Old Fishmarket close is an alleyway in the Edinburgh Royal Mile leading to Cowgate. Near St. Giles Cathedral.
The location used to be full of residences, but after many events causing the population to dwindle, it has since became a location of historic interest. During the "Lang Siege" of 1573, many streets on the Royal Mile were cannoned along with the castle, including Old Fishmarket close. During the cannoning, it was said that Peasants tried to grab some flying fish that were blown into the roofs surrounding the close. During the siege, 5 people died and 20 were injured. [1] [2]
The plague spread in Edinburgh in 1588 was said to have spread via a contagion brought by a girl working in Old Fishmarket close, though there are also claims that the plague actually spread during 1585, from a seaport in Wester Wemyss, eventually spreading to Edinburgh. [1] [3]
An archival letter from 1705 shows that a Dutchman named Abraham Sever who kept an elephant, nicknamed the Dundee Elephant, lived in a flat in Old Fishmarket close, above a baker named Adam Kerr Baxter. [4] Sever requested to parade around the elephant, which had already been used in several tours in the 1680’s and 1690’s, as for the viewing pleasures of Edinburgh residents. Baxter had complained to the council about the dung of the elephant causing damage to his bakery. [5]
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