The monastery has been of considerable extent (Fig. 351). The church was large, being 209 feet from east to west by 108 feet from north to south of the transept, and comprised a great nave with double aisles, a choir without aisles, north and south transepts with eastern aisles, and a tower and spire 200 feet high over the crossing. The monastic buildings which surrounded the cloister garth were of the usual description, and, to judge from the remains of the chapter house, were of exceptionally fine design. Of all these extensive structures the great nave and the tower and spire have almost entirely disappeared, and there now survive only portions of the north and south transept and choir, a beautiful fragment of the chapter house, some walls of cellars on the west side of the cloister garth, and other walls containing a few carved caps which show how fine the design of the cloisters must have been. The abbey was founded by David I. about 1142, and was colonised by Cistercians from Rieval in Yorkshire. Its history is little known. Robert I. and David II. both conferred lands upon it. In 1568, after her flight from Langside, Queen Mary was welcomed at Dundrennan by Abbot Edward Maxwell, brother of Lord Maxwell. The abbey was then entire, and contained all its inmates. The queen embarked for England from Port Mary, at the mouth of the Abbey Burn. In 1587 James VI. annexed Dundrennan to the Royal Chapel of Stirling, and the Maxwells became the heritable bailies of the lands.[190] The ruins now belong to the Maitlands of Dundrennan. It is not known how the structure was reduced to its present dilapidated condition. By some it is stated to have been destroyed by fire, while others attribute its condition to neglect. It has undoubtedly met with the usual fate of [Illustration: FIG. 351.--Dundrennan Abbey. Plan.] our old abbeys, and was used as a quarry till 1842, when it was put in repair by the Commissioners of Woods and Forests, and it is now in fair preservation. The nave of the church (see Fig. 351) was 134 feet long within the walls, and comprised eight bays. The central division was 31 feet wide, [Illustration: FIG. 352.--Dundrennan Abbey. Western Doorway.] and each aisle 16 feet wide, giving a total width of 63 feet internally. Of this part of the church only portions of the west end and south wall remain. The west wall contains the original western doorway, which is of simple Transition design. The doorway had three nook shafts besides the jambs, and the arches are in four orders of plain mouldings (Fig. 352). The caps, which have square abaci, are peculiar from the large quantity of very small nail head ornaments with which they are decorated (Fig. 353). The inner mouldings were renewed by the Government in 1842. The west wall retains the responds of the main piers of the nave, and a portion of one of the piers, being the westmost of the south arcade of the nave, also exists, both showing a