• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
elspeth@edinburghunwrapped.com
Edinburgh Unwrapped

Edinburgh Unwrapped

  • Home
  • Walking Tours
    • Private Walking Tours
    • Group Walking Tours
  • Self-Drive Tours
  • Booking
    • Prices
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact
Edinburgh’s Inside Stories #1

Edinburgh’s Inside Stories #1

18th June 2021

Walk down most of Edinburgh’s city streets and you’ll pass a myriad of different historical buildings. From the quaint Old Town with its tall tenements to the elegant New Town and beyond, it’s easy to simply admire the different architectural facades as you pass by. But Edinburgh is also about the people who lived inside these buildings and called them home. Even behind the most unassuming exteriors, there are surprising stories connected with their past inhabitants. Scratch the surface and you’ll soon discover what lurks beneath!

So in the first of this series of ‘Inside Stories’ we’ll look beyond the front door to find out some unexpected hidden tales.

Dalry House and the Chiesley Family

Orwell Place is a street just off Dalry Road near Haymarket not far from the city centre. Here you’ll find Dalry House almost hidden behind beautiful cherry trees. However when Dalry House was built in 1661, this area lay outside the city of Edinburgh in green countryside and formed part of a private estate. Walter Chiesley, a wealthy merchant had the house built for himself and his family. Spelling was fairly fluid in those days so Walter’s surname comes in a variety of forms – Chieslie, Chiesly, Chislie are just three of them. Walter and his house were important enough to even be honoured with a royal visit by King Charles II, which was celebrated with the royal initials appearing in a special plasterwork ceiling.

John Chiesley of Dalry

However it’s not the story of Walter which catapulted the Chiesley name into the public eye. It was his son John who would become infamous. In fact John was later viewed as someone who was “not quite sane”. He certainly had a reputation for “violent and ungovernable passions”. Nevertheless all seemed well at first, as John followed in his father’s footsteps and became a prosperous merchant. He married Margaret Nicholson and over the years they had a family of 10 children.

Perhaps as a result of his volatile temper, their marriage was not a happy one and eventually John and Margaret separated. But even after the separation the problems didn’t end. John was either providing very little financial support for his family, or none at all. Margaret must have been in dire straits to decide to take him to court for maintenance. Some said that she and the children were starving as a result of lack of money.

Lord President Sir George Lockhart of Carnwath

The court hearing was in front of the judge Sir George Lockhart. He was a well-known and highly regarded member of the legal profession. He’d been knighted in 1663, was a member of the Privy Council and, apart from one serious glitch, had enjoyed an unblemished career. With the support and respect of his colleagues, he rose to become Lord President of the Court of Session in 1685. This position made him the senior judge in Scotland and head of the Scottish judiciary.

(Credit: Old and New Edinburgh Vol. I under CC BY-NC 2.5)

Sir George Lockhart ruled that John Chiesley should pay 1,700 merks, almost £94 a year in alimony to Margaret to support his family. This is the equivalent of around £11,300 in today’s money. To say that John was angry about the decision is an understatement. He was completely incandescent with rage. He accused Sir George of taking the governance of his family from him and threatened he would attack Sir George “either in kirk or mercat.” In fact when he was in London, Chiesley later confessed to walking up and down Pall-Mall with a pistol beneath his coat, lying in wait for the Lord President.

Vengeance on a Sunday

So it turned out to be a grave mistake that Lockhart didn’t take Chiesley’s threat more seriously. Instead he continued about his daily business as usual.

John Chiesley had vowed vengeance and he proved to be a man of his word. Witnesses saw him following George Lockhart on Saturday 30th March as he came from the Duke of Hamilton’s apartments at the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The next day on Easter Sunday 1689, Chiesley went to St Giles Cathedral secretly armed with a pistol. On arrival, he tried to pay to sit in the pew directly behind Lockhart. Clearly his plan was to shoot the Lord President at point blank range. Luckily for Sir George the seat wasn’t available and Chiesley refused any other seat when offered. Throughout the church service he was noticeably agitated and paced up and down. Leaving St Giles at the end of the sermon before Sir George, Chiesley positioned himself at the entrance to Hope’s Close.

  • St Giles Cathedral

Murder in broad daylight

George Lockhart, like many other wealthy Edinburgh citizens, chose to live off the noisy thoroughfare of the High Street. For this reason, his substantial townhouse home was located quietly at the end of Hope’s Close. This close later became known as Old Bank Close. Originally the house had been built for Robert Gourlay, a 16th century merchant. Nowadays the house and close no longer exist. They were both demolished to make way for George IV Bridge in the 19th century. However in those days, it was only a couple of minutes’ walk up the High Street from St Giles.

Sir George arrived accompanied by his 2 brothers, Lord Castlehill and Daniel Lockhart. He recognised John Chiesley standing in the close, but remained unconcerned. After replying to Chiesley’s greeting politely, he continued walking towards his home. Inside his wife lay ill in bed and he was keen to see her, but he never made it home. Suddenly Chiesley caught up with the Lord President and shot him in the back with his pistol. Sir George spun round, fell against the wall, and crumpled to the ground. He was rushed inside, but died almost immediately.

Arrest, Trial and Torture

Making no attempt to escape, John Chiesley even boasted about his action when seized. “I am not wont to do things by halves“. He then added “I have done the deed and would not fly. That was to learn the President to do justice.”

Justice in 17th century Edinburgh was swift. Chiesley appeared in court the very next day on 1st April 1689, after his arrest. The Lord Provost, Sir Magnus Prince presided over the trail, since the murder had taken place within the city. With him sat the city bailies, and a jury of ten landed gentlemen and five merchants. Although Chiesley readily admitted shooting Sir George Lockhart himself, the question was did he have an accomplice. The court decided Chiesley should be tortured to find out if he had acted alone. Despite horrible torture with the ‘boot’ and thumbscrews, Chiesley refused to implicate anyone else. That was good news for a lawyer, William Calderwood, as he may have been involved and was definitely under suspicion.

Caught ‘Red-Handed’

Mercat Cross in the High Steet

There was never any doubt having confessed to murder, that John Chiesley would be found anything other than guilty. His execution came just two days later on 3rd April 1689. From the Tolbooth prison by St Giles Cathedral, Chiesley was dragged on a hurdle the short distance to the Mercat Cross. There he suffered one last grim addition to his punishment before being hanged on the gibbet.

As he had been caught ‘red-handed’ with the pistol that fired the fatal shot, Chiesley had his right hand cut off before his execution. The pistol was then placed on a chain around his neck and he was hanged. As part of his sentence his right hand was nailed to the West Port, one of the gates into the city. His body was due to be displayed publicly in chains between Edinburgh and Leith. However it seems his friends managed to cut his body down from the gibbet and spirit his body away before this happened.

On the same day as John Chiesley’s execution, Sir George Lockhart’s burial took place within Greyfriars Kirk. Unfortunately in 1845 a fire broke out in the church, and destroyed Sir George’s impressive memorial.

If you’d like to see some of the Old Town locations mentioned in this story and the imposing Chiesley family burial memorial in Greyfriars Kirkyard, why not take an Old Town & Royal Mile Tour to find out more.

Hauntings and a one-handed ghost

Almost immediately after Chiesley’s execution, rumours started of hauntings and sightings of a ghostly apparition with either one arm or one hand at Dalry House. Locally the ghost was known as ‘Johnny One-Arm’ and nobody doubted that it was John Chiesley.

Perhaps they were right. More than a hundred years later, Sir Walter Scott, the famous Scottish writer talked to James Walker. At the time Walker was the owner of Dalry House. He explained to Scott that during improvement work to the house, a skeleton had been uncovered, together with some fragments of iron. It seems John Chiesley had been brought back to the family home and buried secretly. However if you think that was the last to be heard of the infamous Chiesley family, you’d be wrong. Rachel, John Chiesley’s daughter was only 10 years old when he was executed. However, as an adult she ended up having an incredible story of her own to rival any work of fiction. But her tale will be for a future blog!

Bankruptcy and Insanity

Despite the notoriety of John Chiesley, his brothers Robert and James seem to have weathered the bad publicity and family association with a murderer. Robert was a successful merchant himself, who served as an MP from 1692 and was Lord Provost in 1694 (local mayor). Unfortunately for Robert in the late 1690s he invested in the greatest financial scheme of the time in Scotland – the Darien Scheme.

His brother James, as well as a huge swathe of other wealthy Scots poured money into the scheme. The venture planned to establish a new strategic Scottish trading post in Panama. Investors thought they’d make a fortune as they envisioned international trade flourishing. However, the scheme failed spectacularly. As a result, Robert along with many other Scots, including his brother James, ended up totally bankrupt. As a consequence, the shock of it sent him insane and he ended his days in the local Edinburgh asylum.

An Actor and another Royal Visitor

Over the course of the last few hundred years Dalry house has changed hands and had different purposes. From 1870 it was a teacher training college for the Scottish Episcopal Church. In fact the wonderful Scottish actor Alastair Sim, taught at Dalry House in the early 1920s. Later he found fame in films as a great character actor. Perhaps it was here he found the inspiration for his role as Miss Millicent Fritton, headmistress of St Trinian’s in the British classic comedy ‘The Belles of St Trinian’s’!

In the early 1960s Edinburgh and Leith Old People’s Welfare Council received Dalry House as a gift. They then had it refurbished and subsequently Queen Elizabeth II opened it officially. In her honour, plasterers added her Royal coat of arms to the ornate plasterwork on the ceiling.

Finally in 2006 Dalry House was converted to provide several private apartments, which is how it remains today. They’ve kept many of the house’s historic features inside, but hopefully not John Chiesley’s ghost!

Categories: Discovering Edinburgh, Inside Stories, Landscape & Buildings

sidebar

Latest Posts

  • 11 Top Insider Tips to Get the Best out of your Trip to Edinburgh
  • Two of Edinburgh’s Most Popular Historic Stories
  • The Edinburgh Clock That’s Always Wrong
  • Edinburgh’s Links to Scottish Tree & Plant Folklore
  • Great Scott! Discover 6 connections with Walter Scott in Edinburgh

Footer

Contact

elspeth@edinburghunwrapped.com

42A Saughton Crescent
Edinburgh
EH12 5SH

We are an Edinburgh Tour company offering private and group walking tours of Edinburgh. We also plan amazing self-drive tours of Scotland tailored for you.

  • TripAdvisor

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions

© 2023 Edinburgh Unwrapped · Site by Kate Amann

I use cookies on my website to monitor my marketing efforts and give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsReject AllAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
ak_bmsc2 hoursThis cookie is used by Akamai to optimize site security by distinguishing between humans and bots
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Advertisement" category .
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
CookieLawInfoConsent1 yearRecords the default button state of the corresponding category & the status of CCPA. It works only in coordination with the primary cookie.
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
CookieDurationDescription
ServerPoolsessionThis cookie is set by the provider Tripadvisor. This cookie is used for user tracking and viewing embedded contents from TripAdvisor like payment of referral commission fees etc.
TASessionsessionThis cookie is set by the provider Tripadvisor. This cookie is used for user tracking and viewing embedded contents from TripAdvisor like payment of referral commission fees etc.
TASSK5 months 27 daysThis cookie is set by the provider Tripadvisor. This cookie is used for viewing embedded contents to the visitor from Tripadvisor. It also helps to know whether the visitor had clicked on the advertisement, to collect payment from the Tripadvisor.
TATravelInfo14 daysThis cookie is set by the provider Tripadvisor. This cookie is used for viewing contents and ads from Tripadvisor, which in return helps to earn money from Tripadvisor if the visitor has clicked the ads.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
CookieDurationDescription
_ga2 yearsThe _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors.
_gat_gtag_UA_163823187_11 minuteSet by Google to distinguish users.
_gid1 dayInstalled by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously.
TADCID10 yearsTripadvisor sets this cookie to store a unique ID for users, to help them view embedded content from Tripadvisor.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
CookieDurationDescription
SRTsessionThis cookie is set by the provider Tripadvisor. This is a Tripadvisor session cookie used for advertising purposes.
TACds2 monthsThis cookie is set by the provider TripAdvisor. This cookie is used for showing travel information and ads based on the user preferences.
TART5 daysThis cookie is set by the provider Tripadvisor. This cookie is used for viewing contents and ads from Tripadvisor, which in return helps to earn money from Tripadvisor if the visitor has clicked the ads.
TAUD14 daysThis cookie is set by the provider Tripadvisor. This is Tripadvisor session cookie used for advertising purposes.
TAUnique2 yearsThis cookie is set by the provider TripAdvisor. This cookie is used for showing travel information and ads based on the user preferences.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
CookieDurationDescription
__vt1 hourNo description
PMC2 yearsNo description
TASID30 minutesNo description
SAVE & ACCEPT
Powered by CookieYes Logo