St Giles High Kirk
Edinburgh Mercat Cross and St Giles, Edinburgh (© Rosslyn Templars)
Edinburgh's Mercat Cross stands in the foreground of St Giles from the east. A Mercat Cross typically marked the central trading point of medieval Scottish Burghs - hence Edinburgh. The city was made a Royal burgh during the reign of David I (1124 - 1153. born 1084) although the exact date cannot be ascertained as no Charter remains extant. However, the Charter of David I founding Holyrood Abbey (not Hollyrood as in Hollywood! - Ed.) dated 1124 states that Edinburgh was a Royal by that time.