Historic Dunfermline

12/05/2026

📢Dunfermline Mercat Cross has been in a badly damaged state for the past three years. Violated by vandals twice, it stands as a sore reminder of neglected Dunfermline heritage right in the city centre. Please fill in the survey to help volunteers build the case to encourage Fife Council to begin repairs.

900 Years of Survival. 3 Years of Neglect.

For nearly a millennium, the Mercat Cross has been the silent witness to life in Dunfermline. It is more than just a monument; it is the spot where generations of us have said, "I will meet you at the Cross." It is the heart of our High Street and a landmark woven into our daily lives.

However, that heart remains broken. Since the acts of vandalism in 2022 and 2025, our most significant piece of municipal architecture has been left fractured.

The Latest Update:
Following our enquiries, the Council has indicated that repairs are tentatively scheduled for late September. While any progress is welcome, this timeline means our High Street remains in a state of neglect for the entire summer. The Council has also admitted they lack a dedicated maintenance budget for vandalism of this kind, which is a major reason for these long delays.

We believe our heritage should be a priority, not an afterthought. We are building a case to show the Council that the people of Dunfermline want our history respected and protected.

Have your say. Tell us if you think the September timeline is acceptable and how we can better protect our landmarks.

Take the 1-minute survey here:
https://cityofdunfermline.co.uk/polling/mercat-cross-restoration

28/04/2026

Spring is blooming in Dunfermline.

22/03/2026

🕵️Unsolved Mystery: Wallace’s Cave, Dunfermline, 1906.

An unprecedented discovery was made in 1906 during works in the Tower Hill area. A natural cave was found on its northern side, containing evidence of human activity. Almost immediately, the discovery was named Wallace’s Cave, based on the assumption that William Wallace may have hidden there while the English court and army were wintering in Dunfermline in 1301 during the Scottish Wars of Independence.

In 1906–1907, workmen were employed in constructing rock supports for the Malcolm Canmore Tower Hill. To protect the ruins of Malcolm Canmore's Tower, which was being gradually undermined by crumbling shale, rock was built into the hillside to a height of about 90 feet, and suitable alpine plants were placed where possible. Boulders were also positioned along the riverbed, and a wide path was formed along the north side of the masonry.

During these operations, the workers came across a cave that must have been buried for centuries and showed unmistakable signs of human use. The cave - essentially a fissure in the rock - was little more than a foot wide at the entrance and about four feet wide towards the far end. At its wider end was a crude fireplace made of two pieces of freestone, which, like other stones inside, showed signs of exposure to heat. A leather horseshoe sole and several rust-encrusted nails were also discovered. The floor of the cave was covered with coal ashes, and there appeared to be a rough sleeping area, along with a hollow in the wall shaped to hold a pot above the stone fireplace.
This cave was believed to have been a hiding place of Sir William Wallace, and it was agreed that it should be preserved as an important historic landmark.

A few years earlier, Patrick Geddes, a specialist in urban planning, who was invited by the Carnegie Dunfermline Trust to design improvements to Pittencrieff Glen, reported in 1904 that, while studying the banks of the Tower Burn on the north side of Tower Hill, a cave had been discovered in a dangerous condition. He warned that it posed a risk to anyone entering it, although he believed the walls could be reinforced for preservation.

Local accounts suggest that Geddes’s cave was later buried during improvements to the Tower Burn embankment, though it may still be visible if one looks closely while exploring the area from the Witch's Hat towards the Abbey along the burn.

Unfortunately, it is not known what happened to the Wallace’s Cave after 1906. It received wide coverage in the press; however, there is no mention of it after 1907.
This raises an important question: were these two references describing the same cave, or were they two separate natural formations?

There are now two caves that can be found on the northern side of Tower Hill, once you walk down the steps towards the Pebble Bridge. However, they are clearly man-made and appear to have been created after the reinforcement works. Could one of them have originally been the Wallace’s Cave?

Over time, history has blended into oral tradition, and many people now mistakenly refer to Wallace’s Cave as Wallace’s Well or Spa. This is incorrect, as Wallace’s Well appears on maps dating from much earlier than the 1906 discovery.

Thus, this remains one of the unsolved mysteries of our beautiful Glen and its Tower Hill area. What was the Wallace's Cave? Who used it as their hideout? And what happened to it?🧐

🎨Images:
The restored image of the inside of the Wallace's Cave based on the description; Patrick Geddes’ plan of the Pittenctieff Glen improvements (yellow arrow - the cave he discovered, blue arrow - Wallace’s Well/Spa); Image of the Geddes’ Cave in 1904; Image of the Geddes’ Cave in 2026; One of the man-made caves on the northern side of Tower Hill.

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08/03/2026

Here are more photos of the Tower Hill area in Pittencrieff Glen. The long-awaited spring is finally here.🌱🌞

07/03/2026

👑Dunfermline’s Oldest Royal Story. Origins, significance, research. All the facts that are known today about King Malcolm's Tower.

Malcolm Canmore’s Tower has long been associated with the origins of Dunfermline and remains one of the most symbolic sites in the city’s history. This tower is generally identified as King Malcolm Canmore’s Tower, which many historians believe was once his residence at Dunfermline.

The ruins stand on a rocky hill in Pittencrieff Park, the Glen, about seventy feet (21.3m) above the Tower Burn that curves around its base. The northern side of the hill is steep, rugged and rocky, making it naturally defensive, although the current formation is now mostly man-made following attempts over the last centuries to preserve the rock from collapsing.
Nevertheless, this landscape is closely connected to the origin of the town’s name. “Dunfermline” is commonly translated from Gaelic as “a fort on the hill by the crooked rivulet,” a description that fits the position of the tower remarkably well.

Today, only a small fragment of the structure survives. The remaining ruins consist of the connected angle of the south and west walls. The south wall fragment measures about 31 feet in length (9.4 m) and the west wall about 44 feet (13.4 m). The surviving masonry now stands only about 8 feet (2.4 m) in height. The walls were originally very thick, but the hewn facing stones (the cut stones) have long since been removed. When complete, the base of the tower appears to have measured roughly 50 feet (15.2 m) from north to south and about 60 feet (18.2 m) from east to west, suggesting that the building was almost square in plan.

Despite the strong tradition linking the tower to Malcolm III, historical references to the structure are surprisingly scarce. There is no clear contemporary mention of Dunfermline or the tower until around 1069 or 1070, when Malcolm married Margaret. After that event, neither written history nor later tradition provides detailed descriptions of the building or its surroundings, leaving much of its early history uncertain.
The medieval chronicler John of Fordun gives one of the earliest descriptions of the area. Writing in the 14th century, he described Malcolm’s residence as being strongly fortified by nature, surrounded by dense woods and protected by steep rocks, with a central plain defended by streams and crags. Although Fordun does not explicitly mention a tower, the landscape he describes closely resembles the geography of Tower Hill in Pittencrieff Glen. Fordun also recounts a story in which Malcolm confronted a treacherous baron during a hunting expedition in the nearby forest. This tradition has led some historians to suggest that the earliest structure on the site may have been a hunting lodge rather than a permanent royal residence.

Archaeological evidence also suggests that the tower was not an isolated structure. Before the foundation of the Abbey, there was already a small settlement in the area, including a Culdee church. Early habitation may have been located to the north west of Tower Hill before later expanding and relocating toward the flatter ground around the Abbey. The wider Dunfermline area had been inhabited long before the medieval period. Twentieth century archaeological investigations discovered traces of prehistoric settlement in nearby locations such as Masterton and Pitcorthie, indicating that people had lived in the region since the Neolithic or Bronze Age. The sheltered position of Dunfermline, close to the sea yet inland, surrounded by rivers and rocky terrain, would have made it an attractive and defensible location for early communities. Nevertheless, the Dunfermline we know today is closely tied to the presence of Malcolm and Margaret and the stronghold associated with their name.

By the late medieval period, the tower had become an important symbol of Dunfermline itself. The earliest surviving burgh seal, dating from around 1500, depicts a tower believed to represent Canmore’s Tower. This symbol later became part of the town’s arms together with the motto “Esto rupes inaccessa,” meaning “Be thou an inaccessible rock,” a phrase that reflects the defensive strength of the rocky site on which the tower stood. It is believed that King Robert the Bruce himself may have been the source of the Dunfermline motto following his victory in the Wars of Independence.

Interest in the ruins increased during the 18th century when antiquarians began to study the site more closely. The ruins on Tower Hill were first clearly recorded in the late 17th century by early writers such as Sir Robert Sibbald and John Slezer. Their accounts helped revive interest in the site and contributed to the growing association between the ruins and Malcolm Canmore. By this time, the tower had already become firmly embedded in the identity of the town through its appearance on seals, heraldry and local tradition.

In 1790 John Baine, a civil engineer from Edinburgh, recorded measurements of the remaining walls and produced one of the earliest visual reconstructions of the tower. His drawing was based partly on impressions taken from the burgh seal and partly on comparisons with towers at other Scottish sites such as Forfar. Baine imagined a structure with a projecting staircase leading to the entrance, connected by a small drawbridge that could be raised for protection. He also suggested splayed foundations and outer defensive walls. While these features are plausible for a building of that period, the reconstruction remains largely speculative.

By the 19th century, the ruins had fallen into a neglected condition and were partly hidden by woodland. The tower was not part of Crown property like the Palace and instead belonged to the owners of the Pittencrieff Estate.
In 1843, an excavation by the landowner, Esq. James Hunt produced only charcoal and an iron coin punch (the die), the type used for minting coins. The punch was originally considered to be a forgery, as there was no evidence of a royal mint existing in Dunfermline and no other equipment related to the minting process was found. Initially, it was thought that the item related to the period of Alexander III, but some researchers later attributed it to the reign of David II (1329–1371). The latter dating coincides with the later pottery evidence recovered in 1988. Whether the die belonged to an official mint or was produced by a counterfeiter remains uncertain, but the discovery nevertheless highlights the complex history of the site.

In 1884, the landowner of Pittencrieff undertook restoration work to preserve what remained of the structure. The foundations were cleared, and a low wall was built along the original masonry to protect the ruins. During these excavations, several hewn stones were discovered that closely resembled the stonework used in the nearby palace ruins. This led to the suggestion that the tower may at some point have been dismantled and its materials reused during the construction of the later royal palace.
Further discoveries were made during landscape works in Pittencrieff Glen in the early twentieth century. Following Andrew Carnegie’s purchase of the Pittencrieff Estate, the northern cliff face of Tower Hill was completely refaced artificially and reinforced in 1905 and 1906 to prevent the erosion of the rocks. The large rocks were placed along the Burn. During this work, animal bones “of birds and the lower animals” were discovered, including the jaw bone of a boar and the shoulder blade of a deer, along with fragments of pottery. Also recovered were a small bronze medal and a lead seal marked with the letters “AR.” At the base of Tower Hill the fossilised remains, including the head and part of the vertebrae, of a large reptile were also found.

Evidence suggested that part of the tower may have collapsed into the burn at some point as the hillside gradually crumbled. The improvements to the landscape also revealed traces of coal seams that may have been worked in earlier centuries, possibly by the monks associated with the nearby Abbey.

One of the most remarkable findings was a narrow cave in the rock below the tower, which showed clear evidence of human use. Inside the cave were traces of ash, a crude fireplace and stones blackened by heat, along with several nails and a leather horseshoe sole. Some local historians suggested that the cave may once have served as a hiding place for William Wallace during the period when he was in hiding in the area. (We will tell more about this discovery in the next post.)

In the late 20th century, archaeologists attempted to examine the site more systematically. In 1988, the Scottish Urban Archaeological Trust carried out excavations around the tower ruins with funding from the Carnegie Dunfermline Trust. Unfortunately, by that time the site had already been disturbed by centuries of landscaping, excavation and restoration, which made interpretation difficult. The pottery recovered during the excavation suggested that the surviving masonry probably dates from the 14th century rather than from the time of Malcolm III.

If this conclusion is correct, the present remains may represent a later defensive tower built during the turbulent period of the Wars of Independence. During the early 14th century, Dunfermline was an important royal centre. Edward I of England stayed at the Abbey during the winter of 1303 to 1304, and the need to defend the approaches to the burgh and Abbey would have been considerable. Both David II and James I were born in Dunfermline in the fourteenth century, most likely within the Abbey complex that later developed into the royal palace.

A 14th century date for the surviving ruins does not necessarily rule out the existence of an earlier royal residence on the same site. It is therefore possible that an earlier timber structure once stood there and was later replaced by the stone tower whose remains are visible today.

Today, the ruins of Malcolm Canmore Tower are recognised as a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland and remain one of the most significant historical landmarks in Dunfermline. From the summit of Tower Hill, the remarkable view extends towards Dunfermline Abbey, a reminder of the close relationship between royal authority and religious life that shaped the development of the town.
From this rocky stronghold grew the settlement that would become one of Scotland’s most important royal and religious centres.
Although the exact origins and form of Malcolm Canmore’s Tower remain uncertain, its significance to Dunfermline is unquestionable. The tower marks the place where legend, history and landscape meet, preserving the memory of the early royal presence that helped define our city and begin its remarkable story.

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28/02/2026

👑Did you know, there is a beautiful stained glass window in Dunfermline Abbey depicting Queen Margaret (later Saint Margaret of Scotland) and King Malcolm Canmore?

Known as the Queen Margaret Window, it is located in the south transept of the Abbey Church. Designed by Douglas Strachan and executed by Alexander Strachan, it was dedicated in 1932 in memory of John Fisher of Newlands and his wife Isabella Lawrie Bruce. John Fisher, a Dunfermline linen manufacturer and elder of the Abbey, is said to have shown Queen Mary, wife of George V, around the church. When she remarked that she was surprised there was no lectern, Mr Fisher later left money in his will to provide one for the Abbey.

The window consists of two tiers of five lancet lights (windows) each and 19 tracery lights above.

The lower tier of five lancet lights depicts the marriage of King Malcolm Canmore, King of Scots, and Margaret, attended by their ladies and knights. White doves appear throughout, symbolising Margaret’s character and echoing the biblical phrase, “Be ye therefore wise as serpents and harmless as doves.” Their marriage was conducted by the Bishop of St Andrews in Dunfermline.

The five lancet lights in the upper tier show Queen Margaret instructing her children to give alms to the poor and needy on the far right, while Malcolm, entering with one of his sons, sits down to watch. On the far left, a bishop presents a master mason holding plans for a church for the Queen’s approval. Two angels in the upper corners represent music. In the background, ladies embroider an altar cloth and one weaves at a loom, reflecting Margaret’s encouragement of beautiful dress, colourful garments and fine embroidery at court. In the tracery windows are the heraldic shields of Queen Margaret and the Lion Rampant of Scotland for Malcolm.

The centre tracery panel shows a ship with a dove beneath it, symbolising the Church resting upon the Holy Spirit. Six virtues are represented in the upper tracery windows: Prudence shown as a serpent on a cleft stick, Perseverance as a crown, Faith as a chalice, Hope as an anchor, Justice as a balance and Gentleness as a lamb.

A few years ago, this very window became the centre of a mystery that puzzled Abbey authorities. In November 2020, 49 stained glass fragments were anonymously returned to the Abbey Church in a box marked “for the attention of Bob Brewse.” Parish minister Rev. Mary Ann Rennie found the shards wrapped in a copy of the Fife and Kinross Extra newspaper, dated February 12th, 2005, together with a typed note signed “CEEPS.”
The note explained that the sender had found the glass more than 20 years earlier in a small pile beneath scaffolding erected near the west-facing footpath of the Abbey. The person admitted feeling guilty for taking it and said they were unsure whether it was newly installed or removed glass.

The congregation could not determine which of the Abbey’s ten intact stained glass windows the fragments belonged to. In 2023, Rev. Rennie sought help from Professor Michael Penman of the University of Stirling, who examined Kirk Session records dating back to the early 1980s to identify when damage or repairs had taken place. He enlisted Dr Craig Kennedy of Heriot-Watt University, who used electron microscopy and X-ray fluorescence to analyse the fragments. The presence of lead, potassium, arsenic and sulphur showed the glass had been made between the 1870s and 1930s. Stained glass conservator Vivienne Kelly, a graduate of Glasgow School of Art, identified imagery on four large pieces, including an angel’s wing and hair, the knotwork hem of a noble’s robe and a repeated thistle motif. After visiting the Abbey Church, she determined that the fragments came from the Queen Margaret Window in the south transept, noting subtle differences in colour and texture where replacement glass had been inserted.
Her best guess is that the window was struck and damaged by a scaffolding pole during refurbishment work in the late 1990s.

Although the mystery of the glass’s origin has been solved, the identity of “CEEPS” remains unknown. The name “Bob Brewse” is believed to be a reference to Robert the Bruce, whose body is buried in the Abbey.

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22/02/2026

📖👑Malcolm III, Queen Margaret, and Dunfermline.

When historians write about King Malcolm III and Queen Margaret, they rely on four major authentic sources: Vita Sanctae Margaretae (written around 1104 by Turgot, Margaret’s confessor, at the request of her daughter Matilda); The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (completed around 1154); Symeon of Durham’s chronicles (c.1164); and John of Fordun’s Chronica Gentis Scotorum (c.1370).

Almost everything written later is based on these accounts or on the oral traditions that developed over the centuries.

So who were Malcolm and Margaret, and why does Dunfermline matter so much in their story?

Malcolm Canmore (Malcolm III), whose nickname “Cean-more” means “Great Chief,” was the son of Duncan I of Scotland. After Duncan was killed by Macbeth, young Malcolm fled to England. He grew up at the court of Edward the Confessor before eventually reclaiming the Scottish throne in 1056 or 1057 with the support of powerful allies.
In 1070, Malcolm married Margaret, an English princess with Hungarian roots. She was the daughter of Edward, son of Edmund Ironside, King of England, and the grand-niece of Edward the Confessor. After the Norman Conquest, her family fled north for safety.
The marriage took place at Dunfermline. Although medieval sources differ slightly regarding the precise year and circumstances, John of Fordun records the date as 1070, and this is generally accepted.

According to tradition, when Margaret arrived in Scotland, her ship landed at what is now known as Margaret’s Hope in North Queensferry, though it was not called that at the time. From there, she travelled overland to Dunfermline to meet Malcolm.

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle offers an interesting time reference. In 1068, Margaret’s family sought refuge in Scotland. Her brother, Edgar Aetheling, left his mother and sisters in Malcolm’s care before travelling south in 1069, only to be driven back north by William I. If this timeline is correct, the marriage does not appear to have been a matter of urgency. Malcolm and Margaret may have known each other for up to two years before marrying. This would have allowed time for the growth of the mutual affection and for Margaret to consider her role at the Scottish court.

In later references, there are speculations that Malcolm and Margaret met during his time in exile at the English court, when Margaret was nearly twelve years old, and that a betrothal agreement was then made. This would have seemed plausible had it not been for another fact from Malcolm’s biography: his marriage to his first wife, Ingebjorg, who passed away around 1066 to 1069.

When Malcolm and Margaret’s wedding took place in Dunfermline, it elevated the status of the settlement, making it more important as a royal centre, giving it a more distinct identity and prestige, attracting merchants, tradespeople, and visitors, and transforming a small settlement into a firmly established religious town.

So what was Dunfermline like back then?

It is very likely that Malcolm already had a residence in Dunfermline prior to his second marriage. However, it is unclear where he resided with his first wife, and some historians suggest that the Dunfermline residence may originally have been a hunting lodge. Hunting is believed to have taken place in what is now Pittencrieff Park, close to the royal lodgings. John of Fordun even records a narrative of Malcolm confronting a traitorous baron while on a hunting party in what are now the woods of Pittencrieff.

Going back to the name “Dunfermline,” meaning a fort on a rocky hill beside a winding stream, the site traditionally identified as Malcolm’s Tower fits that description. But the surviving remains are small. It is difficult to picture a full royal household, especially one including Margaret’s attendants from England, living in the tower alone.
Turgot describes Margaret holding audiences in a great hall capable of accommodating up to 300 people, where she fed the poor and cared for children. Such a hall could hardly have existed within the present dimensions of Malcolm’s Tower. Either Turgot exaggerated, or there was a substantial timber-built hall elsewhere within the royal enclosure, probably near the church, as well as other buildings in the complex, such as stables, kitchens, and housing for monks and servants. Timber buildings would leave little trace after centuries of rebuilding; perhaps that is why so little is known about the early royal settlement.

Now imagine Margaret, born in Hungary and raised at the English court, arriving in this rugged royal centre. Dunfermline was no stone palace. Yet it would soon become her home.

Margaret became deeply attached to Dunfermline. She took her duties to the church and to the people seriously as the proper Scottish queen. She and Malcolm formed, over time, a strong and loving alliance with Dunfermline at its centre. What may have begun as a political alliance appears to have grown into a genuine partnership. Together, Malcolm and Margaret embarked on an ambitious effort to reshape Scotland’s religious and political landscape. They founded, or rebuilt in stone, a church dedicated to the Holy Trinity on the site of an earlier Culdee church. This was not just a building project. It was a religious transformation, aligning Scottish religious practice more closely with Roman Christianity.

Their influence spread to the Scottish Borders, where Malcolm frequently conducted raids after 1079. The Liber Vitae (Book of Life) of Durham Cathedral records both Malcolm and Margaret among those remembered in prayer. Although Malcolm was feared in England for his raids, he maintained visible connections to major religious centres.

That connection with Durham would later influence Dunfermline directly. Their son, David I, invited stonemasons from Durham when building Dunfermline Abbey, bringing architectural and religious ideas north and creating a grand and beautiful building. He enclosed his parents’ tombs within it, making it a destination for pilgrims.

Malcolm and Margaret were married for twenty-three years and had eight children between 1071 and 1084. The chronicles suggest all were born in Dunfermline, a strong sign that the couple regarded it as a principal royal residence and their home.
Interestingly, none of Malcolm’s sons was given traditional Scottish royal names. Instead, their names reflected Margaret’s Anglo-Saxon heritage and religious devotion: Edward, Edmund, Ethelred, Edgar, Alexander, and David. This tells us a great deal about her cultural influence at court.

In 1079, Malcolm launched another campaign against England. As conflict increased, Edinburgh, with its stronger natural defences, became more important as a royal base, and Queen Margaret had to relocate there.
In 1093, Malcolm was killed at the Battle of Alnwick along with his eldest son, Edward, during an ambush. Margaret, already seriously ill, died three days later after receiving the devastating news in Edinburgh.
There was never any doubt where she would be buried: in her beloved Church of the Holy Trinity at Dunfermline. Malcolm’s body was later brought there as well, around 1115.

In 1128, under their son David I, the church formally became Dunfermline Abbey. From that point onward, it became a royal burial site.

Their children, and later Scottish kings granted lands to the Abbey and chose to be buried there, no matter where they had died.

David I also built St Margaret’s Chapel in Edinburgh in memory of his mother. He continued the reforming work begun by his parents, founding abbeys across Scotland and strengthening royal administration.

Although there is little evidence that Malcolm and Margaret's children regularly lived in Dunfermline later in life, the steady flow of royal charters and gifts to the Abbey shows that the town retained immense spiritual and dynastic importance for the Scottish kings. Whatever it came to be for the later kings, we can be certain that for King Malcolm and Queen Margaret, Dunfermline was a true home.

The End of This Chapter.

14/02/2026

🔎Dunfermline: Where Did the Royals Actually Live?👑

Dunfermline is often described as a former capital of Scotland, the birthplace of kings, a royal burial place, and the home of one of Scotland’s oldest historic buildings — Dunfermline Abbey.

The masonry of the Abbey we see today dates mainly to the early 12th century, though tradition links the site to the time of Malcolm III and Queen Margaret in the 11th century, suggesting that a Culdee settlement may have existed there even earlier than that.

But here’s the real question: did the Scottish royals actually live in Dunfermline — or was it mainly a sacred and symbolic place to pay their homage and honour the tradition?

We know that several royal charters were issued at Dunfermline during the reign of David I and later kings. However, medieval kings did not rule from one fixed capital. They travelled constantly around the kingdom. So when a charter says it was issued “at Dunfermline,” it tells us the king was there at that moment — but not whether he considered it his permanent home. He may have been visiting, holding court for a short time, or staying nearby.

When Dunfermline became the burial place of Queen Margaret, King Malcolm, their children and later other kings, it grew over time into an important royal mausoleum. The cult of Saint Margaret made the town even more significant. But being buried in a place does not automatically mean living there long-term. It shows importance and attachment — but not necessarily everyday royal life.

The palace ruins we see today mostly date from the 15th and 16th centuries, when Dunfermline clearly functioned as a royal residence. Yet that raises new questions. What came before the palace? Did King Malcolm’s Tower on the rocky hill serve as an early royal dwelling? If so, for how long? And when did the royals shift from the tower to the palace?

Archaeology does not give us clear answers for the 11th century. The surviving remains of the tower date no earlier than the 13th century. It is possible that earlier buildings were made of wood and have left little trace. Much of what we think we know comes from later sources.

In the weekly posts, we’ll explore the written records, surviving ruins, and artefacts of Dunfermline to better understand royal life here. By looking closely at both the physical evidence and historical sources, we’ll try to trace how Dunfermline developed as a royal centre — and ask whether Scotland’s kings ever truly considered it “home.”

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