SAINT Margaret was a woman whose influence had a profound impact on Dunfermline and now her cave is once again open to the public.
Margaret was born in Hungary around 1045. She was the granddaughter of King Edmund Ironside of England, and the daughter of Edward the Exile, an exiled member of the English royal family.
Her mother, Agatha, was a relative of the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry III.
Margaret’s journey to Scotland was not a smooth one. Initially, she went to England with her family after her father was recalled as a possible successor to King Edward the Confessor.
Unfortunately, things did not go to plan for Margaret.
One of the information boards in the cave states: “Margaret’s father died soon after their arrival in England, leaving her young brother Edgar as 'atheling' or prince.
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“When the Confessor died in 1066 there were several claimants to the throne, and the situation was only resolved after William the Conqueror defeated his rival Harold at the Battle of Hastings.
“Edgar and his family, including Margaret, had to leave; they went to Scotland where Margaret was to marry the King, Malcolm Canmore, at Dunfermline.”
Legend has it that a storm was perhaps responsible for the family’s diversion to Scotland.
The couple married in 1070 and Margaret became a major influence in the town. She worked with orphans and the ill, and as a very religious woman, she encouraged pilgrimages to St Andrews.
Margaret even established a ferry to cross the Forth for these pilgrims, giving the towns of North and South Queensferry their names.
St Margaret’s Cave, now covered beneath a car park, was where Margaret went to pray over 900 years ago.
Katy, one of the staff members at OnFife, told me a rather touching story about Margaret and her husband.
As Margaret was often going off by herself, Malcolm became concerned that his wife might have been seeing another man. However, upon discovering that she was going to the cave to pray, he was amazed by her pious nature.
READ MORE: Dunfermline’s History: The Patons of Wooers’ Alley
An information board in the cave states: “In 1899 the first Catholic pilgrimage to St Margaret’s Cave was held.
“This became an annual event held on the Sunday falling closest to the 10th June (St Margaret’s Day) with, at the height of its popularity, 18,000 Roman Catholics converging on the holy place.
“In 1963, 10,000 Roman Catholics took part in the pilgrimage of honour of St Margaret.”
The organised pilgrimages stopped in 1974, but even today, people still come to visit the cave to pray, and past visitors have even included nuns.
However, it has not always been kept in a condition befitting of its historic importance.
Letters appeared in local press over a century ago complaining about its state of disrepair.
But then Baillie Walker purchased the cave in 1891 and he organised for it to be cleaned and for the Glen in which it was located to be restored. Afterwards, he gifted both to the city with £200 for upkeep.
Yet, the shrine was threatened again much more recently.
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A board states: “In 1962 the Town Council decided to infill the glen in order to build a car park; St Margaret’s Cave was to be buried.
“The proposed car park was fiercely opposed in the town. In only ten days, 1,054 people had signed a petition organised by Mr James Stewart.
“In view of the protest, the council decided to maintain access to the holy site by building a tunnel beneath the car park.”
The site continued to be abused by vandals so a secure entrance building was created, and in 1990 the council decided to do more work to improve the tunnel.
Nowadays, the cave is located in the north-east corner of the Glen Bridge Car Park, not far from where the Patons of Wooers’ Alley once lived, and took inspiration from Margaret’s life and Dunfermline’s history for their art.
To access the cave, you have to go down 87 steps in a tunnel, where you will be able to stop along the way and read about Margaret's journey from Saxon Princess, to Scottish Queen, to Saint.
In the cave is a statue of Margaret, seen at prayer. When I visited, flowers had been left in her arms by other visitors.
Remnants of Margaret’s influence on the city and Scotland can still be seen today.
She made possible the first Scottish holy days, or holidays, and out of her eight children, three of them became King of Scotland.
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Her daughter, Matilda of Scotland (originally christened Edith) became Queen of England and Duchess of Normandy.
As queen, she founded a small priory dedicated to the Christ Church and the Holy Trinity in Dunfermline, and in 1128, her son David I, began building Dunfermline Abbey over his mother’s church.
Outside the church is also the shrine of Queen Margaret, which itself became a place of pilgrimage.
She died in 1093 after Malcolm and her eldest son Edward died at the Battle of Alnwick. She was then buried in Dunfermline Abbey, before being canonized in 1250.
However, the current whereabouts of Margaret’s body are unknown.
You too can now visit the very same cave where the saint spent her time in prayer.
The cave is open on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays until September 29 for pre-booked tours.
Visits have to be booked 48 hours in advance either by calling 01383602365, by emailing dclg@onfife.com, or by popping into Carnegie Library & Galleries.
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