Edinburgh has a fascinating history dating back thousands of years, with evidence of a settlement in the Cramond area from around 8500 BC.
The city’s name comes from ‘Eidyn’, the name for the region in Cumbric – the Brittonic language spoken in the Northern England and Lowland Scotland in the Middle Ages.
At this time a stronghold on Castle Rock was called Din Eidyn, literally meaning ‘the hillfort of Eidyn’. As the Scots language evolved, the Din was replaced by ‘burh’, creating Edinburgh.
And there are plenty more clues to the Capital’s complex past in the names of the streets, roads, and lanes that make up the city, all of which come from a multitude of languages, backgrounds and people.
The name Stockbridge itself dates back to at least the first half of the 18th century and comes from the Scots ‘stock brig’, referring to a wooden footbridge that presumably crossed the Water of Leith.
Here are the stories behind 10 of the road names in the neighbourhood and the surrounding areas.
1. Comely Bank
The various streets in Stockbridge with the Comely Bank moniker are named after the Cumliebank estate, which referred to the beauty of the south-facing slope overlooking Inverleith (literally a comely bank). Sir William Fettes, who owned the estate and built the first rows of terraced housing in the early 19th century, also called his mansionhouse Comely Bank House. Photo: Google Maps
2. Ann Street
Ann Street is named after the wife of Sir Henry Raeburn, Ann Edgar. She was the widow of Count Leslie, who formerly owned Old Deanhaugh House where Henry and Ann lived following their marriage. Photo: Google Maps
3. Raeburn Place
Raeburn Place, which was first developed for housing in around 1814, is named after the painter Sir Henry Raeburn. Raeburn was born in the area in 1756 and became a hugely successful artist, serving as Portrait Painter to King George IV. Photo: Google Maps
4. Hamilton Place
Hamilton Place is named after the widow of a Dr Hamilton who moved there from London Street in 1813. Photo: Google Maps