The mystery surrounding the origin of Leith Links' famous twin braes

Claim that famous grassy hillocks were built as artillery mounts is disputed

Saved from being flattened thanks to a disputed association with a 16th century siege, it appears no-one knows the true origins of Leith Links' famous twin braes.

Situated within 250 yards of one another in the tranquillity of Leith's main pleasure grounds are two conspicuous grassy hillocks that serve as a reminder of a far from peaceful episode in the old port's history.

Dubbed Giant's Brae and Lady Fyfe's Brae, tradition has it the twin mounds - which are listed as scheduled monuments of national importance by Historic Environment Scotland - are remains of English gun emplacements deployed in the Siege of Leith - a claim that is hotly disputed.

Giant's Brae (pictured) and Lady Fyfe's Brae were previously thought to have been used as artillery mounts during the Siege of Leith in 1560.

Siege of Leith

Concluding in the spring of 1560, the siege ended a twelve-year encampment of more than 2,000 French troops in the town.

While hundreds of lives were lost on either side during the conflict, the continental visitors eventually agreed to leave peacefully after agreeing to the terms laid out in the Treaty of Edinburgh.

Mystery surrounds the origins of the two mounds.

The treaty effectively replaced the Auld Alliance between France and Scotland with a new Anglo-Scottish accord.

Alexander Campbell's 1827 claim

More than 250 years later, in 1827, Alexander Campbell published his History of Leith, providing detailed accounts of the great siege.

Campbell's tome stated Giant's Brae and Lady Fyfe's Brae were remains of gun batteries from the siege, a claim that was repeated frequently in the decades that followed.

Ainslie 1804 shows how Leith Links was home to numerous hillocks prior to flattening in the 1880s.

It is thought Campbell's confusion may have partly arisen from a misinterpretation of a contemporary map, the Pelham Map, which shows a birds-eye view of the siege works.

Stuart Harris’ dispute

In 1996 author Stuart Harris disputed the association between the two mounds and the siege in his comprehensive The Place Names of Edinburgh, branding Campbell's assertion "wholly spurious" and going on to state that contemporary accounts and plans of the siege works fully disproved the notion.

Harris added the 1827 claim had resulted in the braes being confused with the true gun emplacements, Mount Pelham and Mount Somerset. Named after captains in the English Army, the two "mounts" were actually located in Restalrig and Pilrig respectively.

Saving the braes

Perhaps most interestingly, Campbell's supposed false history led to Giant's Brae and Lady Fyfe's Brae being saved in the latter part of the 19th century.

Prior to becoming a public park, Leith Links was made up of grassy hillocks and sand dunes, with the area becoming home to one of Scotland's earliest golf courses - hence the links name.

Maps from the early 19th century show that the Links boasted numerous hillocks in addition to the more famous twin braes.

It is believed Giant's Brae and Lady Fyfe's Brae were spared on account of their alleged Siege heritage when the remainder of Leith Links' hillocks were flattened in the 1880s.

Describing their origin as "a mystery", John Lawson, the City of Edinburgh Council's archaeologist, said that, while evidence suggests the two mounds were not used as artillery mounts during the Siege of Leith, they remain important cultural reminders of the 1560 event.

Mr Lawson told the Evening News: "They're probably man-made, going just by the form of them. What they could be is up to anybody's guess; anything from rabbit warrens, to prehistoric graves to siege works.

"They are a bit of a mystery to be perfectly honest, but they are archaeological monuments in their own right and they are nationally important in terms of protection

"The mounds have played a part in the siege works but what that role was we don't know. They're almost now commemorating the siege works more than anything else.

"It's always good to have a mystery to investigate at a future date."

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