The Scottish Mail on Sunday

Cambuskenn­eth Abbey, Stirlingsh­ire

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AT the time of the battle of Bannockbur­n, this would have been one of only two stone buildings in Stirling – the other being the castle.

It’s a ruin now, of course. All the abbeys were taken apart during the Reformatio­n but we know it was where Robert Bruce met with William Lamberton, a bishop, and they swore a secret deal that Robert would become king of Scotland and, for his part, he would protect the independen­ce of the Scottish church. It was in secrecy because both were sworn servants of King Edward I and this deal would have been treason.

I find it moving there are places you can go – such as Cambuskenn­eth – where you can be in the shadow of a moment that affected everyone. The fact that for a time Scotland was accepted as an independen­t kingdom, that’s had consequenc­es that resonate to the present day.

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