 Jedburgh Abbey
First founded as an Augustinian priory in 1138, King David I built this great
Borders monastery that was elevated to the status of an abbey some 15
years later. With the royal endowment, as well as many generous donations
from noblemen and landowners, Jedburgh Abbey became a wealthy, influential
house, and eventually had three other priories dependent upon it.
However, the King's arrogance in siting his monastery just a few miles from the English border resulted
in Jedburgh Abbey suffering a turbulent history. Bearing this is mind, it
is quite miraculous that the abbey church has survived almost intact
and continues to dominate the town. Standing to full height, and missing
only its roof, the nave comprises a spectacle of richly moulded arches,
elegant clustered columns topped with waterleaf capitals, and a continuous
row of slender lancet windows forming the clerestory.
After the Reformation in 1560, part of the abbey church continued to be used as the parish church,
just as it had since the 13th century. When this was considered
to be no longer safe for use by the local people, a new parish kirk
was created in the western part of the nave c1670 that served
the community until the end of the 19th century. From the
time the new church over the Jed Water was completed, the magnificent
west front saw no more regular worshippers pass through its splendid
moulded doorway, and it was left to lie dormant with the rest of the ruinous abbey.
Hardly anything exists of the claustral buildings above foundation level, and what there is to
be seen presents quite a confusing picture. Due to the natural lie of
the land, the original domestic buildings of Jedburgh Abbey were arranged
on a series of terraced platforms that sat much lower than the level
of the church and cloisters. Consequently, a vast undercroft was constructed
to raise the level of the buildings, and fragments of this work are
visible from the modern viewing platform. To add further distortion
to the layout, towards the end of the 16th century the whole
east range was demolished, the stone was quarried away for local building
needs, and three new houses were built on the site. A manse and stables
were erected over the west range, and mills were built at the south-east
corner of the cloister that remained in use until the 1960s.
A particularly delightful
aspect of Jedburgh Abbey is the reconstructed cloister garden, which has
been designed and planted to give an impression of a typical monastery
garden of the 1500s. Apart from providing a quiet corner in the open for
contemplation, the monks would have utilised this space for growing their
essential herbs for both cooking and medicinal purposes. Despite Jedburgh
Abbey's proximity to the now bustling town, the garden provides a perfect
place to sit in peace and reflect on the abbey's changing fortunes over
the 400 years it was home to those industrious canons. |
