Fail Monastery, occasionally known as Failford Abbey, had a dedication to 'Saint Mary',Love (2003), Page 209Groome, Page 561 and was located at Fail (NS 42129 28654) on the bank of the Water of Fail, Parish of Tarbolton near the village of Tarbolton, South Ayrshire. Most of the remaining monastery ruins were removed in 1952. The official and rarely used title was House of the Holy Trinity of Failford or the Ministry of Failford.Dillon, p.69
History Other spelling variations for the monastery are 'Valle' (1307), 'Faleford' (1368), 'Feil' (1654), 'Feill' (1732), 'Faill' or 'Ffele'Paterson, V.II, Page 756 References refer loosely to the friars and the establishment is sometimes marked on maps as a priory.
The Trinitarians
Also known as the "Red Friars", or "Mathurines" from the monastery of Saint Mathurin in Paris.Paterson, V.II, Page 754 The friars were charged with the duty of saving captives from slavery and as such, were called Fratres de Redemptione Captivorum or "The Fathers of Redemption". The friars either paid the ransom of Christians or purchased pagan captives to exchange for Christians.Dugdale, V. II. Page 227 The friars wore a white outer garment with a red and blue cross on the shoulder or over the breast.Paterson (1847). Page 32 They were not permitted to ride horses and had to use asses for transport.
In Scotland the order had friaries at Aberdeen;Donaldson, Page 2 Berwick;Donaldson, Page 19 Dirleton;Donaldson, Page 56 Dunbar;Donaldson, Page 62 Houston (East Lothian);Donaldson, Page 100 Peebles;Donaldson, Page 169 and Scotlandswell.Donaldson, Page 194 Kettins in Angus, only a parish church, was however appropriated to the Trinitarian friars.Donaldson, Page 72
William Aiton records that the monastery was established by John de Graham, Lord of Tarbolton in 1252,Aiton, Page 94 however Love regards Andrew Bruce as being the founder.
The monastery originally lay within the civil and ecclesiastical Parish of Barnweil or Barnwell, which was suppressed in 1673, its lands joining the Parishes of Craigie and Tarbolton.Scotland's Places Retrieved : 2010-11-13 Founded about 1252, the monastery was partially destroyed by fire in 1349 or 1359.Dillon, p.76 Two thirds of the monastery's income was ordered to be spent on redeeming Christian slaves and as a consequence and also as an order, the Trinitarians buildings were not overly ornate.
Although Tarbolton was twice subject to the jurisdiction of the friars of Fail, it did not remain with them, but remained an independent rectory. In 1429 Tarbolton was erected into a prebend or canonry of Glasgow Cathedral. Barnweil, a vicarage of the friars of Fail, was annexed partly to Tarbolton, and partly to Craigie in 1653. The church ruins, which stood near to an old castle of the same name, have been allowed to go to total ruin.Groome's Gazetteer. Accessed : 2010-07-02
The principal of Trinitarian monasteries was called the 'Minister' and as head of the order in Scotland, had a seat in the Scottish Parliament.Paterson, Page 755 In 1343 John was the Minister of the House of the Holy Trinity and he persuaded, by the gift a white horse, John de Graham, Lord of Tarbolton, to revoke his gift of the rights of patronage to the kirk of Tarbolton and the lands of Unthank. John stole the white horse back and the agreement was nullified
In 1368 John Stewart, Earl of Carrick and Lord of Kyle-Stewart confirmed a charter of 1338 made by John of Grame, Lord of Tarbolton, conveying the rights of patronage and advowson of Tarbolton Church to God and the house of Faleford, the minister and brothers, and their successors of the order of holy Trinity and Captives ... Hugh of Eglintoun, Lord of that Ilk and others bore witness.AWAS, Pages 149–150
Friar William Houston became Minister of Fail in the early 16th century however his nephew attempted to oust him and went so far as to invade Failford "..with a body of supporters armed with balistas, bows, mangonels and all sorts of offensive arms, and had broken down the gate and all the doors in an attempt to oust the minister."Dillon, p.79
In 1546 Robert Cunninghame was the 'Minister' of Fail, living off the income and not carrying out the responsibilities of the position, indeed the community of friars at Fail had been the subject of several investigations since the mid-fifteenth century. Robert was married and also held the lands of Montgreenan whilst continuing to use the title of 'Minister' and to act as the provincial of the Trinitarian Order in Scotland.Sanderson, Page 52
In 1642 William Hunter was the ruling Elder.
The parish churches of Barnweill, Symington, and Galston in old Kyle, Torthorwald in old Dumfriesshire, and Inverchoalan in old Argylshire, belonged to the Monastery of Fail. Saint Anne's Well, Monk Muir and the Monk Road within the parish of Galston evoke links with the Monastery of Fail.Love (2003), Page 132 At Symington it is recorded that The church of Symonstoun was granted to the convent which was founded at Feil, or Faile, in Kyle, during the year 1252, and it continued to belong to that convent until the Reformation. The cure was served by a vicar pensioner who had a settled income and a glebe, and the minister and brothers of Faile enjoyed the remainder of the tithes and revenues.Adamson, Page 79
The monks of Melrose held extensive lands in the area and were in close competition with the Friars of Fail for lands and income.
In the reign of Robert II (1371–1390) the patronage of the 'Kirk of Fail' was granted to James de Lindsay of Crawforde and in 1470 James de Quhit of Fale is mentioned.Paterson, V.II. Page 757 In 1562 Robert Cuninghame was the Minister of Fail.
It is recorded in 1562 that the Laird of Lamont, such was his contempt for the Minister of Fail, had paid no rent for six years.
The character of the friars is recalled in these linesPaterson, V.II. Page 511 –
"The Friars of Fail drank berry-brown ale, The best that ever was tasted, The Monks of Melrose made gude kael, On Fridays, when they fasted."
Another version expands the details of the friars way of life –
The Friars of Fail, Gat never oure hard eggs or oure thin kale; For they made their eggs thin wi' butter, And their kale thick wi'bread; And the Friars of Fail they made guid kale On Fridays when they feasted, And they never wanted gear enough, As lang as their neighbour' lasted.
A Crown petition In 1459 King James II and his Queen, Mary of Gueldress submitted a petition to suppress the Trinitarian Order and to pass their churches and revenues to the Trinity Collegiate Church and Hospital in Edinburgh. The given reason was that the friars were evil, unclean, and unfit to continue observance of their rule. The public outcry was such that the petition was refused, however an echo of substance in the allegations is derived from the above quoted rhyme.Nimmo, Page 27
Thomas the Rhymer William Wallace's biographer, Thomas the Rhymer, is said to have been at Fail when William Wallace was imprisoned by the English in 1305.Paterson, V.II. Page 760 He is said to have been a frequent visitor to the Minister and may have retired to Failford and died there.Dillon, p.74
Thomas Rimour in to the Fail was than, With the mynystir, quilk was a worthie man: He wyst off to that religious place.
The dissolution of the monastery The lords of Council ordered the destruction of the monastery in 1561, however two poor men still lived in the convent in 1562 and had £22 a year for subsistence while four old of the convent lived outside.Dillon, p.108Donaldson, Page 73RCAHMS Canmore Site. Accessed : 2010-07-01 The term 'convent' at that time did not infer a community of women.
In 1565, Robert Cunninghame, minister of Fail, granted a charter to J. Cunninghame Esq that conveyed to him the lands of Brownhill, and the farms of the Fail estate. William Wallace, brother of Sir Hugh Wallace of Craigie Castle appears to have then acquired the patronage of the monastery. He died in 1617.
The Wallace family of nearby Craigie carried out repairs the Ministers dwelling, converting it into more of a defensive structure, known locally as the 'Fail Castle' and marked as such on some of the contemporary maps.
The castle Circa 1617 William Wallace, grandson of Sir Hugh Wallace of Craigie, expected to inherit the property from his father, also William Wallace, known as Minister of Fail, the commendator. He listed the monastery lands as the manor place of Failford and the gardens known as the West Yaird, Neltoun Yaird, Gardine Yaird, Yeister Yaird, and Kirk Yaird.Paterson (1847). Page 33
In August 1618 Walter Whyteford was granted the Monastery of Fail in place of William Wallace; this grant was ratified by Parliament in 1621. The Whitefords also had properties at Blaiquharn (previously Whiteford) and Dunduff Castle near Dunure.
Blaeu's map of 1654 shows a fairly extensive wooded area around Feil Abbey (sic) with a pale around three sides and the final boundary as the Water of Fail.Blaeu's Maps Retrieved : 2010-10-30.
The immunities derived from the monastery passed into the hands of the Earls of Dundonald and in 1690, William, Earl of Dundonald, was served heir to his father, John Earl of Dundonald, in the beneficies of Failford, spiritually as well as temporarily. The buildings were repaired after passing into the ownership of the Wallace family, and for a time became known as Fail Castle; the former monastery was allowed to fall derelict again after the time of the Laird of Whytford (sic).Scran Record. Accessed : 2010-07-02
In the 1860s the lands of Fail were held by Edward Hunter-Blair of Dunskey and Brounehill, second son of Sir D. Hunter-Blair of Blairquhan.Paterson, V.II, Page 758 The ruins consisted at this time of a gable and part of a side-wall of the 'castle'.Paterson, V.II. Page 759
The final destruction of the monastery and castle
The remains of Fail Monastery were removed and used as foundations for buildings and the runway at Prestwick AirportRoads and Tracks of Ayrshire. Accessed : 2010-07-01 in 1952; some of the rubble was however collected and used to form a grotto on the north side of Annbank's Roman Catholic church. Possibly the ruins had become unacceptably dangerous.
The ruins prior to 1952 Prior to the remains being dismantled, the ruins were mainly of a rectangular building, with three walls remaining, about high. This building was probably the 16th-century tower or "manor-house", originally the "domus" of the head of the monastery and later the home of the commendator or Laird of Fail. The tower is said to have comprised at least three principal storeys. In 1875 Adamson observed that the ruins in 1875 consist of a gable and part of a side wall—in a stackyard near Fail toll.Adamson, Page 56
Surviving remains
The surviving ruins are near the Fail Castle cottage across from Fail Mains, and these comprise a fragment of wall (22 m long and up to 1.3 m high) revetting the break of the slope at the foot of the garden, 25 m south of the cottage; below ground level a second wall is detectable, running towards the north for over 23 m at a right angle to the other wall. Building alterations have uncovered "incised slabs" and structural foundations.
Archaeological finds In 1852 road improvements unearthed outside the door of the cottage called Fail Castle FarmDillon, p.118 a sandstone sarcophagus of a probable 14th-century date, measuring wide and deep, with a section cut out specifically for the head. This was broken in two and bore what may be the royal arms of Scotland and it has been suggested that this was the tomb of Walter Stewart, second son of Robert II and Elizabeth Mure of Rowallan.
A 17th century tombstone bore the coat of arms in an armorial panelSmith, Page 155 of John Cunningham quartered with those of Barbara Hunter who married circa 1660.Dillon, p.119 This lid was taken to Blairquhan Castle, together with a tombstone, residence of the Hunter-Blair owners of the ruins at that time.