Riddle’s Close, Lawn Market. Bailie Macmoran’s House. 1848.

This original antique steel engraving depicts Riddle’s Close in the Lawnmarket — one of Edinburgh’s most historically significant closes, home to Bailie Macmoran’s House, a remarkable survival of 16th-century merchant architecture in the heart of the Old Town.

Bailie John Macmoran was one of Edinburgh’s wealthiest merchants in the late 16th century, and his house — described by contemporaries as one of the finest in the city — became infamous as the scene of a tragic incident in 1595 when a schoolboy shot and killed Macmoran during a dispute at the Royal High School.

Drawn by Sir Daniel Wilson and engraved by William Forrest for his landmark work Memorials of Edinburgh in the Olden Time, published in 1848, this print captures the close and its remarkable historic building with extraordinary detail and precision.

This is a rare Proof impression, pulled before the main print run and considered of superior quality and rarity to a standard example — a particularly fine piece for collectors of Scottish history, Edinburgh topography, and Old Town architecture.

Subscript: Lower Left: D. Wilson. Lower Right: W. Forrest. Lower Center: Published by Hugh Paton, Adam Square, Edinburgh. Proof.

Author: Sir Daniel Wilson, F. R. S. S. A. (1816–1892)

Publication: Memorials of Edinburgh in the Olden Time. By Daniel Wilson, F. S. S. A. Acting Secretary to the Society of the Antiquaries of Scotland.

Volume: 1

Publisher: Hugh Paton / Simpkin, Marshall, & Co.

Place of Publication: Adam Square, Edinburgh / London

Date: 1848

Artist: Sir Daniel Wilson, F. R. S. S. A. (1816–1892)

Engraver: William Forrest

Page Number: Between pages 168–169

Paper Dimensions: 12 x 9 ¼ inches

Medium: Steel Engraving

Impression: Proof

Language: English

Coloured: Black and white

Condition: The print is in great condition with some minor wear around the edges and a very faint crease mark on the left side of the print, as can be seen.

Reference: Memorials of Edinburgh in the Olden Time, HathiTrust Digital Library