Tour Scotland Video Interior St Giles' Cathedral Edinburgh

Tour Scotland travel video of the interior of St Giles' Cathedral on ancestry, genealogy, family history visit and trip to Edinburgh. St. Giles' Cathedral or the High Kirk of Edinburgh is a Church of Scotland place of worship decorating the midpoint of the Royal Mile. The church has been one of Edinburgh's religious focal points for approximately 900 years. Today it is sometimes regarded as the mother church of Presbyterianism. St. Giles was only a cathedral in its formal sense, ie. the seat of a bishop, for two periods during the 17th century (1635-38 and 1661-1689), when episcopalianism, backed by the Crown, briefly gained ascendancy within the Kirk. In the mediaeval period, prior to the Reformation, Edinburgh had no cathedral as the royal burgh was part of the Diocese of St Andrews, under the Bishop of St Andrews whose episcopal seat was St Andrew's Cathedral. For most of its post-Reformation history the Church of Scotland has not had bishops, diocese, or cathedrals. As such, the use of the term Cathedral today carries no practical meaning. The " high kirk " title is older, being attested well before the building's brief stint as a cathedral. It is the Church of Scotland parish church for part of Edinburgh's Old Town. As the name implies, it is dedicated to St. Giles, who was the patron saint of cripples and lepers and a very popular saint in the Middle Ages.


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Tour Scotland Photograph 93rd Sutherland Highlanders Memorial

Tour Scotland photograph of the 93rd Sutherland Highlanders Memorial, St Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh, Scotland. This monument is for the 93rd Sutherland Highlanders killed in the Indian Mutiny between 1857 and 1858. The regiment lost, between the 1st of September 1844 and 30 April 1845, 3 officers, 532 men, 68 women, 134 children. In 1844, cholera wiped out 535 officers and more than 200 members of their families. The memorial was sculpted by William Brodie, born January 22, 1815, died October 30, 1881, who was a Scottish sculptor. William was the son of John Brodie, a Banff shipmaster, and elder brother of Alexander Brodie, another sculptor.



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Tour Scotland Photograph Reverend James Cameron Lees Memorial

Tour Scotland photograph of the James Cameron Lees Memorial, St Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh, Scotland. Dean of the Thistle and Chapel Royal, 1886 to 1913. Reverend James Cameron Lees, born 1835, died 1913, was a Church of Scotland minister and author at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. James was born in London, England, and educated at London University. He was the incumbent at Carnach, Abbey of Paisley and St Giles' Cathedral Edinburgh. He was Dean of the Thistle and Dean of the Chapel Royal from 1887 to 1910. He was an Honorary Chaplain to the Queen from 1881 to 1901, and was appointed a Chaplain-in-Ordinary in Scotland to King Edward VII in October 1901. He died in Kingussie on 26 June 1913, and is buried in the Dean Cemetery, Edinburgh on the northern side of the original cemetery. He was married to Rhoda Rainsford Hannay, born 1843, died 1887. His children included Mabel, and John Cameron.

All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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Tour Scotland Video Entrance St Giles' Cathedral Edinburgh

Tour Scotland travel video of the main entrance to St Giles' Cathedral on ancestry, genealogy, history visit and trip to Edinburgh. St Giles' Cathedral, also known as the High Kirk of Edinburgh, is the principal place of worship of the Church of Scotland in Edinburgh. It is located about a third of the way down the Royal Mile which runs from the Castle to Holyrood Palace. The church has been one of Edinburgh's religious focal points for approximately 900 years. The present church dates from the late 14th century, though it was extensively restored in the 19th century.


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Tour Scotland Photograph 16th Royal Scots Memorial St Giles' Cathedral

Tour Scotland photograph of the 16th Battalion Royal Scots Memorial, St Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh, Scotland. The memorial to the 16th Battalion Royal Scots, also known as McCrae's Battalion. The 16th Royal Scots volunteer battalion formed by Sir George McCrae, were also known as The Sporting Battalion, who participated in the First Battle of the Somme, July 1916. The battalion was notable for its high number of professional sportsmen and fans drawn from the football clubs Heart of Midlothian FC, Hibernian FC, Raith Rovers FC, Falkirk FC and Dunfermline FC and a variety of other sporting clubs.



All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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