Queensberry House
Encyclopedia
Queensberry House is a 17th century Category A listed building in the Canongate
, Edinburgh
, Scotland
, incorporated into the Scottish Parliament complex. It contains the office of the Presiding Officer
, two Deputy Presiding Officers, the Parliament's Chief Executive, and other staff.
The mansion house was built in c. 1667 for Dame Margaret Douglas of Balmakellie, and bought by William Douglas, 1st Duke of Queensberry
in c. 1689.
The most famous resident is probably James Douglas, 2nd Duke of Queensberry
who was influential behind the Treaty of Union
in 1707.
The same evening the 2nd Duke was signing the Act of Union, his son, the insane Earl of Drumlanrig
, is said to have roasted a servant boy on a spit in an oven in the kitchens. The oven can still be seen in the Parliament's Allowances Office.
From 1803 to 1996 the building was used as a hospital.
Ian Rankin
's Inspector Rebus
novel Set in Darkness
, first published in 2000 is partly set in Queensberry House during the reconstruction for the new parliament building.
Canongate
The Canongate is a small district at the heart of Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland.The name derives from the main street running through the area: called Canongate without the definite article, "the". Canongate forms the lower, eastern half of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh's historic Old Town....
, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, incorporated into the Scottish Parliament complex. It contains the office of the Presiding Officer
Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament
The Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament is the speaker of the Scottish Parliament, elected by the Members of the Scottish Parliament, by means of an exhaustive ballot. He or she also heads the Corporate Body of the Scottish Parliament and as such is viewed as a figurehead for the entire...
, two Deputy Presiding Officers, the Parliament's Chief Executive, and other staff.
The mansion house was built in c. 1667 for Dame Margaret Douglas of Balmakellie, and bought by William Douglas, 1st Duke of Queensberry
William Douglas, 1st Duke of Queensberry
William Douglas, 1st Duke of Queensberry PC also 3rd Earl of Queensberry and 1st Marquess of Queensberry was a Scottish politician....
in c. 1689.
The most famous resident is probably James Douglas, 2nd Duke of Queensberry
James Douglas, 2nd Duke of Queensberry
James Douglas, 2nd Duke of Queensberry and 1st Duke of Dover was a Scottish nobleman.He was the eldest son of William Douglas, 1st Duke of Queensberry and his wife Isabel Douglas, daughter of William Douglas, 1st Marquess of Douglas.Educated at the University of Glasgow, he was appointed a...
who was influential behind the Treaty of Union
Acts of Union 1707
The Acts of Union were two Parliamentary Acts - the Union with Scotland Act passed in 1706 by the Parliament of England, and the Union with England Act passed in 1707 by the Parliament of Scotland - which put into effect the terms of the Treaty of Union that had been agreed on 22 July 1706,...
in 1707.
The same evening the 2nd Duke was signing the Act of Union, his son, the insane Earl of Drumlanrig
James Douglas, 3rd Marquess of Queensberry
James Douglas, 3rd Marquess of Queensberry , known until 1711 as James Douglas, Earl of Drumlanrig, was a Scottish nobleman, eldest son to survive infancy of James Douglas, 2nd Duke of Queensberry....
, is said to have roasted a servant boy on a spit in an oven in the kitchens. The oven can still be seen in the Parliament's Allowances Office.
From 1803 to 1996 the building was used as a hospital.
Ian Rankin
Ian Rankin
Ian Rankin, OBE, DL , is a Scottish crime writer. His best known books are the Inspector Rebus novels. He has also written several pieces of literary criticism.-Background:He attended Beath High School, Cowdenbeath...
's Inspector Rebus
Inspector Rebus
The Inspector Rebus books are a series of detective novels by the Scottish author Ian Rankin. The novels, centred on the title character Detective Inspector John Rebus, are mostly based in and around Edinburgh.-Content and style:...
novel Set in Darkness
Set in Darkness
Set in Darkness is a 2000 crime novel by Ian Rankin. It is the eleventh of the Inspector Rebus novels.-Plot summary:The Scottish Parliament is about to reopen in Edinburgh after 300 years. Detective Inspector John Rebus is in charge of liaison, as the new parliament is in his patch...
, first published in 2000 is partly set in Queensberry House during the reconstruction for the new parliament building.