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Holyrood Abbey ruins

The ruined Abbey church seen from beyond the surrounding wall of Holyrood Palace.

"The same day [Sunday, 9th Dec, 1688], some houres after the Chancellour was parted from Edinburgh, towards the evening, a multitude of young people assembling upon the feild without the city; that they might meit with no hindrance at the gates as the night preceiding, came without the walls, entred the Cannongate, marcht from that to the King's pallace, and set upon the guard at the King's pallace, commanded by Captaine Wallace, who had not followed the advyce given him the day before in posting his men in the windows within, but placed them on the piazza [courtyard] without the gate. The rable comeing forward, he gives orders to fire, and throw some hand grenades amongst them; which was done with so good success, that some of them being killed, and others wounded, they retired againe to the city with no less diligence than they came doun: And this, very probably, had put ane end to the tumults of the rable, had not a quorum of the Privy Council, being at the time in Blair's house, the chiefe inn of the city, immediately sent ane order in write to Captaine Grahame, commander of the company which keept guard in the city, to goe doun with his company and with the trained bands [militia] of the town, and beate off Captaine Wallace from guarding the pallace, that the rable might get their zeal against Popery contented, by destroying the ornaments of the two chapells the King had set up there at great expence; which order was put in execution by Grahame and the trained bands, whose number Wallace, though he behaved as gallantly as a man could doe, could not long withstand, they being upwards of seven hundreth against his fyfty, beside many hundreths of the rable." -- Anonymous, Siege of the Castle of Edinburgh 1689

See also NT2773 : The ruins of Holyrood Abbey