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John Mylne (1611-1667)
Encyclopedia
John Mylne sometimes known as "John Mylne junior", or "the Younger", was a Scottish
master mason
and architect
, who served as Master Mason to the Crown of Scotland. Born in Perth
, he was the son of John Mylne
, master mason, and Isobel Wilson.
Practising as a stonemason, he also took on the role of architect, designing as well as building his projects. He was one of the last masters of Scottish Renaissance architecture, before new styles were imported by his successors. Alongside his professional career he also served as a soldier and politician. He married three times but had no surviving children.
. In 1633 Mylne was made a burgess of the royal burgh
of Edinburgh
, and was admitted to the Edinburgh lodge of masons, both on account of his father's position. He was first appointed to the town council in 1636, and in the same year was appointed master mason to the Crown, succeeding his father.
His building projects were concentrated in Edinburgh, where, from 1637, he served as principal master mason to the city. For ten years he was involved in the construction of the Tron Kirk
on the High Street
, which opened in 1647. The Tron was built to house the congregation of St Giles', which had been raised to cathedral status, and was laid out in the new T-plan form, with the pulpit in the centre, to suit reformed worship. The design was informed by contemporary Dutch architecture, and in particular by the work of Hendrick de Keyser, whose Architectura Moderna showcased his church designs in the Netherlands. Mylne worked on the building with master wright John Scott, who was responsible for the timber work. The building was executed in a Dutch influenced style, with both gothic
and classical
details. The church was not fully complete before Mylne's death, and was subsequently remodelled in the 18th century. A new spire was added in the 19th century following a fire, but Mylne's work can be seen in the body of the kirk. The carved tympanum
was executed by Mylne's brother Alexander.
From 1637 to 1649 he was also engaged on the design of Cowane's Hospital in Stirling
, which was executed by Stirling mason James Rynd. Mylne also carved the statue of its founder for the facade. In 1642, Mylne surveyed the crumbling remains of Jedburgh Abbey
, for which services he was made a burgess of Jedburgh
. He built the choir, steeple, and north aisle of Airth Old Church
, commencing 15 July 1647.
From 1643 to 1659, he served as master mason for the construction of Heriot's Hospital
(now a school), succeeding William Aytoun. The building had been started in 1628 by William Wallace
, and would not be finally completed until 1700; Mylne rebuilt one or two of the towers in 1648. Also in 1648, Mylne was engaged to repair the crown steeple
of St. Giles'
.
Projects in the 1650s included the building of fortifications in Leith
, and the addition of artillery emplacements to Edinburgh's town wall. He undertook a division of Greyfriars Kirk
, to serve two congregations, and constructed a professor's house for Edinburgh University
, which was demolished in the 18th century.
Following the Restoration of Charles II
, Mylne was reconfirmed in his post of Royal Master Mason, and was commissioned in 1663 to survey the upper floors of Holyrood Palace
. The resulting plans are the earliest surviving architectural drawings from Scotland, and are held in the Bodleian Library
in Oxford. His design for the completion of the palace went unexecuted, with the work eventually being carried out by Sir William Bruce
in the 1670s.
In 1666 John Mylne designed and was engaged to build Panmure House, near Forfar
, for the 2nd Earl of Panmure
. After his death, the work was continued by Alexander Nisbet
, possibly with the assistance of William Bruce. This house, demolished in 1950, resembled Heriot's Hospital and other Scottish 17th century buildings, rather than looking forward to the new classical styles which would be introduced by Bruce. During the Second Anglo-Dutch War
of 1665-1667, Mylne designed and built fortifications at Lerwick
, which were later reconstructed as Fort Charlotte. He provided a design for Linlithgow
's tolbooth in 1667, but following his death another mason was sought, and a different design built. Another scheme was for Leslie House, carried out after his death by Robert Mylne, again with the advice of Bruce.
Mylne's architectural works are in the Scottish Renaissance tradition, which combined gothic
and classical
elements, together with mannerist ornament, often derived from imported pattern books. Colvin describes Mylne as "the leading master of the last phase of Scottish mannerism". By the 1660s, Mylne's work was becoming old-fashioned, as the European-inspired Palladian began to be imported by William Bruce.
. He was promoted in 1646 to Captain of Pioneers, and Master Gunner of Scotland.
As well as serving on Edinburgh's town council from 1636 to 1664, Mylne played several other political roles in his life. In 1652, he served as part of a commission sent to the English Parliament in London, to discuss a possible Treaty of Union. From 1654 to 1659 he represented Edinburgh at the Convention of Royal Burghs, and in 1662 he was elected a burgh commissioner, a type of Member of Parliament
, for Edinburgh, attending Charles II's first Scottish parliament
.
In 1667 Mylne was in discussions with the town of Perth for construction of a new market cross. However, he died at Edinburgh in December. He was buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard
, Edinburgh, where a monument, erected by his nephew and apprentice Robert Mylne
, still stands. Another memorial was erected by the Freemasons at their meeting place, St. Mary's Chapel, although this former church was demolished in the 18th century. His portrait hangs in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery
. Robert Mylne succeeded him as master mason to the crown.
Kingdom of Scotland
The Kingdom of Scotland was a Sovereign state in North-West Europe that existed from 843 until 1707. It occupied the northern third of the island of Great Britain and shared a land border to the south with the Kingdom of England...
master mason
Stonemasonry
The craft of stonemasonry has existed since the dawn of civilization - creating buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone from the earth. These materials have been used to construct many of the long-lasting, ancient monuments, artifacts, cathedrals, and cities in a wide variety of cultures...
and architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
, who served as Master Mason to the Crown of Scotland. Born in Perth
Perth, Scotland
Perth is a town and former city and royal burgh in central Scotland. Located on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire...
, he was the son of John Mylne
John Mylne (d.1657)
John Mylne of Perth was a Scottish master mason who served as Master Mason to the Crown of Scotland. He was born in Perth, the son of John Mylne, also a master mason, and Helen Kenneries....
, master mason, and Isobel Wilson.
Practising as a stonemason, he also took on the role of architect, designing as well as building his projects. He was one of the last masters of Scottish Renaissance architecture, before new styles were imported by his successors. Alongside his professional career he also served as a soldier and politician. He married three times but had no surviving children.
Career
Mylne learned his trade from his father, assisting him with projects including the sundial at Holyrood PalaceHolyrood Palace
The Palace of Holyroodhouse, commonly referred to as Holyrood Palace, is the official residence of the monarch in Scotland. The palace stands at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edinburgh Castle...
. In 1633 Mylne was made a burgess of the royal burgh
Royal burgh
A royal burgh was a type of Scottish burgh which had been founded by, or subsequently granted, a royal charter. Although abolished in 1975, the term is still used in many of the former burghs....
of Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, and was admitted to the Edinburgh lodge of masons, both on account of his father's position. He was first appointed to the town council in 1636, and in the same year was appointed master mason to the Crown, succeeding his father.
His building projects were concentrated in Edinburgh, where, from 1637, he served as principal master mason to the city. For ten years he was involved in the construction of the Tron Kirk
Tron Kirk
The Tron Kirk is a former principal parish church in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is a well-known landmark on the Royal Mile. It was built in the 17th century, and closed as a church in 1952...
on the High Street
Royal Mile
The Royal Mile is a succession of streets which form the main thoroughfare of the Old Town of the city of Edinburgh in Scotland.As the name suggests, the Royal Mile is approximately one Scots mile long, and runs between two foci of history in Scotland, from Edinburgh Castle at the top of the Castle...
, which opened in 1647. The Tron was built to house the congregation of St Giles', which had been raised to cathedral status, and was laid out in the new T-plan form, with the pulpit in the centre, to suit reformed worship. The design was informed by contemporary Dutch architecture, and in particular by the work of Hendrick de Keyser, whose Architectura Moderna showcased his church designs in the Netherlands. Mylne worked on the building with master wright John Scott, who was responsible for the timber work. The building was executed in a Dutch influenced style, with both gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
and classical
Classical order
A classical order is one of the ancient styles of classical architecture, each distinguished by its proportions and characteristic profiles and details, and most readily recognizable by the type of column employed. Three ancient orders of architecture—the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian—originated in...
details. The church was not fully complete before Mylne's death, and was subsequently remodelled in the 18th century. A new spire was added in the 19th century following a fire, but Mylne's work can be seen in the body of the kirk. The carved tympanum
Tympanum (architecture)
In architecture, a tympanum is the semi-circular or triangular decorative wall surface over an entrance, bounded by a lintel and arch. It often contains sculpture or other imagery or ornaments. Most architectural styles include this element....
was executed by Mylne's brother Alexander.
From 1637 to 1649 he was also engaged on the design of Cowane's Hospital in Stirling
Stirling
Stirling is a city and former ancient burgh in Scotland, and is at the heart of the wider Stirling council area. The city is clustered around a large fortress and medieval old-town beside the River Forth...
, which was executed by Stirling mason James Rynd. Mylne also carved the statue of its founder for the facade. In 1642, Mylne surveyed the crumbling remains of Jedburgh Abbey
Jedburgh Abbey
Jedburgh Abbey, a ruined Augustinian abbey which was founded in the 12th century is situated in the town of Jedburgh, in the Scottish Borders just north of the border with England at Carter Bar...
, for which services he was made a burgess of Jedburgh
Jedburgh
Jedburgh is a town and former royal burgh in the Scottish Borders and historically in Roxburghshire.-Location:Jedburgh lies on the Jed Water, a tributary of the River Teviot, it is only ten miles from the border with England and is dominated by the substantial ruins of Jedburgh Abbey...
. He built the choir, steeple, and north aisle of Airth Old Church
Airth Castle
Airth Castle is a castle overlooking the village of Airth and the River Forth, in the Falkirk area of Scotland. The castle is currently operated as a hotel and spa....
, commencing 15 July 1647.
From 1643 to 1659, he served as master mason for the construction of Heriot's Hospital
George Heriot's School
George Heriot's School is an independent primary and secondary school on Lauriston Place in the Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland, with around 1600 pupils, 155 teaching staff and 80 non-teaching staff. It was established in 1628 as George Heriot's Hospital, by bequest of the royal goldsmith George...
(now a school), succeeding William Aytoun. The building had been started in 1628 by William Wallace
William Wallace (mason)
William Wallace was a Scottish master mason and architect. He served as King's Master Mason under James VI.From 1615, Wallace is known to have been the leading mason working on the King's Lodgings at Edinburgh Castle. On 18 April 1617 he was appointed King's Master Mason, holding this post until...
, and would not be finally completed until 1700; Mylne rebuilt one or two of the towers in 1648. Also in 1648, Mylne was engaged to repair the crown steeple
Crown steeple
A crown steeple, or crown spire, is a traditional form of church steeple in which curved stone flying buttresses form the open shape of a rounded crown...
of St. Giles'
St. Giles' Cathedral
St Giles' Cathedral, more properly termed the High Kirk of Edinburgh, is the principal place of worship of the Church of Scotland in Edinburgh. Its distinctive crown steeple is a prominent feature of the city skyline, at about a third of the way down the Royal Mile which runs from the Castle to...
.
Projects in the 1650s included the building of fortifications in Leith
Leith
-South Leith v. North Leith:Up until the late 16th century Leith , comprised two separate towns on either side of the river....
, and the addition of artillery emplacements to Edinburgh's town wall. He undertook a division of Greyfriars Kirk
Greyfriars Kirk
Greyfriars Kirk, today Greyfriars Tolbooth & Highland Kirk, is a parish kirk of the Church of Scotland in central Edinburgh, Scotland...
, to serve two congregations, and constructed a professor's house for Edinburgh University
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
, which was demolished in the 18th century.
Following the Restoration of Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
, Mylne was reconfirmed in his post of Royal Master Mason, and was commissioned in 1663 to survey the upper floors of Holyrood Palace
Holyrood Palace
The Palace of Holyroodhouse, commonly referred to as Holyrood Palace, is the official residence of the monarch in Scotland. The palace stands at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edinburgh Castle...
. The resulting plans are the earliest surviving architectural drawings from Scotland, and are held in the Bodleian Library
Bodleian Library
The Bodleian Library , the main research library of the University of Oxford, is one of the oldest libraries in Europe, and in Britain is second in size only to the British Library...
in Oxford. His design for the completion of the palace went unexecuted, with the work eventually being carried out by Sir William Bruce
William Bruce (architect)
Sir William Bruce of Kinross, 1st Baronet was a Scottish gentleman-architect, "the effective founder of classical architecture in Scotland," as Howard Colvin observes...
in the 1670s.
In 1666 John Mylne designed and was engaged to build Panmure House, near Forfar
Forfar
Forfar is a parish, town and former royal burgh of approximately 13,500 people in Angus, located in the East Central Lowlands of Scotland. Forfar is the county town of Angus, which was officially known as Forfarshire from the 18th century until 1929, when the ancient name was reinstated, and...
, for the 2nd Earl of Panmure
Earl of Panmure
Earl of Panmure was a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1646 for Sir Patrick Maule, a former Gentleman of the Bedchamber to James VI and loyal follower of Charles I. He was made Lord Maule, Brechin and Navar at the same time, also in the Peerage of Scotland...
. After his death, the work was continued by Alexander Nisbet
Alexander Nisbet
Alexander Nisbet is one of the most important authors on Scottish heraldry. He is still much-cited, and his publications are still in print after nearly 300 years....
, possibly with the assistance of William Bruce. This house, demolished in 1950, resembled Heriot's Hospital and other Scottish 17th century buildings, rather than looking forward to the new classical styles which would be introduced by Bruce. During the Second Anglo-Dutch War
Second Anglo-Dutch War
The Second Anglo–Dutch War was part of a series of four Anglo–Dutch Wars fought between the English and the Dutch in the 17th and 18th centuries for control over the seas and trade routes....
of 1665-1667, Mylne designed and built fortifications at Lerwick
Lerwick
Lerwick is the capital and main port of the Shetland Islands, Scotland, located more than 100 miles off the north coast of mainland Scotland on the east coast of the Shetland Mainland...
, which were later reconstructed as Fort Charlotte. He provided a design for Linlithgow
Linlithgow
Linlithgow is a Royal Burgh in West Lothian, Scotland. An ancient town, it lies south of its two most prominent landmarks: Linlithgow Palace and Linlithgow Loch, and north of the Union Canal....
's tolbooth in 1667, but following his death another mason was sought, and a different design built. Another scheme was for Leslie House, carried out after his death by Robert Mylne, again with the advice of Bruce.
Mylne's architectural works are in the Scottish Renaissance tradition, which combined gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
and classical
Classical architecture
Classical architecture is a mode of architecture employing vocabulary derived in part from the Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, enriched by classicizing architectural practice in Europe since the Renaissance...
elements, together with mannerist ornament, often derived from imported pattern books. Colvin describes Mylne as "the leading master of the last phase of Scottish mannerism". By the 1660s, Mylne's work was becoming old-fashioned, as the European-inspired Palladian began to be imported by William Bruce.
Political and military service
In 1640, Mylne joined the Scottish army which invaded northern England during the Second Bishop's WarBishops' Wars
The Bishops' Wars , were conflicts, both political and military, which occurred in 1639 and 1640 centred around the nature of the governance of the Church of Scotland, and the rights and powers of the Crown...
. He was promoted in 1646 to Captain of Pioneers, and Master Gunner of Scotland.
As well as serving on Edinburgh's town council from 1636 to 1664, Mylne played several other political roles in his life. In 1652, he served as part of a commission sent to the English Parliament in London, to discuss a possible Treaty of Union. From 1654 to 1659 he represented Edinburgh at the Convention of Royal Burghs, and in 1662 he was elected a burgh commissioner, a type of Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, for Edinburgh, attending Charles II's first Scottish parliament
Parliament of Scotland
The Parliament of Scotland, officially the Estates of Parliament, was the legislature of the Kingdom of Scotland. The unicameral parliament of Scotland is first found on record during the early 13th century, with the first meeting for which a primary source survives at...
.
Death
Greyfriars Kirkyard
Greyfriars Kirkyard is the graveyard surrounding Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located at the southern edge of the Old Town, adjacent to George Heriot's School. Burials have been taking place since the late 16th century, and a number of notable Edinburgh residents are interred at...
, Edinburgh, where a monument, erected by his nephew and apprentice Robert Mylne
Robert Mylne (1633-1710)
Robert Mylne was a Scottish stonemason and architect. A descendant of the Mylne family of masons and builders, Robert was the last Master Mason to the Crown of Scotland, a post he held from 1668 until his death.-Biography:...
, still stands. Another memorial was erected by the Freemasons at their meeting place, St. Mary's Chapel, although this former church was demolished in the 18th century. His portrait hangs in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery
Scottish National Portrait Gallery
The Scottish National Portrait Gallery is an art gallery on Queen Street, Edinburgh, Scotland. It holds the national collections of portraits, all of which are of, but not necessarily by, Scots. In addition it also holds the Scottish National Photography Collection...
. Robert Mylne succeeded him as master mason to the crown.
External links
- Gazetteer for Scotland entry on John Mylne
- Panmure House brief history, plans and old photographs.