Last week I showed Linlithgow Palace where Mary Queen of Scots was born and became queen at six days old. Today I show part of Edinburgh Castle where her son, the future James I of England, was born in a tiny room high up near the Great Hall. She had chosen the castle in which to give birth rather than the more comfortable Holyrood Palace because of the security and symbolism of the castle. After the news of the birth of the future King James VI of Scotland a royal salute was fired and 500 bonfires were lit across Edinburgh.
The room is a bit to the right of the lamp light which stands on Castle Terrace - a road about half way up the rock. According to legend the newborn prince was secretly lowered down the rock in order to be baptised into the Catholic faith but there is absolutely no evidence of this.

This is part of an occasional series on places connected with the famous, but tragic, Mary Queen of Scots

(Mary Queen of Scots Links 4)