The Moneymusk Reliquary

In June, 1314, Robert Bruce would need all his cunning and military skill to help him overcome the English at Bannockburn, but he also sought divine intervention in various ways.  A precious relic of Scottish history was brought to his tent and remained with him throughout the two days of the battle.  It was known as the Brecbennoch, Gaelic for embossed, peaked thing, and contained a relic of St. Columba.  Columba (521-597) is one of the patron saints of Scotland.  He was an Irish-born monk who missionized the Picts and developed the monastery complex on the Island of Iona.  The Brecbennoch likely contained his cape, robe or other vestments.

Though drawings and descriptions of the original Brecbennoch exist, the relic was thought to have vanished during the Reformation-maybe.  The Moneymusk Reliquary may or may not be it, but is a close approximation, maybe even a replica.  This reliquary is a small wooden box about 112mm/4.5in x 51mm/2in x 89mm/3in, if my Google converter figures are correct.  It's covered in a silver and copper alloy, decorated with animal motifs.  The style places it as being made in Iona in about the 8th century.  A peaked lid tops the casket, hooked to it by a crude hinge and there are rings for carrying strings or cords. 

This type of reliquary, with a peaked roof design, was common in Europe in Medieval times.  These reliquaries, known as chasses after an Old French word for house, could be quite large, overlaid in precious medals and garnished in gems and pearls.  The Moneymusk Reliquary is almost doll-size in comparison, and wouldn't contain more than a scrap of Columba's cloak, if that's what it originally contained.  It came into the possession of the Abbey of Arbroath during the reign of William I.  Arbroath Abbey was to the Scots what Canterbury later became to the English, testifying to the importance of this relic and of Columba.  The Reliquary was kept at the Castle of Foreglen while under possession of the Abbots of Arbroath.  Later it was move to the Priory at Moneymusk, hence the name.  Foreglen and Moneymusk came into the possession of the Forbes family in the 18th century.  One of their descendants turned the Reliquary over to the National Museum of Scotland, where it rests today.