Edinburgh Castle under siege, 1689

Siege of Athlone 1690 (extract)

Pickets, Bombardments and Spies: The Siege of Edinburgh Castle (18th March-15th June 1689) On a brisk and clear night, 25th March 1689, a soldier stood sentry upon the western ramparts of Edinburgh Castle. Witnessing some peculiar flashes in the darkness below he alerted his comrades and before long the Governor of the Castle, George Gordon, […]

Books and Borrowing 1750-1830

The Lending Library by Isaac Cruikshank (between 1800 and 1811)

Access the new Books and Borrowing Database The Books and Borrowing Database, containing borrowing records covering eighteen different Scottish libraries active in the period between 1750 and 1830, is now available. Using formerly unexplored and underexplored borrowing records, the Books and Borrowing project has created a new resource that reveals hidden histories of book use, […]

OEC Bibliography updated

Images of books and the OEC Bibliography

A rich resource of Edinburgh’s past The Bibliography of Edinburgh History has been updated by the Old Edinburgh Club, forming an extensive collection of nearly 3,000 items. These books, chapters, journal articles and dissertations illuminate the rich heritage of the city, dating from William Maitland’s 1753 History of Edinburgh and Leith. Easily searchable online, the Bibliography covers prehistory to […]

Get up-to-date on Edinburgh Archaeology

Videos of talks given at the 2023 Edinburgh, Lothians and Borders Archaeology Conference are now online. This is always a popular event, held at Queen Margaret University. It was supported by  the local authorities, AOC Archaeology, GUARD Archaeology and Historic Environment Scotland. The Edinburgh sites that featured were: Dunsapie Fort, Holyrood Park West Craigs – […]

10 Scotland Street

10 Scotland Street book cover

by Leslie Hills (Edinburgh: Scotland Street Press, 2023) Book review by Edward Duvall I found reviewing this book a great treat. Leslie Hills has lived in the main-door flat at 10 Scotland Street in Edinburgh for 50 years and this is the fruit of her research in various archives into the residents during the preceding […]

Jean Guild Grants: first awardees

jean guild grant winners

We have announced the first successful applicants for the Jean Guild Grants programme, which offers small awards for projects and research which expand what we know about the city and bring our history to life. The successful projects are: James Gillespie’s High School: Gaelic in Edinburgh – A History Northlight Productions: Visiting 1700s Edinburgh through virtual […]

Making historical research more accessible

BOEC18 front cover

We are pleased to announce the completion of a project to digitise nearly 70 articles first published between 1991 and 2008. These authoritative articles appeared in the Book of the Old Edinburgh Club, the Club’s journal which was launched in 1908. There is an eclectic mix of topics featuring Edinburgh people, places, culture and society. […]