History of Leith, Edinburgh

When I wrote “Leith and the Holy Grail” I didn’t realise I would cause so much controversy. However please see some of the sources that I used below.

Templar Ship Crest
St. Mary’s Church, Fortingall (does it look Familiar?)
acknowledged-Ani Williams (c)

The point is there is no doubt according to historic records that the Knights of St John came to Leith in 1327. That part of the Order were The Hospitaller Sisters of St. John of Jerusalem, and they were based orginally at the hospital of St. Mary Magdalen, Jerusalem, and they probaly came into Leith at the same time bringing the image of Mary Magalene which would have been what is called the “Black Madonna”. This is compounded by the fact that Leith traded with Northern Europe and France during the same period and that the images of Mary Magdalene in France and Europe are shown as Black Madonnas and in every one she is holding a child. These can be seen by clicking onto the relevant links below.

It is also a fact that Leith was Church Property during the Middle Ages and the representation of Mary Magdalene was used to show what property was owned by the church and this in time came to represent Leith.

In fact what we have on the Coat of Arms of Leith is a form of Black Madonna. That is the possible reason why the Coat of Arms of Leith weren’t changed at the Reformation for the simple fact it didn’t represent the Virgin Mary at all but St Mary Magdalene

John Arthur

For Images of the “Black Madonna” click here

“Like pearls from an ancient lover’s gift, Magdalene sites and legends lie cast across a vast expanse, reaching from Ethiopia, Palestine, Egypt, France and north to the highlands and isles of Scotland. Crumbling chapel ruins, great Gothic cathedrals, caves, symbols carved in stone, and stories of her coming and going remain like fragments of an old story necklace, waiting and waiting and still waiting to be found.”for more click here (more…)

In October 13th 1307 while the Templars were being arrested the Templar Fleet stationed at La Rochelle quietly slipped away. According to tradition and a lot of evidence it carried the records of the Order, and the treasure of the Templar Preceptory of Paris, taking them to the West and East coast of Scotland. Some of these ships must have come to Leith as Berwick was in English hands. (more…)

Surely a port on the east coast of Scotland couldn’t have a link with the Cup of Christ…or could it?
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Source-”Macdonald Living History”

One of the greatest mysteries connected to Leith is the origins of South Leith Parish Church. According to Campbell Irons in his Leith and its Antiquities he asserts that it was founded in 1483 but gives no evidence for this assertion and since then every writer on Leith have said the same thing. (more…)

Find out about the connection between Leith and the religous military order of the Knights Templar
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source-The Life and Times of Leonardo

A representation of Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper” can be seen in the Great East Window of South Leith Church. However as can be demostrated above Leonardo always worked to a very strict mathematical basis in all his pictures.Which had nothing to do with secret messages as Dan Brown would have us believe.

Enlargement from the “The Last Supper”

“St John the Baptist”

Compare and contrast the two pictures above. The top picture is an enlargement from the Leonardo’s “Last Supper” showing the “So-called” female figure it is actually St John “the beloved apostle”. The picture below Leonardo’s “St John the Baptist” again a male figure showing a very strong female appearance. The point being Leonardo liked good looking young males and always painted them in a very female way. So there is no great mystery here.

source-The Life and Times of Leonardo

The anatomy of the arm (Muscles)

Enlargement-”The arm of St John the Baptist”

Enlargement-”Virgin of the Rocks”

Hands were a great theme of Leonardo and he made a study of them. Both in his art and in his study of the anatomy of the human body. The hand of St Peter isn’t threatening in the “Last Supper” but rather seems to be pointing as can be seen in comparison with the hands from his “St John the Baptist” and the Angel in the “Virgin of the Rocks”

The Proportions of man according to vitruvius

The Tau is a figure constructed of five lines and is considered an important emblem or badge in Royal Arch Masonry and was the symbol of the Knight Templars of St Anthony of Leith. Find out why….

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Both the Knights of St John and the Knight Templar are known to have been pesent in Leith from the Historic Record.

Source-”Macdonald Living History”

The Tau cross is so named from the Hebrew alphabet’s last letter , which was transcribed as a ‘T’ in Greek. With its handle, crux ansata, this cross represents a symbol of divinity on Egyptian and Assyro-Babylonian sculptures, such as Isis and Osiris. for more click here