Last Post From Dundrennan Abbey...

[endlessrarities]

Well, I've one last trip to make to Dundrennan Abbey before I say adieu.

This time, I'm going to feature some of the carved stones that have been found there.  The first is a grave slab, thought to be that of an abbot who was murdered.  There are no records of this dastardly deed, save for the evidence set in stone below:-

 

According to Richardson's entry in the Dundrennan Abbey guide book (Historic Scotland, 1981), the scene is as follows:- 'The effigy of an unknown abbot of Dundrennan is the only evidence we have of a sad tale of murder and intrigue.  The abbot has a dagger plunged into his heart and the partly disemboweled body of his assassin lies at his feet.'

And finally, as is the case with many Historic Scotland properties, the dark corners of former store rooms are used as the resting place for all sorts of pieces of carved stone picked up or excavated over the years.  In the 1990s, a large-scale programme of excavation was undertaken here by archaeologist Gordon Ewart.  Amongst the items found was this wonderful piece of stonework:-
 

I wondered at first if these were modern reproductions but it turns out they were recovered during the excavations.  It was initially assumed that they would have formed the cloister arcade, but a recent theory has argued that this can't be the case - the carving is just too sharp to have come from a feature located in an external space.

 

So the current thought is that what we're looking at here is actually part of the rood screen.  This makes sense, if you think of the doorway I showed previously.  And, continuing this theme, here's a view of the double piscina in the presbytery:-

Sadly, someone's hacked off most of the mouldings but you can still get some idea of just how grandiose it would have been.

Next week's featured site's Caerlaverock Castle!!

Comments

[bellakara.livejournal.com]

I particularly like the first photo.

[writeonq.livejournal.com]

Carved stone beauty! The effigy is remarkable, as is the story that goes with it.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I especially like the abbot- but are we sure that that's a dagger?

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

Can we ever be sure of anything when it comes to interpretations of the past?? I certainly can't see anything particularly dagger-ish, but maybe I need to go back and have a closer look at the carving in question.

What I find a bit weird about all this is that you would've thought that something as major as an abbot getting murdered would have made it into some annal or historical domcument somewhere. I know a lot's been trashed, but something like the Melrose Chronicles could've mentioned something.

It's a bit odd, I must say...