The date of Saint Margaret’s birth is uncertain but it is believed that she died in 1093. She was the daughter of Edward the Atheling and the granddaughter of Edmund Ironside.
A member of the Saxon royal family exiled in Hungary during the reign of the Danish kings in England, she married Malcolm III of Scotland and reigned for 30 years.
Margaret was a woman of prayer who became a channel for the renewal and reform of the church in Scotland. She championed Roman Catholic traditions and usage in Scotland, where Celtic ways had long survived after the Synod of Whitby.
She built Dunfermline Castle and revived Iona Abbey and her reign is chiefly noted for her ministry to the poor and her service to Scotland. She is particularly remembered on November 16th.
In the Cathedral window Saint Margaret’s clothing is decorated with Celtic designs and the points of her sleeves are embroidered with thistles.
The Keeling Memorial Window is by the designer James Powell & Sons Ltd. It was inserted in 1909. The window portrays 3 holy women whose names begin with “M”: Saint Margaret of Scotland; Mary, the mother of Jesus; Saint Monica.
