Ancient Scotland - Crossraguel Abbey

Large image (736x513 - 46k) The gatehouse, from the northwest.
Large image (600x505 - 51k) The chapter house.
Large image (760x522 - 76k) The cloister, from the northwest corner.
Large image (530x752 - 43k) The gatehouse, from the southeast.
Large image (760x472 - 71k) Looking east over the abbey from the gatehouse. The rectangular well can be seen in the centre of the cloister. To the left of the cloister is the church. In the wall at the far side of the cloister can be seen (from the left) the entrance to the chapter house, the entrance to the treasury, and a passageway leading through to the inner court. To the right of the cloister can be seen the kitchen and dining room. Beyond these, at the top right of the picture, is the towerhouse.
Large image (752x472 - 55k) The chapter house and sacristy on the left, and the choir of the church on the right.
Large image (704x508 - 82k) The cover of the tomb of Egidia Blair, Lady Row of Baltersan. This dates to 1530.

Crossraguel Abbey was founded, sometime after 1244 and certainly before 1286, by Duncan (later Earl Duncan) of Carrick. 1244 was when Bishop William of Glasgow commanded that a Cluniac monastery should be built there. And 1286 was when the first abbot was recorded.

Much of the original church had to be rebuilt after being badly damaged during the war with England in the early 1300s when the abbey had stayed loyal to the local man Robert Bruce.

The tower house and gatehouse were built in the sixteenth century.

Later in the sixteenth century, the abbey seems to have survived relatively unscathed through the Reformation when many other monasteries were severely damaged or destroyed.

Crossraguel Abbey

Maybole, South Ayrshire

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