Edinburgh, 1 Advocate's Close

20. Byer's Close, 373 High Street.

This entry, which is situated immediately E. of St. Giles Street, admirably illustrates the extremely congested conditions that obtained in the 17th and 18th centuries. Narrow and steep, it is entirely hemmed in by tall "lands" on three sides, while another building crosses it on an archway about midway in its length so that it could receive only a minimum of light and fresh air. Formerly possessing a tall and striking front of timber, and once the residence of Sir William Dick of Braid, the tenement on the E. side of the close-head was remodelled in the early 19th century-as was also its neighbour on the W.- and was given a new front. But the adjoining tenement on the W. side of the close, which is six storeys in height, dates from the 17th century, if we may judge by the detail of its projecting newel-stair. It appears to have been T-shaped on plan, a cross-wing at the N. end extending both westwards, to form the N. side of a little court, and eastwards, to cross the close on the archway previously mentioned. The wall facing S. towards the court contains, on the second floor, a built-up 17th-century dormer-window surmounted by a plain triangular pediment bearing within a panel a device which has been read as the letter M but which is more likely to have been a merchant's mark. In the 18th century the cross-wing was evidently heightened, and the tenement as a whole seems also to have been remodelled. On the opposite side of the close, the building adjoining the front tenement is also mainly of the 18th century, but in its neighbour to the N. the three lower storeys are of the 17th century, although they have been considerably altered. On the same side, below the cross wing, is a building commonly held to have been the residence of Bishop Adam Bothwell*, who died in 1593 [NT27SE 277]. This was approached by "a doorway and stair with carved balustrade," long since removed. What still survives is a long, narrow, rubble building, apsidal-ended to the N. and containing three storeys and an attic, the top floor of which is at the level of the High Street owing to the fall of the site. The top floor was originally lit by five dormer windows to the E., of which only one remains open while all lack their pediments, and by three others in the apse which are still complete, although only the central one is open. The surviving semi-circular pediments, enriched with thistle-shaped finials, have within their tympana carved devices surmounted by inscriptions. For example, the central pediment bears a little human head with an extract from Horace (1), NIHIL EST EX OMNI / PARTE / BEATVM (" No happiness is without a flaw"). The E. pediment is decayed and the device and inscription are uncertain**; the W. one has what looks like foliage accompanied by a quotation from Ovid (2), EXITVS ACTA PROBAT (“The outcome tests our actions"). Two of the missing pediments are known to have been inscribed, respectively, LAVS VBIQVE DEO (“Praise to God everywhere”) and FELICITER INFELIX (“Happily unhappy").

RCAHMS 1951

(1) Odes, ii, 16. (2) Heroides, Ep. ii, 85.

*For whom see this volume p. 136

**The inscription was read tentatively some years ago (O.E.C., xiv, p . 88) as [EV]ITE[T] [FA]TVM NEM[O/…] AS, but this seems doubtfully possible.

NT 2569 7363 A Level 3 standing building survey and archaeological watching brief were carried out during April 2007 at 1 Advocate's Close, prior to a programme of redevelopment as a domestic dwelling. The site was occupied by the remains of a 17th-century building that survived at first floor level with ashlar and roll-moulded stonework surrounding three blocked windows.

Historical evidence shows this fabric was incorporated into a new tenement building that was demolished down to first floor level some time before 1860. The building remained a derelict shell with minor alterations for non-domestic use before the 1930s. An archaeological watching brief monitoring the removal of the

internal deposits confirmed the presence of a coal bunker. A late medieval pit was identified below the coal bunker and contained midden material (pot, bone and shell).

Report deposited with CECAS. Archive to be deposited with RCAHMS.

Funder: Station Properties Ltd.