What relates to the protection of towns, forms a part of military architecture ; and in the country, until a very late period, the rude and turbulent chieftains continued to inhabit their castellated towers.
With regard to places of worship, unless the circles of rude stones placed in the ground are considered to have been appropriated to religious purposes, nothing can be traced north of the Tweed prior to the 7th century. About this time Old Melrose, Cordingham, and a church at Tynningham, were founded. (See Chalmers's Caled. vol. i.) Respecting the first of these, it is said, that within 16 years after Lindisfairn in Northumber land, (viz. 635,) a religious house was established in a peninsula on the south bank of the Tweed at Maol-ross. On the death of Aldan, the celebrated Cuthbert entered the monastery of Melross as a monk under Roisel. Cold ingham was founded during the reign of Edgar, who considered himself much indebted to St Cuthbert for his crown; and it is also said, that in 1098, the priory of Coldingham was founded by the abbot of Durham, who sent monks hither. Notwithstanding this introduction, ecclesiastical architecture made little pro tress in Scot land till the time of David I.; out during his reign it carried to ail extent apparently beyond the resources of the country. The following edifices are known to have been founded by that prince : The chartulary of Elgin not going beyond 1200, we are ignorant when it was erected into a bishopric, but it has most probably been also indebted to David I. In 1178, William the Lyon founded the great abbey of Aberbrothick ; and in 1230, Alexander II. the priory of Pluscardine in Moray.
These structures, although inferior in magnitude to many in England, were yet of no inconsiderable size, and they were generally in the best style of Gothic architec ture. As each of them will be more particularly de scribed when treating of the places where they were si-' tuated, and will also be referred to under the Practice of Architecture, the following dimensions may, for the pre sent, enable the reader to form a tolerably correct idea of their magnitude.
The cathedral of St Andrew's was 370 feet in length, 62 feet in breadth, and the length of the transept was 322 feet. The cathedral of Glasgow is 339 feet in length within the walls, 72 in breadth, 90 in height from the floor of the choir to the roof, and the tower and spire are in height 223 feet. The cathedral of Elgin is 284 feet in length, 71 in breadth, the transept is 114, and the cen tral tower 198 feet. The abbey of Aberbrothick is 370 feet in length, 62 in breadth, and the transept 165. feet. Under the head of Practice will be found a very minute description of each apartment of the priory of Pluscar dine.
Chalmers says, that the collegiate churches were not known in Scotland till the reign of David II. The first was established at Dunbar by Patrick, Earl of March, in 1342 ; the next was at Dunglass in 1403 by Sir Alex ander Home of Home. After this several others were
established in Haddingtonshire. In 1446, William St Clair, Earl of Orkney and Lord of Roslin, founded a collegiate church at Roslin, for a provost, six prebenda ries, and two choristers, and endowed it with various lands and revenues. It was consecrated to St Matthew the apostle. The chapel is justly admired as a singu larly beautiful piece of Gothic architecture ; the inside is 69 feet long, and 34 in breadth ; the roof is supported by two rows of clustered columns, eight feet high; the middle aisle is one continued arch, enriched by exquisite sculpture. The comparative smallness of the dimensions of this edifice, gives it the appearance of a fine model of a Gothic cathedral.
From this general sketch we shall proceed to a brief detail of the progress of architecture in the two principal cities in Scotland ; and we conceive it will be most dis tinct and satisfactory to state the progress made in each city separately, beginning with the capital.
This city appears to have taken its name from Edwin, a Saxon prince of Northumberland, who began his reign in 617. For several centuries afterwards, the castle only seems to have been of any importance. It is uncertain at what period it came into the possession of the Scots : It is known that the widow of Malcolm Can more, died in it on the 10th November, 1093. The first distinct information respecting the city, is derived from the charter granted by David I. in 1128, in favour of certain canons regular, for which he founded the abbey of Holyrood-house. From this instrument it appears, that Edinburgh had previously been erected into a royal burgh. In the reign of Alexander II. the first parlia ment was held in Edinburgh in 1215. In 1255, the daughter of Henry III. of England, the betrothed queen of Alexander III. had the castle appointed for her resi dence. Robert I. bestowed upon the burgesses of Edin burgh the harbour and mills of Leith. In 1437, the kings of Scotland had their usual residences in Edinburgh ; and parliaments were frequently held in it. (See Arnot's Kist. of Edinburgh.) By this time the city must have been extensive and well built, for a writer of the 16th century, (Braun Agrippinensus, lib. 3. voce Edin.) says, " In this city there are two spacious streets, of which the principal one, leading from the castle, is paved with square stones. The city itself is not built of bricks, but of square freestones, and so stately in their appearance, that single houses maybe compared to palaces. From the abbey to the castle there is one continued street, which, on both sides, contains a range of excellent houses, and the better sort are all built of hewn stone." Few cities in the island could, at this time, justify a similar culo tium.