Melrose Abbey Melrose, Scotland

Text courtesy of Historic Environment Scotland. © Crown Copyright, reprinted under the Open Government License.

Cultural Significance

The cultural significance of the monument has been assessed as follows:

Intrinsic Characteristics

This monument is the remains of the first Cistercian abbey built in Scotland, founded as a daughter house of Rievaulx in Yorkshire. The east part of the church still stands as a tall, imposing ruin with stonework of a very high quality, one of the most richly decorated churches in Scotland. Elsewhere, intact foundations indicate most of the major monastic buildings, and buried archaeological remains supplement the visible features, indicating the location and form of other structures and offering high potential to understand many details of monastic life.

The architectural features in the standing structures can support a detailed understanding of the form and development of the main buildings and their architectural influences. Existing studies provide an overview (Fawcett and Oram 2004, Chapter 2), but there is high potential for further research and analysis. Buried archaeological remains can provide much additional information about the layout, development and character of the site. Some of this potential is demonstrated by earlier interventions, for example around the Chapter House, beneath Cloisters Road, and west of Abbey Street (Canmore IDs 55738, 55748, 100232). Artefacts such as pottery and metalwork together with plant and animal remains can provide evidence for the daily life of the monks and lay brothers and for their economy and trading contacts. There is also potential to identify ancillary buildings relating to the monks' agricultural activity and for scientific study of human burials that can inform understanding of diet, disease, stature, age and cause of death. Evidence for the precinct boundary, probably marked by a ditch and then a wall, may survive below undeveloped land north of the abbey. The monument offers significant potential to gain a better understanding of monasticism in Scotland, and of the impact of warfare on an important border abbey.

Melrose Abbey had an extended development sequence. The church was adapted many times, reflecting changing architectural tastes and the need to rebuild after events such as the burning of the abbey in 1385. The associated conventual buildings were also frequently remodeled, not just in response to damage but reflecting the need to house very large numbers of lay brothers early in the abbey's history, then far fewer in the 14th to 16th centuries. There is high potential to refine the chronology and understanding of the abbey's development, using scientific dating of buried remains alongside architectural and artefact studies. There is also potential to explore how the economy and character of the abbey changed through time. Its function changed at the reformation, when existing monks remained in residence but the abbey became an asset to be managed by the crown. After 1621, the abbey church took on a new function as a parish church.

Contextual Characteristics

Melrose Abbey is one of a cluster of important medieval monasteries sited in the Scottish Borders. It has added significance because of the potential to compare it with nearby houses founded in the earlier 12th century, including Dryburgh Abbey, a house of Premonstratensian canons (Canmore ID 55618, scheduled monument reference SM90103); Jedburgh Abbey, an Augustinian house (Canmore ID 57020, scheduled monument reference SM13126); and Kelso Abbey, founded by the Tironensian order (Canmore ID 58418, scheduled monument reference SM90177). There is also the potential to compare Melrose Abbey with the earlier monastic community established around AD 635 some 3.5km to the east in a loop in the River Tweed (Canmore ID 55629, scheduled monument reference SM3536).

In general, Melrose can be regarded as a representative example of a medieval abbey. However, in some respects it has very high rarity value. It was the first Cistercian monastery to be founded in Scotland and shows the Cistercian Order forming a new relationship with the Scottish crown. As a Cistercian house, its early history demonstrates a reliance on large numbers of lay brothers, reflected in the extended west range and large lay brothers' infirmary. The layout of the monastery is also unusual in having the cloister on the north side of the church, in this case probably because the river that supplied running water was to the north. The hard stone used to build the abbey has also contributed to the unusually fine stone carving that is still evident today. Moreover, the east end of the church has been preserved as a tall and imposing ruin that can be regarded as among the most impressive manifestations of the nation's medieval history.

The Abbey stands on relatively flat land in the Tweed Valley, in the shadow of the earlier prehistoric fort on top of Eildon Hill North. It drew fresh water from the river and had access to a range of agricultural resources. The core of its lands lay between the Tweed and the Eildon Hills, but the abbey soon started to accumulate more widely flung estates, including blocks of sheep pasture in Eskdale. There is potential to compare the activities conducted within the precinct at Melrose with those undertaken on the abbey's farms and satellite estates. A medieval settlement grew up just south of the abbey, probably around the south gate of the precinct, and it is still possible to appreciate the relationship between the town and abbey.

Associative Characteristics

The abbey is an important foundation of King David I. As the first Cistercian abbey is Scotland, it demonstrates David I's extensive patronage of the reformed monastic orders. The foundation of abbeys, belonging to various religious orders, was a central element in David I's revitalisation of the Scottish Church but also helped to transform Scottish society. Monasteries became centres of foreign influence, and provided sources of literate men to serve the Crown's growing administrative needs.

The present form of the abbey buildings and ruins has been influenced strongly by many historical, cultural and social influences, including the beliefs of the Cistercian monks who built it and the patrons that funded them, and the views of Sir Walter Scott and the Duke of Buccleuch who led repairs to preserve the ruins in the early 19th century. The abbey ruins have particularly strong aesthetic attributes, forming a picturesque and Romantic grouping at the foot of the Eildon Hills; they were portrayed by Slezer as early as 1693 and later by artists including George Barret and James Ward. The prominence of Melrose grew through its association with Scott, who used it in The Lay of the Last Minstrel and built his house nearby at Abbotsford, copying features from the abbey. From the mid-19th century, Melrose Abbey has been a major feature in the Scottish national consciousness.

Statement of National Importance

This monument makes a significant addition to the understanding and appreciation of the past, particularly of medieval abbeys. The upstanding ruins retain their structural and decorative characteristics to a marked degree and there are associated buried archaeological remains below and around them with high potential to enhance knowledge and understanding of the site. The abbey buildings would have been dominant in the historic landscape and continue to make a major contribution to today's landscape. The physical remains of the abbey are supplemented by rich documentary and historical records that add to the understanding of the monastery and its development over time. The potential of abbeys to contribute to an understanding of the past would be seriously diminished if the monument were lost or damaged. The remains of Melrose Abbey hold a prominent place in the national consciousness.