Lindores Abbey

Lindores Abbey was a Tironensian abbey on the outskirts of Newburgh in Fife. The abbey was founded as a daughter house of Kelso Abbey in 1191 (some sources say 1178), by David, Earl of Huntingdon, on land granted to him by his brother William the Lion. The first abbot was Guido, Prior of Kelso, under whom the buildings were mostly completed.

The abbey was sacked by a mob from Dundee in 1543, and again by John Knox and his supporters in 1559. After the Reformation, the Abbey passed into the hands of a Commendator, one whose loyal service to the King was rewarded by the gift of the ecclesiastical income and property. The monks remained for a time, but the Abbey began to be dismantled around 1584. In the following years the Abbey buildings were quarried as a source of building stone for Newburgh, and slate, timber and carvings from the Abbey as well as a number of architectural fragments are visible built into later structures in the town.

The main upstanding remains of the Abbey are: one of the gateways leading into the monastic enclosure; the groin-vaulted slype, leading from the cloister garth to the exterior of the Abbey; and parts of the chancel walls and western tower of the church, although the ground plan of the whole structure can still be traced. Sections of the imposing precinct wall which once enclosed the abbey can also be seen in fields to the south.

The Lindores Abbey distillery re-opened in 2017 and began distilling scotch whisky by December of that year. It is owned and operated by the McKenzie Smith family.

References:

• Wikipedia

Address

Abbey Road 2, Newburgh, Fife, United Kingdom

Details

Founded: 1191
Category: Religious sites in United Kingdom