By GlobalDetail.com reader tyron-e

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Edinburgh has a long and colourful history of King and Queens, heroic freedom fighters and ingenious inventors. But the capital has also had its fair share of dark and grim periods. One of the most deadly, but also most fascinating eras is that of the plague. Edinburgh was hit hard by the plague and today this chapter in the city’s history is remembered vividly by a number of historic sites and tours throughout the city.

The first documented outbreak of the human plague in Edinburgh was in 1349. It had swept through Europe within a year having come in from Asia via Mediterranean ports. It was lethal, killing two thirds of Edinburgh’s population. Despite longer breaks between outbreaks, Edinburgh often had little respite from the plague. While it is widely believed that the plague only affected the poor, the rich didn’t fare much better.

1604 and 1645, after centuries of repeated outbreaks, the plague returned again to Edinburgh, this time originating from Newcastle. It was also during this time that the civil war raged and the city was affected badly.

There are a number of sites around Edinburgh that bare witness to the plague outbreaks and still exhibit what happened there at the time. The Real Mary King’s Close (http://www.realmarykingsclose.com), off the Royal Mile, is one of these sites. Based on archaeological research undertaken by the Continuum Group some of the old town’s houses and closes have been re-opened after lying hidden below the City Chambers and the Rpyal mile for over 400 years to display the way people lived in the 16th and 17th centuries during the plague outbreaks. It was often the case that the sick were separated from the healthy to avoid the disease from spreading. Cleaners were brought in to eradicate anything that may be carrying the disease, but very few would be allowed to care for the sick. So it was often left to the monks to care for those who were affected. It was in the underground closes – tunnel- or cave-like streets and passages – that some of the sick were kept and often also spent their last days. To this date it is believed that the lost souls still haunt these places.

At the Real Mary King’s Close you will be guided through these passages by original characters telling you of the life underground. But it wasn’t only the sick that lived here. It was quite common in the city to live in townhouses of up to 7 stories, some of which would be underground. You can visit the home of a grave-digger’s family to discover the truth about how the Burgh Council dealt with the plague epidemic of 1644 – 1646. For a long time there were rumours that the sick had been bricked up inside and left to die, but latest research shows that this may indeed be a rumour. The atmosphere is nevertheless daunting and you can really feel how it must have been to live during these harsh times. You will leave intrigued and keen to know more.

Pay a visit to the Greyfriars Kirkyard (past the Greyfriar Bobby’s Pub) where you will see that it seems to be built on a slope. However, historically the churchyard was built on flat land. The hill only gradually rose as layers and layers of bodies were buried here. Spine-chilling stuff if you think about the living conditions of the time – something that the local Ghost Tours will only be too happy to tell you about.

The Black Hart Storytellers will tell you all about the ghoulish and macabre practices employed by the torturers for stealing, dishonesty, or not declaring a family member struck down with the plague. They combine the dark history with witty humour and the chill and scare factor is definitely high on the City of the dead Ghost Tour.

Mercat Tours is another Ghost Tour operator in Edinburgh. They have a number of different tours on offer from the ‘Secrets of the Royal Mile’ tour to the ‘Haunted Underground Experience’ and even a 6-hour Vaults Vigil from midnight till dawn. Check out the for more details on times and prices.

Just so much for a taster - suspected witches used to be thrown into the Nor Loch (today's Princes Street Gardens), which was really just the festering pit, to see if they floated. If they did they were deemed witches and burnt at the stake. If they did not float they were obviously innocent, but usually that realisatin was then too late anyway...

Mercat Tours Ltd
Address:
Mercat House
Niddry Street South
Edinburgh
EH1 1NS
Telephone: +44 (0) 131 557 6464
http://www.mercattours.com

Black Hart Storytellers
Address:
40 Candlemaker Row
Edinburgh
EH1 2QE
storytelling@blackhart.uk.com
http://www.blackhart.uk.com
Telephone: + 44 (0) 131 255 9044
Tours nightly at 8.30pm and 9.15pm (duration 90 minutes)
Starts from St. Giles Cathedral, Mercat Cross, on Edinburgh's Royal Mile.
£6

The Real Mary King’s Close
Writers’ Court,
Off The Royal Mile
Edinburgh
EH1 1PG
Telephone: +44 (0)8702 430 160 (general enquiries)
Telephone: +44 (0)8702 411 415 (group booking)
http://www.realmarykingsclose.com

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