Queens, Saints and War: The Norman Conquest seen from the tower of St. Margaret’s, Abbotsley

Why are there two Scottish Kings on top of a church tower in Cambridgeshire and what has that got to do with two saintly Queens, a strong-willed Countess and a martial Empress?

More than you might think...

A closer look at the history and architecture of St. Margaret's, Abbotsley reveals an interesting perspective of the Norman conquest through the eyes of women.

Let's make our way up to the top of the tower and see if the Kings up there maybe hold the key to our story.

The tower of St. Margaret’s is crowned with statues of four medieval Kings. One of them is Macbeth, King of Scotland, which was then the Kingdom of Alba (not quite matching the geographical boundaries of modern-day Scotland), who ruled from 1040 until 1057 and inspired Shakespeare’s play of the same name, although he had little in common with Shakespeare’s murderous character. According to historical sources his reign was considered legitimate and successful by Scottish standards of the time.

He was killed in battle by the future Malcolm III, who had a claim to the throne through his father Duncan I, Macbeth’s predecessor, who had been killed in battle against Macbeth in 1040. The succession law of primogeniture had been introduced to Scotland by the 11th Century but had not yet triumphed over the traditional Gaelic system of tanistry by which a King was elected from the circle of male relatives of previous Kings. Uncertainty over succession laws made the 11th Century especially volatile for Scottish Kings and their kin. Despite their differences, Macbeth and Malcolm III have been re-united on top of St. Margaret’s tower. 

The other two Kings they share this space with are the last crowned Anglo-Saxon King of England, Harold Godwinson, and the man who commanded the army that defeated Harold in 1066 at the Battle of Hastings, the final stand of the Anglo-Saxon Kings, which ended in Harold’s death: William the Conqueror. This imposing fourth figure on top of St. Margaret’s tower, subsequently emerged victoriously out of the turmoil of 11th Century succession politics and rung in the Norman era in England.

It's a lot of history packed into the four corners of this 14th Century tower and none of the represented Kings would have imagined that their carved likenesses would share the small space of a breezy parapet for some 700 years.

Malcolm outlived William by six years. He technically had been William’s vassal since 1072, but the relationship between the two Kings remained unstable, and the Kingdom of Alba retained a great deal of independence. The Scottish royal family likely caused William concerns. Malcolm was a warrior King, who would frequently raid Northumbria in attempts to expand his Kingdom to the South. He also offered shelter to William’s political enemies. And he married one of the last surviving members of the noble house, which William had deposed: Margaret of Wessex, who was later canonised as St. Margaret of Scotland.

So, do Malcolm and Macbeth make an unexpected appearance in Cambridgeshire, because St. Margaret’s, Abbotsley is dedicated to Malcolm’s wife? This seems to be a likely explanation, however, even though St. Margaret of Scotland, was canonised as early as 1250, the beginnings of St. Margaret’s Church probably slightly predate her canonisation, and it is dedicated to St. Margaret of Antioch instead. However, there is some evidence to support that St. Margaret of Scotland herself was named after St. Margaret of Antioch, who was a very popular saint at the time of her birth.

How, then, did two Scottish Kings end up on top of St. Margaret’s tower? There is a very good reason for this, and it has everything to do with Margaret and her descendants.

Margaret was born around 1045 in exile in the Kingdom of Hungary. Her father was Edward the Exile, an Anglo-Saxon Prince with a claim to the English throne, who was banished by the Danish King Cnut, when Cnut seized power in England in 1016. The family returned to England after Edward’s uncle Edward the Confessor came to the throne in 1043, likely thanks to the machinations of his mother, Emma of Normandy, a powerful political player in early medieval England. 

Edward the Confessor was still childless in 1056, when he was aged 50 and thus invited his nephew Edward the Exile back into the country to avoid a succession crisis. However, the Exile proved a disappointment to all hopes the English might have had for stability, as he died soon after his arrival in England. His son Edgar, Margaret’s brother, was briefly elected King, but his hopes of ruling were quashed by the Norman conquest. Following the ascent to power of the House of Normandy in England through William the Conqueror, Margaret and her family fled to Scotland where they met Malcolm. 

Much of what we know about Margaret’s life and marriage is based on a medieval biography or ‘vita’. This was written a few years after Margaret’s death by Turgot of Durham, a clergyman who had been a close spiritual advisor to Margaret. Turgot describes Margaret as quick-witted, eloquent and pious. He talks at length about her religious devotion, prayerfulness and works of mercy, but mentions little about her early life. For this we must turn to other sources. In her book “Saint Margaret, Queen of the Scots” Catharine Keene paints a vivid picture of Margaret’s childhood in exile in Hungary. Growing up in Hungary St. Margaret would have been exposed to a particularly diverse and international mix of Christian practices and traditions, which influenced her to pursue religious reforms in Scotland. She would likely have been familiar with both Byzantine and Roman traditions, as well as various different monastic practices. The rich mix of cultures in Hungary at the time of Margaret’s birth would have likely also meant that Margaret grew up speaking a number of Slavic languages, as well as Latin and German. Turgot mentions that she spoke both the language of the English, as well as the language of King Malcolm (presumably Scots). 

Malcolm III possibly also grew up in exile and might have spent his youth at the court of Edward the Confessor. Some sources speak of an engagement to Margaret, which might have taken place during this time, but accounts about how Margaret and Malcolm first met are conflicting. If they had met before, they only reunited when Margaret’s family fled to Scotland and were married by 1070. 

Margaret’s supposed arrival in Scotland by shipwreck has been dramatically rendered by 19th Century artist William Hole and can be seen in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. The marriage is almost unanimously described as a happy union, although it might have been heavily embellished by Margaret’s biographers. According to tradition Margaret had a softening influence on Malcolm, who must have kept his devout wife quite busy praying for his soul.

Turgot recounts a domestic anecdote about the tranquil marriage of Margaret and Malcolm, mentioning that Margaret would sometimes take from her husband’s possessions to give to the poor. However, instead of expressing anger, Malcolm would be amused by her “theft” and pretend to know nothing off it. Some caution is perhaps to be applied to Turgot’s description of King Malcolm, whom he describes as illiterate and greatly impressed by his wife’s intellect and religious devotion. While Turgot’s account might not be entirely factual it is generally presumed to have a good founding in truth and provides at the very least an interesting insight into what medieval scholars perceived to be the measures of success for a saintly life. 

According to Turgot’s vita, Margaret founded several churches and endowed them with riches, such as a cross covered in gold and gems. He also mentions that the women in her service laboured to embroider altar cloths and priests’ vestments and were not permitted “familiarity” with men (English noblewomen at the time were known for goldwork embroidery). Swearing in her presence was apparently strictly forbidden. She made multi-coloured garments, and decorations of gold, precious stones and embroidered fabrics fashionable at Malcolm’s court and insisted on greater emphasis on a ritualistic expression of kingship.

Turgot mentions that Margaret was plagued “until the end of her life” with chronic stomach pain, which he attributes to regular excessive fasting, during lent and the 40 days leading up to Christmas. His description of her daily routine includes several hours of prayer during the day and at night, as well as washing the feet of the poor (a tradition her children continued). 

Malcolm and his eldest son by Margaret, Edward, were both slain in the Battle of Alnwick in 1093. Margaret reportedly died shortly after receiving news of their deaths, supposedly from grief, although Turgot claims that she had been severely ill for a while. Turgot also writes that Margaret had a notion of her husband’s fate and begged him not to go on his final campaign to Northumbria.

If Turgot is to be believed, Margaret took an active interest in her children’s education, instructing them herself in religious matters and encouraging their governors to use corporeal punishment, if the children misbehaved. Although he describes Margaret as strict, he goes on to stress that she was even tempered and just by her own times’ standards. He later mentions that when she knew her own passing was imminent, she implored him to instruct her children in the ways of Christ and to prevent them from offending God through avarice and pride. Their thorough education seems to have stood Margaret’s children in good stead. Several of her sons and especially her daughter Edith, later Matilda, were known for their extraordinary piety, compassion towards the poor and political aptitude. Her sons Edgar, Alexander and David all became Kings of Scotland, and her daughter Edith married King Henry I of England, son of William the Conqueror, and became Queen Matilda, fondly called ‘Good Queen Maud’ by her subjects. She frequently acted as regent when her husband was abroad, patronised many building projects and mediated between Henry and the Church. She was the mother of Empress Matilda and grandmother of Henry II. Her brother David I of Scotland is considered by many to have introduced feudalism to Scotland. He also supported his niece’s, Empress Matilda’s claim to the English throne, during her civil war with Stephen of Blois. Thus, Margaret’s children and grandchildren continued to shape the fates of Scotland and England. However, they were also closely connected to the Earldom of Huntingdon, in which St. Margaret’s Church, Abbotsley lies.