Scheduled MonumentsScotlandHolyrood Abbey, precinct and associated remains
Precinct and associated remains

Holyrood Abbey, precinct and associated remains

Scotland
HES SM13031
Site type
Precinct and associated remains
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

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Overview

History & significance

Holyrood Abbey is a Augustinian monastery founded in 1128 by King David I of Scotland in the Canongate area of Edinburgh, Midlothian. The abbey became one of Scotland's most important religious houses and a royal mausoleum, with its precinct encompassing substantial buildings including the abbey church, claustral ranges, and associated structures. The surviving remains, largely from the twelfth to sixteenth centuries, include parts of the abbey church with notable architectural features such as Early Gothic work and decorative stonework. Following the Scottish Reformation, the site fell into disrepair, though portions of the precinct and ruins remain visible and have been subject to periodic archaeological investigation and conservation.

Holyrood Abbey, precinct and associated remains is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM13031. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Holyrood Abbey, precinct and associated remains?

Holyrood Abbey is a Augustinian monastery founded in 1128 by King David I of Scotland in the Canongate area of Edinburgh, Midlothian. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM13031.

Who is responsible for protecting Holyrood Abbey, precinct and associated remains?

Holyrood Abbey, precinct and associated remains is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM13031.

What other scheduled monuments are near Holyrood Abbey, precinct and associated remains?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Galachlaw,cairn (5.8 km), Melville Grange,homestead and pit alignments 600m ESE of (7.5 km), Caerketton Hill,fort (8 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Holyrood Abbey, precinct and associated remains

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Holyrood Abbey, precinct and associated remains's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Stat Accounts
The parish Statistical Accounts of the 1790s and 1830s, describing life, work and population here.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Holyrood Abbey, precinct and associated remains

Holyrood Abbey, precinct and associated remains stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Dinantian, bedrock that formed in the Mississippian. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.