A chunk of Edinburgh Castle in Chicago’s Tribune building

It may be sister cities with San Diego, but what you might not be familiar with is Edinburgh’s more subtle connection with America’s Windy City. Sprawling 463 feet into the air at the bottom of Chicago’s famous ‘Magnificent Mile’ is the Tribune Tower, home to the Chicago Tribune and an epitome of the American architect’s desire to construct not just buildings but behemoths. Skyscrapers to the heavens.

Housing restaurants and shops as well as publishing houses, this gothic imprint in the city also has a fun secret for both tourists and residents to explore: set all around the base is 120 blocks of stone imported from places all around the world – including a chunk from our very own Edinburgh Castle.

But why is it there, and who would go to the trouble of lugging all those blocks around?

That would be a man named Robert Rutherford McCormack, or ‘Colonel McCormack’ as he became known after his exploits in the First World War. One of the Tribune’s original owners, the out-spoken man was against his country’s involvement in the fighting, yet served anyway, and ended up taking back with him a piece of rubble from a battle at Ypres as a souvenir.

This gave him the idea to lace his building with blocks of stone from famous locations all over the world, and thus he instructed staff to collect whatever pieces they could by “well mannered means” (one assumes this is code for “without stealing”). How this could be done is something of a mystery, but it’s hardly a surprising idea from a man who would install secret staircases giving him covert escapes from his office.

The real significance of each block is that it comes from a famous landmark, like the Berlin Wall and Notre Dame, so it’s no surprise to see Edinburgh Castle nestled in right by the entrance on the south wall. Scotland has a long history of influence in The States – this is just another neat little reminder.

Edinburgh Castle

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The Honours of Scotland

Scotland’s Crown jewels, known as the Honours of Scotland, are the oldest surviving regalia in the British isles. They comprise of a jewel encrusted crown, an elaborate sword and sceptre, which date from the 15th and 16th centuries.

The Crown of Scotland in its present form dates from 1540 when James V ordered, the Edinburgh goldsmith, John Mosman to re-fashion the original crown.

The circlet at the base is made from Scottish gold and is encrusted with 22 gemstones, 20 precious stones(taken from the previous crown) and freshwater pearls from Scottish rivers. The 4 golden arches are ornamented with gold and red enamelled oak leaves. At the point the arches meet rests an orb of gold enamelled in blue and ornamented with gilt stars. This is surmounted by a large cross decorated in gold and black enamel with an amethyst in rectangular form in the centre. The upper and two sides of the cross are adorned in pearls.

The Sword of State of Scotland was a gift from Pope Julius II and was presented to James IV in 1507. The etched blade, measuring 4.5 feet in length, includes figures of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, as well as the etched name of Julius II. The silver gilt handle bears the figures of oak leaves and acorns. The sword was damaged in 1652, whilst being hidden from Cromwell’s troops(more on that to follow), as it had to be broken in two in order to be concealed.

The Sceptre of Scotland was also a Papal gift; presented by Pope Alexander to James IV in 1494, but remodelled and lengthened in 1536. It is made of Silver gilt and is topped by a finial with polished rock, possibly cairngorm, and a Scottish pearl. The Sceptre includes several Christian symbols; stylised dolphins, the Virgin Mary holding the baby Christ, Saint James the Great and Saint Andrew holding a Saltire cross.

The first time the Honours were ever used together was during the coronation of the infant Mary, Queen of Scots at Stirling Castle in 1543. They were used for several other crowning ceremonies including those for James IV in 1567, Charles I in 1633 and Charles II in 1651.

In 1649 Charles I, King of both England and Scotland was executed by Oliver Cromwell, the self-proclaimed Lord Protector. In 1650, his young son Charles II arrived in North East Scotland, and stayed a night in Dunnottar on his journey south to give battle for his fathers’ two kingdoms.

In England, on hearing of the young Kings arrival, Oliver Cromwell was so enraged that he ordered the invasion of Scotland. In some haste Charles II was crowned at Scone, but the “Honours of Scotland”, the crown and other regalia, could not be returned to Edinburgh Castle, as it had been taken by Cromwell’s army. Having already destroyed the English crown jewels, the Honours of Scotland were the most potent icon of monarchy, and as such were next on Cromwell’s list. Cromwell’s army was fast approaching, so Charles II ordered the Earl Marischal to take the Honours to Dunnottar and secure them there.

It was not long before Dunnottar was under siege, and a scratch, aged garrison of seventy men held out for eight months against the invading might of Cromwell’s army until heavy cannons arrived. Following ten days of heavy fire, surrender was made. This was not however before the Honours of Scotland were smuggled out of the Castle and taken to Kinneff Church, where they were buried in the Church.  They remained there undiscovered for eleven years, until the King returned to the throne in 1660 and the Honours were returned to Edinburgh Castle.

Following the restoration, they were used at sittings of the Scottish parliament to represent the absent Monarch, who was now a resident of London following the Union of the Crowns in 1603.

After the Treaty of the Union in 1707 removed Scotland’s parliament, the Honours of Scotland became somewhat redundant and as such were locked away within Edinburgh Castle. Here they lay literally forgotten for over one hundred years.

They came to light again in 1818 when, under great pressure from Sir Walter Scott, a thorough search of the Castle was initiated and they were found. From there they remained on public display within the castle since 1819 with only a few exceptions. In 1941 the Honours were hidden on final time, due to fears they would be destroyed or taken during a Nazi invasion. In 1953 they were taken out of hiding and presented to the newly crowned Queen Elizabeth II and then returned to their place within the crown room of Edinburgh castle.

In may 1999, the first sitting of the devolved Scottish parliament, October 2004, the opening of the Scottish parliament building, and at subsequent opening ceremonies of each new session of the Scottish parliament the Crown of Scotland has been present alongside the Monarch. Due to their age and condition the Sword and Sceptre are considered too delicate to be present alongside the Crown on such occasions.

The Stone of Destiny

The Stone of Destiny, or Stone of Scone, has been revered for centuries as a holy Scottish relic. It has been fought over by nations and used by the Dalriadic, Scottish, English and British Monarchs as an important part of their crowning ceremonies.

The origins of the stone, like many similar relics, have been lost to time but typically there are plenty of legends. One such legend suggests it was used as a pillow by Jacob in biblical times, and brought to Scotland in the 9th century. Other legends have suggested it originates either in Ireland or Scotland.

In 1292 John Balliol became the last King to be crowned on the Stone in Scotland, as it was captured by Edward I of England in 1296 and taken by him to Westminster Abbey in London. It remained under the coronation chair, on which the English and subsequently British sovereigns sit during their coronation, for the next 700 years. It was last used for a coronation by Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

Some historians claim that the stone stolen by Edward I was a fake. By a cunning slight of hand the Scots actually handed over the cess-pit cover from Scone Castle rather than the real stone, which was hidden away. If true this means a long succession of English and British Monarchs have been crowned atop a medieval toilet seat cover.

To further complicate the authenticity of the Stone, it was stolen from Westminster Abbey in 1950, and driven north. It resurfaced 4 months later in Arbroath Abbey, draped in a Saltire, and was returned t Westminster. Although rumours have persisted that the returned Stone was in fact a copy to stop any search for the true Stone.

The Stone finally returned home to Scotland on St Andrews Day (30th November) in 1996, and was and still is housed in Edinburgh Castle alongside the Honours of Scotland. Historic Scotland examined the stone on its arrival and pronounced it was ‘probably’ the original Stone.

Mons Meg

Mons Meg is a medieval bombard that currently resides within Edinburgh Castle and is named for the town in Belgium in which she was forged around 1449. Mons Meg is the last survivor of two such enormous guns originally gifted to King James II by his uncle, Philip the Good, Duke of Normandy. The 15.366 pound, muzzle loading cannon is capable of firing gun-stones weighing 180kg nearly 2 miles. With a caliber(barrel diameter) of 20 inches/ 510mm it is the 7th largest cannon in the world by caliber.

It has been suggested that Meg was one of the armaments on James IV’s carrack the ‘Great Michael’, which would have made it the ship with the largest caliber gun in history.

Meg only saw action once against the English at Norham Castle on the river Tweed. In 1497 the castle was besieged for two weeks by an army led by James IV of Scotland. The siege included the use of artillery, including Meg, to try to breach the walls but the garrison was finally relieved by an English army. However due to her great weight it became impractical to drag around to battle and from around the 1540′s she retired from her military career and remained in Edinburgh Castle.

She was fired again in 1558, but not against an enemy, instead in celebration during the marriage of Mary, Queen of Scots to the Dauphin of France, Francis.

Mons Meg with some unconventional ammunition!

Her career came to an explosive end in 1681, firing her final shot during the birthday celebrations of the man who would later become King James VII of Scotland and II of England. During the shot the iron rings burst, and she has been silent ever since. An English canoneer had loaded the charge and many Scots believed that the damage was done on purpose out of jealousy, in the age old argument of which man has the bigger cannon. The incedent was also seen as a bad omen for the future King.

The gun remained within Edinburgh Castle until 1754, when, with other unused weapons in Scotland, she was taken to the Tower of London as a result of the disarming acts against the Jacobites.

Sir Walter Scott and others campaigned for her return, which was effected in 1829. She has now been restored and can be found outside of St Margaret’s Chapel for all to see.

The One o’clock Gun

The One o’clock Gun is fired from Edinburgh Castle Mills Mount Battery everyday, except for Sunday, Good Friday and Christmas day, and has been since the tradition began in 1861. The origin of this tradition lies in the days when sailing ships in the Firth of Forth needed to check and reset their chronometers in the days before accurate timepieces were available.

In 1852 Captain Wauchope, a Scottish naval officer in the Royal Navy, invented the timeball, which was installed and can still be found atop Nelson’s Monument on Calton Hill. The ball would drop at one o’clock giving the signal to sailors of the time. However the problem persisted that someone would be required on the ships to watch for the drop and it would not be visible during the foggy weather, known as the Haar,  which is a common occurrence within Edinburgh.

The time gun was introduced as a result in 1861, to act as an auditory signal for the ships, and could easily be heard in Leith harbour, over 2.5 miles away. A map was introduced in the same year, because sound travels relatively slowly, it was required to show the actual time the shot would be heard in different areas of Edinburgh and the Firth of Forth.

The original gun was an 18 pound muzzle-loading cannon, which required 4 men to load, and was fired from the Half Moon Battery. This was replaced in 1913 by a 32 pound breach loader and in 1952 by a 25 pound Howitzer. Ammunition, blanks of course, for this eventually became unavailable and a modern 105mm light gun has been used since September 2001.

The longest serving gunner, and somewhat of a celebraty among those that come to see the gun, is Staff Sergeant Thomas MacKay MBE, nicknamed ‘Tam the Gun’. He operated the gun from 1979 up until his retirement in 2005. In 2006, Jamie Shannon, also known as ‘Shannon the Cannon’ became the 29th District Gunner, and also in 2006 Bombardier Allison Jones became the first woman to fire the gun.

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Edinburgh, Scotland’s capital and my all time favourite city, is full to the brim with interesting tales, facts and histories that have built up over it’s very long lifetime. We wanted to share a few of the shorter gems(We’ll give the longer one’s a post to themselves ) that we found whilst doing some research on Edinburgh, and hopefully you will find out something you did not know about this wonderful city…

Edinburgh has the nickname ‘Auld Reekie’, but did you know it was not given this name because of any Medieval open sewers or disgusting smell, but instead because of the smoke emitted by the coal and wood burnt in the cities buildings and homes.

Encyclopaedia Britannica First Edition

The Encyclopaedia Britannica was first published between 1768 and 1771 in Edinburgh as three volumes, but this first edition caused controversy due to a detailed anatomy section which was said to contain ‘portrayals of the unmentionable parts of the human body’.

Edinburgh residents of the 17th century believed that rubbing the burnt ashes of dove’s droppings on their head would cure baldness!

Edinburgh Castle and the ‘Nor Loch

Princes Street Gardens are now a popular spot for relaxing on a sunny day, but it was once a body of water known as the ‘Nor Loch or North Loch. This Loch was heavily polluted in it’s later years after being the final destination for the cities sewage for a long time. It is a popularly held myth that the Nor’ Loch was the site of ‘Witch ducking’ in Edinburgh and the site of around 300 witch trials. ’Witch ducking’ or ‘the swimming test’ was employed by Witchcraft prosecutors in some areas of Europe as a method of identifying whether or not a suspect was guilty of witchcraft. However, according to the Survey of Scottish Witchcraft there is little evidence that ‘Witch ducking’ was utilised as a means of identifying Witches in Scottish Witchcraft trials.

St Margaret’s Chapel

St Margaret’s Chapel, found within the walls of Edinburgh Castle, is the oldest building in the city and is believed to be the oldest intact building in Scotland. Nearly every other part of the castle has been destroyed and rebuilt or replaced over the Castle’s history, during the many wars of Scotland’s past. It was built in the 12th century in memory of Queen Margaret, who is said to have died of a broken heart following the death of her husband King Malcolm III.

The National Library of Scotland

Edinburgh has more listed buildings than anywhere else in the world. Some of these include the National Library Of Scotland on George IV Bridge and The Supreme Courts Of Scotland on Parliament Square.

Colonel Nils Olav inspects the Norwegian King’s Guard

Did you know the Colonel in Chief, Nils Olav, of the Norwegian Army is a resident of Edinburgh. He lives in Edinburgh zoo and happens to be a king penguin. The name ‘Nils Olav’ has also been given to two other king penguins who preceded the current Nils Olav as the King’s Guard’s mascot.

The Emancipation Monument on Calton Hill

In the Old Calton Burial Ground, in the centre of Edinburgh, there is a memorial to the Scottish-American soldiers who died in the American Civil War which includes a statue of Abraham Lincoln – the first statue of the famous president ever erected outside of the USA.

John Knox House, or is it?

John Knox House is situated in the middle of the world famous High Street portion of the Royal Mile, but if you look at all of the descriptions, they say John Knox is ‘believed’ to have lived in the house. There are no real records or evidence to say it is his home, and it is believed that this was made up by the Victorians on the basis that the house was of the correct age and in the correct general location.

On the 7th September 1801, Edinburgh was hit by an earthquake. It was felt in the north of the New Town but not in the south of the Old Town. No major damage was done, although it was accredited as having damaged a barn that collapsed a few days later and killed two shearers.

The death mask of William Burke and a pocket book made form his skin!

Most people will know the story of Burke & Hare, the 19th century bodysnatchers who murdered at least 16 people in order to supply medical students with cadavers. But less well known is the fact that the most well attended lecture in the history of Edinburgh’s medical school came in 1829 when the body of William Burke was itself dissected.

The Mound

Unlike Arthur’s Seat, Calton hill or Castle Rock, the Mound was not naturally formed. It is in fact an artificial construction created in the 1780′s using earth from the foundations of Princes Street.

The Mound surprisingly has an electric blanket underneath it. In 1956 electric wires were put under the road to help in icy conditions but it proved unreliable and was given up a few years later.

‘Edinburgh’s Folly’

The National Monument on Calton Hill is known as ‘Edinburgh’s Folly’ or ‘Edinburgh’s Shame’. It was modelled on the Parthenon in Athens, but money ran out and it was never completed. However this is not the reason Edinburgh has been described as the ‘Athens of the North’, that was due to the great amount of stunning (and complete) architecture and intellectual influence during the period known as the Scottish Enlightenment.

So how many of these interesting facts did you already know about? Which was your favourite? and would you like to find out more about this great city? Here are a few of our products that are a good place to start….

Not a Guide to Edinburgh – buy now on ScotClans >>

Edinburgh DVD – Buy now on ScotClans – 50% off >>

The Royal Mile and New Town – Buy now on ScotClans  - 50% off >>

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It’s a well-known and begrudgingly accepted fact that Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin loves to kill off central characters. In episode nine of the third season of the television series based on the books, three deaths in the space of mere minutes provoked an excessive amount of mortified outcry in almost every media outlet imaginable a few weeks ago. Such shocked reactions are nothing new to Martin – ever since the third book was published a decade ago, he’s been receiving exclamatory emails and letters from heartbroken readers about the disastrous Stark-Tully-Frey union. In a nutshell, three members of the much-loved but ill-fated Stark family and hundreds of Stark bannermen were slaughtered at a wedding, decisively snuffing out the King of the North’s claim to the throne of Westeros.

After heartbreakingly accidentally reading a tiny spoiler via a newspaper, I finally watched the final two episodes of season three a week after the episodes were released. Once the shock subsided and I finally stopped weeping, I was very intrigued to discover that Martin based the fateful ‘Red Wedding’ on two specific events from Scottish clan history. In an interview with EW, Martin said: “No matter how much I make up, there’s stuff in history that’s just as bad, or worse.”

The first event dates back to the fifteenth century, when Clan Douglas were one of the most powerful families in lowland Scotland. Rival families including Clan Crichton felt the Douglases were far too strong and capable of upsetting the delicate power-balance in Scotland at that point. In 1440 King James II was only ten years of age, and the ambitious and influential clan chief William Douglas could have easily gained control of the throne. So Clan Crichton, with the help of Alexander Livingston of Callendar, set out to extinguish the Douglas threat.

In 1440 Sir William Crichton, custodian of Edinburgh Castle, invited William Douglas and his younger brother David to dine with the young king; with the siblings suspecting nothing as the evening proceeded. Near the end of the dinner, a black bull’s head (the symbol of death) was placed on the table by a servant. The two brothers were then seized and dragged out to Castle Hill at the top of the Royal Mile. They were given a mock-trial and accused of various crimes including high treason, before being lead to the headman’s block where they both met a grisly demise with the swing of the executioners axe.

A depiction of the Black Dinner, an inspiration for the Red Wedding

This event came to be known as the ‘Black Dinner’, and just as in Thrones, a family were murdered after the unspoken laws and customs of hospitality were breached. Unsurprisingly the rest of Clan Douglas were quick to retaliate, laying siege to Edinburgh Castle and causing considerable damage. Perceiving the danger, Crichton surrendered the castle to King James who was then given the title of Lord Crichton. This was a politically astute move as challenging the decision would have meant challenging the king himself and left them fighting an unwinnable war against much of Scotland.

The discussion on the laws of hospitality that frequent the final two episodes also eerily draw from the events of the Massacre of Glencoe, which I blogged about earlier this year. In the final episode of the series, Bran speaks of a Lord who killed guests beneath his roof, saying “it’s something the Gods cannot forgive“. In 1692 32 Clan MacDonald members were murdered by Clan Campbell on direct orders from the crown, after providing accommodation to Campbell clansmen for the previous two weeks. The massacre was considered especially awful as it was considered ‘slaughter under trust’, and is still commemorated to this day.

I’m also convinced that Martin based his family/house structures in the series on the Scottish clan system. Every Thrones house has a coat of arms, words, leader, seat and region; just as each clan has their own crest, motto, chief, seat and region. I’ve made a comparison below between House Lannister from the series, and Clan MacGregor:

House Lannister
Words - Hear Me Roar!
Current Leader - Joffrey Baratheon
King of the Seven Kingdoms
Seat - Casterley Rock
Region - The Westerlands

Clan MacGregor
Motto – ‘S rioghal mo dhream (My race is royal)
Current Chief - Sir Malcolm MacGregor of MacGregor
The 7th baronet of Lanrick and Balquhidder
Seat - Bannatyne
Region - Argyll and Perthshire

The clans of Scotland have certainly captured the imagination of Martin, hundreds of years after these fateful events occurred. Like millions of others around the world, I sit with bated breath awaiting the next installment in the Game of Thrones series. Just in case you’re wondering, you can check here how many weeks and days are remaining by clicking here!

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