1874-6 : Under “increasing pressure on the Duke(s) of Argyll” (RCAHMAS; ARGYLL VOL 4; p.12) by WF Skene, the leading Scottish historian and antiquary, and James Drummond, Curator of the Nation Museum of Antiquaries of Scotland, through the Society of Antiquities (SoA), parts of the Iona ruin were stabilised using the leading architect (Sir) R. Anderson, Edinburgh. This also involved some rebuilding in the church choir and south transept. That is all that was done. Basically, the 8th Duke of Argyll only did what he had to.
Skene and Drummond (the SoA) must be given due credit. There is certainly reasonable doubt that this work would ever have been done on the Duke’s own volition. Credit should be given for Anderson’s “thorough consolidation” which was, in the main, noted for its “scholarly restraint” for the period. (1874 is when parochial patronage of benefices was ‘abolished’; the 8th Duke supported it, without compensation (no actual loss). The Veto Law, 1834, had already in effect passed it to members of the parish church.)
Twenty five years later in 1899 just before his death, the Duke transferred (returned) ‘ownership’ to the Iona Cathedral Trust (linked to the Church of Scotland). This “was not accompanied by any endowment and funds had to be raised by the Trust.” The abbey church was substantially rebuilt and restored by the Iona Cathedral Trust (by Public Subscriptions for Abbey Church 1901) from 1902-1910. This fund raising was vigorously led by the Rev. Donald MacLeod, former minister of St Columba’s Church, London.
One wonders why the 8th Duke did not affect a deed of transfer to the Church of Scotland, etc, from 1874-6 when Andersons were already contacted, on site consolidating parts of the ruins, and then have the trust fund raising to allow the momentum of consolidation to the full restoration stage to flow uninterrupted – not have a big hiatus of 25 years. If his personal inclination was to return the property, have it fully restored, and simply continue all denominational access (separate : divided), then surely this was the moment. But it only happened in 1899, a few years after he married Ina MacNeill.
For all the other substantial Abbey buildings, and including the Library, Abbott’s House, Michael and St Oran’s Chapels, etc, the Iona Community under the leadership of George McLeod raised and provided all the resources, trained the manpower and performed all the work, from 1938 to 1965. The Public Works Dept. also did some relatively minor restoration.
ECUMENISM
The 8th Duke was totally against emergent ecumenism ("the recrudescence of the Romanising tendency could not make on me any favourable impression" – his memoirs) AND he only gave back what was not, in all honesty or sincerity, his in the first place. Then the Abbey’s restoration was performed by the community through public subscription and free labour (with Sir James Lithgow, the battleship builder, giving ₤5000 to Rev. George McLeod [1] : ₤250,000 today). The Iona Community obtained the approval out of a number interested in the site, partly because of the work and plans already done by Sir David Russell, owner of the Fife paper mills (“Spirituality was a living concept to Sir David Russell, and his biography tells of his role as instigator of the lona Retreat”.) A factor in the timing and decision by the Church of Scotland to award the scheme to George MacLeod was to ensure a site on Iona was not turned into a "Popish" breeding ground by the Marquis of Bute who wanted to buy the island in 1938 and "there was alarm that Iona might be turned into a Catholic seminary”! What other historically significant religious site in Scotland with significant Abbey ruins was handed over to an Ecumenical Community around that time as a matter of State policy? In the very same year, 1938, George MacLeod was awarded the site after a decade of a number of other people being interested and he went ahead “using Russell's plans for the restoration of the Iona buildings.” [Those interested include Sir David Russell, The American Iona Society, George MacLeod, Clare Vyner (owner of Fountains Abbey), Marquis of Bute.]
The issue being highlighted here is that the ecumenical Iona Community’s success in winning the “tender” for Iona Abbey had nothing whatsoever to do with the so called "reconstructing intents" of Iona Abbey by the 8th Duke of Argyll, OR anything to do with his Deed of Trust returning the site back to the church (to the Cathedral Trust) OR anything to do with him having a positive view of ecumenical worship. Any links are a product of “reconstructive intents” of others and not by the Dukes of Argyll. It must be kept in mind also that this happened nearly 40 years after the 8th Duke died.
[BBC : "For just under 400 years the settlement lay in ruins until, in 1938, the Iona Community, a Ecumenical Christian group, was founded there by the Rev George MacLeod. Committed to finding the relevance of the Gospel, they set about restoring the ruined abbey."]
[1] Macintyre, Lorn; Sir David Russell: A Biography; 1995. UNI OF ST ANDREWS; Call Number MS 38515; Papers of Sir David Russell; 1826-1991.
Skene and Drummond (the SoA) must be given due credit. There is certainly reasonable doubt that this work would ever have been done on the Duke’s own volition. Credit should be given for Anderson’s “thorough consolidation” which was, in the main, noted for its “scholarly restraint” for the period. (1874 is when parochial patronage of benefices was ‘abolished’; the 8th Duke supported it, without compensation (no actual loss). The Veto Law, 1834, had already in effect passed it to members of the parish church.)
Twenty five years later in 1899 just before his death, the Duke transferred (returned) ‘ownership’ to the Iona Cathedral Trust (linked to the Church of Scotland). This “was not accompanied by any endowment and funds had to be raised by the Trust.” The abbey church was substantially rebuilt and restored by the Iona Cathedral Trust (by Public Subscriptions for Abbey Church 1901) from 1902-1910. This fund raising was vigorously led by the Rev. Donald MacLeod, former minister of St Columba’s Church, London.
One wonders why the 8th Duke did not affect a deed of transfer to the Church of Scotland, etc, from 1874-6 when Andersons were already contacted, on site consolidating parts of the ruins, and then have the trust fund raising to allow the momentum of consolidation to the full restoration stage to flow uninterrupted – not have a big hiatus of 25 years. If his personal inclination was to return the property, have it fully restored, and simply continue all denominational access (separate : divided), then surely this was the moment. But it only happened in 1899, a few years after he married Ina MacNeill.
For all the other substantial Abbey buildings, and including the Library, Abbott’s House, Michael and St Oran’s Chapels, etc, the Iona Community under the leadership of George McLeod raised and provided all the resources, trained the manpower and performed all the work, from 1938 to 1965. The Public Works Dept. also did some relatively minor restoration.
ECUMENISM
The 8th Duke was totally against emergent ecumenism ("the recrudescence of the Romanising tendency could not make on me any favourable impression" – his memoirs) AND he only gave back what was not, in all honesty or sincerity, his in the first place. Then the Abbey’s restoration was performed by the community through public subscription and free labour (with Sir James Lithgow, the battleship builder, giving ₤5000 to Rev. George McLeod [1] : ₤250,000 today). The Iona Community obtained the approval out of a number interested in the site, partly because of the work and plans already done by Sir David Russell, owner of the Fife paper mills (“Spirituality was a living concept to Sir David Russell, and his biography tells of his role as instigator of the lona Retreat”.) A factor in the timing and decision by the Church of Scotland to award the scheme to George MacLeod was to ensure a site on Iona was not turned into a "Popish" breeding ground by the Marquis of Bute who wanted to buy the island in 1938 and "there was alarm that Iona might be turned into a Catholic seminary”! What other historically significant religious site in Scotland with significant Abbey ruins was handed over to an Ecumenical Community around that time as a matter of State policy? In the very same year, 1938, George MacLeod was awarded the site after a decade of a number of other people being interested and he went ahead “using Russell's plans for the restoration of the Iona buildings.” [Those interested include Sir David Russell, The American Iona Society, George MacLeod, Clare Vyner (owner of Fountains Abbey), Marquis of Bute.]
The issue being highlighted here is that the ecumenical Iona Community’s success in winning the “tender” for Iona Abbey had nothing whatsoever to do with the so called "reconstructing intents" of Iona Abbey by the 8th Duke of Argyll, OR anything to do with his Deed of Trust returning the site back to the church (to the Cathedral Trust) OR anything to do with him having a positive view of ecumenical worship. Any links are a product of “reconstructive intents” of others and not by the Dukes of Argyll. It must be kept in mind also that this happened nearly 40 years after the 8th Duke died.
[BBC : "For just under 400 years the settlement lay in ruins until, in 1938, the Iona Community, a Ecumenical Christian group, was founded there by the Rev George MacLeod. Committed to finding the relevance of the Gospel, they set about restoring the ruined abbey."]
[1] Macintyre, Lorn; Sir David Russell: A Biography; 1995. UNI OF ST ANDREWS; Call Number MS 38515; Papers of Sir David Russell; 1826-1991.
