13-447: Balmerino Abbey , or St Edward's Abbey , in Balmerino , Fife , Scotland , was a Cistercian monastery which has been ruinous since the 16th century. It was founded from 1227 to 1229 by monks from Melrose Abbey with the patronage of Ermengarde de Beaumont and King Alexander II of Scotland . By 1233 the church was sufficiently complete for Ermengarde to be buried in it. It remained
26-471: A daughter house of Melrose. It had approximately 20 monks at the beginning of the sixteenth century, but declined in that century. In December 1547 it was burned by an English force, and allegedly damaged again in 1559 by Scottish Protestants as part of the Reformation's destruction of perceived idolatrous structures. The community appears to have died out shortly afterwards, with the estate being made into
39-403: A temporal lordship in 1603 (other sources give 1605 or 1606-7) for Sir James Elphistone , who became 1st Lord Balmerino . In 1561 John Hay became the lay commendator and converted some of the abbey buildings for use as a house, with superfluous buildings like the church being dismantled for stone. Eventually the house itself fell into ruin. Due to growing interest in the middle ages, in 1896
52-462: A town. The second element is more obscure. It may refer to Saint Merinach or it may derive from muranach meaning 'of sea-grass', yielding: "[the] farm where sea-bent or sea-grass grows." Balmerino Parish Church lies 1 km outside the village and dates from 1811. The manse was added in 1816. Originally a simple Georgian box chapel the church was remodelled in the Gothic style in 1883. The church hall
65-494: Is a small village and former monastic centre in Fife , Scotland. It is the home of Balmerino Abbey and the former abbots of Balmerino who were great regional landlords. It became a secular lordship in 1605 when the abbey's lands were transferred into a Barony and the title of Lord Balmerino was created. The already fire-damaged abbey was allowed to fall into ruin as it no longer had a function. The Abbey ruins and grounds are managed by
78-513: The National Trust for Scotland and are famed for the ancient sweet chestnut tree and the display of aconites which flower in February. The village contains a number of 18th and 19th century houses in a local vernacular and is now an official Conservation Area . The name Balmerino derives from Scottish Gaelic . The first element, bal-, is from baile , meaning a farmstead, or in modern Gaelic,
91-408: The 66m long cruciform abbey church (mostly the north wall of the nave). The misalignment of the piers in the south arcade with the shafts in the north wall suggests that the single nave aisle was a later addition. The eastern range of the claustral buildings survives better, due to its conversion to a house after the Reformation. Immediately north of the church is the vaulted sacristy . This room became
104-581: The attainder and execution of the 6th Lord Balmerino in the Tower of London . The title of Lord Coupar or Cupar was a title in the Peerage of Scotland ; it was created on 20 December 1607 for James Elphinstone, second son of the 1st Lord Balmerino. The 3rd Lord Balmerino succeeded his uncle in the lordship of Coupar in 1669. From his succession to the lordship of Coupar in 1669 to the attainder and forfeiture in 1746, both lordships were merged. This biography of
117-474: The house's kitchen, with a staircase added to its west. The original chapter house is the best survival of 13th century buildings, with the eastern three of its six bays of quadripartite vaulting still standing. The day stair rises through the thickness of its north wall. In the 15th century, a new and larger chapter house was added, with four bays of high vaulting round a central pier (as can still be seen at Glasgow Cathedral or Glenluce Abbey ). This vaulting
130-457: The ruins is currently restricted due to their poor state of repair. As of summer 2007, a sign on-site states that entrance fees will be used to contribute towards a possible future stabilization of these ruins to improve safety for visitors to enter once again. The ruins are designated a scheduled monument . 56°24′33″N 3°02′28″W / 56.40917°N 3.04111°W / 56.40917; -3.04111 Balmerino Balmerino
143-420: The ruins were archaeologically excavated, uncovering the plan of the church. In 1910 the landowner employed Francis William Deas to survey the building and execute a program of repairs and consolidation. The abbey is now under the stewardship of the National Trust for Scotland , and a small entrance fee is requested at an honesty box , with no ticket booth or staffed presence on-site. Meagre remains stand of
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#1732873672858156-472: Was added in 1887. Balmerino is "celebrated" in the poem "Beautiful Balmerino" by William McGonagall – widely recognised to be the English language's worst poet. This Fife location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Lord Balmerino The title of Lord Balmerino (or Balmerinoch) was a title in the Peerage of Scotland ; it was created in 1606 and forfeited in 1746 on
169-450: Was destroyed when new floors and large windows were inserted in the residential conversion. Completing the range to the north is the slype or parlour, and then two further barrel-vaulted cells under the reredorter . The dormitory that stood over all these rooms has vanished, as have the cloister itself (which was unusually to the north of the church) and the north and west ranges containing the refectory , stores and guest rooms. Access to
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