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Riddles Court and Close are formed by the remains of two three story houses built by Ballie John MacMorran in 1590. The date above the window of 1587 may be the date he purchased the land or was married. He was a wealthy merchant who built the houses for his own use. He did not live long to enjoy them as he was killed on 15th September 1595. A riot had broken out at the High School and a number of students had barricaded themselves in a classroom.They demanded a weeks an extra holiday. The Dean could not get them out so Baillie MacMorran and others were called to resolve the situation. He forced the door and was shot in the head by William Sinclair. Sinclair and a number of others were caught and locked in the Tolbooth for two months before being released. Being sons of powerful men James IV pardoned them after a trial whose records are now lost. Possibly to make up for this as the MacMorrans were wealthy and influential in the city, James, his Queen Anne of Denmark and her brother the Duke of Holstein attended a banquet in the house in 1598.