he rock now crowned by Edinburgh Castle was probably created some
340 millions years ago, a 'crag and tail' formation consisting of the
basalt plug standing 443 ft above sea level, and a 'tail' of lava stretching
steeply downwards for one mile, the 'Royal Mile,' to Holyrood Palace.
With its commanding site, the Castle is a national symbol of Scotland:
fortress; royal residence; birthplace of James VI and I; home of the
Honours of Scotland, the Scottish crown, sceptre and sword of state;
and also of Mons Meg, a huge cannon, weighing over 6 tons, presented
by the Duke of Burgundy to his nephew, James II of Scotland in 1457,
and employed in the siege of Dumbarton in
1489.
King Edwin of Northumbria erected a wooden fort here in
the 7th century, but the earliest surviving building on
the Castle rock is the 12c Romanesque chapel, dedicated
to Margaret of Scotland, the Queen and Saint. The site of
the medieval St Mary's Church is now occupied by the Scottish
National War Memorial, built (1923-1927) by Sir Robert Lorimer,
to honour the Scots who died in World War I. The Battle
Honours of the Scottish Regiments, including the words 'Carnatic';
'Mysore'; 'Seringapatam,' are
carved in stone round the walls.
During the Jacobite Rising of 1745-6, the Castle was blockaded, but
not attacked, by Prince Charles Edward. The Government then housed
Jacobite prisoners in the Castle, including McDonnell of Glengarry,
McDonald Of Glencoe and the Earl of Kellie. French prisoners also were
confined here, from 1756 and the outbreak of war with France, until
1815, and Napoleon's final defeat. The French prisoners were apparently
well treated in Edinburgh, and acknowledged this in a formal address
to Dundas in 1797.
The Castle today is the venue for two world-famous Scottish
events : The Edinburgh
International Military Tattoo, held on the Castle Esplanade
every August, and the Edinburgh
Festival, which closes with a spectacular firework display,
exploding from the Castle rock. The scene is suddenly shrouded
in darkness and billowing smoke, as rockets, flares and
sudden explosions of light present the dramatic image of
a great hill fort under siege. During the Mysore Wars, Scots
in India would have been only too familiar with such sights,
as they fought through the deadly fireworks showered down
on them from Tipu's hill forts of Nandydroog;
Savendroog and Ootradroog
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