William the Lion, King of Scotland, was a close friend of Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury. When William decided to establish a Tironensian abbey at Arbroath in 1178, he dedicated the abbey to Becket. In so doing, he was thumbing his nose at Henry II of England, at whose instigation Becket was killed in 1170. A new abbey at Arbroath, on the Angus coast, also served to strengthen the king's influence in the north of his fractious kingdom.
Arbroath,
Tayside,
Scotland,
DD11 1EG
Founded about 1230, it is Scotland's second oldest inhabited religious house. Parts of the church and domestic buildings remain. Situated in Ardchattan Garden.
Oban,
Oban,
Strathclyde,
Scotland
We are not certain what the meaning of Balmerino is; at first glance it seems oddly Italian. It is possible that the name derives from 'bal', meaning town, and Merinach, a Celtic saint thought to have visited the region. We are on firmer historic ground when it comes to the foundation of the abbey, for we know that it was established under the patronage of Queen Ermengarde, wife of King William the Lion, in 1229.
Balmerino,
Fife,
Scotland,
DD6 8SD
The remains of a priory founded by the Valliscaulian order in 1230. The ruins date from the 13th-16th centuries. Beauly Priory was once visited by Mary, Queen of Scots.
Beauly,
Highlands,
Highlands and Islands,
Scotland
Remains of great 12th century Augustinian abbey used by Scottish Parliament. 13th century belfry. James III and Queen Margaret of Denmark are buried here
Stirling,
Central Scotland,
Scotland
The remains of Coldingham Priory stand in an attractive setting in this rural Berwickshire village. The peaceful ruins are deceptive, for Coldingham Priory was once one of the largest and most important monastic centres in Scotland. The priory began in 1098, when King Edgar gave permission for monks from Durham to erect a priory church here.
High Street,
Coldingham,
Borders,
Scotland
A Cluniac monastery founded in 1244 by Duncan, heir to the Earldom of Carrick. The extraordinary thing about Crossraguel is just how much of the site is still relatively intact; the extensive ruins include the church, chapterhouse, gatehouse, dovecot, cloister and a tall tower house which offers wonderful views over the site from the top. The founding monks came from Paisley Abbey, the only other Cluniac monastic house in Scotland.
Maybole,
Strathclyde,
Scotland,
KA19 5HQ
Remains of Cistercian monastery founded in 1217. Ruins of nave, cellars and domestic buildings. Abbey Church forms part of the present parish church
Culross,
Fife,
Scotland
