The Hospital of Saint Mary Magdalene at Rutherford
July 22 - Day of Saint Mary Magdalene, patron of the Hospital at Rutherford, Scotland
In the town of Rutherford in Roxburghshire was a small hospital which was maintained by the Rutherford family from the times of the earliest Norman and Flemish presence in the Tweed River Valley. The hospital at Rutherford was dedicated to Saint Mary Magdalene, patron saint of the Knights Templar and was founded by King David I of Scotland (1124-1153). Being a small town, there was no church at Rutherford, only a chapel within the hospital. The chapel churchyard also had a cemetery.
Originally, a hospital was a place where strangers or visitors were received not just a place to care for the sick. The mission of Saint Mary Magdalene's Hospital was twofold; to take in travelers and to care for the poor and sick of the area. Both would have been necessary considering the hospital’s closeness to the great road [Dere Street] into Scotland and to Melrose Abbey which served as a retirement home for Cistercian and Templar priests back from the Crusades. In Scotland, 77 hospitals were founded before the Reformation; Glasgow had two, Aberdeen four, Edinburgh five. St. Mary Magdalene's at Rutherford was founded by King David I (1124-1153); Holy Trinity at Soltre by King Malcolm IV (1153-1163); the one at Rothean by John Bisset about 1226; Hollywood in Galloway by Robert Bruce's brother Edward (died 1318); St. Mary Magdalene's at Linlithgow by James I (1424-1437).
On the outskirts of a town in medieval times, travelers would have noticed a well-known landmark, such as the Hospital at Rutherford, a group of cottages with an adjoining chapel, clustering round a green enclosure. At a glance they would recognize it as the 'lazar house' for those with leprosy, and would prepare to throw alms to the crippled and disfigured representatives of the community.
Queen Matilda, wife of Henry I (1100–1135) and sister of David I of Scotland exemplified compassionate concern for those with the disease. When her brother, David, King of Scotland, was serving as a youth at the English Court, the Queen called him into her chambers one evening. He found the place 'full of lepers, and the queen standing in the midst with her robe laid aside and a towel girt round her. Having filled a basin with water, she proceeded to wash the feet of the lepers and to wipe them with the towel, and then taking them in both her hands, she kissed them with devotion.' King David remonstrated with her about this with the words: 'What dost thou, my lady? Certes if the king were to know this, never would he deign to kiss with his lips that mouth of thine polluted with the soil of leprous feet.' She apparently answered with a smile: 'Who does not know that the feet of an Eternal King are to be preferred to the lips of a mortal king? See, then, dearest brother, wherefore I have called thee, that thou mayest learn by my example to do so also.' Later, after he had become King David I of Scotland, he not only encouraged the founding of the four Borders Abbeys at Melrose, Jedburgh, Dryburgh and Kelso but the hospital at Rutherford, as well.
During the English occupation of Roxburgh Castle, the Hospital at Rutherford was granted to Sir Simon de Sandford by Edward Balliol, King of Scotland this being confirmed to him by King Edward III on 26 July 1335. He was dead by 31 Oct. 1337, when the custody of the same hospital was granted to William de Embledon. On Nov. 6th, 1348 William de Sandford obtained a grant of the Wardenship of the Chapel of Whale in Scotland, in possession of William de Embleton; the latter had succeeded Simon de Sandford in his custody of the hospital of Rutherford near Roxburgh in 1335 which points to a close family relationship between Simon and William Sandford.
In 1377 King Robert III returned the hospital of St Mary Magdalene at Rutherford to the Rutherford family, under the condition that the canons should have service regularly performed in the hospital chapel.
The ancestral village of Rutherford and its hospital were "spoiled" by Henry VIII in July of 1544. Two months later, on September 9th,1544 the town was destroyed. The rest of the village was burned, razed and cast down between September 9th and September 13th, 1544. On September 16th the Rutherford Houses at Hundalee, Hunthill, Edgerston and Jedburgh were burned to the ground by the English.
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Calendar of the Saints in Medieval Scotland
January 6 - The Epiphany of our Lord Jesus Christ “Three Kings Day”
January 8 – Saint Thorfinn a Norwegian bishop who died on January 8, 1285 at TerDoest abbey near Rudderevoorde where miracles have been reported at his tomb and where he is venerated by the Cistercians around Brugge and Ruddervoorde.
January 12 - St. Aelred of Rievaulx, master of the household of King David I and founder of the Cistercian Abbey at Rievaulx. When Aelred resigned the stewardship of Scotland, King David awarded the vacant position to Walter FitzAlan, who assumed the title "First High Steward.", direct ancestor of the Bruce, Stewart and Rutherford families.
January 13 - Saint Kentigern, also called Saint Mungo; Bishop of Glasgow; 601. Patron Saint of the Rutherford family.
January 18 - St. Bernard of Clairvaux, founder of the Benedictine order called the Cistercians founder of Clairvaux and 50 other abbeys. St. Bernard sent the Cistercians of Clairvaux to Rievaulx in Yorkshire and on to King David of Scotland who built for them a monastery on the Tweed River at Melrose near Rutherford, Scotland.
January 20 – Saint Sebastian, martyr, patron of the guild of long bowmen
February 1 - Saint Brigid of Kildare; 525. "The Prophetess of Christ and the Mary of the Gaels."
February 2 - The Presentation of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple, also called Candlemas and the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
March 17 - Saint Patrick, Missionary Bishop; 465.
March 19 - Saint Joseph, Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Step-father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
March 20 - Saint Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, Bishop of Lindisfarne; 687
March 25 - The Annunciation of our Lord Jesus Christ to the Blessed Virgin Mary
April 7 – 1st Day of the True Blood of Christ, Brugge, Flanders and Scotland – now venerated on the Monday following the first Sunday in May
April 17 – Saint Stephen Harding, Cistercian abbot
April 18 - Idesbald of Dunes, Cistercian abbot of Furnes near Ruddervoorde, Flanders
April 23 - Saint George the martyr, Cappadocia; c 285, patron of the guild of crossbowmen
April 25 - Saint Mark the Evangelist
May 1 - Saints Philip and James the Apostles, also Saint Walburga near Furnes in Flanders
May 16 - Saint Brendan the Voyager, Abbot; Clonfert; 577.
May 24 – Saint David, King of Scotland - refounded Melrose Abbey, direct ancestor of the Bruce, Stewart and Rutherford families.
June 6 - Saint Norbert, patron of archers and hunters
June 9 - Saint Columba of Iona, also called Columcille. Abbot of Iona; 597. Collateral ancestor of the Bruce, Stewart and Rutherford families.
June 13 - Saint Anthony, patron of the guild of hand gunmen
June 24 - The Nativity of Saint John the Baptizer, one of the patrons of the Knights Templar
June 29 - Saint Peter and Saint Paul, the Apostles
July 22 - Saint Mary Magdalene, patron of the Hospital at Rutherford, Scotland
July 25 – Saint James the Apostle "the Greater", object of the pilgrimage of Santiago de Compostela, one of the patrons of the Knights Templar
July 26 – Saint Anne, mother of Mary, grandmother of Jesus
July 29 - Saints Mary and Martha of Bethany – sisters of Saint Lazarus
August 3 - Saint Waltheof abbot of Melrose Abbey, his mother Matilda [Maud] married King David I. He was part of David's court at Roxburgh Castle next to Rutherford where he was educated and became a spiritual student of Saint Aelred, master of the royal household.
August 6 - The Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ
August 11 - Saint Clare of Assisi, Virgin Abbess; 1253.
August 29 - The Beheading of Saint John the Baptizer v August 31 - Saint Aidan of Lindisfarne
September 1 – Saint Giles, in Latin called St. Egidius - patron saint of beggars, blacksmiths and cripples. Major connection between Flanders and Scotland. St. Giles is the patron saint of Ruddervoorde, Belgium the ancestral home of the Rutherford family. His relics are found in nearby Brugge [Bruges] ancestral home of the Bruce family. Saint Giles saved the life of a deer who King Flavius was hunting. King Flavius built a monastery close by and persuaded Saint Giles to become its first abbot. Among Saint Giles’ many disciples and friends was Emperor Charlemagne, direct ancestor of the Bruce, Stewart and Rutherford families.
September 8 - The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
September 14 - Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross – Holyrood – King/Saint David in the year 1128, was living at the Castle of Edinburgh. On September 14th, after attending mass on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross he went hunting in the Drumsheugh Forest. Near the north side of Salisbury Crag a stag turned on the King, threw him from his horse, and wounded him in the thigh. In self defense the King attempted to grasp the stag's horns, taking hold instead of a crucifix which suddenly appeared between the antlers of the animal. The crucifix remained in the King's grasp when the stag ran away. That night David heard a voice in a dream instructing him to "make a house for Canons devoted to the Cross". King David erected the monastery of the Holyrood meaning "Holy Cross" which is the Scottish Royal Church in Edinburgh….. See September 20th
September 16 - Saint Ninian, Bishop of Cumberland and Southern Picts, founder and Abbot of Candida Casa; 432, near Wigtown, Scotland - patron saint of the Douglas family.
September 20 - Saint Eustace. martyr, while out hunting Saint Eustace saw a crucifix within the antlers of a stag and was converted to Christianity. Members of his family joined him in his new faith and when they refused to sacrifice to pagan gods they were arrested and executed – patron saint of archers and hunters.
September 26 - Saint Cosmos and Damian. - martyrs, twins who both studied medicine, unlike other physicians they did not charge any fee for their services. During a time of Christian persecution they were arrested and executed, patron saints of physicians
September 29 – Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Rafael - Saint Michael patron of the guild of swordsmen
September 30 - Saint Jerome, Priest and hermit; Bethlehem; 420 - translated the Bible into the Vulgate Latin
October 1- The Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary
October 4 - Saint Francis of Assisi, Friar; 1226, “The saint of the saints”
November 1 - All Saints Day
November 2 – All Souls Day
November 3 – Saint Hubert, patron saint of archers
November 11 - Saint Martin of Tours, Bishop; 397, patron saint of soldiers
November 15 – Saint Machute born in Wales - called the "apostle of Brittany"
November 16 – Saint Margaret, mother of Saint David, direct ancestor of the Bruce, Stewart and Rutherford families.
November 17 - Saint Hugh, Bishop of Lincoln - denounced the mass persecution of Jews in England in 1190-91, repeatedly facing down armed mobs, making them release their victims.
November 25 – Saint Catherine of the Wheel, martyr
November 30 - Saint Andrew, Apostle, Patron Saint of Scotland
December 4 – Saint Barbara, patron of the guild of cannoneers
December 6 - Saint Nicholas of Myra, Bishop; c 342.
December 13 – Saint Lucy, martyr
December 17 - Saint Lazarus, “whom Jesus raised from the dead” bishop and missionary of Marseilles, France.
December 21 - Saint Thomas the Apostle
December 25 - The Nativity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
December 26 - Saint Stephen the first martyr
December 27 - Saint John the Apostle and Evangelist
December 28 - The Holy Innocents
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..... "Only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the best part, and it will not be taken away from her." - Gospel of St. Luke 10:42