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47-522: Publication of The Edinburgh Gazette began on 2 March 1699 by James Watson , nearly 34 years after the first edition of The London Gazette in November 1665. Watson printed 41 issues, the last on 17 July 1699. Captain Donaldson, the editor, said afterwards that Watson "found it in his interest to disengage himself", perhaps alluding to his imprisonment in the preceding June for printing false news on

94-609: A brother, Patrick Watson, also a printer, apprenticed to George Mosman, printer in Edinburgh. Patrick ended in court accused of stealing tools and type-face to pass to James in 1698. This was found not proven but continuation of the apprenticeship proved impossible and the sum paid for this to Mosman (£100) had to be repaid. In 1700 an Alexander Watson, printer is noted, burying his child at Greyfriars Kirkyard , and may also be related. Watson's son, again James Watson, attended

141-501: A long line of printers. Unafraid of controversy in his printing he was in court multiple times and imprisoned at least once. Watson's collection of ancient poetry, the Choice Collection of Comic and Serious Scottish Poems (1706), helped to launch Scotland's eighteenth century Scots Vernacular Revival, influencing Allan Ramsay , Robert Fergusson , Robert Burns and Walter Scott . Watson's History of Printing (1713)

188-632: A museum of social history called The People's Story ), the Kirk of the Canongate (the Canongate's parish church and a thriving congregation of the Church of Scotland) and the new Scottish Parliament Building to Holyrood Palace and the ruined abbey. Until 1856 the Canongate was not merely a street, but the name of the surrounding burgh, separate from Edinburgh and outside the Flodden Wall. This street

235-830: A shorter version of this The People of Scotland's Groans and Lamentable Complaints made up of Extracts from Scotland's Grievances. Watson's pamphlet also included inflammatory remarks regarding the king not being the legitimate king, which would have further angered authorities. Both men were called to appear before court early in June 1700 and held at the Tolbooth but then released on bail. The court heard their petitions on 13 June 1700. Watson pleaded that his actions were caused by his "numerous family" and "poor circumstances" which had forced him to print for financial reward. The court, led by Sir James Stewart, did not accept this and set as date for later trial. The two men were officially imprisoned in

282-460: A small printworks on Mary King's Close . In 1695 he moved to a printworks on Warriston Close and then again to a printworks on Craigs Close: presumably the larger of the two premises which he already owned. The final premises is referred to in documents as The Kings Printing House. Probably wishing to distance himself from his father's known Catholic sympathies he publicly renounced Catholicism, thus allowing himself more public freedoms. Officially he

329-727: Is a modern extension to John Knox House, owned by the Church of Scotland. It opened in 2006, replacing the former Netherbow Arts Centre, which itself replaced the Moray-Knox Church in the 1960s. Following the English victory over the Scots at the Battle of Flodden in 1513, a city wall was built around Edinburgh known as the Flodden Wall , some parts of which survive. The Netherbow Port was a gateway in this wall and brass studs in

376-690: Is a succession of streets forming the main thoroughfare of the Old Town of the city of Edinburgh in Scotland . The term was first used descriptively in W. M. Gilbert's Edinburgh in the Nineteenth Century (1901), describing the city "with its Castle and Palace and the royal mile between", and was further popularised as the title of a guidebook by R. T. Skinner published in 1920, " The Royal Mile (Edinburgh) Castle to Holyrood(house) ". The Royal Mile runs between two significant locations in

423-476: Is also seen as a milestone in printing history. James’ father, also James Watson was a merchant turned printer in Aberdeen . He had met and married his Dutch wife whilst on a trade visit to Holland. Her family was clearly of considerable wealth as records state that her father loaned money to Charles II during his exile to Holland. Although it is recorded that this debt was never truly repaid it gave leverage to

470-541: Is the short approach to the Palace of Holyroodhouse at the foot of the Canongate. One of the buildings On the north side, the building to the east was the house of Lucky Spence, a notorious brothel madam, remembered in Allan Ramsay 's poem, Lucky Spence's Last Advice . The building to the west was described as a new "Great Mansion" in 1570. Renaissance painted ceilings were salvaged from the building in 1967. Some of

517-583: Is the venue of the annual Edinburgh Military Tattoo at which time specially designed temporary grandstands are erected. From the Castle Esplanade, the first building on the right is Cannonball House which has a cannonball lodged in the wall facing the Esplanade, often said to have been accidentally fired from the Castle but which actually marks the elevation of Comiston Springs, three miles to

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564-598: The Bank of Scotland . On the south-west corner of this intersection, with its entrance on George IV Bridge, is the Hotel Missoni, replacing the former Lothian Regional Council offices. This building is of controversial design, winning a Scottish Civic Trust award and a 2010 RIBA award, but also being nominated for (but not winning) the Carbuncle Cup in 2009. Between Bank Street and St Giles Street, marking

611-638: The Church of Scotland and New College are further down on the same side. The Scottish Parliament met in the Assembly Hall between 1999 and 2004. The Lawnmarket is a separately named part of the High Street. Addresses are a continuation of the High Street numbers. It runs from the West Bow to St Giles Street. A charter of 1477 designated this part of the High Street as the market-place for what

658-550: The Edinburgh Courant published thrice weekly from 19 February 1705. He also began a series of other newspapers and journals. In 1704 Watson is recorded as meeting with Evander MacIver and George Ker, both papermakers, regarding general improvements to production quality. From 1706 he begins using more contemporary typefaces in an attempt to modernise the Scottish printing industry. In 1706 he collected and published

705-496: The Gazette about matters of local interest, such as road closures. This Scottish newspaper-related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article related to the politics of Scotland is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . James Watson (printer) James Watson ( c. 1664 – 1722) was a Scottish printer, bookseller and founder of several Scottish newspapers, coming from

752-527: The Gorbals in south Glasgow . Watson petitioned the court in March 1701 for an early return to protect the financial interests of his business. His exact return is not recorded but thereafter he appears to have focussed upon newspaper production rather than pamphlets. From 1701 to 1716 he is recorded in a series of legal disputes with Mrs Agnes Campbell, widow of his rival pamphleteer printer, Andrew Anderson, who

799-458: The burgh . The prison was described by Sir Walter Scott as the "Heart of Midlothian", and soon after demolition the city fathers marked the site with a heart mosaic. Locals have traditionally spat upon the heart's centre as a sign of contempt for the prison. On the north side, opposite St Giles', stand Edinburgh City Chambers , where the City of Edinburgh Council meets. On the south side, just past

846-573: The Bible but ended up in court due to the legal restrictions limiting who was allowed to publish these. His most memorable act was the publishing of a pamphlet criticising the government during the Darien expedition scandal in 1700. Whilst the co-accused, Hugh Paterson (a surgeon-apothecary also owning a printworks) was the printer of the more famous of the three problematic pamphlets created, Scotland's Grievances Relating to Darien, Watson wrote and printed

893-693: The Bridges. North Bridge runs north over Waverley station to the New Town's Princes Street. South Bridge (which appears at street level to be simply a road with shops on either side—only one arch is visible from below) spans the Cowgate to the south, a street in a hollow below, and continues as Nicolson Street past the Old College building of the University of Edinburgh . At John Knox's House

940-609: The Edinburgh Privy Council had issued an edict in 1687 preventing printers printing without a license (for each specific work), but specifically exempted James Watson from this requirement. This may have been a diktat imposed upon the council by the monarch, given Watson's connections. Watson had inherited two printworks on the Royal Mile whom his father had lent large sums to Dutch men which had not been repaid. From 1694 he reappears using one of these properties:

987-705: The High Kirk, is the Mercat Cross from which royal proclamations are read and the summoning of Parliament announced. The whole south side of buildings from St Giles to the Tron Kirk had to be rebuilt or refaced in the 1820s following the Great Edinburgh Fire of 1824. This was done in a Georgian style, stepping down the hill. The central focus of the Royal Mile is a major intersection with

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1034-473: The High School in Edinburgh and Edinburgh University and was then sent abroad to study printing (again probably Holland), however he died in his youth and did not follow in his father's footsteps. Royal Mile 55°57′02″N 3°11′08″W  /  55.95056°N 3.18556°W  / 55.95056; -3.18556 The Royal Mile ( Scottish Gaelic : Am Mìle Rìoghail ; Scots : Ryal Mile )

1081-537: The High Street narrows to a section of the street formerly known as the Netherbow, which, at its crossroads with Jeffrey Street (north) and St Mary's Street (south), marked the former city boundary. At this point stood the Netherbow Port , a fortified gateway between Edinburgh and the Canongate (until 1856 a separate burgh), which was removed in 1764 to improve traffic flow. The Scottish Storytelling Centre

1128-727: The Old Town, rivalled only by Princes Street in the New Town . The Royal Mile contains a variety of shops, restaurants, public houses, and visitor attractions. During the annual Edinburgh Fringe , the High Street becomes crowded with tourists, entertainers, and buskers . Parliament Square is at the heart of Scotland's legal system, being the home of both the High Court of Justiciary and the Court of Session. Retreating ice sheets, many millennia ago, deposited their glacial debris behind

1175-757: The Tolbooth awaiting the judgement. Meanwhile, events at Darien led the public to riot and sympathises ran high with Watson and Paterson. On 20 June a crowd surrounded the Lord Advocates house and forced him to write a warrant for the men's release, which he did. This action was overtaken by other events. Four men broke into the Tolbooth and forced (using a dagger or bayonet) the guards to release Watson and Paterson (plus other prisoners on minor charges). Watson and Paterson were re-arrested on 25 June 1700. Watson employed John Spottiswoode as his counsel but gave no defence. The much-irritated judge found them guilty on

1222-546: The Tron and on the Royal Mile include the Entry of Mary, Queen of Scots (1561), the Entry of James VI (1579), and the Entry of Anne of Denmark (1590). In July 1598, scholars from Edinburgh High School put on a satirical play at the Tolbooth. Costumes were made for the characters of a Pope, two Cardinals, and several friars. After the performance the costumes were donated to the poor. Several infamous murders have taken place on

1269-662: The central section of the Royal Mile: Beyond the crossroads, the Royal Mile continues down the Canongate, meaning literally "the canons' way" when it was used in former times by the Augustinian canons of Holyrood Abbey . The street continues downhill past Moray House (now the main academic offices of Moray House School of Education of the University of Edinburgh), the Canongate Tolbooth (now

1316-410: The charge of seditious literature and sentenced each to banishment from the city (for a radius of ten miles) for a period of one year and a day. Infringement of this ban brought a fine of £10 per occurrence. The four men who released them from the Tolbooth were found guilty on various charges on 22 July 1700 and ironically found themselves behind bars in the Tolbooth. Watson observed the ban and moved to

1363-590: The end of the Lawnmarket, the High Court of Justiciary , Scotland's supreme criminal court, is housed in the Justiciary Building . On the south side, about one-third of the way down from the Castle toward the Palace is Parliament Square , named after the old Parliament House which housed both the law courts and the old Parliament of Scotland between the 1630s and 1707 (when its existence

1410-535: The father in his obtaining of some degree of monopoly to printing in Scotland (despite existing patents being in place in favour of Andrew Anderson). However, on the King's reinstatement this allowed a mutual benefit in permitting the King to have a pro-Catholic printer at his disposal, and Watson was installed at Holyrood Palace to print from there (probably also having accommodation on site for his whole family). James

1457-476: The hard volcanic plug of the castle rock on which Edinburgh Castle stands, resulting in a distinctive crag and tail formation. Running eastwards from the crag on which the castle sits, the Royal Mile sits upon the ridge of the tail which slopes gently down to Holyrood Palace. Steep closes (or alleyways) run between the many tall lands (or tenement buildings) off the main thoroughfare. The route runs from an elevation of 138 feet (42 m) above sea level at

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1504-531: The hugely popular Choice Collection of Comic and Serious Scottish Poems , of later influence on Ramsay , Fergusson , Scott and Burns. His growing success led him to open a bookshop (independent of his printworks) next to the Red Lion Tavern on the Royal Mile near St Giles Cathedral . In 1711 his business acquired a new legitimacy, being granted a Royal Patent by Queen Anne allowing him to publish major controlled items such as Bibles. One result of this

1551-490: The majority of shops in the street are aimed at tourists. On the north side is the preserved 17th century merchant's townhouse Gladstone's Land owned by the National Trust for Scotland . The lower end of the Lawnmarket is intersected by George IV Bridge on the right (south) and Bank Street on the left (north), leading to The Mound and the New Town. The view down Bank Street is closed by the baroque headquarters of

1598-540: The palace to 358 feet (109 m) at the castle, giving an average gradient of 4.1%. The Castle Esplanade was laid out as a parade ground, in 1753, using spoil from the building of the Royal Exchange (now the City Chambers ). It was formalised in 1816 when it was widened and provided with decorative railings and walls. The Esplanade with its several monuments has been A-listed by Historic Scotland . It

1645-695: The road mark its former position. On the corner of St Mary's Street is the World's End Pub which takes its name from the adjacent World's End Close, whimsically so named because this was in former times the last close in Edinburgh before entering the Canongate. There was a triumph or show at the Salt Tron and other locations on the Royal Mile to celebrate the marriage of Mary, Queen of Scots , and Francis II of France , on 3 July 1558. The wedding itself took place in Paris on 24 April 1558. The Edinburgh entertainment

1692-453: The royal history of Scotland : Edinburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse . The name derives from it being the traditional processional route of monarchs, with a total length of approximately one mile. The streets which make up the Royal Mile are (west to east) Castlehill, the Lawnmarket, the High Street, the Canongate and Abbey Strand. The Royal Mile is the busiest tourist street in

1739-558: The south of the Castle, which fed a cistern on Castlehill, one of the first piped water supplies in Scotland. Castlehill is dominated by the former Tolbooth-Highland-St John's Church (on the south side at the foot of this section), now the headquarters of the Edinburgh International Festival society – The Hub , and on the north side by the Outlook Tower and Camera Obscura . The Assembly Hall of

1786-560: The timbers were felled in the 1560s. During 20th century restorations by the Ministry of Works , other painted beams found at Midhope Castle and Caroline Park were inserted into the buildings. On the south side is the Queen's Gallery , used to exhibit items in the Royal collection, in the shell of the former Holyrood Free Church and Duchess of Gordon's School. There are also the remains of

1833-645: The wool export and reporting the riotous behaviour of some textile workers in The Edinburgh Gazette . The publication was then transferred to John Reid. It reappeared sporadically, but did not begin an unbroken and continuous publication run until 1793. The Edinburgh Gazette is published on Tuesdays and Fridays, and it includes official notices relating to matters of state, Parliament, planning, transport, and public finance, as well as insolvency and bankruptcy notices. It also contains advertisements . For instance, local authorities place notices in

1880-564: Was Episcopalian rather than Presbyterian. In reality he was at best an agnostic but continued to have clear Catholic sympathies in much of his printing. It was noted that on Royal Proclamations (which should have been his duty to publish) he picked which ones suited his own viewpoints, such that these were often privately published for the Edinburgh area. Rivals (including Anderson's widow) frequently accused him of Papish and Jacobite sympathies. His early work though concentrated on medical and school textbooks and legal work. He had also tried printing

1927-516: Was Prognostications by King James II (VII of Scotland). He had a salary of £1001 per year (paid direct by the king) and died in 1687. He was born in Aberdeen around 1664 and educated at Aberdeen High School and Aberdeen University . He moved with his family to Edinburgh in 1685. He appears to have largely filled his father's shoes following his death in 1687 but disappears from records, probably going to Holland to train further and gather more sophisticated presses and modern typefaces. Curiously,

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1974-487: Was called "inland merchandise" – items such as yarn, stockings, coarse cloth and other similar articles. In later years, linen was the main product sold. As a result, it became known as the Land Market which was later corrupted to Lawn Market. Located in a close on the south side, Riddle's Court is the well-preserved 16th-century house of a merchant John MacMorran , who was shot by rioting schoolboys in 1595. Today,

2021-757: Was ended by the Act of Union ). Parliament House now houses the Court of Session , Scotland's supreme civil court . St Giles' Cathedral , the High Kirk of Edinburgh, also stands in Parliament Square. By the West Door of St Giles' is the Heart of Midlothian , a heart-shaped pattern built into the "setted" road, marking the site of the Old Tolbooth , formerly the centre of administration, taxation and justice in

2068-457: Was given a 40-year monopoly on royal printing in 1671 (but did not live to its conclusion). James (senior) is often referred to as Papish Watson or The Popish Printer . His most noted publication of non-political alignment is probably The Hind and the Panther , John Dryden ’s major poem, printed at Holyrood Palace in 1687. His most noted print directly related to the royal self-projection

2115-544: Was his Crown Bible of 1715, published in 8 volumes after several years of work and described as “a matchless beauty”. He published the Works of George Mackenzie of Rosehaugh between 1716 and 1720. He died on 22 September 1722 and was buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard . His estate following death was £32,000, the equivalent of a modern-day multi-millionaire. This entire sum fell to his second wife. James had

2162-481: Was the only authorised printer of pamphlets and Bibles in Edinburgh, but Watson appears to have continually ignored this monopoly. However, his printing interests began drifting to newspapers, which were less rigidly controlled. He had earlier (1699) set up the initial publishing of the Edinburgh Gazette which ran only 41 issues before a dispute with its editor, but his experience led to his self-creation of

2209-422: Was written and produced by William Lauder and William Adamson. Walter Binning painted the "play cart" for actors portraying the signs of the seven planets and Cupid. Artificial "summer trees" decorated with fruit made from tennis balls covered with gold foil or leaf were placed on four stages. The seven planets had been portrayed in a show in Paris after the wedding. Other 16th-century royal entertainments at

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