 May 1550, of valuables and vest-
ments committed to her custody " in time of
invasion by our old enemies of England."
These included a crucifix, apparently of silver
and a silver cross with eight chalices of silver,
making nine chalices with one still on pledge
in the hands of Patrick Hume of Polwarth, the
lady's brother, which was returned five years
later. There were also four " ornaments " of
cloth of gold, being a cope and vestments for
sub-deacon, deacon and priest with all the
tunicles, (in text teniculis) infulae, dalmatics,

60

amices, albs (in text abbis) stoles and corporals
pertaining thereto. To these the prioress of
her own gift added two copes, one of blue
velvet and another of fine green cloth (ex
bisso), as well as " a church ornament called
byrd-alexander " (i.e., of striped silk) with
vestments for the three clergy as above, and
another of fine white cloth " commonly called
quhit dames," that is white damask. The
convent " by a majority " (per majorem par-
tem) professed to have received all the articles
transferred to the prioress for custody in time
of war.

1 Cal. of Docts. &c. iv., p. 461. Carte
Monialium de Northberwic ; Registrum de
Dunfermylyn (Bannatyne Club).

ii. S.E. " North Berwick Abbey, Remains
of." 30 April 1915.

105. St. Baldred's Chapel on the Bass
Rock.-The ruin of the chapel is perched on a
grassy terrace on the

[illustration inserted]
FIG. 100.-St. Baldred's
Chapel, The Bass (No. 105)

southern side of the
rock at an elevation
of 200 feet above
ordnance datum. It
is a small undistin-
guished structure dat-
ing from the 16th
century. On plan (fig.
100) it is rectangular and measures externally
30 1/2 feet from east to west by 20 3/4 feet from
north to south; it is orientated 15 degrees south
of east. The walling is rubble built mainly in
the basalt of the rock but with a slight ad-
mixture of light coloured freestone, which has
been imported. Against the west gable are the
remains of a forestair, which led to a loft at the
western end ; the entrance to this loft had a
hollow chamfer wrought on its jambs, which,
being of freestone, are greatly eroded by
weather. The north wall and east gable are
blank ; the south wall contains the entrance
to the chapel towards the western end and,
east of this, two windows side by side. These
openings have been lintelled and have seg-
mental scoinson arches in rear, the dressings
being executed in greenish porphyry. The
entrance is chamfered on jambs and lintel.
The windows have been glazed and are rebated
in front of the glazing check for shutters.