The club was originally founded by a group of gentlemen who enjoyed skating on Duddingston Loch, a frozen lake just outside Edinburgh. The club’s first president was the Scottish philosopher David Hume.

The club’s early years were marked by a number of challenges. In 1745, the Jacobite Rebellion forced the club to disband for a time. And in the 1760s, the club’s lake was drained for agricultural purposes.

Despite these challenges, the Edinburgh Skating Club survived and thrived. In the early 19th century, the club moved to a new lake at Dean Village, where it remained until its dissolution in 1966. Today the club is best known for its association with the painting The Skating Minister by Henry Raeburn, more formally titled The Reverend Robert Walker Skating on Duddingston Loch.

The Edinburgh Skating Club was a pioneer in the development of figure skating. The club’s members were the first to develop and codify the basic figure skating moves. And the club’s annual competitions were the most prestigious in the world.

The Edinburgh Skating Club also played a role in the development of ice hockey. The club’s members were among the first to play ice hockey in Scotland, and the club’s rules were the basis for the first ice hockey rulebook.

The Edinburgh Skating Club was a major force in Scottish society for over 200 years. It was a place for gentlemen to socialize, compete, and enjoy the sport of skating. The club’s legacy can still be seen today in the many skating clubs that exist in Scotland and around the world.

According to the Internet