The Royal Edinburgh Hospital's Royal Charter

King George III granted a Royal Charter in 1807, establishing the Edinburgh Lunatic Asylum. The foundation stone of the original building was laid in 1809, and the first patient was admitted in 1813. The charter is in Latin and has the Great Seal of Scotland attached. LHSA created three posters capturing the Royal Charter in advance of the Hospital's bicentenary celebrations in 2009.

In 1792, Andrew Duncan initiated an appeal to establish an asylum in Edinburgh. Voluntary contributions were initially slow. However, a government grant of £2,000 in 1806 significantly increased the funds and allowed for the purchase of a villa and four acres of surrounding land in Morningside. Soon after, in the spring of 1807, a Royal charter or warrant granted by His Majesty King George the Third established the Edinburgh Lunatic Asylum (ELA) as a corporate body. The foundation stone of a building designed by architect Robert Reid was laid on 8 June 1809. ELA admitted its first patient on 19 July 1813.

Pages of the Royal Edinburgh Hospital's Royal Charter of Incorporation (LHB7/19/12/21).

As well as extending royal patronage, the warrant made ELA into a public body. This gave legal rights to use a common seal, to perpetual succession, to sue and be sued, to own lands, to lend money and to receive donations and legacies. It could also make bylaws, rules and regulations, provided they were consistent with the institution’s charitable purpose.

The warrant also specified how ELA was to be run. Twenty named extraordinary managers and twelve named ordinary managers were elected. They were drawn from the Edinburgh Town Council, the law, the University and the local medical profession. A governor and five deputy governors, along with four ordinary managers, could be chosen from among charitable contributors who had given £10 or more and who resided in or near Edinburgh.

Front and back image of the Great Seal (LHB7/19/12/21).

The warrant consists of four sheets of parchment folded to make eight pages. The text, in Latin, is inscribed onto each page except the last, which is blank. The Great Seal of Scotland is attached using intertwined silk threads. Its wax relief shows King George in military uniform, mounted on a rearing stallion and overlooking the City of Edinburgh. An idealised, but still identifiable, panorama of the Castle, the churches and tenement buildings of the Royal Mile and Salisbury Crags can just be made out behind the horse’s legs. 

In 1841, Queen Victoria allowed the prefix ‘Royal’ to be added and, ten years later, the name was officially changed to the Royal Edinburgh Asylum by a private Act of Parliament. In 1927 a new charter was obtained which changed it to the Royal Edinburgh Hospital for Mental and Nervous Disorders. Today it is simply known as the “Royal Edinburgh”. 

A new building, designed by William Burn, was added in 1842. Originally known as West House, it was later renamed after Dr William M’Kinnon, who served as the first Resident Physician from 1839 to 1846. Additional accommodation was added in 1894 when Craig House opened nearby. The original building, soon called East House, was eventually demolished. During the twentieth century, the site saw a series of outpatient and residential developments. The Royal Edinburgh Hospital was granted a Coat of Arms in 1959. 

Further resources

Poster 1: General information about the Charter and Seal

Poster 2: The Charter text in English

Poster 3: Images of the Charter and Seal