... BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Peerage by patent dated December 21st of that year, by the title of Viscount
Melville, ...
Book 8 p. 149
(Score 0.88)
... SKETCHES. 283
his journey with the greater facility, on application by the Society to the Board
of ...
Book 8 p. 397
(Score 0.86)
... MEMORIALS OF EDINBURGH.
including the Earls of Argyle and Glencairn, and the Lord James Stewart. The place ...
Book 10 p. 69
(Score 0.85)
... BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
mutual improvement in public speaking, formed themselves into a debating
club, called ...
Book 9 p. 26
(Score 0.84)
... MEMORIALS OF EDINBURGH.
sions, or swept away to make room for the formal streets and squares of the New ...
Book 10 p. 385
(Score 0.84)
... MEMORIALS OP EDINB UR GH.
land, romed in the mind of Elizabeth that vindictive jealousy, which so largely ...
Book 10 p. 67
(Score 0.84)
... LA WNMARKET. 183
courage failed them, and they marched hastily home again without having even seen the
enemy. ...
Book 10 p. 201
(Score 0.84)
... l? TO ABDICATION OF QUEEN MAR Y. 63
The reforming party now proceeded to those acts of violence, which led ...
Book 10 p. 68
(Score 0.83)
![222 OLD ?AND NEW EDINBURGH. [West Port.
prehending the main street of the West Port (the
link between Fountainbridge and the Grassmarket),
the whole of Lauriston from the Corn-market and
foot of the Vennel to the Main Point, including
Portland Place on the west, and to Bruntsfield
Links on the east, including Home and Leven
Streets.
In IIGO John AbbotofKelso grantedtoLawrence,
the son of Edmund of Edinburgh, a toft situated
between the West Port and the Castle, on the left
of the entrance into the city. In this little burgh
there were of old eight incorporated trades, deriving
their rights from John Touris of Inverleitk
Many of the houses here were roofed with thatch
in the sixteenth century,
and the barriergate
by which the whole
of the district was cut
off from the city was
milt in 1513, as a port
in the ?,F?lodden wall.
Some gate may, however,
have existed previously,
as Balfour in
his ?Annales,? tells that
the head of Robert Graham,
oneof the assassins
of James I., in 1437,
?was sett ouer the West
Port of Edinburgh ;?
and in I 5 I 5 the head of
Peter Moffat, ?ane
greit swerer and thief,?
was spiked in the same
place, after the reins
of government were
that every man in the city ?be reddy boddin for
weir,? in his best armour at ?? the jow of the common
bell? for its defence if necessary. Nearly
similar orders were issued concerning the gates in
1547, and the warders were to be well armed
with jack, steel helmet, and halberd or Jedmood
axe, finding surety to be never absent from their
In 1538 Mary of Guise made her first entry by
the West Port on St. Margaret?s day, ? with greit
trivmphe,? attended by all the nobility (Diurnal of
OCC.). There James VI. was received by ? King
Solomon ? on his first state entry in 1579 ; and by
it Anne of Denmark entcred in 1590, when she was
posts. (Ibid.)
HIGHRIGGS HOUSE, 1854. (Afler P Drawing by Ihr Aidkor.)
assumed by John Duke of Albany. (? Diurnal of
Occurrents.?)
In the same year it was ordained by the magistrates
and council that only three of the city gates
were to be open daily, viz., ?the West Port, Nether
Bow, and the Kirk-of-Field-and na ma. -4nd
ilk port to haif twa porteris daylie quhill my
Lord Govemoure?s hame coming. [Albany was
then on the Borders, putting down Lord Home?s
rebellion.] And thir porteris suffer na maner of
person on hors nor fute, to enter within this toune
without the President or one of the bailies knaw
of their cuming and gif thame licence. And the
said personis to be convayit to thair lugings be one
of the said porteris, swa that gif ony inconvenient
happenis, that thair hoste niycht answer for thame as
efferis.? (Burgh Records.) It was also ordained
that a fourth part of the citizens should form a
watch every night till the return of Albany, and
received by a long Latin
oration, while the garrison
in the Castle
?gave her thence a
great volley of shot,
with their banners and
ancient displays upon
the walls ? (?( Marriage
of James VI.,? Bann.
Club). Here also in
1633, Charles I. at his
grand entrance was
received by the nymph
Edina, and again at the
Overbow by the Lady
Caledonia, both of
whom welcomed him
in copious verse from
the pen, it is said, of
the loyal cavalier and
poet, Drummond of
Hawthornden.
Fifteen years before this period the Common
Council had purchased the elevated ridge of ground
lying south of the West Port and Grassmarket,
denominated the Highriggs, on a part of which
Heriot?s Hospital was afterwards built, and the
most recent extension of the city wall then took
place for the purpose of enclosing it. A portion of
this wall still fomis the boundary of the hospital
grounds, terminating at the head of the Vennel, in
the only tower of the ancient fortifications now
remaining.
In 1648 the superiority of the Portsburgh was
bought by the city from Sir Adam Hepburn for
the sum of 27,500 merks Scots; and in 1661
the king?s stables were likewise purchased for
EI,OOO Scots, and the admission of James Baisland
to the freedom of Edinburgh.
In 1653 the West Port witnessed a curious
, scene, when Lieutenant-Colonel Cotterel, by order](images/thumbs/old_new_edin_v4p042.gif "Old and New Edinburgh Vol. IV Page 222")
... OLD ?AND NEW EDINBURGH. [West Port.
prehending the main street of the West Port (the
link between ...
Book 4 p. 222
(Score 0.83)
... BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
addressed from the bar ; and entered either on the margin of the papers, or in
a blank ...
Book 9 p. 559
(Score 0.82)
![REGENT MURRAY?S FUNERAL. 143 St. Giles?s Church.]
Beware of injured Rothwellhaugh !
? The death-shot parts-the charger springs-
Wild rises tumult?s startling roar !
And Murray?s plumy helmet rings-
Rings on the ground to rise no mare ! ?
When his remains were committed to the tomb in
which they still lie, the thousands who crowded
the church were moved to tears by the burning
eloquence of Knox. ?Vpoun the xiiij day of the
moneth of Februar, 1570,? says the ? Diurnal of
Occurrents? ? my lord Regentis corpis, being brocht
in ane bote be sey, frz Stirling to Leith, quhair it
was keipit in Johne Wairdlaw his hous, and thereafter
cary it to the Palace of Holyrudhous, wes
transportit fra the said Palace to the College Kirk
the Regent Murray, the Regent Morton, and his
great rival, John Stewart Earl of Athole, are buried ;
and adjoining the aisle where the sorely mangled
remains of the great Marquis of Montrose were
so royally interred on the 7th of January, 1661.
The Regent?s tomb, now fully restored, stands
on the west side of the south transept, and on
many accounts is an object of peculiar interest.
Erected to the memory of one who played so conspicuous
a part in one of the most momentous
periods of Scottish history, it is well calculated to
interference of the General Assembly, and a riot
ensued.
The portion of the church which contained
these monuments was eftered by a door adjoining
the Parliament Close, and, as it was never shut,
?the gude regent?s aisle,? as it was named,
became a common place for appointments and
loungers. Thus French Paris-Queen Mary?o
servant-in his confession respecting the murder
of King Henry, stated that during the communings
which took place before that dark deed was resolved
on, he one day ?took his mantle and sword
and went to prumencr (walk) in the high church.?
Probably in consequence of the veneration entertained
for the memory of the Regent, his tomb
rouse many a stirring association.
All readers of
history know how the Regent
fell under the bullet
of Bothwellhaugh, at Linlithgow,
in avenging the
wrongs inflicted on his
wife, the heiress of Woodhouselee.
As the ?Cadyow
Ballad ? has it-
? ?Mid pennoned spears a stately
Proud Murray?s plumage
Scarce could his trampling
So close the minions crow-
? From the raised vizor?s shade,
Dark rolling, glanced the
And his steel truncheon waved
Seemed marshalling the iron
?But yet his saddened brow
A passing shade of doubt
Some fiend was whispering in
grove,
floated high ;
charger move,
ded nigh.
his eye,
ranks along ;
on high,
throng,
confessed,
and awe ;
his breast,
~
of Sanctgeill, in this manner; that is to say,
.i?illiam Kirkaldie of Grange, Knycht, raid fra the
said palace in dule weid, bearing ane pensal!
quherin was contenit ane Reid Lyon; after him
followit Colvill of Cleishe, Maister (of the) Houshold
to the said Regent, with ane quherin was
contenit my lords regentis armes and bage.? The
Earls of Mar, Athole, Glencairn, the Lords
Ruthven, Methven, and Lindsay, the Master of
Graham, and many other nobles, bore the body
through the church to the grave, where it ?was
JOHN KNOX?S PULPIT, ST. GILES?S.
(From tk Scottish Anfaquarinn Museum).
buryit in Sanct Anthonie?s
yle.? On the front of the
restored tomb is the ancient
brass plate, bearing
an inscription composed
by George Buchanan :-
?( Iur060 Stuvarto, Mwm?e Cornifi,
Scotie Prwqi;
Vim, a t a t i s szw, longe opt*
mo : a6 inirnik,
0mni.- rnemorie deterrimis, ex
insdiis exfindo,
Ceu pafn? commwni, pafna
mcprens $omit.??
Opposite, on the north side
of the west transept, was
the tomb in which the Earl
of Athole, Chancellor of
Scotland, who died suddenly
at Stirling, not without
suspicion of poison,
was interred with great
solemnity on the 4th of
July, 1579. A cross was
used on this occasion, and
as flambeaux were borne,
according to Calderwood,
the funeral probably occurred
at night ; these paraphernalia
led to the usual](images/thumbs/old_new_edin_v1p155.gif "Old and New Edinburgh Vol. I Page 143")
... MURRAY?S FUNERAL. 143 St. Giles?s Church.]
Beware of injured Rothwellhaugh !
? The death-shot parts-the ...
Book 1 p. 143
(Score 0.81)
... mansions again filled with wondering, exulting,
or sorrowing faces, as the wily Earl of BIorton
lays his ...
Book 1 p. 3
(Score 0.81)
... ANTIQUITIES. 407
from the deceased King of Scots’ Palace all or most of his princely library, ...
Book 10 p. 446
(Score 0.8)
... V. TO ABDICATION OF QUEEN MARY. 67
the tower of the preceptoy, and not that of the present parish church, as ...
Book 10 p. 73
(Score 0.8)
... YI. TO RESTORATION OF CHARLES 11. 89
very willing to make the most of such an occasion as this, and remained ...
Book 10 p. 97
(Score 0.79)
... SKETCHES. 475
degree owing to the liberal views, the professional talents, activity, and address of ...
Book 9 p. 634
(Score 0.79)
... MEMORIALS OF EDINBURGH.
promise of replacing, at some indefinite period, ‘‘ als mony als gud jeistis ” as ...
Book 10 p. 78
(Score 0.79)
![Broughton Street.] THE CALEDONIAN THEATRE. 179
was the band of the 78th, where hung the shields
of Picton and Achmuty, and a brilliant star, with
the mottoes Assnye and Mnida. ?Under this
orchestra was a beautiful transparency, representing
an old Scotsman with his bonnet, giving a
hearty welcome to two soldiers of the 42nd and
78th regiments, while a bonny lassie is peeping out
from a cottage door; the background formed a
landscape, with Edinburgh Castle in the distance.?
At eleven o?clock came famous old Neil Gow,
with his band of violins, and the ball-which was
long remembered in Edinburgh-began.
After some time Corri?s Rooms were called the
Pantheon, and in December, 1823, the house was
again opened under the new appellation of the
Caledonian Theatre (which it held for years afterwards),
by Mr. Henry Johnstone, an old Edinburgh
favourite and luckless native of the city.
The papers of the time announce that the dancing
and tumbling of the Pantheon ?are superseded;
and, excepting that melodramas are presented in
place of regular tragedies and comedies, the Caledonian
Theatre in no respect difters in the nature
and style of its entertainments from the regular
theatre.? One of the first pieces brought out was
The. Orphan of Geneva.
?The house is dingy and even dirty,? says the
WeekQIoumaZ for that year, ?< and very defectively
lighted. This is not at all in harmony with Mr.
Johnstone?s usual enterprise, and calls for amendment.
The name of CaZedonian is perhaps conceived
to be a kind of apology for the clumsy
tartan hangings over some of the boxes; but we
can by no means comprehend why the house was
not re-painted. The visitor cannot fail to be immediately
struck with the contrast of its dingy hue, with
the freshness and beauty of the Theatre Royal.?
Mr. Johnstone?s losses compelled him, after a
time, to relinquish management. He left Edinburgh,
and did not return to it till 1830, when
he played four nights .at the same theatre, then
leased by Mr. Bass. Poor Johnstone, an actor
much admired in London, but every wayunfortunate,
eventually went to America.
The theatre was afterwards called the Adelphi,
and was burned in 1853, during the management
of Mr. R. H. Wyndham. On its site was rebuilt
the Queen?s Theatre and Opera House, under the
same enterprising manager, long one of the greatest
theatrical favourites in Edinburgh ; but this also
was destroyed by fire in 1865, when several lives
were lost by the falling of a wall. By a singular
fatality it was a third time completely gutted by
fire ten years afterwards, but was reconstructed in
the latter part of 1875, and reopened in January,
1876, prior to which Mr. and Mrs. Wyndham had
taken their farewell of the stage and of Edinburgh.
It is a h3ndsome building, with a portico, and is
adorned with medallions of Shakspere, Scott,
Molihre, and Goethe. Although erected within the
walls of the theatre burned on the 6th of February,
1875, it is almost entirely a new building internally,
different from all its predecessors, greatly improved,
and seated for 2,300 persons. The works have
been designed and executed by C. J. Phipps, F.S.A.,
architect of the Gaiety Theatre, London.
Immediately adjoining this theatre-the gable
wall being a mutual one-is St. Mary?s Roman
Catholic chapel, now the pro-cathedral of the
Archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh, whose
residence is in the narrow lane to the northward.
It was built in 1813, from designs by James
Gillespie Graham, architect, at the expense of
iE;8,ooo. In the original elevations more omament
was introduced than it was found there were
funds to execute, as these were chiefly raised by
subscription among the Catholics of Edinburgh,
then a small, and still a poor, congregation. The
dimensions of this edifice within the walls are
IIO feet by 57. The eastern front, in which is
the entrance, is ornamented by two central pinnacles
70 feet high, and the adoption of the Gothic
style in this small chapel jirst led to the adoption
of a similar style in various other re!igious edifices
since erected in the city. It possesses a very good
organ, and above the altar is a fine painting of the
Saviour dead. It was presented to the church by
Miss Chalmers, daughter of Sir G. Chalmers.
Some prelates of the Catholic Church lie buried
before the high altar, among them Bishops
Alexander Cameron and Andrew Carruthers. The
interment of the former excited much interest in
Edinburgh in 1Sz8, the funeral obsequies being in
a style never seen in Scotland since the Reformation,
and also from the general esteem in which
the bishop was held by all. He was born in
1747, and went to the Scottish College at Rome
in 1760, and bore away all the prizes Returning
to Scotland in 1772, he was Missionary Apostolic
in Strathearn till 1780, when he was consecrated
at Madeira, and, succeeding Bishop Hay, had re
sided permanently in Edinburgh since 1806.](images/thumbs/old_new_edin_v3p191.gif "Old and New Edinburgh Vol. III Page 179")
... Street.] THE CALEDONIAN THEATRE. 179
was the band of the 78th, where hung the shields
of Picton and ...
Book 3 p. 179
(Score 0.78)
... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Northumberland Street.
A noted antiquary, he was Correspondant du
Comitk Imp2riaZ des ...
Book 4 p. 198
(Score 0.78)
... VI. TO RESTORATION OF CHARLES 11. 91
In the following year, the Common Council purchased the elevated ground ...
Book 10 p. 99
(Score 0.78)
... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J
CHAPTER I.
P R E H I S T O R ...
Book 2 p. 385
(Score 0.78)
... CASTLE. 127
of Scotland is kept. The apartment is a massive bombproof vault, and contains, along
with these ...
Book 10 p. 138
(Score 0.78)
... STABLES, CASTLE BARNS, AND CASTLE HILL. 141
brother, united with it the title of Earl of Stair; a ...
Book 10 p. 152
(Score 0.78)
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