CHAPEL ROYAL, FALKLAND
CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF WORSHIP
The Chapel Royal is situated in the South Range of
Falkland Palace and as many as 60,000 visitors pause to view it each year,
relishing the atmosphere and its long and interesting history.
In addition to its intrinsic beauty, the Chapel comes alive each Sunday with the celebration of Mass and is the centre of a thriving Catholic community. Since 1905 it has been a place of regular public, Catholic worship, although for many years Mass was only celebrated once a month.
Falkland palace was built between 1450 and 1541 by Kings James IV and James V. It was to be the country residence of the Royal court, whilst they hunted in the surrounding forests. The Chapel Royal is believed to be dedicated to St Thomas of Canterbury just as the old chapel in the medieval Falkland Castle had been before it. However, during the period 1513 – 1539, between the two kings, the Chapel was merely a room used as a wood store, and for banquets and entertainment. King James V restored the Chapel to its proper use and the wooden ceiling dates from this time. When he died his body lay in the Chapel from 14th December 1542 until 7th January 1543 and the Chapel was draped in black.
In 1561, Mary Queen of Scots
washed the feet of nineteen virgins in the Chapel – one for each year of her
reign. Her son, James VI, added the royal pew, which was a gift from the people
of Denmark on the 
occasion of his marriage to Anne of Denmark in 1589.
The Chapel was refurbished in 1633 and the ceiling was painted in preparation for a visit by King Charles I. It still exists today with the addition of a few repairs!
Eventually, in Cromwellian times, the hunting forest was felled and the royal parties ceased to visit the Palace. It fell into a state of disrepair until in 1887 it was acquired by the 3rd Marquis of Bute who resolved to restore the Chapel as a place of worship. The present windows in the Chapel were fitted during the mid 1890s.
For some years previous to this, Mass had been celebrated in the chapel at House of Falkland by priests from the Jesuit Order at Garnethill, Glasgow. Occasionally a Jesuit priest would attend from Laurison Church, Edinburgh or a Redemptorist priest from the Monastery, Kinnoul. There was regular anxiety when a priest was unable to attend and a 1quick replacement had to be found. The congregation at that time numbered 60-70, and so it was deemed desirable to have a resident priest.
Since the acquisition of the Palace by the Marquis of Bute it has been ‘kept’ by the Crichton Stuart family. Following the death of the Marquis, his son, Lord Ninian Crichton Stuart took over the refurbishment. Lord Ninian and Mr. J Ogilvy Fairly of Myers Castle, Auchtermuchty guaranteed between them the sum of £110 per annum for a resident priest and rooms in the palace were furnished for him. The prospective resident priests were offered ‘leisure for study’ and ‘full and free access to the library at House of Falkland.
On May28th 1905, the Chapel Royal had a simple blessing ceremony and the first Mass with Gregorian Plain Chant was celebrated by Fr De Stoop – the first appointed resident priest.
Most of the fittings seen in
the Chapel today were put in place in 1905 in readiness for this ‘opening’,
supervised by the Dowager Lady Bute and designed by Robert Weir Schultz, an
Arts and Crafts architect. The chairs, upon which we sit, formed of reeds or
bull rushes were bought from Bennet Furnishing Co Ltd in Glasgow. By June 1905
it was evident that the 73 chairs were not enough as there were increasing
numbers of people, attending Mass and another 30 were ordered at a cost of 3/6d
each The joiner, Robert Miller, Provost of Falkland, made a temporary altar and
confessional. The latter was made of pine, had a green serge curtain and stood
between the windows of James IV and James V. The candles were bought from Hayes
and Finch in Glasgow and it was specified that wax candles should b3e used for
the altar only and 
much cheaper ‘vegetable candles’ be used for
illumination. Hayes and finch also provided the incense. All goods were
transported by train – by goods train if there was no rush and by passenger
train if goods were needed quickly! The Altar Wine travelled up from London. It
was decided that heating was not necessary as the parishioners could ‘wrap up’
to keep warm! However, in November 1905 an advert was placed in the Glasgow
Herald for a second hand heating stove!
A set of six tapestries was bought by Lord Ninian in February 1906 for the sum of £1,537 18s. They are a magnificent set of 17th century Flemish ‘verdure’ tapestries and came from an old house in Maarssen, Holland. They now grace the corridor but when they were bought Lord Ninian hung them inside the Chapel.
In February 1909 Robert Miller, the joiner, was paid £39 13s 4d for making and fixing an altar, retable (the frame enclosing decorative panels behind the altar), steps and footpace (dais) and credence table (for Eucharistic elements before consecration). These had been designed by Robert Weir Schultz and Lord Ninian’s mother paid the bill.
Initially, it was intended that the Chapel Royal would only be used as the local chapel temporarily, while a new RC church was being built on the £Estate – but work ceased in 1916 with the death of Lord Ninian during the First World War. Thus, the Chapel Royal came to b3e the regular place of worship.
There are many vivid memories and recollections of parish life amongst the congregation. One of our most senior parishioners, Mrs Margaret Watson, and her sister, Mrs Jane Baldie, reveal that their mother Catherine Dryburgh (nee Shields) was Confirmed in the chapel in 1909. She used to play the organ at Mass and the choir had four members. The two sisters were baptised in the Chapel and 1925 and were Confirmed and received First Communion in the 1930s. Their grandmother, Mrs Jane Shields, did the Sacristy washing at home for many years before their aunt Margaret took over.
In the early 1930s, Father Harold taught catechism each month at the back of Chapel and also celebrated Mass in Cupar and Springfield Asylum (now Stratheden). The altar boys (including Mrs Watson’s and Mrs Baldie’s brothers) would travel to each Mass with him. People from Auchtermuchty, Dunshalt, Strathmiglo and Leslie came to Mass in Falkland. Women were never allowed on the altar and at one time there were as many as ten altar boys.
Not many priests have actually resided at the palace. Father de-Stoop did stay in the Palace in 1905, as did the early ‘supply’ priests who served after him and would stay from Saturday until Monday. Later they resided at the Oratory (now The Stables) or, since 1951, at Moncrieff House, Falkland.
During the Second World War, Polish paratroopers were billeted in House of Falkland. They filled the Chapel Royal every Sunday and are remembered as being great singers. They celebrated the Latin Mass with the congregation and sometimes a Polish priest would attend and offer Mass. Mass was always celebrated in Latin until the English Mass was introduced in 1964. When they left the 3rd Polish Parachute Battalion very generously gifted the icon of ‘Our Lady of Ostrabrama’ which can be seen at the back of the chapel.
At this time the Parish benefited from the services of two priests, Father McLaughlin and Father McGrath (his curate). Both men played in the village dance band and dances were held in the village hall to welcome home the troops.
Every Easter the oak floor
was scrubbed, from the altar, through the Chapel, along the corridor and down
the stairs! A group of women on their hands and knees, with a tin of black soap
and a bucket of water, cleaned and polished. The wood had to be wiped in a
certain direction to avoid smears and the task took several days! Old accounts show
that a Mrs Galloway was paid 2/6d per day for this work. It was only when Major
Micha3el Crichton Stuart and his wife Barbara moved into the Palace after the
Second World War that the decision was made to carpet the Chapel with the red
carpet from the House of Falkland Billiard Rood. (Thank goodness, ladies!)
A special collection was held amongst the congregation for those who wanted to help with the cost of re-decorating and re-furnishing the Chapel. Colonel Elwes, a Catholic architect and decorator, designed the tabernacle and setting of the altar using hangings from the Hose of Falkland. The candlesticks were specially designed bearing shields decorated with the Scots thistle, the French fleur-de-lys and the English Tudor rose – symbols of the Scottish kings and the Queen of Scots whose arms are depicted in the chapel windows. These symbols in the only Roman Catholic Chapel in Great Britain on royal property are intended to perpetuate the memory of those Catholic sovereigns and their consorts who worshipped in the Chapel.
At the same time, the slate roof of the South Range was renovated and there was an extensive restoration of the Chapel ceiling by the Ancient Monuments Department.
Other recollections include how the number attending Mass always swelled at potato picking time when many Irish potato pickers would attend. At Christmas the Chapel was decorated in evergreens and the children dressed up in their best party clothes for Midnight Mass.
Major Michael Crichton Stuart appointed the National Trust for Scotland as Deputy Keeper of Falkland Palace in 1952 and provided an endowment for future upkeep. The NTS maintains the property including the Chapel. The Crichton Stuart family, retaining the position of Keeper, have private apartments within the Palace. Major Michael’s son, Ninian, as the current Keeper, takes an interest in the Chapel Royal today.
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Fr Grace was Parish Priest at Falkland during the 1950s. When St Paul’s church opened in Glenrothes in 1958, he moved there to be the Parish Priest. He was instrumental in building up the Glenrothes Parish, laying the foundations and gaining support for it. His endeavours were supported by the Crichton Stuart family. It is recalled that before St Paul’s church opened, a contingent of Italian parishioners regularly travelled in a minibus from Leslie to Mass at the Chapel Royal.
IN the autumn of 1978, David Learmont, Curator of the National Trust for Scotland, decided that the kneelers in Chapel had seen better days and ought to be replaced. At that time Mrs June Baxter, secretary of the Fife Centre of the National Trust, had just started a canvas embroidery class at Tarvit Mansionhouse. She was asked if she would take on the project and so advertised for embroiderers in the National Trust magazin3e. The response was tremendous, and included some needle-men. There were even volunteers from America who had the materials sent out to them. Mr Learmonth asked designer Schomberg Scott to produce the designs and he created three patterns, each one based upon the Chapel’s ceiling design of thistle, (representing Scotland), rose (representing England) and lily (representing France). In only one year 140 new kneelers were produced, being of embroidered canvas over horsehair. Christopher Hartley, the Assistant Curator, assisted the project and found an upholsterer who could provide the horsehair. Each kneeler bears two initials of the person who made it. All the work was funded by the NTS shop in St Andrews (now sadly closed). In November 1979 a special ceremony was held in the Chapel and Mrs Baxter presented the new kneelers to Major Michael Crichton Stuart. Many of the needle-workers attended travelling from far and wide.
In more recent years the congregation has again had to manage without a resident priest as the number of priests dwindles, necessitating parishes to be grouped together. Fr Hand, like Fr McIntyre before him, celebrates Mass in three locations and has to reside out with Falkland. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, today the Chapel Royal has a close-knit yet outward looking and growing congregation. The people share in the privilege of worshipping in unique historical surroundings but equally the Parish is very much alive and embracing the future.
The Parish Priest and Parishioners of the Chapel Royal, Falkland express sincere thanks to the Crichton Stuart family and the National Trust for Scotland for the provision and maintenance of the Chapel.