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

292 MEMORIALS OF EDINBURGH. of the old Scottish Parliaments were not framed to curb the excesses of cobbler kings. King Crispin and his train grew more extravagant every year. He latterly rode in this fantastic annual pageant in ermined robes, attended by prince, premier, champion in armour, and courtiers of all degrees, mounted on horseback, and decked in the most gaudy costume they could procure, until at length the whole wealth and property of the corporation were dissipated in this childish foolery, and King Crispin retired to private life, and the humbler relaxation of cobbling shoes1 Mra Malcolm, an old dame of a particularly shrewish disposition, who inhabited an attic in the Shoemakers’ Land towards the close of last century, was long known by the title of the Princess, her husband having for many years represented the Black Prince, and she his sable c o n s o r t two essential characters in King Crispin’s pageant. There can be little doubt that this frivolous sport was a relic of much earlier times, when the Cordiners of the neighbouring capital, incorporat,ed in the pear 1449, proceeded annually, on the anniversary of their patron saint, to the altar of St Crispin and St Crispinian, founded and maintained by them in the collegiate church of St Gi1es.l Nor is it improbable, that in the Princess a traditional remembrance was preserved of the Queen of the Canongate, mentioned in the Treasury accounts of James IV. The Canongate Tolbooth-a view of which heads this chapter-has long been a favourite subject for the artist’s pencil, as one of the most picturesque edifices of the Old Town. It formed the court-house and jail of the burgh, erected in the reign of James VI., soon after the abolition of religious houses had left this ancient dependency of the Abbey free to govern itself. Even then, however, Adam Bothwell, the Protestant commendator of Holyrood, retained some portion of the ancient rights of his mitred predecessors over the burgh. The present structure is the successor of a much earlier building, probably on the same site. The date on the tower is 1591 ; and preparations for its erection appear in the Burgh Register seven years before this, where it is enacted that no remission of fees shall be granted to any one, “unto the tyme the tolbuith of this burch be edefeit and kggit.”’ Nevertheless, we find by the Burgh Registers for 1561, “ Curia capitalis burgi vici canonicorum Monasterii Sancte Crucis prope Edinburgh, tenta in pretorio ejusdem ; ” and frequent references occur to the tolduith, both as a court-house and prison, in the Registers and in the Treasurer’s accounts, e.g., 1574, “ To sax pynouris att the bailleis command for taking doun of the lintall stane of the auld tolbuith windo, iijs. id.” The very next entry is a fee (‘to ane new pyper,” an official of the Burgh of whom various notices are found at this early period. The Hotel de ViZZe of this ancient burgh is surmounted by a tower and spire, flanked by two turrets in front, from between which a clock of large dimensions projects into the street. This formerly rested on curiously-carved oaken beams, which appear in Storer’s views published in 1818, but they have since been replaced by plain cast-iron supports. The building is otherwise adorned wit,h a variety of mottoes and sculptured devices in the Maitland, p. 305. The earliest notice we have found of the Cordiners of Canongate occurs in the Burgh Register, 10th June 1574, where “ William Quhite, being electit and choain diacone of the cordonaris be his brethir for this present yeir, . . . is reseavit in place of umquhill Andro Purves.” From this they appear to have been then an incorporated body.-Canongate Burgh Register ; Mait. Misc. vol. ii. p. 329. ’ Canongate Burgh Register, 13th October 1584 ; Ibid, p. 353. .

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