John Dowie's Tavern was an 18th/19th century tavern in

Libberton's Wynd Libberton's Wynd was a steep narrow street in Edinburgh, running from Lawnmarket to Cowgate. The term "wynd" is a common Scottish term for a narrow lane between houses. While most of it was destroyed in the 19th century as part of the creation o ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, frequented by a number of well-known persons. Its proximity to the Edinburgh

law courts A court is an institution, often a government entity, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and administer justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law. Courts genera ...

also meant it was a haunt of Edinburgh lawyers and judges.

History

John Dowie took over a tavern named "The Mermaid" on Liberton Wynd, off Edinburgh's

Royal Mile The Royal Mile () is the nickname of a series of streets forming the main thoroughfare of the Old Town, Edinburgh, Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland. The term originated in the early 20th century and has since entered popular usage. The Royal ...

, close to the Law Courts and

St Giles Cathedral St Giles' Cathedral (), or the High Kirk of Edinburgh, is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in the Old Town of Edinburgh. The current building was begun in the 14th century and extended until the early 16th century; significant alteratio ...

around 1770. The building held a date-stone of 1728 over the entrance. Dowie was a convivial host, and despite the small rooms and lack of daylight, it was a popular place, due to both Dowie himself and the quality of the beers. Liberton Wynd was a steep and narrow alley leading from the High Street to the

Cowgate The Cowgate (Scots language, Scots: The Cougait) is a street in Edinburgh, Scotland, located about southeast of Edinburgh Castle, within the city's World Heritage Site. The street is part of the lower level of Edinburgh's Old Town, Edinburgh, ...

. The beer was from Archibald Younger's brewery at Croft-an'-Righ.Kay's Original Portraits: John Dowie The south wall of the tavern was defined by the King's Wall, one of the early city town walls.Memorials of Edinburgh in Olden Times vol.I, Sir Daniel Wilson Edinburgh Ale was supplied to the tavern by Archibald Younger from the Croft-an-Righ Brewery near

Holyrood Abbey Holyrood Abbey is a ruined abbey of the Canons Regular in Edinburgh, Scotland. The abbey was founded in 1128 by David I of Scotland. During the 15th century, the abbey guesthouse was developed into a List of British royal residences, royal r ...

(which was set up in 1777). The tavern also sold food such as Nor' Loch

trout Trout (: trout) is a generic common name for numerous species of carnivorous freshwater ray-finned fishes belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of which are members of the subfamily Salmoninae in the ...

Welsh rabbit Welsh rarebit or Welsh rabbit ( or ) is a dish of hot cheese sauce, often including ale, mustard, or Worcestershire sauce, served on toasted bread. The origins of the name are unknown, though the earliest recorded use is 1725 as "Welsh rabbit ...

and "puffed herring" ( bloater). It was open from around 10am until midnight. The largest room in the tavern held around 14 people. The smallest space, known as "the coffin", held four, or six at a squeeze, and was the favourite space of Burns. In 1806, the poem "Johnnie Dowie's Ale" was published, raising the fame of the tavern. Following the death of John Dowie at 13 Libberton Wynd in 1817, the tavern was renamed the Burns Tavern due to its connection to

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the List of national poets, national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the be ...

. Dowie left around £6,000 in his will (the equivalent of £525,000 in 2020). He was survived by his second wife and the children from his first marriage. It was demolished (together with all of Liberton Wynd) to create

George IV Bridge George IV Bridge is an Viaduct, elevated street in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is home to a number of the city's important public buildings. History A bridge connecting the High Street to the south was first suggested in 1817, but was origina ...

, which began construction in 1827. It is thought the tavern was one of the last buildings demolished for the project, around 1836. Although some records state the tavern was demolished in 1881, this appears to relate to a second Burns Tavern, possibly built by the owner of the first.

Family

Dowie was twice married and had several children by his first wife: Captain James Dowie of 10 South James St; William Dowie a vintner at 6 East Register St and Charles Dowie a grocer at 18 Candlemaker Row.Edinburgh Post Office Directory 1815

Known clientele

The following are known to have visited the tavern: *

Robert Fergusson Robert Fergusson (5 September 1750 – 17 October 1774) was a Scottish poet. After formal education at the University of St Andrews, Fergusson led a Bohemianism, bohemian life in Edinburgh, the city of his birth, then at the height of intel ...

Henry Mackenzie Henry Mackenzie FRSE (August 1745 – 14 January 1831, born and died in Edinburgh) was a Scottish lawyer, novelist and writer sometimes seen as the Addison of the North. While remembered mostly as an author, his main income came from legal ro ...

* David Herd *James Cummyng,

Lord Lyon The Right Honourable the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the head of Lyon Court, is the most junior of the Great Officers of State in Scotland and is the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in that country, issuing new gran ...

*George Paton *David Hunter of Blackness *Anthony Woodhead *George Martin *William Nicol, headmaster of the High School *Allan Masterton

The College of Dowie

This was a "club" which met in the tavern in the last decade of the 18th century. Members included: *Archibald Younger, the brewer *John Gray, the City Clerk *John Buchan WS * David Martin, the artist *

Henry Raeburn Sir Henry Raeburn (; 4 March 1756 – 8 July 1823) was a Scottish portrait painter. He served as Portrait Painter to King George IV in Scotland. Biography Raeburn was born the son of a manufacturer in Stockbridge, on the Water of Leith: a f ...

References

{{Authority control 1728 establishments in Scotland 1836 disestablishments in Scotland Buildings and structures completed in 1728 Buildings and structures demolished in 1826 Pubs in Edinburgh Former pubs in the United Kingdom History of Edinburgh Royal Mile