The peaceful ruins of Dundrennan Abbey date back nearly eight hundred INVESTIGATING years. A visit here is a source of evidence and inspiration DUNDRENNAN ABBEY for a study of medieval Scotland. Information for Teachers investigating historic sites dundrennan Abbey 2 The peaceful ruins of Dundrennan brothers laboured in their gardens and Abbey date back nearly eight farms to become self-sufficient in food Timeline hundred years. A visit here is a and fuel. They became exporters of wool 1142 Cistercian abbey source of evidence and inspiration to Europe, a useful source of revenue for founded by David I at for a study of medieval Scotland. the abbey. Dundrennan Historical background With the coming of the sixteenth Late 1100s Major century the abbey was already in redevelopment of abbey It is likely that David I founded the decline. The last abbot had been church abbey at Dundrennan in 1142. It was promoted to become Bishop of 1296 Abbey swears set up as a Cistercian community or Ross and a lay administrator, or allegiance to Edward I monastery, an order established in commendator, was appointed in his France in 1098. The Cistercians were 1299 Abbey suffers losses place. With the Reformation of the through destruction committed to austerity and to following Church in 1560, the commendator, and burning by Edward’s strictly the rules of St Benedict. They set Edward Maxwell, was ordered to troops up communities in remote places and demolish the abbey buildings. Although 1523 First commendator dedicated their lives to god through he refused to do this, monastic life at - lay administrator - a ceaseless round of prayer and hard the abbey came to an end at about this appointed manual labour. time, though the church continued 1562 Edward Caught up in the wars with England to be used as a parish church until the Maxwell appointed commendator; refuses to at the end of the thirteenth century, seventeenth century. the abbey swore allegiance to the demolish abbey following Dundrennan’s brief moment in the Reformation; monastic invading Edward I in 1296. However, limelight of Scottish history came in life ceases this evidently counted for little as by May 1568 when Mary Queen of Scots, 1299 the community was looking 1568 Mary Queen of fleeing her defeat at Langside, spent Scots spends last night in for compensation from him for the her last night on Scottish soil at the Scotland at Dundrennan destruction and burning of abbey abbey before boarding a fishing boat to property by his troops. 1621 Abbey lands Workington in England. annexed by Crown Little is known about events at the The abbey by the nineteenth century mid 1600s New site abbey between the early fourteenth and found for parish church was little more than a romantic ruin and early sixteenth century. In addition to at Rerwick; services at a convenient source of shaped stone for the daily round of eight church services, abbey cease local buildings. It was taken into state the monks and their co-habitant lay- 1842 Abbey taken into care in 1842. state care HISTORIC SCOTLAND education dundrennan Abbey 3 Monk Fact File Did you know... Monks were usually adults Who were the monks of How was the monastery who entered the order Dundrennan Abbey? organised? of their own free will and The monastery at Dundrennan Abbey At the head of the monastery was tended to come from better- was a Cistercian monastery. Founded the abbot, responsible for the overall off local families. at Citeaux in France in 1098, this order spiritual life of the monastery. However, of monk lived very simply and humbly, he was often absent involved in often in remote places. Monks were meetings with the Parliament and the usually adults who entered the order monarch. Below him were a number of their own free will and tended to of other office bearers, known as the come from better-off local families. The obedientaries. The prior was responsible majority spent their entire lives within for the day to day organization and the abbey, devoting themselves to a discipline of the monastery. Below him formal round of worship and abbey were a number of other office bearers works. To start a monastery there had to with other responsibilities as follows: be thirteen monks, representing Christ sacristan – church furnishings; precentor and the twelve disciples, sent out from – church services: cellarar – food, drink another abbey and accompanied by ten and fuel; kitchener – cooking; fraterer lay brothers. They lived communally, – the running of the refectory, crockery, following strictly the rules set out by table linen; chamberlain – housekeeping St Benedict in the sixth century. The including care for clothes; almoner monks dedicated their lives to opus dei – distribution of charity to the needy. – the work of god, a ceaseless round Other jobs included responsibility for of prayer and at least in the early days, the sick, visitors, the church treasures of manual labour. They lived a life of and so on. Within the monastery there poverty, chastity and strict obedience to also lived between twenty and forty the rules of the order. The Abbey itself, lay brothers, who were the working however, became wealthy on the back members of the community and took of sheep farming and wool exports. The on many of the roles of servants and monks themselves wore rough, undyed workmen. white habits and so were often known as the white monks. HISTORIC SCOTLAND education dundrennan Abbey 4 What was it like to be a monk? Work ranged from gardening and farming to copying manuscripts. After Monasteries were generally wealthy the initial enthusiasm at the founding organizations, often receiving of the order, hard physical labour patronage and donations from the tended to be carried out by the lay crown and noble families. This meant brothers. that the inmates of a monastery were free from the many usual insecurities Food was generally vegetarian and of medieval life. Having said that, frugal, consisting mainly of bread, the life of the monks was founded vegetables and eggs. Fish was served on austerity and frugality, although on a Friday and important visitors certain abbots ended up living would be offered meat on other days. comfortable lives in houses separate After washing their hands outside the from the abbey altogether. refectory, the monks would file through in silence; grace would be said, a gong Their lives were communal and would sound and then the meal could controlled to an extent which is hard begin. Throughout the main meal a for us to imagine today. They slept in monk would read from a religious text. their habits in order to be ready for Meals were eaten in silence; however night services and even when sleeping a sign languages evolved to enable followed the Rule about how their monks to request certain items. arms should be folded. Monks were required to keep total silence – apart Aside from seasonal variations and from the sung prayers – between annual religious events, life was Compline and Prime. Outwith those punctuated by certain domestic rituals hours there were occasions when or events. Every week the monks would quiet speech was permitted in certain wash each others feet in a ritual known areas of the Abbey. as the maundy. Every three weeks or so there would be communal head Second only in importance to prayer shaving to maintain the tonsure. was the daily Chapter meeting. At this meeting, monks read a chapter The number of monks at Dundrennan from St Benedict’s Rule, the sixth was small and members of the century guidebook for a monastic community would live together for life. Any administrative issues were a long time. The closeness of the also discussed here and monks were community and the tranquility and able to confess and be disciplined serenity of the routine provided a accordingly. secure environment in the service of god, which was certainly attractive to a select number. HISTORIC SCOTLAND education dundrennan Abbey 5 Supporting learning and teaching A visit to Dundrennan Abbey Before the visit: Working on site is particularly appropriate • It would be helpful if pupils had an Pupils should be encouraged to look for for teachers working on class idea of some of the key terms relating physical evidence. Useful starting points study topics such as: to the abbey life e.g. monastery, are: monk, abbot, lay brothers, nave, • The Middle Ages • What materials were used to – Monastic Life tower, cloister, altar, chapter, chapel, construct the abbey? Where did they • The Reformation Reformation, Mass, tomb. These and come from? Why have some survived other terms could be collated into a The Curriculum for and not others? class dictionary. Excellence aspires to motivate • How was the abbey protected against and challenge pupils through • The abbey has changed dramatically intruders? a wide range of varied learning over the years. Discuss with pupils experiences. Site visits have how and why buildings change. • Can you see any ways in which the a particular role to play in abbey has changed? joining up learning outcomes Discuss how wind and weather across the curriculum. A visit, can affect a building as well as the • What evidence is there for daily life? and use of the supporting deliberate destruction following the • Taking notes. materials, will help to: Reformation. • develop successful • Making quick drawings. learners by challenging • The role and extent of the power of pupils to consider how life the Church in medieval times is hard • Taking photographs. has changed for people. for today’s children to grasp. Research • Using tape-recorders to describe what It will help them to think into everyday life at this time will help critically about evidence they see, hear, feel and smell.