X-Nico

6 unusual facts about Edinburgh Castle


Edinburgh Castle, Jamaica

Edinburgh Castle, an estate and now ruined great house in St Ann, was built by Jamaica's earliest recorded serial killer, Lewis Hutchinson.

George Wishart

At Ormiston in East Lothian, in January 1546, he was seized by the Earl of Bothwell on the orders of Cardinal Beaton, taken to Elphinstone Castle, and transferred by order of the privy council to Edinburgh castle on 19 January 1546.

Queen's Own McKamikaze Highlanders

They are shown taking part in a training exercise which mainly involves members of the regiment throwing themselves out of a window in (the precipitously high) Edinburgh Castle.

Scottish Division

The Headquarters of the Scottish Division is located at Edinburgh Castle.

The View from Castle Rock

The title stems from the event when James took his ten-year-old child Andrew to the top of the Rock of Edinburgh Castle to show him the coast of America (actually Fife).

Wreckless Eric

Eric joined The Proclaimers onstage at Edinburgh Castle in Scotland, on 19 July 2008, to perform his song, "(I'd Go The) Whole Wide World" which they covered on their album, Life With You.


Archibald Douglas, Parson of Douglas

In April 1572 he was found to be assisting the party of Mary, Queen of Scots who then held Edinburgh Castle, by conveying to The Grange four out of five thousand Crowns which had been sent to her by the Duke of Alva.

Charles Davidson Dunbar

The building still exists, in the tiny street at the top of Castlehill on the Royal Mile, near Edinburgh Castle, and is now part of the Camera Obscura attraction.

Court of the Lord Lyon

Other ceremonies in which the HM Officers of Arms take part include; the announcement of the dissolution of Parliament from the Mercat Cross on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, the inauguration of the governors of Edinburgh Castle, and the ceremonial opening of the annual meeting of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.

Donald Shaw Ramsay

He undertook the pipe-majors’ course at Edinburgh Castle under Willie Ross and subsequently became Pipe Major of the 10th H.L.I. out of Wick.

John Drummond, 1st Earl of Melfort

He secured the post of deputy governor of Edinburgh Castle in 1679, followed by Lieutenant-General and Master of the Ordnance in 1680.

Jump Britain

The free runners tackle some of the UK's most iconic sites including Edinburgh Castle and the Forth Rail Bridge in Scotland, the Giant's Causeway and Derry's walls in Northern Ireland, the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, the Tyne Bridge in Newcastle and the International Convention Centre in Birmingham.

Mark Speight

In 2005, he was involved in a similar project where Hans Holbein's portrait of Henry VIII and Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa were both reconstructed, the latter in the grounds of Edinburgh Castle.

Nobel Fire Systems

The business works for many of the worlds leading companies including the Spirit Group, Hilton, KFC and Holiday Inn, as well as having products that have been installed at such prestigious locations as Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament and Edinburgh Castle.

Robert Lorimer

He received a knighthood for his efforts and went on to gain the commission for the Scottish National War Memorial at Edinburgh Castle in 1919, subsequently opened by the Prince of Wales in 1927.

Royal Over-Seas League

The London clubhouse is at the end of Park Place, a cul-de-sac off St James's Street in the West End backing onto Green Park and has its own private garden; the Edinburgh clubhouse at 100 Princes Street overlooks Princes Street Gardens and has unrestricted views of Edinburgh Castle.

St Andrew's Garrison Church, Aldershot

During the 1920s Sir Robert Lorimer designed a number of war memorials, including the Scottish National War Memorial at Edinburgh Castle.

St Margaret's Chapel, Edinburgh

According to the Life of Saint Margaret, attributed to Turgot of Durham, she died at Edinburgh Castle in 1093, just days after receiving the news of her husband's death in battle.

Summer Nights Concert Series

The Summer Night’s Concert Series was a Cliff Richard UK tour of some of the UK's finest Castles and stately homes, including; Edinburgh Castle, Leeds Castle and Chatsworth House.

Westminster Stone theory

Sacking Berwick, beating the Scots at Dunbar, and laying siege to Edinburgh Castle, Edward then proceeded to Scone, intending to take the Stone of Destiny, which was kept at Scone Abbey.


see also

Arthur's Seat

These forts are likely to have been centres of power of the Votadini, who were the subject of the poem Y Gododdin which is thought to have been written about 600 AD in their hillfort on Edinburgh castle crag.

Edinburgh Castle Rock

Edinburgh rock, a Scottish confection sometimes known as Edinburgh Castle Rock

George Preston

On the outbreak of the Jacobite Rebellion 1745 the London government sent General Joshua Guest to take command of the garrison of the Edinburgh Castle.

Scottish Crown

Crown of Scotland, part of the Honours of Scotland, kept at Edinburgh Castle