Newbattle Abbey College

Newbattle Timelines

Below are the four significant historical periods concerning Newbattle Abbey. For further information go to the Newbattle70 website which contains a wealth of information about the Abbey and its origins, its use a a home for the Lothian Family, through to its development into the Newbattle Abbey College we see today.

Medieval

Over nine centuries of exciting history, Newbattle Abbey has only ever had three owners. The first of these were the Cistercian monks who founded the Abbey of Newbattle in 1140 during the reign of King David I. An abbey had been established at Melrose a few years earlier. When it became overcrowded, there was a need to establish a new abbey. A monk, called Ralph, was commissioned to find a convenient site. The Cistercian monks were inclined to settle on a low, secluded level, close to running water. A site within the parish of the ancient market town of Dalkeith suited the Cistercian requirements.

The Abbey was at the centre of a thriving commercial enterprise, which included coal mining, salt production (at Prestonpans) and sheep farming. Newbattle wool was exported throughout Europe and is supposed to have been the finest that merchants could buy. However, the proximity of the Abbey to Edinburgh meant that Newbattle suffered greatly in the Scottish wars with England. The English army burned it during the campaign of Richard II in 1385 and it was under attack again during the invasion of the Earl of Hertford in 1544 and again in 1548. There were twenty-four monks and an abbot in the community in 1528 but the numbers had decreased to about fifteen by the time of the Reformation.

Artist’s impression of Medieval Newbattle Abbey

Further information concerning this period in Newbattle Abbey’s history can be found on the Newbattle70 web site.

Post Reformation

The Lothian family crest

The Lothian family dynasty was established when Mark Ker became lay Abbot of Newbattle Abbey in 1547. After the Reformation in 1560, Mark Ker rejected Catholicism and became a Protestant. As a reward he was given Newbattle Abbey and its vast estates. Down the centuries, members of the Lothian family forged distinguished careers in the church, diplomatic service, government and army. Mark Ker’s son was given the title Earl of Lothian but a few generations on this was elevated to Marquess.

Over time, Newbattle Abbey has been remodelled many times. In 1836, the notable architect William Burn began to add an extra storey and servants wing. Development continued in the 1860s when David Bryce included a new family wing, which was followed by extra accommodation, including a new boudoir for Lady Lothian. The 9th Marquess of Lothian commissioned a further extension in 1886 to celebrate the visit of Queen Victoria. From the rediscovered Crypt, a consecrated Chapel was fashioned in 1893.

Further information about the post reformation at Newbattle Abbey can be found on the Newbattle70 web site.

20^th century

Founding of Scotland’s only adult residential educational college

In 1930, Philip Kerr inherited the title of 11th Marquess of Lothian together with several large estates which included his childhood hunting ground of Newbattle Abbey and nearby Woodburn House. Kerr had established himself as a politician, diplomat and journalist. He was a bachelor and roving statesman who could not be tied down to any one place. His spiritual development as a Christian Scientist prompted him to consider the question of the spiritual welfare of the working-classes. Kerr was a man determined to use his inheritance to make a difference. Philip Kerr gave his house to the Scottish people to be used as a residential college for working class adults who wanted to further their education in 18 May, 1935. Modifications were made to the house and Newbattle Abbey College opened its doors to the first 22 students in 1937.

After three successful years as a College, the Abbey was requisitioned in 1939 by the Ministry of War to be used as a training camp for the Royal Army Medical Corps, and by the women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service. One former student found herself back at the Abbey for her ATS basic training. The Army built an extensive network of huts all over the grounds, completely transforming the environment. In 1945, it became Army Formation College Number 1, a ‘large-scale experiment in adult education’ for those about to be demobilised. The College reopened its doors in 1950 with Edwin Muir as warden.

The 20th Century section of the Newbattle70 site contains further information about the College’s story.

Culture

Over the years the College has been associated with some of Scotland’s greatest writers. An early student was W.S. Graham, a young engineer from Greenock who had drifted to Newbattle in 1938 out of a longing for something new and different from the drab world of the industrial west coast. T.S. Eliot himself was later to praise Graham as a great poet. He also met his future wife Nessie Dunsmuir and this Newbattle romance was to inspire some of the most moving love-poems in twentieth-century literature.

In 1950, the renowned Scottish author Edwin Muir became Warden of the College. Newbattle’s association with poetry was to be deepened by the five brief years that Edwin and Willa Muir were to spend at the College.  Muir went on to nurture a whole new generation of writers amongst these were his fellow Orcadian, George Mackay Brown.

To read more on Newbattle Abbey College’s association with great modern writers go to the Culture section of the Newbattle 70 web site.

21st century

In 2007, Newbattle Abbey College celebrated 70 years as Scotland’s only adult residential educational college. It has become known as Scotland’s Life Changing College because of the opportunities it has afforded to students. As we work together to build a future as significant as the past has been, we are aware of a growing confidence in the ability to change lives through education.

Like Scotland, we are filled with a new confidence in our own unique identity and in our ability to join the community of learners across the globe in celebrating past successes and future achievements. One of the most significant developments in 2009 is that for the first time students will be able to study for the Arts and Humanities course part-time. To find out more about the unique opportunities available at Newbattle Abbey College go to the Courses section of this site.

Learn more about developments in the 21^st century by visiting the Future section of the Newbattle70 site.