Experts have unravelled a mystery surrounding stained-glass fragments which were anonymously returned to one of Scotland’s most historic churches.
The fragments were sent in a cardboard box in 2020 to the Abbey Church which is part of the 950 year old Dunfermline Abbey in Fife. The box was addressed to 'Bob Brewse', a name understood to be a playful reference to King Robert the Bruce, whose remains are interred in the church.
Parish minister Rev Dr MaryAnn Rennie was surprised when she opened the box and found the stained glass wrapped in newspaper, dated February 2005 with an anonymous typewritten note.
It read: “Hello there, I am returning some stained glass that I found over 20 years ago. It was in a small pile below the scaffold that was erected by the Abbey, near footpath facing west. I wrapped it up in paper to protect it but never had the chance to return it. Unsure if it was new glass going in or old coming out. I felt a bit guilty taking it and hope it will get used. Regards, CEEPS”.
The find proved to be a real headscratcher for the congregation because it was impossible for them to identify which one of the 10 fully intact stained-glass windows in the Abbey Church the pieces originally belonged to.
After a fruitless social media appeal for information, Dr Rennie eventually turned to Professor Michael Penman, Professor of History at The University of Stirling, in 2023 for help.
He enlisted the assistance of Dr Kennedy of the Institute for Sustainable Building Design at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh. They were joined by Vivienne Kelly, a PhD student supervised by Dr Kennedy.
Using a combination of science, history and visual analysis, the team worked out that the 49 fragments and shards were originally part of the Margaret Window in the Abbey's south transept.
Dating from 1932 and designed by Alexander Strachan, it shows the marriage of Queen Margaret and King Malcolm Canmore.
When laid out together, the fragments depict an angel’s wing, the knotwork hem of a noble’s robe, the hair of an angel and a thistle motif that was repeatedly used in a window design.
Ms Kelly said: “Piece by piece, we reconstructed a lost chapter of Dunfermline Abbey’s stained-glass heritage, bringing clarity to a mystery which started with a cryptic note to ‘Bob Brewse’.
Speaking to Premier Rev Dr Rennie said: "We are delighted that the mystery of where this glass originally came from has finally been unravelled.
“We still have no idea who CEEPS is and why they decided to return it to the Abbey when they did, but we are grateful.”
She believes that the Margaret Window had been struck and damaged by something like a scaffolding pole during refurbishment work in the late 1990s, “But unless CEEPS comes forward, the full circumstances behind the disappearance and reappearance of the glass will remain an intriguing part of the Abbey’s history.”
The stained-glass pieces will be on display at an exhibition examining the role of the church in the local community and its history at Dunfermline Carnegie Library & Galleries until 6 April.
The Abbey Church is facing a repair bill of around £4 million to ensure it remains wind and watertight and a further £4 million to upgrade its facilities, and has launched a fundraising appeal.