Among several monuments at Dryburgh Abbey, I give a special mention to one that visitors to Dryburgh's ruins should not overlook. South of the abbey near the gatehouse and somewhat away from other monuments and gravestones is an obelisk which was also erected by David Steuart Ersking, 11th Earl of Buchan in 1794.
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| April 5, 2023 King James Obelisk (Moreville relief) |
While it has been called a "somewhat eccentric" landmark, to be honest, we did not find the monument to be so. "Eccentric" is often a band wagon convenience; boarded by far too many.
The slender monument itself is a tall, almost needle-like stone obelisk. Two sides have inset figurative carvings of James I and James II. The third side is a relief of Hugh de Moreville.
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| April 5, 2023 King James Obelisk (James I inset) |
And the fourth side is inscribed, reading: "Erected by the right Hon David Steuart Erskine the Earl of Buchan to the honour of his ancestors 1794. The figures were cut by George Burnet in Newstead and the lettering by D Forson in Drybugh by order of Sir David Erskine."
The obelisk is listed (supposedly protected) as part of the wider historic Dryburgh site.
A note on Hugh de Moreville: Moreville was a Norman knight who had the fortune of being associated with David I of Scotland, through whom "he obtained land and lordships which placed him in the very first rank of the Anglo-Norman nobility in Scotland." He became Lord High Constable of Scotland, second only to the King.
Moreville died at Dryburgh in 1162. An ancient memorial to him is said to exist in the south wall, and it is said to mark his burial-place. We did not see it, either because we overlooked it or because the abbey (and practically all other Scottish historical sites we visited) was shut to visitors by chain anchor fence.
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| April 5, 2023 Chain anchor fence closing off access |
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