Some of Edinburgh’s history, which dates back well over a thousand years, is quite obvious. Edinburgh Castle dominates the city center, itself dating to the eleventh century. (Click here to read more about Edinburgh Castle.) From here, the Royal Mile stretches past historic St. Giles Cathedral and onto the royal palace at Hollyrood, lined with buildings from the medieval period and onward. History is what Edinburgh breathes; it is literally all around you at all times.
But some of Edinburgh’s interesting history is a bit more hidden, from a famous and loyal dog to an early doctrine of free religious expression to a modern-era (ish) expansion and cleaning of the city center. So let’s talk a bit about those.
Today’s Edinburgh is a relatively clean city, albeit fairly crowded. The crowds are nothing new, but the clean is. During the Middle Ages, Edinburgh was known as “auld reekie,” so named for its filth, stench, and overcrowding. By the first half of the 18th century, it was one of the most densely populated cities in the world. Houses once designed for a single family now held, in some cases, more than ten people to a single room. Coal smoke from chimneys clouded the air and colored the buildings, while sewage ran in the streets.
The city was so dense because Edinburgh was a walled city, with housing outside the walls almost nonexistent, especially for the working poor. It was clear that something needed to change, so a contest was initiated for designs to build a “new city,” outside the walls, after which the walls would be torn down.
To learn more about this, I head to the Museum of Edinburgh, built into a few adjoining buildings along the Royal Mile just outside what would have been one of the city gates. Here, the plans produced by the contest winner, James Craig, are on display. The design called for three major streets (now Princes, George, and Queen) running east-west, with a park at each end (now Charlotte and St. Andrew squares). And so, obviously, it was built.
In the 1820, Nor Loch, lying between the old and new cities (which were connected by bridge), was drained, and Princes Street Garden was born in the valley left.
The Museum of Edinburgh, in addition to its terrific exhibit on the creation of the new town, has some cool displays on several other aspects of the city. One is dedicated to one of the most interesting inhabitants Edinburgh has ever had: Greyfriar’s Bobby.
Bobby was a terrier (yes, a dog), the companion of John Gray, a night watchman of the city. Gray died in 1858, and Bobby, ever the loyal creature, spent the next fourteen years (until his own death in 1872) next to the grave at Greyfriar’s Kirkyard. People would leave food for the dog, and the Edinburgh City Council even took up the cause, paying for Bobby’s license and collar so he wouldn’t be put down.
When Bobby died, he wasn’t allowed to be buried with Gray, as animals in church cemeteries wasn’t really a thing. But the city put a memorial to him there anyway, which has since grown to include a statue outside. (Visitors will rub the nose of the statue, but I’m told not to as it is damaging the bronze with time.)
Greyfriar’s Kirkyard is incredibly popular to visit for the story of Bobby, but it actually holds another amazing claim to fame, one few people realize unless they enter the church itself, and a small museum off to one side.
In 1638, Scotland was struggling with religious identity. James VI (James I of England) and his son Charles I demanded a state religion of strong Protestantism, with regulations being imposed from England. Church leaders were not only given power to regulate exactly how worship was able to be done, but also over some aspects of political life. This didn’t sit well with an independence-minded Scotland.
With free assembly being allowed in churches, a large group came together here in Greyfriar’s Kirkyard to sign the National Covenant, a document stating opposition to this imposition of religious doctrine. (It can be said that the National Covenant directly led to the English Civil War, as Charles took this as an act of rebellion, calling a parliament to fund a war against the Covenanters. Parliament passed limits to the king’s power, and the English Civil War began shortly thereafter. The Covenanters, it should be noted, joined on the side of Parliament.)
Several copies of the National Covenant are on display around Edinburgh. One is at Greyfriar’s, one at St. Giles, and one – thought to be one of the oldest still in existence – is at the Museum of Edinburgh.
Edinburgh is a city full of history. But these three interesting stories, all of which can be experienced at the Museum of Edinburgh to some extent, as well as elsewhere, sort of sum up what I love most about the city. Beautiful architecture and city planning (once the walls were demolished, at least), fun characters, and staunch independent thinking… all of these are hallmarks of what Edinburgh means to me!
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