Indeed Edinburgh is often called the ‘Athens of the North’, by many who have never visited either Athens or Edinburgh. The city was founded by Edwin of Northumbria, and was originally known as ‘Edwin Burgh’, but later the ‘W’ was dropped. Unpopular with the townsfolk, Edwin sailed for Turkey, where they dedicated the city of Ankara to him. Edinburgh’s first charter was granted in 1329 by Robert the Bruce, who gained Scotland independence. Legend has it that Bruce drew inspiration from watching a spider, so he sat in an empty bath and refused to be flushed down the plughole until the English left. According to the city’s official records, Edinburgh became the capital in 1482, when the Scots lost Berwick. But I have startling news: I know where it is. It’s just down the road on the River Tweed. The city’s political importance declined after 1707 with the Act of Union, which decreed members of the Scottish Parliament move to Westminster to run England from there. In the early 18th Century, the Scots continued the fight for their independence, and it was during the Jacobite rebellions that Flora MacDonald became famous, when she invented margarine.
