Tour Scotland photograph of the Unicorn at the top of the Mercat Cross on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, Scotland. The Mercat Cross of Edinburgh stands in Parliament Square next to St Giles' Cathedral, facing the High Street in the Old Town of Edinburgh. As elsewhere in Scotland, important civic announcements were made at the mercat cross. In Edinburgh, royal and parliamentary proclamations that affected all of Scotland were publicly read. The practice of announcing successions to the monarchy and the calling of parliamentary general elections is continued to this day by heralds of the Lord Lyon King of Arms. The Protestant reformer John Knox relates that for one hour and four hours on two separate days in 1565 Sir James Tarbet was tied to the Cross and pelted with eggs for saying the Mass, which had been banned by the Scottish Parliament five years previously. After the surrender of the " Queen's Men " ended the " Lang Siege " of Edinburgh Castle William Kirkcaldy of Grange, his brother James and the two jewellers Mossman and Cokke, who had been minting coins in the Queen's name inside the castle, were hanged at the Cross on 3 August 1573.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
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