The Augustinian Abbey of Cambuskenneth stood within a loop of the River Forth a short distance from the formidable Stirling Castle, and was founded by King David I in the 12th century for Augustinian monks from Arrouaise in France..
After victory at Bannockburn, Robert the Bruce repaired to the Abbey, where the hero-king received the long line of swords and obeisance of English Lords and great ones, in total surrender.
The ransom of so many of his proud and lifelong enemies gained Bruce among many others, the release of Elizabeth his queen, his daughter Marjorie, his sister Mary, and the Countess of Buchan who had placed the crown on his head.
After the Battle of Bannockburn, the Scottish Parliament assembled at Cambuskenneth and declared that all those who had fought on the English side at Bannockburn but who had not come into the 'faith and peace' of King Robert, were forfeited.
The abbey survived until 1559 when it was 'ruined and cast down' and the stones used to construct buildings in Stirling. Only the bell tower remains intact to this day – a reminder of the defiance of the Scots in the face of all adversity.
