Melrose

Scotland > South of Scotland > Roxburghshire > Melrose

There had been a monastery at old Melrose since the 7th cent., but the Cistercian Abbey of Melrose was founded in 1336 by King David I. The Abbey suffered bably over the years in the wars of independence between Scotland and England. Its final reduction was at the hands of the Earl of Hertford in 1544. It was much repaired under the supervision of Sir Walter Scott after being gifted to the nation by the Duke of Buccleuch in 1822. The heart of Robert the Bruce is said to be buried here after his death in the crusades. The town itself started froma small village called Fordel but gained a greater status under the Abbey and in 1609 all the land became a temporal lordship. Since Scott's time Melrose has grown as a tourist centre for Scott country and the surrounding Border country.