in Wigton-
shire, was dedicated to St.
shire, was dedicated to St.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v9
Lanarkshire.
United the County of Elgin, except a part of Moy,
parishes of Wiston and Roberton, by Rev. Charles Wood, Minister, pp. 93 to 100.
124 See Chalmers' "Caledonia," vol. iii. , chap, iv. , sect, viii. , p. 411, n. (i).
125 See Retours, Lanark, p. 82.
"7 Act. Pari. , vol. v. , p. 563.
128
See Chalmers' "Caledonia," vol. iii. , chap, ix. , sect, viii. , p. 411, n. (i. )
129 This House was at the Gobals end of the bridge. See the " New Statistical Account of Scotland," vol. vi. Lanarkshire.
which is in the shire of Nairn. See " Topo- graphical, Statistical, and Historical Gazetteer of Scotland," vol. i. , pp. 417, 418.
,37See Retours, Elgin, p. 141.
"
138 See Chalmers'
chap, iv. , sect, viii. , p. 411, n. (i).
139 See Retours, Perth, p. 152.
140 Rising from the margin of the river, the parish reaches the summit of the hill of
Kinnoull, and it presents many striking features of natural beauty. See the " New
Statistical Account of Scotland," vol. x. Perthshire. Parish of Kinnoull, p. 934.
126 " See Chalmers'
Caledonia," vol. iii. ,
Caledonia," vol. iii. , chap, iv. , sect, viii. , p. 411, n. (i).
of and Suburban Parishes of Glasgow
,4' See
142 For an account of this parish, situated
City
Barony and Gobals, p. 112.
Retours, Perth, p. 70.
136 Dyke and Moy were two parishes in
September 16. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 407
at Lany, a former separate parish, but now annexed to that of Port of
Menteith,
1^in an
Altarage
of Dunkeld
Cathedral,
1"and at in Mylne. ^s
Renfrewshire are the following memorials: an Altarage in Renfrew,1-*6 and
also in Govan was he celebrated. Here there was a Leper Hospital
1
founded *? about the middle of the fourteenth century, and a chapel con-
8
nected with it ;H both being dedicated to St. Ninian, and the latter being
rebuilt and endowed1 ^ in the master of the 1494,
school of
being the chaplain. The situation of St. Ninian's Hospital was not far from the south end of the Gorbals' bridge. On the east side, and near the centre
of the main street of Gorbals, seems to have been the site of St. Ninian's 11
Chapel. * In the parish of Kilteani,'* Ross-shire, is Balconie ; in which St. Ninian was commemorated, 152 as also at Roskeen and Fortrosse. x 53 In the
1
parish of Kiltearn is Nonekill, or St. Ninian's chapel. ** Attached to the
ancient Cathedral church of Rosses was the chaplaincy of St. Ninian. 1 *6 In
x
Roxburghshire was Bowden, 57 dedicated to St. Ninian. One of the
Shetland Islands is called Roynan's or Ringan's Isle, 158 where a chapel had been erected so far north in memory of St, Ninian. This was at Dunross- ness,I59 on the west coast. l6° Near Sterling, in Sterlingshire, is St. Ringan's
Church, and in its vicinity there is a copious spring of water bearing his name. 161 From the well of St. Ninian, the parish of St. Ninian,162 is said to have derived its name. l63 This parish formerly comprehended the whole
135 Only a small part of it now remains in
the parish of Rosemarkie, and it stood in the
town of Chanonry. The episcopal see of
Ross was founded by David I. , King of Scotland," vol. x. Perthshire. Parish of Scotland ; and although there is no certain Port of Menteith, pp. 1094 and 1 105. account of when the cathedral had been 144 See " Vitse Dunkeldenis Ecclesise built, it is said to have been a fine one, with Episcoporum. " a lofty steeple. At the Reformation period I4s A village in the parish of Longforgan, it probably shared the fate of many other and presbytery of Dundee. See the " New churches. See the "New Statistical Account
partly in Forfar, but mainly in Perthshire, see Francis H. Groome's " Ordnance
Statistical Account of Scotland," vol. x. Perthshire. Parish of Longforgan, pp. 410, 418.
146 See " Origines Parochiales Scotiae, part i. , p. 74.
147
By Lady Lochow, daughter to Robert, Duke of Albany.
Gazetteer of Scotland," vol. ii. , pp. 289, 290. 143 See the " New Statistical Account of
148 The tract of
and on which a part of Hutchesontown is now built, is called St. Ninian's Crofc.
"
See M'Ure's History of Glasgow," pp. 52
to 54.
»49 By William Stewart, prebendary of
Killearn, and rector of Glasford.
150 See the " New Statistical Account of
158 See Sibbald's " Shetland," p. 15.
f » See the " New Statistical Account of
Shetland," vol. xv. Shetland. Parish of
Dunrossness, pp. 93 to 96.
160
See Chalmers' "Caledonia," vol. i. , book ii. , chap, vii. , n. (1).
161 Besides at Stirling, St. Ninian's wells at Lamington and Arbroath are also known. See Joseph Anderson's " Scotland in Early
ground
on which it
stood,
Scotland," vol. vi. Lanarkshire. Parish Christian Times," lect. vi. , n. I. , pp. 193,
of Govan, by Rev. M. Leishman, Minister, pp. 668 to 718.
151 In Gaelic written Cill Tighearn or St.
Ternan's Church. Five pre-Reformation
chapels, in ruins, are among the antiquities of this parish. See Francis H. Groome's
194.
162 The church of St. Ninian in this parish
had been used for a powder-magazine by Prince Charles Edward's army; but on their retreat northwards on the 1st of February, 1746, it was blown up,, and on the occasion several people were killed. About the year 1750, or 1751, the new church there had
been built and opened for purposes of Pres- byterian worship.
"
Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland," vol. iv. ,
P- 387.
'S2 See "Old Statistical Account of Scot-
land," vol. i. , p. 293.
153 See "
Origines part ii. , p. 469.
Parochiales Scotia? ,"
163 A account of this very complete
154 See Chalmer's " Caledonia," vol. i. , book it. , chap, vii. , p. 315.
parish may be found in the "New Statistical
grammar
Glasgow
of Scotland," vol. xiv. Ross and Cromarty. Parish of Rosemarkie, pp. 350, 351.
156 See Chalmers' "Caledonia," vol. i. ,
book ii. , chap, vii. , p. 315, n. (1). 157 "
See Origines Parochiales Scotiae," part i. , p. 287.
Account of Scotland," vol. viii. , by Rev. C. Greig, A. M. , Minister, pp. 303 to 339.
4©8
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [September 16.
district between the Forth and the Carron. 16* The original name of this parish was Egglis, Egglais or Eccles, signifying "the church. "l6s In Stirling
1
formerly stood. Also the ruined parish church of Penningham, ?
in Wigton-
shire, was dedicated to St. Ninian. 1 ? 1 It is in a burying-ground about three miles south of Newtonstewart, at the Clauchan of Penninghame. 172 Abroad, in various places, the memory of St. Ninian was held in special veneration. In the Church of the Carmelite Fathers of
16? In where a chapel dedicated to St. Ninian stood at a remote date. In Wigtonshire, especially associated with St. Ninian's name, are the Cuives of Cree, l6 9 where his chapel was. He was the special patron of Whithorn, as we have already seen, and there his Church of St. Martin
of St. Ninian
a
Sutherland is Navidale,
chapel
formerly existed, 168
Campsie.
founded an altar to St. Ninian and endowed a
In 1548, when Mary, the beautiful daughter of the Scottish Stuarts, went
to France to become the fiancee of the Dauphin, she landed at the little
fishing port of Roscoff, in Brittany, in the department of Finisterre. In order to preserve the memory of the circumstance, affectionate hands marked the spot of her debarkation, and traced the outline of her foot upon the stone. A handsome little Gothic chapel was afterwards built upon the site, and dedi- cated to St. Ninian. Its ruins still attest the original grace which marked the structure. But the hancl of Time has long lain heavily upon the memorial ; the roof has long since fallen in ; and only the walls, the mullioned windows, filled in with rude stonework, and the graceful Gothic arched doorway of the external structure now remain. Within, matters are still worse. All is nakedness and desolation, and in what were once the aisle and transepts, the tall grass grows luxuriantly above the piles of debris, which had previously filledthem. Theuprightstonesofthreealtarsstilldenotetheplace,where the mysteries of religion were celebrated. The aspect of the whole place is sad and mournful as the chequered career of the unhappy lady, with whose name it has been interwoven. Even as a ruin, however, it is dear to many for its
very associations. 1 ^ In the year 1876, this chapel was doomed to extinction. 1 ? 6 The edifice was never a pretentious one ; it was never anything morethanaprettylittlearchitecturalmemorial; butasamonumentofoneof
164 « With the exception of the small space
Scotland," vol. iv. Wigtonshire. The parish
occupied by the parish of Stirling, the Forth
is still its boundary for many miles, by which
it is separated from Kincardine, Lecropt, bell which bore the following inscription, in
u
Logie, and Allan. On the east it is Saxon letters, Campana Sancti Niniani de
bounded by Airth ; on the west by Gargun- Penigham, M. ," when Symson wrote his nock and Fintray. The carron on the "Large Description of Galloway," in
south, for nearly six miles, separates it from Kinsyth and Denny ; while Dunipace and Larbert for—m the remainder of its southern
boundary. " William Nimmo's "History of
Stirlingshire," vol. ii. , chap, i. , p. 14. Third edition.
165Until— the itselfwascalled 1724, village
Kirktown. Ibid. , vol. i. , chap, xxi. , p. 375.
1684.
*** See Chalmers' "Caledonia," vol. iii. ,
chap, iv. , sect, viii. , p. 411, n. (i).
*M
Privy Seal Regist. , xii. , 26.
'74 See Chalmers' " Caledonia," vol. iii. ,
chap, iv. , sect, viii. , p. 411, n. (i).
I? 5 The account contained in the text has
been taken from the Freeman's lourntl of Dublin, October 7th, 1876.
17<s The place had been purchased as the site of an intended " Salle d'Asile " for the parish, a benevolent institution much needed, it appears, there, and the beginning of next year will witness the demolition of the historic building unless some means of providing another site for the asylum be forthcoming from outside. —Ibid.
166 " See
p. 344-
Reyistrum de Dunfermline,"
167 See Registrum EpiscopatusGlasg. ,p. 8S.
168 See the "New Statistical Account of Scotland, vol. xv. , Sutherland. Parish of Loth, p. 201
169 See Chalmers' " Caledonia," vol. iii. ,
chap, iv. , sect, viii. , p. 411, n. (i).
'? See the " New Statistical Account of
166 and also at
Bruges,
17+
chaplain.
173 the Scotch nation
of Penninghame, p. 176.
'? ' At the church of Penninghame was a
September 16. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS 409
the most romantic and touching tragedies of modern history it was dear to
many. SomeofSt. Ninian'srelicsweresavedaftertheReformation,andpre-
servedintheScots'CollegeatDouai,inFrance. Anarmhadbeenrecovered
by Father Alexander Macquarry, and it was given in charge to the Countess
1
of Linlithgow. ? ? It was intrusted by Alexander Seton to Father John Robb,
18It 1^
one which bone,
to be brought to the seminary. -
Chapel of St. Margaret, by the Scots in Douai College, and this was enclosed
The Church of Candida Casa, founded by St. Ninian at Whithorn, does not appear to have been used for a very long period after his death, notwith- standing the reverence in which the patron's name had been held. 181 In 727, a bishopric was there established by the Angles, and the see had been filled by five bishops, but it came to an end about the year 796. The Cathedral of Whithorn contained the chief reli—cs of St. Ninian ; and pilgrimages by all
. is stated, that
went from the elbow to the sheikle-bone, had been kept religiously in the
ina ofwood, a l8° Sofar as canbe figure representing Bishop.
ascertained, the Christianity, introduced by St. Ninian to the remote part of Scotland in which he lived and laboured, seems to have declined after his death, owing to the frequent inroads of the Picts and Scots on the more southern districts. It is possible, that during those raids many churches were destroyed. His diocese became disorganised, and it disappears, for many ages afterwards.
classes were frequently m—ade thither especially from all parts of Scotland, 182
England and Ireland including personages of the highest rank, even kings and queens. This practice continued down to the time of the Reformation. l83 BeforethatperiodthetownofWhithernwaspopularlycalled
St, Ninian's, from being the ancient seat of the worthy bishop, and it being 18
the place of his burial. * In 11-43, during the reign of King David I, of
the Church was refounded
Cathedral of St. Martin, now roofless and ruined, was built in the 12th century by French masons, who came from St. Martin's Abbey at Tours. The west end is Norman j the remainder of the building is partly early English and partly decorated. 186 That beautiful cathedral, during the religious troubles in Scotland, was wrecked and
Scotland,
l ? 7 She was named Helena, daughter to Andrew, the seventh Earl of Errol, and she
married Alexander, first Earl of
The charge of the Princess Elizabeth was committed to her and to her husband. So well had they discharged their duty, that they received the thanks of the King and Council. That a Catholic should have charge of the Princess is not wonderful, for Anne of Denmark had secretly conformed, and had Father Robert Abercromby for her
" confessor. See Sir Robert Douglas's Peer-
age of Scotland, with a continuation by John Philip Wood, vol. ii. , p. 127, and vol.
v-> P> 549> Edinburgh, 1813. Also, Conoeus, " De Duplici Statu Religionis," p. 270. Romae, 1628.
by Fergus
be seen, when Venerable Bede wrote, two hundred and fifty years after it had been
Linlithgow.
built. See Hill Burton's " John
Scotland," vol. i. , chap, i. , p. 40.
l82 See Chalmers' "
History
vol.
of
pulled
down the l8? In by Presbyterians.
l8s Chambers gives several extracts relative to St. Ninian from the treasurer's books of 178 gee "Acta Sanctorum," tomus v. , James IV. 's reign. See " Caledonia," vol.
Septembris xvi. , p. 327.
179 By Father Augustine Hay, in
"
iii. , chap, iv. , sect, viii. , pp. 412 to 414, n. (1).
,86SeeWalcott's"Scoti-Monasticon The :
Ancient Church of Scotland," p. 223.
l8? See Le Comte de Montalembert's " Les Moines d'Occident," tome iii. , liv. x. , chap.
i. , p. 20, n. 2.
Thisis a
Scotia manuscript kept
Sacra," p. 387.
in the Advocates' Library, Edinburgh.
180 The relic was enclosed in the right
arm. 181
The remains of Candida Casa were to
only
of l8s The Galloway.
Caledonia," chap, iv. , sect, viii. , p. 411.
iii. ,
l83 In 1581, an act of the Scottish Parlia-
ment rendered those
1&* A Presbyterian minister, John Mac-
lellan, who lived in the reign of Charles I. , states, that Whithern owed all its celebrity to Ninian, who was the tutelar saint of the place. He wrote an account of Galloway, and which was published in Blaeu's Atlas, p. 59.
pilgrimages illegal,
4i° LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [Septemberj. 6.
Whithern was established a community of Premonstratensian Monks over whom a Prior had been placed. In their church some of St. Ninian's relics
and
were 188 The mediaeval cathedral is now deposited.
roofless,
with ivy, measuring 72 by 24 feet, in the Romanesque first Pointed and second Pointed styles of architecture. The chief vestige of its former magnificence is a beautiful round-headed archway, with remains of vaults and
l8
other buildings in connection with the ancient priory. 9 Four Gothic
arches whicli formed stand,
of a modern of 1 ? place worship.
part
When the Roman Empire was falling to pieces before the inroads of bar-
barians from the north and east, the last of the legionaries was withdrawn from Britain, in a. d. 410, while St. Ninian was still preaching among the Southern Picts. When the Imperial legions had failed to maintain their position, this pioneer of the Gospel had begun to lay the foundations of the Church, in the centre and south-west parts of Scotland. His work was
102 St.
greatest of the ancient British Apostles, of whom we have any clear and
1*1 St.
and other holy missionaries; but, St. Ninian remains the foremost and
taken St. up by
Palladius,
Ternan,
Kentigern,
1 distinct tradition. For now ages
the once of the powerful Empire
long past,
West has shared the fate of all conquests founded on greed and rapine ; but, the small mustard seed of the Gospel grew into a flourishing tree and spread its branches over the ruins, If many of those branches have perished during the fierce storm of the Reformation in Scotland; still does the parent stock remain, and the roots deeply-planted are vigorous, in our age of enlighten- ment, while destined yet to restore over the length and breadth of that
beautiful land the benign influences of the Holy Catholic Church.
Article II. —St. Laisren, Abbot of Iona.
parishes of Wiston and Roberton, by Rev. Charles Wood, Minister, pp. 93 to 100.
124 See Chalmers' "Caledonia," vol. iii. , chap, iv. , sect, viii. , p. 411, n. (i).
125 See Retours, Lanark, p. 82.
"7 Act. Pari. , vol. v. , p. 563.
128
See Chalmers' "Caledonia," vol. iii. , chap, ix. , sect, viii. , p. 411, n. (i. )
129 This House was at the Gobals end of the bridge. See the " New Statistical Account of Scotland," vol. vi. Lanarkshire.
which is in the shire of Nairn. See " Topo- graphical, Statistical, and Historical Gazetteer of Scotland," vol. i. , pp. 417, 418.
,37See Retours, Elgin, p. 141.
"
138 See Chalmers'
chap, iv. , sect, viii. , p. 411, n. (i).
139 See Retours, Perth, p. 152.
140 Rising from the margin of the river, the parish reaches the summit of the hill of
Kinnoull, and it presents many striking features of natural beauty. See the " New
Statistical Account of Scotland," vol. x. Perthshire. Parish of Kinnoull, p. 934.
126 " See Chalmers'
Caledonia," vol. iii. ,
Caledonia," vol. iii. , chap, iv. , sect, viii. , p. 411, n. (i).
of and Suburban Parishes of Glasgow
,4' See
142 For an account of this parish, situated
City
Barony and Gobals, p. 112.
Retours, Perth, p. 70.
136 Dyke and Moy were two parishes in
September 16. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 407
at Lany, a former separate parish, but now annexed to that of Port of
Menteith,
1^in an
Altarage
of Dunkeld
Cathedral,
1"and at in Mylne. ^s
Renfrewshire are the following memorials: an Altarage in Renfrew,1-*6 and
also in Govan was he celebrated. Here there was a Leper Hospital
1
founded *? about the middle of the fourteenth century, and a chapel con-
8
nected with it ;H both being dedicated to St. Ninian, and the latter being
rebuilt and endowed1 ^ in the master of the 1494,
school of
being the chaplain. The situation of St. Ninian's Hospital was not far from the south end of the Gorbals' bridge. On the east side, and near the centre
of the main street of Gorbals, seems to have been the site of St. Ninian's 11
Chapel. * In the parish of Kilteani,'* Ross-shire, is Balconie ; in which St. Ninian was commemorated, 152 as also at Roskeen and Fortrosse. x 53 In the
1
parish of Kiltearn is Nonekill, or St. Ninian's chapel. ** Attached to the
ancient Cathedral church of Rosses was the chaplaincy of St. Ninian. 1 *6 In
x
Roxburghshire was Bowden, 57 dedicated to St. Ninian. One of the
Shetland Islands is called Roynan's or Ringan's Isle, 158 where a chapel had been erected so far north in memory of St, Ninian. This was at Dunross- ness,I59 on the west coast. l6° Near Sterling, in Sterlingshire, is St. Ringan's
Church, and in its vicinity there is a copious spring of water bearing his name. 161 From the well of St. Ninian, the parish of St. Ninian,162 is said to have derived its name. l63 This parish formerly comprehended the whole
135 Only a small part of it now remains in
the parish of Rosemarkie, and it stood in the
town of Chanonry. The episcopal see of
Ross was founded by David I. , King of Scotland," vol. x. Perthshire. Parish of Scotland ; and although there is no certain Port of Menteith, pp. 1094 and 1 105. account of when the cathedral had been 144 See " Vitse Dunkeldenis Ecclesise built, it is said to have been a fine one, with Episcoporum. " a lofty steeple. At the Reformation period I4s A village in the parish of Longforgan, it probably shared the fate of many other and presbytery of Dundee. See the " New churches. See the "New Statistical Account
partly in Forfar, but mainly in Perthshire, see Francis H. Groome's " Ordnance
Statistical Account of Scotland," vol. x. Perthshire. Parish of Longforgan, pp. 410, 418.
146 See " Origines Parochiales Scotiae, part i. , p. 74.
147
By Lady Lochow, daughter to Robert, Duke of Albany.
Gazetteer of Scotland," vol. ii. , pp. 289, 290. 143 See the " New Statistical Account of
148 The tract of
and on which a part of Hutchesontown is now built, is called St. Ninian's Crofc.
"
See M'Ure's History of Glasgow," pp. 52
to 54.
»49 By William Stewart, prebendary of
Killearn, and rector of Glasford.
150 See the " New Statistical Account of
158 See Sibbald's " Shetland," p. 15.
f » See the " New Statistical Account of
Shetland," vol. xv. Shetland. Parish of
Dunrossness, pp. 93 to 96.
160
See Chalmers' "Caledonia," vol. i. , book ii. , chap, vii. , n. (1).
161 Besides at Stirling, St. Ninian's wells at Lamington and Arbroath are also known. See Joseph Anderson's " Scotland in Early
ground
on which it
stood,
Scotland," vol. vi. Lanarkshire. Parish Christian Times," lect. vi. , n. I. , pp. 193,
of Govan, by Rev. M. Leishman, Minister, pp. 668 to 718.
151 In Gaelic written Cill Tighearn or St.
Ternan's Church. Five pre-Reformation
chapels, in ruins, are among the antiquities of this parish. See Francis H. Groome's
194.
162 The church of St. Ninian in this parish
had been used for a powder-magazine by Prince Charles Edward's army; but on their retreat northwards on the 1st of February, 1746, it was blown up,, and on the occasion several people were killed. About the year 1750, or 1751, the new church there had
been built and opened for purposes of Pres- byterian worship.
"
Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland," vol. iv. ,
P- 387.
'S2 See "Old Statistical Account of Scot-
land," vol. i. , p. 293.
153 See "
Origines part ii. , p. 469.
Parochiales Scotia? ,"
163 A account of this very complete
154 See Chalmer's " Caledonia," vol. i. , book it. , chap, vii. , p. 315.
parish may be found in the "New Statistical
grammar
Glasgow
of Scotland," vol. xiv. Ross and Cromarty. Parish of Rosemarkie, pp. 350, 351.
156 See Chalmers' "Caledonia," vol. i. ,
book ii. , chap, vii. , p. 315, n. (1). 157 "
See Origines Parochiales Scotiae," part i. , p. 287.
Account of Scotland," vol. viii. , by Rev. C. Greig, A. M. , Minister, pp. 303 to 339.
4©8
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [September 16.
district between the Forth and the Carron. 16* The original name of this parish was Egglis, Egglais or Eccles, signifying "the church. "l6s In Stirling
1
formerly stood. Also the ruined parish church of Penningham, ?
in Wigton-
shire, was dedicated to St. Ninian. 1 ? 1 It is in a burying-ground about three miles south of Newtonstewart, at the Clauchan of Penninghame. 172 Abroad, in various places, the memory of St. Ninian was held in special veneration. In the Church of the Carmelite Fathers of
16? In where a chapel dedicated to St. Ninian stood at a remote date. In Wigtonshire, especially associated with St. Ninian's name, are the Cuives of Cree, l6 9 where his chapel was. He was the special patron of Whithorn, as we have already seen, and there his Church of St. Martin
of St. Ninian
a
Sutherland is Navidale,
chapel
formerly existed, 168
Campsie.
founded an altar to St. Ninian and endowed a
In 1548, when Mary, the beautiful daughter of the Scottish Stuarts, went
to France to become the fiancee of the Dauphin, she landed at the little
fishing port of Roscoff, in Brittany, in the department of Finisterre. In order to preserve the memory of the circumstance, affectionate hands marked the spot of her debarkation, and traced the outline of her foot upon the stone. A handsome little Gothic chapel was afterwards built upon the site, and dedi- cated to St. Ninian. Its ruins still attest the original grace which marked the structure. But the hancl of Time has long lain heavily upon the memorial ; the roof has long since fallen in ; and only the walls, the mullioned windows, filled in with rude stonework, and the graceful Gothic arched doorway of the external structure now remain. Within, matters are still worse. All is nakedness and desolation, and in what were once the aisle and transepts, the tall grass grows luxuriantly above the piles of debris, which had previously filledthem. Theuprightstonesofthreealtarsstilldenotetheplace,where the mysteries of religion were celebrated. The aspect of the whole place is sad and mournful as the chequered career of the unhappy lady, with whose name it has been interwoven. Even as a ruin, however, it is dear to many for its
very associations. 1 ^ In the year 1876, this chapel was doomed to extinction. 1 ? 6 The edifice was never a pretentious one ; it was never anything morethanaprettylittlearchitecturalmemorial; butasamonumentofoneof
164 « With the exception of the small space
Scotland," vol. iv. Wigtonshire. The parish
occupied by the parish of Stirling, the Forth
is still its boundary for many miles, by which
it is separated from Kincardine, Lecropt, bell which bore the following inscription, in
u
Logie, and Allan. On the east it is Saxon letters, Campana Sancti Niniani de
bounded by Airth ; on the west by Gargun- Penigham, M. ," when Symson wrote his nock and Fintray. The carron on the "Large Description of Galloway," in
south, for nearly six miles, separates it from Kinsyth and Denny ; while Dunipace and Larbert for—m the remainder of its southern
boundary. " William Nimmo's "History of
Stirlingshire," vol. ii. , chap, i. , p. 14. Third edition.
165Until— the itselfwascalled 1724, village
Kirktown. Ibid. , vol. i. , chap, xxi. , p. 375.
1684.
*** See Chalmers' "Caledonia," vol. iii. ,
chap, iv. , sect, viii. , p. 411, n. (i).
*M
Privy Seal Regist. , xii. , 26.
'74 See Chalmers' " Caledonia," vol. iii. ,
chap, iv. , sect, viii. , p. 411, n. (i).
I? 5 The account contained in the text has
been taken from the Freeman's lourntl of Dublin, October 7th, 1876.
17<s The place had been purchased as the site of an intended " Salle d'Asile " for the parish, a benevolent institution much needed, it appears, there, and the beginning of next year will witness the demolition of the historic building unless some means of providing another site for the asylum be forthcoming from outside. —Ibid.
166 " See
p. 344-
Reyistrum de Dunfermline,"
167 See Registrum EpiscopatusGlasg. ,p. 8S.
168 See the "New Statistical Account of Scotland, vol. xv. , Sutherland. Parish of Loth, p. 201
169 See Chalmers' " Caledonia," vol. iii. ,
chap, iv. , sect, viii. , p. 411, n. (i).
'? See the " New Statistical Account of
166 and also at
Bruges,
17+
chaplain.
173 the Scotch nation
of Penninghame, p. 176.
'? ' At the church of Penninghame was a
September 16. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS 409
the most romantic and touching tragedies of modern history it was dear to
many. SomeofSt. Ninian'srelicsweresavedaftertheReformation,andpre-
servedintheScots'CollegeatDouai,inFrance. Anarmhadbeenrecovered
by Father Alexander Macquarry, and it was given in charge to the Countess
1
of Linlithgow. ? ? It was intrusted by Alexander Seton to Father John Robb,
18It 1^
one which bone,
to be brought to the seminary. -
Chapel of St. Margaret, by the Scots in Douai College, and this was enclosed
The Church of Candida Casa, founded by St. Ninian at Whithorn, does not appear to have been used for a very long period after his death, notwith- standing the reverence in which the patron's name had been held. 181 In 727, a bishopric was there established by the Angles, and the see had been filled by five bishops, but it came to an end about the year 796. The Cathedral of Whithorn contained the chief reli—cs of St. Ninian ; and pilgrimages by all
. is stated, that
went from the elbow to the sheikle-bone, had been kept religiously in the
ina ofwood, a l8° Sofar as canbe figure representing Bishop.
ascertained, the Christianity, introduced by St. Ninian to the remote part of Scotland in which he lived and laboured, seems to have declined after his death, owing to the frequent inroads of the Picts and Scots on the more southern districts. It is possible, that during those raids many churches were destroyed. His diocese became disorganised, and it disappears, for many ages afterwards.
classes were frequently m—ade thither especially from all parts of Scotland, 182
England and Ireland including personages of the highest rank, even kings and queens. This practice continued down to the time of the Reformation. l83 BeforethatperiodthetownofWhithernwaspopularlycalled
St, Ninian's, from being the ancient seat of the worthy bishop, and it being 18
the place of his burial. * In 11-43, during the reign of King David I, of
the Church was refounded
Cathedral of St. Martin, now roofless and ruined, was built in the 12th century by French masons, who came from St. Martin's Abbey at Tours. The west end is Norman j the remainder of the building is partly early English and partly decorated. 186 That beautiful cathedral, during the religious troubles in Scotland, was wrecked and
Scotland,
l ? 7 She was named Helena, daughter to Andrew, the seventh Earl of Errol, and she
married Alexander, first Earl of
The charge of the Princess Elizabeth was committed to her and to her husband. So well had they discharged their duty, that they received the thanks of the King and Council. That a Catholic should have charge of the Princess is not wonderful, for Anne of Denmark had secretly conformed, and had Father Robert Abercromby for her
" confessor. See Sir Robert Douglas's Peer-
age of Scotland, with a continuation by John Philip Wood, vol. ii. , p. 127, and vol.
v-> P> 549> Edinburgh, 1813. Also, Conoeus, " De Duplici Statu Religionis," p. 270. Romae, 1628.
by Fergus
be seen, when Venerable Bede wrote, two hundred and fifty years after it had been
Linlithgow.
built. See Hill Burton's " John
Scotland," vol. i. , chap, i. , p. 40.
l82 See Chalmers' "
History
vol.
of
pulled
down the l8? In by Presbyterians.
l8s Chambers gives several extracts relative to St. Ninian from the treasurer's books of 178 gee "Acta Sanctorum," tomus v. , James IV. 's reign. See " Caledonia," vol.
Septembris xvi. , p. 327.
179 By Father Augustine Hay, in
"
iii. , chap, iv. , sect, viii. , pp. 412 to 414, n. (1).
,86SeeWalcott's"Scoti-Monasticon The :
Ancient Church of Scotland," p. 223.
l8? See Le Comte de Montalembert's " Les Moines d'Occident," tome iii. , liv. x. , chap.
i. , p. 20, n. 2.
Thisis a
Scotia manuscript kept
Sacra," p. 387.
in the Advocates' Library, Edinburgh.
180 The relic was enclosed in the right
arm. 181
The remains of Candida Casa were to
only
of l8s The Galloway.
Caledonia," chap, iv. , sect, viii. , p. 411.
iii. ,
l83 In 1581, an act of the Scottish Parlia-
ment rendered those
1&* A Presbyterian minister, John Mac-
lellan, who lived in the reign of Charles I. , states, that Whithern owed all its celebrity to Ninian, who was the tutelar saint of the place. He wrote an account of Galloway, and which was published in Blaeu's Atlas, p. 59.
pilgrimages illegal,
4i° LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [Septemberj. 6.
Whithern was established a community of Premonstratensian Monks over whom a Prior had been placed. In their church some of St. Ninian's relics
and
were 188 The mediaeval cathedral is now deposited.
roofless,
with ivy, measuring 72 by 24 feet, in the Romanesque first Pointed and second Pointed styles of architecture. The chief vestige of its former magnificence is a beautiful round-headed archway, with remains of vaults and
l8
other buildings in connection with the ancient priory. 9 Four Gothic
arches whicli formed stand,
of a modern of 1 ? place worship.
part
When the Roman Empire was falling to pieces before the inroads of bar-
barians from the north and east, the last of the legionaries was withdrawn from Britain, in a. d. 410, while St. Ninian was still preaching among the Southern Picts. When the Imperial legions had failed to maintain their position, this pioneer of the Gospel had begun to lay the foundations of the Church, in the centre and south-west parts of Scotland. His work was
102 St.
greatest of the ancient British Apostles, of whom we have any clear and
1*1 St.
and other holy missionaries; but, St. Ninian remains the foremost and
taken St. up by
Palladius,
Ternan,
Kentigern,
1 distinct tradition. For now ages
the once of the powerful Empire
long past,
West has shared the fate of all conquests founded on greed and rapine ; but, the small mustard seed of the Gospel grew into a flourishing tree and spread its branches over the ruins, If many of those branches have perished during the fierce storm of the Reformation in Scotland; still does the parent stock remain, and the roots deeply-planted are vigorous, in our age of enlighten- ment, while destined yet to restore over the length and breadth of that
beautiful land the benign influences of the Holy Catholic Church.
Article II. —St. Laisren, Abbot of Iona.
