Inchmahome facts for kids
Inchmahome is the biggest of three islands in the Lake of Menteith, in Stirlingshire, Scotland. Its name comes from an old Scottish name, Innis Mo Cholmaig, which means "my-Colmac's island".
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Discovering Inchmahome's Past
Inchmahome is famous for being the home of Inchmahome Priory. This priory was a special kind of monastery where monks lived and prayed.
Building the Priory
The priory was started in 1238 by Walter Comyn, who was the Earl of Menteith. He built it for a small group of monks called the Augustinian order. These monks were also known as the Black Canons.
The Comyn family was very powerful in Scotland at that time. They even had a large house on Inch Talla, another island in the same lake. Some clues suggest there might have been a church on Inchmahome even before the priory was built.
Royal Visitors to the Priory
The Inchmahome Priory has a long history of welcoming important guests.
- King Robert the Bruce visited three times: in 1306, 1308, and 1310. His visits were likely about politics. The first leader of the priory had promised loyalty to Edward I, the King of England.
- In 1358, Robert II, who would later become king, also stayed at the priory.
Mary, Queen of Scots' Refuge
In 1547, the priory became a safe place for Mary, Queen of Scots. She was only four years old at the time. She was hidden here for a few weeks after the Scottish army lost a big battle called the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh. This battle was part of a difficult time known as the Rough Wooing, when England tried to force Scotland into an alliance.
Legends of Mary on the Island
Even though Mary, Queen of Scots, was only on the island for a few weeks when she was very young, many interesting stories have grown up about her time there.
For example, some stories say that she started learning languages on Inchmahome. Others claim she held a pretend court with her four young friends, known as the Four Marys. There are also tales that she planted a special box hedge and did needlework while she was there. These are fun legends that show how important she became!
A Writer's View of Inchmahome
In the 1930s, a famous English travel writer named H.V. Morton visited Inchmahome. He wrote about how special the island felt:
Far in the middle of the lake was a low greyness that rose and fell in queer shadows, as though the once holy isle of Inchmahome was built up out of lake water like a mirage.
This little island is one of Scotland's shrines; it was here that we can think of Mary Queen of Scots living, for once, happy hour in that first garden of her simpleness.
On Inchmahome, she was hidden when the English were hammering at the gates of Stirling... Legend has labelled every yard of Inchmahome. There are the 'Queen's Bower', the 'Queen's Tree', and the 'Queen's Chamber'.
