Inchaffray Abbey









Fiercely gleam’s the old monk’s home



To other lands they now must roam


Their abbey grey is clothed in fire


From lowest stone to topmost spire



Located in the parish of Madderty , it was at one time one of the largest abbeys in Scotland . It is said to have contained over 200 monks . One of the abbots ( Maurice ) is reputed to have carried the arm of St Fillan and performed mass before the Scottish army at the Battle of Bannockburn , in the fight for independence . The numerous church roads through that part of the country where it is situated , show the paths on which trod many a ghostly father , as , leaving its hallowed sanctuary , they went to their respective allocations in the vicinity to preach , pray and bless . Though now only a gable wall , small arch and a few ivy clad walls are almost all that remains of its former magnificence . , it is reported to have been of a vast extent . The solitary gable has already stood the test of many a winter storm and from its present state of solidity may yet remain as a memorial of the past for many a century to come . Trees now grow amid the ruins of the ancient place , and where once was heard the matin bell or the sweet voices of mid night prayer , nought now breaks the solitude but the wind as it sighs amid their branches or whistles drearily among the decaying walls .



Connected with this ecclesiastical edifice hangs a strange tale . In 1665 , London was afflicted with that awful scourge , the plague . Its victims were so frightfully numerous that the living could scarcely bury the dead . Stalwart men arose in the morning , and ere evening were numbered with the dead . The kiss of love had scarcely faded from the lips of beauty ere she slept in the grave . Parents saw the children of their affection seized with the dreaded distemper and almost instantly expire . No class escaped its ravages . The very air seemed pregnant with death . Terror seized hold of the mind - the better feelings of humanity were for the time forgotten . Thousands fled to the country in their excitement , they knew not where - they seemed not to care – if they only left that dreadful charnel – house behind . A lady resident in London , filled with the common fear , went , along with her servants , to Scotland , and took up residence in Inchaffray Abbey ( by this time untenanted in consequence of the abolition of the monasteries ) , expecting there to find safety and repose . Sadly one of her servants had contracted the plague . The story quickly spread around the local community at Madderty and the ancient building was set alight . The conflagration quickly spread leaving no escape and ensuring the sad demise of the poor woman and her faithful servants “



The ruins of the ancient abbey soon became a source of materials to the local farming community as the built their new homes in the vicinity . Indeed with the construction of a large modern dwelling adjacent to Inchaffray , the final demise of a once ancient building , now much forgotten in the Strath , has been completed .