A large portion of its happenings entailed the buying and selling of cattle and horses. Apparently, the name ‘Grassmarket’ derives from the animals’ grass and pens, which were located at the western end.
Why is it called Grassmarket in Edinburgh?
Grassmarket Edinburgh History
At that time the street was around half the length it is now. The market took place at one end, and the horses and cattle grazed on the grass pasture at the other. It’s thought that is how the area got its name. From the 1800s onwards the area became a refuge for immigrants to the City.
What is Grassmarket famous for?
The Grassmarket was the scene of one of Edinburgh’s most notorious riots, in September 1736. Earlier that year two popular smugglers, Wilson and Robertson, were sentenced to death.
How old are the buildings in Grassmarket Edinburgh?
The building dates range from 17th century to 21st century. The White Hart Inn dates from the early 18th Century and claims to be the oldest public house in Edinburgh and is said to have been visited by Robert Burns (1759–96), the Wordsworths (1803), William Burke and William Hare in the late 1820s.
Where did hangings take place in Edinburgh?
The Maiden stopped being used for public executions in 1710. However, public executions continued in Edinburgh until 1864 when George Bryce, the Ratho murderer, was executed by hanging. His execution took place on the corner of the present-day George VI bridge and Lawnmarket, now the site of the French Consulate.
What is the oldest pub in Edinburgh?
The White Heart is situated on Edinburgh’s Grassmarket and said to be the oldest pub in Edinburgh. Not only the oldest, but the most haunted, there have been many sightings from tourists as well as staff who certainly have a few creepy stories to share!
What are the alleyways in Edinburgh called?
Generically such an alleyway is termed a close /ˈkloʊs/, a Scots term for alleyway, although it may be individually named close, entry, court, or wynd. A close is private property, hence gated and closed to the public, whereas a wynd is an open thoroughfare, usually wide enough for a horse and cart.
Why is there a pub called The Last Drop in the Grassmarket?
The Last Drop is a macabre reference to the last hanging in the Grassmarket, and the spirit of the small girl has been reported in the cellar and in the bar area. Tenements once stood on the site, but these were rebuilt into the pub, using the old buildings’ original 17th Century stone.
What is the old part of Edinburgh called?
The Old Town
The Old Town (Scots: Auld Toun) is the name popularly given to the oldest part of Scotland’s capital city of Edinburgh. The area has preserved much of its medieval street plan and many Reformation-era buildings.
Is Grassmarket open everyday?
Grassmarket Market, Central Reservation, Grassmarket EH1 2JR. Open Every Saturday all year round 10am to 5pm.
What is the oldest street in Edinburgh?
Drygate is said to be the oldest thoroughfare in the city. The street was named the priest’s road. The word dry derives from Germany and is the name by which every German priest was called. A house was erected on Drygate during the reign of Robert the Third in the 14th century.
What is the oldest shop in Edinburgh?
Records show Gladstone’s Land on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile was a shop as far back as 1501, but there’s a 26-year gap in its history. Gladstone’s Land has been a fixture on the Royal Mile for more than 500 years.
What is the oldest castle in Edinburgh?
Royal Residence
Edinburgh Castle was home to kings and queens for many centuries. Queen Margaret (who was later made a saint) died here in 1093. The chapel built in her honour by her son, King David I, is Edinburgh’s oldest building.
Who was the last person hanged in Edinburgh?
George Robertson
The inevitable penalty – execution by hanging – followed only 15 weeks after the sentence was passed and, with capital punishment abolished in Scotland less than a decade later, George Robertson earned the unfortunate reputation, not only as a double murderer, but as Edinburgh’s last visitor to the gallows.
Are there still gallows in the UK?
From 1868, hangings were carried out behind prison walls. The UK’s last ever hangings took place in 1964. The landscape, however, remembers our brutality. We can see it in our place names – Gallowgate, Gibbet Marsh, Gibbet Lane, Gallows Down.
Who was the last person to hang in Scotland?
Henry John Burnett
Henry John Burnett (5 January 1942 – 15 August 1963) was the last man to be hanged in Scotland, and the first in Aberdeen since 1891. He was tried at the high court in Aberdeen from 23 to 25 July 1963 for the murder of merchant seaman Thomas Guyan.
What food is Edinburgh famous for?
The Foods You Must Try When Visiting Edinburgh
- Haggis.
- Scottish Shortbread.
- Scottish Porridge.
- Scotch.
- Scottish Bannock.
Why is Stone Black in Edinburgh?
“The Scott Monument and [National] Art Galleries, which are largely built of Binny Sandstone, are disfigured by black patches on the surface of the stone. These patches are generally said to be caused by the smoke of the city, and by the smoke of the locomotives of the railway close at hand.
Is Edinburgh the oldest city in Scotland?
The charter signed by Queen Victoria.
Why are alleyways called alleyways?
The origin of the word alley is late Middle English, from Old French: alee “walking or passage”, from aller “to go”, from Latin: ambulare “to walk”.
Did Scotland have the Black Death?
In the 1340s, the Black Death wasted much of Europe and the Middle East, yet Scotland initially welcomed the onset of the plague.