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Melrose Abbey is in the Borders Town of
Melrose,
39 miles southeast of Edinburgh, built from
1136 for King David I.
The Abbey is popular for the Burial place of
the Heart of King Robert the Bruce, views over
Melrose from the Top, and the Commendator's
House Museum that is across a narrow road from
the Abbey.
The Abbey is open 1 April to 30 September:
9.30am to 5.00pm. 1 October to 31 March: 10am
to 4pm. Postcode: TD6 9LG.
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Melrose Abbey was founded in 1136 by
Cistercian Monks for King David
I.
King David I was the youngest son of
Malcolm III
Canmore by his wife Margaret of
Wessex, later Saint Margaret. This family
is known for uniting a number of small Scottish
Kingdoms into the one Kingdom of Scotland.
The Canmore's used religion to unite the
people, making it easier to control the entire
country. The Canmore's were Kings of Scotland
from 1058 to 1286, funding the construction of
large Abbeys and Cathedrals in Scotland, such
as the most important:
Dunfermline Abbey 1070
Kelso
Abbey - 1128
Melrose Abbey 1136
Jedburgh Abbey 1147
Dryburgh Abbey 1150
St Andrews Cathedral 1158
Arbroath Abbey 1178
Elgin Cathedral 1224
With Melrose Abbey being close to the
Border, it was damaged a few times during wars
with England.
1322 - Melrose Abbey was damaged during the
First War of Scottish Independence. King Robert
the Bruce ordered the Abbey be repaired soon
after.
1385 - King Richard II
of England led an invasion into Scotland to put
an end to attacks on England by King Robert II
and his French allies. Richard's forces
partially destroyed Melrose and other Abbeys in
the area.
1530s - Henry VIII ended Catholic worship in
England, with many of the Abbeys in England
destroyed.
1544 - Melrose Abbey was partially destroyed
after King Henry VIII of England sent forces
into Scotland to destroy Abbeys and Castles in
an attempt to have the Infant Mary Queen of
Scots married to his young Son, a War known as
the Rough
Wooing.
1560 - the Scottish Parliament ended
Catholic worship as well, leading to the
destruction of many Cathedrals and Abbey's in
Scotland.
Most Abbey's, and their land, were then run
by a Commendator, until all the Monks had
died.
Some Catholic buildings were used as
Protestant Churches, saving them from being
looted for their stone for other buildings.
1559 - James Stuart, the last Abbot,
illegitimate son of King James V, died.
1590 - the last Monk at Melrose Abbey died,
leading to stone being taken from the Abbey for
buildings in Melrose.
1618 - part of the Abbey Church was
converted for use as a Protestant Parish
Church.
1650s - Melrose Abbey was bombarded by
forces of Oliver Cromwell after the English
Civil War spread into Scotland.
1810 - a new Parish Church was built in
Melrose, west of the Abbey.
1822 - the Duke of Buccleuch, with the aid
of Sir Walter Scott, carried out repair work to
preserve the ruins of Melrose Abbey.
1908 - the new Parish Church was destroyed
by fire.
1911 - the current Parish Church was built
on the same site as the 1810 Church.
1918 - the Duke gifted the ruins of Melrose
Abbey to the state, now run as a tourist
attraction by Historic Environment
Scotland.
1996 - an excavation at Melrose Abbey found
a conical lead container that contained a human
heart. The only record of a Heart being buried
at Melrose Abbey was that of King Robert the
Bruce in the 1300s.
1998 - the Heart was buried at Melrose Abbey
with a small Memorial Stone on top.
Bruce had died in 1329 with his body buried
at Dunfermline Abbey. His heart was cut
out to be taken on a Crusade. On return from
the Crusade, his heart was buried at Melrose
Abbey.
650? - Old Melrose Monastery was founded by
Saint Aidan of Lindisfarne. This Monastery was
about 3 miles east of Melrose at a bend on the
River Tweed. Scott's View, a top attraction in the
area, looks down on where the Monastery once
stood.
Melrose Abbey was to be built on the site of
the Old Monastery, but the decision was taken
to build the new Abbey 3 miles west, as the
land there was more suitable for farming. The
town of Melrose grew around the Abbey.
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