Pleach

By Pleach

No track up to the castle here.

While Edinburgh Castle was under English control the 1st Earl of Murray attacked in March 1314. A soldier called William Francis remembered a way up the dangerous rock face when he used to secretly visit his lover, so he offered to lead 30 chosen men one dark night. Carrying weapons and ladders with which to scale the walls, they climbed the seemingly impossible north face. They had a fright when they thought they had been discovered when a guard, jesting to his comrades, shouted, "Aha, I see you well" and threw a stone over the cliff. Fortunately it missed the men and the sentries moved away so the invaders were able to fix their ladders and spring over the wall. Apart from the watchmen, the whole garrison was asleep, and so the castle was captured for Robert the Bruce.

(Track 5)

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