Cardinal Beaton’s House, Foot of Black-Friars’ Wynd, Cowgate. 1817.

This original antique steel engraving depicts Cardinal Beaton’s House at the foot of Black-Friars’ Wynd in the Cowgate, Edinburgh — one of the most historically charged addresses in the entire Old Town — as it appeared in 1817, shortly before its demolition.

Drawn by Sir Daniel Wilson from a sketch by D. Somerville and engraved by T. Steuart for his landmark work Memorials of Edinburgh in the Olden Time, published in 1848, this print preserves the memory of a building intimately associated with one of the most dramatic and controversial figures in Scottish history.

Cardinal David Beaton (1494–1546) was Archbishop of St Andrews and the most powerful churchman in Scotland during the Reformation — a man whose fierce persecution of Protestant reformers made him one of the most hated figures of his age. His assassination in St Andrews Castle in 1546 sent shockwaves through Scotland and hastened the progress of the Reformation.

That his Edinburgh house survived into the 19th century — and that Wilson took the trouble to document it from an earlier sketch — makes this print a genuinely rare historical record.

Drawn from D. Somerville’s sketch of the building as it stood in 1817, this is one of several prints in the Memorials series where Wilson worked from earlier sources to preserve buildings already lost by the time of publication. 

The print is on a thin paper which has been adhered to a thicker paper for publication.

Subscript: Lower Left: D. Wilson from a Sketch by D. Somerville. Lower Right: T. Steuart. Lower Center: Cardinal Beaton’s House, Foot of Black-Friars’ Wynd. Cowgate. 1817.

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: 2

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) from a sketch by D. Somerville

Engraver: T. Steuart

Page Number: Between pages 46–47

Paper Dimensions: 9 ¾ x 12 ¼ inches

Medium: Steel Engraving

Language: English

Coloured: Black and white

Condition: The print is in good condition with some wear across the print and around the edges, as can be seen. The print is on a thin paper which has been adhered to a thicker paper for publication, as can be seen.

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