Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh Castle is a museum overlooking the city of Edinburgh, Scotland. An ancient stronghold, it was the royal residence of generations of Scottish monarchs. The structure stands on Castle Rock, a volcanic crag (an extinct volcano). Castles are by definition fortified residences, and Edinburgh Castle has withstood sieges many times over the centuries. Although the attacks have left parts of it in ruins, much has been rebuilt and other structures and features have been added by various monarchs. The castle has not been home to a monarch since 1603, when the Union of the Crowns united Scotland and England. In 1633, Charles I became the last monarch to stay overnight in the residence.

Edinburgh Castle is one of Scotland’s top draws, attracting more than one million visitors every year. Along with the city of Edinburgh, it was named a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site in 1995. While much of it is open for museum-goers, parts of the castle continue to be used by the military.

Background

Inhabitation of Castle Rock dates back at least three thousand years, making it one of the longest continually inhabited sites in Scotland. Bronze Age people lived there as early as 850 BCE. A Celtic tribe known as the Votadini or, alternatively, Gododdin, had built a fort known as Eidyn’s Hill on the site by 600 CE. Malcolm III Canmore, who ruled Scotland during the eleventh century, was the first monarch known to reside at Castle Rock. St. Margaret’s Chapel, the oldest surviving structure on the castle grounds, was built about 1130 to commemorate Malcolm’s wife. It is also Scotland’s oldest surviving building.

The English captured the castle twice in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, but the Scots retook it each time. The 100-foot (30-meters) tall David’s Tower was built in honor of King David II, who died in 1371. Much of the tower was destroyed two centuries later. The Great Hall was completed by James IV in 1511, two years before he died fighting forces sent by King Henry VIII of England, his brother-in-law.

Much of the castle was destroyed during a siege in 1571–1573. The defenses were later reinforced, and the Portcullis Gate and a cannon foundation known as the Half-Moon Battery were constructed. The seven bronze guns that stood on the battery for two hundred years were known as the Seven Sisters. Another six cannons installed in the 1730s defended the north at the Argyle Battery.

After the castle was no longer used as a royal dwelling, the British used it to hold prisoners captured in the Seven Years’ War (1756–1763), the American Revolution (1765–1783), and the Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815). It also housed twenty-one pirates of the Caribbean who were found guilty of their crimes and executed. The New Barracks, added in 1796–1799, remain in use in modern times.

The castle has at various times also been used as a hiding place and royal treasure. The Crown of Scotland was hidden in an ancient latrine during World War II. At various times, jewels, relics, tapestries, and other treasures were safely stored in the castle as well.

Overview

Because of its history as a building under siege, Edinburgh Castle’s many parts date to various centuries. Overall, the structures are of medieval style. The castle is situated in the Old Town section of the city, which stretches from Castle Rock along the high ridge to the Palace of Holyrood.

The main buildings of the castle, known as the citadel, are at the highest point on the hill’s southeast corner and surround the palace yard. The Great Hall is located at the south side of the palace yard. The block on the west dates to the mid-eighteenth century and in modern times is a military museum. The sixteenth-century Palace Block provides the final piece of the quadrangle of main buildings.

As a renowned museum, Edinburgh Castle houses a number of Scotland’s treasures. These include the crown jewels, known as the Honours of Scotland. Crafted in Scotland and Italy, they are the oldest Crown jewels in Britain and date to the reigns of James IV and James V. Mary Queen of Scots first used the crown, sceptre, and sword of state together for her coronation in 1543. After England and Scotland were unified, however, the Honours of Scotland had no further purpose and were put away in a storage room and forgotten about for more than a century. The Crown jewels have been on public display since 1819. The Stone of Scone, also called the Stone of Destiny, is an ancient block of sandstone on which monarchs were traditionally crowned. It was removed from Scotland by Edward I of England in 1296. The stone was returned to Scotland and placed in Edinburgh Castle in 1996, seven hundred years after it was taken from a long-lost abbey.

Edinburgh Castle’s grounds frequently host summer concerts and an annual international military music festival, the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. Grandstands are installed on the Esplanade, an open area outside the castle drawbridge.

The grounds of Edinburgh Castle also recall fallen soldiers. The Scottish National War Memorial was opened in 1927, while the National War Museum was opened in 1933. The memorial was built on the site of the former St. Mary’s Church, which dated at least to the fourteenth century.

The castle has maintained some traditions into the modern day. For example, the One O’Clock Gun has been fired at exactly 1:00 p.m. six days a week since 1861. It began as a means to inform those on ships that were anchored in the Firth of Forth of the correct time.

Bibliography

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Dearsley, Bryan, and Barbara Radcliffe Rogers. “Visiting Edinburgh Castle: 8 Highlights, Tips & Tours.” Planet Ware, www.planetware.com/edinburgh/edinburgh-castle-sco-loth-castle.htm. Accessed 1 Oct. 2019.

“Edinburgh Castle.” Canmore National Record of the Historic Environment, 2019, canmore.org.uk/site/52068/edinburgh-castle. Accessed 1 Oct. 2019.

Krakowka, Kathryn. “Medieval Projectile Found a Stone’s Throw from Edinburgh Castle.” Archaeology, 11 Mar. 2019, www.archaeology.co.uk/articles/medieval-projectile-found-a-stones-throw-from-edinburgh-castle.htm. Accessed 1 Oct. 2019.

“New Archaeological Find Could Help Shed Light on the History of Edinburgh Castle.” History of Scotland, 29 Dec. 2018, www.historyscotland.com/history/scottish-history/new-archaeological-find-could-help-shed-light-on-the-history-of. Accessed 1 Oct. 2019.

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O’Neill, Emma. “10 Facts You May Not Know About Edinburgh Castle.” The Scotsman, 23 Sept. 2015, www.scotsman.com/lifestyle-2-15039/10-facts-you-may-not-know-about-edinburgh-castle-1-3896061. Accessed 1 Oct. 2019.

Smithfield, Brad. “Edinburgh Castle Is So Old That by the Time of the First Definite Mention of It in Literature, Its Founding Was Already Shrouded in Myth and Legend.” The Vintage News, 3 Mar. 2018, www.thevintagenews.com/2018/03/03/edinburgh-castle-4-2/. Accessed 1 Oct. 2019.

“10 Lesser Known Facts About Edinburgh Castle.” The Scotsman, 20 Aug. 2019, www.scotsman.com/heritage/10-lesser-known-facts-about-edinburgh-castle-1-4987503. Accessed 1 Oct. 2019.