St/Queen Margaret + Dunfermline Abbey
An underrated heritage site of great importance, and a royal saint of even greater significance.
Scotland has its fair share of incredible historic sites and it is inevitable that there will always be the few that snag the top spots for fame and tourism. While I agree that these sites are excellent, one of my main goals through writing and content creation is to highlight historic sites that maybe aren’t so well known but were of equal—or perhaps greater—historical importance.
Dunfermline Abbey is one such place. Originally founded as a Benedictine priory in 1070, it was elevated to abbey status in 1128 under King David I of Scotland. Dunfermline quickly became a favoured site for the internment of royal and elite families. This popularity increased from c.1250 when Scotland’s only royal saint was canonised and reinterred in a new chapel in the abbey. As a royal and/or elite figure, to be interred in the same location as a royal saint was a spiritually and politically beneficial decision.
The royal mausoleum at Dunfermline was expanded during the reign of Robert I, and in the centuries which followed it would have been comparable with England’s Westminster Abbey and France’s Basilica of Saint Denis, where mighty medieval tombs are still visible today. Much of Dunfermline Abbey’s glory and honour was destroyed during the Scottish Reformation of 1560, but it remains a striking building and a lasting reminder of what was once one of the most powerful religious institutions of medieval Scotland.
But who founded the original priory in 1070 and, above all, who was this royal saint? This brings us to St/Queen Margaret of Scotland.
Margaret was born c.1045 in Hungary, a daughter to Edward the Exile and his wife, Agatha. Edward was the heir to the English throne and was resultantly exiled as a child from England after the Danish Conquest of 1016. In 1057, Edward and his family—including a teenage Margaret—returned to England to reassert his position as heir. However, Edward unexpectedly died shortly after arriving in England. Margaret continued to be raised as a princess, and probably would have been a prestigious match in the midst of a brewing succession crisis. Any plans for Margaret were completely scuppered with the Norman Conquest of 1066, after which Margaret and her family were again forced to flee.
This refugee royal family initially intended to flee back to the continent, but tales state that a storm blew them westward to the kingdom of Scotland. There they sought the protection of Malcolm III, King of Scots, who Margaret ended up marrying in 1070. From the outside, this was a peculiar match; Margaret was already known for her piety while Malcolm was a warrior king. Despite these differences, this proved to be a successful marriage, with Malcolm entrusting various royal duties to Margaret.
Queen Margaret became one of the most influential women in Scottish history. She championed religious reform and charity, and famously established a ferry crossing over the River Forth (the Queensferry Crossing, anyone?). In 1070, during the first year of her queenship, she founded a Benedictine priory at Dunfermline. When Margaret was canonised in c.1250, she was reinterred in a new chapel at Dunfermline, cementing her place as Scotland’s most politically and spiritually significant royal. As a saint, she was regularly invoked and venerated by later Scottish royalty, particularly from queens who sought her spiritual assistance during childbirth by wearing or holding her saintly relics.
St/Queen Margaret’s tomb was lost alongside countless other royal and elite tombs during the Scottish Reformation of 1560. Nevertheless, her influence lives on. From the towns and bridges of the River Forth to the magnificent Dunfermline Abbey, this is the legacy of Scotland’s only royal saint.
Fascinating, thanks for sharing.
Another very interesting piece. Enjoyed learning about Margaret and Dunfermline.