V. St Ninian's Suburb, and the Collegiate Church Op the Holy Trinity, Founded at Edinburgh by Queen Mary of Gueldres, the Widow

V. ST NINIAN'S E COLLEGIATSUBURBTH D AN , E E CHURCTH P O H HOLY TRINITY, FOUNDED AT EDINBURGH BY QUEEN MARY OF GUELDRES, THE WIDOW OF JAMES II., IN 1462. BY DANIEL WILSON, LL.D., HON. MEM. S.A. SCOT.J Thirty-six years havw elapseno e d sinc e demolitioth e e th f o n Collegiate Churc e Holth f yho Trinity, founde t Edinburga d Maryy b h of Gueldres widowethe , d Quee Jamenof s II. 1462in ,recentl On . y drawing the attention of a young Edinburgh architect, who was passing through Canada, to a sketch of the ancient church as an object of interest to him, I was startled by his replying, " Ah ! that was before my time." It is even so. A new generation is fast taking the place of those who demolished, as well as of those who strove in vain to avert the destructio e venerablth f o n e structuree zealouth f O s .grou f o p antiquaries, mostly old and valued personal friends, who assembled withi s wallit n tak o t s remaine e searc royae th th par th r n hf i fo lt o s foundress, on the 22nd of May 1848, under the direction of H.M. Board of Works,—including David Laing, Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe, Eobert Chambers . TurnbullD . , D W . .B , Cosmo Innes, Joseph Robertson, George Harvey, John Hill Burton, James Drummond, Jame SimpsonY. s and , John Goodsir,—I find myself now the sole survivor. Other and no less zealous antiquaries have assumed their duties, and are advancing archselogical research in new fields of investigation, in full harmony with tho disclosures of kindred sciences; but to most of the labourers in this 1 This paper was read at the meeting of the Society held March 12, 1883, but the printing has been delayed on account of the woodcuts. COLLEGIATE CHURCH OF THE HOLY TRINITY. 129

good work the chronicles and chartularies of Ecd&ria Collegiata Sancte Trinitalis de Edinburgh call up no more definite idea than those of the old Kirk of Field, printed alongside of them in the Bannatyne Club volume of Charters of the Collegiate Churches of Mid-Lothian, as those of Ecelesia Collegiata Beate Marie virginis e Canvpisd e Edinburgh.d T,he founder of the latter is unknown, and its ruin dates from 1562, when " the hale bigging sumtyme callit the Kirk of Field, baith auld and now, with kirkyard, lugingis, &c.," were sold by its provost, for the sum of "one thousand pounds Soots,e magistrateth o "t Edinburghf so r fo , the purposes of the new University. The Kirk of Field still stood roofless and dilapidated when, on the f Februaro h 9t ye nigh th 1566-7 f o t e s housprovosit th , f s o e wa t murdee th d f Darnleyblowo ran , nup e worthles th , s husban f Queedo n Mary, was effected by Bothwell and his accomplices. But to its association with that historic tragedy is due the preservation of such a memoria Collegiate th f o l e Churc enables a h stils su realiso t l somn ei e degree the aspect of the ancient ecclesiastical structure. A rough but spirited sketch, illustrative of the locality and the incident barbaroue th f so s assassination, appear havo t s e been executed e informatio th e tim r th fo t ea f Queeno n Elizabet e Lordth f d so an h Council. This has remained ever since in the custody of the State Pape furnishew r no Office e d solth an se , surviving e recorth f o d buildin Ladr f "o gOu y Kir f Field,ko site f whic"th eo s beehha p na propriated for upwards of three centuries to the uses of the University. No such appalling historic tragedy marked the destruction of the royal foundatio f Queeo n n Mare prosai f th Gueldreso y e ar c r useno o t ;s whic s s sitbeeit hha e n applie a railwa s a d y station calculateo t d perpetuate such an interest in it as pertains to that of the University of Edinburgh, toward e foundinth s f whico g h Robert Reid, Bishof o p Orkney,—on e ambassadorth f o e Frenc th o t sh Cour n 1558i t n o , the occasion of Queen Mary's marriage to the Dauphin,—bequeathed the first contribution of 8000 merks. But it seems fitting that a historical memorial of the fifteenth century should not be allowed to be swept away without some effort to preserve as definite a record as can be secured, to enable future generations to know what it really was; VOL. XVIII. I 130 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY', JANUARY 14, 1884.

and as I already find myself almost the last survivor of the Fellows of this Societ tor activan eywho eeffort the par averto in st destrucits t - tion, some accoun s actuait f o t l appearanc architecturad ean l detaily sma not bo unacceptable from me. The condition of architecture and the kindred arts in Scotland in. the reign of James III. has an important bearinhistoricae th n o g l incident s erad henchi an ;e f character so eth - istics of the royal foundation of the Queen Mother have a special value. e churchOth f e ,earlies th whic s wa th specime e ecclesiasticath f o n l architectur reigns abl m hi contributo a t ef I eo , eseriea illustrationsf so , both general views and details, which may possibly include materials no longer recoverable from other sources. Owine actuae delath th n yo gi t l demolition of the building, consequent on the persistent efforts of this Societ avero yt s threateneit t d fate Railwae th , y Company proceedeo dt clear awa e surroundinyth g houses. Thubriea r fsfo perio e anciendth t structur s exposeewa o viewt d , unencumbere buildingy b d s whicd ha h long concealed some of its most striking features ; and was probably seen to greater advantage than at any previous period since its erection (fig. 1). I availed e advantagemyselth f o f s thus afforde r makingfo d careful sketche doomee th f so d structure I hav d e an ;accordingl pleasure yth e of submittin consideratioe th o gt e Societth f no y drawing earliese th f so t Collegiate Church founded at Edinburgh, from points of view which may enable the formo t mtruea rs mai it ide f nao features than coule db done from any engravings of it hitherto published. proceedinge probabls th o t wa e t I ydu sestablishmene taketh r nfo f o t the royal foundation of Mary of Gueldres, for which a papal bull was issue Piuy db s II. n 1460i , , that thfe citizens were stimulate havo dt e their ancient parochial church—or as it is styled in the charter of Preston of Gortoun, in 1454, "cure mother kirk of Sant Gele of Edynburgh,"—raise e dignit th a Collegiat o f t o dy e Churche Th . charter f erectioo s confirmatiod nan longeo n e nar r extantroyae th t l bu ; consent, granted at the request of the magistrates and citizens of Edinburgh, for its erection into a collegiate institution, is dated the 28t f Octobeho r 1466. e siteTh e Collegiatchoseth r fo n e Churc e Holth f yho Trinits ywa the low ground outside the city gate styled the Leith Wynd Port, or at COLLEGIATE CHURCE HOLTH YF O HTK1NITY . 131

Fig. 1. Trinity College Church, Choir. 132 PROCEEDINGS OF. THE SOCIETY, JANUARY 14, 1884.

earlien a r date t Andrew'S , s Port, whor subura e growd bha , calle nup d fro n ancienma t chapes nortit n ho l side t JSTiniansS , d whican ;s hha now well-nigh vanished, along wite Collegiatth h e Church whicn i h 1462 took the place of the more ancient chapel. Not, indeed, that it occupie e actuath d e t chapelNlnianth S sit f f o r thaeo l fo ,t stood considerably .to the north, and its ruined walls only finally disappeared 1814n i clearinn i , groune erectioe gth th Waterloe r th df fo n o o Bridge. olden I n intn e sixteenttimeso th o d an , h century e suburbath , n village t oN"inianS f s subjece abbotth wa s o f Holyroot o ts d thean d canons of their ancient a burghlicenc n I e. grante n i 1654d y Boberb , t Stewart, Abbot of Holyrood, "for augmentatioun of dyuiric service at ano biggie alteb o t rt withi r sayou nd abbay, quhare Sanct Crispind oan Crispiniane, yer patronis, sail stand," it is ordered that " ye Cordinaris dwelland withi r regalitnou e besyd r chapeleou f Sanco l t Niniane, out- with Sanct Andrews Port, besyde Edinburch, "n brotherhoo i shal o b l d d fellowshian p wit e Deacoth h d Masteran n f tho se Canongate craft.1 t thiBu s fellowshi e Cordwainerth f o p t KiniaiiS f o s s appear havo t s o been transferre a subsequen t da t date from their brethre e Burgth f no h of Holyroo e Edinburgth o t d hs apparenGuildwa s a ,t from the inscription which latterly graced their hall. " The Shoemaker's Land," o re Cordwainer th Hal f o le subur t th NirtiarisS f f o so b , stood immediately to the north of Trinity College Church. It was among the most prominent and substantial buildings in the district, and confirmed by its appearance tha Souterte "t Ninians,Th S f so continued ha " e thb e o dt leading craft there down to the eighteenth century. The hall was a building which accorded in appearance with its date. It was plain and substantial t whollno t y bu unomate, a sculpture r fo ; d tablet ovee th r main entrance was decorated with elaborate ornamentation according to the taste of Queen Anne's Augustan age. The sculptured panel bore the devic shoemaker'a f eo s paring-knife surmounte ay b dcoronet , wite hth dat d mottean o: "1713 BLISD SGO , THEM CORDINER EDINBURGP SO H WHA BUILT THIS HOUSE." The unornate character .of the north wall of the chantry chapel, in whic t i hcontraste d with every othe e exterior th par f f o Trinitto r y 1 Liber Oartaram Sanctie Crucii, App . 291p . . COLLEGIATE CHURCHOLE TH Y 3 F 13 O HT1UNITY .

College Church, suggests the idea that from the first it was1 concealed by e closth e vicinit neighbourinf yo g buildings, including possibl earlien ya r hall of the Cordwainers of St Ninians, on the site occupied till 1848, structure th y b ee reigbuilth f Quee o nn i t n Annee thuW s . learf no this suburb, while the chapel of St Ninian was still a vicarage of Holyrood Abbey, and in greatly more recent times, as in occupation by e Shoemakersth o perios historn ' it t havcraft i t f A o n de y .ca bee n na aristocrati s lateit c n rd becomresorti dayha d t i an s;e pre-eminently note meaa squalid s da nan d suburb Sempiln I . Beltree'f lo s poem,e "Th Banishmen Poverty,of t " written about 1680 authorthe , companin , y with the Genius of Poverty, enters Edinburgh by night, and the pair make for this as their fittest haunt:—

hel e Long-Gate "dW th Leito st h Wyne, Where poorest purses, usebe o dt And in the Caltoun lodged syne, t quarterFi sucr sfo h company."

One of the most ancient and picturesque fragments of St Ninian's Eow, opposite to the old well, and not far from the site of St Ninian's Chapel alsd Dingwalf an o , l Castle s engravei , d amon e illustrationgth s e Memorialsoth f f Edinburgh.o e castle ruinth showe Th f ear o s n ni Gordon of Eothiemay's Bird's Eye View, as a square keep with round towers; and an entry in the Council Eecords of 30th September 1584, refers to " the awld fundatioun of the Lipper hous besyde Dyngwall; " so that here also stoo n anciendi t time sa hospita lepersr r Johfo l Si n. Dingwall, from whom the castle is believed to have derived its name, succeeded to the provostship of Trinity College in 1525; and in 1532 judgese e spirituath becam th f o n o ,e leon College sideth n i ,Justicef eo . wealtha s wa ye H pluralist protonotara , y apostolic received an ; s notice f Buchanan'o e on n i s Latin Epigram proue th r d fo s monutitle hi n so - ment, and the great wealth acquired by him at the Court of Eome. The Latin of Gordon of Eothiemay disguises the later name which this localty had acquired as the Beggar's Eaw, under the double cognome f Ninianino suburbiuvi seu mendicorum platea. crype Th f o t t Ninian'S s Chapel, with some fragment e superstructureth f o s , remained 4 13 PKOCEEDl-NG E SOCIETYTH F O S , JANUAR , 188414 Y .

till the erection of the Eegent Bridge in 1814. The basin and tabernacled canopy of a piscina, which must have marked the site of the altar of St Ninian, was transferred fronl the ruin, in 1778, by Mr "Walter Boss Gothia o t , c tower whicearliee th n hi r presene yearth f so t century overlooke Watee dth Leitf o r t Deaa h n Haugh. This sole relic of the ancient chapel, which Arnot describes as " the baptismal font" was secure miscellaneour Waltee th Si f y dformo b w re Scottno on s d san , decorations of Abbotsford. chapee t NinianS Th f o l , the precurso Collegiate th f o r e Churce th f ho Holy Trinity, stood alongside of a roadway, old at least as the Romans. Traces of an ancient causeway, recovered on the demolition of the church, confirmed other evidence of an earlier date, including the finding of fragments of Samian ware, which pointed to the passing of a line of Roman road fro e neighbourinmth g sea-por e moutrivee th th f t ro a ht Almond, alon vicuse glatterlth s Caltonwa w Lethensis, t i Lo y s e a , th r o termed, southwar e Pleasance Romath th y b d nan estation e th n i s Lothians e wal th f Hadrian o lo t , . But the locality had undergone many changes before the final revolution which swept away nearly every trace of its earlier features in s transformatioit a railwa o t n y terminus. Unti e erectioe th lth f o n North Bridge it was the main entrance to the town from the neighbour- sea-porg in f Leithe wholo t grounTh w .elo d from this point westward, to St Cuthbert's Church was an undrained marsh or lake; and at the time of the erection of the Collegiate Church in 1462, it must have stood in comparatively open ground, unencumbered on every side except the north, and at no great distance from the eastern verge of the Nor' Loch. The dense mass of houses of the walled town rose over it to the south, whil abrupn a e e Caltot th spuw f o nrDo Hille th , d calleol f do Craig, overshadowe easte th .n o Soot di n afte s conveyancit r royay eb l charter to Sir Symon Prestoun, Lord Provost, and the Magistrates of Edinburgh, while King' Queen'd san wern t opesme ea n feud reae w ,n d i the Diurnal of Occurrents, under date 1571, of a battery erected on Craiw gDo e abon"th e Trinity College, beside Edinburgh dino d t , an g sieg e north-easth e t quartee burgh.th f o r " The d Gaeli.ol c rhilhr o Black inap0 Crai11 te s abrupti gth nam t r picturesqufo bu e, e cliff o f COLLEGIATE CHUKCHOLE TH Y5 F 13 O HTKJNITY .

trap-rock, which perhaps constitute f tho ee attractionon d e ravinth f so e sheltere t i fro e easy mdth b t mighe windOn t. indee e tempteb d o dt suggest the choice of a locality so little adapted to show off the purposed churc advantageo ht —

" Because the monks preferred a hill behind To shelter their devotions from the wind/'

In reality, however, the site for the royal foundation was most probably selected with a view to the spiritual wants of a populous and neglected district outside the city walls. It gives additional interest to this e firsth , t Collegiate Churc t Edinburgha h , tha proposae s th t it r fo l erection appears to have originated with James II., the son of the poet e Ladth kind y an gJan e Beaufort, "th e efreshesth faires d an t t young flower," the sight of whom from his prison window, in the tower of Windsor, took n thrali e captive'th l s heart d inspirean , d "The King's Quair," the finest poem from a royal pen. Unhappily little more than the preliminary steps for the proposed foundation had been taken when the death of the king occurred, on the 3rd of August 1460, by the bursting of a cannon at the siege of Koxburgh Castle; and it was left to his widowed Queen, Mary, daughter of Arnold, Duke of Gueldres, to carry out his intentions, and become the actual foundress of the Collegiate Church. e Bbul f yth Piu o l s II., date t Roma d e 23rd October 1460d an , anothe f 1462o r e Hospitath , e Chapef Soltreo th l d f Uthergallo an l, n i , Fife, were transferred to the new foundation; while by a later bull of September 1463, his Holiness granted plenary indulgence to all who should visit the church for devotional purposes, every fifth year, on the 10t f July,—tho h es dedication,—o it feas f o t y withida e y th n an r octaves following ; and the privileges thus granted were to be continued until fifty year e offeringd expiredth ha sf O f devouo s . t pilgrims resorting to the church at those special seasons two-thirds were to be employed in the completion of the building; the remaining third was reserved for the Papal treasury, " to assist in carrying on war with the infidels." Thus provided with means toward e erectiosth endowmend nan e th f o t 136 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, JANUARY 14, 1884.

church buildine th , g appear havo st e been carrie witn do h energy, tinder the direction of Sir Edward Bonkill, the first provost, and of its architect, John Halkerstone, both of whose names repeatedly occur in the Exchequer Eoll n connectioi s n wit e expenditurth h e f fundth o e n i s progress of the work. But the death of the royal foundress, before the provision erectioe th r d endowmensfo nan churce th f o th could be completed, must have greatly impede s firswore it th d t n ki d thstag ean e; untimel r sonyhe fat, f Jameo e s III.,—to whos revivae th et lovar l f eo of Scottish architecture which characterise s reig hi dbees nha n ascribed, —arreste s progress dit lefo s t devoi mori e td th an ef , do prominen d an t attractive features of external adornment which might have averted its destruction in our utilitarian age. Only two entries referring to the building of the church occur in the Exchequer Eolls subsequent to the death of the king, in 1488. The work was indeed resumed in 1504, when Kobert Dennis appears to have succeeded to the office of master e latemasonth rt bu account; s refer e completiochieflth o t y d an n furnishin e interiorth f go especialld an , e choirth f whicf yo o , h Eickman remarks , s Essayi hi nEcclesiasticaln o Architecture—"The interior is a very beautiful decorated composition, with the capitals'of the piers enriched with foliage not exceeded in design or execution in any English cathedral." In the introductory account which accompanies its collected charters, finese describeth s i f t i o ecclesiasticae "s a on d l buildings, eve n iti ns unfinished state, which existed in Edinburgh." Unfortunately little remains,-either at Holyrood or St Giles, wherewith to institute a com- parison; but the unqualified commendation of it was not altogether without good reason, limited by Mr Eickman, to the interior. Externally the general appearance of the church was less attractive ; and unti e demolitioth l e surroundinth f o n g buildings, preparatoro t y n destructionow s it e finth , e apsidal choir, which constitute mose th d t beautiful feature of the exterior, was dwarfed or hidden by mean buildings in close proximity to it. As it stood, the unfinished structure consisted of the choir, transepts, and chantry chapel, with the cental!' tower partially built, and evidently temporarily finished, with plain crow- stepped gables and a hipped roof. The general view of the church from COLLEGIATE CHDKCIHOLE TH Y 7 F 13 O TEINITYI .

Craig End, in which all those features are apparent, is one snatched at a favourable moment in the brief interval between the demoltion of the surrounding buildings and its own destruction; it shows the nort he Chantr th wal f o l y Chapel fully exposed I imagine e s a ,th r fo , first time, in a general view of the church, since its erection. Of all the features included in this- view, the only one still remaining is the old well with its characteristic stone roof, which long formed the source of water for the populous suburb that then surrounded it, and probably occupie a more sit f th so e e ancient e welldistricTh .y la t entirely outsid e limitth e f Edinburgho s d whe an e ;canon th n f o s Holyrood cease retaio dt n thei rs dependencie it burg d an h s under their care, it was regarded ecclesiastically as a landward outskirt of the neighbouring sea-port. Until the renovation of St Mary's Church, Leith, about forty years ago a bea, m under the north-west gallery bore th e inscription in carved and gilded letters : "FoB THE CBAIG END, 1652." Thid nam f generas ol o spasse ha t e n ou unheedea dl t usebu ; d inscription over the well door, shown in the drawing, still records it as e designatioth e dwellingth f o n s built ther t "thea e Craig End," right against the Dow Craig. The well itself is built in like fashion against a projecting spur of the crag, and on its lower west side may still be reaNINIAN'T S d S Kow presumede ,b 1752 e o t th e dates i f th ;o ,t i , erection of the present well. e originath f I l desige churcth d beef no ha h n carried out, wits it h nave and central tower, the view from this point would have been a strikin s actuallga onet bu y; shown e wanth ,f elevatio o t s veri n y apparent, and detracts from its effect as a whole. The illustrative drawings of the church now produced are accompanied by a carefully executed ground plan, made immediately before its demolition, for whicindebtem a e professiona th I h o t d l y friendpencim r f M o ,l Andrew Kerr, F.S.A. Scot., then on the architectural staff of H.M. Board of "Works. From this the original design is apparent as that of a cruciform church f whico , e navth h e remained unbuilt e arrangeTh . - ment of the groining of the roof is also laid down, showing especially the convergence of the vaulting ribs in the apse which so greatly con- tribute e beaute interiorth th e peculiao t df y Th o . r dispositioe th f o n 138 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, JANUARY Id, 1884.

sout he transep e th anglporcth f o n es i i alsh t o Snown, wite th h groining of the arch thrown from the transept to an extended buttress e choiroth f . Sonie other peculiaritie plae e alsth nar n osi deservinf o g notice. The south transept was shorter than the north transept, and soute th hchoie s mucth aisl wa rf o he narrower tha e nortth n h aisle, although nothing in the site or the surrounding buildings indicated any necessit r deviatinyfo g from uniformit e o proportionth tw n e i y th f o s sides. The main entry into the church was by the porch already referred to, constructed in the angle of the transept. Within this was a circular headed doorwa f ricyo h mouldings characteristi e Scottisth f cb h Decorated style of the period. The peculiar features of the south porch are show accompanyine th n i g drawing s worth. 162)i (figp t , I ..f 23 yo note that whil square th e e window unde porce th r h wag e placeth n i d centre of the arch, the doorway stood entirely to one side. As the porch was constructed betwee e transepfirse nth th t d buttrUs e an eastt th ,o t s it corresponded internally with the breadth of the bay between the two most westerly pillars of the choir ; so that, both externally! and internally, the position of the doorway was in manifest disregard of that architectural uniformity which rules to excess in modern ecclesiastical detail. Rickman describe ope"s n a a t nsi porch forme circulaa y db r segmental arch, between two bold buttresses, with good groining," and recog- e originath niset i n li s whic h furnishe e modea smalleth - d r fo l r porch at Roslin Chapel. The sacrifice of uniformity, botll externally and internally, in the position of the doorway, was probably with a view to economy of space in the aisle for the various altars of the Collegiate Church thesef O . , unfortunately recoro n , d exists ; biiconfirmatioe th t n of its foundation by the primate, James Kennedy, bishbp of St Andrews, sets forth its purpose, in accordance with the Queen's petition, aa a perpetual college, or collegiate church, for a provost, eight chaplains or prebendaries choristerso tw thoso t d d an deal,ea sub-dead an ; lan n were adde n 150di 2; alon g wite rectorth hgifa f f o Dunottaryto , Kincar- dineshire their fo , r support foundatioobjece e th Th f .o t "ths nwa e praise and honoue Holth e ever-blessef yo th r Trinityf o d d gloriouan , dan s Virgin Maryt NiniaS f o ,e confessornth f e saintalo th lelecd d san an , t of God, e salvatio "th e late th sou eth f o king lf ne royao f th thao )f lo t COLLEGIATE CHUKCII OF THE HOLY TKIN1TY. 139

foundress, and thos f theio e r kindred, includin e Bishot th gS f po Andrews e accountTh . f expendituro s d suitable fittinan th p n u geo e ornamentation of the interior include payments for rich covers to the hig h e n Blesseimagaltara th r f o efo ; d r curtainVirginfo d f o an s, plesaunce with silk fringes abov r head n t imagehe a S s als r a f ; o efo Margaret e foundatioTh . n charter, moreover, provide e celebrath r fo s - a weekltio f o n e Blesse ye th alta th masf o rt da s Virgin, whicI h conceiv havto e e stood alongsid credencthe of ebeautifull eand y carved piscinae Chantryth n i , r Lado , y Chapelnorte th hn choire o ,sid th f e.o The Hospita f Soltro ls dedicated wa e foundationw ne , like th eo t , Hole th y Trinity. e HospitaThath f o t f Uthergallo uncertains i l e Th . parish church of Dunottar was dedicated to St Bridget, to whom therefore an altar may have been set apart in the Collegiate Church; probably als t CrispinS o e patronth , e Cordwainer th sain f o t o wh s constituted so important a fraternity in the suburb of St Ninians, was not forgotten. We may also assume, from the notice of the image of the royal patron saint of Scotland, and of the venerable St Eingan, or t MnianS patroe th , n localitye sainth f o t , that there were t altarS o st Margaret and St Nlniaii the confessor. But all alike vanished, along wit e e imagesaintsth hth d theif o an s, r costly hanging d othean s r furnishings, in the iconoclastic furor of 1558. One invaluable decora- e interiorth tio f e o beautifunth , l diptych whic r DaviD h d Laing identifie e altar-piecth e church,s th a d f o e 1 happily survivesa s a , unique relic of the altar-pieces of the Scottish churches before the Reformation. The history of the foundation and of the building of the church may be gathere somn di e detail fro e volummth f Chartereo e Collegiatth f so e Churches of Mid-Lothian, printed for the Bannatyno Club in 1861. introductore Th y account ,d associatefro ol e trustworth r mth ou f ,o n ype r DaviD d Laing, supplement carefun ow s l hi snarrativ e wit seriea h f o s extracts from the unpublished Exchequer Rolls, which furnish the names of the first provost, and the architect, or as he is there styled, the master builder of the fabric; and also of Robert Dennis, mason, who by

Proceedings,e Se vol , .wit 8 iii . hp . . 310vold platp . an .x e.; 1 0 14 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F O S, JANUARY U, 1884.

a contract, dated 8th April 1531, undertook, for the annual fee of £26 and a bounty, " to labour and remain for his lifetime, in all manner of labour concerning his craft, to and for the said college." The same authentic source supplies many other minute details concerning the progress of the building. Unfortunately the oldest register, extending from e dat th f tho ee foundatio n 146i n 2o 1503t d othe,an r early deeds, includin originae gth l foundation charterlongeo n e rar , know existo nt . But the entries recovered from the Exchequer Kolls in some degree supply the loss; and a later register in the city archives, extending from 150 41531o t , with copie f lateo s r deed actd an s dow 1586o nt , preserved in the same folio volume, supply many authentic details, not only in relation to the progress of the' building, but also of the rich furnishing interiore th f n additioo sI imagee .Virgie th th o nd f t so n an t Margaret S e curtainth d d rican an s,h covering e higth hr fo saltar , already referred to, payments are noted for silver chalices and reliquaries, e olde th r organ fo rd d bells registed an sHa an . r survived mighe w , t have expecte o t furnis t e i ddesiderateth h d accounte finth er fo s diptych, which roo o there n altar-piec th mo doubs t i e s wa tf thio e s church. This invaluable national painting has already been minutely describe Society'e th n di s Proceedings. t I undoubtedl y preserves u o st authentic and beautifully executed portraits of King James III., and his Queen, Margaret of Denmark; of the young prince, afterwards James IV. ; of Sir Edward Bonkill, the first provost, and the confessor of the royal foundress; and possibly also of Mary of -Gueldres herself, though it must have been painted after her death. This fine historical constitutew no t worar e solf ko sth e survivin groyae th reli f l co founda - tion, unles reckoe sw e structurnth ef material o patche t e th ou f p so du ancient church, which has been built in the rear of the new parish church in Jeffrey Street. It has indeed pieced together valuable fragments of the ancient building, but the result suggests an altogether inaccurate idea even of that portion of the beautiful though incomplete church which is attempted to be reproduced. The venerable foundation of Queen Mary of Gueldres has vanished beyond recall. All that re- n recoro t s accurata dpu main e dono b t w n accouno s est a i no s i s a t recoverable pencild s actuait ,an frof n o ,l m pe features . Thi accords si - COLLEGIATE CHUECH OF THE HOLY TRINITY. 141 n submittini , sketcheat f Societ e o ingl m th t ai se yo g t ya w swha no I t of the church, made under peculiarly favourable circumstances immediately before its demolition. The volume of Charters or Registrum Domus de Soltre, nee non Ecclesie Collegiate S. Trinitatis prope Ediriburg, &c., already referred to, is illustrated with a frontispiece which is thus described—" Trinity College Church, Edinburgh, from a drawing by John Clerk of Eldin, Esq., about the year 1780, in the possession of J. Gibson-Craig, Esq." e a choicmistake a moss Th d ewa t an ,unfortunat e n earlieroneA . , more accurate, and greatly more effective view had already been pro- duce n Maitland'i d s History f Edinburgh,o fro ma drawin y Paub g l Sandby, abou to tha t 1750f Clero s t A f Eldino k. , though executed upwards of a century ago, it shows nothing that might not have been more accurately reproduced from the original in 1848. Instead of presentin e beautifugth l choir, wit e loftth h y pointed windowe th f o s apse evenr Paun i o , s a l, Sandby's view, showin e soutgth h transeptd an , e choith r beyond t exhibiti , s little more tha unsightle nth y conditiof no e abortivth e nav d centraean l tower, wit n inaccurata h e delineatiof no e wes th e transeptst th wal f o l whicn i , e blocked-uth h p e archeth f o s side aisles, intende opeo dt n inte nave th orepresentee ar , windowss da . Any reado onewh ,s Dr Laing's descriptio e churcth f s "ono na h f o e the finest ecclesiastical buildings, even in its unfinished state, which existe n Edinburgh,i d " .and then e frontispiecturnth o t s r confirfo e - mation of it, will be apt rather to commend the iconoclasts who rased to the ground this lumpish deformity. It was, indeed, unfortunate that this mutilated west end, wit s stunteit h d towe d abortivan r e nave, presented the only aspect daily observed by hundreds as they traversed the great thoroughfare of the North Bridge; while its beautifully proportioned choir could onl e seen yb d eve an , n then very imperfectly exploriny b , g the mean thoroughfare of the Low Calton, or Beggar Raw, where it occupiegrounw lo e d th d immediately underneat e mosth h t westerly cliff of the Calton Hill. The plan and architectural details of Trinity College Church, as we may assume them to have proceeded from the hands of the master of the fabric, John Halkerstone, no doiibt included a central tower, and a 142 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, JANUARY 14, 1884.

west front with a main entrance, on which, according to invariable custom, the chief external ornamentation was lavished. But of the purposed details of the nave, or the design for the tower, no record survives. While it was still hoped that the proposal for rebuilding the church on anothe e carrieb o rt dr s thasit fo outewa t d purpos,an s stoneit e s had been numbered, and careful drawings and measurements taken, the late distinguished architect r DaviM , d Bryce, exhibite meetina t da f go the Society a design for the central tower, in which the general form, and e detailsmanth f yo , were derived fro unfinishee mstuda th f yo d tower of Dundee High Church. It was, however, to have been greatly modified, had the purposed restoration been carried out. A curious memorial of unfinishee th d church shown nearli t e i sams yth e conditio t verno n y long after the arrestment of the work, as it continued to be until its demolition e yeath r n I 1574. , Master Robert Pont e theth , n provost, and certaiprebendariesthe of n , " haveand respecreformatiouthe to t n of the religioun and abolessing of idolatrie," resolved that the common college th sea f o le shoul changee b d d reformeddan substitutiny b , e gth royal armsfoundresse thosd th an f , eo e had,e ,b th f tha" n r gi "ca fo i objectionable " Ymage of the Trinitie efter the auld maner." As appears from the actual seal then substituted for the original one, not only were th efoundrese armth f so s recovere engraved dan d thereon t thers bu , ewa added a representation of the unfinished church as it then stood. imperfectione th t Bu e uncompleteth f o s d structure were addey b o dt later defacements. Paul Sandby's view fro e south-westmth , published by Maitlan n 1753,i d show e largth s e windo e soutth f hwo transept entirely blocke . dInternallup y repeated adaptation parisa r sfo h church led to the erection of galleries, at one time in the transepts, and at anothe e aisles th concea o e t floon s raisedi r th ;s a wa basee r o th ls f , so the pillars, doors were broken through the east walls of the north and south aisles ; and those of the chantry chapel, or vestry, were lathed and plastered. Externally, the choir was hidden to a great extent on the north-east by mean modern buildings; while the remainder was concealed fro wayfaree mth higa y hb r stone wallnarroa n i , w street, which preclude possibilite dth f obtaininyo iinobstructen ga d portioy viean f wo n of the building. COLLEGIATE CHURCHOLE TH Y 3 F 14 O TRINITYH .

The view from the south-east, imperfect as it was, has been repeatedly engraved I hav .n earl a e y etchin , probablit f o g y Skeneyb . Storer reproduces it in the Views of Edinburgh and its Vicinity, published by Constabl n 1820i e ; and. nearl e samth y e view, though still more cramped, appeare Mod/emth n i s Athens, a serie f engravingo s s from drawings by Shepherd, published by Jones & Co. of London, in e 1829neighbcvurin vieth A f w.o g alle f Paul'yo n sow Worky m n i , Memorials f Edinburgh,o show e churc t th i sappeare s a h d from that point, hemmed in by buildings, some of them of considerable antiquity. But all alike have now disappeared. thn I e final proces f wholesalo s e demolition, preparator cone th -o yt versio e entirth f neo area fro e Jfort mth Caltow hLo Bridgne intth o et a railway station more th , e recently constructe ephemerad dan l buildings were swept away, while efforts were still being mad o preservt e e th e sacred edifice. Hence for a brief period the stately and finely proportioned choir was exposed to uninterupted view, adding to the grief of its appreciative students, who were thus enabled more fully to realise worte th f thiho s fine historica s destructionit f o l e monumenev e . th n o t I took advantang e opportunitth f o e y thus afforde securo t d e more than carefue on l drawin e finth e f go polygona f othel o apse d r an ,viewe th f so church e Trinit th alsd f an o , y Hospital r Queen'o , s College sees a , n from the east. A full view of the church, as thus exposed, is shown, in fig. 1 on p. 131. The architectural skill displayed in the design of thi e sbuildin th par f welo s t gwa l deservin f professionago l studyd an , afforded striking evidence of the genius of the old " Master Mason," John Halkerstone. Alike externally and internally, he had achieved a great success in giving to the choir an appearance of elevation greatly beyon s actuait d l heighe proportionth y e talb t th l f narroo s w windows and the disposition of the various details. e viewth n sI fro e south-easmth t referre o abovet d , modern doorways are shown whic beehhad n broken throug eash the nort t walthe hand of l south aisles, where doubtless, prior to their overthrow in 1558, altars had stood. Of this indeed one interesting evidence remained to the last beautifula n i , though mutilated credenc enorte tablth hn i eaisles It . precis e soute th site hn modere o ,th sid f eo n doorway s e showi , th n no 144 PKOCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY,. JANUARY 14, 1884. ground plan; and a sketch of it is given here (fig. 2), from which it will be seen that it consisted of a projecting ledge, or table, the remains of whic e manifest ar hn overhangina d an , g tabernacled canop f finyo e design. Other trace similaa f so r character, though mostl mora n yi e mutilated condition, helped the architectural student to an ideal restoration of the venerable buildin s originait n gi l condition a fin'et e sitf bu o eTh , .

Fig. 2. Credence Table, Norbh Aisle, Trinity College Church.

sorely mutilated e easstoupth e tnort n walth o , f ho l transept s show,i n in the ground plan. But by far the most ornate and beautiful work of this class was the finely carved piscina in the north wall of the Chantry Chapel (fig . e buildin 3) .Thie th nort th s i s n he choiro g th sid f o e, entered froe nortmth h aisl whicd e an ; hI conceiv havo t e e beee nth Lady Chapel, within which was the tomb of the royal foundress. To COLLKUFATK (J1IU.R01 J E HOLOTH F Y THTNTTY. 145

this, accordingly, a special interest attaches; and a description of the appearance presented by it before its final destruction, necessarily involves some reference to the e remainsearcth r fo f hQueeo s n Mary, which constituted the last act precedin s demolitiongit . Durin e brieth g f interva- be l tween commencin e buildingth f o g e e deatth e churcth f th d o h an h foundress, at Edinburgh on the 16th of November 1463, the work appears to have been carried on with groat energy. The bull of Pope Pius II., date t Koina d e on the 10 Kalends of November, only three years before, sets forth e piouth s e queeobjecth f o t no t be, next to the praise and honour of the Holy Trinity, the ever- blesse e saintth d l Virginsal d an , and elect of God: the salvation souln r ow roya, he r tha of he flo t consort, and of all their kin. Anniversaries were accordingly enjoine e observeb e th o t dn o d obit of the royal foundress, and on that of her "most tender husband," King James II. ; and special provisioe s madth nr wa efo chantr e formerd tomth an yf o b . Fig. 3. Piscina in North Wall of the Chantry Chapel, Trinity College By the terms of the foundation, as Church. confirme e primateth y b d , Bishop Kennedy, only eighteen months before the death of the queen, each prebendar s directedyi , wheneve shale massh ry sa l repaitome o t , th bo t r of the foundress, and there devoutly read the De profund-is, together VOL. XVIII. K 6 14 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F O S , JANUARY U, 1884.

wit e Fideliumhth Deus omnium conditor t redemptor,e n exhora d -an tation to incite the people to devotion. t notwithstandinBu g the energy with which the work appear havo st e been prosecute y thb de architect, unde e directio th r rEdwar Si f o n d Bonkill, the first provost and the. confessor of the queen, the building of churce th havn ca he proceede a littlwhey t wa enbu d her death took place. It was hot, therefore, possible that the royal obsequies could be performed in he'i' own foundation. The record of payments supplied by e chamberlain'th s accoun r Junfo t e 1464, shows tha a tdela y of some months took place before her obsequies were celebrated, and then, for what reason doet appearno s e servicth , e too ke cathedraplacth n i e l churc f Bfechihho . Meanwhil e completioth e e chantrth f o n y chapel and royal vault inay have been hastened d thougan ; contemporaro n h y recor f thdo e ddpositin e royath f o lg remains ther s beeeha n recovered, no entry in this Exchequer Eolls conflicts with the later statements which refer to her interment, in accordance with the provisions of the foundation charter, in the church expressly founded and built in part chantryn ow r fo.he r Major, writing less than fifty years afte r deathhe r , says—"Anno 1463, Eegina Scotife Edmburgi n Collegiobiiti t e , o Sanctse Trinitatis, quod quidom ipsa fundaverat, iiihumataa est.t A " later date the same statement is thus quaintly repeated by Bishop Lesley, amon earlthe g y incident reig the Jame of nof s s III.—" Shortlie heireftir, the Queen of Scotland, moder to the King, deccssit at Edin- burgh e xvj f th Novembeo , . rs e buryiQueen'th 1463wa n i d t san , College besyclc Edinburgh, quhilk sho hir self foundit, biggit and dotit." No doubt, indeed, has ever been expressed of the actual intermen f Maro t f o Guoldrey n i soms e echurcth parf n o i ht which special provision had been made for propitiatory services at her tomb. When accordingly an appeal was made by this Society, in 1844, to the Lord f H.Mo s . Treasur o interposyt d forbi an e destructio th d f no anciene th t churchs speciallwa t i , y s havinbaseit n do g bee placa n f eo royal interment, within which stilthy la el remain 'f a o sdirect ancestress of the reigning sovereign. Unhappily, however, the church had been conveyed without reservation, so early as .1567, to the City of Edinburgh; COLLEGIATE CHURCH OF TUB HOLY TRINITY. 147 s magistratesit d e rightan th alon o d , wh declineha ,e o interfert d d an e avert its destruction. Every effor n thii t s direction failed d whean , n 1848ni e dooth ,f mo e Collegiatth e Churc s pronouncewa h d beyond recall, ajiid nothing remained to be done except to rescue the remains of the royal foundress from desecration, attention was directed to the building on the north side of the choir, which presented some very special characteristics of the chantry chapee queene th nort f Th o l h. walunornates wa l , thougf ho well-finished ashlar, and was built probably with reference to the near proximit f otheyo r buildingse easth tt sideBu . , which came into view along wit fine hth e lofty apsidal choir s decoratewa , d with unusual care. The buttress at its north-east angle was more ornate than any other on. e buildingth finA .e canopied niche, differing froe corbelmth d an s canopie e otheth n r so buttresses beinn i , g recessed surmountes wa , d with the arms of the foundress; and may be assumed to have contained a statue of the Virgin, as in that above " Our Lady's steps," at the north- eas t e GileschoiS anglth f f o ro 'e Church r DaviD . d Laing, when suggestin e possibilitgth y thae femalth t e remains interred within this chapel were those of Katherine Sinclair, daughter of William, Earl of Caithness and Orkney, and wife of Alexander, Duke of Albany, the younger brothee foundressth f f Jameo o r n sso , III.adds—d an , " Thi s mossi t probable, if we attach any importance to the shield with the Albany arms on the outside wall of this part of the building." But this is a mistake. The arms of the Duke of Albany, surmounted by a ducal coronet, and wito bear tw hs supporters a s e showar , n figi n . 4 . They occupiea d large panel recessed on the side of the buttress at the west angle of the south transept (vide fig. 23). Owing to its sheltered position, and possibly to its being of harder stone, it was in excellent preservation; whereas the foundrese armth north-ease f so th n o s t buttres e chantrth f so y chapels a , well as the shields carved on the buttresses of the apse, were much defaced. A cast of the Duke of Albany's arms set in an ornate border, was inserte e panellinth e grean th i d e f adjacento th g half o l t hospital buildings viea , f whicwo s engravehi n thi d e Memorials f Edinburgho Oldene th n i Time. n additioI collegiate th o t n e bod f provostyo , dean, d subdeanan , prebendaries d choristersan , e originath , l foundation 148 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , JANUAR , 188414 Y . provide hospitan a r dfo r thirtee fo l n poor bedemen wero wh ,e also hound to pray for the soul of the foundress. This charitable provision has survive e revolutionth d s reorganisatioit f n timi d o creeds t an e hu ; n under a new order of things, which no longer recognised the efficacy of such devotional services on hehalf of the dead, it was ordered that " the saidis Beidmen sail prcpair and mak ilk ane of yanie on yair awin oxpensis an Blew-gown, conform to the first foundation." But this last relic of the ancient order of things has long fallen into disuse ; and the annual incom e charitdisbursew th f no eo s yi non-resideno dt t pensioners, with no obligation of costume or memorial service to perpetuate the e queennamr e origicharitablth th he f r eo f o n o , e provisions.

Fig . e ArmDuk4 ,th Albanyf f eo o s , fro W. mS . Buttress, Trinity College Church.

Amon e drawingth g producew no s n illustratioi d e ancienth f o n t churche (fig ) on showin5 . s i , e e detailfinth gth ef o sround-heade d doorway which forme e entrancth d e froe nortmth he choi aislth f ro e into what I believe to have been the Lady Chapel and Chantry. A simple roll and triple fillet moulding, with a broad hollow, ran continuously, roun e arch oved th a hoo t an i ;r d mould, springing from ornate corbels, was enriched with flowers in the hollow. The drawing shows the interior of the chapel as it appeared on the morning after the COLLEGIATE CHURCE HOLTH YF O HT1UN1TV . 149

search for the tomb of Queen Mary of Gueldres, on the 22nd of May 1848, wite finth he piscina stil n i aitul e nortonth . h e wallTh . evidence of the original destination of this building as a chapel remained altogether indisputable notwithstanding the effacement of some of its characteristic features in its later adaptation as a vestry. It was lighted

Fig . Entranc5 . Chapeo et nortn o l h sid f Choireo , Trinity College Church.

by a deeply splayed square-headed window in the east wall, originally divide mullioa y db n lightsinto beautifulle otw Th . y sculptured piscina already referre o occupiet d e eas th de nort t th enf ho d wall ; ane dth remova e latd plasteth an h f whicy o b l r wale d beeth hha l n overlaid, showed wher stonea e shelf r credenco , e table projected ha , d immediately e piscina th e leff tth o t . The positio f thino s piscina clearly indicates 0 15 PROCEEDING THEK O S SOCIETY, JANUAR , 188414 Y .

the site of the altar under the east window, right in front of -which is grave th whaf s etheo wa tn thought whad an ,I stil t l believe was, that e royaoth f l foundress e scattereTh . d remain a pavin f o s f encaustigo c tile f orangso purpld ean e were found about three feet belo e moderwth n flooring. Underneath this a mass of solid concrete enclosed a grave or vault within which lay an oaken, coffin, straight and low in the sides ; but with high ends finished in semicircular form so as to show that the coffin had been arched or " waggon-roofed." Unfortunately an ill- constructed drai d beenha n carried obliquel e coffinth f o ,y p acrosto e sth breaking through the concrete, arid saturating with its leakage the sepulchral e vaulte coffiwoos th accordingly Th f wa no d. stata n f i eo extreme decay. Nevertheles s contentt beesit no nd disturbedsha . It lay directly east and west, equidistant from the north and south walls, in the centre of the chapel; and within this lay the skeleton of a female, accordin o Professot g r Goodsir f abouo , t thirty year f agoo s . This entirely accords wit e independenth h t conclusion arrive Dy b r t da Laing, as the result of his careful investigation of the historical evidence, that the age of the queen " could not have exceeded thirty years." The bones of the head and face were noticeable for great delicacy of features, small and regular teeth, a forehead broad but not high, and prominent nasal bones, indicating a well-defined and probably slightly arched nose. Such fragment e wrappingth f e deceaseo sth d escape f ha o s s e a ddth destructive influences to which they had been long subjected, proved to be of the finest linen ; and the oaken boards forming the bottom were in better preservation than the rest of the coffin, owing to their being- saturated with some resinous substance, probably derived fro mpartiaa l proces embalmingsof . They wore held-togethe singla by re transverse bar across the centre, and showed that the coffin had been of the same breadth at head and foot. foundatioe Th n charter s alreada , y noted, provide weekla r dfo y mass e celebratet b oe Blesse e th alta th f o t rd a d Virgin, whose name th e queen bore. Another clause in the foundation charter defined certain special services to be performed at the tomb of the foundress, whenever e prebendarieth an f yo s said mass peculiaA . r feature brough lighto t t , removae on th e 'lath th f , o anl d plaster with whic polishee th h d ashlar COLLEGIATE CHUECE HOLTH Y 1 F 15 O TK1N1TYH .

walls were covered, hagioscopa s wa e obliquely piercin e e walth th gf o l north aisle, so arranged as to afford a view of the site of the high altar from the centre of the chapel where the supposed tomb of the foundress was brough e whollighto t t Th .e arrangement seem accoro st d wite hth provision e chantrth r sfo y service e royath r f so fa l o foundresss n i d an , confiro t e identificatiomth e remainth f o n s found buried ther s thosea e of Queen Mary of Gueldres, the widowed queen of James II. A door in the north-west angle of the chapel in which the sepulchral remains wer emeany b a spirafoun f d o sle dl stone stai whao t d r ha t evidently been the muniment room. It was covered by a plain pointed- arched ston e e ambr wese vaultth th d tn yi halan , l betrayed unmistak- able evidenc e violencth f o e e with which t soma , e unknown period,— mosbut t probabl 1558,—thyin e doobeehad rn wrenched the open and , iron hinges forcibly broken away from their fastenings. This upper chamber had also a square window in its south wall, looking into the adjacent aisle. unnecessars i t I y her o mak t ey detaile an e d referenc e subseth o t -e quent discover a secon f o y d interment e choi d nea th e sit an rn th r i e , e higth ofh altar, whic s maintainewa h e th e thay somb f b d o to t e foundress. A full account of this has already appeared in the Society's d dearlan d y ol Proceedings^-value y m df o friend n r pe D , fro e th m David Laing. It is the only point on which we ever differed. The discovery of other interments in the church was in noway surprising ; for the whole north aisle, much of the central aisle of the choir, and other portione churchth f o s , revealed abundant " trace f ancieno s t sepulture. One mutilated stone vault in the north aisle, containing the skul d othean l r portion a mal f o se skeleton s assume e wa mos, b o tt d probably tha f Bishoo t p Spence e e foundeneighbourinth th , f o r g hospital dedicated to St Paul, and who was interred in the church in 1480. Many other persons of note must have been buried the're before 1596, when Lady Jane Hamilton, Countess of Egliiiton, bequeathed one hundred merk Hospitale sth "o t Edinburghf o l Queen'e th , s College, y burialfom r l place; utherwais not.a postscrip n I s "Remarks hi o t t on the Character of Mary of Gueldres, Dr Laing draws attention to 1 Proceedings, vol. iv. p, 66.. 152 PROCEEDINGS OK THE SOCIETY, JANUARY H, 1884.

this interment of u lady of rank, as one " whicli may perchance solve the difficulty regarding the first female skeleton that was discovered," viz., that in the Chantry Chapel or vestry. In reality, however, while the appropriation of such a detached chapel, with its special altar, and dedication as the place of burial and the chantry of the foundress, fully accords with the practice of mediaeval times; the selection of it in 1596, whe s sole musit n us e t have bee e e nvestr th th tha f f o o yt parish minister s altogethei , r inconsistent wit e sumptuouth h s obsequies of the Countess of Egliuton. But monuments, sepulchral slabs, brasses, and whatever else was designed to perpetuate the memory of royal d noblan e dead, hadl vanisheal . d wit e changinth h g centuriesd an ; so, if the conclave of sage antiquaries were not of one mind, there was o shakt t nothinebu theit i r rgfo wise heads ovee insolublth r e riddle. As to some loss grave aspects of the same quest, they are duly set forth y Reminiscencesm n i d Edinburgh,Ol f o e dedicatioth f whico n o t h e subjecth d frien ms f ol geniayo t wa d l banter with him, whee h n welcomed me in the well-known haunt of the Black Letter Muses, on e lasth t occasio whicn no o evehh r entertaine a dgrou f friendps o hi t a s hospitable table. As for " the two queens," they both lie now within the sacred precincts of Holyrood Abbey—the one within the royal vault, othee th r s entranceclosit o et . Reguiscant pace.n i Externally s i apparen s a , t froe descriptiomth d drawingsan n e th , Collegiate Church was not only incomplete, but greatly marred in its general effect by the lack of some of its most essential architectural features. But internally, in spite alike of its unfinished nave, and of e barbarouth s modern adaptations .to Presbyterian worship n pewsi , , galleries, l elsepulpital t stili d , lan , presente aspecn a d f greao t t architectural beauty I hav. e sketche e interioth f o s r from various points; but an excellent idea of the general effect may be formed from the view of the choir, looking east, given in Billing's Baronial and Ecclesiastical Antiquities f Scotland.o s onlIt y defect arises froe partiamth l con- cealment of the bases of the pillars, owing to the floor having been' raised abov s originaeit le effort leveth o n counteract i sl e dampnesth t s occasioned by the gradual rise of the neighbouring street iff the course of four centuries descriptive Th . e narrativ e abovth n i ee named work COLLEGLYTK CHUKCH OF THE HOLY TKINITY. 153

e Scottisth f o hn is pe historiafrom e th , d antiquaryan n , Dr John Hill Burton, who there speaks of Trinity College .Church as, " with the exceptio f Holyroono d Chapel e finesth , t specime f Gothino c architecture in Edinburgh. It has," he adds, " many of the peculiar beauties of whico t e t belongshi ag e th e decorate, th tha f o t d alsd stylooha t .I " e incongruouth f o w d grotesqufe an a s t no e details, both externalld yan internally, which onlo welto y l accorden i o dag wite e spirith th h f o t which it was produced, and added to its value as an historical monument. One of the provisions, for example, in the foundation charter furnishes this characteristic illustration of the licence of the Scottish clergy in the fifteenth century—" If any of the said prebendaries shall keep a concubine or tire-maker, and shall not dismiss her, after being thrice admonished e theretprovostth y s prebenb ohi , d shal o adjudgeb l d vacant." The Satire of the Time Estates of Sir David Lindsay furnishe leso n ss piquant evidence anothen i , r for artf mo , tha mannere th t s t improve e no time oth d f sha n thii d s respece lateth n ri treigne th f o s Fourth and Fifth James. But the age was at least one of groat refinemen e inappropriatth n d i artan t d ; evean en unseemly sculptures, which a minute survey brought to light, were the sports of irreveren te workin fancf th detailo n t i y ou gs designe s parta d f o s one harmonious plan. The polygonal termination of the choir facilitated the concentration of architectural beauty theretale lTh narro. w window thn si e three sides, when finished with their original tracery d fillean , d with painted glass, must have added greatly to the rich eifect which there closed the fine vista gavd an n appearanc, ea f loftinese o e churcth o t sh greatly exceed- ing its actual height. To this imagination has to add the carved stalls with which the choir .was no doubt completed; not improbably with their misereres, there, as elsewhere, turned to account for the freest and most profane licence carver e elaboratelth f Th eo . y sculptured groining and bosses of the central aisle terminated overhead in a large richly floriated boss< The central window was higher than the others; and e lighd shadth an t e were blende n unusualla n i d y effective manner, owing to the different angles at which the windows wore set. Richly carved corbels for statues occupied the angles; and over those were 154 PROCEEDINGS OB" THE SOCIETY, JANUAHY 14, 1884. equally ornate corbels, from which rose the vaulting shafts with their varied capitals, sharp as when fresh from the sculptor's chisel. The elaborated detail f clustereso d pillars, carved bosses, corbels capitald pierse an , th f ,so combine produco dt aspecn ea f raro t e architectural beauty, amply meriting the commendation of Mr Kiekmau as "not exceeded in design or execution in any English cathedral." When, however speake h , f theio s r richly carved foliag s tha ee only feature note y himdb e overlook,h f o e on s their most characteristic aspects. The elaboration of detail was everywhere kept in fine subordination to the effect of the building as a whole; this noswa r harmon degrey an n eyi marree interminglinth y b d g with the exquisite foliage of its capitals and corbels, and its heraldic sculptur- ings, grotesque designs, and purposed caricatures. Small corbels, which blended harmoniously wit e generath h l design, when minutely studied, wore seen to be sculptured, into all manner of quaint devices of imps, grinning masks, satyrs caricatured an , f monko s friarsd san . It was,n i truth a singularl, y graphi o whict ce t i hchronicloweag s e it dth f o e origin a historica; d architecturaan l t memorialar e t th onll no f ,o y skill, but, also of the morals of an age in which, as the glimpses we are able to catch of the personal character and private life of the royal foundress abundantly show, the piety which manifested itself in the buildin endowind gan churcha f o gd divertin revenuee an ,th t i f o gt o s older degre0 foundations11 n ei incompatibls wa , e with very unsaintly courses. The poems of Duribar, as well as the Satire of the Three Estates d othean r production r DaviSi f o ds Lindsay's satirical pen, abundantly illustrat e ecclesiasticaeth l morale reignth f f Jameso so . sIV and V. ; and, read in the light of the sculptured details of the royal foundation of Mary of Gueldres, they are no inapt commentary on this earlier chronicl stonen ei . Of this interesting historical element, in. whic e ecclesiasticath h l architect turne s chisehi d o account l t much aftee e fashioth th r f o n modern draftsma e choicesth n i nf Punch's o t cartoons, various illustration furnishee ar e saccompanyin th n i d g sketchese procesth f n I o s . dismantlement e temporarth , y scaffolding d ladderan s s afforded oppor- tunity for sketching some of the profane designs which had been purposely assigned to obscure corners, or placed where only the general COLLEGIATE CHUHC1I OF THE HOLY TMNITY. 155

aucl harmonious effec f enricheo t d carving caugh e eyeth t, withoue th t design being- too minutely scanned by the observer from below. One of sketchee th s taken froe capitalarge th mth f e o lsouth-eas t e pillath f o r unfinished central towe s highli r y characteristic . (fig6) See. n from below, it suggested only a piece of enriched foliage ; but when viewed more nearly, its chief feature was a monk in process of strangulation by two imps. e Othersketcheth , f sho o 8) e sinter wth sd an (figs- 7 . minglin f masko g d grotesquan s e figures r o caricatures, , wite th h floriated capitals of the pillars. A capital of one of the vaulting-shafts

. FigCapita6 . l ot'S.E. Pillar of Central Tower, Trinity College Church.

in the apse, projecting over the very site of the high altar, exhibited an obes d mosean t sensual-looking specime f monkisno h indulgence, witha devil grinning over his left shoulder, as if in purposed mockery of the sacred rites on which both looked down (fig. 9). Elsewhere the varied pier shafts and corbels showed hero and there an angel, a beautiful mask r otheo , 13)d r an t desig gracefu;, figs, n 11i ap 10 12 s ,. d n(a an l but more frequently the devices consisted of leering ecclesiastics, imps, or such crouching monsters labouring under the burden sustainey b d (hem as seemed to realise Dante's Purgatory of Pride, where the,. 6 15 PUOCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , JANUAK , 188414 Y .

Fig. 7. Ornamented Capital, Trinity College Church.

Fig. 8. Ornamented Capital, Trinity College Church. COLLEGIATE CHURCE HOLTH YF O HTRINITY . 157 unpuvged souls dree their doo f penancmo e unde a crushinr g loaf o d stone; and are compared by the poet to such sculptured fancies as were already familiar to him in the ecclesiastical architecture of Italy's thirteenth century. Ther gooa s i ed dea f humouo l r in more than one of the bits of ecclesiastical portraituree th n i s a ; well-fe t heavy-ladedye d monknol , (fig. 14), and in the graphic figure of another care-worn brother (fig. 15). Another of the same class (fig. 16), wit s rophi h e rouns hi d waist, and his look of misery, is the grotesque embodiment of the p-;^ 9 sacrament of penance. But the sacraments and services of the Church were everywhere treated wite freesth h t a licenceshad n I ye sout.th angl f ho e transept was the corbel (fig. 17). A priest, with service-book in hand,

10. Fig. 11. thrusts his tongue out, in manifest derision of the work in which he is engaged hatse Th ' .wing s with whics provide i e suppose b e h y dma d 158 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, JANUARY 14, 1884. to indicate that, while hypocritically enlistee servicth f n i God'do e s house wholls i e h , y give n devile angln oveth A tho n t ei r. e neighbour-

Fig. 12. Fi

Fig. 14. Fiir. 15 . or imp's head, with a siiakey body ending in a floreated tail. Fig. 20 and fig. 21 may be grouped in the same class, though they are rather free hits of humorous sport and grotesque licence, irreverent COLLEGIATE CHURCH OF THE HOLY TRINITY. 159 but not profane. There was manifestly, however, an absence of the pervading spirit of devout reverence which in a purer age would have found fitting expression in every detail of the sacred edifice; and this

Fig. 16. Fig. 17. showed itself still more unmistakably in the disposition to take advantag y obscuran f o ee e indulgenccometh r fo r n unseemli e d an y profane display f humouro s .

Fig. 19.

A still greater licence marked some of the ornamentation of the exterior, and especially the gargoils, which by their very use as 160 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, JANUARY 14, 1884.

vomitories for throwing off the rain from the walls, tempted the humour of the designer, and appear to have at all times been recognised as a fair field for grotesque monstrosities. Their position rendered them difficult of access ; and the sketches of most of those now shown are taken looking down upon the mf thea o s frome i e roof mth On . grotesque figure trusse p witdu hpola e betwee s legarmsd nhi an s , after a fashion of punishment in vogue in mediaeval monasteries, as shown in contemporary illuminations; and which I saw revived during the America substituta s ne lasha civith r r . wa lfo e Another coniic-lookhi"'

Fig Fig. 21. e speciallon griffi t s seeBu i yn n figi nnoteworth. .22 y illustratiof o n of the sensual grossness indulged in by the ecclesiastical sculptors of the fifteenth century was shown in a nude human figure strangely adapted to the purposes of a gargoil, on the north side of the choir, immediately abov e Chantrth e y e ordinar Chapelf sighth o f t o t ou y, s wherwa t i e observer. The exterior of the church has already been described as less attractive than the interior. In the workmanship of the masonry, however, as well as in all the finish of its sculptured details, there was no deficiency. One of the drawings shows the turret-stair, buttress-pinnacle, and gargoil of the east corner of the south transept, COLLEGIATE HOLCHURCE TH 1 Y F 16 TJilNITTO H .

sketched e choirfro th e roo wild mf th o fan ; l give som ee care ideth f -ao ful finish where furthest e ordinarremoveth f o e yd ey spectatorfro e mth . e workmanshiTh evidentls pwa y executed with every attentio minuteo nt - ness of design in anticipation of the whole, including even the grotesque and profane details, heing seen and appreciated. entire th effece f eTh o tchurc h coul vere db y partially surmised from the incomplete structure lacking some of its most ornate external features, and dwarfed or hidden by mean buildings encroaching on its site. If finished s unquestionabla , e originath s ywa l plan, wit centraa h l tower, and with the wonted profusion of sculpture on the great doorway and other features of the west front, this would have helped to combine

Fig. 22. the whole into harmonious beauty. The height which the completion of the central tower would have supplied was the element needed above all others to carry out the striking effect of the east end, which, in spit obstructionf eo d mutilationssan s it f o m , ai fulfille e lase th th t o t d skilful designer. The building had suffered much more externally than internally, so far at least as the masonry was concerned, alike from time and violence. In the general aspect of the south transept and adjoining porch (fig. 23), a prominent feature is the large window with its characteristic tracery, VOL. XVIII. L 2 16 PROCEEDING THF O SE SOCIETY, JANUARY H, 1884.

Fig 28. South Transept and Porch, Trinity College Clmrch. COLLEGIATE CHUBCE HOLTH 3 Y F 16 O TKINITYH .

which remaine de correspondin th entir n i n thaei d an t g windoe th f wo north transept. The original tracery of the clerestory windows on the north side of the choir had also escaped destruction, when, as we may assume, the painted glass, with its saints and sacred emblems, provoked the destructive zeal of the reformers in the sixteenth century. But all the other windows had been despoiled of their tracery in what was styled "the wor f purificationo k f 1559o " , whe e e altarth th n n i s churches of Edinburgh were thrown down, the images destroyed and e prebenda th a par burnt f o d t an , l building e Trinitth f o sy College reduce o ruint d . Caklerwood says, they " made havock l goodal f o se moveable in the Blacke and Gray friers, and left nothing but bare walls; o muchs t s yedoora no e a r window.o e e southerTh " n clerestory accordingly retaine lasplaithe the t nto d crossed mullions transomand s which replaced the older tracery. The same ungraceful arrangement is shown in the windows of the side aisles in more than one of the drawings now produced. The three tall windows in the apse had been entirely despoile theif do r tracery d weran , e fitted with ordinary wooden frame d squaran s e pane f glasso s . Other trace f rudo s e violence were elsewhere apparent. corbele Th d canopie e san buttresses th n o s , designe statuesr fo d d ha , greatly suffered. Armorial bearings adorned the exterior at various points, e mos an th e choirf the do th t d f mespeciallbu ha ,o e d easth en t n yo been, executed in a soft and friable stone, which had gradually yielded to the rains of centuries, most seriously affecting the exposure to the east thao s , t som f theeo m wer o mucto e h decaye decipherablee b o t d . One of those on a buttress at the east end had angels for supporters; anothe surmountes wa r open a ny b dlarge crown th ed e tablean th ; f o t Duk Albany'eof s arms, with bear supporterssfor , already describedone on , of the buttresses of the south transept, remained in good preservation to e additiona laste On th . l external e worthfeaturb y f noteyo ma en I . the view of the church from the north-east with the Chantry Chapel the gable is seen surmounted by a simple but picturesque form of the Gothic chimney of the fifteenth century. In the volume of Charters of the Collegiate Churches of Mid-Lothian, completed in 1861, its editor had the satisfaction of bringing to light 164 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, JANUAKY U, 1884.

for the first time the name of the architect of the church. John Halkerstone appears to have been a native of Edinburgh; and his name has been perpetuated in the locality for upwards of four centuries as the designation of Halkerstone's Wynd, the Vims HalJcerstoni of Gordon of Kothiemay. The name occurs in deeds relating to dwelling- houses in this, the principal access originally from the High Street to the Collegiate Church, as early at least as 1500 ; and we may presum s give wa eo tht ne Wynd fro s associatiomhi e nth s wita t i h buildee Queen'f somth o f n doubo eo rn not ma s s a tCollegee wa e H . in his day, and must have been employed on other works of the like shoulm hi kinddo T probabl. e assigneyb e additionth d d enlargesan - ments of the choir of St Giles' Church, made apparently in 1462, when a ne Citordeth yf o Councir l requires that l "personal s presumino t g buy corn before it is entered shall forfeit one chalder to the church work."raty e s hanan eth Hi t f appear a do 1traceable b e o on t s n ei large window e soutth n ho s side s e showengravina ,th n i n g froa m curious old painting, ascribed to the joint labour of Nasmyth, Wilkio, and r whicRobertsfo d h an Joh, n Kayo's etchings furnishee th d appropriate figures. The tracery in this window corresponds in its peculiar arrangement to that of the windows in the transepts of Trinity College Church. The same tracery may also still be seen in the window n aisloa f e e addelittlth o et d Norman parish churc f Duddingstono h , nortos nit undehm a e impressioside th I r . n that similar detaile sar repeate t a leaso othe tw n i td r churche e neighbourhooth n i s f o d Edinburgh. But I write from memory; and it is impossible for me to tes s correctnessit t beyonm a ,reace w removedth f no sucho d I hol s a d and favourite haunt f earlieso r years. The Collegiate buildings, erected according to the purpose of the foundress, were built immediatel e churche soutth th f o ho yt , while eth hospitae bedemeth r fo l ne opposit th stoo n o d e sid f Loito e h Wynd. But the prebendaries' houses were destroyed in 1558 by the Earl of Argyll and his band of reforming iconoclasts, when the monasteries of the Blac d Greyfriarkan s suffere e samth d e fate. Nine years later, the church, with such of the Collegiate buildings as remained, were handed 1 Maitland's Edinburgh, . 271p . COLLEGIATE CHUKCIHOLE TH Y 5 F 16 O T1UNITYI .

over to tlie City, through the Provost, Sir Simon Preston; and the hospital buildings a beinruinou n i g e sb foun conditiono t d , such portions of the Collegiate buildings as were available were fitted up as a hom beidmee r "th efo hospitularis.d nan " This, whic s frequentli h y designate documentn di e sixteentth f so h century e Queen'th , s College, is state Maitlany b d havo t d e been rebuil s n show1587i i t t I n i n. Gordon of Eothieniay's bird's-eye view as forming three sides of a quad- e ranglsoutth n e hchurcheo th sid f eo , immediately withi e Leitth n h Wyiicl Port toweA . r surmounte n arche a spirea d y db dan , gateway, appea t tha re south-east angle d tli e greaean ; th roof to fhal s suri l - mounte Gothia y db c louvre vieA f .thiw o s portiobuildinge th f o n s of the sixteenth century, with the adjoining City Port, would no doubt have presented a very picturesque aspect; but they had been subjected to many deteriorating modifications before their final demolition in 1848. The appearance which they then presented is shown in fig. 24. Another view, showing the north end more fully, is introduced y Reminiscencesm n i Edinburgh.d Ol e proces th f o n f I demolio s - tion, some interesting traces of the former condition of the prebendal buildings were brough o light t tbeautifuA . l large Gothic fireplace, with clustere dpointew columnlo a dd norte archan sth hn i , gables wa , probabl yfirse parth tf buildingo t gargoilso e samTw th . en i , styls a e e churchthosth f o e , projected froe easth m t wall d manan ; y fine fragment f Gothio s c ornaments, remain e moro doubth n s f eo t ancient Collegiate buildings, were found built into the walls. One of the grotesque gargoils was presented to the Society, on the destruction of the old hospital; and is, no doubt, safely preserved among the miscellaneous treasures of the National Museum of Antiquities. Two views of e interioth f Trinito r y Hospita e Memorialse giveth ar l n i n f Edin-o burgh, and show somewhat of the quaint character of the home of the old bedemen of Mary of Gueldres, as it appeared immediately before its demolition. Thu beautifue sth l Collegiate Church, tome alik th e worf bo d eth kan its royal foundress, the queen of James II., and the mother of James III., with the charitable foundation which still perpetuated her piety, and sheltered the poor bedeman who inherited her bequest, after stand- 166 I'KOCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, JANUAKY 14, 1884.

infour gfo r centuries llistorican a , l monument associated with named san events memorabl n Scottisi e h history, were swep t s somi away t I e . poor consolatio o reflect n t tha e strongesth t t remonstrances were made

lug. Trinit24 . y Hospital.

by the then representatives of this Society against so irreverent and sacrilegious an act; though they proved wholly unavailing. The whole includew e Statioe no Nortth ure th s i n af i d o hn British Eailway, COLLEGIATE E CHUKCHOLTH Y7 F 16 O HTU1N1TY .

without even a stone to mark the site consecrated for upwards of four centuries as the tomb and chantry of a Scottish queen. Happily curioua y b , s coincidence e verth yt a ,tim e when antiquaries and historical students were mourning the destruction of this fine exampl e ecclesiasticath f o e l architectur f Scotlano e e fifteentth n i d h century e transferencth , e from Hampton Cour Holyrooo t t paintinga f do - long recognised as containing the portraits of King James the Third, and his queen, Margaret of Denmark, led to its identification by Dr David Laing as the original altar-piece of the church founded by the mother of that king. It is a diptych, painted on both sides of its two leaves. On one of these is the king, with his son, the future James IV., who fell at Flodden, represented there as a youth of about twelve years of age ; and so fixing the date of the painting about A.D. 1484. The queen, Margaret of Denmark, is identified on the opposite leaf by the armorial bearings. In all respects the historical interest of the work is great. One of the causes of the disfavour with which James III. was regarded by his rude e preferencbaron th e societ s th r swa f artistfo yo e d m showan shi y b n musicians. His reign was unquestionably a period in which architecture e allieth d an arts progressed unde e fosterinth r g encouragemenf o t royal favour thid an s; unique specime a Scottis f no h altar-pieca s ha e special value from the means it supplies of judging of the actual condition of art in Scotland, at a time when the king was charged with keeping low company, because he advised with his two chief artistic favourites, Cochran Ramsayd ean Statn o , e affairs. Piiikertoii justly says of this painting—"Hardly can any kingdom in Europe boas mora f o te noble family pictur f thieo s early epoch.t Bu " its local interest has been greatly increased by the identification among s historicait l portrait e highlth f so y expressive likenes r EdwarSi f o s d Bonkill firse th , t provose Collegiatth f o t e Church, under whose direc- tiooversighd nan e buildinth t s rearedgwa . Possibly alsr LainD o s gi right in the assumption that the St Cecilia of the diptych represents the royal foundress. The shield painted on the organ stool, three buckle chevrona d traces an wa ,Pinkertoy db n "te obscurth o e family of Bonkil in the Morse;" without being aware of the actual Sir Edward Bonkill, the confessor of the royal foundress, who is thus 168 PROCEEDINGS OX THE SOCIETY, JAN0AKY 14, 1884.

clearly indicated on the altar-piece of the church of which he was the first provost. Pinkerton goes on to say—" Behind is a kind of organ with two angels, not of ideal beauty, and perhaps portraits of the king's two sisters, Mary Lady Hamilton, and Margaret, then unmarried."1 That they are portraits is most probable; arid in consistency with the practice of painter f suco s h sacred subjects in the fifteent d sixteentan h h centuries representatiothe , deceasethe of n d charactequeethe in n of r St Cecilia may have had a special reference to her musical tastes, so thae passionatth t e lovr musifo e c which James III. manifestey ma d have been inherite e queedth fros a nmothers m hi mother't Bu . s name wa se subjec e altar-piecth Maryth d f e Holo tan ,th ys ei Trinityd ha , beem th ai o represenet n e featuree th foundrestth f o s n beatifiei s d saintship, there would have bee na specia l aptnes e introductioth n si f no Virgie th n Mother usuae th s la , counterpar e Trinitth f o tmediaevan y i l art. It may not, at any rate, be out of place here to note, that so early as 1474, proposals were made for the betrothal of the Princess Cecilia, the daughter of Edward IV., to the Prince James of Scotland; and this alliance was not finally abandoned till 1483, when the city of Edin- burgh acquired its peculiar constitution as a distinct county or sheriffdom, in return for advancing the money to refund to England the Princess . Cecilia's dowry. It is not impossible that the curious intermingling of sacred allegor portraiturd yan e altar-piecth n Collegiatee i th f eo e Church belongs to one of the latest stages of this proposed alliance with the- Hous f Yorkkine o that d th s attendei g an s youne ,a , th y gb d prince, so, if we assume the St Cecilia to preserve the portraiture of the queen mother e attendanth , t angerepreseny ma l e affianceth t d princese th f o s House of York. l thisAl , however apars i , t fro speciay mm l purpose; thoug thaw thno the Collegiate Church of the Holy Trinity has become a thing of the past, whatever recalls to us any memorial of its vanished charms acquires a fresh value. Alread generatiow ne a y s whogrowo t ha n s p mit u n name recalls no more definite associations than that of the Blaokfriars Monastery, founde Alexandey b d n 1230i . II r , which vanishee th n i d reforming outburst of 1558; or indeed of the quaintly picturesque 1 Hist, of Scot., . vol423p . i .. COLLEGIATE CHUECH OF THE HOLY TBIN1TY. 169

Blackfriars' Wyiid of my own earlier days, with its palace of Cardinal Beaton, its dwelling of Regent Mortoii, and other civic relics of the time when, soon after Queen Mary's return from France e " camsh , p eu in ane honourabill manor fra the Palice of Halyriidhous to the Cardinallis ludgine Blacth n ki g Freir s therWynd,wa ed fittinglan " y entertained ; or where in later years she and her attendants were noted e servantth y bac y b wa f Bothwellko s r fror he las mhe 1 t 01 ,visi o t t Darnley, " gangand before them with licht torches as they came up the Black Frier Wynd." inevitabls i t I e thae workth t f formeso r generations shall givy ewa to progress, and be replaced by others adapted to the aims and necessities of a new era. It is vain for us to mourn over obliterated historical memorials, swept away, as so many of those of Old Edinburgh have bee recenn i n t e unavoidablyearsth n i , e operation f sanitaro s y reforma- e destructioth t e ancientionth Bu f . o n t church, whic I hhav e here attempted to describe, had its worth been recognised by those who were responsibl s preservationit r efo , might have been averted without impedi- men needfuo t l improvements e appreciatioTh . f sucno hwora artf kf o o , great historical interest, is in 110 degree incompatible with an intelligent sympathy with all the wonderful progress of the nineteenth century. But its destruction was carried out with reckless irreverence. It was a peculiarly interesting specime e ecclesiastica th e middl f th o n f o e t ar l ages at a period when it reached its highest development in Scotland, of whic e wort th hs onl wa hy generally appreciated whe lato o to nt e aver e preparatio s fateTh it t . f thesno e e notesrequesth t a f ,som o t f eo my old associates, in explanation of the accompanying sketches, has recalled long-forgotten feelings, and revived the keen sense of pain with whic hI learne inevitablthe dof e doom watcheand , demolitiondthe of , a national work of art that with ordinary care might have perpetuated for centurie e evidencth s f nativeo f Jameeo artisti a ser IIIce th .skil n i l gonchurce w no Th e s i beyonh friendd d ol d associaterecalle an s Th . s with whom it was then my privilege to co-operate are themselves, for the most part, now only the subjects of fond memory. But as time passes, such vanished fragments of history acquire a fresh interest and value. The Proceedings of the Society have been enriched by Dr 170 PKOCEED1NGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1EBKUAKY U, 1884.

David Laing's critical descriptions and illustrations of the invaluable relic of Scottish art which originally formed the altar-piece of the church founded by the Queen of James II. I shall he gratified if the material contributew no s illustration di e buildinth f no g which that fine diptych once adorned, can be turned to account in perpetuating some imperfect memoria e vanisheth f o l d Chantr f Maryo f Gueldresyo .

MONDAY, llth February 1884.

STAIE AGNEW ,Chaire Esq.th n i .,

BalloA t having been taken e followinth , g Gentlemen were duly elected Fellows :— JOHN IKGBAM, Mitchell Library, Glasgow. CECIL WHITE Drummon5 2 , d Plac'e. CHARLE . SGUTHRIEJ , Advocate Northumberlan4 5 , d Street.

The following Donation e Museuth o t sLibrard man y were lai tbn do e table, and thanks voted to the Donors:—

MAy (1B ) E Y, Lady EUTHVEN, Wi Castlen nto . n extensivA d variean e d Collectio f Antiquitieso n , fourid durina g lengthened residenc Greecn ei Italyd d lonean an ,g preserve Winton di n Castle, comprising— I. VASES, &c. larg A valuabld ean e collectio f Greeno k Pottery, including— One hundred and seventy Vases (Lecythi), with tall cylindrical body, rising from a short narrow foot-stalk, and surmounted by a long narrow neck, wit hsingla e side-handle attached. The mostle yar y painted with figure-subjects, either faintly outlined in red on a white ground, or coloured black with white flesh-tints on a reddish ground. They vary sizn i e from inche4 1o 2t heightn si . Fifty-four Vases, the body shorter, more globular, and without foot-