OS1/11/106/57

Continued entries/extra info

[Page] 57
Parish of the City of Edinburgh

At the foot of the Wynd on the east side is large mansion of antique appearance forming [--] sides of a quadrangle with a port-cocher giving access to a court behind and a picturesque [overhanging] turret at the exterior angle. This house was built by James Bethune Archbishop [of Glasgow] (1508 - 1524) Chancellor of the Kingdom and one of the Lords regent under the Duke of Albany [during] the minority of James V. Lindsay in his chronicles speaks of it as, "his owen ludging quilk he [--] it in the Freiris Wynd", Keith at a later period says, 'Over the entry of which the arms of the [family] of Bethune are to be seento this day." Common report represents it as the house of the Cardinal [Bethune] who was the nephew of the Archbishop of Glasgow and it is not improbable that the prelate bequeathed it to the other and that it thus became what Maitland calls it Archiepiscopal of the see of St. Andrews
The ground floor of this extensive building is arched over with strong stone work after the[fashion] of those houses of defence of the same period which are still scattered over the country [--] years ago when one of the arches was removed to make way for a common ceiling a thick layer [--] firmly beaten down was found between the surface of the vault and the floor above. [--] floors thus formed were applied in former times to inferior domestic uses and the storing of [--] of value. The chief apartments for living in were on the floor above, that is the so called first floor [and] such is the case in all the best houses of an old fashion in the city of St. Andrews at this [--].
[--] shall afterwards have something to say of an event of the year 1517 with which Archbishop [Bethune's] House was connected, it appears to have been occupied by James V in 1528 while he was [deliberating] on the propriety of calling a parliament.

Transcriber's notes

Words in fold surmised where possible and shown in [ ]. Where not shown [--].
Description continued from page 56 and further continued on page 58.