Links for the Saturday diary entry:
St Giles' Cathedral is the High Kirk of Edinburgh, and has been at the heart of the city's spiritual life for at least 900 years. A living church with an active congregation, it is also host to around a quarter of a million visitors every year, who come to experience its unique atmosphere of continuing worship and ages-old history.
The oldest parts of the present building are the four massive central pillars, thought to date from about 1120. The church was burnt down in 1385 but quickly rebuilt. Over the next 150 years many chapels were added. These included chapels set up by the craftsmen's guilds of Edinburgh, chapels endowed by prominent merchants and nobles, and even a chapel for a relic of Saint Giles. By the middle of the sixteenth century, there were around fifty altars in the church.
At the forefront of the Reformation were the Lords of the Congregation, a group of powerful nobles who were in favour of the Reformed faith. John Knox (1506?-72) was the most prominent Scottish churchman involved. He had been born near Edinburgh and had been ordained as a priest. Having doubts about the Church he visited St Andrews University, where he became a follower of the protestant leader, George Wishart. Wishart was burnt at the stake in 1546 and Knox was exiled, first as a galley slave and then to the English court.
St Giles' Cathedral contains almost two hundred memorials, including a number of fine works of art. These commemorate both individuals and organisations. Most of these memorials were placed in the church as part of the nineteenth century restorations. By the first half of the 1800's St Giles' was in a poor state of repair. In 1829 a mostly cosmetic 'improvement' of the building demolished some chapels and encased much of the exterior in a skin of smooth ashlar. During the years 1872-83, the Chambers' Restoration was carried out. It was planned and mostly paid for by William Chambers, the publisher and former Lord Provost of Edinburgh. The building was cleaned and old galleries and walls were removed. New stained glass was put into the windows. During the twentieth century, St Giles' has once more taken its position as the High Kirk of the capital of Scotland. In 1911 the Thistle Chapel was added. St Giles' has hosted important events including state occasions and services of national thanksgiving. In the last few years, the inside of the church has been changed to enhance its use in modern worship, and St Giles' has greatly benefited from the introduction of contemporary artefacts such as the new Rieger organ. St Giles has a notable collection of stained glass windows. They date from the 1870's onwards are show a broad range of traditional and contemporary styles. In 1878, the first organ was installed, a two manual built by Harrison & Harrison. This was moved, extended, altered and rebuilt a number of times over the next 100 years, but by 1988, it had become obvious that it would be necessary to replace the organ There are five services every Sunday and on average seventeen acts of worship in St Giles' every week. Worship at St Giles' upholds Christian tradition alongside openness to contemporary thought and action. The Eucharist is the central act of worship in St Giles' and is celebrated daily. There is a simple service of readings and prayers each weekday at noon. Visitors are invited to join with the congregation in worship.
With Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) the Scottish novel had a new beginning which extinguished all that went before it. In 1814 his novel Waverley, based on the Jacobite Rising was an instant success and over the next dozen or so years he wrote 23 historical novels.
At the age of 18 months his right leg was rendered permanently lame by polio, and as an infant he was sent to his grandfather's farm in the Borders.
He studied law at Edinburgh University from 1783, with interruptions because of his illness. He was indentured in his father's legal practice on 31 March 1786, but did not qualify as an advocate until 11 July 1792. Scott was to continue in his legal career until retiring in 1830.
Scott published all his novels anonymously. Initially this may have been a precaution against the possible failure of "Waverley"; but even after its enormous success, Scott seems to have enjoyed prolonging the mystery (he was nicknamed "The Great Unknown" and "The Wizard Of The North"). His identity as the author of "Waverley" and its successors soon became an open secret, fairly widely known, but it was not until February 1827 that he officially "revealed" himself, at a public dinner in Edinburgh.
Scott's novels generally depicted a deep understanding of the people and period they attempted to portray. In his Scottish novels he treats the history with great care and affection.
His monument in Princes Street Gardens is testimony to his contribution to Scottish literature.
Edinburgh is home to many of Scotland’s National Galleries, providing access to many of Scotland’s finest collections.
The National Gallery provides the best in both international and Scottish art, where the likes of Rembrant and Van Gough can be seen side by side with Scotland’s favorite artist's such as Ramsey. The National Portrait Gallery and The Gallery of Modern Art display some of the best work from their respective fields.
Edinburgh is also home to a host of smaller independent galleries with work on display to view as well as to sell. Half a dozen of these smaller galleries can be found a stones through from each other on the city’s Dundas Street.
This building, belonging to the city of Edinburgh is crammed with pictures,
etchings, busts and memorabilia including bibles, pipes and walking sticks which
celebrate the lives of the three writers who all at one time lived in Edinburgh.
Sir Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Robert Burns.
Robert Burns stayed in the house opposite the museum during his first trip to
Edinburgh in 1786. (since demolished and rebuilt, now as Deacon Brodie's Tavern)
(…)
Edinburgh
Castle sits on top of what was, at one time, a volcano - a 437 feet high plug
of basalt rock. The shoulder of the Royal Mile runs east down from the castle
and was formed when the whole of Scotland was covered by an ice sheet and the
flow of the glacier ran from west to east - dropping rubble and earth in the
lee of the rock. It has been used as a fortification for over 2,000 years -
there was a hill fort there in the time of the Romans. The earliest known inhabitants
of this part of the world were the Votadini (also known as the Gododdin, whose
language was an early form of Welsh). Their bard Aneurin sang the praises of
Din Eidyn (Dunedin or fortress on a slope) in the 6th century. After a raid
into the territory of the Angles by King Mynyddog Mwynfawr and a defeat at Catterick
in Yorkshire around AD 600, the area was subsequently captured by the Angles
from the south in 638. They did not leave until about 300 years later. But the
area we now know as Lothian was not captured and held by Malcolm II until after
the Battle of Carham in 1018.
The first record of the castle being used as a royal residence occurs in the
11th century when Margaret, wife of Malcolm III died there after hearing of
her husband's death at Alnwick in 1093. "Saint Margaret" (she was
later canonised) was Saxon-English, a refugee from the conquest of England by
the Normans under William the Conqueror. She brought piety and manners to the
Scottish court and was reknowned for her generosity to the poor. The chapel
which bears her name (illustrated here) was probably not built until the 12th
century.
The castle was used for keeping royal treasure and records and kings frequently
lived in it. But when William the Lion was captured at Alnwick in 1174, Edinburgh
was one of a number of castles handed over to Henry II of England. It was returned
to Scotland in 1186 as part of the dowry on his marriage to an English noblewoman,
Emardis de Beamont. Earlier in the 12th century, David I had assembled a group
of nobles and clergy which eventually became the first Scots Parliament. It
first met as such at the Castle in 1215, convened by Alexander II.
In 1291 Edward I of England again took the castle and removed the records and
treasures, most of which were never returned. Edward's puppet king of Scotland,
John Balliol occupied the castle and when Edward I returned in 1296 to depose
him, the castle withstood a seige for eight days. With an English garrison of
350, and despite the successes of William Wallace (commemorated in a stained
glass window in St Margaret's Chapel) the castle remained in English hands until
1313. In that year, the Earl of Moray led a party of 30 men who scaled the cliffs
and climbed over the walls into the castle. King Robert (the Bruce) ordered
all the castle to be destroyed so that it could not be used again by the English.
Only St Margaret's chapel was spared.
The rock was again occupied by the English in 1333 and the castle was partly rebuilt. In 1341, Sir William Douglas, disguised as a merchant, stopped his horse and cart under the portcullis and allowed a band of Scots to rush in and take the castle again. King David II and King Robert II added to the towers and walls. In the early 1400s Henry IV of England besieged the castle but had to withdraw because of bad weather and lack of supplies. By the end of the 15th century the castle was not much used as a royal residence, the Palace of Holyroodhouse at the other end of the Royal Mile being preferable. Nevertheless, James IV added to the Castle, including a Great Hall with a magnificent hammerbeam roof, supported on carved stone corbels. James V was brought to the castle for safety after his father, James IV was killed at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. James V built new royal apartments and his widow, Mary of Lorraine, stayed in the castle after her daughter, Mary (Queen of Scots) married the Dauphin of France in 1558.
After the death of the Dauphin, the young Mary Queen of Scots married Lord
Darnley in 1565 and stayed in the Castle until the future James VI was born
- the last monarch to be born in Scotland. In 1567, the year Mary's husband
Lord Darnley was assassinated, Sir William Kirkcaldy of Grange became captain
of the castle, appointed by the Regent Moray. But Sir William decided to support
Mary and the castle became beseiged. Sir William held the castle from May 1568
to May 1573. Finally, part of a tower built by King David collapsed and choked
a well forming the main water supply, forcing the garrison to negotiate a surrender.
Sir William was executed on 3 August 1573 and a plaque within the Castle recalls
him as "Justly reputed to be one of the best soldiers and most accomplished
cavaliers of his time."
The Half Moon Battery (illustrated) was built over the remains of the tower
which had collapsed during the seige. James VI also had the castle repaired
in 1584 and in 1633, Charles I had a banquet in the Great Hall and slept in
the castle before being crowned King of Scotland. The castle was again a focus
during the time of the Covenanters who at one stage captured it. In 1650 it
was besieged and captured by Cromwell. In the Revolution of 1689, the Duke of
Gordon unsuccessfully defended the Castle on behalf of James VII after William
of Orange had forced the Stuart king to flee to France. With only 120 men he
inflicted 500 casualties on the besieging forces before finally surrendering.
An attempt to capture the castle during the 1715 Jacobite uprising failed and
in 1745 Prince Charles Edward Stuart blockaded the castle. During the Napoleonic
Wars in the early part of the 19th century, many French and Dutch prisoners
were kept in cellars under the Great Hall.
The royal regalia, otherwise known as the "Honours of Scotland" consist
of a crown, a sceptre and a sword and they are amongst the oldest crown jewels
in Europe - the crown was first formed by King Robert I in the early 14th century.
The last Scots coronation was in 1651 when Charles II was crowned at Scone.
The regalia was kept hidden from Oliver Cromwell until the Restoration of the
monarchy in 1660. They were displayed in the Scots Parliament until the Union
of the Parliaments in 1707. Under the terms of the Union, the Honours of Scotland
were not allowed to be removed to England and they were locked away in an oak
chest in Edinburgh Castle - and forgotten about! They were rediscovered in 1818,
largely due to the efforts of Sir Walter Scott, exactly as they had been left,
over 100 years earlier. The regalia are now on display in the Castle - with
a recent addition - the Stone of Destiny.
The Canadian or Highland Barn Dance:
Formation: couples around the room facing anti-clockwise, ladies on the right.
Music: 2/4 or 4/4 pipe march (not 6/8) or scottische.
Repeat ad lib.
The Circassian Circle
Formation: Large circle round the room, ladies on the right of their partner.
Music: 32 bar Reels.
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