Edinburgh’s First Burghers: Revealing the Lives and Hidden Faces of Edinburgh’s Medieval Citizens

Co-Investigator: Edinburgh’s First Burghers: Revealing the Lives and Hidden Faces of Edinburgh’s Medieval Citizens

Project Dates: January 2025 – November 2025

Partners: The City of Edinburgh Council Archaeological Service (CECAS); St. Giles Cathedral; Museum and Galleries Edinburgh; The University of Dundee; The University of Edinburgh; The University of Aberdeen; The University of Edinburgh; The Francis Crick Institute; Cinetopia; VideoLab Studio; Edinburgh 900.

Project Description: Celebrating the 900th anniversaries of both St Giles’ Cathedral and The City of Edinburgh, this project brings together new research by The City of Edinburgh Council Archaeology Service, and scientists and experts from The Francis Crick Institute (aDNA) in London, the University of Aberdeen (Isotopic analysis), and the Universities of Dundee and Edinburgh (Forensic Art and Facial Imaging) to reimagine the remains of medieval burials first excavated from around St Giles’ Cathedral in 1981. Craniofacial reconstructions of five early ‘Edinburghers’ were completed by Dr Maria Maclennan (The University of Edinburgh), showcased throughout the Cathedral using new visual projections and lighting designs by Mettje Hunneman (VideoLab Studio), along with a short documentary by Cinetopia featuring interviews with the project team and Cathedral staff, discussing the results and importance of the work to the heritage of the City and the Cathedral.

Outputs: The project culminated in a high-profile public exhibition in St Giles’ Cathedral, running for 6 months (5 June – 30 November 2025; including the entire duration of Edinburgh International Fringe Festival), with over 2,000,000 visitors expected to attend. Officially opened by the Rt. Hon. Lord Provost and Lord Lieutenant of Edinburgh, Robert Aldridge, and the Reverend of St. Giles’ Cathedral, Dr Scott Rennie; the exhibition is part of ‘Edinburgh 900’, a major city-wide initiative designed to commemorate the 900th Nonacentennial anniversary of Edinburgh being officially chartered as a borough of Scotland. The project was profiled by The Times Newspaper, The Scotsman Newspaper, Edinburgh Magazine, and on the websites of The City of Edinburgh Council, St Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh Cultural Minute, and Forever Edinburgh.