the barony of Dunkeld, and those south of the Forth into the barony of Aberlathy.[1]
The bishops of Dunkeld, in addition to their palace or tower at Dunkeld, had also a country seat at Loch Cluny (where their house still exists on an island in the loch) and a residence at Cramond, in Mid-Lothian.[2]
The successors of Bishop Lauder are not stated to have added any buildings to the cathedral; but it is mentioned that some of them, especially Bishop Brown, adorned the interior with images and paintings, and added to the store of rich vestments and ornaments.
The Reformation came not long after the completion of the internal decorations and fittings. In 1560 two of the neighbouring lairds were commissioned to take down the images and burn them in the churchyard, and also to cast down the altars and purge the church of all kinds of monuments of idolatry. They were enjoined to see that the desks, windows, and doors were unharmed, nor the glass or iron work broken. But the spirit of destruction once let loose was not easily restrained, and the church was completely destroyed and the roof burnt.
The architectural style of the different portions of the edifice corresponds generally with the above dates fixed by Abbot Myln. The massive round pillars of the nave, 4 feet 6 inches in diameter (Fig. 977), and the heavy semicircular arches of the triforium have been supposed to indicate Norman work; but the details prove that here, as frequently occurs in Scotland, the ancient forms are repeated in later times. The caps and bases of the piers show that they belong to an advanced period, while the mouldings of the triforium arches and the trefoiled filling in clearly indicate work of the latter half of the fifteenth century. These features are, undoubtedly, peculiar; but other examples show that they are not singular. Thus at Aberdour Church[3] and Aberdeen Cathedral (late works), the pillars of the piers are circular, and have similar caps to those at Dunkeld; and at Paisley the triforium arches are segmental, and are divided with cusped arches somewhat similar in style to those of Dunkeld Cathedral. The clerestory is very plain, and the windows are small. From the number of holes in the wall, used for the support of rafters and other woodwork, it seems likely that this portion of the wall was partly concealed by the timbers of the open wooden roof, and perhaps partly covered with panelling.
The great window in the western gable (see Fig. 976) is evidently a late feature, and seems to have been added sometime after the west wall had been erected. This is apparent not only from the style and the peculiar unsymmetrical position of the window, but also from the construction of the exterior (Fig. 978), where it will be observed that the original west door has had a portion of wall somewhat rudely added in front of the original
