Jedburgh and the Abbey

View of the ruins of Jedburgh Abbey, dominated by a prominent square tower with crenellations and corner turrets. The roofless nave features a series of stone arches, while small cottages nestle among clusters of trees at the base of the structure. To the left, a three-arched stone bridge spans the river that flows in the foreground.

Jedburgh is a town located on the Jed Water in the Scottish Borders, ten miles from England. Originally founded as an Augustinian priory around 1138, Jedburgh was elevated to abbey status circa 1154. Its proximity to the English border left it vulnerable to the violence that began with the Wars of Independence in the fourteenth century and flared sporadically through the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The Protestant Reformation of 1560 ultimately ended the abbey’s monastic life. Today, its well-preserved ruins still dominate the town.

The caption reads in the original French: Abbaye de Jedburgh.