When an elephant lived above a baker in 1705 Edinburgh

If you’ve ever thought your neighbors were odd, wait until you hear who lived one floor above a baker in Edinburgh in 1705. Yes, a real Indian elephant — huge, noisy, and, as it turned out, a remarkably awkward neighbor.

Ovens below, an elephant above

In November 1705, a local baker named Adam Kerr filed a complaint with the town court. He said that a man called Abraham Sever was keeping, above the bakery, an elephant. According to the letter, the animal constantly spilled water and left dung that leaked down into the bakery. The ceiling, the ovens, and the loaves suffered. Hard to picture kneading rolls while an elephant lives overhead.

The incident took place on Fishmarket Close, in the old center of Edinburgh. It was a residential building, and no one expected a giant lodger from India.

How did an elephant end up in Edinburgh?

It turns out the elephant was brought by that same Abraham Sever. He planned to show the animal to paying audiences. He even approached the town council and received official permission for such displays, on the condition that part of the proceeds would go to the poor.

At the time, touring Europe with exotic animals — monkeys, lions, elephants — was in vogue. People gladly paid to see them. Few paused to consider where those creatures stayed between performances.

What became of the elephant?

A few months later, in the spring of 1706, the elephant was spotted at a show in another Scottish town, at Hamilton Palace, performing before a duchess. It then traveled farther north and, as historians believe, died in the Broughty Ferry area near Dundee. That marked the end of its Scottish journey.

What happened with the baker’s complaint remains unclear. Perhaps the elephant was simply moved on and the problem faded with it; no records of compensation or fines survive.

Why this matters

This isn’t just a quirky tale from the past. It captures a city three centuries ago — before modern regulations, with improbable neighbors and few limits on what you could keep at home. Today it would be unthinkable; back then, it was another day in Edinburgh.

Walking down Fishmarket Close now, it’s hard to imagine that a living elephant once lodged there. Yet the archives say it did. And if your neighbors sometimes keep you awake, at least they aren’t spilling water — and dung — through your ceiling.