Canongate Tolbooth
Encyclopedia
Canongate Tolbooth is a historical landmark of the Old Town section of Edinburgh, Scotland (U.K.). Built in 1591, it served as a tolbooth
or toll-collecting gate for those entering Edinburgh from the lower (eastern or Holyrood
) end of what is now known as the Royal Mile
. It originally served both as toll collection point and as police headquarters and jail. It remains famous for its historical associations with the development of Edinburgh. Part of the building is now occupied by The People's Story Museum
, while the rest serves as a tavern
. The Canongate Tolbooth is protected as a category A listed building.
"Tolbooth Tavern
"The Tolbooth Tavern is part of the original Canongate Tolbooth which was built in 1591.
"The building was used to collect tolls from travelers entering the burgh but has also served as a Council Chamber, Police Court and Prison. The Prison was tenanted by those who suffered in the cause of liberty and many of its captives were wrongly detained and brutally treated.
"A suspected warlock is thought to have been exorcised here by the lay successor to the Abbots of Holyrood, Sir Lewis Bellenden. The unfortunate soul was so terrified by the fierce preacher he is said to have died of fright soon after the experience.
"In 1654 Oliver Cromwell’s guard detained several Scottish enemies of the State in the building but the Tolbooth’s walls could not hold them and they made their excape using strips of blanket as rope lowering themselves to freedom from the upper floor.
"The Covenanters were also imprisoned in the Tolbooth’s cells between 1661 and 1688.
"Many of the prisoners were sent to the plantations of the Caribbean for seven years hard labour. After this period they could return to Scotland or remain in the colony, however, before their departure all the captives were marked so they could not escape their past. Women had their faces branded with an iron while men had an ear chopped off.
"The rear section of the pub was originally built as housing c.1750 and was still used for this purpose into the early 20th century and while this area of the establishment is not as old as the front many people find it the most eerie and have claimed to feel a presence.
"The front area became a tavern in 1820 with the rear area following suit some 100 years later and has traded in this fashion up to the present day."
Toll house
A tollhouse or toll house is a building with accommodation for a toll collector, beside a tollgate on a toll road or canal. Many tollhouses were built by turnpike trusts in England, Wales and Scotland during the 18th and early 19th centuries...
or toll-collecting gate for those entering Edinburgh from the lower (eastern or Holyrood
Holyrood, Edinburgh
Holyrood is an area in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Lying east of the city centre, at the end of the Royal Mile, Holyrood was once in the separate burgh of Canongate before the expansion of Edinburgh in 1856...
) end of what is now known as the Royal Mile
Royal Mile
The Royal Mile is a succession of streets which form the main thoroughfare of the Old Town of the city of Edinburgh in Scotland.As the name suggests, the Royal Mile is approximately one Scots mile long, and runs between two foci of history in Scotland, from Edinburgh Castle at the top of the Castle...
. It originally served both as toll collection point and as police headquarters and jail. It remains famous for its historical associations with the development of Edinburgh. Part of the building is now occupied by The People's Story Museum
The People's Story Museum
The People's Story Museum is a museum housed in the historic Canongate Tolbooth, the collections of which tell the story of the people of Edinburgh from the late 18th century to the present day. This is done through use of oral history, reminiscence and written sources.- Collections :The museum...
, while the rest serves as a tavern
Tavern
A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food, and in some cases, where travelers receive lodging....
. The Canongate Tolbooth is protected as a category A listed building.
Historical brass plaque at the entrance to the Tolbooth Tavern
The text on the plaque reads as follows:"Tolbooth Tavern
"The Tolbooth Tavern is part of the original Canongate Tolbooth which was built in 1591.
"The building was used to collect tolls from travelers entering the burgh but has also served as a Council Chamber, Police Court and Prison. The Prison was tenanted by those who suffered in the cause of liberty and many of its captives were wrongly detained and brutally treated.
"A suspected warlock is thought to have been exorcised here by the lay successor to the Abbots of Holyrood, Sir Lewis Bellenden. The unfortunate soul was so terrified by the fierce preacher he is said to have died of fright soon after the experience.
"In 1654 Oliver Cromwell’s guard detained several Scottish enemies of the State in the building but the Tolbooth’s walls could not hold them and they made their excape using strips of blanket as rope lowering themselves to freedom from the upper floor.
"The Covenanters were also imprisoned in the Tolbooth’s cells between 1661 and 1688.
"Many of the prisoners were sent to the plantations of the Caribbean for seven years hard labour. After this period they could return to Scotland or remain in the colony, however, before their departure all the captives were marked so they could not escape their past. Women had their faces branded with an iron while men had an ear chopped off.
"The rear section of the pub was originally built as housing c.1750 and was still used for this purpose into the early 20th century and while this area of the establishment is not as old as the front many people find it the most eerie and have claimed to feel a presence.
"The front area became a tavern in 1820 with the rear area following suit some 100 years later and has traded in this fashion up to the present day."