a2 MEMORIALS OF EDINBURGH.
Deacons mustered the whole burgher force of the city, armed and equipped in warlike array,
and marched at their head to the Links of Leith. From thence the magistrates proceeded
to the town, and ‘( held ane court upon the Tolbuyth stair of Leith, and created bailies,
sergeants, clerks, and demstars,’ and took possession. thereof by virtue of their infeftment
made by the Queen’s grace to them.”’ The superiority thus established, continued to be
maintained, often with despotic rigour, until the independence of Leith was secured by the
Burgh Reform Bill of 1833.
On the 22d of August, the Earl of Murray was invested with the dignity of Regent,
and proclamation of the same made at the Cross of Edinburgh; with great magnificence
and solemnity. In his strong hand, the sceptre was again swayed for a brief period with
such stern rigour, as checked the turbulent factions, and restored, to a great extent, tranquillity
to the people. But his regency was of brief duration; he fell by the hand of
an assassin in the month of January 1570, and the Earl of Lennox succeeded to hie
office. He was buried in St Giles’s Church, and a monument erected to his memory
in the south transept, which remained a point of peculiar attraction in the old fabric,
until it was most barbarously demolished, during the alterations effected on the building
in 1829.
The Castle, at this time, was held by Sir William Kirkaldy of Grange, who still adhered
to the Queen’e party ; and he abundantly availed himself of the unsettled state of affairs
to strengaen his position. He had seized all provisions brought into Leith, and raised and
trained soldiers with little interruption. On the 28th of March 1571, he took forcible
possession of St Giles’s Church, and manned the steeple to keep the citizens in awe ; and
again on the 1st of May, the Duke of Chatelherault, having entered the town with 300
men, the men of war in the steeple, ‘( slappit all the pendis of the kirk,’ for keeping
thairof aganis my Lord Regent,” and immediate preparations were made for the defence
of the town. Troops crowded into the city, and others mustered against it, the Regent
being bent on holding a Parliament there. The Estates accordingly assembled in the
Canongate, without the walls, but within the liberties of the city, which extended to
St John’s Cross, and a battery was erected for their protection, upon (‘ the Dow Craig‘
abone the Trinity College, beside Edinburgh, to ding and seige the north-east quarter of
the burgh.’’ ’
The place indicated is obviously that portion of the Calton Hill where the house of the
governor of the jail now stands, a most commanding position for the purpose in view ;
from this an almost constant firing was kept up on the city during the sittings of the Parliament.
The opposite party retaliated by erecting a battery in the Blackfriars (the old
High School Yard), from which they greatly damaged the houses in the Canongate, while
the Nether Bow Port was built up with stone and lime, the more effectually to exclude
them from the usual place of meeting.
Diligent preparations were made for the defence of the town after the Parliament had
withdrawn. On the 6th of June, commandment was given ‘‘ by the lords of the nobility
in Edinburgh, to tir and tak down all the tymmer work of all houses in Leith Wynd and
Le., Judge8 or doomem, latterly hangmen. 9 Diurnal of Occurrents, p. 117.
e Diurnal of Oocurrenta, p. 213.
3 Ibid, p. 202.
6 Most probably from the Gaelic A, i c , Black Craig.
i.e., Broke out loap-holes in the arched roof.
YAMES VI. TO RESTORATION OF CHARLES I.. 83
Sanct Mary’s Wynd, hurtful to the keiping of this burghe.” And, again, on the Sth,
they caused the doors and windows of all the tenements on the west side of St Mary’s-
Wynd to be “ biggit up and closit,” as well as other great preparations for defence.
On the 20th of June, three pieces of brass ordnance were mounted on St Giles’s steeple,
and the holders of it amply stored with provisions and ammunition for its defence, and all
the malls, fosses, and ports, were again ‘ I newlie biggit and repairit ; ” and within a few days
after, the whole merchants and craftsmen remaining in the burgh, mustered to a ‘‘ wappinschawing”
in the Greyfriars’ Churchyard, and engaged to aid and assist the Captain of the
Castle in the service of the Queen.’
When all others means failed, an ingenious plot was devised for taking the Nether Bow
Port by a stratagem, nearly similar to that by which the Castle was recovered in 1341;
but the ambush was discovered by chance, and the scheme, happily for the citizens,
defeated. Immediately thereafter, “ the Lords and Captain of the Castle causit big ane
ne‘w port at the Nether boll, within the auld port of the same, of aisler wark, in the maist
strenthie maner ; and tuik, to big the saniyn with, all the aisler stanis that Alexander
Clerk haid gadderit of the kirk of Restalrig to big his hous with.”s This interesting
notation supplies the date of erection of the second Nether Bow Port, and accounts for its
position behind the line of the city wall ; as the original gate in continuation of St Mary’s
Wynd would have to be retained and defended, while the new works were going on within.
On the earlier site, but, we may presume to some extent at least, with these same materials,
the fauous old “ Temple Bar of Edinburgh,” was again rebuilt in the form represented in
the engraving, in the year 1606.
At a still later date, the same parties, in their anxiety to defend this important pass,
“causit all the houssis of Leith and Sanct Marie Wyndis heidis to be tane dounl”
The Earl of Mar was no less zealous in his preparations for its assault. He caused trenches
to be cast up in the Pleasance, for nine pieces of large and small ordnance, and mounted
others on Salisbury Crags, ‘‘ to ding Edinburgh with,” so that the poor burghers of that
quarter must have found good reason for wishing the siege to draw to a close. Provisions
failed, and all fresh supplies were most diligently intercepted; military law prevailed in its
utmost rigour, and the sole appearance of their enjoying a moment’s ease occur^ in the
statement, that “ uochttheles the remaneris thairin abaid patientlie, and usit all plesouris
quhilkis were wont to be usit in the xnoneth of Maij in ald tymes, viz., Robin Hude and
Litill Johne.”
This frightful state of affairs was at length brought to a close, with little advantage to
either party; and on the 27th of July 1572, the whole artillery about the walls, on the
steeple head of St Giles’s, and the Kirk-of-Field, were removed to the Castle, and the Cross
being most honourably hung with tapestry, a truce was proclaimed by the heralds, with
sound of trumpets, and the hearty congratulations of the people.“
In the month of August Knox returned to Edinburgh, after an absence of nearly two
years. His life was drawing rapidly to a close, and on the 24th of November 1572 he expired
in his sixty-seventh year. His body was interred in the Churchyard of St Giles, and
was attended to the grave by a numerous concourse of people, including many of the chief
,
Diurnal of Occurrenta, pp. 220, 226, 251.
Diurnal of Occurrenta, p. 241.
’ Ante, p. 8. ’ Ibid, p. 308.
