Memorials of Edinburgh in the Olden Time

All Books Kay's Originals Vol. 1 Kay's Originals Vol. 2 Memorials of Edinburgh in the Olden Time Edinburgh Past and Present Old and New Edinburgh Vol. I Old and New Edinburgh Vol. II Old and New Edinburgh Vol. III Old and New Edinburgh Vol. IV Old and New Edinburgh Vol. V Old and New Edinburgh Vol. VI

Go to: « Kay's Originals Vol. 1 « Kay's Originals Vol. 2 Memorials of Edinburgh in the Olden Time Cover Title Pages Contents List of Illustrations Preface Part 1: Historical Associations Part 1 Ch 1: Earliest Traditions Part 1 Ch 2: From The Accession of The Stuarts to the Death of James III Part 1 Ch 3: From the Accession of James IV to the Battle of Flodden Part 1 Ch 4: From the Battle of Flodden to the Death of James V Part 1 Ch 5: From the Death of James V to the Abdication of Queen Mary Part 1 Ch 6: From the Accession of James VI to the Restoration of Charles II Part 1 Ch 7: Historical Incidents after the Restoration Part 2: Local Antiquities and Traditions Part 2 Ch 1: The Castle Part 2 Ch 2: King's Stables, Castle Barns, and Castle Hill Part 2 Ch 3: The Lawnmarket Part 2 Ch 4: The Tolbooth, Luckenbooths, and Parliament Close Part 2 Ch 5: The High Street Part 2 Ch 6: The High Street and Nether Bow Part 2 Ch 7: The Canongate and Abbey Sanctuary Part 2 Ch 8: St Leonard's, St Mary's Wynd, and The Cowgate Part 2 Ch 9: The West Bow and Suburbs Part 2 Ch 10: Leith, and The New Town Part 2 Ch 11: Ecclesiastical Antiquities Appendix » Edinburgh Past and Present » Old and New Edinburgh Vol. I » Old and New Edinburgh Vol. II » Old and New Edinburgh Vol. III » Old and New Edinburgh Vol. IV » Old and New Edinburgh Vol. V » Old and New Edinburgh Vol. VI

THE HIGH STREET AND NETHER BOW. 263 citizen of wealth and importance, occupying a high office, probably of an ecclesiastical character, in the royal household, and in his titles is styled Wilter Chepman de Everland.‘ A broad archway, which leads through the modern successor of the old typographer’s fore tenement, gives entrance to Blackfriars’ Wynd, the largest, and undoubtedly the most important, of all the ancient closes of Edinburgh. It derives its name from having formed the approach to the monastery of the Dominicans, or Black Friars, founded by Alexander 11. in 1230, which etood on the site of the Old High School. This royal foundation, which formed for a time the residence of its founder, received from him, among other endowments, a gdt of the whole ground now occupied by the wpd to erect houses thereon. For fully five centuries this ancient alley may be said to have formed one of the most aristocratic districts of the Scottish capital; and it continued even after the Reformation to be the chosen place of residence of some of the chief Scottish ecclesiastics. It possessed, till a few years since, much of the fine antique picturesqueness that anciently pertained to it, as will be seen in the accompanying view, drawn in 1837 ; but since then a rapid demolition of its decaying tenements has taken place ; and although it still retains some exceedingly interesting relics of the past, the general aspect of the €‘reading Friar$ Vennel has given place to rude and tasteless modern erections, or to ruinous desolation.!’ We have already noticed, in the introductory sketch, several of the most memorable incidents of which this ancient alley has been the scene. There some of the keenest struggles of the rival factions took place during the famous contest known as ‘‘ Cleanse the Causeway ; ” down its straitened thoroughfare the victorious adherents of the Earl of Angus rushed to assault the palace of the Archbishop of Glasgow at the foot of the wynd, and from thence to wreak their rengeance on his person in the neighbouring church of the .Black Friars, whither he fled for shelter. In the reign of James VI., in 1588, it was the arena of a similar contest between the retainers of the Earl of Bothwell and Sir William Stewart, when the latter was slain there by the sword of his rival. The next remarkable incident that occurred was in 1668, when Sharpe, Archbishop of St Andrews, was seated in his coach at the head of Blackfriars’ Wynd, waiting for the Bishop of Orkney, whose residence would appear from this to have been in the wynd. Just as the Bishop was approaching the vehicle, Mitchell, the fanatic assassin already described,’ and an intimate acquaintance of the no less notorious Major Weir,’ aimed a pistol at the Primate, the contents of which missed him, but dangerously wounded the Bishop of Orkney, who at the moment was stepping into the coach. Since then the old alley has quietly progressed in its declining fortunes to a state of desertion and ruin. On the west side, near the head of the wynd, a decorated lintel bore the inscription and device represented in the accompanying woodcut, with the date 1564. The ground floor of this building consisted of one very large apartment, with a massive stone pillar in the centre, which formed the place of worship to which the adherents of the covenanted kirk retreated on the settlement of ecclesiastical affairs at the Revolution ; and it is described, l It may be remarked here that Chepman’s spouse, Agnea Coburn, is mentioned in the same titles, showing that he waa not bound by ecclesiastical vows of celibacy. While the west side of Blackfriars’ Wynd still stands, the east, with several closes adjacent, a description of which is given in subsequent pages of this chapter, has been taken down, in connection with plana for the improvement of the city. a Ante, p. 101. ‘ RavaiUac Redivivus, Lond. 1678, p. 12.

  Shrink   Print