The Chapel of St Nicholas, Fogo

Bernard de Tiron

Fogo is little more than a hamlet now compared to what it was many years ago. It's a pleasant little village with an old church which had its origins in the 12* century, and a beautiful old bridge built in the 17th century. Next to this bridge there is a field enclosed by a curve of the Blackadder Water which has an unusual feature. I had often wondered about the bank in this field; it seemed unnatural, almost man made with a distinctive regular shape about it.

I more or less let the matter rest until I saw a 25 inch 1858 OS map of the area. (Appendix 1). The raised section of the field is marked as a separate enclosure (no. 76) with no tracks or paths leading to it and the marked enclosure matches the outline on the ground exactly. This is confirmed by an Ordnance Survey air photo (Appendix 2)

As I said, I was aware that the present Fogo church was built some time in the 12* Century and also that it may have replaced an older church, the site of which was unknown. History has it that there were two churches or chapels in Fogo at one time, or maybe a chapel within a church. What is known for certain is that the Tironesian Order were responsible for the establishment of Fogo Priory in 1253. I have drawn up a timescale of events that places Fogo Chapel and Fogo Church in the context of events in Scotland and elsewhere. (Appendix 3)

The Tironesian Order, the Corbet family and the Earls of Dunbar are all involved in the early history of Fogo. The Tironensian Order was a Roman Catholic monastic order named after the location of the mother abbey - Tiron Abbey, established in 1109 in the woods of Tiron in Perche, some 35 miles west of Chartres.

The order itself had been founded three years previously by the Benedictine,

Bernard de Ponthieu also known as Bernard d'Abbeville (1046-1117).

A pre-Cistercian reformer, Bernard's aim was to restore the asceticism and strict observance of the Rule of St Benedict in monastic life, insisting on manual labour.

They were totally self effacing and sought no recognition for the work they produced. The Tironesians were master craftsmen who rarely spoke while working, and it was in their masonry and building skills that they excelled. All their skills were passed down by example, and all in virtual silence!

Being from Normandy, the Tironese had Celtic origins, and although they were a strict Roman Catholic foundation, they had become disillusioned with the increasingly meaningless rituals