38-452: Fort Augustus Abbey , properly St Benedict's Abbey, at Fort Augustus , Inverness-shire , Scotland, was a Benedictine monastery, from late in the nineteenth century to 1998 that also housed a school for boys until 1993. It owed its inception to the desire of the 3rd Marquess of Bute for the restoration of monasticism in Scotland. The Marquess brought the matter before the superiors of
76-528: A hospitality section, which makes some properties available for wedding receptions and other functions. Membership in Historic Scotland was promoted by the organisation, with benefits such as free entry to all their properties and over 400 events for the duration of the annual membership, as well as half-price entry to properties in England (under the care of English Heritage ), Wales (under
114-517: A decline in enrollment. The monks employed Tony Harmsworth to devise a rescue package which saw the site converted into the largest private heritage centre in Scotland which operated between 1994 and 1998; however, the heritage centre failed to generate sufficient profit to maintain the buildings. In 1998 the monks abandoned the site, and it reverted to the Lovat family which in turn sold it to Terry Nutkins . He also owned The Lovat Hotel that stands on
152-563: A dramatic series of locks stepping down to Loch Ness. The village is served by the Cill Chuimein Medical Centre. The village has both a primary school and a secondary school – Kilchuimen Primary School and Kilchuimen Academy – which share a campus. As with most of the British Isles and Scotland, Fort Augustus has an oceanic climate ( Köppen : Cfb ) with cool summers and mild winters. Like
190-580: A former housemaster, headmaster and chemistry teacher at Fort Augustus, was found guilty of assaulting one former pupil at the school during the 1970s and five other charges against him were found as not proven by a majority of the jury. Giving evidence to the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry in July 2019, Seed was confronted about an admission he had made to Bishop Hugh Gilbert in 2013 about two indecent sexual relationships with minors at
228-561: A lot of the surrounding area, sunshine levels are low at around 1,000 hours per annum and temperatures are unpredictable – Fort Augustus holds the UK's joint lowest May temperature record of −9.4 °C (15.1 °F). This is the latest point in the run-up to summer that such a low temperature has been recorded, suggesting it can become a frost trap on calm clear nights due to its valley location. That same low-lying topography can also give rise to some high temperatures on occasion – Fort Augustus held
266-530: A prolonged series of legal challenges to the extradition process, MacKenzie was extradited in February 2020 and made his first appearance in a Scottish Court on fourteen separate charges the day after arriving back in Scotland. The Scottish prosecution dropped its case against MacKenzie in November 2021 as a result of a 'change in circumstances'. In August 2021, after two years of investigation and deliberation,
304-699: A quadrangle about one hundred feet square. In one wing a school for boys of the upper classes was conducted by the monks, with lay masters, for about sixteen years. Up to the year 1882 St Benedict's monastery remained under the jurisdiction of the Anglo-Benedictine Congregation, but in response to the wishes of the Scottish hierarchy, and of the leading Scottish nobility—notably Lords Lovat and Bute— Pope Leo XIII , by his Brief " Summâ cum animi lætitiâ ", dated 12 December 1882, erected it into an independent abbey, immediately subject to
342-402: A quarter of which are staffed and charge admission. These properties have additional features such as guidebooks, books, and other resources. Historic Scotland sought to increase the number of events run at its sites, most frequently designed to engage young people with history. Similarly, new museums and visitor centres were opened, notably at Arbroath Abbey and Urquhart Castle . There was also
380-545: A restaurant, gift shop and a number of franchised businesses including a boat operator and re-enactment centre. The enterprises initially showed great promise, becoming a major tourism force in the Highlands, but it was discovered that the buildings more costly repairs than had been envisaged. A larger project was being considered with finance from Historic Scotland and the Local Enterprise Company, but
418-508: A ruin. This position was supported in an extensive local Public Inquiry at which the arguments for both sides were heard. It has been implied that this dispute has led to a review of the operations of the organisation. After widespread consultation, Historic Scotland published a comprehensive series of Scottish Historic Environment Policy papers, consolidated into a single volume, in October 2008. The agency's Framework Document sets out
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#1732798760959456-672: A terminus on the banks of Loch Ness from 1903 until 1933, built by the Invergarry and Fort Augustus Railway in the hope of eventually completing a line to Inverness and latterly operated by the North British Railway and its successor, the London and North Eastern Railway , but initially operated by the Highland Railway . The Caledonian Canal connecting Fort William to Inverness passes through Fort Augustus in
494-578: The Battle of Culloden . A hoard of Roman coins was unearthed in 1767 near the ancient Benedictine abbey that are thought to be from Roman to Late Iron Age - 79 AD to 560 AD. In 1867, the fort was sold to the Lovat family, and in 1876 they passed the site and land to the Benedictine order . The monks established Fort Augustus Abbey and later a school. The school operated until 1993 when it closed owing to changing educational patterns in Scotland causing
532-532: The Jacobite rising of 1715 . The accepted etymology is that the settlement was originally named after Saint Cummein of Iona who built a church there. Other suggestions are that it was originally called Ku Chuimein after one of two abbots of Iona of the Comyn clan , whose badge Lus mhic Chuimein refers to the cumin plant, or that it was called Cill a' Chuimein ("Comyn's Burialplace") after
570-562: The Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry published its findings on Fort Augustus Abbey School and its preparatory feeder school Carlekemp Priory School in North Berwick . Lady Smith concluded in her report that "There was a culture of violence at both schools that terrorised many children." She added: "Children were sexually abused at CK[Carlekemp] and FA[Fort Augustus] over many years. Both schools were havens for paedophiles where they had easy access to their chosen victims," concluding "there
608-913: The Scottish Development Department . It was created as an agency in 1991 and was attached to the Scottish Executive Education Department , which embraces all aspects of the cultural heritage, in May 1999. As part of the Scottish Government, Historic Scotland was directly accountable to the Scottish Ministers . In 2002, proposals to restore Castle Tioram in the West Highlands by putting a roof back on were blocked by Historic Scotland, which favoured stabilising it as
646-734: The Scottish Parliament published on 3 March 2014, Historic Scotland was dissolved and its functions were transferred to Historic Environment Scotland (HES) on 1 October 2015. HES also took over the functions of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland . Historic Scotland was a successor organisation to the Ancient Monuments Division of the Ministry of Works and
684-612: The Solesmes version of the Gregorian melodies was used in all liturgical services. A church of large size, designed by Peter Paul Pugin , was commenced in 1890, replacing a temporary wooden one. In 1993, owing to changing educational patterns in Scotland which caused a falling roll, Abbot Mark Dilworth decided to close the school. This left the monks with no form of outreach and a drastic drop in income. Inverness and Nairn Enterprise (part of Highlands and Islands Enterprise ) introduced
722-451: The public domain : Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). " Fort Augustus Abbey ". Catholic Encyclopedia . New York: Robert Appleton Company. Fort Augustus Fort Augustus is a settlement in the parish of Boleskine and Abertarff, at the south-west end of Loch Ness , Scottish Highlands . The village has a population of around 646 (2001). Its economy is heavily reliant on tourism . Some historians like G. Mcdonalds -after
760-556: The 1970s. In 2013, the former headmaster issued an apology for abuse committed by Alexander. In 2019, the Australian government ruled that he could be extradited, though this has yet to receive final approval from the Federal Court of Australia. In June 2021, Alexander pleaded guilty to two charges of lewd, indecent and libidinous practices against two boys between 1973 and 1976. In May 2017, the priest Michael "Benedict" Seed,
798-544: The Anglo-Benedictine Congregation in 1874, promising substantial pecuniary help in the establishment of a house in Scotland, with the understanding that when two other monasteries should have been founded they should all form a separate Scottish congregation. The suggestion was approved of, and the Anglo-Benedictine authorities resolved to incorporate with the Scottish monastery Lamspringe Abbey , in Hanover , which
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#1732798760959836-601: The Holy See, thus separating it from English rule. When this step had been accomplished, Lovat made over the property to the Scottish community, by signing the title deeds, which for a time had been held over. In 1888, Leo Linse of the Beuronese Benedictine Congregation , who had resided for more than ten years in England, part of that time as superior of Erdington Priory , near Birmingham ,
874-533: The UK daily high temperature record for 16 December for almost 80 years. Historic Scotland Historic Scotland ( Scottish Gaelic : Alba Aosmhor ) was an executive agency of the Scottish Office and later the Scottish Government from 1991 to 2015, responsible for safeguarding Scotland's built heritage and promoting its understanding and enjoyment. Under the terms of a Bill of
912-517: The abbey school. A BBC Scotland Investigates programme, entitled Sins of Our Fathers , reported allegations that Fort Augustus Abbey was used as a "dumping ground" for clergy previously accused of abuse elsewhere. Some 50 former pupils spoke of their experiences. Many former pupils reported only good memories, but there were accounts of violence and sexual assault including rape by monks. The programme contains evidence against seven Fort Augustus monks; two headmasters have also been accused of covering up
950-499: The abuse. The head of the Benedictines, Richard Yeo, apologised to any victims. In particular, five men were raped or sexually abused by Aidan Duggan, an Australian monk who taught at Carlekemp Priory School in North Berwick and Fort Augustus Abbey between 1953 and 1974. The priest Denis "Chrysostom" Alexander repeatedly sexually abused a pupil. Despite being told not to by Alexander, the pupil told his parents, who complained to
988-615: The business was closed down before this could be put into effect. The heritage centre was closed in 1998 and when the monks left, the buildings, which had been leased to the monks at £5 per year, reverted to the Lovat Family and were later sold to a consortium including television presenter Terry Nutkins . The original abbey website from its time as visitor centres is remains live. In 2013, The Observer newspaper reported that Scottish police were investigating allegations that pupils had been subject to physical and sexual abuse while at
1026-473: The erection of a fine monastery a cost of some £70,000. The site at Fort Augustus was given by the 13th Lord Lovat . It comprised the buildings of a dismantled fort, built in 1729 and originally erected for the suppression of Highland Jacobites . It had been purchased from the Government by the Lovat family, in 1867. The monastic buildings begun in 1876 were completed in 1880, occupying the four sides of
1064-412: The finding of a roman coins hoard in 1767 near the city's ancient benedictine abbey- wrote about the possibility that Fort Augustus was built on a roman small fortification built under Diocletian rule The Gaelic name for the modern village is Cille Chuimein ( [ˈkʲiʎə ˈxumɛɲ] ) and until the early 18th century the settlement was called Kiliwhimin . It was renamed Fort Augustus after
1102-586: The last Comyn in Lochaber . In the aftermath of the Jacobite rising in 1715, General Wade built a fort (taking from 1729 until 1742) which was named after Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland . Wade had planned to build a town around the new barracks and call it Wadesburgh. The settlement grew, and eventually took the name of this fort. The fort was captured by the Jacobites in March 1746, just before
1140-514: The monks to entrepreneur Tony Harmsworth, who was commissioned to install a small Heritage exhibition to provide an immediate income for the monks while he devised a rescue package. It quickly became clear that a small business could never generate sufficient income to support the monks and the rambling Victorian buildings so a major project was begun. The business comprised the largest private heritage exhibition in Scotland, study bedrooms converted into tourist bedrooms (which could be used for retreats),
1178-744: The responsibilities of the Scottish Ministers and the agency's Chief Executive. Its Corporate Plan sets out its targets and performance against them. Historic Scotland and the Glasgow School of Art 's Digital Design Studio formed the Centre for Digital Documentation and Visualization to promote the documentation and 3D representation of heritage objects, architecture, and environments with laser scanning and 3D visualization software. Historic Scotland had direct responsibility for maintaining and running over 360 monuments in its care, about
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1216-623: The school, who did not inform police. Alexander was sent back to his native Australia, where he was eventually stripped of priestly faculties. The headmaster at the time refused to be interviewed for the BBC programme, but made a statement apologising to the victim and his family for Alexander's abuse. The NSPCC called for an independent investigation. In 2017, Denis Alexander was arrested in Sydney , Australia, and faces an extradition for sexual and physical abuse he reportedly committed at Fort Augustus in
1254-504: The school. Seed made no further comment on the matter. He retired as parish priest of the village of Brora in 2013 and died of COVID-19 in 2020. In 2019, the priest Robert MacKenzie was arrested in Regina , Saskatchewan , Canada, and faced extradition for abuse he reportedly committed at the Abbey between the 1950s and 1980s. Canada's Minister of Justice approved this extradition. Following
1292-461: The site of the old Kilwhimen Barracks , one of four built in 1718. This site houses the west curtain wall of the old Fort, intact with gun embrasures . The Lovat was originally built as the local Station Hotel. The village is served by the A82 road and lies approximately midway between Inverness (56 km) and Fort William (51 km). The village was served by a rail line from Spean Bridge to
1330-579: Was a range of sexual abuse, including oral sex and sodomy." On allegations of decades of systemic physical abuse perpetrated by monks, teachers and older pupils at both schools, Lady Smith writes: "I am satisfied that the regimes at CK and FA were ones where boys were regularly physically abused. Former pupils provided the Inquiry with clear and credible evidence of examples of that abuse. It went far above and beyond what ought to have been acceptable in any school or residential setting." She concluded "Bullying
1368-406: Was manned by English monks from 1645 to 1803. Inadequacy of funds had prevented any lasting restoration of this house, but with the help promised by Lord Bute, it seemed possible to revive it in Scotland. Jerome Vaughan, a brother of Herbert Cardinal Vaughan , was appointed to superintend the work, and succeeded in collecting from rich and poor in England, Scotland, and Ireland, sufficient means for
1406-550: Was nominated abbot by the Holy See and received the abbatial benediction at the hands of Ignatius Persico , Archbishop of Tamiathis , who had been sent to the abbey as Apostolic Visitor. In 1889, special constitutions, based upon those of the Beuron Benedictine Congregation, were adopted, with the approval of the Holy See, for a term of ten years. These, after certain modifications suggested by experience, received definite approbation in 1901. From 1893
1444-401: Was rife in both schools, especially at FA. Monks were aware that bullying was prevalent. They failed to control the bullying; on the contrary, there was clear and credible evidence that bullying was encouraged. The nature and extent of the physical abuse meant that many children at the schools lived in constant fear." [REDACTED] This article incorporates text from a publication now in
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