"giant bombards made for Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, one of which, Mons Meg, still survives. Although these were probably already outdated on the continent, they represented impressive military technology when they reached Scotland. James II enthusiasm for artillery cost him his life, and James III also experienced ill-fortune when artillery sent from Sigismund, Archduke of Austria, sank in a storm en route to Scotland in 1481. James IV brought in experts from France, Germany and the Netherlands and established a foundry in 1511. Edinburgh Castle had a house of artillery where visitors could see cannon cast for what"
"(56 cm) calibre cannon called Mons Meg, which is now located at Edinburgh Castle. In 1513 James IV of Scotland invaded England again with a powerful army that included artillery. He crossed the border and moved on Norham. His guns pounded the outer defences for several days until the outer ward was taken by the Scots. Soon after, the castle surrendered. By then most of the outer walls had been destroyed. Weeks later, James was defeated and slain at the Battle of Flodden, near Branxton in Northumberland, and Norham fell into English hands again. The castle was inspected by Cardinal"
"was retired from active service and was fired only on ceremonial occasions from Edinburgh Castle. When it was fired on 3 July 1558, soldiers were paid to find and retrieve the shot from Wardie Muir, near the Firth of Forth, a distance of two miles. The salute marked the solemnisation of the marriage of Mary, Queen of Scots, to the French Dauphin. The gun was fired in 1680 to celebrate a visit by James, Duke of Albany and York, later King James VII, but the barrel burst. An English cannoneer had loaded the charge and many Scots believed that the"
"opened a small exhibition at Mill's Mount, and published a book entitled ""What Time Does Edinburgh's One O'clock Gun Fire?"". In 2006 Sergeant Jamie Shannon, nicknamed ""Shannon the Cannon"", became the 29th District Gunner, and in 2006 Bombardier Allison Jones became the first woman to fire the gun. The castle has become a recognisable symbol of Edinburgh, and of Scotland. It appears, in stylised form, on the coats of arms of the City of Edinburgh and the University of Edinburgh. It also features on the badge of No. 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron which was based at RAF Turnhouse (now"
"by his successor, Robert II, in the 1370s. The tower stood on the site of the present Half Moon Battery and was connected by a section of curtain wall to the smaller Constable's Tower, a round tower built between 1375 and 1379 where the Portcullis Gate now stands. In the early 15th century, another English invasion, this time under Henry IV, reached Edinburgh Castle and began a siege, but eventually withdrew due to lack of supplies. From 1437, Sir William Crichton was Keeper of Edinburgh Castle, and soon after became Chancellor of Scotland. In an attempt to gain the regency"
"motto in the coat of arms of Edinburgh Redhouse Castle Redhouse Castle is a ruined tower house castle, 2 km east of Longniddry, East Lothian, Scotland, UK, on the B1377, close to Spittal. The castle designated as a scheduled monument. It is no longer protected as a category A listed building. The first version of the castle appears to have been a religious institution, probably a hospice for pilgrims and travellers, belonging to the Douglas family. In April 1421 the Earl of Douglas transferred the estates of Ballencrieff and Gosford to his mistress Christian de Ramsay to provide for her"
"the Mons Meg until 1453. Desiring to ""interfere in English affairs"", the Duke decided to help the Scots against the English. It was given to James II in 1454. Additionally, an alternative legend about its manufacture is that it was built by a local blacksmith for the siege of Threave Castle in the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright. According to this tale, which was lent credence by Sir Walter Scott, when King James arrived at Threave to besiege the Earl of Douglas, the Clan MacLellan presented him with this bombard. The first shot fired is said to have passed clean through the"
"1340s the English Crown was regularly spending money on them and the new technology began to be installed in English castles by the 1360s and 1370s, and in Scottish castles by the 1380s. Cannons were made in various sizes, from smaller hand cannons to larger guns firing stone balls of up to . Medium-sized weapons weighing around 20 kg each were more useful for the defence of castles, although Richard II eventually established 600 pound (272 kilo) guns at the Tower of London and the 15,366 pound (6,970 kilo) heavy Mons Meg bombard was installed at Edinburgh Castle. Early cannons"
"Coat of arms of Edinburgh The arms of the city of Edinburgh, more properly the arms of the city council, were registered with the Lord Lyon King of Arms in 1732, having been used unofficially for several centuries previously. The central symbol is a heraldic castle, representing Edinburgh Castle. The castle represents Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh's principal landmark. The crest, an anchor, represents the Lord Provost's position as Admiral of the Firth of Forth. The dexter supporter, a ""woman richly attired with her hair hanging over her shoulders"" represents the fact that Edinburgh Castle was historically known as the ""Castle of"
"in foggy weather. Because sound travels relatively slowly (approximately ), a map was produced in 1861 to show the actual time when the sound of the gun would be heard at various locations across Edinburgh. The original gun was an 18-pound muzzle-loading cannon, which needed four men to load, and was fired from the Half Moon Battery. This was replaced in 1913 by a 32-pound breech-loader, and in May 1952 by a 25-pound Howitzer. The present One O'Clock Gun is an L118 Light Gun, brought into service on 30 November 2001. On Sunday 2 April 1916, the One O'Clock Gun"
"laid out as a parade ground in 1753, and extended in 1845. It is upon this Esplanade that the Edinburgh Military Tattoo takes place annually. From the Esplanade the Half Moon Battery is prominent, with the Royal Palace to its left. The Gatehouse at the head of the Esplanade was built as an architecturally cosmetic addition to the castle in 1888. Statues of Robert the Bruce by Thomas Clapperton and William Wallace by Alexander Carrick were added in 1929, and the Latin motto ""Nemo me impune lacessit"" is inscribed above the gate. The dry ditch in front of the entrance"
"future King James VII and II, on his arrival in Edinburgh on 30 October 1681. The Half Moon Battery, which remains a prominent feature on the east side of the castle, was built as part of the reconstruction works supervised by the Regent Morton, and was erected between 1573 and 1588. The Forewall to the north was built between 1689 and 1695 to link the Half Moon to the Portcullis Tower, although part of the original wall of 1540 was incorporated into it. The Half Moon Battery was built around and over the ruins of David's Tower, two storeys of"
"and the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. Following a restoration, it now sits outside St Margaret's Chapel. During the Edinburgh's annual Hogmanay celebrations Mons Meg is fired at the start of the firework display, although the effect is largely theatrical and the gun is not discharged. ""Mons Meg was a large old-fashioned piece of ordnance, a great favourite with the Scottish common people; she was fabricated at Mons in Flanders, in the reign of James IV. or V. of Scotland. This gun figures frequently in the public accounts of the time, where we find charges for grease, to grease Meg's"
"arms was regranted. The shield appears as a quartering in the arms of his Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh. Coat of arms of Edinburgh The arms of the city of Edinburgh, more properly the arms of the city council, were registered with the Lord Lyon King of Arms in 1732, having been used unofficially for several centuries previously. The central symbol is a heraldic castle, representing Edinburgh Castle. The castle represents Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh's principal landmark. The crest, an anchor, represents the Lord Provost's position as Admiral of the Firth of Forth. The dexter supporter, a ""woman richly attired"
"clad in service dress and armed with automatic weapons, with the emphasis on security moving from ceremonial to tactical deployment. Improved security features and armed police made the guard unnecessary, and the service ended on the evening of 31 July 1973. The Guard is also mounted in Edinburgh at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Queen's official residence in Scotland, and at Edinburgh Castle. Unlike in London, there is no Guards battalion permanently based in the city, so the Guard is provided by whichever the resident infantry battalion is at Redford Barracks in the city. The guard is not mounted throughout"
"Edinburgh Arrow The Edinburgh Arrow is an annual clout archery competition held by the Royal Company of Archers, an archery club who act as the Sovereign's Bodyguard in Scotland. The Edinburgh Arrow is the longest-running annual archery competition in the recorded history of the sport. The competition takes its name from the silver arrow which is awarded for first prize. 1709 David Drummond, advocate 1710 William Neilson, merchant in Edinburgh 1711 Thomas Kincaid 1712 William Mercer, writer in Edinburgh 1713 James Cockburn, Secretary to the General and Commander-in-Chief 1714 David Wemyss, 4th Earl of Wemyss 1715 Alexander Congalton, merchant in"
"II of Scotland. It was very powerful and used for bringing down castle walls. The origins of the Mons Meg are not fully known but according to Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, it was his idea. It was ordered around 1449 and had similar construction to a typical bombard. However, the Mons Meg was seldom used because of several factors. First of all, it was incredibly hard to transfer because it could not be disassembled and additional frames were needed to keep it steady during battle. These frames were not reliable and also very dangerous, claiming two deaths in"
"against the rebel lords who now controlled the government. The rebels had seized control of Edinburgh Castle and now had possession of the important royal artillery. Included in the arsenal of Edinburgh Castle was the cannon Mons Meg which had been a wedding gift from Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy to the King of Scots a generation earlier. Using this weapon they laid siege to Crookston Castle, seat of the Stewarts of Darnley, forcing the Earl of Lennox to surrender. After his surrender he was allowed to keep his lands and they passed to his eldest son Matthew Stewart,"
"he had ever seen. From 1510 Dutch craftsmen were also producing hand culverins, an early firearm. After Flodden, Borthwick continued his work, producing an unknown number of guns, of which none survive. He was succeeded by French smiths, who began manufacturing hagbuts (another type of firearm) in the 1550s, and by 1541 the castle had a stock of 413. Meanwhile, the royal family began to stay more frequently at the Abbey of Holyrood, about from the castle. Around the end of the fifteenth century, King James IV (r.1488–1513) built Holyroodhouse, by the abbey, as his principal Edinburgh residence, and the"
"Historic Scotland. It is the venue of the annual Edinburgh Military Tattoo at which time specially designed temporary grandstands are erected. Cannonball House has a cannonball lodged in the wall, often said to have been accidentally fired from the Castle but which actually marks the elevation of Comiston springs, three miles to the south of the Castle, which fed a cistern on Castlehill, one of the first piped water supplies in Scotland. From the Castle Esplanade, the short section of road entitled Castlehill is dominated by the former Tolbooth-Highland-St John's Church (on the south side at the foot of this"
"Edinburgh's World Heritage Site, has appeared on £10 notes issued by the Clydesdale Bank. The castle is a focal point for annual fireworks displays which mark Edinburgh's Hogmanay (new year) celebrations, and the end of the Edinburgh Festival in the summer. Edinburgh Castle Edinburgh Castle () is a historic fortress which dominates the skyline of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, from its position on the Castle Rock. Archaeologists have established human occupation of the rock since at least the Iron Age (2nd century AD), although the nature of the early settlement is unclear. There has been a royal castle on"
"McKay began firing the gun in July 1979, and during his long service became a recognisable Edinburgh character. At that time, the gun was a 25-pound Howitzer, although this was replaced with a L118 Light Gun, brought into service on 30 November 2001, with ""Tam the Gun"" firing the first round. In 1999, Sergeant McKay was awarded the MBE by the Queen, for his services to the Territorial Army. Sergeant McKay was instrumental in setting up the One O'Clock Gun exhibition within the castle, obtaining funding from the National Lottery and Historic Scotland. The exhibition, initially temporary but now permanent,"
"becoming the executioner. Maiden (guillotine) The Maiden (also known as the Scottish Maiden) is an early form of guillotine, or gibbet, that was used between the 16th and 18th centuries as a means of execution in Edinburgh, Scotland. The device was introduced in 1564 during the reign of Mary Queen of Scots, and was last used in 1716. It long predates the use of the guillotine during the French Revolution. Manufactured in Edinburgh, the Maiden is built of oak, with a lead weight and iron blade. It is displayed at the National Museum of Scotland. Beheading machines were not a"
"being moved to Leeds Castle and eventually released in 1422. When the Tudor dynasty took over the castle was abandoned, and by 1573 it was recorded to be in ruins. Elizabeth I ordered the castle's remains to be ""utterlye raysed"", but her order was not enforced and it remained standing. In 1587, the castle was reoccupied – though not rebuilt – to serve as a gun position against the threat of a Spanish invasion. A U-shaped earth emplacement was built in the outer bailey, facing south over the collapsed section of the Roman wall. Two iron demi-culverin cannons were installed"
"Queen Elizabeth's Pocket Pistol Queen Elizabeth's Pocket Pistol is a cannon built in 1544 in Utrecht by Jan Tolhuys, before Elizabeth I came to the throne. The gun was presented to Henry VIII by Maximiliaan van Egmond, Count of Buren and Stadtholder of Friesland as a gift for his young daughter Elizabeth. The cannon measures 24 ft in length and fired 4.75 inch (121 mm) calibre cannonballs. The cannon is decorated with engravings of fruit, flowers, grotesques, and figures symbolizing Liberty, Victory and Fame. There is also a Tudor coat of arms which includes a verse in Dutch, which translates"
"off their sea-stocks and mounting them on land-stocks. Drummond sailed to France to collect Mary of Guise, the King's second bride. His work continued at Edinburgh Castle, making and mounting new guns. In March 1539, the English messenger Henry Ray was told by a ""secret friend"" who was an associate of the banished Earl of Angus and an officer of the Scottish royal ordnance that 16 great cannons or culverins and 60 smaller guns had been refurnished or newly made in Edinburgh Castle. All the guns would be ready 20 days after Easter. After working at Crawfordjohn and cladding the"
"during the Wars of the Roses. The original is now at the Royal Artillery Museum at Woolwich, but a copy has been on show at the castle for many years. The Star Gun Company has built a Bodiam Bombard replica while local newspapers report a replica was being fired at the castle for visitors during 2012. Other known 15th-century superguns include the wrought-iron Pumhart von Steyr and Dulle Griet as well as the cast-bronze Faule Mette, Faule Grete, and Grose Bochse. The Tsar Cannon is a late 16th-century show-piece. The Dardanelles Gun, built in the Ottoman Empire in 1464 by"
"located in Edinburgh was upgraded to battery strength and formed 278 (Lowland) Battery Royal Artillery and D Troop was reformed in Glasgow where both Gun Troops (C and D Troops) are now co-located alongside Battery Headquarters. The Battery carries the honour of firing regular Royal Salutes at Edinburgh Castle, alongside other stations such as Stirling Castle. In 2015 the Battery honoured the 100th anniversary of the City of Glasgow Battery's covering of the withdrawal from the Gallipoli campaign through firing a 21 Gun Salute on Glasgow Green. In 2017 the Battery celebrated its 50th birthday through firing a Feu de"
"arms of Edinburgh, portraying Edinburgh Castle atop Castle Rock. Volcanos are shown, almost without exception, as erupting, and the eruption is generally quite stylised. In the 18th century, ""landscapes"" began to appear in armory, often depicting the sites of battles. For example, Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson received a chief of augmentation containing a landscape alluding to the Battle of the Nile. By far the most frequent building in heraldry is the ""tower"", a tapering cylinder of masonry topped with battlements, usually having a door and a few windows. The canting arms of the Kingdom of Castile are ""Gules,"
"both the castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Sentries are also posted at the castle during the month of the Edinburgh Military Tattoo prior to each performance, with the regiment forming a guard of honour at the end of each performance. Unlike in London, there is no permanently based foot guards battalion stationed in Edinburgh, so public duties are performed by one of the resident line infantry/rifles battalions. However, as part of the Army 2020 plan, the Balaklava Company of the Royal Regiment of Scotland will be reduced to a single incremental company to be based permanently in Scotland for"
"during the war of the Three Kingdoms in 1649. The master mason John Milne obtained stones from the demolition of houses that were adjacent to the walls of Edinburgh and from the Spur fortification at Edinburgh Castle. The renewed fortifications were held for Charles II, as King of Scots. Leith and the Citadel were bombarded by Rear-Admiral Captain Hall on 29 July 1650 from the ""Liberty"", the ""Heart"" frigate, the ""Garland"" and the ""Dolphin."" In the 19th-century Junction Street and Constitution street were laid along the line of the southern and eastern walls respectively. Other earthworks are well known. The"
"Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is an annual series of military tattoos performed by British Armed Forces, Commonwealth and international military bands, and artistic performance teams on the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle in the capital of Scotland. The event is held each August as part of the Edinburgh Festival. The term ""tattoo"" derives from a 17th-century Dutch phrase ""doe den tap toe"" (""turn off the tap"") a signal to tavern owners each night, played by a regiment's Corps of Drums, to turn off the taps of their ale kegs so that the soldiers would retire to"
"Castle in April 1573, prolonging civil war in Scotland, the guns from Stirling Castle were brought to Leith in four boats. Regent Morton hired two ships in Leith with their masters John Cockburn and William Downy and 80 men for eight days. These masters of Leith sailed to Berwick upon Tweed to meet and convoy the English ships carrying the guns to bombard Edinburgh Castle. After the Union of Crowns in 1603 conflict between Scotland and England ended, but Scotland found itself involved in England's foreign policy, opening up Scottish shipping to attack. In the 1620s, Scotland found herself fighting"