Mr. Stuart on Kelso. HQZ 



been found convenient. Two years after this the conventual 

 church of the new abbey was founded, and endowed with in- 

 creased revenues. The spot on which this foundation was 

 made, was in the neighbourhood of the great castle of Rox- 

 burgh, said to have been erected by the Northumbrian princes, 

 and probably occupying the site of a fortress of still earlier 

 date. Here David had a manor of Roxburgh, and here he 

 often resided both while earl, and after he had ascended the 

 throne of his father. A church dedicated to the blessed 

 Virgin stood at Kelso, before the translation of the abbey 

 thither, and was given to the king and the abbey, by Robert 

 bishop of St. Andrews, in whose bishopric it was. 



Of the fabric which was thus founded in 1128, and which 

 probably took many years to finish, we can now only judge by 

 fragments and ruins. Enough however remains to attest the 

 richness and stability of the architecture, and the grandeur of 

 the general plan. The style of architecture has been de- 

 scribed as almost wholly " transitional Romanesque of late 

 florid character."* The following are the dimensions of the 

 remains of the church — 



Length of transept within the walls, 71 feet. 



Breadth of the same, 23 feet. 



Height of the central tower, 91 feet. 



Thickness of the walls of the same, 5 feet 6 inches. 



Height of the pointed arches under the tower, 45 feet. 



Width of the same, 17 feet. 



Diameter of the columns in the choir, 7 feet. 



The situation of Kelso on the borders of two kingdoms so 

 often at Avar with each other,-|- naturally exposed it to many 

 vicissitudes of fortune, and from the time of the first Edward 

 downwards, we find it frequently reduced to ruin and beg- 

 gary from the attacks of rough -handed neighbours. In 1344 

 David II. granted permission '' to the Abbey of Kelcow being 

 burnt by England, to cut wood in Selkirk and Jedwart 



* Characteristics of old churcli arehitecture in Scotland, p. 7. Edin. 1861. 



t In later times we find some tokens of the necessities which rose out of the 

 rough habits of the marchers. Thus on 26 Oct. 1557, there is a letter under 

 the Privy Seal of Scotland to " Patrik Hardy chirurgiane burges of Jedburgh," 

 Betting forth " how neidful it was to have scherurgianes and Barbouris on the 

 borders, especially in time of war," and the good qualities of Patrik in these 

 respects, and therefore granting to him " ane moukis portioun within her 

 graces Abbey of Melrose with fische, flesche, habit, siluer, fyre, chalmer, coll, 

 candill, breid, drink, victellis and vthir stuffe siclike as ony monk of the said 

 Abbey has," 



