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founder to his new monastery were the churches of St. Cuthbert. and of the Castle, among which one plot of land belonging to the former is marked by ‘‘ the fountain which rises near the king’s garden, on the road leading to 3t. Cuthbert‘s church,” i.e., the fountain in the Well-house Tower. This valley-the future North Loch-was then Castle, where, in the twenty-first year of his reign, he granted a charter to the Abbey of Kelso, the witnesses to which, apud Castrum PueZZarum, were John, Bishop of Glasgow ; Prince Henry, his son ; William, his nephew ; Edward, the Chancellor ; ‘‘ BarthoZomeo $Zio Cornitis, et WiZZieZnza frateer i u s ; Jordan0 Hayrum;” Hugo de Morville, thc ST. MARGARET’S CHAPEL, EDINBURGH CASTLE, the garden, which Malcolm, the son of Pagan, culjivated for David II., and where tournaments were held, 44 while deep pools and wide morasses, tangled wood and wild animals, made the rude diverging pathways to the east and westward extremely dangerous for long after, though lights were burned at the Hermitage of St. Anthony on the Crag and the spire of St. John of Corstorphin, to guide the unfortunate wight who was foolhardy enough to travel after nightfall.” In 1144 we find (King David resident in the constable ; Odenell de Umphraville ; Robert Bruce ; William of Somerville; David de Oliphant; and William of Lindsay. The charter of foundation to the abbey of Holyrood-which will be referred to more fully in its place-besides conferring valuable revenues, derivable from the general resources of the city, gave the monks a right to dues to nearly the same amount from the royal revenues of the port of Perth, which was the more ancient capital of Scotland. ... to his new monastery were the churches of St. Cuthbert. and of the Castle, among which one plot of land ...

Vol. 1  p. 20 (Rel. 3.46)

Cramond.] CRAMOND BRIG. 317 Robert Bruce, “the King’s meadow and muir of Cramond I’ are mentioned. Among the missing charters of Robert III., are two to William Touris, “of the lands of Berntoun))’ and another to the same of the superiority of King’s Cramond. William Touris, of Cramond, was a bailie of the city in 1482. These Touris were the same family who afterwards poFsessed Inverleith, and whose name appears so often ill Scotstarvit’s “ Calendar.” In I j38 the family seems to have passed to Bristol, in England, as Protestants, Pinkerton suppose$, for and has already been referred to in a preceding chapter. In February, 1763, there died in Barnton House, in the sixty-fourth year of her age, Lady Susannah Hamilton, third daughter of John, Earl of Ruglen, whose son William was styled Lord Daer and Riccarton. She was buried in the chapel royal at Holyrood. In 1771 the Scots Magazine records the demise of John. Viscount Glenorchy “at his house of Barnton, five miles west of Edinburgh.” He was husband of Lady Glenorchy of pious memory. VIEW BELOW GRAMOND BRIG, (Alter a Phufog-rajh by G. W. WiZsom & Co.) 1r1 that year a charter of part of Inverleith is granted to George Touris, of Bristol; but Lord Durie, in 1636, reports a case concerning ‘‘ umquhile James Touris, brother to the laird of Inverleith.” As stated elsewhere, Overbarnton belonged, in ~508, to Sir Robert Barnton, who was comptroller of the household to James V. in 1520, and who acquired the lands by purchase with money found by despoiling the Portuguese ; but a George Maxwell of Barnton, appears among the knights slain at Flodden in 1513. He obtained Barnton by a royal charter in 1460, on his mother’s resignation, and was a brother of John, Lord Maxwell, who also fell at Flodden. This property has changed hands many times. James Elphinston of Barnton, was the first Lord Balmerino, a Lord of the Treasury, In after years it became the property of the Ramsays, one of whom was long known in the sporting world. The quaint old bridge of Cramond is one of the features of the parish, and is celebrated as the scene of that dangerous frolic of James V., related in our account of Holyrood. It consists of three Pointed arches, with massively buttressed piers. It became ruinous in 1607, and was repaired in 1619, 1687, and later still in 1761 and 1776: as a panel in the parapet records. Adjoining it, and high in air above it, is the new and lofty bridge of eight arches, constructed by Rennie. A little to the eastward of the village is Cramond House, a fine old residence within a wooded domain. Sir John Inglis cf Cramond was made ... CRAMOND BRIG. 317 Robert Bruce, “the King’s meadow and muir of Cramond I’ are mentioned. Among the ...

Vol. 6  p. 317 (Rel. 2.98)

166 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. Leith. or ripple or burnished face of water, the very aspect of which is luxury in a summer day.” North Leith is bounded on the north ‘by the Firth of Forth, on the south and east by the stream which gives its name to the whole locality, dividing it from South Leith, and on the south and west by St. Cuthbert’s. It is oblong in form, and has an area of only 517 acres, Its surface is nearly a uniform level, and with the exception of some garden grounds is covered by streets and villas. Between North Leith and Xewhaven the coast has been to a considerable extent washed away by the encroaching waves of the Firth, but has now received the aid of strong stone bulwarks to protect it from further loss. The Links of North Leith, which lay along the coast, were let in 1595 at the annual rent of six merks, while those of South Leith were let at a rent of thirty, so the former must have been one-fifth of the extent of the latter, or a quarter of a mile long by three hundred yards in breadth. For many years the last vestiges of these have disappeared and what must formerly have been a beautiful and grassy plain is now an irreclaimable waste, where not partially occupied by the railway and goods station, regularly flooded by the tide, and displaying at low water a thick expansion of stones and pebbles, washed free from mould or soil. The earliest reference td Leith in history is in King David‘s famous charter to Holyrood, aim 1143-7, whereir. he gives the water, fishings, and meadows to the canons serving God therein, ‘‘ and Broctan, with its right marches ; and that Tnverlet which is nearest the harbour, and with the half of the fishing, and with a whole tithe of all the fishing that belongs to the church of St. Cuthbert.” This charter of King David is either repeated or quoted in all subsequent grants by charter, or purchases of superiority, referring to Leith ; and by it there would seem to have been in that early age some species of harbour where the Leith joins the Firth of Forth ; but there is again a reference to it in 1313, when all the vessels there were burned by the English during the war waged by Edward II., which ended in the following year at Bannockburn. On the 28th of May, 1329, King Robert I. began all the future troubles of Leith by a grant of it to the city of Edinburgh, in the following terms :- U Robert, by the grace of God King of Scots, to all good men of his land, greeting: Know ye that we have given, granted, and to perform let, and by this our present charter confirmed, to the burgesses of our burgh of Edinburgh, our foresaid burgh of Edinburgh, together with the port of Leith, mills, and their pertinents, to have and to hold, to the said burgesses and their successors, of us and our heirs, freely, quietly, fully, and honourably, by all. their right meithes and marches, with all the commodities, liberties, and easements which justiy pertained to the said burgh in the time of King: Alexander, our predecessor last deceased, of good memory ; paying, therefore, the said burgesses and their successors, to us and our heirs, yearly, fiftytwo merks sterling, at the terms of Whitsunday, and Martinmas in winter, by equal proportions. In witness whereof we have commanded our seal to be affixed to our present charter. Tesfihs, Walter of Twynham, our Chancellor ; Thomas Randolph, Earl of Moray, Lord of Annandale and Man, our nephew ; Janies, Lord of Douglas ; Gilbert of Hay, our Constable ; Robert of Keith, our Marischal1 of Scotland, and Adam Moore, knights. At Cardross, the 28th of May, in the twenty-fourth year of our reign.” (Burgh Charters, No. iv.) From the date of this document a contest for the right of superiority commenced, and till the present century Leith was never free from the trammels imposed upon it by the city of Edinburgh ; and the town council, not content with the privileges given by Robert Bruce, eventually got possession of the ground adjacent to the harbour, on the banks of the river. In those days the population of the infant port must have been very small. In the index of missing royal charters in the time of King Robert II., there is one to John Gray, Clerk Register, “ of ane tenement in Leith,” and another to the monastery of Melrose of a tenement in the same place; and in 1357, among those’who entered into an obligation to pay the ransom of King David II., then a prisoner of war in England, we find “ William of Leith,” no doubt a merchant of substance in his day. Thomas of Leith, or another bearing the same name, witnessed a charter of David, Earl of Orkney, in 1391. Sir Robert Logan of Restalrig, a man of heartless, greedy, and rapacious character, began to contest the-citizens’ claim or right of superiority over Leith, and obliged them to take a concession of it from him by purchase or charter, dated the 31st of May, 1398 ; and to this document we have referred in a preceding chapter. Prior to this, says Maitland, the course of traffic was restricted by him “to the use of a narrow and inconvenient lane, a little beneath the Tolbooth Wynd, now called the Burgess Close.” As we have related in the account of Restalrig, Sir Robert Logan granted to the community of Edinburgh a right to the waste lands in the vicinity (Burgh Charters, Xo. vi.) ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. Leith. or ripple or burnished face of water, the very aspect of which is luxury in a ...

Vol. 5  p. 166 (Rel. 2.81)

of Strathearn, the Rosabelle of Scott’s beautiful ballad, which tells us- “ There are twenty of Roslin’s barons bold, Lie buried in that proud chapelle, But the sea holds lovely Rosabelle. With candle, with book, and with bell ; The dirge of lovely Rosabelle.” Each one the holy vault doth hold, And each St. Clair is buried there, But the sea caves sung, and the wild waves rung, In 1264, Sir William, sixth of Roslin, was Sheriff of Edinburgh, Linlithgow, and Haddington ( r r Chamberlain Rolls ’7, and it was his son and successor, Sir Henry, who obtained from Robert I., for his good and faithful services, a charter of Pentland Muir, and to whom (and not to a Sir William) the well-known tradition of the famous huntingmatch thereon, which led to the founding of the chapel of St. Katherine in the Hope, must refer. With that muir he obtained other lands, whjch were “all erected into a free forestry, for payment of a tenth part of one soldier yearly, in His son, Sir William, was one of the chosen companions of the good Sir James Douglas, whom he accompanied in the mission to convey Bruce’s 1317.” heart to Jerusalem, and with whom he perished in battle with the Moors at Teba, in 1331, He left an infant son, who, in 1350, was ambassador at the Court of England, whither he repaired with a train of sixty armed horse. He married Isabella, daughter of Malise, Earl of Strathearn, and was succeeded by his son, Sir Henry Sinclair of Roslin, who was created Earl of Orkney by Haco, King of Norway, in 1379-a title confirmed by Robert 11. According to Douglas, he married Florentina, a daughter of the King of Denmark. Nisbet adds that he was made Lord of Shetland and Duke of Oldenburg (which is considered doubtful), and that he was Knight of the Thistle, Cockle, and Golden Fleece. William, third earl, resigned his earldom of Orkney in favour of King James IIL, and adopted that of Caithness, which he resigned in 1476 to his son TVilliam, who became distinguished by the baronial grandeur of his household, and was the founder of the chapel. It is of him that Father Hay writes as “a prince,” who maintained at the Castle of Roslin royal state, and was served at his table in vessels of gold and silver. Lord Dirleton was the master of his household, Lord Borthwick ... Strathearn, the Rosabelle of Scott’s beautiful ballad, which tells us- “ There are twenty of Roslin’s barons ...

Vol. 6  p. 348 (Rel. 2.72)

216 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Dab. ~~ ~~ Cuthbert’s, in 1831, for .&2,500, and seated for 1,300. The church was built in 1827, and is now named St David‘s, the parish being quo~d sawa, and disjoined from St Cuthbert’s. The United Secession Congregation, which formerly sat here, have now their. place of worship, seated for 1,284, on the west side of the Lothian Road. In architecture, externally, it is assimilated with the street. charters granted by the Scottish kings between 1309 and 1413 the lands of Dalry, near Edinburgh, are mentioned in several instances. Under Robert I. the lands of Merchinstoun ahd Dalry ” were granted to William Bisset. Under David II., Roger Hog, burgess of Edinburgh, had “one annual forth of Dalry ;,I and there was a charter given by William More, of Abercorn, to William Touris and Helenor Bruce, Countess of Carrick, of the lands of Dalry, in the county of Edinburgh. EDINBURGH CASTLE FROM PORT HOPETO[’N, 1825. (A/?#- EW6U.d) Westward of this quarter lies the old historic suburban district named Dalry. The quaint old mancr house of that name, which stood so long embosomed among its ancient copsewood, on the east side of the Dalry Road, with its projecting towers crowned by ogee roofs, is now incorporated with one of the somewhat humble class of streets, which hereabout have covered the whole estate, even to Wester Dalry, near the cemetery of that name. Of Celtic origin, it takes its name from Dal, a vale, and righ, “ a king,” like a place of the same name in Cunningham, near which there is also a spot named, like that at Holyrood, Croft an Righ, “the croft of the king.” In the roll of missing This Helenor was the only daughter of Alexander, fifth Earl of Carrick (who fell at the battle of Halidon Hill, in 1333)’ and was the wife of Sir William Cunningham, of Kilmaurs. In the sixteenth century this fertile and valuable barony became the property of the Chieslieq wealthy burgesses of Edinburgh. . In 1672 there was a “ratification” by Parliament in favour of the notorious John Chieslie (son of Walter Chieslie of Dalry) of the lands of Gorgie; and the inscription on the tomb of his mother in the Greyfriars is thus given in Monteith’s “Theatre of Mortality,” I 704- Memonk charissimle SUE mnjugis, Cuthayin@ Tad, ~ U E decessit 27th Januav, 1679 Manumen ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Dab. ~~ ~~ Cuthbert’s, in 1831, for .&2,500, and seated for 1,300. The church ...

Vol. 4  p. 216 (Rel. 2.49)

132 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Restalrig. oxen, and other things belonging to a field, by the hands of him, namely, who is called Hood of Leith, from me and my heirs for ever, as freely, quietly, and honourably free from all service and secular exactions as any other gifts more freely and quietly given, are possessed in the Kingdom of Scotland. And that this gift may continue, I have set my seal to this writing.” Among those who witnessed this document were the Lord Chancellor of Scotland, Hugh de Sigillo, In May, 1398, Sir Robert Logan of Restalrig granted to the citizens of Edinburgh, by charter, full liberty to carry away earth and gravel, lying upon the bank of the river, to enlarge their port of Leith, to place a bridge over the said river, to moor ships in any part of his lands, without the said port, with the right of road and passage, through all his lands of Restalrig. “All which grants and concessions be warranted absolutely, under penalty of A200 sterling to be uptaken RESTALRIG CHURCH, 1817. (A / t e r m Etckirrg8y3amcr Skene of Rdislaw.) Bishop of Dunkeld (called the “Poor Man’s Bishop lJ) ; Walter, Abbot of Holyrood, previously Prior of Inchcolm, who died in 1217 ; W. de Edinham, Archdeacon of Dunkeld ; Master R. de Raplaw ; and Robert Hood, of Leith. In 1366, under David II., Robert Multerer (Moutray?) received a charter of lands, within the barony of Restalrig, before pertaining to John Colti ; and some three years afterwards, John of Lestalrick (sic) holds a charter of the mill of Instrother, in Fifeshire, granted by King David at Perth. Towards the latter part of the fourteenth century the barony had passed into the possession of the Logans, a powerful family, whose name is insepsrably mingled with the history of Leith. by the said burgesses and community in the name of damages and expenses, and LIOO sterling to the fabric of the church of St. Andrews before the commencement of any plea.” (Burgh Charters.) In 1413-4 another of his charters grants to the city, “that the’piece of ground in Leith between the gate of John Petindrich and a wall newly built on the shore of the water of Leith, should be free to the said community for placing their goods and merchandise thereon, and carrying the same to and from the sea, in all time coming.” Westward of the village church, and on the summit of a rock overhanging Loch End, are the massive walls of the fortalice in which the barons of Restalrig resided ; but a modem house is engrafted ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Restalrig. oxen, and other things belonging to a field, by the hands of him, namely, ...

Vol. 5  p. 132 (Rel. 2.23)

Hawthornden. 1 THE CAVERNS. 355 Druminond wrote most of his works in Hawthornden. In the year 1643 he met accidentally Elizabeth Logan, daughter of Sir Robert Logan of Restalng, who so closely resembled the girl he had loved and mourned so deeply, that he paid his addresses to and married her, When the civil war broke out Drummond espoused the cause of the king, not in the field with the sword, but in the closet with his pen. He was constantly exposed, in consequence, to hostility and annoyance from the Presbyterian party. On leaving the house visitors are conducted round the precipitous face of the rock on which it stands, by a mere ledge, to a species of cavern. There are seen an old table and seat. It was the poet’s favourite resort, and in it he composed him Cypress Grove,” after recovering from a danger. ous illness. No place could be better adapted foi poetic reveries. “ In calm weather the sighing oi the wind along the chasm, the murmur of the stream, the music of the birds around, above, beneath, and the uttqr absence of an intimation ol the busy world, must have often evoked the poet’: melancholy, and brought him back the delightful hopes that thrilled his youthful heart. There werz other times and seasons when it must indeed haw been awful to have sat in that dark and desolatt cavern: when a storm was rushing through tht glen, when the forked lightning was revealing it! shaggy depths, and when the thunder seemed tc shake the cliff itself with its reverberations.” Drummond was the first Scottish poet who wrotc in pure English ; his resemblance to Milton, whon he preceded, has often been remarked. Thc chivalrous loyalty that filled his heart and inspire( his muse received a mortal shock by the death o Charles I., and on the 4th of December, 1649, hi died where he was born, and where he had spen the most of his life, in his beautiful house of Haw thornden, and was buried in the sequestered ant Iree-shaded churchyard of Lasswade, on the soutl slope of the brae, and within sound of the murmu of his native Esk. An edition of his poems was printed in 165t 8vo ; another appeared at London in 1791 ; whil since then others have been published, notabl that under the editorship of Peter Cunninghau London, 1833, An edition of all his works, undc the superintendence of Ruddiman, was brougk out at Edinburgh in folio in 17 I I. Over the door of the modem house, which j defended by three loopholes for musketry, and is th only way by which the edifice can be approachec are the arms of the Right Reverend Williar Lbernethy, titular Bishop of Edinburgh ; and near hem is a panel with an inscription, placed there by the poet when he repaired his dwelling. ‘‘DIVINO MUNERE GULIELYUS DRVYYONDUS JOHANNIS URATI FILIUS Ur HONESTO OTIO QUIESCERET SIB1 ET UCCESSORIBUS INSTAURAVIT, ANNO 1638.” In the house is preserved a table with a marble lab, dated 1396, and bearing the initials of King tobert 111. thereon, with those of Queen Anna- ,ells Drummond, and on it lies a two-handed word of Robert Bruce, which is five feet two nches in length, with quadruple guard which neasures eleven inches from point to point. There s also a clock, which is said to have been in the amily since his time; there are a pair of shoes md a silk dress that belonged to Queen Anna- Iella; the long cane of the Duchess of Lauderlale, so famous for her diamonds and her furious emper; and a dress worn by Prince Charles in 1745. Below the house are the great caverns for which 3awthomden is so famous. They are artificial, md have been hollowed out of the rock With xodigious labour, and all communicate with each ither by long passages, and possess access to a vel1 of vast depth, bored from the courtyard of he mansion. These caverns are reported by radition and believed by Dr. Stukeley to have xen a stronghold of the Pictish kings, and in three nstances they bear the appropriate names of the King’s Gallery, the King’s Bedchamber, and the Suard-room ; but they seem simply to have been hewn out of the solid rock, no one can tell when x by whom. They served, however, as ample and secret places of refuge and resort during the destructive wars between Scotland and England, especially when the troops of the latter were in possession of Edinburgh ; and, like the adjacent caves of Gorton, they gave shelter to the patriotic bands of Sir Alexander Ramsay of Dalhousie and the Black Knight of Liddesdale, and, by tradition, to Robert Bruce, as a ballad has it :- “Here, too, are labyrinthine paths To caverns dark and low, Found refuge from the foe.” Wherein, they say, King Robert Bruce The profusion of beautiful wood in the opulent landscape around Hawthornden suggested to Peter Pindar his caustic remark respecting Dr. Johnson, that he “Went to Hawthornden’s fair scenes by night, Lest e’er a Scottish tree should wound his sight.” Half a niile up the Esk is Wallace’s Cave-so called by tradition, and capable of holding seventy ... 1 THE CAVERNS. 355 Druminond wrote most of his works in Hawthornden. In the year 1643 he met ...

Vol. 6  p. 355 (Rel. 2.11)

Newhaven.] FISHER FEUD WITH PRESTONPANS 301 men of the town of Edinburgh, and Lady Greenwich, on one part, and certain fishermen of Prestonpans on the other. The point in dispute is certain oyster scalps, to which each party claims an exclusive right. Accusations of encroachment were mutually given and retorted. At dredging, when the parties met, much altercation and abusive language took place-bloody encounters ensued, but only occurs in the Tmendas, like hawkings, huntings, or other words of style. “ After various representations to the Judge- Admiral, his lordship pronounced an interlocutor, ordaining both parties to produce their prescriptive rights to their fishings, and prohibited them from dredging oysters in any of the scalps in dispute till the issue of the cause. November 10, 1786, in virtue of which his lordship was infeft, interaZia, in the oyster scalps in question. They also condescended on a charter granted by King James VI., in 1585, to the town of Burntisland, which is on record, and which they say establishes their right. They further contend that the magistrates have produced no proper titles to prove their exclusive right to the scalps they have let in tack to the Newhaven fishermen. “The charter of King James VI. was resigned ,by the town in the time of Charles I,, and the new charter granted by the latter, gives no right to the oyster scalps in dispute. The word ‘fishings,’ in was abolished in defiance of the principles of the Treaty of Union) in favour of the Newhaven men; but each party had to pay their own expenses. So far back as 1789 we begin to read of the encroachments made by the sea in this quarter, and probably of what was afterwards so long known as the “ Man-trap,” as the Advertiser mentions that ‘‘ a young lady coming from Newhaven to Leith fell over the precipice on the side of the sea,’’ and that within six weeks the same catastrophe had befallen four others, ‘‘ the road being so narrow and dangerous that people at night run a great risk of their lives” ... Newhaven.] FISHER FEUD WITH PRESTONPANS 301 men of the town of Edinburgh, and Lady Greenwich, on one part, and ...

Vol. 6  p. 301 (Rel. 2.04)

OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Newhaven. ST.JAMES’S CHAPEL. 297 a manufactory of ropes and cables as having existed in Newhaven a short time before that period. In 1508, for the accommodation of his shipwrights and others, the king built the chapel. It was founded on the 8th of April; it was “conveyed ” into the hands of James by the chaplain thereof, Sir James Cowie, “Sir” being then the substitute for dontinus, when designating a priest. Indeed, James IV. seems to have been the entire originator of Newhaven. In 1510, the city of Edinburgh, fearing that this new seaport might prove prejudicial to theirs at Leith, purchased the whole place from the king, whose charter, dated at Stirling, 9th March of that year, describes it as ‘‘ the new haven lately made alley which lies between the main street and Pier Pla.ce. In 1506 James IV. erected here a building-yard and dock for ships (the depth of water favouring the plan), besides a rope-walk and houses for the accommodation of artisans. Some portions of the Royal Roperie were visible here till the middle of the eighteenth century ; and in a work in MS. preserved in the Advocates’ Library (a Latin description of Lothian), written about 1640, mention is made of the inner front of the houses of the South Row, which are built on the south side of the street of the said port. . . . We also will and ordain that they uphold the bulwarks and other defences necessary for receiving and protecting the ships and vessels riding thereto, for thegood and benefit of us, our kingdom and lieges.” (Burgh Charters, No. Ixiv.) From this we learn that in 1510 Newhaven had a pier and at least one street, known then, as now, by the name of South Row. Among the witnesses to this charter are Mathew, Earl of Lennox, Archibald, Earl of Argyle, George, Abbot of Holyrood, and many others. At this now small and rather obscure harbour by the said king, on the sea. coast, with the lands thereunto belonging, lying between the chapel of St. Nicholas (at Leith) and Wierdy Brae.” This charter gave the community of Edinburgh free and common passage from Leith to Newhaven, ‘‘ with liberty and space for building and extending the pier and bulwark of the said port, and unloading their merchandise and goods in ships, and of unloading the same upon the land, and to fix ropes on the shore ; from the sea-shore of the said port to REMAINS OF ST. JAMES’S CHAPEL, NEWHAVEN. ... AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Newhaven. ST.JAMES’S CHAPEL. 297 a manufactory of ropes and cables as having existed in ...

Vol. 6  p. 297 (Rel. 1.87)

not of reptiles. “ Thus was dissipated the illusion, founded on the Burdiehouse fossils, that saurian . reptiles existed in the carboniferous era. To this CHAPTER XLI. THE ENVIRONS OF EDINBURGH (continwed). Gilmerton-The Kinlochs-Legend of the Bumtdale-Paterson’s C a v e T h e Drum House-The Somrrville Family-Roslin Castle-The St. Clairs-Roslin Chauel-The Buried Barons-Tomb of Earl George-The Under Chapel-The Battle of Roslin-Relics of it- In the chalk formations hereabout fossil remains of the prickly palm have been frequently found, and they have also been found in the lime-pits of Roslin Village-Its old Inn. GILMERTON, a village and puuad sncra parish detached from Liberton, occupies the brow o rising ground about four miles south from the city, on the Roxburgh road, with a church, buill in 1837, and the ancient manor-house of the Kinlochs, known as the Place of Gilmerton, on the south side of which there were in former times butts for the practice of archery. The subordinate part of the village consists 01 some rather unsightly cottages, the abodes of col. liers and carters, who sell “yellow sqnd” in the city. Robert Bruce granted a charter to Murdoch Menteith of the lands of Gilmerton, in which it was stated that they had belonged of old to William Soulis, in the shire of Edinburgh, and afterwards he granted another charter .of the same lands, “ quhilk Soulis foresfecit ” (sic), with ‘‘ the barony of Prenbowgal (Barnbougle), quhilk was Roger Mowbray’s.” This was evidently Sir William de Soulis, Hereditary Butler of Scotland, whose grandfather, Nicholas, had been a competitor for the crown as gtandson of Marjorie, daughter of Alexander II., and wife of Allan Durward. William was forfeited as a traitor in English pay, and a conspirator against the life of Robert I. He was condemned to perpetual imprisonment by the Parliament in 1320. After this, it is traditionally said to have been the property of a family named Heron, or Herring. At a much more recent period, the barony of Gilnierton belonged to John Spence of Condie, Advocate to Queen Mary in 1561, and who continued as such till 1571. He had three daughters. “One of them,” says Scotstarvit, ‘’ was married to Herring of Lethinty, whose son, Sir David, sold all his lands of Lethinty, Gilmerton, and Glasclune, in his own time. Another was married to James Ballantyne of Spout, whose son James took the same course. The third to Sir John Moncrieq by whom he had (“ Index of Charters.”) an only son, who went mad, and leaped into the River Earn, and there perished.” In the next century Gilmerton belonged to the Somervilles of Drum, as appears by an Act of Ratification by Parliament, in 1672, to James Somerville, of the lands of Drum and Gilmerton;” and after him they went to the family of Kinloch, whose name was derived from a territory in Fifeshire, and to this family belongs the well-known reel named “ Kinloch of Kinloch.” Its chief, Sir David, was raised to a baronetage of Nova Scotia, by James VII., in the year 1685, but the title became extinct upon the failure of male descendants, though there has been a recent creation, as baronet of Great Britain, in 1855, in the person of Kinloch of that ilk. At what period the Gilmerton branch struck off from :he present stock is unknown, but the first upon record is Francis Kinloch of Gilmerton, who died in 1685, and was succeeded by his only son, Alexander Kinloch, who was created a baronet of Nova Scotia on the 16th September, 1686. He married Magdalene McMath, and had a numerous family. He had been Lord Provost of the city in 1677, His wife, who died in 1674, was buried in the Greyfriars, and the epitaph on her tomb is recorded by Monteith. On his death, in 1696, he was succeeded by his eldest son, Sir Alexander Kinloch of Gilmerton, who married Mary, daughter of the famous General David, Lord Newark, who, after the battle of Naseby, drew off a whole division of Scottish cavalry, and, by a rapid march, surprised and defeated the great Montrose at Philiphaugh, and, in turn, was defeated by Cromwell at Dunbar. His son, Sir Francis, the third baronet, married Mary, daughter and heiress of Sir James Rocheid 3f Inverleith, Bart., by whom he had three sons md ‘three daughters. One of the former, Akxmder, as already related in its place, took the surname and arms of his maternal grandfather on . ... of reptiles. “ Thus was dissipated the illusion, founded on the Burdiehouse fossils, that saurian . reptiles ...

Vol. 6  p. 343 (Rel. 1.79)

50 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. Holyrood. Wllliam, who had property in Broughton, after his death, none bore even nominally the title of abbot. A part of the lands fill to the Earl of Roxburghe, from whom the superiority passed, as narrated elsewhere. The “Chronicon Sancta Crucis” was commenced by the canons of Holyrood, but the portion that has been preserved comes down only to 1163, and breaks off at the time of their third abbot. “Even the Indices Sanctorum and the ‘ two Calendars of Benefactors and Brethren, begun from the earliest times, and continued by the care of numerous monks,’ may-when allowance is made for the magniloquent style of the recorder-man nothing more than the united calendar, martyrology, and ritual book, which is fortunately still preserved. It is a large folio volume of 132 leaves of thick vellum, in oak boards covered with stamped leather, which resembles the binding of the sixteenth century.” . The extent of the ancient possessions of this great abbey may be gathered from the charters and gifts in the valuable Munim-nta Ecdesicp San& Cmcis de Edwinesburg and the series of Sent Rollr. To enumerate the vestments, ornaments, jewels, relics, and altar vessels of gold and silver set with precious stones, would far exceed our limits, but they are to be found at length in the second volume of the “ Bannatyne Miscellany.” When the monastery was dissolved at the Reformation its revenues were great, and according to the two first historians of Edinburgh its annual income then was stated as follows : By Maitland : In wheat. 27 chaldea, 10 bolls. I) In bear ... 40 .. g .. I t Inoa ts... 34 .. 15 .. 3tpecks. 501 capons, 24 hens, 24 salmon, 12 loads of salt, and an unknown number of swine. In money, &926 8s. 6d. Scots. By Arnot : In wheat ............ 442 bolls. .. ............. In bear 640 ss .. In oats .............. 560 .. with the same amount in other kind, and.&o sterling. CHAPTER VIII. HOLYROOD ABBEY (concluded). Charter of Willim 1.-Trial of the Scottish Tcmplars-Prrndergast’s Rercnpe--chanas by ROM IL and 111.-The Lord of the Isles- Coronation of James 11.-Marriages of James I[. and III.-Church, Bc. Burned by the Englih-Ph&d by them-Its Restoration by James VU.-The Royal Vault-Desaiption of the Chapel Royal-Plundered at the Revolution-Ruined in x*-The West Front- The Belhavcn Mouument-The Churchyard-Extent of Present Ruin-The Sanctuary-The Abbey Bells. .KING WILLIAM THE LION, in a charter under his :great seal, granted between the years 1171 and 1r77, ddressed to “all the good men of his whole kingdom, French, English, Scots, and Galwegians,” confirmed the monks of Holyrood in all that had been given them by his grandfather, King David, together with many other gifts, including the pasture of a thousand sheep in Rumanach (Romanno?), -a document witnessed in the castle, “apud &densehch. ” In 1309, when Elias 11. was abbot, there occurred an interesting event at Holyrood, of which no notice has yet been taken in any,history of Scotland-the trial of the Scottish Knights of the Temple on the usual charges niade against the erder, aftet the terrible murmurs that rose against it in Paris, London, and elsewhere, in consequence -of its alleged secret infidelity, sorcery, and other vices. According to the Processus factus contra Tem- .#arias in Scofict, in Wilkins’ Concilia,” a work of great price and rarity, it was in the month of December, 1309-when the south of ScotIand was averrun by the English, Irish, Welsh, and Norman troops of Edward II., and John of Bretagne, Earl of Richmond, was arrogantly called lieutenant of the kingdom, though Robert Bruce, succeeding to the power and popularity of Wallace, was in arms in the north-that Master John de Soleure, otherwise styled of Solerio, “chaplain to our lord the Pope,” together with William Lamberton, Bishop of St. Andrews, met at the Abbey of Holyrood “for the trial of the Templars, and two brethren of that order undernamed, the only persons of the order present in the kingdom of Scotland, by command of our most holy lord Clement V.” Some curious light is thrown upon the inner life of the order by this trial, which it is impossible to give at full length. In the first place appeared Brother Walter of Clifton, who, being sworn on the Gospels, replied that he had belonged to the military order of the Temple for ten years, since the last feast of All Saints, and had been received into it at Temple Bruer, at Lincoln, in England, by Brother William de la More (whom Raynouard, in his work on the order, calls a Scotsman), and that the Scottish brother knights received the statutes and observ ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. Holyrood. Wllliam, who had property in Broughton, after his death, none bore even ...

Vol. 3  p. 50 (Rel. 1.78)

Holyrood.] SUCCESSION. OF ABBOTS. 47 between Randolph the famous’ Earl of Moray and Sir William Oliphant, in connection with the forfeited estate of William of Monte Alto. Another species of Parliament was held at Holyrood on the 10th of February, in the year 1333-4, when Edward 111. received the enforced homage of his creature Baliol. XVI. JOHN II., abbot, appears as a witness to three charters in 1338, granted to William of Livingston, William of Creighton, and Henry of Brade (Braid?). XVII. BARTHOLOMEW, abbot in 1342. XVIII. THOMAS, abbot, witnessed a charter to William Douglas of that ilk, Sir James of Sandilands, and the Lady Elenora Bruce, relict of Alexander Earl of Carrick, nephew of Robert I., of the lands of the West Calder. On the 8th of May, 1366, a council was held at Holyrood, at which the Scottish nobles treated with ridicule and contempt the pretensions of the kings of England, and sanctioned an assessment for the ransom of David II., taken prisoner at the battle of Durham. That monarch was buried before the high altar in 1371, and Edward 111. granted a safe conduct to certain persons proceeding to Flanders to provide for the tomb in which he was placed. XIX. JOHN III., abbot on the 11th of January, ~372. During his term of office, John of Gaunt Duke of Lancaster, fourth son of Edward III., was hospitably entertained at Holyrood, when compelled to take flight from his enemies in England. XX. DAVID, abbot on the 18th of January, in the thirteenth year of Robert 11. The abbey was burned by the armyof Richard 11. whose army encamped at Restalrig; but it was soon after repaired. David is mentioned in a charter dated at Perth, 1384-5. XXI. JOHN (formerly Dean of Leith) was abbot on the 8th of May, 1386. His name occurs in several charters and other documents, and for the last time in the indenture or lease of the Canonmills to the city of Edinburgh, 12th September, 1423. In his time Henry IV. spared the monastery in gratitude for the kindness of the monks to his exiled father John of Gaunt. XXII. PATRICK, abbot 5th September, 1435. In his term of office James II., who had been born in the abbey, was crowned there in his sixth year, on the 25th March, 1436-7; and anothet high ceremony was performed in the same church when Mary of Gueldres was crowned -as Queen Consort in July, 1449. In the preceding year, John Bishop of Galloway elect became an inmate of the abbey, and was buried in the cloisters. XXIII. JAMES, abbot 26th April, 14~0. XXIV. ARCHIBALD CRAWFORD, abbot in 1457. He was son of Sir William‘ Crawford of Haining, and had previously been Prior of Holytood. In 1450 he was one of the commissioners who treated with the English at Coventry concerning a truce ; and again in 1474, concerning a marriage between James Duke of Rothesay and the Princess Cecile, second daughter of Edward IV. of England. He was Lord High Treasurer of Scotland in 1480. He died in 1483. On the abbey church (according to Crawford) his arms were carved niore than thirty times. “He added the buttresses on the walls of the north and south aisles, and probably built the rich doorway which opens into the north aisle.” Many finely executed coats armorial are found over the niches, among them Abbot Crawford’s frequently- fesse ermine, with a star of five points, in chief, surmounted by an abbot’s mitre resting on a pastoral staff. XXV. ROBERT BELLENDEN, abbot in 1486, when commissioner concerning a truce with England. He was still abbot in 1498, and his virtues are celebrated by his namesake, the archdean of Moray, canon of ROSS, and translator of Boece, who says ‘‘ he left the abbey, and died ane Chartour-monk.” In 1507 the Papal legate presented James IV., in the name of Pope Julius II., in the church, amid a brilliant crowd of nobles, with a purple crown adorned by golden lilies, and a sword of state studded with gems, which is still preserved in the Castle of Edinburgh. He also brought a bull, bestowing upon James the title of Defender of the Faith. Abbot Bellenden, in 1493, founded a chapel in North Leith, dedicated to St. Ninian, latterly degraded into a victual granary The causes moving the abbot to build this chapei, independent of the spiritual wants of the people, were manifold, as set forth in the charter of erection. The bridge connecting North and South Leith, over which he levied toll, was erected at the same time. XXVI. GEORGE CRICHTOUN, abbot in 1515, and Lord Privy Seal, was promoted to the see of Uunkeld in 1528. As we have recorded elsewhere, he was the founder of the Hospital of St. Thomas, near the Water Gate. An interesting relic of his abbacy exists at present in England. About the year 1750, when a grave was being dug in the chancel of St Stephen’s church, St. Albans, in Hertfordshire, there was found buried in the soil an ancient lectern bearing his name, and which is supposed to have been concealed there at some time during the Civil Wars. It is of cast brass, and handsonie in design, consisting of an eagle with expanded wings, supported by a shaft deco- The piers still remain. ... SUCCESSION. OF ABBOTS. 47 between Randolph the famous’ Earl of Moray and Sir William Oliphant, in ...

Vol. 3  p. 47 (Rel. 1.72)

8 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [The University. thereof-A few Notable Bequests-Income-The Library-The OF the four Scottish Universities, the youngest Museums. ’ dormer windows, crowstepped gables, and turret is Edinburgh, a perfectly Protestant foundation, as the other three were established under the Catholic ?-&vie; yet the merit of originating the idea of academical institutions for the metropolis is due to Robert Reid, who, in 1558, six years before the date of Queen Mary’s charter, “had bequeathed to the town of Edinburgh the sum of 8,000 merks for the purpose of erecting a University within the city.” . In 1566 Queen Mary entered so warmly into the views of the magistrates as actually to draw up a charter and provide a competent endowment for the future college. But the unsettled state of the realm and the turbulence of the age marred the fulfilment of her generous desire ; yet the charter she had prepared, acted, says Bower, in his ‘‘ His tory,” so powerfully upon her son, James VI., that it was inserted in the one which is now deemed the foundation charter of the university, granted by the king in 1582, with the privilege of erecting houses for the professors and students. In recalling the active benefactors of the university, we cannot omit the names of the Rev. James Lawson, whose exertions contributed so greatly to the institution of the famous High School; and of Provost William Little, and of Clement Little, Commissary of Edinburgh, the latter of whom gave, in 1580, ‘‘ to the city and kirk of God,” the whole of his library, consisting of 300 volumes-a great collection in those days-it is supposed for the use of the proposed college. The teachers at first established by the foundation were a Principal or Prilliarius, a Professor of Divinity, four Regents or Masters of Philosophy, and a Professor of Philology or Humanity. On the site of the Kirk-of-Field a quaint group of quadrangular buildings grew up gradually but rapidly, forming the. old college, which Maitland describes as having three courts, the southern of which was occupied on two sides by the classrooms and professors’ houses, and on the others by the College Hall, the houses of the principal and resident graduates. A flight of steps led from this to the western quadrangle, which was rich in stairs. Here the students then resided. The eastern quadrangle contained the Convocation Hall and Library. The gateway was at the head of the College Wynd, with a lofty bell-tower, and the first five words of the a7~e in Gothic characters cut upon its lintel, as it was the original portal to the Kirk-of-Field. When Scott completed his education here the old halls, and solemn, yet in some senses mean, quadrangles, were an unchanged, as in the days of James VI. and the Charleses, and exhibited many quaint legends carved in stone. The old Library was certainly a large and handsome room, wherein were shown a skull, said to be that of George Buchanan ; the original Bohemian protest against the Council of Constance for burning John Huss and Jerome of Prague, dated 1417~ with 105 seals attached to it; the original marriage contract of Queen Mary with the Dauphin ; many coins, medals, and portraits, which were afterwards preserved in the new university. The old college buildings were begun in 1581 ; and in 1583 the Town Council constituted Mr. Robert Rollock, then a professor at St. Andrews, a professor in this university, of which he became afterwards Rector and Principal, and to which by the power of his learning he allured many students. The sum of 61 13s. 4d. was given him to defray the expenses of his removal to Edinburgh, where he began to teach on the 11th of October, when public notice was given “ that students desirous of instruction shall give up their names to a bailie, who shall take order for their instruction.” As there was then no other teacher but himself, he was compelled to put all the students into one class. ‘‘ He soon felt, however, that this was impracticable,” says Bower, “so as to do justice to the young men committed to his care. After having made this experiment, he was obliged to separate them into two classes. The progress which they made was very different, and a considerable number of them were exceedingly deficient in a knowledge of the Latin language.” On his recommendation a Mr. Duncan Nairn ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [The University. thereof-A few Notable Bequests-Income-The Library-The OF the four ...

Vol. 5  p. 8 (Rel. 1.66)

224 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [High Street. ROBERT CHAMBERS. (From a *ate PkOtog~U#h.) 1 volume by the firm in 1868, and is the preface tD which Robert writes :- ‘<I am about to do what very few could do without emotion-revise a book which I wrote turreted edifice, that now forms the west side of Warriston’s Close, and built in 1868. It bears the legend Gracia . Dei. Ro6erfus . Bruiss, with a WILLIAM CHAMBERS. (From a Pktograplr by jokta Lamwrd.) shield at each end, one having the arms sf Bruce of Binning in Linlithgowshire, impaled with those of Preston-three unicorns’ heads. The eminent publishers, whose extensive premises now occupy the west side of Warriston’s Close, William and Robert Chambers-the great pioneers of the cheap literature movement-were born at Peebles, in 1800 and 1802 respectively. Their ancestors were woollen manufacturers, and their father carried on the business in cotton at Peebles, on so large a scale that he used sometimes to have a hundred looms at work. He was thus enabled to give his sons a good education at the schools of their native town, where Robert passed through a classical course, with the view of taking orders in the church of Scotland ; but monetary misfortunes having overtaken his parents, the family removed to Edinburgh, where the two brothers were thrown in a great measure on their own resources, but formed the noble resolution to try by stem industry to regain the ground their family had lost ; and a love of reading led them gradually into the business of bookselling. William served an apprenticeship, from 1814 to 1819, with Mr. Sutherland, Calton Street, who gave him four shillings weekly as wages, and on this small sum-shrinking from being a burden on his delicate and struggling mother-he took a lodging, it IS. 6d. per week, in Boak’s Land, West Port, a ittle bed closet, which he shared with a poor livinity student from the hills of Tweeddale. Out )f these slender wages he contrived to save a few ihillings, and began business, in a very small way, n 1819, and by the following year added printing hereto, having taught himself that craft, cutting vith his own hand the larger types out of wood. By 1818 Robert had begun business in a tiny ;hop as a bookstall-keeper, in Leith Walk, and iaving a strong literary turn, he made an essay is author, by starting a small periodical called he KaZez’doscoje, the types of which were set up md printed off by William, in an old rickety xess, which, he relates, “ emitted a jangling, xeaking noise, like a shriek of anguish,” when vorked. After a brief career this publication was hopped, to enable Robert, in 1822, to write a rolume likely to be popular-“ Illustrations of the 4uthor of Waverley,” referring to the supposed xiginal characters of the novelist. Of this work William was printer, binder, and publisher, and a iecond edition appeared in 1824. Immediately after its issue he began his “ Traiiitions of Edinburgh ” (in the plan and production Df which the brothers anticipated a joint work, that was to have been written by Scott and Kirkpatrick S1iarpe)-a book re-written and re-published in one . ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [High Street. ROBERT CHAMBERS. (From a *ate PkOtog~U#h.) 1 volume by the firm in ...

Vol. 2  p. 224 (Rel. 1.61)

THE TOWER 327 Liberton.] between 1124 and 1153, according to the Lih Cartarvm Sanchz Crwis. Macbeth of Liberton also granted to St. Cuth bert’s Church the tithes and oblations of Legbor nard, a church which cannot now be traced. The name is supposed to be a corruption o Lepertoun, as there stood here a hospital fo lepers, of which all vestiges have disappeared ; bu the lands thereof in some old writs (according tc the “New Statistical Account”) were called “Spital town.” At Nether Liberton, three-quarters of a mile nortl of the church, was a mill, worked of course by thc Braid Burn, which David I, bestowed upon tht monks of Holyrood, as a tithe thereof, ‘‘wit1 thirty cartloads from the bush of Liberton,” gift! confirmed by William the Lion under the Grea Seal circa I I 7 1-7. The Black Friars at Edinburgh received fivc pounds sterling annually from this mill at Nethei Liberton, by a charter from King Robert I. Prior to the date of King David’s charter, thc church of Liberton belonged to St. Cuthbert’s The patronage of it, with an acre of land adjoining it, was bestowed by Sir John Maxwell of that iik in 1367, on the monastery of Kilwinning,pro sahh aniiiim SUE et Agnetis sponsiz SUE. This gift was confirmed by King David 11. By David 11. the lands of Over Liberton, ‘( quhilk Allan Baroune resigned,” were gifted tc John Wigham ; and by the same monarch the land: of Nether Liberton were gifted to William Ramsay, of Dalhousie, knight, and Agnes, his spouse, 24th October, 1369. At a later period he granted a charter “to David Libbertoun, of the office of sergandrie of the overward of the Constabularie of Edinburgh, with the lands of Over Libbertoun pertaining thereto.” (“ Robertson’s Index.”) Adam Forrester (ancestor of the Corstorphine family) was Laird of Nether Liberton in 1387, for estates changed proprietors quickly in those troublesome times, and we have already reterred to him as one of those who, with the Provost Andrew Yichtson, made arrangements for certain extensive additions to the church of St. Giles in that year. William of Liberton was provost of the city in 1429, and ten years subsequently with William Douglas of Hawthornden, Meclielson of Herdmanston (now Harviston), and others, he witnessed the charter of Patrick, abbot of Holyrood, to Sir Yatrick Logan, Lord. of Restalrig, of the office of bailie of St. Leonard’s. (“ Burgh Charters,” No. At Liberton there was standing till about 1840 a tall peel-house or tower, which was believed to XXVI.) have been the residence of Macbeth and other barons of Liberton, and which must not be confounded with the solitary square tower that stands to the westward of the road that leads into the heart of the Braid Hills, and is traditionally said to have been the abode of a troublesome robber laud, who waylaid provisions coming to the city markets. The former had an old dial-stone, inscribed ‘‘ God’s Providence is our Inheritance.” Near the present Liberton Tower the remains of a Celtic cross were found embedded in a wall in 1863, by the late James Drummond, R.S.A. It was covered with knot-work. The old church-or chapel it was more probably -at Kirk-Liberton, is supposed to have been dedicated to the Virgin Mary-there having been a holy spring near it, called our Lady’s Well-and it had attached to it a glebe of two oxgates of land. In the vicinity was a place called Kilmartin, which seemed to indicate the site of some ancient and now forgotten chapel. In.1240 the chapelry of Liberton was disjoined by David Benham, Bishop of St. Andrews and Great Chamberlain to the King, from the parish of St. Cuthbert’s, and constituted a rectory belonging to the Abbey of Holyrood, and from then till the Reformation it was served by a vicar. For a brief period subsequent to 1633, it was a prebend of the short-lived and most inglorious bishopric of Edinburgh ; and at the final abolition thereof it reverted to the disposal of the Crown. The parochial registers date from 1639. When the old church was demolished prior to :he erection of the new, in 1815, there was found very mysteriously embedded in its basement an ron medal of the thirteenth century, inscribed in xncient Russian characters “ THE GRAND PRINCE 3 ~ . ALEXANDER YAROSLAVITCH NEVSKOI.” The old church is said to have been a picuresque edifice not unlike that now at Corstor- Ihine ; the new one is a tolerably handsome semi- Gothic structure, designed by Gillespie Graham, ,eated for 1,430 persons, and having a square ower with four ornamental pinnacles, forming a )leasing and prominent object in the landscape outhward of the city. Subordinate to the church there were in Catholic imes three chapels-one built by James V. at 3rigend’ already referred to ; a second at Niddrie, ounded by Robert Wauchope of Niddrie, in 1389, .nd dedicated to “ Our .Lady,” but which is now inly commemorated by its burying-ground-which ontinues to be in use-and a few faint traces of ... TOWER 327 Liberton.] between 1124 and 1153, according to the Lih Cartarvm Sanchz Crwis. Macbeth of Liberton ...

Vol. 6  p. 327 (Rel. 1.6)

Leith.] THE FIRST BRIDGE. 167 Kirk aark, and to be-deprived of- the freedom (of the city) for ane zeare.” 1 .of the harbour, for the erection of quays and wharfs and for the loading of goods, with the liberty to have shops and granaries, and to make all necessary roads thereto ; but this grasping feudal baron afterwards sorely teased and perplexed the town council with points of litigation, till eventually he roused them to adopt a strong measure for satiating .at once his avarice and their own ambition. Bought over by them with alarge sum of nionfy .drawn from the city treasury, Sir Robert Logan on ;the 27th of February, 1413, granted them an extraordinary charter, which has been characterised as an exclusive, ruinous, and enslaving bond,” restraining the luckless inhabitants of Leith from .carrying on trade cE any sort, from possessing warehouses or shops, from keeping inns for strangers, “ so that nothing should be built or constructed on the said land (in Leith) in future, to the prejudice and impediment of the said community.” The witnesses to this grant are George Lauder the Pro- Test, and the Bailies, William Touris of Cramond, William of Edmondston, James Cant, Dean of Guild, John Clark of Lanark, Andrew Learmouth, and William of the Wood. In 1428 King James I. granted a charter under .his great seal, with consent of the community of Edinburgh, ordaining “ that in augmentation of the fabrik and reparation of the port and harbour of Leith, there should be uplifted a certain tax or toll upon all ships and boats entering therein,” This is dated from the Palace of Dunfermline, 31st December. (Burgh Records.) In 1439 Patrick, abbot of Holyrood, granted to Sir Robert Logan and his heirs the office of bailie aver the abbey lands of St. Leonards, “lyande in the town of Leicht, within the barony of Restalrig, on the south halfe the water, from the end of the gret volut of William Logane on the east part to the common gate that passes to the ford over the water of Leicht, beside the waste land near the house of John of Turing,” etc. (Burgh Charters.) Not content with the power already given them over their vassals in Leith, the magistrates of Edinburgh, after letting the petty customs and haven siller” of Leith for the sum of one hkdred and ten merks in 1485, passed a remarkable order in council :-“ That no merchant of Edinburgh presume to take into partnership any indweller of the town of Leith, under pain of forty pounds to the he proceeded to Leith tb hold his water courts, such an escort being deemed necessary for the In 1497 the civic despots of Edinburgh obtained, on writ from the Privy Council, that “ all manner of persons, quhilk are infectit, or has been infectit and uncurrit of the contageouse plage, callit the grand gore, devoid red and pass furth of this towne, and compeir on the sandis of Leith, at ten hours before noon, and thair shall have boats reddie in the Haven, ordainit to thame be the officears, reddie furnished with victualles, to have them to the inche, there to remain quhi!l God provide for thair health.” (Town Council Records.) As regards Leith, a much more important event is recorded four years before this, when Robert Ballantyne, abbot of Holyrood, “ with the consent of his chapter and the approbation of William, Archbishop of St. Andrews,” first spanned the river by a solid stone bridge, thus connecting South and North Leith, holding the right of levying a toll therefor. It was a bridge of three arches; of which Lord Eldin made a sketch in 1779, and part of one of the piers of which still remains. Abbot Ballantyne also built a chapel thereby, and in his charter it is expressly stated, after enumerating the tithes and tolls of the bridge, “that the stipend of each of the two incumbents is to be limited to fifteen merks, and after the repairs of the said bridge and chapel, and lighting the same, the surplus is to be given to the poor.” This chapel was dedicated to St. Ninian the apostle of Galloway, and the abbot’s charter was confirmed by King James IV. on the 1st June, 1493. He also established a range of buildings on the south side of the river, a portion of which, says Robertson, writing in 1851, still exists in the form of a gable and large oven, at the locality generally designated ‘ the Old Bridge End.’ ” The part in Leith whereon, it is said, the first houses were built in the twelfth century, is bounded , on the south by the Tolbooth Wynd, on the west by the shore or quay, on the north by the Broad Wynd, and on the east by the Rotten Row, now called Water Lane. One of the broadest alleys in this ancient quarter is the Burgess Close,’ ten feet in width, and was the first road granted to the citizens of Edinburgh by Logan of Kestalng. In the year 1501, all freemen of the city, to the number of twenty or so, were directed by the magistrates to accompany the water bailie when ... THE FIRST BRIDGE. 167 Kirk aark, and to be-deprived of- the freedom (of the city) for ane zeare.” 1 .of ...

Vol. 5  p. 167 (Rel. 1.57)

Onmond.1 HARBOUR AND ISLAND. 31.5 In the reign of David 11. Roger Greenlaw obtained a royal charter of the Butterland in the town of Cramond, “ quhilk‘ William Bartlemow resigned ;” and Robert 11. granted, at Edinburgh, in the eighteenth year of his reign, a charter of certain lands in King’s Cramond to William Napier, on their resignation by John, son of Simon Rede, in presence of the Chancellor, John, Bishop of Dunkeld, and others. In 1587 Patrick Douglas of Kilspindie became the south as the Pinnacle. In December, 1769, a whale, fifty-four feet long, was stranded upon it by the waves. About a mile northward and east of it, lies another rocky islet, three or four furlongs in circumferkhce, named Inchmickery, only remarkable for a valuable oyster bed on its shore, and for the rich profusion of sea-weed, mosses, and lichens, on its beach and surface. North from the point known as the Hunter’s Craig or Eagle’s Rock, westward of the harbour, THE “TWA BRIGS,” CRAMOND. caution for John Douglas, in Cramond, and his son Alexander, that they would not molest certain parishioners there, nor ‘‘ their wives, bairns, or servants.” The little harbour of Cramond is specified in the Exchequer Records as a creek within the port of Leith. It possesses generally only a few boats, but in 1791 had seven sloops, measuring 288 tons, employed by the iron works. Cramond Island, 19 acres in extent, lies 1,440 yards NNE of the pretty village. It rises high in the centre, with steep granite cliffs on the east, formerly abounded with rabbits, and is generally accessible on foot at low water. It now belongs to Lord Rosebery. The north point of the isle is known as the Binks; the stretch known as the Drum Sands extends for more than a mile. In 1639, Alexander, sixth Earl of Eglinton, h,$ed for two days at Cramond with his contingent for the Scottish army, consisting of zoo horse and 1,800 foot, en route for’Leith. In the time of Charles I. Cramond gave a title in the Scottish peerage, when Dame Elizabeth Beaumont, the wife of Sir Thomas Richardson, Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas in England, was, for some reason now unknown, created Baroness Cramond for life, with the title of baron to the Chief Justice’s son and his heirs male; ‘‘in failure of which, to the heirs male of his father‘s body”-the first female creation on record in ... HARBOUR AND ISLAND. 31.5 In the reign of David 11. Roger Greenlaw obtained a royal charter of the ...

Vol. 6  p. 315 (Rel. 1.56)

. I64 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Leith. * LElTH WALK, FROM GAYFIELD SQUARE, LOOKING SOUTH. CHAPTER XVII. LEITH-HISTORICAI, SURVEY. Origih of the Nme‘-Boundariee of South and North Leith-Links of Nor& Leith-The Tom first mentioned in History-King Robert’e Charter -Superiority of the Logam and Magistrates of Ediuburgh-Abbot Ballantyne’s Bridge and Chapel-Newhaven given to Edinburgh by Jarnes 1V.-The Port of I53c-The Town Burned by the English. LEITH, the sea-port of Edinburgh, lies between it and the Firth of Forth, but, though for Parliamentary purposes separate from it, it is to all intents an integral portion of the capital city. Of old the name was variously written, Leyt, Let, Inverleith, and the mouth of the Leith, and it is said to have been derived from the family of the first recorded proprietors or superiors, the Leiths, who in the reign of Alexander 111. owned Restalrig and many extensive possessions in Midlothian, till the superiority passed by the marriage of the last of the Leiths into the family of the Logans. However, ‘it seems much more probable that the family took their name from the river, which has its rise in the parish of Cume, at Kinleith, where three springs receive various additions in their progress, particularly at the village of Balerno, where they are joined hy the Bavelaw Bum. This stream, when its waters were pure, abounded in fish-trout, loche or groundling, and the nine eyed-eel Or river lamprey; and it must have contained salmon too, as in the Edinburgh HeraZd for August, 1797, we read of a soldier in the Caledonian Regiment being drowned in the Salmon Pool, in the Water of Leith, by going beyond his depth when bathing there. In his “ Historical Inquiries,” Sir Robert Sibbald suggests that a Roman station of some kind existed where Leith now stands ; but it has been deemed more probable, as the author of CaZedonia Rqnana supposes, that from the main Roman road that went to Caer-almon (or Cramond) a path diverged by the outlying camp at Sheriff Hall to Leith, where Chalmers (“ Caledonia,” Vol., I.), records that “the remains of a Roman way were discovered, when one of the piers was being repaired ; I’ and this is further supported by the fact that some Roman remains were found near the citadel in 1825, Still, ... I64 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Leith. * LElTH WALK, FROM GAYFIELD SQUARE, LOOKING SOUTH. CHAPTER ...

Vol. 5  p. 164 (Rel. 1.56)

3 18 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [cogs. p. baronet of Nova Scotia by James VII., in 1687. The close of the family is thus recorded in the Scottish Register for 1795 :-“September I. At Cramond House, died Adam, Inglis, Esq., last surviving son af Sir John Inglis of Cramond, Bart. He was instructed in grammar and learning at the High School -and University of Edinburgh, and at the Warrington Academy in Lancashire ; studied law at Edinburgh, and was ca!led to thc bar in 1782. In May, 1794~ was appointed lieutenant of one of the Midlothian troops of cavalry, in which he paid the most assiduous attention to the raising and discipline of the men. On the 23rd August he was attacked with fever, and expired on the 1st September, in the thirty-fourth year of his age, unmarried.” Cramond House is now the seat of the Craigie-Halkett family. Some three miles south of Cramond lies the district of Gogar, an ancient and suppressed parish, a great portion of which is now included in that of Corstorphine Gogar signifies ‘‘ light,” according to some “etymological notices,” by Sir Janies Foulis of Colinton, probably from some signal given to an army, as there are, he adds, marks of a battle having taken p1ac.e to the westward‘; but his idea is much more probably deduced from the place named traditionally “ the Flashes,” the scene of Leslie’s repulse of Cromwell in 1650. The name is more probably Celtic The “ Ottadeni and Gadeni,” says a statistical writer, ‘‘ the British descendants of the first colonists, enjoyed their original land during the second century, and have left memorials of their existence in the names of the Forth, the Almond, the Esk, the Leith, the Gore, the Gogar, and of Cramond, Cockpen, Dreghorn,” etc. The church of Gogar was much older than that of Corstorphine, but was meant for a scanty population. A small part of it still exists, and after the Reformation was set apart as a burial-place for the lords of the manor. Gogar was bestowed by Robert Bruce on his trusty comrade in many a well-fought field, Sir Alexander Seton, one of the patriots who signed that famous letter to the Pope in 1330, asserting the independence of the Scots ;’ and vowing that so long as one hundred of them remained alive, they would never submit to the King of England. He was killed in battle at Kinghorn in 1332. Soon after this establishment the Parish of Gogar was acquired by the monks of Holyrood; but before the reign of James V. it had been constituted an independent rectory. In 1429 Sir John Forrester conferred its tithes on his collegiate church at Corstorphine, and made it one of the prebends there. In June, 1409, Walter Haliburton, of Dirleton, in a charter dated from that place, disposed of the lands and milne of Goga to his brother George. Among the witnesses were the Earls of March and Orkney, Robert of Lawder, and others. In 1516 the lands belonged to the Logans of Restalrig and others, and during the reign of James VI. were in possession of Sir Alexander Erskine, Master of Mar, appointed Governor of Edinburgh Castle in I 5 78. Though styled “the Master,” he was in reality the second son of John, twelfth Lord Erskine, and is stated by Douglas to have been an ancestor of the Earls of Kellie, and was Vice-ChamberIain of Scotland. His son, Sir Thomas Erskine, also of Gogar, was in 1606 created Viscount Fenton, and thirteen years afterwards Earl of Kellie and Lord Dirleton. In 1599, after vain efforts had been made by its few parishioners to raise sufficient funds for an idcumbent, the parish of Gogar was stripped of its independence ; and of the two villages of Nether Gogar and Gogar Stone, which it formerly contained, the latter has disappeared, and the popu- Iation of the former numbered a few years ago only twenty souls. Grey Cooper, of Gogar, was made a baronet ot Nova Scotia in 1638. In 1646 the estate belonged to his son Sir John Cooper, Bart., and in 1790 it was sold by Sir Grey Cooper, M.P., to the Ramsays, afterwards of Barnton. A Cooper of Gogar is said to have been one Df the first persons who appeared in the High Street of Edinburgh in a regular coach. They were, as already stated, baronets of 1638, and after them came the Myrtons of Gogar, baronets of 1701, md now extinct. On the muir of Gogar, in 1606, during the prevalence of a plape, certain little “ lodges” were built by James Lawriston, and two other persons named respectively David and George Hamilton, for the accommodation of the infected ; but these edifices were violently destroyed by Thomas Marjoribanks, a portioner of Ratho, on the plea that their erection was an invasion of his lands, yet the Lords of the Council ordered theni to be re-built’“ where they may have the best commodity of water,’’ as the said muir was common property. The Edinburgh Cowant for April, 1723, records that on the 30th of the preceding March, ‘‘ Mrs. Elizabeth Murray, lady toThomas Kincaid, younger, of Gogar Mains,” was found dead on the road from Edinburgh to that place, with all the appearance of having been barbarously murdered. ... 18 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [cogs. p. baronet of Nova Scotia by James VII., in 1687. The close of the family is ...

Vol. 6  p. 318 (Rel. 1.5)

278 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Lord Prowsta the city, Berwick, Roxburgh, and Stirling, met in Holyrood Abbey. After a gap of forty-eight years we find John Wigmer aZdermm in 1344. Thirteen years subsequently certain burgesses of Edinburgh and other burghs are found negotiating for the ransom of King David II., taken in battle by the English. In 1362 WilliamGuppeld was alderman, 9th April, and till 1369, in which year a council sat at Edinburgh, when the king granted a charter to the abbey of Melrose. In 1373 the dderman was Sir Adam Forrester, .said to be of Whitburn and Corstorphine, a man possessed of immense estates, for which he obtained no less than six charters under the great seal of Robert II., and was several times employed in -treaties and negotiations with the English, between In 1377 John of Quhitness first appears as Pmost, or Prepositus, on the 18th of May, and in the following year Adam Forrester was again in office. In 1381 John de Camera was provost, and in 1387 Andrew Yutson (or Yichtson), between whom, with “Adam Forster, Lord of Nether Libberton,” the Burgh of Edinburgh, and John of -Stone, and John Skayer, masons, an indenture was made, 29th November, for the erection of five new -chapels in St. Giles’s, with pillars and vzulted roofs, -covered with stone, and lighted with windows. These additions were made subsequent to the burning of the city by the invaders under Richard of England two years before. In 1392 John of Dalrymple was provost, and *the names of several bailies alone appear in the Burgh Records (Appendix) till the time of Provost Alexander Napier, 3rd October, 1403, whom Douglas calls first Laird of Merchiston. Under him Symon de Schele was Dean of Guild and KeepeI .of the Kirk Work, when the first head guild was held after the feast of St Michael in the Tolbooth. Man of Fairnielee was provost 1410-1, and again in 1419, though George of Lauder was provost So lately as 1423 John of Levyntoun was styled alderman, with Richard Lamb and Robert of Bonkyl bailies, when the lease of the Canonmills was granted by Dean John of Leith, sometime Abbot of Holyrood, to “ the aldermen, baylyes, and dene of the gild,” 12th September, 1423. His successor was Thomas of Cranstoun, Preporitus, when the city granted an obligation to Henry VI. of England, for 50,000 merks English money, on account of the expenses of James I., while detained in England by the treasonable intrigues of his .uncle. William of Liberton, George of Lauder, 1 3 9 4 4 1404- hl 1413. and John of Levyntoun, appear as provosts successively in 1425, 1427, and 1428. In 1434 Sir Henry Preston of Craigmillar wag appointed provost; but no such name occurs in the Douglas peerage under that date. After John of Levyntoun, Sir Alexander Napier appears as provost after 1437, and the names of Adam Cant and Robert Niddry are among those of the magistrates and council. Then Thomas of Cranstoun was provost from 1438 till 1445, when Stephen Hunter succeeded him. With the interval of one year, during which Thomas Oliphant was provost, the office was held from 1454 to 1462 by Sir Alexander Napier of Merchiston, a man of considerable learning, whom James 11. made Comptroller ofScotland. In 1451 he had a safe-conduct from the King of England to visit Canterbury as a pilgrim, and by James 111. he was constituted Vice-Admiral. He was also ambassador to England in 1461 and 1462. In succession to Robert Mure of Polkellie, he was provost again in 1470, and until the election of James Creichton of Rothven, or Rowen, in 1477, when the important edict of James 111. concerning the market-places and the time of holding markets was issued. In 1481 the provost was Rilliarn Bertraham, who, in the following year, with “the whole fellowship of merchants, burgesses, and community ” of’ Edinburgh, bound themselves to repay to the King of England the dowry of his daughter, the Lady Cecil, in acknowledgment for which loyalty and generosity, James 111. granted the city its Golden Charter, with the banner of the Holy Ghost, locally known still as the Blue Blanket. In 1481 the provost was for the first time allowed an annual fee of A z o out of the common purse ; but, some such fee would seem to have been intended three years before. His successor was Sir John Murray of Touchadam, in 1482; and in the same year we find Patrick Baron of Spittlefield, under whose rt‘gime the Hammermen were incorporated, and in 1484 John Napier of Merchiston, eldest son of Provost Alexander Napier. He was John Napier of Rusky, and third of Merchiston, whom James III., in a letter dated 1474, designates as OUY Zouift fandiar sqwiar, and he was one of the lords auditors in the Parliament of 1483. Two of his lineal heirs fell successively in battle at Flodden and Pinkie. The fourth provost in succession after him was Patrick Hepburn, Lord Hailes, 8th August. He was the first designated ‘‘ My h r d Provost,” pre bably because he was a peer of the realm. He had ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Lord Prowsta the city, Berwick, Roxburgh, and Stirling, met in Holyrood Abbey. After ...

Vol. 4  p. 278 (Rel. 1.48)

as for sale, “together with those new subjects lying in Water Lane, adjoining Messrs. Elder and Archibald‘s vaults.” Many years ago Mr. Macfie was a well-known sugar refiner in Leith. His establishment stood in Elbe Street, South Leith, when it was destroyed by fire; and about 1865 there was started the extensive and thriving Bonnington Sugar Refining Company in Breadalbane Street, I.eith, which was described in a preceding chapter. THE BANK OF LEITH, 1820. (AferStowr.) of the incidental allusions to it. It is, however, supposed to have included a royal arsenal, with warehouses and dwellings for resident officials, and according to Robertson’s map seems to have measured about a hundred feet square. ‘( The remains of this building,” says Amot, writing in 1779, “with a garden and piece of waste land that surrounded it, was erected into a free barony by James VI., and bestowed upon Bernard Lindsay of Lochill, Groom of the Chamber The Broad Wynd opens westward off Water Lane to the shore. The first number of n e Leith and Edinburgh TeZegrajh and General Adveriiser, published 26th July, 1808, by William Oliphant, and continued until September, 1811, appeared, and was published by a new proprietor, William Reid, in the Broad Wynd, where it was continued till its abandonment, 9th March, 1813, comprising in all 483 numbers. It was succeeded by me fiith Commercid List. An extensive building, of which frequent mention is made by early historians as the King‘s Wark, seems to have occupied the whole ground between this and the present Bernard Street, but the exact purpose for which it was maintained is not made clear in any (or Chamber CheiZd, as he was called) to that prince. This Lindsay repaired or rebuilt the King’s Wark, and there is special mention of his having put its anci‘enf imer in full repair. He also built there a new tenniscourt, which is mentioned with singular marks of approbation in the royal charter ‘ as being built for the recreation of His Majesty, and of foreigners of rank resorting to the kingdom, to whom it afforded great satisfaction and delight j and as advancing the politeness and contributing to the ornament of the country, to which, by its happy situation on the Shore of Leith, where there was so great a concourse of strangers and foreigners, it was peculiarly adapted.’” The reddendo in this charter was uncommon, ... for sale, “together with those new subjects lying in Water Lane, adjoining Messrs. Elder and Archibald‘s ...

Vol. 6  p. 236 (Rel. 1.47)

lection of glittering jewels, of which Tytler gives the list. In the “inventory” of the Jewel House are mentioned five relics of Robert Bruce, viz., four silver goblets and a shirt of mail, “King Robert‘s serk,” as it is written. Among his cannon were two great French curtalds, forty-six other pieces of various calibre, and sixteen fieldwaggons, with a vast quantity of military stores of every description. . The quarrels between James and his arrogant nobles deepened day by day. At last, says Godscroft,. a story went abroad that it was proposed to invite them all to a banquet in the great hall of the Castle, and there cut them off root and branch ! This startling rumour led to others, and all culminated in the battle of Sauchieburn, where James perished, under the dagger of an assassin, on the 8th of June, 1488-a monarch who, more than any other of the Stuarts, contributed towards the permanent prosperity of the Scottish metropolis. “By favour of his charters its local jurisdiction was left almost exclusively in the hands of its own magistrates; on them were conferred ample powers for enacting laws for its governance, with authority in life and death-still vested in its chief magistrate-an independence which was afterwards defended amid many dangers down to the period of the Union. By his charters, also in their favour, they obtained the right, which they still hold, to all the customs of the haven and harbour of Leith, with the proprietorship of the adjacent coast, and all the roads leading thereto.” On the accession of James IV., in his boyhood, he sent a herald from Leith to demand the surrender of the Castle, and a commission consisting of the Lord High Treasurer, Sir Wi11;am Knowles (afterwards slain at Flodden), and others, took over all the personal property of the late king. The inventory taken on this occasion, according to Tytler, affords a pleasing and favourable idea of the splendour of the Scottish court in those days. In the treasurer‘s accounts we have many curious entries concerning the various Scottish harpers, fiddlers, and English pipers, that performed here to amuse James IV. “July 10, 1489 ; to Inglish pyparis that cam to the Caste1 yet and p1.ayit to the king, viij lib. viij s,” During the reign of the chivalrous and splendid James 1V.-who was crowned at Kelso-Edinburgh became celebrated throughout all Europe as the scene of knightly feats. The favourite place for the royal tournaments was a spot of ground just below the Cast16 rock, and near the king‘s stables. There, James in particular, assembled the nobles by prwlamation, for jousting, offering such meeds of honour as a golden-headed lance, or similar favours, presented by his own hand or that of some beautiful woman. Knights came from all countries to take part in these jousts; “bot,” says Pitscottie, “few or none of thame passed away unmatched, and oftimes overthrowne.” One notable encounter, witnessed by the king from the Castle wall, took place in 1503, when a famous cavalier of the Low Countries, named by Pitscottie Sir John Cochbevis, challenged the .best knight in Scotland to break a spear, or meet him d outrancc in combat to the death. Sir Patrick Hamilton of the house of Arran took up his challenge. Amid a vast concourse, they came to the barriers, lanced, horsed, and clad in .tempered mail, with their emblazoned shields hung round their necks. At sound of trumpet they rushed to the shock, and splintered their spears fairly. Fresh ones were given them, but as Hamilton’s horse failed him, they drew their two-handed swords, and encountered on foot. They fought thus “for a full hour, till the Dutchman being struck to the ground,” the king cast his plumed bonnet over the wall to stay the combat, while the heralds and trumpeters proclaimed the Scottish knight victorious. But the court of James was distinguished for other things than the science of war, for during his brilliant reign Edinburgh became the resort of men high in every department of science and art; and the year 1512 saw the Provost of St. Giles’s, Gavin Douglas, translating Virgil’s “Bneid” into Scottish verse. In the Castle there resided, about 1503, Lady Margmet Stuart, the daughter of James, by Margaret Drummond of that ilk, whom he is said to have married clandestinely, and who was removed by some Scottish conspirators ‘‘ to . make way for a daughter of England,” as an old historian has i t She was poisoned, together with her two sisters; and in August, 1503, “the daughter of England” duly came in the person of Margaret Tudor, whose marriage to James at Edinburgh was conducted with great splendour and much rejoicing. In 1509 James employed his master gunner, Robert Borthwick, to cast a set of brass ordnance for the Castle, all of which were inscribed -Mmfim sum, Scofo Borfhwick Eizbricafa, Roberto. Seven of these were named by James “ the sisters,” being remarkable for their beauty and size. Borthc wick also cast within the Castle the bells that now hang in the cathedral of St. Magnus at Kirkwall ’ ... of glittering jewels, of which Tytler gives the list. In the “inventory” of the Jewel House are mentioned ...

Vol. 1  p. 35 (Rel. 1.46)

I18 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Corstorphine. of the House of Orkney. He is represented in armour of the fifteenth century (but the head has been struck OK); she, in a dress of the same period, with a breviary clasped in her hands. The other monument is said to represent the son of the founder and his wife, whose hands are represented meekly crossed upon her bosom. Apart lies the tomb of a supposed crusader, in the south transept, with a dog at his feet. Traditionally this is said to be the resting-place of Bernard Stuart, Lord Aubigny, who came from France as Ambassador to the Court of James IV., and died in the adjacent Castle of Corstorphine in 1508. But the altar tomb is of a much older date, and the shield has the three heraldic horns of the Forresters duly stringed. One shield impaled with Forrester, bears the fesse cheque of Stuart, perhaps for Marian Stewart, Lady Dalswinton. It. has been said there are few things more impressive than such prostrate effigies as these-so few in Sdotland now-on the tombs of those who were restless, warlike, and daring in their times; and the piety of their attitudes contrasts sadly with the mockery of the sculptured sword, shield, and mail, and with the tenor of their characters in life. The cutting of the figures is sharp, and the draperies are well preserved and curious. There are to be traced the remains of a piscina and of a niche, canopied and divided into three compartments. The temporalities of the church were dispersed at the Reformation, a portion fell into the hands. of lay impropriators, and other parts to educational and other ecclesiastical institutions. In 1644 the old parish church was demolished, ‘ and the collegiate establishment, in which the , minister had for some time previously been accustomed to officiate, became from thenceforward the only church of the parish. In ancient times the greater part of this now fertile district was 8 Swamp, the road through which was both difficult and dangerous; thus a lamp was placed at the east end of the church, for the double purpose of illuminating the shrine of the Baptist, and guiding the belated traveller through the perilous morass. The expenses of this lamp were defrayed by the produce of an acre of land situate near Coltbndge, called the Lamp Acre to this day, though it became afterwards an endowment of the schoolmaster, At what time the kindly lamp of St. John ceased to guide the wayfarer by its glimmer is unknown ; doubtless it would be at the time of the Reformation; but a writer in 1795 relates “ that it is not long since the pulley for supporting it was taken down.” Of the Forrester family, Wilson says in his “ Reminiscences,” published in 1878, “ certainly their earthly tenure, outside‘ of their old collegiate foundation, has long been at an end. Of their castle under Corstorphine Hill, and their town mansion in the High Street of Edinburgh, not one stone remains upon another. The very wynd that so long preserved their name, where once they flourished among the civic magnates, has vanished. “Of what remained of their castle we measured the fragments of the foundations in 1848, and found them to consist of a curtain wall, facing the west, one hundred feet in length, flanked by two round towers, each twentyone feet in diameter externally. The ruins were then about seven feet high, except a fragment on the south, about twelve feet in height, with the remains of an arrow hole.” Southward and eastward of this castle there lay for ages a great sheet of water known as Corstorphine Loch, and so deep was the Leith in those days, that provisions, etc., for the household were brought by boat from the neighbourhood of Coltbridge. Lightfoot mentions that the Loch of Corstorphine was celebrated for the production of the water-hemlock, a plant much more deadly than the common hemlock, The earliest proprietors of. Corstorphine traceable are Thomas de Marshal and William de la Roche, whose names are in the Ragman Roll under date 1296. In the Rolls of David 11. there was a charter to Hew Danyelstoun, “ of the forfaultrie of David Marshal, Knight, except Danyelstoun, which Thomas Carno got by gift, and Llit lands of Cortorphing whilk Malcolm Ramsay got” (Robertson’s “ Index.”) They were afterwards possessed by the Mores of Abercurn, from whom, in the time of Sir William More, under King Robert II., they were obtained by charter by Sir Adam Forrester, whose name was of great antiquity, being deduced from the office of Keeper of the King’s Forests, his armorial bearings being three hunting horns. In that charter he is simply styled “Adam Forrester, Burgess of Edinburgh.” This was in 1377, and from thenceforward Corstorphine became the chief title of his family, though he was also Laird of Nether Liberton. Previous to this his name appears in the Burgh Records as chief magistrate of Edinburgh, 24th April, 1373 ; and in 1379 Robert 11. granted him “twenty merks of sterlings from the custom of the said burgh, granted to him in heritage by our other letters . . . , until we, or our heirs, infeft the said Adam, or his heirs, in twenty merks ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Corstorphine. of the House of Orkney. He is represented in armour of the fifteenth ...

Vol. 5  p. 118 (Rel. 1.42)

216 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Leith chapel of St. Jamey at Newhaven, belonged to the preceptory at Leith; and also the little chapel be payit as follows-namely, best of the third of the Preceptone of Sanct Antonis LIO, and the passed in 1587 the preceptory of St. Anthony and the chapel of St. James at Newhaven were, with other benefices, annexed to the Crown. Maitland observes that the vestry of Leith, after the Reformation, ’ having purchased the lands and properties of divers religious houses there and in Newhaven, King James VI. granted and confirmed the same by charter in 1614 for the use of the poor. The Session elected the Baron Bailie of St. Anthony, who exercised jurisdiction in Leith and Newhaven, holding his court at uil! and giving sentence without appeal, thus :- ‘‘At Leith, 9th February, 1683.‘ On Monday last St. Anthonis Court was holden in this place, and is to be keepit att Newheavin at ye first conveniencie.” The last Baron Bailie was Thomas THE ARMORIAL BEARINGS OF MARIA DE LORRAINE, 1560. ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Leith chapel of St. Jamey at Newhaven, belonged to the preceptory at Leith; and also ...

Vol. 6  p. 216 (Rel. 1.41)

People don't play riddle games with Giants, or get tricked by Faerie Queens. They don't follow Blind Maniacs into Futures, or have their Lives saved by Death. Timothy Hunter in The Books of Faerie 54 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Holymd under his great seal, granted to David, Abbot of Holyrood, a piece of land within the Castle of Edinburgh whereon to erect a house, to which the monks, their servants and families, might repair in time of peace and war. This piece of ground was eighty feet in length and eighty in breadth, wherever the abbot might choose, “beyond the site of our manor” (the royal lodging?); “the said abbot and his successors paying therefor to us and to our heirs a silver penny at the said castle on Whitsunday yearly, if asked only, so that the foresaid abbot and his successors and their servants shall be bound to take the oath of fidelity for the due security of the said castle to the keeper thereof, who may be for the time, have free ish and entry to the said castle at accustomed and proper hours.” On the 5th April, 1391, King Robert III., undei his great seal, granted a charter to the Abbey of Holyrood, confirming the charter of David 11. to the abbey, dated 30th December, 1343. It is dated at Edinburgh. When the abbey became a species of palace has never been distinctly ascertained, but Robert 111. appears sometimes to have made Holyrood his residence. James I. occasionally kept his court there; and in the abbey his queen was delivered of twin princes, on the 16th October, 14 I 6-Alexandeq who died, and James, afterwards second of that name. In 1428 a remarkable episode occurred in the abbey church. Alexander, Lord of the Isles, who had been in rebellion against James I., but had been utterly defeated by the royal troops in Lochaber, sent messengers to the king to sue for mercy. But the latter, justly incensed, refused to enter into .my negotiations with an outlawed fugitive. Alexander, driven to despair, and compelled to fly from place to place, was compelled at last to trust to the royal clemency. Travelling secretly to Edinburgh, he suddenly presented himself, upon a solemn festival, before the high altar 01 Holyrood, and holding his‘drawn sword by the point, he presented the hilt to the astonished king, in token of his unconditional submission, and falling on his knees, in presence of Queen Jane and the whole court, implored the royal mercy. The ill-fated James granted him his life, at the tender intercession of his royal consort, but sent him a prisoner to the sequestered castle of Tantallon, on its sea-beat Tock, under the charge of his nephew, the Earl of Angus. The island chief eventually received a free pardon, was restored to all his honours, castles, and estates, and stood as sponsor for the twin princes, Alexander and James, at the font . In 1437 the Parliament met at Edinburgh, on the 25th March, after the murder of James I., and adopted immediate measures for the government of the country. Their first act was the coronation of the young prince, in his sixth year, on whose head at Holyrood, as James II., the crown was solemnly placed by James Kennedy, Bishop of St. Andrews, in presence of a great concourse of the nobles, clergy, and representatives of towns, amid the usual testimonies of devotion and loyalty. On March 27th, 1439, Patrick Abbot of Holyrood and his convent granted a charter to Sir Robert Logan of Restalrig, and his heirs, of the ofice of bailie over their lands of St. Leonard’s, in the town of Leith, “from the end of the great volut of William Logane, on the east part of the common gate that passes to the ford over the water of Leith, beside the waste land near the house of John of Turyng on the west part, and common Venale called St. Leonard’s Wynd, as it extended of old on the south part, and the water of the port OF Leith on the north, and . . . . in the ninth year of the pontificate of our most holy father and lord, Eugenius IV., by Divine Providence Pope.” Chronologically, the next event connected with the abbey was the arrival of Mary of Gueldres in 1449. In company with John Railston, Bishop of Dunkeld, and Nicholas Otterburn, official of Lothian, the Lord Chancellor Crichton went to France to seek among the princesses of that friendly court a suitable bride for young James 11.; but no match being suitable, by the advice of Charles VII. these ambassadors proceeded to Burgundy, and, with the cordial concurrence of Duke Philip the Good, made proposals to his kinswoman, hlary, the only daughter and heiress of Arnold, Duke of Gueldres, and in 1449 the engagement was formally concluded. Philip promised to pay _f60,boo in gold as a dowry, while James, on the other hand, settled IO,OOO crowns upon her, secured on land in Strathearn, Athole, Methven, and East Lothian, while relinquishing all; claim to the Duchy of Gueldres, in the event of an heir male being born to Duke Arnold ; and the Parliament met at Stirling, resolved that the royal nuptials should be conducted on a scale of splendour suited to the occasion. The fleet containing the bride anchored in June in the Forth. She was “young, beautiful, and of a masculine constitution,” says Hawthornden, and came attended by a splendid train of knights and nobles from France and Burgundy, including tlie Archduke Sigisniund of Austria, the Duke of Brittany, and the Lord of Campvere (the three brothers-in-law of the King of Scotland), togetho ... don't play riddle games with Giants, or get tricked by Faerie Queens. They don't follow Blind Maniacs into ...

Vol. 3  p. 54 (Rel. 1.41)

The Cowgate.] LADY GALLOWAY. Z S 7 Although the name of this wynd is as old as the middle of the seventeeth century, none of the buildings in it latterly were older than the middle of the eighteenth. They had all been removed by those who were anxious for the benefit of such fine air as its surroundings afforded, for in the map of 1647 the Yicus Epuorzrm is shown as having to the westward gardens in plenitude, divided by four long hedgerows, and closed on the south by the became remarkable for piety, mingled with great stateliness and pride; and she is thus referred to in the Ridotto of Holyrood, partly written by her sister-in-law, Lady Bruce of Kinloss :-- “And there was Bob Murray, though married, alas ! Yet still rivalling Johnstone in beauty and grace. And there was my lady, well known by her airs, Who ne’er goes to revel but after her prayers.” The Bob herein referred to was Sir Robert crenelated wall of the city, and it terminated by a bend eastward at the Potterrow Port. Respectable members of the bar were always glad to have a flat in some of the tall edifices on the east side of the wynd. About the middle of it, on the west side, was a distinct mansion called Galloway House, having a large Fcdiment, and ornamented on the top by stone vases. This residence was built by Alexander, sixth Earl of Galloway, one of the Lords of Police, who died in 1773. His countess Catharine, daughter of John Earl of Dundonald, colonel of the Scottish Horse Guards, was mother of Captain George Stewart, who fell at Ticonderoga. She had been a beauty in her youth, and formed the subject of one of Hamilton of Bangour’s poetical tributes, and in her old age 81 Murray of Clermont. Among all the precise granddames of her time in Edinburgh, Lady Galloway was noted for her pre-eminent pomp and formality, and would order out her coach with six horses, if but to pay a visit to a friend at the corner of the wpd, or to Lord hfinto, whose house was a few yards westward of it. “ It was alleged that when the countess made calls, the leaders were sometimes at the door she was going to when she was stepping into the camage at her own door. This may be called a tour de force illustration of the nearness of friends to each other in Old Edinburgh.” New College Wynd, which strikes from the eastern part of Chambers Street, runs first IIO feet northward, then 180 feet westward, and then northward again in the line of the Iower part of the ... Cowgate.] LADY GALLOWAY. Z S 7 Although the name of this wynd is as old as the middle of the seventeeth ...

Vol. 4  p. 257 (Rel. 1.38)

Canongate.1 GOVERNMENT OF THE BURGH. 3 {oundation charter of the latter, I likewise grant go the said canons the town of Herbergare, lying betwixt the said church, and my town (of Edinmunity had been swept away by the Reformatioa ; and by the king’s grant a commendator succeeded the last abbot, enjoying the privileges of the latter, According to the record books of the Canongate, it was governed in 1561 by four old bailies, three deacons, two treasurers, and four councillors, “chosen and elected;” and, as enacted in 1567, the council met every eighth day, on fuirsdaye. The Tolbooth was then, as till a late period, the council-room, court-house, and place of punishunent By 1561 the monastic superiority over the combut the real glory of the Canongate may be said to have departed with the court when James VI. succeeded to the throne of England in 1603, though, as we shall show, it long continued to be a fashionable quarter of the metropolis even after the time of the Union. In pursuing the general history of the suburbs, we find that in 1609, under favour of James VI., when a number of foreigners were introduced into ... GOVERNMENT OF THE BURGH. 3 {oundation charter of the latter, I likewise grant go the said canons the ...

Vol. 3  p. 3 (Rel. 1.38)

Leith.] SIR ANDREW WOOD. 199 CHAPTER XXI. LEITH-HISTORICAL SURVEY (ronfinaed). A Scottish Navy-Old Fighting Mariners of Leith-Sir Andrew Woodand the YdZm CaravrZ-J.~es 111. skin-James IV. and Su- Andrew-Double Defeat of the English Ships-John, Kobert, and Andrew Barton-Their Letten of Marque against the Portugu- Jarnes IV. and his Sailors-A Naval Review. AND now, before giving the history of more modern Leith, we must refer to some of her brave old fighting merchant mariners, who made her famous in other years. “As the subject of the Scottish navy,” says Pinkerton, “ forms a subject but little known, any anecdotes concerning it become interesting ;1’ and, fortunately for our purpose, most of these have some reference to the zncient port of Leith. Though the foymation of a Scottish navy was among the last thoughts of the great king Robert Bruce, when, worn with war and years, he lay dying in the castle of Cardross, it was not until the reigns of James 111. and IV. that Scotland possessed any ships for purely warlike purposes. Nevertheless, she was rich in hardy mariners and enterprising merchants ; and an Act of Parliament during the reign of the latter monarch refers to “ the great and innumerable riches yat is tint in fault of shippis and busses,” or boats to be employed in the fisheries. In 1497 an enactment was made that vessels of twenty tons and upwards should be built in all the seaports of the kingdom, while the magistrates were directed to compel all stout vagrants who frequented such places to learn the trade of mariners, and labour for their own living. Among the merchants and the private traders James IV. found many men of ability, bravery, and experience, such as Sir Andrew Wood of Largo, the two Bartons (John and Robert), Sir Alexander Mathieson, William Meremonth, all merchants of Leith; and Sir David Falconer, of Borrowstounness. Williarn Brownhill, who never saw an English ship, either in peace or war, without attacking and taking her if he was able, and various other naval adventurers of less note were sought out by James 111. and treated with peculiar favour and distinction. But it was in the reign of his father that Sir Andrew Wood, who has been called the “ Scottish Nelson ” of his day, made his name in history, and to him we shall first refer. Under that unfortunate monarch Scotland’s commerce was beginning to flourish, notwithstanding the restraint so curiously laid upon maritime enterprise by the Act that restricted sailing from St Jude’s Day till Candlemas, under a penalty; and in 1476 R’e read of the ‘‘ great ship ” of James Kennedy, which Buchanan states “ to have been the largest that ever sailed the ocean,” but was wrecked upon. the coast of England and destroyed by the people. During the reign of James III., the fighting merchant of Leith, Sir Andrew Wood, bore the terror of his name through English, Dutch, and Flemish waters, and in two pitched battles defeated the superior power of England at sea. As he was the first of his race whose name obtained eminence, nothing is known of his family, and even much of his personal history is buried in obscurity. Dr. Abercrombie, in his “ Martial Achievements,” supposes him to have been a cadet of the Bonnington family in Angus, and he is generally stated to have been born about the middle of the fifteenth century at the old Kirktoun of Largo, situated on the beautiful bay of the same name. Wood appears to have been during the early part of the reign of James 111. a wealthy merchant in Leith, where at first he possessed and commanded two armed vessels of some 300 tons each, the- YeZZow CaraveZ and FZlmer, good and strong ships, superior in equipment to any that had been seen in* Scotland before, so excellent were his mariners, their arms, cannon, and armour. According to a foot-note in Scott of Scotstarvit’s work, “he had been first a skipper at the north side of the bridge of Leith, and being pursued, mortified his house to Paul’s Work (in Leith Wynd) as the register beats.” It would appear that the vessel called the YelZow CuraveZ was formerly commanded by his friend! John Barton (of whom more elsewhere), as in the accounts of the Lord High Treasurer the following note occurs by the editor :- ‘( In March 1473-4 the accounts contain a notice of a ship which a cancelled entry enables us to identify with the King‘s Yellow Carad, afterwards rendered famous under the command of Sir Andrews Wood in naval engagements with the English.” The editor a!so states that in the ‘‘ Account of the Chamberlain of Fife” he had found another entry concerning 3 delivery to John Barton, master of the King’s CurnveZ, under date 1475. “ This last entry,” says an annotator, ‘‘ being deleted, however shows that there must have been some mistake as to whom the corn was delivered, John Barton being probably sailing one of his own ships. During ... SIR ANDREW WOOD. 199 CHAPTER XXI. LEITH-HISTORICAL SURVEY (ronfinaed). A Scottish Navy-Old Fighting ...

Vol. 6  p. 199 (Rel. 1.36)

352 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Roslin. ’ scratching on a pewter plate two verses, which are ~ preserved among his works, and run thus :- “ My blessings on you, sonsie wife ! . I ne’er was here before ; Nae heart could wish for more. You’ve gien us walth for horn and knife, “ IIeaven keep you free frae care and strife, Till far ayont fourscore’; And while I toddle on through life, I’ll ne’er gang by your door.” Bums and Nasmyth, it would appear, had spent the day in “a long ramble among the Pentlands, which, having sharpened the poet’s appetite, lent an additional relish to the evening meal.” It is stated in a recent work that the old inn is still kept by the descendants of those who estab lished it at the Restoration. nected with the victory : the “Shinbones Field,” where bones have been ploughed up ; the “ Hewan,” where the onslaught was most dreadful; the “ Stinking Rig,;” where the slain were not properly interred ; the ‘‘ Kill-burn,” the current of which was reddened with blood j and “ Mount Marl,” a farm so called from a tradition that when the English were on the point of being finally routed, one of them cried to his leader, “ Mount, Marl-and ride ! ” Many coins of Edward I. have also been found hereabout. confirmations of this charter from James VI. and Charles 11. In modern times it has subsided into a retreat of rural quietness, and the abode of workers in the bleaching-fields and powdermills. In the old inn of Roslin, which dates from 1660, Dr. Johnson and Boswell, in 1773, about the close of their Scottish tour, dined and drank tea. There, also, Robert Bums breakfasted in company with Nasniyth the artist, and being well entertained by Mrs. Wilson, the landlady, he rewarded her by ROSLIN CHAPEL:-THE CHANCEL. ( A f t r a Pkologtagh Sy G. w. ki’ilson b CO.) In 1754, near Roslin, a stone coffin nine feet long was uncovered by the plough, It contained a human skeleton, supposed to be that of a chief killed in the battle ; but it was much more probably that of some ancient British wamor. The village of Roslin stands on a bank about a mile east of the road to Peebles. About 1440, this village, or town, was the next place in importance to the east of Edinburgh and Haddington; and fostered by the care of the St. Clairs of Roslin, it became populous by the resort of a great concourse of all ranks of people. In 1456 it received from James 11. a royal charter creating it a burgh of barony, with a market cross, a weekly market, and an annual fair on the Feast of St. Simon and Jude -the anniversary of the battle of Roslin; and respectively in the years 1622 and 1650 it received ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Roslin. ’ scratching on a pewter plate two verses, which are ~ preserved among his ...

Vol. 6  p. 352 (Rel. 1.35)

74 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Holyroob chateau of Chantilly, from plans by the royal architect, Sir William Bruce of Balcaskie and Kinross, the palace as we find it now was built by Charles 11. and James VII., with a zeal that has been supposed to imply forethought of having a fit retreat in their ancient capital if driven from that of England. The inscription in large Roman letters- FVN . BE. RO . MYLNE . MM . IVL . 1671- marks the site of the foundation of the modern additions ; it is in a pier of the north-west piazza. Before the Antiquarian Society in 1858 was read a statement of the “ Accounts of Sir William Bruce of Balcaskie, General Surveyor of H.M. Works, 1674-9.’’ The re‘ckoning between these years was it;160,000 Scots, of which sum four-fifths were spent on Holyrood, the new works on which had been begun, in 1671, and so vigorously carried on, that by January, 1674, the mason-work had been nekly completed. The Dutch artist, Jacob de Urt, was employed to paint “ One piece of historia in the king’s bed-chamber” for A120 Scots. The coats-of-arms which are above the great entrance and in the quadrangle were cut from his designs. Holyrood Palace is an imposing quadrangular edifice, enclosing a piazza-bounded Palladian court, ninety-four feet square. Its front faces the west, and consists of battlemented double towers on each flank. In the centre is the grand entrance, having double Doric columns, above which are the royal arms of Scotland, and over them an octagonal clock-tower, terminating in an imperial crown. The Gallery of the Kings, the largest apartment in the palace, is 150 feet long by 27 feet broad, and is decorated by a hundred fanciful portraits of the Scottish kings, from Fergus 1. to James VII., by Jacob de Urt, and there is an interesting portrait of Mary and of the latter monarch, and at the end of the gallery are four remarkable paintings, taken from Scotland by James VI., and sent back from Hampton Court in 1857. They represent James 111. and his queen Margaret of Denmark (about 1484), at devotion; on the reverses are Sir Edward Boncle, Provost of Trinity College ; the figure of St. Cecilia at the organ represents Mary of Gueldres, and the whole, which are by an artist of the delicate Van Eck school, are supposed to have formed a portion of the altarpiece of the old Trinity College Church. In this gallery the elections of the Scottish peers take place. Beyond it are Lord Darnley’s rooms ; among the portraits there are those of Darnley and his brother, and from thence a stair leads to Queen Mary‘s apartments above. The Tapestry Room contains two large pieces of arras, and among several valuable portraits one of James Duke of Hamilton, beheaded in 1649. The Audience Chamber-the scene of Mary’s stormy interviews with Knox-is panelled and embellished with various royal initials and coatsarmorial ; the furniture is richly embroidered, and includes a venerable state-bed, used by Charles I., by Prince Charles Edward, and by Cumberland on the night of the 30th January, 1746. Mary’s bedchamber measures only 22 feet by 18 feet, and at its south-west corner is her dressing-room, The ancient furniture, the faded embroideries and tapestries, and general aspect of this wing, which is consigned peculiarly to memories of the past are all in unison with the place ; but the royal nursery, with its blue-starred dome, the Secretary of State’s room, with the royal private apartments generally now in use, are all in the south and eastern sides of the palace, and are reached by a grand staircase from the south-east angle of the court. CHAPTER XI. HOLYROOD PALACE (concZdaf). The King‘s Birthday in 1665-James Duke of Albany-The Duchess of York and G e n d Daltell-Funeral of the Duke of Rothes - A Gladiatorial Exhibition-Departure of the Scottish Household Troops-The Hunters’ Company’s Balls-Fmt and Second Viis of the Royal Family of France-Recent Improvements-St. h e ’ s Yard removed-The Ornamental Fountain built. IN the IntelZ&zce for the 1st of June, 1665, we have a description. of the exuberant loyalty that followed the downfall of the Commonwealth. “Edinburgh, May 29, being His Majesty’s birthday, was most solemnly kept by all ranks in this city. My Lord Commissioner, in his state, With his life-guard on horseback, and Sir Andrew Ramsay, Lord Provost, Bailies, and Council in their robes, accompanied by all the Trained Bands in arms, went to church and heard the Bishop of Edinburgh upon a text well applied for the work of the day. Thereafter thirty-five aged men in ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Holyroob chateau of Chantilly, from plans by the royal architect, Sir William Bruce of ...

Vol. 3  p. 74 (Rel. 1.33)

soldiers of the garrison made a fruitless defence till the 6th of June, 1296, when they were compelled to capitulate-the weather being intensely sultry and the wells having dried up. In accordance with Edward‘s usual sanguinary policy, the whole garrison was put to the sword with ruthless cruelty, and Walter de Huntercombe, a baron of Northumberland, was made governor of the new one; but in the next year Wallace with his patriots swePt like a torrent over the Lowlands. Victorious at Stirling, in particular, he slew Cressingham, and recaptured all the fortresses - Edinburgh among them. Scotland was cleared of the English ; but the invasion of I zg8 followed ; Wallace was betrayed, and too well do we know how he died. The year 1300 saw “Johan de Kingeston, Connestable et Gardeyn du Chaste1 de Edenburgh,” and four years afterwards he was succeeded by Sir Piers de Lombard, a brave Robert Bruce was now in arms. He in turn had became conqueror ; he invaded England in 1311, and by the following year had re-captured nearly every castle but that of . knight of Gascony. was made on the night of the 14th of March-which proved dark and stormy-at the most difficult part of those precipitous blxffs which overhang the Princes’ Street Gardens, where a fragment of ruin, named Wallace’s Cradle, is still visible. Under his guidance, with only thirty resolute men, Randolph scaled the walls at midnight, and, after a fierce resistance, the garrison was overpowered. There are indications that some secret pathway, known to the Scottish garrison, existed, for during some CHANCEL ARCH OF ST. MARGARET’S CHAPEL. Edinburgh, the reduction of which he entrusted to the noble Sir Thomas Randolph of Strathdon, Earl of Moray, who has been described as “a man altogether made up of virtues.” The English or Norman garrison suspecting the fidelity of Sir Piers, placed him in a dungeon, and under a newly-elected commander, were prepared to offer a desperate resistance, when a romantic incident restored the Castle to the king of Scotland. Among the soldiers of Randolph was one named William Frank, who volunteered to lead an escalade up a steep and intricate way by which he had been accustomed in former years to visit a girl in the city of whom he was enamoured. Frequent use had made him familiar with the perilous ascent, and it - operations in 1821 traces were found of steps cut in the rock, about seventyfeetabove the fragment named “ Wallace‘s Cradle ”- a path supposed to have been completcd by a movable ladder. Sir Piers de Lombard (sometimes called Leland) joined King Kobert, who, according to Barbour, created him Viscount of Edinburgh; but afterwards suspecting him of treason, and “that he had an English hart, made him to be hangit and drawen.” To prevent it from being re-captured or r e-ga rri son e d, R a ndolph dismantled the Castle, which for fourand- twenty years afterwards remained a desolate ruin abandoned to the bat and the owl. shattered walls afforded While in this state its shelter for a single night, in 1335, to therouted troops of Guy, Count of Namur, who had landed at Berwick, and was marching to join Edward III., but was encountered on the Burghmuir by the Earls of Moray and March, with powerful forces, when a fierce and bloody battle ensued. Amid it, Richard Shaw, a Scottish squire, was defied to single combat by a Flemish knight in a closed helmet, and both fell, each transfixed by the other‘s lance. On the bodies being stripped of their armour, the gallant stranger proved to be a woman ! While the issue of the battle was still doubtful, the earls were joined by fresh forces under Sir Alexander Ramsay of Dalhousie, William Douglas, and Sir David de Annan. The ... of the garrison made a fruitless defence till the 6th of June, 1296, when they were compelled to ...

Vol. 1  p. 24 (Rel. 1.33)

94 . OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Inverleith. the long hill on the south side of the West Port, from Cowfeeder Row to the Bristo Port, the eastei and wester crofts of Bristo, nearly down to the lsnds of the abbey of Holyrood. Of the old fortalice of this extinct race, and ol their predecessors-which stood on the highesi ground of Invorleith, a little way west of where we find the modern house now embosomed among luxuriant timber-not a vestige remains. Even its ancient dovecot-in defiance of the old Scottish superstition respecting the destruction of a dovecot -has been removed. “The beautiful and sequestered footpath bordered (once ?) by hawthorn hedges, known by the name of Gabriel’s Road,” says a local writer, “is said to have been constructed for the convenience of the ancient lairds of Inverleith to enable them to attend worship in St. Giles’s.” No relics remain of the ancient dwelling, unless we except the archery butts, 600 feet apart, standing nearly due south of Inverleith Mains, the old home farm of the mansion, and the two very quaint and ancient lions surmounting the pillars of the gate at the north end of St. Bernard’s Row, and which local tradition avers came from the Castle of Edinburgh. Of the different families who have possessed this estate, and inhabited first the baronial tower, and latterly the manor-house there, but a few disjointed notices can alone be gleaned. “The lands upon which I live at Inverleith,” says the late eminent antiquary, Cosmo Innes, in his “Scottish Legal Antiquities,” “ which I can trace back by charters into the possession of the baker of William the Lion, paid, in the time of King Robert I., a hundred shillings of stediizgs. (The coinage of the Easterlings.) Some fields beside me are still called the Baxteis (i.e., Baker‘s) Lands.” And this is after a lapse of seven hundred years. Among the charters of Robert I. is one to William Fairly of the lands of Inverleith, in the county of Edinburgh. Among those of David 11. is another charter of the same lands to William Ramsay ; and another, by Robert II., of the same to David Ramsay. The date of the latter charter is given in the “Douglas Peerage” as the 2nd of July, 1381, and the recipient as the second son of the gallant and patriotic Sir William Ramsay of Dalhousie, who drew the English into an ambuscade at the battle of Nisbetmuir in 1355, and caused their total rout. In time to come Inverleith passed to the Touris. In 1425 John of Touris (or Towers) appears a? a bailie of Edinburgh, with Adam de Bonkill and John Fawside. In 1487 William Touris of Innerleith (doubtless his son) granted an annuity of fourteen merks for the support of a chaplain to officiate at St. Anne’s altar, in St. Cuthbert’s Church. George Touris was a bailie of the city in 1488-92, and in the fatal year of Flodden, 1513, 19th August, he is designated “President” of the city, the provost of which- Sir Alexander Lauder-was killed in the battle ; and Francis Touris (either a son or brother) was a bailie in the following year. ’ In the ‘‘ Burgh Records,” under date 1521, when the Lairds of Restalrig and Craigmillar offered at a Town Council meeting to be in readiness tw resist the king’s rebels, in obedience to his royal letters, for the safety of his person, castle, and town; hereupon, “ Schir Alexander Touris of- Innerleith protestit sik lik.” In 1605, Sir George Touris of Garmilton, knight, succeeded his father John of Inverleith in the dominical lands thereof, the mill and craig ofi that name, the muir and fortalice of Wardie, and Bell’s land, alias the “ Lady’s land of Inverleith.” Sir John Touris of Inverleith mamed Lady Jean Wemyss, a daughter of the first Lord Wemyss of Elcho, afterwards Earl, who died in 1649. In 1648 this Sir John had succeeded his father, Sir Alexander Touris, knight in the lands of Inverleith, Wardie, Tolcroce, Highriggs, &c. The epoch of the Commonwealth, in 1652, saw John Rocheid, heir to his father James, a merchant and burgess of Edinburgh, in ‘‘ the Craig of Inverleith,” (“ Retours.”) This would imply Craigleith, as from the “Retours ” in 1665, Inverleith, in the parish of St. Cuthbert’s, went from James Halyburton, proprietor thereof, to Alexander, his father. And in ‘‘ Dirleton’s Decisions,” under date 1678, Halyburton, “ late of Inverleith,” is referred to as a prisoner for debt at Edinburgh. So from them the estate had passed to the Rocheids. Sir James Rocheid of Inverleith, petitioned the Privy Council in 1682, for permission to ‘‘ enclose and impark some ground,” under an Act of 1661 ; and in 16yz he entailed the estate. In 1704 he was made a baronet. In the “Scottish Nation,” we are told that Rocheid of Inverleith, a name originating in a personal peculiarity, had as a crest a man’s head rough and hairy, the same borne by the Rocheids of Craigleith. The title became extinct in the person of Sir Jarnes, the second baronet, whose. daughter and co-heiress, Mary, married Sir Francis Kinloch, Bart., and her third son, on succeeding. ... . OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Inverleith. the long hill on the south side of the West Port, from Cowfeeder Row to ...

Vol. 5  p. 94 (Rel. 1.33)

Lord Promsts.] THE DOUGLASES AND HAMILTONS. 279 “James of Creichtoun of Felde,” as a deputy provost under him ; and the first entry in the Records under that date is a statute that “ the commoun pyperis of the towne ” shall be properly feed, for the honour thereof, and that they get their food, day about, from all honest persons of substance, under a penalty of 9d. per day, ‘‘ that is to ilk pyper iijd at least.” The fifth provost after this was Sir Thomas Tod, zznd August, 1491, and again in 1498, with Richard Lawson of the Highriggs, and Sir John Murray in the interval during 1492. From this date to 1513, with a little interval, Richard Lawson was again provost ; the office was held by Sir Alexander Lauder of Blythe, who -in the last named year was also Justice Depute. He fell in the battle.on the fatal 9th of September, 1513, and the apairs ofthe city, amid the consternation and grief that ensued, were managed by George of Tours, who with Robert Bruce, William Lockhart, William Adamson, and William Clerk, all bailies, had been, on the 19th of August, chosen by the provost and community to rule the city after his departure with the army for England. The aged Archibald Douglas, Earl of Angus (better known as Archibald Bell-thecat)-whose two sons, George Master of Angus, and Sir William Douglas of Glenbervie, with more then zoo knights and gentlemen of his surname, found their tomb on Flodden Hill-was elected provost on the 30th of September, twenty-one days after the battle ; and at the same time his son, Gawain the Poet, provost of St. Giles’s, was ‘( made burgess, gratis, for the Common benefit of the town.” It was he of whom Scott makes th’e grim old Earl say, with reference to the English knight’s act of forgery, “ Thanks to St. Bothan, son of mine, Save Gawain, ne’er could pen a line.” He was succeeded on the 24th July, 1514, by Alexander Lord Home, Great Chamberlain 01 Scotland in 1507, and baron of Dunglasand Greenlaw, under whom preparations for the defence of the city, in expectation of a counter-invasion, went on. An Act was passed for the furnishing “01 artailyerie for the resisting of our auld innemies of Ingland;” a tax was laid upon all-even the widows of the fallen, so far as their substance permitted them to pay-and all persons having heidyaird dykes, “were to build them up within fifteen days, under pain of six pounds to the Kirk-werk.” In August of the same year David Melville was provost, and the pestilence caused the division ol the city into four quarters, each under a bailie and quartermaster to attend to the health of the people. Except the interval, during which Sir Patrick Hamilton of Kincavil and Archibald Douglas were Provosts, Melville was in office till 15 17, when James Earl of Arran, Regent of Scotland, took it upon him, and was designated Lord Provost. In consequence of the influence it conferred, the office was at this time an object of ambition among the nobility. His enemies, the Douglases, taking advantage of his temporary absence from the city, procured the election of Archibald Douglas of Kilspindie, the uncle of the EarLof Angus, in his place ; and when Arran returned from the castle of Dalkeith, where the court was then held, he found the gates of Edinburgh shut against him. His followers attempted to force an entrance sword in hand, but were repulsed, and a number were killed and wounded on. both sides. Similar scenes of violence and bloodshed were of almost daily occurrence, and between the rival factions of Hamilton and Douglas the Lowlands were in a complete state of demoralisation ; and on the z 1st of February, 15 I 9, in consequence of the bitter feud and bloody broils between the houses of Douglas and Hamilton, he was ordered by the Regent, then absent, to vacate his office, as it was ordained that no person of either of those names was eligible as provost, till the “Lord Governor‘s home coming, and for a year.” Thus, in 1510, Robert Logan of Coitfield was. provost, and in October he was granted by the Council 100 merks of the common good, beside his ordinary fee, for the sustentation of four armed men, to carry halberds before him, “because the warld is brukle and troublous.” The fourth provost after this was Robert Lord Maxwell, 18th August, 1524, who was made so by the Queen-mother, when she (‘ tuik the hail1 government of the realm and ruele of the king (James V.) upoun her.” This was evidently an invasion of the rights of the citizens ; yet on the same day the Lord Justice Clerk. appeared before the Council, and declared “ that it was the mind and will ” of the king, then in his minority, that Mr. Francis Bothwell, provost, ‘‘ cedit and left his office of provostier in the town’s hand,” and the said provost protested that the leaving of his office thus should not be derogatory to the city, nor injurious to its privileges Lord Maxwell was afterwards Governor of Lochmaben, Captain of the Royal Guard, Warden of the West Marches, and Ambassador to France to negotiate the king‘s marriage with Mary of Lorraine ; but long ere all that he had been succeeded as provost by Allan Stuart. In 15.26 Archibald Douglas of Kilspindie, Lord High Treasurer, was provost again. In this year it was ordained that through the resort to Edin ... Promsts.] THE DOUGLASES AND HAMILTONS. 279 “James of Creichtoun of Felde,” as a deputy provost under him ; ...

Vol. 4  p. 279 (Rel. 1.32)

the following day, accompanied by twelve armed ‘ men, disguised as seamen, with hoods over their helmets, he appeared at the Castle gates, where they contrived to overturn their casks and hampers, so as to prevent the barriers being closed by the guards and warders, who were instantly slain. At a given signal-the shrill blast of a bugle-horn- Douglas and his companions, with their war-cry, rushed from a place of concealment close by. Sir Richard de Limoisin, the governor, made a bitter resistance, but was overpowered in the end, and his garrison became the prisoners of David II., who returned from France in the following month, accompanied by his queen Johanna; and by that time not an Englishman was left in Scotland. But miserable was the fate of Bullock. By order of a Sir David Berkeley he was thrown into the castle of Lochindorb, in Morayshire, and deliberately starved to death. On this a Scottish historian remarks, “ It is an ancient saying, that neither the powekful, nor the valiant, nor the wise, long flourish in Scotland, since envy obtaineth the mastery of them all.” When, a few years afterwards, the unfortunate battle of Durham ended in the defeat of the Scots, and left their king a prisoner of war, we find in the treaty for his ransom, the merchants of Edinburgh, together with those of Perth, Aberdeen, atid Dundee, binding themselves to see it paid. In 1357 a Parliament was held at Edinburgh for its final adjustment, when the Regent Robert (afterwards Robert 11.) presided ; in addition to the clergy and nobles, there were present delegates from seventeen burghs, and among these Edinburgh In 1365 we find a four years’ truce with England, signed at London on the 20th May, and in the Castle on the 12th of June; and another for I appeared at the head for thejrst time. fourteen years, dated at the Castle 28th October, 1371- So often had the storm of war desolated its towers, that the Castle of Edinburgh (which became David’s favourite residence after his return from England ‘in 1357) was found to require extensive repairs, and to these the king devoted himself. On the cliff to the northward he built “David’s Tower,” an edifice of great height and strength, and therein he died on the zznd February, 1371, and was buried before the high altar at Holyrood. The last of the direct line of Brucea name inseparably connected with the military glory and independence of Scotland-David was a monarch who, in happier times, would have done much to elevate his people. The years of his captivity in England he beguiled with his pencil, and in a vault of Nottingham Castle “he left behind hini,” says Abercrornbie, in his “ Martial Achievements,” I‘ the whole story of our Saviour’s Passion, curiously engraven on the rock with his own hands. For this, says one, that castle became as famous as formerly it had been for Mortimer’s hole.” It was during bis reign that, by the military ingenuity of John Earl of Carrick and four other knights of skill, the Castle was so well fortified, that, with a proper garrison, the Duke of Rothesay was able to resist the utmost efforts of Henry IV., when he besieged it for several weeks in 1400. The Castle had been conferred as a free gift upon Earl John by his father King Robert, and in consequence of the sufferings endured by the inhabitants when the city was burned by the English, under Richard II., he by charter empowered the citizens to build houses within the fortress, free of fees to the constable, on the simple understanding that they were persons of good fame. ‘ . - CHAPTER IV. CASTLE OF EDINBURGH-(continucd). Progress of the Cuy-Ambassador of Charles VI.- Edinburgh burned-Henry IV. batAed-Albany’s Prophecy-Laws regarding the Building of House-Sumptuary Laws, 1457-Murder of James I.-Coronation of James 11.-Court Intrigues-Lord Chancellor Crichton-Arrogance of the Earl of Douglas-~-Faction Wars-The Castle Besieged-“ The Black DinneF”-Edinburgh walled-Its Strength-Bale-fires. THE chief characteristic of the infant city now was that of a frontier town, ever on the watch to take arms against an invader, and resolute to resist him. Walsingham speaks of it as a village ; and in 1385 its population is supposed to have barely exceeded 2,oooj yet Froissart called it the Pans of Scotland, though its central street presented but a meagre line of thatched or stane-dated houses, few of which were more than twenty feet in height. Froissart numbers them at 4,000, which would give a greater population than has been alleged. With the accession of Robert 11.-the first of the ... following day, accompanied by twelve armed ‘ men, disguised as seamen, with hoods over their helmets, he ...

Vol. 1  p. 26 (Rel. 1.26)

Colstorphine.] THE FORRESTERS. 119 of land, in any proper place;” and in 1383 there followed another charter from the same king concerning “ the twenty merks yearly from the farmes of Edinburgh.” (Burgh Charters.) In the preceding year this influential citizen had been made Sheriff of Edinburgh and of Lothian. In 1390 he was made Lord Privy Seal, and negotiated several treaties with England; but in 1402 he followed Douglas in his famous English raid, which ended in the battle of Homildon Hill, where he fell into the hands of Hotspur, but was ransomed. He died in the Castle of Corstorphine on the 13th of October, leaving, by his wife, Agnes Dundas of Fingask, two sons, Sir John, his heir, and Thomas, who got the adjacent lands of Drylaw by a charter, under Robert Duke of Albany, dated ‘‘ at Corstorfyne,” 1406, and witnessed among others by Gilbert, Bishop of Aberdeen, then Lord Chancellor, George of Preston, and others. Sir John Forrester obtained a grant of the barony of Ochtertyre, in favour of him and his first wife in 1407, and from Henry Sinclair, Earl of Orkney, he obtained an annuity of twelve merks yearly, out of the coal-works at Dysart, till repaid thirty nobles, “which he lent the said earl in his great necessity.’’ In 1424 he was one of the hostages for the ransom of James I., with whom he stood so high in favour that he was made Master of the Household and Lord High Chamberlain, according to Douglas, and Lord Chancellor, according to Beatson’s Lists. His second wife was Jean Sinclair, daughter of Henry Earl of Orkney. He founded the collegiate church of which we have given a description, and in 1425 an altar to St Ninian in the church of St. Giles’s, requiring the chaplain there to say perpetual prayers for the souls of James I. and Queen Jane, and of himself and Margaret his deceased wife. He died in 1440, and was succeeded by his son Sir John, who lived in stormy times, and whose lands of Corstorphine were subjected to fire and sword, and ravaged in 1445 by the forces of the Lord Chancellor, Sir William Crichton, whose lands of Crichton he had previously spoiled. By his wife, Marian Stewart of Dalswhton, he had Archibald his heir, and Matthew, to whom James III., in 1487, gave a grant of the lands of Barnton. Then followed in succession, Sir Alexander Forrester, and two Sir Jameses. On the death of the last without heirs Corstorphine devolved on his younger brother Henry, who married Helen Preston of Craigmillar. Their son GerJrge was a man of talent and probity. He stooci high in favour with Charles I., who made him a baronet in 1625, and eight years afterwards a peer, by the title of Lord Forrester of Corstorphine. By his wife Christian he had several daughters-Helen, who became Lady Ross of Hawkhead ; Jean, married to. lames Baillie of Torwoodhead, son of Lieutenant-General William Baillie, famous in the annals of the covenanthg wars ; and Lilias, married to William, another son of the same officer, And now we approach the dark tragedy which, for a time, even in those days, gave Corstorphine Castle a temble notoriety. George, first Lord Forrester, having no male heir, made a resignation of his estates and honours into the hands of the king, and obtained a new patent from Charles II., to himself in life-rent, and after his decease, “to, or in favour of, his daughter Jean and her husband the said James Baillie and the heirs procreate betwixt them ; whom failing, to the nearest lawful heir-male of the said James whatever, they carrying the name and arms of Forrester ; the said James being designed Master of Forrester during George’s life.” This patent is dated 13th August, 1650, a few weeks before the battle of Worcester. He died soon after, and was succeeded by his son-in-law, whose wife is said to have sunk into an earlygrave, in consequence of his having an intrigue with one of her sisters. James Lord Forrester married, secondly, a daughter of the famous old Cavalier general, Patrick Ruthven, Earl of Forth and Brentford, by whom, says Burke, “he had three sons and two daughters, all of whom assumed the name of Ruthven,” while Sir Robert Douglas states that he died without any heir, and omits to record the mode of his death. He was a zealous Presbyterian, and for those of that persuasion, in prelatic times, built a special meeting-house in Corstorphine ; this did not prevent him from forming a dangerous intrigue with a handsome woman named Christian Nimmo, wife of a merchant in Edinburgh, and the scandal was increased in consequence of the lady being the niece of his first wife and grand-daughter of the first Lord Forrester. She was a woman of a violent and impulsive character, and was said to carry a weapon concealed about her person. - It is further stated that she was mutually related to Mrs. Bedford, a remarkably wicked woman, who had murdered her husband a few years before, and to that Lady Warriston who was beheaded for the same crime in 1600 ; thus she was not a woman to be treated lightly. Lord Forrester, when intoxicated, had on one occasion spoken of her opprobriously, and this ... THE FORRESTERS. 119 of land, in any proper place;” and in 1383 there followed another charter from ...

Vol. 5  p. 119 (Rel. 1.26)

St. Giles. elasticity which the nation displayed in its endless ’ naceus,” in the Harleian Collection in the British wars with England, showing how the general and local government vied with each other in the erection of ornate ecclesiastical edifices, the moment the invaders-few ot whom ever equalled Edward 111. in wanton ferocity-had re-crossed the Tweed. Xmong these we may specially mention the chapel of Robert Duke of Albany, now the most beautiful and interesting portion of this sadly defaced and misused old edifice. The ornamental sculptures of this portion are of a peculiarly striking character - heraldic devices forming the most prominent features on the capital of the great clustered pillar. On the south side are the arms of Robert Duke of Albany, son of King Robert II., and on the north are those of Xrchibald fourth Earl of Douglas, Duke of Tonraine and Marshal of France, who was slain at the battle of Verneuil by the English. In 1401 David Duke of Rothesay, the luckless son of Robert II., was made a prisoner by his uncle, the designing Duke of Albany, with the full consent of the aged king his father, who had grown weary of the daily complaints that were made against the prince. In the “Fair Maid of Perth,” Scott has depicted with thrilling effect the actual death of David, by the slow process of starvation, notwithstanding the intervention of a maiden and nurse, who met a very different fate from that he assigns to them in the novel, while in his history he expresses a doubt whether they ever supplied the wants of the prince in any way. According .to the ‘‘ Black Book“ of Scone, the Earl of Douglas was with Albany when the prince was trepanned to Falkland, and having probably been exasperated against the latter, who was his own brother-in-law (having married his sister Marjorie Douglas), for his licentious course of life, must have joined in the ‘ projected assassination. “Such are the two Scottish nobles whose armorial bearings still grace the capital of the pillar in the old chapel. It is the only other case in which they are found acting in concert besides the dark deed already referred to; and it seems no unreasonable inference to draw from such a coincidence, that this chapel ,had been founded and endowed by them as an expiatory offering for that deed of blood, and its chaplain probably appointed to say masses for their victim’s soul” (Wilson). The comparative wealth of the Scottish Church in those days and for long after was considerable, and an idea may be formed of it from the amount of the tenth of the benefices paid by the three countries as a tax to Rome, and in the Acts of Parliament of James 111. in 147 r, and of James IV. in r493. The account is from a “Codex Membra- . Museum :- De terra Scotiz . . . , . . . . . . . . . . . . f;3,947 19 8 ,, Hibernia:. . .. .. .. .. .. .. 1,647 16 3 ,, Anglia et Wallice .. .. .. 20,872 z 4+ Thus we see that the Scottish Church paid more than double what was paid by Ireland, and a fifth of the amount that was paid by England. The transepts of St. Giles, as they existed before the so-called repairs of 1829, afforded distinct evidence of the gradual progtess of the edifice. Beyond the Preston aisle the roof differed from the older portion, exhibiting undoubted evidence of being the work of a subsequent time ; and from its associations with the eminent men of other days it is perhaps the most interesting portion of the whole fabric. Here it was that Walter Chapman, of Ewirland, a burgess of Edinburgh, famous as the introducer of the printing-press into Scotland, and who was nobly patronised by the heroic king who fell at Flodden, founded and endowed a chaplaincy at the altar of St. John the Evangelist, “in honour of God, the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, and all the saints, for the healthful estate and prosperity of the most excellent lotd the King of Scotland, and of his most serene consort Margaret Queen of Scotland, and of their children j and also for the health of my soul, and of Agnes Cockburne, my present wife, and of the soul of Mariot Kerkettill, my former spouse,” &c. “This charter,” says a historian, “is dated 1st August, 1513, an era of peculiar interest. Scotland was then rejoicing in all the prosperity and happiness consequent on the wise and beneficent reign of James IV. Learning was visited with the highest favour of the. Court, and literature was rapidly extending its influence under the zealous co-operation of Dunbar, Douglas, Kennedy, and others, with the royal master-printer. Only one month thereafter Scotland lay at the mercy of her southern rival. Her king was slain; the chief of her nobles and warriors had perished on Flodden Field, and adversity and ignorance again replaced the advantages that had followed in the train of the gallant James’s rule. Thenceforth, the altars of St. Giles received few and rare additions to their endowments.” From the preface to “ Gologras and Gawane,” we learn that in 1528 Walter Chapnian the printer founded a chaplaincy at the altar of Jesus Christ, in St. Giles, and endowed it with a tenement in the Coagate; and there is good reason for believhig that the pious old printer lies buried in the south transept of the church, close by the spot where ... Giles. elasticity which the nation displayed in its endless ’ naceus,” in the Harleian Collection in the ...

Vol. 1  p. 142 (Rel. 1.23)

-198 OLD .4ND NEW EDINBURGH. [Leith. park and ample stabling; and there are always two batteries, with guns and horses, stationed there now. Here, on the 6th October, 1781, trial was made of a Ioo-pounder carronade, which in those dayswhen Woolwich “ infants ’’ were unknown-excited the greatest wonder; and on this occasion there -were present the Duke of Buccleuch, the Right Hon. Henry Dundas, Lord Advocate, and Captain John Fergusson, R. N., who died an admiral, In the same year, the fleet of Admiral Sir Peter Parker, consisting of fifteen sail of the line and many frigates, the Jamaica squadron, and a convoy of 600 merchantmeii, lay for two months in Leith Roads, having on board more than zo,ooo seamen and marines ; and so admirably were the markets of the town supplied, that it is noteworthy this addition to the population did not raise the prices one farthing. Five years subsequently Commodore the Hon. John Leveson Cower’s squadron anchored in the Roads in July. Among the vessels under his command was the Helm frigate of forty guns, commanded by Captain Keppel, and the third lieutenant of which was the young Prince William Henry, the future William IV. The squadron was then on a cruise to the Orkneys and Hebrides. In I 788 a paddle-ship of remarkable constmction, planned by Patrick Miller of Dalswinton, an2 called the Experiment (the forerunner of the steamboat), was launched from the yard of Messrs. Allan and Stewart, ship-builders, at Leith. In the Edinburgh Magazine she is described as being a species .of double ship, built something like the South Sea prahs, but larger, being ninety feet long, with other dimensions in proportion. She was provided with wheels for working in calm weather. “She -.went out of the harbour about mid-day, and was at -first moved along by the wheels with considerable -velocity. When she got a little without the pierhead, they hoisted their stay-sails and square-sails, .and stood to the westward; but, her masts and :sails being disproportionate to the weight of the She made her trial trip in September. hull, she did not go through the water so fast as was expected.” Another feature that impeded lier progress considerably was a netting across her bows for the purpose of preventing loose wreck getting foul of the wheels, and the steering machine, between the two rudders, was found to be of little use. When these were removed her speed increased. Those who managed this peculiar craft went half-way over the Firth, and then tacked, but, as the ebb-tide was coming down and the wind increasing, they anchored in the Roads. Weighing with the next flood, notwithstanding that the wind blew right out of the harbour, by means of their wheels and stay-sails they got in and moored her at eleven at night. A number of gentlemen conversant with nautical matters accompanied her in boats. Among others were Sir John Clerk of Penicuik, and Captain Inglis of Redhall, afterwards one of Nelson’s officers. In the same month and year the drawbridge of Leith was founded. The stone was laid by Lord Haddo, in the absence of Lord Elcho, Grand Master of Scotland, accompanied by the magistrates of Edinburgh and the Port, who, with the lodges and military, marched in procession from the Assembly Rooms in Leith. The usual coins and plate of silver were placed in the base of the east pier. “The drawbridge,” says a print of the time, “will be of great benefit to the trade of Leith, as any number of ships will be able to lie in safety, which in storms and floods they could not do before when the harbour was crowded.” In 1795 was established the corps of Royal Leith Volunteers, who received their colours on the Links on the 26th of September. A detachment of the Royal Edinburgh Volunteers kept the ground The colours were presented by the Lord Lieutenant to Captain Bruce, of the corps, brother to Bruce of Kennet ; and in 1797 120 ship-captains of Leith -to their honour be it recorded in that time of European war and turmoil-made a voluntary offer to serve the country in any naval capacity that was siitable to their position. ... OLD .4ND NEW EDINBURGH. [Leith. park and ample stabling; and there are always two batteries, with guns and ...

Vol. 6  p. 198 (Rel. 1.21)

Gmrge Street.] THE COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS. I47 of the college, which had entire control over ‘the drugs of apothecaries and chemists. It further protected Fellows from sitting on juries. Under this charter the college continued to discharge its functions for many years, although it eventually abandoned in practice the exclusive rights conferred on it, and ceased to exercise any inspection over the shops of apothecaries as the changes of social position and necessity caused many of the provisions to fall into abeyance. Having become sensible of the advantages that would accrue to it from a new charter, to the end that it might be free from the obligation of admitting to its license all Scottish University graduates without examination, to get rid of the clause prohibiting, its connection with a medical school, and further, that it might have the power of expelling unworthy members, a new charter was prepared in 1843, but, after a great many delays and readjustments, was not obtained until the 16th of August, 1861. The first president of the institution was Dr. Archibald Stevenson, who was elected on the 8th of December, 1681, and held the chair till 1684; his successor was Sir Robert Sibbald (of the house of Balgonie), an eminent physician, naturalist, and antiquary, who graduated in medicine at Leyden in 1661 ; but from the time of his election there is a hiatus in the records till the 30th of November, 1693, when we again find in the chair Dr. Archibald Stevenson, with the then considerable honour of knighthood. It was when Sir Thomas Burnet, author oi U Thesaurus Mediam Pructice,” London, I 673, was president, in 1696-8, that we find it recorded that certain ruinous buildings bordering on the Cowgate were converted by the college ‘‘ into a pavilion-shaped cold bath, which was open to the inhabitants generally, at a charge for each ablution of twelve shillings Scots, and one penny to the servant; but those who subscribed one guinea annually might resort to. it as often as they pleased.” Under the presidency of Dr. John Drumrnond, in 1722, a new hall was erected in the gardens at Fountain Close ; but proving insufficient, the college was compelled to relinquish certain plans for an edifice, offered by Adam the architect, and to find a temporary asylum in the Royal Infirmary. In 1770 the premises at Fountain Close were sold for A800 ; more money was raised by mortgage and other means, and the hall we have described was erected in George Street, only to be relinquished in time, after about seventy years’ occupancy. “The same poverty,” says the “Historical Sketch,” ’ which had prevented the college from availing itself of the plans of Adam, and which had caused it to desire to part with its new hall in George Street, even before its occupation, still pressed heavily upon it. Having at that time no funded capital, it was entirely dependent on the entrancefees paid by Fellows, a fluctuating and inadequate source of income. Besides, beautiful as the George Street hall was in its outward proportions, its internal arrangements were not so convenient as might have been desired, and it is therefore not to be wondered at that when the college found their site was coveted by a wealthy banking corporation their poverty and not their will consented ; and in 1843 the George Street hall was sold to the Commercial Bank for Azo,ooo-a sum which it was hoped would suffice to build a more comfortable if less imposing, hall, and leave a surplus to secure a certain, though possibly a small, annual income. Although the transaction was obviously an advantageous one for the college, it was not without some difficulty that many of the Fellows made up their minds to part with a building of which they were justly proud.” The beautiful hall was accordingly demolished to the foundation stone, in which were found the silver medals and other relics now in possession of the college, which rented for its use No. 121, George Street till the completion of its new hall, whither we shall shortly follow k. On its site was built, in 1847, the Commercial Bank, an imposing structure of mingled Greek and Roman character, designed by David Rhind, an architect of high reputation. The magnificent portico is hexastyle. There are ninety-five feet in length of fapde, the columns are thirty-five feet in height, with an entablature of nine feet ; the pediment is fifteen feet six inches in height, and holds in its tympanum a beautiful group of emblematic sculpture from the chisel of A. Handyside Ritchie, which figures on the notes of the bank. It has a spacious and elegant telling-room, surrounded by tall Corinthian pillars, with a vaulted roof, measuring ninety feet by fifty. The Commercial Bank of Scotland and the National Bank of Scotland have been incorporated by royal charter ; but as there is no Qubt about their being unlimited, they are considered, with the Scottish joint stock banks, of recent creation. The deed of partnership of the Commercial Bank is dated gist October, 1810, but subsequent alterations have taken place, none of which, however, in any way affect the principle named and confirmed in the charter. The capital of the bank was declared at ~3,000,000 j but only, a thud of ... Street.] THE COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS. I47 of the college, which had entire control over ‘the drugs of ...

Vol. 3  p. 147 (Rel. 1.21)

200 the reign of James 111. there were two or three vessels called “royal,” and among them often appears the name of this famous Ydow Caravel, latterly called Admiral Wood’s ship, as if it were his own private, and at other times a royal, vessel. The supposition has been that she belonged originally to either Wood or Barton, who sold her to King James. Wood had been a faithful servant to the latter, says Scotstarvit, and was knighted by him in 1482, OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH, have taken place in r481. Prior to 1487 Sir Andrew Wood is supposed to have relinquished commerce for the king’s service, and to have married a lady, Elizabeth Lundie (supposed to be of the Balgonie family), by whom he had several sons, two of whom became men of eminence in after years. Thus, from being a merchant skipper of North Leith, he became an opulent and enterprising trader by his own talent and the course of public [Leith. LEITH HARBOUR, 1829. (Afier Sk)hcrd.) when there was granted to him (Alexander Duke of Albany being then Lord High Admiral) a iach of the estate of Largo to keep his ship in repair, and on the tenure that he should be ready at the call of the King to pilot and convey him and the queen to the shrine and well of St. Adrian in the Isle of May. James afterwards gave him the heritage of the estate on which he had been born by a charter under the Great Seal, which recites his good service by sea and land. This was confirmed by James IV. in 1497, with the addition that one of his most eminent deeds of arms had been his successful defence of the castle of Dumbarton against the English navy, an exploit buried in obscurity, and which Pidkerton suggests must events, ‘‘a brave warrior and skilful naval commander,” says Tytler, “ an able financialist, intimately acquainted with the management of commercial transactions, and a stalwart feudal baron, who, without abating anything of his pride or his prerogative, refused not to adopt in the management of his estates those improvements whose good effects he had observed in his travels over various parts of the continent” He was blunt in manner yet honest of purpose, and most loyal in heart to his royal master, lames 111. ; and when the troubles of the latter began in his fierce war with the lawless, proud, and turbulent Scottish barons-troubles that ended so tragically after the temble battle of Sauchieburn in ... reign of James 111. there were two or three vessels called “royal,” and among them often appears the ...

Vol. 6  p. 200 (Rel. 1.19)

OLD AND NEW EDINEURGH. LSouth Bridge. 376 In 1837 he succeeded Professor Macvey Napier as Librarian to the Signet Library ; and when the new and noble library of the University was opened he volunteered to arrange it, which he did with all the ardour of a bibliomaniac. Hewas made LL.D. of his native university in 1864, and is believed to have edited and annotated fully 250 rare works on Scottish history and antiquities. True to its old tradition, No. 49 is still a booksellefs shop, held by the old firm of Ogle and Murray. In No. 98 of the Bridge Street are the Assay Office and Goldsmith’s Hall, The former is open on alternate days, when articles of gold and silver that require to be guaranteed by the stamp of genuineness, are sent in and assayed. The assay master scrapes a small quantity of metal off each article, and submits it to a test in order to ascertain the quality. The duty charged here on each ounce of gold plate is 17s. 6d., and on silver plate IS. 6d One of the earliest incorporated trades of Edinburgh was that of the hammermen, under which were included the goldsmiths, who, in 1586, were formed into a separate company. By the articles of it, apprentices must serve for a term of seven years, and masters are obliged to serve a regular apprenticeship of three years or more to make them more perfect in their trade. They were, moreover, once bound to give the deacon of the craft sufficient proof of their knowledge of metals, and of their skill in the working thereof. By a charter of James VI., all persons not of the corporation are prohibited from exercising the trade of a goldsmith within the liberties of Edinburgh. King James VII. incorporated the company by a charter, with additional powers for the regulation of its trade. Those were granted, so it runs, “ because the art and science of goldsmiths is exercised in the city of Edinburgh, to which our subjects frequently resort, because it is the seat of our supreme Parliament, and of the other supreme courts, and there are few goldsmiths in other cities.” In virtue of the powers conferred upon it, the company, from the date of its formation, tested and stamped all the plate and jewellery made in Scotland. The first stamp adopted was the tipletowered castle, or city arms. “In 1681,” says Bremner, in his ‘‘ Industries of Scotland,” “a letter representing the date was stamped on as well as the castle. The letter A indicates that the article bearing it was made in the year between the 29th of September, 1681, and the same day in 1682 ; the other letters of the alphabet, omitting j and w, representing the succeeding twenty-three years. Each piece bore, in addition to the castle and date letter, the assay-master’s initials. Seven alphabets of a different type have been exhausted in recording the dates ; and the letter of the eighth alphabet, for 1869, is an Egyptian capital M. In 1759 the standard mark of a thistle was substituted for the assay-master’s initials, and is still continued. In 1784 a ‘duty-mark’ was added, the form being the head of the sovereign. The silver mace of. the city of Edinburgh is dated 1617 ; the High Church plate, 1643.” The making of spoons and forks was at one time an extensive branch of the silversmith trade in Edinburgh ; but the profits were so small that it has now passed almost entirely into the hands of English manufacturers. The erection of this bridge led to the formation of Xunter’s Square and Hair Street, much about the same time and in immediate conjunction with i t The square and street (where the King’s pnntingoffice was placed) were both named from Sir James Hunter Blair, who was Provost of the city when the bridge was commenced, but whose death at Harrogate, in 1789, did not permit him to see the fine1 completion of it. Number 4 in this small square, the north side of which is entirely formed by the Tron Church, contains the old hall of the Merchant Company of Edinburgh, which was formed in 1681. But long previous to that year the merchants OF the city formed themselves into a corporation, called the guildry, from which, for many ages, the magistrates were exclusively chosen ; and, by an Act of Parliament passed in the reign of James III., each of the incorporated trades in Edinburgh was empowered to choose one of their number to vote in the election of those who were to govern the city, and this guildry was the parent of the Merchant Company. “It was amidst some of the most distressing things in our national histovhangings of the poor ‘hill folk’ in the Grassmarket, trying of the patriot Argyle for taking the test-oath with an explanation, and so forththat this company came into being. Its nativity was further heralded by sundry other things of a troublous kind affecting merchandise and its practitioners.’’ The merchants of Edinburgh, according to Amot, were erected into a bodp-corporate by royal charter, dated 19th October, 1681, under the name of The Company of Merchants of fhe Cig of Edinburgh. By this charter they were empowered to choose a Preses, who is called “ The Master,” with twelve assistants, a treasurer, clerk, and officer. The company were further empowered to purchase ... AND NEW EDINEURGH. LSouth Bridge. 376 In 1837 he succeeded Professor Macvey Napier as Librarian to the Signet ...

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305 Leith Wynd.1 THE DUCHESS OF LENNOX Pont, an illustrious Venetian who came to Scotland in the train of Mary of Guise-the last Provost of Trinity, in 1585, sold all the remaining rights that he had in the foundation, which James VI. confirmed by charter two years afterwards. When the old religion was abolished, the revenues of the church amounted to only A362 Scots yearly. Its seal, Scotland and Gueldres quarterly, is beautifully engraved among the Holyrood charters. In May, 1592, Sophia Ruthven, the young Duchess of Lennox, was buried with great solemnity at the east end of the church. She wss a daughter of the luckless Earl of Gowrie, who died in 1584 andwas forcibly abducted from a house in Easter Wemyss, where she had been secluded to secure her from the violence of the Duke’s passion. But he carried to Parliament for assistance, to enforce the payment of his rents in Teviotdale. In June, 1526, its Provost sat in Parliament. In 1567 the Earl of Moray, then Regent of Scotland, gave to Sir Simon Preston of Craigmillar, then Provost of the City, the Trinity College church with all that belonged to it ; and the latter bestowed it on the city. Robert Pont-an eminent churchman, judge, and miscellaneous writer, the son of John de 18th of December, 1596, by her will, dated 9th of that month, bequeathed IOO merks to the Trinity College church, for a “burial1 place there. The church and other prebendal buildings suffered with the other religious houses in the city during the tumults of the Reformation, and, according to Nicoll, in later years, at the hands of Cromwell’s sordiers. While trenching the edifice, seeking for the remains of the Queen, those of many others, all Iong before violated and disturbed, were found, together with numbers of bullocks’ horns, and an incredible quantity of sheep-head bones, and fmgments of old Flemish quart bottles, the de’bris doubtless of the repasts of the workmen of 1462 ; and every stone in the building bore those marks with which all freemasons are familiar. ~ her OE on his own horse in the night, and married i her in defiance of king and kirk. This was on the 19th of April, 1591, consequently she did not long survive her abduction. Lady Jane Hamilton, youngest daughter of the Duke of Chatelherault, and Countess of the Earl of Eglinton, from whom she was divorced, in consequence of the parties standing in the fourth degree of consanguinity, who died at Edinburgh on the ... Leith Wynd.1 THE DUCHESS OF LENNOX Pont, an illustrious Venetian who came to Scotland in the train of Mary of ...

Vol. 2  p. 305 (Rel. 1.19)

338 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [The Inch. CHAPTER XL. THE ENVIRONS OF EDINBURGH (continued). The Inch Honse-The Winrams-Ednonstone and the Edmonstones of that Ilk-WitcheesW @Itnet-The StenhoustMoredun-The Stewarts of Goodtree-The Ruckstane-Burdiehouse-Its Limekilns and Fossils A LITTLE way eastward of Nether Liberton stands ~ to Sir Alexander Gilmour of Craigmillar, according the quaint old Inch House, built in the year 1617, to the Valuation Roll for that year. during the reign of James VI., upon land which, in the preceding century, belonged to the monks of Holyrood-a mansion long the residence of the Little-Gilmours of Craigmillar, and of old the patrimony of the Winrams of The Inch and Liberton, a family, according to the ArchmZogia .%QfiC@, descended from the Winrams of Wiston, in Clydesdale. In 1644 George Winram of Liberton was a baron of Parliament. In the following year he accused the Commissioner for Aberdeen, Patrick Leslie, “ as one unworthy to sit in Parliament, being a malignant, who drunk Montrose’s health ”-a statement remitted to a committee of the House. (Balfour’s “ Annales.”) In 1649 he was made a Lord of Session, by the title of Lord Liberton, and was one of the commissioners sent to the young king in Holland, after seeing whom, he, with the others, landed at Stonehaven, and was with the Parliament at Perth in the August of the same year. In October he sailed from Leith to Gsit the king again at Brussels on public business, obtaining a passage in a States man-of-war, in company with Thomas Eunningham, Conservator of Scottish Privileges at Campvere. In November he was again with the king at Jersey, with letters from the Committee of Estates, and landed at Leith from a Dutch war-ship, in February, 1650, charged with letters from Charles 11. to the Parliament and General Assembly, prior to the king’s coronation in Scotland. He.served in the Regiment of the College of Justice, and being mortally wounded at the battle of Dunbar,died eight days after the defeat in that town. His son, colonel in the Scottish army, was Lieutenant-Governor of Edinburgh Castle, under the Duke of Gordon, during the protracted siege thereof in 1688-9, and the latter was urged by Dundee to repair to the Highlands, and leave the defence of the fortress to Winram, who was deemed a loyal and gallant officer. After the capitulation, in violation of its terms, he was made a prisoner in the fortress for some time, and after that we hear no more of him in history. In 1726 The Inch and Nether Liberton belonged In the middle of the eighteenth century the house was the residence of Patrick Grant, Lord Elchies, a senator of the College of Justice. Born in 1690, he was called to the bar in 1711, became a judge of the Court of Session in 1732, andof the Court of Justiciary three years subsequently. He was an able lawyer and upright judge, and collected various decisions, which were published in two quarto volumes, and edited by W. M. Morrison, advocate. He died at the Inch House on 27th June, 1754, in the sixty-fourth year of his age, leaving behind him, as the papers of the time say, the character of an honest man, a sincere friend, an able lawyer, universally regretted by all those whose esteem, whem alive, he would have wished to gain.” Edmonstone House, which is the seat of Sir John Don Wauchope, Bart., lies about a mile south of Niddne, on high and commanding ground overlooking the hollow where Little France and Kingston Grange lie, and is an elegant mansion, surrounded by fine plantations. It was named Edmonstown, from Edmond, a Saxon follower of Margaret, the Queen of Malcolm Canmore, said to be a younger son of Count Egmont of Flanders, and froni whom the Edmonstones of Duntreath and Ednum (chief branch of the family, but lately extinct) and all others of the name are descended. A charter of the office of coroner for Edinburgh was given to John of Edmonstone by King David II.,pro toto tempore vita SUE, dated at Aberdeen in the thirty-third year of his reign. The same, or another having the same name, received from the same king a grant of the thanage of Boyen, in Banffshire. Sir John de Edmonstone, knight, was one of three ambassadors sent by Robert 11. to Charles V. of France in 1374, to solicit his interposition with the Pope and Sacred College to procure a favourable decree in the suit prosecuted at the instance of Margaret Logie, Queen Consort of Scodand. He married Isabel, daughter of Robert II., relict of James, Earl of Douglas, who fell at Otterbourne in 1388, and left two sons, one of whom was Knight of Culloden and first of the House of Duntreath. ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [The Inch. CHAPTER XL. THE ENVIRONS OF EDINBURGH (continued). The Inch Honse-The ...

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High Street.] ANDRO HART. 229 caunt-a very common kind of ghost story-we are told, was related by the minister (of course) who was in the house on this occasion, to John Duke of Lauderdale (who died in 1682), in pre- .sence of many other nobles. After this the house was again deserted ; yet another attempt was made to inhabit it - probably rent-free -by .a courageous and drink-loving old soldier and his wife; but towards midnight the candle began to burn blue, and the grisly old head was seen to hover in mid-air, on which the terrified couple fled, and Mary Kings Close was finally aban- .doned to desolation and .decay. No record of its ,inmates in the flesh has .ever been handed down, .and thus the name of the place is associated with its goblins alone. Professor Sinclair, who wrote the history of these, was author of several very learned works on astronomy, navigation, mathematics, and so forth; but he also favoured the world with .a strange “Dis- .course concerning Coal ” -a compound of science .and superstition, containing an account of the witches of Glenluce, Sinclair being, like many .other learned men of his time, a firm believer in the black art. Passing Writers’ Court .and the Royal Exchange, both of which have been Meter,” and other works that issued from his press. He flourished in the reign of James VI., and previous to 1600 he was in the habit of importing books from the Continent ; but about 1601 he printed, at his own expense, several works in Holland ; and subsequently commenced business as a printer in those premises in the High Street which, two centuries after his death in 1621, became the residence of the great bibliopole, Pro- STAMP OFFICE CLOSE already described, we come to the once famous alley, Craig’s Close, the lower end of which, like the rest of such thoroughfares in this quarter, has been removed to make way for Cockburn Street. The old tenement which faces the High Street at the head of this close occupies the site of the open booth or shop of Andro Hart, the famous .old Scottish printer ; and therein was, of course, exposed for sale his well-known Bible, which has always been admired for its beautiful typography; h i s Barbour’s “Bruce,” his “ Psalms in Scottish vost Creech, and of that still greater one, Archibald Constable. A little way down the close on the east side was the printing - house of Andro Hart, apicturesque and substantial stone tenement, with finely moulded windows divided by mullions, and having the Sinclair arms on the bed-corbel of the crow-stepped gable. Over the old doorway was the legend and date, My h i p is in Chrisf, A. S. M K., 1593,” under a label moulding. In 1828 there was presented to the Antiquarian Museum by Mr. Hutchison, printer, . a very fine Scottish spear, which had been preserved from time immemorial in the old printing-house of Andro Hart, and is confidently believed to have been his-perhaps the same weapon with which he sallied forth to take part in the great tumult of 1596, when the king was besieged in the Tolbooth ; for Caldenvood and others- distinctly tell us that the old printer was one of the foremost in the disturbance, and roused so much the indignation of the king, James VI., that he was sent prisoner to the Castle in February, 1597, together with two other booksellers, James and Edward Cathkin. In 1759 a dromedary and camel were exhibited at the head of Craig‘s Close, where they seem to have been deemed two wonder9 of the world, and, according to the Edinbwgh NMaZd and ChronicZc for that year, itwas doubted whether there were other ... Street.] ANDRO HART. 229 caunt-a very common kind of ghost story-we are told, was related by the minister ...

Vol. 2  p. 229 (Rel. 1.18)

46 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. IHolyrood these ecclesiastical foundations :-The Priory of St. Mary’s Isle, in Galloway, gifted by Fergus, Lord of Galloway, who died a monk of Holyrood in 1161 ; the Priory of Blantyre, secluded on a rock above the Clyde ; Kowadill, in Hemes, gifted by Mac- Leod of Herries ; Oransay and Colonsay-in the former still stands their priory, built by a Lord of the Isles, one of the finest relics of religious antiquity in the Hebrides; the church of Melgynch, granted to them by Matthew, Abbot of Dunkeld, in 1289; the church of Dalgarnock, granted to them by John, Bishop of Glasgow, in 1322 j and the church and vicarage of Kirkcudbright, by of Haddington, mm ferra de Clerkynton, per rectas divisas. In 1177 the monastery was still in the Castle of Edinburgh. In 1180 Alexius, a subdeacon, held a council of the Holy Cross near Edinburgh, with reference to the long-disputed consecration of John Scott, Bishop of St. Andrews, when a double election had taken place. VI. WILLIAM II., abbot in 1206. During his time, John Bishop of Candida Casa resigned his mitre, became a canon .of Holyrood, and was buried in the chapter-house, where a stone long marked his grave. VII. WALTER, Prior of Inchcolm, abbot in 111. WILLIAM I. succeeded in 1152. He witnessed several charters of Malcolm IV. and William the Lion; and when he became aged and infirm, he vowed to God that he would say his Psalter every day. He enclosed the abbey with a strong wall. IV. ROBERT is said to have been abbot about the time of William the Lion. “ He granted to the inhabitants of the newly-projected burgh of the Canongate various privileges, which were confirmed, with additional benefactions, by David II., Robert III., and James 111. These kings granted to the bailies and community the annuities payable by the burgh, and also the common muir between the ’ lands of Broughton on the west and the lands of Pilrig on the east, on the north side of the road from Edinburgh to Leith.” V. JOHN, abbot in 1173, witnessed a charter of Richard Bishop of St. Andrews (chaplain to Malcolm IV.), granting to his canons the church the chapel of St Mary. XI, HENRY, the next abbot, was named Bishop of Galloway in 1253; consecrated in 1255 by the Archbishop of York, XII. RADULPH, abbot, is mentioned in a gift of lands at Pittendreich to the monks of St. Marie de Newbattle. XIII. ADAM, a traitor, and adherent of England, who did homage to Edward I. in 1292, and for whom he examined the records in the Castle of Edinburgh. He is called Alexander by Dempster. XIV. ELIAS 11. is mentioned as abbot at the time of the Scots Templar Trials in 1309, and in a deed of William Lamberton, Bishop of St. Andrews, in 1316. In his time, Holyrood, like Melrose and Dryburgh, was ravaged by the baffled army of Edward 11. in 1322. XV. SYMON OF WEDALE, abbot at the vigil of St. Barnabas, 1326, when Robert I. held a Parliament in Holyrood, at which was ratified a concord ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. IHolyrood these ecclesiastical foundations :-The Priory of St. Mary’s Isle, in ...

Vol. 3  p. 46 (Rel. 1.15)

Riccarton.1 SIR THOMAS CFLAIG. 321 Riccarton, with those of Warriston, in the barony of Currie, were given by royal charter to Marion of Wardlaw, and Andrew her son, and have had many proprietors since then. In the Privy Council Register we find that in 1579 the Lairds of Brighouse and Haltoun became referred in the account of his town residence in Wamston’s Close. He was born at Edinburgh about 1538, and in 1552 was entered as a student at St. Leonard’s College in the University of St. Andrews, which he quitted three years subsequently, after receiving his degree of Bachelor of Arts COL\”TO”. bound in caution, that the former shall pay “to Harie Drummond of Riccartoun, LIOO on Martinmas next, the 11th November, in the Tolbooth of Edinburgh, for behoof of William Sandeland and Thomas Hart,” whom he had hurt and mutilated, ‘I or else shall re-enter himself as a prisoner in the said Tolbooth, on the said day.” During the middle of the sixteenth century Riccarton became the property of the famous feudal lawyer, Sir Thomas Craig, to whom we have 137 He next studied at the University of Pans, and became deeply versed in Civil and Canon laws. Returning to Scotland about 1561, he was called to the bar three years afterwards, and in 1564 was made Justice-Depute. In 1566, when Prince James was born in Edinburgh Castle, he wrote a Latin hexameter poem in honour of the event, entitled GenethZiacon Jacobi Prinn$is Soforum, which, with another poem on his departure, when king, for England, is inserted in ... SIR THOMAS CFLAIG. 321 Riccarton, with those of Warriston, in the barony of Currie, were given by ...

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Pleasance. ST. LEONARD’S CHAPEL. 383 entirely to act as barbers. In consequence, the council, on the 26th July, 1682, recommended the new corporation to supply the city with a sufficient number of persons qualified “to shave and cut hair,” and who should continue to be upon it ; but in 1722 it ceased to have all connection with the barbers, save that the latter were obliged to enter all their apprentices in a register kept by the surgeons. By a charter of George III., dated 14th March, 1778, the corporation was erected into “The Royal College of Surgeons of the City of Edinburgh,” a document which established a scheme of provision for the widows and children of members. In the old edifice overlooking the Pleasance the College held all its Castle of Clouts,” in the spirit of that talent which , the Scots have of conferring absurd sobriquets. By the wayside to Duddingstone, south of the Pleasance, a rising piece of ground or slight eniinence is called Mount Hooly, a corruption of Mount Holy, which marks the site of the chapel of St. Leonard and of a hospital dedicated to the same saint. As is the case with most of the ecclesiastical edifices in Edinburgh, nothing is known as to when or by whom either the chapel or hospital was built, and not a vestige remains of either now. The chapel, ere it became a ruin, rva’s the scene of a remarkably traitorous tryst, held by the _. ~ - -- -- - meetings till the erec- ~ ~ ~ --/ - tion of the new hall, to be referred to in its place; but the name of the first establishment still survives in the adjacent Surgeon Square. In it was a theatre for dissection, a museum, in which a mummy was long the chief curiosity, and the hall was hung with portraits Qf surgeons who had grown to eminence after it was built. W i 11 i am S m e 11 i e, F.R.S. and F.A.S., an eminent printer, and DAVIE DEANS’ COTTAGE. known as the (FTOIIZ a Vzpette by &oars, #ubZrs/red I- the Fzrsf Edition of Robert author of the “Philo- Chambers’s “ Tradrho~rso~Ed~irbsrgh,” 1825 ) sophy of Natural His- Douglas faction on the 2nd of February, 1528, having nothing less in view than the assassination of their sovereign, James V., “the Commons King,” who was the idol of his people. They were to enter the palace of Holyrood by a window near the head of the king’s bed in the night, and under the guidance of Sir James Hamilton, one the monarch loved and trusted much; but the dastardly plot was discovered in time, and by the energetic measures taken to crush the devisers of it, peace of the quaint old houses of the Pleasance in 1740. A quaint three-storeyed edifice, having a large archway, peaked gables, and dormer windows, bearing the date of 1709, stood on the south side of the Pleasance, and was long known as “ Hamilton’s Folly,” from the name of the proprietor, who was deemed unwise in those days to hiild a house so far from the city, and on the way that led to the gibbet on which the bodies of criminals were hung. But the latter would seem to have been in - use till a much later period, as in the Cournnt for December, 1761, there are advertised for sale four tenements, “lying at the head of the Pleasance, on the east side of the road leading to the gibbet.” Here still stands a goodly house of three storeys, which was built about 1724 bya wealthy tailor, and which in consequence has been denominated ‘(the for a period. At St. Leonard‘s Loan, which bounded the property of the abbots of Holyrood on the south, separating it on the side from the western flank of the vast Burghmuir, there stood in ancient times a memorial known as Umphraville‘s Cross, erected in memory of some man of -rank who perished there in a conflict of which not a memory remains. The cross itself had doubtless been demolished as a relic of idolatry at the Reformation ; but in 1810, its base, a mass of dark whinstone, with a square hole in its centre, wherein the shaft had been fixed, was still remaining on the ancient site, till it was broken up for road metal! In his “ Diary,” Birrel records that on the 2nd April, 1600, “ being the Sabbathday, Robert Achmuty, barber, slew James Wauchope at the com ... ST. LEONARD’S CHAPEL. 383 entirely to act as barbers. In consequence, the council, on the 26th July, ...

Vol. 2  p. 383 (Rel. 1.13)

The Mound.] GEORGE WATSON, P.R.S.A. 91 of John Watson of Overmains, in Berwickshire, his mother being Frances Veitch, of the Elliock fimily. He was a cousin of Sir Walter Scott’s, and was born in I 767. He studied art under Nasmyth and Sir Joshua Reynolds, and before the time of his election had won a high reputation as a portrait painter. From 1808 to 1812 he was President of the Associated Artists of Scotland. His brother, Captain Watson, R.N., was the, father of Sir John Watson-Gordon, also a president of the Academy ; and his nephew, William Stewart Watson, was an artist of some repute, whose chief work is the ‘‘ Inauguration of Burns as Poet Laureate or Grand Bard,” now in the Masonic Hall, George Street, and, as a collection of portraits, is historically curious. George Watson’s son, W. Smellie Watson, was also R.S.A., and died in No. 10 Forth Street in 1874, the same house in which his father had held some early exhibitions about the close of the last century or beginning of the present. ’ The President and Council resolved that the first exhibition of their infant Academy should take place early in February, 1827, in two large galleries which they rented, in 24 Waterloo Place, for three months at eighty guineas, and subsequently at one hundred and thirty pounds per annum. Opposed by those who should have aided it, the Academy had a hard struggle for a time in the first years of its existence. Application was made to the Home Secretary, the future Sir Robert Peel, for . a charter of incorporation, and it was favourably viewed by those in office, and submitted to the Lord Advocate. Eut though the application was generously and warmly seconded by Sir Thomas Lawrence, then President of the Royal Academy of London, it was put off for two years, “and ultimately refused,” says Sir George Harvey ‘‘ on grounds which the Academy could never learn; and though they applied for permission to do so, they were never allowed to peruse the document which induced his lordship to decide against their claim. . . . Curiously enough, although the request of the Academy for a charter of incorporation was at this time denied, the Institution had that distinction conferred upon it, and henceforth came to be designated the Royal Institution.” The first general exhibition of the Scottish Academy being advertised for February, 1827, “ the Royal Institution, under the immediatepatronage of His Mq>siY,‘‘ was, in a spirit of genuine opposition, advertised to open at the same time ; but by the time of the third Exhibition, “ the Royal Institution,” says Sir George, ‘‘ was fairly driven out of the field ; ” and among the contributors were the future Sir Francis Grant, John Linnell, and John Martin, and one of Etty’s magnificent works, now the property of the Academy, was for the first time hung upon its walls, while many Scottish artists in London or elsewhere, watched with patriotic interest the progress of art in their native land, and the Institution rapidly began to take a subordinate position ; and by a minute of the 10th July, 1829, twenty-four of its artists, weary of its rule, were admitted as members of the Scottish Academy, thus raising the numerical force of the latter to thirty-nine. Eventually the number of Academicians became forty-two. In the rank of Associate Engravers was the well-known William Lizars, for as the law stood then he could not be elected an Academician, engravers being then limited to the position of Associate, but after a time they were rendered eligible to occupy any rank in the Academy. George Watson, the first President of the Scottish Academy, died on the 24th of August, 1837, at No. 10 Forth Street, in his seventieth year. For a long time previously his occupation of the chair had been nominal, his age and declining health precluding his attendance at council meetings- A white marble slab in the west .wall of the West Kirkyard marks his grave and that of “ Rebecca. Smellie, his spouse, who died 5th May, 1839, aged 74 years.” In the subsequent November William Allan, RA. (afterwards knighted), was elected president, and during his term .of office the long-desired object was accomplished, and the Academy came to be designated at last “The Royal Scottish Academy,” incorporated by royal charter on the 13th of August, 1838, consisting now of thirty Academicians and twenty Associates-a consummation of their wishes for which they were greatly indebted to the warm and earnest interest of Lord Cockburn. By its charter the Academy is to consist of artists by profession, being men of fair moral character and of high repute in art, settled and resident in Scotland at the dates of their elections. It ordains that, there shall be an annual exhibition of paintings, sculptures, and designs, in which all artists.of distinguished merit may be permitted to exhibit their works, to continue open six weeks or longer. It likewise ordains that so soon as the funds of the Academy will allow it, there shall be in the Royal Scottish Academy professors of painting, sculpture,, architecture, perspective, and anatomy, elected according to the laws framed for the Royal Academy of London; and that there shall be schools to provide the means of studying the human form with respect both to anatomical knowledge and taste of ... Mound.] GEORGE WATSON, P.R.S.A. 91 of John Watson of Overmains, in Berwickshire, his mother being Frances ...

Vol. 3  p. 91 (Rel. 1.13)

down the street, reached Holyrood, where he sought sanctuary in the chapel of St. Augustine; there his English pursuers found him on his knees before the altar. WEST FRONT OF HOLYROOD ABBEY CHUKCH. ever intent on revenge, joined Sir William Douglas, the Black Knight of Liddesdale, whose forces lay in the fastnesses of Pentland Muir. From there one night he led the Liddesdale men, tion, violate the sanctuary, they set a guard upon ! the then open and unwalled city, attacked the the church, resolving to starve him into surrender ; i English, and left 400 of them dead in the streets. but fortunately for Robert Prendergast, the monks .of Holyrood were loyal to their king, and thinking probably an Englishman less in the world mattered :little from a Scottish point of view, they conveyed to him provisions every night unseen by the guard, For twelve days and nights he lurked by the altar *of St. Augustine, until, disguised in a monk‘s cowl ;and gown, he effected an escape; and more than Sir William Douglas re-captured the fortress in the following year. In 1370 David 11. was interred with every solemnity before the high altar, the site of which is now in the Palace Garden. It was inscribed, “UiC Rex sub Zapide Davici izditus af tumukrfus,” as given by Fordun. On the 18th of January, 1384-5, Robert IL, ... the street, reached Holyrood, where he sought sanctuary in the chapel of St. Augustine; there his English ...

Vol. 3  p. 53 (Rel. 1.12)

2 66 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [The Cowgate. provided by the said charter, that each person commencing business for himself shall be worth three pairs of shear?, and of ability to pay for one stock .of white cloth, whereby he may be in a condition to make good any damages to those who employ him. In the same year (1500) the tailors were incorporated on the 26th August, prior to which, as a society, they possessed the altar of St. Anne in St. Giles’s, and they only had their old rules and regulations embodied in their charter from the Council. Another seal of cause was issued to them thirty years afterwards, in the reign of James V. The Corporation of Candlemakers first appears in 1517. They had no altar of their own in St. Giles’s, but certain fines provided by their charter wete to be paid towards the sustenance of any ‘‘ misterfull alter within the College Kirk of Sanct Geils.” The craftsmen were forbidden to send boys or servants to sell candles in the streets, under pain of forfeit, and paying “ane pund of walx to Our Lady altar, after the first fault p two pounds of wax for the second, and such punishment as the magistrates may award for the third. No member was to take an apprentice for less than four years, and all women were to be “expellit the said craft, bot freemennis wyffes of the craft allanerlie.” The above charter was confirmed by James VI. in 1597, though the corporation lost the privilege in 1582 of sending a member to the Common Council, by failing to produce their charter, and signing the reference made in that year to the arbiters appointed by James, at the time the late constitution of the burgh was established, and remained unchanged till the passing of the Reform Bill in 1832. We may here mention that a manufactory for soap is first mentioned, agrd November, 1554, when the magistrates granted a I‘ license to Johnne Gaittis, Inglisman, to brew saip within the fredome of this burgh for the space of ane yeir nixt heirafter? and to sell the same in lasts, halflasts, barrels, half-barrels, and firkins. But after this, till about 1621, it was chiefly imported from Flanders. The Baxters (or bakers) obtained their charter on the 20th of March, 1522, but the trade must have possessed one before, as it sets forth that in times of troublethe original document had been lost By this seal of cause it appears that they had in SL Gdes’s an altar dedicated to “Sanct Cubart.” But the chaplain thereof, instead of being supported by fines, as the priests of the other corporations were, obtained his food by going from house to house among the members of the guild in rotation. The sole privilege of baking bread within the city was vested in its members, ,but bread baked without the walls might be sold, the corporation having, however, control over it, or the power of examining the weight and quality of “the flour baiks and fadges that cumes fra landwart into this toune to sell.” The city records contain many references to the Baxters before the date above given. Thus in 1443, the time when they might bake and sell ‘(mayne breid,” was only at “Whitsunday, St. Giles’s Mass, Yule and Pasche.” In 1482, in buying flour from beyond the sea they were to pay multure, as if from the common mills. In 1503 Baxters convicted of baking cakes that were under weight were threatened with penalties. In 1510 there was an agreement between the farmers of the city mills and the Baxters as to grinding at the mills, with reference to the quantities to be ground when water was scarce. In 1523 the Baxters were ordained to “baik thair breid sufficientlie and weill dryit ;” the twopenny loaf to weigh ten ounces from thenceforward, “ under pain of tynsale of their fredome,” and escheat of the bread, which is to be marked with their irons as heretofore. In . April, 1548, the city Baxters were ordered to hrnish bread for the army in the field at a given rate, and the corporation promised to do so, in the presence of the Lords Dunkeld, Rothes, Galloway, Dunfermline, and Seaton; but in July the troops would seem to have declined to receive the bread which the trade had on hand ; thus U outland Baxters were charged not to bring any bread to market for three days.” We have elsewhere (Vol. I., 382-3) had occasion to refer to the Corporation of Barber-surgeons, whose charter, dated 1st July, 1505, binds them to “uphold ane altar in the College Kirk of Sanct Geill, in honour of God and Sanct Mongow.” They were bound to know something of anatomy, the “nature and complexioun of every member of humanis (sic) body,” and all the veins of the same, and “ in quhilk member the srbe Am dominahim for tk time,” &c. In 1542 we read of four surgeons sent from the city to the borders, for the care of those wounded by the English. (“ Pitcairn’s Trials,” I.) And in 1558 the corporation sent twenty-five of their number, including apprentices, to join the force raised for the defence of Edinburgh against “ our auld inemyes of Ingland.” (“ List of Fellows, R.C.S. Edin.”) By Queen Mary they were exempted from serving on assizes. The arms of this corporation were azure, on a fesse argent, a naked man fesse-ways, between a ... 66 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [The Cowgate. provided by the said charter, that each person commencing business for ...

Vol. 4  p. 266 (Rel. 1.11)

336 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [North Bridge. from somewhere about Coltbridge, to fill, and run through the North Loch, which would be of great advantage to the convenience, beauty, cleanliness, and healthiness of the town.” , In the next paragraph this far-seeing nobleman suggests the canal between the Forth and Clyde ; but all that he projected for Edinburgh, by means of his bridges, has. been accomplished to the full, and more than he could ever have dreamt of I in 1763, and a proper foundation sought for the erection, which, however, is only indicated by two dotted parallel lines in Edgar‘s plan of the city, dated 1765, which “shew ye road along ye intended bridge,” which was always spoken of as simply a new way to Leith. The first stone was deposited on’ the 1st of October, 1763, and Kincaid relates that in 1794 “some people very lately, if not yet alive, have posi- PALACE OF MARY OF GUISE, CASTLE HlLL. (Fmm a Drawing6y W. B. Scotf). The North Bridge, as a preliminary to the formation of the New Town, was first planned by Sir William Bruce of Kinross, architect to Charles II., and his design “ is supposed to be now lying in the Exchequer,” wrote Kincaid in 1794; but another plan would seem to have been prepared in 1752, yet no steps were taken for furthering the execution of it till 1759, when the magistrates applied for a Bill to extend the royalty over the ground on which the New Town stands, but were defeated by the vigorous opposition of the landholders of the county. .After four years’ delay the city was obliged to set about building the bridge without having any Bill for it. , By the patriotic exertions of Provost Drummond a portion of the loch was drained tively asserted that Provost Drummond declared to them that he only began to execute what the Duke, afterwards James VII., proposed.” This auspicious event was conducted with all the pomp and ceremony the city at that time afforded. George Drummond, the Lord Provost, was appointed, as being the only former Grand- Master present to act in this position, in the absence of the then Grand-Master, the Earl of Elgin, The various lodges of the Freemasons assembled in the Parliament House at two in the afternoon; from thence, escorted by the City Guard acd two companies of militia, they marched three abreast, with all their insignia, the junior lodges going first, down Leith Wynd, from the foot of which they turned westward along the north bank ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [North Bridge. from somewhere about Coltbridge, to fill, and run through the North ...

Vol. 2  p. 336 (Rel. 1.08)

hstorphine.1 THE FORRESTERS. I21 took the name of Ruthven, and occupied the castle, the family honours and estates, which came by his first wife, went by the patent quoted to another branch of the family. Dreading that the young Ruthvens might play foully with the late lord‘s charter chest, and prejudice their succession, Lilias Forrester Lady Torwoodhead, her son Williani Baillie, William Gourlay, and others, forced a passage into the castle of Corstorphine, while the dead lord‘s bloody corpse lay yet unburied there, and took possession of a tall house, from which they annoyed the defenders, although they were unable to carry the post.” 3 He afterwards became colonel of the Scottish Horse Grenadier Guards. His son, the sixth lord, was dismissed from the navy by sentence of a court-martial in 1746 for misconduct, when captain of the Dejance, and died two years after. His brother (cousin, says Burke) William, seventh lord, succeeded him, and 04 his death in 1763 the title TOMB OF THE FORRESTERS, CORSTORPHINE CHURCH. and furiously demanded the charter chest, of which the Lords of Council took possession eventually, and cast these intruders into prison. Young Baillie become third Lord Forrester of Corstorphine. The fourth lord was his son William, who died in I 705, and left, by his wife, a daughter of Sir Andrew Birnie of Saline, George, the fifth Lord Forrester, who fought against the House of Stuart at Preston in 17 15 ; and it is recorded, that when Brigadier Macintosh was attacked by General Willis at the head of five battalions he repulsed them all. “The Cameronian Regiment, however, led by their Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Forrester, who displayed singular bravery and coolness in the action, succeeded in effecting a lodgment near the barricade, lla devolved in succession upon two Baronesses Forrester, through one of whom it passed to James, Earl of Verulam, grandson of the Hon. Harriet Forrester; so the peers of that title now represent the Forresters of Corstorphine, whose name was so long connected with the civic annals of Edinburgh. It may be of interest to note that the armorial bearings of the Forresters of Corstorphine, as shown on their old tombs and elsewhere, were-quarterly I st and 4th, three buffaloes’ horns stringed, for the name of Forrester; with, afterwards, 2nd and grd, nine mullets for that of Baillie; crest, a talbot’s head; two talbots for supporters, and the motto S’ero. ... THE FORRESTERS. I21 took the name of Ruthven, and occupied the castle, the family honours and ...

Vol. 5  p. 121 (Rel. 1.08)

Leith.] DEATH OF JAMES 111. 201 1488-he embarked in one of Sir Andrew’s ships then anchored in the Roads of Leith, and landed from it in Fifeshire. As the Admiral had been lying there for some time, intending to sail to Flanders, the Barons, now in arms against the Crown, spread a report that James had fled, surprised the castle of Dunbar, furnished themselves with arms and ammunition out of the royal arsenal, “ and,” says Abercrombie, “ overran the three Lothians and the Merse, rifling and plundering all honest men.” In April, 1488, the king re-crossed the Forth in the admiral’s ship, and, marching past Stirling, pitched his standard near Blackness, where his army mustered thirty thousand, and some say forty thousand, strong, but was disbanded after an indecisive skirmish. Fresh intrigues ensued that belong to general history; two other armies, in all amounting to nearly seventy thousand men, took the field James 111. had no alternative but to take flight in the ships of Wood, then cruising in the Forth, or to resort to the sword on the 11th June, 1488. His army took up a position near the Bum of Sauchie, while ‘‘ Sir Andrew Wood, attending to the fortune of war, sailed up the silver winding of the beautiful river with the FZmw and YelZow CaraveZ, and continued during the whole of that cloudless day to cruise between dusky Alloa and the rich Carse of Stirling, then clothed im all the glory of summer.” On the right bank of the river he kept several boats ready to receive the king if defeat-as it eventually did-fell upon him, and he often landed, with his brothers John and Robert and a body of men, to yield any assistance in his power. While attempting to reach the ships James was barbarously slain, and was lying dead in a mill that still stands by the wayside, when rumour went that he had reached the YeZZow Caravd Thus Wood received a message in the name of the Duke of Rothesay (afterwards James IV.), as to the truth of this story; but Sir Andrew declared that the king was not with him, and refilsed to go on shore, when invited, without hostages for his own safety. The Lords Fleming and Seaton came on board in this capacity, and landing at Leith the admiral was conducted to the presence of the Prince, who was then a captive and tool in the hands of the rebels, and only in his sixteenth year. Wood was arrayed in handsome armour, and so dignified was he in aspect, and so much did he resemble the king his master, that the Prince, who had seen little of the latter, shed tears, and said, timidly- ‘‘ Sir, are you my father? ” . Then this true old Scottish mariner, heedless of 123 the titled crowd which regarded him with bitter hostility, and touched to the heart by the question, also burst into tears, and said- “ I am not your father, but his faithful servant, and the enemy of all who have occasioned his downfall ! ” “ Where is the king, and who are those you took on board after the battle?” demanded several of the rebel lords. ‘‘ As for the king, I know nothing of him. Finding our efforts to fight for or to save him vain, my brother and I returned to our ships.” He added, says Buchanan, “that if the king were alive he would obey none but him; ,and that if slain, he would revenge him ! ” He then went off to the ships, but just in time to save the hostages, whom his impatient brothers were about to hang at the yard-arm. The lords now wanted the mariners of Leith to arm their ships, and attack Wood; but, to a man, they declined. In the early part of 1489 Henry of England, to make profit out of the still disturbed state of Scotland, sent five of his largest ships to waste and burn the sea-coast villages of Fife and the Lothians ; and the young James IV., in wrath at these proceedings, requested Sir Andrew Wood to appear before the Privy Council and take measures to curb the outrages of the English. He at once undertook to attack them ; but James, as they outnumbered him by three, advised him to equip more vessels. ‘‘ No: he replied,” ‘‘ I shall only take my own two-the FZower and the Jl‘ellow Carard.” Accordingly, .with the first fair wind on a day in February, he dropped down the Firth, and found the plunder-laden English vessels hovering off Dunbar, and which Tytler surmises to have been pirates, as they came in time of truce. Wood at once engaged them, and after an obstinate conflict, of which no details are preserved, he brought them all prizes into Leith. He presented their captains to the young king, who now further rewarded him on the 11th March, 1490, with the lands of Balbegnoth, the superiority of Inchkeith, the lands of Dron and Newbyrn ; and by a charter under the Great Seal, 18th May, 1491, he granted to Sir Andrew Wood “ license to build a castfe at Largo with gates of iron as a reward for the great services done and losses sustained by the said Andrew, and for those services which there was no doubt he would yet render.” This castle, fragments of which yet remain, he appears to have built, with some adjacent houses, by the hands of English pirates whom he had captured at sea; and the coat ... DEATH OF JAMES 111. 201 1488-he embarked in one of Sir Andrew’s ships then anchored in the Roads of ...

Vol. 6  p. 201 (Rel. 1.07)

Grassmarket.] THE GREYFRIARS MONASTERY. 233 while behind the noble pile of Heriot‘s Hospital thereof, Henry granted to them a charter empowertowers above them, as a counterpart to the old I ing the latter to trade to any part of England, Castle that rises majestically over the north side of subject to no other duties than those payable by the same area Many antique features are dis- the most highly favoured natives of that country, cernible here. Several of the older houses are in acknowledgment, as he states, of the humane built with bartizaned roofs and ornamental copings, i and honourable treatment he met with from the designed to afford their inmates an uninterrupted view of the magnificent pageants that were wont of old to defile through the wide area below, or of the gloomy tragedies that were so frequently enacted here between the Restoration and the Revolution. ” Towards the south-east end of the market place stood the ancient monastery of Grey Friars, opposite where the Bow Foot Well, erected in 1681, now stands. James I., a monarch, who by many salutary laws and the encouragement of learning, endeavoured to civilise the country, long barbarised by wars with England, established this monastery. In obedience to a requisition made by him to the Vicar-General of the Order at Cologne, a body of Franciscans came hither under Comelius of Zurich, a scholar of great reputation. The house prepared for their reception proved so magnificent for the times, says Arnot, that in the spirit of humility and self-denial they declined to live in it, and could only be prevailed upon to do so at the earnest request of the Archbishop of St. Andrews ; consequently a considerable time must have elapsed ere they were finally established in the Grassmarket. There they taught divinity and philosophy till the Reformation, when their spacious and beautiful gardens, that extended up the slope towards the town wall, were bestowed on the citizens as a cemetery by Queen Mary. That the monastery was a sumptuous edifice according to the times, is proved by its being assigned for the temporary abode of the Princess Mary of Gueldres, who after her arrival at Leith in June, 1449, rode thither on a pillion behind the Count de Vere, and was visited by her future husband, James II., on the following In 1461, after the battle of Towton, its roof afforded shelter to the luckless Henry VI. of England when he fled to Scotland, together with his heroic Queen Margaret and their son Prince Edward. The fugitives were so hospitably entertained by the court and citizens, that in requital day. 78 EAST END OF THE GRASSMARKET, SHOWING THE WEST BOW, (FaC-iitRik of an Eichiwg by Jam8 S h of RnbXaw.) THE GALLOWS, AND OLD CORN MARKET. Provost and burgesses of Edinburgh. As the house of Lancaster never regained the English throne, the charter survives only as an acknowledgment of Henry’s gratitude. How long the latter resided in the Grassmarket does not precisely appear. Balfour states that in 1465, Henry VI., “ having lurked long under the Scotts King’s wing as a privat man, resolves in a disgyssed habit to enter England.” His future fate belongs to English history, but his flight from Scotland evidently was the result of a treaty of truce, in Feb., 1464. I ... THE GREYFRIARS MONASTERY. 233 while behind the noble pile of Heriot‘s Hospital thereof, Henry ...

Vol. 4  p. 233 (Rel. 1.07)

William Chambers of Glenormiston (April 16, 1800 - May 20, 1883) was a Scottish publisher and politician, the brother of Robert Chambers. He was born in Peebles and came to Edinburgh in 1814 to work in the bookselling trade. He opened his own shop in 1819 and branched out into printing. With his younger brother, Robert, he produced books of Scottish interest, such as Gazetteer of Scotland. Their publishing business prospered, and in 1859 - the year in which Chambers's Encyclopaedia saw the light - he founded a museum and art gallery in Peebles. As Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1865 to 1869, he was responsible for the restoration of St Giles Cathedral. chambers dictionary ... Chambers of Glenormiston (April 16, 1800 - May 20, 1883) was a Scottish publisher and politician, the ...

Vol. 1  p. viii (Rel. 1.06)

Maitland granting a charter to Robert Winton “of the barony of Hirdmanston, called Curry.” (Robertson’s Index to Missing Charters.”) The present bridge of Currie is said to be above five hundred years old j and the dark pool below gave rise to the Scottish proverb concerning intense cunning-“ Deep as Currie Brig.” Currie Church was an outpost of Corstorphine, and, with Fzla, fomied part of the property given by Mary of Gueldres to the Trinity College. NIDDRIE HOUSE. ‘‘ Mr. Adam Letham, minister of Currie, 1568-76, to be paid as follows: his stipend jc li, with the Kirkland of Curry. Andrew Robeson, Reidare (Reader at Curry; his stipend xx lb., but (it., without) Kirkland” After the Reformation there was sometimes only In the seventeenth century, Mathew Leighton, nephew of the famous Archbishop of Glasgow, a prelate of singular piety and benevolence, was , one minister for four or five parishes. It was a benefice of the Archdean of Lothian. Even so late as the reign of Charles I., it does not appear to have been considered a separate parish from Corstorphine, for no mention is made of it in the royal decree for the brief erection of the see of Edinburgh, though all the adjoining parishes are noticed. Till within a few years, ironjougs hung at the north gate of Currie Churchyard, at Hermiston (which is a corruption of Herdmanstown), at Malleny, and at Buteland, near Balerno. Currie was one of the first rural places in Scotland which had a Protestant clergyman, as appears from the Register of Ministers,” published by the Maitland Club :- curate of Currie during the reign of Episcopacy ; and, singular to say, was not expelled from his incumbency at the Revolution in the year 1688, but died at an advanced age, and was interred in the church-yard, where his tomb is still an object of interest. The parsonage of Currie is referred to in an Act of Parliament, under JamesVI., in 1592; and Nether Currie is referred to in another Act, of date 1587, granted in favour of Mark, Lord Newbattle. Cleuchmaidstone is so named from being the pass to the chapel of St. Katherine in the valley below, and having a spring, in which, it is said, pilgrims bathed before entering it. Some parts of the parish are very elevated. ... granting a charter to Robert Winton “of the barony of Hirdmanston, called Curry.” (Robertson’s Index to ...

Vol. 6  p. 332 (Rel. 1.06)

52 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [The Sciennes. of hermit, or chaplain, resided ; and the charter of foundation mentions that he was to be clothed ‘‘ in a white garment, having on his breast a portraiture of St. John the Baptist.” In the ‘‘ Inventory of Pious Donations,” under date 2nd of March, 1511, there is found a “charter of confirmation of a mortification by Sir John Crawford, one of the prebends of St. Giles’s Kirk, to a kirk built by him at St. Giellie Grange, mortifying thereunto 18 acres of land, with the.Quany Land Soon after the erection of this chapel the convent of St. Katharine was founded near it, by Janet Lady Seton, whose husband George, third Lord Seton, was slain at the battle of Flodden, where also fell his brother Adam, second Earl of Bothwell, grandfather of James, fourth Earl of Bothwell, and Duke of Orkney. After that fatal day she remained a widow for forty-five years, says the “History of the House of Seytoun ”-for nearly half a century, according BROADSTAIRS HOUSE, CAUSEWAYSIDE, 1880. (Fronr a Pa‘ntinx ay-G. M. AiRman.) given to him in charity by the said Burgh, with an acre and a quarter of a particate of land in his three acres and a half of the said Muir pertaining to him, lying at the east side of the common muir, betwixt the lands of John Cant on the west, and the common muir on the east and south parts, and the Mureburgh now built on the north.” This solitary little chapel was intended to be a charity for the benefit of the souls of the founder, his kindred, the reigning sovereign, the magistrates of Edinburgh, ‘‘ and such others as it was usual to include in the services for the faithful departed in similar foundations.” The chaplain was required to be of the foundeis name and family, and after his death the patronage rested with the Town Council. to the ‘‘ Eglinton Peerage ”-and was celebrated for her “ exalted and matronly conduct, which drew around her, at her well-known residence at the Sciennes, all the female branches of the nobility.” In 1516 a notarial instrument on behalf of the sisters and Josina Henrison at their head, refemng to the foundation and mortification of St. John’s Kirk, on the Burgh Muir, is preserved among the ‘‘ Burgh Records.” The convent was founded for Dominicans, and amid the gross corruption that prevailed at the Reformation, so blameless and innocent were the lives of these ladies that they were excepted from the general denunciation by the great satirist of the time, Sir David Lindsay, who, in his satire of the ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [The Sciennes. of hermit, or chaplain, resided ; and the charter of foundation mentions ...

Vol. 5  p. 52 (Rel. 1.06)

ROBERT S. CANDLISH, D.D. ... S. CANDLISH, ...

Vol. 2  p. 188 (Rel. 1.05)

Craigcrook.] HISTORY OF CRAIGCROOK. 107 summer residence of Lord Jeffrey-deeply secluded amid coppice. The lands of Craigcrook appear to have belonged in the fourteenth century to the noble family of Graham. By a deed bearing date 9th April, 1362, Patrick Graham, Lord of Kinpunt, and David Graham, Lord of Dundaff, make them over to John de Alyncrum, burgess of Edinburgh. He in turn settled them on a chaplain officiating at “Our Lady’s altar,” in the church of St. Giles, and his successors to be nominated by the magistrates of Edinburgh. John de Alyncrum states his donation of those lands of Craigcrook, was “ to be for the salvation of the souls of the late king and queen (Robert and Elizabeth), of the present King David, and of all their predecessors and successors ; for the salvation of the souls of all the burghers of Edinburgh, their predecessors and successors ; of his own father and mother, brothers, sisters, etc. ; then of himself and of his wife; and, finally, of all faithful souls deceased.” The rental of Craigcrook in the year 1368 was only A6 6s. 8d. Scots per annum; and in 1376 it was let at that rate in feu farm, to Patrick and John Lepars. At an early period it became the property of the Adamsons. William Adamson was bailie of Edinburgh in 1513, and one of the guardians of the city after the battle of Flodden, and Williim Adamson of Craigcrook, burgess of Edinburgh (and probably son of the preceding), was killed at the battle of Pinkie, in 1547 ; and by him or his immediate successors, most probably the present castle was built-an edifice wbich Wood, in his learned ‘‘ History of Cramond Parish,” regards as one of the most ancient in the parish. In consequence of the approaching Reformation, the proceeds of the lands were no longer required for pious purposes, and the latter were made over by Sir Simon Prestonof Craigmillar, when Provost, to Sir Edward Marj oribanks, styled Prebend of Craigcrook. They were next held for a year, by George Kirkaldy, brother of Sir James Kirkaldy of Grange in Fifeshire, Lord High Treasurer of Scotland, who engaged to pay for them A27 6s. 8d. Scots. In June, 1542, they reverted again to Sir Edward Majoribanks, who assigned them in perpetual feufarm to William Adamson before-named. This wealthy burgess had acquired much property in the vicinity, including Craigleith, Cammo, Groat Hall, Clermiston, Southfield, and part of Cramond Regis. After Pinkie he was succeeded by his son William, and Craigcrook continued to pass through several generations of his heirs, till it came into ~~ the hands of Robert Adamson, who, in 1656, sold to different persons the whole of his property. Craigcrook was purchased by John Muir, merchant in Edinburgh, whose son sold it to Sir John Hall, Lord Provost of the city in 1689-92. He was created a baronet in 1687, and was ancestor of the Halls of Dunglass, on the acquisition of which, in East Lothian, he sold Craigcrook to Walter Pringle, advocate, from whose son it was purchased by John Strachan, clerk to the signet. When the latter died in 1719, he left the whole of his property, with North Clermiston and the rest of his fortune, both in land and movables (save some small sums to his relations) ‘‘ mortified for charitable purposes,” The regulations were that the rents should be given to poor old men and women and orphans ; that the trustees should be “two advocates, two Writers to the Signet, and the Presbytery of Edinburgh, at the sight of the Lords of Session, and any two of these members,” for whose trouble one hundred merks yearly is allowed. There are also allowed to the advocates, poor fifty merks Scots, and to those of the writers to the signet one hundred merks ; also twenty pounds annually for a Bible to one of the members of the Presbytery, beginning with the moderator and going through the rest in rotation. This deed is dated the 24th September, 1712. The persons constituted trustees by it held a meeting and passed resolutions respecting several points which had not been regulated in the will. A clerk and factor, each with a yearly allowance of twenty pounds, were appointed to receive the money, pay it out, and keep the books. They resolved that no old person should be admitted under the age of sixty-five, nor any orphan above the age of twelve; and that no annuity should exceed five pounds. Among the names in a charter by William Forbes, Provost of the Collegiate Church of St. Giles, granting to that church a part of the ground lying contiguous to his manse for a burial-place, dated at Edinburgh, 14th January, 1477-8, there appears that of Ricardus Robed, jrebena‘anks de Cragmk mansepropie (“ Burgh Charters.”) Over the outer gate of the courtyard a shield bore what was supposed to have been the arms of the Adamsons, and the date 1626 ; but Craigcrook has evidently been erected a century before that period. At that time its occupant was Walter Adamson, who succeeded his father Willian~ Adamson in 1621, and whose sister, Catharine, married Robert Melville of Raith, according to the Douglas Peerage. ... HISTORY OF CRAIGCROOK. 107 summer residence of Lord Jeffrey-deeply secluded amid coppice. The lands ...

Vol. 5  p. 107 (Rel. 1.05)

SIR ROBERT CHRISTISON. ... ROBERT ...

Vol. 3  p. x (Rel. 1.04)

$80 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Bmughtoa -- REMAINS OF THE VILLAGE OF OLD RROUGHTON, Isj2. (From a Drawing by Gcorp W. Simson ) CHAPTER XXV. THE VILLAGE AND BAKONY OF BROUGHTON. Brouzhton-The Villaee and Baronv-The Loan-Brouehton first mentioned-Feudal Superiors-Wltches Burned-Leslie’s Head-quarters- -Gordon of E1lor;‘s Children Murdered-Taken Rei Hand-Th Churches erected in the Bounds of the Barony. ACROSS the once well-tilled slope where now York Place stands, a narrow and secluded way between hedgerows, called the Loan of Broughton, led for ages to the isolated village of that name, of which but a few vestiges still remain. In a mernoir of Robert Wallace, D.D., the eminent author of the “Essay on the Numbers of Mankind,” and other works, an original member of the Rankenion Club-a literary society instituted at Edinburgh in 1716-we are told, in the Scots Magazine for 1809, that “he died 29th of July, 1771, at his cuzlntty lodgings in Broughton Loan, in his 75th year.” This baronial burgh, or petty town, about a mile distant by the nearest road from the ancient city, stood in hollow ground southward and eastward from the line of London Street, and had its own tolbooth and court-house, with several substantial stone mansions and many thatched cot- L‘olbooth of the Buigh-The Mmute Books-Free Burgesses-Modern tages, in 1780, and a few of the former are still surviving. Bruchton, or Broughton, according to Maitland, signified the Castle-town. If this place ever possessed a fortalice or keep, from whence its name seems to be derived, all vestiges of it have disappeared long ago. It is said to have been connected with the Castle of Edinburgh, and that from the lands of Broughton the supplies for the garrison came. But this explanation has been deemed by some fanciful. The earliest notice of Broughton is in the charter of David I. to Holyrood, ciwa A.D. 1143-7, wherein he grants to the monks, “Hereth, e2 Broctunam mm suis rectis a’iuisis,” &c. ; thus, with its lands, it belonged to the Church till the Reforrnation, when it was vested in the State. According to the stent roll of the abbey, the Barony of Broughton was most ample in extent,.and, among ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Bmughtoa -- REMAINS OF THE VILLAGE OF OLD RROUGHTON, Isj2. (From a Drawing by Gcorp ...

Vol. 3  p. 180 (Rel. 1.04)

CONTENTS. ix CHAPTER XLVII. MOULTRAY'S HILL-HER MAJESTY'S GENERAL REGISTER HOUSE. PAGE The Moultrays of that Ilk-Village of Moultray's Hill-The Chapel of St. Ninian-St James's Square-Bunker's Hill-Mr. Dundas-Rob& Bums's House-State of the Scottish Recdrds-Indifference of the Government in 174a-The Register House built-Its Objects and Size<urious Documents preserved in this House-The Ofice of Lord Clerk Register-The Secretary's Register-The Register of Sashes-The Lyon King of Arms-Sir David Lindesay-Si James Balfour-Si Alexander Erskine-New Register HoustGreat and privy Seals of Scotland-The Wellington Statue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364 CHAPTER XLVIII. THE S O U T H B R I D G E . Marlii's Wynd-Legend of the Pavior-Peebles Wynd-The Bridge Founded-Price of Sites-Laing's Book Shop-The Assay Office and Goldsmith's Hall-Mode of Marking the Plate-The Corporation, and old Acts concerning it-Hunter's SquarGMerchant Company's Hall-The Company's Charter-"The Stock of Broom"-Their Monopoly and Progress-The Great Schools of the Merchant Company-The Chamber .of Commerce-Adam Square-Adam's Houses-Dr. Andrew Duncan-Leonard Homer and the Watt Institution-Its Progress and Vitality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373 CHAPTER XLIX. THE PLEASANCE 'AND ST. LEONARDS. The Convent of St. Mary-Friends' Burial PlactOld Chirurgeon's Hall-Surgeon's Square-" Hamilton's Folly "-The Gibbet-Chapel and Hospital of St. Leonard-Davie Deans' Cottage-The .. IMOCCnt Railway "-First Public Dispensary . . . . . . 382 KEYS OF THE CITY OF EDINBURGH. ... ix CHAPTER XLVII. MOULTRAY'S HILL-HER MAJESTY'S GENERAL REGISTER HOUSE. PAGE The Moultrays of that ...

Vol. 2  p. 391 (Rel. 1.03)

’ klth] KING JAMES V1.5 HOSPITAL 217 Barker, whose office ceased to exist after the Burgh Reform Bill of 1833. The seal of the preceptory is preserved in the Antiquarian Museum. It bears the figure of St. Anthonyina hermit’s garb, with a book in one hand, a staff in the other, and by his side is a sow with a bell at its neck. Over his head is a capital T, which the brethren had sewn in blue cloth on their black tunics. Around is the legend, S. Cornmum PreceptoriC Sancfi Anthunii, Propc L&cht. there when the ground was opened to lay down gas-pipes; and in the title deeds of a property here, “ the churchyard of St. Anthony ” is mentioned as one of the boundaries. The grotesque association of St. Anthony with a sow is because the latter was supposed to represent gluttony, which the saint is said to have overcome ; and the further to conquer Satan, a consecrated bell is suspended from his alleged ally the pig. On the east side of the Kirkgate stood King ST. MARY’S (SOUTH LEITH) CHURCH, 1820. (After .Ytme+.) Sir David Lindesay of the Mount refers in his vigorous way to “The gruntil of St. Anthony’s sow, There was an aisle, with an altar therein, dedicated to him in the parish church of St. Giles; and among the jewels of James 111. is enumerated “Sanct Antonis cors,” with a diamond, a ruby, and a great pearl, Save the fragments of some old vaults, not a vestige of the preceptory now remains, though its name is still preserved in St. Anthony’s Street, which opens westward off the Kirkgate, and is sup posed to pass through what was its cemetery, as large quantities of human bones were exhumed Quhilk bore his holy bell.” 124 James’s Hospital, built in 1614 by the sixth monarch of that name, and the site of which now forms part of the present burying-ground. At the southeast angle of the old churchyard, says Wilson, there is an ‘‘ elegant Gothic pediment surmounting the boundary wall and adorned with the Scottish regalia, sculptured in high relief with the initials J. R. 6., while a large panel below bears the royal arms and initials of Charles 11. very boldly executed. These insignia of royalty are intended to mark the spot on which KiEg James’s Hospital stood-a benevolent foundation which owed no more to the royal patron whose name it bore than the confirmation by his charter in 1614 of a portion of those revenues which had been long before ... klth] KING JAMES V1.5 HOSPITAL 217 Barker, whose office ceased to exist after the Burgh Reform Bill of ...

Vol. 6  p. 217 (Rel. 1.03)

Drummond Place 1 LORD ROBERTSON. I93 antiquarian taste consorted with the musical skill ancl critical sagacity of the editor of the ‘ Minuets and Songs, by Thomas, sixth Earl of Kellie.”’ At his death, in 1851, a desire was felt by many of his friends that his collection of antiquities should, like that of his friend Scott, be preserved as a memorial of him, but from circumstances over which his family had no control this was found to be impossible, so the vast assemblage of rare and curious objects which crowded every room in No. 28 was dispersed. The very catalogue of them, filling upwards of fifty pages, was in some of its features strongly indicative of the character of the man. Among them we find--“ A smd box made from a leg of the table at which King James VIII. sat on his first landing here;” “fragment of Queen Mary’s bed-curtains;” ‘‘ hair of that true saint and martyr Charles I., taken from his coffin at Windsor, and given to me by the Hon. Peter Drummond Burrel at Edinburgh, December, 1813;” “piece of the shroud of King Robert the Bruce i1 piece of a plaid worn by-Prince Charles in Scotland;” “silk sash worn by the prince;” “pair of gloves belonging to Mary Queen of Scots;” “cap worn by her when escaping from Lochleven;” &c. He had a vast collection of coins, some of which were said to be discovered in consequence of a dream. I‘ The child of a Mr. Christison, in whose house his father was lodging in 1781, dreamt that a treasure was hid in the cellar. Her father had no faith in the dream, but Mr. Sharpe had the place dug up, and a copper pot full of coins was found.” One of the chief features of his drawing-room in Drummond Place was a .quaint monstrosity in bronze, now preserved in the British Museum. It was a ewer fashioned in the shape of a tailless lion, surmounted by an indescribable animal, half hound and half fish, found in a vault of his paternal castle of Hoddam, in Dumfries-shire. Charles Kirk patrick Sharpe was laid amid his forefathers in the family burial-place in Annandale. “May the earth lie light on him,” writes one of his friends, “and no plebeian dust invade the last resting-place of a thorough gentleman of the antique type, now wholly gone with other good things of the olden time !” Patrick Robertson, known as Lord Robertson by his judicial title, was long locally famous as ‘ I Peter,” one of the most brilliant wits and humorists about Parliament House, and a great friend of “Christopher North.” They were called to the bar in the same year, 1815. Robertsonwas born in 1793. In 18qz he was Dean of Faculty, and 73 ,vas raised to the bench in the following year. He was famous for his mock heroic speeches on the :eneral question,” and his face, full of grotesque humour, and his rotund figure, of Johnson-like mplitude and cut, were long familiar to all habitues of the law courts. Of his speeches Lockhart gives a description in his account of a Burns dinner in 1818 :-“ The last of these presidents (Mr. Patrick Robertson), a young counsellor 3f very rising reputation and most pleasant manner, made his approach to the chair amid such a thunder of acclamation as seems to issue from the cheeks of the Bacchantes when Silenus gets astride his ass, in the famous picture of Rubens. Once in the chair, there was no fear of his quitting it while any remained to pay homage to his authority. He made speeches, one chief merit of which consisted (unlike epic poems) in their having neither beginning, middle, nor end. He sang songs in which music was not. He proposed toasts in which meaning was not. But over everything that he said there was flung such a radiance of sheer mother wit, that there was no difficulty in seeing that the want of meaning was no involuntary want. By the perpetual dazzle of his wit, by the cordial flow of his good-humour, but, above all, by the cheering influence of his broad, happy face, seen through its halo of purest steam (for even the chair had by this time got enough of the juice of the grape), he contrived to diffuse over us all, for a long time, one genial atmosphere of unmingled mirth.” The wit and humour of Robertson were proverbial, and hundreds of anecdotes used to be current of his peculiar and invincible powet of closing all controversy, by the broadest form of reductio ad abszrrdurn. At a dinner party a learned and pedantic Oxonian was becoming very tiresome with his Greek erudition, which he insisted on pouring forth on a variety of topics xore or less recondite, At length, at a stage of the discussion on some historical point, Lord Robertson turned round, and, fixing his’large grey eyes upon the Englishman, said, with a solemn and judicial air, “I rather think, sir, Dionysius of Halicamassus is against you there.” ‘: I beg your pardon,” said the other, quickly; “Dionysius did not flourish for ninety years after that period !” ‘I Oh! ” rejoined Robertson, with an expression of face that must be imagined, ‘ I I made a mistake-I meant nludkeus of Warsaw.” After that the discussion flowed no longer in the Greek channg1.a He was author sf a large quarto volume of singu- -. W h d s ‘‘ Memoirs,” rd ii ... Place 1 LORD ROBERTSON. I93 antiquarian taste consorted with the musical skill ancl critical sagacity of ...

Vol. 4  p. 193 (Rel. 1.02)

168 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Leith. and cleaning the channel of the river at Leith. (Burgh Records.) In 1510, on the 9th March, James IV. granted to the city of Edinburgh the port denominated the New Haven, which he had lately formed on the seacoast, with the lands thereunto belonging, lying between the chapel of St. Nicholas at North Leith and the lands of Wardie Brae, with certain faculties and privileges ; and by another charter of the same date he confinned that by Logan of Restalrig, formerly mentioned. ship laden with timber laid her cargo on the shore,. as sold to the Provost and bailies; then came Robert Bartoun, of Overbarton, called the Controller, with a multitude of the men of Leith, and ‘‘ masterfullie tuik the said tymmyr ” from the treasurer and a bailie, which caused the Lords of Council to issue a decree as to the privileges of the city and the seaport, and that none but freemen . were at liberty to buy from or sell to strangers at the said port in time to come. Fresh disputes about similar affairs seem to have 1 HALFWAY HOUSE, LEITH WALK. In the followeing year eight mn, whose names are recorded, were sworn on the holy evangels as pioneers, to labour and serve the merchants at the port and haven of Leith, and to keep “ the shore clear of middings, fulzie, and sic stufe.” In 1514 the tapsters and wine dealers in Leith were summoned before the magistrates of Edinburgh for injuring the privileges thereof by the sale of wine within the sea-port. Three years after this we find the Laird of Restalrig entering a protest with regard to an arrestment made on the shore of Leith, and maintaining that it should not prejudice his rights as Baron of Restalrig. It would seem that in 1517 a Dutch occurred between the same parties in 1522-3, and we find George, abbot of Holyrood, entering a protest that whatever took place between them it should not be to the prejudice of the Holyrood. (Burgh Records.) In 1528 a vessel belonging to the town, called the Portuguese barque-most probably a prize captured by the famous fighting Bartons of Leith -was ordered to be sold to “ thaise that will gif the maist penny thairfore”-i.e., to the highest bidder. Two years afterwards Leith was afflicted by a pestilence, and all intercourse between it and the city was strictly forbidden, under pain of banishment from the latter for ever. ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Leith. and cleaning the channel of the river at Leith. (Burgh Records.) In 1510, on ...

Vol. 5  p. 168 (Rel. 1.01)

iv .OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. CHAPTER VIII. HOLYROOD ABBEY (mnrZu&d). PAGE Charter of W X i I.-Trial of the Scottish TemplarsPrendergast’s Reveng-ters by ROM 11. and 111.-The Lord of the Isles --Coronation of Jams IL-Muliaper of Jam- 11. and III.-Church, &c, burned by the English-Plundered by them-Its Restoration by Jam- VII.-The Koyal Vault-Dexription of the Chapel Royal-Plundered at the Revolution-Ruined in r+The West Front-The Belhaven Monument--The Churchyard-Extent of Present Ruin-The Sanctuary-The Abbey Bells . . . . 50 CHAPTER ,IX. HOLYROOD PALACE. First Notice of its History-Marriage of James 1V.-The Scots of the Days of Flodden-A Bnwl in the Palace-James V.’s Tower-The Gudeman of Ballengeich-His MarriageDeath of Queen Magdalene-The Council of November, 192-A Standing h y Proposed- The Muscovite Ambarradon Entermined by the Queen Regent . . - . . . . . , . . . . . . 60 CHAPTER X. HOLYROOD PALACE (continued). . Queen Mary‘a Apartments-Her Arrival in Edinburgh-Riot in the Chapel Royal-“The Queen’s Manes”-Interview with Knox- Mary‘s Marriage with Darnley-The Podtion of G o - T h e Murder of Rizrio-Burial of Darnley-Marriage of Mary and Bothwell- Mary’s Last Visit to Holyd-Jams VI. and the “ Mad” Earl of BothweU-Baptism of the Queen of Bohemia and Charles I.- Taylor the Water-poet at Holyrood-Charles I.’s Imprisonment-Palace Burned and Re-built-The Palace before 165eThe F‘resent Palace-The Quadrangle-The Galluyof the Kings-The Tapestry-The Audiepce-Chamber . . . . . . . . . 66 . CHAPTER XI. HOLYROOD PALACE (comZu&dJ. The King’s Birthday in 166~-Jams Duke of Alhany-The Duchess of Alhany and General Dabell-Funeral of the Duke of Rothes- A Gladiatorial Exhibition-Depamuc of the Scottish Household Troops-The Hunters’ Company’s Balls-First and Second Via of the p y a l Family of France-Recent Impropunents-St. h e ’ s Yard removed-The Ornamental Fountain built . . , 74 . . . . CHAPTER XII. THE MOUND. The North Loch used for Sousings and DuckinPThe Boats, Swans, Ducks, and Eels-Accidents in the Loch-Last Appearance of the Loch-Formation of the Mound--“ Geordie Boyd‘s Mud Brif-The Rotunda-Royal Institution-Board of Manufactures-History of the Board-The Equivalent Money-Sii J. Shaw Lefenr’s Report-School of Design-Gallery of Sculpture-Royal Society of Edinburgh-Museum of Antiquities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 CHAPTER XIII. THE MOUND (conduded). The Art Galleries-The National Gallery-The Various Collections-The Royal Scottish Academy-Early Scottish Artists-The Institntion- The First Exhibition in Edinburgh-Foundation of the Academy-Presidents : G. Watson, Si Wdliam Allan, Si J. W. Gordon, Sir Carge Harvey, Si Daniel Macnee-The Spaldmg Fund , . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 - CHAPTER XIV. THE HEAD OF THE MOUND. The Bank of Scotland-Its Charter-%dry of the Royal Bank Notes for L5 and for *-The New Bank of Scotland-Its Present Aspect -The Projects of Mr. Trotter and Sir Thomas Dick Lauder-The National Security Savings Bank of Edinburgh-The Fm Church College and Assembly Hall-Their Foundation-Constitution-Library-Museum-B and Theological Societies-The Dining Hall, &.-The West Princes Street Gardens-The Proposed Canal and Seaport-The East F’rince~ Street . Gardens-Railway Terminus-Waverley Bridge and Market . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . . 93 ... .OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. CHAPTER VIII. HOLYROOD ABBEY (mnrZu&d). PAGE Charter of W X i I.-Trial of the ...

Vol. 4  p. 386 (Rel. 1)

so OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [North Loch. THE garden wherein St. David budded trees and cultivated such fruits and flowers as were then known in Britain is a place of flowers and shrubs again, save where it is intersected by the prosaic railway or the transverse Earthen Mound; but those who see the valley now may find it difficult to realise, that for 300 years it was an impassable lake, formed for the defence of the city on the north, when the wall of 1450 was built ; but the well that fed it is flowing still, as when David referred to it in his Holyrood charter. Fed by it and other springs, the loch was retained by a dam and sluice at the foot of Halkerston's Wynd-the dam being a passable footway from the city to the northern fields. In the royal gardens a tournament was held in 1394 by order of Annabel Drummond, queen of Robert III., at which, according to Bower, the continuator of Fordun, her eldest son, David, Duke HOLPROOI) PALACE, WEST FRONT. of Rothesay, the same prince who penshed so miserably at Falkland, presided when in his twentieth year. In 1538, prior to committing the effigy of St. Giles to the flames, the Reformers ducked it in the loch-it being the legal place for sousing all offenders against the seventh commandment. In 1562 the Town Council enacted that all persons of loose life should be ducked in a certain part of the loch, wherein a pillar and basin were formed for the purpose; but this not having the desired effect, all such persons were ordered to be committed, without distinction, to the iron room of the Tolbooth, to be kept therein for a month on tread and water, and to be then whipped out of the city at a cart's tail. The deacon of the fleshers having fallen under this law, the crafts, deeming it an indignity to their order, assembled in arms, broke open the prison, and released him. C H A P T E R X I I . THE MOUND. The North Loch used for Sousings and Duckings-The Boats, Swans, Ducks, and Eels-Accidents in the Loch--Last Appearance of the Loch -Formation of the Mound-" Gcordie Boyd's Mud Brig"-The Rotunda--Royal Irrstitution-Board of Manufactures-History of the Baard -The Equivalent Money-% J. Shaw Lefevre's Report-School of Design-Gallery of Sculpture--Royal Society of Edinburgh-Museum of Antiquiua. ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [North Loch. THE garden wherein St. David budded trees and cultivated such fruits and ...

Vol. 3  p. 80 (Rel. 1)

[PleaMnce. 382 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. thoroughfare named Chambers Street, to which the school was transferred in the winter of 1873-4, The new edifice cost ~ 3 , 0 0 0 , but the accommodation is more suitable and ample than that of the old. Though for many years the directors adhered to their original plan of confining the subjects of instruction to Chemistry, Natural Philosophy, and Mathematics, in later years, at the request of a number of students, the range of education was greatly enlarged. Hence, classes for English Language and Literature were instituted in 1837 ; for History and Economic Science in 1877 ; for Physiology in 1863 ; for French in 1843 ; German in 1866 ; Latin in 1874 ; Botany in 1870 ; Pitman’s Short-hand in 1873 ; Greek in 1875 j Geology in 1872 ; Biology, Free-hand Drawing, and the Theory of Music, in 1877. In April, 1879, the institution was handed over to the Heriot Trust, as a People’s. College, at a meeting presided over by the Hon.. Lord Shand, a patron of the school. CHAPTER XLIX. THE PLEASANCE AND ST. LEONARDS. The Convent of St. Mary-Friends’ Buria! Place-Old Chirurgeons’ Hall-Surgeon Square-“ Hamilton’s Folly ”-The Gibbet-Chapel an& Hospital of St. Leonard-Davie Deans’ Cottage-“ The Innocent Railway ”-First Public Dispensary. AT a period subsequent to the panic after Flodden there was built across the junction of St. Mary’s Wynd with the Pleasance, parallel with the south back of the Canongate, an arched barrier named St. Mary’s Port. South of this, sixty yards from the south-east angle of the city wall and near the foot of the present Roxburgh Street, stood the convent of St. Mary) which must have been a branch of the Franciscan House of “ S. Maria di Campagni,” so much patronised by Pope Urban II., in the Parmese city of Placentia-as the latter name was given to the foundation in Edinburgh, long since corrupted into Pleasance, though the place was of old called Dearenough. It is unknown by whom or when it was founded, and nothing of it now remains save a fine piece of alabaster carving, representing our Saviour brought before the Jewish high-priest, which was discovered among its ruins, and presented to the Antiquarian Museum in 1781. The name of Pleasance is borne by the narrow, quaint, and straggling street southward till it joins the other ancient suburb of St. Leonard, of which it seems to have formed a portion, as proved by a charter of Charles I. confirming the magistrates in the superiority of “ the town of St. Leonard.” In it are many houses, or the basements thereof, that date from the early part of the sixteenth century. St. John’s Hill and this now absorbed village occupy the long ridge that overlooks the valley at the base of the Craigs, and the whole of which seems to have been the ecclesiastical property in earlier ages of several foundations, all of which were subject to the Abbots of Holyrood. On the east side of the street is still a great quadrangular edifice, called Bell’s Brewery (long famous for its ale), which is shown as such in Edgar‘s Map in 1765, and was nearly consumed by fire in 1794 ; and near it is still the Friends’ meeting- house and burial-ground, in which are interred the Millars of Craigantinie, the Hereditary Master Gardeners to the king. This sect, whose members underwent much persecution in the early part 06 the eighteenth century, and were often arrested by the town guard for preaching in the streets, and thrust into the Tolbooth, had their first place of worship in Peebles Wynd, where it was built in 1730. “ Though it was roofed,” says the Cmranf for September, “ there is as yet no window in it; but some merrily observe these people have light within.” On the west side of the Pleasance, and immediately within the south-east angle of the city wall referred to, stood the old Chirurgeons’ Hall, in the High School yards. The surgeons and barbers were formed into a corporation by the town-council on the 1st of July, 1505 j under the seal of cause, or charter, certain rules were prescribed for the good order of this fraternity. On the 13th of October in the following year James V. ratified this charter; and Queen Mary, says Arnot, “in! consideration of the great attendance required of surgeons upon their patients, granted them an ex. emption from serving upon juries, and from watch ing and warding within the city of Edinburgh, privileges which were afterwards confirmed by Parliament.” On the 25th of February, 1657, the surgeons and: apothecaries were, at their request, united into one community. This was ratified by Parliament, and from that time the corporation ceasd ... 382 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. thoroughfare named Chambers Street, to which the school was transferred in ...

Vol. 2  p. 382 (Rel. 0.99)

The etymology of the word Links has been a puzzle to Scottish antiquaries. By some it has been supposed, that fiom the position generally occupied by links, in the vicinity of the sea or great rivers, the word is a corruption of Innis, or Inches, signifying islands ; and it is said that in some of the old records of Aberdeen the word is spelt Linchs and Linkkes. The whole of Leith Links must, at one time, have been covered by the sea, and above their level there stand distinctly up the great grassy mounds (one named by children the Giant’s Brae) from which the guns of Somerset and Pelham bombarded the eastern wall of Leith during the siege in 1560. During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the Links of Leith were the chief resort of the aristocracy resident in Edinburgh as .the best place for playing golf; nobles of the highest rank and the most eminent legal and political officials taking part with the humblest players-if skilful-in the game. In 1619 a curious anecdote is recorded, connected with golfing on Leith Links, by Row, in his “History of the Kirk of Scotland.” no such thing,’ he was silent, went home trembling, took to bed instantly, and died.” The (( Household Book ” of the great Montrose shows that in 1627 hewas in the habit ofgolfing here. March 10. Item: for balls in the Tennis Court Item : for two goffe balls, my Lord of Leith.. ............................... 16sh. going to the goffe ther .............. 10 sh. in Leith that nicht in come and Item : to the servant woman in the Item : for carrying the graith to the 9- ‘I. Itern : for my horse standing straw 7 sh. 8d. .................................... house .................................... 12 sh. (Bumtisland) boat .................. 3 sh. SCULPTURED SSONE, COBOURG STREET. William Cowper, Bishop of Galloway, ((a very holy and good man, if he had not been corrupted with superior powers and worldly cares of a bishopric and other things ” (according to Johnston), became involved in various polemical controversies, among others, with ((the wives of Edinburgh ;” and one went so far as to charge him with apostasy, and summoned him to prepare an answer shortly to the Judge of all the world, at a time when it would appear that the health of the bishop was indifferent. ((Within a day or two after,” says Row, ((being at his pastime (golf) on the Links of Leith, he was terrified with a vision or an apprehension; for he said to his playfellows, after he had in an affrighted and commoved way cast away his playinstruments (i.e., clubs) : ‘I vow to be about with these two men who have come upon me with drawn swords !’ When his play fellows replied, ‘ My Lord, it is a dream : we saw Charles I., who was passionately fond of golf, was engaged in the game on the Links of Leith when news of the Irish rebellion reached him in 1642, and the circumstance is thus detailed in Wodrow’s amusing “Analecta,” on the authority of William, Lord Ross of Hawkhead, who died at a great age in 1738, and to whom it had been related, when in England, by Sir Robert Pye :- The latter was then an old man of eighty years, “and he told him that when a young man, he came down (1642) with King Charles the First to Edinburgh. That the king and court received frequent expresses from the queen ; that one day the king desired those about him to find somebody who could ride post, for he had a matter of great importance to despatch to the queen, and he would give a handsome reward to any young fellow whom he could trust. Sir Robert was standing by, and he undertook it. The king gave him a packet, and commanded him to deliver it out of his own hand to the queen. Sir Robert made his journey in less than three days, and when he got access to the queen, delivered the packet. She retired a little and opened it, and pretty soon came out, and calling for the person that brought the letters, seemed in a transport of joy; and when he told her what he was, and his diligence to bring them to her Majesty, she offered ... etymology of the word Links has been a puzzle to Scottish antiquaries. By some it has been supposed, that ...

Vol. 6  p. 260 (Rel. 0.99)

which is of great height, contains a large painting over the stone fireplace of the Adoration of the Vise Men. A few steps from this was the old Bank Close (so-called from the Bank of Scotland having been in it), a blind alley, composed wholly of solid, handsome, , and massive houses, some of which were of great antiquity, and of old named Hope’s Close, from the celebrated Sir Thomas Hope, King’s Advocate in the time of Charles I., prior to whom it had borne the name of Mauchine’s Close, about the year 151 I. Here, on the site of the present Melbourne Place, stood a famous old mansion, almost unique even in Edinburgh, named Robert Gourlay’s House, with the legend, above its door, “0 Lord in fhe is a2 my fraift 1569”; and it is somewhat singular that the owner of this house was neither a man of rank nor of wealth, but simply a messenger- at-arms belonging to the Abbey of Holyrood, an office bestowed upon him by the Commendator, Adam Bothwell, Bishop of Orkney. In I 5 74 Robert Gourlay was an elder of the kirk, and in that year had to do his public penance therein ‘(for franqorfing wheat out of the counfrie.” In 1581, when the Regent Morton was about to suffer death, he was placed in Gourlay’s house for two days under a guard; and there it was that those remarkable conferences took place between him and certain clergymen, in which, while protesting his innocence of the murder of Darnley, he admitted his foreknowledge of it. Among many popular errors, is one that he invented the “ maiden” by which he suffered ; but it is now known to have been the common Scottish guillotine, since Thomas Scott was beheaded by it on the 3rd of April, 1566. On the 7th of January, 1582, Mopse tells us in his Memoirs, “there came a French ambassador through England, named La Motte (Fenelon), he was lodged in Gourlay’s house near Tolbooth, and had an audience of his Majesty; with him there also came another ambassador from England, named Mr. Davidson, who got an audience also that same day in the king’s chamber of presence.” This was probably a kinsman of De la Motte, the French ambassador, who was slain at Flodden. He !eft Edinburgh on the 10th of February. Herein resided Sir William Drury during the siege of the Castle in 1573, and thither, on its surrender, was brought its gallant defender before death, with his brother Sir James Kirkaldy and others ; and it was here that in later years the great Argyle is said to . . DEACON BRODIE. (After Kay.) havhpassed his last hours in peaceful sleep before his execution. So Robert Gourlay’s old house had a terrible history. By this time the house had passed into the possession of Sir Thomas Hope. Hence it has been conjectured that Argyle’s last sleep took place in the high Council Room, whither, Wodrow says, he was brought before rxecutim. John Gourlay, son of Robert, erected a house at the foot of this ancient close. It bore the date I 588, with the motto, Spes aZtera vife. Herein was the Bank of Scotland first established in 1695, and there its business was conducted till 1805, when it was removed to their new office, that stupendous edifice . at the head of the entrance to the Earthen Mound. Latterly it was used as the University printing-office ; and therein, so latelyas 1824, was in use, as a proof press, the identical old wooden press which accompanied the Highland army, in 1745, for the publication of gazettes and manifestoes. Robert Gourlay’s house passed from the possession of Sir Thomas Hope and Lord Aberuchill into that of Sir George Lockhart (the great legal and political rival of Sir George Mackenzie), Lord President of the Session in 1685, and doomed to fall a victim to private revenge. Chiesly of Dalry, an unsuccessful litigant, enraged at the president for assigning a small aliment of A93 out of his estate-a fine one south-westward of the city-to his wife, from whom ... is of great height, contains a large painting over the stone fireplace of the Adoration of the Vise Men. A ...

Vol. 1  p. 116 (Rel. 0.97)

Holyrood. I KING DAVID’S CHARTER. 43 sake of trade ; and if it happen that they do no come, I grant the aforesaid church from my ren of Edinburgh forty shillings, from Stirling twentj shillings, and from Perth forty shillings ; and ont toft in Stirling, and the draught of one net foi tishing ; and one toft in my Burgh of Edinburgh free and quit of all custom and exaction ; and ont toft in Berwick, and the draught of two nets ir Scypwell ; one toft in Renfrew of five perches, tht ‘draught of one net for salmon, and to fish thert for herrings freely ; and I forbid any one to exact from you or your men any customs therefor. ‘‘ I moreover grant to the aforesaid canons from my exchequer yearly ten pounds for the lights o the church, for the works of that church, anc repairing these works for ever. I charge, more over, all my servants and foresters of Stirlingshirt and Clackmannan, that the abbot and convent havt free power in all my woods and forests, of taking as much timber as they please for the building 01 their church and of their houses, and for any purpost of theirs; and I enjoin that their men who take timber for their use in the said woods have my firm peace, and so that ye do not permit them tc be disturbed in any way ; and the swine, the property of the aforesaid church, I grant in all my woods to be quit of pannage [food]. ‘‘ I grant, moreover, to the aforesaid canons the half of the fat, tallow, and hides of the slaughter 01 Edinburgh ; and a tithe of all the whales and seabeasts which fall to me from Avon to Coldbrandspath; and a tithe of all my pleas and gains from Avon to Coldbrandspath ; and the half of my tithe of cane, and of my pleas and gains of Cantyre and Argyll ; and all the skins of rams, ewes, and lambs of the castle and of Linlithgow which die of my flock ; and eight chalders of malt and eight of meal, with thirty *cart-loads of bush from Liberton ; and one of my mills of Dean; and a tithe of the mill of Liberton, and of Dean, and of the new mill of *Edinburgh, and of Craggenemarf, as much as I .have for the same in my domain, and as much as JVuieth the White gave them of alms of the same Crag. I ‘ ‘‘ I grant likewise to them leave to establish a burgh between that church and my burgh.* And . I grant that the burgesses have common right of selling their wares and of buying in my market, ‘freely and quit of claim and custom, in like manner .as my own burgesses ; and I forbid that any one take in this burgh, bread, ale, or cloth, or any ware -by force, or without consent of the burgesses. I grant, moreover, that the canons be quit of toll . Here them is no mention of the town of Hcr6Crgrrs, alleged to haw occupied the site of the Canongate. and of all custom in all my burghs and throughout all my land: to wit, all things that they buy and sell. “And I forbid any one to take pledge on the land of the Holy Rood, unless the abbot of that place shall have refused to do right and justice. I will, moreover, that they hold all that is above written as freely and quietly as I hold my own lands ; and I will that the abbot hold his court as freely, fully, and honourably as the Bishop of St. Andrews and the Abbots of Dunfermline and Kelso hold their courts. “Witnesses tRobert Bishop of St. Andrews, John Bishop of Glasgow, Henry my son, William my grandson, Edward the Chancellor, Ilerbert the Chamberlain, Gillemichael the Earl, Gospatrick the brother of Dolphin, Robert of Montague, Robert of Burneville, Peter of Brus, Norman the Sheriff, Oggu, Leising, Gillise, William of Grahani, Turston of Crechtune, Blein the Archdeacon, Aelfric the Chaplain, Walerain the Chaplain.” l- This document is interesting from its simplicity, and curious as mentioning mzny places still known under the same names. 1 The canons regular of the order of St. Augustine were brought there from St. Andrews in Fifeshire. The order was first established in Scotlayd by Alexander I. in 1114, and ere long possessed twenty-eight monasteries or foundations in tqe So, in process of time, ‘‘ in the hollow betweqn two hills ” where King David was saved from the white hart, there rose the great abbey house, with its stately cruciform church, having three :ewers, of which but a fragment now remainsT i melancholy ruin. Till its completion the canods Mere housed in the Castle, where they resided till rbout 1176, occupying an edifice which had preiliously been a nunnery. The southern aisle of the nave is the only part if the church on which a roof remains, and of the whole range of beautifully clustered pillars on the iorth side but two fragments alone survive. The mtire ruin retains numerous traces of the original vork of the twelfth century, though enriched by he additions of subsequent ages. With reference o the view of it in the old print which has been :opied in these pages,$ it has been observed hat therein “the abbey church appears with a econd square tower, uniform with the one still tanding at the north of the great doorway. The ransepts are about the usual proportions, but the :hoir is much shorter than it is proved from other kingdom. I - t “Charters relatiagta Cityof E&bwgh,“&u xr43-x5+ao. 4ta. 1871. f see ante, vol. i, p. 5. ... I KING DAVID’S CHARTER. 43 sake of trade ; and if it happen that they do no come, I grant the aforesaid ...

Vol. 3  p. 42 (Rel. 0.97)

Cmigmillar.] CRAIGMILLAR CASTLE. Si Robert XI., “of the lands of Craigmillar, in Vic du Edinburgh, whilk William de Capella resigned, sustennand an archer in the king‘s army.” (Robertson’s “ Index”) Under the same monarch, some time after, another charter was granted, confirming “John de Capella, keeper of the king’s chapel, in the lands of Erolly (sic), whilk Simon de Prestoun resigned ; he, John, performing the same service in the king’s chapel that his predecessors used to perform for the third part of Craigmillar.” The date 1474 above the principal gate probably refers to some repairs. Four years afterwards, William, a successor of Sir Simon Preston, was a member of the parliament which met at Edinburgh June I, 1478. He had the title .of Domine de Craigmillar, the residence of his race for nearly three hundred years. In 1479 this castle became connected with a dark and mysterious State tragedy. The Duke of Albany was accused of conspiring treasonably with the English against the life of his brother, James III., but made his escape from Edinburgh Castle, as related in Volume I. Their younger brother John, Earl of Mar, was placed a prisoner in Craigmillar on the same charges. James 111. did not possess, it was alleged, the true characteristics of a king in those days. He loved music, architecture, poetry, and study. “He was ane man that loved solitude,” says Pitscottie, “and desired never to hear of warre ”-a desire that the Scottish noblemen never’ cared to patronise. Mar, a handsome and gay fellow, “ knew nothing but nobility.” He was a keen hunter, a sportsman, and breeder of horses for warlike purposes. Whether Mar was guilty or not of the treasons which were alleged against him will never be known, but certain it is that he never left his captivity alive. Old annalists say that he chose his own mode 01 death, and had his veins opened in a warm bath but Drummond, in his “ History of the Jameses,’ says he was seized by fever and delirium in Craig millar, and was’ removed to the Canongate, wherc he died in the hands of the king‘s physician, eithei from a too profuse use of phlebotomy, or from his having, in a fit of frenzy, torn off the bandages. In 1517 Balfour records that the young king James V. was removed from Edinburgh to Craig millar, and the queen-mother was not permitted tc see him, in consequence of the pestilence ther raging. But he resided here frequently. In 1544 it is stated in the “ Diurnal of Occurents ” that thc fortress was too hastily surrendered to the Englisl invaders, who sacked and burned it. By far the most interesting associations of Craig nillar, like so many other castles in the south of kotland, are those in which Queen Mary behrs a )art, as she made it a favourite country retreat. Within its walls was drawn up by Sir James Balfour, with unique legal solemnity, the bond of Dardey’s murder, and there signed by so many iobles of the first rank, who pledged themselves o stand by Bothwell with life and limb, in weal or woe, after its perpetration, which bond of blood the wily lawyer afterwards destroyed. Some months after the murder of Rizzio, and while the grasping and avaricious statesmen of the !ay were watching the estrangement of Nary and ier husband, on the 2nd December, 1560, Le 3oc, the French Ambassador, wrote thus to the 4rchbishop of Glasgow :-“ The Queen is for the xesent at Craigmillar, about a league distant from .his city. She is in the hands of the physicians, and I do assure you is not at all well, and do Jelieve the principal part of her disease to consist n deep grief and sorrow. Nor does it seem possible to make her forget the same. Still she repeats ihese words--‘lcould wish to be dead!”’ Craigmillar narrowly escaped being stained with the blood of the dissolute Darnley. It would zppear that when he returned from Glasgow, early in 1567, instead of lodging him in the fatal Kirk-0’- Field, the first idea of the conspirators was to bring , him hither, when it was suggested that his recovery from his odious disease might be aided by the sanitary use of a bath--“ an ominous proposal to a prince, who might remember what tradition stated to have happened ninety years earlier within the same walls.” The vicinity abounds with traditions of the hapless Mary. Her bed closet is still pointed out ; and on the east side of the road, at Little France, a hamlet below the castle walls, wherein some of her French retinue was quartered, a gigantic plane-the largest in the Lothians-is to this day called “ Queen Mary’s Tree,’’ from the unauthenticated tradition that her own hands planted it, and as such it has been visited by generations. In recent storms it was likely to suffer ; and Mr. Gilmour of Craigmillar, in September, 1881, after consulting the best authorities, had a portion of the upper branches sawn off to preserve the rest In ‘‘ the Douglas wars,” subsequent to the time when Mary was a captive and exile, Craigmillar bore its part, especially as a prison ; and terrible times these were, when towns, villages, and castles were stormed and pillaged, as if the opposite factions were inspired by the demon of destruction -when torture and death were added to military execution, and the hapless prisoners were hurried ... CRAIGMILLAR CASTLE. Si Robert XI., “of the lands of Craigmillar, in Vic du Edinburgh, whilk William ...

Vol. 5  p. 59 (Rel. 0.96)

I 68 OLD. AND NEW EDINBURGH. [St. Andrew Square. Natural Phenomena,” and many other scientific and geographical works that have won the firm more than European reputation, including the “ Royal Atlas of General Geography,” dedicated tc her Majesty, the only atlas for which a prize medal was awarded at the International Exhibition oi London, 1862. Alexander Keith Johnston, LL.D., F.R.S., died on the 9th of July, 1877; but the firm still exists, though removed to more extensive premises elsewhere. No less than twenty-three Societies and Associa. tions of various kinds have chambers in No. 5, including the Obstetrical, Botanical, Arboricultural, and Geological Societies, together with the Scottish branch of the Army Scripture Readers and Soldiers Friend Society, the mere description of which would require a volume to themselves. In the entire square there are above twenty insurance societies or their branches, and several banks, and now it is one of the greatest business centres in the city. No. 6 was till 1879 the Scottish Provident In. stitution, established in I 838, and incorporated ten years subsequently. It is a mutual assurance society, in which consequently the whole profits belong to the assured, the policy-holders at the same time, by the terms of’ the policies and by the deed of constitution, being specially exempt from personal liability. No. 9 was in 1784 the house of Sir Michael Bruce, Bart., of Stenhouse, in Stirlingshire. He married a daughter of General Sir Andrew Agnew of Lochnaw, heritable sheriff of Galloway, and died in 1795. The whole site is now covered by the Scottish Widows’ Fund ofice. No 12, once the residence of Campbell of Shawfield, is now the office of the London Accident Company; and No. 14, ‘which no longer exists, was in 1810 the office of the Adjutant-General for Scotland. In No. 19 (now offices) according to one authority, in No. 21 (now also offices) according to Daniel Wilson, was born on the 19th of September, 1779, Henry, Lord Brougham and Vaux, the future Lord Chancellor of Great Britain, son of Henry Brougham .of Scalis Hall, Cumberland, and Brougham Hall, Westmoreland, by Eleanor, daughter of the Rev. James Syrne, and maternal niece of Robertson the Scottish historian. A. and C Black’s ‘‘ Guide ” assigns the third floor of No. ZI as the place where Brougham was born. The birth and existence of this illustrious statesman depended upon a mere chance circumstance, which has in it much that is remarkable. His father was about to be married to a young lady resident near ~ ~ ~ his family seat, to whoni he was passionately attached, and every preparation had been made for their nuptials, when the lady died. To beguile his sorrow young Brougham came to Edinburgh, where, when idling on the Castie Hill, he chanced to inquire of a person where he could find a suitable lodging. By this person he was not directed to any fashionable hotel, for at that time scarcely such a thing was known in Edinburgh, but to Mrs. Syme, sister of Principal Robertson, widow of the Rev. Mr. Syrne, yhilom minister of Alloa, who then kept one of the largest boarding-houses in the city, in the second flat of MacLellan’s Land, at the Cowgate Head, the windows of which looked up Candlemaker Row. There he found quarters, and though it does not appear that he intended to reside permanently in Edinburgh, he soon found occasion to change that resolution by falling in love with Miss Syme, and forgetting his recent sorrow. He married her, and after living for a little space with Mrs. Syme, removed to st. Andrew Square.* The future Lord Brougham received the first seeds of his education at the High School, under Mr. Luke Fraser, and afterwards under Dr. Adam, author of the “Roman Antiquities;” and from there he passed to the University, to become the pupil of Dugald Stewart, Black, Robertson, and other well-known professors, prior to his admission to the Scottish bar in 1800. No. 22, now the office of the Scottish National Fire and Life Assurance Company, was for years the residence of Dr. James Hamilton, who died in 1835, and whose figure was long remarkable in the streets from his adherence to the three-cornered hat, the collarless coat, ruffles, and knee-breeches, of a past age, with hair queued and powdered; foryears too he was in every way one of the ornaments of the metropolis. His grandfather, the Rev. William Hamilton (a branch of the house of PreSton) was Principal of the University in 1730, and his father, Dr. Robert Hamilton, was a distinguished Professor of theology in I 754.. At an early age the Doctor was appointed one of the physicians to the infirmary, to Heriot’s, the Merchant-maiden and Trades-maiden Hospitals, and he was author of one or two of the most elegant professional works that have been issued by the press. The extreme kindliness of his disposition won him the love of all, particularly of the poor, With the costume he retained much of the gentle courtesy and manly hardihood of the In one of his earlier publications, Robert Chambm states that Brougham was born at No. 8 Cowgate, and that his father afterwards moved to No. 7 George Street. ... 68 OLD. AND NEW EDINBURGH. [St. Andrew Square. Natural Phenomena,” and many other scientific and geographical ...

Vol. 3  p. 167 (Rel. 0.96)

Rase Street.] HUG0 ARNOT. ‘59 announced that Bailie Creech, of literary celebrity, was about to lead Miss Burns of Rose Street ‘‘ to the hymeneal altar.” In hiswrath, Creech threatened an action against the editor, whose contradiction made matters worse :-“ In a former number we noticed the intended marriage between Bailie Creech of Edinburgh and the beautiful Miss Bums of the same place. We have now the authority of that gentleman to say that the proposed marriage is not to take place, matters having been otherwise arranged, to the mutual satisfaction of both parties and their respective friends.” After a few years of unenviable notoriety, says the editor of *‘ Kay,” Miss Burns fell into a decline, and died in 1792 at Roslin, where a stone in the churchyard records her name and the date of her demise. In the same year of this squabble we find a ball advertised in connection with the now unfashionable locality of Rose Street, thus :-“ Mr. Sealey (teacher of dancing) begs to acquaint his friends and the public that his ball is iixed for the 20th of March next, and that in order to accommodate his scholars in the New Town, he proposes opening a school in Rose Street, Young’s Land, opposite to the Physicians’ Hall, the 24th of that month, where he intends to teach on Tuesdays and Fridays from nine in the morning, and the remainder of the week at his school in Foulis’s Close, as formerly.” In 1796 we find among its residents Sir Samuel Egerton Leigh, Knight, of South Carolina, whose lady “ was safely delivered of a son on Wednesday morning (16th March) at her lodgings in Rose Street.” Sir Samuel was the second son of Sir Egerton high, His Majesty’s AttorneyGenerd for South Carolina, and he died at Edinburgh in the ensuing January. He had a sister, married to the youngest brother of Sir Thomas Burnet of Leya This son, born at Edinburgh in 1796, succeeded in ISIS to the baronetcy, on the death of his uncle, Sir Egerton, who married Theodosia (relict of Captain John Donellan), daughter of Sir Edward, and sister of Sir Theodosius Edward Boughton, for the murder of whom by poison the captain was executed at Warwick in 1781, It was in Dr. John Brown’s Chapel in Rose Street, that Robert Pollok, the well-known author of “The Course of Time,” who was a licentiate of the United Secession Church, preached his only sermon, and soon after ordination he was attacked by that pulmonary disease of which he died in 1827. In 1810 No. 82 was “Mrs. Bruce’s fashionable boarding-school,” and many persons of the greatest respectability occupied the common stairs, particularly to the westward ; and in Thistle Street were many residents of very good position. Thus No. z was the house, in 1784, of Sir John Gordon, Bart. ; and Sir Alexander Don, Bart., of Newton Don, lived in No. 4, when Lady Don Dowager resided in No. 53, George Street (he had been one of the d h u s in France who were seized when passing through it during the short peace of 1802), and a Mrs. Colonel Ross occupied No. 17, Under the name of Hill Street this thoroughfare is continued westward, between Fredenck Street and Castle Street, all the houses being “selfcontained.” The Right Hon. Charles Hope of Granton, Lord Justice Clerk, had his chambers in No. 6 (now writers’ offices) in ~808 ; Buchanan of Auchintorlie lived in No. I I, and Clark of Comrie in No. 9, now also legal offices. In one of the houses here resided, and was married in 1822, as mentioned in Bkrckwoad’s Magazine for that year, Charles Edward Stuart, styled latterly Count d’Albany (whose son, the Carlist colonel, married a daughter of the Earl of Errol), and who, with his brother, John Sobieski Stuarf attracted much attention in the city and Scotland generally, between that period and 1847, and of whom various accounts have been given. They gave themselves out as the grandsons of Charles Edward Stuart, but were said to be the sons of a Captain Thomas Allan, R.N., and grandsons of Admiral John Carter Allan, who died in 1800. Seven broad and handsome streets, running south and north, intersect the great parallelogram of the New Town. It was at the corner of one of those streets-but which we are not told-that Robert Burns first saw, in 1787, Mrs. Graham, so celebrated for her wonderful beauty, and whose husband commanded in the Castle of Stirling. From the summit of the ridge, where each of these streets cross George Street, are commanded superb views : on one side the old town, and on the other the northern New Town, and away to the hills of Fife and Kinross. According to “ Peter Williamson’s Directory,” Hugo Arnot, the historian, had taken up his abode in the Meuse Lane of South St. Andrew Street in 1784. His own name was Pollock, but he changed it to Arnot on succeeding to the estate of Balcormo, in Fifeshire. In his fifteenth year hC became afflicted with asthma, and through life was reduced to the attenuation of a skeleton. Admitted an advocate in 1772, he ever took a deep interest in all local matters, and published various essays thereon, and his exertions in promoting the improvements then in progress in Edinburgh were which is now the New Town dispensary. c ... Street.] HUG0 ARNOT. ‘59 announced that Bailie Creech, of literary celebrity, was about to lead Miss Burns ...

Vol. 3  p. 159 (Rel. 0.96)

lies directly at the south-eastern base of Arthur's Seat, and has long'been one of the daily postal districts of the city. Overhung by the green slopes and grey rocks ok Arthur's Seat, and shut out by its mountainous mass from every view of the crowded city at its further base in Duddingston, says a statist, writing in 1851, a spectator feels himself sequestered from the busy scenes which he knows to' be in his immediate vicinity, as he hears their distant hum upon the passing breezes by the Willow Brae on the east, or the gorge of the Windy Goule on the south; and he looks southward and west over a glorious panorama of beautiful villas, towering , ' From the style of the church and the structure of its arches, it is supposed to date from the epoch of the introduction of Saxon architecture. A semicircular arch of great beauty divides the choir from the chancel, and a Saxon doorway, with fantastic heads and zig-zag mbuldings, still remains in the southern face of the tower. The entrance-gate to its deep, grassy, and sequestered little buryingground, is still furnished with the antique chain and collar of durance, the terror of evildoers, named the jougs, and a time-worn Zouping-on-stone, for the use of old or obese horsemen. Some interesting tombs are to be found in the burying-ground ; among these are the marble obelisk castles, rich coppice, hill and valley, magnificent in semi-tint, in light and shadow, till the Pentlands, or the 1 on e 1 y Lam m er m u i r ranges, close the distance. The name of this hamlet and parish has been a vexed subject amongst antiquaries, but as a surname it is not unknown in Scotland : thus, among the missing charters of Robert Bruce, there is one to John Dudingstoun of the lands of Pitcorthie, in Fife; and among the gentlemen GATEWAY OF DUDDINGSTON CHURCH, SHOWING TIIE JOUCS AND LOUPING-ON-STONE. slain at Flodden in I 5 I 3 there was Stephen Duddingston of Kildinington, also in Fife. Besides, there is another place of the same name in Linlithgowshire, the patrimony of the Dundases. The ancient church, with a square tower at its western end, occupies a green and rocky peninsula that juts into the clear and calm blue loch. It is an edifice of great antiquity, and belonged of old to the Tyronensian Monks of Kelso, who possessed it, together with the lands of Eastern and Western Duddingston ; the chartulary of that abbey does not say from whom they acquired these possessions, but most probably it was from David I. Herbert, first abbot of Kelso, a man of great learning and talent, chamberiain of the kingdom under Alexander I. and David I., in 1128, granted the lands of Eastern and Western Duddingston to Reginald de Bosco for an annual rent of ten marks, to be paid by him and his heirs for ever. erected to the memory of Patrick Haldane of Gleneagles by his unfortunate grandson, whose fate is also recorded thereon; and that of James Browne, LLD., Advocate, the historian of the Highlands and Highland clans, in the tower of the church. In the register of assignations for the minister's stipends in the year 1574, presented in MS. by Bishop Keith to the Advocates' Library, Duddingston is said to have been a joint dependence with the Castle of Edinburgh upon the Abbey of Holyrood. The old records of the Kirk Session are only of the year 1631, and in the preceding year the lands of Prestonfield were disjoined from the kirk and parish of St. Cuthbert, and annexed to those of Duddingston. On the r8th'of May, 1631, an aisle was added to the church for the use of the Laird of Prestonfield, his tenants and servants. David Malcolme, minister here before I 741, was an eminent linguist in his time, whose writings were commended by Pinkerton, and quoted with respect by Gebelin in his Monde Plillit$ and Bullet in his Mkmoirrs Celtiques; but the church is chiefly famous for the incumbency of the Rev. John Thomson, a highly distinguished landscape painter, who from his early boyhood exhibited a strong predilection for art, and after being a pupil of Alexander Nasmyth, became an honorary member of the Royal Scottish Academy. He became ... directly at the south-eastern base of Arthur's Seat, and has long'been one of the daily postal districts of ...

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for, a matrimonial alliance having been concluded between Ermengarde de Beaumont (cousin of Henry) and King VJilliam, the Castle was thriftily given up as part of her dowry, after having had an English garrison for nearly twelve years. Alexander II., their son, convened his first parliament in Edinburgh in 1215. Alexander III., son of the preceding, having been betrothed to Margaret daughter of Henry 111. of England nine years before their nuptials were celebrated at York in 1242, the queen, according to Amot, had Edinburgh Castle appointed as her residence; but it would seem to have been more of a stronghold than a palace, as she complained to her father that it was a ‘‘ sad and solitary place, without verdure, and, by reason of its vicinity to the sea, unwholesome;” and “that she was not permitted to make excursions through the kingdom, nor to choose her female attendants.” She was in her sixteenth year. Walter Earl of Menteith was at this time governor of the fortress, and all the offices of the city and of the nation itself were in the hands of his powerful family. Many Englishmen of rank accompanied the young queen-consort, and between these southern intruders and the jealous Scottish nobles there soon arose disputes that were both hot and bitter. As usual, the kingdom was rent into two powerful factions-one secretly favouring Henry, who artfully wished to have Scotland under his own dominion; another headed by Walter Comyn, John de Baliol, and others, who kept possession of Edinburgh, and with it the persons of the young monarch and his bride. These patriotically resisted the ambitious attempts of the King of England, whose emissaries, 0; being joined by the Earls of Carrick, Dunbar, and Strathearn, and Alan Dureward, High Justiciary, while theiI rivals were preparing to hold a parliament at Stirling, took the Castle of Edinburgh by surprise, and liberated the royal pair, who were triumphantly conducted to a magnificent bridal chamber, and afterwards had an interview with Henry at Wark, in Northumberland. During the remainder of the long and prosperous reign of Alexander 111. the fortress continued to be the chief place of the royal residence, and foI holding his courts for the transaction of judicial affairs, and much of the public business is said tc have been transacted in St. Maxgaret’s chamber. In 1278 William of Kinghorn was governor; and about this period the Castle was repaired and strengthened. It was then the safe deposit of the principal records and the regalia of the kingdom. And now we approach the darkest and bloodiesl . portion of the Scottish annals ; when on the death of the Maid of Norway (the little Queen Margaret) came the contested succession to the crown between Bruce, Baliol, and others ; and an opportunity was given to Edward I. of England of advancing a claim to the Scottish crown as absurd as it was baseless, but which that ferocious prince prosecuted to the last hour of his life with unexampled barbarity and treachery. On the 11th of June, 1291, the Castle‘of Edinburgh and all the strongholds in the Lowlands were unwisely and unwarily put into the hands of the crafty Plantagenet by the grasping and numerous claimants, on the ridiculous pretence that the subject in dispute should be placed in the power of the umpire ; and the governors of the various fortresses, on finding that the four nobles who had been appointed .guardians of the realm till the dispute was adjusted had basely abandoned Scotland to her fate, they, too, quietly gave up their trusts to Edward, who (according to Prynne’s “ History ”) appointed Sir Radulf Basset de Drayton governor of Edinburgh Castle, with a garrison of English soldiers. According to Holinshed he personally took this Castle after a fifteen days’ siege with his warlike engines. On the vigil of St. Bartholomew a list was drawn up of the contents of the Treasury in the Castra de Edrir6ut-g; and among other religious regalia we find mentioned the Black Rood of Scotland, which St. Margaret venerated so much. . By Edward’s order some of the records were left in the Castle under the care of Basset, but all the most valuable documents were removed to England, where those that showed too clearly the ancient independence of Scotland were carefully destroyed, or tampered with, and others were left to moulder in the Tower of London. On the 8th of July, 1292, we find Edward again at Edinburgh, where, as self-styled Lord Paramount, he received within the chapel of St. Margaret the enforced oath of fealty from Adam, Abbot of Holyrood; John, Abbot of Newbattle ; Sir Brim le Jay, Preceptor of the Scottish Templars; the Prior of St. John of Jerusalem ; and Christina, Prioress of Emanuel, in Stirlingshire. Bnice having refused to accept a crown shorn of its rank, Edward declared in favour of the pitiful Baliol, after which orders were issued to the captains of the Scottish castles to deliver them up to John, King of Scotland. Shame at last filled the heart of the latter; he took the field, and lost the battle of Dunbar. Edward, reinforced by fifteen thousand Welsh and a horde of Scottish traitors, appeared before Edinburgh Castle; the ... a matrimonial alliance having been concluded between Ermengarde de Beaumont (cousin of Henry) and King ...

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322 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. lcolinton. the Belitice Puetaruni Scuiurum. He was a convert to the Protestant religion, and the chief work of his pen is his learned book on feudal law. It has been well said that lie U kept himself apart from the political intrigues of those distracting times, devoting himself to his professional duties, and in his hours of relaxation cultivating a taste for classical literature.” He was present at the entry of King James into London, and at his coronation as King of England, an event which he commemorated in a poem in Latin hexameters. In 1604 he was one of the commissioners appointed by the king to confer with others on the part of England, concerning a probable union between the two countries, a favourite project with James, but somewhat Utopian when broached at a time when men were living who had fought on the field of Pinkie. He wrote a treatise on the independent sovereignty .of Scotland, which was published in 1675, long after his death, which occurred at Edinburgh on the 26th of February, 1Go8. He married Helen, daughter of Heriot of Trabrown, in East Lothian, by whom he had seven children. His eldest son, Sir Lewis Craig, born in 1569, became a senator, as Lord Wrightislands On the death of his lineal descendant in 1823, Robert Craig of Riccarton (of whom mention was made in our chapter on Princes Street in the second volume of this work), James Gibson, W.S. (afterwards Sir James Gibson-Craig of Riccarton and Ingliston), assumed the name and arms of Craig in virtue of a deed of entail made in 1818. He was a descendant of the Gibsons of Durie, in Fife. His eldest son was the late well-known Sir William Gibson-Craig, who was born and August, 1797, and, after receiving his education in Edinburgh, was called as, an advocate to the Scottish Bar in 1820. He was M.P. for Midlothian from 1837 to 1841, when he was returned for the city of Edinburgh, which he continued to represent till 1852. He was a Lord of the Treasury from 1846 to 1852, and was appointed one of the Board of Supervision for the Poor in Scotland. In 1854 he was appointed Lord Clerk Register of Her Majesty’s Rolls and Registers in Scotland in 1862, and Keeper of the Signet. He was a member of the Privy Council in 1863, and died in 1878. Riccarton House, a handsome modern villa of considerable size, has now replaced the old mansion of other times. CHAPTER XXXVIII. THE ENVIRONS OF EDINBURGH (cmtinzted). Colinton-Ancient Name and Church-Redhall-The Family of Foulis-Dreghorn-The Pentlands-View from Torphin-Corniston-Slateford -Graysmill-Liherton-The Mill at Nether Libertan-Liberton Tower-The Church-The Balm Well of St. Kathrrine-Grace Mount- The Wauchopes of Niddrie-Niddrie House-St. Katherine’s-The Kaimes-Mr. Clement Little-Lady Little of Liberton. THE picturesque little parish village of Colinton, about a mile and a quarter from Kingsknowe Station, on the Caledonian Railway, is romantically situated in a deep and wooded dell, through which the Water of Leith winds on its way to the Firth of Forth, and around it are many beautiful walks and bits of sweet sylvan scenery. The lands here are in the highest state of cultivation, enclosed by ancient hedgerows tufted with green coppice, and even on the acclivities of the Pentland range, at the height of 700 feet above the sea, have been rendered most profitably arable. In the wooded vale the Water of Leith turns the wheels of innumerable quaint old water-mills, and through the lesser dells, the Murray, the Braid, and the Burdiehouse Burns, enrich the parish with their streams. Of old the parish was called Hailes, from the plural, it is said, of a Celtic word, which signifies a mound or hillock. A gentleman’s residence near the site of the old church still retains the name, which is also bestowed upon a well-known quarry and two other places in the parish. The new Statistical Account states that the name of Hailes was that of the principal family in the parish, which was so called in compliment to them’; but this seems barely probable. The little church-which dates from only 1771- and its surrounding churchyard, are finely situated on a sloping eminence at the bottom of a dell, round which the river winds slowly by. The ancient church of Hailes, or Colinton, was granted to Dunfermline Abbey by Ethelred, son of Malcolm Canmore and of St. Margaret, a gift confirmed by a royal charter of David I., and by a Bull of Pope Gregory in 1234, according to the abovequoted authority ; but the parish figures so little in history that we hear nothing of it again till 1650, ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. lcolinton. the Belitice Puetaruni Scuiurum. He was a convert to the Protestant ...

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High Street.] CARRUBBER’S CLOSE. 239 the name of “ the Hanoverian usurpers ” from all their devotions. But the humble chapels with which these old Scottish Episcopalians contented themselves in Carrubber‘s Close, Skinner’s Close, and elsewhere, present a wonderful contrast’ to their St. Paul’s and St. Mary’s in the Edinburgh of to-day. In this close was the house of Robert Ainslie’s master, during Burns’s visit to Edinburgh, Mr. Samuel Mitchelson, a great musical amateur ; and here it was that occurred the famous “Haggis Scene,”described by Smollett in “Humphrey Clinker.” At the table of Mitchelson the poet was a frequent guest, while on another floor of the old Clam Shell Land, as it was named, dwelt another friend of Burns’s, the elder Sir William Forbes of Pitsligo, prior to his removal to the New Town. On the second floor of an ancient stone land at the head .of the close dwelt Captain Matthew Henderson, a well-known antiquary, a gentleman of agreeable and dignified manners, who was a hero of Minden, and .a member of the Crochallan Club, and dined constactly at Fortune’s tavern. He died in 1789, and Bums wrote a powerful elegy on him as “ a gentleman who held the patent for his honours immediately from Almighty God.” “ I loved the man much, and have not flattered his memory,” said Burns in a note to the elegy, which contains sixteen verses. The old captain was one whom all men liked. “ In our travelling party,” says Sir James Campbell of Ardkinglas in his (suppressed) Memoirs, “ was Matthew Henderson, then (I 759) and afterwards well known and much esteemed in the town of Edinburgh, at that time an officer in the 25th Regiment of Foot, and, like myself, on his way to join the army; and I may say with truth, that in the course of a long life I have never known a more estimable character than Matthew Henderson.” This close was the scene of the unsuccessful speculation of another poet, for here Allan Ramsay made a bold attempt to establish his theatre, which was roughly closed by the magistrates in 1737, after it had been barely opened, for which he took a poet’s vengeance in rhyme in the GenlZmn’s Magazine. The edifice, which stood at the foot of the close, was quizzically named st. Andrew’s Chapel, and in 1773 was the arena for the debates of a famous speculative club named the Pantheon. Five years subsequently Hind Dr. Moyes, the clever lecturer on natural philosophy, held forth therein to audiences both fashionable and select, on optics, the property’of light, and so forth. It was afterwards occupied by Mr. John Barclay, founder of the Bereans, whose chief tenet was, that the knowledge of the existence of God is derived from revelation and not from Scripture. From him and his followers Ramsay’s luckless theatre passed to the Rev. Mr. Tait and other founders of the Rowites, during whose occupancy the pulpit was frequently filled by the celebrated Edward Irving. The Relief and Secession congregations have also had it in succession; the Catholics have used it as a schoolroom ; and till its demolition to make way for Jeffrey Street, it has been the arena of a strange oZZapodda of per sonages and purposes. In Carrubber’s Close stood the ancient Tailor‘s Hall, the meeting-place of a corporation whose charter, granted to them by the Town Council, is dated 20th October, 1531, and with their original one, was further confirmed by charters from James V. and JamesVI. Theyhad analtar in St. Giles’sChurch dedicated to their patron St. Ann, and the date of their seal of cause is 1500. They had also an altar dedicated to St. Ann in the Abbey church, erected in 1554 by permission of Robert Commendator of Holyrood. The fine old hall in the Cowgate has long since been abandoned by the Corporation, which still exists; and in their other place of meeting in Carrubber’s Close an autograph letter of King James VI., which hung framed and glazed over the old fireplace, was long one of its chief features. It was dated in 1594, and ran thus; but afew lines will suffice for a specimen :- “Dekin and remanent Maisters and Brethren of the Tailyer Craft within oure burgh of Edinburgh, we g e t zow weilL “Forsaemeikle as, respecting the gude service of AZexander MilZer, in making and working the abulzements of our awn person, minding to continue him in oure service, as ain maist fit and meit persone. We laitlie recommendit him into zow be oure letter of requiest, desiring you to receive and admit him gratis to the libertie and fredom of the said craft, as a thing maist requisite for him, having the a i r of our awin wark, notwithstanding that he was not prenteis amongk zow, according to your ancient liberties and priviliges had in the contraie. M‘illing zow at this our requiest to dispense him thereanent, &c, JAMES R.” The king‘s request was no doubt granted, and the Alexander Miller to whom it referred died in 1616, a reputable burgess, whose tomb in the Greyfriars’ churchyard was inscribed thus by his heirs :- “AZexundro Milka, Jorobi Mug. Brit. FY&, &c., Regis Sarion; adfiltrni vifre, frinrario, hmedes. F. C. *it annb 57, obiit Principis et Civium iauta decoratus, Anno 1616. Maii 2.’’ ... Street.] CARRUBBER’S CLOSE. 239 the name of “ the Hanoverian usurpers ” from all their devotions. But the ...

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CONTENTS. PAGE INTROEUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J CHAPTER I. P R E H I S T O R I C EDINBURGH. The Site before the Houses-Traces of Early Inhabitants-The Caledonian Tribes-Agricola's Invasion-Subjection of the Scottish Lowlands -The Rorrao Way-Edinburgh never occupied permanently-Various Roman Remains : Urns, Coins, Busts ; Swords, Spears, ahd other Weapons-Ancient Coffins-The Camus, or Cath-st,neOrigin of the name " Edinburgh"-Dinas-Eiddyn-The Battle of Catraeth 9 CHAPTER 11. THE CASTLE OF EDINBURGH. Of its Origin and remoter History-The Legends concerning it-Ebranke-St. Monena-Def& of the Sawons by King Bridei-King Edwin-King Grime-The Story of Grime and Bertha of Badlieu-The Starting paint of authentic Edinburgh History-Sr Margaret -Het Piety and amiable Disposition-Her Chapel-Her Death-Restoration of her Oratory-Her Burial-Donald Bane-King David 1.-The Royal Gardens, afterwards the Nonh Loch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I4 CHAPTER 111. CASTLE OF EDINBURGH (continued). The Legend of the White Hart-Holyrocd Abbey founded--The Monks of the Castrum Puellarum-David I.% numerous Endowments-His Death-Fergus. Lord of Galloway, dies there-William the Lion-Castle Garrisoned by the English for Twelve Yean-The Castle a Royal Residence-The War of the Scottish Succession-The ( h t l e in the hands of Edward 1.-Frank's Escalade-The Lbrtres Dismantled-Again in the hands of the English-Bullock's Stratagem for its Re-caprurr-David's Tower . . . . . . 21 CHAPTER IV. CASTLE OF EDINBURGH (confinucd). Progress of the City-Ambassidor of Charles VI.-Edinburgh burned-Henry IV, baffled-Albmy's Prophecy-Laws lrgvdiog the Building - of Houses-Sumptuary Laws, 1457-Murder of James I.-Coronationof JarncsI1.-Court Intrigues-Lard Chancellor C r i c h t o n - ~ g ~ c e of the Earl of Douglas-Faction WaR--l'he Castle Resieged--"The Black Dinner"-Edmburgh Walled-Its Strength -Bale-fires . 26 CHAPTER V. EDINBURGH CASTLE (continued). James 111. and his haughty Nobilib-Plots of the Duke of Albany and Earl of Mar-Mysterious Death of Mar-Capture and Escape of the Duke of Altuny-Captivity of James 111.-Richard of Gloucester at Edinburgh-The "Golden Charter" of the City-"The Blue Blanket"-Accession of James 1V.-Tournamen%" The Seven Sisters of Bothwick "-The " Fldden Wall"-The Reign of Jarnes V. -" Cleahse the Causeway !"-Edinburgh under the Factions of Nobles-Hertford Attacks the CastltDeath of Mary of Guise- Queen Mary's Apartments in the CaStle-BLth of James VI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 CHAPTER VI. EDINBURGH CASTLE (continued). The Siege of r573-The City Bombarded from the Castle-Elizabeth's Spy-D~ry's Dispositions for the Siege-Execution of Kirkddy- Repar of the Ruins-Execution of Mortan-Visit of Charles 1.-Procession to Holymod-Comnation of Charles 1.-The Struggle against Epiico-Siege of 1640-The Spectre Drummn-Besieged by Cmmwell-Under the Protector-The Restantion-The Argyles-The Accession of James VI1.-Sentence of the Earl of Argyle-His. clever Escape-Imprisoned lour yms later-The Last Sleep of ArgylcHis Death-Tolture of Covenaoters-Proclamation of W d l i and Maq-The Siege of 16@-Intewiew between Gordon and Dundee-The Cas le invested-Rdiant Defeuce-Capitulation of the Duke of Cordon-The Spectre of Claverhouse . 47 ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J CHAPTER I. P R E H I S T O R ...

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CON TENTS. V CHAPTER XIII. THE DISTRICT OF RESTALRIG. PAGE Abbey Hill-Baron Norton-Alex. Campbell and 'I Albjm's Anthology "--Comely Gardens-Easter Road-St. Margaret's Wellxhurch and Legend of St. Tnduana-Made Collegiate bv James 111.-The Mausoleum-Old Barons of Restalrig-The Logans, &c- Conflict of Black Saturday-Residents of Note-First Balloon in Britain-Rector Adams-The Nisbeb of Craigantinnie and Dean -The Millers-The Craixantinnie Tomb and Marbles-The Marionville Tragedy-The Hamlet of Jock's Lodge-Mail-bag Robberies in Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries-Piemhill House and Barracks. . . . . . . . . . . . . I 27 CHAPTER XIV. PORTOBELLO. Portobell~The Site before the Houses-The Figgate Muir--ctone Coffiqs-A Meeting with Cramwell-A Curious Race-Portobello Hut- Robbers-William Jamieson's Feuing-Sir W. Scott and "The Lay "-Portobello Tower-Review of Yeomanry and Highlanders- Hugh Miller-David Lamg-Joppa-Magdalene Bridge-Rrunstane House . . . . . . . . . . . . I43 CHAPTER XV. LEITH WALK. A Pathway in the 15th Century probable-Genera1 Leslie's Trenches-Repulse of Cramwell-The Rood Chapel-Old Leith Stazes-Propsal for Lighting the Walk-The Gallow Lea-Executions there-The Minister of Spott- Five Witches-Five Covenanters-The Story of their Skulls-The Murder of Lady Baillie-The Effigies of "Johnnie Wilkes" . . . . . . . . , . . 150 CHAPTER XVI. LEITH WALK (conchfed). East Side-Captain Haldane of the Tabernacle-New Road to Haddington -Windsor Street-Mrs H. Siddons -Lovers' Loan-Greenside House-Andrew Macdonald. the Author of" Vimonda "-West Side-Sir J. Whiteford of that Ilk-Gayfield House-Colonel Crichton --Prince Leopold-Lady Maxwell-Lady Nairne-SFr;ngfield-McCulloch of Ardwell and Samuel Foote . . . . . ' 157 CHAPTER XVII. LEITH-HISTORICAL SURVEY. Origin of the Name-Boundaries of South and North Leith-Links of North Leith-The Town frrst mentioned in History--King Robert's Charter-Superiority of the Logans and Magistrates of Edinburgh-Abbot Ballantyne's Bridge and Chapel-Newhaven given to Edinburgh by Jam- 1V.-The Port of 153c-The Town Burned by the English . . . . , . . . . . - . 164 CHAPTER XVIII. LEITH-HISTORICAL SURVEY (continued). The Great Siege-Arrival of the French-The Fortifications-Re-capture of Inchkeith-The Town Invested-Arrival of the English Fleet and Army-Skirmishes-Opening of the BatteriesFailure of the Great Assault-Queen Regent's Death-Treaty of Peace-Relics of thesiege . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .r7o CHAPTER XIX. LEITH-HISTORICAL SURVEY (catinued). rhc Fortifications demolished-Landing of Queen Mary-Leith Mortgaged-Edinburgh takes Military Pasession of it-A Convention-A Plague-James VI. Departs and Returns -Witches-Cowrie Con%pkacy-The Union Jack-Pirates-Taylor the Water Poet- A Fight in the Harbour-Death of Jamer VI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , 178 ... TENTS. V CHAPTER XIII. THE DISTRICT OF RESTALRIG. PAGE Abbey Hill-Baron Norton-Alex. Campbell and 'I ...

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Lauriston.] JOHN LAW OF LAURISTON. 111 tisement announces, “ that there was this day lodged in the High Council House, an old silver snuff-box, which was found upon the highway leading from Muttonhole to Cramond Bridge in the month of July last. Whoever can prove the property will get the box,.upon paying the expense incurred; and that if this is not done betwixt this and the roth of November next, the same will be sold for payment thereof.” . In the time of King David 11. a charter was given t9 John Tennand of the lands of Lauriston, with forty creels of peats in Cramond, in the county of Edinburgh, paying thirty-three shillings and fourpence to the Crown, and the same sum sterling to the Bishop of Dunkeld. The present Castle of Lauriston-which consisted, before it was embellished by the late Lord Rutherford, of a simple square three-storeyed tower, with two corbelled turrets, a remarkably large chimney, and some gableted windows-was built by Sir Archibald Kapier of Merchiston and Edenbellie, father of the philosopher, who, some years before his death, obtained a charter of the lands and meadow, called the King‘s Meadow, 1’587-8 and of half the lands of ‘& Lauranstoun,” 16th November, 1593. On two of the windows there yet remain his initials, S. A N., and those of his wife, D. E. M., Dame Elizabeth Mowbray, daughter of Mowbray of Banibougle, now called Dalmeny Park. Tie tower gave the title of Lord Launston to their son, Sir Alexander Napier, who became a Lord of Session in 1626. Towards the close of the same century the tower and estate became the property of Law, a wealthy gddsmith of Edinburgh, descended from the Laws of Lithrie, in Fifeshire ; and in the tower, it is said, his son John, the great financier, was born in April, 1671. There, too, the sister of the latter, Agnes, was married in 1685 to John Hamilton, Writer to the Signet in Edinburgh, where she died in 1750. On his father’s death Law succeeded to Lauriston, but as he had been bred to no profession, and exhibited chiefly a great aptitude for calculation, he took to gambling. This led him into extravagances. He became deeply involved, but his mother paid his debts and obtained possession of the estate, which she immediately entailed. Tall, handsome, and addicted to gallantry, he became familiarly known as Beau Law in London, where he slew a young man named Wilson in a duel, and was found guilty of murder, but was pardoned by the Crown. An appeal being made against this pardon, he escaped from the King’s Bench, reached France, and through Holland returned to Scotland (Robertson’s Index.) in 1700, and in the following year published at Glasgow his “ Proposals and Reasons for Constituting a Council of Trade in Scotland.” He now went to France, where he obtained an introduction to the Duke of Orleans, and offered his banking scheme to the hfinister of Finance, who deemed it so dangerous that he served him with a police notice to quit Paris in twenty-four hours. Visiting Italy, he was in the same summary manner banished from Venice and Genoa as a daring adventurer. His success at play was always great; thus, when he returned to Pans during the Regency of Orleans, he was in the possession of &IOO,OOO sterling. On securing the patronage of the Regent, he received letters patent which, on the 2nd March, I 7 16, established his bank, with a capital of 1,200 shares of 500 livres each, which soon bore a premium. To this bank was annexed the famous Mississippi scheme, which was invested with the full sovereignty of Louisiana for planting co1onie.s and extending commerce-the grandest and most comprehensive scheme ever conceived-and rumour went that gold mines had been discovered of fabulous and mysterious value. The sanguine anticipations seemed to be realised, and for a time prosperity and wealth began to pre vail in France, where John Law was regarded as its good genius and deliverer from poverty. The house of Law in the Rue Quinquempoix, in Pans, was beset day and night by applicants, who blocked up the streets-peers, prelates, citizens, and artisans, even ladies of rank, all flocked to that temple of Plutus, till he was compelled to transfer his residence to the Place VendBme. Here again the prince of stockjobbers found himself overwhelmed by fresh multitudes clamouring for allotments, and having to shift his quarters once more, he purchased from the Prince de Carignan, at an enormous price, the HBtel de Soissons, in the spacious gardens of which he held his levees. It is related of him, that when in the zenith of his fame and wealth he was visited by John the “great Euke of Argyle,” the latter found him busy writing. The duke never doubted but that the financier was engaged on some matter of the highest importance, as crowds of the first people of France were waiting impatiently an audience in the suites of ante-rooms, and the duke had to wait too, until &It. Law had finished his letter, which was merely one to his gardener at Lauriston regarding the planting of cabbages at a particular spot ! In 1720 he was made Comptroller-General ot the Finances, but the crash came at last. The amount of notes issued by Law’s bank more ‘ ... JOHN LAW OF LAURISTON. 111 tisement announces, “ that there was this day lodged in the High Council ...

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242 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Cowgate. mentioned as residents in it in 1501. He was Provost in 1425, and was succeeded in 1434 by Sir Henry Preston of Craigmillar. Other alleys are mentioned as having existed in the sixteenth century : Swift’s Wynd, Aikman’s Close, and “the Eirle of Irgyllis Close,” in the Dean of Guild’s Accounts in 1554, and Blacklock‘s Close, where the unfortunate Earl of Northumberland was lodged in the house of Alexander Clarke, when he was betrayed into the hands of the Regent Moray in December, 1569. ,In a list of citizens, adherents of Queen Mary, in ’1571, are two glassier-wnghts, one of them named Steven Loch, probably the person commemorated in Stevenlaw’s Close, in the High Street. From Palfrey’s bustling inrrj at the Cowgate-head, the Dunse fly was wont to take its departure twice weekly at 8 a.m in the beginning of the century; and in 1780 some thirty carriers’ wains arrived there and departed weekly. Wilson says that “Palfrey’s, or the King‘s Head Inn, is a fine antique stone land of the time of Charles I. An inner court is enclosed by the buildings behind, and it long remained one of the best frequented inns in old Edinburgh, being situated at the junktion of two of the principal approaches to the town from the south and west.” In this quarter MacLellan’s Land, No. 8, a lofty tenement which forms the last in the range of houses on the north side of the street, has peculiar interest from its several associations. Towards the middle of the last century this edifice-the windows of which look straight up the Candlemaker-rowhad as the occupant of its third floor Mrs. Syme, a clergyman’s widow, with whom the father of Lord Brougham came to lodge, and whose daughter became his wife and the lady of Brougham Hall. He died in 1810, and is buried in Restalrig churchyard. Mrs. Broughain’s maiden aunt continued to reside in this house at the Cowgate-head till a period subsequent to 1794. In his father’s house, one of the flats in Mac- Lellan’s Land, Henry Mackenzie, “the Man of Feeling,” resided at one time with his Wife and family. In the flat immediately below Mrs. Syme dwelt Bailie John Kyd, a wealthy wine merchant, who made no small noise in the city, and who figures among Kay’s etchings. He was a Bailie of 1769, and Dean of Guild in 1774. So lately as 1824 the principal apartments in No. 8 were occupied by an aged journeyman printer, the father of John Nimmo, who became conspicuous as the nominal editor of the Beacon, as his name appeared to many of the obnoxious articles therein. This paper soon made itself notorious by its unscrupulous and scurrilous nature, and its attacks on the private character of the leading Whig nobles and gentlemen in Scotland, which ended in Stuart of Dunearn horsewhipping Mr. Stevenson in the Parliament Square. The paper was eventually suppressed, and John Nimmo, hearing of the issue of a Speaker’s warrant against him, after appearing openly at the printing office near the old back stairs to the Parliament House, fled the same day from Leith in a smack, and did not revisit Edinburgh for thirty-one years. He worked long as a journeyman printer in the service of the great Parisian house of M. Didot, and for forty years he formed one of the staff of Ga&- nanr’s Messenger, from which he retired with a pension to Asni’eres, where he died in his eightysixth year in February, 1879. In this quarter of the Cowgate was born, in 1745, Dr. James Graham (the son of a saddler), who was a man of some note in his time as a lecturer and writer on medical subjects, and whose brother William married Catharine Macaulay, authoress of a ‘‘ History of England” and other works forgotten now. In London Dr. Graham started an extraordinary establishment, known as the Temple of Health, in Pall Mall, where he delivered what were termed Hyineneal Lectures, which in 1783 he redelivered in st. Andrew’s Chapel, in Carrubber‘s Close. In his latter years he became seized with a species of religious frenzy, and died suddenly in his house, opposite the Archer’s Hall, in 1794. In Bailie’s Court, in this quarter, lived Robert Bruce, Lord Kennet, 4th July, 1764, successor on the bench to Lord Prestongrange, and who died in 1786. This court-latterly a broker’s yard for burning bones-and Allison’s Close, which adjoins it-a damp and inconveniently filthy place, though but a few years ago one of the most picturesque alleys in the Cowgate-are decorated at their entrances with passages from the Psalms, a custom that superseded the Latin and older legends towards the end of the seventeenth century. In Allison’s Close a door-head bears, but sorely defaced, in Roman letters, the lines from the 120th Psalm :-‘‘ In my distress I cried unto the Lord, and he heard me. Deliver my soul, 0 Lord, from lying lips and from a deceitful tongue.” In Fisher’s Close, which led directly up to the Lawnmarket, there is a well of considerable antiquity, more than seventy feet deep, in which a man was nearly drowned in 1823 by the flagstone that covered it suddenly giving way. The fragment of a house, abutting close to the northern pier of the centre arch of George IV. . ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Cowgate. mentioned as residents in it in 1501. He was Provost in 1425, and was ...

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manor, and the founder’s own mother and wife, and of all the faithful dead, was specially directed, at the commencement of each season of Lent, to exhort the people to say one Pater Noster and the salutation of the angel to the blessed Virgin Mary for the souls of the same persons.” (“ New Stat. Account.”) The provostry of Corstorphine was considered a rather lucrative office, and has been held by several important personages. In the beginning of the sixteenth century it was held by Robert Cairn- CORSTORPHINE CHURCH, 1817. (After a# Efcking 6 /a?nes SRnv of Rdishw.) present state of affairs.” Cairncross was Treasurer of Scotland in 1529 and 1537. In 1546, John Sandilands, son and heir of Sir Janies Sandilands, knight of Calder (afterwards Preceptor of Torphichen and Lord $t. John of Jerusalem), found surety, under the pain of ten thousand pounds, that he would remain “in warde, in the place of Corstorphine, colege, toun, and yards yairof, until he passed to France.” His grandmother was Mariotte, a daughter of Archibald Forrester of Corstorphine. cross, whose name does not shine in the pages of Buchanan, by the manner in which he obtained the Abbacy of Holyroed without. subjecting himself to the law against simony. one meanly descended, but a wealthy man, bought that preferment of the king who then wanted money, eluding the law by a new sort of fraud. The law wasthat ecclesiastical preferments should not be sold j but he laid a great wager with the king that he would not bestow upon him the next preferment of that kind which fell vacant, and by that means lost his wager but got the abbacy.” This was in September, 1528, and he was aware that the Abbot William Douglas was, as Buchanan states, “ dying of sickness, trouble of mind, and grief for the Robert Cairncross,” he states, In March, 1552, the Provost of Edinburgh, his bailies, and council, ordered their treasurer, Alexander Park, topay the prebendaries of Corstorphine the sum of ten pounds, as the half of twenty owing them yearly (‘ furth of the commoun gude.” In 1554, James Scott, Provost of the Church of Corqtorphine, was appointed a Imd of Session, and in that year he witnessed the marriage contract of Hugh Earl of Eglinton and Lady Jane Hamilton daughter of James Duke of Chatelherault. Conspicuous in the old church are the tombs of the Forrester family. TEe portion which modem utility has debased to a porch contains two altar tombs, one of them being the monument of Sir John Forrester, the founder, and his second lady, probably, to judge by her coat-of-arms, Jean Sinclair ... and the founder’s own mother and wife, and of all the faithful dead, was specially directed, at the ...

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Cnigmillar.] CRAIGMILLAR CASTLE. 61 when descending Craigmillar Hill, a queen’s soldier, who had a loose match in his hand, exploded the powder-barrels, and mortally injured Captain Melville, the kinsman of Sir William Kirkaldy. The latter interred him with military honours in a vault of Edinburgh Castle, where, doubtless, his remains still rest In 1589 there was granted a charter under the great seal to John Ross of the lands of Limpitstoun, which was witnessed in Craigmillar by the Arch- %ishop of St. Andrews, John Lord Hamilton, the Commendator of Arbroath, Maitland of Thirlstane, Walter, Prior of Blantyre, and others. Calderwood relates, that in January, 1590, when Jaines VI. was sitting in the Tolbooth, hearing to the gibbet by forty and fifty at a time. in the sight of Edinburgh and Leith. In 1573 the Loyalists, says Crawford of Drumsoy, sent a strong body of horse and foot, in hope to capture the Regent Morton at Dalkeith in the aight; but found him ready to receive them on Sheriff-hall Muir, from whence he drove them in as far as the Burghmuir, and only lost the Laird of Kirkmichael and some fifty men. Few were killed, recent rains having wetted the gun-matches ; but its ofice houses and grass,” it was advertised to be let in the Edinburgh Cowant for 11th March, 1761. In that year Sir Alexander Gilmour of Craigmillar was elected M.P. for the county. We cannot dismiss the subject of Craigmillar without a brief glance at some of those who occupied it Sir Simon Preston, who obtained it from John de Capella, traced his descent up to Leolph de Preston, who lived in the reign of William the Lion; and, according to Douglas, his father was Sir John Preston, who was taken at the battle of Durham in 1346, and remained in the Tower of London until ransomed. In 1434 Sir Henry Preston of Craigmillar (whose the case of the Laird of Criigmillar, who was sueing for a divorce against his wife, the Earl of Bothwell forcibly carried off one of the most important witnesses to his Castle of Crichton, threatening him with the gallows, ‘&as if there had been no king in Israel.” It was not until after the beginning of the present century that the castle was permitted to fall into ruin and decay, which it did rapidly. It was in perfect preservation, no doubt, when, with ‘‘ all PEFFER MILL-HOUSE. ... CRAIGMILLAR CASTLE. 61 when descending Craigmillar Hill, a queen’s soldier, who had a loose match in ...

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Leith] ST. NINIAN’S CHAPEL 251 the eighty-seventh year of his age, and was able to transact business until a very short time before his death. He was succeeded in the baronetcy by his eldest son, Sir Thomas Gladstone, of Fasque and Balfour, M.P. for Queenborough and other places successively in England. Gladstone Place, near the Links, has been so named in honour of this family. From the top of the Sheriff Brae and Mill Lane, Great Junction Street, a broad and spacious thoroughfare, extends eastward for the distance of two thousand feet to the foot of Leith Walk. Here, on the south side, are the United Presbyterian church, the neat Methodist chapel, and a large and handsome edifice erected in 1839 as a school, and liberally endowed by Dr. Bell, founder of the Madras system of education, at a cost of f;IO,OOO. C H A P T E R X X V I I I , NORTH LEITH. The Chapel and Church of St. NiniaPParish Created-Its Records-Rev. George Wishart-Rev. John Knox-Rev. Dr. Johnston-The Burial- Ground-New North Leith ChurchlFree Church-Old Grammar SchoolXobourg Street-St. Nicholas Church-The Citadel-Its Remains-Houses within k--Beach and Sands of North Leith-New Custom How-Shipping Inwards and Outwards. ON crossing the river we find ourselves in North Leith, which is thus described by Kincaid in ‘787 :- “ With regard to North Leith, very little alteration has taken place here for a century past. It consists of one street running north-east from the bridge, six hundred feet long, and about forty in breadth where broadest. On each side are many narrow lanesand closes, those on the south side leading down to the carpenters’ yards by the side of the river, and those on the north to the gardens belonging to the inhabitants. From the bridge a road leads to the citadel, in length 520 feet ; then IOO feet west, and we enter the remains of the old fortification, on the top of which a dwelling-house is now erected. The buiIdings in this place are in general very mean in their appearance, and inhabited by peopIe who let rooms during the summer season to persons who bathe in the salt water.” One of the leading features of North Leith, when viewed from any point of view, is the quaint spire of its.old church, on the west bank of the river, near the end of the upper drawbridge, abandoned now to secular purposes, separated from its ancient burying-ground (which still remains, With its many tombstones, half sunk amid the long rank grass of ages), and lifting its withered and storm-worn outline, as if in deprecation of the squalor by which it is surrounded, and the neglect and contumely heaped on its venerable history. North Leith, which contains the first, or original docks, and anciently comprehended the citadel and the chief seat of traffic, was long a congeries of low, quaint-looking old houses, huddled into groups or irregular lines, and straddling their way amid nuisances in back and front, very much the style of a Spanish or Portuguese town of the present day; but since 1818 it has undergone great and renovating changes, and, besides being disenambered of the citadel and masses of crumbling houses, it has some streets that may vie with the second or third thoroughfares of Edinburgh. As stated in our general history of Leith, Robert Ballantyne, Abbot of Holyrood, towards the close of the fifteenth century, built a handsome bridge of three stone arches over the Water of Leith, to connect the southern with the northern quarter of the rising seaport, and so011 after its completion he erected and endowed near its northern end a chapel, dedicated to the honour of God, the Virgin Mary, and St. Ninian, the apostle of Galloway, Having considerable possessions in Leith, €he abbot a p pointed two. chaplains to officiate in this chapel, who were ta receive all the profits accruing from a house which he had built at the southern end of this bridge, with A4 yearly out of other tenements he possessed in South Leith. In addition to the offerings made in the chapel, the tolls or duties accruing from this new bridge were to be employed in its repair and that of the chapel, but all surplus the charitable abbot ordained was to be given to the poor; and this charter of foundation was confirmed by James IV., of gallant memory, on the 1st of January, 1493. (Maitland.) This chapel was built with the full consent of the Chapter of Holyrood, and with the approbation of William, Archbishop of St Andrews ; and-as a. dependency of the church of the Holy Crossthe land whereon it stood is termed the Rudest& in a charter of Queen Mary, dated 1569. ... ST. NINIAN’S CHAPEL 251 the eighty-seventh year of his age, and was able to transact business until a very ...

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Cowgate.] ANCIENT Both these relics are now preserved in the Museum of Antiquities. An act of the Privy Council in 1616 describes Edinburgh as infested by strong and idle vagabonds, having their resorts “in some parts of the Cowgate, Canongate, Potterrow, West Port, &c., where they ordinarily convene every night, and pass their time in all kind of not and filthy lechery, to the offence and displeasure of God,” lying all day on CLOSES. 241 Close in 1514; Todrig’s Wynd is mentioned in 1456, when Patrick Donald granted two merks yearly from his tenement therein for repairing the altar of St. Hubert, and in 1500 a bailie named Todrig, was assaulted with drawn swords in his own house by two men, who were taken to the Tron, and had their hands stricken through. Carrubber‘s Close was probably named from “ William of Caribris,” one of the three bailies in THE COWGATE, FROM THE PORT TO COLLEGE WYND, 1646. ( A f b cfdsthumay.) 17. The Cowgate ; 44, Peebles Wynd ; 45, Merlin’s Wynd ; 46, Niddry’s Wynd ; 47, Dickson’s Close : 50, Gnfs Wynd ; 5% St Mad5 w p d ; h St Mary’s Wpd Suburbs ; I; Cov&e Port ; g, Si M a j s Wynd Port ; 53, The College Wynd ; 54. Robertson’s Wynd ; 55. High School Wynd ; q, Lady Yeser‘s Kirk ; .r, The High School ; w, The College ; y, S i M;uy of the Fields, or the Kirk of Fields ; 25, The Town Wall. the causeway, extorting alms with “ shameful exclamations,” to such an extent that passengers could neither walk nor confer in the streets without being impeded and pestered by them ; hence the magistrates gave orders to expel them wholesale from the city and keep it clear of them. The Burgh Records throw some light on the names of certain of the oldest closes-those running between the central street and the Cowgate, as being the residences or erections of old and influential citizens. Thus Niddry’s Wynd is doubtless connected with Robert Niddry, a magistrate in 1437 ; Cant’s Close with Adam Cant, who was Dean of Guild in 1450, though it is called Alexander Cant’s 79 1454, as doubtless Con’s Close was from John Con, a wealthy flesher of 1508. William Foular’s Close is mentioned in 1521, when Bessie Symourtoun is ordered to be burned there on the cheeks and banished for passing gear infected with the pest ; and Mauchan’s Close was no doubt connected with the name of John Mauchane, one of the bailies in 1523; Lord Eorthwick’s Close is frequently mentioned before 1530, and Francis Bell’s Close occurs in the City Treasurer‘s Accounts, under date 1554. Liberton’s Wynd is mentioned in a charter by James 111. in 1474, and the old protocol books of the city refer to it frequently in the twelve years preceding Flodden ; William Liberton’s heirs are ... ANCIENT Both these relics are now preserved in the Museum of Antiquities. An act of the Privy Council ...

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Leith.] THE KING'S WARK. 237 ~ Arnot adds. It was to keep one of the cellars in the King's Wark in repair, for holding wines and other provisions for the king's use. This Bernard Lindsay it was whom Taylor mentions in his '' Penniless Pilgrimage " as having Moreover, the King's Wark was placed most advantageously at the mouth of the harbour, to serve as -a defence against any enemy who might approach it from the seaward. It thus partook somewhat of the character of a citadel; and this BERNARD STREET. given him so warm a welcome at Leith in 1618. That some funds were derivable from the King's Wark to the Crown is proved by the frequent payments with which it was burdened by several of our monarchs. Thus, in the year 1477 James 111. granted out of it a perpetual annuity of twelve marks Scots, for support of a chaplain to officiate at the altar of c'the upper chapel in the collegiate church of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Restalrig." seems to have been implied by the infeftment granted by Queen Mary in 1564 to John Chisho!ia, Master or Comptroller of the Royal Artillery, who would appear to have repaired the buildings which, no doubt, shared in the general conflagrations that signalised the English invasions of 1544 and 1547. and the queen, on the completion of his work, thus confirms her grant to the comptroller :- U Efter Her Heinis lauchful age, and revocation made in parIiament, hir majestie sett in feu farme ... THE KING'S WARK. 237 ~ Arnot adds. It was to keep one of the cellars in the King's Wark in repair, for ...

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Leith.1 THE CUSTOM-HOUSE 259 EASTWARD of Leith lie those open downs called the Links, once of much greater extent than we find them, and doubtless at one time connected ground to the westward of the pier, when it was blowing fresh, with a heavy sea, and before any assistance could be given she was driven upon the beach, near the citadel, having beaten off her rudder and otherwise considerably damaged herself [sic]. They are employed in taking out the cargo, and if the weather continues moderate, it is expected she will be got off.” The waves of the sea are now distant nearly two thousand feet north from the spot where the wreck took place. Three of the bastions, and two of the gates of the citadel, were standing when the old “Statistical Account ” was published, in 1793. Before quitting this quarter of North Leith we may quote the following rather melancholy account given of the latter in 1779, in a work entitled “The Modem British Traveller,” folio, and now probably out of print. About a mile from the city is Leith, which may be called the warehouse of Edinburgh. It is divided into two parts by a small rivulet, over which is a neat bridge of three arches. That part called South Leith is both large and populous ; it has an exceeding handsome church, a jail, a custom-house [the old one in the Tolbooth Wynd], but the streets are irregular, nor do any of the buildings merit particular attention. It was formerly fortified, but the works were destroyed by the English in 1559 [?I, and not any remains are now to be seen. That part called North Leith is a very poor place, without any publick building, except an old Gothic church ; there is a small dock, but it is only capable of admitting ships of a hundred and fifty tons. The harbour is generally crowded with vessels from different parts; and from here to Kinghorn, in Fifeshire, the passage-boat crosses every tide, except on Sundays. . . . Great numbers of the citizens of Edin- ’burgh resort to Leith on parties of pleasure, and to regale themselves with the sea air and oysters, which are caught here in great abundance. . . . with the wide, open, and sandy waste that extended beyond the Figgate Burn to Magdalene Bridge, The town is under the jurisdiction of a bailiff CT], but it may be called a part of, and is subject to the jurisdiction of, Edinburgh, in virtue of a charter granted by King Robert the Eruce.” The Manners’ Church, a rather handsome building, with two smail spires facing the east, is built upon a portion of the site of the citadel, and schools are attached to it. The church was designed by John Henderson of Edinburgh, and was erected in 1840. In this quarter Sand Port Street, which led to the then beach, with a few old houses neax the citadel, and the old church of St. Ninian, comprised the. whole of North Leith at the time of the Union. There the oldest graving-dock was constructed in 1720, and it yet remains, behind a house not far from the bridge, dated-according to Parker Lawson-162 2. The present custom-house of Leith was built in 1812, on the site where H.M. ship Fu~y was built in I 780 ; and an old native of Leith, who saw her launched, had the circumstance impressed upon his memory, as he related to Robertson (whose “Antiquities ” were published in 185 I), “by a carpenter having been killed by the falling of the shores.” The edifice cost A12,617, is handsome, and in the Grecian style, adorned in front with pillars and pediment It stands at the North Leith end of the lower drawbridge. The officials here consist of a collector, twb chief clerks, three first and seven second-class clerks, with one extra ; eight writers, two surveyors, eighteen examining officers, and a principal coast officer for Fisherrow. The long room is handsome, and very different from its predecessor in the Tolbooth Wynd, which was simply divided by long poles, through which entries were passed. In May, 1882, the building at Dock Place (in this quarter) known as the Sailors’ Home, was converted into the Mercantile Marine Department and Government Navigation School. C H A P T E R XXIX. LEITH -THE LINKS. ... THE CUSTOM-HOUSE 259 EASTWARD of Leith lie those open downs called the Links, once of much greater extent ...

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362 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Iauwade families of note. Philip became sheriff of the Mearns, and ancestor of the Melvilles of Glenbervie ; Walter, of the Melvilles in Fife ; but Waren cannot be traced beyond I 178. By the chartulary of Aberdeen, Sir Gregory of Melville, in Lothian, would seem to have witnessed a charter of Alexander II., confirming a gift of Duncan, eighth Earl of Mar, to the church of Aberdeen, together with Ranulph de Lambley, bishop of that see, who died in 1247. His son William was succeeded in turn by his son, Sir John Melville, lord of the barony of Melville, between the years 1329 and 1344. In the reign of King Robert II., the Melvilles of Melville ended in Agnes (grandchild and sole heiress of Sir John of that ilk), who married Sir John Ross of Halkhead, to whom and his heirs the estate passed, and continued to be the property of his descendants, the Lords Ross of Halkhead, till the middle of the eighteenth century, when that old Scottish title became extinct, and Melville passed into the possession of a family named Rennie. The present castle, we have said, was built by the first Viscount Melville, who married, first, Elizabeth, daughter of David Rennie of Melville, and was raised to the peerage in 1802. As Henry Dundas-descended from the old and honourable house of Arniston, well known in Scottish legal history-he had risen to eminence as Lord Advocate of Scotland in 1775, and subsequently filled some high official situations in England. He mamed, secondly, Jane, daughter of John, second Earl of Hopetoun, by whom he had no family. In 1805 he had the misfortune to be impeached by the House of Commons for alleged malversation in his office as Treasurer of the Navy, and after a full trial by his peers in Westminster Hall, was judged not guilty. On this event the following remarks occur in Lockhart‘s ‘‘ Life of Scott ” :- “ The impeachment of Lord Melville was among the first measures of the new (Whig) Government ; and personal affection and gratitude, graced as well as heightened the zeal with which Scott watched the issue of this-in his eyes-vindictive proceeding ; but though the ex-minister’s ultimate acquittal was, as to all the charges involving his personal honour, complete, it must be allowed that the investigation brought out many circumstances by no means creditable to his discretion-and the rejoicings ought not, therefore, to have been scornfully jubilant. Such they were, however-at least, i n Edinburgh ; and Scott took his full share in them by inditing a song, which was sung by James Ballantyne at a public dinner given in honour 01 the event, 27th June, 1806.” Of this song one verse will suffice as a specimen of the eight of which it consists :- ‘‘ Since here we are set in array round the table, Five hundred good fellows well met in a hall, Come listen, brave boys, and I’ll sing as I’m able, How innocence triumphed and pride got a fall. Push round the claret- Come, stewards, don’t spare it- Here, boys, Off with it merrily- With rapture you’ll drink to the toast that I give : MELVILLE for ever, and long may he live ! ” It was published on a broadside, to be sold and sung in the streets. Kay has a portrait of the first Lord Melville in the uniforni of the Edinburgh Volunteers, of which he became a member in July, 1795, but declined the commission of captain-lieutenant. . Kay’s editor gives us the following anecdote :- During the Coalition Administration,. the Hon. Henry Erskine held the office of Lord Advocate of Scotland. He succeeded Dundas (the future Viscount Melville), and on the morning of his appointment he met the latter in the outer house, when, observing that Dundas had already resumed the ordinary stuff gown which advpcates generally wear, he said, gaily, “I must leave off talking, and go and order my silk gown,” the official costume of the Lord Advocate and Solicitor-General. “ It is hardly worth while,” said Mr. Dundas, drily, “for all the time you will want it : you had better borrow mine.” Erskine’s retort was very smart. “From the readiness with which you make me the offer, Dundas, I have no doubt the gown is made tojtaanyparo; but it shall never be said of Harry Erskine that he put on the abandoned habits of his predecessor.” . The prediction of Dundas proved true, however, for Erskine held office only for a very short period, in consequence of a sudden change of ministry. Lord Melville died on the 29th May, 1811, in the same week that saw the deatin of his dearest friend and neighbour, whose funeral he had come to attend, the Lord President Blair of Avontoun ; and the fact of “ their houses being next to one another with only a single wall between the bed-rooms, where the dead bodies of each were lying at the same time, made a deep impression on their friends.” He was succeeded by his eldest son, Robert Saunders-Dundas, as second Viscount Melville in Lothian, and Baron Uunira in Perthshire. He was born in 1771, and married Anne, daughter and co-heiress of Richard Huck Saunders, M.D., upon which he assumed the additional name of . ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Iauwade families of note. Philip became sheriff of the Mearns, and ancestor of the ...

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church was accordingly built for them, at the expense, says h o t , of Az,400 sterling. A portion of this consisted of zo,ooo merks, left, in 1649, by Thomas Moodie, a citizen, called by some Sir Thomas Moodie of Sauchtonhall, to rebuild the church partially erected on the Castle -Hill, and demolished by the English during the siege of 1650. Two ministers were appointed to the Canongate church. The well-known Dr. Hugh Blair and the THE CANONGATE CHURCH. splendid scabbard. This life is full of contrasts ; so when the magistrates, in ermine and gold, took their seats behind this sword of state in the front gallery, on the right of the minister, and in the gallery, too, were to be seen congregated the humble paupers from the Canongate poorhouse, now divested of its inmates and turned into a hospital. Our dear old Canongate, too, had its , Baron Bailie and Resident Bailies before the late Principal Lee have been among the incumbents. It is of a cruciform plan, and has the summit of its ogee gable ornamented with the crest of the burgh-the stag’s head and cross of King David’s legendary adventure-and the arms of Thomas Moodie form a prominent ornament in front of i t “ In our young days,” says a recent writer in a local paper, “the Incorporated Trades, eight in number, occupied pews in the body of the church, these having the names of the occupiers painted on them; and in mid-summer, when the Town Council visited it, as is still their wont, the tradesmen placed large bouquets of flowers on their pews, and as our sittings were near this display, we used to glance with admiration from the flowers up to the great sword standing erect in the front gallery in its Reform Bill in 1832 ruthlessly swept them away. Halberdiers, or Lochaber-axe-men, who turned out on all public occasions to grace the officials, were the civic body-guard, together with a body in plain clothes, whose office is on the ground flat under the debtors’ jail.” But there still exists the convenery of the Canongate, including weavers, dyers, and cloth-dressers, &c., as incorporated by royal charter in 1630, under Charles I. In the burying-ground adjacent to the church, and which was surrounded by trees in 1765, lie the remainsof Dugald Stewart, the great philosopher, of Adam Smith, who wrote the “Wealth of Nations ; ” Dr. Adam Fergusson, the historian of the Roman Republic; Dr. Burney, author of the ... was accordingly built for them, at the expense, says h o t , of Az,400 sterling. A portion of this ...

Vol. 3  p. 29 (Rel. 0.88)

364 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Moultray’s Hill. + CHAPTER XLVII. MOULTRAY’S HILL-HER MAJESTY’S GENERAL REGISTER HOUSE. The Moultrays of :hat Ilk-Village of Moultray’s Hill-The Chapel of St. Ninian-St. James’s SquaeBuuker’s Hill-Mr. Dundas-Robert Burns’s House-State of the Scottish Records-Indifference .of the Government in r74c-The Register House built-Its Objects and Sie-Curious Documents prc;erved in this House-lhe Office of Lord Clerk Register-The Secretary’s Register-The Register of Sasines-The Lyon King .f Arms-Sir Dnrid Lindesay-Sir James Balfour-Sir Alexander ErskintNcw Register House-Great and Privy Seals of Scotland-The Wellington Statue. AT the north end of the bridge, and immediately opposite it and the New General Post Office, the ground forming the east end of the main ridge onwhich the New Town is built rises to some elevation, and bore the name of Multrie’s or Moultray’s Hill, which Lord Hailes in his “Annals ” supposes to be the corruption of two Gaelic words “signifying the covert or receptacle of the wild boar;” but it would appear rather to have taken its name from the fact of its being the residence of the Moultrays of Seafield, a baronial Fifeshire family of eminence in the time of James IV., whose lonely old tower stands in ruins upon a wave-washed rock near K i n g h o r n. Alexander Stemart of Grenane (ancestor of the Earls of Galloway), who fell: at Flodden, left sixteen daughters, one of whom was married to Moultray of Seafield, and another to Tours of Inverassize,” in a criminal trial, as recorded by Pitcairn. In 1715 Alexander Malloch of Moultray’s Hill quitted this ancient house at Edinburgh, to join the DK. JOHN HOPE. (AferKay.) leith, whose castle in those days would be quite visible from the height where St. James’s Square stands. The name first occurs in Scottish records, in the time of David II., when ‘ I Henry Multra” had the lands of Greenhill, near Edinburgh, of Henry Braid of that ilk. On the 7th of February, 1549, John Moultray of Seafield signed a charter in the chartulary of Dunfermline. In 1559, the laird being of the Catholic faction, had to furnish the insurgent lords with corn and cattle. They besieged his tower, and took him prisoner, but released him on parole not to assist the queen regent’s French troops. In 1559 Moultray of Seafield m‘as chancellor of “ane Highlanders under Brigadier Macintosh of Borlum, but was shot dead in mistake by them near the village of Jock’s Lodge; and after 1739 the older family, which became extinct, was represented by the Moultrays of Rescobie. From the abode of this old race, then, Moultray’s Hilltook itsname. Gordon of Rothiemay’s map shows a large quadrangular edifice, with gables and dormer windows crowning the apex of the hill, which may be the residence of the family referred to ; but by 1701 quite a suburban village had sprung up in that quarter, the occupants of which, weavers and other tradesmen, had the quarrel, recorded elsewhere, withthe magistrates of Edinburgh, who, to punish them, closed Halkerston’s Wynd Port, and, by the loch sluice, flooded the pathway that led to their houses. In 1765 the village seems to have consisted of at least ten distinct blocks of several houses each, surrounded by gardens and parks, on each side of the extreme east end of the Long Gate (now Princes Street), and from thence Leith Street takes precisely the curve of the old road, on its way to join the Walk. At the eastern foot of this hill, exactly where now stands the western pier of the Regent Bridge, deep down in a narrow hollow, stood the ancient chapel of St. Ninian (or St. Ringan, “whose fame,” says Nirnmo, ‘‘ has been embalmed in the many churches ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Moultray’s Hill. + CHAPTER XLVII. MOULTRAY’S HILL-HER MAJESTY’S GENERAL REGISTER ...

Vol. 2  p. 364 (Rel. 0.88)

THE GREAT WINCOW. ‘59 Parliament Hoox.] obelisks, with the motto Bominus cusfodif infroifurn msfrunz. The destruction of all this was utterly unwarrantable. The tapestries with which the hall was hung were all removed about the end of the last century, and now its pictnres, statues, and decorations of Scotland’s elder and latter days replace them. Of the statues of the distinguished Scottish statesmen and lawyers, the most noticeable are a colossal one of Henry first Viscount Melville in his robes as a peer, by Chantrey ; on his left is Lord Cockburn, by Brodie ; Duncan Forbes of Culloden, in his judicial costume as President of the Court, by Roubiliac (a fine example) ; the Lord President Boyle, and Lord Jeffrey, by Steel ; the Lord President Blair (son of the author of “The Grave”), by Chantrey.. . On the opposite or eastern side of the hall (which stands north and south) is the statue of Robert Dundas of Arniston, Lord Chief Baron of the Scottish Exchequer, also by Chautrey; portraits, many of them of considerable antiquity, some by Jameson, a Scottish painter who studied under Rubens at Antwerp. But the most remarkable among the modern portraits are those of Lord Broiigham, by Sir Daniel Macnee, P.R.S.A. ; Lord Colonsay, formerly President of the Court, and the Lord Justice-clerk Hope, both by the same artist. Thete are also two very tine pQrtraits of Lord Abercrombie and Professor Bell, by Sir Henry Raeburn. Light is given to this interestihg hall by fouI windows on the side, and the great window on the south. It is of stained glass, and trulymagnificent. It was erected in 1868 at a cost of Az,ooo, and was the work of two German artists, having been designed by Wilhelm von Kaulbach, and executed by the Chevalier Ainmiller of Munich. It repre. sents the inauguration of the College of Justice, 01: the Supreme Court of Scotland, by King Tames V., in 1532. The opening of the court is supposed by the artist to have been the. occasion of a grand state ceremonial, and the moment chosen for representation is that in which the young king, surrounded by his nobles and great officers of state, is depicted in the ,act of presenting the charter of institution and of confirniation by Pope Clement VII. to Alexander Mylne, Abbot of Cambuskenneth, the first Lord President, wha kneels before him to receive it, surrounded by the other judges in their robes, while the then Lord Chancellor of Scotland, Gavin Dunbar, ArchbishoF of Glasgow, and afterwards of St. Andrews, with upraised hand invokes a.blessing on the act. In 1870 the four side windows on the west of the la11 were filled in with stained glass Qf a heraldic :haracter, under the superintendence of the late Sir George Harvey, president of the Royal Scottish kcadeniy. Each window is twenty feet high ~y nine wide, divided by a central mullion, the :racery between being occupied by the armorial learings and crests of the various Lord Justice- Zlerks, the great legal writers of the Faculty of Advocates, those of the Deans of Faculty, and the Lords Advocate. This old hall has been the scene of many a ;reat event and many a strange debate, and most Df the proceedings that took place here belong to the history of the country j for with the exception of the Castle and the ancient portion of Holyrood, no edifice in the city is so rich in historic memories. Beneath the old roof consecrated to these, says one of its latest chroniclers, “ the first ’great movements of the Civil War took place, and the successive steps in that eventful crisis were debated with a zeal commensurate to the important results involved in them. Here Montrose united with Rothes, Lindsay, Loudon, and others of the covenanting leaders, in maturing the bold measures that formed the basis of our national liberties ; and within the same hall, only a few years later, he sat with the calmness of despair, to receive from the lips of his old compatriot, Loudon, the barbarous sentence, which was executed with such savage rigour.” After his victory at Dunbar, some of Cromwell’s troopers in their falling bands, buff coats, and steel morions, spent their time alternately in preaching to the people in the Parliament Hall and guarding a number of Scottish prisoners of war who were confined in “ the laigh Parliament House ” below it On the 17th of May, 1654, some of these contrived to cut a hole in the floor of the great hall, and all effected their escape save two; but when peace was established between Croniwell and the Scots, and the Courts of Law resumed their sittings, the hall was restored to somewhat of its legitimate uses, and there, in 1655, the leaders of the Commonwealth, including General Monk, were feasted with a lavish hospitality. In 1660, under the auspices of the same republican general, came to pass “ the - glorious Restoration,” when the magistrates had a banquet Ft the cross, and gave _~;I,OOO sterling to the king; and his brother, the Duke of Albany and York, who came as Koyal Commissioner, was feasted in the same hall with his Princess Mary d’Este and his daughter, the future Queen Anne, surrounded by all the high-born and beautiful in Scotland. But dark ... GREAT WINCOW. ‘59 Parliament Hoox.] obelisks, with the motto Bominus cusfodif infroifurn msfrunz. The ...

Vol. 1  p. 159 (Rel. 0.87)

298 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [‘Newhaven. there was built and launched, in I 5 I I, the famous war-ship of James IV., the Great Mkhael, said to have been the largest vessel that, in those days, had ever floated on the sea Jacques Tarette was the builder or naval architect, and certainly he left nothing undone to gratify the desire of James to possess the greatest and most magnificent ship in the world. “The fame of this ship spread oveI Europe,” says Buchanan, “and emulous of the King of Scotland, Francis I, and Henry VIII. endeavoured to outvie each other in building two enormous arks, which were so unwieldy that they floated on the water useless and immovable, like jslands” This extraordinary vessel is said to hay been sometimes confounded in history with anotheI huge argosy, built in the preceding reign by Kennedy, Bishop of St Andrews, and known as the BzYzop’s Bup. But the latter was purely a merchant vessel, and was wrecked and pillaged on the coast of England about 1474, whereas the Greaf Michad was in all respects a formidable ship of war, and she may with some truth be claimed as the first 6‘ armour-clad,” as amidships her sides were padded with solid oak ten feet thick. She cost E30,ooo, an enormous sum in those days; but James ZV. was lavish in his ship-building, and among his many brilliant and romantic schenies actually planned a voyage to the Mediterranean, with a Scottish fleet., to visit Jerusalem. Lindesay of Pitscottie says that this enormous vessel required for her construction so much timber that, save Falkland, she consumed all the oak wood in Fife and all that came out’ of Norway. She was 240 feet long by 36 feet wide, inside measurement, and 10 feet thick in the walls. She was armed with many heavy guns, and “three great bassils, two behind in her dock (stem) and one before,” and no less than 300 ‘‘ shot of small artillery,” th@ is to say, ‘ I moyennes, falcons, quarter falcons, slings, pestilent serpentines, and double dags, with hacbuts, culverins, cross-bows and handbows.” She had 300 mariners, 120 cannoniers, and 1,000 soldiers, with their captains and quartermasters. At Tullibardiae her dimensions were long to be seen, planted in hawthorn, by Jacques Tarette, ‘‘ the wright that helped to make her,” adds Pitscottie. “As for other properties of her, Sk Andrew Wood is my author, who was quartermaster of her, and Robert Barton, who was master skipper. The ship lay still in the Roads of Leith, the King every day taking pleasure to pass her, and to dine and sup in her with his lords, letting them see the order of his ship.” The ambassador of Henry VIII. also gives a description of the MicAael, but merely says she had ‘ I sixteen pieces of great ordnance on each side,” besides many more of smaNer calibre. Shortly before the formal declaration of war against England, the Governor of Berwick, in writing to Henry VIII. concerning the designs of his brother-in-law, stated that the King of Scotland intended to lead the fleet against England himself, leaving his generals to lead the army ; and had he done so, the tale of Flodden field had perhaps been a different and less sorrowful one. In 1510 Sir Andrew Wood had been created ‘‘ Admiral of the Seas,” by James IV. ; thus, when appointed to the Great MichaeZ in the following year it must have been in the capacity of commander and not “quartermaster,” as the garrulous Pitscottie has it Buchanan asserts that the great ship was suffered to rot in the harbour of Brest; it may have done so eventually; but it is now a s certained that in April, I 5 14, she was sold to Louis XII. by the Duke of Albany, in the name of the Scottish Government, for the sum of forty thousand lines. Two other Scottish war-ships, the JamCS and Murgaret, were sold at the same time The chapel at Newhaven appears to have been a dependencyof thepreceptory of St. Anthonyat Leith. In 1614, with its grounds, it was conveyed in the same charter with the latter, to the Kirk Session of South Leith, by James VI., and they are described, “all that place and piece of ground whereon the Chapel of St. James, anciently called the Virgin Mary of Newhaven stood, lying within the town of Newhaven and our sheriffwick of Edinburgh.’’ They now form a portion of the North Leith parish, as stated. When the chapel became a ruin is unknown. The area is now included in the Fishermen’s burying-ground, which contains no tombstones save one to an inhabitant of Edinburgh, and has been long unused. Early in September, 1550, there came to anchor off Newhaven sixty stately galleys and other ships, under the command of Strozzi, Prior of Capua, and there the queen mother embarked to visit her daughter Mary in France. On this occasion she was accompanied by a brilliant train, including the Earls of Huntly, Cassillis, Sutherland, and Marischal; the Prior of St. Andrews (the Regent Moray of the future), the Lords Home, Fleming, and Maxwell, the Bishops of Caithness and Galloway J three of her French commanders from Leith, Paul de Thermes, Biron, La Chapelle, the French Ambassador, General D’Osell, and many ladies, with whom, after being forced to take refuge from storms in more than one English port, she landed at Dieppe on the 19th of the same month. ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [‘Newhaven. there was built and launched, in I 5 I I, the famous war-ship of James ...

Vol. 6  p. 298 (Rel. 0.87)

OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. Scotland. But it does not appear that any of this family ever sat in Parliament. The title is supposed to be extinct, though a claim was advanced to it recently. The parish church is cruciform, and was erected Cromwell, as a commissioner for forfeited estates, in 1654. In 1795 there was interred here William Davidson, of Muirhouse, who died in his 8Ist year, and was long known as one of the most eminent of OLD CRAMOND BRIG. in 1656, and is in the plain and tasteless style of the period. On the north side of it is a mural tamb, inscribed-" HERE LYES THE BODY OF SIR JAMES HOPE, OF HOPETOW, WHO DECEASED ANNO 1661." It bears his arms and likeness, cut in bold relief. He was the fourth son of Sir Thomas Hope, of Craighall, was a famous alchemist in his time, and the first who brought the art of mining to any perfection in Scotland. He was a senator of the College of Justice, and was in league with Scottish merchants at Rotterdam, where he amassed a fortune, and purchased the barony of Muirhouse in 1776. Among the many fine mansions here perhaps the most prominent is the modem oiie of Barnton, erected on the site of an old fortalice, and on rising ground, amid a magnificently-wooded park 400 acres in extent, Barnton House was of old called Crainond Re@, as it was once a royal hunting seat, and in a charter of Muirhouse, granted by ... AND NEW EDINBURGH. Scotland. But it does not appear that any of this family ever sat in Parliament. The title ...

Vol. 6  p. 316 (Rel. 0.87)

OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Craigmillar. -- 58 competition, the first prize for the chapel, &c., was awarded to James Grant, Hope Park End. Skirting the cemetery on the west, the Powburn here tums south, and running under Cameron Bridge, after a bend, turns acutely north, and flows through the grounds of Prestonfield towards Duddingston Loch. Out of his lands of Cameron, Sir Simon Preston of Craigmillar, in 1474, gave an annual rent of ten marks to a chaplain in the church of Musselburgh. Craigmillar Park and Craigmillar Road take their name from the adjacent ruined castle ; and at Bridge-end, at the base of the slope on which it stands, James V. had a hunting-lodge and chapel, some traces of which still exist in the form of a stable. On the summit of an eminence, visible from the whole surrounding country-the crazg-moiZwd of antiquity (the high bare rock, no doubt, it once was) -stands the venerable Castle of Craigmillar, with a history nearly as long as that of Holyrood, and which is inseparably connected with that of Edinburgh, having its silent records of royalty and rank-its imperishable memories of much that has perished for ever. The hill on which it stands, in view of tile encroaching city-which ’ bids fair some day to surround it-is richly planted with young wood ; but in the immediate vicinity of the ruin some of the old ancestral trees remain, where they have braved the storms of centuries. Craigmillar is remarkable as being the only family mansion in Scotland systematically built on the principles of fortification in use during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. In the centre tower, the square donjon keep is of the earliest age of baronial architecture, built we know not when, or by whom, and surrounded now by an external wall, high and strong, enclosing a considerable area, with round flanking towers about sixty feet apart in front, to protect the curtains between-all raised in. those ages of strife and bloodshed when our Scottish nobles- “Carved at the meal with gloves of steel, And drank aeir wine through the helmet barredr” Its lofty and stately vaulted hall measures thirty-six feet long by twenty-two feet in breadth, with a noble fireplace eleven feet wide, and on the lower portions of it some remnants of old paintings may be traced, and on the stone slab of one 01 the windows a diagram for playing an old knightly game called “Troy.” There are below it several gloomy dungeons, in one of which John Pinkerton, Advocate, and Mr. Irvine, W.S., discovered in 1813 a human skeleton, built into the wall upright. What dark secrets the old walls of this castle could tell, had their stones tongues ! for an old, old house it is, full of thrilling historical and warlike memories. Besides the keep and the older towers, there is within the walls a structure of more modern sppearance, built in the seventeenth century. This is towards the west, where a line of six handsome gableted dormer windows on each side of a projecting chimney has almost entirely disappeared ; one bore the date MDC. Here a stair led to the castle gardens, in which can be traced a large pond in the form of a p, the initial letter of the old proprietor’s name. Here, says Balfour, in I 509, ‘‘ there were two scorpions found, one dead, the other alive.” There are the dilapidated remains of a chapel, measuring thirty feet by twenty feet, with a large square and handsomely-mullioned window, and a mutilated font. It was built by Sir +John Gilmour, who had influence enough to obtain a special ‘‘ indulgence ” therefor from King James VII. It is a stable now. ‘‘ On the boundary wall,” says Sir Walter Scott, “may be seen the arms of Cockburn of Ormiston, Congalton of Congalton, Mowbray of Barnbougle, and Otterbum of Redford, allies of the Prestons of Craigmillar. In one corner of the court, over a portal arch, are the arms of the family: three unicorns’ heads coupid, with a cheese-press and barrel, or tun-a wretched rebus, to express their name of Preston.” This sculptured fragment bears the date 1510. The Prestons of Craigmillar carried their shield above the gate, in the fashion called by the Italians smdopmdente, which is deemed more honourable than those carried square, according to Rosehaugh’s “ Science of Heraldry.” On the south the castle is built on a perpendicular rock. Round the exterior walls was a deep moat, and one of the advanced round towers-the Dovecot-has loopholes for arrows or musketry. The earliest possessor of whom we have record is “Henry de Craigmillar,” or William Fitz- Henry, of whom there is extant a charter of gift of a certain toft of land in Craigmillar, near the church of Liberton, to the monastery of Dunfermline, in I z I 2, during the reign of King Alexander 11. The nearer we conie to the epoch of the long and glorious War of Independence, the more generally do we find the lands in the south of Scotland in the hands of Scoto-Nbrman settlers. John de Capella was Lord of Craigmillar, from whose family the estate passed into the hands of Simon Preston, in 1374, he receiving a charter, under ... AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Craigmillar. -- 58 competition, the first prize for the chapel, &c., was awarded to ...

Vol. 5  p. 58 (Rel. 0.87)

277 --_ - b r d Prumts.1 THE FIRST MAGISTRATE. c- CHAMBERS STREET. CHAPTER XXXIV. THE L9RD PROVOSTS OF EDINBURGH. The FLt Magistrate of EdinburghSome noted Prwosts-William de Dedzryl., Alderman-John Wigmer and the Ransom of David 1 I.- John of Quhitness, First Provost -Willkm Bertraham-The Golden Charter-City Pipers-Archibald Bell-the-cat-Lord Home- Arran and Kilspindie-Lord Maxwell-“ Greysteel s ” Penance-James VI. and the Council-Lord Fyvie-Provost Tod and Gordon’s Map-The First Lord Provost-George Drurnmond-Freedom of the City given to Benjamin Franklin-Sir Lawrence Dundas and the Parliamentary Contest-Sir James Hunter Blair--Riots of 179-Provost Coulter’s Funeral--Lord Lynedoch-Recent Provosts-The First Englishman who w u Lord Provost of Edinburgh. THE titles by which the chief magistrate is known are “ The Right Honourable the Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh, Her Majesty’s Lieutenant and High Sheriff within the same and Liberties thereof, Justice of the Peace for the County of Midlothian, and Admiral of the Firth of Forth,’’ &c. A sword and mace are always borne before hiin. It has been suggested that at some early period the chief magistrate had an official residence, and Lawson, in his Gazetteer, gives us a tradition that it was in the well-known alley from the High Street to the Public Markets, “now called the Fleshmarket Close, but formerly the Provost’s CZose..” Few Highland names appear among those of the chief magistrates before the fifteenth century, while in the earlier ages many Norman and Saxon are to be found, as these elements existed largely in the Lowlands. We have the son of Malcolm 111. addressing his subjects thus :--“Eadgarus Rex Scotorum, omnibus per regnum suum Scotis et AngZi~, salufem,” with reference no doubt to the English Border counties, then a portion of the realm. Although seven aldermen and three provosts appear among the first men in authority over Edinburgh, it is probable that the office of bailie, bailiff, or rent-gatherer, is more ancient than either, as such an officer was originally appointed by the king ta collect revenues and administer justice within the burghs. In 1296 the first magistrate, whose name can be traced to Edinburgh, was William de Dederyk, aZdermarr; he appears as such in “Prynne’s Records of the Tower, and the Ragman Rolls.” In the preceding year John Baliol held a Parliament at Edinburgh, and a convention of the burgesses of ... --_ - b r d Prumts.1 THE FIRST MAGISTRATE. c- CHAMBERS STREET. CHAPTER XXXIV. THE L9RD PROVOSTS OF ...

Vol. 4  p. 277 (Rel. 0.87)

297 1,,firwry Strert.1 1NFIRMARY SUGGESTED. CHAPTER XXXVI. THE OLD ROYAL INFIRMARY-SURGEON SQUARE. The Old Royal Infirmary-Projected in time of Gorge I.-The First Hospital Opened-The Royal Charter-Second Hospital Built- Opened 1741-Sizc and Constitution-Benefactors’ Patients-Struck by Lightning-Chaplain’s Dutier--Cases in the Present Day-The Keith Fund-Notabilities of Surgeon Squan-The H o w of CumehiU-The Hall of the Royal and Medical Society-Its Foundation- Bell’s Surgical Theatre. THOUGH the ancient Scottish Church had been during long ages distinguished for its tenderness and charity towards the diseased poor, a dreary interval of nearly two centuries, says Chambers, intervened between the extinction of its lazar-houses and leper-houses, and the time when a merely civilised humanity suggested the establishment of a regulated means for succouring the sicknessstricken of the poor and homeless classes. 86 A pamphlet was issued in Edinburgh in 1721 suggesting the creation of such an institution, and there seems reason to suppose that the requirements of her rising medical schools demanded it; but the settled gloom of the “ dark age ” subsequent to the Union, usually stifled everything. and the matter went to sleep till 1725, when it was revived by a proposal to raise Az,ooo sterling to carry it out ... 1,,firwry Strert.1 1NFIRMARY SUGGESTED. CHAPTER XXXVI. THE OLD ROYAL INFIRMARY-SURGEON SQUARE. The Old Royal ...

Vol. 4  p. 297 (Rel. 0.87)

Leith.] THE BARTONS. 203 is the second of the name, who died in 1513, John the senior was certainly dead in 1508. Charles, Duke of Burgundy, was so incensed by the capture of the Juliuna in Flemish waters that he demanded the surrender of Pret and Velasquez to himself, with due compensation to Barton, but failed in both cases. Joam 111. was then King of Portugal. Robert Barton would seem also at one time to have faHen into the hands of the Portuguese ; and there is extant a letter sent by James IV. to the Emperor Maximilian, requesting his influenCe to have him released from prison, and therein the king refers to the quarrel of 1476, and merely states that old John Barton was thrown into a prison also. In 1506, at a tournament held by James IV. in Stirling, we read of a blackamoor girl, captured from the Portuguese by Captain Barton, seated in a triumphal chariot, being adjudged the prize of the victor knight ; but the Bartons sent other gifts to the king, in the shape of casks full of pickled Portuguese heads. In 1498, when Perkin Warbecli and his wife, the Lady Katharine Gordon, left Scotland for Flanders, they were on board a ship which, Tytler says, was commanded by and afterwards the property of the celebrated Robert Barton. Amongst her stores, noted in the “.Treasurefs Accounts,” are ‘‘ ten tuns and four pipes of wine, 8 bolls of aitmele, 18 marts of beef, 23 muttons, and a hogshead of herring.” Andrew Barton, the brother of the captain (and, like him, a merchant in Leith), is mentioned as having furnished biscuit, cider, and beer, for the voyage. In 1508 this family continued their feud with the Portuguese. In that year Letters of Marque were granted to them by James IV., and they run thus, according to the “Burgh Records of Edinburgh ” :- “]~callus Dei Gratia Rex Scatorurn, deZectis semit o d u s nosiris. John Barton and Robert Barton, sons of our late beloved servant John Barton, shipmaster, and other shipmasters our lieges and subjects, in company of the said John Barton for the time (greeting) : “ Some pirates of the nation of Portugal attacked a ship of our late illustrious ancestor (James HI.), which, under God, the late John commanded, and with a fleet of many ships compelled it to surrender, robbed it of its merchandise, of very great value, and stripped it of its armament On account of which, our most serene father transmitted his complaint to the King of Portugal.” Justice not having been done, the document runs, Jarnes 111. decreed Letters of Reprisal against the Portuguese. “ We, moreover, following the footsteps of our dearly beloved ancestor . . . . . concede and grant by these presents to you, John and Robert aforesaid, and our other subjects who shall be in your company for the time, our Letters of Marque or Reprisai, that you may receive and bring back to us from any men whomsoever of the nation of Portugal, on account of the justice aforesaid being. desired, to the extent of 3,000 crowns of money of France . . . . Givenunder our Privy Seal, &c.” Under these letters the brothers put to sea in the quaint argosies of those days, which had low waists with towering poops and forecastles, and captured many Portuguese ships, and doubtless indemnified themselves remarkably well ; while their elder brother, Andrew, an especial favourite of James IV., who bestowed upon him the then coveted honour of knighthood, “ for upholding the Scottish flag upon the seas,” was despatched to punish some Dutch or Flemish pirates who had captured certain Scottish ships and destroyed theircrews with great barbarity. These he captured, with their vessel, and sent all their heads to LeitL in a hogshead. As is well known, he was killed fighting bravely in the Downs on the 2nd August, 1511, after a severe conflict with the ships of Sir Thomas and Sir. Edward Howard, afterwards Lord High Admiral of England, when he had only two vessels with him, the Lion of 36 great guns, and a sloop name$ the. Jenny. The Howards had three ships of war and an armed collier. The Lion was afterwards added to the English navy, as she was found to be only second in size and armament to the famous Great Harry. His grandson Charles married Susan Stedman of Edinburgh, and from them are said tobe descended nearly all of that name in Fife, Kinross, and Holland. For his services as Admiral on the West Coast, John Barton received the lands of Dalfibble ; and in April, 1513, he returned from a diplomatic mission to France, accompanied by the Unicorn Pursuivant; and so important was its nature that he took horse, and rode all night to meet the king, who was then on the eve of departing for Flodden. On the 26th of July in the Same year he joined the squadron, consisting of the Great Michael, the James, Marguret, the S/$ of Lynne (an English prize), a thirty-oared galley, and fourteen other armed ships, commanded by Gordon of Letterfourie (and having on board the Earl of Arran and 3,000 soldiers), which sailed from Leith as a present to Anne, Queen of France-a piece of ill-timed generosity on the part of the princely Jarnes IV., who accompanied the armament as far as the Isle ... THE BARTONS. 203 is the second of the name, who died in 1513, John the senior was certainly dead in ...

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214 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Leith by the enterprising firm, but was conducted by them in conjunction with other departments of their trade. The harbour of Leith is now a noble one, as it underwent vast improvements, at an enormous cost, during a long series of years up to 1877, including various docks, to be described in their place, with the best appliances of a prime port, and great ranges of storehouses, together with two magnificent wooden piers of great length, the west being 3,123 feet, the east 3,530 feet. Both are delightful promenades, and a small boat plies between their extremities, so that a visitor may pass out seaward by one pier and return by the other. The formidable Martello Tower, circular in form, bomb-proof, formed of beautiful white stone, and most massive in construction, occupies a rock called, we believe, of old, the Mussel Cape, but which forms a continuation of the reef known as the Black Rocks, It stafids 1,500 feet eastward, and something less than 500 south of the eastern pier-head, and 3,500 feet distant from the base of the ancient signal-tower on the shore. It was built to defend what was then the entrance of the harbour, during the last long war with France, at the cost of A17,ooo ; but now, owing to the great guns and military inventions of later times, it is to the fortifications on Inchkeith that the port of Leith must look for protection. CHAPTER XXXII. MEMORABILIA OF THE SHIPPING OF LEITH AND ITS MARITIME AFFAIRS. (Old Shipping laws-Early Whale Fishing--Letters of Marque against Hamburg-Captures of English Ships, 16p-x-First recorded Tonnage of Leith-Imports-Arrest of Captain Hugh Palliser-Shore Dues, 1763-Wors’ Strike, 17g2-Tonnage in 188I-Passenger Traffic, etc. -Letters of Marque-Exploits of ~me-Glance at Shipbuilding. THE people of Scotland must, at a very early period, have turned their attention to the art in which they now excel-that of shipbuilding and navigation, for in these and other branches of industry the monks led the way. So far back as 1249, the Count of St. Paul, as Matthew of Paris records, had a large ship built for him at Inverness: and history mentions the fleets of William the Lion and his successor, Alexander 11.; and it has been conjectured that these were furnished by the chiefs of the isles, so many of whom bore lymphads in their coats-of-arms. During the long war with the Edwards, Scottish ships rode at anchor in their ports, cut out and carried off English craft, till Edward III., as Tytler records from the “ Rotuli Scotiz,” taunted his admirals and captains with cowardice in being unable to face the Scots and Flemings, to whom they dared not give battle. In 1336 Scottish ships swept the Channel coast, plundering Guernsey, Jersey, and the Isle of Wight; and Tyrrel records that the fleet which did so was under the command of David Bruce, but this seems doubtfuL When Edward of England was efigaged in the prosecution of that wicked war which met its just reward on the field of Bannockbum, he had two Scottish traitors who led his ships, named John of hrn, and his son, Alan of Argyle, whose names have deservedly gone to oblivion. We first hear of shipping in any quantity in the Firth of Forth in the year 1411, when, as Burchett and Rapin record, a squadron of ten English ships of war, under Sir Robert Umfraville, Vice-Admiral of England, ravaged both shores of the estuary for fourteen days, burned many vessels-among them one named the Greaf GalZiof of Scotland--and returned with so many prizes and such a mass of plunder, that he brought down the prices of everything, and was named “ Robin Mend-the-Market.” The Wars of the Roses, fortunately for Scotland, gave her breathing-time, and in that period she gathered wealth, strength, and splendour ; she took a part in European politics, and under the auspices of James IV. became a naval power, so much so, that we find by a volume culled from the “Archives of Venice,” by Mr. Rawdon Brown, there are many proofs that the Venetians in those days were watching the influence of Scotland in counteracting that of England by land and sea Between the years 1518 and 1520, the “Burgh Records ’ have some notices regarding the skippers and ships of Leith ; and in the former year we find that “ the maner of fraughting of schips of auld ” is in form following: and certainly it reads mysteriously. “ Alexander Lichtman hes lattin his schip cdlit the Mairfene, commonly till fraught to the nychtbouns of the Toune for thair guidis to be furit to Flanders, for the fraught of xix s. gr. and xviij s. gr. ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Leith by the enterprising firm, but was conducted by them in conjunction with other ...

Vol. 6  p. 274 (Rel. 0.85)

Leith! THE REV. JOHN LOGAN. The first Protestant minister of Leith, at the settlement of the Reformation in 1560, was David Lindsay, who was Moderator of the Assembly in 1557and 1582, andwho, in the year 1573,attended Sir William Kirkaldy of Grange on the scaffold. He accompanied James VI. to Norway, married him to Anne of Denmark, and baptised their sons : the Prince Henry, who died young, and the Duke of Albany, afterwards Charles I. So early as 1597 his inclination to episcopacy alienated him from his Presbyterian brethren; and in 1600, as a reward for aiding the king in defence of his royal prerogative, he was made Bishop of Ross. He was one of the only two clergymen in all Scotland who, at the royal command, prayed for the friendless and defenceless Mary. He died at Leith in 1613, in his eighty-thud year, and, says Spottiswood, was buried there “by his own directions, as desiring to rest with the people on whom he had taken great pains during his life.” He was the lineal descendant of Sir Walter Lindsay of Edzell, who fell at Flodden. Walter, first Earl of Buccleuch, commander of a Scottish regiment under the States of Holland, having died in London in the winter of 1634, his body was embalmed, and sent home by sea in a Kirkcaldy ship, which, after being sorely tempesttossed and driven to the coast of Norway, reached Leith in the June of the following year, when the earl’s remains were placed jn St Mary’s church, where they lay for twenty days, till the Clan Scott mustered, and a grand funeral was accorded them at Hawick, the heraldic magnificence of which had rarely been seen in Scotland, while the mourning trumpets wailed along the banks of the Teviot. A black velvet pall, powdered with silver tears, covered the coffin, whereon lay “the defunct’s helmet and coronet, overlaid with cypress, to show that he had been a soldier.” It was not until 1609 that St. Maryk was constituted by Act of Parliament a parish chuch, and invested with all the revenues and pertinents of Xestalrig, When the troops of Cromwell occupied Leith, as the parish registers record, Major Pearson, the town major of the garrison, by order of Timothy -Wi&es, the English governor-depute, went to James Stevenson, the kirk treasurer,and demanded the keys of St. Mary’s, informing him that no Scots minister was to preach till further orders ; so eventually the people had to hear. sermons on the Links, with difficulty getting the gates open, from seven in the morning till two in the afternoon on Sunday. In 1656 they sent a petition to Cromwell in England, praying him “to restore the church; as there is no place to meet in but the open fields.” To this petition no answer seems to have been returned; but during this period there are, says Robertson, in his “Antiquities of Leith,” iqdications that Oliver’s own chaplains, and even his officers, conducted services in St. Mary’s church. “It has often been asserted,” he adds, “that at this time St. Mary‘s was converted into a stable to accommodate the steeds of the troopers of Cromwell j it has been added, a company of his Ironsides, with their right hands (i.e., their horses), abased the temple.’ No authority exists for this, save vague tradition, to which the reader may attach what importance he may deem fit.” Previous to the Revolution of 1688 a separation of the congregation is recorded in the church at Leith, those who adhered to prelacy occupying the latter, while the pure Presbyterians formed a separate party at the Meeting-House Green, ne& the Sheriff (Shirra) Brae. The latter, belonging to North as well as South Leith, were permitted to meet there for prayer and sermon, by special permission of King James in 1687, Mr. William Wishart being chosen minister of that congregation. The Rev. John Logan, the author of various poetical works, but known as the inglorious and but lately-detected pirate of some manuscripts of Michael Bruce, the Scottish Kirk White, was appointed minister of this church in 2773. He was certainly a highly-gifted man ; and though his name is, perhaps, forgotten in South Britain, he will be remembered in Scotland as long as her Church uses those beautiful Scripture paraphrases, the most solemn of which is the hymn, The hour of my departure ’s come.” , He was the son of a small farmer near Fala, and was born in 1748. He delivered a course of lectures in Edinburgh with much success, and had a tragedy called “ Runnyrnede ” acted in the theatre there, when, fortunately for him, the times were somewhat changed from those when the production of Home’s ‘‘ Douglas ” excited such a grotesque ferment ~ in the Scottish Church. He became latterly addicted to intemperance, the result of great mental depression, and, proceeding to London, lived by literary labour bf various kinds, but did not long survive his transference to the metropolis, as he died in a lodging in Great Marlborough Street on the 28th December, 1288. In the burying-ground attached to St. Mary’s, John Home, the author of “Douglas” and other literary works, a native of Leith, was interred in September, 1808. In 1848, during the ri9.m~ of George Aldiston Machen, fourth Provost of Leith, the old church ... THE REV. JOHN LOGAN. The first Protestant minister of Leith, at the settlement of the Reformation in 1560, ...

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amounted to 500 men.” This enumeration probably includes wounded. On the 13th of June the duke pulled down the king’s flag, and hoisted a white one, surrendering, on terms, by which it was stipulated that the soldiers should have their full liberty, and Colonel Winram have security for his life and estates; while Major Somerville, at the head of zoo bayonets, took all the posts, except the citadel. The duke drew up his forlorn band, now reduced to fifty oficers and men, in the ruined Grand Parade, and thanking them for their loyal services, gave each a small sum to convey him home; and as hands were shaken all round, many men wept, and so ended For nearly four-and-twenty hours on both sides the fire was maintained with fury, but slackened about daybreak. “In the Castle only one man was killed-a gunner, whom a cannon ball had cut in two, through a gun-port, but many were weltering in their blood behind the woolpacks and in the trenches, where the number of slain not to serve against William of Orange. HC died in the year 1716, at his residence in the citadel of Leith. The Castle was once more fully repaired, and presented nearly the same aspect in all its details as we find it today. The alterations were conducted under John Drury (chief of the Scottish Engineers), who gave his name to one of the bastions on the south; and Mylne’s Mount, another on the north, is so named from liis assistant, Robert Mylne, king’s master-mason and hereditary mastergunner of the fartress ; and it was after this last siege that the round turrets, or echauguettes, were added to the bastions. the siege. Though emaciated by long toil, starvation, and gangrened wounds, the luckless soldiers were cruelly treated by the rabble of the city. The capitulation was violated j Colonel Winram was seized as a prisoner of war, and the duke was placed under close arrest in his own house, ~ Blair’s Close, but was released on giving his parole INNEK GATEWAY OF THE CASTLE. ... to 500 men.” This enumeration probably includes wounded. On the 13th of June the duke pulled down ...

Vol. 1  p. 65 (Rel. 0.84)

94 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [The Mourd of the sums set down in their respective subscriptions towards carrying on the bank, and all and every the persons subscribing and paying to. the said stock as aforesaid shall be, and hereby are declared to be, one body corporate and politic, by the name and company of THE BANK OF SCOTLAND,” etc. The charter, while detailing minutely all that the bank may do in the way of lending money and giving laws for its internal government, fails to define in any way the liability of the shareholders to each other or to the public. For the space of twenty-one years it was to be free from all public burdens, and during that time all other persons in the realm of Scotland are prohibited from setting up any rival company. To preclude the breaking of the bank contrary to the object in view, it is declared that the sums of the present subscriptions and shares may only be conveyed and transmitted by the owners to others who shall become partners in their place, or by adjudication or other legal means. It is also provided by the charter that aH foreigners on acquiring the bank stock must become “ naturalised Scotsmen, to all intents and! purposes whatsoever,” a privilege that became abused, and was abolished in 1822. The charter further ordains that no member of the said company shall, upon any “ pretence whatever, directly or indirectly, use, exercise, or follow any other traffic or trade with the said joint stock to be employed in the said bank, or any part thereof, or profits arising therefrom, excepting the trade of lending 2nd borrowing money upon interest, and negotiating bills of exchange, allenarly [i.e., these things only], and no other.” By various subsequent statutes the capital of this bank was increased till it stood nominally at ~1,500,000, a third of which has not been called ; and by the Act 36 and 37 Victoria, cap. gg, further powers to raise capital were granted, without the Act being taken advantage of. The additional amount authorised is ~3,000,000, which would give a total capital of A~,~OO,OOO sterling. The monopoly conferred on the bank by the Parliament of Scotland was not renewed at the expiry of the first twenty-one years; and on its being found that banking business was on the increase, another establishment, the Royal Bank of Scotland, was chartered in 1727, and immediately became the rival of its predecessor. “It purchased up,” says Amot, “all the notes of the Bank of Scotland that they (the directors) could lay hands on, and caused such a run upon this bank as reduced them to considerable difficulties. To avoid such distresses for the future, the Bank of Scotland, on the 29th of November, 1730, began to issue 6 5 notes, payable on demand, or 65 2s. 6d. six months after their being presented for payment, in the option of the bank. On the 12th of December, 1732, they began to issue AI notes with a similar clause.” The other banking companies in Scotland found it convenient to follow the example, and universally framed their notes with these optional clauses. They were issued for the most petty sums, and were currently accepted in payment, insomuch that notes for five shillings were perfectly common, and silver was, in a manner, banished from Scotland. To remedy these banking abuses, an Act of the British Parliament was passed in 1765, prohibiting all promissory notes payable to the bearer under 61 sterling, and also prohibiting and! declaring void all the optional clauses. In the year 1774, when the Bank of Scotlan& obtained an Act to enlarge their capital to ~2,400,000 Scots, or ;~ZOO,OOO sterling, a clause provided that no individual should possess in whole, or more than, ~ 4 0 , 0 0 0 in stock, and the qualification for the offices of governor and directors was doubled. The present offices of the Bank of Scotland were completed from the original design in 1806 by Mr. Richard Cnchton, and the institution was moved thither in that year from the old, narrow, and gloomy close where it had transacted business for one hundred and eleven years. In digging the foundation of this edifice, the same obstacle came in the way that eventually occasioned the fall of the North Bridge. After excavating to a great depth, no proper foundation could be found-all being travelled earth. The quantity of this carted away was such that the foundations of some of the houses in the nearest closes were shaken and their walls rent, so that the occupants had to remove. A solid foundation was at last found, and the vast structure was reared at the cost of L75,ooo. T h e quantity of stone and mortar which IS buried below the present surface is immense, and perhaps as much of the building is below the ground as above it,” says Stark in 1820. “The dead wall on the north of the edifice, where the declivity is greatest, is covered by a stone curtain,. ornamented with a balustrade. The south front is. elegant. A small dome rises from the centre, and in the front are four projections. A range of Connthian pilasters decorates the second floor, and over the door in the recess is a Venetian window, ornamented with two columns of the Corinthian order, surmounted by the arms of the bank.” ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [The Mourd of the sums set down in their respective subscriptions towards carrying on ...

Vol. 3  p. 94 (Rel. 0.84)

354 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Hawthornden. walls seven feet thick, and the remains of a banqueting- hall with large windows, and walls five feet thick. The more modern house of the seventeenth century, which has been engrafted on this fortress (probably destroyed by the English in 1544 or I 547) measures ninety feet long, with an average breadth of twenty-three feet, and exhibits the usual crowstepped gables, massive chimneys, and small windows of the period. In the days of the War of Independence the Castle of Hawthornden belonged to a family called Abernethy. It was then the stronghold of Sir Lawrence Abernethy (the second son of Sir William Abernethy of Saltoun), who, though a gallant soldier, was one of those infamous traitors who turned their swords against their own country, and served the King of England. He it was who, on the day Bannockburn was fought and when Douglas was in hot pursuit of the fugitive Edward II., was met, at the Torwood, with a body of cavalry hastening to join the enemy, and who added to the infamy of his conduct by instantly joining in the pursuit, on learning from Douglas that the English were utterly defeated and dispersed. Three-and-twenty years after, the same traitor, when again in the English interest, had the better of the Knight of Liddesdale and his forces five in one day, yet was at last defeated in the end, and taken prisoner before sunset. All this is recorded in stone in an inscription on a tablet at the west end of the house. At this time, 1338, Sir Alexander Ramsay of Dalhousie, emulating the faith and valour of Douglas, at the head of a body of knights and men-at-arms, whom his fame and daring as a skilful warrior had drawn to his standard, sallied from his secret stronghold, the vast caves of Hawthornden, and after sweeping the southern Lowlands, penetrated with fire and sword into Englaod ; and, on one occasion, by drawing the English into an ambush near Wark, made such a slaughter of them that scarcely one escaped. For these services he received a crown charter from David II., in 1369, of Nether Liberton, and of the lands of Hawthornden in the barony of Conyrtoun, Edinburghshire, “ quhilk Lawrence Abernethy foris fecit” for his treasons ; but, nevertheless, his son would seem to have succeeded. In after years the estate had changed proprietors, being sold to the Douglases; and among the slain at Flodden was Sir John Douglas of Hawthornden, with his neighbour, Sir William Sinclair of Roslin. By the Douglases Hawthornden was sold to .the Urummonds of Carnock, with whom it has since remained ; and the ancient families of Abernethy and Drummond became, curiously enough, united by the marriage of Bishop Abernethy and Barbara Drummond. The most remarkable member of this race was William Drummond (more generally known as “ Hawthornden ”), the historian of the Jameses, the tender lover and gentle poet, the handsome cavalier, whom Cornelius Jansen’s pencil has portrayed, and who died of a broken heart for the execution of Charles I. . His history of the Jameses he dedicates, “ To the Right Honorable my very good Lord and Chiel, the Earl of Perth,” but it was not published till after his death. The repair of the ancient house in its present form took place in 1638 and 1643, as inscriptions record. Few poets have enjoyed a more poetical home than William Drummond, whose mind was, no doubt, influenced by the exquisite scenery amid which he was born (in 1585) and reared. He has repaid it, says a writer, by adding to this lovely locality the recollections of himself, and by the tender, graceful, and pathetic verses he composed under the roof of his historical home. He came of a long line of ancestors, among whom he prized highly, as a member of his family, Annabella Drummond, queen of King Robert 111. Early in life he fell in love with a daughter of Cunninghame of Bames, a girl whose beauty and accomplishments-rare for that age-he has recorded in verse. Their weddingday was fixed, and on its eve she died. After this fatal event Drummond quitted Hawthoroden, and for years dwelt on the Continent as a wanderer; but the winter of 1618 saw him again in his sequestered home by the Esk, where he was visited by the famous Ben Jonson, who, it is said, travelled on foot to Scotland to see him. At the east end of the ruins that adjoin the modern mansion is a famous sycamore, called One of the Four Sisters. It is twenty-two feet in circumference, and under this tree Drunimond was sitting when Jonson arrived at Hawthornden. It would seem that the latter had to fly from England at this time for having slain a man in a duel. Reference is made to this in some of Drummond’s notes, and a corroboration of the story is given by Mr. Collier, in his ‘‘ Life of AIleyn I’ the actor, and founder of Dulwich College. Jonson stayed same weeks at Hawthornden, where he wrote two of the short pieces included in his “ Underwoods” and “ My Picture left in Scotland,” with a . lang inscription to his. host. ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Hawthornden. walls seven feet thick, and the remains of a banqueting- hall with large ...

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Parliament Claw. One of the shops next to the jeweller’s was, about the middle of last century, a tavern, kept by the famous Peter Williamson, the returned Palatine (as the boys abducted from Aberdeen were called) who designated himself on his signboard as “from the other world.” Here the magistrates partook of the Deid-chack-a dinner at the expense of the city-after having attended an execution, a practice abolished by Lord Provost Creech. In 1685 an Exchange was erected in the Parliament Close. It had a range .of piazzas for the accommodation of merchants transact- <ing business ; but by sold use and wont, attached as they were to the more ancient place of meeting, the ,Cross, this convenience was scarcely ever used by them. In 1685 the equestrian statue of Charles TI., a well-executed work in lead, was erected in the Parliament Close, not far from its present site, where one intended for Cromwell was to have been placed ; but the Restoration changed .the political face of Edinburgh. In the accounts of George Drummond, City Treasurer, I 684-5, it of the royal birthday are worthy of remembrance, as being perhaps amongst the most long-cherished customs of the people ere- ‘‘ The times were changed, old manners gone, And a stranger filled the Stuart’s throne.” It was usual on this annual festival to have a public breakfast in the great hall, when tables, at the expense of the city, were covered with wines and confections, and the sovereign’s health was drunk with acclaim, the volleys of the Town Guard made the tall mansions re-echo, and the statue of King Charles wasdecorated with laurel leaves by the Add CaZZants, as the boys of Heriot’s Hospital were named, and who claimed this duty as a prescriptive right. The Bank of Scotland, incorporated by royal charter in 1695, first opened for business in a flat, or $%or, of the Parliament Close, with a moderate staff of clerks, and a paid-up capital of only ten thousand pounds ster- Zing. The smallest share which qny person could hold in this bank was LI,OOO Scots, and the largest SIR WILLIAM FORBES, C ’ PITSLLGO. (AfierKuy.) appears thatthe king’s statue was erected by the provost, magistrates, and council, at the cost of A;z,580 Scots, the bill for which seems to have come from Rotterdam. On the Jast destruction of the old Parliament Close, by a fire yet to be recorded, thc statue was conveyed for .safety to the yard of the Calton Gaol, where it lay for some years, till the present pedestal was erected, in which are inserted two marble tablets, which had been preserved among some lumber under the Parliament House, and, from the somewhat fulsome inscriptions thereon, seem to have belonged to the first pedestal. Among the more homely associations of the Parliament Close, the festivities j6z0,ooo of the same money. To lend money on heritable bonds and other securities was the chief business of the infant bank. The giving of bills of exchange-the great business of private bankers-was, after much deliberation, tried by the “ adventurers,” with aview to the extension of business as far as possible. In pursuance of this object, and to circulate their notes through the realm, branch ofices were opened at Glasgow, Dundee, Montrose, and Aberdeen, to receive and pay out money, in the form of inland exchange, by notes and bills. But eventually the directors “found that the exchange trade was not proper for a banking company,” ... Claw. One of the shops next to the jeweller’s was, about the middle of last century, a tavern, kept ...

Vol. 1  p. 176 (Rel. 0.84)

THE CANONGATE TOLBOOTH. OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. - CHAPTER I. THE CANONGATE. Its Origin-Songs concerning it-Records-Market Cross-St. Job’s and the Girth Crosses-Early Hktory-The Town of H~bcrgarc- Canongate Paved-The Governing Body-Fbising the DeviL-Purchase of the Earl of Roxburgh‘s ‘‘ Superiority ”-The Foreign Settlement -Gorge Heriot the Elder-Huntly’s House-Sir Walter Scott’s Story of a Fire-The Morocco Land-Houses of Oliphant of Nmland, Ltrd David Hay, and Earl of Angus-Jack’s Land-Shoemakers’ Lands-Marquiz of Huntly’s How-Nisbet of Dirleton’s Mansion- Golfer’s Land-John and Nicol Patemn-The Porch and Gatehouse of the Abbey-Lucky Spence. THE Canongate-of old the Court-end of Edinburgh- takes its name from the Augustine monks of Holyrood, who were permitted to build it by the charter of David I. in I I 28, and to rule it as a burgh of regality. “The canons,” says Chalmers, .<‘‘ were empowered to settle here a village, and from them the street of this settlement was called the Canongate, from the Saxon gaet, a way or street, 40 according to’the practice of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries in Scotland and England. The irnmunities which the canons and their villagers enjoyed from David’s grant, soon raised up a town, which extended from the Abbey to the Nether Port of Edinburgh, and the townsmen performed their usual devotions in the church of the Abbey till the Reformation,” after which it continued to ... CANONGATE TOLBOOTH. OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. - CHAPTER I. THE CANONGATE. Its Origin-Songs concerning ...

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Restalrig.] THE CHURCHYARD. 131 That the church was not utterly destroyed is proved by the fact that the choir walls of this monument of idolatry ” were roofed over in 1837, as has been stated. An ancient crypt, or mausoleum, of large diniensions and octangular in form, stands on the south side of the church. Internally it is constructed with a good groined roof, and some venerable yews cast their shadow over the soil that has accumulated above it, and in which they have taken root. It is believed to have been erected by Sir Robert Logan, knight, of Restalrig, who died in 1439, according to the obituary of the Preceptory of St. Anthony at Leith, and it has been used as a last resting-place for several of his successors. Some antiquaries, however, have supposed that it was undoubtedly attached to the college, perhaps as a chapter-house, or as a chapel of St. Triduana, but constructed on the model of St. Margaret’s Well. Among others buried here is “LADY JANEr KER, LADY RESTALRIG, QUHA DEPARTED THIS LIFE 17th MAY, 1526.” Wilson, in his ‘‘ Reminiscences,” mentions that ‘‘ Restalrig kirkyard was the favourite cemetery of the Nonjuring Scottish Episcopalians of the last century, when the use of the burial service was proscribed in the city burial-grounds ; ” and a strong division of dead cavalry have been interred there from the adjacent barracks. From Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe he quotes a story of a quarrel carried beyond the grave, which may be read upon a flat stone near that old crypt. Of the latter wrote Sharpe, “I believe it belongs to Lord Bute, and that application was made to him to allow Miss Hay-whom I well knew-daughter of Hay of Restalrig, Prince Charles’s forfeited secretary, to be buried in the vault. This was refused, and she lies outside the door. May the earth lie light on her, old lady kind and vener. able !” In 1609 the legal rights of the church and parish of Restalrig, with all their revenues and pertinents, were formally conferred upon the church of South Leith. In 1492, John Fraser, dean of Restalrig, wa? appointed Lord Clerk Register; and in 154C another dean, John Sinclair, was made Lord 01 Session, and was afterwards Bishop of Brechin and Lord President of the Court of Session. He it war who performed the marriage ceremony for Queen * Mary and Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley. In 1592 the deanery was dissolved by Act of Parliament, and divided between “ the parsonage of Leswadc and parsonage of Dalkeith, maid by Mr. Georgt Ramsay, dean of Restalrig.” After the Logans-of whom elsewhere-tht Lords Balmerino held the lands of Restalrig till their forfeiture in I 746, and during the whole period of their possession, appropriated the vaults of the forsaken and dilapidated church as the burial-place of themselves and their immediate relations. From them it passed to the Earls of Bute, with whose family it still remains. In the burying-ground here, amid a host of ancient tombs, are some of modem date, marking where lie the father of Lord Brougham ; Louis Cauvin, who founded the hospital which bears his name at Duddingston ; the eccentric doctor known as Lang Sandy Wood,” and his kindred, including the late Lord Wood ; and Lieutenant-Colonel William Rickson, of the I 9th Foot, a brave and distinguished soldier, the comrade and attached friend of Wolfe, the hero of Quebec. His death is thus recorded in the Scots Magazine for 1770 :-cr At his house in Broughton, Lieutenant-Colonel William Rickson, Quartermaster-General and Superintendent of Roads in North Britain.” His widow died so lately as 1811, as her tomb at Restalrig bears, ‘‘ in the fortieth year of her widowhood” Here, too, was interred, in 1720, the Rev. Alexander Rose, the last titular bishop of Edinburgh. In tracing out the ancient barons of Restalrig, among the earliest known is Thomas of Restalrig, nxa 1210, whose name appears in the Regktruum de DunferrnZine as Sheriff of Edinburgh. In the Macfarlane MSS. in the Advocates’ Library, there is a charter of his to the Priory of Inchcolm, in the Firth of Forth, circa 1217, very interesting from the localities therein referred to, and the tenor of which runs thus in English :- “To all seeing or hearing these writings, Thomas of Lestalrig wishes health. Know ye, that for the good of my soul, and the souls of all my predecessors and successors, and the soul of my wife, I have given and conceded, and by this my charter have confirmed, to God and the canons of the church of St. Columba on the Isle, and the canons of the same serving God, and that may yet serve Him forever, that whole land which Baldwin Comyn was wont to hold from me in the town of Leith, namely, that land which is next and adjoining on the south to that land which belonged to Ernauld of Leith, and to twenty-four acres and a half of arable land in my estate of Lestalrig in that field which is called Horstanes, on the west part of the same field, and on the north part of the high road between Edinburgh and Leith (it., the Easter Road) in pure and perpetual gift to be held by them, with all its pertinents and easements, and with common pasture belocging to such land, and with free ingress and egress, with carriage, team, ... THE CHURCHYARD. 131 That the church was not utterly destroyed is proved by the fact that the choir ...

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High Street.] MESSRS. W. & R. CHAMBERS. 225 fortyyfve years ago. This little work came out in the Augustan days of Edinburgh, when Jeffrey and Scott, Wilson and the Ettrick Shepherd, Dugald Stewart and Alison, were daily giving the producpublic victory, and in a few days the sale in Scotland alone was 50,000 copies, while No. 3 rose to 80,ooo in the Esglish market. Robert threw himself heart and soul into the successful periodical ; tions of their minds to the public, and while yet Archibald Constable acted as the unquestioned emperor of the publishing world.” In 1826 Robert published his “ Popular Rhymes of Scotland,” and the “ Picture of Scotland,” and shortly afterwards five volumes of Scottish history, for Consiable’s Miscellany. The brothers were now making money, and in tolerably prosperous c i r cu m s t a n c es, though they lost much of their hardwon savings by assisting their father in a piece of unsuccessful litigation. About that time William produced the “Book of Scotland,” a work describing the institutions of the country, for which he got A30, while Robert got 6100 for preparing a “Gazetteer of Scotland ;” and in I 83 2 William projected the great work ADVOCATES’ CLOSE. which made the firm prosperous and famous wherever the English language is spoken-- Chambers’s Edinburgh journal, the vanguard of all that is wholesome, sensible, and unsectarian in cheap literature, as it ap peared six weeks before the famous Penny Magazin~ The first weekly number appeared on the 4th February, 1832. Robert thought the speculation a hazardous one, but William’s courage achieved a 29 and speaking of partnership with him, his brother writes : ‘‘ Such was the degree of mutual confidence between us that not for the space of twenty-one years was it thought expedient to execute any deed of agreement.” While constantly contributing to the Journal, Robert, in 1835, completed his “Biographical Dictionary of Eminent Scotsmen,” in foul volumes. The brothers issued, in the preceding year, their ‘‘ Information for the People,” and after this venture came a series of about a hundred school books-the “ Chambers’s Edu, cational Course,‘ still so familiar to many middle-class school-boys. While collecting information upon the subject of public education, William got together materials in 1839 for his “Tour in Holland and the Rhine Countries i and about this time, twenty volumes of a series entitled “ Chambers’s Miscellany ” were issued by the firm, which had an enormous circulation j but the great and crowning enterprise of Messrs. W. and R Chambers was unquestionably their ‘‘ Encyclopzedia, or Dictionary of Uni;ersal Information for the People,” a work begun in 1859 and completed in 1868-a work unrivalled by any in ... Street.] MESSRS. W. & R. CHAMBERS. 225 fortyyfve years ago. This little work came out in the Augustan ...

Vol. 2  p. 225 (Rel. 0.82)

162 OLD AED NEW EDINBURGH. [Hanover Street. in yhich David Hume died the Bible Society oi Edinburgh was many years afterwards constituted, and held its first sitting. In the early part of the present century, No. 19 was the house of Miss Murray of Kincairnie, in Perthshire, a family now extinct. In 1826 we find Sir Walter Scott, when ruin had come upon’ him, located in No. 6, Mrs. Brown’s lodgings, in a third-rate house of St. David Street, whither he came after Lady Scott’s death at Abbotsford, on the 15th of May in thatto him-most nielancholy year of debt and sorrow, and set himself calmly down to the stupendous task of reducing, by his own unaided exertions, the enormous monetary responsibilities he had taken upon himself. Lockhqt tells us that a week before Captain Basil Hall’s visit at No. 6, Sir Walter had suf ficiently mastered himself to resume his literary tasks, and was working with determined resolution at his “Life of Napoleon,” while bestowing an occasional day to the “Chronicles of the Canongate ’’ whenever he got before the press with his historical MS., or felt the want of the only repose Be ever cared for-simply a change oi labour. No. 27, now a shop, was the house of Neilson of Millbank, and in No. 33, now altered and sub-divided, dwell Lord Meadowbank, prior to I 7gqknown when at the bar as Allan Maconochie. He left several children, one of whom, Alexander, also won a seat on the bench as Lord Meadowbank, in 18x9. No. 39, at the corner of George Street, w2s the house ol Majoribanks of Marjoribanks and that ilk. No. 54, now a shop, was the residence of Si1 John Graham Dalyell when at the bar, to which he was admitted in 1797. He was the second son of Sir Robert Dalyell, Bart., of Binns, in Linlithgowshire, and in early life distinguished himself by the publication of various works illustrative of the history and poetry of his native country, particularly “Scottish Poems of the Sixteenth Century,’’ ‘‘ Bannatyne Memorials,” ‘‘ Annals of the Religious Houses in Scotland,” Szc. He was vice-president of the Antiquarian Society, and though heir-presumptive to the baronetcy in his family, received in 1837 the honour of knighthood, by letters patent under the Great Seal, for his attainments in literature. A few doors farther down the street is now the humble and unpretentious-looking office of that most useful institution, the Edinburgh Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor, and maintained, like every other charitable institution in the city, by private contributions. Hanover Street was built about 1786. In South Hanover Street, No. 14-f old the City of Glasgow Bank-is now the new hall of the Merchant Company, containing many portraits of old merchant burgesses on its walls, and some views of the city in ancient times which are not without interest. Elsewhere we have given the history of this body, whose new hall was inaugurated on July 9, 1879, and found to be well adapted for the purposes of the company. The large hall, formerly the bank telling-room, cleared of all the desks and other fixtures, now shows a grand apartment in the style of the Italian Renaissance, lighted by a cupola rising from eight Corinthian ‘ pillars, with corresponding pilasters abutting from the wall, which is covered by portraits. The space available here is forty-seven feet by thirty-two, exclusive of a large recess. Other parts of the building afford ample accommodation for carrying on the business of the ancient company and for the several trusts connected therewith. The old manageis room is now used by the board of management, and those on the ground floor have been fitted up for clerks. The premises were procured for ~17,000. All the business of the Merchant Company is now conducted under one roof, instead of being carried on partly in .the Old Town and partly in the New, with the safes for the security of papers of the various trusts located, thirdly, in Queen Street. By the year 1795 a great part of Frederick Street was completed, and Castle Street was beginning to be formed. The first named thoroughfare had many aristocratic residents, particularly widowed ladies-some of them homely yet stately old matrons of the Scottish school, about whom Lord Cockburn, &c., has written so gracefully and so graphically-to wit, Mrs. Hunter of Haigsfield in No. I, now a steamboat-office; Mrs. Steele of Gadgirth, No. 13; Mrs. Gardner of Mount Charles, No. 20 ; Mrs. Stewart of Isle, No. 43 ; Mrs. Bruce of Powfoulis, No. 52 ; and Lady Campbell of Ardkinglas in No. 58, widow of Sir Alexander, last of the male line of Ardkinglas, who died in 1810,- and whose estates went to the next-heir of entail, Colonel James Callender, of the 69th Regiment, who thereupon assumed the name of Campbell, and published two volumes of “Memoirs” in 1832, but which, for cogent reasons, were suppressed by his son-in-law, the late Sir James Graham of Netherby. His wife, Lady Elizabeth Callender, died at Craigforth in 1797. In Numbers 34 and 42 respectively resided Ronald McDonald of Staffa, and Cunningham of Baberton, and in the common stair, No. 35, there ... OLD AED NEW EDINBURGH. [Hanover Street. in yhich David Hume died the Bible Society oi Edinburgh was many ...

Vol. 3  p. 162 (Rel. 0.82)

Merchiston.] THE NAPIERS OF MERCHISTON. 35 likeness of the founder, painted by Sir James Foulis of Woodhall, Bart. In 1870 the original use to which the foundation was put underwent a change, and the hospital became a great public school for boys and girls. At the western extremity of what was the Burghmuir, near where lately was an old village of that name (at the point where the Colinton road diverges from that which leads to Biggar), there stands, yet unchanged amid all its new surroundings, the ancient castle of Merchiston, the whilom seat of a race second to none in Scotland for rank and talent -the Napiers, now Lords Napier and Ettrick. It is a lofty square tower, surmounted by corbelled battlements, a ape-house, and tall chimneys. It was once surrounded by a moat, and had a secret avenue or means of escape into the fields to the north. As to when it was built, or by whom, no record now remains. In the missing rolls of Robert I., the lands of Merchiston and Dalry, in the county of Edinburgh, belonged in his reign to William Bisset, and under David II., the former belonged to William de Sancto Claro, on the resignation of Williani Bisset, according to Robertson’s “Index,” in which we find a royal charter, “datum est apud Dundee,” 14th August, 1367, to John of Cragyof the lands of Merchiston, which John of Creigchton had resigned. So the estate would seem to have had several proprietors before it came into the hands of Alexander Napier, who was Provost of Edinburgh in 1438, and by this acquisition Merchiston became the chief title of his family. His son, Sir Alexander, who was Comptroller of Scotland under James 11. in 1450, and went on a pilgrimage to St. Thomas of Canterbury in the following year-for which he had safe-conduct from the King of England-was Provost of Edinburgh between 1469 and 1471- He was ambassador to the Court of the Golden Fleece in 1473, and was no stranger to Charles the Bold ; the tenor of his instructions to whom from James II., shows that he visited Bruges a d the court of Burgundy before that year, in 1468, when he was present at the Tournament of the Golden Fleece, and selected a suit of brilliant armour for his sovereign. Sir Alexander, fifth of Merchiston, fell at Flodden with James IV. John Napier of Merchiston was Provost 17th of May, 1484, and his son and successor, Sir Archibald, founded a chaplaincy and altar in honour of St. Salvator in St. Giles’s Church in November, 1493. His grandson, Sir Archibald Napier, who married a daughter of Duncan Campbell of Glenorchy, was slain at the battle of Pinkie, in 1547. Sir Alexander Napier of Merchiston and Edinbellie, who was latterly Master of the Mint to James VI., was father of John Napier the celebrated inventor of the Logarithms, who was born in Merchiston Castle in 1550, fgur years after the birth of Tycho Brahe, and fourteen before that of Galileo, at a time when the Reformation in Scotland was just commencing, as in the preceding‘ year John Knox had been released from the French galleys, and was then enjoying royal patronage in England. His mother was Janet, only daughter of Sir Francis Bothwell, and sister of Adam, Bishop of Orkney. At the time of his birth his father was only sixteen years of age. He was educated at St. Salvator’s College, St. Andrews, where he matriculated 1562-3, and afterwards spent several years in France, the Low Countries, and Italy; he applied himself closely to the study of mathematics, and it is conjectured that he gained a taste for that branch of learning during his residence abroad, especially in Itily, where at that time were many mathematicians of high repute. While abroad young Napier escaped some perils that existed at home. In 150s a dreadful pest broke out in Edinburgh, and his father and family were exposed to the contagion, “ by the vicinity,” says Mark Napier, ‘‘ of his mansion to the Burghmuir, upon which waste the infected were driven out to grovel and die, under the very walls of Merchiston.” In his earlier years his studies took a deep theological turn, the fruits of which appeared in his “ Plain Discovery of the Revelation of St John,” which he published at Edinburgh in 1593, and dedicated to James VI. But some twenty years before that time his studies must have been sorely interrupted, as his old ancestral fortalice lay in the very centre of the field of strife, when Kirkaldy held out the castle for Queen Mary, and the savage Douglas wars surged wildly round its walls. On the 2nd April, 1572, John Napier, then in his twenty-second year, was betrothed to Elizabeth, daughter of Sir James Stirling of Keir ; but as he had incurred the displeasure of the queen’s party by taking no active share in her interests, on the 18th of July he was arrested by the Laid of Minto, and sent a prisoner to the Castle of Edinburgh, then governed by Sir TVilliam Kirkaldy, who in the preceding year had bombarded Merchiston with his iron guns because certain soldiers of the king’s party occupied it, and cut off provisions coming north for the use of his garrison. The solitary tower formed the key of the southern approach to the city ; thus, whoever triumphed, it became the object of the opponent’s enmity. ... THE NAPIERS OF MERCHISTON. 35 likeness of the founder, painted by Sir James Foulis of Woodhall, ...

Vol. 5  p. 35 (Rel. 0.82)

2 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Kirk-of-Field. land of umyle Hew Berrie’s tenement and chamber adjacent yr to, lying in the Cowgaitt, on the south side of the street, betwixt James Earl of Buchan’s land on the east, and Thomas Tod’s on ye west.” This lady was a daughter of John Lord Kennedy, and was the widow of the aged Earl of Angus, who died of a broken heart after the battle of Flodden. In 1450-1 an obligation by the Corporation of Skinners in favour of St. Christopher‘s altar in St. Giles’s was signed with much fornialityon the 12th of January, infra ecdesiam Beate &Iarie He Canzpo, in presence of Sir Alexander Hundby, John Moffat, and John Hendirsone, chaplains thereof, Thomas Brown, merchant, and other witnesses. ((‘ Burgh Rec.”) James Laing, a burgess of Edinburgh, founded an additional chaplaincy in this church during the reign of James V., whose royal confirmation of it is dated 19th June, 1530, and the grant is made “ to a chaplain celebrating divine service at the high altar within the collegiate church of Blessed Marie-in-the-Fields.” When made collegiate it was governed by a provost, who with eight prebendaries and two choristers composed the college ; but certain rights appear to have been reserved then by the canons of Holyrood, for in 1546 we find Robert, Commendator of the abbey, presenting George Kerr to a. prebend in it, “according to the force and form of the foundation.” There is a charter by James V., arst May, 1531, confirming a previous one of 16th May, I 53 I, by the lady before mentioned, “Janet Kennedy Domina de Bothvill,” of tenements in Edinburgh, and an annual rent of twenty shillings for a prebendary to perform divine service “in the college kirk of the Blessed Virgin Mary-in-the-Fields, or without the walls of Edinburgh, pro sat& #sius Domini Regis (JamesV.), and for the souls OP his father (James IV.), and the late Archibald, Earl of Angus” Among the most distinguished provosts of the Kirk-of-Field was its second one, Richard Bothwell, rector of Ashkirk, who in A4ugust and December, 1534, was a commissioner for opening Parliament. He died in the provost’s house in 1547. The prebendal buildings were of considerable extent, exclusive of the provost’s house, or lodging. David Vocat, one of the prebendaries, and master of the Grammar School of Edinburgh, clerk and orator of Holyrood,” was a liberal ’ benefactor to the church ; but it and the buildings attached to it seem to have suffered severely at the hands of the English during the invasion of 1544 or 1547. In the ‘‘ Inventory of the Townis purchase from the Marquis of Hamilton in 1613,’’ with a view to the founding of a college, says Wilson, we have found an abstract of “a feu charter granted by Mr. Alexander Forrest, provost of the collegiate church of the Blessed Xlary-in-the-Fields, near Edinr., and by the prebends of the said church,” dated 1544, wherein it is stated:-“Considering that ther houses, especially ther hospital annexed and incorporated with ther college, were burnt down and destroyed by their add enemies of EngZand, so that nothing of their said hospital was left, but they are altogether waste and entirely destroyed, wherethrough the divine worship is not a little decreased in the college, because they were unable to rebuild the said hospital. . . , Therefore they gave and granted, set in feu forme, and confirmed to a magnificent and illustrious prince, James, Duke of Chattelherault, Earl of Arran, Lord Hamilton, &c., all and hail their tenement or hospital, with the yards and pertinints thereof, lying within the burgh of Edinburgh, in the street or wynd called School House Wynd, on the east part thereof.” The duke appears, it is added, from frequent allusions by contemporaries, to have built an abode for his family on the site of this hospital, and that edifice served in future years as the hall of the first college of Edinburgh. In 1556 we find Alexander Forrest, the provost of the kirk, in the name of the Archbishop of St. Andrews, presenting a protest, signed by Mary of Guise, to the magistrates, praying them to suppress ‘‘ certain odious ballettis and rymes baith sett furth ” by certain evil-inclined persons, who had also demolished certain images, but with what end is unknown. (“Burgh Records.”) But two years after Bishop Lesly records that when the Earl of Argyle and his reformers entered Edinburgh, after spoiling the Black and Grey Friars, and having their “ haill growing treis plucked up be the ruittis,” they destroyed and burned all the images in the Kirk-of-Field. In 1562 the magistrates made application to Queen Mary, among other requests, for the Kirk-of- Field and all its adjacent buildings and ground, for the purpose of erecting a school thereon, and for the revenues of the old foundation to endow the same ; but they were not entirely made over to the city for the purpose specified till 1566. The quadrangle of the present university now occupies the exact site of the church of St. Mary-inthe- Fields, including that of the prebendal buildings, and, says Wilson-who in this does not quite accord with Bell-to a certain extent the house of the provost, so fatally known in history; and the main access and approach to the whole establishment was ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Kirk-of-Field. land of umyle Hew Berrie’s tenement and chamber adjacent yr to, lying in ...

Vol. 5  p. 2 (Rel. 0.82)

writing of the siege, he says, “ upon the twentieth day, the principal block-house of Leith, called St. Anthony’s Kirk, was battered down.” And we have already referred to the Act of Council in 1560, by which it was ordered that this block house and the curtain-wall facing Edinburgh should be levelled to the sound. . Immediately opposite St;. Mary‘s Church stands the Trinity House of Leith, erected on the site of the original edifice bearing that name, This Seaman’s Hospital was dedicated to the Holy Trinity, and the insctiption which adorned the ancient building is now built into the south wall of the new one, facing St. Giles’s Street, and . ters :- “IN THE NAME OF THE LORD, YE MASTERIS AND MARINERIS BYLIS THIS HOVS TO YE POVR. ANNO DOMINI, ~555.” In the east wing of the present edifice there is preserved a stone, on which is carved a cross-staff and other nautical instruments of the sixteenth century, an anchor, and two globes, with the motto :- apply those dues in the maintenance of a hospital for the keeping of “poor, old, infirm, and weak matiners.” Long previous to 1797, the association, though calling itself ‘‘ The Corporation of .Shipmasters of the Trinity House of Leith,” was’. A corporation only by the courtesy of popular language, and posseised merely the powers of a charitable body ; but in that year it was erected by charter into a corporate body, whose office-bearers were to be a master, assistant and deputy-=aster, a manager, treasurer, and clerk, and was vested with powersreserving, however, those of the Corporation of the city of Edinburgh-to examine, and under its “ Zmtituted 1380. Buiit rj55. RebuiZt 1816.” “The date of this foundation,” says Daniel Wilson is curious, Its dedication implies that it originated with the adherents of the ancient faith, while the date of the old inscription indicates the very period when the Queen Regent assumed the reins of government. That same year John Knox landed at Leith on his return from exile ; and only three years later, the last convocation of the Roman Catholic clergy that ever assembled in Scotland hnder the sanction of its laws was held in the Blackfriars Church at Edinburgh, and signalised its final session by proscribing Sir David Lindsay’s writings, and enacting that his buik should be abolished and burnt.’ ” From time immemorial the shipmasters and mariners of Leith received from all vessels of the port, and all Scottish vessels visiting it, certain duties, called “ prirno gilt,” which were expended in aiding poor seamen ; and about the middle of the sixteenth century they acquired a legal right to tained, but they were then ( I 7 7 9) all out-pensioners. In the inventory of deeds belonging to this institution is enumerated :-“ Ane charter granted by Mathew Forrester, in favour of the foresaide mariners of Leith, of thesaid land of ye hospital bankes, and for undercallit ye grounds lying in Leith. . . also saide yeird. . . dated 26 July, 1567, sealit and subscnbit be the saide Mat. Forrester, Prebender of St. Antoine, near Leith.” (‘< M o n s ticon Scotz.”) During the Protectorate the ample vaults under the old Trinity House (now or latterly used as wine stores) were filled with the munition of Monk’s troops, for which they paid a rent. “ By his Highness’ council1 in Scotland, for the governing theirof: these are to require z,ooo forthwith out of such moneys dew or schal come to the hands of the Customes, out of the third part of the profits arysing from the Excyse in Scotland, to pay \Villiam Robertson (collector for the poore of Trinitie House in Leyth) the sornme of A3 15s. ... of the siege, he says, “ upon the twentieth day, the principal block-house of Leith, called St. Anthony’s ...

Vol. 6  p. 222 (Rel. 0.81)

writing of the siege, he says, “ upon the twentieth day, the principal block-house of Leith, called St. Anthony’s Kirk, was battered down.” And we have already referred to the Act of Council in 1560, by which it was ordered that this block house and the curtain-wall facing Edinburgh should be levelled to the sound. . Immediately opposite St;. Mary‘s Church stands the Trinity House of Leith, erected on the site of the original edifice bearing that name, This Seaman’s Hospital was dedicated to the Holy Trinity, and the insctiption which adorned the ancient building is now built into the south wall of the new one, facing St. Giles’s Street, and . ters :- “IN THE NAME OF THE LORD, YE MASTERIS AND MARINERIS BYLIS THIS HOVS TO YE POVR. ANNO DOMINI, ~555.” In the east wing of the present edifice there is preserved a stone, on which is carved a cross-staff and other nautical instruments of the sixteenth century, an anchor, and two globes, with the motto :- apply those dues in the maintenance of a hospital for the keeping of “poor, old, infirm, and weak matiners.” Long previous to 1797, the association, though calling itself ‘‘ The Corporation of .Shipmasters of the Trinity House of Leith,” was’. A corporation only by the courtesy of popular language, and posseised merely the powers of a charitable body ; but in that year it was erected by charter into a corporate body, whose office-bearers were to be a master, assistant and deputy-=aster, a manager, treasurer, and clerk, and was vested with powersreserving, however, those of the Corporation of the city of Edinburgh-to examine, and under its “ Zmtituted 1380. Buiit rj55. RebuiZt 1816.” “The date of this foundation,” says Daniel Wilson is curious, Its dedication implies that it originated with the adherents of the ancient faith, while the date of the old inscription indicates the very period when the Queen Regent assumed the reins of government. That same year John Knox landed at Leith on his return from exile ; and only three years later, the last convocation of the Roman Catholic clergy that ever assembled in Scotland hnder the sanction of its laws was held in the Blackfriars Church at Edinburgh, and signalised its final session by proscribing Sir David Lindsay’s writings, and enacting that his buik should be abolished and burnt.’ ” From time immemorial the shipmasters and mariners of Leith received from all vessels of the port, and all Scottish vessels visiting it, certain duties, called “ prirno gilt,” which were expended in aiding poor seamen ; and about the middle of the sixteenth century they acquired a legal right to tained, but they were then ( I 7 7 9) all out-pensioners. In the inventory of deeds belonging to this institution is enumerated :-“ Ane charter granted by Mathew Forrester, in favour of the foresaide mariners of Leith, of thesaid land of ye hospital bankes, and for undercallit ye grounds lying in Leith. . . also saide yeird. . . dated 26 July, 1567, sealit and subscnbit be the saide Mat. Forrester, Prebender of St. Antoine, near Leith.” (‘< M o n s ticon Scotz.”) During the Protectorate the ample vaults under the old Trinity House (now or latterly used as wine stores) were filled with the munition of Monk’s troops, for which they paid a rent. “ By his Highness’ council1 in Scotland, for the governing theirof: these are to require z,ooo forthwith out of such moneys dew or schal come to the hands of the Customes, out of the third part of the profits arysing from the Excyse in Scotland, to pay \Villiam Robertson (collector for the poore of Trinitie House in Leyth) the sornme of A3 15s. ... of the siege, he says, “ upon the twentieth day, the principal block-house of Leith, called St. Anthony’s ...

Vol. 6  p. 223 (Rel. 0.81)

326 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. 11745. -the identical vehicle in which the deputies had returned from Gray’s Mill, and the driver of which wanted to pass out at that critical juncture. “Open the port,” he cried, “for I behove to get out.” “You cannot,” yeplied the sentinel, “without an order from Provost Stewart.” “Let the coach out instantly,” said James Gillespie, under-keeper of the gate, ‘:for I have an order to that effect.” “Oh, sir, ’tis very well; you have the keys of the port and must answer for it,” replied the soldier,. as he pulled back the ponderous gate in the arch between its two massive towers. At that moment a Highlander sprang in and wrested his musket from him ; it was the chief of Lochiel; and immediately the whole clan Cameron advanced up the street, with swords drawn and colours flying, their pipes playing “ We’ll awa to Shirramuir, And haud the Whigs ip order.” Other noise there was none, and no bloodshed; not an armed man was to be seen on the streets, to the astonishment of the Highlanders, who saw only the people in their nightdresses, at the windows, by the light of the early dawn. They seized the Guard-house, disarmed the Guard, captured the cannon and arsenal, placed pickets at the eight principal gates with the utmost order and regularity, while the magistrates retired to their houses, aware that their authority was ended. . Generals Guest and Preston hoisted the royal standard on the Castle, and fired a few cannon to warn all to keep from its vicinity, and, meanwhile, after two hours’ sleep, Charles prepared to take possession of the palace of his forefathers. Making a tour to the south, to avoid the fire of the Castle till he reached Braidsburn, he turned towards the city as far as the Hare Stone, a mass of granite on the turnpike road near Morningside-the old banner stone of the Burghmuir. He then wheeled to the east by the beech-shaded Grange Loan (now bordered by villas, sequestered and grassy then), which leads by the old house of the Grange to the Causeway side Near Priestfield he entered the royal parks by a breach that had been made in the wall, and traversed the Hunter’s Bog, that had echoed so often .to the bugles of his ancestors. Leaving his troops to take up their camp, about noon he rode -with what emotions we may imagine-towards old Holyrood, of a thousand stirring memories, attended by the Duke of Perth and Lord Elcho, with a train of gentlemen and the veterans of his Highland guard-veterans of Sherriffmuir and Glenshiel- eighty in number, at the very time that Sir John Cope’s armament was disembarking at Dunbar. On reaching the eminence below St. Anthony’s chapel and well, when for the first time he came in sight of the old palace, he alighted from his horse, and paused to survey the beautiful scene. Then descending to the Duke’s Walk (so called because it had been a favourite resort of his grandfather, to whose flagrant misgovernment he owed his exile) he halted for a few minutes to show himself to the people, who now flocked around him in great numbers with mingled feelings of ccriosity and admiration. Loud huzzas came from the crowd, and many of the enthusiastic Jacobites knelt down and kissed his hand. He then mounted his horse-a fine bay gelding, presented to him by the Duke of Perth-and rode slowly towards the palace. On arriving in front of Holyrood he alighted, and was about to enter the royal dwelling, when a cannon ball fired from the Castle struck the front of Jarnes V.’s tower, and brought down a quantity of rubbish into the court-yard. No injury was done, however, by this gratuitous act of annoyance, and the Prince, passing in at the outer gate, and proceeding along the piazza, and the quadrangle, was about to enter the porch of what are called the Duke of Hamilton’s apartments, when James Hepburn of Keith, who had takeii part in the rising of 1715, ‘a model of ancient simplicity, manliness, and honour,’ stepped from the crowd, bent his knee in token of homage, and then drawing his sword, raised it aloft, and marshalled the way before Charles up-stairs.” On this day Charles wore a short tartan coat, with the star of St- Andrew, a blue velvet bonnet, and white cockade, a blue ribbon over his shoulder, scarlet breeches, and military boots, Tall, handsome, fair, and noble in aspect, he excited the admiration of all those fearless Jacobites, the ladies especially. “All were charmed with his appearance,” says Home; “they compared him to Robert Bruce, whom he resembled, they said, in his figure and fortune. The Whigs looked upon him with other eyes; they acknowledged that he was a goodly person, but observed that even in that triumphant hour, when about to enter the palace of his fathers, the air of his countenance was languid and melancholy; that he looked like a gentleman and man of fashion, but not like a hero or conqueror.” He adds, however, that he was greeted with acclaim by the peasantry, who, whenever he went abroad, sought to kiss his hand3 and even to touch his clothes. At one o’clock on the same day a body of the Cameron clansmen was drawn up around the ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. 11745. -the identical vehicle in which the deputies had returned from Gray’s Mill, and ...

Vol. 2  p. 326 (Rel. 0.81)

GENERAL INDEX. 371 Black Watch, 11. 89, 138, 149, 179. Black Wigs ClLb, 111. 123 Blackwood, Hnilie, 111. 15 Blackwood, William, I. 157, 291, 11. 139, 141, 142 ; the saloon in his establinhment, 11. * 141 ; his rrsidence, 111. 50 BfacA-wood's Mapasiw, 1. 339, 11. 322, 111. 195 288 23; ;Fa# ;2; ;7;g; 1.g WirZtors 11.140 IIP. 74 Blair,' Sir Jdmes Hunter, Lord Provost, I. 179, 373, 376, 11. 283, 111. 89 Blair of Avontoun. Lord President. 236, 2 , II:27, 29, 120, 161, 271, Blair Street, I. 245, 376, 11. 231, Blarquhan Laird of 111. 36 BIair's Cl&, I. 65. & 11. 329 ;the Duke of Gordon's house, 1. *p Blairs of Balthayock, Tom-house ofthe 11. 139 Blanc, kippolyte J., architect, 111. 38 Bland, the comedian, I. 342, 343 Blaw Wearie 111. 305 Bkis-sifwr, ?he gratuity, 11. 290, 383, 119. 45, 1 3 6 ~ 2 ~ Zj8,III. I 291 Blew Stone The I. 79 Blind Schdl, Cdigmillar, 11. 336 Blockhouse of St. Anthony. Leith. 111. 222, "23 J'Blue Blanket," The, I. 34, '36, 43, 11. 262, 278, 111. 55 Blumenreich, Herr, 111.88 Blyth's Close, 1. ga, 111. 66 Bmk's Land, West Port, I. 224 Boar Club The 111. IW Board of Manuiactnres, 11. 8 3 4 6 , Body-snatchers Early 11. 1.w B o ~ l l y , R o d n ci& near, 111. Bo%l?yTower 111. 326 "328 Bonham, Sir Galter. II.'57 Bonkel Sir Edward I. 304 Bonnet'birds' club', 111.123 Bonnet-makers The 11. 265 Bonnington, n&r Le'ith, 11.~5,III. W. ,306 ; view in, 111. * 96 Bonntngton House, 111. 88, 91, *93, 147 Bonnington Mill, 111. 90, 247 Bonniugton Road, l I I . 8 8 , 1 2 8 , 1 ~ , Bonnington Sugar-refining Com- Bonnyhaugh 111.90 gr Bordeaux, &c de,Hr Holyrood, Boreland homas the pcssessor of the k&g$ stable, 11. 225; his house I. * 80 1I.a25,n6 Bore-s&e or hare-stone, The, I. 326, 111. 28 Bomwlaski, ;he '8o?i;h dwarf, 11. 166.167 Borthwick, Lord, I. 40, 262, 11.383, Borthwick, Jam- 11. 383 Borthwick's Close, I. 190, 211, 242 BosweIl, Sir Alexander, 1.173.182, 88, 92, 186 '7'1 '84 pany, Leith, 111. 91. 236 11. 78, 7% Ill. 348 2x39 243.258 101, 18% 299911. 66, 143 255 339 ifs9 ; Lord hlacaulay s :pinion 01 his father and mother, 'jq; o n.wn's visit to Edinburgh, I. z 9, IIL.57, 291, 35a Bormll Raj, Wardte, Ill. 308 Boswell's Court, I. Botanical gardenq, %e, I. 362,363, Bothwell, Earfs of,' I. 94 122, 168, Bo=vell, Jam=, I. 6 8 3 , 97, 98, 99, 111. 159, 161 162 163 196, 106, m7, 209, 2 1 0 ~ 2 4 ~ ~ 258, 259, 266, 276, 298, 3741 11. 61, 71, 72 111. 3 6,7, 52, 6 1 , ~ ~ 174, 33; ; Lord fi arnlefs murder 111. 3-7 * marruge of Queen kary to the Earl of, I. 219. 11. 71, 262; how Bothwell attracted the Queen's notice, 11. 102 Rothwell, Adam, Bishop of Orkney, I. 116, q, 11. 48, 49, 71, 181, 111. 35, 98 Bothwell, ohn Lord, 11. 49 Hothwell, Air Francis, 111. 35 Hothwell, ohn I 47 158 Hothwell AichArd, PAvost of Kirk- Bothwell of Glencorse, Henry, I. pa Bothwell Bridge, 11. 39, 87. 375 Bottle House Company, Leith, 111. Bough, Samuel, the artist, 11. 86, Boulder, Gigantic, 11. 312 Bourse, The, Leith, 111. 231; its other names, ib. Bower, the historian of Edinburgh University, 111. 8, 9. 10. 11, 16, of-Fielh, 111. 2 239 Ill. 68 . . 18 19, 308 BokFoot, The, 11. 13' Rowfoot Well. I. 310 11. 233 Bowles, Caroline, 11.'- Boyd, Lord, 111. 174, 180 Boyd Sir Thomas nmtewn, Lord Bo d, J o k , Slaubhter of'the ruf- PrdVOSt 11. 284 i11.88 288 Ln. 11. a 4 4 $1, 4 ,'326, a;i, 347, fi.- . "Braid dugh Somewilk of the Writes " 1. 315, 16 Braid, L i r d of, IIt. 49 Braid The river 111. 143, 322 Braid'Village o< 111. to, 113 ;ex* c d o n near, 1iI. 40; its historical asxiations, 111. 41 Braid's Row 111. 75 Braidsbum, 'I. 326, 111. 49, 61, 327 Brand, Sir Alexander, I. m3, 378, Brandof Baberton, Alexander, 111. Brandfield P h 11.218 Brandfield Stree; 11. ar Braxfield, Lord, i, 173, 11. 152,153, Bread. Sale of. determined bv law. 11.21 334 339 . . 11.;80 ' Brea&lbe Earlof 1.378 I11 146 Breadalbani Marqkis of,'II.'86; Breadalbme Stdet. Leith. 111. ax. Marchion& of 11. zog . . _ _ 236 II.84,111.2 9 Breakwater,TheNewhaven III.303 Bremner, David, 1. 283, 384, Brewers, The &inburgh, 11. 68 Brewster, Sir David, 1.379,II. 140, f57,III. q, 242: statueof 111.24 Brilxs, Acceptance of, by'judgea and others, 1. 163, 164, 167,169 Brickfield, 111. 144 Bridewell, The, 11. 106, IT Bridge-end, 111. 58 Bridges, Sir Egerton, I. 273 Bridges David, cloth merchnot, Bright, John, M.P., 11. 284 Brighton Chapel, 11. 326 Brighton Place, Portobello 111.148 Hrlsbane, Sir T., Father d 11. 199 Bristo, 11. 135, 267, w, Ilt. 94 Bristo Park 11. 326 Bristo Port,'I. 38, 11. 234, 267, 316, T3t.3249 325, 3 4 '32% 3Pp 379, Brisro Street, I. 335, 11. 326.327, I. I ~ ' - I I O ; his wife, I. 110 11. 94, 156 British Convention, The, 11. 236 ; British Linen Company, I. a79.280, 11s governors and patrons, 1. 279 British Linen Co.'s Bank, Edinburgh 11 170 171, 172; at Leith'III'z38 '23 British h e ; Hail, &nongate, 11. 31, 33, 83 xilure of its members, id. 355, 11. 33, 93, '731 '74, 111.344; Broadstairs House, Causewayside, Broad Wknd, Leith, 111. 167, 210, 111. 50 "52 236,238 Brodie, Deacon, Robberies cammitted by, I. 1 1 s r 1 5 * 116. 217, 11.23, Ill. 3t7: lantein and keys used by I. 115 : execution of, 1. 1x5 ; herview between Bmdie and Smith, 1. * 117; his method of robbery 11. 23 Brodie William the sculptor, I. 159, Brodie s klos; 1.112 Brwke, Gnsdvus V., the actor, I. 357 Brwm Stock of, I. 377 Bmugham, Lord, I. 166, 379, 11. i11 113 157 I 287, 292.347, 111: y :his b k a a c e , I. 168; his mother, I. 168, 242 ; burial-place nfhisfathcr,lII. 131 ; his statue, 1. I59 Bmughton, 1.335,II.3,191,III. 151 Broughton, Barony of, 11. I& 185, 186, 366,111. 83 86 I Bmughton Hum in 1850, 184 Broughton Hall, Ill. 88, * 93 Broughton Loan, 11. E+ 115, 176, Broughton Park, 111. 88 Broughton Place, 11. 183, 184 Broughton Street, 11. 178, 179, 183, 11. ;30 155 ill. 68,101 I&, 186, 188 184 Broughtan T o l b t h , The, 11. * 181 Broughton loll, 111. 95 Bronnga, John, the Nevhaven Brown CaGt. Sir ?&uel, 111. 303 Brown: George, the builder, 11. 2% B m . Thomas. architect. 11. IOI hsherman 111. 5 p 6 ~ m m ; Rev. Alexander, irr. 75- Brown, Rev. Dr., 111. 51 Brown Square, 1. g1.11.260,268, 269, 274 =71r 339 Broww, Dr. James, I. 190, 339,II. 1 4 314, 111. 79 Browne Dr. Thomas, 11.395 Browndll, Williim, the naval adventurer, I I I . I ~ , Rrownhill, the builder, 1. 98 Brown's Chapel (Or. John), Rose Street, 11. 15 , 184 Brown's close 1. 8: p Brown's taveA, Lkkgate Leith 111. 914 ; singular tragedy in, ib: Browns of Greenbank, The, I. go Hruce Lord 11. 354 Bruce: Sir hiichael 11. 168 BNC~ of Balcaskd and Kinross, Sir William architect of Holyrood Palace'l. 336 11. 74, 367 Bruce. Robe;. Lord Kennrtt. 11. 242 Rruce, Robert, sword of, 111. 355 Hruce Lady 111. 158 nruce'of RiAng's mansion, I. 2-4 Bruce of Kinnaird, the traveller, 1. 247, 111,162 Brucr of Kinloss, Lady, 11. 257 Rruce of Powfoulis Mrs 11. 16a Bruce Michael, th: Sco;;ish Kirke White, 111. 219 B ~ c e ' s Close, I. 223 Brunstane, 11. 34 Hrunstane Rum 111. 149 Brunstane, Laid of, 111. 150 Brunstane manor-house, 111. 149, 1509 Tl579.366 Brunsmck btmt, 111. 81 Hruntan Dr. I. 79 111. 83 Brunton'Pla& 191. Bruntsfield Links, 11. 115,137, 222, 313, 348, 111. q~ 34 31, 33, 43 ; the avenue 111. '33 Bruntsfield dr Warrender House, Bryce, David, thearchitect, 11. 95, 97, 154 174 210, 359, 111. 82 Rryce John architect 11. 359 Brysoh Rodert 1.37; Yuccle;ch, D&s of, 11. 21, 86, 211, 9 3 , 318, 358, 111. 198, 2x9, d37 265, 270, F, 30% 311, 3r4 ; Duchessof 11.115 Bucckuch, Hemy Duke of, 11. 310 Buccleuch Lady of 1. z06 Buccleuch'Free ChArch, 11. 346 Buccleuch Place, 11. 148, a68, 347, Bucckoch Street, II. 339 111. 45,46, *48, Ill. '25 Buchan, Earl of, 1. 34, 11. 8 6 , s ~ 1% 2% 339, 111. 2s 123, 1% 180, 314 Buchanaii, George, I. 16, 143, 167, 206, ~ 5 . *4, 11. 67. 127. 363 111. 14 179, 19. -1, 998,363. memorial window in new Greyfriars Church, 11. 379 Bnchanan, lk. k'raocis, botanist, 111. 1-52 Buchanan of Auchintorlie, 11.159 Buchanan Street, 111. 15 Buckingham Tenace, 119. 67 Bnckstane The 111. 342 Buildings 'in Edinburgh, Ancient laws regulating the I. rl Bull, Capture of Sir 'Stephen, 111. Bullock, William ; his plan for the re-capture of Edinburgh Castle, 202 I. 25, 26. Bunker's Hill, I. $6 Burdiehoux, 111. 342; fossil dLcoveries near, id. . Burdiehouse Burn 111. 322, 339 Burgess Close, Leith, 111.164 167. Burgh Loch,The, 11. zgc, 346, 347, Burg Loch Brewery, 11.349 Burphmuir. The. 1. U. ~ O A . ?I& 227, 232, 234, 249 * q 9 , 354 33r 326, >a3, iiL;; 35 170 342; muster of troops udder jam- 111. and James IV., Ill. 28. the k - s c a n e , 111.~8, * z g ; :dud in 17za, 111. p; Valleyfield House and Leven Ledge, id.; Barclay Freechurch, 76.; Hruntsfield Links and the Golf clubs, ib. ; Gillespie's Hospital, 111. & *37: M e r c h w Castle, ILI. 9% P**r 26 Burghmuir, Dlstrict of the, 111. q -y ; battle of the (see Battles) Burghmuir-head mad, 111. 38; thc Free Church, i6. Burial-ground, The first, in =inburgh, I. 149 Burials under church porticoes, 11. 247 Burke and Hare, the murderers L Im, 11. 226-230, Ill. 27 Burleigh Lord 1.127 ; escape from the l.oiboot$ ib. Burn, Willkm the architect, 11. 171, 111. 34 b8 85 255 Burnet, Jamei oith: TownGuud. 11.311 Burnet, Sir Thomas, 11. 147 Burnet of Monboddo, Miss, I. iq. 111.42 Burney, Dr the musician 11. zg Burning of'ihe Pope in ;figy by the Universitystudents, 111. II- 13. 57 Burns, Robert, I. 3,106, 107, 11g. IW 154 171, 178, 17% 232,236. I Y, 159, 187, 188, wl 27, 333 2397 348, 366, 11. p4 27. 307 3% 191. 42, 55, 161, 352 ; Ftxman s statne of, 11.88, 110; Nasmyth's y t r a i t of, 11. @ ; monument of, 1. 11% *IIZ; bust by Brodi, 11. 110: head Or, 11. 127 Bums' centenary The first 11.150 Burns, Colonel W. Nicol, &e poet's son 11. Sg Burn:, Miss, and Bailie Crcech, II. ' Bnrniisland, I. 58,111.180, 188,191, 158, 159 211,314 Burtou, Ur. John Hill, I. 98, 111. 42, 43; his literary work.. 111. ' 43 able article, 11. 219 86,111. 13: Butcher meat formerly an unsale- Bute, Earl of, 1. 164, 179, 272, 11. Bute, Marquis of, 11. 346 Bute's Battery, 1. 78 Butler, John, the king's carpenter, Butter Tron, The, I. 50, thtters of F'itlochry, %'Le, 11. 11. 136 5 218 143 Byres, Sir John, I. 153, 219, 11-GENERAL INDEX. 371 Black Watch, 11. 89, 138, 149, 179. Black Wigs ClLb, 111. 123 Blackwood, Hnilie, 111. 15 Blackwood, William, I. 157, 291, 11. 139, 141, 142 ; the saloon in his establinhment, 11. * 141 ; his rrsidence, 111. 50 BfacA-wood's Mapasiw, 1. 339, 11. 322, 111. 195 288 23; ;Fa# ;2; ;7;g; 1.g WirZtors 11.140 IIP. 74 Blair,' Sir Jdmes Hunter, Lord Provost, I. 179, 373, 376, 11. 283, 111. 89 Blair of Avontoun. Lord President. 236, 2 , II:27, 29, 120, 161, 271, Blair Street, I. 245, 376, 11. 231, Blarquhan Laird of 111. 36 BIair's Cl&, I. 65. & 11. 329 ;the Duke of Gordon's house, 1. *p Blairs of Balthayock, Tom-house ofthe 11. 139 Blanc, kippolyte J., architect, 111. 38 Bland, the comedian, I. 342, 343 Blaw Wearie 111. 305 Bkis-sifwr, ?he gratuity, 11. 290, 383, 119. 45, 1 3 6 ~ 2 ~ Zj8,III. I 291 Blew Stone The I. 79 Blind Schdl, Cdigmillar, 11. 336 Blockhouse of St. Anthony. Leith. 111. 222, "23 J'Blue Blanket," The, I. 34, '36, 43, 11. 262, 278, 111. 55 Blumenreich, Herr, 111.88 Blyth's Close, 1. ga, 111. 66 Bmk's Land, West Port, I. 224 Boar Club The 111. IW Board of Manuiactnres, 11. 8 3 4 6 , Body-snatchers Early 11. 1.w B o ~ l l y , R o d n ci& near, 111. Bo%l?yTower 111. 326 "328 Bonham, Sir Galter. II.'57 Bonkel Sir Edward I. 304 Bonnet'birds' club', 111.123 Bonnet-makers The 11. 265 Bonnington, n&r Le'ith, 11.~5,III. W. ,306 ; view in, 111. * 96 Bonntngton House, 111. 88, 91, *93, 147 Bonnington Mill, 111. 90, 247 Bonniugton Road, l I I . 8 8 , 1 2 8 , 1 ~ , Bonnington Sugar-refining Com- Bonnyhaugh 111.90 gr Bordeaux, &c de,Hr Holyrood, Boreland homas the pcssessor of the k&g$ stable, 11. 225; his house I. * 80 1I.a25,n6 Bore-s&e or hare-stone, The, I. 326, 111. 28 Bomwlaski, ;he '8o?i;h dwarf, 11. 166.167 Borthwick, Lord, I. 40, 262, 11.383, Borthwick, Jam- 11. 383 Borthwick's Close, I. 190, 211, 242 BosweIl, Sir Alexander, 1.173.182, 88, 92, 186 '7'1 '84 pany, Leith, 111. 91. 236 11. 78, 7% Ill. 348 2x39 243.258 101, 18% 299911. 66, 143 255 339 ifs9 ; Lord hlacaulay s :pinion 01 his father and mother, 'jq; o n.wn's visit to Edinburgh, I. z 9, IIL.57, 291, 35a Bormll Raj, Wardte, Ill. 308 Boswell's Court, I. Botanical gardenq, %e, I. 362,363, Bothwell, Earfs of,' I. 94 122, 168, Bo=vell, Jam=, I. 6 8 3 , 97, 98, 99, 111. 159, 161 162 163 196, 106, m7, 209, 2 1 0 ~ 2 4 ~ ~ 258, 259, 266, 276, 298, 3741 11. 61, 71, 72 111. 3 6,7, 52, 6 1 , ~ ~ 174, 33; ; Lord fi arnlefs murder 111. 3-7 * marruge of Queen kary to the Earl of, I. 219. 11. 71, 262; how Bothwell attracted the Queen's notice, 11. 102 Rothwell, Adam, Bishop of Orkney, I. 116, q, 11. 48, 49, 71, 181, 111. 35, 98 Bothwell, ohn Lord, 11. 49 Hothwell, Air Francis, 111. 35 Hothwell, ohn I 47 158 Hothwell AichArd, PAvost of Kirk- Bothwell of Glencorse, Henry, I. pa Bothwell Bridge, 11. 39, 87. 375 Bottle House Company, Leith, 111. Bough, Samuel, the artist, 11. 86, Boulder, Gigantic, 11. 312 Bourse, The, Leith, 111. 231; its other names, ib. Bower, the historian of Edinburgh University, 111. 8, 9. 10. 11, 16, of-Fielh, 111. 2 239 Ill. 68 . . 18 19, 308 BokFoot, The, 11. 13' Rowfoot Well. I. 310 11. 233 Bowles, Caroline, 11.'- Boyd, Lord, 111. 174, 180 Boyd Sir Thomas nmtewn, Lord Bo d, J o k , Slaubhter of'the ruf- PrdVOSt 11. 284 i11.88 288 Ln. 11. a 4 4 $1, 4 ,'326, a;i, 347, fi.- . "Braid dugh Somewilk of the Writes " 1. 315, 16 Braid, L i r d of, IIt. 49 Braid The river 111. 143, 322 Braid'Village o< 111. to, 113 ;ex* c d o n near, 1iI. 40; its historical asxiations, 111. 41 Braid's Row 111. 75 Braidsbum, 'I. 326, 111. 49, 61, 327 Brand, Sir Alexander, I. m3, 378, Brandof Baberton, Alexander, 111. Brandfield P h 11.218 Brandfield Stree; 11. ar Braxfield, Lord, i, 173, 11. 152,153, Bread. Sale of. determined bv law. 11.21 334 339 . . 11.;80 ' Brea&lbe Earlof 1.378 I11 146 Breadalbani Marqkis of,'II.'86; Breadalbme Stdet. Leith. 111. ax. Marchion& of 11. zog . . _ _ 236 II.84,111.2 9 Breakwater,TheNewhaven III.303 Bremner, David, 1. 283, 384, Brewers, The &inburgh, 11. 68 Brewster, Sir David, 1.379,II. 140, f57,III. q, 242: statueof 111.24 Brilxs, Acceptance of, by'judgea and others, 1. 163, 164, 167,169 Brickfield, 111. 144 Bridewell, The, 11. 106, IT Bridge-end, 111. 58 Bridges, Sir Egerton, I. 273 Bridges David, cloth merchnot, Bright, John, M.P., 11. 284 Brighton Chapel, 11. 326 Brighton Place, Portobello 111.148 Hrlsbane, Sir T., Father d 11. 199 Bristo, 11. 135, 267, w, Ilt. 94 Bristo Park 11. 326 Bristo Port,'I. 38, 11. 234, 267, 316, T3t.3249 325, 3 4 '32% 3Pp 379, Brisro Street, I. 335, 11. 326.327, I. I ~ ' - I I O ; his wife, I. 110 11. 94, 156 British Convention, The, 11. 236 ; British Linen Company, I. a79.280, 11s governors and patrons, 1. 279 British Linen Co.'s Bank, Edinburgh 11 170 171, 172; at Leith'III'z38 '23 British h e ; Hail, &nongate, 11. 31, 33, 83 xilure of its members, id. 355, 11. 33, 93, '731 '74, 111.344; Broadstairs House, Causewayside, Broad Wknd, Leith, 111. 167, 210, 111. 50 "52 236,238 Brodie, Deacon, Robberies cammitted by, I. 1 1 s r 1 5 * 116. 217, 11.23, Ill. 3t7: lantein and keys used by I. 115 : execution of, 1. 1x5 ; herview between Bmdie and Smith, 1. * 117; his method of robbery 11. 23 Brodie William the sculptor, I. 159, Brodie s klos; 1.112 Brwke, Gnsdvus V., the actor, I. 357 Brwm Stock of, I. 377 Bmugham, Lord, I. 166, 379, 11. i11 113 157 I 287, 292.347, 111: y :his b k a a c e , I. 168; his mother, I. 168, 242 ; burial-place nfhisfathcr,lII. 131 ; his statue, 1. I59 Bmughton, 1.335,II.3,191,III. 151 Broughton, Barony of, 11. I& 185, 186, 366,111. 83 86 I Bmughton Hum in 1850, 184 Broughton Hall, Ill. 88, * 93 Broughton Loan, 11. E+ 115, 176, Broughton Park, 111. 88 Broughton Place, 11. 183, 184 Broughton Street, 11. 178, 179, 183, 11. ;30 155 ill. 68,101 I&, 186, 188 184 Broughtan T o l b t h , The, 11. * 181 Broughton loll, 111. 95 Bronnga, John, the Nevhaven Brown CaGt. Sir ?&uel, 111. 303 Brown: George, the builder, 11. 2% B m . Thomas. architect. 11. IOI hsherman 111. 5 p 6 ~ m m ; Rev. Alexander, irr. 75- Brown, Rev. Dr., 111. 51 Brown Square, 1. g1.11.260,268, 269, 274 =71r 339 Broww, Dr. James, I. 190, 339,II. 1 4 314, 111. 79 Browne Dr. Thomas, 11.395 Browndll, Williim, the naval adventurer, I I I . I ~ , Rrownhill, the builder, 1. 98 Brown's Chapel (Or. John), Rose Street, 11. 15 , 184 Brown's close 1. 8: p Brown's taveA, Lkkgate Leith 111. 914 ; singular tragedy in, ib: Browns of Greenbank, The, I. go Hruce Lord 11. 354 Bruce: Sir hiichael 11. 168 BNC~ of Balcaskd and Kinross, Sir William architect of Holyrood Palace'l. 336 11. 74, 367 Bruce. Robe;. Lord Kennrtt. 11. 242 Rruce, Robert, sword of, 111. 355 Hruce Lady 111. 158 nruce'of RiAng's mansion, I. 2-4 Bruce of Kinnaird, the traveller, 1. 247, 111,162 Brucr of Kinloss, Lady, 11. 257 Rruce of Powfoulis Mrs 11. 16a Bruce Michael, th: Sco;;ish Kirke White, 111. 219 B ~ c e ' s Close, I. 223 Brunstane, 11. 34 Hrunstane Rum 111. 149 Brunstane, Laid of, 111. 150 Brunstane manor-house, 111. 149, 1509 Tl579.366 Brunsmck btmt, 111. 81 Hruntan Dr. I. 79 111. 83 Brunton'Pla& 191. Bruntsfield Links, 11. 115,137, 222, 313, 348, 111. q~ 34 31, 33, 43 ; the avenue 111. '33 Bruntsfield dr Warrender House, Bryce, David, thearchitect, 11. 95, 97, 154 174 210, 359, 111. 82 Rryce John architect 11. 359 Brysoh Rodert 1.37; Yuccle;ch, D&s of, 11. 21, 86, 211, 9 3 , 318, 358, 111. 198, 2x9, d37 265, 270, F, 30% 311, 3r4 ; Duchessof 11.115 Bucckuch, Hemy Duke of, 11. 310 Buccleuch Lady of 1. z06 Buccleuch'Free ChArch, 11. 346 Buccleuch Place, 11. 148, a68, 347, Bucckoch Street, II. 339 111. 45,46, *48, Ill. '25 Buchan, Earl of, 1. 34, 11. 8 6 , s ~ 1% 2% 339, 111. 2s 123, 1% 180, 314 Buchanaii, George, I. 16, 143, 167, 206, ~ 5 . *4, 11. 67. 127. 363 111. 14 179, 19. -1, 998,363. memorial window in new Greyfriars Church, 11. 379 Bnchanan, lk. k'raocis, botanist, 111. 1-52 Buchanan of Auchintorlie, 11.159 Buchanan Street, 111. 15 Buckingham Tenace, 119. 67 Bnckstane The 111. 342 Buildings 'in Edinburgh, Ancient laws regulating the I. rl Bull, Capture of Sir 'Stephen, 111. Bullock, William ; his plan for the re-capture of Edinburgh Castle, 202 I. 25, 26. Bunker's Hill, I. $6 Burdiehoux, 111. 342; fossil dLcoveries near, id. . Burdiehouse Burn 111. 322, 339 Burgess Close, Leith, 111.164 167. Burgh Loch,The, 11. zgc, 346, 347, Burg Loch Brewery, 11.349 Burphmuir. The. 1. U. ~ O A . ?I& 227, 232, 234, 249 * q 9 , 354 33r 326, >a3, iiL;; 35 170 342; muster of troops udder jam- 111. and James IV., Ill. 28. the k - s c a n e , 111.~8, * z g ; :dud in 17za, 111. p; Valleyfield House and Leven Ledge, id.; Barclay Freechurch, 76.; Hruntsfield Links and the Golf clubs, ib. ; Gillespie's Hospital, 111. & *37: M e r c h w Castle, ILI. 9% P**r 26 Burghmuir, Dlstrict of the, 111. q -y ; battle of the (see Battles) Burghmuir-head mad, 111. 38; thc Free Church, i6. Burial-ground, The first, in =inburgh, I. 149 Burials under church porticoes, 11. 247 Burke and Hare, the murderers L Im, 11. 226-230, Ill. 27 Burleigh Lord 1.127 ; escape from the l.oiboot$ ib. Burn, Willkm the architect, 11. 171, 111. 34 b8 85 255 Burnet, Jamei oith: TownGuud. 11.311 Burnet, Sir Thomas, 11. 147 Burnet of Monboddo, Miss, I. iq. 111.42 Burney, Dr the musician 11. zg Burning of'ihe Pope in ;figy by the Universitystudents, 111. II- 13. 57 Burns, Robert, I. 3,106, 107, 11g. IW 154 171, 178, 17% 232,236. I Y, 159, 187, 188, wl 27, 333 2397 348, 366, 11. p4 27. 307 3% 191. 42, 55, 161, 352 ; Ftxman s statne of, 11.88, 110; Nasmyth's y t r a i t of, 11. @ ; monument of, 1. 11% *IIZ; bust by Brodi, 11. 110: head Or, 11. 127 Bums' centenary The first 11.150 Burns, Colonel W. Nicol, &e poet's son 11. Sg Burn:, Miss, and Bailie Crcech, II. ' Bnrniisland, I. 58,111.180, 188,191, 158, 159 211,314 Burtou, Ur. John Hill, I. 98, 111. 42, 43; his literary work.. 111. ' 43 able article, 11. 219 86,111. 13: Butcher meat formerly an unsale- Bute, Earl of, 1. 164, 179, 272, 11. Bute, Marquis of, 11. 346 Bute's Battery, 1. 78 Butler, John, the king's carpenter, Butter Tron, The, I. 50, thtters of F'itlochry, %'Le, 11. 11. 136 5 218 143 Byres, Sir John, I. 153, 219, 11- ... INDEX. 371 Black Watch, 11. 89, 138, 149, 179. Black Wigs ClLb, 111. 123 Blackwood, Hnilie, 111. ...

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THE EARLY CHURCH. I39 St. Giles’s Church.] of that hospital used to present a bowl of ale to away. The first stone church was probably of every felon as he passed their gate to Newgate. Among the places enumerated by Simon Dunelmensis, of Durham, as belonging to the see .of Lindkfarn in 854, when Earnulph, who removed it to Chester-le-Street, was bishop, he includes that of Edinburgh. From this it must be distinctly inferred that a church of some kind existed on the long slope that led to Dun Edin, but no authentic record of it occurs till the reign of King Alexander II., when Baldred deacon of Lothian, and John perpetual vicar of the church of St. Giles at Edinburgh, attached their seals to copies of certain Papal bulls and charters of the church of Megginche, a dependency of the church of Holyrood ; and (according to the Liber Cartaruni Sanctae Crucis) on the Sunday before the feast of St. Thomas, in the year 1293, Donoca, daughter of John, son of Herveus, resigned certain Iands to the monastery of Holyrood, in full consis-, Norman architecture. A beautiful Norman dborway, which stood below the third window from the west, was wantonly destroyed towards the end of the eighteenth century. ‘‘ This fragment,” says Wilson, “sufficiently enables us to picture the little parish church of St. Giles in the reign of David I. Built in the massive style of the early Norman period, it would consist simply of a nave and chancel, united by a rich Norman chancel arch, altogether occupying only a portion of the centre of the present nave. Small circular-headed windows, decorated with zig-zag mouldings, would admit the light to its sombre interior; while its west front was in all probability surmounted by a simple belfry, from whence the bell would summon the natives of the hamlet to matins and vespers, and with slow measured sounds toll their knell, as they were laid in the neighbouring churchyard. This ancient church was never entire4 detory, held in the church of St. Giles. Its solid masonry was probably very is again mentioned, when William the bishop of St. forces of Edward 11. in 1322, when Holyrood was ,%ndrews confirmed numerous gifts bestowed upon spoiled, or by those of his son in 1335, when the abbey and its dependencies. In 1359 King the whole country was wasted with fire and sword. David II., by a charter under his great seal, con- The town was again subjected to the like violence, Catharine in the church of St. Giles all the lands I conflagration of 1385, when the English army .of Upper Merchiston, the gift of Roger Hog, under Richard 11. occupied the town for five days, burgess of Edinburgh. It is more than probable and then laid it and the abbey of Holyrood in 961, and built up again within the year. Of what ’ the original fabric by the piety of private donors, must the materials have been? asks Maitland. I or by the zeal of its own clergy to adapt it to Burned again in 1187, it was rebuilt on arches of, the wants of the rising town. In all the changes .stone--“ a wonderful work,” say the authors of the that it underwent for above seven centuries, the day. I original north door, with its beautifully recessed A portion of the church of St. Giles was arched ’ Norman arches and grotesque decorations, always I with stone in 1380, as would appear from a con- commanded the veneration of the innovators, and I tract noted by Maitland, who has also preserved remained as a precious relic of the past, until the the terms of another contract, made in 1387, be- tasteless improvers of the eighteenth century de-. tween the provost and community of Edinburgh I molished it without a cause, and probably for no on one hand, an? two masons on the other, for the better reason than to evade the cost of its repair !” construction of five separate vaulted chapels along I In the year 1462 great additions and repairs. the south side of the church, the architectural appear to have been in progress, for the Town. features of which prove its existence at a period Council then passed a law that all persons selling I long before any of these dates, and when Edin- corn before it was entered should forfeit one chal- I der to church work. In the year 1466 it was I burgh was merely a cluster of thatched huts. The edifice, as it now stands, is a building erected into a collegiate church by James III.,. including the work of many different and remote the foundation consisting (according to Keitli and I periods. By all men of taste and letters in Edin- others) of a provost, curate, sixteen prebendaries,. burgh it has been a general subject of regret that sacristan, beadle, minister of the choir, and four the restoration in 1829 was conducted in a man- choristers. - Various sums of money, lands, tithes, ner so barbarous and irreverent, that many of its &c., were appropriated for the support of the new In an Act ’ molished. passed in 1319, in the reign of Robert I., the church I partially affected by the ravages of the invading firmed to the chaplain officiating at the altar of St. i probably with results little more lasting, by the that the first church on the site was of wood. St. i ashes. The Norman architecture disappeared Paul’s Cathedral, at London, was burned down in I piecemeal, as chapels and aisles were added to ... EARLY CHURCH. I39 St. Giles’s Church.] of that hospital used to present a bowl of ale to away. The first stone ...

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bosom of Belhaven, the Earl Marischal, after having opposed the Union in all its stages, refused to be present at this degrading ceremony, and was represented by his proxy, Wilson, the Clerk of Session, who took a long protest descriptive of the regalia, and declaring that they should remain within the said crown-room, and -never be removed from it without due intimation being made to the Earl Marischal. A copy of this protest, beautifully illuminated, was then deposited with the regalia, a linen cloth was spread over the whole, and the great oak chest was secured by three ponderous locks; and there for a hundred and ten years, amid silence, obscurity, and dust, lay the crown that had sparkled on the brows of Bruce, on those of the gallant Jameses, and on Mary’s auburn hair -the symbols of Scotland‘s elder days, for which so many myriads of the loyal, the brave, and the noble, had laid down their lives on the battle-field -neglected and forgotten.” Just four months after this obnoxious ceremony, and while the spirit of antagonism to it rose high in the land, a gentleman, with only thirty men, undertook to surprise the fortress, which had in it now a party of but thirty-five British soldiers, to guard the equivalent money, ~400,000, and a great quantity of Scottish specie, which had been called in to be coined anew. In the memoirs of Kerr of Kerrsland we are told that the leader of this projected surprise was to appear with his thirty followers, all well armed, at noon, on the esplanade, which at that hour was the chief lounge of gay and fashionable people. Among these they were to mingle, but drawing as near to the barrier gate as possible. While affecting to inquire for a friend in the Castle, the leader was to shoot the sentinel ; the report of his pistol was to he the signal on which his men were to draw their swords, and secure the bridge, when a hundred men who were to be concealed in a cellar near were to join them, tear down the Union Jack, and hoist the Colours of James VIII. in its place. The originator of this daring scheme -whose name never transpired-having commu. nicated it to the well-known intriguer, Kerr of Kerrsland, while advising him to defer it till the chevalier, then expected, was off the coast, he secretly gave information to the Government, which, Burnbank was a very debauched character, who is frequently mentioned in Penicuick‘s satirical poems, to put it in a state of defence ; but the great magazine of arms, the cannon, stores, and 495 barrels of powder, which had been placed there in 1706, had all been removed to England. “But,” says a writer, this was only in the spirit of centralisation, which has since been brought to such perfection.” In 1708, before the departure of the fleet of Admiral de Fourbin with that expedition which the appearance of Byng’s squadron caused to fail, a plan of the Castle had been laid, at Versailles, before a board of experienced engineer officers, who unanimously concluded that, with his troops, cannon, and mortars, M. de Gace would carry the place in a few hours. A false attack was to be made on the westward, while three battalions were to storm the outworks on the east, work their way under the half-moon, and carry the citadel. Two Protestant bishops were then to have crowned the prince in St. Giles’s church as James VIII. ‘I The equivalent from England being there,” says an officer of the expedition, “would have been a great supply to us for raising men (having about 400 officers with us who had served in the wars in Italy), and above 100 chests in money.” Had M. de Gace actually appeared before the fortress, its capture would not have cost him much trouble, as Kerrsland tells us that there were not then four rounds of powder in it for the batteries ! On the 14th of December, 1714 the Castle was: by a decree of the Court of Session, deprived of its ancient ecclesiastical right of sanctuary, derived from and retained since the monastic institution of David I., in I 128. Campbell of Burnbank, the storekeeper, being under caption at the instance of a creditor, was arrested by a messenger-at-arms, on which Colonel Stuart, the governor, remembering the right of sanctuary, released Campbell, expelled the official, and closed the barriers. Upon this the creditor petitioned the court, asserting that the right of sanctuary was lost. In reply it was asserted that the Castle was not disfranchised, and that the Castle of Edinburgh, having anciently been rmtrurn pueZZarum, kas originally a religious house, as well as the abbey of Holyrood.” But the Court decided that it had no privilege of sanctuary “to hinder the king’s letters, and ordained Colonel Stuart to deliver Burnbank to a messenger.” organised among the Hays, Keiths, and Murrays, and was employed by “Nicoll Muschat of ill On tidings of this, the Earl of Leven, governor When the seventies exercised by George I. upon ... of Belhaven, the Earl Marischal, after having opposed the Union in all its stages, refused to be present at ...

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Leith.] HOME-COMING OF MONS MEG. 209 by the foot o the Calton Hill towards the Palace of Holyrood. As a souvenir of this event, on the first anniversary of it a massive plate was inserted on the Shore, in the exact spot on which the king first placed his foot, and there it remains to this day, with a suitable inscription commemorative of the event. In 1829, Mons Meg, which, among other ord nance deemed unserviceable, had been transmitted by the ignorance of an officer to London, and retained there in the Tower, was, by the patriotic efforts of Sir Walter Scott, sent home to Scotland. This famous old cannon, deemed a kind of Palladium by the Scots, after an absence of seventy-five years, was landed from the Happy Janet, and after lying for a time in the Naval Yard, till arrangements were made, the gun was conveyed to the Castle by a team of ten horses decked with laurels, preceded by two led horses, mounted by boys clad in tartans with broadswords. The escort was formed by a 123 grooms and esquires; Sir Patrick Walker, as Usher of the White Rod; a long alternation of cavalry and infantry, city dignitaries, and Highlanders, followed. At the end of the vista, preceded by ten royal footmen, two and two, sixteen yeomen of the Scottish Guard, escorted by the Royal Archers, came the king, followed by the head-quarter staff, three clans of Highlanders, two squadrons of Lothian yeomanry, three of the 3rd Dragoon Guards, Scots Greys, and the Grenadiers of the 77th regiment; and after some delay in going through the ceremony of receiving the city keys-which no monarch had touched since the days of Charles I.-the magnificent train moved through the living masses Lochend to the latter on the east, tA-e middle of Leith Walk on the south, and Wardie Bum on the west. Adam White was the first Provost of Leith after the passing of the Burgh Reform Bill in 1833; and it is now governed by a chief magistrate, four bailies, ten councillors, a treasurer, town clerk, and two joint assessors. Powers have since then been conferred upon the Provost of Leith as admiral, and the bailies as admirals-depute. There are in the town four principal corporations - the Shipmasters, the Traffickers, the Malt-men, and the Trades. The Traffickers, or Merchant Company, have lost their charter, and are merely a benefit society, without the power of compelling entries ; and the Ship masters, ordinarily called the Trinity House, vi11 be noticed in connection with that institution. The Trades Corporation is multifarious, and independently of it there is a body called “ The Convenery,” consisting of members delegated from troop of the 3rd Dragoon Guards, and detachments of the Koyal Artillery and Highlanders. In the evening the Celtic Society, all kilted, IOO strong, dined together in honour of the event, Sir Walter Scott in the chair; and on this occasion the old saying was not forgotten, that Scotland would never be Scotland till Mons Meg cam hame.” The gun was then on the same ancient carriage on which it had been taken away. It was not until 1827 that the precise limits of Leith as a town were defined, and a territory given to it which, if filled, would almost enable it to vie with the metropolis in extent, More extensive boundaries were afterwards assigned, and these are the Firth of Forth on the north, a line from SIGNAL TOWER, LEITH PIER, 1775. (ABw Ckrk ofEUin.) ... HOME-COMING OF MONS MEG. 209 by the foot o the Calton Hill towards the Palace of Holyrood. As a souvenir ...

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High Street.] THE BRITISH LINEN COMPANY. 279 resided here was John, fourth Marquis, who was Secretary of State for Scotland from 1742 till 1745, when he resigned the office, on which the Government at once availed themselves of the opportunity for leaving it vacant, as it has remained ever since. He died in 1762, and soon after the carriageentrance and the fine old terraced garden of the house, which lay on the slope westward, were removed to make way for the Episcopal church in the Cowgate-doomed in turn to be forsaken by its founders, and even by their successors. From the Tmeeddale family the mansion passed into the hands of the British Linen Company, and became their banking house, until they deserted it for Moray House in the Canongate, from which they ultiniatelymigrated to a statelier edifice inSt. Andrew Square. This company was originally incorpo- Tated by a charter under the Privy Seal granted by George 11. on the 6th of July, 1746, at a time when the mind of the Scottish people was still agitated by the events of the preceding year and the result of the battle of Culloden; and it was deemed an object of the first importance to tranquillise the country and call forth its resources, so that the attention of the nation should be directed to the advantages of trade and manufacture. With this view the Government, as well as many gentlemen of rank and fortune, exerted themselves to promote the linen manufacture, which had been lately introduced, deeming that it would in time become the staple manufacture of Scotland, and provide ample employment for her people, while .extensive markets for the produce of their labour would be found alike at home and in the colonies, then chiefly supplied by the linens of Germany. By the Dukes of Queensberry and Argyle, who became the first governors of the British Linen Company, representations to this effect were made to Government, and by the Earls of Glencairn, Eglinton, Galloway, Panmure, and many other peers, together with the Lord Justice Clerk Fletcher of Saltoun, afterwards Lord Milton, who was the first deputy governor, and whose mother, when an exile in Holland during the troubles, had secretly obtained a knowledge of the art of weaving and of dressidg the fine linen known as “ Holland,” and introduced its manufacture at the village of Saltoun; by the Lord Justice Clerk Alva ; Provost George Drummond ; John Coutts, founder of the famous banking houses of Forbes and Co., and Coutts and Co. in the Strand; by Henry Home, Lord Kames ; and many othqs, all of whom urged the establishment of the company, under royal sanction, and offered to become subscribers to the undertaking. A charter was obtained in accordance with their views and wishes, establishing the British Linen Company as a corporation, and bestowing upon it ample privileges, not only to manufacture and deal in linen fabrics, but also to do all that might conduce to the promotion thereof; and authority was given to raise a capital of ~roo,ooo, to be enlarged by future warrants under the sign manual of his Majesty, his heirs and successors, to such sums as the affairs of the company might .require. After this the company engaged to a considerable extent in the importation of flax and the manufacture of yarns and linens, having warehouses both in Edinburgh and London, and in its affairs none took a more active part than Lord Milton, who was an enthusiast in all that related to the improvement of trade, agriculture, and learning, in his native country; but it soon became apparent that the company “ would be of more utility, and better promote the objects of their institution, by enlarging the issue of their notes to traders, than being traders and manufacturers themselves.” By degrees, therefore, the company withdrew from all manufacturing operations and speculations, and finally closed them in 1763, from which year to the present time their business has been confined to the discount of bills, advances on accounts, and other b.ank transactions, in support of Scottish trade generally, at home and abroad. “By the extension of their branch agencies to a great number of towns,” to quote their own historical report, “ and the employment in discounts and cash advaqces of their own funds, as well as of that portion of the formerly scanty and inactive money capital of Scotland which has been lodged with the company, they have been the means of contributing very materially to the encouragement of useful industry throughout Scotland, and to her rapid progress in agricultural and mechanical improvements, and in commercial intercourse with foreign countries. As regards the particular object of the institution of the companythe encouragement of the linen manufa.cture-considerably more than half of the flax and hemp imported into the United Kingdom, is now (in 1878) brought to the Scottish ports.” Now the bank has nearly eighty branch or subbranch offices over all Scotland alone. The company’s original capital of AIOO,OOO has been gradually increased under three additional charters, granted at different times, under the Great Seal By Queen Victoria, their fourth charter, dated 19th March, 1849, ratifies and confirms all, their privileges and rights, and power was given to augment their capital to any sum not exceeding A r,5oo,ooo in all, for banking purposes. The amount of new ... Street.] THE BRITISH LINEN COMPANY. 279 resided here was John, fourth Marquis, who was Secretary of State ...

Vol. 2  p. 279 (Rel. 0.8)

Leith Wynd.] TRINITY COLLEGE. 303 near its site stands one of the fine and spacious school houses erected for the School Board. At the foot of Leith Wynd, on the west side, there was founded on the 5th of March, 1462, by royal charter, the collegiate church of the Holy Trinity, by Mary, Queen of Scotland, daughter of Arnold Duke of Gueldres, grand-daughter of John Duke of Burgundy, and widow of James II., slain about two years before by the bursting of a cannon at Roxburgh. Her great firniness on that disastrous occasion, and during the few remaining years of her own life, proves her to have been a princess of no ordinary strength of mind. She took an active part in goyerning the stormy kingdom of her son, and died in 1463. Her early death may account for the nave never being built, though it was not unusual for devout persons in that age of church buliding, to erect as much as they could finish, and leave to the devotion of posterity the completion of the rest. Pitscottie tells us that she OLD COLLEGIATE SEALS, his office shall be adjudged vacant, and the same shall, by the Provost and Chapter, with consent of the Ordinary, be conferred upon another. If any of the said prebendaries shall keep a $ye-maker, and shall not dismiss her, after being therein admonished thereto by the Provost, his prebend shall be adjudged vacant, and conferred on another, by consent of the Ordinary as aforesaid. “ The Provost of the said college, whenever the office of provostry shall become vacant, shall by us and our successors, Kings of Scotland, be presented to the Ordinary; and the vicars belonging to the out-churches aforesaid shall be presented by the Provost and Chapter of the said college to the Ordinary, fromwhomtheyshall receive canonical institution; and no prebendary shall be instituted unless he can read and sing plainly, count and discount, and that the boys may be found docile in the premises. And we further appoint and ordain, that whenever any of the said ‘RINITY COLLEGE CHURCH. prebendwies shall “was buried in the Trinitie College, quhilk she built hirself.” Her grave was violated at the Reformation. The church was dedicated “to the Holy Trinity, to the ever blessed and glorious Virgin Mary, to 3t. Ninian the Confessor, and to all the saints and elect people of God.” The foundation was for a provost, eight prebendaries, and two clerks, and with much minuteness several ecclesiastical benefices and portions of land were assigned for the support of the several offices ; and in the charter there are some provisions of a peculiar character, in Scotland at least, and curiously illustrative of the age and its manners :- “Aud we appoint that none of the said preben- ,daries or clerks absent themselves from their offices without the leave of the Provost, to whom it shall not be lawful to allow any of them above the space of fifteen days at a time, unless it be on extraordiaary occasions, and then not without consent of the chapter ; and whosoever of the said prebendaries or clerks shall act contrary to this ordinance, iead mass,‘ he shall, after the same, in his sacerdotal habits, repair to the tomb of the foundress with hyssop, and there read the prayer Dep-ofmdis, together with that of the faithful, and exhortation to excite the people to devotion.’’ . Thechoir of this church from the apse to the west enclosure of the rood tower was go feet long, and 70 feet from transept to transept window ; the north aisle was 12 feet broad, and the south g feet. It is a tradition in masonry that the north aisles of all Catholic churches were wider than the south, to commemorate the alleged circumstance of the Saviour‘s head, on the cross, falling on his right shoulder. In digging the foundation of the Scott monument, an old quarry 40 feet deep was discovered, and from it the stones from which the church was built were taken. With the exception of Holyrood, it was the finest example of decorated English Gothic architecture in the city, with many of the peculiarities of the age to which it belonged. Various armorial bearings adorned different parts ... Wynd.] TRINITY COLLEGE. 303 near its site stands one of the fine and spacious school houses erected for the ...

Vol. 2  p. 303 (Rel. 0.8)

Stuart monarchs-a new era began in its history, and it took a stahding as the chief burgh in Scotland, the relations of which with England, for generations after, partook rather of a vague prolonged armistice in time of war than a settled peace, and thus all rational progress was arrested or paralysed, and was never likely to be otherwise so long as the kings of England maintained the insane pretensions of Edward I., deduced from Brute the fabulous first king of Albion ! In 1383 Robert 11. was holding his court in the Castle when he received there the ambassador of Charles VI., on the 20th August, renewing the ancient league with France. In the following year a truce ended; the Earls of March and Douglas began the war with spirit, and cut off a rich convoy on its way to Roxburgh. This brought the Duke of Lancaster and the Earl of Buckingham before Edinburgh. Their army was almost innumerable (according to Abercrombie, following Walsingham), but the former spared the city in remembrance of his hospitable treatment by the people when he was among them, an exile from the English court-a kindness for which the Scots cared so little that they followed up his retreat so sharply, that he laid the town and its great church in ashes when he returned in the following year. In 1390 Robert 111. ascended the throne, and ir. that year we find the ambassadors of Charles VI. again witnessing in the Castle the royal seal and signature attached to the treaty for mutual aid and defence against England in all time coming. This brought Henry IV., as we have said, before the Castle in 1400, with a well-appointed and numerous army, in August. From the fortress the young and gallant David Duke of Rothesay sent a herald with a challenge to meet him in mortal combat, where and when he chose, with a hundred men of good blood on each side, and determine the war in that way. " But King Henry was in no humour to forego the advantage he already possessed, at the head of a more numerous army than Scotland could then raise ; and so, contenting himself with a verbal equivocation in reply to this knightly challenge, he sat down with his numerous host before the Castle till (with the usual consequences of the Scottish reception of such'invaders) cold and rain, and - twenty feet in length, with three or four large saws, I for the common use, and six or more " cliekes of castles, resorted to the simple expedient of driving off all the cattle and sheep, provisions and goods, even to the thatch of their houses, and leaving nothing but bare walls for the enemy to wreak their vengeance on; but they never put up their swords till, by a terrible retaliating invasion into the more fertile parts of England, they fully made up for their losses. And this wretched state of affairs, for nearly 500 years, lies at the door of the Plantagenet and Tudor kings. The aged King Robert 111. and his queen, the once beautiful Annabella Drummond, resided in the Castle and in the abbey of Holyrood alternately. We are told that on one occasion, when the Duke of Albany, with several of the courtiers, were conversing one night on the ramparts of the former, a singular light was seen afar off at the horizon, and across the s t a q sky there flashea a bright meteor, carrying behind it a long train of sparks. '' Mark ye, sirs ! " said Albany, " yonder prodigy portends either the ruin of a nation or the downfall of some great prince ;a and an old chronicler omits not to record that the Duke of Rothesay (who, had he ascended the throne, would have been David III.), perished soon after of famine, in the hands of Ramornie, at Falkland. Edinburgh was prosperous enough to be able to contribute 50,000 merks towards the ransom of James I., the gifted author of " The King's Quhair " (or Book), who had been lawlessly captured at sea in his boyhood by the English, and was left in their hands for nineteen years a captive by his designing uncle the Regent Albany ; and though his plans for the pacification of the Highlands kept him much in Perth, yet, in 1430, he was in Edinburgh with Queen Jane and the Court, when he received the surrender of Alexander Earl of ROSS, who had been in rebellion but was defeated by the royal troops in Lochaber. As yet no Scottish noble had built a mansion in Edinburgh, where a great number of the houses were actually constructed of wood from the adjacent forest, thatched with straw, and few were more than two storeys in height ; but in the third Parliament of James I., held at Perth in 1425, to avert the conflagrations to which the Edinbiirghers were so liable, laws were ordained requiring the magistrates to have in readiness seven or eight ladders of his progress or retreat."* When unable to resist, the people of the entire town and country, who were not secured in * Wilson's ''Memorials." . fired ;' and that no fire was to be conveyed from one house to another within the town, unless in a covered vessel or lantern. Another law forbade' people on visits to live with their friends, but to ... monarchs-a new era began in its history, and it took a stahding as the chief burgh in Scotland, the ...

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encrusted with legends, dates, and coats of arms, for ages formed one of the most important features of the Burghmuir. This was the mansion of Wrychtis-housis, belonging to an old baronial family named Napier, WRIGHT’S HOUSES AND THE BARCLAY CHURCH, FROM BRUNTSFIELD LINKS. alliances by which the family succession of the Napiers of the Wrychtis-housis had been continued from early times.” By the Chamberlain Rolls, William Napier of the Wrychtis-housis was Constable of the Castle of to which additions had been made as generations succeeded each other, but the original part or nucleus of which was a simple old Scottish tower of considerable height. “ The general effect of this antique pile,” says Wilson, “ was greatly enhanced on approaching it, by the numerous heraldic devices and inscriptions which adorned every window, doorway, and ornamental pinnacle, the whole wall being crowded with armorial bearings, designed to perpetuate the memory of the noble Edinburgh in 1390, in succession to John, Earl of Carrick (eldest son of King Robert 11.); and it is most probable that he was the same William Napier who held that office in 1402, and who, in the first years of the fifteenth century, with the aid of Archibald, Earl of Douglas, and the hapless Duke of Rothesay, maintained that important fortress against Henry IV. and all the might of England. To the gallant resistance made on this occasioo, ... with legends, dates, and coats of arms, for ages formed one of the most important features of the ...

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C0NTENTS. CHAPTER I. THE CANONGATE. @AGE I& Origin-Songs concerning it-Reaords-Market Cross-St. John's and the G i h Crosses-Early History-The Town of Her- Canongate Paved-The Governing Body-Raising the Devil-Purchase of the Earl of Roxbwgh's "Superiority"-The Foreign Settlement-George Heriot the Elder-Huntly's HouseSu Walter Scott's Story of a Fire--The Mo- Land-How of Oliphant of Newland, Lord David Hay, and Earl of Angus-Jack's Land-Shoemaker's Lands-Marquis of Huntly's House-Nisbet of Duleton'd Mansion-Golfers' Land-John and Nicol Paterson-The Porch and Gatehouse of the Abbey-Lucky Spellcc . . . . . . I CHAPTER 11. THE CANONGATE (continwd). Execution of the Marquis of Montrose-The First Dromedary in Scotland-The streets Cleansed-Raxbugh House--London Stages of r71a and 175+-Religious Intolerance-Declension of the Burgh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 CHAPTEK 111. THE CANONGATE (con#i+vwd). Closes and AlleF on the North Side-Fiesh-market and Coull's Cloxs-Canongate High School-&e's Close--Riillach's Lodging-New Street and its Residents-Hall of the Shoemakers-Sir Thos Ddyell-The Canongate Workhouse-Panmure HousbHannah Robertson-The White Horse Hostel-% Water Gate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 CHAPTER IV. THE CANONGATE (continued). Closes and Alleys on the South Side-Chessel's Court-The Canongate Theatre-Riots Therein-"Douglas" Performed-Mr. Diggea and Mra. Bellamy-St. John's Close-St. John's Street and iks Residents-The Haaunennan's Clo~-Horse Wynd, Abbey-House of Lord Napier 22 CHAPTER V. THE CANONGATE (roniinued). Separate or Detached Edifices therein-Sir Walter Scott in the Canongate--The Parish C%urch-How it came to be built-Its Official Position- Its Burying Ground-The Grave of Fergusson-Monument to Soldiers interred the-Ecceotric Henry PrentiaThe Tolbth-Testimony as to its Age-Its latu uses-Magdakne Asylum-Linen Hall-Many House-Its Hstorical Associari ons-The WiotooXo-Whiteford Howe-The Dark Story of Queuriberry House . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 7 CHAPTER VI. THE CANONGATE (coduded). mthiin H u t - M PalmerstowSt. Thomas's Hospita-The Tennis Court and its Theawe4&wen Mq's --The Houxr of Croftan- Righandclock-mill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 CHAPTER ' VII. HOLYROOD ABBEY. Foundation of the Ahbey-Text of King David's Charter-Original Extent of the Abbey Char&-The sc-alled Miracdau b - T h e Pawnages of the Canons-Its Tbirtyanc Abbots-Its Relics and Revenues . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 ... I. THE CANONGATE. @AGE I& Origin-Songs concerning it-Reaords-Market Cross-St. John's and ...

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THE NORMAL SCHOOL. 295 George IV. Bridge.] highly qualified examiners, on every point of which it takes cognisance. It grants annually ten bursaries of L z o each, and five of LIO each, to be competed for by pupils of schools approved .of by the directors. The Society’s vested capital now’ amounts to &o,ooo, and its annual revenue reaches more than &,~oo, besides the receipts for general shows, The Argyle Fund, for the education of young Highland gentlemen for the navy, now amounts to A5,639, and was instituted by John fifth Duke of Argyle, the original president of the Society. From its chambers, No. 3, George IV. Bridge, surveying a width of range and multiplicity of objects worthy of its wealth and intellect, its opulence of power and resource, the Soqiety promotes the erection of towns and bridges, the formation of roads, the experiments and enterprises of agriculture, the improvement of farm stock, the sheltering processes of planting, the extension of fisheries, the introduction of manufactures, the adaptation of machinery to all useful arts, the ready co-operation of ’ local influence with legislative and public measures, the diffusion of practical knowledge of all that may tend to the general good of the Scottish nation, and the consolidation of the Highlanders and Lowlanders into one great fraternal community. “ The Society awards large and numerous premiums to stimulate desiderated enterprises, and in 1828 began the publication of the Quarter0 lown d of Agridtztre, for prize essays and the dissemination of the newest practical information ; it patronises great annual cattle shows successively in different towns, and by means of them excites and directs a stirring and creditable spirit of emulation among graziers, and, in general, it keeps in play upon the community, a variety of influences which, as far as regards mere earthly well-being, have singularly transformed and beautified its character.” Its arms are a figure of Caledonia on a pedestal, between two youths-one a Highland reaper, the other a ploughboy-being crowned. The motto is, Sem$er armis nunc et industria. The Highland Society’s hall and chamber form a very symmetrical and also ornamental edifice, with a beautiful sculpture of its coat of arms from the chisel of A.. H. Kitchie. It formerly contained a most interesting agricultural museum, which has been removed elsewhere. Simil7.r societies on the same model have since been established-by England in 1838, and by Ireland in 1841. The other edifice referred to, the Sheriff’s Court Buildings, contiguous to the open arches over the Cowgate, was erected in 1865-8, from designs by David Bryce, at a cost of more than A44,ooo. - It rises from a low basement, with an extensive and imposing flank to the south, and presents in its fapde an ornate variety of the Italian style of architecture ; but within exhibits simply the usual features of legal courts, with three subordinate official chambers, unless we except the Society hall of the solicitors-at-law, a minor legal body in Edinburgh, which was incorporated by royal charter in 1780, and only certain members of which are qualified to act as agents before the Supreme Courts. Johnstone Terrace, King’s Road, and Castle Terrace crossing the King’s Bridge, the foundation stone of which was laid in 1827, unitedly extend about go0 yards along the southern limb, or southwestern skirt of the Castle Rock, connecting the head of the Lawnmarket with the Lothian Road, at a point about 180 yards south of the west end of Princes Street. These were formed between 1825 and 1836, to afford improved access to the Old Town from the westward. They are collectively called the New Western Approach, and apart from being a very questionable improvement as regards artistic taste, have destroyed the amenity of the Castle Rock, and lessened its strength as a fortress. In Johnstone Terrace, to which we shall confine ourselves for the present, at the eastern end, resting at the corner of the Old West Bow, is St. John’s Free Church, a handsome edifice in a mixed style of early Gothic It was built from designs furnished by Robert Hamilton in 1847, and is chiefly famous for its congregation having enjoyed for some years the ministry of the celebrated Dr. Guthrie, and of Dr. Williani Hanna, a graduate of the University of Glasgow, who was ordained to the ministry of the Presbyterian Church in 1835, and who is so well known as the author of “Wycliffe and the Huguenots,” and as the affectionate biographer of Chalmers. Westward of this edifice is St. Columba’s Episcopal church, also a Gothic structure, but of an earlier style, with a low, square battlemented tower; built in 1845. At the cost of about ;GIO,OOO, the Normal School of the Church of Scotland was built westward of it, in 1845, and is a large and handsome edifice. It is called the Normal School, or Church of Scotland Training College. It is under the control and management of the Education Committee of the Church. It is a double college, and like that in Glasgow, trains both masters and mistresses. The course of training extends over two years, and none are admitted as students but those who have passed a preliminary examination ; but the committee exercise their discretion in making their ... NORMAL SCHOOL. 295 George IV. Bridge.] highly qualified examiners, on every point of which it takes ...

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West Bow.1 THE TEMPLE LANDS. 321 and diversion from other patients, and his lucrum assans, he has lost more than &so sterling, and craves that sum as his fee and the recompense of his damage.” But as it was represented for the Laird of Netherplace, that he had done his work unskilfully, and In the city the order possessed several flat-roofed tenements, known as the Temple Lands, and one archway, numbered as 145, on the south side of the Grassmarket, led to what was called the Temple Close, but they have all been removed. It was a lofty pile, and is mentioned in a charter of that the sum of seyenteen guineas was sufficient payment. At the foot of the Bow, and on the west side chiefly, were a few old tenements, that, in consequence of being built upon ground which had originally belonged to the Knights of the Temple, were styled Templar Lands, and were distinguished by having iron crosses on their fronts and gables. In the “Heart of Midlothian,” Scott describes them as being of uncommon height and antique appearance ; but of late years they have all disappeared. It was during the Grand Mastership of Everhard de Bar, and while that brave warrior, with only 130 knights of the order, , was fighting under the banner of Louis VII. at Damascus, that the Grand Priory of Scotland was instituted, ~~ KOMIEU’S HOUSE. ( F Y o ~ a Measured Dnrwing by T. Hamilton, pzr6Zislud in 1830.) and the knight who presided over it was then styled Magziter Domus T’YZi in Sotid, when lands were bestowed on the order,first by King David I., and then by many others. To all the property belonging to the Temple a great value was attached, from the circumstance that it afforded, until the extinction of heritable jurisdictions in 1747, the benefit of sanctuary; thus the Temple tenements in Fifeshire are still termed houses of refuge. Tempillands, lyand next ye Gray Friers’ Yard;” and in 1598, “a temple tenement lyand near the Gray Friars ’ Yett ” was confirmed to James Kent (Torphichen Charters). On these the iron cross was visible in 1824. On the dissolution of the order all this property in Scotland was bestowed upon their rivals, the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem ; and the houses referred to became eventually a part of the barony of Drem (of old a Temple Priory) in Haddingtonshire, the baron of which used to hold courts in them occasionally, and here, till I 747, were harboured persons not free of the city corporations, I to the great annoyance of the adherents of local monopoly ; but so lately as 1731, on the 24th of August, the Temple vassals were ordered by the Bailie of Lord Torphichen, to erect the cross of St. John “on the Templelands within Burgh, amerciating [fining] such as did not affix the said cross.’’ This was a strange enactment in a country where it is still doubtful whether such an emblem can figure as an ornament upon a tomb or church. CIearly there must have been some disinclination to affix the crosses, otherwise the regulation would scarcely have been passed. buildings shops templar knights ... Bow.1 THE TEMPLE LANDS. 321 and diversion from other patients, and his lucrum assans, he has lost more than ...

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The Saennes.] ST. KATHARINE’S CONVENT. 53 “Papingo,” makes Chastity flee for refuge to the sisters of the Sciennes. The convent was erected under a Bull of Pope Lax., and also by a charter of James V. This Bull informs us that the convent was created hough the influence of the families of Seton, Lord Seton, refusing all offers of mamage, became a nun at the Sciennes, and dying in her seventyeighth year, was buried there, according to the history of her house. The chapel of St. John the Eaptist became that of the new convent, which, up to the middle MR. DUNCAN MCLAREN. (Froma Pkofo~roph &y/. G. Tunny.) Douglas of Glenbervie, and Lauder of the Bass, the land being given by the venerable Sir John Crawford. The first prioress was the widowed Lady Seton ; “ ane nobill and wyse Ladye,” says Sir Richard hlaitland, “sche gydit hir sonnis leving quhill he was cumit to age, and thereafter she passit and remainit at the place of Senis, on the Borrow Mure.” There she died in 1558, and was buried in the choir of Seton church, beside her husband, whose body had been brought from Flodden. Katharine, second daughter of George, fourth of the skteenth century, received various augmentations- among others, a tenement in the Cowgate. The nuns made annual processions to the altar of St. Katharine in St. Margaret’s Chapel at Liberton; and it was remarked, says- the editor of ArcAauZqia Scutica, that the man who demolished the latter never prospered after. In 1541 the magistrates took in feu from the nuns their arable land, lying outside the Greyfriars’ Port, and, curious to say, it is on a portion of this that the new Convent of St. Katharine was founded, about 1860. Within the grounds on the north side ... Saennes.] ST. KATHARINE’S CONVENT. 53 “Papingo,” makes Chastity flee for refuge to the sisters of the ...

Vol. 5  p. 53 (Rel. 0.78)

258 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Leith helmet, now preserved in the Antiquarian Museum -and the entrance gate or archway on the north side of Couper Street. It is elliptical, goes the whole depth of the original rampart, and has had a portcullis, but is only nine feet high from the keystone to the ground, which must have risen here ; and in the Advertiser for 1789 (No. 2,668), it is recorded that, “ On Monday last, as a gentleman’s coach was driving through an arch of the citadel at Leith, the coachman, not perceiving the lowness of the arch, was unfortunately killed.” ‘( Many still living,” says Wilson, writing in 1847, “can remember when this arch (with the house now built above it) stood on the open beach, though now a wide space intervenes between it and the docks ; and the Mariners’ Church, as well as a long range of substantial houses in Commercial Street, have been erected on the recovered land” After the Restoration a partial demolition of the citadel and sale of its materials began ; thus, it is stated in the Records of Heriot’s Hospital, that the ‘Town Council, on 7th April, 1673, “unanimously understood that the Kirk of the citadel1 (of Leith), and all that is therein, both timber, seats, steeple, stone and glass work, be made use of and used to the best avail for reparation of the hospital chapel, and ordains the treasurer of the hospital to see the samyn done with all conveniency.” Maitland describes the citadel as having been of pentagonal form, with five bastions, adding that it cost the city “no less a sum than LII,OOO,” thus we must suppose that English money contributed largely to its erection. On its being granted to the Earl of Lauderdale by the king, the former sold it to the city for &5,000, and the houses within were sold or let to various persons, whose names occur in various records from time to time. A glass-house, for the manufacture of bottles, is announced in the ‘‘ Kingdom’s Intelligence,” under date 1663, as having been ‘‘ erected in the citadel of Leith by English residents,” for the manufacture of wine and beer glasses, and mutchkin and chopin bottles. . On this, a writer remarks that it will at once strike the reader there is a curious conjunction here of Scottish and English customs. Beer, under its name, was previously unknown in Scotland, and mutchkins and chopins never figured in any table of English measures. Among those who dwelt in the citadel, and had houses there, we may note the gallant Duke of Gordon, who defended the Castle of Edinburgh in ~688-9 against FVilliam of Orange, “and died at his residence in the citadel of Leith in 1716.” A large and commodious dwelling-house there, “lately belonging to and possest by the Lady Bruce, with an agreeable prospect,” having thirteert fire rooms, stables, and chaise-house, is announced for sale in the Courant for October, 1761, In the Advertiser for December, 1783, the house of Sir William Erskine there is announced as to let ; the drawingroom thirty-one feet by nineteen j (‘ a small field for a cow may be had if wanted; the walks round the house make almost a circuit round the citadel, and, being situated cZose to the sea, command a most pleasing view of the shipping in the Forth.” In the HeraZd and ChronicZe for 1800 “the lower half of the large house ” last possessed by Lady Eleonora Dundas is advertised to let; but even by the time Kincaid wrote his ‘( Hktory,” such aristocratic residents had given place to the keepers of summer and bathing quarters, for which last the beach and its vicinity gave every facility. Mr. Campbell’s house (lately possessed by Major Laurenson), having eight rooms, with stabling, is announced as bathing quarters in the Advertiser of 1802. North Leith Sands, adjacent to the citadel, existed till nearly the formation of the old docks. In 1774, John Milne, shipmaster from Banff, was found on them drowned ; and the Scots Magazine for the same year records that on “Sunday, December 4, a considerable damage was done to the shipping in Leith harbour by the tide, which rose higher than it has ever been known for many years. The stone pier was damaged, some houses in the citadel suffered, and a great part of the bank from that place to Newhaven was swept away. The magistrates and Town Council af Edinburgh, on the zIst, were pleased to order twenty guineas to be given to the Master of the Trinity House of Leith, to be distributed among the sufferers.” Wilson, quoting Campbell’s “History of Leith,” says : ‘‘ Not only can citizens remember when the spray of the sea billows was dashed by the east wind against the last relic of the citadel, that now stands so remote from the rising tide, but it is only about sixty years since a ship was wrecked upon the adjoining beach, and went to pieces, while its bowsprit kept beating against the walls of the citadel at every surge of the rolling waves, that forced it higher on the strand.” This anecdote is perhaps corroborated by the following, which we find in the Edinburgh Herald for December, 1800 :-(‘On Friday last, as the sloop ITmIeavour, of Thurso, Lye11 master, from the Highlands, laden with kelp and other goods, was taking the harbour of Leith, she struck the ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Leith helmet, now preserved in the Antiquarian Museum -and the entrance gate or ...

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where he spent many a jovial hour with Willie Xcol and Allan Masterton. ‘‘ Three blyther lads” never gladdened the old place; and so associated did it become with Burns, that, according to a writer in the “Year Book,” “his name was assumed as its distinguishing and alluring cognomen. Until it was finally closed, it was visited nightly by many a party of jolly fellows. . . . . Few strangers omitted to call in to gaze upon the ‘ coftin ’ of the bard-this was a small, dark room, which would barely accommodate, even by squeezing, half a dozen, but in which Burns used to sit. ROBERT GQURLAY’S HOUSE. Here he composed one or two of his best songs, and here were preserved to the last the identical seats and table which had accommodated him.” In his edition of Scottish songs published in 1829, five years before the demolition of the tavern, Chambers notes that in the ale-house was sung that sweetest of all Bums’s love songs :- ‘I 0, poortith cauld, and restless love, Ye wreck my peace between ye ; Yet poortith a’ I could forgie, An ’twere M for my Jeanie. ‘I Oh, why should fate sic pleasure have, Life’s dearest bonds untwining ? Or why sae sweet a flower as love Depend on fortune’s shining? ” The moment the clock of St. Giles’s struck midnight not another cork would Johnnie Dowie draw. His unvarying reply to a fresh order was, “Gentlemen, it is past twelve, and time to go home.” In the same corner where Burns sat Christopher North has alluded to his own pleasant meetings with Tom Campbell. A string of eleven verses in honour of his tavern were circulated among his customers by Dowie, who openly ascribed them to Bums. Two of these will suffice, as what was at least a good imitation of the poet’s style :- I( 0 Dowie’s ale ! thoa art the thing That gars us crack and gars us sing, Cast by our cares, our wants a’ fling Thou e’en mak’st passion tak the wing, Frae us wi’ anger ; Or thou wilt hang her. I‘ How blest is he wha has a groat, To spare upon the cheering pot ; He may look blythe as ony Scot Gie’s a’ the like, but wi’ a coat, “Now these men are all gone,” wrote one, who, alas ! has followed them; “their very habits are becoming matters of history, while, as for their evening haunt, the place which knew it once knows it no more, the new access to the Lawnmarket, by George IV. bridge, passing over the area where it stood.” Liberton’s Wynd is mentioned io far back as in a charter by James III., in 1477, and in a more subsequent time it was the last permanent place of execution, after the demolition of the old Tolbooth. Here at its head have scores of unhappy wretches looked their last upon the morning sun-the infamous Burke, whom we shall meet again, among them. The socket of the gallows-tree was removed, like many other objects of greater interest, in 1834. Before quitting this ancient alley we must not omit to note that therein, in the house of his father Dr. Josiah Mackenzie (who died in 1800) was born in August, 1745, Henry Mackenzie, author of the ‘‘ Man of Feeling,” one of the most illustrious names connected with polite literature in Scotland. He was one of the most active members of the Mirror Club, which met sometimes at Clenheugh’s in Writers’ Court; sometimes in Sonier’s, opposite the Guard-house in the High Street; sometimes in Stewart’s oyster-house, in the old ... he spent many a jovial hour with Willie Xcol and Allan Masterton. ‘‘ Three blyther lads” never gladdened ...

Vol. 1  p. 120 (Rel. 0.78)

OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Canonmills. 86 modation than external display, and yet is not unsuited to the architecturally opulent district in its neighbourhood. The society which founded it had, by proprietary shares of E50 each, a capital of L ~ z , g o o , capable of being augmented to AI 6,000. Though similar in scope to the High School, it was at first more aristocratic in its plan or princiciples, which for a time rendered it less accessible to children of the middle classes, and has a longer period of study, and larger fees. There are a rector, masters for classics, French, and German, writing, mathematics, and English literature, and every other necessary branch. The Academy was incorporated by a royal charter from George IV., and is under the superintendence of a board of fifteen directors, three of whom are elected annually from the body of subscribers. The complete course of instruction given extends over seven years. The institution, which possesses a handsome public hall, a library, spacious class-rooms, and a large enclosed play-ground, is divided into two schools-the classical, adapted for boys destined for the learned professions, or who desire to possess a thorough classical training ; and the modem, intended for such as mean to take civil or military service, or enter on mercantile pursuits. In addition to special professional subjects of study, the complete course embraces every branch of knowledge now recognised as necessary for a liberal education. Though the Academy is little more than half; century old, yet so admirable has been the system pursued here, and so able have been the teachers in every department, that it has sent forth several of the most eminent men of the present day. Among them we may enumerate Dr. A. Campbell Tait, Archbishop of Canterbury ; Bishop Anderson of Rupert’s Land ; Sir Colin Blackburn, Justice of the Queen’s Bench ; Professor Edmonstone Aytoun; the late Earl of Fife; the Right Hon. Mountstuart E. Grant-Duff, M.P. for Elgin, and afterwards Governor of Madras. Among those who instituted this Academy in 1832 were Sir Walter Scott, Lord Cockburn, Skene of Rubislaw, Sir Robert Dundas, Bart., of Beechwood, and many other citizens of distinction. CHAPTER IX. CANONMILLS AND INVERLEITH. Canonmills-The Loch-Riots of &+-The Gymnasium-Tanfield Hall-German Church-Zmlogical Gardens-Powder Hall-Rosehank Cemetery-Red Rraes-The Crawfords of Jordanhill-Bonnington-BEhop Keith-The Sugar Refinery--Pilrig-The Balfour Family- Inverleith-Ancient Proprietors-The Tonri-The RocheidAld Lady Inverleith-General Crocket-Royal Botanical Gardens-Mr. James MacNab. THE ancient village of Canonmills lies within the old Barony of Broughton, and owes its origin to the same source as the Burgh of the Canoagate, having been founded by the Augustine canons of Holyrood, no doubt for the use of their vassals in Broughton and adjacent possessions ; but King David I. built for them, and the use of the inhabitants, a mill, the nucleus of the future village, which still retains marks of its very early origin, though rapidly being absorbed or surrounded by medern improvements. This mill is supposed to have been the massive and enormously buttressed edifice of which Wilson has preserved a view, at the foot ofthe brae, near Heriot’s Hill. It stood on the south side of the Water of Leith, being driven by a lade diverted from the former. By the agreement between the city and the directors of Heriot’s Hospital, when the mills were partly disposed of to the former, the city was “bound not to prejudice the mills, but to allow those resident in the Barony to repair to them, and grind thereat, according to use and wont, and to help them to ane thirlage, so far as they can, and the same remain in their possession.” The Incorporation of Bakers in the Canongate were ‘‘ thirled ” thither-that is, compelled to have their corn ground there, or pay a certain sum. About the lower end of the hollow, overlooked by the Royal Crescent now, there lay for ages the Canonmills Loch, where the coot and water-hen built their nests in the sedges, as at the North Loch ’ and Duddingston ; it was a fair-sued sheet of water, ’ the last portion of which was only drained recently, or shortly before the Gymnasium was formed. In 1682 there was a case before the Privy Council, when Alexander Hunter, tacksman of the Canonmills, was pursued by Peter de Bruis for demolishing a paper-mill he had erected there for the manufacture of playing-cards, of which he had a gift from the Council on 20th December, 1681, “ strictly prohibiting the importation of any such cards,” and allowing him a most exorbitant powm ... AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Canonmills. 86 modation than external display, and yet is not unsuited to the ...

Vol. 5  p. 86 (Rel. 0.77)

Heriot’s Hospital.1 WALTER BALCANQU.-II,L. 367 Waucllop Thesauer,” is ordained “ to take down the stonewark of the south-west tower, and to make (it) the same as the north-west and north-east towers ar, and this to be done with all diligence.” In Rothiemay’s view of the Hospital, published in 1647, he shows it enclosed by the crenelated ramparts of the city from the present tower in the Vennel, and including the other three on the west and south. A high wall, with a handsome gateway, bounds it above the Grassmarket, and on the west a long wall separates it from the Greyfriars churchyard, and the entire side of the present Forrest Road. Gordon’s view is still more remarkable for showing a lofty spire above the doorway, and the two southern towers surmounted by cupolas, which they certainly A somewhat similar view (which has been reproduced here,* on p. 368) will be found in Slezer’s ‘‘ Theatrum Scotiz,” under the title of Boghengieght. How this name (which is the name of one of the Duke of Gordon’s seats) came to be applied by the engraver to Heriot’s Hospital is not known. The hospital was filled with the wounded of the English army, brought thither from the battle-field of Dunbar by CromwelL And it was used for sick and wounded soldiers by General Monk, till about 1658, when the governors prevailed upon him to remove them, accommodation being provided for them elsewhere, During this period the governors granted an annual pension of A55 to a near relation of Heriot, but not until they had received two urgent notes from Cromwell. This pension was afterwards resigned. Many improvements and additions were made, and the total expenses amounted then to upwards of ~30,000, when in 1659 it was opened for the reception of boys on the 11th April, when 30 were admitted. In August they numbered forty, In 1660 the number was 52; in 1693 it was 130; and in 1793 140. Fifteen years before the opening of the hospital, the life of Dr. Walter Balcanquall, the trustee whom Maitland curiously calls its architect, had come to a grievous end. The son of the Rev. Walter Balcanquall, a minister of Edinburgh for forty-three years, he had graduated at Oxford as Bachelor of Divinity, and was admitted a Fellow on the 8th September, 1611; in 1618 he represented- whiIe royal chaplain-the Scottish Church at the Synod of Dort, and his letters concerning that convocation, addressed to Sir Dudley Carleton, ‘ had till about 1692. The Editor is indebted to Mr. D. F. Lowe, M.A.. House-Governor of Heriot’s Hospital, fer assistance very kindly rendered in the matter cfiUu&ations. are preserved in Hale’s “Golden Remains.” 1: was after he had been successively Dean of Rochester 2nd of Durham that he was one of Heriot’s three trustees. In 1638 he accompanied the Marquis of Hamilton, Royal Commissioner, as chaplain ; and some doubts of his dealings on this ahd subsequent occasions rendered him obnoxious to the Presbyterians of Scotland and the Puritans of England; and in July, 1641, he and five others having been denounced as incendiaries by the Scottish Parliament, after being persecuted, pillaged, and sequestrated by the Puritans, he shared the falling fortunes of Cliarles I. He was thrown into Chirk Castle, Denbighshire, where he died on Christmas Day, 1645, just after the battle of Naseby, and a splendid nionunient to his memory was subsequently erected in the parish churcli of Chirk: by Sir Thomas Myddleton. In the hospital records for 1675 is the following, under date May 3rd :-“There is a necessity that the steeple of the hospital be finished, and a top put thereon. Ro. Miln, Master Mason, to think on a drawing thereof against the next council meeting.,’ But nothing appears to have been done by the king’s master mason, for on the Ioth‘July, Deacon Sandilands was ordered to put a roof and top on the said steeple in accordance with a design furnished by Sir IVilliam Bruce, the architect of Holyrood Palace. In 1680, about the time that the obnoxious test was made the subject of so much mockery, Fountainhall mentions that ‘( the children of Heriot’s Hospitall, finding that the dog which keiped the yards of that hospital1 had a public charge and office, ordained him to take the test, and offered him the paper ; but he, loving a bone rather than it, absolutely refused it. Then they rubbed it over with butter (which they called an Explication of the Test in imitation of Argile), and he licked off the butter and did spit out the paper, for which they held a jurie on him, and in derision of the sentence against Argile, they found the dog guilty of treason, and actually hanged him.” In 1692 the Council Records refer to the abolition of the cupolas, the appearance of which in old views of the hospital have caused some discussion among antiquaries. “The council having visited the fabric of the hospital, and found that the south-east quarter thereof is not yet finished and completed, and that the south-west quarter is finished and completed by a pavilion turret of lead, an& that the north-east and north-west corners of the said fibnc are covered with a pavilion roof of lead; therefore, and for making the whole fabric of the said ... Hospital.1 WALTER BALCANQU.-II,L. 367 Waucllop Thesauer,” is ordained “ to take down the stonewark of ...

Vol. 4  p. 367 (Rel. 0.77)

162 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Leith Walk. Tience, he was appointed captain of the East New Town Company, and inaugurated his new service by fighting a duel with a Dr. Bennet, whom he wounded, the dispute having occurred about some Tepairs on the doctor’s chaise. “He was,’’ says Kay’s editor, “ a fine manly-looking person, rather florid in complexion, exceedingly polite in his manners, and of gentlemanly attainments.” He was treasurer of the city in 1795-6, and died at No. I, *Gayfield Square, in 1823. His son Archibald, born there, a High School boy, became physician to the Emperor Alexander of Russia in 1817 ; he was also physician to the Imperial Guard, was knighted by the Emperor, and paid a visit to his native city in 1823. He is refetred to in our .account of Princes Street. In a house on the west side of the square lived Kincaid Mackenzie, in 1818-9 ; previously he had resided in No. 14, Dundas Street. In 1817 he was elected Lord Provost ; and two years afterwards he .entertained at his house in the square, Prince Leopold, afterwards King of the Belgians, He died .suddenly, on the 2nd of January, 1830, when he was about to sit down to dinner. In the common stair, No. 31, Campbell of Barcaldine had a house in 1811, at which time the square was still called Gayfield Place. Lower down the Walk, on the same side, was the old Botanical Garden, the successor of the old Physic Garden that lay in the swampy valley of the North Loch, and the garden of Holyrood Palace. Dr. John Hope, the professor of botany, appointed in 1768, used every exertion to procure a more favourable situation for a garden than the old .one, and succeeded, about 1766, in obtaining such aid and countenance from Government as enabled him to accomplish the object he had so much at ‘heart. *‘ His Majesty,” says Arnot, with laudable detail-Government grants being few for Scotland in those days-“ was graciously pleased to grant the sum of jt;1,330 IS. 24d. for making it, and for its annual support A69 8s. ; at the same time the magistrates and Town Council granted the sum of ;Ezs annually for paying the rent of the ground.“ The latter was five acres in extent, and the rapid progress it made as a garden was greatly owing to the skill and diligence of John Williamson, the head gardener. ‘‘ The soil,” says Amot, “ is sandy .or gravelly.” Playfair, in his “ Illustrations of the Huttonian Theory,” says of this garden that its ground, “ after a thin covering is removed, consists entirely of sea-sand, very regularly stratified with layers of black carbonaceous matter in three lameke interposed between them. Shells, I believe, are rarely found in it ; but it has every other appearance of a sea-beach.” By 1780 it was richly stocked with trees to afford good shelter for young and tender plana. In the eastern division was the school of botany, containing 2,000 species of plants, systematically arranged, A German traveller, nanied Frank, who visited it in 1805, praised the order of the plants, and says, ‘‘ among others I saw a beautiful Fe+a asafatida in full bloom. The gardens at Kew received their plants from this garden.” The latter was laid out under the immediate direction of Dr. Hope, who arranged the plants according to the system of Linneus, to whom, in 1778, he erected in the grounds a monument-a vase upon a pedestal-inscribed : LINNAEO POSUIT 10. HOPE. He built suitable hothouses, and formed a pond for the nourishment of aquatic plants. These were all in the western division of the ground. The conservatories were 140 feet long. Bruce of Kinnakd, the traveller, gave the professor a number of Abyssinian plant seeds, among them the plant which cured him of dysentery, In a small enclosure the industrious professor had a plantation of the true rhubarb, containing 3,000 plants. The greenhouse was covered by a dated roof, according to the Sots Magazine, in 1809 ; and as light was only admitted at the sides, the plants were naturally drawn towards them. “ To remedy this radical defect,” adds the writer, “ a glass roof is necessary. The soil of this garden is by no means good ; vast pains have been bestowed upon it to produce what has been done. The situation, which, at one period, may be admitted to have been favourable, is now indifferent, and is daily becoming worse, from the rapid encroachment of building, and the Hasfing effects of an iron-foundry on the opposite side of Leith Walk.” Some of the new walks here were laid out by Mr. John Mackay, said to be one of the most enthusiastic botanists and tasteful gardeners that Scotland had as then produced, and who died in 1802. In 1814, on the death of Dr. Roxburgh, he was succeeded as superintendent of this garden by Dr. Francis Buchanan, author of several works on India, where, in 1800, he was chosen to examine the state of the country which had been lately conquered from Tippoo Sahib; he had also been surgeon to the Marquis of Wellesley, then Governor-GeneraL He died in 1829, prior to which, as we have elsewhere related, this Botanical Garden had been abandoned, and all its plants removed without ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Leith Walk. Tience, he was appointed captain of the East New Town Company, and ...

Vol. 5  p. 162 (Rel. 0.76)

As the time of her accouchement drew near, she was advised by the Lords of Council to remain in the fortress and await it; and a former admirer of Mary‘s, the young Earl of Arran (captain of the archers), whose love had turned his brain, was sent from his prison in David‘s Tower to Hamilton. STORE WHICH FORMERLY STOOD OVER THE BARRIER-GATEWAY OF EDINBURGH CASTLE. (From tke Original ~ G W in tht Mwccm of tht So&& of Antiquaries of Scofkrul.) A French Queen shall beare the some And he from the Bruce’s blood shall come To rule all Britainne to the sea, As near as to the ninth degree.” According to the journalist Bannatyne, Knox’s secretary, Mary was delivered with great ease by On the ground floor at the south-east corner of thc Grand Parade there still exists, unchanged anc singularly irregular in form, the room wherein, a1 ten o’clock on the morning of the 19th of June 1566, was born James VI., in whose person thc rival crowns of hlary and Elizabeth were to bc united. A stone tablet over the arch of the 016 doorway, with a monogram of H and M and the date, commemorates this event, unquestionably thc greatest in the history of Britain. The royal arms of Scotland figure on one of the walls, and an orna. mental design surmounts the rude stone fireplace, while four lines in barbarous doggerel record the birth. The most extravagant joy pervaded the entire city. Public thanksgiving was offered up in St. Giles’s, and Sir James Melville started on the spur with the news to the English court, and rode with such speed that he reached London in four days, and spoiled the mirth of the envious Elizabeth for one night at least with the happy news. And an old prophecy, alleged to be made by CIPHER OF LORD DARNLEY AND QUEEN MARY. (Over entrancr fo tkr RvaZ Apartments, ddidurglr Castle.) Thomas the Rhymer, but proved by Lord Hailes to be a forgery, was now supposed to be fulfilled- <‘ However it happen for to fall, The Lycn shall be lord of all 1 the necromantic powers of the Countess ot John Earl of Athole, who was deemed a sorceress, and who cast the queen’s pains upon the Lady Reres, then in the Castle. An interesting conversation between Mary and Darnley took place in the little bed-room, as recorded in the “Memoirs” of Lord Herries Daniley came at two in the afternoon to see his royal spouse and child. ‘‘ My lord,” said the queen, “God has given us a son.” Partially uncovering the face of the infant, she added a protest that it was his and no other man’s son. Then turning to an English gentlemar, present, she said, “ This is the son who, I hope, shall first unite the two kingdoms of Scotland and England.” Sir William Stanley said, “Why, madam, shall he succeed before your majesty and his father?” “Alas !” answered Mary, “his father has broken to me,” alluding to the conspiracy against Rizzio. ‘‘ Sweet madam,” said Darnley, “is this the promise you made--that you would forget and forgive all ? ‘I “ I have forgiven all,” replied the queen, “but will never forget. What if Faudonside‘s (one of the assassins) pistol had shot? What would have become of both the babe and me ? ’’ “ Madam,” replied Darnley, “these things are past.” “Then,” said the queen, “ let them go.” So ended this conversation. It is a curious circumstance that the remains of In infant in an oak coffin, wrapped in a shroud marked with the letter I, were discovered built up in the wall of this old palace in August, 1830, but were re-consigned to their strange place of jepulture by order of General Thackeray, comnanding the Royal Engineers in Scotland. When John Spotswood, superintendent of Lo- :hian, and other Reformed clergymen, came to :ongratulate Mary in the name of the General kssembly, he begged that the young Duke of ... the time of her accouchement drew near, she was advised by the Lords of Council to remain in the fortress and ...

Vol. 1  p. 46 (Rel. 0.76)

Cunie.1 ROMAN AND OTUER ANTIQUITIES. 331 locality; But the ‘‘ Old Statistical Account ” has the following version of it :- ‘L From its name-Koria or Coria-it seems to have been one of those districts which still retain their Roman appellation. This conjecture is supportedby the following authors, who give an account of the ancient and modem names of places in Scotland : 1st. Johnston, in his ‘ Antiquitates Celto-Normannicz,’ for the Koria of Ptolemy places Cumc; znd, Dr. Stukeley, in his account of Richard of Cirencester’s map and itinerary, for the Koria of Richard fixes Corstanlaw in the neighbourhood of Currie ; 3rd, Sir Kobert Sibbald, in his ‘ Roman Antiquities of Scotland,’ conceives it to have been the place near the manor of Ingliston, from a pillar dug up there, which place is likewise in the vicinity _ _ of earthenware. South of the great cairn were five large stones, set upright in the earth, to com-’ memorate some now-forgotten battle ; and at the bottom of the same field were found many stone coffins, which the late General Scott of Malleny re-interred, and he set up a tombstone, which still marks the place. At Enterkins Yett,according to tradition, a bloody battle was fought with the Danes, whose leader was slain by the Scots and buried in the field giving rise to its name. But, apart from these prehistoric vestiges, Cume has claims to considerable antiquity from an ecclesiastical point of view. Father Hay records that the Knights of the Hospital had an establishment at Currie, then called Kill-leith (i.e., the 1 of Currie. These circumstances tend io prove that it must have been originally a Roman sta-, tion-traces of which have lately been found in the neighbourhood ” The locality is very rich in ancient militar; remains, as the extract from the ‘ I Old Statistical (Vol. V.). KNIGHT TEMPLAR’S TOMB, CURRIE CHURCHYARD. (Ajtrr a Sketch by th Author.) Account ” would lead us to- expect. Indications of Roman stations are visible on Ravelrig Hill and Warlaw Hill. The former crowns the summit of a high bank, inaccessible on three sides, defended by two ditches faced with stone, with openings for a gate. It is named by the peasantry the Castle Yett. Farther eastward, commanding a view of the beautiful strath towards Edinburgh, is another station, traditionally called the General’s Watch, or Post. These works are much defaced, the hewn stones having been carried off to make field dykes. On Cocklaw Farm, there were, till within a few years ago, the remains of a massive round tower, eighteen feet in diameter. The ruins were filled with fine sand. It had some connection with the station on Ravelrig Hill, as subterranean passages have been traced between them. On the lands of Harelaw-a name which implies the locality of an army-near the present farmhouse, there stood an immense cairn, ofwhich three thousand loads were carted away, some time shortly before 1845. Within it was a stone cist, only two feet square, but full of human bones. In the same field was found a coffin of stone, the bones in which had faded into dust; amid them lay a piece Chapel by the ‘ Leith), which was a chief commandery. But there lies in the village churchyard a tombstone six feet long by two broad, on which there is carved a sword of the thirteenth century, with the guard depressed, and above it the eight-pointed cross of the Temple, encircled by a rosary of beads. It was for a time built into the wall of the village school-house. In 1670 Scott of Bavelaw was retoured in the Temple lands and Temple houses of Currie. The fragment of the old church bore the impress of great antiquity, and when it was removed to make way for the present plain-looking place of worship, there was found a silver ornament supposed to be the stand of acrucifix, or stem of an altar candlestick, as it had a screw at each end, and was se,ven inches’ long by one and one-eighth in diameter. On a scroll, it bore in Saxon characters, the legend- 3esn . fiIi . Pof . flfserorc . mti. It is now preserved in the Museum of Antiquities. In the reign of David II., William of Disscyngtoun, relation and heir of John Burnard, had‘ a grant of land in the barony of Currie ; and under Robert III., Thomas Eshingtoun (or Dishingtoun), son probably of the same, had a charter of the lands of Longherdmanstoun, Currie,. Redheughs, and Kilbaberton-all in the shire of Edinburgh Under the same monarch, William Brown of Colstoun had a grant of Little Currie, in the barony of Ratho ; and afterwards we find Robert ... ROMAN AND OTUER ANTIQUITIES. 331 locality; But the ‘‘ Old Statistical Account ” has the following version ...

Vol. 6  p. 331 (Rel. 0.76)

Princes Street. THE sco-rr MONUMENT. 127 - - Beattie, James Thomson, and John Home, adorn the west front j those of Queen Mary, King James features of this beautiful and imposing structure, the design of a self-taught Scottish artisan, The four principal arches supporting the central tower resemble those beneath the rood-tower of a cruciform church, while the lower arches in the dia- ! gonal abutments, with their exquisitely-cut details, resemble the narrow north aisle of Melrose. ’ The groined roof over the statue is of the same design as the roof of the choir of that noble abbey church so niuch frequented and so enthusiastically admired by Sir Walter. The pillars, canopies of niches, pinnacles, and other details, are chiefly copied from the same ruin, and magnificent views of the city in every direction are to be had from its lofty galleries. It cost A15,650, and from time to time statuettes of historical and other personages who figure in the pages of Scott have been placed in its numerous niches. Among these are Prince Charles Edward, who directly faces Princes Street, in the Highland dress, with a hand on his sword; the Lady of the Lake; the Last Minstrel and Meg Merrilies-these are respectively ou the four centres of the first gallery; Mause Headrigg, Dominie Sampson, Meg Dods, and Dandie Dinmont, are respectively on the south, the west, the north, and the east, of the fourth gallery ; King James VI., Magnus Troil, and Halbert Glendinning, occupy the upper tier of the south-west buttress ; Minnie Trofi, George Heriot, and Bailie Nicol Jarvie, are on the lower tier of it; Amy Robsart, the Earl of Leicester, and Baron Bradwardine, are on the upper tier of the northwest buttress ; Ha1 0’ the Wynd, the Glee Maiden, and Ellen of Lorn, are on the lower tier thereof; Edie Ochiltree, King Robert I., and Old Mortality, are on the upper tier of the north-east buttress; Flora MacIvor, Jeanie Deans, and the Laird of Dumhiedykes, are on the lower tier of it; the Sultan Saladin, Friar Tuck, and Richard Cceur de Lion, are on the upper tier of the south-east buttress ; and Rebecca the Jewess, Diana Vernon, and Queen Mary, are on its lower tier. On the capitals and pilasters supporting the roof are some exquisitely cut heads of Scottish poets : those of Robert Bums, Robert Fergusson, James Hogg, and Allan Ramsay, are on the west front; those of George Buchanan, Sir David Lindsay, Robert Tannahill, and Lord Byron, are on the south front; those of Tobias Smollett. Tames sonal form of memorial-namely, great genius, distinguished patriotism, and the stature and figure of a demi-god.” To his contemporaries chisel of Sir John Steel, procured at the cost of ;62,000, was inaugurated under the central arches in 1846. Sir Walter is represented sitting with a Border plaid over his left shoulder, and his favourite highland staghound, Maida, at his right foot. A staircase in the interior of the south-west cluster of pillars leads to the series of galleries to which visitors are admitted on the modest payment of twopence. It also gives access to the Museum room, which occupies the body of the tower, and therein a number of interesting relics were deposited at its inauguration in April, 1879. These are too numerous to give in detail, but among them may be mentioned a statuette of Sir Walter, by Steel, a bust of George Kemp, the illfated architect, with his first pencil sketch of the monument, and a number of models and paintings of historical interest ; and on the walls are placed eight alto-relievo portraits in bronze (by J. Hutchison, R.S.A.) of Scottish characters of mark, including James V., James VI., Queen Mary, John Knox, George Buchanan, the Regent Moray, the Marquis of Montrose, and Charles I. In the cdlection are some valuable letters in the handwriting of Sir Walter Scott ; and the walls are adorned with some of the old flint muskets, swords, and drums of the ancient City Guard. The statue of Professor John Witson, ‘‘ Christopher North,” at the western corner of the East Gardens, is the result of a subscription raised shortly after his death in 1854. A committee for the purpose was appointed, consisting of the Lord Justice General (afterwards Lord Colonsay), Lord Neaves, Sir John Watson Gordon, and others, and three years after Sir John Steel executed the statue, which is of bronze, and is a fine representation of one who is fresh in the recollection of thousands of his countrymen. The careless ease of the professois ordinary dress is adopted; a plaid which he was in the habit of wearing supplies the drapery, and the lion-like head and face, fill of mental and muscular power, thrown slightly upward and backward, express genius, while the figure, tall, massive, and athletic, corres ponds to the elevated expression of the countenance.. At its inauguration the Lord President Inglis said, happily, that there was “in John Wilson every element which gives a man a claini to this per- I., King James V., and Drummond of Hawthornden, are on the north front. The white marble statue of Scott, from the this statue vividly recalls Wilson in his every-day aspect, as he was wont to appear in his class room or on the platform in the fervour of his ... Street. THE sco-rr MONUMENT. 127 - - Beattie, James Thomson, and John Home, adorn the west front j those ...

Vol. 3  p. 127 (Rel. 0.76)

Burghmuir.] GOLF ON BRUNTSFIELD LINKS. 31 Lord High Treasurer, under James IV., the following entries are found :- In virtue of a bet in 1798, Mr. Scales of Leith, and Mr. Smellie, a printer, were selected to perform .. King , . . . . . . . ixs. 1503, Feb. 22. Item, xij Golf Balls to the King iiijs. 1506. Item, the 28th day of Julii for ij Golf Clubbes to the King . . . . . . . ijs. During the reign of James VI. the business of club making had become one of some importance, and by a letter, dated Holyrood, 4th April, 1603, William Mayne, Bowyer, burgess of Edinburgh, is appointed maker of bows, arrows, spears, and clubs to the king. From thenceforward the game took a firm hold of the people as a national pastime, and it seems to have been a favourite one with Henry, Duke of Rothesay, and with the great Marquis of Montrose, as the many entries in his ‘‘ Household Book ” prove. ‘‘ Even kings themselves,” says a writer in the Sots Magazine for 1792, “did not decline the princely sport; and it will not be displeasing to the Society of Edinburgh Golfers to be informed that the two last crowned heads that ever visited this country (Charles I. .and James VII.) used to practise golf on the Links of Leith, now occupied by the society for the same purpose.” In 1744 the city gave a silver club, valued at LIS, to be played for on the 1st of April annually by the Edinburgh Company of Golfers, the victor to be styled captain for the time, and to append a gold or silver -medal to the club, bearing his name and date of victory. The Honourable Company was incorporated by a charter froni the magistrates in 1800, and could boast of the most illustrious Scotsmen of the day among its members. Until the year 1792 St. Andrews had a species of monopoly in the manufacture of golf balls. They are small and hard, and of old were always stuffed with feathers. The clubs are from three to four feet long. “The heads are of brass,” says Dr. Walker, in a letter to the famous Dr. Carlyle of Inveresk ; ‘‘ and the face with which the ball is struck is perfectly smooth, having no inclination, such as might have a tendency to raise the ball from the ground. The game may be played by any number, either in parties against each other, or each person for himself, and the contest is to hole the course in the fewest strokes.” “Far!” or “Fore!” is the signal cry before the ball is struck, to warn loiterers or spectators; and “Far and Surc !” is a common motto with golf clubs. . the Erle of Bothwile . . . . xlijs Feb. 4- Item to Golf‘ Clubbes and Ballis to the the church. They were allowed the use of six balls each. These‘ all went considerably higher than the vane, and were found in the Advocate’s Close, on the north side of the High Street. Duncan Forbes, the Lord President, was so fond of golf that he was wont to play on the sands of Leith when the Links were covered with snow. Kay gives us a portrait of a famous old golfer, Andrew McKellar, known as the “Cock o’ the Green,” in the act of striking the ball. This enthusiast spent entire days on Bruntsfield Links, club in hand, and was often there by night too, playing at the “short holes” by lantern light Andrew died about 1813. Bruntsfield Links and those of Musselburgh are the favourite places yet of the Edinburgh Club ; but the St. Andrews meetings are so numerously attended that the old city by the sea has been denominated the MefropoZis of golfing. In a miscellaneous collection, entitled “ Mistura Curiosa,” a song in praise of golf has two verses “ I love the game of golf, my boys, though there are folks in Who, when upon the Links they walk, delight to run it But then those folks who don’t love golf, of coursc, can’t The fond love that exists between the golfer and his friend. “For on the green the new command, that ye love one Is, as a rule, kept better by a golfer than a brother; For if he’s struck, a brother’s rage is not so soon appeased, But the harder that Zhit my friend, the better he is pleased.” Until the Royal Park at Holyrood was opened up, levelled, and improved, at the suggestion of the late Prince Consort, Bruntsfield Links was the invariable place for garrison reviews and field days by the troops ; but >neither they nor any one else can interfere with the vested rights of the golfers to play over any part of the open ground at all times. On the summit of the green slope now crowned by the hideous edifice known as Gillespie’s Hospital, a picturesque mansion of very great antiquity, quadrangular in form, striking in outline, with its peel-tower, turrets, crowstepped gables and gablets, thus :- town down ; comprehend another, 1 east corner of the Parliament Square over the weathercock of St. Giles’s, 161 feet from the base of ... GOLF ON BRUNTSFIELD LINKS. 31 Lord High Treasurer, under James IV., the following entries are found ...

Vol. 5  p. 31 (Rel. 0.76)

TU Cowpate.] THE HAMMERMEN. 263 reference to those trades which form the United Incorporation of Hammermen, and to the old city companies and trades in generaL ‘6 The Hammerer’s Seill of Cause,” was issued on the 2nd Nay, 1483, by Sir Patrick Baron of Spittalfield, Knight, Provost ‘of the City, Patrick Balbirge of that ilk, David Crawford of St. Giles’s Grange, and Archibald Todrig, being bailies ; and under the general name are’included at that time, blacksmiths, goldsmiths, lorimers, saddlers, cutlers, buckler-makers, armourers, (( and all others within the said burgh of Edinburgh.” Pewterers were afterwards included, and a heckle-maker so lately as 1609. By the rule of the corporation it was statute and ordained, that ‘‘ na hammerman, maister, feitman, servand, nor utheris, tak vpon hand fra this tyme furth, to exercise or use ony mair craftis but alanerly ane, and to live thairupon, sua that his brether craftismen be not hurt throu his large exercitation and exceeding of boundis,” Src. And all the privileges of the haminermen were ratified by Act of Parliament so recently as September, 1681, when shearsmiths appear as members of the corporation. In those days all the operations of industry were treated as secrets. Each trade was a craft, and those who followed it were called craftsmen ; and skilled artisans were ‘‘ cunning men.” (Smiles.) The Hammermen’s seal bears the effigyof St. Eloi, in apostolical vestments, in a church porch surmounted by five pinnacles, holding in one hand a hammer, and in the other a key, with the legend, (( Sig2lum commune artis tudiatorum.” By the end of the 16th century the manufacture of offensive weapons predominated over all other trades in the city. The essay-piece ofa cutler, prior to his admission to the corporation, was a wellfinished “quhinzier,” or sword; and there were gaird-makers, whose business consisted in fashioning the hilts ; dalmascars, who gilded weapons and armour. In 1582 sword blades were damascened at Edinburgh ; but ‘‘ Hew Vans, dalmascar, was ordained not to buy blades to sell again,” his business being confined to gilding steel. There were also the belt-makers, who wrought military girdles ; dag-makers, who made hackbutts (short guns), and dags, or pistols ; but all these various trades became associated in the general one of armourers or gunsmiths, as the wearing of weapons began to fall into desuetude, and other arts connected with civilisation and luxury began to take their places. In 1586 a locksmith is first found in Edinburgh, where he was the cnly one, and could only make a ‘‘ kist-lock.” Tirling-pins, wooden latches, and transom bars, were the appurtenances of doors before his time generally. But by 1609, “as the security of property increased,” says Chambers, the essay was a kist-lock and a hing and bois lock with ane double plate lock ;” and, in 1644, ‘‘ a key and sprent band were added to the essay.” In 1682 “a cruik and cruik band’ were further added; and in 1728, for the safety of the liegeq the locksmiths’ essay was appointed to be ‘‘ a cruik and cruik-band, a pass-lock with a round filled bridge, not cut or broke in the backside, with nobs and jamb bound.” The trade of a shearsmith appears first in 1595 in Edinburgh, and in 1613 Thomas Duncan, the first tinkler in the city was admitted a hammerman. The trade of a pewterer is found as far back as 1588; the first knockmaker (or clockmaker) appears in 1647, but his business was so limited that he added thereto the making of locks. (“ Traditions of Edin.”) In 1664 the first white iron smith was admitted a hammerman, and the first harnessmaker, though lorimers-manufacturers of the iron-work used in saddlery-were members. since 1483. The first maker of surgical instruments in Edinburgh was Paul Martin, a French Protestant refugee, in 1691. In 1720 the first pin-maker appears ; and in 1764 the first edge-tool maker, and the first manufacturer of fish-hooks. By the first charter of the hammermen all a p plicants for admission were examined by the deacons and masters of their respective arts, as to their qualifications ; and any member found guilty of a bre?ch of any one of the articles contained in their charter, was fined eight shillings Scots towards the support of the corporation’s altar of St. Eloi in St Giles’s Church and the chaplain thereof. The goldsmiths were separated from the hammermen in 1581 ; but since then many other crafts have joined them, including gunsmiths, watchmakers, founders, braziers, and coppersmiths. The cordiners, or shoemakers, were first created into a society by the magistrates on the 28th of July, 1449 (according to Maitland), in terms of which each master of the trade who kept a booth within the town, paid one penny Scots, and the;. servants one halfpenny, towards the support of their altar of St. Crispin, in St. Giles’s Church. A new seal of cause was granted to them in 1509, and another in 1586, which enacted that their shops were not to be open on Sundays after g AM., and that no work was to be done on that day under pain of twenty shillings fine. It also regulated the days of the week on which leather boots and shoes could be sold by strangers in booths. This charter was confirmed on 6th March, 1598, by James VI., in considera ... Cowpate.] THE HAMMERMEN. 263 reference to those trades which form the United Incorporation of Hammermen, and ...

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he barbarously threw the bodies on a great fire that blazed in the fireplace of the tower; “and there in their armour they broiled and sweltered like tortoises in iron shells.” Locking the doors, the fugitives hurriedly and stealthily reached the tower-head unseen. The attendant lowered himself down first over the abutting crag, which there is more than zoo feet in height, but the cord proving too short it slipped from his hands, and he fell to the bottom senseless. This must have been a terrible crisis for the blood-stained Albany ! Hurrying back to his now horrible apartment in the tower, he dragged the sheets from his bed, added them to the rope, looped it round an embrasure, and lowered himself safely down over rampart and rock to the bottom, where he found his attendant lying helpless, with a broken thigh Unwilling to leave him to ptrish, Albany, with a sentiment that contrasts singularly with his recent ferocity, raised him on his shoulders, and being a man of unusual strength and Stature, he actually conveyed him to Leith, a distance of two miles; and, when the sun rose, the ship, with Albany, was out on the German sea. Daylight revealed the rope and twisted sheets hanging over the rampart of the tower. An alarm was given, which the dreadful stench from the locked chamber must have increased. The door was opened. Albany was gone, but the half-con- Qumed corpses were found in the fireplace; and James 111. refused to believe in a story so incredible till he had visited the place in person.* Albany fled to England, the king of which refused to deliver him up. Thus war was declared, and James marched from the Burghmuir with $0,000 men and a train of guns, under the master of the ordndnce, a stone-mason, whom, with great impolicy, he had created Earl of Mar. At Lauder the nobles halted; hanged all the king’s minions over the bridge in horse-halters, and disbanded the troops j and then the humbled and luckless James returned to the Castle, where for many months, in 1481, he remained a species of prisoner in the custody of its commanders, the Earls of Athol and Buchan, who,’ it has been supposed, would have murdered him in secret had not the Lord Darnley and other loyal barons protected him, by never leaving his chamber unguarded by night or day. There he remained in a species of honourable durance, while near him lay in 3 dungeon the venerable *Earl of Douglas, who scorned to be reconciled, though James, in his humility, made overtures to him. He appealed at last to Lindesay, Diummond, Scott, Buchan, &c. England for aid against his turbulent barons, and Edward IV. (though they had quarrelled about a matrimonial alliance, and about the restoration of Berwick) sent Richard, Duke of Gloucester; north, at .the head of 10,000 auxiliaries, who encamped on the Burghmuir, where the Duke of Albany, who affected a show of loyalty, joined them, at the very time that the rebellious nobles of lames were sitting in council in the Tolbooth. Thither went Albany and Gloucester, the “ crookbacked Dick” of Shakspere and of Bosworth, attended by a thousand gentlemen of both countries, and the parties having come to terms, heralds were sent to the Castle to charge the commander thereof to open the gates and set the king at liberty; after which the royal brothers, over whose fraternisation Pitscottie’s narrative casts some ridicule, rode together, he adds, to Holyrood, “ quhair they remained ane long time in great merrines.” William Bertraham, Provost of Edinburgh, with the whole community of the city, undertook to repay to the king of England the dowry of his daughter the Lady Cecil, and afterwards they fulfilled their obligations by repaying 6,000 merks to the Garter King-at-Arms. In acknowledgment of this loyal service James granted to the city the patent known as its “Golden Charter,” by which the provost and bailies were created sheriffs of their own boundaries, with other important privileges. Upon the craftsmen he also conferred a banner, said to have been made by the queen and her ladies, still preserved and known popularly as the “ Blue Blanket,” and it was long the rallying point of the Burgher-guard in every war or civic broil. Thus, Jarnes VI., in the “ Basilicon Doron,” points out to Prince Henry-“ The craftsmen think we should be content with their work how bad soever it be ; and if in anything they be controuled, up goes the Blue Blanket ! ” This banner, according to Kincaid, is of blue silk, with a white St. Andrew’s cross. It is swallowtailed, measuring in length from the pole ten feet two inches, and in breadth six and a half feet. It bears a thistle crowned, with the mottoes : “Fear God and honour the King with a long lyffe and a prosperous reigne ; ” and ‘‘ And we that is Trades shall ever pray to be faithful1 for the defence of his sacred Maiesties royal person till Death.” Jarnes 111. was noted about this time for the quantity of treasure, armour, and cannon he had stored up in the Castle, his favourite residence. In David‘s Tower stood his famous black kist (probably the same which is now in the Crown room), filled with rare and costly-gems, gold and silver specie, massive plate, and a wonderful C6!- ... barbarously threw the bodies on a great fire that blazed in the fireplace of the tower; “and there in their ...

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High Street.] U‘ARRISTON’S CLOSE. 223 the floors as a picture gallery or exhibition, a new leature in the Edinburgh of the seventeenth century, and long before any such idea had been conceived in France, England, or any other country. Some of his best works were in possession of the late Andrew Bell, engraver, the originator of the ‘‘ Encyclopzdia Britannica,” who married his granddaughter. “For some years after the Revolution,” says Pinkerton, “ he was the only painter in Scotland, and had a very great run of business. This brought him into a hasty and .incorrect manner.” So here, in the Advocates’ -* ~ Close, in the dull and anorose Edinburgh of the seventeenth cendury, was the fashionable lounge of the dilettanti, .the resort of rank and beauty-a quarter from which the haut ton of the ,present day would shrink with aversion. He died at Prestonpans in the year 1730, in his eighty-fifth year, after having witnessed as startling a series of political changes as ever occurred in a long lifetime. Taking the ancient .alleys seriatim, Roxburghe Close comes next, numbered as 341, High Street, and. so - -_ -- = --_= -- -+- next we come to in descending the north side of the street, remains only in name, the houses on both sides being entirely new, and its old steep descent broken at intervals by convenient flights of steps; but until r868 it was nearly unchanged froin its ancient state, some relics of which still remain. It had handsome fronts of carefully-polished ashlar, with richly-decorated doorways with pious legends on their lintels, to exclude witches, fairies, and all manner of evil ; there were ornate dormer named, it may COnfi- HOUSE OF LORD ADVOCATE STEWART, AT THE FOOT dently be supposed OF ADVOCATES’ CLOSE, w e s ~ SIDE. (though it cannot be proved as a fact) from having contained the town residence of some ancient Earl of Roxburghe. All its ancient features have disappeared, save a door built up with a handsome cut legend in raised Roman letters :-“WHATEVER ME BEFALL I THANK THE LORD OF ALL. J. M., 1586.” This is said to have been the dwelling-place of the Roxburghe family, but by tradition only. If true, it takes the antiquary back to the year in which .Sir Walter Kerr of Cessford (ancestor of the Dukes .of Roxburghe), “ baron of Auld-Roxburghe, the .castle thereof and the lands of Auldtonbum, &c.,” died at a great age, the last survivor, perhaps, of the affray in which Sir Walter Scott of Buccleuch gerished at Edinburgh. Warriston’s Close (anciently called Bruce’s), the windows on the roofs with steep crow-stepped gables, black with the smoke and storms of centuries. MIHI . SEMPER. DEUS. 1583,” was the legend which first caught the eye above a door of a tenement on the west ’ side, long occupied bj James Murray, Lord Philiphaugh, raised to the bench November Ist, 1689, without having any predecessor, being 0n.e of the set of judges nominated after the Re- , volution. After being chosen member of Parliament for Selkirk in 1681, he had become an object of special jealousy to the Scottish Cavalier Government. He was imprisoned in 1684, and under terror “ QUI . ERrr . ILLE . of being tortured in the iron boots, before the Privy Council in the high Chamber below the Parliament House, he gave evidence against those who were concerned in the Rye House Plot. Lord Philiphaugh had the character of being an upright judge, but the men of his time never forgot or forgave the weakness that made him stoop to save his life, though many of them might no doubt have acted in the same way, the Scottish Privy Council of that time being a species of Star Chamber that did not stand on trifles. Farther down the close was another edifice, the lintel of which like some others that were in the same locality, has been with great good taste rebuilt, as a lintel, into the extensive printing and publishing premises of the Messrs. Chambers, a ... Street.] U‘ARRISTON’S CLOSE. 223 the floors as a picture gallery or exhibition, a new leature in the ...

Vol. 2  p. 223 (Rel. 0.75)

Beechwood.] SIR ROBERT DUNDAS OF BEECHWOOD. 105 to the Castle of Edinburgh under a strong escort of their comrades. General Leslie, and Lieutenant MacLean the adjutant, having accompanied this party a little way out of Glasgow, were, on their return, assailed by a mob which sympathised with the Highlanders and accused them of being active in sending away the prisoners. The tumult increased, stones were thrown ; General Leslie was knocked down, and he and MacLean had to seek shelter these documents were not formally executed, were confused in their terms, and good for nothing in a legal sense, Mrs. Rutherford of Edgerstoun very generously fulfilled to the utmost what she conceived to be the intentions of her father. Sir Robert Dundas, Bart., of Beechwood, like the preceding, figures in the pages of Kay. He was one of the principal Clerks of Session, and Deputy Lord Privy Seal of Scotland. He was born in June, 1761, and was descended from the Dundases BEECHWOOD. in the house of the Lord Provost till peace officers came, and a company of Fencibles. One of the mutineers was shot, by sentence of a court-martial. The others were sent to America. On his way back to Edinburgh General Leslie was seized with a dangerous illness, and died at ' Beechwood House on the 27th of December, '794. No will could be found among the General's repositories at Beechwood, and it was presumed that he had died intestate. However, a few days after the filneral, two holograph papers were discovered, bequeathing legacies to the amount of L7,ooo among some of his relations and friends, particularly .&I,OOO each to two natural daughters. Although 110 of Amiston, the common ancestor of whom was knighted by Charles I., and appointed to the bench by Charles 11. Educated as a Writer to the Signet, he was made deputy-keeper of Sashes, and in 1820 a principal Clerk of Session. He was one of the original members of the old Royal Edinburgh Volunteers, of which corps he was a lieutenant in 1794. He purchased from Lord Melville the estate of Dunira in Perthshire, and succeeded to the baronetcy and the estate of Beechwood on the death of his uncle General Sir David Dundas, G.C.B., who was for some time Commander-in-Chief of the forces. Sir Robert died in 1835. A winding rural carriage-way, umbrageous and ... SIR ROBERT DUNDAS OF BEECHWOOD. 105 to the Castle of Edinburgh under a strong escort of their ...

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354 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [The Meadows ‘upwards of eighty years of age, as captain-general, and the Earl of Wemyss as lieutenant-general, marched at the head of the Royal Archers, with colours flying, from the Parliament Square to Holyrood, and thence to Leith, wbere they shot for the Edinburgh Arrow, and returned with similar parade, receiving from all guards and troops the honours that are paid to the regular army ; but in the following year (1715), the Earl of Cromartie being dead, they vere led by the Earl of Wemyss to a similar parade. On the 16th of June a letter addressed to Wodrow says :-“ Upon Monday last the Royal Company of Archers, consisting of about zoo, all clad in the old Scottish garb, made their parade through this town and in Leith; they all consist of Jacobites, except five or six At night they came to the playhouse, and betwixt the acts they desired Sir Thomas Dalzell (who is mad) to order the musicians to play that air called ‘Let the King enjoy his own again.’ After it was over, the whole house clapp’d 3 times lowd, but a few hissed.’’ These facts serve to show that what was called the Royal Ccmpany of Archers all through the reigns of Anne and George I. was really a sodality, composed exclusively of the Jacobite aristocracyin short, a marked muster for the House of Stuart. Their leaders were, and have been always, nobles of the highest rank; they had “their adjutant and other officers, their colours, music, and uniforms, and pretty effective military organisation and appearance.” (“ Dom. Ann.”) Their dress was tartan, trimmed with green silk fringe ; their bonnets were trimmed with green and white ribbons, with St. Andrew’s cross in front; their horns and swords were decorated with green and white ribbons, and the dresses of the officers were laid over with rich silver lace. We are told that “the cavalier spirit of Allan Ramsay glowed at seeing these elegant specimens of the Arisior’ of Scotland engaged at butts and rovers, and poured itself forth in verses to their praise.” After the futile insurrection of 1715, the Archers made no parade for nine years; bur on James, Duke of Hamilton, K.T., being chosen captaingeneral, they marched to Musselburgh in 1724, and afterwards occasionally till, the 10th July, 1732, when they had a special parade, in which the Jacobite element greatly predominated. A guard of honour brought the colours from the Duke of Hamilton’s apartments at Holyrood, when the march to the Links began under his Grace as captain-general, preceded by Lord Bruce “ on horseback, with fine Turkish furniture, as majorgeneral, in absence of the Earl of Crawford.” - “Th’e Lord Provost and magistrates saw the .- . procession from a window, and were saluted by the several officers, as did General Wade from a balcony in the Earl of Murray’s lodgings in the Canongate. The Governor of Damascus came likewise to see the ceremony. Betwixt one and two the company arrived in the Links, whence, after shooting for the arrow (which was won by Balfour of Foret), they marched into Leith in the same order, and after dinner returned to the city, and saw acted the tragedy called Macbeafh.” (Caledonian Mermrj; Including the sovereign’s prize, there are seventeen shot for annually by the archers. Among these are the City of Edinburgh silver arrow, given in 1709, and the Musselburgh silver arrow, which appears to have been shot for so far back as 1603. As in the instance of many of the other prizes, the victor retains it only for a year, and returns it with a medal appended, and engraved with a motto, device, or name. The affairs of the Guard are managed by a preses, six councillors, a secretary, and treasurer. The rules say “That all persons possessed of Scottish domicile or of landed estate in Scotland, or younger sons, though not domiciled in Scotland, of a Scottish landed proprietor qualified to act as a commissioner of supply, are eligible for admission to the royal company.” After the battle of Culloden and the decay of Jacobitism, the vigour of the Archer Guard declined, till some new life was infused into its ranks by William St. Clair of Roslin, and then it was that the present Archers’ Hall, near Hope Park End, was built. There an acre of ground was feued from the city, at a feu of 6 1 2 yearly, with double that sum every twenty-fifth year, and the foundation stone was laid by Mr. St. Clair on August the 15th’ 1776. The dining-hall measures 40 feet by 24, and is IS feet in height. There are two other rooms about 18 feet square, with other apartments, kitchen, &c The last most important appearances of the Royal Archers have been on the occasion of George IV.’s visit in 18zzwhen they wore the old tartan costume, which was afterwards replaced by tunics of Lincoln green,-on the visit of Queen Victoria, and the first great volunteer review in the Royal Park. An old gable-ended house, the windows of.which looked westward along the vista of the Meadows, and their Fredecessor, the Burgh Loch, was traditionally said to have been inhabited by George. Heriot, but was removed in 1843, when the Messrs. Nelson built there an establishment, which, for printing, publishing. and bookbinding together, was the most extensive in Scotland. His initials, I734 ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [The Meadows ‘upwards of eighty years of age, as captain-general, and the Earl of ...

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34 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Wright’s H0u.w~ good behaviour of William Douglas of Hyvelie (Reg : Privy Council Scot.). His son Robert, who was a visitor at the house of William Turnbull of Airdrie, then resident in Edinburgh, on the 4th of September, 1608, “ by craft and violence,” carried off a daughter of the latter in her eleventh year, and kept her in some obscure place, where her father could not discover her. Turnbull brought this matter before the Privy Council, by Nhom Robert Napier was denounced as a rebel and outlaw. Of this old family nothing now remains but a tomb on the north side of the choir of St. Giles’s; it bears the Merchiston crest and the Wrychtishouse shield, and has thus been more than once pointed out as the last restingplace of the inventor of the logarithms. The Napiers of Wrychtishousis, says the biographer of the philosopher, were a race quite dis tinct from that of Merchiston, and were obviously a branch of Kilmahew, whose estates lay in Lennox. Their armorial bearings were, or on a bend azure, between two mullets or spur rowels. In its later years this old mansion was the residence of Lieutenant-General Robertson of Lude, who served throughout the whole American war, and brought home with him, at its close, a negro, who went by the name of Black Tom, who occupied a room on the ground floor. Tom was again and again heard to complain of being unable to rest at night, as the figure of a lady, headless, and with a child in her arms, rose out of the hearth, and terrified him dreadfully ; but no one believed Tom, and his story was put down to intoxication. Be that as it may, “ when the old mansion was pulled down to build Gillespie’s Hospital there was found under the hearthstone of that apartment a box containing the body of a female, from which the head had been severed, and beside her lay the remains of an infant, wrapped in a pillow-case trimmed with lace. She appeared, poor lady, to have been cut off in the blossom of her sins ; for she was dressed, and her scissors were yet hanging by a ribbon to her side, and her thimble was also in the box, having, apparently, fallen from her shrivelled fingers.’’ If we are to judge from the following notice in the Edinburgh HeraZd for 6th April 1799, the mansion was once the residence of Lord Barganie (whose peerage is extiiict), as we are told that by Gillespie’s trustees, ‘I Barganie House, at the Wrights Houses, has been purchased, with upwards of six acres of ground, where this hospital is to be erected, The situation is very judiciously chosen; it is elevated, dry, and healthy.” In 1800 the demolition was achieved, but not without a spirited remonstrance in the Edinburgh Mopzinc for that year, and Gillespie’s Hospital, a tasteless edifice, designed by Mr. Burn, a builder, in that ridiculous castellated style called ‘&Carpenter’s Gothic,” took its place. The founder, James Gillespie, was the eldest of two brothers, who occupied a shop as tobacconists east of the Market Cross, Here John, the younger, attended to the business, while the former resided at Spylaw, near Colinton, and superintended a mill which they had erected there for grinding snuff; and there snuff was ground years after for the Messrs. Kichardson, 105, West Bow. Neither of the brothers married, ,and though frugal and industrious, were far from being miserly. They lived among their workmen and domestics, in quite a homely and patriarchal manner, “ Waste not, want not ” being ever their favourite maxim, and money increased in their hands quickly. Even in extreme age, we are told that James Gillespie, with an old blanket round him and a night-cap on, both covered with snuff, regularly attended the mill, superintending the operations of his man, Andrew Fraser, who was a hale old man, living in the hospital, when the first edition of I‘ Kay ” was published, in I 838. James kept a carriage, however, for which the Hon. Henry Erskine suggested as a motto :- “Wha wad hae thocht it, That noses had bocht it?” He survived his brother five years, and dying at Spylaw on the 8th April, 1797, in his eightieth year, was buried in Colinton churchyard. By his will he bequeathed his estate, together with _f;I 2,000 sterling (exclusive of A2,700 for the erection and endowment of a school), “ for the special intent and purpose of founding and endowing an hospital, or charitable institution, within the city ,of Edinburgh or suburbs, for the aliment and maintenance of old men and women.” In 1801 the governors obtained a royal charter, forming them into a body corporate as “The Governors of James Gillespie’s Hospital and Free School.”. The persons entitled to admittance were :-first, Mr. Gillespie’s old servants ; second, all persons of his surname over fifty-five years of age; third, persons of the same age belonging to Edinburgh and Leith, failing whom, from all other parts of Midlothian. None were to be admitted who had private resources, or were otherwise than “ decent, godly, and well-behaved men and women.” In the Council-room of the hospital-from which the school was built apart-is an excellent ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Wright’s H0u.w~ good behaviour of William Douglas of Hyvelie (Reg : Privy Council ...

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I74 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Charlotte Square. Bank, near Edinburgh; Arnsheen, in Ayrshire ; Redcastle, Inverness-shire ; Denbrae, Fifeshire; and Gogar Bank in Midlothian. He died on the 27th of May, 1836, Lady Fettes having pre-deceased him on the 7th of the same month. By his trust disposition and settlement, dated 5th July 1830, and several codicils thereto, the last being dated the 9th of March, 1836, he disponed his whole estates to and in favour of Lady Fettes, his sister Mrs. Bruce, Mr. Corrie, Manager of the British Linen Company, A. Wood, Esq. (afterwards Lord Wood), and A. Rutherford, Esq. (afterwards Lord Rutherford), as trustees ; the purposes of the trust, which made ample provision for Lady Fettes in case of her survival, being :-(I) The payment of legacies to various poor relations ; ( 2 ) Bequests to charitable institutions ; and (3) The application of the residue to ‘‘ form an endowment for the maintenance, education, and outfit of young people whose parents have either died without leaving syfficient funds for that purpose, or who from innocent misfortune during their own lives are unable to give suitable education to their children.” The trust funds, which at the time of the amiable Sir William’s death amounted to about &166,000, were accumulated for a number of years, and reached such an amount as enabled the trustees to carry out his benevolent intentions in a becoming manner ; and, accordingly, in 1864 contracts were entered into for the erection of the superb college which now very properly bears his name. Lord Cockburn, that type of the true old Scottish gentleman, ‘‘ whose dignified yet homely manner and solemn beautygave his aspect a peculiar grace,” and who is so well known for his pleasant and gossiping volume of ‘‘ Memorials,” and for the deep interest he took in all pertaining to Edinburgh, occupied No. 14 ; and the next house was the residence of Lord Pitmilly. James Wolfe Murray, afterwards Lord Cringletie, held No. 17 in 1811; and the Right Hon. David Boyle, Lord Justice Clerk, and afterwards Lord Justice General, occupied the same house in 1830. Lieutenant-General Alexander Dirom, of Mount Annan, and formerly of the 44th regiment, when Quartermaster-General in Scotland, rented No. I 8 in I 8 I I. He was an officer of great experience, and had seen much service in the old wars of India, and, when major, published an interesting narrative of the campiign against Tippoo Sultan. Latterly his house was occupied by the late James Crawfurd, Lord Ardmillan, who was called to the bar in 1829, and was raised to the bench in Jacuary, 1855. At the same time No. 31 was the abode of the Right Hon. Wlliam Adam, &ord Chief Commissioner of the Jury Court, the kinsman of the architect of the Square, and a man of great eminence in his time. He was the son of Adam Blair of Blair Adam, and was born in July, 1751. Educated at Edinburgh, he became a member of the bar, but did not practise then ; and in 1774 and 1794 he sat for several places in Parliament. In the latter year he began to devote himself to his profession, and in 1802 was appointed Counsel for the East India Company, and four years afterwards Chancellor for the Duchy of Cornwall. After being M.P. for Kinross, in 18 I I he resumed his professional duties, and was deemed so sound a lawyer that he was frequently consulted by the Prince of .Wales and the Duke of York. In the course of a parliamentary dispute with Mr. Fox, about the first American war, they fought a duel, which happily ended without bloodshed, after which the latter remarked jocularly that had his antagonist not loaded his pistols with Government powder he would have been shot. In 1814 he submitted to Government a plan for trying civil causes by jury in Scotland, and in the following year was made a Privy Councillor and Baron of the Scottish Exchequer. In I 8 I 6 an Act of Parliament was obtained instituting a separate Jury Court in Scotland, and he was appointed Lord Chief Commissioner, with two of the judges as colleagues, and to this court he applied all his energies, overcoming by his patience, zeal, and urbanity, the many obstacles opposed to the success of such an institution. In 1830, when sufficiently organised, the Jury Court was, by another Act, transferred to the Court of Session, and when taking his seat on the bench of the latter for the first time, complimentary addresses were presented to him from the Faculty of Advocates, the Society of Writers to the Signet, and that of the solicitors before the Supreme Courts, thanking him for the important benefits . which the introduction of trial by jury in civil cases had conferred on Scotland. In 1833 he +red from the bench, and died at his house in Charlotte Square, on the 17thFebruary, 1839, in his 87th year. ’ In 1777 he had married Eleanora, daughter of Charles tenth Lord Elphinstone. She died in 1808, but had a family of several sons-viz., John, long at the head of the Council in India, who died some years before his father; Admiral Sir Charles, M.P., one of the Lords of the Admiralty ; William George, an eminent King’s Counsel, afterwards Accountant-General in the Court of Chancery; and Lieutenant-General Sir Frederick, who held a command at the battle of Waterloo, and was afterwards successively Lord High Commissioner to the Ionian Isles and Governor of Madras. ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Charlotte Square. Bank, near Edinburgh; Arnsheen, in Ayrshire ; Redcastle, ...

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323 *la.] ADV.4NCE OF THE * HIGHLANDERS, -__ appointed thereto in 1716), mustered the outpensioners of Chelsea, and officered them, locally, from the half-pay list. Doubtful of the faith of Preston, as a Scotsman, the Government superseded him in command, and sent in his place Lieutenant-General Joshua Guest, an Englishman, who proved a staunch Jacobite, and on the approach of the Highlanders he was the first to propose a capitulation, a measure vigorously opposed by Preston, a resolute Whig 01 the old King William school, who thereupon undertook the defence, with a gamson which consisted only of the old Castle company, the two companies of the 47th, each mustering about seventy bayonets, under Major Robertson, the Chelsea Pensioners, and Lieutenant Brydone’s artillery company, which had landed at Leith on the 4th of September, and marched in with a great quantity of the munitions of war. The other troops in Scotland at this time consisted only of the 13th and 14th Light Dragoons at Edinburgh, the company of the Royals captured at Spean Bridge, the 6th Foot at Aberdeen, two companies of the 21st Scots Fusiliers at Glasgow, the 25th Edinburgh regiment in Fifeshire, two companies of the 4znd at Crieff, five of the 44th in the West, and another five at Berwick, the 46th (known as ‘‘ Murray’s Bucks ”) scattered over the Highlands, Loudon’s Highlanders (disbanded in 1749) stationed in the north ; in all not quite 4,ooc men ; but, collecting these, Sir John Cope prepared to bar the Prince’s way into the Lowlands. Quitting Perth at the head of little more than 2,000 men,* only the half of whom had arms, the latter, on the 11th September, resumed his adventurous march southward, and crossing the Forth by the perilous fords of Frew, to avoid the guns of Stirling, he held on his way by the Scottish Marathon, by the Torwood and Linlithgow, traversing scenes that he, the heir of the ancient regal line, could not have beheld without emotion, engaged, as he was, on an enterprise more daring and more desperate than had ever been undertaken by any of his ancestors since Bruce fought the battle of Dalry. On the 1,gth he was at Corstorphine, less than A true account of thestrengthof the Highland army, aph August, 1745. Lochiel ........................... 700 Clanmnald, having men of his Islands ...... 050 The Stewarts of Appin under Ardsheil ...... a50 Keppoch ........................... 260 and the Grants of Glenmorriston ...... 600 , Glengawy’s men, induding Knoydart, Glencoe. 2 . h (“ Culloden Papers. ’3 “The Highlanders were not more than 1,800, and the half of them only Were armed.” (“Autobiography of Dr. Carlyle of Inveresk”) lour miles distant from the capital, and to avoid exposing his troops to the Castle guns in advancing, he wheeled southward towards Slateford, and fixed his quarters at Gray’s Mill, two miles from the city. Great was now the excitement within the walls. The militia, called the trained bands, consisted of sixteen companies, or 1,000 men, entirely undisciplined, and many of them entirely disloyal to the Hanoverian cause. In their own armoury the citizens had 1,259 muskets and zoo bayonets, 300 sets of accoutrements, a considerable quantity of ammunition, with seventy-five stand of arms and Lochaber axes belonging to the City Guard. On Sunday, 16th September, Hislop, keeper of this arsenal, issued 500 rounds of ball ammunition and sixty firelocks to each company of the trained bands, thirty-nine firelocks to the additional company of the City Guard, and twenty-four to the company of the Canongate-head, 500 rounds of ball to the Seceders, whose muster-place was the Infirmary, and 450 Ibs. of powder for the cannon on the walls. All the rest he sent to the Castle. The banner borne by the Seceders is now in the Museum 3f Antiquities, and was once used at Bothwell Brig. It is blue, with a white St. Andrew‘s saltire, charged with five roses, and the motto, Cmenanfs, Ueligion, Kin& and Kingdoms. Towards the end of the preceding month the nore zealous citizens had proposed to raise a regiment 1,000 strong for the defence of the town ; but the royal permission therefor was not accorded till the 9th of September, and by the time that the Prince drew near only zoo men had been enrolled, all of the most dissolute character, and tempted by the proffered pay alone. In addition to these was the regiment of Edinburgh Volunteers, 400 strong, divided into six companies, and drilled regularly twice daily. Cannon from the ships at Leith were mounted on the walls together with swivels or pateraroes (i.e., small cannon). The ports were barricaded ; there was much military bluster, with much Singing of psalms ; but as the Highlanders drew nearer all this show of valour died away. When the Prince’s vanguard was at Kirkliston, it was proposed by General Guest that the two Light Dragoon regiments, supported by the City Guard, the so-called Edinburgh Regiment, and 250 volunteers, should march out and give battle to the insurgents ! The signal was given ; on the forenoon of Sunday the 15th of September the clang of the alarm bells came during sermon, and the people rushed rorth from the churches to find the detailed force &-awn up under arms ia the High Street; but the ... *la.] ADV.4NCE OF THE * HIGHLANDERS, -__ appointed thereto in 1716), mustered the outpensioners of Chelsea, ...

Vol. 2  p. 323 (Rel. 0.73)

66 About this time a strange story went abroad concerning the spectre of Dundee ; the terrible yet handsome Claverhouse, in his flowing wig and glittering breastplate, appearing to bis friend the Earl of Balcarres, then a prisoner in the Castle, and awaiting tidings of the first battle with keen anxiety. .\bout daybreak on the morning when Killiecrankie was fought and lost by the Williamites, the spectre of Dundee is said to have come to Bal- OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. “After this’”(says C. K. Sharpe, in a note to ‘ Law’s Memorials I), “ it moved towards the mantelpiece, remained there for a short time in a leaning posture, and thed walked out of the ’ chamber without uttering one word. Lord Balcarres, in great surprise, though not suspecting that what he saw WAS an. apparition, called out ‘repeatedly on his friend to stop, but received no answer, and subsequently learned that at the very moment the [Edinburgh Castle.’ CHAPTER vIr. EDINBURGH CASTLE ( G O Z C ~ ~ ~ ) . The Torture of Neville Payne-Jacobite Plots-Entombing the Regalia-Project for Surprising the Foitress-Right of Sanctuary Abolished- Lord Drummond‘s Plot-Some Jacobite Prisoners-“ Rebel Ladies”-James Macgregor-The Castle Vaults-Attempts nt Escape-Fears as to the Destruction of the Crown, Sword, and Sceptre-Crown-room opened in ~;rg+-Again in 7817, and the Regalia brought forth-Mons Meg-General Description of the whole Castle. AMONG the many unfortunates who have pined as prisoners of state in the Castle, few suffered more than Henry Neville Payne, an English gentleman, who was accused of being a Jacobite conspirator. About the time of the battle of the Boyne, when the Earl of Annandale, Lord ROSS, Sir Robert hlontgomerie of Skelmorlie, Robert Fergusson “ the plotter,” and others, were forming a scheme in Scotland for the restoration of King James, Payne had been sent there in connection with it, but was discovered in Dumfriesshire, seized, and sent to Edinburgh. Lockhart, the Solicitor- General for Scotland, who happened to be in London, coolly wrote to the Earl of Melville, Secretary of State at Edinburgh, saying, “ that there was no doubt that he (Payne) knew as much as would hang a thousand; but except you put him to the torture, he will shame you all. Pray you, put him in such hands as will have no pity on him!”* The Council, however, had anticipated these amiable instructions, and Payne had borne torture to extremity, by boot and thumbscrews, without confessing anything. On the loth of December, under express instruction signed by King William, and countersigned by Lord Melville, the process was to be repeated; and this was done in the presence of the Earl of Crawford, “with all the seventy,” he reported, “ that was consistent with humanity, even unto that pitch that we could not preserve life and have gone further, but without the least success. He was so manly and resolute under his sufferings that such of the Council as were not Melville’s Coiiespondence. acquainted with the evidence, were brangled, and began to give him charity that he might be innocent. It was surprising that flesh and blood could, without fainting, endure the heavy penance he was in for two hours.” This unfortunate Englishman, in his maimed and shattered condition, was now thrown into a vault of the Castle, where none had access to him save a doctor. Again and again it was represented to the ‘I humane and pious King William” that to keep Payne in prison Id without trial was contrary to law;” but notwithstanding repeated petitions for trial and mercy, in defiance of the Bill of Rights, William allowed him to languish from year to year for ten years ; until, on the 4th of February, 1701, he was liberated, in broken health, poverty, and premature old age, without the security for reappearance, which was customary in such cases. Many plots were formed by the Jacobites-one about 1695, by Fraser of Beaufort (the future Lovat), and another in 1703, to surprise the Castle, as being deemed the key to the whole kingdom-but without success ; and soon after the Union, in 1707, its walls witnessed that which was deemed ‘I the last act of that national tragedy,” the entombing of thz regalia, which, by the Treaty, “ are never more to be used, but kept constantly in the Castle of Edinburgh.” In presence of Colonel Stuart, the constable ; Sir James Mackenzie, Clerk of the Treasury ; William Wilson, Deputy-Clerk of Session-the crown, sceptre, sword of state, and Treasurer‘s rod, were solemnly deposited in their usual receptacle, the crown-room, on the 26th of March. “Animated by the sam- glow of patriotism that fired the ... this time a strange story went abroad concerning the spectre of Dundee ; the terrible yet handsome ...

Vol. 1  p. 66 (Rel. 0.73)

Kirk-of- Field.] THE CONSPIRACY AGAINST DARNLEY. 5 IZ. our lady kirk of field 13. ye kirk of field kirk y i ' I+ ye potterraw .. .. .. The Pot:er Row. 15. ye caich ill gait . . . . The Catchpole Gate. . . Our Lady Kirk-of-Field. . . The Kirk-of-Field kirk y d . EXPLANATION OF THE ORIGINAL I I. ye blak freiris . . . . .. The Black Friars. a. ye priestis chameris . . . . The priest's chambers. 3. ye well .. .. . . .. The well. 4. ye mylk row . . .. . . The Milk Row. 5. our lady stapis . . Our Lady's steos. 6. ye Dukis gaitt ofchattiiieraur 7. ye lu+ att ye king was keipit 8. ye place of ye murthqr . . . . The lace of the murder. 9. ye provost place .. The Duke of Chatelherault's gate. The lodging at which the King eftir his murthur . . . , was kept after his murder, . . .. The Frovast's place. ... Field.] THE CONSPIRACY AGAINST DARNLEY. 5 IZ. our lady kirk of field 13. ye kirk of field kirk y i ' I+ ...

Vol. 5  p. 5 (Rel. 0.72)

Calton HilL] THE NATIONAL MONUMENT. 109 ~ Grand Master of Scotland, the various loQges proceeded in procession from the Parliament Square, accompanied by the commissioners for the King, and a brilliant concourse. The foundation-stone of the edifice (which was to be 228 feet long, by IOZ broad) weighed six tons, and amid salutes of cannon from the Castle, Salisbury Craigs, Leith Majesty, the patron of the undertaking. The celebrated Parthenon of Athens being model of the edifice.” The Scots Greys and 3rd Dragoons formed the escorts. Notwithstanding the enthusiasm displayed when the undertaking was originated, and though a vast amount of money was subscribed, the former subsided, and the western peristyle alone THE NATICNAL MORUMEST, CALTON HILL. Fort, and the royal squadron in the roads, the inscription plates were deposited therein, One is inscribed thus, and somewhat fulsomely :- ‘‘ To the glory of God, in honour of the King, for the good of the people, this monument, the tribute of a gratefur country to her gallant and illustrious sms, as a memorial of the past and incentive to the future heroism of the men of Scotland, was founded on the 27th day of August in the year of our Lord 1822, and in the third year of the glorious reign of George IV., under his immediate auspices, and in commemoration of his most gracious and welcome visit to his ancient capital, and the palace of his royal ancestors; John Duke of Atholl, James Duke of Montrose, Archibald Earl of Rosebery, John Earl of Hopetoun, Robert Viscount Melville, and Thomas Lord Lynedoch, officiating as commissioners, by the special appointment of his august was partially erected. In consequence of this *emarkable end to an entefprise that was begun mder the most favourable auspices, the national monument is often referred to as “Scotland’s pride and poverty.” The pillars are of gigantic proportions, formed of beautiful Craigleith stone ; each block weighed from ten to fifteen tons, and each column as it stands, with the base and frieze, cost upwards of LI,OOO. As a ruin it gives a classic aspect to the whole city. According to the original idea, part of the edifice was to be used as a Scottish Valhalla On the face of the hill overlooking Waterloo Place is the monument of one of Scotland’s gredtest philosophers. It is simply inscribed :- DUGALD STEWART. BORN NOVEMBER 22ND, 1753; DIED JUKE KITH, 1828. ... HilL] THE NATIONAL MONUMENT. 109 ~ Grand Master of Scotland, the various loQges proceeded in procession ...

Vol. 3  p. 109 (Rel. 0.72)

THE PRECEPTORY OF ST. ANTHONY. 215 Leith] not making any deliberate assault ; but a pistol shot was heard, and in a few minutes the Sieur de la Roche lay dead, with a sword thrust in his body, while Isaac had a finger nearly hewn OK The guard now came on the scene, and Mowat was found under an outer stair, with a bent sword in his hand, bloody from point to hilt, his hand wounded, and the sleeves of his coat stained with blood. On seeing the dead body, he viewed it without emotion, and merely remarked that he wondered who had slain him. The Master, Mowat, and James Sinclair the writer, were all tried for the murder of Elias Poiret before the Court of Justiciary, but the jury brought in a verdict of not proven. The whole affair might have been easily explained, but for heat of temper, intemperance, and the ready resort to arms so usual in those days. The three Frenchmen concerned in it were Protestant refugees who were serving as privates in the Scottish Life Guards. The Mastet of Tarbet became Earl of Cromarty in 1714 and survived the death of Poiret forty years. Two of his sons, who were officers in the Scots-Dutch Brigade, perished at sea, and his eldest, the third and last Earl of Cromarty, was nearly brought to Tower Hill in 1746 for his loyalty to the House of Stuart. No. 141 Kirkgate was long the place of business of Mr. Alexander Watson, who is chiefly remarkable as being the nephew and close correspondent of a very remarkable man, who frequently resided with him-Robert Watson, who was made Principal of the Scots College at Paris by the Emperor Napoleon I., an office which he held for six years. It was to his nephew at Leith, after his escape to Rome (having been tried at the Old Bailey as President of a Corresponding Society), he confided his discovery of a large mass of correspondence known as “ The Stuart Papers,” which he purchased (as stated in the Courunt for 1819.) In one of his letters, dated London, 6th April, 1818, he states that they consist ofhalf a million of pieces, and are valued at ~300,000. ‘‘ The Pope, however, took military possession of them, under the protest that they were of too much importance to belong to a private individual. I protested against the arbitrary proceedings of his Holiness. The Prince Regent sent two ships of war to Civita Vecchia to bring them to London, and they are now in Carlton House.” To his nephew in the Kirkgate he subsequently wrote that a Royal Commissiolr under the Great Seal (including Sir James Mackintosh) was a p pointed to examine these valuable papers ; and in 1824 he wrote that amongst other things of some value which have fallen into my possession, are the carriage and tent-bed of Bonaparte, taken at the battle of Waterloo. Further events will decide to what purposes I may apply it (the carriage), though it is probable I shall keep it for my own use.” This singular person committed suicide in 1838, by strangling himself in a London tavern, in the ninety-second year of his age--“a case of suicide,” it was said, “unparalleled in the annals of sorrow.” On the east side of the Kirkgate, to take the edifices in succession there, there was founded by Robert Logan of Restalrig, in 1435, a preceptory for the canons of St. Anthony, the only establkhment of the kind in Scotland. Arnot, in his history, unthinkingly mentions ‘‘ the monastery of Knights Templars of St. Anthony” at Leith. These canons, says Chalmers, “ seem to have been an order of religious knights, not Templars. The only document in which they are called Templars is a charter of James VI. in 1614, giving away their establishment and revenues; and this mistake of an ignorant clerk is wildly repeated by Arnot.” Their church, burying-ground, and gardens were in St. Anthony’s Wynd, an alley off the Kirkgate ; and the first community was brought from St Anthony of Vienne, the seat of the order in France They were formed in honour of St. Anthony, the patriarch of monks, who was born at Coma, a village of Heraclea on the borders of Arcadia, in A.D.‘z~I, and whose sister was placed in the first convent that is recorded in history. A hermit by habit, he dwelt long in the ruins of an old castle that overlooked the Nile; and after his death (said to have been in 356) his body was deposited in the church of La Motte St. Didier, at Vienne, when, according to old traditions, those labouring under the pest known as St. ,4nthony’s Fire-a species of erysipelas-were miraculously cured by praying at his shrine. Gaston, a noble of Vienne, and his son Gironde, filled with awe, we are told, by these wonderful cures, devoted their lives and estates to found a hospital for those who laboured under this disease, and seven others joined them in their attendance on the sick; and on these Hospitaller Brethren Boniface VIII. bestowed the Benedictine Priory of Vienne, giving them the rules of St. Austin, and declaring the Abbot General of this new orderthe Canons Regular of St, Anthony. The superiors of the subordinate preceptones were called commanders, says Alban Butler, “ and their houses are called commandenes, as when they were Hospitallers” . ... PRECEPTORY OF ST. ANTHONY. 215 Leith] not making any deliberate assault ; but a pistol shot was heard, and in ...

Vol. 6  p. 215 (Rel. 0.72)

346 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Drum. the resort of the curious still, according to Fullarton’s “Gazetteer,” and a long description of it appeared in the Courant for 1873. Gilmerton was long characterised simply as a village of colliers of a peculiarly degraded and brutal nature, as ferocious and unprincipled as a gang of desperadoes, who rendered all the adjacent roads unsafe after nightfall, and whose long career of atrocities culminated in the execution of two of them for a sipgularly brutal murder in 1831. Its coal-which is of prime quality-was vigorously worked in 1627, and is supposed to have been famous a century earlier ; but its mines have been abandoned, and the adjacent lime-works-the oldest in Scotland-were worked from time immemorial. Half a mile to the eastward lies the ancient estate and manor-house of Drum, the residence of old of the Somerville family, secluded from the highway and hidden by venerable trees-a Scoto- Normah race, whose progenitor, William de Somerville, came into Scotland during the reign of David I., who made him Lord of Carnwath, and whose descendants figured in high places for several generations. His son obtained from William the Lion a grant of Linton in 1174, for slaying-according to tradition-a monstrous serpent, which was devastating the country. William, fourth of that name, was a commander at the battle of Largs; Thomas, hi9 son, served under Wallace ; and his son Sit Waltet, the cqmrade of Bruce, married Giles, the daughter and heiress of Sir Johr. Herring, with whom he obtained the lands of Drum, Gilmerton, and Goodtrees, in the parish of Liberton. Unlike most Scottish titled families, the Somervilles were ever loyal to king and country. John: third Lord Somerville of Drum, led the Clydesdale horse at the Battle of Sark, in 1449, and his son, Sir John, fell at Flodden, by the side of his royal master. James, sixth lord, served in the queen’s army at Langside, and was severely wounded. Hugh, his son, recovered the lands of Gilmerton and Drum-which had gone into the possession of the Somervilles of Cambusnethan -and built the mansion-house of Drum in 1585 ; and four years after it was the scene of a sad family tragedy, which is related at some length in the ‘ I Domestic Annals of Scotland.” Hugh, eighth lord, who died there in 1640, in his seventieth year, was buried in Liberton Church; and James, his successor, served with distinction in the armies of France and Venice. ‘( James Somerville of Drum ” (twentieth in descent from Sir Walter Somerville), “ and tenth lord of that ilk,” says the “ Memorie of the Sommer- * viles,” “died at Edinburgh 3rd January, 1677, in the 82nd year of his age, and was interred by his ladye‘s syde in the Abbey Church ok Holyrood, maist of the nobilitie and gentrie in tome being present, with two hundred torches.‘’ James, the tenth lord, was lieutenant-colonel of the Scots Guards, in which his son George was adjutant. His eldest son, James, when riding home to Drum one night from Edinburgh, in July, 1682, found on the way two friends fighting, sword in hand-namely, Thomas Learmonth, son of an advocate, and Hew Paterson younger of Bannockburn, who had quarrelled over their cups. He dismounted, and tried to separate them, but was mortally wounded by Paterson, and died two days after at Drum, leaving an infant son to carry on the line of the family. A son of the twelfth lord-so called, though four generations seem to have declined to use the title-was killed at the battle of St. Cas in 1758 3 and John, the fifteenth lord, is chiefly remarkable as the introducer of the breed of Merino sheep into Britain ; and by the death of Xubrey-John, nineteenth Lord Somerville, in 1870, the title of this fine old Scottish race became dormant. Though a little beyond our radius, while treating of this district it is impossible not to glance at such classic and historic places as Hawthornden and Roslin, and equally of such sylvan beauty as Iasswade. Situated- amid the most beautifully wooded scenery in the Lowlands, the Castle of Roslin, taking its name from Russ, a promontory, and Zyn, a waterfall, crowns a lofty mass of insulated rock overhanging the Esk. This mass is bold ?nd rugged in outline, and at one time was convertible into an island, ere the deep and moat-like gulley on its western side was partly filled up. Across this once open fosse a massive bridge of one arch has now been thrown, and to this the path from the village descends a rapid incline, through leafy coppice and by precipitous rocks, overlooked by the lofty hill which is crowned by the wonderful chapel. Built of reddish stone, and luxuriantly clothed with ivy, the massive ruins form a most picturesque object amid the superb landscape. For the most part, all that is very ancient consists of a threefold tier of massive vaults, the enormous strength and solidity of which put even modern Scottish builders to shame. Above these vaults, and facing the vast windows of what must have been a noble banqueting- hall, is perched a mansion of comparatively modern date, having been erected in 1563, and ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Drum. the resort of the curious still, according to Fullarton’s “Gazetteer,” and a ...

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of all human shape at the foot of the cliff. James V, was struck with remorse on hearing‘ bll this terrible story, He released the friar ; but, singular to say, William Lyon was merely banished the kingdom ; while a man named Mackie, by whom the alleged poison was said to be prepared, was shorn of his ears.+ On thd last day of February, 1539, Thomas Forret, Vicar of Dollar, John Keillor and John Beveridge, two black-friars, Duncan Simpson a priest, and a gentleman named Robert Forrester, were all burned together on the Castle Hill on a charge of heresy; and it is melancholy to know that a king so good and so humane as James Vb was a spectator of this inhuman persecution for religion, and that he came all the way from Linlithgow Palace to witness it, whither he returned on the 2nd of March. It is probable that he viewed it from the Castle walls. Again and again has the same place been the scene of those revolting executions for sorcery which disgraced the legal annals of Scotland. There, in 1570, Bessie Dunlop ‘‘ was worried ” at the stake for simply practising as a “wise woman” in curing diseases and recovering stolen goods. Several others perished in 1590-1 ; among others, Euphemie M‘Calzean, for consorting with the devil, abjuring her baptism, making waxen pictures to be enchanted, raismg zi storm to drown Anne of Denmark on her way to Scotland, and so f0rth.f In 1600 Isabel Young was “woryt at a stake I’ for laying sickness on various persons, “and thereafter burnt to ashes on the Castle Hill.’’# Eight years after, James Reid, a noted sorcerer, perished in the same place, charged with practising healing by the black art, “whilk craft,’’ says one authority, ‘‘ he learned frae the devil, his master, in- Binnie Craigs and Corstorphine, where he met with him and consulted with him diveE tymes, whiles in the likeness of a man, whiles in the likeness of a horse.” Moreover, he had tried to destroy the crops of David Liberton by putting a piece of enchanted flesh under his mill door, and to destroy David bodily by making a picturc of him in walc and mel$ng it before a fire, an ancient sdperstition-common to the Westerr Isles and in some parts of Rajpootana to thi: day. So great was the horror these crimes excited, that he was taken direct from the court to the stake. During the ten years of the Commonwealtt executions on this spot occurred with appalling frequency.$ On the 15th October, 1656, seven ~ Tytler, “ Criminal Trials,” &c. &c. $ “ Diurnal of Occumnts.’ $ spot.iwod, “ Mmllany.” 0 Pitcairn xlprits were executed at once, two of whom were iurned ; and on the 9th March, 1659, “ there were,” iays Nicoll, “fyve wemen, witches, brint on the :astell Hill, all of them confessand their covenantng with Satan, sum of thame renunceand. thair iaptisme, and all of them oft tymes dancing with ;he devell.” During the reign of Charles‘ I., when the Earl of Stirling obtained permission to colonise Nova Scotia, and to sell baronetcies to some zoo supposed colonists, with power of pit and gallows over their lands, the difficulty of enfeoffing them in possessions so distant was overcome by a royal mandate, converting the soil of the Castle Hill for the time being into that of Nova Scotia; and >etween 1625 and 1649 sixty-four of these baronets took seisin before the archway of the Spur. When the latter was fairly removed the hill became the favourite promenade of the citizens ; md in June, 1709, we find it acknowledged by the town council, that the Lord’s Day (‘ is profaned by people standing in the streets, and vaguing (sic) to ields, gardens, and the Castle Hill.” Denounce ill these as they might, human nature never could Je altogether kept off the Castle Hill ; and in old imes even the most respectable people promenaded :here in multitudes between morning and evening jervice. In the old song entitled “The Young Laud and Edinburgh Katie,” to which Allan Ramsay added some verses, the former addresses i s mistress :7 “ Wat ye wha I met yestreen, Coming doon the street, my jo ? FG bonny, braw, and sweet, my jo I ’ My dear,’ quo I, ‘ thanks to the night, That never wished a lover ill, Since ye’re out 0’ your mother’s sight, Let’s tak’ a walk up to the HX.’ ” M y mistress in her tartan screen, In IS58 there ensued a dispute between the magistrates of Edinburgh and the Crown as to the proprietary of the Castle Hill and Esplanade. The former asserted their right to the whole ground claimed by the board of ordnance, acknowledging no other boundary to the possessions of the former than the ramparts of the Castle. This extensive claim they made in virtue of the rights conferred upon them by the golden charter of James VI. in 1603, wherein they were gifted with all and whole, the loch called the North Loch, lands, pools, and marisches thereof, the north and south banks and braes situated on the west of the burgh, near the Castle of Edinburgh, on both sides of the Castle from the public highway, and that part of ... all human shape at the foot of the cliff. James V, was struck with remorse on hearing‘ bll this ...

Vol. 1  p. 86 (Rel. 0.71)

Coweate.1 VERNOUR’S from the two bridges named, it seems to cower in its gorge, a narrow and dusky river of quaint and black architecture, yet teeming with life, bustle, and animation. Its length from where the Cowgate Port stood to the foot of the Candlemaker Row is about 800 yards. . I t is difficult to imagine the time when it was probably a narrow country way, bordered by hedgerows, skirting the base of the slope whereon lay the churchyard of St. Giles’s, ere houses began to appear upon its lie, ,and it acquired its name, which is now proved to have been originally the Sou’gate, or South Street. One of the earliest buildings immediately adjacent to the Cowgate must have been the ancient chapel of the Holyrood, which stood in the nether kirkyard of St. Giles’s till the Reformation, when the materials of it were used in the construction of the New Tolbooth. Building here must have begun early in the 15th century. In 1428 John Vernour gave a land (i.e., a tenement) near the town of Edinburgh, on the south side thereof, in the street called Cowgate, to Richard Lundy, a monk of Melrose,‘ for twenty shillings yearly. He or his heirs were to have the refusal of it if it were sold. (“Monastic Ann,” Tevio tdale.) In 1440 William Vernour, according to the same authority, granted this tenement to Richard Lundy, then Abbot of Melrose, without reserve, for thirteen shillings and fourpence yearly; and in 1493, Patrick, Abbot of Holyrood, confirmed the monks of Melrose in possession of their land called the Holy Rood Acre between the common Vennel, and another acre which they had beside the highway near the Canongate, for six shillings and eightpence yearly. On the 31st May, 1498, James IV. granted to Sir. John Ramsay of Balmain (previously Lord Bothwell under James 111.) a tenement and orchard in the Cowgate. This property is referred to in a charter under the Great Seal, dated 19th October, 1488, to Robert Colville, director of the chancery, of lands in the Cowgate of Edinburgh, once the property of Sir James Liddell, knight, “et postea johannis Ramsay, oZim nunntpafi Domini BoifhveZe,” now in the king‘s hands by the forfeiture first of Sir James Liddell, and of tenements of John Ramsay. Many quaint timber-fronted houses existed in the Cowgate, as elsewhere in the city. Such mansions were in favour throughout Europe generally in the 15th century, and Edinburgh was only influenced by the then prevailing taste of which so many fine examples still remain in Nuremberg . TENEMENT. 239 and Chester ; and in Edinburgh open piazzas and galleries projecting from the actual ashlar or original front of the house were long the fashion-the former for the display of goods for sale, and the latter for lounging or promenading in; and here and there are still lingering in the Cowgate mansions, past which James 111. and IV. may have ridden, and whose occupants buckled on their mail to fight on Flodden Hill and in Pinkey Cleugh. Men of a rank superior to any of which modem Edinburgh can boast had their dwellings in the Cowgate, which rapidly became a fashionable and aristocratic quarter, being deemed open and airy. An old author who wrote in 1530, Alexander Alesse, and who was born in the city in 1500, tells us that “the nobility and chief senators of the city dwell in the Cowgate-via vaccarum in qud hrabifanf pdfriXi et senafores urbis,” and that U the palaces of the chief men of the nation are also there ; that none of the houses are mean or vulgar, but, on the contrary, all are magnificent-ubi nihJ Aunt& aui rusticum, sed omnia magzzjfca P Much of the street must have sprung into existence before the wall of James 11. was demolished, in which the High Street alone stood; and it was chiefly for the protection of this highly-esteemed suburb that the greater wall was erected after the battle of Flodden. A notarial instrument in 1509 cpncerning a tenement belonging to Christina Lamb on the south side near the Vennel (or wynd) from the Kirk of Field, describes it as partly enclosed with pales of wood fixed in the earth and having waste land adjoining it. In the division of the city into three quarters in I 5 I 2, the 6rst from the east side of Forester‘s Wynd, on both sides of the High Street, and under the wall to the Castle Hill, was to be held by Thomas Wardlaw. The second quarter, from the Tolbooth Stair, ‘‘ quhak Walter Young dwellis in the north part of the gaitt to the Lopley Stane,” to beunder the said Walter; and the third quarter from the latter stone to Forester‘s Wynd “in the sowth pairt of the gaitt, with part of the Cowgate, to be under George Dickson.” In 1518, concerning the “Dichting of the Calsay,” it was ordained by the magistrates, that all the inhabitants should clean the portion thereof before their own houses and booths “als weill in the Kowgaitt venellis as on the Hie Gaitt,” and that all tar barrels and wooden pipes be removed from the streets under pain of escheat. In 1547 and 1548 strict orders were issued with reference to the gwds at the city gates, and no man who was skilled in any kind of gunnery was to quit the tom ... VERNOUR’S from the two bridges named, it seems to cower in its gorge, a narrow and dusky river of ...

Vol. 4  p. 239 (Rel. 0.7)

Prince Street.] CRAIG OF RICCARTON. ‘23 brother of Sir William Jenner, Bart., the eminent physician. Princes Street contains most of the best-stocked, highest-rented, and most handsome business premises and shops in the city. From its magnificent situation it is now, par exceZZence, the street for hotels; and as a proof of the value of property there, two houses, Nos. 49 and 62, were publicly sold on the 12th of February, 1879, for cf26,ooo and Lz4,soo respectively. No. 53 at an early perid became the Royal Hotel. In December, 1817, when it was possessed bya Mr. Macculloch, the Grand Duke Nicholas, brother of Alexander I., Emperor of Russia, resided there with a brilliant suite, including Baron Nicolai, Sir Wilhm Congreve, Count Kutusoff, and Dr. Crichton-the latter a native of the city, who died so lately as 1856. He was a member of the Imperial Academy of St. Petersburg and that of Natural History at Moscow, K.G.C, of St. Anne and St. Vladimir. He was a grandson of Crichton of Woodhouselee and Newington. A guard of the 92nd Gordon Highlanders was mounted on the hotel, and the Grand Duke having expressed a wish to see the regiment-the costume of which had greatly impressed him-it was paraded before him for that purpose on the zznd of December, on which occasion he expressed his high admiration of the corps. No. 64 is now the North British and Mercantile Insurance Company, established in I 809, and incorporated by royal charter, with the Duke of Roxburgh for its present president, and tht Dukes of Sutherland and Abercorn, as vice-presi, dents. A handsome statue of St. Andrew, tht patron of Scotland, on his peculiar cross, adorn5 the front of the building, and is a conspicuou: object from the street and opposite gardens. The Life Association of Scotland, founded in 1839, occupies No. 82. It is a magnificent palatial edifice, erected in 1855-8, after designs by Sir Charles Barry and Mr. David Rhind, and consists of three double storeys in florid Koman style, the first being rusticated Uoric, the second Ionic, and the third Corinthian. Over its whole front it exhibits a great profusion of ornament-sa great, indeed, as to make its appearance somewhat heavy. In 1811, and before that period, the Tax Office occupied No. 84 The Comptroller in those days was Henry Mackenzie, author of the “Man of Feeling,” who obtained that lucrative appoint. ment from Mr. Pitt, on the recommendation 01 Lord Melvilla and Mr. George Rose, in 1804. With No. 85, it now forms the site of the New Club, a large and elegant edifice, with a handsome Tuscan doorway and projecting windows, erected by an association of Scottish nobles and gentlenien for purposes similar to those of the clubs at the west end of London. No. 91, which is now occupied as an hotel, was the residence of the aged Robert Craig, Esq., of Riccarton, of whom Kay gives us a portrait, seated at the door thereof, with his long staff and broadbrimmed, low-crowned hat, while his faithful attendant, William Scott, is seen behind, carefully taking “tent ’’ of his old master from the diningroom window. Mr. Craig had been in early life a great pedestrian, but as age came upon him his walks were limited to the mile of Princes Street, and after a time he would but sit at his door and enjoy the summer breeze. He wore a plain coat without any collar, a stock in lieu of a neckcloth, knee-breeches, rough stockings, and enormous brass shoe-buckles. He persisted in wearing a hat with a narrow brim when cocked-hats were the fashion in Edinburgh, until he was so annoyed by boys that he adopted the head-dress in which he is drawn by Kay. He always used a whistle in the ancient manner, and not a bell, to sumnion his servant. He died on the 13th of March, 1823. Pursuant to a deed of entail, Mr. James Gibson, W.S. (afterwards Sir James Gibson-Craig, Bart., of Riccarton and Ingliston), succeeded to the estate, and assumed the name and arms of Craig ; but the house, No. 91, went to Colonel Gibson. The record of his demise in the papers of the time is not without interest :-“ Died at his house in Princes Street (No. gi), on the r3th March, in the 93rd year of his age, Robert Craig, Esq., of Riccarton, the last male heir of Sir Thomas Craig of Riccarton, the great feudal lawyer of Scotland. Mr. Craig was admitted advocate in 1754, and was one of the Commissaries of Edinburgh, the duties of which situation he executed to the entire satisfaction of every one connected with it. He resigned the office many years ago, and has long been the senior member of the Faculty of Advocates. It is a remarkable circumstance that his father‘s elder brother succeeded to the estate of Riccarton in January, 1681, so that there has been only one descent in the family for 142 years.” No. 100, now occupied as an hotel, was for many years the house of Lady Mary Clerk of Pennicuick, known as “The White Rose of Scotland .” This lady, whose maiden name was Ilacre, was the daughter of a gentleman in Cumberland, and came into the world in that memorable year when the Highland army was in possession of Carlisle, . ... Street.] CRAIG OF RICCARTON. ‘23 brother of Sir William Jenner, Bart., the eminent physician. Princes ...

Vol. 3  p. 123 (Rel. 0.69)

THE BANK OF SCOTLAND. 93 The Mound. J whereof are to be applied for ever for the support of decayed and superannuated artists.” This property consisted mainly of ancient houses, situated in the old town, the free proceeds ofwhich were only~220. It was sold, and the whole value of it, amounting to Lt;5,420 IOS., invested in Bank of Scotland and Eritish Linen Company Stock, and has been s6 carefully husbanded that the directors now possess stock to the value of more than A6,618. “It was originally given in annuities varying from A;5o to LIOO a year; but the directors some years ago thought it advisable to restrict the amount of these, so as to extend the benefit of the fund over a larger number of annuitants, and they now do not give annuities to a Iarger amount than if35, and they require that the applications for these shall in all cases be accompanied by a recommendation from two members of the Royal Scottish Academy who know the circumstances of the applicant” CHAPTER XIV. THE HEAD OF THE EARTHEN MOUND. The Bank of Scotland-Its Charter-Rivalry of the Royal Bank Notes for 65 and for 5s.-The New Bank of Scotland-Its Present Aspect- The Projects of Mr. Trotter and Sir Thomas Dick Lauder-The National Security Savings Bank of Edinburgh-The Free Church College and Assembly Hall-Their Foundation-Constitution-Library-Museum-Bu~~-Missiona~ and Theological Societies-The Dining Hall, &.-The West Princes Street Gardens-The Proposed Canal and Seaport-The East Princes Street Gardens--Railway TerminusWaverley Bridge and Market. “HOW well the ridge of the old town was set off by a bank of elms that ran along the front of Tames’s Court, and stretched eastward over the ground now partly occupied by the Bank of Scot- Idnd,” says Cockburn, in his “Memorials;” but looking at the locdity now, it is difficult to realise the idea that such a thing had been; yet Edgar shows us a pathway running along the slope, between the foot of the closes and a row of gardens that bordered the loch. Bank Street, which was formed in- 1798 a few yards westward of Dunbar‘s Close, occasioning in its formation the destruction of some buildings of great antiquity, looks at first sight like a broad czdde-m blocked up by the front of the Bank of Scotland, but in reality forms the carriage- way downward from the head of the Mound to Princes Street. While as yet the bank was in the old narrow alley that so long bore its name, we read in the 2Tddnburgh HeraZd ann! ChronicZe of March, 1800, ‘(that the directors of the Bank of Scotland have purchased from the city an area at the south end of the Earthen Mound, on which they intend to erect an elegant building, with commodious apartments for carrying on their business.” Elsewhere we have briefly referred to the early progress of this bank, the oldest of the then old “chartered banks” which was projected by John Holland, a retired London merchant, according to the scheme devised by William Paterson, a native of Dumfries, who founded the Bank of England. The Act of the Scottish Parliament for starting the Bank of Scotland, July, 1695, recites, by way of exordium, that ‘‘ our sovereign lord, considering how useful a public bank may be in this kingdom, according to the custom of other kingdoms and states, and that the same can only be best set up and managed by persons in company with a joint stock, sufficiently endowed with those powers, authorities, and liberties necessary and usual in such cases, hath therefore allowed, with the advice and consent of the Estates of Parliament, a joint stock of LI,ZOO,OOO money (Scots) to be raised by the company hereby established for the carrying on and managing a public bank.” After an enumeration of the names of those who were chosen to form the nucleus of the company, including those of five Edinburgh merchants, the charter proceeds to state that they have full powers to receive in a book the subscriptions of either native Scots or foreigners, “ who shall be willing to subscribe and pay into the said joint stock, which subscriptions the aforesaid persons, or their quorum, are hereby authorised to receive in the foresaid book, which shall lie open every Tuesday or Friday, from nine to twelve in the forenoon, and from three to six in the afternoon, between the first day of November next and the first day of January next following, in the public hall or chamber appointed in the city of Edinburgh ; and therein all persons shall have liberty to subscribe for such sums of money as they shall think fit to adventure in the said joint stock, AI,OOO Scots being lowest sun1 and ~ 2 0 , 0 0 0 Scots the highest, and the two-third parts of the said stocks belonging always to persons residing in Scotland. Likewise, each and every person, at the time of his subscribing, shall pay into the hands of the forenamed persons, or any three of them, ten of the hundred ... BANK OF SCOTLAND. 93 The Mound. J whereof are to be applied for ever for the support of decayed and ...

Vol. 3  p. 93 (Rel. 0.69)

Faculty of TheoZogy. Theology, 1620. Andrew Ramsay. Hebrew, 1642. Julius Conradus Otto. Divinity, 1702. John Cumming. Biblical Criticism, 1847. Robert Lee. Faculty of Law. Public Law, 1707. Charles Areskine. Civil Law, 1710. James Craig. History, 17x9. Charles Mackie. Scottish Law, 1722. Alexander Bayne. Medical Jurispkdence, 1807. Andrew Duncan (secunh). THE QUADRANGLE, EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY. colonies and India avail themselves very extensively of the educational resources of the University of Edinburgh. In 1880 there were 3,172 matriculated students, of whom 1,634 were medical alone ; of these 677 were from Scotland, 558 from England, 28 from Ireland, and the rest from abroad ; and these numbers will be greatly increased when the Extension Buildings are in full working order, and further develop the teaching of the Faculty of Medicine. Botany, 1676. James Sutherland. Midicine and Botany, 1738. Practice of Medicine, 1724. Anatomy, 1705. Robert Elliot. Chemistry and Medicine, 1713. James Crawford. Chemistry (alone), 1844. William Gregory. Midwifery, 1726. Joseph Gibson. Natural History, 1767. Robert Ramsay: Materia Medica, 1768. Francis Home. Clinical Surgery, 1803. James Russell. Military Surgery, 1806. John Thomson (abolished). Surgery, 1777, Alexander Monro (secandus). General Pathology, 1831. John Thomson. The average number of students is above 3,000 yearly, and by far the greater proportion of them attend the Faculty of Medicine. The British Charles Alston. William Porterfield. 100 There are two sessions, beginning respectively in October and May, the latter being confined to law and medicine. The university confers all the usual degrees. To qualify in Arts it is necessary to attend the classes for Latin, Greek, Mathematics, Logic, Rhetoric, Moral and Natural Philosophy. There are some 125 bursaries amounting in the annual aggregate value of scholarships and fellowships to about &1,600. The revenues of the university of old were scanty and inadequate to the encouragement of high education and learning in Edinburgh; and the salaries attached to the chairs we have enumerated are not inferior generally to those in the other universities of Scotland. ... of TheoZogy. Theology, 1620. Andrew Ramsay. Hebrew, 1642. Julius Conradus Otto. Divinity, 1702. John ...

Vol. 5  p. 25 (Rel. 0.69)

Leith Walk.] . REPULSE OF CROMWELL. 1.5 I direction of Leith Walk, as by charter under thc Great Seal, dated at Edinburgh, 13thAugust, 1456 King James 11. granted, “preposito, baZZiuis et corn munitati nosh‘ de Rdinlbuv-gh,” the valley or loa ground between the well called Craigangilt, on thc east side (i.e., the Calton Hill), “ and the commor way and road towards the town of Leith, on tht west side,” etc. . But the origin of Leith Loan-or Leith Walk, a: .we now call it-was purely accidental, and tht result of the contingencies of war. In 1650, to repel Cromwell’s attack upon thc city, Sir Alexander Leslie had the whole Scottish army skilfully entrenched in rear of a strong breastwork of earth that lay from north to south between Edinburgh and Leith. Its right flank was de. fended by redoubts armed with guns on the green slope of the Calton Hill ; its left by others on the eastern portions of Leith and St. ilnthony’s Port, which enfiladed the line and swept all the open ground towards Restalrig. In addition to all this, the walls of the city were everywhere armed with cannon, and the banners of the trades were displayed above its gates. Along the line of this entrenchment Charles II., after landing at Leith from Stirling, proceeded on horseback to the city. His appearance created the greatest enthusiasm, all the more so that Cromwell’s arms were seen glittering in the distance. Around Charles was his Life Guard of Horse, led by the Earl of Eglinton, magnificently armed and mounted, and having on their embroidered standards the crown, sword, and sceptre, with the mottoes Nobis hczc inviita misemnt, and Pro Religione, Rege, et Patrid. On Monday, the 24th of July, Cromwell furiously attacked the entrenchment, as he had been exasperated by the result of a sortie made by Major General Montgomery, who at the head of 2,000 Scottish dragoons, had repulsed an advanced column, and ‘( killed five Colonells and Lieutenant- Colonells, mortally wounded Lieut.-Gen. Lambert and five hundred soldiers.” (Balfour.) As the English advanced, the rising sun shone full upon the long lines of Scottish helmets glittering above the rough earthwork, where many a pike was gleaming and inany a standard waving. Clearing the rocks and house of Restalrig, they advanced over the plain westward from Lochend, when the field batteries atthe Quarry Holes, the guns on Leith and theCalton,openedon them simultaneously, while a rolling and incessant fire of musketry ran along the whole Scottish line from flank to flank, and was poured in closely and securely from the summit of the breastwork. They were speedily thrown into confusion, and fled in considerable disorder, leaving behind them some pieces of cannon and the ground strewn with dead and wounded. Cromwell’s vigorous attack on the southern part of the city was equally well repulsed, and he then drew off from it till after his victory at Dunbar. At this time General Leslie’s head-quarters were in the village of Broughton, from whence many of his despatches were dated ; and when the war was shifted to other quarters, his famous breastwork became the established footway between the capital and its seaport. Midway between these long stood an edifice, of which no vestige remains-the Rood Chapel, repairs upon which were paid for by the city in 1554-5. It stood in the vicinity of the Gallow Lee, a place memorable for a desperate conflict between the Kingsmen and Queensmen in 1571, when the motto of “God shaw the Richt,” was conferred on Captain Crawford, of Jordan Hill, by the Regent Morton, and whose tombstone is yet to be seen in the churchyard of Kilbirnie. On nearly the same ground in 1G04 James Hardie, of Bounmylnerig, with others, in the month of April, between nine and ten in the evening, assailed Jacques de la Berge, a Fleming, forced him to quit his saddle, and thereafter rypeit him” of gold and silver, for which Hardie was hanged at the Cross and his goods forfeited. Though in 1610 Henrie Anderson, a native of Stralsund, in Pomerania, obtained a royal patent for coaches to run between Edinburgh and Leith at the rate of zd. per passenger, we have no record of how his speculation succeeded ; nor was it until 1660 that William Woodcock obtained a license “to fitt and set up ane haickney coatch for the service of his Majesty’s lieges, betwix Leith and Edinburgh,” at the rate of 12s. (Scots) per passenger, if the latter decided to travel alone, but if three went with him, the charge was to be no more than 12s. ; and all who came upward to Edinburgh were to alight at the foot of Leith Wynd, “for the staynes yr of.” From that time we hear no more of Leith stages till 1678, as mentioned in our first volume; but in 1702 a person named Robert Miller obtained permission to keep four vehicles to ply between the two towns for nine years. Individual enterprise having failed to make stages here remunerative, the magistrates in 1722 granted to a company the cxclusive right to run coaches on Leith Walk for a period of twenty-one years, each to hold six passengers, the fare to be gd. in summer and 4d. in winter; but this speculation did not seem to pay, md in 1727 the company raised the fares to 4d. md 6d. respectively. ... Walk.] . REPULSE OF CROMWELL. 1.5 I direction of Leith Walk, as by charter under thc Great Seal, dated at ...

Vol. 5  p. 151 (Rel. 0.69)

184 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. rLeith . but by bringing ordonnance from the Castell to the shoare, to dins at them so long as they sould be within shot.’’ (Melrose’s Letter.) Upon this the constable and his cannoniers, with a battery of guns, came with all speed down, by the Bonnington Road most probably, and took up a position on the high ground near the ancient chapel of St. Nicholas; but this aid came too late, for Mynheer de Hautain had driven the unfortunate Spanish frigate, after great slaughter, completely outside the harbour, where she grounded on a dangerous reef, then known as the Mussel Cape, but latterly as the Black Rocks. There she was boarded by a party of Leith seamen, who hoisted a Scottish flag at her topmasthead ; but that afforded her no protection, for the inexorable Dutchmen boarded her in the night, burned her to the water’s edge, and sailed away before dawn. Two years after this there occurred a case of “ murder under trust, stouthrief, and piracie,” of considerable local interest, the last scene of which was enacted at Leith. In November, 1624, Robert Brown, mariner in Burntisland, with his son, John Brown, skipper there, David Dowie, a burgess there, and Robert’ Duff, of South Queensferry, were all tried before the Criminal Court for slaying under trust three young Spanish merchants, and appropriating to themselves their goods and merchandise, which these strangers had placed on board John Brown’s ship to be conveyed from the Spanish port 3f San Juan to Calais three years before. “ Beeing in the middis of the sea and far fra lande,” runs the indictment, they threw the three Spaniards overboard, “ane eftir other in the raging seas,” after which, in mockery of God, they “maid ane prayer and sang ane psalm,” and then bore away for Middelburg in Zealand, and sold the property acquired-walnuts, chestnuts, and Spanish wines. For this they were all hanged, their heads struck from their bodies and set upon pikes of iron in the town of Leith, the sands of which were the scene of many an execution for piracy, till the last, which occurred in 1822, when Peter Heaman and Fransois Gautiez were hanged at the foot of Constitution Street, within the floodmark, on the 9th of January, for murder and piracy upon the high seas. On the 28th and 30th March, 1625, a dreadful storm raged along the whole east coast of Scotland, and the superstitious Calderwood, in his history, seems to connect it as a phenomenon with the death of James VI., tidings of which reached Edinburgh on that day. The water in Leith harbour rose to a height never known before; the ships were dashed against each other ‘‘ broken and spoiled,” and many skippers and mariners who strove to make them fast in the night were drowned. “It was taken by all men to be a forerunner of some great alteration. And, indeed, the day followingto wit, the last of March-sure report was brought hither from Court that the King departed this life the Lord’s day before, the 27th of March” . CHAPTER XX. LEITH-HISTORICAL SURVEY (continued). Si William Mown’s Suggestinns-Leith Re-fortified-The Covenant Signed-The Plague-The Cromwelli in Leith-A Mutiny-Newspaw Printed in the Citadel-Tucker‘s Report-English Fleet-A Windmill-English Pirates Hanged-Citadel seized by Brigadier Mackintosh& Hessian Army Lands-Highland Mutinies-Paul Jones-Prince William Henry. . CHARLES I. was proclaimed King of Scotland, England, France, and Ireland, at the Cross of Edinburgh and on the shore at Leith, where Lord Balmerino and the Bishop of Glasgow attended with the heralds and trumpeters. The events of the great Civil War, and those which eventually brought that unfortunate king to the scaffold, lie apart from the annals of Leith, yet they led to the re-fortifying of it after Jenny Geddes had given the signal of resistance in St. Giles’s in July, 1637, and the host of the Covenant began to gather on the hills above Dunse. Two years before that time we find Vice-Admiral Sir William Monson, a distinguished English naval officer who served with Raleigh in Elizabeth’s reign in many expeditions under James VI., and who survived till the time of Charles I., urging in his “Naval Tracts” that Leith should be made the capital of Scotland ! ‘‘ Instead of Edinburgh,” he wrote, I‘ which is the supreme city, and now made the head of justice, whither all men resort as the only spring that waters the kingdom, I wish his Majesty did fortify, strengthen, and make impregnable, the town of Leith, and there to settle the seat of justice, with all the other privileges Edinburgh enjoys, referring it to the ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. rLeith . but by bringing ordonnance from the Castell to the shoare, to dins at them so ...

Vol. 5  p. 184 (Rel. 0.68)

Parliament House. days again awaited the latter, when the insane Cavalier persecution began in a cruel and retributive spirit. For in the same place where he had been so nobly feasted the royal duke was compelled to preside to try by torture, with the iron boot and thumb-screws, the passively heroic and high-spirited adherents of that Covenant which the king had broken, while one of Scotland’s most able lawyers, Sir George Mackenzie of Rosehaugh. acted his enemies without form of trial, and hundreds of less note courageously endured the fury of their persecutors.” Lord Fountainhall gives us one scene acted in this chamber, which will suffice as an illustration, and so powerfully shows the spirit of the time that we are tempted to quote it at length. It refers to the trial or examination of a man named Garnock and five other Covenanters on the 7th of part of -King’s Advocate with such unpitying 1 October, 1681 :- THE OLD PARLlAMENT HOUSE. (Fuc-rimiL of Gmdon of Rothiemny’s Vim.) zeal as to gain him the abhorrence of the people, among whom he is still remembered as the “Bluidy Mackenzie.” The rooms below the Parliament Hall, which are still dark-one being always lighted with gas, the other dimly and surrounded by a gallery-were the places where the Privy Council met, and torture went on, too often, almost daily at one time. Though long dedicated now “ to the calm seclusion of literary study, they are the same that witnessed the noble, the enthusiastic, and despairing, alike prostrate at the feet of tyrants, or subjected to their merciless sword. There Guthrie and Argyle received the barbarous sentence of their personal “The King’s Advocate being in Angus, sent over a deputation to me to pursue; but God so ordered it that I was freed, and Sir William Purves eased me of the office. In fortification of what they said before the Duke and Council, they led the clerks and macers as witnesses, who deponed that they uttered those or the like words : ‘They declined the king, denied him to be their lawful sovereign, and called him a tyrant and covenantbreaker.’ And Forman had a knife with this posie graven on it-This is to cut the throafs of 4zants; and said ‘if the king be a tyrant, why not also cut his throat, and if they were righteous judges, they would have the same on their swords, ... House. days again awaited the latter, when the insane Cavalier persecution began in a cruel and ...

Vol. 1  p. 160 (Rel. 0.68)

Corstorphine.] CORSTORPHINE CHURCH. 115 was no side road into which he could have disappeared. He returned home perplexed by the oddness of the circumstance, when the first thing he learned was, that during his absence this friend had been killed by his horse falling in the Candlemakers Row.’’ The church of Corstorphine is one of the most interesting old edifices in the Lothians. It has been generally supposed, says a writer, that Scotland, while possessed of great and grand remains of Gothic architecture, is deficient in those antique rural village churches, whose square towers and ivied buttresses so harmonise with the soft landscape scenery of England, and that their place is too often occupied by the hideous barn-like structure of times subsequent to the Reformation. But among the retiring niinor beauties of Gothic architecture in Scotland, one of the principal is the picturesque little church of Corstorphine. It is a plain edifice of mixed date, says Billings in his ‘‘ Antiquities,” the period of the Decorated Gothic predominating. It is in the form of a cross, with an additional transept on one of the sides; but some irregularities in the height and character of the different parts make them seem asif they were irregularly clustered together without design. A portion of the roof is still covered with old-&ey flagstone. A small square belfry-tower at the west end is surmounted by a short octagonal spire, the ornate string’ mouldings on which suggest an idea of the papal tiara As the church of the parish, it is kept in tolerably decent order, and it is truly amazing how it escaped the destructive fury of the Reformers. This edifice was not the original parish church, which stood near it, but a separate establishment, founded and richly endowed by the pious enthusiasm of the ancient family whose tombs it contains, and whose once great castle adjoined it. Notices have been found of a chapel attached to the manor of Corstorphine, but subordinate to the church of St. Cuthbert, so far back as 1128, and this chapel became the old parish church referred to. Thus, in the Holyrood charter of King DavidI., 1143-7, he grants to the monks there the two chapels which pertain to the church of St. Cuthbert, ‘‘ to wit, Crostorfin, with two oxgates and six acres of land, and the chapel of Libertun with two oxgates of land.” In the immediate vicinity of that very ancient chapel there was founded ancther chapel towards the end of the fourteenth century, by Sir Adam Forrester of Corstorphine; and that edifice is sup posed to form a portion of the present existing church, because after its erection no mention whatever has been found of the second chapel as a separate edifice. .The building with which we have now to do was founded in 1429, as an inscription on the wall of the chancel, and other authorities, testify, by Sir John Forrester of Corstorphine, Lord High Chamberlain of Scotland in 1425, and dedicated to St. John the Baptist, for a provost, five prebendaries, and two singing boys. It was a collegiate church, to which belonged those of Corstorphine, Dalmahoy, Hatton, Cramond, Colinton, &c. The tiends of Ratho, and half of those of Adderton and Upper Gogar, were appropriated to the revenues of this college. “Sir John consigned the annual rents of one hundred and twenty ducats in gold to the church,” says the author of the “New Statistical Account,” “on condition that he and his successors should have the patronage of the appointments, and on the understanding that if the kirk of Ratho were united to the provostry, other four or five prebendaries should be added to the establishment, and maintained out of the fruits of the benefice of Ratho. Pope Eugenius IV. sanctioned this foundation by a bull, in which he directed the Abbot of Holyroodhouse, a$ his Apostolic Vicar, to ascertain whether the foundation and consignation had been made in terms of the original grant, and on being satisfied on these points, to unite and incorporate the church of Ratho with its rights, emoluments, and pertinents to the college for ever.” The first provost of this establishment was Nicholas Bannatyne, who died there in 1470, and was buried in the church, where his epitaph still remains. When Dunbar wrote his beautiful ‘ I Lament for the Makaris,” he embalmed among the last Scottish poets of his time, as taken by Death, “ the gentle Roull of Corstorphine,” one of the first provosts of the church- ‘( He has tane Rod1 of Aberdeen, A d gentle Rod1 of Corstorphine ; Twa better fellows did nae man see : Timor mortis conturbat me.” There was, says the “ The Book of Bon Accord,” a Thomas Roull, who was Provost of Aberdeen in 1416, and it is conjectured that the baid was of the same family ; but whatever the works of the latter were, nothing is known of him now, save his name, as recorded by Dunbar. In the year 1475, Hugh Bar, a burgess of Edinburgh, founded an additional chaplaincy in this then much-favoured church. “ The chaplain, in addition to the performance of daily masses for the souls of the king andqueen, the lords of the ... CORSTORPHINE CHURCH. 115 was no side road into which he could have disappeared. He returned home ...

Vol. 5  p. 115 (Rel. 0.67)

doultay’s Hi11.1 THE LYON KING-OF-ARMS. 37= _. able testimonial, signed and sealed by all the members of that corporation. When the Civil War broke out, though a staunch Presbyterian, Sir James remained loyal to the king, for whose Scots Under the Lord Lyon were the messengers-atarms, whose duty is still to execute all summonses before the Court of Session, to apprehend the persons of debtors, and generally to perform the executive parts of the law. By the twelfth Parliament of James VI. and the second Parliament of Charles 11. it is defined that the province of the Lyon-who takes his name from the emblem in the royal standard-is to adjust matters of precedence, and marshal public processions ; also to inspect the coats of arms of the nobility and gentry; to punish those who assume arms to which they have no hereditary right ; to bestow coats of arms upon the deserving ; to grant supporters in certain cases; and to take cognisance of, and to punish, offences committed by messengers-at-arms in the course of their office. Of old, and before it degenerated into a mere legal sinecure, the office was one of great dignity, and the person of the holder was deemed almost sacred. Thus, Bishop Lesly tells us in his history that in 1515 the aged Lord Drummond was forfeited “ for striking the Lyon, and narrowly escaped the loss of his life and dignity.” In 1530 the office of Lord Lyon was bestowed by James V. upon Sir David Lindesay of the Mount, the celebrated poet, moralist, and reformer, whom, four years after, he sent as an ambassador to Germany, and in 1548 in a similar capacity to Denmark. It was an office imposed upon the Lord Lyon to receive foreign ambassadors, and Lindesay did this honour to Sir Ralf Sadler, who came froni England in 1539-40; and in 1568 Sir David Lindesay of Rathuleit was solemnly crowned King-of-arms, in presence of the Regent and nobility ; and in 1603, as Balfour tells us, “ Sir David Lindesay of Mount, Lyone King-of-arms,” proclaimed at the Cross the accession of James VI. to the English throne. On the 15th of June, 1630, Sir Jerome Lyndsay of Annatland resigned the office in favour of Sir James Balfour of Denmylne, who was crowned as Lyon King by George Earl of Kinnoul, Chancellor of Scotland, acting as royal commissioner, and in 1633 he was created a baronet. Balfour, an eminent antiquary and annalist, was well versed in heraldry, to perfect the study of which, before his appointment, he proceeded to London and became acquainted with Sir Robert Cotton, and Sir William Segar the Garter King, who obtained for him from the heralds’ college a highly honour- ’ “The office of Lord Lyon has of late,” says Amot, been held as a sinecure. . . , . The business, therefore, is entirely committed to dewties, who manage it in such a manner that. in a Guards he designed colours in 1649 ; but was deprived of his office by Cromwell, after which be retired to Fifeshire, and collected many manuscripts on the science of heraldry and connected with Scottish history, prior to his death in 1657, and these are now preserved in the Advocates’ Library. A fine portrait of him is prefixed to his Annales,” published at Edinburgh in 1824. The installation of a Lyon King is given fully in an account of “The order observed at the coronation of Sir Alexander Erskirie of Cambo, Baronet, Lord Lyon King-of-arms, at the royal palace of Holyrood House, on the 27th day of July, 1681, his Royal Highness James Duke of Albany and York being his Majesty’s High Commissioner.” In the ceremony of installation the Lord Lyon is duly crowned ; and Sir Alexander was the last who was thus crowned. His father, Sir Charles Erskine of Cambo, had previously been Lyon King, of which office he obtained a “ratification,” by Parliament in 1672, with remainder to his son. In 1703 the chief Scottish work on heraldry was published by Alexander Nisbet of that ilk, to whom the Scottish Parliament gave a grant of Lz48 6s. 8d. to assist him in bringing it forth. It is related in MacCormick‘s “ Life of Principal Carstairs,” that when the latter was a prisoner in the Castle of Edinburgh in 1685, an engaging boy about twelve years of age, son of Erskine of Cambo, then constable of the fortress, used to come almost daily to the open grating of his dungeon, and was wont to sit there for hours, “lamenting his unhappy situation, and endeavouring by a thousand innocent and childish means to divert him. Sonietimes the boy brought him packages of fruit and provisions (more delicate than the coarse fare of the prison), and, what were of more importance, pens, ink, and paper, and when the prisoner wrote letters carried them to the post.” Years elapsed ere the unfortunate Carstairs could testify his gratitude ; but when the Revolution came and the hand of misfortune fell heavily on the Cavalier Erskines of Cambo, the Principal, then high in favour with William III., remembered his little friend of the bitter past in the Castle of Edinburgh; and one of the first favours he asked the new king was to bestow the office of Lord Lyon upon the young heir of Cambo. The request was granted, with the additional favour that it was made hereditary in the family ; but it was soon after forfeited by their joining the Earl of Mar in 1715. ... Hi11.1 THE LYON KING-OF-ARMS. 37= _. able testimonial, signed and sealed by all the members of that ...

Vol. 2  p. 371 (Rel. 0.67)

doultay’s Hi11.1 THE LYON KING-OF-ARMS. 37= _. able testimonial, signed and sealed by all the members of that corporation. When the Civil War broke out, though a staunch Presbyterian, Sir James remained loyal to the king, for whose Scots Under the Lord Lyon were the messengers-atarms, whose duty is still to execute all summonses before the Court of Session, to apprehend the persons of debtors, and generally to perform the executive parts of the law. By the twelfth Parliament of James VI. and the second Parliament of Charles 11. it is defined that the province of the Lyon-who takes his name from the emblem in the royal standard-is to adjust matters of precedence, and marshal public processions ; also to inspect the coats of arms of the nobility and gentry; to punish those who assume arms to which they have no hereditary right ; to bestow coats of arms upon the deserving ; to grant supporters in certain cases; and to take cognisance of, and to punish, offences committed by messengers-at-arms in the course of their office. Of old, and before it degenerated into a mere legal sinecure, the office was one of great dignity, and the person of the holder was deemed almost sacred. Thus, Bishop Lesly tells us in his history that in 1515 the aged Lord Drummond was forfeited “ for striking the Lyon, and narrowly escaped the loss of his life and dignity.” In 1530 the office of Lord Lyon was bestowed by James V. upon Sir David Lindesay of the Mount, the celebrated poet, moralist, and reformer, whom, four years after, he sent as an ambassador to Germany, and in 1548 in a similar capacity to Denmark. It was an office imposed upon the Lord Lyon to receive foreign ambassadors, and Lindesay did this honour to Sir Ralf Sadler, who came froni England in 1539-40; and in 1568 Sir David Lindesay of Rathuleit was solemnly crowned King-of-arms, in presence of the Regent and nobility ; and in 1603, as Balfour tells us, “ Sir David Lindesay of Mount, Lyone King-of-arms,” proclaimed at the Cross the accession of James VI. to the English throne. On the 15th of June, 1630, Sir Jerome Lyndsay of Annatland resigned the office in favour of Sir James Balfour of Denmylne, who was crowned as Lyon King by George Earl of Kinnoul, Chancellor of Scotland, acting as royal commissioner, and in 1633 he was created a baronet. Balfour, an eminent antiquary and annalist, was well versed in heraldry, to perfect the study of which, before his appointment, he proceeded to London and became acquainted with Sir Robert Cotton, and Sir William Segar the Garter King, who obtained for him from the heralds’ college a highly honour- ’ “The office of Lord Lyon has of late,” says Amot, been held as a sinecure. . . , . The business, therefore, is entirely committed to dewties, who manage it in such a manner that. in a Guards he designed colours in 1649 ; but was deprived of his office by Cromwell, after which be retired to Fifeshire, and collected many manuscripts on the science of heraldry and connected with Scottish history, prior to his death in 1657, and these are now preserved in the Advocates’ Library. A fine portrait of him is prefixed to his Annales,” published at Edinburgh in 1824. The installation of a Lyon King is given fully in an account of “The order observed at the coronation of Sir Alexander Erskirie of Cambo, Baronet, Lord Lyon King-of-arms, at the royal palace of Holyrood House, on the 27th day of July, 1681, his Royal Highness James Duke of Albany and York being his Majesty’s High Commissioner.” In the ceremony of installation the Lord Lyon is duly crowned ; and Sir Alexander was the last who was thus crowned. His father, Sir Charles Erskine of Cambo, had previously been Lyon King, of which office he obtained a “ratification,” by Parliament in 1672, with remainder to his son. In 1703 the chief Scottish work on heraldry was published by Alexander Nisbet of that ilk, to whom the Scottish Parliament gave a grant of Lz48 6s. 8d. to assist him in bringing it forth. It is related in MacCormick‘s “ Life of Principal Carstairs,” that when the latter was a prisoner in the Castle of Edinburgh in 1685, an engaging boy about twelve years of age, son of Erskine of Cambo, then constable of the fortress, used to come almost daily to the open grating of his dungeon, and was wont to sit there for hours, “lamenting his unhappy situation, and endeavouring by a thousand innocent and childish means to divert him. Sonietimes the boy brought him packages of fruit and provisions (more delicate than the coarse fare of the prison), and, what were of more importance, pens, ink, and paper, and when the prisoner wrote letters carried them to the post.” Years elapsed ere the unfortunate Carstairs could testify his gratitude ; but when the Revolution came and the hand of misfortune fell heavily on the Cavalier Erskines of Cambo, the Principal, then high in favour with William III., remembered his little friend of the bitter past in the Castle of Edinburgh; and one of the first favours he asked the new king was to bestow the office of Lord Lyon upon the young heir of Cambo. The request was granted, with the additional favour that it was made hereditary in the family ; but it was soon after forfeited by their joining the Earl of Mar in 1715. ... Hi11.1 THE LYON KING-OF-ARMS. 37= _. able testimonial, signed and sealed by all the members of that ...

Vol. 2  p. 370 (Rel. 0.67)

the ancient ruby ring which the kings of Scotland wore at their coronation. It was last used by the unhappy Charles I., and, after all its wanderings with his descendants, is now in its old receptacle, together with the crown, sceptre, sword of state, and the golden mace of Lord High Treasurer. The mace, like the sceptre, is surmounted by a great crystal beryl, stones doubtless of vast antiquity. The " great beryl " was an amulet which [Edinburgh Castle. with the like number of diamonds and sapphires alternately, and the points tipped with great pearls; the upper circle is elevated with ten crosses floree, each adorned in the centre with a great diamond betwixt four great pearls placed in the cross, one and one, and these crosses floree are interchanged with ten high flews de fix, all alternately with the great pearls below, which top the points of the second small circle. From the upper circle proceed cage, the regalia now lie on a white marble table in the crown-room, together with four other memorials of the House of Stuart, which belonged to the venerable Cardinal York, and were deposited there by order of King William in 1830. These are the golden collar of the Garter presented to James VI. by Elizabeth, with its appendage the George; the order of St. Andrew, cut on an onyx and having on the reverse the badge of the Thistle, which opens with a secret spring, revealing a beau- The ancient crown worn by Robert I. and his successors underwent no change till it was closed with four arches by order of James V., and it is thus described in the document deposited with the Regalia in the crown-room, in 1707 :- "The crown is of pure gold, enriched with many precious stones, diamonds, pearls, and curious enamellings. It is composed of a fillet which goes round the head, adorned with twenty-two large precious stones. Above the great circle there THE REGALIA OF SCOTLAND. ... ancient ruby ring which the kings of Scotland wore at their coronation. It was last used by the unhappy ...

Vol. 1  p. 72 (Rel. 0.67)

The Cowgate.] THE CORPORATIONS. 265 of the first places where woollen goods were made, and had, at one time, the most important wool market in Britain. The hatmakers were formed into a corporation in 1473, when ten masters of the craft presented a petition to that effect; but the bonnet-makers did not receive their seal of cause till 1530, prior to which they had been united with the walkers and shearers, with whom they were bound to uphold the al+a of St Mark in St Giles’s Church. In the articles and conditions it contained ; but it is said that a seal was issued In 1508, Thomas Greg, (‘ Kirk-master of the flescheour craft,” OD behalf of the same, brought before the Council a complaint, that certain persons, not‘ freemen of the craft or the burgh, interfered with their privileges, and had them forbidden to sell meat, except on Sunday and Monday, the free market days, “ quhill thai obtene thair fredome.” The coopers were incorporated in 1489, binding - INTERIOR OF THE CHAPEL OF ST. MARY MAGDALENE. - 1685 an Act of Parliament confirmed all their privileges, together with those of the litsters, or dyers. About the middle of the seventeenth century, owing to the spread of the use of hats, instead of the national bonnet, among the upper classes, this society was reduced to so low a condition that its members could neither support their families or the expense of a society. The fleshers were a very old corporation, but the precise date of their charter is not very clear. In 1483 regulations concerning the fleshers dealing in fish in Lent, &c, were issued by the magistrates, whom they petitioned in 1488 for a seal of cause, which petition was taken into consideration by the Council, who ratified and confirmed the whole of 83 themselves to uphold the altar of St. John in St. Giles’s Church. The walkers obtained their seal of cause in August, 1500. They had an altar in the same church dedicated to SS. Mark, Philip, and Jacob, to which the following among other fees were paid :- Each master, on taking an apprentice paid ten shillings Scots ; and on any master taking into his service, either the apprentice or journeyman of any other master, he paid twenty shillings Scots ; if any craftsman was found working with cards in the country, he was to forfeit the sum of fifteen shillings Scots, to be equally divided between the work of Si Giles’s, their altar, and the informer. It is also ... Cowgate.] THE CORPORATIONS. 265 of the first places where woollen goods were made, and had, at one time, the ...

Vol. 4  p. 265 (Rel. 0.66)

Kirk-of-Field.] BOTHWELL DENOUNCED. 7 of the Canongate to Bothwell’s lodging, near the palace, at the gates of which they were again challenged by the Archers of the Guard-a corps which existed from 1562 to 1567-who asked “if they knew what noise that was they heard a short time before.” They replied that they did not. Rushing to his house, Bothwell called for something to drink, and throwing off his clothes, went to bed. Tidings that the house had been blown up and the king slain spread fast through the startled city, and George Hackett, a servant of the palace, communicated these to Bothwell, whom he found in “ane great effray pitch-black,” and excited. Then with assumed coolness he inquired “what was the matter ? ” On being distinctly informed, he began to shout “Treason!” and on being joined by the Earl of Huntley, he repaired at once to the presence of the queen. By dawn the whole area of the Kirk-of-Field was crowded by citizens, who found that the three servants who slept in the gallery were buried in the ruins, out of which Nelson was dragged alive. In Holyrood the queen kept her bed in a darkened room, while a proclamation was issued, offering the then tolerable sum of L2,ooo Scots to any who would give information as to the perpetrators of the crime. On the same day the body of Darnley was brought to Holyrood Chapel, and after being embalmed by Maistre Mastin Picauet, ‘ I ypothegar,” was interred on Saturday night, without the presence of any of the nobles or officers of state, except the Lord Justice Clerk Bellenden and Sir James Traquair. Bothwell was denounced as the murderer by a paper fixed on the Tolbooth Gate. But though the earl was ultimately brought to trial, no precisely proper inquiry into the startling atrocity was made by the officers of the Crown. A bill fastened on the Tron Beam, declared that the smith who furnished the false keys to the king’s apartment would, on due security being given, point out his employers ; and other placards, on one of which were written the queen’s initials, M.R., were posted elsewhere-manifestations of public feeling that rendered Bothwell so furious that he rode through the city at the head of a band of his armed vassals, swearing that he “ would wash his hands” in the blood of the authors, could he but discover them ; and from that time forward he watched all who approached him with a jealous eye, and a hand on his dagger. When that part of the city wall which immediately adjoined the house of the Kirk-of-Field was demolished in 1854, it was found to be five feet thick, and contained among its rubble many fragments of a Gothic church or other edifice, and three cannon-balls, one of 24 pounds’ weight, were found in it. In the records of the Privy Council in 1599, we find an order for denouncing and putting to the horn Robert Balfour, Provost of the Kirk-of-Field, for having failed to appear before the Lords, and answer “ to sic thingis as sauld have been inquirit of him at his cuming.” The Provost, brother of the notorious Sir James, had been outlawed or forfeited in 157 I, as there rested upon both the charge of having been chief agents in the murder or Darnley. He was ultimately remitted and pardoned, and this was ratified by Parliament in 1584, when he and his posterity were allowed to enjoy all their possessions,‘‘ providing alwayis that these presentis be not extendit to repossess and restoir the said Robert to bny ryt he has, or he may pretend, to ye Provostrie of ye Kirk-of-Field, sumtym situat within the libertie of ye burgh of Edinburgh.” In this same year, 1584, the Town Council were greatly excited by a serious affray that ensued at the Kirk-of-Field Port, and to prevent the recurrence of a similar disorder, ordained that on the ringing of the alarm bell the inhabitants were all to convene in their several quarters under their bailies, “ in armour and good order.” And subsequently, to prevent broils by night-walkers, they ordered I‘ that at 10 o’clock fifty strokes would be given on the great bell, after which none should be upon the streets, under a penalty of Azo Scots, and imprisonment during the town’s pleasure.” (“ Council Records.”) A fragment of ruin connected with the Kirk-of- Field is shown as extant in 1647 in Gordon’s map, near what is now the north-west corner of Drumrnond Street, and close to the old University. A group ot trees appear to the eastward, and a garden to the iiorth. (Tytler.) ... BOTHWELL DENOUNCED. 7 of the Canongate to Bothwell’s lodging, near the palace, at the gates of ...

Vol. 5  p. 7 (Rel. 0.65)

PHE KIRK-OF-FIELD. (Alto an Etching by /awes Skenc cf Rubirlaw). OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. CHAPTER I. THE KIRK OF ST. MARY-IN-THE-FIELDS. Memorabilia of the Edifice-Its Age-Altars-hfade Collegiate-The Prebendal Buildings--Ruined-The House of the Kirk of-Field-The hfurder of Darnley-Robert Balfour, the Last Provost. WE now come to the scene of one of the most astounding events in European history-the spot where Henry, King of Scotland, was murdered in the lonely house attached to the Kirk-of-Field, one of the many fanes dedicated to St. Mary in Edinburgh, where their number was great of old. When, or by whom, the church of St. Mary-inthe- Fields was founded is alike unknown. In the taxation of the ecclesiastical benefices in the archdeaconry of Lothian, found in the treasury of Durham, and written in the time of Edward I. of England, there appears among the churches belonging to the abbey of Holyrood, EccZesia Sand& Mariiz in Cam& This was beyond doubt what was at a later period the collegiate church of St. Mary-in-the- Fields, and the few notices concerning which are very meagre ; but thus it must have existed in the thirteenth century, when all the district to the south 07 of it was covered with oaks to the base of the hills of Braid and Blackford. It took its name from being completely in the fields, beyond the wall of 1450. In the view of the city engraved in 1544, it is shown to have been a large cruciform church, with a tall tower in the centre ; and this representation of it is to a great extent repeated in a view found in the State Paper Office (drawn after the murder of Darnley), of which a few copies have been circulated, and which shows its pointed windows and buttresses. Among the property belonging to the foundation was a tenement at the foot of the modem Blair Street, on the west side, devoted to the altar of St. Katharine in this now defunct church ; and in the “ Inventory of Pious Donations,” preserved in the Advocates’ Library (quoted by Wilson), there is a “ mortification I’ by Janet Kennedy, Lady Bothwell, to the chaplain of the Kirk-of-Field of “her fore ... KIRK-OF-FIELD. (Alto an Etching by /awes Skenc cf Rubirlaw). OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. CHAPTER I. THE KIRK OF ...

Vol. 5  p. 1 (Rel. 0.65)

Count’s troops, chiefly cavalry, now gave way, but still fighting with the dogged valour of Walloons. Part of them that fled by Sk Mary’s Wynd were nearly cut to pieces by Sir David de Annan, who led his men battle-axe in hand. The few that escaped him joined others who had reached the Castle. There they slaughtered their horses, made a rampart of the bodies,andfought behind it with an energy born of despair, till hunger and thirst on the following day compelled them to capitulate, and the Earl of Moray suffered them to depart on giving oath never again to beararms against David 11. of Scotland. In 1867 agreat q u a n t i t y of bones-the relics of this conflictwere discovered about five feet below the surface, on the northern verge of the Eurghmuir, where now Glengyl e Terrace is built, and were decently re-interred by the authorities. In 1336 Edward III., still prosecuting the cause of the minion ~~ cunning enemy to whom the secret is unknown. The entrance is still seen in the side of the deep draw-well, which served alike to cloak their purpose and to secure for the concealed a ready supply of pure water. From this point Ramsay often extended his ravages into Northumberland. ‘‘ WALLACE’S CRADLE,” EDINBURGH CASTLE. Baliol against King David, re-fortified the ruin ; and on the 15th June Sir John de Kingeston was again appointed its governor ; but he had a hard time of it ; the whole adjacent country was filled by adventurous bands of armed Scots. The most resolute and active of these was the band of Sir Alexander Ramsay of Dalhousie, whose place of retreat was in the caves beneath the romantic house of Hawthornden, then the abode of a traitor named Abernethy, and which are so ingeniously constructed as to elude the vigilance of the most 4 Covered with glory and honour, the noble King Robert, the skilful Randolph, and the chivalrous Sir James Douglas, had all gone down to the silent tomb ; but other heroes succeeded them, and valiant deeds were done. The Scots thought of nothing but battle; the plough was allowed to rust, and the earth to take care of itself. By 1337 the Eoglish were again almost entirely driven out of Scotland, and the Castle of Edinburgh was recaptured from them through an ingenious strai% gem, planned by William Bullock, a priest, who had been captain of Cupar Castle for Baliol, “and was a man very brave and faithful to the Scots, and of great use to them,” according to Buchanan. Under his directions, Walter Curry, of Dundee, received into his ship two hundred select Scottish soldiers, led by William Douglas, Sir Simon Fraser, Sir John Sandilands, and Bullock also. Anchoring in Leith Roads, the latter presented himself to the governor as master of an English ship just arrived with wines and provisions, which he offered to sell for the use of the garrison. The bait took all the more Keadily that the supposed captain had closely shaven himself in the Anglo-Norman fashion. On ... troops, chiefly cavalry, now gave way, but still fighting with the dogged valour of Walloons. Part of ...

Vol. 1  p. 25 (Rel. 0.65)

306 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Leith Wynd. housses, biggins, and yards adjacent thereto, and by and contigue to the samyn, to be ane Hospitd to the Puir, and to be biggit and uphaldane by the Guid Toun and the Elemosinaries to be placet thakinto. the samyn, it was not his mind to lauborit to his awin behuif,but to the GuidToun as said is,and therefore, presentlie gaess (gives) the gift thereof to the Guid Toun, and transferit all right and tytill he had, hes or might have thereto, in to the Guid Toun, fra him and his airs for ever, and promisit that quhat right hereafter they desyrit him to make thereof, or -suretie, he would do this samyn, and that he, nor his airs, would never pretend rycht thereto, and . . . . and notwithstanding that he has laborit The history of this old ecclesiastical edifice is intimately connected with that of the Trinity Hospital, founded by the same munificent queen, and though the original edifice has passed away, her foundation is still the oldest charitable institution in heradopted city of Edinburgh. According to her plan or desire, the collegiate buildings were built immediately admen, whom they required only to know the Lord’s Prayer, the Ten Commandments, and to be neither drunkinsom tailyiours,” bouncers, nor swearers. Under the new rggime, the first persons 011 James Gelly, John Muir, James Wright, John Wotherspoon, Isabel Bernard, and Janet Gate. In 1578, when Robert Pont had been seven years Provost of Trinity, and the establishment of a university in Edinburgh was contemplated, the magistrates endeavoured to arrange with him for having their new institution grafted on the old foundatioa of Mary of Gueldres, and to be called the University of Trinity College; but the idea record as being placed in it, are Robert Murdoch, this of his awin free motive will, for the favour and luiff that he bears the Guid Toun.” Notwithstanding all this verbose minute, his grant was burdened with the existing interests, vested in the officials of the establishment, who had embraced the principles of the Reformation, and passed a series of new rules for their bedes- ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Leith Wynd. housses, biggins, and yards adjacent thereto, and by and contigue to the ...

Vol. 2  p. 306 (Rel. 0.65)

202 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Leith. .armorial he adopted was argent, a tree or, with two ships under sail. It was still time of truce when Henry, mortified by the defeat of his five ships, exhorted his most .able seamen “ to purge away this stain cast on the English name,” and offered the then noble pension of &I,OOO per annum to any man who could accomplish Wood’s death or capture ; and the task was taken in hand by Sir Stephen Bull (originally a merchant of London), who, with three of Henry’s largest ships manned by picked crews, and having on board companies of crossbowmen, pikemen, and many volunteers of valour and good birth, sailed from the Thames in July, 1490, and entering the Firth of Forth, came to anchor under the lee of the Isle of May, there to await the return of Wood from Sluys, and for whose approach he kept boats scouting to seaward. On the morning of the 18th of August the two ships of Wood hove in sight, and were greeted with exultant cheers by the crews of Bull, who set some inlets of wine abroach, and gave the orders to unmoor and clear away for battle. Wood recognised the foe, and donninghis armour, gave orders to clear away too ; and his brief ha- Iangue, modernised, is thus given by Lindesay of Pitscottie and others :- “ My lads, these are the foes who would convey us in bonds to the foot of an English king, but by your courage and the help of God they shall fail ! Repair every man to his station-charge home, gunners-cross-bowmen to the tops-two-handed swords to the fore-rooms-lime-pots and fire-balls in the tops ! Be stout, men, and true for the honour of Scotland and your own sakes. Hurrah!” Shouts followed, and stoups of wine went round. His second in command was Sir David Falconer, who was afterwards slain at Tantallon. The result of the battle that ensued is well known. It was continued for two days and a night, during which the ships were all grappled together, and drifted into the Firth of Tay, where the English were all taken, and carried as prizes into the harbour of Dundee. Wood presented Sir Stephen Bull and his surviving officers to Jarnes IV., who dismissed them unransomed, with their ships, “ because they fought not for gain, but glory,” and Henry dissemkled his rage by returning thanks. For this victory Wood obtained the sea town as well as the nether town of Largo, and soon afteI his skilful eye recommended the Bay of Gourock ta James as a capable harbour. In 1503 he led a fleet against the insurgent chiefs of the Isles. Hi$ many brilliant services lie apart from the immediate history of Leith. Suffice it to say that he was pre. I sent at the battle of Linlithgow in 1526, and wrapped the dead body of Lennox in his own scarlet mantle. Age was coming on him after this, and he retired to his castle of Largo, where he seems to have lived somewhat like old Commodore Trunnion, for there is still shown the track of a canal formed by his order, on which he was rowed to mass daily in Largo church in a barge by his old crew, who were all located around him, He is supposed to have died abodt 1540, and was buried in Largo church. One of his sons was a senator of the College of Justice in 1562 ; and Sir Andrew Wood, third of the House of Largo, was Comptroller of Scotland in 1585. Like himself, the Bartons, the shipmates and friends of Sir -4ndrew, all attained high honour and fame, though their origin was more distinguished than his, and they were long remembered among the fighting captains of Leith. John Barton, a merchant of Leith in the time of James III., had three sons : Sir Andrew, the hero of the famous nautical ballad, who was slain in the Downs in 151 I, but whose descendants still exist ; Sir Robert of Overbarnton in 1508, Comptroller of the Household to James V. in 1520; John, an eminent naval commander under James 111. and James IV., who died in t 5 13,and was buried at Kirkcudbright. The Comptroller’s son Robert married the heiress of Sir John Mowbray of Barnbougle, who died in 151 y ; and his descendants became extinct in the person of Sir Robert of Overbarnton, Barnbougle, and Inverkeithing. Our authorities for these and a few other memoranda concerning this old Leith family are a “Memoir of the Familyof Barton, &c.,” by J. Stedman, Esq., of Bath (which is scarce, only twelve copies having been printed), Tytler, Pinkerton, and others. For three generations the Bartons of Leith seem to have had a kind of family war with the Portuguese, and their quarrel began in the year 1476, when John Barton, senior, on putting to sea froin Sluys, in Flanders, in a king’s ship, the ]iZiai’nnn, laden with a valuable cargo, was unexpectedly attacked by two armed Portuguese caravels, commanded respectively by Juan Velasquez and Juan Pret. The JiZiana was taken ; many of her crew were slain or captured, the rest were thrust into a boat and cut adrift. Among the latter was old John Barton, who proceeded to Lisbon to seek indemnity, but in vain; and he is said by one account to have been assassinated by Pret or Velasquez to put an end to the affair. By another he is stated to have been alive in 1507, and in command of a ship called the Liun, which was seized at Campvere, in Zealand-unless it can be that the John referred to ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Leith. .armorial he adopted was argent, a tree or, with two ships under sail. It was ...

Vol. 6  p. 202 (Rel. 0.65)

J48 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [George Street. that sum has been called. It is expressly provided by the charter of the bank, granted 5th August, 1831, “that nothing contained in these presents shall be construed as intended to limit the responsibility and liability of the individual partners of the said Corporation for the debts and engagements lawfully contracted by the said Corporation, which responsibility and liability is to remain as valid and effectual as if these presents had not been most elegant of any in Britain.” In addition to the ball-room, “ there is to be a tea-room, fifty feet by thirty-six, which will also serve as a ballroom on ordinary occasions ; also a grand saloon, thirty-eight feet by forty-four feet, besides other and smaller rooms. The whole expense will be 6,000 guineas, and the building is to be begun immediately. Another Assembly Room, on a smaller scale, is to be built immediately by the INTERIOR OF ST. ANDREW’S CHURCH, GEORGE STREET. granted, any law or practice to the contrary notwithstanding.” The branch of the Clydesdale Bank, a little farther westward on the other side, is a handsome building ; but the next chief edifice-which, with its arcade of three rustic arches and portico, was long deemed by those obstinately wedded to use and wont both an eyesore and encroachment on the old monotonous amenity of George Street, when first erected-is the Assembly Rooms. The principal dancing-hall here is ninety-two feet long by forty-two feet wide, and forty feet high, adorned with magnificent crystal lustres. ‘‘ The New Assembly Rooms, for which the ground is staked out in the new town,” says the Edinburgh AdvPrtise7 for April, 1783, “will be among the inhabitants on the south side of the town; in George Square,” Eventually this room was placed in Buccleuch Place. “ Since the peace,” continues the paper, “ a great deal of ground has been feued for houses in the new town, and the buildings there are going on with astonishing rapidity.” To the assemblies of 1783, the letters of Theophrastus inform us that gentlemen were in the habit of reeling “from the tavern, flustered with wine, to an assembly of as elegant and beautiful women as any in Europe;” also that minuets had gone out of fashion, and country dances were chiefly in vogue, and that in 1787 a master of the ceremonies was appointed. The weekly assemblies here in the Edinburgh seasvn are now among the most brilliant and best con ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [George Street. that sum has been called. It is expressly provided by the charter of ...

Vol. 3  p. 148 (Rel. 0.65)

302 OLD ANI) NEW EDINBURGH. [Newhaven. began in the Firth of Forth, and it is not very creditable to the vigilance of the fishermen of Fife, Newhaven, and elsewhere, that this great fund of wealth was not developed earlier, as when the herrings left the shore near the mouth of the Firth it was supposed they had taken their departure to other waters, and no attempts were made to seek them farther up the estuary. The discovery was made accidentally by Thomas Brown, near Donnibristle, who had been for years wont to fish with hook and line for haddocks and podlies, near the shore, and who found the herrings in such numbers that he took them up in buckets. In 1793 the fishermen of the Queensfeny began to set their nets with a result that astonished them, though twenty years before it had been reported to them in vain that when the mainsail of a vessel fell overboard in Inverkeithing Bay, and was hauled in, it was found to be full of herrings. The success of the Queensferry boats excited attention generally, and this fisheryhas been followedwith perseverance and good fortune, not only by the fishermen of Fife and Lothian, but of all the east coast of Scotland. During the old war with France the patriotism of the Newhaven fishenhen was prominent on more than one occasion, and they were among the first to offer their services as a marine force to guard their native coast against the enemy. So much was this appreciated that the President of the “ Newhaven Free Fishermen’s Society,” instituted, it is said, by a charter of James VI., was presented with a handsome silver medal and chain by the Duke of Buccleuch, in presence of several county gentlemen. On one side this medal, which is still preserved at Newhaven, bears the inscription :-‘: In testimony of the brave and patriotic offer of the fishermen of Newhaven to defend the coast against the enemy, this mark of approbation was voted by the county of Midlothian, November znd, 1796.’’ On the reverse is the thistle, with the national motto, and the legend Agminc Remorum CeZeri. The medal the box-master wears, in virtue of his office, when the Society has its annual procession through Leith, Edinburgh, Granton, and Trinity. This body is very exclusive, no strangers or others than lawful descendants of members inheriting the privileges of membership-a distinguishing feature that has endured for ages. The Society is governed by a preses, a box-master, sec‘retary, and fifteen of a committee, who all change office annually, except the secretary. Their offer of service in 1796 shows that they were ready to fight “ on board of any gunboat or vessel of war that Government might appoint,” between the Red Head of Angus and St Abb’s Head, “and to go farther if necessity urges” This offer bears the names of fifty-nine fishermen -names familiar to Newhaven in the present day. In the January of the following year the Lord Provost and magistrates proceeded to Newhaven and presented the fishermen with a handsome stand of colours in testimony of their loyalty, after a suitable prayer by the venerable Dr, Johnston, of North Leith. Formed now into Sea Fencibles, besides keeping watch and ward upon the coast, in 1806 two hundred of them volunteered to man the TexeZ, sixty-four guns, under Captain Donald Campbell, and proceeding to sea from Leith Roads, gave chase to some French frigates, by which the coast of Scotland had been infested, and which inflicted depredations on our shipping. For this service these men were presented by the city of Edinburgh with the rather paltry gratuity of Az50. An autograph letter of George III., expressing his satisfaction at their loyalty, was long preserved by the Society, but is now lost. With the TkxeZ, in 1807, they captured the French frigate Neyda, and took her as a prize into Yarmouth Roads, after which they came home to Newhaven with great ZcZat; and for years afterwards it was the pride of many of these old salts, who are now sleeping near the ruined wall of Our Lady’s and St. James’s Chapel, to recur to the days “ when I was aboard the Ted.,’ It was an ancient practice of the magistrates of Edinburgh, by way of denoting the jurisdiction of the city, in virtue of the charter of James IV., to proceed yearly to Newhaven, and drink wine in the open space called the square. When a dreadful storm visited the shores of the Firth, in October, 1797, the storm bulwark at Newhaven, eastward of the Leith battery, was completely torn away, and large boulders were “rolled towards the shore, many of them split,” says the Herald, “as if they had been blown up by gunpowder.” The road between Newhaven and Trinity with its sea-wall was totally destroyed. A brig laden with hemp and iron for Deptford Yard, was flung on shore, near Trinity Lodge. This must have been rather an ill-fated craft, as the same journal states that she had recently been re-captured by H.M.S. Cobour- in the North Sea, after having been taken by the French frigate, R@ubZicailu. Another vessel was blown on shore near Caroline Park, and the Lord Hood, letter of marque, was) warped off, with assistance from Newhaven. ... OLD ANI) NEW EDINBURGH. [Newhaven. began in the Firth of Forth, and it is not very creditable to the ...

Vol. 6  p. 302 (Rel. 0.65)

78 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Edinburgh Castle. entrance to the apartment in which her daughter was delivered of James VI, It was formerly part of a large room which, before being partitioned, measured 30 by 25 feet. On the I 1 th of February, 1567, after the murder of Darnley, Mary retired to this apartment, where she had the walls hung with black, and remained in strict seclusion until after the funeral. Killigrew, who came from Elizabeth with letters of condolence, on his introduction found (( tbe Queen’s Majesty in a dark chamber, so that he could not see her face, but by her words she seemed very doleful.” In 1849, an antique iron chisel, spear-shaped, was found in the fireplace of this apartment, which was long used as a canteen for the soldiers, but has now been renovated, though in a rude and inelegant form. Below the grand hall are a double tier of strongly-vaulted dungeons, entered by a passage from the west, and secured by an intricate arrangement, of iron gates and massive chains. In one of these Kirkaldy of Grange buried his brother David Melville. The small loophole that admits light into each of these huge vaults, whose origin is lost in the mists of antiquity, is strongly secured by three ranges of iron bars. Within these drear abodes have captives of all kinds pined, and latterly the French prisoners, forty of whom slept in each. In some are still the wooden frames to which their hammocks were slung. Under Queen Mary’s room there is one dungeon excavated out of the solid rock, and having, as we have said, an iron staple in its wall to which the prisoner was chained. The north side of the quadrangle consists now of an uninteresting block of barracks, erected about the middle of the eighteenth century, and altered, but scarcely improved, in 1860-2, by the Royal Engineers and Mr. Charles W. Billings. It occupies the site, and was built from the materials, of what was once a church of vast dimensions and unknown antiquity, but the great western gable of which was long ago a conspicuous feature above the eastern curtain wall. By Maitland it is described as ((a very long and large ancient church, which from its spacious dimensions I imagine that it was not only built for the use of the garrison, but for the service of the neighbouring hinabitants before St. Giles’s church was erected for their accommodation.” Its great font, and many beautifully carved stones were found built into the barrack wall during recent alterations. It is supposed to have been a church erected after the death of the pious Queen Margaret, and dedicated to her, as it is mentioned by David I. in his Holyrood charter as “the church of the Castle of Edinburgh,” and is again confirmed as such in the charter of Alexander 111. and several Papal bulls, and the ‘( paroche kirk within the said Castell,” is distinctly referred to by the Presbytery of Edinburgh in 1595.” In 1753 it was divided into three storeys, and filled with tents, cannon, and other munitions of war. A winding stair descends from the new barracks to the butts, where the rock is defended by the western wall and Bute’s Battery, near which, at an angle, a turret, named the Queen’s Post, occupies the site of St. Margaret’s Tower. Fifty feet below the level of the rock is another guardhouse and one of the draw-wells poisoned by the Englishin 1572. Kear it is the ancient posterngate, where Dundee held his parley with the Duke of Gordon in 1688, and through which, perhaps, St. Margaret’s body was borne in 1093. From thence there is a sudden ascent by steps, behind the banquette of the bastions and near the principal, magazine, to Mylne’s Mount, where there is another grate for a bale-fire to alarm Fife, Stirling, and the north. The fortifications are irregular, furnished throughout with strong stone turrets, and prepared for mounting about sixty pieces of cannon. Two door-lintels covered with curious sculptures are still preserved : one over the entrance to the ordnance office represents Mons Meg and other ancient cannon ; the other a cannoneer of the sixteenth century, in complete armour, in the act of loading a small culverin. The Castle farm is said to have been the ancient village of Broughton, which St. David granted to the monks of Holyrood ; the Castle gardens we have already referred to; and to the barns, stables, and lists attached to it, we shall have occasion to refer elsewhere. The Castle company was a corps of Scottish soldiers raised in January 1661, and formed a permanent part of the garrison till 1818, when, with the ancient band of Mary of Guise, which garrisoned the Castle of Stirling, they were incorporated in cne of the thirteen veteran battalions emjodied in that year. The Castle being within the abrogated parish of Holyrood, has a burial-place for its garrison in the Canongate churchyard ; but dead have been buried within the walls frequently during sieges and blockades, as in 1745, when nineteen soldiers and three women were interred on the summit of the rock. The Castle is capable of containing 3,000 infantry; but the accommodation for troops is greatly ; neglected by Government, and the barracks have Wodmw’s ‘ I Miscellany.” ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Edinburgh Castle. entrance to the apartment in which her daughter was delivered of ...

Vol. 1  p. 78 (Rel. 0.64)

i.e., the Tolbooth; others were held there in 1449 and 1459. In the latter the Scottish word “Tolbooth,” meaning a tax-house, occurs for the first time ; “Hence,” says Wilson, “ a much older, and probably larger erection must therefore have existed on the site of the western portion of the Tolbooth, the ruinous state of which led to the royal command for its demolition in 1561-not a century after the date we are disposed to assign to the oldest portion of the building that remained till 1817, and which, though decayed and time-worn, was so far from being ruinous even then, that it proved a work of great labour to demolish its solid masonry.” In the “Diurnal of Occurrents,” it is recorded that in 1571 “the tour of the add TuZbuyth was tane doun.” The ornamental north gable of the Tolbooth was never seen without a human head stuck thereon in “the good old times,” In 1581. “the prick on the highest stone” bore the head of the Regent Morton, in 1650 the head of the gallant Montrose, till ten years subsequently it was replaced by that of his enemy Argyle. In 1561 the Tolbooth figures in one of those tulzies or rows so common in the Edinburgh of those days ; but in this particular instance we see a distinct foreshadowing of the Porteous mob of the eighteenth century, by the magistrates forbidding a I‘ Robin Hood.” This was the darling May game of Scotland as well as England, and, under the pretence offrolic, gave an unusual degree of licence; but the Scottish Calvinistic clergy, with John Knox ‘ at their head, and backed by the authority of the magistrates of Edinburgh, who had of late been chosen exclusively from that party, found it impossible to control the rage of the populace when deprived of the privilege of having a Robin Hood, with the Abbot of Unreason and the Queen of the May.( Thus it czme to pass, that in May, 1561, when a man in Edinburgh was chosen as “ Robin Hood and Lord of Inobedience,” most probably because he was a frolicsome, witty, and popular fellow, and passed through the city with a great number of followers, noisily, and armed, with a banner displayed, to the Castle Hill, the magistrates caught one of his companions, “ a cordiner’s servant,” named Janies Gillon, whom they condemned to be hanged on the z ~ s t of July. On that day, as he was to be conveyed to the gibbet, it was set up with the ladder against it in the usual fashion, when the craftsmen rushed into the streets, clad in their armour, with spears, axes, and hand-guns. They seized the Provost by main force of arms, together with two Bailies, David Symmer and Adam Fullarton, and thrusting them into Alexander Guthrie’s writing booth, left them there under a. guard. The rest marched to the cross, broke the gibbet to pieces, and beating in the doors of the Tolbooth with sledge-hammers, under the eyes of the magistrates, who were warded close by, they brought forth the prisoner, whom they conveyed ic~ triumph down the street to the Nether Bow Port. . Finding the latter closed, they passed up the street again. By this time the magistrates had taken shelter in the Tolbooth, from whence one,of them fired a pistol and wounded one of the mob. “That being done,” says the Diurnal of Occurrents, “ there was naething but tak and day! that is, the one part shooting forth and casting stones, the other part shooting hagbuts in again, and sae the craftsmen’s servants held them (conducted themselves) continually frae three hours afternoon, while (till) aucht at even, and never ane man of the toun steirit to defend their provost and bailies.” The former, who was Thomas Maccakean, of Clifton Hall, contrived to open a communication with the constable of the Castle, who came with an armed party to act as umpire ; and through that officer it was arranged “that the provost and bailies should discharge all manner of actions whilk they had against the said crafts-childer in ony time bygone ;” and this being done and proclaimed, the armed trades peacefully disbanded, and the magistrates were permitted to leave the Tolbooth. In 1539 the sixth Parliament of James VI. met there. The Estates rode through the streets; “ the crown was borne before his Majesty by Archibald Earl of Angus, the sceptre by Colin Earl of Argyle, Chancellor, and the sword of honour, by Robert Earl of Lennox.” Moyse adds, when the Parliament was dissolved, twelve days after, the king again rode thither in state. In 1581 Morton was tried and convicted in the hall for the murder of Darnley ; the King’s Advocate on that occasion was Robert Crichton of Elliock, father of the ‘‘ Admirable Crichton.” Caldenvood records some curious instances of the king‘s imbecility among his fierce and turbulent couttiers. On January 7th, 1590, when he was coming down the High Street from the Tolbooth, where he had been administering justice, two of his attendants, Lodovick Duke of Lennox (hereditary High Admiral and Great Chamberlain), and Alexander Lord Home, meeting the Laird of Logie, with whom they had a quarrel, though he was valet of the royal chamber, attacked him sword in hand, to the alarm of James, who retired into an adjacent close ; and six days after, when he ... the Tolbooth; others were held there in 1449 and 1459. In the latter the Scottish word “Tolbooth,” meaning ...

Vol. 1  p. 126 (Rel. 0.64)

280 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. . [High Street. ‘capital already created under the last charter is L;~OO,OOO stock, making the existing capital I,OOO,OOO, and there still remains unexhausted the privilege to create L500,ooo more stock .whenever it shall appear to be expedient to coinplete the capital to the full amount conceded in the charter-a success that the early projectors of the first scheme, developed in Tweeddale’s Close, could little have anticipated. The British Linen Company for a long series of years has enjoyed the full corporate and other privileges of the old chartered banks of Scotland ; and in this capacity, along with the Bank of Scotland and the Royal Bank of Scotland, alone is specially exempted in the Bank Regulation Act for Scotland, from making returns of ‘the proprietors’ names to the Stamp Office. In the sixth year of the 19th century Tweeddale House became the scene of a dark event “ which ranks among the gossips of the Scottish capital with the Icon Basilike, or the Man with the Iron Mask.” About five in the evening of the 13th of November, I 806, or an hour after sunset, a little girl whose family lived in the close, was .sent by her mother with a kettle to get water for tea from the Fountain Well, and stumbling in the dark archway over something, found it to be, to her dismay, the body of a man just expiring. On an alarm being raised, the victim proved to be William Begbie, the messenger of the British Linen Company Bank, a residenter in the town of Leith, where that bank was the first to establish a branch, in a house close to the cpper drawbridge. On lights being brought, a knife was found in his heart, thrust up to the haft, so he bled to death without the power of uttering a word of explanation. Though a sentinel of the Guard was always on duty close by, yet he saw nothing of the event. It was found that he had been robbed of a package of notes, amounting in value to more than four thousand pounds, which he had been conveying from the Leith branch to the head office. The murder had been- accomplished with the utmost deliberation, and the arrangements connected with it displayed care and calculation. The weapon used had a broad thin blade, carefully pointed, with soft paper wrapped round the hand in such a manner as to prevent any blood from reaching the person of the assassin, and thus leading to his detection. For his discovery five hundred guineas were offered in vain ; in vain, too, was the city searched, while the roads were patrolled; and all the evidence attainable amounted to this :-“ That Begbie, in proceeding up Leith Walk, had been accompanied by a ‘man,’ and that about the supposed time of the murder ‘a man’ had been seen by some chi\- dren to run out of the close into the street, and down Leith Wynd. . . . . There was also reason to believe that the knife had been bought in a shop about two o’clock on the day of the murder, and that it had been afterwards ground upon a grinding-stone and smoothed upon a hone.” Many persons were arrested on suspicion, and one, a desperate character, was long detained in custody, but months passed on, and the assassination was ceasing to occupy public -attention, when three men, in passing through the grounds of Eellevue (where now Drummond Place stands) in August, 1807, found in the cavity of an old wall, a roll of bank notes that seemed to have borne exposure to the weather. The roll was conveyed to Sheriff Clerk Rattray’s office, and found to ‘contain L3,ooo in large notes of the money taken from Begbie. The three men received Lzoo from the British Linen Company as the reward of their honesty, but no further light was thrown upon the murder, the actual perpetrator of which has never, to this hour, been discovered, though strong suspicions fell on a prisoner named Mackoull in 1822, after he was beyond the reach of the law. This man was tried and sentenced to death by the High Court of Justiciary in June, 1820, for robbery at the Paisley Union Bank, Glasgow, and was placed in the Calton gaol, where he was respited in August, and again in September, “during his majesty’s pleasure ” (according to the Edinburgh Week(yjournal), and where he died about the end of the year. In a work published under the title of “The Life and Death of James Mackoull,” there was included a document by Mr. Denovan, the Bow Street Runner, whose object was to prove that Mackoull aZiis Moffat, was the assassin of Begbie, and his statements, which are curious, have thus been condensed by a local writer in 1865 :- “ Still, in the absence of legal proof, there is a mystery about this daring crime which lends a sort of romance to its daring perpetrator, Mr. Denovan discovered a man in Leith acting as a teacher, who in 1806 was a sailor-boy belonging to a ship then in the harbour. On the afternoon of the murder he was carrying up some smuggled article to a friend in Edinburgh, when he noticed ‘ a tall man carrying a yellow coloured parcel under his arm, and a genteel man, dressed in a black coat, dogging him.’ He at once concluded that the man with the parcel was a smuggler, and the other a custom-house oficer. Fearful of detection himself, he watched their manmavres with considerable interest. He lost ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. . [High Street. ‘capital already created under the last charter is L;~OO,OOO stock, ...

Vol. 2  p. 280 (Rel. 0.64)

264 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. frhe Cowgate. The skinners would seem to have been created into a corporation in 1474, but references to the trade occur in the Burgh Records at an earlier date. Thus, in 1450, there is recorded an obligation by the skinners, undertaken by William Skynner, in the name of the whole, to support the altar of St. Crispin in St. Giles’s Church, “in the fourth year of the pontificate of Nicholas the Fifth ;” and a seal of cause was issued to the skinners and furriers conjointly in 1533, wherein they were bound to uphold the shrine of St Christopher in . St. Giles’s, and several Acts of Parliament were passed for their protection. One, in 1592, prohibits ‘<all transporting and carrying forth the realm, of calvesskinnes, huddrones, and kidskins, packing and peilling thereof, in time coming, tion of “ the goodwill and thankful service done to us by our servitor, Alexander Crawford, present deacon of the said cordiners and his brethren.” We first hear of a kind of ‘‘ strike,” in the trade in 1768, when the cordiners entered into a cornbination not to work without an increase of wages, and reduction of hours. The masters prosecuted their men, many of whom were fined and imprisoned, for “ entering into an unlawful combination,” as the sheriff termed their trade union. Charles I. In 1703, by decree of the Court of Session, the bow-makers, plumbers, and glaziers, were added to the masons; and to the wrights were added the painters, slaters, sieve-wrights, and coopers. These incorporated trades held their meetings in St. Mary’s Chapel, Niddry’s Wynd, and were known as “The United Incorporation of St. Mary’s Chapel” In 1476 the websters were incorporated, and bound to uphold the altar of St. Simon in St Giles’s, and it was specially stipulated that ‘(the priest shall get his meat.” Cloth was made in those days by the weavers much in the same fashion that is followed in the remote Highland districts, where the woo1 is carded and spun by the females of the household j but Edinburgh was one under the paine of confiscation of the same for His Majesty’s use.” Edinburgh has always been the chief seat of the leather trade in Scotland, and the troops raised after the American War were entirely supplied with shoes from there. In 1475 the wrights and masons were granted the aisleand chapel of St. John in the same church, when their seal of cause was issued. Their charter was confirmed in 15 17 by the Archbishop of St. Andrews. in 1527 by James V., and in 1635 by THE CHAPEL hND HOSPITAL OF ST. MARY MAGDALENE. (Aflcran EtckiqHlisrlim 1816.) ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. frhe Cowgate. The skinners would seem to have been created into a corporation in 1474, ...

Vol. 4  p. 264 (Rel. 0.63)

The Guard.] DISBANDMENT. 137 - _ _ . Square, as if the image of a Stuart were the last refuge for any memorial of our ancient manners.” In that year the Guard was finally disbanded, THE CITY GUARD-HOUSE. (After Key.) and fifes played slowly and sadly- “ The last time I cam’ o’er the muir.” Scott mentions this, but he little knew that two weapon called a Lochaber axe. Such a phantom and the modem police took its place. The last of former days still creeps, I have been informed, duty performed by these old soldiers was to march THREE CAPTAINS OF THE CITY GUARD. (AflerKay..) Gcorgc Pitcairn, died 1791 ; Gmrge Robertson, died 1787 ; Robert Pilkns, died 1788. ... Guard.] DISBANDMENT. 137 - _ _ . Square, as if the image of a Stuart were the last refuge for any memorial of ...

Vol. 1  p. 137 (Rel. 0.63)

72 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. IHo~yrOam Commendator of Coldingham. He was created, in right of his mother (who was the only sister of the notorious peer), Earl of Bothwell and Lord High Admiral of Scotland in 1587. He became an avowed enemy of the king, and Holyrood was the scene of more than one frantic attempt made by him upon the life of James. One of these, in 1591, reads like a daring frolic, as related by Sir James Melville, when the earl attacked at the Girth Cross. On the 24th July, 1593, Bothwell, who had been outlawed, again burst into the palace with his retainers, and reached the royal apartments. Then the king, incapable of resisting him, desired Bothwell, to “consummate his treasons by piercing his sovereign’s heart ; I’ but Bothwell fell on his knees and implored pardon, which the good-natured king at once granted, though a minute before. he had, as Birrel records, been seeking flight the palace at the head of his followers. I was I by the back stair, “with his breeks in his hand.” HOLYROOD PALACE AS IT WAS BEFORE THE FIRE OF 1650. (Facrimiie, af#w Cmdon OfRotkicma~.) at supper with my Lord Duke of Lennox, who took his sword and pressed forth; but he had no company and the place was full ofenemies. We were compelled to fortify the doors and stairs with tables, forms, and stools, and be spectators of that strange hurlyburly for the space of an hour, beholding With torchlight, forth of the duke’s gallery, their reeling and rumbling with halberts, the clacking of the culverins and pistols, the dunting of mells and hammers, and crying for justice.” The earl and his followers ultimately drew off, but left the master stabler and another lying dead, and the king was compelled to go into the city; but eight of Bothwell’s accomplices were taken and hanged In 1596 the future Queen of Bohemia was baptised in Holyrood, held in the arms of the English ambassador, while the Lyon King proclaimed her from the windows as “the Lady Elizabeth, first daughter of Scotland;” and on the 23rd December, 1600, the palace was the scene of the baptism of her brother, the future Charles I., with unusual splendour in the chapel royal, in presence of the nobles, heralds, and officers of state. ‘‘ The bairn was borne by the Marquis de Rohan, and the Lord Lyon proclaimed him out of the west window of the chapel as ‘Lord Charles of Scotland, Duke of Albany, Marquis of Ormond, Ex1 of ROSS, and Lord Ardmannoch. Largesse ! Largesse 1 Lar ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. IHo~yrOam Commendator of Coldingham. He was created, in right of his mother (who was ...

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Wton Hill.] THE BURGH OF CALTON. 103 r beneath the Caltoun Hill, the .place where those imaginary criminals, witches, and sorcerers in less enlightened times were burned ; and where at festive seasons the gay and gallant held their tilts and tournaments.” On the north-westem shoulder of the hill stands the modern Established Church of Greenside, at the end of the Royal Terrace, a conspicuous and attractive feature among the few architectural decorations of that district. Its tower rises IOO feet above the porch, is twenty feet square, and contains a bell of 10 cwt. The main street of the old barony of the Calton was named, from the ancient chapel which stood there, St. Ninian’s Row, and a place so called still exists; and the date and name ST. NINIAN’S Row, 1752, yet remains on the ancient well. 01 old, the street named the High Calton, was known as the Craig End. In those days’a body existed known as the High Constables of the Calton, but the new Municipality Act having extinguished the ancient boundaries of the city, the constabulary, in 1857, adopted the following resolution, which is written on vellum, to the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland :- “ The district of Calton, or Caldton, formed at one time part of the estate.of the Elphinstone family, one of whom-% James, third son of the third Lord Elphinstone-was created Lord &Imerino in 1603-4 In 1631 the then Lord Balmerino granted a charter to the trades of Calton, constituting them a society or corporation ; and in 1669 a royal charter was obtained from Charles II., erecting the district into a burgh of barony. A court was held by a bailie appointed by the lord of the manor, and there was founded in . connectiontherewith, the Societyof Highconstables of Calton, who have been elected by, and have continued to act under, the orders of succeeding Baron Bailies. Although no mention is made 01 our various constabulary bodies in the ‘ Municipality Extension Act, 1856,’ the venerable office of Baron Bailie has thereby become extinct, and the .ancient burghs of Canongate, Calton, Eastern and Western Portsburgh, are now annexed to the city. UnGer these circumstances the constabulary of Calton held an extraordinary meeting on the 17th of March, 1857, at which, infer alia, the following inotion was carried with acclamation, viz. ‘ That the burgh having ceased to exist, the con stabulary, in order that some of the relics and other insignia belonging to this body should be preserved for the inspection of future generations, unanimously resolve to present as a free gift to the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Scotland the. following, viz :-Constabulary baton, I 747, moderator‘ s official baton, marble bowl, moderator’? state staff, silver-mounted horn with fourteefi medals, members’ small baton; report on the origin and standing of the High Constables OF Calton, 1855, and the laws of the society, 1847.’” These relics of the defunct little burgh are consequently now preserved at the museum in the Royal Institution. A kind of round tower, or the basement thereof, is shown above the south-west angle of the CaltoE cliffs in Gordon’s view in 1647 ; but of any such edifice no record remains ; and in the hollow where Nottingham Place lies now, a group of five isolated houses, called “ Mud Island,” appears in the maps. of 1787 and 1798. In 1796, and at many other times, the magistrates ordained that “ All-hallowfair be held on the lands of Calton Hill,” as an open and uncnclosed place, certainly a perilous one, for tipsy drovers and obstinate cattle. An agriculturist named Smith farmed the hill and lands adjacent, now covered by great masses of building, for several years, till about the close of the 18th century; and his son, Dr. John Smith, who was born in 1798, died only in February, 1879, afterbeing fifty years physician tQ the old charity workhouse in Forrest Road, . In 1798, when the Rev. Rowland Hill (thefamous son of Sir Rowland Hill, of Shropshire). visited Edinburgh for the first time, he preached in some of the churches every other day, but the crowds became so immense, that at last he was induced to hold forth from a platform erected on the Calton Hili, where his audience was reckoned. at not less than 10,000, and the interest excited by his eloquence is said to have been beyond all precedent. On his return from the West, he preached on the hill again to several audiences,. and on the last of these occasions, when a collection, was made for the charity workhouse, fully zo,oom were present. Long years after, when speaking to a. friend of the multitude whom he had addressed, there, he said, pleasantly, “ Well do I remember the spot ; but I understand that it has now been converted into a den of thieves,” referring to the gaol now built on the ground where his platform stood. The first great cba,nge in the aspect of the hill was effected by the formation of the Regent Road, which was cut through the old burying-ground, the soil of which avenue was decently carted away, covered with white palls, and full of remnants of humanity, to the new Calton burying-ground on] the southern slope ; and the second was the open ... Hill.] THE BURGH OF CALTON. 103 r beneath the Caltoun Hill, the .place where those imaginary criminals, ...

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28 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Burghmuir. great forest of Drumsheugh, wherein the white. bull, the Caledonian boar, the elk and red deer roamed, and where broken and lawless men had their haunt in later times. Yet some clearances of timber must have been made there before 1482, when James Iii. mustered on it, in July, 50,000 men under the royal standad for an invasion of England, which brought about the rebellious raid of Lauder. On the 6th October, 1508, his son James IV., by a charter Among those who then got lands here were Sir Alexander Lauder of Blyth, Provost of the City, and George Towers of the line of Inverleith, whose name was long connected with the annals of the city. It was on this ground-the Campus Martius of the Scottish hosts-that James IV. mustered, in the summer of 1513, an army of IOO,OOO men, the most formidable that ever marched against England; and a fragment of the hare-stane, or bore- THE LIBRARY AAI.I., EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY. under the Great Seal, leased the Burghmuir to the council and community of Edinburgh (City Charters, I 143-1540) empowering them to farm and cIear it of wood, which led to the erection within the city of those quaint timber-fronted houses, many of which still remain in the closes and wynds, and even in the High Street. In 1510 we find, from the Burgh Records, that the persons to whom certain acres were let there, were bound to build thereon “dwelling-houses, malt-barns, and cow-bills, and to have servants for the making of malt betwixt (30th April) and Michaelmas, I 5 I 2 ; and failing to do so, to pay to the common works of the town; and also to pay 6 5 for every acre of the three acres set to them.” stane, in which the royal standard was planted, on this and many similar occasions, is still preserved, and may be seen built into a wall, at Banner Place, near Morningside Church. As Drummond records, the place was then “ spacious and made delightful by the shade of many stately and aged oaks.” ‘‘ There were assembled,” says Pitscottie, “ all his earls, lords, barons, and burgesses ; and all manner of men between sixty and sixteen, spiritual and temporal, burgh and land, islesmen and others, to the number of a hundred thousand, not reckoning carriagemen and artillerymen, who had charge of fifty shot-cannons.” When some houses were built in the adjacent School Lane in 1825, hundreds ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Burghmuir. great forest of Drumsheugh, wherein the white. bull, the Caledonian boar, ...

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University.] THE PROFESSORS AND THE TOWN COUNCIL. 15 - endof the year named, a body was, for the first time, regularly dissected in the city, after the celebrated Dr. Archibald Pitcairn-who left a distinguished position as a professor of medicine in the University of Leyden, to marry a lady of Edinburgh -had been induced to settle there, and seek a practice. . . , The Doctor, on the 14th of October, wrote to his friend 1)r. Gray, of London, stating that he was making efforts to obtain from the magistrates subjects for dissectiod, such as the bodies of those who died in the ,House of Correction at Paul’s Work, and had none to bury them. “We offer,” he says, I‘ to wait on these poor for nothing, and bury them after dissection at our own charges, which now the town does; yet there is great opposition by the chief surgeons, who neither eat hay nor suffer the oxen to eat it. I do propose, if this be granted, to make better improvements in anatomy than have been made at Leyden these thirty years; for I think most or all anatomists have neglected or not known what was most useful for a physician.” The person who moved ostensibly in this matter was Alexander Monteith, who entered the Colleg? of Surgeons in December, 1691. He was a prominent Jacobite, and owner of Todshaugh, now called Foxhall, in West Lothian. He was an eminent surgeon, and a friend of Pitcairn’s. The Town Council on the 24th of October, in compliance with his urgent request, granted to him the bodies of those who died in the House of Correction and of all foundlings who died at the breast. They gave him, at the same time, a room for dissection, with permission to inter the mutilated remains in the College Kirk Cemetery, stipulating that he should inter all intestines within forty-eight hours, the rest of the body within ten days, and that his prelections should only be in the winter season. Though the College of Surgeons did not generally oppose this new movement, they greatly disliked his exclusive permission from the Council, and proposed to give demonstrations in anatomy as well, asking for the unclaimed bodies of those who died in the streets, and also of foundlings. Their petition was granted, on the understanding that they should have a regular anatomical theatre ready before the Michaelmas of 1697 ; but it was not until 1705 that the Anatomical Chair was founded in the university. In 1703 a struggle for emancipation from the Town Council was made by the professors. It had -wen usual f9r the former body to appoint a day for graduation, or laureation, as it was named in those days. This was for the first or senior class; and to preside at this learned ceremony a certain portion of the somewhat unlearned civic patrons were regularly deputed, with their robes, insignia, and halberdiers, to at ten d. The professors, as may be supposed, were becoming very impatient of this yearly interference with their internal arrangements, and perhaps imagined, not unnaturally, that literature, science, and philosophy, could derive but little lustre .‘ from the presence of men who, generally speaking, would have ears which heard not, and understandings which could not perceive.” Thus they bethought them of a plan whereby they hoped to get rid of such officious visitors in all time coming. Accordingly, when all the professors met in the Old College Hall, on the 20th of January, 1703, they, as an independent faculty, adopted the following resolution :- “ The Faculty of Philosophy within the city of Edinburgh, taking to their consideration the reasons offered by Mr. Scott . why his magistrand class should be privately graduated, and being satisfied with the same, do unanimously, according to fheir undoubfed yighf, confained in the charfer of erection, and their constant and uninterrupted custom in such cases, appoint the said class to be laureated privately upon the last Thursday of April next, being the twenty-seventh day of the said month. Signed by order, and in presence of the Faculty, by Robert Anderson, CZerk.” This was deemed by the Provost and bailies as the very tocsin of rebellion, and roused at once their wrath. A visitation accordingly followed, by the Lord Provost, Sir Hugh Cunningham, Knight, and the bailies, with the inevitable halberdiers, in the library of the college on the 15th of the following month ; there he informed the Senatus that among many other contumacious things,. he had become cognisant <‘ of an unwarrantable act of the masters of that college, viz., the Professors of Philosophy, Humanity, Mathematics, and Church Iiistory, wherein they assert themselves a FiicuZty, empowered by the charter of erection to appoint, &C.” It is difficult to know how this quarrel might have ended, had not the Lord Advocate, as mediator between the parties, effected a compromise, which, however, implied a surrender of the asserted point at issue by the four professors ; at the same time, so resolute were the magistrates and Council in their intention of upholding and defending their privileges as patrms of the university, that Bailie Blackwood, in the name of the rest, declared that the Council of the city “would not be satisfied with the masters simply ... THE PROFESSORS AND THE TOWN COUNCIL. 15 - endof the year named, a body was, for the first time, ...

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1230 by King Alexander II., and in its earliest charters named Mansio Re@, as he had bestowed upon the monks a royal residence as their abode. The church built by Alexander was a large cruufsrm edifice with a central rood-tower and lofty spire. It was renowned for king the scene of the SIR JAMES PALSHAW, BART., AND H.m. LIEUTENANT OP EDINBURGH. (Fmm a Photograph ay 3~ha Meffat.) bishop of Glasgow and Lord High Chancellor, fled from the Douglases during the terrible street conflict or tulzie in 1519, and, as Pitscottie records, was dragged “ out behind the altar, and his rocki: riven aff him, and had been slake,” had not Gavin Douglas, Bishop of Dunkeld, interceded for him: in the realm, summoned in 1512 by the Pipal Legate, Cardinal Bagimont, who presided. In this synod, says Balfour, all ecclesiastical benefices exceeding forty pounds per annum were taxed in the payment of ten pounds to the Pope by way of pension, and to the King of Scotland such a tax as he felt disposed to levy. This valuation, which is still known by the name of Bagimont‘s Roll, was made thereafter the standard for taxing the Scottish ecclesiastics at the Vatican. It was to this church that James Beaton, Archcrate bishop.” And here we may remark that the Scottish word fulzie, used by us so often, is derived from the French t&ifi--n; to confuse, or to mix The monastery was destroyed by an accidental fire in 1528, but the church would seem to have been uninjured by the view of it in 1544, though no doubt it would suffer, like all the others in the city, at the hands of the English in that year. In 1552 the Provost and Council ordered Alex. Park, city treasurer, to deliver to “the Dene of Gild x li., that he may thairwith pay the Blak ... by King Alexander II., and in its earliest charters named Mansio Re@, as he had bestowed upon the monks a ...

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64 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. ,The Dean. Among the old houses here may be mentioned a mill, or granary, immediately at the southeast end of the bridge, which has sculptured over its door, within a panel, two baker’s peels, crossed with the date 1645, and the almost inevitable legend--“ BZeisit be God for CZZ His g@s.” Another quaint-old crowstepped double house, with A mill or mills must have stood here before a stone of Holyrood was laid, as David I., in his charter of foundation to that abbey, grants to the monks “one of my mills of Dene, a tithe of the mill of Libertun and of Dene, and of the new mill of Edinburgh,” A.D. I 143-7. In 1592, “the landis of Dene, wt the mylnes and mure thereof, and their pertinents, lyand within the Sherifdom of Edinburgh,” were given by James VI. to James Lord Lindesay, of the Byres. On the panel are carved a wheatsheaf between two cherubs’ heads, the bakers’ arms within a wreath of oak-leaves, and the motto, God’s Providence is ovr Inheritance-1677.” In 1729 a number of Dutch bleachers from Haarlem commenced a bleach-field somewhere near the Water of Leith, and soon exhibited to the village were wont to incarcerate culprits. It is six storeys in height, including the dormer windows, has six crowstepped gables, two of which surmount the square projecting staircases, in the westmost of which is a handsomely moulded doorway, sur mounted by a frieze, entablature, and coat of arms within a square panel. On the frieze is the legend,. in large Roman letters- GOD . BLESS. THE . BAXTERS , OF . EDIN . BRUGH . WHO . BUILT , THIS . HOUSE. 1675. flights of outside stairs, has a gablet, surmounted by a well-carved mullet, and the date 1670. It stands on the west side of the steep path that winds upward to the Dean, and has evidently been the abodeof some well-to-do millers inthedaysof old. On the steep slope, where 2 flight of steps’ ascends to the old Ferry Road, stands the ancient Tolbooth, wherein the bailies of this once sequestered gaze and to the imitation of Scotland, the printing and stamping of all colours on linen fabrics. Some thirty years after, we find the Cournnt for December, 1761, announcing to the public ‘‘ that Isabel Brodie, spouse to William Rankin, in the Water of Leith, about a mile from Edinburgh, cures the Emerads” (i.e., Hemorrhoids) and various other illnesses; forquacksseem tohave existed theqasnow. ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. ,The Dean. Among the old houses here may be mentioned a mill, or granary, immediately ...

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The Meadows.] THE ROYAL .ARCHERS. 353 a captahseneral the famous Sir George Mackenzie, then Lord Tarbat, and Secretary of State, and afterwards Earl of Cromartie. Having judiciously chosen a leader of powerful influence and approved fidelity, they obtained from Queen Anne, on the 6th March, 1704, a charter under the Great Seal of Scotland, erecting them into a royal company, receiving and ratifying in their behalf the old laws and acts in favour of archery ; giving them power to enrol members, to select a council, and choose for the Jacobites to omit utilising it for eventual military purposes, and thus when, in 1714, the critical state of the country and the hopes and fears of opposite factions were roused by the approaching death of Queen Anne and the distracted state of her ministry, an unusual amount of vigour inspired the Royal Company of Archers. Their laws were extended on vellum, adorned with festoons of ribbon, and subscribed by all the members ; and they did not hesitate to engross in their minute ARCHERS’ HALL: THE DINING HALL. their own leaders ; ‘‘ as also of convening in military fashion, by way of weapon-shaw, under the guidance of their own officers . . . . and of going forth as often as to it shall seem proper, at least once in each year, about Midsummer, to shoot arrow with a bow at a butt.” (“Laws, &c., of the Royal Company of Archers ”-J. B. Paul’s Hist., &c.). The magistrates of Edinburgh soon after gave them a silver arrow, to be shot for yearly. These new rights and privileges they were appointed to possess after the mode of 2 feudal tenure, and to hold them in free gift of her Majesty and her successors, paying therefor an annual acknowledgment of a pair of barbed arrows. Such an organisation as this proved too tempting 03 book, in terms not to be misunderstood, that on his birthday they drank to the health of the exiled James VIII. The first bears on one side Mars and Cupid within a wreath of thistles, with the motto mentioned ; on the other is a yew-tree, supported by two archers, with the motto, Daf gZoria vires. The second colour has on one side the royal standard, or lion rampant, with a crowned thistle and the national motto, Nemo me impune Zacessif. On the other side is St. Andrew on his cross, with a crown over all, and the then very significant motto, Dufce pro patria pwicuZum. On the 14th of June the Earl cf Cromartie, then They still carry a pair of colours. ... Meadows.] THE ROYAL .ARCHERS. 353 a captahseneral the famous Sir George Mackenzie, then Lord Tarbat, and ...

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any goods on hand in their shops, everything had to be ordered long before it was required ; and it was always usual for the goldsmith and his customer to adjourn together to the B ~ j e n Hole, an ancient baker’s shop, the name of which has proved a puzzle to local antiquarians, or to John’s Coffee House, to adjust the order and payment, through the medium of a dram or a stoup of mellow ale. But, as time passed on, and the goldsmiths of Edinburgh became more extensive in their views, capital, and ambition, the old booths in the Parliament Close were in quick succession abandoned for ever. The workshop of George Heriot existed in this neighbourhood till the demolition of Beth’s Wynd and the adjacent buildings. There were three contiguous small shops, with projecting wooden superstructures above them, that extended in a line, between the door of the old Tolbooth and that of the 1,aigh Councilhouse. They stood upon the site of the entrancehall of the present Signet Library, and the central of these three shops was the booth of the immortal George Heriot, the founder of the great hospital, the goldsmith to King James VI.-the good-humoured, honest, Humble though this booth, after the execution of “the bonnie Earl of Gowrie,” when the extravagance of Anne of Denmark-a devoted patron of George Heriot -rendered the king’s private exchequer somewhat impaired, he was not above paying visits to some of the wealthier citizens in the Lawnmarket or Parliament Square, and, among. others, to the royal goldsmith. The latter being. bred to his father’s business, to which in that age was usually added the occupation of a banker, was GEORGE HERIOT’S DRINKING CUP. (De-d Sy himsew) and generous “Jingling Geordie” of the ‘‘ Fortunes of Nigel.” It measured only seven feet square ! The back windows looked into Beth’s Wynd ; and, to show the value of local tradition, it long appeared that this booth belonged 10 George Heriot, and it became a confirmed fact when, on the demolition of the latter place, his name was found carved above the door, on the stone lintel. His forge and bellows, as well as a stone crucible and lid, were also found on clearing away the ruins, and are now carefully preserved in the museum of the hospital, to which they were presented by the late Mr. Robertson, of the Commercial Bank, a grateful ‘‘ Auld Herioter.” admitted a member of the Incorporation of Goldsniiths on the 28th May, 1588. In 1597 he was appointed goldsmith to Queen Anne, and soon after to the king. Several of the accounts for jewels furnished by him to the queen are inserted in Constable’s “ Life of Heriot,” published in 1822. It is related that one day he had been sent for by the king, whom he found seated in one of the rooms at Holyrood, before a fire composed of cedar, or some other perfumed wood, which cast a pleasant fragrance around, and the king mentioned incidentally that it was quite as costly as it was agreeable, “ If your majesty will visit me at my booth in the Parliament Close,” quoth Heriot, “I will show you a fire more costly than that.” ‘‘ Say you so ! ” said the king ; ‘‘ then I will.” On doing so, he was surprised to find that Heriot had only a coal fire of the usual kind. “Is this, then, your costly fire?” asked the king. “ Wait, your highness, till I get my fuel,” replied Heriot, who from an old cabinet or almrie took a bond for Az,ooo which he had lent to James, and, laying it on the fire, he asked, laughingly, “Now, whether is your majesty’s fire in Holyrood or mine the most costly ?” “ Certainly yours, Master Heriot ! ” replied the king. ... goods on hand in their shops, everything had to be ordered long before it was required ; and it was always ...

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Portobello.] THE FIGGATE MUIR ‘43 to the line of the turnpike road. The whole surface of the district round them is studded with buildings, and has only so far subsided from the urban character as to acquire for these, whether villa or cottage, the graceful accompaninients of garden or hedge-row. “A stroll from the beautified city to Piershill,” says a writer, “when the musical bands of the barracks are striving to drown the soft and carolling melodies of the little songsters on the hedges and trees at the subsession ot Arthur’s Seat, and when’ the blue Firth, with its many-tinted canopy of clouds, and its picturesque display of islets and steamers, and little smiling boats on its waters, vies with the luxuriant lands upon its shore to win the award due to beauty, is indescribably delightful.” C H A P T E R X I V . PORTOBELLO. Portolxll~The Site before the Houses-The Figgate Muir-Stone Coffins-A Meeting with Cromwell-A Curious Raae--Portobello Hut- Robbqrs-Willkq Jamieson’s Feuing-Sir W. Scott and “The Lay “-Portobello Tower-Review of Yeomanry and H i g h d e w Hugh Miller-David Laing-Joppa-Magdalene Bridge-Brunstane House. PORTOBELLO, now a Parliamentary burgh, and favourite bathing quarter of the citizens, occupies a locality known for ages as the Figgate Muir, a once desolate expanse of muir-land, which perhaps was a portion of the forest of Drumsheugh, but which latterly was covered With whins and furze, bordered by a broad sandy beach, and extending from Magdalene Bridge on the south perhaps to where Seafield now lies, on the north-west. Through this waste flowed the Figgate Bum out of Duddingston Loch, a continuation of the Braid. Figgate is said to be a corruption of the Saxon word for a cow’s-ditch, and here ‘the monks of Holyrood were wont to pasture their cattle. Traces of early inhabitants were found here in 1821, when three stone cofiins’were discovered under a tumulus of sand, midway between Portobello and Craigantinnie. These were rudely put together, and each contained a human skeleton. ‘‘ The bones were quite entire,’’ says the Week& JournnZ for that year, “and from their position it would appear that the bodies had been buried with their legs across. At the head of each was deposited a number of flints, from which it is conjectured the inhumation had taken place before the use of metal in this country; and, what is very remarkable, the roots of some shrubs had penetrated the coffins and skulls of the skeletons, about which and the ribs they had curiously twisted themselves. The cavities of the skeletons indeed were quite filled with vegetable matter.” It was on the Figgate Muir that, during the War of Independence, Sir William Wallace in 1296 mustered his zoo patriots to join Robert Lauder and Crystal Seton at Musselblirgh for the pursuit of the traitor Earl of Dunbar, whom they fought at Inverwick, afterwards taking his castle at Dunbar. In the Register of the Privy Council, January, 1584, in a bond of caution for David Preston of Craigmillar, Robert Pacok in Brigend, Thomas Pacok in Cameron, and others, are named as sureties that John Hutchison, mirchant and burgess of Edinburgh, shall be left peaceably in possession of the lands ‘‘ callit Kingis medow, besyde the said burgh, and of that pairt thairof nixt adjacent to the bume callit the Figott Burne, on the north side of the same, being a proper pairt and pertinent of the saidis landis of Kingis Medow.” Among the witnesses is George Ramsay, Dean of Restalrig. We next hear of this locality in 1650, when it was supposed to be the scene of a secret meeting, ‘‘ half way between Leith and Musselburgh Rocks, at low water,” between Oliver Cromwell and the Scottish leaders, each attended by a hundred horse, when any question the latter proposed to ask he agreed to answer, but declined to admit alike of animadversion or reply. A part of this alleged conference is said to have been- “ Why did you put the king to death ? ‘‘ Because he was a tyrant, and deserved death.” “ Why did you dissolve the Parliament ? I’ ‘“ Because they .were greater tyrants than the king, and required dissolution.” The Mercurius CaZtdoonius of 1661 records a very different scene here, under the name of the Thicket Burn, when a foot-race was run from thence to the summit of Arthur’s Seat by twelve browster-wives, “all of them in a condition which makes violent exertion unsuitable to the female form.” The prizes on this occasiofi were, for the first, a hundredweight of cheese and “a budge11 of Dunkeld aquavite, andarumpkin of Brunswick rum for the second, set down by the Dutch midwife. The next day six ... THE FIGGATE MUIR ‘43 to the line of the turnpike road. The whole surface of the district round them ...

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300 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Leith Wynd. broad and spacious thoroughfare, named St. Mary’s Street, presenting on its eastern side a series of handsome fapdes, in the Scottish domestic style, with a picturesque variet)iof outline and detail. edifice a relic of one of the older ones, a lintel inscribed thus, with the city motto :- NISI . DEVS . FRVSTRA. I B 1523 E L C H A P T E R X X X V I I . LEITH WYND. Leith Wynd-Our Lady’s Hompita-Paul’s Work-The Wall of r540-Its Fall in 1854-The “Happy Land”-Mary of Gueldres-Trinity College Church-Some Particulars of its Charter-Interior View- Decorations-Enlargement of the Establishment-Privileges of its Ancient Officers-The Duchess of Lennox-Lady Jane Hamilton-Curious Remains-Trinity Hospital-Sir Simon Preston’s “ Public Spirit ”-Become5 a Corporation Chariw-Description of BuildinpPmvisions for the Inmates-Lord Cockburn’s Female Pensioner- . basement of which is occupied by spacious shops, and which stands upon the site of the old “White Horse ” Inn, as an inscription built into the wall records thus :- Edin6urgic, I& Augwt, 1773, on his m.emorabZe four to the Hebrides, occuj.ied the Zargerpavt (If the si& .f f h i Eui(ding.” There is also built into another part of the ‘ I Boyd’s Inn, at which DY. Samuel phnson oflived in . Demolition of the Hospital-Other Charities. THE connecting link between St. Mary’s Wynd and Leith Wynd was the Nether Bow Port, a barrier, concerning the strength of which that veteran marshal, the Duke of Argyle, spoke thus in the debate of 1736 in reference to the Porteous mob:- . ‘‘ The Nether Bow Gate, my Lords, stands in a narrow street; near it are always a number of coaches and carts. Let us suppose auother insurrection is to happen. In that case, my Lords, should the conspirators have the presence of mind to barricade the street with these carriages, as may ‘ be done by a dozen of fellows, I affirm, and I appeal for the truth of what I advance to any man of my trade, who knows the situation of the place, if five hundred men may not keep out ten thousand for a longer time than that in which the mob executed their bloody designs against Porteous.” From the end of this gate, and bordered latterly on the west by the city wall, Leith Wynd, which is now nearly all a thing of the past, ran down the steep northern slope towards the base of the Calton Hill. In the year 1479, Thomas Spence, Bishop of many who are honorary, but subscribe to the Association, the objects of which are to promote sobriety, religious deportment, and a brotherly feeling among young men of the Catholic faith. It contains a library and reading room, lecture and billiard room. It has a dramatic association, and by the committee who conduct it no means are left untried to increase the moral culture of the members, Aberdeen, previously of Galloway, and Lord Privy Seal, founded, at the foot of Leith Wynd, and on the east side thereof, a hospital for the reception and entertainment of twelve poor men, under the name of ‘‘ the Hospital of our Blessed Lady, in Leith Wynd :’ and subsequently it received great augmentations to its revenues from other benefactors ; but at first the yearly teinds did not amount to twelve pounds sterling, according to Arnot. From the name afterwards given to it, we are led to suppose that among the future benefactions there had been added a chapel or altarage, dedicated to St. Paul. The records of Parliament show that somewhere in Edinburgh there were a hospital and chapel dedicated to that apostle, and that there was a chapel dedicated to the Virgin in 1495, by Sir William Knolles, Preceptor of Torphichen, who fell with King James at Flodden. The founder of the hospital in Leith Wynd died at Edinburgh on the rgth of April, 1480, and was buried in the north aisle of Trinity College church, near his foundation. ’ ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Leith Wynd. broad and spacious thoroughfare, named St. Mary’s Street, presenting on ...

Vol. 2  p. 300 (Rel. 0.62)

208 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Leith One of the greatest events of its time in Leith was the landing there of George IV., on the 15th of August, 1822. The king was on board the Royal George, which was towed into the Roads by two steam-packets, followed by the escorting frigates, which fired salutes that were answered by the flagship and Forte frigate; and a salute from the battery announced that all had come to anchor. Among the first to go off to the royal yacht was Sir Walter Scott, to present the king with a famous silver star, the gift of the ladies of Edinburgh. Sir Walter on Scottish ground, save the exiled Charles of France. The cannon of the ships and battery pealed forth their salutes, and the combined cheers of the mighty multitude filled up the pauses. An immense fleet of private boats followed the royal barge, forming an aquatic procession such as Leith had never seen before, and a band of pipers on the pier struck up as it rounded the head of the latter. As the king approached the landing stage three distinct and well-timed cheers came from the manned yards of the shipping, while the magis- LEITH PIER, FROM THE WEST, 1775. (Afler Clerk ofEldif.1 remained in conversation with the king an hour, in the exuberance of his loyalty pocketing as a relic a glass from which His Majesty had drunk wine; but soon after the author of ‘r Waverley,” in forgetfulness, sat down on it and crushed it in pieces. Leith was crowded beyond all description on the day of the landing ; every window was filled with faces, if a view could be commanded ; the ships’ yards were manned, their rigging swarmed with human figures; and the very roofs of the houses were covered. Guarded by the Royal Archers and Scots Greys, a floating platform was at the foot of Bernard Street, covered with cloth and strewn with flowers; and when a single gun from the royal yacht announced that the king had stepped into his barge, the acclamations of the enthusiastic people, all unused to the presence of royalty, then seemed to rend heaven. Since the time of Charles 11. no king had been trates, deacons, and trades, advanced, the latter with all their standards lowered. So hearty and prolonged were the glad shouts of the people that even George 1V.-the most heartless king that ever wore a crown-was visibly affected. He was clad in the uniform of an admiral, and was received by the magistrates of Leith and Edinburgh and the usual high officials, civil and military ; but the Highland chief Glengarry, bursting through the throng, exclaimed, bonnet in hand, “ Your Majesty is welcome to Scotland ! ’‘ The procession preceding the royal carriage now set out, “the Earl of Kinnoul, as Lord Lyon, on a horse capnoling in front of a cloud of heralds and cavaliers-his golden coronet, crimson mantle flowing to the ground, his embroidered boots, and golden spurs, would have been irresistible in the eyes of a dame of the twelfth century.” Sir Alexander Keith, as Knight-Marischal, with his ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Leith One of the greatest events of its time in Leith was the landing there of George ...

Vol. 6  p. 208 (Rel. 0.62)

High Street.] MISS NICKY MURRAY. 243 in the charter room of the burgh, dated 1723, is described as being “that big hall, or great room, now known by the name of the Assembly House, twice upon it in one night, and often the most beautiful girls in the city passed it, as inere spectators, which threw serious duties on the gentlemen There it was that the Honourable Miss Nicky Murray reigned supreme as lady-directress and goddess of fashion, for many years during the middle of the eighteenth century. She was a sister of the Earl of Mansfield, and was a woman possessed of much good sense, firmness, knowledge of the world, and of the characters of those by whom she was surrounded. With her sisters she lived long in one of the tenements at the head of Bailie Fyfe’s Close, where she annually received whole broods of fair country cousins, who came to town to receive the finishing touches of a girl’s education, and be introduced to society-the starched and stately society of old Edinburgh. The Assembly Room was in the close to which it gave its name. It had a spacious lobby, lighted by sconces, where the gilded sedans set down their powdered, hooped, and wigged occupants, while links flared, liveried valets jostled, and swords were sometimes drawn; and where a reduced gentleman- a claimant to the ancient peerage of Kirkcudbnght- sold gloves, for which he was rather ungenerously sneered at by Oliver Goldsmith. From this lobby the dancing-hall opened at once, and up-stairs was a tea-room. The former had in its centre a railed space,-within which were the dancers ; while the spectators, we are told, sat on the outside, and no communication was permitted between the different sides of this sacred pale. Here it was that in 1753 Goldsmith first saw, with some astonishment, the formalities of the old Scottish balls. He relates that on entering the dancing-room he saw one end of it taken up by the ladies, who ‘sat dismally in a group by themselves. “On the other end stand their pensive partners that are to be, but no more intercourse between the sexes than between two countries at war. The ladies, indeed, may ogle, and the gentlemen sigh, but an embargo is laid on any closer commerce.” The lady directress occupied a high chair, or species of throne, upon a dais at one end, and thereon sat Miss Nicky Murray in state. Her immediate predecessors there had been Mrs. Browne of Colstoun, and Lady Minto, daughter of Sir Robert Stuart of Allanbank. The whole arrangements were ofa rigid character, iartner for the whole year! The arrangements were generally made at some preliminary ball or Ither gathering, when a gentleman’s cocked hat was unflapped and the ladies’ fans were placed ;herein, and, as in a species of ballot, the beaux hew forth the latter, and to whomsoever the fan 3elonged he was to be the partner for the season, I system often productive of absurd combinations md many a petty awkwardness. “ Then,” as Sir Alexander Boswell wrote- “ The Assembly Clbse received the fair- Order and elegance presided there- Each gay Right Honourable had her place, To walk a minuet with becoming grace. No racing to the dance, with rival hurry- Such was thy sway, 0 famed Miss Nicky Murray ! Each lady’s fan a chosen Damon bore, With care selected many a day before ; For, unprovided with a favourite beau, The nymph, chagrined, the ball must needs forego, But previous matters to her taste arranged, Certes, the constant couple never changed ; Through a long night, to watch fair Delia’s will, The same dull swain was at her elbow still.’’ With sword at side, and often hat in hand, the gallants of those days escorted the chairs of their partners home to many a close and wynd now the ibode of squalor and sordid poverty; for much Df stately and genuine old-fashioned gallantry prevailed, as if it were part of the costume, referred to by the poet :- “ Shades of my fathers ! in your pasteboard skirts, Your broidered waistcoats and your plaited shirts, Your formal bag-wigs, wide extended cuffs, Your five-inch chitterlings and nine-inch ruffs. Gods! how ye strut at times in all your state, Amid the visions of my thoughtful pate ! ” Those who attended the assemblies belonged exclusively to the upper circle of society that then, existed in Edinburgh ; and Miss Murray, on hearing a young lady’s name mentioned to her for approval, was wont to ask, ‘‘ Miss-of what? ” and, if no territorial or family name followed, she might dismiss the matter by a wave of her fan, for, according to her views, it was necessary to be ‘‘a lady 0’ that ilk;” and it is well known, that “upon one occasion, seeing at an assembly a wan who had been raised to wealth in some ... Street.] MISS NICKY MURRAY. 243 in the charter room of the burgh, dated 1723, is described as being “that ...

Vol. 2  p. 243 (Rel. 0.62)

130 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Restalrig. By interdict the directors were compelled to give access to the well, which they grudgingly did by a species of drain, till the entire edifice was removed to where it now stands. Near the site of the well is the ancient church of Restalrig, which, curiously enough, at first sight has all the air of an entirely modern edifice ; but on a minute inspection old mouldings and carvings of great antiquity make their appearance in conjunction with the modern stonework of its restoration. It is a simple quadrangular building, without aisles or transept. The choir, which is the only part of the building that has escaped the rough hands of the iconoclasts of the sixteenth century, is a comparatively small, though handsome, specimen of Decorated English Gothic ; and it remained an open ruin until a fev years since, when it was restored in a manner as a chapel of ease for the neighbouring district. But a church existed here long before the present one, and it was celebrated all over Scotland for the tomb of St. Triduana, who died at Restalrig, and whose shrine was famous as the resort of pilgrims, particularly those who were affected by diseased eyesight. Thus, to this day, she is frequently painted as carrying her own eyes on a salver or the point of a sword. A noble virgin of Achaia, she is said to have come to Scotland, in the fourth century, with St. Rule. Her name inferred that the well afterwards called St. Margaret’s was the well of St. Triduana. Curiously enough, Lestalric, the ancient name of Restalrig, is that by which it is known in the present day; and still one of the roads leading to it from Leith is named the Lochsterrock Road The existence of a church andparish here, long prior to the death of King Alexander 111. is proved by various charters ; and in 1291, Adam of St. Edmunds, prior of Lestalric, obtained a writ, addressed to the sheriff of Edinburgh, to put him in possession of his lands and rights. The same ecclesiastic, under pressure, like many others at SEAL OF THE COLLEGIATE cnmcn OF RESTALRIG. is unknown in the Roman Breviary; but a recent writer says, ‘‘ S t Triduana, with two companions, devoted themselves to a recluse life at Roscoby, but a Pictish chief, named Nectan, having been attracted by her beauty, she fled into Athole to escape him. As his emissaries followed her there, and she discovered that it was her eyes which had entranced him, she plucked them out, and, fixing them on a thorn, sent them to her admirer. In consequence of this practical method of satisfying a lover, St. Triduana, who came to Restalrig to live, became famous, and her shrine was for many generations the resort of pilgrims whose eyesight was defective, miraculous cures being effected by the waters of the well.” Sir David Lindsay writes of their going to “ St. Trid well to mend their ene;” thus it has been the time, swore fealty to Edward I. of England in 1296. Henry de Leith, rector of Restalrig, appeared as a witness against the Scottish Knights of the Temple, at the trial in Holyrood in 1309. The vicar, John Pettit, is mentioned in the charter of confirmation by James III., under his great seal of donations to the Blackfriars of Edinburgh in 1473.. A collegiate establishment of considerable note, having a dean, with nine prebends and two singing boys, was constituted at Restalrig by James III., and completed by James V. j but it seems not to have interfered with the parsonage, which remained entire till the Reformation. The portion of the choir now remaining does not date, it is supposed, earlier than from the fourteenth century, and is much plainer, says Wilson, than might be expected in a church enriched by the contributions of three pious monarchs in succession, and resorted to by so many devout pilgrims as to excite the special indignation of one of the earliest assemblies of the Kirk, apparently on account of its abounding with statues and images. By the Assembly of 1560 it was ordered to be “ raysit and utterly casten doun,” as a monument of idolatry; and this order was to some extent obeyed, and the ‘‘ aisler stanis ” were taken by Alexander Clark to erect a house with, but were used by the Reformers to build a new Nether Bow Port. The parishioners of Restalrig were ordered in future to adopt as their parish church that of St. Mary’s, in Leith, which continues to the present day to be South Leith church. ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Restalrig. By interdict the directors were compelled to give access to the well, ...

Vol. 5  p. 130 (Rel. 0.61)

378 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Greyfirs Church. King‘s Commissioner, the severity of these vile persecutions was greatly lessened ; but in the northeast corner of the burying-ground, the portion of it long accorded as the place for the interment of criminals, stands that grim memorial of suffering, tears, and blood, known as the Martyrs’Monumznta tall, pillared tablet, rising on a pedestal surmounted by an entablature and pediment, and bearing the following inscription :- “ Halt, passenger ! take heed what you do see- This tomb doth show for what some men did die ; Here lies interred the dust of those who stood ’Gainst perjury, resisting unto blood ; Adhering to the covenants and laws, Establishing the same ; which was the cause Their lives were sacrificed unto the lust Of prelatists abjured ; though here their dust Lies mix’t with murderers, and other crew. Whom justice justly did to death pursue. But. as for them no cause was to be found Worthy of death ; but only they were found Constant and stedfast, zealous, witnessing For the prerogatives of Christ, their King ; Which truths were sealed by famous Guthrie’s head, And all along to Mr. Renwick’s blood. They did endure the wrath of enemies : Reproaches, torments, death, and injuries. But yet they’re those who from such troubles came, And now triumph in glory with the Lamb I ” “From May 27, 1661, that the most noble Marquis of Argyle was beheaded, to the 17th February, 1688, that Mr. James Rcnwick suffered, were one way or other murdered and destroyed fo1 the same cause about eighteen thousand, of whom were executed at Edinburgh about a hundred ol noblemen aud gentlemen, ministers, and othersnoble martyrs for Jesus Christ. The most of them lie here.” According to the Edinburgh Courant of 1728 this tomb was repaired in that year, and there was added to it ‘‘ a compartment, on which is cut a head and a hand on pikes, as emblems of theii (the martyrs’) sufferings, betwixt which is to be engraved a motto alluding to both.” The old church had been without a bell till 1681, when the Town Council ordered one which had been formerly used in the Tron church ta be hung in its steeple, or tower, at the west end. The latter was blown up on the 17th May, 1718, by a quantity of gunpowder belonging to the city, which was deposited there and exploded by acci. dent. As the expense of its repair was estimated at A600 sterling, the Town Council resolved to add instead, a new church at the west end of the old, and in the same plain, ungainly, and heavy style of architecture, with an octagonal porch projecting under the great window, all of which was accord. ingly done, and the edifice, since denominated the New Greyfriars, was finished in 1721, at the expense of A3,045 sterling. In this process the oIder church was shortened by a partition wall being erected at the second pillar from the west, that both buildings should be of equal length. Many men of eminence have been incumbents here ; among them, Robert Rollock, the first Principal of the University of Edinburgh, and Principal Carstares, the friend of William of Orange. In 1733, Robert Wallace, D.D., author of “A Dissertation on the Numbers of Mankind,” and many other works, and one of the first projectors of the Scottish Ministers’ Widows’ Fund, was appointed one of the ministers of the Greyfriars, in consequence of a sermon which he preached before the Synod of Moffat, the tenor of which so pleased Queen Caroline, when she read it, that she recommended him to the patronage of the Earl of Islay, then chief manager of Scottish affairs. In 1736, however, he forfeited the favour of Government by being one of the many clergymen who refused to read from the pulpit the act relative to the Porteops mob; but on the overthrow of ,Walpole’s ministry, in 1742, he was entrusted with the conduct of ecclesiastical affairs, so far as related to crown presentations in Scotland -a delicate duty, in which he continued to give satisfaction to all. In 1744 Dr. Wallace was commissioned as one of the royal chaplains in Scotland, and in 1753 he published his ‘‘ Dissertation”’- a work that is remarkable for the curious mass of statistical information it contains, and for its many ingenious speculations on the subject of population, to one of which the peculiar theories of the Rev. Mr. Malthus owed their origin. Among many other philosophical publications, he brought forth (‘ Various Prospects of Mankind, Nature, and Providence,” in 1761, and died the year after, on the 10th of July, leaving a son, who is not unknown in Scottish literature. But the most distinguished of the incumbents was William Robertson, D.D., the eminent historian, who was appointed to the Greyfriars in 1761, the same year in which, on the death of Principal Goldie, he was elected Principal of the University of Edinburgh, and whose father, the Rev. William Robertson (a cadet of the Struan family) was minister of the Old Greyfriars in 173 j. Principal Robertson is so *well known by the published memoirs of him, and by his many brilliant literary works, that he requires little more than mention here. “Scott, who from youth to ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Greyfirs Church. King‘s Commissioner, the severity of these vile persecutions was ...

Vol. 4  p. 378 (Rel. 0.61)

150 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Leith Walk. Roman, and which spans the bum where it flows through a wooded and sylvan glen near Joppa. The lower portions and substructure of this house date probably from the Middle Ages ; but the present edifice was built in 1639, by John, second Lord Thirlstane (son of the Lord Chancellor just referred to), who was father of the future Duke of Lauderdale, and who died in 1645. The older mansion in the time of the Reformation belonged to a family named Crichton, and the then laird was famous as a conspirator against Cardinal Beaton. When, in 1545, George Wishart courageously ventured to preach in Leith, among his auditors were the Lairds of Brunstane, Longniddry, and Ormiston, at whose houses he afterwards took up his residence in turns, accompanied at times by Knox, his devoted scholar, and the bearer of his two-handed sword. When Cardinal Beaton became especially obnoxious to those Scottish barons who were in the pay of Henry VIII., a schetne was formed to get rid of him by assassination, and the Baron of Brunstane entered into it warmly. In July 1545 he opened a communication with Sir Ralph Sadler “ touching the killing of the Cardinal ; ” and the Englishman-showing his opinion of the character of his correspondent-coolly hinted at “a reward of the deed,” and “ the glory to God that would accrue from it.” (Tytler.) In the same year Crichton opened communications with several persons in England with the hope of extracting protection and reward from Henry for the murder of the Cardinal j but as pay did not seem forthcoming, he took no active hand in the final catastrophe. He was afterwards forfeited; but the Act was withdrawn in a Parliament held by the Queen Regent in 1556. In 1585, John Crichton of Brunstane and James Douglas of Drumlanrig became caution in LIO,OOO for Robert Douglas, Provost of Lincluden, that if released from the Castle of Edinburgh he would return to reside there on a six days’ warning. In the “Retours” for May 17th, 1608, we find Jacobus Crichtoun hares, Joannis Crichtoun de Brunstoun patris ; but from thenceforward to the time of Lord Thirlstane there seems a hiatus in the history of the old place. We have examined the existing title-deeds of it, which show that previous to 1682 the house and lands were in possession of John, Duke of Lauderdale, whose second duchess, Elizabeth Murray . (daughter of William, Earl of Dysart, and widow of Sir Lyonell Talmash, of Heyling, in the county of Suffolk), obtained a charter of them, under the Great Seal of Scotland, in the year mentioned, on the 10th March. They next came into possession of Lyonell, Earl of Dysart, ” as only son and heir of the deceased Elizabeth, Duchess of Lauderdale,” on the 19th of March, I 703. The said Earl sold “the house of Gilberton, commonly called Brunstane,” to Archibald, Duke of Argyle, on the 31st May, 1736; and ten years afterwards the latter sold Brunstane to James, third Earl of Abercorn. Part of the lands of Bruistane were sold by the Duke on the 28th September, 1747, to Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun, nephew of that stem patriot of the same name who, after the Union, quitted Scotland, saying that ‘‘ she was only fit for the slaves who sold her.” Andrew Fletcher resided in the house of Brunstane. He was Lord Justice Clerk, and succeeded the famous Lord Fountainhall on the bench in 1724, and presided’ as a judge till his death, at Brunstane, 13th of December, 1766. His daughter, ‘‘ Miss Betty Fletcher,” was married at Brunstane, in 1758, to Captain Wedderburn of Gosford. On the 15th of February, 1769, the old house and the Fletchers’ portion of the estate were acquired by purchase by James, eighth Earl of Abercorn, whose descendant and representative, the first Duke of Abercom, sold Brunstane, in 1875, to the Benhar Coal Company, by whom it is again advertised for sale. C H A P T E R XV. LEITH WALK. A Pathway in the 15th Century probable-General Leslie’s Trenches-Repulse of Cromwell-The Rood Chapel-Old Leith Stapes-Proposal for Lighting the Walk-The Gallow Lea-Executions there-The Minister of Sport- Five Witches-Five Covenanters-The Story of their Skulls-The Murder of Lady Baillie-Thc Etfigies of ‘I Johnnie Wilkes.” PRIOR to the building of the North Bridge the Easter Road was the principal camage way to Leith on the east, and the Bonnington Road, as we have elsewhere stated, was the chief way to the seaport on the west; but there would seem to have been of old some kind of path, however narrow, in the ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Leith Walk. Roman, and which spans the bum where it flows through a wooded and sylvan ...

Vol. 5  p. 150 (Rel. 0.61)

St. Giles’s Church. was a place frequently assigned in bills for the payment of money. The transept, called at times the Assembly aisle, was the scene of Jenny Geddes’ famous onslaught with her faZdstuZe, on the reader of the liturgy in 1637. The erection of Edinburgh into an episcopal see in 1633, under Bishop William Forbes Gwho died the same year), and the appointment of In 1596 St. Giles’s was the scene of a tumultuous dispute between James VI. and the leaders of the Church party. The king was sitting in that part of it which the Reformers named the Tolbooth Kirk, together with the Octavians, as they were styled, a body of eight statesmen into whose hands he had committed all his financial affairs and patronage. The disturbance from which the king felt THE LANTERN AND TOWER OF ST. GILES’S CHURCH. St. Giles to be the cathedral of the diocese, led-in its temporary restoration internally-to something like what it had been of old; but ere the orders of Charles I. for the demolition of its hideous galleries and subdivisions could be carried out, all Scotland was in arms, and the entire system of Church polity for which thesechanges were designed, had come to a violent and a terrible end. This transept was peculiarly rich in lettered gravestones, all of which were swept away by the ruthless improvers of 1829, and some of those were used as pavement round the Fountain Well. himself to be in peril, arose from an address by Balcanqual, a popular preacher, who called on the Protestant barons and his other chance auditors to meet the ministers in ‘‘ the little kirk,” where they, amidst great uproar, came to a resolution to urge upon James the necessity for changing his policy and dismissing his present councillors. The progress of the deputation towards the place where the king was to be found brought with it the noisy mob who had created the tumult, and when the bold expressions of the deputation were seconded by the rush of a rude crowd-armed, of course ... Giles’s Church. was a place frequently assigned in bills for the payment of money. The transept, called at ...

Vol. 1  p. 144 (Rel. 0.61)

Hig5 Street.! BISHOP BOTHWELL. 219 . CHAPTEX X Y v r . THE. HIGH STREET ( ~ ~ ~ f h t d ) . The Ancient Markets-The House of Adam Bothwell, Bishop of Orkney-The Bishop and Queen Mary-His Sister Anne-Sir Williarn Dick. of Braid-& Colossal Wealth-Hard Fortune-The “ Lamexable State”-Advocates’ Close-Sir James Stewart’s House-Andreu Cmbie, ‘ I Counsellor Pleydell ”-Scougal’s House-His Picture Gallery-Roxburghe Close-Waniston’s Close-Lmd Philiphaugh‘s House-Bruce of Binning’s Mansion-Messrs. W. and R. Chambers’s Printing and Publkhing Establishment-History of the Firm- House of Su Thomas Craig-Sir Archibald Johnston of Warnstoa PREVIOUS to 1477 there were no particular places assigned for holding the different markets in the city, and this often caused much personal strife among the citizens. To remedy this evil, James 1II.j by letters patent, ordained that the markets for the various commodities should be held in the following parts of the city, viz. :- In the Cowgate, the place for the sale of hay, straw, grass, and horse-meat, ran from the foot ol Forester‘s Wynd to the foot of Peebles Wynd. The flesh market was to be held in the High Street, on both sides, from Niddry’s Wynd to the Blackfriars Wynd; the salt market to be held in the former Wynd. The crames, or booths, for chapmen were to be set up between the Bell-house and the Tron on the north side of the street; the booths of the hatmakers and skinners to be on the opposite side of the way. The wood and timber market extended from Dalrymple’s Yard to the Greyfriars, and westward. The place for the sale of shoes, and of red barked leather, was between Forrester’s Wynd and the west wall of Dalrymple’s Yard. The cattIe-market, and that for the sale of slaughtered sheep, wcs to be abaut the Tron-beam, and so U doun throuch to the Friar’s Wynd ; alsa, all pietricks, pluvars, capones, conyngs, chekins, and all other wyld foulis and tame, to be usit and sald about the Market Croce.” All living cattle were not to be brought into the town, but to be sold under the walls, westward of the royal stables, or lower end of the Grassmarket. Meal, grain, and corn were to be retailed from the Tolbooth up to Liberton’s Wynd. The Upper Bow was the place ordained for the sale of all manner of cloths, cottons, and haberdashery; also for butter, cheese, and wool, “and sicklike gudis yat suld be weyif” at a tron set there, but not to be opened before nine A.M. Beneath the Nether Bow, and about st. Mary’s Wynd, was the place set apart for cutlers, smiths, lorimers, lock-makers, “and sicklike workmen ; and all armour, p i t h , gear,” and so forth, were to be sold in the Friday market, before the Greyfriars’. In Gordon of Rothiemay’s map “the fleshstocks ” are shown as being in the Canongate, immediately below the Nether Bow Port. Descending the High Street, after passing Bank Street, to which we have already referred, there is situated one of the most remarkable old edifices in the city-the mansion of Adam Bothwell, Bishop of Orkney. It stands at the foot of Byres’ Close, so named from the house of Sir John Byres of Coates, but is completely hidden from every point save the back windows of the Dui0 Review office. A doorway on the east side of the close gives access to a handsome stone stair, guarded by a curved balustrade, leading to a garden terrace that overlooked the waters of the loch. Above this starts abruptly up the north front of the house, semihexagonal in form, surmounted by three elegantlycarved dormer windows, having circular pediments, and surmounted by a finiaL On one was inscribed L u s prbique Deo; ona another, FeZider, infeZix. In this edifice (long used as a warehouse by Messrs. Clapperton and Co.) dwelt Adam, Bishop of Orkney, the same prelate who, at four in the. morning of the 15th of May, 1567, performed in the chapel royal at Holyrood the fatal marriage ceremony which gave Bothwell possession of the. unfortunate and then despairing Queen Mary. He was a senator of the College of Justice, and the royal letter in his favour bears, “Providing. always ye find him able and qualified for administration of justice, and conform to the acts and statutes of the College.” He married the unhappy queen after thenew forms, “not with the mess, but with preachings,” according to the ‘‘ Diurnal of Occurrents,” in the chapel; according to Keith and others, “in the great hall, where the Council usually met”’ But he seemed a pliable prelate where his own interests were concerned ; he was one of the first to desert his royal mistress, and, after her enforced abdication, placed the crown upon the head of her infant son ; and in 1568, according to the book of the ‘‘ Universal Kirk,” he bound himself to preach a sermon in Holyrood, and therein to confess publicly his offence in performing a marriage ceremony for Bothwell and Mary. As the name of the bishop was appended to that infamous bond of adherence granted by the Scottish nobles to Bothwell, before the latter put in practice his ambitious schemes against his sovereign, it is ... Street.! BISHOP BOTHWELL. 219 . CHAPTEX X Y v r . THE. HIGH STREET ( ~ ~ ~ f h t d ) . The Ancient ...

Vol. 2  p. 219 (Rel. 0.61)

OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. 1st. teona& 384 bat in St. Leonard’s Hill, and upon the 23rd the said Robert was put in ward in the Tolbooth of Edinburgh. In the meantime of his being in ward, he hung me cloak without the window of the Iron House, and another within the window there, and saying that he was sick, and might not see the light, he had acquafortis continually seething at the iron window, while (till) at last the iron was eaten through.” Then, one morning, he desired his apprentice- boy to watch when the town guard should be dismissed, and to give him a sign thereof by waving his handkerchief. This was done, and tying ‘‘ ane tow,” or rope, to the window, he was about to lower himself into the street; but the guard “ spied the wave of the handcurch, and sae the said Robert was disappointit of his intention and device.” On the 10th of April he was conveyed down to the Market Cross, and there beheaded on the scaffold, by the Maiden probably. In 1650, when Cromwell’s army was repulsed by the Scottish under Leslie, he made an attempt to turn the flank of the latter at this point. “Encircling Arthur’s Seat, a strong column of infantry, a brigade of cavalry, and two pieces of cannon attempted to enter the city by the southern road that led from the Pleasance. On this Campbell of Lawers brought his regiment of musketeers at dou5le-quick march up the glen by the base of Salisbury Craigs to the ruins of St. Leonard’s chapel, and taking an alignment behind the hedges and walls of the King’s Park, poured from thence a deadly fire, which drove back the infantry in disorder. They threw aside their muskets, pikes, and col lars of bandoliers, and fled, abandoning their cannon, which were brought off by the horse brigade.” St. Leonard‘s Hill corresponds somewhat in pdsition, but not in contour, with the locality of Davie Deans’ story in Sir Walter Scott’s “ Heart 01 Midlothian,” and an ancient cottage is actually indicated as being his in the Post-office maps. Eastward of this, the ridge of the hill bears the name of Kaim Head, indicating that of old a camp had been there. St. Leonard’s coal depBt and railway station have destroyed all the old and picturesque amenities of the locality. The station was erected here on the formation of a railway from Edinburgh to Dalkeith in 1826, but the traffic did not begin until 1831. It is still in existence, but has undergone great changes. . To see the train start by successive carriages for Dalkeith was then one of “the sights” of Edinburgh. “Towards the close of its ‘horsy’ days,” says Brenlner (in his “ Industries of Scotland ”), ‘‘ when railways worked by locomotives became common, this railway, with its lumbering carriages, slow-paced steeds, and noisy officials, was laughed at as an old-fashioned thing; but many persons have pleasant recollections of holiday trips made over the line. Then, as now, people took advantage of the fast days to spend a few hours outside the city, and it was no uncommon thing for the Dalkeith railway to bear away four or five thousand pleasure-seekers on such occasions.’’ No accident ever having occurred on this line, it bears the name of the ‘‘ Innocent Railway,” under which title it appears in one of Robert Chambers’s pleasant essays. St. Leonard’s Hill and all its locality are inseparably connected with the boyhood of the celebrated philosopher and phrenologist, George Combe, who spent the summer months of his earlier years with his aunt, Mrs. Margaret Sinclair, whose husband was proprietor of a brewery, a garden, and other ground there. At the junction of the Pleasance with St. Leonards, an old street, known as the East Cross Causeway branches north-westward. Here was to be found the latest example of the legendary doorhead so peculiar to Edinburgh :-“ 1701 GOD’S PROVIDENCE” It was over the door of a house in which Lady Jane Douglas, wife of Sir John Stewart, of Grandtully, is said to have resided during some of the years of her long-contested peerage case with the Duke of Hamilton ; and where she-the sister of the last duke of the grand old Douglas line-was in circumstances so reduced that.she was compelled to work at the wash-tub while rocking with her foot the cradle wherein lay her son, who became Lord Douglas of Douglas in 1790. In this quarter of the city there was founded in West Richmond Street, in 1776, the first public dispensary in Edinburgh, chiefly througb the exertions of Andrew Duncan, M.D., whose portrait, painted by Raeburn, now hangs in the hall. The good doctor lived long enough to see his generous labours crowned with complete success. CAssmL & COMPANY, LIMITED, BELLXI SAUVAGE WORKS, LONDON, E.C. ... AND NEW EDINBURGH. 1st. teona& 384 bat in St. Leonard’s Hill, and upon the 23rd the said Robert was put ...

Vol. 2  p. 384 (Rel. 0.61)

310 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Granton. Scots now takefl this to be a prophecy of the thing which has happened. ’ The next day, 4th May, the army landed two miles bewest the town of Leith, at a place called Grantaine Cragge, every man being so.prompt, that the whole army was landed in four hours.” As there was no opposition, a circumstance unlooked for, and having guides, ‘‘ We put ourselves in good order of war,’’ continues the .narrator, “marching towards Leith in three battayles (columns), whereof my lord admiral led the vanguard, the Earl of Shrewsbury the rearguard, the Earl of Hertford the centre, with the artillery drawn by men. In a valley on the right of the said town the Scots were assembled to the number of five or six thousand horse, besides foot, to impeach our passage, and had planted their artillery at two straits, through which we had to pass. At first they seemed ready to attack the vanguard.” But perceiving the English ready to pass a ford that lay between them and the Scots, the latter abandoned their cannon, eight pieces in all, and fled towards Edinburgh j the first to quit the field was “ the holy cardynall, lyke a vallyant champion, with him the governor, Therles of Huntly, Murray, and Bothwell” The.fame of Granton for its excellent freestone is not a matter of recent times, as in the City Treasurer’s accounts, 1552-3, we read of half an ell of velvet, given to the Laird of Carube (Carrubber?) for “licence to wyn stones on his lands of Granton, to the schoir, for the hale space of a year.” In 1579 a ship called the Jinas of Leith perished in a storm upon the rocks at Granton, having been blown from her anchorage. Upon this, certain burgesses of Edinburgh brought an action against her owner, Vergell Kene of Leith, for the value of goods lost in the said ship ; but he urged that her wrecking was the “providence of God,” and the matter was remitted to the admiral and his deputes (Privy Council Reg.) In 1605 we first find a distinct mention legally, of the old fortalice of Wardie, or Granton, thus in the “Retours.” “ Wardie-muir cum turre et fortalicio de Wardie,” when George Tours is served heir to his father, Sir John Tours of Inverleith, knight, 14th May. In 1685, by an Act of Parliament passed by James VII., the lands and barony of Royston were “ratified,” in favour of George Viscount Tarbet, Lord Macleod, and Castlehaven, then Lord Clerk Register, and his spouse, Lady Anna Sinclair. They are described as comprehending the lands of Easter Granton with the manor-house, dovecot, coalheughs, and quarries, bounded by ’ . Granton Bum; the lands of Muirhouse, and Pilton on the south, and the lands of Wardie and Wardie Bum, the sea links of Easter Granton, the lands of Golden Riggs or Acres, all of which had belonged to the deceased Patrick Nicoll of Royston. The statesmen referred to was George Mackenzie, Viscount Tarbet and first Earl of Cromarty, eminent for his learning and abilities, descended from a branch of the family of Seaforth, and born in 1630. On the death of his father in 1654, with General Middleton he maintained a guerrilla warfare with the Parliamentary forces, in the interests of Charles 11. ; but had to leave Scotland till the Restoration, after which he became the great confidant of Middleton, when the latter obtained the chief administration of the kingdom. In 1678 he was appointed Justice-General for Scotland, in 1681, a Lord of Session and Clerk Register, and four years afterwards James VII. created him Viscount Tarbet, by which name he is best known in Scotland. Though an active and not over-scrupulous agent under James VII., he had no objection to transfer his allegiance to William of Orange, who, in 1692, restored him to office, after which he repeatedly falsified the records of Parliament, thus adding much to the odium attaching to his name. In 1696 he retired upon a pension, and was created Earl of Cromarty in 1703. He was a zealous supporter of the Union, having sold his vote for A300, for with all his eminence and talent as a statesman, he was notoriously devoid of principle. He was one of the original members of the Royal Society, and was author of a series of valuable articles, political and historical works, too numerous to be noted here. He died at New Tarbet in 1714, aged eighty-four, and left a son, who became second Earl of Cromarty, and another, Sir James Mackenzie, Bart., a senator with the title of Lord Royston. His grandson, George, third Earl of Cromarty, fought at Falkirk, leading 400 of his clan, but was afterwards taken prisoner, sent to the Tower, and sentenced to death. The latter portion was remitted, he retired into exile, and his son and heir entered the Swedish service; but when the American war broke out he raised the regiment known as Macleod‘s Highlanders (latterly the 71st Regiment), consisting of two battalions, and served at their head in the East Indies. Lord Royston was raised to the bench on the 7th of June, I 7 10 ; and a suit of his and the Laird of Fraserdale, conjointly against Haliburton of Pitcur, is recorded in “ Bruce’s Decisions ” for 17 15. He is said to have been “one of the wittiest ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Granton. Scots now takefl this to be a prophecy of the thing which has happened. ’ ...

Vol. 6  p. 310 (Rel. 0.61)

High Street.] ST. MARY’S CHA4PEL. 247 made out by Latinising his name into Nz’choZaus Ea’wfirtus. It occupied the western side of Lockhart’s Court, and was accessible only by a deep archway. In an Act passed in 158r, ‘<Anent the Cuinzie,” Alexander Clark of Balbirnie, Provost of Edinburgh, and Nicol Edward, whose houses were both in this wynd, are mentioned with others. The latter appears in 1585 in the Parliament as Commissary for Edinburgh, together with Michael Gilbert; and in 1587 he appears again in an Act of Parliament in favour of the Flemish craftsmen, whom James VI. was desirous of encouraging ; but, !est they should produce inferior work at Scottish prices, his Majesty, with the advice of Council, hes appointit, constitute, and ordainit, ane honest and discreit man, Nicolas Uduart, burgess of Edinburgh, to be visitor and overseer of the said craftsmen’s hail warks, steiks, and pieces . . . the said Nicolas sal have sic dueties as is contenit within the buke, as is commonly usit to be payit therfore in Flanderis, Holland, or Ingland ; I’ in virtue of all of which Nicholas was freed froin all watching, warding, and all charges and impositions. In that court dwelt, in 17534761, George Lockhart of Carnwath One of the thirteen roonis in his house contained a mantelpiece of singular magnificence, that reached the lofty ceiling; but the house had a peculiar accessory, in the shape of (‘ a profound dungeon, which was only accessible by a secret trapdoor, opening through the floor of a small closet, the most remote of a suite of rooms extending along the south and west sides of the court. Perhaps at a time when to be rich was neither so common nor so safe as now, Provost Edward might conceal his hoards in this massy more.” The north side of Lockhart’s Court was long occupied by the family of Bruce of Kinnaird, the celebrated traveller. In Niddry‘s Wynd, a little below Provost Edward’s house on the opposite side, stood St. Mary’s Chapel, dedicated to God and the Blessed Virgin Mary, according to Arnot, in 1505. Its foundress was Elizabeth, daughter of James, Lord Livingstone, Great Chamberlain of Scotland, and Countess of Ross-then widow of John Earl of Ross and Lord of the Isles, who, undeterred by the miserable fate of his father, drew on him, by his treasonable practices, the just vengeance of James III., and died in 1498. Colville of Easter U‘emyss, and afterwards Richardson of Smeaton, became proprietors and patrons of this religious foundation ; and about the year 1600, James Chaliners, a macer before the Court of Session, acquired a right to the chapel, and in 1618 the Corporations of Wrights and Masons, known by the name of the United Incorporations of Mary’s Chapel, purchased this subject, “where they still possess, and where they hold meetings,” says Arnot, writing in 1779. In the CaZedonian Mercury for 1736 we read that on St. Andrew’s Day the masters and wardens of forty masonic lodges met in St. Mary’s Chapel, and unanimously elected as their grand-master William Sinclair of Roslin, the representative of an ancient though reduced family, connected for several generations with Scottish freemasonry. For this ancient chapel a modern edifice was substituted, long before the demolition of Niddry’s Wynd; but the masonic lodge of Mary’s Chapel still exists, and we believe holds its meetings there. Religious services were last conducted in the new edifice when Viscountess Glenorchy hired it. She was zealous in the cause of religion, and conceived a plan of having a place of worship in which ministers of every orthodox denomination might preach; and for this purpose she had St. Mary’s Chapel opened on Wednesday, the 7th March, 1770, by the Rev. Mr. Middleton, the minister of a small Episcopal chapel at Dalkeith ; but she failed to secure the ministrations of any clergyman of the Established Church, though in 1779 the Rev. William Logan, of South Leith, a poet of some eminence in his time, gave his course of lectures on the philosophy of history in the chapel, prior to offering himself as a candidate for the chair of civil history in the University. On the east side of Niddry’s Wynd, nearly opp0- site to Lockhart’s Court, was a handsome house, which early in the eighteenth century was inhabited by the Hon. James Erskine, a senator, better known by his legal and territorial appellation of Lord Grange, brother of John Earl of Mar, who led’ the great rising in 1715 on behalf of the Stuarts. He was born in 1679, and was called to the Scottish bar in 1705. He took no share in the Jacobite enterprise which led to the forfeiture of his brother, and the loss, ultimately of the last remains of the once great inheritance in the north from which the ancient family took its name. He affected to be a zealous Presbyterian and adherent of the House of Hanover, and as such he figures prominently in the ‘‘ Diary” of the indus . trious \ffodrow, supplying that writer with many shreds of the Court gossip, which he loved so dearly ; but Lord Grange is chiefly remembered for the romantic story of his wife, which has long filled ... Street.] ST. MARY’S CHA4PEL. 247 made out by Latinising his name into Nz’choZaus Ea’wfirtus. It occupied the ...

Vol. 2  p. 247 (Rel. 0.6)

[-wade. THE MELVILLES.. / LASSWADE CnuKCH, 1773. (Afdw an Etching by Yohn Clerk of E(din.1 CHAPTER XLIII. THE ENVIRONS OF EDINBURGH-(ccmclz&d). Melville Castle and the Melvilles-The Viscounts Melvil1::-Sheriffnall-Newton-Monkton-Stonyhill-" The Wicked Colonel Charteris "- New Hailes-The Stair Obelisk-Lord Hailes-His Death. MELVILLE CASTLE stands on the left bank of the North Esk, about five furlongs eastward of Lasswade, and was built by the first Viscount Melville, replacing a fortress of almost unknown antiquity, about the end of the last century. It is a splendid mansion, with circular towers, exhibiting much architectural elegance, and surrounded by a finelywooded park, which excited the admiration of George IV. Unauthenticated tradition states that the ancient castle of Melville was a residence of David Rizzio, and as such, was, of course, visited occasionally by Queen Mary; but it had an antiquity much more remote. It is alleged that the first Melville ever known 'in Scotland was a Hungarian of that name, who accompanied Queen 'Margaret to Scotland, where he obtained from Malcolm 111. a grant of land in hiidlothian, and where he settled, gave his surname to his castle, and became progenitor of all the Melvilles in Scotland. Such is the story told by Sir Robert Douglas, on the authority of Leslie, 143 Mackenzie, Martin, and Fordun ; but it is much more probable that the family is of French origin. Be all that as it may, the family began to be prominent in Scotland soon after the reign of Malcolm 111. Galfrid de Melville of Meldle Castle, in Lothian, witnessed many charters of Malcolm IV., bestowing pious donations on the abbeys of Holyrood, Newbattle, and Dunfermline, before 1165, in which year that monarch died. He also appears (1153-1165) as Vicecomes de CasieZZo Pzd'Eamm, in the register of St. Marie of Newbattle. He witnessed two charters of William the Lion to the abbey of Cambuskenneth, and made a gift of the parish church of Melville (which, probably, he built) to the monastery of Dunfermline, in presence of Hugh, Bishop of St. Andrews, previously chaplain to King William, and who died in 1187. Galfrid of Melville left four sons-Sir Gregory, his successor, Philip, Walter, and Waren. Of the last nothing is known, but the other three founded ... THE MELVILLES.. / LASSWADE CnuKCH, 1773. (Afdw an Etching by Yohn Clerk of E(din.1 CHAPTER XLIII. THE ...

Vol. 6  p. 361 (Rel. 0.6)

180 OLD AKD NEW EDINBURGH, [Leith. 1596-7. In 1578 an Act of Parliament was passed to prevent “ the taking away of great quantities of victual and flesh from Leith, under the pretence of victualling ships.”. In the same year a reconciliation having been effected between the Earl of Morton and the nobles opposed to him, the Earls of Argyle, Montrose, Athole, and Buchan, Lord Boyd, and many other persons of distinction, dined with him jovially at an hostelry in Leith, kept by William Cant. There was considerable alarm excited in Edinburgh, Leith, and along the east coast generally, by a plague which, as Moyes records, was brought from Dantzig by John Downy’s ship, the WiZZiam of ~ 5 t h . By command of the Privy Council, the ship was ordered, with her ailing and dead, to anchor off Inchcolm, to which place all afflicted by the plague were to confine themselves. The crew consisted of forty men, of whom the majority died. Proclamation had been made at the market-cross of every east coast town against permitting this fated crew to land. By petitions before the Council it appeared that William Downie, skipper in Leith, left a widow and eleven children; Scott, a mariner, seven. The survivors were afterwards re- Trades of Leith were declared independent of those of Edinburgh by a decree of the Court of Session. In October, 1589, James VI. embarked at Leith for Norway, impatient to meet his bride, Anne of Denmark, to whom he had been married by proxy. She had embarked in August, but her fleet had been detained by westerly gales, and there seemed little prospect of her reaching Scotland before the following spring. Though in that age a voyage to the Baltic was a serious matter in the fall of the year, James, undaunted, put to sea, and met his queen in Norway, where the marriage ceremony was performed again by the Rev. David Lindsay, of Leith, in the cathedral of St. Halvard at Christiania, and not at Upsala. THE ARMS moved to Inchkeith and the Castle of Inchgarvie, and the ship, which by leaks seemed likely to sink at her anchors, was emptied of her goods, which were stored in the VOW~S,” or vaults, of St. Colm. In 1584 Leith was appointed the principal market for herrings and other fish in the Firth of Forth. Five years subsequent to this we find that the despotic magistrates of Edinburgh summoned nearly one half of their Leith vassals to hear themselves prohibited from the exercise of their various trades and from choosing their deacons in all time coming. They had previously thrust two unfortunate shoemakers into prison, one forprefending that he was elected deacon of the Leith Incorporation of the craft, and the other for acting as his officer; and we are told that, notwithstanding the remon- *strances of the operatives, no attention was paid to their statements, and “ they were proceeded against as a parcel of insolent and contumacious rascals ;” and it was not until 1734 that the Incorporated OF LEIlH. - , as some assert. After remaining for some months in Denmark, the royal pair on the 6th of May, landed at the pier of Leith (where the King’s Work had been prepared for their reception), amid the booming of cannon, and the discharge of a mighty Latin oration from Mr. James Elphinstone. It is remarkable that James, whose squadron came to anchor in the roads on the 1st of May, did not land at once, as he had been sorely beset by the incantations of witches during his voyage ; and it is alleged that the latter had declared “ he would never have come safely from the sea had not his faith prevailed over their cantrips.” They were more successful, however, with a large boat coming from Burntisland to Leith, containing a number of gifts for the young queen, and which they contrived to sink amid a storm, raised by the remarkable agency of a chrisfened cat, when all on board perished. In 1595 James wrote a letter at Holyrood, addressed to “ the Bailyies of Lethe,” at the instance of William Henryson, Constable Depute of Scotland, interdicting them from holding courts to consider actions of slaughter, mulctation, drawing blood, or turbulence. (Spald. Club Miscell.) In the following year, by a letter of gift under the Privy Seal, .he empowered the Corporation of Edinburgh to levy a certain tax during a certain period towards supporting and repairing the bulwark pier and port of Leith ; and in a charter of Niladamus, ... OLD AKD NEW EDINBURGH, [Leith. 1596-7. In 1578 an Act of Parliament was passed to prevent “ the taking away ...

Vol. 5  p. 180 (Rel. 0.6)

TALLY-STICK, BEARING DATE OF 1692. discovery was made in one of our churches. Some years ago a chest, without any address, but of enormous weight, was removed from the Old Weigh House at Leith, and lodged in the outer aisle of the old church (a portion of St. Giles’s). This box had lain for upwards of thirty years at Leith, and several years in Edinburgh, without a clainiznt, and, what is still more extraordinary, without any one ever having had the curiosity to examine it. On Tuesday, however, some gentlemen connected with the town caused the mysterious box to be opened, and, to their surprise and gratification, they found it contained a the power which the chamberlain had of regulating matters in his Court of the Four Burghs respecting the common welfare was transferred to the general Convention of Royal Burghs. This Court was constituted in the reign of James III., and appointed to be held yearly at Inverkeithing. By a statute of James VI., the Convention was appointed to meet four times in each year, wherever the members chose; and to avoid confusion, only one was to appear for each burgh, except the capital, which was to have two. By a subsequent statute, a majority of the burghs, came, by whom it was made, or to whom it belongs, this cannot remain long a secret. We trust, however, that it will remain as an ornament in some public place in this city.” More concerning it was never known, and ultimately it was placed in its present position, without its being publicly acknowledged to be a representation of the unfortunate prince. In this Council chamber there meets yearly that little Scottish Parliament, the ancient Convention of Royal Burghs. Their foundation in Scotland is as old, if not older, than the days of David I., who, in his charter to the monks of Holyrood, describes Edinburgh as a burgh holding of the king, paying him certain revenues, beautiful statute of his majesty (?), about the size of life, cast in bronze. . . . . Although it is at present unknown from whence this admirable piece of workmanship ‘and having the privilege of free markets. The judgments of the ( F Y O ~ Scoftish ~ntiq7rurirm -w7’scunr.) magistrates of burghs were liable TALLY-STICK, BEARING DATE OF 1692. to the review of the Lord Great Chamberlain of Scotland (the first of whom was Herbert, in IIZS), and his Court of the Four Burghs. He kept the accounts of the royal revenue and expenses, and held his circuits or chamberlainayres, for the better regulation of all towns. But even his decrees were liable to revision by the Court of the Four Burghs, composed of certain burgesses of Edinburgh, Stirling, Roxburgh, and Berwick, who met ahiiually, at Haddington. to decide, as a court of last resort, the appeals from the chamberlain-ayres, and determine upon all matters affecting the welfare of the royal burghs. Upon the suppression of the office of chamberlain (the last of whom was Charles Duke of Lennox, in 1685), the power of controlling magistrates’ accounts was vested in the Exchequer, and the reviewd of their sentences in the courts of law ; while . . or the capital with any other six, were empowered to call a Convention as often as they deemed it necessary, and all the other burghs were obliged to attend it under a. penalty. The Convention, consisting of two deputies from each burgh, now meets ancually at Edinburgh in the Council Chzmber, and it is somewhat singular that the Lord Provost, although only a meniber, is the perpetuai president, and the city clerks are clerks to the Convention, during the sittings of which the magistrates are supposed to keep open table for the members. The powers of this Convention chiefly respect the establishment of regulations concerning the trade and commerce of Scotland ; and with this end it has renewed, from time to time, articles of staple contract with the town of Campvere, in Holland, of old the seat of the conservator of Scottish privileges. As the royal burghs pay a sixth part of the sum imposed as a land-tax upon the counties in Scotland, the Convention is empowered to consider the state of trade, and the revenues of individual burghs, and to assess their respective portions The Convention has also been iii use to examine the administrative conduct of magistrates in the matter of burgh revenue (though this comes more properly under the Court of Exchequer), and to give sanction upon particular occasions to the Common Council of burghs to alienate a part of the burgh estate. The Convention likewise considers and arranges the political seffs or constitutions of the different burghs, and regulates matters concerning elections that may be brought before it. Before the use of the Council Chamber was assigned to the Convention it was wont to meet in an aisle of St. Giles’s church. Writers’ Court-so named from the circumstance of the Signet Library being once there-adjoins the Royal Exchange, and a gloomy little cuZ de sac it ... BEARING DATE OF 1692. discovery was made in one of our churches. Some years ago a chest, without ...

Vol. 1  p. 186 (Rel. 0.59)

170 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [St. Andrew Square. old Scottish school. His habits were active, anc he was fond of all invigorating sports. He wa skilled as an archer, golfer, skater, bowler, ant curler, and to several kindred associations of thosc sports he and ol$ Dr. Duncan acted as secretarie! for nearly half a century. For years old EbeI Wilson, the bell-ringer of the Tron Church, had thc reversion of his left-off cocked hats, which he wore together with enormous shoe-buckles, till his deatl in 1823. For years he and the Doctor had been thc only men who wore the old dress, which the latte retained till he too died, twelve years after. No. 24 was the house of the famous millionaire Gilbert Innes of Stowe. The Scottish Equitable Assurance Society occu pies No. 26. It was established in 1831, and war incorporated by royal charter in 1838 and 1846 It is conducted on the principle of mutual as surance, ranks a~ a first-class office, and has accumu lated funds amounting to upwards of ~ 2 , 2 5 0 , 0 0 0 with branch offices in London, Dublin, Glasgow and elsewhere. No. 29 was in 1802 the house of Sir Patrick Murray, Bart., of Ochtertyre, Baron of the Ex chequer Court, who died in 1837. It is now thc offices of the North British Investment Corn PanYNo. 33, now a shop, was in 1784 the house oi the Hon. Francis Charteris of Amisfield, afterwards fifth Earl of Wemyss. He was well known during his residence in Edinburgh as the particular patron of “Old Geordie Syme,” the famous town-piper of Dalkeith, and a retainer of the house of Buccleuch, whose skill on the pipe caused him to be much noticed by the great folk of his time. 01 Geordie, in his long yellow coat lined with red, red plush breeches, white stockings, buckled shoes and blue bonnet, there is an excellent portrait in Kay. The earl died in 1808, and was succeeded by his grandson, who also inherited the earldom of March. Nos. 34 and 35 were long occupied as Douglas’s hotel, one of the most fashionable in the city, and one which has been largely patronised by the royal families of many countries, including the Empress EugCnie when she came to Edinburgh, to avail herself, we believe, of the professional skill of Sir James Simpson. On that occasion Colonel Ewart marched the 78th Regiment or Ross-shire Buffs, recently returned from the wars of India, before the hotel windows, with the band playing Padant pour Za Syrie, on which the Empress came to the balcony and repeatedly bowed and waved her handkerchief to the Highlanders. In this hotel Sir Walter Scott resided for a few days after his return from Italy, and just before his death at Abbotsford, in September, 1832. No. 35 is now the new head office of the Scottish Provident Institution, removed hither from No. 6. It was originally the residence of Mr. Andrew Crosbie, the advocate, a well-known character in his time, who built it. He was the original of Counsellor Pleydell in the novel of “ Guy Mannering.” In 1754 Sir Philip Ainslie was the occupant of No. 38. Born in 1728, he was the son of George Ainslie, a Scottish merchant of Bordeaux, who, having made a fortune, returned home in 1727, and purchased the estate of Pilton, near Edinburgh. Sir Philip’s youngest daughter, Louisa, became the wife of John Allan of Errol House, who resided in No. 8. Sir Philip’s mother was a daughter of William Morton of Gray. His house is now, with No. 39, a portion of the office of the British Linen Company’s Bank, the origin and pro‘gress of which we have noticed in our description of the Old Town. It stands immediately south of the recess in front of the Royal Bank, and was mainly built in 1851-2, after designs by David Bryce, R.S.A., at a cost of about ~30,000. It has a three-storeyed front, above sixty feet in height,.with an entablature set back to the wall, and surmounted above the six-fluted and projecting Corinthian columns by six statues, each eight feet in height, representing Navigation, Commerce, Manufacture, Art, Science, and Agricu! ture; and it has a splendid cruciform tellingroom, seventy-four feet by sixty-nine, lighted by a most ornate cupola of stained glass, thirty feet in diameter and fifty high. With its magnificent columns of Peterhead granite, its busts of celebrated Scotsmen, and its Roman tile pavement, it is all in perfect keeping with the grandeur of the external facade. This bank has about 1,080 partners. Immediately adjoining, on the south, is the National Bank of Scotland, presenting a flank to West Register Street. It was enlarged backward ;n 1868, but is a plain almost unsightly building mid its present surroundings. It is a bank of :omparatively modem origin, having been estabished on the zIst March, 1825. In terms of a :ontract of co-partnership between and among the iartners, the capit31 and stock of the company were ixed at &,ooo,ooo, the paid-up portion of which s ~I,OOO,OOO. In the royal charter granted to he National Bank on the 5th August, 1831, a ipecific declaration is made, that “ nothing in these resents ” shall be construed to limit the responsiility and liability of the individual partners of the ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [St. Andrew Square. old Scottish school. His habits were active, anc he was fond of ...

Vol. 3  p. 170 (Rel. 0.59)

Parlient Close.] JOHN OSW.4LD. I79 his peculiar hze& or place of resort by day or night, where merchants, traders, and men of every station, met for consultation, or good-fellowship, and to hear the items of news that came by the mail or stage from distant parts; and Wilson, writing in 1847, says, “ Currie’s Tavern, in Craig’s Close, ‘once the scene of meeting of various clubs, and a favourite resort of merchants, still retains .a reputation among certain antiquarian bibbers for an old-fashioned luxury, known by the name of jaj-in, a strange compound of small-beer and whiskey, curried, as the phrase is, with a little aatmeal.” Gossiping Wodrow tells us in his ‘I Analecta,” that, on the 10th of June, 1712, “The birthday of the Pretender, I hear there has been great outrages .at Edinburgh by his friends. His health was drunk early in the morning in the Parliament Close j and at night, when the magistrates were going through the streets to keep th: peace, several were taken up in disguise, and the King‘s health (ie., James VIII.) was drunk out of several windows, and the glasses thrown over the windows when the magistrates passed by, and many windows were illuminated. At Leith there was a standard :set upon the pier, with a thistle and Nemo me imjune Zaessit, and J ‘R. VI11 ; and beneath, Noe Abjuration. This stood a great part of the -day.” Had the old historian lived till the close .of the century or the beginning of the present, he might have seen, as Chambers tells us, “Singing Jamie Balfour ”-a noted convivialist, of whom a portrait used to hang in the Leith Golf-housewith other topers in the Parliament Close, all bareheaded, on their knees, and hand-in-hand, around .the statute of Charles II., chorusing vigorously, “T. King s h d enjoy his own again.” Jamie Balfour was well known to Sir Walter Scott. About the year 1760 John’s coffee-house was kept by a man named Oswald, whose son John, born there, and better known under his assumed name of Sylvester Otway, was one of the most extraordinary characters of that century as a poet .and politician. He served an apprenticeship to a jeweller in the Close, till a relation left him a legacy, with which he purchased a commission in the Black Watch, and in 1780 he was the third lieutenant in seniority in the 2nd battalion when serving in India. Already master of Latin and Greek, he then taught himself Arabic, and, quitting the army in 1783, became a violent Radical, and published in London a pamphlet on the British Constitution, setting forth his views (crude as they were) and principles. His amatory poems received she dpprobation of Bums; and, after publishing various farces, effusions, and fiery political papers, he joined the French Revolutionists in 1792, when his pamphlets obtained for him admission into the Jacobite Club, and his experiences in the qznd procured him command of a regiment composed of the masses of Paris, with which he marched against the royalists in La Vendie, on which occasion his men mutinied, and shot him, together with his two sons-whom, in the spirit of quality, he had made drummers-and an English Zentleman, who had the misfortune to be serving in the same battalion. John third Earl, of Bute, a statesman and a patron of literature, who procured a pension for Dr. Johnson, and who became so unpopular as a minister through the attacks of Wilkes, was born in the Parliament Close on the 25th of May, 1713. Near to John’s coffee-house, and on the south side ,of the Parliament Close, was the banking-house of Sir William Forbes, Bart., who was born at Edinburgh in 1739. He was favourably known as the author of the “Life of Beattie,” and other works, and as being one of the most benevolent and highspirited of citizens. The bank was in reality established by the father of Thomas Coutts, the eminent London banker, and young Forbes, in October, 1753, was introduced to the former as an apprentice for a term of seven years. He became a copartner in 1761, and on the death of one of the Messrs. Coutts, and retirement of another on account of ill-health, while two others were settled in London, a new company was formed, comprising Sir William Forbes, Sir James Hunter Blair, and Sir Robert Hemes, who, at first, carried on business in the name of the old firm. In 1773, however, Sir Robert formed a separate establishment in London, when the name was changed to Forbes, Hunter, and Co., of which firm Sir William continued to be the head till his death, in 1806. Kin&id tells us that, when their first bankinghouse was building, great quantities of human bones-relics of St. Giles’s Churchyard-were dug up, which were again buried at the south-east corner, between the wall of the edifice and the Parliament Stairs that led to the Cowgate; and that, “ not many years ago, numbers were also dug up in the Parliament Close, which were carefully put in casks, and buried in the Greyfriars’ Churchyard” In accordance with a longcherished desire of restoring his family-which had been attainted for loyalty to the house of StuartLSir William Forbes embraced a favourable opportunity for purchasing ... Close.] JOHN OSW.4LD. I79 his peculiar hze& or place of resort by day or night, where merchants, ...

Vol. 1  p. 179 (Rel. 0.59)

it, sixty feet wide, bordering the Albert and other docks, and, in addition to the edifices specially mentioned, contains the offices of the Leith Chamber of Commerce, instituted in 1840, and incorporated in 1852, having a chairman, deputy-chairman, six directors, and other officials ; the sheriff-clerk's office; that of the Leith Burghs PiZoi, and the offices of many steamship companies. At the north-east angle of Tower Street stands the lofty circular signal-tower (which appears in THE EXCHANGE BUILDINGS. son has a view of the door and staircase window of No, 10, which bears the date 1678, with the initials R.M. within a chaplet. In No. 28 is the well-known Old Ship Hotel, above the massive entrance of which is carved, in bold relief, an ancient ship ; and No. 20 is the equally well-known New Ship Tavern, or hotel, the lower flat of which is shown, precisely as we find it now, in the Rotterdam view of I 700, with its heavily moulded doorway, above which can be traced, several of our engravings), so long a leading feature in all the seaward views of Leith, and the base of which, so lately as 1830, was washed by the waves at the back of the old pier. It was originally a windmill for making rape-oil, as described by Maitland, and it is distinctly delineated in a view (seep. 173) of Leith Harbour about 1700, now in the Trinity House, to which it was brought by one of the incorporation, who discovered it at Rotterdam in 1716. Part of the King's Wark is also shown in it. What is called the Shore, or quay, extends from the tower southward to the foot of the Tolbooth Wynd, and is edificed by many quaint old buildings, with gables, dormers, and crowsteps. Robertthrough many obliterations of time and paint, a Latin motto from Psalm cxxvi, most ingeniously adapted, by the alteration of a word, to the calling of the house-"Ne dormitet custos tuus. Ecce non dormitat neque dormit custos domus" (Israelis in the original), which is thus translated-"He that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth the house (Israel) shall neither slumber nor sleep." The taverns of Leith have always.held a high repute for their good cheer, and were always the resort of Edinburgh lawyers on Saturdays. The host of the '' Old Ship I' is very prominently mentioned by Robert Fergusson in his poem, entitled '' Good Eating." ... sixty feet wide, bordering the Albert and other docks, and, in addition to the edifices specially mentioned, ...

Vol. 6  p. 245 (Rel. 0.59)

140 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [St. Giles's Church. establishment, and Maitland gives us a roll of the forty chaplaincies and altarages therein. An Act of Council dated twelve years before this event commemorates the gratitude ,of the citizens to one who had brought from France a relic of St. Giles, and, modernised, it runs thus :- *' Be it kenned to all men by these present letters, we, the provost, bailies, counselle and communitie of the burgh of Edynburgh, to be bound and obliged to William Prestoune of Gourton, son and heir to somewhile iVilliam Prestoune of Gourton, and to the friends and sirname of them, that for so much that William Prestoune the father, whom God assoile, made diligent labour, by a high and mighty prince, the King of France (Charles VII.), and many other lords of France, for getting the arm-bone of St. Gile, the which bone he freely left to our mother kirk of St. Gile of Edinburgh, without making any condition. We, considering the great labour and costs that he made for getting thereof, promise that within six or seven years, in all the possible and goodly haste we may, that we shall build an aisle forth from our Ladye aisle, where the said William lies, the said aisle to be begun within a year, in which aisle there shall be brass for his lair in bost (it., for his grave in embossed) work, and above the brass a writ, specifying the bringing of that Rylik by him into Scotland, with his arms, and his arms to be put in hewn church of his name in the Scottish quarter of Bruges, and on the 1st of September is yearly borne through the streets, preceded by all thedrums in the garrison. To this hour the arms of Preston still remain in the roof of the aisle, as executed by the engagement in the charter quoted; and the Prestons continued annually to exercise their right of bearing the arm of the patron saint of the city until the eventful year 1558, when the clergy issued forth for the last time in solemn procession on the day of his feast, the 1st SEAL OF ST. G1LES.t (A ffw Henry Lain&. work, in three other parts of the aisle, with book and chalice and all other furniture belonging thereto. Also, that we shall assign the chaplain of whilome Sir William of Prestoune, to sing at the altar from that time forth. . . . . Item, that as often as the said Rylik is borne in the year, that the sirname and nearest of blood of the said William shall bear the said Rylik, before all others, &c. In witness of which things we have set to our common seal at Edinburgh the 11th day of the month of January, in the year of our Lord 1454"* The other arm of St. Giles is preserved in the Frag. : " Scotomomastica." September, bearing with them a statue of St. Giles-"a marmouset idol," Knox calls itborrowed from the Grey Friars, because the great image of the saint, which was as large as life, had been stolen from its place, and after being '' drouned " in the North Loch as an encourager of idolatry, was burned as a heretic by some earnest Reformers. Only two years before this event the Dean of Guild had paid 6s. for painting the image, and Izd. for polishing the silver arm containing the relic. To give dignity to this last procession the queen regent attended it in person; but the moment she left it the spirit of the mob broke forth. Some pressed close. to the image, as if to join in its support, while endeavouring to shake it down; but this. proved impossible, so firmly was it secured to its supporters; and the struggle, rivalry, and triumph of the mob were delightful -to Knox, who described the event with the inevitable glee in which he indulged on such occasions. Only four years after all this the saint's silverwork, ring and jewels, and all the rich vestments, wherewith his image and his arm-bone were wont to be decorated on high festivals, were sold by the authority of the magistrates, and the proceeds employed in the repair of the church. f Under a canopy supported by spiral columns a full-length figure of. St. Giles with the nimbus, holding the crozier in his right hand, and ih his left a Look and a branch. A kid, the usual attendant on St. Giles, is playfully leaping up to his hand. On the pedestal is a shield bearing the castle triple-towered, S. COMMUNE CAPTI BTI EGIDII DEEDINBURGH. (Apfindrd to a chartrr by the Provost [ Waite, FodesJ d Chuptrr of St. Gdes of fke man= andgkk in favmrof the magisfrates and' conzmndy of Edindrryh, A.D. 1496.") ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [St. Giles's Church. establishment, and Maitland gives us a roll of the forty ...

Vol. 1  p. 140 (Rel. 0.59)

University,] A STUDENTS’ RIOT. I1 placed in the city charter room; and this order occurs often afterwards, or is referred to thus :- ‘‘ In 1663 the magistrates came down with their halberts to the college, took away all our charters and papers, declared the Provost perpetual rector, though he was chancellor before, and at the same time discharged university meetings.” During the summer of 1656 some new buildings were in progress on the south side of the old college, as the town council records state that for the better carrying on thereof, “there is a necessitie to break down and demolishe the hous neirest the Potterrow Port, which now the Court du Guaird possesseth ; thairfoir ordaines the thesaurer with John Milne to visite the place, and doe therin what they find expedient, as weil for demolishing the said hous as for provyding for the Court du Guaird utenvayis.” During the year 1665 some very unpleasant relations ensued between the university and its civic patrons, and these originated in a frivolous cause. It had been the ancient practice of the regents of all European seminaries to chastise with a birch rod such of the students as were unruly or committed a breach of the laws of the college within its bound. Some punishment of this nature had been administered to the son of the then Provost, Sir Andrew Ramsay, Knight, and great offence was taken thereat. In imitation of his colleagues and predecessors, the regent, on this occasion, had used his own entire discretion as to the mode and amount of punishment he should inflict ; but the Lord Provost was highly exasperated, and determining to wreak his vengeance on the whole university, assumed the entire executive authority into his own hands. ‘‘ Having proceeded to the college, and exhibited some very unnecessary symbols of his power within the city-the halberts, we presume-on the tenth of November he repaired to the Council Chamber and procured the following Act- to be passed :- Th CoumiZ agrees fhut fhe Provosf of Edinburgh, present and to come, 6e &ways Rector and Governor uf fhe roZZege in a21 time coming.’ The only important effects which this disagreeable business produced were, that it was the cause of corporal punishment being banished from the university, and that no rector has since been elected,” adds Bower, writing in 1817. “The Senatw Arademiclls have repeatedly made efforts to revive the election of the ofice of rector, and have as often failed of success.” A short time before his death Cromwell made a grant to the college of &zoo per annum, a sum which in those days would greatly have added to the prosperity of the institution ; but he happened to die in the September of the same year in which the grant was dated, and as all his Acts were rescinded at the’ Restoration, his intentions towards the university came to nothing. The expense of passing the document at the Exchequer cost about L476 16s. Scots; hence it is extremely doubtful if the smallest benefit ever came of it in any way. The year 1680 saw the students of the university engaged in a serious riot, which created a profound sensation at the time. ‘i After the Restoration, the students,” says Amot, “ appear to have been pretty much tainted with the fanatic principles of the Covenanters,” and they resolved, while the Duke of Albany and York was at Holyrood, to manifest their zeal by a solemn procession and burning of the pope in effigy on Christmas Day, and to that end posted up the following :- “‘I’HESE are to give notice to all Noblemen, Gentlemen, Citizens, and others, that We, the Students of the Royal College of Edinburgh (to show our detestation and abhorrence of the Romish religion, and our zeal and fervency for the Protestant), do resolve to bum the effigies of Anfi-ch&f, the Pqe of Rome at the Mercat Cross of Edinburgh, the 25th of December instant, at Twelve in the forenoon (being the festival of Our Saviour’s nativity). And as we hate tumnlts as we do superstition, we do hereby (under pain of death) discharge all robbers, thieves, and bawds to come within 40 paces of our company, and such as shall be found disobedient to these our commands, Sibi Caveant. “ By our Special command, ROBERT BROWN, Secretary to all our Theatricals and Extra L i t d Divertisements.” “AN ADVERTISEMENT. This announcement filled the magistrates with alarm, as such an exhibition was seriously calculated to affront the duke and duchess, and, moreover, to excite a dangerous sedition. According to a history of, this affair, published for Richard Janeway, in Queen’s Head Alley, Paternoster Row, 1681, the students bound themselves by a solemn oath to support each other, under penalty of a fine, and they employed a carver, “who erected then a wooden Holiness, with clothes, tiiple crown, keys, and other necessary habiliments,” and by Christmas Eve all was in readiness for the display, to prevent which the Lord Provost used every means at his command. He sent for Andrew Cant, the principal, and the regents, whom he enjoined to deter the students “ with menaces that if they would not, he would make it a bloody Christmas to them.” He then went to Holyrood, and had an interview with the duke and the Lord Chancellor, who threatened to march the Scottish troops into the town. Meanwhile, the principal strove to exact oaths and promises from the students that they would re ... A STUDENTS’ RIOT. I1 placed in the city charter room; and this order occurs often afterwards, or is ...

Vol. 5  p. 11 (Rel. 0.59)

I34 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Restalng. many instances, relatives and friends. With all the affected zeal of a peacemaker, this gentleman (whose house stood in Drury Lane, off the Strand in London), proposed terms which Huntly deemed satisfactory ; but the next point to be considered was, which party should first march off the field. On this, both parties were absurdly obstinate. Huntly maintained that Morton, by an aggressive display, had drawn the Queen’s troops out of the city ; while Morton, on the other hand, charged the Highland Earl with various acts of hostility and insult. Dnuy eventually got both parties to promise to quit the ground at a given signal, “and that signal,” he arranged, “shall be the throwing up of my hat.” This was agreed to, and before Drury was halfway between the Hawkhill and the ancient quarries, up went his plumed hat, and away wheeled Huntly’s forces, marching for the city by the road that led to the Canongate, without the least suspicion of the treachery of Drury, or Morton, whose soldiers had never left their ground, and who cow, rushing across the open fields with shouts charged with the utmost fury the queen’s men, ‘‘ who were retiring with all the imprudent irregularity and confusion which an imaginary security and exultation at having escaped a sanguinary conflict were calculated to produce.” Thus treacherously attacked, they were put to flight, and were pursued with cruel and rancorous slaughter to the very gates of the city. The whole road was covered with dead and wounded men, while Lord Home, several gentlemen of high position, and seventy-two private soldiers, a pair of colours, several horses, and two pieces of cannon, were, amid great triumph, marched into Leith in the afternoon. This was not the only act of treachery of which Sir William Drury was guilty. He swore that he was entirely innocent, and threw the whole blame on Morton; but though an ambassador, so exas. perated were the people of Edinburgh against him, that he had afterwards to quit the city under a guard to protect him from the infuriated mob. The Laird of Restalrig was among those who surrendered with Kirkaldy of Grange, in 1573, when the Castle of Edinburgh capitulated to Morton; but he would seem to have been pardoned, as no record exists of any seventy practised upon him. In #some criminal proceedings, in I 5 76, the sheet of water here is designated as Restalrig Loch, when a woman named Bessie Dunlop was tried for witchcraft and having certain interviews with ‘‘ ane Tam Reid,” who was killed at the battle of Pinkie. Having once ridden with her husband to Leith to bring home meal, “ganging afield to tether her horse at Restalrig Loch, there came ane company of riders by, that made sic a din as if heaven and earth had gane together; and, incontinent they rade into the loch, with mony hideous rumble. Tarn tauld [her] it was the Gude Wights, that were riding in middle-eard.” For these and similar confessions, Bessie was consigned to the flames as a witch. During the prevalence of the pestilence, in 1585, James Melville says that on his way to join the General Assembly at Linlithgow he had to pass through Edinburgh ; that after dining at Restalrig at eleven o’clock, he rode through thecity from the Water Gate to the West Port, “ in all whilk way, we saw not three persons, sae that I mis-kenned Edinburgh, and almost forgot that I had ever seen sic a town.” In 1594 Restalrig was the scene of one of those stormy raids that the “mad Earl of Bothwell” caused so frequently, to the torment of James VI. The earl, at the head of an armed force, was in Leith, and broke out in open rebellion, when, on the 3rd of April, the king, after sermon, summoned the people of Edinburgh in arms, and moved towards Leith, from whence Bothwell instantly issued at the head of 500 mounted men-atms, and took up a position at the Hawkhill near Restalrig. Fearing, however, the strength of the citizens, he made a detour, and galloped through Duddingstone. Lord Home with his lances followed him to “the Woomet,” says Birrel, probably meaning Woolmet, near Dalkeith, when Bothwell faced about, and compelled him to retire in turn, but not without bloodshed. In February, 1593, at Holyrood, Robert Logan, of Restalrig, was denounced for not appearing to answer for his treasonable conspiracy and trafiicking “ with Francis, sum tyme Earl of Bothwell ; ” and in the June of the following year he was again denounced as a traitor for failing to appear and answer for the conduct of two of his vassals, Jockie Houlden and Peter Craick, who had despoiled Robert Gray, burgess in Edinburgh of Lg50. It was in this year that the remarkable indenture was formed between him and Napier of Merchiston to search for gold in Fast Castle (the “Wolf’s Crag” of the Master of Ravenswood), a fortress which lie had acquired by his marriage with an heiress of the Home family, to whom it originally belonged. Logan joined the Earl of Gowrie in the infamous and mysterious conspiracy at Perth, in the year 1600. It was proposed to force the king into ir boat at the bottom of the garden of Gowrie House, which the river Tay bordered, and from‘ thence conduct him by sea to Logan’s inacces ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Restalng. many instances, relatives and friends. With all the affected zeal of a ...

Vol. 5  p. 134 (Rel. 0.58)

-48 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. WolJlmd mted with several mouldings, partly circular and partly hexagonal. The eagle stands upon a globe, and the shaft has been originally supported on three feet, which are now gone. The lectern at present is five feet seven inches in height, and is inscribed :-“GEORGIUS CREICHTOUN, EPISCOPUS DUNKENENSIS.” He died on January 24th, 1543, and the probability is that the lectern had been presented to Holyrood on his elevation to Dunkeld as a farewell ’ 1523. He had been previously provost of the collegiate church of Corqtorphine, and was twice High Treasurer, in 1529 and 1537. In 1538 he was elected Bishop of KOSS, and held that office, together with the Abbacy of Ferne, till his death, jrst November, 1545. XXIX ROBERT STUART, of Strathdon, a son.of James V. by Eupham Elphinstone, had a grant of the abbacy when only seven years of age, and in manhood he joiiied the Reformation party, in 1559. THE ABBEY CHURCH. (From an Engravitigin Maitlads “History of Edinbaq-4.”) gift, and that it had been stolen from the abbey by Sir Richard Lea of Sopwell, who accompanied the Earl of Hertford in the invasion of 1544, and who carried off the famous brazen font from Holy- TOO^, and presented it to the parish church of St. Albans, with a magniloquent inscription. ‘‘ This font, which was abstracted from Holyrood, is no longer known to exist, and there seems no reason to doubt that the lectern, which was saved by being buried during the Civil Wars, was abstracted at the same time, and given to the church of St. hlbans by the donor of the font.’’ XXVII. WILLIAM DOUGLAS, Prior of Coldingham, was the next abbot. XXVIII. ROBERT CAIRNCROSS,abbot September He died in r5z8. He married in 1561, and received from his sister, Queen Mary, a gift of some Crown lands in Orkney and Shetland in 1565, with a large grant out of the queen’s third of Holyrood in the following year. In 1569 he exchanged his abbacy with Adam Bishop of Orkney for the temporalities of that see, and his lands in Orkney and Shetland were erected into an earldom in his favour 28th October, 1581. XXX. ADAM BOTHWELL, who acquired the abbacy in commendam by this strange and lawless compact, did not find his position a very quiet one, and several articles against him were presented in the General Assembly in 1570. The fifth of these stated that all the twenty-seven churches of the ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. WolJlmd mted with several mouldings, partly circular and partly hexagonal. The eagle ...

Vol. 3  p. 48 (Rel. 0.58)

375 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Moultray‘s Hill. country where pedigree is the best ascertained of any in the world, the national record of armorial bearings, and memoirs concerning the respective families inserted along with them, are far from being the pure repositary of truth. Indeed, there have of late been instances of genealogies inrolled in the books of the Lyon Court, and coats of arms with supporters and other marks of distinction being bestowed in such a manner as to throw ridicule upon the whole science of heraldry.” For a time tlie office was held by John Hooke Campbell, Esq., with a salary of A300 yearly. Robert ninth Earl of Kinnoul, and Thomas tenth Earl, held it as a sinecure in succession, with a salary Of A555 yearly ; for each herald yearly, and for each pursuivant A16 13s. 4d. yearly were paid ; and on the death of the last-named earl, in 1866, the office of Lord Lyon was reduced to a mere Lyon Ring, while the heralds and pursuivants were respectively reduced to four each in number, who, clad in tabards, proclaim by sound of trumpet and under a guard of honour, at the market cross, as of old, war or peace with foreign nations, the proroguing and assembly of Parliament, the election of peers, and so forth. The new Register House stands partly behind the old one, with an open frontage in West Register Street, towards Princes Street. It was built between 1857 and 1860, at a cost of &27,000, from designs by Kobert Matheson. It is in a species of Palladian style, with Greek details. It serves chiefly as the General Registry Ofice for births, deaths, and marriages, with the statistical and index departments allotted thereto. A supplemental building in connection with both houses was built in 1871, from designs by the same architect. It is a circular edifice, fifty-five feet in diameter, and sixty in height, relieved by eight massive piers and a dado course, surmounted by a glazed dome, that rises within a cornice and balustrade. It serves for the reception of record volumes in continuation of those in the old Register House. In the new buildings are various departments connected with the law courts-such as the Great Seal Office, the Keeper of the Seal being the Earl of Selkirk; and the office of the Privy Seal, the keeper of which is the Marquis of Lothian. The latter was first established by James I., upon his return to Scotland in 1423. In ancient times, in the attestation of writings, seals were commonly affixed in lieu of signatures, and this took place with documents concerning debt as well as with writs of more importance. In writs granted by the king, the affixing of his seal alone gave them . sufficient authority without a signature. This seal was kept by the Lord High Chancellor; but as public business increased, a keeper of the Privy or King’s Seal was created by James I., who wished to model the officials of his court after what he had seen in England ; and the first Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal, in 1424 was Walter Footte, Provost of Bothwell. The affixing of this seal to sny document became preparatory to obtaining the great seal to it. It was, however, in some cases, a sufficient sanction of itself to several writs which were not to pass the great seal; and it came at length to be an established rule, which holds good to this day, that the rights of such things as might be conveyed among private persons by assignations were to pass as grants from the king under his privy seal alone ; but those of lands and heritages, which among subjects are transmitted by disilositions, were to pass by grants from the king under the great seal. “Accordingly, the writs in use to pass under the privy seal alone were gifts of offices, pensions, presentation to benefices, gifts of escheat, ward, marriage and relief, z r l t i m r s hares, and such like ; but as most of tlie writs which were to pass under the great seal were first to pass the privy seal, that afforded great opportunity to examine the king’s writs, and to prevent His Majesty or his subjects from being hurt by deception or fraud.” In the new Register House are also the Chancery Office, and the Record of Entails, for which an Act was first passed by the Parliament of Scotland in 1685, the bill chamber and extractor’s chamber, the accountant in bankruptcy, and the tiend office, Src. In front of the flights of steps which lead to the entrance of the original Register House stands the bronze equestrian statue of the Duke of Wellington, executed bySir John Steell, RS.A.,a native sculptor. The bust taken for this figure so pleased the old duke that he ordered two to be executed for him, one for Apsley House, and the other for Eton. It was erected in 1852, amid considerable ceremony, when there were present at the unveiling a vast number of pensioners drawn up in the street, many minus legs and arms, while a crowd of retired officers, all wearing the newly-given war-medd, occupied the steps of the Register House, and were cheered by their old comrades to the echo. Many met on that day who had not seen each other since the peace that followed Waterloo ; and when the bands struck up 5uch airs as “The garb of old Gaul,” and “The British Grenadiers,” many a withered face was seen to brighten, and many an eye grew moist; staffs and crutches were brandished, and the cheering broke forth again and again. ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Moultray‘s Hill. country where pedigree is the best ascertained of any in the world, ...

Vol. 2  p. 372 (Rel. 0.58)

240 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Leith is in the Gothic style, with a tower 130 feet high, surmounted by an open crown. On the east side of this street, and near its northern end, stood the house in which John Home, the author of ‘( Douglas ” and other tragedies, was born, on the 13th September, 1724. His father, Alexander Home, was Town Clerk of Leith, and his mother was Christian Hay, daughter of a writer in Edinburgh. He was educated at the Grammar School in the Kirkgate, and subsequently succeeded in carrying Thomas Barrow, who had dislocated his ankle in the descent, to Alloa, where they were received on board the YuZture, sloopofwar, commanded by Captain Falconer, who landed them in his barge at the Queen’s Ferry, from whence Home rFturned to his father‘s house in Leith. Subsequently he became the associate and friend of Drs. Robertson and Blair, David Hume, Adam Fergusson, Adam Smith, and other eminent Ziterati ST. JAMES’S CHAPEL, 1820. (Aftcr Stow.) at the university of the capital. His father was a son of Home of Flass (says Henry Mackenzie, in his “ Memoirs ”1, a lineal descendant of Sir James Home of Cowdenknowes, ancestor of the Earls of Home. He was licensed by the Presbytery of Edinburgh on the 4th of April, in the memorable year 1745, and became a volunteer in the corps so futilely formed to assist in the defence of Edinburgh against Prince Charles Edward Serving as a volunteer in the Hanoverian interest, he was taken prisoner at thevictory of Falkirk, and committed to the castle of Doune in hlonteith, from whence, with some others, he effected an escape by forming ropes of the bedclothes-an adventure which he details in his own history of the civil strife. They of whom the Edinburgh of that day could boast ; and in 1746 he was inducted as minister at Athelstaneford, his immediate predecessor being Robert Blair, author of “ The Grab-e," and there he produced his first drama, founded on the death of Agis, King of Sparta, which Gamck declined when offered for representation in I 749. In 1755 Home set off on horseback to London from his house in East Lothian, with the tragedy of “Ilouglas” in his pocket, says Henry Mackenzie. ‘‘ His habitual carelessness was strongly shown by his having thought of no better conveyance for this MS.-by which he #vas to acquire all the fame and future success of which his friends were so confident-than the pocket of the great- . ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Leith is in the Gothic style, with a tower 130 feet high, surmounted by an open ...

Vol. 6  p. 240 (Rel. 0.58)

according to Bellenden, was now standing boldly at bay, and, with its branching antlers, put the life of the pious monarch in imminent jeopardy, as he and his horse were both borne to the ground. With a short hunting-sword, while fruitlessly endeavouring to defend himself against the infuriated animal, there appeared-continues the legend-a silver cloud, from the centre of which there came forth a hand, which placed in that of David a sparkling cross of miraculous construction, in so far that the material of which it was composed could never be discovered. Scared by this interposition, the white stag fled down the hollow way between the hills, but was afterwards slain by Sir Gregan Crawford, whose crest, a stag‘s head erased with a cross-crosslet between the antlers, is still borne by his descendants, the Crawfords of Kilbirnie, in memory of that eventful day in the forest of Drurnsheugh. Thoughtful, and oppressed with great awe, the king slowly wended his way through the forest to the Castle ; but the wonder did not end there, for when, after a long vigil, the king slept, there appeared by his couch St. Andrew, the apostle of Scotland, surrounded by rays of glory, instructing him to found, upon the exact spot where he had been miraculously saved, a fwegfh monastery for the canons regular of St. Augustine ; and, in obedience to this vision, he built the noble abbey of Holyrood, “in the little valley between two mountains ”-i.e., the Craigs and the Calton. Therein the marvellous cross was preserved till it was lost at a long subsequent period; but, in memory of St. David’s adventure on Rood-day, a stag‘s head with a cross between the antlers is still boqe as the arms of the Canongate. Alfwin was appointed first abbot, and left a glorious memory for many virtues.* Though nobly endowed, this famous edifice was not built for several years, during which the monks were received into the Castle, and occupied buildings which had been previously the abode of a community of nuns, who, by permission of Pope Alexander III., were removed, the monks, as Father Hay tells us, being deemed “as fitter to live among soldiers.” Abbot M7illiard appears, in 1152, as second superior of the monks in the Castrum Puellarum, where they resided till I I 76. A vehement dispute respecting the payment of tithes having occurred between Robert bishop of St. Andrews and Gaufrid abbot of Dunfermline, it was decided by the king, apud Casielum PueZZamm, m presence of a great convention, con- ’ “ Memorials of Ediiburgh Castle.” sisting of the abbots of Holyrood and Stirling, Gregory bishop of Dunkeld, the Earls of Fife and March, Hugo de Morville the Lord High Constable, William Lord of Carnwath, David de Oliphant a knight of Lothian, Henry the son of Swan, and many others, and the matter in debate was adjudicated on satisfactorily. David--‘< sair sanct for the crown ” though King James I. is said to have styled him-was one of the best of the early kings of Scotland. “I have seen him,” remarks Aldred, “quit his horse and dismiss his hunting equipage when any, even the humblest of his subjects, desired an audience ; he sometimes employed his leisure hours in the culture of his garden, and in the philosophical amusement of budding and engrafting trees.” In the priory of Hexham, which was then in Scottish territory, he was found dead, in a posture of devotion, on the 24th of May, 1153, and was succeeded by his grandson Malcolm IV. who, though he frequently resided in the Castle, considered Scone his capital rather than Edinburgh. In 1153 he appointed Galfrid de Melville, of Melville in Lothian, to be sheriff of the fortress, and became a great benefactor to the monks within it. In 1160, Fergus, Lord of Galloway, a turbulent thane, husband of the Princess Elizabeth daughter of Henry I. of England, having taken arms against the Crown, was defeated in three desperate battles by Gilbert de Umfraville ; after which he gave his son Uchtred as a hostage, and assumed the cowl as an Augustine friar in the Castle of Edinburgh, where-after bestowing the priory of St. Marie de Tray11 as a dependant on Holyrood-he died, full of grief and mortification, in IIGI. Malcolm died in 1165, and was succeeded by William the Lion, who generally resided at Haddington; but many of his public documents are dated “Ajud Monasienicnt San& Crzmi de CasteZZo.” In 1174 the Castle fell, for the first time, into the hands of the English. William the Lion having demanded the restitution of Northumberland, Henry of England affected to comply, but afterwards invaded Scotland, and was repulsed. In turn William entered England at the head of 80,ooo men, who sorely I ravaged the northern counties, but being captured by treachery near Alnwick, and treated with wanton barbarity and indecency, his vast force dispersed. A ransom of AIoo,ooo-an enormous sum in those dayswas demanded, and the Castle was given, with some others, as a hostage for the king. Fortunately, however, that which was lost by the chances of war was quickly restored by more pleasant means, ... to Bellenden, was now standing boldly at bay, and, with its branching antlers, put the life of the ...

Vol. 1  p. 22 (Rel. 0.58)

Holyrood.] THE ABBEY CHURCH IN RUINS. 59 and cannon were two ship’s masts, fully rigged, one on the right bearing the Scottish flag, another on the left bearing the English. ‘‘ Above all these rose the beautiful eastem window, shedding a flood of light along the nave, eclipsing the fourteen windows of the clerestory. The floor was laid with ornamental tiles, some portions of which are yet preserved.” In the royal yacht there came to Leith from London an altar, vestments, and images, to complete the restoration of the church to its ancient uses. As if to hasten on the destruction of his house, James VII., not content with securing to his Catholic subjects within the precincts of Holyrood that degree of religious toleration now enjoyed by every British subject, had mass celebrated there, and established a college of priests, whose rules were published on the zznd of March, 1688, inviting people to send their children there, to be educated gratis, as Fountainhall records. He also appointed a Catholic printer, named Watson (who availed himself of the protection afforded by the sanctuary) to be “ King‘s printer in Holyrood ;” and obtained a right from the Privy Council to print all the “ prognostications at Edinburgh,” an interesting fact which accounts for the number of old books bearing Holyrood on their title-pages. Prior to all this, on St. Andrew’s Day, 30th November, the whole church was sprinkled with holy water, re-consecrated, and a sermon was preached in it by a priest named Widerington. Tidings of the landing of William of Orange roused the Presbyterian mobs to take summary vengeance, and on being joined by the students of the University, they assailed the palace and chapel royal. The guard, IOO strong-“ the brats of Belia1”- under Captain Wallace, opened a fire upon them, killing twelve and wounding many more, but they were ultimately compelled to give way, and the chapel doors were burst open. The whole interior was instantly gutted and destroyed, and the magnificent throne, stalls, and orgab, were ruthlessly tom down, conveyed to the Cross, and there consigned to the flames, amid the frantic shrieks and yells of thousands. Not content with all this, in a spirit of mad sacrilege, the mob, now grown lawless, burst into the royal vault, tore some of the leaden coffins asunder, and, according to Amot, camed off the lids. By the middle of the eighteenth century the rooG which had become ruinous, was restored with flagstones in a manner too ponderous for the ancient arches, which gave way beneath the superincumbent weight on the 2nd of December, 1768; and again the people of Edinburgh became seized by a spirit of the foullest desecration, and from thenceforward, until a comparafively recent period, the ruined church remained open to all, and was appropriated ‘ tu the vilest uses. Grose thus describes what he saw when the rubbish had been partly cleared away :-“ When we lately visited it we saw in the middle of the chapel the columns which had been borne down by the weight of the roof. Upon looking into the vaults which were open, we found that what had escaped the fury of the mob at the Revolution became a prey to the mobwho ransacked it after it fell. In A.D. 1776 we had seen the body of James V. and others in their leaden coffins; the coffins are now stolen. The head of Queen Margaret (Magdalene?), which was then entire, and even beautiful, and the skull of Damley, were also stolen, and were last traced to the collection of a statuary in Edinburgh.” In 1795 the great east window was blown out in a violent storm, but in 1816 was restored from its own remains, which lay scattered about on the ground. In the latter year the north-west tower, latterly used as a vestry, was still covered by an ogee leaden roof. The west front of what remains, though the W0i-k perhaps of different periods, is in the most beautiful style of Early English, and the boldly-cut heads in its sculptured arcade and rich variety of ornament in the doorway are universally admired. The windows above it were additions made so latelyas the time of Charles I., and the inscriptions which that upfortunate king had carved on the Ornamental tablet between them is a striking illustration of the vanity of human hopes. One runs :- Ultimately this also fell. “Basiluam ham, Carolus Rex, @firnus imtaxravit, 1633.” The other :- “HE SHALL ESTABLISH ANE HOUSE FOR MY NAME, AND I WILL ESTABLISH THE THRONE OF HIS KINGDOM FOR EVER.” In the north-west tower is amarble monument to Robert, Viscount Belhaven, who was interred there in January, 1639. His nephews, Sir Archibald and Sir Robert Douglas, placed there that splendid memorial to perpetuate hisvirtues as a man and steadiness as a patriot. A row of tombs of Scottish nobility and others lie in the north aisle. The Roxburgh aisle adjoins the royal vault in the south aisle, and in front of it lies the tomb of the Countess of Errol, who died in 1808. Close by. it is that of the Bishop of Orkney, already referred to. “ A flattering inscription enumerates the. bishop’s titles, and represents this worldly hypocrite ... THE ABBEY CHURCH IN RUINS. 59 and cannon were two ship’s masts, fully rigged, one on the right bearing ...

Vol. 3  p. 59 (Rel. 0.58)

234 .OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Leith But this ancient alley is the earliest thoroughhre in the seaport of which we have an authentic account, as towards the close of the fourteenth century it was granted, in a charter already quoted, by Logan of Restalng, the baronial over-lord of Leith, before it attained the dignity of a burgh, . to the burgesses of Edinburgh (hence its name) ; and at the time of its formation the whole imports and exports of the Leith shipping must have been conveyed to and fro on pack-horses or in wheelbarrows, as no larger means of conveyance could pas? through the Burgess Close. Its inconvenience appears to have been soon felt, and the Baron of Restalrig was compelled, under pressure, to grant his vassals a more commodious access to the shore. “The inscription which now graces this venerable thoroughfare,” says Wilson in 1847, “though of a date much later than its first construction, preserves a memorial of its gift to the civic council of Edinburgh, as we may reasonably ascribe the veneration of some wealthy merchant of the capital inscribing over the doorway of his mansion at Leith the very appropriate motto of the city arms. To this, the oldest quarter of the town, indeed, we must direct those who go in search of the picturesque.” The Humane Society of Leith, which was first instituted in 1788 for the recovery of persons apparently drowned or suffocated, had its rooms first in the Burgess Close and Bernard Street. Water’s Close, which adjoins, has several attractive features in a picturesque sense, and repulsive ones in its modern squalor. Tenements of stone and timber, and of great antiquity, are mingled together in singular disorder ; and one venerable tenement of hewn ashlar exhibits a broad projecting turnpike, with various corbellings, a half-circular turret, crowstepped gables, and massive chimneys, with “ every variety of convenient aberration from the perpendicular or horizontal which the taste or whim of its constructor could devise, and is one of the most singular edifices that the artist could select as a subject for his pencil.” Five low and square-headed doorways of great breadth show that the whole of the lower storey had been constructed as a warehouse. This edifice, with its vaults, is advertised as for sale in The Edinburgh Advertiser of 1789, and is described as being in “Willie Water’s Close, Leith.” Its vaults are stated to be of stone, and “ the whole length and breadth of the subject completely catacombed.” CHAPTER XXVI. LEITH-ROTTEN ROW, BROAD WYND, BERNARD STREET, BALTIC STREET, AND QUALITY STREET. The Improvement Scheme-Water Lane, or Rotten Row-House of the Queen Regent-Old Sugar House Company-The Broad Wynd-The. King’s Wark-Its History-The Tennis Court-Bernard Lindsay-Little London-Bernard Street-Old Glass House-How of John Home-Home and MR. Siddons-Professor Jamieson. MUCH of what we have been describing in Leith will ere long be swept away, for after some years of negotiation, the great “ Leith Improvement Scheme” has been definitely arranged, and the loan necessary to carry it out has been granted. Early in 1877 the Provost drew attention to the insanitary condition of certain portions of the burgh, more especially the crowded and central area lying between St. Giles’s Street and the Coal Hill. In the area mentioned the death rate amounted to twentysix per thousand., or five per cent above that of any other part of Leith, while the infantile mortality reached the alarming rate of fifty-six per thousand. It had been found that the power conferred on the local authority of levying an improvement rate under the Police Act, was quite inadequate for the purpose of improving an area so extensive; thus attention was drawh to- the Artisans’ Dwelling House Act, as a measure which might satisfy the requirements of the seaport, and two schemes, one of which included a large district, were condemned by the ratepayers as expensive and unsuitable. The Town Council then ordered the preparation of a plan likely to secure the objects in view, at a cost which would not prove oppressive to the inhabitants, and this scheme was ultimatelyapproved cf by the Home Secretary. Its main feature will be the ultimate opening up of a street fifty feet wide, from Great Junction Street to the Tolbooth Wynd, by the way of Yardheads, St Giles’s and St. Andrew’sStreets, andin the course ofits construdtion, three-quarters of a mile in length, no fewer than eighteen ancient closes will be removed, while the streets that run parallel ’ to Yardheads will be widened and improved. ... .OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Leith But this ancient alley is the earliest thoroughhre in the seaport of which we ...

Vol. 6  p. 234 (Rel. 0.57)

SAUGHTON HALL. 319 Riccar&&l He was at once-for some reasons known at the time-accused of having committed this outrage, and had to seek shelter in Holland. Eastward of this quarter stands the old mansian of Saughton, gable-ended, with howsteps, dormeI windows, steep roofs, and massive chimneys, with an ancient crowstepped dovecot, ornamented with an elaborate string-moulding, and having a shield, covered with initials, above its door. Over the entrance of the house is a shield, or scroll-work, charged with a sword between two helmets, with the initials P. E., the date, 1623, and the old Edinburgh legend, ‘‘ BLISIT. BE. GOD. FOR. AL. HIS GIPTIS.” This edifice is in the parish of St. Cuthbert’s ; but New Saughton and Saughton Loan End are in that of Corstorphine. For many generations the estate of Saughton was the patrimony and residence of the Bairds, a branch of the house of Auchmedden. James, eldest son and heir of Sir James Baird, Knight of Saughton, in the shire of Edinburgh, was created a baronet of Nova Scotia in 1695-6. He entailed the lands of Saughton Hall in 1712, and married the eldest daughter of Sir Alexander Gibson, of Pentland, and died, leaving a son and successor, who became involved in a serious affair, i~ 1708. In a drinking match in a tavern in Leith he insisted on making his friend Mr. Robert Oswald intoxicated. After compelling him to imbibe repeated bumpers, Baird suddenly demanded an apology from him as if he had committed some breach of good manners. This Oswald declined to do, and while a drunken spirit of resentment remained in his mind against Baird, they came to Edinburgh together in a coach, which they quitted at the Nether Bow Port at a late hour. No sooner were they afoot in the street than Baird drew his sword, and began to make lunges at Oswald, on whom he inflicted two mortal wounds, and fled from the scene, leaving beside his victim a broken and bloody sword. On the ground of its not being “ forethought felony,” he was some years after allowed by the Court of Justiciary to have the benefit of Queen Anne’s Act of Indemnity. He married a daughter of Baikie, of Tankerness, in Orkney, and, surviving his father by only a year, was succeeded by hi son, an officer in the navy, at whose death, unmarried, the title devolved upon his brother Sir William, also an officer in the navy, who married, in 1750, Frances, daughter of Colonel Gardiner who was slain at the battle of Prestonpans. He died in 1772, according to Schomberg’s Naval Chronology,“ “at his seat of Saughton Hall,” in I 7 7 I according to the Sofs Magazine for that year. From Colonel Gardiner‘s daughter comes the additional surname now used by the family. The old dovecot, we have said, still remains here untouched. In many instances these little edifices in Scotland survive the manor-houses and castles to which they were attached, by chance perhaps, rather than in consequence of the old superstition that if one was pulled down the lady of the family would die within a year of the event By the law of James I. it was felony to destroy a “dovecot,” and by the laws of James VI., no man could build one in “ a heugh, or in the country, unless he had lands to the value of ten chalders of victual yearly within two miles of the said dovecot.” The ancient bridge of Saughton over the Leith consists of three arches with massive piers, and bears the date of repairs, apparently 1670, in a square panel. Through one of the arches of this bridge, during a furious flood in the river, a chaise containing two ladies and two gentlemen was swept in 1774. and they would all have perished had not their shrieks alarmed the family at Saughton Hall, by whom they were succoured and saved. There is a rather inelegant old Scottish proverb with reference to this place, “Ye breed o’ Saughton swine, ye’re neb is ne’er oot 0’ an ill turn.” Throughout all this district, extending from Coltbridge to the Redheughs, by Gogar Green and Milburn Tower, the whole land is in the highest state of cultivation, exhibiting fertile corn-fields, fine grass parks and luxuriant gardens, interspersed with coppice, with the Leith winding amidst them, imparting at times much that is sylvan to the scenery. South of Gogar Bank are two old properties- Baberton, said to be a royal house, which, in the last century, belonged to a family named Inglis (and was temporarily the residence ,of CharI’es X. of France), and Riccarton, which a n boast of great antiquity indeed. Among the missing charters of Robert I. is one to Walter Stewart, of the barony of Bathgzte, with the lands of Richardfoun, the barony of Rathew, of Boundington, and others in the Sheriffdom of Edinburgh. Thus, we see, it formed part of the dowry given by the victor of. Bannockbum to his daughter the Lady Margery, wife of Walter, High Steward of Scotland, in 1316-direct ancestor of the House of Stewart-who died in his castle of Bathgate in 1328, his chief residence, the site of which is still marked by some ancient pine trees. In the reign of King Robert III., the lands of ... HALL. 319 Riccar&&l He was at once-for some reasons known at the time-accused of having ...

Vol. 6  p. 319 (Rel. 0.57)

374 *316,317; view below Cramond Brig, 111. '317 Cramond Bridge, 11. 63, 111. 1x1 CramondChurch 111. 316 '320 Cramond harbou; 111. 31; Cramond House i11.317,318, *3a2 Cramond Island: 111.315 Cramond Regis, 111. 107, 316 Cramond, Baroness, 111. 315 Cranston, Mn., 111. 161 Cranston Street 11. 17 Cranstoun, Hdn. George, Lord Corehouse, 11. 6, m7; his sister 11. .106 111. IOI Cranstdun, Thd- of, Provost, 11. 278 Cranstoun Geordie thedwarf 11.19 Crawford,'Earls of: I. 62, 68, mg, Crawford of Jordanhill, Sir Hew, Crawford'Sir Gregan I.'za Crawford'of D ~ m s o i 11.181, 111. 11. 354,'III. 194, 222 111. 90- his daughters i6. zg. 61, IS$ 34 Crawford S l r f V i l l h , 11. 47 Crawford' Captain, and Major Crawford, S:r John, 111,. 51, 52, 5 Crawford, Thomas, High S c h d Crawfoid of Jordanhill. Capt.. 111. somuvhe I. 95 rector II. qa . _ . 1 9 Crawfurd of Crad.udland, Howie- CrZC;; j k e s , Provost, 11. a78 Creichtoun of Felde, Deputy Pm Creighton, Willivn of 11. 47 ~ r e e ~ h , william, bo~ise~~er, I. ' 5 5 139 ; portrait of, I. 156 ; Burns' poem on, i. 156 Crceclr, Lord Provost, and Mh Burns 11. 158 159 C-h': Land, i. 153. 156 191 "Creech's Levee," I. 156 Crichton, Lord Chancellor, 11. 54 Crichton, Bamn, I. zg, 30, 053 Crichton Castle, 111. 61 Crichton of Lugton, David, 11. 39 Crichton, h. Andrew, 111. 79 Crichtonb Dr. Archbald, 11. 123, 111. 162 Crichton, George, Bishop of Dun. keld 1. 149 204 11. rj, 47, 48 Crichrbo, Rdhard: architect, 11.94 Crichton of Elliock, Robert, I. 126 Crichton, Lieut.-Col. Patrick, Ill. 161 ; duelhy, 111.16~ ; hisson, d. Crichton Street, 11. 329, 334 333, Cr%c%of Brunstane,The,III.xp Cringletie, Lord, 11. 174 Crisp, Henry, 1. 343 Crispm, Feasts of St., 11. 104 Cruchalh Club, 1. 235, 239, 11. Cmckat Lieut -General 111 95 Croft-ad-Righ,'m the Gield'of $ cromarty, Earls of, I. 1x1, 11, zg8, Crombie's Close, 11. 239, 2~ Cromwell, Oher, I. 4, 54, 55. 56, 353. 367, 371. 11. 31, 73. rgz,2~8, 286, 290. 327,367, 375, 383, 111. 186,187, 193, 21% 222, 230, 2s 318,329,33073431 347 ; p r o p 3 statue of 111.72 ter, 1. 34 vost, 11.279 -157, 166, 176, 212, 229, 11. Im 157, 187, 111. IZZ King, 11. 41, *# 215, 3x0 299. 3532 356 111- 30. I16 2 x 6 741 75, 159, -# %'B 218,227. 298, 439 99, 103, 1x3, 14% 143. 151, Cromwelrs'tarracks III. 257 '' Crookbacked Dici" of Glouces Crookshank the historian, I. 101 Crosby, Andrew, advocate, I. 192, C-4 the City, I. 50, 60, 98, 1x6, 334 11. 2 62.75, 131,111.1~ 72, 146: 755 191. cruel punishments ihct&l th&e, 1. 150, 151 ; k q u e t s at the, I. zm; exccuuons there, 11.14, III.187,268 zm 231.11. IF 122, 146, 152, 195, +03,227, 298, C T GusewaY, 11. 334, 341, 3451 346 Cross Ke s Tavern I. 251 Cross of &. John iI. z Cm~~rig, Lord 1.'161, 162, 11. 246 Crown Hotel, h. 118 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. Crown-mom, Edinburgh Castle, I. Cullayne, Capt. James, I. z6a Cullen, Lord Robert I. 27, 11. 171 Cullen, Dr., I. 156,'171, 271, 11. Culloden Battle if &te Battles) Cumberl;nd, Duke of, I. 332. 334, * 69 146, 302, 111. 23 35 I. 203 11. 281 111. 15 Cunninglham, si will- 11.153, Cunnineham of Baberton. House 111. 57 of 11; 162 Curkingham Rev.Dr. 1.87 111.51 Cunninghamk, Dr. deorgk, the Cunzie House. The, Candlemaker phycian, 11. 298 . . Row 11 *= . CunzidNkk, ?he, 11. 267 Curious dream sto 111. rgz 193 currie, III. 321, ?36; its 1-1 history, 111. 39-333; its ancient military remaim, 111. 331; the bridge, III.33?,333; the church, 111. 332; heritors roll of the parish. 111. 334 : longevity of its inhabitants, 111. 337 Cnrrie's Close, 11. 236 Currie's Tavern, I. 179 Curriehill. Lord. 11. qm Curriehil~castle, 111: 334 Currichill How, 11. 01 '' Curses," the Union Bong, I. 164 Custom House, Granton, 111. 14 Custom House, The, Leith, 311. 171. I I, 192, 228, 259, *264, z& CustomhouxQua ,Lath, 111.273 Cuthbert's Lane, 11: 1.38 D DArcy, Lady Camlime, 11. ~9 ?+r Lord I 274 D+y Rmirw The I. 288 2@ Dalelcish. Bot'hwelis accokdia in Dak Bailie Duff," 11. 255 Dm-le3smurder 1.263 f11. 6 6 Dalgleish, Nicol kinis& of St. Cuthbert's Chukh, 11.131 Dalgleish'sClose I. z q 252 Dalhousie, Earl bf, I. :s+, 11. 26, 98, 166, 318, 111. 342 ; Countess of 11. 318 DalLouie Marquis of 111. 88 Dalkeith, hlsof.11. &, 111. d g . 282,.311 Dalkeith, 11.236, 283, zg1,327, 111. Dalieith House 111. 146 Dalkeith railwa;, I. 384 Dalkeith Road, 11. 346, 355, 111. Dalmeny Park, 111. III Dalry burn, 11. 347 Dalry, Uistrict of, 11.213, 216,217, Dalry manor-house, II.*217,III. 78 Dalry Road 11. 214 216 217 218 Dalrynple, bavid, iard'Wdthall, Dalrymple, Hugh,LadDNmmore, Dalrymple, Sir David, I. 17ir 172, Dalrymple Sir Hew, 111. 262, 340 Dalrympld Sir James, 11. 327 Dalrymple: Sir John, 11. 26, 86, Dalrymple Sir Robert, 11. 143 DalrympldofCastleton, Sir Robert, Dalrymple of Cousland, 11. 348 Dalrymple, William, 11. 293 Dalrymple, Ca t Hugh, 11. 231 WIrymple, JoRn of, Provost, II. Dalymple, John, Provost, 11. 282, DalrympL of Stair I. 62 111. 323 Dalrymple, Lady, iI. 342 Ilaliymple's Yard I. 219 Dalyell Sir John braham 11. r6a Dalyell((or Dalrell), Sir Tiomas, I. 12,334; town mansion of, 11. 19 Dancing girl, Sale of a, I. 201 6r 134, 364 51, 57 111. 27, 35, 9a I. 222 I. 251 11. 243s 366 272, 335 I. 276 278 I1 . 36 a4 161, m, 378, 11: 75, 354, 111. Dancing school, The first, m Leith, Danube Street, 111. 72, 79 Darien Company, 111. 190 ; office Darien &edition, The, 111. 190 Darien House, 11. 323, 324, *325, Dark ageofEdinburgh, I. 187,111. Dark Pit The I. 6g 111. 231 of the 11. 322 326 126 116, 168, m.( 107, 276, 11. 18, 27, Queen Mary and, I. 46 ; murder of lI.jw,71 III.~--;r,m,23;emd l m i n g o f i i s w y , 11.71, 111.7 Dasses The 11. 313 David k., 1. ;r, ~ 2 ~ 7 8 . 148,14g, 186: II.&,III. 86, 26 339, 346, legendof the d ? ? Z H k , 11.21, 22, 2% 42, 111. 19; charter of H o l y r d Abbey, 11. 42, 43, 80, David II., I. &, zk, 11. 3, 47, 53, 9+ '3% 3=5.3=7, 33'. 338, 354 Dand's miraculous cross, King, 11. # David's Tower, Edinburgh Castle, 1. 26, 33 34, 36,*2# 44? 4% 48,49r 77 a ~i SS Daad.& 2 Muirhouse 111. 316 Davidson's Close. 11. zi D-b,'Lord' 1. 45.46. 47, 50, 78, 35, ~ 8 ~ 6 % 67,G% 74,286,III. 59 ; 180 111. 1x5 166 247 . 5 6 58, 278, 3% 111- 35, 41. 421 Davidson's Hook, Ca-tle Hill, I. 55 Davidson's Mains, 111. IIO Davit: IJeans' Cottage, 1. 383, 384, 11. 310 Dawick, Laud of, I. 1% Dawney Douglas's Tavern, I. 235 ; the"CrownRwm,"ib.; lintelof dqorway is, two views, 1. 235, 236 Dawson the comedian 11.24. ~ean damnia~ family 'of, II. 134 Dean: or Dene, Village of, I. 183, 3591 111- 62,633 642 66, 67, I* Dean Bank 111.75- theeducaUonaI institution III. 6 Dean Bridg;, I. 10, 111. 6 3 , y 70, 71, Pkte ZJ ; Roman urn onnd near, 1,. xo Dean Bndge Rcad, 111. 82 Dean cemetery, I. 218, IL am, -1 111. 63, 66, 68, '6g Dean Church 111.67 Dean Farm iII. 67 Dean Haugh I. 366 II.28qIII. 65 Dean manoAhouse: 111. *65, 68; h a n Orphan H q i t a l , HI. SI Dean Path 111. 67 Dean Side,'III. 67 Dean Street, 111. 77 Dean Street Church: fh. 75 Dean T e n a a 111. 72,7 Deanhaugh Sireet, Stak%ridge, 11. Deemster '$he (executioner), 1. ?42 Defencelhss state of the Fifeshire -3t aftertheunion, III.194,197 DefenceJ of Leith,The, 111. zgc-zg5 De Foe, Daniel I. 216 zp, 11. 79 Degraver, Dr. Pierre, 1. 1x5 Deidchack The I. I 6 Denham, S'u J&es gtewart, 111. its owners, III.66,67 Ij8, II1. 5, 79 146, 342 Denham, the actor, I. 350 Denham's Land, 11. 324, 325 Dental Hospitaland School, 11. 276 Derby, Countess of, mistress of Charles II., 11. zr Desmond Earls of I. 104 Destitute' Childred, Home for, 11. 26 Devil Legend of raising the, 11. 3 nevits Elbow The I. 7' pwar's Close: 11. 6 Diamond Beetle &se: The j r r Sesprit of 11. 207 Dick, Sir A l h d e r , 11. 86, 111.57, 1x4 Dick, Sir James, Lord Provost, I. Dick of Grange, The family of, Dick fa%,, The, 111. 114 Dick, Lady Anne, Strange habits 111. of I 254, 111. 114 (rct Royston, Lbrd) Dick-Cunningham family 111. 56 Dickens, Charles, in Edinburgh, 11. Dickison of Winkston. House of '50 Digges, 3'0 the Zomeddian, I. 34% 343, 11. 23, z4, 111. 241 Dilettanti Socie The I. 108 Dingwall, Lord,?? z62,'III. 62 Dingwall Sir John I. 340 Dingwalis Castle, f. 340, 353 Dirleton Lord, 111. 318, 348 Dirom Colonel 11. 120, 174 Dirtyklub Th; 111. 12 Disruption'of d e Scottist Church, 11. 95, 96, 138, 1441 '45, m.5, 111- Di%nterr Various sectsof, 111. p Distress oi the Edinburgh poor UI Dobdl Sydney 111. 148 Dock gtreet d i t h 111. 255 Dock Place,'Leith,'lII. 259 Doctors of Faculty Club, 111. 123 Dominicanmanasre lI.z50,~8+' Darnley's body k n d in th; gardensof 11. 286 288 Don, Sir Aixander,' 11. 159, 111. 1795 11. 283 339 Don, Si William, the actor, I. 351 Don, Lad I1 343, 111. 95 Donacha ha; 1.136 Donaldson'a dospital, I. 318, 11. Do~ldson's Close. I. 318 Donalds~n, Dr. James, 11. 112, 126 Donaldson, the bookseller, 1. 3x8; Donaldson. the theatrical author. 1. 214 PMC 10 hw son Jams, 1. 18, 11.214 DOMldSOll, Capt., d. 153 343,. y 5 ' DonnibnstleCastle, I. 246,III.11~ 302 Eoo Park, 111. 37 Doubling the Cap," 111. 125 Douglas, Duke of I. 105, 14a, 11. 331, 354 351; buchess of, 11. 351, 111. 124 Douglas, Marquis of, 11. 3x7 Douglas, Earls Of, 2% 30. 31r34r 3% old mansion ofthr. 11. 257 38. 39. 4 3 43. 258, 111. 133, 338 ; Douglag Archibald, 'Earl d-Angus, Douglas,.&hiba?d, Marquis, I I. 350 IJou~Is, Archbald Earl uf, 11. Provost 11. 27 331,111. 3.2 Douglas, James Marquis of 11. 351 Douglas, James, Earl of harton, DougL, Sir Archibald, I. 196 Douglas, Sir Archubald and Si Dounlas. Sir Georee. I. 106 I1 80 Robert, 11. 59 Douglas' Sir am& '11. 283 Douglas' Sir keil, iI. 153 Douglas: Sir Rotprt, the historian. I. I28,II. 35,37,1I1.11gr 318,348, 301 Douglac of Brackhouse, The family ~odg~as ofcave- I. 271 Douglas ofGlenbervie, Sir Willii, Douglas of Hawthornden 111. 27 Douglas oCHawthornden,'Sir JoL, Douglas of Hyvelie William, 111.34 Douglas of Kilspiddie Archibald, Provost, 11. a79, do; begs the royal intercession, 11. 280 Douglas of Parkhead, Sir James, 1. 54 I95 Douglas of Parkhead. George, the murderer of Rizzio, I. 9, 11. 74 235; Provost, 11. 280 Douglas Ladylsabell I 97 Douglas'pcerage, The,?. 98,349-- Douglascs and Hamiltons, Feuds Dough? of Spott 111. 330 DouglaqofWhitt:nghame, William, of 111. 193, 315 11. 279, 111. 53 111. 354 35' between the, 11. 63, 279, 285 1. 259,161 ... view below Cramond Brig, 111. '317 Cramond Bridge, 11. 63, 111. 1x1 CramondChurch 111. 316 ...

Vol. 6  p. 374 (Rel. 0.57)

Canongate1 SIR JOHN WHITEFORD OF THAT ILK 35 but who, after being sentenced to death, escaped to Rome, where he died in 1749, without issue, aceording to Sir Robert Douglas ; and, of course, is :the same house that has been mentioned in history as the Lord Seton’s lodging ‘‘ in the Cannogait,” wherein on his arrival from England, ‘.‘ Henrie Lord Dernlie, eldest son of Matho, erle of Lennox,” re- :sided when, prior to his marriage, he came to Edinburgh on the 13th of February, 1565, as stated in the ‘‘ Diurnal of Occurrents.” In the same house was lodged, in 1582, according to Moyse, Mons. De Menainville, who came as an extra ambassador from France, with instructions to join La Motte Fenelon. He landed at Burntisland on the 18th of January, and came to Edinburgh, where he had an audience with Janies VI. on the 23rd, to the great alarm of the clergy, who dreaded this double attempt to revive French influence in’ Scottish affairs. One Mr. James Lawson ‘‘ pointed out the French ambassaye” as the mission of the King of Babylon, and characterised Menainville as the counterpart of the blaspheming Rabshakeh. Upon the 10th February, says Moyse, “La Motte having received a satisfying answer to his comniission, with a great banquet at Archibald Stewart’s lodgings in Edinburgh, took his journey homeward, and called at Seaton by the way. The said Monsieur Manzeville remained still here, and lodging at my Lord Seaton’s house in the Canongate, had daily access to the king’s majesty, to whom he imparted his negotiations at all times.” In this house died, of hectic fever, in December, 1638, Jane, Countess of Sutherland, grand-daughter af the first Earl of Winton. She “was interred at the collegiat churche of Setton, without any funeral1 ceremoney, by night.” In front of this once noble mansion, in which Scott lays some of the scenes of the “Abbot,” there sprang up a kind of humble tavern, built chiefly of lath and plaster, known as “Jenny Ha’s,” from Mrs. Hall, its landlady, famous for her claret. Herein Gay, the poet, is said to “‘have boosed during his short stay in Edinburgh ;” and to this tavern it was customary for gentlemen to adjourn after dinner parties, to indulge in claret from the butt. On the site of the Seton mansion, and surrounded by its fine old gardens, was raised the present edifice known as Whiteford House, the residence of Sir John Whiteford, Bart., of that ilk and Ballochof the early patrons of Burns, who had been htre duced to him by Dr. Mackenzie, and the grateful bard never forgot the kindness he accorded to him. The failure of Douglas, Heron, & Co., in whose bank he had a fatal interest, compelled him to dispose of beautiful Ballochmyle, after which he resided permanently in Whiteford House, where he died in 1803. To the last he retained a military bearing, having served in the army, and been a major in 1762. Latterly, and for many years, Whiteford House was best known as the residence of Sir William Macleod Bannatyne, who was raised to the bench on the death of Lord Swinton, in 1799, and was long remembered as a most pleasing example of the old gentleman of Edinburgh “before its antique mansions and manners had fallen under the ban of modern fashion.” One of the last survivors of the Mirror Club, in private life his benevolent and amiable qualities of head and heart, with his rich stores of literary and historical anecdote, endeared him to a numerous and highly distinguished circle of friends. Robert Chambers speaks of breakfasting with him in Whiteford House so late as 1832, “on which occasion the venerable old gentleman talked as familiarly of the levees of the sous-nziniske for Lord Bute in the old villa at the Abbey Hill as I could have talked of the Canning administration, and even recalled, 2.5 a fresh picture of his memory, his father drawing on his boots to go to make interest in London on behalf of some men in trouble for the ‘45, particularly his own brother-in-law, the Clanranald of that day.” He died at Whiteford House on the 30th of November, 1833, in the ninety-first year of his age. His mansion was latterly used as a type-foundry. On the south side of the street, nearly opposite the site of the Seton lodging, the residence of the Dukes of Queensberry still towers up, a huge, dark, gloomy, and quadrangular mass, the scene of much stately life, of low corrupt intrigue, and in one instance of a horrible tragedy. It was built by Lord Halton on land belonging to the Lauderdale family; and by a passage in Lord Fountainhall’s folios would seem to have been sold bp him, in June, 1686, to William first Duke of Queensbeny and Marquis of Dumfries-shire, Lord High Treasurer and President of the Council,a noted money-lender and land-acquirer, who built the castle of Drumlanrig, and at the exact hour . niyle, a locality in Ayrshire, on which the muse of whose death, in 1695, it is said, a Scottish of Bums has conferred celebrity, and whose father skipper, being in Sicily, saw one day a coach and is said to have been the prototype of Sir Arthur ,six driving to flaming Mount Etna, while a dia- Wardour in the “Antiquary.” Sir John was one 1 bolical voice was heard to exclaim, “Way for the ... SIR JOHN WHITEFORD OF THAT ILK 35 but who, after being sentenced to death, escaped to Rome, where he ...

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*lEe %we.] THE LORDS ROSS. 339 long, from where the north-east end of Teviot Row was latterly. There were the stable offices; in front of the house was a tree of great size, while its spacious garden was bordered by Bristo Street. When offered for sale, in March, 1761, it was described in a newspaper of the period as “ROSS House, with the fields and gardens lying around it, consisting of about twenty-fou acres, divided as follows : About an acre and a half in a field and court about the house; seventeen acres in one field lying to the south-west, between it and Hope Park j the rest into kitchen-gardens, running along Bristo Street and the back of the wall. The house consists of dining, drawing, and dressing rooms, six bed-chambers, several closets and garrets; in the ground storey, kitchen, larder, pantry, milkhouse, laundry, cellars, and accommodation for servants, &c” This house, which was latterly used as a lying-in hospital, was occupied for some time prior to 1753 by George Lockhart of Carnwath, during whose time it was the scene of many a gay rout, ball, and ridotto ; but it was, when the family were in Edinburgh, the permanent residence of the Lords Ross of Halkhead, a family of great antiquity, dating back to the days of King Willmm the Lion, 1165. In this house died, in June, 2754, in the seventy third year of his age, George, twelfth Lord ROSS, Commissioner of the Customs, whose body wa taken for interment to Renfrew, the burial-place 01 the family. His chief seats were Halkhead and Melville Castle, He was succeeded by his son, the Master of Ross, who waa the last lord of that ilk, and who died in his thirty-fourth year, unmarried, at Mount Teviof the seat of his uncle, the Marquis of Lothian, in the following August, and was alsa taken to Renfrew for purposes of interment. His sister Elizabeth became Countess of Glas gow, and eventually his heiress, and through he1 the Earls of Glasgow are also Lords Ross of Halkhead, by creation in 1815. Another sister was one of the last persons in Scotland supposed to be possessed of an evil spirit-Mary, who died unmarried. A correspondent of Robert Chambers states as follows:- ‘‘A person alive in 1824 told me that, when a child, he saw her clamber up to the top of an oldfashioned four-post bed. In her fits it was impossible to hold her.” At the time-Ross House was offered for sale the city was almost entirely confined within the Flodden Wall, the suburbs being of small extent- Nicolson Street and Square, Chapel Street, the southern portion of Bristo Street, Crichton Street, - . Buccleuch Street, and St. Patrick Square; though some mere projected, the sites were nearly alI fields and orchards. The old Statistical Account says that Ross Park was purchased for ;GI,ZOO, and that the ground-rents of the square yield now (i.e., in 1793) above LI,OOO sterling per annum to the proprietor. James Brown, architect, who built Brown Square, having feued from the city of Edinburgh the lands of Ross Park, built thereon most of the houses of the h’ew Square, which measures 220 yards by 150, and is said to have named it, not for the king, but Brown’s elder brother George, who was the Laud of Lindsaylands and Elliestown. It speedily became a more popular place of residence than Brown Square, being farther from town, and possessing houses that were greatly superior in style and accommodation. Among the early residents in the square in 1784, and prior to that year, were the Countesses of Glasgow and Sutherland, the Ladies Rae and Philiphaugh, Antliony, Earl of Kintore, eighth Lord Falconer of Halkertoun, Sir John Ross Lockhart, and the Lords Braxheld, Stonefield, and Kennet; and in 1788, Major-General Sir Ralph Abercrombie, who died of his wounds in Egypt It has been recorded as an instance of Lord Braxfield’g great nerve that during the great political trials in 1793-4, when men’s blood was almost at fever heat, after each day’s proceedings closed, usually about midnight, he always walked home, alone and unprotected, through the dark or illlighted streets, to his house in George Square, though he constantly commented openly upon the conduct of the Radicals, and more than once announced in public that ‘‘ They wad a’ be muckle the better 0’ bein’ hung ! Here, too, resided in 1784 the Hon. Henry Erskine (brother of the Earl of Buchan), the witty advocate, who, after being presented to Dr. Johnson by Mr. Boswell, and having made his bow in the Parliament House, slipped a shilling into Boswell’s hand, whispering that it was for the sight of his English bear. To those named, Lord Cockburn, in his “Memorials,” adds the Duchess of Gordon, Robert Dundas of Amiston, Lord Chief Baron of Exchequer, the hero of Camperdown, Lord President Blair, Dr. John Jamieson, the Scottish lexicographer, and says, “a host of other distinguished people all resided here. The old square, with its pleasant trim-kept gardens, has still an air of antiquated grandeur about it, and retains not a few traces of its former dignity and seclusion.” Aniong the documents exhibited at the Scott ... %we.] THE LORDS ROSS. 339 long, from where the north-east end of Teviot Row was latterly. There were the ...

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west Port.] THE TILTING GROUND. 225 centuries,” and the access thereto from the Castle must have been both inconvenient and circuitous. It has been supposed that the earliest buildings -on this site had been erected in the reign of James IV., when the low ground to the westward was the scene of those magnificent tournaments, which drew to that princely monarch7s court the most brilliant chivalry in Europe, and where those combats ensued of which the king was seldom an idle spectator. This tilting ground remained open and unen- ~ appointed for triell of suche matters.” Latterly the place bore the name of Livingstone’s Yards. We have mentioned the acquisition by the city of the king‘s stables at the Restoration. Lord Fountainhall records, under date I rth March, 1685, a reduction pursued by the Duke of Queensberry, as Governor of the Castle, against Thomas Boreland and other possessors of these stables, as part of the Castle precincts and property. Boreland and others asserted that they held their property in THE GRASSMARKET, FROM THE WEST PORT, 1825. (Afhh’wbmk.) closed when Maitland wrote. and is described by I virtue of a feu granted in the reign of James V., him as a pleasant green space, 150 yards long, by 50 broad, adjoining the Chapel of Our Lady ; but this “pleasant green” is now intersected by the‘ hideous Kingsbridge ; one portion is occupied by the Royal Horse Bazaar and St. Cuthbert’s Free Church, while the rest is made odious by tan-pits, slaughter-houses, and other dwellings of various descriptions. Calderwood records that in the challenge to mortal combat, in 1571, between Sir William I Kirkaldy of Grange, and Alexander Stewart younger of Garlies, they were to fight “upon the ground, the Baresse, be-west the West Port of Edinburgh, the place accustomed and of old , I 77 but the judges decided that unless thedefenders could prove a legal dissolution of the royal possession, they must be held as the king‘s stables, and be accordingly annexed to the crown of Scotland Thomas Boreland’s house, one which long figured in every view of the Castle from the foot of Vennel {see Vol. I., p. 80), has recently been pulled down. It was a handsome and substantial edifice of three storeys in height, including the dormer windows, crow-stepped, and having three most picturesque gables in front, with a finely moulded door, on the lintel of which were inscribed a date and legend :- T. B. v. B. 1675. FEAR. GOD. HONOR . THE. KING. ... Port.] THE TILTING GROUND. 225 centuries,” and the access thereto from the Castle must have been both ...

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298 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Infirmary Street. In that year a fishing company was dissolved, and the partners were pcevailed upon to assign part of their stock to promote this benevolent institution, which the state of the poor in Edinburgh rendered so necessary, as hitherto the members of the Royal College of Physicians had given both medicines and advice to them gratis. A subscription for the purpose was at the same time urged, and application made to the General Assembly to recommend a subscription in all the parishes under its jurisdiction ; but Arnot records, to the disgrace of the clergy of that day, that “ten out of eleven utterly disregatded it.” Aid came in from lay purses, and at the second meeting of contributors, the managers were elected, the rules of procedure adjusted, and in 1729, on the 6th of August, the Royal Infirmary-ohe of the grandest and noblest institutions in the British Isles, was opened, but in a very humble fashionin a small house hired for the sick poor, hear the old University-a fact duly recorded in the Month0 Cirronicle of that year, on the 18th of the month. This edifice had been formerlyused by Dr. Black, Professor of Chemistry, as the place for delivering his lectures, says Kincaid, but this must have been before his succession to the chair. It was pulled down when the South Bridge was built. Six physicians and surgeons undertook to give, as before, medicines and attendance gratis ; and the total number of patients received in the first year amounted to only thirty-five, of whom nineteen were dismissed as cured. The six physicians, whose names deserve to be recorded with honour, were John &‘Gill, Francis Congalton, George Cunninghame, Robert Hope, Alexander Munro, and John Douglas. Such was the origin of the Edinburgh Infirmary, which, small as it was at first, was designed from its very origin as a benefit to the whole kingdom, no one then dreaming that a time would come when every considerable . county town would have a similar hospital.” In the year 1736, by a royal charter granted by George II., at Kensington palace, on the 25th of August, the contributors were incorporated, and they proposed to rear a building calculated to accommodate 1,700 patients per annum, allowing six weeks’ residence for each at an average ; and after a careful consideration of plans a commencement was made with the east wing of the present edifice, the foundation-stone of which was laid on the 2nd of August, 1738, by George Mackenzie, the gallant Earl of Cromarty, who was then Grand Master Mason of Scotland, and was afterwards attainted for leading 400 of his clan at the battle of Falkirk. The Royal College of Physicians attended as a body on this occasion, and voted thirty guineas towards the new Infirmary. This portion of the building was, till lately, called the Medical House. Supplies of money were promptly rendered. The General Assembly-with a little better success-again ordered collections to be made, and the Established clergy were now probably spurred on by the zeal of the Episcopalians, who contributed to the best of their means; so did various other public bodies and associations. Noblemen and gentlemen of the highest position, merchants, artisans, farmers, carters-all subscribed substantially. Even the most humble in the ranks of the industrious, who could not otherwise aid the noble undertaking, gave their personal services at the building for several days gratuitously. A Newcastle glass-making company glazed the whole house gratis ; and by personal correspondence money was obtained, not only from England and Ireland, but from other parts of Europe, and even from America, as Maitland records ; but this would be, of course, from Scottish colonists or exiles. So the work of progression went steadily on, until the present great quadrangular edifice on the south side of Infirmary Street was complete. It - consists of a body and two projecting wings, all four storeys in height. The body is 210 feet long, and in its central part is thirty-six feet wide ; in the end portions, twenty-four. Each wing is seventy feet long, and twenty-four wide. The central portion of the edifice is ornate in its architecture, having a range of Ionic columns surmounted by a Palladiau cornice, bearing aloft a coved roof and cupola. Between the columns are two tablets having the inscriptions, “1 was naked and ye clothed me ;” I was sick and ye visited me ;” and between these, in a recess, is, curiously enough, a statue of George 11. in a Roman costume, carved in London. The access to the different floors is by a large staircase in the centre of the building, so spacious as to admit the transit of sedan chairs, and by two smaller staircases at each end. The floors are portioned out into wards fitted up with beds for the patients, and there are smaller rooms for nurses and medical attendants, with others for the manager, for consultations, and students waiting. Two of the wards devoted to patients whose cases are deemed either remarkable or instructive, are set apart for clinical lectures attended by students of medicine, and delivered by the professors of clinical surgery in the adjacent University. Within the attic in the centre of the building is a spacious theatre, capable of holding above 200 Many joiners gave sashes to the windows. ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Infirmary Street. In that year a fishing company was dissolved, and the partners were ...

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326 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Libertou. extended from east to west over all the country. This inequality in the surface .contributes much to the ornament of the view, by the agreeable relief which the eye ever meets with in the change of objects ; while the universal declivity, which prevails more or less in every field, is favourable to the culture of the lands, by allowing a ready descent to the water which falls from the heavens.” (Agricultural Survey of Midlothian.) Situated in a hollow of the landscape, on the Colinton slope of the Pentlands, is Bonally, with the Vale of the Leith, and enters the parish here, on the west side by a lofty aqueduct bridge of eight arches, and passes along it for two and a half miles. Near Slateford is Graysmill, where Prince Charles took up his headquarters in 1745, and met the deputies sent there from the city to arrange about its capitulation, and where ensued those deliberations which Lochiel cut short by entering the High Street at the head of go0 claymores. Proceeding eastward, we enter the parish of Liberton, one of the richest and most beautiful in its ponds, 482 feet above the tower, added to a smaller house, and commanding a pass among the hills, was finished in 1845 by Lord Cockburn, who resided there for many years. There are several copious and excellent springs on the lands of Swanston, Dreghorn, and Comistun, from which, prior to the establishment of the Water Company in 1819, to introduce the Cramley water, the inhabitants of Edinburgh chiefly procured that necessary of life. At Corniston are- the remains of an extensive camp ofpre-historic times. Adjacent to it, at Fairmilehead, tradition records that a great battle has been fought ; two large cairns were erected there, and when these were removed to serve for road metal, great quantities of human bones were found sea-level. A peel i all the fertile Lothians. Its surface is exquisitely diversified by broad low ridges, gently rising swells and intermediate plains, nowhere obtaining a sufficient elevation to be called a hill, save in the instances of Blackford and the Braid range. “As to relative position,” says a writer, ‘‘ the parish lies in the very core of the rich hanging plain or northerly exposed lands of Midlothian, ahd commands from its heights prospects the most sumptuous of the urban landscape and romantic hills of the metropolis, the dark farm and waving outline of the Pentlands and their spurs, the minutely-featured scenery of the Lothians, the Firth of Forth, the clear coast line, the white-washed towns and distant hills of Fife, and the bold blue sky-line of mountain The parish itself has a thoul€IE BATTLE OR CAMUB STONE, COMISTON. ranges away in far perspective. in and under them. Near \$here they stood there still remains a relic of the fight, a great whinstone block, about 20 feet high, known as the Kelstain, or Battle Stone, and also as Cuvw Stage, from the name of a Danish commander. Corniston House, in this quarter, was built by Sir James Forrest in 1815. The Hunter’s Tryst, near this, is a well-known and favourite resort of the citizens of Edinburgh in summer expeditions, and was frequently the headquarters of the Six Foot Club. Slateford, a village of Colinton parish, is two and a half miles from the west end of Princes Street. It has. a ‘United Secession place of worship, dating from 1784, and is noted as the scene of the early pastoral labours of the Rev. Dr. John Dick The Union Canal is carried across . sand attractions, and is dressed out in neatness of enclosures, profusion of garden-grounds, opulence of cultivation, elegance or tidiness of. mansion, village, and cottage, and busy stir and enterprise, which indicate full consciousness of the immediate vicinity of the proudest metropolis in Europe.” One of the highest ridges in the parish is crowned by the church, which occupies the exact site of a more ancient fane, of which we have the first authentic notice in the King’s charter to the monks of Holyrood, circa 1143-7, when he grants them ‘‘ that chapel of Liberton, with two oxgates of land, with all the tithes and rights, etc.,” which had been made to it by Macbeth-not the usurper, as Arnot erroneously supnoses, but the Macbeth, or Macbether, Baron of Liberton, whose name occurs as witness to several royal charters of David I. ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Libertou. extended from east to west over all the country. This inequality in the ...

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your king, and will yield it to no power whatever. But I respect that of the Parliament, and require six days to consider its demand; for most important is my charge, and my councillors, alas ! are now few,” she added, bursting into tears, probably as she thought of the many “ Who on Flodden’s trampled sod, Rendered up their souls to God.” For their king and for their country, Alarmed at a refusal so daring, Angus entreated PLAN OF EDINRURGH, SHOWING THE FLODDEN WALL. (Snscd on &rdon of Rothiemy’s Mnp, 1647.) her brother, Henry VIII., by complaining that she had been little else than a captive in the Castle Edinburgh. Meanwhile the Duke of Albany had taken UP his residence at Holyrood, and seems to have proceeded, between 1515-16, with the enlargement the royal buildings attached to the Abbey House, in continuation of the works carried on there by the late king, till the day of Flodden. Throughout the minority of James V. Edinburgh continued tO her to obey the Estates, and took an instrument to the effect that he had no share in it; but she remained inexorable, and the mortified delegates returned to report the unsuccessful issue of their mission. Aware that she was unable to contend with the Estates, she secretly retired with her sons to Stirling, and, after placing them in charge of the Lords Borthwick and Fleming, returned to her former residence, though, according to Chalmers, she had no right of dowry therein. Distrusting the people, and, as a Tudor, distrusted by them, she remained aloof from all, until one day, escorted by Lord Home and fifty lances, she suddenly rode to the Castle of Blackadder (near Berwick), from be disturbed by the armed contentions of the nobles, especially those of Angus and Arran ; and in a slender endeavour to repress this spirit the salary of the Provost was augmented, and a small guard of halberdiers was appointed to attend him. Among those committed prisoners to the Castle by Albany were the Lord Home and his brother William for treason; they escaped, but were retaken, and beheaded 16th October, 1516, and their heads were placed on the Tolbooth.* Huntly and Moray were next prisoners, for fighting at the head of their vassals in the streets; and the next was Sir Lewk Stirling, for an armed brawl. -- ... king, and will yield it to no power whatever. But I respect that of the Parliament, and require six days to ...

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Canongate.] THE TENNIS COURT. ’ 39 Scotland, and who for some years had been Commissioner to the General Assembly. In this house he died, 28th July, 1767, as recorded in the Scots Magazine, and was succeeded by his son, Major- General the Earl of Ancrum, Colonel of the 11th Light Dragoons (now Hussars). His second son, Lord Robert, had been killed at Culloden. His marchioness, Margaret, the daughter of Sir Thomas Nicholson, Bart., of Kempnay, who survived him twenty years, resided in Lothian Hut till her death. It was afterwards occupied by the dowager of the ‘ fourth Marquis, Lady Caroline D’Arcy, who was only daughter of Robert Earl of Holderness, and great-grand-daughter of Charles Louis, the Elector Palatine, a lady whose character is remembered traditionally to have been both grand and amiable. Latterly the Hut was the residence of Professor Dugald Stewart, who, about the end of the last century, entertained there many English pupils of high rank. Among them, perhaps the most eminent was Henry Temple, afterwards Lord Palmerston, whose education, commenced at Harrow, was continued at the University of Edinburgh. When he re-visited the latter city in 1865, during his stay he was made aware that an aged woman, named Peggie Forbes, who had been a servant with Dugald Stewart at Lothian Hut, was still alive, and residing at No. I, Rankeillor Street. There the great statesman visited her, and expressed the pleasure he felt at renewing the acquaintance of the old domestic. Lothian Hut, the scene of Dugald Stewart’s most important literary labours, was pulled down ih 1825, to make room for a brewery ; but a house of the same period, at the south-west corner of the Horse Wynd, bears still the name of Lothian Vale. A little to the eastward of the present White Horse hostel, and immediately adjoining the Water Gate, stood the Hospital of St. Thomas, founded in 154r by George Crichton, Bishop of Dunkeld, “dedicated to God, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and all the saints.” It consisted of an almshouse and chapel, the bedesmen of which were “to celebrate the founder’s anniversary obit. by solemnly singing in the choir of Holyrood church yearly, on the day of his death, ‘the Placebo and Dinie for the repose of his soul ” and the soul of the King of Scotland. “ Special care,” says Amot, “ was taken in allotting money for providing candles to be lighted during the anniversary ma.ss of requiem, and the number and size of the tapers were fixed with a precision which shows the importance in which these circumstances were held by the founder. The number of masses, paternosters, aye-marias, and credos, to be said by the chaplain and bedesmen is distinctly ascertained.” The patronage of the institution was vested by the founder in himself and a certain series of representatives named by him. In 1617, with the consent of David Crichton of Lugton, the patron, who had retained possession of the endowments, the magistrates of the Canongate purchased the chapel and almshouse from the chaplains and bedesmen, and converted the institution into a hospital for the poor of the burgh. Over the entrance they placed the Canongate arms, supported by a pair of ‘cripples, an old man and woman, with the inscription- HELP HERE THE POORE, AS ZE WALD GOD DID ZOV. JUNE 19, 1617. The magistrates of the Canongate sold the patronage of the institution in 1634 to the Kirk Session, by whom its revenues “ were entirely embezzled f by 1747 the buildings were turned into coachhouses, and in 1787 were pulled down, and replaced by modem houses of hideous aspect. On the opposite side of the Water Gate was the Royal Tennis Court, the buildings of which are very distinctly shown in Gordon’s map of 1647. Maitland says it was anciently called the Catchpel, from Cache, a game now called Fives, a favourite amusement in Scotland as early as the reign of James IV. The house, a long, narrow building, with a court, after being a weavers’ workhouse, was burned down in 1771, and rebuilt in the tasteless fashion of that period ; but the locality is full of interest, as being connected not only with the game of tennis, as played there by the Duke of Albany, Law the great financial schemer, and others, but the early and obscure history of the stage in Scotland. In 1554 there was a ‘‘litill farsche and play maid be William Lauder,” and acted before the Queen Regent, Mary of Guise, for which he was rewarded by two silver cups. Where it was acted is not stated. Neither are we told where was perlormed another play, “ made by Robert Simple ” at Edinburgh, before the grim Lord Regent and others of the nobility in 1567, and for which the mthor was paid ;E66 13s. 4d. The next record of .a post-Reformation theatre is in the time of James VI. when several companies came from London for the amusement of the court, including one of which Shakspere was a member, though his appearance cannot be substantiated. In 1599 the company of English comedians was interdicted by the clergy and Kirk Session, though their performances, says Spottiswoode in ... THE TENNIS COURT. ’ 39 Scotland, and who for some years had been Commissioner to the General ...

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New Town.] JAMES CRAIG. I I7 1869 to make way for Grosvenor Street, in excavating the foundation of which a number of ancient bronze Caledonian swords were found-the relics of some pre-historic strife. One was Specially remarkable for having the hilt and pommel of bronze cast in one piece with the blade-a form very rare, there being only one other Scottish example known -one from Tames, in Aberdeenshire, and now in the British Museum. The few houses enumerated alone occupied the lonely site of the New Town when Gabriel’s Road, of the poet Thomson, and who engraved thereon the following appropriate lines from his uncle’s poem :- SI August, around, what public works I see ! Lo, stately streets ! 10, squares that court the breeze! See long canals and Each part with each, and with the circling main, whole entwined nvea join The names given to the streets and squaresthe formal array of parallelograms drawn by Craig-were taken from the royal family chiefly, latterly a mean, narrow alley, was a delightful country path, ‘‘ along which,” says Wilson, in I 847, “some venerable citizens still remember to have wended their way between green hedges that skirted the pleasant meadows and cornfields of Wood’s Farm, and which was in days of yore a favourite trysting place for lovers, where they breathed out their teIpder tale of passion beneath the fragrant hawthorn.” It ran in an oblique direction through the ancient hamlet of Silvermills, and its course is yet indicated by the irregular slant of the garden walls that separate the little plots behind Duke Street from the East Queen Street Gardens at the lower end. The plan of the proposed new city was prepared by James Craig, an eminent architect, nephew ’ and the tutelary saints of the island, The first thoroughfare, now-a magnificent terrace, was called St. Giles Street, after the. ancient patron of the city ; but on the plan being shown to George 111. for his approval, he exclaimed, “ Hey, hey !-what, what!-St. Giles Street !-never do, never do!” And so, to escape from a vulgar London association of ideas, it was named Princes Street, after the future George IV. and the Duke of York. Craig survived to see his plans only partially carried out, as he died in 1795, in his fifty-fifth year. He was the son of Robert Craig, merchant, and grandson of Robert Craig, who in the beginning of that century had been a magistrate of Edinburgh. His mother was Mary, youngest daughter of James Thomson, minister of Ednam, and sister of the author of “The Seasons.” ... Town.] JAMES CRAIG. I I7 1869 to make way for Grosvenor Street, in excavating the foundation of which a ...

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306 QLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Arthur‘s Seat. name of Arthur‘s Seat were anciently covered with wood. The other eminences in the neighbourhood of Edinburgh had similar appellations. Calton, or Culdoun, is admitted to be the hill covered with trees.” But there is another hill named thus- ChoiZZedm, near the Loch of Monteith. The rough wild path round the base of the Salisbury Craigs, long before the present road was formed, was much frequented for purpose of reverie by David Hume and Sir Walter Scott Thither Scott represents Reuben Butler as resorting on the morning after the Porteous mob :-‘‘ If I were to choose a spot from which the rising or setting sun could be seen to the greatest possible advantage, it would be that wild path winding round the foot of the high belt of semicircular rocks, called Salisbury Craigs, and marking the verge of the steep descent which slopes down into the glen on the southeastern side of the city of Edinburgh. The prospect in its general outline commands a close-built high-piled city, stretching itself out beneath in a form, which to a romantic imagination may be supposed to represent that of a dragon; now a noble ’arm of the sea, with its rocks, isles, distant shores, and boundary of mountains; and now a fine and fertile champaign country varied with hill and dale. . . . . This path used to be my favourite evening and morning resort, when engaged with a favourite author or a new subject of study.” The highest portion of these rocks near the Catnick, is 500 feet above the level of the Forth; and here is found a vein of rock different in texture from the rest “This vein,” says a writer, “has been found to pierce the sandstone below the footpath, and no doubt fills the vent of an outflow of volcanic matter from beneath. A vein of the same nature has probably fed the stream of lava, which forced its way between the strata of sandstone, and formed the Craigs.” A picturesque incident, which associates the unfortunate Mary with her turbulent subjects, occurred zt the foot of Arthur‘s Seat, in 1564. In the romantic valley between it and Salisbury Craigs there is still traceable a dam, by which the natural drainage had been confined to form an artificial lake ; at the end of which, in that year, ere her wedded sorrows began, the beautiful young queen, in the sweet season, when the soft breeze came laden witb the perfume of the golden whin flowers from the adjacent Whinny Hill, had an open-air banquet set forth in honour of the nuptials of John, fifth Lord Fleming, Lord High Chamberlain, and Elizabeth the only daughter and heiress of Robert Master of Ross. In 1645, when the dreaded pestilence reached ‘ Edinburgh, we find that in the month of April the rown Council agreed with Dr. Joannes Paulitius that for a salary of A80 Scots per month he should visit the infected, a vast number of whom had been borne forth from the city and hutted in the King’s Park, at the foot of Arthur‘s Seat; and on the 27th of June the Kirk Session of Holyrood ordered, that to avoid further infection, all who died in the Park should be buried there, and not within any churchyard, “ except they mor4 tified (being able to do so) somewhat, adpios usus, for the relief of other poor, being in extreme indigence.” (“ Dom. Ann.,” Vol. 11.) In November, 1667, we find Robert Whitehead, laud of Park, pursuing at law John Straiton, tacksman of the Royal Park, for the value of a horse, which had been placed there to graze at 4d per night, but which had disappeared-no uncommon event in those days ; but it was ulged by Straiton that he had a placard on the gate intimating that he would not be answerable either for horses that were stolen, or that might break their necks by falling over the rocks. Four years afterwards we read of a curious duel taking place in the Park, when the Duke’s Walk, so called from its being the favourite promenade of James Duke of Albany, was the common scene of combats with sword and pistol in those days, and for long after. In the case referred to the duellists were men in humble life. On the 17th June, 1670, William Mackay, a tailor, being in the Castle of Edinburgh, had a quarrel with a soldier with whom he was drinking, and blows were exchanged. Mackay told the soldier that he dared not use him so if they were without the gates of the fortress, on which they deliberately passed out together, procured a couple of sharp swords in the city, and proceeded to a part of the King’s Park, when after a fair combat, the soldier was run through the body, and slain. Mackay was brought to trial ; he denied having given the challenge, and accused the soldier of being the aggressor ; but the public prosecutor proved the reverse, so the luckless tailor-not being a gentleman-was convicted, and condemned to die. A beacon would seem to have been erected on the cone of Arthur’s Seat in 1688 to communicate with Fifeshire and the north (in succession from Garleton Hill, North Berwick, and St. Abb’s Head) on the expected landing of the Prince of Orange. On one occasion the appearance of a large fleet of Dutch fishing vessels off the mouth of the Firth excited the greatest alarm, being taken for-a hostile armament. -- ... QLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Arthur‘s Seat. name of Arthur‘s Seat were anciently covered with wood. The other ...

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102 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Galton Hill, thirteenth century, it was not until 1518, when the Provost James, Earl of Arran, and the Bailies of the city, conveyed by tharter, under date 13th April, to John Malcolme, Provipcial of the Carmelites, and his successors, their lands of Greenside, and the chapel or kirk of the Holy Cross there, The latter had been an edifice built at some remote period, of which no record now remains, but it served as the nucleus of this CarmeIite monastery, nearly the last of the religious foundations in Scotland prior to the Reformation. In December, 1520, the Provost (Robert Logan .of Coatfield), the 3ailies and Council, again con- Jerred the ground and place of “ the Greensyde to the Freris Carmelitis, now beand in the Ferry, for their reparation and bigging to be maid,” and Sir Thomas Cannye was constituted chaplain thereof. From this it would appear that the friary had ,been in progress, and that till ready for their Teception the priests were located at the Queens- .ferry, most probably in the Carmelite monastery built there in 1380 by Sir George Dundas of that ilk. . In October, 1525, Sir Thomas, chaplain .of the pkce and kirk of the Rood of Greenside, got seisin “thairof be the guid town,” .and delivered the keys into the hands of the magistrates in favour of Friar John Malcolmson, .‘‘Jro mareraZZ (sic) of the ordour,” In 1534, two persons, named David Straiton and Norman Gourlay, the latter a priest, were tried for heresy and sentenced to be burned at the stake. On the 27th of August they were d e d to the Rood of Greenside, and there suffered .that terrible death. After the suppression of the -order, the buildings mus, have been tenantless until 1591, when they were converted into a hospital for lepers, founded by John Robertson, a benevolent merchant of the city, “pursuant to a vow on his receiving a signal mercy from God.” “ At the institution of this hospital,” says Arnot, .‘‘ seven lepers, all of them inhabitants of Edinburgh, were admitted in one day. The seventy of the lregulations which the magistrates appointed to be .observed by those admitted, segregating them from the rest of mankind, and commanding them to remain within its walls day and night, demonstrate the loathsome and infectious nature of the distemper.” A gallows whereon to hang those who violated the rules was erected at one end of the hospital, and even to open its gate between sunset and sunrise ensured the penalty of death. It is a curious circumstance that, though not a stone remains of the once sequestered Carmelite monastery, there is still perpetuated, as in the case of the abbots of Westminster, in the convent of the Carmelites at Rome, an official who bears the title of IZ Padre Priore rii Greenside. (“Lectures on the Antiquities of Edin.,” 184s.) In- the low valley which skirts the north-eastern base of the hill, now occupied by workshops and busy manufactories, was the place for holding tournaments, open-air plays, and revels. In 1456 King James 11. granted under his great seal, in favour of the magistrates and community of the city and their successors for ever, the valley and low ground lying betwixt the rock called Cragingalt on the east, and the common way and passage on the west (now known as Greenside) for performing thereon tournaments, sports, and other warlike deeds, at the pleasure of the king and his successors. This grant was &ted at Edinburgh, 13th of August, in presence of the Bishops of St, Andrews and Brechin, the Lords Erskine, Montgomery, Darnley, Lyle, and others, This place witnessed the earIiest efforts of the dramatic muse in Scotland, for many of those pieces in the Scottish language by Sir David Lindesay, such as his ‘‘ Pleasant Satyre of the Three Estaits,” were acted in the play field there, “when weather served,” between 1539 and 1544 ; but in consequence of the tendency of these representations to expose the lives of the Scottish clergy, by a council of the Church, held at the Black Friary in March, 1558, Sir David‘s books were ordered to be burned by the public executioner. “ The Pleasant Satyre ” was played at Greenside, in 1544, in presence of the Queen Regent, “as is mentioned,” says Wilson, “by Henry Charteris, the bookseller, who sat patiently nine hours on the bank to witness the play. It so far surpasses any effort of contemporary English dramatists, that it renders the barrenness of the Scottish muse in . this department afterwards the more apparent.” Ten years subsequent a new place would seem to have been required, as we find in the “Burgh Records” in 1554, the magistrates ordaining their treasurer, Robert Grahame, to pay ‘‘ the Maister of Werke the soume of xlij Zi xiij s iiij d, makand in hale the soume of IOO merks, and that to complete the play field, now bigging in the Greensid.” This place continued to be used as the scene of feats of arms until the reign of Mary, and there, Pennant relates, Bothwell first attracted her attention, by leaping his horse into the ring, after galioping “down the dangerous steeps of the the adjacent hill ”-a very apocryphal story. Until the middle-of the last century this place was all unchanged. “ In my walk this evening,” he writes in 1769, “I passed by a deep and wide hollow ‘ ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Galton Hill, thirteenth century, it was not until 1518, when the Provost James, Earl ...

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George Street.] THE BLACKWOODS. I39 CHAP,TER XIX. GEORGE STREET. Major Andrew Faser-The Father of Miss Femer-Grant of Kilgraston-William Blackwoad and his Magazine-The Mother of Sir Waltn Scott-Sir John Hay, Banker-Colquhoun of Killermont-Mrs. Murray of Henderland-The Houses of Sir J. W. Gomon, Sir Jam- Hall. and Sir John Sinclair of Ulbster-St. Andrew's Church-Scene of the Disruption-Physicians' Hall-Glance at the Histcry of thecollege of Physicians-Sold and Removed-The Commercial Bank-Its Constitution-Assembly Rooms-Rules of 17+Banquet to Black Watch-" The Author of Waverley"-The Music Hall-The New Union Bank-Its Formation, &c.-The Mlasonic Hall-Watsoa'E Pictureof Bums-Statues of George IV., Pitt, and Chalmers. . PREVIOUS to the brilliant streets and squares erected in the northern and western portions of new Edinburgh, George Street was said to have no rival in the world ; and even yet, after having undergone many changes, for combined length, space, uniformity, and magnificence of vista, whether viewed from the east or west, it may well be pronounced unparalleled. Straight as an arrow flies, it is like its sister streets, but is 1x5 feet broad. Here a great fossil tree was found in 1852. A portion of the street on the south side, near the west end, long bore the name of the Tontine, and owing to some legal dispute, which left the houses there mfinished, they were occupied as infantry barracks during the war with France. Nos. 3 and 5 (the latter once the residence of Major Andrew Fraser and cf William Creech the eminent bookseller) forni the office of the Standard Life Assurance Company, in the tympanum of which, over four fine Corinthian pilasters, is a sculptured group from the chisel of Sir John Steel, representing the parable of the Ten Virgins. In George Street are about thirty different insurance offices, or their branches, all more or less ornate in architecture, and several banks. In No. 19, on the same side, is the Caledonian, the oldest Scottish insurance company (having been founded in June, 1805). Previously the office had been in Bank Street. A royal charter was granted to the company in May, 1810, and twenty-three years afterwards the business of life assurance was added to that of fire insurance. No. 25 George Street was the residence (from 1784 till his death, in 18zg), of Mr. James Ferrier, Principal Clerk of Session, and father of Miss Susan Ferrier, the authoress of " Marriage," &c. He was a keen whist player, and every night of his life had a rubber, which occasionally included Lady Augusta Clavering, daughter of his friend and client John, fifth Duke of Argyll, and old Dr. Hamilton, usually designated " Cocked Hat " Hamilton, from the fact of his being one of the last in Edinburgh who bore that head-piece. When victorious, he wcdd snap his fingers and caper about the room, to tbe manifest indignation of Mr. Ferrier, who would express it to his partner in the words, "Lady Augusta, did you ever see such rediculous leevity in an auld man 7 " Robert Burns used also to be a guest at No. 25, and was prescnt on one occasion when some magnificent Gobelins tapestry arrived there for the Duke of Argyll on its way to Inverary Castle. Mrs. Piozzi also, when in Edinburgh, dined there. Next door lived the Misses Edmonstone, of the Duntreath family, and with them pitched battles at whist were of frequent nightly occurrence. These old ladies figure in " Marriage " as Aunts Jacky, Grizzy, and Nicky; they were grandnieces of the fourth Duke of Argyll. The eldest Miss Ferrier was one of the Edinburgh beauties in her day ; and Bums once happening to meet her, while turning the corner of George Street, felt suddenly inspired, and wrote the lines to her enclosed in an elegy on the death of Sir D. H. Hair. Miss Ferrier and Miss Penelope, Macdonald of Clanronald, were rival belles ; the former married General Graham ot Stirling Castle, the latter Lord Belhaven. In No. 32 dwelt Francis Grant of Kilgraston, father of Sir Francis Grant, President of the Royal Academy, born in 1803 ; and No. 35, now a shop, was the town house of the Hairs of Balthayock, in Perthshire. No. 45 has long been famous as the establishment of Messrs. Blackwood, the eminent publishers. William Blackwood, the founder of the magazine which stills bears his name, and on the model of which so many high-class periodicals have been started in the sister kingdom, was born at Edinburgh in 1776, and after being apprenticed to the ancient bookselling firni of Bell and Bradfute, and engaging in various connections with other bibliopoles, in 1804 he commenced as a dealer in old books on the South Bridge, in No. 64, but soon after became agent for several London publishing houses. In 1S16 he disposed of his vast stock of classical and antiquarian books, I 5,000 volumes in number, and removing to No. 17 Princes Street, thenceforward devoted his energies to the business of a-general publisher, and No. 17 is to this day a bookseller's shop. ... Street.] THE BLACKWOODS. I39 CHAP,TER XIX. GEORGE STREET. Major Andrew Faser-The Father of Miss ...

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70 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Holyrood. orders, who was on his way to Scotland at the time of the murder. Darnley’s unsuccessful attempt to obtain the crown-matrimonial roused all the vengeance of himself and his father, who now determined to put Rizzio to death and deprive Mary of the throne. How and why the conspiracy spread belongs to history; suffice it that it was on the evening of Saturday, the 9th of March, 1566, the conspirators determined to strike the blow, in terms of their “Articles” with “the noble and mighty Prince Henry, King of Scotland, husband to our sovereign Lady,” signed 1st March, 1566; and they seem to have entered the palace unnoticed by the sentinels, for Mary had, since 1562, a gardedu- corps of seventy archers, under Sir Arthur Erskine of Scotscraig. In the dusk of the spring evening the Earl of Morton arrived with 500 of his personal retainers, and on being joined by the other lords, his accomplices, assembled secretly in the vicinity of the palace, into which they had passed, Morton, ordering the gates to be locked, took possession of the keys, while Damley, George Douglas, known as the Postulate (i.e., a candidate for some office), the Lords Lindsay and Ruthven, were waiting to proceed to the queen’s apartments in the Tower of James V., where they expected to find their victim. It had been originally intended to murder Rizzio in his own apartment, a plan abandoned for the double reason that they might have failed to find him, as he frequently slept in the room of his brother Joseph, and that to slay him under Mary’s eyes would malign and terrify her more. At this time she, altogether unsuspicious, was at supper in the closet with her sister the Countess of Argyle, her brother Robert, Commendator of Holyrood, her Master of the Household, the Captain of the Archers, and Rizzio, while two servants of the Privy Chamber were waiting by a side-table, at which, Camden states, Rizzio was seated. Ascending the private staircase, Darnley entered alone, and kissing the queen, seated himself by her side; but a minute scarcely elapsed when Ruthven drew aside the tapestry, entered, and without ceremony threw himself into a chair. He was in full armour, with his sword drawn, and looked pale, wan, and ghastly, having been long a-bed with an incurable disease. Mary, now far advanced in pregnancy, repressed her terror, and . said, “My lord, hearing you were still ill, I was about to visit you, and now you enter our presence in armour. What does it mean?” ‘( I have been ill indeed,” replied the savage noble, sternly; “ but am well enough to come here for your good.” ’ . cc You come not in the fashion of one who meaneth well,” said Mary. “ There is no harm intended to your grace, nor any one but yonder poltroon,, David.” rcWhat hath he done?” “Ask the king, your husband, madam.” Mary now assumed an air of authority, and demanding an explanation of Darnley, commanded Ruthven to begone. On this, the Master of the Household and the captain of the archers attempted to expel him by force, but he brandished his sword, exclaiming, Lay no hands on me-for I will not be so handled ! ” Another conspirator, Kerr of Faudonside, now burst in with a horse-petronel cocked, and the private stair beyond was seen crowded by others. cc Do you seek my life? ” exclaimed Mary, on finding the weapon levelled at her breast. ccNo,” replied Ruthven ; ‘‘ but we will have out yonder villain, Davie.” He now tried to drag forth the hapless Italian, who had retreated into the recess of a window, a dagger in one hand, and with the other clinging to the skirt of the interposing queen. “If my secretary has been guilty of any misdemeanour,” said she, “he shall be dealt with according to the forms of justice.” “ Here is justice, madam ! ” cried one, producing a rope, from which we learn by Knox and the work of Prince Lebanoff, that the first intention had been to hang Rizzio. Fear not,” said the queen to him ; cc the king will not suffer you to be slain in my presence, nor will he forget your faithful services.” ‘‘ A Douglas !-a Douglas ! ’’ was now resounding through the palace, as Morton and his vassals rushed up the great staircase and burst into the presence-chamber, the light of their glaring torches and flashing of their weapons adding to the terror of the little group in the closet. The supper-table, which had hitherto interposed between Rizzio and his murderers, was now overturned before the queen, and had not the Countess of Argyle caught one of the falling candles, the room would have been involved in darkness. on this fatal night was dressed in black figured damask, trimmed with fur, a satin doublet, russet velvet hose, and wore at his neck a niagnificent jewel- never seen after that night - now clung in despair to the weeping queen, crying, U Giusfizia 1 Giusiizia 1 Sauve ma vie, madame, -sauzIe ma vie f ” But he was stabbed over her shoulder by George Douglas with the king‘s own dagger, and other daggers and swords followed fast. By force the usually half-drunken Darnley tore the queen’s skirt from the clutch of the poor bleeding creature, who, amid ferocious shouts and hideous oaths, was Rizzio, who. ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Holyrood. orders, who was on his way to Scotland at the time of the murder. Darnley’s ...

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24 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [University. Thoma Elder : Academire Primario Gulielmo Rabertson. Architecto, Roberto Adam." The ranges of buildings around the inner court are in a plain but tasteful Grecian style, and have an elegant stone balustrade, forming a kind of paved gallery, which is interrupted only by the entrance, and by flights of steps that lead to the library, museum, the Senzte Hall, and various class-rooms. At the angles on the west side are spacious arcade piazzas, and in the centre is a fine statue of Sir David Brewster. At the Treaty of Union with England, and when the Act of Security was passed, all the Acts passed by the Scottish Parliament, defining the rights, privileges, and imniunities of this and the other universities of Scotland, were fully ratified ; but its privileges and efficiency have been since augmented by the Scottish Universities Act, passed in 1858, making provision for their better government and discipline, and for the improvement and regulation of the course of study therein. It is now a corporation consisting of a chancellor, who is elected for life by the General Council, whose sanction must be given to all internal arrangements, and through whom degrees are conferred, and the first of whom was Lord Brougham ; a vice-chancellor, who acts in absence of :he former, and who has the duty of acting as returning officer at Parliamentary elections, an3 the first of whom was Sir David Brewster; a rector, who is elected by the matriculated students, and whose term of office is three years, and among whom have been William Ewart Gladstone, Thomas Carlyle, Lord Moncneff, Sir W. Stirling-Maxwell, and others ; a representative in Parliament, elected in common with the University of St. Andrewsthe first M.P. being Dr. Lyon Playfair. After these come the university court, which has the power of reviewing all the decisions of the Senatus Academicus, the attention of professors as to their modes, of teaching, Szc, the regulation of class fees, the suspension and censure of professors, the control of the pecuniary concerns of the university, " including funds mortified for bursaries and other purposes." This court holds the patronage of the Chair of Music, and a share in that of Agriculture, and it consists of the rector, the principal, and six assessors, one of whom is elected by the Town CGuncil. By the Act of 1858 the patronage of seventeen cliairs, previously in the gift of the latter body, was transferred to seven curators, who hold office for three years. They also have the appointment of the principal, who is the resident head of the college for life. He, with the whole of the professors, constitutes the Senate, which is entrusted with the entire administration of the university-its revenues, property, library, museums, and buildings, &c.; and the business is conducted by a secretary. The chairs of the university are comprehended in the four faculties, each of which is presided over by a dean, elected from among the professors of each particular faculty, and through whom the students recommended for degrees are presented to the Senatus. The following is a list of the principals elected since 1582, all of them famoils in literature or art :- 1585. Robert Rollock. 1599. Henry Charteris. 1620. Patrick Sands. 1622. Robert Boyd. 1623. John Adamson. 1652. Williain Colville. 1653. Robert Leighton. ' 1662. William Colville. 1675. Andrew Cant. 1685. Alexander Monro. 1690. Gilbert Rule. 1703. William Carstares. 1716. William Wishart. 1730. William Hamilton. 1732. James Smith. 1736. William Wishart recunlfus. 1754. John Gowdie. 1762. Willmm Robertson. 1793. Geo. Husband Baird. 1840. John Lee. 1859. Sir David Brewster. 1868. Sir Alex. Grant, Bart. To attempt to enumerate all the brilliant alumni who in their various Faculties have shed a glory over the University of Edinburgh, would far exceed our limits ; but an idea of its progress in literature, science, and art, may be gathered from the following enumeration of the professorships, with the dates when founded, and the names of the first ho!der of the chairs. Those of Greek, Logic and Metaphysics, Moral and Natural Philosophy, were occupied by the regents in rotation from 1583, when Robert Rollock was first Regent, till 1708. 3 FmuZzy of Arts. Humanity, 1597. John Ray, Professor. Mathematics, 1674. James Gregory. Greek, 1708. William Scott. Logic and Metaphysics, 1708. Moral Philosophy, 1708. William Law. Natural Philosophy, 1708. Robert Stewart. Rhetoric, 1762. Hugh Blair. Astronomy, 1786. Robert Biair. Agriculture, 1790. Andrew Coventry. Theory of Music, 1839. John Thornson. Technology, 1855. George Wilson. (Abolished 18.59.) Sanskrit, 1862. Theodor Aufrecht. Engineering, 1868. Iileeming Jenkin. Commercial Economy, 1871. Education, 1876. Simon Lnurie. Fine Arts, 1880. Baldwin Rrown. Gmlogr~, 1871. Archibald Geikie. Colin Druniinoiid. W. B. Hodgson. ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [University. Thoma Elder : Academire Primario Gulielmo Rabertson. Architecto, Roberto ...

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146 OLD AND NET into the royal presence, the king became alarmed, and retired into the Tolbooth, amid shouts of ‘‘ &ly !” .“ Save yourself !” “Armour ! Armour !” When the deputation returned to the portion of St. Giles’s absurdly named the little kirk, they found another multitude listening to the harangue of a clergyman named Michael Cranston, on the text of “ Hamanand Mordecai.” The auditors, on hearing that the king had retired without any explanation, now rush‘ed forth, and with shouts of “Bring out the wicksd Haman !” endeavoured to batter down the doors of the Tolbooth,’ from which James was glad to make his escape to Holyrood, swearing he would uproot Edinburgh, and salt its site ! This disturbance, which Tytler details in his History, was one which had no definite or decided purpose-one of the few in Scottish annals where The species of spire or lantern formed by groined ribs of stone, which forms the most remarkable feature in the venerable church, seems to be. pecumonarch to show his gratitude by attention to the cause of religion, and his care of the new Subjects committed to his care. The king now rose, and addressed the people from whom he was about to part in a very warm and affectionate strain. He bade them a long adieu with much tenderness, promised to keep them and their best interests in fond memory during his absence, “and often to visit them and communicate to them marks of his bounty when in foreign parts, as ample as any which he had been used to bestow when present with’ them. A mixture of approbation and weeping,” says Scott in his History, “followed this speech; and the good-natured king wept plentifully himself at taking leave of his native subjects.” The north transept of the church long bore the queer name of Haddo’s Hole, because a famous cavalier, Sir John Gordon of Haddo-who defended his castle of Kelly against the Covenanters, and loyally served King Charles 1.-was imprisoned there for some time before his execution at the adjacent cross in 1644. high alm) was ordered to be cast-into cannon for the town walls, instead of which they were sold for Azzo. Maitland further records that two of the remaining bells were re-cast at Campvere in 1621 ; one of these was again recast at London in 1846. ’ In 1585 the Town Council purchased the clock belonging to the abbey church of Lindores in Fifeshire, and placed it in the tower of St. Giles’s, “ previous to which time,” says Wilson, “ the citizens probably regulated time chiefly by the bells for matins and vespers, and the other daily services of the Roman Catholic Church.” In I 68 I we first find mention of the musical bells in the spire. Fountainhall records, with reference to the legacy left to the city by Thomas Moodie, the Council propose “to buy with it a peal of bells, to hang in St. Giles’s steeple, to ring musically, and to build a Tolbooth above the West Port of Edinburgh, and put Thomas Moodie’s nanie and arms thereon.” When the precincts of St. Giles’s church were secularised, the edifice became degraded, about . - ... OLD AND NET into the royal presence, the king became alarmed, and retired into the Tolbooth, amid shouts ...

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ROBERT BURNS, 107 in the rooms of Stewart, Blair, or Robertson. . , . But Edinburgh offered tables and entertainers of a less staid character, when the glass circulated with greater rapidity, when wit flowed more freely, and when there were neither high-bred ladies to charm conversation within the bounds of modesty, nor serious philosophers nor grave divines to set a limit to the licence of speech or the hours of enjoyment. To those companions, who were all of the better classes, the levities of the rustic poet’s wit and humour were as welcome as were the tenderest of his narratives to the accomplished Duchess of Gordon or the beautiful Miss Burnet of Monboddo ; theyraised a social roar not at all classic, and demanded and provoked his sallies of wild humour, or indecorous mirth, with as much delight as he had witnessed among the lads of Kyle, when, at mill or forge, his humorous sallies abounded as the ale flowed.” While in Edinburgh Bums was the frequent and welcome guest ot John Campbell, Precentor of the Canongate Church, a famous amateur vocalist in his time, though forgotten now ; and to him Bums applied for an introduction to Bailie Gentle, After a stay of six months in Edinburgh, Burns ’ set out on a tour to the south of Scotland, accompanied by Robert Ainslie, W.S. ; but elsewhere we shall meet him again. Opposite the house in which he dwelt is one with a very ancient legend, BZissit. be. th. bra. in, aZZ. His .gz)Xs. nm. and. euir. In 1746 this was the inheritance of Martha White, only child of a wealthy burgess who became a banker in London. She‘ became the wife of to the end that he might accord his tribute to the memory of the poet, poor Robert Fergusson, whose grave lay in the adjacent churchyard, without a stone to mark it. Bailie Gentle expressed his entire concurrence with the wish of Bums, but said that “he had no power to grant permission without the consent of the managers of the Kirk funds.” “Tell them,” said Burns, “it is the Ayrshire ploughman who makes the request.” The authority was obtained, and a promise given, which we believe has been sacredly kept, that the grave should remain inviolate. 2s CLOSE* Charles niIlth Earl of Kincardine, and afterwards Earl of Elgin, ‘‘ undoubted heir male and chief of d l the Bruces in Scotland,” as Douglas records. The countess, who died in 1810, filled, with honour to herself, the office of governess to the unfortunate Princess Charlotte of Wales. One of the early breaches made in the vicinity of the central thoroughfare of the city was Bank Street, on tlie north (the site of Lower Baxter‘s Close), wherein was the shop of two eminent cloth merchants, David Bridges and Son, which became the usual resort of the whole Ziteraii of the city in its day. David Bridges junior had a strongly developed bias towards literary studies, and, according to the memoirs of Professor WiE son, was dubbed by the Blackwood nits, (‘ Director- General of the Fine Arts.” His love for these and the drama was not to be controlled by his connection with mercantile business ; and while the sefiior partner devoted himself to the avocations of trade in one part of their well-known premises, the younger was employed in adorning a sort of sanctum, where one might daily meet Sir Walter Scott and his friend Sir Adam Ferguson (who, as a boy, had often sat on the knee of David Hume), Professor Tradition points to the window on the immediate right (marked *) as that of the mom occupied by Burns. ... BURNS, 107 in the rooms of Stewart, Blair, or Robertson. . , . But Edinburgh offered tables and ...

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230 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Grassmarket: houses which were inhabited by this gang were well chosen for the purpose to which they were put. Burke’s dwelling, in which he has only resided since June last, is at the end of a long passage, and separated from every other house except one. After going through the close from the street there is a descent by a stair to the passage, at the end of which is to be found this habitation of wickedness. I t consists of one apartment, an oblong square, at the end of which is a miserable bed, under which may still be seen some straw in which his murdered victims were concealed. The house of Hare is in a more retired situation. The passage to it is by a dark and dirty close, in which there’ are no inhabitants, except in the tlat above. Both houses are on the ground floor.” Tanner‘s Clme still exists, but the abodes of those two wretches-the most cold-blooded criminals in history-are now numbered, as we have stated, among the things that were. At the head of Liberton’s Wynd three reversed stones indicate where, on this’ and on other occasions, the last sentence of the law was carried out. CHAPTER XXX. THE GRASSMARKET. The Grassmarket-The Mart of 1477-Margaret Tudor-Noted Executions-“Half Hangit Maggie Dickson”4talian hlountebanks-Grey Friary Founded by Jam- I.-Henry VI. of England a Fugitive-The Grev Friars Port-New Corn Exchanee-The White Hone Inn -Camels-The Castle Wvnd-First Gaelic ChatKl therdurrie Close-The Cockpit-Story of Watt and Downie, “The Friends of the People “-Their Trial aniSentencc-Executbn bf Watt. THE Grassmarket occupies that part of the southern valley which lies between the eastern portion of the Highnggs and the ridge of the Castle Hill and Street. It is a spacious and stately rectangle, 230 yards in length, communicating at its south-east corner with the ancient Candlemaker Row and southern portion of the old town, and at its north-east angle with the acclivitous, winding, narrow, and more ancient alley, the West Bow, or that fragment of it which now NOS into Victoria Street, and the steps near the (now demolished) Land of Weir the wizard. The Grassmarket is darkly overhung on the north by the precipitous side of the Castle Esplanade, the new west approach, and the towering masses of Johnstone Terrace and the General Assembly Hall, but on the south is the gentler slope, crowned by the turrets of Heriot’s Hospital and the heavy mass of the Greyfriars churches. The western end of this rectangle was long closed up and encroached upon by the Corn Market, an unsightly arcaded edifice, 80 feet long by 45 broad, with a central belfry and clock, now swept away, and its eastern end, where the old Corn Market is shown in Edgar’s map, is deeply associated with much that is sad, terrible, and deplorable in Scottish history, as the scene of the fervid testimony and dying supplications of many a martyr to U the broken covenant,” in defence of that Church, every stone of which may be said to have been cemented by the blood of the people. Now the Grassmarket is the chief rendezvous of carriers and farmers, and persons of various classes connected with the county horse and cattle markets, and presents a remarkably airy, busy, and imposing appearance, with its infinite variety of architecture, crow-stepped gables, great chimneys, turnpike stairs, old signboards, and projections of many kinds. The assignment of this locality as the site ot a weekly market dates from the year 1477, when King James 111. by his charter for the holding of markets, ordained- that wood and timber be sold “fra Dalrimpill yarde to the Grey Friars and westerwart; alswa all old graith and geir to be vsit and soldin the Friday market before the Greyfriars lyke as is usit in uthir cuntries.” In 1503, on the mamage of Margaret of England to James IV., the royal party were met at the western entrance to the city by the whole of the Greyfriars-whose monastery was on the south side of the Grassmarket-bearing in procession their most valued relics, which were presented to the royal pair to kiss ; and thereafter they were stayed at an embattled barrier, erected for the occasion, at the windows of which appeared angels singing songs of welcome to the English bride, while one presented her with the keys of Edinburgh. In 1543 we first hear of this part of the city having been causewayed, or paved, when the Provost and Bailies employed Moreis Crawfurd to mend “the calsay,” at 26s. 8d. per rood from the Upper Bow to the West Port In 1560 the magistrates removed the Corn ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Grassmarket: houses which were inhabited by this gang were well chosen for the ...

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