Balmerino Abbey
Balmerino Abbey, or St Edward's Abbey, in Balmerino, Fife, Scotland, was a Cistercian monastic community which has been ruinous since the 16th century. History It was founded from 1227 to 1229 by monks from Melrose Abbey with the patronage of Ermengarde de Beaumont and King Alexander II of Scotland. It remained a daughter house of Melrose. It had approximately 20 monks at the beginning of the sixteenth century, but declined in that century. In December 1547 it was burned by an English force, and allegedly damaged again in 1559 by Scottish Protestants as part of the Reformation's destruction of perceived idolatrous structures. In combination with several centuries of plundering for building stone the entire main abbey is absent and only the smaller support structures to the north survive, most notable of which are the fan-vaulted cloisters. In 1606–07 its name was revived as a secular lordship for James Elphinstone, 1st Lord Balmerino. Current condition In 1910 the landowner employed Francis William Deas to survey the building and execute a program of repairs and consolidation. The abbey is now under the stewardship of the National Trust for Scotland, and a small entrance fee is requested at an honesty box, with no