Calton Hill

It was a glorious day today, so I had a healthy walk up Calton Hill during my lunch hour and blipped the National Monument and Nelson's Monument. With the sun shining it didn't even seem that cold.

The hill was used from ancient times as a place of execution. Most famously Major Weir the self-confessed Edinburgh warlock, was executed here. The hill was originally part of the Barony of Calton which was abolished in 1856. King James II of Scotland allowed the residents of Edinburgh to use the North West slope of the hill for "tilts and tournaments"in 1456. This natural amphitheatre was also used for open-air theatre and saw the first performance of the early Scots play "The Three Estaites". The Carmelite friars (based locally at South Queensferry) built a monastery on the western side of the hill in 1518.

The lands passed from the church to Lord Balmerino after the Scottish Reformation in 1560. Later in the 16th century, a leper hospital was built. In 1631 Lord Balmerino granted rights to the Trades of Calton (largely a group of shoemakers) to settle on the land and a small village was created centred on a square of open space. This square was walled off in 1718 and became officially a burial ground, evolving into what is now known as Old Calton Cemetery.

In 1669 the area was given burgh status. The royal burgh of Edinburgh bought the hill from Lord Balmerino in 1724. The area was elevated to the status of royal burgh in its own right immediately thereafter (1725). It did not officially become amalgamated with the city of Edinburgh until 1859.