History Elgin, Moray

in august 1040, macbeth s army defeated , killed duncan @ bothganowan (pitgaveny), near elgin. elgin first recorded in charter of david in 1151 in granted annuity priory of urquhart. david had made elgin royal burgh around 1130, after defeat of Óengus of moray. during david s reign castle established @ top of lady hill. town received royal charter alexander ii in 1224 when granted land new cathedral andrew, bishop of moray. settled episcopal see had been @ various times @ kinneddar, birnie , spynie. elgin popular residence scottish monarchs: david i, william i, alexander ii , alexander iii held court there , hunted in royal forests.

of these kings, alexander ii elgin s greatest benefactor , returned many times royal castle. established 2 religious houses of town, dominicans or blackfriars in west side , franciscans or greyfriars in east. further east stood hospital of maison dieu, or house of god, founded during reign of alexander ii reception of poor men , women.

elgin cathedral

on 19 july 1224, foundation stone of new elgin cathedral ceremoniously laid. cathedral completed sometime after 1242 destroyed fire in 1270. reasons unrecorded. buildings remain ruins date reconstruction following fire. chartulary of moray described completed cathedral mirror of country , glory of kingdom .

edward of england travelled twice elgin. during first visit in 1296 impressed saw. preserved in cotton library held in british library journal of stay, describing castle , town of elgin bon chastell et bonne ville — castle , town. second visit in september 1303, castle s wooden interior had been burned while held english governor, henry de rye. result, stayed in elgin 2 days , camped @ kinloss abbey 13 september until 4 october. king edward furious when david de moravia, bishop of moray, joined scotland s cause bruce, , edward appealed pope excommunicated bishop, removing papal protection, causing him flee orkney, norway, return after robert bruce s victories against english. after edward s death in july 1307, robert bruce retook scotland in 1308, slighting castles keep them out of english hands. david de moravia, bishop of moray @ head of army, joined bruce , slighted castles of inverness, nairn , forres before seizing , slighting kinneddar castle, housed english soldiers. attacked elgin castle twice repulsed before succeeding.

in august 1370 alexander bur, bishop of moray began payments alexander stewart, wolf of badenoch, king robert iii s brother, protection of lands , men. in february 1390, bishop turned thomas dunbar, son of earl of moray, provide protection. action infuriated stewart , in may descended castle on island in lochindorb , burned town of forres in revenge. in june burned of elgin, including 2 monasteries, st giles church, hospital of maison dieu , cathedral. andrew of wyntoun s orygynale cronykil of scotland (a 15th-century history of scotland) described action wyld, wykked heland-men . rebuilding of cathedral took many years; of has since crumbled away due inferior quality of stone made available 15th , 16th century masons, while 13th century construction still remains. in 1506, great central tower collapsed , although rebuilding work began next year not completed till 1538.

from reformation eighteenth century

elgin cathedral

the citizens of elgin , surrounding areas did not seem object new religion following reformation. in 1568 lead stripped roof of cathedral, order of privy council of scotland. lead sold , proceeds go maintenance of regent moray s soldiers, ship taking lead cargo holland sank on leaving aberdeen harbour. without protection building began deteriorate. in 1637, rafters on choir blown down , in 1640 minister of st giles along laird of innes , alexander brodie of brodie, ardent covenanters, removed , destroyed ornately carved screen , woodwork had remained intact. tracery of west window destroyed sometime between 1650 , 1660 cromwell s soldiers. on easter sunday 1711 central tower collapsed second time in history, caused more damage. rubble quarried various projects in vicinity until 1807 when, through efforts of joseph king of newmill, wall built around cathedral , keeper s house erected. mountains of rubble cleared 1 john shanks, enabling visitors view ornate stonemasonry. john presented ornate snuffbox authorities, in elgin museum, honoured large tombstone in eastern cathedral precincts.

when daniel defoe toured scotland in 1717, visited elgin , said:

in rich country city, or town rather, of elgin; city, because in antient time monks claim d city; , cathedral shews, ruins, place of great magnificence. nor must wonder d at, if in pleasant, rich, , agreeable part of country, rest being differing it, clergy should seat in proportion d number, seeing must them justice say, if there place richer , more fruitful, , pleasant another, seldom fail find out. country rich , pleasant, here great many rich inhabitants, , in town of elgin in particular; gentlemen, if edinburgh, or court, part of island, leave highland habitations in winter , come , live here diversion of place , plenty of provisions; , there is, on account, great variety of gentlemen society, , of parties , of opinions. makes elgin agreeable place live in, notwithstanding distance, being above 450 measur d miles [725 km] london, , more, if must go edinburgh.

the cathedral known lantern of north. when bishop bur wrote king robert iii, complaining of wanton destruction done building king s brother, wolf of badenoch, describes cathedral ornament of district, glory of kingdom , admiration of foreigners. chambers, in picture of scotland, says:

it allowed fact, ruins seem still attest, far splendid specimen of ecclesiastical architecture in scotland, abbey church of melrose not excepted. must acknowledged edifice last mentioned wonderful instance of symmetry , elaborate decoration; yet in extent, in loftiness, in impressive magnificence, , in minute decoration, elgin has been manifestly superior. enough still remains impress solitary traveller sense of admiration mixed astonishment.

lachlan shaw in history of province of moray equally impressed when wrote

the church when entire building of gothic architecture inferior few in europe.

prince charles edward stuart travelled elgin inverness in march 1746 and, falling ill feverish cold, stayed 11 days before returning await arrival of king s army. stayed in elgin mrs anderson, passionate jacobite, @ thunderton house. kept sheets prince slept on , buried in them quarter of century later. duke of cumberland passed through town on 13 april, camping @ alves on way meet prince in battle on drummossie muir. after battle, william boyd, 4th earl of kilmarnock, 1 of prince s generals, captured , taken london , eventual execution, wrote friend prison indebtedness shoemakers of elgin:

beside personal debts mentioned in general , particular in state, there 1 liable in justice, if not paid, owing poor people gave work orders. @ elgin in murray, regiment commanded wanted shoes. commissioned seventy pair of shoes , brogues, might come 3 shillngs or 3 shillings , sixpence each, 1 other. magistrates divided them among shoemakers of town , country, , each shoemaker furnished proportion. drew on town, price, out of composition laid on them, afterwards told @ inverness that, believed, composition otherwise applied, , poor shoemakers not paid. these poor people wrought orders, great ease heart think not lose me, many have done in course of year, had lived might have made inquiry after: impossible, hardships in loss of horses , such things, happeened through soldiers, interwoven done other people, hard, if not impossible, separate them. if ll write mr innes of dalkinty @ elgin (with whom quartered when lay there), send account of shoes, , if paid shoemakers or no; , if not, beg ll wife, or successors pay them when can ...

nineteenth century

dr grays hospital

in 19th century old medieval town of elgin swept away. first major addition town centre assembly rooms, built in 1821 trinity lodge of freemasons, @ corner of high street , north street. in 1819, dr gray s hospital built on unused ground. building has imposing columns , distinctive dome.dr alexander gray, doctor worked , made fortune east india company, endowed £26,000 hospital. in 1828 new parish church of st giles built @ cost of £10,000. lt. general andrew anderson, born in elgin, of east india company, died in 1824 , bequeathed £70,000 town found institution welfare of elderly poor , education of orphans. anderson institute built in east end of town in 1832 accommodation 50 children , 10 elderly people. burgh court house built in 1841, museum in 1842 , county buildings in 1866.

the morayshire railway officially opened in ceremonies @ elgin , lossiemouth on 10 august 1852, steam engines having been delivered lossiemouth sea. first railway north of aberdeen , ran 5 ⁄2 miles (9 km) between elgin , lossiemouth. later extended south craigellachie. great north of scotland railway took on working of line in 1863 , bought company in 1881 following morayshire railway s return solvency crippling debt. railway , lossiemouth harbour became important elgin s economy.

the town becoming prosperous, , 1882 had head post office savings bank, insurance , telegraph departments, , branches of bank of scotland , british linen company, caledonian, commercial, north of scotland, royal , union banks, , national securities savings bank, offices or agencies of 48 insurance companies, 5 hotels , newspaper. not until 20th century, however, separate villages of bishopmill , new elgin incorporated town.

the cooper park drill hall completed in 1908.