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Hospital of St. Catherine Dunfermline PRINTED ON DISC ISBN 978-1-909634-19-0 HOSPITAL OF ST. CATHERINE DUNFERMLINE BY JAMES MOIR WEBSTER FROM NOTES HE LEFT WHILE WORKING ON HIS DUNFERMLINE ABBEY Published in 1948 Compiled by Sheila Pitcairn F.S.A. Scot., L.H.G. Pitcairn Publications. The Genealogy Clinic, 18 Chalmers Street, Dunfermline KY12 8DF Tel: 01383 739344 Email enquiries @pitcairnresearh.com 2 James Moir Webster (1875-1957) M.A., B.D., J.P. Historian. Educated: Fordyce Academy; King‟s College, Aberdeen. Honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity [D.D.], Aberdeen University. (1950) Minister, North parish, Dunfermline. (20.11.1902) Chaplain to Volunteer Force during First World War. Clerk to Dunfermline Presbytery. (1919; demitted 7.9.1948) Joint Clerk. (1919) Minister, Carnock. (5.2.1920; demitted 26.8.1945) Moderator. (1945) Throughout his life Dr Webster evinced the greatest interest in the historical background of Dunfermline and the immediate surrounding neighbourhood. His literary works included “History of the Parish of Carnock” and more recently, “Dunfermline Abbey.” In a tribute to Dr Webster‟s authorship of the latter work the minister of the Abbey, the Rev. Robert Dollar, B.D., said, shortly after its publication: “He has brought all previous histories of the church up to date—and corrected a great many previous misconceptions.” Dr Webster was also responsible for an introduction and notes, in conjunction with Mr A. A. M. Duncan, M.A. (Hons.), lecturer in History, Queen‟s University, Belfast, to a transcript of the Regality of Dunfermline Court Book, 1531-1538, which was published by the Carnegie Dunfermline Trustees in February 1953. He was also a frequent and informative contributor to The Dunfermline Press on a variety of topics related to the history of the burgh and its environs. In November 1952 his jubilee as an ordained minister of the Church of Scotland was marked when he was the guest of honour at a Presbytery lunch where he was made the recipient of a gift subscribed to by fellow Presbyters. When he received his Doctorate degree from Aberdeen University in 1950 members of the Presbytery and friends in the parishes of Carnock and Dunfermline North presented him with a D.D. hood and cap to mark the honour conferred upon him. Pilgrims Shell 3 THE HOSPITIUM OF ST CATHERINE, DUNFERMLINE By James Moir Webster (1875-1957) As early as 1227 there is a reference to a Hospital of Dunfermline. In the settlement of a question at issue between the churches of Culross and Crombie it is provided that, in the event of failure to implement the terms agreed on, a fine of a certain weekly sum should be paid to the Hospital of Dunfermline. (Reg. 214.) That, almost from the start, there was some sort of provision within the monastery for members of the community who were overtaken by illness may be taken for granted. In time, too, through the erection of the monastic Guest Chambers, provision came to be made for churchmen and others for whom, in their journeyings, no other provision was available—the monk in charge being frequently known as the hospitaller. Still later, some half-mile south of the monastery, and under its charge, there was a so-called Hospital of St Leonard, with provision for eight widows or bedeswomen. There remains, however, another, and much more likely, explanation of the reference. Not a few instances are to be found of hospitia of similarly early date in connection with religious establishments; and later they were quite common. On 2nd October 1244, Bishop David de Bernham dedicated a hospitium at Scotlandwell, which had been erected by his predecessor, Bishop William Malvoisine of St Andrews, „for the reception and entertainment of the poor and needy gathering there from whatever parts‟—the teinds of the churches of Carnock and Moonzie being alienated for its support. (Calendar of Charters, i. 48; Webster, p.7.) The building was described as Ecclesia Hospitalis de Fonte Scotiae. There was a hospitium in connection with the Grey Friars‟ settlement at Inverkeithing, the earliest mention of which occurs in 1329. (Rev. W. Stephen, 301, 302.) In 1474, the first Earl of Morton founded a hospitium at Aberdour, primarily intended to meet the needs of poor pilgrims and wayfarers who frequented a holy well in the neighbourhood, known as the Pilgrims‟ Well, with a vicar in charge. In the event of the vicar neglecting his duties, he was to be removed from office; and, should any of the Earl‟s successors attempt to invalidate the grant, they would be held liable to replace the original endowment of eight acres by a gift of fourteen. (Thomson, T., ii. 235-243) In spite of these provisions, the hospitium proved short-lived, its place being taken by a Sisterhood of St Martha. 4 In the light of what follows, it does not seem unreasonable to suggest that the 1227 reference in the Registrum may have been to an early hospitium in Dunfermline. When, on 10th March 1327, Robert de Crail for the first time appointed one of the Dunfermline monks as official almoner of the monastery, he gratefully acknowledged the work that had previously been done in this connection, and endowed the new office with a long list of lands so as to make ample provision for any call that might be made upon it—the first of these gifts, clearly intended as the headquarters of the new organisation, being St Catherine‟s Chapel. (Reg. 370) The report of the Royal Commission refers to this building in a very guarded way: No suggestion can be offered as to the significance of the heavily buttressed wall of a structure of 14th or 15th century date which still stands in Pittencrieff Glen to the north-west of the Church. It is true that Abbot de Crail refers to it simply and solely as a capella [chapel], but his is the only known reference that does so. A later entry in the Registrum (p. 473) uses the words hospitio, sacello, et horto [hostel, sanctuary and garden] of St Catherine; and all post-Reformation references, both ecclesiastical and civil, follow more or less the same line. Dr Henderson, quoting a MS. Register of Charters in Edinburgh (Henderson, 213), speaks of it as a mansion or chapel. An entry under the Great Seal (Thomson, John Maitland, 2514) of date 13th February 1575/6 speaks of the sacellum of St Catherine; whilst another (2968), dated 4th March 1579/90, refers to it as both hospitium et sacellum. Moreover, the first of these two entries describes the feu-charter referred to as being given in reparationem sacelli Dive Katherine; whilst the second explains that the money is pro hospitio; and in both cases the charter is confirmed by the king. It goes without saying that, soon after the Reformation, every church and chapel in the country ceased to function, with the exception of those earmarked for Protestant use; and it is difficult to believe that the king could, or would, have sanctioned the raising of money for the repair of a deserted and disused chapel by Act of Parliament, however, Hospitals and Maisons de Dieu were expressly exempted, and repair which was inconceivable for a chapel was quite a possibility for a hospitium. 5 It is true that a chapel had almost invariably formed an integral part of a hospitium. A not uncommon form was to use the nave as a common room, and the aisles for beds, with a screened-off eastern chapel (Walcott, p. 384); but the chapel was no more than an annexe of the hospitium. This particular building had, in fact, undergone considerable repair, if not reconstruction, before. In December 1420, the almoner of that time reported to the Pope that it had been „destroyed and demolished‟ and asks to be continued in office till the work of repair has been accomplished (Dunlop. 238). The Pope granted the request; and it may be that it was because of this repair that the Report of the Royal Commission concluded that the building was of 14th or 15th century date. Dunfermline has always been credited with one hospitium—the so- called Hospital of St Leonard; but the above would seem to indicate that it had really two. Both survived the Reformation; and in both cases the reason for their eventual disappearance was doubtless the same. The lands which had been gifted for their maintenance had, on one plea or another, been alienated to private purposes. ******** 6 THE SITE OF ST CATHERINE’S RUINS Picture taken in 2009 from within Pittencrieff Glen. 7 ST CATHERINE’S CHAPEL RUINS The Ruins of St Catherine‟s Chapel, from the back of St Catherine‟s Wynd. 8 View of ruins - from within the Glen Buildings facing the Abbey West Door- Fronts of the above buildings in the glen. 9 FURTHER DETAILS OF THE HOSPITIUM OF ST CATHERINE, DUNFERMLINE By Sheila Pitcairn 10th March 1327. We (Robert de Karail, Abbot of Dunfermline) ... impelled by zeal and by a pious desire that the poverty and afflictions of the needy poor should be alleviated and relieved from our property and alms, do therefore appoint and ordain, with the consent of our Chapter, Robert Terwerac, a fellow monk of our establishment, to our establishment, to the office of Almoner of our house of Dunfermline; giving to Robert himself, and to future almoners, whoever they may be, a special mandate to collect and receive personally, or through his substitute, all the remains of the food and drink of our novices ... together with the remains of the food of the rest of our colleagues and to distribute, or cause to be distributed, to the poor the same remains at a late hour in the afternoon in our almshouse outside the gate near the Chapel of St Catherine the Virgin.
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