A Visit to Scotland - Part 2

While we were in Leith, we did our share of exploring the city of Edinburgh. But, I am not going to write on the city (well, to me, a City is a City - quite similar in character as compared to one another - it's the historical site and the countryside that appeal to me). In this entry, it is about Edinburgh Castle.


This pic shows the inner entrance to the Castle. It may look a bit deserted but actually, there are a lot of visitors here. According to Essential Scotland, over a million people visit the Castle each year. Among the highlights are the Crown Room, the Honours of Scotland, the Stone of Destiny and the Royal Apartments which include the room where Mary, Queen of Scots gave birth to James VI of Scotland (later known as James I of England). Also here, in the Castle's Cellar stood Mons Meg, the collosal cannon which fired its massive stone cannonballs at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. (Note - Mons Meg is reputed to be the most photographed cannon).

There is a story about the Honours of Scotland or the Scottish Crown Jewels which I read when I was young which I found very interesting. But first, what is the Honours of Scotland or the Scottish Crown Jewels? It consists of a Crown, Sceptre and a Sword of State (all three are on display in the Crown Room of the Castle).

The crown was remodelled by James V in 1540. It was made from Scottish gold from the Crawford Moor mine. It is believed that it was made by French craftsmen.

The Sceptre is a gift from the Pope to James IV in 1494. It too was remodelled by James V, who added his initials to the sceptre. The globe of the sceptre is a cut and polished rock crystal, with a Scottish pearl on top.

The Sword of State is also a gift from another pope to James IV in 1507. It came complete with swordbelt and a consecrated hat. The blade is one metre long.

After being used at the coronations of Mary I, James VI, and Charles I, the regalia were last used at a coronation in 1651 for that of Charles II. Prior to this event, Charles I had been executed by order of the Parliament of England and the monarchy overthrown. Oliver Cromwell, the Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland, ordered almost all of the English regalia to be broken. However, the Honours of Scotland were hidden, firstly in Dunnottar Castle, which was later besiged by the New Model Army and from where the Honours were smuggled out, then secondly under the floor of Kinneff Parish Church, only to be recovered after The Restoration in 1660. The Honours were not used to crown any future Scottish sovereign. (Info gathered from www.edinburgh-royalmile.com/castle)

The story which I am about to share is about how the Crown Jewels were rescued from Dunnottar Castle. The Jewels were not rescued by the army or the like BUT by one Mrs Grainger (a Minister's wife) and Mairi (her help). As their daily routine, both of them will walk taking along a donkey with two big baskets to the beach gathering seaweed to make soup for the poor. And the route they took went all the way to Dunnottar Castle. Mrs Grainger was friendly with the Keeper of the Castle's wife, Mrs Ogilvie and on one of their visits, they made a plan to rescue the Crown Jewels as the Cromwell's soldiers had already camped near the Castle preparing attack - and, to destroy the Jewels. Mrs Grainger and Mairi's daily routine and the fact that they were on friendly terms with the soldiers are actually the contributing factors for the rescue. On the day of rescue, after gathering the seaweed, both of them slipped to the seaward side of the castle. After putting up the agreed signal, a basket filled of the Jewels were lowered down to them. They emptied the contents of the basket and gently transfered it to the most bttom of the donkey's basket. However, they encountered problem with the sword. After sliding off the scabbard and the sword still couldn't fit in the basket, they decided to bend the sword. However, they could not bend it by using their hands. So, they laid it across the rock and they leaned on both ends of the sword. Finally, the sword was bent and fit nicely in the donkey's basket. And they covered the Jewels with seaweed. Once the basket was pulled up again, they both went on their way, passing through the Cromwell's army camp back to the parish. Worried should the soldiers search the parish, Rev. James Grainger & his wife hid the Jewels in a space beneath the pulpit in a church in Kinneff. There it remained for 9 years. And that is how the Crown Jewels were rescued. It is said that if one looks carefully at the sword one can see where it was damaged when Mrs Grainger and Mairi bent it to fit their donkey's basket - I don't anyway - maybe due to the way it is positioned. However, this is how I remembered the story. If I am mistaken, I do apologize. In the meantime, just enjoy it!

This is Mons Meg for you. You can guess how massive it is, right?









Exactly at 1.00 p.m we witnessed the firing of the 1.00 o'clock gun. This custom started way back when only a few people can afford to have clocks and watches.







If taken from the right angle, behind us is the view of Arthur's Seat. Of course the two cannons behind us are not Mons Meg and its twin!







Well, everybody looked satisfied. Had our lunch at the Castle's Restaurant - so everyone's settled.

Other than Stirling and Edinburgh, we make our round down to Glasgow and move further up to Fort William. along the way, we drop by at Glen Coe - the view? Fascinating. The Lochs? Almost Mythical. The Author of Essential Scotland put it rightly "...for trying to describe Scotland is a bit like trying to describe the wind. Just when you think you've got it, it changes direction."

Well, our stay in Scotland is very pleasant and satisfying. The scenary and the landscape makes you feel how Great the power of Allah Ta'ala is. The architecture? Hmmph...mixture of European + Renaissance, perhaps? But, most importantly, it is the warmth and kindness of the people. (mmmm... shall I add the haddock n chips?:-D)