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Citation

Turpie T (2023) Review of R. Anthony Lodge, Pittemweem Priory. Scottish Historical Review, 102 (1), pp. 166-168. https://doi.org/10.3366/shr.2023.0596

Abstract
First paragraph: Pittenweem Priory, a small Augustinian house located on the south-east coast of Fife, has a rather unusual history. It began as the shore base for the Cluniac (later Benedictine) priory on the Isle of May (c.1145–1300). A full monastic community only developed at Pittenweem in the fifteenth century, after regular raids by English naval forces made life on May untenable. Overshadowed by more picturesque monastic sites in the vicinity, like Inchcolm and Balmerino, and lacking significant ruins (at least of its sacred buildings) and documentation, the priory of May/Pittenweem has not been the subject of a thorough study, until now. Anthony Lodge's well illustrated volume provides a comprehensive account of the institution, tracing its development from foundation in the twelfth century to the reformation of 1559–60 and beyond. Aimed at both the general reader and medieval and early modern specialists, Lodge also uses the book to make plea for a new archaeological investigation of the site.