Historical assessment of combined piscina/credence feature, Cavers Castle, 31st May 2021

Simon Forder

Summary

Cavers Castle is a ruined tower house dating back to the first half of the 15th century, and repeatedly extended in subsequent centuries, just outside Hawick, . Although there are references to a castle of Cavers in the early 14th century, there is no evidence that the castle was at the location of the ruin, and no evidence that any part of the extant ruin dates to this period.

Installed in the southern wall of the “Wardens Tower” is a combined piscina/credence, which has been dated stylistically to the second half of the thirteenth century. A piscina was used for the washing of communion vessels, and was usually placed next to the altar or in an adjacent room. It was provided with a pipe and drain which emptied directly into the earth. A credence was a table used to hold the implements of the Eucharist during Mass.

Assessment

In email communication with Professor Richard Oram of Stirling University, who referred and discussed the matter to Professor Richard Fawcett of the University of St Andrews, the feature “is very unusual and not at all something that you would expect to see in a private chapel or even a parish church”. Professor Oram went on to say that “the pairing of piscina and credence is uncommon – you might see the one down by the altar and the other near the entrance,” and advised that due to the quality of the architecture, Professor Fawcett had suggested that “that it is the kind of thing that you might expect to see in a major church”. His suggestion as to the type of building it came from was the abbey church at Melrose, which was supported by John Marr, the Works Manager from Historic Environment based at Melrose Abbey during a site visit on 29th May 2021.

The piscina was said to have been discovered by the Palmer-Douglas family during the extensive remodelling of the castle carried out in the late 19th and early 20th century, when the stone vault was removed from the tower. The origin of this story has been confirmed to me personally by the daughter of the last laird, who advised me that her great-grandmother told her this was the case. However, if the piscina was discovered during this process, it was not retained in situ.

In photographs taken of the building prior to the baronial renovations which are available for the public to see, it is clear that beneath the site of the baronial oriel window, there is another window directly in line with it. The architects drawings for the alterations also clearly show that between the planned windows which now sit on either side of the feature was a window which was to be blocked up.

It is, unfortunately, the case that the drawings make no reference of the piscina to identify where in the castle the feature was moved from. All that can be said for certain is that it is ex situ. The mid to late 13th century date of the piscina with reference to the known history of Cavers place it squarely in the period in which the Balliol family held Cavers. However, despite their importance, the quality of the feature tells against it being a private chapel or parish church, and the masonry of the tower itself tells against the feature originating at Cavers at all.

Archibald Douglas, founder of the Cavers line, was the son of the 2nd Earl of Douglas, and that earl was buried at Melrose Abbey; the heart of was also buried at the abbey, which was significantly rebuilt following the 1384 destruction by the English. It is likely that the tower at Cavers was founded post 1409, when was destroyed. Both the abbey and Cavers tower were sacked during the 16th century, an event which resulted in a significant rebuild at Cavers. Given the strong association of the Douglas family with Bruce’s heart, and the burial of their progenitor at the same site, it is possible to construct an argument that the removal of the piscina/credence coincided with either of these major construction phases at Cavers. In either case the reason is likely to have been a matter of prestige by association with Bruce, and the piscina/credence would have been used as a highly visible feature in the highest status part of the tower – the great hall of the laird, which would have been on the floor above. It is interesting to note that the architects’ plans depict a recess immediately to the east of the planned oriel window, which would have been in a location next to a possible high table occupying that end of the great hall.

Conclusion

The thirteenth century piscina/credence was relocated to its current position 1895 – 1900. There is no historical context to it being at this location whatsoever prior to this date. The family history states that the piscina was located at Cavers at this time, which there is no reason to disbelieve. For this reason it seems likely that the feature was installed at Cavers during previous construction phases, although the original location in the building and date of installation is unknown. The date of construction of the tower at Cavers postdates the estimated date of the piscina/credence by over a century, and there is no evidence of a contemporary earlier building at Cavers with sufficient status to warrant such a feature. The historical context of the piscina/credence is therefore one of relocation and reuse.

Given the fragility of the feature, and the likelihood of further deterioration due to exposure to the elements and damp ingress through the building superstructure, I believe that there is a compelling case for the conservation of the feature through the most appropriate means, and for this work to be carried out as soon as possible in order to minimise further deterioration. As can be seen by comparing the photographs below which I took in 2017 with that provided by the conservation mason, the feature has deteriorated significantly in the intervening period.

Simon Forder

The Castle Guy Council member, Scottish Castles Association Member, Castle Studies Group

Figure 1 – blocked up window and insertion of new windows at piscina/credence location

Figure 2 – Cavers tower from the south. Site of future oriel window clearly visible above treeline

Figure 3 – Cavers tower from the south-east. Location of now blocked up window visible through trellis

Figure 4 – piscina/credence with two flanking windows, 2017

Figure 5 – piscina/credence, 2017