Wednesday 13th October 1819
Wednesday Oct 13th We breakfasted at Falkirk 11 miles from Stirling the country flat & cultivated the Inn here is tolerable the well known Carron iron works are situated near the town which renders it very dirty; thence we proceeded to Linlithgow a small town while the horses were resting we inspected the Palace a majestic ruin the great part of the walls is entire here we were shown the rooms in which Mary Stewart & Charles 1st were born James 5th when he heard of the birth of the former foretold the miseries which ?over-? bring? her and Scotland ?1st ** came? said (speaking of the crown) with alas & it will be lost with one! the church situated close to the palace is a fine building here too is shown the aisle where James
the 5th saw the apparition which warned him of the impending fate of the battle of Flodden we then returned to the Inn and advanced to Edinburgh 17 miles. the view on entering this fine city is very grand the most remarkable object is the Castle built on a high rock and appears to divide the old town from the new as we passed through Princes Street which is a noble street the singular appearance of the old town attracted our attention many of the houses at 12 stories high & appear as if built one upon the other The London Hotel which is an excellent one is situated at the corner of St Andrews Square indeed we may consider ourselves very fortunate that we have procured such comfortable lodging as Edinburgh it being the time of the races & the musical Festival is now crowded to an excess the houses in the new town are all built of stone on a grand scale & the streets very wide.
OBSERVATIONS & COMMENTS:
Falkirk is at the junction of the Forth and Clyde and Union Canals, a location which proved key to its growth as a centre of heavy industry during the Industrial Revolution. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Falkirk was at the centre of the iron and steel industry, underpinned by the Carron Company in nearby Carron. In the 18th century the area was the cradle of Scotland’s Industrial Revolution, becoming the earliest major centre of the iron-casting industry. James Watt cast some of the beams for his early steam engine designs at the Carron Iron Works in 1765. The area was at the forefront of canal construction when the Forth and Clyde Canal opened in 1790.
1824: The Town of Falkirk, from Clark's Views in Scotland. Artist & Engraver John Heaviside Clark, Publisher Smith & Elder, Fenchurch St, London. http://www.rareoldprints.com/z/16048
The Union Canal (1822) provided a link to Edinburgh. The Antonine Wall, which stretches across the centre of Scotland, passed through the town and remnants of it can be seen at Callendar Park. Similar to Hadrian's Wall but built of turf rather than stone so less of it has survived, it marked the northern frontier of the Roman Empire between the Firth of Forth and Firth of Clyde during the AD 140s. Much of the best evidence of Roman occupation in Scotland has been found in Falkirk, including a large hoard of Roman coins and a cloth of tartan, thought to be the oldest ever recorded.
2006: Falkirk High Street by Kevin Rae. This image was taken from the Geograph project collection. The copyright on this image is owned by Kevin Rae and is licensed for reuse under the (CC BY-SA 2.0) Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FalkirkHighStreet.jpg
Falkirk and Grangemouth from the air, Helix Park and Falkirk Stadium are in the foreground, with Grangemouth Docks and the disused Longannet power station prominent in the distance. The sharp-eyed might just see The Kelpies in the lower left corner. © Copyright Thomas Nugent and licensed for reuse under the (CC BY-SA 2.0) Creative Commons Licence. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/4998818
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falkirk
Cross Keys Inn, Falkirk, was visited in August 1787 by Robbie Burns, accompanied by Mr M. Adair, afterwards Dr Adair of Harrowgate, set out from Edinburgh on a short tour. He rode on horseback, and came first to Linlithgow, where he was created a burgess of the town. From Linlithgow he passed on to Falkirk. Here he put up at the Cross Keys Inn, in those days important as the house in Falkirk at which the stage coach stopped to effect a change of horses. He left the following morning to visit Carron, where, on the window of the inn, he also inscribed a verse, the subject of which is Carron Iron Works, and the sentiment strictly satanic. https://www.oldglasgowpubs.co.uk/crosskeysinn.html Image could not be found
Carron Company was an ironworks established in 1759 on the banks of the River Carron near Falkirk. The company's strict control over its supply of resources, including use of coal miners under conditions of life bondage, gave rise to disputes, with troops being called out to quell conflict on more than one occasion in the 1760s and 1770s. After initial problems, the company was at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution in the United Kingdom. The first blast furnace became operational on 26 December 1760, producing pig iron but their cast iron goods were of a generally poor quality. Nevertheless, in 1764, the Board of Ordnance granted the company a lucrative contract to supply armaments to the British armed forces. The company also cast parts for James Watt's steam engine in 1765. Charles Gascoigne became a partner in 1765 and pushed forward the development of a new type of cannon, originally known as the "Gasconades" but better known by its later name, the "Carronade".
2010: A pair of carronades on display in King Street, Stenhousemuir by Kim Traynor, the copyright holder of this work, and published under the (CC BY-SA 3.0) Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carronades_made_at_the_Carron_Works,_near_Falkirk.jpg
It was shorter and much lighter than a long gun of the same calibre, meaning that more could be carried, and it was also quicker to load and required a smaller crew. On the debit side, carronades had a short range. Some warships - mainly small ones - were equipped with carronades as their main or only armament, but such vessels were vulnerable to opponents armed with long guns. The carronade's principal use was on the upper decks of warships, where batteries of carronades replaced smaller numbers of long guns. This greatly increased firepower at the close ranges at which contemporary naval battles were usually fought, without impairing stability or sailing qualities. The carronade was a considerable success, and remained in production from 1778 to the 1850s. The company established such a reputation for quality that the Duke of Wellington remarked in a letter to Admiral Berkley in 1812 that he only wanted cannon manufactured by the Carron Company in his army. The company also made ammunition, including some invented by Henry Shrapnel. By 1814, the Carron Company was the largest iron works in Europe, employing over 2,000 workers, and it attracted many innovators.
2011: Clocktower entrance to the former Carron Works, near Falkirk by Kim Traynor, the copyright holder of this work, and published under the (CC BY-SA 3.0) Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Clocktower_entrance_to_the_former_Carron_Works,_near_Falkirk.jpg
Carron Works. The old works which began in 1766 is now an empty shell. © Copyright Robert Murray and licensed for reuse under the (CC BY-SA 2.0) Creative Commons Licence. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/4456692
William Symington was an engineer for the Carron Company in the early 19th century, and the company made engines for his steamboats, The Experiment and The Charlotte Dundas. Henry Cort experimented on methods to produce malleable iron, anticipating the puddling process. Benjamin Franklin visited the factory, leaving works and is said to have left a design for a stove- 'Dr Franklin's stove or the Philadelphia stove'.
2013: An Iron Oven manufactured by Carron Company Scotland. Photo by MediaJet, the copyright holder of this work, and published under the (CC BY-SA 3.0) Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carron_Iron_Oven-1844.JPG
The company produced pig iron throughout the 19th century, together with cast-iron products such as balustrades, fire grates, and the Carron bathtub. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carron_Company
Linlithgow: The main attraction is the remains of the Palace, below, but a second attraction, standing adjacent, is the 15th century St. Michael's Church.
1824: The Town of Linlithgow, from Clark's Views in Scotland. Artist & Engraver John Heaviside Clark, Publisher Smith & Elder, Fenchurch St, London. http://www.rareoldprints.com/z/16051
Historic buildings of Linlithgow . The burgh's main historic buildings seen from the towpath of the Union Canal above Back Station Road: (l. to r.) the square tower of the 17thC Town Hall, St. Michael's Church with the distinctive modern replacement for its original crown spire, and just beyond extending to the right of the kirk, the Royal Palace. © Copyright kim traynor and licensed for reuse under the (CC BY-SA 2.0) Creative Commons Licence. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2741540
Many historic buildings line the High Street. On the road to the palace is the Cross Well of 1807 (redesigned by James Haldane) which proclaims itself to be a replica of its 1628 predecessor.
Cross Well, Linlithgow. The impressive structure was built in 1807 in front of the, currently under repair, Town House. © Copyright James Denham and licensed for reuse under the (CC BY-SA 2.0) Creative Commons Licence. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1214440
To its north stands the Town House of 1668 by the master mason John Smith. This replaced a previous hall demolished by Oliver Cromwell's army in 1650. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linlithgow
Linlithgow Palace, probably Scotland's finest surviving late medieval secular building, was the birthplace of Mary, Queen of Scots, in December 1542. Lucy is wrong - Charles 1st was not born here - he only visited once, for a night, in 1633, although James V, Mary’s father, was born here on 10 April 1512. Mary occasionally stayed at the Palace during her reign. After the Union of the Crowns in 1603 the Royal Court became largely based in England and Linlithgow was used very little. The only reigning monarch to stay at Linlithgow after that date was King Charles I, who spent a night there in 1633.
Linlithgow Palace, Old undated watercolour. http://www.rareoldprints.com/z/15805
To the Right Honble James Cart of Hopetow &c &c This South West View of the Palace of Linlithgow is with the with the most respect and deference inscribed by his Lordship's very obedient servants Jukes & Sarjent . http://www.rareoldprints.com/z/2760
An English visitor in October 1641 recorded in a poem that the roof of the great hall was already gone, the fountain vandalised by those who objected on religious grounds to the motto "God Save the King," but some woodcarving remained in the Chapel Royal. The palace's swansong came in September 1745, when Bonnie Prince Charlie visited Linlithgow on his march south but did not stay overnight. It is said that the fountain was made to flow with wine in his honour.
2005: Linlithgow Palace viewed from the east. Photo taken by AlistairMcMillan. This file is licensed under the (CC BY-SA 3.0) Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Am_linlithgow_palace_east.jpg
The Duke of Cumberland's army destroyed most of the palace buildings by burning in January 1746. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linlithgow_Palace
St Michael’s church was consecrated in 1242. Following a fire in 1424, most of the present building dates from the mid-15th century. It was much favoured as a place of worship by Scottish Kings and Queens. Mary, Queen of Scots, was baptised in St Michael’s Church. In 1559, at an early stage of the Scottish Reformation, the Protestant Lords of the Congregation destroyed the statues adorning the exterior and interior of the church as signs of "popishness", and defaced the statue of St Michael which formed part of the structure. Following the Reformation, the interior of the church was reordered. Some traces of pre-Reformation artefacts can still be detected.
circa 1860: Linlithgow Church. Lithograph drawn and lithographed by James Gordon. Junr.. Published by A. & J. Macpherson, Edinburgh. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SELinlithgowChurch11.jpg
1847: Linlithgow Church. Interior looking West. Engraving by J.H. Le Keux after R.W. Billings. Published by William Blackwood & Sons, Edinburgh. https://www.antique-prints-maps.com/cgi-bin/sh000001.pl?WD=linlithgow&PN=Edinburgh_antique_prints%2ehtml#a2354274
In 1646, Oliver Cromwell's troops stabled their horses within the nave. Following the departure of the troops, considerable restoration was required. By the early 19th century the church was in a very poor physical condition. Although repairs were made, many of the historic features of the church were destroyed, the interior walls were whitewashed, a plaster ceiling replaced a fine 16th-century one and in 1821 the stone Crown Tower had to be dismantled. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Michael%27s_Parish_Church,_Linlithgow St. Michael's western tower originally had a distinctive stone crown spire, but it was removed in the early 19th century. In 1964 a replacement and controversial spire in aluminium in a modern style by Scots architect Sir Basil Spence, representing Christ's crown of thorns, was added. (See photograph, below)
Tower of St Michael's, Linlithgow from the adjoining Linlithgow Palace. © Copyright Mike Pennington and licensed for reuse under the (CC BY-SA 2.0) Creative Commons Licence. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1429743
Battle of Flodden: It was James VI, not James V, who fought at the Battle of Flodden, or Flodden Field, a battle between the Kingdoms of England and Scotland resulting in an English victory. In keeping with his understanding of the medieval code of chivalry, King James IV sent notice to the English, one month in advance, of his intent to invade. This gave the English time to gather an army and to retrieve the banner of Saint Cuthbert from Durham Cathedral, a banner which had been carried by the English in victories against the Scots in 1138 and 1346. The battle was fought in Branxton, Northumberland on 9 September 1513, between an invading Scots army under King James IV and an English army commanded by the Earl of Surrey.
2005: The site of the Battle of Flodden Field. This image shows only the western side of the battlefield. The Scottish army advanced down the hill which in this image is ploughed (in the direction of the camera). The English advanced down the grassy field away from the camera. The boundary between the ploughed field and the grassed field in the foreground forms a valley between the two fields. Photo by Tagishsimon, the copyright holder of this work, and published it under the (CC BY-SA 3.0) Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flodden_Field_(Braxton)_-_2004-Feb-06_-_Looking_SSE_from_the_monument.jpg
In terms of troop numbers, it was the largest battle fought between the two kingdoms. James IV was killed in the battle, becoming the last monarch from the British Isles to die in battle. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Flodden
Edinburgh has been recognised as the capital of Scotland since at least the 15th century and is the seat of the Scottish Government, the Scottish Parliament and the supreme courts of Scotland.
1670: "The Citie of Edinburgh from the South" (detail) by Wenceslas Hollar. Some artistic licence has been used. For example, no tenements are visible on the north side of the High Street where the slope descends steeply to the Nor Loch. Heriot's Hospital stands east (rather than west) of Potterow Port. This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 100 years or fewer. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Edinburgh_in_the_17thC_(detail)_by_Wenceslas_Hollar_(1670).jpg
The city's Palace of Holyrood house is the official residence of the monarch in Scotland. The city has long been a centre of education, particularly in the fields of medicine, Scots law, literature, philosophy, the sciences and engineering. It is the second largest financial centre in the United Kingdom after London and the city's historical and cultural attractions have made it the United Kingdom's second most popular tourist destination after London), attracting over one million overseas visitors each year. In the 17th century, Edinburgh's boundaries were still defined by the city's defensive town walls. As a result, the city's growing population was accommodated by increasing the height of the houses.
1822: Edinburgh. From Bridewell, on the Calton - Hill. Artist and Engraver T M Baynes, Publisher D. Walther Brydges St Covent Garden http://www.rareoldprints.com/p/18620
Buildings of 11 storeys or more were common and have been described as forerunners of the modern-day skyscraper. Following the Treaty of Union in 1706, the Parliaments of England and Scotland passed Acts of Union in 1706 and 1707 respectively, uniting the two kingdoms in the Kingdom of Great Britain effective from 1 May 1707. The Union was opposed by many Scots, resulting in riots in the city. By the first half of the 18th century, despite rising prosperity evidenced by its growing importance as a banking centre, Edinburgh was described as one of Europe's most densely populated, overcrowded and unsanitary towns. Visitors were struck by the fact that the various social classes shared the same urban space, even inhabiting the same tenement buildings; although here a form of social segregation did prevail, whereby shopkeepers and tradesmen tended to occupy the cheaper-to-rent cellars and garrets, while the more well-to-do professional classes occupied the more expensive middle storeys.
Arthur's Seat from Edinburgh Castle. "This City is the seat of the King of Scotland, and the Courts of Justice are held in the same. This City is high seated, in a fruitful soyle, and wholesome aire, and is adorned with many noblemen's Towers laying about it, and aboundeth with many springs of sweet waters. At the end towards the East, is the King's Pallace joyning to the Monastery of the Holy Crosse, which King David the first built, over which, in a Parke of Hares, Conies, and Deare, an high mountain hangs, called the chaire of Arthur." -- Fynes Moryson, An Itinerary, 1617. © Copyright kim traynor and licensed for reuse under the (CC BY-SA 2.0) Creative Commons Licence. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2718968
The Town Council, keen to emulate London by initiating city improvements and expansion to the north of the castle, reaffirmed its belief in the Union and loyalty to the Hanoverian monarch George III by its choice of names for the streets of the New Town: for example, Rose Street and Thistle Street; and for the royal family, George Street, Queen Street, Hanover Street, Frederick Street and Princes Street (in honour of George's two sons. In the second half of the century, the city was at the heart of the Scottish Enlightenment, when thinkers like David Hume, Adam Smith, James Hutton and Joseph Black were familiar figures in its streets. Edinburgh became a major intellectual centre, earning it the nickname "Athens of the North" because of its many neo-classical buildings and reputation for learning, recalling ancient Athens. From the 1770s onwards, the professional and business classes gradually deserted the Old Town in favour of the more elegant "one-family" residences of the New Town, a migration that changed the city's social character. According to the foremost historian of this development, "Unity of social feeling was one of the most valuable heritages of old Edinburgh, and its disappearance was widely and properly lamented.". Although Edinburgh's traditional industries of printing, brewing and distilling continued to grow in the 19th century and were joined by new rubber works and engineering works, there was little industrialisation compared with other cities in Britain. By 1821, Edinburgh had been overtaken by Glasgow as Scotland's largest city. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edinburgh
2010: The most beautiful panorama of Edinburgh, seen from the Scott Monument by Oliver-Bonjoch, the copyright holder of this work, and published under the (CC BY-SA 3.0) Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Edinburgh_from_Scott_Monument.jpg
Description of the city in 1617: "This City is the seat of the King of Scotland, and the Courts of Justice are held in the same. This City is high seated, in a fruitful soyle, and wholesome aire, and is adorned with many noblemen's Towers laying about it, and aboundeth with many springs of sweet waters. At the end towards the East, is the King's Pallace joyning to the Monastery of the Holy Crosse, which King David the first built, over which, in a Parke of Hares, Conies, and Deare, an high mountain hangs, called the chaire of Arthur." -- Fynes Moryson, An Itinerary, 1617, sourced from https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2718968
Edinburgh Castle dominates the skyline of the city from its position on the Castle Rock. Research undertaken in 2014 identified 26 sieges in its 1100-year-old history, giving it a claim to having been "the most besieged place in Great Britain and one of the most attacked in the world". Few of the present buildings pre-date the Lang Siege of the 16th century, when the medieval defences were largely destroyed by artillery bombardment. The most notable exceptions are St Margaret's Chapel from the early 12th century, which is regarded as the oldest building in Edinburgh, the Royal Palace and the early-16th-century Great Hall, although the interiors have been much altered from the mid-Victorian period onwards.
circa 1760: Vue du Chateau d'Edimbourg, vue d'optique, Published by Basset. Paris. http://www.rareoldprints.com/p/5213
circa 1800: Edinburgh Castle, in Midlothian, Engraving by Barclay published by Alexander Hogg. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SEEdinburghCastleHogg14.jpg
During the 18th century the castle vaults were used to hold prisoners of war during several conflicts, including the Seven Years' War (1756–1763), the American War of Independence (1775–1783) and the Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815). During this time, several new buildings were erected within the castle, including powder magazines, stores, the Governor's House (1742), and the New Barracks (1796–1799). A mass prison break in 1811, in which 49 prisoners of war escaped via a hole in the south wall, persuaded the authorities that the castle vaults were no longer suitable as a prison. This use ceased in 1814 and the castle began gradually to assume a different role as a national monument.
1822: Visit of King George IV to Scotland, 1822, by James Skene (1775–1864) . Source scan from The King's Jaunt, John Prebble, Birlinn Limited, Edinburgh 2000, ISBN 1-84158-068-6 . Public domain. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:KGIV_and_hat.jpg
In 1818, Sir Walter Scott was given permission to search the castle for the Crown of Scotland, believed lost after the union of Scotland and England in 1707. Breaking into a sealed room, now known as the Crown Room, and unlocking a chest within, he rediscovered the Honours of Scotland, which were then put on public display with an entry charge of one shilling. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edinburgh_Castle
2012: Edinburgh Castle seen from the roof of the National Museum of Scotland. The medieval burgh grew along the ridge sloping down from the castle, by Kim Traynor, the copyright holder of this work, and published under the (CC BY-SA 3.0) Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Edinburgh_Castle_from_the_south_east.JPG
Princes Street lies on the line of a medieval country lane known as the Lang Gait and bounded by the Lang Dyke. In the original New Town plan Princes Street was to have been called St Giles Street, after the patron saint of Edinburgh, but King George III rejected the name, St Giles being also the patron saint of lepers and the name of a notorious 'rookery' of slums in London. The street is named after King George's two eldest sons, the Prince George, Duke of Rothesay (later King George IV) and the Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany. It was laid out according to formal plans for Edinburgh's New Town, now known as the First New Town. These were devised by the architect James Craig and building began around 1770.
Princes Street 1825 by Alexander Nasmyth, copied by Stephencdickson, the copyright holder of this work, and published under the (CC BY-SA 4.0) Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Princes_Street_1825_by_Alexander_Nasmyth.JPG
Princes Street represented a critical part of the plan, being the outer edge, facing Edinburgh Castle and the original city: "Edinburgh Old Town". Through the 19th century most buildings were redeveloped at a larger scale and the street evolved from residential to mainly retail uses. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princes_Street
2008: New Town, Edinburgh, looking west along Princes Street from Calton Hill, by Tharnton345. This work has been released into the public domain by its author, Tharnton345 at English Wikipedia. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:New_Town,_Edinburgh,_Panorama.jpg
London Hotel on St Andrews Square not found
St Andrews Square is located at the east end of George Street. The construction of St Andrew Square began in 1772, as the first part of the New Town, designed by James Craig. Within six years of its completion St Andrew Square became one of the most desirable and most fashionable residential areas in the city.
1829: East Side of St Andrew's Square, Edinburgh by Thomas Hosmer Shepherd. Image extracted from page 29 of Modern Athens, displayed in a series of views; or, Edinburgh in the nineteenth century; exhibiting the whole of the new buildings, modern improvements, antiquities, & picturesque scenery of the Scottish metropolis & its environs, by Thomas Hosmer Shepherd (original drawings) with John Britton (text). Original held and digitised by the British Library, Accession number HMNTS 010370.dd.10. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MA(1829)_p.029_-_East_Side_of_St_Andrew%27s_Square,_Edinburgh_-_Thomas_Hosmer_Shepherd.jpg
As the 19th century ended, St Andrew Square evolved into the commercial centre of the city and most of the square evolved into the major offices of banks and insurance companies, making it one of the major financial centres in Scotland. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Andrew_Square,_Edinburgh Lucy’s London Hotel would probably have been moved as the area became more commercial. She would not have seen the centrepiece of the square, Lord Melville's monument, which was erected four years later, in 1823
2019: View of the Melville Monument in the centre of St Andrew’s Square by the author. Lucy would not have seen the monument - it was erected four years later in 1823
Music Festival: Edinburgh enjoyed its first ‘Musical Festival Week’ on 30 October 1815: “From England, and the remotest parts of Scotland, individuals and whole families poured into the city. Every house and every room that could be obtained was occupied by persons of all ranks and ages…” (G. F. Graham, 1816 in his Account of the first Edinburgh Musical Festival). Concerts sold out very quickly and directors immediately arranged an extra performance. The first piece of music played in the festival was the overture to Handel’s oratorio Esther.
The overture to Handel’s Esther published by John Walsh in 1732, the first piece of music played in the festival https://blog.nls.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/BH112EstherOvertureP1LowRes-115388946.jpg
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/304538157_'The_First_Edinburgh_Musical_Festival_'serious_and_magnificent_entertainment'_or_'a_combination_of_harmonious_and_discordant_notes' https://blog.nls.uk/the-first-edinburgh-musical-festival-of-1815/
THE SECOND EDINBURGH MUSIC FESTVAL WAS HELD DURING LUCY’S VISIT, with the Theatre Royal taking over from Corri’s Rooms. There have been a number of Theatre Royals – this is the first one that was situated at the east end of Princes Street. This festival produced a profit of £1,231 that was again distributed to charities. https://bkthisandthat.org.uk/a-history-of-the-edinburgh-festivals/ The theatre was adapted inside to accommodate a larger audience 1819. Page 28, John Leonard Cranmer’s Thesis CONCERT LIFE AND THE MUSIC TRADE IN EDINBURGH c.1780-c.1830 https://www.era.lib.ed.ac.uk/bitstream/1842/7380/2/Cranmer1991_redact.pdf
Can you help us?
Transcription problems: As untrained transcribers we sometimes experience problems interpreting some of Lucy’s writing. We have a problem deciphering one section today:
_-_2004-Feb-06_-_Looking_SSE_from_the_monument.jpg){kind=link}
_by_Wenceslas_Hollar_(1670).jpg){kind=link}
_p.029_-_East_Side_of_St_Andrew%27s_Square,_Edinburgh_-_Thomas_Hosmer_Shepherd.jpg){kind=link}
…foretold the miseries which ?over-? bring? her and Scotland ?1st? came? said (speaking of the crown) with .. We feel we should really have solved this one and want to write “foretold the miseries which overcame her and Scotland, it can be said (speaking of the crown) with ‘Alas, it will be lost with one!’ but the words we have suggested just do not fit what Lucy appears to have written
Old Regency Prints, Pictures an Coaching maps: Do you have access to any prints or pictures showing what town and country would have looked like when Lucy travelled through? Any illustrations of what she would have seen in 1819 will enliven our research.
New Pictures: Do you have any modern pictures of the streets, buildings, gardens and views that would enable us to see the changes that two centuries have wrought?