Edinburgh Castle: Royals, Prisoners, & Pirates
- Taryn
- 21 hours ago
- 2 min read
Introduction
After wrapping up our private tour of the stunning Signet Library, our group made the short walk over to the iconic Edinburgh Castle. Grounded in ancient volcanic rock and casting a long historic shadow over the streets below, Edinburgh Castle serves as the dominant anchor for the city's skyline. The castle complex has been in existence for over 900 years and has functioned as a royal residence, fortress, military garrison, and prison. The oldest surviving structure in Edinburgh is St. Margaret’s Chapel, which was built in honor of Queen Margaret following her death in 1063.
Mary, Queen of Scots
I’ve been captivated by the tragic story of Mary, Queen of Scots—and her notoriously grim end—for as long as I can remember. So I was on the lookout for any events regarding the Queen and Edinburgh Castle. In 1543, the infant Mary was crowned using the Honours of Scotland—the historic crown, sceptre, and sword that you can still see on display inside the castle palace today. At the time of Mary’s return to Scotland from France in 1561, she resided at Holyroodhouse, which was much more comfortable than the drafty old castle. This changed in 1566 when Mary’s secretary was murdered at Holyrood and fearing for her safety she relocated to the castle. A few months later, Mary gave birth to the future King James VI, who united the English and Scottish crowns.
Pirates & Prisons
Throughout the centuries, Edinburgh Castle functioned as a formidable prison, locking away everyone from pirates to prisoners of war (POWs) in the damp vaults below Crown Square. John Clark and John Stewart, real pirates of the Caribbean, were imprisoned here until their executions for piracy in the early 1700s.
It was surprising to learn that the castle held so many POWs from a variety of nations such as France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands between the 18th-19th centuries. Most surprising, though, is that the vaults once held Americans—specifically privateers and sailors captured by the Royal Navy during the Revolutionary War. Prison life was no treat in the vaults of the castle—it was cold, damp, and crowded. Several prisoners took up crafts to pass the time and combat boredom. I really admired this wooden box intricately decorated with colored straw by a French POW (pictured below).
Last of all, one of the highlights of touring the castle for me was the cute dog cemetery. Who doesn't love a dog cemetery?
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