Day 62
The Siege of Leith
Have you ever wandered across Leith Links, around or up and over the 2 little hills and been told they are remnants of the Siege of Leith? While a nice story, this is in fact a bit of an urban legend. Leith For Ever delves into the past, to explain all.
The truth is that the mounds predate the siege of Leith, already being part of the Links at the time of the siege. They could be anything from relic dune systems, medieval rabbit warrens, mounts for windmills, or even prehistoric burial mounds. The legend has arisen because following the siege, these mounds were re-named after two of the ‘sconces’ or battery placements from which joint Protestant English and Scots forces attacked the defending Catholic French and Scots forces on later maps, hence the belief that they were used for this purpose during the siege itself. In actual fact the attacking forces were placed much further away from the defensive fortifications.
The Siege of Leith took place several years after the rough wooing of Mary Queen of Scots by Henry VIII between 1543 and 1551, who wanted her married to his son Edward. Mary Queen of Scots had been removed to France and still a child, married to Francois the Dauphin of France (also a child). Her mother, Mary of Guise ruled in Scotland as her regent. The struggle for dominance between Protestants and Catholics was well underway.
Leith was of prime strategic importance because of its vital role as Edinburgh's port, handling its foreign trade and essential supplies. The English invasion of 1547 saw them attempt to capture the port, and while they won a battle at Pinkie Cleugh (Near Pinkie house in Musselburgh) they turned back before taking Leith. However, with protestantism becoming increasingly popular, and the English attacking, Mary of Guise turned to her native France for help. In 1548, over 3000 French troops arrived to secure the Port of Leith, and stayed for the next 12 years.
1852 Map showing batteries - Click on image for a closer look!
The French forces fortified Leith, building defensive bastions to protect the town and the harbour from invasion. No outward traces of these fortifications survive, however the memory remains in the name of Sandport Street, which was so called because a port or gate in the rampart there led out on to the Short Sands, where the Leith Fishing Fleet was based, and where Custom House is now.
English garrisons had been left in various places from the 1547 conflict. The protestant faction (mostly covenantor leaders known as the Congregation), unhappy at having a Catholic monarch being raised in France, did a deal with the English for support, first from Henry VIII, then Elizabeth 1st. The English provided arms and resources to the Scottish reformers, and together they laid siege to the French forces in Leith.
Mary of Guise, fearing for her life in Edinburgh, moved her base to Leith, building Mary of Guise house on the Shore (long demolished however the doors were preserved, and are now installed in South Leith Parish Church). She did return to Edinburgh Castle, and it was there that she passed away on the 11th June 1560 following a short but severe illness.
The English and Scots forces besieging Leith had little success, several attempts to breach the defences failed, and while the harbour was blockaded to stop supplies being shipped in from France, this seemed to have little impact on the effectiveness of the French forces. Eventually the decision was taken to bombard the earthen ramparts with artillery fire. Several batteries from which to fire at the Leith defences were built - Mount Somerset, in Pilrig park for which the brae near to Vanburgh place, now known as Giant’s Brae was named, and Mount Pelham for which Lady Fyfe’s Brae, near to the Leith Athletics Building towards Restalrig were 2 of these. They provided a heightened ridge for the cannon to be placed on and better reach over the defensive earthen ramparts. Two other sconces were also built - Mount Falcon and Byre’s Mount, across the water of Leith in Bonnington.
Despite shortages and famine within Leith itself, the attacking Scots and English forces were unsuccessful in breaching the defences, and the siege only came to an end after the death of Mary of Guise. Elizabeth was able to come to an agreement with the French and Scots forces known at the Treaty of Edinburgh. This required the French to leave within 20 days, and the fortifications around Leith destroyed. Young Mary and her husband were to agree to never use the Arms of England. It was around 200 years before pretty much all traces of the fortifications were removed.
Perhaps unfortunately, Mary refused to sign the treaty when it was presented to her in France, despite the agreement of the Scots leaders, and this act so early in her reign did not help to endear her to her cousin Elizabeth, and indeed may have contributed to Elizabeth’s enmity and later actions.