Middle Ages To 19th Century
As the Old Town became ever more crowded during the Middle Ages, the Nor Loch became similarly polluted, by sewage, household waste, and general detritus thrown down the hillside. Historians are divided on whether the loch was ever used for drinking water.
The Nor Loch fulfilled a variety of other roles during this period including:
- Defence: Scotland, and particularly Edinburgh, suffered frequent English invasions during its independence.
- Witch ducking: over 300 suspected witch trials are documented at this site, as commemorated by a plaque on the castle esplanade, and it is possible that many more went undocumented. In many cases, these "trials" would have been fatal, and the suspects thus acquitted.
- Suicides: The Nor Loch was a popular spot for suicide attempts during its existence.
- Crime: The loch appears to have been used both as a smuggling route, and a site for the punishment of crime.
In 1759 the Nor Loch was drained and formed part of Princes Street Gardens, although frequent floods both then and now, threatened to "resurrect" it. For several decades after the Loch was drained, townspeople continued to refer to the area as the Nor Loch.
Read more about this topic: Nor Loch
Famous quotes containing the words middle, ages and/or century:
“Our children do not want models of perfection, neither do they want us to be buddies, friends, or confidants who never rise above their own levels of maturity and experience. We need to walk that middle ground between perfection and peerage, between intense meddling and apathy—the middle ground where our values, standards, and expectations can be shared with our children.”
—Neil Kurshan (20th century)
“Alas for the cripple Practice when it seeks to come up with the bird Theory, which flies before it. Try your design on the best school. The scholars are of all ages and temperaments and capacities. It is difficult to class them, some are too young, some are slow, some perverse. Each requires so much consideration, that the morning hope of the teacher, of a day of love and progress, is often closed at evening by despair.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“She’s just a child,
but I’m the one who’s fainthearted.
She’s the woman,
but I’m the coward.
She bears that high, swollen set of breasts,
but I’m the one who’s burdened.
The heavy hips are hers,
but I’m unable to move.
It’s a wonder
how clumsy I’ve become
because of flaws
that shelter themselves
in another.”
—Amaru (c. seventh century A.D.)