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

314 MEMORIALS OF EDINBURGH. sovereign, James V.’ They were to enter the palace by a window at the head of the King’s bed, which was pointed out by Sir James Hamilton, one of their accomplices, who used to be the King’s bedfellow, according to the homely fashion of the times. The energetic measures which were adopted on the discovery of this plot greatly tended to secure the peace and good government of the capital. At the foot of the Pleasance was the Cowgate Port, one of the principal gates of the city, which afforded access to the ancient street from whence it derived its name. Alexander Alesse, a canon of St Andrew’s, who left Scotland in 1532 to escape the persecutim to which he was exposed in consequence of adopting the principles of the early Reformers, describes the Cowgate thus :-&‘ Infiniti viculi, qui omnes excelsis sunt ornati sdibus, &ut et Via Vaccarum; in qua habitant patricii et senatores urbis, et in qua sunt principum regni palatia, ubi nihil est humile aut rusticum, sed omnia magnifica.” Mean and degraded as this ancient thoroughfare now is, there are not wanting traces of those palmy days when the nobles and senators of the capital had there their palaces, whose magnificence excited>he admiration of strangers, though now its name has almost passed into a byeword. A little to the westward, beyond a slight but picturesque old fabric which forms the north side of the Cowgate Port, the large old gateway remains which gave access to the extensive pleasure grounds attached to the Marquis of Tweeddale’s residence. In Edgar’s map, this garden ground appears rising in a succession of terraces towards the noble residence, and thickly planted in parts with trees ; nevertheless, the whole area had been covered at an earlier period with the crowded dwellings of the ancient capital, as appears from Gordon’s view of 1647 ; and now the noble gardens are anew giving place to rude masonry. The Cowgate Chapel occupies one large portion, and manufactories, with meaner buildings, hem it in on nearly every side. Towards the west, at the foot of Gray’s Close, is Elphinstone’s Court, already described, and beyond it the Mint Court still stands, with its sombre and massive turret of polished ashlar work protruding into the narrow thoroughfare of the Cowgate. The venerable quadrangle of the Scottish Mint is formed by an irregular assemblage of buildings of various ages and styles, yet most of them still retaining some traces of the important operations once carried on within their walls. The Mint House was on the west side of the Abbey Close at Holyrood Palace, in the earlier part of Queen Mary’s reign, as appears from evidence previously quoted. From thence it was removed for greater safety to the new Mint House, erected in the Castle in 1559;’ and although, during the troubled period that followed soon after, the chief coining operations were carried on at Dalkeith and elsewhere, Sir William Kirkaldy still made use of “ the cunzie hous in the Castle of Edinburgh, quilk cunzet the auld cunzie of the Queen.”s No other Mint House was permanently established in Edinburgh until the almost total destruction of the buildings in the Castle during the memorable siege of 1572. The date over the main entrance to the most ancient portion of buildings in the Cowgate, at the foot of Toddrick’s Wynd, 1 Caledonia, vol. ii. p. 615. ’ In the Treasurers’ accounta, the following entry occura : February 1562-3 :-“Item, allowit to the Comptar, be payment maid be Johne Achesouo, Maist2r Cwnaeour, to Yaister William M‘Dowgale, Maister of Werk, for expensia maid be him vpon the bigging of the Cwnze-hous, within the Castell of Edinburgh, and beting of the Cwnze-how within the Palace of Halierudhouse, fra the xi day of Februar 1559 zeris, to the 21 of April 1560, 2460, 4s. Id.” J Diurnal of Occurrenta, p. 291.

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