THE CASTLE. 127
of Scotland is kept. The apartment is a massive bombproof vault, and contains, along
with these national treasures, the old, iron-bound oak chest in which they were found in
the year 1817. The remarkably elegant crown is referred, with every probability, to the
era of Bruce, although it was not adorned with the graceful concentric arches of gold till
the r e i p of James V. It was further completed by the substitution of the present cap of
crimson velvet by James VIL for the former purple one, which had suffered during its
concealment in the civil wars. Next in interest to the crown is the beautiful sword of
state, presented by Pope Julius 11. to James IV. The scabbard is richly wrought with
filigree work of silver, representing oak boughs adorned with leaves and acorns,-an oak
tree being the heraldic device of that warlike Pontiff. In addition to the finely proportioned
sceptre, surmounted with statues of the Virgin, St Andrew, and St James, which
was made for James V., these interesting national relics are accompanied by the royal jewels,
bequeathed by Cardinal York, the last of the Stuarts, to George IV., including the George
and collar of the Order of the Garter, presented by Queen Elizabeth to James VI.-the badge
of .the Thistle of the same Monarch, containing a portrait of Anne of Denmark,-and the
coronation ring of Charles I.
The north side of this quadrangle now consists of a plain and uninteresting ra.nge of
barracks, erected about the middle of last century, previous to which time the site was
occupied by a church of large dimensions and great antiquity. It is described by Maitland
as “ a very long and large ancient church, which,” says he, “ from its spacious dimensions,
I imagine that it was not only built for the use of the small garrison, but for the service of
the neighbouring inhabitants, before St Giles’s Church was erected for their accommodation.”
Unfortunately, that laborious and painstaking historian, having little taste for
ecclesiastical remains, has furnished no account of the style of architecture by which to
judge of its probable date, though his idea of its having existed before the earliest church
of St Giles, shows his conviction of its very great antiquity, and would carry its foundation
back to a much earlier period than can be assigned to it. This most probabIy was a church
that appears to have been built shortly after the death of the pious Queen of Malcolm Canmore,
and dedicated to her.
‘‘ the Church of the Castle of Edinburgh,” a and is again confirmed to the Abbey of the
Holy Rood in that of Alexander III., as well as in successive Papal bulls.’ Robert II.
granted to St Margaret’s Chapel, within the Castle of Edinburgh, an yearly rent of eight
pounds sterling, out of the customs of Edinburgh; and this donation is confirmed by
Robert IIL’
In the bird’seye
view in Cordon’s map, the south elevation is shown ; it also forms a prominent object
in Sandby’s view of the Castle from the east, already referred to, and would seem to have
been a comparatively plain edifice, with crow-step gables and small windows, and was, in
d1 probability, an erection in the Norman style that prevailed at the period. From the
latter view, it would also appear to have been roofed with stone flags, and ornamented along
the ridge with carved pinnacles, auch as may still be seen on St MaFy’s Church at Leith.
This church seems to have been applied to secular purposes soon%fter the Reformation
It is mentioned by David I. in his charter of Holyrood,
Some idea of the form of the church may be gathered from old views.
1 Maitland, p. 145.
a Liber Cartarurn, pp. 64, 169, 186.
Liber Cartarurn, pp. 3-7.
* Caledonia, vol. ii. p. 693.
I28 MEMORIALS OF EDINBURGH. .
In 1595, the following entry occurs in the records of the Presbytery of Edinburgh:-
“Anent the desyre of James Reid, Constable of the Castell of Edinburgh, in effect
craving that, seing thair was ane paroche kirk within the said Castell, command wald be
given to John Brand to baptese the barnis borne in the Castell. The Presbyterie understanding
that the kirk thairof is unreparitt, willis the said Constable to repair the same,
and to dedicatt it for na uther use bot for preiching. Thairefter his desyre sal be
answerit.” Eight years afterwards, it appears, from the same records, that the question of
its being a parish was disputed, and still under discussion, and so it remains even to our
own day. When Maitland wrote, the old church was divided by floors, and converted
into an armoury and storehouse; and soon after his time, it must have been entirely
demolished.
We have been the more careful in describing the site
and general character of the ancient Church of the Castle,
in order to prevent its being confounded with a singularly
curious and interesting ecclesiastical ediiice still remaining
there, immediately to the west of the garrison chapel, the
existence of which seems to have been totally lost sight of.
Its external appearance, though little calculated to excite
attention, leaves little reason to doubt that the original
walls remain. It is still in a tolerably perfect condition,
consisting of a very small building, measuring sixteen
feet six inches, by ten feet six inches within the nave, probably
the smallest, as well as the most ancient chapel in
Scotland. At the east end, there is a neatly carved,,
double, round arch, separating it from a semicircular chancel,
with a plain alcoved ceiling. It is decorated with the
usual Norman- zigzag mouldings, and finished on the
outer side by a border of lozenge-shaped ornaments, the
pattern of which is curiously altered as it approaches the spring of the’ arch. No traces
of ornament are now apparent within the chancel, a portion of the building usually BO
highly decorated, but the space is so small, that the altar, with its customary appendages,
would render any further embellishment immaterial. There have been formerly two
pillars on each side, supporting the arch, with plain double cushion capitals, which still
remain, as well as two of the bases, but the shafts of all the pillars are now wanting, and
the opening of the arch is closed in with a rude brick partition in order to adapt the
chancel to its modern use as a powder magazine. The original windows of the chapel have
all been built up or enlarged, but sufficient remains can be traced to show that they have
been plain, round-headed, and very narrow openinga. The original doorway is also built
up, but may still be seen in the north wall, close to the west end, an arrangement not
unusual in such small chapels, and nearly similar to that at Craigmillar Castle. This
interesting edifice is now abandoned to the same uses as the larger church was in
Wodrow &fisc., vul. i. p. 463.
\’rGNETm-Mouldioga of the Chancel Arch, from the Chapel in the Castle.
