DAY THREE CONT:

  • HOLY TRINITY CHURCH: HADDIGTON
  • HAILES CASTLE
  • HOLY ISLAND

HOLY TRINITY CHURCH: HADDIGTON: Still in Scotland, day three continued with our next visit which was to be the Holy Trinity Church at Haddington in the diocese of Edinburgh.  Set in a kind of small cul-de-sac off from the main street in a heritage area, both church and grounds are beautifully kept; from the outside the church looks quite small yet upon entering it appears much larger than it looks.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haddington,_East_Lothian

With funds raised by the congregation and a very generous donation from the Earl of Wemyss, the first phase of the church building was constructed in 1770 on the site of the original ‘Lamp of Lothian’ which, from the middle of the thirteenth century until 1555, had been the property of the Franciscan Friars. It was built of a local stone known as Rattlebags, a volcanic agglomerate (a complex breccia made of fragments of lavas). An article in the transactions of the Antiquaries of Scotland published in 1792 describes the building as a very elegant chapel. Holy Trinity Church is a Grade B Listed building and is in the Haddington Conservation Area.

 

In 1843 the church was ‘Gothicized’ with the addition of the nave parapet, nave south elevation window surrounds (note the lancet shape), porch and shallow apsidal sanctuary, using a different stone, a finer, pale buff sandstone.  The same year, the committee appointed to report on the state of the building described it as being extremely uniform and homely. Following completion of the reconstruction, a service of dedication to the Holy Trinity and of consecration was perfor med by the Rt Rev Charles Terrot, Bishop of Edinburgh, who in 1814 had returned to Scotland to serve as an Incumbent in Haddington.

 

The interior of the church showing ‘The Jesus’ using the now familiar ‘Ninasian Salute’ used by Priory members. Symbols such as the Lamb of God and other Templar symbols are to be discovered throughout the church and a beautiful tapistry on the altar, which is described as three angels, though it could be the ‘Three Marys’.

In 1930, the present Chancel was added to replace the apse and the interior remodelled in neo-Byzantine style by the Scottish architect B N H Orphoot. The Chancel external walls were built of Rattlebags and sandstone but have reinforced concrete detailing such as columns, arches, decorative bands and the corbel course below the gutter.

 

The church also had some interesting detail on its exterior walls <click on all images to enlarge>

Holy Trinity Church had some nice features and details both inside and out; it was a peaceful enough place but i got the feeling that  lot of the older artifacts from the past had been removed or had not stood the test of time and therefore the older ‘energies’ were no longer there

http://holytrinityhaddington.co.uk/

HAILES CASTLE: We paid an unexpected visit to Hailes Castle; one time home to Mary Queen of Scots.The castle is a mainly 14th century castle about a mile and a half south west of East Linton, East Lothian, Scotland and is quite secluded and hidden away. This castle, which has a fine riverside setting, belonged to the Hepburn family during the most important centuries of its existence. The castle was founded as a fortified tower house by Hugo de Gourlay before 1300, making it one of the oldest constructions of its kind in Scotland. The castle has a long and interesting history which one can read more of on the internet and it is certainly worth a visit to look around and explore.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hailes_Castle

 

This is where Mary Queen of Scots was staying as an adult, for it was deemed to be a safe place for her; secluded and hidden away and she had freinds and allies on her side; however this was not to be and history tells us otherwise…..

Just opposite the castle is a hill fort by the name of ‘Traprain Law‘ that rises in an imposing fashion above the horizon. It has an interesting name, yet was only known as ‘Traprain Law’ from the late 18th century, taking its name from a local hamlet. This is etymologically a Cumbric name cognate with Welsh tref ‘farm’ and either pren ‘tree’ or bryn ‘hill’. Law comes from the Old English word hlāw, meaning a burial mound.

It rises about 221m (724 feet) in elevation and is located 6 km (3.7 mi) east of Haddington. It covered at its maximum extent about 16 ha (40 acres) and must have been a veritable town. Whether it was a seasonal meeting place or permanent settlement is a matter of speculation.  Also speculated is whether the site is the site of an actual pyramid or not….  But it was a burial place by around 1500 BC with evidence of occupation and signs of ramparts after 1000 BC and has been ocupied at various points throughout it’s history.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traprain_Law

 

Trapain Law together with Hailes Castle: an interesting area to stop a while to soak up more history…

HOLY ISLAND: The last point of call for day three was to be Holy Island; more of a winding down visit after a very busy day where many miles were covered. We arrived on the off chance knowing that the tides may not be in our favour and this did prove to be true. The evening sunset was amazing, so no better place in which to unwind whilst watching (and dodging) the beautiful incoming tides. When the tide is out one can pass happily back and forth from the main land to Holy Island and Lindisfarne, but when the tide is incoming one literally has to watch ones back and ones parked car as we discovered!

 

What better way to end the day than to watch the tide coming in…. <click on images to enlarge>

https://www.lindisfarne.org.uk/

The Holy Island of Lindisfarne is a tidal island off the northeast coast of England. It is also known just as Holy Island. It constitutes the civil parish of Holy Island in Northumerland. Holy Island has a recorded history from the 6th century AD. It was an important centre of Celtc Christianlty under Saints Aidan of Lindisfarne, Cuthbert, Eadfrith of Lindisfarne and Eadberht of Lindidfarne. After the Viking invasions and the Normsn conquest of England, a priory was reestablished. A small castle was built on the island in 1550. Much more can be red about it’s history here:-

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindisfarne

 

“Incoming Tide!!!”

So day three came to an end in a rather beautiful and fun fashion; not much to comment about on ‘The Neville‘ front but suffice to say that the whole area is steeped in ‘Neville’ history and intrigue with a very special day to come on day four…

 

Please feel free to contact us if you are curious to find out much more about our quests; on an England; on a history you thought you knew….

“The Grail Kingship is within the realm of impossibilities”

‘The Keeper of Scrolls’

Aug 2017