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Fireworks in Scotland date back to 1507, researchers find

Today Edinburgh Castle is synonymous with spectacular pyrotechnic displays, wowing crowds the world over – new research has found the castle played centre stage in Scotland’s first recorded use of fireworks in the early 1500s.

Edinburgh Castle with fireworks in 2011 - Photo by weir thru a lens / Flickr

Historic Scotland has revealed findings from a new research project providing a unique insight into Edinburgh Castle’s fireworks past, including the country’s first recorded use of them in 1507.

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Researchers investigated records and documents detailing the castle gun house, Accounts of the Lord High Treasurer as well as detailed inventories listing the valuables held at the castle in the 15th and 16th centuries. The discoveries have helped to shed new light on the extent of the landmark’s association with fireworks throughout the centuries.

Previously experts believed that fireworks were first used in Stirling in 1566, however, new evidence suggests that it was actually around 59 years earlier and in the Scottish capital. It is thought that ‘fireballs’ featured in a great tournament staged by King James lV, which took place at the base of Castle Rock, in 1507, in the area which is now the King’s Stables Road.

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Records also exist which detail a display that was planned for the castle to mark the coronation of James V’s first wife, Queen Madeleine, in 1537, which included giant Catherine wheels. Sulphur, oil, petrol, mercury, aqua vitae, canvas, thread and other items were used to create and build the fireworks which are thought to have spun on the horizontal unlike the Catherine wheels of today, which spin on the vertical.

Three years later, in 1540, a fireworks display to celebrate the coronation of Mary of Guise – mother to Mary Queen of Scots – was commissioned by King James V. The display cost £57-6s-1d, a huge sum of money in the 16th century. According to the Accounts of the Lord High Treasurer from that year, James V himself played a role in putting the display together: ‘fyre werk schot devisit be the Kingis grace’ – fireworks devised by the king’s grace.

Commenting on the research findings, Steve Farrar, Interpretation Officer at Historic Scotland, said, “The research commissioned into the castle’s history has resulted in some wonderful discoveries. We now know that Edinburgh Castle was the backdrop for Scotland’s first fireworks on record – during the early 1500s; while King James V went to great expense to celebrate the coronation of both his first and second wives by commissioning pyrotechnic displays.

“Fireworks are synonymous with the castle today and as it prepares to take centre stage once again for the next display, we’re provided with a great opportunity to share this colourful story with our visitors.”

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The research also identified a payment for canvas, brimstone, saltpetre, and lombard paper to make ‘fireballs’ as part of a civic pageant in Edinburgh for Mary Queen of Scots’ first marriage in 1587. It has also found that among the books Mary kept at the castle was a guide to firework making, The Art of Fyir. Renaissance fireworks included rockets, ‘fire-spears’ and fountains, and used steel and charcoal to colour the sparks orange and yellow.

Nick Finnigan, Executive Manager of Edinburgh Castle, which is operated by Historic Scotland, added, “These exciting new findings showcase the castle’s long association with fireworks, which stretches back some 500 years and involves several of Scotland’s most significant historical figures.

“It’s very fitting that the castle was the backdrop to the earliest fireworks in Scotland on record, something which still continues five centuries on. Today Edinburgh Castle is renowned for the impressive choreographed displays that entertain and signal some of the most significant events in Scotland such as Edinburgh’s Hogmanay, The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo and the popular Festival closing fireworks.”

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