536:, deserve the highest applause. (...) The state of Edinburgh tolbooth is far otherwise. There the austerity of the law, and the rigour of an unfeeling creditor, may be gratified, in their utmost extent. In the heart of a great city, it is not accommodated with ventilators, with water-pipe, with privy. The filth collected in the jail is thrown into a hole within the house at the foot of a stair, which, it is pretended, communicates with a drain; but, if so, it is so compleatly chocked, as to serve no other purpose but that filling the jail with disagreeable stench. This is the more inexcusable, since, by making a drain to the north, over a very narrow street, such a declivity might be reached, that, with the help of water, of which there is command, the sewer might be kept perfectly clean. When we visited the jail there were confined in it about twenty-nine prisoners, partly debtors, partly delinquents; four or five were women, and there were five boys. Some of these had what is called
540:, that is, not being confined to a single apartment. As these people had the liberty of going up and down stairs, they kept their rooms tolerably clean swept. They had beds belonging to themselves; and in one room, we observed a pot on the fire. But, wherever we found the prisoners confined to one apartment, whether on account of their delinquencies, or that they were unable to pay for a little freedom, the rooms were destitute of all accommodation, and very nasty. All parts of the jail were kept in a slovenly condition; but the eastern quarter of it (although we had fortified ourselves against the stench), was intolerable. This consisted of three apartments, each above the other. In what length of time these rooms, and the stairs leading to them, could have collected the quantity of filth which we saw in them, we cannot determine. The undermost of these apartments was empty. In the second, which is called the
544:, which is destined for those who have received sentence of death, there were three boys: one of them might have been about fourteen, the others about twelve years of age. They had been confined about three weeks for thievish practices. In the corner of the room, we saw; shoved together, a quantity of dust, rags, and straw, the refuse of a long succession of criminals. The straw had been originally put into the room for them to lie upon, but had been suffered to remain till, worn by successive convicts, it was chopped into bits of two inches long. From this, we went to the apartment above, where were two miserable boys, not twelve years of age. But there we had no leisure for observation; for, no sooner was the door opened, than such an insufferable stench assailed us, from the stagnant and putrid air of the room, as, notwithstanding our precautions, utterly to overpower us.
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that contained a civic bell, the ringing of which was used to regulate the business and civil matters of the burgh. In
Edinburgh, the pretorium and belhous appear to have much the same meaning, being the burghal offices. The timberwork of the belfry was renewed in 1555, hauled into place by a team of
303:
Know ye, that we have given, granted, and by this our present charter have confirmed, to our beloved and faithful, the
Burgesses and Community of Edinburgh, and their successors in time to come, 60 feet in length and 30 feet in breadth of land lying in the market place of the said burgh, on the north
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granted
Edinburgh a charter which gave the burgh an area of land 60 feet (18 m) by 30 feet (9.1 m) in the market place with licence to develop the site for the ornament and use of the city. The charter, written in Latin, was endorsed "Carta fundi de la Belhous" (English:
370:, the Tolbooth was in a chronic state of disrepair. On 2 February 1561, the queen ordered that it should be demolished and rebuilt. In response, the town council partitioned off the west end of St Giles' which was then used for meetings of Parliament and the
388:
which had been built by the Town
Council of Edinburgh at its own expense. The Old Tolbooth remained in use by the Burgh council as a prison. In 1811 the council moved across the street to the north range of the Royal Exchange building which was termed the
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Spikes were also employed to exhibit body parts taken from executed prisoners. The heads of the most notorious were placed on "the prick of the highest stone": a spike on the Old
Tolbooth's northern gable facing the High Street. For instance the
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side of the street thereof; giving and granting to them, and their foresaid successors, our special license to construct and erect houses and buildings on the foresaid land, for the ornament of the said burgh, and for their necessary use.
308:
There is no record of construction on the site but, on 3 October 1403, the earliest burgh record mentions the "Pretorio burgi" – the
Pretorium of Edinburgh – for the first time. On 27 November 1438, during the reign of
378:. Confusingly, both were often called the New Tolbooth. Several masons were involved in the project, and Nicol Anderson and William Bell were rewarded by being made burgesses of Edinburgh.
328:
was located just a few feet from the north-west corner of St Giles' Cathedral. The construction of the
Tolbooth substantially reduced the width of the street at this point. A pattern of
381:
In 1571, a chronicle reports the tower of the Old
Tolbooth was taken down ("the tour of the auld Tolbuyth was tane doun"). In 1632 the new building to the south was demolished.
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in 1736. Scott attended the building's demolition and obtained the iron entrance door to the Old
Tolbooth's jail and its key and incorporated the door into his new mansion of
110:
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834:"City Chambers, 245-249 High Street (even numbers), 253 High Street, 323 High Street, 329 High Street, 2 Warriston's Close and 14 Cockburn Street, Edinburgh (LB17597)"
1409:
1489:
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1192:
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461:, were carried out on the roof of a two-storey extension on the west side of the Old Tolbooth which provided a platform equipped with a
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523:
The tolbooth shown on a town plan drawn in Arnot's time (1784). It stands on the left of the adjoining row of shops known as the
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made its first use of the pretorio burgi of
Edinburgh. Parliamentary records of 28 June 1451, by which time records were made in
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were attached to the exterior of the building. These were iron collars for chaining up offenders in public view, like a
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299:), signifying the purpose of the site for a new Belhouse, successor to the earlier pretorium, and may be translated:
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Due to enlargement of the city Edinburgh now encompasses other tolbooths or tolbooth sites. Still in existence are
374:. At the same time, a building was constructed at the south-west corner of St Giles' Cathedral for sittings of the
333:
1419:
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where judicial torture was routinely carried out. From 1785 executions, which previously had taken place at the
413:. Published in 1818, the year after the demolition of the building, the book is set against the backdrop of the
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1304:
1061:
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The Old Tolbooth continued be used as a prison and place of execution until it was finally demolished in 1817.
355:
659:, the port for Edinburgh had its own tolbooth, located on what is still called Tolbooth Wynd. The baronies of
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were carried out. In 1817 the buildings, which had been rebuilt and renovated several times, were demolished.
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516:, wrote the following detailed description of the prison to expose the shocking conditions within.
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799:
Michael Pearce, "A French Furniture Maker and the 'Courtly Style' in Sixteenth-Century Scotland",
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The liberality and humanity of the English, in erecting so magnificent a building for a jail as
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for more than 400 years. The medieval structure, which was located at the northwest corner of
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term for a tolbooth) in Edinburgh as early as 1368. Following the burnings of Edinburgh by
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An early 19th-century engraving showing the west gable of the "Heart of Midlothian"
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469:. Prisoners taken to the Old Tolbooth were tortured using implements such as the
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rather than the Tolbooth. This building had been built 1754–61 to a design by
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H Arnot, The History of Edinburgh (1799), reprinted Edinburgh 1988, pp.173-4
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Door of the tolbooth, built into a side wall of Sir Walter Scott's House at
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321:, see the first official use of the term tolbooth (or, strictly, tolbuith)
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burned the town, major rebuilding and improvements were required. In 1386,
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206:. Over the years it served a variety of purposes such as housing the
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Notices of the Most Remarkable Fires in Edinburgh: From 1385 to 1824
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Church of the Friars Preachers of Blessed Virgin and Saint Dominic
258:. The execution platform can be seen projecting from the building.
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466:
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231:
828:
713:"Extracts from the Records of the Burgh of Edinburgh, 1403-1528"
777:"The Origin and Early History of the Old Tolbuith of Edunburgh"
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493:'s head was stuck there from 1581 for 18 months. The head of
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In 1639, the Parliament of Scotland moved into the new
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currently mark the entrance to the original building.
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of St Giles' Cathedral indicates there was already a
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was on view from 1650 to 1660 until replaced by the
178:was an important municipal building in the city of
1149:His Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland
407:featured the Old Tolbooth prominently in his work
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734:"Records of the Parliaments of Scotland to 1707"
16:Former municipal building in Edinburgh, Scotland
1410:Demolished buildings and structures in Scotland
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202:, was first established in the 14th century by
1490:Scottish parliamentary locations and buildings
815:, "Domestic Affairs of the Burgh, 1554-1589",
1193:
923:
902:Dark Heart, tales from Edinburgh's town jail.
512:Edinburgh's foremost 18th century historian,
566:Robert Balfour, 5th Lord Balfour of Burleigh
250:Model of the Old Tolbooth, exhibited in the
1495:Buildings and structures demolished in 1817
858:. Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited. p. 542.
1405:Buildings and structures completed in 1400
1200:
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561:Archibald Campbell, 1st Marquis of Argyll
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190:and was attached to the west end of the
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549:Famous inmates held in the Old Tolbooth
339:The bellhouse (or belhous) often had a
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1445:Buildings and structures in Edinburgh
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586:James Graham, 1st Marquis of Montrose
226:where, in addition to incarceration,
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234:were routinely conducted. From 1785
878:Grant's Old and New Edinburgh, p124
13:
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755:"Edinburgh, High Street, Tolbooth"
596:Archibald Johnston, Lord Warriston
297:Charter of the site of the Belhous
14:
1506:
1450:Government buildings in Edinburgh
576:James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton
348:28 men led by a French craftsman
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1035:
508:Hall of the Old Tolbooth, c.1795
29:
881:
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803:vol. XXXII (2018), pp. 130-131.
449:The Old Tolbooth was used as a
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819:, 15 (Edinburgh, 1927), p. 23.
817:Book of the Old Edinburgh Club
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465:so that the public could view
1:
1460:Political history of Scotland
830:Historic Environment Scotland
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621:Archibald Wauchope of Niddrie
591:Alexander Home, 3rd Lord Home
284:Wars of Scottish Independence
1485:Judicial torture in Scotland
1425:Defunct prisons in Edinburgh
1264:Scottish Parliament Building
641:on the lower section of the
633:Other Tolbooths in Edinburgh
7:
1475:Court buildings in Scotland
1430:Execution sites in Scotland
10:
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1269:Southside Community Centre
904:Mainstream, Edinburgh 2008
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647:South Queensferry Tolbooth
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222:was also the burgh's main
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1440:14th century in Scotland
1381:55.9494306°N 3.1917250°W
1208:Government buildings in
856:Edinburgh:The Golden Age
324:The land granted by the
210:, early meetings of the
126:55.9494306°N 3.1917250°W
1229:Edinburgh City Chambers
1144:Scottish Prison Service
1112:Old Tolbooth, Edinburgh
410:The Heart of Midlothian
286:and again in 1385 when
24:Old Tolbooth, Edinburgh
1420:1817 disestablishments
1415:Parliament of Scotland
1386:55.9494306; -3.1917250
1345:Parliament of Scotland
1234:General Register House
1107:The Tolbooth, Aberdeen
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212:Parliament of Scotland
131:55.9494306; -3.1917250
1465:Politics of Edinburgh
1072:Duke Street (Glasgow)
611:Captain John Porteous
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315:Estates of Parliament
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288:Richard II of England
282:, in 1335 during the
278:in 1323 and his son,
249:
1455:History of Edinburgh
667:also had tolbooths.
649:and the tolbooth in
368:Mary, Queen of Scots
276:Edward II of England
142:Construction started
1480:Torture in Scotland
1377: /
1355:St Giles' Cathedral
1305:General Post Office
1284:West Register House
1239:HM Prison Edinburgh
1168:Scotland portal
1102:Stonehaven Tolbooth
854:Cosh, Mary (2003).
334:Heart of Midlothian
254:in Huntly House on
252:Museum of Edinburgh
228:physical punishment
188:St Giles' Cathedral
122: /
67:Architectural style
52:General information
1300:Canongate Tolbooth
1244:New Register House
900:Skelton, Douglas.
801:Regional Furniture
639:Canongate Tolbooth
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510:
447:
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61:Municipal building
1361:
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1352:Succeeded by
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1259:Royal Observatory
1254:Queensberry House
1175:
1174:
501:'s head in 1661.
499:Marquis of Argyll
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236:public executions
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419:Abbotsford House
372:Court of Session
366:By the reign of
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176:The Old Tolbooth
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693:. pp. 1–2
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739:17 December
626:Thomas Weir
606:Sawney Bean
459:Grassmarket
196:High Street
129: /
104:Coordinates
80:High Street
1435:Royal Mile
1399:Categories
1349:1438–1563
1224:Bute House
1002:Kilmarnock
718:3 December
697:3 December
671:References
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514:Hugo Arnot
475:pilliwinks
361:Abbotsford
280:Edward III
264:chartulary
166:Demolished
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1097:Peterhead
1092:Noranside
1057:Bass Rock
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982:Glenochil
977:Edinburgh
962:Barlinnie
957:Addiewell
665:Restalrig
661:Broughton
581:John Fian
542:iron room
397:of 1753.
395:John Adam
292:Robert II
268:pretorium
180:Edinburgh
158:Renovated
150:Completed
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1128:Highland
1077:Friarton
1052:Aberdeen
1027:Stirling
1007:Low Moss
992:Greenock
987:Grampian
972:Dumfries
943:Scotland
839:18 April
495:Montrose
467:hangings
311:James II
220:Tolbooth
214:and the
200:Old Town
184:Scotland
98:Scotland
77:Location
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895:Sources
785:25 June
760:23 June
534:Newgate
483:pillory
463:gallows
457:or the
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242:History
232:torture
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194:on the
153:c. 1400
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1293:Former
1137:Bodies
1121:Future
1022:Shotts
950:Active
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433:Prison
313:, the
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657:Leith
479:Jougs
421:near
345:tower
330:setts
319:Scots
272:Latin
860:ISBN
841:2019
787:2012
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663:and
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