UK - Scotland - Stirling - Cowane's Hospital
Reino Unido de Gran Bretaña - Escocia - Stirling - Cowane's Hospital
Cowane's Hospital is a 17th-century almshouse in the Old Town of Stirling, Scotland. It was established in 1637 with a bequest of 40,000 merks from the estate of the merchant John Cowane (1570–1633). Subsequently converted for use as a Guildhall the building is considered by Historic Scotland to be "a rare survival of 17th century burgh architecture and one of the finest buildings of its kind in Scotland." It was listed at category A in 1965. The gardens are also seen as a "rare survival" of an institutional garden of the 17th century, and were included in the national Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in 2012. The hospital is located on St John Street, between the medieval Church of the Holy Rude and the 19th-century Old Town Jail.
John Cowane was descended from a family of Stirling merchants who had been trading with the Dutch since the early 16th century. The Cowanes exported fish, coal and wool in exchange for luxuries such as prunes, saffron and spices which were supplied to the royal court of James V at Stirling Castle. John Cowane also ventured into money lending, invested in shipping, and was a substantial landlord in the burgh. He served on the town council, was elected Dean of Guild in 1624, and sat in the Parliament of Scotland from 1625–1632. He never married, though in 1611 he was fined £6 for fathering a child out of wedlock: the mother was also fined and forced to do public penance. Cowane lived on St Mary's Wynd, in the building which still bears his name. John Cowane's house, though ruined, was purchased and preserved in 1924 by the trust he established.
On his death in 1633, Cowane was a wealthy man. He left sums of money to numerous charitable causes, including 500 merks to the Church of the Holy Rude. The largest bequest was the 40,000 merks which he left for the establishment of a hospital. This was intended to provide for "twelve decayed guild brethren", that is, elderly members of the Merchant Guildry of Stirling who could no longer support themselves. The establishment of a hospital, or almshouse, would allow them to live rent-free in their old age. In the 1630s a merk was worth two-thirds of a Scots pound, and was equivalent to one English shilling. The hospital was to be managed by a trust, overseen by Patrons who were drawn from the town council, the guilds, and kirk ministers.
John Cowane's brother, Alexander, acted as his executor and signed the hospital's Deed of Foundation on 13 February 1637. The land, sited adjacent to the Church of the Holy Rude in a prestigious part of the town, was transferred to the Town Council, and plans for the new building were commissioned from the royal master-mason John Mylne. As with Mylne's other architectural work, the design shows contemporary Dutch influences, notably the form of the bell tower and crow-step gables. In a niche on the tower is a statue of John Cowane, sculpted by Mylne and William Ayton. The statue, locally known as "Auld Staneybreeks" (old stone-trousers), is said to come to life and dance in the courtyard at Hogmanay (New Year).
The hospital was constructed by the master-mason John Rynd. Existing buildings on the site were demolished in early 1637, and the uneven ground was levelled by burning peat in order to shatter the hard underlying rock. At the rear of the site is the defensive town wall, which was constructed in the 16th century, and the hospital building may have been conceived as forming part of the town's defences. Building proceeded through the troubled period of the mid-17th-century, when a series of conflicts affected Scotland and Britain: the hospital was not completed until 1643, and may not have been fully complete until 1660. In any case the building appears to have been unoccupied until at least 1661 when repairs had to be made. In the 1660s the grounds of the hospital were levelled and laid out with ornamental gardens, as well as vegetable, fruit and herb gardens, and terraces overlooking the Carse of Forth to the east. An elaborate carved sundial was set up in 1673. William Stevenson, gardener at the hospital from 1667, is recorded as having ordered plants from Holland, including apricot, peach and almond trees.
UK - Scotland - Stirling - Cowane's Hospital
Reino Unido de Gran Bretaña - Escocia - Stirling - Cowane's Hospital
Cowane's Hospital is a 17th-century almshouse in the Old Town of Stirling, Scotland. It was established in 1637 with a bequest of 40,000 merks from the estate of the merchant John Cowane (1570–1633). Subsequently converted for use as a Guildhall the building is considered by Historic Scotland to be "a rare survival of 17th century burgh architecture and one of the finest buildings of its kind in Scotland." It was listed at category A in 1965. The gardens are also seen as a "rare survival" of an institutional garden of the 17th century, and were included in the national Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in 2012. The hospital is located on St John Street, between the medieval Church of the Holy Rude and the 19th-century Old Town Jail.
John Cowane was descended from a family of Stirling merchants who had been trading with the Dutch since the early 16th century. The Cowanes exported fish, coal and wool in exchange for luxuries such as prunes, saffron and spices which were supplied to the royal court of James V at Stirling Castle. John Cowane also ventured into money lending, invested in shipping, and was a substantial landlord in the burgh. He served on the town council, was elected Dean of Guild in 1624, and sat in the Parliament of Scotland from 1625–1632. He never married, though in 1611 he was fined £6 for fathering a child out of wedlock: the mother was also fined and forced to do public penance. Cowane lived on St Mary's Wynd, in the building which still bears his name. John Cowane's house, though ruined, was purchased and preserved in 1924 by the trust he established.
On his death in 1633, Cowane was a wealthy man. He left sums of money to numerous charitable causes, including 500 merks to the Church of the Holy Rude. The largest bequest was the 40,000 merks which he left for the establishment of a hospital. This was intended to provide for "twelve decayed guild brethren", that is, elderly members of the Merchant Guildry of Stirling who could no longer support themselves. The establishment of a hospital, or almshouse, would allow them to live rent-free in their old age. In the 1630s a merk was worth two-thirds of a Scots pound, and was equivalent to one English shilling. The hospital was to be managed by a trust, overseen by Patrons who were drawn from the town council, the guilds, and kirk ministers.
John Cowane's brother, Alexander, acted as his executor and signed the hospital's Deed of Foundation on 13 February 1637. The land, sited adjacent to the Church of the Holy Rude in a prestigious part of the town, was transferred to the Town Council, and plans for the new building were commissioned from the royal master-mason John Mylne. As with Mylne's other architectural work, the design shows contemporary Dutch influences, notably the form of the bell tower and crow-step gables. In a niche on the tower is a statue of John Cowane, sculpted by Mylne and William Ayton. The statue, locally known as "Auld Staneybreeks" (old stone-trousers), is said to come to life and dance in the courtyard at Hogmanay (New Year).
The hospital was constructed by the master-mason John Rynd. Existing buildings on the site were demolished in early 1637, and the uneven ground was levelled by burning peat in order to shatter the hard underlying rock. At the rear of the site is the defensive town wall, which was constructed in the 16th century, and the hospital building may have been conceived as forming part of the town's defences. Building proceeded through the troubled period of the mid-17th-century, when a series of conflicts affected Scotland and Britain: the hospital was not completed until 1643, and may not have been fully complete until 1660. In any case the building appears to have been unoccupied until at least 1661 when repairs had to be made. In the 1660s the grounds of the hospital were levelled and laid out with ornamental gardens, as well as vegetable, fruit and herb gardens, and terraces overlooking the Carse of Forth to the east. An elaborate carved sundial was set up in 1673. William Stevenson, gardener at the hospital from 1667, is recorded as having ordered plants from Holland, including apricot, peach and almond trees.