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Archaeology Notes

Event ID 711304

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/711304

NT27NE 10 26782 76615

(NT 2678 7661) Citadel Port (NR)

Citadel (NR) (remains of)

OS 6" map, Edinburghshire, 1st ed., (1853).

For discovery or discoveries of bronze axes (possibly a hoard) near the citadel, see NT27NE 16.

For indeterminate 'Roman' remains (found 1825, 'in the neighbourhood of the Citadel'), see NT27NE 23.

For 2004 discovery of part of the course of the Leith Citadel ditch and revetment wall (at NT 267 765), see NT27NE 1555.

After the battle of Dunbar in 1650, Cromwell took possession of Leith and introduced a number of English settlers. For their protection, General Monk erected a citadel at the NW corner of North Leith, partly on the parish burial ground. (see NT27NE 9).

According to Maitland (1753) it was pentagonal in shape with a bastion at each corner and one gateway, facing E. Arnot (1788) writing in 1779, notes that apart from "a strong gate with portcullices" most of the Citadel had already been demolished. The substructure of this gate still survives, giving access from Dock Street to Johnstone Street. It consists of a vaulted pend, with an arched gateway at either end. The gateway to the NE has provision for a double door, no doubt the "portcullices" mentioned by Arnot. The superstructure has been rebuilt as a house of two storeys.

W Maitland 1753; H Arnot 1788; RCAHMS 1951.

No change from previous information.

Visited by OS (B S) 27 November 1975.

The parapet is a conjectured reconstruction by Edinburgh City Architect's Department, 1964.

J Gifford, C McWilliam and D Walker 1984.

NT 2674 7654 The projected route of the Leith Citadel ditch and revetment wall (NT27NE 10) was found during an evaluation between November 2004 and January 2005. Evidence of later stone robbing from the revetment wall was also recorded. In addition, buried garden soils possibly dating to the 17th century were seen to exist in the NE part of the site. Earlier coastal deposits also survived on site. No evidence was encountered of structures within the Citadel.

Archive to be deposited in NMRS.

Sponsor: Hart Estates Ltd.

E Hindmarch 2005.

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References