Edinburgh Castle is a fairly large fortress. Sitting on a rock above the city, the Castle is emblematic of Edinburgh. However, it saw some particularly difficult sieges and wars. Much of the Castle was destroyed in the fourteenth century when Robert the Bruce waged war. One building did escape the destruction, though. And which building is that? St. Margaret’s Chapel, of course! St. Margaret’s Chapel can easily blend into the rest of Edinburgh Castle, but has quite an interesting history of its own. Today, I’m going to share a bit of the chapel’s history with you, and some of the more interesting elements of it!
St. Margaret’s Chapel is quite a small chapel; you could maybe fit 20 people into the chapel at most. However, it still remains a popular part of Edinburgh Castle.
The Beginning
St. Margaret’s Chapel was most likely built during her son, David I’s, reign between 1124 and 1153. (There is debate that the chapel existed during her life, but the architecture supports a later date.) Margaret was an English princess married to Scottish King Malcolm III, and was an incredibly pious woman. As noted above, Robert the Bruce did destroy the rest of the castle, but left the Chapel in peace. Which means that the Chapel is actually the oldest building in Edinburgh! And on his deathbed, Bruce put money aside to pay for Chapel repairs. And for the next four hundred years, it was a small but well-used royal chapel.
The Rough Centuries and a New Life
Unfortunately, it largely fell into disrepair with the Protestant Reformation. For several centuries, it was used for gunpowder storage, with the windows boarded up. From our modern perspective, this seems quite horrifying, but buildings were quite often re-purposed and given a new (and different) life. However, in 1845, Scottish-born, Canadian antiquarian Sir David Wilson realised quite how important the Chapel was, and moved forward with restoration plans. In 1851-1852, the Chapel was restored to its former glory, as a tiny but significant house of worship. Further work was done in the 1920s, and it was finally rededicated in March 1934.
St. Margaret’s Chapel Guild
In 1942, the Guild of St Margaret was founded, and Princess Margaret joined immediately. She was Patron until her death in 2002, with the Princess Royal taking over. Anyone named after Margaret (or an organisation named after Margaret) can apply for membership! The guild seeks to follow the practices and principles of St. Margaret of Scotland, and to use the Chapel regularly for worship. They also work to support other organisations who promote similar ideals. (The guide pictured below, St Margaret, Queen of Scotland, and Her Chapel is a wonderful resource!)
Have you visited St. Margaret’s Chapel at Edinburgh castle?
Cheers,
The Historian
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