Cambuskenneth abbey

views updated

Cambuskenneth abbey (Stirling) was one of several Augustinian priories founded by David I of Scotland in the 1140s. It was situated close to Stirling castle and belonged to the Arrouaisian congregation. Though like many Scottish communities it suffered from English raids and entered a period of decline in the 14th cent., during which time the Scots Parliament sometimes met here, it later recovered; the abbot was granted episcopal status in 1406, James III was buried here in 1488 and a lavish rebuilding occurred early in the 16th cent. Later it fell under the control of lay commendators and after the Reformation became a temporal lordship of the Erskine family which had held the commendation since the 1560s, when it had an income of over £3,000. Little now remains but a 14th-cent. detached bell-tower.

Brian Golding

More From encyclopedia.com