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Archaeology Notes
Event ID 689991
Category Descriptive Accounts
Type Archaeology Notes
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/689991
NO51NW 8.00 50972 16586
(NO 5100 1660) St Mary's College (AD 1537) on the site of the Pedagogium (NR)
OS 25" map (1914).
NO51NW 8.01 NO 50987 16559 Sundial
NO51NW 8.02 NO 50990 16432 Dovecot
NO51NW 8:03 NO 5105 1650 Gateway (archaeological evaluation)
The College of St Mary was founded by James Beaton, Archbishop of St Andrews on 12th February 1537 and was probably completed by 1543-4 (Rentale Sancti Andree, 198). What remains has been subsequently worked over and considerably modernised. Of the college buildings round the quadrangle only those on the west are original. "In the'new foundations' by Archbishop Hamilton in 1553, it was provided that 36 persons were to be maintained in the College (C J Lyon 1843). The library was founded by James VI in 1612.
RCAHMS 1933
The University of St. Andrews, although founded in 1411, did not have any distinct buildings set apart for it until 1418 when "Robert of Montrose canon of the royal chapel of St Mary of the Rock (9SW) granted a certain tenement 'on the south side of South Street' to found a college of theology and arts, and in 1430 Bishop Wardlaw who granted the foundation charter of the university, gave the adjoining tenement to serve as a school of arts. The first of these buildings was known as the College of St John the Evangelist and the latter was called the Pedagogium, both occupying the site of the present College of St Mary. "This college, with those of St Salvator and St Leonard constitutes the University of St Andrews.
A H Millar 1895
St Mary's College, long known as the New College, was begun by Archbishop James Beaton, continued by his nephew the Cardinal, and completed by Archbishop Hamilton. The residential part bears the royal arms and date 1563.
D H Fleming 1914
As stated by RCAHMS only the western block of the College building is the original - the remainder is entirely modern. The block is in a good state of preservation, and is as illustrated.
Visited by OS (JLD) 16 October 1956
Above confirmed.
Visited by OS (WDJ) 29 May 1964
NO 510 165 Scotia Archaeology Limited carried out a watching brief during the excavation of narrow cable trenches within the courtyard of St Mary's College. The excavation yielded evidence of several medieval backlands, each approximately 8.8m wide, running southwards from South Street. These plots were defined by rubble walls to the sides of which were what appeared to be lanes about 1.5m wide.
Sponsor: Messrs Patience & Highmore.
A Barlow 1995.
