Jedburgh Abbey: An Augustinian Monastic Foundation in Scotland
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.5
- Popularity
- Medium
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Primary era
- Medieval
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Medieval
- Civilizations
- Kingdom of Scotland
- Site type
- Religious
- Remains
- Monastery
On this page9 sections
History
Jedburgh Abbey is a ruined Augustinian abbey in Jedburgh, United Kingdom, established around 1118 by Prince David, later David I of Scotland. Its church is associated with Norman and early English architectural traditions, and the foundation developed from a priory into a full abbey dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
Before the abbey
In the mid-ninth century, the area formed part of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria and included two settlements called Gedworth. Bishop Ecgred of Lindisfarne, who held office from 830 to 845, reportedly granted both villages to the See of Lindisfarne, the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of his bishopric. The southern settlement contained Ecgred’s church, regarded as the parish’s first church, while the settlement that survived was distinguished by the phrase Ubi castellum est, meaning “where the castle is.” The earlier southern settlement later disappeared.
The earlier church is known through the account of Symeon of Durham, a medieval ecclesiastical historian. He recorded that Eadulf, one of the assassins of Walcher, Bishop of Durham, was buried there. The place itself has been recorded under 83 different names or spellings, reflecting the changing forms of its name over time.
Foundation and medieval growth
David established the community as a priory under the Rule of Saint Augustine. The Canons Regular of Saint Augustine were clergy who lived and worshipped together according to that rule. Daniel was recorded as prior of Geddwrda in 1139. The institution was probably elevated to a monastery and became a full abbey around 1147, before David’s death in 1153.
After David I died, the abbey’s patronage and privileges passed to his grandsons Malcolm IV and William I of Scotland, known as William the Lion. Its influence grew, and its abbot was invited to attend the Scottish Parliament. The abbey held lands and chapels in southern Scotland as well as substantial lands in Northumberland. Its canons also founded Jedburgh Grammar School in the late fifteenth century.
The church was still standing when Alexander III of Scotland married Yolande of Dreux, a French noblewoman, there on 14 October 1285. The nave and choir were built in the thirteenth century. David II of Scotland later played an important part in completing the north transept in 1370.
War, destruction, and rebuilding
Jedburgh Abbey was drawn into the conflicts between Scotland and England. In 1296, its abbot swore fealty to Edward I of England at Berwick-upon-Tweed. Edward sought control of the abbey and presented William de Jarum as its abbot. After the English defeat at Stirling in 1297, English forces pillaged and wrecked the abbey in retaliation.
Robert I of Scotland, known as Robert the Bruce, continued to patronize the church during his reign. Following the Scottish defeat at Neville’s Cross in 1346, the English damaged the church again. Further attacks or destruction took place in 1410, 1416, and 1464, the last associated with the Earl of Warwick. In 1523, the Earl of Surrey burned the town and abbey, and the Earl of Hertford damaged the abbey again in 1544.
The abbey’s medieval Catholic life ended with the Scottish Reformation in 1560, the movement that established Protestantism as Scotland’s official religion. The canons were initially allowed to remain, but the church became the parish church of the reformed religion. In 1671, worship was moved to the western part of the nave for safety reasons.
Parish use and preservation
The church continued in parish use until the nineteenth century. In 1871 it was considered unsafe for worship, and a new parish church was built. The Marquis of Lothian then began restoring the abbey church. In 1917, the abbey passed into state care. It is now administered by Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled monument, a legally protected site of national archaeological or historical importance.
Burials associated with the abbey include Eadulf Rus, John Capellanus and Hugh de Roxburgh, both bishops of Glasgow, Thomas Kerr of Ferniehirst, and the Reverend Dr Thomas Somerville.
Remains
Abbey church and surviving complex
The surviving remains consist of the roofless abbey church and the ruined fabric associated with the former monastic complex. The church’s form reflects its development across several medieval phases, from the foundation established by David I to the later work completed under David II. Two stones bearing Roman inscriptions were reused in the church structure, adding earlier inscribed material to the fabric of the medieval building.
Nave and choir
The nave, the main lengthwise part of the church used by the congregation, and the choir, the area traditionally occupied by clergy and singers, were built in the thirteenth century. Together they form the principal body of the church and were standing during the royal marriage of Alexander III and Yolande of Dreux in 1285. The surviving church is roofless, while the later history of parish worship included the movement of services into the western part of the nave in 1671.
North transept
The north transept, the arm crossing the main axis on the church’s northern side, is a surviving part of the abbey church. David II was instrumental in completing it in 1370. It belongs to the later medieval development of the building and remains part of the visible ruined structure.
