St Martin’s Kirk & the Nunnery of St Mary

Whilst touring Scotland, we came across a ruined Church, on the edge of the town of Haddington in East Lothian.

We took some video and a few photos, but put them into our archive, as there was not enough content to produce a video for the channel.

A while later, reviewing the photos, we noticed on a snap of the inside of the north wall a small information plaque.

St Martin’s Kirk, Haddington

The plaque informed us that the church was built in the early 12th century for the use of the population of Haddington as well as the Nunnery of St Mary. This got us intrigued. Where was this nunnery?

We set about some internet research and eventually found the location based on the clues on the plaque. Using the side-by-side maps feature on the National Library of Scotland website, we quickly established that nothing remains of the nunnery, apart from a picturesque bridge - 'Abbey Bridge’ - over the Tyne river.

The interior of the ruins of St Martin’s Kirk

The nunnery was founded in 1158 by Countess Ada of Northumbria. She was the daughter-in-law of King David I, who was responsible for the foundation of many Scottish monasteries. The Countess Ada owned the town of Haddington, and selected a site with level ground on the banks of the Tyne just outside of the town.

Despite nothing remaining above ground on the nunnery site, recent work including geophysical surveys has shed some light on the footprint of the buildings. It is said that the nunnery was the largest in the Lothian region, and was wealthy due to the endowments of the Countess.

The video above gives some more information on the history of the nunnery, and its location, as well as a tour of St Martin’s Kirk.

For a more detailed history of the nunnery, take a look at the website of the Haddington History Society - https://haddingtonshistory.org.uk/the-abbey-of-st-mary-haddington-2/

St Martin’s Kirk, Haddington