The
Border Abbeys
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See the remains of David I’s monastic revolution in the fantastic architectural
remains of the Border Abbeys. Right from the start of his rule in southern Scotland, before he was King of Scots, David I imported
the latest, most fashionable and austere monastic orders from Europe into his new realm. These monks built monasteries on an unprecedented
scale that must have overawed all who saw them. Receiving grants of some of the richest farmlands in Scotland, the monastaries were
akin to multinational corporations who improved the economy and established direct trading links to European markets. King David’s generosity must have come at a price for those farmers who found
themselves unable to compete with these massive monastic foundations.
‘Clearly beloved of God, since immediately at the beginning of his reign he diligently practised the things that are of God in building
Churches, in founding monasteries, which he also endowed with properties and riches according to the needs of each.’
Ailred of Rievaulx on King David I in Abbot Walter Bower’s Scotichronicon.
However, the borders became a centre of learning: producing figures like Michael Scott, Adam of Dryburgh and John Duns Scotus - one
Scotland’s greatest philosophers.
Jedburgh Abbey and Kelso Abbey
Melrose Abbey Factsheet
Dryburgh Abbey Factsheet
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