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Balmerino Abbey, Fife
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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
This picture is of the remains of the Chapter House and part of the Sacristy and North transept of Balmerino Abbey which lies on the north coast of Fife on the Tay estuary. Most of the abbey is now in almost total ruin but these parts are the best preserved: most of the stonework is unsafe to members of the public and so is fenced-off though restoration work is being carried out here, particularly in the Sacristy which is the big opening to the left of the picture.
A lovely peaceful place to visit, I'll quote some history about the place:
Balmerino Abbey was founded by Queen Ermengarde, widow of William the Lion and great granddaughter of William the Conqueror, and her son King Alexander II (1214-49). The abbey was situated on the north coast of Fife, overlooking the Firth of Tay and was dedicated to the Virgin and to Ermengardes relative ‘the most holy King Edward’, the Confessor. It is likely that Ermengarde intended Balmerino to be her burial place and she was actively acquiring land for its foundation as early as 1225. The Chronicle of Melrose states that in ‘the year of the Lord 1229, the abbey was made by K. Alexander and his mother and the convent was sent to it from Melrose’. However, it may be that a small community had arrived at Balmerino by 1227 and that conventional life was established two years later when a company of monks from Melrose were able to enter the abbey and take possession. The site of the abbey provided the monks with everything they could need: there was the river Tay for fishing and its rich banks for growing orchards and grain. Alexander II also added generously to his mothers endowments. Ermengarde and Alexander were frequent visitors at the abbey, especially Ermengarde who was much influenced by the intense piety of her grandmother-in-law, Margaret of Scots. In 1234 Ermengarde passed away and her body was laid to rest under the high altar of the abbey. Her grave and coffin was supposed to have been found by the tenant of the farm in the summer of 1831. It was covered by a grave slab, which was broken into pieces, while the bones found within were ‘dispersed as curiosities throughout the country’.
In December 1547 Balmerino was attacked by the English. However, the abbey does not seem to have been significantly damaged: at least sixteen monks can be found at the monastery during this period and, in 1561, the annual income of the abbey was valued at £1773, making Balmerino one of the richer abbeys in Scotland. In 1559 some destruction was caused by the Reformers but the extent of the damage is difficult to assess. The last pre-Reformation abbot was Robert Foster who held the position from 1511/12 until his death shortly before February 1561. In September 1561 possession of the monastery was acquired by Sir John Hay, first Lay Commendator of the abbey. In 1565 Mary queen of Scots was a visitor at the abbey and more than likely lived in the abbot’s house as a guest of Sir John Hay. In 1603 the lands were erected into a temporal lordship by Sir James Elphinstone, first lord of Balmerino. However, the lordship seems to have been tainted with misfortune: both the first and second Lords of Balmerino were sentenced to death and the sixth and last was beheaded as a Jacobite in France in 1746.
The most complete remains of the abbey are the east claustral range and the chapter house which were converted for use as a house after the Reformation. Of the church the standing remains are in the north transept, though there is also some low walling along the north nave wall and the west front. The plan of the rest of the abbey is known from excavations carried out in 1896 and the layout is represented by marks in the turf. The prior’s well still functions to this day and provides the water for the manse of Balmerino church. |
graffer, Standa, denisn72 has marked this note useful
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Hello John,
Looking through your gallery, which contains some great pictures, I found this one with 100 viewings and no critiques. I can't understand why.
You have managed to get a beautiful sky here and at the same time have preserved the textures and the detail in the building and the foreground. Something I find very difficult to achieve with a digital camera.
I am pleased to read that you deplore the absence of notes. So do I. You've written a very informative one here.
I am a fairly keen doer of WSs on other people's postings, but I don't think I could improve on this.
I also share your love of old cars, and I'm impressed by the shots you have taken.
Regards,
Peter,
- Standa
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 430 W: 0 N: 507]](http://i1.trekearth.com/misc/g-n-g.gif)
(1861) - [2007-07-12 15:18]
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Hi John,
I agree with Peter, this picture is well made, with nice composition and colours. And your informative note is just a top.
Regards,
Stanislav
Hello John
I like the atmosphere. Great colours and sharpness. The point of view is excellent. Those ruins are still standing there in the loneliness. Some stones of the wall are golden, brown and orange. I really like them. It gives a bonus to the picture.
Good work and thanks for sharing
Best regards
Denis!
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 225 W: 119 N: 504]](http://i1.trekearth.com/misc/g-g-g.gif){kind=small}
![Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 644 W: 16 N: 791]](http://i1.trekearth.com/misc/g-s-g.gif){kind=small}