- Kelso Abbey
Kelso Abbey is a Scottish abbey built in the
12th century by a community ofTironensian monks (originally fromTiron , nearChartres , inFrance ) who had moved from the nearbySelkirk Abbey . The monks constructed the Abbey on land granted to them by King David I. The construction commenced in1128 , and when completed fifteen years later, in1143 , it was dedicated to The Blessed Virgin and Saint John.Kelso Abbey soon grew to be one of the wealthiest and grandest in
Scotland , with much of its income coming from its vast estates in theBorder country . It was also the seat of theFeudal Lordship ofHolydean . The importance of the Abbey at that time was shown when King James III of Scotland was crowned at the Abbey in1460 . However, the Abbey's proximity to the border withEngland led to it suffering damage from cross-border raids. It was first damaged in the Anglo-Scottish wars at the start of the1300s , but was later repaired by the monks.The Abbey suffered serious damage during the Earl of Hertford's "Rough Wooing" campaign (the dispute over
Mary Queen of Scots ) against Scotland between1544 and1547 , which caused considerable destruction to many of southern Scotland's abbeys, including those at Melrose, Dryburgh and Jedburgh. The Reformation, which took place in Scotland in1560 , meant that Kelso Abbey had no chance to recover and rebuild. After further attacks and damage the Abbey was declared officially derelict in1587 .After the end of the Reformation, the Abbey was partly used as a
parish church between1647 and1771 , with other parts of the structure being dismantled and used as a source of stone by locals for buildings in the town of Kelso. In1805 , huge parts of theruins were cleared away, leaving just the west tower and itstransept remaining to this day. A more recent addition (1933 ) has been a memorial cloister to the 8th Duke of Roxburghe built in the original style of the cloisters when the Abbey was first built.The ruins are cared for by
Historic Scotland . No entrance charge.ee also
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Abbot of Kelso , for a list of abbots and commendators
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
