Pricing Change
New pricing for orders of material from this site will come into place shortly. Charges for supply of digital images, digitisation on demand, prints and licensing will be altered.
Upcoming Maintenance
Please be advised that this website will undergo scheduled maintenance on the following dates:
Thursday, 9 January: 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Thursday, 23 January: 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Thursday, 30 January: 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
During these times, some functionality such as image purchasing may be temporarily unavailable. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
Archaeology Notes
Event ID 712239
Category Descriptive Accounts
Type Archaeology Notes
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/712239
NT27NE 45 centred on 2670 7630
First mention of Leith was in a Charter David I authorising the erection of the Abbey of Holyroodhouse in 1128 when it was known as Inverleith. There were two towns, north and south, in the 13th century. The former was governed by the Abbot of Holyrood and the latter, by the lairds of Restalrig. In 1398 Robert I granted its harbours and mills to the magistrates of Edinburgh who purchased South Leith in 1398. The town was burnt and pillaged by the English under the Earl of Hertford in 1544 and 1547 (Battle of Pinkie). It was fortified by Sieur d'Esse in 1548, besieged in 1559, and the western part of the fortifications were removed in 1563. Cromwell erected in citadel there in 1650.
J Russell 1922.
Though North Leith and South Leith appear as burghs in 1367, this is perhaps an error. They are classed as 'burghal suburbs' by Professor Pryde. Leith was erected de novo burgh of barony (city of Edinburgh) in 1636. (For Leith Citadel, see NT27NE 10.)
G S Pryde 1965.
