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The secrets of the past are all
around us, hidden in our streets,
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buried under our feet. And in this
series, I'll be uncovering
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00:00:15,279 --> 00:00:20,094
those secrets as I explore
Britain's most historic towns.
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I'll be deciphering
physical clues...
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It's like very early animation.
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...and getting to know some
extraordinary characters
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who are often overlooked.
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He operated like a spy master.
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They lied, they deceived,
they cheated.
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With the help of Benn Robinson's
eye in the sky,
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I'll discover
which towns across the UK
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reveal the most about
each period in British history,
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and find out how those
stories still resonate today.
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3,880.
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More and more individuals are still
dying from the plague.
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SHE GROANS
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It's quite overwhelming.
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From the adventurous Elizabethans
to the elegant Georgians,
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from medieval knights through to
the height of empire,
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I'll tell the story of an era
through the story of a single town.
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Today, I'm exploring the Georgian
era in a town
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where living in dark alleys led to
an age of enlightenment...
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Here we have people of all different
ranks really mingling together.
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...where a new town with
dazzling ambition was built...
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This is magnificent.
It's big, innit?
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...and where current events are
highlighting a controversial past.
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A statue is part of our history.
It's my history.
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It's a town that once played host to
violent rebellion,
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and then a party
that united the kingdom.
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This was a way for Scotland to
present itself to the world,
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but that didn't rock the boat
too much.
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If you really want to understand how
the Georgians shaped Britain
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on both sides of the border,
Edinburgh is the place to come.
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Edinburgh is Scotland's
charismatic capital.
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Some even call it
the Athens of the north.
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Set among seemingly
never-ending hills,
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this city of half a million people
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is the political and cultural
heart of the nation.
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Tourists flock to Edinburgh,
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especially when it hosts the world's
largest art and comedy festival.
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And it's no surprise to learn
that these ancient streets
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inspired the setting for
the Harry Potter phenomenon.
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But the real story of Edinburgh
starts around 900 BC,
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when a small settlement
was established
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on the formidable Castle Rock.
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Situated deep in Scotland's
central belt,
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near the vast Firth of Forth
Estuary,
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well-connected Edinburgh grew
steadily throughout the Middle Ages,
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until it became the country's
capital in the mid-15th century.
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Edinburgh, for me,
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always seems to have this air
of prestige and confidence.
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But during the Georgian period, it
was right at the centre of some of
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the biggest upheavals
in British history.
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The coronation of King George I
in 1714
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heralded the start of
the Georgian era.
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German-speaking George may not have
had the strongest claim
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to the throne but he was Protestant,
which made him ideal.
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The next 123 years saw Great Britain
ruled by five kings,
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four of whom went by
the name of George.
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This was the time of the first
Industrial Revolution,
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with new technologies and raw power
boosting productivity
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and extending the global reach
of Britain's interests.
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Just seven years before George I
took to the throne,
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there'd been a seismic change
in the country,
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with the creation of
the Kingdom of Great Britain.
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Great Britain as a political entity
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is a relatively recent invention
historically.
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It has only existed for
just over 300 years,
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going back to the Act of Union
being voted through
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here in Edinburgh
on the 16th of January 1707.
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But at that point, rather strangely,
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the monarch of England and
the monarch of Scotland
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had been one and the same
person for more than 100 years.
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That came about because in 1603,
the childless Queen Elizabeth
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had died,
leaving England without an heir.
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It fell to her distant relative
King James VI of Scotland
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to take the throne,
becoming King James I of England.
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For the first time in history,
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England and Scotland were united
under one monarch.
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Over the 8O years that followed,
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Stuart monarchs would reign over
far-from-peaceful kingdoms.
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There was civil war,
the execution of a king,
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a republic and then
the restoration of the monarchy.
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But in 1688, that monarchy was
in trouble again.
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There was tension between the king
and his subjects and, eventually,
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that king, King James ll of England,
the seventh of Scotland,
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the last Catholic king,
was deposed and exiled to Europe.
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But a new movement arose that would
stop at nothing to see
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Catholic James back on the throne.
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Its proponents were known as
the jacobites
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and I've come to the mighty
Edinburgh Castle
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to meet Professor Murray Pittock
and find out more.
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So, Murray, who were the Jacobites?
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The jacobites are the supporters of
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a restoration of the main
Stuart line after James,
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the seventh of Scotland and second
of England, was exiled in 1688.
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And why was he exiled?
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Because people feared
his Catholicism
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and because they feared
other aspects
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of what was seen as his
centralising power.
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His followers became called
Jacobites
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because Jacobus is the Latin
for James. Right.
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But what's important and why they're
still so well remembered is because
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what they wanted went far beyond
the restoration of James.
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They wanted a multi-kingdom monarchy
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with capitals
in London, Dublin and Edinburgh.
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Since 1688, there had been
severaljacobite uprisings.
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But in 1745, they really shook
Britain's status quo.
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James ll's son sent HIS son,
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who'd grown up in
staunchly Catholic France,
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to Scotland to try and wrestle back
the British crown
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for the Stuart line.
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His nickname was
Bonnie Prince Charlie.
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Charles Edward
coming back to Scotland -
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I mean, that's turned into this
wonderfully romantic myth
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of Bonnie Prince Charlie.
What's the reality behind it?
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Well, the reality is he comes and,
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of course, everyone says,
"Where are your soldiers?"
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And he says, you know, "l thought
you'd be my soldiers,"
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and they say, "You must be
absolutelyjoking -
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"you know how big
the British army is?"
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But he does win people over because
he's extremely charismatic
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and he's able to raise the standard
with 1,100 men,
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move south and gradually
more and more,
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until his army in the end
is around 14,000 strong.
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And when Charles of Stuart enters
Edinburgh in 1745,
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there are a crowd of
around 20,000 to greet him.
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And then what happened?
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Well, Charles Edward,
by a single vote,
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got the agreement of the army
to March south into England
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and they marched south
as far as Derby.
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At Derby, they vote to retreat and
he doesn't like this because
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it's, in his view, a very bad
strategic decision. Yeah.
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Because the chances of winning
if you'd gone ahead are slim.
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The chances of losing if you retreat
are total.
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Could have so easily gone
differently, very differently.
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It's a fascinating moment and it's
the greatest military threat faced
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by Great Britain in aggregate during
the 18th century,
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because it's the only one that's
fundamentally existential.
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What about Edinburgh Castle itself?
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Did Charles Edward ever manage to
take the castle?
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No. Charles never took the castle
because one of the funniest things
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about this city is,
it's not built on a river.
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Because this is such a strong
defensible position that it was
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worth making all the sacrifices of
not having running water there.
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From any angle, Edinburgh's castle
looks like a tough nut to crack.
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Aerial archaeologist Ben Robinson
has launched a drone
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to get an even better look
at this formidable fortress.
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That's just brilliant.
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Just to elevate above the ground
like that
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and just see it looming
in front of me.
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The immediately striking thing
is the rock that it sits on,
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this great plug of volcanic rock
rising out of the city.
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So, you can see, there's the core of
the medieval castle here
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but there's all these other defences
around it
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and they were really
beefing these up
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at the time of the
Jacobite rebellions.
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How would the Jacobites take it?
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Well, there was an attempt in 1715,
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when a couple of infiltrators
on the inside of the garrison
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attempted to let the jacobites
outside in
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by lowering a rope ladder.
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But it was too short and couldn't
actually reach the people outside.
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So it was a comedy of errors,
really,
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but you'd need SOME ladder
to get into that place.
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Now, in 1745, Bonnie Prince Charlie
and the jacobites controlled
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the rest of Edinburgh and they'd
marched in without firing a shot.
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But with these guns mounted on all
these batteries,
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they could fire at any point
in the city.
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And after a few cannon shells had
knocked a few houses down,
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killed a few people,
the jacobites had no response.
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They had no heavy weapons themselves
and they just had to withdraw,
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leaving Edinburgh to the garrison.
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Bonnie Prince Charlie's Jacobite
uprising was ultimately quashed
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when his army was wiped out
at the Battle of Culloden.
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The British government
wanted to ensure
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that such a rebellion
would never happen again.
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They stamped down hard,
they rounded up the rebels
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who, if they were lucky,
ended up in prison.
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If they weren't, they were executed.
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And in the Highlands, land was
seized from the clan chiefs
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and the wearing of Highland dress
was banned,
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except for military personnel.
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For the Highlands,
for the culture there,
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it was an unmitigated disaster.
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However, the well-to-do urban
population would fare rather better,
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because in the decades that followed
Edinburgh would undergo
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a quintessential Georgian makeover.
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I'm in Edinburgh, the perfect place
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to get a taste of life
in Georgian Britain,
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and to learn about the complexities
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of Scotland's young and delicate
partnership with England.
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With the jacobites defeated and
the union secure,
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life in Edinburgh
could return to normal.
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Britain may have been on the cusp
of the first Industrial Revolution
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but living conditions for many in
towns and cities were fairly basic,
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00:12:19,367 --> 00:12:23,193
to say the least -
even positively medieval.
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And Edinburgh was no exception.
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To help me understand the town's
layout and the influence it had
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00:12:29,497 --> 00:12:32,492
on life here, I'm meeting historian
Alison Duncan
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in the heart of the Old Town.
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00:12:35,028 --> 00:12:36,773
Alison, hi. Hi, Alice.
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This has to be the most iconic bit
of Edinburgh, surely,
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the Royal Mile. Pretty much, yeah.
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We're standing here
right on the Mile itself.
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00:12:43,878 --> 00:12:47,333
When you look down to the east
there, it drops way down to the sea,
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00:12:47,358 --> 00:12:49,083
and then west up to the Castle Rock.
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So this is the Royal Mile
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but for citizens,
it's just the high street.
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And looking up and down the street
here,
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how much of what we're seeing
is Georgian?
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00:12:59,358 --> 00:13:02,853
Quite a lot of it on the facades,
and people improved their interiors
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00:13:02,878 --> 00:13:06,242
over time, but you've got this
backbone of the high street,
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00:13:06,267 --> 00:13:08,603
and off it all these
dark alleyways -
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00:13:08,628 --> 00:13:10,283
we call them closes in Scots,
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wynds if they're a little bit
wider. Yeah.
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00:13:12,668 --> 00:13:16,692
And you have these tenement
buildings. They were called lands.
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There's a good example of a
tenement further up the high street
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at Milne's Court. Shall we go and
take a look at it? Yeah, yeah.
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During the early Georgian period,
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in many European cities an age of
enlightenment was dawning.
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This was the vibrant exchange and
flourishing of new ideas in science,
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00:13:36,108 --> 00:13:37,643
the arts and philosophy.
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00:13:39,438 --> 00:13:41,883
Nowhere were these debates more
intense
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than here in Edinburgh's
densely packed apartment blocks.
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00:13:47,188 --> 00:13:50,603
So, what kind of class of people
would have been living in tenements
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like this? All sorts. That was one
real feature of Edinburgh.
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Because in other cities where
sociability's more controlled,
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00:13:57,188 --> 00:14:00,442
in people's houses, here you people
of all different ranks
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00:14:00,467 --> 00:14:02,242
really mingling together.
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00:14:02,267 --> 00:14:04,603
The aristocracy who had apartments
here in town
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00:14:04,628 --> 00:14:09,362
would be living on the same stair
as lawyers, as students,
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00:14:09,387 --> 00:14:11,213
perhaps as tradespeople.
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00:14:11,238 --> 00:14:13,523
Ideas were exchanged really easily.
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00:14:13,548 --> 00:14:17,933
That said, though, like a lot of
cities where life is very cramped,
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00:14:17,958 --> 00:14:21,853
there were the almost invisible
demarcations of who lived where
237
00:14:21,878 --> 00:14:23,523
and how they lived. Mm.
238
00:14:23,548 --> 00:14:26,883
Certainly, you lived on the first or
second floors if you were well off.
239
00:14:26,908 --> 00:14:28,803
The higher you have to go
on the stairs,
240
00:14:28,828 --> 00:14:31,163
the poorer you are.
That's exactly... Yeah.
241
00:14:31,188 --> 00:14:33,523
You've hit the nail on the head.
Because if you imagine
242
00:14:33,548 --> 00:14:35,293
everything that needs
to come into your house,
243
00:14:35,318 --> 00:14:38,322
whether it's water or coal
or your food,
244
00:14:38,347 --> 00:14:41,723
has to be carried, literally,
up those stairs.
245
00:14:41,748 --> 00:14:45,053
And then everything that has to go
out of your house - all the rubbish,
246
00:14:45,078 --> 00:14:48,413
the coal ash and the contents of
your chamberpots, of course,
247
00:14:48,438 --> 00:14:50,372
cos there's no plumbing, no toilets.
Yeah.
248
00:14:50,397 --> 00:14:54,773
So, what often happened was
late at night, the maid servant
249
00:14:54,798 --> 00:14:58,773
would just open the shutter,
quick check... just chuck it out?
250
00:14:58,798 --> 00:15:00,773
Whee! Out you go.
251
00:15:00,798 --> 00:15:03,242
If you're lucky,
she shouts "gardyloo"
252
00:15:03,267 --> 00:15:06,853
which, supposedly, is from
the French, "Prenez garde a l'eau."
253
00:15:06,878 --> 00:15:09,293
BOTH: Watch out for the water!
254
00:15:09,318 --> 00:15:11,733
You're very lucky
if it's just water. Yeah.
255
00:15:13,597 --> 00:15:18,773
With streets coated in slippery
organic matter, moving around a town
256
00:15:18,798 --> 00:15:23,803
while keeping your boots and hems
clean presented a challenge.
257
00:15:23,828 --> 00:15:28,213
Door-to-door transport was called
for but the prodigiously steep,
258
00:15:28,238 --> 00:15:32,803
narrow alleys meant horse-drawn
carts were out of the question
259
00:15:32,828 --> 00:15:36,013
and good old sedan chairs were in.
260
00:15:36,038 --> 00:15:39,372
I've been carried in a chair before,
like this,
261
00:15:39,397 --> 00:15:41,883
but I haven't tried carrying one.
262
00:15:41,908 --> 00:15:44,322
So, shall we have a go?
Let's give it a go. OK.
263
00:15:44,347 --> 00:15:46,683
Do we use these straps?
Yes, they go over the back.
264
00:15:46,708 --> 00:15:49,803
Let's see how we do.
Over your shoulders.
265
00:15:49,828 --> 00:15:53,452
And then you just loop them over the
poles, do you? Yeah, I think so.
266
00:15:54,798 --> 00:15:57,242
Ready? Go. Lift.
267
00:15:57,267 --> 00:15:59,773
Oh, that's not too bad. That..
268
00:15:59,798 --> 00:16:01,492
I reckon I could do this.
It's all right.
269
00:16:01,517 --> 00:16:03,452
And set it down.
270
00:16:03,477 --> 00:16:06,883
OK. Now, look,
that was far too easy,
271
00:16:06,908 --> 00:16:09,163
so I think we need a volunteer.
272
00:16:09,188 --> 00:16:10,763
Georgia?
273
00:16:10,788 --> 00:16:13,163
Adding our production assistant
to the payload
274
00:16:13,188 --> 00:16:15,933
would make this
a bit more realistic.
275
00:16:15,958 --> 00:16:17,653
Now we'll see what we're made of.
ls she...
276
00:16:17,678 --> 00:16:19,963
Are you brave enough to go in here?
I don't know!
277
00:16:19,988 --> 00:16:21,403
THEY CHUCKLE
278
00:16:21,428 --> 00:16:24,492
I think you're being very brave.
Yeah.
279
00:16:24,517 --> 00:16:27,013
Good luck, Georgia. Thank you.
280
00:16:27,038 --> 00:16:28,293
Ready?
281
00:16:28,318 --> 00:16:29,603
Er, yeah.
282
00:16:29,628 --> 00:16:31,043
OK, lift.
283
00:16:31,068 --> 00:16:33,322
No. Whoa! No.
284
00:16:34,878 --> 00:16:37,813
It's really heavy!
What I'm finding is as you...
285
00:16:37,838 --> 00:16:41,403
This is nothing about Georgia - this
is just trying to lift a person.
286
00:16:41,428 --> 00:16:43,853
As you lift at the front,
it comes back.
287
00:16:43,878 --> 00:16:46,933
Do you want to try lifting first?
We could give it a go.
288
00:16:49,548 --> 00:16:52,043
Er, right, I'm in position.
289
00:16:52,068 --> 00:16:54,813
OK, I'm lifting at the back. OK.
290
00:16:54,838 --> 00:16:56,492
SHE GROANS
291
00:16:56,517 --> 00:16:59,043
Do you want to try a step?
292
00:16:59,068 --> 00:17:00,523
Left foot forward.
293
00:17:00,548 --> 00:17:01,763
OK.
294
00:17:02,878 --> 00:17:05,653
OK. Whoa! That's OK.
295
00:17:05,678 --> 00:17:08,213
Yep. There's a tree in front of me.
296
00:17:10,318 --> 00:17:12,603
I think... I think that's going to
be the shortest...
297
00:17:12,628 --> 00:17:14,492
Shall we set down? Set down.
298
00:17:14,517 --> 00:17:20,043
The shortest sedan-chair trip in
history, I think there, Georgia.
299
00:17:20,068 --> 00:17:23,322
I think we should just run up
the high street with this.
300
00:17:23,347 --> 00:17:25,963
Yeah, up to the castle. Mm. OK.
301
00:17:25,988 --> 00:17:27,763
We'll do that but you can't film it.
302
00:17:31,238 --> 00:17:33,853
SHE GROANS
OK, that's a bit different.
303
00:17:40,958 --> 00:17:45,653
At least the hard-working chairmen
never had to go far because,
304
00:17:45,678 --> 00:17:49,013
as Edinburgh's population boomed
in the mid-1700s,
305
00:17:49,038 --> 00:17:53,322
this town grew upwards
rather than sprawling outwards.
306
00:17:54,558 --> 00:17:59,122
Some of its tenements were
like skyscrapers, 14 storeys tall.
307
00:18:00,477 --> 00:18:02,763
People were packed in like sardines.
308
00:18:02,788 --> 00:18:08,252
It was noisy, smelly and smoky,
earning it the nickname Auld Reekie.
309
00:18:08,277 --> 00:18:11,733
To keep up with the times, Edinburgh
needed to spread its wings.
310
00:18:11,758 --> 00:18:13,963
But its geology was holding it back.
311
00:18:15,238 --> 00:18:17,173
Aerial archaeologist Ben Robinson
312
00:18:17,198 --> 00:18:20,763
is taking his drone up to get a look
at the wider landscape.
313
00:18:25,397 --> 00:18:28,093
I'm looking at Princes Street
Gardens here
314
00:18:28,118 --> 00:18:30,403
and they're looking beautiful.
315
00:18:30,428 --> 00:18:34,813
This great green land running right
through the heart of the city.
316
00:18:34,838 --> 00:18:37,653
Yeah, I can see that
what I'm actually looking at
317
00:18:37,678 --> 00:18:39,122
is a small valley,
318
00:18:39,147 --> 00:18:43,653
and there's the Old Town,
clinging to the side of this valley.
319
00:18:43,678 --> 00:18:46,173
Now, this was the site
of the Nor Loch.
320
00:18:46,198 --> 00:18:50,533
It had been formed by glaciers
tens of thousands and years ago.
321
00:18:50,558 --> 00:18:53,013
And the Nor Loch posed a problem
322
00:18:53,038 --> 00:18:57,683
because, as Edinburgh grew,
the loch was a constraint.
323
00:18:57,708 --> 00:18:59,613
It was a physical barrier.
324
00:18:59,638 --> 00:19:04,322
And worse than that, everything that
was produced in the Old Town,
325
00:19:04,347 --> 00:19:09,093
everything noxious and disgusting,
ended up in the loch.
326
00:19:09,118 --> 00:19:13,093
So it became this filthy,
disgusting, horrible place.
327
00:19:13,118 --> 00:19:16,452
A few witches were even thrown
into it, apparently.
328
00:19:16,477 --> 00:19:20,013
So, that was a real problem
for expanding Edinburgh.
329
00:19:22,788 --> 00:19:28,293
Hemmed in with stinking marshland,
and with this burgeoning population
330
00:19:28,318 --> 00:19:31,173
ever more densely packed
into the town,
331
00:19:31,198 --> 00:19:34,202
Auld Reekie was losing its charm
332
00:19:34,227 --> 00:19:37,653
and eventually, the council decided
enough was enough.
333
00:19:40,477 --> 00:19:44,533
In 1759, the unloved loch
was drained
334
00:19:44,558 --> 00:19:47,013
and a bridge
built across the valley.
335
00:19:49,068 --> 00:19:53,093
This would connect the Old Town to
an undeveloped strip of land
336
00:19:53,118 --> 00:19:54,613
just to the north.
337
00:19:56,508 --> 00:19:58,943
At the same time,
a competition was launched
338
00:19:58,968 --> 00:20:03,332
to find a design for the new town
that would be built here.
339
00:20:03,357 --> 00:20:07,763
The winning layout was by a young
local architect named James Craig.
340
00:20:09,477 --> 00:20:12,973
To find out how this ambitious
project was realised,
341
00:20:12,998 --> 00:20:16,613
I've come to the New Town
to meet historian Tony Lewis.
342
00:20:16,638 --> 00:20:20,252
Nice to meet you. Lovely to see
you here in New Town.
343
00:20:20,277 --> 00:20:22,122
Yeah, Edinburgh's New Town. Yeah.
344
00:20:22,147 --> 00:20:23,563
A new start for the city.
345
00:20:23,588 --> 00:20:27,973
So, 250 years ago, before they start
building here, this is just fields?
346
00:20:27,998 --> 00:20:30,332
This is just fields.
This is greenfield development?
347
00:20:30,357 --> 00:20:33,202
And you would've found a surveyor
surveying the ground
348
00:20:33,227 --> 00:20:35,613
to make sure
that everything added up.
349
00:20:35,638 --> 00:20:37,563
So you'll find on James Craig's
plans,
350
00:20:37,588 --> 00:20:40,283
it's regularly divided up
like a Monopoly board
351
00:20:40,308 --> 00:20:42,013
into plots of a certain size.
352
00:20:42,038 --> 00:20:43,663
So the council's saying,
353
00:20:43,688 --> 00:20:46,733
"We're doing this, we're creating
this grand scheme for the New Town,
354
00:20:46,758 --> 00:20:48,332
"and you can buy a bit of it."
355
00:20:48,357 --> 00:20:50,663
You can buy as much as you like
356
00:20:50,688 --> 00:20:53,093
but they recommended
a 30-to-40-foot plot.
357
00:20:53,118 --> 00:20:56,252
And what are the key part of
that plan, then? This square?
358
00:20:56,277 --> 00:20:58,733
This square, the other square and
the grid of streets -
359
00:20:58,758 --> 00:21:01,452
Princes Street to one side,
Queen Street to the other.
360
00:21:02,718 --> 00:21:04,563
I think the symbolism
in the street names
361
00:21:04,588 --> 00:21:07,773
is kind of a physical representation
of the politics of the time.
362
00:21:07,798 --> 00:21:09,252
It's fascinating. Absolutely.
363
00:21:09,277 --> 00:21:11,093
There's Thistle Street
and Rose Street -
364
00:21:11,118 --> 00:21:12,893
there immediately, you've got
this idea
365
00:21:12,918 --> 00:21:14,452
of union of Scotland and England.
366
00:21:14,477 --> 00:21:16,773
St Andrew Square and George Street,
367
00:21:16,798 --> 00:21:18,382
you've got something that's
very Scottish
368
00:21:18,407 --> 00:21:20,093
with something that was very British
369
00:21:20,118 --> 00:21:21,893
in its street names
and its place names.
370
00:21:21,918 --> 00:21:24,252
Let's go and explore some of
the other streets. OK.
371
00:21:26,407 --> 00:21:30,973
Allowing developers to buy a single
plot and build to their own designs
372
00:21:30,998 --> 00:21:33,332
has given many of
the New Town's streets
373
00:21:33,357 --> 00:21:36,093
a charmingly eclectic character.
374
00:21:36,118 --> 00:21:38,533
What about these? ls this Georgian?
375
00:21:38,558 --> 00:21:40,843
This is slightly later. Yeah.
376
00:21:40,868 --> 00:21:44,252
But there's one area which is
much more uniform -
377
00:21:44,277 --> 00:21:48,252
four impressive terraces
surrounding a square...
378
00:21:48,277 --> 00:21:50,613
It's the first time
I've actually been allowed in.
379
00:21:50,638 --> 00:21:53,252
...named to honour
King George lll's wife.
380
00:21:53,277 --> 00:21:57,643
Well, here we are, Alice.
Charlotte Square. Charlotte Square.
381
00:21:57,668 --> 00:21:59,202
In we go. This is magnificent!
382
00:21:59,227 --> 00:22:00,743
This is it. It's big, innit?
383
00:22:00,768 --> 00:22:03,173
It's huge.
ls it bigger than St Andrew Square?
384
00:22:03,198 --> 00:22:04,533
It's exactly the same size.
385
00:22:04,558 --> 00:22:06,813
Everything's about symmetry
on Craig's plan.
386
00:22:11,157 --> 00:22:13,173
So, this is still part of
Craig's plan?
387
00:22:13,198 --> 00:22:16,283
Yes. But Craig's not the architect
of these buildings, is he?
388
00:22:16,308 --> 00:22:18,973
No, this is Robert Adam,
THE Robert Adam,
389
00:22:18,998 --> 00:22:20,493
the king's architect,
390
00:22:20,518 --> 00:22:22,853
the nationally prestigious
architect,
391
00:22:22,878 --> 00:22:25,252
known up and down the country
for his work.
392
00:22:25,277 --> 00:22:27,613
So, by the time he does this,
he's already famous?
393
00:22:27,638 --> 00:22:29,533
Very famous. Yeah.
He's the man to get.
394
00:22:31,638 --> 00:22:34,893
This gives it a presence.
This gives it a wow factor.
395
00:22:34,918 --> 00:22:38,252
I mean, it is wow still today,
isn't it? It is.
396
00:22:38,277 --> 00:22:40,743
It's a decades-long project
by the time we reach here. It is,
397
00:22:40,768 --> 00:22:43,173
it's about 30 years to get
to this point. Amazing.
398
00:22:43,198 --> 00:22:45,533
And even for the tradesmen, as we
see today behind us,
399
00:22:45,558 --> 00:22:47,132
there's still people
up on scaffolds.
400
00:22:47,157 --> 00:22:49,743
They still haven't finished it!
For tradesmen up there,
401
00:22:49,768 --> 00:22:52,132
back in the 1790s,
some of them ended up
402
00:22:52,157 --> 00:22:55,252
going to America and helped building
the White House.
403
00:22:55,277 --> 00:22:56,823
Some of them went to Russia
404
00:22:56,848 --> 00:23:00,493
and helped plan out New Moscow
after 1812.
405
00:23:00,518 --> 00:23:04,212
Edinburgh had got a European
and global dynamic to it.
406
00:23:04,237 --> 00:23:08,283
So it's not just captured as being
a satellite state to England. Yeah.
407
00:23:08,308 --> 00:23:11,613
It's an important international city
in an important country.
408
00:23:15,237 --> 00:23:18,002
So, as it entered the 19th century,
409
00:23:18,027 --> 00:23:22,332
Edinburgh had the elegant streets
the town's elite had hankered after.
410
00:23:23,848 --> 00:23:28,533
And now its financial and scientific
institutions could thrive,
411
00:23:28,558 --> 00:23:31,332
with far-reaching consequences -
412
00:23:31,357 --> 00:23:33,693
both good and ghoulish.
413
00:23:45,448 --> 00:23:49,423
I'm in Edinburgh to learn
about Georgian Britain
414
00:23:49,448 --> 00:23:52,012
and the crucial role
that this town played
415
00:23:52,037 --> 00:23:54,012
in shaping the United Kingdom.
416
00:23:55,648 --> 00:24:00,173
With the town being expanded and
upgraded, Edinburgh was on the up.
417
00:24:02,008 --> 00:24:05,623
Of course, transformation doesn't
come cheap and, as with
418
00:24:05,648 --> 00:24:09,933
almost any commercial activity,
a ready source of credit was vital.
419
00:24:11,037 --> 00:24:12,703
I've come back to the New Town,
420
00:24:12,728 --> 00:24:15,853
to the Royal Bank of Scotland's
original head office,
421
00:24:15,878 --> 00:24:19,533
to get an exclusive look at some
evidence that I've been told
422
00:24:19,558 --> 00:24:23,173
shows the stereotype of
the financially astute Scot
423
00:24:23,198 --> 00:24:25,453
may well be founded on fact.
424
00:24:27,558 --> 00:24:29,453
Oh, look at these!
425
00:24:29,478 --> 00:24:32,933
Now I've got some treasures from
the archives here
426
00:24:32,958 --> 00:24:37,342
of the Royal Bank of Scotland
and here are some banknotes.
427
00:24:37,367 --> 00:24:41,423
This one, which is really early,
1727...
428
00:24:41,448 --> 00:24:46,613
So, at this point, banknotes had
only been in use for a few decades.
429
00:24:46,638 --> 00:24:50,142
This is a very, very early banknote.
430
00:24:50,167 --> 00:24:52,653
And as well as some of the printed
material on it,
431
00:24:52,678 --> 00:24:55,972
there's a lot of handwriting
on it as well. It's wonderful.
432
00:24:55,997 --> 00:25:00,373
Now, this is a book of minutes
of the directors
433
00:25:00,398 --> 00:25:03,373
of the Royal Bank of Scotland,
which sounds a bit dry.
434
00:25:03,398 --> 00:25:07,453
But, actually, there's some really
important juicy information
435
00:25:07,478 --> 00:25:10,813
in here and this paragraph
is really important.
436
00:25:10,838 --> 00:25:17,253
This refers to a Mr William Hogg,
a merchant in Edinburgh.
437
00:25:17,278 --> 00:25:19,653
He's got a cash account
with the bank
438
00:25:19,678 --> 00:25:24,063
and he's allowed to make
overdrafts on the bank.
439
00:25:24,088 --> 00:25:26,423
So in other words, the bank is
gonna give him cash credit.
440
00:25:27,638 --> 00:25:31,012
To find out what this idea of
instant cash meant
441
00:25:31,037 --> 00:25:36,703
for modern finance, I'm catching up
with archivist Ruth Reed.
442
00:25:36,728 --> 00:25:40,173
Ruth, I've just been looking through
the archives
443
00:25:40,198 --> 00:25:43,533
and finding the record
of that cash credit.
444
00:25:43,558 --> 00:25:45,892
What did that mean in terms of
what people could do
445
00:25:45,917 --> 00:25:47,813
with that money and how easy it
was to get money?
446
00:25:47,838 --> 00:25:50,613
Well, in effect, you could call it
the world's first
447
00:25:50,638 --> 00:25:53,653
overdraft authorisation because it's
the first time that something that
448
00:25:53,678 --> 00:25:56,583
we would think of like an
overdraft was being offered.
449
00:25:56,608 --> 00:25:59,703
And what it meant was instead of
having to take out a loan
450
00:25:59,728 --> 00:26:02,583
for a specific amount of money,
you could have this arrangement
451
00:26:02,608 --> 00:26:04,293
where you could take up to
a certain amount
452
00:26:04,318 --> 00:26:06,333
but only paying interest
on what you'd borrowed.
453
00:26:06,358 --> 00:26:08,972
So what that meant for a business,
for example, is that they could
454
00:26:08,997 --> 00:26:11,733
handle their cash flow
much more slickly. Yeah.
455
00:26:11,758 --> 00:26:15,092
You could pay suppliers before
your customers had paid you.
456
00:26:15,117 --> 00:26:18,173
I saw some of the early banknotes
up there from the archive
457
00:26:18,198 --> 00:26:19,453
and they're wonderful.
458
00:26:19,478 --> 00:26:23,303
Is this the first time that there
were royal portraits on banknotes?
459
00:26:23,328 --> 00:26:26,423
Yes, in fact we think it's
the first time that any portrait
460
00:26:26,448 --> 00:26:29,333
specifically of a person
was on a British banknote.
461
00:26:29,358 --> 00:26:30,892
For example, the Bank of England
462
00:26:30,917 --> 00:26:33,533
didn't have the queen on
its banknotes until 1960... Really?
463
00:26:33,558 --> 00:26:36,663
...whereas the Royal Bank
started doing it in 1727.
464
00:26:36,688 --> 00:26:39,373
And what did that royal portrait
mean on the banknote?
465
00:26:39,398 --> 00:26:40,863
Is it just decoration?
466
00:26:40,888 --> 00:26:43,583
It's not just decoration,
although it certainly makes the note
467
00:26:43,608 --> 00:26:46,423
look impressive and attractive and
eye-catching.
468
00:26:46,448 --> 00:26:48,972
But also it's a really
good anti-forgery measure,
469
00:26:48,997 --> 00:26:51,333
because people are really good
at faces.
470
00:26:51,358 --> 00:26:53,693
So if there's something a little bit
wrong on that face,
471
00:26:53,718 --> 00:26:56,063
they're gonna see it and they'll
know it's not a real note.
472
00:26:56,088 --> 00:26:58,863
And the banking industry
really took off in Scotland.
473
00:26:58,888 --> 00:27:01,783
I mean, it seems to be something
that Scotland is really known for.
474
00:27:01,808 --> 00:27:04,423
Certainly if you look at the oldest
banks in London,
475
00:27:04,448 --> 00:27:08,333
a number of them were founded
and run by Scottish families.
476
00:27:08,358 --> 00:27:12,733
And even if you go out to Canada
or Australia or South Africa,
477
00:27:12,758 --> 00:27:15,333
if you're looking in the
19th century, into the 20th century,
478
00:27:15,358 --> 00:27:16,863
an awful lot of their bankers
479
00:27:16,888 --> 00:27:19,182
were Scottish-trained lads
who'd gone out there.
480
00:27:20,251 --> 00:27:24,666
By the early 1800s, innovative
banking and healthy competition
481
00:27:24,691 --> 00:27:27,756
were turbocharging the economy.
482
00:27:27,781 --> 00:27:31,356
Britain's Industrial Revolution
was in full swing
483
00:27:31,381 --> 00:27:36,426
and for the lucky few, a better way
of life was becoming a reality.
484
00:27:38,090 --> 00:27:43,426
Edinburgh's New Town had shown how
civil modern urban living could be.
485
00:27:43,451 --> 00:27:46,226
And now, there was an appetite
for even grander designs.
486
00:27:48,220 --> 00:27:52,506
Ben Robinson has launched his drone
to see how the city was shaping up.
487
00:27:53,890 --> 00:27:58,356
There's the New Town development
here, this great rectilinear plan.
488
00:27:58,381 --> 00:28:01,306
And the rich, the newly wealthy,
couldn't get enough of it.
489
00:28:01,331 --> 00:28:04,916
And the Earl of Moray had
a bit of land adjacent to it.
490
00:28:04,941 --> 00:28:07,836
He thought, "All right, here's
a way to make a lot of cash."
491
00:28:07,861 --> 00:28:12,226
But his land was a bit hemmed in by
this almost cliff running down here,
492
00:28:12,251 --> 00:28:15,586
so he got a very talented architect
to come up with a design
493
00:28:15,611 --> 00:28:17,865
based on these geometrical shapes.
494
00:28:17,890 --> 00:28:19,306
There's a crescent -
495
00:28:19,331 --> 00:28:23,945
Randolph Crescent, Ainslie Place
and Moray Place down here.
496
00:28:23,970 --> 00:28:27,146
The symmetry is absolutely
wonderful.
497
00:28:27,171 --> 00:28:30,426
So if we could just take the drone
up a bit and get this vertical view,
498
00:28:30,451 --> 00:28:35,506
I'm now looking at the centrepiece
of the whole design, Moray Place.
499
00:28:35,531 --> 00:28:41,026
This, even by the standards of
the New Town, was impressive stuff.
500
00:28:41,051 --> 00:28:43,745
I was gonna say these are like
mini palaces
501
00:28:43,770 --> 00:28:47,476
but there's nothing mini about
them at all. They are palaces.
502
00:28:50,293 --> 00:28:52,711
While new housing vastly improved
503
00:28:52,736 --> 00:28:55,911
the lives of wealthy and
healthy Georgians,
504
00:28:55,936 --> 00:28:59,551
anyone who got ill had a problem
and, in many cases,
505
00:28:59,576 --> 00:29:02,271
would have faced a premature death.
506
00:29:02,296 --> 00:29:06,991
Life expectancy had barely
improved since the Middle Ages.
507
00:29:07,016 --> 00:29:11,931
But in Edinburgh, a growing
emphasis on scientific study
508
00:29:11,956 --> 00:29:13,481
would help to change that.
509
00:29:15,066 --> 00:29:20,651
I'm an anatomist. I'm fascinated by
the structure of the human body.
510
00:29:20,676 --> 00:29:25,041
And anatomy is such
a fundamental science -
511
00:29:25,066 --> 00:29:29,651
it underpins medicine
and, of course, surgery.
512
00:29:29,676 --> 00:29:34,291
And if you were to choose anywhere
to come and learn anatomy
513
00:29:34,316 --> 00:29:38,211
in Georgian Britain,
it would be here in Edinburgh.
514
00:29:41,396 --> 00:29:45,761
To help me understand how Edinburgh
garnered this reputation, I've come
515
00:29:45,786 --> 00:29:49,321
to meet Professor Tom Gillingwater
at the University of Edinburgh.
516
00:29:52,756 --> 00:29:56,681
And how well respected was the
medical school here in Edinburgh,
517
00:29:56,706 --> 00:29:59,961
in Britain and even more widely?
518
00:29:59,986 --> 00:30:02,371
Well, it attracted people
to come and study here
519
00:30:02,396 --> 00:30:04,681
from all four corners of the globe.
520
00:30:04,706 --> 00:30:07,851
Perhaps more importantly,
it acted as the centre to then send
521
00:30:07,876 --> 00:30:10,841
those individuals back to where
they'd originally come from,
522
00:30:10,866 --> 00:30:13,171
to set up similar medical schools.
523
00:30:13,196 --> 00:30:16,091
So, for example, graduates from
the medical school here in Edinburgh
524
00:30:16,116 --> 00:30:19,371
went and set up many of the leading
medical schools in North America.
525
00:30:19,396 --> 00:30:22,091
And there were some very famous
professors of anatomy here.
526
00:30:22,116 --> 00:30:25,291
There was that dynasty of Monros.
Yes, absolutely.
527
00:30:25,316 --> 00:30:29,761
They really ruled over the Edinburgh
anatomy scene for nigh on 100 years.
528
00:30:29,786 --> 00:30:31,481
And how were they teaching anatomy?
529
00:30:31,506 --> 00:30:34,291
What were their ideas about how
this subject should be taught?
530
00:30:34,316 --> 00:30:37,601
They'd learnt from the best of
anatomy on the continent and they'd
531
00:30:37,626 --> 00:30:41,681
seen the importance of learning
anatomy by experience of a body.
532
00:30:41,706 --> 00:30:44,571
You know, you wouldn't trust your
car mechanic to service your car
533
00:30:44,596 --> 00:30:46,961
after having read a manual. No.
You'd want them to have
534
00:30:46,986 --> 00:30:49,321
actually seen an engine
and worked on it. Yeah, yeah.
535
00:30:49,346 --> 00:30:51,681
Even better, stripped the engine.
Absolutely.
536
00:30:51,706 --> 00:30:55,531
And then at some point, we get
independent private medical schools
537
00:30:55,556 --> 00:30:59,931
setting themselves up almost
in competition with the university.
538
00:30:59,956 --> 00:31:03,761
Yes, so there was a proliferation
of enterprising individuals
539
00:31:03,786 --> 00:31:07,321
who realised that they could set up
their own, essentially,
540
00:31:07,346 --> 00:31:08,891
anatomy demonstration schools,
541
00:31:08,916 --> 00:31:11,961
where people would pay to come and
watch the best of the best
542
00:31:11,986 --> 00:31:13,481
demonstrate their wares.
543
00:31:13,506 --> 00:31:16,611
So Robert Knox was one of the best.
He was a real showman.
544
00:31:16,636 --> 00:31:19,761
"Come and see Dr Knox." Absolutely.
545
00:31:19,786 --> 00:31:22,171
So this is a poster for
one of his lectures, then?
546
00:31:22,196 --> 00:31:23,961
A series of lectures,
often over a week.
547
00:31:23,986 --> 00:31:26,961
He could only teach for as long as
a body would remain fresh.
548
00:31:26,986 --> 00:31:31,841
So this one says, "Arrangements have
been made to secure, as usual,
549
00:31:31,866 --> 00:31:35,091
"an ample supply of
anatomical subjects."
550
00:31:35,116 --> 00:31:37,451
That's what Edinburgh
was known for -
551
00:31:37,476 --> 00:31:39,811
it was anatomy on the real thing,
anatomy on the body.
552
00:31:39,836 --> 00:31:42,651
You're only going to be as good
as the bodies you can provide.
553
00:31:42,676 --> 00:31:45,891
And this is where the story really
does take a macabre turn.
554
00:31:51,316 --> 00:31:54,931
Tom's brought me to nearby
Greyfriars Kirkyard to show me
555
00:31:54,956 --> 00:31:59,811
the effects of this insatiable
appetite for cadavers to dissect.
556
00:32:01,426 --> 00:32:04,011
To be honest, they couldn't get
sufficient bodies from
557
00:32:04,036 --> 00:32:06,681
the normal distribution channels
which, essentially,
558
00:32:06,706 --> 00:32:08,331
were executed criminals.
559
00:32:08,356 --> 00:32:11,761
So, a lot of the bodies were coming
from illicit activities -
560
00:32:11,786 --> 00:32:14,091
in a large part, graverobbing.
561
00:32:14,116 --> 00:32:15,611
So, what's this about?
562
00:32:15,636 --> 00:32:19,201
So, this is a Mortsafe,
an example of where, essentially,
563
00:32:19,226 --> 00:32:20,761
an individual who'd been buried
564
00:32:20,786 --> 00:32:22,811
would be protected from
the graverobbers
565
00:32:22,836 --> 00:32:27,731
by placing these iron railings,
grilles, on top of the actual grave.
566
00:32:27,756 --> 00:32:32,371
And, of course, in Edinburgh it does
take on an even more macabre twist
567
00:32:32,396 --> 00:32:36,011
with Knox and with his
ample supply of bodies.
568
00:32:36,036 --> 00:32:37,481
Absolutely, yes.
569
00:32:37,506 --> 00:32:41,891
So, they wanted the freshest bodies,
which is what led to Burke and Hare.
570
00:32:41,916 --> 00:32:45,281
So, William Burke and William Hare,
who were Irish,
571
00:32:45,306 --> 00:32:48,091
come over to Edinburgh
looking for work?
572
00:32:48,116 --> 00:32:50,891
Yes, they essentially saw
the opportunity and,
573
00:32:50,916 --> 00:32:52,251
in the end, murdered...
574
00:32:52,276 --> 00:32:54,011
We know of at least 16 individuals
575
00:32:54,036 --> 00:32:56,651
that they murdered to provide
to Robert Knox.
576
00:32:56,676 --> 00:32:58,201
It goes right back, though.
577
00:32:58,226 --> 00:33:03,891
You sent me this document, which is
written by one of the Monros...
578
00:33:03,916 --> 00:33:08,251
Yes. ..about what you should look
for in a cadaver, in a corpse.
579
00:33:08,276 --> 00:33:10,561
And it's quite chilling reading.
580
00:33:10,586 --> 00:33:14,331
"First make your choice of body of
good constitution and habit,
581
00:33:14,356 --> 00:33:15,611
"not gross with fat..."
582
00:33:15,636 --> 00:33:18,611
So they don't want to be having to
cut through too much fat
583
00:33:18,636 --> 00:33:20,331
to get to the organs and muscles.
584
00:33:20,356 --> 00:33:23,371
"..Nor impoverished with leanness,
585
00:33:23,396 --> 00:33:26,371
"of a middle age and stature,
586
00:33:26,396 --> 00:33:30,731
"that received death neither by
disease nor wound
587
00:33:30,756 --> 00:33:33,051
"but choked or strangled."
588
00:33:33,076 --> 00:33:36,731
Yep. So, Burke and Hare were just
delivering what had been requested.
589
00:33:42,076 --> 00:33:46,411
These gruesome events highlighted
the horrors of an unregulated
590
00:33:46,436 --> 00:33:48,641
underground trade in cadavers.
591
00:33:50,306 --> 00:33:55,331
And to combat that, in 1832,
the Anatomy Act was passed.
592
00:33:58,306 --> 00:34:02,691
The Anatomy Act meant that the
supply of bodies to medical schools
593
00:34:02,716 --> 00:34:07,091
was regulated, and that paved
the way for what we have today,
594
00:34:07,116 --> 00:34:11,171
where generous-hearted people
bequeath their bodies,
595
00:34:11,196 --> 00:34:13,891
donate their bodies,
to medical schools.
596
00:34:16,156 --> 00:34:17,971
So, graverobbing aside,
597
00:34:17,996 --> 00:34:21,411
Georgian Edinburgh was a pioneer
in medical science.
598
00:34:22,556 --> 00:34:25,691
But it would be an old-fashioned
visit from the king
599
00:34:25,716 --> 00:34:27,971
that would heal old wounds -
600
00:34:27,996 --> 00:34:30,451
with a brand launch like no other
601
00:34:30,476 --> 00:34:33,741
and a new identity for a nation.
602
00:34:45,076 --> 00:34:47,651
I'm exploring the grand streets
603
00:34:47,676 --> 00:34:50,931
and hidden alleys of Edinburgh,
604
00:34:50,956 --> 00:34:53,981
uncovering events from
the Georgian era,
605
00:34:54,006 --> 00:34:58,291
a period that saw the creation of
the United Kingdom we know today.
606
00:35:00,596 --> 00:35:03,701
Following the failed Jacobite
uprisings,
607
00:35:03,726 --> 00:35:08,091
Scotland had slowly been adjusting
to the merger with England.
608
00:35:08,116 --> 00:35:13,131
However, not since 1633 had
a reigning English monarch
609
00:35:13,156 --> 00:35:15,811
actually paid a visit here.
610
00:35:15,836 --> 00:35:18,811
It was finally time for
the royal embrace.
611
00:35:20,516 --> 00:35:24,411
In 1822, King George IV decides that
he is going to pay the good people
612
00:35:24,436 --> 00:35:27,981
of Scotland a visit, and
this is a completely different
613
00:35:28,006 --> 00:35:30,341
scenario from
almost 8O years before,
614
00:35:30,366 --> 00:35:32,341
the finaljacobite rebellion,
615
00:35:32,366 --> 00:35:36,061
with troops surging from
the south into Scotland.
616
00:35:36,086 --> 00:35:40,571
This time, Scotland is welcoming a
monarch and he's arriving by sea.
617
00:35:40,596 --> 00:35:45,621
He disembarked here at the quayside
in Leith, and there's a record
618
00:35:45,646 --> 00:35:48,881
of this moment in a
really unlikely place.
619
00:36:00,806 --> 00:36:05,171
This is a splendid room to find
inside a police station,
620
00:36:05,196 --> 00:36:07,011
cos this used to be
the council chamber
621
00:36:07,036 --> 00:36:09,341
but this is the painting
I've come to look at.
622
00:36:09,366 --> 00:36:11,851
Look at that - it's huge!
623
00:36:11,876 --> 00:36:16,531
So, this is recording the arrival
of George IV in Leith.
624
00:36:16,556 --> 00:36:18,491
There he is, look,
right in the middle.
625
00:36:20,236 --> 00:36:25,011
Looking rather splendid, being
greeted by all the great and good.
626
00:36:25,036 --> 00:36:28,981
Look at all these crowds of people
very excited to see him.
627
00:36:29,006 --> 00:36:31,491
It's a bit of PR -
of course it's a bit of PR.
628
00:36:31,516 --> 00:36:38,061
He's arriving as this Hanoverian
king but he is monarch of the union.
629
00:36:38,086 --> 00:36:41,371
He's monarch of Great Britain
and Ireland.
630
00:36:41,396 --> 00:36:45,061
So this is quite something
for the people of Scotland.
631
00:36:45,086 --> 00:36:47,571
Some nefarious activities
as well, though.
632
00:36:47,596 --> 00:36:49,931
There's a pickpocket here
taking advantage of the fact
633
00:36:49,956 --> 00:36:52,291
that this man's not so interested
in the king, actually -
634
00:36:52,316 --> 00:36:54,651
he's more interested in this
lovely lady.
635
00:36:54,676 --> 00:36:57,601
When you start looking,
you've got lovely details -
636
00:36:57,626 --> 00:37:02,701
people wearing tartan shawls and I
think some heather in the bonnet.
637
00:37:02,726 --> 00:37:06,091
And the people with the best views
of all are the sailors up there,
638
00:37:06,116 --> 00:37:09,371
look, on the yardarms of
their ships,
639
00:37:09,396 --> 00:37:13,091
all crowded on to see
their king arriving.
640
00:37:13,116 --> 00:37:15,171
And it is propaganda, obviously -
641
00:37:15,196 --> 00:37:19,701
they want to show that he's
being greeted, he's being feted,
642
00:37:19,726 --> 00:37:22,371
people are delighted to see him.
643
00:37:22,396 --> 00:37:26,701
And thousands of people,
but it was a big day.
644
00:37:27,636 --> 00:37:30,091
The ostentatious welcoming ceremony
645
00:37:30,116 --> 00:37:32,891
was to be followed by processions
and events
646
00:37:32,916 --> 00:37:36,651
that would cement Scotland's role
at the heart of the union.
647
00:37:37,836 --> 00:37:42,221
The man who ended up organising most
of the pageantry was Edinburgh's
648
00:37:42,246 --> 00:37:47,931
own literary superstar - the
romantic novelist Sir Walter Scott.
649
00:37:47,956 --> 00:37:52,371
To find out about his role in
these era-defining events,
650
00:37:52,396 --> 00:37:55,371
I've travelled an hour south of
Edinburgh
651
00:37:55,396 --> 00:38:00,701
to Abbotsford and Scott's country
retreat in the Scottish borders.
652
00:38:00,726 --> 00:38:02,611
Hi. Hi. Welcome to Abbotsford.
653
00:38:02,636 --> 00:38:05,451
Its curator
is Kirsty Archer-Thompson.
654
00:38:05,476 --> 00:38:09,061
Kirsty, Walter Scott at this point
of time is a bestselling novelist,
655
00:38:09,086 --> 00:38:11,581
but I still don't understand why
that makes him
656
00:38:11,606 --> 00:38:14,651
the right man for THIS job,
for planning this huge event.
657
00:38:14,676 --> 00:38:17,781
What happens is, a committee is
set up, he's part of that committee.
658
00:38:17,806 --> 00:38:21,501
It encompasses historians,
antiquarians, artists.
659
00:38:21,526 --> 00:38:24,011
People who have a stake in
the history of Scotland
660
00:38:24,036 --> 00:38:26,811
and how it's presented
at a ceremonial event.
661
00:38:26,836 --> 00:38:30,531
And Scott is brimming with ideas
and enthusiasm, all of his research
662
00:38:30,556 --> 00:38:33,611
from writing his novels,
and ends up taking the reins.
663
00:38:33,636 --> 00:38:36,451
I think the rest of the committee
are terribly pleased about that
664
00:38:36,476 --> 00:38:38,811
because it's a heck of
a project-management job.
665
00:38:38,836 --> 00:38:42,171
Did he write much about the
whole planning process,
666
00:38:42,196 --> 00:38:44,501
about how he came up with the ideas,
667
00:38:44,526 --> 00:38:47,691
and do you get a feeling for how
that evolved over time? Absolutely.
668
00:38:47,716 --> 00:38:50,691
Scott left us a plethora of letters
where he's scratching his head
669
00:38:50,716 --> 00:38:52,581
on all manner of things.
670
00:38:52,606 --> 00:38:54,941
And one of the key things that
he does in the run-up
671
00:38:54,966 --> 00:38:57,421
to the king's visit is
he calls the clans,
672
00:38:57,446 --> 00:38:59,421
just like he would have done of old.
673
00:38:59,446 --> 00:39:03,141
He sends out a missive to all of
the Highland chiefs to bring
674
00:39:03,166 --> 00:39:06,421
their clans down to Edinburgh in
this incredible ceremonial act.
675
00:39:06,446 --> 00:39:08,091
What do the clan chiefs...
676
00:39:08,116 --> 00:39:10,531
Do we know what they
really thought about it?
677
00:39:10,556 --> 00:39:15,531
Because this is saying, "Yes, we
are... We are Britain," isn't it?
678
00:39:15,556 --> 00:39:18,781
So, Scott gets quite a mixed
response from the clans.
679
00:39:18,806 --> 00:39:21,301
Some are very supportive and
turn out in their droves.
680
00:39:21,326 --> 00:39:24,611
Others don't turn up at all.
What he does manage to do
681
00:39:24,636 --> 00:39:29,011
is get them to turn out in numbers
that really show Edinburgh
682
00:39:29,036 --> 00:39:31,811
that Scotland is more than
just the lowlands.
683
00:39:31,836 --> 00:39:34,731
But, of course, you can pivot that
round and say that almost through
684
00:39:34,756 --> 00:39:40,371
inviting the clans, he
over-Celtifies the image of Scotland
685
00:39:40,396 --> 00:39:42,661
and that's often an accusation
people make.
686
00:39:46,476 --> 00:39:48,501
It must have been spectacular.
687
00:39:48,526 --> 00:39:52,531
Absolutely. Don't forget that
14% of Scotland's population,
688
00:39:52,556 --> 00:39:56,451
300,000 people, according to
the newspapers, flocked to the city.
689
00:39:58,046 --> 00:40:01,371
People hanging out of windows,
hanging off lampposts,
690
00:40:01,396 --> 00:40:03,221
all to get a view of the king.
691
00:40:04,356 --> 00:40:06,781
Scott wanted everybody
to be able to see him
692
00:40:06,806 --> 00:40:09,861
and it caused a sensation.
It was completely unprecedented.
693
00:40:16,326 --> 00:40:19,381
The centrepiece of Scott's plans
to honour the king
694
00:40:19,406 --> 00:40:22,221
was a splendidly choreographed
Highland ball.
695
00:40:24,326 --> 00:40:29,171
All the male guests were instructed
to wear the ancient Highland dress,
696
00:40:29,196 --> 00:40:32,941
creating a mad scramble among
the town's tailors,
697
00:40:32,966 --> 00:40:35,661
with the fashionable but
corpulent King George
698
00:40:35,686 --> 00:40:37,381
donning his own kilt -
699
00:40:37,406 --> 00:40:39,941
albeit one that was a little short,
700
00:40:39,966 --> 00:40:42,691
a fact that was famously mocked
at the time.
701
00:40:46,076 --> 00:40:49,251
It's quite complicated. I mean,
look at their footwear. Yeah.
702
00:40:56,916 --> 00:40:59,741
Brilliant! Thank you.
703
00:40:59,766 --> 00:41:01,741
Transported us back 200 years.
704
00:41:02,996 --> 00:41:06,811
Scott's achievement in gaining
royal approval for Highland costume,
705
00:41:06,836 --> 00:41:10,611
in particular the kilt,
was a key moment for this garment,
706
00:41:10,636 --> 00:41:13,451
the country and the union.
707
00:41:13,476 --> 00:41:16,131
It's so weird because it starts off
being the symbol almost of
708
00:41:16,156 --> 00:41:18,411
a free and independent Scotland,
709
00:41:18,436 --> 00:41:20,251
and then that is outlawed,
710
00:41:20,276 --> 00:41:22,581
and then ends up being
a symbol of a Scotland
711
00:41:22,606 --> 00:41:25,941
which is very much part of a union,
712
00:41:25,966 --> 00:41:29,531
and very much part of Britain,
and then it's acceptable again.
713
00:41:29,556 --> 00:41:32,691
It's a fascinating tale and I think
also this is something that
714
00:41:32,716 --> 00:41:36,531
Scott is working on in his novels
as well, which is all bound up
715
00:41:36,556 --> 00:41:39,531
in the same enthusiasms
and appetites of the age.
716
00:41:39,556 --> 00:41:41,021
It was the history of Scotland
717
00:41:41,046 --> 00:41:44,411
and the traditions of Scotland
in a safe space.
718
00:41:44,436 --> 00:41:48,821
This was a way for Scotland
to present itself to the world,
719
00:41:48,846 --> 00:41:51,301
but that didn't rock
the boat too much.
720
00:41:51,326 --> 00:41:53,771
I do think if Scott were alive
today he would be absolutely
721
00:41:53,796 --> 00:41:57,771
fascinated with just how far
that legacy has taken us.
722
00:41:57,796 --> 00:41:59,581
I bet he'd be delighted to see this.
723
00:41:59,606 --> 00:42:03,051
He'd be delighted to see people
dressed in Highland tartan
724
00:42:03,076 --> 00:42:05,101
and doing Scottish dancing.
He'd love it.
725
00:42:05,126 --> 00:42:08,131
He might be looking out
the window now. Yeah. He might be.
726
00:42:11,046 --> 00:42:15,971
Love or loathe Scott's cunning blend
of traditions and costume,
727
00:42:15,996 --> 00:42:18,851
as a package it worked a treat.
728
00:42:18,876 --> 00:42:23,221
And it's now part of the
indelible image of Scottishness
729
00:42:23,246 --> 00:42:25,461
that keeps the tourists spending.
730
00:42:26,916 --> 00:42:31,821
There are other aspects of Georgian
history that are less visible,
731
00:42:31,846 --> 00:42:34,891
or at least they're
hidden in plain sight.
732
00:42:34,916 --> 00:42:39,941
And we're really only just
starting to talk about them now.
733
00:42:39,966 --> 00:42:42,581
I'm back in the heart of
Edinburgh's New Town,
734
00:42:42,606 --> 00:42:47,181
where a huge column
looms over St Andrew Square.
735
00:42:47,206 --> 00:42:52,021
To find out more about this statue
and the controversy it's created,
736
00:42:52,046 --> 00:42:55,461
I'm meeting
campaigner Sir Geoff Palmer.
737
00:42:55,486 --> 00:42:57,051
Geoff, hello. Oh, hi.
738
00:42:57,076 --> 00:43:00,581
Who is this man up on top of
that very grand column?
739
00:43:00,606 --> 00:43:02,381
Well, that's Henry Dundas
740
00:43:02,406 --> 00:43:05,541
but he's also known as
the first Lord Melville.
741
00:43:05,566 --> 00:43:09,901
He was home secretary,
he was treasurer of the navy,
742
00:43:09,926 --> 00:43:11,661
secretary of state for war.
743
00:43:11,686 --> 00:43:14,941
His nickname was
the Uncrowned King of Scotland.
744
00:43:14,966 --> 00:43:19,411
Really? Now, he is important
because he's the man
745
00:43:19,436 --> 00:43:22,741
that stopped Wilberforce from
abolishing the slave trade
746
00:43:22,766 --> 00:43:26,101
for 15 years. So, William
Wilberforce is in Parliament.
747
00:43:26,126 --> 00:43:30,461
He's trying to get this bill passed
to abolish the slave trade,
748
00:43:30,486 --> 00:43:33,051
and Dundas actively opposes that?
749
00:43:33,076 --> 00:43:34,611
What he did, Wilberforce said
750
00:43:34,636 --> 00:43:37,261
the slave trade should be
immediately abolished.
751
00:43:37,286 --> 00:43:40,101
Dundas says it should be
gradually abolished.
752
00:43:40,126 --> 00:43:41,851
Why did he want to delay it?
753
00:43:41,876 --> 00:43:45,301
Well, this is a very important
point of debate,
754
00:43:45,326 --> 00:43:49,771
because on the slave plantations
in the West Indies at that time,
755
00:43:49,796 --> 00:43:53,571
a slave didn't live longer than
about ten years.
756
00:43:53,596 --> 00:43:55,541
In fact, it was less than that.
Yeah.
757
00:43:55,566 --> 00:43:58,741
And therefore if people were dying
at that rate,
758
00:43:58,766 --> 00:44:01,301
then to replace them
you needed a trade.
759
00:44:01,326 --> 00:44:03,931
You needed more people coming in?
Absolutely. Yeah.
760
00:44:03,956 --> 00:44:06,691
That's the horror of
the slave trade. Mm.
761
00:44:08,796 --> 00:44:11,621
The monument's original plaque
makes no reference to any role
762
00:44:11,646 --> 00:44:15,181
Dundas had in delaying the abolition
of slave trading,
763
00:44:15,206 --> 00:44:18,461
and there are many who have
challenged that accusation.
764
00:44:18,486 --> 00:44:22,131
Four years ago,
a new plaque was proposed
765
00:44:22,156 --> 00:44:26,461
but a fractious committee couldn't
reach a decision on its wording.
766
00:44:27,716 --> 00:44:29,181
So, the committee's disbanded,
767
00:44:29,206 --> 00:44:33,131
no more discussion about
a plaque until spring 2020.
768
00:44:33,156 --> 00:44:35,931
Yes, with the death of George Floyd,
769
00:44:35,956 --> 00:44:39,661
with the general reaction to
that horrific killing,
770
00:44:39,686 --> 00:44:43,341
the council have responded to the
public and myself -
771
00:44:43,366 --> 00:44:47,261
I was sort of saying, you know,
"We've got to do something." Mm.
772
00:44:47,286 --> 00:44:51,771
And the leader of Edinburgh Council
convened a committee
773
00:44:51,796 --> 00:44:56,901
and within five days, we had
a narrative with slavery on it.
774
00:44:56,926 --> 00:45:03,341
During all that, I was recorded as
saying I don't want statues down,
775
00:45:03,366 --> 00:45:06,741
because people were saying
this one should come down.
776
00:45:06,766 --> 00:45:09,411
That's really interesting because
statues have come down. Yes.
777
00:45:09,436 --> 00:45:12,181
You know, Colston came down
in Bristol. Yes.
778
00:45:12,206 --> 00:45:16,211
And some historians say
we should take them down -
779
00:45:16,236 --> 00:45:18,931
they're about celebrating figures.
780
00:45:18,956 --> 00:45:20,741
And yet you think he
should stay there.
781
00:45:20,766 --> 00:45:26,181
Of course. I think that
a statute is part of our history.
782
00:45:26,206 --> 00:45:27,701
It's my history.
783
00:45:27,726 --> 00:45:31,491
Because the statute is put up
in the centre of Edinburgh,
784
00:45:31,516 --> 00:45:34,571
and therefore this is its context,
785
00:45:34,596 --> 00:45:38,571
if you remove it you are
removing the context of our history.
786
00:45:40,316 --> 00:45:43,901
This saga exemplifies
Britain's ongoing struggle
787
00:45:43,926 --> 00:45:47,461
to reinterpret its darkest
Georgian legacies.
788
00:45:48,766 --> 00:45:51,341
Another example of why Edinburgh
789
00:45:51,366 --> 00:45:54,771
so powerfully encapsulates
this fascinating age.
790
00:45:56,846 --> 00:45:58,491
It's a city where what is now
791
00:45:58,516 --> 00:46:02,131
a monument to the shifting
perceptions of history
792
00:46:02,156 --> 00:46:05,651
stands among timeless
luxurious architecture,
793
00:46:05,676 --> 00:46:08,261
where modern banking was given life
794
00:46:08,286 --> 00:46:12,571
and medical science thrived,
despite having a brush with death.
795
00:46:13,956 --> 00:46:17,211
A place that saw
a bitter rebellious war
796
00:46:17,236 --> 00:46:20,541
but then hosted a royal
reconciliation,
797
00:46:20,566 --> 00:46:23,981
becoming a key player
in uniting a kingdom.
798
00:46:25,156 --> 00:46:27,851
That's why Edinburgh will always
be associated
799
00:46:27,876 --> 00:46:32,381
with that most contradictory of
periods, the Georgian era.
800
00:46:36,676 --> 00:46:39,821
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