The South Bridge Act 1785 (25 Geo III c.28) was a public act of the

United Kingdom Parliament The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative supremacy ...

concerning the South Bridge, for rebuilding or improving the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

, for enlarging the public markets, for lighting the said city, for providing an additional supply of water, for extending the royalty of the said city for levying an additional sum of money for statute labour in the middle district of the county of Edinburgh, to complete the

mound A mound is a heaped pile of earth, gravel, sand, rocks, or debris. Most commonly, mounds are earthen formations such as hills and mountains, particularly if they appear artificial. A mound may be any rounded area of topographically higher el ...

and to erect a

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

between the road to Leith and Calton Hill across Calton Street. The Cowgate Arch of George IV Bridge, Edinburgh

South Bridge Scheme

The first specific proposal for a South Bridge was produced on 6 September 1775 with the publication of a pamphlet setting out heads of a Bill. The promoters were a Committee of Heritors of the Shire of Edinburgh, including

Henry Dundas Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville, Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, PC, Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, FRSE (28 April 1742 – 28 May 1811), styled as Lord Melville from 1802, was the trusted lieutenant of British Pri ...

who acted as Chairman, and the Duke of Buccleuch. In 1784 the scheme for the South Bridge was revived and with it the hopes of rebuilding the College on the exiting site. Andrew Dalzel wrote to a friend in December : "It is now resolved to build a bridge across the Cowgate, passing between the College and the Infirmary. It is thought that when the posteriors of the College are exposed, people will be shamed into building a new College." This startling prospect gave rise to another pamphlet, published in early 1785 by James Gregory, Professor of the Theory of Medicine, in the form of "''A letter to the Right Honourable Henry Dundas on the Proposed Improvements in the City of Edinburgh.''" https://archive.org/stream/statutesatlarge23unkngoog#page/n116/mode/2up, 26 Geo III c.28

Trustees for the University of Edinburgh and the South Bridge Act 1785

James Hunter Blair James Hunter Blair (18 March 1926 – 25 December 2004) was a noted Scottish historic preservationist, landowner and forester. His family's estate, Blairquhan, is located near Straiton in South Ayrshire, Scotland. Early life Hunter-Blair wa ...

; Lord Provost of Edinburgh * The right honourable

of Melville * The right honourable Ilay Campbell; Lord Advocate of Scotland *

Sir William Forbes Sir William Forbes of Callendar (1743–1815) was a prosperous coppersmith and landowner who lived in Callendar House in Falkirk, Scotland. Biography Forbes was a self-made man. The son of an Aberdeen merchant, he began work as a coppersmith and ...

; Baronet of Pitfligo * Robert Macqueen of Braxfield esquire, Senator of the College of Justice * Archibald McDowal esquire; Merchant and Dean of the Guild of Edinburgh * John Grieve esquire; Merchant in Edinburgh * Mr. William Jamieson; Mason and Convener of the Trades of Edinburgh * John Davidson esquire; Writer to the Signet * Niel McViccar esquire; Merchant in Edinburgh * James Brown esquire; Architect

References

1785 in Scotland Acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom concerning Scotland {{GB-statute-stub