Mary King's Close

Mary King's Close is a historic 'close'—a narrow street or alley—named after a 17th‑century merchant burgess, Mary King. Large sections of the close were partially demolished and buried during construction of the Royal Exchange in 1753; it later lay closed to the public for many years, with the last resident (Andrew Chesney) removed by compulsory purchase in the early 20th century. Modern site classifications describe the remains as underground streets beneath the Edinburgh City Chambers and identify the location as a tourist attraction. In the aftermath of its burial and long closure, the close became enshrouded in local myths and urban legends. Secondary sources describe that 'tales of hauntings and murders abounded' around the site, making it a locus of Edinburgh's folkloric narratives about haunted streets. The supplied sources do not provide individual eyewitness accounts, named supernatural entities, detailed apparition descriptions, or investigative findings; the haunting claims are reported as part of local legend rather than as documented paranormal evidence. Because the assertions of haunting and violent history in the supplied material are presented as folklore and urban legend without primary testimony in these excerpts, confidence in specific paranormal claims is marked as folklore in this entry.