Edinburgh Castle Re-visited

One cannot avoid seeing Edinburgh Castle when in this wonderful city--a centre-piece of what Scotland has been historically and culturally. And with its important cultural festivals, of what Edinburgh is and will be.

I agree with the words of Paul Theroux in The Kingdom by the Sea:

But it was a handsome place still, a city of black crags and old solemn tenements of slate rising to a castle that looked like a dark drum on a cliff.

Perched high on its ancient volcano, the Castle watches over the New City and across the Old City. Certainly, it invites the assault of tourists, and for the second time, I am quite glad to join in the waves of marauders climbing the hill to enter the gates.

These views are from Princes Street.

Any Canadian, but especially any Nova Scotian, must stop at the plaque that explains our close association with Scotland. One of the first things I ever learned in elementary school was how Nova Scotia really means "New Scotland." The plaque explains how at about this spot, Sir William Alexander, Earl of Stirling, received SASINE, or lawful possession of the Royal Province Nova Scotia in 1625. "Sasine is the ancient and symbolic ceremony of delivery of earth and stone from Castlehill by a representative of the king. Here also (1625-1637) the Scottish Baronets of Nova Scotia received sasine of their distant baronies."

The entrance: "Nemo: Me: Impune: Lacessit": "No one attacks me with impunity."

If nothing else, Edinburgh Castle offers great views of the Old and New Cities.

Inside the tiny, but beautiful St Margaret's Chapel, the oldest building in the city, built to commemorate the mother of David 1st. (I would like to claim kinship, but despite my father's designation recorded on our birth certificates that we were "English, Irish, Scots, & Welsh" after more than 40 years of family history research, the only possibility of an ancestor connecting us to Scotland is that my 4th great-grandfather, Thomas McHenry of Ballyman, County Antrim in Ireland married a Mrs. Barr of Scotland in about 1770!)

A beautiful window in the Chapel, for Saint Columba.

Another, for the famous William Wallace.

Mons Meg: The plaque reads: "This giant medieval siege gun was presented to King James II in 1457 and was used in war against the English. It was kept in the castle and used also for firing salutes. During one firing in 1558, the massive gunstone was found almost two miles away! It last fired in 1681 when its barrel burst."

Gunstones from Mons Meg.

Re-enactments of the history of the Scottish "Honours" or crown jewels. Kept under heavy security, the Crown Room and the Stone of Destiny are beautiful. Kept in a vault, with no photography permitted, two Americans were surprised when they were quickly stopped from taking a photo of the vault door--an idea they got from me, as I had raised my camera for the same photo but changed my mind. Hidden for many years, later discovered, they were referred to in Nichol's Diary in 1663: "The Honores wer with all reverence brocht doun fra the Castell to the Parliament Hous with a gaird on horseback to attend them." In 1999, for the first time since the Act of Union of 1707, the Crown of Scotland was brought down from the Castle for the Opening of the Scottish Parliament.

The sword of state was presented to Scotland by the Church.

These rooms in the Royal Palace were created in 1617 in honour of James VI.

The Scottish War Memorial is in this building. The last time I was here, in 2008, my traveling companion Cindy started taking photos inside and was thrown out!

Even the downspouts carry the Royal Insignia.

I found a new lady friend in the courtyard.

Inside the Great Hall, which holds a great display of arms and armour, as well as the keys to the Castle.

A beautiful hammerbeam ceiling.

Documents pertaining to the Castle from 1640, one carrying the seal of Charles Ist.

Veterans wreaths have been placed out the Scottish War Memorial.

Among the Prison exhibits are doors upon which prisoners have carved names and dates.

This straw-works box was decorated by a prisoner of war in about 1800 and is decorated with a scene of the town.

The most recently used military prisons had fairly decent cells.

We visited both of the Scottish Regimental Museums on site. The first is The Royal Scots Regiment.

At first, I did not notice the baby being carried by the soldier, Private McBain. "It was at Malplaquet that a soldier's wife who had been in winter quarters, decided to return home to Scotland. She handed her infant son to his father, Private McBain, who was on parade. Having nowhere else to put him, Private McBain fought the battle with the child in his knapsack."

Here was another great story: "Ensign Kennedy, mortally wounded, fell carrying the Colour in front of the Regiment at Waterloo. A Sergeant tried to take it from him but was unable to remove the staff from his grasp. The Sergeant hoisted the young man, still gripping the Colour, over his shoulder, which so impressed the French that they held fire until the two soldiers had returned to the ranks of the Regiment."

Other Regimental displays.

"A 19th century silver table centre-piece depicting the capture of the eagle and standard of the French 45th Infantry by Sgt Charles Ewart at the Battle of Waterloo."

This memorial window is to the Royal Scots Greys, who lost seven officers and 67 men during the 2nd South African War 1899-1902. "This was the highest loss that the Regiment had sustained since the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 and a significant proportion of the casualties were due to disease."

The One o'Clock Gun is the famous time signal which has been fired almost daily since 1861, except on Sundays. We left the Castle early today, and I don't recall hearing it whilst we were walking down the Royal Mile.

Some of the lower battlements and guns.

The entry and exit to the Castle is through the great portcullis gate.

Scotlands's lion rampant, familiar to Nova Scotians.

I am always impressed by the way castles like this have grown from the natural rock formations, this one chosen to top the old volcano which is its base.

Each year, the annual Scottish International Tattoo is held here. Since it is June, and I was last here in a September, I presume the bleachers are in place for several months.

See Chapter 13 of my Blog for more about Edinburgh and Edinburgh Castle.

Next: Off to Oxford, London and the Cotswolds with our US family members.