Experts solve mystery of glass window shards anonymously returned to abbey

Experts have solved a mystery over stained glass window fragments which were anonymously returned to a historic abbey several years ago.

The 49 fragments were sent to the Abbey Church, part of 950-year-old Dunfermline Abbey, in a box marked for the attention of “Bob Brewse” in November 2020.

The shards had been discovered beside the abbey 20 years previously and removed by the person who sent the box.

When she opened the container, parish minister Rev Dr MaryAnn Rennie found the pieces wrapped in a copy of the Fife and Kinross Extra newspaper, dated February 12 2005, and accompanied by an anonymous typewritten note.

The note 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 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 minister and congregation were mystified as they were not able to work out which of the 10 fully intact stained-glass windows in the Abbey Church the pieces originally belonged to.

However academic experts have now solved the mystery, using a combination of science, history and visual analysis, and have established that the fragments and shards were originally part of the Margaret Window.

Dating from 1932 and designed by Alexander Strachan, it shows the marriage of Queen Margaret and King Malcolm Canmore.

Dr Rennie turned to Professor Michael Penman, Professor of History at the University of Stirling, for help in 2023, after appeals for information on social media proved fruitless.

Professor Penman looked at old Kirk Session records dating back to the early 1980s to work out when damage was caused to stained glass windows at the Abbey Church or when repairs were made.

He also enlisted the help of his friend, scientist Dr Craig Kennedy of the Institute for Sustainable Building Design at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh.

Dr Kennedy tested the shards and fragments using the university’s electron microscopy facility and x-ray fluorescence to identify the elements present, which in turn revealed the colour of the glass and where it came from.

The ingredients used to make the glass – lead, potassium, arsenic and sulphur – meant Dr Kennedy was able to determine that it was made between the 1870s and the 1930s.

Vivienne Kelly, a PhD student supervised by Dr Kennedy and an expert stained-glass conservator who specialises in 19th and 20th century glass, was also involved.

The Glasgow School of Art graduate focused on studying four large pieces to identify the imagery.

She determined that they depicted 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 visited the Abbey Church, built in 1821 in the Fife town, and eventually worked out that the stained-glass pieces were originally part of the Margaret Window in the south transept.

She could see where the glass had been replaced as the colour and texture of the material used was slightly different to the original pieces.

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.”

Ms Kelly said her “best guess” is the Margaret Window was struck and damaged by a scaffolding pole during refurbishment work in the late 1990s.

She added: “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.”

Meanwhile, the name “Bob Brewse” is understood to be a playful reference to King Robert the Bruce, whose remains are interred in the church.

The Abbey Church is facing a repair bill of around £4 million to ensure it remains wind and watertight and a further £4m to upgrade its facilities, and has launched a fundraising appeal.

The four large stained glass pieces will be on display at an exhibition examining the role of the church in the local community and its history, which opens at Dunfermline Carnegie Library and Galleries on March 22 and runs until April 6.

Anyone wishing to donate to the fundraising appeal can do so at https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/keepingheart