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THE monasteries of
Scotland, in their flourishing state, are believed to have equalled, if
not surpassed, in wealth and splendour, most establishments of the same
kind in the other countries of Europe. Their lands and domains equalled
in extent the possessions of the most powerful barons, and were the
richest and best cultivated in the kingdom. The members of their
communities were, for a long period, revered as the learned instructors
and spiritual guides of the people, the indulgent masters of numerous
vassals and retainers, and the kind benefactors of the poor. Their
churches and conventual buildings, raised with consummate art and skill,
and profusely adorned with carving and painting, were the chief
architectural ornaments of the country.
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Monastic Annals of Teviotdale here (pdf) |
