Right here stood the Guard House. It was once the base of Edinburgh’s Town Guard. This wasn’t your average military unit. The Town Guard was a civic force. It answered to the Town Council. The Lord Provost was at its head.
The Guard House has quite the story. Let’s journey back to the 1680s. Religious and political tensions brewed. Edinburgh was becoming a dangerous city. The Town Guard was created to maintain order. They patrolled streets day and night. Their mission was to suppress riots. They attended official events. They kept the peace during public executions.
The Guard House itself was built for this purpose. Originally, it stood on the High Street. It was just uphill from the Tron Kirk. Later, in the 1780s, they moved to the infamous Tolbooth. The Town Guard wasn’t exactly beloved. They were often mocked. Contemporary accounts don’t paint a pretty picture. Drunkenness and violence were common among the guards. Corruption and abuse of power were issues too.
Edinburgh was historically unruly. Riots were frequent. Before a proper police force, only the Town Guard could maintain order. The Town Guard was formed after the Battle of Flodden in 1513. Every fourth citizen had to take a turn on watch.
The Guard House, an old squat building, stood on the High Street. From here, the evening watch began at eight o’clock. Drums announced a sort of curfew on drunkenness. A wooden horse stood outside the Guard House. This was for punishing captured revellers. The offender was placed on it with heavy irons. A drinking jug was put on his head. Passersby would then know what the offense was.
In 1785, the Guard House was demolished. The Guard moved to the Tolbooth. The Tolbooth was the city’s main jail. It stood further up the High Street. The Tolbooth itself was demolished in 1817. Today, brass markers mark its site. A stone mosaic in the shape of a heart can be found among the cobbles.
By the late 18th century, the Town Guard was outdated. They became a joke. Members were often elderly Gaelic-speaking ex-soldiers. They were mocked. Their pay was a mere sixpence a day. In 1789, one guardsman had served since the Porteous riots of 1736. He was finally dismissed. He received a pension for life.
The Edinburgh caricaturist John Kay often featured the Town Guard. His sketch of John Dhu was particularly popular. In 1805, the city formed a new police force. The days of the old Guard were numbered. In 1817, the Tolbooth came down. The Guard was disbanded. Their final march was a sad occasion. They played a dirge. It was titled “The last time I came ower the muir.”
The old Guard House is gone. But its stories live on. They remind us of Edinburgh’s past. They show us the challenges of keeping order.