Ornamental Structures in the Medieval Gardens of Scotland
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Proc Soc Antiq Scot, 129 (1999), 817-839 Ornamental structure medievae th n si l gardenf so Scotland Scott Cooper* ABSTRACT This article examines evidence for the existence of ornamental structures within gardens belonging to the aristocracy of medieval Scotland. To complement this study it also evaluates evidence for closely related structures, such thoseas withinset castle courtyards huntingand parks. Like garden buildings, these were relatively small scale in apparently and designed with much,as more, ifnot concern for their aesthetic as their practical value. In this connection, the form, sources and iconography of the surviving fountain at Linlithgow Palace are closely assessed, and it is suggested that this sophisticated work of architecture must have consolidated and further inspired a tradition for creating ornamental buildings within the garden (and indeed the parks and courtyards) of Scotland's finest homes. LITERARY GARDENS The study of gardens and their architecture during the medieval and Early Modern periods in Scotland suffers, as do so many other areas of the country's cultural history, from the scarceness of primary source material.1 Fro evidence mth contemporarf eo y poetry, howevere , b ther n eca little doubt that ornamental gardens playe significanda livee t rolth Scotland'f so n ei s courtiers kingsd e an eventTh . f Williao s m Dunbar's early 16th-century allegorical poem, e GoldenTh Targe, take place withi n'para mosf ko t plesere' tha replets i t e with 'flouris faire'; Thrissile th n i 2 anRois,e dth Dunbar's narrator 'enteri lusta n i ty gairding gent [beautiful . mos . ]. t dulcd ean redolen / Oft f her flou d tendid ban an r r plantis grensueitd An e/ , levi sdou w doinde n f gfleit',o 3 Tretise Mariita Th Tu n e i o th fWedo,e d Wemen th an poe e d th tan recount visisa 'ano t e gudlie grein garth, full of gay flouris, / Hegeit, of ane huge hicht, with hawthorne treis' where he happens upon 'thre gay ladeis sit in ane grene arbeir, / All grathit in to garlandis of fresche gudlie flouris.'4 Equall ydescriptione vivith e dar s penne Dunbar'y db s contemporary, Gavin Douglas, whose Palice of Honour begins with the poet walking at dawn through a garden in which The fragrant flouris blomand in thar seis Ouirspre leuie d th naturef so s Tapestreis; Abone the quhilk with heuinly Harmoneis twystigreisbirdin e n o o t Th d ,ssa san Melodiously makand thair kyndlie gleis, Quhais schill noitis fordinned all the skyis.5 * Garden History Society, Glasite Meeting House, 33 Barony Street, Edinburgh EH3 6NX 818 | SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND, 1999 While these gardens may have been imaginary, they surely drew on actual examples: certainly that describe Tayisn di Bankpoea — m generally attribute Dunbao dt Douglas'd an r s patron, Jameseem— relatV o ssI t Stobhalo et Perthshiren li , wher youne eth g king courte 'dyamens dhi t of delyt', Margaret Drummond, in a 'bour / with blosumes broun and blew, / Ofret with mony fair fresch flour, Helsu hevinlmf o y hew'.6 Evocative thoug thesl hal e lines are, beyon single dth e referenc 'grene th o et arbeir 'arbourn (a featura ' s wa 'e compose f vinedo s trained arounda wooden substructure, generally forming a tunnel or simple shelter) they offer no real indication of the actual layout and content of Scotland's medieval gardens. Sadly, there are no plans, topographical surveys, nor detailed written descriptions of such gardens prior to the 17th century; boneroyarathee y froth dr s i f e lst o mri accountth monastid san c chartularies that evidence must be gleaned. As a result, any suggestion as to their appearance must be conjectural. However, if it is accepted that immigration, foreign trading and the prevalence of monastic houses provided the country wit hculturaa l background typica northerf o l n European nations tha d climate an ,th t e was, at least for much of the 14th and 15th centuries, warmer than that of today, then the altogether more abundant documentation regarding the layout and content of demesnes elsewhere in Europe might generally apply to those in Scotland too.7 SCOTLAN EUROPD DAN E The appearance of European gardens may be used, then, as the backdrop against which the particulars of those in Scotland might be projected, and for this purpose the painted miniatures that illuminate contemporary French and Flemish manuscripts cannot be bettered. These indicate tha finese th t t Scottish medieval gardens would have adorne homee dth aristocratf so clergr so y would an d very probably have feature lawa d n interspersed with flowers, shrubs trelliw lo , s covered with vines or roses, turf benches and perhaps a pool and orchard. Regarding ornamental structures they would have most commonly contained either a fountain or8 an arbour. However, other types of garden buildings are known to have existed across Europe9 . Summer-houses were constructed amid the gardens created at Palermo by Roger II (r. 1129-54), the Norman king of SicilyIberiae th t a ; n garde Tafallf no a (begun 1405)Royae th t a ;l Mews, Charing Cross (erected 1440-1); and upo islanRiven e na th n dri Thames near Richmond Palace (erecte 1380s).e th n di 10 Aviaries were constructe Winchestedat r Castle durin 12tgthe h century Westminsteat , r Palacein the 13th century and at the Spanish estate of Olite around the turn of the 15th century. At the 1 2 1 French palac Hesdinf eotheo e th 1 n r o ,hand , Count Rober Artoif o I I t s enclose dpara 1295n ki , within which he constructed not only an aviary but also a pavilion amongst marshland, a revolving summer-house, a chapel of glass and a stone tower.13 It seems reasonable to assume that at least the more basic of these sorts of building would have ornamented Scotland's gardens littlA . e evidenc indeen eca e possibl e founth db r fo de existence of three such structures: these are a fountain or well-head at Edinburgh, an aviary at Dumbarto summer-housa d nan Pertht ea . Founde Davi y endowed b Canone an dI th r dfo s Regula rule Sainf th eo f ro t Augustine, Holyrood Abbe constructes ywa s presenit n di t position from 1128. Around this timwa t ei bestowed wit churce hCuthbert th S f ho t (whic locates hwa d belo walle w th Edinburg f so h Castle) dependenciess it l al d an , amongst whicploa s f lano t hwa d bounde afonte y fountaida b — r no well-hea thad— t rose 'nea corne e king'e rth th f rso garde roae th dn nleadino Saingo t t Cuthbert's church'.14 Whatever the nature of the structure, given its association with a royal garden, it seems likely to have been in some way ornamental.15 COOPER: ORNAMENTAL STRUCTURES IN MEDIEVAL GARDENS | 819 In 1326, the manor of Cardross on the River Clyde was acquired by Robert the Bruce. It is recorde havins da g possessed bot hgardea parka 132d y n B .an roya e hous9a th r l efalconfo s swa repaired and re-roofed at a cost of two shillings. Whether this aviary was ornamental can not be determined, however, the fact that it was surrounded by a hedge suggests that it may not only have been set within a garden but also constructed with some regard to its aesthetic value. 6 Finally, Perth tradition relate a referencs a 'Gilte o t e n Arbour e town'th t a s' former 1 Dominican Priory, an occasional residence for the nation's monarchs. Reputedly attached to the Priory and overlooking the North Inch, the structure is said to have been enriched with gilded (hence 'gilten') detailing, and to have contained an elaborate ceiling decorated with allegorical astronomicad an l figures, whil s rooeit claimes i f havo dt e provide platfore dth m from which Robert III viewed the notorious 'Battle of the Clans' in 1396. This anecdotal account of an 7 arbour wit hstoua t roopainted an f d ceiling18 set t quitsi e apart from typical, vine-clad1 , trellis- work examples; rather it describes a highly elaborate building more closely related to the open loggia — a form that may well have been known to Scotland's nobility. 9 The predominance of arbours and fountains within Europe's garden1 s continued into the Early Modern period 16td , hmi thoug e centur typth w y structurf heb ne o ybanquetina e th e— g house — was also finding favour. Between 1414 and 1417, Henry V of England had an enclosed quadrangular pleasanc f fouo e r acres created withi marsa n h adjoinin e 'Greath g t Poolt a ' Kenilworth. Enclosed by two moats it contained towers at each of its corners with a banqueting house at its heart, and outside a dock for boats to bring parties of courtiers on summer outings from the castle.20 A year after its completion James I, then aged 24, was incarcerated at the castle as part of his 18-year internment amongst the royal and Lancastrian residences of England.21 This remarkable creation must have intrigue capturee dth d king;22 certainl engages wa e y h d b the vista from his cell in the 'Marshal's Tower' at Windsor, describing the castle's gardens in his autobiographical love poem The Kingis Quhair.23 Between 1420-2, James accompanied his captor o trina Franceo pt muse h therd o tan , ehavto e see goona d man f Europe'yo s most splendid estates.24 Therefore, given James's experience of, and evident sensitivity for, fine gardens, it seems likely that when he came to lay out his own at Edinburgh Castle in 1435, its appearance would have recalled those he had seen in his youth, and, as such, might well have included aviaries, loggias, banqueting houses, fountain arbourd san t leas a latte e sth t — thes f ro likel e ear havo yt e been created subsequently at the royal hunting lodge of Falkland.