Editing Leith (section)

==History==
[[File:LeithView.JPG|thumb|The Shore, Leith]]

As the major port serving Edinburgh, Leith has seen many significant events in Scottish history.

===First settlement===
The earliest evidence of settlement in Leith comes from several archaeological digs undertaken in [[The Shore, Leith|The Shore]] area in the late 20th century. Amongst the finds were medieval wharf edges from the 12th century. This date fits with the earliest documentary evidence of settlement in Leith, the foundation charter of Holyrood Abbey.

[[Mary of Guelders]], the bride of [[James II of Scotland|James II]], arrived on 18 May 1449 and rested in the Convent of St Anthony.<ref>Rosalind K. Marshall, ''Scottish Queens: 1034–1714'' (John Donald: Edinburgh, 2007), p. 60: ''Exchequer Rolls'', 5 (Edinburgh, 1882), p. 382.</ref> Prominent Leith merchants and shipowners included James Makysone, who supplied tapestry to [[James IV of Scotland|James IV]] in 1498 for his new lodging at [[Stirling Castle]] and in 1503 imported a timber keel from France for building one of the king's ships.<ref>Thomas Dickson, ''Accounts of the Treasurer'', vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1877), pp. 366-9: [[Norman Macdougall]], ''James IV'' (Tuckwell, 1997).</ref>

===1500s===
The town was burnt by the [[Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford|Earl of Hertford]] (on the orders of [[Henry VIII]]) in retaliation for the rejection of the [[Treaty of Greenwich]] by the [[Parliament of Scotland]] in 1543. [[Mary of Guise]] ruled Scotland from Leith in 1560 as [[Regent]] while her daughter, [[Mary, Queen of Scots]] remained in France. Mary of Guise moved the Scottish Court to Leith, to a site that is now Parliament Street, off Coalhill. According to the 18th-century historian [[William Maitland (historian)|William Maitland]], her palace was situated on Rotten Row, now Water Street. Artifacts from the demolished residence are held by the [[National Museum of Scotland]], and her sculptured coat of arms, dated 1560, can be seen in [[South Leith Parish Church]]. When the large French garrison stationed in Leith was attacked by [[Lords of the Congregation|Scottish Protestant lords]], reinforced by troops and artillery sent from England, Mary of Guise was forced to shut herself in [[Edinburgh Castle]]. In June 1560, Mary of Guise died, and the [[Siege of Leith]] ended with the departure of the French troops in accordance with the Treaty of Leith, also known as the [[Treaty of Edinburgh]].

[[File:Mound on Leith Links.jpg|thumb|left|'Giant's Brae' on Leith Links]]

Two mounds on [[Leith Links]], known as "Giant's Brae" and "Lady Fyfe's Brae", identified as Somerset's Battery and Pelham's Battery respectively, are believed to be artillery mounds created for the siege in April 1560 and are listed as scheduled monuments, but may be natural hillocks.<ref>Harris, Stuart, 'The Fortifications and Siege of Leith', ''PSAS'', 121 (1991), 361–62 & fn.21</ref> The best documented day of the siege was 7 May 1560, when the English and Scots charged the walls of Leith with ladders that turned out to be too short. John Knox records the delight of Mary of Guise at the failure of the attack, and English sources report 1000 casualties.<ref>''Calendar State Papers Scotland'', vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1898): ''HMC Hatfield Manuscripts'', vol. i: ''Sadler Papers'' (Edinburgh, 1809): ''Forbes Full View'', vol. 1 (London, 1740): ''History of Reformation'', John Knox, etc.,</ref>

[[File:Lamb's House, Burgess Street - geograph.org.uk - 1536797.jpg|thumb|[[Lamb's House]] in 2009]]

On 19 August 1561, Mary, Queen of Scots, arrived in Leith and, finding no welcoming party to receive her, made a brief stop at the house of Andrew Lamb, before being collected and escorted by coach to [[Holyrood Palace]], to begin her ill-fated six-year-long reign.<ref>[[David Hay Fleming]], ''Mary, Queen of Scots'' (London, 1897), p. 44: ''Inventory of the Ancient Monuments of the City of Edinburgh'' (Edinburgh: HMSO, 1951), p. 257.</ref> Mary's court came to the sands of Leith to enjoy equestrian tournaments of "[[running at the ring]]" performed by courtiers and diplomats in exotic costumes.<ref>John Guy, ''Mary Queen of Scots: My Heart is My Own'' (Fourth Estate, 2009), p. 154.</ref>
[[File:Remains of the Citadel, Leith.jpg|thumb|Remains of the Citadel]]

After the [[Act Anent the demission of the Crown in favour of our Sovereign Lord, and his Majesty's Coronation 1567|abdication of Mary Queen of Scots in 1567]], during the ensuing civil war, troops fighting for [[James VI of Scotland]] against his mother's supporters in Edinburgh Castle based themselves in Leith from 1571 to 1573, a period called the [[Marian civil war|"Wars between Leith and Edinburgh"]]. In January 1581 The Shore was the scene of a mock combat, involving an assault on the Pope's [[Castel Sant'Angelo]] built on boats, for the marriage of [[Elizabeth Stuart, 2nd Countess of Moray]] and [[James Stewart, 2nd Earl of Moray|James Stewart]] for the entertainment of guests including James VI.<ref>''Calendar State Papers Scotland: 1574–1581'', vol. 5 (Edinburgh, 1907), p. 611.</ref> In 1590, James's wife, [[Anne of Denmark]], was lodged in the [[John Chisholm (soldier)|King's Wark]] when she arrived.<ref>''Calendar State Papers Scotland'', vol. 10 (Edinburgh, 1936), pp. 186, 863: David Stevenson, ''Scotland's Last Royal Wedding'' (John Donald: Edinburgh, 1997), p. 100.</ref>

===1600s===
In 1622 there was conflict between privateer "[[Dunkirkers|Dunkirker ships]]" flying the Spanish flag and ships from the [[Dutch Republic]].<ref>[[Maureen Meikle]], ''The Scottish People 1490-1625'' (Lulu, 2013), p. 150.</ref> [[James VI and I|King James]] allowed a Dunkirker to lie at [[Leith Roads]] in June 1622, and soldiers from the ship were able to come ashore at Leith. Three Dutch ships, commanded by [[Willem de Zoete]], Lord of Hautain, [[Admiralty of Zeeland|Admiral]] of [[Zeeland]], arrived and attacked the Dunkirker through the night. The fighting stopped in the morning when the tide beached the ships. The Scottish authorities requested the fighting stop. The ships were allowed into Leith harbour where artillery from [[Edinburgh Castle]] was placed to ensure order.<ref>''Melros Papers'', vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1837), pp. 456-9.</ref>

Leith suffered during the 1645 plague outbreak, with over 50% of the population in the southern district dying. Archaeological excavations in 2016 at St Mary's RC Primary School, by Wardell Armstrong, as part of a planning condition, found a mass grave of 81 bodies from the 1645 plague. The archaeologists surmised that there was extreme fear of dying from this plague, likely [[Pneumonic plague|Pneumonic]], as many of the bodies were hastily buried in their clothes and still had money and other personal items on them, indicating that people did not want to touch the bodies, even to remove money.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Vol 86 (2019): 'Great fears of the sickness here in the City … God preserve us all …' A Plague Burial Ground in Leith, 1645: an archaeological excavation at St Mary's (Leith) RC Primary School, Leith Links, Edinburgh {{!}} Scottish Archaeological Internet Reports|url=http://journals.socantscot.org/index.php/sair/issue/view/297|access-date=2021-09-07|website=journals.socantscot.org|archive-date=7 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210907192851/http://journals.socantscot.org/index.php/sair/issue/view/297|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1650, Leith was a prospective battleground when the Army of the Covenant, led by [[David Leslie, Lord Newark|General David Leslie]], threw up an earthen rampart between [[Calton Hill]] and Leith to defend the northern approach to Edinburgh against [[Oliver Cromwell]]'s forces. This rampart became the line of one of Edinburgh's longest streets, [[Leith Walk]]. After Cromwell's victory at the [[Battle of Dunbar (1650)|Battle of Dunbar]] in 1650 and subsequent occupation of Scotland, a fort known as ''Leith Citadel'' was erected in 1656 to regulate the port traffic. All that remains of the fort today is a vaulted trance in Dock Street which was its main entrance. New industry in Leith included the [[Leith Sugar House]], founded in 1677.<ref name="auto">T. C. Smout, 'The Early Scottish Sugar Houses, 1660-1720', ''Economic History Review'', 14:2 (1961), pp. 248-250.</ref>

===1700s===
[[File:Royal Artillery at Leith Fort, 1846.jpg|thumb|left|Royal Artillery at Leith Fort, 1846]]
During the [[American War of Independence]] the Scot, [[John Paul Jones]], who, with [[John Barry (naval officer)|John Barry]], is credited as founder of the [[US Navy]], set sail on 14 August 1779 as commodore of a squadron of seven ships with the intention of destroying British commerce in the North Sea. He intended to capture the port of Leith and hold it for ransom, but his plan was thwarted when a gale on 16 September kept him at the mouth of the Firth of Forth. The scare he caused led to the hasty erection of Leith Fort, with a battery of nine guns, designed by [[James Craig (architect)|James Craig]], the architect of Edinburgh's New Town, and built in 1780. A Georgian terrace to the north-east served as officers' quarters, and was known as "London Row" because, being brick-built, it looked more like a London terrace than any in Edinburgh. The fort was in active use until 1955, latterly serving for [[National Service]] training. Most of the barracks were demolished to build a Council housing scheme centred on Fort House and enclosed by the old fort walls. The council development was an award-winning scheme in its day (1955), but the building was demolished in January 2013 and the site has been redeveloped with new low-density housing, again award-winning. A pair of the old fort's gatehouses survive at the southern entrance to the scheme.

From the twelfth century South Leith was part of the parish of [[Restalrig]] and had no church of its own. After the [[Scottish Reformation]] the principal parish [[kirk]] for Leith was South Leith Parish Church, originally constructed in 1483. In June 1811 a census gave the population of South Leith as 15,938; North Leith 4,875. With a procession and ceremony, the foundation stone of the new church for the parish of North Leith was laid on 11 April 1814.{{sfn|Gilbert|1901|pp=54, 58}}

[[File:George IV landing at Leith.JPG|thumb|King George IV landing at Leith]]
[[File:Leith Police Station, Constitution Street (former Town Hall), Edinburgh.jpg|thumb|[[Old Town Hall, Leith]], now a police station]]

Leith was the port of entry for the [[visit of King George IV to Scotland]], and ''The Old Ship Hotel and King's Landing'' was then given its new name, to mark the king's arrival by ship's boat at Leith ''Shore'' for this event, and this monarch was welcomed by the [[High Constabulary of the Port of Leith]]. A painting of the occasion hung in [[Old Town Hall, Leith|Leith Town Hall]], now Leith Police station.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Wood|first=Andrew Dick|title=The High Constabulary of the Port of Leith; a short history.|date=1972|publisher=Macdonald Printers (Edinburgh) Ltd.|isbn=978-0-9502550-0-2|location=Loanhead|language=en|oclc=629063}}</ref>

===1800s===
On 20 May 1806, there was a procession of the [[Lord Provost of Edinburgh]], [[Baillie]]s, and Council, along with a numerous company of ladies and gentleman, for the opening of the first new wet dock, the first of its kind in Scotland. The [[Fife]] packet called ''The Buccleuch'' was the first to enter the dock, with the civic dignitaries on board, amid discharges of artillery from the fort and His Majesty's warships in Leith Roads. The foundation stone for the second (middle) wet dock was laid on 14 March 1811, which was completed and opened with due ceremony in 1817 by Lord Provost Arbuthnot. The same year the [[Trinity House, Leith|Trinity House]] in Kirkgate was erected in Grecian architectural style at an expense of £2500.{{sfn|Gilbert|1901|pp=42,64–65}}

In 1809, the [[Tally Toor]], a [[martello tower]] was constructed to defend the entrance of the harbour during the [[Napoleonic Wars]].<ref name="Canmore">{{Canmore|num=51960|desc=Edinburgh, Leith Docks, Martello Tower|access-date=8 July 2021}}</ref> It is now a scheduled monument within the port.<ref name="HES">{{Historic Environment Scotland|num=SM2418|desc=SM2418|access-date=8 July 2021}}</ref>

{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = Leith Municipal Government Act 1827
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of the United Kingdom
| long_title            =
| year                  = 1827
| citation              = [[7 & 8 Geo. 4]]. c. cxii
| introduced_commons    =
| introduced_lords      =
| territorial_extent    =
| royal_assent          = 2 July 1827
| commencement          =
| expiry_date           =
| repeal_date           =
| amends                =
| replaces              =
| amendments            =
| repealing_legislation = [[Leith Municipal and Police Act 1848]]
| related_legislation   =
| status                =
| legislation_history   =
| theyworkforyou        =
| millbankhansard       =
| original_text         = https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/Geo4/7-8/112/pdfs/ukla_18270112_en.pdf
| revised_text          =
| use_new_UK-LEG        =
| UK-LEG_title          =
| collapsed             = yes
}}
Historically Leith was governed by the Town Council of Edinburgh, with separately organised baillies appointed by various bodies without contact with each other. The result became very unsatisfactory, and half of Leith was provided with no municipal government whatever or any local [[magistrate]]s. An act of Parliament, the '''{{visible anchor|Leith Municipal Government Act 1827}}''' ([[7 & 8 Geo. 4]]. c. cxii) arranged for municipal government and administration of justice in the town, providing watching, paving, cleansing, and lighting, with Edinburgh Council responding to the views of Leith townspeople. The [[Burgh Reform Act 1833]] ([[3 & 4 Will. 4]]. c. 46) made Leith a parliamentary burgh, which jointly with [[Portobello, Edinburgh|Portobello]] and [[Musselburgh]] was represented by one [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP). On 1 November 1833, Leith became a separate [[burgh|municipal burgh]], with its own provost, magistrates, and council, and was no longer run by bailies.<ref name="hist">{{Cite web|url=https://www.electricscotland.com/history/leith/33.htm|title=The Story of Leith - XXXIII. How Leith was Governed|website=Electricscotland.com|access-date=14 November 2021|archive-date=14 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211114220843/https://www.electricscotland.com/history/leith/33.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Historically the Lord Provost of Edinburgh was ''virtue officii'' Admiral of the [[Firth of Forth]], the Provost of Leith was Admiral of the port, and his four bailies were admirals-depute.{{sfn|Grant|p=89}}

[[Emperor of all the Russias|Emperor]] [[Nicholas II of Russia|Nicholas II]] of Russia arrived by sea at Leith with his family and suite on Tuesday 22 September 1896.<ref>, to begin his visit to Scotland {{Cite web|last=Kenneth|title=Tsar Nicholas II in Scotland|url=http://www.rusartnet.com/russia/history/romanov/nicholas-and-alexandra/tsar-nicholas-ii-in-scotland|access-date=2016-12-16|website=Rusartnet.com}}</ref> Scottish anarchist [[Thomas Hastie Bell]] managed to get in his face to criticise him.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Living My Life {{!}} The Anarchist Library|url=http://www.revoltlib.com/?id=477|access-date=2016-12-16|website=Revoltlib.com|archive-date=25 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240225112936/http://revoltlib.com/?id=477|url-status=live}}</ref>

===1900s and 2000s===
Leith was the scene of the [[Leith Dockers Strike 1913|dockers strike]] in 1913<ref>{{Cite web|last=King|first=Content – Leith Local History Society, web design – David|title=Leith Local History: Timeline|url=http://www.leithlocalhistorysociety.org.uk/timeline/timeline.htm|access-date=2016-12-16|website=Leithlocalhistorysociety.org.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=LEITH DOCKERS. – RESUME WORK. LONDON, August 14. – The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1889 – 1931) – 16 Aug 1913|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article5797245|access-date=2016-12-16|newspaper=Advertiser|date=16 August 1913 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Leith Dockers' Demonstration – The Shore, Leith, 1913|url=http://www.edinphoto.org.uk/0_street_r/0_street_views_-_shore_leith_dockers_demonstration_1913.htm|access-date=2016-12-16|website=Edinphoto.org.uk|archive-date=6 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161206145622/http://www.edinphoto.org.uk/0_street_r/0_street_views_-_shore_leith_dockers_demonstration_1913.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> recounted in the book ''Red Scotland''.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Kenefick|first=William|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HeeqBgAAQBAJ&q=leith+dockers+strike+1913&pg=PA123|title=Red Scotland!: The Rise and Fall of the Radical Left, c. 1872 to 1932: The Rise and Fall of the Radical Left, c. 1872 to 1932|date=2007-07-15|publisher=Edinburgh University Press|isbn=9780748630820|language=en}}</ref>

Continued growth meant that Leith and Edinburgh formed a contiguous urban area. Leith was merged with Edinburgh on 1 November 1920<ref>[https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/museums-galleries/1920-city-boundary-extension-centenary/1 ReDrawing Edinburgh: The Edinburgh Boundary Extension Centennial 1920 Project] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303093221/https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/museums-galleries/1920-city-boundary-extension-centenary/1 |date=3 March 2021 }}, [[City of Edinburgh Council]]</ref> despite a [[referendum|plebiscite]] in which the people of Leith voted 26,810 to 4,340 against the merger. The population of Leith at the time of the merger was 80,000, representing 20% of the entire population of Edinburgh in around 5% of the city area, reflecting the town's high density. It was Scotland's sixth largest town at the time of the merger.<ref>Edinburgh and its Environs: Ward Lock Guide</ref>

Until 1923 there was no through tram service between Leith and Edinburgh; at the boundary in Leith Walk it was necessary to change from a [[Leith Corporation Tramways|Leith tram]] (electrically powered) to an Edinburgh tram (cable hauled) until the electrification of the [[Edinburgh Corporation Tramways]] in the early 1920s.[[File:Bridge Street and Coburg Street.jpg|alt=Building and street.|thumb|Leith in the 1920s, from the Leith Improvement Scheme Photographs]] Leith has undergone significant regeneration and is now a busy port with visits from cruise liners and the home of the [[HMY Britannia|Royal Yacht Britannia]], the [[Ocean Terminal, Edinburgh|Ocean Terminal]] [[Shopping mall|shopping centre]], and administrative offices for several departments of the [[Scottish Government]]. The council and government's 'Leith Project' provided a further economic boost. The shore area of Leith, once unattractive, is now a centre for a range of new pubs and restaurants in charming surroundings.<ref>{{cite web |last=Qureshi |first=Arusa |date=12 October 2021 |title=The cultural spaces breathing life into Edinburgh's coolest neighbourhood |url=https://www.timeout.com/news/the-cultural-spaces-breathing-life-into-edinburghs-coolest-neighbourhood-100621 |access-date=2023-02-26 |website=Time Out Worldwide |language=en-GB |archive-date=26 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230226201031/https://www.timeout.com/news/the-cultural-spaces-breathing-life-into-edinburghs-coolest-neighbourhood-100621 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=12 October 2021 |last=Knox |first=Annierose |title=Leith: One of the World's Coolest Neighbourhoods {{!}} VisitScotland |url=https://www.visitscotland.com/blog/edinburgh-lothians/coolest-neighbourhood-leith/ |access-date=26 February 2023 |website=The Blog |language=en |archive-date=26 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230226200930/https://www.visitscotland.com/blog/edinburgh-lothians/coolest-neighbourhood-leith/ |url-status=live }}</ref> On 6 November 2003, Leith was the location for the [[MTV Europe Music Awards]], with a temporary venue being built next to Ocean Terminal.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/heritage-and-retro/heritage/edinburgh-in-2003-12-photos-from-when-beyonce-and-justin-timberlake-visited-leith-for-the-mtv-music-awards-3921359|title=Looking back on the time Beyoncé and Justin Timberlake visited Leith for the MTV Music Awards|last=Bryan|first=Anna|date=21 January 2023|work=Edinburgh News|access-date=26 February 2023}}</ref>