The late 12th century church of St. Martin lies on the outskirts
of Haddington in the area known as the Nungate. It is thought to be
one of the oldest surviving church buildings in Scotland.
Picture by
Lisa
Jarvis Used with
permission.
St Martin's was originally part of the Cistercian Abbey founded
by Ada, daughter-in-law of King David, in 1178. (The abbey gave the
name to the Nungate district.) Nothing of the abbey itself remains,
but there is a mediaeval bridge over the Tyne near the site of the
Abbey called
Abbey Bridge which is also the name of the cache located there.
St Martins was used by the nuns from the Abbey and the townspeople
of Haddington.
What is left of St Martin's is the roofless red-sandstone nave.
The walls are penetrated by a series of square holes, which may
have supported scaffolding when the barrel vaulted roof was added
to increase the height of the building and provide an additional
storey. The walls were buttressed at the same time.
The church was acquired by the town following the Reformation
and used for Presbyterian worship. It fell into disrepair in the
17th century. There is a belief that the ground round the church
was used for burials up to the 19th century but no physical
evidence has been found. Several tombstones from earlier periods
are now incorporated in the floor of the church building.