0 8 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F O S / JANUARY 9, 1899.

WHER JOHD DI E N KNOX LIV EDINBURGN I EE LEGEN TH D DAN H? OF "JOHN KNOX'S HOUSE." BY ROBERT MILLER, F.S.A. Scot.

firse Th t referenc hous y f Joho an e o eent us provideKno e th n xr i fo d Edinburg foune minute b th o t n d f i Councis eo i h 156y l Ma 0date h d8t

:— proveste "th , bailies counsald an , l ordanis Alexander Park, thesaurer, to delyuer to Johne Carnis the sowme of xl. li. for furnesching of thair minister John Knox in his houshold; and becaus the said John Knox hes bene furnesit vpone David Forresteris expenssis sen his cuming to thi . dayi se spacxv th touf s o e lastbipastn b , ordani e saith sd Johne Carnis to ressavc the said David comptis, and mak him payment of the e b o t . li e sowm . th xl f o f sowmeeo e d firsth en t n s o debursi m hi e b t delyueri Deae him.o t t Th f Guild'no " s account o t e perio th y r dMa sfo October 1560 contain alsfollowine oth g item :—"to Margaret barnes hi , 1 [Hepburn] e relic th f ,umquhil o t l Patrik e saiIrlandth d r Johnifo , s howss maill at the heving [leaving?] thereof x marks." On the 15th of May in this same year, 1560, the treasurer was ordered to pay for "ane lo Johno kt e Knox ludgeing." difficultA y arise mant thisw a sho ypoino t house s a t indicatee sar n di these reference paymentso t s . There might possibl e threeyb , there ar e almost certainly two t therbu , e might onlquits i e one yt b eI permis. - sibl interpreo et t e absencthemth n i , f furtheeo r identification applys a , - separate th in o gt e house Cairnsf so , Forrester Ireland d equalls i an ,t I .y permissibl o assert e t that Cairn d madha s e provisio r Knonfo x being lodged in Ireland's house at Forrester's expense. The dates would authorise such a supposition, but the probabilities and the natural inter- pretation of the Council minute are against it. 1 This curious mistake was made by the clerk wheu transcribing the accounts in 1560. WHERE DID JOHN KNOX LIVE IN EDINBURGH? 81

The minute of 1st June 1560, by which the treasurer was ordained " to delyuer to Johne Carnis the sowme of xx. li. for furnesing of Johne Willok, precher," is one amongst several that would seem to indicate that Cairns, who held the position of " Eeader" in St Giles', was also e agenth t through whom payments were generally mad n accouno e f o t the ministers entriese Th . , interprete thin i d s light rathem , refehi ro t r as paymaster than as what, in modern parlance, would be described as a "keepe f furnisheo r d apartments. regards A " s Forrester, however, .the case is different. It was in his house that Lord Seton, who was Provost of Edinburgh in 1558-59, was lodged, and his expenses were defrayed by the Council. The minute of 2nd September 1559, which orders these expenses to be paid, indicates that Lord Seton resided there from Whitsunday until August. Forrester's house would thus be naturally regarded by the Council as a fitting abode for Knox when he arrived in Edinburg n t 1560hi leasta , or ,, unti mora l e permanent residence could be secured. David Forreste bailia s f Edinburgheo wa r f o membea e d on an f , o r d patriciaol e th n familie e burghth f o s. Adam Forreste s "Alderwa r - man" or Provost in 1373. His descendants became the Lord Forresters of Corstorphine d wer e an founder, eth s ancienit f o s t collegiate church. Forrester's Wynd had its name from them, and it was here that David Forrester lived. This wyn fron e Higdra mth h e CowgateStreeth o t t , and opened on the High Street on the spot where the Buccle'uch statue now stands. Almost opposite Forrester's Wynd littla t ebu , fartheo t r entrance th weste s th o wa Ireland',et s Close custoe ,th nameds mwa s a , timethe of , fro ma famil Irelanof y Irlanor dreside who d d there. Their house was at the bottom of the close, and stood on a spot opposite the south-east corner of the Bank of Scotland, which is now occupied by the houses of St Giles' Street. This close was afterwards called Dunbar's Close, changing its name, as was the common practice, with its owner. A sasine of 1st February 1754 records that at that date three generations of Dunbars had owned property here. Popular tradition asserted that it wa titlw s giveene because nth e house t weri n si e occupie victore th y db s P vol.. xxxui. 82 PBOCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, JANUARY 9, 1899.

aftee Battlth r f Dunbaro e e neighbourina hous th d n ei an , g closs ewa residence th pointe s a t f Cromweleo dou l himself t sobebu ; r history must, record the more prosaic reason. As far back as 1536 (21st November), sasines bear-witness to a tenement in this locality which had been possessed by " the late John Ireland," and the property can be traced through sasines of 1538 (28th May), 1538-39 (3rd March), 1540 (4th and 13th November), 1541 (!9th August and 23rd December), 1543 (20th December 154o t ) 3 (21st December), when a tenement here came into possession of Patrick Ireland, son of the late John Irelan Margared dan t Hepburn spouses hi , resignatioy b , n from David Ireland saie th heid f an lato r , n seisees " so John,wa n i do "wh properte same th th en yo dat assignatioy b e n r fro s mothehe mhi d an r second husband. David possessed already wha beed ha tn apparentle yth front portion of his father's property abutting on the High Street. The property of Patrick Ireland is identified (21st December 1543) as being bounded by " a tenement and lands respectively of John Arbukill and Robert Adamso weste Nortth e th n , no e hnorthth e Loc th d n an ho , waste backlan f thdo e said tenemen tenemene southe th th d n d an o ,t an t lands respectivel late heire th eth f Jamef so yo s M'Calzean late th e d ean Walter Young oil the east." The identification of property from a descriptio f 154o n 3 might possibl opee b yo challengt n vitiates ea y b d the burnings of Edinburgh in 1544 and 1545, but a sasine of 22nd Octo- ber 1551 identifies the tenement by practically the same boundaries— "tenement of Patrick Ireland, bvirgess, on the north side of the High Street, between a tenement of Mr Thomas Makcalzeane on the east, a tenemen late th e f Joho t n Arbukllate th e Eoberd ean t Adamsoe th n no west, and the North Loch on the north." Thomas Makcalzeane had become proprietor Septembeh 4t n o , properte r th hale 1551 f th o ff f o ,yo "Walter Young, referred to in the. sasine of 1543. This makes the descriptions of 1543 and 1551 identical. It appears from another sasine of 1551 (31st July)sasina d f 13tean ,o h April 1552, that Patrick Ireland wa bailisa t thaea t s timeownershiHi properte . th f po y describen dca e traceb d further through sasine f 12to s h January 1552-5 d 30t3an h WHER JOHD DI E N KNOX LIV EDINBURG3 N I 8 E H?

March 1554, until he is referred to, in connection with the ownership of sam e surroundind th ean g properties lat e "s th ea , Patrick Irelant 1s dn "o April 1559. But his name had not quite disappeared from the neighbour- hood in 1754, when in the sasine of 1st February already referred to, the tenement in question was described as situated " at the end or foot called e closeool th f f do , Ireland's Close Dunbar'w no , s Close." nexe Th t item that refers explicitl particulay an o yt r hous retaines ea d for John Knox is that in the Council minutes for 4th September 1560—"the bailie d counsaillan s , haveing consideratioune th that r fo , f Johno s eei Knox, minister, Johne Durie, talyeour, removi furtm hi th of the ludgeing occupyit be the abbot of Drumfermeling to the effect the said minister mycht enter thairto, ordanis Alexander Park thesaurer to content and pay to the said Johne Durie the sowme of viij. merkis, and the samyn sail be allowit, etc.; and als the saidis bailies and counsaill faithfullie promittis sonthaw ho et providthay ima e saith ed minister ane vther ludgeing, to enter the said Johne to the possessioun thairof. o otheN t "bee rye itens mha discovere d than helca o t p identify the " abbot of Drumfermeling's ludgeing." Wherever it was, it was clearly intended that the occupation should only be temporary. A comparison of dates would indicate that it might either be Patrick Ireland's house already referred to, or another house in which John Knox was residing five month casey occupatios an s hi , n lateri t bu ;Ireland'f no s house and of this, if it be a separate house, was of very short duration. The next item in order, that of 14th February1 1560-61, brings us to Knox's first settled residenc n Edinburghi e t i agai f i ,n e shoulb t no d identified wit house hth e that Durie vacated treasuree Th ordere.s wa r d on tha "y t datRoberpa o et t Mowbray, heretou e houth sf o roccupyi e b t Jhone Knox, . . . the sum of x merkis as for the dewtie thairof the tym samyne eth occupyis saie ewe th d e Johnfesb e t f Mertymath o t o et s last and fra thinefurth to pay him termelie according to fyftie merkis in the yeir so lang as the samyne sail be occupyit be him." This extract shows that a fifth part of a year's rent was paid for the time that Knox printee th n 1I d extracts thi 12ts si h February. 84 PfiOCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, JANUARY 9, 1899.

occupied this house before Martinmas 1560. Allowine th r gfo tham su t broken monthso periotw f o dt i bring, e dat th f sKnox' o e s entry very close to 4th September, on which day he was evidently living in Durie's house e evidenceTh . , however n favoue i identificatio, th f o r f Mowo n - bray's house with Durie' t conclusiveno quits s si i t i es possiblea , , though it can hardly be said probable, that the Council may have succeeded in renting Mowbray's hous a permanen s a e t residenc r Knofo e x withina few days of the passing of the minute of 4th September. The phraseology of that minute, on the other hand, scarcely points to an occupation of Durie's house that was to extend to over six years. The Council records show that rent was ordered to be paid for Mow- bray's hous 12t1 he01 February 1560-61, 29th November 1564, "as vther thesavrari s don he f sbefore,o e d 25tan " h September 1566 t I was. , therefore, in this house that the " warm study of deals" was erected, which has always been so prominent in the popular accounts of John Knox. The order to build it, which was given to the Dean of Guild on 5th November 1561, was one of the few items from the Council records referring to Knox that had become public property :—" with all deligence to mak ane warme studye of daillis to the minister, Jhonne Knox, withi s lugeinhi n g e abonsamyn th e hal f th eo l, with lychtid an s wyndokis l vthethairtal d r oan necessaris.thin i s houswa t I e" that Knox's first wife, Marjorie Bowes, died in the close of the year 1560; and it was to this house that Knox brought his second wife, Margaret Stewart, in 1564, a girl of seventeen. It was here also that Knox enter- taine Duke dth Chatelheraulf eo Englise th d htan residen ambassadorr o t , Randolph, at the historical supper-party of the last Sunday in November .1562, whe nbess Knosecurhi o t t d adhesioe xdi eth e Duk e th th f o ent o Englise Reformerse sidth th f d eo han . The history of the property on which Mowbray's house stood has been traced back in the protocol books to before 1539. The names of two John Browns, fathe sond e prominenan ar r, title-deede th n i t s that refer to it. John Brown, the father, had possessed the whole strip of land, with the buildings upon it, that extended from the High Street to the WHERE DID JOHN KNOX LIVE IN EDINBUKGH ? 85

North Loch. John Brown, the son, would seem to have been the owner only of the portion that fronted the High Street. This John Brown, youngere th executes yeae wa , th r n i d153a heretic,'i s 9a n virtua f eo sentence pronounce Cardinay db Highouss e l Beatohi th hd n ei Stree an n; t s granteforfeiture wa th s propertien hi r Jameo d f M o e a so t Eoulis f so Colinton ,e Eolls th Cler f .o k "The backlands," extending from this house to the North Loch, were found in possession of Elizabeth Carkettill in the year of this John Brown's death. She, with the consent of her husband, Adam Stewart, resigned this property on 23rd September n thii s sam r threehe yea eo t rdaughters—Katherin e Hopper, Janet Hopper, and Helen Stewart—and their husbands, with the exception of a small portio extreme th t na e north end, bounde Norte th y hdb Lochd an , extending 5J ells from north to south, which she had disposed of to Thomas Chisholm and Helen Napier, his spouse. The first-named of the three daughters was married to Andrew Mowbray. On 22nd November 1549, George Lundyf Heleo n nso , Stewar d Davian t d Lundy, became seised of the third of the property that had passed to his mother, and he execute a dresignatio same th f thi o nen o sdat o Katherint e e Hopper, describe foresaie relice th th f s o ta d d Andrey w Ma Mowbray h 4t n O . 1555, Eobert Mowbray, son of Katherine Hopper, obtained possession of the whole property that had passed from Elizabeth Carkettill to her daughters, by seizin of his late father's third part of his mother's share, e thirth f do thad tan belonge o Janet d t Hopper, describe relics a d f o t Mr Hugh Eigg. It appears from the protocol books of Alexander Guthrie, Town-Clerk of Edinburgh, that an instrument of sasine was expede on 8th April 156 n favou3i f Eobero r t e latMowbray th d heie f an Andreo r n so , w Mowbray Joiied an , t Cant futurs ,hi e spouse certain i , n propertie botn so h e nort th d soutan h he Hig th side hf o sStreet , including that already referred to in the sasine of 1555.' The description of this latter propert s interestingyi s mori t i e s particularla , y identifie beiny db e th g

propertiee 1Th s already belonge Mowbrayo dt .• The y wersettlew eno d jointly ou himsels futurhi d e an fwife . 6 8 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , JANUAR , 13999 Y .

residence of John Knox,—" thereafter the said bailie (Andrew Sklater) passed to a tenement of land of the late John Brown, lying on the north e saith sidd f eo burgh , betwee a ntenemen f lano tf Davio d d Fernelie on the east, and a tenement of land of Eobert Hopper on the west, and ther saie eth d Eobert (Mowbray) resigned delivery b , eartf yo stond han e inte e handsaioth th d Whold f so bailiean greas l ehi Al , t mansiod nan building, together with the garden and tail of the same, now inhabited by John Knox, minister, with their pertinents, lying within the said tene- ment between the North Loch on the north and the foreland of the said tenement on the south." progresA f titleo s s connecting Mowbray's sasine e wit title th hf th eo present proprietors of the greater portion of the ground, who are the Corporation of Edinburgh, has been made out partly from the protocol e bookvariouth f o s s town-clerks partld an , y from existing titles. From thes exace eth t situatio e subjectth f no s containe n Mowbray'i d s sasine can, with certainty, be ascertained. The first link in the progress after Mowbray's sasine is a sasine, of date 28th March 1565 favoun i , f Robero r e clerke th th t f f Scotto so e on , Lords of Council, and Elizabeth Scott, his spouse, proceeding on a resignation by Robert Mowbray and his spouse " of the backlands of the said Robert Mowbray, builwasted an t , unde d abovean r , with garden, tail, waste, porch, close, and transe thereof, having ish and entry by the. front and by the back, lying within a tenement of the late John Brown, burgess, on the north side of the High Street, between a tenement of e latlanth e f do Davi d a tenemen Fairli e east d e th lat an th ,n e o ef o t Eobert Hopper on the west, the foreland of the said tenement on the southcertaia d an ,n piecsaie th f dtai eo f lando l s pertainin heire th so gt of the late Thomas Chisholm lying beside the North Loch on the north." It will be noticed that this latter boundary—that by the late Thomas Chisholm's " piece of tail" on the north—carries back the identification to the resignation executed by Elizabeth Carkettill on 23rd September 1539.1 s showinA e persistencgth f thes o eboundariesd ol e , this "piece of tailf o " 1 Chisholm's is found regularly referred to as late as 1678 (20th May). WHERE DID JOHN KKOX LIVE IN EDINBURGH ? 87

The contract of 24th March 1564-65, in pursuance of which this sasin f 156o e s effectedwa 5 , identifie e propertth s y - furthein s a r habited by John Knox — " the samyn and all their pertinentis now inhabe e Johnnb t e Knox, ministe f Edinburgho r , lyand withie th n hurgh of Edinburgh, on the north syd of the Hie Streit thairof, within the tenement of umquhile Johnne Broun, betuix the foirland of the said tenement at the south pairte, and the Pece Taill of land pertening to the airis of umquhile Thomas Chisholme on the north pairte, with the Yet, Throchgand Entered an , s thairtol utherial d an s, thair pertenintis; quhilk Tenement of umquhile Johnne Broun lyis in the said burghe, on the north pairte of the Hie Streit thairof, betuix the tenement of umquhile Farnlie easth t e tenemenn pairteo eth d an ,f lan o t d (of) umquhilr M e Richard Hopper on the west pairte." With this full identificatio e propertth f o n n questionyi , o thern s i e necessity for entering so minutely into the particulars of its history since 1565. Mr Robert Scott, son of the Robert Scott, Clerk of Session, was e subjectinfefth n i n 23rt o s d Septembe succeedem hi ro t 1568 d d an , his son, John Scott, in 1593 (30th March) (designed in a later sasine as Mr John Scott of Tarvet), who sold the property in 1612 (10th December) to Thomas Spier, merchant, burgess of Edinburgh. On the death of Thomas Spier, his three daughters succeeded (1616, 28th December) to the property, and on one of them dying a few years later, the other two becam o indivisoepr proprietor f one-halo s f each n 162I . 9 (1st May) Rachael Spier, one of the surviving daughters of Thomas Spier, and then wif f Joheo n Jackson, alienate r hal Thomao dhe t f s Charters, merchant. Process of division followed in 1630, and the property was divided up between Thomas Charters and Sarali Spier, who was the other surviving daughter of Thomas Spier, and is described in the sasine to her that followe e proceedingth d t Jul1s yn o s1631 r s "relic,Robera M f o tt Foullis, advocate." The position of Mowbray's property becomes localised in more modern terms in the sasine to Charters (1630, 29th April) boundes a , "y d b Bruce' s west. e Closth n "eo l Henry Chartersn so , 1 A sasine of 25tli January 1566, and previous sasiues, give the origin of the name 8 8 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , JANUARY 9, 1899.

of Thomas Charters, succeede s father'hi o dt s portio subjectse th f nd o an , alienate r JameSi o t st d i Hop f Hopetoneo e Senator, th Knight f o e s on , of the College of Justice, sasine in whose favour was recorded 13th October 1652. The "other-portion of the subjects also fell into the hands of the Hopeton family, and in 1686 (29th September) Charles Hope of Hopeton alienate whole dth e subject Alexandeo st r Abercrombie, vintner. thin I s sasin properte eth agais yi n referre s boundea o dt e clos "y th b de called Bruce' s west.e Closth n e"o Abercrombie appears soon afterwards to have got into difficulties, 'and Kobert Watson, one of his creditor's, obtained from the Cour f Sessiono t Decembe 1s n o , r 1694 "decreea , t of vendition and alienation" of the subjects in his favour. That decreet was assigned to Robert Mill (or Milne) of Balfarg, the King's master- mason d Patrican , k Steill, merchant, burges f Edinburgho s o werwh ,e same infefth en i tsubject 18tn o s h November 1696 sasine Th .thein e i r favour narrated that thed builyha a greattenemen w ne t t upoe th n "greater e subjectspartth e propertf "o Th . s referrei y e o ith t nd various documents that passed between Abercrombie, Watson, Milld an , Steill, as bounded by Bruce's Close on the west. A property that in- tervened between Abercrombie's propert d Maran y y King's Closs wa e acquired als Mily d Steilob an l l from Thomas Youn f Eosebanko g e on , e bailie•oth f f Edinburgho s e sasinTh n thei.i e r favour bears date 18th November 1696, and the property is described as bounded on the wes "thy b t e e latlandth e f o Kobers eas e "thy tth b t Scott,n eo d "an tense of the said [King's] Close." The building erected by Mill and Steill on Scott's property extended also over this property as far as the line of Mary King's Close. Subsequent sasinee yearth f sso 1697, 1698 1699d ,an , recordee th n di

" Brace's Close." Robert Brac f Binnino e g grante n thadi t yea mark4 2 r s yearly out of Ms "backland" to Thomas M'Calzeane of Cliftonhall, advocate, the same wh s referrei o o frequentlt d e textth .n i yThi s "backland s i describe" s a d bounded on the east by "a tenement of the late —— Carkettill, now pertaining to Robert Scott, writer,"—the tenemen n whici t h John Knox lived. Bruce's Close has been better know morr nfo e tha hundreo ntw d year Warristos sa Warriston'sr n(o ) Close. It ran between the properties owned in 1566 by Brace of Binning and Scotr. WHERE DID JOHN KNOX LIVE IN EDINBURGH ? 89

protocol book f -SSneao s s MacLeod, giv histore e alienatioeth th f yo f no differene th t portion buildine th f o s g erecte Mily Steild b an l l between Bruce's Close and Mary King's Close, and in these documents the name Brace's Close is replaced by the modern designation, Warriston's Close, boundare asth weste th largs acquireA n .y o wa e t i par n 169i f do t 9 e Societth y f b Writeryo Signete th ordere o o t st wh ,pu boarda e b o dt , wit e inscriptionup th h , ""Writers' Court," whic s beeha h a nfamilia r name ever since s boundarieIt . accuratele sar y define thesn d i late d ean r title-deeds. A sasine of 1702 (17th November) refers to " that new stone tenement of land lately built by Eobert Milne, wright, and Patrick Steill, merchant, commonly called the Writers' Court, lying on the north side of the High Street, bounded between the close called Mary King' se eastClose th clos th ,n o e called Warriston'se th Clos n o e west. The history of the " backlands" of John Brown, father of him who was execute heresr dfo 1539completen yi w no s ,i , along withe thath f o t buildings which had existed on them at different times. They are repre- sented by a strip of land on the eastern side of Warriston's Close, which bees ha n recently appropriate e extensioth Royae r th fo d f no l Exchange buildings e correspondinth d an , gnorte piecth f Cockburhn o o e n Street e Nort th site f th eo betweeh d Loche fronan Th t nti . portioe th f o n elder John Brown's property, which, it will be remembered, passed into r handJohe M th nf s o Fouli f Colintonso , belonge Corth als w o -t osno poration of Edinburgh, which thus possesses so much of that long strip of his which extended to the North Loch as is bounded by the High Street on the south and Cockburn Street on the north, and by the line presene oth f t Warriston west e Closth n . eo Mowbray's property, which had John Knox as one of its tenants, contained a house and garden, situate bettee th s a ,r clas housef so s were situate littla t a ,e distance from frone higth r o t h street. John Rnox's hoxis thus ewa s eithe secone th r d or third hous Warriston' w whatn ei no s i situates se Closewa th d n do an , eas closee t th sid f ,eo with another property—that purchase 169n di y 6b Mill and Steill from Thomas Young—intervening between it and Mary 0 9 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , JANUAE , 1899Y9 .

King's Close, which was the next close to the east. The western portion of the Cockhurn Hotel now extends over part of the garden that was attache Mowhray'o dt Knox'r so s house. tenemene Th t erected hy Mild Steilan l l stood, until quite recentlyt a , north-wese th t Eoyacornee th f lo r Exchange acquires Squarewa t I d. e Corporation 189th i y 6b f Edinburghno demolisheo wh , o makt t di e extension a wa r Cite yfo th y f nChambero s buildings. Amon titlee gth s of the tenement, which were handed to the city when it was purchased e bCouncilyth inventorn a s i , f writsyo , date h Apri8t d l 1696, which contains most of the writs in the progress which have been already mentionedadditionw e Councine th e o Th t s .l Chamber occupo t e sar y its site, and, together with their corridors, will extend right through from the site of Mary King's Close on the east to Warriston's Close on weste t appearsth I . , then buildine , th tha s a t g whic Burge hth h Court and Council Chamber is to replace occupied the " greater part" of the groun whicn o d e houshth e formerly stood s occupiethawa t Johy b d n Knox e deliberation e westerhomth w th , r ne fo ee ne th th par f f o so t Town Council of Edinburgh will occupy the exact site of the home, for the most important years of his life, of the great Scottish Eeformer, who wa intimatelo s s y associatede witth e Town th i h y n da Counci s hi f o l years which he spent on this spot. The next reference to rent paid by the Town Council of Edinburgh is that containe e minutth n f i d19to e h November 1568—the Treasurer ordained " to cause mend and repair the necessaris of Jhone Knox dwelling hous, vpou expenssie nth Johnf so e Adamsou Bessid nan e Otter- bur s spousnhi , conjunct fear thairof d deducan , e samyth e f thaio n r hous maill, becaus thai haif ben t tymeeof ssamye requyrith d o nd an o t t refussit." searcA s beehha n protoco e madth n ei l e bookTown-Clerkth f so f so Edinburgh for the purpose of finding the title of John Adamson and Bessie Otterburne, his spouse, in the hope of identifying the house in which Knox lived during t leasta , , 156 resul1569e d 8an Th t. leaveo sn neighbourhooe th doubo t s a t whicn di h Knox residede identith t -bu , WHERE DID JOHN KNOX LIVE IN EDINBURGH? 91

t proveficationo s exaco ds nha thas a t connection i t n wit propertiee hth s of Forrester, Ireland, and Mowbray. It has been found that John Adamson and Bessie Otterburne, his spouse, were iiifef n threi t e different properties r otheo f e whico r on , h must have containe house dth eforegoine referreth n i o dt g minute. The sasine in favour of John Adamson and Bessie Otterburne in these propertie recordeds protocoe swa th n i l book f Alexandeso r King, Town- Clerk n 31so , t July 1551 t narrateI . s that Patrick Ireland, bailie,1 gave " corporal possession in heritable sasine and conjunct infeftment" to John Adamson, son and heir of Alexander Adamson, burgess of Edin- burgh, and to an attorney in name of Elizabeth Otterburne, his spouse, and the longest liver of them two, in:—(1) All and Whole his, the said John Adamson's lands, buil wasted an t , unde aboved an r , with yard, tail, waste thereof, and their pertinents, lying within the wester tenement of Francis Tennand, son and heir of the late Mungo Tennand, burgess, lying in the burgh of Edinburgh, on the north side of the High Street, between the easier tenement of the said late Mungo' on the east, and the tenement of land of John Symson on the west, and also between the land of Patrick Crighton of Lugton on the south, and the North Loch of said burgh on the north; (2) His, the said John Adamson's other land, with halls, chambers, kitchen, pend, and other pertinents lying within e saith d tenement, betwee e forelannth de e thereosouthth th d n an o ,f said land of the said Patrick Crighton on the north; and (3) His, the said John Adamson's lan mansionr o d , unde d abovean r , wit s pertihit - nents, lying withi e tenemennth e late heir th f lanth e o f tf Johso do n Maxton on the north side of the High Street, between a tenement of land laire o th ff Haltou do tenemena e east d th late an ,n th neo f Alexandeo t r Bonkile westth a lann , o f lJoh o d n Cunyngha e southa th d n man ,o land of the Abbot and Convent of Newbottill on the north. These are e onlth y properties which belonge o Adamsot d d Otterburnean n , ort a , least, to which they had a duly recorded title.

1 This is the Patrick Ireland in whose widow's (Margaret Hepburn's) house Kno residins wa x g during par f 1560o t . 2 9 PEOCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , JANUAR , 1899Y9 .

Further searc bees hha n protocoe madth n ei invene th l booksn i - d an , tories of writs and old plans in the possession of the Bank of Scotland, for purpose th locatinf eo g these properties, wit followine hth g resulte Th . property first described stood partly on what is now a portion of the solu t GileS f mo s Streett Gileshoe S th e d sitpartl n pi f sth an eo , n yo Street occupied by Messrs William Green & Sons, law publishers. The property second described lay to the south of the first property, the tene- ment of Patrick Crighton of Lugton intervening, and was situated imme- diately behin e fronth d t tenement facin e Higth g h Streete thirTh d. propert s situateywa d nearly opposite e corneth f Higo r h Streed an t Hunte t soma r y Squareela distancd an , e north froe Higmth h Street It stood about the south side of. the Poultry Market, which has only recently been removed n consequenci , f buildino e g operation connecn si - tion Nortwit w formatioe ne hth he Bridgth f no e Street. progrese Th titlef so e thre f eacth so f eho propertie s subsequene th o t t sasine above mentione e brieflb y ydma notice o shothit dw wsho identi- fication of sites has been reached. firse Th t infeftmen firse th t n i subjectt s containe John di n Adamson's Bessid an e Otterburne's sasine, after tha f Joho t n Adamso Bessid an n e Otterburne themselves s tha f Alexandewa o ,t r Adamson, their sono ,wh create 158n di 50 burdea merk 10 f so n ovee propertth r favoun yi f o r Hector Eae, merchant. n 160I 2 (2nd June sasina ) expeds ewa thin ei s portio subjecte th f no s in favour of George Heriot, elder, goldsmith, father of the George Heriot who founded Heriot's Hospital e descriptioTh . n thii n s sasine varies somewhat from the description given in the sasine of John Adamson and Bessie Otterburne follows a s i t sI :•—. "That lan tenemenr do Alexf o t - ander e latAdamson th d heie f an o Johr n nso , Adamson,e lyinth n go north side of the High Street, opposite the Old Tolbooth, between the lands of the late Gilbert Lauder on the east, the land of the late Mi- Thomas Makcalzeane of Clifton Hall on the west, the lands of the late Patrick Crighto e ISTortf Lngtoe th o nsouth th d hn an o n,Loc h on the north." The words introduced in this description, "opposite WHER JOHD DI EN KNOX LIV EDINBUEG3 N I E9 H?

Tolbooth,d Ol f importancee o th e ar " s helpina , o localist g e subth e - jects. . The next sasine found in the protocol books is one in 1625 (31st January favoun )i f Franciscetto r a Heriot, spouse f Joho , n Cerarisd an , lawful daughter of Patrick Heriot, brother-german of the late George Heriot, jeweller to His Majesty, as lawful and nearest heir of the late George Heriot, elder, goldsmith, burgess of Edinburgh, her grandfather. This sasine is in the subjects in which George Heriot, senior, was iiifeft 1602n i annuan a d als n , an oi 0 merk l 10 ren f e so tth payablf o t ou e subjects. Immediately thereafter the said Franciscetta Heriot, with consent of her spouse, resigned the said subjects and annual rent of 100 merk favoun se i Provost th f o r , Bailies d Councian , Edinburghf o l o wh , were infeft therei persothe theinin nof r Treasurer. The property thus conveyed to the Provost, Bailies, and Council was hel a shorthey db r mfo t tim s Governora e f Heriot'o s s Hospitald an , was sold by them in 1635 (18th August) to Patrick Forbes, merchant, and Elizabeth Newton s spouse.hi , o informatioN 1 importancy an f o n e cae obtaineb n d froe varioumth s infeftments which followed,2 until we coma sasin o t ef 169 o e n 1favoui f Thomao r s Brown, bookseller, burges Edinburghf so , which give descriptioe th s subjecte th e f th no n si The sasine on vendition and alienation to Patrick Forbas and Elizabeth Newton 1 bears to have been executed by the Provost, Bailies, and Treasurer of Edinburgh, Mr James Hannay (Dea t Giles')S f no r Alexande M , r Thomson othersd an , , ministerf so Edinburgh, as Governors of Heviot's Hospital. This Dean Hannay was the only Dean of Edinburgh on the attempted restoration of Episcopacy by Charles I. It was whilst he was reading for the first and last time the prayer-book, which had been imposed upon Scotlan Royay b d l command, thae tumulth t t occurre t GilesS n i d ' (1637) whicn i , stooh a hurles Dean'e th wa l t da s head e .signae th th Thir s fo l swa disorders that brought about the Civil War and the subsequent beheading of the King. 2 The following are the remaining Links :—1645, April 22nd, Sasine to Robert Fynla r Finlayw[o Margared ]an t Maisson spouss hi , e; 1654 r Jame11thy Si ,Ma o ,t s Stewar f Kirkiieldo t , Knight, late Provos f Edinburgo t h; 1666 , October 24tho t , Alexr. Lessels, merchant, and Margaret Thomson, his spouse ; 1686, March llth, to John Lessels, merchant, burges f Haddingtono s , brothe e afore th d hei o an -t rr mentioned Alexr. Lessel s; 1691 , August 15th Thomao t , s Brown, bookseller, burgess of Edinburgh Calderwood— — d an ,spouses hi , . - 94 PKOCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, JANUARY 9, 1899.

terms already mentioned addd an , s tha greaa tston w ne te tenemend ha t lately bee nsubjecte builsaie th th dn o ty Thomasb s Brown. This stone tenement came into the hands of the Bank of Scotland, who were infeft therein in 1801 (12th November). It was removed when St Giles Stree s formedwa t . e seconTh d subjects containe n i Johd n Adamson' d Bessian s e Otterburne's sasine passed in 1585 (24th February) to Alexander Adamson d hei f Johan o r n nso , Adamso d Bessinan e Otterburned an , n 160i from 0mhi (10t h May Joho t ) n Aitken, merchant thed an n ,ni 1610 (22nd September) to Robert Aitken, his son and heir. In Eobert Aitken's sasine e descriptioth s a littl s i ne fuller than that given i n e previouth s sasines d givean , s some furthe re localit th ligh n f o to y e subjectsth e descriptioTh . n bear sclose thath e subject en th ti y la s called Adamson's e easCloseth e ttrans n th sido , f o e thereofn o d an , norte th he Hig th sid f heo Street, Tolboothd oppositOl e th e . Sasines in favour of various parties followed, but as these give no additional information, the ynoticede b nee t dno 1 unti com e sasina w l o et 169n ei 8 (24th August) in favour of Alexander Gavinlock, mason, burgess of Edinburgh. This Alexander Gavinlock demolished the buildings, and erected, partly on the site thereof, and partly on the site which inter- vened between Adamson's properte Higth hd Streetyan .nea , w stone building, whic s afterwardhwa s know s Gavinlock'a n s Landonle Th y . other sasine remaining to be noticed is that of the Bank of Scotland, which acquired Gavinlock's Land in 1848. The subjects in that sasine

The links are as follows :—1631, May 19, John Aitken, son and heir to Eobert, 1 who resigned them immediately to James Riddell, merchant, and Margaret Lowrie his spouse. 1672, March 25, Sasine on resignation by the said John Aitken in i favour of the aforesaid late James Eiddell, bailie. 1685, March 18, Decreet of Adjudication at the instance of Andrew Kerr, of the subjects foresaid. 1690, May 7, Letters of Horning thereon, charging the Magistrates of Edinburgh to infeft tlie said Andrew Kerr. , "An7 1697 y e Ma , appretiation fifteey b e nwary b swor n - ume rand fro Toue mth n Counci Edinburghf o l , whereby they found tha saie th td Back- land acquired by the said Alexander Gavinlock from the said Andrew Kerr on the West sid Bailif o e e Broun's Close. the . . y, valud estimat an 9 eyears t a e ' purchase," &c. WHER JOHD DI E N KNOX LIV EDINBURGHN I E 5 9 ?

are described as the great stone building now called Gavinlock's Land, e nortlyinth n he Higgo th sid f ho e Street d oppositan , e heath ef o d Forrester's Wynd. The situation of these two properties of John Adarason and Bessie Otterburne is thus placed beyond doubt. They both lay " opposite the Old Tolbooth." The ye nort th wer e n hHigo th e sid f ho e Street, " opposite the head of Forrester's Wynd." A tenement intervened between the second of them and the High Street, and this second property turn s wasit n ,i , separate firse d on tfro namee lande mth th y sdb of Patrick Crichto f Lugtono n e seconTh . d propert reaches ywa a y db close whic calles hi d Adamson's e sasineClosth n f 161i e1631d o s an 0 . buildinge Th ease th e present n th sidso f t o eGileS t s Street covee th r "d Adamson'ol e sitth f eo s Close,pavemene th eas e d th " t 1 an n sido t f eo e streeth s formei t d ove e rpropertie th par f o t s that belongede th n i , sixteenth century Joho t , n Adamso Elizabetd nan h Otterburne lande th , - lords of Knox, the Keformer. e thirTh d subjects containe John i d n Adamson' Bessid an s e Otter- burne's sasine passed deate 1585th n i , f John ho o , n Adamson Alexo t , - ander Adamson, his son; and after various infeftments,2 which all give the same description as that given in Adamson's sasine, they came, in 1684, int hande oth f Roberso t Newlands, glover, burges f Edinburghso . Robert Newlands, son of this Robert Kewlands of 1684, appears to have erectetenemenw e subjectsne th da n sasino A t . s foundei f dato , e 22nd June 1711, proceedin obligation a n go himy n b whic n i , sube th h- ject describee sar sai e "s dth a d Robert Newlands' tenemen norte th hn o t side of the High Street, in the close called the Mid Fleshmarket Close, 1 The Close giving access to properties here was known from the owners at different time s Adamson'sa s Close, Heriot's Close, and Broun's CloseSasine Se . e of 10,16101600y Ma , , Septembe 1631d an "Adamson'r , , fo Mar22 , y19 s Close"e ;th " Appretiatione'' of May 7, 1697, for " Bailie Broun's Close"; the Sasine of August 24, 1698, referre aboveo dt "Hartis,r fo , " (sic "r )o Heriot's Close." 2 1602, January 15, George Kirkwood, Albany Herald. 1613, October 23, George Kirkwood, younge precedingf o n rso . 1647, Apri , Elizabet9 l h Kirkwood, daughter of preceding. 1675, September 13, Sir James Standsfield o£ Newmilns, Knight. 1684, Augus , Rober18 t t Newlauds, glover. 96 PKOCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, JANUARY 9, 1899.

e easoth n e ttrans th sid f eo e thereof, betwee e lanth n d sometimf o e Alexander Borthwick, vintner e easte tenementh th e lat,n o th ,e f o t Eobert Hepburne of Whitburgh on the north, a tenement of Robert Brown, bookseller e sai e southth de west.th d th closn t an I ,o n ," o e wile seeb l n that this new description doe t containo s n anythino t g identify it with the old description contained in John Adamson's sasine. Therdoubto n s ei , however descriptiono ,tw thae th t s relatsame th eo et property. Both same pointh eo t tspot sasinA . f 21seo t January 1691 mentions that John Maxton's tenement, referred to in the description in Adamson's sasine, lay " on the north side of the High Street, opposite the Salt Iron," thus establishing the fact that the locality of the old descriptio same new.e th thas th s ea f o 1ntwa The subjects known as Kewlands' Land passed through various liands after Newlands ceaseconnectee b o t d dd ultimately witan , it h n 15to , h January 1790 a sasin, s founi e e citfavoun i df th Edinburgy o f o r f o h the ground storey of the tenement.2 That sasine gives some further in- formation in regard to the locality of the subjects. It mentions that e westh n t o the sid y f Bull'yela o s Close, that bein e closth g e immedi- d FleshmarkeMi e th e eas atelf th o t o ytt Closee sasinTh f 1711.o e , taken along with this, suggests thatenemene th t t extended betweee nth two closes t woulI . d appear thaproperte th t y thus acquire cite th y y b d

Other evidence fro Stene mth t Rolls Registee th , f Deedso r e Dea th ,f Guil o n d 1 Cour t adjoinine Recordstitlee th th f o d gan , properties necessart , whicno s i t hi o y t go into minutely, can be adduced to confirm this. 2 Extract from "Title e Edinburgth o t s h Markets":—"1771, Septembe , Dis6 r - positio y Williab n m Wilso f Soonhopeo n , write n Edinburghi r , truste r Roberfo e t Bailie, merchant in Edinburgh, conform to the said Robert Bailie's trust disposition dated 12th March 1756 d registere an ,e Book th f Councin i o sd d Sessioan l 2 2 n August 1789, in favour of the said Wm. Wilson and other creditors, of the ground storey f Newlandso ' Land , e nortlyinth n hge o Hig th sid f heo Streete westh tn o , sid f Bull'o e s Close s boundea ,e ancienth n i d t right d infeftmentan s s thereofn i , favour of John Stewart, writer in Edinburgh, who has right to the same by assigna- tion from William Reid, merchant f dato , Sept6 e . 1771 bougho wh ,e samth tt a e a roup on 9 Augt. 1771 ; and which ground storey of Newlands' Land was dis- poned by Thomas Scott, Clerk to the Signet, Commissioner of Thomas Balleny, tenan Soutn i t h Park CitLeslyf e so Edinburghth f yo o t , Januar5 1 n o , y 1790." WHER JOHD E DI ' N KNOX MVE IN 7 EDINBUKG9 H?

formed part of the recently removed Flesh and Poultry Markets. It may be added that Bull's Close and Mid Fleshmarket Close are riot now in existence. They were swept away when Cockburn Street was formed. Knox must have lived, during 1568 and 1569, if not longer,-in one of these three houses thus accurately identified—the second property from e Higth h ease Streeth presente n th sido t f t eGileo S t s Streete th r o , fourth property fro Hige mth h same Streeth en i tquarter secone th r o ,d fro Hige mth h Street, 'opposit presene cornee th eth f o r t Hunter Square ; indicatioo n t bu bees nha n discovered faro s , , which identifie particulaa s r on the-thref eo hiss ea . That must stil lefe lb t uncertain. No trace has been found pof any reference which could imply that Kno d changeha x s residenchi d e between 23rd November 1569, when pairens Joho t dwa t n Adamson1571y Ma ,d whean , n Kno forces xwa d to leave 'Edinburg a timee returner H fo h. d fro t AndrewS m n i s August 1572, afte a truc r d beeha en arranged which permitted Knox andfriendhis "to s freli e enter dwel and , theiin l r awin houses saias , l pleis them indurin saithe g d trewi abstinence.and s a curiou By "s coincidence withoue b t , no whic ty bearin questione ma h th n go a Joh, n Adamson's name—"Jhone Adamesoun"—appears as the first of three witnesse wills hi , o t whics executes ht wa Andrew S 1572y t a dMa . n si John Adamson, his Edinburgh landlord, was also one of his elders, and it is more than probable that he was amongst the number of those oppose e Queen'th o t d s part wero ywh e force leavo t d e Edinburgh along with Knox in obedience to the proclamation of Kirkcaldy of Grange. If that was so, both Adamson and Knox, as well as the others who had been compelle leaveo t d , would naturally return e aftee tructh th ro t e houses which they had left.

THE LEGEND OP "JoHN KNOX'S HOUSE."

A e Netherbohousth t a e Edinburgn wi popularls hi y called " John Knox's House, nam e sais i th hav o t dt d e "ego an fro m having beee th n residence of Knox, the Reformer. • There has not been discovered a VOL. XXXIII. 0 '98 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, JANUARY 9, 1899.

shado f historical.proowo f .for this statement e traditioth d an ,n that e traceKnob n dxca bact livei kn di onl 'abour yfo t ninety-two years ' from this present date of 1898.' This leaves a gap of two hundred and thirty-four years between -the e deatKnoth f f hQueexo o n Mary's time and the first trace that any- such belief existed. Onc legen startethe e was d d that John Kno reside xhad housa din e at the Netherbow, it grew apace. In its first two appearances in public, it was singularly plain and unadorned; but these are faults that were amply, atone r beforfo d e long. s StarkPicturehi n i f ,Edinburgh, o whic publishes hwa n 1806i d , describe supposee sth d hous follows ea : s .—" Among the antiquities of Edinburgh may be mentioned the house of ithe great Scottish Eeformer, John Knox t norte I standth . hn so side , t tha Hige th foo hf o tStreet projecting.intd an , streete oth , reducet si

;nearly one-hal s s beewidth.it ha f n o t fI state " d that "the valuf o e tradition is a question of circumstances," * but the " circumstances" .iher bala s ei d assertion wit possiblo hn e suggestio prooff no . t woulI : d seem e verth y , t indeeda outse f i s ta , there had. been some little doubwhico t s a ht particular hous than ei t neighbourhood should be associated with Knox. A Dean of Guild process of the year 1839 assigns the name to., the house immediately east of that now known as John.Knox's House Thi• . s hous s espokei f elsewherno s Lorda e , Bal- merino's house,2 and the process states that " on the morning of •Sabbath 17te th , h February 1839, tha wooded ol t n tenement (commonly .called John Knox's e nortLandth n he Netherbowo ) sidth . eof , Edin- burgh, belongin o Matthet g w Frier, baker t Patrick'S , s Square, fell down inte street th od tha an , t t parti stil f lo s remai a totterin n i n g condition." Warrant was granted on the 21st, ordering that the remain- ing parts of this tenement should be taken down or made secure. But the name, " John Knox's Land,"- was not attached to Frier's tenement alonee Dea Th f Guilo .n d officer reporte n 18to d h February that

1 . CJ Guthrie. n Pros.i , Soc. Ant. Scot., 1891 . 334p , , "Is John Knox's House Entitle Name th o det ?"

See Sir Daniel Wilson's Memorials of Edinburgh, vol. ii. p< 53. 2 THE LEGEN "F JOHDO N KNOX'9 9 s HOUSE."

another house, referred to also as, " commonly called John Knox's Land," and apparentl presene yth t " Jqlm Knox's insufficienHouse,n a "n s i "wa t and dangerou se inhabitant statth o t e se public. thereoth e d Th an "f fal Frier'f o l s tenemen d lefha tt thos eacn eo h t insecuresidi f eo . This second " John Knox's swa e tenemen Lant i westth e f s th I d ."n wa o t not so situated, the expression, "John Knox's Land" of these documents of 1839 cannot be connected with the "John Knox's House" of to-day. It will be noticed that the description given by Stark, bald as it is, mucs i h more definite than tha t Deae giveth f Guil no n ni d Court pro- ceedings of 1839. It connects Knox with one particular house, and apparently with tha ts Johknowa w n no nKnox' s House. Taking that for granted, a search which has been made in the Dean of Guild Court record s pushesha e moderth d n histor house th f eyo fifteen years farther back than the date of the publication of Stark's volume. These docu- ments show that the upper storeys or flats of this tenement had become ruinous by 1791, and the building was before the Dean of Guild Court regularly between that date and 1852, when it was reported at last to be "now perfectly safe, both in respect to the inhabitants and public." Warrant was granted on 28th August 1791 by the Court, at the suit of one of the proprietors, that the roof should be repaired, as the througy findinrais wa n wa e thir s d fourtth hit g dan h storeys inte oth second procesa d s issuean ;wa sn 19t o d h July 1798 agains e proth t - prietor of the upper storey for his share ' of the expense ; but in neither of these official paper thers si e any suggestio associatioy an f no n wite hth name of Knox. e arrivW n sureo e r grounyearw fe sa d later petitioA e . th o t n Magistrates by the Procurator-Fiscal, of date 30th December 1847, complained that the fourth storey of a tenement of land, commonly called "John Knox's Land, r "Knox'o " s Land," had, "fo a perior f do more than three years, lain wast uninhabited,d ean craved "an d authority to deal with it in accordance with the Act of Charles II. —" Alient Euinous House n Koyai s l Burghs." Compariso e proprietorsth f o n ' name n 1791i s , 1798 d 1847,an , sho-ws that this building, whics wa h 100 'PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, JANUARY 9, 1899.

"commonly called John-Knox's Land" in 1847, and reported to be "waste and uninhabited" in the fourth storey, is the same building whic reportes hwa havo dt edefectiva formee e th roo thesf n i o fr e years, but which had been repaired by 1798. After 1847 there is no doubt that the expression, "John Knox's Land," or "John Knox's House," means the house at the Netherbow, which, after many vicissitude's, came into possessio e Freth ef o nChurc n s 1868stilhi i d l ,shownan e th s a - house in which the Reformer lived. Two of the surnames of the owners, given in the process of 19th July 1798, appear again in the documents relative to 'the second-named "John Knox's Land" of "1839, and authoris suppositioe eth n that they also refe thio t r s same housee Th . next writer after Stark :who mentions Knox as having resided in e neighbourhooth e Netherboth f o d s wM'Criei , whose Lifef Knoxo appeared originall 1811n s ystatemeni Hi t muc. no s hi t more explicit than tha f Starks give i o tfootnotea t t werI i n . n i .f i es a considere, f do t sufficienno t importanc ' authenticit r o ee text:—th r fo ye hous "Th e whic e Reformehth r possesse s situatedi d neae botto Hige th r th f mho Street, a little below the Fountain Well. These three words are inscribed on the wall—"0EO2, DEUS, GOD." This occurs, in a reference S'metono t authorite th lase s th a ,t r publiyfo c appearanc Knoxf eo , after having preside preached dan t installatioe Giles S th n t i da ' Lawsof no n as his colleague and successor. The exact words that Smeton used are as follows:—"After he had blessed the people, with his wonted cheerful spirit t witbu , h feeble body d leanins staff an departehi e , h ,n s go hi o dt house, accompanied by almost the whole meeting, from which he did not afterwards come forth alive."1 It will be noticed that Smeton gives no indication whateve thesn i r e word f whero s e John Kno residins xwa g; naturae th d lan inference woul feeble e thatth b d n ei , stat healtf eo n hi which t thiKnoa s s timexwa t couli fror , t fa e Giles mS do th s nos e a ' b t Netherbow, if he was to walk there even with assistance. But of this, more later.

1 Eximii viri Joannis Knoxii .... Vera .... Ilistoria, by Thomas Smeton, Principal of the University of Glasgow, 1579. THE LEGEND OF " JOHN KNOX'S HOUSE." 101

After 181 e 1legenth d becomes embellished t i assume d an a , s variety of forms. It was distinctly ornate by 1823. Sir Daniel Wilson e Proa.quotedth , n i ,Soc. Ant. r 1890-91fo . 157-58pp , e th , following descriptio e housth s f givea o en y Eoberb n t Chambern i s s Traditionshi f Edinburgh,o e firsth t editio f whico n h appearen i d the year given above:—"Close beneath the window there has long existed a curiou se Reformeeffigth f o y r stuck upo e cornerth n d an , apparently holding forth to the passers-by. Of this no features were fo lona r g time discernible, r tilDrydeM l n (then tenane houseth f o t) took shame to himself for the neglect it was experiencing, and got it daubed ove glarinn i r g expensen oil-colourow s hi . t sa nosd Thure e a s and two intensely black eyes were brought strongly out on the mass of face, and a pair of white iron Geneva bands, with a new black gown, complete e resuscitation.th d " These sentence t e appeath no o n i d rs revised •.reprint of 1868, but many other items confirmatory of the tradition are given. John Knox's study was there, that the magistrates ordered for him in October 1561 ; the window was there, from which e harangueh e crowth d d below. a smalTher s lwa e roome b stil o t l seen, which served as a baptistery; and there was a well, as the house in which Knox lived was known to have a well; and the window wher s effighi e y appearee windoth s wdwa through whica h musket-ball was fired at the Eeformer's head before he left Edinburgh in 1571. A new edition, the seventh, of M'Crie's Life appeared in 1855. edited with notes by his son. The legend appears in one of these notes e .sammucth n ehi Chambersn fori s ma ' Traditions, t witbu h important differences. Knox took up his abode in the house at the Netherbow in t remaine1560i d an , principas dhi l residence unti deats hi l 1572n hi t I . was whilst living her ethio t tha s lose s firsh houstwa hi t tt i wife ed an , that he brought his second. It was through one of its windows that a musket-shot was discharged which must infallibly have killed him if he had been occupyin s usua hi ghers l wa e seat t tha I e penne.h t s hi d History. It was to this house that he " crept down the street," never 102 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, JANUARY 9, 1899.

to leav t alivei e ; and'his study—"undoubtedly e ordereon e n i dth " 1561—remained very much in its original form. Every-one of the' statements made by Chambers and. the editor of M'Crie's Life have been proved, where proof of any kind is • possible, incorrect te shownos b wa t I , befor. publicatioe eth 185e th f 5no edition of M'Crie, that the figure on the outside of the house was not .Knox at t Mosesallbu , , thoug statemene hth Reformee th s t thawa t ri t preaching pulpia repeates n i wa t Chambery db n 1868i e sedito Th f . M'Crie'.o r s Life mentions thi unimportans not correctio is legendit the of ntand , to observe that M'Crie himself havseemo t t e sno known 1811n i , , that the figure was intended for either Moses or Knox. He quotes the inscription correctly to which Moses is pointing, but says nothing further n altogethee pulpia s Th abouwa t. it tr modern affair, copied "froe mth pulpit of St George's Church, which was erected in 1814. The red e Genevth nosd aan e band d blacan s k gown disappear with Knox stude himselfth "studye t y Th no ordere s . "wa n 1561di . Knod xdi not live here from 1560 to 1572. He is not known to have preached- from any window. It is not known why he should have kept a private baptistery. There was no well in this house when it was examined in 1896. So much for the embellishments. The legend is left now in the form in which it was known to Stark and M'Crie—the simple assertion that Knox live Edinburgn di housea t ha , thed stilnan l existenn i t e JSTetherbowth . e legenTh d also differs considerabl d vitalle mouts yan th it f n yi o h different narrators respecting the period of Knox's occupation of "John Knox's House." Star d M'Crian ky nothin sa e g definite. M'Crie's editor say e resideh s d here generally from 156 o 15720t e wholth , e s periosettlehi f o dd caree n Edinburghi r . Chambers saye tradith s - tiothas residence nwa tth this sr wa mans o e f Joheo n Knox durins ghi incumbency as minister of Edinburgh, from 1560 until (with few interruptions s deathi ) n 1572hi . n integraThia s si e fulll th par -f o t blown legend, and the statement passed unchallenged until 1891, when it was shown for the first time, from the original Council records, in a ,,;,THE LEGEND OF "JOHN KNOX'S HOUSE." . 103

paper contribute e Societth Antiquarieso . dt yof , tha t liv Knono e d xdi here between 1560 and 1569.1 r DanieSi l Wilson, who secretars a , Societe th o yt Antiquariesf yo d ha , done good servic n securini e preservatioe th ghousd ol 1849n e i th f no , though .in the mistaken idea that it was John Knox's manse, attempted in 1891 a mild justification of the tradition, in so far as that there was nothing inconsistent with probabilit e belieth n fyi thae housth s t ewa Knox's latest e home;acknowledgeh t bu 2 d immediately afterwards that there was " no evading the fact that Knox never did live in ' John Knox's House.'"8 A reply was attempted in another paper, read before the Society of Antiquaries,4 in which Sir Daniel Wilson was "e mosth f o tquotee competenon s da t antiquarie "o shav "wh e admitted justice e claimth th writee f eo . Th f thi"o r s paper, maintained boldly that "every circumstance accords with the truth of the tradition."5 " After doing their very worst, they leave three years and ten ..months up to 24th November 1572, when Knox died, during which they are unable to adduce any proof whatever against the tradition that he resided in the house in question. I challenge their conclusions as to the preceding period.6 Definite proof was furnished by the original writer in another communicatio e Societth o nt f Antiquaries yo y 1893,Ma f dat7o h , 8t e that Knox live n othei d r houses from 1560-1569, thoug sitee f th ho s the houses were incorrectly given. When Sir Daniel Wilson published e seconth d editios Memorialshi f o n f Edinburgho 1891n i , thouge hh e strongesth d ha t desir s possibla e popula adhero r th t e fa o t es a er belief, he could only make the colourless assertion that "in the absence

1 Pros. Soc. Ant. Scot., 1S91 . 138p , , "John Kuox aus Manse,dM Petey b " r Miller, F.S.A. Scot. 2 Pros. Soc. Ant. Scot., 1891 . 156p , . 3 Private Letters of'Sir Daniel Wilson ; Edinburgh, printed privatefor circula- tion, 1897, letter dated lltli January 1891. 4 'Proa. 'Soc. A-nt. Scot., 1891, p. 335, "Is 'John Km x's House' Entitled to the Name .Charle?y "b . GuthriesJ , Advocate, F.S Scot. .A . 5 Proc. Soc. Ant. Scat., 1891 . 336p , . 6 Proc. Soc. Ant. Scot., 11891 . 337p , . 7 Proc. Soc. Ant. Scot., 1893, p. 406. 4 10 PROCEEDINGS F THO ' E SOCIETY',' JANUARY 9,i11899.

of other evidence welcomy ma e w e, such .guidanc s traditioea n supplies, and still think of the house that has so long borne his name as the lodging where his last days were spent."1 Against this" must be set s privathi e opinion quoted abovee latesTh .t biographe f Knoxo r . P , Hume Brown s Lifef Johno hi n i , Knox, publishe 1895n di , coult dno go further than Sir Daniel Wilson in the Memorials of 1891.' "To

Mosmaii's hous ' John[ e a Knox's House']," Hume Brown saysl ,al "t a events, tradition e attace pointresidence th w weighy s f i han a s d t an ; to the tradition, that house \vould in all probability be the one in which his last days were spent. . . . Against the tradition that points to Mosmaii's house as a residence of Knox, no satisfactory evidence has been adduced." 2 The minutes of the Town Council of Edinburgh show clearly where Knox lived between 1560 and 23rd November 1569. The houses that Knox occupied during these ten years have been accurately identified, and Mosman's is not one of them: Documentary pr6of fails us between November 156 d Knox's9an deat n Novembei h r simple 1572th r e,fo reason tha o documentarn t ye kin th proo df o falread y referres i o t d known to exist. It was a very troublous period in Edinburgh—-a time of practically civil ware Treasurer'Th . s accounts sho wa blan k from 1567 dow o 1581nt , arid there ar recordo e meetingen th e f th o s f so Town Council from 157 1o 1573 t onle Th y. perio whico t s da h almost nothine sai b s tha i dn tca g between Novembe y 1571r Ma 156,d an 9 when Kno constraines xwa s friendhi y leavo t b ds e Edinburgh. This interval of eighteen months is 'of no special importance in dealing with the picturesque aspects of the legend, as it was not during it that the affecting scene occurred when Kno s convoyexwa d homs "tohi e aftes hi r last sermon r coulno , d anything that occurred during -those, months have consecrated'his residenc Mecce th f s Scottisa eo h religionism, and the spot hallowed by his death. As it is, we know that in November 1569 s livin vera wa n e gyi h different quarter -of. Edinburgh, arid there nos ,i t a hint anywhere tha changee h t residencs dhi t thaea t time.' Moreover, 1' Vol. ii. p. .50. 2 VoUii. pp.. 318,. .319. ... ; THE LEGEND OF " JOHN KNOX's HOUSE." ' 105

as will be shown hereafter, the history of the house at the Netherbow is well known for the years covered by Knox's ministry in Edinburgh; and it was about the most unlikely house in the burgh that would have uses hi .r beefo r o n chosem hi y nb Ther lefs ei t stil examinatior fo l perioe nth lesf do s than three months which elapsed between the return of Knox to Edinburgh in1 August 1572 and his death on 24th November. Routed out of the earlier years, the legend takes refuge here. The same remarks apply to these months which have already been made concerning the eighteen months that followed November 1569, with this additional note, thats sincha t i e been shown thafaintese th t t therno t s ei shado f reasowo believinr nfo " O in the original form of the statement, so far as that Knox is said to have lived at a particular house in the Netherbow for the eleven years from 1560 to 1571, there is no reason whatever for assuming that the state- ment is true concerning this particular twelve weeks. There is, firstly, no possible proof. Ther esecone areth n i ,d place Councio n , l documents. e thirth dn I place e historth , ownershid yan Netherboe th f po w house are well known, and everything points to its occupation by the owner himself. In the fourth place, the authorities for the period make not e slightesth t allusio e Netherbowth o t n d fifthly conditioAn e .th , f no Knox's health mad s residenchi e Netherbowe th t ea , unde circume th r - stances narrated by these authorities, practically impossible. Nothing of the history of the Netherbow house was known when the legen originateds dwa whed an , n this histor s accidentallywa y discovered written upohous e walle th nth f eseventa so itselft legene go th y,d ha d years' start. During the repairs made after its demolition had been ordered by the Dean-of Guild in 1849, some dilapidated wooden excres- cences were removed, which had been added by its later owners or occupants e so-calleTh . d "preaching window" disappeared fina d e an , renaissance window and sculptured tablet were disclosed. The tablet bor shielea d charged with three crown chevroa n so n between threk eoa trees, with the initials I. M. and M. A. on either side. For thirty years longer these letter armd san s remaine dcompleta e puzzle meanine Th . g 6 10 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F O S , JANUARY 9, 1899.

of the heraldic emblems was.theii.discovered,1 and a search in the protocol e citbook f Edinburgth yo f o s h that ensued revealee e storth dth f yo house beyond doubt. A building which existe thin do s sit n 152 i ed belonge 5ha Joho t d n Arre Christind san a Reidpeth wifes M , . This had doubto n , , disappeared with the others, when Edinburgh was burnt by Hertford in 1544. But 155n i 6 another e samhousth en eo site belong o Jamet s s Mosmad an n Mariot Arres, and the property remains in the possession of • this James Mosman, with one significant short interval, until the forfeiture of his property after Mosman's execution in 1573 as an adherent of Queen Mary. The arms are the arms of Mosman, - as given by Nisbet and Stodart, with the addition of three crowns on the chevron, to indicate tha bearea goldsmit the t was r h likfather madhis e closewho the e, d arches that still adorn the Scottish crown. The initials are those, of James Mosma s wifehi d , nthrougan h whom-he came into possessiof o n the property. In 1568 James Mosman and Mariot Arres conveyed this hous Joho et n Mosman, goldsmith, their sond hisan , heir n fee,i st bu , reserved to themselves the liferent for their whole lives. We learn, from sasina f 23reo d February 1571, that Mariot Arre s dead d thawa san ,t James Mosman was about to marry for the second time. So what was more natural than that he should secure a residence for his wife in what was probabl e besth tf yo house thee non n Edinburgh i s e boughH . t froe sons immediateld fe bacm hi an e , kth y infeft s himselfuturhi d ean f spouse, Janet King, in the family residence in the Netherbow. Where does Knox come in1? Nowhere s quitwa ea commo t I . n practico t e insert the name of the occupying tenant in the conveyance of any propert t leasa caseo yn tw i tdispose sd Johan , ndof Knox's name o is s mentione connection di housee th nf o whicn wits i e hundoubtedlon e h h y lived mentio 0 t thernamee herem 11 bu , Th hi s e i ownerf f . sn o o s remain unchange successive th n di e title-deeds ofte centuriesr nfo .wherd an , e eth well-knowa propertd ha s yha n tenant nams hi , f introduces ei o y wa y db identification lon ceased g afteha e resido dt h r sometime d an e , init s long 1 By Mr K. C. Walker of Newport, Fife. THE LEGEND OF " JOHN KNOX'g HOUSE." 107

sasine date th diedd f f 157Th eafteha o eo .e s onl1i h r y three months before Knox's enforced departure from Edinburgh, and no identification of the property could have been stronger than such as " presently occu- pie Johy db n Knox, minister." Mosman had property elsewhere in Edinburgh and Scotland, and the names of other tenants have been transmitted in the documents of trans- s ther I fer e e mostreasoy nam.th th e an r f e o nfo prominen f theo t m being omitted, except tha nevetenana e h ts Mosman'f rwa o t d t allsa an , that if it had been known in time that the house was Mosman's, no one nineteente th n i h century would have eve evee r on rsai saio wase dn h ds ,a he was in the two hundred and thirty-three years between Mosman's for- feiture and 1806? There is thus not alone not a particle of evidence to show that Knox live n Mosman'di s house before 1571 t everythinbu , g points most strongl othee yth r way. Mosman neede house d th himr efo - self, and the sasine of February 1571 shows that he took it back again from his son. Mosman, besides, was a strong supporter of the Queen, l naturaal t a t l thano shoule s houss h thi anwa t o Knoxedt t le di , even if family necessities had not stood in the way. But, say the supporters of the legend, whether Knox lived in Mosman's house before May 1571 or not, he lived there from August 1572 until his deat Novembern hi . s enougthas i u "t I tr Knofo h x died there." 1 Ther , howevereis grouno n , r thifo ds statement e contraryth n O f .i , Knox lived there from 1569 to 1571, his residence there again in 1572 involve furthee sth r assumption that Mosman notorioua , s Komanisd an t zealous supporter of the Queen, hazarding, and afterwards losing, his life in defence of all that Knox held most abhorrent, was willing to keep his house empt r fifteeyfo n month s moshi f to obligo t sirreconcilabl e on e e foes, or turn out of his house at practically a moment's notice, that the Eeformer migh reinstatede b t . : But e supporter, th agai e legeny s mosth it nsa f n tdi o s attenuated

1 Free. Church Monthly, September 1896, .p. 210, "John Knox's House, Kdin- bui-gh : The Property of the Free Church of Scotland." By Charles J. Guthrie, M.A., Advocate, Legal Advise e Freth eo t rChurc Scotlandf ho . 108 PROCEEDINGS; OF THE SOCIETY/JANUARY 9, 1399.

form, Mosman's hous s emptyd takeewa ha e nh , refuge with Kirkcaldy of Grange in the Castle, and he remained there until the surrender of Castle th 1573.n ei 1 legende Alath r sfo , ther agais ei t onl nproono o y n f of this statement, but there was no reason for Queen Mary's adherents tako t e refuge Castlth n i ee until some weeks aftee deatth rf Knoxo h . historicae Th l fac thas i e truct th t e betwee partiese nth , whic cons h-wa clude n 31so d t Jul monthso y tw 157 extendes r fo 2wa , d subsequently yeare th f , o mor d untien e e thath l nmonta h beyon date dth Knox'f eo s death.2 "The presumption," therefore, instead of being that Mosman " entered the Castle of Edinburgh at some date previous to Knox's death, "rathes 3i r thatshrewa s a , d business man woule h , d attens hi o dt goldsmith's booth as long as he could. Why Mosman, whose party had been in possession of Edinburgh before the truce, should leave his house withi dayw fe s na afte arrangine th r trucee th orden f i g,o r that possibly his most dangerous foe should take undisturbed possession, is one of those mysterie f whico s h onl e necessitieyth n untenabla f o s e position could justif e defenceth y . It appears thus, from the historical facts of Mosman's house, that there e faintesth t no t s probabiliti y that Knox could ever have . liveit n i d This absence of any probability that Knox lived in it deepens into a certainty that Knox did not die in it, when we take into consideration fourte th d fifthan h points already referree statementth , to d s mady eb authoritiee th whar sfo t happened during Knox's last day whed san n no his death-bed, and the information that we have respecting the condition healts ohi f h durin s residenchi g t AndrewS n i e n 1571-72i s e th d an , twelve weeks that was his latest period of residence in Edinburgh. The only original authorities for Knox's final period in Edinburgh are his secretary, Eichard Bannatyne, who wrote a Journal of the Trans- actions n Scotlande i year th sn i 1570-73 d Thomaan , s Smeton's Eximii viri Johannis Knoxii, Scoticance Eedesian instauratoris, Vera . Hum1P e Brown's Life of John Knox, . 319p vol . . ii . . HumP 2 e Brown's 'Lifef Johno Kiwx, . 280p vol. .ii . Hill Burton's History of Scotland; .edition 1897 . ,116 p vol . .v . . Hum3P e Brown's Life of John Knox, . 319p vol. . ii . THE LEGEND OF " JOHN KNOX'S HOUSE." 109

extremai vitas et olntus Historia, appended to his Responsio ad Hamil- tonii Dialogum, publishe n Edinburgi d n 1579i h , seven years after Knox's death. Smeto f Knox'o n e waon s intimate friends d waan s, appointed Principa e Universitth f o l f Glasgoyo wn 1580i . Neithef o r these make slightese sth t allusio Netherbowhouse a th o n t t ea indeed, or , , to the locality of a house anywhere. There is nothing whatever in Bannatyne to quote relevant to the matter. He seems to have known nothing of the affecting scene, so often depicted both in words and on canvas f Rnoo , x creeping dow e Higth n h e NetherbowStreeth o t t , favourita f o m supportear e e attendantth n do , wit streee hth t lined after the manner of a royal pageant with those to whom he had just been preachin t Giles'S felo n behinn i i gl wh , d their beloved pastoe h s a r tottered feebl. yon It will be noted in M'Crie's version that he makes no mention of the Netherbow e adoptH . s wha e practicallar t y Smeton's words, t witbu , h amplifications referd an ,o Smeto t s n s authoritahi s y :1— e [Knox"H ] descended fro pulpitan mthe leaninof and , arm g upothe stafnhis and f attendant, crept dow e streetnth , whic s linewa hd wit e audienceth h , whof anxioui s a , tako st lase eth t sigh theif o t r beloved pastor,'followed him until he entered his house, from which he never again came out alive." M'Crie claims the present house, in a footnote, as the one referred t Humtobu , e Brown put , withousit t quotin authorityy an g , boldly into his text, whilst omitting M'Crie's pictorial details:—"Leaning on his staff, and attended by almost the entire congregation, he made his way home to his house at the Netherbow Port."2 Premising that Smeton himself was not an eye-witness, and that he penned his account of Knox seven years after Knox's death, we may again quote his exact words :— " These things havin t lengtga h been performed blessed , afteha e e dth h r people, with his wonted cheerful spirit but with feeble body, and leaning on his staff, he departed to his house, accompanied by almost the whole meeting, t froafterwardno m d di whic se h hcom e forth, alive."

1 Edition 1855 . 270p , . • . s Life of John Knox, vol. ii. p. 285. 110 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F O S , JANUAR , 18999 Y .

•M'Crie had thus no authority for his expression "down the street," and Hums Brown has s "hi .hous. non r t a .thfo ee e Netherbow Port." "We may add - that the . expression translated by M'Crie "audience" ("dow e streetnth , whice audience" lines th y hwa db d an ) by Hume Brown "almost the entire congregation," may be interpreted as applying necessarily to the " elders " or " Kirk Session " only. e authoritie Th e perioth r dfo s len countenanco dn e assertioth o t e n tha te Netherbowhouse Knoth th t t ea a x e wendi o .t e t testi PortTh . -. monies as to Knox's physical condition—the fifth point in this review of the evidence at our command—show that it was most unlikely that he should have lived at so great a distance from St Giles', and a practical impossibility for him to have walked to that place after a long and fatiguing service, even though "leanin s staff.e distanchi Th n "o g e between St Giles' Church and the Netherbow is fully four hundred and ten yards. In no previous portion of the residence of Knox in Edinburgh had he lived farther than eighty yards from his church. The old manses churchyare e westh th f o t a d wer eoccupatioe stilth n formeli e th f no r Roma ne Tow clergyth d n an Counci, l naturally provided their minister wit mansha immediate th n ei e neighbourhoot a t s churchno hi f d do an , the farthest corner of the burgh. recognises wa t I n 157i d 1 that Knox's years were numberedf i d an , he resided nea t GilesS r ' before, that period t becami , e imperative that his house should be near it now. As early as October 1570, he " was stricken wit kina h f apoplexiado , phisitionie calleth y db s resolutione, whairby the perfect vse of his tovng was stopped.": He wrote himself .t ocorrespondena y 157 s Ma "lyin 2n wa i that e n Sancgi h t t Androis half deid " ;2 and in his will, which is dated 13th May 1572, he says :— haj n dei e I benf "dma An e almaist zeirithio rtw s last bipast." Melville gives the following graphic description of. his condition in these months t AndrewspenS n i t s aa sn exile fro s wor mhi n Edinburgi k h :—"1 saw him doctrins hi . f everio y e e[preachingda hulio fear]g d ean , [slowly

Bannatyne's Transactions, Edinburgh, 1806. 54 . ,p

21 Works, vol. vi. p. 615, quoted in Hnrae Brown's Life, vol. ii. p. 274. THE LEGEN "JOHF DO N KNOX' HOUSE.s: " Ill

and warily], with a furring of martriks [martens] about his neck, a handn a guid e an d, th staf godlin i f e Richard Ballenden s servanthi , , uthehaldie th p rn u oxta r [armpit], fro e Abbee parochmth th o yt e kirk, and be the said Richard and another servant lifted upe to the pulpit, wha e behovih r t [required s firs leahi o t ] tt na entrie." s conditioHi 1 n .became worse aftes returhi r o Edinburght n . Killigrew e Englisth , h agent, wrot Cecio et l abou monta t h before Knox's death :—" John Rnox is now so feeble as scarce can he stand alone, or speak to be hard of any audience; yet doth he every Sonday cause himselfe to be carried to a •place where a certayne nombre do here him, and precheth with the same vehemence and zeale that ever he did." 2 Bannatyne adds, concerning lase th t sermo preachede nh Novembeh 9t n o , r inductioe 1572th t a , f no .Lawso s colleague:—"Ahi s a n t that tyme [he] declare e wholth o t ed assembli wais hi ks e(a voc e wald serue ,a fewe quhilf o s har )t kwa dbu dewitie ministee th an f alsd eo oran theair dewiti likwayis.m hi o et " 8 . Afte e returth r f Knono Edinburgo xt Augusn hi t 1572 askee h , e dth Magistrate o arrangt s e tha shoule h t d preac somn hi e smaller place than St Giles', " whare his voce might be hard, gif it were but vnto ane hundret personis."4 They granted him the use of a room in the New Tolbooth, which had been recently built at the south-west corner of St • Giles', with whic t hcommunicatei d throug hcoverea d way. e Parth f o t church itselalss owa f appropriate connection di n with this buildingt I . was here that Knox preached his last sermon, and from this that he pro- ceeded wit s audiencehi h e intchurce bodth th o f yperforo o t h e mth ceremon admissioe th f yo f Lawsono joine th o tnt pastorat Edinburghf eo . Ther s thui e reasoo n s o believnt e thae crow th s vert wa dy great which—iaccepo t e ar t e Smeton'w f s accoun authentic—accompanies a t d afterwardm hi s househi o t s ,e interpreevew f i n e Latith t n word used by Smeton in its widest sense. But what are we to think now of the 1 Diary, 1556-1601, p. 26. 2 Killigre Cecilwo t Octobeh 6t , r 1572, Knox's Works . 633, p vol . . vi . Quoten di Hume Brown's " Life," . 284p vol . . ii . 3 Transactions, p. 413. 4 Bannatyne's Transactions, p. 286. 112 PROCEEDINGS OF: THE SOCIETY,-!.JANUARY 9, 1899.

claims of a legend that makes it necessary for a man who was " half dead " and could scarcely stand alone or speak to be heard of any audience, to walk practically half the length of Edinburgh between his.church and his house, even granting him the support of' a staff, as put by Smeton, or the further aid of his servant's arm, in the slightly coloured reproduc- tio f M'Crie'sno t waI ? s .not likely, whe nfriends Knohi d sxan wert ea liberty to return to Edinburgh, that there would be any scarcity of houses in which to shelter a dying man, and the most reasonable supposition of an thas y i 1571returnee quitte y d h t e housI ha Ma th . e n do i h et d s beeha n shown l likelihoo thaal n ti thi s e houssdth wa Johf eo n Adam- d Bessisoan n e Otterburn whicr fo , h rent'is recorde havo dt e been paid up to 23rd November 1569. This house was within a few yards of the church, acros street e littla dowy sth d e wa closena an , , which would still answer to M'Crie's late embellishment of John .Knox creeping down the e wouls housstreeon hi dieo do o t et t N eve. r have dreamt thae h t would go to Mosman's, or that Mosman's house would have been open to receive him, had it not been for the one statement made in 1806 in such an unpretending fashion, and on no authority, by the compiler of a popular guide-book to Edinbiirgh, that a house, which would "in a few years, perhaps removed,"e b , beed residence 1ha n th Eefomiee th f eo r Knox. The foregoing discussion has shown that there was never any founda- tion for the" statement that Knox lived at the Netherbow. ' It has shown further tha legene th t d attache presene th o dt t housinvenn a s ei - tion altogether of the present century, and that Stark cannot be held responsibl s populait r ed varyinfo ran g forms e histore housTh th • .f yeo to which the legend points has been investigated, and no room has been found for any tenancy by Knox. Lastly, it was a physical improbability, deepening into an impossibility, that Knox -should have spent his last three months in life in Mosman's house. The cumulative negative evi-

dence is overwhelming against any association :of Knox, the. Reformer, with the Netherbow.

It so happens that there is abundant evidence in favour.of what may Stark'1 s Picture of Edinlurgh^SQe, :103. p . LEGENE TH "JOHF DO N KNOX'3 11 s HOUSE."

be designated a positive proof, that though the house at the Netherbow may have taken its modern name from a John Knox, it was not from Johe th n Kno die o n 24to dxwh h Novembe rburies 1572o wa dtw d ,an days afterward t GilesS n i s ' Churchyard. name Th f "Knox,eo d eve "an f "Joh no n Knox," seem havo st e been a common enougn Edinburgi e hon h durin e sixteentgth h centuryA . family with that surname held propertnorth-ease th w t whaya no ts i t e corneKoyath f o lr Exchang t a leas r tfo e three generationsa d an , "Knox's Close" existed in this quarter in 1568. The protocol books give nameth e f Davido s , Stephen d Gilberan , t Kno s ownerxa s here between 1502 and 1542. The same authorities record the succession a propert e o neighbourhoot th n i y f Bano d k Street, whic d beeha hn in the possession of a William Knox before 1517, but had passed d heiran , n Johso ns thi oKnox o dispose e propertwh th , f o d n i y 1520. Another "John Knox d owne"ha d propert e quartee th th n f yi o r Nctherbow before 1501, and his name has been traced as descriptive of propert n thayi t neighbourhood from 1501 until 1740. This "John Knox" had been well known in his time. He was a burgess of Edin- burgh whed an ,identification na s needei n f propertdo sasinea n s yi i t i , referred to as bounded by "John Knox's" "lands" or tenements or closeinscribede deeplo h S d . yha nams hi thi n eo s locality, tha closea t , formed, probably, on part of his property, is referred to in 1561 as "Knoxe's Close." It retains this name in 1577, 1579, 1672, 1675, and 1681. Eve t weri f ni e fro mlatea r Kno thixd thasha t nami t 1561n ei , it would strengthen the case against the Netherbow house having been the residence of the Reformer, by showing that two Knoxes had made themselves prominent in this district before that year. It appears, from John Foular's protocol book, that, on 17th September 1501, "Metta Kiiox e late heirsth th e f f ,Joho ,o daughter e n on Knox d an , , wite hth consen f Joho t n Paterson r husbandhe , , resigne r Landdhe s withie nth tenemen r saihe d f o tfather , betwee e Lanth nf Heleo d n Knoxr he , e south,sisterth n o ," etc., etcentrn A .n thi i y s same protocol book, VOL. XXXIII. H 114 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, JANUARY 9, 1899.

17th January 1501-2 whicn i , h entry John Kno describes xi havins da g been a burgess of Edinburgh, shows that Metta Knox possessed lands which ran from her sister's land on the High Street to the grounds of Trinity College, and that she alienated them also to the purchaser of the foregoing. A sasine in John Stevenson's protocol book, of date 22nd December 1547, describes certain property in this neighbourhood as "lying within a tenement of the late John Knox, now pertaining to Marion Crichton, Lady Rothes, on the north side of the High Street." A sasine in the protocol book of Alex. King, of date 30th March 1554, identifies another property as bounded on the east by " a tenement and Lands of the late John Kno anothed xan " ; Alexn i r . Guthrie's protocol book datf o , e 29th November 1570, refers to a sale of presumably the tenement referred to on 17th January 1501-2—"a tenement of the late John Knox on the north side of the High Street." This sasine of 1570 shows that the John e latteKnoth e fifteentf rxo th par f o t h centur s stilywa l well remembered r thas o nam, s hi consideret wa e d sufficien o identift t y property in the neighbourhood of the Netherbow only two years before Reformer'e th s death. This last propert furthes yi r identifie sasina n di e of 3rd September 1577, as lying to the east of Gray's Close. Gray's Clos withis ei nso-callehundree a yardn th te f so d dan "John Knox's House," and John Knox's property lay between the two abutting on the north side of the High Street. The identification of properties,..by reference to their relation to " the tenement of the late John Knox," continued to, at least, as recently as 1740renunciatioA . s recordedni , under date 19th Februar f thao y t year, in George Home's protocol book, of an annual rent "out of a tenement of land on the north side of the High Street, on the west part of Gray's Close, betwee tenemene nth late th e f Joho t n Knox, thereafter of John Rig, on the east, and the tenement of John Henderson on the t surmisno e on e west.y thaMa t " her have w e e tracke e legenth d d home to its lair, and that either Stark or Stark's unknown informant had seen the name, " John Knox," in some title-deeds of property in this THE LEGEND OF "JOHN KNOX'S HOUSE." 115

locality, and was led immediately to the conclusion that no John Knox naturaa s importanccoulwa f o l t I enouge 1de 1b on t he bu mistaka d ean mora t pardonabl timee name eth Bu th popula t .ef a o Kno e e eon us r x in the locality had, as has been already mentioned, sprung up before 1561, through its adoption as the name of a close. It appears, from a compariso e sasineth f f dato no , e 30th March 1554, which containa s referenc "tho t e e e latlandth e f o Johs n Knox," with sasine f dato s e 23rd November 1579, 18th December 1672, 16th April 1675d ,an 9th March 1681, that this close stood either on, or immediately to the e landth eas , sof t possesse e Johth ny b d Kno f 1501e namo x Th f e.o the close points either backwar e Kno possesseth o o xwh t d s sitit d e sixty years before, or to a family of that name who resided in it when the Reformer settled in Edinburgh, and who were of sufficient import- ance to serve as a landmark in the locality. It shows how tenacious a hold the name of Knox had taken of the neighbourhood of the Nether- bo we Reformere th dayeventh f o s n i s ,sit It y s markei eb . w no d Morrison' e buildings th somy Closb f o r eo es that extend between Morrison's Clos Nortd ean h Gray's Close.

1 This is very different from a " charge that Stark deliberately invented the tradition." See Proc. Soc. Ant. Sot., 1891, pp. 346-47.