MAKING EDINBURGH’S HIDDEN HISTORY UNMISSABLE

TEACHERS’ PACK

2

CONTENTS Plan Your Visit

Background Information

Underground & Underfoot

Risk Assessment

Curriculum for Excellence

Mary King’s Close Timeline

Character Tour Guides

Who was Mary King?

The Closes

Glossary

Teacher Resources

Activity Worksheet 1 – Mary King’s Timeline

Activity Worksheet 2 – Alexander Cant Article

Activity Worksheet 3 – Word Search

Activity Worksheet 4 – Mary King’s Last Will & Testament

Class Evaluation Sheet

Continuum Attractions

3

PLAN YOUR VISIT Opening Times

The Real Mary King’s Close is open every day apart from Christmas Day. Tours run every 15 minutes throughout the day.

First Tour Last Tour Close

April - October 10:00 21:00 22:30

November - March 10:00 17:00 18:30

Prices

Group Rate* Group Benefits

Adult Child (Aged 5-15) Senior (Aged 60 +) Student (with valid student ID) UK School Groups (Aged 5 – 15)

£11.40

£7.00

£10.35

£10.35

£5.95

*Discounted group admission rates. *Priority admission. *Free admission for the group organiser and coach driver. *Free familiarisation visit for the group leader. *For school groups, one adult is admitted free with every 10 visiting children/students. We require two adults per group. *All of our rates include VAT at the current rate. *Tour capacity 20 people. *Restrictions apply. Please note that at certain periods of the season and for certain events group rates are not available.

Facilities and Accessibility

The Real Mary King’s Close has onsite customer toilets located in the admissions area, a gift shop and an outside cafe. Unfortunately we do not have anywhere for groups to eat packed lunches. We welcome disabled visitors: Unfortunately, due to the historic nature of the site, we are unable to accommodate wheelchairs,

pushchairs or children under the age of 5 on the tour. Visitors with walking difficulties are advised to call in advance to check the suitability of the

attraction. The underground site has uneven surfaces and steep inclines, sturdy footwear is recommended. The site is underground and as such is quite dark, lit only by low atmospheric lighting. Groups are

advised to inform all participants of this in advance of their tour. What to do when you arrive Please arrive at least 15 minutes before your tour time to ensure your tour can leave as scheduled. When you arrive make your way to our admissions area to register your group. Your tour guide will collect you from the admissions area to start your tour.

4

Your visit Each tour is fully guided and will last 1 hour. We have audio guides in French, German, Italian and Spanish, as well as 3 tours per day with a Spanish guide. Hire of the audio guides is included in the entrance cost. Audio guides should be pre-booked by calling +44 (0) 131 225 0672. Each tour starts and finishes in our admissions area which can be accessed from the High Street. If you would like to include pick up or drop off by one of our expert walking guides we’d be more than happy to arrange this at the time of booking. How to get here

Transport / Parking Information Coach Pick Up / Drop Off Coaches dropping off or picking up passengers visiting the centre of Edinburgh should do so at the area designated for such activity on Waterloo Place. 15 minutes is allowed for both dropping off and picking up. After dropping off their passenger’s coaches can then park at either the coach park detailed below, or on-street on Regent Road which is extremely convenient for later pick up of passengers. Coach Parks

Britannia Coach Park T: 0131 555 1313, F: 0131 554 7209 www.coachparking.com Secure Coach Parks T: 0131 669 1911, F: 0131 669 1951 Pringles Coach Park T: 0131 554 6334, F: 0131 555 6334 www.pringles-coach-park.co.uk Parking On-street coach parking is provided all year on Regent Road, an extension of Waterloo Place. £4.00 per hour up to a maximum of 10 hours (i.e. £8.00 for 2 hours, £12.00 for 3 hours etc.) on Mondays to Saturdays 8.30am to 6.30pm. Coach bays are also provided on Johnston Terrace from April to September with payment required - £4.00 per hour up to a maximum of 10 hours (i.e. £8.00 for 2 hours, £12.00 for 3 hours etc.) on Mondays to Saturdays 8.30am to 6.30pm.

5

Car Parking spaces are very limited in the Old Town of Edinburgh. The nearest car parks are Niddry Street (beneath the SAS Radisson Hotel) or Castle Terrace; however, please note that access by car to the Royal Mile is limited. Train Trains servicing Edinburgh Waverley are run by Scotrail, East Coast, National Rail, Virgin Trains, Eurostar (if you’re going all the way to the continent!). From Waverley Railway Station: exit via Waverley Bridge exit, and turn left. Walk along Waverley Bridge until you reach a junction with a mini-roundabout, then cross to other side of road, into Cockburn Street. Walk up Cockburn Street until you reach the foot of Warriston’s Close. This Close is one long stone staircase (over 100 steps to the top), and if you walk up them, they will take you to our entrance. However, an alternative route that avoids stairs is to continue up Cockburn Street, until you meet the junction with the High Street (part of the Royal Mile). Here, take a right turn and walk up the High Street until you reach St. Giles’ Cathedral (the large building with a crown-shaped roof, not a pointed spire!). We are situated in Warriston’s Close directly opposite.

6

BACKGROUND INFORMATION Edinburgh grew up around its castle. The huddle of huts which first clustered around the castle rock gradually spread eastwards and by the late 17th century, Edinburgh was by far the most populated place in Scotland. The High Street was Edinburgh’s major thoroughfare, with the Grassmarket and Cowgate roughly parallel below it. But elsewhere, it was a maze of narrow closes. By modern standards, 17th century towns were horribly dirty and smelly. There was no sanitation. Waste was just thrown onto the street, where it built up…and ran down! So, on this crowded spine of land, where the buildings grew upwards - often by as many as eight storeys - society was organised vertically, the wealthy close to the top above all the filth and the poor at the bottom in the midst of it.

Map of Edinburgh dating from 1647 by Gordon of Rothiemay. Here, all classes or trades lived and worked. The great townhouses of nobles, churchmen and merchants with all their servants and retainers, nestled cheek-by-jowl with the vast mass of the toiling poor. And though some people enjoyed extravagant luxuries, life for most was basic, noisy, dirty, precarious, and short. In the low (laigh) houses the walls are smoke stained and the floors are made of dirt. A family would have lived in a single large room. Lack of hygiene meant diseases such as typhus, malaria, leprosy, smallpox, cholera and often the plague were rife. Closes were lit by bowatts, a lantern with a tallow candle, and crusie, a homemade lamp usually fuelled by fish oil and animal fat. Mary King’s Close would have probably exaggerated any sound and certainly would be echoing. In the high (haigh) houses above, life would certainly have been more gentile and the luxury of windows meant more light would enter. These houses were also above most of the smell and crush of people. Experience a vibrant sense of place and time and explore the lives of the people who lived, worked and died in the Closes. Encounter the stories of Alison Rough: an inhabitant who proved as troublesome in death as in life, share the plight of the Craig family: a family torn apart by the “pestilence” which ravaged the city and make acquaintance with Mary King herself

7

Enjoy the stories at the hands of one of our expert tour guides, eager to share their experience of the Closes with the group. As your group climb down the steps to Mary King’s Close their world changes. The visit itself is a very exciting experience and they have to look, listen, smell and feel. They will be moving from the daylight in the High Street down a steep close with little light getting in. Whilst the tour starts at the top of the street, it proceeds

across the closes where the group will discover ‘Close life’ three floor levels down. As they climb back up the sharp slope of Mary King’s Close, the children will see the main central gutter which ran with waste and made the ground very slippery. The waste came from the houses and was tipped into the street with a shout of ‘Garde Loo’, sounding like the French for ‘mind the water’. A strong smell would have enveloped the Close

from the Nor Loch which is Princes Street Gardens today and where the Close’s waste flowed into. The Real Mary King’s Close is unmissable. An award-winning five star attraction that brings to life an important piece of Edinburgh’s rich history; a fascinating underground network of hidden closes and rooms that reveals an extraordinary time capsule of life as it used to be in the Old Town. The information and activities have been designed to introduce the children to the Close and its place

below the High Street in Edinburgh and to provide and introduction to some of the characters

connected to the Close for over 400 years from 1500 to 1900.

The following activities can be completed before or after the visit.

Activity Worksheet 1 – Timeline of Mary King’s Close & important dates in Scotland’s history.

Activity Worksheet 2 – Pupils to complete a newspaper article based on the murder of close resident Alexander Cant.

Activity Worksheet 3 – Wordsearch based on people and items surrounding Mary King’s Close.

Where does ‘The Real Mary King’s Close’ experience fit into the curriculum?

1. As part of an established class topic. 2. As a programme of study.

How can we help? This Education Pack is provided free of charge to all confirmed school parties. We will give you 1 free ticket for a teacher for every 10 children / students you bring to visit. We will offer you group rates if you bring over 15 people.* We will ensure your group has priority admission and does not need to queue. * Subject to availability and restrictions.

UNDERGROUND & UNDERFOOT

8

The Real Mary King's Close have teamed up with the City of Edinburgh Council's Museums & Galleries to offer our school visitors the chance to not only experience the uniqueness of our world famous street, but also the choice of 5 other great Edinburgh attractions. All accompanied with your very own character tour guide based on a one time resident who will escort you to the museum of your choosing. Your group will start their day with an underground tour of this historic

street in the company of an expert guide to explore the warren of hidden

streets that has remained frozen in time.

This will be followed by a walking tour to a choice of the below museums where your tour guide will

recall stories of Edinburgh past while pointing out famous landmarks and features often unnoticed by

passers-by.

Choose form the following attraction;

The Museum of Edinburgh

This is the City’s treasure box - a maze of historic rooms

crammed full of iconic objects from the Capital’s past. Find

out about the history of Edinburgh from the earliest times to

the present day. Discover more about the city, its people,

crafts and trades and the beautiful objects they created.

The Writers Museum

The Writers Museum celebrates the lives of three great Scottish writers – Robert Burns, Sir Walter

Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson. Get to know more about them through this unique exhibition.

Museum of Childhood

The Museum of Childhood is a fun day out for the whole family. Young people can learn about the

children of the past and see a fantastic range of toys and games, while adults enjoy a trip down

memory lane.

City Art Centre

Enjoy a visit to the City Art Centre, a main Edinburgh art gallery with one of the best collections of

Scottish art. Experience interesting exhibitions from our own collections and from all over the world.

The People's Story Museum

Explore the lives of Edinburgh’s ordinary people at work and

play from the late 18th century to today. Visitors can see

displays showing a bookbinder’s workshop, a wartime

kitchen and much more, all packed with real objects. You can

even see a former jail, an original part of this historic building.

For enquiries, bookings and prices, please contact Lucy Simpson at

lsimpson@realmarykingsclose.com or call +44 (0)131 225 0675

RISK ASSESSMENT

9

Hazard Who is at risk

Likelihood Severity Control measures

Slipping, tripping,

falling in darkness

All Medium Low

Visitors told by Group Leader to walk carefully throughout site

Even surfaces and suitable flooring where possible

Any uneven flooring or steps are lit

Flashing lighting, resembling strobe lighting.

All Low Medium

Group Leader to inform visitors before tour

Regular Health and Safety warnings

Dusty atmosphere

All Low Low/Medium

Regular Health and Safety warnings

Daily checks performed by attraction staff

Low beams / doorways All Medium Low Visitors told of hazards throughout tour

Some steep inclines and

uneven surfaces

All Medium Low/Medium

Visitors told by Group Leader to walk carefully throughout site

Even surfaces and suitable flooring where possible

Any uneven flooring or steps are lit

Use handrails where provided

Some stairways do not have handrails

All Medium Low/Medium

Visitors told by Group Leader to walk carefully throughout site

Any uneven flooring or steps are lit

Painted outline on stairs

Fire

All Low High

Group Leader to ensure visitors are aware of need to respond to site staff requests appropriately

Staff regularly trained

Fully maintained fire fighting equipment on-site

Regular, full evacuation drills undertaken

Separation from group

All

Low

Low

Group Leader to arrange meeting point and set time period for tour

Group Leader to tell visitors to find easily identifiable member of site staff

Staff supervision

First Aid All Low Low/High Fully qualified first aider

on-site at all times

CURRICULUM FOR EXCELLENCE – EXPERIENCES & OUTCOMES

Social Studies – Visiting the The Real Mary King’s Close and Museum of Edinburgh links with the following Curriculum points of what pupils achieve from studying Social Studies:

Develop my understanding of the history, heritage and culture of Scotland, and an appreciation of my local and national heritage within the world

Broaden my understanding of the world by learning about human activities and achievements in the past and present

Explore and Evaluate difference types of sources and evidence as part of the Underground Underfoot experience.

People, Past Events and Societies – The following strands are investigated as part of the visit:

First Second Third

I understand that evidence varies in the extent to

which it can be trusted and can use this in

learning about the past.

SOC 1-01a

I can use primary and secondary sources selectively

to research events in the past.

SOC 2-01a

I can use my knowledge of a historical period to interpret the evidence and present an informed view.

SOC 3-01a

By exploring places, investigating artefacts and locating them in time, I have developed an awareness of the ways we remember and preserve Scotland’s history.

SOC 1-02a

I can interpret historical evidence from a range of periods to help to build a picture of Scotland’s heritage and my sense of chronology.

SOC 2-02a

I can make links between my current and previous studies, and show my understanding of how people and events have contributed to the development of the Scottish nation.

SOC 3-02a

11

I can use evidence to recreate the story of a place

or individual of local historical interest.

SOC 1-03a

I can investigate a Scottish historical theme to

discover how past events or the actions of individuals

or groups have shaped Scottish society.

SOC 2-03a

I can explain why a group of people from beyond Scotland settled here in the past and discuss the impact they have had on the life and culture of Scotland.

SOC 3-03a

I can compare aspects of people’s daily lives in

the past with my own by using historical

evidence or the experience of recreating an

historical setting.

SOC 1-04a

I can compare and contrast a society in the past with

my own and contribute to a discussion of the

similarities and differences.

SOC 2-04a

I can explain the similarities and differences between the lifestyles, values and attitudes of people in the past by comparing Scotland with a society in Europe or elsewhere.

SOC 3-04a

Having selected a significant individual from

the past, I can contribute to a discussion on the

influence of their actions, then and since.

SOC 1-06a

I can discuss why people and events from a

particular time in the past were important, placing

them within a historical sequence.

SOC 2-06a

I can discuss the motives of those involved in a significant turning point in the past and assess the consequences it had then and since.

SOC 3-06a

12

Through researching, I can identify possible causes of a past conflict and report on the impact it has had on the lives of people at that time.

SOC 3-06b

Examples of the potential to link with Cross-curricular subjects (particularly useful for Primary 4-7) as follows:

Expressive Arts

o Drama – developing characters from the tour in class and sustaining the character

o Art and Design – design projects creating old-fashioned products using varied modern and historical materials

o Dance – Exploring various styles and cultures by learning medieval dances

o Music – Exploring various styles and cultures by learning medieval songs/ chants etc

English and Literature

o Creative writing and various others styles of writing pieces relating to the site

Religious Education

o Comparative study of ancient and modern religious beliefs and how that has changed in Scotland

Technological Studies

o Comparative study of technology from the past and present and how it has improved and/or changed

MARY KING’S CLOSE TIMELINE

1513 – King James IV’s Scottish army is catastrophically defeated at Flodden by an English army under the Earl

of Surrey. The king and many of his courtiers die.

1530 – Mary King’s Close is recorded as ‘John Towris Close’, after Touris of Inverleith, who owned property

on the east side. Five years later, Alexander Cant is murdered by Alison Rough in Craig’s Close.

1535 – Alison Rough drowned in the Nor’ Loch for killing her son-in-law

Alexander Cant.

1567 – Mary Queen of Scots spends her last night in Edinburgh at the house

of the Provost, Sir Simon Preston, in Stewart’s Close, after surrendering to

the victorious Confederate Lords at Carberry Hill.

1603 – King James VI of Scotland, son of Mary Queen of Scots, also becomes King James I of England, uniting the

two crowns.

1628 – King Charles I visits Edinburgh, attended by 200 armed men; the streets are draped with tapestries. Seven

years later he taxes the people of Edinburgh on the rental value of their houses.

1629 – Mary King is widowed. She and her four children move into a turnpike house near the top of the

Close.

1644 – Mary King dies. Plague breaks out in Edinburgh. The wearing of the plaid – traditional tartan clothing

– is banned ‘in this tyme of common calamitie…& public pestilence, due to it being unhygienic’.

1651 – Charles II is proclaimed king in Edinburgh and crowned at Scone – the last monarch to be crowned in

Scotland – following the execution of his father by Cromwell’s parliament in 1649. Charles II soon fled overseas

and was not restored to the throne until 1660.

1694 – Mary King’s Close is recorded by name in the Town Council minutes. The town’s population at the

time is recorded as around 21,000.

1707 – The Act of Union officially unites the kingdoms of Scotland and England. Scotland’s Crown Jewels, ‘The

Honours of the Kingdom’ are paraded to the last Scottish Parliament for nearly 300 years.

1753 – The closes are largely covered over by the new Royal Exchange. The building is unsuccessful as a

merchants’ exchange and is taken over by the Town Council in 1811, becoming the City Chambers.

1770 – The Development of Edinburgh’s New Town begins, to a plan formulated in 1767 by James Craig.

1850 – In the clearances of the early 1850s thousands of people emigrate from Scotland’s islands and north-west

coast.

1853 – The construction of Cockburn Street begins – so destroying the lower half of Mary King’s and the other closes.

1901 – Queen Victoria dies on 22nd January ending her reign of 64 years; the longest in

British history. Several streets in Edinburgh are called after her including Victoria Street

which joins the Grassmarket to George IV Bridge and the High Street.

1902 – The saw maker, Andrew Chesney, is the last resident to leave Mary King’s Close, forced out by compulsory purchase after the final tenement is demolished in 1897 to enable the building of the west wing of the City Chambers.

14

15

WHO WAS MARY KING? It is 1635, on a busy market day. The streets are crowded with people, the tradesfolk shouting their wares and there, across the cobbles, in a small shop crammed with fabrics, you might just spot a shadowy female figure unfolding a bolt of brightly patterned cloth. If you ask about her you might discover she’s a widow, well known about the town, who trades fabrics and sews for a living. Her name is Mary King. As is the case with so many women in history, we don’t know a great deal about Mary. But what we do know provides a tantalising glimpse of a characterful woman who, like Alison Rough, was a successful merchant and mother. Mary was born towards the end of the 16th century. In 1616, her

marriage to a local merchant burgess, Thomas Nemo or Nimmo, is recorded, and together they had four children – Alexander, Euphame, Jonet and William. Sadly, Thomas died in 1629, leaving Mary to cope alone, and soon after, she moved her young children, who were between 5 and 12 years old, into what was then known as King’s or Alexander King’s Close. Until his death in 1619, Alexander King of Dryden had been a prominent lawyer in the city and although he was no relation of Mary’s, the coincidence of the same surname was probably at least partially responsible for the close’s gradual change of name to Mary King’s. In 1635, when we first find Mary listed as dwelling in the close, an area of wasteland near her house is still described as ‘the property of Alexander King or his heirs’. We know Adam King, Alexander’s brother, was the heir but he never seems to have lived in the close. This 1635 document was drawn up by Edinburgh’s council to raise a tax for King Charles I. To gain the support of the city’s ministers the king wanted to pay their stipends or salaries. So he imposed a tax of 4.33% of the valued rent of property on all owners and tenants in the city. A register was kept, called the ‘Housmaills’ or house tax book, which tells us the names of all landlords and tenants in the closes and provides a description of the properties themselves. Needless to say it also lists the assessed value of the rents and the tax to be paid. From the housmaills, we know that Mary King rented a turnpike house with a cellar, near the top of King’s Close, from a Mr James Bannantyne; the base of a turnpike or spiral stair still exists and may well indicate the position of Mary’s home. She also had a shop on the High Street – a so-called ‘laiche forebooth’- which she rented from the merchant, William Fairlie, for £40 Scots a year. The high rent reflects the booth’s very desirable location opposite St Giles. As a woman on her own, Mary would have had to work hard – although she seems to have lived a reasonably comfortable life. And while we don’t yet know what she inherited from her husband – this should emerge from ongoing research – her own testament, a document drawn up at the time of her death in September 1644, paints an evocative picture of her possessions, cash and debts. Among her things were listed two gold rings, six silver spoons, a long settill, three buffet stools, two pairs of tongs, a variety of fire irons, two tinned chamber pots and considerable quantity of wine beer. But almost more intriguing are the items which point towards her livelihood, the ten spools of ornate

16

sewing thread, silk and velvet doublets, 14 pairs of sheets, more than 60 cushions and pillows of various kinds, 4 plaids, 6 ruffs, 9 dozen table napkins and more.

We can only imagine Mary and her children sitting by the windows or in candlelight sewing hems and embroidering patterns to order and for sale in their nearby booth. One of the final entries in her testament reads ‘Marie King to James Ballendene for ane years mail of hir dwelling house 100 merks’ telling us that she died owing her landlord £66 13 shillings and 4 pennies Scots for a year’s rent; since the Housmaills valuation a decade before her rent had risen by 10%.

Little information has survived about Mary’s children, although we continue our search in the hopes more may come to light. Whatever the outcome, with a world famous Close to her name, Mary’s own extraordinary legacy lives on.

17

THE CLOSES Edinburgh is built on a spine of rock and down the backbone of the Old Town, from shoulders to tail, runs the long slope of the High Street – part of the Royal Mile. A series of lanes and alleyways grew out from it, falling away to either side and these are the ‘wynds’ and closes’, which once had gates that could be locked at night to protect the inhabitants from thieves and vagabonds. The close names were often a simple description of the businesses or activities which took place there – you could smell the bread in Bakehouse Close for example; hold your nose in Fleshmarket and Skinners closes, where the slaughter men, butchers and tanners worked. You could consult a lawyer in Advocate’s Close, visit a ship’s chandler in Anchor Close and so on. Others were named after prominent citizens – lawyers, merchants and burgesses – and conceivably the most important, charismatic or noticeable residents. The network of closes around Mary King’s seems to have fallen in to this latter category. Naming the Closes Mary King’s Close - Previously known as King’s and Alexander King’s (no relation to Mary), Towris, Livingstoun’s and Brown’s. Stewart’s Close - Probably named after William Stewart, merchant, burgess and resident in 1710. Previously Heriot’s and Preston’s. Pearson’s Close - After Alexander Pearson, 17th-century merchant. Previously Knox’s. Allan’s Close - Derivation unknown. Previously Leitch’s, Dowgallis, Dunlop’s and Abernethy’s. Craig’s Close - After John Craig, burgess. Previously Denniston’s, Burne’s, Cant’s and Joussie’s.

18

GLOSSARY Auld Reekie – An affectionate nickname for Edinburgh which comes from the 19th century when the city was often overhung by smoke from houses, breweries and mills. Auld – Old Reekie – Smoke or misty Burgh – A town with special privileges conferred by a charter. Foul Clengeris – Plague cleaners Baillie – Town magistrate. Mercat – Market or market-place. Pyrnmill – Spool of yarn or thread. Brewster – A woman who brews or sells ale – a landlady Relict – A widow Turnpike House– A house accessed from a communal spiral stair Laiche/Laigh Booth or Forebooth – A shop or covered stall at street or basement level.

Buffet stool – a small square or rectangular stool. Lang settill – A wooden bench settee. Douking – Ducking – Execution or trial by water for women. If they floated they were guilty. If they sank, they were innocent – though they often drowned. Wylicot – Woman’s undergarment or nightdress.

Housmaills and Annuities – Taxes and rents. Merk – Unit of currency worth 13 shillings and 4 pennies Scots Extentors – Tax inspectors who compiled the information for the Housmaills Book. Tocher – Dowry, a woman’s marriage portion in money and/or property payable to her husband. Ludges – Wooden huts or ‘ludges’ Mingin – Stink, have a bad smell Thole – Endure with patience – ‘he who tholes overcomes’ Lum – A chimney.

Our very own Foul

Clengeris

A typical buffet stool

An early 18th century

fireplace

19

Foul pestilence – Although not absolutely certain, it is likely that the terrifying illness was bubonic plague. It begins with flu-like symptoms then buboes, mucus-filled boils, develop on the neck, armpits or groin. Death is slow and painful though not inevitable. But, for those who contracted the pneumonic form of the plague the end came quickly as the disease attacks the lungs and the body turns ‘black’ from massive haemorrhaging. In the unhealthy conditions of a plague-ridden city other contagious illnesses would also have taken their toll. Kist – A storage chest – usually wooden. Dook – A wooden plug driven into a wall to take a nail or other fixing. Swey, sway, swee – Movaeble iron bracket on which kettles and pots hung in the fireplace. Advocates, wryters and notaries – Types of lawyer Dicht – To tidy, clean or wipe. Besom – A broom Brander glet – Slimy ooze from a drain.

Advocate – Alexander Dinlope

ACTIVITY WORKSHEET 1 – MARY KING’S TIMELINE Fill in the date of events in the relevant boxes.

1535 1567

1629

1644 1694 1753 1853

1902

21

Alexander Cant is murdered.

Mary Queen of

Scots spends her

last night on

Stewart’s Close.

Mary King is

widowed &

moves to the top

of the Close.

Mary King dies.

1st recorded use of the name Mary King’s

Close.

Closes are covered by the Royal Exchange

Building.

Construction of

Cockburn Street.

Mr Chesney, last resident to leave

the Close.

ACTIVITY WORKSHEET 1 – MARY KING’S WORKSHEET - ANSWERS

1535 1567

1629

1644 1694 1753 1853

1902

22

ACTIVITY WORKSHEET 2 – ALEXANDER CANT ARTICLE

A terrible crime has been committed on Mary King’s Close and we need our resident reporter of The

Edinburgh Evening Courant to help us.

Overleaf you will find a template of the front page of this popular newspaper from the 1500s. Complete

this as if you were the reporter on the scene. You will find your notes from the scene of the crime below.

Notebook

Early evening Wednesday 30th August 1545 Alexander Cant bleeds to death after being struck by fire tongs. Cant’s body found clutching tocher document. Bailles (police) arrested chief suspect Alison Rough and her daughter,

Katherine, Cant’s wife. A close friend of the couple reported Cant was suing his mother-in-law for non-

payment of dowry. The weather was fine for this time of year. Raised voices heard coming from Craigs Close around 5.30pm. A local source divulged that Alison Rough is notorious for not paying debts

owes son-in-law, Alexander Cant, 400 merks for tocher. Increasing number of rats found in city. Local merchant and mother of 4, Alison Rough if found guilty will be

condemned to death. Katherine, found to be pregnant, therefore execution likely to be postponed. Alison was widowed from her husband Jasper Mayne who was killed in the

battle of Flodden. Eye witnesses report 2 women fleeing the scene.

23

The Edinburgh Evening Courant

1 Penny Scots Thursday 31st August 1535

24

ACTIVITY WORKSHEET 3 – MARY KING’S WORDSEARCH

L A I G H E S X C R U S I E I

F H V L A Z E C H U R O P U T

C L O S E R I T E U I A O P A

A S D S F G L H S P J K T L L

Z L S R Q C L L N V L B N S L

T M M O N B I C E Q E A R U I

O O G H O M A R Y K I N G Y T

C R L R D L B G Y R E I O U T

H H U B I V E B N E A I C H E

E Q W E O T T D Y M I P K C S

R H Y T T O G H R U I L P O N

B O B O W A T T S A M B N L A

A N V C C Y R H H L G L U R I

G T U E R E G N E L C L U O F

A L E X A N D E R C A N T N P

MARY KING CLOSE CHESNEY

ALEXANDER CANT MERK LAIGH

PLAGUE SETTILL FOUL CLENGER

TOCHER TOLBOOTH BOWATT

RATS GARDE LOO NOR LOCH

CRUSIE BAILLIES

ACTIVITY WORKSHEET 3 – MARY KING’S WORDSEARCH - ANSWERS

25

MARY KING CLOSE CHESNEY

ALEXANDER CANT MERK LAIGH

PLAGUE SETTILL FOUL CLENGER

TOCHER TOLBOOTH BOWATT

RATS GARDE LOO NOR LOCH

CRUSIE BAILLIES

L A I G H E S X C R U S I E I

F H V L A Z E C H U R O P U T

C L O S E R I T E U I A O P A

A S D S F G L H S P J K T L L

Z L S R Q C L L N V L B N S L

T M M O N B I C E Q E A R U I

O O G H O M A R Y K I N G Y T

C R L R D L B G Y R E I O U T

H H U B I V E B N E A I C H E

E Q W E O T T D Y M I P K C S

R H Y T T O G H R U I L P O N

B O B O W A T T S A M B N L A

A N V C C Y R H H L G L U R I

G T U E R E G N E L C L U O F

A L E X A N D E R C A N T N P

26

ACTIVITY WORKSHEET 4 - MARY KING’S LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT This is part of a document drawn up at the time of Mary King’s death in September 1644. It gives a detailed picture of her possessions, cash and debts. Some of the items show us how Mary King lived and worked. Mary King’s last Will and Testament September 1644

2 gold rings

6 silver spoons

a long settill (wooden bench settee)

3 buffet stools (small square or rectangular stool)

2 pairs of tongs

a variety of fire irons

2 tinned chamber pots

wine and beer

10 spools of ornate sewing thread

silk and velvet doublets (trousers worn by men)

14 pairs of sheets

over 60 cushions and pillows

4 plaids (length of tartan worn kilted round the body)

6 ruffs (collar worn round the neck)

9 dozen table napkins Complete this table by putting the items from Mary King’s will into the places she would have used them in life.

Bedroom Kitchen Living/dining Business Not Sure

27

CLASS EVALUATION SHEET (To be completed by the teacher as a class) Thank you for visiting ‘The Real Mary King’s Close’. To help us continue to improve our service we would appreciate your help in completing our evaluation sheet. Date of your visit ____________________________ What were your three favourite aspects of the visit? Is there anything you would improve about the visit? Was the visit what you expected and why? How useful did you find the Teachers Pack? Please elaborate… Would you recommend a visit to The Real Mary King’s Close and why? School ___________________________________________ Teachers Name ____________________________________ Please return to: Marta Coco Sales Executive The Real Mary King’s Close 2 Warriston’s Close High Street Edinburgh EH1 1PG Thank you!

28

The Real Mary King’s Close is operated by Continuum Attractions- visitor attraction operators and

specialists in the tourism and leisure industry. For more information on Continuum Attractions, please

visit http://www.continuumattractions.com

For Group enquiries please contact groups@continuumattractions.com or call 01904 261 262.

About Continuum Attractions:

Continuum Attractions lead the way in creating immersive and cultural heritage experiences that engage visitors with fascinating stories, brought to life in unforgettable and imaginative ways.

Continuum Attractions own, operate and manage seven cultural attractions across the UK: o Continuum Heritage Attractions

- The Real Mary King’s Close, Edinburgh - The Canterbury Tales, Canterbury - Oxford Castle Unlocked, Oxford - York's Chocolate Story, York

o Continuum Icon Attractions - Emirates Spinnaker Tower, Portsmouth

o Continuum Explore Attractions