66 MEMORIALS OF EDINBURGH.
their forces with the English, for the purpose of expelling the French garrison.from Leith.
The Council of Edinburgh manifested their sympathy by contributing the sum of sixteen
hundred pounds Scots to maintain four hundred men engaged in their service for one
month, for the reduction of that town.’
The English force landed, and took up their station around Restalrig Church, casting
up trenches and securing themselves from the danger of surprise.’ The forces of the Congregation
had now acquired both experience and discipline, and with the aid of such
auxiliaries, the tables were speedily turned.
The French troops began the attack by a sudden sally on the camp at Restalrig, by
which the English auxiliaries were taken at a disadvantage ; but they speedily rallied, and
chased them to the walls of Leith, killing above three hundred, though with a still greFter
loss to themselves. In order more closely to press the siege, they removed their camp, a
few days after, to Pilrig, a rising ground still known by that name, lying directly between
Edinburgh and Leith.3
Early in May, a general
assault was made, but the scaling ladders were discovered to be too short when applied
to the walls, and the besiegers were driven back with great slaughter.
The ordnance of the French garrison were mounted along the walls, and on every
available point within the town of Leith. A battery that was erected on the tower of the
preceptory of St Anthony proved particularly annoying and destructive to the besiegers ;
and as they were unable, from their distance, to produce any effect on it, they advanced
their cannon to the Links of Leith, where they threw up mounds of earth, and erected a
battery of eight guns. With these they kept up 80 constant and destnctive a firing, that,
in a few days, they not only dismounted the ordnance placed by the French in t$e steeple,
but greatly injured it and the adjoining buildings.‘
On the 14th of April, being Easter Sunday, a constant firing was kept up by the
assailants, particularly at St Mary’s Church, where the people were assembled for divine
service, so that a bullet was shot through the great east window, passing right over the
altar, during the celebration of high mass, and just before the elevation of the host.
Two of the mounds thrown up by the besiegers on this occasion still remain on Leith
Links, and almost directly opposite the east end of the church. One of them is on the
extreme east side of the Links ; the other, which lies considerably nearer the High School,
is locally designated the Giant’s Bra. As there existed, till very recently, no houses
between the church and these open downs on which the batteries were erected, it must
have lain completely exposed to the fire of the besiegers. Some obscurity exists in the
narratives of the different historians of this period, as to which church is spoken of.
Bishop Leslie mentions their having “shot many great schottis of cannonis and gret
ordinances at the parrishe kirk of Leyth and Sanct Anthoneis steple.” St Mary’s Church
was not converted into the parish church, until the destruction, at a later period, of that
of Restalrig, to which Leith was parochially joined ; yet its position, agreeing so well with
the accounts of the siege, leaves no doubt that it is intended by this designation. As all
the historians, however, uuite in speaking of St Anthony’s steeple as that whereon the
French garrison had erected their ordnance, there seems no reason to question that it was
The united forces continued to press the siege at Leith.
Maitland, p. 19. Diurnal of Oocurrenta, p. 57. a Ibid, p. 58. ‘ Bishop Lealie, p. 285.
