"The site of Edinburgh Castle has undoubtedly
been occupied by some description of fortress
from the most remote antiquity. The Romans
occupied it and subsequently Malcolm Canmore
fortified it as an aid towards keeping the English
out of Scotland. In 1291 Edward I. besieged
and took it in fifteen days; he recaptured it
again in 1294. In 1313 it fell into the hands of
Bruce by a daring escalade, and was stripped
of its defences. Edward III. rebuilt it, and
placed a strong garrison there, but the Scots took
it four years later. David II. refortified it
and rendered it so strong that neither Richard
II. nor Henry IV. had any success in their
attempts to take it. Since that period it has
undergone a number of sieges."
Extract from "British Castles" (Open Library)
.
