'Edinburgh Castle' is an ancient
fortress which, from its position atop 'Castle Rock', dominates the sky-line of the city of
Edinburgh, and is
Scotland's second most visited tourist attraction, after the
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in
Glasgow.
[1] Human habitation of the site is dated back as far as the 9th century BC. As it stands today though, few of the castle's structures pre-date the
16th century, with the notable exception of
St Margaret's Chapel, the oldest surviving building in Edinburgh, which dates from the early
12th century.
As with all
castles, Edinburgh's fortress has been a centre of military activity. As an ancient fortress Edinburgh Castle is one of the few that still has a military garrison, albeit for ceremonial purposes, and the official headquarters of the
Royal Regiment of Scotland and
52 Infantry Brigade, as well as home to the regimental museum of the
Royal Scots and
Royal Scots Dragoon Guards. The military governor is
Major General David McDowall (late
Royal Signals),
GOC of the
British Army's
2nd Division. Direct administration of the castle by the
Ministry of Defence only came to an end in 1915 when the army moved to the city's
Redford Barracks. Nevertheless, the Castle continues to have a strong connection with the Army.
Sentries still stand watch at the castle gatehouse between 6pm and 9am, with responsibility for guarding the
Honours of Scotland.
Present management
The Castle is now run and administered, for the most part, by
Historic Scotland. Historic Scotland is an
executive agency of the
Scottish Executive [2] and undertakes the dual (and sometimes mutually contradictory) tasks of operating the castle as a commercially viable
tourist attraction whilst simultaneously having responsibility for conservation of the site.
Historic Scotland maintain a number of attractions for visitors. There are two cafes/restaurants in the castle, in addition to numerous historical displays. Historic Scotland have an educational centre in the castle which runs events for schools and educational groups, including
re-enactors in costume and with period weaponry. There are also a number of re-enactors employed for the general public in portions of the castle such as the Great Hall.
History
Pre-history of the site
Geology
The Castle stands upon the
basalt plug of an
extinct volcano which is estimated to have risen some 340 million years ago during the lower
Carboniferous age. Standing 120
metres (400
feet) above sea level, the Castle Rock is a classic example of a
crag and tail formation.
These
geological foundations cannot be underestimated in their significance for the subsequent development of the Castle (and indeed the city) and the events which have defined its
history. To the south, west and north the castle is protected by sheer cliffs rearing some 80 metres (260 ft) from the surrounding landscape. This means that the only readily accessible route to the castle lies to the East where the ridge slopes more gently.
But just as its location has rendered the Castle all but impregnable (it has never been taken by a direct assault against its gates) it has also presented difficulties. Not the least of these is that basalt is an extremely poor aquifer and therefore providing water to the upper ward of the castle in particular has long been problematic. Today this can be inconvenient, the poor quality of the piped water which is now available in the Palace Block (where the castle's stewards have their mess room) means that bottled water has to be transported up from the lower ward. Historically though, the inaccessibility of water was disastrous under siege conditions.
Earliest habitation
[3]
The origins of Edinburgh lie so deep beneath the mound of history that writing on the matter is largely speculative and often contradictory. It has been suggested that an early reference to occupation of the site of the Castle can be found as early as the mid-second century AD.
[4] Ptolemy refers to a settlement of the
Votadini known to the
Romans as ''Alauna'' (rock place).
More doubtful evidence of still earlier habitation is provided by
Andrew of Wyntoun, an early chronicler of
Scottish history. Wyntoun alludes to a king Ebrawce residing in the area 1,000 years before the Roman reference. If the story is to be believed, Ebrawce (from whom the name Edinburgh is, in this version of the story, said to have derived) had over fifty children by his twenty wives. On the site of Edinburgh castle he built a "Maiden's Castle" and “bygged Edynburghe wyth-alle.” The name of this mythical King Ebrawce however is more cognate with the hypothetical name of the sub-Roman Kingdom of
York,
Ebrauc.
Whilst there must be serious doubts about the veracity of Wyntoun's chronicle in this matter, an
archaeological survey of the Castle in the late 1980s
[5] does lend credence to the idea of the site having been settled during the late
iron, (or early
bronze) age. However, the extent of the finds were not particularly significant and insufficient to draw any very certain conclusions about the precise nature or scale of this earliest known phase of occupation. Whether this was indeed the hall of the fecund King Ebrawce can only be a matter of speculation.
The archaeological evidence becomes more compelling in the
Iron Age. Traditionally it had been supposed that the tribes which inhabited this part of central Scotland had made little or no use of the Castle Rock. Excavations at nearby
Traprain Law,
Dunsapie Hill,
Duddingston and
Inveresk had revealed relatively large settlements and it was supposed that these sites had, for some reason, been chosen in preference to the Castle rock. If the excavations of the late 1980s did not debunk this view, it at least demonstrated that the position was somewhat more complex.
The dig revealed clear signs of habitation from the first and second centuries AD (which is consistent with
Ptolemy's reference to ''Alauna''). Interestingly, these signs of occupation included a good deal of Roman material including pottery, bronzes and brooches. This may reflect a trading relationship between the Votadini and the Romans beginning with
Agricola's foray north and continuing through to the establishment of the
Antonine Wall when the Romans temporarily established themselves nearby at
Cramond. From this point onwards there is strong evidence pointing towards continuous habitation of the site through to the present; albeit with fluctuations in population levels.
The Dark Ages
The castle does not reappear in known historical records from the time of Ptolemy until around 600AD. Then, in the
brythonic epic
Y Gododdin we find a reference to 'Din Eidyn,' 'the stronghold of Eidyn.' The poem tells of the
Gododdin King Mynyddog Mwynfawr
[6] and his band of warriors who, after a year of feasting in their fortress, set out to do battle with the
Angles in the area of contemporary
Yorkshire. Despite performing glorious deeds of valour and bravery the
Brythons were massacred.
How far this poetic account of events should be believed is debatable. Moreover, it is by no means universally accepted that the site of Edinburgh Castle and the Hall of Eidyn are synonymous. The archaeological evidence is equivocal. For the relevant period it is entirely based on analysis of
midden heaps from which few conclusions can be derived about the status of the settlement during this period. Moreover, it should be remembered that only the lower ward of the castle has been subject to thorough archaeological scrutiny.
What is known, is that at some time after the events related in Y Gododdin, Din Eidyn was besieged by the Angles and fell to them. It is during this period of Anglian rule that Edinburgh acquires its name. Of the fate of the settlement on the Castle Rock during this period though, little can be said.
The High Middle Ages
It is not until the latter half of the 11th century that the castle begins to emerge from the historical accounts.
John of Fordun's account of the death of
King Malcolm III places his widow, the future
Saint Margaret, at the "Castle of Maidens" when she learns of his death in 1093.
Although it is somewhat anachronistic to speak of royal capitals during this period of Scottish history,
Dunfermline rather than Edinburgh was the primary royal residence during the reign of Malcolm III. This began to change though during the reign of his youngest son
King David I.
King David's largest contribution to the development of Edinburgh as a site of royal power undoubtedly lay in his administrative reforms. However, he is also credited with effecting more tangible changes to the fabric of the castle. Of these (for reasons discussed below) only
St. Margaret's Chapel remains. But, given that the first meeting of the
Scottish Parliament occurred at the castle around 1140
[7] it seems there were other, large buildings occupying the rock at this time. Given that the southern part of the Upper Ward (where Crown Square is now sited) was not amenable to being built upon until the construction of the vaults in the
fifteenth century it seems probable that these earlier buildings would have been located towards the Northern part of the rock; that is around the area where St. Margaret's Chapel stands. This has led to a suggestion that the chapel is the last remnant of a square, stone keep which would have formed the bulk of the
twelfth century fortification.
[8]
Points of interest
At the top of the
Royal Mile, in front of the castle, is a long sloping forecourt known as the
Esplanade. It is upon this Esplanade that the famous
Edinburgh Military Tattoo takes place annually. From the Esplanade may be seen the Half Moon Battery, which is a dominant feature visible in
Nasmyth's painting. This drum-shaped building, 1574, incorporates parts of the keep of 1364, known as David's Tower.
The castle proper is entered through a gatehouse in front of the Half Moon Battery. The road leads upward and around to the right of the battery and through an older
portcullis gatehouse, to reach the courtyard known as Crown Square.
David's Tower
David's Tower was commissioned in 1386 by
Robert the Bruce's son,
David II of Scotland. David's tower was enormous by standards of the time, standing on the site of the present Half Moon Battery at 30 m high, with three stories (twice as high as the Half Moon Battery). The tower initially served as the principal entrance to the castle, but by later years the tower was expanded to include many more rooms for guests and visiting nobility, and the original main entrance became boxed off by a guest room.
When the
Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots, married
James Hepburn in 1567, a large proportion of the (Protestant) nobility rebelled, resulting ultimately in the imprisonment of Mary in
Loch Leven Castle. Although she eventually escaped and fled to
England, some of the nobility remained faithful to Mary, retaining Edinburgh Castle.
Sir William Kirkcaldy of Grange held the castle under the ''Lang Siege'' (Long Siege) for a year, until 1573, when the infant
King James VI's
regent,
Regent Morton, requested assistance from
Queen Elizabeth I of England. Heavy guns were dispatched to the castle from
Berwick, and within ten days of the commencement of the bombardment of the castle with these guns in May of that year, David's Tower collapsed.
The collapse of this tower blocked off the single source of water for the castle, the well, and within a few days the castle surrendered, around two weeks after the arrival of the new guns. Sir William was soon hanged, and much of the castle rebuilt, including the new Half Moon Battery.
Half Moon Battery
The Half Moon Battery was duly constructed on the site of the old David's Tower. This magnificent set of defences, prominent on the East side of the castle today, sits over the old ruins, and several rooms from the ground and first floors of the tower still exist underneath the Battery, windows facing out onto the interior wall of the Battery. Several of these are accessible to the public, although the lower (Ground Floor) elements are generally closed.
The inaccessible areas include a former master Guest Bedroom, and a three-story room outside the original David's Tower (with large portions of the exterior wall still visible) created by the imposition of the Battery formerly used to house Pigeons for consumption during the winter months. The walls of this sections are correspondingly pitted with chunks of stone removed to provide nesting places for the birds. The Half Moon Battery was completed in 1588.
Crown Square
Stained Glass in the Great Hall
Crown Square is the citadel at the top of the castle. The square is formed by the National War Memorial to the North, the Royal Palace block to the East, the Great Hall to the South and the Queen Anne Building to the West.
The King's Lodging
These are the former Royal Apartments, dating from the 15th century and including a small room known as Birth Chamber or Mary Room where King
James VI of Scotland, who was to become James I of England was born to
Mary, Queen of Scots. Mary, through claiming the
throne of England, incited the anger of her cousin,
Elizabeth I of England, who had her captured, imprisoned and eventually beheaded.
The Great Hall
The Great Hall of the Castle was built in 1511 on the orders of
King James IV. It has a hammer beam roof. It was used for meetings of the
Parliament of Scotland prior to the building of
Parliament Hall next to
St Giles Cathedral in 1639. The Great Hall is still sometimes used for ceremonial occasions.
The Crown Room
This vaulted chamber contains the
Honours of Scotland. These are the Crown jewels and regalia. They include the
crown, sceptre and sword of state. The crown dates from 1540, is made of Scottish
gold and is set with 94
pearls, ten
diamonds and 33 other precious and semi-precious
gemstones. The Sceptre is also made of gold, and topped with a large Rock Crystal (
Quartz). The most treasured possession of Scotland is also located among the honours. It is the
Stone of Destiny, otherwise known as the Stone of Scone, and upon which the
monarchs of Scotland are traditionally crowned. It had been taken to England and incorporated into the
Coronation Chair in
Westminster Abbey but was returned to Scotland in 1996 on the understanding that it be returned to Westminster for subsequent coronations.
Scottish National War Memorial
The Scottish National War Memorial in Crown Square
The Scottish National War Memorial was built after
World War I to commemorate Scots and those serving with
Scottish regiments who had died in the war and subsequent conflicts. It was designed by
Sir Robert Lorimer and was formally opened on 14th July 1927. The
stained glass windows are by
Douglas Strachan.
As a mark of respect photography is prohibited within this building.
Scottish National War Memorial website.
National War Museum of Scotland
Main articles: National War Museum of Scotland
The museum forms part of the
National Museums of Scotland. It was formerly known as the Scottish United Services Museum, and prior to this, the Scottish Naval and Military Museum. It covers
Scottish military history and wars over the past 400 years and includes a wide range of military artefacts, such as uniforms, medals and weapons. The exhibitions also place a lot of emphasis on explaining the history and causes behind the many wars Scotland has been involved in.
St. Margaret's Chapel
St. Margaret's Chapel
The oldest building in the castle, and in Edinburgh, is the small St. Margaret's Chapel which dates to the start of the 12th century.
King David I built it as a private chapel for the royal family and dedicated it to his mother, Margaret, who died in the castle in 1093.
Robert the Bruce had the Castle destroyed by his lieutenant
Thomas Randolph, 1st Earl of Moray, to prevent English capture in the event of an unsuccessful battle at
Bannockburn however, he relented over the chapel and ordered its restoration. In any event the campaign was a success and Robert the Bruce defeated
Edward II.
This building is still used for various religious ceremonies such as weddings and christenings, it is said to hold approximately 25 people.
Mons Meg
''Mons Meg''
The great
fifteenth century siege gun 'Mons Meg' can be seen today outside St. Margaret's Chapel. The six ton
bombard faces North across the city. From this vantage modern visitors to the castle will be able to see the city's
Botanic Gardens which lie roughly 3.2 kilometres from the castle (almost 2 miles). It was on this site that one of the cannon's 150 kg (330lbs) gun stones was found to have landed, when it was fired from the Castle in celebration of the marriage of
Mary, Queen of Scots, to the French
dauphin François II in 1558. Mons Meg has been defunct since her barrel burst on the 14th of October 1681 when firing a birthday salute for the
Duke of Albany.
Traditions
Military function
Although the castle is a tourist attraction, it still has a function as a military headquarters of the
British Army. The main barrack block houses the headquarters of the
52nd Infantry Brigade, the Regimental Headquarters of the
Royal Regiment of Scotland, and the Headquarters and museum of the
Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys). Also within the Castle is the museum of the
Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment). Both museums are open to the public and entrance is free (for those already within the castle).
Military Tattoo
Royal Marines emerging from Edinburgh Castle during the Military Tattoo 2005
A series of spectacular performances known as the 'Edinburgh Military Tattoo' takes place on the Esplanade each year during August. The basis of the performance is a parade of the
pipes and drums of the
Scottish regiments, but after more than fifty years, the Tattoo has developed a complex format which includes many invited performers as diverse as (in 2006) a Choir of
Ugandan orphans and a
Kung Fu troupe. The climax of the evening is the haunting sound of a lone
piper playing a ''
pibroch'' in memory of dead comrades in arms from the castle battlements, followed by the tremendous noise of the massed bands joining in a medley of Scotland's most rousing tunes. Because of the enormous popularity of the Tattoo it is broadcast in
Canada,
New Zealand,
Australia and
Germany.
One O'Clock Gun
The One O'Clock Gun
The 'One O'Clock Gun' is fired every day (except Sunday) at precisely 13:00, allowing citizens and visitors to check their clocks and watches. The origin of the tradition lies in the days before accurate timepieces, when sailing ships in the
Firth of Forth needed a reliable means to check their
marine chronometers.
In 1861
Captain Wauchope, a Scottish officer in the
Royal Navy invented the
time ball, still seen today on top of
Nelson's Monument,
Calton Hill.
At one o'clock the ball drops giving the signal to sailors, but this meant that someone would have to be looking out for it and it often couldn't be seen in foggy weather.
The One O'Clock Gun Firing
So, in the same year the gun was fired simultaneously to the time ball dropping. Originally an 18-pound muzzle loading cannon which needed four men to load and fire was fired from the Half Moon Battery.
The gun could be easily heard by ships in
Leith Harbour (2 miles away). The cannon was replaced with a
25 pound Howitzer in 1953, and more recently by the
L118 Light Gun. It is now fired from Mill's Mount Battery on the North face of the Castle by the District Gunner from
105th Regiment Royal Artillery (Volunteers). Because sound travels slowly (approx. 343 m/s), maps have been produced to show the actual time when the sound of the gun was heard at various locations in Edinburgh.
Although the gun is no longer required for its original purpose, the ceremony has become a popular tourist attraction. One of the District Gunners, Staff Sergeant Thomas McKay
MBE - popularly known as "Tam the Gun" - was the longest running District Gunner to fire the One O'Clock Gun, from 1979 until his death in 2005. He also opened a small museum about the Gun in the castle and was seen every
Hogmanay signalling the new year by firing his gun.
The Gun is also fired to mark the arrival of the
New Year as part of Edinburgh's Hogmanay celebrations.
Link with Nova Scotia
In
1621,
King James VI granted
Sir William Alexander the land in
North America between
New England and
Newfoundland as
Nova Scotia (New Scotland). To promote the settlement and
plantation of Nova Scotia, the
Baronetage of Nova Scotia was created.
Under
Scots Law,
baronets could receive their
patents in Edinburgh rather than London. They had to "take
sasine" by symbolically receiving the "earth and stone" of the land of which they were baronet. To make this possible, since Nova Scotia was far distant, a part of Edinburgh Castle was deemed granted to Sir William as part of Nova Scotia, and was declared Nova Scotian territory for this purpose. In return, the prospective baronets undertook to pay Sir William 1000
merks for his "past charges in discoverie of the said country". The law has never been repealed and the small part of Nova Scotia now lies under the Esplanade.
Trivia
★
John Allan (1747-1805), an officer in the
American Revolutionary War, was born in Edinburgh Castle.
[9]
★ On a ledge beneath St. Margaret's Chapel, there is a (
Victorian) cemetery for the pets of soldiers and regimental mascot dogs residing at the castle which have died over the years.
★ The climactic scene of the film ''
The Debt Collector'' starring
Billy Connolly is filmed at the castle.
References and footnotes
1. "The refurbished Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum has knocked Edinburgh Castle off the top spot as Scotland's busiest tourist attraction.", BBC News Scotland, accessed 3 May 2007
2. Scottish Cabinet page
3. Details of Scotland's earliest history of human habitation can be found in the Prehistoric Scotland article.
4. cf. Stuart, H. ''Place Names of Edinburgh'' p.1
5. Driscoll & Yeoman ''Excavations within Edinburgh Castle in 1988-91''
6. It has been suggested that this is not in fact a proper name of a ruler at all, but rather adjectives used to refer to the warband as a whole. For further discussion cf. Koch ''Thoughts on the Ur-Goddodin'' in ''Language Sciences 15 (1993), 81'' and Issac ''Mynyddogg Mwynfawr'' in ''Bull Board Celtic Studies, 37 (1990) 111''
7. Historic Scotland ''Edinburgh Castle'' p.49
8. Fernie ''Early Church Architecture in Scotland'' Proceedings of the Antiquarian Society of Scotland, 116 (1986) 393
9. Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896, , , , Marquis Who's Who, ,
Bibliography
★ This bibliography refers only to books used. Additional material drawn from Journal articles are cited, as used, amongst the references and footnotes above.
Driscoll & Yeoman ''Excavations within Edinburgh Castle in 1988-91'' ISBN 0903903121
Harpers Handbooks ''Harpers Handbook to Edinburgh'' (1981) ISBN 0907686001
Harris, Stewart ''The Place Names of Edinburgh: Their Origins and History'' ISBN 1904246060
Historic Scotland ''Edinburgh Castle : Official Guide'' ISBN 1903570336
Scott-Moncrieff ''Edinburgh'' ISBN 0050018299
See also
★
Castles in Scotland
★
Military of Scotland
External links
★
★
Undiscovered Scotland's page on Edinburgh Castle
★
Ceiling Collapse in one of the anterooms adjacent to Laich Hall in 2005
★
Sir William Alexander
★
The eagles captured by Ewart at waterloo are in the castle museum along with the famous painting of The Thin Red Line.
★
MOD website feature on Edinburgh Castle
★
An historical tour of Edinburgh Castle
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