We proceed further on our trip leaving Haydon Bridge and heading across the border and into Scotland with our destination and stay for the next few days being South Queensferry
Old Bridge, Haydon Bridge, Northumberland, England UK
The old bridge built in 1680 is now a pedestrian bridge only. It is a Grade II Listed Building
England-Scotland Border Stone, Carter Bar, Jedburgh, Scottish Borders, Scotland UK
Jedburgh Abbey, Abbey Bridge End, Jedburgh, Roxburghshire, Scotland, UK
Jedburgh Abbey & Canongate Bridge, Abbey Bridge End, Jedburgh, Roxburghshire, Scotland, UK
Jedburgh is one of the four great abbeys established in the Scottish Borders in the 1100s. David I founded a priory here in 1138 and raised it to abbey status in 1154. The brethren may have come here from St Quentin Abbey, near Beauvais, France. Monastic life was largely routine. But the abbey’s border location meant it was caught up in the conflict between Scotland and England in the later Middle Ages. The canons had to evacuate the premises during the Wars of Independence in the 1300s. The demise of Jedburgh’s monastic life was sealed by further attacks in the 1400s, major raids in the 1500s & the Protestant Reformation of 1560.
We did not visit the ruins as we had done so on a previous visit.
Trinity Church, Cnr Newcastle & Oxnam Roads, Jedburgh, Roxburghshire, Scotland UK
Melrose Abbey Ruins, Abbey Street, Melrose, Roxburghshire, Scottish Borders, Scotland UK
Unfortunately I could only walk around the outside of the building itself as it was undergoing preservation work and was considered dangerous within the ruin.
The abbey was founded in 1136 by King David I of Scotland. It was established by the Cistercian monks. It was attacked several times and following a foray by Richard II in 1385 it was completely rebuilt.
Only a very small part of the first abbey church survives. The present building of rose-coloured stone dates almost entirely to the post-1385 rebuilding. Yet Melrose is still considered one of the most magnificent examples of medieval church architecture anywhere in the British Isles.
It is the place where the heart of Robert the Bruce was interred.
Commendator’s House Museum, Cloisters Road, Melrose, Roxburghshire, Scottish Borders, Scotland UK
The Commendator’s House Museum lays claim to having the largest collection of medieval artefacts on display anywhere in Scotland. It forms part of Melrose Abbey.
A commendator is a person who is responsible for overseeing a benefice, which is a type of church property. They are called “commendators” because the property is entrusted to their care. In history, a “commendatus” was someone who swore loyalty to a lord and was placed under their protection.
Doors of the Commendator’s House, Cloisters Road, Melrose, Roxburghshire, Scottish Borders, Scotland UK
Image 1 ***** Image 2 ***** Image 3
The centre image is a door with a “Marriage Lintel”. The initials of James Douglas, the Commendator of Melrose Abbey & those of his wife Mary Kerr of Ferniehirst (whom he married in 1587), appear with the date 1590 on a recut lintel over the main entrance. This was a common practice of the times but died out by the end of the 19th century.
The lintels serve as a record of a marriage and the joining together of two families, who were often aristocratic or monied. Lintels could be added to a building which was built specifically for the married couple, or were carved into a pre-existing lintel. They were always set over the main entrance and some also appear inside houses, above the most visible fireplace. Wherever they were placed, they were meant to be seen. They are a feature of the east coast of Scotland and date primarily from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries.
Windows, Commendator’s House, Melrose Abbey, Cloisters Road, Melrose, Roxburghshire, Scottish Borders, Scotland UK
| Window 1 | Window 2 |
| Window 3 | Window 4 |
| Window 5 | Window 6 |
Corbels, Commendator’s House Museum, Cloisters Road, Melrose, Roxburghshire, Scottish Borders, Scotland UK
| Corbel 1 | Corbel 2 |
Corbels were supports for the beams set into walls. These came from domestic buildings associated with the abbey. c1200s
Road Sign, Cloisters Road, Melrose, Roxburghshire, Scottish Borders, Scotland UK
Old Stone Gate Posts, Harmony Cottage, Abbey Street, Melrose, Roxburghshire, Scottish Borders, Scotland UK
| Image 1 | Image 2 |
Turret Clock Works, Commendator’s House, Cloisters Road, Melrose, Roxburghshire, Scottish Borders, Scotland UK
This was erected on the end of the abbey church in 1762.
Old Tweed Bridge, River Tweed, Galashiels, Roxburghshire, Scottish Borders, Scotland UK
| Image 1 | Image 2 | Image 3 |
The Old Tweed Bridge was opened by Sir Walter Scott in 1832. Having operating as the main link between Selkirk and Galashiels for 140 years. It is now a dedicated pedestrian bridge.
Interior, Church of St Mary Magdalene, Lanercost, Brampton, Cumbria, England UK
