with two arches, which rest on a central pillar, and the roof is covered with groined vaulting in two bays. The central pillar and the two responds are moulded, and have caps and bases, all in the same style as those of the south chapels. The cap of the central pillar contains two shields, the arms on which not only give a clue to the date of the chapel, but also recall a dark passage in Scottish history. One of these shields (that on the south) bears the arms of Robert, Duke of Albany, the second son of Robert II. (the Scottish lion quartered with the fesse chequé for Stewart); the other, or north shield, bears the well-known Douglas arms, being those of Archibald, Fourth Earl of Douglas. These two noblemen were both implicated in the death of David, Duke of Rothesay, who, in 1401, was starved to death at Falkland Palace; and it is believed that this chapel was erected by them as a good work in expiation of their horrid crime, or, at least, in order to propitiate the clergy. The architecture of the chapel is light and elegant, and the vaulting is enriched with bosses, one of which contains the monogram of the Blessed Virgin.
Two other chapels were added on the north side of the nave, to the east of the Norman doorway, probably about this period. The eastern of these chapels was dedicated to St. Eloi.
The vaulting of the north aisle of the nave was almost necessarily rebuilt at the time when the north chapels were erected.
About half a century after the above restoration, great extensions and improvements were undertaken. It is believed, from the internal evidence of the architecture, that the extensions of St. Giles’ were carried out under the auspices of Queen Mary of Gueldres, by whom also Trinity College Church, Edinburgh, was founded in 1462.
During the fifteenth century St. Giles’ received many endowments, chiefly from merchants of Edinburgh, and increased considerably in wealth, so that funds would thus be forthcoming for the new work. Money was also contributed by the Town Council, who raised it by fines and otherwise.
The extensions undertaken at this time consisted of (1) the lengthening of the choir by one bay; (2) the heightening of the central aisle of the choir and vaulting it anew, together with the introduction of a new clerestory; (3) the lengthening of the transepts.
It is thus apparent that the edifice was to a great extent remodelled—the north and south aisles of the choir, and the central and recently renewed side aisles and chapels of the nave, being the only portions left untouched. The south aisle of the nave had (as above mentioned) been remodelled some fifty years before, when the five chapels were added to the south of it. The south wall of the south aisle had then been removed, and its place supplied by the pillars which connected it with the five added chapels (Fig. 829); while at the same time both aisle and chapels had been vaulted with finely groined vaults, having numerous moulded ribs springing from corbels inserted above the capitals.
1. The first of the alterations of about 1460, above mentioned, is the lengthening of the choir by one bay. The original east wall, no doubt,
stood where the two eastern free pillars now stand; and, the wall having to be removed, the two new pillars (Fig. 830) were substituted for it. These pillars and the two responds against the east wall tell a very remark-able
and interesting story, and prove beyond doubt the date of the work. Each capital contains four shields (Fig. 831), which are explained by Dr. Laing in the following manner:—The north or, as it is commonly called, the king’s pillar contains in its sculptured cap a series of heraldic emblems of special significance. The shield facing the east contains the royal arms (Fig. 832), with a label of three points, which, no doubt, denotes the infant heir to the throne, James III. The shield facing the west is also carved with the royal lion rampant, with its double tressure; but the top of the shield is unfinished. This is probably the arms of James II. The shield
|
Fig. 833.—St. Giles’ Collegiate Church. |
Fig. 834.—St. Giles’ Collegiate Church. |
facing the north contains the arms of Mary of Gueldres, impaled with the royal arms. This also is unfinished on the top. The shield facing the south has the three fleurs-de-lys for France, the old ally of Scotland. These shields clearly connect the pillar with Mary of Gueldres and her husband, James II., and their son, James III. The marriage of the king and queen took place in 1449, and James III. was born in 1453. His father was killed at the siege of Roxburgh Castle in 1460, and Mary of Gueldres died in 1463. The work was, therefore, probably executed between 1453 and 1463. The unfinished condition of the west and north shields may, perhaps, point to a date shortly after the king’s death and before that of Mary of Gueldres. The heraldic devices on the other pillars and responds are those of distinguished men of the time. On the pillar on the south side of the choir, the shield facing the east bears three unicorns’ heads (see Fig. 831), the arms of William Preston of Gorton, who bestowed (as we shall see) a great gift on the church. The shield on the west bears the arms of Bishop Kennedy (Fig. 833), a chevron between three crosses crossleted, surrounded by a double tressure. This prelate, who
was a grandson of Robert III., was Bishop of St. Andrews, and one of the most eminent men of the period. The shield on the north (Fig. 834) bears the arms of Nicholas de Otterburn, who was Vicar of Edinburgh in 1455, and who had been sent to France in 1448 in connection with the selection of Mary of Gueldres as the bride of James II. The south shield bears a castle, being the emblem of the city (see Fig. 831).
The north respond contains the arms (three cranes gorged) of Thomas Cranstoun, Chief Magistrate of Edinburgh in 1439 and also in 1454. As formerly, the good town which he represented would aid in the restoration.
The south respond bears the arms of Napier of Merchiston, Provost of Edinburgh, 1457—viz., a saltier engrailed, cantoned with four roses.
These new pillars and responds (Fig. 835) differ entirely from the older plain octagonal ones. They are of a form which became very common in Scotland after this time. The pillars are moulded, rather than clustered, and contain a variety of mouldings instead of shafts. These rise from a base which is moulded and ornamented with carvings, and is set on one or two high plinths. The pillar is crowned with a richly-moulded capital, the lower or bed mould being carved with cherubs’ heads, fitted into the re-entering angles of the pier, while the upper mouldings run in straight lines, and include several of the members of the piers in one stretch.
The mouldings of the main arches, which spring from these piers, are also richer than the plain splays of the older arches.
2. The heightening of the choir and the introduction of a new clerestory were also carried out shortly after the middle of the fifteenth century. The height of the former vault of the choir is shown by the vault of the crossing (Fig. 836), which it doubtless resembled, and which was not altered at this time. The former position of the vault of the choir is also indicated by portions of the groins, which have only been partly cut away, and which are still visible, springing directly from the caps of the choir piers at the previous low level (see Fig. 830). The ancient vault of the choir, springing, as it did, directly from the caps of the main piers, would only afford room under the wall rib for small clerestory windows. Traces of several similar small windows may still be observed over the main arcade on the south side of the nave, where they have been built up at some period—perhaps during the alterations in 1829; but the rybats and arches are still traceable. The outline of the old roof may also be observed against the east and west walls of the tower (see Fig. 836), the raglet and a stepped string course above it being yet preserved, and being specially apparent on the east side next the choir.
The condition of the walls where they have been heightened for the clerestory also indicates that some of the old vaulting has been cut off, and new masonry substituted. The clerestory is carried up so as to admit of good windows, each with arched head, and divided into two lights by a central mullion (see Fig. 830). The traceried heads have drop arches on the inside. The new vaulting is of simple, but elegant, design. The ribs of the vault are moulded, and are provided, besides the main cross ribs, with ridge ribs and intermediate ribs; and the junctions are all ornamented with large and finely-carved bosses, of which some examples are given (Figs. 837 and 838). The curved panels of the vaults are arranged so as to be either parallel or at right angles to the side walls, so that the joints of the stones composing the different vaulting surfaces are all set at right angles to one another, being the plan usually adopted in England, but not in France. The ribs of the vaults spring from the carved caps (Fig. 839) of short and light vaulting shafts, inserted in the side walls and resting on corbels, considerably above the caps of the main piers (see Fig. 830). The insertion of these shafts in the old masonry is plainly visible.
The beauty of the vaulting of the central aisle is particularly noticeable when contrasted with that of the side aisles. The eastern or extended bay of the choir aisles, being new, has been vaulted with groined vaulting in the same manner as the central aisle, but the old portions of the aisles are vaulted with what nearly approaches to a domical form (Fig. 840). Each bay has the usual transverse and diagonal ribs, but the surfaces of the vault are domed up above the wall rib at the side walls, so that the height to which the windows may be carried is greatly reduced from what it might be with groined vaults, similar to those of the central aisle. The difference of this style of vaulting from the true groined vaulting used in the eastern compartment is most marked, and its effect on the height of the windows is distinctly observable in the different divisions of the aisles.
|
Fig. 838.—St. Giles’ Collegiate Church. |
Fig. 839.—St. Giles’ Collegiate Church. |
The vaulting of the nave remained at this time unaltered at its comparatively low level, and over the vault of the central aisle there existed an attic story, which formed the house of the bell-ringer, and contained several rooms. The vaulting of the aisles of the nave (as above mentioned) had already been altered, and several chapels had been extended northwards from the north aisle. These projected beyond the old Norman porch, and thus placed it in a recess. The central crossing, with its vault, was left unaltered, and still remains in the same position, with its vaulting at the level it was raised to about 1400. It thus forms a break between the nave and choir, in both of which the vault has been raised (see Fig. 836).
3. The transepts were extended, their original length being marked by breaks in the roof, where the vaulting terminates. The extension is
specially observable in the vaulting, the vaults of the transept having to be carried on arches which rest on corbels, inserted in the arches of the aisles, in an awkward manner (see Fig. 829 and Fig. 841). The east window of the north transept, which had been long obscured by a structure built against it, was recently discovered and opened up. It is of good, but late, decorated work (Fig. 842), and probably gives an idea of the mullions which, no doubt, formerly existed in the windows of the nave and choir, but which have been removed and traceries of 1829 substituted. The details of this window, as shown in Fig. 842, are the only original window details now remaining in the church. The window is of three lights, with an arched transom ornamented with battlements, like some windows at Melrose. In the interior very elaborate niches were found, with ornamental canopies, which have been unfortunately much destroyed. Over the windows, on the outside, there were in position two corbels, supporting the wall-head parapet. As these would have been concealed by the vaulting of the Chambers aisle (which was recently inserted), they were built into the piers at the arch springers of the entrance to that aisle. Amongst the rubbish cleared out in opening up this window, a rude Norman capital was found built into the wall.
The north transept was considerably widened, in 1829, by setting back the west wall and wheel stair. A portion of the old arcading is still visible at the break on the west side.
It has been mentioned above that Sir William Preston of Gorton was a benefactor of St. Giles’. In 1454, after much trouble and expense abroad, and aided by “a high and mighty prince, the King of France, and many other Lords of France,” he succeeded in obtaining an arm bone of the Patron Saint, which he generously bequeathed to the church. The Town Council were so gratified with the gift that they resolved to add an aisle to the choir in commemoration of the event, and to place therein a tablet of brass narrating the bounty of Sir William. This aisle was to be built within six or seven years, “furth frae our Lady Isle where the said William lyis.” From this it appears that the south aisle of the nave was known as the lady chapel, and that Sir William had been buried there. The above resolution was carried into effect, and a new aisle, called the Preston Aisle (see Fig. 824), was constructed to the south of the lady chapel. In carrying this out the south wall opposite the three westmost bays of the choir was removed, and three arches carried on two piers substituted (Fig. 843). These piers and arches correspond with the work of the same period at the east end of the choir. The vaulting is also of a similar light and elegant character, and has similar intermediate ribs or tiercerons and ridge ribs. The vaulting is raised considerably above the arches next the aisle, and is carried on caps, which have short shafts resting on corbels. One of these contains a shield bearing the three unicorns’ heads of the Prestons.
Section of Mouldings of Window Jamb and Niche.
Interior.
Exterior.
Fig. 842.—St. Giles’ Collegiate Church. East Window of North Transept.
The aisle had one large window in the east end and three windows to the south. This structure extends into the choir the great width of the four aisles of the church previously formed in the nave, thus adding greatly both to the superficial area and to the appearance of spaciousness and grandeur of the edifice.
The church, in its full length and breadth, was now complete in all its parts, as it still remains internally, with a few exceptions, till the present day. It measures internally 196 feet from east to west by 125 feet from north to south across the transepts. The choir is 68 feet in width over the north and south aisles, and the Preston aisle is 45 feet 6 inches in length and 27 feet in width. The nave, including the five south chapels, is 81 feet in length by 91 feet in width within the walls.
Several additional chapels were afterwards thrown out. In 1513 an aisle of two arches was formed by Alexander Lauder, of Blyth, Provost of the city; and in 1518 the altar of the Holy Blood was erected in this aisle, which lay on the south of the nave, and to the east of the south porch, immediately adjoining the south transept. It was 29 feet long by 14 feet wide, and opened into the south chapels of the nave with two arches, and had two windows to the south. Between these windows, and recessed in the wall, has now been erected what was, doubtless, a handsome monument (Fig. 844), containing a recumbent statue, or was, as some suppose, part of the canopy of the altar.
During the alterations of 1829 one half of this chapel was obliterated; but the monument is still preserved, and its details are illustrated in Figs. 845 and 846.
In 1466 the Church of St. Giles was erected, by charter of James III., into a collegiate establishment, but is not called collegiate till 1475. The chapter consisted of a provost, curate, sixteen prebendaries, a minister of the choir, four choristers, a sacristan, and a beadle. Besides these, there were chaplains ministering at thirty-six altars in the church. The number of clergy connected with the establishment probably reached about one hundred, who were supported by its endowments. The perpetual vicar became the first provost, and the second provost was Gavin Douglas, whose translation of Virgil’s Æneid into the Scottish language was the first version of a Latin classic rendered into any British tongue.
The erection of St. Giles’ into a collegiate establishment was chiefly effected through the exertions of the Town Council, who were desirous of raising the status of their parish church. A great impetus was thus given to the contributions of the faithful, and money for the “new work” was also raised by fines.
After this period a few additions still continued to be made to the fabric. A small chapel, called the Chepman aisle, was thrown out from the Preston aisle close to the south transept. It measures about 14 feet long by 12 feet wide, and opens from the Preston aisle with a pointed arch (Fig. 847). The ceiling is formed with a pointed barrel vault, ornamented with cross ribs, which spring from large carved corbels. This chapel was founded and dedicated to St. John the Evangelist by Walter Chepman, called the Scottish Caxton, from his having, in 1507, introduced the art of printing into Scotland. St. John’s emblem of the eagle (Fig. 848) is carved on one of the corbels of the roof. Chepman’s enterprise was greatly encouraged by James IV. and his Queen Margaret; and, in thankfulness for the royal patronage, this chapel was dedicated by Chepman, on 21st August 1513, to the welfare of the souls of the king and queen, and their offspring. This happened within a month of James’s death at Flodden, on 9th September 1513. Chepman himself was buried in this aisle in 1532. The south transept seems to have been extended southwards when the two chapels last mentioned were erected.
The only part of the interior of the structure still unmentioned is a chapel to the east of the north transept. This building was at one time used by the Town Clerk as his office, and contained several stories and a staircase. It is said to have been erected after the Reformation, but it was altered, having large windows inserted, and was connected with the church as a vestry in 1829. It has recently been set apart to contain the monument of Dr. Wm. Chambers, to whose liberality the city is indebted for the complete renovation of the ancient cathedral.
In 1829 the church was entirely renewed as regards the exterior, when two chapels to the south of those built in 1389 and the south porch were
removed. The round arched doorway of the south porch (Fig. 849) was again erected between the north pillars of the crossing as the entrance to the central division of the church. It has now been transferred to the entrance doorway to the royal pew at the east end of the Preston aisle. Fig. 850 shows the carved ornaments of this doorway, which are all in the decorated style of its period.
The only portions of the exterior which escaped renewal were the tower and steeple. Fortunately the well-known crown of St Giles’ (Fig. 851), which forms such a characteristic object in almost every view of Edinburgh, was not interfered with in 1829. The date of its erection is unknown, but to judge from its style it was probably built after the great alterations in the interior were carried out. This crown termination seems to have been a favourite feature with Scottish architects. The crown of the tower of King’s College, Aberdeen, was built after 1505, and similar crowns formerly existed on the towers of Linlithgow and Haddington churches. The crown of St. Nicholas’ Church, Newcastle, which is probably the only other steeple of this kind in Great Britain, is also of a late date. There is a crown of the same description on the tower of the Town Hall at Oudenarde, in Belgium,
which is also of late Gothic work, and there can be no hesitation in assigning a late date (probably about 1500) to that of St Giles’. It is a very picturesque and striking design, and accords well with its surroundings
in the Old Town. Some of the above crown steeples have an arch thrown from each angle to a central pinnacle, an arrangement which renders them rather thin and empty looking; but that of St. Giles’ has, in addition to the arches from the angles, another arch cast from the centre of each side to the centre pinnacle (Figs. 852 and 853). This produces an octagonal appearance, which, together with the numerous crocketed pinnacles with which the arches are ornamented, gives a richness and fullness of effect which is wanting in some of the other steeples of this description (Fig. 854). The steeple of St. Giles’ was partly rebuilt in 1648.
Towards the beginning of the sixteenth century, several of the guilds had chapels assigned to them, for which they contributed to the church funds. St. Eloi’s Chapel was given to the hammermen, and the “blue blanket,” the flag to which the trades rallied, was kept there. Other chapels and altars were set apart for the other corporations and trades, and maintained by them. Many individuals famous in Scottish history were buried in St. Giles’. Amongst these was Napier, the inventor of logarithms, who died in 1617. His tomb is now inserted in the exterior of the north wall of the choir, having been removed there, in 1829, from the south side of the church. There still exist the remains of an arched tomb recessed in the interior of the north wall of the choir, nearly opposite the above, but no clue can be found to the name of the person buried there. The Regent Murray, who was assassinated at Linlithgow in 1569, was buried in the south aisle. His monument was destroyed, but the brass plate containing the inscription written in his honour by George Buchanan was fortunately rescued, and has again been inserted in a new monument erected in the Murray aisle (Fig. 855). The scattered members of the body of the great Montrose were collected and buried in the Chepman aisle in the south part of St. Giles’ in 1661, but all trace of his remains has now been lost, and no monument till recently marked his grave.
The Norman doorway on the north side of the church, which had been carefully preserved for upwards of five centuries, and had survived all the above alterations and reconstructions, was taken down and removed in 1798, probably, as Sir D. Wilson suggests, “for no better reason than to evade the cost of its repair.”
The disturbances of the Reformation broke out in Edinburgh at an early date, and the Church of St. Giles was one of the first to suffer. In 1556 several of the images were stolen from the church, and next year that of St. Giles was carried off by the mob, and first drowned in the North Loch, and then burned. His arm bone, regarded as so precious one hundred years before, is supposed to have been thrown out into the adjoining churchyard. The church was pillaged and the altars and images cast down. The valuables, however, were taken possession of by the authorities and sold, and the proceeds spent in the repair of the
Plan through Parapet.
Plan through Pinnacle, looking down.
Fig. 852.—St. Giles’ Collegiate Church. Plans of Crown.
structure. In 1560 St. Giles’ again became the parish church, with John Knox for its minister.
Amongst the disturbances of the period, St. Giles’ Church was seized upon, in 1571, by Kirkcaldy of Grange, who acted for the Queen’s party, and used it as a fortress. He put soldiers in the roof and tower, who riddled the vault with holes, so as to shoot down on their opponents.
After the Reformation the church was considered to be too large for Protestant worship, and in Knox’s time the Magistrates began to cut it up into sections, so as to form several churches. Other alterations were made at different times, and parts were appropriated to other than sacred uses; so that at one time, besides the High Church in the choir and the Tolbooth Church in the nave, there were included under the same roof a grammar school, courts of justice, the Town Clerk’s office, a weaver’s workshop, and a place for the “Maiden,” or instrument of public executions.
On the introduction, in 1633, of Laud’s new forms of worship, the church became the see of a bishopric, and the choir was fitted up as a cathedral.
Between the downfall of Episcopacy in 1637 and its restoration in 1661, it was once more Presbyterian; but having again become Episcopalian, the bishop was ejected at the Revolution, and the Presbyterian form of worship restored. These variations entailed several alterations in the mode in which the interior was divided up, but the condition of the building up to this century remained little altered for the better. The choir still formed a separate church, having galleries introduced round three sides of it, so as to completely spoil and conceal the architecture. The nave was divided with walls, so as to contain several separate churches, and other incongruous accommodation.
The Tolbooth Church occupied the south-west angle, and Haddow’s Hole Church the north-west angle. The Old Church comprised the south transept and portions adjoining, and the Preston aisle was partitioned off as a place of meeting for the General Assembly and other purposes. The dark portions under the crossing and the north transept were occupied as the police office.
The alterations and rebuilding of 1829 still left the edifice divided into three separate churches—the choir was appropriated to the High Church, the nave was made into West St. Giles’ Church, and the Old Church occupied the south transept and other portions adjoining. The police office, however, and the Town Clerk’s office were cleared out, and the north transept, which was occupied by the former, was converted into a spacious lobby, from which the three churches entered.
Although the ancient architecture of the exterior of St. Giles’ was entirely obliterated by the reconstruction of 1829, it should be added that some advantage was obtained by the removal of the small houses and booths which had been built against the structure and between the buttresses. The houses called the Luckenbooths had also encroached far too close to the edifice, and their removal was a great gain to the church and the town generally.
The position of affairs in connection with St. Giles’ was as above described when, as Lord Provost, Dr. William Chambers conceived the idea of removing the partitions which divided the structure, and again throwing the whole into one noble building. By his exertions, and greatly by his pecuniary aid, this object was effected between 1870 and 1883. The opening service after the restoration was performed by the Very Rev. Dr. Lees, in the presence of a congregation of 3000 people.
St. Giles’ Cathedral, as restored, is now, as regards its interior, one of the largest and most interesting Gothic buildings in the country.
A church dedicated to St. Michael existed here as early as the time of David I. A new church is said to have been erected in 1242, and in 1384 Robert II. contributed to its repair. A great fire occurred in 1424, from which both the palace and church suffered great damage, and the church seems to have been entirely rebuilt after that date. The reconstruction of the edifice no doubt progressed, under the James’s, simultaneously with the palace. In 1530-40, Thomas French, the king’s master mason, was engaged at Linlithgow,[161] and it is possible that the church may have received some internal embellishment under his direction.
This edifice is, in part, a good example of the Scottish decorated period. The nave is the earliest part of the structure, and, from its history and style, it would appear to have been erected before the middle of the fifteenth century. The choir is of somewhat later date. These two portions were separated by an arch, which was removed about 1814, when the choir was cut off by a wall from the nave, and converted into a church with galleries. At that time, too, the present plaster ceiling of nave and choir (in the form of groined vaulting) was substituted for the open oaken roof which was formerly visible. The original stone vaulting of the side aisles, however, still extends round the whole building. The plaster groining of the apse was introduced at the above period. Otherwise, the structure has been little altered in its leading features.
St. Michael’s (Fig. 856) consists of a choir, 53 feet from east to west, by 65 feet from north to south, including two aisles, and a three-sided apse at the east end; a nave, 95 feet in length by 65 feet in width, including two aisles; two chapels inserted in the place (on the north and south)
usually occupied by the transept; a square tower at the west end; and a south porch giving access to the nave.
From the style of the architecture, we have no hesitation in deciding that the nave is the oldest part of the structure. The simple section of the piers (Fig. 857), and their moulded caps, with circular abaci and characteristic bases (Fig. 858), together with the elegantly pointed arch mouldings, with their wide and effective spans, are all strongly allied to decorated work. The corresponding features in the choir (Fig. 859) are somewhat similar to those of the nave, but the details, especially the caps and bases of the piers, with their long, straight mouldings, are of a later character, and recall those of the east end of St. Giles’ Cathedral erected after the middle of the fifteenth century.
The vaulting of the side aisles, both in nave and choir, is of the simplest description, but bold and light in its effect. The bosses of the north aisle of the nave contain shields charged with armorial bearings, and still partly coloured. Small shields (without charge) are also picturesquely placed upon the nave piers (see Fig. 858).
A broad stone bench or seat is carried all round the nave, and the bases of the triple wall shafts of the vaulting, which are of good design, rest upon it. Those of the choir, which are of different design, descend to the floor, there being no bench in the choir.
In the nave there are triforium openings in each bay, and clerestory windows above them. The former have pointed arches, and each contains two pointed and cusped lights, divided by a central mullion. The clerestory windows have each a semicircular arch, and each contains a two-light pointed and cusped opening (see Fig. 858). Both clerestory and triforium openings have label mouldings in the interior. The light wall shafts which carried the wooden roof rest on corbels at the clerestory level. The choir (see Fig. 859) is distinguished from the nave by having no triforium openings, but the clerestory windows are similar in both.
The windows throughout the church are of large size, and mostly filled with good and varied geometric tracery (Fig. 860). That of the south transept has six lights, and the tracery (which has been renewed) is of good design. The restoration of the tracery of this window was carried out about 1840 by William Roberts, mason, who executed the work bit by bit, making the new tracery an exact copy of the old, which had been a good deal damaged. The south transept contained the altar of St. Katherine. It was in this transept that the strange apparition was seen by James IV. which warned him against his fatal expedition into England before the battle of Flodden.