Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland .. - National Library of Scotland

—PAISLEYand granted to him and his heirs and assigns in fee,while he himself was created Lord Paisley. In 1652,his grandson and successor, the second earl, sold hisopulent lordship to the Earl of Angus, from whom nextyear the larger part of it was purchased hy LordCochrane, afterwards Earl of Dundonald. Large portionswere at different times sold by the Dundonaldfamily, and in 1764 what remained was repurchasedfrom Thomas, eighth Earl of Dundonald, by James,eighth Earl of Abercorn, to whose descendant, the Dukeof Abercorn, it now belongs.The church, when entire, appears to have consistedof a nave, choir, N transept, and a chapel known as thechapel of St Mirren and St Columba, which occupies theplace where the S transept should have been. Thetotal outside length of the building has been 265 feet.Internally the nave is 93 feet long and 59^ wide, includingside aisles. The choir, which has no aisles, is 123Jfeet long and 32 wide ; and the transept is 35 feet wide,and the distance fi-om the N wall to the wall of StMirren's chapel is 92J feet, all these measurements beinginternal. The walls of the choir only rise a foot or twoabove the level of the ground, but the piscina andsedilia still remain, as well as the foundations of thepillars on which rose the central tower. The N transept,with its magnificent and finely traceried window,25 feet high and 18 wide, was saved from demolitionwith so much of the rest of the building, by being claimedabout 1768 by the heritors as their property. Thenave, the only part now roofed, is still used as the parishchurch of Abbey parish. The W front contains a doorwaywith an arcade on each side,and on one side is aturret with a staircase. Above the doorway are threewindows. The present eastern gable of the churchis in the centre merely a screen of modern masonryfilling up the arch beneath the western wall of thecentre tower. There is a porch at the W end of theN wall and at the E end of the S wall. On thewall of the former is a stone with the inscription inold English characters* Johes d. Lyhtgw abbas hujus monastii xx die mesis Januariiano dm mccccxxxiii elegit fieri sua sepultura.'The interior of the nave is fine, and the style of thetriforium is somewhat peculiar. On each side fivemassive clustered columns, 17 feet in height, divide thenave from the aisles, and the pillar on each side at theW end is much thicker than the others, as if they hadbeen meant originally to support the weight of western'towers. From the imposts of the columns springpointed arches with delicate and graceful mouldings.On the centre pillar to the south is sculptured in relief anantique coat of arms with grotesque supporters. Froma floor formed above the first tier of arches spring thoseof the tritbrium. They are large and semicircular,springing from clustered columns.' Within these archesare included two pointed ones, with a short columnbetween, and the space between the heads of theseminor arches and that of the principal arch is open andfinely cusped. From the top of the spandrils betweeneach pair of arches a semi-hexagonal projection standsoat supported by a double row of blocked corbels, whichin their turn are supported by grotesque figures thatseem as if groaning under the weight. The breadth ofthe triforium arches, as compared with their height,gives this part of the building a somewhat squat, not tosay ungraceful look. In the clerestory over eachcircular triforium arch are two windows, and theclerestory gallery, while passing through the wall overthe keystone of each triforium arch, passes out roundthe semi-hexagonal projection already mentioned, nodoubt to afford a perfectly solid wall over each of thenave pillars, so that there may be firmer support for theroof. The whole style is Decorated. On the S\V pillarare the old colours carried hy the Renfrewshire militiafrom 1803 to 1855 ; and built into the walls are someold monuments removed from the floor. The originalroof was finely groined, but of this only a small jiortiounear the \¥ end of the S aisle now remains. The whole154PAISLEYnave underwent repair in 1788-89, but until abouttwenty years ago it remained in a very miserable condition.'In 1859,' says Dr Cameron Lees, the historianof the Abbey, ' when I was inducted to the secondcharge, a more dreary place of worship it was impossibleto conceive. It was like a charnel house. The burialgroundoutside reached above the sill of the windows.The floor was earthen, and you were afraid if you stirredyour foot you would rake up some old bones that layuncomfortably near the surface.' Thanks to the exertionsof the Rev. Mr Watson and of Dr Lees himself,several thousand pounds were collected and spent inremedying this state of things. The interior wascleared out and new pews put in. An organ wasintroduced, and many of the windows are now filledwith stained glass, the principal being windows to thememory of Mr Thomas Coats of Ferguslie, thfi Speirsof Elderslie, the Earl of Glasgow, and the Whites ofOvertoun. One, placed as a memorial of Sir WilliamWallace, was inserted by the St Andrew's Societyof Glasgow. In the W end of the N aisle is a muraltablet, apparently erected to the memory of JohnHamilton, the last abbot. The chapel of St Mirrenand St Columba, better known as the Sounding Aisle,is on the S side on the site of the S transept. It isabout 48 feet long by 24 wide, and the 15 feet of thefloor at the E end is higher than the rest. This chapelwas founded and endowed in 1499 by James Crawfurdeof Kylwynnat, burgess of Paisley, and Elizabeth Galbraithhis spouse, who were buried within the church,where their tombstone is still to be seen. The landsgiven for the support of the chaplain were those of Seedhilland Wellmeadow. Near the SE corner is thepiscina, and beneath the great eastern window the altarhad stood. Beneath the window is a frieze, with threecarved compartments on the N side and seven on the Sside. What the figures represent is doubtful, but probablythe seven on the S represent the seven sacraments,viz., matrimony, communion, extreme unction, ordination,confirmation, penance, and baptism. The easternwindow is now filled with stained glass, placed there bythe Duke of Abercorn in 1879 in memory of those membersof the Abercorn family who are here buried, thefamily vault being beneath. There are other twomonuments connected with the Abercorn family, butthe great object of interest is the altar tomb known asQueen Bleary's tomb, and believed to have been erectedin memory of Marjory Bruce, wife of Walter the highsteward, and only daughter of Robert Bruce, whowas killed by a fall from her horse at Knock, to thenorth of the town. According to Dr Boog, one of theministers of the parish, who wrote an account of it inthe Transactions of Socictt/ of Antiquaries of Scotlandfor 1831, this tomb has had rather a curious history.'It retained,' he says, ' its original situation till John,Earl of Dundonald, who succeeded his brother Williamin 1704, having for his second lady married tlie Duchess-Dowager of Beaufort, her grace wishing, it is said, tohave the chapel fitted up for the service of the Churchof England ; the tomb was then removed and placed ina corner of the Abbey Garden. This must have beenprior to 1720, when Earl John died ; his lady survivedbut a short time. The tomb, rebuilt in its originalform, occupied this corner till the time that Thomas,Earl of Dundonald, resolving to feu off that part o. thegarden,found it in his way, and had it again removedor rather taken to pieces ; and the stones of which itwas composed were then laid aside and iorgotten—somuch forgotten that the writer of this, whose connectionwith'Paisley took place in 1774, was above fourteenyears in the place before knowing that such a monumenthad existed, or that its materials might possiblybe discovered.' When the church was repaired, however,in 1788-89, the stmies were found, and Dr Boog,had themwith a care that does him the highest credit,carefully put together, though it was found that onesidestone and one end stone were awanting. The figureitself had been left in the chapel, sunk in the pavementclose by one of the walls.Whether it represents Lady