In 1118, prior to his ascension to the Scottish throne, Prince David established a foundation of canons regular of the order of St. Augustine at what is now Jedburgh. The foundation appeared to have the status of 'priory' in the early years and a man by the name of Daniel was described as the Prior of Geddwrda in 1139. The church was later raised to the status of monastery before becoming, in the years prior to King David's death in 1153, a fully fledged abbey dedicated to the Virgin Mary, probably in 1147.

The nave and the choir were built in the 13th century and were in place by the time Alexander III of Scotland married Yolande, daughter of the Comte de Dreux in 1285 at the church. The great abbey was said to contain the finery of the best of Norman and early English Architecture. The Abbey Church of St. Mary of Jedeworth was growing in stature and importance and the abbot was even invited to attend Scottish Parliaments.

After the defeat of the Earl of Surrey in 1297 at Stirling at the hands of William Wallace, the abbey was pillaged and wrecked by the English as retribution. Robert I of Scotland (The Bruce) continued to patronise the church during his reign in the early 14th century. In 1346, after the Scottish defeat at the Battle of Neville's Cross, the English once again slighted the church. Later that century, in 1370, David II of Scotland was instrumental in the completion of the north transept we can still see today.

The abbey faced more torture and destruction in 1410,1416 and by the Earl of Warwick in 1464. In 1523, the town and abbey were set ablaze by the Earl of Surrey. The abbey faced more indignity in 1544 at the hands of the Earl of Hertford. The end came for the great Abbey of St. Mary of Jedburgh in 1560 with the coming of the Scottish Reformation.

The Reformation and beyond

When the Protestant Reformation arrived in 1560, the monks were allowed to stay but the abbey was used as the parish kirk for the reformed religion. In 1671 the church was removed to the western part of the nave for safety reasons. This situation persisted until, in 1871, it was considered unsafe to continue worship at the abbey church and a new parish church was built. The Marquis of Lothian immediately started work on the restoration of the great church but in 1917 the church was handed over to the state and is now in the care of Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled monument.

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Founded: 12th century
Category: Religious sites in United Kingdom

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4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Gemma Shipman (3 months ago)
Oh what a hidden gem to walk around. It was £21 to enter as a family of 4. The children loved exploring. Was educational and interesting. There is a few shops local, also a free castle with cells and a house with stuff about Queen Mary, also free. Would recommend
Ginger-Effie Harris (3 months ago)
We visited Jedburgh Abbey we stopped off at a nearby cafe for a break on a trip further North into Scotland. The Abbey is beautiful and looking around there ruins was fab. Unfortunately you cannot go into the actual church part of the ruins due to storm damage and safety precautions but you can still see just about everything and the entry fee is half price due to this. It doesn’t take too long to look around, we dawdled and spent around 20 minutes and a few minutes looking at the indoor visitor centre. Definitely lovely to go to see though of god in the area.
azzan alyarubi (5 months ago)
The abbey was closed when I visited but still liked the place from outside. Then walking through the town center. Lovely streets with interesting little shops and cafes.
kevin vincent (5 months ago)
Beautiful abbey ruins. Sadly partly closed off for maintenance (but the fee reflects this). Staff lovely and encouraged us to come in with the dog. Will return when fully open and we next holiday here
D&C Lambert (5 months ago)
Loved visiting these impressive Abbey ruins. Free parking nearby and reasonable entry fee made it affordable even if you're just a tourist with no heritage pass. What a shame repair work was in progress as we were limited from entering certain areas. Would be amazing inside. Still the outside was worth the visit and there is plenty of information regarding the monks occupation. There are some interesting relics to be seen also. The staff are extremely friendly and helpful in recommending other good tourist attractions to visit
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