Today we hand over to Vicky, one of our colleagues from Museums & Galleries to tell us about a fantastic new story she’s contributed to Our Town Stories.
As a History Curator at Museums & Galleries Edinburgh, I’ve been working for some months now on ways to mark the bicentenary of the royal visit of George IV to Edinburgh in 1822. As part of the team looking after 13 venues and monuments across Edinburgh, I became intrigued by the way the city was altered in various places to make it ready for the King. I read that roads were changed to make processions easier and to enable good views of the King, while whole buildings were moved or even destroyed. When Clare at Libraries mentioned that there were images in the library collections of the weigh house on the West Bow that was demolished just before the royal visit, I knew we were onto something. Our Town Stories is the perfect way to show historic events and objects across the city, letting viewers browse different locations, events and objects. An story exploring how Edinburgh was made ready for the King was a perfect fit.
View of the grand procession to the castle, when his majesty had ascended the Half Moon Battery; 22nd August 1822, by William Home Lizars
Museums & Galleries Edinburgh care for lots of objects that show Edinburgh being altered for the Royal Visit. These include items of tartan clothing worn in 1822 to fulfil Sir Walter Scott’s instructions to Edinburgh’s inhabitants on the way they should dress for the King. The brightly coloured diced woollen trews supposedly worn by a seven foot tall Highlander would certainly have captured the King’s attention!
Tartan trews supposedly worn by a Highlander during the King’s visit
In addition to people wearing new or modified dress for the visit, they were also instructed to alter their homes by hanging lamps on their facades, and attaching candle holders between the stones, illuminating a city that was also alive with bonfires and fireworks to celebrate the visit.
A painting from the City Art Centre collection shows people crowding Leith docks to catch a glimpse of the King on board his ship, while a theatre bill for the play ‘Rob Roy Macgregor’ highlights one of the many entertainments laid on by Edinburgh to keep the King amused and provide opportunities for the public to see him.
Standing at the intersection of George Street and Hanover Street stands a statue commemorating the visit to Edinburgh in August 1822 of King George IV by the English sculptor Sir Francis Legatt Chantrey.
In commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the visit, Central Library is displaying an exhibition of items from their collections capturing how artists recorded this momentous occasion.
In an era of 24/7 multi-media news coverage, it can be hard for us to imagine the excitement that was brewing in Edinburgh in anticipation of the visit of King George IV in August 1822. No reigning monarch of Great Britain had visited Scotland since 1651 when Charles II attended his Scottish coronation. The King’s visit was recorded in detail by the London newspaper reporter Robert Mundie in his ‘A historical Account of His Majesty’s Visit to Scotland’. This and other contemporary printed accounts including pamphlets, books, and ballads were brought to life by the pictorial records of the many artists drawn to capturing the pageantry and festivities around this historically significant event.
George IV arrived by way of his ship the Royal George at Leith on the Firth of Forth on the 15 August and stayed in Scotland till 29 August. This engraving by W. H. Lizars shows the King arriving at Leith and the throng of crowds waiting to welcome him. Delayed from disembarking by one day due to bad weather, George IV did not disappoint the throng of assembled crowds; he arrived wearing the full dress of a British Admiral and had a twig of heath and heather on his hat in deference to his Scottish subjects.
Tourists flooded to Edinburgh hoping to catch a glimpse of the monarch as he was ushered through the streets of Edinburgh following his arrival in a parade weighted with pageantry, regimental might and Highland chieftainship.
King George IV’s visit was largely orchestrated by the author Sir Walter Scott along with David Stewart of Garth. Spreading the spirit of romanticism throughout Scotland, Scott had carefully prepared an entire programme of pageantry. It was the display of tartan that was to have a lasting influence, with the kilt elevated to national dress and an essential component of Scotland’s national identity.
An enduring image of George IV’s visit captured in many contemporary newspapers is the monarch dressed in a kilt finishing above his knees with pink tights covering his bare legs! This is a contemporary caricature of King George IV in kilt during his visit. No pink tights but definitely fashioning the mini kilt now popular today!
George IV in kilt caricature, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The visit followed similar lines to a visit by the monarch today with a programme of visits and crowd-pleasing appearances. The weather was mostly terrible but despite the rain the people came out in their thousands to get sight of the King with a whole industry growing up of souvenirs and money paid to get the best viewing spots. The main events included the state entry into the city, courts held at Holyrood, a banquet and attendance at St Giles, attendance at a ball at the Assembly Rooms and a military review held on Portobello Sands where King George rode a grey charger along the lines while the military bands played God Save the King. Though it was undoubtedly the State Progress of the King from Holyrood to the Castle with the regalia of Scotland before him that provided a spectacle never seen before or since.
This watercolour by James Skene shows King George IV in the Castle of Edinburgh, 22 August 1822. The angle of the painting with the battlements of the castle rising steeply to the sky affirms the majesty of both King and Castle with the throngs of crowds lining the streets below hoping to catch a glimpse of the King.
Artists of differing capacities and ambitions who resided in, or came to Edinburgh were caught up in the heady atmosphere that August. To witness and record this historically significant occasion presented a rare artistic challenge and artists keen to make their mark included J.M.W. Turner who envisaged a major series of paintings ‘the Royal Progress’ inspired by the royal visit. The series never materialised but two pencil sketchbooks have survived. Selections of Turner’s sketches can be viewed at Tate online.
More locally, James Skene of Rubislaw, friend of Scott, W.H. Lizars and Sir David Wilkie recorded the visit. Other artists drawn to Edinburgh included William Turner of Oxford and J.C. Schetky and Denis Dighton, who held appointments as military and marine painters to the King. What an artistic melting point this must have been!
We are fortunate to hold in our Central Library collection watercolours and engravings by some of these artists that brilliantly capture the atmosphere of this most auspicious occasion.
Included in our display is an engraving of the landing of George IV at Leith, 15 August 1822, by W.H. Lizars, a watercolour by James Skene of King George IV in the Castle of Edinburgh 22 August 1822, and a lithograph by David Wilkie showing His Majesty King George IV received by the nobles and people of Scotland, upon his entrance to the Palace of Holyrood House, on the 15 August 1822. The illustrations show the pomp and ceremony and the great crowds gathered to catch sight of the King. We also include a selection of books from Central Library on some of the artists who recorded the visit of George IV as well as more general books on this monarch.
All prints on show in our display are reproductions with originals held in the Edinburgh and Scottish Collection at Central Library. All images are also available to view on Capital Collections, our image library at www.capitalcollections.org.uk. The display runs in Central Library through August and September 2022.
On 15 August 1822 King George IV landed in Leith and began an historic visit to Edinburgh and the Highlands. The visit increased the King’s popularity in Scotland, and it was thanks in large part to Sir Walter Scott who stage-managed the event and promoted a romantic image of Scotland.
Our latest addition to Our Town Stories is all about Sir Walter Scott and follows him from his childhood spent with his grandparents in the Borders where he heard stories of folklore and traditions which were to have a profound effect on him.
After studying Law and becoming an Advocate, Scott started writing poetry and his early work consisted of poetic romances such as The Lady of the Lake which sold 25,000 copies in eight months, breaking records for poetry sales and brought its setting against the picturesque Loch Katrine to the attention of the newly emerging tourist industry.
Sir Walter Scott in his study (Castle Street, Edinburgh), by John Watson Gordon, 1830
In 1814 and already an established poet, Scott published the first Waverley novel, anonymously amid uncertainty over how it would be received. He needn’t have worried, it was a publishing phenomenon, with 1,000 copies being sold in the space of two days. It was the first of 27 novels which included classics such as Ivanhoe, Rob Roy, and The Heart of Midlothian.
Despite all his success he was heading for a tremendous crash. Read about what followed and some more stories of Sir Walter Scott in Our Town Stories.
Tales of One City 