Day 50 31st May
After having had a couple of days to settle in we decided to take a walking tour in the afternoon. Róisín (Rosheen) was our entertaining tour guide who walked us down the Royal Mile all the while providing us with the stories of Edinburgh and there were a few! These were our favourites that we have used other sources to make sure we get the stories right.
Scotlands’s national animal the unicorn.
“With Scotland being famed for its love for and long history of myths and legends, it is no surprise that a fabled creature such as the unicorn is Scotland’s national animal. Unicorns have been linked to Scotland for centuries. While the animal is mythological, the ideals it represents are what make it a perfect fit as the national animal for Scotland, and because like this proud beast – Scots would fight to remain unconquered.
The unicorn was first used on the Scottish royal coat of arms by William I in the 12th century. In the 15th century, when King James III was in power, gold coins even appeared with the unicorn on them. When Scotland and England unified under the reign of James VI of Scotland in 1603, the Scottish Royal Arms had two unicorns supporting a shield. When James VI became James I of England and Ireland, he replaced the unicorn on the left of the shield with the national animal of England, the lion, to show that the countries were indeed united.”
From :https://www.visitscotland.com/about/uniquely-scottish/national-animal-unicorn/
An interesting footnote is that as the unicorn is reputedly more dangerous than the lion maybe having both lion and unicorn is a statement :-).
The Stories of “Auld Reekie” and “Gardyloo”
“Though Edinburgh may be renowned for its architectural splendour and the beauty of its natural surroundings today, the situation was much different in the 17th century. Beginning in the late Middle Ages, the entire city (today encompassing Edinburgh’s Old Town neighbourhood) was enclosed by a wall. These fortifications and the Nor’ Loch, a body of water to the north of the city, ensured that Edinburgh was well protected against threat of invasion.
This security, however, came at a price. The Nor’ Loch, which today is the site of the picturesque Princes Street Gardens, was unfortunately the drainage site for the citizenry’s waste and effluence, as well as a popular site for dumping dead bodies. The foul smell that would thus rise from its stagnant waters was overwhelming, to say the least.”
From: https://theculturetrip.com/europe/united-kingdom/scotland/articles/edinburgh-called-auld-reekie/
Coming from the French expression, “Prenez garde a l’eau!” – meaning literally ‘beware of the water’ – gardyloo was the phrase shouted from the upper floors of tenement buildings by residents as they emptied their chamber pots from the windows above. “I believe that in no city in the world so many people have so little room,” so wrote Robinson Crusoe author Daniel Defoe after a visit to Edinburgh – and indeed, the overcrowded nature of the narrow alleyways in Edinburgh made the task of emptying a chamber pot even more tricky. Let’s talk Date Night Fashion with eBay It’s difficult finding the time to get ready for dates nights once you’re a mum, but Kimberley Walsh and friends are on hand to help you. Sponsored by eBay Tenements in Scotland’s capital during the 18th century could be as tall as 14 stories high and had no electricity, running water and or lavatories (inside or out). Toilets at that time were simply a bucket filled up during the day and it was the job – usually of the women and children – to empty them out
Read more at: https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/gardyloo-the-grim-story-of-unsanitary-edinburgh-1-4073295
“The Heart of Midlothian 1] is a heart-shaped mosaic, formed in coloured granite s built into the pavement near the West Door of St Giles Cathedral in the High Street section of the Royal Mile in It is situated close to the building , which formerly housed the Parliament of Scotland and is now the home of the Court of Session,
Together with brass markers bearing building dates, it records the position of the 15th-century Old Tollbooth, demolished in 1817, which was the administrative centre of the town, a prison, and one of several sites of public execution.
The mosaic is named after the historic county of which Edinburgh is the county town.
Visitors to Edinburgh will often notice people spitting on the Heart. A (prison) stood on the site, where executions used to take place. The heart marks its doorway: the point of public execution. Some people spit on the Heart. Although it now said to be done for good luck, it was originally done as a sign of disdain for the former prison. The spot lay directly outside the prison entrance, so the custom may have been begun by debtors on their release.”
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_of_Midlothian_(Royal_Mile)
We can vouch for this! We did indeed see people spitting on the heart as they went by.:-)
Greyfriars Bobby
To keep him company through the long winter nights John took on a partner, a diminutive Skye Terrier, his ‘watchdog’ called Bobby. Together John and Bobby became a familiar sight trudging through the old cobbled streets of Edinburgh. Through thick and thin, winter and summer, they were faithful friends.
The years on the streets appear to have taken their toll on John, as he was treated by the Police Surgeon for tuberculosis.
John eventually died of the disease on the 15th February 1858 and was buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard. Bobby soon touched the hearts of the local residents when he refused to leave his master’s grave, even in the worst weather conditions.
The gardener and keeper of Greyfriars tried on many occasions to evict Bobby from the Kirkyard. In the end he gave up and provided a shelter for Bobby by placing sacking beneath two tablestones at the side of John Gray’s grave.
Bobby’s fame spread throughout Edinburgh. It is reported that almost on a daily basis the crowds would gather at the entrance of the Kirkyard waiting for the one o’clock gun that would signal the appearance of Bobby leaving the grave for his midday meal.
Bobby would follow William Dow, a local joiner and cabinet maker to the same Coffee House that he had frequented with his now dead master, where he was given a meal.
In 1867 a new bye-law was passed that required all dogs to be licensed in the city or they would be destroyed. Sir William Chambers (The Lord Provost of Edinburgh) decided to pay Bobby’s licence and presented him with a collar with a brass inscription “Greyfriars Bobby from the Lord Provost 1867 licensed”. This can be seen at the Museum of Edinburgh.
The kind folk of Edinburgh took good care of Bobby, but still he remained loyal to his master. For fourteen years the dead man’s faithful dog kept constant watch and guard over the grave until his own death in 1872.
Baroness Angelia Georgina Burdett-Coutts, President of the Ladies Committee of the RSPCA, was so deeply moved by his story that she asked the City Council for permission to erect a granite fountain with a statue of Bobby placed on top.
William Brody sculptured the statue from life, and it was unveiled without ceremony in November 1873, opposite Greyfriars Kirkyard. And it is with that, that Scotland’s Capital city will always remember its most famous and faithful dog
Bobby’s headstone reads “Greyfriars Bobby – died 14th January 1872 – aged 16 years – Let his loyalty and devotion be a lesson to us all”.
From: https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofScotland/Greyfriars-Bobby/
Half Hangit’ Maggie
Margaret Dickson was an Edinburgh woman who survived being hanged in 1721, for the crime of concealing a pregnancy in the case of a dead child. There are many variations on the story, but they all share the same basic details. They start in the Grass market where the gallows once stood, and Maggie was hung Picture: Wiki Commons Maggie, separated from her husband, needed to find employment to survive, and moved to the Borders. Taking up work in a local inn, Maggie worked as a domestic. The inn keeper’s son took an interest in Maggie, and soon she was pregnant. Not wanting to jeopardise her position at work, she concealed the pregnancy from everyone. The child was weak and unhealthy and died a few days after birth. Maggie, not wanting to be caught nor able to give her child a proper burial, decided to place the body of the baby in the nearby river Tweed. The small body was discovered later that day, having washed up further down the river. All suspicion pointed to Maggie and she was taken back to Edinburgh to be tried for the crime of concealing a pregnancy. After her hanging, on September 2, 1721, Maggie was pronounced dead at the gallows and her body transferred to a wooden coffin. Her family wished her to be buried in her parish churchyard at Musselburgh, six miles away. The cheap wooden pauper’s coffin she was to be buried in let in air, and combined with the jostling cart along the cobbled streets, woke Maggie, much to the horror of her family. The Law deemed this an act of God, bringing Maggie back from the dead, and pardoned her crimes. Though weak and barely conscious, Maggie pulled through. Her husband renewed his affection for her and took her back home. Maggie went on to live a further 40 years, having several more legitimate children. The people of Edinburgh viewed her in awe and used to call out to her as “half hangit Maggie” when she walked past them in the street. Her name lives on in Maggie Dickson’s Pub in the Old Town.
Read more at: https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/half-hangit-maggie-the-scots-woman-who-survived-hanging-1-4092538
Greyfriars as inspiration for JK Rowling and Harry Potter
The Elephant house cafe was known as the home away from home for JK Rowling while she wrote the Harry Potter series, hence its unofficial title as ‘The Birthplace of Harry Potter’.It looks over the Greyfriars graveyard and it is said that the names of the characters in the books were inspired by those names on the gravestones.
As well as the stories the architecture is well preserved and a major attraction with Edinburgh castle being a main feature looking over the town.But also you can’t escape that the whisky tasting shops are everywhere as well as shops selling every conceivable type of tartan garment.And don’t lets forget that the Harry Potter series was written here because the tour guides and souvenir shops certainly won’t.
All in all a delightful place.
