History of Leith, Edinburgh

October 31, 2006

Man who became possessed by an evil spirit

This story begins: ‘An account of the strange and wonderful manner in which John Fox, who some time ago lived near Nottingham, was sorely afflicted with an Evil Spirit, that threw him into fits, deprived him of the power of speech, spoke within him, and endeavoured to baffle the efforts of the Ministers who attended him, whose names are here mentioned; also an account how he was at length relieved, after remaining three years dumb, and lived a virtuous and religious life.’ Although no date of publication is included, the sheet was published by T. Duncan of Glasgow. for more click here

Free Kirk and her Boy Tammy

This is a rather unusual broadside in that it reads much like a scene from a musical play, with several characters involved in the story. Written in verse form, the opening line of the dialogue reads: ‘Whaur gat ye the bawbees? / My boy Tammy’. A note below the title states that these lyrics should be sung to the tune, ‘My Boy Tammy’. Although no date is given, a footnote states that it was published by ‘SANDERSON, Printer, 36. Cowgate-head, Edinburgh’ for more click here

Funny Conversation

This poem is introduced by a bit of text that reads: ‘A FUNNY CONVERSATION Between Cuddy WILLIE, the Pigman, and HAWKIE, the Speech Crier, Twa Celebrated and Well-known Characters in Edinburgh, on occasion of the Last All-Hallow Fair, held in the Vicinity of Auld Reekie.’ for more click here

Christ’s Kirk on the Green

Verse 1: ‘Was never in Scotland heard or seen, / such dancing and deray; / Neither at Falkland on the green, / nor Peebles at the play, / As was of woers as I ween; / at Christs Kirk on a day: / For there came Kittie washen clean, / with her new Gown of Gray, / Full gay that day’ The poem is attributed to James V (1512-42), but the printer’s note under the title, ‘Newly Corrected according to the Original Copy’ indicates that this was one of the many reprints that were made of the poem in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, with the spelling updated to the standard forms of the period.for more click here

Hogmanay: A cracking good time

UNTIL relatively recently Christmas was not celebrated in Scotland. During the Scottish Reformation it was regarded as popish and superstitious. The holiday was apparently too much like good fun for the rather dour brand of Calvinism adopted by John Knox and his followers. They took this so seriously that for 400 years Christmas was effectively banned. for more click here

A stockingful of Scottish Christmas traditions

SCOTTISH Christmas traditions are – to say the least – a little on the patchy side. There are some great pagan ideas, first-rate medieval treats, but then there is a huge yawning chasm, a Christmas-free zone until the middle of the 20th century until it all came back into fashion. for more click here

Oldest war veterans make friends

The oldest British World War I veteran and his German counterpart have been introduced for the first time.
Henry Allingham – the UK’s oldest man at 110, and the last survivor of the Battle of Jutland – met Robert Meier, 109, in Witten, near Dortmund. for more click here

Scotland 1566

Map of the South of ScotLand 1566
Map of the South of Scotland 1566 by Paolo Farlani of Verona

The Editor at South Leith

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I would like to ask if you have any pictures of “Old Leith” to scan them if possible and send them to me at [email protected] to be published on this site as it is important that they are preserved and seen by future generations of Leithers. Thanks if you can do that and of course your copyright will be acknowledged and protected.

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Map of Edinburgh 18th century

Edinburgh in the 18th century

 
 

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