Who is Bob Brewse? - experts unravel abbey stained glass mystery
Published on 21 March 2025 6 minutes read
Most people love a good mystery and a bit of intrigue.
This is the story of a King and Queen memorialised in one of Scotland's most historic churches, three academic sleuths and a stunning collaboration of science, history and visual analysis.
It all began in November 2020 when a mysterious box was sent to Dunfermline Abbey in Fife, marked for the attention of "Bob Brewse".
The Abbey Church was closed at the time due to COVID-19 restrictions so a ‘sorry I missed you' collection card was left.
Parish minister Rev Dr MaryAnn Rennie recalled: "As one of the few people going in and out of the vestry on a regular basis at that time, I collected the card and went to get the parcel.
"I had to explain at the Post Office that the person named on the box did not exist, but I thought that it was probably someone being funny about King Robert the Bruce whose remains are within the church.
"I had identification to explain who I was but they were reluctant to hand it over, not because they weren't sure of me but because they were concerned about the contents of the box.
"Trusting as I am, I brought it home and my husband Keith took it into the garden, put on gloves and face protection and carefully opened it.
"We had agreed that if there were any signs of wires, we would call the police."
Fortunately, the minister and her husband did not need to be alarmed because inside the box was a black cloth bag containing 49 fragments and shards of stained glass wrapped in a copy of the Fife and Kinross Extra newspaper, dated 12 February, 2005, and an anonymous typewritten note.
It 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 find surprised the minister and proved to be a real headscratcher for the congregation because they couldn't identify which one of the 10 fully intact stained-glass windows in the Abbey Church the pieces originally belonged to.
The church, part of 950-year-old Dunfermline Abbey, was built in 1821 and contains many different periods and styles of stained glass.
After a fruitless social media appeal for information, Dr Rennie eventually turned to Professor Michael Penman, Professor of History at The University of Stirling, for help in 2023.
He is no stranger to Dunfermline Abbey and has carried out research on its medieval treasures in the recent past.
In terms of importance, the arts historian describes it as Scotland's equivalent of Westminster Abbey in London and the Basilica of Saint-Denis in Paris.
Professor Penman enlisted the help of his friend Dr Craig Kennedy of the Institute for Sustainable Building Design at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh to identify the providence of the coloured glass.
The pair were assisted by Vivienne Kelly, a PhD student supervised by Dr Kennedy and the trio, having distinctive and complementary skill sets, were well equipped to solve the mystery.
Professor Penman poured over 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.
Dr Kennedy is a scientist and 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 he was able to determine that it was made between the 1870s and the 1930s.
This is where Ms Kelly, an expert stained-glass conservator, came in as she specialises in 19th and 20th century glass.
She laid out all the pieces on a table like a jigsaw puzzle and carefully studied four large pieces to identify the imagery.
Ms Kelly determined that they depicted – an angel's wing, knotwork hem of a noble's robe, the hair of an angel and a thistle motif that was repeatedly used in a window design.
The Glasgow School of Art graduate worked out that the shards and fragments in the box were originally part of the Margaret Window in the south transept of the church.
Dating from 1932 and designed by Alexander Strachan, it shows the marriage of Queen Margaret and King Malcolm Canmore.
Installed for £1,200, the window was dedicated to John Fisher of Newlands, a linen manufacturer in Dunfermline, and his wife Isabella Lawrie Bruce.
The five top panels show Margaret teaching her children by giving alms to the poor, a bishop brings a master mason with a plan of the church for the Queen's approval and two angels hold a harp and sheet music.
Originally founded as a priory by Queen Margaret in the 11th century, Dunfermline Abbey, its palace, nave and church have provided a place of community and refuge for its residents, visitors and pilgrims.
The Abbey Church contains the bones of King Robert the Bruce and is known the world over, welcoming more than 40,000 visitors a year.
Ms Kelly said: "When I began my PhD at Heriot-Watt University in October 2024, I never imagined I would stumble upon a mystery linked to Dunfermline Abbey.
"Craig had devised a two-pronged approach to studying the fragments.
"He would lead the scientific analysis while Professor Michael Penman would explore the historical context.
"My role added a crucial third dimension—visual analysis, drawing on my expertise in 19th- and 20th-century Scottish stained glass as a conservator and practical craftsperson."
Ms Kelly studied the Margaret Window and could see where the glass had been replaced as the colour and texture of the material used was slightly different to the original pieces.
"Through this collaboration of science, history, and visual analysis, we determined that all the fragments originated from the first lancet window, where two areas of damage had led to repairs and replacement," she explained.
"Piece by piece, we reconstructed a lost chapter of Dunfermline Abbey's stained glass heritage, bringing clarity to a mystery which started with a cryptic note to ‘Bob Brewse'.
"The project has been immensely satisfying - it is rare to locate the origins of fragments once they become dislocated from a window."
The puzzle was solved in January of this year.
Dr Rennie said: "We are delighted that the mystery of where this glass originally came from has finally been unraveled.
"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.
"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," she added.
The four fragments pictured 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 & Galleries tomorrow and runs until 6 April.
Visitors will have an opportunity to make known their views on the future of the building, described by Professor Penman as one that captures "Scotland's history in microcosm".
They will have an open invitation to attend a special event at the Abbey Church, on 5 April to further discuss proposals on how to protect it for future generations.
The Abbey Church does not receive public funding and the burden of paying for repairs and improvements falls on the 425-member strong congregation.
The congregation has set up an online fundraising page where people can donate money.
