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CASSELL'S 


Old  vMd  New  Edinburgh 


Its  History,   its  Peopie,   and  its  Places. 


JAMES     GRANT, 

AUTHOR   OF    "MEMORIALS   OF   THE  CASTLE   OF   EDINBURGH,"    "BRITISH    BATTLES   ON   LAND   AND  SEA,"   ETC. 


|K'Cusfvafe6   61?   mtmcrous   {Sncjrcunncjs. 


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Cassell,  Petter,  Galpin  &  Co. 

LONDON,    PARIS    &    NEW    YORK. 
[all  rights  reserved.] 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    I. 

THE    KIRK    OF    ST.    MARY-IX-THE-FIELDS. 

Memorabilia  of  the  Edifice— Its  Age— Altars— Hade  Collegiate— The  Prebendal  Buildings— Ruined— The  House  of  the  Kirk-of  Field-The 
Murder  of  Darnley— Robert  Balfour,  the  Last  Provost 


CHAPTER    II. 

THE      UNIVERSITY. 

Is  of  the  Old  College-Charters  of  Queen  Mary  and  James  VI. -Old  College  described— The  first  Regents-King  James's  Letter  of 
1617— Quarrel  with  Town  Council— Students'  Rtot  in  r68o— The  Principal  Dismissed— Abolished  Offices— Dissection  for  the  first 
time -Quarrel  with  the  Town  Council— The  Museum— The  Greek  Chair— System  of  Education  introduced  by  Principal  Rollock—  The 
Early  Mole  of  Education— A  Change  in  1730— The  Old  Hours  of  Attendance— The  Silver  Mace— The  Projects  of  1763  and  1789  for  a 
New  College— The  Foundation  laid— Completion  of  the  New  College— Its  Corporation  after  1S58— Principals— Chairs,  and  First 
Holders  thereof— A  few  Notable  Bequests— Income— The  Library— The  Museums 


CHAPTER     III. 

THE    DISTRICT    OF    THE    BURGHMLTR. 

-Burghmuir  feued  by  James  IV.-Muster  before   Flodden— Relics  thereof— The  Pest-   The  Skirmish  of  Lows'.c 
-Valleyfield  House  and  Leven  Lodge— Barclay  Free  Church— Bruntsfield  Links  and  the  Golf  Clubs      ...     27 


CHAPTER    IV. 

DISTRICT    OF    THE    BURGHMUIR    (concluded). 

lingside  and  Tipperlin— Provost  Coulter's  Funeral— Asylum  for  the  Insane-Sultana  of  the  Crimea— Old  Thorn  Tree— The  Braids  of  that 
Ilk— The  Fairleys  of  Braid— The  Plew  Lands— Craiglockhart  Hall  and  House— The  Kincaidsand  other  Proprietors— John  Hill  Burton— 
The  Old  Tower— Meggatland  and  Redhall— White  House  Loan— The  White  House— St.  Margaret's  Convent— Bruntsfield  House— The 
Warrenders—  Greenhill  and  the  Fairholmes — Memorials  of  the  Chapel  of  St.  Roque— St.  Giles's  Grange — The  Dicks  and  Lauders — 
Grange  Cemetery — Memorial  Churches     . 3' 


CHAPTER    V. 

THE    DISTRICT    OF    NEWINGTON. 

The  Causewayside-Summerhall— Clerk  Street  Chapel  and  other  Churches—  Literary  Institute— Mayfield  Loan— Old  Houses— Free  Church- 
The  Powburn— Female  Blind  Asylum— Chapel  of  St.  John  the  Baptist— Dominican  Convent  at  the  Sciennes-Sciennes  Hill  House— Scott 
and  Burns  meet— New  Trades  Maiden  Hospital— Hospital  for  Incurables-Prestonfield  House— The  Hamiltons  and  Dick-Cunninghams 
—Cemetery  at  Echo  Bank— The  Lands  of  Cameron— Craigmillar— Description  of  the  Castle-  James  V.,  Queen  Mary,  and  Darnley, 
resident  there— Queen  Mary's  Tree— The  Prestons  and  Gdmours— Peffer  Mill  House 50 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

THE    VALLEY    OF    THE    WATER    OF    LEITH. 

Lady  Sinclair  of  Dunbeath— Bell's  Mills-Water  of  Leith  Village— Mill  at  the  Dean— Tolboolh  there— Old  Houses— The  Dean  and  Poultry 
—Lands  thereof— The  Nisbet  Family— A  Legend— The  Dean  Village— Belgrave  Crescent— The  Parish  Church— Stewart's  Hospital— 
Orphan  Hospital — John  Watson's  Hospital— The  Dean  Cemetery— Notable  Interments  there 


CHAPTER    VII. 
VALLEY    OF    THE    WATER    OF    LEITH    (continued). 


The  Dean  Bridge— Landslips  at  Stockbridge— Stone  Coffins— Floods 
"  Christopher  North  "  in  Anne  Street— De  Quincey  there-Si 
in  the  Locality— Sir  Henry  Raeburn— Old  Deanhaugh  House 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

VALLEY    OF    THE    WATER    OF    LEITH    [concluded). 

ent  Men  connected  with  Stockbridge— David  Roberts,  R.A.— K.  Macleay,  R.S.A.— James  Browne,  LL.D.— James  Hogg— Sir  J.  V. 
Simpson,  Bart.  -Leitch  Ritchie— General  Mitchell— G.  R.  Luke— Comely  Bank— Fettes  College— Craigleith  Quarry-Groat~Hall-Silver 
Mills— St.  Stephen's  Church— The  Brothers  Lauder— James  Drummond,  R.S.A.— Deaf  and  Dumb  Institution— Dean  Bank  Institution 
— The  Edinburgh  Academy yg 


CHAPTER    IX. 

CANONMILLS    AND    INVERLEITH. 

Canonmills— The  Loch— Riots  of  1784— The  Gymnasium— Tanfield  Hall— German  Church— Zoological  Gardens— Powder  Hall— Rosebank 
Cemetery— Red  Braes— The  Crawfords  of  Jordanhill— Bonnington— Bishop  Keith— The  Sugar  Refinery— Pilrig— The  Balfour  Family— 
Inverleith — Ancient  Proprietors — The  Touris— The  Rocheids — Old  Lady  Inverleith— General  Crocket — Royal  Botanical  Gardens— Mr. 
Tames  MacNab S6 


CHAPTER    X. 

THE    WESTERN    NEW    TOWN. 

Coltbridge— Roseburn  House— Traditions  of  it — Murrayfield — Lord  Henderland— Beechwood—  General  Leslie— The  Dundases— Ravelsto 
The  Foulises  and  Keiths— Craigcrook— Its  first  Proprietors— A  Fearful  Tragedy— Archibald  Constable— Lord  Jeffrey— Davids, 
Mains— Lauriston  Castle 


CHAPTER    XL 

CORSTORPHINE. 

storphine— Supposed  Origin  of  the  Name— The  Hill— James  VI.  hunting  there— The  Cross— The  Spa— The  Dicks  of  Braid  and  Corsi 
phine— "  Corstorphine  Cream  "—Convalescent  House— A  Wraith— The  Original  Chapel— The  Collegiate  Church— Its  Provosts— 1 
Old  Tombs— The  Castle  and  Loch  of  Corstorphine— The  Forrester  Family 


CHAPTER     XII. 

THE    OLD    EDINBURGH    CLUBS. 

Of  Old  Clubs,  and  some  Notabilia  of  Edinburgh  Life  in  the  Last  Century— The  Horn  Order— The  Union  Club— Impious  Clubs— Assembly 
of  Birds-The  Sweating  Club— The  Revolution  and  certain  other  Clubs— The  Beggars'  Benison—  The  Capillaire  Club— The  Industrious 
Company— The  Wig,  ^sculapian,  Boar,  Country  Dinner,  The  East  India,  Cape,  Spendthrift,  Pious,  Antemanum,  Six  Feet,  and 
Shakespeare  Clubs— Oyster  Cellars-"  Frolics  "—The  "Duke  of  Edinburgh" 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

THE    DISTRICT    OF    RESTALRIG. 

Abbey  Hill— Baron  Norton— Alex.  Campbell  and  "  Albyn's  Anthology  "—Comely  Gardens- Easter  Road— St.  Margaret's  Well— Church 
and  Legend  of  St.  Triduana—  Made  Collegiate  by  James  III.— The  Mausoleum— Old  Barons  of  Restalrig— The  Logans,  &c— 
Conflict  of  Black  Saturday— Residents  of  Note— First  Balloon  in  Britain— Rector  Adams— The  Nisbets  of  Craigantinnie  and  Dean 
—The  Millers— The  Craigantinnie  Tomb  and  Marbles— The  Marionville  Tragedy— The  Hamlet  of  Jock's  Lodge— Mail-bag  Robberies 
in  Seventeenth  and  Eighteenth  Centuries— Piershill  House  and  Barracks 127 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

PORTOBELLO. 

Portobello— The  Site  before  the  Houses— The  Figgate  Muir— Stone  Coffins— A  Meeting  with  Cromwell— A  Curious  Race— Portobello  Hut— 
Robbers— William  lamieson's  Feuing — Sir  W.  Scott  and  "The  Lay" — Portobello  Tower — Review  of  Yeomanry  and  Highlanders — 
Hugh  Miller— David  Laing— Joppa—  Magdalene   Bridge— P.runstane  House 143 


CHAPTER     XV. 

LEITH    WALK. 

A  Pathway  in  the  15th  Century  probable— General  Leslie's  Trenches— Repulse  of  Cromwell— The  Rood  Chapel — Old  Leith  Stages— Proposal 
for  Lighting  the  Walk— The  Gallow  Lea— Executions  there— The  Minister  of  Spott- Five  Witches— Five  Covenanters— The  Story  of 
their  Skulls-The  Murder  of  Lady  Baillie-The  Effigies  of  "Johnnie  Wilkes" ; 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

LEITH    WALK     (concluded). 

-Captain  Haldane  of  the  Tabernacle— Ne.v  Road  to  Haddington— Windsor  Street — Mrs.  H.  Siddons -Lovers'  Loan— Greenside 
se— Andrew  Macdonald,  the  Author  of  "  Vimonda  "—West  Side— Sir  J.  Whiteford  of  that  Ilk— Gayfield  House— Colonel  Crichton 
ince  Leopold — Lady  Maxwell— Lady  Nairne — Springfield— McCulIoch  of  Ardwell  and  Samuel  Foote 157 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

LEITH— HISTORICAL    SURVEY. 

Origin  of  the  Name— Boundaries  of  South  and  North  Leith— Links  of  North  Leith— The  Town  first  mentioned  in  History—  King  Robert's 
Charter— Superiority  of  the  Logans  and  Magistrates  of  Edinburgh— Abbot  Ballantyne's  Bridge  and  Chapel — Newhaven  given  to 
Edinburgh  by  James  IV. — The  Port  of  1530 — The  Town  Burned  by  the  English 164 


CHAPTER     XVIII. 

LEITH— HISTORICAL    SURVEY    [continued). 

The  Great  Siege— Arrival  of  the  French— The  Fortifications— Re-capture  of  Inchkeith-The  Town  Invested- Arrival  of  the  English  Fleet 
and  Army— Skirmishes— Opening  of  the  Batteries— Failure  of  the  Great  Assault— Queen  Regent's  Death— Treaty  of  Peace— Relics  of 
the  Siege t  70 


CHAPTER     XIX. 

LEITH-HISTORICAL    SURVEY    (continued). 

The  Fortifications  demolished— Landing  of  Queen  Mary— Leith  Mortgaged— Edinburgh  takes  Military  Possession  of  it— A  Convention—.' 
Plague— James  VI.  Departs  and  Returns— Witches— Gowrie  Conspiracy— The  Union  Jack— Pirates— Taylor  the  Water  Poet- 
A  Fight  in  the  Harbour — Death  of  Jimes  VI 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


CHAPTER    XX. 

LEITH- HISTORICAL    SURVEY    (continued). 

TACE 

rilllam  Monson's  Suggestions— Leilh  Re-fortified— The  Covenant  Signed— The  Plague— The  Cromwellians  in  Leith-A  Mutiny— News- 
papers Printed  in  the  Citadel— Tucker's  Report— English  Fleet-A  Windmill— English  Pirates  Hanged— Citadel  seized  by  Brigadier 
Mackintosh— Hessian  Army  Lands— Highland  Mutinies— Paul  Jones— Prince  William  Henry 1S4 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

LEITH— HISTORICAL    SURVEY    (continued). 

A  Scottish  Navy-Old  Fighting  Mariners  of  Leith-Sir  Andrew  Wood  and  the  YeZlow  Caravtl— James  III.  slain- James  IV.  and  Sir 
Andrew— Double  Defeat  of  the  English  Ships— John,  Robert,  and  Andrew  Barton— Their  Letters  of  Marque  against  the  Portuguese — 
James  IV.  and  his  Sailors— A  Naval  Review I99 


CHAPTER    XXII. 
LEITH— HISTORICAL    SURVEY    (concluded). 

Leith  and  Edinburgh   People  in  the  First  Years  of  the  Nineteenth  Century— George  IV.  Proclaimed— His  Landing  at  Leith— Territory  of 

the  Town  defined — Landing  of  Mons  Meg— Leith  during  the  Old  War — The  Smacks 207 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

LEITH— THE    KIRKGATE. 

-The    Preceptory  of  St.    Anthony— Its  Seal— King   James's   Hospital— 

t  Minister— Cromwell's  Troops— The  Rev.  John  Logan,  Minister      .         .  213 


CHAPTER    XXIV. 

LEITH— THE    KIRKGATE    (concluded). 
Coalfield  lane— The  House  of  the  Earl  of  Carrick— Afterwards  of  the  Lords  Balmerino-The  Block  House  of 


CHAPTER    XXV. 

LEITH— TOLBOOTH    WYND    AND    ADJOINING    STREETS. 

St.  Giles's  Street— Les  Deux  Bras— St.  Andrew's  Street— The  Gun  Stone-Meeting-house  in  Cable's  Wynd- Tolbooth  Wynd—  "The 
Twelve  o'clock  Coach"— Signal  Tower— Ancient  Tablet— The  Old  Tolbooth— Prisoners— The  New  Tolbooth- Queen  Street— House 
of  Mary  of  Lorraine—  Old  Episcopal  Chapel—  The  Bourse— Burgess  Close— Waters'  Close 226 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 

LEITH  — ROTTEN     ROW,     BROAD    WYND,     BERNARD    STREET,    BALTIC    STREET,    AND 
QUALITY    STREET. 

Improvement  Scheme — Water  Lane,  or  Rotten  Row -House  of  the  Queen  Regent — Old  Sugar  House  Company— The  Broad  Wynd— 
The  King's  Wark-Its  History— The  Tennis  Court— Bernard  Lindsay— Little  London— Bernard  Street— Old  Glass  .  House- - 
House  of  John  Home- Home  and  Mrs.  Siddons — Professor  Jamieson 234 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    XXVII. 

LEITH  -CONSTITUTION    STREET,     THE    SHORE,    COAL    HILL,    AND    SHERIFF    BRAE. 

Constitution  Street— Pirates  Executed— St.  James's  Episcopal  Church— Town  Hall— St.  John's  Church— Exchange  Buildings— Head- 
quarters of  the  Leith  Rifle  Volunteers— Old  Signal-Tower— The  Shore— Old  and  New  Ship  Taverns-The  Markets— The  Coal  Hill- 
Ancient  Council  House— The  Peat  Neuk— Shirra  Brae— Tibbie  Fowler  of  the  Glen-St.  Thomas's  Church  and  Asylum— The 
Gladstone  Family— Great  Junction  Road 243 


CHAPTER    XXVIII. 
NORTH    LEITH. 

The  Chapel  and  Church  of  St.  Ninian— Parish  Created— Its  Records— Rev.  George  Wishart— Rev.  John  Knox— Rev.  Dr.  Johnston— The 
Burial-Ground— New  North  Leith  Church— Free  Church— Old  Grammar  School— Cobourg  Street— St.  Nicholas'  Church— The 
Citadel— Its  Remains— Houses  within  it— Beach  and' Sands  of  North  Leith— New  Custom  House— Shipping  Inwards  and  Outwards     .  2jt 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 

LEITH-THE     LINKS. 

Links— Golfers  there— Charles  I.— Montrose— Sir  James  Foulis  and  others— The  Cockpit— A  Duel  in  1729— Two  Soldiers  Shot- 
Hamilton's  Dragoons— A  Volunteer  Review  in  1797— Residents  of  Rank— The  Grammar  School— Watt's  Hospital— New  Streets - 
Seafield  Baths— First  Bathing  Machine  in  Scotland— A  Duel  in  1789 259 


CHAPTER    XXX. 
LEITH— THE    SANDS. 


CHAPTER    XXXI. 

LEITH— THE     HARBOUR. 

The  Admiral  and  Ba'lie  Courts-The  Leith  Science  (Navigation)  School— The  Harbour  of  Leith-The  Bar-The  Wooden  Piers-Early  Im. 
1  -its   of  the   Harbour— Erection   of  Beacons—The    Custom    House    Quay— The   Bridges— Rennie's   Report   on   the    required 
Docks— The  Mortons'  Building. yard— The  Present  Piers- -The  Martello  Tower 270 


CHAPTER    XXXII. 

MEMORABILIA    OF    THE    SHIPPING    OF    LEITH    AND    ITS    MARITIME    AFFAIRS. 

Old  Shipping  raws— Early  Whale  Fishing— Letters  of  Marque  against  Hamburg— Captures  of  English  Ships,  1650-1— First  recorded 
Tonnage  of  Leith-Imports— Arrest  of  Captain  Hugh  Palliser-S -ore  Dues,  1763-Sailors  Strike,  1792— Tonnage  in  1S81— Passenger 
Traffic,  etc. — Letters  of  Marque — Exploits   of  some — Glance  at  Shipbuilding 274 


CHAPTER   XXXIII. 

LEITH— THE     DOCKS. 

New  Docks  proposed— Apathy  of  the  Government— First  Graving  Dock,  1720— Two  more  Docks  constructed— Shellycoat's  Rock - 
The  Contract-The  Dock  of  1801— The  King's  Bastion— The  Queen's  Dock-New  Piers— The  Victoria  Dock— The  Albert 
Dock-The  Edinburgh  Dock— Its  Extent— Ceremony  of  Opening-A  Glance  at  the  Trade  of  Leith 2S2 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


CHAPTER    XXXIV. 


INCHKEITH. 


CHAPTER    XXXV. 

NEWHAVEN. 

Cobbett  on  Edinburgh— James  IV. 's  Dockyard  -His  Gift  of  Newhaven  to  Edinburgh— The  Great  Michael—  Embarkation  of  Mary  of  Guise 
—Works  at  Newhaven  in  the  Sixteenth  Century— The  Links— Viscount  Newhaven— The  Feud  with  Prestonpans— The  Sea  Fencibles 
—Chain  Pier— Dr.   Fairbairn— The  Fishwives  -Superstitions 


CHAPTER    XXXVI. 


WARDIE,    TRINITY,    AND    GRANTON. 


rdte  Mutr — Hi;man  Remains  Found  —  Bangholm  Bower  and  Trinity  Lodge—Christ  Chun  h,  Trinity— Free  Chu 
— Royston— Caroline  Park— Granton— The  Piers  and  Harbours— Morton's  Patent  Slip     .... 


Cramond  — Origin  of  the  Name- 
tors-Saughton  Hall-Ric 


CHAPTER    XXXVII. 

THE    ENVIRONS    OF    EDINBURGH, 
hat  Ilk— Ancient  Charters  -I nchmickery—  Lord  Cramond— Ban 


-Gogar  and  its  Propria- 


CHAPTER    XXXVIII. 

THE    ENVIRONS    OF    EDINBURGH    (continued). 

Colinton-Ancient  Name  and  Church-Redhall— The  Family  of  Foulis-Dreghorn-The  Pentlands-View  from  Torphin-Comiston-Slate- 
ford-Graysmill— Liberton— The  Mill  at  Nether  Liberton— Liberton  Tower— The  Church— The  Balm  Well  of  St.  Katherine— Grace 
Mount— The  Wauchopes  of  Niddrie-Niddrie  House-St.  Katherine's— The  Kaimes— Mr.  Clement  Little— Lady  Little  of  Liberton     . 


CHAPTER    XXXIX. 

THE    ENVIRONS    OF    EDINBURGH    (continued). 

Camps— The  Old  Church  and  Temple  Lands— Lennox  Tower— Curriehill    Castle  and    the  Skenes- 
rson,  LL.D. — "Camp  Meg"  and  her  Story 


CHAPTER   XL. 
THE    ENVIRONS    OF    EDINBURGH    (continued). 


t-The  Stenhouse-Moredun-The 


33S 


OLD  AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


CHAPTER    XLI. 

THE    ENVIRONS    OF    EDINBURGH    {continued). 

Gilmerton—  The  Kinlochs— Legend  of  the  Burntdale  -Paterson's  Cave-The  Drum  House— The  Somerville  Family— Roslin  Castle— The  St. 
Clairs— Roslin  Chapel— The  Buried  Barons— Tomb  of  Earl  George— The  Under  Chapel-The  Battle  of  Roslin-Relics  of  it-Roslin 
Village-Its  Old  Inn •         •         ■         ■  343 


CHAPTER    XLII. 

THE    ENVIRONS    OF    EDINBURGH    [continued). 

Hawthornden— The  Abernethys— The  Drummonds— The  Cavalier  and  Poet— The  Caverns  —Wallace's  Cave  and  Camp— Count  Lockhart's 
Monument— Captain  Philip  Lockhart  of  Dryden—  Lasswade—  The  Ancient  Church— The  Coal  Seams— "The  Gray  Brother" — Scott — 
De  Quincey-Clerk  0f  Eldin 353 


CHAPTER    XLIII. 
THE    ENVIRONS    OF    EDINBURGH    (concluded). 

-Monkton-Stonyhil!-"The  Wicked  Colonel  Cha 


NOTE. 

The  Editor  and  Author  beg  to  acknowledge  their  great  indebtedness  to  Dr.  James 
A.  Sidey,  of  Edinburgh,  for  having  generously  placed  at  their  disposal  his  very  remark- 
able and,  in  many  respects,  unique  collection  of  Edinburgh  prints  and  drawings — one  of 
the  completest  and  most  valuable  in  existence.  In  other  ways  Dr.  Sidey  has,  with  un- 
varying kindness  and  courtesy,  afforded  material  assistance  throughout  the  publication 
of  this  work  which  it  is  difficult  adequately  to  express. 

The  hearty  thanks  of  Editor  and  Author  are  also  due,  among  others,  to  Dr.  Robert 
Paterson,  Leith  ;  Sir  W.  Fettes  Douglas,  P.R.S.A.,  Edinburgh;  Mr.  William  Donald- 
son, Secretary  to  H.M.  Prison  Commissioners  for  Scotland  ;  Mr.  John  Grant  ; 
Mr.  D.  Lowe,  M.A.,  House  Governor  of  Heriot's  Hospital ;  Mr.  Thomas  Nelson, 
Newington  ;  Mr.  James  Thomson,  Roseburn  ;  Mr.  R.  Cameron;  Mrs.  James  Ballantine  ; 
Mr.  Andrew   Kerr  ;    Mr.  H.  T.  Blanc  ;  and  Mr.  David  Small. 


1 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


the   university. — Frontispit 


The  Kirk-of-  Field 

Rough  Sketch  of  the  Kirk-of-Field,  February,  1567, 
taken  hastily  for  the  English  Court 

The  Library  of  the  Old  University,  as  seen  from  the 
south-east  corner  of  the  Quadrangle,  looking  North 

The  Library  of  the  Old  University,  as  seen  from  the 
south-western  corner  of  the  Quadrangle,  looking 
East , 

Part  of  the  Buildings  of  the  South  side  of  the  Quad- 
rangle of  the  Old  University         .... 

Laying  the  Foundation  Stone  of  the  New  University, 
November  16,  1789 

The  original  Design  for  the  East  Front  of  the  New 
Building  fur  the  University  of  Edinburgh 

Original  Plan  of  the  Principal  Storey  of  the  New 
Building  for  the  University  of  Edinburgh 

The  Quadrangle,  Edinburgh  University 

The  Library  Hall,  Edinburgh  University     . 

The  Bore-Stane 

Wright's  Houses  and  the  Barclay  Church,  from  Brunts- 
field  Links 

The  Avenue,  Bruntsfield  Links 

Wrychtishousis,  from  the  South-west   .... 

Merchiston  Castle  ;  Napier  Room  ;  Queen  Mary's  Pear 
Tree  ;  Drawing  Room  ;  Entrance  Gateway 

To  face  page 

Gillespie's  Hospital,  from  the  East       .... 

Braid  Cottages,  1850 

Christ  Church,  Morningside 

The  Hermitage,  Braid  ;  Craig  House ;  Kitchen,  Craig 
House  ;  Dining-room  Craig  House 

The  Grange  Cemetery 

Old  Tomb  at  Warrender  Park 

Warrender  House  ;  St.  Margaret's  Convent  ;  Ruins  of 
St.  Roque's  Chapel  ;  Grange  House,  1S20  ;  Draw- 
1  ing-room  in  Grange  House,  18S2  .... 

Broadstairs  House,  Causewayside,  18S0 


PACE 

Mr.  Duncan  McLaren 53 

Ruins   of   the   Convent   of   St.    Katharine,    Sciennes, 

north-west  view,  1S54 54. 

Interior  of  the  Ruins  of  the  Convent  of  St.  Katharine, 

Sciennes,  1854 54 

Seal  of  the  Convent  of  St.  Katharine  ....  55 

Prestonfiekl  House 56 

Old  Houses.  Echo  Bank                57 

Craigmillar  Castle        ....       To  face  page  58 
Craigmillar  Castle  :    The    Hall  ;    The   Keep  ;     Queen 

Mary's  Tree ;  South-west  Tower  ;  The  Chapel     .  60 

Peffer  Mill  House 61 

Bell's  Mills  Bridge 64 

The  Dean  House,  1832 65 

Watson's,    Orphans',   and   Stewart's    Hospitals,    from 

Drumsheugh  Grounds,  1S59  6& 

Views  in  the  Dean  Cemetery 69 

Randolph  Cliff  and  Dean  Bridge          .        To  face  f  age  70 

The  Water  of  Leith  Village 72 

The  Water  of  Leith,  1825 73 

St.  Bernard's  Well,  1825 ■     .  76 

The-  House  where  David  Roberts  was  born  77 
Fettes  College,  from  the  South-west     .         .         .         .80 

St.  Stephen's  Church  .  "; 81 

The  Edinburgh  Academy     .         .         .         . '  .84 

Canonmills  Loch  and  House,  1830       ....  85 

Heriot's  Hill  House    'J 88 

Tanfield  Hall   J 89 

Pilrig  House      ' 92 

Bonnington  House  ;  Stewartfield  ;  Redbraes  ;    Silver- 
mills   House;    Brough  on    Hall;    Powder  Hall; 

Canonmills  House 93 

View  in  Bonnington,  1 85 1 96 

Warriston  House 97 

The  Royal   Botanic  Gardens  :    General  View   of   the 
Gardens  ;  The  Arboretum  ;   Rock  Garden  ;  Palm 

.Houses  ;  Class  Room  and  Entrance  to  Museum     .  100 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATION'S. 


Edinburgh,  from  Warriston  Cemetery,  1843 

To  face  page 

Warriston  Cemetery 

Lintel  at  Roseburn  House 

Roseburn  House 

Beechwood 

Ravelston  House 

Craigcrook  in  1770 

Craigcrook  in  the  Present  Day 

Lauriston  Castle  in  1775 

Corstorphine  Church,  1817 

Edinburgh,  from  "  Rest  and  be  Thankful,"  Corstor- 
phine Hill 

Corstorphine  Church 

Tomb  of  the  Forresters,  Corstorphine  Church     . 

Restalrig 

Seal  of  the  Collegiate  Church  of  Restalrig  . 

Restalrig  Church,  1S17 

Restalrig  Church  in  the  Present  Day   .... 

The  House  of  the  Logans  of  Restalrig,  Loch  End       . 

Loch  End 

Hawkhill 

Craigantinnie  House 

The  Craigantinnie  Marbles 

Portobello  Sands  ....        To  face  page 

Marionville 

Plan  of  Portobello 

Jock's  Lodge 

Portobello,  1S3S 

High  Street,  Portobello 

Views  in  Portobello  :  Ramsay  Lane  ;  The  Established 
Church  ;  High  Street,  looking  east ;  Town  Hall  ; 
Episcopalian  Church 

Joppa  Pans  

Brunstane  House 

Greenside  Church,  from  Leopold  Place 

Board  School,  Lovers'  Loan 

Leith  Walk,  from  Gayfield  Square,  looking  South 

Gayfield  House 

Halfway  House,  Leith  Walk 

Pilrig  Free  Church  and  Leith  Walk,  Iroking  North     . 

Robert  Ballantyne's  Bridge,  Leith,  1779 

Leith  Harbour  about  1700.         ..... 

Plan  of  Leith,  showing  the  Eastern  Fortifications 

Prospect  of  Leith,  1693 

The  Arms  of  Leith 

Grant's  Square,  1S51 

View  of  Leith,  from  the  Easter   Road,  1 751 

Lamb's  Close,  St.  Giles's  Street,  1850 


Old  House  in  Water's  Close,  1S79 

The  Old  Tolbooth,  1820     . 

St.  Ninian's  Church    . 

Paul  Jones  .... 

Leith  Harbour,  1829  . 

Signal  Tower,  Leith  Harbour,  1829 

Plan  of  Leith,  showing  the  Proposed  New  Docks,  1S04 

Leith  Pier,  from  the  West,  1775 

Signal  Tower,  .Leith  Pier,  1775 

Ancient  Chapel  in  the  Kirkgate  . 

The  Kirkgate      .... 

The  Seal  of  the  Preceptory  of  St.  Anthony 

The  Armorial  Bearings  of  Maria  de  Lorraine,  1560 

St.  Mary's  (South  Leith)  Church,  1S20 

St.  Mary's  (South  Leith)  Church,  1882 

Balmerino  House         .... 

Sculptured  Stone  preserved  in  the  East  Wing  of  Trinity 

House  .... 

The  Trinity  House      . 
Tolbooth  Wynd 

Sculptured  Stone,  Vinegar  Close 
Tablet  of  the  Association  of   Porters,    167S,    in    the 

Square  Tower,  Tolbooth  Wynd,  over  the  Entrance 

to  the  Old  Sugar  House  Close       .... 
Armorial  Bearings  of  Mary  Queen  of  Scots,  originally 

in  Front  of  the  Old  Tolbooth        .... 

Queen  Street 

Plan  of  Leith,  1S83 

The  Bank  of  Leith,  1S20 

Bernard  Street    .         .- 

St.  James's  Chapel,  1820 

St.  James's  Episcopalian  Church,  1SS2 

The  Town  Hall  and  St.  John's  Established  Church      . 

The  Shore,  Leith         ....        To  face  page 

The  Exchange  Buildings     .         .         . 
The  Ancient  Council  Chamber,  Coal  Hill    . 
Ancient  Parliament  House,  Parliament  Square     . 
Sir  John  Gladstone"  ....... 

Sheriff  Brae,  looking  towards  St.  Thomas's  Church     . 

St.  Ninian's  Churchyard 

North  Leith  Church 

Sail] .tured  Stone,  Cobourg  Street        .... 

The  Citadel  Port 

The  Custom-House 

The  High  School 

Leith  Links 

The  Martello  Tower,  from  Leith  Pier 

Entrance  to  Leith  Harbour,  1826         .... 

Leith  Pier  and  Harbour,  1798     .         .         To  face  page 


193 
196 
197 
200 
204 
205 
208 
209 
212 
213 
216 
216 
217 


OLD  AND   NEW   EDINBURGH. 


Leith  Roads,  1824 276 

The  East  and  West  Piers,  Leith  .         .        To  face  page  283 

The  Edinburgh  Dock,  Leith 284 

Views    in   Leith    Docks  ;    General    Entrance    to   the 
Docks ;   Albert   Dock,    looking   north ;    Queen's 

Dock  ;  Albert  Dock,  looking  east  ;  Victoria  Dock  285 

Inchkeith 293 

Newhaven,  from  the  Pier 296 

Remains  of  St.  James's  Chapel,  Newhaven  .         .  297 

Main  Street,  Newhaven 300 

Sculptured  Stone,  Newhaven       .....  301 

Rev.  Dr.  Fairbairn 304 

Newhaven  Fishwives 305 

Map  of  Granton  and  Neighbourhood    ■        .         .         .  308 

Caroline  Park  ;  Ruins  of  Granton  Castle  ;  East  Pilton  309 

Old  Entrance  to  Royston  (now  Caroline  Park),  1S51    .  312 

Granton  Harbour  and  Pier 313 

Cramond To  face  page  315 

The  "  Twa  Brigs,"  Cramond 315 

Old  Cramond  Brig 316 

View  below  Cramond  Brig 317 

Old  Saughton  Bridge  ;  Old  Saughton  House  ;  Barnton 

House  ;  Cramond  Church    .....  320 

Colinton 321 

Dreghorn  Castle  .......  324 

Map  of  the  Environs  of  Edinburgh      .         .         .         -325 


PAGE 

The  Battle  or  Camus  Stone,  Comiston          .         .         .  326 

Liberton To  face  page  327 

Bonally  Tower 328 

Liberton  Tower 329 

Knight  Templar's  Tomb,  Currie  Churchyard       .         .  331 

Niddrie  House 332 

Lennox  Tower 333 

Currie 336 

Rullion  Green 337 

Inch  House 340 

Edmonstone  House 341 

Gilmerton 344 

Drum  House •  345 

Roslin  Castle  and  Glen 348 

Roslin  Chapel :  North  Front 349 

Roslin  Chapel  :  The  Chancel 352 

Roslin  Chapel  :  The  "  'Prentice  Pillar  "     .         .         -353 

Roslin  Chapel :  View  from  the  Chancel       .         .  356 

Lasswade To  face  page  357 

Roslin  Chapel :  Interior 357 

Hawthornden,  1S83 358 

Ilawthornden,  1773     .......  360 

Lasswade  Church,  1773       ......  361 

Melville  Castle,  1776 363 

Melville  Castle,  1883 364 

New  Hailes  House 365 


Old  and  New  Edinburgh. 

CHAPTER     I. 
THE    KIRK   OF    ST.  MARY-IX-THE-FIELDS. 


Memorabilia  of  the  Edifice- 


We  now  come  to  the  scene  of  one  of  the  most 
astounding  events  in  European  history — the  spot 
where  Henry,  King  of  Scotland,  was  murdered  in 
the  lonely  house  attached  to  the  Kirk-of-Field,  one  of 
the  many  fanes  dedicated  to  St.  Mary  in  Edinburgh, 
where  their  number  was  great  of  old. 

When,  or  by  whom,  the  church  of  St.  Mary-in- 
the-Fields  was  founded  is  alike  unknown.  In  the 
taxation  of  the  ecclesiastical  benefices  in  the  arch- 
deaconry of  Lothian,  found  in  the  treasury  of 
Durham,  and  written  in  the  time  of  Edward  I.  of 
England,  there  appears  among  the  churches  be- 
longing to  the  abbey  of  Holyrood,  Eccksia  Sandiz 
Maria  in  Campis. 

This  was  beyond  doubt  what  was  at  a  later 
period  the  collegiate  church  of  St.  Mary-in-the- 
Fields,  and  the  few  notices  concerning  which  are 
very  meagre  ;  but  thus  it  must  have  existed  in  the 
thirteenth  century,  when  all  the  district  to  the  south 
C7 


of  it  was  covered  with  oaks  to  the  base  of  the  hills 
of  Braid  and  Blackford.  It  took  its  name  from 
being  completely  in  the  fields,  beyond  the  wall  of 
1450.  In  the  view  of  the  city  engraved  in  1544,  it  is 
shown  to  have  been  a  large  cruciform  church,  with 
a  tall  tower  in  the  centre  ;  and  this  representation 
of  it  is  to  a  great  extent  repeated  in  a  view  found  in 
the  State  Paper  Office  (drawn  after  the  murder  of 
Damley),  of  which  a  few  copies  have  been  cir- 
culated, and  which  shows  its  pointed  windows  and 
buttresses. 

Among  the  property  belonging  to  the  foundation 
was  a  tenement  at  the  foot  of  the  modern  Blair 
Street,  on  the  west  side,  devoted  to  the  altar  of  St. 
Katharine  in  this  now  defunct  church  ;  and  in  the 
"  Inventory  of  Pious  Donations,"  preserved  in  the 
Advocates'  Library  (quoted  by  Wilson),  there  is  a 
"  mortification  "  by  Janet  Kennedy,  Lady  Bothweil, 
to  the  chaplain  of  the  Kirk-of-Field  of  "her  fore- 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


land  of  umylc  Hew  Berrie's  tenement  and  chamber 
adjacent  yr  to,  lying  in  the  Covvgaitt,  on  the  south 
side  of  the  street,  betwixt  James  Earl  of  Buchan's 
land  on  the  east,  and  Thomas  Tod's  on  ye  west." 

This  lady  was  a  daughter  of  John  Lord  Kennedy, 
and  was  the  widow  of  the  aged  Earl  of  Angus,  who 
died  of  a  broken  heart  after  the  battle  of  Flodden. 

In  1450-1  an  obligation  by  the  Corporation  of 
Skinners  in  favour  of  St.  Christopher's  altar  in  St. 
Giles's  was  signed  with  much  formality  on  the  12th 
of  January,  infra  eccksiam  Beata  Maria  de  Carnpo, 
in  presence  of  Sir  Alexander  Hundby,  John 
Moffat,  and  John  Hendirsone,  chaplains  thereof, 
Thomas  Brown,  merchant,  and  other  witnesses. 
("Burgh  Rec.'') 

James  Laing,  a  burgess  of  Edinburgh,  founded 
an  additional  chaplaincy  in  this  church  during  the 
reign  of  James  V.,  whose  royal  confirmation  of  it  is 
dated  19th  June,  1530,  and  the  grant  is  made  "  to 
a  chaplain  celebrating  divine  service  at  the  high 
altar  within  the  collegiate  church  of  Blessed 
Marie-in-the-Fields." 

When  made  collegiate  it  was  governed  by  a  pro- 
vost, who  with  eight  prebendaries  and  two  choristers 
composed  the  college  ;  but  certain  rights  appear  to 
have  been  reserved  then  by  the  canons  of  Holy- 
rood,  for  in  1546  we  find  Robert,  Commendator  of 
the  abbey,  presenting  George  Kerr  to  a  prebend 
in  it,  "according  to  the  force  and  form  of  the 
foundation.'' 

There  is  a  charter  by  James  V.,  21st  May,  1531, 
confirming  a  previous  one  of  16th  May,  1531,  by  the 
lady  before  mentioned,  "  Janet  Kennedy  Domina 
de  Bothvill,"  of  tenements  in  Edinburgh,  and  an 
annual  rent  of  twenty  shillings  for  a  prebendary  to 
perform  divine  service  "  in  the  college  kirk  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin  Mary-in-the-Fields,  or  without  the 
walls  of  Edinburgh,  pro  salute  if  sins  Domini  Regis 
(James  V.),  and  for  the  souls  of' his  father  (James 
IV.),  and  the  late  Archibald,  Earl  of  Angus." 

Among  the  most  distinguished  provosts  of  the 
Kirk-of-Field  was  its  second  one,  Richard  Both- 
well,  rector  of  Ashkirk,  who  in  August  and 
December,  1534,  was  a  commissioner  for  opening 
Parliament.  He  died  in  the  provost's  house  in 
1547- 

The  prebendal  buildings  were  of  considerable 
extent,  exclusive  of  the  provost's  house,  or 
lodging.  David  Vocat,  one  of  the  prebendaries, 
and  master  of  the  Grammar  School  of  Edinburgh, 
"  clerk  and  orator  of  Holyrood,"  was  a  liberal 
benefactor  to  the  church  ;  but  it'and  the  buildings 
attached  to  it  seem  to  have  suffered  severely  at  the 
hands  of  the  English  during  the  invasion  ot  1544 
or  1547.     In  the  "  Inventory  of  the  Townis  pur- 


chase from  the  Marquis  of  Hamilton  in  1613,"  wit" 
a  view  to  the  founding  of  a  college,  says  Wilsr  ., 
we  have  found  an  abstract  of  "a  feu  charter  gra..ced 
by  Mr.  Alexander  Forrest,  provost  of  the  collegiate 
church  of  the  Blessed  Mary-in-the-Fields,  near 
Edinr.,  and  by  the  prebends  of  the  said  church," 
dated  1544,  wherein  it  is  stated: — "Considering  that 
ther  houses,  especially  ther  hospital  annexed  and 
incorporated  with  ther  college,  were  burnt  down 
and  destroyed  by  their  aula1  enemies  of  England,  so 
that  nothing  of  their  said  hospital  was  left,  but  they 
are  altogether  waste  and  entirely  destroyed,  where- 
through the  divine  worship  is  not  a  little  decreased 
in  the  college,  because  they  were  unable  to  rebuild 
the  said  hospital.  .  .  .  Therefore  they  gave  and 
granted,  set  in  feu  forme,  and  confirmed  to  a  mag- 
nificent and  illustrious  prince,  James,  Duke  of 
Chattelherault,  Earl  of  Arran,  Lord  Hamilton,  &c, 
all  and  hail  their  tenement  or  hospital,  with  the 
yards  and  pertinints  thereof,  lying  within  the  burgh 
of  Edinburgh,  in  the  street  or  wynd  called  School 
House  Wynd,  on  the  east  part  thereof." 

The  duke  appears,  it  is  added,  from  frequent 
allusions  by  contemporaries,  to  have  built  an  abode 
for  his  family  on  the  site  of  this  hospital,  and  that 
edifice  served  in  future  years  as  the  hall  of  the  first 
college  of  Edinburgh. 

In  1556  we  find  Alexander  Forrest,  the  provost 
of  the  kirk,  in  the  name  of  the  Archbishop  of  St. 
Andrews,  presenting  a  protest,  signed  by  Mary  of 
Guise,  to  the  magistrates,  praying  them  to  suppress 
"  certain  odious  ballettis  and  rymes  baith  sett 
furth "  by  certain  evil-inclined  persons,  who  had 
also  demolished  certain  images,  but  with  what  end 
is  unknown.     ("Burgh  Records.") 

But  two  years  after  Bishop  Lesly  records  that 
when  the  Earl  of  Argyle  and  his  reformers  entered 
Edinburgh,  after  spoiling  the  Black  and  Grey 
Friars,  and  having  their  "  haill  growing  treis 
plucked  up  be  the  minis,"  they  destroyed  and 
burned  all  the  images  in  the  Kirk-of-Field. 

In  1562  the  magistrates  made  application  to 
Queen  Mary,  among  other  requests,  for  the  Kirk-of- 
Field  and  all  its  adjacent  buildings  and  ground, 
for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  school  thereon,  and 
for  the  revenues  of  the  old  foundation  to  endow  the 
same  ;  but  they  were  not  entirely  made  over  to  the 
city  for  the  purpose  specified  till  1566. 

The  quadrangle  of  the  present  university  now 
occupies  the  exact  site  of  the  church  of  St.  Mary-in- 
the-Fields,  including  that  of  the  prebendal  buildings, 
and,  says  Wilson — who  in  this  does  not  quite  accord 
with  Bell — to  a  certain  extent  the  house  of  the  pro- 
vost, so  fatally  known  in  history  ;  and  the  main  ac- 
cess and  approach  to  the  whole  establishment  was 


THE    PROVOST'S    HOUSE. 


by  the  gate  elsewhere  already  described  as  being 
at  the  head  of  the  College  Wynd,  in  those  days 
known  as  "  The  Wynd  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary- 
in-the-Fields." 

It  was  on  the  31st  of  January,  1567,  that  the 
weak,  worthless,  and  debauched,  but  handsome, 
Henry,  Lord  Darnley,  King-consort  of  Scotland,  was 
brought  to  the  place  of  his  doom,  in  the  house  of 
the  Provost  of  the  Kirk-of-Field. 

Long  ere  that  time  his  conduct  had  deprived 
him  of  authority,  character,  and  adherents,  and  he  l 
had  been  confined  to  bed  in  Glasgow  by  small-pox.  , 
There  he  was  visited  and  nursed  by  Mary,  who,  as 
Carte  states,  had  that  disease  in  her  infancy,  and 
having  no  fears  for  it,  attended  him  with  a  sudden  ( 
and  renewed  tenderness  that  surprised  and — as  her 
enemies  say — alarmed  him. 

By  the  proceedings  before  the  Commissioners  at 
York,  9th  December,  156S,  it  would  appear  that  it 
had  been  Mary's  intention  to  take  him  to  her 
favourite  residence,  Craigmillar,  when  one  of  his 
friends,  named  Crawford,  hinted  that  she  treated 
him  "  too  like  a  prisoner;"  adding,  "Why  should  j 
you  not  be  taken  to  one  of  your  own  houses  in 
Edinburgh  ?  " 

Mary  and  Darnley  left  Glasgow  on  the  27  th  of 
January,  and  travelled  by  easy  stages  to  Edinburgh,  ■ 
which  they  reached  four  days  after,  and  Bothwell 
met  them  with  an  armed  escort  at  a  short  distance 
from  the  city  on  the  western  road,  and  accompa- 
nied them  to  the  House  of  the  Kirk-of-Field,  which  ■ 
the  ambitious  earl  and  the  secretary  Lethington 
were  both  of  opinion  was  well  suited  for  an  invalid, 
being  suburban,  and  surrounded  by  open  grounds 
and  gardens,  and  occupied  by  Robert  Balfour, 
brother  of  Sir  James  Balfour  of  Pittendreich,  who, 
though  Lord  Clerk  Register,  and  author  of  the 
well-known  "  Practicks  of  Scots  Law,''  had  never- 
theless drawn  up  the  secret  bond  for  the 
murder  of  the  king. 

The  large  and  commodious  house  of  the  Duke  of 
Chatelherault  in  the  Kirk-of-Field  Wynd  was  about 
to  be  prepared  for  his  residence  ;  but  that  idea  was 
overruled.  Balfour's  house  was  selected  ;  a  chain 
ber  therein  was  newly  hung  with  tapestry  for  him, 
and  a  new  bed  of  black  figured  velvet  provided  for 
his  use,  by  order  of  the  queen.     (Laing,  Vol  II.) 

"  The  Kirk-of-Field,"  says  Melvil,  "  in  which  the 
king  was  lodged,  in  a  place  of  good  air,  where  he 
might  best  recover  his  health,"  was  so  called,  we 
have  said,  because  it  was  beyond  the  more  ancient 
city  wall ;  but  the  new  wall  built  after  Flodden 
enclosed  the  church  as  well  as  the  houses  of  the 
Provost  and  Prebendaries.  "  In  the  extended  line 
of  wall,''  says  Bell,  "  what  was  (latterly)  called  the 


Potterrow  Port  was  at  first  denominated  the  Kirk- 
of-Field  Port,  from  its  vicinity  to  the  church  of 
that  name.  The  wall  ran  from  this  port  along 
the  south  side  of  the  present  College  Street  and 
the  north  side  of  Drummond  Street,  where  a  part  is 
still  to  be  seen  in  its  original  state.  The  house 
stood  at  some  distance  from  the  kirk,  and  the 
latter  from  the  period  of  the  Reformation  had  fal- 
len into  decay.  The  city  had  not  yet  stretched 
in  this  direction  much  farther  than  the  Cowgate. 
Between  that  street  and  the  town  wall  were  the 
Dominican  Convent  of  the  Black  Friars,  with  its 
alms-houses  for  the  poor,  and  gardens  covering  the 
site  of  the  old  High  School  and  the  Royal  Infir- 
mary, and  the  Kirk-of-Field,  with  its  Provost's  resi- 
dence. The  Kirk-of-Field  House  stood  very  nearly 
on  the  site  of  the  present  north-west  corner  of 
Drummond  Street.  It  fronted  the  west,  having  its 
southern  gavel  so  close  upon  the  town  wall  that  a 
little  postern  door  entered  immediately  through  the 
wall  into  the  kitchen.  It  contained  only  four 
apartments.  .  .  .  Below,  a  small  passage  went 
through  from  the  front  door  to  the  back  of  the 
house,  upon  the  right-hand  of  which  was  the  kit- 
chen, and  upon  the  left  a  room  furnished  as  a  bed- 
room for  the  queen  when  she  chose  to  remain  all 
night.  Passing  out  at  the  back  door  there  was  a 
turnpike  stair  behind,  which,  after  the  old  fashion 
of  Scottish  houses,  led  up  to  the  second  storey. 
Above,  there  were  two  rooms  corresponding  with 
those  below.  Darnley's  chamber  was  immediately 
over  Mary's  ;  and  on  the  other  side  of  the  lobby 
above  the  kitchen,  'a  garde  robe,'  or  '  little  gallery,' 
which  was  used  as  a  servant's  room,  and  which  had 
a  window  in  the  gavel  looking  through  the  town 
wall,  and  corresponding  with  the  postern  door  be- 
low. Immediately  beyond  this  wall  was  a  lane, 
shut  in  by  another  wall,  to  the  south  of  which 
were  extensive  gardens."  ("Life  of  Queen  Mar)-," 
chap,  xx.) 

Darnley  occupied  the  upper  chamber  mentioned, 
while  his  three  immediate  servants,  Taylor,  Nelson, 
and  Edward  Simmons,  had  the  gallery.  The  door 
at  the  foot  of  the  staircase  having  been  removed, 
and  used  as  a  cover  for  "  the  vat,"  or  species  of 
bath  in  which  Darnley  during  his  loathsome 
disease  was  bathed,  the  house  was  without  other 
security  than  the  portal  doors  of  the  gateway. 

During  much  of  the  time  that  he  was  here  Mary 
attended  him  with  all  her  old  affection  and  with 
assiduous  care,  passing  most  of  each  day  in  his 
society,  and  sleeping  for  several  nights  in  the  lower 
chamber.  The  marks  of  tenderness  and  love 
which  she  showed  him  partially  dispelled  those 
fears  which  the  sullen  and  suspicious  Darnley  had 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


begun  to  entertain  of  his  own  safety ;  for  he  knew 
that  he  had  many  bitter  enemies,  against  whom  he 
trusted  that  her  presence  would  protect  him. 

Many  persons  are  said  to  have  suspected  Both- 
well's fell  purpose,  but  none  dared  apprise  him  of 
his  danger,  "  as  he  revealed  all,"  says  Melvil,  "  to 
some  of  his  own  servants,  who  were  not  honest."  j 
Three  days  before  the  murder,  the  Lord  Robert 
Stuart,  Mary's  illegitimate  brother,  warned  Darnley 
that  if  he  did  not  quit  the  Kirk-of- Field  "  it  would 
cost  him  his  life." 

Darnley  informed  Mary  of  this,  on  which  she 
sent  for  her  brother,  and  inquired  his  meaning  in 
her  husband's  presence  ;  but  Lord  Robert,  afraid  ! 
of  involving  himself  with  Bothwell  and  the  many 
noble  and  powerful  adherents  of  that  personage, 
denied  ever  having  made  any  such  statement. 
"This  information,''  adds  Melvil,  "moved  the  Earl 
of  Bothwell  to  haste  forward  with  his  enterprise." 

He  had  secured  either  the  tacit  assent  or  active 
co-operation  of  the  Earls  of  Huntley,  Argyle,  Caith- 
ness, and  the  future  Regent  Morton,  of  Archibald 
Douglas,  and  many  others  of  the  leading  lords  and 
officers  of  state  ;  and  in  addition  to  these  conspira- 
tors of  high  rank,  he  had  received  a  number  of 
other  unscrupulous  wretches,  with  whom  Scotland 
seemed  at  that  time  to  abound. 

Four  of  these,  Wilson,  Powrie,  Dalgleish,  and 
French  Paris,  were  only  humble  retainers ;  but 
other  four  who  were  active  in  the  Kirk-of-Field 
tragedy  were  John  Hepburn  of  Bolton,  John  Hay 
of  Tallo,  the  Laird  of  Ormiston,  and  Hob  Ormiston 
his  uncle. 

Bothwell  artfully  contrived  to  get  the  Frenchman 
Paris,  who  had  been  long  in  his  service,  taken  into 
that  of  the  queen  about  this  period,  and  thus 
render  important  service  by  obtaining  the  door-key 
of  the  Kirk-of-Field  House,  from  which  impressions 
were  taken  and  counterfeits  made. 

If  the  depositions  of  this  villain  are  to  be 
credited,  it  was  not  until  Wednesday,  the  5th  of 
February  (1567),  that  the  plot  was  revealed  to  him, 
and  that  on  seeing  him  grow  faint-hearted  at  dread 
of  his  own  danger,  Bothwell  asked  him,  impatiently, 
more  than  once,  what  he  thought  of  it.  "  Pardon 
me,  sir,"  replied  Paris,  "if  I  tell  you  my  opinion 
according  to  my  poor  mind." 

"What  !  arejYW  going  to  preach  to  me?"  asked 
Bothwell,  scornfully. 

Paris  ultimately  consented  to  act ;  and  it 
would  seem  that  Bothwell  for  a  few  days  was  un- 
decided, like  his  four  chief  accomplices,  whether  to 
slay  Darnley  when  walking  in  the  garden  or  sleep- 
ing in  bed,  or  to  blow  the  house  and  its  inmates  up 
together.       Eventually  a  quantity  of  Government 


powder  was  brought  from  the  Castle  of  Dunbar  to 
Bothwell's  house,  near  Hoiyrood,  and  Paris  was 
instructed  to  admit  Hay,  Hepburn,  and  Ormiston 
into  the  queen's  room,  below  that  of  Darnley,  from 
which  he,  to  blacken  her,  alleged  she  removed  a 
valuable  coverlet — a  very  unlikely  act  of  parsimony 
on  her  part. 

On  the  night  of  Sunday,  the  9th  of  February,  all 
was  ready  for  the  dreadful  project.  When  the  dusk 
fell  Bothwell  assembled  the  conspirators  at  his  own 
house,  and,  according  to  the  depositions  of  Powrie. 
Dalgleish,  Tallo,  and  others,  allotted  to  each  the 
grim  part  he  was  to  play.  He  was  well  aware  that 
the  queen  had  dined  that  day  at  the  palace,  and 
that  in  the  evening  she  was  to  sup  with  the  Bishop 
of  Argyle  in  the  house  of  Mr.  John  Balfour,  with 
whom  the  prelate  lodged. 

At  nine  she  left  the  supper-table,  and,  accom- 
panied by  the  Earls  of  Argyle,  Huntley,  and 
Cassilis,  went  to  visit  Darnley  at  the  Kirk-of- 
Field  before  returning  to  Hoiyrood,  where  she 
was  to  be  present  at  a  masque  in  honour  of  the 
marriage  of  Margaret  Carwood,  one  of  her  favourite 
attendants. 

Meanwhile,  Dalgleish,  Powrie,  and  Wilson,  were 
conveying  the  powder  in  bags  from  Bothwell's 
house  to  the  convent  gate  at  the  foot  of  the  Black- 
friars  Wynd,  where  it  was  received  by  Hay  of  Tallo, 
Hepburn  of  Bolton  and  Ormiston,  who  desired  them 
to  return  home. 

Bothwell,  who  had  been  present  with  her  at  the 
banquet  of  the  bishop,  quitted  the  table  at  the 
same  time  as  Mary,  but  left  her  and  walked  up  and 
down  the  Cowgate  while  the  powder  was  being 
received  and  deposited.  By  his  orders  a  large 
empty  barrel  was  deposited  in  the  Dominican 
garden.  Into  this  all  the  bags  of  powder  were  to 
have  been  placed,  but  as  the  lower  back  door  of 
the  Provost's  house  was  too  small  to  admit  it,  they 
were  conveyed  in  separately,  and  placed  in  a  heap 
on  the  floor  of  the  room  beneath  that  in  which  the 
victim  then  lay  a-bed. 

At  length  all  was  in  readiness  ;  the  queen  had 
departed  by  torchlight  to  the  Hoiyrood  masque, 
attended  by  Bothwell,  and  Ormiston  had  with- 
drawn ;  but  Hay  and  Hepburn,  with  their  false 
keys,  remained  in  the  room  with  the  powder.  Paris, 
who  had  in  his  pocket  the  key  of  the  queen's  room 
in  the  Kirk-of-Field,  followed  her  train  to  the  palace. 

If,  again,  any  credit  can  be  given  to  the  con- 
fession of  Paris,  he  stated  that  on  entering  the 
ball-room  where  the  masquers  were  dancing,  a 
melancholy  seized  him,  and  he  remained  apart  from 
all  ;  on  which  Bothwell  accosted  him  angrily, 
saying  that  if  he  retained  that  gloomy  visage   in 


THE    CONSPIRACY   AGAINST    DARNLEY. 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


[Kirk-of- Field. 


Her  Majesty's  presence  he  should  make  him  suffer 
for  it.  Paris  then  says  he  expressed  a  desire  to 
go  to  bed. 

"  No,"  said  Bothwell ;  "  you  must  remain  with 
me.  Would  you  have  those  two  gentlemen,  Hay 
and  Hepburn,  locked  up  where  they  now  are  ?  " 

"  Alas  ! "  replied  the  luckless  varlet,  who  felt 
himself  in  the  power  of  a  stronger  will.  "  What  more 
must  I  do  this  night  ?  for  I  have  no  heart  in  this 
business."  "  Follow  me  !  "  was  the  stern  com- 
mand ;  and  at  midnight  Bothwell  left  the  palace  for 
his  own  house,  where  he  substituted  for  his  rich 
court  dress  of  black  velvet  and  satin  one  of  plain 
stuff,  and  wrapped  himself  up  in  his  riding-cloak. 
Accompanied  by  Paris,  Powrie,  Wilson,  and  Dal- 
gleish,  he  passed  down  a  lane  which  ran  along 
the  wall  of  the  queen's  south  gardens,  joining  the 
foot  of  the  Canongate,  where  the  gate  of  the  outer 
court  of  the  palace  formerly  stood. 

Here  they  were  challenged  by  a  sentinel  of  the 
Archer  Guard,  who  demanded,  "Who  goes 
there  ? "  "  Friends,"  replied  Powrie.  "  What 
friends?"  "Friends  of  the  Lord  Bothwell." 
After  being  passed  out,  they  proceeded  up  the  dark 
Canongate,  where  they  found  the  Netherbow  Port 
shut ;  but  Wilson  roused  the  keeper,  John  Gallo- 
way, by  rashly  calling  to  him  to  open  the  gate 
"for  the  friends  of  my  Lord  Bothwell."  "  What 
do  ye  out  of  your  beds  at  this  time  of  night  ?  " 
asked  Galloway ;  but  they  passed  on  without  reply- 
ing.     (Depositions  in  Laing.) 

They  called  at  Ormiston's  lodging  in  the  Nether- 
bow ;  but  the  wary  laird,  deeming  that  he  had 
done  enough  in  assisting  to  convey  the  powder,  de- 
clined to  do  more,  and  sent  word  that  he  was 
from  home  ;  so  passing  down  Todrig's  Wynd,  they 
crossed  the  Cowgate,  entered  the  convent  gardens, 
and  waited  for  Hay  and  Hepburn  near  the  House 
of  the  Kirk-of- Field.  From  this  point  mystery  and 
obscurity  cloud  all  that  followed. 

When  left  alone  by  the  departure  of  the  queen, 
a  gloomy  foreboding  of  impending  peril  would  seem 
to  have  fallen  upon  the  wretched  Darnley.  He  read 
a  portion  of  the  Scriptures,  repeated  the  55th  Psalm, 
and  fell  asleep,  his  young  page  Taylor  watching 
in  the  apartment  near  him.  Thomas  Nelson, 
Edward  Simmons,  and  a  boy,  lay  in  the  servants' 
apartment,  or  gallery,  next  the  city  wall. 

One  account  has  it  that  it  was  at  this  time  that 
Hay  and  Hepburn,  concealed  in  the  room  with  the 
powder,  by  means  of  their  false  keys  gained  access 
to  the  king's  apartment ;  that  the  noise  of  their  en- 
trance awoke  him,  and  springing  from  bed  in  his 
shirt  and  pelisse,  he  strove  to  make  his  escape, 
but  was  knocked  down  and  strangled,  his  shrieks 


for  mercy  being  heard  by  some  women  in  an  ad- 
joining house  ;  that  his  page  was  dispatched  in  the 
same  manner,  and  their  bodies  flung  into  the  or- 
chard, where  they  were  found  next  morning,  un- 
touched by  fire  or  powder,  and  then  the  house  was 
blown  up  to  obliterate  all  traces  of  the  murder. 
This  peculiar  version  of  it  is  based  on  a  dispatch 
from  the  papal  nuncio  to  Cosmo  I.,  and  found  in 
the  archives  of  the  Medici  by  Prince  Labanoff, 
who  communicated  it  to  Mr.  Tytler. 

Bothwell's  accomplices,  on  the  other  hand,  when 
brought  to  trial,  all  more  or  less  emphatically 
denied  that  Darnley  was  either  strangled  or  assas- 
sinated, and  then  carried  into  the  garden  ;  Hepburn 
expressly  declared  that  he  only  knew  that  Darnley 
was  blown  into  the  air,  "  and  handled  with  no 
man's  hands  that  he  saw."  Melvil  says,  on  the 
morning  after  the  murder,  Bothwell  "came  forth 
and  told  me  he  saw  the  strangest  accident  that 
ever  chanced — to  wit,  the  thunder  came  out  of  the 
lift  (sky)  and  burnt  the  king's  house,  and  himself 
found  lying  at  a  little  distance  from  the  house 
under  a  tree,  and  willed  me  to  go  up  and  see  him, 
how  there  was  not  a  mark  nor  hurt  on  all  his  bod)'." 
(Melvil's  "Memoirs,"  1735.) 

No  doubt  rests  upon  the  part  played  by  Both- 
well,  however  the  murder  at  the  Kirk-of-Field  was 
achieved. 

Dalgleish,  Powrie,  and  Wilson,  were  left  at  the  head 
of  the  convent  garden,  while  French  Paris  passed 
over  the  wall  at  the  back  of  the  house,  and  joined 
the  two  assassins,  who  were  locked  in  the  room 
where  the  powder  lay.  On  the  arrival  of  the  dar- 
ing earl,  Hepburn  lighted  the  match  connected 
with  the  train  and  the  powder,  and  having  locked 
the  doors,  they  then  withdrew  to  await  the  event. 

Bothwell  fretted  with  impatience  as  the  match 
burned  slowly  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour ;  then,  pre- 
cisely at  two  in  the  morning,  it  took  effect. 

The  whole  house  seemed  to  rise,  says  Hay  of 
Tallo,  in  his  deposition.  Then,  with  a  noise  as  of 
the  bursting  of  a  thunderbolt,  the  solid  masonry 
of  the  house  was  rent  into  a  thousand  fragments  ; 
scarcely  a  vestige  of  it  remained,  and  "  great  stones, 
of  the  length  of  ten  feet  and  breadth  of  four  feet," 
were  found  blown  from  it  all  over  the  orchard. 

Paralysed  with  fear,  Paris  fell  with  his  face  for- 
ward on  the  earth ;  even  Bothwell  was  appalled, 
and  said,  "  I  have  been  in  many  important  enter- 
prises, but  I  never  felt  as  I  do  now  !  "  The  whole  of 
the  conspirators  nowhurried  back  to  the  High  Street, 
and  sought  to  get  out  of  the  city  by  dropping  from 
the  wall  at  Leith  Wynd,  but  were  forced  once  more 
to  rouse  the  porter  at  the  Netherbow.  They  then 
passed  down  St.  Mary's  Wynd  and  the  south  back 


BOTHWELL    DENOUNCED. 


of  the  Canongate  to  Bothwell's  lodging,  near  the 
palace,  at  the  gates  of  which  they  were  again 
challenged  by  the  Archers  of  the  Guard — a  corps 
which  existed  from  1562  to  1567 — who  asked  "if 
they  knew  what  noise  that  was  they  heard  a  short 
time  before."  They  replied  that  they  did  not. 
Rushing  to  his  house,  Bothwell  called  for  some- 
thing to  drink,  and  throwing  off  his  clothes,  went 
to  bed. 

Tidings  that  the  house  had  been  blown  up  and 
the  king  slain  spread  fast  through  the  startled 
city,  and  George  Hackett,  a  servant  of  the  palace, 
communicated  these  to  Bothwell,  whom  he  found 
in  "ane  great  effray  pitch-black,"  and  excited. 
Then  with  assumed  coolness  he  inquired  "  what 
was  the  matter?7'  On  being  distinctly  informed, 
he  began  to  shout  "  Treason ! "  and  on  being 
joined  by  the  Earl  of  Huntley,  he  repaired  at  once 
to  the  presence  of  the  queen. 

By  dawn  the  whole  area  of  the  Kirk-of-Field 
was  crowded  by  citizens,  who  found  that  the  three 
servants  who  slept  in  the  gallery  were  buried  in  the 
ruins,  out  of  which  Nelson  was  dragged  alive. 

In  Holyrood  the  queen  kept  her  bed  in  a  dark- 
ened room,  while  a  proclamation  was  issued,  offer- 
ing the  then  tolerable  sum  of  ^2,000  Scots  to 
any  who  would  give  information  as  to  the  perpetra- 
tors of  the  crime.  On  the  same  day  the  body  of 
Darnley  was  brought  to  Holyrood  Chapel,  and 
after  being  embalmed  by  Maistre  Mastin  Picauet, 
"  ypothegar,"  was  interred  on  Saturday  night,  with- 
out the  presence  of  any  of  the  nobles  or  officers 
of  state,  except  the  Lord  Justice  Clerk  Bellenden 
and  Sir  James  Traquair. 

Bothwell  was  denounced  as  the  murderer  by  a 
paper  fixed  on  the  Tolbooth  Gate.  But  though  the 
earl  was  ultimately  brought  to  trial,  no  precisely 
proper  inquiry  into  the  startling  atrocity  was  made 
by  the  officers  of  the  Crown. 

A  bill  fastened  on  the  Tron  Beam,  declared 
that  the  smith  who  furnished  the  false  keys  to  the 
king's  apartment  would,  on  due  security  being 
given,  point  out  his  employers  ;  and  other  placards. 
on  one  of  which  were  written  the  queen's  initials, 
m.r.,  were  posted  elsewhere— manifestations  of 
public  feeling  that  rendered  Bothwell  so  furious 
that  he  rode  through  the  city  at  the  head  of  a  band 
of  his  armed  vassals,  swearing  that  he  "  would  wash 


his  hands"  in  the  blood  of  the  authors,  could  he 
but  discover  them  ;  and  from  that  time  forward  he 
watched  all  who  approached  him  with  a  jealous 
eye,  and  a  hand  on  his  dagger.     (Tytler.) 

When  that  part  of  the  city  wall  which  imme- 
diately adjoined  the  house  of  the  Kirk-of-Field 
was  demolished  in  1854,  it  was  found  to  be  five 
feet  thick,  and  contained  among  its  rubble  many 
fragments  of  a  Gothic  church  or  other  edifice,  and 
three  cannon-balls,  one  of  24  pounds'  weight,  were 
found  in  it. 

In  the  records  of  the  Privy  Council  in  1579,  we 
find  an  order  for  denouncing  and  putting  to  the 
horn  Robert  Balfour,  Provost  of  the  Kirk-of-Field, 
for  having  failed  to  appear  before  the  Lords,  and 
answer  "  to  sic  thingis  as  sauld  have  been  inquirit 
of  him  at  his  cuming."  The  Provost,  brother  of 
the  notorious  Sir  James,  had  been  outlawed  or  for- 
feited in  157 1,  as  there  rested  upon  both  the  charge 
of  having  been  chief  agents  in  the  murder  or 
Darnley. 

He  was  ultimately  remitted  and  pardoned,  and 
this  was  ratified  by  Parliament  in  1584,  when  he 
and  his  posterity  were  allowed  to  enjoy  all  their 
possessions,"  providing  alwayis  that  these  presentis 
be  not  extendit  to  repossess  and  restoir  the  said 
Robert  to  ony  ryt  he  has,  or  he  may  pretend,  to  ye 
Provostrie  of  ye  Kirk-of-Field,  sumtym  situat  within 
the  libertie  of  ye  burgh  of  Edinburgh." 

In  this  same  year,  1584,  the  Town  Council  were 
greatly  excited  by  a  serious  affray  that  ensued  at 
the  Kirk-of-Field  Port,  and  to  prevent  the  recur- 
rence of  a  similar  disorder,  ordained  that  on  the 
ringing  of  the  alarm  bell  the  inhabitants  were  all  to 
convene  in  their  several  quarters  under  their  bailies, 
"  in  armour  and  good  order."  And  subsequently, 
to  prevent  broils  by  night-walkers,  they  ordered 
"that  at  10  o'clock  fifty  strokes  would  be  given  on 
the  great  bell,  after  which  none  should  be  upon  the 
streets,  under  a  penalty  of  ^20  Scots,  and  im- 
prisonment during  the  town's  pleasure."  ("  Council 
Records.") 

A  fragment  of  ruin  connected  with  the  Kirk-of- 
Field  is  shown  as  extant  in  1647  in  Gordon's  map, 
near  what  is  now  the  north-west  corner  of  Drum- 
mond  Street,  and  close  to  the  old  University.  A 
group  of  trees  appear  to  the  eastward,  and  a  garden 
to  the  north. 


OLD  AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


CHAPTER     II. 

THE     UNIVERSITY. 

nals  ol  the  Old  College— Charters  of  Queen  Mary  and  James  VI.— Old  College  described -The  first  Regents— King  James's  letter 
of  1617 — Quarrel  with  Town  Council— Students'  Riot  in  16S0 — The  Principal  dismissed— Abolished  Offices— Dissection  for  the  first  time — 
Quarrel  with  the  Town  Council — The  Museum— The  Greek  Chair— System  of  Education  introduced  by  Principal  Rollock — The  Early 
Mode  of  Education— A  Change  in  1730— The  Old  Hours  of  Attendance— The  Silver  Mace— The  Projects  of  1763  and  1789  for  a  New 
College— The    Foundation    laid— Completion   of   the    New   College— Its    Corporation   after  1858 — Principals— Chairs,    and    First     Holders 


1  '  uniialii 
r  Notable  Eequests- 


-The  Library— The  Museums. 


Of  the  four  Scottish  Universities,  the  youngest 
is  Edinburgh,  a  perfectly  Protestant  foundation, 
as  the  other  three  were  established  under  the 
Catholic  regime;  yet  the  merit  of  originating  the 
idea  of  academical  institutions  for  the  metropolis 
is  due  to  Robert  Reid,  who,  in  1558,  six  years 
before  the  date  of  Queen  Mary's  charter,  "  had 
bequeathed  to  the  town  of  Edinburgh  the  sum  of 
8,000  merks  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  University 
within  the  city.'' 

In  1566  Queen  Mary  entered  so  warmly  into  the 
views  of  the  magistrates  as  actually  to  draw  up  a 
charter  and  provide  a  competent  endowment  for 
the  future  college.  But  the  unsettled  state  of  the 
realm  and  the  turbulence  of  the  age  marred  the 
fulfilment  of  her  generous  desire  ;  yet  the  charter 
she  had  prepared,  acted,  says  Bower,  in  his  "  His- 
tory," so  powerfully  upon  her  son,  James  VI.,  that  it 
was  inserted  in  the  one  which  is  now  deemed  the 
foundation  charter  of  the  university,  granted  by  the 
king  in  15S2,  with  the  privilege  of  erecting  houses 
for  the  professors  and  students.  In  recalling 
the  active  benefactors  of  the  university,  we  cannot 
omit  the  names  of  the  Rev.  James  Lavvson,  whose 
exertions  contributed  so  greatly  to  the  institution 
of  the  famous  High  School ;  and  of  Provost 
William  Little,  and  of  Clement  Little,  Commissary  of 
Edinburgh,  the  latter  of  whom  gave,  in  1580,  "  to 
the  city  and  kirk  of  God,"  the  whole  of  his  library, 
consisting  of  300  volumes — a  great  collection  in 
those  days — it  is  supposed  for  the  use  of  the  pro- 
posed college. 

The  teachers  at  first  established  by  the  founda- 
tion were  a  Principal  or  Primarius,  a  Professor  of 
Divinity,  four  Regents  or  Masters  of  Philosophy, 
and  a  Professor  of  Philology  or  Humanity. 

On  the  site  of  the  Kirk-of-Field  a  quaint  group 
of  quadrangular  buildings  grew  up  gradually  but 
rapidly,  forming  the  old  college,  which  Maitland 
describes  as  having  three  courts,  the  southern  of 
which  was  occupied  on  two  sides  by  the  class- 
rooms and  professors'  houses,  and  on  the  others 
by  the  College  Hall,  the  houses  of  the  principal 
and  resident  graduates.  A  flight  of  steps  led  from 
this  to  the  western  quadrangle,  which  was  rich  in 


dormer  windows,  crowstepped  gables,  and  turret 
stairs.  Here  the  students  then  resided.  The 
eastern  quadrangle  contained  the  Convocation 
Hall  and  Library.  The  gateway  was  at  the  head 
of  the  College  Wynd,  with  a  lofty  bell-tower,  and 
the  first  five  words  of  the  are  in  Gothic  characters 
cut  upon  its  lintel,  as  it  was  the  original  portal  to 
the  Kirk-of-Field. 

When  Scott  completed  his  education  here  the 
old  halls,  and  solemn,  yet  in  some  senses  mean, 
quadrangles,  were  all  unchanged,  as  in  the  days  of 
James  VI.  and  the  Charleses,  and  exhibited  many 
quaint  legends  carved  in  stone. 

The  old  Library  was  certainly  a  large  and  hand- 
some room,  wherein  were  shown  a  skull,  said  to  be 
that  of  George  Buchanan  ;  the  original  Bohemian 
protest  against  the  Council  of  Constance  for  burn- 
ing John  Huss  and  Jerome  of  Prague,  dated  141 7, 
with  105  seals  attached  to  it;  the  original  marriage 
contract  of  Queen  Mary  with  the  Dauphin ;  many 
coins,  medals,  and  portraits,  which  were  afterwards 
preserved  in  the  new  university. 

The  old  college  buildings  were  begun  in  1581  ; 
and  in  1583  the  Town  Council  constituted  Mr. 
Robert  Rollock,  then  a  professor  at  St.  Andrews,  a 
professor  in  this  university,  of  which  he  became 
afterwards  Rector  and  Principal,  and  to  which  by 
the  power  of  his  learning  he  allured  many  students. 
The  sum  of  £1  13s.  4d.  was  given  him  to  defray 
the  expenses  of  his  removal  to  Edinburgh,  where  he 
began  to  teach  on  the  nth  of  October,  when  pub- 
lic notice  was  given  "  that  students  desirous  of  in- 
struction shall  give  up  their  names  to  a  bailie,  who 
shall  take  order  for  their  instruction." 

As  there  was  then  no  other  teacher  but  himself, 
he  was  compelled  to  put  all  the  students  into  one 
class.  "  He  soon  felt,  however,  that  this  was  im- 
practicable," says  Bower,  "  so  as  to  do  justice  to 
the  young  men  committed  to  his  care.  After  hav- 
ing made  this  experiment,  he  was  obliged  to  sepa- 
rate them  into  two  classes.  The  progress  which 
they  made  was  very  different,  and  a  considerable 
number  of  them  were  exceedingly  deficient  in  a 
knowledge  of  the  Latin  language." 

On  his    recommendation  a  Mr.  Duncan  Nairn 


THE    FIRST    VISITATION. 


was  appointed  as  second  master  in  the  college,  [  ture  upon  being  examined  in  their  knowledge  of 
where  he  taught  Latin  for  the  first  year,  and  Greek  J  Latin,  Greek,  and  Hebrew,  and  the  whole  circle 
in  the  second.  He  died  in  1586  ;  and  from  the  cir-  '  of  the  sciences."  Those  chosen  on  this  occasion 
cumstance  that  he  and  Rollock  were  paid  board  by  1  were  Mr.  Adam  Colt  of  Inveresk,  and  Mr.  Alex- 
the  Town  Council,  it  has  been  supposed  that  they    ander  Scrimger  of  Irwin. 

were  both  bachelors,  and  did  not  live  within  the  |  The  first  visitation  of  this  university  was  held 
college.  I  in  16 14,  when  the  Town  Council  appointed  sixteen 


W^l'r"5 


i.      •- 


THE   LIBRARY   OF   THE  OLD    UNIVERSITY,    AS   SEEN    FROM   THE   SOUTH-EAST   CORNER   OF   THE  Qt 
LOOKING   NORTH.      (From  an  Engraving  by  IV.  It.  Lhars  if  a  Drawing  by  Play/air). 


In  15S5,  Rollock,  "a  simple  man  in  Church 
matters,"  says  Calderwood,  was  created  principal, 
for  which,  and  for  preaching  weekly  in  St.  Giles's, 
he  had  400  merks  per  annum. 

As  students  came  in,  the  necessity  for  adding 
to  the  number  of  Regents  became  so  imperative 
that  the  Council,  as  patrons  of  tne  college,  had 
to  advertise  for  candidates  all  over  the  kingdom. 
Six  appeared,  and  a  ten  days'  competition  in  skill 
followed — a  sufficient  proof  that  talent  was  necessary 
in  those  early  days,  and  much  patience  on  the 
part  of  the  judges.  "They  must  have  possessed 
great  hardihood,"  says  Bower,  "  who  could  adven- 


of  their  own  number,  and  five  of  the  ministers  of 
the  city  visitors,  joining  with  them  three  advocates 
as  their  assessors. 

There  was  not  then  a  chancellor  in  the  univer- 
sity, or  any  similar  official,  as  in  other  learned 
academies.  When  James  VI.,  in  161 7,  paid  a  visit 
to  his  native  kingdom,  and  established  his  court 
at  Stirling,  he  desired  the  principal  and  regents  of 
his  favourite  university  to  hold  a  public  disputation 
in  his  presence.  On  this,  the  five  officials  repaired 
to  Stirling,  where  the  royal  pedant  anxiously 
awaited  them,  and  took  a  very  active  part  in  the 
discussion. 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


[Unive-sity. 


He  seemed  greatly  delighted  with  the  result, 
and  felt  much  self-gratification  at  the  part  he  had 
himself  borne.  Thus,  immediately  after  the  re- 
moval of  the  court  to  Paisley,  on  the  25th  of  July, 
161 7,  he  addressed  the  following  letter  to  the  magis- 
trates of  Edinburgh  : — 

"James  R. 

"  Trustie  and  weill  beloved,  we  greet  you  weill. 

"Being  sufficientlie  perswadit  of  the  guid  beginning  and 
progresse  which  ye  haiff  made  in  repairing  and  building  of 
your  college,  and  of  your  commendable  resolution  constantlie 
to  proceed  and  persist  thairin,  till  the  same  sail  be  perfytlie 
finished  ;  for  your  better  encouragement  in  a  wark  so 
universallie  beneficial  for  our  subjectis,  and  for  such  orna- 
ment and  reputation  for  our  citie,  we  haiff  thocht  guid  not 
only  to  declair  our  speciall  approbation  thairof,  but  lykewayes, 
as  we  gave  the  first  being  and  beginning  thairunto,  so  we 
haiff  thocht  it  worthie  to  be  honoured  with  our  name,  of 
our  awin  impositione  ;  and  the  raither  because  of  the  late 
cair,  which  to  our  great  content,  we  ressaived  of  the  gude 
worth  and  sufficiencie  of  the  maisters  thairof,  at  thair  being 
with  us  at  Stirling  :  In  which  regard,  these  are  to  desyre 
you  to  order  the  said  college  to  be  callit  in  all  times  herafter 
by  the  name  of  King  James's  College  :  which  we  intend 
for  an  especiall  mark  and  baidge  of  our  faivour  towards  the 
same. 

"  So  we  doubting  not  but  ye  will  accordinglie  accept 
thairof,  we  bid  you  heartilie  fairweill." 

Though  James  gave  his  name  to  the  college, 
which  it  still  bears,  it  does  not  appear  that  he  gave 
anything  more  valuable,  unless  we  record  the  tithes 
of  the  Archdeaconry  of  Lothian  and  of  the  parish 
cf  Wemyss,  together  with  the  patronage  of  the  Kirk 
of  Currie.  He  promised  what  he  called  a  "  God- 
bairne  gift,"  but  it  never  came. 

The  salary  of  the  principal  was  originally  very 
small;  and  in  order  to  make  his  post  more  comfort- 
able he  was  allowed  to  reap  the  emoluments  of  the 
professorship  of  divinity,  with  the  rank  of  rector ; 
but  in  1620  these  offices  were  disjoined,  and  his 
salary,  from  forty  guineas,  was  augmented  to  sixty, 
and  Mr.  Andrew  Ramsay  was  appointed  Professor 
of  Divinity  and  Rector,  which  he  held  till  1626, 
when  he  resigned  both. 

They  remained  a  year  vacant,  when  the  Council 
resolved  to  elect  a  rector  who  was  not  a  member 
of  the  university,  and  chose  Alexander  Morrison, 
Lord  Prestongrange.  a  judge  of  the  Court  of  Session, 
who  took  the  oath  de  fideli  administratione,  but 
never  exercised  the  duties  of  his  position. 

In  the  year  1626  Mr.  William  Struthers,  a 
minister  of  Edinburgh,  in  censuring  a  probationer, 
used  some  expression  derogatory  to  philosophy, 
among  others  terming  it  "the  dishdout  to  divinity," 
which  was  bitterly  resented  by  Professor  James 
Reid,  who  in  turn  attacked  Struthers'  doctrine. 
The  latter,  in  revenge,  got  his  brother  to  join  him, 
and   endeavoured   to   get   Reid   deposed    by   the 


Council ;  and  so  vexed  did  the  question  ultimately 
become,  that  the  professor,  weary  of  the  contest, 
resigned  his  chair. 

It  would  seem  to  have  been  customary  for  the 
Scottish  Universities  to  receive  in  those  days  students 
who  had  been  compelled  to  leave  other  seats  of 
learning  through  misbehaviour,  and  by  their  bad 
example  some  of  them  led  the  students  of  Edin- 
burgh to  commit  many  improprieties,  till  the  Privy 
Council,  by  an  Act  in  161  r,  forbade  the  reception 
of  fugitive  students  in  any  university. 

In  1640  the  magistrates  chose  Mr.  Alexander 
Henrison,  a  minister  of  the  city,  Rector  of  the 
University,  and  ordained  that  a  silver  mace  should 
be  borne  before  him  on  all  occasions  of  solemnity. 
They  drew  up  a  set  of  instructions,  empowering 
him  to  superintend  all  matters  connected  with  the 
institution.  The  custody  of  the  Matriculation 
Roll  was  also  given  to  him  ;  the  students  were  to 
be  matriculated  in  his  presence,  and  he  was 
furnished  with  an  inventory  of  the  college  revenues 
and  donations  in  its  favour.  "  For  some  years," 
says  Arnot,  "we  find  the  rector  exercising  his  office; 
but  the  troubles  which  distracted  the  nation,  and 
no  regular  records  of  this  university  having  been 
kept,  render  it  impossible  for  us  to  ascertain  when 
that  office  was  discontinued,  or  how  the  college 
was  governed  for  a  considerable  period." 

From  the  peculiar  constitution  of  this  college, 
and  its  then  utter  dependence  upon  the  magistrates, 
they  took  liberties  with  it  to  which  no  similar 
institution  would  have  submitted.  "  Thus,  for 
example,"  says  Bower,  "  they  borrowed  the  college 
mace  in  165 1,  and  did  not  return  it  till  1655.  The 
magistrates  could  be  under  no  necessity  for  having 
recourse  to  this  expedient  for  enabling  them  to 
make  a  respectable  appearance  in  public  when 
necessary,  attended  by  the  proper  officers  and 
,  insignia  of  their  office.  And,  on  the  other  hand, 
I  the  public  business  of  the  college  could  not  be 
properly  conducted,  nor  in  the  usual  way,  without 
the  mace.  At  all  public  graduations,  &c,  it  was, 
and  still  is,  carried  before  the  principal  and  pro- 
fessors." 

The  magistrates  of  Edinburgh  were  in  those  days, 
in  every  sense  of  the  word,  proprietors  of  the  uni- 
versity, of  the  buildings,  museums,  library,  anatomical 
preparations,  and  philosophical  apparatus ;  and 
from  time  to  time  were  wont  to  deposit  in  their 
own  Charter  Room  the  writs  belonging  to  the  insti- 
tution. 

They  do  not  seem  to  have  done  this  from  the 
earliest  period,  as  the  first  notice  of  this,  found  by 
Bower,  was  in  the  Register  for  1655,  when  the 
writs    and    an    inventory   were     ordered    to    be 


A    STUDENTS'    RIOT. 


placed  in  the  city  charter  room ;  and  this  order 
occurs  often  afterwards,  or  is  referred  to  thus  : — 

"  In  1663  the  magistrates  came  down  with  their 
halberts  to  the  college,  took  away  all  our  charters 
and  papers,  declared  the  Provost  perpetual  rector, 
though  he  was  chancellor  before,  and  at  the  same 
time  discharged  university  meetings." 

During  the  summer  of  1656  some  new  buildings 
were  in  progress  on  the  south  side  of  the  old 
college,  as  the  town  council  records  state  that 
for  the  better  carrying  on  thereof,  "there  is  a 
necessitie  to  break  down  and  demolishe  the  hous 
neirest  the  Potterrow  Port,  which  now  the  Court  du 
Guaird  possesseth  ;  thairfoir  ordaines  the  thesaurer 
with  John  Milne  to  visite  the  place,  and  doe  therin 
what  they  find  expedient,  as  weil  for  demolishing 
the  said  hous  as  for  provyding  for  the  Court  du 
Guaird  uterwayis." 

During  the  year  1665  some  very  unpleasant  re- 
lations ensued  between  the  university  and  its  civic 
patrons,  and  these  originated  in  a  frivolous  cause. 
It  had  been  the  ancient  practice  of  the  regents  of 
all  European  seminaries  to  chastise  with  a  birch 
rod  such  of  the  students  as  were  unruly  or  com- 
mitted a  breach  of  the  laws  of  the  college  within 
its  bound.  Some  punishment  of  this  nature  had 
been  administered  to  the  son  of  the  then  Provost, 
Sir  Andrew  Ramsay,  Knight,  and  great  offence  was 
taken  thereat. 

In  imitation  of  his  colleagues  and  predecessors, 
the  regent,  on  this  occasion,  had  used  his  own 
entire  discretion  as  to  the  mode  and  amount  of 
punishment  lie  should  inflict ;  but  the  Lord  Provost 
was  highly  exasperated,  and  determining  to  wreak 
his  vengeance  on  the  whole  university,  assumed  the 
entire  executive  authority  into  his  own  hands. 

"  Having  proceeded  to  the  college,  and  exhibited 
some  very  unnecessary  symbols  of  his  power  within 
the  city — the  halberts,  we  presume — on  the  tenth 
of  November  he  repaired  to  the  Council  Chamber 
and  procured  the  following  Act  to  be  passed  : — 
'  The  Council  agrees  that  the  Provost  of  Edinburgh, 
present  and  to  come,  be  always  Rector  atid  Governor 
of  the  college  in  all  time  coming.'  The  only  impor- 
tant effects  which  this  disagreeable  business 
produced  were,  that  it  was  the  cause  of  corporal 
punishment  being  banished  from  the  university, 
and  that  no  rector  has  since  been  elected,"  adds 
Bower,  writing  in  181 7.  "  The  Scnatus  Academicus 
have  repeatedly  made  efforts  to  revive  the  election 
of  the  office  of  rector,  and  have  as  often  failed 
of  success." 

A  short  time  before  his  dea'h  Cromwell  made  a 
grant  to  the  college  of  ^200  per  annum,  a  sum 
which  in  those  days  would  greatly  have  added  to 


the  prosperity  of  the  institution  ;  but  he  happened 
to  die  in  the  September  of  the  same  year  in  which, 
the  grant  was  dated,  and  as  all  his  Acts  were 
rescinded  at  the  Restoration,  his  intentions  towards 
the  university  came  to  nothing.  The  expense  of 
passing  the  document  at  the  Exchequer  cost  about 
^476  16s.  Scots  ;  hence  it  is  extremely  doubtful  if 
the  smallest  benefit  ever  came  of  it  in  any  way. 

The  year  16S0  saw  the  students  of  the  university 
engaged  in  a  serious  riot,  which  created  a  profound 
sensation  at  the  time. 

'•After  the  Restoration,  the  students,"  says 
Arnot,  "  appear  to  have  been  pretty  much  tainted 
with  the  fanatic  principles  of  the  Covenanters," 
and  they  resolved,  while  the  Duke  of  Albany  and 
York  was  at  Holyrood,  to  manifest  their  zeal  by  a 
solemn  procession  and  burning  of  the  pope  in  effigy 
on  Christmas  Day,  and  to  that  end  posted  up  the 
following  : — 

"AX      ADVERTISEMENT. 

"  These  are  to  give  notice  to  all  Noblemen,  Gentlemen, 
Citizens,  and  others,  that  We,  the  Students  of  the  Royal  Col- 
lege of  Edinburgh  (to  show  our  detestation  and  abhorrence  of 
the  Romish  religion,  and  our  zeal  and  fervency  for  the  Pro- 
testant), do  resolve  to  burn  the  effigies  of  Anti-ckrist,  the 
Pope  of  Rome  at  the  Mercat  Cross  of  Edinburgh,  the  25th  of 
December  instant,  at  Twelve  in  the  forenoon  (being  the 
festival  of  Our  Saviour's  nativity).  And  as  we  hate  tumults 
as  we  do  superstition,  we  do  hereby  (under  pain  of  death)  dis- 
charge all  robbers,  thieves,  and  bawds  to  come  within  40 
paces  of  our  company,  and  such  as  shall  be  found  disobedient 
to  these  our  commands,  Sibi  Caveani. 

"  By  our  Special  command,  Robert  Brown,  Secretary 
to  all  our  Theatricals  and  Extra  Literal  Di' 


This  announcement  filled  the  magistrates  with 
alarm,  as  such  an  exhibition  was  seriously  calculated 
to  affront  the  duke  and  duchess,  and,  moreover, 
to  excite  a  dangerous  sedition.  According  to  a 
history  of  this  affair,  published  for  Richard  Jane- 
way,  in  Queen's  Head  Alley,  Paternoster  Row,  16S1, 
the  students  bound  themselves  by  a  solemn  oath 
to  support  each  other,  under  penalty  of  a  fine,  and 
they  employed  a  carver,  "  who  erected  then  a 
wooden  Holiness,  with  clothes,  triple  crown,  keys, 
and  other  necessary  habiliments,"  and  by  Christ- 
mas Eve  all  was  in  readiness  for  the  display,  to  pre- 
vent which  the  Lord  Provost  used  every  means 
at  his  command. 

He  sent  for  Andrew  Cant,  the  principal,  and 
the  regents,  whom  he  enjoined  to  deter  the 
students  "  with  menaces  that  if  they  would  not,  he 
would  make  it  a  bloody  Christmas  to  them."  He 
then  went  to  Holyrood,  and  had  an  interview  with 
the  duke  and  the  Lord  Chancellor,  who  threatened 
to  march  the  Scottish  troops  into  the  town.  Mean- 
while, the  principal  strove  to  exact  oaths  and 
promises   from   the  students  that  they  would   re- 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


linquish  their  intention,  and  a  few  who  were 
English  were  seized  in  their  beds,  and  carried  by 
the  guard  to  the  Tolbooth. 

All  the  forces  in  Leith  and  the  neighbourhood 
were  marched  into  the  Canongate,  where  they  re- 
mained all  night  under  arms  :  and  in  the  morning 
the  Provost  allowed  the  privileges  of  a  fortified 
city  to  be  violated,  it  was  alleged,  by  permitting 
the  Foot  Guards  and  Mars  Fusiliers  (latterly 
2 1  st  Foot)  to  enter  the  gates,  seize  advantageous 


grey  Dragoons ;  then  came  the  Fusiliers,  under  the 
Earl  of  Mar;  and  Lord  Linlithgow,  with  one 
battalion  of  the  Scots  Foot  Guards,  in  such  haste 
that  he  fell  off  his  horse.  The  troops  were  ordered 
to  extinguish  the  flames  and  rescue  the  image. 

"  This,  however,  understanding  the  combustible 
state  of  its  interior,  they  were  in  no  haste  to  do  ; 
I  keeping  at  a  cautious   distance,   they  merely  be- 
laboured his  Holiness  with  the  butt  end  of  their 
musquets,  which  the  students  allege  was  a  mode 


SL 


IE   LIBRARY   OF   THE   OLD    UNIVERSITY,    AS   SEEN    FROM   THE   SOUTH-WESTERN    CORNER   OF   THE  QUADRANGLE, 
LOOKING   EAST.      (From  an  Engrailing  ly  W.  If.  Lizars  of  a  Drawing  by  r  lay/air). 


posts,  and  make  the  Grassmarket  their  head- 
quarters. The  City  Militia  held  the  High  Street, 
a  guard  was  placed  on  the  college,  and  the  guards 
at  the  palace  were  doubled. 

Undismayed  by  all  this,  the  students  mustered 
in  the  Old  High  School  Yard,  with  their  effigy  in 
pontifical  robes,  and  proceeded  without  opposition 
down  the  High  School  Wynd,  and  up  Blackfriars 
Wynd  to  the  lower  end  of  High  Street,  where, 
finding  there  was  no  time  to  lose,  though  unop- 
posed by  the  militia,  they  set  fire  to  the  figure 
amid  shouts  of  " Pereat  Papa .'"  but  had  instantly 
to  fly.  Arnot  says  the  burning  took  place  in  the 
Blackfriars  Wynd. 

Grim  old  Dalyell  of  Binns  came  galloping 
through  the  Netherbow  Port  at  the  head   of  his 


of  treatment  not  much  more  respectful  than  their 
own.  In  the  course  of  this  operation  the  head 
fell  off,''  and  was  borne  in  triumph  up  the  Castle 
Hill  by  a  number  of  boys.  But  this  trumpery 
affair  did  not  end  here. 

Seven  students  were  apprehended,  and  ex- 
amined before  the  Privy  Council  by  Sir  George 
Mackenzie  of  Rosehaugh,  the  King's  Advocate, 
and  after  being  a  few  days  in  custody,  were  libe- 
rated. So  little  were  they  gratified  by  this  leniency 
that  many  street  scuffles  took  place  between  them 
and  the  troops,  whom  they  alleged  to  be  the  ag- 
gressors. 

Violent  denunciations  of  revenge  against  the 
magistrates  were  uttered  in  the  streets  ;  and  upon 
the  nth  of  January,  1681,  the  house  of  Priestfield 


A   COMMISSION    OF    INQUIRY. 


— the  seat  of  Sir  James  Dick,  Lord  Provost,  the 
family  being  in  town — was  deliberately  set  in  flames 
by  fire-balls,  and  burned  to  the  ground,  with  all 
its  furniture. 

A  barrel  half  full  of  combustible  materials,  and 
bearing,  it  was  said,  the  Castle  mark,  was  found  in 
the  adjacent  park,  and  several  people  deposed 
that  on  the  night  of  the  conflagration  they  saw 
many  young  men  going  towards  the  house  of 
Priestfield  with  unlighted  links  in  their  hands,  and 


To  prevent  a  recurrence  of  such  outbreaks, 
Charles  II.  appointed  a  visitation  of  the  university, 
naming  the  great  officers  of  state,  the  bishop,  Lord 
Provost,  and  magistrates  of  the  city,  and  certain 
others,  of  whom  five,  with  the  bishop  and  Lord 
Provost  should  be  a  quorum,  to  inquire  into  the 
condition  of  the  college,  its  revenues,  privileges,  and 
buildings;  to  examine  if  the  laws  of  the  realm,  the 
Church  government,  and  the  old  rules  of  discipline 
were  observed  ;  to  arrange  the  methods  of  study;  to 


1 


s 


^=~?-= 


1.,-: 


-.1      f 


■    i  jfi  j 


H 


ILDINGS 

o 

-  THE 

SOUTH   S 

OF 

THE 

{Fro, 

Engra 

mgby  W 

H 

Liza 

rso/a 

-one  with  a  dark  lantern  ;  but  notwithstanding  that 
■a  pardon  and  200  merks  (about  ,£no  sterling) 
were  offered  by  the  Privy  Council  to  any  who 
would  discover  the  perpetrators  of  this  outrage, 
they  were  never  detected. 

The  gates  of  the  college  were  ordered  to  be  shut, 
and  the  students  to  retire  at  least  fifteen  miles 
distant  from  the  city  ;  but  in  ten  days  they  were 
permitted  to  return,  upon  their  friends  becoming 
■caution  for  their  peaceable  behaviour,  and  the 
.gates  were  again  thrown  open  ;  but  all  students 
"  above  the  Semi-class  "  were  ordered  by  the  Privy 
Council  to  take  the  oaths  of  allegiance  and  supre- 
macy, and  go  regularly  to  the  parish  churches; 
•but,  says  Fountainhall,  ':  there  were  few  or  none 
»vho  gave  thir  conditions." 


repress  faction  and  punish  disorder ;  to  correspond 
!  with  the  other  Scottish  Universities,  so  that  a  uni- 
formity of  discipline  might  be   adopted ;    and    to 
:  report  fully  on  all  these  matters  before  the  1st  of 
November,    1683.       "What    the    visitors    did    in 
I  consequence    of  this   appointment,"    says    Arnot, 
"  we  are  not  able  to  ascertain." 

As  this  visitation  was  to  be  for  the  suppression 
I  of  fanaticism,  upon  the  accomplishment  of  the 
!  Revolution  a  Parliamentary  one  was  ordered  of  all 
the  universities  in  Scotland  by  an  Act  of  William 
and  Mary,  "  with  the  purpose  to  remove  and 
oppress  such  as  continued  attached  to  the  hier- 
archy or  the  House  of  Stuart.  From  such  specimens 
'  of  their  conduct  in  a  visitorial  capacity  as  we  have 
been  able  to  discover,  we  are  entitled  to  say,"  re- 


OLD   AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


[Univ 


marks  Arnot,  "  that  these    Parliamentary  visitors 
proceeded  with  great  violence  and  injustice/' 

Before  the  autumn  of  1690  the  professors  who 
were  faithful  to  the  House  of  Stuart  were  expelled 
by  a  royal  commission.  Proclamation  was  made 
at  the  Cross,  and  an  edict  fixed  to  it  and  the 
college  gates,  and  at  Stirling,  Haddington,  and 
elsewhere,  warning  the  principal  and  professors, 
and  all  schoolmasters  in  Edinburgh  and  the  ad- 
jacent counties,  to  appear  before  the  Committee  of 
Visitors  on  the  20th  of  August,  to  answer  upon 
the  points  contained  in  the  Act  of  Parliament. 
"  'Also  summoning  and  warning  all  the  lieges  who 
//are  anything  to  object  against  the  said  principal, 
professors,  &*c,  to  appear  before  the  said  Com- 
mittee, the  said  day  and  place,  to  give  in  objections, 
6-v.'  After  an  edict  which  bespoke  that  the 
country,  although  it  had  been  subjected  to  a  revo- 
lution, had  not  acquired  a  system  of  liberty  nor 
the  rudiments  of  justice:  after  an  invitation  so 
publicly  thrown  out  by  the  Commissioners  of 
Parliament  in  a  nation  disturbed  by  religious  and 
political  factions,  it  is  not  to  be  supposed  that 
informers  would  be  wanting.''     (Ibid.) 

Sir  John  Hall,  Knight,  the  Lord  Provost,  sat  a> 
president  of  this  inquisition,  which  met  on  the  day 
appointed  ;  and  after  adjourning  his  trial — for  such 
it  was — for  eight  days,  they  brought  before  them 
Alexander  Monro,  who  had  succeeded  Cant  as 
principal  in  1685,  and  Sir  John  Hall,  addressing 
him,  bade  him  answer  to  the  various  articles  of 
his  indictment,  and  commanded  the  clerk  to  read 
them  aloud. 

To  the  first  two  articles  (one  of  which  was  that 
he  had  renounced  the  Protestant  faith)  the  principal 
replied  extempore.  But  when  he  discovered  that  the 
clerk  was  about  to  read  from  a  list,  bringing  forward 
lie  knew  not  what  charges,  "  he  complained  of  pro- 
ceedings so  unjust  and  illegal,  desired  to  know  his 
accusers,  and  be  allowed  time  to  prepare  his  de- 
fences.'' 

Thereupon  he  was  furnished  with  an  unsigned 
copy  of  the  informations  lodged  against  him.  and 
had  a  few  days  given  him  to  prepare  replies. 
Having  sent  in  these,  containing  an  acknowledg- 
ment of  certain  matters  of  small  moment,  and  a 
denial  of  the  rest,  he  was  asked  by  the  commissioners 
if  he  was  prepared  to  take  all  the  tests,  religious 
and  political,  imposed  by  the  new  laws  of  the 
Revolution. 

To  this  he  replied  in  the  negative,  on  which  a 
sentence  of  deprivation  was  passed  upon  him,  in 
which  his  acknowledgment  of  certain  charges  made 
against  him  and  his  refusal  to  embrace  the  new 
formulas  were  mingled    as   grounds    for   the    said 


sentence.     (Presbyterian  Inquisition,  as  quoted  by 
Arnot.) 

Dr.  John  Strachan,  Professor  of  Divinity  since 
16S3,  was  next  brought  before  these  commissioners. 
Like  the  principal,  he  was  served  with  an  unsigned 
indictment.  His  case  and  the  proceedings  thereon 
were  identical  with  those  of  the  principal,  and  he 
too  was  expelled  from  his  chair ;  but  it  does  not 
appear  that  any  more  than  these  two  were  served 
thus. 

Gilbert  Rule,  the  new  principal,  held  his  chair 
till  1703,  and  was  famous  for  nothing  but  seeing 
"  a  ghost  "  on  one  or  two  occasions,  as  we  learn 
from  Wodrow's  "Analecta." 

In  the  year  1692  the  professors  of  the  university 
seem  to  have  held  several  conferences  with  their 
patrons,  the  Town  Council  and  magistrates,  as  to 
the  expediency  of  restoring,  or  perhaps  establishing 
permanently,  the  offices  of  rector  and  chancellor, 
which,  owing  to  civil  war  and  tumult,  had  fallen  into 
disuse  or  been  permitted  to  pass  away;  and  now  the 
time  had  come  when  a  spirit  of  improvement  was 
developing  itself  among  men  of  literary  tastes  in 
Scotland,  and  more  particularly  among  the  regents 
of  her  universities  generally. 

In  a  memorial  drawn  up  and  prepared  by  the 
principal,  Gilbert  Rule,  the  professors  urged,  "That 
in  obedience  to  the  commands  of  the  honourable 
patrons,  they  have  considered  the  rise  and  estab- 
lishment of  the  university;  and  they  find  from 
authentic  documents  that  she  has  been  in  the 
exercise  of  these  powers,  and  for  a  considerable 
time  governed  in  that  manner,  wherein  consists 
the  distinguishing  character  of  a  university  from 
the  lesser  seminaries  of  learning.  She  continues 
in  the  possession  of  giving  degrees  to  all  the  learned 
sciences;  but  her  government  by  a  rector  has 
now,  for  some  considerable  time,  gone  into  disuse. 
To  what  causes  the  sinking  the  useful  office  of 
rector  is  most  likely  to  have  been  owing,  they  are 
unwilling  to  explore,  lest  the  scrutiny  should  lead 
them  into  the  view  of  some  unhappy  differences, 
whereof,  in  their  humble  opinion,  the  memory 
should  not  be  recalled.  It  is  plain,  however,  the 
university  in  former  times  was  more  in  the  exercise 
of  certain  rights  and  privileges,  and  in  certain 
respects  carried  more  the  outward  face  of  a 
university  than  she  has  done  for  some  time  past." 

Whether  the  Lord  Provost,  Sir  John  Hall,  and 
the  Council,  were  hostile  to  these  wishes  we  know 
not,  but  the  memorialists  failed  to  achieve  their 
end. 

In  1694  we  hear  of  an  advance  in  medical  edu- 
cation in  Edinburgh,  eleven  years  before  the  first 
professor  of  anatomy  was  appointed.     In  the  latter 


THE    PROFESSORS   AND    THE    TOWN    COUNCIL. 


end  of  the  year  named,  a  body  was,  for  the  first 
time,  regularly  dissected  in  the  city,  after  the  cele- 
brated Dr.  Archibald  Pitcairn— who  left  a  distin- 
guished position  as  a  professor  of  medicine  in  the 
University  of  Leyden,  to  marry  a  lady  of  Edinburgh 
— had  been  induced  to  settle  there,  and  seek  a 
practice. 

The  Doctor,  on  the  14th  of  October,  wrote  to  his 
friend  Dr.  Gray,  of  London,  stating  that  he  was 
making  efforts  to  obtain  from  the  magistrates  sub- 
jects for  dissection,  such  as  the  bodies  of  those  who 
died  in  the  House  of  Correction  at  Paul's  Work, 
and  had  none  to  bury  them.  "  We  offer,"  he  says, 
"  to  wait  on  these  poor  for  nothing,  and  bury  them 
after  dissection  at  our  own  charges,  which  now  the 
town  does ;  yet  there  is  great  opposition  by  the 
chief  surgeons,  who  neither  eat  hay  nor  suffer  the 
oxen  to  eat  it.  I  do  propose,  if  this  be  granted,  to 
make  better  improvements  in  anatomy  than  have 
been  made  at  Leyden  these  thirty  years ;  for  I 
think  most  or  all  anatomists  have  neglected  or 
not  known  what  was  most  useful  for  a  physician." 

The  person  who  moved  ostensibly  in  this  matter 
was  Alexander  Monteith,  who  entered  the  College 
of  Surgeons  in  December,  1691.  He  was  a  pro- 
minent Jacobite,  and  owner  of  Todshaugh,  now 
called  Foxhall,  in  West  Lothian.  He  was  an  emi- 
nent surgeon,  and  a  friend  of  Pitcairn's.  The  Town 
Council  on  the  24th  of  October,  in  compliance  with 
his  urgent  request,  granted  to  him  the  bodies  of 
those  who  died  in  the  House  of  Correction  and 
of  all  foundlings  who  died  at  the  breast. 

They  gave  him,  at  the  same  time,  a  room  for  dis- 
section, with  permission  to  inter  the  mutilated  re- 
mains in  the  College  Kirk  Cemetery,  stipulating 
that  he  should  inter  all  intestines  within  forty-eight 
hours,  the  rest  of  the  body  within  ten  days,  and  that 
his  prelections  should  only  be  in  the  winter  season. 

Though  the  College  of  Surgeons  did  not  gene- 
rally oppose  this  new  movement,  they  greatly  dis- 
liked his  exclusive  permission  from  the  Council, 
and  proposed  to  give  demonstrations  in  anatomy 
as  well,  asking  for  the  unclaimed  bodies  of  those 
who  died  in  the  streets,  and  also  of  foundlings. 
Their  petition  was  granted,  on  the  understanding 
that  they  should  have  a  regular  anatomical  theatre 
ready  before  the  Michaelmas  of  1697  ;  but  it  was 
not  until  1705  that  the  Anatomical  Chair  was 
founded  in  the  university. 

In  1703  a  struggle  for  emancipation  from  the 
Town  Council  was  made  by  the  professors.  It  had 
been  usual  for  the  former  body  to  appoint  a  day  for 
graduation,  or  laureation,  as  it  was  named  in  those 
days.  This  was  for  the  first  or  senior  class;  and  to 
preside  at   this  learned   ceremony  a   certain  por- 


'  tion  of  the  somewhat  unlearned  civic  patrons  were 
:  regularly  deputed,  with   their  robes,  insignia,  and 


halberdiers,  to  attent 


The  professors,  as  may  be  supposed,  were  be- 
coming very  impatient  of  this  yearly  interference 
with  their  internal  arrangements,  and  perhaps  im- 
I  agined,  not  unnaturally,  that  literature,  science, 
and  philosophy,  could  derive  but  little  lustre  "  from 
the  presence  of  men  who,  generally  speaking,  would 
have  ears  which  heard  not,  and  understandings 
which  could  not  perceive." 

Thus  they  bethought  them  of  a  plan  whereby  they 
hoped  to  get  rid  of  such  officious  visitors  in  all 
time  coming. 

Accordingly,  when  all  the  professors  met  in  the 
Old  College  Hall,  on  the  20th  of  January,  1703, 
they,  as  an  independent  faculty,  adopted  the  fol- 
lowing resolution  : — 

"  The  Faculty  of  Philosophy  within  the  city  of 
Edinburgh,  taking  to  their  consideration  the  reasons 
offered  by  Mr.  Scott  why  his  magistrand  class 
should  be  privately  graduated,  and  being  satisfied 
with  the  same,  do  unanimously,  according  to  their 
undoubted  right,  contained  hi  the  charter  of  erection, 
and  their  constant  and  uninterrupted  custom  in 
such  cases,  appoint  the  said  class  to  be  laureated 
privately  upon  the  last  Thursday  of  April  next, 
being  the  twenty-seventh  day  of  the  said  month. 
Signed  by  order,  and  in  presence  of  the  Faculty,  by 
Robert  Anderson,   Clerk'' 

This  was  deemed  by  the  Provost  and  bailies  as 
the  very  tocsin  of  rebellion,  and  roused  at  once 
,  their  wrath.  A  visitation  accordingly  followed,  by 
the  Lord  Provost,  Sir  Hugh  Cunningham,  Knight, 
and  the  bailies,  with  the  inevitable  halberdiers,  in 
the  library  of  the  college  on  the  15th  of  the  follow- 
ing month  ;  there  he  informed  the  Senatus  that 
among  many  other  contumacious  things,  he  had  be- 
come cognisant  "  of  an  unwarrantable  act  of  the 
masters  of  that  college,  viz.,  the  Professors  of 
\  Philosophy,  Humanity,  Mathematics,  and  Church 
History,  wherein  they  assert  themselves  a  Facility, 
empowered  by  the  charter  of  erection  to  appoint, 
&c." 

It  is  difficult  to  know  how  this  quarrel  might 
have  ended,  had  not  the  Lord  Advocate,  as 
mediator  between  the  parties,  effected  a  com- 
promise, which,  however,  implied  a  surrender  of 
the  asserted  point  at  issue  by  the  four  professors ; 
at  the  same  time,  so  resolute  were  the  magistrates 
and  Council  in  their  intention  of  upholding  and 
defending  their  privileges  as  patrons  of  the 
university,  that  Bailie  Blackwood,  in  the  name  of 
the  rest,  declared  that  the  Council  of  the  city 
"would  not   be  satisfied  with  the  masters  simply 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


passing  from  the  pretended  act  of  their  pretended 
Faculty,  unless  it  were  passed  from  as  an  act  want- 
ing all  manner  of  foundation." 

On  the  5th  of  May,  1703,  the  magistrates,  flushed 
with  triumph,  ordained  that  Mr.  Scott's  class 
should  be  publicly  graduated,  as  of  old,  in  the 
public  hall  of  the  university,  which  was  accordingly 
done,  without  consulting  that  professor  or  any  other 
member  of  the  Scnatus  Academicus. 

A  memorial,  however,  signed  by  the  former  and 
the  other  professors,  so  far  succeeded  in  soothing 
the  irate  Provost  and  bailies,  that  they  ultimately 
granted  him  that  which  he  had  so  earnestly 
wished — a  private  graduation  of  his  students  ;  but 
while  doing  so,  they  took  the  opportunity  of  loftily 
and  sternly  prohibiting  the  other  professors,  "upon 
their  peril,  to  graduate  any  in  time  coming  but 
such  as  took  out  a  certificate  or  diploma  with  the 
town's  seal,  and  poor  scholars  to  have  it  gratis; 
and  order  that  all  certificates  make  honourable  men- 
tion of  the  magistrates  and  Council  of  Edinburgh 
as  Patrons  of  the  Colleger 

Some  curious  matters  of  detail  occurred  about 
this  time,  when  the  Rev.  William  Carstares  was 
principal,  in  connection  with  the  museum  of 
"  Rarities  belonging  to  the  College,''  on  the  state 
of  which  the  Council  appointed  a  commission  to 
report  how  far  the  said  "  rarities  "  in  the  drawers 
corresponded  to  the  inventory  thereof. 

Among  other  things,  the  commission  reported 
that  the  wire-work  in  the  presses  was  so  wide  that 
students  and  others  visiting  the  museum,  "  by 
putting  their  fingers  into  the  holes,  did  disorder 
(the  contents),  and  possibly  might  embezzle,  some 
of  them  ;  particularly  there  was  wanting  a  coraline 
substance  growing  upo1"  a  piece  of  silver,  much  like 
unto  a  Spanish  cob." 

To  remedy  these  mischances  it  was  proposed 
that  the  wires  should  be  more  close.  Of  two 
cabinets  they  found  that  one  contained  the  Materia 
Medica  in  three  drawers  ;  and  as  to  the  other,  they 
knew  not  what  was  in  it,  as  it  had  no  keys,  and 
they  had  never  seen  it  opened.  The  commission 
offered  the  further  suggestion  that  "the  Rarities 
purchased  in  the  time  of  Mr.  Henderson's  father, 
such  as  the  woman's  horn  set  with  silver,  and  the 
skeleton,  &c,  be  registrated  and  catalogued  by 
themselves." 

The  keyless  cabinet  was  ordered  to  be  broken 
open,  and  found  to  contain  only  a  quantity  "  of 
atheistical  books,  which  the  late  principal,  Dr. 
Gilbert  Rule,  had  caused  to  sequestrate  from  the 
others." 

These  were  delivered  to  the  librarian,  with 
orders  that  no  one  should  be  permitted  to  read  them 


without  the  express  permission  of  the  Town 
Council. 

The  Humanity  Class,  as  a  separate  professoi- 
ship,  was  founded  by  the  Faculty  of  Advocates, 
who,  on  being  voted  a  sum  of  money  for  the  endow- 
ment of  a  chair  connected  with  their  own  profession, 
devoted  it  in  the  first  instance  to  the  cultivation  of 
Latin,  as  the  language  in  which  the  most  valuable 
legal  knowledge  was  to  be  found;  and  John  Ray 
was  the  first  professor,  in  1597. 

In  1707,  on  the  Treaty  of  Union  with  England, 
there  was  ratified  by  Parliament  and  in  the  Act  of 
Security  an  Act  of  162 1,  by  which  the  Scottish 
Parliament  defined  in  ample  form  the  rights, 
immunities,  and  privileges  of  the  university. 

It  was  not  until  1708  that  a  separate  professor- 
ship of  Greek  was  appointed.  For  some  twenty 
years  before  that  period  the  proposal  to  that  effect 
had  been  made,  and  a  master  actually  named,  who 
was  to  teach  within  the  college,  without  the  rank 
or  salary  of  professor.  But  in  the  year  above 
named,  on  the  16th  of  June,  the  Town  Council, 
"considering  that  as  a  knowledge  of  the  Greek 
tongue  is  a  valuable  piece  of  learning,  and  much 
esteemed  in  all  parts  of  the  world  where  letters  and 
science  do  flourish,  so  they,  being  willing  to  con- 
tribute their  utmost  endeavour  to  advance  the 
knowledge  of  that  language,  do  judge  that  nothing 
can  more  effectually  promote  the  said  end  than 
the  fixing  of  a  Professor  of  Greek  in  this  burgh."' 
Consequently,  William  Scott,  one  of  the  regents., 
was  appointed. 

Following  Bower's  "  History,"  we  may  give  the 
following  condensed  view  of  the  course  of  study 
which   was   introduced   by  Principal    Rollock    in 

1583- 

In  the  beginning  of  October  the  session  com- 
menced, and  lasted  till  about  the  end  of  the  ensu- 
ing August,  when  an  examination  of  the  students 
took  place  before  the  Town  Council  and  the  senior 
members  of  the  college.  As  the  younger  men  were 
prepared  for  the  perusal  of  the  higher  order  of  Latin 
Classics,  the  most  of  their  time  was  passed  in  read- 
ing the  most  approved  Roman  authors,  particularly 
Cicero,  who  in  those  days  was  in  the  greatest 
repute  among  the  learned. 

Translations  from  English  into  Latin,  and  rice 
versa,  were  a  regular  exercise  throughout  the  whole 
session,  and  the  "  common  theme,"  as  it  was  called, 
was  prescribed  by  the  principal  towards  its  close — 
i.e.,  the  subject  of  a  brief  essay  to  be  written  in 
pure  Latin,  affording  each  student  an  opportunity 
of  displaying  his  attainments  in  that  language,  and 
knowledge  of  the  general  principles  of  composition. 

The  appointment  of  this  subject  was  evidently 


COURSE    OF    STUDIED 


OLD    AND  NEW    EDINBURGH. 


meant  as  a  check  upon  the  teacher  and  the  taught, 
as  it  depended  upon  the  decision  of  the  principal 
whether  or  not  the  student  in  the  next  session 
should  proceed  in  the  same  order  of  study. 

In  the  early  days  of  the  university  Greek  was  uni- 
versally begun  at  college,  there  being  scarcely  an 
opportunity  of  acquiring  even  the  elements  of  that 
magnificent  language  elsewhere.  Indeed,  there  was 
an  absolute  prohibition  ordained  by  the  Privy 
Council  in  1672  of  teaching  Greek  or  Philosophy 
in  any  schools  but  the  four  universities  ;  and  a 
warrant  was  granted  "  to  direct  letters,  at  the  in- 
stance of  the  professors  of  any  of  the  universities 
and  colleges  of  this  kingdom,  against  all  such 
persons  as  shall  contravene  the  said  Act." 

From  this  we  may  conclude  that  the  acquire- 
ments of  the  students  in  Greek  Literature  could  not 
be  very  great ;  and  yet  the  sessions  were  so  long, 
the  application  so  uninterrupted,  that  the  amount 
of  their  readings  was  not  much  less  than  those  of 
the  present  day,  in  their  shorter  terms.  Their 
favourite  authors  were  (after  the  New  Testament) 
Isocrates,  Homer,  Hesiod,  and  Phocylides ;  and  in 
connection  with  these  results  of  the  first  year  there 
was  added  a  brief  system  of  rhetoric,  disguised 
under  the  title  of  dialectics.  These,  with  the 
catechism,  filled  up  the  cycle  of  academical  study 
till  the  autumnal  recess  began. 

When  the  session  opened  in  October  the  students 
were  again  examined  in  public.  The  professor 
prescribed  a  theme  in  Greek,  and  the  study  of 
rhetoric  was  resumed  immediately  after.  Their 
text-book  was  the  work  of  Talseus,  which  would 
seem  to  have  differed  very  little  from  the  dialectics 
of  his  master,  Peter  Ramus. 

The  attention  of  the  students  was  next  called 
to  the  Progymnasmata  of  Apthonius,  and  to 
Cassander,  the  forerunner  of  Aristotle  ;  and  about 
Tanuary  the  Organon  of  the  latter  was  introduced, 
and  then  the  books  of  the  Categories,  the  Analytics, 
the  Topics,  and  two  of  the  Elenchi. 

The  studies  of  the  third  year,  under  Rollock's 
system,  consisted  of  the  higher  branches  of  the 
Ancient  Logic,  Hebrew,  and  Anatomy,  the  last 
solely  carried  out  by  books,  as  there  were  no  dis- 
sections of  the  human  body  in  Edinburgh  Uni- 
versity, as  we  have  shown,  till  the  reign  of  Queen 
Anne. 

The  fourth  year  was  devoted  to  what  in  the 
sixteenth  century  was  denominated  Physics — or 
the  courses  and  appearances  of  natural  phenomena. 
They  read  the  books  De  Ccelo  and  the  Spl/u-ra  of 
John  Sacroboscus.  Theories  of  the  planets  were 
explained,  and  the  seats  of  the  constellations 
pointed  out. 


These  were  succeeded  by  the  books  De  Ortu, 
D,  Meteoris,  and  De  Anima,  and  the  course  con- 
cluded with  Hunter's  Cosmographia. 

As  a  whole,  it  would  seem  from  the  materials 
collected  by  Bower  that  the  course  of  a  student's 
fourth  year  was  somewhat  superficial,  being  nearly 
made  up  of  a  brief  introduction  to  Geography,  a 
longtime  spent  upon  somewhat  useless  abstractions 
of  Aristotle,  and  a  little  attention  paid  to  scholastic 
divinity. 

Such,  then,  was  the  system  of  education  intro- 
duced by  Robert  Rollock,  the  first  Principal,  or 
Primarius,  of  the  old  University  of  Edinburgh. 

It  was  not  until  about  1660 — the  year  of  the 
Restoration — that  the  LTniversity,  by  means  of  bene- 
factions from  public  bodies  and  private  individuals, 
attained  a  respectable  rank  among  similar  insti- 
tutions. 

In  the  manner  already  described,  education 
was  conducted  in  Scottish  seminaries  until  the 
year  1647,  when  commissioners  from  the  four 
Universities  met  at  Edinburgh,  upon  a  sug- 
gestion of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Church, 
to  take  into  their  consideration  the  mode  of 
tutelage  which  was  pursued  in  each.  Among 
other  resolutions,  it  was  then  found  necessary  "  that 
there  be  a  Cursus  Philosophicus  drawn  up  by  the 
four  universities,  and  printed,  to  the  end  that  the 
unprofitable  and  noxious  pains  in  writing  be 
shunned  ;  and  that  each  university  contribute 
their  travails  thereto.  And  it  is  thought  upon, 
against  the  month  of  March  ensuing,  viz.,  that  St. 
Andrews  take  the  metaphysics  ;  that  Glasgow  take 
the  logics  ;  Aberdeen  the  ethics  and  mathematics ; 
and  Edinburgh  the  physics.  It  is  thought  fit 
that  students  are  examined  publicly  on  the  Black 
Staine  before  Lammas,  and  after  their  return  at 
Michaelmas,  that  they  be  examined  in  some 
questions  of  the  Catechism." 

Earnest,  indeed,  were  the  Scottish  universities 
in  their  efforts  to  improve  their  systems  of  study. 
Thus  the  Commission,  whose  proposals  we  have 
referred  to,  met  again  at  Edinburgh  in  1648,  and 
after  renewing  the  resolutions  of  the  former  year, 
they  arranged  that  every  regent  be  bound  "  to 
prescribe  to  his  scholars  all  and  every  pert  of  the 
said  course  to  be  drawn  up,  and  examine  the  same; 
with  liberty  to  the  regent  to  add  his  own  considera- 
tions besides,  by  the  advice  of  the  Faculty  of  the 
University  ; "  and  also,  "  that  in  the  draft  of  the 
cursus,  the  text  of  Aristotle's  logics  and  physics  be 
kept  and  shortly  anagogued,  the  textual  doubts 
cleared  upon  the  back  of  every  chapter,  or  in  the 
analysis  and  common  places,  handled  after  the 
chapters  treating  of  that  matter." 


COURSE     OF    STUDIES. 


Save  Glasgow,  all  the  Colleges  complied  with 
this  requisition,  and  at  a  later  meeting  of  the  Com- 
missioners, drafts  of  the  courses  used  by  the 
different  teachers  were  presented  and  read  ;  but 
the  zeal  of  the  Church  was  not  attended  with  any 
permanent  effect ;  for  notwithstanding  all  their 
efforts  to  introduce  uniformity,  no  particular  cursus 
was  ever  distinctly  agreed  upon,  and  each  University 
continued  to  pursue  the  method  to  which  it  had 
been  used  of  old. 

The  professors,  however,  were  not  at  liberty  to 
teach  any  book,  or  pursue  any  system  they  chose. 
On  the  contrary,  these  matters  came  under  the 
scrutiny  of  the  Senatus  Academicus  of  each  uni- 
versity, and  in  the  case  of  Edinburgh  they  were, 
strangely  enough,  under  the  supervision  of  the  Town 
Council. 

In  1730,  when  Dr.  Stevenson  was  appointed  to 
the  chair  of  logic  and  metaphysics,  we  get  the  next 
glance  at  the  system  of  education  pursued  there. 
This  professor,  whose  merits  and  memory  were 
long  a  tradition  of  the  university,  was  the  first 
who,  in  all  our  Scottish  seminaries,  ventured  to 
question  the  utility  of  scholastic  logic  as  a  study 
for  youths,  and  to  introduce,  in  lieu  thereof,  lec- 
tures of  a  more  miscellaneous  nature.  He  did 
not  restrict  the  work  of  his  students  to  subtle 
subjects  connected  with  the  dialectics  of  Aristotle, 
but  directed  their  attention  to  the  principles  of 
composition,  and  the  laws  of  just  criticism  ;  while, 
that  he  might  comply  with  the  practice  of  the  age, 
he  continued — rather  inconsistently  it  has  been 
said — to  deliver  his  remarks  on  English  literature, 
and  the  doctrines  of  French  critics  such  as  Dacier 
and  Bossu,  in  Latin. 

At  that  time  the  hours  of  assembling  were  two 
o'clock  one  day,  and  three  another,  alternately ; 
and  in  the  morning,  about  the  commencement  of 
each  session,  the  students  generally  read  a  book 
of  the  "  Iliad."  "  Dr.  Stevenson,"  says  Bower  in 
his  "  History,"  "  had  two  reasons  for  this  :  besides 
becoming  acquainted  with  the  progress  which  they 
made  in  the  Greek  language,  he  wished  to  begin 
with  an  easy  author,  that  those  who  were  most 
deficient  might  have  it  in  their  power  to  improve 
themselves,  and  come  better  prepared  to  the 
perusal  of  such  Greek  rhetoricians  as  were  after- 
wards to  be  put  into  their  hands  ;  and  it  afforded 
him  an  opportunity  of  commenting  upon  the 
beauties  of  Homeric  poetry,  pointing  out  the 
imitations  which  Virgil,  Milton,  and  others  have 
borrowed  from  the  great  father  of  the  epic  poem, 
and  giving  to  his  pupils  such  a  specimen  as  was 
calculated  to  incite  them  to  become  more  familiar 
with  his  works.     They  next  proceeded  to  read  and 


translate,  in  the  professor's  hearing,  Aristotle's 
Poetics,  and  Longinus's  Essay  on  the  Sublime. 
These  exercises  formed  the  business  of  the  morning 
hour  during  the  session." 

The  forenoon  he  dedicated  to  the  subject  lie 
was  more  strictly  called  upon  to  teach — logic  ; 
and  he  was  very  attentive  to  this  portion  of  his 
duty,  conceiving  it  absolutely  necessary  to  give  a 
clear  account  of  its  history  and  nature,  and  to 
render  intelligible  to  the  students  the  art  which 
for  ages  was  deemed  the  only  path  to  science. 
When  Dr.  Stevenson  was  admitted  a  professor 
Locke's  philosophy  was  little  known  in  the  Scottish 
universities,  and  he  was  the  first  who  attached  a 
proper  value  to  the  speculations  of  the  illustrious 
Englishman.  These  were  altogether  new  to 
Stevenson's  Scottish  students,  and  it  is  said  that 
it  required  all  the  familiarity  of  his  illustrations, 
and  all  the  forcibility  of  his  address,  to  enable  them 
to  grasp  such  abstractions,  and  to  relish  inquiries 
that  explained  the  operations  of  the  human  mind. 

He  held  the  chair  from  1730  to  1744.  He 
assembled  his  students  thrice  weekly  in  the  after- 
noon, and  delivered  to  them  a  history  of  philo- 
sophy, using  as  his  text-book  the  Historia  Philo- 
sophica  of  Heineccius.  He  also  used  freely 
Diogenes  Laertius,  Stanley  and  Brucker's  more 
recent  works  on  the  same  subject.  He  required 
his  students  to  compose  a  discourse  upon  a  topic 
assigned  to  them,  and  to  contest  or  define  a 
philosophical  thesis  in  presence  of  the  principal, 
or  whoever  might  be  present. 

It  is  necessary  to  be  somewhat  minute  in  some 
of  these  details,  as  in  the  history  of  a  university  it 
is  impossible  to  omit  a  reference  to  the  method  of 
instruction  adopted  at  different  periods. 

In  1695  it  was  directed  that  "the  courses  of  all 
colleges  (in  Scotland)  should  commence  on  the  first 
lawful  day  of  November,  and  continue  to  the  last 
day  of  January  thereafter,  and  that  the  magistrand 
or  senior  classes  were  only  to  continue  till  the  first 
of  May." 

This  was  probably  to  leave  time  for  the  neces- 
sary examinations,  prior  to  the  annual  graduation  ; 
but  for  many  years  after  the  establishment  of  the 
Edinburgh  University,  the  work  of  the  professors 
was  a  system  of  perpetual  drudgery.  The  classes 
assembled  in  the  gloomy  buildings  of  the  old  ram- 
bling college  at  six  in  the  morning  in  winter,  at 
five  in  summer  ;  and  were  under  the  eyes  of  the 
teachers  till  nine. 

At  ten  they  met  again,  and  continued  their 
studies  till  twelve.  At  mid-day  the  regents  at- 
tended to  confer  or  dispute.  At  six  an  examination 
commenced ;  and  on  days  set  apart  for  recreation 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


[Univ 


and  play,  the  students  went  into  the  fields  around 
the  Burgh  loch,  or  elsewhere,  and  returned  at  four, 
for  examination  at  six. 

In  summer  they  held  their  conferences  con- 
cerning the  lectures  till  three.  From  three  to  four 
they  were  examined  by  the  regent,  and  from  four 
to  six  were  again  permitted  to  ramble  in  the  fields. 
Even  on  Saturdays  each  of  the  professors  held  a 
disputation  in  his  own  class — in  winter  from  seven 
till  nine  a.m.,  and  in  summer  from  six  till  nine, 
and  was  similarly  occupied  from  ten  till  twelve. 
"  That   is,"    says   a   writer    on    this    subject,    "  a 


few  tourists  who  came  to  Edinburgh  in  those  days. 
"  What  is  called  the  college,"  wrote  an  Italian 
traveller  in  178S,  "is  nothing  else  than  a  mass  of 
ruined  buildings  of  very  ancient  construction. 
One  of  them  is  said  to  be  the  house  which  was 
partly  blown  up  with  gunpowder  at  the  time  it  was 
inhabited  by  Lord  Darnley,  whose  body  was  found 
at  some  distance,  naked,  and  without  any  signs  of 
violence.  The  college  serves  only  for  the  habita- 
tion of  some  of  the  professors,  for  lecture  rooms, 
and  for  the  library.  Here  resides,  with  his  family, 
the  celebrated  Dr.  William  Robertson,  who  is  head 


regent  in  those  times  taught  as  many  hours  on  a 
Saturday  as  his  successors  at  the  present  devote  to 
their  students  in  the  course  of  a  whole  week. 
In  short,  the  saving  of  human  labour  in  teaching 
seems  to  be  the  great  glory  and  improvement  of 
the  age." 

The  examination  on  the  students'  notes  had 
become  that  which  the  commissioners  of  1695 
regarded  it — the  most  useful  and  instructive  part 
of  a  professor's  duties. 

On  the  22nd  November,  1753,  one  of  the  most 
shining  lights  of  the  old  university—  Dugald 
Stewart— was  born  within  its  walls,  his  father,  and 
predecessor  in  the  chair  of  mathematics,  being  Dr. 
Matthew   Stewart,  who  was  appointed  thereto  in 

1747- 

The  poverty  and  dilapidation  of  the  old  uni- 
versity buildings  excited  the  comment  of  all  the 


of  the  university,  with  the  title  of  principal.  The 
students,  who  amount  annually  to  some  seven  or 
eight  hundred,  do  not  live  in  the  college,  but 
board  in  private  houses,  and  attend  the  lectures 
according  as  they  please.  Dr.  Robertson  thinks 
this  method  more  advantageous  to  youth  than 
keeping  them  shut  up  in  colleges,  as  at  Oxford 
and  Cambridge.  He  says  that  when  young  men 
are  not  kept  from  intercourse  with  society,  besides 
that  they  do  not  acquire  that  rude  and  savage  air 
which  retired  study  gives,  the  continual  examples 
which  they  meet  with  in  the  world,  of  honour  and 
riches  acquired  by  learning  and  merit,  stimulate 
them  more  strongly  to  the  attainment  of  these; 
and  that  they  acquire,  besides,  easy  and  insinuating 
manners,  which  render  them  better  fitted  in 
the  sequel  for  public  employments." 

Elsewhere  the  tourist  says,  "  The  results  are  such, 


THE    COLLEGE    BUILDINGS. 


BAST 

ORIGINAL  PLAN  OF  THE  PRINCIPAL  STOREY  OF  THE  NEW  BUILDING  FOR  THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  EDINBURGH. 
{From  tin  Plate  in  " The  Works  in  Architecture  of  Robert  and  James  Adam,"  London,  1788-1322.    For  References  sec/.  27.) 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


that  young  men  are  sent  here  from  Ireland,  from 
Flanders,  and  even  from  Russia  ;  and  the  English 
of  the  true  old  stamp  prefer  having  their  sons  here, 
than  in  Oxford  and  Cambridge,  in  order  to  remove 
them  from  the  luxury  and  enormous  expense  which 
prevail  in  these  places." 

In  the  olden  time,  as  now,  a  silver  mace  was 
borne  before  the  principal.  The  original  was  one 
of  six,  traditionally  said  to  have  been  found,  in  the 
year  1683,  in  the  tomb  of  Bishop  Kennedy,  at 
St.  Andrews.  Two  of  these  are  now  preserved 
there,  in  the  Divinity  College  of  St.  Mary's  ;  one,  of 
gorgeous  construction,  is  now  in  the  College  of  St. 
Salvator,  and  the  other  three  were  respectively  pre- 
sented to  the  Universities  of  Aberdeen,  Glasgow, 
and  Edinburgh.  They  are  supposed  to  have  been 
constructed  for  Bishop  Kennedy  in  1461,  by  a 
goldsmith  of  Paris  named  Mair. 

From  Kincaid  we  learn  that,  unfortunately,  the 
silver  mace  given  to  the  Edinburgh  University  was 
stolen,  and  never  recovered,  though  a  handsome 
reward  was  offered ;  and  on  the  2nd  October, 
1788,  a  very  ornamental  new  one  was  presented  to 
the  senatus  by  the  Magistrates,  as  patrons  of  the 
University. 

Halls  and  suites  of  chambers  had  been  added 
to  the  latter  from  time  to  time  by  private  citizens  ; 
but  no  regular  plan  was  adopted,  and  till  the  time 
of  their  demolition  the  old  College  buildings  pre- 
sented a  rude  assemblage  of  gable-ended  and 
crowstepped  edifices,  of  various  dates,  and  little 
pretension  to  ornament. 

So  early  as  1763  a  "memorial  relating  to  the 
University  of  Edinburgh  "  was  drawn  up  by  one  of 
its  professors,  containing  a  proposal  for  the  re- 
building of  the  College  on  the  site  of  the  old 
buildings,  and  on  a  regular  plan  ;  voluntary  con- 
tributions were  to  be  received  from  patriotic  in- 
dividuals, and,  under  proper  persons,  places  were 
opened  for  public  subscriptions.  The  proposal 
was  not  without  interest  for  a  time  ;  but  the  shadow 
of  the  "  dark  age  "  lay  still  upon  Edinburgh.  The 
means  proved  insufficient  to  realise  the  project ; 
thus  it  was  laid  aside  till  more  favourable  times 
should  come ;  but  the  interval  of  the  American 
war  seemed  to  render  it  hopeless  of  achieve- 
ment. 

In  1785,  however,  the  design  was  again  brought 
before  the  public  in  a  spirited  letter,  addressed  to 
the  Right  Hon.  Henry  Dundas  (afterwards  Vis- 
count Melville),  "  On  the  proposed  improvements 
of  the  city  of  Edinburgh,  and  on  the  means  of 
accomplishing  them."  Soon  after  this,  the  magis- 
trates set  on  foot  a  subscription  for  erecting  a  new- 
structure,  according  to  a  design  prepared   by  the 


celebrated  architect,  Robert  Adam.  Had  his  plans 
been  carried  out  in  their  integrity,  the  present 
structure  would  have  been  much  more  imposing 
and  magnificent  than  it  is  ;  but  it  was  found,  after 
the  erection  began  to  progress,  that  funds  failed, 
and  a  curtailment  of  the  original  design  became 
necessary. 

After  a  portion  of  the  old  buildings  had  been 
pulled  down,  the  foundation  stone  of  the  new- 
college  was  laid  on  the  16th  of  November,  1789, 
by  Lord  Napier,  as  Grand  Master  Mason  of  Scot- 
land, the  lineal  descendant  of  the  great  inventor  of 
the  logarithms.  The  ceremony  on  this  occasion 
was  peculiarly  impressive. 

The  streets  were  lined  by  the  35th  Regiment 
and  the  old  City  Guard.  There  were  present  the 
Lord  Provost,  Thomas  Elder  of  Forneth,  the  whole 
bench  of  magistrates  in  their  robes,  with  the  regalia 
of  the  city,  the  Principal  (Robertson,  the  historian), 
and  the  entire  Senatus  Academicus,  in  their  gowns, 
with  the  new  silver  mace  borne  before  them,  all 
the  students  wearing  laurel  in  their  hats,  Mr. 
Schetkey's  band  of  singers,  and  all  the  Masonic- 
lodges,  with  their  proper  insignia.  Many  Scottish 
nobles  and  gentry  were  in  the  procession,  which 
started  from  the  Parliament  Square,  and  passing  by 
the  South  Bridge,  reached  the  site  at  one  o'clock,, 
amid  30,000  spectators. 

The  foundation  stone  was  laid  in  the  usual  form, 
and,  amid  prayer,  corn,  oil,  and  wine  were  poured 
upon  it.  Two  crystal  bottles,  cast  on  purpose  at 
the  Glass  House  of  Leith,  were  deposited  in  the 
cavity,  containing  coins  of  the  reigning  sovereign, 
cased  in  crystal.  These  were  placed  in  one  bottle; 
in  the  other  were  deposited  seven  rolls  of  vellum, 
containing  an  account  of  the  original  foundation- 
and  the  then  state  of  the  university.  The  bottles, 
being  carefully  sealed  up,  were  covered  with  a  plate 
of  copper  wrapped  in  block  tin.  On  these  were 
engraved  the  arms  of  the  city,  of  the  university, 
and  of  Lord  Napier.  The  inscription  on  the  plate 
was  as  follows,  but  in  Latin  :— 

"  By  the  blessing  of  Almighty  God,  in  the  reign 
of  the  most  magnificent  Prince  George  III.,  the 
buildings  of  the  University  of  Edinburgh,  being 
originally  very  mean,  and  almost  a  ruin,  the  Right 
Hon.  Francis  Lord  Napier,  Grand  Master  of  the 
Fraternity  of  Freemasons  in  Scotland,  amid  the 
acclamations  of  a  prodigious  concourse  of  all 
ranks  of  people,  laid  the  foundation  stone  of  this 
new  fabric,  in  which  a  union  of  elegance  with  con- 
venience, suitable  to  the  dignity  of  such  a  cele- 
brated seat  of  learning,  has  been  studied.  On  the 
1 6th  day  of  November,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord 
1789,  and  of  the  era  of  Masonry  57S9,  Thomas 


THE    NEW    BUILDING    COMPLETED. 


Elder  being  Lord  Provost  of  the  city,  William 
Robertson,  Principal  of  the  University,  and  Robert 
Adam,  the  architect.  May  the  undertaking  pros- 
per and  be  crowned  with  success." 

The  proceedings  of  the  day  were  closed  by  a 
princely  banquet  in  the  Assembly  Rooms. 

The  building  was  now  begun,  and,  portion  by 
portion,  the  old  edifices  engrafted  on  those  of  the 
Kirk-of-  Field  gave  place  to  the  stately  quadrangular 
university  of  the  present  day ;  and,  as  nearly  as 
can  be  ascertained,  on  the  spot  occupied  by  the 
Senate  Hall  stood  that  fatal  tenement  in  which 
King  Henry  was  lodged  on  his  return  from  Glas- 
gow, and  which  was  partly  blown  up  on  the  night 
of  his  assassination,  between  the  9th  and  10th  of 
February,  1567.  In  the  repaired  portion  some 
of  the  professors  resided,  and  it  was  averred  to 
be  ghost  haunted,  and  the  abode  of  mysterious 
sounds. 

The  foundation  stone  of  the  old  university — if 
it  ever  had  one — was  not  discovered  during  the 
erection  of  the  present  edifice.  The  magistrates, 
with  more  zeal  for  the  celebrity  of  the  city  than 
consideration  for  their  financial  resources,  having 
wished  that — subscriptions  apart — they  should  bear 
the  chief  cost  of  the  erection,  it  remained  for  more 
than  twenty  years  after  the  foundation-stone 
was  laid  a  monument  of  combined  vanity,  rash- 
ness, and  poverty,  Government,  as  usual  in  most 
Scottish  matters,  especially  in  those  days,  with- 
holding all  aid.  Yet,  in  1790,  when  Professor 
William  Cullen,  first  physician  to  His  Majesty  in 
Scotland,  and  holder  of  the  chair  of  medicine  from 
1773,  died,  it  was  proposed  "to  erect  a  statue  to 
him  in  the  new  university,"  the  walls  of  which 
were  barely  above  the  ground. 

Within  the  area  of  the  latter  masses  of  the  old 
buildings  still  remained,  and  in  the  following  year, 
1 761,  these  gave  accommodation  to  1,255  students. 
In  that  year  we  learn  from  the  Scots  Magazine  that 
the  six  noble  pillars  which  adorn  the  front,  each 
22  feet  4  inches  high,  and  in  diameter  3  feet  3  inches, 
were  erected.  These  were  brought  from  Craig- 
leith  quarry,  each  drawn  by  sixteen  horses. 

Kincaid  records  that  the  total  sum  subscribed 
by  the  end  of  February,  1794,  amounted  to  only 
.£32,000.  Hence  the  work  languished,  and  at 
times  was  abandoned  for  want  of  funds ;  and 
about  that  time  we  read  of  a  meeting  of  Scottish 
officers  held  at  Calcutta,  who  subscribed  a  sum 
towards  its  completion,  the  Governor-General,  Lord 
Comwallis,  heading  the  list  with  a  contribution  of 
3,000  sicca  rupees. 

But  many  parts  of  the  edifice  remained  an  open 
and    unfinished   ruin,  in   which    crows   and  other 


birds  built  their  nests  ;  and  a  strange  dwarf,  known 
as  Geordie  More  (who  died  so  lately  as  1828),  built 
unto  himself  a  species  of  booth  or  hut  at  the 
college  gate  unchallenged. 

In  an  old  "  Guide  to  Edinburgh,''  published  in 
181 1,  we  read  thus  of  the  building: — "It  cannot 
said  to  be  yet  half  finished,  notwithstanding  the 
prodigious  sums  expended  upon  it ;  if  we  advert  to 
the  expenses  which  will  unavoidably  atttend  the 
completing  of  its  ichnography  or  inside  accommoda- 
tions, and,  without  the  interference  of  the  Legisla- 
ture, it  will  perhaps  be  exhibited  to  posterity  as  a 
melancholy  proof  of  the  poverty  of  the  nation." 

This  state  of  matters  led  to  the  complete  curtail- 
ment of  Adam's  grand  designs,  and  modifications 
of  them  were  ultimately  accomplished  by  Mr.  W. 
H.  Play  fair,  after  Parliament,  in  181 5,  granted  an 
annual  sum  of  £10,000  for  ten  years  to  finish 
the  work,  which,  however,  was  not  completely  done 
till  1834;  and  since  then,  the  idea  of  the  great 
central  dome,  which  was  always  a  part  of  the 
original  design,  seems  now  to  have  been  entirely 
abandoned. 

The  university,  as  we  find  it  now,  presents  its 
main  front  to  South  Bridge  Street,  and  forms  an 
entire  side  respectively  to  West  College  Street,  to 
South  College  Street,  and  to  Chambers  Street 
on  the  north.  It  is  a  regular  parallelogram, 
356  feet  long  by  225  wide,  extending  in  length 
east  and  west,  and  having  in  its  centre  a  stately 
quadrangular  court.  The  main  front  has  some 
exquisite,  if  simple,  details,  and  is  of  stupendous 
proportions.  In  style,  within  and  without,  it  is 
partly  Palladian  and  partly  Grecian,  but  is  so 
pent  up  by  the  pressure  of  adjacent  streets — 
on  three  sides,  at  least — that  it  can  never  be  seen 
to  advantage.  It  has  been  said  that  were  the 
university  "  situated  in  a  large  park,  particularly 
upon  a  rising  ground,  it  would  appear  almost 
sublime,  and  without  a  parallel  among  the  modern 
edifices  of  Scotland  :  but  situated  as  it  is,  it  makes 
upon  the  mind  of  a  stranger,  in  its  exterior  views 
at  least,  impressions  chiefly  of  bewilderment  and 
confusion." 

It  is  four  storeys  in  height,  and  is  entered  by 
three  grand  and  lofty  arched  porticoes  from  the 
east ;  at  the  sides  of  these  are  the  great  Craigleith 
columns  above  referred  to,  each  formed  of  a  single 
stone. 

On  the  summit  is  a  vast  entablature,  bearing 
the  following  inscription,  cut  in  Roman  letters  : — 

"Academia  Jacobi  VI.,  Scotorum  Regis  anno  post 
Christum  natum  M,DLXXXII.  instituta ;  annoque 
M,DCC,LXXXIX.,  renovari  coepta  ;  regnante  GeorgioIII. 
Principe      munificentissimo ;      Urbis     Edinensis     Trrefecto 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


Thoma    Elder;     Acadui 
Architecto,  Roberto  Ada 


rrimario  Guliclui'  ■ 


bertson.    0f  the  principal,  who  is  the  resident  head  of  the 
college  for  life. 

The  ranges  of  buildings  around  the  inner  court  ]  He,  with  the  whole  of  the  professors,  constitutes 
are  in  a  plain  but  tasteful  Grecian  style,  and  have  |  the  Senate,  which  is  entrusted  with  the  entire  admi- 
an  elegant  stone  balustrade,  forming  a  kind  of  nistration  of  the  university— its  revenues,  property, 
paved  gallery,  which  is  interrupted  only  by  the  i  library,  museums,  and  buildings,  &c. ;  and  the  busi- 
entrance,  and  by  flights  of  steps  that  lead  to  the  ness  is  conducted  by  a  secretary. 
library,  museum,  the  Senate  Hall,  and  various  ,  The  chairs  of  the  university  are  comprehended 
class-rooms.  At  the  angles  on  the  west  side  are  :  in  the  four  faculties,  each  of  which  is  presided  over 
spacious  arcade  piazzas,  and  in  the  centre  is  a  fine  by  a  dean,  elected  from  among  the  professors  of 
statue  of  Sir  David  Brewster.  each  particular  faculty,  and  through  whom  the  stu- 

At    the    Treaty   of   Union   with    England,    and  ,  dents  recommended  for  degrees  are  presented  to 
when  the  Act  of  Security  was  passed,  all  the  Acts  j  the  Senatus. 

passed  by  the    Scottish    Parliament,   defining  the        The  following  is  a  list  of  the  principals  elected 
rights,  privileges,  and   immunities  of  this  and  the    since    15S2,  all  of  them  famous    in    literature   or 
other  universities  of  Scotland,  were  fully  ratified  ;  ,  art : — 
but    its  privileges  and  efficiency  have  been   since  j  I5§5    Robert  R0jiock. 
augmented    by    the     Scottish     Universities    Act,  ;  ,S9g.  Henry  Charteris. 
in  1858,  making  provision  for  their  better  j  1620.  Patrick  Sands. 


government  and  discipline,  and  for  the  im- 
provement and  regulation  of  the  course  of  study 
therein. 

It  is  now  a  corporation  consisting  of  a  chan- 
cellor, who  is  elected  for  life  by  the  General 
Council,  whose  sanction  must  be  given  to  all  in- 
ternal arrangements,  and  through  whom  degrees 
are  conferred,  t:nd  the  first  of  whom  was  Lord 
Brougham  ;  a  vice-chancellor,  who  acts  in  absence 
of1  the  former,  and  who  has  the  duty  of  acting  as 
returning  officer  at  Parliamentary  elections,  and 
the  first  of  whom  was  Sir  David  Brewster ;  a 
rector,  who  is  elected  by  the  matriculated  students, 
and  whose  term  of  office  is  three  years,  and  among 
whom  have  been  William  Ewart  Gladstone,  Thomas 
Carlyle,  Lord  Moncrieflf,  Sir  W.  Stirling-Maxwell, 
and  others  ;  a  representative  in  Parliament,  elected 
in  common  with  the  University  of  St.  Andrews — 
the  first  M.P.  being  Dr.  Lyon  Playfair. 

After  these  come  the  university  court,  which 
has  the  power  of  reviewing  all  the  decisions  of  the 
Senatus  Academicus,  the  attention  of  professors  as 
to  their  modes  of  teaching,  &c,  the  regulation  of 
class  fees,  the  suspension  and  censure  of  profes- 
sors, the  control  of  the  pecuniary  concerns  of  the 
university,  "  including  funds  mortified  for  bursaries 
and  other  purposes." 

This  court  holds  the  patronage  of  the  Chair  of 
Music,  and  a  share  in  that  of  Agriculture,  and  it 
consists  of  the  rector,  the  principal,  and  six 
assessors,  one  of  whom  is  elected  by  the  Town 
Council. 

By  the  Act  of  1858  the  patronage  of  seventeen 
chairs,  previously  in  the  gift  of  the  latter  body, 
was  transferred  to  seven  curators,  who  hold  office 
for  three  years.      They  also  have  the  appointment 


1716.  William 
1730.  William 
.732.  James  Si 
1736.  William 
cundus. 


YVishar 


1754..  John  Gowdie. 
1762.  William  Robertson 
1793.   Geo.  Husband  Baird. 
1840.  John  Lee. 
1859.   Sir  David  Brewster. 
1S6S.   Sir  Alex.  Grant,  Bart. 


Robert  Boyd. 
1623.  John  Adamson. 

1652.  William  Colville. 

1653.  Robert  Leighton. 
1662.  William  Colville. 
1675.  Andrew  Cant. 
16S5.  Alexander  Monro. 
1690.  Gilbert  Rule. 
1703.  William  Carstares. 

To  attempt  to  enumerate  all  the  brilliant  alumni 
who  in  their  various  Faculties  have  shed  a  glory 
over  the  University  of  Edinburgh,  would  far 
exceed  our  limits  ;  but  an  idea  of  its  progress  in 
literature,  science,  and  art,  may  be  gathered  from  the 
following  enumeration  of  the  professorships,  with 
the  dates  when  founded,  and  the  names  of  the  first 
holder  of  the  chairs. 

Those  of  Greek,  Logic  and  Metaphysics,  Moral 
and  Natural  Philosophy,  were  occupied  by  the 
regents  in  rotation  from  1583,  when  Robert  Rol- 
lock  was  first  Regent,  till  1708. 

Faadiy  of  Arts. 
Humanity,  1597.    John  Ray,  Professor. 
Mathematics,  1674.     James  Gregory. 
Greek,  1708.     William  Scott. 
Logic  and  Metaphysics,  1708.     Colin  Drummond. 
Moral  Philosophy,  170S.     William  Law. 
Natural  Philosophy,  1708.     Robert  Stewart. 
Rhetoric,  1762.      Hugh  Blair. 
Astronomy,  1786.     Robert  Biair. 
Agriculture,  1790.     Andrew  Coventry. 
Theory  of  Music,  1839.     John  Thomson. 
Technology,  1855.     George  Wilson.     (Abolished  1859  ) 
Sanskrit,  1862.     Theodor  Aufrecht. 
Engineering,  1868.     Fleeming  Jenkin. 
Commercial  Economy,  1S71.     W.  B.  Hodgson. 
Education,  1S76.     Simon  Laurie. 
Fine  Arts,  1880.     Baldwin  Brown. 
Geology,  187 1.     Archibald  Geikie. 


iity.] 


THE    FACULTIES. 


-5 


Faculty  of  Theology. 

Theology,  1620.     Andrew  Ramsay. 
Hebrew,  1642.     Julius  Conradus  Otto. 
Divinity,  1702.     John  Gumming. 
Biblical  Criticism,  1S47.     Robert  Lee. 
Faculty  of  Law. 
Public  Law,  1707.      Charles  Areskine. 
Civil  Law,  1710.     James  Craig. 
History,  1 7 19.     Charles  Mackie. 
Scottish  Law,  1722.     Alexander  Bayne. 
Medical  Jurisprudence,  1S07.     Andrew  Duncan  (secundus). 
Conveyancing,  1825.     Macvey  Napier. 


colonies  and  India  avail  themselves  very  extensively 
of  the  educational  resources  of  the  University  of 
Edinburgh.  In  1880  there  were  3,172  matricu- 
lated students,  of  whom  1,634  were  medical  alone  ; 
of  these  677  were  from  Scotland,  558  from  Eng- 
land, 28  from  Ireland,  and  the  rest  from  abroad  ; 
and  these  numbers  will  be  greatly  increased  when 
the  Extension  Buildings  are  in  full  working  order, 
and  further  develop  the  teaching  resources  of  the 
i  University. 


UADRANGLi:,    i:i  UN  Kl'luill    UNIVEKSI  I  V. 


Faculty  of  Medicine. 
Botany,  1676.     James  Sutherland. 
Medicine  and  Botany,  1738.     Charles  Alston. 
Practice  of  Medicine,  1724.     William  Porterfield. 
Anatomy,  1705.     Robert  Elliot. 
Chemistry  and  Medicine,  1713.     James  Crawford. 
Chemistry  (alone),  1S44.     William  Gregory. 
Midwifery,  1726.     Joseph  Gibson. 
Natural  History,  1767.     Robert  Ramsay. 
Materia  Medica,  176S.     Francis  Home. 
Clinical  Surgery,  1803.     James  Russell. 
Military  Surgery,  1806.     John  Thomson  (abolished). 
Surgery,  1777.     Alexander  Monro  (secundus). 
General  Pathology,  1S31.     John  Thomson. 

The  average  number  of  students  is  above  3,000 
yearly,  and  by  far  the  greater  proportion  of  them 
attend   the    Faculty   of    Medicine.      The    British 
100 


There  are  two  sessions,  beginning  respectively  in 
October  and  May,  the  latter  being  confined  to  law 
and  medicine.  The  university  confers  all  the 
usual  degrees.  To  qualify  in  Arts  it  is  necessary 
to  attend  the  classes  for  Latin,  Greek,  Mathematics, 
Logic,  Rhetoric,  Moral  and  Natural  Philosophy. 

There  are  some  125  bursaries  amounting  in  the 
annual  aggregate  value  of  scholarships  and  fellow- 
ships to  about  ,£  1,600. 

The  revenues  of  the  university  of  old  were 
scanty  and  inadequate  to  the  encouragement  of 
high  education  and  learning  in  Edinburgh  ;  and 
the  salaries  attached  to  the  chairs  we  have  enume- 
rated are  not  inferior  generally  to  those  in  the 
other  universities  of  Scotland. 


26 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


Among  the  first  bequests  we  may  mention  that 
of  8,000  merks,  or  the  wadsett  of  the  lands  of 
Strathnaver,  granted  by  Robert  Reid,  Prior  of 
Beaulieu  and  last  Catholic  Bishop  of  Orkney,  to 
build  a  college  in  Edinburgh,  having  three  schools, 
one  for  bairns  in  grammar,  another  for  those  that 
learn  poetry  and  oratory,  with  chambers  for  the 
regent's  hall,  and  the  third  for  the  civil  and  canon 
law,  and  which  is  recorded  by  the  Privy  Council  of 
Scotland  (1569-1578)  "as  greatly  for  the  common 
weal  and  policy  of  the  realm."  Robert  Reid  was  a 
man  far  in  advance  of  his  time,  and  it  is  to  him 
that  Edinburgh  owes  its  famous  university. 

The  patronage  of  James  VI.  and  private  benefac- 
tions enabled  it  to  advance  in  consequence.  Sir 
William  Nisbet,  Bart,  of  Dean,  provost  of  the  city 
in  1669,  gave  ,£1,000  Scots  towards  the  mainten- 
ance of  a  chair  of  theology;  and  on  the  20th 
March  in  the  following  year,  according  to  Stark, 
the  Common  Council  nominated  professors  for  that 
Faculty  and  for  Physic. 

In  1 663  General  Andrew,  Earl  of  Teviot,  Gover- 
nor of  Dunkirk,  and  commander  of  the  British  troops 
in  Tangiers  (where,  in  the  following  year  he  was 
slain  in  battle  by  the  Moors),  bequeathed  a  sum 
to  build  eight  rooms  "  in  the  college  of  Edinburgh, 
where  he  had  been  educated."  William  III. 
bestowed  upon  it  an  annuity  of  £300  sterling, 
which  cost  him  nothing,  as  it  was  paid  out  of  the 
bishops'  rents  in  Scotland.  Part  of  this  was  with- 
drawn by  his  successor  Queen  Anne,  and  thus  a 
professor  and  fifteen  students  were  lost  to  the 
university.  Curiously  enough  this  endowment 
was  recovered  quite  recently.  It  does  not  appear 
that  there  are  now  any  "  bishops'  rents  "  forthcom- 
ing, and  when  the  chair  of  International  Law  was 
re-founded  in  1862,  a  salary  of  ,£250  a  year  was 
attached  to  it,  out  of  funds  voted  by  Parliament. 
But  in  an  action  in  the  Scottish  Courts,  Lord 
Rutherfurd-Clark  held  that  the  new  professorship 
was  identical  with  the  old,  and  that  Professor 
Lorimer,  its  present  holder,  was  entitled  to  receive 
in  the  future  the  additional  sum  of  .£150  from  the 
Crown,  though  not  any  arrears. 

One  of  the  handsomest  of  recent  bequests  was 
that  of  General  John  Reid,  colonel  of  the  88th 
Regiment,  whose  obituary  notice  appears  thus  in 
the  Scots  Magazine,  under  date  February  6th,  1807  : 
"  He  was  eighty  years  of  age,  and  has  left  above 
,£50,000.  Three  gentlemen  are  named  executors 
to  whom  he  has  left  .£100  each  ;  the  remainder  of 
his  property  in  trust  to  be  life-rented  by  an  only 
daughter  (who  married  without  his  consent),  whom 
failing,  to  the  College  of  Edinburgh.  When  it 
takes  that  destination  he  desires  his  executors  to 


apply  it  to  the  college  imprimis,  to  institute  a  pro- 
fessor of  music,  with  a  salary  of  not  less  than  £500  a 
year  ;  in  other  respects  to  be  applied  to  the  pur- 
chase of  a  library,  or  laid  out  in  such  manner  as 
the  principal  and  professors  may  think  proper." 

Thus  the  chair  of  music  was  instituted,  and 
with  it  the  yearly  musical  Reid  festival,  at  which 
the  first  air  always  played  by  the  orchestra  is 
"The  Garb  of  Old  Gaul,"  a  stirring  march  of 
the  General's  own  composition. 

By  the  bequest  of  Henry  George  Watson, 
accountant  in  Edinburgh,  ,£11,000  was  bestowed 
on  the  University  in  1880,  to  found  the  "Watson- 
Gordon  Professorship  of  Fine  Art,"  in  honour  of 
his  brother,  the  late  well-known  Sir  John  Watson- 
Gordon,  President  of  the  Scottish  Academy  ;  and 
in  the  same  year,  Dr.  Vans  Dunlop  of  Rutland 
Square,  Edinburgh,  left  to  the  University  ,£50,000 
for  educational  purposes  ;  and  by  the  last  lines  of 
his  will,  Thomas  Carlyle,  in  1S80,  bequeathed 
property  worth  about  ,£300  a  year  to  the  Uni- 
versity, to  found  ten  bursaries  for  the  benefit  of 
the  poorer  students  ;  and  the  document  concludes 
with  the  expression  of  his  wish  that  "  the  small 
bequest  might  run  forever,  a  thread  of  pure  water 
from  the  Scottish  rocks,  trickling  into  its  little  basin 
by  the  thirsty  wayside  for  those  whom  it  veritably 
belongs  to." 

By  an  Act  1  and  2  Vic.  cap.  55,  "the  various 
sums  of  money  mortified  in  the  hands  of  the 
Town  Council,  for  the  support  of  the  University, 
amounting  to  £13,119  were  discharged,  and  an 
annual  payment  of  £2,500  (since  reduced  to 
£2,170)  secured  upon  the  revenues  of  Leith 
Docks,"  is  assigned  to  the  purposes  of  the  earlier 
bequests  for  bursaries,  &c. 

The  total  income  of  the  university,  as  given  in 
the  calendar,  averages  above  ,£24,000  yearly. 

The  library  is  a  noble  hall  198  feet  long  by 
50  in  width,  and  originated  in  1580  in  a  bequest 
by  Mr.  Clement  Little,  Commissary  of  Edinburgh, 
a  learned  citizen  (and  brother  of  the  Provost 
Little  of  Over-Liberton),  who  bequeathed  his 
library  to  the  city  "and  the  Kirk  of  God."  This 
collection  amounted  to  about  300  volumes,  chiefly 
theological,  and  remained  in  an  edifice  near  St. 
Giles's  churchyard  till  it  was  removed  to  the  old 
college  about  T5S2.  There  were  originally  two 
libraries  belonging  to  the  university ;  but  one  con- 
sisted mostly  of  books  of  divinity  appropriated 
solely  to  the  use  of  students  of  theology. 

The  library  was  largely  augmented  by  donations 
from  citizens,  from  the  alumni  of  the  University, 
and  the  yearly  contributions  of  those  who  graduated 
in  arts.      Drummond   of  Hawthornden,  the  cele- 


THE    MUSEUMS. 


27 


brated  cavalier-poet,  bequeathed  his  entire  library 
to  the  University,  and  the  gift  is  deemed  a  valuable 
one,  from  the  rare  specimens  of  our  early  literature 
which  enriches  the  collection.  Among  the  chief 
donors  whose  gifts  are  extensive  and  valuable 
may  be  named  Principal  Adamson,  Dr.  Robert 
Johnston,  the  Rev.  James  Nairne  of  Wemyss,  Dr. 
John  Stevenson,  who  held  the  chair  of  Logic  and 
Metaphysics  from  1730  till  1774,  Dr.  William 
Thomson,  Professor  of  Anatomy  at  Oxford  ;  and 
in  1872  the  library  received  a  very  valuable 
donation  from  J.  O.  Halliwell,  the  eminent  Shaks- 
perian  critic,  a  collection  of  works  relating  to 
Shakspere,  and  formed  by  him  at  great  cost. 

The  average  collection  of  the  university  extends 
to  about  150,000  volumes,  and  700  volumes  of 
MSS.  The  university  possesses  above  seventy 
valuable  portraits  and  busts  of  ancient  and  modern 
alumni,  most  of  which  are  kept  in  the  Senate  Hall 
and  library.  Tire  latter  possesses  a  fine  copy  of 
Fordun's  Scotichronkon  (on  vellum)  in  folio,  from 
which  doodah's  edition  of  1775  was  printed. 

The  Museum  of  Natural  History  was  established 
in  1S12,  in  connection  with  the  university,  and 
contains  a  most  valuable  zoological,  geological, 
and  mineralogical  collection,  the  greater  portion  of 
which  was  formed  by  the  exertions  of  Professor 
Robert  Jamieson,  who  was  fifty  years  Professor  of 
Natural  History  (from  1804  to  1854)  and  Regius 
keeper  of  the  museum.  In  1854  it  was  transferred 
by  the. Town  Council  (at  that  time  patrons  of  the 
university)  to  Government,  under  whose  control  it 
has  since  remained.  The  whole  of  the  collections 
have  been  now  removed  to  the  Natural  History 
department  of  the  adjoining  museum  of  Science 
and  Art  ;  but  are  available  for  the  educational  pur- 
poses of  the  university,  and  are  freely  accessible  to 
the  students  of  the  natural  history  class. 

The  Anatomical  Museum  was  founded  in  1800 
by  Dr.  Alexander  Monro  secundus,  who  presented 
his  own  anatomical  collection  and  that  of  his 
father  to  the  University,  "  to  be  used  by  his  future 


successors  in  office,  for  the  purpose  of  demon- 
strating and  explaining  the  structure,  physiology, 
and  diseases  of  the  human  body.'' 

In  1859  Sir  David  Monro,  M.D.,  presented  a 
considerable  collection  of  anatomical  preparations, 
formed  by  his  talented  father,  Dr.  Alexander 
Monro  tertius.  Many  valuable  additions  have  been 
made  since  then  ;  among  them,  some  by  the  late 
John  Goodsir,  Professor  of  Anatomy,  1846- 186 7, 
more  especially  in  the  comparative  department  ; 
and  since  his  death  the  Senatus  purchased  from  his 
representatives  his  private  museum  and  added  it 
to  the  collection,  which  now  contains  many  thou- 
sand specimens  illustrative  of  human  anatomy, 
both  normal  and  pathological,  and  of  comparative 
anatomy. 


There 


minor   museums  in  connection  with 


the  classes  of  natural  philosophy,  midwifery,  ma- 
teria medica  and  botany,  and  one  was  recently  con- 
structed by  Professor  Geikie  for  the  use  of  the 
geological  class. 

In  October,  1881,  nearly  the  whole  of  the  great 
anatomical  collection  referred  to  here,  including 
the  skeletons  of  the  infamous  Burke  and  one  of 
his  victims  known  as  "  Daft  Jamie,"  was  removed 
from  the  old  to  the  new  University  buildings  at 
Lauriston. 

References  to  the  Plan  ox  Page  21. 

A,  Entrance;  bb,  Passages;  cc,  Stairs  to  Divinity  Class  and  Janitors' 
Houses  ;  D  d,  Porters'  Lodges  ;  E,  Faculty  Room  or  Senatus  Academi- 
cus ;  f,  Professor's  House  ;  c.  Principal's  House  ;  H,  Professor's  House; 
J,  Professor's  House  ;  k,  Chemistry  Class ;  L,  Preparation  Room  ; 
M,  Professor  of  Chemistry's  House  ;  N,  Stairs  to  Gallery  and  Upper 
Preparation  Room  of  Chemistry  Class  ;  o,  Royal  Society  ;  p,  Lobby  to 
Royal  Society  ;  Q,  Carriage-way  to  Great  Court  ;  R,  Arcades  for  foot- 
passengers  ;  s  s  s  s,  Corridors  of  Communication  ;  T  T,  Lobby  and 
Class  for  Practice  of  Physick  ;  V,  Civil  Law  Class  Room  ;  iv.  Prepara- 
tion Room  or  Anatomical  Museum  ;  x  x,  Anatomical  Theatre  and 
Lobby;  yyy,  Painting  Rooms  and  private  room;  z,  Great  Hall  for 
Graduations,  &c,  with  Loggia  and  two  staircases  to  the  Galleries  above  ; 
a,  Class  for  the  Theory  of  Physick  ;  b,  Mathematical  Class,  Professor's 
Room,  Instrument  Room,  Lobby,  &c.  ;  c,  Universal  History  and  Anti- 
quity Class,  with  the  Professor's  Room  ;  d,  Class  and  Lobby  for  the 
Professor  of  Humanity;  e,  Museum  for  Natural  History;  f,  Class  for 
Natural  History  ;  g,  Guard  Hall  and  Lobby  ;  h,  Librarian's  House  ; 
i,  Professor's  House  ;  k,  Professor  of  Divinity's  House.  The  Houses 
marked  F,  H,  J,  and  i  are  to  be  possessed  by  the  Professors  of  Humanity, 
Greek,  Hebrew,  and  Mathematics. 


CHAPTER     III. 
THE    DISTRICT    OF    THE    BURGIIMUIR. 


The  tract  of  the  Burghmuir,  of  which  the  name  ■  almost  unchanged  Braid  Hills  on  the  south  ;  from 
alone  remains,  and  which  extended  from  the  water  ,  Dairy  on  the  west,  to  St.  Leonard's  Craigs  on  the 
of  the  South  loch  on  the  north,  to  the  foot  of  the  '  east,    formed   no    inconsiderable    portion    of    the 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


[Burghi 


great  forest  of  Drumsheugh,  wherein  the  white 
bull,  the  Caledonian  boar,  the  elk  and  red  deer 
roamed,  and  where  broken  and  lawless  men  had 
their  haunt  in  later  times. 

Yet  some  clearances  of  timber  must  have  been 
made  there  betore  1482,  when  James  III.  mustered 
on  it,  in  July,  50,000  men  under  the  royal  standard 
for  an  invasion  of  England,  which  brought  about 
the  rebellious  raid  of  Lauder.  On  the  6th 
October,  1508,  his  son  James   IV.,   by  a    charter 


Among  those  who  then  got  lands  here  were  Sir 
Alexander  Lauder  of  Blyth,  Provost  of  the  City, 
and  George  Towers  of  the  line  of  Inverleith,  whose 
name  was  long  connected  with  the  annals  of  the 
city. 

It  was  on  this  ground — the  Campus  Martius  of 
the  Scottish  hosts — that  James  IV.  mustered,  in  the 
summer  of  1513,  an  army  of  100,000  men,  the 
most  formidable  that  ever  marched  against  Eng- 
land ;  and  a  fragment  of  the  hare-stane,  or  bore- 


under  the  Great  Seal,  leased  the  Burghmuir  to 
the  council  and  community  of  Edinburgh  (City 
Charters,  1 143-1540)  empowering  them  to  farm  and 
clear  it  of  wood,  which  led  to  the  erection  with- 
in the  city  of  those  quaint  timber-fronted  houses, 
many  of  which  still  remain  in  the  closes  and  wynds, 
and  even  in  the  High  Street.  In  15 10  we  find, 
from  the  Burgh  Records,  that  the  persons  to  whom 
certain  acres  were  let  there,  were  bound  to  build 
thereon  "dwelling-houses,  malt-barns,  and  cow-bills, 
and  to  have  servants  for  the  making  of  malt  betwixt 
(30th  April)  and  Michaelmas,  1512  ;  and  failing  to 
do  so,  to  pay  ^40  to  the  common  works  of  the 
town  ;  and  also  to  pay  £5  for  every  acre  of  the 
three  acres  set  to  them." 


stane,  in  which  the  royal  standard  was  planted, 
on  this  and  many  similar  occasions,  is  still  pre- 
served, and  may  be  seen  built  into  a  wall,  at 
Banner  Place,  near  Momingside  Church.  As 
Drummond  records,  the  place  was  then  "  spacious 
and  made  delightful  by  the  shade  of  many  stately 
and  aged  oaks." 

"  There  were  assembled,"  says  Pitscottie,  "  all  his 
earls,  lords,  barons,  and  burgesses ;  and  all  manner 
of  men  between  sixty  and  sixteen,  spiritual  and 
temporal,  burgh  and  land,  islesmen  and  others,  to 
the  number  of  a  hundred  thousand,  not  reckoning 
carriagemen  and  artillerymen,  who  had  charge  of 
fifty  shot-cannons."  When  some  houses  were 
built  in  the  adjacent  School  Lane  in  1825,  hundreds 


rghmuir.] 


THE    PEST. 


29 


of  old  horse-shoes  were  dug  up,  where  a  farrier's  furth  of  the  samyn,  as  they  had  done  in  tymes 
forge   is    supposed   to   have   stood ;    and  another    past." 

relic  of  that  great  muster  was  removed  only  in  In  156S,  when  a  pest  again  appeared,  the  infected, 
1876,  a  landmark  known  as  King  James's  knowe,  a  with  all  their  furniture,  were  lodged  in  huts  built 
small  knoll,  evidently  artificial  and  partly  built  of  upon  the  muir,  where  they  were  visited  by  their 
freestone,  from  which  he  is  said  to  have  reviewed  l  friends  after  11  a.m.;  "any  one  going  earlier  was 
and  addressed  his  army  on  the  eve  of  its  departure  !  liable  to  be  punished  with  death."  Then  their 
for  Flodden.  :  clothes   were   cleansed  in  a  huge  caldron  in   the 

Close  by,  when  digging  the  foundation  of   the     open  air,   under  the   supervision  of  two  citizens, 

styled    the    Bailies    of  the 


■corner  block  of  the  pre- 
sent Marchmont  Terrace 
next  the  Links,  in  the  same 
year  1876,  a  large  tree,  150 
years  old,  had  to  be  re- 
moved, and  there  was  found, 
ten  feet  below  its  roots,  a 
quarry-pick  of  antique  pat- 
tern, and  a  dozen  wedges, 
which  must  have  lain  there 
at  least  400  years. 

Seven  years  after  Flod- 
den, we  find  from  the  Burgh 
Records,  that  a  pestilence  i 
was  spreading  daily,  and  the 
infected  were  removed  from  _ 
the  city, and  received  "within 
the  hous  and  barnis  of , 
the  Burrow-mure," — edifices 
which  the  magistrates  after- 
wards ordered  to  be  un- 
roofed and  stripped  of  their 
timberwork,  with  sanitary 
views,  no  doubt ;  and  under 
the  City  Treasurer's  accounts 
in  1554  we  find  two  entries 
in  August. 

"  Item  :  for  cords  to  hang 


Muir,  who  together  with 
the  cleansers  and  bearers 
of  the  dead,  wore  grey 
gowns,  with  white  St.  An- 
drew crosses  thereon. 

During  the  contest  be- 
tween the  Kingsmen  and 
Queensmen,  the  Burghmuir 
was  the  scene  of  many  a 
combat,  and  we  read  of 
one  in  157 1,  when  according 
to  Crawford  of  Drumsoy, 
Sir  William  Kirkaldy  sent 
from  the  Castle  200  mus- 
keteers and  pikemen,  with 
several  citizens,  under  the 
Lords  Huntley,  Home,  and 
Kilwinning,  who  attacked 
Morton's  men  near  the 
Powburn,  but  were  driven 
in  as  far  as  the  Kirk-of- 
field ;  but  after  fresh  suc- 
cours came,  they  fell  back 
to  a  place  on  the  muir, 
"  called  the  Lowsie  Low, 
when  the  Loyalists  were 
again      shamefully     beaten, 


and  bind  uthir  vj  Inglismen  peratts  (pirates)  on  the  j  and  forced  to  shelter  themselves  within  the  city, 


gallows  of  the  Burrow  Mure — iiijs. 

"  Item  :  for  cords  to  bind  the  man  that  wes  (be) 
heiddit  for  the  slauchter  of  the  sister  of  the  Sennis 
man." 

In  the  same  year,  under  the  Regency  of  Mary  of 
Guise,  that  part  of  the  muir  "  besyde  the  sisters  of 
the  Sciennes,"  was  appointed  for  the  weapon-shaws 
of  the  armed  burghers,  with  "  lang  wappinnis,  sic 
as  speiris,  pikis,  and  culveringis  ;  "  and  about  the 
same  time,  in  the  "Retours,"  we  find  that  rising 
citizen  George  Towers,  heiring  his  father  George 
Towers,  in  the  lands  of  Bristo,  and  twenty  acres 
in  "  Dairy  and  Tolcroce." 

In  1556,  by  order  of  the  magistrates,  a  door 
was  made  to  the  gallows  on  the  Burghmuir,  to 
be  the  height  of  the  enclosing  wall,  "  sua  that 
doggis  sail  nocht  be  abill  to   carry  the  carrionis 


with  twice  the  loss  they  had  sustained  before." 

In  April,  1601,  John  Watt,  Deacon  of  the  Trades 
in  Edinburgh — the  same  gallant  official  who  raised 
them  in  arms  for  the  protection  of  James  VI.  in  the 
tumult  of  1596 — was  shot  dead  on  the  muir;  but 
by  whom  the  outrage  was  perpetrated  was  never 
known. 

One  of  the  earliest  notices  we  find  of  the  name 
by  which  the  open  part  of  the  muir  is  now  known 
occurs  in  Balfour's  "  Annales,"  when  in  1644,  the 
Laird  of  Lawers'  troop  of  horse  is  ordered  by 
Parliament  to  muster  on  "  Brountoune  Links  to- 
morrow," and  the  commissary  to  give  them  a 
month's  pay. 

In  this  part  many  deep  quarries  were  dug,  from 
which,  no  doubt,  the  old  houses  of  Warrender 
and  other    adjacent    edifices  were    built.      These 


3° 


OLD   AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


hollows  are  still  discernible,  and  in  them  the 
Scots  Foot  Guards  were  posted  under  Viscount 
Kingston,  to  cover  the  approach  to  the  city  in 
1666,  when  the  Covenanters  took  post  at  Pentland, 
prior  to  their  defeat  at  Rullion  Green. 

In  1690  the  money  and  corn  rents  of  the  muir 
amounted  to  only  ^126  19s.  6d.  sterling;  andabout 
that  time  a  considerable  portion  of  Bruntsfield  be- 
longed to  a  family  named  Fairlie. 

In  1722  Colonel  J.  Chomly's  Regiment — the 
26th  or  Cameronians — was  encamped  on  the 
Links,  where  a  quarrel  ensued  between  a  Captain 
Chiesley  and  a  Lieutenant  Moodie ;  and  these 
two  meeting  one  day  in  the  Canongate,  attacked 
each  other  sword  in  hand,  and  each,  after  a  sharp 
conflict,  mortally  wounded  the  other,  "Mr.  Moodie"s 
lady  looking  over  the  window  all  the  while  this 
bloody  tragedy  was  acting,"  as  the  Caledonian 
Mercury  of  the  7  th  August  records. 

At  the  north-west  corner  of  Bruntsfield  Links 
there  stood,  until  the  erection  of  Glengyle  Terrace, 
Valleyfield  House,  an  ancient  edifice,  massively 
built,  and  having  a  half-timber  front  towards  the 
old  Toll-cross,  which  was  long  there.  It  had  great 
crowstepped  gables  and  enormous  square  chim- 
neys, was  three  storeys  in  height,  with  small 
windows,  and  was  partly  quadrangular.  Tradi- 
tionally it  was  said  to  have  been  a  temporary 
residence  of  the  Regent  Moray  during  an  illness ; 
but,  if  so,  it  must  at  some  time  have  been  added 
to,  or  changed  proprietors,  as  on  the  door-lintel  of 
the  high  and  conically-roofed  octagon  stair,  on  its 
east  side,  were  the  date  1687,  with  the  initials, 
M.  c.  M.  Its  name  is  still  retained  in  the  adjacent 
thoroughfare  called  Valleyfield  Street. 

A  little  way  northward  of  its  site  is  Leven 
Lodge,  a  plain  but  massive  old  edifice,  that  once 
contained  a  grand  oak  staircase  and  stately  dining- 
hall,  with  windows  facing  the  south  ;  but  now 
almost  hidden  amid  encircling  houses  of  a  humble 
and  sordid  character.  It  was  the  country  villa  of 
the  Earls  of  Leven,  and  in  1758  was  the  residence 
of  George  sixth  Earl  of  Northesk,  who  married 
Lady  Anne  Lesly,  daughter  of  Alexander  Earl  of 
Leven,  and  their  only  son,  David  Lord  Rosehill 
was  bcrn  there  in  the  year  mentioned. 

In  181 1  it  was  the  residence  of  Lady  Penelope 
Belhaven,  youngest  daughter  of  Ronald  Macdonald 
of  Clanronald  ;  she  died  in  1S16,  since  when,  no 
doubt,  its  declension  began.  It  was  about  that 
time  the  property  of  Captain  Swinton  of  Drum- 
dryan. 

Immediately  south  of  Valleyfield  House,  at  the 
delta  formed  by  a  conglomeration  of  old  edifices, 
known  under  the  general  name  of  the  Wright's 


houses,  and  on  the  site  of  an  old  villa  of  the 
Georgian  era,  that  stood  within  a  carriage  entrance, 
was  built,  in  1862-3, tne  Barclay  Free  Church  at  an 
expense  of  ,£10,000,  and  from  the  bequest  of  a  lady 
of  that  name.  It  is  said  to  be  in  the  second  style 
of  Pointed  architecture,  but  is  correctly  described 
by  Professor  Blackie  as  being  "  full  of  individual 
beauties  or  prettinesses  in  detail,  yet  as  a  whole, 
disorderly,  inorganic,  and  monstrous."  By  some  it 
is  called  Venetian  Gothic.  It  has,  however,  a 
stately  tower  and  slender  spire,  that  rises  to  a 
height  of  250  feet,  and  is  a  landmark  over  a  vast 

j  extent  of  country,  even  from  Inverkeithing  in  Fife- 
shire. 

In  its  vicinity  are  Viewforth  Free  Church,  built  in 
187 1-2  at  a  cost  of  ,£5,000,  in  a  geometric  Gothic 
style,  with  a  tower  1 1 2  feet  high  ;  and  the  Gilmore 

j  Place  United  Presbyterian  Church,  the  congrega- 
tion of  which  came  hither  from  the  Vennel,  and 

j  which,  after  a  cost  of  £7,900  for  site  and  erection, 
was  opened  for  service  in  April,  1SS1. 

No  part  of  Edinburgh   has   a   more   agreeable 

'  southern  exposure  than  those  large  open  spaces 
round  the  Meadows  (which  we  have  described 
elsewhere)  and  Bruntsfield  Links,  which  contribute 
both  to  their  health  and  amenity. 

The  latter  have  long  been  famous  as  a  play- 
ground for  the  ancient  and  national  game  of  golf, 
and  strangers  who  may  be  desirous  of  enjoying  it, 
are  usually  supplied  with  clubs  and  assistants  at 
the  old  Golf  Tavern,  that  overlooks  the  breezy 
and  grassy  scene  of  operations,  which  affords  space 
for  the  members  of  no  less  than  six  golf  clubs, 
viz: — the  Burghers,  instituted  1735;  the  Honour- 
able Company  of  Edinburgh,  instituted  prior  to 
1744;  the  Bruntsfield,  instituted  1761  ;  the  Allied 
Golfing  Club,  instituted  1856  ;  the  Warrender, 
instituted  1858;  and  the  St.  Leonards,  instituted 
1857.  Each  of  these  is  presided  over  by  a  captain, 
and  the  usual  playing  costume  is  a  scarlet  coat,  with 
the  facings  and  gilt  buttons  of  the  club. 

To  dwell  at  length  on  the  famous  game  of  golf 
is  perhaps  apart  from  the  nature  of  this  work,  and 
yet,  as  these  Links  have  been  for  ages  the  scene  of 
that  old  sport,  a  few  notices  of  it  may  be  accept- 
able. 

It  seems  somewhat  uncertain  at  what  precise 
period  golf  was  introduced  into  Scotland ;  but 
some  such  game,  called  cambuca,  was  not  un- 
known in  England  during  the  reign  of  Edward 
III.,  as  we  may  learn  from  Strutt's  "  Sports  and 
Pastimes,"  but  more  probably  Le  refers  to  that 
known  as  Pall  Mall.  Football  was  prohibited 
by  Act  of  the  Scottish   Parliament  in  1424,  as  in- 

|  terfering    with    the    more    necessary    science    of 


GOLF    ON    BRUNTSFIELD    LINKS. 


archery,  but  the  statute  makes  no  reference  to  golf, 
while  it  is  specially  mentioned  in  later  enactments, 
in  1457  and  1471,  under  James  III.  ;  but  still  it 
seems  to  have  thriven,  and  in  the  accounts  of  the 
Lord  High  Treasurer,  under  James  IV.,  the  fol- 
lowing entries  are  found  : — 

1503,  Feb.  3.    Item  to  the  King  to  piny  at  the  Golf  with 

the  Erie  of  Bothwile       .....     xlijs 

„     Feb.  4.    Item   to   Golf  Clubbes  and   Ballis    to  the 

King ixs. 

1503,  Feb.  22.  Item,  xij  Golf  Balls  to  the  King     .       iiijs. 

1506.   Item,  the  2SU1  day  of  Julii  forij  Golf  Clubbes  to  the 

King         ....  ...     ijs. 

During  the  reign  of  James  VI.  the  business  of 
club  making  had  become  one  of  some  importance, 
and  by  a  letter,  dated  Holyrood,  4th  April,  1603, 
William  Mayne,  Bowyer,  burgess  of  Edinburgh,  is 
appointed  maker  of  bows,  arrows,  spears,  and  clubs 
to  the  king.  From  thenceforward  the  game  took  a 
firm  hold  of  the  people  as  a  national  pastime,  and 
it  seems  to  have  been  a  favourite  one  with  Henry, 
Duke  of  Rothesay,  and  with  the  great  Marquis  of 
Montrose,  as  the  many  entries  in  his  "  Household 
Book  "  prove.  "  Even  kings  themselves,"  says  a 
writer  in  the  Seats  Magazine  for  1792,  "did  not 
decline  the  princely  sport ;  and  it  will  not  be 
displeasing  to  the  Society  of  Edinburgh  Golfers  to 
be  informed  that  the  two  last  crowned  heads  that 
ever  visited  this  country  (Charles  I.  and  James 
VII.)  used  to  practise  golf  on  the  Links  of  Leith, 
now  occupied  by  the  society  for  the  same  purpose." 

In  1744  the  city  gave  a  silver  club,  valued  at 
,£15,  to  be  played  for  on  the  1st  of  April  annually 
by  the  Edinburgh  Company  of  Golfers,  the  victor 
to  be  styled  captain  for  the  time,  and  to  append 
a  gold  or  silver  medal  to  the  club,  bearing  his 
name  and  date  of  victory.  The  Honourable  Com- 
pany was  incorporated  by  a  charter  from  the 
magistrates  in  1800,  and  could  boast  of  the  most 
illustrious  Scotsmen  of  the  day  among  its  members. 
Until  the  year  1792  St.  Andrews  had  a  species  of 
monopoly  in  the  manufacture  of  golf  balls.  They 
are  small  and  hard,  and  of  old  were  always  stuffed 
with  feathers.  The  clubs  are  from  three  to  four 
feet  long.  "  The  heads  are  of  brass,"  says  Dr. 
Walker,  in  a  letter  to  the  famous  Dr.  Carlyle  of 
Inveresk  ;  "  and  the  face  with  which  the  ball  is 
struck  is  perfectly  smooth,  having  no  inclination, 
such  as  might  have  a  tendency  to  raise  the  ball 
from  the  ground.  The  game  may  be  played  by 
any  number,  either  in  parties  against  each  other, 
or  each  person  for  himself,  and  the  contest  is  to 
hole  the  course  in  the  fewest  strokes." 

"Far!"  or  "Fore !"  is  the  signal  cry  before  the  ball 
is  struck,  to  warn  loiterers  or  spectators ;  and 
"Far  and  Sure !"  is  a  common  motto  with  golf  clubs. 


Topham,  an  English  traveller  in  Scotland  in  1775, 
in  describing  the  customs  of  the  Scots,  makes  the 
summit  of  Arthur's  Seat  and  other  high  hills  round 

'  Edinburgh  the  favourite  places  for  playing  golf! 

In  virtue  of  a  bet  in  1798,  Mr.  Scales  of  Leith, 
and  Mr.  Smellie,  a  printer,  were  selected  to  perform 
the  curious  feat  of  driving  a  ball  from  the  south- 

,  east  corner  of  the  Parliament  Square  over  the 
weathercock  of  St.  Giles's,  161  feet  from  the  base  of 
the  church.  They  were  allowed  the  use  of  six 
balls  each.  These  all  went  considerably  higher 
than  the  vane,  and  were  found  in  the  Advocate's 
Close,  on  the  north  side  of  the  High  Street. 

Duncan  Forbes,  the  Lord  President,  was  so  fond 
of  golf  that  he  was  wont  to  play  on  the  sands  of 
Leith  when  the  Links  were  covered  with  snow. 
Kay  gives  us  a  portrait  of  a  famous  old  golfer, 
Andrew  McKellar,   known  as   the  "  Cock  o'   the 

I  Green,"  in  the  act  of  striking  the  ball.     This  en- 

I  thusiast  spent  entire  days  on  Bruntsfield  Links, 
club  in  hand,  and  was  often  there  by  night  too, 
playing  at  the  "  short  holes "  by  lantern  light. 
Andrew  died  about  1813. 

Bruntsfield  Links  and  those  of  Musselburgh  are 

I  the  favourite  places  yet  of  the  Edinburgh   Club ; 

I  but  the  St.  Andrews  meetings  are  so  numerously 
attended  that  the  old  city  by  the  sea  has  been 
denominated  the  Metropolis  of  golfing. 

I      In  a  miscellaneous  collection,  entitled  "Mistura 

'  Curiosa,"  a  song  in  praise  of  golf  has   two  verses 

J  thus  :— 

"  I  love  the  game  of  golf,  my  boys,  though  there  are  folks  in 

town 
I  Who,  when  upon  the  Links  they  walk,   delight  to   run  it 

down  ; 
But  then  those  folks  who  don't  love  golf,   of  course,   can't 

comprehend 
The  fond  love  that  exists  between  the  golfer  and  his  friend. 

I  "  For  on  the  green  the  new  command,   that  ye   love  one 
another, 

Is,  as  a  rule,  kept  better  by  a  golfer  than  a  brother ; 
I  For  if  he 's  struck,  a  brother's  rage  is  not  so  soon  appeased, 

But  the  harder  that  I  hit  my  friend,  the  better  he  is  pleased." 

Until  the  Royal  Park  at  Holyrood  was  opened 
'  up,  levelled,  and  improved,  at  the  suggestion  of  the 
late  Prince  Consort,  Bruntsfield  Links  was  the 
invariable  place  for  garrison  reviews  and  field  days 
by  the  troops  ;  but  neither  they  nor  any  one  else 
can  interfere  with  the  vested  rights  of  the  golfers 
to  play  over  any  part  of  the  open  ground  at  all 
times. 

On  the  summit  of  the  green  slope  now  crowned 
by  the  hideous  edifice  known  as  Gillespie's  Hos- 
pital, a  picturesque  mansion  of  very  great  antiquity, 
quadrangular  in  form,  striking  in  outline,  with  its 
peel-tower,  turrets,  crowstepped  gables  and  gablets, 


OLD   AND   NEW   EDINBURGH. 


encrusted  with  legends,  dates,  and  coats  of  arms,  alliances  by  which  the  family  succession  of  the 
for  ages  formed  one  of  the  most  important  features  Napiers  of  the  Wrychtis-housis  had  been  continued 
of  the  Burghmuir.  i  from  early  times." 

This    was  the  mansion  of  Wrychtis-housis,  be-         By  the  Chamberlain  Rolls,  William  Napier  of 
longing  to  an  old  baronial  family  named  Napier,  j  the  Wrychtis-housis  was  Constable  of  the  Castle  of 


to  which  additions  had  been  made  as  generations 
succeeded  each  other,  but  the  original  part  or 
nucleus  of  which  was  a  simple  old  Scottish  tower 
of  considerable  height.  "  The  general  effect  of  this 
antique  pile,"  says  Wilson,  "  was  greatly  enhanced 
on  approaching  it,  by  the  numerous  heraldic 
devices  and  inscriptions  which  adorned  every 
window,  doorway,  and  ornamental  pinnacle,  the 
whole  wall  being  crowded  with  armorial  bearings, 
designed  to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  the  noble 


Edinburgh  in  1390,  in  succession  to  John,  Earl  of 
Carrick  (eldest  son  of  King  Robert  II.) ;  and  it  is 
most  probable  that  he  was  the  same  William 
Napier  who  held  that  office  in  1402,  and  who, 
in  the  first  years  of  the  fifteenth  century,  with  the 
aid  of  Archibald,  Earl  of  Douglas,  and  the  hapless 
Duke  of  Rothesay,  maintained  that  important 
fortress  against  Henry  IV.  and  all  the  might  of 
England. 

To  the  gallant  resistance  made  on  this  occasion, 


WRYCHTISHnUSIS. 


33 


the  genealogist  of  the  Napier  family  conceives, 
with  great  probability,  that  the  property  was  held 
by  the  tenure  of  payment  to  the  king  of  a  silver 
penny  yearly  upon  the  Castle  Hill  of  Edinburgh. 

The  edifice  to  which  we  refer  was  undoubtedly 
one  of  the  oldest,  and  by  far  the  most  picturesque, 
baronial  dwelling  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  city ; 
and  blending  as  it  did  the  grim  old  feudal  tower 
of  the  twelfth  or  thirteenth  century  with  more  ornate 
additions  of  the  Scoto- French  style  of  later  years, 
it  must  have  formed — even  in  the  tasteless  age 
that  witnessed  its  destruction — a  pleasing  and 
striking  feature  from  every  part  of  the  landscape 


broken,  and  the  whole  of  them  dispersed.  Among 
those  we  have  examined,"  says  Wilson,  "  there  is 
one  now  built  into  the  doorway  of  Gillespie's  School, 
having  a  tree  cut  on  it,  bearing  for  fruit  the  stars 
and  crescents  of  the  family  arms,  and  the  inscription, 
Dominus  est  illuminatio  mea  ;  another,  placed 
over  the  hospital  wall,  has  this  legend  below  a 
boldly  cut  heraldic  device,  Constantia  et  Labore, 
1339.  On  two  others,  now  at  Woodhouselee,  are 
the  following  :  Beatus  vir  qui  sperat  in  Deo, 
1450,  and  Patriae  et  Posteris,  1513.  The  only 
remains  of  this  singular  mansion  that  have  escaped 
the  general  wreck,"  he  adds,  "  are  the  sculptured 


around  it,  especially  when  viewed  from  Bruntsfiekl 
Links  against  a  sunset  sky. 

One  of  the  dates  upon  it  was  1339,  four  years 
after  the  battle  of  the  Burghmuir,  wherein  the 
Flemings  were  routed  under  Guy  of  Namur. 
Above  a  window  was  the  date  1376,  with  the 
legend,  Sicut  Oliva  Fructifera.  Another  bore, 
In  Domino  Confido,  1400.  Singular  to  say,  the 
arms  over  the  principal  door  were  those  of  Britain 
after  the  union  of  the  crowns.  Emblems  of  the 
Virtues  were  profusely  carved  on  different  parts  of 
the  building,  and  in  one  was  a  rude  representation 
of  our  first  parents,  with  the  distich — 


'  Qulien  Ada 
Quhair  war 


.  delved,  and  Eve  span, 
'  the  gentles  than  ?  " 


There  were   also   heads   of  Julius    Csesar   and 
Octavius  Secundus,  in  fine  preservation.     l;  Many 
of  these    sculptures  were   recklessly  defaced  and 
101 


pediments  and  heraldic  carvings  built  into  the 
boundary-walls  of  the  hospital,  and  a  few  others, 
which  were  secured  by  the  late  Lord  Woodhouselee, 
and  now  adorn  a  ruin  on  Mr.  Tytler's  estate  at  the 
Pentlands." 

Arnot  mentions,  without  proof,  that  this  house 
was  built  for  the  residence  of  a  mistress  of  James 
IV. ;  but  probably  he  had  never  examined  the  dates 
upon  it. 

It  is  impossible  to  discover  the  origin  of  the  name 
now  ;  though  Maitland's  idea,  that  it  was  derived 
from  certain  wriglits,  or  carpenters,  dwelling  there 
while  cutting  down  the  oaks  on  the  Burghmuir 
is  far-fetched  indeed.  One  of  the  heraldic  sculptures 
indicated  an  alliance  between  a  Laird  of  Wrychtis- 
house  and  a  daughter  of  the  neighbouring  Lord  of 
Merchiston,  in  the  year  1513. 

In  1581,  William  Napier  of  the  former  place 
became  caution  in  ^1,000  for  the  appearance  and 


34 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


good  behaviour  of  William  Douglas  of  Hyvelie 
(Reg:  Privy  Council  Scot).  His  son  Robert,  who 
was  a  visitor  at  the  house  of  William  Turnbull  of 
Airdrie,  then  resident  in  Edinburgh,  on  the  4th 
of  September,  1608,  "by  craft  and  violence," 
carried  off  a  daughter  of  the  latter  in  her  eleventh 
year,  and  kept  her  in  some  obscure  place,  where 
her  father  could  not  discover  her.  Turnbull 
brought  this  matter  before  the  Privy  Council,  by 
.vhom  Robert  Napier  was  denounced  as  a  rebel 
and  outlaw.  Of  this  old  family  nothing  now 
remains  but  a  tomb  on  the  north  side  of  the 
choir  of  St.  Giles's ;  it  bears  the  Merchiston  crest 
and  the  Wrychtishouse  shield,  and  has  thus  been 
more  than  once  pointed  out  as  the  last  resting- 
place  of  the  inventor  of  the  logarithms. 

The  Napiers  of  Wrychtishousis,  says  the  bio- 
grapher of  the  philosopher,  were  a  race  quite  dis- 
tinct from  that  of  Merchiston,  and  were  obviously 
a  branch  of  Kilmahew,  whose  estates  lay  in  Lennox. 
Their  armorial  bearings  were,  or  on  a  bend  azure, 
between  two  mullets  or  spur  rowels. 

In  its  later  years  this  old  mansion  was  the  resi- 
dence of  Lieutenant-General  Robertson  of  Lude, 
who  served  throughout  the  whole  American  war, 
and  brought  home  with  him,  at  its  close,  a  negro, 
who  went  by  the  name  of  Black  Tom,  who  occupied 
a  room  on  the  ground  floor.  Tom  was  again  and 
again  heard  to  complain  of  being  unable  to  rest 
at  night,  as  the  figure  of  a  lady,  headless,  and 
with  a  child  in  her  arms,  rose  out  of  the  hearth, 
and  terrified  him  dreadfully ;  but  no  one  believed 
Tom,  and  his  story  was  put  down  to  intoxica- 
tion. 

Be  that  as  it  may,  "  when  the  old  mansion  was 
pulled  down  to  build  Gillespie's  Hospital  there  was 
found  under  the  hearthstone  of  that  apartment  a 
box  containing  the  body  of  a  female,  from  which 
the  head  had  been  severed,  and  beside  her  lay  the 
remains  of  an  infant,  wrapped  in  a  pillow-case 
trimmed  with  lace.  She  appeared,  poor  lady,  to 
have  been  cut  off  in  the  blossom  of  her  sins  ;  for 
she  was  dressed,  and  her  scissors  were  yet  hanging 
by  a  ribbon  to  her  side,  and  her  thimble  was  also 
in  the  box,  having,  apparently,  fallen  from  her 
shrivelled  fingers." 

If  we  are  to  judge  from  the  following  notice  in 
the  Edinburgh  Herald  for  6th  April  1799,  the 
mansion  was  once  the  residence  of  Lord  Barganie 
(whose  peerage  is  extinct),  as  we  are  told  that  by 
Gillespie's  trustees,  "  Barganie  House,  at  the 
Wrights  Houses,  has  been  purchased,  with  upwards 
of  six  acres  of  ground,  where  this  hospital  is  to  be 
•  erected.  The  situation  is  very  judiciously  chosen; 
it  is  elevated,  dry,  and  healthy." 


In  1800  the  demolition  was  achieved,  but  not 
without  a  spirited  remonstrance  in  the  Edinburgh 
Magazine  for  that  year,  and  Gillespie's  Hospital, 
a  tasteless  edifice,  designed  by  Mr.  Burn,  a  builder, 
in  that  ridiculous  castellated  style  called  "Carpen- 
ter's Gothic,"  took  its  place.  The  founder,  James 
Gillespie,  was  the  eldest  of  two  brothers,  who  occu- 
pied a  shop  as  tobacconists  east  of  the  Market 
Cross.  Here  John,  the  younger,  attended  to  the 
business,  while  the  former  resided  at  Spylaw,  near 
Colinton,  and  superintended  a  mill  which  they  had 
erected  there  for  grinding  snuff;  and  there  snuff 
was  ground  years  after  for  the  Messrs.  Richardson, 
105,  West  Bow.  Neither  of  the  brothers  mar- 
ried, and  though  frugal  and  industrious,  were  far 
from  being  miserly.  They  lived  among  their  work- 
men and  domestics,  in  quite  a  homely  and 
patriarchal  manner,  "  Waste  not,  want  not "  being 
ever  their  favourite  maxim,  and  money  increased  in 
their  hands  quickly.  Even  in  extreme  age,  we  are 
told  that  James  Gillespie,  with  an  old  blanket 
round  him  and  a  night-cap  on,  both  covered  with 
snuff,  regularly  attended  the  mill,  superintending 
the  operations  of  his  man,  Andrew  Fraser,  who 
was  a  hale  old  man,  living  in  the  hospital,  when 
the  first  edition  of  "  Kay  "  was  published,  in  1838. 
James  kept  a  carriage,  however,  for  which  the  Hon. 
Henry  Erskine  suggested  as  a  motto  : — 

"W'lia  wad  hae  thocht  it, 
That  noses  had  bocht  it  ?  " 

He  survived  his  brother  five  years,  and  dying  at 
Spylaw  on  the  8th  April,  1797,  in  his  eightieth 
year,  was  buried  in  Colinton  churchyard.  By  his 
will  hebequeathed  his  estate,  together  wither  2,000 
sterling  (exclusive  of  ^2,700  for  the  erection  and 
endowment  of  a  school),  "  for  the  special  intent  and 
purpose  of  founding  and  endowing  an  hospital,  or 
charitable  institution,  within  the  city  of  Edinburgh 
or  suburbs,  for  the  aliment  and  maintenance  of  old 
men  and  women." 

In  1 801  the  governors  obtained  a  royal  charter, 
forming  them  into  a  body  corporate  as  "  The 
Governors  of  James  Gillespie's  Hospital  and  Free 
School.''. 

The  persons  entitled  to  admittance  were  : — first, 
Mr.  Gillespie's  old  servants  :  second,  all  persons 
of  his  surname  over  fifty-five  years  of  age ;  third, 
persons  of  the  same  age  belonging  to  Edinburgh 
and  Leith,  failing  whom,  from  all  other  parts  of 
Midlothian.  None  were  to  be  admitted  who  had 
private  resources,  or  were  otherwise  than  "  decent, 
godly,  and  well-behaved  men  and  women." 

In  the  Council-room  of  the  hospital — from 
which  the  school  was  built  apart — is  an  excellent 


THE    NAPIERS    OF    MERCHISTON. 


35 


likeness    of  the   founder,    painted   by    Sir   James 
Foulis  of  Woodhall,  Bart. 

In  1870  the  original  use  to  which  the  foundation 
was  put  underwent  a  change,  and  the  hospital 
became  a  great  public  school  for  boys  and  girls. 

At  the  western  extremity  of  what  was  the  Burgh- 
muir,  near  where  lately  was  an  old  village  of  that  j 
name  (at  the  point  where  the  Colinton  road  diverges 
from  that  which  leads  to  Biggar),  there  stands,  yet 
unchanged  amid  all  its  new  surroundings,  the 
ancient  castle  of  Merchiston,  the  whilom  seat  of  a 
race  second  to  none  in  Scotland  for  rank  and  talent 
— the  Napiers,  now  Lords  Napier  and  Ettrick.  It 
is  a  lofty  square  tower,  surmounted  by  corbelled 
battlements,  a  cape-house,  and  tall  chimneys.  It 
was  once  surrounded  by  a  moat,  and  had  a  secret 
avenue  or  means  of  escape  into  the  fields  to  the 
north.  As  to  when  it  was  built,  or  by  whom,  no 
record  now  remains. 

In  the  missing  rolls  of  Robert  I.,  the  lands  of 
Merchiston  and  Dairy,  in  the  county  of  Edinburgh, 
belonged  in  his  reign  to  William  Bisset,  and  under 
David  II.,  the  former  belonged  to  William  de 
Sancto  Claro,  on  the  resignation  of  William  Bisset, 
according  to  Robertson's  "Index,"  in  which  we  find 
a  royal  charter,  "  datum  est  apud  Dundee,"  14th 
August,  1367,  to  John  of  Cragy  of  the  lands  of 
Merchiston,  which  John  of  Creigchton  had  resigned. 
So  the  estate  would  seem  to  have  had  several 
proprietors  before  it  came  into  the  hands  of 
Alexander  Napier,  who  was  Provost  of  Edinburgh 
in  1438,  and  by  this  acquisition  Merchiston  became 
the  chief  title  of  his  family. 

His  son,  Sir  Alexander,  who  was  Comptroller  of 
Scotland  under  James  II.  in  1450,  and  went  on  a 
pilgrimage  to  St.  Thomas  of  Canterbury  in  the 
following  year — for  which  he  had  safe-conduct  from 
the  King  cf  England — was  Provost  of  Edinburgh 
between  1469  and  147  1.  He  was  ambassador  to 
the  Court  of  the  Golden  Fleece  in  1473,  and  was 
no  stranger  to  Charles  the  Bold ;  the  tenor  of  his 
instructions  to  whom  from  James  II.,  shows  that  he 
visited  Bruges  and  the  court  of  Burgundy  before 
that  year,  in  1468,  when  he  was  present  at  the 
Tournament  of  the  Golden  Fleece,  and  selected  a 
suit  of  brilliant  armour  for  his  sovereign. 

Sir  Alexander,  fifth  of  Merchiston,  fell  at  Flodden 
with  James  IV. 

John  Napier  of  Merchiston  was  Provost  17th 
of  May,  1484,  and  his  son  and  successor,  Sir  Archi- 
bald, founded  a  chaplaincy  and  altar  in  honour  of  St. 
Salvator  in  St.  Giles's  Church  in  November,  1493. 
His  grandson,  Sir  Archibald  Napier,  who  married 
a  daughter  of  Duncan  Campbell  of  Glenorchy,  was 
slain  at  the  battle  of  Pinkie,  in  1547. 


Sir  Alexander  Napier  of  Merchiston  and  Edin- 
bellie,  who  was  latterly  Master  of  the  Mint  to 
James  VI.,  was  father  of  John  Napier  the 
celebrated  inventor  of  the  Logarithms,  who  was 
born  in  Merchiston  Castle  in  1550,  four  years  after 
the  birth  of  Tycho  Brahe,  and  fourteen  before  that 
of  Galileo,  at  a  time  when  the  Reformation  in 
Scotland  was  just  commencing,  as  in  the  preceding 
year  John  Knox  had  been  released  from  the 
French  galleys,  and  was  then  enjoying  royal 
patronage  in  England.  His  mother  was  Janet, 
only  daughter  of  Sir  Francis  Bothwell,  and  sister 
of  Adam,  Bishop  of  Orkney.  At  the  time  of  his 
birth  his  father  was  only  sixteen  years  of  age.  He 
was  educated  at  St.  Salvator's  College,  St.  Andrews, 
where  he  matriculated  1562-3,  and  afterwards  spent 
several  years  in  France,  the  Low  Countries,  and 
Italy  ;  he  applied  himself  closely  to  the  study  of 
mathematics,  and  it  is  conjectured  that  he  gained 
a  taste  for  that  branch  of  learning  during  his  resi- 
dence abroad,  especially  in  Italy,  where  at  that 
time  were  many  mathematicians  of  high  repute. 

While  abroad  young  Napier  escaped  some  perils 
that  existed  at  home.  In  1508  a  dreadful  pest 
broke  out  in  Edinburgh,  and  his  father  and  family 
were  exposed  to  the  contagion,  "  by  the  vicinity," 
says  Mark  Napier,  "  of  his  mansion  to  the  Burgh- 
muir,  upon  which  waste  the  infected  were  driven 
out  to  grovel  and  die,  under  the  very  walls  of 
Merchiston." 

In  his  earlier  years  his  studies  took  a  deep  theo- 
logical turn,  the  fruits  of  which  appeared  in  his 
"  Plain  Discovery  of  the  Revelation  of  St  John," 
which  he  published  at  Edinburgh  in  1593,  and 
dedicated  to  "James  VI.  But  some  twenty  years 
before  that  time  his  studies  must  have  been  sorely 
interrupted,  as  his  old  ancestral  fortalice  lay  in  the 
very  centre  of  the  field  of  strife,  when  Kirkaldy 
held  out  the  castle  for  Queen  Mary,  and  the  savage 
Douglas  wars  surged  wildly  round  its  walls. 

On  the  2nd  April,  1572,  John  Napier,  then  in  his 
twenty-second  year,  was  betrothed  to  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  Sir  James  Stirling  of  Keir  ;  but  as  he 
had  incurred  the  displeasure  of  the  queen's  party 
by  taking  no  active  share  in  her  interests,  on  the 
18th  of  July  he  was  arrested  by  the  Laird  of  Minto, 
and  sent  a  prisoner  to  the  Castle  of  Edinburgh, 
then  governed  by  Sir  William  Kirkaldy,  who  in  the 
preceding  year  had  bombarded  Merchiston  with 
his  iron  guns  because  certain  soldiers  of  the  king's 
party  occupied  it,  and  cut  off  provisions  coming 
north  for  the  use  of  his  garrison.  The  solitary 
tower  formed  the  key  of  the  southern  approach 
to  the  city  ;  thus,  whoever  triumphed,  it  became  the 
object  of  the  opponent's  enmity. 


36 


OLD   AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


On  being  released,  John  Napier  retired  to  his 
distant  estate  in  Lennox,  and  in  the  meanwhile,  as 
the  king's  men  had  garrisoned  his  castle  of  Mer- 
chiston  on  the  5th  May,  1572,  the  queen's  troops 
marched  out  to  besiege  it,  under  the  command  of  a 
captain  named  Scougal. 

After  a  hard  struggle,  during  which  several  were 
killed  and  wounded,  they  stormed  the  outworks, 
and  set  them  on  fire  to  smoke  the  defenders  out  of 
the  donjon  keep  ;  but  a  body  of  the  king's  men 
came  from  Leith  in  hot  haste,  and  compelled  the 
assailants  to  retire,  though   Kirkaldy  covered  the 


■-"--:-— —    -■., 


panic-stricken,  and  with  his  cannon  he  fell  back 
through  the  fields  where  now  the  southern  district 
of  the  city  lies.  There  he  was  assailed  by  the 
king's  troops  in  earnest.  A  confused  skirmish  took 
place,  most  of  his  men  were  made  prisoners,  con- 
veyed to  Leith,  and  hanged,  while  he  had  a  narrow 
escape,  his  horse  being  killed  under  him  by  a  shot 
from  Holyrood  Palace.  Another  conflict  of  a 
more  serious  nature  occurred  before  Merchiston 
on  the  last  day  of  the  same  month. 

The   citizens  were  suffering    greatly  by  famine 
while  this  disastrous  civil  strife  prevailed,  and  a 


4/ r/4/ftfj      <?fau+C/      JIM  ly  I-Juurlu    at  tfu>  Civ/3-    Sd/i/wyb 

WRYCHTISHOUSIS,    FROM   THE  SOUTH-WEST.      (Afteran  Etching  ly  C.  Kirkfatrick  Skarfe,  in' 


■■als.") 


attack  by  firing  forty  guns  from  the  Castle  of  Edin- 
burgh. 

The  men  of  Scougal  (who  were  mortally  wounded) 
fled  over  the  Links  and  adjacent  fields  in  all 
directions,  hotly  pursued  by  the  Laird  of  Blair- 
quhan.  On  the  10th  of  the  subsequent  June  the 
queen's  troops,  under  George,  Earl  of  Huntly,  with 
a  small  train  of  artillery,  made  another  attack  upon 
Merchiston,  while  their  cavalry  scoured  all  the 
fields  between  it  and  Blackford — fields  now  covered 
with  long  lines  of  stately  and  beautiful  villas — bring- 
ing in  forty  head  of  cattle  and  sheep.  By  the  time 
the  guns  had  played  on  Merchiston  from  two  till 
four  o'clock  p.m.,  two  decided  breaches  were  made 
in  the  walls.  The  garrison  was  about  to  capitulate, 
when  the  assemblage  of  a  number  of  people,  whom 
the  noise  of  the  cannonade  had  attracted,  was 
mistaken  for  king's  troops  ;  those  of  Huntly  became 


party    of  twenty-four   men-at-arms   rode   forth    to 
I  forage.     The  well-stocked  fields  in  the  neighbour- 
hood  of  the  fortalice  were  the  constant  scene  of 
enterprise,    and    on    this    occasion    the    foragers 
i  collected   many   oxen,  besides  other  spoil,  which 
I  they  were  driving  triumphantly  into   town.     They 
were  pursued,  however,  by  Patrick  Home  of  the 
Heugh,    who    commanded    the     Regent's     Light 
Horsemen.      The    foraging   party,    whom    hunger 
had   rendered   desperate,  contrived  to  keep  their 
pursuers,  amounting  to  eighty  spears,  at  bay  till 
J  they  neared  Merchiston,  when  the  king's  garrison 
issued  forth,  and  re-captured  the  cattle,  the  collectors 
of  which  "  alighted  from  their  horses,  which  they 
suffered  to  go  loose,  and  faught  creaullie"  till  suc- 
coured from  the  town,  when   the  fight  turned  in 
their  favour.    In  this  conflict,  Home  of  the  Heugh, 
Sir  Patrick  Home  of  Polwarth,  four  more  gentle- 


THE    WARLOCK    NAPIER. 


.    Of  the  queen  s  men,  only  one 
shot   from  the  battlements    of 


men,  and  others  f< 
lost  his  life  by  i 
Merchiston. 

When  peace  came  the  philosopher  returned  to 
his  ancestral  tower,  and  resumed  his  studies  with 
great  ardour,  and  its  battlements  became  the 
observatory  of  the  astrologer.  Napier  was  sup- 
posed by  the  vulgar  of  his  time  to  possess 
mysterious  supernatural  powers,  and  the  marvels 
attributed  to  him,  with  the  aid  of  a  devilish  familiar, 
in  the  shape   of   a  jet-black  cock,   are  preserved 


grain,  he  threatened  to  poind  them,  "  Do  so,  if 
you  can  catch  them,"  said  his  neighbour;  and  next 
morning  the  fields  were  alive  with  reeling  and 
fluttering  pigeons,  which  were  easily  captured,  from 
the  effect  of  an  intoxicating  feed  of  saturated  peas. 
The  place  called  the  Doo  Park,  in  front  of  Mer- 
chiston, took  its  name  from  this  event. 

The  warlock  of  the  tower,  as  he  was  deemed, 
seems  to  have  entertained  a  perfect  faith  in  the 
possession  of  a  power  to  discover  hidden  treasure. 
Thus,   there  is  still  preserved  among  the  Merchis- 


among  the  traditions  of  the  neighbourhood  to  the 
present  day.  He  impressed  all  his  people  that  this 
terrible  chanticleer  could  detect  their  most  secret 
doings. 

Having  missed  some  valuables,  he  ordered  his 
servants  one  by  one  into  a  dark  room  of  the  tower, 
where  his  favourite  was  confined,  declaring  that  the 
cock  would  crow  when  stroked  by  the  hand  of  the 
guilty,  as  each  was  required  to  do.  The  cock 
remained  silent  during  this  ceremony ;  but  the 
hands  of  one  of  the  servants  was  found  to  be 
entirely  free  from  the  soot  with  which  the  feathers 
of  the  mysterious  bird  had  been  smeared. 

The  story  of  how  he  bewitched  certain  pigeons 
is  still  remembered  in  the  vicinity  of  Merchiston. 
Having  been  annoyed    by  some  that  ate  up  his 


ton  papers  a  curious  contract,  dated  July,  1594, 
between  him  and  Sir  Robert  Logan  of  Restalrig 
— a  Gowiie  conspirator — which  sets  forth  :  "  For- 
asmuch as  there  were  old  reports  and  appearances 
that  a  sum  of  money  was  hid  within  Logan's  house 
of  Fast  Castle,  John  Napier  should  do  his  utmost 
diligence  to  work  and  seek  out  the  same."  For 
his  reward  he  was  to  have  the  third  of  what  was 
found — by  the  use  of  a  divining  rod,  we  presume. 
"This  singular  contract,"  says  Wilson,  "acquires  a 
peculiar  interest  when  we  remember  the  reported 
discovery  of  hidden  treasure,  with  which  the 
preliminary  steps  of  the  Gowiie  conspiracy  were 
effected." 

In    1608    we    find    the    inventor   of    logarithms 
appearing  in  a  new  light.      In    that    year    it  was 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


reported  to  the  Privy  Council  that  he  and  the 
Napiers  of  Edinbellie,  having  quarrelled  about  the 
tiend  sheaves  of  Merchiston,  "  intended  to  convo- 
cate  their  kin,  and  sic  as  will  do  for  them  in  arms;" 
but  to  prevent  a  breach  of  the  peace,  William 
Napier  of  the  Wrychtishousis,  as  a  neutral  person, 
was  ordered  by  the  Council  to  collect  the  sheaves 
in  question. 

In  1614  he  produced  his  book  of  logarithms, 
dedicated  to  Prince  Charles — a  discovery  which 
made  his  name  famous  all  over  Europe — and  on 
the  3rd  of  April,  161 7,  he  died  in  the  ancient  tower 
of  Merchiston.  His  eldest  son,  Sir  Archibald, 
was  made  a  baronet  of  Nova  Scotia  by  Charles  I., 
and  in  1627  he  was  raised  to  the  peerage  as 
Lord  Napier.  His  lady  it  was  who  contrived  to 
have  abstracted  the  heart  of  Montrose  from  the 
mutilated  body  of  the  great  cavalier,  as  it  lay 
buried  in  the  place  appointed  for  the  interment 
of  criminals,  in  an  adjacent  spot  of  the  Burghmuir 
(the  Tyburn  of  Edinburgh).  Enclosed  in  a  casket 
of  steel,  it  was  retained  by  the  family,  and  under- 
went adventures  so  strange  and  remarkable  that  a 
volume  would  be  required  to  describe  them. 

Merchiston  has  been  for  years  occupied  as  a 
large  private  school,  but  it  still  remains  in  posses- 
sion of  Lords  Napier  and  Ettrick  as  the  cradle  of 
their  old  and  honourable  house. 

In  18S0,  during  the  formation  of  a  new  street  on 
the  ground  north  of  Merchiston,  a  coffin  formed  of 
rough  stone  slabs  was  discovered,  within  a  few  feet 
of  the  surface.  It  contained  the  remains  of  a  full- 
grown  human  being. 

Eastward  of  the  castle,  and  within  the  park  where 
for  ages  the  old  dovecot  stood,  is  now  built  Christ's 
Church,  belonging  to  the  Scottish  Episcopalians.  It 
was  built  in  1876-7,  at  a  cost  of  about  ,£10,500,  and 
opened  in  1878.     It  is  a  beautifully  detailed  cruci- 


form edifice,  designed  by  Mr.  Hippolyte  J.  Blanc,  in 
the  early  French-Gothic  style,  with  a  very  elegant 
spire,  140  feet  high.  From  the  west  gable  to  the 
chancel  the  nave  measures  eighty-two  feet  long  and 
forty  broad ;  each  transept  measures  twenty  feet  by 
thirty  wide.  The  height  of  the  church  from  the 
floor  to  the  eaves  is  twenty  feet ;  to  the  ridge  of 
the  roof  fifty-three  feet.  The  construction  of  the 
latter  is  of  open  timber  work,  with  moulded  arched 
ribs  resting  on  "  hammer  beams,"  which,  in  their 
turn,  are  supported  upon  red  freestone  shafts,  with 
white  freestone  capitals  and  bases,  boldly  and  beau- 
tifully moulded. 

The  chancel  presents  the  novel  feature  of  a 
circumambient  aisle,  and  was  built  at  the  sole 
expense  of  Miss  Falconer  of  Falcon  Hall,  at  a  cost 
of  upwards  of  ,£3,000. 

Opposite,  within  the  lands  of  Greenhill,  stands 
the  Morningside  Athenceum,  which  was  origi- 
nally erected,  in  1863,  as  a  United  Presbyterian 
church,  the  congregation  of  which  afterwards 
removed  to  a  new  church  in  the  Chamberlain 
Road. 

North  of  the  old  villa  of  Grange  Bank,  and  on 
the  west  side  of  the  Burghmuir-head  road,  stands 
the  Free  Church,  which  was  rebuilt  in  1874,  and 
is  in  the  Early  Pointed  style,  with  a  fine  steeple, 
140  feet  high.  The  Established  Church  of  the 
quoad  sacra  parish,  disjoined  from  St.  Cuthbert's 
since  1835,  stands  at  the  south-west  corner  of  the 
Grange  Loan  (then  called  in  the  maps,  CJmrch 
Lane),  and  was  built  about  1836,  from  designs  by 
the  late  John  Henderson,  and  is  a  neat  little 
edifice,  with  a  plain  pointed  spire. 

The  old  site  of  the  famous  Bore  Stone  was 
midway  between  this  spot  and  the  street  now  called 
Church  Hill.  In  a  house — No.  r — here,  the  great 
and  good  Dr.  Chalmers  breathed  his  last. 


CHAPTER    IV. 
DISTRICT    OF    THE    BURGHMUIR    (concluded). 

mingside  and  Tipperlin— Provost  Coulter's  Funeral— Asylum  for  the  Insane— Sultana  of  the  Crimea— Old  Thorn  Tree— The  Braids  of  that 
Ilk— The  Fairleys  of  Braid— The  Plew  Lands— Craiglockhart  Hall  and  House— The  Kincaids  and  other  Proprietors-John  Hill  Burton  The 
Old  Tower-Meggatland  and  Redhall— White  House  I.oan-The  White  House— St.  Margaret's  Convent— Bruntsfield  House-The  War. 
renders— Greenhill  and  the  Fairholmes— Memorials  of  the  Chapel  of  St.  Roque— St.  Giles's  Grange— The  Dicks  and  Lauders  Grange 
Cemetery— Memorial  Churches. 


Southward  of  the  quarter  we  have  been  de- 
scribing, stretches,  nearly  to  the  foot  of  the  hills  of 
Braid  and  Blackford,  Morningside,  once  a  secluded 
village,  consisting  of  little  more  than  a  row  of 
thatched  cottages,  a  line  of  trees,  and  a  black- 
smith's forge,  from  which  it  gradually  grew  to  be- 


come an  agreeable  environ  and  summer  resort  of 
the  citizens,  with  the  fame  of  being  the  "  Mont- 
pellier  "  of  the  east  of  Scotland,  alluring  invalids  to 
its  precincts  for  the  benefit  of  its  mild  salubrious 
air. 

All  around  what  was  the  old  village,  now  man- 


THE    ROYAL    EDINBURGH    ASYLUM. 


39 


sions  and  villas  seem  to  crowd  and  jostle  each  other, 
till  it  has  become  an  integral  part  of  Edinburgh ; 
but  the  adjacent  hamlet  of  Tipperlinn,  the  abode 
■chiefly  of  weavers,  and  once  also  a  summer  resort, 
has  all  disappeared,  and  nothing  of  it  now  remains 
but  an  old  d;aw-well.  The  origin  of  its  name  is 
evidently  Celtic. 

Falcon  Hall,  eastward  of  the  old  village,  is  an 
elegant  modern  villa,  erected  early  in  the  present 
•century  by  a  wealthy  Indian  civilian,  named  Falconer; 
but,  save  old  Morningside  House,  or  Lodge,  before 
that  time  no  other  mansion  of  importance  stood 
here. 

In  the  latter — which  stands  a  little  way  back  from 
the  road  on  the  west  side — there  died,  in  the  year 
1758,  William  Lockhart,  Esq.,  of  Carstairs,  who 
had  been  thrown  from  his  chaise  at  the  Burgh- 
muir-head,  and  was  so  severely  injured  that  he  ex- 
pired two  days  after.  Here  also  resided,  and  died 
in  1S10,  William  Coulter,  a  wealthy  hosier,  who  was 
then  in  office  as  Lord  Provost  of  the  city,  which 
gave  him  a  magnificent  civic  and  military  funeral, 
which  was  long  remembered  for  its  grandeur  and 
solemnity. 

On  this  occasion  long  streamers  of  crape  floated 
from  Nelson's  monument  ;  the  bells  were  tolled. 
Mr.  Claud  Thompson  acted  as  chief  mourner — in 
lieu  of  the  Provost's  only  son,  Lieutenant  Coulter, 
then  serving  with  the  army  in  Portugal — and  the  city 
arms  were  borne  by  a  man  seven  feet  high  before 
the  coffin,  whereon  lay  a  sword,  robe,  and  chain 
of  office. 

Three  volleys  were  fired  oyer  it  by  the  Edinburgh 
Volunteers,  of  which  he  was  colonel.  A  por- 
trait of  him  in  uniform  appears  in  one  of  Kay's 
sketches. 

In  1807  Dr.  Andrew  Duncan  (already  noticed 
in  the  account  of  Adam  Square)  proposed  the 
erection  of  a  lunatic  asylum,  the  want  of  which 
hod  long  been  felt  in  the  city.  Subscriptions  came 
in  slowly,  but  at  last  sufficient  was  collected,  a 
royal  charter  was  obtained,  and  on  the  8th  of  June, 
1809,  the  foundation  stone  of  the  now  famous  and 
philanthropic  edifice  at  Morningside  was  laid  by 
the  Lord  Provost  Coulter,  within  an  enclosure,  four 
acres  in  extent,  south  of  old  Morningside  House. 
Towards  the  erection  a  sum  of  ,£1,100  came  from 
Scotsmen  in  Madras. 

The  object  of  this  institution  is  to  afford  every 
possible  advantage  in  the  treatment  of  insanity. 
The  unfortunate  patients  may  be  put  under  the 
care  of  any  medical  practitioner  in  Edinburgh 
(says  the  Seois  Magazine  for  that  year)  whom  the 
relations  may  choose  to  employ,  while  the  poor 
will  be  attended  gratis  by  physicians  and  surgeons 


appointed  by  the  managers.  In  every  respect, 
it  is  one  of  the  most  efficient  institutions  of  the 
kind  in  Scotland.  It  is  called  the  Royal  Edin- 
burgh Asylum,  and  has  as  its  patron  the  reigning 
sovereign,  a  governor,  four  deputies,  a  board  of 
managers,  and  another  of  medical  men. 

The  original  building  was  afterwards  more  than 
doubled  in  extent  by  the  addition  of  another,  the 
main  entrance  to  which  is  from  the  old  road  that 
led  to  Tipperlinn.  This  is  called  the  west  depart- 
ment, where  the  average  number  of  inmates  is 
above  500.  It  is  filled  with  patients  of  the  humbler 
order,  whose  friends  or  parishes  pay  for  them  ^15 
per  annum. 

The  east  department,  which  was  built  in  1809,  is 
for  patients  who  pay  not  less  than  ^56  per  annum 
as  an  ordinary  charge,  though  separate  sitting-rooms 
entail  an  additional  expense.  On  the  other  hand, 
when  patients  are  in  straitened  circumstances  a 
yearly  deduction  of  ten,  or  even  twenty  pounds,  is 
made  from  the  ordinary  rate. 

In  the  former  is  kept  the  museum  of  plaster 
casts  from  the  heads  of  patients,  a  collection  con- 
tinually being  added  to  ;  and  no  one,  even  without 
a  knowledge  of  phrenology,  can  behold  these  life- 
less images  without  feeling  that  the  originals  had 
been  afflicted  by  disease  of  the  mind,  for  even  the 
cold,  white,  motionless  plaster  appears  expressive 
of  ghastly  insanity. 

In  the  west  department  the  patients  who  are 
capable  of  doing  so  ply  their  trades  as  tailors, 
shoemakers,  and  so  forth  ;  and  one  of  the  most 
interesting  features  of  the  institution  is  the 
printing-office,  whence,  to  quote  Chambers  s Journal, 
"  is  issued  the  Morningside  Mirror,  a  monthly 
sheet,  whose  literary  contents  are  supplied  wholly 
by  the  inmates,  and  contain  playful  hits  and  puns 
which  would  not  disgrace  the  habitual  writers  of 
facetious  articles." 

From  the  list  of  occupations  that  appear  in  the 
annual  report,  it  would  seem  that  nearly  every 
useful  trade  and  industry  is  followed  within  the 
walls,  and  that  the  Morningside  Asylum  supplies 
most  of  its  own  wants,  being  a  little  world  complete 
in  itself. 

Occupation  and  amusement  here  take  the  place 
of  irksome  bondage,  with  results  that  have  been 
very  beneficial,  and  among  the  most  extraordinary 
of  these  are  the  weekly  balls,  in  which  the  patients 
figure  in  reels  and  in  country  dances,  and  sing 
songs. 

At  the  foot  of  Morningside  the  Powburn  takes  the 
singular  name  of  the  Jordan  as  it  flows  through  a 
farm  named  Egypt,  and  other  Scriptural  names 
abound  close  by,  such  as  Hebron  Bank,  Canaan 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


[Braid. 


Lodge,  and  Canaan  Lane.  By  some,  the  origin  of 
these  names  has  been  attributed  to  Puritan  times ; 
by  others  to  gipsies,  when  the  southern  side  of  the 
Muir  was  open  and  unenclosed. 

In  the  secluded  house  of  Millbank,  westward  of 
Canaan  Lane,  there  occurred,  on  the  26th  of 
September,  1S20,  a  marriage  which  made  some 
noise  at  the  time — that  of  "  Alexander  Ivanovitch, 
Sultan  Katte  Ghery  Krim  Gery,  to  Anne,  fourth 
daughter  of  James  Neilson,  Esq.,  of  Millbank,"  as 


for  education.  There  he  married.  Dr.  Lyall  visited 
him  in  1822,  and  describes  him  and  his  sultana  as 
living  in  the  greatest  happiness.  According  to 
Mr.  Spencer,  he  had  not  succeeded  in  1836  in 
making  a  single  convert." 

He  was  dead  before  1855,  when  his  mother 
was  living  near  the  field  of  Alma.  He  had  a  son  in 
the  Russian  army,  and  a  daughter  who  became  lady- 
in-waiting  to  the  wife  of  the  Grand  Duke  Con- 
stantine.     Mrs.  Neilson  was  alive   in  1826,  as  her 


;es,  i!>5o. 


it  is  announced  in  the  Edinburgh  papers  for  that 
year. 

According  to  a  writer  in  "  Notes  and  Queries," 
in  1S55,  this  personage — the  Sultan  of  the  Crimea — 
had  fled  from  his  own  country  in  consequence  of  his 
religion,  and  was  being  educated  in  Edinburgh, at  the 
expense  of  the  Emperor  Alexander  of  Russia,  with 
a  view  to  his  returning  as  a  Christian  missionary, 
"  and  his  wife  was  hardly  ever  known  by  any  other 
appellation  than  that  of  Sultana." 

A  portion  of  this  story  is  further  corroborated  by 
"Clarke's  Travels."  "It  is  here  (Simpheropol) 
that  Katti  Gheri  Krim  Gheri  resides.  Having 
become  acquainted  with  the  Scotch  missionaries  at 
Carass,  in  the  Caucasus,  he  was  sent  to  Edinburgh 


name  occurs  in  the  Directory  for  that  year  as  re- 
sident at  "  Millbank,  Canaan,"  Morningside. 

An  aged  thorn-tree,  that  overhung  the  road 
leading  to  Braid,  was  long  a  feature  in  the  view 
south  of  Morningside.  At  this  tree,  on  the  25th 
of  January,  1815,  two  Irish  criminals,  named  Kelly 
and  O'Neil  (who  had  been  convicted  of  different 
acts  of  robbery,  under  circumstances  of  great 
brutality),  were  hanged  before  a  great  multitude. 
They  were  brought  hither  from  the  Tolbooth  to 
the  limits  of  the  City  jurisdiction  by  the  high 
constable,  and  handed  over  to  the  sheriff  clerk 
for  execution.  They  are  said  to  have  been  buried 
by  the  wayside,  near  the  old  thorn-tree. 

The  range  of  pastoral  hills  named  Braid  bound 


THE    LANDS    OF    BRAID. 


the  city  on  the  south,  and  directly  overlook 
Morningside.  Their  greatest  altitude  is  700  feet. 
According  to  one  traditional  legend,  these  hills 
were  the  scene  of  "Johnnie  o'  Braidislee's  "  woeful 
hunting,  as  related  in  the  old  ballad. 

According  to  Rotuli  Scotire,  Edward  I.  of  England 
halted  on  the  hills  of  Braid  on  the  nth  July,  1298, 
and  again  on  the  19th  of  August ;  and  it  is  supposed 
that  it  was  on  that  day  he  was  harangued  by  the 
ambassadors  of  the  King  of  France,  upon  the 
subject  of  including  the  Scottish  people  in  the 
Peace,  a  demand  which  he  combated. 

A  "  Henry  of  Brade  "  was  sheriff  of  Edinburgh  in 
1 1 65-1 200,  and  again  in  12 14.  A  Henry  of  Br 
name  occurs  again  in  a  charter,  dated  1338,  wit- 
nessed by  John  II.,  Abbot  of  Holyrood  ;  and  in  the 
Rolls  of  David  II.  there  is  a  charter  of  confirmation 
by  Henrie  Braid  of  that  ilk  to  Henrie  Multra  of 
the  adjacent  lands    of   Greenhill. 

In  the  sixteenth  century  Braid  belonged  to  a 
family  named  Fairley,  and  in  1571  the  laird  was 
exposed  to  more  than  one 
military  visitation  from 
the  garrison  in  Edinburgh 
Castle.  Knox's  secretary- 
records  that  on  the  25  th 
May  twelve  soldiers  came 
to  Braid,  when  the  laird 
was  at  supper,  and 
rifled  the  house  of  the 
miller.  Braid  appeared, 
but  was  treated  with  con- 
tempt, and  was  told  that 
they  would  burn  the  house 
about  his  ears  if  he  did 
not  surrender  to  Captain 
Melville,  who  was  one  of 
the  eight  sons  of  Sir  James 
Melville  of  Raith,  and  his 
lady  Helen  Napier  of  Mer- 
chiston.  Though  called  "  a 
quiet  man,"  the  wrath  of 
the  laird  was  roused,  and 
he    rushed    forth    at   the  c 

head    of    his    domestics, 

armed  with  an  enormous  two-handed  sword,  and 
cut  down  one  of  the  soldiers,  who  fired  their  hack- 
buts without  effect,  and  were  eventually  put  to  flight. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth  century  Braid 
belonged  to  a  family  named  Brown,  and  a  great  1 
portion  of  it  in  the  present  century  had  passed  into 
the  possession  of  Gordon  of  Cluny. 

In   a   romantic,    sequestered,  and  woody  dell,    J 
between  the  Braid  Hills  and  Blackford,  stands  the 
beautiful  retreat  called  the  Hermitage  of  Braid,  on  j 
102 


the  north  bank  of  the  latter  stream,  which  meanders 
close  to  it,  and  which  takes  its  rise  in  the  bosom 
of  the  Pentlands,  near  the  Roman  camp  above 
Bonally. 

It  is  a  two-storeyed  villa,  with   a  pavilion  roof 


and  little  corner  turrets,  in  that  grotesque  style  of 
castellated  architecture  adopted  at  Gillespie's 
Hospital,  and  is  evidently  designed  by  the  same 
architect,  though  built  about  the  year  17S0.  It 
was  the  property  of  Charles  Gordon  of  Cluny, 
father  of  the  ill-fated  Countess  of  Stair,  the  once 
beautiful  "Jacky  Gordon,"  whose  marriage  was 
annulled  in  1804,  after  which  it  frequently  formed 
her  solitary  residence.  It  afterwards  became  the 
property  of  the  widow  of  the  late  John  Gordon  of 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


Cluny  (who  died  recently  in  London),  Lady 
Gordon-Cathcart  of  Killochan  Castle,  who  has 
since  sold  it  out  of  the  family. 

On  the  hill  above  it,  to  the  south,  is  the  farm- 
house of  Braid,  in  which  died,  of  consumption,  in 
1790,  Miss  Burnet  of  Monboddo,  so  celebrated 
for  her  beauty,  which  woke  the  muse  of  Burns,  as 
his  verses  show. 

Southward  of  Momingside  lie  the  Plewlands, 
ascending  the  slope  towards  beautiful  Craiglockhart 
Hill,  now  being  fast  covered  with  semi-detached 
villas,  feued  by  the  Scottish  Heritages  Company, 
surrounding  a  new  cemetery,  and  intersected  by 
the  suburban  line  of  railway.  Here  was  built 
lately  a  great  hydropathic  establishment.  The 
new  city  poor-house,  erected  at  a  cost  of  ,£50,000, 
occupies,  with  the  ground  for  cultivation,  an  area 
of  thirty-six  acres,  has  accommodation  for  more 
than  2,000  inmates,  and  is  fitted  up  with  every 
modern  improvement  conducive  to  health  and 
comfort. 

This  quarter  of  Edinburgh  is  bounded  by 
Craiglockhart  Hill — the  name  of  which  is  said  to 
have  been  Craig-loch-ard,  with  some  reference  to 
the  great  sheet  of  water  once  known  as  Cortorphin 
Loch.  It  is  546  feet  in  height,  and  richly  wooded, 
and  amid  its  rocks  there  breed  the  kestrel-hawk, 
the  brown  owl,  the  ring-ousel,  and  the  water- 
hen. 

Among  the  missing  charters  of  David  II.  is  one 
to  James  Sandiland,  "  in  compensation  of  the  lands 
of  Craiglokart  and  Stonypath,  Edinburgh,"  and 
another  to  "  James  Sandoks  (?)  of  the  same  lands." 
On  a  plateau  of  the  hill,  embosomed  among 
venerable  trees,  we  find  the  ancient  Craig  House, 
a  weird-looking  mansion,  alleged  to  be  ghost- 
haunted,  lofty,  massive,  and  full  of  stately  rooms, 
when  in  old  times  dances  were  stately  things,  "  in 
which  every  lady  walked  as  if  she  were  a  goddess, 
and  every  man  as  if  he  were  a  great  lord." 

It  is  four  storeys  in  height,  including  the  dormer 
windows ;  the  staircase  tower  rises  a  storey  higher, 
and  has  crowstepped  gables.  On  the  lintel  of  the 
moulded  entrance  door  are  the  initials  S.  C.  P., 
and  the  date  1565. 

During  the  reign  of  James  VI.  we  find  it  the 
abode  of  a  family  named  Kincaid,  cadets  of  the 
Kincaids  of  that  ilk  in  Stirlingshire,  as  were  all 
the  Kincaids  of  Warriston  and  Coates.  From 
Pitcairn's  "  Criminal  Trials,"  it  would  seem  that  on 
the  17th  December,  1600,  John  Kincaid  of  the 
Craig  House,  attended  by  a  party  of  friends  and  fol- 
lowers, "bodin  in  feir  of  weir,"  i.e.,  clad  in  armour, 
with  swords,  pistols,  and  other  weapons,  came 
to  the  village  of  the  Water  of  Leah,  and  attacked 


the  house  of  Bailie  John  Johnston,  wherein  Isabel 
Hutcheon,  a  widow,  "  was  in  sober,  quiet,  and 
peaceable  manner  for  the  time,  dreading  nae  evil, 
harm,  or  injury,  but  living  under  God's  peace  and 
our  sovereign  lord's." 

Kincaid  burst  in  the  doors,  and  laying  hands  on 
the  said  Isabel,  carried  her  off  forcibly  to  the 
Craig  House,  at  the  very  time  when  the  king  was 
riding  in  the  fields  close  by,  with  the  Earl  of 
Mar,  Sir  John  Ramsay,  and  others.  James,  on 
hearing  of  the  circumstance,  sent  Mar,  Ramsay, 
and  other  of  his  attendants,  to  Craig  House,  which 
they  threatened  to  set  on  fire  if  the  woman  was 
not  instantly  released.  For  this  outrage  Kincaid 
was  tried  on  the  13th  January,  1601,  and  was  fined 
2,500  marks,  payable  to  the  Treasurer,  and  he  was 
also  ordered  to  deliver  to  the  king  "  his  brown 
horse." 

In  1604,  Thomas,  heir  of  Robert  Kincaid,  got 
an  annual  rent  of  ,£20  of  land  at  Craiglockhart : 
and  two  years  after,  John  Kincaid,  the  hero  of  the 
brawl,  succeeded  his  father,  James  Kincaid  of  that 
ilk,  knight,  in  the  lands  of  Craiglockhart.  In  1609 
he  also  succeeded  to  some  lands  at  "  Tow-cros " 
(Toll  cross),  outside  the  West  Port  of  Edin- 
burgh. 

By  a  dispute  reported  by  Lord  Fountainhall, 
Craiglockhart  seems  to  have  been  the  property  of 
George  Porteous,  herald  painter,  in  171 1.  The 
house  would  seem  then  to  have  been  repaired,  and 
the  north  wing  probably  added,  and  the  whole  was 
let  for  a  yearly  rent  of  ^100  Scots. 

In  1726  Craig  House  was  the  property  of  Sir 
John  Elphinstone,  and  in  the  early  part  of  the 
present  century  it  belonged  to  Gordon  of  Cluny. 
Prior  to  that,  it  had  been  for  a  time  the  property 
of  a  family  named  Lockhart,  and  there,  on  the  5th 
November,  1770,  when  it  was  the  residence  of 
Alexander  Lockhart,  Esq.,  Major-General  John 
Scott  of  Balcomie  and  Bellevue  was  married  to 
Lady  Mary  Hay,  eldest  daughter  of  the  Earl  of 
Errol ;  and  their  daughter  and  heiress,  Henrietta, 
became  the  wife  of  the  Duke  of  Portland,  who 
added  to  his  own  name  and  arms  those  of  the 
Scotts  of  Balcomie. 

For  some  years  prior  to  1878,  the  Craig  House 
was  the  residence  of  John  Hill  Burton,  LL.D. 
and  F.R.S.E.,  a  distinguished  historian  and  bio- 
grapher, who  was  born  at  Aberdeen  in  1809,  the 
son  of  an  officer  of  the  old  Scots  Brigade,  and  who 
died  in  1881  at  Morton  House.  We  are  told  that 
his  widowed  mother,  though  the  daughter  of  an 
Aberdeenshire  laird,  was  left  with  slender  resources, 
yet  made  successful  exertions  to  give  her  children 
a  good  education.    After  taking  the  degree  of  M.  A. 


THE   CRAIG    HOUSE. 


at  Marischal  College,  Mr.  Burton  was  apprenticed 
to  a  legal  practitioner  in  the  Granite  City,  after 
which  he  became,  in  1S31,  an  advocate  at  the 
Scottish  Bar.  Among  the  young  men  who  crowd 
the  Parliament  House  from  year  to  year  he  found 
little  or  no  practice,  and  he  began  to  devote  his 
time  to  the  study  of  law,  history,  and  political 
economy,  on  all  of  which  subjects  he  wrote  several 
papers  in  the  Edinburgh  Review  and  also  in  the 
Westminster  Review.  He  was  author  of  the  ''Lives'' 
of  David  Hume,  Lord  Lovat,  and  Duncan  Forbes 
of  Culloden,  "  Narratives  of  the  Criminal  Law  of 
Scotland,"  a  "  History  of  Scotland  from  Agricola 
to  the  Revolution  of  1688,''  and  another  history 
from  that  period  to  the  extinction  of  the  last 
Jacobite  insurrection.  "The  Scot  Abroad"  he 
published  in  1864,  and  "The  Book  Hunter."  In 
1854  he  was  appointed  secretary  to  the  Scottish 
Prison  Board,  and  on  its  abolition,  in  1S60,  he 
was  coi.tinued  as  manager  and  secretary  in  con- 
nection with  the  Home  Office.  Soon  after  the 
publication  of  the  first  four  volumes  of  his  early 
"History  of  Scotland,"  the  old  office  in  the  Queen's 
Scottish  Household,  Historiographer  Royal,  being 
vacant,  it  was  conferred  upon  him. 

At  the  quaint  old  Craig  House,  which  is  said 
to  be  haunted  by  the  spectre  known  as  "The 
Green  Lady,"  he  frequently  had  small  gather- 
ings of  literary  visitors  to  the  Scottish  capital, 
which  dwell  pleasantly  in  the  memory  of  those 
who  took  part  in  them.  He  was  hospitably  in- 
clined, kind  of  heart,  and  full  of  anecdote.  "  His 
library  was  a  source  of  never-failing  delight,"  says 
a  writer  in  the  Scotsman  in  1881  ;  "but  his  library 
did  not  mean  a  particular  room.  At  Craig  House 
the  principal  rooms  are  en  suite,  and  they  were  all 
filled  or  covered  with  books.  The  shelves  were 
put  up  by  Mr.  Burton's  own  hands,  and  the  books 
were  arranged  by  himself,  so  that  he  knew  where 
to  find  any  one,  even  in  the  dark;  and  one  of  the 
greatest  griefs  of  his  life  was  the  necessity,  some 
time  ago,  to  disperse  this  library,  which  he  had 
spent  his  life  in  collecting.  In  politics  Mr.  Burton 
was  a  strong  Liberal.  He  took  an  active  part  in 
the  repeal  of  the  Corn  Laws,  and  was  brought  into 
close  friendship  with  Richard  Cobden." 

The  work  by  which  his  name  will  be  chiefly 
remembered  is,  no  doubt,  his  "History  of  Scotland," 
though  its  literary  style  has  not  many  charms  ;  but 
it  is  very  truthful,  if  destitute  of  the  brilliant  word- 
painting  peculiar  to  Macaulay.  "  It  is  something 
for  a  man,"  says  the  writer  above  quoted,  "to  have 
identified  himself  with  such  a  piece  of  work  as  the 
history  of  his  native  country,  and  that  has  been 
done  as  completely  by  John  Hill  Burton  in  con- 


nection with  the  '  History  of  Scotland'  as  by  any 
historian  of  any  country." 

Immediately  under  the  brow  of  Craiglockhart, 
on  its  western  side,  there  are — half  hidden  among 
trees  and  the  buildings  of  a  farm-steading — the 
curious  remains  of  a  very  ancient  little  fortalice, 
which  seems  to  be  totally  without  a  history,  as  no 
notice  of  it  has  appeared  in  any  statistical  account, 
nor  does  it  seem  to  be  referred  to  in  the  "Retours." 

It  is  a  tower,  nearly  square,  measuring  twenty- 
eight  feet  six  inches  by  twenty-four  feet  eight  inches 
externally,  with  walls  six  feet  three  inches  thick, 
built  massively,  as  the  Scots  built  of  old,  for 
eternity  rather  than  for  time,  to  all  appearance. 
A  narrow  arched  doorway,  three  feet  wide,  gives 
access  to  the  arched  entrance  of  the  lower  vault 
and  a  little  stair  in  the  wall  that  ascended  to  the 
upper  storey.  Though  without  a  history,  this 
sturdy  little  fortlet  must  have  existed  probably 
centuries  before  a  stone  of  the  old  Craig  House 
was  built. 

A  little  way  northward  of  this  tower,  on  what 
must  have  been  the  western  skirt  of  the  Burghmuir, 
stood  the  ancient  mansion  of  Meggetland,  of  which 
not  a  vestige  nowr  remains  but  a  solitary  gate-pillar, 
standing  in  a  field  near  the  canal.  In  the  early 
part  of  the  eighteenth  century  it  was  occupied  by  a 
family  named  Sievewright ;  and  Robert  Gordon,  a 
well-known  goldsmith  in  Edinburgh,  died  there  in 
1767. 

A  little  way  westward  of  Craiglockhart  is  the  old 
manor-house  of  Redhall,  which  was  the  property  of 
Sir  Adam  Otterburn,  Lord  Advocate  in  the  time  of 
James  V.  ;  but  the  name  is  older  than  that  age,  as 
Edward  I.  of  England  is  said  to  have  been  at 
Redhall  in  the  August  of  1298. 

In  the  records  of  the  Coldstream  Guards  it  is 
mentioned  that  in  August  iSth  and  24th,  before 
the  battle  of  Dunbar,  in  1650,  ten  companies  of  that 
regiment,  then  known  as  General  Monk's,  were 
engaged  at  the  siege  of  Redhall,  which  was  carried 
by  storm.  This  was  after  Cromwell  had  been 
foiled  in  his  attempt  to  break  the  Scottish  lines 
before  Edinburgh,  and  had  inarched  westward  from 
his  camp  near  the  Braid  Hills  to  cut  off  the  supplies 
of  Leslie  from  the  westward,  but  was  foiled  again, 
and  had  to  fall  back  on  Dunbar,  intending  to  re- 
treat to  England. 

A  pathway  that  strikes  off  across  the  Links  of 
Bruntsfield,  in  a  south-easterly  direction,  leads  to 
the  old  and  tree-bordered  White  House  Loan, 
which  takes  its  name  from  the  mansion  on  the  east 
side  thereof,  to  which  a  curious  classical  interest 
attaches,  and  which  seems  to  have  existed  before 
the   Revolution,   as    in   1671,   James  Chrystie,   of 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH 


[White  House  Loan. 


THE    HERM1TA 


HOUSE;    3,    KITCHEN, 
4,  DINiNG    ROOM,    CRAIG    HOUSE. 


ST.    MARGARET'S   CONVENT. 


45_ 

sermon  was  preached  by  Bishop  Murdoch,  of 
Glasgow.  In  the  vaults  lie  the  remains  of  many 
nuns  and  ecclesiastics  :  among  the  Litter,  those  of 
Bishop  Gillis,  who  died  at  Greenhill  Cottage  close 
by,  a  house  left  to  him,  with  most  of  his  fortune, 
by  J.  Menzies  of  Pitfoddels,  the  last  of  a  very 
old  Catholic  family.  In  the  refectory  are  many 
rare  and  valuable  portraits,  including  some  of  the 
Stuart  family,  and  one  of  Cardinal  Beaton,  on  the 
back  of  which  is  painted,  "  Le  bicnheureux  David 


White  House,  was  returned  as  heir  to  his  father, 
James  Chrystie,  of  that  place,  in  the  parish  of  St. 
Cuthbert's.  But  in  the  early  part  of  the  last 
century  it  had  passed  to  a  family  named  David- 
son, as  shown  by  the  Valuation  Roll  in  1726. 
In  1767  it  was  the  residence  of  MacLeod  of 
MacLeod,  when  his  daughter  was  married  to 
Colonel  Pringle  of  Stitchell,  M.P.  ;  and  in  this 
mansion  it  has  been  said  Principal  Robertson  wrote 
his  "  History  of  Charles  the  Fifth."'      Here  also, 


THE   GRANGE   CEMETERY. 


according  to  the  Edinburgh  Weekly  Journal  for  ' 
April,  1820,  John  Home  wrote  his  "  Douglas,"  and  ; 
Dr.  Blair  his  "  Lectures."  "  We  give  this  interesting  ' 
information,"  says  the  editor,  "on  the  authority  of  ; 
a  very  near  relation  of  Dr.  Blair,  to  whom  these 
particulars  were  often  related  by  the  Doctor  with 
-great  interest." 

On  this  edifice  was  engrafted,  in  1835,  one  of 
the  first  Catholic  convents  erected  in  Scotland 
since  the  Reformation — a  house  of  Ursulines  of  , 
Jesus,  and  dedicated  to  St.  Margaret,  Queen  of 
Scots,  having  a  very  fine  Saxon  chapel,  the  chef 
iauvre  of  Gillespie  Graham.  It  was  opened  in  ! 
June  that  year,  according  to  the  Edinburgh 
Observer,  a  now  extinct  journal,  and  the  inaugural 


de  Bethune,  Archevesque  de  St.  Andre,  Chancellier 
et  Regent  du  Royaume  ifEcosse,  Cardinal  et  Legal 
a  latere,  Jut  massacre  pour  la  foy  en  1546."  It 
is  believed  to  be  a  copy  by  Chambers  from  the 
original  at  St.  Mary's  College,  Blairs.  The  most 
of  the  nuns  were  at  first  French,  under  a  Madame 
St.  Hilaire. 

On  the  same  side  of  the  Loan  are  the  gates 
to  the  old  mansion  of  the  Warrenders  of  Lochend, 
called  Bruntsfield  or  Warrender  House,  the  an- 
cestral seat  of  a  family  which  got  it  as  a  free  gift 
from  the  magistrates,  and  which  lias  been  long 
connected  with  the  civil  history  and  municipal 
affairs  of  the  city — a  massive,  ancient,  and  dark 
edifice,    with    small    windows    and    crowstepped 


46 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


gables,  covered  with  masses  of  luxuriant  ivy,  sur- 
rounded by  fine  old  timber,  and  near  which  lies 
an  interesting  memorial  of  the  statutes  first  made 
in  1567,  the  days  of  the  plague,  of  the  bailies  of 
the  muir — the  tomb  of  some  pest-stricken  creature,* 
forbidden  the  rites  of  sepulture  with  his  kindred. 
"  Here."  says  Wilson,  "  amid  the  pasturage  of  the 
meadow,  and  within  sight  of  the  busy  capital,  a 
large  flat  tombstone  may  be  seen,  time-worn  and 
grey  with  the  moss  of  age  ;  it  bears  on  it  a  skull, 
surmounted  by  a  winged  sandglass  and  a  scroll, 
inscribed  mors  pace  .  .  .  hora  cceli,  and  below  this 
is  a  shield  bearing  a  saltier,  with  the  initials  M.  1.  r., 
and  the  date  of  the  fatal  year,  1645.*  The  m.  sur- 
mounts the  shield,  and  in  all  probability  indi- 
cates that  the  deceased  had  taken  his  degree  | 
of  Master  of  Arts.  A  scholar,  perhaps,  and  i 
one  of  noble  birth,  has  won  the  sad  pre-emin-  ^ 
ence  of  slumbering  in  unconsecrated  ground,  J 
and  apart  from  the  dust  of  his  fathers,  to  tell 
the  terrors  of  the  plague  to  other  generations.  ' 

In  that  year  the  muir  must  have  been  open 
and    desolate,    so    the    house    of    Bruntsfield     1 
must  have  been  built  at  a  later  date. 

Bailie    George    Warrender   of   Lochend,   an 
eminent  merchant  in  Edinburgh,  having  filled     § 
the  office  of  Lord  Provost  of  that  city  in  the      I 
reigns    of   King   William,    Queen    Anne,    and     % 
George  I.,  was  by  the  latter  created  a  baronet      I 
of  Great  Britain  in   1715,  from  which   period      1 
he    represented    the    city   in    Parliament    till 
his     death  ;    but    it    is    during   the   reign    of 
William    that    his    name    first    comes    promi- 
nently before  us,  as  connected  with  a  judicial 
sale  of  some  property  in  the  Parliament  Close 
in  1698,  when  he  was  one  of  the  bailies,  and 
George  Home  (afterwards  Sir  George)  was  Lord 
Provost. 

In  1703  Lord  Fountainhall  reports  a  case: 
James  Fairholme  against  Bailie  Warrender.  The 
former  and  other  managers  of  "  the  manufactory  at 
Edinburgh  "  had  acquainted  the  latter  that  some 
prohibited  goods  were  hidden  in  two  houses  in  the 


city,  and  sought  permission  to  search  for  and  seize 
the  same.  The  bailie  delayed  till  night,  when 
every  man's  house  ought  to  be  his  sanctuary; 
and  for  this  a  fine  was  urged  of  500  marks,  for  which 
the  lords — accepting  his  excuses — "  assoilzied  the 
bailie."  In  another  case,  reported  by  the  same 
lord  in  1 7 10,  he  appears  as  Dean  of  Guild  in. 
a  case  against  certain  burgesses  of  Leith,  that 
savours  of  the  old  oppression  that  the  magistrates 
and  deans  of  guild  of  Edinburgh  could  then 
exercise  over  the  indwellers  in  Leith,  as  part  of 
the  royalty  of  the  city. 

Sir  John  Warrender,  the  bailie's  successor,  was  also 
a  merchant  and  magistrate  of  Edinburgh  ;  and  his 


w<A 


*  As  will  be  seen  from  the  engraving,  Wilson  would 
deciphered  the  tombstone  correctly.     These  lines  are 

THIS   SAINT    WHOS    CORPS    LYES    BV 


great-grandson,  Sir  Patrick,  was  a  cavalry  officer  of 
rank  at  the  famous  battle  of  Minden,  and  died  in 
1799,  when  King's  Remembrancer  in  the  Scottish 
Court  of  Exchequer. 

Within  the  last  few  years  the  parks  around  old 
Bruntsfield  House  have — save  a  small  space  in  its 
immediate  vicinity — been  intersected,  east,  west, 
north,  and  south,  by  stately  streets  and  lines  of 
villas,  among  the  chief  of  which  are  Warrender 
Park  Crescent,  with  its  noble  line  of  ancient  trees ; 
Warrender  Park  Road,  running  from  the  links  to 
Carlung  Place  ;  Spottiswood  and  Thirlstane  Roads  ; 
and  Alvanley  Street,  so  called  from  the  sister  of 
Lord  Alvanley,  the  wife,  in  1838,  of  Captain  John 
Warrender  of  the  Foot  Guards. 

The  old  mansion  is  still  the  Edinburgh  residence 
of  Sir  George  "Warrender,  Bart. 

Eastward  of  the  White  House  Loan,  and  lying 
between  it    and   the  Burghmuir,  is  the   estate  of 


ST.    ROGUE'S   CHAPEL. 


•Greenhill,  whereon  stood  an  old  gable-ended  and 
gableted  manor-house,  on  the  site  of  which  is  now 
the  great  square  modern  mansion  which  bears  its 
name.  In  a  street  here,  called  Greenhill  Gardens, 
there  stands  a  remarkable  parterre,  or  open  burial- 
place,  wherein  lie  the  remains  of  more  than  one  pro- 
prietor of  the  estate.  A  tomb  bears  the  initials 
j.  l.  and  e.  r.,  being  those  of  "John  Livingstone 
and  Elizabeth  Rig,  his  spouse,"  who  acquired 
the  lands  of  Greenhill  in  1C36;  and  the  adjacent 
thoroughfare,  named  Chamberlain  Road,  is  so 
■called  from  an  official  of  the  city,  named  Fair- 
holme, who  is  also  buried  there. 

A  dispute — Temple  and  Halliday  with  Adam 
Gairns  of  Greenhill  —  is  reported  before  the 
lords  in  1706,  concerning  a  tenement  in  the 
Lawnmarket,  which  would  seem  to  have  been 
"spoiled  and  deteriorated"  in  the  fire  of  1701. 
(Fountainha.il.) 

In  1 741  Mr.  Thomas  Fairholme,  merchant  in 
Edinburgh,  married  Miss  Warrender,  daughter  of 
Sir  George  Warrender  of  Bruntsfield,  and  his  death 
at  Greenhill  is  reported  in  the  Scots  Magazine  for 
1 77 1.  There  was  a  tenement  called  Fairholme 
Land  in  the  High  Street,  immediately  adjoining 
the  Royal  Exchange  on  the  east,  as  appears  from 
the  Scots  Magazine  of  1754,  probably  erected  by 
Bailie  Fairholme,  a  magistrate  in  the  time  of 
Charles  II. 

Kay  gives  us  a  portrait  of  George  Fairholme  of 
Greenhill  (and  of  Green-know,  Berwickshire),  who, 
with  his  younger  brother,  William  of  Chapel,  had 
long  resided  in  Holland,  where  they  became 
wealthy  bankers,  and  where  the  former  cultivated 
a.  natural  taste  for  the  fine  arts,  and  in  after  life 
became  celebrated  as  a  judicious  collector  of 
pictures,  and  of  etchings  by  Rembrandt,  all  of 
which  became  the  property  of  his  nephew,  Adam 
Fairholme  of  Chapel,  Berwickshire.  He  died  in 
his  seventieth  year,  in  1800,  and  was  interred  in 
the  family  burying-place  at  Greenhill. 

In  a  disposition  of  the  lands  of  the  latter  estate 
by  George  Fairholme,  in  favour  of  Thomas  Wright, 
dated  16th,  and  recorded  18th  February,  1790,  in 
the  sheriffs'  books  at  Edinburgh,  the  preservation  of 
the  old  family  tomb,  which  forms  so  singular  a 
feature  in  a  modern  street,  is  thus  provided  for  : — 

"  Reserving  nevertheless  to  me  the  liberty  and 
privilege  of  burying  the  dead  of  my  own  family, 
and  such  of  my  relations  to  whom  I,  during  my 
own  lifetime,  shall  communicate  such  privilege,  in 
the  burial-place  built  upon  the  said  lands,  and 
reserving  likewise  access  to  me  and  my  heirs  to 
repair  the  said  burial-place  from  time  to  time,  as  we 
shall  think  proper." 


Greenhill  became  latterly  the  property  of  the 
Stuart-Forbeses  of  Pitsligo,  baronets. 

After  passing  the  old  mansion  named  East 
Morningside  House,  the  White  House  Loan  joins 
at  right  angles  the  ancient  thoroughfare  named  the 
Grange  Loan,  which  led  of  old  from  the  Linton 
Road  to  St.  Giles's  Grange,  and  latterly  the  Cause- 
wayside. 

On  the  south  side  of  it  a  modern  villa  takes  its 
name  of  St.  Roque  from  an  ancient  chapel  which 
stood  there,  and  the  ruins  of  which  were  extant 
within  the  memory  of  many  of  the  last  generation. 
The  chapels  of  St.  Roque  and  St.  John,  on  the 
Burghmuir,  were  both  dependencies  of  St.  Cuth- 
bert's  Church.  The  historian  of  the  latter  absurdly 
conceives  it  to  have  been  named  from  a  French 
ambassador,  Lecroc,  who  was  in  Scotland  in  1567. 
The  date  of  its  foundation  is  involved  in  obscurity ; 
but  entries  occur  in  the  Treasurer's  Accounts  for 
1507,  when  on  St.  Roque's  Day  (15th  August)  James 
IV.  made  an  offering  of  thirteen  shillings.  "That 
I  this  refers  to  the  chapel  on  the  Burghmuir  is 
proved,"  says  Wilson,  "  by  the  evidence  of  two 
charters  signed  by  the  king  at  Edinburgh  on  the 
same  day." 

Arnot  gives  a  view  of  the  chapel  from  the  north- 
east, showing  the  remains  of  a  large  pointed  window, 
that  had  once  been  filled  in  with  Gothic  tracery ; 
and  states  that  it  is  owing  "  to  the  superstitious 
awe  of  the  people  that  one  stone  of  this  chapel  has 
been  left  upon  another — a  superstition  which,  had 
it  been  more  constant  in  its  operations,  might  have 
checked  the  tearing  zeal  of  reformation.  About 
thirty  years  ago  the  proprietor  of  the  ground 
employed  masons  to  pull  down  the  walls  of  the 
chapel ;  the  scaffolding  gave  way ;  the  tradesmen 
were  killed.  The  accident  was  looked  upon  as  a 
judgment  against  those  who  were  demolishing  the 
house  of  God.  No  entreaties  nor  bribes  by  the 
proprietor  could  prevail  upon  tradesmen  to  accom- 
plish its  demolition." 

It  was  a  belief  of  old  that  St.  Roque's  interces- 
sion could  protect  all  from  pestilence,  as  lie  was 
distinguished  for  his  piety  and  labours  during  a 
plague  in  Italy  in  1348.  Thus  Sir  David  Lindesay 
says  of — 

" Superstitious  pilgramages 

To  monie  divers  imagis ; 

Sum  to  Sanct  Roche  with  diligence, 

To  saif  them  from  the  pestilence." 

Thus  it  is,  in  accordance  with  the  attributes  as- 
cribed in  Church  legends  to  St.  Roque,  that  we  find 
his  chapel  constantly  resorted  to  by  the  victims  of 
the  plague  encamped  on  the  Burghmuir,  during  the 
prevalence  of  that  scourge  in  the  sixteenth  century. 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH 


WARRENDER    HOUSE;   2,   ST.   MARGARETS    COXVE 
in  Anwfs   "History");  4,   GRANGE    HOUSE,   1820  (aft, 


5,    DRAWING  ROOM    IN    GRANGE   HOUSE,  1882. 


GRANGE   HOUSE. 


49 


'•  The  chapel  of  St.  Roque,"  says  Wilson,  "  has 
not  escaped  the  notice  of  the  Lord  Lyon  King's 
eulogist,  among  the  varied  features  of  the  land- 
scape that  fill  up  the  magnificent  picture  as  Mar- 
mion  rides  under  the  escort  of  Sir  David  Lindesay 
to  the  top  of  Blackford  Hill,  in  his  approach  to 
the  Scottish  camp,  and  looks  down  on  the  martial 
array  of  the  kingdom,  coveting  the  wooded  Links 
of  the  Burghmuir.  James  IV.  is  there  represented 
as  occasionally  wending  his  way  to  attend  mass  at 
the  neighbouring  chapels  of  St.  Katharine  or  St. 
Roque  ;  nor  is  it  unlikely  that  the  Jatter  may  have 
been  the  scene  of  the  monarch's  latest  acts  of  de-  ' 
votion,  ere  he  led  forth  that  gallant  array  to  perish 
around  him  on  the  field  of  Flodden.'' 

In  the  "Burgh  Records,"  15th  December,  1530,  ■ 
we  find  that  James  Barbour,  master  and  governor 
of  "the  foul  folk  on  the  mure"  (i.e.,  the  pest- 
stricken),  had  made  away  with  the  goods  and , 
clothes  of  many  that  were  lying  in  the  chapel  of 
St.  Roque  ;  and  that  all  who  had  any  claims  to 
make  should  bring  them  forward  on  a  given  day: 
but  if  the  clothes  proved  of  small  value,  they  were 
to  be  burned  or  given  to  the  poor. 

In  1532  the  provost  and  bailies,  "moved  by  ] 
devotion,  have,  for  the  honour  of  God  and  his 
Blissit  Mother,  Virgen  Marie,  and  the  holy  con- 
fessour  Sanct  Rok,"  for  prayers  to  be  said  for  the 
souls  of  those  that  lie  in  the  said  kirk  and  kirk- 
yard,  granted  to  Sir  John  Young,  the  chaplain 
thereof,  three  acres  of  the  Burghmuir,  with  another 
acre  to  build  houses  upon ;  for  which  he  and 
his  successors  were  bound  to  keep  the  chapel 
in  repair,  and  its  slates  and  "  glaswyndois  "  water- 
tight. 

These  acres  are  described  in  the  "  Records  "  as 
lying  between  the  land  of  James  Makgill  on  the 
west,  and  of  William  Henderson  on  the  east, 
Braid's  Burn  on  the  south,  and  the  common 
passage  of  the  Muir  (i.e.,  the  Grange  Loan)  on  the 
north. 

Early  in  the  present  century,  by  a  new  pro- 
prietor, "  the  whole  of  this  interesting  and  venera- 
ble ruin  was  swept  away  as  an  unsightly  en- 
cumbrance to  the  estate  of  a  retired  trades- 
man." 

Close  by,  a  tombstone  from  its  burying-ground 
long  remained  at  the  corner  of  a  thatched  cottage 
in  the  Loan.  It  bore  the  date  1600.  Others 
were  to  be  found  in  the  adjacent  boundary 
walls. 

Now  villas  are    springing  up  fast  between  the 
Loan  and  Blackford  Hill,  which  in  altitude  is  698 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  of  which  Scott 
says,  in  "  Marmion"  : — 
103 


"Blackford:   on  whose  uncultured  breast, 
Among  the  broom,  and  thorn,  anj  whin, 

A  truant  boy,  I  sought  the  ne:t, 

Or  listed  as  I  lay  at  rest  ; 
While  rose  on  breezes  thin 

The  murmur  of  the  city  crowd  : 

And,  from  his  steeple,  jingling  loud, 
Si.  Giles's  mingling  din." 

The  tiends  and  tithes  of  the  Burghmuir  be- 
longed of  old  to  the  abbey  of  Holyrood,  but  this 
did  not  prevent  the  acquisition  of  its  fertile  acres 
by  private  proprietors,  or  their  transference  to  dif- 
ferent ecclesiastical  foundations. 

The  great  parish  church  of  the  city  had  at  the 
earliest  period  of  its  existence  as  chief  clergyman 
an  official  styled  the  Vicar  of  St.  Giles's,  who  pos- 
sessed an  interest  in  a  farmhouse  called  St.  Giles's 
Grange,  which  has  given  the  name  of  The  Grange 
to  all  the  pleasant  suburb  around  where  once  it 
stood. 

In  1679,  William  Dick  of  Grange  succeeded 
Janet  McMath,  his  mother,  relict  of  William  Dick 
of  Grange,  in  the  lands  of  St.  Giles's  Grange,  and 
eighteen  arable  acres  of  the  Sciennes. 

Before  the  Grange  House  was  enlarged  by  the 
late  Sir  Thomas  Dick  Lauder,  it  presented,  in  the 
early  part  of  the  present  century,  as  shown  by 
Storer,  the  appearance  of  a  plain  little  castellated 
house,  with  only  three  chimneys  and  one  circular 
turret. 

Of  old  it  was  the  patrimony  of  the  Dicks,  from 
whom  it  went  to  the  Lauders ;  and  in  the  Register 
of  Entails  for  1757,  we  find  Mrs.  Isabel  Dick  of 
Grange,  and  Sir  Andrew  Lauder  of  Fountainhall, 
her  husband,  entailing  the  lands  and  estate 
of  Grange.  They  were  cousins.  He  was  the  fifth 
baronet  of  the  old  and  honourable  line  of  Lauder, 
and  she  was  the  only  child  and  heiress  of  William 
Dick  of  Grange,  whose  arms,  argent  a  fesse  wavy, 
azure,  between  three  mullets  gules,  were  thence- 
forward quartered  with  the  rampant  griffin  of  the 
Lauders.  She  died  in  the  old  Grange  House  in 
1758;  and  there  also  died  her  mother,  in  1764. 
"Anne  Seton,  relict  of  William  Dick  of  Grange, 
and  eldest  daughter  of  Sir  Alexander  Seton  of 
Pitmedden,  some  time  senator  of  the  College  of 
Justice."  {Edinburgh  Advertiser,  Vol.  I.)  Her 
sister  Jean  died  in  the  same  house  four  years  after. 

Dr.  William  Robertson, the  historian  and  preacher, 
resided  in  the  old  Grange  House  in  the  later  years 
of  his  life,  and  there  his  death  occurred,  on  the  nth 
June,  1793. 

It  was  after  the  succession  of  Sir  Thomas  Dick 
Lauder,  a  well-known  litterateur  in  Edinburgh  so- 
ciety, who,  early  in  life,  was  an  officer  of  the  Cameron 
Highlanders,  that  the  Grange  House  was  enlarged, 


5° 


OLD    AND    NEW 'EDINBURGH. 


and  made  the  ornate  edifice  we  find  it  now,  with 
oriel  windows  and  clustering  turrets.  He  was 
author  of -'The  Wolf  of  Badenoch,"  '"The  History  of 
the  Morayshire  Floods,''  a  "Journal  of  the  Queen's 
Visit  to  Scotland  in  1842,"  &c.  He  was  the  lineal 
representative  of  the  Landers  of  Lauder  Tower  and 
the  Bass,  and  of  the  Dicks  of  Braid  and  Grange, 
and  died  in  1S48. 

Near  the  Grange  House  is  the  spacious  and 
ornamental  cemetery  of  the  same  name,  bordered 
on  the  east  by  a  narrow  path,  once  lined  by  dense 
hedge-rows,  which  led  from  the  Grange  House  to  the 
Meadows,  and  was  long  known  as  the  Lovers'  Loan. 
This  celebrated  burying-ground  contains  the  ashes  of 
Drs.  Chalmers, Lee, and  Guthrie;  Sir  Andrew  Agnew 
of  Lochnaw,  Sir  Thomas  Dick  Lauder,  Sir  Hope 
Grant  of  Kilgraston,  the  well-known  Indian  general 
and  cavalry  officer ;  Hugh  Miller,  Scotland's  most 
eminent  geologist ;  the  second  Lord  Dunfermline, 
and  a  host  of  other  distinguished  Scotsmen. 


In  the  Grange  Road  is  the  Chalmers  Memorial 
Free  Church,  built  in  1866,  after  designs  by 
Patrick  Wilson  at  a  cost  of  ,£6,000.  It  is  a 
cruciform  edifice,  in  the  geometric  Gothic  style. 
In  Kilgraston  Road  is  the  Robertson  Memorial 
Established  Church,  built  in  187 1,  after  designs 
by  Robert  Morham,  at  a  cost  of  more  than  ^6,000. 
It  is  also  a  handsome  cruciform  edifice  in  the 
Gothic  style,  with  a  spire  156  feet  high. 

In  every  direction  around  these  spots  spread 
miles  of  handsome  villas  in  every  style  of  archi- 
tecture, with  plate  glass  oriels,  and  ornate  railings, 
surrounded  by  clustering  trees,  extensive  gardens 
and  lawns,  beautiful  shrubberies  —  in  summer,. 
rich  with  fruit  and  lovely  flowers — the  long  lines 
of  road  intersected  by  tramway  rails  and  crowded 
by  omnibuses. 

Such  is  now  the  Burghmuir  of  James  III. — the 
Drumsheugh  Forest  of  David  I.  and  of  remoter 
times. 


CHAPTER     V. 

Till;    DISTRICT    OF    NEWINGTON. 

Causewayside — Summerhall — Clerk  Street  Chapel  and  other  Churches— Literary  Institute — Mayfield  Loan— Old  Houses— Free  Church — 
The  Pow  burn- -Female  Blind  Asylum— Chapel  of  St.  John  the  Baptist— Dominican  Convent  at  the  Sciennes— Sciennes  Hill  House— Scott 
and  Burns  meet— New  Trades  Maiden  Hospital— Hospital  for  Incurables — Prestonfield  House— The  Hamiltons  and  Dick-Cunninghams— 
Cemetery  at  Echo  Bank— The  Lands  of  Cameron — Craigmillar — Description  of  the  C.^clu-  I  unes  V.,  Queen  Mary,  and  Darnley,  resident 
there— Queen  Man's  Tree -The  Prestons  and  Gilmours—  Pefler  Mill  House. 


"When  the  population  of  Edinburgh,"  says  Sir 
Walter  Scott,  "appeared  first  disposed  to  burst 
from  the  walls  within  which  it  had  been  so  long 
confined,  it  seemed  natural  to  suppose  that  the 
tide  would  have  extended  to  the  south  side  of 
Edinburgh,  and  that  the  New  Town  would  have 
occupied  the  extensive  plain  on  the  south  side 
of  the  College.''  The  natural  advantage  pointed 
out  so  early  by  Sir  Walter  has  been  eventually  em- 
braced, and  the  results  are  the  populous  suburban 
districts  we  have  been  describing,  covered  witli 
streets  and  villas,  and  Newington,  which  now  ex- 
tends from  the  Sciennes  and  Preston  Street  nearly 
to  the  hill  crowned  by  the  ancient  castle  of  Craig- 
millar. 

In  the  Valuation  Roll  for  18 14  the  district  is 
described  as  the  "  Lands  of  Newington,  part  of  the 
Old  and  New  Burrowmuir." 

The  year  1800  saw  the  whole  locality  open  and 
arable  fields,  save  where  stood  the  old  houses  of 
Mayfield  at  the  Mayfield  Loan,  a  few  cottages  at 
Echo  Bank,  and  others  at  the  Powburn.     In  those 


days  the  London  mails  proceeded  from  the  town 
by  the  East  Cross  Causeway  ;  but  as  time  went 
on,  Newington  House  was  erected,  then  a  villa 
or  two  :  among  the  latter,  one  still  extant  near  the 
corner  of  West  Preston  Street,  was  the  residence 
of  William  Blackwood  the  publisher,  and  founder 
of  the  firm  and  magazine. 

In  the  Causewayside,  which  leads  direct  from 
the  Sciennes  to  the  Powburn,  were  many  old  and 
massive  mansions  (the  residences  of  wealthy  citi- 
zens), that  stood  back  from  the  roadway,  within 
double  gates  and  avenues  of  trees.  Some  of  these 
edifices  yet  remain,  but  they  are  of  no  note,  and  are 
now  the  abodes  of  the  poor. 

Broadstairs  House,  in  the  Causewayside,  a 
massive,  picturesque  building,  demolished  to  make 
room  for  Mr.  T.  C.  Jack's  printing  and  publishing 
establishment,  was  built  by  the  doctor  of  James  IV. 
or  V.,  and  remained  in  possession  of  the  family  till 
the  end  of  last  century.  One  half  of  the  edifice 
was  known  as  Broadstairs  House,  and  the  other 
half  as  Wormwood  Hall.     Mr.   Jack  bought  the 


CRAIGMILLAR   ASYLUM. 


former,  but  he  could  not  take  it  down  without  pur 
chasing  the  latter  also.  The  garden  is  supposed 
to  have  extended  as  far  back  as  the  Dalkeith  Road 
before  Minto  Street  was  made. 

Summerhall,  in  the  Sciennes  quarter,  has  long 
ibeen  noted  for  its  brewery.  In  the  dreadful  storm 
of  wind  which  visited  Edinburgh  in  1739,  we  are 
told  in  the  Scots  Magazine  for  that  year,  that  the 
ashes  from  several  chimneys  set  some  houses  on 
fire,  among  others  that  of  Mr.  Bryson  the  brewer 
at  Summerhall,  and  destroyed  it,  with  200  bolls  of 
grain.     Summerhall  is  a  brewery  still. 

Clerk  Street  Chapel  was  among  the  many  new 
•churches  that  have  sprung  up  in  this  district,  where 
we  now  find  quite  a  cluster  of  them. 

The  foundation-stone  of  the  former  was  laid  in 
1823  ;  it  was  to  be  a  chapel  of  ease  for  St.  Cuth- 
liert's  parish,  to  contain  1,700  persons,  and  be 
named  "  Hope  Park  Chapel."  The  steeple  is 
.about  116  feet  in  height.  Newington  Free  Church, 
on  the  east  side  of  the  street,  about  one  hundred  and 
twenty  yards  farther  south,  is  a  spacious  building, 
erected  in  1843,  and  enlarged  afterwards  with  a 
neat  Gothic  front.  Hope  Park  United  Presbyterian 
Church  is  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  south-west 
•of  the  latter,  and  was  erected  in  1867,  in  lieu  of  a 
relinquished  church  in  the  Potterrow ;  and  Hope 
Park  Congregational  Church  was  erected  in  1876, 
.at  a  cost  of  ,£6,300,  in  the  French  Romanesque 
style.  St.  Peter's  Episcopal  Church,  with  a  lofty 
square  spire,  stands  in  Lutton  Place,  about  one 
hundred  and  forty  yards  south-east  of  Newington 
Free  Church. 

In  No.  26  South  Clerk  Street  is  the  Edinburgh 
Literary  Institute,  built  in  1870,  and  improved  five 
years  subsequently.  It  contains  a  large  hall  for 
lectures  and  concerts,  and  has  a  reading-room, 
library,  and  several  class-rooms.  It  is  managed  by 
a  president  and  twenty-four  directors,  with  finance, 
lecture,  and  library  committees.  The  library  con- 
tains considerably  over  20,000  volumes,  and  in 
the  news  and  reading  rooms  are  to  be  found  the 
whole  serial  literature  of  the  day. 

The  Mayfield  Loan,  a  continuation  of  the 
•Grange  Loan,  intersects  Newington  from  east  to 
west.  During  the  last  century  there  were  but  two 
small  manor-houses  here,  known  respectively  as 
East  and  West  Mayfield  Houses.  The  latter  was 
only  swept  away  a  few  years  ago,  after  being  long 
a  wayside  inn,  when  Mayfield  Street  was  formed. 
In  the  West  Loan  w^e  find  Mayfield  Free  Church 
and  Hall,  in  the  early  Cothic  style,  opened  about 
the  end  of  1876,  and  designed  to  become  a  large 
■cruciform  edifice,  with  a  steeple  150  feet  high. 

A  little  way  south  of  this  was  the  hamlet  of  the 


Powburn,  once  a  favourite  summer  residence  for 
citizens.  It  gave  the  title  of  baronet  to  a  Sir 
James  Keith  in  1663;  the  title  is  now  extinct. 
Put  a  hundred  years  afterwards  we  find  advertised 
as  to  let  "The  Powburn  House,  pleasantly  situ- 
ated a  little  from  the  Grangegate  Toll  Bar,  with 
coach-house  and  four-stalled  stable,"  &c.  (Edin- 
burgh Advertiser,  Vol.  I.) 

Here  has  now  been  erected  on  rising  ground  the 
West  Craigmillar  Asylum  for  Blind  Females,  one  of 
the  many  noble  charities  which  do  such  honour  to 
Edinburgh.  It  stands  amid  an  ornamental  plot  of 
four  acres;  was  founded  in  April,  1874,  and  com- 
pleted three  years  afterwards,  at  a  cost  of  ,£13,000. 
It  consists  of  a  main  body  and  wings  in  a  light 
French  style  of  architecture.  The  front  elevation 
is  160  feet  long;  the  main  block  is  three  storeys 
high,  with  a  porticoed  entrance,  and  is  surmounted 
by  a  clock-tower  So  feet  in  height.  Each  wing 
has  a  French  roof,  designed  in  a  manner  to  en- 
hance the  appearance  of  this  tower. 

The  reception-hall  is  circular,  with  a  diameter 
of  11 1  feet ;  there  are  two  work-rooms,  each  72  feet 
by  20  ;  a  dining-hall,  1 15  feet  long,  with  a  roof  about 
24  feet  high  of  open  timber  work.  This  noble 
edifice  has  superseded  both  the  asylum  for  blind 
female  adults  in  Nicolson  Street,  and  that  for  blind 
female  children  in  Gayfield  Square,  and  accommo- 
dates 150  inmates. 

Newington  consists  almost  entirely  of  lines  of 
handsome  villas,  bordering  spacious  thoroughfares, 
and  contains  the  houses  in  which  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Thomas  McCrie,  the  Rev.  Dr.  John  Brown,  and 
the  Rev.  Dr.  William  Cunningham,  lived  and  died. 
House  property,  principally  in  villas,  throughout 
the  southern  suburbs  eastward  of  the  Burghmuir- 
head.  was  erected  in  the  i'ew  years  ending  1877,  to 
the  value  of  .£1,358,550. 

Mayfield  Established  Church  was  at  first  only  a 
temporary  iron  erection,  facing  Craigmillar  Park, 
but  in  1S77  was  superseded  by  a  stone  structure 
which  cost  about  £5,000. 

The  most  ancient  edifices  that  stood  in  the 
Newington  district  of  Edinburgh  were  the  Chapel 
of  St.  John  the  Baptist,  on  the  eastern  verge  of 
the  Burghmuir,  and  the  Convent  of  St.  Katharine 
of  Scienna,  which  gave  its  name  to  the  suburb  now 
named  the  Sciennes. 

The  former  was  long  a  solitary  chaplaincy, 
founded  and  endowed,  towards  the  close  of  the 
reign  of  James  IV.,  by  Sir  John  Crawford,  a  canon 
of  St.  Giles's  Church;  "and  portions  of  the  ruins," 
says  Wilson,  "  are  believed  still  to  form  part  of 
the  garden  wall  of  a  house  on  the  west  side  of 
Newington,  called  Sciennes  Hall.''  There  a  species 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


of  hermit,  or  chaplain,  resided  ;  and  the  charter  of 
foundation  mentions  that  he  was  to  be  clothed  "  in 
a  white  garment,  having  on  his  breast  a  portraiture 
of  St.  John  the  Baptist." 

In  the  "  Inventory  of  Pious  Donations,"  under 
date  2nd  of  March,  15 12,  there  is  found  a  "charter  of 
confirmation  of  a  mortification  by  Sir  John  Craw- 
ford, one  of  the  prebends  of  St.  Giles's  Kirk,  to  a 
kirk  built  by  him  at  St.  Giellie  Grange,  mortifying 
thereunto  18  acres   of  land,  with  the  Quarry  Land 


Soon  after  the  erection  of  this  chapel  the  convent 
of  St.  Katharine  was  founded  near  it,  by  Janet  Lady 
Seton,  whose  husband  George,  third  Lord  Seton, 
was  slain  at  the  battle  of  Flodden,  where  also  fell 
his  brother  Adam,  second  Earl  of  Bothwell,  grand- 
father of  James,  fourth  Earl  of  Bothwell,  and  Duke 
of  Orkney. 

After  that  fatal  day  she  remained  a  widow  for 
forty-five  years,  says  the  "  History  of  the  House 
of  Seytoun"—  for  nearly  half  a  century,  according 


given  to  him  in  charity  by  the  said  Burgh,  with  an 
acre  and  a  quarter  of  a  particate  of  land  in  his 
three  acres  and  a  half  of  the  said  Muir  pertaining 
to  him,  lying  at  the  east  side  of  the  common 
muir,  betwixt  the  lands  of  John  Cant  on  the  west, 
and  the  common  muir  on  the  east  and  south  parts, 
and  the  Mureburgh  now  built  on  the  north." 

This  solitary  little  chapel  was  intended  to  be  a 
charity  for  the  benefit  of  the  souls  of  the  founder, 
his  kindred,  the  reigning  sovereign,  the  magistrates 
of  Edinburgh,  "  and  such  others  as  it  was  usual 
to  include  in  the  services  for  the  faithful  departed 
in  similar  foundations."  The  chaplain  was  required 
to  be  of  the  founder's  name  and  family,  and  after  his 
death  the  patronage  rested  with  the  Town  Council. 


to  the  "  Eglinton  Peerage  " — and  was  celebrated 
for  her  "  exalted  and  matronly  conduct,  which  drew 
around    her,  at    her  well-known   residence  at  the 

'  Sciennes,  all  the  female  branches  of  the  nobility." 
In  1 5 16  a  notarial  instrument  on  behalf  of  the 
sisters  and  Josina  Henrison  at  their  head,  referring" 

;  to  the  foundation  and  mortification  of  St.  John's 
Kirk,  on  the  Burgh  Muir,  is  preserved  among  the 
"  Burgh  Records." 

The  convent  was  founded  for  Dominicans,  and' 
amid  the  gross  corruption  that  prevailed  at  the 
Reformation,  so  blameless  and  innocent  were  the 
lives  of  these  ladies  that  they  were  excepted  from 
the  general  denunciation  by  the  great  satirist  of  the 
time,  Sir  David  Lindsay,  who,  in  his  satire  of  the 


ST.    KATHARINE'S   CONVENT. 


5  5 


'•  Papingo,"  makes  Chastity  flee  for  refuge  to  the 
sisters  of  the  Sciennes. 

The  convent  was  erected  under  a  Bull  of  Pope 
Leo  X.,  and  also  by  a  charter  of  James  V.  This 
Bull  informs  us  that  the  convent  was  created 
through  the    influence   of   the  families    of  Seton, 


Lord  Seton,  refusing  all  offers  of  marriage,  became 
a  nun  at  the  Sciennes,  and  dying  in  her  seventy- 
eighth  year,  was  buried  there,  according  to  the 
history  of  her  house. 

The  chapel    of   St.    John  the    Eaptist    became 
that  of  the  new  convent,  which,  up  to  the  middle 


MR.   DUNCAN    MCLAREN.      (From  a  rhotograph  by  J.  G.  Tunny.) 


Douglas  of  Glenbervie,  and  Lauder  of  the  Bass, 
the  land  being  given  by  the  venerable  Sir  John 
Crawford.  The  first  prioress  was  the  widowed 
Lady  Seton  ;  "  ane  nobill  and  wyse  Ladye,"  says 
Sir  Richard  Maitland,  "  sche  gydit  hir  sonnis 
leving  quhill  he  was  cumit  to  age,  and  thereafter 
she  passit  and  remainit  at  the  place  of  Senis,  on 
the  Borrow  Mure."  There  she  died  in  1558,  and 
was  buried  in  the  choir  of  Seton  church,  beside 
her  husband,  whose  body  had  been  brought  from 
Flodden. 

Katharine,   second  daughter  of  George,  fourth 


of  the  sixteenth  century,  received  various  augmen- 
tations—among others,  a  tenement  in  the  Cowgate. 
The  nuns  made  annual  processions  to  the  altar 
of  St.  Katharine  in  St.  Margaret's  Chapel  at  Liber- 
j  ton  ;  and  it  was  remarked,  says  the  editor  of 
;  Archceoloja  Scotica,  that  the  man  who  demolished 
the  latter  never  prospered  after. 

In  1541  the  magistrates  took  in  feu  from  the 
nuns  their  arable  land,  lying  outside  the  Greyfriars' 
I  Port,  and,  curious  to  say,  it  is  on  a  portion  of  this 
that  the  new  Convent  of  St.  Katharine  was  founded, 
about  i860.    Within  the  grounds  on  the  north  side 


54 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


of  the  latter  is  a  grand  old  thorn,  which  has  always 
borne  the  name  of  "  St.  Katharine's  Thorn." 

In  1544  the  convent  at  the  Sciennes  was  de- 
stroyed by  the  English  ;  and  by  the  year  1567  its 
whole  possessions  had  passed  into  the  hands  of 
laymen,  and  the  helpless  sisters  were  driven  forth 
from  their  cloisters  in  utter  penury  ;  nor  would  the 


RUINS     OK    THE    CONVENT     OF    ST.      KATHARINE,    Mll.N 
KW.  VIEW,   1854.     (After  a  Drawingby  (he  Author.) 

magistrates,  until  compelled  by  Queen  Mary,  says 
Arnot,  "  allow  them  a  subsistence  out  of  those  very 
funds  with  which  their  own  predecessors  had 
endowed  the  convent."  The  "  Burgh  Records " 
corroborate  this,  as  in  1563  the  Prioress  Christian, 
Beatrix  Blacater,  and  other  sisters,  received  pay- 
ment of  certain  feu-duties  for  their  sustenance  out 
of  the  proceeds  of  the  suppressed  house.  At  that 
time  its  revenues  were  only  ,£219  6s.  sterling, 
with  eighty-six  bolls  of  wheat  and  barley,  and 
one  barrel  of  salmon.  (Maitland's  Hist.)  Its 
seal  is  preserved  among  Laing's  Collection, 
No.  1 136. 

Dame  Christian  Ballenden,  prioress  after 
the  dispersion  of  the  nuns  (an  event  referred 
to  by  Scott  in  his  "  Abbot "),  feued  the  lands       .  j 
in  1567   to    Henry,    second    son    of  Henry 
Kincaid    of    Warriston,    by    his   first   wife, 
Margaret  Ballenden,   supposed  to  be  a  sister 
or  relation.    How  long  the  Kincaids  -possessed 
the  lands  is  unknown,  but  about  the  middle 
of  the  sixteenth  century  they  seem  to  have 
passed  to  Janet  McMath,   wife  of  William 
Dick  of  Grange,  and  consequently,  ancestress 
of  the  Lauders  of  Fountainhall  and  Grange, 
as  shown  in  a  preceding  chapter. 
.     A  small  fragment    of   the  convent,  twelve  feet 
high,  measuring  twenty-seven  feet  by  twenty-four, 
having  a  corbelled  fire-place  six  feet  six  inches  wide, 
served — till  within  the  last  few  years — as  a  sheep- 
fold  for  the  flocks  that  pastured  in  the  surrounding 
meadow,  and  views  of  that  fragment  are  still  pre- 
served. The  site  of  the  convent  was  commemorated 
by  a  tablet,   erected  in    1S72,   by  George  Seton, 
Esq.,    representative    of  the    Setons    of  Cariston, 


who  also  raised  a  cairn  of  stones  from  the 
venerable  building  in  his  grounds  at  St.  Bennet's, 
Greenhill.  When  St.  Katharine's  Place,  near  it,  was 
built,  a  large  number  of  skulls  and  human  bones 
was  found,  only  eighteen  inches  below  the  surface; 
and  thirty-six  feet  eastward,  a  circular  stone  well, 
four  feet  in  diameter  and  ten  feet  deep,  was  dis- 
covered in  1864.  The  sisters  are  said  to 
have  frequented  a  well  within  the  grounds 
of  Oakbank,  at  the  extremity  of  Lauder 
Road,  still  called  the  "  Ladies'  Well,"  and 
in  the  centre  of  Sciennes  Court  is  another 
well,  supposed  to  have  belonged  to  the 
convent.  ("  Convent  of  St  Katharine,"  by 
G.  Seton,  Esq.  ;  privately  printed.) 

The  road  that  now  runs  westward  from 
this  point  to  Bruntsfield  Links  was  of  old 
bordered  by  hedgerows,  and  known  as  the 
Sciennes  Loan. 

In  Pitcairn's  "  Criminal  Trials  "  we  read 
that  in  1624  "  Harie  Liston,  indweller  at  the 
back  of  the  Pleasance,  callit  the  Bak  Row,  was 
clelatit "  for  assault  and  hamesucken  on  Robert 
Young,  "  in  his  pease  lands,"  beside  the  Sciennes, 
stabbing  him,  cutting  his  clothes,  and  drawing 
him  by  the  heels  "to  ane  brick  vault  in  St. 
Geillies  Grange,"  where  he  died,  and  was  secretly 
buried ;    yet    Liston    was    declared    innocent  by 


U0R  OF   THE  Rl'INS  OK  THE   CONVENT   OF  ST.  KATHARINE, 
SCIENNES,    1S54.  1  '      Afithor) 

the  Court,  and  "acquit  of  the  slaughter  and 
murthour." 

In  the  Courant  for  1761  "the  whole  of  the 
houses  and  gardens  at  Sciennes,  and  the  houses  at 
Goodspeed  of  Sciennes,  near  Edinburgh,  at  the 
east  end  of  Hope  Park,"  belonging  to  Sir  James 
Johnston  (of  Westerhall),  were  advertised  for 
sale. 

The  entrance-door  of  Old  Sciennes  House,  enter- 
ing from  the  meadows,  and  removed  in  1S67,  had 


THE    HOSPITAL   FOR    INCURABLES. 


741 


three  plain  shields  under  a  moulding,  with  the  date  :  Minto  Street,  is  the  Edinburgh  Hospital  for  In- 
curables, founded  in  1874;  and  through  the  charity 
j  of  the  late  Mr.  J.  A.  Longmore,  in  voting  a  grant 
I  of  ^10,000  for  that  purpose,  provided  the  institu- 
,  tion  "  should  supply  accommodation  for  incurable 
!  patients  of  all  classes,  and  at  the  same  time  com- 
memorate Mr.  Longmore's  munificent  bequest  for 
the  relief  of  such  sufferers,''  the  directors  were 
enabled,  in  1877,  to  secure  Nos.  9  and  10  in  this 
thoroughfare.  The  building  has  a  frontage  of  160 
feet  by  1S0  feet  deep.  It  consists  of  a  central 
block  and  two  wings,  the  former  three  storeys  high, 
and  the  latter  two.  The  wards  for  female  patients 
[  measure  about  34  feet  by  25  feet,  affording  accom- 
modation for  about  ten  beds. 

Fronting  the  entrance  door  to  the  corridors  are 


Though  disputed  by  some,  Sciennes  Hill  House, 
once  the  residence  of  Professor  Adam  Fergusson, 
author  of  the  "  History  of  the  Roman  Republic," 
is  said  to  have  been  the  place  where  Sir  Walter 
Scott  was  introduced  to  Robert  Barns  in  1786, 
when  that  interesting  incident  occurred  which  is 
related  by  Sir  Walter  himself  in  the  following  letter, 
which  occurs  in  Lockhart's  Life  of  him  : — "As  for 
Burns,  I  may  truly  say,  Virginian  vidi  tantum.  I 
was  a  lad  of  fifteen  in  1786-7,  when  he  first  came 
to  Edinburgh,  but  had  sense  and  feeling  enough  to 
be  much  interested  in  his  poetry,  and  would  have 
given  the  world  to  know  him  ;  but  I  had  very 
little  acquaintance  with  any  literary  people,  and 
less  with  the  gentry  of  the  West  County,  the  two 
sets  he  most  frequented.  I  saw  him  one  day  at  the 
venerable  Professor  Fergusson's,  where  there  were 
several  gentlemen  of  literary  reputation,  among 
whom  I  remember  the  celebrated  Dugald  Stewart. 
"  Of  course,  we  youngsters  sat  silent,  and  listened. 
The  only  thing  I  remember  which  was  remarkable 
in  Burns's  manner  was  the  effect  produced  upon 
him  by  a  print  of  Bunbury's,  representing  a  soldier 
lying  dead  on  the  snow,  his  dog  sitting  in  misery 
on  one  side  ;  on  the  other  his  widow,  with  a  child 
in  her  arms.  These  lines  were  written  under- 
neath : — ■ 

"  '  Cold  on  Canadian  hills,  or  Minden's  plain, 
Perhaps  that  parent  wept  her  soldier  slain — 
Bent  o'er  her  babe,  her  eyes  dissolved  in  dew, 
The  big  drops  mingling  with  the  drops  he  drew, 
Gave  the  sad  presage  of  his  future  years, 
The  child  of  misery  baptised  in  tears.' 

"  Burns  seemed  much  affected  by  the  print,  or 
rather,  the  ideas  which  it  suggested  to  his  mind. 
He  actually  shed  tears.  He  asked  whose  the  lines 
were,  and  it  chanced  that  nobody  but  myself  re- 
membered that  they  occur  in  a  half- forgotten  poem 
of  Langhorne's,  called  by  the  unpromising  title  of 
'  The  Justice  of  the  Peace.'  I  whispered  my  in- 
formation to  a  friend  present,  who  mentioned  it  to 
Burns,  who  rewarded  me  with  a  look  and  a  word, 
which,  though  of  mere  civility,  I  then  received, 
and  still  recollect,  with  very  great  pleasure." 

Westward  of  Sciennes  Hill  is  the  new  Trades 
Maiden  Hospital,  in  the  midst  of  a  fine  grassy 
park,  called  Rillbank.  The  history  of  this 
charitable  foundation,  till  its  transference  here,  we 
have  already  given  elsewhere  full}-.  Within  its 
walls  is  preserved  the  ancient  "  Blue  Blanket,"  or 
banner  of  the  city,  of  which  there  will  be  found 
an  engraving  on  page  36  of  Volume  I. 

In   Salisbury    Road,  which   opens  eastward  off 


separate  staircases,  one  leading  to  the  female 
department,  the  other  to  the  male.  On  each  floor 
the  bath,  nurses'  rooms,  &c,  are  arranged  similarly. 
In  the  central  block  are  rooms  for  "paying  patients.'' 
The  wards  are  heated  with  Manchester  open  fire- 
places, while  the  corridors  are  fitted  up  with  hot 
water-pipes.  The  wards  afford  about  1,100  cubic 
feet  of  space  for  each  patient. 

Externally  the  edifice  is  treated  in  the  Classic 
style.  In  rear  of  it  a  considerable  area  of  ground 
has  been  acquired,  and  suitably  laid  out.  The  site 
cost  ^4,000,  and  the  hospital  ,£10,000.  Since  it 
was  opened  there  have  been  on  an  average  one  hun- 
dred patients  in  it,  forty  of  whom  were  natives  of 
Edinburgh,  and  some  twenty  or  so  from  England 
and  Ireland.  The  funds  contributed  for  its  support 
are  raised  entirely  in  the  city.  It  was  formally 
opened  in  December,  1880. 

A  little  way  south  from  tins  edifice,   in  South 


56 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


Blacket  Place,  is  Newington  House,  the  residence  . 
•of  Duncan  McLaren,  Esq.,  long  one  of  the  city 
members,  and  who,  beyond  all  other  Scottish  re- 
presentatives,  has  been  a  champion  for  Scottish 
interests.  He  was  born  in  1800,  and  was  Lord 
Provost  of  Edinburgh  from  185 1  to  1854,  and  is 
the  father  of  John  McLaren,  who  was  made  a 
Lord  of  Session  in  1881.  It  is  the  largest  and 
principal  mansion  in  this  part  of  the  town. 

Opposite  the  west  end  of  the   Mayfield   Loan   is 


land,  a  man  of  rare  spirit  and  a  very  valiant 
souldiour,  departed  this  lyffe  at  Priestfield,  neire 
Edinburghe,  26th  November,  1649."  He  had 
served  with  distinction  under  Gustavus  Adolphus, 
and  was  familiarly  known  among  the  soldiers  as 
"  dear  Sandy,"  and  as  the  constructor  of  certain 
field-pieces  for  the  Covenanters,  who  stigmatised 
them  as  "  stoups." 

It  was  for  an  alleged  intrigue  with  Anne  Hep- 
burn, the  lady  of  Sir  James  Hamilton  of  Preston- 


the  gate  of  the  avenue  that  leads  to  the  tall  old 
manor-house  of  Prestonfield,  the  seat  of  the  Dick- 
Cunninghams,  baronets  of  1677,  according  to  Burke. 
Trior  to  coming  into  possession  of  the  present 
family,  the  estate  belonged  of  old  to  the  Hamil- 
tons,  one  of  whom,  Thomas,   fell  at   Flodden   in 

In  1607  Thomas  Hamilton  of  Prestonfield 
became  a  Lord  of  Session,  and  on  assuming  his 
seat,  took  an  oath  "  that  neither  directly  nor  in- 
directly he  had  procured  the  place  by  gold  or  silver." 

The  property  seems  to  have  been  sometimes 
called  Priestfield.  Thus  Balfour  records  that  "  Sr- 
Alexander  Hamilton,  brother  to  Thomas,  first  Earle 
of  Haddington,  Generall  of  the  Artilizerie  of  Scot- 


field,  in  November,  1633,  that  Robert  Monteith 
"  of  Salmonet,"  as  he  called  himself,  minister  of 
Duddingston,  had  to  fly  to  Paris,  where  he  became 
chaplain  to  Cardinal  de  Retz  ;  and  in  after  years  it 
passed  into  possession  of  the  present  family,  when 
"  James  Dick,  a  merchant  of  great  eminence  and 
wealth,  having  purchased  the  lands  of  Priestfield, 
or  Prestonfield,"  was  created  a  baronet  of  Nova 
Scotia,  2nd  March,  1677. 

Four  years  afterwards,  on  the  morning  of  the 
nth  January,  his  house,  "under  the  south  front  of 
Arthur's  Seat,"  was  burnt  down.  Political  circum- 
stances, according  to  Chambers,  gave  importance  to 
this,  which  would  otherwise  have  been  a  trivial 
matter.     Sir   James  was  a  friend  of  the  Duke  cf 


THE    DICK-CUNNTNGHAMS. 


57 


Albany  and  York,  and  his  having  adopted  energetic 
measures  with  some  of  the  students  of  the  college, 
for  their  Popery  riot  in  1680,  was  supposed  to 
have  excited  a  spirit  of  retaliation  in  their  com- 
panions ;  hence  a  suspicion  arose  that  the  fire  was 
designed  and  executed  by  them.  The  Privy  Council 
were  so  far  convinced  of  this  being  the  case,  that  they 
closed  the  university,  and  banished  the  students  till 
they  could  find  caution  for  their  good  behaviour. 
Sir  James's  house  was  rebuilt  by  the  Scottish 


Corstorphine,  in  1699,  t0  tne  second  and  younger 
sons  of  his  only  daughter,  Janet,  who  was  married 
to  Sir  William  Cunningham,  Bart.,  of  Caprington, 
by  whom  he  was  succeeded  at  his  decease,  in 
1728. 

His  son,  Sir  Alexander  Dick  (paternally  Cun- 
ningham), had  attained  under  the  latter  name  a 
high  repute  in  medicine,  and  became  President  of 
the  Royal  College  at  Edinburgh  ;  and  he  it  was 
who   entertained    Dr.    Johnson   and    Boswell     for 


Treasury  as  it  now  exists.  When  he  was  coming 
from  London  in  1682  with  the  duke,  in  the 
Gloucester  man-of-war,  she  was  cast  away  upon  a 
sandbank,  twelve  leagues  from  Yarmouth,  and  then 
went  to  pieces.  Sir  James  relates  in  a  letter  that 
the  crew  were  crowding  into  a  boat  set  apart  for 
the  royal  duke,  on  which,  the  Earl  of  Winton  and  Sir 
George  Gordon  of  Haddo  had  to  drive  them  back 
with  drawn  swords.  Sir  James,  with  the  Earls  of 
Middleton  and  Perth,  and  the  Laird  of  Touch, 
escaped  in  another  boat ;  but  the  Earl  of  Rox- 
burgh, the  Laird  of  Hopetoun,  and  200  men,  were 
drowned. 

As  Sir  James  Dick  died  without  male  issue,  he 
made  an  entail  of  his  estates  of  Prestonfield  and 
104 


several  days  at  Prestonfield,  where  he  died,  in  his 
eighty-second  year,  in  1785. 

The  Mayfield  Estate,  which  belongs  to  Mr. 
Duncan  McLaren,  was  laid  out  for  feuing  by  the 
late  Mr,  David  Cousin ;  and  more  recently  the 
adjacent  lands  of  Craigmillar,  the  property  of  Mr. 
Little  Gilmour,  and  all  are  now  being  rapidly 
covered  with  houses. 

Proceeding  along  the  old  Dalkeith  Road,  near 
Echo  Bank,  a  gate  and  handsome  lodge  lead  to 
Newington  Cemetery,  with  a  terrace  and  line  of 
vaults.  This  was  the  second  that  was  opened 
after  that  of  Warriston,  and  was  ready  for  inter- 
ments in  1846.  It  was  laid  out  by  Mr.  David 
Cousin ;   but  as  the  designs  were  open    to  public 


OLD   AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


[(  r.u-n 


competition,  the  first  prize  for  the  chapel,  .Sic,  was 
awarded  to  James  Grant,  Hope  Park  End. 

Skirting  the  cemetery  on  the  west,  the  Powburn 
here  turns  south,  and  running  under  Cameron 
Bridge,  after  a  bend,  turns  acutely  north,  and 
flows  through  the  grounds  of  Prestonfield  towards 
Duddingston  Loch. 

Out  of  his  lands  of  Cameron,  Sir  Simon  Preston 
of  Craigmillar,  in  1474.  gave  an  annual  rent  of 
ten  marks  to  a  chaplain  in  the  church  of  Mussel- 
burgh. 

Craigmillar  Park  and  Craigmillar  Road  take 
their  name  from  the  adjacent  ruined  castle  ;  and  at 
Bridge-end,  at  the  base  of  the  slope  on  which  it 
stands,  James  V.  had  a  hunting-lodge  and  chapel, 
some  traces  of  which  still  exist  in  the  form  of  a 
stable. 

On  the  summit  of  an  eminence,  visible  from  the 
whole  surrounding  country — the  craig-moil-ard  of 
antiquity  (the  high  bare  rock,  no  doubt,  it  once  was) 
— stands  the  venerable  Castle  of  Craigmillar,  with  a 
history  nearly  as  long  as  that  of  Holyrood,  and 
which  is  inseparably  connected  with  that  of  Edin- 
burgh, having  its  silent  records  of  royalty  and 
rank — its  imperishable  memories  of  much  that  has 
perished  for  ever. 

The  hill  on  which  it  stands,  in  view  of  the 
encroaching  city — which  bids  fair  some  day  to 
surround  it — is  richly  planted  with  young  wood  ; 
but  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  ruin  some  of 
the  old  ancestral  trees  remain,  where  they  have 
braved  the  storms  of  centuries.  Craigmillar  is 
remarkable  as  being  the  only  family  mansion  in 
Scotland  systematically  built  on  the  principles 
of  fortification  in  use  during  the  fifteenth  and 
sixteenth  centuries.  In  the  centre  tower,  the  square 
donjon  keep  is  of  the  earliest  age  of  baronial  archi- 
tecture, built  we  know  not  when,  or  by  whom,  and 
surrounded  now  by  an  external  wall,  high  and  strong, 
enclosing  a  considerable  area,  with  round  flanking 
towers  about  sixty  feet  apart  in  front,  to  protect  the 
curtains  between — all  raised  in  those  ages  of  strife 
and  bloodshed  when  our  Scottish  nobles — 

"Carved  at  the  meal  with  gloves  of  steel, 
And  drank  their  wine  through  the  helmet  birred." 

Its  lofty  and  stately  vaulted  hall  measures 
thirty-six  feet  long  by  twenty-two  feet  in  breadth, 
\\  ith  a  noble  fireplace  eleven  feet  wide,  and  on  the 
lower  portions  of  it  some  remnants  of  old  paintings 
may  be  traced,  and  on  the  stone  slab  of  one  of 
the  windows  a  diagram  for  playing  an  old  knightly 
game  called  "  Troy."  There  are  below  it  several 
gloomy  dungeons,  in  one  of  which  John  Pinkerton, 
Advocate,  and  Mr.  Irvine,  W.S.,  discovered  in 
18 1 3  a  human  skeleton,  built  into  the  wall  upright. 


What  dark  secrets  the  old  walls  of  this  castle  could 
tell,  had  their  stones  tongues  !  for  an  old,  old 
house  it  is,  full  of  thrilling  historical  and  warlike 
memories.  Besides  the  keep  and  the  older  towers, 
there  is  within  the  walls  a  structure  of  more  modern 
appearance,  built  in  the  seventeenth  century.  This 
is  towards  the  west,  where  a  line  of  six  handsome 
gableted  dormer  windows  on  each  side  of  a  pro- 
jecting chimney  has  almost  entirely  disappeared  ; 
one  bore  the  date  jidc.  Here  a  stair  led  to  the 
castle  gardens,  in  which  can  be  traced  a  large 
pond  in  the  form  of  a  P,  the  initial  letter  of  the 
old  proprietor's  name.  Here,  says  Balfour,  in 
1 509,  "  there  were  two  scorpions  found,  one  dead, 
the  other  alive." 

There  are  the  dilapidated  remains  of  a  chapel, 
measuring  thirty  feet  by  twenty  feet,  with  a  large 
square  and  handsomely-muliioned  window,  and  a 
mutilated  font.  It  was  built  by  Sir  John  Gilmour, 
who  had  influence  enough  to  obtain  a  special 
"  indulgence  "  therefor  from  King  James  VII.  It 
is  a  stable  now. 

"  On  the  boundary  wall,"  says  Sir  Walter  Scott, 
"may  be  seen  the  arms  of  Cockburn  of  Ormiston, 
Congalton  of  Congalton,  Mowbray  of  Barnbougle, 
and  Otterburn  of  Redford,  allies  of  the  Prestons 
of  Craigmillar.  In  one  corner  of  the  court,  over 
a  portal  arch,  are  the  arms  of  the  family  :  three 
unicorns'  heads  coupe'd,  with  a  cheese-press  and 
barrel,  or  tun — a  wretched  rebus,  to  express  their 
name  of  Preston." 

This  sculptured  fragment  bears  the  date  15 10. 
The  Prestons  of  Craigmillar  carried  their  shield 
above  the  gate,  in  the  fashion  called  by  the  Italians 
scudo  pendente,  which  is  deemed  more  honourable 
than  those  carried  square,  according  to  Rose- 
haugh's  "Science  of  Heraldry." 

On  the  south  the  castle  is  built  on  a  per- 
pendicular rock.  Round  the  exterior  walls  was 
a  deep  moat,  and  one  of  the  advanced  round 
towers — the  Dovecot — has  loopholes  for  arrows 
or  musketry. 

The  earliest  possessor  of  whom  we  have  record 
is  "  Henry  de  Craigmillar,"  or  William  Fitz- 
Henry,  of  whom  there  is  extant  a  charter  of  gift 
of  a  certain  toft  of  land  in  Craigmillar,  near  the 
church  of  Liberton,  to  the  monastery  of  Dunferm- 
line, in  1 2 1 2.  during  the  reign  of  King  Alexander  1 1. 
The  nearer  we  come  to  the  epoch  of  the  long  and 
glorious  War  of  Independence,  the  more  generally 
do  we  find  the  lands  in  the  south  of  Scotland  in 
the  hands  of  Scoto-Norman  settlers.  John  de 
Capella  was  Lord  of  Craigmillar,  from  whose 
family  the  estate  passed  into  the  hands  of  Simon 
Preston,  in   1374,  he  receiving   a   charter,  under 


CRAIGMILLAR    CASTLE. 


59 

miliar,  like  so  many  other  castles  in  the  south  of 
Scotland,  are  those  in  which  Queen  Mary  bears  a 
part,  as  she  made  it  a  favourite  country  retreat. 
Within  its  walls  was  drawn  up  by  Sir  James 
Balfour,  with  unique  legal  solemnity,  the  bond  of 
Darnley's  murder,  and  there  signed  by  so  many 
nobles  of  the  first  rank,  who  pledged  themselves 
to  stand  by  Bothwell  with  life  and  limb,  in  weal  or 
woe,  after  its  perpetration,  which  bond  of  blood  the 
wily  lawyer  afterwards  destroyed. 

Some  months  after  the  murder  of  Rizzio,  and 
while  the  grasping  and  avaricious  statesmen  of  the 
day  were  watching  the  estrangement  of  Mary  and 
her  husband,  on  the  2nd  December,  1560,  Le 
Croc,  the  French  Ambassador,  wrote  thus  to  the 
Archbishop  of  Glasgow  : — "  The  Queen  is  for  the 
present  at  Craigmillar,  about  a  league  distant  from 
this  city.  She  is  in  the  hands  of  the  physicians, 
and  I  do  assure  you  is  not  at  all  well,  and  do 
believe  the  principal  part  of  her  disease  to  consist 
in  deep  grief  and  sorrow.  Nor  does  it  seem  possi- 
ble to  make  her  forget  the  same.  Still  she  repeats 
these  words — 'I could  wish  to  be  dead.'"' 

Craigmillar  narrowly  escaped  being  stained  with 
the  blood  of  the  dissolute  Darnley.  It  would  ap- 
pear that  when  he  returned  from  Glasgow,  early  in 
1567,  instead  of  lodging  him  in  the  fatal  Kirk-o'- 
Field,  the  first  idea  of  the  conspirators  was  to  bring 
him  hither,  when  it  was  suggested  that  his  recovery 
from  his  odious  disease  might  be  aided  by  the 
sanitary  use  of  a  bath — "  an  ominous  proposal  to  a 
prince,  who  might  remember  what  tradition  stated 
to  have  happened  ninety  years  earlier  within  the 
same  walls." 

The  vicinity  abounds  with  traditions  of  the 
hapless  Mary.  Her  bed  closet  is  still  pointed  out ; 
and  on  the  east  side  of  the  road,  at  Little  France, 
a  hamlet  below  the  castle  walls,  wherein  some  of 
her  French  retinue  was  quartered,  a  gigantic 
plane — the  largest  in  the  Lothians — is  to  this  day 
called  "  Queen  Mary's  Tree,"  from  the  unauthenti- 
cated  tradition  that  her  own  hands  planted  it,  and 
as  such  it  has  been  visited  by  generations.  In 
recent  storms  it  was  likely  to  suffer  ;  and  Mr.  Gil- 
mour  of  Craigmillar,  in  September,  1S81,  after  con- 
sulting the  best  authorities,  had  a  portion  of  the 
upper  branches  sawn  off  to  preserve  the  rest. 

In  "  the  Douglas  wars,"  subsequent  to  the  time 
when  Mary  was  a  captive  and  exile,  Craigmillar 
bore  its  part,  especially  as  a  prison  ;  and  terrible 
times  these  were,  when  towns,  villages,  and  castles 
were  stormed  and  pillaged,  as  if  the  opposite 
factions  were  inspired  by  the  demon  of  destruction 
— when  torture  and  death  were  added  to  military 
execution,  and  the  hapless  prisoners  were  hurried 


Robert  II.,  "of  the  lands  of  Craigmillar,  in  Vic 
du  Edinburgh,  whilk  William  de  Capella  resigned, 
sustennand  an  archer  in  the  king's  army."  (Robert- 
son's "  Index.") 

Under  the  same  monarch,  some  time  after, 
another  charter  was  granted,  confirming  "John  de 
Capella,  keeper  of  the  king's  chapel,  in  the  lands  of 
Erolly  (sic),  whilk  Simon  de  Trestoun  resigned  ;  he, 
John,  performing  the  same  service  in  the  king's 
chapel  that  his  predecessors  used  to  perform  for 
the  third  part  of  Craigmillar." 

The  date  1474  above  the  principal  gate  pro- 
bably refers  to  some  repairs.  Four  years  after- 
wards, William,  a  successor  of  Sir  Simon  Preston, 
was  a  member  of  the  parliament  which  met  at 
Edinburgh  June  1,  1478.  He  had  the  title  of 
Domine  de  Craigmillar,  the  residence  of  his  race 
for  nearly  three  hundred  years. 

In  1479  this  castle  became  connected  with  a 
dark  and  mysterious  State  tragedy.  The  Duke 
of  Albany  was  accused  of  conspiring  treasonably 
with  the  English  against  the  life  of  his  brother, 
James  III.,  but  made  his  escape  from  Edinburgh 
Castle,  as  related  in  Volume  I.  Their  younger 
brother  John,  Earl  of  Mar,  was  placed  a  prisoner 
in  Craigmillar  on  the  same  charges.  James  III. 
did  not  possess,  it  was  alleged,  the  true  charac- 
teristics of  a  king  in  those  days.  He  loved  music, 
architecture,  poetry,  and  study.  "  He  was  ane 
man  that  loved  solitude,"  says  Pitscottie,  "  and 
desired  never  to  hear  of  warre  " — a  desire  that  the 
Scottish  noblemen  never  cared  to  patronise. 

Mar,  a  handsome  and  gay  fellow,  "knew nothing 
tut  nobility."  He  was  a  keen  hunter,  a  sports- 
man, and  breeder  of  horses  for  warlike  purposes. 
Whether  Mar  was  guilty  or  not  of  the  treasons  which 
were  alleged  against  him  will  never  be  known,  but 
certain  it  is  that  he  never  left  his  captivity  alive. 
Old  annalists  say  that  he  chose  his  own  mode  of 
death,  and  had  his  veins  opened  in  a  warm  bath  ; 
but  Drummond,  in  his  "  History  of  the  Jameses," 
says  he  was  seized  by  fever  and  delirium  in  Craig- 
millar, and  was  removed  to  the  Canongate,  where 
he  died  in  the  hands  of  the  king's  physician,  either 
from  a  too  profuse  use  of  phlebotomy,  or  from  his 
having,  in  a  fit  of  frenzy,  torn  off  the  bandages. 

In  T517  Balfour  records  that  the  young  king 
James  V.  was  removed  from  Edinburgh  to  Craig- 
millar, and  the  queen- mother  was  not  permitted  to 
see  him,  in  consequence  of  the  pestilence  then 
raging.  But  he  resided  here  frequently.  1111544, 
it  is  stated  in  the  "  Diurnal  of  Occurents  "  that  the 
fortress  was  too  hastily  surrendered  to  the  English 
invaders,  who  sacked  and  burned  it. 

By  far  the  most  interesting  associations  of  Craig- 


01,1)    AM)     NM'.W    EIHXTURC 


CRAIGMILLAR    CASTLE. 


to  the  gibbet  by  forty  and  fifty  at  a  time    .11  the 
sight  of  Edinburgh  and  Leith. 

In  1573  the  Loyalists,  says  Crawford  of  Drum- 
soy,  sent  a  strong  body  of  horse  and  foot,  in  hope 
to  capture  the  Regent  Morton  at  Dalkeith  in  the 
night ;  but  found  him  ready  to  receive  them  on 
Sheriff-hall  Muir,  from  whence  he  drove  them  in  as 
far  as  the  Burghmuir,  and  only  lost  the  Laird  of 
Kirkmichael  and  some  fifty  men.  Few  were  killed, 
recent  rains  having  wetted  the  gun-matches  ;  but 


the  case  of  the  Laird  of  Craigmillar,  who  was  sueing 
S  for  a  divorce  against  his  wife,  the  Earl  of  Bothwell 
forcibly  carried  off  one  of  the  most  important  wit- 
nesses to  his  Castle  of  Crichton,  threatening  him 
with  the  gallows,  "  as  if  there  had  been  no  king 
in  Israel." 

It  was  not  until  after  the  beginning  of  the  present 
century  that  the  castle  was  permitted  to  fall  into 
ruin  and  decay,  which  it  did  rapidly.  It  was 
in  perfect  preservation,  no  doubt,  when,  with  "  all 


'>'  *7%?$H§  ',,     -yi&i-* 


^^J-l^Wv..        ->*A-~ 


when  descending  Craigmillar  Hill,  a  queen's  sol- 
dier, who  had  a  loose  match  in  his  hand,  exploded 
the  powder-barrels,  and  mortally  injured  Captain 
Melville,  the  kinsman  of  Sir  William  Kirkaldy. 
The  latter  interred  him  with  military  honours  in  a 
vault  of  Edinburgh  Castle,  where,  doubtless,  his  re- 
mains still  rest. 

In  1589  there  was  granted  a  charter  under  the 
great  seal  to  John  Ross  of  the  lands  of  Limpitstoun, 
which  was  witnessed  in  Craigmillar  by  the  Arch- 
bishop of  St.  Andrews,  John  Lord  Hamilton,  the 
Commendator  of  Arbroath,  Maitland  of  Thirlstane, 
Walter,  Prior  of  Blantyre,  and  others. 

Calderwood  relates,  that  in  January,  1590,  when 
James  VI.   was  sitting  in  the   Tolbooth,  hearing 


its  office  houses  and  grass,"  it  was  advertised  to  be 
let  in  the  Edinburgh  Coiiratit  for  nth  March,  1761. 
In  that  year  Sir  Alexander  Gilmour  of  Craigmillar 
was  elected  M.P.  for  the  county. 

We  cannot  dismiss  the  subject  of  Craigmillar 
without  a  brief  glance  at  some  of  those  who  oc- 
cupied it. 

Sir  Simon  Preston,  who  obtained  it  from  John 
de  Capella,  traced  his  descent  up  to  Leolph  de 
Preston,  who  lived  in  the  reign  of  William  the 
Lion;  and,  according  to  Douglas,  his  father  was 
Sir  John  Preston,  who  was  taken  at  the  battle  of 
Durham  in  1346,  and  remained  in  the  Tower  of 
London  until  ransomed. 

In  1434  Sir  Henry  Preston  of  Craigmillar  (whose 


OLD     AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


name doesnotappearin  theBaronage)  wasSheriffand 
Provost  of  Edinburgh  ("Burgh  Records").  After  him 
come  five  barons  of  his  surname,  before  the  famous 
Sir  Simon  Preston,  also  Provost  of  the  city,  into 
whose  mansion,  the  Black  Turnpike,  Mary  was 
thrust  by  the  confederate  lords.  A  son  or  nephew 
of  his  appears  to  have  distinguished  himself  in  the 
Low  Countries.  He  is  mentioned  by  Cardinal 
Bentivoglio,  in  his  "  History,"  as  "  Colonel  Preston, 
a  Scotsman,"  who  cut  his  way  through  the  German 
lines  in  1578. 

Sir  Richard  Preston  of  Craigmillar,  Gentleman  of 
the  Bedchamber  to  James  VI.,  K.B.,  and  Constable 
of  Dingwall  Castle,  raised  to  the  peerage  of  Scot- 
land as  Lord  Dingwall,  was  the  last  of  this  old 
line.  He  married  Lady  Elizabeth  Butler,  only 
daughter  of  Thomas,  Earl  of  Ormond,  and  widow 
of  Viscount  Theophilim,  and  was  created  Earl  of 
Desmond,  in  the  peerage  of  Ireland,  1614.  He 
was  drowned  on  his  passage  from  Ireland  to  Scot- 
land in  1628,  and  was  succeeded  in  the  Scottish 
honours  of  Dingwall  by  his  only  daughter,  Eliza- 
beth, who  became  Duchess  of  Ormond. 

The  castle  and  lands  of  Craigmillar  were  ac- 
quired in  1 66 1  by  Sir  John  Gilmour,  son  of  John 
Gilmour,  W.S.  He  passed  as  Advocate  on  the  12th 
December,  1628,  and  on  the  13th  February,  1666, 
became  Lord  President  of  the  Court  of  Session, 
which,  after  a  lapse  of  nearly  eleven  years,  re- 
sumed its  sittings  on  the  1  ith  June.  The  bold  stand 
which  he  made  for  the  luckless  Marquis  of  Argyle 
was  long  remembered  in  Scotland,  to  his  honour. 
His  pension  was  only  ^500  per  annum.  He  be- 
came a  Baron  of  Exchequer,  and  obtained  a  clause 
in  the  Militia  Act  that  the  realm  of  Scotland 
should  not  maintain  any  force  levied  by  the  king 
without  the  consent  of  the  Estates.  He  belonged 
latterly  to  the  Lauderdale  party,  and  aided  in  pro- 


curing the  downfall  of  the  Earl  of  Middleton.  He 
resigned  his  chair  in  1670,  and  died  soon  after. 

He  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  Sir  Alexander  of 
Craigmillar,  who  was  created  a  baronet  in  1668, 
in  which  year  he  had  a  plea  before  the  Lords 
against  Captain  Stratton,  for  2,000  marks  lost  at 
cards.  The  Lords  found  that  only  thirty-one  guineas 
of  it  fell  due  under  an  Act  of  1621,  and  ordered 
the  captain  to  pay  it  to  them  for  the  use  of  the  poor, 
"  except  ^5  sterling,  which  he  may  retain." 

Sir  Charles,  the  third  baronet,  was  M.P.  for 
Edinburgh  in    1737,  and  died  at  Montpellier  in 

i75°- 

The  fourth  baronet,  Sir  Alexander  Gilmour  of 
Craigmillar,  was  an  ensign  in  the  Scots  Foot  Guards, 
and  was  one  of  those  thirty-nine  officers  who,  with 
800  of  their  men,  perished  so  miserably  in  the  affair 
of  St.  Cas  in  1758. 

In  1792  Sir  Alexander  Gilmour,  Bart.,  who  in  1765 
had  been  Clerk  of  the  Green  Cloth,  and  M.P.  for 
Midlothian,  1761 — 177 1,  died  at  Boulogne  in  1792, 
when  the  title  became  extinct,  and  Craigmillar  de- 
volved upon  Charles  Little  of  Liberton  (grandson 
of  Helen,  eldest  daughter  of  the  second  baronet), 
who  assumed  the  surname  of  Gilmour,  and  whose 
son,  Lieutenant-General  Sir  Dugald  Little  Gilmour 
of  Craigmillar,  was  Major  of  the  Rifle  Brigade,  or 
old  95th  Regiment,  in  the  Peninsular  War. 

Nearly  midway  between  Craigmillar  and  the 
house  of  Prestonfield,  in  a  flat  grassy  plain,  stands 
the  quaint-looking  old  mansion  named  PefTer  Mill, 
three  storeys  high,  with  crowstepped  gables,  ga- 
bleted  dormer  windows,  and  a  great  circular  stair- 
case tower  with  a  conical  roof.  It  has  no  particu- 
lar history  ;  but  Peft'er  Mill  is  said  to  mean  in  old 
Scoto-Saxon  the  mill  on  the  dark  muddy  stream. 
Braid's  Burn  flows  past  it,  at  the  distance  of  a  few 
yards. 


Orphan  Hospital— John  Wa 


CHAPTER     VI. 

THE    VALLEY    OF    THE    WATER    OF    LEITH. 

;  Mills- Water  of  Leith  Village-Mill  at  the  Dean— Tolbooth  there-Old  Houses— : 
Family— A  Legend— The  Dean  Village— Belgrave  Crescent— The  Parish  Church- 
)'s  Hospital — The  Dean  Cemetery' — Notable  Interments  there. 


In  No.  16,  Rothesay  Place,  one  of  the  new  and 
handsome  streets  which  crown  the  lofty  southern 
bank  of  the  valley  of  the  Water  of  Leith,  and 
overlooks  one  of  the  most  picturesque  parts  of  it, 
at  the  Dean,  there  died  in  1879  a  venerable  lady 
— a  genuine  Scottish  matron  of  "  the  old  school," 


a  notice  of  whom  it  would  be  impossible  to  omit  in 
a  work  like  this. 

Dame  Margaret  Sinclair  of  Dunbeath  belonged 
to  a  class  now  rapidly  vanishing — the  clear-headed, 
gifted,  stout-hearted,  yet  reverent  and  gentle  old 
Scottish  ladies  whom    Lord    Cockburn    loved    to 


LADY    SINCLAIR. 


63 


portray.  She  was  born  Margaret  Learmouth,  at 
16,  St.  John  Street,  in  the  Canongate,  in  January 
1794,  while  that  street  and  much  of  the  neighbour 
hood  around  it  were  still  the  centre  of  the  literary 
and  fashionable  society  of  the  then  secluded 
capital  of  Scotland. 

Thus  she  was  old  enough  to  have  seen  and 
known  many  who  were  "  out  with  the  Prince  "  in 
1745,  and  reminiscences  of  these  people  and  of 
their  days  were  ever  a  favourite  theme  with  her 
when  she  had  a  sympathetic  listener.  "Old 
maiden  ladies,"  she  was  wont  to  say,  with  a  sort  of 
sad  pitifulness  in  her  tone,  "  were  the  last  leal 
Jacobites  in  Edinburgh  ;  spinsterhood  in  its  loneli- 
ness remained  then  ever  true  to  Prince  Charlie 
and  the  vanished  dreams  of  youth."  Lady  Sinclair 
used  to  relate  how  in  the  old  Episcopal  Chapel  in 
the  Cowgate,  now  St.  Patrick's  Church,  the  last 
solitary  representative  of  these  Jacobite  ladies  never 
failed  to  close  her  prayer-book  and  stand  erect,  in 
silent  protest,  when  the  prayer  for  King  George  III. 
"  and  the  reigning  family  "  was  read  in  the  Church 
Service.  Early  in  her  girlhood  her  family  removed 
from  St.  John  Street  to  Picardy  Place,  and  the 
following  adventure,  which  she  used  to  relate, 
curiously  evinces  the  difference  between  the  social 
customs  of  the  earl}-  years  of  this  century  and  those 
of  the  present  day. 

"  Once,  when  she  was  returning  from  a  ball,  the 
bearers  of  her  sedan-chair  had  their  bonnets  carried 
off  by  the  wind,  while  the  street  oil-lamps  were 
blown  out,  and  the  '  Donalds '  departed  in  pur- 
suit of  their  head-gear.  It  was  customary  in  those 
times  for  gentlemen  to  escort  the  sedan-chairs 
that  held  their  fair  partners  of  the  evening,  and 
the  two  gentlemen  who  were  with  her — the  Duke 
of  Argyle  and  Sir  John  Clerk  of  Penicuick — 
seized  hold  of  the  spokes  and  carried  her  home. 
'Gentlemen  were  gentlemen  in  those  days,'  she  was 
wont  to  add,  'and  Edinburgh  was  the  proper 
residence  of  the  Scottish  aristocracy — not  an  inn 
or  a  half-way  house  between  London  and  the 
Highland  muirs.' " 

In  i82r  she  was  married  to  Mr.  Sinclair,  after- 
wards Sir  John  Sinclair,  Bart.,  of  Dunbeath,  and 
for  fifty  years  afterwards  her  home  was  at  the 
House  of  Barock,  in  Caithness,  where  her  in- 
fluence among  the  poor  was  ever  felt  and  grate- 
fully acknowledged.  She  was  a  staunch  and 
amusingly  active  Liberal,  and,  with  faculties  clear 
and  unimpaired  in  the  last  week  of  her  long  life, 
noted  and  commented  on  Mr.  Gladstone's  famous 
"  Midlothian  speeches,"  and  rejoiced  over  his 
success.  She  was  always  scrupulously  dressed, 
and   in    the   drawing-room   down   to    the    day   of 


her  death.  She  saw  all  her  children  die  before 
her,  in  early  or  middle  life  ;  her  eldest,  Colonel 
Sinclair,  dying  in  India  in  his  forty-fifth  year.  After 
Sir  John's  death  she  settled  in  Edinburgh. 

"  I  am  the  last  leaf  on  the  outmost  bough," 
she  was  wont  to  say,  "  and  want  to  fall  where  I 
was  born."     And  so  she  passed  away. 

When  she  was  interred  within  the  Chapel  Royal 
at  Holyrood,  it  was  supposed  that  she  would  be  one 
of  the  last  to  whom  that  privilege  would  be  ac- 
corded. It  was  not  so  ;  for  the  remains  of  James, 
Earl  of  Caithness,  who  died  in  America,  were  laid 
there  in  April,  188 1. 

The  Dean,  or  Den,  seems  to  have  been  the  old 
general  name  for  the  rocky  hollow  now  spanned 
by  the  stately  bridge  of  Telford. 

Bell's  Mills,  a  hamlet  deep  down  in  a  grass)- 
glen,  with  an  old  bridge,  over  which  for  ages  lay 
the  only  road  to  the  Queensferry,  and  now  over- 
shadowed by  fashionable  terraces  and  crescents,  is 
described  by  Kincaid  in  1787  as  a  village,  "one  and 
three-quarter  miles  north-west  of  Edinburgh,  on  the 
north  bank  of  the  Water  of  Leith,  and  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  west  of  West  Leith  village."  It  re- 
ceived its  name  from  an  old  proprietor  of  the 
flour-mills,  which  are  still  grinding  there,  and  have 
been  long  in  existence.  "  On  Thursday  night 
last,"  says  the  Edinburgh  Advertiser  of  3rd  Janu- 
ary. 1764,  "the  high  wall  at  Bells  Brae,  near  the 
Water  of  Leith  Bridge,  fell  down,  by  which  accident 
the  footpath  and  part  of  the  turnpike  road  are 
carried  away,  which  makes  it  hazardous  for  carriages. 
This  notice  may  be  of  use  to  those  who  have 
occasion  to  pass  that  road." 

At  the  head  of  the  road  here,  near  the  Dean 
Bridge,  is  a  Free  Church,  built  soon  after  the 
Disruption — a  little  edifice  in  the  Saxon  style,  with 
a  square  tower  ;  and  a  quaint  little  ancient  crow- 
stepped  building,  once  a  toll-house,  has  built  into 
it  some  of  the  old  sculpture  from  the  Dean  House. 
At  the  foot  of  the  road,  adjoining  Bell's  Mills 
Bridge,  are  old  Sunbury  distillery  and  house,  in  a 
delta  formed  by  the  Leith,  which  sweeps  under  a 
steep  and  well-wooded  bank  which  is  the  boundary 
of  the  Dean  Cemetery. 

The  Water  of  Leith  village,  which  bears  marks  of 
great  antiquity,  is  fast  disappearing  amid  the  en- 
croachments of  modern  streets,  and  yet  all  that  re- 
mains of  it,  deep  down  in  the  rocky  hollow,  where 
the  stream,  flowing  under  its  quaint  old  bridge, 
between  ancient  mills,  pours  in  a  foaming  sheet 
over  a  high,  broad  weir,  is  wonderfully  striking 
and  picturesque.  Dates,  inscriptions,  crowstepped 
gables,  and  other  features  of  the  seventeenth 
century,  abound  here  in  profusion. 


64 


OLD   AND   NEW   EDINBURGH. 


A  mill  or  mills  must  have  stood  here  before  a 
stone  of  Holyrood  was  laid,  as  David  I.,  in  his 
charter  of  foundation  to  that  abbey,  grants  to  the 
monks  "one  of  my  mills  of  Dene,  a  tithe  of  the  mill 
of  Libertun  and  of  Dene,  and  of  the  new  mill  of 
Edinburgh,"  a. n.  1 143-7. 

In  1592,  "the  landis  of  Dene,  w'  the  mylnes 
and  mure  thereof,  and  their  pertinents,  lyand 
within  the  Sherifdom  of  Edinburgh,"'  were  given  by 
James  VI.  to  James  Lord  Lindesay,  of  the  Byres. 


village  were  wont  to  incarcerate  culprits.  It  is  six- 
storeys  in  height,  including  the  dormer  windows,  has 
six  crowstepped  gables,  two  of  which  surmount  the 
square  projecting  staircases,  in  the  westmost  of 
which  is  a  handsomely  moulded  doorway,  sur 
mounted  by  a  frieze,  entablature,  and  coat  of  arms 
within  a  square  panel.  On  the  frieze  is  the  legend, 
in  large  Roman  letters — 

God  .  Bless  .  the  .  Baxters  .  of  .  Edin  . 

brl'gh  .  who  .  built  .  this  .  house  .  1675. 


<  -^ 


Among  the  old  houses  here  may  be  mentioned 
a  mill,  or  granary,  immediately  at  the  south-east 
end  of  the  bridge,  which  has  sculptured  over  its 
door,  within  a  panel,  two  baker's  peels,  crossed 
with  the  date  1645,  and  the  almost  inevitable 
legend — "  Bleisit  be  God  for  al  His  giftis." 
Another  quaint  old  crowstepped  double  house,  with 
flights  of  outside  stairs,  has  a  gablet,  surmounted 
by  a  well-carved  mullet,  and  the  date  1670.  It 
stands  on  the  west  side  of  the  steep  path  that 
winds  upward  to  the  Dean,  and  has  evidently  been 
the  abodeof  some  well-to-do  millers  in  the  days  of  old. 

On  the  steep  slope,  where  a  flight  of  steps  as- 
cends to  the  old  Ferry  Road,  stands  the  ancient  Tol- 
booth,  wherein  the  bailies  of  this  once  sequestered 


On  the  panel  are  carved  a  wheatsheaf  between 
two  cherubs'  heads,  the  bakers'  arms  within  a  wreath 
of  oak-leaves,  and  the  motto,  "  God's  Providence  is 
ovr  Inheritance — 1677." 

In  1729  a  number  of  Dutch  bleachers  from 
Haarlem  commenced  a  bleach-field  somewhere 
near  the  Water  of  Leith,  and  soon  exhibited  to  the 
gaze  and  to  the  imitation  of  Scotland,  the  printing 
and  stamping  of  all  colours  on  linen  fabrics. 

Some  thirty  years  after,  we  find  the  Courant  for 
December,  1 761,  announcing  to  the  public  "that 
Isabel  Brodie,  spouse  to  William  Rankin,  in  the 
Water  of  Leith,  about  a  mile  from  Edinburgh,  cures 
the  Emerods"  (i.e.,  Haemorrhoids)  and  various  other 
illnesses ;  for  quacks  seem  to  have  existed  then,  as  now. 


r  of  Leith.] 


THE    NISBETS    OF    DEAN. 


65 


From  the  Water  of  Leith  village  a  steep  path 
that  winds  up  the  southern  slope  of  the  river's 
bank  on  its  west  side,  leads  to  the  high  ground 
where  for  ages  there  stood  the  old  manor-house  of 
Dean,  and  on  the  east  the  older  village  of  the 
same  name. 

During  the  reign  of  James  IV.,  on  the  15th 
June,  1513,  the  Dean  is  mentioned  in  the  "Burgh 
Records"  as  one  of  the  places  where  the  pest 
existed :  and  no  man  or  woman  dwelling  therein  was 


and  armorial  bearings,  it  was  literally  a  history  in 
stone  of  the  proud  but  now  extinct  race  to  which 
it  belonged. 

Henry  Nisbet,  descended  from  the  Nisbets  of 
Dalzell  (cadets  of  the  Nisbets  of  that  ilk),  who  for 
many  years  was  a  Commissioner  to  the  Parliament 
for  Edinburgh,  died  some  time  before  1608,  leaving 
three  sons  :  James,  who  became  Nisbet  of  Craig- 
intinnie,  near  Restalrig ;  Sir  William  of  Dean, 
whose  grandson,  Alexander,  exchanged  the  lands 


permitted  to  enter  the  city,  under  pain,  if  a  woman, 
of  being  branded  on  the  cheek,  and  if  a  man,  of  such 
punishment  as  might  be  deemed  expedient. 

In  1532  James  Wilson  and  David  Walter  were 
committed  prisoners  to  the  Castle  of  Edinburgh, 
for  hamesucken  and  oppression  done  to  David 
Kincaid  in  the  village  of  Deanhaugh. 

In  1545  the  Poultry  Lands  near  Dean  were  held 
cum  officio  Pultrie  Regine,  as  Innes  tells  us  in  his 
Scottish  "  Legal  Antiquities." 

Embosomed  among  venerable  trees,  the  old 
house  of  a  baronial  family,  the  Nisbets  of  Dean, 
stood  here,  one  of  the  chief  features  in  the  locality, 
and  one  of  the  finest  houses  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
old  Edinburgh.  Covered  with  dates,  inscriptions, 
105 


of  Dean  with  his  cousin,  Sir  Patrick  Nisbet,  the 
first  baronet ;  and  Sir  Patrick  of  Eastbank,  a  Lord 
of  Session. 

The  Nisbets  of  Dean  came  to  be  the  head  of  the 
house,  as  Alexander  Nisbet  records  in  his  "  System 
of  Heraldry,"  published  in  1722  ;  soon  after  which, 
he  died,  by  the  failure  of  the  Nisbets  of  that  ilk  in 
his  own  person — a  contingency  which  led  him  to  lay 
aside  the  chevron,  the  mark  of  fidelity,  "  a  mark  oi 
cadency,  used  formerly  by  the  house  of  Dean,  in 
regard  that  the  family  of  Dean  is  the  only  family 
of  that  name  in  Scotland  that  has  right,  by  con- 
sent, to  represent  the  original  family  of  the  name 
of  Nisbet,  since  the  only  lineal  male  representative," 
as   he    pathetically   remarks,  "the   author  of  this 


66 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


[The  Water  of  Leah. 


'  System,'  is  like  to  go  soon  off  the  world,  being  an 
old  man,  without  issue,  male  or  female." 

Over  the  eastern  doorway  of  the  mansion  was 
the  date  1614.  Among  the  sculptured  stones  of 
the  old  house,  built,  after  its  demolition,  into  a  wall 
of  the  present  Dean  Cemetery,  we  may  enumerate 
the  arms  of  Sir  William  Nisbet  of  Dean,  with  his 
helmet  crested  by  the  triple  castle,  as  he  was  pro- 
vost of  Edinburgh  in  1616,  and  again  in  1622. 
He  was  knighted  by  James  VI.,  on  his  visit  to  the 
city  in  161 7. 

There  too  are  two  pieces  of  sculpture  in  basso 
relievo,  which  surmounted  two  of  the  windows  on 
the  south  front.  On  one  of  these  a  judge  is 
represented  throned,  with  a  lamb  in  his  arms: 
in  his  left  hand  he  holds  a  pair  of  scales;  his 
right  grasps  a  sword  ;  two  rampant  lions  stand 
near,  as  if  contending  for  the  lamb,  one  of  them 
placing  a  fore-paw  on  the  sword,  the  other  placing 
a  paw  on  the  scales  ;  beneath  is  a  coat  armorial — 
a  shield  charged  with  a  chevron  and  three  besants, 
with  the  initials  a.  m.,  for  Anna  Myrton  of  Gogar, 
wife  of  Sir  John  Nisbet  of  Dean,  Bart. 

On  the  other  pediment  is  a  man  armed  with  a 
thick  pole,  with  a  hook  at  the  end,  by  which  he 
grasps  it;  a  goat  is  running  towards  him,  as  if  in 
the  act  of  butting,  while  a  bear  seizes  it  by  the  waist 
with  his  teeth,  and  another  is  lying  dead  beyond. 
Each  of  these  sculptures  is  four  feet  six  inches 
long. 

The  former,  which  Wilson  rather  fancifully  sup- 
poses to  be  "  the  curious  scene  of  the  judge  deter- 
mining the  plea  between  the  lions  and  the  lamb, 
may  refer  to  family  alliance  with  the  great  Lord 
Advocate  (Hope),  though  the  key  to  the  ingenious 
allegory  has  perished  with  the  last  of  their  race." 
By  others  it  has  been  very  probably  supposed  to 
represent  the  following  passage  in  the  First  Book 
of  Samuel  : — • 

"And  David  said  unto  Saul,  Thy  servant  kept 
his  father's  sheep,  and  there  came  a  lion,  and  a 
bear,  and  took  a  lamb  out  of  the  flock  :  and  I 
went  out  after  him,  and  'smote  him,  and  delivered 
it  out  of  his  mouth  :  and  when  he  arose  against 
me,  I  caught  him  by  his  beard,  and  smote  him, 
and  slew  him"  (1  Sam.  xvii.  34,  35). 

Here  also  are  the  arms  of  Sir  Patrick  Nisbet 
of  Eastbank,  called  of  Dean  by  Crookshank,  who 
records  that  he  was  fined  £z°°  for  speaking  dis- 
respectfully of  the  Government.  An  elaborately 
carved  fragment  of  a  fireplace  bears  the  motto, 
Beet  otia  Dator,  with  the  monogram  of  Nisbet; 
and  various  other  fragments  are  here. 

The  house  had  a  large  gallery,  with  an  arched 
ceiling,  painted  in  the  same  style  as  the  one  that 


was  found  in  Blythe's  Close — sacred  subjects  treated 
in  distemper,  boldly  and  pleasingly  done. 

The  office  of  Hereditary  Poulterer  to  the  king, 
together  with  the  Poultry  Lands  of  Dean,  were 
first  acquired  by  the  Nisbets  in  16 10,  when  they 
bought  them  for  the  sum  of  1,700  marks  from 
John  Napier  of  Merchiston  ;  and  the  office  is  now 
hereditary  in  their  successors,  the  Learmonths. 
In  1638  William  Nisbet  of  Dean,  as  heir  male  of 
Sir  William  of  Dean,  succeeded  to  the  lands 
thereof,  and  the  Poultry  Lands  "  adjacent  to  the 
village  of  Dean." 

In  the  year  of  the  plague,  1645,  the  latter  pro- 
prietor, "  Sir  William  Nisbet  of  Dean,"  as  the 
Minutes  of  Session  of  St.  Cuthbert's  show,  "  desyred 
the  heritors  and  sessioners  to  grant  him  ane  place 
to  burie  his  deid,  to  the  effect  that  he  might  build 
the  same,  seeing  his  predecessors  had  no  buriell 
place  within  the  church  yeard  ;  his  demand  was 
thocht  reasonable,  and  they  grantit  him  ane  place, 
at  the  north  church  door  eistward,  five  elns  of 
length,  and  three  elns  of  bredth." 

Of  all  the  old  burial  vaults  of  St.  Cuthbert's 
Church,  this  one  alone  remains.  Above  the 
entrance  are  the  family  arms  boldly  cut,  and  a 
Latin  inscription,  which  Maitland  translates  thus  : — 

"  Henry  Nisbet  of  Dean,  preferring  fame  to 
riches,  and  virtue  to  fame,  despising  earthly  things 
and  aspiring  after  heavenly  enjoyment,  being 
mindful  of  death,  and  waiting  for  the  resurrection 
— in  his  own  life  and  at  his  own  sight  caused 
build  this  sepulchral  monument  for  him  and  his, 
in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1692." 

Four  doggerel  lines  follow  ;  but  from  this  inscrip- 
tion it  would  appear  that,  though  Sir  William  got 
a  grant  of  the  burial-ground,  it  was  a  subsequent 
proprietor  who  built  the  vault. 

Sir  William  was  succeeded  by  Alexander,  his  heir 
male,  in  1664.  A  hundred  years  later,  we  find 
Lady  Nisbet  of  Dean  resident  in  Gosford's  Close, 
"in  the  fourth  storey,  within  the  turnpike  of  the  stone 
tenement  of  land,"  at  the  head  of  the  Close,  as  it 
is  described  in  the  advertisement  of  sale  in  the 
"  Advertiser,"  Vol.  I.  ;  and  in  the  Scots  Magazine 
for  176S,  her  death  is  recorded  at  Edinburgh,  as 
relict  of  Sir  John  Nisbet  of  Dean,  Bart.  She  was 
the  daughter  of  Sir  Andrew  Myrtoun  of  Gogar. 

A  son  of  the  family  is  said  to  have  fallen  in  the 
war  with  the  revolted  American  colonists  ;  and  a 
tradition  long  lingered  in  the  village  of  Dean  that 
one  morning  early,  as  an  aged  groom  was  taking  out 
his  horse  for  exercise  by  a  gate  that,  until  recently, 
opened  northward  of  the  house  into  the  Back  Dean 
Road,  he  was  startled  to  see  the  apparition  of  his 
young  master  standing  there,   in  his  regimentals, 


DANIEL    STEWART. 


67 


with  sword  and  sash,  wig  and  cocked  hat,  queue 
and  ruffles.  After  looking  at  him  steadily,  but  sadly, 
the  figure  melted  away  ;  and,  as  usual  with  such 
spectral  appearances,  it  is  alleged  young  Nisbet  was 
shot  at  the  same  moment,  in  an  encounter  with  the 
colonists. 

In  1784  the  Dean  House  was  the  residence  of 
Thomas  Miller,  Lord  Barskimming,  and  Lord 
Justice  Clerk.  In  1845  it  was  pulled  down,  when 
the  ground  whereon  it  had  stood  so  long  was 
acquired  by  a  cemetery  company,  and  now — save 
the  sculptured  stones  we  have  described — no  relic 
remains  of  the  old  Nisbets  of  Dean  but  their  burial 
place  at  the  West  Church — a  gloomy  chamber  of 
the  dead,  choked  up  with  rank  nettles  and  hemlock. 
By  1 88 1  the  old  village  of  Dean  was  entirely 
cleared  away.  Near  its  centre  stood  the  black- 
smith's forge  of  Robert  Orrock,  who  was  indicted  for 
manufacturing  pikes  for  the  Friends  of  the  People 
in  1792.  He  and  his  friend,  Arthur  McEwan, 
publican  in  Dean  Side,  Water  of  Leith  village, 
were  legally  examined  at  the  time,  and  it  is  sup- 
posed that  many  of  the  pikes  were  thrown  into  the 
World's  End  Pool,  below  the  waterfall  at  the 
Damhead.  South  of  the  smithy  was  the  village 
school,  long  taught  by  "  auld  Dominie  Fergusson." 
North  of  it  stood  the  old  farmhouse  and  steading 
of  the  Dean  Farm,  all  swept  away  like  the  quaint 
old  village,  which  was  wont  to  be  a  bustling  place 
when  the  commander-in-chief  of  the  forces  in 
Scotland  tenanted  the  Dean,  and  mounted  orderlies 
came  galloping  up  the  steep  brae,  and  often  reined 
up  their  horses  at  the  "  Speed  the  Plough  "  ale- 
house, before  the  stately  gate. 

Somewhere  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  this 
old  village  a  meeting-house  was  erected  in  1687 
for  the  Rev.  David  Williamson,  of  St.  Cuthbert's, 
who  was  denounced  as  a  rebel,  and  intercommuned 
in  1674  for  holding  conventicles,  but  was  sheltered 
secretly  in  the  Dean  House  by  Sir  Patrick  Nisbet. 
In  1689  he  was  restored  to  his  charge  at  the  West 
Church,  and  was  one  of  the  commissioners  sent  to 
congratulate  King  William  on  his  accession  to  the 
throne. 

Now  all  the  site  of  the  village  and  farms,  and 
the  land  between  them  and  the  Dean  Bridge,  is 
covered  by  noble  streets,  such  as  Buckingham 
Terrace  and  Belgrave  Crescent,  the  position  of 
which  is  truly  grand.  In  1S76  a  movement  was 
set  on  foot  by  the  proprietors  of  this  crescent,  led 
by  Sir  James  Falshaw,  Bart.,  then  Lord  Provost, 
which  resulted  in  the  purchase  of  the  ground  be- 
tween it  and  the  Dean  village,  at  a  cost  of  about 
.£5,000.  In  that  year  it  was  nearly  all  covered  by 
kitchen   gardens,   ruinous  buildings,  and   broken- 


down  fences.  These  and  the  irregularities  of  the 
place  have  been  removed,  while  the  natural  undu- 
lations, which  add  such  beauty  to  the  modern 
gardens,  have  been  preserved,  and  the  plantations 
and  walks  are  laid  out  with  artistic  effect. 

The  new  parish  church — which  was  built  in 
1836,  in  the  Gothic  style,  for  accommodation  of 
the  inhabitants  of  the  Water  of  Leith  village,  and 
those  of  the  village  of  Dean — stands  on  the  wes- 
tern side  of  the  old  Dean  Path. 

farther  westward  is  Stewart's  Hospital,  built  in 
1849"S3>  after  designs  by  David  Rhind,  at  a  cost 
of  about  ,£30,000,  in  a  mixture  of  the  latest 
domestic  Gothic,  with  something  of  the  old  castel- 
lated Scottish  style.  It  comprises  a  quadrangle, 
about  230  feet  in  length  by  100  feet  in  minimum 
breadth,  and  has  two  main  towers,  each  120  feet 
high,  with  several  turrets. 

Mr.  Daniel  Stewart,  of  the  Scottish  Exchequer, 
who  died  in  18 14,  left  the  residue  of  his  property, 
amounting  (after  the  erection  and  endowment  of  a 
free  school  in  his  native  parish  of  LogieraitJ  to 
about  .£13,000,  with  some  property  in  the  old 
town,  to  accumulate  for  the  purpose  of  founding  a 
hospital  for  the  maintenance  of  boys,  the  children 
of  honest  and  industrious  parents,  whose  circum- 
stances do  not  enable  them  suitably  to  support  and 
educate  their  children  at  other  schools.  Poor  boys 
of  the  name  of  Stewart  and  Macfarlane,  resident 
within  Edinburgh  and  the  suburbs,  were  always 
to  have  a  preference.  The  age  for  admission  was 
to  be  from  seven  to  ten,  and  that  for  leaving  at 
fourteen. 

The  Merchant  Company,  as  governors,  taking 
advantage  of  the  powers  given  them  by  the  pro- 
visional order  obtained  in  1S70,  opened  the  hos- 
pital as  a  day  school  in  the  September  of  that 
year.  The  education  provided  is  of  a  very  su- 
perior order,  qualifying  the  pupils  for  commercial 
or  professional  life,  and  for  the  universities.  The 
course  of  study  includes  English,  Latin,  Greek, 
French,  German,  and  all  the  usual  branches,  in- 
cluding drill,  fencing,  and  gymnastics. 

The  Orphan  Hospital  at  the  Dean  was  erected 
in  1833,  after  elegant  designs  by  Thomas  Hamil- 
ton, at  a  cost  of  £16,000,  in  succession  to  the 
older  foundation,  which  we  have  already  described 
as  standing  eastward  of  the  North  Bridge,  on  the 
site  of  the  railway  terminus.  It  comprises  a  large 
central  block,  with  two  projecting  wings,  a  portico 
of  Tuscan  columns,  and  two  light,  elegant  quad- 
rangular towers  with  arches,  and  has  within  its 
clock-turret  on  the  summit  of  its  front  the  ancient 
clock  of  the  Nether  Bow  Port. 

Its  white  facade  stands  boldly  and   pleasingly 


68 


OLD   AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


[•I'll-    \V.u,r,,f  I,,th. 


up  against  the  dark  green  of  the  stately  trees 
around  and  behind  it.  In  this  institution  above 
ninety  boys  and  girls  are  maintained,  and  its 
benefits  are  not  confined  to  any  district  of  Scot- 
land. When  admitted,  they  must  be  of  the  age  of 
seven,  and  not  above  ten  years.  They  are  taught 
reading,  writing,  arithmetic,  and  geography.  The 
hospital  has  been  maintained  almost  solely  from 
the  charity  of  the  public. 


pleasure-grounds  of  the  old  Dean  House,  and  was 
formed  in  1845.  It  is  principally  disposed  on 
the  steep  and  finely-wooded  bank  of  the  Water  of 
Leith,  and  underwent  great  extension  and  some  new 
embellishment  in  1872.  It  contains  the  ashes 
of  many  distinguished  Scotsmen,  including  Lords 
Cockburn,  Jeffrey,  Murray,  and  Rutherford,  Pro- 
fessor Wilson,  and  near  him  his  son-in-law,  William 
Edmonstoun  Aytoun.       Here   are    the   graves  of 


Near  it,  and  north-westward  of  Bell's  Mills, 
stands  John  Watson's  Hospital,  built  in  1825-8, 
from  a  very  plain  design  by  William  Burn.  It  is 
a  spacious  edifice,  with  a  Doric  portico,  and  main- 
tains and  educates  about  120  children.  This 
charity  takes  its  rise  from  the  funds  of  John  Wat- 
son, W.S.,  who,  in  the  year  1759,  conveyed  his 
whole  property  to  trustees,  Lord  Milton  and  Mr. 
Mackenzie  of  Delvin,  W.S.,  who  managed  their 
trust  so  well  that,  though  in  1781  it  only  amounted 
to  ,£4,721  5s.  6d.,  by  1823  it  exceeded  £90,000. 
It  is  built  on  ground  which  belonged  of  old  to  the 
estate  of  Dean. 

The  Dean  Cemetery,  the  most  beautiful  of  the 
cemeteries    of    Edinburgh,  occupies  the   site  and 


Edward  Forbes  the  naturalist,  Goodsir  the  anato- 
mist, Allan,  Scott,  and  Sam  Bough,  the  painters, 
Playfair  the  architect  and  the  sculptor,  and  William 
Brodie,  R.S.A. 

In  a  corner  near  the  east  gate  is  buried  George 
Combe,   the  eminent  phrenologist,  author  of  the 

i  "  Constitution  of  Man,"  who  died  in  Surrey  in  1858  ; 

j  ami  under  a  stately  memorial  of  red  Peterhead 
granite,  thirty-six  feet  in  height,  lies  Alexander 
Russel,  editor  of  The  Scotsman. 

In  the  centre  of  the  ground  stands  a  tall  obelisk, 
erected  to  the  memory  of  the  soldiers  of  the 
Cameron  Highlanders  ;  and  not  far  from  it,  a  tomb, 
inscribed  with  all  his  battles,  marks  the  grave  of 
Major  Thomas  Canch,  whose  valour  at  the  assault 


The  Water  of  Leii 


CEMETKRY. 


7o 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


[The  Water  of  Leitl, 


of  Badajoz  is  extolled  by  Napier,  and  who  died 
fort  major  of  Edinburgh  Castle.  On  the  opposite 
side  of  the  path,  a  modest  stone  marks  the  spot 
where  lies  Captain  John  Grant,  the  last  survivor 
of  the  old  Peninsula  Gordon  Highlanders,  who 
covered  the  retreat  at  Alba  de  Tormes,  and  was 
the  last  officer  to  quit  the  town. 

Near  it  is  the  grave  of  Captain  Charles  Gray  of 
the  Royal  Marines,  the  genial  author  of  so  many 
Scottish  songs  ;    and  perhaps  one  of  the  most  in- 


teresting interments  of  recent  years  was  that  of  Lieu- 
tenant John  Irving,  R.N.  (son  of  John  Irving,  W.S., 
the  schoolfellow  and  intimate  friend  of  Sir  Walter 
Scott),  one  of  the  officers  of  the  ill-fated  Franklin 
expedition,  who  died  in  1848  or  1849,  and  whose 
remains  were  sent  home  by  Lieutenant  Sohwatka, 
of  the  United  States  Navy,  and  laid  in  the  Dean 
Cemetery  in  January,  1881,  after  a  grand  naval  and 
military  funeral,  in  accordance  with  his  rank  as 
Lieutenant  of  the  Royal  Navy.* 


CHAPTER     VII. 
VALLEY   OF   THE   WATER    OF    LEITII    (continued). 


The  Dean  Prid.;c-I.an.Mips  -,t  Stockbridge— Slone  Coffins— Floods  ir 
—"Christopher  North"  in  Anne  Street-De  Quincey  there— St.  B( 
the  Locality— Sir  Henry  Raeburn— Old  Deanh.ugh  House. 

About  a  hundred  yards  west  by  north  of  Randolph  ' 
Crescent  this  deep  valley  is  spanned  by  a  stately  • 
bridge,  built    in  1832,   after    designs    by  Telford.  : 
This  bridge  was  erected  almost  solely  at  the  ex-  1 
pense  of  the  Lord    Provost  Learmonth  of  Dean,  j 
to  form  a  direct  communication  with   his  property, 
with  a  view  to    the   future  feuing   of  the    latter.  1 
It  was  when  an  excavation  was  made  for  its  nor- 
thern pier  that  the  Roman  urn  was  found  of  which 
an  engraving  will  be  seen  on  page  10  of  the  first 
volume  of  this  work.     Over  the  bridge,  the  roadway 
passes  at  the  great  height  of  106  feet  above  the 
rocky  bed  of  the  stream.     The  arches  are  four  in  j 
number,  and  each  is  ninety-six  feet  in  span.     The 
total  length  is  447  feet,  the  breadth  thirty-nine  feet 
between  the  parapets,  from  which  a  noble  view  of 
the  old  Leith  village,  with  its  waterfall,  is  had  to 
the  westward,   while  on  the  east  the  eye  travels  1 
along  the  valley  to  the  distant  spires  of  the  seaport. 
That   portion  of  it   adjoining   Stockbridge  is  still  ; 
very  beautiful  and  picturesque,  but  was  far  more  \ 
so  in  other  days,  when,  instead  of  the  plain  back 
views  of  Moray  Place  and  Ainslie  Place,  the  steep  . 
green  bank  was  crowned   by  the  stately  trees  of 
Drumsheugh  Park,  and  tangled  brakes  of  bramble  i 
and  sweet-smelling  hawthorn  overhung  the  water 
of  the  stream,  which  was  then  pure,  and  in  some  j 
places  abounded  with  trout.     Unconfined  by  stone  j 
walls,  the  long  extent  of  the  mill-lade  here  was 
then  conveyed  in  great  wooden  ducts,  raised  upon 
posts.      These   ducts    were    generally   leaky,   and 
being  patched  and  mended  from  time  to  time,  and 
covered  with  emerald-green  moss  and  garlands  of 
creepers   and    water-plants,    added    to    the    rural 
aspect  of  the  glen.     Between  the  bridge  and  the 


mineral  well,  a  great  saugh  tree,  shown  in  one  of 
Ewbank's  views,  overhung  the  lade  and  footpath, 
imparting  fresh  beauty  to  the  landscape. 

"  At  Stockbridge,"  says  the  Edinburgh  Advertiser 
for  1823,  "  we  cannot  but  regret  that  the  rage  for 
building  is  fast  destroying  the  delightful  scenery 
between  it  and  the  neighbouring  village  of  the 
Water  of  Leith,  which  had  so  long  been  a  pro- 
minent ornament  in  the  environs  of  our  ancient 
city." 

At  the  southern  end  of  the  bridge,  where 
Randolph  Cliff  starts  abruptly  up,  dangerous  land- 
slips have  more  than  once  occurred  ;  one  notably 
so  in  March,  1881,  when  a  mass  of  rock  and  earth 
fell  down,  and  completely  choked  up  the  lade  which 
drives  the  Greenland,  Stockbridge,  and  Canonmills 
flour-mills. 

At  the  north-western  end  of  the  bridge  is  the 
Trinity  Episcopal  Church,  built  in  1838,  from  a 
design  by  John  Henderson,  in  the  later  English 
style,  with  nave,  aisles,  and  a  square  tower.  To  the 
north-eastward  an  elegant  suburb  extends  away 
down  the  slope  until  it  joins  Stockbridge,  com- 
prising crescents,  terraces,  and  streets,  built  between 
1850  and  1877. 


*  The  following  is  a  detailed  explanation  of  the  woodcut  on  the 
previous  page  :— i,  View  looking  along  the  West  Wall,  showing,  on  the 
right,  the  monument  to  Buchanan,  founder  of  the  Buchanan  Institute, 
Glasgow,  and  on  the  extreme  left,  the  grave  of  Mr.  Ritchie,  of  The 
Scotsman  (the  pyramid  at  further  end  of  walk  is  Lord  Rutherford's 
tomb,  and  Lord  Cockhurn's  is  near  to  it)  ;  2,  Sir  Archibald  Alison's 
grave  (the  larger  of  the  Gothic  mural  tablets  in  white  marble) ;  3, 
Grave  of  George  Combe  ;  4,  Monument  to  Alexander  Russel,  Editor 
of  The  Scotsman;  5,  Tomb,  on  extreme  left,  of  Lord  Rutherford,  next 
to  it  that  of  Lord  Jeffrey,  the  Runic  Cross  in  the  path  is  erected  to- 
Lieut.  Irving  of  the  Franklin  Expedition  ;  6,  Grave  of  Prof.  Wilson 
(obelisk  under  tree),  and  of  Prof.  Aytoun  (marble  pedestal  with  cross 
on  top). 


'I':.,  Wr.luof  U-iih  ; 


STOCKBRIDGE. 


Here  some  stone  coffins,  or  cists,  were  found  by 
the  workmen,  when  preparing  the  ground  for  the 
erection  of  Oxford  Terrace,  which  faces  the  north, 
and  has  a  most  commanding  site ;  and  in  October, 
1 866,  at  the  foundations  of  Lennox  Street,  which  runs 
southward  from  the  terrace  at  an  angle,  four  solitary 
ancient  graves  were  discovered  a  little  below  the 
surface.  "  They  lay  north  and  south,"  says  a  local 
annalist,  "and  were  lined  with  slabs  of  undressed 
stone.  The  length  of  these  graves  was  about 
four  feet,  and  the  breadth  little  beyond  two  feet, 
so  that  the  bodies  must  have  been  buried  in  a 
sitting  posture,  or  compressed  in  some  way.  This 
must  have  been  the  case  in  the  short  cists  or  coffins 
made  of  slabs  of  stone,  while  in  the  great  cists, 
which  were  about  six  feet  long,  the  body  lay  at  full 
length." 

On  both  sides  of  the  Water  of  Leith  lies  Stock- 
bridge,  some  280  yards  east  of  the  Dean  Bridge. 
Once  a  spacious  suburb,  it  is  now  included  in  the 
growing  northern  New  Town,  and  displays  a 
curious  mixture  of  grandeur  and  romance,  with 
something  of  classic  beauty,  and,  in  more  than 
one  quarter,  houses  of  rather  a  mean  and  humble 
character.  One  of  its  finest  features  is  the  double 
crescent  called  St.  Bernard's,  suggested  by  Sir  David 
Wilkie,  constructed  by  Sir  Henry  Raeburn,  and 
adorned  with  the  grandest  Grecian  Doric  pillars 
that  are  to  be  found  in  any  other  edifice  not  a 
public  one. 

Here  the  Water  of  Leith  at  times  flows  with 
considerable  force  and  speed,  especially  in  seasons 
of  rain  and  flood.  Nicoll  refers  to  a  visitation  in 
1659,  when  "the  town  of  Edinburgh  obtained  an 
additional  impost  upon  the  ale  sold  in  its  bounds — 
it  was  now  a  full  penny  a  pint,  so  that  the  liquor  rose 
to  the  unheard  of  price  of  thirty-two  pence  Scots, 
for  that  quantity.  Yet  this  imposition  seemed  not 
to  thrive,"  he  continues  superstitiously,  "  for  at  the 
same  instant,  God  frae  the  heavens  declared  His 
anger  by  sending  thunder  and  unheard-of  tempests, 
storms,  and  inundations  of  water,  whilk  destroyed 
their  common  mills,  dams,  and  warks,  to  the  toun's 
great  charges  and  expenses.  Eleven  mills  belonging 
to  Edinburgh,  and  five  belonging  to  Heriot's  Hos- 
pital, all  upon  the  Water  of  Leith,  were  destroyed  on 
this  occasion,  with  their  dams,  water-gangs,  timber 
and  stone-warks,  the  haill  wheels  of  their  mills, 
timber-graith,  and  haill  other  warks." 

In  1794-5  there  was  a  "spate"  in  the  river, 
when  the  water  rose  so  high  that  access  to  certain 
houses  in  Haugh  Street  was  entirely  cut  off,  and  a 
marriage  party — said  to  be  that  of  the  parents  of 
David  Roberts,  R.A. — was  nearly  swept  away.  In 
1821  a  coachman  with  his  horse  was  carried  down 


the  stream,  and  drowned  near  the  gate  of  Inverleith  ; 
and  in  1832  the  stream  flooded  all  the  low-lying 
land  about  Stockbridge,  and  did  very  consider- 
i  able  damage. 

This  part  of  the  town  cannot  boast  of  great 
antiquity,  for  we  do  not  find  it  mentioned  by 
'  Nicoll  in  the  instance  of  the  Divine  wrath  being 
excited  by  the  impost  on  ale,  or  in  the  description 
of  Edinburgh  preserved  in  the  Advocates'  Library, 
and  supposed  to  have  been  written  between  1642 
and  165 1,  and  which  refers  to  many  houses  and 
hamlets  on  the  banks  of  the  Water  of  Leith. 

The  steep  old  Kirk  Loan,  that  led,  between 
hedgerows,  to  St.  Cuthbert's,  is  now  designated 
Church  Lane ;  where  it  passed  the  grounds  of 
Drumsheugh  it  was  bordered  by  a  deep  ditch.  A 
village  had  begun  to  spring  up  here  towards  the 
end  of  the  seventeenth  century,  and  by  the  year 
1742,  says  a  pamphlet  by  Mr.  C.  Hill,  the  total 
population  amounted  to  574  persons.  Before  the 
city  extended  over  the  arable  lands  now  occupied 
by  the  New  Town,  the  village  would  be  deemed  as 
somewhat  remote  from  the  old  city,  and  the  road 
that  led  to  it,  down  by  where  the  Royal  Circus 
stands  now,  was  steep,  bordered  by  hawthorn 
hedges,  and  known  as  "Stockbrig  Brae." 

It  is  extremely  probable  that  the  name  originated 
in  the  circumstance  of  the  first  bridge  having  been 
built  of  wood,  for  which  the  old  Saxon  word  was 
stoke ;  and  a  view  that  has  been  preserved  of  it, 
drawn  in  1760,  represents  it  as  a  structure  of  beams 
and  pales,  situated  a  little  way  above  where  the 
present  bridge  stands. 

In  former  days,  the  latter — like  that  at  Canon- 
mills — was  steep  and  narrow,  but  by  raising  up 
the  banks  on  both  sides  the  steepness  was  removed, 
and  it  was  widened  to  double  its  original  breadth. 
The  bridge  farther  up  the  stream,  at  Mackenzie 
Place,  was.  built  for  the  accommodation  of  the 
feuars  of  St.  Bernard's  grounds  ;  and  between  these 
two  a  wooden  foot-bridge  at  one  time  existed,  for 
the  convenience  of  the  residents  in  Anne  Street. 
The  piers  of  it  are  still  remaining. 

St.  Bernard's,  originally  a  portion  of  the  old 
Dean  estate,  was  acquired  by  Mr.  Walter  Ross, 
W.S.,  whose  house,  a  large,  irregular,  three-storeyed 
edifice,  stood  on  the  ground  now  occupied  by  the 
east  side  of  Carlton  Street ;  and  this  was  the 
house  afterwards  obtained  by  Sir  Henry  Raeburn, 
and  in  which  he  died.  Mr.  Ross  was  a  man  of 
antiquarian  taste,  and  this  led  him  to  collect  many 
of  the  sculptured  stones  from  old  houses,  then  in 
the  process  of  demolition  in  the  city,  and  some 
of  these  he  built  into  the  house.  In  front  of  one 
projection   he   built  a   fine  Gothic  window,   and 


72 


OLD  AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


(Th-  Wjter  of  Leith. 


beneath  it  "  The  Triumph  of  Bacchus,"  beautifully 
executed  in  white  marble.  Here,  too,  was  the 
door-lintel  of  Alexander  Clark,  referred  to  in  our 
account  of  Niddry's  Wynd.  The  entrance  to  the 
house  was  latterly  where  Dean  Terrace  now  begins, 
at  the  north  end  of  the  old  bridge,  and  from  that 
point  up  to  the  height  now  covered  by  Anne  Street 
the  grounds  were  tastefully  laid  out.  The  site 
of  Danube  Street  was  the  orchard  ;  the  gardens 
and  hot-houses  were  where  St.  Bernard's  Crescent 


"Oliver  Cromwell,"  till  November,  1788,  when  Mr. 

Ross  had  it  removed,  and  erected,  with  no  small 

difficulty,  on  the  ground  where  Anne  Street  is  now. 

"  The  block,"  says  Wilson,  "  was  about  eight  feet 
'  high,  intended  apparently  for  the  upper  half  of 
!  the  figure. 

"The  workmen  of  the  quarry  had  prepared  it 
■  for  the  chisel  of  the  statuary,  by  giving  it  with 
j  the  hammer  the  shape  of  a  monstrous  mummy. 
'  And  there  stood  the  Protector,  like  a  giant  in  his 


Kar 


now  stands.  On  the  lawn  was  the  monument  to 
a  favourite  dog,  now  removed,  but  preserved  else- 
where. In  the  grounds  was  set  up  a  curious  stone, 
described  in  Campbell's  "  Journey  from  Edinburgh" 
as  a  huge  freestone  block,  partly  cut  in  the  form 
of  a  man. 

It  would  seem  that  it  had  been  ordered  by 
the  magistrates  of  Edinburgh  in  1659,  to  form  a 
colossal  statue  of  Oliver  Cromwell,  to  be  erected 
in  the  Parliament  Close,  but  news  came  of  the 
Protector's  death  just  as  it  was  landed  at  Leith,  and 
the  pliant  provost  and  bailies,  finding  it  wiser  to 
forget  their  intentions,  erected  soon  after  the  pre- 
sent statue  of  Charles  II.  The  rejected  block 
lay  on  the  sands  of  Leith,  under  the  cognomen  of 


shroud,  frowning  upon  the  city,  until  the  death  of 
Mr.  Ross,  when  it  was  cast  down,  and  lay  neg- 
lected for  many  years.  About  1825  it  was  again 
erected  upon  a  pedestal,  near  the  place  where  it 
formerly  stood  ;  but  it  was  again  cast  down,  and 
broken  up  for  building  purposes." 

Close  by  the  site  of  the  house  No.  10  Anne 
Street  Mr.  Ross  built  a  square  tower,  about  forty 
feet  high  by  twenty  feet,  in  the  shape  of  a  Border 
Peel  which  forthwith  obtained  the  name  of 
"Ross's  Folly."  Into  the  walls  of  this  he  built 
all  the  curious  old  stones  that  he  could  collect. 
Among  them  was  a  beautiful  font  from  the  Chapel 
of  St.  Ninian,  near  the  Calton,  and  the  four  heads 
which  adorned  the  cross  of  Edinburgh,  and  are 


The  Water  of  Leith.] 


WALTER    ROSS,    W.S. 


73 


now  at  Abbotsford,  where  Sir  Walter  Scott  took 
them  in  1824.  This  tower  was  divided  into  two 
apartments,  an  upper  and  a  lower;  the  entrance  to 
the  former  was  by  an  outside  stair,  and  was  used 
as  a  summer-house.  On  the  roof  was  a  well- 
painted  subject  from  the  heathen  mythology,  and 
the  whole  details  of  the  apartment  were  very  hand- 
some. 

On   the    nth  of  March,   1789,   Mr.  Ross,  who 
was  Registrar  of  Distillery  Licences  in  Scotland, 


of  St.  Bernard's.  The  bower  is  on  the  spot  where 
two  lovers  were  killed  by  the  falling  of  a  sand-bank 
upon  them." 

For  several  years  after  his  death  the  upper  part 
of  the  tower  was  occupied  by  the  person  who 
acted  as  night-watchman  in  this  quarter,  while  the 
lower  was  used  as  a  stable.  In  18 18,  with  refer- 
ence to  future  building  operations,  the  remains  of 
Mr.  Ross  were  taken  up,  and  re-interred  in  the 
West  Church  burying-ground.      The  extension   of 


h,  1825. 


and  was  a  man  distinguished  for  talent,  humour, 
and  suavity  of  manner,  dropped  down  in  a  fit, 
and  suddenly  expired.  He  would  seem  to  have 
had  some  prevision  of  such  a  fate,  as  by  his 
particular  request  his  body  was  kept  eight  days, 
and  was  interred  near  his  tower  with  the  coffin-lid 
open. 

"  Yesterday,  at  one  o'clock,"  says  the  Edinburgh 
Advertisei  for  March  20th,  1789,  "the  remains  of 
the  late  Mr.  Walter  Ross  were,  agreeable  to  his 
own  desire,  interred  in  a  bower  laid  out  by  himself 
for  that  purpose,  and  encircled  with  myrtle,  near 
the  beautiful  and  romantic  tower  which  he  had 
been  at  so  much  trouble  and  expense  in  getting 
erected,  on  the  most  elevated  part  of  his  grounds 
108 


Anne  Street,  in  1825,  caused  the  removal  of  his 
tower  to  be  necessary.  It  was  accordingly  de- 
molished, and  most  of  the  sculptures  were  carted 
away  as  rubbish. 

In  the  "  Traditions  of  Edinburgh,"  we  are  told 
that  after  he  had  finished  his  pleasure-grounds, 
Mr.  Ross  was  much  enraged  by  nightly  trespassers, 
and  advertised  spring-guns  and  man-traps  without 
avail.  At  last  he  conceived  the  idea  of  procuring 
a  human  leg  from  the  Royal  Infirmary,  and 
dressing  it  up  with  a  stocking,  shoe,  and  buckle, 
sent  it  through  the  town,  borne  aloft  by  the  crier, 
proclaiming  that  "  it  had  been  found  last  night  in 
Mr.  Walter  Ross's  policy  at  Stockbridge,  and 
offering  to  restore  it  to   the  disconsolate  owner." 


OLD   ANT)    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


111,.    W;,ttTori...llh. 


After  this,  no  one  attempted  to  break  into  his 
grounds. 

No.  29,  Anne  Street,  was  for  years  the  residence 
of  "Christopher  North,"  before  his  removal  to 
No.  6,  Gloucester  Place.  "  Towards  the  end  of  the 
winter  of  18 19,''  says  Mrs.  Gordon,  in  her  memoir 
of  him,  "  my  father,  with  his  wife  and  children,  five 
in  number,  left  his  mother's  house,  53,  Queen 
Street,  and  set  up  his  household  gods  in  a  small 
and  somewhat  inconvenient  house  in  Anne  Street. 
This  little  street,  which  forms  the  culminating 
point  of  the  suburb  of  Stockbridge,  was  at  that 
time  quite  out  of  town,  and  is  still  a  secluded 
place,  overshadowed  by  the  tall  houses  of  Eton 
Terrace  and  Clarendon  Crescent.  In  withdrawing 
from  the  more  fashionable  part  of  Edinburgh,  they 
did  not,  however,  exclude  themselves  from  the 
pleasures  of  social  intercourse  with  the  world.  In 
Anne  Street  they  found  a  pleasant  little  community, 
that  made  residence  there  far  from  distasteful.  The 
seclusion  of  the  locality  made  it  then — as  it  still 
seems  to  be — rather  a  favourite  quarter  with  literary 
men  and  artists." 

While  here,  in  the  following  year,  her  father 
was  elected  Professor  of  Moral  Philosophy  in  the 
University  of  Edinburgh  ;  while  here  he  wrote  his 
pathetic  "  Lights  and  Shadows  of  Scottish  Life," 
and  many  of  his  finest  contributions  to  Blackwood's 
Magazine.  Here  it  was  that  many  a  pleasant 
literary  and  artistic  reunion  took  place  under  his 
.hospitable  roof,  with  such  men  as  Sir  William 
Hamilton;  Captain  Hamilton  of  the  29th  Regiment, 
his  brother,  and  author  of  "Cyril  Thornton,"  &c. ; 
Gait,  Hogg,  and  J.  G.  Lockhart ;  Sir  Henry  Rae- 
burn,  the  future  Sir  William  Allan,  R.A.,  and  the 
future  Sir  John  Watson  Gordon,  P.R.S.A.,  who  re- 
sided successively  in  Nos.  17  and  27,  Anne  Street ; 
De  Quincey,  and  others.  In  1829  the  latter  made 
a  very  protracted  stay  at  Anne  Street,  and  Mrs. 
Gordon  thus  describes  the  daily  routine  of  the 
famous  opium-eater  there  : — 

"  An  ounce  of  laudanum  per  diem  prostrated 
animal  life  in  the  early  part  of  the  day.  It  was  no 
unfrequent  sight  to  find  him  in  his  room  lying  upon 
the  rug  in  front  of  the  fire,  his  head  resting  upon 
a  book,  with  his  arms  crossed  over  his  breast,  in 
profound  slumber.  For  several  hours  he  would  lie 
in  this  state,  till  the  torpor  passed  away.  The  time 
when  he  was  most  brilliant  was  generally  towards 
the  early  morning  hours  ;  and  then,  more  than 
once,  in  order  to  show  him  off,  my  father  arranged 
his  supper  parties,  so  that,  sitting  till  three  or  four 
in  the  morning,  he  brought  Mr.  De  Quincey  to  that 
point  at  which,  in  charm  and  power  of  conversation, 
he  was  so  truly  wonderful." 


His  invariable  diet  was  coffee,  boiled  rice,  and 
milk,  with  a  slice  of  mutton  from  the  loin,  and 
owing  to  his  perpetual  dyspepsia,  he  had  a  daily 
audience  with  the  cook,  who  had  a  great  awe  of 
him.  De  Quincey  died  at  Edinburgh  on  the  8th 
of  December,  1859. 

In  No.  41,  Anne  Street,  the  house  of  his  father 
(Captain  Tulloch,  of  the  7th  Royal  Veteran  Bat- 
talion), lived,  all  the  earlier  years  of  his  life,  Colonel 
Alexander  Tulloch,  that  officer  whose  sagacity, 
energy,  and  decision  of  character,  were  so  admir- 
ably evinced  by  the  manner  in  which  he  instituted 
and  prosecuted  an  inquiry  into  the  blunders  and 
commissariat  disorders  connected  with  our  cam- 
paign in  the  Crimea. 

No.  42,  Anne  Street  was,  in  1825,  the  property 
of  Howiason  Crawfurd,  of  Crawfurdland  and  Brae- 
head,  who  performed  the  feudal  homage  with  the 
basin  to  George  IV.  in  1822,  and  concerning  whose 
family  the  old  "  Statistical  Accounts  "  in  1792  says  : 
— "  It  is  a  singular  circumstance  in  regard  to  the 
Crawfurdland  family  that  its  present  representative 
is  the  twenty-first  lineally  descended  from  the 
original  stock,  without  the  intervention  of  even  a 
second  brother." 

Robert  Chambers,  LL.D.,  who,  before  he  had 
risen  to  wealth  and  position,  had  lived  at  one  time 
in  No.  4,  India  Place  (now  No.  4,  Albert  Place), 
Stockbridge,  dwelt  for  some  years  in  the  central 
block  on  the  east  side  of  Anne  Street,  from  whence 
he  removed  to  Doune  Terrace. 

James  Ballantyne,  Scott's  printer,  possessed  a 
house  in  Anne  Street,  which  he  sold  for  ^800  at 
the  time  of  the  famous  bankruptcy. 

One  of  the  leading  features  in  this  locality  is  St. 
Bernard's  Well,  of  which  we  find  a  notice  in  the 
Edinburgh  Advertiser  for  April  27th,  1764,  which 
states  : — "  As  many  people  have  got  benefit  from 
using  of  the  water  of  St.  Bernard's  Well  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  this  city,  there  has  been  such 
demand  for  lodgings  this  season  that  there  is  not 
so  much  as  one  room  to  be  had  either  at  the  Water 
of  Leith  or  its  neighbourhood." 

In  the  council-room  of  Heriot's  Hospital  there 
is  an  exquisitely  carved  mantelpiece,  having  a  cir- 
cular compartment,  enclosing  a  painting,  which 
represents  a  tradition  of  the  hospital,  that  three  of 
its  boys,  while  playing  on  the  bank  of  the  Leith, 
discovered  the  mineral  spring  now  bearing  the 
name  of  St.  Bernard's  Well. 

This  was  some  time  before  the  year  1760,  as 
the  Scots  Magazine  for  that  year  speaks  of  the 
mineral  well  "  lately  discovered  between  the  Water 
of  Leith  and  Stockbridge,  which  is  said  to  be  equal 
in  quality  to  any  of  the  most  famous  in  Britain." 


BERNARD'S    WELL. 


75 


To  protect  it,  a  stone  covering  of  some  kind  was 
proposed,  and  in  that  year  the  foundation  thereof 
was  actually  laid  by  "  Alexander  Drummond, 
brother  of  Provost  Drummond,  lately  British  Con- 
sul at  Aleppo,  and  Provincial  Grand  Master  of  all 
the  Lodges  in  Asia  and  Europe  holding  of  the 
Grand  Lodge,  Scotland."  The  brethren  in  their 
insignia  were  present,  the  spring  was  named  St. 
Bernard's  Well,  and  the  subject  inspired  the  local 
muse  of  Claudero. 

A  silly  legend  tells  how  St.  Bernard,  being  sent 
on  a  mission  to  the  Scottish  Court,  was  met  with 
so  cold  a  reception  that,  in  chagrin,  he  came  to 
this  picturesque  valley,  and  occupied  a  cave  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  well,  to  which  his  attention  was 
attracted  by  the  number  of  birds  that  resorted  to 
it,  and  ere  long  he  announced  its  virtues  to  the 
people.  There  is  undoubtedly  a  cave,  and  of  no 
inconsiderable  dimensions,  in  the  cliffs  to  the  west- 
ward, and  it  is  now  entirely  hidden  by  the  boundary- 
wall  at  the  back  of  Randolph  Cliff;  but,  unfor- 
tunately for  the  legend,  in  the  Bollandists  there  are 
at  least  three  St.  Bernards,  not  one  of  whom  ever 
was  on  British  soil. 

The  present  well — a  handsome  Doric  temple, 
with  a  dome,  designed  by  Nasmyth,  after  the  Sybils' 
Temple  at  Tivoli — was  really  founded  by  Lord 
Gardenstone  in  May,  1789,  after  he  had  derived 
great  benefit  from  drinking  the  waters.  "  The 
foundation  stone  was  laid,"  says  the  Advertiser  for 
that  year,  "  in  presence  of  several  gentlemen  of  the 
neighbourhood."  A  metal  plate  was  sunk  into  it 
with  the  following  inscription  : — 

'-'  Erected  for  the  benefit  of  the  Public,  at  the  sole  expense 
of  Francis  Garden,  Esq.,  of  Troupe,  one  of  the  senators  of 
the  College  of  Justice,  a.d.  17S9.  Alexander  Nasmyth, 
Architect ;  John  Wilson,  Builder." 

A  fine  statue  of  Hygeia,  by  Coade  of  London, 
was  placed  within  the  pillars  of  the  temple.  For 
thirty  years  after  its  erection  it  was  untouched  by 
the  hand  of  mischief,  but  now  it  is  so  battered 
by  stones  as  to  be  a  perfect  wreck.  Since  the 
days  of  Lord  Gardenstone  the  well  has  always 
been  more  or  less  frequented.  A  careful  analysis 
of  the  water  by  Dr.  Stevenson  Macadam,  showed 
that  it  resembled  closely  the  Harrogate  springs. 
The  morning  is  the  best  time  for  drinking  it. 
During  some  recent  drainage  operations  the  water 
entirely  disappeared,  and  it  was  thought  the  public 
would  lose  the  benefit  of  it  for  ever :  but  after  a 
time  it  returned,  with  its  medicinal  virtues  stronger 
than  ever. 

A  plain  little  circular  building  was  erected  in 
1 8 10  over  another  spring  that  existed  a  little  to 
the  westward  of  St.  Bernard's,  by  Mr.  Macdonald 


of  Stockbridge,  who  named  it  St.  George's  Well, 
The  water  is  said  to  be  the  same  as  that  of  the 
former,  but  if  so,  no  use  has  been  made  of  it  for 
many  years  past.  From  its  vicinity  to  the  well, 
Upper  Dean  Terrace,  when  first  built,  was  called 
Mineral  Street.  In  those  days  India  Place  was 
called  Athole  Street;  Leggat's  Land  was  Braid's 
Row;  and  Veitch's  Square  (built  by  a  reputable- 
old  baker  of  that  name)  was  called  Virgin's  Square. 

The  removal  of  the  greater  part  of  the  latter, 
which  consisted  of  four  rows  of  cottages,  thirty  in 
number,  and  all  thatched  with  straw,  alters  one  ot 
the  most  quaint  localities  in  old  Stockbridge.  Each 
consisted  only  of  a  "but  and  a  ben" — i.e.,  two 
apartments — and  in  the  centre  was  a  spacious 
bleaching  green,  past  which  flowed  the  Leith,  in 
those  days  pure  and  limpid.  The  cottages  were 
chiefly,  if  not  wholly,  occupied  by  blanchisseuses, 
and  hence  its  name. 

The  great  playground  of  the  village  children  was- 
the  open  and  flat  piece  of  land  in  the  Haugh,  near 
Inverleith,  known  as  the  Whins,  covered  now  by 
Hugh  Miller  Place  and  nine  other  streets  of  artisans' 
houses. 

In  past  times  flour-mills  and  tan-pits  were  the 
chief  means  of  affording  work  for  the  people  of 
Stockbridge.  About  18 14  a  china  manufactory 
was  started  on  a  small  scale  on  the  Dean  Bank 
grounds,  near  where  Saxe-Coburg  Place  stands 
now.  It  proved  a  failure,  but  some  pieces  of  the 
"  Stockbridge  china "  are  still  preserved  in  the 
Industrial  Museum. 

As  population  increased  in  this  district  new 
churches  were  required.  Claremcnt  Street  Chapel, 
now  called  St.  Bernard's  Church,  was  built  for 
those  who  were  connected  with  the  Establishment,, 
at  a  cost  of  ,£4,000,  and  opened  in  November,  1823. 
Its  first  incumbent  was  the  Rev.  James  Henderson  of 
Berwick,  afterwards  of  Free  St.  Enoch's,  Glasgow. 

About  the  year  1826,  persons  connected  with 
the  Relief  Church  built  Dean  Street  Church  in. 
the  narrow  street  at  the  back  of  the  great  crescent,, 
and  named  it  St.  Bernard's  Chapel.  It  was  after- 
wards sold  to  the  United  Secession  body.  In  the 
year  1843,  at  the  Disruption,  the  Rev.  Alexander 
Brown,  of  St.  Bernard's,  with  a  great  portion  of  his- 
congregation,  withdrew  from  the  Church  of  Scotland, 
and  formed  Free  St.  Bernard's ;  and,  more  recently, 
additional  accommodation  has  been  provided  for 
those  of  that  persuasion  by  the  re-erection  in  its 
own  mass,  at  Deanhaugh  Street,  of  St.  George's 
Free  Church,  which  was  built  in  the  Norman  style 
of  architecture,  for  the  Rev.  Dr.  Candlish,  at  St. 
Cuthbert's  Lane. 

Mrs.  Gordon  is  correct  in  stating  that  Stockbridge 


76 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


[The  Waltr  of  I.uth. 


was  a  favourite  residence  for  those  connected  with 
art  and  literature  ;  for,  in  addition  to  her  father, 
the  professor,  and  Robert  Chambers,  many  others 
had  their  dwellings  here  at  different  times. 

The  chief  of  these  was  Sir  Henry  Raeburn,  who 
was  born  on  the  4th  of  March,  1756,  in  a  little 
slated  cottage  that  stood  by  the  side  of  the  mill-lade, 
where  the  western  part  of  Horn  Lane  now  stands. 
It  was  within  a  garden,  and  pleasantly  situated,  j 
though  immediately  adjoining  the  premises  of  his  | 


"  Raeburn  married  Ann  Edgar,  daughter  of  Peter 
Edgar,  Esq.,  of  Bridgelands,  Peebles-shire,  and 
widow  of  James  Leslie,  Count  of  Deanhaugh,  St. 
Bernard's.  Ann  Leslie  had  by  her  first  husband 
one  son,  who  was  drowned,  and  two  daughters 
— Jacobina,  who  married  Daniel  Vere,  Sheriff- 
substitute  ;  and  Ann,  who  married  James  Philip 
Inglis,  who  died  in  Calcutta,  and  left  two  sons — 
Henry  Raeburn  Inglis,  deaf  and  dumb,  and  Charles 
James  Leslie  Inglis,  late  of  Deanhaugh     .... 


■ir.    l.KR.NARKS   WELL 


father,  Robert  Raeburn,  who  was  a  yarn-boiler. 
Northward  of  it  was  a  fruit  orchard,  where  Saunders 
Street  now  stands.  Southward  and  west  lay  the 
base  of  the  beautiful  grounds  of  Drumsheugh,  where 
now  India  and  Mackenzie  Places  are  built. 

In  his  sixth  year  Henry  Raeburn  lost  both  his 
parents,  and  he  was  admitted  into  Heriot's  Hos- 
pital in  1765,  and  in  1772  he  left  it,  to  be  appren- 
ticed to  a  goldsmith,  Mr.  James  Gilliland,  in  the 
Parliament  Close,  to  whom  he  soon  gave  proofs  of 
his  ingenuity  and  artistic  taste.  We  have  already 
referred  to  Raeburn  in  our  account  of  the  Scottish 
Academy,  and  need  add  little  here  concerning  his 
artistic  progress  and  future  fame. 

"  At   the    age    of    twenty-two,"    says   a   writer, 


Raeburn  painted  a  portrait  of  his  much  cared-for 
half  grandson,  Henry,  holding  a  rabbit,  as  his 
diploma  picture,  now  in  the  private  diploma  room 
of  the  Royal  Academy,  London." 

He  received  a  handsome  fortune  with  Mr.  Edgar's 
daughter,  with  whom  he  had  fallen  in  love  while 
painting  her  portrait  ;  and  after  travelling  in  Italy 
to  improve  himself  in  art,  he  established  himself 
in  1787  in  George  Street,  where  he  rapidly  rose  to 
the  head  of  his  profession  in  Scotland — an  eminence 
which  he  maintained  during  a  life  the  history  of 
which  is  limited  to  his  artistic  pursuits.  His  style 
was  free  and  bold  ;  his  drawing  critically  correct ; 
his  colouring  rich,  deep,  and  harmonious  ;  his 
accessories  always  appropriate.     He  was  a  member 


The  Water  of  Leith.] 


THE    HOLE    P    THE    WA'. 


77 


of  the  Royal  Society  of  Edinburgh,  of  the  Imperial 
Academy  of  Florence,  of  the  Royal  Academy  of 
London,  and  other  Societies.  The  number  of 
portraits  he  painted  is  immense,  and  he  was  still 
hale  and  vigorous,  spending  his  time  between  his 
studio,  his  gardens,  and  the  pleasures  of  domestic 
society,  when  George  IV.  came  to  Edinburgh  in  the 
year  1822,  and  knighted  him  at  Hopetoun  House. 
The  sword  used  by  the  king  was  that  of  Sir 
Alexander   Hope.     In   the  following  May  he  was 


left  the  bulk  of  his  fortune,  consisting  of  ground- 
rents  on  his  property  at  St.  Bernard's,  which,  in  his 
later  years,  had  occupied  much  of  his  leisure  time 
by  planning  it  out  in  streets  and  villas. 

Old  Deanhaugh  House,  which  was  pulled  down 
in  1880,  to  make  room  for  the  extension  of  Leslie 
Place,  was  the  most  venerable  mansion  in  the 
locality,  standing  back  a  little  way  from  the  Water 
of  Leith  ;  a  short  avenue  branching  off  from  that  of 
St.  Bernard's  led  to  it.     About  the  middle  of  this 


1 


appointed  Limner  for  Scotland.  He  always  re- 
sided in  the  old  house  at  St.  Bernard's.  The 
last  pictures  on  which  he  was  engaged  were  two 
portraits  of  Sir  Walter  Scott,  one  for  himself  and 
the  other  for  Lord  Montague.  He  died,  after  a 
short  illness,  from  a  general  decay  of  the  system, 
on  the  8th  of  July,  1823,  at  St.  Bernard's,  little 
more  than  a  stone's  throw  from  where  he  was  born. 
His  loss,  said  Sir  Thomas  Lawrence,  had  left  a 
blank  in  the  Royal  Academy,  as  well  as  Scotland, 
which  could  not  be  filled  up.  By  his  wife,  who 
survived  him  ten  years,  he  had  two  sons  :  Peter, 
who  died  in  his  nineteenth  year ;  and  Henry,  who, 
with  his  wife  and  family,  lived  under  the  same  roof 
ith  his  father,  and  to  whose   children   the  latter 


century  it  was  occupied  by  Count  Leslie.  Mrs. 
Ann  Inglis,  Sir  Henry  Raeburn's  step-daughter, 
continued  to  occupy  the  house,  together  with  her 
sons.  In  this  house  was  born,  it  is  said,  Admiral 
Deans  Dundas,  commander  of  the  British  fleet  in 
the  Black  Sea  during  the  Crimean  war.  Latterly 
it  was  the  residence  of  working  people,  every  room 
being  occupied  by  a  separate  family. 

In  Dean  Street  there  long  stood  a  little  cottage 
known  as  the  Hole  1"  the  \Va\  a  great  resort  of 
school-boys  for  apples,  pears,  and  gooseberries, 
retailed  there  by  o!d  "  Lucky  Hazlewood,"  who 
lived  to  be  ninety  years  of  age.  It  was  over- 
shadowed by  birch-trees  of  great  size  and 
beauty. 


OLD  AND   NEW   EDINBURGH. 


(The  Water  of  Leilh 


CHAPTER     VIII. 
VALLEY    OF    THE    WATER    OF   LEITH  (concluded). 


lent  Men  connected  with  Stockbridge-David  Robert- 
Simpson,  Bart.— Leitch  Ritchie— General  Mitchell— G. 
Mills- St.  Stephen's  Church— The  Brothers  Lauder— J  a 
The  Edinburgh  Academy. 


.A—  K.  Macleay.  R.S.A.-James  Browne,  LL.D.-Ja 
Luke— Comely  Bank— Fettes  College— Craigleith  Quarri 
Drummond,    R.S.A.— Deaf  and  Dumb   Institution— De 


In  Duncan's  Land,  in  the  old  Kirk  Loan — a  pile 
built  of  rubble,  removed  during  the  construction 
of  Bank  Street,  and  having  an  old  lintel  brought 
from  that  quarter,  with  the  legend,  I  fear  god  oxlye, 
1605 — was  born,  on  the  24th  October,  1796,  David 
Roberts,  son  of  a  shoemaker.  In  the  jamb  of  the 
kitchen  fireplace  there  remains  to  this  day  an 
indentation  made  by  the  old  man  when  sharpening 
his  awl.  In  his  boyhood  David  Roberts  gave 
indications  of  his  taste  for  drawing,  and  made  free 
use  of  his  mother's  whitewashed  walls,  his  ma- 
terials, we  are  told,  "  being  the  ends  of  burnt  spunks 
(matches)  and  pieces  of  red  keel." 

He  was  apprenticed  to  Gavin  Beugo,  a  house- 
painter  in  West  Register  Street,  whose  residence  was 
a  house  within  a  garden,  where  the  north-west  corner 
of  Clarence  Street  stands.  His  fellow-apprentice 
was  David  Ramsay  Hay,  afterwards  House  Painter 
to  the  Queen,  and  well  known  for  his  treatises 
on  decorative  art.  On  the  expiry  of  his  appren- 
ticeship, Roberts  took  to  scene-painting,  his  first 
essay  being  for  a  circus  in  North  College  Street ; 
and  after  travelling  about  in  Scotland  and  England, 
working  alternately  as  a  house  and  scene  painter, 
he  returned  to  his  parents'  house  in  Edinburgh  in 
181 8,  and  was  employed  by  Jeffrey  to  decorate 
with  his  brush  the  library  at  Craigcrook. 

About  this  time  he  was  scene-painting  for  Mr. 
W.  H.  Murray,  of  the  Theatre  Royal,  and  began  his 
life-long  acquaintance  with  Clarkson  Stanfield.  He 
now  took  to  landscape  painting,  and  his  first  works — 
Scottish  subjects  —  appeared  in  the  Edinburgh 
Exhibition  in  1822,  when,  to  his  delight  and 
astonishment  he  found  that  they  had  been  well  hung, 
and  bought  at  the  private  view  ;  two  were  sold  for 
£2  10s.  each,  and  one  for  ^5  to  a  picture-dealer 
who  never  paid  for  it.  After  scene-painting  at 
Drury  I.ane  theatre,  he  became  an  exhibitor  in  the 
Royal  Academy  of  London,  and  ere  long  won  such 
fame  that  he  was  admitted  to  the  full  honours  of 
Academician  in  1 841,  and  his  pictures  were  quickly 
bought  at  great  prices.  His  most  splendid  work  is 
that  entitled  "  The  Holy  Land,  Syria,  Idumea, 
Arabia,  Egypt,  and  Nubia,"  published  in  four  large 
volumes  in  1S42. 

Though  resident    in    London,  he  was    not   for- 


year,  he  was  entertained  at  a  public  banquet  in  the- 
Hopetoun  Rooms,  when  Lord  Cockburn  presided  ; 
and  in  1S58  he  was  feted  by  the  Royal  Scottish 
Academy,  Sir  John  Watson  Gordon  in  the  chair  ; 
Clarkson  Stanfield  and  Professors  J.  Y.  Simpson 
and  Aytoun  were  present. 

David  Roberts  died  suddenly,  when  engaged  on 
his  last  work,  "St.  Paul's  from  Ludgate  Hill."  Ik- 
had  left  home  in  perfect  health  on  the  25th  of 
November,  1864,  to  walk,  but  was  seized  with 
apoplexy  in  Berners  Street,  and  died  that  evening. 
He  was  buried  at  Norwood.  His  attachment  to 
Edinburgh  was  strong  and  deep,  and  when  he  re- 
turned there  he  was  never  weary  of  wandering 
among  the  scenes  of  his  boyhood.  Thus  Stock- 
bridge  and  St.  Bernard's  Well  received  many  a 
visit. 

James  Ballantine,  in  his  "  Life  of  Roberts," 
quotes  a  letter  of  the  artist,  dated  September,  1858, 
in  which  he  writes  of  himself  and  Clarkson  StanfiekL 
who  accompanied  him  : — "  Yesterday  we  went  to 
see  a  fine  young  fellow,  a  member  of  the  R.S.A. 
His  studio  is  at  Canonmills,  near  to  my  dear  old 
Stockbridge,  and  we  strolled  along  the  old  road,  and 
crossed  the  burn  I  had  so  often  paddled  in  ;  after 
which,  in  passing  through  the  village,  I  pointed  out 
to  Stanny  an  early  effort  of  mine  in  sign — not 
scene — painting,  done  when  I  was  an  apprentice 
boy.  We  had  a  long  look  at  the  old  house  where 
some  of  my  happiest  days  were  spent." 

His  parents  lived  to  see  him  in  the  zenith  of  his 
fame.  He  buried  them  in  the  Calton  ;  and  there 
is  something  grand  and  pathetic  in  the  simplicity 
with  which  he  records  their  rank  in  life  on  the 
stone  designed  by  his  own  hand  to  cover  their 
remains  : — 

"  Sacred  to  the  memory  of  John  Roberts,  shoe- 
maker in  Stockbridge,  who  died  27  th  April,  1840, 
aged  86  years ;  as  also  his  wife,  Christian  Richie, 
who  died  rst  Jul)-,  1845,  aoed  86  years.  .  .  .  This 
stone  is  erected  to  their  memory  by  their  only  sur- 
viving son,  David  Roberts,  Member  of  the  Royal 
Academy  of  Arts,  London." 

In  No.  5  Mary  Place  dwelt  David  Scott,  R.S.A., 
whose  most  important  work,  "  Vasco  de  Gama 
Doubling  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,"  is  now  in  the- 


gotten  in  the  city  of  his  birth,  where,  in  the  latter    Trinity  House,  and  who  died  in   Dairy  House  in, 


The  Water  of  Leith.] 


.MAJOR-GENERAL  MITCHELL. 


79 


1S49.  Horatio  Macculloch,  R.S.A.,  a  most  dis- 
tinguished landscape,  painter,  lived  for  many  years 
in  No.  7,  Danube  Street,  where  the  best  of  his 
works  were  executed.  With  Sir  Daniel  Macnee, 
P.R.S.A.,  he  first  obtained  employment  from  Lizars, 
the  engraver,  as  colourists  of  Selby's  "  Ornithology.'' 
In  1829  he  first  exhibited;  and  from  thence  on- 
wards, to  his  death  in  1867,  he  contributed  to  the 
yearly  exhibitions,  and  won  himself  much  fame  in 
Scotland. 

In  No.  16,  Carlton  Street,  adjoining,  lived  for 
many  years  his  chief  friend,  Kenneth  Macleay, 
R.S.A.,  who  was  born  at  Oban  in  1802,  and  after 
being  educated  at  the  Trustees'  School,  was  one  of 
the  thirteen  founders  of  the  Royal  Scottish  Aca- 
demy, and  at  his  death  was  the  last  survivor  of 
them.  He  was  chiefly  famous  for  his  beautiful 
miniatures  on  ivory,  and  latterly  was  well  known 
for  his  occasional  sketches  and  delineations  of 
Highland  life,  many  of  which  were  painted  at  the 
express  desire  of  Her  Majesty.  He  died  at  No.  3, 
Malta  Terrace,  in  1878,  in  his  seventy-sixth  year. 
He  was  an  enthusiastic  Celt,  and  fond  of  wearing 
the  Highland  dress  on  Academy  receptions,  and 
on  every  possible  occasion. 

Among  others  connected  with  art  who  made 
Stockbridge  their  residence  was  George  Kemp,  the 
luckless  architect  of  Sir  Walter  Scott's  monument, 
who  had  a  humble  flat  in  No.  28,  Bedford  Street ; 
James  Stewart,  the  well-known  engraver  of  Sir 
William  Allan's  finest  works,  who  lived  in  No.  4 
of  that  gloomy  little  street  called  Hermitage  Place  ; 
and  Comely  Bank,  close  by,  was  not  without  its 
famous  people  too,  for  there,  for  some  years  after 
his  marriage,  dwelt  Thomas  Carlyle,  and,  in  No.  1 1, 
James  Browne,  LL.D.,  author  of  the  "History  of 
the  Highland  Clans,"  and  editor  of  the  Caledonian 
Mercury  and  of  The  Edinburgh  Weekly  Journal, 
and  Macvey  Napier's  collaborates  in  the  "  Ency- 
clopaedia Britannica."  Some  differences  having 
arisen  between  him  and  Mr.  Charles  Maclaren, 
the  editor  of  the  Scotsman,  regarding  a  fine-art 
criticism,  the  altercation  ran  so  high  that  a  hostile 
meeting  took  place  at  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning 
of  the  1 2U1  of  November,  1829,  somewhere  near 
Ravelston,  but,  fortunately,  without  any  calamitous 
sequel.  He  took  a  great  lead  in  Liberal  politics, 
and  in  No.  n  entertained  Daniel  O'Connell  more 
than  once.  He  died  at  Woodbine  Cottage,  Trinity, 
on  the  8th  of  April,  1841,  aged  fifty  years.  John 
Ewbank,  R.S.A.,  the  marine  and  landscape  painter, 
lived  at  No.  5,  Comely  Bank  ;  while  No.  13  was  the 
residence  of  Mrs.  Johnstone,  who  while  there 
wrote  many  of  her  best  novels — among  them,  "  Clan 
Albyn  :  a  National  Tale  " — and  contributed  many 


able  articles  to  Johnstone's  Magazine,  a  now  for- 
gotten monthly. 

From  a  passage  in  a  memoir  of  himself  prefixed 
to  "  The  Mountain  Bard,''  we  find  that  the  Ettrick 
Shepherd,  about  1813,  was  living  in  Deanhaugh 
Street  while  at  work  on  the  "  Queen's  Wake," 
which  he  produced  in  that  year  ;  and  that,  in  his 
lodgings  there,  he  was  wont  to  read  passages  of 
his  poems  to  Mr.  Gray,  of  the  High  School,  whose 
criticisms  would  seem  to  have  led  to  a  quarrel 
between  them. 

Sir  James  Young  Simpson,  Bart.,  in  his  boyhood 
and  as  a  student  lived  with  his  brother,  David 
Simpson,  a  respectable  master  baker,  in  the  shop, 
No.  1,  Raeburn  Place,  at  the  corner  of  Dean  Street. 
When  he  first  began  to  practise  as  a  physician,  it 
was  in  a  first  flat  of  No.  2,  Deanhaugh  Street ;  and 
as  his  fame  began  to  spread,  and  he  was  elected 
Professor  of  Midwifery  in  the  University  in  1840, 
in  succession  to  Dr.  Hamilton,  he  was  living  in 
No.  1,  Dean  Terrace. 

In  St.  Bernard's  Crescent,  for  man)-  years  while 
in  the  employment  of  the  Messrs.  Chambers,  lived 
Leitch  Ritchie,  author  of  "  Schinderhannes,  the 
Robber  of  the  Rhine,"  a  famous  romance  in  its 
day  ;  also  of  "  Travelling  Sketches  on  the  Rhine, 
in  Belgium,  and  Holland,"  and  many  other  works. 
He  was  born  in  i8or,  and  died  on  the  16th  of 
January,  1865. 

His  neighbour  and  friend  here  was  Andrew 
Crichton,  LL.D.,  author  of  a  "  History  of  Scandi- 
navia" and  other  works,  and  twenty-one  years 
editor  of  the  Edinburgh  Advertiser. 

In  the  same  quarter  there  spent  many  years  of 
his  life  Major-General  John  Mitchell,  a  gallant  old 
Peninsular  officer,  who  was  an  able  writer  on  mili- 
tary matters  and  biography.  In  1S03  he  began  life 
as  an  ensign  in  the  57th  Foot,  and  served  in 
all  the  campaigns  in  Spain  and  Portugal,  France 
and  Flanders.  Under  the  nom  de pi 'nine  of  "  Sabre- 
tache," he  wrote  some  very  smart  things,  his 
earliest  productions  appearing  in  Erasers  Magazine 
and  the  United  Service  Journal.  He  was  the 
author  of  a  "Life  of  Wallenstein"  (London, 
1S37),  which,  like  his  "Fall  of  Napoleon,"  was 
well  received  by  the  public  ;  and  Sir  Robert  Peel 
acknowledged  the  importance  of  the  information 
he  derived  from  the  latter  work,  after  the  appear- 
ance of  which,  Augustus,  King  of  Hanover,  pre- 
sented the  author  with  a  diamond  brooch.  He 
was  the  author  of  many  other  works,  including 
"  Biographies  of  Eminent  Soldiers."  He  was  a 
handsome  man,  with  great  buoyancy  of  spirit  and 
conversational  powers  ;  thus  "  Old  Sabretache,"  as 
he  was  often  called,  was  welcome  everywhere.     A 


OLD    AND    NEW   EDINBURGH. 


[The  Water  of  I  eith. 


GEORGE    RANKINE    LUKE. 


memoir  of  him  was  prefixed  by  Dr.  Leonhard 
Schmitz  to  his  last  work,  which  was  published  six 
years  after  his  death,  which  occurred  in  His  seventy- 
fourth  year,  at  No.  21,  St.  Bernard's  Crescent,  on 
the<)th  of  July,  1859. 


Academy,  everywhere  bearing  off  more  prizes  than 
any  of  his  contemporaries.  Leaving  the  last  in 
1853,  he  went  to  the  University  of  Glasgow,  and 
at  the  close  of  the  first  session,  when  in  his  seven- 
teenth year,  he  carried  off  the  two  gold  medals 


Our  list  of  Stockbridge  notabilities  would  be 
incomplete  were  we  to  omit  the  name  of  one 
whose  fame,  had  he  been  spared,  might  have 
been  very  glorious  :  young  George  Rankine  Luke, 
a  Snell  Exhibitioner  at  Baliol  College,  and  one  of 
the  most  brilliant  students  at  Oxford.  Born  in 
Brunswick  Street,  in  March,  1836,  the  son  of  Mr. 
James  Luke,  a  master  baker,  he  passed  speedily 
through  the  ranks  of  the  Hamilton  Place  Academy, 
the  Circus  Place  School,  and  the  Edinburgh 
107 


:  for  the  senior  Latin  and  Greek,  three  prizes  for 
Greek  and  Latin  composition,  the  prize  for  the 
Latin  Blackstone,  and  the  Muirhead  prize.  The 
close  of  the  second  year  saw  him  win  the  medal 
for   the  Greek    Blackstone,   the    highest    classical 

I  honour  the  University  offers,  Professor  Lushing- 
ton's  final  Greek  prize,  another  for  Logic,  and  for 
Composition  four  others. 

In  1855,  as  a  Snell  Exhibitioner  at  Oxford,  he 

'  rapidly  gained  the  Gaisford  prizes  for  Greek  prose 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


and  verse,  the  Ireland  Scholarship,  and  a  student- 
ship at  Christ  Church;  but  in  the  midst  of  his 
youth  and  fame  he  was  suddenly  taken  away,  in  a 
manner  that  was  a  source  of  deep  regret  in  Scotland 
and  England  alike.  He  perished  by  drowning, 
when  a  boat  was  upset  on  the  Isis,  on  the  3rd  of 
March,  1862,  when  he  was  in  his  twenty-sixth 
year. 

"  Oxford  has  lost  one  of  her  most  promising 
students,"  said  the  London  Review,  with  reference 
to  this  calamity.  "  A  career  of  such  almost  uniform 
brilliance  has  seldom  been  equalled,  and  never 
been  surpassed,  by  any  one  among  the  many  dis- 
tinguished young  men  who  have  gone  from  Scot- 
land to  an  English  university.  Indeed,  we  only  do 
him  justice  when  we  say  that  Mr.  Luke  was  one  of 
the  most  remarkable  students  that  ever  went  to 
Oxford.  Many  leading  boys  have  gone  up  from 
the  great  English  public  schools,  where  they  have 
been  trained  with  untiring  attention,  under  the  care- 
ful eye  of  the  ablest  and  most  experienced  teachers 
of  the  day,  and  they  have  more  than  fully  rewarded 
their  masters  for  the  care  bestowed  upon  them  ; 
but  no  one  has  shone  out  so  conspicuously  above 
his  compeers  as  Mr.  Luke  has  done  among  those 
who  have  been  educated  in  the  comparative  obscu- 
rity of  a  Scotch  school  and  university,  where, 
owing  to  the  system  pursued  at  these  seminaries,  a 
boy  is  left  almost  entirely  to  himself,  and  to  his  own 
spontaneous  exertions."  This  young  man,  whose 
brief  career  shed  such  honour  on  his  family  and 
his  native  place,  was  as  distinguished  for  kindness 
of  heart,  probity,  and  every  moral  worth,  as  for 
his  swift  classical  attainments. 

There  are  several  painters  of  note  now  living, 
famous  alike  in  the  annals  of  Scottish  and  British 
art,  who  have  made  Stockbridge  their  home  and  the 
scene  of  their  labours.  There  some  of  them  have 
spent  their  youth,  and  received  the  rudiments  of 
their  education,  whose  names  we  can  but  give 
■ — viz.,  Norman  Macbeth,  R.S.A. ;  Robert  Hender- 
son, R.S.  A. ;  James  Faed,  the  painter  and  engraver ; 
Thomas  Faed,  R.A. ;  Robert  Macbeth ;  Alexander 
Leggett ;  John  Proctor,  the  cartoonist ;  and  W.  L. 
Richardson,  A. R.A. 

Comely  Bank  estate,  which  lies  north  of  Stock- 
bridge,  was  the  property  of  Sir  William  Fettes,  Bart., 
Lord  Provost  of  the  city,  of  whom  we  have  given 
a  memoir,  with  an  account  of  his  trust  disposition, 
in  the  chapter  on  Charlotte  Square.  On  the  gentle 
slope  of  Comely  Bank,  the  Fettes  College  forms  a 
conspicuous  object  from  almost  every  point,  but 
chiefly  from  the  Dean  Bridge  Road.  This  grand 
edifice  was  planned  and  executed  by  David  Bryce, 
R.S.A.,  at  the  cost  of  about  ,£150,000,  and  is  re- 


markable for  the  almost  endless  diversity  and 
elegance  of  its  details.  The  greatest  wealth  of 
these  is  to  be  found  in  the  centre,  a  prevailing  idea 
(worked  out  into  numerous  forms,  in  corbels,  gur- 
goils,  and  mouldings)  being  that  of  griffins  con- 
tending. Its  towers  are  massive,  lofty,  and  ornate, 
the  whole  style  of  architecture  being  the  most  florid 
example  of  the  old  Scottish  Baronial.  The  chapel, 
which  occupies  the  centre  of  the  structure,  is  a 
most  beautiful  building,  with  its  due  accompani- 
ment of  pinnacles  and  buttresses,  ornamented  with 
statues  on  corbels  or  in  canopied  niches.  A 
finely-carved  stone  rail  encloses  the  terrace,  which 
is  surrounded  by  spacious  shrubberies 

The  building  was  founded  in  June,  1863,  and 
formally  opened  in  October,  1870.  The  number 
of  boys  to  be  admitted  on  the  foundation,  and 
maintained  and  educated  in  the  college  at  the  ex- 
pense of  the  endowment,  was  not  at  any  time  to 
exceed  fifty — a  number  absurdly  small  to  occupy 
so  vast  a  palace,  for  such  it  is.  For  the  accom- 
modation of  non-foundationers,  spacious  boarding- 
houses  have  been  erected  in  the  grounds,  and  in 
connection  with  the  college,  under  the  superinten- 
dence of  the  teachers. 

Craigleith  adjoins  Comely  Bank  on  the  westward, 
and  was  an  old  estate,  in  which  Morrison  the 
Younger,  of  Prestongrange,  was  entailed  in  1731. 
Here  we  find  the  great  quarry,  from  which  the 
greatest  portion  of  the  New  Town  has  been  built, 
covering  an  area  of  twelve  acres,  which  is  more 
than  200  feet  deep,  and  has  been  worked  for 
many  years.  When  first  opened,  it  was  rented  for 
about  £50  per  annum;  but  between  1820  and 
1826  it  yielded  about  .£5,510  per  annum. 

Here,  in  1823,  there  was  excavated  a  stone  of 
such  dimensions  and  weight,  says  the  Edinburgh 
Weekly  Journal  for  November  of  that  year,  as  to 
be  without  parallel  in  ancient  or  modern  times. 
In  length  it  was  upwards  of  136  feet,  averaging 
twenty  feet  in  breadth,  and  its  computed  weight  was 
15,000  tons.  It  was  a  longitudinal  cut  from  a 
stratum  of  very  fine  lime  rock.  The  greater  part 
of  it  was  conveyed  to  the  Calton  Hill,  where  it 
now  forms  the  architrave  of  the  National  Monu- 
ment, and  the  rest  was  sent  by  sea  to  Buckingham 
Palace. 

Three  large  fossil  coniferous  trees  have  been 
found  here,  deep  down  in  the  heart  of  the  free- 
stone rock.  One  of  these,  discovered  about  1830, 
excited  much  the  attention  of  geologists  as  to 
whether  it  was  not  standing  with  root  uppermost  ; 
but  after  a  time  it  was  found  to  be  in  its  natural 
position. 

A  little  to  the  north  of  the  quarry  stands  the 


The  Water  of  Leith.] 


THE    LAUDERS. 


83 


massive  little  mansion  of  Groat  Hall,  with  a  thatched  the  public.  But  somehow,  from  the  time  it  left 
.roof,  whilom  the  property  of  Sir  John  Smith,  Pro-  the  hands  of  the  original  owner,  '  God's  Blessing' 
vost  of  the  city  in  1643,  whose  daughter  figured  ;  ceased  to  be  anything  like  so  fertile  as  it  had  been, 
•as  the  heroine  of  the  strange  story  connected  with 
the  legend  of  the  Morocco  Land  in  the  Canongate, 
.and  whose  sister  (Giles  Smith)  was  wife  of  Sir 
William  Gray  of  Pittendrum. 


St.  Cuthbert's  Poorhouse,  a  great  quadrangular 
edifice,  stands  in  the  eastern  vicinity  of  Craigleith 
■Quarry.  It  was  built  in  1866-7,  at  a  cost  of 
^£40,000,  and  has  amenities  of  situation  and 
■elegance  of  structure  very  rarely  associated  with 
a  residence  for  the  poor. 

Eastward  of  Stockbridge,  and  almost  forming  an 
■integral  part  of  it,  lies  the  now  nearly  absorbed  and 
half  extinct,  but  ancient,  village  of  Silvermills,  a  se- 
cluded hamlet  once,  clustering  by  the  ancient  mill- 
lade,  and  which  of  old  lay  within  the  Earony  of 
Broughton.  It  was  chiefly  occupied  by  tanners, 
whose  branch  of  trade  is  still  carried  on  there  by 
the  lade,  which  runs  under  Clarence  Street,  through 
the  village,  and  passes  on  to  Canonmills.  Some  of 
the  houses  still  show  designs  of  thistles  and  roses 
on  gablets,  with  the  crowsteps  of  the  sixteenth 
century. 

A  little  to  the  west  of  St.  Stephen's  Church,  a 
marrow  lane  leads  downward  to  the  village,  passing 
through  what  was  apparently  the  main  street,  and 


and  in  time  the  king  withdrew  from  the  enterprise, 
a  great  loser.  The  Silvermills  I  conceive  to  have 
been  a  part  of  the  abandoned  plant." 

This  derivation  seems  extremely  probable,  but 
Wilson  thinks  the  name  may  have  originated  in 
some  of  the  alchemical  projects  of  James  IV.,  or 
his  son,  James  V. 

"  From  Silvermills,  a  little  northward  of  this 
city,"  says  the  Edinburgh  Weekly  Magazine  for 
January,  1774,  "we  are  informed  of  a  very  singular 
accident.  On  the  nights  of  the  22nd,  23rd,  and 
24th  inst.,  the  Canonmills  dam,  by  reason  of  the 
intenseness  of  the  frost,  was  so  gorged  with  ice  and 
snow,  that  at  last  the  water,  finding  no  vent,  stag- 
nated to  such  a  degree  that  it  overflowed  the 
lower  floors  of  the  houses  in  Silvermills,  which 
obliged  many  of  the  inhabitants  to  remove  to  the 
rising  grounds  adjacent.  One  family  in  particular, 
not  perceiving  their  danger  till  they  observed  the 
cradle  with  a  child  in  it  afloat,  and  all  the  furni- 
ture swimming,  found  it  necessary  to  make  their 
escape  out  of  the  back  windows,  and  were  carried 
on  horseback  to  dry  land." 

St.  Stephen's  Established  Church,  at  the  foot 
of  St.  Vincent  Street,  towers  in  a  huge  mass  over 


emerges  at  Henderson   Row,  so  called  from  the    Silvermills,  and  was  built  in   1826-8,  after  designs 

--    by  W.   H.    Playfair.     It   is   a   massive    octagonal 


Lord  Provost  of  that  name.  According 
Chambers,  a  walk  on  a  summer  day  from  the  old 
city  to  the  village,  a  hundred  years  ago,  was  con- 
sidered a  very  delightful  one,  and  much  adopted 
by  idlers,  the  roads  being  then  through  corn-fields 
and  pleasant  nursery-grounds. 

No  notice,  says  Chambers,  has  ever  been  taken 
■of  Silvermills  in  any  of  the  books  regarding  Edin- 
burgh, nor  has  any  attempt  ever  been  made  to 
account  for  its  somewhat  piquant  name.  "  I 
shall  endeavour  to  do  so,"  he  adds.  "In  1607 
silver  was  found  in  considerable  abundance  at 
Hilderstone,  in  Linlithgowshire,  on  the  property  of 
the  gentleman  who  figures  as  Tarn  o'  the  Cowgate. 
Thirty-eight  barrels  of  ore  were  sent  to  the  mint  in 
the  Tower  of  London  to  be  tried,  and  were  found 
to  give  twenty-four  ounces  of  silver  for  every 
hundredweight.  Expert  persons  were  placed  upon 
the  mine,  and  mills  were  erected  upon  the  Water 
of  Leith  for  the  melting  and  fining  the  ore.  The 
■sagacious  owner  gave  the  mine  the  name  of  God's 
Blessing.  By-and-bye  the  king  heard  of  it,  and, 
thinking  it  improper  that  any  such  fountain  of 
wealth  should  belong  to  a  private  person,  pur- 
chased '  God's  Blessing '  for  .£5,000,  that  it  might 
toe  worked  upon  a  larger  scale  for  the  benefit  of 


structure  in  mixed  Roman  style,  with  a  grand,  yet 
simple,  entrance  porch,  and  a  square  tower  165  feet 
high.  It  contains  above;'i,6oo  sittings.  The  parish 
was  disjoined  from  the  conterminous  parishes  in 
1828  by  the  Presbytery  of  Edinburgh  and  the  Teind 
Court.  It  was  opened  on  Sunday,  the  20th  December, 
1828,  when  the  well-known  Dr.  Brunton  preached 
to  the  Lord  Provost  and  magistrates  in  their  official 
robes,  and  the  Rev.  Henry  Grey  officiated  in  the 
afternoon. 

In  an  old  mansion,  immediately  behind  where 
this  church  now  stands,  were  born  Robert  Scott 
Lauder,  R.S.A.,  and  his  brother,  James  Eckford 
Lauder,  R.S.A.,  two  artists  of  considerable  note  in 
their  time.  The  former  was  born  in  1803,  and  for 
some  years,  after  attaining  a  name,  resided  in  Xo.  7, 
Carlton  Street.  A  love  of  art  was  early  manifested 
by  him,  and  acquaintance  with  his  young  neighbour, 
David  Roberts,  fostered  it.  The  latter  instructed 
him  in  the  mode  of  mixing  colours,  and  urged  him 
to  follow  art  as  a  profession  ;  thus,  in  his  youth  he 
entered  the  Trustees'  Academy,  then  under  the 
care  of  Mr.  Andrew  Wilson. 

After  this  he  went  to  London,  and  worked  with 
great  assiduity  in  the  British   Museum.     In   1826 


84 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


he  was  again  in  his  native  city,  when  he  re-entered 
the  Academy,  then  under  the  charge  of  Sir 
William  Allan,  and  won  the  friendship  of  that 
eminent  landscape  painter  the  Rev.  John  Thom- 
son, minister  of  Duddingstone,  whose  daughter  he 
married.  After  remaining  five  years  on  the  Con- 
tinent, studying  the  works  of  all  the  great  masters 
in  Venice,  Bologna,  Florence,  and  Rome,  he  settled 
in  London  in  183S,  where  his  leading  pictures  began 
to   attract   considerable   attention.     Among   them 


brance,"  as  the  inscription  recods  it,  "  of  his  un- 
failing sympathy  as  a  friend,  and  able  guidance  as 
a  master." 

His  brother,  James  Eckford  Lauder,  R.S.  A.,  died 
in  his  fifty-seventh  year,  on  the  29th  of  February, 
1869— so  little  time  intervened  between  their  deaths. 

In  an  old  house,  now  removed,  at  the  north  end 
of  Silvermills,  there  lived  long  an  eminent  collector 
of  Scottish  antiquities,  also  an  artist — W.  B.  John- 
stone, some  of  whose  works  are  in   the  Scottish 


lilt     1 .1  il  Nf.  II-;.  .  1 1     A.    \IH  MY. 


were  the  "  Trial  of  Effie  Deans  "  and  the  "  Bride 
of  Lammermuir,"  "  Christ  walking  on  the  Waters," 
and  "  Christ  teaching  Humility,"  which  now  hangs 
in  the  Scottish  National  Gallery.  His  pictures  are 
all  characterised  by  careful  drawing  and  harmonious 
colouring.  He  was  made  a  member  of  the  Royal 
Scottish  Academy  in  1S30. 

Returning  to  Edinburgh  in  1850,  he  was  appointed 
principal  teacher  in  the  Trustees'  Academy,  where 
he  continued  to  exercise  considerable  influence  on 
the  rising  school  of  Scottish  art,  till  he  was  struck 
with  paralysis,  and  died  on  the  21st  April,  1869, 
at  Wardie.  A  handsome  monument  was  erected 
over  his  grave  in  Warriston  Cemetery  by  his  stu- 
dents of  the  School  of  Design,  "  in  grateful  remem- 


Gallery,  where  also  hangs  a  portrait  of  him,  painted 
by  John  Phillip,  R.A. 

At  the  north-west  corner  of  Clarence  Street,  in 
the  common  stair  entering  from  Hamilton  Place, 
near  where  stands  a  huge  Board  School,  there  long 
resided  another  eminent  antiquary,  who  was  also  ;i 
member  of  the  Scottish  Academy — the  well-known 
James  Drummond.  whose  "  Porteous  Mob  "  and 
other  works,  evincing  great  clearness  of  drawing, 
brilliancy  of  colour,  and  studiously  correct  historical 
and  artistic  detail,  hang  in  the  National  Gallery. 

Immediately  north  of  Silvermills,  in  what  was 
formerly  called  Canonmills  Park,  stands  the 
Edinburgh  Deaf  and  Dumb  Institution,  a  large 
square  edifice,  built  a  little  way  back  from  Hender- 


EDINBURGH    ACADEMY. 


85 


son  Row.  This  useful  and  charitable  institution 
was  established  in  18 10,  but  the  present  house 
was  founded  on  the  22  nd  of  May,  1823,  the  stone 
being  laid  by  one  of  the  senior  pupils,  in  presence  of 
his  voiceless  companions,  "whose  looks,"  says  the 
Edinburgh  Advertiser,  "  bespoke  the  feelings  of 
their  minds,  and  which  would  have  been  a  suffi- 
cient recompense  to  the  contributors  for  the  build- 
ing, had  they  been  witnesses  of  the  scene." 

Children  whose    parents    or    guardians    reside  | 


county,  the  Dean  of  Guild,  and  certain  councillors. 
The  committee  of  management  of  this  institution  is 
entirely  composed  of  ladies. 

When  digging  the  foundations  of  this  edifice,  in 
April,  1823,  several  rude  earthen  urns,  containing 
human  bones,  were  found  at  various  depths  under 
the  surface.  There  were  likewise  discovered  some 
vaults  or  cavities,  formed  of  unhewn  stone,  which 
also  contained  human  bones,  but  there  were  no 
inscriptions,  carving,  or  accessory  object,  to  indi- 


in  Edinburgh  or  Leith  are  admissible  as  day 
scholars,  and  are  taught  the  same  branches  of 
instruction  as  the  other  children,  but  on  the 
payment  of  such  fees  as  the  directors  may  deter- 
mine. The  annual  public  examination  of  these  deaf 
and  dumb  pupils  takes  place  in  summer,  when 
visitors  are  invited  to  question  them,  by  means  of 
the  manual  alphabet,  upon  their  knowledge  of 
Scripture  history  and  religion,  English  composition, 
geograpny.  history,  and  arithmetic.  There  have 
also  been  Government  examinations  in  drawing. 

A  little  way  westward  of  this  edifice  stands  the 
Dean  Bank  Institution,  for  the  religious,  moral, 
and  industrial  training  of  young  girls,  under  the 
directorship  of  the  Lord  Provost,  the  sheriff  of  the 


cate  the  age  to  which  these  relics  of  pre-historic 
Edinburgh  belonged. 

That  great  educational  institution,  the  Edinburgh 
Academy,  in  Henderson  Row,  some  two  hundred 
and  sixty  yards  north  of  St.  Stephen's  Church,  was 
founded  on  the  30th  June,  1823,  in  a  park  feued  by 
the  directors  from  the  governors  of  Heriot's  Hos- 
pital. In  the  stone  were  deposited  a  copper  plate, 
with  a  long  Latin  inscription,  and  the  names  of  the 
directors,  with  three  bottles,  containing  a  list  of  the 
contributors,  maps  of  the  city,  and  other  objects. 

It  was  designed  by  Mr.  William  Burn,  and  is 
a  somewhat  low  and  plain-looking  edifice,  in 
the  Grecian  style,  with  a  pillared  portico,  and  is 
constructed  with  reference  more  to  internal  accom- 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


modation  than  external  display,  and  yet  is  not 
unsuited  to  the  architecturally  opulent  district  in 
its  neighbourhood.  The  society  which  founded  it 
had,  by  proprietary  shares  of  ^50  each,  a  capital 
of  ^£1 2,900,  capable  of  being  augmented  to 
,£16,000. 

Though  similar  in  scope  to  the  High  School,  it 
was  at  first  more  aristocratic  in  its  plan  or  princi- 
ciples,  which  for  a  time  rendered  it  less  accessible 
to  children  of  the  middle  classes,  and  has  a  longer- 
period  of  study,  and  larger  fees.  There  are  a 
rector,  masters  for  classics,  French,  and  German, 
writing,  mathematics,  and  English  literature,  and 
every  other  necessary  branch.  The  Academy  was 
incorporated  by  a  royal  charter  from  George  IV., 
and  is  under  the  superintendence  of  a  board  of 
fifteen  directors,  three  of  whom  are  elected  annu- 
ally from  the  body  of  subscribers.  The  complete 
course  of  instruction  given  extends  over  seven 
years. 

The  institution,  which  possesses  a  handsome 
public  hall,  a  library,  spacious  class-rooms,  and  a 
large  enclosed  play-ground,  is  divided  into  two 
schools — the  classical,  adapted  for  boys  destined 


for  the  learned  professions,  or  who  desire  to  possess 
a  thorough  classical  training  ;  and  the  modern,  in- 
tended for  such  as  mean  to  take  civil  or  military 
service,  or  enter  on  mercantile  pursuits.  In  addi- 
tion to  special  professional  subjects  of  study,  the 
complete  course  embraces  every  branch  of  know- 
ledge now  recognised  as  necessary  for  a  liberal 
education. 

Though  the  Academy  is  little  more  than  half  a 
century  old,  yet  so  admirable  has  been  the  system 
pursued  here,  and  so  able  have  been  the  teachers 
in  every  department,  that  it  has  sent  forth  several 
of  the  most  eminent  men  of  the  present  day. 
Among  them  we  may  enumerate  Dr.  A.  Campbell 
Tait,  Archbishop  of  Canterbury ;  Bishop  Anderson 
of  Rupert's  Land ;  Sir  Colin  Blackburn,  Justice  of 
the  Queen's  Bench ;  Professor  Edmonstone  Ay- 
toun ;  the  late  Earl  of  Fife ;  the  Right  Hon. 
Mountstuart  E.  Grant-Duff,  M.P.  for  Elgin,  and 
afterwards  Governor  of  Madras. 

Among  those  who  instituted  this  Academy  in 
1832  were  Sir  Walter  Scott,  Lord  Cockburn,  Skene 
of  Rubislaw,  Sir  Robert  Dundas,  Bart.,  of  Beech- 
wood,  and  many  other  citizens  of  distinction. 


CHAPTER    IX. 
CANONMILLS    AND    INVERLEITH. 


Canonmills— The  Loch— Riots  of  1784 — The  Gymnasium—  Tanfield  Hall— German  Church — Zoological  Gardens — Powder  Hall — Rosebank 
Cemetery — Red  Braes — The  Crawfords  of  Jordanhill — Bonnington— Rishop  Keith— The  Sugar  Refinery — Pilrig— The  Balfour  Family — 
Inverleith — Ancient  Proprietors — The  Touris — The  Rocheids — Old  Lady  Inverleith — General  Crocket — Royal  Botanical  Gardens — Mr. 
James    MacNab. 

grind  thereat,  according  to  use  and  wont,  and  to 
help  them  to  ane  thirlage,  so  far  as  they  can,  and 
the  same  remain  in  their  possession." 

The  Incorporation  of  Bakers  in  the  Canongate 
were  "  thirled  "  thither — that  is,  compelled  to  have 
their  corn  ground  there,  or  pay  a  certain  sum. 

About  the  lower  end  of  the  holloV,  overlooked 
by  the  Royal  Crescent  now,  there  lay  for  ages  the 
Canonmills  Loch,  where  the  coot  and  water-hen 
built  their  nests  in  the  sedges,  as  at  the  North  Loch 
and  Duddingston ;  it  was  a  fair-sized  sheet  of  water, 
the  last  portion  of  which  was  only  drained  recently, 
or  shortly  before  the  Gymnasium   was  formed. 

In  1682  there  was  a  case  before  the  Privy 
Council,  when  Alexander  Hunter,  tacksman  of  the 
Canonmills,  was  pursued  by  Peter  de  Bruis  for 
demolishing  a  paper-mill  he  had  erected  there  for 
the  manufacture  of  playing-cards,  of  which  he  had 
a  gift  from  the  Council  01120th  December,  1681, 
"  strictly  prohibiting  the  importation  of  any  such 
cards,"  and  allowing  him  a  most  exorbitant  power 


The  ancient  village  of  Canonmills  lies  within  the 
old  Barony  of  Broughton,  and  owes  its  origin  to 
the  same  source  as  the  Burgh  of  the  Canongate, 
having  been  founded  by  the  Augustine  canons  of 
Holyrood,  no  doubt  for  the  use  of  their  vassals  in 
Broughton  and  adjacent  possessions ;  but  King 
David  I.  built  for  them,  and  the  use  of  the  in- 
habitants, a  mill,  the  nucleus  of  the  future  village, 
which  still  retains  marks  of  its  very  early  origin, 
though  rapidly  being  absorbed  or  surrounded  by 
msdern  improvements.  This  mill  is  supposed  to 
have  been  the  massive  and  enormously  buttressed 
edifice  of  which  Wilson  has  preserved  a  view,  at 
the  foot  of  the  brae,  near  Heriot's  Hill. 

It  stood  on  the  south  side  of  the  Water  of 
Leith,  being  driven  by  a  lade  diverted  from  the 
former.  By  the  agreement  between  the  city  and 
the  directors  of  Heriot's  Hospital,  when  the  mills 
were  partly  disposed  of  to  the  former,  the  city  was 
"  bound  not  to  prejudice  the  mills,  but  to  allow 
those  resident  in  the  Barony  to  repair  to  them,  and 


THE    ROYAL    GYMNASIUM. 


37 


to  search  for  and  seize  them  for  his  own  use. 
Hunter  also  prosecuted  him  for  throwing  his  wife 
into  the  mill-lade  and  using  opprobrious  language, 
for  which  he  was  fined  ^50  sterling,  and  obliged 
to  find  caution. 

A  hundred  years  later  saw  a  more  serious  tumult 
in  Canonmills. 

In  1784  there  was  a  great  scarcity  of  food  in 
Edinburgh,  on  account  of  the  distilleries,  which 
were  said  by  some  to  consume  enormous  quanti- 
ties of  oatmeal  and  other  grain  unfermented,  and 
to  this  the  high  prices  were  ascribed.  A  large  mob 
proceeded  from  the  town  to  Canonmills,  and  at- 
tacked the  great  distillery  of  the  Messrs.  Haig 
there  ;  but  meeting  with  an  unexpected  resistance 
from  the  workmen,  who,  as  the  attack  had  been 
expected,  were  fully  supplied  with  arms,  they  re- 
tired, but  not  until  some  of  their  number  had  been 
killed,  and  the  "  Riot  Act  "  read  by  the  sheriff, 
Baron  Cockburn,  father  of  Lord  Cockburn.  Their 
next  attempt  was  on  the  house  of  the  latter; 
but  on  learning  that  troops  had  been  sent  for,  they 
desisted.  In  these  riots,  the  mob,  which  assembled 
by  tuck  of  drum,  was  charged  by  the  troops,  and 
several  of  the  former  were  severely  wounded. 
These  were  the  9th,  or  East  Norfolk  Regiment, 
under  the  command  of  Colonel  John  Campbell  of 
Blythswood,  then  stationed  in  the  Castle. 

During  the  height  of  the  riot,  says  a  little  "History 
of  Broughton,"  a  private  carriage  passed  through  the 
village,  and  as  it  was  said  to  contain  one  of  the 
Haigs,  it  was  stopped,  amid  threats  and  shouts. 
Some  of  the  mob  opened  the  door,  as  the  blinds 
had  been  drawn,  and  on  looking  in,  saw  that  the 
occupant  was  a  lady;  the  carriage  was  therefore, 
without  further  interruption,  allowed  to  proceed  to 
its  destination — Heriot's  Hill. 

On  the  8th  of  September  subsequently,  two  of  the 
rioters,  in  pursuance  of  their  sentence,  were  whipped 
through  the  streets  of  Edinburgh,  and  afterwards 
transported  for  fourteen  years. 

In  the  famous  "  Chaldee  MS.,"  chapter  iv.. 
reference  is  made  to  "  a  lean  man  who  hath  his 
dwelling  by  the  great  pool  to  the  north  of  the  New- 
City."  This  was  Mr.  Patrick  Neill,  a  well-known 
citizen,  whose  house  was  near  the  Loch  side. 

In  this  quarter  we  now  find  the  Patent  Royal 
Gymnasium,  one  of  the  most  remarkable  and 
attractive  places  of  amusement  of  its  kind  in  Edin- 
burgh, and  few  visitors  leave  the  city  without  seeing 
it.  At  considerable  expense  it  was  constructed  by 
Mr.  Cox  of  Oorgie  House,  for  the  purpose  of  afford- 
ing healthful  and  exhilarating  recreation  in  the  open 
air  to  great  numbers  at  once,  and  in  April,  1865, 
was  publicly  opened  by  the  provosts,  magistrates, 


and  councillors  of  Edinburgh  and  Leith,  accom- 
panied by  all  the  leading  inhabitants  of  the  city  and 
county. 

Among  the  many  remarkable  contrivances  here 
was  a  vast  "  rotary  boat,"  471  feet  in  circumference, 
seated  for  600  rowers  ;  a  "  giant  see-saw,"  named 
"  Chang,"  100  feet  long  and  seven  feet  broad,  sup- 
ported on  an  axle,  and  capable  of  containing  200 
persons,  alternately  elevating  them  to  a  height  of 
fifty  feet,  and  then  sinking  almost  to  the  ground ; 
a  "velocipede  paddle  merry-go-round,"  160  feet 
in  circumference,  seated  for  6co  persons,  who  pro- 
pel the  machine  by  sitting  astride  on  the  rim,  and 
push  their  feet  against  the  ground  ;  a  "  self-adjust- 
ing trapeze,"  in  five  series  of  three  each,  enabling 
gymnasts  to  swing  by  the  hands  130  feet  from  one 
trapeze  to  the  other  ;  a  "  compound  pendulum 
swing,"  capable  of  holding  about  100  persons,  and 
kept  in  motion  by  their  own  exertions. 

Here,  too,  are  a  vast  number  of  vaulting  and 
climbing  poles,  rotary  ladders,  stilts,  spring-boards, 
quoits,  balls,  bowls,  and  little  boats  and  canoes  on 
ponds,  propelled  by  novel  and.  amusing  methods. 
In  winter  the  ground  is  prepared  for  skaters  on  a 
few  inches  of  frozen  water,  and  when  lighted  up  at 
night  by  hundreds  of  lights,  the  scene,  with  its 
musical  accessories,  is  one  of  wonderful  brightness. 
gaiety,  colour,  and  incessant  motion. 

Here,  also,  is  an  athletic  hall,  with  an  instructor 
always  in  attendance,  and  velocipedes,  with  the 
largest  training  velocipede  course  in  Scotland.  The 
charges  of  admission  are  very  moderate,  so  as  to 
meet  the  wants  of  children  as  well  as  of  adults. 

A  little  eastward  of  this  is  a  large  and  handsome 
school-house,  built  and  maintained  by  the  con- 
gregation of  St.  Mary's  Church.  A  great  Board 
School  towers  up  close  by.  Here,  too,  was  Scotland 
Street  Railway  Station,  and  the  northern  entrance 
of  the  long-since  disused  tunnel  underground  to 
what  is  now  called  die  Waverley  Station  at  Princes 
Street. 

A  little  way  northward  of  Canonmills,  on  the 
north  bank  of  the  Water  of  Leith,  near  a  new  bridge 
of  three  arches,  which  supersedes  one  of  consider- 
able antiquity,  that  had  but  one  high  arch,  is  the 
peculiar  edifice  known  as  Tanfield  Hall.  It  is  an 
extensive  suite  of  buildings,  designed,  it  has  been 
said,  to  represent  a  Moorish  fortress,  but  was  erected 
in  1825  as  oil  gas-works,  and  speedily  turned  to 
other  purposes.  In  1835  it  was  the  scene  of  a 
great  banquet,  given  by  his  admirers  to  Daniel 
O'Connell;  and  in  1843  of  the  constituting  of  the 
first  General  Assembly  of  the  Free  Church,  when 
the  clergy  first  composing  it  quitted  in  a  body  the 
Establishment,  as  described  in  our  account  of  George 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


Street;  and  till  1856  the  annual  sittings  of  the  Free 
Assembly  were  held  in  it. 

Here,  too,  in  1847,  it  witnessed  the  constituting 
of  the  Synods  of  the  Secession  and  Relief  Churches 
into  the  Synod  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church 
of  Scotland. 

Old  Canonmills  House,  which  faced  Fettes  Row, 
Jias  been  removed,  and  on  its  site  was  erected, 
in  1880-1,  a  handsome  United  Presbyterian  Church 
within  a  crescent. 


between  1840  and  j8&7,  the  Zoological  Gardens 
(a  small  imitation  of  the  old  Vauxhall  Gardens  in 
London),  where  the  storming  of  Lucknow  and  other 
such  scenes  of  the  Indian  mutiny  used  to  be  nightly 
represented,  the  combatants  being  parties  of  sol- 
diers from  the  Castle,  the  fortifications  and  so  forth 
being  illuminated  transparencies.  Unfortunately  or 
otherwise  the  gardens  proved  a  failure.  Among 
the  last  animals  here  were  two  magnificent  tigers, 
sent  from  India  by  the  then  Governor-General,  the 


HERIOT'S    HILL   HOUSE. 


In  the  month  of  October,  1879,  there  was  laid 
at  Bellevue  Crescent,  by  the  Lord  Provost  (Sir 
Thomas  Boyd),  in  presence  of  a  vast  concourse 
of  people,  the  foundation  stone  of  a  handsome 
German  church — the  first  of  its  kind  in  Scotland — 
for  the  congregation  of  Herr  Blumenreich,  which 
fur  a  number  of  years  preceding  had  been  wont  to 
meet  in  the  Queen  Street  Hall.  The  Provost 
was  presented  with  a  silver  trowel  wherewith  to 
lay  the  stone.  The  cost  was  estimated  at  ,£2,600. 
The  building  was  designed  by  Mr.  Wemyss, 
architect,  Leith,  in  the  Pointed  Gothic  style,  for 
350  sitters. 

Where  nowClaremont  Terrace  and  Bellevue  Street 
are    erected    in    Broughton    Park,    there    existed, 


Marquis  of  Dalhousie,  and  afterwards,  we  believe, 
transmitted  to  the  Zoological  Gardens  in  London. 

Here,  too,  was  Wood's  Victoria  Hall,  a  large 
timber-built  edifice  for  musical  entertainments, 
which  was  open  till  about  1857. 

Eastward  of  old  Broughton  Hall  here,  and  bor- 
dering on  the  old  Bonnington  Road,  are  various  little 
properties  and  quaint  little  mansion-houses,  such 
,  as  Powderhall,  Redbraes,  Stewartfield,  Bonnington 
House,  and  Pilrig,  some  of  them  situated  where 
the  Leith  winds  under  wooded  banks  and  past  little 
nooks  that  are  almost  sylvan  still — and  each  of 
these  has  its  own  little  history  or  traditions. 

Powderhall,  down  in  a  dell,  latterly  the  property 
of  Colonel  Macdonald,  in  1761  was  the  residence 


I'oimingtoii.] 


GRIZEL    HUME. 


of  the  Mylnes  of  Povvderhall.  The  house  was 
advertised  to  be  let  in  the  Courant  ol  1761,  and  the 
public  are  informed  that  "  it  will  be  very  convenient 
for  any  who  wish  to  use  the  St.  Leonard  well  (an 
old  and  now  disused  mineral  spring)  being  a  short 
distance  from  it."  In  this  house  Sir  John  Gordon  ' 
of  Earlston,  Bart.,  Kirkcudbright,  was  married  in 
1775,  to  Anne  Mylne,  "youngest  daughter  of  the 
deceased  Thomas  Mylne  of  Povvderhall,  Esq." 
<  Weekly  Journal).    Burke  states  that  the  latter  was  a 


1846.  It  contains  many  very  handsome  tombs  ;  the 
grounds  are  kept  in  excellent  order ;  its  floral  em- 
bellishments are  carried  to  great  perfection,  and  the 
average  number  of  annual  interments  exceeds  700. 

George  Lord  Reay  was  resident  in  the  house  of 
Rosebank  in  1768. 

Opposite  the  cemetery,  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  road,  is  the  old  manor-house  of  Redbraes, 
with  artificial  ponds  among  its  shrubberies  and 
pretty  walks  beside   the  river.     In  Rose's  "Obser- 


celebrated  London  engineer.  In  1795  the  place 
passed  into  the  possession  of  the  family  of  Daniel 
Seton,  merchant,  in  Edinburgh  (Scottish  Register), 
and  afterwards  was  the  residence  and  property  of 
Sir  John  Hunter  Blair,  Bart.,  of  Robertland  and 
Dunskey,  who  died  there  in  1800. 

On  the  east  side  of  the  road  lies  the  pretty  ceme- 
tery of  Rosebank,  with  its  handsome  Gothic  en- 
trance, porch,  and  lodge,  facing  Pilrig  Street.  It 
occupies  a  beautiful  site,  that  seems  to  gather  every 
ray  of  sunshine,  and  though  equi-distant  between 
Edinburgh  and  Leith,  it  may  be  considered  as 
especially  the  cemetery  of  the  latter.  It  was 
originated  by  a  company  of  shareholders,  and  was 
first  opened  for  interments  on  the  20th  September, 
108 


vations  on  the  Historical  Works  of  Mr.  Fox,"  we 
read  that  Sir  Patrick  Hume  of  Pohvarth  and  Mr. 
Robert  Baillie  were  intimate  friends,  and  that 
about  1688,  when  the  latter  was  first  imprisoned, 
"  Sir  Patrick  sent  his  daughter  from  Redbraes  to 
Edinburgh,  with  instructions  to  endeavour  to  obtain 
admittance  unsuspectedly  into  the  prison,  to  de- 
liver a  letter  to  Mr.  Baillie,  and  to  bring  back  from 
him  what  intelligence  she  could.  She  succeeded 
in  this  difficult  enterprise,  and  having  at  this  time 
met  with  Mr.  Baillie's  son,  the  intimacy  and  friend- 

j  ship  was  formed  which  was  afterwards  completed 

j  by  their  marriage.'' 

This  was  the  famous  Grizel  Hume,  so  well  known 

I  in  Scottish  story. 


OLD   AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


[Bonnington. 


In  April,  1747,  the  Countess  of  Hugh,  third  Earl 
of  Marchmont  (Anne  Western  of  London),  died  in 
Redbraes  House  ;  and  we  may  add  that  "  Lord 
Polwarth  of  Redbraes  "  was  one  of  the  titles  of  Sir 
Patrick  Hume  when  raised  to  the  Scottish  peerage 
as  Earl  of  Marchmont. 

We  afterwards  find  Sir  Hew  Crawford,  Bart,  of 
Jordanhill,  resident  proprietor  at  Redbraes.  Here, 
in  1775,  his  eldest  daughter  Alary  was  married  to 
General  Campbell  of  Boquhan  (previously  known 
as  Fletcher  of  Saltoun),  and  here  he  would  seem 
to  have  been  still  when  another  of  his  daughters 
found  her  way  into  the  caricatures  of  Kay,  a  subject 
which  made  a  great  noise  in  itstimeasalocal  scandal. 

In  the  Abbey  Hill  there  then  resided  an  am- 
bitious little  grocer  named  Mr.  Alexander  Thom- 
son, locally  known  as  "  Ruffles,"  from  the  long 
loose  appendages  of  lace  he  wore  at  his  sleeves. 
With  a  view  to  his  aggrandisement  he  hoped  to 
connect  himself  with  some  aristocratic  family,  and 
cast  his  eyes  on  Miss  Crawford,  a  lady  rather  fan- 
tastic in  her  dress  and  manners,  but  the  daughter 
of  a  man  of  high  and  indomitable  pride.  She  kept 
"  Ruffles "  at  a  proper  distance,  though  he  fol- 
lowed her  like  her  shadow,  and  so  they  appeared 
in  the  same  print  of  Kay. 

The  lady  did  not  seem  to  be  always  so  fasti- 
dious, as  she  formed  what  was  deemed  then  a 
terrible  mesalliance  by  marrying  John  Fortune,  a 
surgeon,  who  went  abroad.  Fortune's  brother, 
Matthew,  kept  the  Tontine  tavern  in  Princes 
Street,  and  his  father  a  famous  old  inn  in  the  High 
Street,  the  resort  of  all  the  higher  ranks  in  Scotland 
about  the  close  of  the  last  century,  as  has  already 
been  seen  in  an  earlier  chapter  of  this  work. 
Her  brother,  Captain  Crawford,  threatened  to 
cudgel  Kay.  who  in  turn  caricatured  him.  Sir  Hew 
Crawford's  family  originally  consisted  of  fifteen, 
most  of  whom  died  young.  The  baronetcy,  which 
dated  from  1701,  is  now  supposed  to  be  extinct. 

In  their  day  the  grounds  of  Redbraes  were 
deemed  so  beautiful,  that  mullioned  openings  were 
made  in  the  boundary  wall  to  permit  passers-by  to 
peep  in. 

In  1800  the  Edinburgh  papers  announced  pro- 
posals "  for  converting  the  beautiful  villa  of  Red- 
braes into  a  Yauxhall,  the  entertainment  to  consist 
of  a  concert  of  vocal  and  instrumental  music,  to  be 
conducted  by  Mr.  Urbani — a  band  to  play  between 
the  acts  of  the  concert,  at  the  entrance,  &c.  The 
gardens  and  grounds  to  be  decorated  with  statues 
and  transparencies ;  and  a  pavilion  to  be  erected  to 
serve  as  a  temporary  retreat  in  case  of  rain,  and 
boxes  and  other  conveniences  to  be  erected  for 
serving  cold  collations.'' 


This  scheme  was  never  carried  out.  Latterly 
Redbraes  became  a  nursery  garden. 

Below  Redbraes  lies  Bonnington,  a  small  and 
nearly  absorbed  village  on  the  banks  of  the  Water 
of  Leith,  which  is  there  crossed  by  a  narrow  bridge. 
There  are  several  mills  and  other  works  here,  and 
in  the  vicinity  an  extensive  distillery.  The  once 
arable  estate  of  Hill-house  Field,  which  adjoins  it, 
is  all  now  laid  out  in  streets,  and  forms  a  suburb- 
of  North  Leith.  The  river  here  attains  some 
depth. 

We  read  that  about  April,  1652,  dissent  began 
to  take  new  and  hitherto  little  known  forms.  There 
were  Antitrinitarians,  Antinomians,  Familists  (a 
small  sect  who  held  that  families  alone  were  a 
proper  congregation),  Brownists,  as  well  as  Indepen- 
dents, Seekers,  and  so  forth  ;  and  where  there  were 
formerly  no  avowed  Anabaptists,  these  abounded 
so  much,  that  "  thrice  weekly,"  says  Nicoll,  in  his 
Diary,  "namely,  on  Monday,  Wednesday,  and 
Friday,  there  were  some  dippit  at  Bonnington  Mill, 
betwixt  Leith  and  Edinburgh,  both  men  and 
women  of  good  rank.  Some  days  there  would  be 
sundry  hundred  persons  attending  that  action,  and 
fifteen  persons  baptised  in  one  day  by  the  Anabap- 
tists. Among  the  converts  was  Lady  Craigie- 
Wallace,  a  lady  in  the  west  country." 

In  the  middle  of  the  last  century  there  resided 
at  his  villa  of  Bonnyhaugh,  in  this  quarter,  Robert, 
called  Bishop  Keith,  an  eminent  scholar  and  anti- 
quary, the  foster-brother  of  Robert  Viscount  Arbuth- 
not,  and  who  came  to  Edinburgh  in  February, 
17 13,  when  he  was  invited  by  the  small  congrega- 
tion of  Scottish  Episcopalians  to  become  their 
pastor.  His  talents  and  learning  had  already 
attracted  considerable  attention,  and  procured  him 
influence  in  that  Church,  of  which  he  was  a  zealous 
supporter  ;  yet  he  was  extremely  liberal,  gentle,  and 
tolerant  in  his  religious  sentiments.  In  January, 
1727,  he  was  raised  to  the  Episcopate,  and  en- 
trusted with  the  care  of  Caithness,  Orkney,  and  the 
Isles,  and  in  1733  was  preferred  to  that  of  Fife.  For 
more  than  twenty  years  after  that  time  he  continued 
to  exercise  the  duties  of  his  office,  filling  a  high  and 
dignified  place  in  Edinburgh,  while  busy  with 
those  many  historical  works  which  have  given  him 
no  common  place  in  Scottish  literature. 

It  is  now  well  known  that,  previous  to  the  rising 
of  1745,  he  was  in  close  correspondence  with 
Prince  Charles  Edward,  but  chiefly  on  subjects 
relating  to  his  depressed  and  suffering  communion, 
and  that  the  latter,  "  as  the  supposed  head  of  a 
supposed  Church,  gave  the  conge  d'clire  necessary 
'  for  the  election  of  individuals  to  exercise  the  epis- 
copal office." 


THE    LAIRDS    OF    PILRIG. 


His  "  History  of  the  Church  and  State  of  Scot-  | 
land,"  though  coloured  by  High  Church  prejudices, 
is  deemed  a  useful  narration  and  very  candid  record 
of  the  most  controverted  part  of  our  national 
annals,  while  the  State  documents  used  in  its  com- 
pilation have  proved  of  the  greatest  value  to  every 
subsequent  writer  on  the  same  subject.  Very 
curious  is  the  list  of  subscribers,  as  being,  says 
Chambers,  a  complete  muster-roll  of  the  whole 
Jacobite  nobility  and  gentry  of  the  period,  including 
among  others  the  famous  Rob  Roy,  the  outlaw  ! 

The  bishop  performed  the  marriage  ceremony  of 
that  ill-starred  pair,  Sir  George  Stewart  of  Grandtully 
and  Lady  Jane  Douglas,  on  the  4th  of  August,  1746. 
In  1755  he  published  his  well-known  "  Catalogue 
of  Scottish  Bishops,"  a  mine  of  valuable  knowledge 
to  future  writers. 

The  latter  years  of  his  useful  and  blameless  life, 
during  which  he  was  in  frequent  correspondence 
with  the  gallant  Marshal  Keith,  were  all  spent  at 
the  secluded  villa  of  Bonnyhaugh,  which  belonged 
to  himself.  There  he  died  on  the  27th  of  January, 
1757,  in  his  seventy-sixth  year,  and  was  borne, 
amid  the  tears  of  the  Episcopal  communion,  to  his 
last  home  in  the  Canongate  churchyard.  There  he 
lies,  a  few  feet  from  the  western  wall,  where  a  plain 
stone  bearing  his  name  was  only  erected  recently. 

In  1766  Alexander  Le  Grand  was  entailed  in  the 
lands  and  estates  of  Bonnington. 

In  1796  the  bridge  of  Bonnington,  which  was  of 
timber,  having  been  swept  away  by  a  flood,  a 
boat  was  substituted  till  179S,  when  another  wooden 
bridge  was  erected  at  the  expense  of  ,£30. 

Here  in  Breadalbane  Street,  northward  of  some 
steam  mills  and  iron-works,  stands  the  Bonnington 
Sugar-refining  Company's  premises,  formed  by  a  few 
merchants  of  Edinburgh  andLeith  about  1865,  where 
they  carry  on  an  extensive  and  thriving  business. 

The  property  and  manor  house  of  Stewartfield 
in  this  quarter,  is  westward  of  Bonnington,  a  square 
edifice  with  one  enormous  chimney  rising  through  a 
pavilion-shaped  roof.  We  have  referred  to  the  entail 
of  Alexander  Le  Grand,  of  Bonnington,  in  1766. 
The  Scots  Magazine  for  1770  records  an  alliance 
between  the  two  proprietors  here  thus  : — "  At  Edin- 
burgh, Richard  Le  Grand,  Esq.,  of  Bonnington 
(son  of  the  preceding?),  to  Miss  May  Stewart, 
daughter  of  James  Stewart  of  Stewartfield,  Esq." 

On  the  north  side  of  the  Bonnington  Road,  and 
not  far  from  Bonnington  House,  stands  that  of 
Pilrig,  an  old  rough-cast  and  gable-ended  mansion 
among  aged  trees,  that  no  doubt  occupies  the  site 
of  a  much  older  edifice,  probably  a  fortalice. 

In  1584  Henry  Nisbett,  burgess  of  Edinburgh, 
became   caution   before   the    Lords   of  the   Privy 


Council,  for  Patrick  Monypenny  of  Pilrig,  John 
Kincaid  of  Warriston,  Clement  Kincaid  of  the 
Coates,  Stephen  Kincaid,  John  Matheson,  and 
James  Crawford,  feuars  of  a  part  of  the  Barony 
of  Broughton,  that  they  shall  pay  to  Adam  Bishop 
of  Orkney,  commendator  of  Holyrood  House, 
"  what  they  owe  him  for  his  relief  of  the  last 
taxation  of  ^20,000,  over  and  above  the  sum  of 
^15,  already  consigned  in  the  hands  of  the  col- 
lector of  the  said  collection.'' 

In  1601  we  find  the  same  Laird  of  Pilrig  en- 
gaged in  a  brawl,  "  forming  a  specimen  of  the 
second  class  of  outrages."  He  (Patrick  Mony- 
penny) stated  to  the  Lords  of  Council  that  he  had 
a  wish  to  let  a  part  of  his  lands  of  Pilrig,  called  the 
Round  Haugh,  to  Harry  Robertson  and  Andrew 
Alis,  for  his  own  utility  and  profit.  But  on  a  certain 
day,  not  satisfied,  David  Duff,  a  doughty  indweller  in 
Leith,  came  to  these  persons,  and  uttering  ferocious 
menaces  against  them  in  the  event  of  their  occupy- 
ing these  lands,  effectually  prevented  them  from 
doing  so. 

Duff  next,  accompanied  by  two  men  named 
Matheson,  on  the  2nd  of  March,  1601,  attacked 
the  servants  of  the  Laird  of  Pilrig,  as  they  were 
at  labour  on  the  lands  in  question,  with  similar 
speeches,  threatening  them  with  death  if  they  per- 
sisted in  working  there  ;  and  in  the  night  they, 
or  other  persons  instigated  by  them,  had  come 
and  broken  their  plough,  and  cast  it  into  the 
Water  of  Leith.  "John  Matheson,"  continues  the 
indictment,  "  after  breaking  the  complenar's  plew, 
came  to  John  Porteous's  house,  and  bade  him  gang 
now  betwix  the  plew  stilts  and  see  how  she  wald  go 
till  the  morning,"  adding  that  he  would  have  his 
head  broken  if  he  ever  divulged  who  had  broken 
the  plough. 

The  furious  Duff,  not  content  with  all  this,  trampled 
and  destroyed  the  tilled  land.  In  this  case  the 
accused  were  dismissed  from  the  bar,  but  only,  it 
would  appear,  through  hard  swearing  in  their  own 
cause. 

There  died  at  Pilrig,  according  to  the  Scots 
Magazine  for  1767,  Margaret,  daughter  of  the  late 
Sir  Johnstone  Elphinstone  of  Logie,  in  the  month  of 
January  ;  and  in  the  subsequent  June,  Lady  Elphin- 
stone, his  widow.  The  Elphinstones  of  Logie  were 
baronets  of  170 1. 

These  ladies  were  probably  visitors,  as  the  then 
proprietor  and  occupant  of  the  mansion  was  James 
Balfour  of  Pilrig,  who  was  born  in  1703,  and  be- 
came a  member  of  the  Faculty  of  Advocates  on 
the  14th  of  November,  1730.  Three  years  later 
on  the  death  of  Mr.  Bayne,  Professor  of  Scottish 
Law  in  the  University  of  Edinburgh,  lie  and  Mr. 


9-' 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


John  Erskine  of  Carnock,  were  presented  by  the 
Faculty  to  the  patrons  of  the  vacant  chair,  who 
elected  the  latter,  and  he  was  afterwards  well  known 
as  the  author  of  the  "  Institutes  of  the  Law  of  Scot- 
land." John  Balfour  was  subsequently  appointed 
sheriff-substitute  of  the  county  of  Edinburgh,  and 
having  a  turn  for  philosophy,  he  became  early 
adverse  to  the  speculative  reasoning  of  David 
Hume,  and  openly  opposed  them  in  two  treatises  ; 
one  was   entitled   "A   Delineation  of  the  Nature 


In  the  spring  of  1779  he  resigned  his  professor- 
ship, and  lived  a  retired  life  at  Pilrig,  where  he 
died  on  the  6th  of  March,  1795,  in  his  ninety- 
second  year,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  John 
Balfour  of  Pilrig. 

The  estate  is  now  becoming  covered  with  streets. 
There  is  a  body  called  the  "  Pilrig  Model  Buildings 
Association,"  formed  in  1849,  for  erecting  houses 
for  the  working  classes,  and  the  success  of  this 
scheme  has  been  such  that  there  has  scarcely  been 


and  Obligation  of  Morality,"  with  Reflections  on 
Mr.  Hume's  Inquiry  concerning  the  Principles  of 
Morals."  A  second  edition  of  this  appeared  in 
1763.  The  other,  "  Philosophical  Dissertations," 
appeared  also  at  Edinburgh  in  1782. 

Hume  was  much  pleased  with  these  treatises, 
though  opposed  to  his  own  theories,  and  on  the 
appearance  of  the  first,  wrote  the  author  a  letter, 
requesting  his  friendship,  as  he  was  obliged  by  his 
politeness. 

In  August,  1754,  Balfour  was  appointed  to  the 
chair  of  Moral  Philosophy  in  the  University  of 
Edinburgh,  and  ten  years  afterwards  was  transferred 
to  the  chair  of  Public  Law.  He  published  his 
"  Philosophical  Essays  "  a  short  time  after. 


an  arrear  of  rent  among  its  tenants  since  the 
year  named. 

This  was  the  earliest  of  the  many  schemes  started 
in  Edinburgh  for  improving  the  dwellings  of  the 
labouring  classes,  and  it  has  been  followed  up  in 
many  directions,  though  all  its  features  have  not 
been  copied. 

Inverleith,  or  Innerleith,  as  it  was  often  called  of 
old,  was  the  only  baronial  estate  of  any  extent 
that  lay  immediately  north-east  of  Stockbridge. 

The  most  influential  heritor  in  the  once  vast 
parish  of  St.  Cuthbert  was  Touris  the  Baron  or 
Laird  of  Inverleith,  whose  possessions  included, 
directly  south-west  from  North  Leith,  the  lands  of 
Coates,  Dairy,  Pocketsleve,  the  High  Riggs,  or  all 


THE   TOURIS    FAMILY. 


7,   Cu.ONM.lXS    H, 


94 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


the  long  hill  on  the  south  side  of  the  West  Port, 
from  Cowfeeder  Row  to  the  Bristo  Port,  the  easter 
and  wester  crofts  of  Bristo,  nearly  down  to  the  lands 
of  the  abbey  of  Holyrood. 

Of  the  old  fortalice  of  this  extinct  race,  and  of 
their  predecessors — which  stood  on  the  highest 
ground  of  Inverleith,  a  little  way  west  of  where 
we  find  the  modern  house  now  embosomed  among 
luxuriant  timber — not  a  vestige  remains.  Even 
its  ancient  dovecot — in  defiance  of  the  old  Scottish 
superstition  respecting  the  destruction  of  a  dovecot 
— has  been  removed.  "  The  beautiful  and  se- 
questered footpath  bordered  (once  ?)  by  hawthorn 
hedges,  known  by  the  name  of  Gabriel's  Road," 
says  a  local  writer,  "  is  said  to  have  been  con- 
structed for  the  convenience  of  the  ancient  lairds 
of  Inverleith  to  enable  them  to  attend  worship  in 
St.  Giles's." 

No  relics  remain  of  the  ancient  dwelling,  unless 
we  except  the  archery  butts,  600  feet  apart, 
standing  nearly  due  south  of  Inverleith  Mains,  the 
old  home  farm  of  the  mansion,  and  the  two  very 
quaint  and  ancient  lions  surmounting  the  pillars  of 
the  gate  at  the  north  end  of  St.  Bernard's  Row, 
and  which  local  tradition  avers  came  from  the 
Castle  of  Edinburgh. 

Of  the  different  families  who  have  possessed  this 
estate,  and  inhabited  first  the  baronial  tower,  and 
latterly  the  manor-house  there,  but  a  few  disjointed 
notices  can  alone  be  gleaned. 

"The  lands  upon  which  I  live  at  Inverleith," 
says  the  late  eminent  antiquary,  Cosmo  Innes,  in 
his  "Scottish  Legal  Antiquities,"  "which  I  can 
trace  back  by  charters  into  the  possession  of  the 
baker  of  William  the  Lion,  paid,  in  the  time  of 
King  Robert  I.,  a  hundred  shillings  of  sterlings. 
(The  coinage  of  the  Easterlings.)  Some  fields  be- 
side me  are  still  called  the  Baxter's  (i.e.,  Baker's) 
Lands." 

And  this  is  after  a  lapse  of  seven  hundred 
years. 

Among  the  charters  of  Robert  I.  is  one  to 
William  Fairly  of  the  lands  of  Inverleith,  in  the 
county  of  Edinburgh.  Among  those  of  David  II. 
is  another  charter  of  the  same  lands  to  William 
Ramsay  ;  and  another,  by  Robert  II.,  of  the  same 
to  David  Ramsay. 

The  date  of  the  latter  charter  is  given  in  the 
"  Douglas  Peerage  "  as  the  2nd  of  July,  1381,  and 
the  recipient  as  the  second  son  of  che  gallant  and 
patriotic  Sir  William  Ramsay  of  Dalhousie,  who 
drew  the  English  into  an  ambuscade  at  the  battle 
of  Nisbetmuir  in  1355,  and  caused  their  total 
rout. 

In  time  to  come  Inverleith  passed  to  the  Touris. 


In  1425  John  of  Touris  (or  Towers)  appears  as 
a  bailie  of  Edinburgh,  with  Adam  de  Bonkill  and 
John  Fawside. 

In  1487  William  Touris  of  Innerleith  (doubtless 
his  son)  granted  an  annuity  of  fourteen  merks  for 
the  support  of  a  chaplain  to  officiate  at  St.  Anne's 
altar,  in  St.  Cuthbert's  Church.  George  Touris  was 
a  bailie  of  the  city  in  1488-92,  and  in  the  fatal  year 
of  Flodden,  1513,  19th  August,  he  is  designated 
"President"  of  the  city,  the  provost  of  which — 
Sir  Alexander  Lauder — was  killed  in  the  battle  ; 
and  Francis  Touris  (either  a  son  or  brother)  was 
a  bailie  in  the  following  year. 

In  the  "  Burgh  Records,"  under  date  1521,  when 
the  Lairds  of  Restalrig  and  Craigmillar  offered  at 
a  Town  Council  meeting  to  be  in  readiness  to 
resist  the  king's  rebels,  in  obedience  to  his  royal 
letters,  for  the  safety  of  his  person,  castle,  and 
town ;  hereupon,  "  Schir  Alexander  Touris  of 
Innerleith  protestit  sik  lik." 

In  1605,  Sir  George  Touris  of  Garmilton, 
knight,  succeeded  his  father  John  of  Inverleith  in 
the  dominical  lands  thereof,  the  mill  and  craig  of1 
that  name,  the  muir  and  fortalice  of  Wardie,  and 
Bell's  land,  alias  the  "  Lady's  land  of  Inverleith." 

Sir  John  Touris  of  Inverleith  married  Lady 
Jean  Wemyss,  a  daughter  of  the  first  Lord  Wemyss 
of  Elcho,  afterwards  Earl,  who  died  in  1649.  In 
1648  this  Sir  John  had  succeeded  his  father,  Sir 
Alexander  Touris,  knight  in  the  lands  of  Inverleith, 
Wardie,  Tolcroce,  Highriggs,  &c. 

The  epoch  of  the  Commonwealth,  in  1652,  saw 
John  Rocheid,  heir  to  his  father  James,  a  merchant 
and  burgess  of  Edinburgh,  in  "  the  Craig  of  Inver- 
leith." ("  Retours.")  This  would  imply  Craig- 
leith,as  from  the  "Retours"  in  1665,  Inverleith,  in 
the  parish  of  St.  Cuthbert's,  went  from  James  Haly- 
burton,  proprietor  thereof,  to  Alexander,  his  father. 
And  in  "  Dirleton's  Decisions,"  under  date  1678, 
Halyburton,  "late  of  Inverleith,"  is  referred  to  as 
a  prisoner  for  debt  at  Edinburgh.  So  from  them 
the  estate  had  passed  to  the  Rocheids. 

Sir  James  Rocheid  of  Inverleith,  petitioned  the 
Privy  Council  in  1682,  for  permission  to  "enclose 
and  impark  some  ground,''  under  an  Act  of  166 1  ; 
and  in  1692  he  entailed  the  estate.  In  1704  he  was 
made  a  baronet. 

In  the  "Scottish  Nation,"  we  are  told  that 
Rocheid  of  Inverleith,  a  name  originating  in  a 
personal  peculiarity,  had  as  a  crest  a  man's  head 
rough  and  hairy,  the  same  borne  by  the  Rocheids 
of  Craigleith.  The  title  became  extinct  in  the 
person  of  Sir  James,  the  second  baronet,  whose 
daughter  and  co-heiress,  Mary,  married  Sir  Francis 
Kinloch,  Bart.,  and  her  third  son,  on  succeeding 


MRS.    ROCHEID    OF    INVERLEITH. 


95 


to  the  estate  of  his   maternal   grandmother,  took 
the  name  of  Rocheid.      His  son,  James  Rocheid 


of    Inverleith,    was   an    eminent    agriculturist,    on 
whose  property  the  villas  of  Inverleith  Row  were 

built. 

He  died  in  1824  in  the  house  of  Inverleith. 
He  was  a  man  of  inordinate  vanity  and  family 
pride,  and  it  used  to  be  one  of  the  sights  of  Stock- 
bridge  to  see  his  portly  figure,  in  a  grand  old  family 
carriage  covered  with  heraldic  blazons,  passing 
through,  to  or  from  the  city  ;  and  a  well-known 
anecdote  of  how  his  innate  pomposity  was  hum- 
bled, is  well  known  there  still. 

On  one  occasion,  when  riding  in  the  vicinity,  he 
took  his  horse  along  the  footpath,  and  while  doing 
so,  met  a  plain-looking  old  gentleman,  who  firmly 
declined  to  make  way  for  him ;  on  this  Rocheid 
ordered  him  imperiously  to  stand  aside.  The 
pedestrian  declined,  saying  that  the  other  had  no  right 
whatever  to  ride  upon  the  footpath.  "  Do  you 
know  whom  you  are  speaking  to  ?  "  demanded  the 
horseman  in  a  high  tone.  "  I  do  not,"  was  the 
quiet  response.  "Then  know  that  I  am  John 
Rocheid,  Esquire  of  Inverleith,  and  a  trustee  upon 
this  road  !     Who  are  you,  fellow  ?  " 

"  I  am  George,  Duke  of  Montagu,"  replied  the 
other,  upon  which  the  haughty  Mr.  Rocheid  took 
to  the  main  road,  after  making  a  very  awkward 
apology  to  the  duke,  who  was  then  on  a  visit  to 
his  daughter  the  Duchess  of  Buccleuch  at  Dalkeith. 

He  had  a  predilection  for  molesting  pedestrians, 
and  was  in  the  custom  of  driving  his  carriage  along 
a  strictly  private  footpath  that  led  from  Broughton 
Toll  towards  Leith,  to  the  great  exasperation  of 
those  at  whose  expense  it  had  been  constructed. 

It  is  of  his  mother  that  Lord  Cockburn  gives 
us  such  an  amusing  sketch  in  the  "  Memorials  of 
his  own  Time," — thus:  "Lady  Don  and  Mrs. 
Rocheid  of  Inverleith,  two  dames  of  high  and 
aristocratic  breed.  They  had  both  shone  at  first 
as  hooped  beauties  in  the  minuets,  and  then  as 
ladies  of  ceremonies  at  our  stately  assemblies  ;  and 
each  carried  her  peculiar  qualities  and  air  to  the 
very  edge  of  the  grave,  Lady  Don's  dignity  softened 
by  gentle  sweetness,  Mrs.  Rocheid's  made  more 
formidable  by  cold  and  severe  solemnity.  Except 
Mrs.  Siddons,  in  some  of  her  displays  of  magnifi- 
cent royalty,  nobody  could  sit  down  like  the  Lady 
of  Inverleith.  She  would  sail  like  a  ship  from 
Tarshish,  gorgeous  in  velvet  or  rustling  silk, 
done  up  in  all  the  accompaniment  of  fans,  ear- 
rings, and  finger-rings,  falling-sleeves,  scent-bottle, 
embroidered  bag,  hoop  and  train,  all  superb,  yet  all 
in  purest  taste  ;  managing  all  this  seemingly  heavy 
rigging  with  as  much  ease  as   a  full-blown  swan 


does  its  plumage.  She  would  take  possession  of 
the  centre  of  a  large  sofa,  and  at  the  same  moment, 
without  the  slightest  visible  exertion,  cover  the 
whole  of  it  with  her  bravery,  the  graceful  folds 
seeming  to  lay  themselves  over  it,  like  summer 
waves.  The  descent  from  her  carriage  too,  where 
she  sat  like  a  nautilus  in  its  shell,  was  a  display 
which  no  one  in  these  days  could  accomplish  or 
even  fancy.  The  mulberry-coloured  coach,  but 
apparently  not  too  large  for  what  it  carried,  though 
she  alone  was  in  it — the  handsome,  jolly  coachman 
and  his  splendid  hammer-cloth  loaded  with  lace — 
the  two  respectful  liveried  footmen,  one  on  each 
side  of  the  richly  carpeted  step,  these  were  lost 
sight  of  amidst  the  slow  majesty  with  which  the 
lady  came  down  and  touched  the  earth.  She  pre- 
sided in  this  imperial  style  over  her  son's  excellent 
dinners,  with  great  sense  and  spirit  to  the  very  last 
day  almost  of  a  prolonged  life." 

This  stateliness  was  not  unmixed  with  a  certain 
motherly  kindness  and  racy  homeliness,  peculiar  to 
great  Scottish  dames  of  the  old  school. 

Inlnverleith Terrace, oncof  tbestreets built  on  this 
property,  Professor  Edmonstone  Aytounwasresident 
about  1850  ;  and  in  No.  5  there  resided,  prior  to  his 
departure  to  London,  in  1864,  John  Faed,  the  emi- 
nent artist,  a  native  of  Kirkcudbright,  who,  so  eaily 
as  his  twelfth  year,  used  to  paint  little  miniatures, 
and  after  whose  exhibition  in  Edinburgh,  in  i84r, 
his  pictures  began  to  find  a  ready  sale. 

In  Warriston  Crescent,  adjoining,  there  lived  for 
many  years  the  witty  and  eccentric  W.  R.  Jamie- 
son,  W.S.,  author  of  a  luckless  tragedy  entitled 
"Timoleon,"  produced  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wyndham, 
at  the  old  Theatre  Royal,  and  two  novels,  almost 
forgotten  now,  "  The  Curse  of  Gold,"  and  "  Milver- 
ton,  or  the  Surgeon's  Daughter."  He  died  in  ob- 
scurity in  London. 

Inverleith  Row,  which  extends  north-westwards 
nearly  three-quarters  of  a  mile  from  Tanfield  Hall, 
to  a  place  called  Golden  Acre,  is  bordered  by  a 
row  of  handsome  villas  and  other  good  residences. 

In  No.  52,  here,  there  lived  long,  and  died  on 
10th  of  November,  1874,  a  very  interesting  old 
officer,  Lieutenant-General  William  Crockat,  whose 
name  was  associated  with  the  exile  and  death  of 
Napoleon  in  St.  Helena.  "  So  long  ago  as  1807," 
said  a  London  paper,  with  reference  to  this 
event,  "William  Crockat  was  gazetted  as  ensign  in 
the  20th  Regiment  of  Foot,  and  the  first  thought 
which  suggests  itself  is,  that  from  that  date  we  are 
divided  by  a  far  wider  interval  than  was  Sir  Walter 
Scott  from  the  insurrection  of  Prince  Charlie,  when 
in  1S14,  he  gave  to  his  first  novel  the  title  of 
'  Waverley,  or  'Tis  Sixty  Years  Since.'     There  is 


96 


OLD   AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


something  at  once  strong  and  startling  in  the 
consciousness  that  His  Royal  Highness  the  Com- 
mander-in-Chief, during  his  recent  official  visit  to 
Edinburgh,  might  have  shaken  hands  with  a 
veteran  who  landed  with  his  regiment  in  Portu- 
gal about  the  middle  of  1808,  who  took  part  in 
the  battle  of  Vimiera,  in  the  advance  into  Spain, 
in  the  disastrous  retreat  upon  Corunna,  and  in  the 
battle  before  that  town  in  1809.  It  is  now  (in 
1879)    seventy  years  to  a   day  since    Lieutenant- 


hearts  of  half-a-dozen  predecessors — their  orders 
being  that  twice  in  every  twenty-four  hours  they 
should  ascertain  by  ocular  demonstration  that  the 
Emperor  was  at  Longwood. 

The  latter  died  while  Captain  Crockat  was 
installed  in  the  office,  and  he  was  sent  home  by 
Sir  Hudson  Lowe  with  the  dispatches,  announcing 
that  event ;  and  after  serving  in  India,  he  retired  in 
1830,  and  in  spite  of  war,  wounds,  and  fever,  lived 
for  nearly  half  a  century  before  he  passed  away  at  a 


VIEW    IN     BONNINGT 


General  Crockat,  had  '  down  with  fever  '  written 
against  his  name  in  the  medical  report,  which 
told  the  same  tale  of  about  three-fourths  of  those 
soldiers  sent  to  perish  at  pestilential  Walcheren." 

General  Crockat  had  served  in  Sicily,  in  1807, 
before  he  served  in  Spain,  and  received  the  war 
medal  with  four  clasps  for  Vimiera,  Corunna, 
Vittoria,  and  the  Pyrenees,  where  he  was  severely 
wounded.  When  peace  came,  the  20th  Regiment 
was  ordered  to  St.  Helena,  and  with  it  went  then 
Captain  Crockat,  to  take  part  in  transactions  to  a 
soldier  more  trying  than  the  bullets  of  the  recent 
war,  for  as  orderly  officer  he  had  charge  of  "  the 
caged  eagle  of  St.  Helena,"  the  captive  Napoleon; 
a  task  which  is  said  to  have  well-nigh  broken  the 


green  old  age,  in  his  villa  at  Inverieith  Row,  a  hale 
old  relic  of  other  times. 

In  this  street  are  the  entrances  to  the  Royal 
Botanic  Gardens,  on  the  west  side  thereof,  when 
they  were  first  formed  in  1822-4,  in  lieu  of  a  pre- 
vious garden  on  the  east  side  of  Leith  Walk,  from 
which  establishment  the  shrubs  and  herbs  were  trans- 
ferred without  the  eventual  injury  to  a  single  plant. 

They  are  connected  with  the  University,  in  so 
far  as  the  Professor  of  Botany  is  Regius  Keeper, 
and  delivers  his  lectures  in  the  class-room  in  the 
gardens,  which  extend  to  twenty-seven  Scottish 
acres,  and  contain  an  extensive  range  of  green- 
houses and  hothouses,  with  a  palmhouse,  96  feet 
long,  70  feet  high,  and  57  feet  broad.     There  is  an 


THE    ROYAL    BOTANIC    GARDENS. 


.arrangement  of  British  plants  according  to  the 
.Natural  System  ;  a  general  collection  of  the  hardy 
plants  of  all  countries,  and  a  series  of  medicinal 
,plants.  There  are  also  a  collection  of  European 
.plants,  according  to  the  Linnaean  System,  and  an 
•extensive  arboretum,  a  rosery,  and  splendid  par- 
terres ;  a  winter  garden,  museum,  lecture-room,  and 
library;  a  magnetic  observatory  and  aquarium;  with 
a  construction  of  terraced  rockeries,  190  feet  long, 
by  120  wide. 


ranged  geographically,  so  as  to  enable  the  students 
to  examine  the  flora  of  the  different  countries  ;  and 
there  is  a  general  arrangement  of  flowering  plants, 
illustrating  the  orders  and  genera  of  the  entire 
world. 

There  is  likewise  a  grouping  of  cryptogamic 
plants,  and  special  collections  of  other  plants, 
British,  medicinal,  and  economical. 

The  usual  number  ot  students  in  the  garden  in 
summer   averages    about    300,    and    the   greatest 


A  public  arboretum,  comprising  about  thirty 
acres,  along  the  west  side  of  the  Botanic  Gar- 
dens, was  obtained  for  ;£  18,408  from  the  city 
funds,  and  jQ\ 6,000  from  Government.  This  was 
sanctioned  by  the  Town  Council  in  1S77;  and  this 
large  addition  to  the  original  garden  was  opened 
in  April,  i88r,  and  Inverleith  House  became  the 
official  residence  of  the  Regius  Keeper. 

Students  have  ample  facilities  for  studying  the 
plants  in  the  garden  ;  the  museum  is  open  at  all 
times  to  them,  and  the  specimens  contained  in  it 
are  used  for  illustrating  the  lectures.  The  Univer- 
sity Herbarium  is  kept  in  the  large  hall,  and  can 
be  consulted  under  the  direction  of  the  professor 
of  botany,  or  his  assistant.  In  it  the  plants  are  ar- 
109 


number  is  above  500.  The  fresh  specimens  of 
plants  used  for  lectures  and  demonstrations  averages 
above  47,300. 

By  agreement,  it  has  been  provided  that  the 
arboretum,  mentioned  above,  should  be  placed 
under  the  Public  Parks  Regulations  Act  of  1S72, 
and  be  maintained  in  all  time  coming  by  the 
Government.  The  trustees  of  both  Sir  William 
Fettes  and  Mr.  Rocheid  were  bound  to  provide 
proper  accesses,  by  good  roads  and  avenues,  to 
the  ground  and  to  give  access  by  the  private  avenue 
leading  from  St.  Bernard's  Row  to  Inverleith 
House.  Another  avenue  was  also  stipulated  for, 
which  was  to  join  the  road  from  Inverleith  Place, 
westward  to  Fettes  Collece. 


98 


OLD   AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


The  cost  to  the  Government  of  fencing  in  the 
ground,  planting,  &c,  up  to  May,  1881,  was 
,£6,000,  while  the  purchase  of  Inverleith  House 
entailed  a  further  expenditure  ot  ,£4,950. 

In  the  garden  are  several  fine  memorial  trees, 
planted  by  the  late  Prince  Consort,  the  Prince  of 
Wales,  the  Duke  of  Edinburgh,  and  others. 

Mr.  James  M'Nab  was  longthe  Curator  of  the  Royal 
Botanic  Gardens,  and  till  his  death,  in  November, 


departments,  and  to  his  loving  care  and  enthusiasm 
it  is  owing  that  the  Botanic  Garden  of  Edinburgh  is 
now  second  to  none. 

On  the  east  side  of  Inverleith  Row  lies  the 
ancient  estate  of  Warriston,  which  has  changed 
proprietors  quite  as  often  as  the  patrimony  of  the 
Touris  and  Rocheids. 

Early  in  the  sixteenth  century  Warriston  belonged 
to   a    family  named  Somerville,   whose    residence 


1878,  was  intimately  associated  with  its  care  and,  crowned  the  gentle  eminence  where  now  the  modern 

progress.     The  son  of  William  M'Nab,  gardener,  a  mansion  stands.     It  must,  like  the  house  of  Inver- 

native  of  Ayrshire,  he  was  born  in  April,  1814,  and  leith,  have  formed  a  conspicuous  object  from  the 

five  weeks  later  his  father  was  appointed  Curator  once    open,    and    perhaps    desolate,    expanse    of 

of  the  Edinburgh  Botanic   Garden   in  Leith  Walk.  Wardie  Muir,   that  lay  between  it  and  the  Firth 

On  leaving  school  James  adopted  the  profession  of  of  Forth. 

his  father,  and  for  twelve  consecutive  years  worked        From  Pitcairn's  "  Criminal  Trials  "  it  would  ap- 

in  the  garden  as  apprentice,  journeyman,  and  fore-  pear  that  on  the   10th  of  July,  1579,  the  house  or 

man,  from  first  to  last  con  amore,  gaining  a  thorough  fortalice  at  Warriston  was  besieged  by  the   Dalma- 

knowledge  of  botany  and  arboriculture,  and,  by  a  |  hoys  of  that  ilk,  the  Rocheids  and  others,  when 

variety  of  experiments,  of  the  best  modes  of  heating  it  was   the    dwelling-place    of  William  Somerville. 

greenhouses.     In  1834  he  visited  the  United  States  They  were  "  pursued  "  for  this  outrage,  but  were 

and  Canada,  and  the  results  of  his  observations  in  acquitted  of  it  and  of  the  charge  of  shooting  pisto- 

those  countries  appeared  in  the  "Edinburgh  Philo-  |  lettes  and  wounding  Barbara  Barrie. 
sophical  Journal"  for  1S35,  and  the  "Transactions"        By  1581   it  had   passed  into  the  possession  of 

of  the  Botanical  Society.  the  Kincaids,  and  while  theirs  was  the  scene  of  a 

On  the  death  of  his  father  in   December,    1848,  dreadful  tragedy.     Before  the  Lords  of  the  Council 

after    thirty-eight    years'    superintendence    of   the  in   that    year   a   complaint  was   lodged  by    John 

Botanic  Garden,  Mr.  James  M'Nab  was  appointed  Kincaid,  James  Bellenden  of  Pendreich,  and  James 

to  the   Curatorship  by  the  Regius  Professor,  Dr.  Bellenden  of  Backspittal,  "all  heritable  feuars  of 


Balfour.    At  that  time  the  garden  did  not  consist 
of  more  than  fourteen  imperial  acres,  but  after  a  time 


the  lands  of  Waristown,"  against  Adam  Bishop  of 
Orkney,  as  Commendator  of  Holyrood,  who  had 


and  laid  out  by  Mr.  M'Nab.  A  few  years  after  the  J  certain  taxes  on  their  land  which  they  deemed 
experimental  garden  of  ten  acres  was  added  to  |  unjust  or  exorbitant ;  and  similar  complaints  against 
the  original  ground,  and  planted  with  conifers  and  the  same  prelate  were  made  by  the  feuar  of  abbey 
other  kinds  of  evergreens.     The  rockery  was  now    land  at  St.  Leonard's.     The  complainers  pleaded 

that  they   were   not  justly  indebted  for  any  part 


formed,  with  5,442  compartments  for  the  cultiva- 
tion of  alpine  and  dwarf  herbaceous  plants.  Mr. 
M'Nab  was  a  frequent  contributor  to  horticultural 
and  other  periodicals,  his  writings  including  paper; 


of  the  said  tax,  as  none  of  them  were  freeholders, 
vassals,  or  sub-vassals,  but  feuars  only,  subject  to 
their  feu-duties,  at  two  particular  terms  in  the  year. 


not  only  on  botanical  subjects,  but  on  landscape-  :  Before  the  Council  again,  in  1583,  John  Kincaid  of 
gardening,  arboriculture,  and  vegetable  climatology.  :  Warriston,  and  Robert  Monypenny  of  Pilrig,  ap- 
He  was  one  of  the  original  members  of  the  Edin-  peared  as  caution  for  certain  feuars  in  Broughton, 
burgh  Botanical  Society,  founded  in  1836,  and  in  in  reference  to  another  monetary  dispute  with  the 
1872  was  elected  President,   a  position  rarely,  if   same  prelate. 

ever,  held  by  a  practical  gardener.  I      In  1 591,  Jean  Ramsay,  Lady  Warriston,  probably 

In  1S73  he  delivered  his  presidential  address  on  of  the  same  family,  was  forcibly  abducted  by 
"  The  effects  of  climate  during  the  last  half  century  Robert  Cairncross  (known  as  Meikle  Hob)  and 
on  the  cultivation  of  plants  in  the  Botanic  Garden  three  other  men,  in  the  month  of  March,  for  which 
of  Edinburgh,  and  elsewhere  in  Scotland,"  a  sub-  they  were  captured  and  tried.  The  year  1600 
ject  which  excited  a  great  deal  of  discussion,  the  brings  us  to  the  horrible  tragedy  to  which  reference 
writer  having  adduced  facts  to  show  that  a  change    was  made  above  in  passing. 

had  taken  place  in  our  climate  within  the  period  [  John  Kincaid  of  Warriston  was  married  to  a 
given.  Few  men  of  his  time  possessed  a  more  very  handsome  young  woman  named  Jean  Living- 
thorough  knowledge  of  his  profession   in   all    its  |  ston,  the  daughter  of  a  man  of  fortune  and  good 


I 


LORD   WARRISTON. 


99 


family,  the  Laird  of  Dunipace  ;  but,  owing  to  some 
alleged  ill-treatment,  she  grew  estranged  from  him, 
and  eventually  her  heart  became  filled  with  a 
deadly  hatred. 

An  old  and  attached  nurse  began  to  whisper  of 
a  means  of  revenge  and  relief  from  her  married 
thraldom,  and  thus  she  was  induced  to  tamper 
with  a  young  man  named  Robert  Weir,  a  servant 
or  vassal  of  her  father  at  Dunipace,  to  become  her 
instrument. 

At  an  early  hour  in  the  morning  of  the  2nd  of 
July,  Weir  came  to  the  place  of  Warriston,  and 
being  admitted  by  the  lady  to  the  chamber  of  her 
husband,  beat  him  to  death  with  his  clenched  fists. 
He  then  fled,  while  the  lady  and  her  nurse  re- 
mained at  home.  Both  were  immediately  seized, 
subjected  to  a  summary  trial  of  some  kind  before 
the  magistrates,  and  sentenced  to  death  ;  the  lady 
to  have  "  her  heade  struck  frae  her  bodie  "  at  the 
Canongate  Cross. 

In  the  brief  interval  between  sentence  and  exe- 
cution, this  unfortunate  young  girl,  who  was  only 
twenty-one,  was  brought,  by  the  impressive  dis- 
course of  a  good  and  amiable  clergyman,  from  a 
state  of  callous  indifference  to  a  keen  sense  of 
her  crime,  and  also  of  religious  resignation.  Her 
case  was  reported  in  a  small  pamphlet  of  the  day, 
entitled,  "  Memorial  of  the  Conversion  of  Jean 
Livingston  (Lady  Warriston),  with  an  account  of 
her  carriage  at  her  execution  "—a  dark  chapter  of 
Edinburgh  social  history,  reprinted  by  Charles 
Kirkpatrick  Sharpe.  "  She  stated,  that  on  Weir 
assaulting  her  husband,  she  went  to  the  hall,  and 
waited  till  the  deed  was  done.  She  thought  she 
still  heard  the  pitiful  cries  uttered  by  her  husband 
while  struggling  with  his  murderer."  She  tried  to 
weep,  but  not  a  tear  could  she  shed,  and  could 
only  regard  her  approaching  death  as  a  just  ex- 
piation of  her  crime. 

Deeply  mortified  by  the  latter  and  its  conse- 
quences, her  relations  used  every  effort  to  secure 
as  much  privacy  as  was  possible  for  the  execu- 
tion ;  hence  it  was  arranged  that  while  her  nurse 
was  being  burned  on  the  Castle  Hill  at  four  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  thus  attracting  the  attention  of 
all  who  might  be  out  of  bed  at  that  time,  Lady 
Warriston  should  be  taken  to  the  Girth  Cross,  at 
the  east  end  of  the  town,  and  there  executed  by 
the  Maiden. 

"  The  whole  way  as  she  went  to  the  place," 
says  the  pamphlet  referred  to,  "  she  behaved  her- 
self so  cheerfully  as  if  she  was  going  to  her 
wedding,  and  not  to  her  death.  When  she  came 
to  the  scaffold,  and  was  carried  up  upon  it,  she 
looked  up  to  the  Maiden  with  two  longsome  looks, 


for  she  had  never  seen  it  before.  This  I  may  say  . 
of  her,  to  which  all  that  saw  her  will  bear  record, 
that  her  only  countenance  moved  [sic,  meaning 
that  its  expression  alone  was  touching],  although 
she  had  not  spoken  a  word  ;  for  there  appeared 
such  majesty  in  her  countenance  and  visage,  and 
such  a  heavenly  courage  in  gesture,  that  many 
said,  '  That  woman  is  gifted  with  a  higher  spirit 
than  any  man  or  woman's ! ' " 

She  read  an  address  to  the  spectators  at  the  four 
corners  of  the  scaffold,  and  continued  to  utter 
expressions  of  devotion  till  the  swift  descent  of 
the  axe  decapitated  her.  Balfour,  in  his  "  Annals," 
gives  the  year  1599  as  the  date  of  this  tragedy. 

Four  years  after  Weir  was  taken,  and  on  the 
26th  January,  1606,  was  broken  on  the  wheel,  a 
punishment  scarcely  ever  before  inflicted  in  Scot- 
land. 

In  the  year  16 19  Thomas  Kincaid  of  Warriston 
was  returned  heir  to  his  father  Patrick  Kincaid  of 
Warriston,  in  a  tenement  in  Edinburgh.  This  was 
probably  the  property  that  was  advertised  in  the 
Cqurant  of  1761,  as  about  to  be  sold,  "that 
great  stone  tenement  of  land  lying  at  the  head  of 
the  old  Bank  Close,  commonly  called  Warriston's 
Land,  south  side  of  the  Lawn  Market,  consisting 
of  three  bed-chambers,  a  dining-room,  kitchen,  and 
garret."  There  is  no  mention  of  a  drawing-room, 
such  apartments  being  scarcely  known  in  the  Edin- 
burgh of  those  days. 

In  1663  another  proprietor  of  Warriston  came 
to  a  tragic  end,  and  to  him  we  have  already  re- 
ferred in  our  account  of  Warriston's  Close. 

This  was  Sir  Archibald  Johnston,  who  was  known 
as  Lord  Warriston  in  his  legal  capacity.  He  was 
an  advocate  of  1633.  In  1641  he  was  a  Lord  of 
Session.  He  was  made  Lord  Clerk  Register  by 
Cromwell,  who  also  created  him  a  peer,  under  the  title 
of  Lord  Warriston,  and  as  such  he  sat  for  a  time 
in  the  Upper  House  in  Parliament.  After  the 
Restoration  he  was  forfeited,  and  fled,  but  was 
brought  to  Edinburgh  and  executed  at  the  Market 
Cross,  as  we  have  recorded  in  Chapter  XXV.  of 
Volume  I. 

Wodrow,  in  his  "  History  of  the  Church  of 
Scotland,"  states  that  Warriston's  memoirs,  in  bis 
handwriting,  in  the  form  of  a  diary,  are  still  extant ; 
if  so,  they  have  never  seen  the  light.  His  character, 
admirably  drawn  in  terse  language  by  his  nephew, 
Bishop  Burnet,  is  thus  given  in  the  "  History  of  his 
Own  Times,"  Vol.  I.:— 

"  Warriston  was  my  own  uncle.  He  was  a  man  of 
great  application  ;  could  seldom  sleep  above  three 
hours  in  the  twenty-four.  He  studied  the  law 
carefully,  and  had  a  great  quickness  of  thought, 


OLD    AND     NEW     EDINBURGH 


General  View  of  the  Gardens  ;  2,  The  Arh 


WARRISTON    CEMETERY. 


with  an  extraordinary  memory.  He  went  into  very 
high  notions  of  lengthened  devotions,  in  which  he 
continued  many  hours  a  day  ;  he  would  often  pray 
in  his  family  two  hours  at  a  time,  and  had  an  inex- 
haustible copiousness  that  way.  What  thought 
soever  struck  his  fancy  during  these  effusions,  he 
looked  on  it  as  an  answer  of  prayer,  and  was 
wholly  determined  by  it.  He  looked  on  the 
Covenant  as  the  sitting  of  Chrisi  on  his  throne,  and 
was  so  out  of  measure  zealous   in  it.     He  had  no 


The  middle  of  the  last  century  saw  Warriston 
possessed  by  a  family  named  Grainger,  and  after- 
wards by  another  named  Mure  ;  and  in  1814  there 
died  in  Warriston  House  the  Hon.  W.  ]■.  Mac- 
kenzie, the  only  son  of  Francis  Lord  Seaforth,  and 
representative  in  Parliament  for  the  county  of 
Ross;  and  in  the  same  house  there  died,  on  the 
28th  ot  July,  1S3S,  Helen  D'Arcy  Cranstoun  (.1 
daughter  of  the  Hon.  George  Cranstoun  and  the 
second  wife  of  Professor  Dugald  Stewart),  a  lady 


regard  to  raising  himself  or  his  family,  though- he  had 
thirteen  children,  but  Presbytery  was  to  him  more 
than  all  the  world.  He  had  a  readiness  and  vehe- 
mence of  speaking  that  made  him  very  considerable 
in  public  assemblies ;  and  he  had  a  fruitful  invention, 
so  that  he  was  at  all  times  furnished  with  expedients." 
Such  is  the  Bishop's  picture  of  this  eminent  lawyer 
and  Covenanter,  but  very  crooked  politician. 

Lord  Warriston's  son,  James  Johnston,  was  ap- 
pointed envoy  to  the  Court  of  Brandenburg,  but 
as  lie  was  afterwards  fortunate  enough  to  be  created 
by  King  William  one  of  his  principal  secretaries 
of  state,  lie  was  nominated  by  a  warrant  from  His 
Majesty  "  to  sit  as  Lord  Secretary  in  the  Parliament 
which  met  in  1693." 


who  holds  a  very  high  place  among  the  writers  of 
Scottish  song,  and  was  sister  of  Countess  Purg- 
stall,  the  subject  of  Captain  Basil  Hall's  "  Schloss: 
Heinfeld." 

Eildon  Street  and  Warriston  Crescent,  both 
running  eastward  off  Inverleith  Row,  have  been 
recently  built  on  the  estate  of  Warriston,  and  due- 
eastward  of  the  mansion-house  lies  the  spacious  and 
beautiful  cemetery  which  appropriately  takes  its 
name  from  the  locality. 

Warriston  Cemetery,  with  a  gentle  slope  to  the 
sun  and  commanding  a  magnificent  view  of  the 
city,  is  laid  out  with  very  considerable  taste.  It 
was  opened  in  1843,  and  has  one  approach  by 
a  bridge  over  the  Leith  from  Canonmills,  a  second' 


OLD    AND  NEW    EDINBURGH. 


from  Inverleith  Row,  and  a  third  from  the  narrow- 
lane  leading  to  East  Warriston  House.  In  the 
grounds  are  spacious  catacombs,  above  which 
is  a  balustraded  terrace  with  a  tasteful  little 
mortuary  chapel ;  and  there  are  many  elegant 
monuments.  The  chief,  though  the  simplest  of 
these,  is  the  stone  which  marks  the  spot  where, 
on  the  slope  of  the  terrace,  lie,  with  those  of  some 
of  his  family,  the  remains  of  Sir  James  Young 
Simpson,  Bart.,  recalling  the  sweet  lines  which  were 
among  the  last  things  he  wrote  : — 
"  Oft  in  this  world's  ceaseless  strife, 

When  flesh  and  spirit  fail  me, 
I  stop  and  think  of  another  life, 

Where  ills  can  never  assail  me. 
Where  my  wearied  arm  shall  cease  its  fight, 

My  heart  shall  cease  its  sorrow  ; 
And  this  dark  night  change  for  the  light 

Of  an  everlasting  morrow." 
Near  this  grave  a  little  Greek  temple  (designed 
by  his  grandson  John  Dick  Peddie,  M.P.)  marks 
the  last  resting-place  of  the  venerable  Rev.  James 
Peddie,  who  was  so  long  minister  of  the  Bristo 
Street  Church.  Near  the  eastern  gate,  under  a  cross, 
lie  the  remains  of  Alexander  Smith,  author  of  the 
"  Life  Drama,"  and  other  poems,  which  attracted 
much  attention  at  the  time  of  their  publication. 
"It  claims  special  notice,"  says  a  writer  in  the 
Scotsman,  "  as  one  of  the  most  artistic  and  appro- 
priate works  of  the  kind  to  be  seen  in  our  ceme- 


teries. It  is  in  the  form  of  an  Iona  or  West  High- 
land cross  of  Binney  stone,  twelve  feet  in  height,  set 
in  a  massive  square  base  four  feet  high.  In  the  centre 
of  the  shaft  is  a  bronze  medallion  of  the  poet,  by 
William  Brodie,  R.S.A.,  an  excellent  work  of  art, 
and  a  striking  likeness,  above  which  is  the  in- 
scription 'Alexander  Smith,  poet  and  essayist,' 
and  below  are  the  places  and  dates  of  his  birth 
and  death.  The  upper  part  of  the  shaft  and  the 
cross  itself  are  elaborately  carved  in  a  style  of 
onv.ment  which,  though  novel  in  design,  is  strictly 
characteristic.  For  the  design  of  this  very  striking 
and  beautiful  monument  the  friends  of  the  poet 
are  indebted  to  Mr.  James  Drummond,  R.S.A. — a 
labour  of  love,  in  which  artistic  skill  and  antiquarian 
knowledge  have  combined  to  the  production  of  a 
work,  which,  of  its  own  kind  is  quite  unique,  and 
commands  the  admiration  of  the  least  instructed." 

In  another  part  of  the  ground  is  an  elegant 
reproduction  of  the  "  Maclean  Cross "  of  Iona, 
erected  by  a  member  of  the  family.  The  grave  of 
Horatio  Macculloch,  R.S.A.,  the  well-known  land- 
scape painter,  is  also  here,  and  also  that  of  the  Rev. 
James  Millar,  a  good,  worthy,  and  pious  man,  well 
known  to  the  whole  British  army,  and  remarkable 
as  being  the  last  Presbyterian  chaplain  of  the  Castle 
of  Edinburgh,  who  died  in  1875,  in  about  the 
thirtieth  year  of  his  ministry,  and  was  interred  here 
with  military  honours. 


CHAPTER     X. 

THE   WESTERN   NEW   TOWN. 

Coltbrid<;e—  Roseburn  House— Traditions  of  it— Murrayfield— Lord  Henderland— Beechwood—  General  Leslie— The  Dundases— Rave 
The  Foulises  and  Keiths— Craigcrook—  Its  first  Proprietors-A  Fearful  Tragedy— Archibald  Constable -Lord  Jeffrey— Davidson's  } 
Lauriston  Castle. 


Coltbridge,  once  a  little  secluded  hamlet  on  the 
Water  of  Leith,  having  two  bridges,  an  old  one  and 
a  new  one,  is  now  a  portion  of  the  western  New 
Town,  but  is  only  famous  as  the  scene  of  the 
amazing  panic  exhibited  in  1745,  by  Sir  John 
Cope's  cavalry,  under  Brigadier  Fowke — the  13th 
and  rath  Dragoons— who  fled  in  great  disorder, 
on  seeing  a  few  Highland  gentlemen — said  to  be 
only  seven  in  number — approach  them,  mounted, 
and  firing  their  pistols,  while  the  lif.tle  force  of 
Prince  Charles  Edward  was  marching  along  the  old 
Glasgow  road. 

Passing  the  huge  edifices  called  the  Roseburn 
Makings,  belonging  to  the  Messrs.  Jeffrey,  distillers, 
consisting  of  two  floors  600  feet  in  length  by  120 
in  width,   for  storing  ale,   a  narrow  winding  path 


leads  to  the  ancient  house  of  Roseburn  and  the 
old  Dairy  flour  mills  which  now  adjoin  it. 

Small,  quaint,  and  very  massively  built,  with 
crowstepped  gables  and  great  chimneys,  it  exhibits 
marks  of  very  great  antiquit)',  and  yet  all  the  his- 
tory it  possesses  is  purely  traditional.  It  has  two 
door  lintels,  one  of  which  is  the  most  elaborate 
ever  seen  in  Edinburgh,  but  it  has  been  broken,  and 
in  several  places  is  quite  illegible.  In  the  centre 
is  a  shield  with  the  royal  arms  of  Scotland  and  the 
motto  in  defens.  There  are  two  other  shields, 
now  defaced;  and  two  tablets,  one  inscribed  thus  :— 


OVEN.  VOl'. 
•\  II..  ENTER 
AT.   CRIST 


i.,M, 


ROSHUURN     HOUSE. 


The  other  tablet  runs  : — 

II.    MINE 
YI.  TI.   RUM 
TO  YE  TURE. 

The  inscriptions  may  doubtless  be  thus  translated 

WHEN  YOU 

WILL  ENTER 

AT  CHRIST 

HIS  DOOR 

I562. 

Between  the  three  shields  are  four  lines  of  Roman 
lettering,  having  alternately  in  curiously  contracted 
Latin  and  English,  a  legend  which  would  run 
thus  :— 

"  Gratia   Dei.     Lord  save  thy  people,   whom  thou  hast 
redeemed  by  thy  precious  blood.     Lord  give  peace  in  our 


AYE  MIND 
YOU  THE  ROOM 
TO  THE  POOR. 


days,  for  there 
O  our  God, 


another  who  will  fight  for  us,  but  thou, 

Elsewhere,  on  the  upper  part  of  the  lintel,  appears 


frages  of  the  Saints,"  and  is  still  used  after  vespers 
in  all  Roman  Catholic  churches,  is  a  curious  feature 
in  a  Scottish  house  of  post-Reformation  times. 

Westward  of  Coltbridge  there  is  pointed  out  a 
spot  where  Cromwell's  forces  occupied  the  rising 
ground  in  1650,  after  his  repulse  before  Edinburgh, 
and  where  he  was  again  out-generalled  by  the 
gallant  Sir  David  Leslie,  whose  army  was  posted 
by  the  Water  of  Leith  and  the  marshy  fields  along 
its  banks. 

Tradition  assigns  to  Roseburn  House  the  honour 
of  having  given  quarters  for  that  night  to  OliYer 
Cromwell,  which  is  probable  enough,  as  it  is  in 
the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  position  assumed  by 
his  army;  and  with  this  tradition  the  history,  if 
it  can  be  called  so,  of  Roseburn  ends. 

In  levelling  some  mounds  here,  some  few  years 
since,    "  some    stone    coffins   were    found,"    says 


LINTEL    AT    ROSEBURN    HOUSE. 


the  portion  of  a  legend,  god  keip  oure  crowne, 
and  send  gude  succession,  and  the  date  1526. 

The  other  lintel  is  over  an  inner  door,  and  has  a 
shield  with  two  coats  of  arms  impaled  :  in  the  first 
canton  are  three  rose-buds,  between  a  chevron 
charged  with  mullets  ;  in  the  second  canton  are 
three  fish,  fess-wise  ;  in  the  panel  are  the  initials 
M.  k.  and  k.  f.  ;  and  underneath  the  legend  and 
date,  "  All  my  hoip  is  in  ye  Lord,  1562." 

Why  this  house — the  whole  lower  storey  of  which 
is  strongly  vaulted  with  massive  stone — should  be 
decorated  with  the  royal  arms,  it  is  impossible  to 
learn  now,  but  to  that  circumstance,  and  perhaps  to 
the  date  1562,  and  the  initials  m.  r.,  evidently  those 
of  the  proprietor,  may  be  assigned  the  unsupported 
local  tradition,  which  associates  it  with  the  presence 
there  of  "Mary  and  Bothwell ;  but  the  house  was 
evidently  in  existence  when  the  latter  seized  the 
former  on  the  adjacent  highway.  According  to  Mr. 
James  Thomson,  the  present  occupant  of  Roseburn 
House,  whose  forefathers  have  resided  in  it  for 
more  than  a  century,  tradition  names  one  of  the 
apartments  "Queen  Mary's  room,"  being,  it  is  said, 
the  room  in  which  she  slept  when  she  lived  there. 

The  long  legend,  which  is  taken  from  the  "  Suf- 


Daniel  Wilson,  "and  a  large  quantity  of  human 
bones,  evidently  of  a  very  ancient  date,  as  they 
crumbled  to  pieces  on  being  exposed  to  the  air  ; 
but  the  tradition  of  the  neighbouring  hamlet  is 
that  they  were  the  remains  of  some  of  Cromwell's 
troopers.  Our  informant,"  he  adds,  "  the  present 
intelligent  occupant  of  Roseburn  House,  men- 
tioned the  curious  fact  that  among  the  remains 
dug  up  were  the  "bones  of  a  human  leg,  with  frag- 
ments of  a  wooden  coffin,  or  case  of  the  requisite 
dimensions,  in  which  it  had  evidently  been  buried 
apart." 

North-west  of  Coltbridge  House  and  Hall  lies 
Murray-field,  over  which  the  town  is  spreading  fast 
in  the  form  ot  stately  villas.  Early  in  the  last 
century  it  was  the  property  of  Archibald  Murray  of 
Murrayfield,  Advocate,  whose  son  Alexander,  a 
Senator  of  the  College  of  Justice,  was  born,  in  1736, 
at  Edinburgh.  Being  early  designed  for  the  Bar, 
he  became  a  member  of  the  Faculty  of  Advocates 
in  1758,  and  three  years  after  was  appointed  sheriff 
at  Peebles. 

In  1765  he  succeeded  his  father  as  one  of  the 
Commissaries  of  Edinburgh,  and  a  few  years  after 
saw  him  Solicitor-General  for  Scotland,  in  place  of 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


[Beec 


Henry  Dundas,  appointed  Lord  Advocate.  After 
being  Member  for  Peebles,  he  was  raised  to  the 
bench,  assuming  the  title  of  Lord  Henderland,  from 
an  estate  he  possessed  in  that  county.  He  was 
what  is  called  a  double-gowned  Senator.  He  also 
held  the  office  of  Clerk  of  the  Pipe  in  the  Scottish 
Exchequer  Court,  an  office  which,  through  the 
interest  of  Lord  Melville,  was  subsequently  held 
by  his  sons.     He  died  of  cholera  morbus  in  r7o6. 


He  saw  much  hard  service  during  the  American 
War  of  Independence,  and  was  second  in  command 
at  the  battle  of  Guildford,  when  the  colonists, 
under  General  Green,  were  defeated  on  the  15th  of 
March,  17  81.  He  commenced  the  action  at  the 
head  of  his  division,  the  movements  of  which  were 
successful  on  every  point.  "  I  have  been  particu- 
larly indebted  to  Major-General  Leslie  for  his 
gallantry  and  exertion,  as  well  as  his  assistance  in 


Westward  of  Murrayfield,  on  the  southern  slope 
of  Corstorphine  Hill,  is  Beechwood,  embosomed 
among  trees,  the  beautiful  seat  of  the  Dundases, 
Baronets  of  Dunira  and  Comrie,  Perthshire.  It 
is  said  that  it  caught  the  eye  of  the  Duke  of 
Cumberland,  when  marching  past  it  in  1746,  and 
he  remarked  that  "  it  was  the  handsomest  villa 
^e  had  seen,  and  most  like  those  in  England." 

In  the  last  century  it  was  the  property  and 
residence  of  Lieutenant-General  the  Hon.  Alex- 
ander Leslie,  Colonel  of  the  9th  Regiment,  brother 
of  the  6th  Earl  of  Leven  and  Melville,  who  began 
his  military  career  as  an  ensign  in  the  Scots  Foot 
Guards  in  1753,  and  attained  the  rank  of  Major- 
General  in  1779.  His  mother  was  a  daughter  of 
Monypenny  of  Pitmilly,  in  Fifeshire. 


every  other  part  of  the  service,"  wrote  Lord  Corn- 
wallis  in  one  of  his  despatches. 

Leslie  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  the 
9th  Foot  on  the  4th  July,  1788,  and  from  that 
time  held  the  rank  of  Lieutenant-General.  In 
1794,  while  second  in  command  of  the  forces  in 
Scotland,  in  consequence  of  a  mutiny  among  the 
Breadalbane  Highland  Fencibles  at  Glasgow,  he 
left  Edinburgh  with  Sir  James  Stewart  and  Colonel 
Montgomerie  (afterwards  Earl  of  Eglinton)  to  take 
command  of  the  troops  collected  to  enforce  order. 
By  the  judicious  conduct  of  Lord  Adam  Gordon, 
the  Commander-in-Chief,  who  knew  enough  of  the 
recently  raised  regiment  to  be  aware  "  that  High- 
landers may  be  led,  not  driven,"  an  appeal  to  force 
was  avoided,  and  the  four  ringleaders  were  brought 


SIR    ROBERT   DUNDAS   OF   BEECHWOOD. 


to  the  Castle  of  Edinburgh  under  a  strong  escort  of 
their  comrades. 

General  Leslie,  and  Lieutenant  MacLean  the 
adjutant,  having  accompanied  this  party  a  little 
way  out  of  Glasgow,  were,  on  their  return,  assailed 
by  a  mob  which  sympathised  with  the  High- 
landers and  accused  them  of  being  active  in  send- 
ing away  the  prisoners.  The  tumult  increased, 
stones  were  thrown  ;  General  Leslie  was  knocked 
down,  and  he  and  MacLean  had   to  seek  shelter 


these  documents  were  not  formally  executed,  were 
confused  in  their  terms,  and  good  for  nothing  in  a 

legal  sense,  Mrs;  Rutherford  of  Edgerstoun  very 
generously  fulfilled  to  the  utmost  what  she  conceived 
to  be  the  intentions  of  her  father. 

Sir  Robert  Uundas,  Bart.,  of  Beechwood,  like  the 
preceding,  figures  in  the  pages  of  Kay.  He  was 
one  of  the  principal  Clerks  of  Session,  and  Deputy 
Lord  Privy  Seal  of  Scotland.  He  was  born  in 
June,  1 76 1,  and  was  descended  from  the  Dundases 


r.I-'Eri 


in  the  house  of  the  Lord  Provost  till  peace 
officers  came,  and  a  company  of  Fencibles.  One 
of  the  mutineers  was  shot,  by  sentence  of  a 
court-martial.  The  others  were  sent  to  America. 
On  his  way  back  to  Edinburgh  General  Leslie 
was  seized  with  a  dangerous  illness,  and  died  at 
Beechwood  House  on  the  27th  of  December, 
1794. 

No  will  could  be  found  among  the  General's  re- 
positories at  Beechwood,  and  it  was  presumed  that 
he  had  died  intestate.  However,  a  few  days  after 
the  funeral,  two  holograph  papers  were  discovered, 
bequeathing  legacies  to  the  amount  of  ,£7,000 
among  some  of  his  relations  and  friends,  particularly 
£  1,000  each  to  two  natural  daughters.     Although 

no 


of  Arniston,  the  common  ancestor  of  whom  was 
knighted  by  Charles  I.,  and  appointed  to  the 
bench  by  Charles  II.  Educated  as  a  Writer  to 
the  Signet,  he  was  made  deputy-keeper  of  Sasines. 
and  in  1820  a  principal  Clerk  of  Session.  He  was 
one  of  the  original  members  of  the  old  Royal 
Edinburgh  Volunteers,  of  which  corps  he  was  a 
lieutenant  in  1794.  He  purchased  from  Lord 
Melville  the  estate  of  Dunira  in  Perthshire,  and 
succeeded  to  the  baronetcy  and  the  estate  of 
Beechwood  on  the  death  of  his  uncle  General  Sir 
David  Dundas,  G.C.B.,  who  was  for  some  time 
Commander-in-Chief  of  the  forces.  Sir  Robert 
died  in  1S35. 

A  winding  rural   carriage-way,  umbrageous  and 


to6 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


[K.,v„],, 


shady  with  wood,  strikes  from  the  Murrayfield  Road 
northward  past  the  ancient  and  modern  houses  of 
Ravelston.  The  latter  is  a  large  square-built  man- 
sion ;  the  former  is  quaint,  gable-ended  and  crow- 
stepped,  and  almost  hidden  among  high  old  walls 
and  venerable  trees. 

In  the  "  Burgh  Records,"  under  datei5ii,  the 
Quarry  at  Ravelston  appears  to  have  been  let  to 
Robert  Cuninghame,  by  "  William  Rynde,  in  the 
name  and  behalf  of  John  Rynde,  clerk,  prebender 
of  Ravelston,'  with  the  consent  of  the  magistrates 
and  council,  patrons  of  the  same. 

On  the  old  house  are  two  lintels,  the  inscriptions 
on  which  are  traceable.  The  first  date  is  doubtless 
that  of  its  erection  ;  the  second  of  some  alteration 
or  repair.     The  first  over  the  entrance  bears, 

G  F— Ne  quid  nimis.  1622.  J  E. 
These  are  the  initials  of  George  Foulis  of  Ravel- 
ston and  Janet  Bannatyne  his  wife.  The  other  is 
on  a  beautiful  mantelpiece,  now  built  up  in  the  old 
garden  as  a  grotto,  and  runs  thus,  but  in  one  long 
line  : — 
IM.  AR.  1624.     Ye  .   also  .  as  .  lively  .  stones  . 

ARE   .    liCILT   .   AS    .    A    SHRITVAL   .  HOVSE.  —  I  I'ETER. 

The  tomb  of  George  Foulis  of  Ravelston  was 
in  the  Grevfriars  Churchyard,  and  the  inscription 
thereon  is  given  in  Latin  and  English  in  Monteith's 
"  Theatre  of  Mortality,  1704.' 

He  is  styled  that  excellent  man,  George  Foulis 
of  Ravelstoun,  of  the  noble  family  of  Colintoun, 
Master  of  the  king's  mint,  bailie  of  the  city  of 
Edinburgh,  and  sixteen  years  a  Councillor.  He 
died  on  the  2Sth  of  May,  1633,  in  his  sixty-fourth 
year.  The  death  and  burial  are  also  recorded  of 
"  his  dearest  spouse,  Janet  Bannatyne,  with  whom 
he  lived  twenty-nine  years  in  the  greatest  concord." 

The  tomb  records  that  he  left  six  daughters.  It 
was  one  of  these  daughters  that  Andrew  Hill,  a 
musician,  was  tried  for  abducting,  on  the  4th  of 
September,  1654.  One  of  the  many  specific 
charges  against  this  person,  is  that  with  reference 
to  the  said  Marian  Foulis,  daughter  of  Foulis  of 
Ravelston:  "he  used  sorceries  and  enchantments 
— namely,  roots  and  herbs — with  which  he  boasted 
that  he  could  gain  the  affection  of  any  woman  he 
pleased,"  and  which  he  used  to  this  young  lady. 

The  jury  acquitted  him  of  sorcery,  strange  to  re- 
cord in  those  times,  "  as  a  foolish  boaster  of  his  skill 
in  herbs  and  roots  for  captivating  women,"  but 
condemned  him  for  the  abduction  ;  and  while  the 
judges  delayed  for  fifteen  days  to  pass  sentence  he 
was  so  eaten  and  torn  by  vermin  in  prison  that 
he  died  ! 

In  1 66 1  John  Foulis  of  Ravelston  was  created 
a  baronet  of  Nova  Scotia. 


In  his  notes  to  "  Waverley,"  Sir  Walter  Scott  re- 
fers to  the  quaint  old  Scottish  garden  of  Ravelston 
House,  with  its  terraces,  its  grass  walks,  and  stone 
statues,  as  having,  in  some  measure,  suggested  to 
him  the  garden  of  Tullyveolan. 

The  baronetcy  of  Ravelston  was  forfeited  by  the 
second  who  bore  it,  Sir  Archibald,  who  was  beheaded 
for  adherence  to  Prince  Charles,  at  Carlisle,  in 
1746,  and  the  lineal  representatives  of  the  line  are 
the  Foulises,  Baronets  of  Colinton,  who  represent 
alike  the  families  of  Colinton,  Woodhall,  and 
Ravelston. 

The  second  baronet  of  the  latter  line,  who  was. 
says  Burke,  the  son  of  the  first  baronet's  eldest 
son,  George  Primrose  Foulis,  by  whom  the  lands  of 
Dunihac,  were  inherited  in  right  of  his  mother 
Margaret,  daughter  of  Sir  Archibald  Primrose,  and 
mother  of  the  first  Earl  of  Rosebery,  bore  the 
designation  of  Sir  Archibald  Primrose  of  Ravel- 
ston, whose  family  motto  was  Thure  et  jure. 

In  time  the  lands  of  Ravelston  were  acquired 
by  the  Keith  family,  and  in  1822,  Alexander  Keith 
of  Ravelston  and  Dunnottar,  Knight-Marischal  of 
Scotland,  was  created  a  baronet  by  George  IV. 
during  his  visit  to  Edinburgh.  Dying  without 
issue  in  1S32,  the  title  became  extinct,  and  the 
office  of  Knight-Marischal  passed  to  the  Earl  of 
Erroll  as  Lord  High  Constable  of  Scotland. 

No.  43  Queen  Street  was  the  town  residence  of 
the  Keith  family  at  the  time  of  the  royal  visit. 

A  writer  in  Blackicood 's  Magazine,  on  old- 
fashioned  Scottish  society,  refers  to  Mrs.  Keith  of 
Ravelston,  thus  : — 

"  Exemplary  matrons  of  unimpeachable  morals 
were  broad  in  speech  and  indelicate  in  thought, 
without  ever  dreaming  of  actual  evil.  So  the 
respectable  Mrs.  Keith  of  Ravelston  commis- 
sioned Scott,  in  her  old  age,  to  procure  a  copy 
of  Mrs.  Behn's  novels  for  her  edification.  She 
was  so  shocked  on  her  first  attempt  at  a  perusal 
of  them,  that  she  told  him  to  take  '  his  bonny  book 
away.'  Yet,  she  observed,  that  when  a  young 
woman  she  had  heard  them  read  aloud  in  a  com- 
pany that  saw  no  shadow  of  impropriety  in  them. 
And  whatever  were  the  faults  of  old  Scottish 
society,  with  its  sins  ot  excess  and  its  short- 
comings in  refinement,  there  is  no  disputing  that 
its  ladies  were  strictly  virtuous,  and  that  such  slips 
as  that  of  the  heroine  of  '  Baloo,  my  Boy,'  were  so 
rare  as  to  be  deemed  worthy  of  recording  in  rhymes. 
So  the  reformation  of  manners  was  as  satisfactory 
as  it  was  easy,  since  the  foundations  of  the  new 
superstructure  were  sound." 

From  Ravelston  a  rural  road  leads  to  Craig- 
crook  Castle,   which  for  thirty-four  years  was  the 


HISTORY    OF    CRAIGCROOK. 


summer  residence  of  Lord  Jeffrey — deeply  se- 
cluded amid  coppice. 

The  lands  of  Craigcrook  appear  to  have  belonged 
in  the  fourteenth  century  to  the  noble  family  of 
Graham.  By  a  deed  bearing  date  9th  April,  1362, 
Patrick  Graham,  Lord  of  Kinpunt,  and  David 
Graham,  Lord  of  Dundaff,  make  them  over  to 
John  de  Alyncrum,  burgess  of  Edinburgh.  He 
in  turn  settled  them  on  a  chaplain  officiating  at 
"  Our  Lady's  altar,"  in  the  church  of  St.  Giles, 
and  his  successors  to  be  nominated  by  the  magis- 
trates of  Edinburgh. 

John  de  Alyncrum  states  his  donation  of  those 
lands  of  Craigcrook,  was  "  to  be  for  the  salvation 
of  the  souls  of  the  late  king  and  queen  (Robert 
and  Elizabeth),  of  the  present  King  David,  and  of 
all  their  predecessors  and  successors  ;  for  the  salva- 
tion of  the  souls  of  all  the  burghers  of  Edinburgh, 
their  predecessors  and  successors  ;  of  his  own  father 
and  mother,  brothers,  sisters,  etc.  ;  then  of  himself 
and  of  his  wife;  and,  finally,  of  all  faithful  souls 
deceased." 

The  rental  of  Craigcrook  in  the  year  1368  was 
only  jQ6  6s.  Sd.  Scots  per  annum;  and  in  1376  it 
was  let  at  that  rate  in  feu  farm,  to  Patrick  and 
John  Lepars. 

At  an  early  period  it  became  the  property  of 
the  Adamsons.  William  Adamson  was  bailie  of 
Edinburgh  in  15 13,  and  one  of  the  guardians  of 
the  city  after  the  battle  of  Flodden,  and  William 
Adamson  of  Craigcrook,  burgess  of  Edinburgh 
(and  probably  son  of  the  preceding),  was  killed  at 
the  battle  of  Pinkie,  in  1547  ;  and  by  him  or  his 
immediate  successors,  most  probably  the  present 
castle  was  built — an  edifice  which  Wood,  in  his 
learned  "  History  of  Cramond  Parish,"  regards 
as  one  of  the  most  ancient  in  the  parish. 

In  consequence  of  the  approaching  Reformation, 
the  proceeds  of  the  lands  were  no  longer  required 
for  pious  purposes,  and  the  latter  were  made  over  by 
Sir  Simon  Preston  of  Craigmillar,  when  Provost,  to  Sir 
Edward  Marjoribanks,  styled  Prebend  of  Craigcrook. 

They  were  next  held  for  a  year,  by  George  Kir- 
kaldy,  brother  of  Sir  James  Kirkaldy  of  Grange  in 
Fifeshire,  Lord  High  Treasurer  of  Scotland,  who 
engaged  to  pay  for  them  ^27  6s.  Sd.  Scots. 

In  June,  1542,  they  reverted  again  to  Sir  Edward 
Marjoribanks,  who  assigned  them  in  perpetual  feu- 
farm  to  William  Adamson  before-named.  This 
wealthy  burgess  had  acquired  much  property  in 
the  vicinity,  including  Craigleith,  Cammo,  Groat 
Hall,  Clermiston,  Southfield,  and  part  of  Cramond 
Regis.  After  Pinkie  he  was  succeeded  by  his  son 
William,  and  Craigcrook  continued  to  pass  through 
several  generations  of  his   heirs,  till  it  came  into 


the  hands  of  Robert  Adamson,  who,  in  1656,  sold 
to  different  persons  the  whole  of  his  property. 

Craigcrook  was  purchased  by  John  Muir,  mer- 
chant in  Edinburgh,  whose  son  sold  it  to  Sir  John 
1  Hall.  Lord  Provost  of  the  city  in  16S9-92.  He  was 
created  a  baronet  in  1687,  and  was  ancestor  of  the 
Halls  of  Dunglass,  on  the  acquisition  of  which,  in 
East  Lothian,  he  sold  Craigcrook  to  Walter  l'i  ingle, 
advocate,  from  whose  son  it  was  purchased  by  John 
Strachan,  clerk  to  the  signet. 

When  the  latter  died  in  17  19,  he  left  the  whole 
of  his  property,  with  North  Clermiston  and  the 
rest  of  his  fortune,  both  in  land  and  movables 
(save  some  small  sums  to  his  relations)  "  mortified 
for  charitable  purposes." 

The  regulations  were  that  the  rents  should  be 
given  to  poor  old  men  and  women  and  orphans  ; 
that  the  trustees  should  be  "  two  advocates,  two 
Writers  to  the  Signet,  and  the  Presbytery  of  Edin- 
burgh, at  the  sight  of  the  Lords  of  Session,  and  any 
two  of  these  members,"  for  whose  trouble  one 
hundred  merks  yearly  is  allowed. 

There  are  also  allowed  to  the  advocates,  poor 
fifty  merks  Scots,  and  to  those  of  the  writers  to  the 
signet  one  hundred  merks  ;  also  twenty  pounds 
annuall\'  for  a  Bible  to  one  of  the  members  of  the 
Presbytery,  beginning  with  the  moderator  and 
going  through  the  rest  in  rotation. 

This  deed  is  dated  the  24th  September,  17 12. 
The  persons  constituted  trustees  by  it  held  a  meet- 
ing and  passed  resolutions  respecting  several 
points  which  had  not  been  regulated  in  the  will.  A 
clerk  and  factor,  each  with  a  yearly  allowance  of 
twenty  pounds,  were  appointed  to  receive  the 
money,  pay  it  out,  and  keep  the  books. 

They  resolved  that  no  old  person  should  be 
admitted  under  the  age  of  sixty-five,  nor  any  orphan 
above  the  age  of  twelve  ;  and  that  no  annuity 
should  exceed  five  pounds. 

Among  the  names  in  a  .charter  by  William 
Forbes,  Provost  of  the  Collegiate  Church  of  St. 
Giles,  granting  to  that  church  a  part  of  the  ground 
lying  contiguous  to  his  manse  for  a  burial  place, 
dated  at  Edinburgh,  14th  January,  1477-8,  there 
appears  that  of  Ricardus  Roberti,  prebendariiis  de 
Cragcruk  manse  propim  ("  Burgh  Charters.") 

Over  the  outer  gate  of  the  courtyard  a  shield 
bore  what  was  supposed  to  have  been  the  arms  of 
the  Adamsons,  and  the  date  1626;  but  Craigcrook 
has  evidently  been  erected  a  century  before  that 
period.  At  that  time  its  occupant  was  Walter 
Adamson,  who  succeeded  his  father  William 
Adamson  in  1621,  and  whose  sister,  Catharine, 
married  Robert  Melville  of  Raith,  according  to 
the  Douglas  Peerage. 


OLD  AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


Local  tradition  makes  Craigcrook  the  scene  of  a 
murder,  but  this  is  a  mistake,  though  there  was 
such  a  crime  connected  with  it. 

Mr.  John  Strachan  before-mentioned — whose 
charitable  bequest  is  still  known  as  "  the  Craig- 
crook .Mortification'' — in  1707  had  a  house  in 
the  High  Street  of  Edinburgh,  which  was  kept 
for  him  by  a  servant  named  Helen  Bell,  and  as 
she  was  left  in  town  a  good  deal  by  herself,  "as 
other  young  women  in  her  situation  will  do,  she 


two  bottles  and  the  large  house-key  to  earn-,  that 
her  burden  might  be  lightened. 

No  doubt  she  had  been  intending  to  take  the 
old  road  that  led  by  the  Dean  to  Craigcrook,  but 
on  coming  to  a  narrow  and  difficult  part  of  the 
way,  called  the  Three  Steps,  at  the  foot  of  the 
Castle  Rock,  they  threw  her  down  and  cruelly  slew 
her  by  blows  of  a  hammer. 

In  a  confession  made  subsequently  by  Thomson, 
they  hurried  back  to  town,  with  the  intention  of 


admitted  young  men  to  see  her  in  her  master's 
house." 

On  Hallowe'en  night,  in  the  year  of  the  Union, 
two  young  craftsmen  came  to  visit  her — William 
Thomson  and  John  Robertson — whom  she  chanced 
to  inform  that  on  Monday  morning,  the  second 
m  lining  thereafter,  she  had  to  go  westward  to  Craig- 
crook, leaving  the  house  in  the  High  Street  empty. 

At  five  in  the  morning  of  the  3rd  of  November, 
the  poor  girl  locked  up  the  house  and  set  forth  on 
her  short  journey,  little  foreseeing  it  was  the  last 
she  would  take  on  earth.  As  she  was  traversing 
the  dark  and  silent  streets,  Thomson  and  Robert- 
son joined  her,  saying  they  were  going  a  part  of  the 
way,  and  would  escort  her.    On  this  she  gave  them 


ransacking  Mr.  Strachan's  house  for  money  or 
valuables,  and  on  passing  through  the  Grassmarket 
they  swore,  mutually,  to  give  their  bodies  and  souls 
to  the  devil  if  either  should  inform  on  the  other  in 
the  event  of  being  captured. 

"In  the  empty  streets,"  says  the  "Domestic 
Annalist  of  Scotland,"  quoting  Wood's  "  History  of 
Cramond,"  "in  the  dull  grey  of  the  morning, 
agitated  by  the  horrid  reflections  arising  from  their 
barbarous  act  and  its  probable  consequences,  it  is 
not  very  wonderful  that  almost  any  sort  of  hallu- 
cination should  have  taken  possession  of  these 
miserable  men.  It  was  stated  by  them  that  on 
Robertson  proposing  that  their  engagement  should 
be  engrossed  in  a  bond,  a  man  staited  up  between 


Cn\";:rook.] 


ARCHIBALD    CONSTABLE. 


109 


them  in  the  middle  of  the  West  Bow,  and  offered 
to  write  the  bond  which  they  had  agreed  to  sub- 
scribe with  their  blood;  but  on  Thomson  demurring, 
this  stranger  immediately  disappeared.  No  contem- 
porary, of  course,  could  be  at  any  loss  to  surmise 
who  this  stranger  was !  " 

Into  Mr.  Strachan's  house  the  assassins  made 
their  way,  broke  open  his  study  and  cash-box,  from 
which  they  carried  off  a  thousand  pounds  sterling 
in  bags  of  fifty  pounds  each,  all  "  milled  money," 
except  one  hundred  pounds,  which  were  in  gold. 


strange  stories  regarding  the  discovery  of  Thomson's 
guilt. 

It  is  more  to  the  purpose  that  twelve  months  after 
the  murder  of  Helen  Bell,  Lady  Craigcrook  dreamed 
that  she  saw  the  criminal,  in  whom  she  recognised 
an  old  servant,  kill  the  girl  and  hide  the  money  in 
two  old  barrels  filled  with  rubbish,  and  that  her 
husband  on  making  inquiries,  found  him  possessed 
of  an  unusual  amount  of  money,  had  him  arrested, 
his  house  searched,  and  found  his  bags,  which 
he  identified,  witii  a  portion  of  the  missing  coin. 


Etching  by  Clerk  of  Eldin). 


Robertson  actually  proposed  to  set  the  house  on 
fire  before  departing,  but  Thomson  said  "he  had 
done  wickedness  enough  already,  and  was  re- 
solved not  to  commit  more,  even  though  Robert- 
son should  attempt  to  murder  him  for  his  re- 
fusal." 

Five  hundred  merks  reward  was  offered  by  Mr. 
Strachan  for  the  detection  of  the  perpetrators  of 
these  crimes  ;  but  it  was  not  until  after  some  weeks 
elapsed  that  suspicion  fell  upon  Thomson,  who 
was  arrested,  made  a  voluntary  confession,  and  was 
executed  in  the  Grassmarket. 

As  no  reference  is  made  to  the  other  culprit,  he 
must  have  effected  his  escape.  But  the  credulous 
Wodrow,   in    his  "  Analecta,"  records  one  of  his 


In  1736  Craigcrook  Castle  and  grounds  were  let 
on  a  lease  for  ninety-nine  years,  on  which  early 
in  the  present  century  they  became  possessed  by 
Archibald  Constable,  the  eminent  publisher,  who 
made  great  improvements  upon  the  mansion  and 
grounds.  Without  injuring  the  appearance  of 
antiquity  in  the  former,  he  rendered  it  partly 
the  commodious  modern  residence  which  Lord 
Jeffrey  found  it  for  so  many  summers  of  his  life, 
and,  like  John  Hunter,  made  the  old  fortalice 
sicred  in  a  manner  to  literary  and  philosophic 
culture. 

Here  was  born,  in  1S12,  the  late  Thomas  Con- 
stable, who  began  business  in  1S33,  and  by  his 
taste   and    care   did    more    than   any   other   man 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


[Craig,  rook. 


perhaps  to  raise  the  printing  trade  in  Edinburgh  to 
the  high  position  it  now  holds.  "  For  a  time,  too, 
beginning  with  the  year  1 851,"  says  the  Scotsman, 
"  it  seemed  as  if  lie  were  minded  to  restore  the 
publishing  honours  of  the  house  of  Constable  and 
Co.  His  foreign  miscellany,  his  educational  series, 
his  '  Life  of  Chalmers  '  and  the  posthumous  works 
of  that  eloquent  divine,  his  edition  of  'Calvin's 
Commentaries';  his  'Life  of  Perthes,'  the  high- 
minded  German  publisher,  promised  for  a  season 
to  place  his  name  beside  the  Murrays  and 
Longmans,  and  to  bring  back  to  Edinburgh  its  old 
reputation  as  a  centre  for  the  diffusion  of  high- 
class  literature." 

Ere  long,  however,  he  would  seem  to  have  found 
the  difficulties  of  competing  fairly  with  the  London 
book  market ;  thus  his  publishing  enterprise  began 
to  slacken,  and  was  finally  relinquished,  but  the 
well-known  firm  of  Thomas  and  Archibald  Con- 
stable, printers  to  Her  Majesty  for  Scotland  and  to 
the  Edinburgh  University  still  continues  at  No.  n, 
Thistle  Street. 

There  yet  remained  to  him  a  little  independent 
literary  work,  the  most  notable  of  which  was  the 
life  of  his  father,  which  was  published  in  1873,  and 
of  which  it  was  said  that,  while  containing  much 
interesting  information  about  men  of  note  at  that 
time,  if  it  erred  in  anything  it  was  "  in  filial  piety, 
by  labouring  somewhat  too  much  to  vindicate 
a  memory  which  after  all  did  not  need  to  be 
cleared  of  any  moral  charge  but  only  of  business 
confusion." 

Thomas  Constable  died  in  the  end  of  May,  18S1. 

Jeffrey  first  occupied  Craigcrook  in  the  spring 
of  181 5,  when  it  was  simply  an  old  keep,  in  the 
midst  of  a  large  garden,  which  he  proceeded  at 
once  to  enlarge  and  make  beautiful  and  scenic. 
lie  describes  the  place  thus,  in  a  letter  to  Charles 
'Wilkes  in  that  year,  as  "  an  old  manor-house, 
eighteen  feet  wide  and  fifty  long,  with  irregular  pro- 
jections of  all  sorts,  three  staircases,  turrets,  and  a 
large  round  tower  at  one  end,  with  a  multitude  of 
windows  of  all  sorts  and  sizes,"  situated  at  the 
bottom  of  "  a  green  slope  about  400  feet  high." 

Among  the  many  reunions  at  Craigcrook,  in 
"  Peter's  Letters  to  his  Kinsfolk,"  published  in 
1S19,  we  have  a  description  of  one,  when  the 
whole  party  of  learned  pundits — including  Playfair, 
who  died  in  the  July  of  that  year  aged  seventy- 
one — took  off  their  coats  and  had  a  leaping  match, 
a  feature  in  the  gathering  which  Lord  Cockburn, 
in  his  "  Life  of  Jeffrey,"  seems  rather  disposed  to 
discredit. 

In  a  letter  written  in  April,  1829,  to  Mr.  Pen- 
nington, from  Craigcrook,  Jeffrey  says  : — "  It  is  an 


infinite  relish  to  get  away  (here)  from  courts  and 
crowds,  to  sink  into  a  half  slumber  on  one's  own 
sofa,  without  fear  of  tinkling  bells  and  importunate 
attorneys;  to  read  novels  and  poems  by  a  crackling 
wood  fire,  and  go  leisurely  to  sleep  without  feverish 
anticipations  of  to-morrow  ;  to  lounge  over  a  long 
breakfast,  looking  out  on  glittering  evergreens  and 
chuckling  thrushes,  and  dawdle  about  the  whole 
day  in  the  luxury  of  conscious  idleness." 

Lord  Cockburn,  in  this  life  of  his  friend,  writes 
thus  : — "  During  the  thirty-four  seasons  that  he 
passed  there  (at  Craigcrook),  what  a  scene  of  hap- 
piness was  that  spot  !  To  his  own  household 
it  was  all  their  hearts  desired.  Mr.  Jeffrey  knew 
the  genealogy  and  personal  history  of  every  shrub 
and  flower  it  contained.  It  was  the  favourite 
resort  of  his  friends,  who  knew  no  such  enjoyment 
as  Jeffrey  at  that  place.  And,  with  the  exception 
of  Abbotsford,  there  were  more  interesting  strangers 
there  than  at  any  other  house  in  Scotland.  Satur- 
day during  the  summer  session  of  the  courts  was 
always  a  day  of  festivity,  but  by  no  means  ex- 
clusively for  his  friends  at  the  Bar.  many  of  whom 
were  under  general  invitations.  Unlike  some  bar- 
barous tribunals,  which  feel  no  difference  between 
I  the  last  and  any  other  day  of  the  week,  but  moil 
on  with  the  same  stupidity,  our  legal  practitioners, 
like  most  of  the  other  sons  of  bondage  in  Scot- 
land, are  liberated  earlier  on  Saturday,  and  thus 
the  Craigcrook  party  began  to  assemble  about 
three,  each  taking  to  his  own  enjoyment.  The 
bowling  green  was  sure  to  have  its  matches,  in 
which  the  host  joined  with  skill  and  keenness ;  the 
garden  had  its  loiterers  ;  the  flowers,  not  forgetting 
the  glorious  wall  of  roses,  their  admirers ;  and  the 
hill  its  prospect  seekers.  The  banquet  which 
followed  was  generous  ;  the  wines  never  spared, 
but  rather  various ;  mirth  unrestrained,  except  by 
propriety;  the  talk  always  good,  but  never  am- 
bitious, and  mere  listeners  in  no  disrepute.  What 
can  efface  those  days,  or  indeed  any  day,  at  Craig- 
crook from  the  recollection  of  those  who  had  the 
happiness  of  enjoying  them  I" 

Before  quitting  this  quarter,  it  is  impossible  to 
omit  a  reference  to  the  interesting  little  fortalice 
called  Lauriston  Castle,  which  in  the  present  cen- 
tury gave  a  title  to  the  Marquis  of  Lauriston, 
Governor  of  Venice,  Marshal  and  Grand  Veneur  of 
France,  and  which  stands  about  a  mile  northward 
from  Craigcrook,  with  a  hamlet  or  village  between, 
properly  called  Davidson's  Mains,  but  locally 
known  by  the  grotesque  name  of  "  Muttonhole,"  a 
name  which,  however,  goes  back  to  the  middle  of 
the  last  century. 

In  the  Coitrant  of  5th  October,  1761,  an  adver- 


JOHN    LAW    OF    LAURISTON. 


tisement  announces,  "  that  there  was  this  day 
lodged  in  the  High  Council  House,  an  old  silver 
snuff-box,  which  was  found  upon  the  highway  lead- 
ing from  Muttonhole  to  Cramond  Bridge  in  the 
month  of  July  last.  Whoever  can  prove  the  pro- 
perty will  get  the  box,  upon  paying  the  expense  in- 
curred ;  and  that  if  this  is  not  done  betwixt  this 
and  the  10th  of  November  next,  the  same  will  be 
sold  for  payment  thereof." 

In  the  time  of  King  David  II.  a  charter  was 
given  to  John  Tennand  of  the  lands  of  Lauriston, 
with  forty  creels  of  peats  in  Cramond,  in  the  county 
of  Edinburgh,  paying  thirty-three  shillings  and  four- 
pence  to  the  Crown,  and  the  same  sum  sterling  to 
the  Bishop  of  Dunkeld.     (Robertson's  Index.) 

The  present  Castle  of  Lauriston— which  consisted, 
before  it  was  embellished  by  the  late  Lord  Ruther- 
ford, of  a  simple  square  three-storeyed  tower,  with 
two  corbelled  turrets,  a  remarkably  large  chim- 
ney, and  some  gableted  windows — was  built  by  Sir 
Archibald  Napier  of  Merchiston  and  Edenbellie, 
father  of  the  philosopher,  who,  some  years  before 
his  death,  obtained  a  charter  of  the  lands  and 
meadow,  called  the  King's  Meadow,  15S7-S  and  of 
half  the  lands  of  "  Lauranstoun,"  1 6th  November, 

1593- 

On  two  of  the  windows  there  yet  remain  his 
initials,  S.  A.  N.,  and  those  of  his  wife,  D.  E.  M., 
Dame  Elizabeth  Mowbray,  daughter  of  Mowbray 
of  Barnbougle,  now  called  Dahneny  Park. 

The  tower  gave  the  title  of  Lord  Lauriston  to 
their  son,  Sir  Alexander  Napier,  who  became  a 
Lord  of  Session  in  1626. 

Towards  the  close  of  the  same  century  the  tower 
and  estate  became  the  property  of  Law,  a  wealthy 
goldsmith  of  Edinburgh,  descended  from  the  Laws 
of  Lithrie,  in  Fifeshire  ;  and  in  the  tower,  it  is  said, 
his  son  John,  the  great  financier,  was  born  in  April, 
167 1.  There,  too,  the  sister  of  the  latter,  Agnes, 
was  married  in  1685  to  John  Hamilton,  Writer  to 
the  Signet  in  Edinburgh,  where  she  died  in  1750. 

On  his  father's  death  Law  succeeded  to  Lauriston, 
but  as  he  had  been  bred  to  no  profession,  and 
exhibited  chiefly  a  great  aptitude  for  calculation, 
he  took  to  gambling.  This  led  him  into  extrava- 
gances. He  became  deeply  involved,  but  his 
mother  paid  his  debts  and  obtained  possession  of 
the  estate,  which  she  immediately  entailed.  Tall, 
handsome,  and  addicted  to  gallantry,  he  became 
familiarly  known  as  Beau  Law  in  London,  where 
he  slew  a  young  man  named  Wilson  in  a  duel,  and 
was  found  guilty  of  murder,  but  was  pardoned  by 
the  Crown.  An  appeal  being  made  against  this 
pardon,  he  escaped  from  the  King's  Bench,  reached 
France,  and  through  Holland  returned  to  Scotland 


in  1700,  and  in  the  following  year  published  at 
Glasgow  his  "  Proposals  and  Reasons  for  Constitut- 
ing a  Council  of  Trade  in  Scotland." 

He  now  went  to  France,  where  he  obtained  an 
introduction  to  the  Duke  of  Orleans,  and  offered 
his  banking  scheme  to  the  Minister  of  Finance, 
who  deemed  it  so  dangerous  that  he  served  him 
with  a  police  notice  to  quit  Paris  in  twenty-four 
hours.  Visiting  Italy,  he  was  in  the  same  summary 
manner  banished  from  Venice  and  Genoa  as  a  dar- 
ing adventurer.  His  success  at  play  was  always 
great ;  thus,  when  he  returned  to  Paris  during  the 
Regency  of  Orleans,  he  was  in  the  possession  of 
,£100,000  sterling. 

On  securing  the  patronage  of  the  Regent,  he  re- 
ceived letters  patent  which,  on  the  2nd  March,  17 16, 
established  his  bank,  with  a  capital  of  1,200  shares 
of  500  livres  each,  which  soon  bore  a  premium. 
To  this  bank  was  annexed  the  famous  Mississippi 
scheme,  which  was  invested  with  the  full  sovereignty 
of  Louisiana  for  planting  colonies  and  extending 
commerce — the  grandest  and  most  comprehensive 
scheme  ever  conceived — and  rumour  went  that  gold 
mines  had  been  discovered  of  fabulous  and  mys- 
terious value. 

The  sanguine  anticipations  seemed  to  be  realised, 
and  for  a  time  prosperity  and  wealth  began  to  pre- 
vail in  France,  where  John  Law  was  regarded  as  its 
good  genius  and  deliverer  from  poverty. 

The  house  of  Law  in  the  Rue  Quinquempoix,  in 
Paris,  was  beset  day  and  night  by  applicants,  who 
blocked  up  the  streets — peers,  prelates,  citizens, 
and  artisans,  even  ladies  of  rank,  all  flocked  to  that 
temple  of  Plutus,  till  he  was  compelled  to  transfer 
his  residence  to  the  Place  Vendome.  Here  again 
the  prince  of  stockjobbers  found  himself  over- 
whelmed by  fresh  multitudes  clamouring  for  allot- 
ments, and  having  to  shift  his  quarters  once  more, 
he  purchased  from  the  Prince  de  Carignan,  at  an 
enormous  price,  the  Hotel  de  Soissons,  in  the 
spacious  gardens  of  which  he  held  his  levees. 

It  is  related  of  him,  that  when  in  the  zenith  of  his 
fame  and  wealth  he  was  visited  by  John  the  "great 
Duke  of  Argyle,"  the  latter  found  him  busy  writing. 
The  duke  never  doubted  but  that  the  financier 
was  engaged  on  some  matter  of  the  highest  import, 
ance,  as  crowds  of  the  first  people  of  France  were 
waiting  impatiently  an  audience  in  the  suites  of 
ante-rooms,  and  the  duke  had  to  wait  too,  until  Mr, 
Law  had  finished  his  letter,  which  was  merely  one 
to  his  gardener  at  Lauriston  regarding  the  planting 
of  cabbages  at  a  particular  spot ! 

In  1720  he  was  made  Comptroller-General  ot 
the  Finances,  but  the  crash  came  at  last.  The 
amount    of   notes    issued    by    Law's   bank    m.oii§ 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


than  doubled  all  the  specie  circulating  in  France, 
when  it  was  hoarded  up,  or  sent  out  of  the  country. 
Thus  severe  edicts  were  published,  threatening  with 
dire  punishment  all  who  were  in  possession  of  ^20 
of  specie — edicts  that  increased  the  embarrassments 
of  the  nation.  Cash  payments  were  stopped  at  the 
bank,  and  its  notes  were  declared  to  be  of  no  value 
after  the  1st  November,  1720.  Law's  influence  was 
lost,  his  life  in  danger  from  hordes  of  beggared  and 


infuriated  people.  He  fled  from  the  scenes  of  his 
splendour  and  disgrace,  and  after  wandering  through 
various  countries,  died  in  poverty  at  Venice  on  the 
2: st  of  March,  1729.  Protected  by  the  Duchess  of 
Bourbon,  William,  a  brother  of  the  luckless  comp- 
troller, born  in  Lauriston  Castle,  became  in  time  a 
Marechal  de  Camp  in  France,  where  his  descend- 
ants have  acquitted  themselves  with  honour  in 
many  departments  of  the  State. 


CHAPTER     XL 

CORSTORPHINE. 

Corstorphine—  Supposed  Origin  of  the  Name— The  Hill— James  VI.  hunting  there— The  Cross— The  Spa— The  Dicks  of 
phine — '"'Corstorphine  Cream" — Convalescent  House — A  Wraith — Th°  Original  Chapel — The  Collegiate  Church — Its 
Tombs— The  Castle  and  Loch  of  Corstorphine— The  Forrester  Family. 


Corstorphine,  with  its  hill,  village,  and  ancient 
church,  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  districts  of 
Edinburgh,  to  which  it  is  now  nearly  joined  by  lines 
of  villas  and  gas  lamps.  Anciently  it  was  called 
Crosstorphyn,  and  the  name  has  proved  a  puzzle  to 
antiquarians,  who  have  had  some  strange  theories 
on  the  subject  of  its  origin. 


By  some  it  is  thought  to  have  obtained  its  name 
from  the  circumstance  of  a  golden  cross — Croix 
d'or fin— having  been  presented  to  the  church  by 
a  French  noble,  and  hence  Corstorphine ;  and 
an  obscure  tradition  of  some  such  cross  did  once 
exist.  According  to  others,  the  name  signified 
"  the  milk-house  under  the  hill,"  a  wild  idea  in- 


THE    MARKET    CROSS. 


deed.  Some  have  derived  it  from  Coire,  a  hollow, 
stair,  wet  steps,  and  either  fidnn,  white,  ox  fan,  "the 
Fingalians."  ("  Old  Stat.  Account.")  The  name 
might  thus  signify,  "  the  hollow  with  the  white 
steps;"  or,  the  "Glen  of  Fingalian  steps."  And 
by  some  it  has  been  asserted  that  the  original  name 
was  Curia  Storphinorum,  from  a  cohort  of  Roman 
soldiers  called  the  Storphini  having  been  stationed 
here.  Rut  George  Chalmers,  with  much  more 
probability  than  any,  deduces  the  name  from  the 
"  Cross  of  Torphin." 

"  Torphin's  Cross,  from  whence  its  name  is 
derived,"  says  Wilson  in  his  "  Reminiscences," 
"  doubtless  stood  there  in  some  old  century  to 
mark  the  last  resting-place  of  a  rough  son  of  Thor." 

Tradition  has  it 
that  the  builder  of 
the  cross  was  Tor- 
phin, an  Arch- 
deacon of  Lothian. 
Torphin  Hill  is 
the  name  of  one 
of  the  lower  heals 
of  the  Pentlands 
nearJuniperGreen. 

Corstorphine 
Hill,  an  appella- 
tion which  it  could 
only  have  won  from 
being  somewhat 
insulated  amid  the 
flat      and      fertile 

plain,  is  474  feet  in  height  above  the  level  of  the 
sea.  Its  sloping  sides  are  covered  with  rich  arable 
land,  and  wooded  to  the  summit  with  thick  and 
beautiful  coppice.  After  a  gentle  ascent  of  about 
half  a  mile,  an  elevated  spot  is  reached,  called 
"Rest  and  be  Thankful,"  from  whence  a  series  of 
magnificent  views  can  be  had  of  the  city  and  the 
surrounding  scenery,  extending  from  the  undulating 
slopes  of  the  Pentlands  on  the  south,  to  the  Forth 
with  all  its  isles,  Fife  with  all  its  hills,  woods,  and 
sea-coast  towns,  and  eastward  away  to  the  cone 
of  North  Berwick  and  the  cliffs  of  the  Bass.  But 
always  most  beautiful  here  are  the  fine  effects  of 
evening  and  sunset — 

"  When  the  curtain  of  twilight  o'ershadows  the  shore, 
And  deepens  the  tints  on  the  blue  Lamniermoor, 
The  lines  on  Corstorphine  have  paled  in  their  fire, 
But  sunset  still  lingers  in  gold  on  its  spire, 
When  the  Rosebery  forests  are  hooded  in  grey, 
And  night,  like  his  heir,  treads  impatient  on  day." 

Amid  the  great  concern  and  grief  caused  by  the 
murder  of  "the  bonnie  Earl  of  Moray,"  by  the 
Huntly  faction,  in   159 1,  we  read  that  the  King, 


James  VI.,  at  the  crisis,  would  not  restrain  his  pro- 
pensity for  field  sports,  and  was  hunting  on  the 
north  side  of  Corstorphine  Hill  on  a  day  in 
February,  when  Lord  Spynie,  hearing  that  Captain 
John  Gordon  (brother  of  the  Laird  of  Gicht)  who 
had  been  severely  wounded  in  the  brawl  at  Donni- 
bristle,  had  been  brought  to  Leith,  together  with 
Moray's  dead  body,  having  a  warrant  to  place  him 
in  Edinburgh  Castle,  was  anticipated  by  the  Lord 
Ochiltree. 

The  latter,  at  the  head  of  forty  men-at-arms, 
went  in  search  of  James  VI.,  whom  he  found  at 
"Corstorphine  Craigs,  where  his  majesty  was 
taking  a  drink."  Ochiltree  dismounted  at  the 
base  of  the  hill,  approached  the  king  respectfully 
on  foot,  and  im- 
pressed upon  him 
how  much  the 
slaughter  of  the 
earl  affected  his 
honour.  At  the 
lord's  earnest 
desire  he  then 
granted  him  "a 
warrant  to  present 
Captain  Gordon 
and  his  man  to 
the  trial  of  an 
assize  that  same 
day  ;  whilk,  with 
all  diligence  the 
said  lord  did  per- 
form, and  the  captain  was  beheadit  and  his  man 
hanged.  The  captain  condemned  the  fact,  pro- 
testing that  he  was  brought  ignorantly  upon  it." 
(Calderwood,&c.) 

In  1632  and  1650  respectively  the  Parliament 
House  and  Heriot's  Hospital  were  built  from  a 
quarry  at  Corstorphine. 

Past  the  latter,  on  the  27  th  of  August,  1650,  the 
Scottish  army,  under  Leslie,  marched  to  baffle 
Cromwell  a  second  time  in  his  attempt  to  turn  the 
Scottish  position  and  enter  Edinburgh.  An  en- 
counter took  place  near  Gogar,  on  ground  still  called 
the  Flashes,  from  the  explosion  of  firearms  in  the 
twilight  probably,  "  and  after  a  distant  cannonade, 
the  English,  finding  that  they  could  not  dislodge 
the  Scots,  drew  off"  towards  Braid. 

Corstorphine  must  at  one  time  have  had  a  kind 
of  market  cross,  as  in  1764  it  is  announced  in  the 
Edinburgh  Advertiser  of  14th  February,  that  there 
are  for  sale,  three  tenements  "  near  the  Cross  of 
Corstorphine  ;  one,  a  house  of  three  storeys,  with 
fourteen  fire-rooms,  and  stables  ; "  the  other  two 
are  stated  to  have  "  fixed  bedsteads  on  the  floor," 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


meaning,  no  doubt,  the  panelled  box-beds  so 
common  of  old  in  Scotland. 

There  was  a  mineral  well  at  Corstorphine,  which 
was  in  such  repute  during  the  middle  of  the  last 
century,  that  in  1749  a  coach  was  established  to 
run  between  the  village  and  the  city,  making  eight 
or  nine  trips  each  week-day  and  four  on  Sunday. 

"  After  this  time  the  pretty  village  of  Corstor- 
phine," says  a  writer,  "  situated  at  the  base  of  the 
hill,  on  one  of  the  Glasgow  roads,  in  the  middle  of 
the  meadow  land  extending  from  Coltbridge  to 
Redheughs,  was  a  place  of  great  gaiety  during  sum- 
mer, and  balls  and  other  amusements  were  then 
common." 

The  Spa,  as  it  was  called,  was  sulphureous,  and 
similar  in  taste  to  St.  Bernard's  Well  at  Stock- 
bridge,  and  was  enclosed  at  the  expense  of  one 
of  the  ladies  of  the  Dick  family  of  Prestonfield, 
who  had  greatly  benefited  by  the  water.  It  stood 
in  the  south-west  portion  of  the  old  village,  called 
Janefield,  within  an  enclosure,  and  opposite  a  few 
thatched  cottages.  Some  drainage  operations  in 
the  neighbourhood  caused  a  complete  disappear- 
ance of  the  mineral  water,  and  the  last  vestiges 
of  the  well  were  removed  in  1831.  "Near  the 
village,"  says  the  "  New  Statistical  Account,"  "  in 
a  close  belonging  to  Sir  William  Dick,  there  long 
stood  a  sycamore  of  great  size  and  beauty,  the 
largest  in  Scotland." 

The  Dick  family,  baronets  of  Braid  (and  of 
Prestonfield)  had  considerable  property  in  Corstor- 
phine and  the  neighbourhood,  with  part  of  Cramond 
Muir.  "  Sir  James,  afterwards  Sir  Alexander  Dick, 
for  his  part  of  the  barony  of  Corstorphine,"  appears 
rated  in  the  Valuation  Roll  of  1726  at  ,£1,763  14s. 

The  witty  and  accomplished  Lady  Anne  Dick  of 
Corstorphine  (the  grand-daughter  of  the  first  Earl 
of  Cromarty),  who  died  in  1741,  has  already  been 
referred  to  in  our  first  volume. 

Regarding  her  family,  the  following  interesting 
notice  appears  in  the  Scots  Magazine  for  17 68. 
"  Edinburgh,  March  14th.  John  Dick,  Esq.,  His 
Britannic  Majesty's  Consul  at  Leghorn,  was  served 
heir  to  Sir  William  Dick  of  Braid,  Baronet.  It 
appeared  that  all  the  male  descendants  of  Sir 
William  Dick  had  failed  except  his  youngest  son 
Captain  Lewis,  who  settled  in  Northumberland,  and 
who  was  the  grandfather  of  John  Dick,  Esq.,  his 
only  male  descendant  now  in  life.  Upon  which  a 
respectable  jury  unanimously  found  his  propinquity 
proved,  and  declared  him  to  be  now  Sir  John 
Dick,  Baronet.  It  is  remarkable  that  Sir  William 
Dick  of  Braid  lost  his  great  and  opulent  estates  in 
the  service  of  the  public  cause  and  the  liberties 
of  his  country,  in  consideration   of  which,  when  it 


was  supposed  there  was  no  heir  male  of  the  family, 
a  new  patent  was  granted  to  the  second  son  of 
the  heir  male,  which  is  now  in  the  person  of  Sir 
Alexander  Dick  of  Prestonfield,  Baronet.  The 
Lord  Provost  and  magistrates  of  this  city,  in  con- 
sideration of  Sir  John  Dick's  services  to  his  king 
and  country,  and  that  he  is  the  representative  of 
that  illustrious  citizen,  who  was  himself  Lord 
Provost  in  1638  and  1639,  did  Sir  John  the 
honour  of  presenting  him  with  the  freedom  of  the 
city  of  Edinburgh.  After  the  service  an  elegant 
dinner  was  given  at  Fortune's,  to  a  numerous  com- 
pany, consisting  of  gentlemen  of  the  jury,  and 
many  persons  of  distinction,  who  all  testified  their 
sincere  joy  at  the  revival  of  an  ancient  and 
respectable  family  in  the  person  of  Sir  John  Dick, 
Baronet." 

Corstorphine  has  lost  the  reputation  it  long  en  ■ 
joyed  for  a  once-celebrated  delicacy,  known  as  its 
Cream,  which  was  brought  to  the  city  on  the  backs 
of  horses.  The  mystery  of  its  preparation  is  thus 
preserved  in  the  old  "Statistical  Account": — "They 
put  the  milk,  when  fresh  drawn,  into  a  barrel  or 
wooden  vessel,  which  is  submitted  to  a  certain 
degree  of  heat,  generally  by  immersion  in  warm 
water,  this  accelerates  the  stage  of  fermentation. 
The  serous  is  separated  from  the  other  parts  of  the 
milk,  the  oleaginous  and  coagulable  ;  the  serum  is 
drawn  oft"  by  a  hole  in  the  lower  part  of  the  vessel ; 
what  remains  is  put  into  the  plunge-churn,  and, 
after  being  agitated  for  some  time,  is  sent  to  market 
as  Corstorphine  Cream." 

High  up  on  the  southern  slope  of  the  hill  stands 
that  humane  appendage  to  the  Royal  Infirmary, 
the  convalescent  house  for  patients  who  are  cured, 
but,  as  yet,  too  weak  to  work. 

This  excellent  institution  is  a  handsome  two- 
storeyed  building  in  a  kind  of  Tuscan  style  of 
architecture,  with  a  central  block  and  four  square 
wings  or  towers  each  three  storeys  in  height,  with 
pavilion  roofs.  The  upper  windows  are  all  arched. 
It  has  a  complete  staff,  including  a  special  surgeon, 
chaplain,  and  matron. 

The  somewhat  credulous  author  of  the  "Night 
Side  of  Nature,"  records  among  other  marvels,  the 
appearance  of  a  mounted  wraith  upon  Corstorphine 
Hill. 

Not  very  long  ago,  Mr.   C ,  a  staid  citizen 

of  Edinburgh,  was  riding  gently  up  the  hill,  "  when 
he  observed  an  intimate  friend  of  his  own  on 
horseback  also,  immediately  behind  him,  so  he 
slackened  his  pace  to  give  him  an  opportunity  of 
joining  company.  Finding  he  did  not  come  up  so 
quickly  as  he  should,  he  looked  round  again,  and 
was  astonished  at  no  longer  seeing  him.  since  there 


CORSTORPHINE    CHURCH. 


was  no  side  road  into  which  he  could  have  dis- 
appeared. He  returned  home  perplexed  by  the 
oddness  of  the  circumstance,  when  the  first  thing 
he  learned  was,  that  during  his  absence  this  friend 
had  been  killed  by  his  horse  falling  in  the  Candle- 
makers  Row." 

The  church  of  Corstorphine  is  one  of  the  most 
interesting  old  edifices  in  the  Lothians.  It  has 
been  generally  supposed,  says  a  writer,  that  Scot- 
land, while  possessed  of  great  and  grand  remains 
of  Gothic  architecture,  is  deficient  in  those  antique 
rural  village  churches,  whose  square  towers  and 
ivied  buttresses  so  harmonise  with  the  soft  land- 
scape scenery  of  England,  and  that  their  place  is 
too  often  occupied  by  the  hideous  barn-like  struc- 
ture of  times  subsequent  to  the  Reformation.  But 
among  the  retiring  minor  beauties  of  Gothic  archi- 
tecture in  Scotland,  one  of  the  principal  is  the 
picturesque  little  church  of  Corstorphine. 

It  is  a  plain  edifice  of  mixed  date,  says  Billings 
in  his  "  Antiquities,"  the  period  of  the  Decorated 
Gothic  predominating.  It  is  in  the  form  of  across, 
with  an  additional  transept  on  one  of  the  sides ; 
but  some  irregularities  in  the  height  and  character 
of  the  different  parts  make  them  seem  as  if  they 
were  irregularly  clustered  together  without  design. 
A  portion  of  the  roof  is  still  covered  with  old  grey 
flagstone.  A  small  square  belfry-tower  at  the  west 
end  is  surmounted  by  a  short  octagonal  spire,  the 
ornate  string  mouldings  on  which  suggest  an  idea 
of  the  papal  tiara. 

As  the  church  of  the  parish,  it  is  kept  in  toler- 
ably decent  order,  and  it  is  truly  amazing  how  it 
escaped  the  destructive  fury  of  the  Reformers. 

This  edifice  was  not  the  original  parish  church, 
which  stood  near  it,  but  a  separate  establishment, 
founded  and  richly  endowed  by  the  pious  enthu- 
siasm of  the  ancient  family  whose  tombs  it  con- 
tains, and  whose  once  great  castle  adjoined  it. 
Notices  have  been  found  of  a  chapel  attached  to 
the  manor  of  Corstorphine,  but  subordinate  to  the 
church  of  St.  Cuthbert,  so  far  back  as  1128,  and 
this  chapel  became  the  old  parish  church  referred 
to.  Thus,  in  the  Holyrood  charter  of  King  David  I., 
1 1 43-7,  he  grants  to  the  monks  there  the  two 
chapels  which  pertain  to  the  church  of  St.  Cuth- 
bert, "  to  wit,  Crostorfin,  with  two  oxgates  and  six 
acres  of  land,  and  the  chapel  of  Libertun  with  two 
oxgates  of  land." 

In  the  immediate  vicinity  of  that  very  ancient 
chapel  there  was  founded  another  chapel  towards 
the  end  of  the  fourteenth  century,  by  Sir  Adam 
Forrester  of  Corstorphine  ;  and  that  edifice  is  sup- 
posed to  form  a  portion  of  the  present  existing 
church,  because  after  its  erection  no  mention  what- 


ever has  been   found  of  the  second  chapel  as  a 
separate  edifice. 

The  building  with  which  we  have  now  to  do 
was  founded  in  1429,  as  an  inscription  on  the  wall 
of  the  chancel,  and  other  authorities,  testify,  by  Sir 
John  Forrester  of  Corstorphine,  Lord  High  Cham- 
berlain of  Scotland  in  1425,  and  dedicated  to  St. 
John  the  Baptist,  for  a  provost,  five  prebendaries, 
and  two  singing  boys.  It  was  a  collegiate  church, 
to  which  belonged  those  of  Corstorphine,  Dalma- 
hoy,  Hatton,  Cramond,  Colinton,  &c.  The  tiends 
of  Ratho,  and  half  of  those  of  Adderton  and  Upper 
Gogar,  were  appropriated  to  the  revenues  of  this 
college. 

"Sir  John  consigned  the  annual  rents  of  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  ducats  in  gold  to  the  church,"  says 
the  author  of  the  "New  Statistical  Account,"  "on 
condition  that  he  and  his  successors  should  have  the 
patronage  of  the  appointments,  and  on  the  under- 
standing that  if  the  kirk  of  Ratho  were  united  to 
the  provostry,  other  four  or  five  prebendaries 
should  be  added  to  the  establishment,  and  main- 
tained out  of  the  fruits  of  the  benefice  of  Ratho. 
Pope  Eugenius  IV.  sanctioned  this  foundation  by  a 
bull,  in  which  he  directed  the  Abbot  of  Holyrood- 
house,  as  his  Apostolic  Vicar,  to  ascertain  whether 
the  foundation  and  consignation  had  been  made  in 
terms  of  the  original  grant,  and  on  being  satisfied 
on  these  points,  to  unite  and  incorporate  the  church 
of  Ratho  with  its  rights,  emoluments,  and  perti- 
nents to  the  college  for  ever." 

The  first  provost  of  this  establishment  was 
Nicholas  Bannatyne,  who  died  there  in  1470,  and 
was  buried  in  the  church,  where  his  epitaph  still 
remains. 

When  Dunbar  wrote  his  beautiful  "  Lament  for 
the  Makaris,"  he  embalmed  among  the  last  Scottish 
poets  of  his  time,  as  taken  by  Death,  "  the  gentle 
Roull  of  Corstorphine,"  one  of  the  first  provosts  of 
the  church — 

"  He  has  tane  Roull  of  Aberdeen, 
And  gentle  Roull  of  Corstorphine  ; 
Twa  better  fellows  did  nae  man  see  : 
Timor  mortis  conturbat  me." 

There  was,  says  the  "  The  Book  of  Bon  Accord," 
a  Thomas  Roull,  who  was  Provost  of  Aberdeen  in 
1416,  and  it  is  conjectured  that  the  bard  was  of  the 
same  family ;  but  whatever  the  works  of  the  latter 
were,  nothing  is  known  of  him  now,  save  his  name, 
as  recorded  by  Dunbar. 

In  the  year  1475,  Hugh  Bar,  a  burgess  of  Edin- 
burgh, founded  an  additional  chaplaincy  in  this 
then  much-favoured  church.  "  The  chaplain,  in 
addition  to  the  performance  of  daily  masses  for 
the  souls  of  the  king  and  queen,  the  lords  of  the 


n6 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


manor,  and  the  founder's  own  mother  and  wife,  and 
of  all  the  faithful  dead,  was  specially  directed,  at 
the  commencement  of  each  season  of  Lent,  to  ex- 
hort the  people  to  say  one  Pater  Noster  and  the 
salutation  of  the  angel  to  the  blessed  Virgin  Mary 
for  the  souls  of  the  same  persons."  ("  New  Stat. 
Account.") 

The  provostry  of  Corstorphine  was  considered 
a  rather  lucrative  office,  and  has  been  held  by 
several  important  personages.  In  the  beginning  of 
the  sixteenth  century  it  was  held  by  Robert  Cairn- 


present  state  of  affairs."     Cairncross  was  Treasurer 
of  Scotland  in  1529  and  1537. 

In  1546,  John  Sandilands,  son  and  heir  of  Sir 
James  Sandilands,  knight  of  Calder  (afterwards 
Preceptor  of  Torphichen  and  Lord  St.  John  of 
Jerusalem),  found  surety,  under  the  pain  of  ten 
thousand  pounds,  that  he  would  remain  "in  warde, 
in  the  place  of  Corstorphine,  colege,  toun,  and 
yards  yairof,  until  be  passed  to  France."  His 
grandmother  was  Mariotte,  a  daughter  of  Archibald 
Forrester  of  Corstorphine. 


4 


»-:: 


cross,  whose  name  does  not  shine  in  the  pages  of  ' 
Buchanan,  by  the  manner  in  which  he  obtained  the 
Abbacy  of  Holyrood  without  subjecting  himself  to 
the  law  against  simony. 

"  Robert  Cairncross,"  he  states,  "  one  meanly 
descended,  but  a  wealthy  man,  bought  that  prefer- 
ment of  the  king  who  then  wanted  money,  eluding 
the  law  by  a  new  sort  of  fraud.  The  law  was — 
that  ecclesiastical  preferments  should  not  be  sold  ; 
but  he  laid  a  great  wager  with  the  king  that  he 
would  not  bestow  upon  him  the  next  preferment 
of  that  kind  which  fell  vacant,  and  by  that  means 
lost  his  wager  but  got  the  abbacy."  This  was  in 
September,  1528,  and  he  was  aware  that  the  Abbot 
William  Douglas  was,  as  Buchanan  states,  "  dying 
of  sickness,   trouble  of  mind,  and  grief  for   the 


In  March,  1552,  the  Provost  of  Edinburgh,  his 
bailies,  and  council,  ordered  their  treasurer,  Alex- 
ander Park,  to  pay  the  prebendaries  of  Corstorphine 
the  sum  of  ten  pounds,  as  the  half  of  twenty  owing 
them  yearly  "  furth  of  the  commoun  gude." 

In  1554,  James  Scott,  Provost  of  the  Church  of 
Cors.torphine,  was  appointed  a  Lord  of  Session, 
and  in  that  year  he  witnessed  the  marriage  contract 
of  Hugh  Earl  of  Eclinton  and  Lady  Jane  Hamilton 
daughter  of  James  Duke  of  Chatelherault. 

Conspicuous  in  the  old  church  are  the  tombs  of 
the  Forrester  family.  The  portion  which  modern 
utility  has  debased  to  a  porch  contains  two  altar 
tombs,  one  of  them  being  the  monument  of  Sir 
John  Forrester,  the  founder,  and  his  second  lady, 
probably,  to  judge  by  her  coat-of-arms,  Jean  Sinclair 


CURST*  )RPHINE    CHURCH. 


! 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


of  the  House  of  Orkney.  He  is  represented  in 
armour  of  the  fifteenth  century  (but  the  head  has 
been  struck  off) ;  she,  in  a  dress  of  the  same 
period,  with  a  breviary  clasped  in  her  hands.  The 
other  monument  is  said  to  represent  the  son  of 
the  founder  and  his  wife,  whose  hands  are  re- 
presented meekly  crossed  upon  her  bosom.  Apart 
lies  the  tomb  of  a  supposed  crusader,  in  the  south 
transept,  with  a  dog  at  his  feet.  Traditionally  this 
is  said  to  be  the  resting-place  of  Bernard  Stuart, 
Lord  Aubigny,  who  came  from  France  as  Ambassa- 
dor to  the  Court  of  James  IV.,  and  died  in  the 
adjacent  Castle  of  Corstorphine  in  1508.  But  the 
altar  tomb  is  of  a  much  older  date,  and  the  shield 
has  the  three  heraldic  horns  of  the  Forresters  duly 
stringed.  One  shield  impaled  with  Forrester,  bears 
the  fesse  cheque  of  Stuart,  perhaps  for  Marian 
Stewart,  Lady  Dalswinton. 

It  has  been  said  there  are  few  things  more 
impressive  than  such  prostrate  effigies  as  these — so 
few  in  Scotland  now — en  the  tombs  of  those  who 
were  restless,  warlike,  and  daring  in  their  times  ; 
and  the  piety  of  their  attitudes  contrasts  sadly  with 
the  mockery  of  the  sculptured  sword,  shield,  and 
mail,  and  with  the  tenor  of  their  characters  in  life. 

The  cutting  of  the  figures  is  sharp,  and  the 
draperies  are  well  preserved  and  curious.  There 
are  to  be  traced  the  remains  of  a  piscina  and  of  a 
niche,  canopied  and  divided  into  three  compart- 
ments. The  temporalities  of  the  church  were  dis- 
persed at  the  Reformation,  a  portion  fell  into  the 
hands  of  lay  impropriators,  and  other  parts  to 
educational  and  other  ecclesiastical  institutions. 

In  1644  the  old  parish  church  was  demolished, 
and  the  collegiate  establishment,  in  which  the 
minister  had  for  some  time  previously  been  accus- 
tomed to  officiate,  became  from  thenceforward  the 
only  church  of  the  parish. 

In  ancient  times  the  greater  part  of  this  now  fer- 
tile district  was  a  swamp,  the  road  through  which 
was  both  difficult  and  dangerous ;  thus  a  lamp 
was  placed  at  the  east  end  of  the  church,  for  the 
double  purpose  of  illuminating  the  shrine  of  the 
Baptist,  and  guiding  the  belated  traveller  through 
the  perilous  morass.  The  expenses  of  this  lamp 
were  defrayed  by  the  produce  of  an  acre  of  land 
situate  near  Coltbridge,  called  the  Lamp  Acre  to 
this  day,  though  it  became  afterwards  an  endow- 
ment of  the  schoolmaster.  At  what  time  the  kindly 
lamp  of  St.  John  ceased  to  guide  the  wayfarer 
by  its  glimmer  is  unknown  ;  doubtless  it  would  be 
at  the  time  of  the  Reformation  ;  but  a  writer  in 
1795  relates  "that  it  is  not  long  since  the  pulley 
for  supporting  it  was  taken  down." 

Of  the    Forrester  family,   Wilson    says    in    his 


"Reminiscences,"  published  in  1878,  "certainly 
their  earthly  tenure,  outside  of  their  old  collegiate 
foundation,  has  long  been  at  an  end.  Of  their 
castle  under  Corstorphine  Hill,  and  their  town 
mansion  in  the  High  Street  of  Edinburgh,  not 
one  stone  remains  upon  another.  The  very  wynd 
that  so  long  preserved  their  name,  where  once 
they  flourished  among  the  civic  magnates,  has 
vanished. 

"Of  what  remained  of  their  castle  we  measured 
the  fragments  of  the  foundations  in  1848,  and 
found  them  to  consist  of  a  curtain  wall,  facing  the 
west,  one  hundred  feet  in  length,  flanked  by  two 
round  towers,  each  twenty-one  feet  in  diameter 
externally.  The  ruins  were  then  about  seven  feet 
high,  except  a  fragment  on  the  south,  about  twelve 
feet  in  height,  with  the  remains  of  an  arrow  hole." 

Southward  and  eastward  of  this  castle  there  lay 
for  ages  a  great  sheet  of  water  known  as  Corstor- 
phine Loch,  and  so  deep  was  the  Leith  in  those 
days,  that  provisions,  etc.,  for  the  household  were 
brought  by  boat  from  the  neighbourhood  of  Colt- 
bridge. 

Lightfoot  mentions  that  the  Loch  of  Corstor- 
phine was  celebrated  for  the  production  of  the 
water-hemlock,  a  plant  much  more  deadly  than  the 
common  hemlock. 

The  earliest  proprietors  of  Corstorphine  trace- 
able are  Thomas  de  Marshal  and  William  de  la 
Roche,  whose  names  are  in  the  Ragman  Roll 
under  date  1296.  In  the  Rolls  of  David  II. 
there  was  a  charter  to  Hew  -Danyelstoun,  "  of  the 
forfaultrie  of  David  Marshal,  Knight,  except 
Danyelstoun,  which  Thomas  Carno  got  by  gift, 
and  the  lands  of  Cortorphing  whilk  Malcolm  Ram- 
say got."     (Robertson's  "  Index.'') 

They  were  afterwards  possessed  by  the  Mores  of 
Abercorn,  from  whom,  in  the  time  of  Sir  William 
More,  under  King  Robert  II.,  they  were  obtained 
by  charter  by  Sir  Adam  Forrester,  whose  name 
was  of  great  antiquity,  being  deduced  from  the 
office  of  Keeper  of  the  King's  Forests,  his  armorial 
bearings  being  three  hunting  horns.  In  that  charter 
he  is  simply  styled  "Adam  Forrester,  Burgess  of 
Edinburgh."  This  was  in  1377,  and  from  thence- 
forward Corstorphine  became  the  chief  title  of 
his  family,  though  he  was  also  Laird  of  Nether 
Liberton. 

Previous  to  this  his  name  appears  in  the  Burgh 
Records  as  chief  magistrate  of  Edinburgh,  24th 
April,  1373  ;  and  in  1379  Robert  II.  granted  him 
"  twenty  merks  of  sterlings  from  the  custom  of 
the  said  burgh,  granted  to  him  in  heritage  by  our 
other  letters  ....  until  we,  or  our  heirs, 
infeft  the  said  Adam,  or  his  heirs,  in  twenty  merks 


Oorsdirpliii 


THE    FORRESTERS. 


of  land,  in  any  proper  place;"  and  in  1383  there 
followed  another  charter  from  the  same  king  con- 
cerning "  the  twenty  merks  yearly  from  the  farmes 
of  Edinburgh."  (Burgh  Charters.)  In  the  pre- 
ceding year  this  influential  citizen  had  been  made 
Sheriff  of  Edinburgh  and  of  Lothian. 

In  1390  he  was  made  Lord  Privy  Seal,  and 
negotiated  several  treaties  with  England ;  but  in 
1402  he  followed  Douglas  in  his  famous  English 
raid,  which  ended  in  the  battle  of  Homildon  Hill, 
where  he  fell  into  the  hands  of  Hotspur,  but  was 
ransomed.  He  died  in  the  Castle  of  Corstorphine 
on  the  13th  of  October,  leaving,  by  his  wife,  Agnes 
Dundas  of  Fingask,  two  sons,  Sir  John,  his  heir, 
and  Thomas,  who  got  the  adjacent  lands  of  Drylaw 
by  a  charter,  under  Robert  Duke  of  Albany,  dated 
"  at  Corstorfyne,"  r4o6,  and  witnessed  among  others 
by  Gilbert,  Bishop  of  Aberdeen,  then  Lord  Chan- 
cellor, George  of  Preston,  and  others. 

Sir  John  Forrester  obtained  a  grant  of  the  barony 
of  Ochtertyre,  in  favour  of  him  and  his  first  wife 
in  1407,  and  from  Henry  Sinclair,  Earl  of  Orkney, 
he  obtained  an  annuity  of  twelve  merks  yearly, 
out  of  the  coal-works  at  Dysart,  till  repaid  thirty 
nobles,  "which  he  lent  the  said  earl  in  his  great 
necessity." 

In  1424  he  was  one  of  the  hostages  for  the 
ransom  of  James  I.,  with  whom  he  stood  so  high 
in  favour  that  he  was  made  Master  of  the  House- 
hold and  Lord  High  Chamberlain,  according  to 
Douglas,  and  Lord  Chancellor,  according  to  Beatson's 
Lists.  His  second  wife  was  Jean  Sinclair,  daughter 
of  Henry  Earl  of  Orkney.  He  founded  the  col- 
legiate church  of  which  we  have  given  a  descrip- 
tion, and  in  1425  an  altar  to  St.  Ninian  in  the 
church  of  St.  Giles's,  requiring  the  chaplain  there 
to  say  perpetual  prayers  for  the  souls  of  James  I. 
and  Queen  Jane,  and  of  himself  and  Margaret  his 
deceased  wife. 

He  died  in  1440,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son 
Sir  John,  who  lived  in  stormy  times,  and  whose 
lands  of  Corstorphine  were  subjected  to  fire  and 
sword,  and  ravaged  in  1445  by  the  forces  of  the 
Lord  Chancellor,  Sir  William  Crichton,  whose  lands 
of  Crichton  he  had  previously  spoiled. 

By  his  wife,  Marian  Stewart  of  Dalswinton,  he 
had  Archibald  his  heir,  and  Matthew,  to  whom 
James  III.,  in  1487,  gave  a  grant  of  the  lands  of 
Barnton.  Then  followed  in  succession,  Sir  Alex- 
ander Forrester,  and  two  Sir  Jameses.  On  the 
death  of  the  last  without  heirs  Corstorphine  de- 
volved on  his  younger  brother  Henry,  who  married 
Helen  Preston  of  Craigmillar. 

Their  son  George  was  a  man  of  talent  and  pro- 
bity.    He  stood  high  in  favour  with  Charles  I., 


who  made  him  a  baronet  in  1625,  and  eight  years 
afterwards  a  peer,  by  the  title  of  Lord  Forrester 
of  Corstorphine.  By  his  wife  Christian  he  had 
several  daughters — Helen,  who  became  Lady  Ross 
of  Hawkhead  ;  Jean,  married  to  James  Baillie  of 
Torwoodhead,  son  of  Lieutenant-General  William 
Baillie,  famous  in  the  annals  of  the  covenanting 
wars  ;  and  Lilias,  married  to  William,  another  son 
of  the  same  officer.  And  now  we  approach  the 
dark  tragedy  which,  for  a  time,  even  in  those  days, 
gave  Corstorphine  Castle  a  terrible  notoriety. 

George,  first  Lord  Forrester,  having  no  male 
heir,  made  a  resignation  of  his  estates  and  honours 
into  the  hands  of  the  king,  and  obtained  a  new 
patent  from  Charles  II.,  to  himself  in  life-rent, 
and  after  his  decease,  "  to,  or  in  favour  of,  his 
daughter  Jean  and  her  husband  the  said  James 
Baillie  and  the  heirs  procreate  betwixt  them; 
whom  failing,  to  the  nearest  lawful  heir-male  of  the 
said  James  whatever,  they  carrying  the  name  and 
arms  of  Forrester ;  the  said  James  being  designed 
Master  of  Forrester  during  George's  life." 

This  patent  is  dated  13th  August,  1650,  a  few 
weeks  before  the  battle  of  Worcester.  He  died 
soon  after,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son-in-law, 
whose  wife  is  said  to  have  sunk  into  an  early  grave, 
in  consequence  of  his  having  an  intrigue  with  one 
of  her  sisters. 

James  Lord  Forrester  married,  secondly,  a 
daughter  of  the  famous  old  Cavalier  general,  Patrick 
Ruthven,  Earl  of  Forth  and  Brentford,  by  whom, 
says  Burke,  "he  had  three  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters, all  of  whom  assumed  the  name  of  Ruthven," 
while  Sir  Robert  Douglas  states  that  he  died 
without  any  heir,  and  omits  to  record  the  mode  of 
his  death. 

He  was  a  zealous  Presbyterian,  and  for  those  of 
that  persuasion,  in  prelatic  times,  built  a  special 
meeting-house  in  Corstorphine ;  this  did  not  pre- 
vent him  from  forming  a  dangerous  intrigue  with 
a  handsome  woman  named  Christian  Nimmo, 
wife  of  a  merchant  in  Edinburgh,  and  the  scandal 
was  increased  in  consequence  of  the  lady  being 
the  niece  of  his  first  wife  and  grand-daughter  of 
the  first  Lord  Forrester.  She  was  a  woman  of  a 
violent  and  impulsive  character,  and  was  said  to 
carry  a  weapon  concealed  about  her  person.  It 
is  further  stated  that  she  was  mutually  related  to 
Mrs.  Bedford,  a  remarkably  wicked  woman,  who 
had  murdered  her  husband  a  few  years  before,  and 
to  that  Lady  Warriston  who  was  beheaded  for  the 
same  crime  in  1600  ;  thus  she  was  not  a  woman  to 
be  treated  lightly. 

Lord  Forrester,  when  intoxicated,  had  on  one 
occasion  spoken   of   her   opprobriously,  ami    this 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


fact  came  to  her  knowledge.  Inspired  with  fury 
she  repaired  at  once  to  the  castle  of  Corstorphine, 
and  finding  that  he  was  drinking  at  a  tavern  in  the 
village,  sent  for  him,  and  they  met  in  the  garden 
at  a  tree  near  the  old  dovecot,  which  marked  the 
spot.  A  violent  altercation  ensued  between  them, 
and  in  the  midst  of  it,  she  snatched  his  sword  from 
his  side,  ran  him  through  the  body  and  killed  him 
on  the  instant.     (Fountainhall.) 

"The  inhabitants  of  the  village,"  says  C.  Kirk- 


tought  to  extenuate  it  on  the  plea  that  Lord  For- 
rester was  intoxicated  and  furious,  that  he  ran  at  her 
with  his  sword,  on  which  she  took  it  from  him  to 
protect  herself,  and  he  fell  upon  it ;  but  this  was 
known  to  be  false,  says  Fountainhall.  She  practised 
a  deception  upon  the  court  by  which  her  sentence 
of  death  was  postponed  for  two  months,  during 
which,  notwithstanding  the  care  of  her  enjoined  on 
John  Wan,  Gudeman  of  the  Tolbooth,  she  escaped 
in  male  apparel  but  was  captured  by  the  Ruthvens 


CORMOKI'lUNL     I   IITKCIL 


patrick  Sharpe,  in  his  Notes  to  Kirkton's  "  History," 
"  still  relate  some  circumstances  of  the  murder  not 
recorded  by  Fountainhall.  Mrs.  Nimmo,  attended 
by  her  maid,  had  gone  from  Edinburgh  to  the 
castle  of  Corstorphine,"  and  adds  that  after  the 
murder  "  she  took  refuge  in  a  garret  of  the  castle, 
but  was  discovered  by  one  of  her  slippers,  which 
dropped  through  a  crevice  of  the  floor.  It  need 
scarcely  be  added,  that  till  lately  the  inhabitants 
of  the  village  were  greatly  annoyed  of  a  moonlight 
night  by  the  appearance  of  a  woman  clothed  in 
white,  with  a  bloody  sword  in  her  hand,  wandering 
and  wailing  near  the  pigeon-house." 

Being  seized  and  brought  before  the  Sheriffs  of 
Edinburgh,  she  made  a  confession  of  her  crime,  but 


next  day  at  Fala  Mill.  On  the  12th  of  November, 
1679,  she  was  beheaded  at  the  market  cross,  when 
she  appeared  on  the  scaffold  in  deep  mourning, 
laying  aside  a  large  veil,  and  baring  her  neck  and 
shoulders  to  the  executioner  with  the  utmost 
courage. 

Though  externally  a  Presbyterian  it  was  said  at 
the  time  "  that  a  dispensation  from  the  Pope  to 
marry  the  woman  who  murdered  him  was  found  in 
his  (Lord  Forrester's)  closet,  and  that  his  delay  in 
using  it  occasioned  her  fury."  ("Popery  and 
Schism,"  p.  39.) 

Connected  with  this  murder,  a  circumstance  very 
characteristic  of  the  age  took  place.  The  deceased 
peer  leaving  only  heirs  of  his  second  marriage,  who 


I'll!      FORRESTKRS. 


took  the  name  of  Rutbven,  and  occupied  the  castle, 
the  family  honours  and  estates,  which  came  by  his 
first  wife,  went  by  the  patent  quoted  to  another 
branch  of  the  family.  Dreading  that  the  young 
Ruthvens  might  play  foully  with  the  late  lord's  char- 
ter chest,  and  prejudice  their  succession,  Lilias 
Forrester  Lady  Torwoodhead,  her  son  William 
Baillie,  William  Gourlay,  and  others,  forced  a 
passage  into  the  castle  of  Corstorphine,  while  the 
dead  lord's   bloody  corpse  lay  yet  unburied  there, 


j  and  took  possession  of  a  tall  house,  from  which  they 
annoyed  the  defenders,  although  they  were  unable 
to  carry  the  post." 

He  afterwards  became  colonel  of  the  Scottish 
Horse  Grenadier  Guards.  His  son,  the  sixth  lord, 
was  dismissed  from  the  navy  by  sentence  of  a 
court-martial  in  1746  for  misconduct,  when  cap- 
tain of  the  Defiance,  and  died  two  years  after.  His 
brother  (cousin,  says  Burke)  William,  seventh  lord, 
succeeded  him,  and  on  his  death  in  1763  the  title 


and  furiously  demanded  the  charter  chest,  of  which 
the  Lords  of  Council  took  possession  eventually, 
and  cast  these  intruders  into  prison. 

Young  Baillie  become  third  Lord  Forrester  of 
Corstorphine.  The  fourth  lord  was  his  son  William, 
who  died  in  1 705,  and  left,  by  his  wife,  a  daughter  of 
Sir  Andrew  Birnie  of  Saline,  George,  the  fifth  Lord 
Forrester,  who  fought  against  the  House  of  Stuart  at 
Preston  in  17 15  ;  and  it  is  recorded,  that  when 
Brigadier  Macintosh  was  attacked  by  General  Willis 
at  the  head  of  five  battalions  he  repulsed  them  all. 
"  The  Cameronian  Regiment,  however,  led  by  their 
Lieutenant- Colonel  Lcrd  Forrester,  who  displayed 
singular  bravery  and  coolness  in  the  action,  suc- 
ceeded in  effecting  a  lodgment  near  the  barricade, 
112 


devolved  in  succession  upon  two  Baronesses 
Forrester,  through  one  of  whom  it  passed  to 
James,  Earl  of  Verulam,  grandson  of  the  Hon. 
Harriet  Forrester  ;  so  the  peers  of  that  title  now 
represent  the  Forresters  of  Corstorphine,.  whose 
name  was  so  long  connected  with  the  civic  annals 
of  Edinburgh. 

It  may  be  of  interest  to  note  that  the  ar- 
morial bearings  of  the  Forresters  of  Corstor- 
phine, as  shown  on  their  old  tombs  and  else- 
where, were — quarterly  istand  4th,  three  buffaloes' 
horns  stringed,  for  the  name  of  Forrester  ;  with, 
afterwards,  2nd  and  3rd,  nine  mullets  for  that 
of  Baillie  ;  crest,  a  talbot's  head  ;  two  talbots  for 
supporters,  and  the  motto  Sfiero. 


OLD   AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE    OLD    EDINBURGH    CLUBS. 

Of  Old  Clubs,  and  some  Notabilia  of  Edinburgh  Life  in  the  Last  Century— The  Horn  Order— The  Union  Club— Impious  Clubs— Assembly  of 
Birds -The  Sweating  Club— The  Revolution  and  certain  other  Clubs— The  Beggars' Benison— The  Capillaire  Club— The  Industrious  Com- 
pany—The  Wig,  /Esculapian,  Boar,  Country  Dinner,  The  East  India,  Cape,  Spendthrift,  Pious,  Antemanum,  Six  Feet,  and  Shakespeare 
Clubs— Oyster  Cellars-"  Frolics  "—The  "  Duke  of  Edinburgh." 


As  a  change  for  a  time  from  history  and  statistics, 
we  propose  now  to  take  a  brief  glance  at  some  old 
manners  in  the  last  century,  and  at  the  curious  and 
often  quaintly-designated  clubs,  wherein  our  fore- 
fathers roystered,  and  held  their  "  high  jinks  "  as 
they  phrased  them,  and  when  tavern  dissipation, 
now  so  rare  among  respectable  classes  of  the  com- 
munity, "  engrossed,"  says  Chambers,  "  the  leisure 
hours  of  all  professional  men,  scarcely  excepting  even 
the  most  stern  and  dignified.  No  rank,  class,  or 
profession,  indeed,  formed  an  exception  to  this 
rule." 

Such  gatherings  and  roysterings  formed,  in  the 
eighteenth  century,  a  marked  feature  of  life  in  the 
deep  dark  closes  and  picturesque  wynds  of  "  Auld 
Reekie,"  a  sobriquet  which,  though  attributed  to 
James  VI.,  the  afore-named  writer  affirms  cannot 
be  traced  beyond  the  reign  of  Charles  II.,  and 
assigns  it  to  an  old  Fifeshire  gentleman,  Durham  of 
Largo,  who  regulated  the  hour  of  family  worship 
and  his  children's  bed-time  as  he  saw  the  smoke 
of  evening  gather  over  the  summits  of  the  vener- 
able city. 

To  the  famous  Crochallan  Club,  the  Poker  and 
Mirror  Clubs,  and  the  various  golf  clubs,  we  have 
already  referred  in  their  various  localities,  but, 
taken  in  chronological  order,  probably  the  Horn 
Order,  instituted  in  1705,  when  the  Duke  of 
Argyle  was  Lord  High  Commissioner  to  the 
Scottish  Parliament,  was  the  first  attempt  to  consti- 
tute a  species  of  fashionable  club. 

It  was  founded  as  a  coterie  of  ladies  and  gen- 
tlemen mostly  by  the  influence  and  exertions  of 
one  who  was  a  leader  in  Scottish  society  in 
those  days  and  a  distinguished  beau,  John,  third 
Earl  of  Selkirk  (previously  Earl  of  Ruglan).  Its 
curious  designation  had  its  origin  in  a  whim  of  the 
moment.  At  some  convivial  meeting  a  common 
horn  spoon  had  been  used,  and  it  occurred  to  the 
members  of  the  club— then  in  its  infancy — that  this 
homely  implement  should  be  adopted  as  their 
private  badge  ;  and  it  was  further  agreed  by  all 
present,  that  the  "  Order  of  the  Horn"  would  be  a 
pleasant  caricature  of  various  ancient  and  highly- 
sanctioned  dignities. 

For  many  a  day  after  this  strange  designation  was 
adopted  the  members  constituting  the  Horn  Order 
met  and  caroused,  but  the  commonalty  of  the  city 


put  a  very  evil  construction  on  these  hitherto  un- 
heard of  reunions  ;  and,  "  indeed,  if  all  accounts 
be  true,  it  must  have  been  a  species  of  masquerade, 
in  which  the  sexes  were  mixed,  and  all  ranks  con- 
founded." 

The  Union  Club  is  next  heard  of  after  this, 
but  of  its  foundation,  or  membership,  nothing  is 
known  ;  doubtless  the  unpopularity  of  the  name 
would  soon  lead  to  its  dissolution  and  doom. 

Impious  clubs,  strange  to  say,  next  make  their 
appearance  in  that  rigid,  strict,  and  strait-laced 
period  of  Scottish  life ;  but  they  were  chiefly 
branches  of  or  societies  affiliated  to  those  clubs  in 
London,  against  which  an  Order  in  Council  was 
issued  on  the  28th  of  April,  1721,  wherein  they 
were  denounced  as  scandalous  meetings  held  for 
the  purpose  of  ridiculing  religion  and  morality. 
These  fraternities  of  free-living  gentlemen,  who  were 
unbounded  in  indulgence,  and  exhibited  an  outra- 
geous disposition  to  mock  all  solemn  things,  though 
centring,  as  we  have  said,  in  London,  established 
their  branches  in  Edinburgh  and  Dublin,  and  to 
both  these  cities  their  secretaries  came  to  impart 
to  them  "  as  far  as  wanting,  a  proper  spirit." 

Their  toasts  were,  beyond  all  modern  belief, 
fearfully  blasphemous.  Sulphureous  flames  and 
fumes  were  raised  in  their  rooms  to  simulate  the 
infernal  regions;  and  common  folk  would  tell  with 
bated  breath,  how  after  drinking  some  unusually 
horrible  toast,  the  proposer  would  be  struck  dead 
with  his  cup  in  his  hand. 

In  1726  the  Rev.  Robert  Wodrow  adverts  to  the 
rumour  of  the  existence  in  Edinburgh  of  these  off- 
shoots of  impious  clubs  in  London  ;  and  he  records 
with  horror  and  dismay  that  the  secretary  of  the 
Hell-fire  Club,  a  Scotsman,  was  reported  to  have 
come  north  to  establish  a  branch  of  that  awful  com- 
munity ;  but,  he  records  in  his  Analerta,  the  secre- 
tary "  fell  into  melancholy,  as  it  was  called,  but 
probably  horror  of  conscience  and  despair,  and  at 
length  turned  mad.  Nobody  was  allowed  to  see 
him  ;  the  physicians  prescribed  bathing  for  him, 
and  he  died  mad  at  the  first  bathing.  The  Lord 
pity  us,  wickedness  is  come  to  a  terrible  height  !  " 

Wickedness  went  yet  further,  for  the  same  gossip- 
ping  historian  has  among  his  pamphlets  an  account 
of  the  Hell-fire  Clubs,  Sulphur  Societies,  and  Demi- 
rep Dragons,  their  full  strength,  with  a  list  of  the 


ASSEMBLY    OF    BIRDS. 


presiding  officials,  male  and  female,  with  the  names 
they  adopted,  such  as  Elisha  the  Prophet,  King  of 
Hell,  Old  Pluto,  the  Old  Dragon,  Lady  Envy,  and 
so  forth.  '■  The  Hell-fire  Club,"  says  Chambers  in 
his  "  Domestic  Annals,"  "  seems  to  have  projected 
itself  strongly  on  the  popular  imagination  in  Scot- 
land, for  the  peasantry  still  occasionally  speak  of  it 
with  bated  breath  and  whispering  horror.  Many 
wicked  lairds  are  talked  of  who  belonged  to  the 
Hell-fire  Club,  and  who  came  to  bad  ends,  as 
might  have  been  expected  on  grounds  involving 
no  reference  to  miracle." 

The  Assembly  of  Birds  is  the  next  periodical 
gathering,  but  for  ostensibly  social  purposes,  and 
to  it  we  find  a  reference  in  the  Caledonian  Mer- 
cury of  October,  1733.  This  journal  records 
that  yesternight  "  there  came  on  at  the  "  Parrot's 
Nest "  in  this  city  the  annual  election  of  office- 
bearers in  the  ancient  and  venerable  Assembly  of 
Birds,  when  the  Game  Cock  was  elected  preses ; 
the  Black  Bird,  treasurer;  the  Gledc,  principal 
clerk;  the  Crow,  his  depute;  the  Duck,  officer;  all 
birds  duly  qualified  to  our  happy  establishment, 
and  no  less  enemies  to  the  excise  scheme.  After 
which  an  elegant  entertainment  was  served  up,  all 
the  royal  and  loyal  healths  were  plentifully  drunk 
in  the  richest  wines,  ' The  Glorious  205';  'All 
Bonny  Birds,'  &c.  On  this  joyful  occasion  nothing 
was  heard  but  harmonious  music,  each  bird  striving 
to  excel  in  chanting  and  warbling  their  respective 
melodious  notes." 

We  may  imagine  the  mediey  of  sounds  in  which 
these  humorous  fellows  indulged  ;  "  the  glorious 
205,"  to  whom  reference  was  made,  were  those  mem- 
bers of  the  House  of  Commons  who  had  recently 
opposed  a  fresh  imposition  upon  the  tobacco  tax. 

Somewhere  about  the  year  1750  a  society  called 
the  Sweating  Club  made  its  appearance.  The 
members  resembled  the  Mohocks  and  Bullies  of 
London.  After  intoxicating  themselves  in  taverns 
and  cellars  in  certain  obscure  closes,  they  would 
sally  at  midnight  into  the  wynds  and  large  thorough- 
fares, and  attack  whomsoever  they  met,  snatching  off 
wigs  and  tearing  up  roquelaures.  Many  a  luckless 
citizen  who  fell  into  their  hands  was  chased,  jostled, 
and  pinched,  till  he  not  only  perspired  with  exer- 
tion and  agony,  but  was  ready  to  drop  down  and 
die  of  sheer  exhaustion. 

In  those  days,  when  most  men  went  armed, 
always  with  a  sword  and  a  few  with  pocket-pistols, 
such  work  often  proved  perilous  ;  but  we  are  told 
that  "  even  so  late  as  the  early  years  of  this  century 
it  was  unsafe  to  walk  the  streets  of  Edinburgh  at 
night,  on  account  of  the  numerous  drunken  parties 
of  young  men  who  reeled  about,  bent  on  mischief 


at  all  hours,  and  from  whom  the  Town  Guard  were 
unable  to  protect  the  sober  citizens." 

In  Vol.  I.  of  this  work  (/.  63)  will  be  found  a 
facsimile  of  the  medal  of  the  Edinburgh  Revolu- 
tion Club,  struck  in  1753,  "in  commemoration 
of  the  recovery  of  religion  and  liberty  by  William 
and  Mary  in  16S8."  It  bears  the  motto,  Memitiis 
sejuvabit. 

"  On  Thursday  next,"  announces  the  Adver- 
tiser for  November,  1764,  "the  15th  current,  the 
Revolution  Club  is  to  meet  in  the  Assembly  Hall  at 
six  o'clock  in  the  evening,  in  commemoration  of 
our  happy  deliverance  from  Popery  and  slavery  by 
King  William  of  glorious  and  immortal  memory  ; 
and  of  the  further  security  of  our  religion  and 
liberties  by  the  settlement  of  the  crown  upon  the 
illustrious  house  of  Hanover,  when  it  is  expected 
all  the  members  of  that  society,  in  or  near  the  city, 
will  give  attendance."  The  next  issue  records  the 
meeting  but  gives  no  account  thereof.  Under  its 
auspices  a  meeting  was  held  to  erect  a  monument 
to  King  William  III.  in  1788,  attended  by  the 
Earls  of  Glencairn,  Buchan,  Dumfries,  and  others  ; 
but  a  suggestion  in  the  Edinburgh  magazines  of 
that  year,  that  it  should  be  erected  in  the  valley  of 
Glencoe  with  the  King's  warrant  for  the  massacre 
carved  on  the  pedestal,  caused  it  to  be  abandoned, 
and  so  this  club  was  eventually  relegated  to  "  the 
lumber-room  of  time,"  like  the  L'xion  and  four 
others,  thus  ranked  briefly  by  the  industrious 
Chambers  : — 

No  gentleman  to  appear  in 
clean  linen. 

Members  wore  black  wigs. 

Members  wrote  their  names 
upside  down. 

Members  wore  bonnets. 

Members  regarded  as  Physi- 
cians, and  so  styled,  wear- 
ing gowns  and  wigs. 

In  Volume  II.  of  the  "  Mirror  Club  Papers  "  we 
find  six  others  enumerated: — The  Whin  Bush, 
Knights  of  the  Cap  and  Feather  (meeting  in  the  close 
of  that  name).  The  Tabernacle,  The  Stoic,  The 
Hum-drum,  and  the  Antema/ium. 

In  1765  the  institution  of  another  club  is  thus 
noticed  in  the  Advertiser  of  January  29th  : — 
"  We  are  informed  that  there  was  a  very  numerous 
meeting  of  the  Knights  Companions  of  the 
Ancient  Order  of  the  Beggars'  Benison,  with 
their  sovereign  on  Friday  last,  at  Mr.  Walker's 
tavern,  when  the  band  of  music  belonging  to  the 
Edinburgh  Regiment  (25th  Foot)  attended.  Every- 
thing was  conducted  with  the  greatest  harmony  and 
cheerfulness,  and  all  the  knights  appeared  with  the 
medal  of  the  order." 


The  Dirty  Club  .  .  . 
The  Black  YVigs  .  .  . 
The  Odd  Fellows  .  .  . 
The  Bonnet  Lairds  .  . 
The  Doctors  of  Faculty 
Clue 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


In  1783,  "a  chapter  of  the  order "  was  adver- 
tised "to  be  held  at  their  chamber  in  Anstruther. 
Dinner  at  half-past  two." 

The  Lawnmarket  Club,  with  its  so-called 
"gazettes,"  has  been  referred  to  in  our  first  volume. 

The  Capillaire  Club  was  one  famous  in  the 
annals  of  Edinburgh  convivalia  and  for  its 
fashionable  gatherings.  The  Weekly  Magazine 
for  1774  records  that  "  last  Friday  night,  the  gentle- 
men of  the  Capillaire  Club  gave  their  annual  ball. 
The  company  consisted  of  nearly  two  hundred 
ladies  and  gentlemen  of  the  first  distinction.  Their 
dresses  were   extremely   rich   and    elegant.      Her 

Grace    the    Duchess    of   D and    Mrs.    Gen. 

S made    a  most  brilliant  appearance.      Mrs. 

S.'s  jewels  alone,  it  is  said,  were  above  ,£30,000 
in  value.  The  ball  was  opened  about  seven,  and 
ended  about  twelve  o'clock,  when  a  most  elegant 
entertainment  was  served  up." 

The  ladies  whose  initials  are  given  were  evidently 
the  last  Duchess  of  Douglas  and  Mrs.  Scott,  wife 
of  General  John  Scott  of  Balcomie  and  Bellevue, 
mother  of  the  Duchess  of  Portland.  She  survived 
him,  and  died  at  Bellevue  House,  latterly  the  Ex- 
cise Office,  Drummond  Place,  on  the  23rd  August, 
1797,  after  which  the  house  was  occupied  by  the 
Duke  of  Argyle. 

The  next  notice  we  have  of  the  club  in  the  same 
year  is  a  donation  of  twenty  guineas  by  the  mem- 
bers to  the  Charity  Workhouse.  "  The  Capillaire 
Club,"  says  a  writer  in  the  "  Scottish  Journal  of 
Antiquities,"  "  was  composed  of  all  who  were  in- 
clined to  be  witty  and  joyous." 

There  was  a  Jacobite  Club,  presided  over  at 
one  time  by  the  Earl  of  Buchan,  but  of  which 
nothing  now  survives  but  the  name. 

The  Industrious  Company  was  a  club  composed 
oddly  enough  of  porter-drinkers,  very  numerous, 
and  formed  as  a  species  of  joint-stock  company, 
for  the  double  purpose  of  retailing  their  liquor  for 
profit,  and  for  fun  and  amusement  while  drinking  it. 
They  met  at  their  rooms,  or  cellars  rather,  every 
night,  in  the  Royal  Bank  Close.  There  each  mem- 
ber paid  at  his  entry  £5,  and  took  his  monthly 
turn  of  superintending  the  general  business  of  the 
club  ;  but  negligence  on  the  part  of  some  of  the 
managers  led  to  its  dissolution. 

In  the  Advertiser  for  17S3  it  is  announced  as 
a  standing  order  of  the  Wig  Club,  "that  the 
members  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Edinburgh 
should  attend  the  meetings  of  the  club,  or  if  they 
find  that  inconvenient,  to  send  in  their  resigna- 
tion ;  it  is  requested  that  the  members  will  be 
pleased  to  attend  to  this  regulation,  otherwise  their 
places  will  be  supplied  by  others  who  wish  to  be  of 


the  club. — Fortune's  Tavern,  February  4th,  1783." 
In  the  preceding  January  a  meeting  of  the  club  is 

summoned  at  that  date,  "  as  St.  P 's  day."    Mr. 

Hay  of  Drumelzier  in  the  chair.  As  there  is  no 
saint  for  the  4th  February  whose  initial  is  P,  this 
must  have  been  some  joke  known  only  to  the  club. 
Charles,  Earl  of  Haddington,  presided  on  the  2nd 
DecemDer,  1783. 

From  the  former  notice  we  may  gather  that  there 
was  a  decay  of  this  curious  club,  the  president  of 
which  wore  a  wig  of  extraordinary  materials,  which 
had  belonged  to  the  Moray  family  for  three  genera- 
tions, and  each  new  entrant's  powers  were  tested, 
by  compelling  him  to  drink  "  to  the  fraternity  in  a 
quart  of  claret,  without  pulling  bit — i.e.,  pausing." 

The  members  generally  drank  twopenny  ale,  on 
which  it  was  possible  to  get  intoxicated  for  the 
value  of  a  groat,  and  ate  a  coarse  kind  of  loaf, 
called  Soutar's  clod,  which,  with  penny  pies  of  high 
reputation  in  those  days,  were  furnished  by  a  shop 
near  Forrester's  Wynd,  and  known  as  the  Baijen 
Hole. 

There  was  an  /Esculapian  Club,  a  relic  of 
which  survives  in  the  Greyfriars  Churchyard,  where 
a  stone  records  that  in  1785  the  members  repaired 
the  tomb  of  "John  Barnett,  student  of  phisick  (sic) 
who  was  born  15th  March,  1733,  and  departed  this 
life  1st  April,  1755." 

The  BoarClub  was  chiefly  composed, eventually, 
of  wild  waggish  spirits  and  fashionable  young  men, 
who  held  their  meetings  in  Daniel  Hogg's  tavern, 
in  Shakespeare  Square,  close  by  the  Theatre  Royal. 

"  The  joke  of  this  club,"  to  quote  "  Chambers's 
Traditions,"  "  consisted  in  the  supposition  that  all 
the  members  were  boars,  that  their  room  was  a  stye, 
that  their  talk  was  grunting,  and  in  the  double  en- 
tendre of  the  small  piece  of  stoneware  which  served 
as  a  repository  for  the  fines,  being  a  pig.  Upon 
this  they  lived  twenty  years.  I  have  at  some  ex- 
pense of  eyesight  and  with  no  small  exertion  of 
patience,"  continues  Chambers,  "  perused  the  soiled 
and  blotted  records  of  the  club,  which,  in  1824, 
were  preserved  by  an  old  vintner  whose  house  was 
their  last  place  of  meeting,  and  the  result  has  been 
the  following  memorabilia.  The  Boar  Club  com- 
menced its  meetings  in  1787,  and  the  original 
members  were  J.  G.  C.  Schetky,  a  German 
musician  ;  David  Shaw,  Archibald  Crawford, 
Patrick  Robertson,  Robert  Aldrige,  a  famous  panto- 
mimist  and  dancing-master ;  James  Nelson,  and 
Euke  Cross.  .  .  .  Their  laws  were  first  written 
down  in  due  form  in  1790.  They  were  to  meet 
every  evening  at  seven  o'clock  ;  each  boar  on  his 
entry  contributed  a  halfpenny  to  the  pig.  A  fine 
of  a  halfpenny  was  imposed  upon  any  person  who 


THE    SPENDTHRIFT    CLUB. 


I25 


called  one  of  his  brother  boars  by  his  proper  out- 
of-club  name,  the  term  '  Sir '  being  only  allowed. 
The  entry-money,  fines,  and  other  pecuniary  acquisi- 
tions, were  hoarded  for  a  grand  annual  dinner." 

In  1799  some  new  officials  were  added,  such 
as  a  poet-laureate,  champion,  archbishop,  and  chief 
•grunter,  and  by  that  time,  as  the  tone  and  ex- 
penses of  the  club  had  increased,  the  fines  became 
very  severe,  and  in  the  exactions  no  one  met  with 
any  mercy,  "  as  it  was  the  interests  of  all  that  the 
pig  should  bring  forth  a  plenteous  farrow."  This 
practice  led  to  squabbles,  and  the  grotesque  fra- 
ternity was  broken  up. 

The  Country  Dinner  Club  was  a  much  more 
•sensible  style  of  gathering,  when  some  respectable 
■citizens  of  good  position  were  wont  to  meet  on  the 
afternoon  of  each  Saturday  about  the  year  1790  to 
■dine  in  an  old  tavern  in  Canonmills,  then  at  a 
moderate  distance  from  town.  They  kept  their 
own  particular  claret.  William  Ramsay,  a  banker, 
then  residing  in  Warriston  House,  was  deemed 
•'  the  tongue  of  the  trump  to  the  club,"  which  en- 
tirely consisted  of  hearty  and  honest  old  citizens, 
.all  of  whom  have  long  since  gone  to  their  last  ac- 
count. 

The  East  India  Club  was  formed  in  1797,  and 
held  its  first  meeting  in  John  Bayll's  tavern  on 
the  13th  of  January  that  year,  when  the  Herald 
announces  that  dinner  would  be  on  the  table  at  the 
■then  late  and  fashionable  hour  of  four,  but  the  body 
does  not  seem  to  have  been  long  in  existence  ;  it 
contributed  twenty  guineas  to  the  sufferers  of  a  fire 
in  the  Cowgate  in  the  spring  of  1799,  and  fifty  to 
the  House  of  Industry  in  1S01. 

John  Bayll  managed  the  "  George  Square  as- 
semblies," which  were  held  in  Buccleuch  Place. 
His  tavern  was  in  Shakespeare  Square,  where  his 
•annual  balls  and  suppers,  in  1800,  were  under  the 
patronage  of  the  Duchess  of  Buccleuch  and  Mrs. 
Dundas  of  Arniston. 

Of  the  Cape  Club,  which  was  established  on 
the  15th  of  March,  1733,  and  of  which  Fergusson 
the  poet  and  Runciman  the  painter  were  afterwards 
members,  an  account  will  be  found  in  Vol.  I., 
which,  however,  omitted  to  give  the  origin  of  the 
name  of  that  long-existing  and  merry  fraternity, 
and  which  was  founded  on  an  old,  but  rather  weak, 
Edinburgh  joke  of  the  period. 

Some  well-known  burgess  of  the  Calton  who  was 
in  the  habit  of  spending  the  evening  hours  with 
friends  in  the  city,  till  after  the  ten  o'clock  drum 
•had  been  beaten  and  the  Netherbow  Port  was 
shut,  to  obtain  egress  was  under  the  necessity  of 
'bribing  the  porter  there,  or  remaining  within  the 
walls  all  night.     On  leaving  the  gate  he  had   to 


turn  acutely  to  the  left  to  proceed  down  Leith 
Wynd,  which  this  facetious  toper  termed  "  doubling 
the  Cape."  Eventually  it  became  a  standing  joke 
in  the  small  circle  of  Edinburgh  then,  "and  the 
Cape  Club  owned  a  regular  institution  from  1763," 
says  Chambers,  but  its  sixty-fifth  anniversary  is 
announced  in  the  Herald  of  1798,  for  the  15th  of 
March  as  given  above. 

The  Spendthrift  Club,  was  so  called  in  ridicule 
of  the  very  moderate  indulgence  of  its  members, 
whose  expenses  were  limited  to  fourpence-half- 
penny  each  night,  yet  all  of  them  were  wealthy  or 
well-to-do  citizens,  many  of  whom  usually  met  after 
forenoon  church  at  the  Royal  Exchange  for  a  walk 
in  the  country — their  plan  being  to  walk  in  the 
direction  from  whence  the  wind  blew  and  thus 
avoid  the  smoke  of  the  city.  "In  1824,"  says 
Chambers,  "  in  the  recollection  of  the  senior  mem- 
bers, some  of  whom  were  of  fifty  years'  standing, 
the  house  (of  meeting)  was  kept  by  the  widow  of  a 
Lieutenant  Hamilton  of  the  army,  who  recollected 
having  attended  the  theatre  in  the  Tennis  Court  at 
Holyrood  when  the  play  was  the  '  Spanish  Friar,' 
and  many  of  the  members  of  the  Union  Parliament 
were  present  in  the  house." 

The  meetings  of  this  club  were  nightly,  till  re- 
duced to  four  weekly.  Whist  was  played  for  a 
halfpenny.  Supper  originally  cost  only  twopence, 
and  half  a  bottle  of  strong  ale,  with  a  dram,  cost 
twopence-halfpenny  more ;  a  halfpenny  to  the 
servant-maid,  was  a  total  of  fivepence  for  a  night  of 
jollity  and  good  fellowship. 

The  Pious  Club  was  composed  of  respectable 
and  orderly  business-men  who  met  every  night, 
Sundays  not  excepted,  in  the  Pie-house — hence  their 
name,  a  play  upon  the  words.  We  are  told  that 
"the  agreeable  uncertainty  as  to  whether  their 
name  arose  from  their  piety  or  the  circumstance  of 
their  eating  pies,  kept  the  club  hearty  for  many 
years." 

Fifteen  members  constituted  a  full  night,  a  gill  of 
toddy  to  each  was  served  out  like  wine  from  a  de- 
canter, and  they  were  supposed  to  separate  at  ten 
o'clock. 

The  Antemanum  Club  was  composed  of  men  of 
respectability,  and  many  who  were  men  of  fortune, 
who  dined  together  every  Saturday.  "  Brag  "  was 
their  chief  game  with  cards.  It  was  a  purely  con- 
vivial club,  till  the  era  of  the  Whig  party  being  in 
the  ascendant  led  to  angry  political  discussions,  and 
eventual  dissolution. 

The  Six  Feet  Club  was  composed  of  men  who 
were  of  that  stature  or  above  it,  if  possible.  It  was 
an  athletic  society,  and  generally  met  half-yearly  at 
the  Hunter's  Tryst,  near  Colinton,  or  similar  places, 


[26 


OLD   AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


when  silver  medals  were  given  for  rifle-shooting, 
throwing  a  hammer  16  pounds  in  weight,  single- 
stick, &c.  On  these  occasions,  Sir  Walter  Scott, 
Professor  Wilson,  and  the  Ettrick  Shepherd,  were 
frequently  present,  and  often  presided.  In  182S 
we  find  the  club  designated  the  Guard  of  Honour 
to  the  Lord  High  Constable  of  Scotland.  Its  chair- 
man was  termed  captain,  and  Sir  Walter  Scott  was 
umpire  of  the  club. 

The  Shakespeare  Club  was,  as  its  name  im- 
ports, formed  with  a  view  to  forward  dramatic  art  and 
literature,  yet  was  not  without  its  convivial  features 
also.  Among  its  members,  in  1830,  were  W.  I). 
Gillon  of  Walhouse,  M.P.,  the  Hon.  Colonel  Ogilvy 
of  Clova,  Patrick  Robertson,  afterwards  the  well- 
known  and  witty  Lord  Robertson,  Mr.  Pritchard  of 
the  Theatre  Royal,  and  other  kindred  spirits. 

Edinburgh  now  teems  with  clubs,  county  and 
district  associations,  and  societies  ;  but  in  tone,  and 
by  the  change  of  times  and  habits,  they  are  very 
different  from  most  of  the  old  clubs  we  have  enume- 
rated here,  clubs  which  existed  in  "  the  Dark  Age 
of  Edinburgh,"  when  a  little  fun  and  merriment 
seemed  to  go  a  long  way  indeed,  and  when  grim 
professional  men  appeared  to  plunge  into  madcap 
and  grotesque  roistering  and  coarse  racy  humour, 
as  if  they  were  a  relief  from,  or  contrast  to,  the 
general  dull  tenor  of  life  in  those  days  when,  after 
the  Union,  the  gloom  of  village  life  settled  over 
the  city,  and  people  became  rigid  and  starched  in 
their  bearing,  morose  in  their  sanctimony,  and  the 
most  grim  decorum  seemed  the  test  of  piety  and 
respectability. 

Many  who  were  not  members  of  clubs,  by  the 
occasional  tenor  of  their  ways  seemed  to  protest 
against  this  state  of  things,  or  to  seek  relief  from  it 
by  indulging  in  what  would  seem  little  better  than 
orgies  now. 

In  the  letters  added  to  the  edition  of  Arnot's 
"History  in  1788/'  we  are  told  that  in  1763  there 
were  no  oyster  cellars  in  the  city,  or  if  one,  it  was 
for  the  reception  of  the  lowest  rank ;  but,  that 
in  1783,  oyster  cellars,  or  taverns  taking  that  name, 
had  become  numerous  as  places  of  fashionable 
resort,  and  the  frequent  rendezvous  of  dancing 
parties  or  private  assemblies.  Thus  the  custom 
of  ladies  as  well  as  gentlemen  resorting  to  such 
places,  is  a  curious  example  of  the  state  of  man- 
ners during  the  eighteenth  century. 

The  most  famous  place  for  such  oyster  parties 
was  a  tavern  kept  by  Lucky  Middlemass  in  the 
Cowgate,  and  which  stood  where  the  south  pier  of 
the  first  bridge  stands  now.  Dances  in  such 
places  were  called  "  frolics." 

In   those  days  fashionable  people    made    up  a 


party  by  appointment,  especially  in  winter,  after 
evening  closed  in,  and  took  their  carriages  as  near 
as  they  could  go  conveniently,  to  these  subter- 
ranean abysses  or  vaults,  called  laigh  shops,  where 
the  raw  oysters  and  flagons  of  porter  were  set  out 
plentifully  on  a  table  in  a  dingy  wainscoted  room, 
lighted,  of  course,  by  tallow  candles.  The  general 
surroundings  gave  an  additional  zest  to  the  supper, 
and  one  of  the  chief  features  of  such  entertainments 
would  seem  to  have  been  the  scope  they  afforded 
to  the  conversational  powers  of  the  company. 

Ladies  and  gentlemen  alike  indulged  in  an  unre- 
strained manner  in  sallies  and  witticisms,  observa- 
tions and  jests,  that  would  not  have  been  tolerated 
elsewhere ;  but  in  those  days  it  was  common  for 
Scottish  ladies,  especially  of  rank,  to  wear  black 
velvet  masks  when  walking  abroad  or  airing  in  the 
carriage  ;  and  these  masks  were  kept  close  to  the 
face  by  a  glass  button  or  jewel  which  the  fair 
wearer  held  by  her  teeth. 

Brandy  or  rum  punch  succeeded  the  oysters  and 
porter ;  dancing  then  followed ;  and  when  the  ladies 
had  departed  in  their  sedans  or  carriages  the  gentle- 
men would  proceed  to  crown  the  evening  by  an 
j  unlimited  debauch. 

I  "It  is  not,"  says  Chambers,  writing  in  1824, 
I  "  more  than  thirty  years  since  the  late  Lord  Mel- 
\  ville,  the  Duchess  of  Gordon,  and  some  other 
persons  of  distinction,  who  happened  to  meet  in 
town  after  many  years  of  absence,  made  up  an 
oyster  cellar  party  by  way  of  a  frolic,  and  devoted 
one  winter  evening  to  the  revival  of  this  almost  for- 
J  gotten  entertainment  of  their  youth.  It  seems  diffi- 
!  cult,"  he  adds,  "  to  reconcile  all  these  things  with 
the  staid  and  somewhat  square-toed  character  which 
our  country  has  obtained  amongst  her  neighbours. 
I  The  fact  seems  to  be  that  a  kind  of  Laodicean 
principle  is  observable  in  Scotland,  and  we  oscillate 
between  a  rigour  of  manners  on  one  hand,  and  a 
laxity  on  the  other,  which  alternately  acquires  a 
paramount  ascendency." 

In  1763  people  of  fashion  dined  at  two  o'clock, 
and  all  business  was  generally  transacted  in  the 
evening  ;  and  all  shop-doors  were  locked  after  one 
for  an  hour  and  opened  after  dinner.  Twenty 
years  later  four  or  five  o'clock  was  the  fashionable 
\  dinner  hour,  and  dancing  schools  had  been  esta- 
blished for  servant  girls  and  tradesmen's  apprentices. 
I  We  may  conclude  this  chapter  on  old  manners, 
by  mentioning  the  fact,  of  which  few  of  our  readers 
are  perhaps  aware,  that  Edinburgh  as  a  dukedom 
is  a  title  much  older  than  the  reign  of  Queen  Vic- 
toria. George  III.,  when  Prince  of  Wales,  was 
Duke  of  Edinburgh,  Marquis  of  Ely,  and  Earl  of 
Chester. 


BARON  NORTON. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


THE    DISTRICT    OF    RESTALRIG. 

Abbey  Hill — Baron  Norton— Alex.  Campbell  and  "Albyn's  Anthology  "—Comely  Gardens— Easter  Road  — St.  Margaret's  Well— Church  and 
Legend  of  St.  Triduana— Made  Collegiate  by  James  III.— The  Mausoleum-Old  Barons  of  Restalrig— The  Logans,  &c.— Conflict  of 
Black  Saturday — Residents  of  Note — First  Balloon  in  lVit.iin  — Rector  Adams — The  Nisbets  of  Craiqantinnie  and  Dean — The  Millers — ■ 
The  Craigantinnie  Tomb  and  Marbles— The  Marionville  Tragedy — The  Hamlet  of  Jock's  Lodge— Mail-bag  Robberies  in  seventeenth  and 
eighteenth  centuries— Piershill  House  and  Earracks. 


At  the  Abbey  Hill,  an  old  house — in  that  anti- 
quated but  once  fashionable  suburb,  which  grew 
up  in  the  vicinity  of  the  palace  of  Holyrood — with 
groups  of  venerable  trees  around  it,  which  are  now, 
like  itself,  all  swept  away  to  make  room  for  the  pre- 
sent Abbeyhill  station  and  railway  to  Leith,  there 
lived  long  the  Hon.  Fletcher  Norton,  appointed  one 
■of  the  Barons  of  the  Scottish  Exchequer  in  1776, 
with  a  salary  of  £2, 865  per  annum,  deemed  a  hand- 
some income  in  those  days. 

He  was  the  second  son  of  Fletcher  Norton  of 
Grantley  in  Yorkshire,  who  was  Attorney-General 
of  England  in  1762,  and  was  elevated  to  the  British 
peerage  in  1782,  as  Lord  Grantley. 

He  came  to  Scotland  at  a  time  when  prejudices 
then  against  England  and  Englishmen  were  strong 
and  deep,  for  the  rancour  excited  by  the  affair  of 
1745,  about  thirty  years  before,  was  revived  by  the 
periodical  publication  of  the  North  B}-iton,  but 
Baron  Norton  soon  won  the  regard  of  all  who  knew 
him.  His  conduct  as  a  judge  increased  the  respect 
which  his  behaviour  in  private  life  obtained.  His 
perspicacity  easily  discovered  the  true  merits  of  any 
cause  before  him,  while  his  dignified  and  concilia- 
tory manner,  joined  to  the  universal  confidence 
which  prevailed  in  his  rigid  impartiality,  reconciled 
to  him  even  those  who  suffered  by  such  verdicts  as 
were  given  against  them  in  consequence  of  his 
charges  to  the  juries. 

He  married  in  1793  a  Scottish  lady,  a  Miss  Bal- 
main,  and  in  the  Edinburgh  society  of  his  time  stood 
high  in  the  estimation  of  all,  "as  a  husband,  father, 
friend,  and  master,"  according  to  a  print  of  1820. 
"  His  fund  of  information — of  anecdotes  admirably 
told — his  social  disposition,  and  the  gentlemanly 
pleasantness  of  his  manner,  made  his  society  to  be 
universally  coveted.  Resentment  had  no  place  in 
his  bosom.  He  seemed  almost  insensible  to  injur)- 
so  immediately  did  he  pardon  it.  Amongst  his 
various  pensioners  were  several  who  had  shown 
marked  ingratitude  ;  but  distress,  with  him,  covered 
every  offence  against  himself." 

He  was  a  warm  patron  of  the  amiable  and  en- 
thusiastic, but  somewhat  luckless  Alexander  Camp- 
bell, author  of  "  The  Grampians  Desolate,"  which 
"fell  dead  "  from  the  press,  and  editor  of  "  Albyn's 
Anthology,"  who  writes  thus  in  the  preface  to  the 


first  volume  of  that  book  in  1S16,  and  which,  we 
may  mention,  was  a  "  collection  of  melodies  and 
local  poetry  peculiar  to  Scotland  and  the  isles  "  : — 

"  So  far  back  as  the  year  1780,  while  as  yet  the 
editor  of  '  Albyn's  Anthology '  was  an  organist  to 
one  of  the  Episcopal  chapels  in  Edinburgh,  he  pro- 
jected the  present  work.  Finding  but  small  en- 
couragement at  that  period,  and  his  attention  being 
directed  to  pursuits  of  quite  a  different  nature,  the 
plan  was  dropped,  till  by  an  accidental  turn  of  con- 
versation at  a  gentleman's  table,  the  Hon.  Fletcher 
Norton  gave  a  spur  to  the-  speculation  now  in  its 
career.  He  with  that  warmth  of  benevolence 
peculiarly  his  own,  offered  his  influence  with  the 
Royal  Highland  Society  of  Scotland,  of  which  he  is 
a  member  of  long  standing,  and  in  conformity  with 
the  zeal  he  has  uniformly  manifested  for  everything 
connected  with  the  distinction  and  prosperity  of  our 
ancient  realm,  on  the  editor  giving  him  a  rough 
outline  of  the  present  undertaking,  the  Hon.  Baron 
put  it  into  the  hands  of  Henry  Mackenzie,  Esq.,  of 
the  Exchequer,  and  Lord  Bannatyne,  whose  in- 
fluence in  the  society  is  deservedly  great.  And 
immediately  on  Mr.  Mackenzie  laying  it  before  a 
select  committee  for  music,  John  H.  Forbes,  Esq. 
(afterwards  Lord  Medwyn),  as  convener  of  the 
committee,  convened  it,  and  the  result  was  a  re- 
commendation to  the  society  at  large,  who  embraced 
the  project  cordially,  voted  a  sum  to  enable  the 
editor  to  pursue  his  plan  ;  and  forthwith  he  set  out 
on  a  tour  through  the  Highlands  and  western 
islands.  Having  performed  a  journey  (in  pursuit 
of  materials  for  the  present  work)  of  between  eleven 
and  twelve  hundred  miles,  in  which  he  collected 
191  specimens  of  melodies  and  Gaelic  vocal  poetry, 
he  returned  to  Edinburgh,  and  laid  the  fruits  of 
his  gleanings  before  the  society,  who  were  pleased 
to  honour  with  their  approbation  his  success  in 
attempting  to  collect  and  preserve  the  perishing  re- 
mains of  what  is  so  closely  interwoven  with  tne 
history  and  literature  of  Scotland." 

From  thenceforth  the  "  Anthology  "  was  a  success, 
and  a  second  volume  appeared  in  1S18.  Under 
the  influence  of  Baron  Norton,  Campbell  got  many 
able  contributors,  among  whom  appear  the  names 
of  Scott,  Hogg,  Mrs.  Grant  of  Laggan,  Maturin,  and 
Jamieson. 


i28 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


Baron  Norton  was  remarkable  for  his  constant 
attention  to  all  religious  duties.  Throughout  his  long 
life  not  a  Sunday  passed  in  which  he  was  prevented 
from  attending  the  service  of  the  Scottish  Episcopal 
Church,  and  so  inviolable  was  his  regard  to  truth,  I 
that  no  argument  could  ever  prevail  upon  him  to  | 
deviate  from  the  performance  of  a  promise,  though 
obtained  contrary  to  his  interest  and  by  artful  re- 
presentations imperfectly  founded. 

He  died  at  Abbeyhill  in  1820,  after  officiating  as 
a  Baron  of  Exchequer  for  forty-four  years.  His  re- 
mains were  taken  to  England  and  deposited  in  the 
family  vault  at  Wonersh,  near  Guildford,  in  Surrey.  , 
On  the  death  of  his  elder  brother  William,  without  ■ 
heirs  in  1822,  his  son  Fletcher  Norton  succeeded  as 
third  Lord  Grantley. 

It  is  from  him  that  the  three  adjacent  streets  at 
the  delta  of  the  Regent  and  London  Roads  take 
their  names. 

In  this  quarter  lie  Comely  Green  and  Comely 
Gardens.  During  the  middle  of  the  last  century, 
the  latter  would  seem  to  have  been  a  species  of 
lively  Tivoli  Gardens  for  the  lower  classes  in  Edin-  J 
burgh,  though  Andrew  Gibb,  the  proprietor  thereof, 
addresses  his  advertisement  to  "gentlemen  and  j 
ladies,"  in  the  Conmnt  of  September  1761. 

Therein  he  announces  that  he  intends  "to  give 
up  Comely  Gardens  in  a  few  weeks,  and  hopes 
they  will  favour  his  undertaking  and  encourage  him 
to  the  last.  As  the  ball  nights  happened  to  be 
rainy  these  three  weeks  past  he  is  to  keep  the 
gardens  open  everyday  for  this  season,  that  gentle- 
men and  ladies  may  have  the  benefit  of  a  walk 
there  upon  paying  2d.  to  the  doorkeeper  for  keep- 
ing the  walk  in  order,  and  may  have  tea,  coffee, 
or  fruit  any  night  of  the  ball  nights  ;  and  hereby 
takes  this  opportunity  of  returning  his  hearty  thanks 
to  the  noblemen,  gentlemen,  and  ladies,  who  have 
done  him  the  honour  to  favour  him  with  their  com- 
pany, and  begs  the  continuance  of  their  favour,  as 
the  undertaking  has  been  accompanied  with  great 
expense.  Saturday  night  is  intended  to  be  the  last 
public  one  of  this  season." 

A  subsequent  advertisement  announces  for  sale, 
"  the  enclosed  grounds  of  Comely  Gardens,  to- 
gether with  the  large  house  then  commonly  called 
the  Green  House,  and  the  office,  houses,  &c,  on 
the  east  side  of  the  road  leading  to  Jock's  Lodge." 

Adjoining  the  new  abbey  church,  at  the  end  of 
a  newly-built  cul-de-sac,  is  one  of  those  great  schools  J 
built  by  the  Edinburgh  School  Board,  near  Norton 
Place. 

For  the  site  ,£2,000  was  paid.  In  architectural 
design  it  corresponds  with  the  numerous  Board 
Schools  erected  elsewhere  in  the   city.     Including 


fittings,  the  edifice  cost  ,£7,700.  Extending  across 
the  width  of  the  building,  on  both  flats,  are  two 
great  halls,  with  four  class-rooms  attached.  The 
infants  are  accommodated  down-stairs,  the  juveniles 
above. 

On  the  ground  flat  is  a  large  sewing-room.  All 
the  class-rooms  are  lofty  and  well  ventilated.  At 
the  back  are  playgrounds,  partly  covered,  for  the 
use  of  the  pupils,  whose  average  number  is  540. 

The  long  thoroughfare  which  runs  northward  from 
this  quarter,  named  the  Easter  Road,  was  long  the 
chief  access  to  the  city  from  Leith  ;  the  only  other, 
until  the  formation  of  the  Walk,  being  the  Western 
or  Bonnington  Road. 

On  the  east  side  of  it  are  the  vast  premises  built 
in  1878  by  the  Messrs.  W.  and  A.  K.  Johnston  for 
business  purposes,  as  engravers,  printers,  and  pub- 
lishers, and  a  little  to  the  north  of  these  are  the 
recently-built  barracks  for  the  permanent  use  of 
the  City  Militia,  or  "  Duke  of  Edinburgh's  Own 
Edinburgh  Artillery,"  consisting  of  six  batteries, 
having  twenty  officers,  including  the  Prince. 

Passing  an  old  mansion,  named  the  Drum,  in  the 
grounds  of  which  were  dug  up  two  very  fine  clay- 
mores, now  possessed  by  the  proprietor,  Mr.  Smith- 
Sligo  of  Inzievar,  we  find  a  place  on  the  west  side 
of  the  way  that  is  mentioned  more  than  once  in 
Scottish  history,  the  Quarry  Holes. 

In  1605,  Sir  James  Elphinstone,  first  Lord 
Balmerino,  became  proprietor  of  the  lands  of 
Quarry  Holes  after  the  ruin  of  Logan  of  Restalrig. 
The  Upper  Quarry  Holes  were  situated  on  the 
declivity  of  the  Calton  Hill,  at  the  head  of  the 
Easter  Road,  and  allusion  is  made  to  them  in  some 
trials  for  witchcraft  in. the  reign  of  James  VI. 

At  the  foot  of  this  road  a  new  Free  Church  for 
South  Leith  was  erected  in  1881,  and  during  the 
excavations  four  human  skeletons  were  discovered — 
those  of  the  victims  of  war  or  a  plague. 

Eastward  of  this,  cut  off  on  the  south  by  the  line 
of  the  North  British  Railway,  and  partially  by  the 
water  of  Lochend  on  the  west,  lies  the  still  secluded 
village  of  Restalrig,  which,  though  in  the  imme- 
diate vicinity  of  the  city,  seems,  somehow,  to  have 
fallen  so  completely  out  of  sight,  that  a  vast  por- 
tion of  the  inhabitants  appear  scarcely  to  be  aware 
of  its  existence  ;  yet  it  teems  with  antiquarian  and 
historical  memories,  and  possesses  an  example  of 
ecclesiastical  architecture  the  complete  restoration 
of  which  has  been  the  desire  of  many  generations- 
of  men  of  taste,  and  in  favour  of  which  the  late 
David  Laing  wrote  strongly — the  ancient  church 
of  St.  Triduana. 

But  long  before  the  latter  was  erected  Restalrig 
was  chiefly  known  from  its  famous  old  well. 


ST.    MARGARET'S  WELL. 


T29 


By  the  south  side  of  what  was  once  an  old  forest 
path  when  the  oaks  of  Drumsheugh  were  in  all  their 
glory,  there  stood  St.  Margaret's  Well,  the  entire 
edifice  of  which  was  removed  to  the  Royal  Park, 
near  Holyrood  ;  but  the  pure  spring,  deemed  so 
holy  as  to  be  the  object  of  pilgrimages  in  the  days 
of  old,  still  oozes  into  the  fetid  marsh  close  by. 

It  was  no  doubt  the  source  of  supply  to  the 
ancient  ecclesiastics  of  the  village,  and  the  path 
alluded  to  had  become  in  after  times  a  means  of 


The  structure — for  elsewhere  it  still  remains  intact 
— is  octagonal,  and  entered  by  a  pointed  Gothic 
doorway,  and  rises  to  the  height  of  4  ft.  6  in.  It 
is  of  plain  ashlar  work,  with  a  stone  ledge  or  seat 
running  round  seven  of  the  sides.  From  the  centre 
of  the  water,  which  fills  the  entire  floor  of  the 
building,  rises  a  decorated  pillar  to  the  same  height 
as  the  walls,  with  grotesque  gargoyles,  from  which 
the  liquid  flows.  Above  this  springs  a  richly 
groined  roof,  "  presenting,  with  the  ribs  that  rise 


KhMALRK.. 


communication  between  the  church  there  and  the 
Abbey  of  Holyrood. 

No  authentic  traces  can  be  found  of  the  history 
of  this  consecrated  fountain  ;  "  but  from  its  name," 
says  Billings,  "  it  appears  to  have  been  dedicated 
to  the  Scottish  queen  and  saint,  Margaret,  wife  of 
Malcolm  III." 

In  the  legend  which  we  have  already  referred 
to  in  our  account  of  Holyrood,  which  represents 
David  I.  as  being  miraculously  preserved  from  the 
infuriated  white  hart,  Bellenden  records  that  it 
"  fled  away  with  gret  violence,  and  evanist  in  the 
same  place  quhere  now  springs  the  Rude  Well." 

From  its  vicinity  to  the  abbey,  St.  Margaret's  has 
been  conjectured  to  be  the  well  referred  to. 
113 


from  the  corresponding  corbels  at  each  of  the  eight 
angles  of  the  building,  a  singularly  rich  effect  when 
illuminated  by  the  reflected  light  from  the  water 
below."     (See  Vol.  II.,  page  311.) 

When  this  most  picturesque  fountain  stood  in  an 
unchanged  condition  by  the  side  of  the  old  winding 
path  to  Restalrig,  an  ancient  elder-tree,  with  fur- 
rowed and  gnarled  branches,  covered  all  its  grass- 
grown  top,  and  a  tiny  but  aged  thatched  cottage 
stood  in  front  of  it.  Then,  too,  a  mossy  bank,  rising 
out  of  pleasant  meadow  land,  protected  the  little 
pillared  cell ;  but  the  inexorable  march  of  modern  im- 
provement came,  the  old  tree  and  the  rustic  cottage 
were  swept  away,  and  the  well  itself  was  buried  under 
a  hideous  station  of  the  North  British  Railway. 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


(Restalrig. 


By  interdict  the  directors  were  compelled  to  give 
access  to  the  well,  which  they  grudgingly  did  by  a 
species  of  drain,  till  the  entire  edifice  was  removed 
to  where  it  now  stands. 

Near  the  site  of  the  well  is  the  ancient  church  of 
Restalrig,  which,  curiously  enough,  at  first  sight  has 
all  the  air  of  an  entirely  modem  edifice  ;  but  on  a 
minute  inspection  old  mouldings  and  carvings  of 
great  antiquity  make  their  appearance  in  conjunc- 
tion with  the  modern  stonework  of  its  restoration. 
It  is  a  simple  quadrangular  building,  without  aisles 
or  transept. 

The  choir,  which  is  the  only  part  of  the  building 
that  has  escaped  the  rough  hands 
of  the  iconoclasts  of  the  sixteenth 
century,  is  a  comparatively  small, 
though  handsome,  specimen  of 
Decorated  English  Gothic ;  and 
it  remained  an  open  ruin  until 
a  few  years  since,  when  it  was 
restored  in  a  manner  as  a  chapel 
of  ease  for  the  neighbouring  dis- 
trict. 

But  a  church  existed  here  long  j< 
before  the  present  one,  and  it 
was  celebrated  all  over  Scotland 
for  the  tomb  of  St.  Triduana, 
who  died  at  Restalrig,  and  whose 
shrine  was  famous  as  the  resort 
of  pilgrims,  particularly  those 
who  were  affected  by  diseased 
eyesight.  Thus,  to  this  day,  she 
is  frequently  painted  as  carrying 
her  own  eyes  on  a  salver  or  the 
point  of  a  sword.  A  noble  vir- 
gin of  Achaia,  she  is  said  to  have 
come  to  Scotland,  in  the  fourth 
century,  with  St.  Rule.    Her  name 


inferred  that  the  well  afterwards  called  St.    Mar- 
garet's was  the  well  of  St.  Triduana. 

Curiously  enough,  Lestalric,  the  ancient  name  of 
Restalrig,  is  that  by  which  it  is  known  in  the  present 
day ;  and  still  one  of  the  roads  leading  to  it  from. 
Leith  is  named  the  Lochsterrock  Road. 

The  existence  of  a  church  andparish  here,  long 
prior  to  the  death  of  King  Alexander  III.  is  proved 
by  various  charters  ;  and  in  1291,  Adam  of  St. 
Edmunds,  prior  of  Lestalric,  obtained  a  writ,  ad- 
dressed to  the  sheriff  of  Edinburgh,  to  put  him 
in  possession  of  his  lands  and  rights.  The  same 
ecclesiastic,  under  pressure,  like  many  others  at 
the  time,  swore  fealty  to  Edward 
I.  of  England  in  1296. 

Henry  de  Leith,  rector  of  Res- 
talrig, appeared  as  a  witness 
against  the  Scottish  Knights  of 
the  Temple,  at  the  trial  in  Holy- 
rood  in  1309.  The  vicar,  John 
Pettit,  is  mentioned  in  the  char- 
ter of  confirmation  by  James  III., 
under  his  great  seal  of  donations 
to  the  Blackfriars  of  Edinburgh 
in  1473. 

A  collegiate  establishment  of 
considerable  note,  having  a  dean, 
with  nine  prebends  and  two  sing- 
ing boys,  was  constituted  at  Res- 
talrig by  James  III.,  and  com- 
pleted by  James  V.  ;  but  it  seems 
not  to  have  interfered  with  the 
parsonage,  which  remained  en- 
tire till  the  Reformation. 

The  portion  of  the  choir  now 
remaining  does  not  date,  it  is 
supposed,  earlier  than  from  the 
fourteenth  century,  and  is  much 


unknown  in  the  Roman  Breviary  ;  but  a  recent    plainer,  says  Wilson,  than  might  be  expected 


writer  says,  "St  Triduana,  with  two  companions, 
devoted  themselves  to  a  recluse  life  at  Roscoby,  but 
a  Pictish  chief,  named  Nectan,  having  been  at- 
tracted by  her  beauty,  she  fled  into  Athole  to 
escape  him.     As  his  emissaries  followed  her  there, 


a  church  enriched  by  the  contributions  of  three 
pious  monarchs  in  succession,  and  resorted  to  by 
so  many  devout  pilgrims  as  to  excite  the  special 
indignation  of  one  of  the  earliest  assemblies  of  the 
Kirk,  apparently  on  account  of  its  abounding  witli 


and  she  discovered  that  it  was  her  eyes  which  had  '  statues  and  images. 

entranced  him,  she  plucked  them  out,  and,  fixing  '  By  the  Assembly  of  1560  it  was  ordered  to  be 
them  on  a  thorn,  sent  them  to  her  admirer.  In  "  raysit  and  utterly  casten  doun,"  as  a  monument 
consequence  of  this  practical  method  of  satisfying  of  idolatry  ;  and  this  order  was  to  some  extent 
a  lover,  St.  Triduana,  who  came  to  Restalrig  to  obeyed,  and  the  "  aisler  stanis "  were  taken  by 
live,  became  famous,  and  her  shrine  was  for  many  >  Alexander  Clark  to  erect  a  house  with,  but  were 
generations  the  resort  of  pilgrims  whose  eyesight  used  by  the  Reformers  to  build  a  new  Nether  Bow 
was  defective,  miraculous  cures  being  effected  by  Port.  The  parishioners  of  Restalrig  were  ordered 
the  waters  of  the  well."  in  future  to  adopt  as  their  parish  church  that  of 

Sir  David  Lindsay  writes  of  their  going  to  "  St.     St.  Mary's,  in  Leith,  which  continues  to  the  present 
Trid  well  to  mend  their  ene ;  "  thus  it  has  been    day  to  be  South  Leith  church. 


Restalrig.] 


THE   CHURCHYARD. 


131 


That  the  church  was  not  utterly  destroyed  is 
proved  by  the  fact  that  the  choir  walls  of  this 
"  monument  of  idolatry"  were  roofed  over  in  1837, 
as  has  been  stated. 

An  ancient  crypt,  or  mausoleum,  of  large  dimen- 
sions and  octangular  in  form,  stands  on  the  south 
side  of  the  church.  Internally  it  is  constructed  with 
a  good  groined  roof,  and  some  venerable  yews  cast 
their  shadow  over  the  soil  that  has  accumulated 
above  it,  and  in  which  they  have  taken  root.  It  is 
believed  to  have  been  erected  by  Sir  Robert  Logan, 
knight,  of  Restalrig,  who  died  in  1439,  according 
to  the  obituary  of  the  Preceptory  of  St.  Anthony  at 
Leith,  and  it  has  been  used  as  a  last  resting-place 
for  several  of  his  successors.  Some  antiquaries, 
however,  have  supposed  that  it  was  undoubtedly 
attached  to  the  college,  perhaps  as  a  chapter-house, 
or  as  a  chapel  of  St.  Triduana,  but  constructed  on 
the  model  of  St.  Margaret's  Well.  Among  others 
buried  here  is  "Lady  Janet  Ker,  Lady  Restalrig, 

QUHA  DEPARTED  THIS  LlFE  17th  MAY,    1526." 

Wilson,  in  his  "  Reminiscences,"  mentions  that 
"  Restalrig  kirkyard  was  the  favourite  cemetery  of 
the  Nonjuring  Scottish  Episcopalians  of  the  last 
century,  when  the  use  of  the  burial  service  was 
proscribed  in  the  city  burial-grounds  ; "  and  a  strong 
division  of  dead  cavalry  have  been  interred  there 
from  the  adjacent  barracks.  From  Charles  Kirk- 
patrick  Sharpe  he  quotes  a  story  of  a  quarrel  carried 
beyond  the  grave,  which  may  be  read  upon  a  flat 
stone  near  that  old  crypt. 

Of  the  latter  wrote  Sharpe,  "I  believe  it  belongs 
to  Lord  Bute,  and  that  application  was  made  to  him 
to  allow  Miss  Hay — whom  I  well  knew — daughter 
of  Hay  of  Restalrig,  Prince  Charles's  forfeited 
secretary,  to  be  buried  in  the  vault.  This  was 
refused,  and  she  lies  outside  the  door.  May  the 
earth  lie  light  on  her,  old  lady  kind  and  vener- 
able !" 

In  1609  the  legal  rights  of  the  church  and  parish 
of  Restalrig,  with  all  their  revenues  and  pertinents, 
were  formally  conferred  upon  the  church  of  South 
Leith. 

In  1492,  John  Fraser,  dean  of  Restalrig,  was 
appointed  Lord  Clerk  Register;  and  in  1540 
another  dean,  John  Sinclair,  was  made  Lord  of 
Session,  and  was  afterwards  Bishop  of  Brechin  and 
Lord  President  of  the  Court  of  Session.  He  it  was 
who  performed  the  marriage  ceremony  for  Queen 
Mary  and  Henry  Stuart,  Lord  Darnley.  In  1592 
the  deanery  was  dissolved  by  Act  of  Parliament, 
and  divided  between  "  the  parsonage  of  Leswade 
and  parsonage  of  Dalkeith,  maid  by  Mr.  George 
Ramsay,  dean  of  Restalrig." 

After    the    Logans — ot    whom    elsewhere — the 


Lords  Balmerino  held  the  lands  of  Restalrig  till 
their  forfeiture  in  1746,  and  during  the  whole  period 
of  their  possession,  appropriated  the  vaults  of  the 
forsaken  and  dilapidated  church  as  the  burial-place 
of  themselves  and  their  immediate  relations.  From 
them  it  passed  to  the  Earls  of  Bute,  with  whose 
family  it  still  remains. 

In  the  burying-ground  here,  amid  a  host  of 
ancient  tombs,  are  some  of  modern  date,  marking 
where  lie  the  father  of  Lord  Brougham  ;  Louis 
Cauvin,  who  founded  the  hospital  which  bears  his 
name  at  Duddingston  ;  the  eccentric  doctor  known 
as  "  Lang  Sandy  Wood,"  and  his  kindred,  including 
the  late  Lord  Wood ;  and  Lieutenant-Colonel 
William  Rickson,  of  the  19th  Foot,  a  brave  and  dis- 
tinguished soldier,  the  comrade  and  attached  friend 
of  Wolfe,  the  hero  of  Quebec.  His  death  is  thus 
recorded  in  the  Scots  Magazine  for  1770: — "At 
his  house  in  Broughton,  Lieutenant-Colonel  William 
Rickson,  Quartermaster-General  and  Superinten- 
dent of  Roads  in  North  Britain."  His  widow  died 
so  lately  as  181 1,  as  her  tomb  at  Restalrig  bears, 
"in  the  fortieth  year  of  her  widowhood." 

Here,  too,  was  interred,  in  1720,  the  Rev.  Alex- 
ander Rose,  the  last  titular  bishop  of  Edinburgh. 

In  tracing  out  the  ancient  barons  of  Restalrig, 
among  the  earliest  known  is  Thomas  of  Restalrig, 
circa  12 10,  whose  name  appears  in  the  Registrum 
de  Dunfermline  as  Sheriff  of  Edinburgh. 

In  the  Macfarlane  MSS.  in  the  Advocates' 
Library,  there  is  a  charter  of  his  to  the  Priory  of 
Inchcolm,  in  the  Firth  of  Forth,  circa  1217,  very 
interesting  from  the  localities  therein  referred  to, 
and  the  tenor  of  which  runs  thus  in  English : — 

"  To  all  seeing  or  hearing  these  writings, 
Thomas  of  Lestalrig  wishes  health.  Know  ye, 
that  for  the  good  of  my  soul,  and  the  souls  of  all 
my  predecessors  and  successors,  and  the  soul  of 
my  wife,  I  have  given  and  conceded,  and  by  this 
my  charter  have  confirmed,  to  God  and  the  canons 
of  the  church  of  St.  Columba  on  the  Isle,  and  the 
canons  of  the  same  serving  God,  and  that  may  yet 
serve  Him  forever,  that  whole  land  which  Baldwin 
Comyn  was  wont  to  hold  from  me  in  the  town  of 
Leith,  namely,  that  land  which  is  next  and  adjoin- 
ing on  the  south  to  that  land  which  belonged  to 
Ernauld  of  Leith,  and  to  twenty-four  acres  and  a 
half  of  arable  land  in  my  estate  of  Lestalrig  in  that 
field  which  is  called  Horstanes,  on  the  west  part  of 
the  same  field,  and  on  the  north  part  of  the  high 
road  between  Edinburgh  and  Leith  {i.e.,  the  Easter 
Road)  in  pure  and  perpetual  gift  to  be  held  by 
them,  with  all  its  pertinents  and  easements,  and 
with  common  pasture  belonging  to  such  land,  and 
with  free  ingress  and  egress,  with  carriage,   team. 


OLD    AND    NEW   EDINBURGH. 


oxen,  and  other  things  belonging  to  a  field,  by  the  | 
hands  of  him,  namely,  who  is  called  Hood  of  Leith, 
from  me  and  my  heirs  for  ever,  as  freely,  quietly, 
and  honourably  free  from  all  service  and  secular 
exactions  as  any  other  gifts  more  freely  and  quietly 
given,  are  possessed  in  the  Kingdom  of  Scotland. 
And  that  this  gift  may  continue,  I  have  set  my 
seal  to  this  writing." 

Among  those  who  witnessed  this  document  were 
the  Lord  Chancellor  of  Scotland,  Hugh  de  Sigillo, 


In  May,  1398,  Sir  Robert  Logan  of  Restalrig 
granted  to  the  citizens  of  Edinburgh,  by  charter, 
full  liberty  to  carry  away  earth  and  gravel,  lying 
upon  the  bank  of  the  river,  to  enlarge  their  port  of 
Leith,  to  place  a  bridge  over  the  said  river,  to 
moor  ships  in  any  part  of  his  lands,  without  the 
said  port,  with  the  right  of  road  and  passage, 
through  all  his  lands  of  Restalrig.  "All  which 
grants  and  concessions  be  warranted  absolutely, 
under  penalty   of  ^200    sterling  to   be   uptaken 


RESTALRIG    CHURCH, 


Bishop  of  Dunkeld  (called  the  "Poor  Man's 
Bishop  ") ;  Walter,  Abbot  of  Holyrood,  previously 
Prior  of  Inchcolm,  who  died  in  1217  ;  W.  de 
Edinham,  Archdeacon  of  Dunkeld  ;  Master  R.  de 
Raplavv ;  and  Robert  Hood,  of  Leith. 

In  1366,  under  David  II.,  Robert  Multerer 
(Moutray  ?)  received  a  charter  of  lands,  within  the 
barony  of  Restalrig,  before  pertaining  to  John  Colti ; 
and  some  three  years  afterwards,  John  of  Lestalrick 
(sic)  holds  a  charter  of  the  mill  of  Instrother,  in 
Fifeshire,  granted  by  King  David  at  Perth. 

Towards  the  latter  part  of  the  fourteenth  century 
the  barony  had  passed  into  the  possession  of  the 
Logans,  a  powerful  family,  whose  name  is  insepar- 
ably mingled  with  the  history  of  Leith. 


by  the  said  burgesses  and  community  in  the  name 
of  damages  and  expenses,  and  ^100  sterling  to 
the  fabric  of  the  church  of  St.  Andrews  before 
the  commencement  of  any  plea."  (Burgh  Charters.) 

In  1413-4  another  of  his  charters  grants  to  the 
city,  "that  the' piece  of  ground  in  Leith  between 
the  gate  of  John  Petindrich  and  a  wall  newly  built 
on  the  shore  of  the  water  of  Leith,  should  be  free 
to  the  said  community  for  placing  their  goods  and 
merchandise  thereon,  and  carrying  the  same  to  and 
from  the  sea,  in  all  time  coming." 

Westward  of  the  village  church,  and  on  the 
summit  of  a  rock  overhanging  Loch  End,  are  the 
massive  walls  of  the  fortalice  in  which  the  barons  of 
Restalrig  resided  ;  but  a  modern  house  is  engrafted 


DRURY'S   TREACHERY. 


on  it  now.  Here  it  probably  was  that  the  power- 
ful Archibald  Douglas,  fifth  Earl  of  Douglas,  Lord 
of  Bothwell,  Galloway,  and  Annandale,  Duke  of 
Touraine  and  Marshal  of  France,  resided  in  1 140, 
in  which  year  he  died  at  Restalrig,  of  a  malignant 
fever. 

In  1444  Sir  John  Logan  of  Restalrig  was  sheriff 
of  Edinburgh;  and  in  1508  James  Logan,  of  the 
same  place,  was  Sheriff-deputy. 

Twenty-one   years    before    the    latter   date    an 


calsay  lyand,  and  the  town  desolate."  In  the 
following  year,  Holinshed  records  that  "  the  Lord 
Grey,  Lieutenant  of  the  Inglis'  armie,"  during  the 
siege  of  Leith,  "  ludged  in  the  town  of  Lestalrike, 
in  the  Dean's  house,  and  part  of  the  Demi-lances 
and  other  horsemen  lay  in  the  same  towne." 

A  little  way  north-westward  of  Restalrig,  midway 
between  the  place  named  Hawkhill  and  the  upper 
Quarry  Holes,  near  the  Easter  Road,  there  occurred 
on  the  1 6th  of  June,  1571,  a  disastrous  skirmish,  de- 


English  army  had  encamped  at  Restalrig,  under  the 
Duke  of  Gloucester,  who  spared  the  city  at  the 
request  of  the  Duke  of  Albany  and  on  receiving 
many  rich  presents  from  the  citizens,  while  James 
III.,  in  the  hand  of  rebel  peers,  was  a  species  of 
captive  in  the  castle  of  Edinburgh. 

In  1559  the  then  secluded  village  was  the  scene 
of  one  of  the  many  skirmishes  that  took  place  be- 
tween the  troops  of  the  Queen  Regent  and  those 
of  the  Lords  of  the  Congregation,  in  which  the 
latter  were  baffled,  "  driven  through  the  myre  at 
Restalrig — worried  at  the  Craigingate "  (i.e.,  the 
Calton),  and  on  the  6th  of  November,  "  at  even 
in  the  nycht,"  they  departed  "  furth  of  Edinburgh 
to  Lynlithgow,  and  left   their   artailzerie    on    the 


signated  the  Black  Saturday,  or  "  Drury's  peace," 
as  it  was  sometimes  named,  through  the  alleged 
treachery  of  the  English  ambassador. 

Provoked  by  a  bravado  on  the  part  of  the  Earl 
of  Morton,  who  held  Leith,  and  who  came  forth 
with  horse  and  foot  to  the  Hawkhill,  the  Earl  of 
Huntly,  at  the  head  of  a  body  of  Queen  Mary's 
followers,  with  a  train  of  guns,  issued  out  of  Edin- 
burgh, and  halted  at  the  Quarry  Holes,  where  he 
was  visited  by  Sir  William  Drury,  the  ambassador 
of  Queen  Elizabeth,  who  had  been  with  Morton  in 
Leith  during  the  preceding  night.  His  proposed 
object  was  an  amicable  adjustment  of  differences, 
to  the  end  that  no  loss  of  life  should  ensue  be- 
tween those   who  were  countrymen,  and,    in  too 


'34 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


[killing. 


many  instances,  relatives  and  friends.  With  all 
the  affected  zeal  of  a  peacemaker,  this  gentleman 
(whose  house  stood  in  Drury  Lane,  off  the  Strand 
in  London),  proposed  terms  which  Huntly  deemed 
satisfactory ;  but  the  next  point  to  be  considered 
was,  which  party  should  first  march  off  the  field. 
On  this,  both  parties  were  absurdly  obstinate. 
Huntly  maintained  that  Morton,  by  an  aggressive 
display,  had  drawn  the  Queen's  troops  out  of  the 
city  ;  while  Morton,  on  the  other  hand,  charged  the 
Highland  Earl  with  various  acts  of  hostility  and 
insult.  Drury  eventually  got  both  parties  to  pro- 
mise to  quit  the  ground  at  a  given  signal,  "  and 
that  signal,"  he  arranged,  "shall  be  the  throwing 
up  of  my  hat." 

This  was  agreed  to,  and  before  Drury  was  half- 
way between  the  Hawkhill  and  the  ancient  quar- 
ries, up  went  his  plumed  hat,  and  away  wheeled 
Huntly's  forces,  marching  for  the  city  by  the  road 
that  led  to  the  Canongate,  without  the  least  sus- 
picion of  the  treachery  of  Drury,  or  Morton,  whose 
soldiers  had  never  left  their  ground,  and  who  now, 
rushing  across  the  open  fields  with  shouts  charged 
with  the  utmost  fury  the  queen's  men,  "  who  were 
retiring  with  all  the  imprudent  irregularity  and  con- 
fusion which  an  imaginary  security  and  exultation 
at  having  escaped  a  sanguinary  conflict  were  cal- 
culated to  produce." 

Thus  treacherously  attacked,  they  were  put  to 
flight,  and  were  pursued  with  cruel  and  rancorous 
slaughter  to  the  very  gates  of  the  city.  The 
whole  road  was  covered  with  dead  and  wounded 
men,  while  Lord  Home,  several  gentlemen  of  high 
position,  and  seventy-two  private  soldiers,  a  pair 
of  colours,  several  horses,  and  two  pieces  of  cannon, 
were,  amid  great  triumph,  marched  into  Leith  in  the 
afternoon. 

This  was  not  the  only  act  of  treachery  of  which 
Sir  William  Drury  was  guilty.  He  swore  that  he 
was  entirely  innocent,  and  threw  the  whole  blame 
on  Morton ;  but  though  an  ambassador,  so  exas- 
perated were  the  people  of  Edinburgh  against  him, 
that  he  had  afterwards  to  quit  the  city  under  a 
guard  to  protect  him  from  the  infuriated  mob. 

The  Laird  of  Restalrig  was  among  those  who 
surrendered  with  Kirkaldy  of  Grange,  in  1573,  when 
the  Castle  of  Edinburgh  capitulated  to  Morton  ; 
but  he  would  seem  to  have  been  pardoned,  as 
no  record  exists  of  any  severity  practised  upon  him. 
In  some  criminal  proceedings,  in  1576,  the  sheet 
of  water  here  is  designated  as  Restalrig  Loch, 
when  a  woman  named  Bessie  Dunlop  was  tried 
for  witchcraft  and  having  certain  interviews  witli 
"  ane  Tarn  Reid,"  who  was  killed  at  the  battle  of 
Pinkie.     Having  once  ridden  with  her  husband  to 


Leith  to  bring  home  meal,  "ganging  afield  to 
tether  her  horse  at  Restalrig  Loch,  there  came  ane 
company  of  riders  by,  that  made  sic  a  din  as  if 
heaven  and  earth  had  gane  together ;  and,  in- 
continent they  rade  into  the  loch,  with  mony 
hideous  rumble.  Tarn  tauld  [her]  it  was  the 
Gude  Wights,  that  were  riding  in  middle-eard." 

For  these  and  similar  confessions,  Bessie  was 
consigned  to  the  flames  as  a  witch. 

During  the  prevalence  of  the  pestilence,  in  1585, 
James  Melville  says  that  on  his  way  to  join  the 
General  Assembly  at  Linlithgow  he  had  to  pass 
through  Edinburgh  ;  that  after  dining  at  Restalrig  at 
eleveno'clock,herodethroughthecityfrom  the  Water 
Gate  to  the  West  Port,  "  in  all  whilk  way,  we  saw 
not  three  persons,  sae  that  I  mis-kenned  Edinburgh, 
and  almost  forgot  that  I  had  ever  seen  sic  a  town." 
In  1594  Restalrig  was  the  scene  of  one  of  those 
stormy  raids  that  the  "mad  Earl  of  Bothwell" 
caused  so  frequently,  to  the  torment  of  James  VI. 

The  earl,  at  the  head  of  an  armed  force,  was  in 
Leith,  and  broke  out  in  open  rebellion,  when, 
on  the  3rd  of  April,  the  king,  after  sermon,  sum- 
moned the  people  of  Edinburgh  in  arms,  and  moved 
towards  Leith,  from  whence  Bothwell  instantly 
issued  at  the  head  of  500  mounted  men-at-arms, 
and  took  up  a  position  at  the  Hawkhill  near 
Restalrig.  Fearing,  however,  the  strength  of  the 
citizens,  he  made  a  detour,  and  galloped  through 
Duddingstone.  Lord  Home  with  his  lances  followed 
him  to  "  the  Woomet,"  says  Birrel,  probably 
meaning  Woolmet,  near  Dalkeith,  when  Bothwell 
faced  about,  and  compelled  him  to  retire  in  turn, 
but  not  without  bloodshed. 

In  February,  1593,  at  Holyrood,  Robert  Logan, 
of  Restalrig,  was  denounced  for  not  appearing  to 
answer  for  his  treasonable  conspiracy  and  trafficking 
"  with  Francis,  sum  tyme  Earl  of  Bothwell ;  "  and 
in  the  June  of  the  following  year  he  was  again 
denounced  as  a  traitor  for  failing  to  appear  and 
answer  for  the  conduct  of  two  of  his  vassals,  Jockie 
Houlden  and  Peter  Craick,  who  had  despoiled 
Robert  Gray,  burgess  in  Edinburgh  of  ^950. 

It  was  in  this  year  that  the  remarkable  indenture 
was  formed  between  him  and  Napier  of  Merchiston 
to  search  for  gold  in  Fast  Castle  (the  "Wolf's  Crag" 
of  the  Master  of  Ravenswood),  a  fortress  which  he 
had  acquired  by  his  marriage  with  an  heiress  of 
the  Home  family,  to  whom  it  originally  belonged. 
Logan  joined  the  Earl  of  Gowrie  in  the  infamous 
and  mysterious  conspiracy  at  Perth,  in  the  year 
1600.  It  was  proposed  to  force  the  king  into  a 
boat  at  the  bottom  of  the  garden  of  Gowrie 
House,  which  the  river  Tay  bordered,  and  from 
thence   conduct   him  by  sea  to   Logan's  inacces- 


THE   LAST   OF   THE   LOGANS. 


135 


•sible  eyrie,  Fast  Castle,  there  to  await  the  orders 
of  Elizabeth  or  the  other  conspirators  as  to  the  dis- 
posal of  his  person. 

Logan's  connection  with  this  astounding  treason 
remained  unknown  till  nine  years  after  his  death, 
when  the  correspondence  between  him  and  the 
Earl  of  Cowrie  was  discovered  in  possession  of 
Sprott,  a  notary  at  Eyemouth,  who  had  stolen 
them  from  a  man  named  John  Bain,  to  whom 
they  had  been  entrusted.  Sprott  was  executed, 
and  Logan's  bones  were  brought  into  court  to 
have  a  sentence  passed  upon  them,  when  it  was 
ordained  "  that  the  memorie  and  dignitie  of  the 
said  umqle  Robert  Logan  be  extinct  and  abol- 
isheit,"  his  arms  riven  and  deleted  from  all  books 
of  arms  and  all  his  goods  escheated. 

The  poor  remains  of  the  daring  old  conspirator, 
were  then  re-taken  to  the  church  of  St.  Mary  at 
Leith  and  re-interred ;  and  during  the  alterations 
in  that  edifice,  in  1847,  a  coffin  covered  with  the 
richest  purple  velvet  was  found  in  a  place  where 
no  interment  had  taken  place  for  years,  and  the 
bones  in  it  were  supposed  by  antiquaries  to  be 
those  of  the  turbulent  Logan,  the  last  laird  of 
Restalrig. 

His  lands,  in  part,  with  the  patronage  of  South 
Leith,  were  afterwards  bestowed  upon  James 
Elphinstone,  Lord  Balmerino ;  but  the  name  still 
lingered  in  Restalrig,  as  in  16 13  we  find  that 
John  Logan  a  portioner  there,  was  fined  .£1,000 
for  hearing  mass  at  the  Netherbow  with  James  of 
Jerusalem. 

Logan  was  forfeited  in  1609,  but  his  lands  had 
been  lost  to  him  before  his  death,  as  Nether  Gogar 
was  purchased  from  him  in  1596,  by  Andrew  Logan 
of  Coatfield,  Restalrig  in  1604  by  Balmerino,  who 
was  interred,  in  161 2,  in  the  vaulted  mausoleum  be- 
side the  church  ;  "  and  the  English  army,'  says 
Scotstarvit,  "on  their  coming  to  Scotland,  in  1650, 
expecting  to  have  found  treasures  in  that  place, 
hearing  that  lead  coffins  were  there,  raised  up  his 
body  and  threw  it  on  the  streets,  because  they 
could  get  no  advantage  or  money,  when  they  ex- 
pected so  much." 

In  1633  Charles  I.  passed  through,  or  near, 
Restalrig,  on  his  way  to  the  Lang  Gate,  prior  to 
entering  the  city  by  the  West  Port. 

William  Nisbet  of  Dirleton  was  entailed  in  the 
lands  of  Restalrig  in  1725,  and  after  the  attainder 
and  execution  of  her  husband,  Arthur  Lord  Bal- 
merino, in  1746,  his  widow — Elizabeth,  daughter 
of  a  Captain  Chalmers — constantly  resided  in  the 
village,  and  there  she  died  on  the  5th  January,  1767. 

Other  persons  of  good  position  dwelt  in  the 
village  in  those  days ;  among  them  we  may  note 


Sir  James  Campbell  of  Aberuchill,  many  years  a 
Commissioner  of  the  Customs,  who  died  there  13th 
May,  1754,  and  was  buried  in  the  churchyard  ;  and 
in  1764,  Lady  Katharine  Gordon,  eldest  daughter 
of  the  Earl  of  Aboyne,  whose  demise  there  is 
recorded  in  the  first  volume  of  the  Edinburgh 
Advertiser. 

Lord  Alemoor,  whose  town  house  was  in  Niddry's 
Wynd,  was  resident  at  Hawkhill,  where  he  died  in 
1776  ;  and  five  years  before  that  period  the  village 
was  the  scene  of  great  festal  rejoicings,  when 
Patrick  Macdowal  of  Freugh,  fifth  Earl  of  Dumfries, 
was  married  to  "  Miss  Peggy  Crawford,  daughter  of 
Ronald  Crawford,  Esq.,  of  Restalrig." 

From  Peter  Williamson's  Directory  it  appears 
that  Restalrig  was  the  residence,  in  1784,  of  Alex- 
ander Lockhart,  the  famous  Lord  Covington.  In 
the  same  year  a  man  named  James  Tytler,  who  had 
ascended  in  a  balloon  from  the  adjacent  Comely 
Gardens,  had  a  narrow  escape  in  this  quarter.  He 
was  a  poor  man,  who  supported  himself  and  his 
family  by  the  use  of  his  pen,  and  he  concejved  the 
idea  of  going  up  in  a  balloon  on  the  Montgolfier 
principle  ;  but  finding  that  he  could  not  carry  a  fire- 
stove  with  him,  in  his  desperation  and  disappoint- 
ment he  sprang  into  his  car  with  no  other  sustaining 
power  than  a  common  crate  used  for  packing 
earthenware;  thus  his  balloon  came  suddenly 
down  in  the  road  near  Restalrig.  "  For  a  wonder 
Tytler  was  uninjured  ;  and  though  he  did  not 
reach  a  greater  altitude  than  three  hundred  feet, 
nor  traverse  a  greater  distance  than  half  a  mile,  yet 
his  name  must  ever  be  mentioned  as  that  of  the 
first  Briton  who  ascended  with  a  balloon,  and  who 
was  the  first  man  who  so  ascended  in  Britain." 

It  is  impossible  to  forget  that  the  pretty  village, 
latterly  famous  chiefly  as  a  place  for  tea-gardens 
and  strawberry-parties,  was,  in  the  middle  of  the 
last  century,  the  scene  of  some  of  the  privations 
of  the  college  life  of  the  fine  old  Rector  Adam  of 
the  High  School,  author  of  "  Roman  Antiquities," 
and  other  classical  works.  In  1758  he  lodged 
there  in  the  house  of  a  Mr.  Watson,  and  afterwards 
with  a  gardener.  The  latter,  says  Adam,  in  some 
of  his  MS.  memoranda  (quoted  by  Dr.  Steven), 
"  was  a  Seceder,  a  very  industrious  man,  who  had 
family  worship  punctually  morning  and  evening, 
in  which  I  cordially  joined,  and  alternately  said 
prayers.  After  breakfast  I  went  to  town  to  attend 
my  classes  and  my  private  pupils.  For  dinner  I 
had  three  small  coarse  loaves  called  baps,  which  I 
got  for  a  penny-farthing.  As  I  was  now  always 
dressed  in  my  best  clothes,  I  was  ashamed  to  buy 
these  from  a  baker  in  the  street.  I  therefore  went 
down  to  a  baker's  in  the  middle  of  a  close.     I  put 


i36 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


them  in  my  pocket  and  went  up  some  public  stair- 
case to  eat  them,  without  beer  or  water.  In  this 
manner  I  lived  at  the  rate  of  little  more  than  four- 
pence  a  day,  including  everything."  In  the  follow- 
ing season  he  lived  in  Edinburgh,  and  added  to 
his  baps  a  little  broth. 

In  1760,  when  only  in  his  nineteenth  year, 
Adam — one  of  that  army  of  great  men  who  have 
made  Scotland  what  she  is  to-day — obtained  the 
head  mastership  of  Watson's  Hospital. 


This  place  was  the  patrimony  of  the  Nisbet 
family,  already  referred  to  in  our  account  of  the 
ancient  house  of  Dean,  wherein  it  is  related  that 
Sir  Patrick  Nisbet  of  Craigantinnie,  who  was  created 
a  baronet  of  Nova  Scotia  in  1669,  was  subsequently 
designated  "  of  Dean,"  having  exchanged  his  pater- 
nal lands  for  that  barony  with  his  second  cousin, 
Alexander  Nisbet. 

The  latter,  having  had  a  quarrel  with  Macdougall 
of  Mackerston,  went  abroad  to  fight  a  duel  with 


Year  after  year  Restalrig  was  the  favourite 
summer  residence  of  the  Rev.  Hugh  Blair,  author 
of  the  well-known  "  Lectures  on  Rhetoric  and 
Belles-lettres,"  who  died  on  the  27th  of  December 
1800. 

A  little  way  north-east  of  Restalrig  village  stands 
2he  ancient  house  of  Craigantinnie,  once  a  simple 
oblong  shaped  mansion,  about  four  storeys  in  height, 
with  crowstepped  gables,  and  circular  turrets  ;  but 
during  the  early  part  of  this  century  made  much 
more  ornate,  with  many  handsome  additions,  and 
having  a  striking  aspect — like  a  gay  Scoto-French 
chateau — among  the  old  trees  near  it,  and  when 
viewed  from  the  grassy  irrigated  meadows  that  lie 
between  it  and  the  sea. 


him,  in  1682,  attended  by  Sir  William  Scott  of 
Harden,  and  Ensign  Douglas,  of  Douglas's  Regi- 
ment, the  Royal  Scots,  as  seconds.  On  their 
return  the  Privy  Council  placed  the  whole  four  in 
separate  rooms  in  the  Tolbooth,  till  the  matter 
should  be  inquired  into  ;  but  the  principals  were, 
upon  petition,  set  at  liberty  a  few  days  after,  on 
giving  bonds  for  their  reappearance. 

On  the  death  of  Sir  Alexander  Nisbet  at  the 
battle  of  Tournay,  unmarried,  the  estates  and  title 
reverted  to  his  uncle,  Sir  Alexander,  who  was  suc- 
ceeded by  his  eldest  son  Sir  Henry  ;  upon  whose 
decease  the  title  devolved  upon  his  brother  Sir 
John,  who  died  in  1776. 

In  that  year  the  latter   was   succeeded   by  his 


THE   NISBETS    OF   CRAIGANTINNIE. 


'37 


son  John,  as  sixth  baronet;  but  not  without  a 
contest,  as  fourteen  years  afterwards  a  Mr.  John 
Edgar  raised  in  the  Court  of  Session  an  action 
of  reduction  of  his  service,  as  nearest  lawful  heir 
of  the  late  baronet,  on  the  plea  that  the  latter  had 
never  been  legally  married  to  his  wife. 

It  was  alleged  that  he  had  gone  to  France,  and 
there  had  formed  a  connection  with  a  lady  whose 
social  position  was  inferior  to  his  own,  but  who 
accompanied  him  to  Britain,  where  she  bore  him 


The  question  was,  whether  from  the  whole  cir- 
cumstances, Sir  John  and  this  lady  were  to  be 
considered  as  married  persons  ?  In  evidence  it 
appeared  that  they  had  never  doubted  that  they  were 
so,  though  Sir  John,  in  dread  of  his  proud  relations, 
had  sedulously  kept  the  fact  a  secret  while  in 
Scotland,  where,  it  was  alleged  for  the  pursuer, 
Sir  John  had  ventured  to  pay  his  addresses  to  a 

i  lady  of  rank. 

|      On  the  other  side  there  was  the  evidence  of  an 


■'/  h:* 


two  sons.  After  selling  out  of  the  army,  in  1775,  I 
Sir  John  went  to  Carolina,  to  settle  upon  an  estate 
he  possessed  there,  taking  with  him  this  lady  and 
his  two  sons,  and  the  process  stated  that  "  after 
their  arrival  in  America,  in  1775,  or  the  beginning 
of  1776,  Sir  John  and  his  lady  were  shipwrecked  . 
and  drowned.  From  this  awful  catastrophe  their 
two  sons  were  preserved,  having  been  left  at  school 
in  the  Jerseys.  Some  time  afterwards  the  boys 
were  sent  over  to  this  country,  and  the  eldest  of 
them — the  defender  in  this  action — on  the  15th 
August,  1 78 1,  was  served  heir  to  his  father.  From 
the  time  of  his  father  and  mother's  death,  till 
1790,  when  this  action  was  raised,  he  had  been  in  ! 
the  uninterrupted  possession  of  his  father's  estates."  I 
114 


old  and  confidential  servant,  and  of  an  intimate 
friend  of  Sir  John,  to  both  of  whom  he  revealed 
his  marriage,  with  certain  reasons  for  keeping  it 
secret.  From  this  it  appeared  that  when  in  his 
own  house  he  had  uniformly  treated  the  lady  as 
his  wife  and  their  children  as  legitimate.  It  was 
also  proved  that  when  he  went  to  America  he 
had  openly  and  solemnly  acknowledged  the  mar- 
riage on  many  occasions,  and  till  it  was  dissolved 
by  death  the  lady  was  always  considered  by  Sir 
John's  friends  as  Lady  Nisbet  of  the  old  line  of 
Craigantinnie  and  Dean,  and  was  in  the  habit  of 
receiving  and  returning  their  visits  as  such. 

After  a  four-days'  debate,  the  Lords  of  Session 
pronounced  for  the  defender,  with  expenses.     The 


■38 


OLD   AND   NEW   EDINBURGH. 


latter  married  a  lady  whom  Burke  calls  "  Miss 
Alston,  of  America,"  and  died  without  any  family, 
and  now  the  line  of  the  Nisbets  of  Dean  and 
Craigantinnie  has  passed  completely  away ;  but 
long  prior  to  the  action  recorded  the  branch  at 
Restalrig  had  lost  the  lands  there  and  the  old 
house  we  have  described. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  last  century  the  pro- 
prietor of  Craigantinnie  was  Nisbet  of  Dirleton,  of 
the  male  line  of  that  Sir  John  Nisbet  of  Dirleton 
who  was  King's  Advocate  after  the  Restoration. 

It  was  subsequently  the  property  of  the  Scott- 
Nisbets,  and  on  the  death  of  John  Scott-Nisbet, 
Esq.,  in  1765,  an  action  was  raised  against  his 
heirs  and  trustees,  by  Young  of  Newhall,  regarding 
the  sale  of  the  estate,  which  was  ultimately  carried 
to  the  House  of  Peers. 

Craigantinnie  was  next  acquired  by  purchase  by 
William  Miller,  a  wealthy  seedsman,  whose  house 
and  garden,  at  the  foot  of  the  south  back  of  the 
Canongate,  were  removed  only  in  1859,  when  the 
site  was  added  to  the  Royal  Park.  When  Prince 
Charles's  army  came  to  Edinburgh  in  1745,  he 
obtained  500  shovels  from  William  Miller  for 
trenching  purposes.  His  father,  also  William  Miller, 
who  died  in  1757,  in  his  eightieth  year,  had  pre- 
viously acquired  a  considerable  portion  of  what  is 
now  called  the  Craigantinnie  estate,  or  the  lands 
of  Philliside,  and  others  near  the  sea.  He  left 
^20,000  in  cash,  by  which  Craigantinnie  proper 
was  acquired  by  his  son  William.  He  was  well 
known  as  a  citizen  of  Edinburgh  by  the  name  of 
"  the  auld  Quaker,"  as  he  belonged  to  the  Society 
of  Friends,  and  was  ever  foremost  in  all  works  of 
charity  and  benevolence. 

About  1780,  when  in  his  ninetieth  year,  he 
married  an  Englishwoman  who  was  then  in  her 
fiftieth  year,  with  whom  he  went  to  London  and 
Paris,  where  she  was  delivered  of  a  child,  the  late 
William  Miller,  M.P.  for  Newcastle-under-Lyne ; 
and  thereby  hangs  a  story,  which  made  some  stir 
at  the  time  of  his  death,  as  he  was  currently  averred 
to  be  a  changeling — even  to  be  a  woman,  a  sug- 
gestion which  his  thin  figure,  weak  voice,  absence  of 
all  beard,  aiad  some  peculiarity  of  habit,  seemed  to 
corroborate.  Be  that  as  it  may,  none  were  per- 
mitted— save  those  interested  in  him — to  touch  his 
body,  which,  by  his  will,  lies  now  buried  in  a 
grave,  dug  to  the  great  depth  of  forty  feet,  on  the 
north  side  of  the  Portobello  Road,  and  on  the 
lands  of  Craigantinnie,  with  a  classic  tomb  of  con- 
siderable height  and  beauty  erected  over  it. 

At  his  death,  without  heirs,  the  estate  passed  into 
the  hands  of  strangers. 

His  gigantic   tomb,  however,  with  its  beautiful 


sculptures,  forms  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
features  in  this  locality.  Regarding  it,  a  writer  in 
Temple  Bar  for  1S81,  says  : — "Not  one  traveller 
in  a  thousand  has  ever  seen  certain  sculptures 
known  as  the  '  Craigantinnie  Marbles.'  They  are 
out  of  town,  on  the  road  to  Portobello,  beyond  the 
Piershill  cavalry  barracks,  and  decorate  a  mauso- 
leum which  is  to  be  found  by  turning  off  the  high 
road,  and  so  past  a  cottage  into  a  field,  green  and 
moist  with  its  tall  neglected  grass.  There  is  some- 
thing piquant  in  coming  upon  Art  among  humble 
natural  things  in  the  country  or  a  thinly  peopled 
suburb."  After  referring  to  Giotto's  work  outside 
Padua,  he  continues  :  "  It  is  obvious  there  is  no 
comparison  intended  between  that  early  work  of 
Italy,  so  rich  in  sincere  thought  and  beautiful  ex- 
pression, and  the  agreeable,  gracious  and  even 
manly  labour,  of  the  artist  who  wrought  for  modern 
Scotland,  the  'Song  of  Miriam'  in  this  Craigantinnie 
field.  Still  there  is  a  certain  freshness  of  pleasure 
in  the  situation  of  the  work,  nor  does  examination 
of  the  art  displayed  lead  to  prompt  disappoint- 
ment." 

Standing  solitary  and  alone,  westward  of  Restal- 
rig Church,  towers  the  tall  villa  of  Marionville, 
which,  though  now  rather  gloomy  in  aspect,  was 
prior  to  1790  the  scene  often  of  the  gayest  private 
theatricals  perhaps  in  Britain,  and  before  its  then 
possessor  won  himself  the  unenviable  name  of  "  the 
Fortunate  Duellist,"  and  became  an  outcast  and 
one  of  the  most  miserable  of  men.  The  house  is 
enclosed  by  shrubbery  of  no  great  extent,  and  by 
high  walls.  "  Whether  it  be,"  says  Chambers, 
"  that  the  place  has  become  dismal  in  consequence 
of  the  rise  of  a  noxious  fen  in  its  neighbourhood, 
or  that  the  tale  connected  with  it  acts  upon  the 
imagination,  I  cannot  decide  ;  but  unquestionably 
there  is  about  the  house  an  air  of  depression  and 
melancholy  such  as  could  scarcely  fail  to  strike  the 
most  unobservant  passenger." 

Elsewhere  he  mentions  that  this  villa  was  built 
by  the  Misses  Ramsay,  whose  shop  was  on  the 
east  side  of  the  old  Lyon  Close,  on  the  north  side 
of  the  High  Street,  opposite  the  upper  end  of  the 
City  Guardhouse.  There  they  made  a  fortune, 
spent  on  building  Marionville,  which  was  locally 
named  Lappet  Ha*  in  derision  of  their  profession. 

Here,  for  some  time  before  1790,  lived  Captain 
James  Macrae,  formerly  of  the  3rd  Regiment  of 
Horse  (when  commanded  by  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Sir  Ralph  Abercrombie),  and  now  known  as  the 
6th  Dragoon  Guards,  or  Carabineers ;  and  his  story 
is  a  very  remarkable  one,  from  the  well-known 
names  that  must  be  introduced  in  it.  He  was 
Macrae  of  Holemains,  whom  Fowler,  in  his  Ren- 


CAPTAIN    MACRAE. 


'39 


frewshire  Sketches,  styles  "  a  Goth  who  committed 
a  most  barbarous  deed  by  demolishing  the  great 
and  splendid  castle  (of  Houston)  in  1780,  and 
applied  the  stones  to  the  building  of  a  new  village 
for  lappet  weavers." 

During  his  occupation  of  Marionville,  his  tastes 
and  family  being  gay  and  fashionable,  the  house 
was  the  scene  of  constant  festivities  and  private 
theatricals,  of  which  many  such  notices  appear  in 
the  papers  of  the  time,  like  the  following  from  the 
Advertiser  of  April,  1789  : — 

"  On  Tuesday  last,  the  tragedy  of  Venice  Preserved  was 
performed  before  a  genteel  and  select  company  at  Mr. 
Macrae's  Private  Theatre  at  Marionville.  The  following 
were  the  principal  Dramatis  Persona:: — 

Priuli    ....         Mrs.  Hunter. 

Pierre  ....         Captain  Mackewan. 

Jaffier    ....         Mr.  Macrae. 

Renault         .         .         .         Mr.  Welwood. 

Bedamar        .         .         .         Mr.  Dowling. 

Duke  of  Venice     .         .         Mr.  Justice. 

Belvidera      .         .         .         Mrs.  Macrae. 
The  play  gave  very  great  satisfaction.     Mrs.   Macrae  and 
Captain  Mackewan,   in  particular,   performed   in  a  style  of 
superior  excellence." 

Captain  Macrae,  in  addition  to  being  a  man  of 
fortune,  was  well-connected,  and  was  a  cousin  of 
that  good  Earl  of  Glencairn  who  was  the  friend 
and  patron  of  Burns,  while  through  his  mother  he 
was  nearly  related  to  Viscount  Fermoy  and  the 
famous  Sir  Boyle  Roche.  He  was  a  man  of  a 
generous  and  warm  disposition,  but  possessed  a 
somewhat  lofty  and  imperious  sense  of  what  he 
deemed  due  to  the  position  of  a  gentleman ;  and 
being  yet  young,  he  was  about  to  return  to  the 
army  when  the  catastrophe  occurred  which  caused 
his  ruin.  All  allowed  him  to  be  a  delightful  com- 
panion, yet  liable  to  be  transported  beyond  the 
bounds  of  reason  at  times  by  trivial  matters. 

"  Thus,"  says  Chambers,  "  a  messenger  of  the  law 
having  arrested  the  Rev.  Mr.  Cunningham,  a  brother 
of  the  Earl  of  Glencairn,  f Or  debt,  as  he  was  pass- 
ing with  a  party  from  the  drawing-room  to  the 
dining-room  of  Drumsheugh  House,  Macrae  threw 
the  man  over  the  stai:s.  He  was  prompted  to  this 
act  by  indignation  at  the  affront  which  he  con- 
ceived his  cousin,  as  a  gentleman,  had  received 
from  a  common  man.  But  soon  after,  when  it  was 
represented  to  him  that  every  other  means  of 
inducing  Mr.  Cunningham  to  settle  his  debt  had 
failed,  and  when  he  learned  that  the  messenger  had 
suffered  severe  injury,  he  went  to  him,  made  him  a 
hearty  apology,  and  agreed  to  pay  300  guineas  by 
way  of  compensation." 

His  wife  was  Maria  Cecilia  le  Maitre,  daughter  of 
the  Baroness  Nolken,  wife  of  the  Swedish  ambas- 


sador. While  resident  occasionally  with  her  cousin 
in  Paris  Madame  de  la  Briche,  the  private  thea- 
tricals they  saw  at  her  magnificent  house  in  the 
Marais  led  to  the  reproduction  of  them  at  Marion- 
ville. There  the  husband  and  wife- both  took 
character  parts,  and  Sir  David  Kinloch  and  the  Mr. 
Justice  already  mentioned  were  among  their  best 
male  performers ;  and  often  Mrs.  Macrae  herself. 
The  chief  lady  was  Mrs.  Carruthers,  of  Dormont, 
in  Dumfries-shire,  a  daughter  of  Paul  Sandby,  the 
eminent  artist,  and  founder  of  the  English  school 
of  water-colour  painting,  who  died  in   1809. 

Marionville  was  quite  the  centre  of  fashionable 
society  ;  but,  manners  apart — alternately  stately 
and  rough — how  strange  to-day  seems  what  was 
fashionable  then  in  Edinburgh  !  the  ladies  with 
head-dresses  so  enormous  that  at  times  they  had  to 
sit  on  the  carriage  floor  ;  the  gentlemen  with  bright 
coloured  coats,  with  tails  that  reached  to  their 
heels,  breeches  so  tight  that  to  get  them  on  or  off 
was  a  vast  toil ;  waistcoats  six  inches  long  ;  large 
frilled  shirts  and  stiff  cravats  ;  a  watch  in  each  fob, 
with  a  bunch  of  seals,  and  wigs  with  great  side 
curls,  exactly  as  Kay  shows  Macrae  when  in  the 
act  of  levelling  a  pistol. 

In  the  visiting  circle  at  Marionville  were  Sir 
George  Ramsay,  Bart,  of  Banff  House,  and  his 
lady,  whose  maiden  name  was  Eleanor  Fraser,  and 
they  and  the  Macraes  seem  to  have  been  very  inti- 
mate and  warmly  attached  friends,  till  a  quarrel 
arose  between  the  two  husbands  about  a  rather 
trivial  cause. 

On  the  evening  of  the  7  th  April,  1790,  Captain 
Macrae  was  handing  a  lady  out  of  the  box-lobby 
of  the  old  theatre,  and  endeavoured  to  get  a  sedan 
for  her  conveyance  home.  Seeing  two  chairmen 
approach  with  one,  he  asked  if  it  was  disengaged, 
and  both  replied  distinctly  in  the  affirmative.  As 
Macrae  was  about  to  hand  the  lady  into  it,  a  footman 
came  forward  in  a  violent  manner,  and  seizing  one 
of  the  poles  insisted  that  it  was  engaged  for  his 
mistress,  though  the  latter  had  gone  home  some 
time  before ;  but  the  man,  who  was  partly  intoxi- 
cated, knew  not  that  she  had  done  so. 

Macrae,  irritated  by  the  valet's  manner,  gave  him 
a  rap  over  the  knuckles  with  his  cane,  to  make  him 
quit  his  hold  of  the  pole  ;  on  this  the  valet  called 
him  a  scoundrel,  and  struck  him  on  the  breast. 
j  On  being  struck  over  the  head,  the  man  became 
more  noisy  and  abusive ;  Macrae  proceeded  to 
chastise  him,  on  which  several  bystanders  took 
part  with  the  valet ;  a  general  brawl  seemed  about 
to  ensue  ;  another  chair  was  got  for  the  terrified 
lady,  and  she  was  carried  away.  The  details  of 
I  this  brawl  are  given  in  the  "  Life  of  Peter  Burnet, 


[4o 


OLD   AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


a  Negro,"  published  at  Paisley  so  lately  as  1841. 
Peter  was  a  livery  servant  in  Edinburgh  at  the 
time.  Learning  that  the  valet  was  one  of  Lady 
Ramsay's,  Macrae  came  to  town  next  day  to  ex- 
plain, and  met  Sir  George  in  the  street.  The  latter, 
laughing,  said  that  the  man,  being  his  lady's  foot- 
man, prevented  him  being  concerned  in  the  matter. 
Macrae,  still  anxious  to  apologise  to  Lady 
Ramsay,  proceeded  in  quest  of  her  to  her  house 
in  St.  Andrew  Square,  but  found  her  sitting  for  her 


dropped,  or  Merry  discharged  ;  but  Ramsay  seemed 
disinclined  to  move  in  the  matter,  and  a  long  and 
eventually  angry  correspondence  on  the  subject 
ensued,  and  is  given  at  length  in  the  Scots  and  other 
Edinburgh  magazines  of  the  day  ;  till,  in  the  end, 
at  Bayle's  Tavern  a  hostile  meeting  was  proposed  by 
Captain  Amory,  a  friend  of  Macrae's,  and  pretty 
rough  epithets  were  exchanged. 

Duly  attended  by  seconds,   the  parties  met   at 
Ward's  Inn,  on  the  borders  of  Musselburgh  Links, 


HAWKHILL. 


portrait  in  the  studio  of  the  then  young  artist, 
Henry  Raeburn ;  before  him,  it  is  said  that  he 
impulsively  went  on  his  knee  when  asking  pardon 
for  having  chastised  her  servant,  and  then  the 
matter  seemed  to  end  with  Macrae  ;  but  it  was  not 
so.  Soon  after  he  received  an  anonymous  letter, 
stating  that  there  was  a  strong  feeling  against  him 
among  the  Knights  of  the  Shoulder-Knot ;  one 
hundred  and  seven  had  resolved  to  have  revenge 
upon  him  for  the  insult  he  had  put  upon  their  fra- 
ternity ;  while  James  Merry,  the  valet,  whose 
bruises  had  been  declared  slight  by  Dr.  Benjamin 
Bell,  instituted  legal  proceedings  against  him. 

Exasperated  by  all   this,    Macrae  wrote  to  Sir 
George,  insisting  that  the  prosecution   should  be 


on  the  14th  of  April.  Sir  George  Ramsay  was 
accompanied  by  Sir  William  Maxwell,  Macrae  by 
Captains  Amory  and  Haig.  Benjamin  Bell,  the 
surgeon,  was  also  one  of  the  party,  which  had 
separate  rooms.  A  compromise  seemed  impossible 
— as  Sir  George  would  not  turn  off  the  valet,  and 
Macrae  would  not  apologise — they  walked  to  the 
beach,  and  took  their  places  in  the  usual  manner, 
fourteen  paces  apart.  On  the  word  being  given, 
both  fired  at  the  same  moment  Sir  George  took 
a  steady  aim  at  Macrae,  whose  coat  collar  was 
grazed  by  the  bullet. 

Macrae  afterwards  solemnly  asserted  that  he 
meant  to  have  fired  in  the  air  ;  but,  on  finding  Sir 
George  intent  on  slaying  him,  he  altered  his  reso- 


, 


THE   MARIONVILLE   TRAGEDY. 


lution.  and  brought  him  to  the  ground  by  a  mortal 
wound.  As  usual  on  such  occasions,  consternation 
and  distress  reigned  supreme ;  the  passionate 
Macrae  was  sincerely  afflicted,  and  it  was  with 
difficulty  that  Sir  William  Maxwell  could   prevail 


A  very  unfavourable  view  was  taken  of  Macrae's 
conduct.  It  was  alleged  that  for  some  time  before 
the  duel  he  was  wont  to  practise  at  a  barber's  block 
in  the  garden  at  Marionville,  and  that  he  had 
pistols  of  a  peculiar  and  very  deadly   character ; 


upon  him  to  quit  the  field.     Sir  George  lingered 
for  two  days,  when  he  expired. 

Macrae's  days  of  pleasure  at  Marionville  were 
ended  for  ever.  He  fled  to  France,  and  for  a 
time  took  up  his  residence  at  the  Hotel  de  la 
Dauphine,  in  Paris.  The  event  created  a  great 
sensation  in  Edinburgh  society.  Macrae  left  behind 
him  a  son  and  daughter.  As  Sir  George  Ramsay 
was  childless,  the  baronetcy  went  to  his  brother 
William. 


both  of  which  were  vulgar  rumours,  as  he  was 
without  such  weapons,  and  those  used  in  the  duel 
were  a  clumsy  old  brass-mounted  pair  that  belonged 
to  Captain  Amory,  who  bore  testimony  that  Macrae, 
as  they  journeyed  together  to  the  land  of  exile, 
never  ceased  to  bewail  the  fate  of  his  friend,  and 
that  he  took  so  obstinate  a  view  of  the  valet's 
case. 

Macrae  and  Amory  reached  France  ;  a  summons 
was  issued  for  the  trial  of  the  former,  but  as  he 


14- 


OLD   AND    NEW    I'D IX BURGH. 


did  not  appear,  sentence  of  outlawry  was  passed 
upon  him.  Meanwhile  the  servant's  action  went 
on,  but  was  not  determined  till  February,  1792, 
and  though  the  evidence  proved  in  the  clearest 
manner  that  he  had  been  the  aggressor,  the  sheriff 
and  Court  of  Session  alike  awarded  damages  and 
expenses. 

Macrae  lived  in  France  till  the  progress  of  the 
French  Revolution  compelled  him  to  retire  to 
Altona.  In  July,  1792,  the  widow  of  his  antagonist 
became  the  wife  of  Lieutenant  Duncan  Campbell 
of  the  Guards.  When  time  had  softened  matters 
a  little  at  Edinburgh,  he  began  to  hope  that  he 
might  return  home  ;  but  it  was  decided  by  counsel 
that  he  could  not.  It:  was  held  that  his  case  was 
without  the  extenuating  circumstances  that  were 
necessary,  and  that  it  seemed  he  had  forced  on 
the  duel  in  a  spirit  of  revenge  ;  so,  in  the  end, 
he  had  to  make  up  his  mind  to  the  bitterness  of 
a  life-long  exile. 

"A  gentleman  of  my  acquaintance,"  says  Robert 
Chambers,  "  who  had  known  him  in  early  life  in 
Scotland,  was  surprised  to  meet  him  one  day  in  a 
Parisian  coffee-house,  after  the  peace  of  1814— the 
wreck  or  ghost  of  the  handsome  sprightly  man  he 
had  once  been.  The  comfort  of  his  home,  his 
country,  and  friends,  the  use  of  his  talents  to  all 
these,  had  been  lost,  and  himself  obliged  to  lead 
the  life  of  a  condemned  Cain,  all  through  the  one 
fault  of  a  fiery  temper." 

This  unfortunate  gentleman  died  abroad  on  the 
16th  of  January,  1S20. 

In  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Restalrig  are  Piers- 
hill  barracks  and  the  hamlet  of  Jock's  Lodge,  now 
absorbed  into  the  eastern  suburb  of  Edinburgh. 
The  locality  is  on  the  plain  immediately  under 
the  eastern  base  of  Arthur's  Seat,  yet  scarcely  a 
mile  from  the  sandy  shore  of  the  Firth  of  Forth, 
and  independently  of  the  attractions  of.  growing 
streets  and  villas  in  the  vicinity,  is  rich  in  scenery 
of  a  pleasing  nature. 

Jock's  Lodge,  long  a  wayside  hamlet,  on  the 
lonely  path  that  led  to  the  Figgate  Muir,  is  said  to 
have  derived  its  name  from  an  eccentric  mendi- 
cant known  as  Jock,  who  built  unto  himself  a  hut 
there ;  and  historically  the  name  appears  first  in 
1650,  during  the  repulse  of  Cromwell's  attack  upon 
Edinburgh.  "The  enemy,"  says  Nicol,  "placed 
their  whole  horse  in  and  about  Restalrig,  the  foot 
at  that  place  callit  Jokis  Lodge,  and  the  cannon 
at  the  foot  of  Salisbury  Hill,  within  the  park 
dyke,  and  played  with  their  cannon  against  the 
Scottish  leaguer  lying  in  St.  Leonard's  Craius." 
■  In  1692,  it  would  appear  from  the  Privy  Council 
Register,  that  the  post-boy  riding  with  the  mail-bag 


on  its  last  stage  from  England,  was  robbed  "near 
the  place  called  Jock's  Lodge,"  at  ten  o'clock  at 
night  on  the  1 3th  August  by  a  mounted  man  armed 
with  a  sword  and  one  on  foot  armed  with  pistols, 
who  carried  off  the  bag  and  the  boy's  horse ;  j£ioc* 
reward  was  offered,  with  a  free  pardon  to  in- 
formers ;  but  many  such  robberies  were  the  result 
of  political  complications. 

In  1763  the  same  crime  occurred  again.  The 
Edinburgh  Museum  for  that  year  records  that 
on  the  night  of  the  nth  November  the  post-boy 
who  left  the  General  Post  Office  was  attacked  at 
Jock's  Lodge  by  a  man  who  knocked  him  off  his 
horse,  mounted  it,  and  rode  off  with  the  mail-bags. 
On  recovering,  the  boy  went  to  the  house  of  Lord 
Elliock,  at  Jock's  Lodge,  and  went  in  pursuit  with 
some  of  the  senator's  servants,  who  found  the 
robber  in  a  ditch  that  bordered  a  field,  cutting  up 
the  bags  and  opening  the  letters.  He  was  secured 
and  taken  to  the  house  of  Lord  Elliock,  who  com- 
municated with  the  authorities,  and  the  man  was 
brought  by  the  city  guard  to  the  Tolbooth,  when 
he  was  discovered  to  be  Walter  Graham,  a  work- 
man at  Salisbury  Craigs,  who  had  been  sentenced 
to  death  for  housebreaking  in  1758,  but  been  par- 
doned on  condition  of  transportation  for  life. 

There  died  in  the  hamlet  here,  in  November, 
1797,  Mrs.  Margaret  Edgar,  daughter  of  John 
Edgar  of  Wedderlie,  relict  of  Louis  Cauvin,  teacher 
of  French  in  Edinburgh,  mother  of  the  founder  of 
the  adjacent  hospital  which  bears  his  name. 

Rear- Admiral  Edgar  died  in  18 17 — last  of  the 
Edgars  of  Wedderlie  in  Berwickshire,  a  family 
dating  back  to  11 70. 

Here  is  one  of  the  oldest  toll-bars  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Edinburgh. 

About  the  middle  of  the  last  century  Colonel 
Piers,  who  commanded  a  corps  of  horse  in  Edin- 
burgh, occupied  a  villa  built  on  the  higher  ground 
overlooking  Restalrig,  and  a  little  way  north  of 
the  road  at  Jock's  Lodge.  In  the  Couratit  for 
February,  1761,  it  is  described  as  being  a  house 
suited  for  a  large  family,  with  double  coach-house 
and  stabling  for  eight  horses ;  and  for  particulars 
as  to  the  rent,  application  was  to  be  made  to  Mr. 
Ronald  Crawford,  the  proprietor,  who  names  it 
Piershill  House. 

This  villa  occupied  the  exact  site  of  the  present 
officers'  quarters,  a  central  block  of  the  spacious 
barracks  for  two  regiments  of  cavalry,  built  there 
in  1793  from  stones  excavated  at  Craigmillar,  in 
the  same  quarry  that  furnished  materials  for  the 
erectior  of  George  Square  and  the  Regent  Bridge. 

These  barracks  form  three  sides  of  a  quadrangle, 
presenting  a  high  wall,  perforated  by  two  gateways,. 


THE    FIGGATE    MUIR. 


'43 


to  the  line  of  the  turnpike  road.  The  whole  sur- 
face of  the  district  round  them  is  studded  with 
buildings,  and  has  only  so  far  subsided  from  the 
urban  character  as  to  acquire  for  these,  whether 
villa  or  cottage,  the  graceful  accompaniments  of 
garden  or  hedge-row.  "  A  stroll  from  the  beauti- 
fied city  to  Piershill,"  says  a  writer,  "  when  the 
musical  bands  of  the  barracks  are  striving  to  drown 


the  soft  and  carolling  melodies  of  the  little  song- 
sters on  the  hedges  and  trees  at  the  subsession  ot 
Arthurs  Seat,  and  when  the  blue  Firth,  with  its 
many-tinted  canopy  of  clouds,  and  its  picturesque 
display  of  islets  and  steamers,  and  little  smiling 
boats  on  its  waters,  vies  with  the  luxuriant  lands 
upon  its  shore  to  win  the  award  due  to  beaut)',  is 
indescribably  delightful." 


CHAPTER     XIV. 
PORTOBELLO. 

Portobello— The  Site  before  the  Houses— The  Figgate  Muir— Stone  Coffins— A  Meeting  with  Cromwell— A  Curious  Race— Portobello  Hu 
Robbers— William  Jamieson's  Feuing— Sir  W.  Scott  and  "The  Lay  "—Portobello  Tower— Review  of  Yeomanry  and  Highlander 
Hugh  Miller— David  Laing— Joppa— Magdalene  Bridge— l'.runstane   House. 


Portobello,  now  a  Parliamentary  burgh,  and 
favourite  bathing  quarter  of  the  citizens,  occupies  a 
locality  known  for  ages  as  the  Figgate  Muir,  a  once 
desolate  expanse  of  muir-land,  which  perhaps  was 
a  portion  of  the  forest  of  Drumsheugh,  but  which 
latterly  was  covered  with  whins  and  furze,  bordered 
by  a  broad  sandy  beach,  and  extending  from  Mag- 
dalene Bridge  on  the  south  perhaps  to  where  Sea- 
field  now  lies,  on  the  north-west. 

Through  this  waste  flowed  the  Figgate  Burn  out 
of  Duddingston  Loch,  a  continuation  of  the  Braid. 
Figgate  is  said  to  be  a  corruption  of  the  Saxon 
word  for  a  cow's-ditch,  and  here  the  monks  of 
Holyrood  were  wont  to  pasture  their  cattle. 

Traces  of  early  inhabitants  were  found  here 
in  1821,  when  three  stone  coffins  were  discovered 
under  a  tumulus  of  sand,  midway  between  Porto- 
bello and  Craigantinnie.  These  were  rudely  put 
together,  and  each  contained  a  human  skeleton. 
"  The  bones  were  quite  entire,"  says  the  Weekly 
Journal  for  that  year,  "  and  from  their  position  it 
would  appear  that  the  bodies  had  been  buried  with 
their  legs  across.  At  the  head  of  each  was  depo- 
sited a  number  of  flints,  from  which  it  is  conjec- 
tured the  inhumation  had  taken  place  before  the 
use  of  metal  in  this  country  ;  and,  what  is  very 
remarkable,  the  roots  of  some  shrubs  had  penetrated 
the  coffins  and  skulls  of  the  skeletons,  about  which 
and  the  ribs  they  had  curiously  twisted  themselves. 
The  cavities  of  the  skeletons  indeed  were  quite 
filled  with  vegetable  matter." 

It  was  on  the  Figgate  Muir  that,  during  the 
War  of  Independence,  Sir  William  Wallace  in  1296 
mustered  his  200  patriots  to  join  Robert  Lauder 
and  Crystal  Seton  at  Musselb'  .rgh  for  the  pursuit 
of  the  traitor  Earl  of  Dunbar,  whom  they  fought  at 
Inverwick,  afterwards  taking  his  castle  at  Dunbar. 


In  the  Register  of  the  Privy  Council,  January, 
1584,  in  a  bond  of  caution  for  David  Preston  of 
Craigmillar,  Robert  Pacok  in  Brigend,  Thomas 
Pacok  in  Cameron,  and  others,  are  named  as  sure- 
ties that  John  Hutchison,  merchant  and  burgess 
of  Edinburgh,  shall  be  left  peaceably  in  possession 
of  the  lands  "  callit  Kingis  medow,  besyde  the 
said  burgh,  and  of  that  pairt  thairof  nixt  adjacent 
to  the  burne  callit  the  Figott  Burne,  on  the  north 
side  of  the  same,  being  a  proper  pairt  and  per- 
tinent of  the  saidis  landis  of  Kingis  Medow." 
Among  the  witnesses  is  George  Ramsay,  Dean  of 
Restalrig. 

We  next  hear  of  this  locality  in   1650,   when   it 
was  supposed  to  be  the  scene  of  a  secret  meeting, 
'■  half  way  between  Leith  and  Musselburgh  Rocks, 
at  low  water,"  between  Oliver  Cromwell  and  the 
Scottish    leaders,    each   attended    by   a    hundred 
horse,  when  any  question  the  latter  proposed   to 
ask  he   agreed  to  answer,  but  declined  to  admit 
alike  of  animadversion  or  reply.     A  part  of  this 
alleged  conference  is  said  to  have  been — 
"Why  did  you  put  the  king  to  death?" 
"  Because  he  was  a  tyrant,  and  deserved  death." 
"  Why  did  you  dissolve  the  Parliament  ?  " 
"  Because  they    were  greater   tyrants  than  the 
king,  and  required  dissolution." 

The  Mercurius  Caledonius  of  166 1  records  a  very 
different  scene  here,  under  the  name  of  the  Thicket 
Burn,  when  a  foot-race  was  run  from  thence  to  the 
summit  of  Arthur's  Seat  by  twelve  browster-wives, 
"  all  of  them  in  a  condition  which  makes  violent 
exertion  unsuitable  to  the  female  form."  The  prizes 
on  this  occasion  were,  for  the  first,  a  hundredweight 
of  cheese  and  "  a  budgell  of  Dunkeld  aquavitx, 
and  a  rumpkin  of  Brunswick  rum  for  the  second,  set 
down  by  the  Dutch  midwife.     The  next  day  six- 


144 


OLD   AND    NEW   EDINBURGH. 


teen  fishwives  (are)  to  trot  from  Musselburgh  to  the 
Canon(gate)  Cross,  for  twelve  pairs  of  lambs' 
harrigals." 

The  Figgate  Burn  was  the  boundary  in  this 
quarter  of  a  custom-house  at  Prestonpans  ;  the 
Tyne  was  the  boundary  in  the  other  direction. 

The  Figgate  lands,  on  which  Portobello  and 
Brickfield  are  built,  says  the  old  statistical  account, 
consist  together  of  about  seventy  acres,  and  con- 
tinued down  to  1762  a  mere  waste,  and  were  com- 


master  of  a  fishing-boat,  on  his  way  from  Mussel- 
burgh to  Leith,  was  attacked  by  footpads  at  the 
Figgate  Whins,  who  robbed  him  of  ten  guineas 
that  were  sewn  in  the  waistband  of  his  breeches, 
12s.  6d.  that  he  had  in  his  pocket,  cut  him  over 
the  head  with  a  broadsword,  stabbed  him  in  the 
breast,  and  left  him  for  dead.  "  His  groans  were 
heard  by  two  persons  coming  that  way,  who  carried 
him  to  Leith." 

About   1763    the   Figgate   Whins  was  sold   by 


fHE  CRAIGANTI.NMF.    MAKIU.ES 


monly  let  to  one  of  the  Duddingston  tenants  for 
200  merks  Scots,  or  ^n  2s.  2T\d.  sterling.  Porto- 
bello Hut,  built  in  1742,  by  an  old  Scottish  seaman 
who  had  served  under  Admiral  Vernon,  in  1739, 
was  so  named  by  him  in  honour  of  our  triumph  at 
that  West  Indian  seaport,  and  hence  the  cognomen 
of  this  watering-place  ;  but  houses  must  have  sprung 
up  around  it  by  the  year  1753,  as  in  the  Courant  of 
that  year,  "  George  Hamilton  in  Portobello  "  offers 
a  reward  of  three  pounds  for  the  name  of  a  libeller 
who  represented  him  as  harbouring  in  his  house 
robbers,  by  whom,  and  by  some  smugglers,  the 
locality  was  then  infested. 

In  the  January  of  the    following  year  the  Scots 
Magazine    records     that    Alexander    Henderson, 


Lord  Milton,  the  proprietor,  to  Baron  Muir,  of  the 
Exchequer,  for  ,£1,500,  and  feuing  then  began  at 
£3  per  acre ;  but  the  once  solitary  abode  of  the 
old  tar  was  long  an  object  of  interest,  and  stood 
intact  till  1851,  at  the  south-west  side  of  the  High 
Street,  nearly  opposite  to  Regent  Street,  and  was 
long  used  as  a  hostelry  for  humble  foot-travellers, 
on  a  road  that  led  from  the  old  Roman  way,  or 
Fishwives'  Causeway,  across  the  Whins  towards 
Musselburgh.  Parker  Lawson,  in  his  "  Gazetteer," 
says  it  was  long  known  as  the  Shepherds'  Ha'. 

In  1765,  Mr.  William  Jamieson,  the  feuar  under 
Baron  Muir,  discovered  near  the  Figgate  Burn  a 
valuable  bed  of  clay,  and  on  the  banks  of  the 
stream  he  erected  first  a  brick  and  tile  works,  and 


.,,,,,, 


ll 


H 


•  fcX, 


- 


HH^| 


v 


r=i 


'THE   LAY   OF   THE    LAST   MINSTREL.' 


15 


afterwards  an  earthenware  manufactory.  These 
public  works,  as  well  as  others  which  followed  them, 
necessarily  made  the  place  a  seat  of  population. 
Portobello  began  to  grow  a  thriving  village,  from 
which  it  rapidly  expanded  to  the  dignity  of  a  town, 
but  was  still  so  small  that,  in  1798,  we  find  adver- 
tised to  sell  "the  old  Thatch  House  of  Portobello" 
on  the  great  road  leading  to  Musselburgh. 

In  1 80 1  it  was  advertised  that  the  Marquis  of 
Abercom  was  prepared  to  feu  in  lots  the  whole  of 


of  drilling,  Scott  used  to  delight  in  walking  his 
powerful  black  horse  up  and  down  by  himself  on 
Portobello  sands,  within  the  beating  of  the  surge ; 
and  now  and  then  you  would  see  him  plunge  in  his 
spurs  and  go  off  as  if  at  the  charge,  with  the  spray 
dashing  about  him.  As  we  rode  back  to  Mussel- 
burgh he  often  came  and  placed  himself  beside  me 
to  repeat  the  verses  he  had  been  composing  during 
those  pauses  in  our  exercise." 

These  verses  were  probably  portions  of  the  "  Lay 


the  land  lying  on  the  north  side  of  that  road,  from 
Mr.  Rae's  property  westward  to  the  Magdalene 
Bridge  ;  for  about  that  time  the  beauty  of  the  beach, 
the  firmness  of  its  sand,  and  its  general  eligibility 
as  a  bathing  place,  drew  the  attention  of  the  citi- 
zens towards  it,  and  speedily  won  for  the  rising 
town  a  fame  that  prompted  the  erection  of  many 
villas  and  streets,  and  a  growing  local  prosperity. 

With  other  corps  of  cavalry,  here  the  Edinburgh 
Light  Horse  in  those  days  were  wont  to  drill  on 
the  noble  extent  of  sandy  beach,  which  has  an 
average  breadth  of  half  a  mile,  with  a  slow  and 
almost  insensible  gradient. 

When  Scott  was  in  the  corps  mentioned,  Skene 
of  Rubislaw  tells  us  that,  in  1802,  "  in  the  intervals 
115 


of  the  Last  Minstrel,"  for  we  are  told  that  when  the 
corps  was  on  permanent  duty  at  Musselburgh, 
Scott,  the  quartermaster,  during  a  charge  on  Porto- 
bello sands,  received  a  kick  from  a  horse,  which 
confined  him  for  three  days  to  his  lodgings,  where 
Skene  always  found  him  busy  with  his  pen ;  and 
before  three  days  were  passed  he  produced  the  first 
canto  of  "  The  Lay,"  very  nearly  in  the  state  in 
which  it  was  ultimately  published  ;  and  that  the 
whole  poem  was  sketched  and  filled  in  with  extra- 
ordinary rapidity  there  can  be  no  difficulty  in 
believing,  for  Scott's  really  warlike  spirit  was  warmed 
up  by  the  daily  blare  of  the  trumpet,  the  flashing  of 
steel,  and  the  tramp  of  hoofs. 

From  Mr.  Jamieson,  to  whom  a  great  portion  of 


i46 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


rrviriuW 


Portobello  once  belonged,  Mr.  James  Cunningham, 
W.S.,  one  of  the  earliest  feuars  there,  procured  the 
piece  of  ground  to  the  westward,  whereon  he 
erected,  in  the  first  years  of  the  present  century, 
the  eccentric  and  incongruous  edifice  named  the 
Tower,  the  window-lintels  and  cornices  of  which 
were  formed  of  carved  stones  found  in  the  houses 
that  were  pulled  down  to  make  way  for  the  South 
Bridge,  from  the  cross  of  the  city,  and  even  from 
the  cathedral  of  St.  Andrews.  For  many  years 
it  remained  an  unfinished  and  open  ruin. 

The  editor  of  Kay  tells  us  that  Mr.  Jamieson, 
to  whom  this  locality  owes  so  much,  was  also  con- 
tractor for  making  the  city  drains,  at  an  estimate 
of  ;£  10,000.  The  rubbish  from  the  excavations  was 
to  be  carted  to  Portobello  free  of  toll  at  Jock's 
Lodge,  as  the  bar  belonged  to  the  Town  Council. 
The  tollman,  insisting  on  his  regular  dues,  closed 
the  gate,  on  which  Mr.  Jamieson  said  to  the  carters, 
"  Weel,  weel,  just  coup  the  carts  against  the  toll- 
bar,"  which  was  done  more  than  once,  to  the  incon- 
ceivable annoyance  of  the  keeper,  who  never  after 
refused  the  carters  the  right  of  free  passage. 

Portobello,  in  spite  of  its  name,  is  no  seaport, 
and  neither  has,  nor  probably  ever  will  have,  any 
seaward  trade.  At  the  mouth  of  the  Figgate  Burn  a 
small  harbour  was  constructed  by  the  enterprising 
Mr.  Jamieson  after  his  discovery  of  the  clay  bed  ; 
but  it  was  never  of  any  use  except  for  boats.  It 
became  completely  ruinous,  together  with  a  little 
battery  that  formed  a  portion  of  it ;  and  now  their 
vestiges  can  scarcely  be  traced. 

The  manufactures,  which  consist  of  brick,  lead, 
glass,  and  soap  works,  and  a  mustard  manufactory, 
are  of  some  importance,  and  employ  many  hands, 
whose  numbers  are  always  varying.  Communica- 
tion with  Princes  Street  is  maintained  incessantly 
by  trains  and  tramway  cars. 

On  the  sands  here,  in  1822,  George  IV.  reviewed 
a  great  body  of  Scottish  yeomanry  cavalry,  and  a 
picturesque  force  of  Highland  clans  that  had  come 
to  Edinburgh  in  honour  of  his  visit.  On  the  mole 
of  the  little  harbour — now  vanished — the  royal 
standard  was  hoisted,  and  a  battery  of  guns  posted 
to  fire  a  royal  salute. 

On  that  day,  the  23rd  of  August,  the  cavalry 
were  the  3rd  Dragoon  Guards,  the  Glasgow  Volun- 
teer Horse,  the  Peebles,  Selkirkshire,  Fifeshire, 
Berwickshire,  East  and  West  Lothian,  Midlothian, 
and  Roxburgh  Regiments  of  Yeomanry,  with  the 
Scots  Greys,  under  the  veteran  Sir  James  Stewart 
Denholm  of  Coltness,  latterly  known  as  "  the  father 
of  the  British  army." 

The  whole,  under  Sir  Thomas  Bradford,  formed 
a  long  and  magnificent  line  upon  the  vast  expanse 


of  yellow  sands,  with  the  broad  blue  Firth,  Preston 
Bay,  and  Berwick  Law  as  a  background  to  the 
scene,  and  all  under  a  glorious  sunshine.  The 
King  more  than  once  exclaimed,  "  This  is  a  fine 
sight,  Dorset ! "  to  the  duke  of  that  name,  as  his 
open  carriage  traversed  it,  surrounded  by  a  glitter- 
ing staff,  and  amid  the  acclamations  of  a  mighty 
throng.  After  the  march  past  and  salute,  His 
Majesty  expressed  a  desire  to  see  the  Highlanders  ; 
and  the  Duke  of  Argyle,  who  commanded  them, 
formed  them  in  open  column,  Sir  Walter  Scott 
acting  as  adjutant-general  of  the  "Tartan  Con- 
federacy,'' as  it  was  named. 

The  variety  of  the  tartans,  arms,  and  badges  on 
this  occasion  is  described  as  making  the  display 
"  superb,  yet  half  barbaric,"  especially  as  regarded 
the  Celtic  Society,  no  two  of  whom  were  alike, 
though  their  weapons  and  ornaments  were  all 
magnificent,  being  all  gentlemen  of  good  position. 
The  clans,  of  course,  were  uniform  in  their  own 
various  tartans. 

The  Earl  of  Breadalbane  led  the  Campbells  of 
his  sept,  each  man  having  a  great  badge  on  his 
right  arm.  Stewart  of  Ardvoirlich  and  Graham  of 
Airth  marched  next  with  the  Strathfillan  High- 
landers. After  them  came  the  Macgregors,  all  in 
red  tartans,  with  tufts  of  pine  in  their  bonnets,  led 
by  Sir  Evan  Macgregor  of  that  ilk ;  then  followed 
Glengarry,  with  his  men,  among  whom  was  his  tall 
and  stately  brother,  Colonel  Macdonnel,  whose 
powerful  hand  had  closed  the  gate  of  Hougomont, 
all  carrying,  in  addition  to  targets,  claymores,  dirks, 
and  pistols,  like  the  rest,  antique  muskets  of  extra- 
ordinary length.  The  Sutherland  Highlanders  wore 
trews  and  shoulder  plaids.  The  Drummonds,  sent 
by  Lady  Gwydir,  marched  with  sprigs  of  holly  in 
their  bonnets.  "  To  these  were  to  have  marched 
the  clans  under  the  Dukes  of  Athole  and  Gordon, 
Macleod  of  Macleod,  the  Earl  of  Fife,  Farqu- 
harson  of  Invercauld,  Clanranald,  and  other  high 
chiefs ;  but  it  was  thought  that  their  numbers 
would  occasion  inconvenience." 

The  King  surveyed  this  unusual  exhibition  with 
surprise  and  pleasure,  and  drove  off  to  Dalkeith 
House  under  an  escort  of  the  Greys,  while  the 
Highlanders  returned  to  Edinburgh,  Argyle  march- 
ing on  foot  at  the  head  of  the  column  with  his  clay- 
more on  his  shoulder. 

In  1834  Portobello,  which  quoad  civilia  belongs 
to  the  parish  of  Duddingston,  was  separated  from 
it  by  order  of  the  General  Assembly.  In  the  pre- 
ceding year,  by  an  Act  of  William  IV.,  it  had  been 
created  a  Parliamentary  burgh,  and  is  governed  by 
a  Provost,  two  bailies,  seven  councillors,  and  other 
officials.     In  conjunction  with  Leith  and  Mussel- 


Portobello.] 


CHURCHES    AND    CHAPELS. 


i  17 


burgh,    Portobello    returns    one    member    to    the 
House  of  Commons. 

The  Established  parish  church  was  built  in 
1S10  as  a  chapel  of  ease,  at  the  cost  of  only 
,£2,650,  but  was  enlarged  in  1815.  The  Relief 
Chapel,  belonging  to  a  congregation  formed  in 
1834,  was  built  in  1825,  and  purchased  in  the 
former-named  year  by  the  minister,  the  Rev.  David 
Crawford.  St  John's  Catholic  chapel  (once  Epis- 
copal) in  Brighton  Place,  was  originally  in  1826  a 


school  is  situated  in  the  Niddry  Road,  about 
half  a  mile  from  the  centre  of  the  town,  and  was 
erected  in  1875-6  at  the  cost  of  .£7,000.  It  is  a 
handsome  edifice  in  the  collegiate  style  for  the 
accommodation  of  about  600  scholars. 

In  form  Portobello  is  partially  compact  or  con- 
tinuous. Its  entire  length  is  traversed  by  the  High 
Street  (or  line  of  the  old  Musselburgh  Road),  is 
called  at  its  north-west  end  and  for  the  remaining 
part  Abercorn  Street;  and  what — were  the  town  an 


PLAN  OF 

PORTOBELLO. 


PLAN   OF   PORTOBELLO. 


villa,  purchased  in  1834  by  the  Bishop  of  Edinburgh 
for  ;£6oo.  The  United  Secession  chapel  is  of 
recent  erection,  and  belongs  to  a  congregation 
formed  in  1834.  The  Independent  chapel  was 
built  in  1835,  and  belongs  to  the  congregation 
which  erected  it.  St.  Mark's  Episcopal  chapel  is 
private  property,  and  used  to  be  rented  at  .£40 
yearly  by  the  congregation,  which  was  established 
in  1825.  It  was  consecrated  by  Bishop  Sandford 
in  1828.  Another  church,  with  a  fine  spire,  has 
recently  been  erected  in  the  High  Street,  for 
a  congregation  of  United  Presbyterians.  A  Free 
church  stands  at  the  east  end  of  the  main  street. 
It  was  erected  in  1876-7,  and  is  a  handsome 
■Gothic  edifice  with  a   massive  tower.      A  public 


old  one  and  a  marketing  community — would  be 
the  Cross,  is  a  point  at  which  the  main  thoroughfare 
is  divided  into  two  parts,  and  where  Bathgate 
goes  off  to  the  sea,  and  Brighton  Place  towards 
Duddingston. 

The  suite  of  hot  and  cold  salt-water  baths  was 
erected  in  1806  at  the  cost  of  ,£4,000,  and  over- 
looks the  beach,  between  the  foot  of  Bath  Street 
and  that  of  Regent  Street. 

Much  enlargement  of  the  town  eastward  of  the 
railway  station,  and  even  past  Joppa,  to  comprise 
a  crescent,  terraces,  and  lines  of  villas,  was  planned 
in  the  spring  of  1876,  and  a  projection  of  the  new 
Marine  Parade,  which  is  26  feet  wide,  was  planned 
300  yards  eastward  about  the  same  time.     At  right 


148 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


angles  from  this  Parade  there  was  constructed  in 
187 1  a  very  handsome  promenade  iron  pier,  1,250 
feet  long,  at  a  cost  of  ^7,000  ;  and  in  the  following 
year  a  fine  bowling-green  was  formed  in  Lee  Cres- 
cent, off  Brighton  Place,  measuring  40  yards  by 
45  ;  and  a  roller  skating-rink  was  opened  in  Bath 
Street  in  1876,  comprising  a  hall-rink,  an  out-door 
rink,  a  gallery  or  orchestra,  and  retiring-room. 

In  Portobello  are  to  be  found  quarters  for  all 
classes  of  visitors  and  summer  residents.     "  Many 


A  house  in  Tower  Street  was  the  residence  of 
Hugh  Miller — that  self-taught  and  self-made  Scot- 
tish genius,  author  of  "  The  Old  Red  Sandstone," 
and  other  geological  works,  with  lighter  produc- 
tions, such  as,"  My  Schools  and  Schoolmasters  ;" 
and  there,  worn  out  by  the  overwork  of  a  highly 
sensitive  brain,  he  shot  himself  with  a  revolver  in 
1856.  The  event  caused  great  excitement  in 
Edinburgh,  and  his  funeral  was  a  vast  and  solemn 
one.     "  You  should  have  been  in  Edinburgh  to- 


JOCK  S   LODGE. 


of  the  private  houses,"  says  a  recent  writer, 
"  the  mansions  and  villas,  are  the  homes  of  capi- 
talists and  annuitants,  who  have  adopted  Portobello 
as  their  constant  retreat,  and  who  people  it  in  suffi- 
cient numbers  to  give  its  resident  or  unshifting 
population  a  tone  of  selectness  and  elegance.  In 
winter  the  town  is  far  from  having  the  forsaken  and 
wan  aspect  which  pervades  a  mere  sea-bathing 
station  ;  and  in  summer  it  has  an  animation  and 
gaiety  superior  to  those  of  any  other  sea-bathing 
station  in  Scotland."  In  1839  a  valuable  oyster- 
bed  was  discovered  off  the  town. 

The  Town  Hall,  with  the  Council  Chambers  and 
offices  of  the  Commissioners  of  Police,  is  a  hand- 
some building  in  the  principal  thoroughfare. 


day,"  wrote  Sydney  Dobell  to  a  friend,  "  and  seen 
the  great  army  of  the  body  that  debouched  inex- 
haustibly through  all  its  main  streets — a  waving 
parti-coloured  river,  where  a  fallen  child  or  a  blind 
beggar  made  an  instant  mob,  as  in  a  stream  at 
flood  so  much  as  a  walking-stick  set  straight  will 
make  an  eddy.  It  was  curious  to  walk  up  the 
same  streetson  Monday,  as  I  walked  often  past  Hugh 
Miller's  house,  and  to  think  what  different  causes 
could  produce  the  same  '  pomp  and  circumstance  ' 
of  populous  life.  Never  since  the  death  of  Chal- 
mers has  Edinburgh  been  so  unanimous  in  honour. 
Even  Christopher  North's  funeral  was  sectarial  and 
cold  in  comparison.  The  shops  were  shut ;  the 
common  people  drew  back  in  thick  masses  on  each 


BRUNSTANE    HOUSE. 


149 


side  of  the  streets  when  the  cavalcade  was  to  pass, 
and  through  this  flesh  and  blood  corpus  (sic),  as  it 
were,  all  the  mind  of  the  city  followed,  in  long- 
drawn  procession  half  a  mile  in  length,  '  The 
Stone  Mason  of  Cromarty'  The  whole  thing  was 
national,  as  distinct  from  popular.  To  make  the 
day  complete,  Nature  herself  spread  over  it  the 
robe  of  innocency,  but,  as  it  were,  of  dabbled 
innocency,  snow  and  thaw  together.  You  saw,  of 
course,  the  result  of  the  post-mortem  examination, 
which  showed  a  brain  past  responsibility — a  terrible 
example  of  what  mental  work  caused,  even  to  such 
a  physical  giant  as  Hugh  Miller.     The  last  time  I 


incredible  number  of  volumes  that  threw  light  on 
Scottish  archaeology,  but  kindly  rendered  invaluable 
assistance  to  other  workers  in  the  same  useful  field. 
Joppa,  a  modern  village,  the  name  of  which  does 
not  appear  in  Kincaid's  "Gazetteer  of  Midlothian  " 
in  1787,  or  his  map  of  1794,  is  now  incorporated 
with  Portobello  on  the  east,  and  a  mineral  well  once 
gave  it  importance  to  invalids.  Near  it  are  salt 
works,  well  known  as  Joppa  Pans.  Robert  Jamie- 
son,  Professor  of  Natural  History  in  the  University 
of  Edinburgh,  to  the  chair  of  which  he  was  ap- 
pointed in  1804,  was  long  resident  in  this  place,  and 
he  is  referred  to  in  the  famous  "Chaldee  MS."  as  "a 


r" 


PORTOBELLO,    1S3S.      {After  IK  B.  Scott.) 


saw  him  I  felt  suspicious  that  his  mind  was  shaken, 
for  tottering  nervousness  in  so  vast  a  form  (for  he 
really  looked  quite  colossal)  seemed  more  than 
ordinary  mauvaise  honte,  and  he  complained  much 
of  his  broken  health."  ("Life  and  Letters  of 
Sydney  Dobell.")  As  has  been  mentioned  in  a 
previous  chapter,  he  was  buried  in  the  Grange 
cemetery.     He  was  born  in  Cromarty  in  1S02. 

In  No.  12,  James  Street,  Portobello,  the  eminent 
antiquary,  David  Laing,  LL.D.,  who  for  forty  years 
acted  as  librarian  to  the  Signet  Library,  closed  his 
long,  laborious,  and  blameless  life  on  the  iSth  of 
October,  1878,  in  his  eighty-sixth  year.  He  formed 
one  of  the  last  surviving  links  between  our  own 
time  and  literary  coteries  of  sixty  years  ago.  We 
have  elsewhere  referred  to  him,  and  to  that  career 
in  which  he  not  only  edited  personally  an  almost 


wise  man  which  had  come  out  of  Joppa,  where  the 
ships  are  ;  one  that  had  sojourned  in  far  countries." 

Brunstane  Burn,  which  flows  into  the  Firth  at 
Magdalene  Bridge,  forms  a  kind  of  boundary  in  this 
quarter,  and  the  bridge  takes  its  name  from  an 
ancient  chapel,  dedicated  to  St.  Mary  Magdalene, 
which  once  stood  in  the  ground  of  New  Hailes, 
and  which  was  a  subordinate  chaplaincy  of  the 
church  of  St.  Michael,  at  Inveresk,  and,  with  others, 
was  granted  by  James  VI.  to  his  Chancellor,  Lord 
Thirlstane,  progenitor  of  the  Earls  of  Lauderdale. 

Before  quitting  this  quarter  it  is  impossible  to 
omit  a  reference  to  the  great  quadrangular  old- 
fashioned  manor-house  of  Brunstane,  which  was 
sometimes  of  old  called  Gilbertoun,  and  which  is 
approached  by  a  massive  little  picturesque  bridge, 
of  such  vast  antiquity  that  it  is  supposed  to  be 


'5° 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


Roman,  and  which  spans  the  burn  where  it  flows 
through  a  wooded  and  sylvan  glen  near  Joppa. 
The  lower  portions  and  substructure  of  this  house 
date  probably  from  the  Middle  Ages  ;  but  the  pre- 
sent edifice  was  built  in  1639,  by  John,  second 
Lord  Thirlstane  (son  of  the  Lord  Chancellor  just 
referred  to),  who  was  father  of  the  future  Duke  of 
Lauderdale,  and  who  died  in  1645. 

The  older  mansion  in  the  time  of  the  .Reforma- 
tion belonged  to  a  family  named  Crichton,  and 
the  then  laird  was  famous  as  a  conspirator  against  I 
Cardinal  Beaton.  When,  in  1545,  George  Wishart  ' 
courageously  ventured  to  preach  in  Leith,  among 
his  auditors  were  the  Lairds  of  Brunstane,  Long- 
niddry,  and  Ormiston,  at  whose  houses  he  afterwards 
took  up  his  residence  in  turns,  accompanied  at 
times  by  Knox,  his  devoted  scholar,  and  the  bearer 
of  his  two-handed  sword. 

When  Cardinal  Beaton  became  especially  ob- 
noxious to  those  Scottish  barons  who  were  in  the 
pay  of  Henry  VIII.,  a  scheme  was  formed  to  get 
rid  of  him  by  assassination,  and  the  Baron  of  Brun- 
stane entered  into  it  warmly.  In  July  1545  he 
opened  a  communication  with  Sir  Ralph  Sadler 
"touching  the  killing  of  the  Cardinal;"  and  the 
Englishman — showing  his  opinion  of  the  character 
of  his  correspondent — coolly  hinted  at  "a  reward 
of  the  deed,"  and  "  the  glory  to  God  that  would 
accrue  from  it."  (Tytler.)  In  the  same  year 
Crichton  opened  communications  with  several 
persons  in  England  with  the  hope  of  extracting  j 
protection  and  reward  from  Henry  for  the  ! 
murder  of  the  Cardinal ;  but  as  pay  did  not  seem  j 
forthcoming,  he  took  no  active  hand  in  the  final 
catastrophe. 

He  was  afterwards  forfeited  ;  but  the  Act  was  ' 
withdrawn  in    a  Parliament  held   by   the   Queen 
Regent  in  1556. 

In  15S5,  John  Crichton  of  Brunstane  and  James 
Douglas  of  Drumlanrig  became  caution  in  ,£10,000  : 
for  Robert  Douglas,  Provost  of  Lincluden,  that  if 
released  from  the   Castle  of  Edinburgh  he  would 
return  to  reside  there  on  a  six  days'  warning. 


In  the  "  Retours  "  for  May  17th,  1608,  we  find 
Jacobus  Crichtoun  hares,  Joannis  Crichtoun  de 
Brunstoun  patris ;  but  from  thenceforward  to  the 
time  of  Lord  Thirlstane  there  seems  a  hiatus  in  the 
history  of  the  old  place. 

We  have  examined  the  existing  title-deeds  of  it, 
which  show  that  previous  to  1682  the  house  and 
lands  were  in  possession  of  John,  Duke  of  Lauder- 
dale, whose  second  duchess,  Elizabeth  Murray 
(daughter  of  William,  Earl  of  Dysart,  and  widow  of 
Sir  Lyonell  Talmash,  of  Heyling,  in  the  county  of 
Suffolk),  obtained  a  charter  of  them,  under  the 
Great  Seal  of  Scotland,  in  the  year  mentioned,  on 
the   10th  March. 

They  next  came  into  possession  of  Lyonell,  Earl 
of  Dysart,  l:  as  only  son  and  heir  of  the  deceased 
Elizabeth,  Duchess  of  Lauderdale,"  on  the  19th  of 
March,  1703. 

The  said  Earl  sold  "  the  house  of  Gilberton, 
commonly  called  Brunstane,"  to  Archibald,  Duke  of 
Argyle,  on  the  31st  May,  1736;  and  ten  years 
afterwards  the  latter  sold  Brunstane  to  James,  third 
Earl  of  Abercorn. 

Part  of  the  lands  of  Brunstane  were  sold  by  the 
Duke  on  the  28th  September,  1747,  to  Andrew 
Fletcher  of  Saltoun,  nephew  of  that  stern  patriot  of 
the  same  name  who,  after  the  Union,  quitted  Scot- 
land, saying  that  "  she  was  only  fit  for  the  slaves 
who  sold  her." 

Andrew  Fletcher  resided  in  the  house  of  Brun- 
stane. He  was  Lord  Justice  Clerk,  and  succeeded 
the  famous  Lord  Fountainhall  on  the  bench  in 
1724,  and  presided  as  a  judge  till  his  death,  at 
Brunstane,  13th  of  December,  1766.  His  daughter, 
"  Miss  Betty  Fletcher,"  was  married  at  Brunstane, 
in  1758,  to  Captain  Wedderburn  of  Gosford. 

On  the  15th  of  February,  1769,  the  old  house 
and  the  Fletchers'  portion  of  the  estate  were  ac- 
quired by  purchase  by  James,  eighth  Earl  of  Aber- 
corn, whose  descendant  and  representative,  the 
first  Duke  of  Abercorn,  sold  Brunstane,  in  1875,  to 
the  Benhar  Coal  Company,  by  whom  it  is  again 
advertised  for  sale. 


CHAPTER     XV. 
LEITH    WALK. 

A  Pathway  in  the  15th  Century  probable— General  Leslie's  Trenches— Repulse  of  Cromwell— The  Road  Chapel— Old  Leith  Stages— Proposal 
for  Lighting  the  Walk-The  Gallow  Lea— Executions  there— The  Minister  of  Spott-  Five  Witches— Five  Covenanters— The  Story  of  their 
Skulls— The  Murder  of  Lady  Baillie— The  Effigies  of  "Johnnie  Wilkes." 

Prior  to  the  building  of  the  North  Bridge  the  I  elsewhere  stated,  was  the  chief  way  to  the  seaport 
Easter  Road  was  the  principal  carriage  way  to  Leith  on  the  west ;  but  there  would  seem  to  have  been 
on  the  east,  and  the  Bonnington  Road,  as  we  have  I  of  old  some  kind  of  path,  however  narrow,  in  the 


REPULSE    OF    CROMWELL. 


[51 


direction  of  Leith  Walk,  as  by  charter  under  the 
Great  Seal,  dated  at  Edinburgh,  13th  August,  1456, 
King  James  II.  granted,  "preposito,  ballivis  et  com- 
mimitati  noslri  de  Edinburgh"  the  valley  or  low 
ground  between  the  well  called  Craigangilt,  on  the 
east  side  (i.e.,  the  Calton  Hill),  "  and  the  common 
way  and  road  towards  the  town  of  Leith,  on  the 
west  side,"  etc. 

But  the  origin  of  Leith  Loan — or  Leith  Walk,  as 
we  now  call  it — was  purely  accidental,  and  the 
result  of  the  contingencies  of  war. 

In  1650,  to  repel  Cromwell's  attack  upon  the 
city,  Sir  Alexander  Leslie  had  the  whole  Scottish 
army  skilfully  entrenched  in  rear  of  a  strong  breast- 
work of  earth  that  lay  from  north  to  south  between 
Edinburgh  and  Leith.  Its  right  flank  was  de- 
fended by  redoubts  armed  with  guns  on  the  green 
slope  of  the  Calton  Hill ;  its  left  by  others  on  the 
eastern  portions  of  Leith  and  St.  Anthony's  Port, 
which  enfiladed  the  line  and  swept  all  the  open 
ground  towards  Restalrig.  In  addition  to  all  this, 
the  walls  of  the  city  were  everywhere  armed  with 
cannon,  and  the  banners  of  the  trades  were  dis- 
played above  its  gates. 

Along  the  line  of  this  entrenchment  Charles  II., 
after  landing  at  Leith  from  Stirling,  proceeded  on 
horseback  to  the  city.  His  appearance  created  the 
greatest  enthusiasm,  all  the  more  so  that  Cromwell's 
arms  were  seen  glittering  in  the  distance.  Around 
Charles  was  his  Life  Guard  of  Horse,  led  by  the  Earl 
of  Eglinton,  magnificently  armed  and  mounted,  and 
having  on  their  embroidered  standards  the  crown, 
sword,  and  sceptre,  with  the  mottoes  Nobis  haze  in- 
victa  miserunt,  and  Pro  Rc/igione,  Rege,  et  Putrid. 

On  Monday,  the  24th  of  July,  Cromwell  furiously 
attacked  the  entrenchment,  as  he  had  been  exas- 
perated by  the  result  of  a  sortie  made  by  Major 
General  Montgomery,  who  at  the  head  of  2,000 
Scottish  dragoons,  had  repulsed  an  advanced 
column,  and  "  killed  five  Colonells  and  Lieutenant- 
Colonells,  mortally  wounded  Lieut-Gen.  Lambert 
and  five  hundred  soldiers."  (Balfour.)  As  the 
English  advanced,  the  rising  sun  shone  full  upon 
the  long  lines  of  Scottish  helmets  glittering  above 
the  rough  earthwork,  where  many  a  pike  was 
gleaming  and  many  a  standard  waving.  Clearing 
the  rocks  and  house  of  Restalrig,  they  advanced 
over  the  plain  westward  from  Lochend,  when  the 
field  batteries  at  the  Quarry  Holes,  the  guns  on  Leith 
and  the  Calton,  opened  on  them  simultaneously,  while 
a  rolling  and  incessant  fire  of  musketry  ran  along 
the  whole  Scottish  line  from  Hank  to  flank,  and  was 
poured  in  closely  and  securely  from  the  summit  of 
the  breastwork.  They  were  speedily  thrown  into 
confusion,  and  fled  in  considerable  disorder,  leaving 


behind  them  some  pieces  of  cannon  and  the  ground 
strewn  with  dead  and  wounded. 

Cromwell's  vigorous  attack  on  the  southern  part 
of  the  city  was  equally  well  repulsed,  and  he  then 
drew  off  from  it  till  after  his  victory  at  Dunbar. 

At  this  time  General  Leslie's  head-quarters  were 
in  the  village  of  Broughton,  from  whence  many  of 
his  despatches  were  dated  ;  and  when  the  war  was 
shifted  to  other  quarters,  his  famous  breastwork 
became  the  established  footway  between  the  capital 
and  its  seaport. 

Midway  between  these  long  stood  an  edifice,  of 
which  no  vestige  remains — the  Rood  Chapel,  re- 
pairs upon  which  were  paid  for  by  the  city  in 
1554-5.  It  stood  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Gallow 
Lee,  a  place  memorable  for  a  desperate  conflict 
between  the  Kingsmen  and  Queensmen  in  1571, 
when  the  motto  of  "God  shaw  the  Richt,"  was 
conferred  on  Captain  Crawford,  of  Jordan  Hill,  by 
the  Regent  Morton,  and  whose  tombstone  is  yet 
to  be  seen  in  the  churchyard  of  Kilbirnie.  On 
nearly  the  same  ground  in  1604  James  Hardie,  of 
Bounmylnerig,  with  others,  in  the  month  of  April, 
between  nine  and  ten  in  the  evening,  assailed 
Jacques  de  la  Berge,  a  Fleming,  forced  him  to  quit 
his  saddle,  and  "  thereafter  rypeit  him "  of  gold 
and  silver,  for  which  Hardie  was  hanged  at  the 
Cross  and  his  goods  forfeited. 

Though  in  16 10  Henrie  Anderson,  a  native  of 
Stralsund,  in  Pomerania,  obtained  a  royal  patent 
for  coaches  to  run  between  Edinburgh  and  Leith 
at  the  rate  of  2d.  per  passenger,  we  have  no  record 
of  how  his  speculation  succeeded  ;  nor  was  it  until 
1660  that  William  Woodcock  obtained  a  license 
"  to  fitt  and  set  up  ane  haickney  coatch  for  the 
service  of  his  Majesty's  lieges,  betwix  Leith  and 
Edinburgh,"  at  the  rate  of  12s.  (Scots)  per  pas- 
senger, if  the  latter  decided  to  travel  alone,  but  if 
three  went  with  him,  the  charge  was  to  be  no  more 
than  12s.  ;  and  all  who  came  upward  to  Edinburgh 
were  to  alight  at  the  foot  of  Leith  Wynd,  "  for  the 
staynes  yr  of." 

From  that  time  we  hear  no  more  of  Leith  stages 
till  1678,  as  mentioned  in  our  first  volume  ;  but  in 
1702  a  person  named  Robert  Miller  obtained  per- 
mission to  keep  four  vehicles  to  ply  between  the 
two  towns  for  nine  years.  Individual  enterprise 
having  failed  to  make  stages  here  remunerative, 
the  magistrates  in  1722  granted  to  a  company  the 
exclusive  right  to  run  coaches  on  Leith  Walk  for  a 
period  of  twenty-one  years,  each  to  hold  six  pas- 
sengers, the  fare  to  be  3d.  in  summer  and  4d.  in 
winter ;  but  this  speculation  did  not  seem  to  pay, 
and  in  1727  the  company  raised  the  fares  to  4d. 
and  6d.  respectively. 


OLD   AND    NEW   EDINBURGH. 


In  1748  the  thoroughfare  is  described  as  "a  very 
handsome  gravel  walk,  twenty  feet  broad,  which  is 
kept  in  good  repair  at  the  public  expense,  and  no 
horses  suffered  to  come  upon  it."  In  1763  two 
stage  coaches,  with  three  horses,  a  driver,  and 
postilion  each,  ran  between  Edinburgh  and  Leith 
every  hour,  consuming  an  hour  on  the  way,  from 
S  a.m.  to  8  p.m.  ;  and  at  that  time  there  were  no 
other  stage  coaches  in  Scotland,  except  one  which 
set  out  at  Ions;  intervals  for  London. 


Before  that  nothing  had  been  done,  though  in 
1774  the  Weekly  Magazine  announced  that  "anew 
road  for  carriages  is  to  be  made  betwixt  Edinburgh 
and  Leith.  It  is  to  be  continued  from  the  end  of 
the  New  Bridge  by  the  side  of  Clelland's  Gardens 
and  Leith  Walk.  [Clelland's  Feu  was  where  Leith 
Terrace  is  now.]  We  hear  that  the  expense  of  it 
is  to  be  defrayed  by  subscription." 

In  1779  Arnot  states  that  "so  great  is  the  con- 
course of  people  passing  between   Edinburgh  and 


In  1769,  when  Provost  Drummond  built  the 
North  Bridge,  he  gave  out  that  it  was  to  improve 
the  access  to  Leith,  and  on  this  pretence,  to  con- 
ciliate opposition  to  his  scheme,  upon  the  plate  in 
the  foundation-stone  of  the  bridge  it  is  solely  de- 
scribed as  the  opening  of  a  new  road  to  Leith  ; 
and  after  it  was  opened  the  Walk  became  freely 
used  for  carriages,  but  without  any  regard  being 
paid  to  its  condition,  or  any  system  established 
for  keeping  it  in  repair ;  thus,  consequently,  it  fell 
into  a  state  of  disorder  "  from  which  it  was  not 
rescued  till  after  the  commencement  of  the  present 
century,  when  a  splendid  causeway  was  formed  at 
a  great  expense  by  the  city  of  Edinburgh,  and  a 
toll  erected  for  its  payment." 


1  Leith,  and  so  much  are  the  stage  coaches  employed, 
I  that  they  pass  and  re-pass  between  these  towns 
I  156  times  daily.  Each  of  these  carriages  holds 
\  four  persons."  The  fare  in  some  was  2-J;d. ;  in 
;  others,  3d. 

In  December,  1799,  the  Herald  announces  that 
the  magistrates  had  ordered  forty  oil  lamps  for 
Leith  Walk,  "  which  necessary  improvement,"  adds 
the  editor,  "  will,  we  understand,  soon  take  place." 
Among  some  reminiscences,  which  appeared 
about  thirty  years  ago,  we  have  a  description  of 
Anderson's  Leith  stage,  "which  took  an  hour  and 
a  half  to  go  from  the  Tron  Church  to  the  shore.  A 
great  lumbering  affair  on  four  wheels,  the  two  fore 
painted  yellow,  the  two  hind  red,  having  formerly 


OLD    LEITH    STAGE. 


Ramsay  Lane  ;  2,  The  Established  Church  ;  3,  High  Street,  looking  east ;  4,  Town    Hall ;  5    Episcopalian  Ch 


'54 


OLD   AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


belonged  to  different  vehicles.  It  is  standing  op- 
posite the  Tron  Kirk.  The  warning  bell  rings  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  before  starting !  Shortly  a  pair 
of  ill-conditioned  and  ill-sized  hacks  make  their 
appearance,  and  are  yoked  to  it ;  the  harness,  partly 
of  old  leathern  straps  and  partly  of  ropes,  bears 
evidence  of  many  a  mend.  A  passenger  comes 
and  takes  a  seat — probably  from  the  Crames  or 
Luckenbooths — who  has  shut  his  shop  and  affixed 
a  notice  to  the  door,  'Gone  to  Leith,  and  will  be 
back  at  4  of  the  clock,  p.m.'  The  quarter  being 
up,  and  the  second  bell  rung,  off  starts  the  coach 
at  a  very  slow  pace.  Having  taken  three-quarters 
of  an  hour  to  get  to  the  Halfway  House,  the  '  'bus ' 
sticks  fast  in  a  rut ;  the  driver  whips  up  his  nags, 
when  lo  !  away  go  the  horses,  but  fast  remains  the 
stage.  The  ropes  being  re-tied,  and  assistance  pro- 
cured from  the  '  Half-way,'  the  stage  is  extricated, 
and  proceeds.  What  a  contrast,"  adds  the  writer, 
"  between  the  above  pictures  and  the  present  '  'bus  ' 
with  driver  and  conductor,  starting  every  five 
minutes."  But  to-day  the  contrast  is  yet  greater, 
the  tram  having  superseded  the  'bus. 

The  forty  oil-lamps  referred  to  would  seem  not  to 
have  been  erected,  as  in  the  Advertiser  for  Sep- 
tember, 1802,  a  subscription  was  announced  for 
lighting  the  Walk  during  the  ensuing  winter  season, 
the  lamps  not  to  be  lighted  at  all  until  a  sufficient 
sum  had  been  subscribed  at  the  Leith  Bank  and 
certain  other  places  to  continue  them  to  the  end 
of  March,  1803  ;  but  we  have  no  means  of  know- 
ing if  ever  this  scheme  were  carried  out. 

"  If  my  reader  be  an  inhabitant  of  Edinburgh  of 
any  standing,"  writes  Robert  Chambers,  "  he  must 
have  many  delightful  associations  of  Leith  Walk 
in  connection  with  his  childhood.  Of  all  the  streets 
in  Edinburgh  or  Leith,  the  Walk,  in  former  times, 
was  certainly  the  street  for  boys  and  girls.  From 
top  to  bottom  it  was  a  scene  of  wonders  and  enjoy- 
ments peculiarly  devoted  to  children.  Besides  the 
panoramas  and  caravan  shows,  which  were  com- 
paratively transient  spectacles,  there  were  several 
shows  upon  Leith  Walk  which  might  be  considered 
as  regular  fixtures,  and  part  of  the  country-cousin 
sights  of  Edinburgh.  Who  can  forget  the  waxworks 
of  '  Mrs.  Sands,  widow  of  the  late  G.  Sands,' 
which  occupied  a  laigh  shop  opposite  to  the  pre- 
sent Haddington  Place,  and  at  the  door  of  which, 
besides  various  parrots  and  sundry  Birds  of  Para- 
dise, sat  the  wax  figure  of  a  little  man  in  the  dress 
of  a  French  courtier  cf  the  aucien  regime,  reading 
one  eternal  copy  of  the  Edinburgh  Advertiser1! 
The  very  outsides  of  these  wonderful  shops  was  an 
immense  treat  ;  all  along  the  Walk  it  was  one  deli- 
cious scene  of  squirrels  hung  out   at  doors   and 


monkeys  dressed  like  soldiers  and  sailors,  with 
\  holes  behind  them  where  their  tails  came  through. 
I  Even  the  halfpenny-less  boy  might  have  got  his 
'  appetite  for  wonders  to  some  extent  gratified." 

The  long  spaces  of  blank  garden  or  nursery 
walls  on  both  sides  of  the  way  were  then  literally 
garrisoned  with  mendicants,  organ-grinders,  and 
cripples  on  iron  or  wooden  legs,  in  bowls  and 
wheelbarrows,  by  ballad  singers  and  itinerant 
fiddlers.  Among  the  mendicants  on  the  east  side 
of  the  Walk,  below  Elm  Row  (where  the  last  of 
the  elms  has  long  since  disappeared)  there  was  one 
noted  mendicant,  an  old  seaman,  whose  figure  was 
familiar  there  for  years,  and  whose  sobriquet  was 
"  Commodore  O'Brien."  who  sat  daily  in  a  little 
masted  boat  which  had  been  presented  to  him  by 
order  of  George  IV.  "The  commodore's  ship," 
says  the  Weekly  Journal  for  1831,  "is  appro- 
priately called  the  Royal  Gift.  It  is  scarcely  6  ft. 
long,  by  2\  breadth  of  beam,  and  when  rigged  for 
use  her  mast  is  little  stouter  than  a  mopstick,  her 
cordage  scarcely  stronger  than  packthread,  and 
her  tonnage  is  a  light  burden  for  two  men.  In  this 
mannikin  cutter  the  intrepid  navigator  fearlessly 
commits  himself  to  the  ocean  and  performs  long 
voyages."  Now  the  character  of  the  Walk  is  en- 
tirely changed,  as  it  is  a  double  row  of  houses  from 
end  to  end. 

During  the  railway  mania  two  schemes  were  pro- 
jected to  supersede  the  omnibus  traffic  here.  One 
was  an  atmospheric  railway,  and  the  other  a  sub- 
terranean one,  to  be  laid  under  the  Walk.  A  road 
for  foot-passengers  was  to  be  formed  alongside  the 
railway,  and  shops,  from  which  much  remuneration 
was  expected,  were  to  be  opened  along  the  line  ; 
but  both  schemes  collapsed,  though  plans  for  them 
were  laid  before  Parliament. 

In  April,  1S03,  there  died,  in  a  house  in  Leith 
Walk,  James  Sibbald,  an  eminent  bookseller  and 
antiquary,  who  was  educated  at  the  grammar- 
school  of  Selkirk,  and  after  being  in  the  shop  of 
Elliott,  a  publisher  in  Edinburgh,  in  1781  acquired 
by  purchase  the  library  which  had  once  belonged  to 
Allan  Ramsay,  and  was  thereafter  long  one  of  the 
leading  booksellers  in  the  Parliament  Square. 

One  terrible  peculiarity  attended  Leith  Walk, 
even  till  long  after  the  middle  of  the  last  century — 
this  was  the  presence  of  a  permanent  gibbet  at  the 
'  Gallow  Lee,  a  dreary  object  to  the  wayfarer  by 
night,  when  two  or  three  malefactors  swung  there  in 
'  chains,  with  the  gleds  and  crows  perching  over 
them.  It  stood  on  rising  ground,  on  the  west  side 
of  the  Walk,  and  its  site  is  enclosed  in  the  precincts 
;  of  a  villa  once  occupied  by  the  witty  and  beautiful 
I  Duchess  of  Gordon.     As  the  knoll  was  composed 


THE   REV.    JOHN    KELLOE. 


[55 


of  sand,  much  of  it  was  carted  away,  and,  with  the 
ashes  of  the  malefactors  of  centuries,  converted  into 
mortar,  and  used  in  the  erection  of  the  New  Town. 
So  far  from  being  a  knoll,  the  place  is  now  a  hollow. 
It  is  related  that,  every  day  while  the  carts  were 
taking  away  the  sand,  the  proprietor  of  the  knoll 
stood  regularly  at  the  place  receiving  the  money  in 
return,  and  "  every  little  sum  he  got  was  converted 
into  liquor,  and  applied  to  the  comfort  of  his  inner 
man.  A  public-house  was  at  length  erected  on  the 
spot  for  his  particular  behoof;  and,  assuredly,  as 
long  as  the  Gallow  Lee  lasted  this  house  did  not 
want  custom.  Perhaps,  familiar  as  the  reader  may 
be  with  stories  of  sots  who  have  drunk  away  their 
last  coin,  he  never  before  heard  of  this  thing  being 
done  in  so  literal  a  manner." 

It  immediately  adjoined  the  place  known  as 
Shrub  Hill.  Ordinary  malefactors  were  hanged  at 
the  Cross  in  the  Grassmarket,  or  on  the  shore  of 
Leith  ;  but  the  Gallow  Lee  was  latterly  the  special 
place  for  the  execution  of  witches,  and  for  hanging 
in  chains  the  bodies  of  those  who  had  committed 
great  crimes.  Sometimes  only  a  hand  or  other  limb 
was  gibbeted  here,  while  the  rest  of  the  body  was 
buried  elsewhere.  Among  the  most  noted  execu- 
tions and  gibbetings  here,  we  may  add  the  following 
to  those  which  have  been  referred  to  incidentally 
elsewhere  in  our  pages  . — 

Crawford  of  Drumsoy  records  that  two  criminals 
were  burned  to  death  here  in  1570;  and  then  he 
relates  an  execution  at  the  same  place  in  the  autumn 
of  the  year,  which  made  some  excitement  even  in 
the  Scotland  of  those  days. 

Mr.  John  Kelloe,  minister  of  Spott,  near  Dunbar, 
being  seized  by  a  sudden  remorse  of  conscience, 
came  to  Edinburgh,  and  judicially  made  confession 
of  a  crime  which  otherwise  would  never  have  been 
proved  against  him.  He  had  been  married  to  a 
poor  but  very  handsome  and  attractive  girl,  "  very 
witty  and  fond,  a  very  little  woman,  but  well 
shap'd,"  before  he  got  the  benefice  of  Spott,  after 
which  he  began  to  propose  to  himself  a  second 
marriage  with  the  wealthy  daughter  of  a  laird, 
whose  name  Crawford  omits,  provided  he  could  by 
any  means  rid  himself  of  his  first  wife,  to  whom 
now  he  began  to  behave  harshly  and  petulantly. 
To  prepare  the  way  for  the  execution  of  his  design, 
and  to  conceal  it  when  done,  he  suddenly  began  to 
dissemble  in  his  treatment  of  her  ;  his  manner  was 
full  of  tenderness,  kindness,  and  delicacy. 

"  She  who  now  thought  herself  the  happiest  of 
her  sex,"  continues  Crawford  in  his  "  Memoirs," 
written  in  1705,  "effusively  strove  to  make  him  so 
too,  and  hastened  her  own  ruin  ;  for,  upon  a  Sun- 
day morning,  as  she  was  saying  her  prayers  upon 


her  knees,  he  came  softly  behind  her,  put  a  rope 
(which  he  had  kept  all  night  in  his  pocket)  about 
her  neck,  and  after  he  had  strangled  her  tied  her  up 
to  an  iron  hook  which  a  day  or  two  before  he  had 
purposely  nailed  to  the  ceiling  of  the  room.  This 
J  done,  he  bolted  his  gate,  crept  out  of  his  parlour 
j  window,  stept  demurely  to  church,  and  charmed 
I  his  hearers  with  a  most  excellent  sermon." 

The  murderer  next  invited  two  or  three  of  his 
parishioners  to  sup  with  him,  telling  them  casually, 
as  it  were,  that  "  his  wife  was  not  well,  and  of  late 
somewhat  inclined  to  melancholy  ;  that  she  had  not 
come  to  kirk  that  day,  but  would  be  glad  to  see 
them  at  her  house."  On  knocking  at  the  gate,  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Kelloe  affected  to  be  much  astonished 
that  there  was  no  response.  Ultimately  he  and  his 
guests  were  obliged  to  make  a  forcible  entrance,  and 
I  the  murdered  wife  was  found  hanging  from  the 
;  hook  to  which  her  corpse  had  been  attached.  The 
reverend  incumbent  of  Spott  now  "  feigned  grief 
and  counterfeited  sorrow  so  much  to  the  life  that 
his  neighbours  almost  forgot  to  mourn  for  the  dead 
so  much  were  they  afraid  of  losing  the  living. 
However,  these  forged  tears,  by  the  mercy  of 
God  to  this  great  offender,  suddenly  became  real 
ones." 

Tortured  by  conscience,  after  six  weeks  of  misery 
he  made  a  confession  of  his  crime  to  the  school- 
master of  Dunbar,  according  to  Crawford — to 
Andrew  Simpson,  minister  there,  according  to  the 
"  Historie  of  King  James  the  Sext " — and  after 
being  convicted,  on  his  own  confession,  at  Edin- 
burgh, he  was  conveyed  to  the  Gallow  Lee,  on  the 
4th  of  October,  and  strangled.  His  corpse  was 
then  consumed  by  fire  and  the  ashes  scattered  on 
the  air.  "  Never  did  any  man  appear  more  peni- 
tent or  less  fearful  of  death.  He  was  attended  from 
the  prison  to  the  stake  by  three  of  the  clergy,  and 
by  the  way  he  rather  instructed  them  than  received 
any  assistance  from  them." 

A  century  or  so  later  and  we  have  some  appal- 
ling accounts  of  the  cremation  of  so-called  witches 
at  the  terrible  Gallow  Lee. 

In  1678  five  were  (mercifully)  strangled  first  and 
burnt  to  ashes  there,  by  sentence  of  the  Lords  ; 
and  other  four,  their  companions,  were  burned 
at  Painston  Muir,  in  their  own  parish.  The  accu- 
sations against  them  were  intimacy  with  the  devil, 
dancing  with  him,  renouncing  their  baptism,  and 
being  kissed  by  him,  though  his  lips  were  icy  cold, 
and  his  breath  like  damp  air  ;  taking  a  communion 
at  his  hands,  when  "  the  bread  was  like  wafers,  the 
drink  sometimes  blood  and  other  times  like  black 
moss  water,"  and  much  more  to  the  same  purpose, 
all  of  which  is  gravely  recorded  by  Lord  Fountain- 


'56 


OLD   AND    NEW   EDINBURGH. 


[Leith  Walk. 


hall  within  thirty  years  of  the  time  when  Steele  and 
Addison  were  writing  in  the  Spectator ! 

The  10th  of  October,  1681,  saw  five  unfortunate 
victims  of  misrule,  named  Garnock,  Foreman, 
Russel,  Ferrie,  and  Stewart,  executed  at  the  Gallow 
Lee,  where  their  bodies  were  buried,  while  their 
heads  were  placed  on  the  Cowgate  Port.  Some  of 
their  friends  came  in  the  night,  and  reverently 
lifting  the  remains,  re-interred  them  in  the  West 
Churchyard.     They  had  the  courage  also  to  take 


half  of  the  linen  over  them,  and  stufft  the  coffin 
with  shavings."  Many  urged  that  the  latter  should 
be  borne  through  all  the  chief  thoroughfares ;  but 
PatricK  Walker  adds  that  instead,  "  we  went  out 
by  the  back  of  the  [city]  wall,  in  at  the  Bristo  Port, 
and  turned  up  to  the  churchyard  [Greyfrairs], 
where  they  were  interred  close  to  the  Martyrs' 
tomb,  with  the  greatest  multitude  of  people,  old 
and  young,  men  and  women,  ministers  and  others, 
that  I  ever  saw  together." 


JOPPA   PANS. 


down  the  heads  for  the  same  purpose,  but  being 
scared  they  were  obliged  to  enclose  them  in  a  box, 
which  they  buried  in  a  garden  at  Lauriston.  There 
they  lay  till  the  7th  of  October,  1726,  a  period  of 
forty-five  years,  when  a  Mr.  Shaw,  proprietor  of  the 
garden,  had  them  exhumed.  The  resurrection  of 
the  ghastly  relics  of  the  Covenanting  times  made  a 
great  excitement  in  Edinburgh.  They  were  rolled 
in  four  yards  of  fine  linen  and  placed  in  a  coffin. 
"  Being  young  men,  their  teeth  all  remained,"  says 
Patrick  Walker  (the  author  of  "  Biographia  Presby- 
teriana  ").  "  All  were  witness  to  the  holes  in  each 
of  their  heads  which  the  hangman  broke  with  his 
hammer ;  and  according  to  the  bigness  of  their 
skulls  we  laid  their  jaws  to  them,  drew  the  other 


On  the  10th  of  January,  1752,  there  was  taken 
from  the  Tolbooth,  hanged  at  the  Gallow  Lee,  and 
gibbeted  there,  a  man  named  Norman  Ross,  whose 
remains  were  long  a  source  of  disgust  and  dismay 
to  all  wayfarers  on  the  Walk.  His  crime  was  the 
assassination  of  Lady  Baillie,  a  sister  of  Home  the 
Laird  of  Wedderburn.  A  relation  of  this  murder 
is  given  in  a  work  entitled  "  Memoirs  of  an  Aris- 
tocrat," published  in  1838,  by  the  brother  of  a 
claimant  for  the  Earldom  of  Marchmont,  a  book 
eventually  suppressed.  The  lady  in  question  mar- 
ried Ninian  Home,  a  dominie,  but  by  failure  of 
her  brothers  ultimately  became  heiress,  and  the 
dominie  died  before  her. 

Norman  Ross  was   her  footman,  and   secreted 


"JOHNNIE    WILKES." 


himself  in  her  bedroom,  "  with  the  intention  of 
carrying  off  a  sum  of  money  after  she  fell  asleep. 
But  the  noise  of  opening  her  desk  awoke  her  ;  he, 
for  fear  of  detection,  seized  a  knife  which  by  acci- 
dent lay  there,  and  mangled  her  throat  so  dread- 
fully that  she  died  next  day.  He  then  leaped  from 
a  window  of  the  second  storey,  but  fractured  one  of 
his  legs  so  much  in  the  fall  that  he  was  unable  to  , 
walk,  and  sustained  himself  for  several  days,  eating 
peas  and  turnips,  until  his  hiding-place  was  dis- 
covered. He  afterwards  graced  the  gibbet  in  Leith 
Walk,  where  his  body  hung  for  many  a  long  year." 
In  more  than  one  instance  on  the  King's  birth- 


day the  effigy  of  "Johnnie  Wilkes,"  that  noted 
demagogue,  Lord  Mayor  of  London  and  English 
M.P.,  who  made  himself  so  obnoxious  to  the  Scots, 
figured  at  the  Callow  Lee.  The  custom,  still  pre- 
valent in  many  parts  of  the  country,  and  so  dear  to 
the  Scottish  schoolboy,  of  destroying  his  effigy 
with  every  indignity  on  the  royal  birthday,  is  first 
mentioned,  we  believe,  in  "  Annals  of  the  Reign  of 
George  III.,"  1770. 

But  when  only  fields  and  green  coppice  lay  be- 
tween the  city  and  the  seaport,  the  gibbet  at  the  Gal- 
low  Lee,  with  its  ghastly  additions,  must  have  formed 
a  gloomy  object  amid  the  smiling  urban  landscape. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

LEITH      WALK    (concluded). 

East  Side— Captain  Haldane  of  the  Tabernacle— New  Road  to  Haddington— Windsor  Street— Mrs.  H.  Siddons  -Lovers'  Loan-Greenside 
House— Andrew  Macdonald,  the  Author  of  "  Viaionda  "— West  Side— Sir  J.  Whiteford  of  that  Ilk— Gayfield  House— Colonel  Crichton— 
Prince  Leopold— Lady  Maxwell— Lady  Nairne -Springfield— McCulloch  of  Ardwell  and  Samuel  Foote. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  present  century  fields  I  respectively  Trotter's,  Jollie's,  Ronaldson's,  and 
and  nursery  grounds  chiefly  bordered  Leith  Walk,  King's  Buildings — had  been  erected,  with  long  open 
though  here  and  there  blocks  of  houses — named  I  intervals  between  them. 


'58 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


[Lcith  Walk. 


'  On  the  east  side  of  the  walk,  overlooking  the 
steep  and  deep  Greenside  ravine,  the  huge  and 
hideous  edifice  named  the  "  Tabernacle,"  was  long 
the  scene  of  the  ministrations  of  the  Rev.  James 
Alexander  Haldane,  who  there,  for  more  than  forty 
years,  devoted  himself,  gratuitously,  and  with  exem- 
plary assiduity,  to  preaching  the  Gospel.  He  was 
the  son  of  Captain  James  Haldane  of  Airthrey,  a 
descendant  of  the  family  of  Gleneagles,  and  his 
mother  was  a  sister  of  Admiral  Viscount  Duncan. 

He  commenced  life  as  a  midshipman  on  board 
the  Duke  of  Montrose,  Indiaman,  made  four  voyages 
to  the  East,  and  in  his  twenty-fifth  year  became 
captain  of  the  Melville  Castle,  and  was  distinguished 
for  his  bravery  amid  many  perils  incident  to  life  at 
sea.  During  the  mutiny  at  Spithead,  the  spirit  of 
the  revolt  was  spread  to  the  Button,  a  vessel  along- 
side of  Haldane's,  by  the  captain  of  the  former 
sending  a  man-of-war's  boat  to  have  some  of  his  men 
arrested  for  insubordination.  The  mutiny  broke 
out  on  a  dark  night — shots  were  fired,  and  a  man 
killed.  On  this,  the  future  pastor  of  the  Tabernacle 
lowered  a  boat  with  an  armed  crew,  and  went  off 
to  the  Dutton,  the  crew  of  which  threatened  him 
with  death  if  he  did  not  sheer  off;  but  he  boarded 
her,  sword  in  hand,  and,  driving  the  mutineers  for- 
ward, addressed  them  on  the  folly  of  their  conduct, 
the  punishment  that  was  certain  to  follow,  and 
eventually  overcame  them  without  more  bloodshed. 

Soon  after  this  he  resigned  his  command  in  the 
East  India  Company's  Service,  and  meant  to  adopt 
the  life  of  a  country  gentleman  ;  but  an  intimacy 
with  Mr.  Black,  minister  of  Lady  Yester's,  and 
Mr.  Buchanan,  of  the  Canongate  Church,  led  to  a 
graver  turn  of  thought,  and,  resolving  to  devote  his 
life  to  the  diffusion  of  the  Gospel,  he  sold  his  beau- 
tiful estate  at  Airthrey  to  Sir  Robert  Abercromby, 
and  failing  in  a  missionary  plan  he  had  formed  for 
India,  he  began  to  preach  at  home,  first  at  Gilmer- 
ton  in  1797,  and  afterwards  on  the  Calton  Hill, 
where  the  novelty  of  a  sea-captain  addressing  them 
collected  not  less  than  10,000  persons  on  more 
than  one  occasion. 

Eventually  he  became  minister  of  the  then  re- 
cently erected  Tabernacle  on  the  east  side  of  Leith 
Walk,  and  so  named  from  Mr.  Whitefield's  places 
of  worship.  Eminent  preachers  from  England  fre- 
quently appeared  here,  and  it  was  always  crowded 
to  excess.  The  seats  were  all  free,  and  he  derived 
no  emolument  from  his  office. 

At  the  period  he  commenced  his  public  career, 
towards  the  end  of  the  last  century,  evangelical 
doctrine  was  at  a  low  ebb,  but  through  the  instru- 
mentality of  Mr.  Haldane  and  his  brother,  also  a 
preacher,  a  considerable  revival  took  place. 


The  Tabernacle  has  long  since  been  converted 
into  shops. 

Immediately  adjoining  it  on  the  south  is  a  low 
square,  squat-looking  tower,  with  a  facade  in  the 
Tudor  style  forming  a  new  front  on  an  old  house, 
pierced  with  the  entrance  to  Lady  Glenorchy's  Free 
Church,  which  stands  immediately  behind  it. 

Where  now  we  find  the  New  London  Road, 
running  eastward  from  Leopold  Place  to  Brunton 
Place,  Ainslie's  plan  of  1804  shows  us  in  dotted 
line  a  "  Proposed  new  road  to  Haddington,"  passing 
on  the  north  a  tolerably  large  pond,  on  the  Earl  of 
Moray's  property  near  the  Easter  Road — a  pond 
only  filled  up  when  Regent  Place  and  other  simi- 
lar streets  were  recently  built  at  Maryfield — and  on 
the  south  the  Upper  Quarry  Holes— hollows  still 
traceable  at  the  east  end  of  the  Royal  Terrace 
Gardens.  A  street  of  some  kind  of  buildings  occu- 
pied the  site  of  the  present  Elm  Row,  as  shown 
by  a  plan  in  1787  ;  and  in  the  Caledonian  Mercury 
for  181 2  a  premium  of  three  hundred  guineas  is 
offered  for  the  best  design  for  laying  out  in  streets 
and  squares,  the  lands  in  this  quarter,  on  the  east 
side  of  the  walk,  consisting  of  300  acres. 

Here  now  we  find  Windsor  Street,  a  handsome 
thoroughfare,  built  of  white  freestone,  in  a  simple 
but  severe  style  of  Greek  architecture,  with  massive 
fluted  columns  at  every  doorway.  No.  23,  in  the  year 
1827  became  the  residence  of  the  well-known  Mrs. 
Henry  Siddons.  Previously  she  had  resided  at  No. 
63,  York  Place,  and  No.  2,  Picardy  Place.  Three 
years  after  she  came  to  Windsor  Street,  her  twenty- 
one  years'  patent  of  the  old  Theatre  Royal,  which 
she  had  carried  on  with  her  brother,  W.  H.  Murray, 
as  stage  manager,  came  to  a  close,  and  on  the  29th 
of  March,  1830,  this  popular  and  brilliant  actress 
took  her  farewell  of  the  Edinburgh  stage,  in  the 
character  of  Lady  Towneley  in  The  Provoked  Hus- 
band, meaning  to  spend  the  remainder  of  her  life 
in  retirement,  leaving  the  theatre  entirely  to  Mr. 
Murray. 

She  was  a  beautiful  woman,  and  a  charming  ac- 
tress of  a  sweet,  tender,  and  pathetic  school. 

When  she  took  up  her  residence  in  Windsor 
Street  the  ground  was  nearly  all  meadow  land,  from 
there  to  Warriston  Crescent, says  Miss  F.  A.Kemble, 
in  her  recent  "  Reminiscences,"  which  is  rather  a 
mistake  ;  but  she  adds,  "  Mrs.  Siddons  held  a  pecu- 
liar position  in  Edinburgh,  her  widowhood,  condi- 
tion, and  personal  attractions  combining  to  win  the 
sympathy  and  admiration  of  its  best  society,  while 
her  high  character  and  blameless  conduct  secured 
the  respect  and  esteem  of  her  theatrical  subjects 
and  the  general  public,  with  whom  she  was  an 
object  of  almost  affectionate  personal  regard,  and 


ANDREW    MACDONALD. 


'59 


in  whose  favour,  so  long  as  she  exercised  her  pro- 
fession, she  continued  to  hold  the  first  place  in 
spite  of  their  temporary  enthusiasm  for  the  great 
London  stars,  who  visited  them  at  stated  seasons. 
'  Our  Mrs.  Siddons '  I  frequently  heard  her  called 
in  Edinburgh,  not  at  all  with  the  idea  of  comparing 
her  with  the  celebrated  mother-in-law  ;  but  rather 
as  expressing  the  kindly  personal  goodwill  with 
which  she  was  regarded  by  her  own  townsfolk  who 
were  proud  and  fond  of  her." 

She  was  not  a  great  actress,  according  to  this 
writer,  for  she  lacked  versatility,  or  power  of  as- 
sumption in  any  part  that  was  opposed  to  her  na- 
ture or  out  of  her  power,  and  she  was  destitute 
of  physical  strength  and  weight  for  Shaksperian 
heroines  generally;  yet  Rosalind,  Viola,  Imogen, 
and  Isabel,  had  no  sweeter  exponents ;  and  in  all 
pieces  that  turned  on  the  tender,  soft,  and  faithful 
Mary  Stuart,"she  gave  an  unrivalled  impersonation." 

On  leaving  Edinburgh,  after  1830,  she  carried 
with  her  the  good  wishes  of  the  entire  people,  "  for 
they  had  recognised  in  her  not  merely  the  accom- 
plished actress,  but  the  good  mother,  the  refined 
lady,  and  the  irreproachable  member  of  society." 

Northward  of  Windsor  Street,  in  what  was  once 
a  narrow,  pleasant,  and  secluded  path  between 
thick  hedgerows,  called  the  Lovers'  Loan,  was 
built,  in  1876,  at  a  short  distance  from  the  railway 
station,  the  Leith  Walk  public  school,  at  a  cost  of 
,£9,000 ;  it  is  in  the  Decorated  Collegiate  style, 
calculated  to  accommodate  about  840  scholars,  and 
is  a  good  specimen  of  the  Edinburgh  Board  schools. 

In  the  Lovers'  Loan  Greenside  House  was  long 
the  property  and  the  summer  residence  of  James 
Marshal,  W.S.,  whose  town  residence  was  in  Milne 
Square,  so  limited  were  the  ideas  of  locomotion 
and  exaggerated  those  of  distance  in  the  last  cen- 
tury. He  was  born  in  1731,  says  Kay's  Editor, 
and  though  an  acute  man  of  business,  "  was  one  of 
the  most  profound  swearers  of  his  day,  so  much  so 
that  few  could  compete  with  him."  He  died  in  the 
then  sequestered  house  of  Greenside  in  1807. 

In  the  year  1802  the  ground  here  was  occupied 
by  Barker's  "  famous  panorama,"  from  Leicester 
Square,  London,  wherein  were  exhibited  views  of 
Dover,  the  Downs,  and  the  coast  of  France,  with 
the  embarkation  of  troops,  horse  and  foot,  from  ten 
till  dusk,  at  one  shilling  a  head,  opposite  the 
Botanical  Garden. 

Lower  down,  where  we  now  find  Albert,  Fal- 
shaw,  and  Buchanan  Streets,  the  ground  for  more 
than  twenty  years  was  a  garden  nursery,  long  the 
feu  of  Messrs.  Eagle  and  Henderson,  some  of  whose 
advertisements  as  seedsmen  go  back  to  nearly  the 
middle  of  the  last  century. 


At  the  dot  of  the  Walk  there  was  born,  in  1755, 
Andrew  Macdonald,  an  ingenious  but  unfortunate 
dramatic  and  miscellaneous  writer,  whose  father, 
George  Donald,  was  a  market-gardener  there.  He 
received  the  rudiments  of  his  education  in  the 
Leith  High  School,  and  early  indicated  such  lite- 
rary talents,  that  his  friends  had  sanguine  hopes 
of  his  future  eminence,  and  with  a  view  to  his 
becoming  a  minister  of  the  Scottish  Episcopal 
communion  he  studied  at  the  University  of  Edin- 
burgh, where  he  remained  till  the  year  1775,  when 
he  was  put  into  deacon's  orders  by  Bishop  Forbes 
of  Leith.  On  this  account,  at  the  suggestion  of  the 
latter,  he  prefixed  the  syllable  Mac  to  his  name. 
As  there  was  no  living  for  him  vacant,  he  left  his 
father's  cottage  in  Leith  Walk  to  become  a  tutor 
in  the  family  of  Oliphant  of  Gask,  after  which  he 
became  pastor  of  an  Episcopal  congregation  in 
Glasgow,  and  in  1772  published  "  Velina,  a  Poeti- 
cal Fragment,"  which  is  said  to  have  contained 
much  genuine  poetry,  and  was  in  the  Spenserian 
stanza. 

His  next  essay  was  "  The  Independent,"  which 
won  him  neither  profit  nor  reputation ;  but  having 
written  "Vimonda,  a  Tragedy,"  with  a  prologue 
by  Henry  Mackenzie,  he  came  to  Edinburgh,  where 
it  was  put  upon  the  boards,  and  where  he  vainly 
hoped  to  make  a  living  by  his  pen.  It  was  re- 
ceived with  great  applause,  but  won  him  no  ad- 
vantage, as  his  literary  friends  now  deserted  him. 
Before  leaving  Glasgow  he  had  taken  a  step  which 
they  deemed  alike  imprudent  and  degrading. 
"  This  was  his  marrying  the  maid-servant  of  the- 
house  in  which  he  lodged.  His  reception,  there- 
fore, on  his  return  to  Edinburgh  from  these  friends 
and  those  of  his  acquaintances  who  participated  in 
their  feelings,  had  in  it  much  to  annoy  and  distress 
him,  although  no  charge  could  be  brought  against 
the  humble  partner  of  his  fortunes  but  the  mean- 
ness of  her  condition."  Thus  his  literary  prospects, 
so  far  as  regarded  Edinburgh,  ended  in  total  dis- 
appointment ;  so,  accompanied  by  his  wife,  he  be- 
took him  to  the  greater  centre  of  London. 

There  the  fame  of  "Vimonda"  had  preceded 
him,  and  Colman  brought  it  out  with  splendour  to 
crowded  houses  in  the  years  1787  and  1788;  and 
now  poor  Macdonald's  mind  became  radiant  with 
hope  of  affluence  and  fame,  and  he  had  a  pretty 
little  residence  at  Brompton,  then  a  sequestered 
place. 

He  next  engaged  with  much  ardour  upon  an 
opera,  but  made  his  subsistence  chiefly  by  writing 
satirical  papers  and  poems  for  the  newspapers, 
under  the  signature  of  "  Mathew  Bramble."  At 
last  this  resource  failed  him,  and  he  found  himself 


[6o 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


on  the  verge  of  destitution  ;  and  D'Israeli  writes  of 
him  thus  in  his  "  Calamities  of  Authors  "  : — 

"  It  was  one  evening  I  saw  a  tall,  famished, 
melancholy  man  enter  a  bookseller's  shop,  his  hat 
flapped  over  his  eyes,  his  whole  frame  evidently 
feeble  from  exhaustion  and  utter  misery.  The 
bookseller  inquired  how  he  proceeded  with  his 
tragedy  ?  '  Do  not  talk  to  me  about  my  tragedy  ! 
Do  not  talk  to  me  about  my  tragedy!  I  have, 
indeed,  more  tragedy  than  I  can  bear  at  home,'  was 


Now  all  the  ground  eastward  of  the  Walk  to 
the  Easter  Road  is  rapidly  being  covered  by  new 
streets,  and  the  last  of  the  green  fields  there  has 
well-nigh  disappeared.  Between  the  North  British 
Goods  Station  and  Lome  Street  the  ground  front- 
ing the  Walk  belongs  to  the  Governors  of  Heriot's 
Hospital,  while  the  ground  between  the  latter  and 
the  Easter  Road  is  the  property  of  the  Trinity 
Hospital.  The  ground  in  these  districts  has  been 
feued  at  from  ^105  to  ^120  per  acre,  for  tene- 


<;i:m\-im    1  lirkrii,    h.'.m    iimuLD  PLACE, 


his  reply,  and  his  voice  faltered  as  he  spoke.  This 
man  was  '  Mathew  Bramble ' — Macdonald,  the 
author  of  '  Vimonda,'  at  that  moment  the  writer  of 
comic  poetry ! " 

D'Israeli  then  refers  to  his  seven  children,  which, 
however,  is  an  error,  as  he  had  but  one  child,  whom, 
with  his  wife,  he  left  in  utter  indigence,  when — 
after  the  privations  to  which  he  had  been  subjected 
had  a  fatal  effect  on  a  naturally  weak  constitu-  ' 
tion — he  died,  in  1788,  in  the  thirty-third  year  of  I 
his  age.  A  volume  of  his  sermons,  published  soon 
after  his  death,  met  with  a  favourable  reception  ; 
and  in  1791  appeared  his  "Miscellaneous  Works," in 
one  volume,  containing  all  his  dramas,  with  "  Proba- 
tionary Odes  for  the  Laureateship,"  and  other  pieces. 


ments  four  storeys  in  height,  at  an  average  value 
each  of  from  ,£1,800  to  ,£2,000.  Many  of  these 
streets  are  devoid  of  architectural  features,  and 
meant  for  the  residence  of  artisans. 

The  Heriot  feus  have  tenements  valued  at  from 
,£3,000  to  ^4,000,  and  contain  houses  of  five  and 
nine  apartments,  with  ranges  of  commodious  shops 
on  the  ground-floor.  During  the  changes  here  the 
old  burn  of  Greenside  has  also  been  dealt  with ; 
and  instead  of  meandering,  as  heretofore,  towards 
where  of  old  the  Lower  Quarry  Holes  lay — latterly 
in  an  offensive  and  muddy  course — it  is  carried  in 
a  culvert,  which  will  be  turned  to  account  as  a  main 
drain  for  the  locality. 

In  the  map  of  1804  the   upper  part  of  Leith 


GAYFIELD    HOUSE. 


Walk  is  shown  edificed  from  the  corner  of  Picardy 
Place  to  where  we  now  find  Gayfield  Square, 
which,  when  it  was  first  erected,  was  called  Gay- 
field  Place.  West  London  Street  was  then  called 
Anglia  Street,  and  its  western  continuation,  in 
which  old  Gayfield  House  is  now  included,  was  not 
contemplated.  North  of  this  house  is  shown  a 
large  area,  "  Mrs.  D.  Hope's  feu  ; "  and  between  it 
and  the  Walk  was  the  old  Botanical  Garden. 
In  1783  Sir  John  Whiteford,  Bart.,  of  that  ilk, 


Gordon,  relict  of  Sir  Alexander  Gordon  of  Lesmoir, 
Bart.,  died  there. 

Gayfield  House  is  now  a  veterinary  college. 

In  1800  Sir  John  Wardlaw,  Bart.,  of  Pitreavie, 
resided  in  Gayfield  Square  ;  and  there  his  wife,  the 
daughter  of  Mitchell  of  Pitteadie  (a  ruined  castle 
in  Fifeshire),  died  in  that  year.  He  was  a  colonel 
in  the  army,  and  died  in  1823,  a  lieutenant-colonel 
of  the  4th  West  India  Regiment. 

No.  1,  Gayfield  Place,  was  long  the  residence  of 


possessed  and  resided  in  a  house  "  at  the  head  of 
Leith  Walk,"  which  he  advertised  for  sale  in  the 
papers  of  that  year  at  the  then  yearly  rent  of  ^84. 
He  died  in  Edinburgh  in  1803,  and  his  son  suc- 
ceeded to  the  title,  which  is  now  extinct.  The 
latter's  sister,  Maria  Whiteford,  afterwards  Mrs. 
Cranston,  was  the  heroine  of  Burns's  song,  "  The 
]  ,ass  o'  Ballochmyle,"  her  father  being  one  of  the 
poet's  earliest  and  wannest  patrons. 

The  Gayfield  quarter  seems  to  have  been  rather 
aristocratic  in  those  days.  In  1767,  David,  sixth 
Earl  of  Leven,  who  had  once  been  a  captain  in  the 
army,  occupied  Gayfield  House,  where  in  that  year 
his  sister,  Lady  Betty,  was  married  to  John,  Earl  of 
Hopetoun ;  and  in  the  last  year  of  the  century  Lady 
117 


a  well-known  citizen  in  his  time,  Patrick  Crichton, 
whose  father  was  a  coachbuilder  in  the  Canongate, 
and  who,  in  1805,  was  appointed  lieutenant-colonel 
commandant  of  the  2nd  Regiment  of  Edinburgh 
Local  Militia.  He  had  entered  the  army  when 
young,  and  attained  the  rank  of  captain  in  the 
57th  Regiment,  with  which  he  served  during  the 
American  war,  distinguishing  himself  so  much  that 
he  received  the  public  thanks  of  the  commander- 
in-chief.  Among  his  friends  and  brother-officers 
then  was  Andrew  Watson,  whose  brother  George 
founded  the  Scottish  Academy.    When  the  war  was 

'  over  he  retired,  and  entered  into  partnership  with 
his  father;  and  on  the  first  formation  of  the  Volun- 

'  teers,  in  consequence  of  his  great  military  expe- 


OLD   AND   NEW    EDINBURGH. 


[Leith  Walk. 


rience,  he  was  appointed  captain  of  the  East  New 
Town  Company,  and  inaugurated  his  new  service 
by  fighting  a  duel  with  a  Dr.  Bennet,  whom  he 
wounded,  the  dispute  having  occurred  about  some 
repairs  on  the  doctor's  chaise.  "  He  was,"  says 
Kay's  editor,  "  a  fine  manly-looking  person,  rather 
florid  in  complexion,  exceedingly  polite  in  his  man- 
ners, and  of  gentlemanly  attainments."  He  was 
treasurer  of  the  city  in  1795-6,  and  died  at  No.  1, 
Gayfield  Square,  in  1823.  His  son  Archibald, 
born  there,  a  High  School  boy,  became  physician 
to  the  Emperor  Alexander  of  Russia  in  181 7  ;  he 
was  also  physician  to  the  Imperial  Guard,  was 
knighted  by  the  Emperor,  and  paid  a  visit  to  his 
native  city  in  1823.  He  is  referred  to  in  our 
account  of  Princes  Street. 

In  a  house  on  the  west  side  of  the  square  lived 
Kincaid  Mackenzie,  in  1818-9  ;  previously  he  had 
resided  in  No.  14,  Dundas  Street.  In  181 7  he  was 
elected  Lord  Provost ;  and  two  years  afterwards  he 
entertained  at  his  house  in  the  square.  Prince  Leo- 
pold, afterwards  King  of  the  Belgians.  He  died 
suddenly,  on  the  2nd  of  January,  1830,  when  he 
was  about  to  sit  down  to  dinner. 

In  the  common  stair,  No.  31,  Campbell  of  Bar- 
caldine  had  a  house  in  181 1,  at  which  time  the 
square  was  still  called  Gayfield  Place. 

Lower  down  the  Walk,  on  the  same  side,  was 
the  old  Botanical  Garden,  the  successor  of  the  old 
Physic  Garden  that  lay  in  the  swampy  valley  of  the 
North  Loch,  and  the  garden  of  Holy  rood  Palace. 

Dr.  John  Hope,  the  professor  of  botany,  ap- 
pointed in  1768,  used  every  exertion  to  procure  a 
more  favourable  situation  for  a  garden  than  the  old 
one,  and  succeeded,  about  1766,  in  obtaining  such 
aid  and  countenance  from  Government  as  enabled 
him  to  accomplish  the  object  he  had  so  much  at 
heart.  "  His  Majesty,"  says  Arnot,  with  laudable 
detail — Government  grants  being  few  for  Scot- 
land in  those  days — "  was  graciously  pleased  to 
grant  the  sum  of  ^1,330  is.  2^d.  for  making  it, 
and  for  its  annual  support  ,£69  Ss. ;  at  the  same 
time  the  magistrates  and  Town  Council  granted 
the  sum  of  ^25  annually  for  paying  the  rent  of  the 
ground." 

The  latter  was  five  acres  in  extent,  and  the  rapid 
progress  it  made  as  a  garden  was  greatly  owing  to 
the  skill  and  diligence  of  John  Williamson,  the 
head  gardener.  "  The  soil,"  says  Arnot,  "is  sandy 
or  gravelly."  Playfair,  in  his  "  Illustrations  of  the 
Huttonian  Theory,"  says  of  this  garden  that  its 
ground,  "after  a  thin  covering  is  removed,  consists 
entirely  of  sea-sand,  very  regularly  stratified  with 
layers  of  black  carbonaceous  matter  in  three 
lamellae   interposed    between  them.     Shells,  I  be- 


lieve, are  rarely  found  in  it ;  but  it  has  every  other 
appearance  of  a  sea-beach." 

By  1780  it  was  richly  stocked  with  trees  to  afford 
good  shelter  for  young  and  tender  plants.  In  the 
eastern  division  was  the  school  of  botany,  con- 
taining 2,000  species  of  plants,  systematically  ar- 
ranged. A  German  traveller,  named  Frank,  who 
visited  it  in  1805,  praised  the  order  of  the  plants, 
and  says,  "  among  others  I  saw  a  beautiful  Ferula 
asafoztida  in  full  bloom.  The  gardens  at  Kew  re- 
ceived their  plants  from  this  garden." 

The  latter  was  laid  out  under  the  immediate 
direction  of  Dr.  Hope,  who  arranged  the  plants 
according  to  the  system  of  Linnaeus,  to  whom,  in 
1778,  he  erected  in  the  grounds  a  monument — a 
vase  upon  a  pedestal — inscribed  : 

Linnaeo  posuit  Io.  Hope. 

He  built  suitable  hothouses,  and  formed  a  pond 
for  the  nourishment  of  aquatic  plants.  These  were 
all  in  the  western  division  of  the  ground.  The  con- 
servatories were  140  feet  long.  Bruce  of  Kinnaird, 
the  traveller,  gave  the  professor  a  number  of 
Abyssinian  plant  seeds,  among  them  the  plant  which 
cured  him  of  dysentery.  In  a  small  enclosure  the 
industrious  professor  had  a  plantation  of  the  true 
rhubarb,  containing  3,000  plants. 

The  greenhouse  was  covered  by  a  slated  roof, 
according  to  the  Scots  Magazine,  in  1809  ;  and  as 
light  was  only  admitted  at  the  sides,  the  plants 
were  naturally  drawn  towards  them.  "  To  remedy 
this  radical  defect,"  adds  the  writer,  "  a  glass  roof 
is  necessary.  The  soil  of  this  garden  is  by  no 
means  good ;  vast  pains  have  been  bestowed  upon 
it  to  produce  what  has  been  done.  The  situation, 
which,  at  one  period,  may  be  admitted  to  have 
been  favourable,  is  now  indifferent,  and  is  daily 
becoming  worse,  from  the  rapid  encroachment  of 
building,  and  the  blasting  effects  of  an  iron-foundry 
on  the  opposite  side  of  Leith  Walk." 

Some  of  the  new  walks  here  were  laid  out  by 
Mr.  John  Mackay,  said  to  be  one  of  the  most 
enthusiastic  botanists  and  tasteful  gardeners  that 
Scotland  had  as  then  produced,  and  who  died 
in  1S02. 

In  1814,  on  the  death  of  Dr.  Roxburgh,  he  was 
succeeded  as  superintendent  of  this  garden  by  Dr. 
Francis  Buchanan,  author  of  several  works  on 
India,  where,  in  1800,  he  was  chosen  to  examine 
the  state  of  the  country  which  had  been  lately  con- 
quered from  Tippoo  Sahib;  he  had  also  been  surgeon 
to  the  Marquis  of  Wellesley,  then  Governor-General. 
He  died  in  1829,  prior  to  which,  as  we  have  else- 
where related,  this  Botanical  Garden  had  been 
abandoned,   and   all   its   plants    removed   without 


MCCULLOCH    OF    ARDWELL. 


injury  to  the  new  and  splendid  one  at  Inverleith 
Row. 

Shrub  Hill,  the  villa  on  a  little  eminence  north- 
ward of  the  Botanical  Gardens,  in  1800  was  the 
property  of  the  dowager  Lady  Maxwell,  and  appears 
as  such  in  the  map  of  1 804.  She  was  Lady  Max- 
well of  Monreith,  whose  husband  died  in  1 77 1,  and 
whose  second  daughter  Jane  became  Duchess  of 
Gordon  in  1767. 

The  Leith  Directory  for  1 8 1 1  gives  Lady  Nairn 
a  residence  in  Pilrig  Street,  but  she  must  have 
held  this  title  through  Scottish  courtesy,  as  the 
attainted  peerage  was  not  restored  by  Act  of  Par- 
liament till  17th  June,  1824.  She  must  have  been 
Brabazon  Wheeler,  widow  of  Lieut.-Colonel  John 
Nairn,  who  but  for  the  attainder  would  have  suc- 
ceeded as  fourth  Lord  Nairn. 

Pilrig  Free  Church,  at  the  north  corner  of  this 
street  and  Leith  Walk,  was  built  in  1 861-2,  and 
is  in  the  early  Decorated  Gothic  style,  with  a  double 
transept,  and  has  a  handsome  steeple  150  feet  in 
height. 

The  fine  old  but  unused  avenue  of  stately  trees, 
that  opened  westward  from  the  Walk  to  the  old 
Manor  House  of  Pilrig,  has  now  given  place  to  a 
street  of  workmen's  houses,  named  after  the  pro-  ! 
prietor,  Balfour  Street,  and  lower  down,  near  the 
bottom  of  the  Walk,  is  Springfield  Street,  named 
from  an  old  row  of  houses  to  which  was  given  the 
name  of  Springfield,  the  largest  and  centre  one  of  | 
which,  about  1780,  was  the  residence  of  McCulloch 
of  Ardwell,  a  commissioner  of  the  Scottish  Customs, 
and  a  man  famous  in  his  time  for  hospitality,  plea- 
santry, and  wit,  and  known  as  a  spouter  of  half- 
random  verses.  "  Here  in  some  of  the  last  years 
of  his  life,"  says  Chambers,  in  1869,  "did  Samuel 
Foote  occasionally  appear  as  Mr.  McCulloch's  j 
guest — Arcades  ambo  et  respo?idcre  parati.  But  the 
history  of  their  intimacy  is  worthy  of  being  particu- 
larly tsld,  so  I  transcribe  it  from  the  recollection 
of  a  gentleman  whose  advanced  age  and  family 
connections  alone  could  have  made  us  faithfully 
acquainted  with  circumstances  so  remote  from  our 
time." 

It  would  appear  that  in  the  winter  of  1774-5 
Mr.  McCulloch  visited  his  country  mansion  of 
Ardwell  (near  Gatehouse  in  Kirkcudbright),  which 
is  still  possessed  by  his  descendants,  in  order  to  be 
present  at  an  election,  together  with  a  friend  named 
Mouat.  After  a  week  or  two  they  set  out  on  their  ' 
return  to  Edinburgh,  Mr.  McCulloch  bringing  with 
him  his  infant  son,  familiarly  known  as  "  Wee 
Davie,"  and  the  trio,  after  quitting  Dumfries,  were 
compelled  by  a  snowstorm  to  tarry  at  Moffat  for 
the  night.     Early  next  morning  they  departed  in  a 


chaise  with  four  horses  from  the  Kings  Arms  Inn, 
at  the  same  time  that  two  strangers  did  so  in  an- 
other vehicle,  and  with  difficulty  amid  the  drifted 
snow  they  all  reached  the  summit  of  Erickstane 
Brae,  a  lofty  hill  at  the  head  of  Clydesdale,  along 
the  side  of  which,  above  a  most  perilous  declivity, 
the  public  road  passes. 

Further  progress  being  impossible,  a  consultation 
was  held,  and  they  all  resolved  to  return  to  Moffat ; 
but,  as  wheeling  the  carriage  round  proved  a  dan- 
gerous operation,  "  Wee  Davie  "  was  wrapped  up 
and  laid  on  the  snow  till  that  was  accomplished, 
and  after  reaching  the  inn  Ardwell  discovered  that 
his  two  companions  were  Samuel  Foote  the  cele- 
brated player  and  another  favourite  son  of  Thalia. 
On  reaching  the  inn,  Foote  entered  it  in  no  good 
humour — as  he  walked  with  difficulty,  having  lost  a 
leg — and  ordered  breakfast,  while  his  luggage  was 
j  taken  off  the  chaise ;  and  after  this  was  done,  he 
found  a  written  paper  affixed  to  the  panel.  In 
some  anger  he  demanded,  "  What  rascal  has  been 
placarding  this  ribaldry  on  my  carriage?"  Then 
pausing,  however,  he  read  the  following  lines  : — 

"  While  Boreas  his  flaky  storm  did  guide, 
Deep  covering  every  hill  o'er  Tweed  and  Clyde, 
The  North-wind  god  spied  travellers  seeking  way, 
Sternly  he  cried  :   '  Return  your  steps,  I  say  ; 
Let  not  one  foot,  'tis  my  behest,  profane 
The  sacred  snows  which  lie  on  Erickstane  ! '  " 

"  I  should  like  to  know  who  wrote  that,"  ex- 
claimed Foote,  with  a  smiling  face  ;  "  be  he  w  ho 
he  may  he  is  no  mean  hand  at  an  epigram.' 

Ardwell  came  forward  to  apologise  for  his  fun. 

"  My  dear  sir,"  said  Foote,  "  no  apology  is  ne- 
cessary; I  am  fine  game  for  every  one,  and  I  take 
any  one  for  game  when  it  suits  me." 

So  an  intimacy  began  which  proved  to  be  a 
lasting  one,  and  the  parties  now  joined  at  table,  as 
they  had  to  do  for  twenty  days,  till  the  storm 
abated,  the  snow  cleared  away,  and  they  were 
enabled  to  end  their  journey  at  Edinburgh.  Tiom 
that  time  Foote  in  his  writings  always  showed  him- 
self partial  to  Scotland  and  the  Scots,  and  on  every 
occasion  when  afterwards  at  the  Theatre  Royal,  he 
set  apart  a  night  or  two  for  a  social  meeting  «  ith 
McCulloch  of  Ardwell,  at  Springfield,  on  Leith 
Walk.  "In  the  parlour,  on  the  right  hand  side  in 
entering  the  house,  the  largest  of  the  row,''  srys 
Chambers  in  1869,  "Foote,  the  celebrated  wit  of 
the  day,  has  frequently  been  associated  with  many 
Edinburgh  and  Leith  worthies,  when  and  where  he 
was  wont  to  keep  the  table  in  a  roar." 

McCulloch  of  Ardwell  died  in  1794,  in  his  firty- 
third  year.  "  Wee  Davie"  died  thirty  years  after- 
wards at  Cheltenham. 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


ITH    WALK,     FROM     GAYF 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

LEITH— HISTORICAL    SURVEY. 

Origin  of  the  Name— Boundaries  of  South  and  North  Leith— Links  of  North  Leith— The  Town  first  mentioned  in  History—  King  Robert's  Charte: 
—Superiority  of  the  Logans  and  Magistrates  of  Edinburgh— Abbot  Ballantyne's  Bridge  and  Chapel— Newhaven  given  to  Edinburgh  bj 
James  IV.— The  Port  of  1530— The  Town  Bumed  by  the  English. 

Leith,  the  sea-port  of  Edinburgh,  lies  between  it  I  in  fish — trout,  loche  or  groundling,  and  the  nine 


and  the  Firth  of  Forth,  but,  though  for  Parliamentary 
purposes  separate  from  it,  it  is  to  all  intents  an 
integral  portion  of  the  capital  city.  Of  old  the 
name  was  variously  written,  Leyt,  Let,  Inverleith, 
and  the  mouth  of  the  Leith,  and  it  is  said  to  have 
been  derived  from  the  family  of  the  first  recorded 
proprietors  or  superiors,  the  Leiths,  who  in  the  reign 
of  Alexander  III.  owned  Restalrig  and  many  ex- 
tensive possessions  in  Midlothian,  till  the  supe- 
riority passed  by  the  marriage  of  the  last  of  the 
Leiths  into  the  family  of  the  Logans.  However, 
it  seems  much  more  probable  that  the  family  took 
their  name  from  the  river,  which  has  its  rise  in  the 
parish  of  Currie,  at  Kinleith,  where  three  springs 
receive  various  additions  in  their  progress,  particu- 
larly at  the  village  of  Balerno,  where  they  are  joined 
by  the  Bavelaw  Burn. 


This  stream,  when  its  waters  were  pure,  abounded  [  remains  were  found  near  the  citadel  in  1825 


eyed  eel  or  river  lamprey ;  and  it  must  have  con- 
tained salmon  too,  as  in  the  Edinburgh  Herald  for 
August,  1797,  we  read  of  a  soldier  in  the  Cale- 
donian Regiment  being  drowned  in  the  Salmon 
Pool,  in  the  Water  of  Leith,  by  going  beyond  his 
depth  when  bathing  there. 

In  his  "  Historical  Inquiries,"  Sir  Robert  Sibbald 
suggests  that  a  Roman  station  of  some  kind  existed 
where  Leith  now  stands  ;  but  it  has  been  deemed 
more  probable,  as  the  author  of  Caledonia  Romana 
supposes,  that  from  the  main  Roman  road  that  went 
to  Caer-almon  (or  Cramond)  a  path  diverged  by 
the  outlying  camp  at  Sheriff  Hall  to  Leith,  where 
Chalmers  ("Caledonia,"  Vol.  I.),  records  that  "the 
remains  of  a  Roman  way  were  discovered,  when 
one  of  the  piers  was  being  repaired  ; "  and  this  is 
further  supported  by  the  fact  that  some  Roman 

Still, 


BOUNDARY  OF  LEITH. 


'65 


there  is  no  proof  that  the  shallow  waters  of  the 
Leith,  as  they  debouched  upon  the  sands  of  what 
must  have  been  on  both  sides  an  uncultured  waste 
of  links  or  moorland,  ever  formed  a  shelter  for  the 
galleys  of  Rome  ;  and  it  is  strange  to  think  that 
there  must  have  been  a  time  when  its  banks  were 
covered  by  furze  and  the  bells  of  the  golden  broom, 
and  when  the  elk,  the  red  deer,  and  the  white  bull 
of  Drumsheugh,  drank  of  its  current  amid  a  voice- 
less solitude. 


the  gorge  of  the  Low  Calton,  and  descends  Leith 
Walk  till  nearly  opposite  the  old  manor  house  of 
Pilrig ;  it  then  runs  westward  to  the  Water  of 
Leith,  and  follows  the  latter  downward  to  the  Firth. 
The  parish  thus  includes,  besides  its  landward 
district,  the  Calton  Hill,  parts  of  Calton  and  the 
Canongate,  Abbey  Hill,  Norton  Place,  Jock's 
Lodge,  Restalrig,  and  the  whole  of  South  Leith. 

"  Except  on  the  Calton  Hill,"  says  a  statistical 
writer,  "  the   soil  not  occupied  by  buildings  is  all 


i'.AVI  II  I.I)    HOUSE. 


The  actual  limits  of  Leith  as  a  town,  prior  to 
their  definition  in  1827,  are  uncertain. 

South  Leith  is  bounded  on  the  north-east  by  the 
Firth  of  Forth,  on  the  south  by  Duddingston  and 
the  Canongate,  on  the  west  by  the  parishes  of  the 
Royalty  of  Edinburgh,  by  St.  Cuthbert's  and  North 
Leith.  It  is  nearly  triangular  in  form,  and  has  an 
area  of  2,265  acres.  The  boundary  is  traced  for 
some  way  with  Duddingston,  by  the  Fishwives' 
Causeway,  or  old  Roman  Road  ;  then  it  passes 
nearly  along  the  highway  between  the  city  and 
Portobello  till  past  Jock's  Lodge,  making  a  pro- 
jecting sweep  so  as  to  include  Parson's  Green  ;  and 
after  skirting  the  royal  parks,  it  runs  along  the 
north  back  of  the  Canongate,  debouches  through 


susceptible  of  high  cultivation,  and  has  had  im- 
posed on  it  dresses  of  utility  and  ornament  in  keep- 
ing with  its  close  vicinity  to  the  metropolis.  Irri- 
gated and  very  fertile  meadows,  green  and  beautiful 
esplanades  laid  out  as  promenading  grounds,  neat, 
tidy,  and  extensive  nurseries,  elegant  fruit,  flower, 
and  vegetable  gardens,  and  the  little  sheet  of 
Lochend,  with   a  profusion   of  odoriferous   enclo- 

,  sures,  and  a  rich  sprinkling  of  villas  with  their 
attendant  flower-plots,  render  the  open  or  unedi- 
ficed  area  eminently  attractive.     The  beach,  all  the 

]  way  from  South  Leith  to  the  eastern  boundary  is 
not  a  little  attractive  to  sea-bathers  ;  a  fine,  clean 
sandy  bottom,  an  inclination  or  slope  quite  gentle 
enough  to  assure  the  most  timid,  and  a  limpid  roll 


i66 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


or  ripple  or  burnished  face  of  water,  the  very 
aspect  of  which  is  luxury  in  a  summer  day.'' 

North  Leith  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  the 
Firth  of  Forth,  on  the  south  and  east  by  the  stream 
which  gives  its  name  to  the  whole  locality,  dividing 
it  from  South  Leith,  and  on  the  south  and  west 
by  St.  Cuthbert's.  It  is  oblong  in  form,  and  has 
an  area  of  only  517  acres.  Its  surface  is  nearly  a 
uniform  level,  and  with  the  exception  of  some 
garden  grounds  is  covered  by  streets  and  villas. 
Between  North  Leith  and  Newhaven  the  coast  has 
been  to  a  considerable  extent  washed  away  by  the 
encroaching  waves  of  the  Firth,  but  has  now  re- 
ceived the  aid  of  strong  stone  bulwarks  to  protect 
it  from  further  loss. 

The  Links  of  North  Leith,  which  lay  along  the 
coast,  were  let  in  1595  at  the  annual  rent  of  six 
merks,  while  those  of  South  Leith  were  let  at  a  rent 
of  thirty,  so  the  former  must  have  been  one-fifth  of 
the  extent  of  the  latter,  or  a  quarter  of  a  mile  long 
by  three  hundred  yards  in  breadth.  For  many 
years  the  last  vestiges  of  these  have  disappeared  ; 
and  what  must  formerly  have  been  a  beautiful  and 
grassy  plain  is  now  an  irreclaimable  waste,  where 
not  partially  occupied  by  the  railway  and  goods 
station,  regularly  flooded  by  the  tide,  and  displaying 
at  low  water  a  thick  expansion  of  stones  and 
pebbles,  washed  free  from  mould  or  soil. 

The  earliest  reference  to  Leith  in  history  is  in 
King  David's  famous  charter  to  Holyrood,  circa 
1 143  7,  wherein  he  gives  the  water,  fishings,  and 
meadows  to  the  canons  serving  God  therein,  "  and 
Broctan,  with  its  right  marches  ;  and  that  Inverlet 
which  is  nearest  the  harbour,  and  with  the  half  of 
the  fishing,  and  with  a  whole  tithe  of  all  the  fishing 
that  belongs  to  the  church  of  St.  Cuthbert." 

This  charter  of  King  David  is  either  repeated  or 
quoted  in  all  subsequent  grants  by  charter,  or  pur- 
chases of  superiority,  referring  to  Leith ;  and  by  it 
there  would  seem  to  have  been  in  that  early  age 
some  species  of  harbour  where  the  Leith  joins  the 
Firth  of  Forth  ;  but  there  is  again  a  reference  to  it 
in  1 3 13,  when  all  the  vessels  there  were  burned  by 
the  English  during  the  war  waged  by  Edward  II., 
which  ended  in  the  following  year  at  Bannockburn. 

On  the  28th  of  May,  1329,  King  Robert  I.  began 
all  the  future  troubles  of  Leith  by  a  grant  of  it  to 
the  city  of  Edinburgh,  in  the  following  terms  : — ■ 

"  Robert,  by  the  grace  of  God  King  of  Scots,  to 
all  good  men  of  his  land,  greeting :  Know  ye  that 
we  have  given,  granted,  and  to  perform  let,  and  by 
this  our  present  charter  confirmed,  to  the  burgesses 
of  our  burgh  of  Edinburgh,  our  foresaid  burgh  of 
Edinburgh,  together  with  the  port  of  Leith,  mills, 
and  their  pertinents,  to   have   and  to  hold,  to  the 


said  burgesses  and  their  successors,  of  us  and  our 
heirs,  freely,  quietly,  fully,  and  honourably,  by  all 
I  their  right  meithes  and  marches,  with  all  the  com- 
modities, liberties,  and  easements  which  justly  per- 
tained to  the  said  burgh  in  the  time  of  King 
Alexander,  our  predecessor  last  deceased,  of  good 
memory ;  paying,  therefore,  the  said  burgesses  and 
'  their  successors,  to  us  and  our  heirs,  yearly,  fifty- 
two  merks  sterling,  at  the  terms  of  Whitsunday,  and 
Martinmas  in  winter,  by  equal  proportions.  In 
witness  whereof  we  have  commanded  our  seal  to 
be  affixed  to  our  present  charter.  Tesiihis,  Walter 
of  Twynham,  our  Chancellor  ;  Thomas  Randolph, 
Earl  of  Moray,  Lord  of  Annandale  and  Man,  our 
nephew  ;  James,  Lord  of  Douglas  ;  Gilbert  of  Hay, 
our  Constable  ;  Robert  of  Keith,  our  Marischall  of 
Scotland,  and  Adam  Moore,  knights.  At  Cardross, 
the  28th  of  May,  in  the  twenty- fourth  year  of  our 
reign."     (Burgh  Charters,  No.  iv.) 

From  the  date  of  this  document  a  contest  for  the 
right  of  superiority  commenced,  and  till  the  present 
century  Leith  was  never  free  from  the  trammels 
imposed  upon  it  by  the  city  of  Edinburgh  ;  and  the 
town  council,  not  content  with  the  privileges  given 
by  Robert  Bruce,  eventually  got  possession  of  the 
ground  adjacent  to  the  harbour,  on  the  banks  of 
the  river. 

In  those  days  the  population  of  the  infant  port 
must  have  been  very  small.  In  the  index  of  miss- 
ing royal  charters  in  the  time  of  King  Robert  II., 
there  is  one  to  John  Gray,  Clerk  Register,  "  of  ar.e 
tenement  in  Leith,"  and  another  to  the  monastery 
of  Melrose  of  a  tenement  in  the  same  place  -r 
and  in  1357,  among  those  who  entered  into  an 
obligation  to  pay  the  ransom  of  King  David  II., 
then  a  prisoner  of  war  in  England,  we  find 
"William  of  Leith,"  no  doubt  a  merchant  of  sub- 
stance in  his  day.     (Burgh  Charters,  No.  vi.) 

Thomas  of  Leith,  or  another  bearing  the  same 
name,  witnessed  a  charter  of  David,  Earl  of  Orkn  :y, 
in  1391. 

Sir  Robert  Logan  of  Restalrig,  a  man  of  heai  t- 
less,  greedy,  and  rapacious  character,  began  to 
contest  the  citizens'  claim  or  right  of  superiority 
over  Leith,  and  obliged  them  to  take  a  concession 
of  it  from  him  by  purchase  or  charter,  dated  the 
31st  of  May,  1398  ;  and  to  this  document  we  have 
referred  in  a  preceding  chapter.  Prior  to  this,  snys 
Maitland,  the  course  of  traffic  was  restricted  by 
him  "  to  the  use  of  a  narrow  and  inconvenient  lane, 
a  little  beneath  the  Tolbooth  Wynd,  now  called  the 
Burgess  Close." 

As  we  have  related  in  the  account  of  Restalrig, 
Sir  Robert  Logan  granted  to  the  community  of 
Edinburgh  a  right  to  the  waste  lands  in  the  vicinity 


THE    FIRST    BRIDGE. 


167 


of  the  harbour,  for  the  erection  of  quays  and  wharfs 
and  for  the  loading  of  goods,  with  the  liberty  to 
have  shops  and  granaries,  and  to  make  all  neces- 
sary roads  thereto ;  but  this  grasping  feudal  baron 
afterwards  sorely  teased  and  perplexed  the  town 
council  with  points  of  litigation,  till  eventually  he 
roused  them  to  adopt  a  strong  measure  for  satiating 
at  once  his  avarice  and  their  own  ambition. 

Bought  over  by  them  with  a  large  sum  of  money 
drawn  from  the  city  treasury,  Sir  Robert  Logan  on 
the  27th  of  February,  1413,  granted  them  an  extra- 
ordinary charter,  which  has  been  characterised  as 
"an  exclusive,  ruinous,  and  enslaving  bond,"  re- 
straining the  luckless  inhabitants  of  Leith  from 
carrying  on  trade  cf  any  sort,  from  possessing  ware- 
houses or  shops,  from  keeping  inns  for  strangers, 
"  so  that  nothing  should  be  built  or  constructed  on 
the  said  land  (in  Leith)  in  future,  to  the  prejudice 
and  impediment  of  the  said  community."  The 
witnesses  to  this  grant  are  George  Lauder  the  Pro- 
vost, and  the  Bailies,  William  Touris  of  Cramond, 
William  of  Edmondston,  James  Cant,  Dean  of 
Guild,  John  Clark  of  Lanark,  Andrew  Learmouth, 
and  William  of  the  Wood. 

In  1428  King  James  I.  granted  a  charter  under 
his  great  seal,  with  consent  of  the  community  of 
Edinburgh,  ordaining  "  that  in  augmentation  of  the 
fabrik  and  reparation  of  the  port  and  harbour  of 
Leith,  there  should  be  uplifted  a  certain  tax  or  toll  j 
upon  all  ships  and  boats  entering  therein."  This 
is  dated  from  the  Palace  of  Dunfermline,  31st 
December.     (Burgh  Records.) 

In  1439  Patrick,  abbot  of  Holyrood,  granted  to 
Sir  Robert  Logan  and  his  heirs  the  office  of  bailie 
over  the  abbey  lands  of  St.  Leonards,  "lyande  in  ' 
the  town  of  Leicht,  within  the  barony  of  Restalrig,  I 
on  the  south  halfe  the  water,  from  the  end  of  the 
gret  volut  of  William  Logane  on  the  east  part  to 
the  common  gate  that  passes  to  the  ford  over  the  j 
water  of  Leicht,  beside  the  waste  land  near  the 
house  of  John  of  Turing,"  etc.  (Burgh  Charters.) 
Not  content  with  the  power  already  given  them 
over  their  vassals  in  Leith,  the  magistrates  of  Edin- 
burgh, after  letting  the  petty  customs  and  "  haven 
siller "  of  Leith  for  the  sum  of  one  hundred  and 
ten  merks  in  1485,  passed  a  remarkable  order  in 
council : — "  That  no  merchant  of  Edinburgh  pre- 
sume to  take  into  partnership  any  indweller  of  the 
town  of  Leith,  under  pain  of  forty  pounds  to  the 
Kirk  wark,  and  to  be  deprived  of  the  freedom  (of 
the  city)  for  ane  zeare." 

Three  years  before  this  King  James  III.  had 
granted  to  them  a  charter  containing  a  detail  of 
the  customs,  profits,  exactions,  commodities,  and 
revenues  of  the  port  and  roadstead  of  Leith. 


j  In  1497  the  civic  despots  of  Edinburgh  obtained, 
on  writ  from  the  Privy  Council,  that  "  all  manner 
of  persons,  quhilk  are  infectit,  or  has  been  in- 
fectit  and  uncurrit  of  the  contageouse  plage,  callit 
the  grand  gore,  devoid  red  and  pass  furth  of 
this  towne,  and  compeir  on  the  sandis  of  Leith, 
at  ten  hours  before  noon,  and  thair  shall  have 
boats  reddie  in  the  Haven,  ordainit  to  thame  be 
the  officears,  reddie  furnished  with  victualles,  to 
have  them  to  the  inche,  there  to  remain  quhill 
God  provide  for  thair  health."  (Town  Council 
Records.) 

As  regards  Leith,  a  much  more  important  event 
is  recorded  four  years  before  this,  when  Robert 
Ballantyne,  abbot  of  Holyrood,  "  with  the  consent 
of  his  chapter  and  the  approbation  of  William, 
Archbishop  of  St.  Andrews,"  first  spanned  the 
river  by  a  solid  stone  bridge,  thus  connecting  South 
and  North  Leith,  holding  the  right  of  levying  a  toll 
therefor.  It  was  a  bridge  of  three  arches,  of 
which  Lord  Eldin  made  a  sketch  in  1779,  and  part 
of  one  of  the  piers  of  which  still  remains.  Abbot 
Ballantyne  also  built  a  chapel  thereby,  and  in  his 
charter  it  is  expressly  stated,  after  enumerating  the 
tithes  and  tolls  of  the  bridge,  "  that  the  stipend  of 
each  of  the  two  incumbents  is  to  be  limited  to 
fifteen  merks,  and  after  the  repairs  of  the  said 
bridge  and  chapel,  and  lighting  the  same,  the  sur- 
plus is  to  be  given  to  the  poor." 

This  chapel  was  dedicated  to  St.  Ninian  the 
apostle  of  Galloway,  and  the  abbot's  charter  was 
confirmed  by  King  James  IV.  on  the  1st  June, 
1493.  He  also  established  a  range  of  buildings 
on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  a  portion  of  which, 
says  Robertson,  writing  in  1851,  "still  exists  in 
the  form  of  a  gable  and  large  oven,  at  the  locality 
generally  designated  'the  Old  Bridge  End.'" 

The  part  in  Leith  whereon,  it  is  said,  the  first 
houses  were  built  in  the  twelfth  century,  is  bounded 
on  the  south  by  the  Tolbooth  Wynd,  on  the  west 
by  the  shore  or  quay,  on  the  north  by  the  Broad 
Wynd,  and  on  the  east  by  the  Rotten  Row,  now- 
called  Water  Lane.  One  of  the  broadest  alleys  in 
this  ancient  quarter  is  the  Burgess  Close,  ten  feet 
in  width,  and  was  the  first  road  granted  to  the 
citizens  of  Edinburgh  by  Logan  of  Restalrig. 

In  the  year  1501,  all  freemen  of  the  city,  to  the 
number  of  twenty  or  so,  were  directed  by  the 
magistrates  to  accompany  the  water  bailie  when 
he  proceeded  to  Leith  to  hold  his  water  courts, 
such  an  escort  being  deemed  necessary  for  the 
honour  of  the  town,  and  the  conservation  of  its 
rights  and  privileges.  Three  years  after  the  city 
provided  "  pikkis,  mattoks,  and  gavelokis "  (i.e., 
crowbars)  for  removing  great  stones  from  the  shore 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


and  cleaning  the  channel   of  the   river  at    Leith. 
(Burgh  Records.) 

In  1510,  on  the  9th  March,  James  IV.  granted 
to  the  city  of  Edinburgh  the  port  denominated  the 
New  Haven,  which  he  had  lately  formed  on  the  sea- 
coast,  with  the  lands  thereunto  belonging,  lying 
between  the  chapel  of  St.  Nicholas  at  North  Leith 
and  the  lands  of  Wardie  Brae,  with  certain  faculties 
and  privileges  ;  and  by  another  charter  of  the  same 
date  he  confirmed  that  by  Logan  of  Restalrig, 
formerly  mentioned. 


ship  laden  with  timber  laid  her  cargo  on  the  shore, 
as  sold  to  the  Provost  and  bailies  ;  then  came 
Robert  Bartoun,  of  Overbarton,  called  the  Con- 
troller, with  a  multitude  of  the  men  of  Leith,  and 
"  masterfullie  tuik  the  said  tymmyr"  from  the 
treasurer  and  a  bailie,  which  caused  the  Lords  of 
Council  to  issue  a  decree  as  to  the  privileges  of  the 
city  and  the  seaport,  and  that  none  but  freemen 
were  at  liberty  to  buy  from  or  sell  to  strangers  at 
the  said  port  in  time  to  come. 

Fresh  disputes  about  similar  affairs  seem  to  have 


HOUSE,    LEITH    WALK. 


In  the  following  year  eight  men,  whose  names 
are  recorded,  were  sworn  on  the  holy  evangels  as 
pioneers,  to  labour  and  serve  the  merchants  at  the 
port  and  haven  of  Leith,  and  to  keep  "  the  shore 
clear  of  middings,  fulzie,  and  sic  stufe." 

In  1514  the  tapsters  and  wine  dealers  in  Leith 
were  summoned  before  the  magistrates  of  Edin- 
burgh for  injuring  the  privileges  thereof  by  the  sale 
of  wine  within  the  sea-port. 

Three  years  after  this  we  find  the  Laird  of  Rest- 
alrig entering  a  protest  with  regard  to  an  arrest- 
ment made  on  the  shore  of  Leith,  and  maintaining 
that  it  should  not  prejudice  his  rights  as  Baron  of 
Restalrig.     It  would  seem  that  in   15 17   a   Dutch 


occurred  between  the  same  parties  in  1522-3, 
and  we  find  George,  abbot  of  Holyrood,  entering  a 
protest  that  whatever  took  place  between  them  it 
should  not  be  to  the  prejudice  of  the  Holyrood. 
(Burgh  Records.) 

In  1528  a  vessel  belonging  to  the  town,  called 
the  Portuguese  barque — most  probably  a  prize 
captured  by  the  famous  fighting  Bartons  of  Leith 
— was  ordered  to  be  sold  to  "  thaise  that  will  gif  the 
maist  penny  thairfore" — i.e.,  to  the  highest  bidder. 

Two  years  afterwards  Leith  was  afflicted  by 
a  pestilence,  and  all  intercourse  between  it  and  the 
city  was  strictly  forbidden,  under  pain  of  banish- 
ment from  the  latter  for  ever. 


HERTFORD'S    INVASION. 


[69 


In  1543,  when  the  traitorous  Scottish  nobles  of  j 
what  was  named  the  English  faction,  leagued  with 
Henry  VIII.  to  achieve  a  marriage  between  his  son  ! 
Edward,  a  child  five  years  of  age,  and  the  infant 
Queen  of  Scotland,  the  Earl  of  Lennox,  who  was 
at  the  head  of  the  movement,  attempted  an  insur- 
rection, and,  marching  with  all  his  adherents  to 
Leith,  offered  battle  between  that  town  and  Edin- 
burgh to  the  Regent  and  Cardinal  Beaton,  who  were 
at  the  head  of  the  Scottish  loyalists.     Aware  that 


After  taking  soundings  at  Granton  Craigs,  the 
infantry  were  landed  there  by  pinnaces,  though  the 
water  was  so  deep  "  that  a  galley  or  two  laid  their 
snowttis  (i.e.  bows)  to  the  craigs,"  at  ten  in  the 
morning  of  Sunday,  the  4th  of  May.  Between  1 2 
and  1  o'clock  they  marched  into  Leith,  "  and  fand 
the  tables  covered,  the  dinnaris  prepared,  such 
abundance  of  wyne  and  victuallis  besydes  the  other 
substances,  that  the  lyck  ritches  were  not  to  be 
found  either  in  Scotland  nor  in  England."    (Knox.) 


PILRIG    FREE    CHURCH    AND    LEITH    WALK,     LOOKING    NORTH. 


the  forces  of  Lennox  were  superior  in  number  to  1 
their  own,  they  amused  him  with  a  pretended 
treaty  till  his  troops  began  to  weary,  and  dispersed 
to  their  homes ;  and  Henry  of  England,  enraged 
at  the  opposition  to  his  avarice  and  ambition,  re- 
solved to  invade  Scotland  in  1544. 

In  May  the  Earl  of  Hertford,  with  an  army 
variously  estimated  at  from  ten  to  twenty  thousand, 
on  board  of  two  hundred  vessels,  commanded  by 
Dudley,  Lord  Lisle,  suddenly  entered  the  Firth  of 
Forth,  while  4,000  mounted  men-at-arms  came  to 
Leith  by  land. 

So  suddenly  was  this  expedition  undertaken,  that 
the  Regent  Arran  and  the  Cardinal  were  totally  un-  j 
prepared  to  resist,  and  retired  westward  from  the  city.  | 
118 


Leith  was  pillaged,  the  surrounding  country- 
ravaged  with  savage  and  merciless  ferocity.  Craig- 
millar  was  captured,  with  many  articles  of  value 
deposited  there  by  the  citizens,  and  Sir  Simon 
Preston,  after  being  taken  prisoner,  was — as  a 
degradation — compelled  to  march  on  foot  to  Lon- 
don. How  Hertford  was  baffled  in  his  attempts 
on  Edinburgh  Castle  and  compelled  to  retreat  we 
have  narrated  in  its  place.  He  fell  back  on  Leith, 
where  he  destroyed  the  pier,  which  was  of  wood, 
pillaged  and  left  the  town  in  flames.  After  which 
he  embarked  all  his  troops,  and  sailed,  taking  with 
him  the  Sa/amander  and  Unicorn,  two  large  Scottish 
ships  of  war,  and  all  the  small  craft  lying  in  the 
harbour. 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


The  ballast  of  the  war  ships  "  was  cannon-shot  of 
iron  of  which  we  found  in  the  town  to  the  nombre 
of  iii  score  thousand "  according  to  the  English 
account,  which  is  remarkable,  as  the  latter  used 
stone  bullets  then,  which  were  also  used  in  the 
Armada  more  than  forty  years  afterwards.  The  work 
from  which  we  quote  bears  that  it  was  "  Imprynted 
at  London,  in  Pawls  Churchyarde,  by  Reynolde 
Wolfe,  at  the  signe  of  ye  Brazen  Serpent,  anno 
1554."  During  this  expedition  Edward  Clinton, 
Earl  of  Lincoln,  whose  armour  is  now  preserved 
in  the  Tower  of  London,  was  knighted  at  Leith  by 
the  Earl  of  Hertford. 

Scotland's  day  of  vengeance  came  speedily  after, 
when  the  English  army  were  defeated  with  great 
slaughter  at  Ancrum,  on  the  17th  of  February, 
1545- 

After  the  battle  of  Pinkie  Leith  was  pillaged  and 
burnt  again,  with  greater  severity  than  before,  and 
thirty-five  vessels  were  carried  from  the  harbour. 

In  1551  an  Englishman  was  detected  in  Leith 
selling  velvets  in  small  pieces  to  indwellers  there, 
thereby  breaking  the  acts  and  infringing  the  freedom 
of  the  citizens  of  Edinburgh,  for  which  he  was 
arrested  and  fined.  Indeed,  the  Burgh  Records  of 
this  time  teem  with  the  prosecution  of  persons 
breaking  the  burgh  laws  by  dealings  with  the  "  un- 


freemen "  of  the  seaport ;  and  so  persistently  did 
the  magistrates  of  Edinburgh  act  as  despots  in  their 
attempts  to  depress,  annoy,  and  restrain  the  in- 
habitants, that,  in  the  opinion  of  a  local  historian, 
there  was  only  "  one  measure  wanting  to  com- 
plete the  destruction  of  the  unhappy  Leithers,  and 
that  was  an  act  of  the  Town  Council  to  cut  their 
throats  !" 

In  1554  the  Easter  Beacon  of  Leith  is  referred  to 
in  the  Burgh  Accounts,  and  also  payments  made 
about  the  same  time  to  Alexander,  a  quarrier  at 
Granton,  for  stones  and  for  Gilmerton  lime,  for 
repairs  upon  the  harbour  of  Leith.  These  works 
were  continued  until  October,  1555,  and  great 
stones  are  mentioned  as  having  been  brought  from 
the  Burghmuir. 

The  Queen  Regent,  Mary  of  Lorraine,  granted 
the  inhabitants  of  Leith  a  contract  to  erect  the  town 
into  a  Burgh  of  Barony,  to  continue  valid  till  she 
could  erect  it  into  a  Royal  Burgh  j  and  as  a  pre- 
paratory measure  she  purchased  overtly  and  for 
their  use,  with  money  which  they  themselves  fur- 
nished, the  superiority  of  the  town  from  Logan  of 
Restalrig  ;  but  as  she  failed  amid  the  turmoil  of  the 
time  to  fulfil  her  engagements,  the  people  of  Leith 
alleged  that  she  had  been  bribed  by  those  of  Edin- 
burgh with  20,000  merks  to  break  them. 


CHAPTER     XVIII. 

LEITH— HISTORICAL    SURVEY  [continued). 

The  Great  Siege— Arrival  of  the  French— The  Fortifications— Re-capture  of  Inchkeith-The  Town  Invested- Arrival  of  the  English  Fleet  and 
Army— Skirmishes— Opening  of  the  Batteries— Failure  of  the  Great  Assault— Queen  Regent's  Death— Treaty  of  Peace— Relics  of  the  Siege. 

j  caused  them  to  make  an  offer  of  their  young  Queen 
to  the  Dauphin  of  France,  an  offer  which  his  father 
at  once  accepted,  and  he  resolved  to  leave  no 
means  untried  to  enforce  the  authority  of  the 
dowager  of  James  V.,  who  was  appointed  Regent 
during  the  minority   of  her  daughter.     The  flame 

'  of  the  Reformation,  long  stifled  in  Scotland,  had 
now  burst  forth  and  spread  over  all  the  country ; 
and  the  Catholic  party  would  have  been  only  a 
minority  but  for  the  influence  of  the  Queen  Regent 
and  the  presence  of  her  French  auxiliaries,  who 
arrived  in  Leith  Roads  in  June,  1548,  in  twenty- 
two  galleys  and  sixty  other  ships,  according  to 
Calderwood's  History. 

Sir  Nicholas  de  Villegaignon,  knight  of  Rhodes, 
was  admiral  of  the  fleet,  which,  as  soon  as  it  left 
Brest,  displayed,  in  place  of  French  colours,  the 

[  Red  Lion  of  Scotland,  as  France  and  England  were 


From  1548  to  1560  Leith,  by  becoming  the  fortified 
seat  of  the  Court  and  headquarters  of  the  Queen 
Regent's  army  and  of  her  French  auxiliaries,  figured 
prominently  as  the  centre  of  those  stirring  events 
that  occurred  during  the  bitter  civil  war  which 
ensued  between  Mary  of  Lorraine  and  the  Lords 
of  the  Congregation.  Its  port  received  the  ship- 
ping and  munitions  of  war  which  were  designed  for 
her  service ;  its  fortifications  "  enclosed  alternately 
a  garrison  and  an  army,  whose  accoutrements  had 
no  opportunity  of  becoming  rusted,  and  its  gates 
poured  forth  detachments  and  sallying  parties  who 
fought  many  a  fierce  skirmish  with  portions  of  the 
Protestant  forces  on  the  plain  between  Leith  and 
Edinburgh." 

The  bloody  defeat  at  Pinkie,  the  ravage  of  the 
capital  and  adjacent  country,  instead  of  reconciling 
the  Scots  to  a  matrimonial  alliance  with  England, 


THE    FORTI 1TCATK  )XS. 


then  at  peace.  A  small  force  under  Monsieur  de 
la  Chapelle  Biron  had  already  preceded  this  main 
bod\',  which  consisted  of  between  six  and  seven 
thousand  well-trained  soldiers,  all  led  by  officers  of 
high  rank  and  approved  valour. 

Andre  de  Montelambert,  Sieur  d'Esse,  com- 
manded the  whole  ;  2,000  of  these  men  were  of  the 
regular  infantry  of  France,  and  were  commanded 
by  Coligny,  the  Seigneur  d'Andelot,  who  for  his 
bravery  at  the  siege  of  Calais,  afterwards  was  pre- 
sented with  the  house  of  the  last  English  governor, 
Lord  Dunford.  His  father,  Gaspard  de  Coligny, 
was  a  marshal  of  France  in  15 16.  Gaspare  di 
Strozzi,  Prior  of  Capua,  a  Florentine  cavalier  (exiled 
by  Alessandro  I.,  Grand  Duke  of  Tuscany),  was 
colonel  of  the  Italians  ;  the  Rhinegrave  led  3,000 
Germans  ;  Octavian,  an  old  cavalier  of  Milan,  led 
1,000  arquebussiers  on  horseback;  Dunois  was 
captain  of  the  Compagnies  d '  Ordomiance ;  Brissac 
D'Etanges  was  colonel  of  the  horse.  Another 
noble  armament,  which  was  to  follow  under  the 
Marquis  d'Elbceuff,  was  cast  away  on  the  coast  of 
Holland,  and  only  900  of  its  soldiers  reached 
Scotland,  under  the  Count  de  Martigues. 

In  the  following  year  D'Esse  was  superseded  in 
the  command  by  Paul  de  la  Barthe,  Seigneur  de 
Termes,  a  knight  of  St.  Michael,  who  brought  with 
him  100  cuirassiers,  200  horse,  and  1,000  infantry. 
He  was  appointed  marshal  of  France  in  1555.  I 
Prior  to  the  arrival  of  these  auxiliaries,  Leith 
seems  to  have  been  completely  an  open  town  ;  but 
Andre  de  Montelambert,  as  a  basis  for  future  opera- 
tions, at  once  saw  the  importance  of  fortifying  it, 
dependent  as  he  was  almost  entirely  upon  support 
from  the  Continent,  and  having  a  necessity  for  a  ; 
place  to  retreat  into  in  case  of  reverse ;  so  he  at  ! 
once  proceeded  to  enclose  the  seaport  with  strong  ! 
and  regular  works,  carried  out  on  the  scientific  prin- 
ciples of  the  time. 

As  not  a  vestige  of  these  works  now  remain,  it  is 
useless  to  speculate  on  the  probable  height  or  com- ! 
position  of  the  ramparts,  which  were  most  pro- 
bably massive  earthworks,  in  many  places  faced 
with  stone,  and  must  have  been  furnished  with  a  : 
terrepleine  all  round,  to  enable  the  garrison  to  pass 
and  re-pass ;  and  no  doubt  the  work  would  be  effi- 
ciently done,  as  the  French  have  ever  evinced  the 
highest  talent  for  military  engineering. 

The  works  erected  then  were  of  a  very  irregular 
kind,  partaking  generally  of  a  somewhat  trian- 
gular form,  the  smallest  base  of  which  presented  to 
Leith  Links  on  the  eastward  a  frontage  of  about 
2,000  feet  from  point  to  point  of  the  flankers  or 
bastions. 

In  the  centre  of  this  was  one  great  projecting  ( 


bastion,  600  feet  in  length,  in  the  line  of  the  pre- 
sent Constitution  Street. 

Ramsay's  Fort,  usually  called  the  first  bastion, 
adjoined  the  river  in  the  line  of  Bernard's  Street 
J  with  a  curtain  nearly  500  feet  long,  the  second 
bastion  terminating  the  frontage  described  as  to  the 
;  Links.  The  present  line  of  Leith  Walk  would  seem 
to  have  entered  the  town  by  St.  Anthony's  Port, 
between  the  third  and  fourth  bastion. 
;  A  gate  in  the  walls  is  indicated  by  Maitland  as 
being  at  the  foot  of  the  Bonnington  Road,  near  the 
fifth  bastion,  from  whence  the  works  extended  to 
the  river,  which  was  crossed  by  a  wooden  bridge 
near  the  sixth  bastion.  Port  St.  Nicholas— so  called 
from  the  then  adjacent  church — entered  at  the 
seventh  bastion,  which  was  flanked  far  out  at  a  very 
acute  angle,  evidently  to  enclose  the  church  and 
burying-ground  ;  and  from  thence  the  fortifications, 
with  a  sea  front  of  1,200  feet,  extended  to  the  eighth 
bastion,  which  adjoined  the  Sand  Port,  near  where 
the  Custom  House  stands  now.  The  two  bastions 
at  the  harbour  mouth  would  no  doubt  be  built 
wholly  of  stone,  and  heavily  armed  with  guns  to 
defend  the  entrance. 

Kincaid  states  that  in  his  time  some  vestiges  of 
a  ditch  and  bastion  existed  westward  of  the  citadel. 
Where  the  Exchange  Buildings  now  stand  there 
long  remained  a  narrow  mound  of  earth  a  hundred 
yards  long  and  of  considerable  height,  which  in  the 
last  century  was  much  frequented  by  the  belles  of 
Leith  as  a  lofty  and  airy  promenade,  to  which  there 
was  an  ascent  by  steps.  It  was  called  the  "  Ladies' 
Walk,"  and  was,  no  doubt,  the  remains  of  the 
work  adjoining  the  second  bastion  of  Andre  de 
Montelambert. 

The  wall  near  the  third  bastion,  when  it  became 
reduced  to  a  mere  mound  of  earth,  formed  for  a 
time  a  portion  of  South  Leith  burying-ground. 
"  An  unfortunate  and  unthinking  wight  of  a  sea- 
captain,"  says  Campbell,  in  his  "History,"  "tempted, 
we  presume,  by  the  devil,  once  took  it  in  his  head 
to  ballast  his  ship  with  this  sacred  earth.  The  con- 
sequence, tradition  has  it,  of  this  sacrilegious  act 
was,  that  neither  the  wicked  captain  nor  his  ship, 
after  putting  to  sea,  was  ever  heard  of  again." 

Montelambert  D'Esse  could  barely  have  had  his 
fortifications  completed  when,  as  already  noted,  he 
was  superseded  in  the  command  by  a  senior  officer, 
Paul  de  la  Barthe,  the  Seigneur  de  Termes,  one  of 
whose  first  measures  was  to  drive  the  English  out 
of  Inchkeith,  where  a  detachment  of  them  had  been 
occupying  the  old  castle.  The  general  operations 
of  the  French  army  at  Haddington  and  elsewhere, 
after  being  joined  by  5,000  Scottish  troops  under 
the  Governor,  lie  apart  from  the  history  of  Leith ; 


OLD   AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


but  the  little  warlike  episode  connected  with  Inch- 
keith  forms  a  part  of  it. 

In  the  rare  view  of  Holyrood  given  at  page  45 
of  Vol.  II.,  Inchkeith  is  shown  in  the  distance,  with 
its  castle,  a  great  square  edifice,  having  a  round 
tower  at  each  corner.  The  English  garrison  here 
were  in  a  position  which  afforded  them  many 
advantages,  and  they  committed  many  outrages  on 
the  shores  of  Fife  and  Lothian  ;  and  when  it  be- 
came necessary  to  dislodge  them,  M.  de  Biron,  a 
French  officer,  left  Leith  in  a  galley  to  reconnoitre 


'  to  the  island,  and  evident  selection  of  the  only 
landing-place,  roused  the  suspicions  of  the  garrison. 
Finding  theirintentions  discovered,  they  made  direct 
for  the  rock,  and  found  the  English  prepared  to 
dispute  every  inch  of  it  with  them. 

:  Leaping  ashore,  with  pike,  sword,  and  arquebus, 
they  attacked  the   English  hand    to  hand,    drove 

(  them    into  the  higher  parts  of  the  island,  where 

j  Cotton,  their  commander,  and  George  Appleby, 
one  of  his  officers,  were  killed,  with  several  English 

I  gentlemen  of  note.     The  castle  was  captured,  and 


sifyvihwiwf 


;S   BRIDGE,   LEITH,     1779.      (After  a  Drawing  by  John  Clerk  of  Eldiri). 


the  island — the  same  galley  in  which,  it  is  said, 
little  Queen  Mary  afterwards  went  to  France.  The 
English  garrison  were  no  doubt  ignorant  of  Biron's 
object  in  sailing  round  the  isle,  as  they  did  not  fire 
upon  him. 

Mary  of  Lorraine  had  often  resorted  to  Leith 
since  the  arrival  of  her  countrymen  ;  and  now  she 
took  such  an  interest  in  the  expedition  to  Inch- 
keith that  she  personally  superintended  the  embar- 
kation, on  Corpus  Christi  day,  the  2nd  of  June, 
1549.  Accompanied  by  a  few  Scottish  troops,  the 
French  detachment,  led  by  Chapelle  de  Biron,  De 
Ferrieres,  De  Gourdes,  and  other  distinguished 
officers,  quitted  the  harbour  in  small  boats,  and  to 
deceive  the  English  as  to  their  intentions  sailed  up 
and  down  the  Firth  ;  but  their  frequent  approaches 


the  English  driven  pell-mell  into  a  corner  of  the 
isle,  where  they  had  no  alternative  but  to  throw 
themselves  into  the  sea  or  surrender.  In  this  com- 
bat De  Biron  was  wounded  on  the  head  by  an 
arquebus,  and  had  his  helmet  so  beaten  about  his 
ears  that  he  had  to  be  carried  off  to  the  boats. 

Desbois,  his  standard-bearer,  fell  under  the  pike 
of  Cotton,  the  English  commander,  and  Gaspare 
di  Strozzi,  leader  of  the  Italians,  was  slain.  An 
account  of  the  capture  of  this  island  was  published 
in  France,  and  it  is  alike  amusing  and  remarkable 
for  the  bombast  in  which  the  French  writer  in- 
dulged. He  records  at  length  the  harangues  of 
the  Queen  Regent  and  the  French  leaders  as  the 
expedition  quitted  Leith,  the  length  and  tedium  of 
the  voyage,  and  the   sufferings  which  the  troops 


THE    TOWN    BLOCKADED. 


73 


underwent   at  sea,    yet   he   adds,    "  our   numbers 


amounted  to  700,  and  with  the  loss  of  three  we  ! 
made  ourselves  masters  of  the  island,  defended  by 
Soo  English  trained  to  war  and  accustomed  to 
slaughter."  The  Queen  Regent  and  Monluc,  the 
Bishop  of  Valence,  visited  the  island  after  its  re- 
capture, and,  according  to  the  French  account,  were 
rather  regaled  by  the  sight  of  300  English  corpses 
strewn  about  it. 

The  castle  was  afterwards  demolished  by  order  of 


The  French  troops  in  Leith,  being  all  trained 
veterans,  inured  to  military  service  in  the  wars  of 
Francis  I.  and  Henry  II.,  gave  infinite  trouble  to 
the  raw  levies  of  the  Lords  of  the  Congregation, 
who  began  to  blockade  the  town  in  October, 
1559.  Long  ere  this  Mary,  Queen  of  Scots,  had 
become  the  bride  of  Francis  of  France ;  and  her 
mother,  who  had  upheld  the  Catholic  cause  so 
vigorously,  was  on  her  deathbed  in  the  castle  of 
Edinburgh. 


the  Scottish  Parliament  as  useless,  and  nothing 
remains  of  it  now  but  a  stone,  bearing  the  royal 
arms,  built  into  the  lighthouse  ;  but  the  French 
troops  in  Leith  conceived  such  high  ideas  of  the  ex- 
cellent properties  of  the  grass  there,  that  all  their 
horses  were  pastured  upon  it,  and  for  ten  years 
they  always  termed  it  "  Lisle  des  Chevaux." 

So  pleased  was  Mary  of  Lorraine  with  the  pre- 
sence of  her  French  soldiers  in  Leith,  that — 
according  to  Maitland — she  erected  for  herself  "a 
house  at  the  corner  of  Quality  Wynd  in  the  Rotten 
Row;"  but  Robertson  states  that  "a  general  im- 
pression has  existed  that  Queen  Street  was  the  site 
of  the  residence  of  the  Queen  Dowager."  Above 
the  door  of  it  were  the  arms  of  Scotland  and  Guise. 


The  Lords  of  Congregation,  before  proceeding  to 
extremities  with  the  French,  sent  a  summons,  in 
the  names  of  "  their  sovereign  lord  and  lady, 
Francis  and  Mary,  King  and  Queen  of  Scotland 
and  France,  demanding  that  all  Scots  and  French- 
men, of  whatever  estate  or  degree,  depart  out  of  the 
town  of  Leith  within  the  space  of  twelve  hours." 

To  this  no  answer  was  returned,  so  the  Scottish 
troops  prepared  for  an  assault  by  escalade  ;  but 
when  they  applied  their  ladders  to  the  wall  they 
were  found  to  be  too  short,  and  the  heavy  fire  of 
the  French  arquebusiers  repelled  the  assailants 
with  loss.  These  unlucky  scaling-ladders  had  been 
made  in  St.  Giles's  Church,  a  circumstance  which, 
curiously   enough,    is  said   to    have   irritated    the 


OLD   AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


preachers,  who  though  profound  unbelievers  in  any- 
kind  of  consecration,  "  publicly  declared  that  God 
would  not  allow  such  wickedness  and  irreverence 
to  pass  unpunished,  as  it  betokened  contempt  for 
the  place  where  men  assembled  for  divine  service." 
The  troops  of  the  Congregation  now  imagined  that 
the  vengeance  of  Heaven  impended  over  them, 
ready  to  burst  on  the  first  opportunity,  for  their 
iniquity  in  using  a  church  as  a  carpenter's  shop  ; 
and  there  was  another  alarming  element  in  the 
ranks,  a  want  of  pay,  which  caused  a  disinclination 
to  fight. 

Queen  Elizabeth  had  sent  the  Lords  4,000 
crowns  of  the  sun,  but  these  had  been  abstracted 
from  the  bearer,  at  the  sword's  point,  by  that 
spirit  of  evil,  James,  Earl  of  Bothwell  (the  future 
Duke  of  Orkney),  and  now  their  troops  became 
disheartened  and  disorderly.  "  The  men  of  war," 
says  Knox,  "  who  were  men  without  God  or 
honesty,  made  a  mutiny,  because  they  lacked  part 
of  their  wages;  they  had  done  the  same  in  Lin- 
lithgow before,  when  they  made  a  proclamation 
that  they  would  serve  any  man  to  suppress  the 
Congregation,  and  set  up  the  mass  again  ! " 

In  their  desperation  the  Lords  applied  to  Eng- 
land, and  a  meeting  w7as  held  at  Berwick  between 
the  Duke  of  Norfolk  and  their  delegates,  who  were 
Lord  James  Stuart  (the  future  Regent  Moray),  Lord 
Ruthven  (one  of  Rizzio's  assassins),  James  Wishart 
of  Pittarow,  and  three  others  ;  and  the  treaty  which 
the  duke  concluded  with  these  Reformers  was  con- 
firmed by  the  Queen  of  England.  The  alleged 
objects  were,  "  the  defence  of  the  Protestant  reli- 
gion, of  the  ancient  rights  and  liberties  of  Scot- 
land, against  the  attempts  of  France  to  destroy 
them  and  make  a  conquest  of  that  free  kingdom — 
in  effect,  to  crush  completely  the  Catholic  interest 
and  the  power  of  the  House  of  Guise." 

The  French  in  Leith  cared  little  for  this  treaty, 
as  they  were  in  daily  expectation  of  fresh  succours 
from  France  ;  but  their  scouting  and  ravaging  de- 
tachments in  Fife,  under  the  Count  de  Martigues, 
General  d'Oisel,  the  Swiss  leader  L'Abast,  and 
others,  were  severely  cut  up  by  Kirkaldy  of  Grange, 
the  Master  of  Lindsay,  and  other  Protestant 
leaders  ;  disasters  followed  fast,  and  before  they 
could  concentrate  all  their  forces  in  Leith  they  suf- 
fered considerable  loss  in  skirmishes  by  the  way. 

The  Lords  of  the  Congregation  now  ordered  a 
general  muster  before  the  walls  of  Leith  on  the 
30th  of  March,  1560,  every  man  to  come  fully 
equipped  for  battle,  with  thirty  days'  provisions ; 
and  in  conformity  with  the  treaty  referred  to,  on 
the  2nd  of  April  there  marched  into  Scotland  an 
English  force,  consisting  of  1,250  horse  and  6,000 


infantry,  under  a  brave  and  experienced  leader, 
Lord  Grey  de  Wilton,  warden  of  the  East  and 
Middle  Marches  of  England. 

Sir  James  Crofts  was  his  second  in  command  ; 
Sir  George  Howard  was  general  of  the  men-at-arms, 
or  heavy  cavalry,  and  Burnley  Fitzpatrick  was  his 
lieutenant ;  Sir  Henry  Piercy  led  the  demi-lances, 
or  light  horse  ;  William  Pelham  was  captain  of  the 
pioneers,  Thomas  Gower  captain  of  the  ordnance  ; 
the  Lord  Scrope  was  Earl  Marshal.  Many  of  these 
troops  had  served  at  the  battle  of  Pinkie  and  in 
other  affairs  against  Scotland. 

Lord  Grey's  first  halt  was  at  Dunglas,  where  he 
encamped  his  infantry,  while  the  English  cavalry 
were  peacefully  cantoned  in  the  adjacent  hamlets. 

The  second  day's  halt  was  at  Haddington.  As 
they  passed  the  royal  castle  of  Dunbar  the  Queen's 
troops  made  a  sally,  an  encounter  took  place,  and 
some  lives  were  lost.  "  The  third  day's  march 
brought  them  to  Prestonpans,  where  they  met  the 
Scottish  leaders,  and  had  an  interview,  which  is, 
perhaps,  the  more  important  from  the  fact  that  we 
now  find,  for  the  first  time  in  history,  Scottish  and 
English  forces  acting  together  as  allies." 

On  the  first  of  the  same  month  an  English  fleet 
under  Vice-Admiral  William  Winter,  Master  of 
Elizabeth's  Ordnance,  cast  anchor  in  the  roads  to 
assist  in  the  reduction  of  Leith.  According  to 
Lediard's  "  Naval  History,"  he  instantly  attacked 
and  made  himself  master  of  the  French  ships  which 
were  there  at  anchor,  and  blocked  up  Inchkeith. 
It  was  defended  by  a  French  garrison,  which  was 
soon  reduced  to  the  last  extremity  for  want  of  pro- 
visions. 

All  this  was  done  in  defiance  of  the  remonstrances 
of  M.  De  Severre,  the  French  ambassador  at  the 
Regent's  court,  who  went  on  board  the  English 
fleet  in  the  roads. 

Lord  Grey  encamped  at  Restalrig,  where  he  was 
joined  by  the  Earls  of  Argyle,  Montrose,  and  Glen- 
cairn  ;  the  Lords  Boyd  and  Ochiltree  ;  the  prior  of 
St.  Andrews,  and  the  Master  of  Maxwell,  with 
2,000  men.  On  this  occasion  the  Town  Council  of 
Edinburgh  contributed  from  the  corporation  funds 
^1,600  Scots,  as  a  month's  pay  for  400  men  to 
assist  in  the  reduction  of  Leith — "a  sum,"  says  a 
■  historian,  "  which  enabled  each  of  these  warriors  to 
j  live  at  the  rate  of  twopence-halfpenny  a  day." 

The  Queen  Regent,  whose  dying  condition  ren- 
dered it  impossible  for  her  expose  herself  to  the 
I  hazards  of  a  siege  in  Leith,  retired  into  the  castle  of 
Edinburgh,  where  she  daily  and  anxiously  watched 
:  the  operations  of  her  Scottish  enemies  and  their 
I  English  allies.  The  French  in  Leith  were  now 
I  reduced  to  about  5,000  men,  whose  orders  were  to 


SKIRMISH    AT    HAWKHILL. 


'75 


defend  the  town  "  to  the  last  of  their  blood  and 
breath." 

At  their  head  was  Pietro  Strozzi,  Lord  of  Eper- 
nay,  a  Florentine,  who  had  been  made  a  marshal 
of  France  five  years  before,  and  whose  two  brothers 
served  in  these  Scottish  wars — Gaspare,  who  was 
killed  at  Inchkeith,  and  Leon,  who  was  prior  of 
Capua  and  general  of  the  galleys  of  France  at  the 
capture  of  St.  Andrews. 

Under  Mare'chal  Strozzi  were  Monsieur  Octavius, 
brother  of  the  Marquis  d'Elbceuff,  a  peer  of  the 
house  of  Lorraine,  who  led  into  Scotland  some  of 
the  old  Bandes  Franchises,  or  Free  Companies  ;  the 
Comte  de  Martigues  (afterwards  Due  d'Estampes),  a 
young  noble  of  the  house  of  Luxembourg ;  Captain 
the  Sieur  Jacques  de  la  Brosse,  one  of  the  hundred 
knights  of  St.  Michael;  General  d'Oisel,  and  many 
other  French  officers  of  high  family  and  the  highest 
spirit. 

In  those  days  the  use  of  fire-arms  had  led  to  a 
great  many  alterations  in  military  equipment ;  breast- 
plates were  made  thicker,  in  order  to  be  bullet 
proof,  and  the  tassettes  attached  to  these  were 
of  one  plate  each ;  and  many  of  the  morions 
worn  by  the  French  and  Italians  were  beautifully 
embossed;  and  carbines,  petronels,  and  dragons 
(hence  dragoons)  are  frequently  mentioned  as 
among  the  fire-arms  in  use  at  this  time ;  while  the 
pike  was  still  considered  the  "  queen  of  weapons  " 
for  horse  and  foot. 

Mare'chal  Strozzi  ordered  the  tower  of  St.  An- 
thony's Preceptory,  near  the  Kirkgate,  to  be  armed  ; 
cannon  were  accordingly  swayed  up  to  its  summit. 
Holinshed  says  the  English  raised  a  mound,  which 
they  named  Mount  Pelham,  on  the  south-east 
side  of  the  town,  and  armed  it  with  a  battery  of 
guns.  Another  to  the  south  of  this  was  named 
Mount  Somerset,  and  both  of  them  remain  till 
the  present  day;  and  when  the  young  grass  is 
sprouting  in  spring,  the  zig-zags  that  led  therefrom 
to  the  walls  can  often  be  distinctly  traced  in  the 
Links. 

Before  Lord  Grey  got  his  men  comfortably  en- 
camped at  Restalrig,  "  in  halls,  huts,  and  pavilions," 
Strozzi  had  despatched  900  arquebusiers  against 
him  to  check  his  advance. 

Marching  across  the  Links,  this  force  took  pos- 
session of  the  wooded  eminence  named  Hawk- 
hill,  and  a  sharp  conflict  at  once  ensued  with  the 
English.  For  several  hours  the  French  fought 
gallantly,  but  were  compelled,  after  severe  loss, 
to  fall  back  upon  Leith,  while  the  English  took 
possession  of  Hawkhill,  planted  guns  upon  it,  and 
advancing  with  caution  and  care  under  a  cannonade, 
occupied  all  the  rising  ground  extending  to  Hermi- 


tage Hill,  which  completely  commands  town  and 
Links  on  the  east. 

After  this  repulse,  and  before  the  siege  formally 
commenced,  the  French  resorted  to  a  little  trea- 
chery by  sending  a  special  messenger  to  Lord 
Grey  requesting  a  brief  truce,  which  he  readily 
granted.  On  this,  great  numbers  of  them,  pre- 
viously instructed,  issued  from  Leith,  and  thronged 
about  the  English  camp  at  Restalrig,  the  Hawkhill, 
and  elsewhere,  as  if  merely  actuated  by  curiosity. 
Ere  long  they  became  offensive  in  manner,  and 
began  to  pick  quarrels  with  English  sentinels,  who 
were  not  slow  in  retorting,  and  Lord  Grey  even- 
tually ordered  them  instantly  to  retire.  On  this, 
they  demanded  whence  came  his  right  to  order 
them  off  the  ground  of  their  mistress  the  Queen 
Regent  of  Scotland.  They  were  told  that  if  the 
truce  had  not  been  granted  at  their  own  request 
they  would  have  been  compelled  to  keep  at  a 
distance. 

On  this  the  French  fired  their  carbines  and 
petronels  into  the  faces  of  those  nearest  them ; 
volleys  of  oaths  and  outcries  followed,  and  several 
Frenchmen  who  had  been  in  concealment  came  to 
aid  the  pretended  loungers  in  the  melee,  and  soldiers 
were  seen  rushing  to  arms  in  all  directions,  without 
comprehending  what  the  uproar  was  about ;  at  last 
the  French  were  again  driven  in,  but  with  the  loss 
of  one  hundred  and  forty  men  killed  and  seventeen 
taken  prisoners.  The  loss  of  the  English  is  not 
stated  ;  but  it  was  probably  greater  than  that  of  the 
1  French,  as  they  were  taken  by  surprise. 
I  The  next  event  was  a  sally  made  by  the  Comte 
de  Martigues  on  the  English  trenches,  when,  ac- 
cording to  Keith,  he  spiked  three  pieces  of  cannon, 
put  600  men  to  the  sword,  and  took  Sir  Maurice 
Berkeley  prisoner. 

Frequent  and  sanguinary  sallies  were  thus  made 
by  the  French  to  scour  the  trenches  and  retard 
their  progress,  till  the  English,  instead  of  waiting 
patiently  within  them  to  repel  such  assaults,  now 
resolved  to  become  the  aggressors,  and  whenever  the 
French  were  seen  to  issue  from  the  town,  an  equal 
force  met  them  with  sword  and  pike  on  the  Links  ; 
and  the  bitterness  and  fury  of  these  encounters 
were  increased  by  the  knowledge  of  those  engaged 
that  they  were  overlooked  on  either  side  by  their 
respective  comrades  and  commanders. 

Elizabeth  having  despatched  reinforcements  to 
the  allied  camp — for  such  it  was — before  Leith, 
Lord  Grey  determined  to  press  the  siege  with 
greater  vigour,  the  more  so  as  the  town  was  already 
beginning  to  suffer  from  famine.  On  the  4th  of 
May  he  set  fire  to  the  water-mills,  and  destroyed 
them,  notwithstanding  all  the  efforts  of  the  French 


t76 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


to  extinguish  the  flames.     On  the  same  daya  grand  called  the  Schole  of  Warre,"  which  is  full  of  curious 

assault  was  to  be  made.  details,  and  was  published  at  London  in  1565. 

By  this  time  the  batteries  against  the  town  were  ,       The  detailed  orders  issued  by   Lord  Grey  for 

all  in  full  play.    Mount  Pelham  was  distant  1,200  feet  the  assault  on  the  4th  of  May  are  very  curious; 

from  the  eastern  curtain  ;  Mount  Somerset  was  dis-  they  are  preserved  among  the  Talbot  Papers,  and 

tant  only  600  feet ;  a  third  mound,  Mount  Falcon,  contain  the  names  of  some  of  the  earliest  officers 

ne.ir  the   river,   and   south-east    of  St.  Nicholas's  in  the  English  army,  and  old  Bands  of  Berwick. 


LEITH 


cm%M^ 


PLAN    OF    LEITH,    SHOWING    THE    EASTERN    FORTIFICATIONS. 
He   after  Greenville   Collins'     ' '  Great   Britain's   Coasting;   Pilot"   Londcn, 


church,  was  300  feet  distant  from  the  fifth  bastion, 
near  where  King  Street  is  now. 

After  several  days'  cannonade  from  eight  guns 
on  Mount  Somerset  (now  familiar  to  the  children 
of  Leith  as  the  Gianfs  Brae),  the  steeple  of  St. 
Anthony,  with  its  cannon  and  defenders,  fell  with  a 
mighty  crash,  to  the  great  exultation  of  the  English, 
who  contemplated  the  effects  of  their  skill  with 
silent  wonder ;  and  meanwhile  Admiral  Winter, 
having  crept  close  in-shore,  bombarded  the  town, 
by  which  many  of  the  luckless  inhabitants  perished 
with  the  defenders.  Thomas  Churchyard,  who 
accompanied  the  English  in  this  expedition,  wrote 
a  poem  called  "  The  Siege  of  Leith,  more  often  I 


"  May  4th,  1560,  vppone  Saturday  in  the  mornyng, 
at  thri  of  the  clock,  God  willinge,  we  shal  be  in 
readyness  to  give  the  assalte,  in  order  as  followithe, 
if  other  ympedyment  than  we  knowe  not  of  hyndre 
us  not." 

For  the  first  assault  {i.e.,  column  of  stormers), 
Captain  Rede,  with  300  men ;  Captains  Markham, 
Taxley,  Sutton,  Fairfax,  Mallorye,  the  Provost 
Marshall,  Captains  Astone,  Conway,  Drury  (after- 
wards Sir  William  and  Marshal  of  Berwick),  Berk- 
ley, and  Fitzwilliams,  each  with  200  men,  and  500 
arquebusiers,  to  be  furnished  by  the  Scots. 

Thus  3,000  men  formed  the  first  column. 

For  the  second  were  Captains  Wade,  Dackare, 


REPULSE   OF  THE   ENGLISH   AND   SCOTS. 


[77 


Cornelle,  Shelly,  Littleton,  Southworthe,  and  nine 
other  officers,  with  2,240  men. 

To  keep  the  field  (i.e.,  the  Reserve),  Captain 
Somerset,  and  eight  other  captains,  with  2,400 
men. 

"  Item  ;  it  is  ordered  that  the  Vyce  Admyralle 
of  the  Queen's  Majesty's  schippes  shall,  when  a 
token  is  given,  send  Vc.  (500)  men  out  of  the 
Navye  into  the  haven  of  Leythe,  to  give  an  assaulte 
on  the  side  of  the  towne,  at  the  same  instant  when 
the  assaulte  shal  be  gevene  on  the  breche." 

Captain  Vaughan  was  ordered  to  assault  the 
town  near  Mount  Pelham,  and  the  Scots  on  the 
westward  and  seaward. 

The  assault  was  not  made  until  the  7  th  of  May,  | 
when  it  was  delivered  at  seven  in  the  morning  on 


dead  they  could  find,  and  suspended  the  corpses 
along  the  sloping  faces  of  the  ramparts,  where  they 
remained  for  several  days.  The  failure  of  the 
attempted  storm  did  not  very  materially  affect  the 
blockade.  On  the  contrary,  the  besiegers  still  con- 
tinued to  harass  the  town  by  incessant  cannonading 
from  the  mounds  already  formed  and  others  they 
erected.  One  of  the  former,  Mount  Falcon,  must 
have  been  particularly  destructive,  as  its  guns  swept 
the  most  crowded  part  of  Leith  called  the  Shore, 
along  which  none  could  pass  but  at  the  greatest 
hazard  of  death.  Moreover,  the  English  were 
barbarously  and  uselessly  cruel.  Before  burning 
Leith  mills  they  murdered  in  cold  blood  every 
individual  found  therein. 

The  close  siege  had  now  lasted  about  two  months, 


ll 


^ 


aM  j^%g\ 


1  krisi'i.ur   of    1.EI11 


1693. 


four  quarters,  but,  for  some  reason  not  given,  the 
fleet  failed  to  act,  and  by  some  change  in  the  plans 
Sir  James  Crofts  was  ordered,  with  what  was  deemed 
a  sufficient  force,  to  assail  the  town  on  the  north 
side,  at  the  place  latterly  called  the  Sand  Port, 
where  at  low  water  an  entrance  was  deemed  easy. 

For  some  reason  best  known  to  himself  Sir  James 
thought  proper  to  remain  aloof  during  the  whole 
uproar  of  the  assault,  the  ladders  provided  for 
which  proved  too  short  by  half  a  pike's  length ; 
thus  he  was  loudly  accused  of  treachery — a  charge 
which  was  deemed  sufficiently  proved  when  it  was 
discovered  that  a  few  days  before  he  had  been  seen 
in  conversation  with  the  Queen  Regent,  who  ad- 
dressed him  from  the  walls  of  Edinburgh  Castle. 
The  whole  affair  turned  out  a  complete  failure. 
English  and  Scots  were  alike  repulsed  with  slaugh- 
ter, "  and  singular  as  it  may  appear,"  says  a  writer, 
"  the  success  of  the  garrison  was  not  a  little  aided 
by  the  exertionsof  certain  ladies,  whom  the  French, 
with  their  usual  gallantry  to  the  fair  sex,  entertained 
in  their  quarters."  To  these  fair  ones  Knox 
applies  some  pretty  rough  epithets. 

The  French  now  made  a  sally,  stripped  all  the 
1]9 


without  any  prospect  of  a  termination,  though 
Elizabeth  continued  to  send  more  men  and  more 
ships  ;  but  the  garrison  were  reduced  to  such  dire 
extremities  that  for  food  they  were  compelled  to 
shoot  and  eat  all  the  horses  of  the  officers  and 
gens  d'armes.  Yet  they  endured  their  privations 
with  true  French  sang  froid,  vowing  never  to  sur- 
render while  a  horse  was  left,  "their  officers  ex- 
hibiting that  politeness  in  the  science  of  gastronomy 
which  is  recorded  of  the  Mare'chal  Strozzi,  whose 
maitre  de  cuisine  maintained  his  master's  table  with 
twelve  covers  every  day,  although  he  had  nothing 
better  to  set  upon  it  now  and  then  except  the 
quarter  of  a  carrion  horse,  dressed  with  the  grass 
and  weeds  that  grew  upon  the  ramparts." 

The  discovery,  a  few  years  ago,  of  an  ancient 
well  filled  to  its  brim  with  cart-loads  of  horses' 
heads,  near  the  head  of  the  Links,  was  a  singular 
but  expressive  monument  of  the  resolution  with 
which  the  town  was  defended. 

The  unfortunate  Queen  Regent  did  not  live  to 
see  the  end  of  these  affairs.  She  was  sinking 
fast.  She  had  contemplated  retiring  to  France, 
and  had  a  commission  executed  at  Blois  by  Francis 


i78 


OLD   AND    NEW   EDINBURGH. 


and  Mary,  constituting  their  uncle,  Rene',  Marquis 
d'Elbceuff,  Regent  of  Scotland.  She  tried  to  arrange 
a  treaty  of  peace,  including  Scotland,  England,  and  ' 
France,  but  died  ere  it  could   be    concluded,  on 
the  10th  June,  1560. 

Fresh  forces  were  now  environing  Leith.  Sir 
James  Balfour  states  that  there  were  among  them 
"12,000  Scots  Protestants,"  under  the  Duke  of 
Chatelerault,  eleven  peers,  and  120  lesser 
barons ;  but  all  their  operations  at  Leith  had  sig- 
nally failed  ;  thus  Lethington,  in  one  of  his  letters, 
acknowledged  that  its  fortifications  were  so  strong, 
that  if  well  victualled  it  might  defy  an  army  of 
20,000  men.  In  these  circumstances  negotiations 
for  peace  began.  A  commission  was  granted  by 
Francis  and  Mary,  joint  sovereigns  of  Scotland,  to 
John  de  Monluc,  Bishop  of  Valence,  Nicholas, 
Bishop  of  Amiens,  the  Sieurs  de  la  Brosse,  d'Oisel, 
and  de  Raudan,  to  arrange  the  conditions  of  a 
treaty  to  include  Scotland,  France,  and  England. 
It  was  duly  signed  at  Edinburgh,  but  prior  to  it 
the  French,  says  Rapin,  offered  to  restore  Calais 
if  Elizabeth  would  withdraw  her  troops  from  be- 
fore Leith.  "  But  she  answered  that  she  did  not 
value  that  Fish-town  so  much  as  the  quiet  of 
Britain." 

It  was  stipulated  that  the  French  army  should 
embark  for  France  on  board  of  English  ships  with 
bag  and  baggage,  arms  and  armour,  without  moles- 
tation, and  that,  on  the  day  they  evacuated  Leith 
Lord  Grey  should  begin  his  homeward  march  ;  but, 
oddly  enough,  it  was  expressly  stipulated  that  an 


officer  with  sixty  Frenchmen  should  remain  in  the 
castle  of  Inchkeith.  It  was  also  arranged  that  all 
the  artillery  in  Leith  should  be  collected  in  the 
market-place  ;  that  at  the  same  time  the  artillery  of 
the  besiegers,  piece  for  piece,  should  be  ranged  in 
an  open  place,  and  that  every  gun  and  standard 
should  be  conveyed  to  their  respective  countries. 

On  the  1 6th  of  July,  1560,  the  French  troops, 
reduced  now  to  4,000  men,  under  Marechal 
Strozzi,  marched  out  of  Leith  after  plundering  it  of 
everything  they  could  lay  their  hands  on,  and  em- 
barked on  board  Elizabeth's  fleet,  thus  closing  a 
twelve  years'  campaign  in  Scotland.  At  the  same 
hour  the  English  began  their  march  for  the  Borders, 
and  John  Knox  held  a  solemn  service  of  thanks- 
giving in  St.  Giles's. 

In  addition  to  the  battery  mounds  which  still 
remain,  many  relics  of  this  siege  have  been  dis- 
covered from  time  to  time  in  Leith.  In  1853, 
when  some  workmen  were  lowering  the  head  of 
King  Street,  they  came  upon  an  old  wall  of  great 
strength  (says  the  Edinburgh  Guardian  of  that 
year),  and  near  it  lay  two  ancient  cannon-balls, 
respectively  6-  and  32-pounders.  In  the  Scotsman 
for  1857  and  1859  is  reported  the  discovery  of 
several  skeletons  buried  in  the  vicinity  of  the  bat- 
teries ;  and  many  human  bones,  cannon-balls,  old 
swords,  &c,  have  been  found  from  time  to  time 
in  the  vicinity  of  Wellington  Place.  Two  of  the 
principal  thoroughfares  of  Leith  were  said  to  be 
long  known  as  Les  Deux  Bras,  being  so  styled  by 
the  garrison  of  Mary  of  Lorraine. 


CHAPTER    XIX. 
LEITH— HISTORICAL   SURVEY  [continued). 


ons  demolished— Landing  of  Queen  Mary— Leith  Mortgaged—  Edinburgh  takes  Military 


-Witches — Gowrie  Conspiracy— The   Un 


-Taylor 


Barely  was  the  treaty  of  peace  concluded,  than 
it  was  foolishly  resolved  by  the  Scottish  government 
to  demolish  the  fortifications  which  had  been  reared 
with  such  labour  and  skill,  lest  they  might  be  the 
means  of  future  mischief  if  they  fell  into  the  hands 
of  an  enemy ;  consequently,  the  following  Order  of 
Council  was  issued  at  Edinburgh  2nd  July,  1560, 
commanding  their  destruction  : — 

"  Forsaemeikle  as  it  is  naturlie  knawyn  how 
hurtful  the  fortifications  of  Leith  hes  been  to  this 
haille  realme.  and  in  especialle  to  the  townes  next 
adjacent  thairunto,  and  how  prejudicial!  the  same 


sail  be  to  the  libertie  of  this  haille  countrie,  in  caiss 
strangears  sail  at  any  tyme  hereafter  intruse  tham- 
selfs  thairin  :  For  this  and  syck  like  considerations 
the  Council  has  thocht  expedient,  and  chargis 
Provost,  Bailies  and  Council  of  Edinburgh  to  tak 
order  with  the  town  and  community  cf  the  samen. 
and  caus  and  compell  thame  to  appoint  a  sufficient 
number  to  cast  down  and  demolish  the  south  part 
of  the  said  towne,  begynand  at  Sanct  Anthones 
Port,  and  passing  westward  to  the  Water  of  Leith, 
making  the  Blockhouse  and  curtain  equal  with  the 
ground." 


LANDING    OF    QUEEN    MARY. 


'79 


Thus  the  whole  line  of  fortifications  facing  the 
city  were  levelled,  but  those  on  the  east  remained 
long  entire ;  and  considerable  traces  of  them  were 
only  removed  about  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth 
century. 

On  the  20th  of  August,  1560,  Queen  Mary 
landed  at  the  town  to  take  possession  of  the  throne 
of  her  ancestors.  The  time  was  about  eight  in  the 
morning,  and  Leith  must  have  presented  a  different 
aspect  than  in  the  preceding  year,  when  the  cannon 
of  the  besiegers  thundered  against  its  walls.  No 
vestige  now  remains  of  the  pier  which  received  her, 
though  it  must  have  been  constructed  subsequent 
to  the  destruction  of  the  older  one  by  the  savage 
Earl  of  Hertford — the  pier  at  which  Magdalene  of 
France,  the  queen  of  twenty  summer  days,  had 
Handed  so  joyously  in  the  May  of  1537. 

The  keys  of  St.  Anthony's  Port  were  delivered  to 
Mary,  who  was  accompanied  by  her  three  uncles — 
Claude  of  Lorraine,  Due  d'Aumale,  who  was  killed 
at  the  siege  of  Rochelle  thirteen  years  after;  Francis, 
Grand  Prior  of  Malta,  general  of  the  galleys  of 
France,  who  died  of  fatigue  after  the  battle  of 
Dreux;  and  Rene,  Marquis  d'Elbceuff,  who  succeeded 
Francis  as  general  of  the  galleys.  She  was  attended 
also  by  her  "  four  Maries,"  whose  names,  as  given  by 
Bishop  Leslie,  were  Fleming,  Beaton,  Livingstone, 
and  Seaton,  who  had  been  all  along  with  her  in 
France.  Buchanan  in  1565  mentions  five  Maries, 
and  the  treasurer's  account  at  the  same  date  men- 
tions six,  including  two  whose  names  were  Sim- 
parten  and  Wardlaw. 

The  cheers  of  the  people  mingled  with  the  boom 
of  cannon,  and,  says  Buchanan,  "  the  dangers  she 
had  undergone,  the  excellence  of  her  mien,  the 
delicacy  of  her  beauty,  the  vigour  of  her  blooming 
years,  and  the  elegance  of  her  wit,  all  joined  in  her 
recommendation." 

As  the  genial  Ettrick  Shepherd  wrote  :— 
"  After  a  youth  by  woes  o'ercast, 

After  a  thousand  sorrows  past, 

The  lovely  Mary  once  again 

Set  foot  upon  her  native  plain  ; 

Kneeled  on  the  pier  with  modest  grace, 

And  turned  to  heaven  her  beauteous  face 

There  rode  the  lords  of  France  and  Spain, 

Of  England,  Flanders,  and  Lorraine  ; 

While  serried  thousands  round  them  stood, 

From  shore  of  Leith  to  Holyrood." 

But  Knox's  thunder  was  growling  in  the  distance, 
as  he  records  that  "  the  very  face  of  heaven  did 
minifestlie  speak  what  comfort  was  brought  to  this 
country  with  hir — to  wit,  sorrow,  dolour,  darkness, 
and  all  impiety;  for  in  the  memory  of  man  never 
was  seyn  a  more  dolorous  face  of  the  heaven  than 
was  at  her  arryvall the  myst  was  so  thick 


that  skairse  mycht  onie  man  espy  another  ;  and  the 
sun  was  not  seyn  to  shyne  two  days  befoir  nor  two 
days  after ! " 

Four  years  after  this  the  poor  young  queen, 
among  other  shifts  to  raise  money  in  her  difficul- 
ties, mortgaged  the  superiority  of  Leith  to  the  city 
of  Edinburgh,  redeemable  for  1,000  merks  ;  and  in 
1566  she  requested  the  Town  Council  by  a  letter 
to  delay  the  assumption  of  that  superiority ;  but 
she  could  only  obtain  a  short  indulgence  to  prevent 
the  consequence  of  her  hasty  act  falling  on  the 
devoted  seaport. 

In  1567,  taking  advantage  of  the  general  con- 
fusion of  the  queen's  affairs,  on  the  4th  of  July  the 
Provost,  bailies,  deacons,  and  the  whole  craftsmen 
of  the  city,  armed  and  equipped  in  warlike  array, 
with  pikes,  swords,  and  arquebuses,  marched  to 
Leith,  and  went  through  some  evolutions,  meant  to 
represent  or  constitute  the  capture  and  conquest  of 
the  town,  and  formally  trampled  its  independence 
in  the  dust.  From  the  Links  the  magistrates 
finally  marched  to  the  Tolbooth,  in  the  wynd 
which  still  bears  its  name,  and  on  the  stair  thereof 
held  a  court,  creating  bailies,  sergeants,  clerks,  and 
deemsters,  in  virtue  of  the  infeftment  made  to 
them  by  the  queen  ;  and  the  superiority  thus  esta- 
blished was  maintained,  too  often  with  despotic 
rigour,  till  Leith  attained  its  independence  after  the 
passing  of  the  Reform  Bill  in  1832. 

During  the  contention  between  Morton  and  the 
queen's  party,  when  the  former  was  compelled  with 
his  followers  to  take  shelter  in  Leith,  where  th? 
Regent  Mar  had  established  his  headquarters  on 
the  1 2th  of  January,  1571,  a  convention,  usually 
but  erroneously  called  a  General  Assembly  of  the 
Kirk,  was  convened  there,  and  sat  till  the  1  st  of 
February,  and  in  it  David  Lindsay,  minister  of 
Leith,  took  a  prominent  part.  The  opening  sermon 
on  this  occasion  was  lately  reprinted  by  Principal 
Lee.  It  is  now  extremely  scarce,  and  is  entitled 
thus  : — 

"Ane  sermon  preichit  befoir  the  Regent  and 
nobilitie,  in  the  Kirk  of  Leith,  1571,  by  David 
Fergussone,  minister  of  the  Evangell  at  Dunferm- 
lyne.  The  sermon  approvit  by  John  Knox,  with 
my  dead  hand  but  glaid  heart,  praising  God  that  of 
His  mercy  He  lenis  such  light  to  His  Kirk  in  this 
desolation." 

M'Crie  says  that  the  last  public  service  of  Knox 
was  the  examination  and  approval  of  this  sermon. 

During  the  minority  of  James  VI.  Leith  figured 
in  many  transactions  which  belong  strictly  to  the 
general  history  of  the  realm  ;  thus  from  November, 
1 57 1,  till  the  August  of  the  following  year,  it  was 
the  seat  of  the  Court  of  Justiciary,  and  again  in 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


1596-7.  In  1578  an  Act  of  Parliament  was  passed 
to  prevent  "  the  taking  away  of  great  quantities  of 
victual  and  flesh  from  Leith,  under  the  pretence  of 
victualling  ships."     In  the  same  year  a  reconcilia- 


Trades  of  Leith  were  declared  independent  of 
those  of  Edinburgh  by  a  decree  of  the  Court  of 
Session. 

In  October,  1589,  James  VI.  embarked  at  Leilh 


tion   having  been  effected   between    the   Earl    of    for  Norway,  impatient  to  meet  his  bride,  Anne  of 
Morton  and  the  nobles  opposed  to  him,  the  Earls     Denmark,  to  whom  he  had  been  married  by  proxy. 


of  Argyle,  Montrose,  Athole,  and  Buchan,  Lord 
Boyd,  and  many  other  persons  of  distinction,  dined 
with  him  jovially  at  an  hostelry  in  Leith,  kept  by 
William  Cant. 

There  was  considerable  alarm  excited  in  Edin- 
burgh, Leith,  and  along  the  east  coast  generally,  by 
a  plague  which,  as  Moyes  records,  was  brought 
from  Dantzig  by  John  Downy's  ship,  the  William  of 
Leith.  By  command  of  the  Privy  Council,  the  ship 
was  ordered,  with  her  ailing 
and  dead,  to  anchor  off 
Inchcolm,  to  which  place 
all  afflicted  by  the  plague 
were  to  confine  themselves. 
The  crew  consisted  of 
forty  men,  of  whom  the 
majority  died.  Proclama- 
tion had  been  made  at  the 
market-cross  of  every  east 
coast  town  against  per- 
mitting this  fated  crew  to 
land.  By  petitions  before 
the  Council  it  appeared  that 
William  Downie,  skipper 
in  Leith,  left  a  widow  and 
eleven  children ;  Scott,  a 
mariner,  seven.     The  sur-  1111:  ailms 

vivors  were  afterwards  re- 
moved to  Inchkeith  and  the  Castle  of  Inchgarvie, 
and  the  ship,  which  by  leaks  seemed  likely  to  sink 
at  her  anchors,  was  emptied  of  her  goods,  which 
were  stored  in  "  the  vowts,"  or  vaults,  of  St.  Colm. 

In     15S4    Leith   was   appointed    the    principal 


She  had  embarked  in  August,  but  her  fleet  had 
been  detained  by  westerly  gales,  and  there  seemed 
little  prospect  of  her  reaching  Scotland  before  the 
following  spring.  Though  in  that  age  a  voyage  to 
the  Baltic  was  a  serious  matter  in  the  fall  of  the 
year,  James,  undaunted,  put  to  sea,  and  met  his 
queen  in  Norway,  where  the  marriage  ceremony  was 
performed  again  by  the  Rev.  David  Lindsay,  of 
Leith,  in  the  cathedral  of  St.  Halvard  at  Chris- 
tiania,  and  not  at  Upsala, 
as  some  assert.  After  re- 
maining for  some  months 
in  Denmark,  the  royal  pair 
on  the  6th  of  May,  landed 
at  the  pier  of  Leith  (where 
the  King's  Work  had  been 
prepared  for  their  recep- 
tion), amid  the  booming 
of  cannon,  and  the  dis- 
charge of  a  mighty  Latin 
oration  from  Mr.  James 
Elphinstone. 

It  is  remarkable  that 
James,  whose  squadron 
came  to  anchor  in  the  roads 
on  the  1  st  of  May,  did 
not  land  at  once,  as  he 
had  been  sorely  beset  by 
tches  during  his  voyage  ; 
he 


the    incantations    of 

and  it  is  alleged  that  the  latter  had  declared 
would  never  have  come  safely  from  the  sea  had  not 
his  faith  prevailed  over  their  cantrips."  They  were 
more  successful,  however,  with  a  large  boat  coming 
market  for  herrings  and  other  fish  in  the  Firth  of  from  Burntisland  to  Leith,  containing  a  number  of 
Forth.  gifts   for  the   young  queen,   and  which  they  con- 

Five  years  subsequent  to  this  we  find  that  the  trived  to  sink  amid  a  storm,  raised  by  the  remark- 
despotic  magistrates  of  Edinburgh  summoned  nearly  able  agency  of  a  christened  cat,  when  all  on  board 
one  half  of  their  Leith  vassals  to  hear  themselves     perished. 

prohibited  from  the  exercise  of  their  various  trades  In  1595  James  wrote  a  letter  at  Holyrood,  ad- 
and  from  choosing  their  deacons  in  all  time  coming,  dressed  to  "  the  Bailyies  of  Lethe,"  at  the  instance 
They  had  previously  thrust  two  unfortunate  shoe-  of  William  Henryson,  Constable  Depute  of  Scot- 
makers  into  prison,  one  for  pretenditig  that  he  was  land,  interdicting  them  from  holding  courts  to 
elected  deacon  of  the  Leith  Incorporation  of  the  consider  actions  of  slaughter,  mulctation,  drawing 
craft,  and  the  other  for  acting  as  his  officer;  and  blood,  or  turbulence.  (Spald.  Club  Miscell.)  In 
we  are  told  that,  notwithstanding  the  remon-  the  following  year,  by  a  letter  of  gift  under  the 
strances  of  the  operatives,  no  attention  was  paid  to  ;  Privy  Seal,  he  empowered  the  Corporation  of  Edin- 
their  statements,  and  "  they  were  proceeded  against  :  burgh  to  levy  a  certain  tax  during  a  certain  period 
as  a  parcel  of  insolent  and  contumacious  rascals  ;"  towards  supporting  and  repairing  the  bulwark  pier 
and  it  was  not  until  1734  that  the   Incorporated  |  and  port  of  Leith  ;  and  in  a  charter  of  Novadamus, 


WITCHCRAFT    IN   LKITH. 


dated  15th  March,  1603,  among  many  enumera-  Andrew  Sadler,  through  the  agency,  in  the  former 
tions,  all  in  favour  of  Edinburgh,  power  is  again  j  case,  of  a  little  bag  of  black  plaiding,  wherein  she 
given  the  magistrates  to  enlarge  and  extend  the  put  some  grains  of  wheat,  worsted  threads  of  divers 
port  towards  the  sea,  with  bulwarks  on  both  sides  colours,  hair,  and  nails  of  "  mennis  fingeris;"  and 
of  the  river;  and  to  build,  strengthen,  and  fortify  the  1  in  the  latter  case  by  a  shirt  dipped  in  a  certain 


GRANTS    SQUARE, 


{After  a  Drawing  by  W.  Chamiing.) 


same  in  a  substantial  and  durable  manner  for  the  well ;  for  which  alleged  crimes  they  were  sentenced 

safety  of  shipping.  to  die  on  the    Castle  Hill,    "  thair  bodies  to  be 

As  the  sixteenth  century  was  drawing  to  its  close, 

the   criminal  records  give  many   instances  of  the  ,  Grant.s  Square  has  entireIy  disappeared.    ..It  was,..  ,„ite5  Dr. 


it's  Square  r 

dark  and  gross  superstition   that  had  spread  over  j  Robert  Paterson,  "  t 
the  land  even  after  the  days  of  Knox.     Thus,  in     "ZlllZtZTll 
1597,  Janet  Stewart,  in  the  Canongate,  and  Chris 
tian  Livingstone,  in  Leith,  were  accused   of  witch 


entirely   disappeared.      "It  was,"   \vr 
square  in  which  existed   the    old    Parliament 
n  Mary's   time.     The  room  in  which  the  Par- 
been  a  spacious  one,  as  when  I  remember  it  it 
Her  rooms  for  poor  tenants,  but  yet  the 
carved   oak    panelling  and   the    richly-decorated   roof   told    of  former 
magnificence.     All  has,  however,  now  been  cleared  away,  and  replaced 

craft  and  casting  spells  upon  Thomas  Guthry  and    by  a  granary." 


OLD    AND    NEW   EDINBURGH. 


brunt  in  assis,  and  all  thair  moveable  guidis  to  be 
escheat." 

On  the  6th  of  August,  1600,  as  Birrel  tells  us  in 
his  Diary,  there  came  to  Edinburgh  tidings  of  the 
King's  escape  from  the  Cowrie  Conspiracy,  upon 
which  the  castle  guns  boomed  from  battery  and 
tower ;  the  bells  clashed,  trumpets  were  sounded 
and  drums  beaten  ;  the  whole  town  rose  in  arms, 
"with  schutting  of  muskettis,  casting  of  fyre 
workes  and  boynfyirs  set  furth,"  with  dancing  and 
such  merriness  all  night,  as  had  never  before  been 
seen  in  Scotland.  The  Earl  of  Montrose,  Lord 
Chancellor,  the  Master  of  Elphinstone,  Lord  Trea- 
surer, with  other  nobles,  gathered  the  people  around 
the  market  cross  upon  their  knees,  to  give  thanks 
to  God  for  the  deliverance  of  the  King,  who  crossed 
the  Firth  on  the  nth  of  the  month,  and  was  re- 
ceived upon  the  sands  of  Leith  by  the  entire  male 
population  of  the  city  and  suburbs,  all  in  their 
armour,  "with  grate  joy,  schutting  of  muskettis, 
and  shaking  of  pikes." 

After  hearing  Mr.  David  Lindsay's  "orisone," 
in  St.  Mary's  Church,  he  proceeded  to  the  cross 
of  Edinburgh,  which  was  hung  with  tapestry,  and 
where  Mr.  Patrick  Galloway  preached  on  the  124th 
Psalm. 

In  1 60 1  a  man  was  tried  at  Leith  for  stealing 
.grain  by  means  of  false  keys,  for  which  he  was  sen- 
tenced to  have  his  hands  tied  behind  his  back  and 
be  taken  out  to  the  Roads  and  there  drowned. 

Birrel  records  that  on  the  12th  July,  1605,  the 
King  of  France's  Guard  mustered  in  all  their  bravery 
on  the  Links  of  Leith,  where  they  were  sworn  in 
and  received  their  pay  ;  but  this  must  have  referred 
to  some  body  of  recruits  for  the  Ecossaisc  du  Roi, 
of  which  "  Henri  Prince  d'Ecosse  "  was  nominally 
appointed  colonel  in  1601,  and  which  carried  on 
its  standards  the  motto,  In  omni  vwdo  fidelis. 
Exactly  twenty  years  later  another  muster  in  the 
same  place  was  held  of  the  Scots  Guards  for  the 
King  of  France,  under  Lord  Gordon  (son  of  the 
Marquis  of  Huntly),  whose  younger  brother,  Lord 
Melgum,  was  his  lieutenant,  the  first  gentleman  of 
the  company  being  Sir  William  Gordon  of  Pitlurg, 
son  of  Gordon  of  Kindroch.  ("Gen.  Hist,  of  the 
Earls  of  Sutherland.") 

In  the  April  of  the  year  1606  the  Union  Jack 
first  made  its  appearance  in  the  Port  of  Leith.  It 
would  seem  that  when  the  King  of  Scotland  added 
England  and  Ireland  to  his  dominions,  his  native 
subjects — very  unlike  their  descendants — mani- 
fested, says  Chambers,  the  utmost  jealousy  regard- 
ing their  heraldic  ensigns,  and  some  contentions  in 
consequence  arose  between  them  and  their  English 
neighbours,  particularly  at  sea.     Thus,  on  the  12th 


April,  1606,  "for  composing  of  some  differences 
between  his  subjects  of  North  and  South  Britain 
travelling  by  seas,  anent  the  bearing  of  their  flags," 
the  King  issued  a  proclamation  ordaining  the  ships 
of  both  nations  to  carry  on  their  maintops  the  flags 
of  St.  Andrew  and  St.  George  interlaced ;  those  of 
North  Britain  in  their  stern  that  of  St.  Andrew,  and 
those  of  South  Britain  that  of  St.  George. 

In  those  days,  whatever  flag  was  borne,  piracy 
was  a  thriving  trade  in  Scottish  and  English  waters, 
where  vessels  of  various  countries  were  often  cap- 
tured by  daring  marauders,  their  crews  tortured, 
slaughtered,  or  thrown  ashore  upon  lonely  and 
desolate  isles.  Long  Island,  on  the  Irish  coast, 
was  a  regular  station  for  English  pirate  ships,  and 
from  thence  in  1609  a  robber  crew,  headed  by  two 
captains  named  Perkins  and  William  Randall, 
master  of  a  ship  called  the  Gryphound,  sailed  for 
Scottish  waters  in  a  great  Dutch  vessel  called  the 
Iron  Prize,  accompanied  by  a  swift  pinnace,  and 
for  months  they  roamed  about  the  Northern  seas, 
doing  an  incredible  deal  of  mischief,  and  they 
even  had  the  hardihood  to  appear  off  the  Firth  of 
Forth. 

The  Privy  Council  upon  this  armed  and  fitted 
out  three  vessels  at  Leith,  from  whence  they  sailed 
in  quest  of  the  pirates,  who  had  gone  to  Orkney  to 
refit.  There  the  latter  had  landed  near  the  castle 
of  Kirkwall,  in  which  town  they  behaved  bar- 
barously, were  always  intoxicated,  and  indulged 
"in  all  manner  of  vice  and  villainy."  Three  of 
them,  who  had  attacked  a  small  vessel  lying  in 
shore,  belonging  to  Patrick  Earl  of  Orkney,  were 
captured  by  his  brother,  Sir  James  Stewart  (gentla- 
man  of  the  bed-chamber  to  James  VI.),  and  soon 
after  the  three  ships  from  Leith  made  their  appear- 
ance, on  which  many  of  the  pirates  fled  in  the 
pinnace.  A  pursuit  proving  futile,  the  ships  cap- 
tured the  Iron  Prize,  but  not  without  a  desperate 
conflict,  in  which  several  were  killed  and  wounded. 
Thirty  English  prisoners  were  taken  and  brought  to 
Leith,  where — after  a  brief  trial  on  the  26th  of  July 
— twenty-seven  of  them,  including  the  two  captains, 
were  hanged  at  once  upon  a  gibbet  at  the  pier, 
three  of  them  being  reserved  in  the  hope  of  their 
giving  useful  information.  The  Lord  Chancellor, 
in  a  letter  to  James  VI.,  written  on  the  day  of  the 
execution,  says  that  these  pirates,  oddly  enough, 
had  a  parson  "  for  saying  of  prayers  to  them  twice 
a  day,"  who  deserted  from  them  in  Orkney,  but 
was  apprehended  in  Dundee,  where  he  gave  evi- 
dence against  the  rest,  and  would  be  reserved  for 
the  King's  pleasure. 

The  next  excitement  in  Leith  was  caused  by  the 
explosion  of  one  of  the  King's  large  English  ships 


FIGHT    IN   THE    HARBOUR. 


18.1 


of  war,  which  had  been  at  anchor  for  six  weeks 
in  the  Roads,  and  apparently  with  all  her  guns 
shotted. 

About  noon  on  the  10th  December,  16 13,  an 
Englishman,  who  was  in  a  "mad  humour,"  says 
Calderwood,  when  the  captain  and  most  of  the 
officers  were  on  shore,  laid  trains  of  powder  through- 
out the  vessel,  notwithstanding  that  his  own  son 
was  on  board,  and  blew  her  up.  Balfour  states 
that  she  was  a  48-gun  ship,  commanded  by  a 
Captain  Wood,  that  sixty  men  were  lost  in  her, 
and  sixty-three  who  escaped  were  sent  to  London. 

Calderwood  reduces  the  number  who  perished  to 
twenty-four,  and  adds  that  the  fire  made  all  her 
ordnance  go  off,  so  that  none  dared  go  near  her  to 
render  assistance. 

In  1618  Leith  was  visited  by  Taylor,  the  Water 
Poet,  and  was  there  welcomed  by  Master  Bernard 
Lindsay,  one  of  the  grooms  of  his  Majesty's  bed- 
chamber; and  his  notice  of  the  commerce  of  the 
port  presents  a  curious  contrast  to  the  Leith  of  the 
present  day  : — "  I  was  credibly  informed  that  with- 
in the  compass  of  one  year  there  was  shipped  away 
from  that  only  port  of  Leith  fourscore  thousand 
boles  of  wheat,  oats,  and  barley,  into  Spain,  France, 
and  other  foreign  parts,  and  every  bole  contains  a 
measure  of  four  English  bushels ;  so  that  from 
Leith  only  hath  been  transported  320,000  bushels 
of  corn,  besides  some  hath  been  shipped  away 
from  St.  Andrews,  Dundee,  Aberdeen,  &c,  and 
other  portable  towns,  which  makes  me  wonder  that 
a  kingdom  so  populous  as  it  is,  should  nevertheless 
sell  so  much  bread  corn  beyond  the  seas,  and  yet 
have  more  than  sufficient  for  themselves." 

In  parochial  and  other  records  of  those  days 
many  instances  are  noted  of  the  capture  of  Scottish 
mariners  by  the  pirates  of  Algiers,  and  of  collec- 
tions being  made  in  the  several  parishes  for  their 
redemption  from  slavery.  In  the  Register  of  the 
Privy  Council,  under  date  January,  1636,  we  find 
that  a  ship  called  the  John,  of  Leith,  commanded 
by  John  Brown,  when  sailing  from  London  to 
La  Rochelle,  on  the  coast  of  France,  fell  in  with 
three  Turkish  men-of-war,  which,  after  giving  him 
chase  from  sunrise  to  sunset,  captured  the  vessel, 
took  possession  of  the  cargo  and  crew,  and  then 
scuttled  her. 

Poor  Brown  and  his  mariners  were  all  taken  to 
Salee,  and  there  sold  in  the  public  market  as 
slaves.  Each  bore  iron  chains  to  the  weight  of 
eighty  pounds,  and  all  were  daily  employed  in 
grinding  at  a  mill,  while  receiving  nothing  to  eat 
but  a  little  dusty  bread.  In  the  night  they  were 
confined  in  holes  twenty  feet  deep  among  rats  and 
mice,  and  because  they  were  too  poor — being  only 


mariners — to  redeem  themselves,  they  trusted  to  the 
benevolence  of  his  Majesty's  subjects.  By  order 
of  the  Council,  a  contribution  was  levied  in  the 
Lothians  and  elsewhere,  but  with  what  result  we 
are  not  told. 

In  1622  the  usual  excitements  of  the  times  were 
varied  by  a  sea-fight  in  the  heart  of  Leith  harbour. 
On  the  6th  of  June,  in  that  year,  the  constable  of 
Edinburgh  Castle  received  orders  from  the  Lords, 
of  Council  to  have  his  cannon  and  cannoniers  in 
instant  readiness,  as  certain  foreign  ships  were  en- 
gaged in  close  battle  within  gunshot  of  Leith. 

A  frigate  belonging  to  Philip  IV.  of  Spain,  com- 
manded by  Don  Pedro  de  Vanvornz,  had  been 
lying  for  some  time  at  anchor  within  the  harbour 
there,  taking  on  board  provisions  and  stores,  her 
soldiers  and  crew  coming  on  shore  freely  whenever 
they  chose;  but  it  happened  that  one  night  two 
vessels  of  war,  belonging  to  their  bitter  enemies, 
the  Dutch,  commanded  by  Mynheer  de  Hautain, 
the  Admiral  of  Zealand,  came  into  the  same  an- 
chorage, and — as  the  Earl  of  Melrose  reported  to 
James  VI. — cast  anchor  close  by  Don  Pedro. 

The  moment  daylight  broke  the  startled  Spaniards 
ran  up  their  ensign,  cleared  away  for  action,  and  a 
'  desperate  fight  ensued,  nearly  muzzle  to  muzzle. 
For  two  hours  without  intermission,  the  tiers  of 
brass  cannon  from  the  decks  of  the  three  ships 
poured  forth  a  destructive  fire,  and  the  Spaniards, 
repulsed  by  sword  and  partisan,  made  more  than 
one  attempt  to  carry  their  lofty  bulwarks  by 
boarding.  The  smoke  of  their  culverins,  match- 
locks, and  pistolettes  enveloped  their  rigging  and 
all  the  harbour  of  Leith,  through  the  streets  and 
along  the  pier  of  which  bullets  of  all  sorts  and 
sizes  went  skipping  and  whizzing,  to  the  terror  and 
confusion  of  the  inhabitants. 

As  this  state  of  things  was  intolerable,  the  bur- 
gesses of  the  city  and  seaport  rushed  to  arms  and 
armour,  at  the  disposal  of  the  Lords  of  Council, 
who  despatched  a  herald  with  the  water  bailie  to 
command  both  parties  to  forbear  hostilities  in  Scot- 
tish waters  ;  but  neither  the  herald's  tabard  nor  the 
bailie's  authority  prevailed,  and  the  fight  continued 
with  unabated  fury  till  mid-day.  The  Spanish 
captain  finding  himself  sorely  pressed  by  his  two 
antagonists,  obtained  permission  to  warp  his  ship 
farther  within  the  harbour  ;  but  still  the  unrelent- 
ing Dutchmen  poured  their  broadsides  upon  his 
shattered  hull. 

The  Privy  Council  now  ordered  the  Admiral 
Depute  to  muster  the  mariners  of  Leith,  and  assail 
the  Admiral  of  Zealand  in  aid  of  the  Duiikerquer ; 
but  the  depute  reported  "  that  they  were  altogether 
vnable,  and  he  saw  no  way  to  enforce  obedience 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


but  by  bringing  ordonnance  from  the  Castell  to  the 
shoare,  to  ding  at  them  so  long  as  they  sould  be 
within  shot."     (Melrose's  Letter.) 

Upon  this  the  constable  and  his  cannoniers,  with 
a  battery  of  guns,  came  with  all  speed  down,  by  the 
Bonnington  Road  most  probably,  and  took  up  a 
position  on  the  high  ground  near  the  ancient  chapel 
of  St.  Nicholas ;  but  this  aid  came  too  late,  for 
Mynheer  de  Hautain  had  driven  the  unfortunate 
Spanish  frigate,  after  great  slaughter,  completely 
outside  the  harbour,  where  she  grounded  on  a  dan- 
gerous reef,  then  known  as  the  Mussel  Cape,  but 
latterly  as  the  Black  Rocks. 

There  she  was  boarded  by  a  party  of  Leith  sea- 
men, who  hoisted  a  Scottish  flag  at  her  topmast- 
head  ;  but  that  afforded  her  no  protection,  for  the 
inexorable  Dutchmen  boarded  her  in  the  night, 
burned  her  to  the  water's  edge,  and  sailed  away 
before  dawn. 

Two  years  after  this  there  occurred  a  case  of 
"  murder  under  trust,  stouthrief,  and  piracie,"  of 
considerable  local  interest,  the  last  scene  of  which 
was  enacted  at  Leith.  In  November,  1624,  Robert 
Brown,  mariner  in  Burntisland,  with  his  son,  John 
Brown,  skipper  there,  David  Dowie,  a  burgess  there, 
and  Robert  Duff,  of  South  Queensferry,  were 
all  tried  before  the  Criminal  Court  for  slaying  under 
trust  three  young  Spanish  merchants,  and  appro- 
priating to  themselves  their  goods  and  merchandise, 
which  these  strangers  had  placed  on  board  John 
Brown's  ship  to  be  conveyed  from  the  Spanish  port 


of  San  Juan  to  Calais  three  years  before.  "  Beeing 
in  the  middis  of  the  sea  and  far  fra  lande,"  runs 
the  indictment,  they  threw  the  three  Spaniards 
overboard,  "ane  eftir  other  in  the  raging  seas," 
after  which,  in  mockery  of  God,  they  "maid  ane 
prayer  and  sang  ane  psalm,"  and  then  bore  away 
for  Middelburg  in  Zealand,  and  sold  the  property 
acquired — walnuts,  chestnuts,  and  Spanish  wines. 
For  this  they  were  all  hanged,  their  heads  struck 
from  their  bodies  and  set  upon  pikes  of  iron  in  the 
town  of  Leith,  the  sands  of  which  were  the  scene 
of  many  an  execution  for  piracy,  till  the  last,  which 
occurred  in  1822,  when  Peter  Heaman  and  Francois 
Gautiez  were  hanged  at  the  foot  of  Constitution 
Street,  within  the  floodmark,  on  the  9th  of  January, 
for  murder  and  piracy  upon  the  high  seas. 

On  the  28th  and  30th  March,  1625,  a  dreadful 
storm  raged  along  the  whole  east  coast  of  Scotland, 
and  the  superstitious  Calderwood,  in  his  history, 
seems  to  connect  it  as  a  phenomenon  with  the  death 
I  of  James  VI.,  tidings  of  which  reached  Edin- 
I  burgh  on  that  day.  The  water  in  Leith  harbour  rose 
,  to  a  height  never  known  before ;  the  ships  were 
I  dashed  against  each  other  "  broken  and  spoiled," 
j  and  many  skippers  and  mariners  who  strove  to 
]  make  them  fast  in  the  night  were  drowned.  "  It 
was  taken  by  all  men  to  be  a  forerunner  of  some 
great  alteration.  And,  indeed,  the  day  following — 
to  wit,  the  last  of  March — sure  report  was  brought 
,  hither  from  Court  that  the  King  departed  this 
.  life  the  Lord's  day  before,  the  27th  of  March." 


CHAPTER    XX. 
LEITH— HISTORICAL   SURVEY  {continued). 

iith  Re-fortified— The  Covenant  Signed— The  Plague— The  Cromwellians  i 
s  Report— En  jlish  Fleet— A  Windmill— English  Pirates  Hanged— Citadel  ! 
Hessian  Army  Lands— Highland  Mutinies— Paul  Jones— Prince  William  Henry. 


Charles  I.  was  proclaimed  King  of  Scotland, 
England,  France,  and  Ireland,  at  the  Cross  of  Edin- 
burgh and  on  the  shore  at  Leith,  where  Lord  Bal- 
merino  and  the  Bishop  of  Glasgow  attended  with 
the  heralds  and  trumpeters. 

The  events  of  the  great  Civil  War,  and  those 
which  eventually  brought  that  unfortunate  king  to 
the  scaffold,  lie  apart  from  the  annals  of  Leith,  yet 
they  led  to  the  re-fortifying  of  it  after  Jenny  Geddes 
had  given  the  signal  of  resistance  in  St.  Giles's  in 
July,  1637,  and  the  host  of  the  Covenant  began  to 
gather  on  the  hills  above  Dunse. 

Two  years  before  that  time  we  find  Vice-Admiral 


Sir  William  Monson,  a  distinguished  English  naval 
officer  who  served  with  Raleigh  in. Elizabeth's  reign 
in  many  expeditions  under  James  VI. ,  and  who 
survived  till  the  time  of  Charles  I.,  urging  in  his 
"  Naval  Tracts  "  that  Leith  should  be  made  the 
capital  of  Scotland  ! 

"  Instead  of  Edinburgh,"  he  wrote,  "  which  is 
the  supreme  city,  and  now  made  the  head  of  justice, 
whither  all  men  resort  as  the  only  spring  that  waters 
the  kingdom,  I  wish  his  Majesty  did  fortify,  streng- 
then, and  make  impregnable,  the  town  of  Leith,  and 
there  to  settle  the  seat  of  justice,  with  all  the  other 
privileges   Edinburgh    enjoys,   referring   it    to   the 


MnXSOX'S    SUCCF.STIOX 


120 


i£6 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


choice  of  the  inhabitants  whether  they  will  make 
their  dwelling  where  they  do  or  remove  to  Leith, 
where  they  shall  enjoy  the  same  liberties  they  did 
in  Edinburgh.  His  Majesty  may  do  it  out  of  these 
respects  :  Leith  is  a  maritime  town,  and  with  some 
great  labour  and  charge  in  conveying  their  mer- 
chandise to  Edinburgh,  which  no  man  but  will 
find  conveniency  in  ;  Leith  is  a  sea  town,  whither 
ships  resort  and  mariners  make  their  dwelling,  and 
the  Trinity  House  being  settled  there  lies  more 
convenient  for  transportation  and  importation,  it 
being  the  port  town  of  Edinburgh,  and  in  time  of 
war  may  cut  off  all  provisions  betwixt  the  sea  and 
Edinburgh,  and  bring  Edinburgh  to  the  mercy 
of  it." 

Sir  William  took  a  seaman's  view  in  this  sugges- 
tion ;  but  we  may  imagine  the  dire  wrath  it  would 
have  occasioned  in  the  municipality  of  Edinburgh. 
At  the  prospect  of  an  invasion  from  England, 
the  restoration  of  the  fortifications  of  Leith  went 
on  with  great  spirit.  "  The  work  was  begun  and 
carried  on  with  infinite  alacrity,"  says  Arnot,  "  not 
only  mercenaries,  but  an  incredible  number  of 
volunteers,  gentry,  nobility — nay,  even  ladies  them- 
selves, surmounting  the  delicacy  of  their  sex  and 
the  reserve  so  becoming  them — put  their  hands  to 
the  work,  happy  if  at  any  expense  they  could  pro- 
mote so  pious  a  cause." 

At  least  a  thousand  men  were  employed  on 
these  works  ;  the  bastions,  says  Principal  Baillie, 
were  strong  and  perfect,  and  armed  with  "double 
cannon." 

And  necessary  indeed  seemed  their  national 
enthusiasm,  when  early  in  May,  1639,  the  servile 
Marquis  of  Hamilton  arrived  in  Leith  Roads  with 
5,000  troops  on  board  a  fleet  of  twenty  sail,  with 
orders  to  attack  Edinburgh  and  its  seaport,  "  to 
infest  the  country  by  sea,"  says  Lediard,  "  to  hinder 
its  trade,  and  make  a  descent  upon  the  land."  He 
threatened  bombardment ;  but  the  stout  hearts  of 
the  Covenanters  never  failed  them,  and  the  work 
<.  f  fortification  went  on,  while  their  noble  army — 
for  a  noble  one  it  was  then — anticipated  the  king 
by  marching  into  England  at  the  sword's  point,  and 
compelling  him  to  make  a  hasty  treaty  and  hurry 
to  Edinburgh  in  a  conciliatory  mood,  where,  as 
Gu'thry  says,  "he  resigned  every  branch  of  his 
prerogative,  and  scarcely  retained  more  than  the 
empty  title  of  sovereignty." 

In  October,  1643,  the  Covenant  was  enthusiasti- 
cally subscribed  by  the  inhabitants  of  Leith,  the 
pastor  and  people  standing  solemnly  with  uplifted 
hands.  This  took  place  at  Leith,  as  the  parish 
register  shows,  on  the  26th,  and  at  Bestalrig  on 
Sunday  the  29th. 


In  that  month,  the  Earl  of  Leven,  at  the  head 
of  20,000  men,  again  entered  England,  but  to  form 
a  junction  with  Cromwell  against  the  king  ;  and 
while  the  strife  went  on  the  plague  broke  out  in 
Edinburgh  and  Leith  in  1645. 

In  the  latter  town  about  2,320  persons,  constitut- 
ing perhaps  one-half  of  the  entire  population,  were 
swept  away  within  eight  months  by  this  scourge  of 
those  ante-sanitation  times.  As  the  small  church- 
yards were  utterly  deficient  in  accommodation  for 
the  dead,  many  of  them  were  buried  in  the  Links 
and  on  the  north  side  of  the  road  leading  to 
Hermitage  Hill.  Till  very  recent  times  masses  of 
half-decayed  bones,  wrapped  in  the  blankets  in 
which  the  victims  perished,  have  been  dug  up  in 
the  fields  and  gardens  about  Leith. 

This  scourge  broke  out  on  the  19th  of  May  in 
King  James's  hospital  in  the  Kirkgate.  In  Res- 
talrig  there  died  160  ;  in  the  Craigend,  155 — the  total 
number  of  victims  in  the  whole  parish  was  gene- 
rally estimated  at  2,736,  but  the  accounts  vary. 
In  1832  great  quantities  of  their  remains  were  laid 
bare  near  Wellington  Place — among  them  a  cranium 
which  bore  traces  of  a  gunshot  wound.  ("  An- 
tiquities of  Leith.") 

So  fearful  were  the  double  ravages  of  the  plague 
and  an  accompanying  famine,  that  Parliament,  be- 
lieving the  number  of  the  dead  to  exceed  that  of 
the  living,  empowered  the  magistrates  to  seize  for 
the  use  of  survivors  all  grain  that  could  be  found 
in  warehouses  or  cellars,  and  to  make  payment 
therefor  at  their  convenience,  and  to  find  means  of 
making  it  by  appeals  to  the  humanity  of  their  land- 
ward countrymen. 

Nicoll  in  his  Diary  records,  under  date  25th 
July,  1650 — the  day  after  Cromwell  was  repulsed 
in  his  attack  upon  Leslie's  trenches — that  the  whole 
Scottish  army,  to  the  number  of  40,000  men,  was 
convened  or  mustered  on  the  Links  of  Leith,  to 
undergo  a  process  called  "purging,"  i.e.,  the  dis- 
missal from  its  ranks  of  all  officers  and  men  who 
were  obnoxious  in  any  way  to  the  clergy.  The 
result  of  this  insane  measure,  when  almost  within 
range  of  Cromwell's  cannon,  was  that  "  above  the 
half  of  thame  "  were  disbanded  and  sent  to  their 
homes.  Then  after  Charles  II.  had  been  feasted 
I  in  the  Parliament  House,  on  the  1st  of  August  he 
1  came  to  Leith,  and  took  up  his  residence  in  Lord 
I  Balmerino's  house  near  the  Kirkgate. 

Nicoll  also  records  that  a  soldier  of  Leslie, 
being  discovered  in  correspondence  with  the  enemy, 
on  being  made  prisoner  strangled  himself  in  the 
Tolbooth  of  Edinburgh  ;  after  that  his  body  was. 
1  gibbeted  between  the  city  and  Leith,  "  quhair  he 
yet  hangs  to  the  terror  of  otheris." 


THE    CITADEL. 


The  remainder  of  this  army — the  "  godly  men  " 
— eventually  marched  into  England,  and  were  cut 
to  pieces  at  the  battle  of  Worcester. 

After  the  battle  of  Dunbar,  when  Cromwell  took 
possession  of  Edinburgh  and  Leith,  he  seems  to 
have  found  a  necessity  for  enforcing  discipline 
among  his  "  godly  soldiers,"  some  of  whom,  as 
Nicoll  records,  were  scourged  through  the  streets 
by  the  provost-marshal's  men  from  the  Stone 
Cross  to  the  Nether  Bow  and  back  again,  for  plun- 
dering houses  ;  others  were  pilloried  at  the  cross  or 
the  wooden  mare  with  pint-stoups  at  the  neck  and 
muskets  at  the  foot,  for  drunkenness  ;  and  in  the 
history  of  the  Coldstream  Guards  it  is  stated  that  a 
drummer  of  Colonel  Pride's  regiment  was  tried  for 
killing  another  soldier,  and  by  sentence  of  a  court- 
martial  shot  "  against  the  cross  in  Edinburgh." 

In  the  administration  of  justice  Nicoll  relates 
that  many  Scottish  suitors  laid  their  cases  before  a 
committee  of  Cromwellian  officers  sitting  in  Leith, 
and  cases  that  had  been  standing  over  for  sixteen 
years  were  disposed  of  with  such  military  celerity 
that  some  of  the  said  suitors  declared  that  they 
found  limair  love  and  kyndness  towards  thame 
by  their  supposed  enneymies  than  of  thair  awin 
countrymen  and  friends."  But  the  troops,  under 
General  Lambert,  subjected  Leith  to  a  monthly 
assessment  of  ^22  sterling,  besides  a  proportion 
of  the  ,£2,400  Scots  levied  upon  Edinburgh  and 
its  vicinity. 

When  Cromwell  returned  to  England  he  left 
General  Monk  commander  of  his  forces  in  Scot- 
land, where  only  the  goodwill  and  coalition  of  the 
people  would  have  enabled  so  small  a  force  to  re- 
main unmolested.  For  a  time  the  latter  took  up 
his  quarters  in  Leith,  and  while  he  was  resident 
he  induced  some  English  families  of  considerable 
wealth  and  of  great  commercial  enterprise  to  settle 
there. 

The  Mercurius  Politicus — the  rare  volumes  of 
which  are  preserved  in  the  Advocates'  Library — 
records  that  in  October,  1652,  there  was  a  dan- 
gerous mutiny  among  Monk's  garrison  in  Leith,  in 
consequence  of  deductions  from  their  pay  to  form 
a  store.  Four  were  condemned  to  be  hanged,  but 
were  ordered  to  cast  lots  to  the  end  that  one  only 
should  die  ;  but  the  entire  female  population  peti- 
tioned for  the  life  of  him  on  whom  the  lot  'fell,  and 
he  was  spared  in  consequence. 

In  the  preceding  year,  by  a  court-martial,  he  had 
the  wife  of  Lieutenant  Emerson  whipped  through 
the  streets  for  profligacy,  and  shipped  off  to  London. 
(•'  Coldstream  Guards.") 

In  1656  Monk  set  about  the  erection  of  a  citadel 
in  North  Leith,  on  the  site  of  St  Nicholas'  Church, 


which  he  demolished  entirely  for  that  purpose.  It 
had  been  ordered  by  Cromwell  in  1653,  was  pen- 
tagonal in  form,  and  entirely  faced  with  hewn 
stone.  It  had  five  bastions,  and  barracks  inside, 
and  the  house  above  the  arch,  or  principal  east 
entrance,  which  still  remains,  is  traditionally  said  to 
have  a  been  portion  of  his  residence.  An  iron  helmet, 
or  "  Cromwell  pot,"  was  found  here  in  a  mound 
of  rubbish,  and  presented  to  the  Museum  of  Anti- 
quities in  1833. 

The  vexatious  controversy  about  the  superiority 
of  Leith  having  been  again  agitated,  on  the  5th  of 
May,  1656,  the  Town  Council  of  Edinburgh  granted 
to  General  Monk  £5,000  towards  the  erection  of 
his  citadel  on  the  conditions  that  the  city  should 
retain  the  superiority,  and  he  should  not  retain  the 
old  French  fortifications.  Thus,  though  the  Eng- 
lish commercial  men  whom  he  had  invited  to  settle 
in  Leith  gave  an  impulse  to  the  mercantile  spirit  of 
the  port,  they  felt  painfully  the  restrictions  imposed 
upon  them  by  the  dominant  Town  Council  of 
Edinburgh,  and  though  they  had  a  Republican 
government  to  appeal  to,  they  failed  to  extricate 
the  inhabitants  from  any  portion  of  their  ancient 
thraldom. 

In  Scotland  a  very  important  advance  under  the 
Commonwealth  was  the  introduction  of  newspapers. 
Among  these  were  A  Diurnal  of  Passages  and 
Affairs,  a  Reprint  at  Leith  of  a  Paper  picblished 
I  at  London,  commenced  in  November,  1652;  The 
Mercurius  Politicus  was  issued  from  the  citadel  in 
the  following  year,  with  the  motto  from  Horace, 
Lta  vertere  seria :  Printed  at  London  and  Reprinted 
at  Leith.  This  journal  varied  from  eight  to  sixteen 
quarto  pages. 

A  very  rare  work,  entitled  "  The  Survey  of 
Policys,  or  a  Free  Vindication  of  the  Common- 
wealth of  England  against  Salmasius  and  other 
Royalists,  by  Peter  English,"  is  supposed  by 
Bishop  Russell  of  Leith,  in  his  "  Life  of  Crom- 
well," to  have  issued  from  the  same  press  in  the 
citadel  in  1653. 

In  1655  there  came  to  Scotland  Mr.  Thomas 
Tucker,  Registrar  to  the  Commissioners  of  Excise, 
sent  by  Cromwell's  Council  of  State,  to  assist  in 
settling  the  customs  in  that  country,  and  his  report, 
which  is  included  among  the  earliest  issues  of  the 
Bannatyne  Club,  though  verbose  and  dreary,  is  very 
interesting,  from  the  picture  of  the  trade  of  the 
kingdom  at  that  time.  Of  course,  like  any  English- 
man of  his  own  or  later  times,  his  views  were 
j  jaundiced  and  far  from  flattering. 

Leith  claimed  much  of  his  attention.  He  de- 
scribes it  as  a  small  town,  fortified,  with  a  convenient 
tidal  harbour,  with  a  quay  of  good  length  for  land- 


OLD    AND    NEW   EDINBURGH. 


ing  goods.  He  accused  Edinburgh  of  an  unreason- 
able jealousy  of  its  seaport,  and  invited  the  inhabi- 
tants of  that  city  "to  descend  from  their  proud 
hill  into  the  more  fruitful  plains  (of  Leith  ?)  to  be 
filled  with  the  fatness  and  fulness  thereof." 


at  the  same  time  the  Trained  Bands  of  Leith  mus- 
tered in  arms  to  attend  the  great  military  funeral  of 
the  Marquis  of  Montrose. 

In  1667  the  English  fleet  of  Sir  Jeremiah  Smythe, 
a  brave  admiral  who  afterwards  defeated  the  Dutch, 


After  this  declamation  it  was  rather  disappointing 
to  find — if  Mr.  Tucker's  report  be  a  true  one — that 
all  the  shipping  in  "  the  principal  port  of  Scotland" 
consisted  only  of  some  twelve  or  fourteen  vessels, 
"  two  or  three  whereof  are  of  only  two  or  three 
hundred  tons  apiece,  the  rest  small  vessels  for 
carrying  salt." 

At  the  Restoration  orders  were  given  to  destroy 
the  citadel ;  but  these  were  not  put  in  force,  and 


came  to  anchor  in  the  Roads,  and  saluted  the 
Scottish  flag.  The  guns  of  the  Castle,  Leith,  and 
Burntisland,  responded.  The  admiral  was  in  search 
of  the  Dutch  fleet  under  Van  Ghendt,  which  had 
been  in  the  Firth  a  few  days  before,  menacing  Edin- 
burgh and  Leith. 

In  March,  1679,  the  constables  of  South  and 
North  Leith,  in  common  with  those  of  the  city  and 
Canongate,  "and  wholl  suburbs  of  the  good  town 


SHIPPING    OF    COVENANTERS    FOR    EARBAIX  )ES. 


of  Edinburgh,"  by  order  of  the  Privy  Council  and 
magistrates,  were  ordered  to  make  up  lists  of  all 
the  dwellers  in  these  districts,  while  nightly  lists  of 
all  lodgers  were  to  be  furnished  by  the  bailies  to 
the  captain  of  the  City  Guard. 


"  was  a  profane,  cruel  wretch,  and  used  them  bar- 
barously, stowing  them  up  between  decks,  where 
they  could  not  get  up  their  heads  except  to  sit  or 
lean,  and  robbing  them  of  many  things  their  friends 
sent  for  their   relief.     They  never  were   in  such 


01  I)    HOl'SE    IN    WATE 


/.  RomiUt  Allen.) 


The  November  of  the  same  year  saw  those  poor 
victims  of  a  dire  system  of  misrule,  the  Covenan- 
ters, who  had  been  for  months  penned  up  like  wild 
animals  in  the  Greyfriars'  Churchyard,  Edinburgh, 
marched  through  Leith.  To  the  number  of  257, 
who  had  refused  the  bond,  they  were  on  the  15th 
shipped  on  board  an  English  vessel  for  transporta- 
tion to  Barbadoes,  there  to  be  sold  as  slaves  ! 

The   captain,    says   the    Rev.    Mr.    Blackadder, 


strait  and  peril,  particularly  through  drought,  as 
they  were  allowed  little  or  no  drink,  and  pent  up 
together  till  many  of  them  fainted  and  were  almost 
suffocated."  This  was  in  Leith  Roads,  and  in 
sight  of  the  green  hills  of  Fife  and  Lothian,  on 
which  they  were  looking  their  last. 

Their  ship  was  cast  away  among  the  Orkneys  ; 
the  hatches  were  battened  down  ;  200  perished 
with  her,  while  the  captain  and  seamen  made  their 


tgo 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


escape  by  a  mast  that  fell  between  the  wreck  and 
the  shore. 

In  1692  Leith  possessed  twenty-nine  ships,  having 
a  tonnage  of  1,702  tons. 

Six  years  later  saw  the  ill-fated  Darien  Expedi- 
tion sail  from  its  port  on  the  26th  of  July,  con-  j 
sisting  of  four  frigates — the  Rising  Sun,  Captain 
Gibson  ;  the  Companies'  Hope,  Captain  Miller ;  the 
Hamilton,  Captain  Duncan  ;  the  Hope,  of  Borrow- 
tounness,  Captain  Dalling — having  on  board  1,200 
men,  exclusive  of  300  gentlemen  volunteers,  with 
a  great  quantity  of  cannon  and  other  munition  of 
war.  They  must  have  gone  "  North  about,"  as 
their  final  departure  to  the  scene  of  their  valour, 
sufferings,  and  destruction  was  from  Rothesay  Bay 
on  the  24th  September,  1699. 

In  the  last  year  of  the  seventeenth  century  the 
proprietors  of  the  Glass  Works  at  Leith  made  a 
strong  complaint  to  the  Scottish  Privy  Council  con- 
cerning a  ruinous  practice  pursued  by  the  proprie- 
tors of  similar  works  at  Newcastle  of  sending  great 
quantities  of  their  goods  into  Scotland.  These ' 
English  makers  had  lately  landed — it  was  stated  in 
the  February  of  1700 — no  less  than  two  thousand 
six  hundred  dozen  of  bottles  at  Montrose,  thus 
overstocking  the  market ;  and  on  their  petition  the 
Lords  of  the  Privy  Council  empowered  the  Leith 
Glass  Company  to  seize  all  such  English  wares  and 
bring  them  in  for  his  Majesty's  use. 

In  July,  1702,  a  piteous  petition  from  Leith  was 
laid  before  the  Lords  of  Council,  stating  that  "It  had 
pleased  the  great  and  holy  God  to  visit  this  town,  for 
their  heinous  sins  against  Him,  with  a  very  sudden 
and  terrible  stroke,  which  was  occasioned  by  the  ] 
firing  of  thirty-three  barrels  of  powder,  which  dread- 
ful blast,  as  it  was  heard  even  at  many  miles  distance 
with  great  terror  and  amazement,  so  it  hath  caused 
great  ruin  and  desolation  in  this  place."  By  this 
explosion  seven  or  eight  persons  were  killed  on  the 
spot,  the  adjacent  houses  had  their  roofs  blown  off, 
their  windows  destroyed,  and  were  reduced  to 
ruinous  heaps,  while  portions  of  their  timber  were 
carried  to  vast  distances.  "  Few  houses  in  the 
town  did  not  escape  some  damage,  and  all  this  in  a 
moment  of  time  ;  so  that  the  merciful  conduct  of 
Divine  Providence  hath  been  very  admirable  in  the 
preservation  of  hundreds  of  people  whose  lives 
were  exposed  to  manifold  dangers,  seeing  that  they 
had  not  so  much  previous  warning  as  to  shift  a  foot 
for  their  own  preservation,  much  less  to  remove 
their  plenishing." 

The  petition  alleged  that  damage  had  been  done 
to  the  amount  of  ^36,936  Scots  "by  and  attour," 
the  injuries  done  to  several  back-closes  and  lofts, 
household  furniture,  and  merchants'  goods.     The 


proprietors  of  the  houses  wrecked  were,  for  the  most 
part,  unable  to  repair  them  ;  thus  the  petitioners 
entreated  permission  to  make  a  charitable  collec- 
tion throughout  the  kingdom  at  the  doors  of  the 
churches ;  and  the  Lords  granted  their  prayer. 

Two  years  after  the  Lords  had  to  adjudicate 
upon  a  case  of  trade  despotism.  In  the  January 
of  1704,  Charles,  Earl  of  Hopetoun,  stated  that 
during  his  minority  his  guardians  had  built  a  wind- 
mill in  Leith  for  the  purpose  of  grinding  and  re- 
fining the  ore  from  his  mines  in  the  Leadhills  of 
Lanarkshire  ;  but  the  mill  had  been  unused  until 
now,  and  was  found  to  require  repair.  John  Smith, 
who  had  set  up  a  saw-mill  in  Leith,  being  the  only 
man  able  to  do  this  kind  of  work,  was  employed 
by  the  Earl  to  repair  his  windmill ;  but  the  wright- 
burgesses  of  Edinburgh  arose  in  great  wrath,  and 
with  violence  interfered  with  the  work,  on  the 
ground  that  it  was  a  violation  of  their  privileges  as 
a  corporation,  although  not  one  of  them  had  been 
bred  to  the  work  in  question,  "  or  had  any  skill 
therein." 

Indeed,  it  was  shown  that  some  part  of  the  work 
done  by  them  had  to  be  taken  down  as  useless. 
The  Earl  argued  that  it  was  plainly  to  the  public 
detriment  if  such  a  work  was  brought  to  a  stand- 
still ;  and  the  Council,  adopting  his  views,  gave 
him  a  protection  against  the  irate  wrights  of  Edin- 
burgh. 

In  the  year  r7o5  Leith  was  the  scene  of  those 
stormy  episodes  connected  with  the  execution  of 
the  captain  and  two  seamen  of  the  English  ship 
Worcester. 

The  oppressive  clauses  of  an  Act  of  the  English 
Parliament  concerning  the  proposed  union  had 
roused  the  pride  of  the  Scots  to  fever  heat,  and 
tended  to  alienate  the  minds  of  many  who  had 
been  in  favour  of  the  measure ;  and  the  incidents 
referred  to  occurred  just  at  a  time  to  exasperate  the 
mutual  jealousies  of  both  countries. 

The  Darien  Company,  notwithstanding  the  ruin 
that  had  befallen  their  enterprise,  still  traded  with 
the  East,  and  at  this  time  one  of  their  vessels, 
called  the  Annandale,  being  seized  in  the  Thames, 
was  sold  by  the  English  East  India  Company,  to 
whom  the  owners  applied  in  vain  for  restitution 
or  repayment. 

Shortly  afterwards  the  Worcester,  an  English  East 
Indiaman,  requiring  repairs,  put  into  Burntisland, 
where  she  was  at  once  seized  by  way  of  reprisal. 
Meanwhile  some  of  her  crew,  when  in  liquor,  had 
let  fall  in  their  irritation  some  unguarded  admis- 
sions which  led  to  a  suspicion  that  they  had  cap- 
tured a  Darien  ship  in  Eastern  waters,  and  murdered 
her  captain  and  entire  crew;  and  this  suspicion  was 


MACKINTOSH    OF    BORLUM. 


the  further  strengthened  by  the  fact  that  the  Speedy  Water  Port  of  Leith,  where  a  battalion  of  the  Foot 
Return,  a  Scottish  ship,  had  been  absent  unusually  Guards  and  a  body  of  the  Horse  Guards  were 
long,  and  the  rumours  regarding  her  fate  were  drawn  up.  "  There  was  the  greatest  confluence  of 
very  much  akin  to  the  confessions  of  the  crew  of  people  there  that  I  ever  saw  in  my  life,"  says 
the   Worcester.  I  Wodrow  ;  "for  they  cared  not  how  far  they  were 

A  report  of  these  circumstances  having  reached  off  so  be  it  they  saw.'' 
the  Privy  Council,  the  arrest  was  ordered  of  Cap-  |  The  three  were  hanged  upon  a  gibbet  erected 
tain  Green  and  thirteen  of  his  crew  on  charges  of  within  high-water  mark,  and  the  rest  of  the  crew, 
piracy  and  murder.  The  evidence  produced  against  after  being  detained  in  prison  till  autumn,  were  set 
them  would  scarcely  be  held  sufficient  by  a  jury  of  at  liberty ;  and  it  is  said  that  there  were  afterwards 
the  present  day  to  warrant  a  conviction;  but  the  good  reasons  to  believe  that  Captain  Drummond, 
Scots,  in  their  justly  inflamed  and  insulted  spirit,  j  whom  they  were  accused  of  slaying  on  the  high  seas, 
viewed  the  matter  otherwise,  and  a  sentence  of  was  alive  in  India  after  the  fate  of  Green  and  his 
death  was  passed.  This  judgment  rendered  many  i  two  brother  officers  had  been  sealed.  (Burton's 
uneasy,  as  it  might  be  an  insuperable  bar  to  the  j  ':  Crim.  Trials.") 

union,  and  even  lead  to  open  strife,  as  the  relations  |  On  the  site  of  the  present  Custom  House  was 
in  which  the  two  countries  stood  to  each  other  were  built  the  Fury  (a  line-of-battle  ship,  according  to 
always  precarious;  and  even  Macaulay  admits  "that  Lawson's  "Gazetteer")  and  the  first  of  that  rate 
the  two  kingdoms  could  not  possibly  have  continued  built  in  Scotland  after  the  Union, 
another  year  on  the  terms  on  which  they  had  been  j  In  \-j\2  the  first  census  of  Edinburgh  and  Leith 
during  the  preceding  century."  The  Privy  Council  was  taken,  and  both  towns  contained  only  about 
were  thus  reluctant  to  put  the  sentence  into  execu-  '  48,000  souls. 

tion,  and  respited  the  fourteen  Englishmen;  but  j  The  insurrection  of  17 15,  under  the  Earl  of 
there  arose  from  the  people  a  cry  for  vengeance  Mar,  made  Leith  the  arena  of  some  exciting  scenes, 
which  it  was  impossible  to  resist.  On  the  day  ap-  The  Earl  declined  to  leave  the  vicinity  of  Perth 
pointed  for  the  execution,  the  nth  of  April,  the  with  his  army,  and  could  not  co-operate  with  the 
populace  gathered  in  vast  numbers  at  the  Cross  petty  insurrection  under  Forster  in  the  north  of 
and  in  the  Parliament  Square;  they  menaced  the  England,  as  a  fleet  under  Sir  John  Jennings,  Admiral 
Lords  of  the  Council,  from  which  the  Lord  Chan-  of  the  White,  including  the  Royal  Anne,  Pearl, 
cellor  chanced  to  pass  in  his  coach.  Some  one  Phxnix,  Dover  Castle,  and  other  frigates,  held  the 
cried  aloud  that  "  the  prisoners  had  been  reprieved."  Firth  of  Forth,  and  the  King's  troops  under  Argyle 
On  this  the  fury  of  the  people  became  boundless  ;  were  gathering  in  the  southern  Lowlands.  But,  as 
they  stopped  at  the  Tron  church  the  coach  of  the  it  was  essential  that  a  detachment  from  Mar's  army 
Chancellor — the  pitiful  Earl  of  Seafield— and  should  join  General  Forster,  it  was  arranged  that 
dragged  him  out  of  it,  and  had  he  not  been  rescued  2,500  Highlanders,  under  old  Brigadier  Mackintosh 
and  conveyed  into  Mylne  Square  by  some  friends,  of  Borlum — one  of  the  most  gallant  and  resolute 
would  have  slain  him  ;  so,  continues  Arnot,  it  be-  spirits  of  the  age — should  attempt  to  elude  the  fleet 
came  absolutely  necessary  to  appease  the  enraged    and  reach  the  Lothians. 

multitude  by  the  blood  of  the  criminals.  This  was  \  The  brigadier  took  possession  of  all  the  boats 
but  the  fruit  of  the  affairs  of  Darien  and  Glencoe.  belonging  to  the  numerous  fisher  villages  on  the 
Now  the  people  for  miles  around  were  pouring  Fife  coast,  and  as  the  gathering  of  such  a  fleet  as 
into  the  city,  and  it  was  known  that  beyond  doubt  these,  with  the  bustle  of  mooring  and  provisioning 
the  luckless  Englishmen  would  be  torn  from  the  them,  was  sure  to  reveal  the  object  in  view,  a 
Tolbooth  and  put  to  a  sudden  death.  '.  clever  trick  was  adopted  to  put  all  scouts  on  a  false 

Thus  the  Council  was  compelled  to  yield,  and  scent, 
ilid  so  only  in  time,  as  thousands  who  had  gathered  I  All  the  boats  not  required  by  the  brigadier  he 
at  Leith  to  see  the  execution  were  now  adding  to  sent  to  the  neighbourhood  of  Burntisland,  as  if  he 
those  who  filled  the  streets  of  the  city,  and  at  only  waited  to  cross  the  Firth  there,  on  which  the 
eleven  in  the  forenoon  word  came  forth  that  three  fleet  left  its  anchorage  and  rather  wantonly  began 
would  be  hanged — namely,  Captain  Green,  the  first  to  cannonade  the  fort  and  craft  in  the  harbour, 
mate  Madder,  and  Simpson,  the  gunner.  1  While  the  ships  were  thus  fully  occupied,  Mackin- 

According  to  Analecta  Scotica  they  were  brought  tosh,  dividing  his  troops  in  two  columns,  crossed  the 
forth  into  the  seething  masses,  amid  shouts  and  ,  water  from  Elie,Pittenweem, and  Crail,  twenty  miles 
execrations,  under  an  escort  of  the  Town  Guard,  eastward,  on  the  nights  of  the  12th  and  13th  Octo- 
and  marched  on  foot  through  the  Canongate  to  the    ber,  without  the  loss  of  a  single  boat,  and  landed 


OLD  AND    NEW   EDINBURGH. 


on  the  coast  of  East  Lothian,  from  whence  the  way 
to  England  was  open  and  free. 

But  the  daring  Mackintosh  suddenly  conceived 
a  very  different  enterprise.  The  troops  under  him 
were  all  picked  men,  drawn  from  the  regiments  of 
the  Earls  of  Mar  and  Strathmore,  of  Lord  Nairn, 
Lord  Charles  Murray,  and  Logie-Drummond,  with 
his  own  clan  the  Mackintoshes.  With  these  he 
conceived  the  idea  of  capturing  Edinburgh,  then 
only  seventeen  miles  distant,  and  storming  the 
Castle.  But  the  Provost  mustered  the  citizens, 
placed  the  City  Guard,  the  Trained  Bands,  and 
the  Volunteers,  at  all  vulnerable  points,  and  sent  to 
Argyle,  then  at  Stirling,  on  the  14th  October,  for 
aid. 

At  ten  that  night  the  Duke,  at  the  head  of  only 
300  dragoons  mounted  on  farm  horses,  and  200 
infantry,  passed  through  the  city  just  as  the  High- 
landers, then  well-nigh  worn  out,  halted  at  Jock's 
Lodge. 

Hearing  of  the  Duke's  arrival,  and  ignorant  of 
what  his  forces  might  be,  the  brigadier  wheeled  off 
to  Leith,  where  his  approach  excited  the  most  ludi- 
crous consternation,  as  it  had  done  in  Edinburgh, 
where,  Campbell  says  in  his  History,  "  the  approach 
of  50,000  cannibals  "  could  not  have  discomposed 
the  burgesses  more.  Mackintosh  entered  Leith 
late  at  night,  released  forty  Jacobite  prisoners  from 
the  Tolbooth,  and  took  possession  of  the  citadel, 
the  main  fortifications  of  which  were  all  intact,  and 
now  enclosed  several  commodious  dwellings,  used 
as  bathing  quarters  by  the  citizens  of  Edinburgh. 

How  Argyle  had  neglected  to  garrison  this  strong 
post  it  is  impossible  to  conjecture ;  but  "  Old 
Borlum  " — as  he  was  always  called — as  gates  were 
wanting,  made  barricades  in  their  place,  took  eight 
pieces  of  cannon  from  ships  in  the  harbour,  pro- 
visioned himself  from  the  Custom  House,  and  by 
daybreak  next  morning  was  in  readiness  to  receive 
the  Duke  of  Argyle,  commander  of  all  the  forces 
in  Scotland. 

At  the  head  of  1,000  men  of  all  arms  the  latter 
approached  Leith,  losing  on  the  way  many  volun- 
teers, who  "  silently  slipped  out  of  the  ranks  and 
returned  to  their  own  homes."  He  sent  a  message 
to  the  citadel,  demanding  a  surrender  on  one  hand, 
and  threatening  no  quarter  on  the  other.  To 
answer  this,  the  Laird  of  Kynachin  appeared  on 
the  ramparts,  and  returned  a  scornful  defiance. 
"  As  to  surrendering,  they  laughed  at  it ;  and  as  to 
assaulting  them,  they  were  ready  for  him  ;  they 
would  neither  give  nor  take  quarter  ;  and  if  he 
thought  he  was  able  to  force  them,  he  might  try  his 
hand." 

Argyle  carefully  reconnoitred  the  citadel,  and, 


with  the  concurrence  of  his  officers,  retired  with 
the  intention  of  attacking  in  strength  next  day  ; 
but  Borlum  was  too  wary  to  wait  for  him.  Re- 
solving to  acquaint  Mar  with  his  movements,  he 
sent  a  boat  across  the  Firth,  causing  shots  to  be 
fired  as  it  left  Leith  to  deceive  the  Hanoverian 
fleet,  which  allowed  it  to  pass  in  the  belief  that  it 
contained  friends  of  the  Government ;  and  at  nine 
that  night,  taking  advantage  of  a  cloudy  sky,  he- 
quitted  the  citadel  with  all  his  troops,  and,  keeping 
along  the  beach,  passed  round  the  head  of  the  pier 
at  low  water,  and  set  out  on  his  march  for  England. 
Yet,  though  the  darkness  favoured  him,  it  led  to 
one  or  two  tragic  occurrences.  Near  Musselburgh 
some  mounted  gentlemen,  having  fired  upon  the 
Highlanders,  led  the  latter  to  believe  that  all  horse- 
men were  enemies ;  thus,  when  a  mounted  man 
approached  them  alone,  on  being  challenged  in 
Gaelic,  and  unable  to  reply  in  the  same  language, 
he  was  shot  dead. 

The  slain  man  proved  to  be  Alexander  Malloch, 
of  Moultray's  Hill,  who  was  coming  to  join  them. 
"  The  brigadier  was  extremely  sorry  for  what  had 
taken  place,  but  he  was  unable  even  to  testify  the 
common  respect  of  a  friend  by  burying  the  deceased. 
He  had  only  time  to  possess  himself  of  the  money- 
found  on  the  corpse — about  sixty  guineas — and  then 
leave  it  to  the  enemy." 

The  advance  of  Mar  rendered  Argyle  unable  to 
pursue  Borlum,  who  eventually  joined  Forster, 
shared  in  his  defeat,  and  would  have  been  hanged 
and  quartered  at  Tyburn,  had  he  not  broken  out 
of  Newgate  and  escaped  to  France. 

A  few  days  after  his  departure  from  Leith,  the 
Trained  Bands  there  were  ordered  to  muster  on  the 
Links,  to  attend  their  colours  and  mount  guard, 
"  at  tuck  of  drumme,  at  what  hour  their  own  officers 
shall  appoint,  and  to  bring  their  best  armes  along 
with  them." 

There  is  a  curious  "  dream  story,"  as  Chambers 
calls  it  in  his  "  Book  of  Days,"  connected  with 
Leith  in  1731,  which  Lady  Clerk  of  Penicuik  (nh 
Mary  Dacre,  of  Kirklinton  in  Cumberland),  to 
whom  we  have  referred  in  our  first  volume,  com- 
municated to  Blackwood's  Magazine  in  1826.  She 
related  that  her  father  was  attending  classes  in 
Edinburgh  in  1731,  and  was  residing  under  the 
care  of  an  uncle — Major  Griffiths — whose  regiment 
was  quartered  in  the  castle.  The  young  man  had 
agreed  to  join  a  fishing  party,  which  was  to  start 
from  Leith  harbour  next  morning.  No  objection 
was  made  by  Major  or  Mrs.  Griffiths,  from  whom 
he  parted  at  night.  During  her  sleep  the  latter 
suddenly  screamed  out :  "  The  boat  is  sinking — 
oh,  save  them  ! "     The  major  awoke  her,  and  said  : 


CORNWALLIS'S    REGIMENT. 


'93 


"  Are  you  uneasy  about  that  fishing-party  ?  "  "  No," 
she  replied,  "  I  had  no  thought  of  it."  After  she 
had  been  asleep  about  an  hour,  she  again  exclaimed, 
in  a  dreadful  fright :  "  I  see  the  boat — it  is  going 
down  ! "  Again  the  major  awoke  her,  on  which  she 
said  the  second  dream  must  have  been   suggested 


Chambers  conceives  that,  unlike  many  anecdotes 
of  this  kind,  Lady  Clerk's  dream-story  can  be  traced 
to  an  actual  occurrence,  which  he  quotes  from  the 
Caledonian  Mercury  of  1734,  and  that  the  old  lady 
had  mistaken  the  precise  year. 

In  1740 — for  the  first  time,  probably,  since  the 


(,1/X 


by  the  first.  But  no  rest  was  to  be  obtained  by 
her,  for  again  the  dream  returned,  and  she  exclaimed, 
in  extreme  agony  :  "  They  are  gone  ! — the  boat  is 
sunk  !  "  Then  she  added  :  "  Mr.  Dacre  must  not 
go,  for  I  feel  that,  should  he  go,  I  should  be  miser- 
able till  his  return."  In  short,  on  the  strength  of 
her  treble  dream,  she  induced  their  nephew  to  send 
a  note  of  apology  to  his  companions,  who  left  Leith, 
but  were  caught  in  a  storm,  in  which  all  perished.  ( 
121 


days  of  Cromwell — we  find  regular  troops  quartered 
in  Leith,  when  General  Guest,  commanding  in  Scot- 
land, required  the  magistrates  to  find  billets  in 
North  and  South  Leith  for  certain  companies  of 
Brigadier  Cornwallis's  regiment,  latterly  the  nth 
Foot. 

Previous  to  1745,  the  only  place  where  troops 
could  be  accommodated  in  a  body  at  Leith  was  in  the 
old  Tolbooth.     About  that  time,  Robert  Douglas, 


OLD    AND     NEW    EDINBURGH. 


of  Brockhouse,  contracted  with  the  corporation  to 
provide  accommodation  for  soldiers.  His  agree- 
ment was  to  quarter  three  companies  of  infantry 
"  in  the  back  land  in  Leith,  at  Coatfield  Gutter,  and 
up  the  back  vennel,  where  the  lane  leadeth  to  the 
Links,"  for  which  he  was  to  be  paid  by  the  town  four 
shillings  per  week  for  every  man,  on  finding  sufficient 
bedding,  coals,  and  candles ;  but  the  speculation 
did  not  prove  remunerative,  and  much  litigation  en- 
sued, without  consequences  (Robertson). 

On  the  8th  of  February,  1746,  when  Cumberland 
was  on  his  march  to  the  north  from  Perth,  the  arma- 
ment of  5,000  Hessian  troops,  under  his  brother-in- 
law  the  Prince  of  Hesse,  arrived  in  Leith  Roads  to 
assist  in  the  suppression  of  the  Jacobite  clans.  He 
landed  that  night  at  the  harbour,  attended  by  the 
Earl  of  Crawford  (so  famous  in  the  wars  of 
George  II.),  by  a  son  of  the  Duke  of  Wolfenbuttel, 
and  other  persons  of  distinction  ;  and  was  taken  to 
Holyrood,  under  a  salute  from  the  Castle.  On  the 
15th  the  Duke  of  Cumberland  was  to  pay  him  a 
formal  visit,  and  they  held  a  council  of  war  in  Milton 
House,  after  which  the  Duke  set  forth  again,  leaving 
the  Prince  of  Hesse  to  follow. 

Many  public  persons  flocked  to  welcome  the 
latter,  and  the  ministers  of  Edinburgh  and  Leith, 
we  are  told,  poured  forth  torrents  of  vituperation  on 
':  the  Pretender  and  his  desperate  mob,"  for  which, 
to  their  astonishment,  they  were  sharply  rebuked  by 
the  Prince,  "  with  the  sternest  air  he  could  assume  ;  " 
and  he  told  them  that  Prince  Charles  was  no  pre- 
tender, but  the  lawful  grandson  of  James  VII.,  as  all 
men  knew;  and  that  it  was  "  very  indecent  and  ill- 
mannered  in  a  gentleman,  and  base  and  unworthy 
in  a  clergyman,  to  use  reproachful  and  opprobrious 
names"  {Constable's  Miscel,  vol.  xvi.).  At  a  sup- 
per a  Whig  gentleman  made  a  remark  derogatory 
of  Prince  Charles,  "to  which  his  Serene  Highness 
replied  with  great  warmth  :  '  Sir,  I  know  it  to  be 
false.  I  am  personally  acquainted  with  him  ;  he 
has  many  great  as  well  as  good  qualities,  and  is 
inferior  to  few  generals  in  Europe.  We  made  two 
campaigns  together,  and  he  richly  deserves  the  cha- 
racter the  Duke  of  Berwick  gave  him  from  Gaeta 
to  the  Duke  of  Fitzjames.'" 

The  Hessian  army  won  the  esteem  of  the  people 
of  Edinburgh  and  Leith,  and  were  the  first  to  intro- 
duce the  use  of  black  rappee  into  this  country  ;  but 
it  soon  began  the  march  northward,  to  uphold  the 
House  of  Hanover  in  the  Highlands. 

The  utterly  defenceless  state  in  which  the  coast 
of  Scotland  was  left  after  the  Union  caused  alarms 
to  be  very  easily  created  in  time  of  war.  Hence, 
in  July,  1759.  the  appearance  of  two  large  ships  in 
the  Firth  of  Forth,  standing  off  and  on,  with  Dutch 


colours  flying,  brought  the  cavalry  in  the  Canon- 
gate,  and  the  infantry  in  the  castle,  under  arms, 
with  a  train  of  cannon,  for  the  security  of  Leith, 
where  every  man  armed  himself  with  whatever  came 
to  hand.  Why  these  ships  displayed  Dutch  colours 
we  are  not  told,  but  they  proved  to  be  the  Swan 
and  one  of  our  own  sloops  of  war,  full  of  impressed 
men,  going  south  from  the  Orkney  Isles. 

Four  years  afterwards  peace  was  proclaimed  with 
France  and  Spain,  by  sound  of  trumpet  by  the 
heralds,  escorted  by  Leighton's  Regiment  (the  32nd 
Foot),  which  fired  three  volleys  of  musketry.  The 
ceremony  was  performed  in  four  places — at  the 
gates  of  the  castle  and  palace,  the  market  cross,  and 
the  Shore  of  Leith. 

In  1 77 1  Arnot  mentions  that  the  latter  was  very 
ill-supplied  with  water,  and  that,  as  the  streets  were 
neither  properly  cleaned  nor  lighted,  an  Act  of 
Parliament  was  passed  in  that  year,  appointing 
certain  persons  from  among  the  magistrates  and  in- 
habitants of  Edinburgh,  the  Lords  of  Session,  and 
Leith  Corporation,  commissioners  of  police,  em- 
powering them  to  put  this  Act  in  execution  by 
levying  a  sum  not  exceeding  sixpence  in  the  pound 
upon  the  valued  rent  of  Leith.  "  The  great  change 
upon  the  streets  of  Leith,"  he  adds,  "which  has 
since  taken  place,  shows  that  this  act  has  been 
judiciously  prepared  and  attentively  executed." 

Before  the  great  consternation  excited  in  Leith 
by  the  advent  of  Paul  Jones  the  town  was  greatly 
disturbed  by  two  mutinies  among  the  Highland 
troops. 

In  1778,  the  West  Highland  Feucibles,  who  had 
recently  brought  with  them  to  Edinburgh  Castle 
sixty-five  French  prisoners,  resented  bitterly  some 
innovations  on  their  ancient  Celtic  garb — particu- 
larly the  cartridge-box — which  they  oddly  alleged 
"no  Highland  regiment  ever  wore  before;"  and, 
by  a  preconcerted  plan,  the  whole  battalion,  when 
paraded  on  the  Castle  Hill,  simultaneously  tore 
them  from  their  shoulders  and  flung  them  contemp- 
tuously on  the  ground,  refusing  to  wear  them.  A 
few  days  after  this,  the  general  commanding,  having 
made  his  own  arrangements,  marched  four  com- 
panies of  the  corps  to  Leith,  where  they  were  sur- 
rounded by  the  10th  Light  Dragoons — now  Hus- 
sars— and  compelled  at  the  point  of  the  sword  to 
accept  the  pouches,  which  were  piled  up  on  the 
Links  before  them.  By  a  drum-head  court-martial 
held  on  the  spot,  several  of  the  ringleaders  were 
tried  and  flogged,  after  which  the  remainder  were 
marched  to  Berwick. 

Meanwhile,  a  company  which  formed  the  guard 
in  the  Castle,  on  hearing  of  this,  openly  revolted, 
lowered  the  portcullis,  drew  up  the  bridge,  loaded 


THE    HIGHLAND    MUTINEERS    ON    THE    SHORE 


'95 


the  battery  guns  facing  the  city— which  was  filled 
with  consternation — while  a  rather  helpless  force  of 
cavalry  took  possession  of  the  Castle  Hill.  The 
crisis  was,  indeed,  a  perilous  one,  as  the  vaults  of 
the  fortress  were  full  of  French  and  Spanish  prisoners 
of  war,  while  a  French  squadron  was  cruising  off  the 
mouth  of  the  Forth,  and  had  already  captured  some 
vessels.  Next  day  the  company  capitulated,  all 
save  one,  who,  with  his  claymore,  assailed  an  officer 
of  the  10th,  who  struck  him  down  and  had  him 
made  a  prisoner. 

The  cavalry  occupied  the  fortress  until  the  arrival 
of  Lord  Lennox's  regiment,  the  26th  or  Cameron- 
ians,  when  a  court-martial  was  held.  One  High- 
lander was  sentenced  to  be  shot,  and  another  to 
receive  a  thousand  lashes  ;  but  both  were  forgiven 
on  condition  of  serving  beyond  the  seas  in  a  bat- 
talion of  the  line. 

Another  mutiny  occurred  in  the  April  of  the 
following  year. 

Seventy  Highlanders  enlisted  for  the  42nd  and 
71st  (then  known  as  the  Master  of  Lovat's 
Regiment)  when  marched  to  Leith,  refused  to 
embark,  a  mischievous  report  having  been  spread 
that  they  were  to  be  draughted  into  a  Lowland 
corps,  and  thus  deprived  of  the  kilt ;  and  so  much 
did  they  resent  this,  that  they  resolved  to  resist  to 
death.  On  the  evening  they  reached  Leith  the 
following  despatch  was  delivered  at  Edinburgh 
Castle  by  a  mounted  dragoon  : — 

"  To  Governor  Wemyss,  or  the  Commanding 
Officer  of  the  South  Fencible  Regiment. 

"  Headquarters,  April,  1779. 

"Sir, — The  draughts  of  the  71st  Regiment 
having  refused  to  embark,  you  will  order  200  men 
of  the  South  Fencibles  to  march  immediately  to 
Leith  to  seize  these  mutineers  and  march  them 
prisoners  to  the  castle  of  Edinburgh,  to  be  detained 
there  until  further  orders. — I  am,  &c, 

"Ja.  Adolphus  Oughton." 

In  obedience  to  this  order  from  the  General 
Commanding,  three  captains,  six  subalterns,  and 
200  of  the  Fencibles  under  Major  Sir  James 
Johnstone,  Bart.,  of  Westerhall,  marched  to  Leith 
on  this  most  unpleasant  duty,  and  found  the 
seventy  Highlanders  on  the  Shore,  drawn  up  in 
line  with  their  backs  to  the  houses,  their  bayonets 
fixed,  and  muskets  loaded.  Sir  James  drew  up  his 
detachment  in  such  a  manner  as  to  render  escape 
impossible,  and  then  stated  the  positive  orders  he 
would  be  compelled  to  obey. 

His  words  were  translated  into  Gaelic  by  Ser- 
geant Ross,  who  acted  as  interpreter,  and  who, 
after   some   expostulation,   turned    to    Sir  James, 


saying  that  all  was  over — his  countrymen  would 
neither  surrender  nor  lay  down  their  arms.  On 
this  Johnstone  gave  the  order  to  prepare  lor  firing 
— but  added,  "Recover  arms/' 

A  Highlander  at  that  moment  attempted  to 
escape,  but  was  seized  by  a  sergeant,  who  was 
instantly  bayoneted,  while  another,  coming  to  the 
rescue  with  his  pike,  was  shot.  The  blood  of  the 
Fencibles  was  roused  now,  and  they  poured  in 
more  than  one  volley  upon  the  Highlanders,  of 
whom  twelve  were  shot  dead,  and  many  mortally 
wounded.  The  fire  was  returned  promptly  enough, 
but  with  feeble  effect,  as  the  Highlanders  had  only 
a  few  charges  given  to  them  by  a  Leith  porter : 
thus  only  two  Fencibles  were  killed  and  one 
wounded  ;  but  Captain  James  Mansfield  (formerly 
of  the  7th  or  Queen's  Dragoons),  while  attempting 
to  save  the  latter,  was  bayoneted  by  a  furious 
Celt,  whose  charge  he  vainly  sought  to  parry  with 
his  sword.  A  corporal  shot  the  mutineer  through 
the  head  :  the  Fencibles — while  a  vast  crowd  of 
Leith  people  looked  on.  appalled  by  a  scene  so  un- 
usual— now  closed  up  with  charged  bayonets,  dis 
armed  the  whole,  and  leaving  the  Shore  strewn 
with  dead  and  dying,  returned  to  the  Castle  with 
twenty-five  prisoners,  and  the  body  of  Captain 
Mansfield,  who  left  a  widow  with  six  children,  and 
was  interred  in  the  Greyfriars  churchyard. 

The  scene  of  this  tragedy  was  in  front  of  the 
old  Ship  Tavern  and  the  tenement  known  as  the 
Britannia  Inn. 

After  a  court-martial  was  held,  on  the  29th  ot 
May,  the  garrison,  consisting  of  the  South  and  West 
Fencibles  and  the  cavalry,  paraded  on  the  Castle 
Hill,  in  three  sides  of  a  hollow  square,  facing  in- 
wards. With  a  band  playing  the  dead  march,  and 
the  drums  muffled  and  craped,  three  of  these  High- 
land recruits,  who  had  been  sentenced  to  death, 
each  stepping  slowly  behind  his  open  coffin,  were 
brought  by  an  escort  down  the  winding  pathway, 
under  the  great  wall  of  the  Half-moon  Battery, 
and  placed  in  the  open  face  of  the  square  by  the 
Provost-marshal.  They  were  then  desired  to  kneel, 
while  their  sentence  was  read  to  them — Privates 
Williamson  and  Maclvor  of  the  Black  Watch,  and 
Budge  of  the  7 1st — to  be  shot  to  death  I 

The  summer  morning  was  bright  and  beautiful ; 
but  a  dark  cloud  rested  on  every  face  while  the 
poor  prisoners  remained  on  their  knees,  each  man 
in  his  coffin,  and  a  Highland  officer  interpreted  the 
sentence  in  Gaelic.  They  were  pale  and  composed, 
save  Budge,  who  was  suffering  severely  from  wounds 
received  at  Leith,  and  looked  emaciated  and 
ghastly.  Their  eyes  were  now  bound  up,  and  the 
firing  party  were  in  the  act  of  taking  aim  at  the 


r96 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINUURCH. 


[Lei. 


prisoners,  who  were  praying  intently,  when  Sir 
Adolphus  Oughton  stepped  forward,  and,  display- 
ing pardons,  exclaimed,   "  Recover  arms." 

"  Soldiers,"  he  added,  "  in  consequence  of  the 
distinguished  valour  of  the  Royal  Highlanders,  to 
which  two  of  these  unfortunates  belong,  his  Majesty 
has  been  graciously  pleased  to  forgive  them  all." 

So  solemn  and  affecting  was  the  scene  that  the 
prisoners  were  incapable  of  speech.  Reverently 
lifting  their  bonnets,  they  endeavoured  to  express 


engaged  in  commercial  speculations  by  which  he 
,  realised  a  considerable  sum  of  money,  and  adopting 
I  the  cause  of  the  revolted  colonists  in  America,  was 
[  appointed  first  lieutenant  of  the  Alfred,  on  board 
of  which,    to  use  his    own    words,    "  he    had    the 
honour  to  hoist  with  his  own    hands   the  flag  of 
freedom,    the   first   time    it   was  displayed  in  the 
Delaware."     After  much  fighting  in  many  waters, 
he  obtained   from  the    French  Government  com- 
mand of  the  Duras,  a  42-gun  ship,  which  he  named 


their  gratitude,  but  their  voices  failed  them,  and, 
overcome  by  weakness  and  the  revulsion  of  feeling, 
the  soldier  of  the  71st  sank  prostrate  on  the  ground. 
More  than  forty  of  their  comrades  who  were  shot, 
or  had  died  of  mortal  wounds,  were  interred  in  the 
old  churchyard  of  St.  Mary's  at  Leith,  and  a  huge 
grassy  mound  long  marked  the  place  of  their  last 
repose. 

The  next  source  of  consternation  in  Leith  was 
the  appearance  of  the  noted  Paul  Jones,  with  his 
squadron,  in  the  Firth  in  the  September  of  the 
same  year. 

This  adventurer,  whose  real  name  was  John  Paul, 
son  of  a  gardener  in  Kirkcudbright,  became  a  sea- 
man about  1760,   and  as  master   and  supercargo 


Le  Bon  Homme  Richard,  and  leaving  St.  Croix 
with  a  squadron  of  seven  sail  (four  of  which  de- 
serted him  on  the  way),  he  appeared  off  Leith  with 
three,  including  the  Pallas  and  the  Vengeance.  It 
was  on  the  16th  of  September  that  they  were  seen 
working  up  the  Firth  by  long  tacks,  against  a  stormy 
westerly  breeze,  but  fully  expecting,  as  he  states, 
"  to  raise  a  contribution  of  .£200,000  sterling  on 
Leith,  where  there  was  no  battery  of  cannon  to 
oppose  our  landing." 

Terror  and  confusion  reigned  supreme  in  Leith, 
yet,  true  to  their  old  instincts,  the  people  made 
some  attempt  to  defend  themselves.  Three  an- 
1  cient  pieces  of  cannon,  which  had  long  been  in 
j  what  was  called  the  Naval  Yard,  drawn  by  sailors 


PAUL    JOis'ES. 


t07 


with  the  aid  of  handspikes,  were  conveyed  across 
the  old  bridge  to  North  Leith  and  posted  on  a 
portion  of  the  citadel,  forming  a  battery  that  might 
have  proved  exceedingly  perilous  to  those  who 
worked  it.  A  few  brass  field  pieces,  manned  by 
artillerymen,  were  posted  farther  westward,  and 
arms  were  supplied  to  the  incorporated  trades  from  ' 
Edinburgh.  All  eyes  were  now  turned  on  the 
enemy's  ships,  from  which  the  manned  boats  and 


means  of  a  cutter  that  had  watched  our  motions 
that  morning,  and  as  the  wind  continued  contrary 
(though  more  moderate  in  the  evening),  I  thought 
it  impossible  to  pursue  the  enterprise  with  a  good 
prospect  of  success,  especially  as  Edinburgh,  where 
there  is  always  a  number  of  troops,  is  only  a  mile 
distant  from  Leith,  therefore  I  gave  up  my  project." 
He  bore  away,  and  soon  after  fought  his  victorious 
battle  off  Flamborough  Head. 


pinnaces  were  hourly  expected ;  but,  thanks  to  the 
west  wind,  Leith  was  saved. 

"  We  continued  working  to  windward  of  the 
Firth,"  says  Jones,  in  his  narrative,  "  without  being 
able  to  reach  the  Roads  of  Leith  till  the  morning 
of  the  1 7th,  when  being  almost  within  cannon  shot 
of  the  town,  and  having  everything  in  readiness  for 
the  descent,  a  very  severe  gale  of  wind  came  on, 
and  obliged  us  to  bear  away  after  having  endea- 
voured for  some  time  to  withstand  its  violence. 
The  gale  was  so  severe  that  one  of  the  prizes  taken 
on  the  14th  (the  Friendship  of  Kirkcaldy)  was  sunk 
to  the  bottom,  the  crew  being  with  difficulty  saved. 
As   the   clamour   by   this  time  reached   Leith  by 


It  was  evident  that  the  age  of  miracles  was  not 
past  at  that  time,  as  it  was  openly  asserted  that  Mr. 
Sheriff,  the  secession  minister  of  Kirkcaldy,  by  his 
prayers,  "  assisted,  with  God's  help,  in  raising  the 
wind  "  ("  Life  of  Paul  Jones,"  by  the  Registrar  of 
the  U.  S.  Navy,  &c,  Sac). 

Attention  having  thus  been  drawn  to  the  defence- 
less state  of  the  town,  a  battery — now  rendered 
utterly  useless  by  encroaching  houses  and  docks — 
was  built  to  the  eastward  of  Bathfield.  Originally 
it  was  only  a  rampart  armed  with  nine  guns  facing 
the  water,  as  a  protection  during  the  American 
War ;  but  in  later  years  the  works  were  added 
to :  spacious  artillery  barracks  were  built,  with  a 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


park  and  ample  stabling ;  and  there  are  always 
two  batteries,  with  guns  and  horses,  stationed  there 
now. 

Here,  on  the  6th  October,  1781,  trial  was  made 
of  a  100-pounder  carronade,  which  in  those  days — 
when  Woolwich  "  infants  "  were  unknown — excited 
the  greatest  wonder  ;  and  on  this  occasion  there 
were  present  the  Duke  of  Buccleuch,  the  Right 
Hon.  Henry  Dundas,  Lord  Advocate,  and  Captain 
John  Fergusson,  R.N.,  who  died  an  admiral. 

In  the  same  year,  the  fleet  of  Admiral  Sir  Peter 
Parker,  consisting  of  fifteen  sail  of  the  line  and 
many  frigates,  the  Jamaica  squadron,  and  a  convoy 
of  600  merchantmen,  lay  for  two  months  in  Leith 
Roads,  having  on  board  more  than  20,000  seamen 
and  marines  ;  and  so  admirably  were  the  markets 
of  the  town  supplied,  that  it  is  noteworthy  this  ad- 
dition to  the  population  did  not  raise  the  prices 
one  farthing. 

Five  years  subsequently  Commodore  the  Hon. 
John  Leveson  Gower's  squadron  anchored  in  the 
Roads  in  July.  Among  the  vessels  under  his  com- 
mand was  the  Helen  frigate  of  forty  guns,  com- 
manded by  Captain  Keppel,  and  the  third  lieutenant 
of  which  was  the  young  Prince  William  Henry,  the 
future  William  IV.  The  squadron  was  then  on  a 
cruise  to  the  Orkneys  and  Hebrides. 

In  17SS  a  paddle-ship  of  remarkable  construc- 
tion, planned  by  Patrick  Miller  of  Dalswinton,  and 
called  the  Experiment  (the  forerunner  of  the  steam- 
boat), was  launched  from  the  yard  of  Messrs.  Allan 
and  Stewart,  ship-builders,  at  Leith.  In  the  Edin- 
burgh Magazine  she  is  described  as  being  a  species 
of  double  ship,  built  something  like  the  South  Sea 
prahs,  but  larger,  being  ninety  feet  long,  with  other 
dimensions  in  proportion.  She  was  provided  with 
wheels  for  working  in  calm  weather. 

She  made  her  trial  trip  in  September.  "She 
went  out  of  the  harbour  about  mid-day,  and  was  at 
first  moved  along  by  the  wheels  with  considerable 
velocity.  When  she  got  a  little  without  the  pier- 
head, they  hoisted  their  stay-sails  and  square-sails, 
and  stood  to  the  westward;  but,  her  masts  and 
sails  being  disproportionate  to  the  weight  of  the 


hull,  she  did  not  go  through  the  water  so  fast  as  was 
expected." 

Another  feature  that  impeded  her  progress  con- 
siderably was  a  netting  across  her  bows  for  the 
purpose  of  preventing  loose  wreck  getting  foul  of 
the  wheels,  and  the  steering  machine,  between  the 
two  rudders,  was  found  to  be  of  little  use.  When 
these  were  removed  her  speed  increased.  Those 
who  managed  this  peculiar  craft  went  half-way  over 
the  Firth,  and  then  tacked,  but,  as  the  ebb-tide  was 
coming  down  and  the  wind  increasing,  they  anchored 
in  the  Roads. 

Weighing  with  the  next  flood,  notwithstanding 
that  the  wind  blew  right  out  of  the  harbour,  by 
means  of  their  wheels  and  stay-sails  they  got  in 
and  moored  her  at  eleven  at  night.  A  number  of 
gentlemen  conversant  with  nautical  matters  accom- 
panied her  in  boats.  Among  others  were  Sir  John 
Clerk  of  Penicuik,  and  Captain  Inglis  of  Redhall, 
afterwards  one  of  Nelson's  officers. 

In  the  same  month  and  year  the  drawbridge  of 
Leith  was  founded.  The  stone  was  laid  by  Lord 
Haddo,  in  the  absence  of  Lord  Elcho,  Grand  Master 
of  Scotland,  accompanied  by  the  magistrates  of 
Edinburgh  and  the  Port,  who,  with  the  lodges  and 
military,  marched  in  procession  from  the  Assembly 
Rooms  in  Leith.  The  usual  coins  and  plate  of 
silver  were  placed  in  the  base  of  the  east  pier. 
"The  drawbridge,"  says  a  print  of  the  time,  "will 
be  of  great  benefit  to  the  trade  of  Leith,  as  any 
number  of  ships  will  be  able  to  lie  in  safety,  which 
in  storms  and  floods  they  could  not  do  before  when 
the  harbour  was  crowded." 

In  1795  was  established  the  corps  of  Royal  Leith 
Volunteers,  who  received  their  colours  on  the 
Links  on  the  26th  of  September.  A  detachment  of 
the  Royal  Edinburgh  Volunteers  kept  the  ground. 
The  colours  were  presented  by  the  Lord  Lieutenant 
to  Captain  Bruce,  of  the  corps,  brother  to  Bruce  of 
Kennet ;  and  in  1797  120  ship-captains  of  Leith 
— to  their  honour  be  it  recorded  in  that  time  of 
European  war  and  turmoil — made  a  voluntary  offer 
to  serve  the  country  in  any  naval  capacity  that  was 
suitable  to  their  position. 


SIR    ANDREW    WOOL). 


CHAPTER  XXI. 
LEITH— HISTORICAL    SURVEY    (,-, 


_A  Scottish  Navy— Old  Fighting  Mariners  of  Leith— Sir  Andrew  V 
Andrew— Double  Defeat  of  the  English  Ships— John,  Robert,  ai 
James  IV.  and  his  Sailors— A  Naval  Review. 

And  now,  before  giving  the  history  of  more 
modern  Leith,  we  must  refer  to  some  of  her  brave 
old  fighting  merchant  mariners,  who  made  her 
famous  in  other  years. 

"  As  the  subject  of  the  Scottish  navy,"  says 
Pinkerton,  "  forms  a  subject  but  little  known,  any 
anecdotes  concerning  it  become  interesting  ;"  and, 
fortunately  for  our  purpose,  most  of  these  have 
some  reference  to  the  ancient  port  of  Leith. 

Though  the  formation  of  a  Scottish  navy  was 
among  the  last  thoughts  of  the  great  king  Robert 
Bruce,  when,  worn  with  war  and  years,  he  lay  dying 
in  the  castle  of  Cardross,  it  was  not  until  the  reigns 
of  James  III.  and  IV.  that  Scotland  possessed  any 
ships  for  purely  warlike  purposes.  Nevertheless, 
she  was  rich  in  hardy  mariners  and  enterprising 
merchants  ;  and  an  Act  of  Parliament  during  the 
Teign  of  the  latter  monarch  refers  to  "  the  great 
and  innumerable  riches  vat  is  tint  in  fault  of  ship- 
pis  and  busses,"  or  boats  to  be  employed  in  the 
fisheries. 

In  1497  an  enactment  was  made  that  vessels  of 
twenty  tons  and  upwards  should  be  built  in  all  the 
■seaports  of  the  kingdom,  while  the  magistrates  were 
directed  to  compel  all  stout  vagrants  who  frequented 
such  places  to  learn  the  trade  of  mariners,  and 
labour  for  their  own  living. 

Among  the  merchants  and  the  private  traders 
James  IV.  found  many  men  of  ability,  bravery, 
and  experience,  such  as  Sir  Andrew  Wood  of  Largo, 
the  two  Bartons  (John  and  Robert),  Sir  Alexander 
Mathieson,  William  Meremonth,  all  merchants  of 
Leith;  and  Sir  David  Falconer,  of  Borrowstoun- 
ness.  William  Brownhill,  who  never  saw  an  English 
ship,  either  in  peace  or  war,  without  attacking  and 
taking  her  if  he  was  able,  and  various  other  naval  ad- 
venturers of  less  note  were  sought  out  by  James  III. 
and  treated  with  peculiar  favour  and  distinction. 
But  it  was  in  the  reign  of  his  father  that  Sir  Andrew 
Wood,  who  has  been  called  the  "  Scottish  Nelson  " 
of  his  day,  made  his  name  in  history,  and  to  him 
we  shall  first  refer. 

Lender  that  unfortunate  monarch  Scotland's  com- 
merce was  beginning  to  flourish,  notwithstanding 
the  restraint  so  curiously  laid  upon  maritime  enter- 
prise by  the  Act  that  restricted  sailing  from  St.  Jude's 
Day  till  Candlemas,  under  a  penalty  ;  and  in  1476 
we  read  of  the  "great  ship"  of  James  Kennedy, 


which  Buchanan  states  "  to  have  been  the  largest 
that  ever  sailed  the  ocean,"  but  was  wrecked  upon 
the  coast  of  England  and  destroyed  by  the  people. 

During  the  reign  of  James  III.,  the  fighting  mer- 
chant of  Leith,  Sir  Andrew  Wood,  bore  the  terror 
of  his  name  through  English,  Dutch,  and  Flemish 
waters,  and  in  two  pitched  battles  defeated  the 
superior  power  of  England  at  sea.  As  he  was  the 
first  of  his  race  whose  name  obtained  eminence, 
nothing  is  known  of  his  family,  and  even  much  of 
his  personal  history  is  buried  in  obscurity.  Dr. 
Abercrombie,  in  his  "  Martial  Achievements,"  sup- 
poses him  to  have  been  a  cadet  of  the  Bonnington 
family  in  Angus,  and  he  is  generally  stated  to  have 
been  born  about  the  middle  of  the  fifteenth  cen- 
tury at  the  old  Kirktoun  of  Largo,  situated  on  the 
beautiful  bay  of  the  same  name. 

Wood  appears  to  have  been  during  the  early 
part  of  the  reign  of  James  III.  a  wealthy  merchant 
in  Leith,  where  at  first  he  possessed  and  commanded 
two  armed  vessels  of  some  300  tons  each,  the 
Yellow  Caravel  and  Flower,  good  and  strong  ships, 
superior  in  equipment  to  any  that  had  been  seen  in 
Scotland  before,  so  excellent  were  his  mariners, 
their  arms,  cannon,  and  armour.  According  to 
a  foot-note  in  Scott  of  Scotstarvit's  work,  "  he  had 
been  first  a  skipper  at  the  north  side  of  the  bridge 
of  Leith,  and  being  pursued,  mortified  his  house 
to  Paul's  Work  (in  Leith  Wynd)  as  the  register 
bears." 

It  would  appear  that  the  vessel  called  the  Yellow 
Caravel  was  formerly  commanded  by  his  friend 
John  Barton  (of  whom  more  elsewhere),  as  in  the 
accounts  of  the  Lord  High  Treasurer  the  following 
note  occurs  by  the  editor  : — 

"  In  March  1473-4  the  accounts  contain  a  notice 
of  a  ship  which  a  cancelled  entry  enables  us  to 
identify  with  the  King's  Yellow  Caravel,  afterwards 
rendered  famous  under  the  command  of  Sir  Andrew 
Wood  in  naval  engagements  with  the  English." 
The  editor  also  states  that  in  the  "  Account  of  the 
Chamberlain  of  Fife"  he  had  found  another  entry 
concerning  a  delivery  to  John  Barton,  master  of 
the  King's  Caravel,  under  date  1475.  "This  last 
entry,"  says  an  annotator,  "  being  deleted,  however 
shows  that  there  must  have  been  some  mistake  as 
to  whom  the  corn  was  delivered,  John  Barton  being 
probably   sailing   one  of  his  own   ships.      During 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


the  reign  of  James  III.  there  were  two  or  three 
vessels  called  "  royal,''  and  among  them  often 
appears  the  name  of  this  famous  Yellow  Caravel, 
latterly  called  Admiral  Wood's  ship,  as  if  it  were 
his  own  private,  and  at  other  times  a  royal,  vessel. 
The  supposition  has  been  that  she  belonged  ori- 
ginally to  either  Wood  or  Barton,  who  sold  her 
to  King  James. 

Wood  had  been  a  faithful  servant  to  the  latter, 
says  Scotstarvit,  and  was  knighted  by  him  in  1482, 


have  taken  place  in  14S1.  Prior  to  14S7  Sir 
Andrew  Wood  is  supposed  to  have  relinquished 
commerce  for  the  king's  service,  and  to  have 
married  a  lady,  Elizabeth  Lundie  (supposed  to  be 
of  the  Balgonie  family),  by  whom  he  had  several 
sons,  two  of  whom  became  men  of  eminence  in  after 
years. 

Thus,  from  being  a  merchant  skipper  of  North 
Leith,  he  became  an  opulent  and  enterprising 
trader  by  his  own  talent  and  the  course  of  public 


After  Shepherd.) 


when  there  was  granted  to  him  (Alexander  Duke 
of  Albany  being  then  Lord  High  Admiral)  a  tack 
of  the  estate  of  Largo  to  keep  his  ship  in  repair, 
and  on  the  tenure  that  he  should  be  ready  at  the 
call  of  the  King  to  pilot  and  convey  him  and  the 
queen  to  the  shrine  and  well  of  St.  Adrian  in  the 
Isle  of  May.  James  afterwards  gave  him  the  heri- 
tage of  the  estate  on  which  he  had  been  born  by 
a  charter  under  the  Great  Seal,  which  recites  his 
good  service  by  sea  and  land.  This  was  confirmed 
by  James  IV.  in  1497,  with  the  addition  that  one 
of  his  most  eminent  deeds  of  arms  had  been  his 
successful  defence  of  the  castle  of  Dumbarton 
against  the  English  navy,  an  exploit  buried  in 
obscurity,    and    which    Pinkerton    suggests    must 


events,  "  a  brave  warrior  and  skilful  naval  com- 
mander," says  Tytler,  "  an  able  financialist,  inti- 
mately acquainted  with  the  management  of  com- 
mercial transactions,  and  a  stalwart  feudal  baron, 
who,  without  abating  anything  of  his  pride  or  his 
prerogative,  refused  not  to  adopt  in  the  manage- 
ment of  his  estates  those  improvements  whose  good 
effects  he  had  observed  in  his  travels  over  various 
parts  of  the  continent." 

He  was  blunt  in  manner  yet  honest  of  purpose, 
and  most  loyal  in  heart  to  his  royal  master,  James 
III.  ;  and  when  the  troubles  of  the  latter  began 
in  his  fierce  war  with  the  lawless,  proud,  and  turbu- 
lent Scottish  barons — troubles  that  ended  so  tragi- 
cally  after  the  terrible   battle   of  Sauchieburn   in 


DEATH    OF    JAMES    III. 


1488— he  embarked  in  one  of  Sir  Andrew's  ships 
then  anchored  in  the  Roads  of  Leith,  and  landed 
from  it  in  Fifeshire.  As  the  Admiral  had  been  lying 
there  for  some  time,  intending  to  sail  lo  Flanders, 
the  Barons,  now  in  arms  against  the  Crown,  spread 
a  report  that  James  had  fled,  surprised  the  castle 
of  Dunbar,  furnished  themselves  with  arms  and 
ammunition  out  of  the  royal  arsenal,  "  and,"  says 
Abercrombie,  "  overran  the  three  Lothians  and 
the  Merse,  rifling  and  plundering  all  honest  men." 

In  April,  1488,  the  king  re-crossed  the  Forth  in 
the  admiral's  ship,  and,  marching  past  Stirling, 
pitched  his  standard  near  Blackness,  where  his 
army  mustered  thirty  thousand,  and  some  say 
forty  thousand,  strong,  but  was  disbanded  after  an 
indecisive  skirmish.  Fresh  intrigues  ensued  that 
belong  to  general  history  ;  two  other  armies,  in 
all  amounting  to  nearly  seventy  thousand  men, 
took  the  field.  James  III.  had  no  alternative  but 
to  take  flight  in  the  ships  of  Wood,  then  cruising 
in  the  Forth,  or  to  resort  to  the  sword  on  the  1  ith 
June,  148S. 

His  army  took  up  a  position  near  the  Burn  of 
Sauchie,  while  "  Sir  Andrew  Wood,  attending  to 
the  fortune  of  war,  sailed  up  the  silver  windings  of 
the  beautiful  river  with  the  Flower  and  Yellow 
Caravel,  and  continued  during  the  whole  of  that 
cloudless  day  to  cruise  between  dusky  Alloa  and 
the  rich  Carse  of  Stirling,  then  clothed  in  all  the 
glory  of  summer."  On  the  right  bank  of  the  river 
he  kept  several  boats  ready  to  receive  the  king  if 
defeat — as  it  eventually  did — fell  upon  him,  and 
he  often  landed,  with  his  brothers  John  and  Robert 
and  a  body  of  men,  to  yield  any  assistance  in  his 
power. 

While  attempting  to  reach  the  ships  James  was 
barbarously  slain,  and  was  lying  dead  in  a  mill 
that  still  stands  by  the  wayside,  when  rumour  went 
that  he  had  reached  the  Yellow  Caravel.  Thus 
Wood  received  a  message  in  the  name  of  the  Duke 
of  Rothesay  (afterwards  James  IV.),  as  to  the  truth 
of  this  story  ;  but  Sir  Andrew  declared  that  the 
king  was  trot  with  him,  and  refused  to  go  on  shore, 
when  invited,  without  hostages  for  his  own  safety. 

The  Lords  Fleming  and  Seaton  came  on  board 
in  this  capacity,  and  landing  at  Leith  the  admiral 
was  conducted  to  the  presence  of  the  Prince,  who 
was  then  a  captive  and  tool  in  the  hands  of  the 
rebels,  and  only  in  his  sixteenth  year.  Wood  was 
arrayed  in  handsome  armour,  and  so  dignified  was 
he  in  aspect,  and  so  much  did  he  resemble  the 
king  his  master,  that  the  Prince,  who  had  seen  little 
of  the  latter,  shed  tears,  and  said,  timidly — 

"  Sir,  are  you  my  father  ?  " 

Then  this  true  old  Scottish  mariner,  heedless  of 
123 


the  titled  crowd  which  regarded  him  with  bitter 
hostility,  and  touched  to  the  heart  by  the  question, 
also  burst  into  tears,  and  said — 

"  I  am  not  your  father,  but  his  faithful  servant, 
and  the  enemy  of  all  who  have  occasioned  his 
downfall ! " 

"  Where  is  the  king,  and  who  are  those  you  took 
on  board  after  the  battle  ?  "  demanded  several  of 
the  rebel  lords. 

"  As  for  the  king,  I  know  nothing  of  him.  find- 
ing our  efforts  to  fight  for  or  to  save  him  vain,  my 
brother  and  I  returned  to  our  ships."  He  added, 
says  Buchanan,  "  that  if  the  king  were  alive  he 
would  obey  none  but  him  ;  and  that  if  slain,  he 
would  revenge  him  !  " 

He  then  went  oft'  to  the  ships,  but  just  in  time 
to  save  the  hostages,  whom  his  impatient  brothers 
were  about  to  hang  at  the  yard-arm.  The  lords 
now  wanted  the  mariners  of  Leith  to  arm  their 
ships,  and  attack  Wood ;  but,  to  a  man,  they 
declined. 

In  the  early  part  of  1489  Henry  of  England,  to 
make  profit  out  of  the  still  disturbed  state  of  Scot- 
land, sent  five  of  his  largest  ships  to  waste  and  burn 
the  sea-coast  villages  of  Fife  and  the  Lothians  ;  and 
the  young  James  IV.,  in  wrath  at  these  proceedings, 
requested  Sir  Andrew  Wood  to  appear  before  the 
Privy  Council  and  take  measures  to  curb  the  out- 
rages of  the  English. 

He  at  once  undertook  to  attack  them  ;  but  James, 
as  they  outnumbered  him  by  three,  advised  him  to 
equip  more  vessels. 

"  No,"  he  replied,"  "  I  shall  only  take  my  own 
two — the  Flower  and  the  Yellow  Caravel." 

Accordingly,  with  the  first  fair  wind  on  a  day  in 
February,  he  dropped  down  the  Firth,  and  found 
the  plunder-laden  English  vessels  hovering  off 
Dunbar,  and  which  Tytler  surmises  to  have  been 
pirates,  as  they  came  in  time  of  truce.  Wood  at 
once  engaged  them,  and  after  an  obstinate  conflict, 
of  which  no  details  are  preserved,  he  brought  them 
all  prizes  into  Leith.  He  presented  their  captains 
to  the  young  king,  who  now  further  rewarded  him  on 
the  nth  March,  1490,  with  the  lands  of  Balbeg- 
noth,  the  superiority  of  Inchkeith,  the  lands  of 
Dron  and  Newbyrn  ;  and  by  a  charter  under  the 
Great  Seal,  iSth  May,  1491,  he  granted  to  Sir 
Andrew  Wood  "  license  to  build  a  castle  at  Largo 
with  gates  of  iron  as  a  reward  for  the  great  services 
done  and  losses  sustained  by  the  said  Andrew,  and 
for  those  services  which  there  was  no  doubt  he 
would  yet  render."  This  castle,  fragments  of  which 
yet  remain,  he  appears  to  have  built,  with  some 
adjacent  houses,  by  the  hands  of  English  pirates 
whom    he    had   captured   at    sea ;   and   the   coat 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


armorial  he  adopted  was  argent,  a  tree  or,  with  two 
ships  under  sail. 

It  was  still  time  of  truce  when  Henry,  mortified 
by  the  defeat  of  his  five  ships,  exhorted  his  most 
able  seamen  "  to  purge  away  this  stain  cast  on  the 
English  name,"  and  offered  the  then  noble  pension 
of  ^1,000  per  annum  to  any  man  who  could 
accomplish  Wood's  death  or  capture  ;  and  the  task 
was  taken  in  hand  by  Sir  Stephen  Bull  (originally 
a  merchant  of  London),  who,  with  three  of  Henry's 
largest  ships  manned  by  picked  crews,  and  having 
on  board  companies  of  crossbowmen,  pikemen,  and 
many  volunteers  of  valour  and  good  birth,  sailed 
from  the  Thames  in  July,  1490,  and  entering  the 
Firth  of  Forth,  came  to  anchor  under  the  lee  of 
the  Isle  of  May,  there  to  await  the  return  of  Wood 
from  Sluys,  and  for  whose  approach  he  kept  boats 
scouting  to  seaward. 

On  the  morning  of  the  18th  of  August  the  two 
ships  of  Wood  hove  in  sight,  and  were  greeted  with 
exultant  cheers  by  the  crews  of  Bull,  who  set 
some  runlets  of  wine  abroach,  and  gave  the  orders 
to  unmoor  and  clear  away  for  battle. 

Wood  recognised  the  foe,  and  donning hisarmour, 
gave  orders  to  clear  away  too ;  and  his  brief  ha- 
langue,  modernised,  is  thus  given  by  Lindesay  of 
Pitscotlie  and  others  : — 

"  My  lads,  these  are  the  foes  who  would  convey 
us  in  bonds  to  the  foot  of  an  English  king,  but  by 
your  courage  and  the  help  of  God  they  shall  fail ! 
Repair  every  man  to  his  station — charge  home, 
gunners — cross-bowmen  to  the  tops — two-handed 
swords  to  the  fore-rooms — lime-pots  and  fire-balls  in 
the  tops  !  Be  stout,  men,  and  true  for  the  honour 
of  Scotland  and  your  own  sakes.  Hurrah  ! " 
Shouts  followed,  and  stoups  of  wine  went  round. 

His  second  in  command  was  Sir  David  Falconer, 
who  was  afterwards  slain  at  Tantallon.  The  result 
of  the  battle  that  ensued  is  well  known.  It  was 
continued  for  two  days  and  a  night,  during  which 
the  ships  were  all  grappled  together,  and  drifted 
into  the  Firth  of  Tay,  where  the  English  were  all 
taken,  and  carried  as  prizes  into  the  harbour  of 
Dundee.  Wood  presented  Sir  Stephen  Bull  and 
his  surviving  officers  to  James  IV.,  who  dismissed 
them  unransomed,  with  their  ships,  "  because  they 
fought  not  for  gain,  but  glory,"  and  Henry  dissem- 
bled his  rage  by  returning  thanks. 

For  this  victory  Wood  obtained  the  sea  town  as 
well  as  the  nether  town  of  Largo,  and  soon  after 
his  skilful  eye  recommended  the  Bay  of  Gourock  to 
James  as  a  capable  harbour.  In  1503  he  led  a 
fleet  against  the  insurgent  chiefs  of  the  Isles.  His 
many  brilliant  services  lie  apart  from  the  immediate 
history  of  Leith.     Suffice  it  to  say  that  he  was  pre- 


sent at  the  battle  of  Linlithgow  in  1526,  and 
wrapped  the  dead  body  of  Lennox  in  his  own 
scarlet  mantle.  Age  was  coming  on  him  after  this, 
and  he  retired  to  his  castle  of  Largo,  where  he 
seems  to  have  lived  somewhat  like  old  Commodore 
Trunnion,  for  there  is  still  shown  the  track  of  a 
canal  formed  by  his  order,  on  which  he  was  rowed 
to  mass  daily  in  Largo  church  in  a  barge  by  his 
old  crew,  who  were  all  located  around  him.  He  is 
supposed  to  have  died  about  1540,  and  was  buried 
in  Largo  church.  One  of  his  sons  was  a  senator 
of  the  College  of  Justice  in  1562  ;  and  Sir  Andrew 
Wood,  third  of  the  House  of  Largo,  was  Comp- 
troller of  Scotland  in  1585. 

Like  himself,  the  Bartons,  the  shipmates  and 
friends  of  Sir  Andrew,  all  attained  high  honour 
and  fame,  though  their  origin  was  more  distin- 
guished than  his,  and  they  were  long  remembered 
among  the  fighting  captains  of  Leith. 

John  Barton,  a  merchant  of  Leith  in  the  time  of 
James  III.,  had  three  sons  :  Sir  Andrew,  the  hero 
of  the  famous  nautical  ballad,  who  was  slain  in  the 
Downs  in  1511,  but  whose  descendants  still  exist; 
Sir  Robert  of  Overbarnton  in  1508,  Comptroller 
of  the  Household  to  James  V.  in  1520  ;  John,  an 
eminent  naval  commander  under  James  III.  and 
James  IV.,  who  died  in  T5i3,and  was  buried  at  Kirk- 
cudbright. The  Comptroller's  son  Robert  married 
the  heiress  of  Sir  John  Mowbray  of  Barnbougle,  who 
died  in  1519;  and  his  descendants  became  extinct 
in  the  person  of  Sir  Robert  of  Overbarnton,  Barn- 
bougie,  and  Inverkeithing.  Our  authorities  for  these 
and  a  few  other  memoranda  concerning  this  old 
Leith  family  are  a  "Memoir  of  the  Family  of  Barton, 
eVc,"  by  J.  Stedman,  Esq.,  of  Bath  (which  is  scarce, 
only  twelve  copies  having  been  printed),  Tytler, 
Pinkerton,  and  others. 

For  three  generations  the  Bartons  of  Leith  seem 
to  have  had  a  kind  of  family  war  with  the  Portu- 
guese, and  their  quarrel  began  in  the  year  1476, 
when  John  Barton,  senior,  on  putting  to  sea  from 
Slavs,  in  Flanders,  in  a  king's  ship,  the  Juliana, 
laden  with  a  valuable  cargo,  was  unexpectedly 
attacked  by  two  armed  Portuguese  caravels,  com- 
manded respectively  by  Juan  Velasquez  and  Juan 
Pret.  The  Juliana  was  taken ;  many  of  her  crew 
were  slain  or  captured,  the  rest  were  thrust  into  a 
boat  and  cut  adrift.  Among  the  latter  was  old  John 
Barton,  who  proceeded  to  Lisbon  to  seek  indem- 
nity, but  in  vain ;  and  he  is  said  by  one  account  to 
have  been  assassinated  by  Pret  or  Velasquez  to  put 
an  end  to  the  affair.  By  another  he  is  stated  to  have 
been  alive  in  1507,  and  in  command  of  a  ship 
called  the  Lion,  which  was  seized  at  Campvere,  in 
Zealand — unless  it  can  be  that  the  John  referred  to 


THE   BARTONS. 


203 


is  the  second  of  the  name,  who  died  in  15 13. 
John  the  senior  was  certainly  dead  in   150S. 

Charles,  Duke  of  Burgundy,  was  so  incensed  by 
the  capture  of  the  Julia?ia  in  Flemish  waters  that 
he  demanded  the  surrender  of  Pret  and  Velasquez 
to  himself,  with  due  compensation  to  Barton,  but 
failed  in  both  cases.  Joam  III.  was  then  King  of 
Portugal. 

Robert  Barton  would  seem  also  at  one  time  to 
have  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  Portuguese ;  and 
there  is  extant  a  letter  sent  by  James  IV.  to  the 
Emperor  Maximilian,  requesting  his  influence  to 
have  him  released  from  prison,  and  therein  the 
king  refers  to  the  quarrel  of  1476,  and  merely 
states  that  old  John  Barton  was  thrown  into  a  prison 
also. 

In  1506,  at  a  tournament  held  by  James  IV.  in 
Stirling,  we  read  of  a  blackamoor  girl,  captured 
from  the  Portuguese  by  Captain  Barton,  seated  in 
a  triumphal  chariot,  being  adjudged  the  prize  of 
the  victor  knight ;  but  the  Bartons  sent  other  gifts 
to  the  king,  in  the  shape  of  casks  full  of  pickled 
Portuguese  heads. 

In  149S,  when  Perkin  Warbeck  and  his  wife,  the 
Lady  Katharine  Gordon,  left  Scotland  for  Flanders, 
they  were  on  board  a  ship  which,  Tytler  says,  was 
commanded  by  and  afterwards  the  property  of  the 
celebrated  Robert  Barton.  Amongst  her  stores, 
noted  in  the  "Treasurer's  Accounts,"  are  "  ten  tuns 
and  four  pipes  of  wine,  8  bolls  of  aitmele,  18  marts 
of  beef,  23  muttons,  and  a  hogshead  of  herring." 
Andrew  Barton,  the  brother  of  the  captain  (and, 
like  him,  a  merchant  in  Leith),  is  mentioned  as 
having  furnished  biscuit,  cider,  and  beer,  for  the 
voyage. 

In  1508  this  family  continued  their  feud  with  the 
Portuguese.  In  that  year  Letters  of  Marque  were 
granted  to  them  by  James  IV,  and  they  run  thus, 
according  to  the  "Burgh  Records  of  Edinburgh  "  : — 

"Jacobus  Dei  Gratia  Rex  Scotorum,  delectis  sen'i- 
toribus  nostris.  John  Barton  and  Robert  Barton, 
sons  of  our  late  beloved  servant  John  Barton,  ship- 
master, and  other  shipmasters  our  lieges  and  sub- 
jects, in  company  of  the  said  John  Barton  for  the 
time  (greeting) : 

"  Some  pirates  of  the  nation  of  Portugal  attacked 
a  ship  of  our  late  illustrious  ancestor  (James  III.), 
which,  under  God,  the  late  John  commanded,  and 
with  a  fleet  of  many  ships  compelled  it  to  surren- 
der, robbed  it  of  its  merchandise,  of  very  great 
value,  and  stripped  it  of  its  armament.  On  account 
of  which,  our  most  serene  father  transmitted  his  com- 
plaint to  the  King  of  Portugal."  Justice  not  having 
been  done,  the  document  runs,  James  III.  decreed 
Letters  of  Reprisal  against  the  Portuguese.     "  We, 


moreover,    following    the    footsteps    of  our" dearly 

beloved  ancestor concede  and  grant   by 

these  presents  to  you,  John  and  Robert  aforesaid, 
and  our  other  subjects  who  shall  be  in  your  com- 
pany for  the  time,  our  Letters  of  Marque  or  Re- 
prisal, that  you  may  receive  and  bring  back  to  us 
from  any  men  whomsoever  of  the  nation  of  Por- 
tugal, on  account  of  the  justice  aforesaid  being 
desired,  to  the  extent  of  3,000  crowns  of  money 
of  France  ....  Given  under  our  Privy  Seal,  &c." 

Under  these  letters  the  brothers  put  to  sea  in 
the  quaint  argosies  of  those  days,  which  had  low 
waists  with  towering  poops  and  forecastles,  and 
captured  many  Portuguese  ships,  and  doubtless 
indemnified  themselves  remarkably  well ;  while 
their  elder  brother,  Andrew,  an  especial  favourite 
of  James  IV.,  who  bestowed  upon  him  the  then 
coveted  honour  of  knighthood,  "for  upholding 
the  Scottish  flag  upon  the  seas,"  was  despatched 
to  punish  some  Dutch  or  Flemish  pirates  who  had 
captured  certain  Scottish  ships  and  destroyed  their 
crews  with  great  barbarity.  These  he  captured, 
with  their  vessel,  and  sent  all  their  heads  to  Leitli 
in  a  hogshead. 

As  is  well  known,  he  was  killed  fighting  bravely 
in  the  Downs  on  the  2nd  August,  1511,  after  a 
severe  conflict  with  the  ships  of  Sir  Thomas  and  Sir 
Edward  Howard,  afterwards  Lord  High  Admiral  of 
England,  when  he  had  only  two  vessels  with  him, 
the  Lion  of  36  great  guns,  and  a  sloop  named  the 
Jenny.  The  Howards  had  three  ships  of  war  and 
an  armed  collier.  The  Lion  was  afterwards  added 
to  the  English  navy,  as  she  was  found  to  be  only 
second  in  size  and  armament  to  the  famous  Great 
Barry.  His  grandson  Charles  married  Susan 
Stedman  of  Edinburgh,  and  from  them  are  said  to 
be  descended  nearly  all  of  that  name  in  Fife,  Kin- 
ross, and  Holland. 

For  his  services  as  Admiral  on  the  West  Coast, 
John  Barton  received  the  lands  of  Dalfibble ;  and 
in  April,  15 13,  he  returned  from  a  diplomatic  mis- 
sion to  France,  accompanied  by  the  Unicorn  Pursui- 
vant ;  and  so  important  was  its  nature  that  he 
took  horse,  and  rode  all  night  to  meet  the  king, 
who  was  then  on  the  eve  of  departing  for  Flodden. 

On  the  26th  of  July  in  the  same  year  he  joined 
the  squadron,  consisting  of  the  Great  Michael,  the 
James,  Margaret,  the  Ship  of  Lyme  (an  English 
prize),  a  thirty-oared  galley,  and  fourteen  other 
armed  ships,  commanded  by  Gordon  of  Letter- 
fourie  (and  having  on  board  the  Earl  of  Arran  and 
3,000  soldiers),  which  sailed  from  Leith  as  a  pre- 
sent to  Anne,  Queen  of  France — a  piece  of  ill-timed 
generosity  on  the  part  of  the  princely  James  IV., 
who  accompanied  the  armament  as  far  as  the  Isle 


OLD   AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


of  May.  As  history  records,  Gordon  and  Arran 
could  not  resist  doing  a  little  on  their  own  account 
to  annoy  the  English,  so  they  sacked  Carrickfergus, 
and  anchored  off  Kyle. 

Sir  Andrew  Wood,  with  a  herald,  was  sent  to  take 
command  of  the  fleet,  but  found  that  it  had  sailed; 
so  this  little  armada,  which  might  have  aided  in  the 
invasion  of  England,  was  eventually  destroyed  by 
tempests,  and  the  magnificent  Michael  (which  will 
be  described  in  a  later  chapter,   in  which  some 


voyage  to  Bourdeaux,  or  else  die.  rather  than  be 
taken." 

His  brother  Robert  was  captain  of  the  Great 
Michael  in  1511. 

James  IV.,  stirred  by  the  discovery  of  America, 
was  early  determined  to  create  a  Scottish  navy,  and 
he  went  about  it  with  all  the  zeal  of  a  Peter  the 
Great.  In  1512  he  had  no  fewer  than  forty-six 
ships  of  war ;  four  of  these  were  of  more  than  300 
tons,  and  two  were  of  100  tons.     The  Lion  (Sir 


account  will  be  given  of  Newhaven)  was  suffered 
to  rot  in  the  harbour  of  Brest. 

Prior  to  this  John  Barton  had  died  of  fever  at 
Kirkcudbright,  and  was  buried  in  the  churchyard 
of  St.  Cuthbert;  but  he  left  a  son  named  John, 
who  was  captain  of  the  Mary  Willoughby  (English 
prize),  the  same  ship  found  in  Leith  Harbour  by 
the  Earl  of  Hertford  in  1544-  "  John-a-Barton  is 
not  yet  gone  to  sea,"  writes  Sir  Ralph  Sadler  on 
the  25th  October,  1543  ;  "  but  it  is  told  me  that  as 
soon  as  the  wind  serveth  he  will  go  with  the  Mary 
Willoughby  and  nine  sail  more,  half  merchantmen 
and  half  men-of-war,  as  well  furnished  of  men  and 
artillery  as  any  ships  that  went  from  Scotland  these 
many  years,  being  determined  to  accomplish  their 


Andrew  Barton's  ship),  which  was  built  in  1504, 
was,  as  has  been  said,  only  inferior  to  the  Great 
Harry,  and  the  Michael  was  the  largest  ship  in  the 
world.  Some  of  his  galleys  had  triple  banks  of 
oars  raised  over  each  other,  and  were  capable  of 

'  containing  each  sixty  men  in  complete  armour, 
besides  the  rowers,  who  numbered  to  each  galley 
one  hundred  and  four  men.  Besides  the  guns 
interspersed  between  the  banks  of  oars,  they  had 
both   artillery  and  small  arms  planted  at  the  fore- 

1  castle  and  stern. 

James    encouraged    the   merchant    skippers    to 
extend  their  voyages,  to  fully  arm  their  vessels,   to 

'  purchase  foreign  ships  of  war,  to  import  artillery, 
and  superintend  the  construction  of  large  craft  at 


JAMES   IV.    AND   THE  SCOTTISH   NAVY. 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


home.  He  not  only  took  a  deep  interest  in  these 
matters,  but  he  studied  them  with  his  usual  enthu- 
siasm, and  personally  superintended  every  detail. 

James  IV.,  one  of  the  most  splendid  monarchs 
of  his  race  and  time,  not  only  conversed  freely 
with  his  mariners  at  Leith,  but  he  nobly  rewarded 
the  most  skilful  and  assiduous,  and  visited  fami- 
liarly the  houses  of  his  merchants  and  sea  officers. 
He  practised  with  his  artillerymen,  often  loading,  j 
pointing,  and  discharging  the  guns,  and  delighted 
in  having  short  voyages  with  old  Andrew  Wood  or 
the  Bartons,  and  others.  "The  consequences  of 
such  conduct  were  highly  favourable  to  him  ;  he 
became  as  popular  with  his  sailors  as  he  was  be- 
loved by  the  nobility  ;  his  fame  was  carried  by 
them  to  foreign  countries  :  thus  shipwrights,  cannon- 
founders,  and  foreign  artisans  of  every  description, 
flocked  to  his  court  from  France,  Italy,  and  the 
Low  Countries." 

In  151 2,  when  James  was  preparing  for  his 
struggle  with  England  to  revenge  the  fall  of  Andrew 
Barton,  the  retention  of  his  queen's  dowry,  and 
other  insults  by  Henry — when  all  Scotland  re- 
sounded with,  the  din  of  warlike  preparation,  and, 
as  the  "  Treasurer's  Accounts  "  show,  the  castles  in 
the  interior  were  deprived  of  their  guns  to  arm  the 
shipping — James,  on  the  6th  of  August,  held  a 
naval  review  of  his  whole  fleet  at  Leith,  an  event 
which  caused  no  small  excitement  in  England. 
Just  three  months  before  this  De  la  Mothe,  the 
French  Ambassador  (who  afterwards  fell  at  Flod- 
den),  coming  to  Scotland  with  a  squadron,  on  his 
own  responsibility,  and  before  war  was  declared, 
attacked  a  fleet  of  English  merchantmen,  sunk 
three  and  captured  seven,  which  he  brought  into 
Leith. 

Lord  Dacre,  who  was  on  a  mission  at  the  Scot- 
tish court,  promised  Henry  to  get  these  ships 
restored,  and  to  prevent  reprisals  ;  the  Bartons,  Sir 
Alexander  Matheson,  Sir  David  Falconer,  and  other 
commanders,  were  sent  to  sea  to  look  out  for 
English  ships. 

In   kh   La  Mothe    came  again    with  another 


squadron,  containing  much  munition  of  war  for  the 
Scottish  fleet,  and  arriving  off  Leith  in  a  furious 
storm,  he  fired  a  salute  of  cannon,  the  object  of 
which  seems  to  have  been  mistaken,  as  it  made 
every  man  rush  to  arms  in  Edinburgh,  where  the 
common  bell  was  rung  for  three  hours. 

James  V.  strove  to  follow  in  the  footsteps  of  his- 
father,  as  the  "Treasurer's  Accounts  "  show.  In  1530, 
"  ane  silver  quhissel,"  with  a  long  chain,  was  given 
by  his  command  "  to  the  Patroune  of  the  ships." 
It  weighed  eleven  ounces  and  three-quarters,  and 
was  then  the  badge  of  an  admiral,  as  it  is  now 
that  of  a  boatswain.  In  1540  payments  were  made 
for  wood  cut  at  Hawthornden  for  building  the 
king's  ships,  and  also  for  sixteen  ells  of  red  and 
yellow  taffeta  (the  royal  colours)  for  naval  ensigns, 
delivered  to  Captain  John  Barton  of  Leith ;  while 
a  sum  was  paid  to  Murdoch  Stirling  for  making 
ovens  for  the  royal  shipping. 

In  1 51 1  Florence  Carntoune  was  keeper  of 
them  and  their  "gear."  Among  them  were  the 
Sala?nander,  the  Unicorn,  and  the  Little  Bark — to- 
such  as  these  had  the  armaments  of  James  IV. 
dwindled  away.  John  Keir,  captain  of  the  first 
named,  had  yearly  fifteen  pounds.  John  Brown, 
captain  of  the  Great  Lyonne,  while  at  Bordeaux  on 
the  king's  service,  was  paid  eighty  pounds  ;  and 
the  "  fee  "  of  Archibald  Penicoke,  captain  of  the 
Unicorn,  was  ten  pounds  one  shilling. 

During  the  wars  with  Continental  countries  sub- 
sequent to  the  union  of  the  crowns,  Scotland  had 
vessels  of  war,  called  generally  frigates,  which  are 
referred  to  in  the  Register  of  the  Privy  Council, 
&c,  and  which  seem  to  have  been  chiefly  named 
after  the  royal  palaces  and  castles ;  and  during 
these  wars  Leith  furnished  many  gallant  privateers. 
But  in  those  far-away  times  when  Scotland  was 
yet  a  separate  kingdom  and  the  Union  undreamt 
of,  Leith  presented  a  brisk  and  busy  aspect — an 
aspect  which,  on  its  commercial  side,  has  been 
vigorously  maintained  up  to  the  present  day,  and 
which  is  well  worthy  of  its  deeply  interesting  his- 
torical past. 


OLD   LEITH    MEN   AND   MANNERS. 


L<-ith  and   Edinbu 


CHAPTER    XXII. 
LEITH   HISTORICAL   SURVEY    {concluded). 

l  the  First  Years  of  the  Nineteenth  Century— George  IV.  Proclaimed— His  Landing  at  Leith— Territory  of  the 
Town  defined— Landing  of  Mons  Meg— Leith  during  the  Old  War— The  Smacks. 


Unless  it  be  among  the  seafaring  class,  no  differ-  I 
■ence  is  perceptible  now  between  the  inhabitants  of 
Edinburgh  and  Leith  ;  but  it  was  not  so  once,  when 
the  towns  were  more  apart,  and  intercourse  less  fre- 
quent;  differences  and  distinctions  were  known 
even  in  the  early  years  of  the  present  century. 

A  clever  and  observant  writer  in  1824  says  that, 
as  refinements  and  dissimilarities  existed  then  be- 
tween the  Old  and  New  Town,  so  did  they  exist 
in  the  appearance,  habits,  and  characteristics  of  the 
Leith  and  Edinburgh  people. 

"  Not  such,"  he  continues,  "  as  accidentally 
take  up  their  residence  there  for  a  sea  prospect  and 
a  sea-breeze,  but  those  whose  air  is  Leith  air  from 
their  cradles,  and  who  are  fixtures  in  the  place — 
merchants,  traders,  and  seafaring  persons :  the 
latter  class  has  a  peculiarity  similar  in  most  mari- 
time towns ;  but  it  is  the  rich  merchants  and 
traders,  together  with  their  wives  and  daughters, 
■who  are  now  before  us."  ("  The  Hermit  in  Edin.," 
Vol.  II.) 

The  man  of  fortune  and  pleasure  in  Edinburgh, 
he  remarks,  views  his  Leith  neighbours  as  a  mere 
Cit,  though  in  point  of  fact  lie  is  much  less  so  than 
the  former.  "  The  man  of  fashion  residing  in 
Edinburgh  for  a  time,  for  economy  or  convenience, 
and  the  Scottish  nobleman  dividing  his  time  be- 
twixt London,  Edinburgh,  and  his  estates,  sets 
down  the  Leith  merchant  as  a  homespun  article. 
Again,  the  would-be  dandy  of  the  New  Town  eyes 
him  with  self-preference,  and  considers  him  as  his 
inferior  in  point  of  taste,  dress,  living,  and  know- 
ledge of  the  beau  mo/ide — one  who,  if  young,  copies 
his  dress,  aspires  at  his  introduction  into  the  higher 
•circle,  and  borrows  his  fashions  ;  the  former,  how- 
ever, being  always  ready  to  borrow  his  name  or 
cash ;  the  first  looking  respectable  on  a  bill,  and 
the  second  not  being  over  plenty  with  the  men  of  | 
dress  and  of  idle  life  in  Edinburgh.  Both  sexes 
follow  the  last  London  modes,  and  give  an  idea 
that  they  are  used  to  town  life,  high  company, 
luxuries,  late  hours,  and  the  .manner  of  living  in 
polished  France." 

All  this  difference  is  a  thing  of  the  past,  and 
the  observer  would  be  a  shrewd  one  indeed  who 
detected  any  difference  between  the  denizen  of  the 
capital  and  of  its  seaport. 

But  the  Leith  people  of  the    date   referred    to 


were,  like  their  predecessors,  more  of  the  old 
school,  and,  with  their  second-class  new  fashions, 
and  customs  were  some  time  in  passing  into  desue- 
tude, old  habits  dying  hard  there  as  elsewhere.  The 
paterfamilias  of  Leith  then  despised  the  extremes 
of  dress,  though  his  son  might  affect  them,  and  h^ 
was  more  plodding  and  business-like  in  bearing 
than  his  Edinburgh  neighbour;  was  alleged  to 
always  keep  his  hands  in  his  pockets,  with  an  ex- 
pression of  independence  in  his  face ;  while,  con- 
tinues this  writer,  in  those  "  of  the  Edinburgh 
merchants  may  be  read  cunning  and  deep  discern- 
ment. Moreover,  the  number  of  Leith  traders  is 
limited,  and  each  is  known  by  headmark,  whilst 
those  employed  in  commerce  and  trade  in  the 
northern  capital  may  be  mistaken,  and  mixed  up 
with  the  men  of  pleasure,  the  professors,  lawyers, 
students,  and  strangers  ;  but  an  observing  eye  will 
easily  mark  the  difference  and  the  strong  charac- 
teristic of  each — barring  always  the  man  of  plea- 
sure, who  is  changeful,  and  often  insipid  within 
and  without." 

In  1S20  the  Edinburgh  and  Leith  Seamen's 
Friendly  Society  was  instituted. 

In  the  same  year,  when  some  workmen  were 
employed  in  levelling  the  ground  at  the  south  end 
of  the  bridge,  then  recently  placed  across  the  river 
at  Leith  Mills  (for  the  purpose  of  opening  up  a 
communication  between  the  West  Docks  and  the 
foot  of  Leith  Walk),  five  feet  from  the  surface  they 
came  upon  many  human  skeletons,  all  of  rather  un- 
usual stature,  which,  from  the  size  of  the  roots  of 
the  trees  above  them,  must  have  lain  there  a  very 
long  time,  and  no  doubt  were  the  remains  of  some 
of  those  soldiers  who  had  perished  in  the  great 
siege  during  the  Regency  of  Mary  of  Lorraine. 

The  proclamation  of  George  IV.  as  king,  after 
having  been  performed  at  Edinburgh  with  great 
ceremony,  was  repeated  at  the  pier  and  Shore 
of  Leith  on  February  3rd,  1820,  by  the  Sheriff 
Clerk  and  magistrates,  accompanied  by  the  heralds, 
pursuivants  and  trumpeters,  the  style  and  titles  ol 
His  Majesty  being  given  at  great  length.  At  one 
o'clock  the  ship  of  the  Admiral  and  other  vessels 
in  the  Roads,  the  flags  of  which  had  been  half- 
hoisted,  mastheaded  them  at  one  p.m.,  and  fired 
forty-one  guns.  They  were  then  half-hoisted  till 
the  funeral  of  George  III.  was  over. 


20S 


OLD   AND   NEW    EDINBURGH. 


[Leith. 


One  of  the  greatest  events  of  its  time  in  Leith 
was  the  landing  there  of  George  IV.,  on  the  15th 
of  August,  1S22. 

The  king  was  on  board  the  Royal  George,  which 
was  towed  into  the  Roads  by  two  steam-packets, 
followed  by  the  escorting  frigates,  which  fired 
salutes  that  were  answered  by  the  flagship  and 
Forte  frigate ;  and  a  salute  from  the  battery  an- 
nounced that  all  had  come  to  anchor.  Among  the 
first  to  go  off  to  the  royal  yacht  was  Sir  Walter 
Scott,  to  present  the  king  with  a  famous  silver  star, 
the  gift  of  the  ladies   of  Edinburgh.     Sir  Walter 


on  Scottish   ground,    save   the    exiled   Charles  of 
France. 

The  cannon  of  the  ships  and  battery  pealed  forth 
their  salutes,  and  the  combined  cheers  of  the 
mighty  multitude  filled  up  the  pauses.  An  immense 
fleet  of  private  boats  followed  the  royal  barge, 
forming  an  aquatic  procession  such  as  Leith  had 
never  seen  before,  and  a  band  of  pipers  on  the 
pier  struck  up  as  it  rounded  the  head  of  the  latter. 
As  the  king  approached  the  landing  stage  three 
distinct  and  well-timed  cheers  came  from  the 
manned  yards  of  the  shipping,   while  the  magis- 


LEITH    PIER,    FROM    THE   WEST,    1 775.       (After  Clerk  of  EL 


remained  in  conversation  with  the  king  an  hour,  in 
the  exuberance  of  his  loyalty  pocketing  as  a  relic  a 
glass    from   which   His  Majesty  had  drunk  wine  ;  i 
but  soon  after  the  author  of  "  Waverley,"  in  forget- 
fulness,  sat  down  on  it  and  crushed  it  in  pieces. 

Leith  was  crowded  beyond  all  description  on  the 
day  of  the  landing  ;  every  window  was  filled  with 
faces,  if  a  view  could  be  commanded ;  the  ships' 
yards  were  manned,  their  rigging  swarmed  with 
human  figures;  and  the  very  roofs  of  the  houses 
were  covered.  Guarded  by  the  Royal  Archers  and 
Scots  Greys,  a  floating  platform  was  at  the  foot  of 
Bernard  Street,  covered  with  cloth  and  strewn  with 
flowers ;  and  when  a  single  gun  from  the  royal 
yacht  announced  that  the  king  had  stepped  into  his 
barge,  the  acclamations  of  the  enthusiastic  people, 
all  unused  to  the  presence  of  royalty,  then  seemed 
to  rend  heaven. 

Since  the  time  of  Charles  II.  no  king  had  been 


trates,  deacons,  and  trades,  advanced,  the  latter 
with  all  their  standards  lowered.  So  hearty  and 
prolonged  were  the  glad  shouts  of  the  people  that 
even  George  IV. — the  most  heartless  king  that 
ever  wore  a  crown — was  visibly  affected. 

He  was  clad  in  the  uniform  of  an  admiral,  and 
was  received  by  the  magistrates  of  Leith  and  Edin- 
burgh and  the  usual  high  officials,  civil  and  mili- 
tary ;  but  the  Highland  chief  Glengarry,  bursting 
through  the  throng,  exclaimed,  bonnet  in  hand, 
"  Your  Majesty  is  welcome  to  Scotland  !  " 

The  procession  preceding  the  royal  carriage  now 
set  out,  "the  Earl  of  Kinnoul,  as  Lord  Lyon, 
on  a  horse  caprioling  in  front  of  a  cloud  of 
heralds  and  cavaliers — his  golden  coronet,  crimson 
mantle  flowing  to  the  ground,  his  embroidered 
boots,  and  golden  spurs,  would  have  been  irresistible 
in  the  eyes  of  a  dame  of  the  twelfth  century."  Sir 
Alexander  Keith,    as    Knight-Marischal,  with   his 


Leith.] 


HOME-COMING   OF   MONS    MEG. 


grooms  and  esquires  ;  Sir  Patrick  Walker,  as 
Usher  of  the  White  Rod  ;  a  long  alternation  of 
cavalry  and  infantry,  city  dignitaries,  and  High- 
landers, followed. 

At  the  end  of  the  vista,  preceded  by  ten  royal 
footmen,  two  and  two,  sixteen  yeomen  of  the 
Scottish  Guard,  escorted  by  the  Royal  Archers, 
came  the  king,  followed  by  the  head-quarter  staff, 
three  clans  of  Highlanders,  two  squadrons  of  Lothian 
yeomanry,  three  of  the  3rd  Dragoon  Guards,  Scots 
Greys,  and  the  Grenadiers  of  the  77th  regiment; 
and  after  some  delay  in  going  through  the  cere- 
mony of  receiving  the  city  keys — which  no  monarch 
had  touched  since  the  days  of  Charles  I.— the 
magnificent  train  moved  through  the  living  masses 


troop  of  the  3rd  Dragoon  Guards,  and  detachments 
of  the  Royal  Artillery  and  Highlanders.  In  the 
evening  the  Celtic  Society,  all  kilted,  100  strong, 
dined  together  in  honour  of  the  event,  Sir  Walter 
Scott  in  the  chair  ;  and  on  this  occasion  the  old 
saying  was  not  forgotten,  that  "Scotland  would 
never  be  Scotland  till  Mons  Meg  cam  harne." 

The  gun  was  then  on  the  same  ancient  carriage 
on  which  it  had  been  taken  away. 

It  was  not  until  1827  that  the  precise  limits  of 
Leith  as  a  town  were  defined,  and  a  territory  given 
to  it  which,  if  filled,  would  almost  enable  it  to  vie 
with  the  metropolis  in  extent.  More  extensive 
boundaries  were  afterwards  assigned,  and  these 
are  the  Firth  of  Forth  on  the  north,  a  line  from 


by  the  foot  of  the  Calton  Hill  towards  the  Palace 
of  Holyrood. 

As  a  souvenir  of  this  event,  on  the  first  anniver- 
sary of  it  a  massive  plate  was  inserted  on  the 
Shore,  in  the  exact  spot  on  which  the  king  first 
placed  his  foot,  and  there  it  remains  to  this  day, 
with  a  suitable  inscription  commemorative  of  the 
event. 

In  1829,  Mons  Meg,  which,  among  other  ord 
nance  deemed  unserviceable,  had  been  transmitted 
by  the  ignorance  of  an  officer  to  London,  and  re- 
tained there  in  the  Tower,  was,  by  the  patriotic 
efforts  of  Sir  Walter  Scott,  sent  home  to  Scotland. 
This  famous  old  cannon,  deemed  a  kind  of  Palla- 
dium by  the  Scots,  after  an  absence  of  seventy-five 
years,  was  landed  from  the  Happy  Janet,  and  after 
lying  for  a  time  in  the  Naval  Yard,  till  arrangements 
were  made,  the  gun  was  conveyed  to  the  Castle  by 
a  team  of  ten  horses  decked  with  laurels,  preceded 
by  two  led  horses,  mounted  by  boys  clad  in  tartans 
with  broadswords.  The  escort  was  formed  by  a 
123 


Lochend  to  the  latter  on  the  east,  the  middle  of 
Leith  Walk  on  the  south,  and  Wardie  Burn  on  the 
west. 

Adam  White  was  the  first  Provost  of  Leith  after 
the  passing  of  the  Burgh  Reform  Bill  in  1833  ; 
and  it  is  now  governed  by  a  chief  magistrate,  four 
bailies,  ten  councillors,  a  treasurer,  town  clerk,  and 
two  joint  assessors. 

Powers  have  since  then  been  conferred  upon  the 
Provost  of  Leith  as  admiral,  and  the  bailies  as 
admirals-depute.  There  are  in  the  town  four 
principal  corporations  —  the  Ship-masters,  the 
Traffickers,  the  Malt-men,  and  the  Trades.  The 
Traffickers,  or  Merchant  Company,  have  lost  their 
charter,  and  are  merely  a  benefit  society,  without 
the  power  of  compelling  entries ;  and  the  Ship- 
masters, ordinarily  called  the  Trinity  House,  will 
be  noticed  in  connection  with  that  institution. 

The  Trades  Corporation  is  multifarious,  and 
independently  of  it  there  is  a  body  called  "  The 
Convener)',"  consisting  of  members  delegated  from 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


each  trade,  all  deacons  and  treasurers,  and  consti- 
tuting, or  deemed  to  be.  a  separate  corporation.  But 
the  body,  though  dating  at  least  from  1594,  was 
voted  by  several  of  the  trades  corporations  in  1832 
as  useless,  and  since  then  its  existence  has  been 
very  questionable. 

Though  Leith  is  not  in  a  strict  sense  a  manufac- 
turing town  or  the  seat  of  a  staple  produce,  it  pos- 
sesses many  productive  establishments,  as  ship- 
building and  sail-cloth  manufactories.  Along  the 
shore  of  South  Leith  are  several  vast  conical  chim- 
neys, manufactories  of  glass,  but  chiefly  in  the 
department  of  common  ale  and  wine  bottles ;  this 
trade  is  supposed  to  have  been  introduced  by 
English  settlers  during  the  time  of  Cromwell.  In 
the  centre  of  the  town  there  was  commenced  in 
1830  a  corn-mill  propelled  by  steam,  and  of  gigan- 
tic dimensions,  as  its  huge  bulk  towered  against  the 
sky  and  above  the  surface  of  the  little  undulating 
sea  of  roofs  around  it. 

Leith  possesses  warehouses  of  great  extent,  which 
are  the  seats  of  extensive  traffic  with  large  districts 
of  Scotland,  for  the  transmission  thither  of  wines 
and  foreign  and  British  spirits  :  and  there  are  also 
other  manufacturing  establishments  besides  those 
named,  for  the  making  of  cordage,  for  brewing, 
distilling,  and  rectifying  spirits,  refining  sugar,  pre- 
serving tinned  meats,  soap  and  candle  manufac- 
tories, with  several  extensive  cooperages,  iron- 
foundries,  flour  mills,  tanneries,  and  saw-mills. 

But  those  who  see  Leith  now,  even  with  all  its 
extended  docks  and  piers,  can  have  no  conception 
of  the  scene  presented  by  the  port  during  the  pro- 
tracted war  with  France  and  Spain,  when  an 
admiral's  flagship  lay  in  the  Roads,  with  a  guard- 
ship  and  squadron.  Daily  scores  of  men-of-war 
boats,  manned  by  seamen  or  marines,  were  arriving 
and  departing  ;  prisoners  of  war  in  all  manner  of 
uniforms,  and  often  in  rags,  were  being  landed  or 
embarked  ;  press-gangs  had  their  tenders  moored 
by  the  Shore.  Infantry  barracks,  now  granaries, 
were  on  the  North  Quay ;  stores,  cannon,  and  pro- 
visions encumbered  it  on  every  hand  :  while  almost 
daily  salutes  were  being  fired  from  ship  and  battery 
in  honour  of  victories  by  land  or  sea ;  recruiting 
parties  beat  up,  with  swords  drawn  and  ribbons 
streaming ;  seamen  crowded  every  tavern,  their 
pockets  flush  with  Spanish  dollars,  and  bank-notes 
tied  round  their  hats  ;  men-of-war,  privateers,  trans- 
ports, filled  the  Firth,  and  merchantmen  mus- 
tered in  hundreds  to  await  the  convoy  ere  they  put 
to  sea  ;  there,  too,  were  the  gallant  old  Leith  and 
London  smacks,  armed  with  carronades,  that 
fought  their  own  way,  with  the  old  Scottish  flag  at 
their  mast-heads,  and  many  a   time  and    oft,    with 


signal  valour,  beat  off  French,  Spanish,  and  Dutch 
privateers. 

Such  was  Leith  at  the  close  of  the  last  century 
and  in  the  early  years  of  the  present  one,  until  the 
battle  of  Waterloo. 

In  the  first  years  of  the  last  century  there  were 
occasional  packet-ships  between  Leith  and  London. 
In  1720  the  Bon  Accord,  Captain  Buchanan,  is 
advertised  to  sail  to  London  with  passengers  on 
30th  June,  and  to  "  keep  the  day,  goods  or  no 
goods;"  and  a  similar  notice  appears  in  1722  con- 
cerning the  "  Unity  packet-boat  of  Leith."  The 
master  to  be  spoken  to  in  the  Laigh  Coffee  House. 
(St.  James 's  Evening  Post.)  In  1743  one  of  these 
packets,  after  a  twenty  days'  voyage,  arrived  only  at 
Holy  Island,  through  stress  of  weather. 

Previous  to  the  introduction  of  the  smacks,  which 
were  large  and  beautiful  cutters,  carrying  an  enor- 
mous spread  of  fore  and  aft  canvas,  the  passenger 
and  other  trade  between  Leith  and  London  was 
carried  on  by  means  of  clumsy  bluff-bowed  brigs, 
ranging  from  160  to  200  tons  burden,  and  having 
such  very  imperfect  cabin  accommodation  that 
many  persons  preferred  to  make  the  trip  by  the 
ships  which  carried  salmon  between  Berwick  and 
the  Thames.  In  those  days  the  traders  were  adver- 
tised for  twelve  or  fourteen  days  before  they  in- 
tended to  sail,  and  interim  arrangements  were 
always  made  with  the  captain  at  "  Forrest's  Coffee 
House,"  or  on  "The  Scots'  Walk,"  in  London,  as 
the  case  might  be,  "  when  civil  usage  "  was  pro- 
mised, and  the  number  of  guns  carried  by  the  vessel 
generally  stated.  The  following  is  an  advertise- 
ment from  the  Edinburgh  Chronicle,  June  2nd, 
1759:— 

"  For  London,  the  ship  Reward,  Old  England 
built,  William  Marshal,  master,  now  lying  at  the 
Birth  at  Barnes  Nook,  Leith  Harbour,  taking  in 
goods,  and  will  sail  with  the  first  convoy. 

"  The  said  master  to  be  spoken  with  at  the 
'Caledonia'  or  'Forrest's  Coffee  House,'  Edin- 
burgh, or  at  his  house  in  the  Broad  Wynd, 
Leith. 

"  N.B. — The  ship  is  an  exceeding  fast  sailer,  has 
good  accommodation  for  passengers,  and  good  usage 
may  he  depended  on" 

In  1777  the  smack  Edinburgh  was  advertised  in 
the  Mercury  to  sail  at  a  fixed  date,  that  she  has 
"  neat  accommodation  for  passengers,"  also  that 
good  usage  may  be  relied  on.  The  Success,  lying 
at  the  New  Quay,  is  also  advertised  to  sail  by  the 
canal  for  Glasgow,  weather  permitting. 

The  passenger  traffic  increased  to  such  an  extent 
tiiat  in  1791  the  Leith  and  Berwick  Shipping  Com- 
pany established  their  head-quarters  in  Leith,  the 


THE  OLD  SMACKS  AND  FERRY-BOATS. 


smacks  in  their  southward  voyage  merely  touching 
at  Berwick  for  their  cargoes  of  salmon. 

In  1S02  the  merchants  of  Leith  established  a 
line  for  themselves,  "  The  Edinburgh  and  Leith 
Shipping  Company,"  which  commenced  with  six 
armed  smacks,  the  crews  of  which  were  protected 
from  the  impress. 

On  the  23rd  of  October,  1804,  one  of  these 
smacks,  the  Britannia,  Captain  Brown,  and  another 
named  the  Sprightly,  Captain  Taylor,  off  Cromer, 
fell  in  with  a  large  French  privateer,  which  bore 
down  on  them  both,  firing  heavily,  particularly  with 
musketry;  but  the  Leith  smacks'  men  stood  to 
their  guns,  engaged  her  briskly,  and  so  damaged  her 
sails  and  rigging  that  she  sheered  off  and  dropped 
astern.  The  smacks  had  many  shots  through  their 
canvas,  but  none  of  their  men  were  killed. 

On  the  9th  January,  1805,  another,  the  Swallow, 
Captain  White,  was  attacked  off  Flamborough 
Head  by  a  heavy  French  privateer,  carrying  fourteen 
guns,  and  very  full  of  men.  Passing  through  a 
fleet  of  Newcastle  colliers,  she  came  within  pistol- 
shot  of  the  Sicalloic,  and  poured  in  a  broadside, 
accompanied  by  volleys  of  musketry. 

Captain  White  replied  with  his  carronades  and 
small  arms.  The  round  shot  of  the  former  told  so 
well  that  the  privateer  was  fairly  beaten  off,  while 
neither  the  smack  nor  her  crew  sustained  much 
injury.  "  In  these  two  actions,"  says  the  Scots 
Magazine,  "  both  seamen  and  passengers  showed  a 
becoming  spirit."  But  such  encounters  were  of 
very  common  occurrence  in  those  days. 

In  1809  the  new  company  had  ten  of  these 
smacks ;  eventually,  there  were  no  fewer  than  four 
companies  trading  between  Leith  and  London  ; 
but  in  182 1  one  was  formed  under  the  name  of  the 
London  and  Edinburgh  Steam  Packet  Company, 
with  three  large  steamers— the  City  of  Edinburgh, 
the  James  Watt,  and  the  So/to. 

So  great  was  their  success  that  in  1831  the  Lon- 
don, Leith,  Edinburgh,  and  Glasgow  Shipping 
Company  superseded  their  fine  smacks  by  the 
introduction  of  powerful  steamers,  with  beautiful 
cabin  accommodation,  the  William,  Adelaide,  and 
Victoria.  In  1836  the  London  and  Edinburgh 
Steam  Packet  Company  became  merged  in  the 
General  Steam  Navigation  Company,  sailing  from 
Granton  to  London.  The  old  smacks  were  re- 
tained by  only  two  of  the  companies ;  but  having 
been  found  expensive  to  build  and  to  maintain, 
from  the  number  of  men  required  to  handle  their 
unwieldy  canvas — particularly  their  great  boom 
main-sail — they  were  in  1S44  superseded  by  clipper 
schooners  ;  so  these  once  celebrated  craft,  the  old 
Leith  smacks,  have  entirely  disappeared  from  the 


harbour  with  which  they  were  so  long  and  exclu- 
sively identified. 

Before  quitting  the  subject  of  passenger  traffic, 
we  may  glance  at  the  ancient  femes  of  Leith. 

By  an  Act  of  James  I.,  in  1425,  it  was  ordained 
that  all  ferries  where  horses  were  conveyed,  should 
"  have  for  ilk  boate  a  treene  brig,"  or  wooden  gang- 
way, under  the  pain  of  "  40  shillings  of  ilk  boate  ; " 
and  again,  by  an  Act  of  James  III.,  1467,  the 
ferries  at  Leith,  Kinghorn,  and  Queensferry  are 
ordained  to  have  "brigges  of  buirds,"  under  penalty 
of  the  "  tinsel"  or  forfeiture  of  their  boats.  In  1475 
the  charge  for  a  passenger  was  twopence,  and  for 
a  horse  sixpence ;  at  Queensferry  one  penny  for 
a  man,  and  twopence  for  a  horse.  (Scots  Acts, 
Glendoick.) 

Nicoll  records  that  in  1650  the  ferrymen  at  Leith 
and  Burntisland  (taking  advantage  probably  of  the 
confusion  of  affairs)  became  so  exorbitant  in  their 
charges  that  complaints  were  made  to  the  Deputy 
Governor  of  Leith,  who  ordered  that  the  fare  for  a 
man  and  horse  should  be  only  one  shilling  sterling, 
and  for  a  single  person  one  groat,  "quhairas  it 
was  tripled  of  befoir." 

In  July,  1633,  a  boat  at  the  ferry  between 
Burntisland  and  Leith  foundered  in  a  fair  summer's 
day,  according  to  Spalding,  and  with  it  perished 
thirty-five  domestic  servants  of  Charles  I.,  with  his 
silver  plate  and  household  stuff,  "  but  it  fore- 
tokened great  troubles  to  fall  out  betwixt  the  king 
and  his  subjects,  as  after  does  appear."  Balfour 
states  that  there  was  a  great  storm,  that  the  king 
crossed  "  in  grate  jeopardy  of  his  lyffe,"  and  that 
only  eight  servants  perished. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  present  century  the  ferry 
traffic  between  Leith,  Kinghorn,  and  Burntisland 
was  carried  on  by  means  of  stout  sloops  of  forty  or 
fifty  tons,  without  topmasts,  and  manned  generally 
by  only  four  men,  and  always  known  as  "  the 
Kinghorn  Boats,"  although  Pettycur  was  adopted 
as  the  more  modem  harbour. 

Generally  there  were  two  crossings  between 
Leith  and  Fife  every  tide,  though  subsequently, 
as  traffic  increased,  the  number  of  runs  was  in- 
creased by  having  a  boat  anchored  outside  the 
harbour  when  there  was  not  sufficient  water  for  it 
to  enter.  Small  pinnaces  were  used  for  the  voyage 
in  dead  calms.  The  old  ferrymen  were  strong, 
rough,  and  quaint  fellows,  and  Leith  still  abounds 
with  anecdotes  of  their  brusque  ways  and  jovial 
humour. 

A  recent  writer  mentions  that  if  a  passenger 
had  a  dog  whose  acquaintance  he  was  disposed 
to  ignore,  in  order  to  escape  paying  its  fare,  he 
would  be  sure  to  be  accosted  by  a  blue-bonneted 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


boatman,    with    "  Do    you    belang    to    that    dug, 
sir?  " 

On  a  certain  stormy  day,  when  oneof  the  boats  was 
making  rather  a  rough  passage,  outside  Inchkeith, 
and  the  skipper,  after  the  manner  of  his  kind,  was 
endeavouring  to  reassure  the  alarmed  passengers 
by  telling  them  that  there  was  no  danger,  he  lost 
his  temper  with  a  well-known  Fifeshire  laird, 
whose  pallid  face  betrayed  his  intense  dismay. 

"As   for  you   B " 

(Balcomie  ?)  said  the  old 
Kinghorn  salt,  scornfully, 
"ye  were  aye  a  frightened 
creature  a'  your  days." 

If  the  breeze  was  fair, 
the  old  boats  might 
achieve  the  passage  in 
about  an  hour;  but  with  a 
head  wind,  against  which 
they  could  beat,  and  still 
worse,  with  a  calm,  the 
voyage  was  often  tedious, 
and  lasted  five  or  six 
hours. 

There  are  few  things 
that  tell,  perhaps,  more 
strikingly  on  the  changed 
habits  of  life,  than  the 
contrasts  for  crossing  at 
the  Forth  ferries  now 
and  when  the  present 
century  was  in  its  in- 
fancy. 

At  Kirkcaldy  and  Pet- 
tycur,  besides  making  use 
of  small  boats  to  the  great 
discomfort  and  terror  of 
female  passengers,  travel- 
lers were  embarked  and 
disembarked  by  means  of 

a  long  gangway,  which  was  run  down  to  the  water- 
edge  on  wheels. 

"  In  spite  of  the  service  of  the  fine  boats  plying 
on  the  Granton  and  Burntisland  ferry,"  wrote  the 
correspondent  of  a  local  print,  "  and  the  opening 
of  the  new  lines  of  railway  along  the  coast,  fas- 
tidious pleasure-seekers  tell  us  that  a  great  deal 
could  be  done  to  increase  the  attractions  of  a  run 
for  a  change  of  air  to  the  quaint  villages,  the 
stretches  of  green  links  and  sandy  beach,  on  the 
opposite  shore  of  the  Firth.  Few  of  these  grum- 
blers, I  venture  to  say,  can  speak  from  personal 


knowledge  of  the  state  of  things  that  existed  in 
the  early  years  of  the  present  century,  in  regard 
to  the  communication  between  the  north  and  south 
sides  of  the  Firth  of  Forth.  If  they  could  carry 
back  their  recollections  so  far,  they  would  be 
inclined,  like  me,  rather  to  marvel  at  the  ex- 
traordinary improvement  that  has  taken  place 
within  the  last  sixty  years,  than  to  fret  because  we 
are  still  some  stages  from  perfection." 

After  a  time  the  ferry 
between  each  side  of  the 
Firth  was  placed  in  the 
hands  of  trustees. 

About  1 812,  when  the 
"  Union  "  coach  was  put 
on  the  road  through  Fife, 
it  occasioned  a  necessity 
for  a  regular  instead  of  a 
varying  tidal  passage,  and 
thus  an  undecked  sloop, 
known  as  "  the  coach 
boat,"  was  placed  on  the 
ferry.  At  low  water  it 
anchored  off  the  harbour, 
and  was  reached  by  small 
skiffs.  Soon  afterwards 
the  ferry  trustees  estab- 
lished a  regular  service 
of  undecked  cutters,  gene- 
rally lateen-rigged,  the 
pier  at  Newhaven  having 
been  built  to  afford  better 
accommodation. 

It  was  in  the  spring  of 
1S14  or  1S15  that  the 
first  vessel  propelled  by 
steam  was  seen  in  Leith  ; 
but  it  was  not  till  1820 
that  the  newspapers  an- 
nounced that  "  a  very 
great  improvement  is  to  take  place  in  the  com- 
munication between  Leith  and  Fife."  This  was 
the  introduction  of  two  steamboats,  the  Tug  and 
Dumbarton  Castle,  which  were  to  make  the  trip 
every  morning  to  Kirkcaldy  before  going  to 
Grangemouth,  and  vice  versa.  ( Weekly  Journal, 
1S20.) 

Other  steamers,  the  Sir  William  Wallace,  the 
Thane  of  Fife,  and  Auld  Reekie,  were  introduced  ; 
the  passengers  were  embarked  and  landed  by  means 
of  gangways,  though  sometimes  both  were  accom- 
plished on  men's  backs. 


(byT.C.  Jcuk,  EJM;„, 


THE    FIRST   THOROUGHFARE. 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 
LEITH— THE     KIRKGATE. 


The    Kirkgate— Eastside— Tavern   Tragedy,   1691- 

Mary's  Church— Destruction  of  the  Choir— First  Protestant  I 

One  of  the  oldest  and  principal  streets  of  Leith  is 
the  Kirkgate,  a  somewhat  stately  thoroughfare  as 
compared  with  those  off  it,  measuring  eleven  hun- 
dred feet  in  length  from  the  foot  of  the  Walk  to 
the  Water  Reservoir  (called  of  old  The  Pipes)  at 
the  head  of  Water  Lane,  by  an  average  breadth  of 
fifty  feet.  "  Time  and  modern  taste,"  says  Wilson, 
"  have  slowly,  but  very  effectually,  modified  its  an- 
tique features.  No  timber-fronted  gable  now 
thrusts  its  picturesque  facade  with  careless  grace 


eal— King   James's   Hospital  -St. 
John  Logan,  Minister. 

beyond  the  line  of  more  staid  and  formal-looking 
ashlar  fronts.  Even  the  crowstepped  gables  of  the 
sixteenth  and  seventeenth  centuries  are  becoming 
the  exception  ;  it  is  only  by  the  irregularity  which 
still  pertains  to  it,  aided  by  the  few  really  pictu- 
resque tenements  which  remain  unaltered,  that  it 
now  attracts  the  notice  of  the  curious  visitor  as  the 
genuine  remains  of  the  ancient  High  Street  of  the 
burgh.  Some  of  these  relics  of  former  times  are 
well   worthy   the   notice    of  the    antiquary,  while 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


memorials  of  still  earlier  fabrics  here  and  there 
meet  the  eye,  and  carry  back  the  imagination  to 
those  stirring  scenes  in  the  history  of  this  locality, 
when  the  Queen  Regent,  with  her  courtiers  and 
allies,  made  it  their  stronghold  and  chosen  place  of 
abode  ;  or  when,  amid  a  more  peaceful  array,  the 
fair  Scottish  Queen  Mary,  or  the  sumptuous  Anne 
•of  Denmark,  rode  gaily  through  the  street  on  their 
way  to  Holyrood." 

It  is  a  street  that  carries  back  the  mind  to  the 
days  of  Wood  and  the  Bartons,  when  the  port  of 
Leith  was  in  constant  communication  with  Bor- 
deaux and  the  Garonne,  and  when  the  Scots  of  those 
days  were  greater  claret  drinkers  than  the  English  ; 
and  when  commerce  here  was  as  we  find  it  de- 
tailed in  the  ledger  of  Andrew  Haliburton,  the 
merchant  of  Middelburg  and  Conservator  of  Scot- 
tish Privileges  there,  between  1493  and  1505 — a 
ledger  that  gives  great  insight  to  the  imports  at 
Leith  and  elsewhere  in  Scotland. 

Haliburton  acted  as  agent  for  churchmen  as  well 
as  laymen,  receiving  and  selling  on  commission  the 
raw  products  of  the  Netherlands,  and  sending  home 
nearly  every  kind  of  manufactured  article  then  in 
use.  He  appears  often  to  have  visited  Edinburgh, 
settling  old  accounts  and  arranging  new  ventures; 
and  with  that  piety  which  in  those  days  formed  so 
much  a  part  of  the  inner  life  of  the  Scottish  people, 
the  word  Jhesus  is  inscribed  on  every  account. 
Haliburton  appears  to  have  imported  cloths,  silk, 
linen,  and  woollen  stuffs ;  wheelbarrows  to  build 
King's  College,  Aberdeen  ;  fruit,  drugs,  and  plate; 
Gascony,  Rhenish,  and  Malvoisie  wines ;  pestles, 
mortars,  brass  basins,  and  feather  beds  ;  an  image 
of  St.  Thomas  a.  Becket,  from  Antwerp,  for  John  of 
Pennycuik  ;  tombstones  from  Middelburg ;  mace, 
pepper,  saffron,  and  materials  for  Walter  Chapman, 
the  early  Scottish  printer,  if  not  the  first  in  Scot- 
land. 

We  reproduce  (p.  212)  Wilson's  view  of  one  of 
the  oldest  houses  in  the  Kirkgate,  which  was  only 
taken  down  in  1S45.  The  doorway  was  moulded ; 
on  the  frieze  was  boldly  cut  in  old  English  letters 
Jjcfitis  ^Itana,  and  above  was  a  finely-moulded 
Gothic  niche,  protected  by  a  sloping  water-table.  A 
stone  gurgoyle  projected  from  the  upper  storey. 
Local  tradition  asserted  that  the  edifice  was  a  chapel 
built  by  Mary  of  Lorraine ;  but  of  this  there  is  no 
evidence.  In  the  niche,  no  doubt,  stood  an  image, 
which  would  be  destroyed  at  the  Reformation. 
Above  the  niche  there  was  a  small  square  aperture, 
in  which  it  was  customary,  as  is  the  case  now  in 
Continental  towns,  to  place  a  light  after  nightfall, 
in  order  that  passers-by  might  see  the  shrine  and 
make  obeisance  to  it. 


Another  very  old  house  on  the  same  side  of  the 
Kirkgate,  the  west,  displays  a  handsome  triple 
arcade  of  three  round  arches  on  squat  pillars,  with 
square  moulded  capitals,  a  great  square  chimney 
rising  through  the  centre  of  the  roof,  and  a  stair- 
case terminating  a  crowstepped  gable  to  the  street. 

A  tavern  in  the  Kirkgate,  kept  by  a  man  named 
John  Brown,  and  which,  to  judge  from  the  social 
position  of  its  visitors,  must  have  been  a  respectable 
house  of  entertainment,  was  the  scene  of  a  tragedy 
on  the  8th  of  March,  1691. 

Sinclair  of  Mey,  and  a  friend  named  James 
Sinclair,  writer  in  Edinburgh,  were  at  their  lodgings 
in  this  tavern,  when  at  a  late  hour  the  Master  of 
Tarbet  (afterwards  Earl  of  Cromarty)  and  Ensign 
Andrew  Mowat  came  to  join  them.  "There  was 
no  harm  meant  by  any  one  that  night  in  the  hostelry 
of  John  Brown,  but  before  midnight  the  floor  was 
reddened  with  slaughter." 

The  Master  of  Tarbet,  son  of  a  statesman  of  no 
mean  note,  was  nearly  related  to  Sinclair  of  Mey. 
He  and  the  ensign  are  described  in  the  subsequent 
proceedings  as  being  both  excited  by  the  liquor 
they  had  taken,  but  not  beyond  self-control.  A 
pretty  girl,  named  Jean  Thompson,  on  bringing 
them  a  fresh  supply,  was  laughingly  invited  by  the 
Master  to  sit  beside  him,  but  escaped  to  her  own 
room,  and  bolted  herself  in.  Running  in  pursuit 
of  her,  he  went  blunderingly  into  a  room  occupied 
by  a  French  gentleman,  named  George  Poiret,  who 
was  asleep.  An  altercation  took  place  between 
them,  on  which  Ensign  Mowat  went  to  see  what 
was  the  matter.  The  Frenchman  had  drawn  his 
sword,  but  the  two  friends  wrenched  it  out  of  his 
hand.  A  servant  of  the  house,  named  Christian 
Erskine,  now  came  on  the  scene  of  brawling,  to- 
gether with  a  gentleman  who  could  not  be  after- 
wards identified. 

At  her  urgent  entreaty,  Mowat  took  away  the 
Master  and  the  stranger,  who  carried  with  him 
Poiret's  sword.  Here  the  fracas  would  have  ended, 
had  not  the  Master  deemed  it  his  duty  to  return 
and  apologise.  Exasperated  to  find  a  new  dis- 
turbance, as  he  deemed  it,  at  his  room  door,  the 
Frenchman  knocked  on  the  ceiling  with  tongs  to 
summon  to  his  assistance  his  two  brothers,  Isaac 
Poiret  and  Elias,  surnamed  the  Sieur  de  la  Roche, 
who  at  once  came  down,  armed  with  their  swords 
and  pistols,  and  spoke  with  George,  who  was 
defenceless  and  excited,  at  his  door;  and  in  a 
moment  there  came  about  a  hostile  collision  be- 
tween them  and  the  Master  and  Mowat  in  the 
hall. 

Jean  Thompson  roused  Brown,  the  landlord,  but 
he  came  too  late.     The  Master  and  Mowat  were 


THE   PRECEPTORY   OF   ST.    ANTHONY. 


215 


not  making  any  deliberate  assault  ;  but  a  pistol 
shot  was  heard,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  Sieur  de 
la  Roche  lay  dead,  with  a  sword  thrust  in  his  body, 
while  Isaac  had  a  finger  nearly  hewn  off. 

The  guard  now  came  on  the  scene,  and  Mowat 
was  found  under  an  outer  stair,  with  a  bent  sword 
in  his  hand,  bloody  from  point  to  hilt,  his  hand 
wounded,  and  the  sleeves  of  his  coat  stained  with 
blood.  On  seeing  the  dead  body,  he  viewed  it 
without  emotion,  and  merely  remarked  that  he 
wondered  who  had  slain  him. 

The  Master,  Mowat,  and  James  Sinclair  the  writer, 
were  all  tried  for  the  murder  of  Elias  Poiret  before 
the  Court  of  Justiciary,  but  the  jury  brought  in  a 
verdict  of  not  proven.  The  whole  affair  might 
have  been  easily  explained,  but  for  heat  of  temper, 
intemperance,  and  the  ready  resort  to  arms  so  usual 
in  those  days.  The  three  Frenchmen  concerned  in 
it  were  Protestant  refugees  who  were  serving  as 
privates  in  the  Scottish  Life  Guards.  The  Master 
of  Tarbet  became  Earl  of  Cromarty  in  17 14,  and 
survived  the  death  of  Poiret  forty  years.  Two  of 
his  sons,  who  were  officers  in  the  Scots-Dutch 
Brigade,  perished  at  sea,  and  his  eldest,  the  third 
and  last  Earl  of  Cromarty,  was  nearly  brought  to 
Tower  Hill  in  1746  for  his  loyalty  to  the  House  of 
Stuart. 

No.  141  Kirkgate  was  long  the  place  of  business 
of  Mr.  Alexander  Watson,  who  is  chiefly  remark- 
able as  being  the  nephew  and  close  correspondent 
of  a  very  remarkable  man,  who  frequently  resided 
with  him — Robert  Watson,  who  was  made  Principal 
of  the  Scots  College  at  Paris  by  the  Emperor 
Napoleon  I.,  an  office  which  he  held  for  six  years. 
It  was  to  his  nephew  at  Leith,  after  his  escape  to 
Rome  (having  been  tried  at  the  Old  Bailey  as 
President  of  a  Corresponding  Society),  he  con- 
fided his  discovery  of  a  large  mass  of  correspond- 
ence known  as  "  The  Stuart  Papers,"  which  he 
purchased  (as  stated  in  the  Cowaiit  for  1S19.) 

In  one  of  his  letters,  dated  London,  6th  April, 
18 1 8,  he  states  that  they  consist  of  half  a  million  of 
pieces,  and  are  valued  at  ,£300,000.  "  The  Pope, 
however,  took  military  possession  of  them,  under 
the  protest  that  they  were  of  too  much  importance 
to  belong  to  a  private  individual.  I  protested 
against  the  arbitrary  proceedings  of  his  Holiness. 
The  Prince  Regent  sent  two  ships  of  war  to  Civita 
Vecchia  to  bring  them  to  London,  and  they  are 
now  in  Carlton  House." 

To  his  nephew  in  the  Kirkgate  he  subsequently 
wrote  that  a  Royal  Commission  under  the  Great 
Seal  (including  Sir  James  Mackintosh)  was  ap- 
pointed to  examine  these  valuable  papers  ;  and  in 
1824  he  wrote  that  ''amongst  other  things  of  some 


value  which  have  fallen  into  my  possession,  are  the 
carriage  and  tent-bed  of  Bonaparte,  taken  at  the 
battle  of  Waterloo.  Further  events  will  decide 
to  what  purposes  I  may  apply  it  (the  carriage), 
though  it  is  probable  I  shall  keep  it  for  my  own 
use." 

This  singular  person  committed  suicide  in  1838, 
by  strangling  himself  in  a  London  tavern,  in  the 
ninety-second  year  of  his  age — "  a  case  of  suicide," 
it  was  said,   "unparalleled  in  the  annals  of  sorrow." 

On  the  east  side  of  the  Kirkgate,  to  take  the 
edifices  in  succession  there,  there  was  founded  by 
Robert  Logan  of  Restalrig,  in  1435,  a  preceptory 
for  the  canons  of  St.  Anthony,  the  only  establish- 
ment of  the  kind  in  Scotland. 

Arnot,  in  his  history,  unthinkingly  mentions  "  the 
monastery  of  Knights  Templars  of  St.  Anthony  " 
at  Leith.  These  canons,  says  Chalmers,  "  seem  to 
have  been  an  order  of  religious  knights,  not 
Templars.  The  only  document  in  which  they  are 
called  Templars  is  a  charter  of  James  VI.  in  16 14, 
giving  away  their  establishment  and  revenues;  and 
this  mistake  of  an  ignorant  clerk  is  wildly  repeated 
by  Arnot." 

Their  church,  burying-ground,  and  gardens  were 
in  St.  Anthony's  Wynd,  an  alley  off  the  Kirkgate  ; 
and  the  first  community  was  brought  from  St. 
Anthony  of  Vienne,  the  seat  of  the  order  in  France. 
They  were  formed  in  honour  of  St.  Anthony,  the 
patriarch  of  monks,  who  was  born  at  Coma,  a 
village  of  Heraclea  on  the  borders  of  Arcadia,  in 
a.d.  251,  and  whose  sister  was  placed  in  the  first 
convent  that  is  recorded  in  history.  A  hermit  by 
habit,  he  dwelt  long  in  the  ruins  of  an  old  castle 
that  overlooked  the  Nile;  and  after  his  death  (said 
to  have  been  in  356)  his  body  was  deposited  in  the 
church  of  La  Motte  St.  Didier,  at  Vienne,  when, 
according  to  old  traditions,  those  labouring  under 
the  pest  known  as  St.  Anthony's  Fire— a  species  of 
erysipelas — were  miraculously  cured  by  praying  at 
his  shrine. 

Gaston,  a  noble  of  Vienne,  and  his  son  Gironde, 
filled  with  awe,  we  are  told,  by  these  wonderful 
cures,  devoted  their  lives  and  estates  to  found  a 
hospital  for  those  who  laboured  under  this  disease, 
and  seven  others  joined  them  in  their  attendance 
on  the  sick  ;  and  on  these  Hospitaller  Brethren 
Boniface  VIII.  bestowed  the  Benedictine  Priory 
of  Vienne,  giving  them  the  rules  of  St.  Austin,  and 
declaring  the  Abbot  General  of  this  new  order — 
the  Canons  Regular  of  St.  Anthony.  The  superiors 
of  the  subordinate  preceptories  were  called  com- 
manders, says  Alban  Butler.  "  and  their  houses  are 
called  commanderies,  as  when  they  were  Hospi- 
tallers." 


OLD  AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


Their  preceptory  at  Leitli  was  of  the  most  mag-    benefactors  to  the  preceptory,  written  on  vellum  in 
nificent  description,  and  the  southern  gate  there  I  1526,    with   a  few   additions   in    a  later  hand,  is 


was  named  St.  Anthony's  Port, 
from  its  proximity  to  the  estab- 
lishment. The  lofty  steeple  was 
long  a  conspicuous  object ;  but 
in  the  siege  of  Leith  in  1559-60 
it  was  beaten  down  by  an  Eng- 
lish eight-gun  battery,  as  we 
have  elsewhere  related. 

By  a  charter  of  Humbertus, 
Abbot-General  of  the  order  in 
1446,  the  Hospitallers  at  Leith 
did  not  seem  to  live  very 
peaceably  together. 

The  begging  Hospitallers  of 
St.  Anthony  are  said  to  have 
threatened  with  the  "Sacred 
Fire,"  or  erysipelas,  those  who 
failed  to  give  them  alms  ;  and 
hence  certain  prelates  urged 
Paul  III.  to  abolish  them,  ac- 
cording to  Emillianas.  ("  Mo- 
nastic Orders.') 

The  ancient  church  of  Hailes 
(now  called  Colinton),  and  the 


THE     SEAL     OF     THE     TRECEPTORY     OF 

ST.    ANTHONY. 

{After  the  Original  it:  the  Antiquarian  Museum, 


preserved  in  the  Advocates' 
Library ;  and  therein  it  is 
stated  that  these  benefactors 
are  to  be  prayed  for  every 
Sunday  "  till  the  day  of  dome." 
The  Obituary  closes  in  1499, 
"  and  the  prayers  for  the 
dead,  which  the  chapter  of 
the  preceptory  had  ordained 
to  last  till  the  day  of  doom, 
were  abruptly  brought  to  a 
close"  by  the  events  of  the 
Reformation, and  by  the  English 
guns  at  the  siege  of  Leith. 

In  the  "  Register  of  Minrs 
(sic,  Ministers?),  Exhorters.&c." 
(published  by  the  Maitland 
Club),  under  date  1576,  it  is 
stated  that  "  Alexander  For- 
rester, Reidar  at  Hailis,  is  to  be 
paid  out  of  the  third  of  the 
Hospitale  of  Sanct  Antonis  in 
Leith.  William  Balfour,  Reidar 
in  Leith,  his  stipend,  ^20,  to 


is   said    to   have  been  the 
property     of    these     Hos- 


MARIA-DE-LORAIIVE 
REG1NA-SC0T1EJJ6O 


chapel  of  St.  James  at  Newhaven,  belonged  to  I  be  payit  as  follows — namely,  best  of  the  third  of 
the  preceptory  at  Leith  ;  and  also  the  little  chapel  the  Preceptorie  of  Sanct  Antonis  ,£10,  and  the 
and   hermitage  of   St.    Anthony    on  Arthur's  Seat  I  rest  to  be  payit  by  the  toun." 

By  an  Act  of  Parliament 
passed  in  1587  the  pre- 
ceptory of  St.  Anthony 
and  the  chapel  of  St. 
James  at  Newhaven  were, 
with  other  benefices,  an- 
nexed to  the  Crown. 

Maitland  observes  that 
the  vestry  of  Leith,  after 
the  Reformation,  '  having 
purchased  the  lands  and 
properties  of  divers  religious 
houses  there  and  in  New- 
haven, King  James  VI. 
granted  and  confirmed  the 
same  by  charter  in  16 14 
for  the  use  of  the  poor. 

The  Session  elected  the 

Baron  Bailie  of  St.  Anthony, 

who   exercised  jurisdiction 

in    Leith    and    Newhaven,    holding   his  court   at 

will  and  giving  sentence  without  appeal,  thus  : — 

"  At  Leith,  9th  February,  1683.  On  Monday 
last  St.  Anthonis  Court  was  holden  in  this  place, 
and  is  to  be  keepit  att  Newheavin  at  ye  first  con- 


pitallers,  but  of  this  there 
is  no  proof.  They  had  a 
right  to  a  Scottish  quart  of 
every  tun  of  wine  imported 
into  Leith,  and  this  right, 
at  the  Reformation,  was 
transferred  to  the  magis- 
trates for  the  use  of  the 
town. 

These  Hospitallers  pos- 
sessed also  the  church  of 
Liston,  which  they  were 
forced  to  relinquish  about 
1445.  ("Monasticon.")  The 
Deed  of  Renunciation  by 
Friar    Michael   Gray,   Pre- TH] 

CeptOr    Of    the    Hospital,    IS         (After  t/ie  Sculptured  Stone  nenu  in  . 

still  preserved  in  the  Ad- 
vocates' Library.  In  the  "  Inventory  of  Pious 
Donations,"  10th  February,  1505,  "  John  Lcgane 
in  Restalrig"  gives  to  St.  Anthony's  chapel  in 
Leith  his  tenement  lying  on  the  south  side  of  the 
bridge. 

'•The   Ren  tale  Buke,"   containing  a  list  of  the 


inf.,  1560. 

Leith.) 


eniencie."     The  last  Baron   Bailie   was  Thomas 


KING    JAMES    VI. 'S    HOSPITAL 


Barker,  whose  office  ceased  to  exist  after  the  Burgh 
Reform  Bill  of  1833. 

The  seal  of  the  preceptory  is  preserved  in  the 
Antiquarian  Museum.  It  bears  the  figure  of  St. 
Anthony  in  a  hermit's  garb,  with  a  book  in  one 
hand,  a  staff  in  the  other,  and  by  his  side  is  a  sow 
with  a  bell  at  its  neck.  Over  his  head  is  a  capital 
T,  which  the  brethren  had  sewn  in  blue  cloth  on 
their  black  tunics.     Around  is  the  legend, 

S.Commune  PreceibtorU  San-ti  Anthonii,  Ptott  Leicht. 


there  when  the  ground  was  opened  to  lay  down 
gas-pipes ;  and  in  the  title  deeds  of  a  property 
here,  "  the  churchyard  of  St.  Anthony "  is  men- 
tioned as  one  of  the  boundaries. 

The  grotesque  association  of  St.  Anthony  with  a 
sow  is  because  the  latter  was  supposed  to  represent 
gluttony,  which  the  saint  is  said  to  have  overcome  ; 
and  the  further  to  conquer  Satan,  a  consecrated 
bell  is  suspended  from  his  alleged  ally  the  pig. 

On  the  east   side  of  the  Kirkgate  stood  King 


ST.    MARY  S   (SOUTH    I.EITI 


Sir  David  Lindesay  of  the  Mount  refers  in  his 
vigorous  way  to 

"The  gruntil  of  St.  Anthony's  sow. 
Quhilk  bore  his  holy  bell." 

There  was  an  aisle,  with  an  altar  therein,  dedicated 
to  him  in  the  parish  church  of  St.  Giles;  and  among 
the  jewels  of  James  III.  is  enumerated  "  Sanct 
Antonis  cors,"  with  a  diamond,  a  rub)-,  and  a  great 
pearl. 

Save  the  fragments  of  some  old  vaults,  not  a 
vestige  of  the  preceptory  now  remains,  though  its 
name  is  still  preserved  in  St.  Anthony's  Street, 
which  opens  westward  off  the  Kirkgate,  and  is  sup- 
posed to  pass  through  what  was  its  cemetery,  as 
large  quantities  of  human  bones  were  exhumed 
124 


James's  Hospital,  built  in  16 14  by  the  sixth  mon- 
arch of  that  name,  and  the  site  of  which  now  forms 
part  of  the  present  burying-ground.  At  the  south- 
east angle  of  the  old  churchyard,  says  Wilson,  there 
is  an  "elegant  Gothic  pediment  surmounting  the 
boundary  wall  and  adorned  with  the  Scottish  re- 
galia, sculptured  in  high  relief  with  the  initials 
J.  R.  6.,  while  a  large  panel  below  bears  the 
royal  arms  and  initials  of  Charles  II.  very  boldly 
executed.  These  insignia  of  royalty  are  intended 
to  mark  the  spot  on  which  King  James's  Hospital 
stood — a  benevolent  foundation  which  owed  no 
more  to  the  royal  patron  whose  name  it  bore  than 
the  confirmation  by  his  charter  in  1614  of  a  por- 
tion of  those  revenues  which  had  been  long  before 


2l8 


OLD   AND    NEW   EDINBURGH. 


bestowed  by  the  piety  of  private  donors  on  the 
hospital  of  St.  Anthony,  and  the  imposition  of  a 
duty  on  all  wine  brought  into  the  port  for  the 
augmentation  of  its  reduced  funds.'' 

Here  certain  poor  women  were  maintained,  being 
presented  thereto  by  the  United  Corporation  of 
Leith.  About  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury the  edifies  had  become  dilapidated  or  unequal 
to  the  requirements  of  the  poor;  thus  another  was 
erected  on  or  near  the  same  site.  It  was  a  building 
of  very  unpretending  aspect,  and,  according  to 
Kincaid,  measured  only  fifty-six  feet  by  thirty.  The 
privilege  of  admission  was  confined  to  the  Malt- 
men,  Trades,  and  Traffickers  or  Merchant  Com- 
pany of  Leith.  Small  pensions  were  given  from 
the  hospital  funds  occasionally  to  persons  who 
were  not  resident  therein.  The  revenues  are  now 
merged  in  the  general  income  of  the  parish  of  South 
Leith. 

On  the  same  side  of  the  street  stands  the  ancient 
church  of  South  Leith,  dedicated  to  St.  Mary. 
The  ancient  seat  and  name  of  this  parish  was 
Restalrig.  In  1214  Thomas  of  that  place  made  a 
grant  of  some  tenements,  which  he  describes  as 
situated  "  southward  of  the  High  Street,"  supposed 
to  be  in  the  line  of  the  present  Leith  AValk,  "  be- 
tween Edinburgh  and  Leith,"  if  this  is  not  a  refer- 
ence to  the  Kirkgate  itself;  and  perhaps  he  had  a 
church  on  the  manor  from  which  he  took  his 
name. 

A  chapel  dedicated  to  the  Virgin  Mary,  patroness 
of  the  town  and  port,  and  situated  in  South  Leith, 
preceded  by  more  than  a  century  the  origin  of  the 
present  edifice,  and  was  enriched  by  many  dona- 
tions and  annuities  for  the  support  within  it  of 
altars  and  chaplainries  dedicated  to  St.  Peter,  St. 
Barbara,  St.  Bartholomew,  and  others.  The  de- 
struction of  ecclesiastical  records  at  the  Reforma- 
tion involves  the  date  of  the  foundation  of  the 
present  church  in  utter  obscurity.  It  can  only  be 
surmised  that  it  was  erected  towards  the  close  of 
the  fourteenth  century ;  but  notwithstanding  its 
large  size — what  remains  now  being  merely  a  small 
portion  of  the  original  edifice — the  name  of  its 
founder  is  utterly  unknown.  The  earliest  notice  of 
it  occurs  in  1490,  when  a  contribution  of  an  annual 
rent  is  made  by  Peter  Falconer  in  Leith  to  the 
chaplain  of  St.  Peter's  altar,  "situat  in  the  Virgin 
Mary  Kirk  in  Leith."  The  latest  of  similar  grants 
was  made  on  the  Sth  July,  1499. 

The  choir  and  transepts  are  said  to  have  been 
destroyed  by  the  English,  according  to  Maitland 
and  Chalmers,  in  1544.  "  No  other  evidence  exists 
however,  in  support  of  this,"  according  to  Wilson, 
"  than   the  general  inference  deducible  from   the 


burning  of  Leith,  immediately  before  their  embarka- 
tion— a  procedure  which,  unless  accompanied  by 
more  violent  modes  of  destruction,  must  have  left 
the  remainder  of  the  church  in  the  same  condition, 
as  the  nave,  which  still  exists."  He  therefore 
concludes  that  the  choir  and  transepts  had  beeni 
destroyed  by  the  Scottish  and  English  cannon 
during  the  great  siege,  in  which  the  tower  of  St. 
Anthony  perished. 

Robertson,  an  acute  local  antiquary,  held  the 
same  theory.  That  the  church  was  partially  de- 
stroyed after  the  battle  of  Pinkie  is  obvious  from, 
the  following  letter,  written  by  Sir  Thomas  Fisher 
to  the  Lord  Protector  of  England  : — "  nth  October, 
1548.  Having  had  libertie  to  walke  abroad  in  the 
town  of  Edinburghe  with  his  taker,  and  sometymes 
betwix  that  and  Leghe,  he  telleth  me  that  Leghe  is 
entrenched  about,  and  that  besydes  a  bulwarke 
made  by  the  haven  syde  near  the  sea,  on  the  ground 
where  the  chapel  stood  (St.  Nicholas),  which  I 
suppose  your  Grace  remembereth,  there  is  another 
greater  bulwarke  made  on  the  mane  ground  at  the 
great  church  standing  at  the  upper  end  of  the 
town  towards  Edinburghe."     (Mait.  Club.) 

In  a  history  published  in  the  Wodrow  Miscellany 
we  are  told  that  in  1560  the  English  "  lykewise 
shott  downe  some  pairt  of  the  east  end  of  the 
Kirk  of  Leith,"  thus  destroying  the  choir  and  tran- 
septs. 

On  Easter  Sunday,  when  the  people  were  at  mass, 
a  great  ball  passed  through  the  eastern  window,  just 
before  the  elevation  of  the  host. 

That  Hertford's  two  invasions  were  unnecessarily 
savage — truly  Turkish  in  their  atrocities,  as  dic- 
tated, in  the  first  instance,  by  order  of  Henry  VIII. 
— is  perfectly  well  known  ;  but  it  is  less  so  that  he 
materially  aided  the  work  of  the  Reformers. 

In  1674  a  stone  tower,  surmounted  in  the  Scoto- 
Dutch  taste  by  a  conical  spire  of  wood  and  metal, 
was  erected  at  the  west  end ;  and  in  1 68 1  a  clock 
was  added  thereto. 

The  English  advanced,  and  took  possession  of 
Leith  immediately  after  the  battle  of  Pinkie,  and 
remained  there  for  some  days,  after  failing  in  their 
unsuccessful  attempt  on  Edinburgh.  During  that 
time  the  Earl  of  Huntly  and  many  other  Scottish 
prisoners  of  every  rank  and  degree  were  confined 
in  St.  Mary's  Church,  while  treating  for  their  ransom. 

"The  cruelty,"  says  Tytler,  il  of  the  slaughter  at 
Pinkie,  and  the  subsequent  severities  at  Leith, 
excited  universal  indignation  ;  and  the  idea  that  a 
free  country  was  to  be  compelled  into  a  pacific 
matrimonial  alliance,  amid  the  groans  of  its  dying 
citizens  and  the  flames  of  its  seaports,  was  revolting 
and  absurd."    ' 


THE    REV.    JOHN    LOGAN. 


The  first  Protestant  minister  of  Leith,  at  the 
.settlement  of  the  Reformation  in  1560,  was  David 
Lindsay,  who  was  Moderator  of  the  Assembly  in 
1557  and  1582,  and  who,  in  the  year  1573,  attended 
Sir  William  Kirkaldy  of  Grange  on  the  scaffold. 
He  accompanied  James  VI.  to  Norway,  married 
him  to  Anne  of  Denmark,  and  baptised  their  sons  : 
the  Prince  Henry,  who  died  young,  and  the  Duke 
■of  Albany,  afterwards  Charles  I.  So  early  as  1597 
his  inclination  to  episcopacy  alienated  him  from 
his  Presbyterian  brethren ;  and  in  1 600,  as  a  reward 
for  aiding  the  king  in  defence  of  his  royal  pre- 
rogative, he  was  made  Bishop  of  Ross. 

He  was  one  of  the  only  two  clergymen  in  all 
Scotland  who,  at  the  royal  command,  prayed  for 
the  friendless  and  defenceless  Mary.  He  died  at 
Leith  in  1613,  in  his  eighty-third  year,  and,  says 
Spottiswood,  was  buried  there  "  by  his  own  direc- 
tions, as  desiring  to  rest  with  the  people  on  whom 
he  had  taken  great  pains  during  his  life."  He  was 
the  lineal  descendant  of  Sir  Walter  Lindsay  of 
Edzell,  who  fell  at  Flodden. 

Walter,  first  Earl  of  Buccleuch,  commander  of 
a  Scottish  regiment  under  the  States  of  Holland, 
having  died  in  London  in  the  winter  of  1634,  his 
body  was  embalmed,  and  sent  home  by  sea  in  a 
Kirkcaldy  ship,  which,  after  being  sorely  tempest- 
tossed  and  driven  to  the  coast  of  Norway,  reached 
Leith  in  the  June  of  the  following  year,  when  the 
carl's  remains  were  placed  in  St.  Mary's  church, 
where  they  lay  for  twenty  days,  till  the  Clan  Scott 
mustered,  and  a  grand  funeral  was  accorded  them 
at  Hawick,  the  heraldic  magnificence  of  which 
had  rarely  been  seen  in  Scotland,  while  the 
mourning  trumpets  wailed  along  the  banks  of  the 
Teviot.  A  black  velvet  pall,  powdered  with  silver 
tears,  covered  the  coffin,  whereon  lay  "the  defunct's 
helmet  and  coronet,  overlaid  with  cypress,  to  show 
that  he  had  been  a  soldier." 

It  was  not  until  1609  that  St.  Mary's  was  con- 
stituted by  Act  of  Parliament  a  parish  church,  and 
invested  with  all  the  revenues  and  pertinents  of 
Restalrig. 

When  the  troops  of  Cromwell  occupied  Leith, 
as  the  parish  registers  record,  Major  Pearson,  the 
town  major  of  the  garrison,  by  order  of  Timothy 
Wilkes,  the  English  governor-depute,  went  to  James 
Stevenson,  the  kirk  treasurer, and  demanded  the  keys 
of  St.  Mary's,  informing  him  that  no  Scots  minister 
was  to  preach  till  further  orders  ;  so  eventually  the 
people  had  to  hear  sermons  on  the  Links,  with 
difficulty  getting  the  gates  open,  from  seven  in  the 
morning  till  two  in  the  afternoon  on  Sunday. 

In  1656  they  sent  a  petition  to  Cromwell  in 
England,  praying  him  "  to  restore  the  church,  as 


there  is  no  place  to  meet  in  but  the  open  fields." 
To  this  petition  no  answer  seems  to  have  been 
returned;  but  during  this  period  there  are,  says 
Robertson,  in  his  "Antiquities  of  Leith,"  indications 
that  Oliver's  own  chaplains,  and  even  his  officers, 
conducted  services  in  St.  Mary's  church.  "  It  has 
often  been  asserted,"  he  adds,  "that  at  this  time 
St.  Mary's  was  converted  into  a  stable  to  accom- 
modate the  steeds  of  the  troopers  of  Cromwell ;  it 
has  been  added,  '  a  company  of  his  Ironsides,  with 
their  right  hands  (i.e.,  their  horses),  abased  the 
temple.'  No  authority  exists  for  this,  save  vague 
tradition,  to  which  the  reader  may  attach  what  im- 
portance he  may  deem  fit." 

Previous  to  the  Revolution  of  1688  a  separation 
of  the  congregation  is  recorded  in  the  church  at 
Leith,  those  who  adhered  to  prelacy  occupying  the 
latter,  while  the  pure  Presbyterians  formed  a  sepa- 
rate party  at  the  Meeting-House  Green,  near  the 
Sheriff  (Shirra)  Brae.  The  latter,  belonging  to  North 
as  well  as  South  Leith,  were  permitted  to  meet 
there  for  prayer  and  sermon,  by  special  permission 
of  King  James  in  16S7,  Mr.  William  Wishart  being 
chosen  minister  of  that  congregation. 

The  Rev.  John  Logan,  the  author  of  various 
poetical  works,  but  known  as  the  inglorious  and 
but  lately-detected  pirate  of  some  manuscripts  of 
Michael  Bruce,  the  Scottish  Kirk  White,  was 
appointed  minister  of  this  church  in  1773.  He 
was  certainly  a  highly-gifted  man ;  and  though  his 
name  is,  perhaps,  forgotten  in  South  Britain,  he 
will  be  remembered  in  Scotland  as  long  as  her 
Church  uses  those  beautiful  Scripture  paraphrases, 
the  most  solemn  of  which  is  the  hymn,  "  The  hour 
of  my  departure  's  come." 

He  was  the  son  of  a  small  farmer  near  Fala,  and 
was  born  in  1748.  He  delivered  a  course  of 
lectures  in  Edinburgh  with  much  success,  and 
had  a  tragedy  called  "  Runnymede  "  acted  in  the 
theatre  there,  when,  fortunately  for  him,  the  times 
were  somewhat  changed  from  those  when  the 
production  of  Home's  "  Douglas  "  excited  such  a 
grotesque  ferment  in  the  Scottish  Church.  He 
became  latterly  addicted  to  intemperance,  the 
result  of  great  mental  depression,  and,  proceeding 
to  London,  lived  by  literary  labour  of  various 
kinds,  but  did  not  long  survive  his  transference 
to  the  metropolis,  as  he  died  in  a  lodging  in  Great 
Marlborough  Street  on  the  28th  December,  1788. 

In  the  burying-ground  attached  to  St.  Mary's, 
John  Home,  the  author  of  "  Douglas"  and  other 
literary  works,  a  native  of  Leith,  was  interred  in 
September,  1808. 

In  1848,  during  the  rigime  of  George  Aldiston 
MacLaren,  fourth  Provost  of  Leith,  the  old  church 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


was  restored,  but  in  somewhat  doubtful  taste,  by 
Thomas  Hamilton,  architect,  and  a  new  square 
tower,  terminating  in  a  richly  cusped  open  Gothic 
balustrade,  was  erected  at  its  north-western  corner, 
while  the  angles  of  the  building  were  ornamented 


by  buttresses  finished  with  docketed  finials, 
scarcely  in  accordance  with  the  severe  simplicity 
of  the  old  time-worn  and  war-worn  church  of  St. 
Mary,  the  beautiful  eastern  window  of  which  was 
preserved  in  form. 


CHAPTER    XXIV. 

LEITH— THE    KIRKGATE    {concluded). 


Coalfield  I  ane— The  House  of  the  Earl  of  Carriclc—  Afterwards  of  the  1 
Trinity  House-The  Kantore— 1 

Four  hundred  and  fifty  feet  north-westward  of 
St.  Mary's  church,  and  on  the  same  side  of  the 
Kirkgate,  opens  the  ancient  alley  named  Coatfield 
Lane,  which,  after  a  turn  to  the  south  in  Charlotte 
Lane,  led  originally  to  the  Links.  Dr.  Robertson 
gives  a  quotation  from  the  "  Parish  Records  "  of 
South  Leith,  under  date  25th  May,  1592,  as 
showing  "  the  origin  "  of  Coatfield  Lane  :  "  the 
quhilk  day,  the  Provost,  Johnne  Arnottis,  shepherd, 
was  acted  that  for  every  sheep  he  beit  in  ye  Kirk- 
yeard  suld  pay  ix  merks,  and  everie  nyt  yat  carried 
(kept)  thame  betwix  the  Coatfield  and  ye  Kirk 
style  he  should  pay  v.  merk." 


:  of  St.  Anthony— The  Old 


But  the  name  is  older  than  the  date  given,  as 
Patrick  Logan  of  Coatfield  was  Bailie  of  Leith 
10th  September,  1470,  and  Robert  Logan  of  the 
same  place  was  Provost  of  the  city  in  1520-1,  as 
the  "Burgh  Records  "  show  ;  and  when  ruin  began 
to  overtake  the  wily  and  powerful  Baron  of  Restalrig, 
his  lands  of  Mount  Lothian  and  Nether  Gogar 
were  purchased  from  him  by  Andrew  Logan  of 
Coatfield  in  1596,  as  stated  in  the  old  "Douglas 
Peerage." 

At  the  corner  of  Coatfield  Lane,  in  the  Kirkgate, 
there  stands  a  great  mansion,  having  a  handsome 
front  to  the  east,  exhibiting  some  curious  examples 


THE    EARL    OF    CARRICK. 


of  the  debased  Gothic  architecture  which  prevailed 
in  the  reign  of  James  VI.  From  its  subsequent 
noble  proprietors,  it  bears  still  the  name  of  Bal- 
merino  House  ;  but  long  before  they  acquired  the 
property  here,  it  was  built  by  John  Stewart,  Earl 
of  Carrick,  second  son  of  Sir  Robert  Stewart  of 
Strathdon  (a  natural  son  of  James  V.,  by  Euphemia, 
daughter  of  Lord  Elphinstone),  and  who  was 
created  Earl  of  Orkney  by  James  VI.  in  15S1. 
(Stuart's  "  Hist.  Royal  Fam.") 


unequivocal  marks  of  former  magnificence.  A 
projecting  staircase  is  thrust  obliquely  into  the 
narrow  space,  and  adapts  itself  to  the  irregular 
sides  of  the  court  by  sundry  corners  and  recesses, 
such  as  form  the  most  characteristic  features  of  our 
old  Scottish  domestic  architecture,  and  might 
:  almost  seem  to  a  powerful  imagination  to  have 
been  produced  as  it  jostled  itself  into  the  straitened 
site.  A  richly-decorated  dormer  window  forms  the 
chief  ornament  of  this  part  of  the  building,  finished 


The  house  was  built  in  163 1,  two  years  before 
John,  the  second  son  of  Robert,  was  created  Earl 
of  Carrick  by  Charles  I.,  after  being  previously 
created  Lord  Kincleven  by  James  VI.  in  1607. 
He  was  a  man  of  high  attainments,  and  married 
Elizabeth  Howard,  daughter  of  Charles,  Earl  of 
Nottingham,  and  died  in  the  year  1652,  leaving  only 
one  daughter,  Lady  Margaret  Stewart.  (Collins's 
'■  Peerage,"  &c.) 

Wilson  thus  describes  the  house  : — 

"  Entering  (from  the  Kirkgate)  by  a  low  and 
narrow  archway  immediately  behind  the  buildings 
1  n  the  east  side,  about  half-way  between  Charlotte 
Street  and  Coatfield  Lane,  the  visitor  finds  hin  self 
in  a  singular-looking,  irregular  little  court,  retaining 


with  unusually  fine  Elizabethan  work.and  surmounted 
by  a  coronet  and  thistle,  with  the  letter  C.  Behind 
this,  a  simple  square  tower  rises  to  a  considerable 
height,  finished  with  a  bartizaned  roof,  apparently 
designed  for  commanding  an  extensive  view.  Such 
is  the  approach  to  the  sole  remaining  abode  of 
royalty  in  this  ancient  burgh.  The  straitened 
access,  however,  conveys  a  very  false  idea  of  the 
accommodation  within.  It  is  a  large  and  elegant 
mansion,  presenting  a  main  front  to  the  east,  where 
an  extensive  piece  of  garden  ground  is  enclosed, 
j  reaching  nearly  to  the  site  of  the  ancient  town 
I  walls,  from  whence  it  is  probable  there  was  an 
J  opening  to  the  adjacent  downs.  The  east  front 
I  appears  to  have  been  considerably  modernised." 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


He  adds  that  the  most  striking  feature  is  the 
curiously  decorated  doorway,  an  ogee  arch,  filled 
in  with  rich  Gothic  tracery,  surmounting  a  square 
lintel,  finished  with  the  head  of  a  lion,  which  seems 
to  hold  the  arch  suspended  in  its  mouth.  "  On 
either  side  is  a  sculptured  shield,  on  one  of  which 
a  monogram  is  cut,  characterised  by  the  usual  in- 
explicable ingenuity  of  these  riddles,  with  the  date 
1631." 

The  other  shield  bears,  1st  and  4th  the  lion  ram- 
pant, 2nd  and  3rd  a  ship,  a  smaller  shield  with  a 
chevron,  and  a  motto  round  the  whole,  Sic  Fvit  est 
Et  erit.  The  monogram  is  distinctly  the  four  initial 
letters  of  John  Stewart,  Earl  of  Carrick. 

The  arms,  says  Wilson,  are  neither  those  of  Lord 
Balmerino,  "  nor  of  his  ancestor,  James  Elphinstone 
(Lord  Coupar),  to  whom  the  coroneted  '  C  '  might 
be  supposed  to  refer.  The  Earls  of  Crawford  are 
also  known  to  have  had  a  house  in  Leith,  but  the 
arms  in  no  degree  correspond  with  those  borne  by 
any  of  these  families." 

On  the  13th  September,  1643,  John,  Earl  of 
Cairick,  sold  the  house  and  grounds  to  John,  Lord 
Balmerino,  whose  family  retained  it  as  a  residence 
till  the  attainder  of  the  last  peer  in  1746. 

In  1650,  during  the  defence  of  the  city  against 
Cromwell,  Charles  II.,  after  being  feasted  in  the 
Parliament  House  on  the  29th  of  July,  "  thairafter 
went  down  to  Leith,"  says  Nicoll,  in  his  "  Diary," 
"  to  ane  ludging  belonging  to  the  Lord  Balmerinoch, 
appointit  for  his  resait  during  his  abyding  in 
Leith." 

Balfour  records  in  his  "Annals  "  that  Anna  Kerr, 
widow  of  John,  Lord  Balmerino,  second  sister  of 
Robert,  Earl  of  Somerset,  Viscount  Rochester,  "  de- 
parted this  lyffe  at  Leith,"  on  the  15th  February, 
1650,  and  was  solemnly  interred  at  Restalrig. 

The  part  borne  in  history  by  Arthur,  sixth  and 
last  lord  of  this  family,  is  inseparably  connected 
with  the  adventures  of  Prince  Charles  Edward.  He 
was  born  in  the  year  of  the  Revolution,  and  held  a 
captain's  commission  under  Queen  Anne  in  Vis- 
count Shannon's  Foot,  the  25th,  or  Regiment  of 
Edinburgh.  This  he  resigned  to  take  up  arms 
under  the  Earl  of  Mar,  and  fought  at  Sheriffmuir, 
after  which  he  entered  the  French  service,  wherein 
he  remained  till  the  death  of  his  brother  Alexander, 
who,  as  the  Gentleman 's  Magazine  records,  expired 
at  Leith  in  October,  1733.  His  father,  anxious 
for  his  return  home,  sent  him  a  free  pardon  from 
Government  when  he  was  residing  at  Berne,  in 
Switzerland,  but  he  would  not  accept  it  until  "  he 
had  obtained  the  permission  of  James  VIII.  to  do 
so;"  after  which,  the  twenty  years'  exile  returned, 
and  was  joyfully  received  by  his  aged  father.  When 


Prince  Charles  landed  in  the  memorable  year,  1745, 
Arthur  Elphinstone  was  among  the  first  to  join 
him,  and  was  appointed  colonel  and  captain  of  the 
second  troop  of  Life  Guards,  under  Lord  Elcho, 
attending  his  person. 

He  was  at  the  capture  of  Carlisle,  the  advance 
to  and  retreat  from  Derby,  and  was  present  with 
the  Corps  de  Reserve  at  the  victory  of  Falkirk.  He 
succeeded  his  brother  as  Lord  Balmerino  on  the 
5th  January,  1746,  and  was  taken  prisoner  at  Cul- 
loden,  committed  to  the  Tower,  and  executed  with 
the  Earl  of  Kilmarnock  in  the  August  of  the 
same  year.  His  conduct  at  his  death  was  marked 
by  the  most  glorious  firmness  and  intrepidity.  By 
his  wife,  Margaret  (whom  we  have  referred  to  else- 
where), daughter  of  Captain  Chalmers  of  Leith,  he 
left  no  issue,  so  the  male  line  of  this  branch  of  the 
house  of  Elphinstone  became  extinct. 

His  estates  were  confiscated,  and  the  patronage 
of  the  first  charge  of  South  Leith  reverted  to  the 
Crown.  In  1746,  "Elizabeth,  dowager  of  Bal- 
merino "  (widow  of  James,  fifth  lord),  applied  by 
petition  to  "  My  Lords  Commissioners  of  Edin- 
burgh" for  the  sum  of  .£97  5s.,  on  the  plea 
"  that  your  petitioner's  said  deceast  lord  having 
died  on  the  6th  day  of  January,  1746,  the  petitioner 
did  aliment  his  family  from  that  time  till  the  Whit- 
sunday thereafter."  And  the  widow,  baroness  of 
Arthur — decollatus — was  reduced  to  an  aliment  of 
forty  pounds  a  year,  "graciously  granted  by  the 
House  of  Hanover,"  adds  Robertson,  who,  in  a  foot- 
note, gives  us  a  touching  little  letter  of  hers,  written 
in  London  on  the  day  after  her  husband's  execu- 
tion, addressed  to  her  sister,  Mrs.  Borthwick. 

In  1755  the  house  and  lands  of  Balmerino  were 
purchased  by  James,  Earl  of  Moray,  K.T.,  from  the 
Scottish  Barons  of  Exchequer,  and  six  months  after- 
wards the  noble  earl  sold  them  to  Lady  Baird  of 
Newbyth.  She,  in  1762,  was  succeeded  by  her 
brother,  General  St.  Clair  of  St.  Clair  ;  and  after 
being  in  possession  of  Lieutenant-General  Robert 
Home  Elphinstone  of  Logie-Elphinstone,  the  Leith 
property  was  acquired  by  William  Sibbald,  merchant 
there,  for  ,£1,475. 

The  once  stately  mansion  was  now  sub-divided, 
and  occupied  by  tenants  of  the  humblest  class,  until 
it  was  acquired  by  the  Catholic  Bishop  of  Edinburgh 
in  1848,  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  chapel  and 
schools,  for  the  sum  of  ^1,800. 

On  the  west  sideoftheKirkgate,  the  first  old  edifice 
of  note  was  the  Block  House  of  St.  Anthony,  built 
in  1559,  adjoining  St.  Anthony's  Port,  and  in  the 
immediate  vicinity  of  St.  Anthony's  Street  and 
Lane.  This  is  the  edifice  which  Lindsay,  in  his 
"  Chronicles,"  confounds  with  the  "  Kirk."     When 


THE    TRINITY    HOUSE. 


writing  of  the  siege,  he  says,  "  upon  the  twentieth  apply  those  dues  in  the  maintenance  of  a  hospital 
day,  the  principal  block-house  of  Leith,  called  St.  !  for  the  keeping  of  "  poor,  old,  infirm,  and  weak 
Anthony's    Kirk,   was  battered    down."     And   we  ,  mariners." 

have  already  referred  to  the  Act  of  Council  in  1560,  |  Long  previous  to  1797,  the  association,  though 
by  which  it  was  ordered  that  this  block  house  and  |  calling  itself  "  The  Corporation  of  Shipmasters  of 
the  curtain-wall  facing  Edinburgh  should  be  levelled  the  Trinity  House  of  Leith,"  was  a  corporation 
to  the  ground.  I  only  by  the  courtesy  of  popular  language,  and  pos- 

Immediately  opposite  St.  Mary's  Church  stands  j  sessed  merely  the  powers  of  a  charitable  body  ;  but 
the  Trinity  House  of  Leith,  erected  on  the  site  of  in  that  year  it  was  erected  by  charter  into  a 
the  original  edifice  bearing  that  name.  j  corporate  body,  whose   office-bearers  were  to  be  a 

This  Seaman's  Hospital  was  dedicated  to  the  master,  assistant  and  deputy-master,  a  manager, 
Holy  Trinity,  and  the  inscription  which  adorned  treasurer,  and  clerk,  and  was  vested  with  powers— 
the  ancient  building  is  now  built  into  the  south  reserving,  however,  those  of  the  Corporation  of  the 
wall  of  the  new  one,  facing  St.  Giles's  Street,  and  city  of  Edinburgh— to  examine,  and  under  its 
is  cut  in  large  and  highly 


ornamental     antique      let- 
ters :— 

"In  the  Name  of  the 

Lord, 

Ye  Masteris  and  Marineris 

Bylis  this  Hoys 

to  ye  poyr. 

Anno  Domini,  1555." 

In  the  east  wing  of  the 
present  edifice  there  is  pre- 
served a  stone,  on  which  is 
carved  a  cross-staff  and 
other  nautical  instruments 
of  the  sixteenth  century, 
an  anchor,  and  two  globes, 
with  the  motto  : — 


Pervia,  Virtuti.  Sidera, 
Terra,  Mare;" 


seal  to  license,  persons  to 
be  pilots,  and  to  exact 
admission  fees  from  licen- 
tiates. The  Corporation 
obtained,  according  to  Ar- 
not,  from  Mary  of  Lorraine 
a  gift,  afterwards  ratified 
by  William  and  Mary,  of 
one  penny  duty  on  the  ton 
of  goods  in  the  harbour 
of  Leith  for  the  support  of 
their  poor.  For  the  fur- 
ther support  of  the  latter 
the  shipmasters  paid  an- 
nually a  sixpence  out  of 
their  own  wages,  and  the 
same  sum  they  gave  upon 
the  wages  of  their  seamen. 
In  this  house  some  of  the 
poor  were  wont  to  be  main- 


JI.PTURED    STONE    PRESERVED    IN    THE    EAVT 
WING  OF  TRINITY   HOUSE. 

and  beneath  is  carved — 

"  Instituted  1380.    Built  1555.    Rebuilt  1S16."  j  tained,  but  they  were  then  (1779)  all  out-pensioners. 

"The  date  of  this  foundation,"  says  Daniel  !  In  the  inventory  of  deeds  belonging  to  this 
Wilson  "  is  curious.  Its  dedication  implies  that  it  institution  is  enumerated  : — "  Ane  charter  granted 
originated  with  the  adherents  of  the  ancient  faith,  j  by  Mathew  Forrester,  in  favour  of  the  foresaide 
while  the  date  of  the  old  inscription  indicates  the  '  mariners  of  Leith,  of  the  said  land  of  ye  hospital 
very  period  when  the  Queen  Regent  assumed  the 


reins  of  government.  That  same  year  John  Knox 
landed  at  Leith  on  his  return  from  exile  ;  and  only 
three  years  later,  the  last  convocation  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  clergy  that  ever  assembled  in  Scotland 
under  the  sanction  of  its  laws  was  held  in  the 
Blackfriars  Church  at  Edinburgh,  and  signalised 
its  final  session  by  proscribing  Sir  David  Lindsay's 
writings,  and  enacting  that  '  his  buik  should  be 
abolished  and  burnt.'  " 

From  time  immemorial  the  shipmasters  and 
mariners  of  Leith  received  from  all  vessels  of  the 
port,  and  all  Scottish  vessels  visiting  it,  certain 
duties,  called  "  primo  gilt,"  which  were  expended  in 
aiding  poor  seamen  ;  and  about  the  middle  of  the 
sixteenth  century   they   acquired  a  legal  right  to 


bankes,  and  for  undercallit  ye  grounds  lying  in  Leith. 

.  .  also  saide  yeird.  .  .  dated  26  July,  1567, 
sealit  and  subscribit  be  the  saide  Mat.  Forrester, 
Prebender  of  St.  Antoine,  near  Leith."  ("  Monas- 
ticon  Scota;.") 

During  the  Protectorate  the  ample  vaults  under 
the  old  Trinity  House  (now  or  latterly  used  as  wine 
stores)  were  filled  with  the  munition  of  Monk's 
troops,  for  which  they  paid  a  rent. 

"By  his  Highness'  councill  in  Scotland,  for  the 
governing  theirof:  these  are  to  require  2,000 
forthwith  out  of  such  moneys  dew  or  schal  come 
to  the  hands  of  the  Customes,  out  of  the  third  part 
of  the  profits  arysing  from  the  Excyse  in  Scotland, 
to  pay  William  Robertson  (collector  for  the  poore 
of  Trinitie  House  in  Leyth)  the  somme  of  ^3  15s. 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


sterling,  for  a  yeir's  rent  of  a  vault  under  the  said 
Trinitie  House,  imployed  to  lay  in  stores  for  the 
army,  determining  the  8th  of  March  last.  .  .  . 
Given  at  Edinburgh  the  last  day  of  Apryl,  1657. 
Sic  subscribitur,  George  Monk,  F.  Scrope, 
Quathetham  "  i.e.  Wetham.  ("  Trinity  House  Re- 
cords.") 

In  1800  the  master  and  assistants  of  the  Trinity 
House  recommended,  as  the  best  means  of  rendering 
safer  the  navigation  on  the  east  coast  of  Scotland, 


of  the  old  one,  in  a  Grecian  style  of  architecture, 
in  1817,  at  the  modest  expense  of  ,£2,500. 

In  the  large  hall  for  the  meeting  of  the  masters 
are  a  portrait  of  Mary  of  Lorraine,  by  Mytens,  and  a 
model  of  the  ship  in  which  she  came  to  Scotland. 
Among  other  portraits,  there  is  one  of  Admiral 
Lord  Duncan;  and  among  other  pictures  of  interest, 
the  late  David  Scott's  huge  painting  of  "  Vasco  de 
Gama  passing  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope." 

A    building    mysteriously  named  the   Kantore 


the  establishment  of  a  lighthouse,  or  floating  light, 
on  the  Inchcape,  or  Bell  Rock,  off  the  mouth  of 
the  Tay  ;  and,  adds  the  Edinburgh  Chronicle  for 
that  year,  "  they  Irave  also  recommended  all  the 
towns  and  burghs  of  the  east  coast  to  consider 
what  sort  of  light  would  be  best,  in  what  manner 
it  should  be  erected,  and  what  duties  should  be 
levied  on  the  shipping,  and  what  shipping,  for  its 
erection  and  support  ;  "  and  there,  six  years  after- 
wards, was  begun  that  famous  feat  of  engineer- 
ing, the  Bell  Rock  Lighthouse,  on  the  reef  which 
had  proved  so  fatal  to  many  a  mariner  in  past 
times,  and  which  forms  the  subject  of  one  of 
Southey's  fine  ballads. 

The  present  Trinity  House  was  built  on  the  site 


(probably  a  corruption  of  the  Flemish  word  kan- 
toor,  a  place  of  business)  stood  of  old  in  the  Kirk- 
gate,  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  St.  Mary's 
Church,  and  was  intimately  associated  with  the 
ecclesiastical  history  of  Leith.  It  was  latterly  a 
species  of  prison-house.  When  an  appearance  of 
religion  was  necessary  to  all  men  in  Scotland,  the 
Kantore  was  used  as  a  place  of  temporary  durance 
for  those  who  incurred  in  any  way  the  censure  of 
the  Kirk  Session.  "  Offences  of  the  most  trivial 
nature  were  most  severely  punished,"  says  a  writer, 
"  and  a  system  of  espionage  was  maintained,  from 
which  there  was  hardly  any  possibility  of  escape. 
Either  Leith  must,  in  former  times,  have  exceeded 
in  wickedness  the  other  parts  of  Scotland,  or  the 


THK    KANTORE. 


«5 


Session  must  have  been  determined  to  make  it 
a  sort  of  pattern  parish  for  the  whole  kingdom. 
Not  content  with  the  by  no  means  inconsiderable 
amount  of  zeal  they  displayed,  they  also  had  the 
assistance  of  a  dignitary  styled  the  Bailie  of  St. 
Anthony,  whose  special  duty  it  was  to  ferret  out 


the  last  of  whom  was  abolished   by  the  Reform 
Bill. 

In  those  days  we  are  told  that  to  cut  a  cabbage, 
to  boil  a  kettle,  or  to  wander  in  the  streets  during 
the  hours  of  sermon,  rendered  a  person  liable  to  arrest 
by  a  military  patrol,and  incarceration  in  the  Kantore. 


TOLEOOTH   WY 


transgressors    against  ecclesiastical    authority,  and 
have  them  brought  before  him  for  trial." 

That  the  Session  considered  him  their  own 
special  official  is  made  evident  from  the  circum- 
stance that  when  the  sheriff  of  the  county,  in  the 
year  1688,  ventured  to  dispute  his  authority  and 
question  his  decisions,  the  Session  passed  a  vote 
commanding  their  treasurer  to  disburse  what  money 
was  necessary  to  defend  the  rights  of  this  official, 
125 


In  the  centre  of  the  edifice  was  an  archway,  and 
above  it  was  a  chamber,  which,  by  order  of  the 
Session  in  1632,  was  repaired  for  the  use  of  "the 
doctor  (teacher)  of  the  Grammar  School."  In  1692 
the  same  chamber  was  used  as  a  Session  House, 
during  a  dispute  about  the  incumbency  of  the 
parish.  In  later  times  the  lower  chambers  were 
used  as  a  receptacle  for  the  gravedigger's  tools  and 
the  debris  of  the  churchyard,  in  which  latter,  in  the 


226 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


first  years  of  the  eighteenth  century,  the  minister's 
sheep  and  goats  were  wont  to  browse. 

Wilson  describes  a  building  eastward  of  the 
Trinity  House,  in  the  Kirkgate,  at  the  head  of 
Combe's  Close,  as  being  undoubtedly  one  of  the 
most  ancient  in  Leith.  "  The  upper  storeys  appear 
to  have  been  erected  about  the  end  of  the  six- 
teenth century,  and  form  rather  a  neat  and  pic- 
turesque specimen  of  the  private  buildings  of  that 
period  ;  but  the  ground  floor  presents  different  and 
altogether  dissimilar  features.  An  arcade  extends 
along  nearly  the  whole  front,  formed  of  semi- 
circular arches  resting  on  massive  round  pillars, 
finished  with  neat  moulded  capitals.  Their  ap- 
pearance is  such  that  even  an  experienced  anti- 


]  quary,  if  altogether  ignorant  of  the  history  of  the 

t  locality,  would  at  once  pronounce  them  to  be  very 
interesting  Norman  remains.  That  they  are  of 
considerable  antiquity  cannot    be   doubted.     The 

;  floor  of  the  house  is  now  several  feet  below  the 
level  of  the  street ;  and  the  ground  has  risen  so 
much  within  one  of  them,  which  is  an  open  archway 
giving  access  to  the  court  behind,  that  a  man  of 

!  ordinary  stature  has  to  stoop  considerably  in 
attempting  to  pass  through  it.  No  evidence  is 
more   incontrovertible  as   to   the   great   age   of  a 

,  building  than  this."  Other  instances  of  a  similar 
mode  of  construction  are,  however,  to  be  found  in 

i  Leith,  tending  to  show  that  the  style  of  archi- 
tecture is  not  a  criterion  of  the  date  of  erection." 


CHAPTER   XXV. 
LEITH— TOLBOOTH   WYND   AND   ADJOINING   STREETS. 


St.  Giles's  Street-Les  Deux  Bras-St. 
clock  Coach  "—Signal  Tower— A 
Lorraine -Old  Episcopal  Chapel- 


r/'s  Street— The  Gun  Stone— Meeting-house  in  Cable's  Wynd-Toibooth  Wynd—  "The  Twelve  o' 
Tablet -The  Old  Tolbooth— Prisoners— The  New  Tolbooth- Queen  Street— House  of  Mary  of 
iourse-Burgess  Close— Waters'  Close. 


Immediately  to  the  eastward  of  the  Kirkgate, 
and  opening  off  it,  lie  three  ancient  thoroughfares 
—St.  Giles's  Street;  St.  Andrew's  Street,  or  Zes 
Deux  Bras,  as  it  was  named  by  the  garrison  of 
Marechal  Strozzi ;  and  the  Tolbooth  Wynd. 

The  first  of  these  winds  in  its  progress,  and  is 
fully  a  thousand  feet  in  length,  to  its  intersection 
on  the  westward  by  Kapple's  (or  Cable's)  Wynd. 

Amid  the  new  erections  here  at  its  eastern  end, 
and  bordering  on  Kemp's  Close — a  narrow  alley, 
doomed  by  the  Improvement  scheme  of  1880 — is  a 
great  public  school,  an  edifice  with  a  frontage  of 
nearly  a  hundred  feet,  by  an  average  depth  of 
seventy. 

The  custom  of  affixing  divers  legends  to  the 
lintels  of  their  dwellings  appertained  quite  as  much 
to  the  denizens  of  Leith  as  to  those  of  Edinburgh ; 
and  Wilson  records  that  he  found  the  earliest 
instance  of  it  on  an  ancient  tenement  at  the  head 
of  Binnie's  Close,  in  St.  Giles's  Street,  accompanied 
by  a  large  and  finely-cut  shield,  charged  with  two 
coats  of  arms  impaled,  the  date  1594,  and  the 
aphorism,  Blessit  be  God  for  all  His  g'ftes.  "In 
Vinegar  Close,"  he  adds,  "  an  ancient  building, 
now  greatly  modernised,  is  adorned  with  a  large 
sculptured  shield,"  of  which  he  gives  a  drawing,  as 
Robertson  does  also  in  his  "  Antiquities."  It  bears 
the  names  of  "Hendry  Smith  "  and  "  Agnes  Gray," 
and   has   in   the   first  canton  a  saltire,  with  two 


sheaves  of  wheat ;  in  chief  a  crescent,  and  in  base 
a  ship  ;  in  the  second,  the  lion  rampant  within  the 
tressure ;  over  all  a  beautiful  scroll,  and  a  closed 
helmet  crested  with  a  sheaf  of  wheat. 

In    Muckle's    Close,    an   adjacent   alley,  is  the 


legend,  "The  Blissing  of  God   is   Grit   Riches," 
with  the  date  1609,  and  the  initials  M.  S. 

St.  Andrew's  Street  is  above  six  hundred  feet  in 
length,  and  is  intersected  at  right  angles  in  its 
centre  by  Riddle's  Close.     In  Smeaton's  Close,  a 


Leith. 1 


THE    TOLBOOTH    WYNI). 


2I7 


narrow  alley  adjoining  the  latter,  a  house  bearing 
the  date  1688  has  the  two  legends,  "  Feir  the 
Lord,"  and  "  The  feir  of  the  Lord  is  the  beginning 
of  al  wisdome." 

This  part  of  the  town — about  the  foot  of  St. 
Andrew's  Street — is  said  to  ha'e  borne  anciently 
the  name  of  St.  Leonard's.  There  the  street 
diverges  into  two  alleys  :  one  narrow  and  gloomy, 
which  bears  the  imposing  title  of  Parliament  Court ; 
and  the  other  called  Sheephead  Wynd,  in  which 
there  remains  a  very  ancient  edifice,  the  ground 
floor  of  which  is  formed  of  arches  constructed  like 
those  of  the  old  house  described  in  the  Kirkgate, 
and  bearing  the  date  1579,  with  the  initials  D.  W., 
M.  W.  Though  small  and  greatly  dilapidated,  it 
is  ornamented  with  string-courses  and  mouldings ; 
and  it  was  not  without  some  traces  of  old  import- 
ance and  grandeur  amid  its  decay  and  degradation, 
until  it  was  entirely  altered  in  1859. 

This  house  is  said  to  have  received  the  local 
name  of  the  Gun  Stone,  from  the  circumstance  of 
a  stone  cannon  ball  of  considerable  size  having 
been  fired  into  it  during  some  invasion  by  an 
English  ship  of  war.  Local  tradition  avers  that 
for  many  years  this  bullet  formed  an  ornament  on 
the  summit  of  the  square  projecting  staircase  of 
the  house. 

Near  Cable's  Wynd,  which  adjoins  this  alley,  and 
between  it  and  King  Street,  at  a  spot  called 
Meeting-house  Green,  are  the  relics  of  a  building 
formerly  used  as  a  place  of  worship,  and  although 
it  does  not  date  farther  back  than  the  Revolution 
of  1688,  it  is  oddly  enough  called  "John  Knox's 
Church." 

The  records  of  South  Leith  parish  bear  that  in 
1692,  "  the  magistrates  of  Edinburgh,  and  members 
of  the  Presbytery  there,  with  a  confused  company 
of  the  people,  entered  the  church  by  breaking  open 
the  locks  of  the  doors  and  putting  on  new  ones, 
and  so  caused  guard  the  church  doors  with  hal- 
berts,  rang  the  bells,  and  possessed  Mr.  Wishart  of 
the  church,  against  which  all  irregular  proceedings 
public. protests  were  taken." 

Previous  to  this  he  would  seem  to  have  officiated 
in  a  kind  of  chapel-of-ease  established  near  Cable's 
Wynd,  by  permission  of  James  VII.  in  1687. 

Soon  after  the  forcible  induction  recorded,  he 
came  to  the  church  with  a  guard  of  halberdiers, 
accompanied  by  the  magistrates  of  Leith,  and  took 
possession  of  the  Session  House,  compelling  the 
"  prelatick  Session  "  to  hold  their  meeting  in  the 
adjacent  Kantore.  More  unseemly  matters  fol- 
lowed, for  in  December  of  the  year  1692,  when  a 
meeting  was  held  in  South  Leith  Church  to  hear 
any  objection"  that  might  be  made  against  the  legal 


induction  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Wishart,  an  adherent  of 
Mr.  Kay,  "one  of  the  prelatick  incumbents,"  pro- 
tested loudly  against  the  whole  proceedings. 

Upon  this,  "  Mr.  Livingstone,  a  brewer  at  the 
Craigend  (or  Calton),  rose  up,  and,  in  presence  of 
the  Presbytery,  did  most  violently  fall  upon  the 
commissioner,  and  buffeted  him  and  nipped  his 
cheeks,  and  had  many  base  expressions  to  him." 

Others  now  fell  on  the  luckless  commissioner, 
who  was  ultimately  thrust  into  the  Tolbooth  of 
Leith  by  a  magistrate,  for  daring  to  do  that  which 
the  Presbytery  had  suggested.  Mr.  Kay's  session 
were  next  driven  out  of  the  Kantore,  on  the  door 
of  which  another  lock  was  placed. 

It  has  been  supposed  that  the  ousted  episcopal 
incumbent  formed  his  adherents  into  a  small  con- 
gregation, as  he  remained  long  in  Leith,  and  died 
at  his  house  in  the  Yardheads  there  so  lately  as 
November,  17 19,  in  the  seventieth  year  of  his  age. 
His  successor,  the  Rev.  Robert  Forbes,  was  minister 
j  of  an  episcopal  chapel  in  Leith,  according  to  an 
!  anonymous  writer,  "  very  shortly  after  Mr.  Kay's 
death,  and  records  a  baptism  as  having  been  per- 
formed '  in  my  room  in  ye  Yardheads.'  " 

The  history  of  the  Meeting-house  near  Cable's 
Wynd  is  rather  obscure,  but  it  seems  to  have  been 
generally  used  as  a  place  of  worship.  The  last 
occasion  was  during  a  visit  of  John  Wesley,  the 
great  founder  of  Methodism.  He  was  announced 
'  to  preach  in  it ;  but  so  great  a  concourse  of  people 
'  assembled,  that  the  edifice  was  incapable  of  ac- 
commodating them,  so  he  addressed  the  multitude 
on  the  Meeting-house  Green..  A  house  near  it, 
says  The  Scotsman  in  1879,  is  pointed  out  as  "  the 
Manse." 

The  Tolbooth  Wynd  is  about  five  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  in  length,  from  where  the  old  signal-tower 
stood,  at  the  foot  of  the  Kirkgate,  to  the  site  of  a 
now  removed  building  called  Old  Babylon,  which 
stood  upon  the  Shore. 

The  second  old  thoroughfare  of  Leith  was  un- 
doubtedly the  picturesque  Tolbooth  Wynd,  as  the 
principal  approach  to  the  harbour,  after  it  super- 
seded the  more  ancient  Burgess  Close. 

It  was  down  this  street  that,  in  the  age  when 
Leith  was  noted  for  its  dark  superstitions  and  ec- 
centric inhabitants,  the  denizens  therein,  regularly 
on  stormy  nights  or  those  preceding  a  storm, 
heard  with  horror,  at  midnight,  the  thundering 
noise  of  "  the  twelve  o'clock  coach,"  a  great  oata- 
falque-looking  vehicle,  driven  by  a  tall,  gaunt  figure 
without  a  head,  drawn  by  black  horses,  also  head- 
less, and  supposed  to  be  occupied  by  a  mysterious 
female. 

Near  the  eastern  end  of  the  wynd  there  stood 


228 


OLD   AND    NEW   EDINBURGH. 


for  many  .generations  an  ancient  and  lofty  signal- 
tower,  the  summit  of  which  was  furnished  with 
little  port-holes,  like  the  loops  designed  for  arrows 
or  musketry  in  our  old  Scottish  fortalices,  but  which 
were  constructed  here  for  the  more  peaceable  pur- 
pose of  watching  the  merchant  ships  of  the  port 
as  they  bore  up  the  Firth  of  Forth  or  came  to 
anchor  off  the  Mussel  Cape. 

An  unusually  bold  piece  of  sculpture,  in  a  deep 
square  panel,  was  above  the  archway  that  led 
into  the  courtyard  behind.  It  was  afterwards 
placed  over  the  arched  entrance  leading  from  the 
Tolbooth  Wynd  to  St.  Andrew's  Street,  and,  as 
shown  by  Robertson,  bears  the  date  1678,  with 
the  initials  G.  R.,  with  two  porters  carrying  a 
barrel  slung  between  them,  a  ship  with  a  lee-board 
and  the  Scottish  ensign,  an  edifice  resembling  a 
mill  or  two-storeyed  granary,  and  above  it  a  repre- 
sentation of  a  curious  specimen  of  mechanical 
ingenuity. 

The  latter  consists  of  a  crane,  the  entire  machinery 
of  which  "  was  comprised  in  one  large  drum  or 
broad  wheel,  made  to  revolve,  like  the  wire  cylinder 
of  a  squirrel's  cage,  by  a  poor  labourer,  who  occu- 
pied the  quadruped's  place,  and  clambered  up 
Sisyphus-like  in  his  endless  treadmill.  The  per- 
spective, with  the  grouping  and  proportions  of  the 
whole  composition,  formed  altogether  an  amusing 
and  curious  sample  of  both  the  mechanical  and  the 
fine  arts  of  the  seventeenth  century." 

A  local  writer  in  1865  asserts — we  know  not 
upon  what  authority — that  it  is  the  tablet  of  the 
Association  of  Porters;  and  adds,  that  "had  the 
man  in  the  wheel  missed  a  step  when  tioisting  up 
any  heavy  article,  he  must  have  been  sent  whirling 
round  at  a  speed  in  nowise  tending  to  his  personal 
comfort."  Robertson  also  writes  of  it  as  "  The 
tablet  of  the  Association  of  Porters,  over  the  en- 
trance to  the  old  Sugar  House  Close." 

About  the  middle  of  the  wynd,  on  the  south  side, 
stood  the  edifice  used,  until  181 2,  as  the  Custom- 
house of  Leith.  It  was  somewhat  quadrangular, 
with  a  general  frontage  of  about  a  hundred  feet, 
with  a  depth  of  ninety. 

Riddle's  Close  separated  it  from  the  old  Tol- 
booth and  Town  Hall,  on  the  same  side  of  the  wynd. 
It  was  built  in  1565  by  the  citizens  of  Leith,  though 
not  without  strenuous  opposition  by  their  jealous 
feudal  over-lords  the  community  of  Edinburgh,  and 
was  a  singularly  picturesque  example  of  the  old 
Tolbooth  of  a  Scottish  burgh. 

Anxious  to  please  her  people  in  Leith  Queen 
Mary  wrote  several  letters  to  the  Town  Council  of 
Edinburgh,  hoping  to  soothe  the  uncompromising 
hostility  of  that  body  to  the  measure ;  and  at  length 


the  required  effect  was  produced  by  the  following 
epistle,  which  we  have  somewhat  divested  of  its 
obsolete  orthography  : — 

j  "  To  the  Provost,  Bailies,  and  Counsale  of  Edin- 
j  burgh  : — 

"Forasmeikle  as  we  have  sent  our  requisite 
sundry  times  to  you,  to  permit  the  inhabitants  of 
j  our  town  of  Leith  to  big  and  edifie  ane  hous  of 
justice  within  the  samyn,  and  has  received  no 
answer  from  you,  and  so  the  work  is  steyit  and 
cessit  in  your  default. 

"  Wherefore  we  charge  you,  that  ye  permit  our 
said  town  of  Leith  to  big  and  edifie  ane  said  hous 
of  justice  within  our  said  town  of  Leith,  and  make 
no  stop  or  impediment  to  them  to  do  the  samyn ; 
for  it  is  our  will  that  the  samyn  be  biggit,  and  that 
ye  desist  from  further  molesting  them  in  time 
coming,  as  we  will  answer  to  as  thereupon. 

"  Subscribit  with  our  hand  at  Holyrood  House, 
the  1  st  day  of  March,  this  year  of  God  1563. 

'•  Marie  R." 

This  mandate  had  the  desired  effect,  and  in  two 
years  the  building  was  completed,  as  an  ornamental 
tablet,  with  the  Scottish  arms  boldly  sculptured, 
the  inscription,  and  date,  "  In  Defens,  M.  R., 
1565,"  long  informed  the  passer-by. 

This  edifice,  which  measured,  as  Kincaid  states, 
sixty  feet  by  forty  over  the  walls,  had  a  large 
archway  in  the  centre,  above  which  were  two 
windows  of  great  height,  elaborately  grated.  On 
the  west  of  it,  an  outside  stair  gave  access  to  the 
first  floor ;  on  the  east  there  projected  a  corbelled 
oriel,  or  turret,  lighted  by  eight  windows,  all  grated. 
Three  elaborate  string  mouldings  traversed  the 
polished  ashlar  front  of  the  building,  which  was  sur- 
mounted by  an  embrasured  battlement,  and  in 
one  part  by  a  crowstepped  gable. 

Few  prisoners  of  much  note  have  been  incar- 
cerated here,  as  its  tenants  were  generally  persons 
who  had  been  guilty  of  minor  crimes.  Perhaps 
the  most  celebrated  prisoner  it  ever  contained  was 
the  Scottish  Machiavel,  Maitland  of  Lethington, 
who  had  fallen  into  the  merciless  hands  of  the 
Regent  Morton  after  the  capitulation  of  Edinburgh 
Castle  in- 1573,  and  who  died,  as  it  was  said,  "in 
the  old  Roman  fashion,"  by  taking  poison  to 
escape  a  public  execution. 

This  was  on  the  9th  of  July,  as  Calderwood  re- 
cords, adding  that  he  lay  so  long  unburied,  "  that 
the  vermin  came  from  his  corpse,  creeping  out 
under  the  door  where  he  died." 

Such  an  occurrence,  it  has  been  remarked,  said 
little  for  the  sanitary  arrangements  of  the  Leith 
Tolbooth,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  it  had  few 
other  prisoners  on  that  occasion. 


THE    OLD    TOLBOOTH. 


229 


During  the  persecution  under  the  Duke  of  that  he  died,  was  sentenced  to  be  scourged  on  her 
Lauderdale,  Mr.  John  Gregg,  who  had  been  I  bare  back  from  the  Tolbooth  of  Edinburgh  to  the 
formerly  minister  at  Skirling,  in  Peeblesshire,  was  1  Nether  Bow,  and  from  the  Tolbooth  of  Leith  to 


apprehended  and  imprisoned  in  the  Tolbooth  for  J  the  door  of  Isabel  Lesly,  and   from  there  to  the 


holding  a  con- 
venticle in  the 
house  of  his 
brother-in-law 
Thomas  Stark, 
at  Leith  Mills. 
In  March, 
1675,  'le  was 
removed  to  the 
Castle  on  the 
Bass,  to  be  de- 
tained there 
among  many 
other  sufferers 
for  conscience 
sake. 

In  1678, 
Hector  Allan, 
a  Quaker  sea- 
man in  Leith, 
was  sent  to 
the  Bass  for  "  abusing  and  railing  "  at  Mr.  Thomas     quired  for  service  in  Leith. 


TO   THE   OLD   SUGAR    HOUSE   CLOSE. 


Shore ;  "  and 
theabovewar- 
rant  was  put 
in  execution." 
(Robertson's 
"  A  n  t  i  q  u  i- 
ties.'') 

In  17 15, 
Brigadier 
Macintosh  or 
Borlum  left 
the  Tolbooth 
without  a 
tenant ;  and 
previous  to 
1745  it  was 
the  ordinary 
place  for  quar- 
tering any 
troops  that 
might  be  re- 
in 1763,  a  thief,  who 


Wilkie,  minister  of  North  Leith,  but  in  the  May  '  was  discovered  in  a  peculiar  manner,  became,  till 

of  the  same  year  he  was  brought  back  to  Leith,  :  tried,  an  inmate  of  this  old  prison. 

and  thrust   into  the  Tolbooth,  where  he   lay  for  '       A  Scottish  sailor,  who  had  served  on  board  the 


several  months. 

On  the  1 8th  of  August,  1 6S5, 
the  Privy  Council  sat  in  that 
edifice,  when  seventy-two 
prisoners  were  examined . 
"Those  who  took  the  oaths 
of  allegiance  and  abjuration 
were  dismissed ;  those  who 
refused  to  comply  were  ba- 
nished to  His  Majesty's  plan- 
tations, and  charged  never  to 
return  to  the  kingdom  without 
the  king's  or  the  council's 
special  leave." 

In  the  Roads  lay  a  ship 
to  convey  these  poor  recusants 
to  New  Jersey,  and  they  were 
crowded  on  board  of  the  vessel 
for  a  fortnight  before  she  sailed 
for  a  destination  which  few  or 


fleets  during  the  war  which 
ended  in  that  year,  arrived 
from  London  in  a  Leith 
ship,  bringing  with  him  "his 
a^" — £2°°  i'l  a  chest.  On 
shore  he  unwarily  disclosed 
this  fact,  and  a  man  who 
overheard  him  went  to  the 
vessel  in  the  costume  and 
character  of  a  porter,  asserting 
that  he  had  been  sent  for 
the  chest.  The  crew,  having 
no  suspicion  of  fraud,  gave 
him  the  latter,  but  being  un- 
used to  burdens,  the  sham 
porter  slipped  off  a  plank 
with  the  chest,  and  fell  into 
the  harbour.  Many  hastened 
to  his  rescue  ;  among  others, 
the  owner  of  the  chest,  whose 


none  of  the  unfortunate  passengers  were  fated  to     surprise  was  very  great  when  it  was  fished  out  of 


In  April,  17 13,  a  prisoner  named  Jean  Ramsay, 
who  had  dragged  a  weak  and  infirm  man  from  his 
bed  in  the  house  of  Isabel  Lesly  in  Leith,  near 
the  South  Church,  and  used  him  with  such  severity 


the  water,  and  he  found  it  to  be  his  own. 

The  subsequent  inquiry  did  not  prove  pleasant 
to  the  half-drowned  thief,  who  was  forthwith  taken 
into  custody,  and  committed  to  the  Tolbooth. 

By  the  beginning  of  the   nineteenth  century  the 


23C 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


Tolbooth  had  become  decayed  and  ruinous,  and 
soon  after  the  demolition  of  the  Heart  of  Mid- 
lothian its  doom  was  pronounced.  Sir  Walter  Scott, 
Charles  Kirkpatrick  Sharpe,  and  other  zealous  anti- 
quaries, left  nothing  undone  to  induce  the  ma- 
gistrates of  Edinburgh,  under  whose  auspices  the 
work  of  demolition  proceeded,  to  preserve  the 
picturesque  street  front,  and  re-build  the  remainder 
on  a  proposed  plan. 

A  deputation  waited  npon  the  provost  for  this 
purpose,  but  "  were  courteously  dismissed  with  the 
unanswerable  argument  that  the  expense  of  new 
designs  had  been  incurred ;  and  so  the  singular 
old  house  of  justice  of  Queen  Mary  was  replaced 
by  the  commonplace  erection  that  now  occupies 
its  site." 

The  old  edifice  was  demolished  in  1819,  and 
its  unprepossessing  successor  was  erected  in  1822, 
at  the  expense  of  the  city  of  Edinburgh,  in  a 
nondescript,  style,  which  the  prints  of  the  time 
flattered  themselves  was  Saxon  ;  "  but  though  it 
has  several  suites  of  well-lighted  cells,  and  is  said 
to  be  a  very  complete  jail,"  wrote  a  statistical 
author,  "  it  remained,  at  the  date  of  the  Commis- 
sioners' Report  on  Municipal  Corporations,  and 
possibly  still  remains,  unlegalised.  An  objection 
having  been  judiciously  made  to  its  security,  the 
Court  of  Session  refused  an  application  to  legalise 
it;  and  a  misunderstanding  having  afterwards  arisen 
between  the  Corporation  of  Edinburgh  and  the 
community  of  Leith,  the  place  was  neglected,  and 
not  allowed  the  benefit  of  any  further  proceedings 
in  its  favour.  A  lock-up  house,  consisting  of  cold, 
damp,  and  unhealthy  cells,  such  as  endangered 
life,  was  coolly  permitted  to  do  for  the  police 
prisoners  the  honours  and  offices  of  the  sinecure 
Tolbooth." 

About  1730  there  would  seem  to  have  been 
established  in  the  wynd  an  institution  having  in 
it  a  Bath  Stove,  which,  as  a  curious  old  handbill, 
preserved  in  the  Advocates'  Library,  and  without 
date,  informs  the  public,  "  is  to  be  found  in 
Alexander  Hayes'  Close,  over  against  the  entry  to 
Babylon,  betwixt  the  Tolbooth  and  the  shore." 

The  bill  runs  thus  : — 

"  At  Leith  there  is  a  Bath  Stove,  set  up  by 
William  Paul,  after  the  fashion  of  Poland  and  Ger- 
many, which  is  approven  by  all  the  doctors  of  physic 
and  apothecaries  in  Edinburgh  and  elsewhere— a 
sovereign  remedy  in  curing  of  all  diseases,  and 
preventing  sickness  both  of  old  and  young.  This 
bath  is  able  to  give  content  to  fourscore  persons 
a  day. 

"The  diseases  which  are  commonly  cured  by 
the  said  bath  are  these  : — The  hydropsis,  the  gout, 


deafness,  and  itch ;  sore  eyes,  the  cold  unsensible- 
ness  of  the  flesh,  the  trembling  axes  (sic),  the  Irish 
ague,  cold  defluxions ;  inwardly,  the  melancholick 
disease,  the  collick,  and  all  natural  diseases  that 
are  curable  ;  probatum  est. 

"  This  bath  is  to  be  used  all  times  and  seasons, 
both  summer  and  winter,  and  every  person  that 
comes  to  bathe  must  bring  clean  linen  with  them 
for  their  own  use,  especially  clean  shirts.  All  the 
days  of  the  week  for  men,  except  Friday,  which  is 
reserved  for  women  and  children." 

On  the  north  side  of  the  wynd,  opposite  the 
new  Tolbooth,  opened  the  irregular  alley  named 
the  Paunch  Market,  which  contained  the  Piazzas 
and  Bourse  of  Mary  of  Lorraine,  and  from  whence 
a  narrow  alley,  called  Queen  Street,  leads  to  the 
shore. 

A  stately  old  building  at  the  head  of  the  latter, 
but  which  was  pulled  down  in  the  year  1 849,  is  stated 
to  have  been  the  residence  of  Mary  of  Lorraine 
during  some  portion  of  her  quarrels  with  the 
Protestants;  and  the  same  mansion  is  said  by 
tradition  to  have  been  briefly  occupied  by  Oliver 
Cromwell. 

Its  window-frames  were  all  fornled  of  oak,  richly 
carved,  and  the  panellings  of  the  doors  were  of 
the  same  wood,  beautifully  embellished.  Its  walls 
were  decorated  with  well-executed  paintings,  which 
seemed  of  considerable  antiquity,  and  were  after- 
wards in  possession  of  Charles  Kirkpatrick  Sharpe. 
The  mansion  was  elaborately  decorated  on  the  ex- 
terior with  sculptured  dormer  windows,  and  other 
ornaments  common  to  edifices  of  the  period. 

Wilson  seems  inclined  to  think  that  the  modern 
name  of  the  street  may  have  suggested  the  tradition 
that  it  was  the  residence  of  the  Queen  Regent,  as 
it  superseded  the  more  homely  one  of  the  Paunch 
Market;  but  adds,  "there  is  no  evidence  in  its 
favour  sufficient  to  overturn  the  statement  of  Mait- 
land,  who  wrote  at  a  period  when  there  was  less 
temptation  to  invent  traditions  than  now." 

The  Rev.  Parker  Lawson,  in  his  Gazetteer,  says: 
"  About  a  score  of  old  houses  are  pointed  out  as 
the  residence  of  the  Queen  Regent  and  Oliver 
Cromwell,  but  in  Queen  Street,  formerly  the 
Paunch  Market,  is  an  antique  mansion  of  elegant 
exterior,  said  to  have  been  the  actual  dwelling  of 
the  queen." 

Over  a  doorway  in  this  street,  says  Wilson,  there 
is  cut  in  very  ancient  and  ornamental  letters, 
Credenti.  Nihil.  Lingu.e. 

On  the  west  side  of  this  narrow  thoroughfare 
stood  the  early  Episcopal  Chapel  of  Leith.  Refer- 
ring to  the  period  of  Culloden,  Chalmers  says  : — 


THE   BOURSE. 


"  Throughout  these  troublesome  days,  a  little  epis- 
copal congregation  was  kept  together  in  Leith, 
their  place  of  worship  being  the  first  floor  of  an 
old  dull-looking  house  in  Queen's  Street  (dated 
1516),  the  lower  floor  of  which  was,  in  my  recol- 
lection, a  police  office." 

The  congregation  about  the  year  1744  is  said  to 
have  numbered  only  a  hundred  and  seventy-two ; 
and  concerning  what  are  called  episcopal  chapels 
in  Leith,  confusion  has  arisen  from  the  circum- 
stance that  one  used  the  Scottish  communion 
office,  while  another  adopted  the  liturgy  of  the 
Church  of  England.  The  one  in  Queen  Street  was 
occupied  in  1865  as  a  temperance  hall. 

According  to  Robertson's  "  Antiquities,"  the 
earliest  of  these  episcopal  chapels  was  situated  in 
Chapel  Lane  (at  the  foot  of  Quality  Street),  and 
was  demolished  several  years  ago,  and  an  ancient 
tablet  which  stood  above  the  door-lintel  was  built 
into  a  house  near  the  spot  where  the  chapel  stood. 
It  bears  the  following  inscription  : — 

T.   F.    THAY.    AR.   WEI.COM.    HEIR.  THAT. 
A.    M.    GOD.    DOIS.    LOVE.   AND.    FEIR.     I59O. 

In  1788  this  building  was  converted  into  a 
dancing-school,  said  to  be  the  first  that  was  opened 
in  Leith. 

On  Sunday,  April  27,  1745,  divine  service  was 
performed  in  a  few  of  the  then  obscure  episcopal 
chapels  in  Edinburgh  and  Leith,  but  in  the  fol- 
lowing week  they  were  closed  by  order  of  the 
sheriff. 

That  at  Leith,  wherein  the  Rev.  Robert  Forbes 
and  Rev.  Mr.  Law  officiated,  shared  the  same  fate, 
and  the  nonjuring  ministers  of  their  communion 
had  to  perform  their  duties  by  stealth,  being  liable 
to  fines,  imprisonment,  and  banishment.  It  was 
enacted  that  after  the  1st  of  September,  1746, 
every  episcopal  pastor  in  Scotland  who  failed  to 
register  his  letters  of  orders,  to  take  all  the  oaths 
required  by  law,  and  to  pray  for  the  House  of 
Hanover,  should  for  the  first  offence  suffer  six 
months'  imprisonment ;  for  the  second  be  trans- 
ported to  the  plantations  ;  and  for  the  third  suffer 
penal  servitude  for  life  ! 

Hence,  says  Mr.  Parker  Lawson,  in  his  "  History 
of  the  Scottish  Episcopal  Church,"  since  the  Revo- 
lution in  1688,  "  the  sacrament  of  baptism  was 
often  administered  in  woods  and  sequestered  places, 
and  the  holy  communion  with  the  utmost  privacy. 
Confirmations  were  held  with  closed  doors  in 
private  houses,  and  divine  service  often  performed 
in  the  open  air  in  the  northern  counties,  amid  the 
mountains  or  in  the  recesses  of  forests.  The 
chapels  were   all    shut    up,   and  the  doors   made 


fast  with  iron  bars,  under  the  authority  of  the 
sheriffs." 

The  Rev.  Robert  Forbes  became  Bishop  of 
Caithness  and  Orkney  in  1762,  but  still  continued 
to  reside  in  Leith,  making  occasional  visits  to  the 
north,  for  the  purpose  of  confirming  and  baptising, 
till  the  year  of  his  death,  1776;  and  twelve  years 
subsequently,  the  death  of  Prince  Charles  Edward 
put  an  end  to  much  of  the  jealousy  with  which  the 
members  of  the  episcopal  communion  in  Scotland 
were  viewed  by  the  House  of  Hanover. 

"  On  Sunday,  the  25th  of  May  last,"  says  The 
Gentleman  s  Magazine  for  1788,  "  the  king,  queen, 
and  Prince  of  Wales  were  prayed  for  by  name,  and 
the  rest  of  the  royal  family,  in  the  usual  manner, 
in  all  the  nonjuring  chapels  in  this  city  (Edinburgh) 
and  Leith.  The  same  manner  of  testifying  the 
loyalty  of  the  Scotch  Episcopalians  will  also  be 
observed  in  every  part  of  the  country,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  resolution  come  to  by  the  bishops 
and  clergy  of  that  persuasion.  Thus,  an  effectual 
end  is  put  to  the  most  distant  idea  of  disaffection 
in  any  part  of  His  Majesty's  dominions  to  his  royal 
person  and  government." 

The  old  chapel  in  Queen  Street  adjoined  a 
building  which,  in  the  days  when  Maitland  wrote, 
had  its  lower  storey  in  the  form  of  an  open  piazza, 
which  modern  alterations  have  completely  con- 
cealed or  obliterated.  This  was  the  exchange,  or 
meeting-place  of  the  Leith  merchants  and  traders 
for  the  transaction  of  business,  and  was  known  as 
the  Bourse  till  a  very  recent  period,  being  adopted 
at  a  time  when  the  old  alliance  with  France  was 
an  institution  in  the  land,  and  the  intimate  rela- 
tions between  that  country  and  Scotland  introduced 
many  phrases,  customs,  and  words  which  still 
linger  in  the  latter. 

The  name  of  the  Bourse  still  remains  in  Leith 
under  the  corrupted  title  of  the  Timber  Bush, 
occasionally  called  the  Howf,  at  some  distance 
north  of  Queen  Street.  It  occupied  more  than 
the  piazzas  referred  to — a  large  piece  of  ground 
originally  enclosed  by  a  wooden  fence,  and  devoted 
to  the  sale  of  timber,  but  having  been  probably 
reclaimed  from  the  sea,  it  was  subject  to  inunda- 
tions during  spring  tides.  Thus  Caldenvood  records 
that  on  the  16th  of  September,  1616,  "there  arose 
such  a  swelling  in  the  sea  at  Leith,  that  the  like 
was  not  seen  for  a  hundred  years,  for  the  water  came 
in  with  violence  in  a  place  called  the  Timber  Holf 
where  the  timber  lay,  and  carried  away  some  of  the 
timber,  and  manie  lasts  of  herrings  lying  there, 
to  the  sea;  brak  into  sundrie  low  houses  and 
cellars,  and  filled  them  with  water.  The  people," 
he   adds,    of  course,   "  tooke    this    extraordinarie 


232 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


tyde     to     be     a    forewarning    of    some    evil    to  1573-     "  One  may  have  some  idea  of  the  pettiness 

come."  I  of  the  external  trade  carried  on  by  Edinburgh  in 

In  1644  the  Leith  timber  trade  was  so  greatly  the  early  part  of  the  sixteenth  century  from  what 

increased,  that  the  magistrates  of  Edinburgh  ordered  we  know  of  the  condition  of  Leith  at  that  time," 

the  area  of  the  Bourse  to  be  enclosed  by  a  strong  says  Robert  Chambers,  in  one  of  his  "  Edinburgh 


QUEEN    STREET. 


wall,  from  which  time  it  became  more  permanent 
and  important. 

A  little  way  north  of  Queen  Street,  the  Burgess 
Close  opens  eastward  at  a  right  angle  from  the 
shore,  and  extends  to  Water  Lane. 

Here  one  of  the  earliest  dates  that  could  be 
found  on  any  of  the  buildings  in  Leith  was  noted 
by  Wilson  on  a  house,  the  lintel  inscribed  in 
Roman  letters,  nisi  dns  frustra,  with  the  date 


Papers."  "  It  was  but  a  village,  without  quay  or 
pier,  and  with  no  approach  to  the  harbour  except 
by  an  alley — the  still  existing  Burgess  Close — 
which  in  some  parts  is  not  above  four  feet  wide. 
We  must  imagine  any  merchandise  then  brought 
to  Leith  as  carried  in  vessels  of  the  size  of  small 
yachts,  and  borne  off  to  the  Edinburgh  warehouse, 
slung  on  horseback,  through  the  narrow  defiles  of 
the  Burgess  Close." 


'HE    BURGESS    CLOSE. 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH 


But  this  ancient  alley  is  the  earliest  thoroughfare 
in  the  seaport  of  which  we  have  an  authentic 
account,  as  towards  the  close  of  the  fourteenth 
century  it  was  granted,  in  a  charter  already  quoted, 
by  Logan  of  Restalrig,  the  baronial  over-lord  of 
Leith,  before  it  attained  the  dignity  of  a  burgh, 
to  the  burgesses  of  Edinburgh  (hence  its  name) ; 
and  at  the  time  of  its  formation  the  whole  imports 
and  exports  of  the  Leith  shipping  must  have  been 
conveyed  to  and  fro  on  pack-horses  or  in  wheel- 
barrows, as  no  larger  means  of  conveyance  could 
pass  through  the  Burgess  Close. 

Its  inconvenience  appears  to  have  been  soon 
felt,  and  the  Baron  of  Restalrig  was  compelled, 
under  pressure,  to  grant  his  vassals  a  more  com- 
modious access  to  the  shore.  "The  inscription 
which  now  graces  this  venerable  thoroughfare," 
says  Wilson  in  1847,  "though  of  a  date  much 
later  than  its  first  construction,  preserves  a  memo- 
rial of  its  gift  to  the  civic  council  of  Edinburgh, 
as  we  may  reasonably  ascribe  the  veneration  of 
some  wealthy  merchant  of  the  capital  inscribing 
over  the  doorway  of  his  mansion  at  Leith  the  very 
appropriate  motto  of  the  city  arms.  To  this,  the 
oldest  quarter  of  the  town,  indeed,  we  must  direct 
those  who  go  in  search  of  the  picturesque." 


The  Humane  Society  of  Leith,  which  was  first 
instituted  in  1788  for  the  recovery  of  persons 
apparently  drowned  or  suffocated,  had  its  rooms 
first  in  the  Burgess  Close  and  Bernard  Street. 

Water's  Close,  which  adjoins, has  several  attractive 
features  in  a  picturesque  sense,  and  repulsive  ones 
in  its  modern  squalor.  Tenements  of  stone  and 
timber,  and  of  great  antiquity,  are  mingled  together 
in  singular  disorder  ;  and  one  venerable  tenement 
of  hewn  ashlar  exhibits  a  broad  projecting  turnpike, 
with  various  corbellings,  a  half-circular  turret, 
crowstepped  gables,  and  massive  chimneys,  with 
"  every  variety  of  convenient  aberration  from  the 
perpendicular  or  horizontal  which  the  taste  or 
whim  of  its  constructor  could  devise,  and  is  one 
of  the  most  singular  edifices  that  the  artist  could 
select  as  a  subject  for  his  pencil." 

Five  low  and  square-headed  doorways  of  great 
breadth  show  that  the  whole  of  the  lower  storey 
had  been  constructed  as  a  warehouse. 

This  edifice,  with  its  vaults,  is  advertised  as  for 
sale  in  The  Edinburgh  Advertiser  of  1789,  and  is 
described  as  being  in  "Willie  Water's  Close,  Leith." 
Its  vaults  are  stated  to  be  of  stone,  and  "  the  whole 
length  and  breadth  of  the  subject  completely 
catacombed." 


LEITH— ROTTEN     ROW, 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 


BROAD     WYND,     BERNARD     STREET,     BALTIC     STREET,     AND 
QUALITY     STREET. 


The  Improvement  Scheme— Water  Lane,  or  Rotten  Row  —House  of  the  Queen  Regent— Old  Sugar  Ho 
King's  Wark— Its  History — The  Tennis  Court — Bernard  Lindsay — Little  London— Bernard  Stra 
Home — Home  and  Mrs.  Siddons— Professor  Jamieson. 


Company— The   Broad  Wynd— The 
-Old  Glass  House -House  of  John 


Much  of  what  we  have  been  describing  in  Leith 
will  ere  long  be  swept  away,  for  after  some  years 
of  negotiation,  the  great  "  Leith  Improvement 
Scheme"  has  been  definitely  arranged,  and  the 
loan  necessary  to  carry  it  out  has  been  granted. 

Early  in  1S77  the  Provost  drew  attention  to  the 
insanitary  condition  of  certain  portions  of  the  burgh, 
more  especially  the  crowded  and  central  area  lying 
between  St.  Giles's  Street  and  the  Coal  Hill.  In  the 
area  mentioned  the  death  rate  amounted  to  twenty- 
six  per  thousand.,  or  five  per  cent,  above  that  of 
any  other  part  of  Leith,  while  the  infantile  mor- 
tality reached  the  alarming  rate  of  fifty-six  per 
thousand. 

It  had  been  found  that  the  power  conferred  on 
the  local  authority  of  levying  an  improvement  rate 
under  the  Police  Act,  was  quite  inadequate  for  the 
purpose  of  improving  an  area  so  extensive;  thus 


attention  was  drawn  to  the  Artisans'  Dwelling 
House  Act,  as  a  measure  which  might  satisfy  the 
requirements  of  the  seaport,  and  two  schemes,  one 
of  which  included  a  large  district,  were  condemned 
by  the  ratepayers  as  expensive  and  unsuitable. 

The  Town  Council  then  ordered  the  preparation 
of  a  plan  likely  to  secure  the  objects  in  view,  at  a 
cost  which  would  not  prove  oppressive  to  the 
inhabitants,  and  this  scheme  was  ultimately  approved 
of  by  the  Home  Secretary.  Its  main  feature  will 
be  the  ultimate  opening  up  of  a  street  fifty  feet 
wide,  from  Great  Junction  Street  to  the  Tolbooth 
Wynd,  by  the  way  of  Yardheads,  St  Giles's  and  St. 
Andrew's  Streets,  and  in  the  course  ofitsconstruction, 
three-quarters  of  a  mile  in  length,  no  fewer  than 
eighteen  ancient  closes  will  be  removed,  while  the 
streets  that  run  parallel  to  Yardheads  will  be 
widened  and  improved. 


rIHE    SUGAR    HOUSE    COMPANY. 


235 


■  In  addition  to  the  imperatively  required  sanitary 
reform  which  this  scheme  will  effect  in  a  few  year?, 
the  new  thoroughfare  will  be  of  great  commercial 
utility,  and  present  an  easy  gradient  from  the  shore 
to  Leith  Walk. 

The  area  scheduled  contains  about  3,500  in- 
habitants, but  when  the  works  are  completed 
nearly  double  that  number  will  be  accommodated. 
The  sum  to  be  borrowed  from  the  Public  Works 
Loan  Commissioners  was  fixed  at  ,£100,000, 
payable  in  thirty  years,  about  191 1  ;  but  in  1881 
the  Home  Secretary  intimated  his  intention  of 
recommending  a  loan  of  £70,000,  which,  in  the 
meantime,  was  deemed  sufficient. 

The  ancient  street  named  Water  Lane,  with 
all  its  adjacent  alleys,  is  not  included  in  this  scheme 
of  removal  and  improvement.  It  runs  tortuously, 
at  an  angle,  from  the  foot  of  the  Kirkgate  to 
Bernard  Street,  and  is  about  seven  hundred  yards 
in  length.  This  thoroughfare  was  anciently  called 
the  Rotten  Row  ;  and  in  the  map  given  by  Robert- 
son in  his  "  Antiquities,"  that  name  is  borne  by  an 
alley  near  the  foot  of  it,  running  parallel  with 
Chapel  Lane. 

In  the  inventory  of  "  Pious  Donations  "  made  to 
the  Brethren  Predicators  in  Edinburgh,  under  date 
14th  May,  1473,  is  one  by  "  John  Sudgine,  of 
30s.  4d.  out  of  his  tenement  of  Leith  on  the  south 
side  of  the  water  thereof,  between  Alan  Nepar's 
land  on  the  east,  and  Rotten  Row  on  the  west." 

Alan  Napier's  land,  "  on  the  east  side  of  the 
common  vennel  called  the  Ratounrmv"  is  referred 
to  in  King  James  III.'s  charter  to  the  Black  Friars, 
under  the  same  date.  ("  Burgh  Charters,"  No. 
43.)  It  was  so  named  from  being  built  of  houses 
of  rattins,  or  rough  timber. 

On  Mary  of  Guise  and  Lorraine  choosing  Leith 
as  an  occasional  residence,  she  is  stated  by  Mait- 
landto  have  erected  a  dwelling-house  in  the  Rotten 
Row,  near  the  corner  of  the  present  Quality  Street, 
and  that  the  royal  arms  of  Scotland,  which  were 
in  front  thereof,  were,  when  it  was  taken  down, 
rebuilt  into  the  wall  of  a  mansion  opposite,  "  and 
the  said  Mary,  for  the  convenience  of  holding 
councils,  erected  a  spacious  and  handsome  edifice 
for  her  privy  council  to  meet  in." 

This  is  supposed  to  refer  to  a  stately  house  on 
the  Coal  Hill  (facing  the  river),  and  to  be  treated 
of  when  we  come  to  that  quarter  of  Leith. 

The  beautifully  sculptured  stone  which  bears 
the  arms  of  Scotland  impaled  with  those  of  Guise, 
surmounted  by  an  imperial  crown  and  the  boldly- 
cut  legend, 


MARIA.    DE.  LORRAINE. 
REGINA.  SCOTIA.  1560, 


and  surrounded  by  the  richest  scroll-work,  still 
exists  in  Leith.  It  was  long  preserved  in  the 
north  wall  of  the  old  Tolbooth ;  and  on. the 
demolition  of  the  latter,  after  undergoing  various- 
adventures,  has  now  "  been  rebuilt,"  says  Dr. 
Robertson,  "  into  the  original  window  of  St.  Mary, 
which  has  been  erected  in  Albany  Street,NorthLeith." 

This  is  the  last  relic  of  that  house  in  which 
Mary,  the  queen-regent  (prior  to  her  death  in  the 
castle),  spent  the  last  year  of  her  sorrowful  life, 
embittered  by  the  strife  of  hostile  factions  and  the 
din  of  civil  war — "an  ominous  preparation  for  her 
unfortunate  daughter's  assumption  of  the  sceptre 
which  was  then  wielded  in  her  name." 

Another  ancient  house  in  the  same  street  bore  a 
legend  similar  to  one  already  given  : — 

"THEY    ARE    WELCOME    HERE 
QHA  THE  LORD  DO  FEIR,    1574." 

It  was  demolished  in  1832. 

In  this  street  was  the  establishment  of  the  old 
Leith  Sugar  House  Company.  The  circumstances 
that  Leith  was  a  central  port  for  carrying  on  West 
Indian  trade,  where  vessels  could  then  be  fitted 
out  more  easily  than  on  the  Clyde,  and  at  a  lower 
rate  than  at  London — besides  the  savings  on  freight 
and  charges — encouraged  the  West  Indian  planter 
to  make  it  a  place  for  his  consignments.  Thus  a 
house  for  baking  sugars  was  set  up  in  Edinburgh 
in  1 75 1,  and  the  manufacture  was  still  carried  on 
in  1779  by  the  company  that  instituted  it. 

That  of  Leith  was  begun  in  1757  by  a  company, 
consisting  chiefly  of  Edinburgh  bankers  ;  but  by 
1762  their  capital  was  totally  lost,  and  for  some 
time  the  Sugar  House  remained  unoccupied,  till 
some  speculative  Englishmen  took  a  lease  of  it, 
and  revived  the  manufacture. 

As  these  men  were  altogether  without  capital, 
and  had  to  fall  back  upon  ruinous  schemes  to 
support  their  false  credit,  they  were  soon  involved 
in  complete  failure,  but  were  succeeded  by  the 
Messrs.  Parkers,  who  kept  up  the  manufacture  for 
about  five  years. 

"The  house,"  says  Arnot,  "was  then  purchased 
by  a  set  of  merchants  in  Leith,  who,  as  they  began 
with  sufficient  capital,  as  they  have  employed  in 
the  work  the  best  refiners  of  sugar  that  could  be 
procured  in  London,  and  as  they  pay  attention 
to  the  business,  promise  to  conduct  it  with  every 
prospect  of  success." 

But  be  that  as  it  may,  in  The  Advertiser  for 
1783,  "the  whole  houses  and  subjects  belonging 
to  and  employed  by  the  Leith  Sugar  House  Com- 
pany, together  with  the  coppers,  coolers,  and 
whole  utensils  used  in  the  trade,"  are  announced 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


as  for  sale,  "together  with  those  new  subjects 
lying  in  Water  Lane,  adjoining  Messrs.  Elder  and 
Archibald's  vaults.'' 

Many  years  ago  Mr.  Macfie  was  a  well-known 
sugar  refiner  in  Leith.  His  establishment  stood 
in  Elbe  Street,  South  Leith,  when  it  was  destroyed 
by  fire;  and  about  1S65  there  was  started  the 
extensive  and  thriving  Bonnington  Sugar  Refining 
Company  in  Breadalbane  Street,  Leith,  which  was 
described  in  a  preceding  chapter. 


of  the  incidental  allusions  to  it.  It  is,  however, 
supposed  to  have  included  a  royal  arsenal,  with 
warehouses  and  dwellings  for  resident  officials, 
and  according  to  Robertson's  map  seems  to  have 
measured  about  a  hundred  feet  square. 

"  The  remains  of  this  building,"  says  Arnot, 
writing  in  1779,  "with  a  garden  and  piece  of 
waste  land  that  surrounded  it,  was  erected  into  a 
free  barony  by  James  VI.,  and  bestowed  upon 
Bernard  Lindsay  of  Lochill,  Groom  of  the  Chamber 


The  Broad  Wynd  opens  westward  off  Water 
Lane  to  the  shore.  The  first  number  of  The  Leith 
and  Edinburgh  Telegraph  and  General  Advertiser, 
published  26th  July,  1808,  by  William  Oliphant, 
and  continued  until  September,  1S11,  appeared, 
and  was  published  by  a  new  proprietor,  William 
Reid,  in  the  Broad  Wynd,  where  it  was  con- 
tinued till  its  abandonment,  9th  March,  18 13, 
comprising  in  all  483  numbers.  It  was  succeeded 
by  The  Leith  Commercial  List.  An  extensive 
building,  of  which  frequent  mention  is  made  by 
early  historians  as  the  King's  Wark,  seems  to  have 
occupied  the  whole  ground  between  this  and  the 
present  Bernard  Street,  but  the  exact  purpose  for 
which  it  was  maintained  is  not  made  clear  in  any 


(or  Chamber  Cheild,  as  he  was  called)  to  that  prince. 
This  Lindsay  repaired  or  rebuilt  the  King's  Wark, 
and  there  is  special  mention  of  his  having  put  its 
ancient  tower  in  full  repair.  He  also  built  there 
a  new  tennis-court,  which  is  mentioned  with 
singular  marks  of  approbation  in  the  royal  charter 
'as  being  built  for  the  recreation  of  His  Majesty, 
and  of  foreigners  of  rank  resorting  to  the  kingdom, 
to  whom  it  afforded  great  satisfaction  and  delight ; 
and  as  advancing  the  politeness  and  contributing 
to  the  ornament  of  the  country,  to  which,  by  its 
happy  situation  on  the  Shore  of  Leith,  where  there 
was  so  great  a  concourse  of  strangers  and  foreigners, 
it  was  peculiarly  adapted.'" 

The  reddendo  in    this  charter   was   uncommon, 


THE    KING'S    WARK. 


■37 


Arnot  adds.  It  was  to  keep  one  of  the  cellars  in 
the  King's  Wark  in  repair,  for  holding  wines  and 
other  provisions  for  the  king's  use. 

This    Bernard    Lindsay   it   was    whom    Taylor 
mentions  in  his  "  Penniless  Pilgrimatre  "  as  having 


Moreover,  the  King's  Wark  was  placed  most 
advantageously  at  the  mouth  of  the  harbour,  to 
serve  as  a  defence  against  any  enemy  who  might 
approach  it  from  the  seaward.  It  thus  partook 
somewhat  of  the  character  of  a  citadel  ;  and  this 


BERNARD   STREE 


given    him    so    warm    a    welcome    at    Leith    in 
161S. 

That  some  funds  were  derivable  from  the  King's 
Wark  to  the  Crown  is  proved  by  the  frequent 
payments  with  which  it  was  burdened  by  several 
•of  our  monarchs.  Thus,  in  the  year  1477  James 
III.  granted  out  of  it  a  perpetual  annuity  of  twelve 
marks  Scots,  for  support  of  a  chaplain  to  officiate 
at  the  altar  of  "  the  upper  chapel  in  the  col- 
legiate church  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary  at 
Restalrig." 


J  seems  to  have  been  implied  by  the  infeftment 
granted  by  Queen  Mary  in  1564  to  John  Chisholm, 
Master  or  Comptroller   of   the     Royal     Artillery, 

',  who  would  appear  to  have  repaired  the  buildings 
which,  no  doubt,  shared  in  the  general  conflagra- 
tions that  signalised  the  English  invasions  of  1544 
and  1547,  and  the  queen,  on  the  completion 
of  his  work,  thus  confirms  her  grant  to  the 
comptroller: — 

"  Efter  Her  Heinis  lauchful  age,  and  revocation 

;  made  in  parliament,  hir  majestie  sett  in  feu  farme 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


to  hir  lovite  suitore,  Johne  Chisholme,  his  airis  and 
assignais,  all  and  haille  hir  lands  callit  the  King's 
Werk  in  Leith,  within  the  boundis  specifit  in  the 
infeftment  maid  to  him  thairupon,  quhilkis  than 
war  alluterlie  decayit,  and  sensyne  are  reparit  and 
re-edifit,  he  the  said  Johne  Chisholme,  to  the  policy 
and  great  decoration  of  this  realme,  in  that  office, 
place,  and  sight  of  all  strangeris  and  utheris  re- 
sortand  to  the  Schore  of  Leith." 

In  1575  it  had  been  converted  into  a  hospital 
for  the  plague-stricken  ;  but  when  granted  to  Ber- 
nard Lindsay  in  16 13,  he  was  empowered  to  keep 
four  taverns  in  the  buildings,  together  with  the 
tennis-court,  for  the  then  favourite  pastime  of 
catchpel.  It  continued  to  be  used  for  that  pur- 
pose till  the  year  1649,  when  it  was  taken  pos- 
session of  by  the  magistrates  of  Edinburgh,  and 
converted  into  a  weigh-house. 

"  In  what  part  of  the  building  Bernard  Lindsay 
commenced  tavern-keeping  we  are  unable  to  say," 
observes  Campbell,  in  his  "  History  of  Leith,"  "but 
are  more  than  half  disposed  to  believe  it  was  that 
old  house  which  projects  into  Bernard  Street,  and 
is  situated  nearly  opposite  the  British  Linen  Com- 
pany's Bank."  "  The  house  alluded  to,"  adds 
Robertson  on  this,  "  has  a  carved  stone  in  front, 
representing  a  rainbow  rising  from  the  clouds,  with 
a  date  165-,  the  last  figure  being  obliterated,  and 
can  have  no  reference  to  Bernard  Lindsay." 

The  tennis-court  of  the  latter  would  seem  to  have 
been  frequently  patronised  by  the  great  Marquis  of 
Montrose  in  his  youth,  as  in  his  "  Household  Ac- 
counts," under  date  1627,  are  the  following  entries 
(Mait.  Club  Edit.)  :— 

"  Item  to  the  poor,  my  Lord  taking  coch       . .       4s. 

Item,  carrying  the  graith  to  Leth      . .  . .       8s. 

Item,  to  some  poor  there        3s. 

Item,  to  my  Lord  Nepal's  cochman  . .  . .       6s.  8d. 

Item,  for  balls  in  the  Tinnes  Con:/  of  Leth. .      16s." 

The  first  memorial  of  Bernard  Lindsay  is  in 
the  "  Parish  Records  "  of  South  Leith,  and  is  dated 
17th  July,  1589: — "The  quhilk  days  comperit 
up  Bernard  Lindsay  and  Barbara  Logan,  and  gave 
their  names  to  be  proclamit  and  mareit,  within 
this  date  and  Michaelmas. — John  Logane,  Cau- 
tioner." 

Another  record,  22nd  September,  1633,  bears 
that  the  Session  "  allowis  burial  to  Barbara  Logane, 
relict  of  Bernard  Lindsaye,  besyde  her  husbande  in 
the  kirk-yeard,  in  contentation  yairof,  100  merks  to 
be  given  to  the  poor." 

From  Bernard  Lindsay,  the  name  of  the  present 
Bernard  Street  is  derived.  Bernard's  Nook  has 
long  been  known.  "  In  the  '  Council  Records '  of 
Edinburgh,  1647,"  says  Robertson,  "  is  the  follow- 


ing entry  :— '  To  the  purchase  of  the  Kingis  Werk, 
in  Leith,  4,500  lib.  Scot.'  A  previous  entry,  1627, 
refers  to  dealing  with  the  sons  of  Bernard  Lindsay, 
'for  their  house  in  Leith  to  be  a  customhouse.  .  .  .' 
We  have  no  record  that  any  buildings  existed  be- 
yond the  bounds  of  the  walls  or  the  present 
Bernard  Street  at  this  time,  the  earliest  dates  on 
the  seaward  part  of  the  Shore  being  1674 — 1681." 

The  old  Weigh-house,  or  Tron  of  Leith,  stood 
within  Bernard's  Nook,  on  the  west  side  of  the 
street ;  but  local,  though  unsupported,  tradition 
asserts  that  the  original  signal-tower  and  light- 
house of  Leith  stood  in  the  Broad  Wynd. 

Wilson  thus  refers  to  the  relic  of  the  Wark 
already  mentioned  : — "  A  large  stone  panel,  which 
bore  the  date  1650 — the  year  immediately  suc- 
ceeding the  appropriation  of  the  King's  Wark  to 
civic  purposes — appeared  in  the  north  gable  of  the 
old  weigh-house,  which  till  recently  occupied  its 
site,  with  the  curious  device  of  a  rainbow  carved 
in  bold  relief  springing  at  either  end  from  a  bank 
of  clouds." 

"  So,"  says  Arnot,  "  this  fabric,  which  was  reared 
for  the  sports  and  recreations  of  a  Court,  was 
speedily  to  be  the  scene  of  the  ignoble  labours  of 
carmen  and  porters,  engaged  in  the  drudgery  of 
weighing  hemp  and  of  iron." 

Eastward  of  the  King's  Wark,  between  Bernard's 
Street  and  chapel,  lies  the  locality  once  so  curiously 
designated  Little  London,  and  which,  according  to 
Kincaid,  measured  ninety  feet  from  east  to  west, 
by  seventy-five  broad  over  the  walls.  "  How  it 
acquired  the  name  of  Little  London  is  now- 
unknown, "  says  Campbell,  in  his  "History"; 
"but  it  was  so-called  in  the  year  1674.  We  do 
not  see,  however,"  he  absurdly  remarks,  "  that  it 
could  have  obtained  this  appellation  from  any 
other  circumstance  than  its  having  had  some 
real  or  supposed  resemblance  to  the  [English] 
metropolis." 

As  the  views  preserved  of  Little  London  show  it 
to  have  consisted  of  only  four  houses  or  so,  and 
these  of  two  storeys  high,  connected  by  a  dead 
wall  with  one  doorway,  facing  Bernard  Street  in 
1800,  Campbell's  theory  is  untenable.  It  is  much 
more  probable  that  it  derived  its  name  from  being 
the  quarters  or  cantonments  of  those  1,500  English 
soldiers  who,  under  Sir  William  Drury,  Marshal  of 
Berwick,  came  from  England  in  April,  1573,  to 
assist  the  Regent  Morton's  Scottish  Companies  in 
the  reduction  of  Edinburgh  Castle.  These  men 
departed  from  Leith  on  the  16th  of  the  following 
June,  and  it  has  been  supposed  that  a  few  of  them 
may  have  been  induced  to  remain,  and  the  locality 
thus  won  the  name  of  Little  London,  in  the  same 


THE    GLASS    WORKS. 


'39 


fashion  that  the  hamlet  near  Craigmillar  was  named 
"  Little  France "  from  the  French  servants  of 
Mary. 

"  In  a  small  garden  attached  to  one  of  the  houses 
in  Little  London,"  says  a  writer,  whose  anecdote 
we  give  for  what  it  is  worth,  "  there  was  a  flower- 
plot  which  was  tended  with  peculiar  care  long 
after  its  original  possessors  had  gone  the  way  of 
all  flesh,  and  it  was  believed  that  the  body  of  a 
young  and  beautiful  female  who  committed  suicide 
was  interred  here.  The  peculiar  circumstances 
attending  her  death,  and  the  locality  made  choice 
of  for  her  interment,  combined  to  throw  a  ro- 
mantic interest  over  her  fate  and  fortunes,  and 
her  story  was  handed  down  from  one  generation 
to  another." 

In  Bernard  Street,  a  spacious  and  well-edificed 
thoroughfare,  was  built,  in  1806,  the  office  of  the 
Leith  Bank,  a  neat  but  small  edifice,  consisting  of 
two  floors ;  a  handsome  dome  rises  from  the  north 
front,  and  a  projection  ornamented  with  four  Ionic 
columns,  and  having  thin  pilasters  of  the  same, 
decorates  the  building.  It  is  now  the  National 
Bank  of  Scotland  Branch. 

Since  then,  many  other  banking  offices  have  been 
established  in  the  same  street,  including  that  of 
the  Union  Bank,  built  in  187 1  after  designs  by 
James  Simpson,  having  a  three-storeyed  front  in  the 
Italian  style,  with  a  handsome  cornice  and  balus- 
trade, and  a  telling- room  measuring  34  feet  by  32  ; 
the  National  Bank  of  Scotland  ;  the  Clydesdale 
and  British  Linen  Company's  Banks ;  many  in- 
surance offices';  and  in  No.  37  is  the  house  of  the 
Leith  Merchants'  Club. 

Bernard  Street  joins  Baltic  Street,  at  the  south- 
east corner  of  which  is  the  spacious  and  stately 
Corn  Exchange,  which  is  so  ample  in  extent  as  to 
be  frequently  used  as  a  drill-hall  by  the  entire 
battalion  of  Leith  Rifle  Volunteers. 

North  of  Baltic  Street  are  the  old  Glass  Works. 
The  Bottle  House  Company,  as  it  was  named, 
began  to  manufacture  glass  vessels  in  North  Leith 
in  1746,  but  their  establishment  was  burnt  down 
during  the  first  year  of  the  partnership.  Thus,  in 
1747  the  new  brick  houses  were  built  on  the  sands 
of  South  Leith,  near  the  present  Salamander  Street, 
and  as  the  demand  for  bottles  increased,  they 
built  an  additional  one  in  1764,  though,  according 
to  Bremner,  glass  was  manufactured  in  Leith  so 
early  as  1682. 

Seven  cones,  or  furnaces,  were  built,  but  in  later 
years  only  two  have  been  in  operation.  In  the 
year  1777  no  less  than  15,883-J  cwts.  were  made 
here  in  Leith,  the  Government  duty  on  which 
amounted  to  £2,779  odd  ;  but  as  there  are  now 


many  other  bottle  manufactories  in  Scotland,  the 
trade  is  no  longer  confined  to  the  old  houses  that 
adjoin  Baltic  and  Salamander  Streets. 

A  writer  in  the  Bee,  an  old  extinct  Edinburgh 
periodical,  writing  in  1792,  says  that  about  thirty 
years  before  there  was  only  one  glass  company  in 
Scotland,  the  hands  working  one-half  the  year  in 
Glasgow,  and  the  other  half  at  Leith,  and  adds  : — 
"Now  there  are  six  glass-houses  in  Leith  alone, 
besides  many  others  in  different  parts  of  the 
country.  At  the  time  I  mention  nothing  else 
than  bottles  of  coarse  green  glass  were  made  there, 
and  to  that  article  the  Glass  House  Company  in 
Leith  confined  their  efforts,  till  about  a  dozen  years 
ago.  when  they  began  to  make  fine  glass  for  phials 
and  other  articles  of  that  nature.  About  four  years 
ago  they  introduced  the  manufacture  of  crown 
glass  for  windows,  which  they  now  make  in  great 
perfection,  and  in  considerable  quantities.  After 
they  began  to  manufacture  white  glass,  they  fell 
into  the  way  of  cutting  it  for  ornament  and  en- 
graving upon  it.  In  this  last  department  they  have 
reached  a  higher  degree  of  perfection  than  it  has 
perhaps  anywhere  else  ever  attained.  A  young 
man  who  was  bred  to  that  business,  having  dis- 
covered a  taste  in  designing,  and  an  elegance  of 
execution  that  was  very  uncommon,  the  proprietors 
of  the  works  were  at  pains  to  give  him  every  aid  in 
the  art  of  drawing  that  this  place  can  afford,  and 
he  has  exhibited  some  specimens  of  his  powers  in 
that  line  that  are  believed  to  be  unrivalled.  It  is 
but  yesterday  that  this  Glass  House  Company  (who 
are  in  a  very  flourishing  state),  encouraged  by  their 
success  in  other  respects,  introduced  the  art  of 
preparing  glass  in  imitation  of  gems,  and  of  cutting 
it  in  facets,  and  working  it  into  elegant  forms  for 
chandeliers  and  other  ornamental  kinds  of  furni- 
ture. In  this  department  their  first  attempts  have 
been  highly  successful,  and  they  have  now  executed 
some  pieces  of  work  that  they  need  not  be  ashamed 
to  compare  with  the  best  that  can  be  procured 
elsewhere." 

The  works  of  the  Glass  House  Company  at 
Leith  were  advertised  as  for  sale  in  the  Couranl 
of  1 813,  which  stated  that  they  were  valued  at 
£40,000,  with  a  valuable  steam-engine  of  sixteen 
horse  power,  valued  at  ,£21,000. 

Quality  Street,  and  the  fine  long  thoroughfare 
named  Constitution  Street,  open  into  Bernard 
Street.  Robertson  gives  us  a  drawing  of  an  old  and 
richly-moulded  doorway  of  a  tenement,  in  the 
former  street,  having  on  its  lintel  the  initials  P.  P., 
E.  G.,  and  the  date  17  10.  At  the  corner  of  Quality 
Street  stands  St.  John's  Free  Church,  which  was 
built  in  1S70-1,  at  a  cost  of  about  £7,500,  and 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


is  in  the  Gothic  style,  with  a  tower  130  feet  high, 
surmounted  by  an  open  crown. 

On  the  east  side  of  this  street,  and  near  its 
northern  end,  stood  the  house  in  which  John 
Home,  the  author  of  "  Douglas  "  and  other  trage- 
dies, was  born,  on  the  13th  September,  1724.  His 
father,  Alexander  Home,  was  Town  Clerk  of  Leith, 
and  his  mother  was  Christian  Hay,  daughter  of  a 
writer  in  Edinburgh.  He  was  educated  at  the 
Grammar  School  in  the  Kirkgate,  and  subsequently 


succeeded  in  carrying  Thomas  Barrow,  who  had 
dislocated  his  ankle  in  the  descent,  to  Alloa,  where 
they  were  received  on  board  the  Vulture,  sloop-of- 
war,  commanded  by  Captain  Falconer,  who  landed 
them  in  his  barge  at  the  Queen's  Ferry,  from 
whence  Home  returned  to  his  father's  house  in 
Leith. 

Subsequently  he  became  the  associate  and  friend 
of  Drs.  Robertson  and  Blair,  David  Hume,  Adam 
Fergusson,  Adam  Smith,  and  other  eminent  literati 


at  the  university  of  the  capital.  His  father  was  a 
son  of  Home  of  Flass  (says  Henry  Mackenzie,  in 
his  "  Memoirs  "),  a  lineal  descendant  of  Sir  James 
Home  of  Cowdenknowes,  ancestor  of  the  Earls  of 
Home.  He  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of 
Edinburgh  on  the  4th  of  April,  in  the  memorable 
year  1745,  and  became  a  volunteer  in  the  corps  so 
futilely  formed  to  assist  in  the  defence  of  Edinburgh 
against  Prince  Charles  Edward.  Serving  as  a 
volunteer  in  the  Hanoverian  interest,  he  was  taken 
prisoner  at  the  victory  of  Falkirk,  and  committed  to 
the  castle  of  Doune  in  Monteith,  from  whence, 
with  some  others,  he  effected  an  escape  by  forming 
ropes  of  the  bedclothes— an  adventure  which  he 
details  in  his  own  history  of  the  civil  strife.     They 


of  whom  the  Edinburgh  of  that  day  could  boast ; 
and  in  1 746  he  was  inducted  as  minister  at  Athel- 
staneford,  his  immediate  predecessor  being  Robert 
Blair,  author  of  "  The  Grave,"  and  there  he  pro- 
duced his  first  drama,  founded  on  the  death  of 
Agis,  King  of  Sparta,  which  Garrick  declined  when 
offered  for  representation  in  1749. 

In  1755  Home  set  off  on  horseback  to  Lon- 
don from  his  house  in  East  Lothian,  with  the 
tragedy  of  "Douglas"  in  his  pocket,  says  Henry 
Mackenzie.  "  His  habitual  carelessness  was  strongly 
shown  by  his  having  thought  of  no  better  convey- 
ance for  this  MS. — by  which  he  was  to  acquire 
all  the  fame  and  future  success  of  which  his  friends 
were  so  confident — than  the  pocket  of  the  great- 


JOHN    HOME. 


241 


coat  in  which  he  rode.  Dr.  Carlyle  turned  a  little 
out  of  the  road  to  procure  from  a  clergyman  of  their 
acquaintance  the  loan  of  a  pair  of  saddle-bags, 
ui  which  to  deposit  the  MS." 

The  latter  was  also  rejected  by  Garrick,   "  with 


his  living,  and  published  several  other  tragedies; 
and  after  the  accession  of  George  III.  to  the 
throne  he  received  a  pension  of  ^300  per 
annum.  In  1763  he  obtained  the  then  sinecure 
appointment  of  Conservator  of  Scottish  Privileges 


-  : .    i.\MEb  s  tn.-i  01 


the  mortifying  declaration  that  it  was  totally  unfit 
for  the  stage.''  Yet  it  was  brought  out  at  Edin- 
burgh by  Digges,  on  the  14th  December,  1756, 
and  produced  that  storm  of  fanaticism  to  which 
we  have  referred  in  a  former  part  of  this  work.  It 
had  a  run  then  unprecedented,  and  though  a  rather 
dull  work,  has  maintained  a  certain  popularity 
almost  to  the  present  day. 

To  escape  the  censures  of  the  kirk,  he  resigned 
127 


at  Campvere  (in  succession  to  George  Lind,  Provost 
of  Edinburgh),  and  also  the  office  of  Commissioner 
for  Sick  and  Wounded  Seamen.  In  1779  he  re- 
moved to  Edinburgh,  where  he  spent  the  latter 
years  of  his  life,  and  married  a  lady  of  his  own 
name,  by  whom  he  had  no  children. 

Home's  "  Douglas  "  is  now  no  longer  regarded 
as  the  marvel  of  genius  it  once  was  ;  but  the  author 
was  acknowledged  in  his  lifetime  to  be  vain  of  it, 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


up  to  the  full  average  of  poets,  yet  his  vanity  was 
of  a  very  inoffensive  kind. 

Mrs.  Sarah  Siddons,  when  visiting  the  Edinburgh 
Theatre,  always  spent  an  occasional  afternoon  with 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Home,  at  their  neat  little  house  in 
North  Hanover  Street,  and  of  one  of  these  visits 
Sir  Adam  Fergusson  was  wont  (we  have  the  autho- 
rity of  Robert  Chambers  for  it)  to  relate  the  follow- 
ing anecdote  : — They  were  seated  at  early  dinner, 
attended  by  Home's  old  man-servant  John,  when 
the  host  asked  Mrs.  Siddons  what  liqueur  or  wine 
she  preferred  to  drink. 

"  A  little  porter,"  replied  the  tragedy  queen,  in 
her  usually  impressive  voice ;  and  John  was  des- 
patched to  procure  what  he  thought  was  required. 
But  a  considerable  time  elapsed,  to  the  surprise 
of  those  at  table,  before  steps  were  heard  in  the 
outer  lobby,  and  John  re-appeared,  panting  and 
flushed,  exclaiming.  "  I've  found  ane,  mem  !  he's 
the  least  I  could  get  !"  and  with  these  words  he 
pushed  in  a  short,  thick-set  Highlander,  whose 
leaden  badge  and  coil  of  ropes  betokened  his 
profession,  "  but  who  seemed  greatly  bewildered 
on  finding  himself  in  a  gentleman's  dining-room, 
surveyed  by  the  curious  eyes  of  one  of  the 
grandest  women  that  ever  walked  the  earth.  The 
truth  flashed  first  upon  Mrs.  Siddons,  who,  un- 
wonted to  laugh,  was  for  once  overcome  by  a 
sense  of  the  ludicrous,  and  broke  forth  into  some- 
thing like  shouts  of  mirth ;"  but  Mrs.  Home, 
we  are  told,  had  not  the  least  chance  of  ever 
understanding  it. 

Home  accepted  a  captain's  commission  in  the 
Duke  of  Buccleuch's  Fencibles,  which  he  held  till 
that  corps  was  disbanded.  His  last  tragedy  was 
"Alfred,"  represented  in  1778,  when  it  proved 
an  utter  failure.  In  1776  he  accompanied  his 
friend  David  Hume,  in  his  last  illness,  from  Mor- 
peth to  Bath.  He  never  recovered  the  shock  of 
a  fall  from  his  horse  when  on  parade  with  the 
Buccleuch  Fencibles  ;  and  his  "  History  of  the 
Rebellion,"  perhaps  his  best  work  in  some  respects 
(though  it  disappointed  the  public),  and  the  task 
of  his  declining  years,  was  published  at  London 
in  1802.  He  died  at  Edinburgh,  in  his  eighty- 
fourth  year,  and  was  buried  in  South  Leith  church- 
yard, where  a  tablet  on  the  west  side  of  the 
church  marks   the   spot.      It    is  inscribed : — "  In 


memory  of  John  Home,  author  of  the  tragedy 
of  'Douglas,'  &c.  Born  13th  September,  1724. 
Died  4th  September,  1808." 

Before  recurring  to  general  history,  we  may  here 
refer  to  another  distinguished  native  of  Leith, 
Robert  Jamieson,  Professor  of  Natural  History, 
who  was  born  in  1779  in  Leith,  where  his  father 
was  a  merchant,  and  perhaps  the  most  extensive 
manufacturer  of  soap  in  Scotland.  He  was  ap- 
pointed Regius  Professor  and  Keeper  of  the 
Museum,  or  "  Repository  of  Natural  Curiosities 
in  the  University  of  Edinburgh,"  on  the  death  of 
Dr.  Walker,  in  1804;  but  he  had  previously  dis- 
tinguished himself  by  the  publication  of  three  valu- 
able works  connected  with  the  natural  history  of 
the  Scottish  Isles,  after  studying  for  two  years  at 
Freyberg,  under  the  famous  Werner. 

He  was  author  of  ten  separate  works,  all  contri- 
buting to  the  advancement  of  natural  history,  but 
more  especially  of  geology,  and  his  whole  life  was 
devoted  to  study  and  investigation.  Whether  in  the 
class-room  or  by  his  writings,  he  was  always  alike 
entitled  to  and  received  the  gratitude  and  esteem 
of  the  students. 

In  1808  he  founded  the  Wernerian  Natural 
History  Society  of  Edinburgh,  and  besides  the 
numerous  separate  works  referred  to,  the  world  is 
indebted  to  him  for  the  Edinburgh  Philosophical 
Journal,  which  he  started  in  1819,  and  which 
maintained  a  reputation  deservedly  high  as  a  re- 
pository of  science.  The  editorial  duties  con- 
nected with  it  he  performed  for  nearly  twenty 
years  (for  the  first  ten  volumes  in  conjunction  with 
Sir  David  Brewster),  adding  many  brilliant  articles 
from  his  own  pen,  and,  notwithstanding  the  varied 
demands  upon  his  time,  was  a  contributor  to  the 
"  Edinburgh  Encyclopedia,"  the  "  Encyclopaedia 
Britannica,"  the  "  Annals  of  Philosophy,"  the 
"  Edinburgh  Cabinet  Library,"  and  many  other 
standard  works. 

He  was  for  half  a  century  a  professor,  and  had 
the  pleasure  of  sending  forth  from  his  class-room 
in  the  University  of  Edinburgh  many  pupils  who 
have  since  won  honour  and  renown  in  the  semi- 
naries and  scientific  institutions  of  Europe.  He  was 
a  fellow  of  many  learned  and  Royal  Societies, 
and  was  succeeded  in  the  Chair  of  Natural 
History  in  1854  by  Edward  Forbes. 


ST.    JAMES'S   CHAPEL. 


CHAPTER    XXVII. 
LEITH— CONSTITUTION  STREET,    THE    SHORE,    COAL    HILL,    AND    SHERIFF    BRAE. 

titution  Street— Pirates  Executed- St.  James's  Episcopal  Church— Town  Hall-St.  Johns  Church-Exchange  Buildings— Head-quarters  of 
the  Leith  Rifle  Volunteers— Old  Signal-Tower— The  Shore— Old  and  New  Ship  Taverns- The  Markets— The  Coal  Hill— Ancient  Council 
House— The  Peat  Neuk— Shirra  Brae— Tibbie  Fowler  of  the  Glen-St.  Thomas's  Church  and  Asylum-The  Gladstone  Family— Great 
Junction  Road. 


Constitution  Street,  which  lies  parallel  to  and 
•eastward  of  the  Kirkgate,  nearly  in  a  line  with  the 
eastern  face  of  the  ancient  fortifications,  is  about 
2,500  feet  in  length,  and  soon  after  its  formation 
was  the  scene  of  the  last  execution  within  what  is 
termed  "  flood-mark."  The  doomed  prisoners  were 
two  foreign  seamen,  whose  crime  and  sentence 
excited  much  interest  at  the  time. 

Peter  Heaman  and  Francois  Gautiez  were  ac- 
cused of  piracy  and  murder  in  seizing  the  brigy<7//t' 
of  Gibraltar,  on  her  voyage  from  that  place  to 
the  Brazils,  freighted  with  a  valuable  cargo,  in- 
cluding 38,180  Spanish  dollars,  and  in  barbarously 
killing  Johnson  the  master,  and  Paterson  a  sea- 
man, and  confining  Smith  and  Sinclair,  two  other, 
seamen,  in  the  forecastle,  where  they  tried  to  suffo- 
cate them  with  smoke,  but  eventually  compelled 
them  to  assist  in  navigating  the  vessel,  which  they 
afterwards  sank  off  the  coast  of  Ross-shire.  They 
landed  the  specie  in  eight  barrels  on  the  Isle  of 
Lewis,  where  they  were  apprehended. 

This  was  in  the  summer  of  1S22,  and  they  were, 
after  a  trial  before  the  Court  of  Justiciary,  sentenced 
by  the  Judge- Admiral  to  be  executed  on  the  9th  of 
the  subsequent  January,  "on  the  sands  of  Leith, 
within  the  flood-mark,  and  their  bodies  to  be  after- 
wards given  to  Dr.  Munro  for  dissection." 

On  the  day  named  they  were  conveyed  from  the 
Calton  gaol,  under  a  strong  escort  of  the  dragoon 
guards,  accompanied  by  the  magistrates  of  the  city, 
who  had  white  rods  projecting  from  the  windows  of 
the  carriages  in  which  they  sat,  to  a  gibbet  erected 
at  the  foot  of  Constitution  Street — or  rather,  the 
northern  continuation  thereof— and  there  hanged. 
Heaman  was  a  native  of  Carlscrona,  in  Sweden  ; 
Gautiez  was  a  Frenchman.  The  bodies  were  put 
in  coffins,  and  conveyed  by  a  corporal's  escort  of 
dragoons  to  the  rooms  of  the  professor  of  anatomy. 
During  the  execution  the  great  bell  of  South  Leith 
church  was  tolled  with  minute  strokes,  and  the 
papers  of  the  day  state  that  "  the  crowd  of  spectators 
was  immense,  particularly  en  the  sands,  being  little 
short  of  from  forty  to  fifty  thousand ;  but,  owing  to 
the  excellent  manner  in  which  everything  was 
arranged,  not  the  slightest  accident  happened." 

In  1823  the  same  thoroughfare  witnessed  another 
legal   punishment,   when  Thomas  Hay,  who  had 


been  tried  and  convicted  of  an  attempt  at  assassina- 
tion, was  flogged  through  the  town  by  the  common 
executioner,  and  banished  for  fourteen  years. 

Between  Constitution  Street  and  the  Links  stands 
St.  James's  Episcopalian  church,  an  ornate  edifice 
in  the  Gothic  style,  designed  by  Sir  Gilbert  Scott, 
having  a  fine  steeple,  containing  a  chime  of  bells. 
It  was  built  in  1862-3,  succeeding  a  previous  chapel 
of  1805  (erected  at  the  cost  of£  1,6 10)  on  an  adjacent 
site  (of  which  a  view  is  given  on  p.  240),  and  to  which 
attention  was  frequently  drawn  from  the  literary 
celebrity  of  its  minister,  Dr.  Michael  Russell,  the 
author  of  a  continuation  of  Prideaux's  "  Connection 
of  Sacred  and  Profane  History,"  and  other  works. 
According  to  Arnot,  the  congregation  had  an  origin 
that  was  not  uncommon  in  the  eighteenth  century. 
After  the  battle  of  Culloden,  "when  the  perse- 
cution was  set  on  foot  against  those  of  the  Epis- 
copal communion  in  Scotland  who  did  not  take  the 
oaths  required  by  law,  the  meeting-house  in  Leith 
was  shut  up  by  the  sheriff  of  the  county.  Persons 
of  this  persuasion  being  thus  deprived  of  the  form 
of  worship  their  principles  approved,  brought  from 
the  neighbouring  country  Mr.  John  Paul,  an  English 
clergyman,  who  opened  this  chapel  on  the  23rd 
June,  1749.  It  is  called  St.  James's  chapel.  Till 
of  late  the  congregation  only  rented  it,  but  within 
these  few  years  they  purchased  it  for  ^200.  The 
clergyman  has  about  £60  a  year  salary,  and  the 
organist  ten  guineas.     These  are  paid  out  of  the 

'  seat  rents,  collections,  and  voluntary  contributions 
among  the  hearers.  It  is,  perhaps,  needless  to  add 
that    there    are    one   or  more  meeting-houses  for 

'  sectaries  in  this  place  (Leith),  for  in  Scotland  there 
are  few  towns,  whether  of  importance  or  insignifi- 
cant, whether  populous  or  otherwise,  where  there 
are  not  congregations  of  sectaries." 

The  congregation  of  St.  James's  chapel  received, 
in  about  the  year  1810,  the  accession  of  a  non- 
juring  congregation  of  an  earlier  date,  says  a  writer 
in  1851,  referring,  doubtless,  to  that  formed  in  the 
time  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Paul. 

The  Leith  Post  Office  is  at  the  corner  of  Mitchell 
and  Constitution  Streets;  it  was  built  in  1876,  is 
very  small,  and  in  a  rather  meagre  Italian  style. 

The  Town  Hall,  which  is  at  the  corner  of  Constitu- 
tion and  Charlotte  Streets,  was  built  in  1827,  at  a 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


cost  of  ,£3,300,  and  has  two  ornamental  fronts, 
respectively  with  Ionic  pillars  and  a  Doric  porch. 

St.  John's  Established  Church  adjoins  it.  It  was 
originally  a  chapel  of  ease,  but  became  a  Free  Church 
from  the  Disruption  in  1843  till  1867,  when,  by 
adjudication,  it  reverted  to  the  Establishment. 
Designed  by  David  Rhind,  it  has  an  imposing 
front  in  the  Early  Pointed  style,  surmounted  by  a 
lofty  octagonal  tower,  terminating  in  numerous 
pinnacles,  and  not  in  a  tall  slender  spire,  accord- 


On  the  west  side  of  Constitution  Street,  the  way. 
for  nearly  300  feet,  is  bounded  by  the  wall  enclos- 
ing the  burying-ground  of  St.  Mary's  Church,  to 
which  access  is  here  given  by  a  large  iron  gate, 
after  passing  the  Congregational  chapel  at  the 
intersection  of  Laurie  Street. 

In  No.  132  have  long  been  established  the  head- 
quarters and  orderly-room  of  the  Leith  Volunteer 
Corps,  numbered  as  the  1st  Midlothian  Rifles. 
Originally  clad  in  grey  (like  the  city  volunteers).. 


ing    to    the    original    intention    of    the    talented 
architect. 

The  Exchange  Buildings  at  the  foot  of  Con- 
stitution Street,  opposite  Bernard  Street,  were 
erected,  at  a  cost  of  ,£16,000,  in  a  Grecian  style 
of  architecture,  and  are  ornamented  in  front 
by  an  Ionic  portico  of  four  columns.  They 
are  three  storeys  in  height,  and  include  public 
reading  and  assembly  rooms  ;  but  of  late  years 
assemblies  have  seldom  been  held  in  Leith,  though 
they  were  usual  enough  in  the  last  century.  In  the 
Weekly  Magazine  for  1776  we  read  of  a  handsome 
subscription  being  sent  by  "  the  subscribers  to  a 
dancing  assembly  in  Leith,"  through  Sir  William 
Forbes,  for  the  relief  of  our  troops  at  Boston. 


this  regiment  now  wears  scarlet,  faced  unmeaningly 
with  black,  and  their  badge  is  the  arms  of  Leith — 
the  Virgin  and  Holy  Child  seated  in  the  middle  of 
a  galley,  with  the  motto,  "  Persevere."  The  corps 
was  raised  when  the  volunteer  movement  began, 
under  Colonel  Henry  Arnaud,  a  veteran  officer  of 
the  East  India  Company's  Service,  who,  in  turn, 
was  succeeded  by  D.-R.  Macgregor,  Esq.,  the  late 
popular  M.P.  for  the  Leith  Burghs. 

On  the  same  side  of  the  street  stands  the  Catholic 
Church  of  "Our  Lady,  Star  of  the  Sen."  built  in 
1S53.  It  is  a  high-roofed  cruciform  edifice,  in  a 
coarse  style  of  Early  Gothic. 

Constitution  Street  is  continued  north  to  the 
intersection  of  Tower  Street  and  the  road  beyond 


THE    SHORE. 


245 


it,  sixty  feet  wide,  bordering  the  Albert  and 
other  docks,  and,  in  addition  to  the  edifices 
specially  mentioned,  contains  the  offices  of  the 
Leith  Chamber  of  Commerce,  instituted  in  1840, 
and  incorporated  in  1852,  having  a  chairman, 
deputy-chairman,  six  directors,  and  other  officials  ; 
the  sheriff-clerk's  office ;  that  of  the  Leith  Burghs 
Pilot,  and  the  offices  of  many  steamship  companies. 
At  the  north-east  angle  of  Tower  Street  stands 
the  lofty  circular    signal-tower  (which  appears  in 


son  has  a  view  of  the  door  and  staircase  window  of 
No.  10,  which  bears  the  date  1678,  with  the  initials 
R.M.  within  a  chaplet. 

In  No.  28  is  the  well-known  Old  Ship  Hotel, 
above  the  massive  entrance  of  which  is  carved,  in 
bold  relief,  an  ancient  ship  ;  and  No.  20  is  the 
equally  well-known  New  Ship  Tavern,  or  hotel,  the 
lower  flat  of  which  is  shown,  precisely  as  we  find  it 
now,  in  the  Rotterdam  view  of  1  700,  with  its  heavily 
moulded  doorway,   above  which    can    be  traced, 


several  of  our  engravings),  so  long  a  leading 
feature  in  all  the  seaward  views  of  Leith,  and  the 
base  of  which,  so  lately  as  1830,  was  washed  by 
the  waves  at  the  back  of  the  old  pier.  It  was 
originally  a  windmill  for  making  rape-oil,  as  de- 
scribed by  Maitland,  and  it  is  distinctly  delineated 
in  a  view  (see p.  173)  of  Leith  Harbour  about  1700, 
now  in  the  Trinity  House,  to  which  it  was  brought 
by  one  of  the  incorporation,  who  discovered  it  at 
Rotterdam  in  17 16.  Part  of  the  King's  Wark  is 
also  shown  in  it. 

What  is  called  the  Shore,  or  quay,  extends  from 
the  tower  southward  to  the  foot  of  the  Tolbooth 
Wynd,  and  is  edificed  by  many  quaint  old  build- 
ings, with  gables,  dormers,  and  crowsteps.    Robert- 


through  many  obliterations  of  time  and  paint,  a 
Latin  motto  from  Psalm  cxxvi.,  most  ingeniously 
adapted,  by  the  alteration  of  a  word,  to  the  calling 
of  the  house — "  Ne  dormitet  custos  tuus.  Ecce 
non  dormitat  neque  dormit  custos  domus"  (Israelis 
in  the  original),  which  is  thus  translated — "  He 
that  keepeth  thee  will  not  slumber.  Behold,  he 
that  keepeth  the  house  (Israel)  shall  neither  slumber 
nor  sleep." 

The  taverns  of  Leith  have  always  held  a  high 
repute  for  their  good  cheer,  and  were  always  the 
resort  of  Edinburgh  lawyers  on  Saturdays.  The 
host  of  the  "  Old  Ship  "  is  very  prominently  men- 
tioned by  Robert  Fergusson  in  his  poem,  entitled 
"  Good  Eating." 


246 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


The  Old  and  New  Ship  are  good  examples  of 
what  these  old  taverns  were,  as  they  still  exhibit 
without  change,  their  great  staircases  and  walls  of 
enormous  thickness,  large  but  cosy  rooms,  panelled 
with  moulded  wainscot,  and  quaint  stone  fire  places, 
that,  could  they  speak,  might  tell  many  a  tale  of 
perils  in  the  Baltic  and  on  the  shores  of  Holland, 
France,  and  Denmark,  and  of  the  days  when  Leith 
ships  often  sailed  to  Tangiers,  and  of  many  a  deep 
carouse,  when  nearly  all  foreign  wines  came  almost 
without  duty  to  the  port  of  Leith. 

In  1700  the  price  of  400  oysters  at  Leith  was 
only  6s.  8d.  Scots,  as  appears  from  the  Abbey 
House-bookof  the  Duke  of  Queensberry,  when  High 
Commissioner  at  Holyrood,  quoted  in  the  "  Scottish 
Register,"  Vol.  I. ;  and  chocolate  seems  to  have 
been  then  known  in  Scotland,  but,  as  it  is  only 
mentioned  once  or  twice,  it  must  have  been 
extremely  rare  ;  while  tea  or  coffee  are  not  men- 
tioned at  all,  and  what  was  used  by  the  opulent 
Scots  of  that  period  would  appear  from  the  morn- 
ing meal  provided  on  different  days,  thus  : — 
"One  syde  of  lamb,  and  two  salmon  grilses  ; 

One  quarter  of  mutton,  and  two  salmon  grilses  ; 

One  syde  of  lamb,  four  pidgeons  ; 

One  quarter  mutton,  five  chickens  ; 

One  quarter  mutton,  two  rabbits." 

The  modern  markets  of  Leith  occupied  the 
sites  of  the  old  custom-house  and  excise  office 
near  the  new  gaol  in  the  Tolbooth  Wynd,  were 
commodious  and  creditable  in  appearance,  covered 
a  space  140  feet  by  120,  and  had  their  areas 
surrounded  with  neatly  constructed  stalls.  They 
were  long,  but  vainly,  demanded  by  the  in- 
habitants from  the  jealous  Corporation  of  Edin- 
burgh, who  had  full  power  to  promote  or  forbid 
their  erection. 

In  1 8 18  they  were  eventually  reared  by  the  im- 
pelling influence  of  a  voluntary  subscription,  and 
by  means  of  a  compromise  which  subjected  them 
to  feu  duties  to  Edinburgh  of  ^219  yearly;  but 
they  do  not  now  exist,  having  been  partly  built 
over  by  other  erections. 

The  Coal  Hill  adjoins  the  Shore  on  the  south,  and 
here  it  is  that,  in  a  squalid  and  degraded  quarter, 
"but  immediately  facing  the  river,  we  find  one  of 
the  most  remarkable  features  in  Leith — a  building 
to  which  allusion  has  not  unfrequently  been  made 
in  our  historical  survey  of  Leith — the  old  Council 
Chamber  wherein  the  Earls  of  Lennox,  Mar,  and 
Morton,  plotted,  in  succession,  their  treasons 
against  the  Crown. 

Five  storeys  in  height,  and  all  built  of  polished 
ashlar,  with  two  handsome  string  mouldings,  it  pre- 
sents on  its  western  front  two  gables,  and  a  double 


window  projected  on  three  large  corbels  ;  on  the 
north  it  has  dormer  windows,  only  one  of  which 
retains  its  half-circular  gablet ;  and  a  massive  out- 
side chimney-stack. 

This  is  believed  to  have  been  the  building  which 
Maitland  describes  as  having  been  erected  by  Mary 
of  Lorraine  as  the  meeting-place  of  her  privy 
council.  It  is  a  spacious  and  stately  fabric,  pre- 
senting still  numerous  evidences  of  ancient  mag- 
nificence in  its  internal  decorations  ;  and  only  a 
few  years  ago  some  very  fine  samples  of  old  oak 
carving  were  removed  from  it,  and  even  a  beauti- 
fully decorated  chair  remained,  till  recently,  an 
heir-loom,  bequeathed  by  its  patrician  occupants 
to  the  humble  tenants  of  the  degraded  mansion. 

Campbell,  in  his  "  History  of  Leith,"  says  that  it 
"still  (in  1827)  exhibits  many  traces  of  splendours 
nothing  short  of  regal.  Amongst  these  are  some 
old  oaken  chairs,  on  which  are  carved,  though 
clumsily,  crowns,  sceptres,  and  other  royal  insignia. 
The  whole  building,  in  short,  both  from  its  superior 
external  appearance  and  the  elegance  of  its  in- 
terior decorations,  is  altogether  remarkable.  Every 
apartment  is  carefully,  and,  according  to  the  taste 
of  the  times,  elaborately  adorned  with  ornamental 
workmanship  of  various  kinds  on  the  ceiling,  walls, 
cornices,  and  above  the  fire-places.  In  one  chamber, 
the  ceiling,  which  is  of  a  pentagonal  form,  and  com- 
posed of  wood,  is  covered  with  the  representation 
of  birds,  beasts,  fishes,  &c.  These,  however,  are 
now  so  much  obscured  by  smoke  and  dirt  as  to  be 
traced  with  difficulty Not  the  least  remark- 
able part  of  this  structure  is  the  unusually  broad 
and  commodious  flight  of  stairs  by  which  its  differ- 
ent flats  are  entered  from  the  street,  and  which, 
differing  in  this  respect  so  much  from  most  other 
houses,  sufficiently  establishes  the  fact  of  its  having 
been  once  a  mansion  of  no  ordinary  character." 

Of  all  the  decoration  which  Campbell  refers  to 
but  slender  traces  now  remain.  A  writer  on  Leith 
and  its  antiquities  has  striven  to  make  this  place 
a  residence  of  Mary,  the  Queen  Regent ;  but  Wilson 
expresses  himself  as  baffled  in  all  his  attempts  to 
obtain  any  proof  that  it  ever  was  so. 

"  Mary,"  says  Maitland,  "  having  begun  to  build 
in  the  town  of  Leith,  was  followed  therein  by  divers 
of  the  nobility,  bishops,  and  other  persons  of  dis- 
tinction of  her  party,  several  of  whose  houses  are 
still  remaining,  as  may  be  seen  in  sundry  places  by 
their  spacious  rooms,  lofty  ceilings,  large  staircases, 
and  private  oratories,  or  chapels  for  the  celebration 
of  mass." 

But  the  occupation  of  Leith  by  these  dignitaries 
was  of  a  very  temporary  and  strictly  military  nature. 

In  157  1,  when  head-quarters  were  established  in 


SHERIFF    BRAF. 


Leith  by  the  rebels  of  Mary  Queen  of  Scots,  the 
Earl  of  Lennox  opened  his  council  in  the  chambers 
of  the  old  tenement  referred  to,  on  the  Coal  Hill, 
and  it  is,  says  Robertson,  decorated  with  a  rose — 
the  emblem  of  his  connection  with  Henry  VIII.  of 
England — and  the  thistle  for  Scotland.  Then 
followed  that  war  to  which  Morton's  ferocity  im- 
parted a  character  so  savage  that  ere  long  quarter 
was  neither  given  nor  taken.  And  amidst  it,  in 
connection  with  some  private  feud,  some  of  the 
followers  of  Sir  William  Kirkaldy,  although  they 
had  been  ordered  merely  to  use  their  batons,  slew 
Henry  Setoun  on  the  Shore  of  Leith,  while  his  feet 
were  tripped  up  by  an  anchor.  In  escaping  to 
Edinburgh,  one  of  them  was  taken  and  lodged  in 
the  Tolbooth  there  ;  but  Kirkaldy  came  down  from 
the  Castle  with  a  party  of  his  garrison,  beat  in  the 
doors,  and  rescued  him,  after  which  he  seized  "  the 
victualls  brought  into  Leith  from  the  merchants, 
and  (did)  provide  all  necessarie  furniture  to  endure 
a  long  siege,  till  supplie  was  sent  from  forrane 
nations."     (Calderwood.) 

On  the  death  of  Lennox,  John,  Earl  of  Mar,  was 
made  Regent,  and  fixed  his  head-quarters  in  the 
same  old  tenement  at  the  Coal  Hill,  Morton  being 
again  chief  lieutenant. 

From  the  presence  of  these  peers  here,  it  is 
probable  that  the  adjacent  gloomy,  and  now  filthy, 
court,  so  grotesquely  called  Parliament  Square,  ob- 
tained its  name,  which  seems  to  have  been  formerly 
the  Peat  Neuk.  The  old  Council  House  has  been 
doomed  to  perish  by  the  new  improvement  scheme. 

In  December,  1797,  it  was  ordered  by  the  Lord 
Provost,  Magistrates,  and  Council  of  Edinburgh, 
through  the  deputy  shore-master  at  Leith,  that  every 
vessel  coming  into  the  port  with  coals  for  public 
sale,  was  to  have  a  berth  immediately  on  her  arrival 
off  the  Coal  Hill,  and  that  all  other  vessels  were  to 
unmoor  for  that  purpose,  while  no  shore  duties 
were  to  be  charged  for  coal  vessels.  {Herald  and 
Chronicle,  No.  1,215.) 

The  adjacent  Peat  Neuk,  for  years  during  the 
last  century  and  the  beginning  of  the  present, 
afforded  a  shelter  to  those  reckless  and  abandoned 
characters  who  abound  in  every  seaport ;  while  in 
that  portion  of  the  town  between  the  Coal  Hill  and 
the  foot  of  the  Tolbooth  Wynd  were  a  number  of 
ancient  and  ruinous  houses,  the  abode  of  wander- 
ing outcasts,  from  whom  no  rent  was  ever  derived 
or  expected.  It  was  further  alleged,  in  the  early 
part  of  the  nineteenth  century,  to  be  the  favourite 
haunt  of  disembodied  spirits,  whose  crimes  or 
sufferings  in  life  compelled  them  to  wander ;  so, 
every  way,  the  Coal  Hill  seems  to  have  been  an 
unpleasant,  as  it  is  still  an  unsavoury,  locality. 


From  thence,  another  quarter  known  as  the 
Sheriff,  or  Shirra  Brae,  extends  in  a  south-westerly 
direction,  still  abounding  in  ancient  houses.  Here, 
facing  the  Coal  Hill,  there  stood,  till  1840,  a  very 
fine  old  edifice,  described  as  having  been  the  resi- 
dence of  a  Logan  of  Restalrig.  The  dormer 
windows,  which  rose  high  above  the  eaves,  were 
elaborately  sculptured  with  many  dates  and  quaint 
devices.  Some  of  these  have  been  preserved  in 
the  north  wall  of  the  manse  of  St.  Thomas's  Church. 
One  of  them  displays  a  shield  charged  with  a  heart, 
surmounted  by  a  fleur-de-lis,  with  the  initials  I.L. 
and  the  date  1636;  another  has  the  initials  I.L., 
M.C.,  with  the  date  24  Dec,  1636;  a  third  has 
the  initials  M.C.,  with  a  shield ;  while  a  fourth 
gablet  has  the  initials  D.D.,  M.C.,  and  the  com- 
paratively recent  date  1730. 

The  supposed  grandson  of  the  luckless  Logan 
of  the  Gowrie  conspiracy  married  Isabel  Fowler, 
daughter  of  Ludovic  Fowler  of  Burncastle  (says 
Robertson),  the  famous  "  Tibbie  Fowler "  of 
Scottish  song,  and  here  she  is  said  to  have  resided ; 
but  her  husband  has  been  otherwise  said  to  have 
been  a  collateral  of  the  ancient  house  of  Restalrig, 
as  it  is  recorded,  under  date  12th  June,  1572 — 
"  Majestro  Joanne  Logan  de  Shireff  Braye,"  who 
postpones  the  case  of  Christian  Gudsonne,  wife  of 
Andrew  Burne  in  Leith,  "dilatit  of  the  mutilation 
of  William  Burne,  burgess  of  Edinburgh,  of  his 
foremost  finger  be  byting  thereof." 

In  the  chartulary,  says  Robertson,  we  have  also 
John  Logan e  of  the  Coatfield  (Kirkgate),and  George 
Logane  of  Bonnington  Mills  is  repeatedly  alluded 
to;  "and  we  believe,"  he  adds,  that  these  branches 
"  existed  as  early  as  the  charter  of  King  David." 
The  old  house  at  Bonnington  still  shows  a  curious 
doorway,  surmounted  by  a  carefully  sculptured 
tablet  bearing  a  shield,  with  a  chevron  and  three 
fleurs-de-lis ;  crest,  a  ship  with  sails  furled.  The 
motto  and  date  are  obliterated. 

Another  writer  supposes  that  if  the  old  house  on 
the  Sheriff  Brae  was  really  the  residence  of  George 
Logan,  it  may  have  been  acquired  by  marriage, 
"  seeing  that  the  forfeiture  of  the  family  possessions 
occurred  so  shortly  before  ;  and  this  in  itself  affords 
some  colour  to  the  tradition  that  he  was  the  success- 
ful wooer  of  Tibbie  Fowler." 

In  support  of  this,  the  historian  of  Leith  says  : — 
"  We  think  it  not  improbable  that  it  was  Tibbie's 
tocher  that  enabled  Logan,  who  was  ruined  by  the 
attainder  of  1609,  to  build  the  elegant  mansion  on 
the  Sheriff  Brae.  The  marriage  contract  between 
Logan  and  Isabella  Fowler  (supposed  to  be  the 
Tibbie  of  the  song)  is  now  in  possession  of  a 
gentleman  in  Leith." 


248 


OLD   AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


[Uith. 


This  marriage  is  also  referred  to  by  Nisbet  in 
his  "  Heraldry,"  Vol.  I.,  so  George  Logan  would 
seem  to  have  been  fortunate  in  out-rivalling  the 
*  ane-and-forty  wooing  at  her." 

The  house  was  demolished,  as  stated,  in  1840, 


ten  patients  and  inmates,  and  has  a  revenue  of 
.£300  per  annum.  "  Blissit  .  be  .  God  .  of  .  His  . 
Giftes.  1601 .  I.K.S.H,"  appears  in  a  large  square 
panel  on  an  old  house  near  the  head  of  the  Sheriff 
Brae  ;  and  nearly  the  same  favourite  motto,  with 


THE   ANCIEN 


to  make  way  for  St.  Thomas's  Church  with  its  alms- 
houses erected  by  Sir  John  Gladstone,  Bart.,  of 
Fasque.  It  is  clustered  with  a  manse,  school- 
house,  and  the  asylum,  forming  the  whole  into  a 
handsome  range  of  Gothic  edifices,  constructed  at  a 
cost  of  ,£10,000,  from  a  design  by  John  Henderson, 
of  Edinburgh. 

The  asylum  is  a  refuge  and  hospital  for  females 
afflicted  with  incurable  diseases,  and  accommodates 


the  date  1629,  and  the  initials  I.H.,  K.G.,  appears 
on  the  door  lintel  of  another  house,  having  a  square 
staircase  in  a  kind  of  projecting  tower,  and  a 
great  chimney  corbelled  on  its  street  front  ;  but 
as  to  the  inmates  of  either  no  record  remains. 

The  Leith  Hospital,  Humane  Society,  and  Casu- 
alty Hospital  are  all  located  together  now  in  Mill 
Lane,  at  the  head  of  the  Sheriff  Brae— spacious 
edifices,  having  a  frontage  to  the  former  of  150  feet; 


AN   ANCIENT   BEACH. 


and  here,  too,  stands  South  Leith  Poor-house,  with  I  of  the  ocean,  at   some   time  posterior   to  Noah, 
the  parochial  offices  facing  Junction  Road.  |  ebbed    and   flowed    over   the    ground    on   which 

When  the  foundations  of  the  hospital  here  were  |  these  buildings  are  at  present  erected."  As  the 
dug  in  1850,  indications  were  discovered  of  how  '  place  was  in  the  line  of  the  fortifications,  relics 
the  sea  margin  had  changed.     Specimens  of  the     of  the  Scoto-French  war   were  found  also,   such 


purpura,  buccinum,  ostrea.  mytilus,  and  balanus, 
were  found  (Robertson).  These  were  seen  in 
extensive  layers  under  marine  sand,  twelve  and 
fifteen  feet  below  the  surface,  and  twenty-five 
above  high  water.  "Being  marine  shells  of  existing 
species,  the  great  mass  not  edible,  and  so  densely 
compacted  in  layers  from  the  hospital  to  the 
Junction  Road — nearly  an  acre  of  land — it  may 
rationally  be  concluded  that  the  green  waters 
128 


as  a  forty-eight  pound  ball  of  a  cannon-royale, 
some  antique  harness,  a  large  forelock,  and 
the  wheelcap  or  stock-point  of  a  piece  of  ar- 
tillery. 

To  the  Humane  Society  we  have  referred,  in  its 
cradle  at  the  Burgess  Wynd.  It  would  appear  that 
soon  after  its  formation  a  complete  set  of  apparatus 
I  for  recovering  the  drowned  was  presented  to  it,  and 
to  the  town  of  Leith,  by  the  Humane  Society  of 


25c 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


London,  at  the  request  of  Lord  Balgonie,  afterwards 
EarlofLeven.     {Edinburgh  Mag.,  1788.) 

People  of  Leith  are  not  likely  to  forget  that  the 
vicinity  of  the  Sheriff  Brae  is  a  district  inseparably 
connected  with  the  name  of  Gladstone,  and  readers 
of  Hugh  Miller's  interesting  "  Schools  and  School- 
masters "  will  scarcely  require  to  be  reminded  of 
the  experiences  of  the  stone-mason  of  Cromarty, 
in  his  visit  to  this  quarter  of  Leith. 

In  Peter  Williamson's  Directory  for  Edinburgh 
and  Leith,  1786-8,  we  find — "James  Gladstones, 
schoolmaster,  No.  —  Leith,"  and  "Thomas  Glad- 
stones, flour  and  barley  merchant,  Coal  Hill."  His 
shop,  long  since  removed,  stood  where  a  wood-yard 
is  now.  James  was  uncle,  and  Thomas  the  father, 
of  Sir  John  Gladstone  of  Fasque,  who  built  the 
church  and  almshouses  so  near  where  his  thrifty 
forefathers  earned  their  bread. 

The  Gladstones,  says  a  local  writer,  were  of 
Clydesdale  origin,  and  were  land-owners  there 
and  on  the  Border.  "Claiming  descent  from  this 
ancient  and  not  undistinguished  stock,  Mr.  John 
Gladstones  of  Toftcombes,  near  Biggar,  in  the 
Upper  Ward  of  Clydesdale,  had,  by  his  wife,  Janet 
Aitken,  a  son,  Thomas,  a  prosperous  trader  in 
Leith,  who  married  Helen,  daughter  of  Mr.  Walter 
Neilson  of  Springfield,  and  died  in  the  year  1809  ; 
of  this  marriage,  the  deceased  baronet  (Sir  John) 
was  the  eldest  son." 

He  was  born  in  Leith  on  the  nth  December, 
in  the  year  1764,  and  commenced  business  there 
at  an  early  age,  but  soon  removed  to  the  more 
ample  field  of  Liverpool,  where,  for  more  than 
half  a  century,  he  took  rank  with  the  most  suc- 
cessful traders  of  that  opulent  seaport,  where  he 
amassed  great  wealth  by  his  industry,  enterprise, 
and  skill,  and  he  proved  in  after  life  munificent 
in  its  disposal. 

The  names  of  Thomas  and  Hugh  Gladstones, 
merchants  in  North  Leith,  appear  in  the  Directory 
for  1 8 1 1 ,  and  the  marriage  of  Marion  (a  daughter 
of  the  former)  to  the  Rev.  John  Watson,  Minister 
of  the  Relief  Congregation  at  Dunse,  in  1799,  is 
recorded  in  the  Herald  of  that  year. 

While  carrying  on  business  in  Liverpool,  John 
Gladstones  was  a  liberal  donor  to  the  Church  of 
England,  and  after  he  retired  in  1843,  a"d  returned 
to  Scotland,  he  became  a  not  less  liberal  benefactor 
to  the  Episcopal  Church  there.  His  gifts  to  Trinity 
College,  Glenalmond,  were  very  noble,  and  he 
contributed  largely  to  the  endowment  of  the 
Bishopric  of  Brechin,  and  he  also  built  and  en- 
dowed a  church  at  Fasque,  in  the  Howe  of  the 
Mearns,  near  the  beautiful  seat  he  had  acquired 
there.     In  February,   1835,  he  had   obtained  the 


royal  license  to  drop  the  final  "  s"  with  which  his 
father  and  grandfather  had  written  the  name,  and 
to  restore  it  to  what  he  deemed  the  more  ancient 
form  of  Gladstone,  though  it  is  distinctly  spelt 
"Gladstanes"  in  the  royal  charters  of  King  David  II. 
(Robertson's  "  Index.") 

The  eminent  position  occupied  by  this  distin- 
guished native  of  Leith,  as  well  as  his  talents  and 
experience,  gave  his  opinions  much  weight  in 
commercial  matters.  According  to  one  authority, 
"he  was  frequently  consulted  on  such  subjects  by 
ministers  of  the  day,  and  took  many  opportunities' 
of  making  his  sentiments  known  by  pamphlets  and 
letters  to  the  newspapers.  He  was  to  the  last  a 
strenuous  supporter  of  that  Protective  policy  which 
reigned  supreme  and  almost  unquestioned  during 
his  youth,  and  his  pen  was  wielded  against  the 
repeal  of  the  Corn  and  Navigation  Laws.  He 
was  a  fluent,  but  neither  a  graceful  nor  a  forcible 
writer,  placing  less  trust  apparently  in  his  style 
than  in  the  substantial  merits  of  his  ample  informa- 
tion and  ingenious  argument."  Desire  was  more 
than  once  expressed  to  see  him  in  Parliament,  and 
he  contested  the  representation  of  various  places 
on  those  Conservative  principles  to  which  he  ad- 
hered through  life.  Whether  taking  a  prominent 
part  in  the  strife  of  politics  had  excited  in  him  an 
ambition  for  Parliamentary  life,  or  whether  it  was 
due,  says  Mr.  George  Barnett  Smith,  in  his  well- 
known  "  Life  "  of  Sir  John  Gladstone's  illustrious 
son,  the  great  Liberal  Prime  Minister,  "to  the 
influence  of  Mr.  Canning — who  early  perceived 
the  many  sterling  qualities  of  his  influential  sup- 
porter— matters  little ;  but  he  at  length  came 
forward  for  Lancaster,  for  which  place  he  was  re- 
turned to  the  Parliament  elected  in  1819.  We 
next  find  him  member  for  Woodstock,  182 1-6  ;  and 
in  the  year  1827  he  represented  Berwick.  Alto- 
gether he  was  a  member  of  the  House  of  Commons 
for  nine  years."  In  1846  he  was  created  a  baronet, 
]  an  honour  which  must  have  been  all  the  more 
gratifying  that  it  sprang  from  the  spontaneous  sug- 
gestion of  the  late  Sir  Robert  Peel,  and  was  one 
of  the  very  few  baronetcies  conferred  by  a  minister 
who  was  "  more  than  commonly  frugal  in  the  grant 
of  titles." 

Sir  John  was  twice  married,  and  had  several  chil- 
dren by  his  second  wife,  Anne  Robertson,  daughter 
of  Andrew  Robertson,  Provost  of  Dingwall.  His 
youngest  son,  the  Right  Hon.  William  Ewart  Glad- 
i  stone,  M.P.,  born  in  1809,  has  a  name  that  belongs 
to  the  common  history  of  Europe. 

The  venerable  baronet,  who  first  saw  the  light 
in  the  rather  gloomy  Coal  Hill  of  Leith,  died  at  his 
:  seat  of  Fasque  on    the  7th  of   December,    1851, 


ST.    NINIAN'S    CHAPEL. 


25i 


in  the  eighty-seventh  year  of  his  age,  and  was  able 
to  transact  business  until  a  very  short  time  before 
his  death.  He  was  succeeded  in  the  baronetcy 
by  his  eldest  son,  Sir  Thomas  Gladstone,  of  Fasque 
and  Balfour,  M.P.  for  Queenborough  and  other 
places  successively  in  England. 

Gladstone  Place,  near  the  Links,  has  been 
so  named  in  honour  of  this  family. 

From  the  top  of  the  Sheriff  Brae  and  Mill  Lane, 


Great  Junction  Street,  a  broad  and  spacious 
thoroughfare,  extends  eastward  for  the  distance  of 
two  thousand  feet  to  the  foot  of  Leith  Walk. 

Here,  on  the  south  side,  are  the  United  Presby- 
terian church,  the  neat  Methodist  chapel,  and  a 
large  and  handsome  edifice  erected  in  1839  as  a 
school,  and  liberally  endowed  by  Dr.  Bell,  founder 
of  the  Madras  system  of  education,  at  a  cost  of 
,£10,000. 


Remains— Houses  \ 


CHAPTER     XXVIII. 
NORTH    LEITH. 

-Parish  Created— Its  Records— Rev.  George  Wishart— Rev.  John  Knox— Rev.  Dr.  Johnston— The  Bu: 
lurch— Free  Church— Old    Grammar   School— Cobourg   Street — St.    Nicholas   Church — The    Citadel- 
Beach  and  Sands  of  North  Leith— New  Custom  House— Shipping  Inwards  and  Outwards. 


On  crossing  the  river  we  find  ourselves  in  North 
Leith,  which  is  thus  described  by  Kincaid  in 
1787:— 

"  With  regard  to  North  Leith,  very  little  alteration 
has  taken  place  here  for  a  century  past.  It  consists 
of  one  street  running  north-east  from  the  bridge, 
six  hundred  feet  long,  and  about  forty  in  breadth 
where  broadest.  On  each  side  are  many  narrow 
lanes  and  closes,  those  on  the  south  side  leading 
down  to  the  carpenters'  yards  by  the  side  of  the 
river,  and  those  on  the  north  to  the  gardens  be- 
longing to  the  inhabitants.  From  the  bridge  a 
road  leads  to  the  citadel,  in  length  520  feet;  then 
100  feet  west,  and  we  enter  the  remains  of  the  old 
fortification,  on  the  top  of  which  a  dwelling-house 
is  now  erected.  The  buildings  in  this  place  are  in 
general  very  mean  in  their  appearance,  and  in- 
habited by  people  who  let  rooms  during  the  summer 
season  to  persons  who  bathe  in  the  salt  water." 

One  of  the  leading  features  of  North  Leith,  when 
viewed  from  any  point  of  view,  is  the  quaint  spire 
of  its  old  church,  on  the  west  bank  of  the  river, 
near  the  end  of  the  upper  drawbridge,  abandoned 
now  to  secular  purposes,  separated  from  its  ancient 
burying-ground  (which  still  remains,  with  its  many 
tombstones,  half  sunk  amid  the  long  rank  grass 
of  ages),  and  lifting  its  withered  and  storm-worn 
outline,  as  if  in  deprecation  of  the  squalor  by  which 
it  is  surrounded,  and  the  neglect  and  contumely 
heaped  on  its  venerable  history. 

North  Leith,  which  contains  the  first,  or  original 
docks,  and  anciently  comprehended  the  citadel 
and  the  chief  seat  of  traffic,  was  long  a  con- 
geries of  low,  quaint-looking  old  houses,  huddled 
into  groups  or  irregular  lines,  and  straddling  their 


I  way  amid  nuisances  in  back  and  front,  very  much 
in  the  style  of  a  Spanish  or  Portuguese  town  of  the 
present  day  ;  but  since  1818  it  has  undergone  great 
and  renovating  changes,  and,  besides  being  disen- 
cumbered of  the  citadel  and  masses  of  crumbling 
houses,  it  has  some  streets  that  may  vie  with  the 
second  or  third  thoroughfares  of  Edinburgh. 

As  stated  in  our  general  history  of  Leith,  Robert 
Ballantyne,  Abbot  of  Holyrood,  towards  the  close 
,  of  the  fifteenth  century,  built  a  handsome  bridge 
[  of  three  stone  arches  over  the  Water  of  Leith,  to 
connect  the  southern  with  the  northern  quarter  of 
the  rising  seaport,  and  soon  after  its  completion  he 
erected  and  endowed  near  its  northern  end  a  chapel, 
dedicated  to  the  honour  of  God,  the  Virgin  Mary, 
and  St.  Ninian,  the  apostle  of  Galloway.  Having 
considerable  possessions  in  Leith,  the  abbot  ap- 
pointed two  chaplains  to  officiate  in  this  chapel, 
who  were  to  receive  all  the  profits  accruing  from  a 
house  which  he  had  built  at  the  southern  end  of 
this  bridge,  with  £4  yearly  out  of  other  tenements 
he  possessed  in  South  Leith. 

In  addition  to  the  offerings  made  in  the  chapel, 
the  tolls  or  duties  accruing  from  this  new  bridge 
were  to  be  employed  in  its  repair  and  that  of  the 
chapel,  but  all  surplus  the  charitable  abbot  ordained 
was  to  be  given  to  the  poor ;  and  this  charter  of 
foundation  was  confirmed  by  James  IV.,  of  gallant 
memory,  on  the  1st  of  January,  1493.  (Maitland.) 
This  chapel  was  built  with  the  full  consent  of 
the  Chapter  of  Holyrood,  and  with  the  approbation 
of  William,  Archbishop  of  St.  Andrews  ;  and — as  a 
dependency  of  the  church  of  the  Holy  Cross — 
the  land  whereon  it  stood  is  termed  the  Rudcsitk 
in  a  charter  of  Queen  Mary,  dated  1569. 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


"  St.  Ninian's  chapel  still  occupies  its  ancient  present  edifice  on  the  old  one,  erected  a  parsonage, 
site  on  the  bank  of  the  Water  of  Leith,  but  very  j  and  in  1606  obtained  an  Act  of  Parliament  erecting 
little  of  the  original  structure  of  the  good  abbot  the  district  into  a  parish,  named  North  Leith,  which, 
remains  :  probably  no  more  than  a  small  portion  I  even  after  the  Reformation  was  achieved,  had  no 
of  the  basement  wall  on  the  north  side,  where  a  ;  pastor  in  place  of  the  old  chaplain  till  1599,  when 
small  doorway  appears  with  an  elliptical  arch,  now  I  a  Mr.  James  Muirhead  was  appointed  to  the 
built  up  and    partly  sunk    in   the   ground.      The  [  ministry. 


IR  JOHN   GLADSTONE.      (A/ley  a  Photograph  h    T.  E./ge,  Llandudno.') 


remainder  of  the  structure  cannot  be  earlier  than 
the  close  of  the  sixteenth  century,  and  the  date 
on  the  steeple,  which  closely  resembles  that  of  the 
old  Tron  church,  destroyed  in  the  great  fire  of  1824, 
is  1675.'' 

After  the  Reformation,  when  the  chaplain's 
house,  the  tithes,  and  other  pertinents  of  the  chapei, 
were  acquired  by  purchase  from  John  Bothwell, 
the  Protestant  commendator  of  Holyrood,  the  new 
proprietors   immediately  rebuilt,  or  engrafted,  the 


There  is  a  more  modern  addition  to  the  new 
church,  erected  apparently  in  the  reign  of  Queen 
Anne,  and  into  it  has  been  built  a  sculptured  lintel,, 
bearing  in  large  Roman  letters  the  legend  : — 


When  erected  into  a  parish  church,  it  was  en- 
dowed with  sundry  grants,  including  the  neigh- 
bouring chapel  and  hospital  of  St.  Nicholas. 


ST.    NINIAN'S    CHURCH. 


m  *&  1 


!54 


OLD   AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


The  first  volume  of  the  "  Parochial  Records " 
begins  in  January,  1605,  a  year  before  the  Act, 
and  contains  the  usual  memoranda  of  petty  tyranny 
peculiar  to  the  times,  such  as  the  following,  mo- 
dernised : — 

"  Compeared  Margaret  Sinclair,  being  cited  by 
the  Session  of  the  Kirk,  and  being  accused  of 
being  at  the  Burne  (for  water  ?)  the  last  Sabbath 
before  sermon,  confessed  her  offence,  promised 
amendment  in  all  time  coming,  and  was  convict  of 
five  pounds." 

"  10th  January,  1605  : — The  which  day  the  Ses- 
sion of  the  Kirk  ordained  Janet  Merling,  and  Mar- 
garet Cook,  her  mother,  to  make  their  public  repen- 
tance next  Sabbath  forenoon  publicly,  for  concealing 
a  bairn  unbaptised  in  her  house  for  the  space  of 
twenty  weeks,  and  calling  the  said  bairn  Janet." 

"January  10th,  1605  : — Compeared  Marion  An- 
derson, accused  of  craving  curses  and  malisons  on 
the  pastor  and  his  family,  without  any  offence  being 
done  by  him  to  her  ;  and  the  Session,  understanding 
that  she  had  been  banished  before  for  being  in  a 
lodge  on  the  Links  in  time  of  the  Plague,  with  one 
Thomas  Cooper,  sclaiter,  after  ane  maist  slanderous 
manner,  the  said  Marion  was  ordained  to  go  to  the 
place  of  her  offence,  confess  her  sin,  and  crave 
mercy  of  God,"  and  never  to  be  found  within  the 
bounds  of  North  Leith,  "  under  the  pain  of  putting 
her  Mies  quoties  in  the  jogis,"  i.e.,  jougs. 

In  1609  Patrick  Richardson  had  to  crave  mercy 
of  God  for  being  found  in  his  boat  in  time  of 
afternoon  sermon  ;  and  many  other  instances  of  the 
same  kind  are  quoted  by  Robertson  in  his  "  An- 
tiquities." In  the  same  year,  Janet  Walker,  accused 
of  having  strangers  (visitors)  in  her  house  on  Sabbath 
in  time  of  sermon,  had  to  confess  her  offence,  and 
on  her  knees  crave  mercy  of  God  and  the  Kirk 
Session,  under  penalty  of  a  hundred  pounds  Scots  ! 

George  Wishart,  so  well  known  as  author  of  the 
elegant  "  Latin  Memoirs  of  Montrose,"  a  copy  of 
which  was  suspended  at  the  neck  of  that  great 
cavalier  and  soldier  at  his  execution  in  1650,  was 
appointed  minister  of  North  Leith  in  1638,  when 
the  signing  of  the  Covenant,  as  a  protection  against 
England  and  the  king,  became  almost  necessarily 
the  established  test  of  faith  and  allegiance  to  Scot- 
land. Deposed  for  refusing  to  subscribe  it, 
Wishart  was  thrown  into  a  dungeon  of  the  old 
Heart  of  Midlothian,  in  consequence  of  the  dis- 
covery of  his  secret  correspondence  with  the  king's 
party.  He  survived  the  storm  of  the  Civil  Wars, 
and  was  made  Bishop  of  Edinburgh  on  the  re- 
establishment  of  episcopacy. 

He  died  in  1671,  in  his  seventy-first  year,  and 
was  buried  in  Holyrood,  where  his  tomb  is  still  to 


be  seen,  with  an  inscription  so  long  that  it  amounts 
to  a  species  of  biography. 

John  Knox,  minister  of  North  Leith,  was,  in  1684, 
committed  to  the  Bass  Rock.  While  a  probationer, 
he  was  in  the  Scottish  army,  and  chaplain  to  the 
garrison  in  Tantallon  when  it  was  besieged  by 
Cromwell's  troops.  He  conveyed  the  Earl  of 
Angus  and  some  ladies  privately  in  a  boat  to 
North  Berwick,  and  returned  secretly  to  the  Castle, 
and  was  taken  prisoner  when  it  capitulated.  He 
was  a  confidant  of  the  exiled  monarch,  and  supplied 
him  with  money.  A  curious  mendicant  letter  to 
him  from  His  Majesty  is  given  in  the  "Scots 
Worthies." 

The  last  minister  who  officiated  in  the  Church 
of  St.  Ninian — now  degraded  to  a  granary  or  store 
— was  the  venerable  Dr.  Johnston,  the  joint  founder 
of  the  Edinburgh  Blind  Asylum,  who  held  the  in- 
cumbency for  more  than  half  a  century.  The  old 
edifice  had  become  unsuited  to  modern  require- 
ments; thus  the  foundation  of  a  new  parish  church 
for  North  Leith  had  been  completed  elsewhere  in 
1816,  and  on  the  25  th  of  August  in  that  year  he  took 
a  very  affecting  leave  of  the  old  parish  church  in 
which  he  had  officiated  so  long. 

"  He  expressed  sentiments  of  warm  attachment 
to  a  flock  among  which  Providence  had  so  long 
permitted  him  to  minister,"  says  the  Scots  Magazine 
(Vol.  LXXVIL);  "and  in  alluding,  with  much 
feeling,  to  his  own  advanced  age,  mentioned  his 
entire  sensibility  of  the  approach  of  that  period 
when  the  speaker  and  the  hearer  should  no  longer 
dwell  together,  and  hoped  they  should  ultimately 
rejoice  in  '  a  house  not  made  with  hands,  eternal 
in  the  heavens.' " 

Before  ten  a.m.  on  the  1st  September  a  great 
crowd  collected  before  the  door  of  the  new  church, 
which  was  speedily  filled.  All  corporate  bodies 
having  an  interest  in  it,  including  the  magistrates 
of  the  Canongate,  were  present,  and  Dr.  Johnston, 
after  reading  the  6th  chapter  of  2  Chronicles, 
delivered  a  sermon  and  solemn  address,  which 
affected  all  who  heard  it. 

The  Rev.  David  Johnston,  D.D.,  died  on  the 
5th  of  July,  1824,  aged  ninety-one  years. 

Four  years  after,  the  Courant  had  the  following 
announcement : — "  The  public  are  aware  of  the 
many  claims  which  the  late  Dr.  Johnston  of  North 
Leith  had  on  the  grateful  remembrance  of  the 
community.  Few  men  have  exerted  themselves  so 
assiduously  in  forwarding  the  great  objects  of  religion 
and  philanthropy,  and  it  gives  us  much  pleasure 
to  learn  that  a  well-merited  tribute  to  his  memory 
has  just  been  completed  in  the  erection  of  a  beauti- 
ful bust  in  the  church  of  North  Leith.     The  follow- 


COBOURG    STREET. 


!55 


ing  is  the  inscription  on  the  pedestal — '  This  memo- 1 
rial  of  David  Johnston,  U.D.,  who  was  for  fifty-nine 
years  minister  of  North  Leith,  is  erected  by  a  few 
private  friends  in  affectionate  and  grateful  remem- 
brance of  his  fervent  piety,  unwearied  usefulness, 
and  truly  Christian  charity.'  " 

Two  years  after  he  left  it,  in  1S26,  the  venerable 
church  of  North  Leith  was  finally  abandoned  to 
secular  uses,  and  "  thus,"  says  the  historian  of 
Leith,  "  the  edifice  which  had,  for  upwards  of  three 
hundred  and  thirty  years,  been  devoted  to  the 
sacred  purposes  of  religion,  is  now  the  unhallowed 
repository  of  peas  and  barley  ! " 

Its  ancient  churchyard  adjoins  it.  Therein  lie 
the  remains  of  Robert  Nicoll,  perhaps  one  of  the 
most  precocious  poets  that  Scotland  has  produced, 
and  for  some  time  editor  of  the  Leeds  Times.  He 
died  in  Edinburgh,  and  was  laid  here  in  December, 
1837- 

Several  tombstones  to  ancient  mariners  stud  the 
uneven  turf.  One  bearing  the  nautical  instruments 
of  an  early  period — the  anchor,  compasses,  log, 
Davis's  quadrant  and  cross-staff,  with  a  grotesque 
face  and  a  motto  now  illegible — is  supposed  to  have 
been  brought,  with  many  others,  from  the  cemetery 
of  St.  Nicholas,  when  the  citadel  was  built  there  by 
order  of  Monk  in  1656. 

Another  rather  ornate  tomb  marks  the  grave  of 
some  old  ship-builder,  with  a  pooped  three-decker 
having  two  Scottish  ensigns  displayed.  Above  it 
is  the  legend — Trahunter .  siccas .  machhia  .carina, 
and  below  an  inscription  of  which  nothing  remains 
but  "1749  .  .  .  aged  59  y  .  .  ■" 

Another  stone  bears — "  Here  lyeth  John  Hunton, 
who  died  Decon  of  the  Weivars  in  North  Leith,  the 
25.  Ap.  1669." 

This  burying-ground  was  granted  by  the  city  of 
Edinburgh,  in  1664,  as  a  compensation  for  that 
appropriated  by  General  Monk. 

The  new  church  of  North  Leith  stands  westward 
of  the  old  in  Madeira  Street.  Its  foundation  was 
laid  in  March,  1814.  It  is  a  rather  handsome  build- 
ing, in  a  kind  of  Grecian  style  of  architecture,  and 
was  designed  by  William  Burn,  a  well-known  Edin- 
burgh architect,  in  the  earlier  years  of  the  present 
century.  The  front  is  78A  feet  in  breadth,  and 
from  the  columns  to  the  back  wall,  it  measures 
116  feet.  It  has  a  spire,  deemed  fine  (though 
deficient  in  taste),  158  feet  in  height. 

The  proportions  of  the  four-column  portico  are 
said  by  Stark  to  have  been  taken  from  the  Ionic 
Temple  on  the  Uyssus,  near  Athens.  It  cost  about 
,£12,000,  and  has  accommodation  for  above  one 
thousand  seven  hundred  sitters.  The  living  is  said 
to  be  one  of  the  best  in  the  Church  of  Scotland. 


North  Leith  Free  Church  stands  near  it,  on  the 
Queensferry  Road,  and  was  built  in  1S58-9,  from 
designs  by  Campbell  Douglas  ;  it  is  in  the  German 
Pointed  style,  with  a  handsome  steeple  160  feet 
in  height. 

In  1754,  Andrew  Moir,  a  student  of  divinity, 
was  usher  of  the  old  Grammar  School  in  North 
Leith,  and  in  that  year  he  published  a  pamphlet, 
entitled  "  A  Letter  to  the  Author  of  the  Ecclesias- 
tic Characteristics,"  charging  the  divinity  students 
of  the  university  with  impious  principles  and  im- 
moral practices.  This  created  a  great  storm  at  the 
time,  and  the  students  applied  to  the  Principal 
Gowdie,  who  summoned  the  Senatus,  before  whom 
Andrew  Moir  was  brought  on  the  25th  of  April  in 
the  same  year. 

He  boldly  acknowledged  himself  author  of  the 
obnoxious  pamphlet.  At  a  second  meeting,  on  the 
30th  April,  he  acknowledged  "  that  he  knew  no 
students  of  divinity  in  the  university  who  held  the 
principles,  or  were  guilty  of  the  practices  ascribed 
to  some  persons  in  the  said  printed  letter." 

This  retractation  he  subscribed  by  his  own  hand, 
in  presence  of  the  Principal  and  Senatus. 

The  latter  taking  the  whole  affair  into  their 
consideration,  "  unanimously  found  and  declared 
the  said  letter  to  be  a  scurrilous,  false,  and  mali- 
cious libel,  tending,  without  any  ground,  to  defame 
the  students  of  the  university  ;  and,  therefore,  ex- 
pelled and  extruded  the  said  Andrew  Moir  (usher 
of  the  Grammar  School  of  North  Leith),  author  of 
the  said  pamphlet,  from  this  university,  and  de- 
clared that  he  is  no  more  to  be  considered  a 
student  of  the  same." 

In  Cobourg  Street,  adjoining  the  old  church  of 
St.  Ninian,  is  North  Leith  United  Presbyterian 
Church,  while  the  Free  Church  of  St.  Ninian  stood 
in  Dock  Street,  on  a  portion  of  the  ground  occu- 
pied by  the  old  citadel. 

In  the  former  street  is  a  relic  of  old  Leith — 
a  large  square  stone,  representing  the  carpenters' 
arms,  within  a  moulded  panel.  It  bears  a  three- 
decked  ship  with  two  flags,  at  stem  and  stern. 
Above  it  is  the  motto — 

"  Go  J  /less  the  carpenters 
of  No.  Leith,  who  built  this 
House,  1 71 5." 

Underneath  the  ship  is  the  line  Trahunter  siccas 
machincE  carina,  said  to  be  misquoted  from  Horace, 
Carm  :  lib.  i.  4,  where  the  verse  runs  : — 

"  Solvitur  acris  hiems  grata  vice  veris  et  Favoni : 
Trahuntquc  si<ras  niachimc  carinas ; 
Ac  neque  jam  stabulis  gaudet  pecus,  aut  aritor  igni ; 
Nee  prata  canis  albicant  pruinis." 

This  stone  stood  originally  in  the  wall  of  a  man- 


!56 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


sion  opposite  to  the  church  of  St.  Ninian,  but  is 
now  rebuilt  into  a  modern  edifice  in  Cobourg  Street. 
In  Robertson's  map,  depicting  Leith  with  its 
fortifications,  1560  (partly  based  upon  Greenville 
Collins's,  which  we  have  reproduced  on  p.  176), 
the  church  of  Nicholas  is  shown  between  the  sixth 
and  seventh  bastions,  as  a  cruciform  edifice,  with 
choir,  nave,  and  transepts,  measuring  about  150  feet 
in  length,  by  80  feet  across  the  latter,  and  distant 
only  1 00  feet  from  the  Short  Sand,  or  old  sea  margin. 


the  patron  of  seamen,"  says  Robertson,  "  we  may 
infer  that  Leith  at  a  very  early  period  was  a  sea- 
port town." 

St.  Nicholas,  the  confessor,  was  a  native  of  Lycia, 
who  died  in  the  year  342,  according  to  the  Bollan- 
dists.  He  was  assumed  as  the  patron  of  Venice 
and  many  other  seaports,  and  is  usually  represented 
with  an  anchor  at  his  side  and  a  ship  in  the  back- 
ground, and,  in  some  instances,  as  the  patron  of 
commerce.       In    Mrs.    Jameson's    "  Sacred    and 


The  church,    or    chapel,    with    the    hospital    of 
St.  Nicholas,   is   supposed  to  have  been  founded 
at  some  date  later  than  the  chapel  of  Abbot  Bal- 
lantyne,  as  the  reasons  assigned  by  him  for  build- 
ing it  seemed  to  imply  that  the  inhabitants  were 
without  any  accessible  place  of  worship  ;  but  when  | 
or  by  whom  it  was    founded,   the   destruction  of  j 
nearly  all  ecclesiastical  records,  at  the  Reformation,  [ 
renders  it  even  vain  to  surmise. 

Nothing  now  can  be  known  of  their  origin,  and 
the  last  vestiges   of  them  were   swept  away  when  [ 
Monk  built  his  citadel. 

They  were,  of  course,  ruined  by  Hertford  in  his  , 
first  invasion,  "  and  from  the  circumstance  of  the 
church  in  the  citadel  being  dedicated  to  St.  Nicholas, 


Legendary  Art,"  she  mentions  two  :  "  a  seaport 
with  ships  in  the  distance  ;  St.  Nicholas  in  his  epis- 
copal robes  (as  Archbishop  of  Myra),  stands  by 
as  directing  the  whole  ; "  and  a  storm  at  sea,  in 
which  "St  Nicholas  appears  as  a  vision  above  ;  in 
one  hand  he  holds  a  lighted  taper ;  with  the  other 
he  appears  to  direct  the  course  of  the  vessel." 

To  this  apostle  of  ancient  mariners  had  the 
old  edifice  in  North  Leith  been  dedicated,  when 
the  site  whereon  it  stood  was  an  open  and  sandy 
eminence,  overlooking  a  waste  of  links  to  the  north- 
ward, and  afterwards  encroached  on  by  the  sea ; 
and  its  memory  is  still  commemorated  in  a  narrow 
and  obscure  alley,  called  St.  Nicholas  Wynd, 
according  to  Fullarton's  "Gazetteer,"  in  1851. 


THE    CITADEL. 


257 


General  Monk  no  doubt  used  all  the  stones  of 
the  two  edifices  in  the  erection  of  his  citadel,  which 
is  thus  described  by  John  Ray,  in  his  Itinerary, 
when  he  visited  Scotland  in  the  year  1661  : — 

*  At  Leith  we  saw  one  of  those  citadels  built  by 


and  stores.  There  is  also  a  good  capacious  chapel, 
the  piazza,  or  void  space  within,  as  large  as  Trinity 
College  (Cambridge)  great  court." 

This    important   stronghold,    which    must    have 
measured  at  least  400  feet  one   way,  by  250  the 


LEITH    LlUk'H. 


the  Protector,  one  of  the  best  fortifications  we  ever 
beheld,  passing  fair  and  sumptuous.  There  are 
three  forts  (bastions?)  advanced  above  the  rest, 
and  two  platforms  ;  the  works  round  about  are 
faced  with  freestone  towards  the  ditch,  and  are 
almost  as  high  as  the  highest  buildings  therein,  and 
withal,  thick  and  substantial.  Below  are  very  plea- 
sant, convenient,  and  well-built  houses,  for  the 
governor,  officers,  and  soldiers,  and  for  magazines 
129 


other  (and  been  in  some  manner  adapted  to  the 
acute  angle  of  the  old  fortifications  there),  costing, 
says  Wilson,  "upwards  of  ,£100,000  sterling,  fell  a 
sacrifice,  soon  after  the  Restoration,  to  the  cupidity 
of  the  monarch  and  the  narrow-minded  jealousy 
of  the  Town  Council  of  Edinburgh.'' 

All  that  remains  of  the  citadel  now  are  some  old 
buildings,  called,  perhaps  traditionally,  "  Crom- 
well's Barracks'' — near  which   was  found    an  old 


OLD   AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


helmet,  now  preserved  in  the  Antiquarian  Museum 
— and  the  entrance  gate  or  archway  on  the  north 
side  of  Couper  Street.  It  is  elliptical,  goes  the 
whole  depth  of  the  original  rampart,  and  has  had 
a  portcullis,  but  is  only  nine  feet  high  from  the 
keystone  to  the  ground,  which  must  have  risen 
here;  and  in  the  Advertiser  for  17S9  (No.  2,668), 
it  is  recorded  that,  "  On  Monday  last,  as  a  gentle- 
man's coach  was  driving  through  an  arch  of  the 
citadel  at  Leith,  the  coachman,  not  perceiving  the 
lowness  of  the  arch,  was  unfortunately  killed.'' 

-  Many  still  living,"  says  Wilson,  writing  in  1S47, 
"  can  remember  when  this  arch  (with  the  house 
now  built  above  it)  stood  on  the  open  beach,  though 
now  a  wide  space  intervenes  between  it  and  the 
docks ;  and  the  Mariners'  Church,  as  well  as  a  long 
range  of  substantial  houses  in  Commercial  Street, 
have  been  erected  on  the  recovered  land." 

After  the  Restoration  a  partial  demolition  of  the 
ritadel  and  sale  of  its  materials  began  ;  thus,  it  is 
stated  in  the  Records  of  Heriot's  Hospital,  that 
the  Town  Council,  on  7th  April,  1673,  "unani- 
mously understood  that  the  Kirk  of  the  citadell  (of 
Leith),  and  all  that  is  therein,  both  timber,  seats, 
steeple,  stone  and  glass  work,  be  made  use  of  and 
used  to  the  best  avail  for  reparation  of  the  hospital 
chapel,  and  ordains  the  treasurer  of  the  hospital 
to  see  the  samyn  done  with  all  conveniency." 

Maitland  describes  the  citadel  as  having  been  of 
pentagonal  form,  with  five  bastions,  adding  that  it 
cost  the  city  "no  less  a  sum  than  ,£11,000,"  thus 
we  must  suppose  that  English  money  contributed 
largely  to  its  erection.  On  its  being  granted  to  the 
Earl  of  Lauderdale  by  the  king,  the  former  sold  it 
to  the  city  for  ,£5,000,  and  the  houses  within  were 
sold  or  let  to  various  persons,  whose  names  occur 
in  various  records  from  time  to  time. 

A  glass-house,  for  the  manufacture  of  bottles,  is 
announced  in  the  "  Kingdom's  Intelligence,"  under 
date  1663,  as  having  been  "erected  in  the  citadel 
of  Leith  by  English  residents,"  for  the  manufacture 
of  wine  and  beer  glasses,  and  mutchkin  and  chopin 
bottles. 

On  this,  a  writer  remarks  that  it  will  at  once 
strike  the  reader  there  is  a  curious  conjunction  here 
of  Scottish  and  English  customs.  Beer,  under  its 
name,  was  previously  unknown  in  Scotland,  and 
mutchkins  and  chopins  never  figured  in  any  table 
of  English  measures. 

Among  those  who  dwelt  in  the  citadel,  and  had 
houses  there,  we  may  note  the  gallant  Duke  of 
Gordon,  who  defended  the  Castle  of  Edinburgh  in 
1688-9  against  William  of  Orange,  "and  died  at 
his  residence  in  the  citadel  of  Leith  in  17  16." 

A  large  and  commodious  dwelling-house  there, 


"  lately  belonging  to  and  possest  by  the  Lady 
Bruce,  with  an  agreeable  prospect,"  having  thirteen 
fire  rooms,  stables,  and  chaise-house,  is  announced 
for  sale  in  the  Courant  for  October,  1761. 

In  the  Advertiser  for  December,  1783,  the  house 
of  Sir  William  Erskine  there  is  announced  as  to  let ; 
the  drawing-room  thirty-one  feet  by  nineteen  ;  "  a 
small  field  for  a  cow  may  be  had  if  wanted ;  the 
walks  round  the  house  make  almost  a  circuit  round 
the  citadel,  and,  being  situated  close  to  the  sea,  com- 
mand a  most  pleasing  view  of  the  shipping  in  the 
Eorth." 

In  the  Herald  and  Chronicle  for  1800  "the 
lower  half  of  the  large  house  "  last  possessed  by 
Lady  Eleonora  Dundas  is  advertised  to  let;  but 
even  by  the  time  Kincaid  wrote  his  "  History,"  such 
aristocratic  residents  had  given  place  to  the  keepers 
of  summer  and  bathing  quarters,  for  which  last  the 
beach  and  its  vicinity  gave  every  facility. 

Mr.  Campbell's  house  (lately  possessed  by  Major 
Laurenson),  having  eight  rooms,  with  stabling,  is 
announced  as  bathing  quarters  in  the  Advertiser 
of  1802. 

North  Leith  Sands,  adjacent  to  the  citadel, 
existed  till  nearly  the  formation  of  the  old  docks. 

In  1774,  John  Milne,  shipmaster  from  Banff, 
was  found  on  them  drowned ;  and  the  Scots  Maga- 
zine for  the  same  year  records  that  on  "  Sunday, 
December  4,  a  considerable  damage  was  done  to 
the  shipping  in  Leith  harbour  by  the  tide,  which 
rose  higher  than  it  has  ever  been  known  for  many 
years.  The  stone  pier  was  damaged,  some  houses 
in  the  citadel  suffered,  and  a  great  part  of  the 
bank  from  that  place  to  Newhaven  was  swept 
away.  The  magistrates  and  Town  Council  of 
Edinburgh,  on  the  21st,  were  pleased  to  order 
twenty  guineas  to  be  given  to  the  Master  of  the 
Trinity  House  of  Leith,  to  be  distributed  among 
the  sufferers." 

Wilson,  quoting  Campbell's  "History  of  Leith," 
says  :  "  Not  only  can  citizens  remember  when  the 
spray  of  the  sea  billows  was  dashed  by  the  east 
wind  against  the  last  relic  of  the  citadel,  that 
now  stands  so  remote  from  the  rising  tide,  but  it 
is  only  about  sixty  years  since  a  ship  was  wrecked 
upon  the  adjoining  beach,  and  went  to  pieces, 
while  its  bowsprit  kept  beating  against  the  walls 
of  the  citadel  at  every  surge  of  the  rolling  waves, 
that  forced  it  higher  on  the  strand." 

This  anecdote  is  perhaps  corroborated  by  the 
following,  which  we  find  in  the  Edinburgh  Herald 
for  December,  \ 800:— "On  Friday  last,  as  the 
sloop  Endeavour,  of  Thurso,  Lyell  master,  from 
the  Highlands,  laden  with  kelp  and  other  goods, 
was  taking  the  harbour  of  Leith,  she  struck  the 


THE    CUSTOM-HOUSE. 


259 


ground  to  the  westward  of  the  pier,  when  it  was 
blowing  fresh,  with  a  heavy  sea,  and  before  any 
assistance  could  be  given  she  was  driven  upon 
the  beach,  near  the  citadel,  having  beaten  off  her 
rudder  and  otherwise  considerably  damaged  her-  j 
self  [sic].  They  are  employed  in  taking  out  the 
■cargo,  and  if  the  weather  continues  moderate,  it 
is  expected  she  will  be  got  off.'' 

The  waves  of  the  sea  are  now  distant  nearly  two 
thousand  feet  north  from  the  spot  where  the  wreck 
took  place. 

Three  of  the  bastions,  and  two   of  the  gates  of  [ 
the  citadel,  were  standing  when  the  old  "  Statistical 
Account  "  was  published,  in  1793. 

Before  quitting  this  quarter  of  North  Leith  we 
may  quote  the  following  rather  melancholy  account 
given  of  the  latter  in  1779,  in  a  work  entitled  "The 
Modern  British  Traveller,"  folio,  and  now  probably 
•out  of  print. 

"  About  a  mile  from  the  city  is  Leith,  which  may 
be  called  the  warehouse  of  Edinburgh.  It  is 
divided  into  two  parts  by  a  small  rivulet,  over 
which  is  a  neat  bridge  of  three  arches.  That  part 
called  South  Leith  is  both  large  and  populous ;  it 
has  an  exceeding  handsome  church,  a  jail,  a 
custom-house  [the  old  one  in  the  Tolbooth  Wynd], 
but  the  streets  are  irregular,  nor  do  any  of  the 
buildings  merit  particular  attention.  It  was 
formerly  fortified,  but  the  works  were  destroyed 
by  the  English  in  1559  [?],  and  not  any  remains 
are  now  to  be  seen.  That  part  called  North 
Leith  is  a  very  poor  place,  without  any  publick 
building,  except  an  old  Gothic  church  ;  there  is  a 
small  dock,  but  it  is  only  capable  of  admitting 
shipsof  a  hundred  and  fifty  tons.  The  harbour  is 
generally  crowded  with  vessels  from  different  parts; 
and  from  here  to  Kinghorn,  in  Fifeshire,  the 
passage-boat  crosses  every  tide,  except  on  Sundays. 
-  .  .  Great  numbers  of  the  citizens  of  Edin- 
burgh resort  to  Leith  on  parties  of  pleasure,  and 
to  regale  themselves  with  the  sea  air  and  oysters, 
which  are  caught  here  in  great  abundance.    .    .  . 


The  town  is  under  the  jurisdiction  of  a  bailiff  [?], 
but  it  may  be  called  a  part  of,  and  is  subject  to  the 
jurisdiction  of,  Edinburgh,  in  virtue  of  a  charter 
granted  by  King  Robert  the  Bruce." 

The  Mariners'  Church,  a  rather  handsome  build- 
ing, with  two  small  spires  facing  the  east,  is  built 
upon  a  portion  of  the  site  of  the  citadel,  and 
schools  are  attached  to  it.  The  church  was  de- 
signed by  John  Henderson  of  Edinburgh,  and 
was  erected  in  1S40. 

In  this  quarter  Sand  Port  Street,  which  led  to  the 
then  beach,  with  a  few  old  houses  near  the  citadel, 
and  the  old  church  of  St.  Ninian,  comprised  the 
whole  of  North  Leith  at  the  time  of  the  Union. 
There  the  oldest  graving-dock  was  constructed  in 
1720,  and  it  yet  remains,  behind  a  house  not  far 
from  the  bridge,  dated — according  to  Parker 
Lawson — 1622. 

The  present  custom-house  of  Leith  was  built  in 
1S12,  on  the  site  where  H.M.  ship  Fury  was  built 
in  1780  ;  and  an  old  native  of  Leith,  who  saw  her 
launched,  had  the  circumstance  impressed  upon 
his  memory,  as  he  related  to  Robertson  (whose 
"Antiquities"  were  published  in  1851),  "by  a  car- 
penter having  been  killed  by  the  falling  of  the 
shores." 

The  edifice  cost  ^12,617,  is  handsome,  and  in 
the  Grecian  style,  adorned  in  front  with  pillars  and 
pediment.  It  stands  at  the  North  Leith  end  of  the 
lower  drawbridge. 

The  officials  here  consist  of  a  collector,  two 
chief  clerks,  three  first  and  seven  second-class 
clerks,  with  one  extra  ;  eight  writers,  two  surveyors, 
eighteen  examining  officers,  and  a  principal  coast 
officer  for  Fisherrow.  The  long  room  is  handsome, 
and  very  different  from  its  predecessor  in  the  Tol- 
booth Wynd,  which  was  simply  divided  by  long 
poles,  through  which  entries  were  passed. 

In  May,  1882,  the  building  at  Dock  Place  (in 
this  quarter)  known  as  the  Sailors'  Home,  was 
converted  into  the  Mercantile  Marine  Department 
and  Government  Navigation  School. 


CHAPTER      XXIX. 

LEITH— THE  LINKS. 


:  Links— Golfers  there— Charles  I—  Montrose— Sir  James  Foulis  and 
Dragoons— A  Volttnteer  Review  in  1797— Residents  of  Rank— The 
Bathing  Machine  in  Scotland— A  Duel  in  17S9. 


Eastward  of  Leith  lie  those  open  downs  called  I  with  the  wide,  open,  and  sandy  waste  that  ex- 
the  Links,  once  of  much  greater  extent  than  we  tended  beyond  the  Figgate  Burn  to  Magdalene 
find  them,  and  doubtless  at  one  time  connected  |  Bridge. 


26o 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


[Lei. 


The  etymology  of  the  word  Links  has  been  a 
puzzle  to  Scottish  antiquaries.  By  some  it  has 
been  supposed,  that  from  the  position  generally 
occupied  by  links,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  sea  or 
great  rivers,  the  word  is  a  corruption  of  Innis, 
or  Inches,  signifying  islands  ;  and  it  is  said  that  in 
some  of  the  old  records  of  Aberdeen  the  word  is 
spelt  Linches  and  Linkkes. 

The  whole  of  Leith  Links  must,  at  one  time, 
have  been  covered  by  the  sea,  and  above  their 
level  there  stand  distinctly  up  the  great  grassy 
mounds  (one  named  by  children  the  Giant's  Brae) 
from  which  the  guns  of  Somerset  and  Pelham 
bombarded  the  eastern  wall  of  Leith  during  the 
siege  in  1560. 

During  the  seven- 
teenth and  eighteenth 
centuries,  the  Links  of 
Leith  were  the  chief 
resort  of  the  aristo- 
cracy resident  in  Edin- 
burgh as  the  best 
place  for  playing  golf ; 
nobles  of  the  highest 
rank  and  the  most 
eminent  legal  and  poli- 
tical officials  taking 
part  with  the  humblest 
players — if  skilful — in 
the  game. 

In  16 19  a  curious 
anecdote  is  recorded, 
connected  with  golfing 
on  Leith  Links,  by 
Row,  in  his  "History  of 
the  Kirk  of  Scotland." 

William  Cowper,  Bishop  of  Galloway,  "  a  very 
holy  and  good  man,  if  he  had  not  been  corrupted 
with  superior  powers  and  worldly  cares  of  a 
bishopric  and  other  things  "  (according  to  John- 
ston), became  involved  in  various  polemical  con- 
troversies, among  others,  with  "  the  wives  of  Edin- 
burgh ; "  and  one  went  so  far  as  to  charge  him  with 
apostasy,  and  summoned  him  to  prepare  an  answer 
shortly  to  the  Judge  of  all  the  world,  at  a  time 
when  it  would  appear  that  the  health  of  the  bishop 
was  indifferent.  "Within  a  day  or  two  after," 
says  Row,  "  being  at  his  pastime  (golf)  on  the 
Links  of  Leith,  he  was  terrified  with  a  vision  or 
an  apprehension  ;  for  he  said  to  his  playfellows, 
after  he  had  in  an  affrighted  and  commoved  way 
cast  away  his  play-instruments  (i.e.,  clubs)  :  'I  vow 
to  be  about  with  these  two  men  who  have  come 
upon  me  with  drawn  swords  ! '  When  his  play 
fellows  replied,  '  My  Lord,  it  is  a  dream  :    we  saw 


no  such  thing,'  he  was  silent,  went  home  trembling, 
took  to  bed  instantly,  and  died.'' 

The  "  Llousehold  Book  "  of  the  great  Montrose 
shows  that  in  1627  hewas  in  the  habit  of  golfing  here. 
March  10.   Item:  for  balls  in  the  Tennis  Court 

of  Leith i6sh. 

Item  :  for  two  goffe  balls,  my  Lord 

going  to  the  goffe  ther 10  sh. 

,,        II.  Item:  for  my  Lords  horse  standing 
in  Leith  that  nicht  in  come  and 

straw 7  sh.  8d. 

Item  :  to  the  servant  woman  in  the 

house 12  sh. 

Item  :  for  carrying  the  graith  to  the 
(Burntisland)  boat 3  sh. 

Charles  I.,  who  was 

passionately  fond  of 
golf,  was  engaged  in 
the  game  on  the  Links 
of  Leith  when  news  of 
the  Irish  rebellion 
reached  him  in  1642, 
and  the  circumstance 
is  thus  detailed  in 
Wodrow's  amusing 
"  Analecta,"  on  the 
authority  of  William, 
Lord  Ross  of  Hawk- 
head,  who  died  at  a 
great  age  in  1738,  and 
to  whom  it  had  been 
related,  when  in  Eng- 
land, bv  Sir  Robert 
Pye:- 

The  latter  was  then 
an  old  man  of  eighty 
years,  "and  he  told 
him  that  when  a  young  man,  he  came  down 
(1642)  with  King  Charles  the  First  to  Edin- 
burgh. That  the  king  and  court  received  frequent 
expresses  from  the  queen ;  that  one  day  the 
king  desired  those  about  him  to  find  somebody 
who  could  ride  post,  for  he  had  a  matter 
of  great  importance  to  despatch  to  the  queen, 
and  he  would  give  a  handsome  reward  to  any 
young  fellow  whom  he  could  trust.  Sir  Robert 
was  standing  by,  and  he  undertook  it.  The  king 
gave  him  a  packet,  and  commanded  him  to  deliver 
it  out  of  his  own  hand  to  the  queen.  Sir  Robert 
made  his  journey  in  less  than  three  days,  and 
when  he  got  access  to  the  queen,  delivered  the 
packet.  She  retired  a  little  and  opened  it,  and 
pretty  soon  came  out,  and  calling  for  the  person 
that  brought  the  letters,  seemed  in  a  transport  of 
joy;  and  when  he  told  her  what  he  was,  and  iiis 
diligence  to  bring  them  to  her  Majesty,  she  offered 


GOLFERS    ON    THE    LINKS. 


even  to  embrace  him  for  joy,  and  would  never 
forget  that  service.  By  what  he  afterwards  learned, 
he  supposed  the  contents  were  about  the  affairs  of 
Ireland,  and  was  of  opinion  that  the  king  sent  by 
him  the  warrant  under  the  Privy  Seal,  or  Sign 
Manual,  for  the  rising  of  the  Irish  rebels.      That 


say  that,  overcome  with  emotion,  he  threw  down 
his  club,  and  quitted  the  ground  in  haste.  One 
states  that  he  called  for  his  horse  and  galloped 
straight  to  the  Privy  Council;  another  that  "he 
called  suddenly  for  his  coach,  and,  leaning  on  one 
of  his  attendants,  and  in  great  agitation,  drove  to 


he  either  was  present  (returning  again  to  Edin- 
burgh to  the  king),  or  heard  from  some  who  were 
present  that  the  king  received  the  full  accounts  of 
the  massacre  in  Ireland,  when  playing  with  the 
Court  on  the  Links  of  Leith  at  the  golph,  and 
seemed  in  no  ways  commoved  with  it,  but  went  on 
very  cheerfully  with  his  game." 

Apart    from    the   mischievous    surmise    of    Sir 
Robert  Pye,  other  and  more  trustworthy  accounts 


the  palace  of  Holyrood  House,  from  whence  next 
day  he  set  out  for  London." 

The  latter  statement  is  a  mistake,  as  he  remained 
in  Scotland  till  the  dissolution  of  Parliament. 

James  VII. 's  game  at  golf  with  Paterson,  the 
shoemaker,  we  have  related  in  the  account  of  the 
Golfers'  Land  in  the  Canongate ;  and  ten  years  be- 
fore that  period,  in  the  note-book  of  Sir  James 
Foulis,   Bart.,    of   Ravelston,    published    in  Nugce 


262 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


Scoticm,    or    ':  Miscellaneous    Papers  relating    to 

Scottish    Affairs"    (1535 — 1781),    we  find    some 

entries  that  prove  the  game  was  still  a  fashionable 
one: — 

1672.  £   s.    d. 
Jan.   13.     Lost   at  golf  with  Pitaro  and 

Comissar  Munro   o  13     o 

„  Lost  at    golf  with   Lyon   and 

Harry  Hay    I      4     o 

Feb.  14.   Spent  at  Leithe  at  golf  200 

,,     26.    Spent  at  Leithe  at  golf  1     9     o 

March  3.  For  three  golf  balls  o  15     o 

In  the  year  1 724  the  Hon.  Alexander  Elphinstone 
(of  whom  more  anon),  elder  brother  of  the  unfor- 
tunate Lord  Balmerino,  engaged  on  Leith  Links 
in  what  the  prints  of  that  time  term  "a  solemn 
match  at  golf"  with  another  personage,  who  is  bet- 
ter known  in  history — the  famous  Captain  John 
Porteous  of  the  City  Guard — for  a  twenty  guineas' 
stake. 

On  this  occasion  the  reputation  of  the  players 
for  skill  excited  great  interest,  and  the  match  was 
attended  by  James,  Duke  of  Hamilton,  George 
Earl  of  Morton,  and  a  vast  crowd  of  spectators. 
Elphinstone  proved  the  winner. 

President  Forbes  was  so  enthusiastic  a  golfer  that 
he  frequently  played  on  the  Links  of  Leith  when 
they  were  covered  with  snow.  Thus  Thomas 
Mathieson,  minister  of  Brechin,  in  his  quaint  poem, 
"  The  Goff,"  first  published  in  1743,  says  : — 

" great  Forbes,  patron  of  the  just, 

The  dread  of  villains,  and  the  good  man's  trust, 
■\Yhen  spent  in  toils  in  saving  human  kind, 
His  body  recreates  and  unbends  his  mind." 

Elsewhere  he  refers  thus  to  these  Links  : — ■ 
"  North  from  Edina  eight  furlongs  or  more, 
Lies  the  famed  field  on  Fortha's  sounding  shore. 
Here  Caledonian  chiefs  for  health  resort- 
Confirm  their  sinews  in  the  manly  sport." 

When  the  silver  club  was  given  by  the  magis- 
trates and  Town  Council  of  Edinburgh,  in  1744,  to 
be  played  for  annually  on  the  Links  of  Leith,  in 
the  April  of  the  following  year,  just  before  the 
rising  in  the  Highlands,  the  Lord  President  Forbes 
was  one  of  the  competitors,  together  with  Hew 
Dalrymple,  Lord  Hailes,  and  other  men  then 
eminent  in  the  city. 

Smollett,  in  his  "  Humphrey  Clinker,"  after  de- 
tailing the  mode  in  which  the  game  is  played, 
:says  : — "  Of  this  diversion  the  Scots  are  so  fond 
that,  when  the  weather  will  permit,  you  may  see  a 
multitude  of  all  ranks,  from  the  senator  of  justice 
to  the  lowest  tradesmen,  mingled  together  in  their 
-shirts,  and  following  the  balls  with  the  utmost 
•eagerness.  Among  others,  I  was  shown  one  par- 
ticular set  of  golfers,  the  youngest  of  whom  was 


turned  of  four-score.  They  were  all  gentlemen  of 
independent  fortunes,  who  had  amused  themselves 
with  this  pastime  for  the  best  part  of  a  century 
without  ever  having  felt  the  least  alarm  from  sick- 
ness or  disgust,  and  they  never  went  to  bed  without 
having  each  the  best  part  of  a  gallon  of  claret  in 
his  belly  !  Such  uninterrupted  exercise,  co-operating 
with  the  keen  air  from  the  sea,  must,  without  doubt, 
keep  the  appetite  always  on  edge,  and  steel  the 
constitution  against  all  the  common  attacks  of 
distemper." 

The  Golf  House  was  built  towards  the  close  of 
the  last  century,  near  the  foot  of  the  Easter  Road, 
and  prior  to  its  erection  the  golfers  frequented  a 
tavern  on  the  west  side  of  the  Kirkgate,  near  the 
foot  of  Leith  Walk,  where,  says  the  Rev.  Parker 
Lawson,  they  usually  closed  the  day  with  copious 
libations  of  claret,  in  silver  or  pewter  tankards. 

The  Links  of  Leith  were  often  the  scene  of 
meetings  of  a  very  different  nature  than  the  merry 
pursuit  of  golf — duels  and  executions,  etc. 

On  the  25th  of  July,  1559,  when  the  Queen 
Regent  took  possession  of  Edinburgh,  on  being 
assured  of  the  friendship  of  Lord  Erskine,  then 
governor  of  the  castle,  the  Lords  of  the  Congre- 
gation and  their  adherents  drew  up  their  terms  of 
accommodation  at  their  muster-place  on  the  Links, 
where  the  mounds  of  the  breaching  batteries  were 
thrown  up  in  the  following  year ;  and  during  the 
Cromwellian  usurpation,  the  people  of  Leith,  ex- 
cluded from  their  churches,  had  to  meet  there  in 
the  open  air  for  Divine  worship. 

Among  the  multitude  of  unminded  petitions  sent 
to  the  representative  of  the  Republican  Govern- 
ment in  Leith,  was  one  in  1655,  craving  that  the 
port,  or  gate,  nearest  the  Links  (supposed  to  have 
been  somewhere  near  the  present  Links  Lane) 
might  be  left  open  "  on  Sabbath  from  seven  o'clock 
in  the  morning  till  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  for 
outgoing  of  the  people  to  sermon." 

The  first  years  of  the  next  century  saw  less 
reputable  assemblages  on  the  same  ground. 

The  spirit  of  cock-fighting  had  been  recently- 
introduced  into  Scotland  from  the  sister  kingdom, 
and  the  year  1702  saw  a  cock-pit  in  full  operation 
on  Leith  Links,  when  the  charges  of  admission 
were  iod.  for  the  front  row,  7d.  for  the  second,  and 
4d.  for  the  third  (Arnot) ;  and  the  passion  for  cock- 
fighting  became  so  general  among  all  ranks  of 
the  people,  and  was  carried  to  such  a  cruel  extent, 
that  the  magistrates  of  Edinburgh  forbade  its  prac- 
tice on  the  streets,  in  consequence  of  the  tumults 
it  excited.  This  was  on  the  1 6th  February,  1704, 
according  to  the  Council  Register. 

Yet  in  the  following  year  Mr.  William  Machrie, 


SCENES    ON    THE    LINKS. 


2Ct 


a  teacher  of  fencing  and  cock-fighting  in  Edinburgh, 
published  an  "Essay  on  the  Innocent  and  Royal 
Recreation  and  Art  of  Cocking,"  from  which  it 
may  be  learned  that  he  it  was  who  introduced  it 
into  the  metropolis  of  Scotland,  and  entered  into 
it  con  amore. 

"  I  am  not  ashamed  to  declare  to  the  world," 
he  wrote,  "  that  I  have  a  special  veneration  and 
esteem  for  those  gentlemen,  without  and  about  this 
city,  who  have  entered  in  society  for  propagating 
and  establishing  the  royal  recreation  of  cocking,  in 
order  to  which  they  have  already  erected  a  cock- 
pit in  the  Links  of  Leith ;  and  I  earnestly  wish 
that  their  generous  and  laudable  example  may  be 
imitated  in  that  degree  that,  in  cock-war,  village 
may  be  engaged  against  village,  city  against  city, 
kingdom  against  kingdom — nay,  father  against  son 
— until  all  the  wars  in  Europe,  where  so  much 
Christian  blood  is  spilt,  may  be  turned  into  the 
innocent  pastime  of  cocking." 

This  barbarous  amusement  was  long  a  fancy  of 
the  Scottish  people,  and  the  slain  birds  andfogies 
(or  cravens)  became  a  perquisite  of  the  village 
schoolmaster. 

On  the  23rd  of  December,  1729,  the  Hon.  Alex- 
ander Elphinstone  (before  mentioned),  who  was 
leading  a  life  of  idleness  and  pleasure  in  Leith, 
while  his  brother  was  in  exile,  met  a  Lieutenant 
Swift,  of  Lord  Cadogan's  regiment  (latterly  the  4th 
or  King's  Own),  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Michael 
Watson,  in  Leith. 

Some  hot  words  had  arisen  between  them,  and 
Elphinstone  rose  haughtily  to  depart ;  but  before  he 
went  he  touched  Swift  on  the  shoulder  with  the 
point  of  his  sword,  and  intimated  that  he  expected 
to  receive  satisfaction  next  morning  on  the  Links. 
Accordingly  the  two  met  at  eleven  in  the  fore- 
noon, and  in  this  comparatively  public  place  (as  it 
appears  now)  fought  a  duel  with  their  swords. 
Swift  received  a  mortal  wound  in  the  breast,  and 
expired. 

For  this,  Alexander  Elphinstone  was  indicted 
before  the  High  Court  of  Justiciary,  but  the  case 
never  came  on  for  trial,  and  he  died  without 
molestation  at  his  father's  house  in  Coatfield  Lane, 
three  years  after.  Referring  to  his  peaceful  sport 
with  Captain  Porteous,  the  author  of  the  "  Domestic 
Annals  "  says  "  that  no  one  could  have  imagined, 
as  that  cheerful  game  was  going  on,  that  both  the 
players  were  not  many  years  after  to  have  blood 
upon  their  hands,  one  of  them  to  take  on  the  mur- 
derer's mark  upon  this  very  field." 

Several  military  executions  have  taken  place  there, 
and  among  them  we  may  note  two. 

The  first  recorded  is  that  of  a  drummer,  who  was 


shot  there  on  the  23rd  of  February,  16S6,  by  sen- 
tence of  a  court-martial,  for  having,  it  was  alleged, 
said  that  he  "had  it  in  his  heart  to  run  his  sword 
through  any  Papist,''  on  the  occasion  when  the  Foot 
Guards  and  other  troops,  under  General  Dalzell  and 
the  Earl  of  Linlithgow,  were  under  arms  to  quell  the 
famous  "Anti-Popish  Riot,"  made  by  the  students 
of  the  university. 

One  of  the  last  instances  was  in  1754. 

On  the  4th  of  November  in  that  year,  John 
Ramsbottom  and  James  Burgess,  deserters  from 
General  the  Hon.  James  Stuart's  regiment  (latterly 
the  37th  Foot),  were  escorted  from  Edinburgh 
Castle  to  Leith  Links  to  be  shot.  The  former 
suffered,  but  the  latter  was  pardoned. 

His  reprieve  from  death  was  only  intimated  to 
him  when  he  had  been  ordered  to  kneel,  and  the 
firing  party  were  drawn  up  with  their  arms  in 
readiness.  The  shock  so  affected  him  that  he 
fainted,  and  lay  on  the  grass  for  some  time 
motionless ;  but  the  terrible  lesson  would  seem  to 
have  been  given  to  him  in  vain,  as  in  the  Scots 
Magazine  for  the  same  year  and  month  it  is  an- 
nounced that  "James  Burgess,  the  deserter  so 
lately  pardoned  when  on  his  knees  to  be  shot,  was 
so  far  from  being  reformed  by  such  a  near  view  of 
death,  that  immediately  after  he  was  guilty  of  theft, 
for  which  he  received  a  thousand  lashes  on  the 
parade  in  the  Castle  of  Edinburgh,  on  November 
22nd,  and  was  drummed  out  of  the  regiment  with 
a  rope  round  his  neck." 

During  the  great  plague  of  1645  the  ailing  were 
hutted  in  hundreds  on  the  Links,  and  under  its 
turf  their  bones  lie  in  numbers,  as  they  were  in- 
terred where  they  died,  with  their  blankets  as 
shrouds.  Balfour,  in  his  "  Annales,"  records  that 
in  the  same  year  the  people  of  Leith  petitioned 
Parliament,  in  consequence  of  this  fearful  pest,  to 
have  500  bolls  of  meal  for  their  poor  out  of  the 
public  magazines,  which  were  accordingly  given, 
and  a  subscription  was  opened  for  them  in  certain 
shires. 

A  hundred  years  afterwards  saw  the  same  ground 
studded  with  the  tents  of  a  cavalry  camp,  when, 
prior  to  the  total  rout  of  the  king's  troops  at 
Prestonpans,  Hamilton's  Dragoons  (now  the  14th 
Hussars)  occupied  the  Links,  from  whence  they 
marched,  by  the  way  of  Seafield  and  the  Figgate 
Muir,  to  join  Sir  John  Cope. 

During  the  old  war  with  France  the  Links  were 
frequently  adopted  as  a  kind  of  Campus  Martins 
for  the  many  volunteer  corps  then  enrolled  in  the 
vicinity. 

On  the  4th  of  June,  1797,  they  had  an  unusual 
display  in  honour  of  the  king's  birthday  and  the 


264 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


presentation  of  colours  to  the  Royal  Highland 
Regiment  of  Edinburgh  Volunteers,  who  wore 
black  feather  bonnets,  with  grey  breeches  and 
Hessian  boots. 

On  that  occasion  there  paraded  in  St.  Andrew 
Square,  at  twelve  o'clock  noon,  the  Royal  Edin- 
burgh Volunteer  Light  Dragoons  (of  whom,  no 
doubt,  Scott  would  make  one  on  his  black  charger) ; 
the  Royal  Edinburgh  Volunteers,  and  the  Volunteer 
Artillery,  with  two  field-pieces  ;  the  first  battalion 
of  the  Second  Regiment  of  Royal  Edinburgh  Volun- 


The  ground  was  kept  by  the  Lancashire  Light 
Cavalry  while  the  troops  were  put  through  the 
then  famous  "Eighteen  Manoeuvres,"  published 
in  1788  by  Sir  David  Dundas,  after  he  witnessed 
the  great  review  at  Potsdam,  and  which  was 
long  a  standard  work  for  the  infantry  of  the  British 
army. 

"  The  crowd  of  spectators,"  says  the  Edinburgh 
Herald,  "  attracted  by  the  novelty  and  interest  of 
the  scene,  was  great  beyond  example.  The  city 
was  almost  literally  unpeopled.     Every  house  and 


Off 


P=3H — ■--•    M 


j» 


teers  and  the  Royal  Midlothian  Artillery,  with  two 
field-pieces  ;  the  Royal  Highland  Volunteers  and 
the  Royal  Leith  Volunteers,  all  with  their  hair 
powdered  and  greased,  their  cross-belts,  old  "  brown- 
besses,"  and  quaint  coats  with  deep  cuffs  and  short 
square-cut  skirts,  white  breeches,  and  long  black 
gaiters. 

Henry,  Duke  of  Buccleuch,  commanded  the 
whole,  which  he  formed  first  in  a  hollow  square 
of  battalions  on  the  Links,  and,  by  the  hands 
"of  Mrs.  Colonel  Murray,"  their  colours  were 
presented  to  the  Highland  Volunteers,  alter  they 
had  been  "consecrated"  by  the  chaplain  of  the 
corps — the  Rev.  Joseph  Robertson  Macgregor, 
the    eccentric    minister    of    the    Gaelic    Chapel. 


every  hovel  displayed  the  verdant  badges  of  loyalty 
as  the  procession  passed.  The  elegant  dress  and 
appearance  of  the  several  corps  formed  a  spectacle 
truly  delightful;  but  the  sentiment  which  neither 
mere  novelty  nor  military  parade,  which  all  the 
pomp,  pride,  and  circumstance,  could  never  inspire, 
seemed  to  warm  the  breast  and  animate  the  coun- 
tenance of  every  spectator." 

What  this  "  sentiment  "  was  the  editor  omits  to 
tell  us  ;  but,  unfortunately  for  such  spectacles  in 
those  days,  the  great  cocked  hats  then  worn  by 
most  of  the  troops  were  apt  to  be  knocked  oft" 
when  the  command  "  Shoulder  arms  !  "  was  given, 
and  the  general  picking-up  thereof  only  added  to 
the  hilarity  of  the  spectators. 


WATT'S    HOSPITAL. 


:6S 


About  1770  a  few  merchants  in  Leith  began — 
as  Kincaid  tells  us — to  erect  houses  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  Links.  These  were  rapidly  followed  by 
others  ;  and  since  that  time  many  handsome  edifices 
have  been  built  there,  but  no  regular  plan  was 
thought  of  at  first. 

Incidentally  we  learn  that  several  persons  of 
position  had  their  residences  near  the  Links. 

In  1800,  Charles,  Earl  of  Dalkeith  (afterwards 
fourth    Duke    of  Buccleuch   and    sixth    Duke   of 


in  classics,  two  in  English,  one  in  mathematics, 
one  in  writing  and  arithmetic.  The  predecessor 
of  this  edifice — which  is  neither  burgh  school  nor 
parish  school,  but  is  anomalously  managed  by 
several  bodies  who  have  no  common  connection — 
stood  in  the  Kirkgate,  and,  unlike  the  present  one, 
was  endowed  with  considerable  funds. 

"  The  United  Secession  Chapel  of  the  Links," 
says  a  recent  Gazetteer  "is  a  very  fine  edifice, 
more  tasteful  than  most  modern  buildings  of  its 


Queensberry),  had  one  near  the  Golf  House ;  and 
in  1802  the  same  place  was  in  the  occupation  of 
George,  Earl  of  Glasgow,  G.C.H.  and  F.R.S.  In 
1 783-9,  James,  Earl  of  Lauderdale,  and  his 
countess,  resided  in  a  mansion  a  little  way  east-  ■ 
■ward  of  the  Hermitage,  which  in  r8n  was  occu- 
pied by  Lady  Fife  ;  and  to  this  day  a  spring  on 
the  Links  is  known  as  "  Lady  Fife's  Well." 

The  Grammar  School,  or  High  School  of  Leith, 
built  in  1806,  occupies  a  conspicuous  position  in 
the  south-west  corner  of  the  Links.  It  is  a  spacious 
and  oblong  building,  two  storeys  in  height,  in  the 
Grecian  style  of  architecture,  surmounted  by  a 
small  spire,  or  cupola,  and  clock,  and  internally 
arranged  into  excellent  apartments  for  two  classes 
130 


class,  quite  ornamental  to  the  district  where  it 
stands,  and  forming,  with  the  Grammar  School,  a 
fine  feature  in  the  ecclesiastical  fringing  of  a  very 
spacious  and  airy  promenade."  This  congregation 
was  formed  about  the  year  1786,  and  the  church 
was  built  in  1837. 

In  the  most  southern  corner  of  the  Links  stands 
Watt's  Hospital,  so  named  after  the  late  Mr.  John 
Watt,  merchant  in  Leith,  who,  by  his  trust  dis- 
position and  settlement,  dated  in  1S27,  bequeathed 
the  residue  of  his  means  and  estate  to  trustees, 
with  directions  to  expend  such  part  thereof  as  they 
might  consider  proper  in  the  erection  of  an  insti- 
tution in  Leith,  to  be  called  "John  Watt's 
Hospital." 


:66 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


It  was  built  accordingly,  and  is  for  the  reception 
and  maintenance  of  men  and  women  in  destitute 
circumstances,  of  fifty  years  of  age  and  upwards,  in 
the  following  priority  :  first,  persons  of  the  name 
of  Watt ;  second,  natives  of  the  parish  of  South 
Leith,  of  whatever  name  ;  third,  persons,  of  what- 
ever name,  who  have  constantly  resided  in  that 
parish,  for  at  least  ten  years  preceding  their  admis- 
sion ;  and  fourth,  natives  of  or  persons  who  have 
constantly  resided  in  the  city  of  Edinburgh  or 
county  of  Midlothian,  provided  such  persons  are 
not  pensioners,  or  in  receipt  of  an  allowance  from 
any  charitable  institution  except  the  Parochial 
Board  of  South  Leith. 

The  trustees  acquired  what  was  formerly  a  golf 
house,  with  its  ground,  and  there  built  the  hospital, 
which  was  opened  for  inmates  in  the  spring  of 
1862.  There  are  eleven  trustees  and  governors, 
including,  ex  officio,  the  Provost  of  Leith,  the  Master 
of  the  Trinity  House,  and  the  Master  of  the 
Merchant  Company  of  Leith,  with  other  officials, 
including  a  surgeon  and  matron. 

South  Leith  Free  Church  confronts  the  west 
side  of  the  Links,  and  has  a  handsome  treble-faced 
Saxon  facade. 

The  year  1880  saw  a  literal  network  of  new 
streets  running  up  from  the  Links,  in  the  direction 
of  Hermitage  Hill  and  Park.  According  to  a 
statement  in  the  Scotsman,  an  enterprising  firm  of 
builders,  who  had  obtained,  five  years  previously, 
1  feu  from  an  industrial  society,  which  had  started 
building  on  the  ground  known  as  the  Hermitage, 
during  that  period  had  erected  buildings  which 
were  roughly  estimated  at  the  value  of  .£35,000. 
These  edifices  included  villas  in  East  Hermitage 
Place,  self-contained  houses  in  Noble  Place  and 
Park  Vale,  while  sixty  houses  had  been  erected  in 
Rosevale  Place,  Fingzie  Place,  and  Elm  Place.  A 
tenement  of  dwelling-houses,  divided  into  half- 
fiats,  was  subsequently  constructed  at  Hermitage 
Terrace,  and  the  remaining  sites  of  this  area  have 
also  now  been  occupied. 

Eastward  from  them,  the  villas  of  Claremont  Park 
extend  to  Pirniefield  and  Seafield;  and  hence,  the 
once  lonely  Links  of  Leith,  where  the  plague-stricken 
found  their  graves,  where  duels  might  be  fought, 
and  deserters  shot,  are  now  enclosed  by  villas  and 
houses  of  various  kinds. 

At  one  part  of  the  northern  side  there  are  a 
bowling-green  and  the  extensive  rope  walks 
which  adjoin  the  ropery  and  sail-cloth  manufactory. 
The  "  walks  "  occupy  ground  averaging  fifteen  hun- 
dred feet  in  length,  by  five  hundred  in  breadth. 

At  the  extreme  east  end  of  the  Links  stand 
Seafield  Baths,  built  on  the  ground  once  attached 


to  -Seafield  House,  overlooking  one  of  the  finest 
parts  of  a  delightful  beach.  They  were  built  in 
1813,  at  a  cost  of  £8,000,  in  ,£50  shares,  each 
shareholder,  or  a  member  of  his  family,  having  a 
perpetual  right  to  the  use  of  the  baths. 

The  structure  is  capacious  and  neat,  and  the 
hotel,  with  its  suite  of  baths,  is  arranged  on  a  plan 
which  has  been  thought  worthy  of  imitation  in 
more  recent  erections  of  the  same  class  at  other 
sea-bathing  resorts. 

Their  erection  must  have  been  deemed,  though 
only  in  the  early  years  of  the  present  century,  a 
vast  improvement  upon  the  primitive  style  of 
bathing  which  had  been  in  use  and  wont  during 
the  early  part  of  the  century  preceding,  and  before 
that  time,  if  we  may  judge  from  the  following 
suggestive  advertisement  in  the  Edinburgh  Courant 
for  30th  May,  1761  : — 

"Leith  Bathing  in  Sea  Water. — This  sort  of 
bathing  is  much  recommended  and  approved  of,  but 
the  want  of  a  machine,  or  wooden  house  on  wheels, 
such  as  are  used  at  sea-baths  in  England,  to  undress 
and  dress  in,  and  to  carry  those  who  intend  bathing 
to  a  proper  depth  of  water,  hath  induced  many  in 
this  part  of  the  country  to  neglect  the  opportunity  of 
trying  to  acquire  the  benefits  to  health  it  commonly 
gives.  To  accommodate  those  who  intend  bathing 
in  the  sea,  a  proper  house  on  wheels,  with  horse  and 
servants,  are  to  be  hired  on  application  to  James 
Morton,  at  James  Farquharson's,  at  the  sign  of  the 
'  Royal  Oak,'  near  the  Glass  House,  who  will 
give  constant  attendance  during  the  remainder  of 
the  season  ;  each  person  to  pay  one  shilling  for 
each  time  they  bathe." 

This,  then,  seems  to  have  been  the  first  bathing- 
machine  ever  seen  in  Scotland. 

On  the  22nd  December,  1789,  the  lonely  waste 
where  Seafield  Baths  stand  now  was  the  scene  of 
a  fatal  duel,  which  took  place  on  the  forenoon  of 
that  day,  between  Mr.  Francis  Foulke,  of  Dublin, 
and  an  officer  in  the  army,  whose  name  is  given 
in  the  Edinburgh  Magazine  of  that  year  merely  as 
"Mr.  G — ."  They  had  quarrelled,  and  posted 
each  other  publicly  at  a  coffee-house,  in  the  fashion 
then  common  and  for  long  after.  A  challenge 
ensued,  and  they  met,  attended  each  by  a  second. 
They  fired  their  pistols  twice  without  effect;  but 
so  bitter  was  their  animosity,  that  they  re-loaded, 
and  fired  a  third  time,  when  Foulke  fell,  with  a 
ball  in  his  heart. 

He  was  a  medical  student  at  the  university, 
where  he  had  exhibited  considerable  talent,  and  in 
the  previous  year  had  been  elected  President  ot 
the  Natural  History  Society  and  of  the  Royal 
Medical  Society  of  Edinburgh. 


EXECUTION    OF    PIRATES. 


267 


CHAPTER       XXX. 

LEITH— THE  SAM)?. 


The  Sands  of  Leith,  like  other  districts  we  have 
described,  have  a  notabilia  peculiarly  their  own, 
as  the  grim  scene  of  executions  for  piracy,  and  of 
the  horse-races,  which  were  long  celebrated  there 
amid  a  jollity  unknown  now  at  the  other  locality  to 
which  they  have  been  transferred— the  Links  of 
Musselburgh. 

All  pirates,  and  those  who  committed  crimes  or 
misdemeanours  upon  the  high  seas,  were,  down  to 
1822,  hanged  within  the  flood-mark  ;  but  there  does 
not  seem  to  have  been  any  permanent  erection,  or 
even  a  fixed  locality,  for  this  purpose,  and  thus  any 
part  of  the  then  great  expanse  of  open  sand  must 
have  been  deemed  suitable  for  the  last  offices  of 
the  law,  and  even  the  Pier  and  Shore  were  some- 
times used. 

On  the  6th  of  May,  1551,  John  Davidson  was 
convicted  by  an  assize  of  piratically  attacking  a  ship 
of  Bordeaux,  and  sentenced  to  be  hanged  in  irons 
on  the  Sands  ;  and  this,  Pitcairn  observes,  is  the 
earliest  notice  in  Scotland  of  the  body  of  a  criminal 
being  exposed  in  chains,  to  be  consumed  piecemeal 
by  the  elements. 

In  1555,  Hilbert  Stalfurde  and  the  crew  of  the 
Kait of  Lynne,  an  English  ship,  were  tried  for  piracy 
and  oppression,  "  in  reiving  and  spoiling  furth  of  a 
hulk  of  the  toun  of  Stateyne  (Stettin),  then  lying  in 
the  harbour  of  Leith,"  a  cable  of  ninety  fathoms, 
three  or  four  pistolettes,and  other  property,  for  which 
they  were  all  hanged  as  pirates  within  the  flood-mark. 

Pitcairn  gives  this  case  in  full,  and  it  may  not  be 
uninteresting  to  note  what  constituted  piracy  in  the 
sixteenth  century. 

In  the  "  Talbot  Papers,"  published  by  the  Mait- 
land  Club,  there  is  a  letter,  dated  4th  Jul)',  1555, 
from  Lord  Conyers  to  the  Earl  of  Shrewsbury. 
After  stating  that  some  ships  had  been  captured, 
very  much  to  the  annoyance  of  the  Queen-Regent 
Mary  of  Lorraine,  she  sent  a  Scottish  ship  of  war  to 
search  for  the  said  ship  of  Lynne  ;  and,  as  the 
former  passed  herself  on  the  seas  as  a  merchantman, 
the  crew  of  the  Kait  "  schott  a  piece  of  ordnance, 
and  the  Scottis  shippe  schott  off  but  a  slinge,  as 
though  she  had  been  a  merchant,  and  vailed  her 
bonnet,"  or  dipped  her  ensign. 

The  crew  of  the  Kait  then  hailed,  and  asked 


what  she  was  laden  with,  and  the  reply  was,  "  With 
victualles;  and  then  they  desired  them  to  borde,  and 
let  them  have  a  ton  of  bacon  for  their  money." 

The  Scots  answered  that  they  should  do  so,  on 
which  there  swarmed  on  board  the  Kait  a  hundred 
or  eighty  men,  "well  appoyntit  in  armoure  and 
stoutlie  set,"  on  the  English  ship,  which  they 
brought,  with  all  her  crew,  into  the  haven  of  Leith  ; 
"and  by  that  I  can  learn,"  adds  Lord  Conyers, 
"there  is  at  least  iij.  or  iiij.  of  the  cheefest  of  the 
Englismenne  like  to  suffer  death.  Other  news  I  have 
none  to  certifie  yr  Lordschippe,  and  so  I  committ 
the  same  unto  the  tuicion  and  governmente  of 
Almichtie  God." — Berwick,  4th  July,  1555. 

The  seamen  of  those  days  were  not  very  par- 
ticular when  on  the  high  seas,  for  in  1505  we  find 
the  King's  Admiral,  Sir  Andrew  Wood,  obtaining  a 
remission  under  the  Great  Seal  for  "  ye  rief  an 
anchor  and  cabyeli "  taken  from  John  of  Bonkle 
on  the  sea,  as  he  required  these  probably  for  the 
king's  service  ;  and  some  fifty  years  later  an  admiral 
of  England  piratically  seized  the  ship  coming  from 
France  with  the  horses  of  Queen  Mary  on  board. 

In  16 10  nine  pirates  were  sentenced  by  the 
mouth  of  James  Lockhart  of  Lee,  chancellor,  to  be 
hanged  upon  "the  sandis  of  Leyth,  within  the 
floddis-mark ; "  and  in  the  same  year  Pitcairn  re- 
cords the  trial  of  thirty  more  pirates  for  the  affair 
at  Long  Island,  in  Ireland,  already  related. 

In  161 2  two  more  were  hanged  in  the  same  place 
for  piracy. 

Executions  here  of  seamen  were  of  constant  oc- 
currence in  the  olden  times,  but  after  that  of  Wilson 
Potts,  captain  of  the  Dreadnought  privateer  of  New- 
castle, on  the  13th  of  February,  17S2,  none  took 
place  till  the  execution  of  Heaman  and  Gautiez,  at 
the  foot  of  Constitution  Street,  in  1822. 

Potts  was  convicted  before  the  Admiralty  Court 
of  having  plundered  the  White  Swan,  of  Copen- 
hagen, of  four  bags  of  dollars.  He  was  recom- 
mended to  mercy  by  a  majority  of  the  jury,  because 
it  was  in  proof  that  he  had  committed  the  crime 
while  in  a  state  of  intoxication,  and  had,  on  coming 
to  his  senses,  taken  the  first  opportunity  of  restoring 
the  money  to  its  owners ;  but  the  recommendation 
was  made  in  vain. 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


[I.e 


In  1667  the  Sands  were  the  scene  of  that 
desperate  duel  with  swords  between  William  Douglas 
younger,  of  Whittingham,  and  Sir  John  Home,  of 
Eccles,  attended  by  the  Master  of  Ramsay  and 
Douglas  of  Spott,  who  all  engaged  together.  Sir 
James  was  slain,  and  William  Douglas  had  his 
head  stricken  from  his  body  at  the  Cross  three 
days  after. 

For  many  generations  the  chief  place  for  horse- 
racing  in  Scotland  was  the  long  stretch  of  bare 
sand  at  Leith. 


informer  for  the  double  thereof,  half  to  him  and 
half  to  the  poor"  (Glendoick). 

In  1620  there  were  horse-races  at  Paisley,  the 
details  of  which  are  given  in  the  Maitland  Miscel- 
lany, in  which  the  temporary  prize  of  the  bell 
figures  prominently  ;  and  after  the  Restoration  there 
were  horse-races  every  Saturday  at  Leith,  which 
are  regularly  detailed  in  the  little  print  called  the 
Mercurins  Caledonius.  In  the  March  of  1661  it 
states  : — "  Our  accustomed  recreations  on  the 
I  Sands  of  Leith  was  (sic)  much  injured  because  of 


IfeCilc 


As  a  popular  amusement  horse-racing  was  prac- 
tised at  an  early  period  in  Scotland.  In  1552 
there  was  a  race  annually  at  Haddington,  the  prize 
being  a  bell,  and  hence  the  phrase  to  "  bear  away 
the  bell ;  "  and  during  the  reign  of  James  VI.  races 
were  held  at  Peebles  and  Dumfries— at  the  latter 
place  in  1575,  between  Scots  and  English,  when 
the  Regent  Morton  held  his  court  there :  but  as 
such  meetings  led  to  conflicts  with  deadly  weapons, 
they  were  interdicted  by  the  Privy  Council  in  1608  ; 
and  by  an  Act  of  James  VI.,  passed  in  his  twenty- 
third  Parliament,  any  sum  won  upon  a  horse-race 
above  a  hundred  marks  was  to  be  given  to  the 
poor  Magistrates  were  empowered  to  pursue  "  for 
the  said  surplus  gain,  or  else  declared  liable  to  the 


a  furious  storm  of  wind,  accompanied  with  a  thick 
snow ;  yet  we  had  some  noble  gamesters  that  were 
so  constant  in  their  sport  as  would  not  forbear  a 
designed  horse-match.  It  was  a  providence  the 
wind  was  from  the  sea,  otherwise  they  had  run  a 
hazard  either  of  drowning  or  splitting  upon  Inch- 
keith.  This  tempest  was  nothing  inferior  to  that 
which  was  lately  in  Caithness,  when  a  bark  of  fifty 
tons  was  blown  five  furlongs  into  the  land,  and 
would  have  gone  farther  if  it  had  not  been  arrested 
by  the  steepness  of  a  large  promontory." 

The  old  races  at  Leith  seem  to  have  been 
conducted  with  all  the  spirit  of  the  modern  Jockey 
Club,  and  a  great  impetus  was  given  to  them  by 
the  occasional  presence  of  the  Duke  of  Albany, 


THE    LEITH    RACE    WEEK. 


269 


afterwards  James  VII.,  during  the  time  he  was 
Royal  Commissioner  at  Holyrood.  "  They  have 
been  rehearsed  in  verse  by  Robert  Ferguson,"  says 
Robertson  in  1851,  '•  and  still  form  a  topic  of  con- 
verse with  the  elder  part  of  our  citizens,  as  one  of 
the  prominent  features  of  the  glorious  days  of 
old." 

The  earliest  records  of  them  have  all  been  lost, 
he  adds.  They  took  place  on  the  east  side  of  the 
harbour,  where  now  the  great  new  docks  are 
formed.  The  Leith  race  week  was  a  species  of 
carnival  to  the  citizens  of  Edinburgh,  and  in 
many   instances    caused    a   partial    suspension  of 


must  have  seen  it  many  times,  "  that  long  before 
the  procession  could  reach  Leith  the  functionaries 
had  disappeared,  and  nothing  was  visible  amid 
the  moving  myriads  but  the  purse  on  the  top  of 
the  pole." 

The  scene  at  Leith  races,  as  described  by  those 
who  have  been  present,  was  of  a  very  striking 
description.  Vast  lines  of  tents  and  booths,  covered 
with  canvas  or  blankets,  stretched  along  the  level 
shore ;  recruiting-sergeants  with  their  drummers 
beating,  sailors  ashore  for  a  holiday,  mechanics 
accompanied  by  their  wives  or  sweethearts,  servant 
girls,  and  most  motley  groups,  were  constantly  pass- 


THE    MARTEl.LO    TOWER,    FROM    I.EI 


work  and  business.  They  were  under  the  direct 
patronage  of  the  magistrates  of  the  city,  and  it 
was  usual  for  one  of  the  town  officers,  in  his 
livery,  to  walk  in  procession  every  morning  from 
the  Council  Chambers  to  Leith,  bearing  aloft  on  a 
pole  or  halberd,  profusely  decorated  with  ribbons 
and  streamers,  the  "  City  Purse,"  accompanied  by 
a  file  of  the  City  Guard,  with  their  bayonets  fixed 
and  in  full  uniform,  accompanied  by  a  drummer, 
beating  that  peculiar  cadence  on  his  drum 
which  is  believed  to  have  been  the  old  "  Scottish 
March." 

This  procession  gathered  in  strength  and  interest 
as  it  moved  along  Leith  Walk,  as  hundreds  were 
on  the  outlook  for  the  appearance  of  this  accredited 
civic  body,  and  who  preferred  "gaun  doon  wi'  the 
Purse,"  as  the  phrase  was,  to  any  other  mode  of 
proceeding  thither.  "  Such  a  dense  mass  of  boys 
and  girls  finally  surrounded  the  town  officers,  the 
drummer,  and  the  old  veterans,"  wrote  one  who 


ing  in  and  out  of  the  drinking  places  ;  the  whole 
varied  by  shows,  roley-poleys,  hobby-horses,  wheels- 
of-fortune,  and  many  of  those  strange  characters 
which  were  once  familiar  in  the  streets  of  Edin- 
burgh, and  of  whom,  "Jamie,  the  Showman,"  a 
veteran  of  the  Glengarry  Fencibles,  a  native  of  the 
Canongate,  who  figures  in  "  Hone's  Year  Book," 
was  perhaps  the  last. 

Saturday,  which  was  the  last  day  of  the  races, 
was  the  most  joyous  and  outrageous  of  this  sea- 
shore carnival.  On  that  day  was  the  "subscription" 
for  the  horses  beaten  during  the  week,  and  these 
unfortunate  nags  contended  for  the  negative  honour 
of  not  being  the  worst  on  the  course.  Then,  when 
night  closed  in,  there  was  invariably  a  general 
brawl,  a  promiscuous  free  fight  being  maintained 
by  the  returning  crowds  along  the  entire  length  of 
Leith  Walk. 

A  few  quotations  from  entries  will  serve  to  show 
that,    in    the    progression    of    all     things,    racing 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


under  distinguished  patronage  has  in  no  way 
altered. 

In  1763,  on  the  28th  February,  a  thirty-guinea 
purse  was  run  for  by  Cartouch,  a  chestnut  horse, 
belonging  to  Lord  Aberdour,  Colonel  of  the  old 
Scots  17th  Light  Dragoons,  a  bay  colt,  belonging  to 
Francis  Charteris  of  Amisfield,  and  a  mare,  belong- 
ing to  Macdowal  of  Castlesemple.  The  colt  won. 
In  the  following  month,  His  Majesty's  plate  of  a 
hundred  guineas,  was  won,  against  several  other 
horses,  by  Dunce,  a  chestnut,  belonging  to  Charteris 
of  Amisfield. 

On  the  4th  March,  the  city  purse  of  thirty 
guineas  was  won  by  a  bay  colt,  belonging  to  the 
latter,  against  two  English  horses. 

"  List  of  horses  booked  for  His  Majesty's  purse 
of  100  guineas,  to  be  run  for  over  the  sands  of 
Leith,  1st  July,  1771  .  .  .  29th  June,  appeared 
William  Sowerby,  servant  to  Major  Lawrie,  and 
entered  a  bay  horse  called  '  Young  Mirza  ; '  rider, 
said  Win.  :  livery  crimson;  and  produced  certificate, 
dated  at  Lowther  Hall,  signed  by  Edward  Halls, 
dated  24th  May,  1 7  70,  bearing  the  said  horse  to 
be  no  more  than  four  years  old  last  grass.  .  .  . 


Appeared  the  Right  Hon.  the  Earl  of  Kellie,  en- 
tered '  Lightfoot.'  Appeared  Sir  Archibald  Hope, 
Bart,  (of  Pinkie),  entered  'Monkey.'  "  Mirza  won 
the  purse. 

For  the  race  advertised  for  a  pool  of  ^60  and 
upwards,  the  Duke  of  Buccleuch,  who  signed  the 
articles,  marked  .£80,  to  be  paid  in  money,  not 
plate.  "  Compeared,  Mr.  James  Rannie,  merchant 
in  Leith,  and  entered  a  bay  horse,  '  Cockspur,'  be- 
longing to  His  Grace  the  Dukeof  Buccleuch."  Itwon. 

The  Duke  of  Hamilton  and  the  Earl  of  Eglin- 
ton  repeatedly  entered  horses  (says  Robertson) ; 
and  in  1777  the  former  gave  the  100  guineas  won 
to  aid  in  the  construction  of  the  Observatory  011 
the  Calton  Hill. 

In  the  Scots  Magazine  for  1774  we  find  noted 
the  appearance  at  these  races  of  the  Count  de 
Fernanunez,  "  attended  by  the  Chevalier  Comanc," 
then  on  a  tour  through  Scotland. 

In  1816  the  races  were  transferred  to  the  Links 
of  Musselburgh  permanently,  for  the  sake  of  the 
ground,  which  should  be  smooth  turf ;  and  though 
attempts  were  made  in  1839  and  1840  to  revive 
them  again  at  Leith,  they  proved  abortive. 


CHAPTER     XXXI. 

LEITH— THE      HARBOUR. 
The  Admiral  and  Bailie  Courts— The  Leith  Science  (Navigation)  School— The  Harbour  of  Leith— The  Bar— The  Woode 


:  Quay— The    Bridges-Rennie's   Report  on  the  required   Docks-The 

yet  its  depth  is  trifling.  As  the  Water  of  Leith 
has  to  make  its  way  seaward,  across  the  very  broad 
and  flat  shore  called  the  Sands  of  Leith,  alter- 
nately flooded  by  the  tide  and  left  nearly  dry,  the 
channel,  in  its  natural  state,  was  subject  to  much 


ments  of  the   Harbour— Erection  of  Beacons— The  Custom    Hot 
Mortons'  Building-yard- The  Present  Piers— The  Martello  Tow. 

Though  the  Right  Hon.  the  Lord  Provost  of 
Edinburgh  is  Admiral  of  the  Firth  of  Forth,  the 
Provost  of  Leith  is  Admiral  of  the  port  thereof, 
and  his  four  bailies  are  admirals-depute.  These, 
with  the  clerk,  two  advocates  as  joint  assessors, 
and  an  officer,  constitute  the  Admiral  and  Bailie  fluctuation,  according  to  the  setting  in  of  the  tides. 
Courts  of  Leith.  A  bar,   too — such  as   is   thrown  up  at   the  en- 

There  is  also  a  society  of  solicitors  before  this  trance  of  almost  every  river  mouth — lies  across 
court,  having  a  preses  and  secretary.  its  entrance,  formed  at  that  point  where  the  an- 

For  the  development  of  nautical  talent  here,  tagonistic  currents  of  the  river  and  tide  bring 
there  is  the  Leith  Science  (Navigation)  School,  in  each  other  into  stagnation  or  equipoise,  and  then 
connection  with  the  Department  of  Science  and  Art,  deposit  whatever  silt  they  contain.  Thus,  says  a 
with  local  managers — the  provost  and  others,  ex  writer,  "  the  river  constantly,  and  to  an  important 
officio,  the  senior  bailie,  master  and  assistant-master  ;  amount,  varies  both  the  depth  of  the  harbour  and 
of  the  Trinity  House,  chairman  of  the  Chamber  of  1  the  height  of  the  position  of  the  bar,  according 
Commerce,  etc.  |  to  the  fluctuations  which  occur  in  the  volume  of  its 

The  harbour  of  Leith  is  formed  by  the  little  water  or  the  rapidity  of  its  discharge  ;  for  in  a 
estuary  of  the  river  into  the  Firth  of  Forth,  and  is  season  of  drought  it  leaves  everything  open  to  the 
entirely  tidal,  and  was  of  old,  with  the  exception  invasion  of  sediments  from  the  tide,  at  other  times 
of  being  traversed  by  the  shallow  and  unimportant  it  scours  away  lodgments  made  on  its  bed,  drives 
stream  which  takes  its  rise  at  the  western  base  of  '  seaward  and  diminishes  in  bulk  the  bar,  and  deepens 
the  Pentlands,   quite  dry  at  low  water,  and  even  1  the  channel  towards  the  side  streams  of  the  Firth." 


HARBOUR    AND    PIER. 


Hence  all  attempts,  therefore,  to  obtain  a  good 
or  workable  harbour  at  Leith  have  been,  of  a 
necessity,  limited  to  the  construction  of  long  lines 
of  piers,  to  divert  the  current  of  the  tides,  to  give 
the  river  mastery  over  them,  and  enable  it,  by  the 
weight  of  its  downward  and  concentrated  volume, 
to  sweep  away,  or  at  least  diminish,  the  bar,  and  to 
the  excavation  of  docks  for  the  reception  of  vessels 
floated  in  at  high  water,  and  for  retaining  them  safe 
from  the  inexorable  power  of  the  receding  tide. 

From  the  Gentleman  s  Magazine  for  May,  1 786,  we 
learn  that,  owing  to  a  long  continuance  of  easterly 
wind,  the  bar  at  the  mouth  of  Leith  harbour  had  at- 
tained such  a  height,  that  vessels  could  scarcely  pass 
out  or  in  with  any  chance  of  safety  ;  that  many  were 
aground  upon  it ;  and  that  the  magistrates  of  Edin- 
burgh were  considering  how  it  could  best  be  removed. 

It  is  related  that  when,  in  the  spring  of  the  year 
1820,  Lord  Erskine  re-visited  Edinburgh,  after  an 
absence  of  nearly  half  a  century,  on  which  occa- 
sion a  banquet  was  given  him  in  the  Assembly 
Rooms,  at  which  all  the  then  master  spirits  of  the 
Scottish  bar  were  present,  and  Maxwell  of  Carriden 
presided,  he  returned  to  London  by  sea  from 
Leith.  He  took  his  passage  in  the  Favourite, 
one  of  the  famous  old  fighting-smacks,  Captain 
Mark  Sanderson;  but  it  so  happened  that  she 
either  grounded  on  the  bar,  or  there  was  not  in  the 
harbour  sufficient  water  to  float  her  over  it ;  thus 
for  days  no  vessel  could  leave  the  harbour.  Lord 
Erskine,  with  other  disappointed  passengers,  was 
seen  daily,  at  the  hours  of  the  tide  flowing,  wait- 
ing with  anxiety  the  floating  of  the  vessel ;  and 
when  at  last  she  cleared  the  harbour,  and  stood 
round  the  martello  tower,  he  wittily  expressed  his 
satisfaction  in  the  following  verse  : — 

"  Of  depth  profound,  o'erflowing  far, 
I  blessed  the  Edinburgh  Bar  ; 
While  muttering  oaths  between  my  teeth, 
I  cursed  the  shallow  Bar  of  Leith  ! " 

In  the  cabin  a  motion  was  made,  and  unani- 
mously carried,  that  this  impromptu  stanza  should 
be  printed  on  board  by  Mr.  John  Ruthven,  who 
was  among  the  passengers,  and  whose  name  is  so 
well  known  as  the  inventor  of  the  celebrated  print- 
ing press    and    other    valuable    improvements    in 
machines.      With    one   of    his   portable   printing- 
presses  he  proceeded    to   gratify  his  companions, 
and  struck  off  several  copies  of  the  verse,  to  which 
one  of  the  voyagers  added  another,  thus  :  — 
"  To  Lord  Erskine — 
"  Spare,  spare,  my  lord,  your  angry  feelings, 
Nor  lower  us  thus,  as  if  at  war; 
'Twas  only  to  retain  you  with  us 
We  at  our  harbour  placed  a  bar." 


The  first  pier  constructed  at  Leith  was  of  wood, 
but  was  destroyed  in  1544,  at  the  time  of  the 
invasion  in  that  year,  and  we  have  no  means  of 
indicating  its  precise  site.  During  the  earlier  years 
of  the  seventeenth  century  another  wooden  pier 
was  erected,  and  for  two  hundred  and  forty  years 
its  massive  pillars  and  beams,  embedded  in  a 
compact  mass  of  whinstone  and  clay,  withstood 
the  rough  contacts  of  shipping  and  the  long  up- 
coming rollers  from  the  stormy  Firth,  and  the  last 
traces  of  it  only  disappeared  about  the  year  1850. 

Between  the  years  1720  and  1730,  a  stone  pier, 
in  continuation  of  this  ancient  wooden  one,  which 
only  to  a  slight  extent  assisted  the  somewhat  meagre 
natural  facilities  of  the  harbour,  was  carried  sea- 
ward for  a  hundred  yards,  constructed  partly  of 
massive  squared  stones  from  a  curious  old  coal-pit 
at  Culross  ;  and  for  a  time  this,  to  some  degree,  re- 
medied the  difficulty  and  hazard  of  the  inward  navi- 
gation, but  still  left  the  harbour  mouth  encumbered 
with  its  unlucky  bar  of  unsafe  and  shifting  sand. 

The  old  pier  figures  in  more  than  one  Scottish 
song,  and  perhaps  the  oldest  is  that  fragment  pre- 
served by  Cromek,  in  his  "  Remains  of  Nithsdale 
and  Galloway  Song  "  : — 

"  Were  ye  at  the  Pier  o'  Leith  ? 

Or  cam  ye  in  by  Bennochie  ? 
Crossed  ye  at  the  boat  o'  Craig  ? — 

Saw  ye  the  lad  wha  courted  me  ? 
Short  hose  and  belted  plaidie, 

Garters  tied  below  his  knee  : 
Oh,  he  was  a  bonnie  lad, 

The  blythe  lad  wha  courted  me." 

Contemporaneous,  or  nearly  so,  with  this  early 
stone  pier  was  the  formation  of  the  oldest  dock, 
which  will  be  referred  to  in  its  place. 

So  early  as  1454,  the  improvement  and  main- 
tenance of  a  harbour  at  Leith  was  the  care  of 
James  II.  (that  gallant  king  who  was  killed  at  the 
siege  of  Roxburgh) ;  and  in  his  charter  granted  in 
that  year,and  which  was  indorsed  "Provost  and  Bail- 
yies,  the  time  that  thir  letters  war  gottin,  Alex- 
ander Naper,  Andrew  Craufurd,  William  of  Caribas, 
and  Richart  Paterson,"  he  gave  the  silver  customs 
and  duty  of  all  ships  and  vessels  entering  Leith  for 
the  purpose  of  enlarging  and  repairing  the  port 
thereof  (Burgh  Charters,  No.  XXXII.). 

In  1620  we  first  read  of  several  beacons  being 
erected,  when,  as  Sir  James  Balfour  records,  the 
coal-masters  on  both  sides  of  the  Forth,  "  for  the 
ciydit  of  the  countrey  and  saftie  of  strangers  trading 
to  them  for  cole  and  sake,"  in  the  June  of  that 
year,  erected  marks  and  beacons  on  all  the  craigs 
and  sunken  rocks  within  the  Firth,  above  the  Roads 
at  Leith,  at  their  own  expense. 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


Leith] 


REXNTE'S     RF.PORT    ON    THE    HARBOUR     EXTENSION'. 


In  1753  an  Act  was  passed,  in  the  reign  of 
George  II.,  for  enlarging  and  deepening  the  harbour 
of  Leith,  but  less  was  achieved  than  had  been  done 
in  the  reign  of  King  James  II.,  three  hundred  years 
before.  As  there  were  no  adequate  means  provided 
by  the  statute  for  defraying  the  expense,  says  < 
Arnot,  "nothing  was  done  in  consequence." 

Yet  soon  after  we  find  that  a  curious  scheme 
was  formed  for  enlarging  it  on  a  greater  scale,  by 
making  a  canal  from  it  eastward  through  Bernard's 
Xook  to  the  old  Glass  House,  and  from  thence 
into  a  basin.  To  carry  this  project  into  execution 
a  Bill  was  framed  by  which  an  additional  duty,  from 
a  penny  to  sixpence  per  ton,  was  to  be  laid  upon 
the  tonnage  of  all  shipping  in  the  harbour  ;  but  in 
consequence  of  the  poverty  and  lethargy  entailed 
by  the  Union,  and  some  opposition  also,  the  scheme 
was  rapidly  dropped. 

These  suggestions,  however,  led  ultimately  to  the 
formation  by  the  Town  Council  of  Edinburgh  of  a 
short  pier  in  1777  on  the  west  side  of  the  harbour, 
afterwards  known  as  the  Custom  House  Quay; 
and  the  harbour  was  at  the  same  time  widened  and 
deepened. 

In  1785  a  miserable  apology  for  a  naval  yard 
(as  it  was  pompously  named)  was  established  in 
Leith  as  a  depot  for  supplying  such  material  as 
might  be  wanted  by  His  Majesty's  ships  coming 
into  the  Forth. 

Five  bridges  now  connect  North  and  South 
Leith,  the  latest  of  which  is  the  Victoria  swing 
bridge. 

One  of  the  drawbridges  at  the  foot  of  the  Tol- 
booth  Wynd  (superseding  that  of  Abbot  Ballantyne) 
was  erected  in  1788-9,  by  authority  of  an  Act  of 
Parliament.  The  second  drawbridge,  opposite  the 
foot  of  Bernard  Street,  was  erected  in  1 800  ;  and 
a  third  bridge,  finished  about  1820,  connected  the 
new  streets  at  Hill  House  Field  and  the  Docks 
with  Leith  Walk. 

Notwithstanding  the  erection  of  the  Custom 
House  Quay,  the  accommodation  for  shipping  re- 
mained insufficient  and  unendurable,  the  common 
quays  being  the  chief  landing-places,  where  the 
vessels  lay  four  and  five  abreast,  discharging  their 
cargoes  across  each  other's  decks,  amid  confusion, 
dirt,  and  much  ill-temper  on  the  part  of  seamen  and 
porters.  Besides,  the  channel  of  the  river,  at  the 
recess  of  the  tides,  offered  only  an  expanse  of  un- 
covered and  offensive  mud  and  ooze,  till,  as  the 
trade  of  the  port  increased  towards  the  close  of  the 
century,  demands  were  loud  and  long  for  an  ameli- 
oration and  enlargement  of  the  then  accommodation. 

In  1789,  the  light  that  had  first  been  placed  at 
the  pier-end  was  replaced  by  a  new  and  improved 
131 


one,  with  reflectors,  as  the  Edinburgh  Advertiser 
specially  mentions,  adding  that  "  its  effect  at  sea 
is  surprising,  and  the  expense  of  maintaining  it 
does  not  exceed  that  of  the  former  one." 

In  1799,  John  Rennie,  the  celebrated  engineer, 
was  employed  to  examine  the  entire  harbour,  and 
to  form  designs  for  docks  and  extended  piers,  on  a 
scale  somewhat  proportioned  to  the  necessities  of 
the  advancing  age. 

The  gravamen  of  his  report  was  that  no  per- 
manent and  uniform  depth  of  water  along  the 
mouth  of  the  harbour  of  Leith  could  ever  be  ob- 
tained, and  that  no  achievement  of  science  could 
destroy  or  prevent  the  formation  of  the  shifting 
bar,  unless  by  carrying  a  pier,  or  weir,  on  the  east 
side  of  the  channel,  and  quite  across  the  sands 
into  low  water,  and  that,  by  this  means,  three,  or 
possibly  four,  feet  of  additional  depth  of  water 
might  be  obtained  ;  but  though  the  soundness  of 
his  principle  has  been  fully  vindicated  by  the  result 
of  subsequent  operations  which  were  carried  out  by 
its  guidance,  little  or  nothing  was  done  at  his  sugges- 
tion, nor  for  many  years  afterwards,  with  regard  to 
the  piers  or  entrance. 

The  crowded  state  of  the  harbour  was  the  cause 
of  many  a  fatal  accident,  and  of  constant  confusion. 
Thus  we  read  that,  between  nine  and  ten  in  the 
morning  of  the  13th  of  August,  1810,  as  a  foreign 
vessel,  after  passing  the  beacon,  was  about  to  enter 
the  harbour,  with  two  pilots  on  board,  a  shot  was 
suddenly  fired  into  her  from  a  boat.  This,  the 
pilots  imagined,  was  from  a  Greenland  whaler,  and 
they  did  not  bring  to.  A  few  minutes  after  a  second 
musket-shot  was  fired,  which  mortally  wounded 
the  mate  in  the  right  breast,  and  he  expired  in 
fifteen  minutes.  The  boat  belonged  to  H.M.  gun- 
brig  Gallant,  of  fourteen  guns,  commanded  by 
Lieutenant  William  Crow,  which  was  at  that  time 
what  is  technically  called  "  rowing  guard."  The 
fatal  shot  had  been  fired  by  a  rash  young  mid- 
shipman, named  Henry  Lloyd,  whose  hail  had 
been  unheard  or  unnoticed ;  and  for  this  he  was 
lodged  in  the  prison  of  Edinburgh.  As  too  often 
is  the  case  in  such  calamities,  the  prints  of  the 
time  announce  that  "  the  sufferer  has  left  a  widow 
and  three  young  children,  for  whose  relief  a  sub- 
scription has  been  opened." 

In  1818  Messrs.  J.  and  H.  Morton  invented 
their  patent  slip,  and  the  first  one  was  laid  down 
by  themselves  in  the  upper  part  of  the  old  harbour 
— an  invention  of  more  than  European  reputation. 
The  firm  began  to  build  iron  ships,  but  after  com- 
pleting a  few  steamers,  a  sailing-ship,  and  some  large 
dredges,  the  trade  came  to  a  temporary  stand  ;  yet 
the  business  of  ship-building  was  not  abandoned 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


by  the  enterprising  firm,  but  was  conducted  by 
them  in  conjunction  with  other  departments  of 
their  trade. 

The  harbour  of  Leith  is  now  a  noble  one,  as  it 
underwent  vast  improvements,  at  an  enormous 
cost,  during  a  long  series  of  years  up  to  1S77,  in- 
cluding various  docks,  to  be  described  in  their 
place,  with  the  best  appliances  of  a  prime  port, 
and  great  ranges  of  storehouses,  together  with  two 
magnificent  wooden  piers  of  great  length,  the  west 
being  3,123  feet,  the  east  3,530  feet.  Both  are 
delightful  promenades,  and  a  small  boat  plies  be- 
tween their  extremities,  so  that  a  visitor  may  pass 
out  seaward  by  one  pier  and  return  by  the  other. 

The  formidable  Martello  Tower,  circular  in  form, 


bomb-proof,  formed  of  beautiful  white  stone,  and 
most  massive  in  construction,  occupies  a  rock 
called,  we  believe,  of  old,  the  Mussel  Cape,  but 
which  forms  a  continuation  of  the  reef  known  as  the 
Black  Rocks. 

It  stands  1,500  feet  eastward,  and  something 
less  than  500  south  of  the  eastern  pier-head,  and 
3,500  feet  distant  from  the  base  of  the  ancient 
signal-tower  on  the  shore. 

It  was  built  to  defend  what  was  then  the  en- 
trance of  the  harbour,  during  the  last  long  war 
with  France,  at  the  cost  of  ,£17,000;  but  now, 
owing  to  the  great  guns  and  military  inventions  of 
later  times,  it  is  to  the  fortifications  on  Inchkeith 
that  the  port  of  Leith  must  look  for  protection. 


CHAPTER    XXXII. 


MEMORABILIA    OF    THE    SHIPPING    OF    LEITH    AND    ITS    MARITIME    AFFAIRS. 

Oid  Shipping  I  aus  -  Early  Whale  Fishing  -  Letters  of  Marque  against  Hamburg — Captures  of  English  Ship>.  i 
of  Leith— Imports — Arrest  of  Captain  Hugh  Palliser— Shore  Dues,  1763 — Sailors'  Strike,  1792— Tonnage  i 
— Letters   of  Marque— Exploits   of  some— Glance  at  Shipbuilding. 


The  people  of  Scotland  must,  at  a  very  early 
period,  have  turned  their  attention  to  the  art  in 
which  they  now  excel — that  of  shipbuilding  and 
navigation,  for  in  these  and  other  branches  of 
industry  the  monks  led  the  way.  So  far  back  as 
1 249,  the  Count  of  St.  Paul,  as  Matthew  of  Paris 
records,  had  a  large  ship  built  for  him  at  Inverness, 
and  history  mentions  the  fleets  of  William  the 
Lion  and  his  successor,  Alexander  II.;  and  it  has 
been  conjectured  that  these  were  furnished  by  the 
chiefs  of  the  isles,  so  many  of  whom  bore  lym- 
phads  in  their  coats-of-arms.  During  the  long  war 
with  the  Edwards,  Scottish  ships  rode  at  anchor 
in  their  ports,  cut  out  and  carried  off  English 
craft,  till  Edward  III.,  as  Tytler  records  from  the 
'•  Rotuli  Scotia?,''  taunted  his  admirals  and  cap- 
tains with  cowardice  in  being  unable  to  face  the 
Scots  and  Flemings,  to  whom  they  dared  not  give 
battle. 

In  1336  Scottish  ships  swept  the  Channel  coast, 
plundering  Guernsey,  Jersey,  and  the  Isle  of  Wight; 
and  Tyrrel  records  that  the  fleet  which  did  so  was 
under  the  command  of  David  Bruce,  but  this  seems 
doubtful. 

When  Edward  of  England  was  engaged  in  the 
prosecution  of  that  wicked  war  which  met  its  just 
reward  on  the  field  of  Bannockburn,  he  had  two 
Scottish  traitors  who  led  his  ships,  named  John 
of  Lorn,  and  his  son,  Alan  of  Argyle,  whose 
names  have  deservedly  gone  to  oblivion. 


We  first  hear  of  shipping  in  any  quantity  in  the 
Firth  of  Forth  in  the  year  141 1,  when,  as  Burchett 
and  Rapin  record,  a  squadron  of  ten  English  ships  of 
war,  under  Sir  Robert  Umfraville,  Vice-Admiral  of 
England,  ravaged  both  shores  of  the  estuary  for 
fourteen  days,  burned  many  vessels — among  them 
one  named  the  Great  Galliot  of  Scotland — and  re- 
turned with  so  many  prizes  and  such  a  mass  of 
plunder,  that  he  brought  down  the  prices  of  every- 
thing, and  was  named  "  Robin  Mend-the-Market."' 

The  Wars  of  the  Roses,  fortunately  for  Scotland, 
gave  her  breathing-time,  and  in  that  period  she 
gathered  wealth,  strength,  and  splendour  :  she  tool 
a  part  in  European  politics,  and  under  the  auspice's 
of  James  IV.  became  a  naval  power,  so  much  sci, 
that  we  find  by  a  volume  culled  from  the  "Archives 
of  Venice,''  by  Mr.  Rawdon  Brown,  there  are  marry 
proofs  that  the  Venetians  in  those  days  were 
watching  the  influence  of  Scotland  in  counteracting 
that  of  England  by  land  and  sea. 

Between  the  years  15 18  and  1520,  the  "  Burgh 
Records  "  have  some  notices  regarding  the  skippers 
and  ships  of  Leith  ;  and  in  the  former  year  we  find 
that  "the  maner  of  fraughting  of  schips  ofauld"  is 
in  form  following  :  and  certainly  it  reads  myste- 
riously. 

"Alexander  Lichtman  lies  lattin  his  schip  callit 

the  Mairtene,  commonly  till  fraught  to  the  nycht- 

bouris  of  the  Tonne  for  thair  guidis  to  be  furit  to 

I  Flanders,  for  the  fraught  of  xix  s.  gr.  and  xviij  s.  gr. 


GROWTH    OK    THE    PORT. 


the  sirpleth  of  woll  and  skin,  because  sho  is  fraughtit 
in  and  furth,  and  the  better  chaip  inwart  becaus 
sho  fraucht  swa  deir  furthwart ;  and  this  fraucht- 
ing  is  maid  in  the  form  of  the  statutes  of  the  Toune 
and  Act  of  Parliament,  the  port  oppin  and  the 
nychtbouris  firs  seruit." 

In  1 5 19  the  Provost  and  Council  ordained  the 
water  bailie  of  Leith  to  await  the  entry  of  all  ships 
at  the  port,  and  to  see  that  no  wine,  timber,  or 
other  portions  of  the  cargo  be  sold  till  duly  en- 
tered and  paid  for,  the  king's  grace  and  the  city 
first  served  ;  and  if  any  goods  were  sold  or  tapped, 
they  should  be  arrested. 

The  numerous  rules  and  laws  which  were  en- 
acted in  those  days  with  reference  to  shipping, 
navigation,  and  foreign  commerce,  evince  that  the 
attention  of  the  Scottish  legislature  was  particu- 
larly directed  to  maritime  affairs.  There  was  an 
enactment  which  ordained  that  ships  and  fishing- 
boats  of  not  less  than  twenty  tons  should  be  built 
and  equipped  with  appropriate  nets  and  tackling 
by  all  burghs  and  seaport  towns. 

By  an  Act  passed  in  the  second  Parliament  of 
James  III.,  in  1466,  no  ship  from  Leith  or  any 
other  port  could  be  freighted  without  a  charter- 
party,  whereof  the  points  were :  "  What  the  master 
of  the  ship  shall  furnish  to  the  merchant,  that  in 
case  of  debate  betwixt  them,  they  underly  the  law 
of  the  burgh  whereto  the  ship  is  fraughted.  That 
the  goods  be  not  spilt  by  ill-stalling  ;  that  no  goods 
be  shown  or  stricken  up  ;  that  the  master  have  no 
goods  in  his  over-loft,  or  if  he  do,  these  goods  pay 
no  fraught.  That  every  ship  exceeding  five  lasts 
of  goods  pay  to  the  chaplain  of  the  nation  a  sack 
fraught,  and  if  within  five  lasts,  the  half  of  it,  under 
pain  of  five  pounds ;  and  that  no  drink-silver  be 
taken  by  the  master  and  his  doers,  under  the  same 
pain.  And  homeward,  a  tun  fraught  to  the  kirkwork 
of  the  town  they  are  fraughted  to." 

In  148S  it  was  ordained  that  all  ships,  Scottish 
or  foreign,  should  arrive  only  at  free  burghs,  and 
the  prohibition  of  navigation  between  All  Saints 
Day  and  Candlemas  was  renewed;  and  in  1535 
it  was  ordered  that  ships  should  be  freighted  to 
Flanders  only  twice  yearly,  to  the  Easter  market, 
and  that  held  on  the  3rd  of  Ma)-.  The  exporta- 
tion of  all  tallow  was  strictly  forbidden,  as  the 
realm  only  furnished  a  sufficient  quantity  for  home 
consumption. 

By  an  Act  of  James  VI.,  no  ship  could  sail  with- 
out the  king's  consent,  under  pain  of  being  arrested 
'>y  the  conservator. 

In  March,  1567.  there  was  a  frightful  tempest  of 
wind,  which,  says  Birrel,  "  blew  a  very  grate  shippe 
out  of  the  Rode  of  Leith."     He  records  that  in 


1596,  between  July  and  August,  sixty-six  ships 
arrived  in  the  harbour  laden  with  victual. 

In  16 1 6  the  same  monarch  granted  a  patent  of 
the  whale  fishery  for  thirty-five  years  to  Sir  George 
Hay  and  Mr.  Thomas  Murray,  who  fitted  out  two 
ships  for  that  purpose.  Nicol  mentions  that,  in 
1652  "there  came  into  the  very  Brig  of  Leith" 
a  whale,  which  rendered  much  profit  to  the  Eng- 
lish garrison  there. 

In  September,  1641,  a  Bill  was  brought  before 
the  Parliament  at  Edinburgh  by  John,  Earl  of 
Rothes,  Sir  George  Hamilton  of  Blackburn, 
Andrew  Eusley,  and  George  Arnot,  merchants,  to 
enforce  restitution  from  the  Hamburgers  to  the 
value  of  300,000  merks,  taken  from  them  in  shipping 
and  goods,  and  to  grant  Letters  of  Marque  against 
the  said  Hamburgers ;  and  in  the  ensuing  No- 
vember Letters  of  Reprisal  by  sea  and  land  were 
granted  under  the  Great  Seal. 

In  1651  an  English  ship,  bound  for  Leith  was 
captured  by  the  captain  of  the  Bass,  and  her 
crew  made  prisoners,  some  being  placed  on  the 
isle  and  others  sent  to  Tantallon.  She  had  on 
board  10,000  pairs  of  shoes,  6,000  pairs  of  boots, 
5  000  saddles  and  sets  of  horse  furniture,  "  ten  tons 
of  London  beeire  and  als  muche  bisquett  as  should 
have  served  Cromwell  for  a  month,"  says  Sir  James 
Balfour.  Her  cargo  was  handed  over  to  Sir  John 
Smith,  Commissary-General  of  the  Scottish  army. 
In  the  May  of  the  same  year  Captain  Murray, 
commander  of  a  Scottish  frigate,  took  another  Eng- 
lish ship,  laden  with  provisions,  which  he  handed 
over  to  the  army,  but  retained  the  vessel  as  the  prize 
of  himself  and  crew. 

In  1656  Leith  possessed  only  three  vessels  of 
250  tons,  and  eleven  of  20  tons  each. 

In  1 66 1  the  Scottish  Parliament  passed  an  Act 
for  the  encouragement  of  shipping  and  navigation, 
ordaining  that  all  goods  be  transported  in  Scottish 
ships  "from  the  original  places,  whence  they  are 
in  use  first  to  be  transported."  That  all  Scottish 
ships  should  be  navigated  by  a  Scottish  master, 
and  that  at  least  three-parts  of  his  crew  should  be 
Scotsmen.  The  Act  contains  an  order  for  verify- 
ing a  ship  to  be  Scottish,  and  getting  a  certificate 
thereof;  and  that  no  customer  "  allow  the  benefit 
of  a  Scot's  skipper  to  any  ship  until  the  same  be 
so  verified,  under  pain  of  deprivation."  This  Act 
was  not  to  extend  to  imports  from  Asia,  Africa, 
America,  Muscovy,  or  Italy. 

The  first  return  of  tonnage  for  Leith,  preserved 
in  the  "  Archives  of  the  Royal  Burghs,"  is  dated 
1692,  when  the  port  could  only  boast  of  twenty- 
nine  ships,  with  an  aggregate  tonnage  of  1.702 
tons,   the  estimated  value  of  which  was  ,£7,100 


276 


OLD    AMD    NEW    EI)L\I!UR(  III. 


sterling.  The  largest  ship  was  only  150  tons,  and 
the  highest  valued  was  8,000  pounds  Scots,  or 
,£666  13s.  4d.  sterling.  In  the  list  of  masters' 
names  appear  Brown,  Barr,  and  Bartain  (the  old 
historic  Barton),  names,  says  Robertson,  prominent 
in  the  maritime  records  of  Leith,  doubtless  de- 
scendants of  the  respective  families. 

In  1692  the  shore  dues  were  only  ^466  13s.  40I 
Scots,  equivalent  to  ,£38  17s.  9*d.  of  the  money 
of  the  present  day. 


times,''  says  Arnot,  "we  must  reflect  that  the  prices 
I  paid  formerly  were  simply  the  rates  at  which  com- 
modities could  be  furnished,  almost  without  any 
duty  to  Government ;  whereas  now,  in  many  in- 
stances, the  taxes  levied  by  Government  exceed 
the  value  of  the  articles  upon  which  they  are  im- 
posed.'' 

Tea  was  imported  about  the  end  of  the  seven- 
teenth century,  and  there  is  still  preserved  a 
receipt  from  the  East  India  Company  to  an  Edin- 


Yet  generally  the  connection  of  Scotland  as  re- 
gards trade  was  far  from  inconsiderable  at  that  period 
with  Denmark,  the  Baltic,  Holland,  and  France. 
Her  ships  frequently  made  voyages  from  Leith  to 
Tangiers  and  other  ports  on  the  Mediterranean  ; 
and  from  Leith  were  exported  wool,  woollen-cloth, 
druggets,  and  stuffs  of  all  kinds,  and,  to  a  large 
extent,  both  linen  and  corn. 

The  imports  to  Leith  were  linen  and  fine  woollen 
manufactures,  wood  in  the  form  of  logs  and  staves, 
wines  of  various  kinds,  and  small  quantities  of 
sugar  and  miscellaneous  articles  of  every-day  use, 
from  Rotterdam  and  Amsterdam.  "  In  comparing 
the  prices  of  a  gallon  of  wine  or  ale,  a  pound  of 
candles,  or  a  pair  of  shoes  in  ancient  and  modem 


burgh  merchant  for  a  chest  of  Bohea  at  15s.  per 
pound,  which  came  to  the  value  of  ^£225  15s. 

In  1705  green  tea  was  1 6s.  per  pound,  and 
Bohea  had  risen  to  30s. 

In  1740  the  shipping  of  Leith  amounted  to  forty- 
seven  sail,  with  a  total  of  2,628  tonnage.  The 
names  of  these  vessels  were  quaint — the  Charming 
Betty,  Fair  Susanna,  and  Happy  Janet,  may  be 
given  as  samples. 

In  the  following  year,  Walter  Scott,  Bailie  of 
Leith,  issued  a  proclamation  on  the  8th  August  to 
this  effect  : — 

"  Whereas  the  separate  commanders  of  the  five 
East  India  ships,  lying  in  the  Roads  of  Leith, 
have  signified  that  the  said  ships  are  to  sail  early 


CAPTAIN    PALLISER'S    CONTUMACY. 


to-morrow;  the  sailors  belonging  to  the  said  ships 
are  to  repair  on  board,  under  penalty  of  loss  of 
wages  and  imprisonment  as  deserters.  Thir  pre- 
sents to  be  published  by  tuck  of  drumme  through 
Leith,  that  none  may  pretend  ignorance. 

"  Walter  Scotte,  B." 

In  1752  the  vessels  of  Leith  amounted  to  sixty- 
eight,  with  a  tonnage  of  6,935  I  and  two  years  sub- 
sequently we  find  an  attempt  upon  the  part  of  a 
captain  in  the  royal  navy  there  to  defy  the  Scot- 
tish Court  of  Admiralty  in  the  roads  and  harbour. 

Captain  (afterwards  Sir  Hugh)  Palliser,  when 
captain  of  H.M.S.  Seahorse,  in  consequence  of  a 
petition  presented  to  the  Judge  of  the  High  Court 
of  Admiralty,  20th  March,  1754,  by  Thomas  Ross, 
master,  and  Murdoch  Campbell,  owner  of  the 
Scottish  ship  Cumberland,  of  Thurso,  was  served 
with  a  notice  to  deliver  up  James  Cormick,  appren- 
tice to  the  former,  whom  he  had  taken  on  board 
as  a  seaman. 

Accordingly,  by  order  of  the  judge,  the  macers 
of  court,  messengers-at-arms,  and  other  officials, 
repaired  on  board  the  Seahorse,  at  the  anchorage  in 
Leith,  to  bring  off  James  Cormick;  "and  the  said 
Captain  Hugh  Palliser,  and  the  other  officers  and 
sailors  on  board  the  said  ship-of-war  Seahorse"  ran 
the  warrant,  "  are  hereby  ordered  to  be  assisting  " 
in  putting  it  into  execution,  at  their  highest  peril. 
"All  others,  shipmasters,  sailors,  and  others  his 
Majesty's  subjects,"  were  ordered  to  assist  also,  at 
their  utmost  peril. 

James  Lindsay,  Admiralty  macer,  served  this 
notice  upon  Captain  Palliser,  who  foolishly  and 
haughtily  replied  that  he  was  subject  to  the  laws 
of  England  only,  and  would  not  send  Cormick 
ashore.  "  Upon  which,"  as  the  execution  given 
into  court  bears,  "  I  (James  Lindsay)  declared  he 
had  contemned  the  law,  was  guilty  of  a  deforcement, 
and  that  he  should  be  liable  accordingly,  having 
my  blazon  on  my  breast,  and  broke  my  wand  of 
peace." 

On  this,  a  warrant  was  issued  to  apprehend  the 
commander  of  the  Seahorse,  and  commit  him  to 
the  next  sure  prison  {i.e.  the  Tolbooth  of  Leith),  but 
the  captain  having  gone  to  Edinburgh,  on  the  26th 
of  March  he  was  seized  and  placed  in  the  Heart  of 
Midlothian,  and  brought  before  the  High  Court  of 
Admiralty  next  day. 

There  he  denied  that  its  jurisdiction  extended 
over  a  king's  ship,  or  over  himself  personally,  or  any 
man  in  the  Seahorse,  especially  an  enlisted  sailor ; 
and  maintained  that  the  court,  by  attempting  to  do 
so,  assumed  a  right  competent  to  the  Lords  of  the 
Admiralty  alone ;  "  and  by  your  imprisoning  me," 
he  added,  "  for  not  delivering  up  one  of  the  king's 


sailors,  you  have  suspended  my  commission  from 
the  Lord  High  Admiral,  and  disabled  me  from 
executing  the  orders  with  which  I  am  charged  as 
commander  of  one  of  the  king's  ships." 

This  only  led  to  the  re-commitment  of  the  contu- 
macious captain,  till  he  "  found  caution  to  obtemper 
(sic)  the  Judge  Admiral's  warrant,  in  case  it  should 
be  found  by  the  Lords  that  he  ought  to  do  so." 

He  was  imprisoned  for  six  weeks,  until  the  ap- 
prentice was  put  on  shore.  On  this  matter,  Lord 
Hardwicke,  who  was  then  Lord  Chancellor,  re- 
marked that  the  Scottish  Admiralty  judge  was  a 
bold  one,  "  but  that  what  he  had  done  was 
right." 

Captain  Palliser,  on  his  return  to  England, 
threatened  to  make  the  frauds  on  the  revenue  a 
matter  for  Parliamentary  investigation,  if  not  atten- 
ded to,  and  the  ministry  then  enforced  the  duties 
upon  claret,  which,  before  this  time,  had  been 
drunk  commonly  even  by  Scottish  artisans. 

This  officer  afterwards  behaved  with  great  bravery 
at  Newfoundland,  in  1764;  and  on  attaining  the 
rank  of  Admiral  of  the  White,  was  created  a 
baronet,  and  died  governor  of  Greenwich  Hospital 
in  T796. 

In  1763  the  shore  dues  at  Leith  had  increased  to 
,£580.  The  Scots'  Magazine  for  December,  1769, 
states  that,  "take  one  year  with  another,  about 
1,700  vessels  are  cleared  out  and  in  yearly  at  Leith. 
Some  days  ago  an  acute  merchant  took  a  serious 
view  of  the  shipping  in  the  harbour  of  Leith,  and 
reckoned  upon  a  calculation  that  there  would  be 
between  30,000  and  35,000  tonnage  at  one  and  the 
same  time  mooring  there."  This  seems  barely 
probable. 

In  17  7 1  we  meet  with  an  indication  of  free  trade, 
when  the  Court  of  Session,  upon  the  application 
of  the  merchants  of  Edinburgh,  ordered  the  port 
of  Leith,  and  all  other  Scottish  ports,  to  be  open 
for  the  free  importation  of  grain  of  all  kinds. 

Arnot  states  that  in  the  year  ending  January 
5th,  177S,  there  were,  in  Leith,  52  foreign  ships, 
6,800  tons,  and  428  men  ;  44  coasting  and  fishing 
ships,  3,346  tons,  and  281  men.  Five  years  sub- 
sequently, the  shore  dues  were  _£  4,000  ;  but  in 
that  year  there  was  only  one  vessel  trading  with 
St.  Petersburg.  She  made  but  one  voyage  yearly, 
and  never  carried  tallow  if  any  other  freight  could 
be  obtained.  Now  the  sailing  vessels  make  three 
voyages  to  the  same  port  annually. 

In  1 791  there  was  a  proposal  to  form  a  joint- 
stock  company,  to  cut  a  canal  from  Leith  to  the 
middle  ward  of  Lanarkshire. 

The  tonnage  in  1792  had  increased  to  18,468. 
In    the   same    year,    when    those    Radicals   who 


278 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


named  themselves  the  "  Friends  of  the  People," 
were  alarming  the  authorities  by  threatening  to 
hold  a  national  convention  in  Edinburgh,  and  to 
seize  the  Castle,  the  seamen  in  Leith  seemed  dis- 
posed to  complicate  affairs  by  absolutely  refusing 
to  go  to  sea  unless  they  received  a  considerable 
advance  of  wages.  A  meeting  was  held  for  the 
purpose,  if  possible,  of  accommodating  matters,  and 
it  was  attended  by  the  Provost,  the  Sheriff,  the  two 
Bailies  of  Leith,  and  a  number  of  ship-masters  and 
merchants  belonging  to  that  place;  and,  after  a 
lengthened  discussion,  the  following  terms  were 
offered  to  the  banded  seamen  of  Leith,  who  were 
then  "  on  strike  :  " — 

I.  The  voyage  to  London,  instead  of  three 
guineas  as  hitherto,  to  be  .£4  15s.  in  full  of  wages, 
loading  or  unloading. 

II.  The  voyage  to  Hull  £3  in  full. 

III.  To  Newcastle  £2  10s.  in  full. 

IV.  All  other  runs  to  be  in  proportion  to  the 
above. 

V.  The  monthly  wages  to  be^2,  instead  of  30s. ; 
the  seamen  to  pay  Greenwich  money,  and  be  at 
liberty  to  pay  poor's  money  to  the  Trinity  Hospital 
at  option  ;  but  if  omitting  to  pay,  to  derive  no 
benefit  from  the  funds  of  that  establishment. 

VI.  The  wives  at  home  to  get  10s.  monthly  out 
of  their  husband's  wages. 

VII.  The  latter  to  continue  until  the  vessels  are  ' 
discharged  by  the  crews,  and  to   be  in  full  of  all 
demands. 

These  arrangements,  having  met  with  the  warm 
approbation  of  the  merchants  and  shipmasters  of 
Leith,  were  presented  to  the  seamen  for  acceptance, 
and  they  were  required  and  enjoined  "immediately 
to  return  to  their  duty,  and  behave  in  the  most 
peaceable  manner,  with  certification  that  if,  after 
this  date,  they  should  be  found  assembling  in  any 
tumultuous  manner,  or  stop  or  impede  any  person 
whatever  in  the  execution  of  his  duty,  they  would 
be  prosecuted  and  punished  in  terms  of  law." 

The  proffered  terms  proved  agreeable  to  the  sea- 
men, who  at  once  returned  to  their  duties,  leaving 
the  magistrates  free  to  deal  with  the  "  Friends  of 
the  People,"  many  of  whom  were  arrested,  and  tried 
before  the  Court  of  Justiciary. 

In  1S05  five  vessels  sailed  for  the  whale  fishery, 
the  largest  number  that  had  ever  sailed  from  Leith 
in  one  year. 

In  18 1 6  there  arrived  in  the  port  two  vessels, 
each  having  a  rather  remarkable  freight.  They 
were  entirely  laden  with  broken  musket-barrels, 
locks,  sword-blades,  and  other  warlike  relics  of 
the  memorable  retreat  from  Moscow,  all  of  which 
were  sent  to  the  iron-works  at  Cramond,  there  to 


be  turned  into  ploughshares,  harrows,  spades,  and 
other  implements  for  the  tillage  of  the  earth. 

In  the  same  year  the  Scots  Magazine  records 
the  pursuit  of  six  smuggling  luggers  by  one  of  the 
king's  ships  in  the  Roads,  adding,  "  one  of  these 
luggers  is  armed  with  sixteen  guns,  and  is  com- 
manded by  an  authorised  British  subject,  who  has 
expressed  his  determination  not  to  be  taken,  and  to 
a  revenue  cutter  he  would  be  found  a  dangerous 
enemy,  though  he  would  not  stand  long  against  a 
king's  ship." 

In  the  year  1820  the  Edinburgh  or  Leith  Sea- 
man's Friendly  Society  was  instituted.  The  Ship- 
masters' Widows'  Fund  had  been  established  fifteen 
years  before. 

In  1849  the  tonnage  of  the  growing  port  of 
Leith  increased  to  22,499. 

The  tonnage  dues  on  vessels,  and  shore  dues, 
outwards  and  inwards, amounted  10,^24,566  6s.  1  id. 
The  aggregate  revenue  accruing  to  the  docks  was 
,£29,209  10s.  1  iid.,  while  the  Custom  House 
returns  for  duties  levied  in  the  port  was  ,£566,312. 

In  1881  we  find  the  number  and  tonnage  of  ves- 
sels arriving  and  sailing  from  Leith  to  stand  thus  : — 
Sailing  vessels  arriving,  1,705,  tonnage  262,871  ; 
departing,  1,702,  tonnage  259,143.  Steam  vessels 
arriving,  2,695,  tonnage  711,282  ;  departing,  2,695, 
tonnage  712,056. 

The  chief  articles  of  export  are  coal  and  iron, 
and  the  appliances  for  placing  these  on  board  ship 
are  of  the  most  approved  kind.  In  1S81  there  were 
127,207  tons  of  pig-iron  shipped.  The  chief  imports 
are  grain  and  flour;  thus,  1,135,127  quarters  of 
grain  and  238,313  bags  of  flour  were  landed  at 
Leith,  and  the  importation  of  guano,  wood,  flax, 
and  hemp  was  very  considerable,  according  to  the 
Scotsman  fcr  that  year.  The  revenue  of  the  port 
in  1S81  was  ^87,491. 

In  1880  the  company  owning  the  Arrow  Line 
put  on  a  number  of  steamers  direct  between  Leith 
and  New  York ;  and  the  venture  has  been  so  suc- 
cessful that  now  there  is  regular  communication 
between  the  former  place  and  America  every  fort- 
night. By  the  prosperity  that  has  come  with  the  new 
docks,  which  we  shall  presently  describe,  Leith  can 
now  boast  of  a  population  of  58,000  souls,  being  an 
increase  on  the  last  decade  of  13,000. 

We  have  shown  how,  from  small  beginnings  and 
under  many  depressing  influences,  the  shipping  and 
the  tonnage  of  Leith  has  steadily  increased,  till  "the 
traffic  has  become  great  indeed. 

Now  steam  vessels,  either  from  Leith  or  Granton, 
ply  to  Hamburg,  Rotterdam,  Antwerp,  Amsterdam, 
Bremerhaven,  Copenhagen,  Dantzig,  Dunkirk, 
Ghent,  regularly  ;  to  London,  four  times  weekly  ; 


LETTERS    OE    MARQUE. 


279 


to  Hull,  Newcastle,  Thurso,  Orkney,  and  Shetland, 
to  Inverness,  Fort  George,  and  Invergordon,  Cro- 
marty, Findhorn,  Burghead,  Banff,  and  other  places 
in  the  north,  twice  weekly ;  to  Dundee,  Aberdeen, 
Stonehaven,  Johnshaven,  Montrose,  and  places 
farther  south,  four  days  a  week.  A  number  of 
steamers  run  in  summer,  on  advertised  days,  between 
Leith,  Aberdour,  Elie,  North  Berwick,  Alloa,  etc. 

The  first  screw  steamer  from  Leith  to  London 
was  put  on  the  station  in  1853. 

Several  ships  belonging  to  the  port  are  em- 
ployed in  the  Greenland  whale  fishery,  and  a  con- 
siderable number  trade  with  distant  foreign  ports, 
especially  with  those  of  tie  Baltic  and  the  West 
Indies. 

"  In  consequence  of  the  want  of  a  powder  maga- 
zine," says  a  statistical  writer,  "gunpowder  sent 
from  the  mills  of  Midlothian  for  embarkation — 
too  dangerous  a  commodity  to  be  admitted  to  any 
ordinary  storing-place,  or  to  lie  on  board  vessels  t 
in  the  harbour — has  frequently,  when  vessels  do  not 
sail  at  the  time  expected,  to  be  carted  back  to 
await  the  postponed  date  of  sailing,  and,  in  some 
instances,  has  been  driven  six  times  between  the 
mills  and  the  port,  a  distance  each  time,  in  going 
and  returning,  of  twenty  or  twenty-four  miles,  before  l 
it  could  be  embarked." 

The  lighthouse  has  a  stationary  light,  and  ex- 
hibits it  at  night  so  long  as  there  is  a  depth  of  not 
less  than  nine  feet  of  water  on  the  bar,  for  the 
guidance  of  vessels  entering  the  harbour. 

The  tall  old  signal-tower  has  a  manager  and 
signal-master,  who  display  a  series  of  signals  during 
the  day,  to  proclaim  the  progress  or  retrogression  of 
the  tide. 

The  general  anchoring-place  for  vessels  is  two 
miles  from  the  land,  and  in  die  case  of  large 
steamers,  is  generally  westward  of  Leith,  and  oppo- 
site Newhaven.  During  the  French  and  Spanish 
war,  the  roadstead  was  the  station  of  an  admiral's 
flagship,  a  guardship,  and  squadron  of  cruisers. 
Inverkeithing  is  the  quarantine  station  of  the 
port,  eight  and  three-quarter  miles  distant,  in  a  direct 
line,  by  west,  of  the  entrance  of  Leith  Harbour. 
•  In  connection  with  the  naval  station  in  the 
Roads,  Leith  enjoyed  much  prosperity  during  the 
war,  as  being  a  place  for  the  condemnation  and 
sale  of  prize  vessels,  with  their  cargoes  ;  and  in 
consequence  of  Bonaparte's  great  Continental 
scheme  of  prevention,  it  was  the  seat  of  a  most 
extensive  traffic  for  smuggling  British  goods  into 
the  north  of  Europe,  by  way  of  Heligoland,  a 
system  which  employed  many  armed  vessels  of  all 
kinds,  crowded  its  harbour,  and  greatly  enriched 
many  of  its  bold  and  speculative  inhabitants. 


Foreign  ventures,  however,  proved,  in  some  in- 
stances, to  be  severely  unsuccessful ;  "  and  their 
failure  combined,  with  the  disadvantages  of  the 
harbour  and  the  oppression  of  shore  dues,  to  pro- 
duce that  efflux  of  prosperity,  the  ebb  of  which 
seems  to  have  been  reached,  to  give  place,''  says  a 
writer  in  1S51,  '-to  a  steady  and  wealth-bearing 
flood." 

The  last  prizes  condemned  and  sold  in  Leith 
were  some  Russian  vessels,  chiefly  brigs,  captured 
by  Sir  Charles  Napier's  fleet  in  the  Baltic  and 
Gulf  of  Finland  during  the  Crimean  War. 

It  is  singular  that  neither  at  the  Trinity  House, 
in  the  Kirkgate,  nor  anywhere  else,  a  record  has 
been  kept  of  the  Leith  Letters  of  Marque  or  other 
armed  vessels  belonging  to  the  port  during  the 
protracted  wars  with  France,  Spain,  and  Holland, 
while  the  notices  that  occur  of  them  in  the  brief 
public  prints  of  those  days  are  meagre  in  the  ex- 
treme ;  yet  the  fighting  merchant  marine  of  Leith 
should  not  be  forgotten. 

Taking  a  few  of  these  notices  chronologically, 
we  find  that  the  ship  Edinburgh,  of  Leith,  Thomas 
'  Murray  commander,  a  Letter  of  Marque,  carrying 
eighteen  4-pounders,  with  swivels  and  a  fully-armed 
crew,  on  the  30th  of  August,  1760,  in  latitude  130 
north,  and  longitude  580  west,  from  London,  fell  in 
with  a  very  large  French  privateer,  carrying  fourteen 
guns,  many  swivels,  and  full  of  men. 

This  was  at  eleven  in  the  forenoon.  The 
Edinburgh,  we  are  told,  attacked,  and  fought  her 
closely  "  for  five  glasses,"  and  mauled  her  aloft  so 
much,  that  she  was  obliged  to  fill  her  sails,  bear 
away,  and  then  bring  to,  and  re-fit  aloft.  The  Edin- 
burgh continued  her  course,  but  with  ports  triced 
up,  guns  loaded,  and  the  crew  at  quarters  ready  to 
engage  again. 

The  privateer  followed,  and  attempted  to  board, 
but  was  received  with  such  a  terrible  fire  of  round 
shot  and  small-arms,  that  she  was  again  obliged  to 
sheer  off.  Many  times  the  conflict  was  renewed, 
and  at  last  ammunition  fell  short  on  board  the 
Edinburgh. 

The  gallant  Captain  Murray  now  lay  by,  reserv- 
ing his  fire,  while  a  couple  of  broadsides  swept  his 
deck  ;  and  then,  when  both,  ships  were  almost 
muzzle  to  muzzle,  and  having  brought  all  his  guns 
over  to  one  side,  poured  in  his  whole  fire  upon  her, 
"  which  did  such  execution  that  it  drove  all  hands 
from  their  quarters  ;  she  immediately  hoisted  all 
her  sails,  and  made  off." 

The  crew  of  the  Edinburgh  now  "  sheeted  home," 
and  gave  chase,  but  she  was  so  heavily  laden  with 
the  spoils  of  her  cruise  that  the  enemy  out-sailed 
her,  upon  which  Captain   Murray,    with    a    great 


28o 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


number  of  wounded  men  on  his  hands,  bore  away 
to  Barbadoes  to  re-fit. 

In  the  spring  of  the  following  year,  a  Leith 
sloop,  coming  from  Strichen,  laden  with  wheat  and 
cheese,  was  taken  off  St.  Abb's  Head  by  two  French 
privateers  of  twelve  and  sixteen  guns — the  latter  was 
Le  Mar'echal  Due  de  Noailks,  painted  quite  black. 
When  the  sloop  struck  a  tremendous  sea  was  run- 
ning ;  Laverock,  the  master,  ransomed  her  for  ioo 
guineas,  and  reported  at  Leith  that  if  these  two 
great  privateers  were  not  taken  soon,  they  would 
ruin  the  east  coast  trade  of  Scotland. 

Soon  after  another  ship  of  Leith  was  taken  by 
them  into  Bergen,  and  ransomed  for  500  guineas, 
though  a  few  days  before  the  privateer  had  been 
severely  handled  by  the  Elizabeth,  merchant  ship, 
Captain  Grant,  who  had  also  to  strike  to  her,  after 
a  most  severe  combat. 

In  1794,  the  Raith,  of  Leith,  was  captured  by  a 
squadron  of  French  ships  on  the  21st  August, 
together  with  the  Dundee,  whaler,  of  Dundee.  The 
latter  was  re-taken,  and  brought  into  Leith  by  H.M. 
brig  Fisher,  which  reported  that,  previous  to  re-cap- 
ture, the  Dundee  had  picked  up  a  boat,  having  on 
board  eight  Frenchmen,  part  of  a  prize  crew  of 
sixteen  put  on  board  the  Raith  to  take  her  to 
Bergen  ;  but  the  mate  and  another  Scottish  sea- 
man had  daringly  re-taken  her,  and  had  sailed  none 
knew  whither.  Soon  after  a  letter  reached  the 
owners  in  Leith  from  Lyons,  the  mate,  dated  from 
Lerwick,  briefly  stating  that  when  fifteen  miles 
west  of  Bergen,  "  I  retook  her  from  the  French, 
sending  nine  of  the  Frenchmen  away  in  one  of  the 
boats,  and  put  the  rest  in  confinement."  Even- 
tually these  two  brave  fellows  brought  the  ship  to 
Leith,  from  whence  their  prisoners  were  sent  to 
the  Castle. 

In  those  days  the  Glass  House  Company  had 
their  own  armed  ships,  and  one  of  these,  the 
Phoenix,  Cornelius  Neilson,  master,  had  the  repu- 
tation of  being  one  of  the  swiftest  sailers  in  Leith, 
and  was  always  advertised  to  sail  with  or  without 
convoy,  as  she  fought  her  own  way. 

In  1797,  the  Breadalbane  Letter  of  Marque,  of 
Leith,  captured  a  large  Spanish  brig  off  the  coast 
of  South  America,  and  sent  her  into  Leith  Roads 
for  sale,  under  the  convoy  of  the  Royal  Charlotte, 
Captain  Elder. 

During  the  latter  end  of  the  eighteenth  century 
Leith  possessed  two  frigate-built  ships  of  remark- 
able beauty,  the  Roselle,  a  Letter  of  Marque,  and 
the  Moreland,  her  sister  ship,  which  usually  fought 
their  own  way;  and  the  former  was  so  like  a  man-of- 
war  in  her  size  and  appearance,  that  she  frequently 
gave  chase  for  a  time  to  large  foreign  privateers. 


In  the  Herald  for  179S  we  read  that  on  her  appear- 
ance off  Peterhead,  in  March,  she  created  such  con- 
sternation that  the  captain  of  the  Robert,  a  Green- 
landman,  on  a  gun  being  fired  from  her,  ran  his 
ship  ashore,  according  to  one  account,  and,  accord- 
ing to  another,  made  his  escape,  with  the  assistance 
of  his  crew,  from  the  supposed  enemy.  The 
Moreland  and  the  Lady  Forbes*  of  Leith,  another 
armed  ship,  seem  always  to  have  sailed  in  com- 
pany, for  protection,  to  and  from  the  West  Indies. 
After  many  escapes  and  adventures,  the  beautiful 
Roselle,  which  carried  fourteen  guns  of  large  calibre, 
was  captured  at  last  by  a  Spanish  line-of-battle  ship, 
which,  report  said,  barbarously  sank  her,  with  all 
on  board,  by  a  broadside. 

On  the  6th  December,  1798,  the  Betsy,  of  Leith, 
Captain  Mackie,  having  the  Angus  regiment  of 
volunteers  on  board,  from  Shetland,  in  company 
with  an  armed  cutter,  was  attacked  off  Rattray 
Head  by  two  heavily-armed  French  privateers.  A 
severe  engagement  ensued,  in  which  the  volun- 
teers made  good  use  of  their  small  arms  ;  the 
privateers  were  crippled  and  beaten  off  by  the 
Betsy,  which  ran  next  day  into  Banff,  and  the 
troops  were  put  on  shore. 

In  the  same  month  The  Generous  Friends,  sail- 
ing from  Leith  to  Hull,  when  a  few  miles  off  the 
mouth  of  the  Humber,  in  a  heavy  gale  of  wind, 
was  overtaken  by  a  large  black  privateer,  having  a 
poop  and  fiddle-head  painted  red  and  white.  The 
heavy  sea  prevented  her  from  being  boarded,  and 
the  appearance  of  the  Baltic  fleet  compelling  the 
enemy  to  sheer  off,  she  bore  up  with  the  latter,  and 
returned  to  Leith  Roads ;  but  such  little  excite- 
ments were  of  constant  occurrence  in  those  stirring 
times. 

The  Naney,  of  Leith,  Captain  Grindley,  was 
taken,  in  July,  1799,  off  Dungeness,  by  the  Adolph, 
lugger,  of  eighteen  guns  and  fifty  men,  who  used 
him  and  his  crew  with  great  severity  prior  to  their 
being  cast  into  the  horrible  prison  at  Valenciennes. 

"The  behaviour  of  the  Frenchmen  to  us,  when 
taken,  was  most  shameful,"  he  wrote  to  his  owners 
in  Leith.  li  When  they  got  upon  our  deck,  they 
kept  firing  their  pistols,  cutting  with  swords  for  some 
time,  and  dragging  those  who  were  below  out  of 
their  beds ;  they  cut  and  mangled  in  a  cruel  manner 
one  of  our  men,  William  Macleod,  who  was  then 
at  the  helm,  and  afterwards  threw  him  overboard. 
This  obliged  the  rest  of  the  crew  to  leave  the 
deck  and  go  below.      In  a  short    time    we  were 


*  It  is  interesting  to  remark  that  the  original  painting,  after  which  the 
drawing  of  Plate  32  ("  Leith  Pier  and  Harbour,  1798  ")  was  made,  was. 
painted  for  Captain  Gourley,  who  was  part  owner  of  the  Lady  Forbes, 
a  Letter  of  Marque  that  carried  14  carronades.  The  Editor  is  obliged 
to  Mr.  R.  F.  Todd,  owner  of  the  painting  in  question,  for  this  information. 


Leith.] 


SHIPBUILDING. 


281 


put  on  board  the  privateer  and  landed  at  Calais, 
from  whence  we  were  ten  days  marching  to  Valen- 
ciennes ;  were  lodged  in  the  most  horrid  jails  by 
the  way,  and  were  allowed  nothing  but  bread  and 
water." 

In  the  May  of  the  following  year,  the  brig 
Caledonia,  of  Leith,  and  the  Mary,  of  Kirkwall, 
were  both  captured,  not  far  from  Aberdeen,  by  a 
French  privateer  ;  but  when  within  three  miles  of 
the  coast  of  France,  they  escaped  to  Yarmouth,  on 
the  appearance  of  the  Lady  Anne,  an  armed  lugger, 
commanded  by  Lieutenant  Wright,  R.N. 

On  the  6th  March,  1S00,  the  Fox,  Letter  of 
Marque,  of  Leith,  fought  a  sharp  battle,  which 
her  captain,  James  Ogilvy,  thus  details  in  the 
report  to  his  owners  there  : — 

"Last  night,  at  11  p.m.,  Dungeness,  NNW, 
three  leagues,  I  observed  a  lugger  lying  on  my 
lee-bow ;  the  moment  he  saw  me  lie  made  sail  and 
ran  ahead  to  windward,  and  hove-to  until  I  came 
up.  I  observed  his  motions,  hoisted  a  light  on  my 
maintop,  and  hailed  the  Juno,  of  Kirkcaldy,  Mr. 
James  Condy,  who  came  from  Leith  Roads  along 
with  me,  and  kept  company  all  the  way,  to  keep 
close  by  me,  as  he  was  under  my  convoy ;  which 
he  immediately  did — also  two  colliers.  All  my 
hands  lay  on  deck,  and  were  prepared  to  receive 
him  (the  enemy),  being  well  loaded  with  round  and 
grape  shot  from  my  small  battery.  He,  with  his 
great,  or  lug  mainsail,  bore  down  on  my  quarter 
within  pistol-shot.  I  immediately  gave  him  our 
broadside,  which,  from  the  confusion  and  mourn- 
ing cries,  gave  me  every  reason  to  suppose  he  must 
have  had  a  number  killed  and  wounded,  and  he 
lay-to,  with  all  his  sails  shaking  in  the  wind,  as  long 
as  I  could  see  him.  I  am  truly  happy  that  the 
Fox's  small  force  has  been  the  means  of  saving  her- 
self, as  well  as  the  Juno  and  the  two  colliers,  from  a 
desperate  set  of  thieves  that  so  much  infest  this 
channel.  We  have  fortunately  arrived  here  (Ports- 
mouth) safe  to-day,  with  the  Juno,  in  time  to  join 
the  convoy  for  Gibraltar.  Have  got  instructions 
from  the  Champion  frigate,  and  sail  to-morrow 
morning"  (Iferaid and  Chron.,  18 jo). 

Captain  Ogilvy  was  presented  by  the  under- 
writers with  a  handsome  present  for  his  valour  and 
good  conduct  in  saving  and  defending  four  ships. 

In  the  autumn  of  1801,  the  whole  of  the  ship- 
carpenters,  rope-makers,  joiners,  and  block-makers, 
to  the  number  of  250  men,  employed  in  the  little 
Government  naval  yard  at  Leith,  "voluntarily 
offered  to  be  trained  to  the  use  of  the  great  guns 
and  of  pikes,  in  defence  of  the  town  and  port  of 
Leith,"  refusing  all  pay.  The  enthusiasm  spread  at 
the  same  time  to  the  fishermen  of  the  Firth  of 
J32 


Forth,  who,  to  the  number  of  1,243,  made  through 
Captain  Clements  an  offer  of  their  services  in  any 
way  his  Majesty  might  require,  to  defend  the 
country  from  foreign  invasion. 

To  return  briefly  to  the  arts  of  peace,  we  may 
state  that  both  at  Leith  and  Newhaven  an  exten- 
sive trade  in  shipbuilding  has  been  carried  on 
at  various  periods ;  but  for  some  generations  past 
no  ships  have  been  launched  at  the  latter  place, 
yet  within  the  recollection  of  many  still  alive  ship- 
building was  one  of  the  most  important  branches  of 
industry  carried  on  at  Leith. 

In  1S40,  two  steamers,  larger  than  any  then 
afloat,  were  contracted  for,  and  successfully  launched 
from  the  building-yard  of  the  Messrs.  Menzies  ; 
and  much  about  the  same  time  other  ships  of  such 
a  size  were  built,  that  many  persons  began  fondly 
to  suppose  that  the  Port  of  Leith  would  keep  the 
lead  in  this  great  branch  of  industry  ;  but,  contrary 
to  expectation,  the  trade  gradually  declined,  while 
the  fame  and  well-known  character  of  the  cele- 
brated Clyde-built  ships  and  Aberdeen  clippers 
drew  it  to  the  west  and  north  of  Scotland.  Some 
amount  of  fresh  impetus  was  given  to  it,  however, 
by  the  establishment  of  several  yards  for  the  con- 
struction of  iron  ships,  from  which  have  been 
launched  a  number  of  first-class  vessels,  and  also 
magnificent  steam  yachts  for  the  Duke  of  Norfolk, 
the  Earl  of  Eglinton,  and  others. 

But  though  the  construction  of  new  ships  is  not 
carried  on  to  the  extent  it  was  formerly,  a  consider- 
able number  of  ship-carpenters  are  employed  in  the 
port  repairing  vessels,  some  afloat  and  others  in  dry 
docks.  In  the  winter  and  spring  artisans  of  this 
class  are  most  in  demand,  re-classing  and  over- 
hauling vessels  laid  up  during  these  seasons,  after 
arriving  from  long  voyages. 

It  has  more  than  once  been  observed  that  by 
far  the  worst  circumstance  which  in  modern  times 
has  damaged  the  port,  and  at  one  time  seriously 
menaced  its  trade  with  ruin,  was  its  predicament 
with  regard  to  steam  vessels.  Some  of  the  latter, 
built  to  ply  from  it,  have  been  so  constructed  as, 
with  a  sacrifice  of  their  speed  and  sailing  powers, 
not  to  suffer  much  injury  when  seeking  harbourage  ; 
but  others,  such  as  are  most  serviceable  and 
valuable  to  a  great  port,  can  barely  enter  it. 

This  consideration  will  lead  us  naturally  to  the 
description  of  the  several  docks  that  have  been 
built  from  time  to  time  with  a  view  to  meet  the 
growing  requirements  both  as  to  traffic  and  in- 
creased size  of  vessels.  One  of  these  docks,  the 
Prince  of  Wales's  Graving  Dock,  is  capable  of 
receiving  the  largest  ship  in  the  merchant  service, 
except  the  Great  Eastern. 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


CHAPTER     XXXII  I. 
LEITII-TIIE    DOCKS. 


]S'e\v  Docks  proposed— Apathy  of  the  Government— First  Graving  Dock,  1720— Two  moi 
Contract— The  Dock  of  1801—  The  King's  Bastion— The  Queen's  Dock  New  Piers 
Edinburgh  Dock— Its  Extent— Ceremony  of  Opening— A  Glance  at  the  Trade  of  Leith. 


Ix  the  year  when  the  first  stone  pier  was  built  (171  o) 
steps  were  taken  towards  building  a  regular  dock 
in  Leith,  when  the  Lord  Provost,  Magistrates, 
and  Town  Council  of  Edinburgh,  petitioned  Queen 
Anne,  praying  her  to  establish  at  Leith,  "  the  port 
of  her  ancient  and  loyal  city  of  Edinburgh,  a  wet 
and  dry  dock,  for  the  commencing  of  building, 
fitting,  and  repairing  her  Majesty's  ships  of  war 
and  trading  vessels,  which  would  greatly  conduce 
to  the  interests  of  trade  in  general." 

Every  Scottish  project  in  those  days,  and  for 
long  after,  was  doomed  to  be  blighted  by  the  loss 
of  the  national  legislature  ;  so  this  petition  had  not 
the  slightest  effect. 

Time  went  on,  and  another  was  presented,  and 
ultimately,  under  instructions  issued  by  the  Earl  of 
Pembroke,  then  Lord  High  Admiral,  some  naval 
officers  surveyed  the  Firth  of  Forth,  and  were  pleased 
to  report  that  Leith  was  the  most  suitable  port,  and 
two  docks  were  eventually  formed  on  the  west  side 
of  the  old  harbour,  the  first,  a  graving  dock,  being 
constructed  in  1720,  in  front  of  the  Sand  Port, 
where  now  the  Custom  House  stands. 

The  west  quay,  which  now  takes  its  name 
from  that  edifice,  was  built  in  1777,  but  the 
accommodation  still  being  inadequate  for  the  re- 
quirements of  the  growing  trade  of  the  port,  the 
magistrates  of  Edinburgh  obtained,  in  1788,  an 
Act  of  Parliament  empowering  them  to  borrow  the 
sum  of  ,£30,000  for  the  purpose  of  constructing  a 
basin,  or  wet  dock,  of  seven  English  acres,  above 
the  dam  of  the  saw-mills  at  Leith,  a  lock  at  the 
Sheriff  Brae,  and  a  communication  between  the 
latter  and  the  basin. 

This  plan,  however — one  by  Mr.  Robert  Whit- 
worth,  engineer — was  abandoned,  and  the  magis- 
trates applied  again  to  Parliament,  and  in  1799 
obtained  an  Act  authorising  them  to  borrow 
£160,000  to  execute  a  portion  of  John  Rennie's 
magnificent  and  more  extensive  design,  which  cm- 
braced  the  idea  of  a  vast  range  of  docks,  stretching 
from  the  north  pier  of  Leith  to  Newhaven,  with  an 
entrance  at  each  of  these  places. 

The  site  chosen  for  these  new  docks  was  parallel 
with  what  was  known  as  the  Short  Sand,  or  from  the 
Sand  Port,  at  the  back  of  the  north  pier  westward, 
to  nearly  the  east  flank  of  the  old  battery;  and  here, 
for  the  last  time,  we  may  refer  to  one  of  the  many 


superstitions  for  which  Leith  was  famous  of  old 
and  perhaps  the  most  quaint  of  these  was  connected 
with  a  large  rock,  which  lay  on  the  site  of  these 
new  docks,  and  not  far  from  the  citadel,  which  was 
supposed  to  be  the  seat,  or  abode,  of  a  demon 
called  Shellycoat,  a  kind  of  spirit  of  the  waters, 
who,  in  the  "Traditions  and  Antiquities  of  Leith," 
has  been  described  as  "  a  sort  of  monster  fiend, 
gigantic,  but  undefinable,  who  possessed  powers 
almost  infinite  ;  who  never  undertook  anything,  no 
matter  how  great,  which  he  failed  to  accomplish  ; 
his  swiftness  was  that  of  a  spirit,  and  he  delighted 
in  deeds  of  blood  and  devastation." 

Snellycoat,  so  named  from  his  skin  or  garment 
of  shells,  was  long  the  bugbear  of  the  urchins  of 
Leith,  and  even  of  their  seniors ;  but  in  the  new 
dock  operations  his  half-submerged  rock  was  blown 
up  or  otherwise  removed,  and  Shellycoat,  like  the 
Twelve  o'clock  Coach,  the  Green  Lady,  and  the 
Fairy  Drummer,  is  now  a  thing  of  the  past. 

In  March,  1800,  appeared  in  the  Edinburgh 
papers  the  advertisement  for  contractors  for  the 
works  at  Leith  thus  : — 

"All  persons  willing  to  contract  for  quarrying 
stones,  at  the  quarry  now  opened  near  Rosythe 
Castle,  westward  of  North  Queensferry,  and  putting 
them  on  board  a  vessel,  and  also  for  the  carriage 
and  delivery  at  Leith,  for  the  purpose  of  construct- 
ing a  Wet  Dock  there,  are  desired,  on  or  before  the 
first  Monday  in  April  next,  to  send  to  John  Gray, 
Town  Clerk,  proposals  sealed,  containing — First, 
the  price  per  ton  for  which  they  are  willing  to 
quarry  such  stones  and  put  them  on  board  a  vessel ; 
and  secondly,  for  the  carriage  and  delivery  of  them 
at  Leith. 

"  There  will  be  wanted  for  the  Sea  Wall  about 
two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  cubic  feet  of 
ashlar,  and  in  the  Quay  Walls  about  one  hundred 
and  seventy  thousand  cubic  feet,  besides  a  quantity 
of  rubble  stones.  A  specification  of  the  dimensions 
and  shape  of  the  stones,  and  the  conditions  of  the 
contract,  will  be  shown  by  Charles  Cunningham,  at 
the  Dean  of  Guild's  office,  St.  Giles's  Church. 

"Edinburgh,  March  12th,  1800." 

These  details  are  not  without  interest  now ;  but 
it  is  remarkable  that  the  materials  should  have  been 
brought  from  the  coast  of  Fife,  when  the  quarries  at 
Granton  had  been  known  for  ages. 


BUILDING   OF    THE    WESTERN    DOCKS. 


>83 


Government  advanced  £25,000  to  the  city  of 
Edinburgh  on  security  of  the  future  dock  revenues, 
and  on  the  14th  of  May,  1 801,  the  foundation-stone 
of  the  wet  docks  was  laid  by  Robert  Dundas,  of 
Melville,  Deputy  Grand  Master,  in  absence  of 
Charles,  Earl  of  Dalkeith,  Grand  Master  of  Scot- 
land. An  immense  concourse  of  masonic  brethren 
and  spectators  attended  this  ceremony,  and  the 
procession  left  the  Assembly  Rooms,  and  proceeded 
along  the  quay  to  the  south-east  corner  of  the  first 
dock,  where  the  first  stone  was  laid. 

When  the  procession  reached  that  spot,  the  sub- 
stitute Grand  Master,  after  the  usual  formula,  placed 
in  the  cavity  of  the  stone  a  large  phial,  containing 
medals  "  of  the  first  characters  of  the  present  age," 
coated  with  crystal,  and  two  plates,  whereon  were 
engraved  inscriptions  so  long  that  they  occupy  each 
half  a  column  of  the  Chronicle. 

A  salute  of  twenty-one  guns  was  fired  by  the 
squadron  in  the  roads,  under  Captain  Clements, 
R.N.,,  and  the  militia  formed  the  escort  for  the 
Grand  Lodge ;  and  the  Dumfries-shire  militia  and 
other  corps  stationed  in  Edinburgh  and  its  vicinity 
contributed  largely  by  their  manual  labour,  being 
employed  by  companies,  and  even  battalions,  in  the 
excavation  and  general  formation  of  these  docks, 
the  first  of  which,  called  now  the  old  dock,  was 
opened  to  the  shipping  in  1806  ;  and  in  the  pre- 
ceding year  a  further  sum  of  ,£25,000  had  been 
advanced  by  Government  on  the  dock  property. 

The  Western,  or  Queen's  Dock,  begun  in  1810, 
was  finished  in  181 7,  the  suite  being  at  a  cost  of 
about  ,£285,000. 

These  two  are  each  250  yards  long,  and  100  wide, 
with  three  graving  docks  on  their  north  side,  and 
all  protected  from  the  sea  by  a  retaining  wall  cf 
enormous  strength,  composed  of  vast  blocks  of 
stone.  The  third,  or  largest  dock  of  all,  designed 
to  reach  nearly  to  Newhaven,  was  then  projected ; 
but  this  and  all  kindred  matters  which  accorded 
with  the  magnificence  of  Mr.  Rennie's  design,  and 
the  intentions  of  his  employers,  the  magistrates  of 
Edinburgh,  were  thrown  into  abeyance  during  his 
life  by  a  total  failure  of  funds. 

On  the  occasion  of  the  jubilee  of  the  25th  of 
October,  1809 — the  anniversary  of  the  accession  of 
George  III.  to  the  throne — the  foundation-stone  of 
what  was  named  "  King  George's  Bastion  "  was 
laid  by  the  Earl  of  Moira,  in  the  north-west  angle 
of  the  western  dock,  amid  a  magnificent  assemblage, 
and  followed  by  a  procession,  including  all  the 
magnates  of  Edinburgh,  escorted  by  the  troops  and 
volunteers,  under  a  grand  salute  of  heavy  guns, 
fired  by  the  crew  of  H.M.S.  Egeria,  on  the  west 
side  of  the  basin,  followed  by  a  general  salute  of 


fifty  rounds  from  all  the  shipping  in  the  roads,  and, 
as  the  Scots  Magazine  has  it,  "  the  acclamations, 
of  twenty  thousand  people  ; "  and  a  grand  banquet 
was  given  in  the  Assembly  Rooms,  George  Street. 

The  gates  of  the  old  dock  were  renewed,  and 
the  sill  deepened  in  1844. 

The  Western,  or  Queen's  Dock,  when  the  George 
Bastion  had  been  built,  was  for  some  years  mostly 
used  by  the  naval  service  for  repairing  and  fitting 
out. 

In  1S25  the  city  of  Edinburgh  borrowed  from 
Government  ,£240,000  more  on  security  of  the 
dock  dues  (after  there  had  been  a  proposal  to  sell 
the  whole  property  to  a  joint-stock  company,  a 
proposal  successfully  opposed  by  the  inhabitants  of 
Leith) ;  and  after  Mr.  W.  Chapman,  of  Newcastle, 
had  made  surveys  and  plans  for  further  improve- 
ments, as  the  result  of  his  report  and  of  sub- 
sequent voluminous  correspondence  with  Govern- 
ment on  the  subject  of  a  naval  yard  and  store 
yard,  it  was  decided  to  extend  the  eastern  pier 
about  1,500  feet,  so  as  to  have  an  entire  length 
there  of  2,550  feet,  or  more  than  half  a  mile. 

The  ceremony  of  driving  the  first  pile  took  place 
on  the  15th  of  August,  1S26,  the  fourth  anniversary 
of  the  landing  of  George  IV.  at  Leith,  and  was. 
made  the  occasion,  as  usual,  of  an  imposing 
demonstration.  All  the  vessels  in  port  were  gaily- 
decorated,  and  the  various  public  bodies,  accom- 
panied by  three  regimental  bands  and  escorted  by 
Hussars,  proceeded  from  the  Assembly  Rooms  to 
the  end  of  the  old  pier,  where  the  Dock  Com- 
missioners and  Lord  Provost  occupied  a  platform. 
The  Provost  having  cut  a  rope,  and  allowed  a 
heavy  weight  to  fall  upon  the  upright  pile,  wine, 
oil,  and  corn,  were  placed  upon  it,  and  the  company 
then  embarked  in  a  tug  and  crossed  to  the  other 
pier,  where  the  same  ceremony  was  repeated,  and 
a  banquet  followed. 

A  western  pier  and  breakwater  were  next  erected, 
to  the  extent  of  1,500  feet,  terminating  within  200 
feet  of  the  other. 

The  insolvency  of  the  city  of  Edinburgh  in  1833 
led  to  important  re-arrangements  in  connection  with 
the  management  of  their  now  valuable  docks  ;  and 
by  virtue  of  an  Act  of  Parliament  passed  in  1838,. 
the  care  of  the  docks  and  harbour  was  vested  in 
eleven  Commissioners — five  appointed  by  the  Lords 
of  the  Treasury,  three  by  the  city  of  Edinburgh, 
and  three  by  the  town  of  Leith. 

In  the  winter  of  1838-9,  Messrs.  Walker  and 
Cubbitt,  two  eminent  engineers  of  London,  were 
sent  down  by  the  Lords  of  the  Treasury  to  under- 
take jointly  the  duty  of  providing  their  lordships 
"  with  such  a  plan  as  will   secure  to  the  Port  of 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


Leith  the  additional  accommodation  required  by 
its  shipping  and  commercial  interests,  including  the 
provision  of  a  low-water  pier." 

These  engineers,  after  a  careful  survey,  failed  to 
agree  in  opinion,  and  recommended  three  different 
plans — Mr.  Walker  two,  and  Mr.  Cubbitt  one.  The 
details  of  only  that  to  which  the  Lords  of  the 
Treasury  gave  preference,  and  which  was  one  of 
Mr.  Walker's,  need  not  be  stated,  as  they  were 
never  fully  carried  out,  and  in  1847  a  Government 


The  Victoria  Dock  was  formally  opened  by  the 
steamer  Royal  Victoria  (which  traded  between 
Leith  and  London),  which  carried  the  royal  stan- 
dard of  Scotland  at  her  mainmast  head,  but  there 
was  no  public  demonstration. 

In  i860  the  Harbour  and  Docks  Bill  passed  the 
House  of  Lords  on  the  19th  of  July.  This  Act 
cancelled  the  debt  of  about  ^230,000  due  to  the 
Treasury  for  a  present  payment  of  ,£50,000.  The 
passing  of  this   measure,  and  its  commercial  mi- 


grant of  ,£135,000  was  obtained  for  a  new  dock 
by  the  new  Commissioners,  under  whose  care  the 
entire  property  continued  to  prosper,  while  trade 
continued  to  increase  steadily;  thus  the  accom- 
modation for  shipping  was  further  enlarged  by  the 
opening  in  1852  of  the  Victoria  Dock  (parallel  with 
the  old  dock),  having  an  area  of  about  five  acres, 
with  an  average  depth  of  twenty-two  feet  of  water. 
Here  berthage  has  constantly  been  provided  for 
the  London  and  Edinburgh  Shipping  Company's 
fleet,  and  for  most  of  Currie  and  Co.'s  Con- 
tinental trading  steamers.  It  was  contracted  for 
by  Mr.  Barry,  of  Scarborough,  who  finished  the 
piers  about  the  same  time  as  the  dock  ;  but  the 
Victoria  Jetty  was  not  constructed  till  1855. 


portance  to  Leith,  was  celebrated  there  by  displays 
of  fireworks  and  the  ringing  of  the  church  bells. 

In  the  lapse  of  a  few  years  after  the  opening  of 
the  Victoria  Dock,  the  trade  of  the  port  had 
increased  to  such  an  extent  that  the  construction 
of  a  still  larger  and  better  dock  than  any  it  yet 
possessed  became  necessary.  Thus  the  Commis- 
sioners felt  justified  in  making  the  necessary 
arrangements  with  that  view. 

Consequently,  in  1862,  Mr.  Rendell,  C.E., 
London,  and  Mr.  Robertson,  C.E.,  Leith,  in 
accordance  with  instructions  given  to  them,  sub- 
mitted a  plan,  by  which  it  was  proposed  to  reclaim 
no  less  than  eighty-four  acres  of  the  East  Sands 
(the  site  of  the  races  of  old)  by  means  of  a  great 


DOCK   ACCOMMODATION. 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


embankment,  3,480  feet  in  length.  The  engineers 
fixed  upon  this  site  because  these  sands  afforded  a 
larger  area  near  the  level  of  half-tide  than  could 
be  got  on  the  west  side  of  the  harbour  above  low- 
water,  and  were  capable  of  being  more  cheaply 
reclaimed,  and  of  giving  the  most  ample  accom- 
modation for  quays  and  stores. 

Mr.  William  Scott,  of  Kilmarnock,  contracted 
for  the  work  of  excavation,  embanking,  masonry, 
and  other  appliances,  for  the  sum  of  ^189,285. 
The  cranes  and  sheds  were  separately  estimated 
for  ;  but  the  total  cost  amounted  to  .£224,500. 

This  dock,  which  is  perhaps  one  of  the  most 
complete  of  its  kind — its  quays  being  fitted  up  with 
all  the  most  improved  and  newest  appliances  for 
loading  and  unloading — was  opened  on  the  21st  of 
August,  1869,  and  was  named  the  Albert  Dock; 
and  the  hydraulic  cranes,  made  at  the  works  of  Sir 
William  Armstrong,  were  introduced  into  Scotland 
for  the  first  time.  Provost  Watt  performed  the 
opening  ceremony,  the  vessel  used  on  the  occasion 
being  the  screw  steamer  Florence,  belonging  to 
Messrs.  Currie  and  Co. 

The  gentlemen  on  board  numbered  two  hundred, 
including  the  Dock  Commissioners  and  certain  re- 
presentative men  of  Edinburgh  and  Leith.  After 
steaming  round  Inchkeith,  the  \~ssel  proceeded 
into  the  dock,  breaking  a  ribbon  on  her  way,  while 
a  band  played  "  Rule  Britannia,''  and  a  salute  was 
fired  by  a  battery  of  the  Royal  Artillery.  At  a  sub- 
sequent dejeuner  in  the  Assembly  Rooms,  Mr.  D.  R. 
Macgregor,  M.P.  for  the  Leith  Burghs,  referring  to 
the  advantages  under  which  the  Dock  Commission 
laboured,  said  they  had  now  "no  Act  of  Parliament 
to  fight  for  ;  they  had  the  privilege  of  succeeding  to 
the  great  advantages  enjoyed  at  one  time  by  the 
city  of  Edinburgh,  of  having  the  whole  of  the  fore- 
shore, from  Wardie  Point  to  the  Figgate  Whins; 
they  had  been  able  to  reclaim  land  to  build  on,  and 
had  more  to  the  eastward  to  build  a  dozen  docks  of 
similar  extent."  This  statement  is  borne  out  by  the 
fact  that  the  Albert  Dock  at  Hull,  which  was 
opened  about  the  same  time,  and  has  the  same 
amount  of  water  surface,  though  not  so  great 
an  extent  of  land  surface,  cost  upwards  of  a  million 
of  money,  the  promoters  having  been  compelled  to 
get  an  Act  of  Parliament,  at  great  expense,  to 
purchase  a  site. 

The  Albert  Dock  is  nearly  double  the  size  of  any 
of  the  three  older  principal  docks,  the  water  area 
being  ten  and  three-quarter  acres  ;  and  the  newer 
dock  (to  be  yet  described)  is  longer  still,  with  a 
jetty  giving  double  the  berthage  accommodation. 
"  These  docks  are  reached  through  a  tidal  harbour, 
formed  by  two  noble  piers,  a  mile  each  in  length," 


says  the  Scotsman  in  1869  ;  "  the  first  of  these  are  on 
the  west,  and  the  Albert  and  new  dock  on  the  east 
side,  east  and  west  being  connected  by  a  massive 
hydraulic  bridge,  equal  to  the  heaviest  traffic,  and 
spanning  the  harbour  to  the  south  of  the  dock- 
gates." 

This  is  called  the  Victoria  Swing  Bridge.  We 
must  not  omit  to  remark  more  particularly  the  small, 
but  valuable,  addition  that  was  made  to  the  dry 
dock  accommodation  of  Leith  by  the  Prince  of 
Wales's  Graving  Dock,  in  thesame  quarter,  which 
was  opened  in  1858,  and  is  370  feet  long,  and  sixty 
at  the  entrance  in  width.  Several  steamers  of  large 
size  have  been  repaired  in  this  dock,  which  was 
built  by  Mr.  Alexander  Wilson.  Mr.  Rendell, 
C.E.,  was  the  engineer,  and  it  is  considered  a  very 
splendid  work  of  the  kind. 

The  Edinburgh  Dock,  as  it  is  now  named,  is- 
one  of  the  most  important  of  all  the  late  measures- 
taken  for  the  improved  accommodation  of  shipping 
at  Leith.  The  first  part  of  the  undertaking  was 
the  formation  of  a  formidable  sea-wall,  stretching 
from  the  east  end  of  the  Albert  Dock  to  a  point 
near  Seafield  Toll ;  and  though  several  severe 
storms  were  encountered  during  the  time  it  was  in 
progress,  when  the  long  waves  of  the  Firth  came 
inland  with  a  force  and  fury  to  which  the  German 
Sea  gave  an  impetus,  the  wall  was  completed  with- 
out accident. 

Only  once  did  the  sea  excite  any  anxiety,  and 
even  on  that  occasion  the  cost  of  repairing  the 
damage  did  not  exceed  £500  ;  and  that  for  contin- 
gencies, which  in  a  work  of  such  magnitude  are 
always  provided  for,  may  be  regarded  as  a  very 
trifling  sum. 

There  has  been  reclaimed  from  the  sea  here  a 
territory  of  one  hundred  and  eight  acres,  thus  giv- 
ing to  the  Dock  Commissioners  ample  space  for 
sheds  and  depots,  and  to  two  railway  companies 
every  facility  for  ensuring  the  most  prompt 
transition  of  goods.  The  chief  embankment  by 
which  the  reclamation  was  effected  consists  of  a 
massive  dry  rubble  wall,  thirty  feet  broad  at  the 
base  and  ten  feet  six  inches  at  the  top.  It  is- 
covered  on  its  surface  with  fine  ashlar  two  feet 
deep,  and  partly  with  Portland  cement  concrete 
two  feet  six  inches  thick. 

The  seaward  slope  is  adapted  to  resist  the  pres- 
sure of  the  heaviest  waves,  and  the  wall  is  backed 
with  puddled  clay,  averaging  five  feet  six  inches 
thick,  and  the  space  behind  is  filled  in  with  rough 
packing  or  quarry  shivers.  A  rubble  scarcement 
(or  species  of  berme),  twelve  feet  wide  and  two  feet 
deep,  is  built  on  the  outside,  to  protect  the  foot  of 
the  embankment  from  the  perpetual  wash  of  the  sea. 


THE    EDINBURGH    DOCK. 


-S7 


This  embankment  was  finished  in  February,  1877, 
-and  thereafter  the  excavation  of  the  dock  was  pro- 
ceeded with  by  a  force  of  about  five  hundred  men, 
who  worked  daily  at  it.  Two  "  steam  navvies,"  each 
of  which  filled  a  railway  waggon  in  three  minutes, 
were  used. 

Thus,  in  a  day  of  ten  hours  one  of  these  ex- 
cavated, on  an  average,  400  cubic  yards,  represent- 
ing 550  tons  of  material,  equal  to  the  work  of  forty 
able-bodied  men  ;  and  several  other  approved  ap- 
pliances were  employed  by  the  contractors  to 
economise  manual  labour.  In  the  progress  of  ex- 
cavation no  remarkable  difficulties,  in  an  engineer- 
ing point  of  view,  were  encountered,  the  ground 
being  what  is  technically  termed  "  dry." 

Water,  of  course,  gathered  in  the  works,  but  was 
led  to  a  tank  on  the  north  side,  and  pumped  into 
a  sewer-pipe  running  under  the  north  embankment. 
The  walls  are  constructed  of  stone  from  Craigmillar 
quarry,  and  the  lime  came  from  the  kilns  at  Lyme 
Regis,  and  was  crushed  by  machinery  erected  on 
the  Leifh  side  of  the  clock.  From  the  bottom  of 
the  latter  the  walls  are  thirty-five  feet  in  height,  and 
at  high  tide  the  depth  of  water  is  twenty-seven 
feet.  The  entire  amount  of  masonry  about  the 
west  dock  is  100,000  cubic  yards,  and  the  quayage 
accommodation  amounts  to  6,775  f"eet- 

The  total  length  of  the  parallel  walls  on  the 
north  and  south  sides  is  1,500  feet,  and  the  extreme 
breadth  of  the  dock  750.  From  the  eastern  end, 
a  jetty,  250  feet  in  width  by  1,000  in  length,  runs 
up  the  centre  of  the  dock,  which  is  thus  formed 
into  two  basins.  This,  of  course,  greatly  increases 
the  quay  accommodation.  The  western  end 
forms  an  open  basin,  500  feet  in  length  by  the 
entire  breadth  of  the  dock.  In  the  centre  of  this 
noble  jetty  a  graving  dock  has  been  constructed, 
350  feet  long,  forty-eight  feet  wide  at  the  bottom, 
and  seventy  at  the  top.  Its  gates  are  at  the  western 
end  of  the  jetty,  and  have  twenty  feet  of  water  on 
the  sill,  and  are  opened  and  closed  by  means  of 
four  crab  hand-winches. 

The  pumping  machinery  is  placed  in  an  edifice, 
built  of  fire-clay  brick,  near  the  gates.  The  entrance 
to  the  Edinburgh  Dock  is  through  the  Albert  Dock, 
the  channel  being  270  feet  long  by  65  broad; 
and  across  it,  for  the  accommodation  of  traffic,  is  an 
iron  swing  bridge,  worked  by  hydraulic  machinery. 
The  space  round  the  dock  for  the  accommodation  of 
shipping  traffic  extends  to  about  thirty  acres  ;  and  in 
addition  to  this,  the  Caledonian  and  North  British 
Railways  have  each  acquired  twenty-seven  acres 
of  the  reclaimed  ground  from  the  Dock  Commis- 
sioners, which  at  their  own  expense  they  filled  up 
to  the  level  of  the  quays. 


On  the  south  side  of  this  truly  noble  dock  has 
been  built  a  line  of  goods  sheds,  each  80  feet  wide 
by  196  feet  long.  On  the  north  side  a  powerful 
hydraulic  coal-hoist  has  been  erected  specially  for 
the  coal  traffic. 

The  designs  included  a  promenade  and  drive 
along  the  sea-wall,  thus  giving  a  magnificent  out- 
look on  the  Forth.  The  whole  works,  including 
the  railway  undertakings,  cost  about  ,£400,000. 
Mr.  Clark,  C.E.,  the  engineer  of  Scott's  Trustees, 
and  Mr.  J.  R.  Allan,  C.E.,  representing  Messrs. 
Rendell  and  Robertson,  the  engineers  of  the  Com- 
mission, carried  them  out. 

By  the  15th  of  June,  1881,  preparations  were 
made  for  letting  in  the  water  of  the  ocean,  and 
for  that  purpose  gangs  of  workmen  had  been  busy 
night  and  day  for  some  time  previous.  A  wooden 
platform  was  erected  underneath  a  large  pipe, 
which  had  been  built  into  the  sea-wall  for  the  pur- 
pose of  breaking  the  fall  of  the  water  in  admitting 
it  into  the  dock.  That  pipe,  3  feet  6  inches  in 
diameter,  was  part  of  the  old  Edinburgh  and 
Leith  main  outfall  sewer,  which  had  been  diverted 
round  the  end  of  the  dock.  It  extended  from  the 
north  side  of  the  reclamation  wall  to  the  inside  of 
the  quay,  under  the  water-line,  and  a  piling-ram  of 
more  than  a  ton  weight  had  to  be  used  in  breaking 
it  off  flush  with  the  face  of  the  masonry. 

At  four  p.m.  on  the  day  mentioned,  the  valve  in 
the  pipe  was  partly  lifted  to  admit  the  outer  tide 
into  the  vast  basin,  the  water  being  turned  on  by 
Mr.  Torry,  W.S.,  Clerk  to  the  Leith  Dock  Com- 
missioners. The  water  then  rushed  furiously  and 
steadily  in,  but,  owing  to  the  extent  of  the  dock, 
several  days  elapsed  before  it  was  filled. 

The  wall  between  the  Albert  Dock  and  the  new 
one  had  to  be  removed  before  vessels  could  be 
admitted,  and  to  accomplish  this  a  number  of  holes 
were  bored  in  it  and  charged  with  dynamite  to  blow 
it  up,  and  seven  divers  were  brought  from  London 
to  assist  in  clearing  away  the  wreckage. 

As  the  reserve  squadron  of  the  ironclad  fleet 
was  expected  in  the  Firth  of  Forth  in  July,  188 1, 
under  the  command  of  H.R.H.  the  Duke  of  Edin- 
burgh, the  latter  was  invited  by  the  local  authori- 
ties to  open  and  to  name  the  dock,  alike  after 
the  city  and  himself — an  event  which  passed  off 
with  the  greatest  eclat. 

The  opening  took  place  on  the  26th  of  July. 
The  reserve  squadron  was  moored  in  the  Roads 
in  two  lines,  and  could  be  seen  from  the  shore 
looming  large  through  a  somewhat  vapoury  atmo- 
sphere. The  Hercules,  with  the  duke's  flag  flying 
at  her  mizen,  was  the  last  of  the  line  nearest  to  the 
Leith   Shore.     Ahead    of  her  were  the    Warrior, 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


[Leil 


Defence,  and  Valiant;  while  in  the  port  line  were 
the  Lord  Warden,  the  Hector,  and  the  Penelope. 

Great  preparations  had  necessarily  been  made 
for  the  accommodation  of  spectators,  and  a  display 
of  flags,  usual  on  such  occasions,  was  made  across 
Constitution  Street  on  the  public  buildings,  and 
everywhere  else  suitable.  In  the  Roads,  imme- 
diately off  the  pier-head,  lay  the  Garth  Castle,  of 
Currie's  line,  a  magnificent  ship,  370  feet  long, 
which  cost  ;£  100,000,  was  fitted  up  so  as  to  be  able 
at  any  time  to  act  as  a  cruiser,  and  was  capable  of 
conveying  1,200  troops  to  the  Cape  or  India.  On 
board  of  her  were  Sir  Donald  Currie,  M.P.,  and  a 
select  party,  including  many  members  of  the  House 
of  Commons.  A  vast  fleet  of  yachts  and  pleasure- 
boats  was  grouped  about  the  anchorage  ground, 
which  was  smooth  and  still  as  a  millpond. 

Provost  Henderson,  with  the  magistrates  and 
Town  Council  of  Leith,  in  their  robes  of  office, 
proceeded  by  steamer  to  H.M.S.  Hercules,  and 
presented  to  the  Duke  of  Edinburgh — to  whom 
they  were  introduced  by  Captain  Colville — an 
address,  enclosed  in  a  valuable  casket,  made  of 
pierced  silver-work.  The  document  was  written 
on  vellum,  and  after  stating  how  heartily  the  bearers 
welcomed  him,  added  : — "A  member  of  our  beloved 
royal  family  we  rejoice  at  all  times  to  see  among 
us,  but  when  we  combine  your  position  with  the 
remembrance  of  early  days  spent  by  you  in  this 
neighbourhood,  and  with  the  high  rank  you  so 
worthily  hold  in  the  gallant  service  to  which  you 
have  allied  yourself,  together  with  your  many  good 
qualities,  which  we  recognise,  but  forbear  to  mention 
here,  we  feel,  and  are  sure  the  inhabitants  of  the 
burgh  feel,  a  peculiar  pleasure  in  your  present  visit. 
We  would  also  desire  to  welcome  the  fleet  of  which 
you  have  command,  and  which  we  are  proud  to 
think  has  also  come  to  the  Forth." 

At  noon,  the  duke,  accompanied  by  Prince  Henry 
of  Prussia,  General  Macdonald,  and  the  staff  at 
head-quarters  in  Scotland,  and  a  host  of  other 
officers,  including  the  Dock  Commissioners,  left  the 
flagship  in  the  Berlin  steamer,  which  was  covered 
with  bunting,  and  amid  loud  cheering  from  the  fleet 
and  pleasure  yachts,  stood  in  shore  under  a  salute 
from  the  Garth  Castle. 

The  Berlin  threaded  her  way  up  the  harbour  into 
the  Albert  Dock,  under  the  eyes  of  more  than 
eighty  thousand  spectators.  The  quays  were  lined 
by  the  Leith  Volunteers,  but  at  the  landing  place 
stood  a  guard  of  honour,  furnished  by  the  Black 
Watch. 

The  swing  gate  of  the  new  dock  had  been  opened 
at  twelve  o'clock,  and  a  silk  ribbon  only  stretched 
across  the  aperture  as  a  fanciful  bar  to  the    vast 


expanse  of  water  which  lay  beyond,  and  which  was 
now  for  the  first  time  to  bear  a  vessel  on  its  bosom. 
Increasing  her  speed  a  little,  the  Berlin  cut  the 
ribbon  with  her  bow,  and  as  the  ends  fluttered 
away  on  either  side,  the  duke,  standing  on  the  deck 
amidships,  exclaimed — 

"  I  declare  this  dock  to  be  open,  and  name  it  the 
Edinburgh  Dock  ! " 

At  the  same  time  a  salute  of  cannon  was  fired 
from  the  sea  wall  at  the  dock,  and  the  most 
vociferous  cheering  came  from  the  crowds  on  the 
quays,  the  grand  stands,  and  the  manned  yards  of 
the  adjacent  shipping. 

After  being  banqueted  by  the  Dock  Commis- 
sioners, the  Duke  drove  to  Edinburgh  by  the  way 
of  Leith  Walk,  and  at  the  Council  Chambers  re- 
ceived an  address  of  welcome,  which  was  placed 
in  his  hands  by  Lord  Provost  Boyd,  and  which 
was  contained  in  a  magnificent  silver  casket.  He- 
returned  to  Leith  by  the  way  of  Fettes  College  and 
Inverleith  Row. 

At  the  latter  place  he  alighted  at  the  Botanical' 
Gardens,  where,  at  the  request  of  the  professor  of 
botany,  he  planted  in  front  of  the  botany  class- 
room a  Hungarian  oak,  about  ten  feet  high.  He- 
reached  the  Victoria  Dock  at  six  in  the  evening, 
and  was  soon  after  on  board  the  Hercules.  The 
signal  was  then  given  to  weigh  anchor,  and  long 
before  nightfall  the  whole  squadron  was  steaming 
out  of  the  Firth. 

It  may  be  mentioned  that  the  swing  bridge  over 
the  entrance  of  the  Edinburgh  Dock,  and  which 
weighs  400  tons,  has  hydraulic  machinery  of  a  nature 
so  delicate  that  it  was  opened  on  the  above 
occasion  by  a  boy  four  years  of  age,  a  younger  son 
of  theresident  engineer.     It  cost  ,£15,000. 

In  1876  the  constitution  of  the  Leith  Dock 
Commission  was  again  altered  by  Act  of  Parliament. 
Now  the  board  numbers  fifteen  members — three 
elected  by  the  Town  Council  of  Edinburgh,  three 
by  the  Town  Council  of  Leith,  one  by  the  Edin- 
burgh Merchant  Company,  one  by  the  Edinburgh 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  one  by  the  Leith  Chamber 
of  Commerce,  two  by  the  shipowners,  and  four  by 
the  ratepapers. 

Besides  the  ordinary  police  force  of  the  town, 
there  is  a  regular  dock  police,  under  a  superin- 
tendent, consisting  of  watchmen  entirely  for  dock 
service,  paid  and  governed  by  the  Dock  Commis- 
sioners. The  superintendent  of  the  town  police  has 
no  authority  over  them;  but  as  the  commission  has 
no  police  office,  they  bring  their  prisoners  to  that 
of  the  town. 

Before  quitting  this  subject,  a  glance  at  the  trade 
of  the  port  may  not  be  uninteresting. 


TRADE    OF    THE    PORT. 


289 


Even  in  times  of  undoubted  depression  the 
docks  at  Leith  have  always  retained  an  appearance 
of  bustle  and  business,  through  the  many  large  sail- 
ing ships  laden  with  guano  and  West  Indian  sugar 
lying  at  the  quays ;  but  guano  having  been  partly 
superseded  by  chemical  manures,  and  West  Indian 
by  Continental  sugar,  the  comparatively  few  vessels 
that  now  arrive  are  discharged  with  the  greatest 
expedition.  In  the  close  of  1881  one  came  to 
port  with  the  largest  cargo  of  sugar  ever  delivered 
at  Leith,  the  whole  of  which  was  for  the  Bonnington 
Refinery. 

As  a  source  of  revenue  to  the  Dock  Commission, 
steamers  which  can  make  ten  voyages  for  one  per- 
formed by  a  sailing  vessel  are,  of  course,  very  much 
preferred  ;  and,  as  showing  the  extent  of  the  Conti- 
nental sugar  trade,  it  may  be  mentioned  that  quite 
recently  184,233  bags  were  imported  in  a  single 
month.  Most  of  this  sugar  is  taken  direct  from  the 
docks  to  the  refiners  at  Greenock. 

A  very  important  element  in  the  trade  of  Leith 
is  the  importation  of  esparto  grass,  both  by  sailing 
vessels  and  steamers.  This  grass  is  closely  pressed 
by  steam  power  into  huge  square  bales,  and  these 
are  discharged  with  such  celerity  by  the  use  of 
donkey-engines  and  other  appliances,  that  it  is  a 
common  thing  to  unload  150  tons  in  a  single  day. 

The  facilities  for  discharging  vessels  at  Leith 
with  extreme  rapidity  are  so  admirable  that  few 
ports  can  match  it — the  meters,  the  weighers,  and 
the  stevedore  firms  who  manage  the  matter,  having 
every  interest  in  getting  the  work  performed  with 
the  utmost  expedition. 

As  a  wine  port  Leith  ranks  second  in  the  British 
Isles,  and  it  possesses  a  very  extensive  timber  trade; 
and  though  not  immediately  connected  with  ship- 
ping, the  wool  trade  is  an  important  branch  of 
industry  there,  the  establishments  of  Messrs.  Mac- 
gregor  and  Pringle,  and  of  Messrs.  Adams,  Sons,  and 
Co.,  being  among  the  most  extensive  in  Scotland. 
The  largest  fleet  of  Continental  trading  steamers 
sailing  from  Leith  is  that  of  Messrs.  James  Currie 
and  Co.  In  18S1  this  firm  had  twenty-two 
steamers,  with  a  capacity  of  17,000  tons.  Messrs. 
Gibson  and  Co.  have  many  fine  steamers,  which 
are  constantly  engaged,  while  the  Baltic  is  open 
and  free  of  ice,  in  making  trading  voyages  to  Riga, 
Cronstadt,  and  other  Russian  ports. 

A  trade  with  Iceland  has  of  late  years  been 
rapidly  developed,  the  importation  consisting  of 
ponies,  sheep,  wild  fowl,  and  dried  fish  ;  while  in 
the  home  trade,  the  London  and  Edinburgh  Ship- 
ping Company  do  a  very  active  and  lucrative  busi- 
ness, having  usually  two,  and  sometimes  three  large 
steamers  plying  per  week  between  Leith  and  Lon- 
133 


don  ;  and  in  1880,  important  additions  were  made 
to  the  lines  of  trading  steamers  by  several  large 
vessels  owned  by  the  Arrow  Line  being  put  on 
the  berth,  to  ply  between  Leith  and  New  York  ; 
while  the  North  of  Scotland  Steam  Shipping 
Company  transferred  their  business  to  the  port 
from  Granton. 

So  steadily  has  the  trade  with  New  York  deve- 
loped itself,  that  from  three  to  four  steamers  per 
month  now  arrive  at  Leith,  bringing  cargoes  of 
grain,  butter,  oil-cakes,  linseed  meal,  tinned  meats, 
grass  seeds,  etc.  Over  200,000  sacks  of  flour  came 
to  Leith  in  one  year  from  New  York,  and  in  one 
month  alone  33,312  sacks  were  imported. 

Some  of  the  Leith  steamers  sail  direct  to  New  York 
with  mixed  cargoes;  others  load  with  coal,  and  pro- 
ceed there,  via  the  Mediterranean,  after  exchanging 
their  cargo  for  fruit.  Then  Messrs.  Blaik  and 
Co.,  of  Constitution  Street,  have  large  steamers  of 
3,650  tons  burden  each,  built  specially  for  this 
trade.  The  passage  from  New  York,  "  north 
about,"  i.e.,  through  the  Pentland  Firth,  usually 
occupied  sixteen  days,  but  now  it  is  being  reduced 
to  twelve. 

Prior  to  the  opening  of  the  Edinburgh  Dock  a 
difficulty  was  found  in  berthing  some  of  the  great 
ocean-going  steamers,  and  many  that  used  to  bring 
live  stock  from  New  York  had  to  land  them  on  the 
Thames  or  Tyne,  the  regulations  of  the  Privy 
Council  not  permitting  these  animals  to  be  landed 
at  Leith. 

"  Permission  was  first  asked  by  the  Commission," 
says  a  local  print  in  1881,  "to  enable  the  animals 
to  be  taken  to  the  Leith  slaughter-house,  which  is 
on  the  south  side  of  the  new  docks,  and  only  a  few 
yards  from  one  of  the  entrances.  The  Privy 
Council  having  refused  this  request,  the  Dock 
Commission,  with  a  desire  to  foster  the  trade,  then 
made  arrangements  with  the  Leith  Town  Council, 
by  which  they  could  build  a  slaughter-house  within 
the  docks.  A  site  was  proposed  and  plans  pre- 
pared ;  but  being  objected  to  again  by  the  Privy 
Council,  the  subject  was  allowed  to  lie  over." 

We  have  mentioned  the  transference  of  the 
North  of  Scotland  steamers  from  Granton  to 
Leith,  and  this  change  has  proved  monetarily 
advantageous,  not  only  to  the  Commission,  but  to 
the  majority  of  the  shippers  and  passengers,  and  a 
special  berth  was  assigned  at  the  entrance  of  the 
Prince  of  Wales's  Dock  for  the  Aberdeen  steamers, 
so  that  they  sail  even  after  high  water.  Besides 
the  usual  consignments  of  sheep,  cattle,  and  ponies, 
vast  quantities  of  herrings,  in  barrel,  are  brought  to 
Leith,  generally  for  re-shipment  to  the  Continent  of 
Europe. 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


CHAPTER     XXXIV. 
INCHKEITH. 


The    Defences   of  Leith—  Inchkeil 
Boswell— The  New  Chan: 

The  long  piers  of  Leith  are  now  seaward  of  the 
Martello  tower,  and  the  battery  at  the  fort  is  no 
longer  on  the  seashore,  but — owing  to  the  reclama- 
tion of  land,  the  erection  of  the  goods  and  passenger 
stations  of  the  Caledonian  Railway,  and  the  forma- 
tion beyond  these  of  a  marine  parade  to  Anchor- 
field — is  now  literally  far  inland  and  useless.  This 
circumstance,  coupled  with  the  vast  progress  made 
of  late  years  in  the  science  of  gunnery  and  pro- 
jectiles, led  to  the  construction  of  the  Inchkeith 
forts  for  the  protection  of  Leith  and  of  the  river ; 
and  to  them  we  have  already  referred  as  the  chief 
or  only  defences  of  the  seaport. 

This  island  stands  nearly  midway  between  Leith 
and  Kinghorn,  four  miles  distant  from  the  Martello 
tower,  and  is  said  to  take  its  name  from  the  valiant 
Scot  named  Robert,  who  slew  the  Danish  general 
at  the  battle  of  Camustone  or  Barrie  in  Angus,  and 
obtained  from  Malcolm  II.,  in  1010,  the  barony 
of  Keith  in  Lothian,  with  the  office  of  Marischal 
of  Scotland.  It  has,  however,  claims  to  higher 
antiquity,  and  is  supposed  to  be  the  caer  guidi 
of  the  venerable  Bede,  and  to  have  been  fortified 
in  his  time. 

Among  the  anecdotes  of  St  Serf,  extracted  by 
Pinkerton  from  the  Chronicles  of  Winton,  a  Canon 
Regular  of  St.  Andrews  who  lived  in  the  end 
of  the  14th  or  beginning  of  the  15th  century, 
mention  is  made  of  some  matters  that  are  evidently 
fabulous — that  the  saint  left  Rome,  and  embarking 
for  Britain,  in  the  sixth  century,  with  a  hundred 
men,  landed  on  this  island,  where  he  was  visited 
by  St.  Adamnan,  with  whom  he  went  to  Fife. 

Inchkeith  is  half  a  mile  in  length  and  about 
the  eighth  of  a  mile  in  breadth.  Throughout  its 
surface  is  very  irregular  and  rocky,  but  in  many 
places  it  produces  the  richest  herbage,  well  suited 
for  the  pasturage  of  cattle  and  horses  ;  yet  there 
are  no  animals  on  it,  except  grey  rabbits,  and 
Norwegian  rats  brought  thither  by  the  Leith 
shipping.  Near  the  middle  of  the  island,  but 
rather  towards  its  northern  end,  it  rises  gradually 
to  the  height  of  1S0  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  river,  and  thereon  the  well-known  light- 
house is  erected.  The  island  possesses  abund- 
ance of  springs  ;  the  water  is  excellent,  and  is 
collected  into  a  cistern  near  the  harbour,  from 
which  the  shipping  in  the  Roads  is  supplied. 


[hree  New  Forts— Maga 

In  Maitland's  li  History  of  Edinburgh  "  there  is 
mentioned  an  order  from  the  Privy  Council,  in  the 
year  1497,  addressed  to  the  magistrates  of  Edin- 
burgh, directing  "that  all  manner  of  persons  within 
the  freedom  of  this  burgh  who  are  infected  with  the 
contagious  plague  called  the  grand-gore,  devoid, 
rid,  and  pass  forth  of  this  town,  and  compeer  on 
the  sands  of  Leith,  at  ten  hours  before  noon  ;  and 
these  shall  have  and  find  boats  ready  in  the 
harbour,  ordered  them  by  the  officers  of  this  burgh, 
ready  with  victuals,  to  row  them  to  the  Inch  (Inch- 
keith), and  there  to  remain  till  God  provide  for 
their  health." 

There,  no  doubt,  many  of  these  unfortunate 
creatures  found  their  last  home,  or  in  the  waves 
around  it. 

It  was  long  in  possession  of  the  Keith  family, 
and  undoubtedly  received  its  name  from  them. 
When  their  connection  with  it  ceased  there  are  no 
means  of  knowing  now,  but  it  afterwards  belonged 
to  the  Crown,  and  was  included  with  the  grant  of 
Kinghorn  to  Lord  Glamis,  with  whose  family, 
according  to  Lamont's  "  Chronicles  of  Fife,"  it 
remained  till  1649,  when  it  was  bought,  together 
with  the  Mill  of  Kinghorn  and  some  acres  of  land, 
by  the  eccentric  and  sarcastic  Sir  John  Scott  of 
Scotstarvit,  Director  of  the  Chancery,  for  20,000 
merks.  It  afterwards  became  the  property  of  the 
Buccleuch  family,  and  formed  part  of  the  barony 
of  Royston,  near  Granton. 

Regarding  this  island  Lindesay  of  Pitscottie 
records  a  curious  experiment  undertaken  by  the 
gallant  James  IV.,  for  the  purpose  of  discovering 
the  primitive  language  of  mankind.  "  He  caused 
tak  ane  dumb  woman,"  says  that  picturesque  old 
chronicler,  "  and  pat  hir  in  Inchkeith  and  gave 
hir  two  bairnes  with  hir,  and  gart  furnish  hir  with 
all  necessares  thingis  perteaning  to  theiar  nourisch- 
ment,  desiring  heirby  to  know  what  language  they 
had  when  they  cam  to  the  aige  of  perfyte  speach. 
Same  say  they  spak  guid  Hebrew ;  but  I  know  not 
by  authoris  rehearse." 
j  Balfour  records  in  his  "  Annales,"  that  in  1548 
the  English  Navy,  of  twenty-five  ships  of  war, 
arrived  in  the  Firth,  and  fortified  Inchkeith,  leav- 
j  ing  five  companies  of  soldiers  to  defend  it.  Hay- 
j  ward  says  this  fleet  was  commanded  by  Admiral 
Seymour,  and  after  burning  the  shipping  in  Burntis- 


HISTORICAL    SKETCH    OF    THE    ISLAND. 


291 


land  harbour,  was  repulsed  in  an  attempt  upon 
St.  Minoe  (St.  Monance)  by  the  Laird  of  Dun, 
"  and  so  without  glory  or  gain,  returned  to  Eng- 
land." 

The  re-capture  of  Inchkeith  during  the  French 
occupation  of  Leith  has  already  been  related  ;  but 
the  garrison  there  were  in  turn  blockaded  by  Eliza- 
beth's squadron  of  sixteen  ships  under  Admiral 
Winter,  in  1560,  which  cut  off  their  provisions  and 
communication  with  the  shore. 

The  works  erected  by  the  English  at  first  were 
thrown  down  by  the  French,  who  built  a  more 
regular  castle,  or  work,  and  "  upon  a  portion  of  the 
fort,  which  remained  about  the  end  of  the  last 
century,"  says  Fullarton's  "  Gazetteer,"  "  were  the 
initials  M.  R.  and  the  date  1556  ;"  but  the  exact- 
ness of  the  date  given  seems  doubtful.  During  the 
French  occupation  the  island  was,  as  has  been  said, 
used  as  a  grazing  ground  for  the  horses  of  the 
gendarmes,  which  could  not  with  safety  be  pas- 
tured on  Leith  Links. 

To  prevent  the  island  from  ever  again  being  used 
by  the  English  the  fortifications  were  dismantled  in 
1567,  and  the  guns  thereon  were  brought  to  Edin- 
burgh. In  the  Act  of  Parliament  ordaining  this 
they  are  described  as  being  ruinous  and  utterly 
decayed. 

In  1580,  Inchkeith,  with  Inchgarvie,  was  made 
a  place  of  exile  for  the  plague-stricken  by  order  of 
the  Privy  Council.  After  this  we  hear  no  more  of 
the  isle  till  1652,  when  in  the  July  of  that  year,  as 
Admiral  Blake  at  the  head  of  sixty  sail  appeared  off 
Dunbar  in  search  of  the  Dutch  under  Van  Tromp, 
the  appearance  of  the  latter  off  the  mouth  of  the 
Firth,  "  put  the  deputy-governor  of  Leith,  called 
Wyilkes,  in  such  a  fright,"  says  Balfour,  "  that  he 
with  speed  sent  men  and  cannon  to  fortifie  Inch- 
keithe,  that  the  enimey,  if  he  come  upe  the  Fyrthe, 
should  have  none  of  the  freshe  watter  of  that 
iyland." 

From  this  we  may  gather  that  Major  Wilks 
(the  same  Cromwellian  who  shut  up  the  church  of 
South  Leith  and  kept  the  keys  thereof)  was  a  pru- 
dent and  active  officer. 

At  this  time,  probably,  all  intercourse  between 
Leith  and  London  by  sea  was  cut  off,  as  Lamont 
in  the  August  of  this  year,  records  that  Lady  Craw- 
ford departed  from  Leith  to  visit  her  husband,  then 
a  prisoner  in  the  Tower  of  London ;  adding  that 
she  travelled  "in  the  journey  coach' that  comes 
ordinarlie  betwixt  England  and  Scotland." 

When  Dr.  Johnson  visited  Scotland  in  1773. 
Lord  Hailes  mentioned  to  Boswell  the  historical 
anecdote  of  the  Inch  having  been  called  "  Lisle 
des  C/ierai/x  "  by  the  soldiers  of  Mare'chal  Strozzi ; 


but  when  the  lexicographer  and  his  satellite 
landed  there,  they  found  sixteen  head  of  black 
cattle  at  pasture  there. 

That  the  defensive  works  had  not  been  so  com- 
pletely razed  as  the  Parliament  of  1567  ordained, 
seems  apparent  from  the  following  passage  in 
Boswell's  work  : — "  The  fort  with  an  inscription  on 
it,  Maria  Re  1504  (?),  is  strongly  built." 

Dr.  Johnson  examined  it  with  much  attention. 
"  He  stalked  like  a  giant  among  the  luxuriant  thistles 
and  nettles.  There  are  three  wells  in  the  island, 
but  we  could  not  find  one  in  the  fort.  There  must 
probably  have  been  one,  though  now  filled  up,  as 

a  garrison  could  not  subsist  without  it 

When  we  got  into  our  boat  again,  he  called  to  me. 
'Come,  now,  pay  a  classical  compliment  to  the 
island  on  quitting  it.'  I  happened,  luckily,  in  allu- 
sion to  the  beautiful  Queen  Mary,  whose  name  is 
on  the  fort,  to  think  of  what  Virgil  makes  yEneas 
say  on  having  left  the  country  of  the  charming 
Dido  :— 

'  Invitus,  regina,  tuo  littore  cessi.' 

'  Unhappy  Queen, 

Unwilling  I  forsook  your  friendly  state.'  " 

Boswell  was  in  error  about  the  date  on  the  stone, 
and  showed  a  strange  ignorance  of  the  history  of 
his  own  country,  as  Mary  was  not  born  till  1542  ; 
and  there  now  remains,  built  into  the  wall  of  the 
courtyard  round  the  lighthouse,  and  immediately 
above  the  gateway  thereof,  a  stone  bearing  the 
royal  arms  of  Scotland  with  the  date  1564. 

There  are  now  no  other  remains  of  the  old  forti- 
fications, though  no  doubt  all  the  stones  and 
material  of  them  were  used  in  building  the 
somewhat  extensive  range  of  houses,  stores,  and 
retaining  walls  connected  with  the  light-house.  If 
the  fort  was  still  strong,  as  Boswell  asserts,  in  1773, 
it  is  strange  that  the  works  were  not  turned  to  some 
account,  when  Admiral  Fourbin  was  off  the  coast 
in  1708,  and  during  the  advent  of  Paul  Jones  in 

1779- 

We  first  hear  of  the  new  channel  adjoining  the 
island  in  September,  i8or,  when  the  newspapers 
relate  that  the  Wrights,  armed  ship  of  Leith, 
Captain  Campbell,  commander,  and  the  Safeguard, 
gun-vessel, under  Lieutenant  Shields,  the  former  with 
a  convoy  for  Hamburg,  and  the  latter  with  a  convoy 
for  the  Baltic,  in  all  one  hundred  sail,  put  to  sea 
together,  passing  "  through  the  new  channel  to  the 
southward  of  the  island,  which  has  lately  been 
buoyed  and  rendered  navigable  by  order  of  Govern- 
ment, for  the  greater  safety  of  His  Majesty's  ships 
entering  the  Firth  of  Forth.  This  passage  which 
is  also  found  to  be  of  the  greatest  utility  to  the 
trade  of  Leith,  and  ports  higher  up  the  Firth,  has 


292 


OLD   AND    NEW   EDINBURGH. 


greatly  enhanced  the  beauty  and  grandeur  of  this 
interesting  prospect  by  bringing  the  ships  so  much 
nearer  to  this  coast,  and  consequently  so  much 
more  within  the  immediate  view  of  the  metropolis 
and  its  environs."     {Herald  and  Chronicle.) 

From  this  it  would  appear  that,  prior  to  1801, 
all  vessels  leaving  the  Firth  from  Leith  and  above 
it,  must  have  taken  the  other  channel,  north  of 
Inchkeith. 

With  the  exception  of  erecting  the  now  almost 
useless  Martello  tower,  Government  never  made 
any  effort  of  consequence  to  defend  Leith  or  any 
other  port  in  Scotland  ;  thus  it  was  said  that  Napo- 
leon I.,  aware  of  the  open  and  helpless  condition 
of  the  entire  Scottish  coast,  projected  at  one  time 
the  landing  of  an  invading  army  in  Aberlady  Bay  ; 
but  in  defiance  of  the  recommendation  and  urgent 
entreaty  of  many  eminent  engineers  and  military 
officers,  that  Inchkeith,  the  natural  bulwark  of  the 
Forth,  and  more  particularly  of  the  port  of  Leith, 
should  be  fortified,  the  British  Government  let  a 
hundred  years,  from  the  time  of  the  pitiful  Paul 
Jones  scare,  elapse,  "  leaving,"  as  the  Scotsman  of 
1S78  has  it,  "the  safety  of  the  only  harbour  of 
refuge  on  the  east  coast,  and  the  wealthiest  and 
most  commanding  cities  and  towns  of  Scotland  'to 
the  effectual  fervent  prayers  '  of  'longshore  parish 
ministers." 

For  five  and  twenty  years  the  Corporations  of 
Edinburgh  and  Leith,  the  Merchant  Company,  the 
Chambers  of  Commerce  and  other  public  bodies, 
urged  the  necessary  defence  of  Leith  in  vain. 

Shortly  before  the  Crimean  war,  the  apathetic 
authorities  were  temporarily  roused  by  the  number 
of  petitions  that  poured  in  upon  them,  and  by 
frequent  deputations  from  Fifeshire  as  well  as 
Midlothian,  and  slowly  and  unwillingly  they 
agreed  to  proceed  with  the  fortification  of  Inch- 
keith. 

Colonel  John  Yerbury  Moggridge,  of  the  Royal 
Engineers  in  Scotland,  was  instructed  to  visit  the 
island  and  prepare  plans,  in  1878,  based  upon 
sketches  and  suggestions,  furnished  some  twenty 
years  before,  and  a  commencement  was  made  in 
the  summer  of  that  year,  the  work  being  entrusted 
to  Messrs.  Hill  and  Co.,  of  Gosport,  the  contractors 
who  built  most  of  the  powerful  fortifications  at 
Portsmouth  and  Spithead. 

In  shape  Inchkeith  may  be  described  as  an  irre- 
gular triangle,  with  its  longest  side  parallel  to  the 
shore  at  Leith.  Three  jutting  promontories  form 
the  angles — one  looking  up  the  Firth  at  the  west 
end  is  above  a  hundred  feet  in  height ;  another 
faces  the  direction  of  Kinghorn,  and  is  fifty  feet 
less  in  altitude  ;  the  third,  facing  the  south  or  Leith 


quarter,  shows  a  more  rounded  outline  than  the 
other  two. 

On  these  it  was  suggested  the  forts  should  be 
built,  and  connected  together  by  a  military  road  a 
mile  and  a  half  long. 

The  workmen,  at  first  120  in  number,  were 
hutted  on  the  island  for  the  week,  and  only  came 
back  to  Leith  on  Saturday  night  to  return  to  their 
labour  on  the  Monday  morning.  The  August  of 
1878  saw  Colonel  Moggridge  fairly  at  work,  and 
the  little  cove  or  landing-place  at  the  south-west 
quarter  of  the  island,  encumbered  with  piles  of 
rails,  tools,  tackling,  and  all  the  paraphernalia  of 
the  contractor,  while  the  operations  for  cutting  the 
military  road,  in  face  of  the  cliff,  ninety  feet  high, 
overhead,  were  at  once  proceeded  with. 

The  huts  of  the  workmen  were  double  lined 
wooden  houses,  covered  with  felt,  like  those  in 
Aldershot  camp,  and  were  situated  in  the  hollow 
between  the  lighthouse  hill  and  the  west  promon- 
tory. Around  the  interior  of  the  huts  were  sleeping 
bunks  for  the  men,  ranged  in  three  tiers,  and  in  the 
centre  were  tables  on  each  side  of  a  cooking  stove. 
No  spirituous  liquor  was  allowed  to  be  landed. 
The  old  wells  were  all  cleaned  out  and  deepened, 
and  as  the  work  proceeded  the  aspect  of  the  whole 
western  face  of  the  island  changed  rapid!}-. 

The  men  worked  from  six  in  the  morning  till 
eight  in  the  evening,  with  two  hours  interval  for 
dinner  and  tea,  and  were  paid  extra  for  the  two 
hours  between  six  and  eight  o'clock  in  the 
evening. 

In  the  formation  of  the  military  road,  two  objects 
had  to  be  kept  in  view — easy  gradients,  and  as 
much  cover  as  possible  from  the  long  range  guns  of 
an  enemy  coming  up  the  Firth.  Thus,  the  path 
commences  at  the  north  emplacement,  and  bends 
westward  from  the  lighthouse  hill,  which  completely 
shelters  it  from  the  north  and 'west.  A  short  branch 
diverges  towards  the  western  battery,  but  the  main 
road,  eighteen  feet  wide,  is  carried  under  and  partly 
along  the  face  of  the  cliffs,  which  overlook  the 
cove,  where  alone  a  landing  could  be  effected  by 
an  armed  force ;  and  there,  no  doubt,  it  was  that 
Strozzi  was  slain,  when  the  island  was  stormed  by 
the  French. 

Trending  then  southwards,  the  road  passes  along 
a  small  plateau  facing  Leith  ;  and  beyond  it,  the 
steep  face  of  the  hill  has  been  cut  into,  and  the 
road  built  up,  till  it  emerges  on  the  comparatively 
level  southern  point.  The  whinstone  and  con- 
glomerate blasted  from  the  cuttings  were  utilised  in 
the  formation  of  seaward  parapets,  and  in  making 
the  foundation  of  the  road  solid  and  dry  to  bear  the 
heaviest  traffic. 


THE    FORTIFICATIONS. 


As  it  was  impossible  to  use  carts,  donkeys  with 
panniers  were  employed  for  the  conveyance  of 
light  materials.  The  forts  are  entirely  isolated  from 
the  island  by  a  deep  ditch,  twenty  feet  broad  and 
as  many  deep;  and,  fortunately,  the  natural  contour 
of  the  ground  selected  for  the  fortifications  enabled 
this  to  be  done  with  excellent  effect;  thus  each 
fort  can  be  held  and  defended  by  its  garrison,  even 
though  the  island  should  be  in  possession  of  an 
enemy. 


post  or  old  cannon,  to  form  the  pivot  of  the  plat- 
form of  the  gun  arming  the  battery — the  platform 
to  revolve  like  a  railway  turn-table,  so  that  the 
muzzle  of  the  gun  may  traverse  a  very  wide  area. 

In  rear  of  the  gun-platforms  are  the  magazines — 
that  in  the  north  battery  being  sunk  in  the  solid 
rock  many  feet  deep. 

From  each  fort  access  is  given  to  the  bottom  of 
the  ditch  by  a  covered  way  ;  and  from  the  ditch  to. 
the  mainland  by  a  flight  of  steps. 


Generally  speaking  the  exterior  slopes  of  the 
forts  follow  the  coast  lines  of  the  promontories,  and 
the  earth  of  which  they  are  formed  was  thoroughly 
compact  and  rammed  down  previous  to  being 
riveted  with  sods — stonework  never  being  em- 
ployed in  the  external  faces  of  modern  fortifica- 
tions, to  preclude  the  dangerous  chance  of  wounds 
inflicted  by  splinters  and  stone  shivers. 

The  parapet  walls  are  of  great  thickness,  and 
rise  about  four  feet  six  inches  above  the  floor  of  the 
interior  of  each  fort.  The  interior,  in  the  instance 
of  the  north  and  west  batteries,  takes  a  circular 
form,  and  the  floor  is  composed  of  a  solid  mass  of 
concrete  several  feet  thick.  In  the  centre  of  this 
concrete   is  sunk,  in  an  upright   position,  an   iron 


The  crest  of  the  west  headland  was  removed,  to 
permit  a  solid  concrete  foundation  being  laid  for  the 
gun-platform. 

By  July,  1 88 1,  the  Inchkeith  forts  were  com- 
pleted, and  ready  for  being  armed  with  their  guns. 

The  three  forts  mount  altogether  four  guns,  and 
have  been  constructed  at  advantageous  points,  and 
there  can  be  no  fear  of  an  enemy  ever  cutting  off 
the  supply  of  water,  as  it  gushes  plenteously  from 
the  rocks.  Each  fort  covers  a  space  of  between 
half  an  acre  and  an  acre  of  ground,  and  the  points 
chosen  for  them  are  of  the  first  strategetical 
importance. 

From  the  shape  of  the  isle  they  form  the  points 
of  an  irregular  triangle,  and  each  being  in  sight  of 


294 


OLD    AND     NEW    EDINBURGH. 


the  other,  the  garrisons  could  level  their  united  fire 
in  any  given  direction.  The  situation  of  No.  3, 
or  the  south-east  fort,  facing  Leith,  which  is  the 
largest  of  the  whole,  and  is  certainly  the  strongest, 
is  on  a  sloping,  turf-covered  plateau,  above  the 
peninsula  of  rock  which  runs  south-eastward 
through  the  island. 

It  will  mount  two  iS-ton  guns,  on  Moncrieff 
carriages,  and  be  able  to  bear  upon  any  vessel 
coming  westward,  or  attempting  to  traverse  the 
south  or  north  channels.  A  formidable  ditch 
separates  the  corner  in  which  it  stands  from  the 
rest  of  the  island,  and  the  summit  of  the  battery  is 
on  a  level  with  the  ground,  from  which  it  has  been 
excavated.  After  a  drawbridge  has  been  crossed, 
the  fort  is  entered  by  a  strong  iron  door,  leading 
into  a  covered  way.  Here  are  situated  the  only 
two  barrack-rooms  for  troops  that  have  as  yet  been 
erected  there. 

In  one  of  these  resides  a  sergeant  of  the  Coast 
Artillery,  and  in  the  other  the  three  gunners  under 
his  orders,  to  superintend  the  forts  in  the  mean- 
while. 

The  guns  are  placed  on  granite  platforms,  in  the 
centre  of  a  circle,  formed  by  a  bomb-proof  parapet, 
and  are  to  be  fired  en  barbette  over  the  slope,  and 
not  through  embrasures,  as  the}-  are  worked  on  the 
Moncrieff  swivel  principle,  which  permits  them  to  ! 
be  turned  so  as  to  sweep  any  point  within  three 
fourths  of  a  circle.  The  parapets,  which  are  very 
massively  constructed,  have  each  half  a  dozen  bomb- 
proof casemates,  in  which  the  artillerymen  who 
work  the  guns  may  seek  protection  with  ease  and 
safety. 

In  a  hollow  between  two  of  the  batteries  there 
has  been  constructed  a  bomb-proof  subterranean 
magazine,  in  which  to  store  shot,  live  shell,  and 
cartridges  for  the  service  of  the  guns.  The  walls 
and  roof  of  this  magazine  have  been  formed  of 
brick,  with  a  thick  layer  of  concrete,  and  such  a  , 
deep  covering  of  earth  that  any  attempt  from 
without  to  blow  it  up  must  prove  futile.  A  long  , 
stair,  winding  down  into  the  bowels  of  the  earth,  as 
it  were,  leads  to  where  the  materials  of  destruction 
are  stored. 

To  preclude  any  accident  which  might  lead  to 
the  explosion  of  a  magazine  from  within,  the  subter- 
ranean passages  which  lead  to  them,  and  are  quite 
dark,  are  lighted  by  a  very  simple  plan.  Along  the 
back  of  the  chambers  a  long  passage  has  been  con- 
structed, communication  with  which  is  obtained  by 
a  private  staircase.  In  this  passage  are  a  number 
of  windows,  one  into  each  of  the  chambers,  and 
whenever  the  batteries  should  happen  to  be  engaged 
a  man  would  be  sent  below  to  place    in  each  of 


the  windows  lighted  candles,  which  would  effectually 
light  up  the  chambers,  while  the  pane  of  glass 
would  prevent  all  peril  of  ignition. 

The  war  material  is  sent  up  by  a  lift  which  opens 
into  the  passage,  each  end  of  which  leads  to  a 
battery.  Close  to  each  of  the  latter,  and  somewhat 
beneath  them,  is  seen  a  covered  way,  facing  the 
sea,  loopholed  for  musketry,  in  case  of  the  near 
approach  of  enemy's  boats. 

This  passage  can  also  be  used  as  a  safe  caponnicre 
from  one  work  to  another,  and  as  a  place  for  the 
storage  of  arms. 

In  short,  more  perfect  batteries  of  the  kind  have 
not  as  yet  been  constructed.  The  whole  of  No.  3 
is  embedded,  as  it  were,  in  the  earth,  and  so  closely 
concealed  from  view  that  it  can  only  be  dis- 
covered by  a  practised  eye. 

The  other  two  forts  are  on  the  bluff  headlands  of 
the  northern  end  of  the  island.  That  to  the  north- 
west, known  as  No.  1  Battery,  will  amply  protect 
the  upper  portion  of  the  Eorth,  as  it  can  cover  the 
whole  channel  down  as  far  as  Prestonpans.  In 
construction  it  is  precisely  similar  to  No.  3,  but  is 
smaller  than  the  other,  having  accommodation  only 
for  one  gun  of  equal  weight  and  calibre. 

The  third  redoubt,  which  is  similar  to  No.  1, 
and  is  named  "  No  2,  North-east  Battery,"  occu- 
pies the  north  end  of  the  isle,  and  in  conjunction 
with  the  fort  on  Kinghorn-ness,  commands  the 
entire  north  channel. 

In  July,  1 88 1,  a  detachment  of  sixty  men  of  the 
Royal  Artillery  was  located  on  the  island  to 
receive  and  plant  the  four  18-ton  guns  in  their 
places,  and  found  temporary  quarters  in  tents 
pitched  in  a  sheltered  hollow  on  the  north-west.  It 
was  at  first  contemplated  to  erect  barracks,  for  the 
accommodation  of  a  garrison,  on  the  grassy  slope 
at  the  south  side  of  Inchkeith  ;  plans  were  pre- 
pared for  this,  and  the  foundations  were  actually 
dug,  but  the  usual  parsimony  of  Government  in 
Scottish  matters  prevailed,  and  the  order  was 
countermanded. 

To  complete  the  defence  of  the  Forth,  the  con- 
struction of  a  powerful  battery  was  begun,  in 
unison  with  the  Inchkeith  forts,  in  1878,  on  King- 
horn-ness, 150  yards  long  by  50  broad,  with  a  face 
to  the  beach,  which  at  that  point  runs  north-east 
and  south-west  at  right  angles  to  the  face  of  the 
north  emplacement  on  Inchkeith. 

The  graves  of  many  Russian  seamen,  who  were 
buried  on  the  isle  when  a  plague  was  on  board 
their  fleet  in  the  Roads  were  long  visible,  and  are 
referred  to  in  the  "  Reminiscences  "  of  Carlyle. 

In  1803  the  lighthouse  was  first  built  upon  Inch- 
keith.      It    was    then    a    stationary    one  ;    but    in 


OUR    LADY'S   PORT   OF   GRACE." 


295 


181 5  it  was  changed  to  a  revolving  light,  as  at 
present.  Its  elevation  is  235  feet  above  the  water- 
line. 

On  the  1st  October,  1835,  the  reflecting  light  was 
discontinued,  and  a  dioptric  light  was  put  in  its 
place.  It  consists  of  seven  annular  lenses,  which 
circulate  round  a  great  lamp  having  three  con- 
centric wicks  and  produce  brilliant  flashes  once  in 
every  minute,  and  of  five  rows  of  curved  mirrors, 
which,  being  fixed,  serve  to  prolong  the  duration 
of  the  flashes  from  the  lenses.  The  appearance  of 
the  new  light  does  not,  therefore,  differ  materially  | 


j  from  that  of  the  old  one— save  that  the  flashes 
which  recur  at  the  same  periods,  are  considerably 

,  more  brilliant,  and  of  shorter  duration.  In  clear 
weather  the   light  is  not  totally  eclipsed  between 

j  the  flashes  at  a  distance  of  four  or  five  miles,  and 
it  is  visible  at  the  distance  of  eighteen  nautical 
miles.  The  expense  of  this  lighthouse,  in  1S39  was 
^467    14s.   5d- 

The  old  light  of  1803,  with  all  its  apparatus,  was 
purchased  by  the  Government  of  Newfoundland, 
and  is  still  in  use  on  Cape  Spear,  near  the  Narrows 
of  St.  John. 


CHAPTER     XXV. 
NEW  HAVEN. 


ett  on  Edinburgh— James  IV.' 
Works  at  Newhaveh  in  the 
Chain  Pier— Dr.   Fairbaim— 1 


Dockyard      Hi.  ( iift  . 
Sixteenth    Century — T] 

il'    Fisliw  i\  us     Supur-ui 


I'.dinhur-h—  The  Gre 


•  Michael— Embarkation  of  Mary  of  Gu 
:ud  with  Prestonpans— The  Sea   Fencib 


It  may  not  be  uninteresting  to  quote  the    ideas  .1 
entertained  of  Edinburgh  by  an  English  visitor  in 
the  first  years  of  the  nineteenth  century,  as  he  was 
— in  his  time — considered  a  typical  John  Bull. 

"  I  now  come  back  to  this  delightful  and  beauti- 
ful city,"  wrote  William  Cobbett  in  his  Register. 
"  I  thought  Bristol,  taking  in  its  heights  and  Clifton  , 
•with  its  rocks  and  river,  was  the  finest  city  in  the 
world;  but  it  is  nothing  to  Edinburgh,  with  its 
■castle,  its  hills,  its  pretty  little  seaport  detached 
from  it,  its  vale  of  rich  land  lying  all  around,  its 
lofty  hills  in  the  background,  its  views  across  the 
Firth.  I  think  little  of  its  streets  and  its  rows  of 
fine  houses,  though  all  built  of  stone,  and  though 
everything  in  London  and  Bath  is  beggary  to  these  ; 
I  thing  nothing  of  Holyrood  House  ;  but  I  think  a 
great  deal  of  the  fine  and  well-ordered  streets  of 
shops  ;  of  the  regularity  which  you  perceive  every- 
where in  the  management  of  business  ;  and  I  think 
still  more  of  the  absence  of  that  foppishness  and 
that  affectation  of  carelessness  and  insolent  assump- 
tion of  superiority  in  almost  all  the  young  men  you 
meet  in  the  fashionable  parts  of  the  great  towns  in 
England.  I  was  not  disappointed,  for  I  expected 
to  find  Edinburgh  the   finest  city  in  the  kingdom. 

.  .  .  The  people,  however,  still  exceed  the 
place  ;  here  all  is  civility  ;  you  do  not  meet  with 
rudeness,  or  with  the  want  of  disposition  to  oblige, 
even  in  the  persons  of  the  lowest  state  of  life.  A 
friend  took  me  round  the  environs  of  the  city ;  he 
had  a  turnpike  ticket,  received  at  the  first  gate, 
which  cleared  five  or  six  gates.  It  was  sufficient 
for   him  to    tell   the   gate-keepers  that  he  had   it. 


When  I  saw  that,  I  said  to  myself,  '  Nota  bene  : 
gate  keepers  take  people's  word  in  Scotland,'  a  thing 
I  have  not  seen  before  since  I  left  Long  Island." 

Now  its  seaport  is  no  longer  "  detached,"  but  has 
become  an  integral  part  of  Edinburgh,  and  all  "  the 
vale  of  rich  land "  between  it  and  the  Forth  to 
Granton,  Trinity,  and  Newhaven,  is  covered  by  a 
network  of  fine  roads  and  avenues,  bordered  by 
handsome  villas. 

Newhaven  now  conjoined  to  Leith,  and  loiag 
deemed  only  a  considerable  fishing  village,  lies  two 
miles  north  of  Princes  Street,  and  yet  consists 
chiefly  of.  the  ancient  village  which  is  situated, 
quoad  civilia,  in  the  parish  of  North  Leith,  and 
whose  inhabitants  are  still  noted  as  a  distinct  com- 
munity, rarely  intermarrying  with  any  other  class. 
The  male  inhabitants  are  almost  entirely  fishermen, 
and  the  women  are  employed  in  selling  the  produce 
of  their  husbands'  industry  in  the  streets  of  the  city 
and  suburbs.  Intermarriage  seems  to  produce 
among  them  a  peculiar  cast  of  countenance  and 
physical  constitution.  The  women,  inured  to  out- 
door daily  labour  in  all  weathers,  are  robust,  active, 
and  remarkable  for  their  florid  complexions,  healthy 
figures,  and  regular  features,  as  for  the  singularity  of 
their  costume. 

In  the  fifteenth  century  this  village  was  designated 
"  Our  Lady's  Port  of  Grace,"  from  a  chapel  dedi- 
cated to  the  Virgin  Mary  and  St.  James,  some 
portions  of  which  still  exist  in  the  ancient  or 
unused  burial-ground  of  the  centre  of  the  village. 
The  nearly  entire  west  gable,  with  a  square  window 
in  it,   can  still  be  seen  in  the  Vennel,  a  narrow 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH 


ST.    JAMES'S    CHAPEL 


alley  which  lies  between  the  main  street  and  Pier 
Place. 

In  1506  James  IV.  erected  here  a  building-yard 
and  dock  for  ships  (the  depth  of  water  favouring  the 
plan),  besides  a  rope-walk  and  houses  for  the  accom- 
modation of  artisans.  Some  portions  of  the  Royal 
Roperie  were  visible  here  till  the  middle  of  the 
eighteenth  century  :  and  in  a  work  in  MS.  preserved 
in  the  Advocates'  Library  (a  Latin  description  of 
Lothian),  written  about  1640,  mention  is  made  of 


by  the  said  king,  on  the  sea  coast,  with  the  lands 
thereunto  belonging,  lying  between  the  chapel  of 
St.  Nicholas  (at  Leith)  and  Wierdy  Brae." 

This  charter  gave  the  community  of  Edinburgh 
free  and  common  passage  from  Leith  to  Newhaven, 
"  with  liberty  and  space  for  building  and  extending 
the  pier  and  bulwark  of  the  said  port,  and  unload- 
ing their  merchandise  and  goods  in  ships,  and  of 
unloading  the  same  upon  the  land,  and  to  fix  ropes 
on  the  shore  ;  from  the  sea-shore  of  the  said  port  to 


a  manufactory  of  ropes  and  cables  as  having  existed 
in  Newhaven  a  short  time  before  that  period. 

In  1508,  for  the  accommodation  of  his  ship- 
wrights and  others,  the  king  built  the  chapel.  It 
was  founded  on  the  8th  of  April ;  it  was  "  con- 
veyed "  into  the  hands  of  James  by  the  chaplain 
thereof,  Sir  James  Cowie,  "  Sir  "  being  then  the 
substitute  for  dominus,  when  designating  a  priest. 
Indeed,  James  IV.  seems  to  have  been  the  entire 
originator  of  Newhaven. 

In  15 10,  the  city  of  Edinburgh,  fearing  that  this 
new  seaport  might  prove  prejudicial  to  theirs  at 
Leith,  purchased  the  whole  place  from  the  king, 
whose  charter,  dated  at  Stirling,  9th  March  of  that 
year,  describes  it  as  "  the  new  haven  lately  made 
134 


the  inner  front  of  the  houses  of  the  South  Row, 
I  which  are  built  on  the  south  side  of  the  street  of  the 
said  port.  .  .  .  We  also  will  and  ordain  that 
they  uphold  the  bulwarks  and  other  defences  neces- 
sary for  receiving  and  protecting  the  ships  and 
vessels  riding  thereto,  for  the  good  and  benefit  of  us, 
our  kingdom  and  lieges."  (Burgh  Charters,  No. 
lxiv.) 

From  this  we  learn  that  in  15 10  Newhaven  had 
a  pier  and  at  least  one  street,  known  then,  as  now, 
by  the  name  of  South  Row.  Among  the  witnesses 
to  this  charter  are  Mathew,  Earl  of  Lennox,  Archi- 
bald, Earl  of  Argyle,  George,  Abbot  of  Holyrood, 
and  many  others. 

At  this  now  small  and  rather  obscure  harbour 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


there  was  built  and  launched,  in  15 11,  the  famous 
war-ship  of  James  IV.,  the  Great  Michael,  said  to 
have  been  the  largest  vessel  that,  in  those  days,  had 
ever  floated  on  the  sea.  Jacques  Tarette  was  the 
builder  or  naval  architect,  and  certainly  he  left 
nothing  undone  to  gratify  the  desire  of  James  to 
possess  the  greatest  and  most  magnificent  ship  in 
the  world.  "The  fame  of  this  ship  spread  over 
Europe,"  says  Buchanan,  "  and  emulous  ot  the 
King  of  Scotland,  Francis  I.  and  Henry  VIII. 
endeavoured  to  outvie  each  other  in  building  two 
enormous  arks,  which  were  so  unwieldy  that  they 
floated  on  the  water  useless  and  immovable,  like 
islands."  This  extraordinary  vessel  is  said  to  have 
been  sometimes  confounded  in  history  with  another 
huge  argosy,  built  in  the  preceding  reign  by  Ken- 
nedy, Bishop  of  St.  Andrews,  and  known  as  the 
Bishop's  Barge.  But  the  latter  was  purely  a 
merchant  vessel,  and  was  wrecked  and  pillaged 
on  the  coast  of  England  about  1474,  whereas  the 
Great  Michael was  in  all  respects  a  formidable  ship 
of  war,  and  she  may  with  some  truth  be  claimed  as 
the  first  "armour-clad,"  as  amidships  her  sides  were 
padded  with  solid  oak  ten  feet  thick.  She  cost 
^30,000,  an  enormous  sum  in  those  days;  but 
James  IV.  was  lavish  in  his  ship-building,  and 
among  his  many  brilliant  and  romantic  schemes 
actually  planned  a  voyage  to  the  Mediterranean, 
with  a  Scottish  fleet,  to  visit  Jerusalem. 

Lindesay  of  Pitscottie  says  that  this  enormous 
vessel  required  for  her  construction  so  much  timber 
that,  save  Falkland,  she  consumed  all  the  oak 
wood  in  Fife  and  all  that  came  out  of  Norway. 
She  was  240  feet  long  by  36  feet  wide,  inside 
measurement,  and  10  feet  thick  in  the  walls.  She 
was  armed  with  many  heavy  guns,  and  "  three 
great  bassils,  two  behind  in  her  dock  (stern)  and 
one  before,"  and  no  less  than  300  "  shot  of  small 
artillery,"  that  is  to  say,  "  moyennes,  falcons,  quarter 
falcons,  slings,  pestilent  serpentines,  and  double 
dags,  with  hacbuts,  culverins,  cross-bows  and  hand- 
bows."  She  had  300  mariners,  120  cannoniers,  and 
1,000  soldiers,  with  their  captains  and  quarter- 
masters. At  Tullibardine  her  dimensions  were 
long  to  be  seen,  planted  in  hawthorn,  by  Jacques 
Tarette,  "  the  Wright  that  helped  to  make  her,"  adds 
Pitscottie.  "As  for  other  properties  of  her,  Sir 
Andrew  Wood  is  my  author,  who  was  quarter- 
master of  her,  and  Robert  Barton,  who  was  master 
skipper.  The  ship  lay  still  in  the  Roads  of  Leith, 
the  King  every  day  taking  pleasure  to  pass  her,  and 
to  dine  and  sup  in  her  with  his  lords,  letting  them 
see  the  order  of  his  ship." 

The  ambassador  of  Henry  VIII.  also  gives  a 
description  of  the  Michael,  but  merely  says  she  had 


"  sixteen  pieces  of  great  ordnance  on  each  side," 
besides  many  more  of  smaller  calibre.  Shortly 
before  the  formal  declaration  of  war  against  England, 
the  Governor  of  Berwick,  in  writing  to  Henry  VIII. 
concerning  the  designs  of  his  brother-in-law,  stated 
that  the  King  of  Scotland  intended  to  lead  the 
fleet  against  England  himself,  leaving  his  generals 
to  lead  the  army  :  and  had  he  done  so,  the  tale  of 
Flodden  field  had  perhaps  been  a  different  and 
less  sorrowful  one. 

In  1 5 10  Sir  Andrew  Wood  had  been  created 
"  Admiral  of  the  Seas,"  by  James  IV  ;  thus,  when 
appointed  to  the  Great  Michael  in  the  following 
year  it  must  have  been  in  the  capacity  of  com- 
mander and  not  "  quartermaster,"  as  the  garrulous 
Pitscottie  has  it.  Buchanan  asserts  that  the  great 
ship  was  suffered  to  rot  in  the  harbour  of  Brest ;  it 
may  have  done  so  eventually ;  but  it  is  now  as- 
certained that  in  April,  1514,  she  was  sold  to  Louis 
XII.  by  the  Duke  of  Albany,  in  the  name  of  the 
Scottish  Government,  for  the  sum  of  forty  thousand 
livres.  Two  other  Scottish  war-ships,  the  Janus 
and  Margaret,  were  sold  at  the  same  time". 

The  chapel  at  Newhaven  appears  to  have  been  a 
dependency  of  thePreceptory  of  St.  Anthonyat  Leith. 
In  16 14,  with  its  grounds,  it  was  conveyed  in  the 
same  charter  with  the  latter,  to  the  Kirk  Session 
of  South  Leith,  by  James  VI.,  and  they  are  de- 
scribed, "  all  that  place  and  piece  of  ground 
whereon  the  Chapel  of  St.  James,  anciently  called 
the  Virgin  Mary  of  Newhaven  stood,  lying  within 
the  town  of  Newhaven  and  our  sheriffwick  of 
Edinburgh." 

They  now  form  a  portion  of  the  North  Leith 
parish,  as  stated.  When  the  chapel  became  a  ruin 
is  unknown.  The  area  is  now  included  in  the 
Fishermen's  burying-ground,  which  contains  no 
tombstones  save  one  to  an  inhabitant  of  Edinburgh, 
and  has  been  long  unused. 

Early  in  September,  1550,  there  came  to  anchor 
off  Newhaven  sixty  stately  galleys  and  other  ships, 
under  the  command  of  Strozzi,  Prior  of  Capua,  and 
there  the  queen  mother  embarked  to  visit  her 
daughter  Mary  in  France.  On  this  occasion  she 
was  accompanied  by  a  brilliant  train,  including  the 
Earls  of  Huntly,  Cassillis,  Sutherland,  and  Maris- 
chal ;  the  Prior  of  St.  Andrews  (the  Regent  Moray 
of  the  future),  the  Lords  Home,  Fleming,  and 
Maxwell,  the  Bishops  of  Caithness  and  Galloway ; 
three  of  her  French  commanders  from  Leith,  Paul 
de  Thermes,  Biron,  La  Chapelle,  the  French  Am- 
bassador, General  D'Osell,  and  many  ladies,  with 
whom,  after  being  forced  to  take  refuge  from  storms 
in  more  than  one  English  port,  she  landed  at 
Dieppe  on  the  19th  of  the  same  month. 


HISTORICAL    ASSOCIATIONS. 


299 


Newhaven  was  deemed  a  place  of  much  more 
importance  in  those  days  than  it  has  been  in  sub- 
sequent times. 

Thus,  in  1554,  the  works  then  occupied  the 
attention  of  the  Provost  and  Council  repeatedly. 
In  February  that  year  ^500  was  given  for  timber 
to  repair  the  harbour,  to  be  taken  with  a  portion 
of  the  tax  laid  on  the  town  for  building  forts  upon 
the  Borders;  and  in  1555  we  read  of  timber  again 
for  Newhaven,  brought  there  by  Robert  Quintin, 
but  which  was  sold  by  the  advice  of  Sir  William 
Macdowall,  master  of  the  works.  ("Burgh  Records.") 

In  the  Burgh  Account,  under  date  1554-5,  we 
find  some  references  to  the  locality,  thus  > — 

"Item,  the  vj  day  of  July,  1555,  for  cords  to 
bind  and  hang  the  four  Inglismen  at  Leyth  and 
Newhaven,  iijs. 

"  Item,  geven  to  Gorge  Tod,  Adam  Purves,  and 
ane  servand,  to  mak  ane  gibbet  at  Newhaven,  in 
haist  and  evil  wedder  (weather),  yjs. 

"  Item,  for  garroun  and  plansheour  naillis,  xxd. 

"  Item,  for  drink  to  them  at  Newhaven,  vj'1. 

"  Item,  to  twa  workmen  to  beir  the  wrychtis 
lomis  to  the  Newhevin  and  up  again,  and  to  beir 
the  work  and  set  up  the  gibbet,  xx'1." 

In  the  same  year  extensive  works  seem  to  have 
been  in  operation,  as,  by  the  Burgh  Accounts, 
they  appear  to  have  extended  from  August  to 
November,  under  Robert  Quintin,  master  of  the 
works.  The  entries  for  masons'  wages,  timber 
work,  wrights'  wages,  "  on  Saiterday  at  evin  to  thair 
supperis,"  are  given  in  regular  order.  John  Arduthy 
in  Leith  seems  to  have  contracted  for  the  "  stan- 
darts  to  the  foir  face  of  the  Newhevin ; "  and  for 
the  crane  there,  eighteen  fathoms  of  " Danskin  tow" 
(rope),  were  purchased  from  Peter  Turnett's  wife, 
at  tenpence  the  fathom. 

John  Ahannay  and  George  Bennet  did  the  smith- 
work  at  the  crane,  bulwarks,  and  worklooms.  The 
works  at  Newhaven,  commenced  in  August,  1555, 
under  John  Preston,  as  City  Treasurer,  were  con- 
t'nued  till  the  middle  of  December  eventually,  under 
Sir  John  Wilson,  "master  of  work  at  the  Newhevin,'' 
when  they  were  suspended  during  winter  and  re- 
sumed in  the  spring  of  1556  ;  and  "  drink  silver," 
to  all  the  various  trades  engaged,  figures  amply 
among  the  items.     ("  Burgh  Accounts.") 

In  1573  the  Links  of  Newhaven  were  let  by  the 
city,  at  an  annual  rent  of  thirty  merks  per  annum 
as  grazing  ground,  thus  showing  that  they  must 
then  have  been  about  the  extent  of  those  at  Leith. 
In  1595  they  only  produced  six  merks,  and  from 
this  rapid  fall  Maitland  supposes  that  the  sea  had 
made  extensive  encroachments  on  the  ground  ;  and 
as  they  are  now  nearly  swept  away,  save  a  space 


500  yards  by  250,  at  the  foot  of  the  Whale  Brae, 
we  may  presume  that  his  conjecture  was  a  correct 
one. 

Kincaid  states  that  at  one  period  Newhaven  had 
Links  both  to  the  east  and  west  of  it.  Even 
the  road  that  must  have  bordered  the  east  Links 
was  swept  away,  and  for  years  a  perilous  hole, 
known  as  the  "  Man-trap,"  remained  in  the  place — 
a  hole  in  which,  till  recently,  many  a  limb  was 
fractured  and  many  a  life  lost. 

In  one  of  the  oldest  houses  in  Newhaven,  nearly 
opposite  the  burial-ground,  there  is  a  large  sculp- 
tured pediment  of  remarkable  appearance.  It  is 
surmounted  by  a  thistle,  with  the  motto  Nemo  me- 
impune  lacessit,  on  a  scroll,  and  the  date  1588,  a 
three-masted  ship,  with  the  Scottish  ensign  at  each 
truck,  pierced  for  sixteen  guns,  and  below  the 
motto,  in  Roman  letters, 

IN    THE   NEAM    OF   GOD. 

Below  this  again  is  a  deeply-cut  square  panel, 
decorated  with  a  pair  of  globes,  a  quadrant,  cross, 
staff,  and  anchor ;  and  beneath  these  part  of  the 
motto  "  Virtute  sydera  "  may,  upon  very  close  exa- 
mination, still  be  deciphered ;  but  the  history  of 
the  stone,  or  of  the  house  to  which  it  belonged,  is 
unknown. 

Some  hollows  near  the  place  were  known  as  the 
Fairy  Holes,  and  they  are  mentioned  in  the  indict- 
ment of  Eufame  McCulzane  for  witchcraft,  who  is 
stated  to  have  attended  a  convention  of  witches 
there  in  1591,  and  also  at  others  called  the  "Brume 
Hoillis,"  where  she  and  many  other  witches,  with 
the  devil  in  company,  put  to  sea  in  riddles. 

In  1630  and  1631  we  find  from  "  Durie's  Deci- 
sions," James  Drummond,  tacksman  to  the  Lord 
Holyroodhouse,  of  the  Tiend  Fishes  of  New- 
haven, "  pursuing  spulzie  "  against  the  fishers  there. 
The  year  1630  was  the  first  year  of  the  tack,  and 
the  fishermen  alleged  that  they  had  been  in  use  to 
pay  a  particular  duty,  that  was  condescended  on, 
"  of  all  years  preceding  this  year  now  acclaimed." 
The  Lords  found  there  was  no  necessity  to  grant 
an  inhibition,  and  reserved  to  themselves  the  modi- 
fication of  the  duty  or  quantity  to  be  paid. 

Newhaven  gave  the  title  of  Viscount  to  an 
English  family  who  never  had  any  connection  with 
the  place,  when  in  1681  Charles  II.  raised  to  the 
peerage  of  Scotland  Charles  Cheyne,  of  Cogenho, 
in  Middlesex  (descended  from  an  ancient  family  in 
Buckinghamshire),  with  the  titles  of  "  Lord  Cheyne 
and  Viscount  Newhaven,  near  Leith,  in  the  county 
of  Midlothian,"  by  patent  dated  at  Windsor.  His 
s.n,  the  second  Viscount  Newhaven,  who  was 
appointed    Lord   Lieutenant  of  Bucks  by  Queen. 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


Anne  in  171 2,  lost  the  office  on  the  accession  of 
the  House  of  Hanover,  and,  dying  without  heirs,  in 
1728,  the  title  became  extinct. 

We  read  of  a  ropework  having  been  established 
here  about  the  period  of  the  Revolution  (very 
likely  on  the  site  of  the  old  one,  formed  by 
James  IV.  for  his  dockyard),  by  James  Deans, 
Bailie  of  the  Canongate,  and  one  of  his  sons,  who, 
however,  were  compelled  to  discontinue  it  for  want 
of  encouragement.      In   November,  1694,  another 


Prestonpans  about  the  right  to  certain  oyster  beds, 
which  the  former  claimed  as  tacksmen  of  the 
metropolis,  and  many  conflicts  in  the  Forth  ensued 
between  them.  One  of  them  is  recorded  in  the 
Gentleman's  Magazine,  under  date  March  22nd, 
1788,  thus:— 

"  On  Wednesday  a  sharp  contest  took  place  at 
the  back  of  the  Black  Rocks,  near  Leith  Harbour, 
between  a  boat's  crew  belonging  to  Newhaven  and 
another  belonging  to  Prestonpans,  occasioned  by 


of  his  sons,  Thomas  Deans,  "  expressed  himself  as  I 
disposed  to  venture  another  stock  in  the  same 
work,  at  the  same  place  or  some  other  equally  con-  | 
venient,  provided  he  should  have  it  endowed  with 
the  privileges  of  a  manufactory,  though  not  to  the 
exclusion  of  others  disposed  to  try  the  same  busi- 
ness. His  wishes  were  complied  with  by  the  Privy 
Council." 

In  the  year  17 10,  "  Evan  Macgregor,  of  New- 
haven,"  entailed  all  his  lands  there,  as  appears  from 
Shaw,  the  date  of  tailzie  being  given  as  August, 
1707. 

In  the  latter  years  of  the  eighteenth  century  a 
regular  feud — and  a  very  bitter  one — existed  be- 
tween the   fishermen  of  Newhaven  and  those    of 


the  latter's  dragging  oysters  on  the  ground  laid 
claim  to  by  the  former.  After  a  severe  conflict  for 
about  half  an  hour  with  their  oars,  boat-hooks,  etc., 
the  Newhaven  men  brought  in  the  Prestonpans 
boat  to  Newhaven,  after  many  being  hurt  on  both 
sides.  This  is  the  second  boat  taken  from  them  this 
season." 

In  1790  the  quarrel  took  a  judicial  form,  after 
five  fishermen  of  Prestonpans  had  been  im- 
prisoned for  dredging  oysters  near  Newhaven,  in 
defiance  of  an  interdict  issued  by  the  Judge- 
Admiral. 

"  For  more  than  a  year  past,"  it  was  stated,  "  a 
case  has  been  pending  in  the  Court  of  Admiralty 
between  sundry  fishermen  in  Newhaven,  as  tacks- 


EISHER    FEUD    WITH     PRESTC  >X  I'AXS. 


men  of  the  town  of  Edinburgh,  and  Lady  Green- 
wich, on  one  part,  and  certain  fishermen  of 
Prestonpans  on  the  other.  The  point  in  dispute  is 
certain  oyster  scalps,  to  which  each  party  claims  an 
exclusive  right.  Accusations  of  encroachment  were 
mutually  given  and  retorted.  At  dredging,  when 
the  parties  met,  much  altercation  and  abusive 
language  took  place — bloody  encounters  ensued, 
and   boats  were   captured    on 

both    sides A 

scarcity  of  fish  at  first  gave 
rise  to  these  disputes ;  but  it 
would  appear  that  the  com- 
batants fought  not  so  much 
for  ovsters  as  for  victory. 

"  The  Newhaven  fishermen 
contend  that  the  community  of 
Edinburgh,  whose  tacksmen 
they  are,  have  the  sole  right  to 
the  Green  Scalp  on  the  breast 
of  Inchkeith,  and  to  the 
beacon  grounds,  lying  oft"  the 
Black  Rocks.  To  instruct  this 
right  they  produce  a  notarial 
copy  of  a  charter  from  King 
James  VI.,  and  likewise  from 
Charles  I.,  in  1636,  wherein 
fishings  are  expressly  men- 
tioned. There  was  also  pro- 
duced a  charter  in  favour  of 
Lady  Greenwich,  in  which 
fishings  are  comprehended. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  Pres- 
tonpans fishers  contended  that 
the  Newhaven  men  have  en- 
croached on  the  north  shores, 
belonging  to  the  Earl  of  Mor- 
ton and  burgh  of  Burntisland, 
of  which  they  are  tacksmen. 
They  accordingly  produced  an  ^(Af^Tnr^l 

instrument  of  seisin  dated 
November  10,  1786,  in  virtue  of  which  his  lordship 
was  infeft,  inter  alia,  in  the  oyster  scalps  in  question. 
They  also  condescended  on  a  charter  granted  by 
King  James  VI.,  in  1585,  to  the  town  of  Burntisland, 
which  is  on  record,  and  which  they  say  establishes 
their  right.  They  funher  contend  that  the  magis- 
trates have  produced  no  proper  titles  to  prove 
their  exclusive  right  to  the  scalps  they  have  let  in 
tack  to  the  Newhaven  fishermen. 

"  The  charter  of  King  James  VI.  was  resigned 
by  the  town  in  the  time  of  Charles  I.,  and  the  new 
charter  granted  by  the  latter,  gives  no  right  to  the 
oyster  scalps  in  dispute.  The  word  '  fishings,'  in 
general,  is  not  contained  in  the  dispositive  clause, 


but  only  occurs   in    the   Taiendas,   like  hawkings, 
huntings,  or  other  words  of  style. 

"After  various  representations  to  the  Judge- 
Admiral,  his  lordship  pronounced  an  interlocutor, 
ordaining  both  parties  to  produce  their  prescriptive 
rights  to  their  fishings,  and  prohibited  them  from 
dredging  oysters  in  any  of  the  scalps  in  dispute  till 
the  issue  of  the  cause. 

"  A  petition  was  presented 
to  his  lordship  on  the  6th 
January,  1790,  by  the  New- 
haven fishers,  stating  that  by 
the  late  interdict  they  find 
themselves  deprived  of  the 
means  of  supporting  them- 
selves and  families,  while  the 
Prestonpans  fishers  are  pur- 
suing their  usual  employment 
by  dredging  on  other  scalps 
than  those  in  dispute,  and 
praying  his  lordship  would 
recall  or  modify  the  said  inter- 
dict ;  which  petition,  being 
served  on  the  agent  for  the 
east-country  fishers,  his  lord- 
ship, by  interlocutor  of  5th 
February  last,  'allowed  both 
parties  to  dredge  oysters  upon 
the  scalps  they  respectively 
pietended  right  to;  and  before 
going  to  fish  to  take  with  them 
any  of  the  six  sworn  pilots  at 
Leith,  to  direct  each  party 
where  they  should  fish,  to 
prevent  them  from  encroach- 
ing on  each  others'  scalps  or 
taking  up  the  seedlings.'  " 

Eventually    the    cause    was 

decided    by     the     Admiralty 

Court  (an  institution  which,  it 

may  be  incidentally  mentioned, 

was  abolished  in  defiance  of  the  principles  of  the 

Treaty  of  Union)  in  favour  of  the  Newhaven  men  ; 

but  each  party  had  to  pay  their  own  expenses. 

So  far  back  as  1789  we  begin  to  read  of  the 
encroachments  made  by  the  sea  in  this  quarter,  and 
probably  of  what  was  afterwards  so  long  known  as 
the  "  Man-trap,"  as  the  Advertiser  mentions  that  "a 
young  lady  coming  from  Newhaven  to  Leith  fell 
over  the  precipice  on  the  side  of  the  sea,"  and 
that  within  six  weeks  the  same  catastrophe  had 
befallen  four  others,  "  the  road  being  so  narrow 
and  dangerous  that  people  at  night  run  a  great  risk 
of  their  lives." 

It  was  not  till  1793  that  the  new  herring  fishery 


302 


OLD   AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


began  in  the  Firth  of  Forth,  and  it  is  not  very 
creditable  to  the  vigilance  of  the  fishermen  of  Fife, 
Newhaven,  and  elsewhere,  that  this  great  fund  of 
wealth  was  not  developed  earlier,  as  when  the 
herrings  left  the  shore  near  the  mouth  of  the  Firth 
it  was  supposed  they  had  taken  their  departure 
to  other  waters,  and  no  attempts  were  made  to 
seek  them  farther  up  the  estuary. 

The  discovery  was  made  accidentally  by  Thomas 
Brown,  near  Donnibristie,  who  had  been  for  years 
wont  to  fish  with  hook  and  line  for  haddocks  and 
podlies,  near  the  shore,  and  who  found  the 
herrings  in  such  numbers  that  he  took  them  up  in 
buckets.  In  1793  the  fishermen  of  the  Queensferry 
began  to  set  their  nets  with  a  result  that  astonished 
them,  though  twenty  years  before  it  had  been  re- 
ported to  them  in  vain  that  when  the  mainsail  of 
a  vessel  fell  overboard  in  Inverkeithing  Bay,  and 
was  hauled  in,  it  was  found  to  be  full  of  herrings. 
The  success  of  the  Queensferry  boats  excited  atten- 
tion generally,  and  this  fishery  has  been  followed  with 
perseverance  and  good  fortune,  not  only  by  the 
fishermen  of  Fife  and  Lothian,  but  of  all  the  east 
coast  of  Scotland. 

During  the  old  war  with  France  the  patriotism 
of  the  Newhaven  fishermen  was  prominent  on 
more  than  one  occasion,  and  they  were  among 
the  first  to  offer  their  services  as  a  marine  force 
to  guard  their  native  coast  against  the  enemy. 
So  much  was  this  appreciated  that  the  President 
of  the  "  Newhaven  Free  Fishermen's  Society," 
instituted,  it  is  said,  by  a  charter  of  James  VI., 
was  presented  with  a  handsome  silver  medal  and 
chain  by  the  Duke  of  Buccleuch,  in  presence 
of  several  county  gentlemen.  On  one  side  this 
medal,  which  is  still  preserved  at  Newhaven, 
bears  the  inscription  :—>:  In  testimony  of  the 
brave  and  patriotic  offer  of  the  fishermen  of  New- 
haven to  defend  the  coast  against  the  enemy, 
this  mark  of  approbation  was  voted  by  the  county 
of  Midlothian,  November  2nd,  1796."  On  the 
reverse  is  the  thistle,  with  the  national  motto,  and 
the  legend  Agmine  Remorum  Celeri. 

The  medal  the  box-master  wears,  in  virtue  of  his 
office,  when  the  Society  has  its  annual  procession 
through  Leith,  Edinburgh,  Granton,  and  Trinity. 
This  body  is  very  exclusive,  no  strangers  or  others 
than  lawful  descendants  of  members  inheriting 
the  privileges  of  membership — a  distinguishing 
feature  that  has  endured  for  ages.  The  Society  is 
governed  by  a  preses,  a  box-master,  secretary,  and 
fifteen  of  a  committee,  who  all  change  office 
annually,  except  the  secretary. 

Their  offer  of  service  in  1796  shows  that  they 
were  ready  to  fight  "  on  board  of  any  gunboat  or 


vessel  of  war  that  Government  might  appoint,"' 
between  the  Red  Head  of  Angus  and  St.  Abb's 
Head,  "and  to  go  farther  if  necessity  urges." 
This  offer  bears  the  names  of  fifty-nine  fishermen 
— names  familiar  to  Newhaven  in  the  present  day. 
In  the  January  of  the  following  year  the  Lord 
Provost  and  magistrates  proceeded  to  Newhaven 
and  presented  the  fishermen  with  a  handsome 
stand  of  colours  in  testimony  of  their  loyalty,  after 
a  suitable  prayer  by  the  venerable  Dr.  Johnston,  of 
North  Leith. 

Formed  now  into  Sea  Fencibles,  besides  keep- 
ing watch  and  ward  upon  the  coast,  in  1806  two 
hundred  of  them  volunteered  to  man  the  Texel,. 
sixty-four  guns,  under  Captain  Donald  Campbell, 
and  proceeding  to  sea  from  Leith  Roads,  gave 
chase  to  some  French  frigates,  by  which  the  coast 
of  Scotland  had  been  infested,  and  which  inflicted 
depredations  on  our  shipping.  For  this  service 
these  men  were  presented  by  the  city  of  Edin- 
burgh with  the  rather  paltry  gratuity  of  ,£250.  An 
autograph  letter  of  George  III.,  expressing  his  satis- 
faction at  their  loyalty,  was  long  preserved  by  the 
Society,  but  is  now  lost. 

With  the  Texel,  in  1807,  they  captured  the 
French  frigate  Neyden,  and  took  her  as  a  prize  into 
Yarmouth  Roads,  after  which  they  came  home  to 
Newhaven  with  great  eclat ;  and  for  years  after- 
wards it  was  the  pride  of  many  of  these  old  salts, 
who  are  now  sleeping  near  the  ruined  wall  of  Our 
Lady's  and  St.  James's  Chapel,  to  recur  to  the 
days  "when  /was  aboard  the  Texel." 

It  was  an  ancient  practice  of  the  magistrates  of 
Edinburgh,  by  way  of  denoting  the  jurisdiction  of 
the  city,  in  virtue  of  the  charter  of  James  IV., 
to  proceed  yearly  to  Newhaven,  and  drink  wine  in. 
the  open  space  called  the  square. 

When  a  dreadful  storm  visited  the  shores  of  the 
Firth,  in  October,  1797,  the  storm  bulwark  at 
Newhaven,  eastward  of  the  Leith  battery,  was  com- 
pletely torn  away,  and  large  boulders  were  "rolled 
towards  the  shore,  many  of  them  split,"  says  the 
Herald,  "  as  if  they  had  been  blown  up  by  gun- 
powder." 

The  road  between  Newhaven  and  Trinity  with 
its  sea-wall  was  totally  destroyed.  A  brig  laden  with 
hemp  and  iron  for  Deptford  Yard,  was  flung 
on  shore,  near  Trinity  Lodge.  This  must  have 
been  rather  an  ill-fated  craft,  as  the  same  journal 
states  that  she  had  recently  been  re-captured  by 
H.M.S.  Cobourg  in  the  North  Sea,  after  having 
been  taken  by  the  French  frigate,  Ripitblicainc. 
Another  vessel  was  blown  on  shore  near  Caroline 
Park,  and  the  Lord  Hood,  letter  of  marque,  was. 
warped  off,  with  assistance  from  Newhaven. 


REV.     DR.    FAIRBAIRN. 


3°3 


In  1S20  there  were  landed  at  the  old  stone 
pier  of  Newhaven,  John  Baird  and  fourteen  other 
prisoners,  "  Radicals "  who  had  been  taken  after 
the  skirmish  at  Bonny  Bridge,  by  the  10th  Hussars 
and  the  Stirlingshire  yeomanry.  They  had  been 
brought  by  water  from  the  castle  of  Stirling,  and 
were  conveyed  to  gaol  from  Newhaven  in  six  car- 
riages, escorted  by  a  macer  of  justiciary,  and  the 
detachment  of  a  Veteran  Battalion. 

In  the  following  year,  and  while  railways  were 
still  in  the  womb  of  the  future,  the  Scots  Maga- 
zine announces,  that  a  gentleman  who  had  left 
Belfast  on  a  Thursday,  "  reached  Glasgow  the 
same  evening,  and  embarked  on  board  the  Tourist 
(steamer)  at  Newhaven  on  Friday,  and  arrived  at 
Aberdeen  that  night.  Had  such  an  event  been 
predicted  -fifty  years  ago,  it  would  have  been  as 
■easy  to  make  people  believe  that  this  journey  would 
have  been  accomplished  by  means  of  a  balloon." 

About  five  hundred  yards  westward  of  the  stone 
pier,  a  chain  pier  was  constructed  in  the  year  1821, 
by  Captain  (afterwards  Sir  Samuel)  Brown,  of  the 
Royal  Navy,  at  the  cost  of  ,£4,000.  It  is  five 
hundred  feet  long,  four  feet  wide,  has  a  depth 
at  low  water  of  from  five  to  six  feet,  and  served 
for  the  use  of  the  steam  packets  to  Stirling, 
Queensferry,  and  other  places  above  and  below 
Leith;  yet,  being  unable  to  offer  accommodation  for 
the  bulky  steam  vessels  that  frequent  the  harbour 
of  the  latter  or  that  of  Granton,  it  is  now  chiefly 
used  by  bathers,  and  is  the  head-quarters  of  the 
Forth  swimming  club. 

It  was  opened  on  the  14th  of  October,  1821, 
and  was  afterwards  tested  by  a  weight  of  twenty- 
one  tons  placed  upon  the  different  points  of 
suspension.  In  1840  it  became  the  property  of 
the  Alloa  Steam  Packet  Company. 

In  1838  Newhaven  was  erected  into  a  quoad 
sacra  parish,  by  the  authority  of  the  Presbytery  of 
Edinburgh,  when  a  handsome  church  was  erected 
for  the  use  of  the  community,  from  a  design  by 
John  Henderson  of  Edinburgh. 

Near  it,  in  Main  Street,  is  the  Free  Church, 
designed  in  good  Gothic  style  by  James  A.  Hamil- 
ton of  Edinburgh,  an  elegant  feature  in  the  locality, 
but  chiefly  remarkable  for  the  ministry  of  the  late 
Rev.  Dr.  Fairbairn,  who  died  in  January,  1879 — 
a  man  who  came  of  a  notable  race,  as  the  well- 
known  engineers  of  the  same  name  were  his 
cousins,  as  was  also  Principal  Fairbairn  of  Glasgow. 
He  was  ordained  minister  at  Newhaven  in  1S38. 
The  great  majority  of  his  congregation  were  fisher- 
men and  their  families,  who  were  always  keenly 
sensible  of  the  mode  in  which  he  prayed  for  those 
who  were   exposed   to  the  dangers  of  the  deep. 


During  his  long  pastorate  these  prayers  were  a 
striking  feature  in  his  ministrations,  and  Charles 
Reade,  while  residing  in  the  neighbourhood,  fre- 
quently attended  Newhaven  Free  Church,  and  has, 
in  his  novel  of  "  Christie  Johnstone,"  given  a  life- 
like portrait  of  his  demeanour  when  administering 
consolation,  after  a  case  of  drowning. 

Perhaps  the  most  useful  of  this  amiable  old 
pastor's  philanthropic  schemes  was  that  of  the 
reconstruction  of  the  Newhaven  fishing  fleet.  He 
perceived  early  that  the  boats  in  use  were  wholly 
unsuited  for  modern  requirements,  and  some  years 
before  his  death  he  propounded  a  plan  for  re- 
placing them  by  others  having  decks,  bunks,  and 
other  compartments.  As  soon  as  a  crew  came  for- 
ward with  a  portion  of  the  money  required,  Dr.  Fair- 
bairn had  no  difficulty  in  getting  the  remainder 
advanced.  Thirty-three  large  new  boats,  each 
costing  about  £250,  with  as  much  more  for  fishing 
gear,  were  the  result -of  his  kindly  labours.  They 
have  all  been  prosperous,  and  hundreds  of  the 
inhabitants  of  Newhaven,  when  they  stood  around 
his  grave,  remembered  what  they  owed  to  the 
large-hearted  and  prudent  benevolence  of  this  old 
minister. 

In  1864  a  local  committee  was  appointed  for 
the  purpose  of  erecting  a  breakwater  on  the  west 
side  of  the  present  pier,  so  as  to  form  a  harbour 
for  the  fishing  craft.  Plans  and  specifications 
were  prepared  by  Messrs.  Stevenson,  engineers, 
Edinburgh,  and  the  work  was  estimated  at  the 
probable  cost  of  .£5,000  ;  and  while  soliciting  aid 
from  the  Board  of  Fisheries,  the  Board  of  Trade, 
and  the. magistrates  of  Edinburgh,  the  fishermen 
honourably  and  promptly  volunteered  to  convey 
all  the  stonework  necessary  in  their  boats  or  other- 
wise from  the  quarry  at  Queensferry. 

The  fishermen  of  Newhaven  rarely  intermarry 
with  the  women  of  other  fisher  communities  ;  and 
a  woman  of  any  other  class,  unacquainted  with  the 
cobbling  of  nets,  baiting  and  preparation  of  lines, 
the  occasional  use  of  a  tiller  or  oar,  would  be  use- 
less as  a  fisherman's  wife  ;  hence  their  continued 
intermarriages  cause  no  small  confusion  in  the 
nomenclature  of  this  remarkable  set  of  people. 

The  peculiar  melodious  and  beautiful  cry  of  the 
Newhaven  oyster-woman — the  last  of  the  quaint 
old  Edinburgh  street  cries — is  well  known  ;  and  so 
also  is  their  costume;  yet,  as  in  time  it  may  become 
a  thing  of  the  past,  we  may  give  a  brief  description 
of  it  here.  "A  cap  of  linen  or  cotton,"  says  a 
writer  in  Chambers's  Edinburgh  Journal,  "sur- 
mounted by  a  stout  napkin  tied  below  the  chin, 
composes  the  investiture  of  the  hood ;  the  showy 
structures  wherewith   other   females   are   adorned 


3°4 


OLD    AND     NEW    EDINBURGH. 


being  inadmissible  from  the  broad  belt  which  sup- 
ports the  creel,  that  is,  fish-basket,  crossing  the 
forehead.  A  sort  of  woollen  pea-jacket  with  vast 
amplitude  of  skirt,  conceals  the  upper  part  of  the 
person,  relieved  at  the  throat  by  a  liberal  display 
of  handkerchief.     The  under  part  of  the  figure  is 


endued  upon  a  masculine  but  handsome  form,  not- 
withstanding the  slight  stoop  forward,  which  is 
almost  uniformly  contracted — fancy  the  firm  and 
elastic  step,  the  toes  slightly  inclined  inwards— 
and  the  ruddy  complexion  resulting  from  hard 
exercise,  and  you  have  the  beau  ideal  of  fishwives." 


!i '"   '  ]    ]^m:.} ; 


Kfl 


REV.    DR.    FAIRBAIRN.      (After  a  Photograph  by  J. 


invested  with  a  voluminous  quantity  of  petticoat, 
of  substantial  material  and  gaudy  colour,  generally 
yellow  with  stripes,  so  made  as  to  admit  of  a  very 
free  inspection  of  the  ankle,  and  worn  in  such 
numbers  that  the  bare  mention  of  them  would  be 
enough  to  make  a  fine  lady  faint.  One  half  of 
these  ample  garments  is  gathered  over  the  haunches, 
puffing  out  the  figure  in  an  unusual  and  uncouth 
manner.  White  worsted  stockings  and  stout  shoes 
complete  the  picture.     Imagine  these  investments 


The  unmarried  girls  when  pursuing  the  trade  of 
hawking  fish  wear  the  same  costume,  save  that 
their  heads  are  always  bare. 

The  Buckhaven  fisher  people  on  the  opposite 
coast  are  said  to  derive  their  origin  from  Flemish 
settlers,  and  yet  adhere  to  the  wide  trousers  and 
long  boots  of  the  Netherlands ;  but  there  is  no 
reason  for  supposing  that  those  of  Newhaven  or 
Fisherrow  are  descended  from  any  other  than  a 
good  old  Scottish  stock. 


FISHER   SUPERSTITIONS. 


30S 


"  Dwelling  only  a  few  bow-shots  from  the  metro-  ,  or  if  so,  in  veiled  language.  To  think  of  dogs  is 
polis  of  an  ancient  kingdom,  this  people  remain  unlucky  ;  of  hares,  terrible  !  Should  a  reference 
isolated,"  says  a  writer  in  1865 — "  apart — distinct     be  made  to  a  "  minister  "  as  such,  vague  and  unde- 


NEWHAVEN    1  1S11 WIY I .-.  ==Sb£       -- 

in  costume,  and  dialect  in   manners      ^gfe  *™^ 
and   mode  of   thinking.     The    cus-      — EST 
toms,    laws,    and    traditions    of    their    forefathers  ' 
appear  as  if  they  had  been  stereotyped  for  their 
use." 

They  believe  in  many  of  the  whimsical  and  ideal 
terrors  of  past  generations,  and  have  many  super- 
stitions that  are  not,  perhaps,  entirely  their  own. 
While  at  sea,  if  the  idea  of  a  cat  or  a  pig  float 
across  the  mind,  their  names  must  not  lie  uttered,  | 
135 


^  fined  terror  fills  every  bronzed  visage, 

as   he   should   be   spoken  of  only  as 

"the  man  in  the  black  coat;"  and  Friday  is  an 

unlucky  day  for  everything  but  getting  married; 

and  to  talk  of  a   certain   man   named   Brounger 

is — according    to    the     writer     quoted — sure     to 

produce  consternation. 

John  Brounger  was  an  old  fisherman  of  New- 
haven,  who,  when  too  feeble  to  go  to  sea,  used  to 
ask  for  some  oysters  or  fish  from  his  neighbours  on 
their  return,  and  if  not  amply  supplied,  he  cursed 
them,  and  wished  them — on  their  next  trip — "ill- 


306 


OLD   AND    NEW   EDINBURGH. 


luck,"  and  it  sometimes  came  :  to  propitiate  him, 
his  moderate  demands  became,  ere  he  died,  an 
established  claim.  Hence  it  would  seem  that  now 
to  say  to  a  crew  at  sea,  "John  Brounger's  in  your 
head-sheets,"  or  "  on  board  of  you,"  is  sufficient  to 
cause  her  crew  to  haul  in  the  dredge,  ship  their 
oars,  and  pull  the  boat  thrice  round  in  a  circle,  to 
break  the  evil  spell,  and  enough  sometimes  to  make 
the  crew  abandon  work. 

But  apart  from  such  fancies,  the  industrious 
fishermen  of  Newhaven  still  possess  the  noble 
qualities  ascribed  to  them  by  the  historian  of 
Leith,  in  the  days  when  old  Dr.  Johnston  was 
their  pastor  :  "  It  was  no  sight  of  ordinary  interest 
to  see  the  stern  and  weather-beaten  faces  of  these 
hardy  seamen  subdued  by  the  influence  of  religious 
feeling  into  an  expression  of  deep  reverence  and 
humility,  before  their  God.  Their  devotion  seemed 


to  have  acquired  an  additional  solemnity  of  cha- 
.  racter,  from  a  consciousness  of  the  peculiarly 
hazardous  nature  of  their  occupation,  which, 
throwing  them  immediately  and  sensibly  on  the 
i  protection  of  their  Creator  every  day  of  their  lives, 
had  imbued  them  with  a  deep  sense  of  gratitude  to 
that  Being,  whose  outstretched  arm  had  conducted 
their  little  bark  in  safety  through  a  hundred  storms." 
|  In  the  first  years  of  the  present  century  there 
was  a  Newhaven  stage,  advertised  daily  to  start 
from  William  Bell's  coach-office,  opposite  the  Tron 
church,  at  ten  a.m.,  three  and  eight  p.m. 

We  need  scarcely  add,  that  Newhaven  has  long 
been  celebrated  for  the  excellence  and  variety  of 
its  fish  dinners,  served  up  in  more  than  one  old- 
fashioned  inn,  the  best  known  of  which  was,  per- 
haps, near  the  foot  of  the  slope  called  the  Whale 
Brae. 


CHAPTER     XXXVI. 
YVARDIE,    TRINITY,    AND    GRANTON. 


V'ardie  Muir- Hu 


Wardie  Muir  must  once  have  been  a  wide,  open, 
and  desolate  space,  extending  from  Inveiieith  and 
Warriston  to  the  shore  of  the  Firth  ;  and  from 
North  Inverleith  Mains,  of  old  called  BlawWearie. 
on  the  west,  to  Bonnington  on  the  east,  traversed 
by  the  narrow  streamlet  known  as  Anchorfield 
Burn. 

Now  it  is  intersected  by  streets  and  roads, 
studded  with  fine  villas  rich  in  gardens  and  teeming 
with  fertility  ;  but  how  waste  and  desolate  the 
muirland  must  once  have  been,  is  evinced  by  those 
entries  in  the  accounts  of  the  Lord  High  Treasurer 
of  Scotland,  with  reference  to  firing  Mons  Meg, 
in  the  days  when  royal  salutes  were  sometimes 
fired  with  shotted  guns  ! 

On  the  3rd  of  July,  1558,  when  the  Castle 
batteries  saluted  in  honour  of  the  Dauphin's  mar- 
riage with  Queen  Mary,  Mons  Meg  was  fired  by 
the  express  desire  of  the  Queen  Regent ;  the 
pioneers  were  paid  for  "  their  laboris  in  mounting 
Meg  furth  of  her  lair  to  be  schote,  and  for  finding 
and  carrying  her  bullet  from  Wardie  Muir  to  the 
Castell,"  ten  shillings  Scots. 

Wardie  is  fully  two  miles  north  from  the  Castle, 
and  near  Granton. 

In  this  district  evidences  have  been  found  of  the 
occupation  of  the  soil  at  a  very  remote  period  by 


native  tribes.  Several  fragments  of  human  remains 
were  discovered  in  1846,  along  the  coast  of 
Wardie,  in  excavating  the  foundations  for  a  bridge 

j  of  the  Granton  Railway  ;  and  during  some  earlier 

;  operations  for  the  same  railway,  on  the  27th 
September,    1844,   a  silver  and  a   copper  coin  of 

1  Philip  II.  of  Spain  were  found  among  a  quantity 
of  human  bones,  intermingled  with  sand  and  shells; 
and  these  at  the  time  were  supposed  to  be  a 
memento  of  some   great   galleon  of  the   Spanish 

1  Armada,  cast  away  upon  the  rocky  coast. 

In  the   beginning  of  the  present  century,   and 
before    the    roads    to    Queensferry   and    Granton 

'  were  constructed,  the  chief  or  only  one   in    this 

\  quarter  was  that  which,  between  hedgerows  and 
trees,  led  to  Trinity,  and  the  principal  mansions 
near  it  were  Bangholm  Bower,  called  in  the 
Advertiser  for  1789  "the  Farm  of  Banghohns," 
adjoining  the  lands  of  Warriston,  and  which  was 
offered  for  lease,  with  twelve  acres  of  meadow, 
"  lying  immediately  westward  of  Canonmills  Loch;" 
Lixmount  House,  in  1S10  the  residence  of  Far- 
quharson  of  that  ilk  and  Invercauld  ;  Trinity 
Lodge,    and   one    or   two    others.       The  latter  is 

!  described  in  the  Advertiser  for  1 7S3  as  a  large 
mansion,  pleasantly  situated  on  the  sea-shore,  about 
a  mile  north  of  the  New  Town. 


Trinity.] 

Now  Trinity  possesses  a  great  number  of  hand- 
some villas  in  intersecting  streets,  a  railway  station, 
and  an  Episcopal  chapel  called  Christ  Church, 
which  figured  in  a  trial  before  the  law  courts  of 
Scotland,  that  made  much  noise  in  its  time — the 
Yelverton  case. 

At  Wardie,  not  far  from  it,  there  died,  in  only 
his  thirty-eighth  year,  Edward  Forbes,  who,  after 
being  a  Professor  in  King's  College,  London,  was 
appointed  to  the  chair  of  Natural  History  in  the 
University  of  Edinburgh  in  May,  1854.  He  was 
a  man  of  distinguished  talent  and  of  an  affectionate 
nature,  his  last  words  being  "  My  own  wife  ! "  when 
she  inquired,  as  he  was  dying,  if  he  knew  her. 

Soon  after  she  contracted  a  marriage  with  the 
Hon.  Major  Yelverton,  whose  battery  of  artillery 
had  just  returned  from  Sebastopol,  and  was 
•quartered  in  Leith  Fort.  The  marriage  took  place 
in  the  little  church  at  Trinity,  and  was  barely 
announced  before  the  Major  was  arrested  on  a 
charge  of  bigamy  by  the  late  Miss  Theresa  Long- 
worth,  with  whom  he  had  contracted,  it  was 
averred,  an  irregular  marriage  in  Edinburgh.  Before 
this  she  had  joined  the  Sisters  of  Charity  at  Varna, 
and  lived  a  life  of  adventure.  Not  satisfied  with  the 
Scottish  marriage,  they  went  through  another  cere- 
mony before  a  Catholic  priest  in  Ireland,  where  the 
ceremony  was  declared  legal,  and  she  was  accepted 
as  Mrs.  Yelverton.  She  then  endeavoured  "to 
prove  a  Scottish  marriage,  by  habit  and  repute,  resi- 
dence at  Circus  Place,  and  elsewhere,  but  judgment 
was  given  against  her  by  the  late  Lord  Ardmillan, 
and  after  twenty  years  of  wandering  all  over  the 
world,  writing  books  of  travel,  she  died  at  Natal  in 
September,  188  r,  retaining  to  the  last  the  title  of 
Viscountess,  acquired  on  old  Lord  Avonmore's 
death. 

Horatio  Macculloch,  R.S.A.,  the  well-known 
landscape  painter,  lived  latterly  in  a  villa  adjoining 
Trinity  Grove,  and  died  there  on  the  15th  June, 
1867. 

In  1836  some  plans  were  prepared  by  Messrs. 
•Grainger  and  Miller,  the  eminent  Edinburgh  en- 
gineers, and  boldly  designed  for  the  construction  of 
a  regular  wet  dock  at  Trinity,  with  a  breakwater 
outer  harbour  of  twenty  acres  in  extent,  westward 
of  Newhaven  pier  and  the  sunken  rock  known  as 
the  West  Bush  ;  but  the  proposal  met  with  no  sup- 
port, and  the  whole  scheme  was  abandoned. 

On  the  noble  road  leading  westward  to 
Queensferry  there  was'  completed  in  April,  18S0, 
near  the  head  of  the  Granton  thoroughfare,  a 
Free  Church  for  the  congregation  of  Granton  and 
"Wardie,  which,  since  its  organisation  in  1876,  under 
the  Rev.  P.  C.  Purves,  had  occupied  an  iron  build- 


EASTER    AND    WESTER    PILTON. 


3°7 


ing  near  Wardie  Crescent.  The  edifice  is  an  orna- 
ment to  the  swiftly-growing  locality.  The  relative 
proportions  of  the  nave,  aisles,  and  transepts,  are 
planned  to  form  a  ground  area  large  enough  to 
accommodate  the  increasing  congregation,  and 
galleries  can  be  added  if  required.  This  area  is 
nearly  all  within  the  nave,  and  is  lighted  by  the 
windows  of  the  clerestory,  which  has  flying  but- 
tresses. The  style  is  Early  English,  the  pulpit  is  of 
oak  on  a  stone  pedestal.  This  church  has  a  tower 
seventy-five  feet  high,  and  arrests  the  eye,  as  it 
stands  on  a  species  of  ridge  between  the  city  and 
the  sea. 

Ashbrook,  Wardieburn  House,  and  other  hand- 
some mansions,  have  been  erected  westward,  and 
ere  long  the  old  farmsteading  of  Windlestrawlee 
(opposite  North  Inverleith  Mains)  will,  of  course, 
disappear.  It  is  called  "  Winliestraley  "  in  Kincaid's 
"  Local  Gazetteer  "  for  1787,  and  is  said  to  take  its 
name  from  "  windlestrae  (the  name  given  to  crested 
dogstail  grass — Cynosurus  pristatus),  and  applied 
in  Scotland  to  bent  and  stalks  of  grass  found  on 
moorish  ground." 

An  old  property  long  known  as  Cargilfield,  lay  to 
the  north-east  of  it,  and  to  the  westward  are  Easter 
and  Wester  Pilton,  an  older  property  still,  which 
has  changed  owners  several  times. 

On  the  1 6th  of  May,  16 10,  Peter  Rollock,  of 
Pilton,  had  a  seat  on  the  bench  as  Lord  Pilton. 
He  had  no  predecessor.  He  had  been  removed, 
when  Bishop  of  Dunkeld  (in  1603),  says  Lord 
Hailes,  that  the  number  of  extraordinary  lords 
might  be  reduced  to  four,  and  he  was  restored  by 
the  king's  letter,  with  a  special  proviso  that  this 
should  not  be  precedent  of  establishing  a  fifth  ex- 
traordinary lord.  The  lands — or  a  portion  thereof 
— afterwards  became  a  part  of  the  barony  of  Roys- 
ton,  formed  in  favour  of  Viscount  Tarbet  ;  but 
previous  to  that  had  n  in  possession  of  a  family 
named  Macculloch,  as  Monteith  in  his  "  Theatre 
of  Mortality,"  inserts  the  epitaph  upon  the  tomb  on 
the  east  side  of  the  Greyfriars  Church,  of  Sir  Hugh 
Macculloch,  of  Pilton,  Knight,  descended  from  the 
ancient  family  of  Macculloch  of  Cadboll.  He  died 
in  August,  1688,  and  the  stone  was  erected  by  his 
son  James.  About  1780  Pilton  became  the  property 
of  Sir  Philip  Ainslie,  whose  eldest  daughter  Jean 
was  married  there,  in  1801,  to  Lord  Doune,  eldest 
son  of  the  Earl  of  Moray — a  marriage  that  does  not 
appear  in  the  "Peerages  "  generally,  but  is  recorded 
in  the  Edinburgh  Herald  for  that  year.  She  was  his 
second  wife,  the  first  being  a  daughter  of  General 
Scott  of  Bellevue  and  Balcomie.  Lord  Doune 
then  resided,  and  for  a  few  years  before,  in  the  old 
Wrightshouse,   or   "  Bruntsfield    Castle,"    as    it    is 


3o8 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


[Granto 


called  in  the  Herald  for  1797-9  >n  ifs  announce- 
ments of  the  purchase  of  the  buildings  for  the  erec- 
tion of  Gillespie's  Hospital. 

In  one  of  the  villas  at  Boswell  Road,  Wardie, 
immediately  overlooking  the  sea,  Alexander  Smith 
the  well-known  poet  and  essayist,  author  of  the 
"  Life  Drama,"  which  was  held  up  to  Continental 
admiration  in  the  Revue  des  Deux  Mondes,  "  City 
Poems,"  "  Dreamthorpe,"  and  other  works,  and 
whom  we  have  already  mentioned   in  the  account 


in  the  western  part  of  Royston  and  the  adjacent 
lands  of  Wardie,  both  above  and  below  the  tide 
mark,  and  that  when  fuel  was  scarce,  the  poor  even 
went  to  carry  the  coal  away ;  also  that  a  pit 
was  sunk  in  Pilton  wood  in  1788,  but  was 
abandoned,  owing  to  the  inferiority  of  the  coal.  In 
the  links  of  Royston  there  are  vestiges  of  ancient 
pits. 

Bower  mentions  that  a  great  "  carrick  "  of  the 
Lombards  was  shattered  on  the  rocks  at  Granton, 


of  Warriston  Cemetery,  resided  for  many  years, 
and  there  he  died  on  the  5th  of  January,  1867. 

The  Duke  of  Buccleuch  is  proprietor  of  Caroline 
Park,  and  has  at  his  own  expense  raised  erec- 
tions which  will  attract  shipping  to  the  incipient 
town  and  seaport  of  Granton,  and  lead  to  the 
speedy  construction  of  another  great  sea-port  for 
Edinburgh,  to  which  it  will  soon  be  joined  by  a 
network  of  streets  ;  in  many  quarters  near  it  these 
are  rising  fast  already. 

But  before  describing  its  stately  eastern  and 
western  piers,  we  shall  glance  at  some  of  the  past 
history  of  the  locality. 

In  the  "Old  Statistical  Account,"  we  find  it  stated, 
that  there  are  appearances  of  coal  on  the  sea-side, 


in  October,  1425,  where,  curiously  enough,  some 
ancient  Italian  coins  were  found  not  long  ago. 

The  place  at  which  the  English  army  landed  in 
1544,  and  from  there  they  began  their  march  on 
Leith,  was  exactly  where  Granton  pier  is  now.  In 
an  account  of  the  late  "  Expedition  in  Scotland, 
sente  to  the  Ryght  Honorable  Lord  Russell,  Lorde 
Privie  Seale,  from  the  kings  armye  there  by  a 
friend  of  hys,"  the  landing  is  described  thus 
(modernised),  and  is  somewhat  different  from 
what  is  generally  found  in  Scottish  history. 

"That  night  the  whole  fleet  came  to  anchor 
under  the  island-of  Inchkeith,  three  miles  from  the 
houses  of  Leith.  The  place  where  we  anchored 
hath  long    been    called    the    English    Road;   the 


LANDING    OF    THE     ENGLISH    ARMY, 


UJTON    CASTLE;    3,   EAST    PILTOX. 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


Scots  now  taken  this  to  be  a  prophecy  of  the 
thing  which  has  happened.  The  next  day, 
4th  May,  the  army  landed  two  miles  bewest  the 
town  of  Leith,  at  a  place  called  Grantaine  Cragge, 
every  man  being  so  prompt,  that  the  whole  army 
was  landed  in  four  hours."  As  there  was  no  opposi- 
tion, a  circumstance  unlooked  for,  and  having 
guides,  "  We  put  ourselves  in  good  order  of  war," 
continues  the  narrator,  "marching  towards  Leith  in 
three  battayles  (columns),  whereof  my  lord  admiral 
led  the  vanguard,  the  Earl  of  Shrewsbury  the  rear- 
guard, the  Earl  of  Hertford  the  centre,  with  the 
artillery  drawn  by  men.  In  a  valley  on  the  right 
of  the  said  town  the  Scots  were  assembled  to  the 
number  of  five  or  six  thousand  horse,  besides  foot, 
to  impeach  our  passage,  and  had  planted  their 
artillery  at  two  straits,  through  which  we  had  to 
pass.  At  first  they  seemed  ready  to  attack  the 
vanguard."  But  perceiving  the  English  ready  to 
pass  a  ford  that  lay  between  them  and  the  Scots, 
the  latter  abandoned  their  cannon,  eight  pieces  in 
all,  and  fled  towards  Edinburgh  ;  the  first  to  quit 
the  field  was  "  the  holy  cardynall,  lyke  a  vallyant 
champion,  with  .him  the  governor,  Therles  of 
Huntly,  Murray,  and  Bothwell." 

The  fame  of  Granton  for  its  excellent  freestone 
is  not  a  matter  of  recent  times,  as  in  the  City 
Treasurer's  accounts,  1552-3,  we  read  of  half  an 
ell  of  velvet,  given  to  the  Laird  of  Carube 
(Carrubber?)  for  "licence  to  wyn  stones  on  his 
lands  of  Granton,  to  the  schoir,  for  the  hale  space 
of  a  year." 

In  1579  a  ship  called  the  Jonas  of  Leith 
perished  in  a  storm  upon  the  rocks  at  Granton, 
having  been  blown  from  her  anchorage.  Upon 
this,  certain  burgesses  of  Edinburgh  brought  an 
action  against  her  owner,  Vergell  Kene  of  Leith, 
for  the  value  of  goods  lost  in  the  said  ship;  but  he 
urged  that  h«r  wrecking  was  the  "  providence  of 
God,"  and  the  matter  was  remitted  to  the  admira 
and  his  deputes  (Privy  Council  Reg.) 

In  1605  we  first  find  a  distinct  mention  legally, 
of  the  old  fortalice  of  Wardie,  or  Granton,  thus  in 
the  "Retours."  "  Wardie-muir  cum  tune  et  fortalicio 
cle  Wardie,"  when  George  Tours  is  served  heir  to 
his  father,  Sir  John  Tours  of  Inverleith,  knight, 
14th  May. 

In  1685,  by  an  Act  of  Parliament  passed  by 
James  VII.,  the  lands  and  barony  of  Royston 
were  "  ratified,"  in  favour  of  George  Viscount 
Tarbet,  Lord  Macleod,  and  Castlehaven,  then 
Lord  Clerk  Register,  and  his  spouse,  Lady  Anna 
Sinclair.  They  are  described  as  comprehending 
the  lands  of  Easter  Granton  with  the  manor-house, 
■dovecot,    coalheughs,    and    quarries,    bounded  by 


Granton  Burn ;  the  lands  of  Muirhouse,  and 
Pilton  on  the  south,  and  the  lands  of  Wardie  and 
Wardie  Burn,  the  sea  links  of  Easter  Granton,  the 
lands  of  Golden  Riggs  or  Acres,  all  of  which  had 
belonged  to  the  deceased  Patrick  Nicoll  of  Roy- 
ston. 

The  statesmen  referred  to  was  George  Mackenzie, 
Viscount  Tarbet  and  first  Earl  of  Cromarty, 
eminent  for  his  learning  and  abilities,  descended 
from  a  branch  of  the  family  of  Seaforth,  and  born 
in  1630.  On  the  death  of  his  father  in  1654,  with 
General  Middleton  he  maintained  a  guerrilla  war- 
fare with  the  Parliamentary  forces,  in  the  interests 
of  Charles  II.  ;  but  had  to  leave  Scotland  till  the 
Restoration,  after  which  he  became  the  great  con- 
fidant of  Middleton,  when  the  latter  obtained  the 
chief  administration  of  the  kingdom. 

In  1678  he  was  appointed  Justice-General  fcr 
Scotland,  in  1681,  a  Lord  of  Session  and  Clerk 
Register,  and  four  years  afterwards  James  VII. 
created  him  Viscount  Tarbet,  by  which  name  he  is 
best  known  in  Scotland. 

Though  an  active  and  not  over-scrupulous  agent 
under  James  VII.,  he  had  no  objection  to  transfer 
his  allegiance  to  William  of  Orange,  who,  in  1692. 
restored  him  to  office,  after  which  he  repeatedly 
falsified  the  records  of  Parliament,  thus  adding 
much  to  the  odium  attaching  to  his  name.  In 
1696  he  retired  upon  a  pension,  and  was  created 
Earl  of  Cromarty  in  1703.  He  was  a  zealous 
supporter  of  the  Union,  having  sold  his  vote  for 
,£300,  for  with  all  his  eminence  and  talent  as  a 
statesman,  he  was  notoriously  devoid  of  principle. 
He  was  one  of  the  original  members  of  the  Royal 
Society,  and  was  author  of  a  series  of  valuable 
articles,  political  and  historical  works,  too 
numerous  to  be  noted  here.  He  died  at  New 
Tarbet  in  17 14,  aged  eighty -four,  and  left  a  son, 
who  became  second  Earl  of  Cromarty,  and  another, 
Sir  James  Mackenzie,  Bart.,  a  senator  with  the 
title  of  Lord  Royston.  His  grandson,  George, 
third  Earl  of  Cromarty,  fought  at  Falkirk,  leading 
400  of  his  clan,  but  was  afterwards  taken  prisoner, 
sent  to  the  Tower,  and  sentenced  to  death.  The 
latter  portion  was  remitted,  he  retired  into  exile, 
and  his  son  and  heir  entered  the  Swedish  service  ; 
but  when  the  American  war  broke  out  he  raised  the 
regiment  known  as  Macleod's  Highlanders  (latterly 
the  71st  Regiment),  consisting  of  two  battalions, 
and  served  at  their  head  in  the  East  Indies. 

Lord  Royston  was  raised  to  the  bench  on  the 

7th  of  June,  1 7 10  ;  and  a  suit  of  his  and  the  Laird  of 

Fraserdale,  conjointly  against  Haliburton  of  Pitcur, 

is  recorded  in  "  Bruce's  Decisions"  for  17 15. 

He  is  said  to  have  been  "one  of  the  wittiest 


CAROLINE    PARK. 


and  most  gifted  men  of  his  time,"  and  had  his  town 
residence  in  one  of  the  flats  in  James's  Court, 
where  it  is  supposed  that  his  eccentric  daughter, 
who  became  Lady  Dick  of  Prestonfield,  was  born. 

In  1743,  John,  the  celebrated  Duke  of  Argyle, 
entailed  his  "  lands  of  Roystoun  and  Grantoun, 
called  Caroline  Park"  ("Shaw's  Reg."),  doubtless 
so  called  after  his  eldest  daughter  Caroline,  who,  in 
the  preceding  year,  had  been  married  to  Francis, 
Earl  of  Dalkeith,  and  whose  mother  had  been  a 
maid  of  honour  to  Queen  Caroline.  The  estates 
of  Royston  and  Granton  were  hers,  and  through 
her,  went  eventually  to  the  house  of  Buccleuch. 
The  Earl  of  Dalkeith,  her  husband,  died  in  the 
lifetime  of  his  father,  in  1750,  in  his  thirtieth  year, 
leaving  two  children,  afterwards  Henry,  Duke  of 
Buccleuch,  and  Lady  Frances,  afterwards  wife  of 
Lord  Douglas. 

Lady  Caroline  Campbell,  who  was  created  a 
peeress  of  Great  Britain,  by  the  title  of  Lady 
Greenwich,  in  1767,  had,  some  years  before  that, 
married,  a  second  time,  the  Right  Hon.  Charles 
Townshend,  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer.  Her 
barony  of  Greenwich  being  limited  to  the  issue 
male  of  her  second  marriage,  became  extinct  on 
her  death  at  Sudbrooke,  in  her  seventy-seventh 
year,  one  of  her  two  sons,  who  was  a  captain  in 
the  45th  Foot,  having  died  unmarried  ;  and  the 
other,  who  was  a  captain  in  the  59th,  having  com- 
mitted suicide  ;  thus,  in  1794,  the  bulk  of  her  real 
and  personal  property  in  Scotland  and  England, 
but  more  particularly  the  baronies  of  Granton  and 
Royston,  devolved  upon  Henry,  third  Duke  of 
Buccleuch,  K.G.  and  K.T.,  in  succession,  to  the 
Duke  of  Argyle,  who  appears  as  "  Lord  Royston," 
in  the  old  valuation  roll. 

Old  Granton  House,  sometimes  called  Royston 
Castle,  which  is  founded  upon  an  abutting  rock, 
was  entered  from  the  north-west  by  an  archway  in 
a  crenelated  barbican  wall,  and  has  three  crow- 
stepped  gables,  each  with  a  large  chimney,  and  in 
the  angle  a  circular  tower  with  a  staircase.  The 
external  gate,  opening  to  the  shore,  was  in  this 
quarter,  and  was  surmounted  by  two  most  ornate 
vases  of  great  size  ;  but  these  had  disappeared  by 
1S54.  The  whole  edifice  is  an  open  and  roofless 
ruin. 

On  the  east  are  the  remains  of  a  magnificent 
carriage  entrance  with  two  side  gates,  and  two 
massive  pillars  of  thirteen  courses  of  stone  work, 
gigantic  beads  and  panels  alternately,  each  having 
on  its  summit  four  inverted  trusses,  capped  by 
vases  and  ducal  coronets,  overhanging  what  was 
latterly  an  abandoned  quarry. 

The  Hopes  had  long  a  patrimonial  interest  in 


Granton.  Sir  Thomas  Hope,  of  Craighall,  King's 
Advocate  to  Charles  I.,  left  four  sons,  three  of 
whom  were  Lords  of  Session  at  one  time,  who  all 
married  and  left  descendants — namely,  Sir  John 
Hope  of  Craighall,  Sir  Thomas  Hope  of  Kerse, 
Sir  Alexander  Hope  of  Granton,  and  Sir  James 
Hope  of  Hopetown. 

Sir  Alexander  of  Granton  had  the  post  at  court 
of  "  Royal  Carver  Extraordinary,  and  he  was  much 
about  the  person  of  his  Majesty." 

The  best  known  of  this  family  in  modern  times, 
was  the  Right  Hon.  Charles  Hope  of  Granton, 
Lord  Advocate  of  Scotland  in  1S01,  afterwards 
Lord  President  of  the  Court  of  Session,  to  whom 
we  have  already  referred  amply,  elsewhere. 

The  more  modern  Granton  House,  in  this 
quarter,  was  for  some  time  the  residence  of  Sir 
John  McNeill,  G.C.B.,  third  son  of  the  late 
McNeill  of  Colonsay,  and  brother  of  the  peer  of 
that  title,  well  known  as  envoy  at  the  court  of 
Persia,  and  in  many  other  public  important  capa- 
cities, LL.D.  of  Edinburgh,  and  D.C.L.  of  Oxford. 

George  Cleghorn,  an  eminent  physician  in  Dublin, 
and  his  nephew,  William  Cleghorn,  who  was  asso- 
ciated with  him  as  Professor  of  Anatomy  in  Trinity 
College,  Dublin,  were  both  natives  of  Granton. 
George,  the  first  man  who  established,  what  might 
with  any  propriety,  be  called  an  anatomical  school 
in  Ireland,  was  born  in  17 16  of  poor  but  reputable 
and  industrious  parents,  on  a  small  farm  at  Granton, 
where  his  father  died  in  17 19,  leaving  a  widow  and 
five  children.  He  received  the  elements  of  his 
education  in  the  parish  school  of  Cramond  village, 
and  in  1728  he  was  sent  to  Edinburgh  to  be 
further  instructed  in  Latin,  Greek,  and  French, 
and,  to  a  great  knowledge  of  these  languages,  he 
added  that  of  mathematics.  Three  years  after  he 
commenced  the  study  of  physics  and  surgery  under 
the  illustrious  Alexander  Monro,  with  whom  he 
remained  five  years,  and  while  yet  a  student,  he 
and  some  others,  among  whom  was  the  celebrated 
Dr.  Fothergill,  established  the  Royal  Medical 
Society  of  Edinburgh. 

In  1736  he  was  appointed  surgeon  of  Movie's 
Regiment,  afterwards  the  22nd  Foot  (in  which, 
some  years  before,  the  father  of  Laurence  Sterne 
had  been  a  captain)  then  stationed  in  Minorca, 
where  he  remained  with  it  thirteen  years,  and 
accompanied  it  in  1749  to  Ireland,  and  in  the 
following  year  published,  in  London,  his  work  on 
"The  Diseases  of  Minorca." 

Settling  in  Dublin  in  1751,  in  imitation  of  Monro 
and  Hunter  he  began  to  give  yearly  lectures 
on  anatomy.  A  few  years  afterwards  he  was 
admitted    into   the    University   as   an    anatomical 


OLD   AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


[Gr: 


lecturer,  and  was  soon  made  professor.  "It  is  to  of  the  College  of  Physicians  in  Dublin,  in  1784. 
him,"    says    the   Edinburgh    Magazine    for    1790,     He  died  in  1789. 

"  we  are  indebted  for  the  use  of  acescent  vegetables  I  The  principal  feature  at  Granton  is  in  its  well- 
in  low,  remittent,  and  putrid  fever,  and  the  early  1  planned,  extensive,  massively  built,  and  in  every  re- 
and  copious  exhibition  of  bark,  which  has  been  I  spect  magnificent  pier,  constructed  at  the  expense  of 


I  Ii    INI  RA 


interdicted  from  mistaken  facts  deduced  from  false 
theories." 

In  1774,  on  the  death  of  his  only  brother  in 
Scotland,  he  brought  over  this  brothers  widow,  with 
her  nine  children,  and  settled  them  all  in  Ireland. 
His  eldest  son,  William,  who  had  graduated  in 
physic  at  Edinburgh  in  1779,  he  took  as  an  assis- 
tant, but  he  died  soon  after,  in  his  twenty-eighth 
year.  When  the  Royal  Medical  Society  was  es- 
tablished at  Paris  he  was  named  a  fellow  of  it,  and 


the  Duke  of  Buccleuch,  and  forming  decidedly  the 
noblest  harbour  in  the  Firth  of  Forth.  It  was 
commenced  in  the  November  of  1S35,  and  partially 
opened  on  the  Queen's  coronation  day,  2Sth  of 
June,  1838,  by  the  duke's  brother,  Lord  John  Scott, 
in  presence  of  ah  immense  crowd  of  spectators,  and 
in  commemoration  of  the  day,  one  portion  of  it  is 
called  the  Victoria  Jetty. 

The  pier  can  be  approached  by  vessels  of  the 
largest  class.     A  commodious  and  handsome  hotel 


THE    HARROUR. 


3H 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


has  been  erected  by  the  duke  near  it,  at  the  foot  of 
the  Granton  Road,  and  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
way  are  the  Custom-house  and  other  edifices,  the 
nucleus  of  an  expanding  seaport  and  suburb. 

The  stone  used  in  the  construction  of  the  pier 
was  chiefly  quarried  from  the  duke's  adjacent  pro- 
perty, and  the  engineers  were  Messrs.  Walker  and 
Burgess  of  London.  The  length  of  the  pier  is 
1,700  feet,  and  its  breadth  is  from  80  to  160  feet. 
Four  pairs  of  jetties,  each  running  out  90  feet,  were 
designed  to  go  off  at  intervals  of  350  feet,  and  two 
slips,  each  325  feet  long,  to  facilitate  the  shipping 
and  loading  of  cattle. 

A  strong  high  wall,  with  a  succession  of  thorough- 
fares, runs  along  the  centre  of  the  entire  esplanade. 
A  light-house  rises  at  its  extreme  point,  and  displays 
a  brilliant  red  light.  All  these  works  exhibit  such 
massive  and  beautiful  masonry,  and  realise  their 
object  so  fully,  that  every  patriotic  beholder  must 
regard  them  in  the  light  of  a  great  national  benefit. 

The  depth  of  the  water  at  spring  tides  is  twenty- 
nine  feet.  By  the  7th  William  IV.,  c.  15,  the  Duke 
of  Buccleuch  is  entitled  to  levy  certain  dues  on 
passengers,  horses,  and  carriages.  i 


Eastward  of  this  lies  a  noble  breakwater  more 
than  3,000  feet  in  length  ;  westward  of  it  lies 
another,  also  more  than  3,000  feet  in  length,  form- 
ing two  magnificent  pools — one  i,coo  feet  in 
breadth,  and  the  other  averaging  2,500. 

At  the  west  pier,  or  breakwater,  are  the  steam 
cranes,  and  the  patent  slip  which  was  constructed 
in  the  year  1852  ;  since  that  time  a  number  of 
vessels  have  been  built  at  Granton,  where  the  first 
craft  was  launched  in  January,  1853,  and  a 
considerable  trade  in  the  repair  of  ships  of  all 
kinds,  but  chiefly  steamers  of  great  size,  has  been, 
carried  on. 

Through  the  efforts  of  the  Duke  of  Buccleuch 
and  Sir  John  Gladstone  a  ferry  service  was  estab- 
lished between  the  new  piers  of  Granton  and 
Burntisland,  and  they  retained  it  until  it  was  taken 
over  by  the  Edinburgh  and  Northern,  afterwards 
called  the  Edinburgh,  Perth,  and  Dundee  Railway 
Company,  which  was  eventually  merged  in  the 
North  British  Railway. 

Westward  of  the  west  pier  lie  some  submerged 
masses,  known  as  the  General's  Rocks,  and  near 
them  one  named  the  Chestnut. 


CHAPTER     XXXVII. 
THE    ENVIRONS    OF    EDINBURGH. 


-Orbin  of  the  Na 


_'raiTioiii!      P..ir:.t  ">;i  —  C  *. . 


Within  a  radius  of  about  five  miles  from  the 
Castle  are  portions  of  the  parishes  of  Cramond, 
Liberton,  Newton,  Lasswade,  Colinton,  and  Dud- 
dingstone,  and  in  these  portions  are  many  places 
of  great  historical  and  pictorial  interest,  at  which 
our  remaining  space  will  permit  us  only  to  glance. 

Two  miles  and  a  half  westward  of  Granton  lies 
Cramond,  embosomed  among  fine  wood,  where  the 
river  Almond,  which  chiefly  belongs  to  Edinburgh- 
shire, though  it  rises  in  the  Muir  of  Shotts,  falls 
into  the  Firth  of  Forth,  forming  a  small  estuary 
navigable  by  boats  for  nearly  a  mile. 

Its  name  is  said  to  be  derived  from  caer,  a  fort, 
and  aron,  a  river,  and  it  is  supposed  to  have  been, 
from  a  disinterred  inscription,  the  Alaterva  of  the 
Romans,  who  had  a  station  here — the  Alauna  of 
Ptolemy.  Imperrj  medals,  coins,  altars,  pave- 
ments, have  been  found  here  in  remarkable 
quantities  ;  and  a  bronze  strigil,  among  them,  is 
now  preserved  in  the  Museum  of  Antiquities.  On 
the  eastern  bank  of  the  river  there  lay  a  Roman  | 


mole,  where  doubtless  galleys  were  moored  when 
the  water  was  deeper.  Inscriptions  have  proved 
that  Cramond  was  the  quarters  of  the  II.  and 
XX.  Legions,  under  Lollius  Urbicus,  when  forming 
the  Roman  rampart  and  military  road  in  the  second 
century — relics  of  the  temporary  dominion  of  Rome 
in  the  South  Lowlands. 

According  to  Boecc  and  Sir  John  Skene,  Con- 
stantine  IV.,  who  reigned  in  994,  was  slain  here 
in  battle  by  Malcolm  II.,  in  1002,  and  his  army 
defeated,  chiefly  through  the  wind  driving  the  sand 
into  the  eyes  of  his  troops. 

In  after  years,  Cramond — or  one-half  thereof — 
belonged  ecclesiastically  to  the  Bishops  of  Dunkeld, 
to  whom  Robert  Avenel  transferred  it,  and  here 
they  occasionally  resided.  There  was  a  family 
named  Cramond  of  that  ilk,  a  son  of  which  be- 
came a  monk  in  the  Carmelite  monastery  founded 
at  Queensferry  early  in  the  fourteenth  century  by 
Dundas  of  that  ilk,  and  who  died  Patriarch  of 
Antioch. 


Jramond.J 


HARBOUR    AND    ISLAND. 


3"S 


In  the  reign  of  David  II.  Roger  Greenlaw 
obtained  a  royal  charter  of  the  Butterland  in  the 
town  of  Cramond,  "  quhilk  William  Bartlemow 
resigned  ;"  and  Robert  II.  granted,  at  Edinburgh, 
in  the  eighteenth  year  of  his  reign,  a  charter  of 
certain  lands  in  King's  Cramond  to  William 
Napier,  on  their  resignation  by  John,  son  of  Simon 
Rede,  in  presence  of  the  Chancellor,  John,  Bishop 
of  Dunkeld,  and  others. 

In  1587  Patrick  Douglas  of  Kilspindie  became 


the  south  as  the  Pinnacle.  In  December,  1769, 
a  whale,  fifty-four  feet  long,  was  stranded  upon  it 
by  the  waves.  About  a  mile  northward  and  east 
of  it,  lies  another  rocky  islet,  three  or  four  furlongs 
in  circumference,  named  Inchmickery,  only  re- 
markable for  a  valuable  oyster  bed  on  its  shore, 
and  for  the  rich  profusion  of  sea-weed,  mosses, 
and  lichens,  on  its  beach  and  surface. 

North  from  the  point  known   as  the  Hunter's 
Craig  or  Eagle's  Rock,  westward  of  the  harbour, 


-^  V" 


caution  for  John  Douglas,  in  Cramond,  and  his  son 
Alexander,  that  they  would  not  molest  certain 
parishioners  there,  nor  "  their  wives,  bairns,  or 
servants." 

The  little  harbour  of  Cramond  is  specified  in  the 
Exchequer  Records  as  a  creek  within  the  port  of 
Leith.  It  possesses  generally  only  a  few  boats, 
but  in  1791  had  seven  sloops,  measuring  288  tons, 
employed  by  the  iron  works.  Cramond  Island,  19 
acres  in  extent,  lies  1,440  yards  NNE  of  the 
pretty  village.  It  rises  high  in  the  centre,  with 
steep  granite  cliffs  on  the  east,  formerly  abounded 
with  rabbits,  and  is  generally  accessible  on  foot 
at  low  water.  It  now  belongs  to  Lord  Rosebery. 
The  north  point  of  the  isle  is  known  as  the  Binks ; 


the  stretch  known  as  the  Drum  Sands  extends  for 
more  than  a  mile. 

In  1639,  Alexander,  sixth  Earl  of  Eglinton,  halted 
for  two  days  at  Cramond  with  his  contingent  for 
the  Scottish  army,  consisting  of  200  horse  and 
1,800  foot,  en  route  for  Leith. 

In  the  time  of  Charles  I.  Cramond  gave  a  title 
in  the  Scottish  peerage,  when  Dame  Elizabeth  Beau- 
mont, the  wife  of  Sir  Thomas  Richardson,  Lord 
Chief  Justice  of  the  Common  Pleas  in  England, 
was,  for  some  reason  now  unknown,  created 
Baroness  Cramond  for  life,  with  the  title  of  baron 
to  the  Chief  Justice's  son  and  his  heirs  male  ;  "  in 
failure  of  which,  to  the  heirs  male  of  his  father's 
body " — the   first   female   creation  on    record    in 


316 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


Scotland.  But  it  does  not  appear  that  any  of 
this  family  ever  sat  in  Parliament.  The  title  is 
supposed  to  be  extinct,  though  a  claim  was  ad- 
vanced to  it  recently. 

The  parish  church  is  cruciform,  and  was  erected 


Cromwell,  as  a  commissioner  for  forfeited  estates, 
in  1654. 

In  1795  there  was  interred  here  William  David- 
son, of  Muirhouse,  who.  died  in  his  81st  year,  and 
was  long  known  as  one  of  the  most  eminent  of 


in  1656,  and  is  in  the  plain  and  tasteless  style  of 
the  period.  On  the  north  side  of  it  is  a  mural 
tomb,  inscribed — "  Here  lyes  the  body  of  Sir 
James  Hope,  of  Hopetown,  who  deceased  anno 
i  66 1."  It  bears  his  arms  and  likeness,  cut  in  bold 
relief.  He  was  the  fourth  son  of  Sir  Thomas 
Hope,  of  Craighall,  was  a  famous  alchemist  in  his 
time,  and  the  first  who  brought  the  art  of  mining  to 
any  perfection  in  Scotland.  He  was  a  senator  of 
the  College  of  Justice,  and  was   in  league   with 


Scottish  merchants  at  Rotterdam,  where  he  amassed 
a  fortune,  and  purchased  the  barony  of  Muirhouse 
in  1776. 

Among  the  many  fine  mansions  here  perhaps 
the  most  prominent  is  the  modern  one  of  Barnton, 
erected  on  the  site  of  an  old  fortalice,  and  on  rising 
ground,  amid  a  magnificently-wooded  park  400 
acres  in  extent.  Barnton  House  was  of  old  called 
Cramond  Regis,  as  it  was  once  a  royal  hunting 
seat,  and  in  a  charter  of  Muirhouse,  granted  by 


Cramond.] 


CRAMOND    BRIG. 


3i7 


Robert  Bruce,  "  the  King's  meadow  and  muir  of 
Cramond "  are  mentioned.  Among  the  missing 
charters  of  Robert  III.,  are  two  to  William  Touris, 
"  of  the  lands  of  Berntoun,"  and  another  to  the 
same  of  the  superiority  of  King's  Cramond. 
William  Touris,  of  Cramond,  was  a  bailie  of  the 
city  in  1482.  These  Touris  were  the  same  family 
who  afterwards  possessed  Inverleith,  and  whose 
name  appears  so  often  in  Scotstarvit's  "Calendar." 
In  1538  the  family  seems  to  have  passed  to  Bristol, 
in  England,  as  Protestants,  Pinkerton  supposes,  for 


and  has  already  been  referred-  to  in  a  preceding 
chapter.  In  February,  1763,  there  died  in  Barn- 
ton  House,  in  the  sixty-fourth  year  of  her  age, 
Lady  Susannah  Hamilton,  third  daughter  of  John, 
Earl  of  Ruglen,  whose  son  William  was  styled 
Lord  Daer  and  Riccarton.  She  was  buried  in  the 
chapel  royal  at  Holyrood. 

In  1 77 1  the  Scots  Magazine  records  the  demise 
of  John  Viscount  Glenorchy  "at  his  house  of 
Barnton,  five  miles  west  of  Edinburgh."  He  was 
husband  of  Lady  Glenorchy  of  pious  memory. 


C.   ir.   Wilson  &  Co.) 


in  that  year  a  charter  of  part  of  Inverleith  is  granted 
to  George  Touris,  of  Bristol ;  but  Lord  Durie,  in 
1636,  reports  a  case  concerning  "  umquhile  James 
Touris,  brother  to  the  laird  of  Inverleith." 

As  stated  elsewhere,  Overbarnton  belonged,  in 
1508,  to  Sir  Robert  Barnton,  who  was  comptroller 
of  the  household  to  James  V.  in  1520,  and  who 
acquired  the  lands  by  purchase  with  money  found 
by  despoiling  the  Portuguese  ;  but  a  George  Max- 
well of  Barnton,  appears  among  the  knights  slain 
at  Flodden  in  15 13.  He  obtained  Barnton  by  a 
royal  charter  in  1460,  on  his  mother's  resignation, 
and  was  a  brother  of  John,  Lord  Maxwell,  who 
also  fell  at  Flodden.  This  property  has  changed 
hands  many  times.  James  Elphinston  of  Barnton, 
was  the  first  Lord  Balmerino,  a  Lord  of  the  Treasury, 


In  after  years  it  became  the  property  of  the 
Ramsays,  one  of  whom  was  long  known  in  the 
sporting  world; 

The  quaint  old  bridge  of  Cramond  is  one  of  the 
features  of  the  parish,  and  is  celebrated  as  the 
scene  of  that  dangerous  frolic  of  James  V.,  related 
in  our  account  of  Holyrood.  It  consists  of  three 
Pointed  arches,  with  massively  buttressed  piers. 
It  became  ruinous  in  1607,  and  was  repaired  in 
r6ia,  1687,  and  later  still  in  1761  and  1776,  as  a 
panel  in  the  parapet  records.  Adjoining  it,  and 
high  in  air  above  it,  is  the  new  and  lofty  bridge  of 
eight  arches,  constructed  by  Rennie. 

A  little  to  the  eastward  of  the  village  is  Cramond 
House,  a  fine  old  residence  within  a  wooded 
domain.     Sir  John  Inglis  of  Cramond  was  made 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


[Gogar. 


,1  baronet  of  Nova  Scotia  by  James  VII.,  in 
1687. 

The  close  of  the  family  is  thus  recorded  in  the 
Scottish  Register  for  1795: — "  September  1.  At 
Cramond  House,  died  Adam  Inglis,  Esq.,  last 
surviving  son  of  Sir  John  Inglis  of  Cramond,  Bart. 
He  was  instructed  in  grammar  and  learning  at  the 
High  School  and  University  of  Edinburgh,  and  at 
the  Warrington  Academy  in  Lancashire  ;  studied 
law  at  Edinburgh,  and  was  called  to  the  bar  in 
17S2.  In  May,  1794.  was  appointed  lieutenant  of 
one  of  the  Midlothian  troops  of  cavalry,  in  which 
he  paid  the  most  assiduous  attention  to  the  raising 
and  discipline  of  the  men.  On  the  23rd  August 
he  was  attacked  with  fever,  and  expired  on  the 
1st  September,  in  the  thirty-fourth  year  of  his  age, 
unmarried."  Cramond  House  is  now  the  seat  of 
the  Craigie-Halkett  family. 

Some  three  miles  south  of  Cramond  lies  the  dis- 
trict of  Gogar,  an  ancient  and  suppressed  parish,  a 
great  portion  of  which  is  now  included  in  that  of 
Corstorphine.  Gogar  signifies  "light,"  according 
to  some  "  etymological  notices,"  by  Sir  James 
Foulis  of  Colinton,  probably  from  some  signal 
given  to  an  army,  as  there  are,  he  adds,  marks  of 
a  battle  having  taken  place  to  the  westward  ;  but 
his  idea  is  much  more  probably  deduced  from  the 
place  named  traditionally  "  the  Flashes,"  the  scene 
of  Leslie's  repulse  of  Cromwell  in  1650.  The 
name  is  more  probably  Celtic.  The  "  Ottadeni 
and  Gadeni,"  says  a  statistical  writer,  "  the  British 
descendants  of  the  first  colonists,  enjoyed  their 
original  land  during  the  second  century,  and  have 
left  memorials  of  their  existence  in  the  names 
of  the  Forth,  the  Almond,  the  Esk,  the  Leith, 
the  Gore,  the  Gogar,  and  of  Cramond,  Cockpen, 
Dreghorn,"  etc. 

The  church  of  Gogar  was  much  older  than  that 
of  Corstorphine,  but  was  meant  for  a  scanty  popu- 
lation. A  small  part  of  it  still  exists,  and  after 
the  Reformation  was  set  apart  as  a  burial-place  for 
the  lords  of  the  manor. 

Gogar  was  bestowed  by  Robert  Bruce  on  his 
trusty  comrade  in  many  a  well-fought  field,  Sir 
Alexander  Seton,  one  of  the  patriots  who  signed 
that  famous  letter  to  the  Pope  in  1330,  asserting 
the  independence  of  the  Scots  ;  and  vowing  that 
so  long  as  one  hundred  of  them  remained  alive, 
they  would  never  submit  to  the  King  of  England. 
He  was  killed  in  battle  at  Kinghorn  in  1332. 

Soon  after  this  establishment  the  Parish  of  Gogar 
was  acquired  by  the  monks  of  Holyrood ;  but 
before  the  reign  of  James  V.  it  had  been  constituted 
an  independent  rectory.  In  1429  Sir  John  Forres- 
ter conferred  its  tithes  on  his  collegiate  church  at 


Corstorphine,  and  made  it  one  of  the  prebends 
there. 

In  June,  1409,  Waller  Haliburton,  of  Dirleton,  in 
a  charter  dated  from  that  place,  disposed  of  the 
lands  and  milne  of  Gogar  to  his  brother  George. 
Among  the  witnesses  were  the  Earls  of  March  and 
Orkney,  Robert  of  Lawder,  and  others.  In  15 16 
the  lands  belonged  to  the  Logans  of  Restalrig  and 
others,  and  durihg  the  reign  of  James  VI.  were  in 
possession  of  Sir  Alexander  Erskine,  Master  of  Mar, 
appointed  Governor  of  Edinburgh  Castle  in  1578. 

Though  styled  "  the  Master,"  he  was  in  reality 
the  second  son  of  John,  twelfth  Lord  Erskine,  and 
is  stated  by  Douglas  to  have  been  an  ancestor  of 
the  Earls  of  Kellie,  and  was  Vice-Chamberlain  of 
Scotland.  His  son,  Sir  Thomas  Erskine,  also  of 
Gogar,  was  in  1606  created  Viscount  Fenton,  and 
thirteen  years  afterwards  Earl  of  Kellie  and  Lord 
Dirleton. 

In  1599,  after  vain  efforts  had  been  made  by  its 
few  parishioners  to  raise  sufficient  funds  for  an  in- 
cumbent, the  parish  of  Gogar  was  stripped  of  its 
independence  ;  and  of  the  two  villages  of  Nether 
Gogar  and  Gogar  Stone,  which  it  formerly  con- 
tained, the  latter  has  disappeared,  and  the  popu- 
lation of  the  former  numbered  a  few  years  ago  only 
twenty  souls. 

Grey  Cooper,  of  Gogar,  was  made  a  baronet  of 
Nova  Scotia  in  1638. 

In  1646  the  estate  belonged  to  his  son  Sir  John 
Cooper,  Bart.,  and  in  1790  it  was  sold  by  Sir  Grey 
Cooper,  M.P.,  to  the  Ramsays,  afterwards  of  Barn- 
ton.  A  Cooper  of  Gogar  is  said  to  have  been  one 
of  the  first  persons  who  appeared  in  the  High 
Street  of  Edinburgh  in  a  regular  coach.  They 
were,  as  already  stated,  baronets  of  1638,  and  after 
them  came  the  Myrtons  of  Gogar,  baronets  of  1701, 
and  now  extinct. 

On  the  muir  of  Gogar,  in  1606,  during  the  pre- 
valence of  a  plague,  certain  little  "  lodges  "  were 
built  by  James  Lawriston,  and  two  other  persons 
named  respectively  David  and  George  Hamilton, 
for  the  accommodation  of  the  infected ;  but  these 
edifices  were  violently  destroyed  by  Thomas  Marjori- 
banks,  a  portioner  of  Ratho,  on  the  plea  that  their 
erection  was  an  invasion  of  his  lands,  yet  the  Lords 
of  the  Council  ordered  them  to  be  re-built  "  where 
they  may  have  the  best  commodity  of  water,"  as 
the  said  muir  was  common  property. 

The  Edinburgh  Couratit  for  April,  1723,  records 
that  on  the  30th  of  the  preceding  March,  "  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  Murray,  lady  to  Thomas  Kincaid,  younger, 
of  Gogar  Mains,"  was  found  dead  on  the  road  from 
Edinburgh  to  that  place,  with  all  the  appearance  of 
having  been  barbarously  murdered. 


SAUGHTON    HALL. 


He  was  at  once — for  some  reasons  known  at  the 
time — accused  of  having  committed  this  outrage, 
and  had  to  seek  shelter  in  Holland. 

Eastward  of  this  quarter  stands  the  old  mansion 
of  Saughton,  gable-ended,  with  crowsteps,  dormer 
windows,  steep  roofs,  and  massive  chimneys,  with 
an  ancient  crowstepped  dovecot,  ornamented  with 
an  elaborate  string-moulding,  and  having  a  shield, 
covered  with  initials,  above  its  door.  Over  the 
entrance  of  the  house  is  a  shield,  or  scroll-work, 
charged  with  a  sword  between  two  helmets,  with 
the  initials  P.  E.,  the  date,  1623,  and  the  old 
Edinburgh  legend,  "  Blisit.  Be.  God.  For.  al.  His 
Gittis."  This  edifice  is  in  the  parish  of  St.  Cuth- 
bert's  ;  but  New  Saughton  and  Saughton  Loan  End 
are  in  that  of  Corstorphine. 

For  many  generations  the  estate  of  Saughton 
was  the  patrimony  and  residence  of  the  Bairds,  a 
branch  of  the  house  of  Auchmedden. 

James,  eldest  son  and  heir  of  Sir  James  Baird, 
Knight  of  Saughton,  in  the  shire  of  Edinburgh,  was 
created  a  baronet  of  Nova  Scotia  in  1695-6.  He 
entailed  the  lands  of  Saughton  Hall  in  17 12,  and 
married  the  eldest  daughter  of  Sir  Alexander 
Gibson,  of  Pentland,  and  died,  leaving  a  son  and 
successor,  who  became  involved  in  a  serious  affair, 
in  1708. 

In  a  drinking  match  in  a  tavern  in  Leith  he 
insisted  on  making  his  friend  Mr.  Robert  Oswald 
intoxicated.  After  compelling  him  to  imbibe  re- 
peated bumpers,  Baird  suddenly  demanded  an 
apology  from  him  as  if  he  had  committed  some 
breach  of  good  manners.  This  Oswald  declined  to 
do,  and  while  a  drunken  spirit  of  resentment  re- 
mained in  his  mind  against  Baird,  they  came  to 
Edinburgh  together  in  a  coach,  which  they  quitted 
at  the  Nether  Bow  Port  at  a  late  hour. 

No  sooner  were  they  afoot  in  the  street  than 
Baird  drew  his  sword,  and  began  to  make  lunges  at 
Oswald,  on  whom  he  inflicted  two  mortal  wounds, 
and  fled  from  the  scene,  leaving  beside  his  victim 
a  broken  and  bloody  sword.  On  the  ground  of 
its  not  being  "forethought  felony,"  he  was  some 
years  after  allowed  by  the  Court  of  Justiciary 
to  have  the  benefit  of  Queen  Anne's  Act  of 
Indemnity. 

He  married  a  daughter  of  Baikie,  of  Tankerness, 
in  Orkney,  and,  surviving  his  father  by  only  a  year, 
was  succeeded  by  his  son,  an  officer  in  the  navy, 
at  whose  death,  unmarried,  the  title  devolved  upon 
his  brother  Sir  William,  also  an  officer  in  the  navy, 
who  married,  in  1750,  Frances,  daughter  of  Colonel 
Gardiner  who  was  slain  at  the  battle  of  Preston- 
pans.  He  died  in  1772,  according  to  Schomberg's 
"  Naval  Chronology,"  "  at  his    seat  of    Saughton 


Hall,"  in  177 1  according  to  the  Scots  Magazine  for 
that  year. 

From  Colonel  Gardiner's  daughter  comes  the 
additional  surname  now  used  by  the  family. 

The  old  dovecot,  we  have  said,  still  remains  here 
untouched.  In  many  instances  these  little  edifices 
in  Scotland  survive  the  manor-houses  and  castles 
to  which  they  were  attached,  by  chance  perhaps, 
rather  than  in  consequence  of  the  old  superstition 
that  if  one  was  pulled  down  the  lady  of  the  family 
j  would  die  within  a  year  of  the  event.  By  the  law  of 
James  I.  it  was  felony  to  destroy  a  "  dovecot,"  and 
by  the  laws  of  James  VI.,  no  man  could  build  one 
in  "aheugh,  or  in  the  country,  unless  he  had  lands 
to  the  value  of  ten  chalders  of  victual  yearly 
within  two  miles  of  the  said  dovecot." 

The  ancient  bridge  of  Saughton  over  the  Leith 
consists  of  three  arches  with  massive  piers,  and 
bears  the  date  of  repairs,  apparently  1670,  in  a 
square  panel.  Through  one  of  the  arches  of  this 
bridge,  during  a  furious  flood  in  the  river,  a 
chaise  containing  two  ladies  and  two  gentlemen 
was  swept  in  1774,  and  they  would  all  have 
perished  had  not  their  shrieks  alarmed  the  family 
at  Saughton  Hall,  by  whom  they  were  succoured 
and  saved. 

There  is  a  rather  inelegant  old  Scottish  proverb 
with  reference  to  this  place,  "  Ye  breed  o'  Saughton 
swine,  ye're  neb  is  ne'er  oot  o'  an  ill  turn." 

Throughout  all  this  district,  extending  from  Colt- 
bridge  to  the  Redheughs,  by  Gogar  Green  and 
Milburn  Tower,  the  whole  land  is  in  the  highest 
state  of  cultivation,  exhibiting  fertile  corn-fields, 
fine  grass  parks  and  luxuriant  gardens,  interspersed 
with  coppice,  with  the  Leith  winding  amidst  them, 
imparting  at  times  much  that  is  sylvan  to  the 
scenery. 

South  of  Gogar  Bank  are  two  old  properties — 
Baberton,  said  to  be  a  royal  house,  which,  in  the 
last  century,  belonged  to  a  family  named  Inglis 
(and  was  temporarily  the  residence  of  Charles  X. 
of  France),  and  Riccarton,  which  can  boast  of 
great  antiquity  indeed. 

Among  the  missing  charters  of  Robert  I.  is  one 
to  Walter  Stewart,  of  the  barony  of  Bathgate,  with 
the  lands  of  Richardtou?i,  the  barony  of  Rathew,  of 
Boundington,  and  others  in  the  Sheriffdom  of  Edin- 
burgh. Thus,  we  see,  it  formed  part  of  the  dowry 
given  by  the  victor  of  Bannockburn  to  his  daughter 
the  Lady  Margery,  wife  of  Walter,  High  Steward 
of  Scotland,  in  13 16 — direct  ancestor  of  the  House 
of  Stewart — who  died  in  his  castle  of  Bathgate  in 
1328,  his  chief  residence,  the  site  of  which  is  still 
marked  by  some  ancient  pine  trees. 

In  the  reign  of  King  Robert  III.,  the  lands  of 


OLD  AND  NEW  EDINBURGH. 


OLD  SAUGUTON  BRIDGE;  2,  OLD  SAUGHTON  HOUSE;  3,  BARNTON  HOU.-E;  4,  CRAMOND  CHURCH. 


SIR    THOMAS    CRAIG. 


Riccarton,  with  those  of  Warriston,  in  the  barony  j  referred  in  the  account  of  his  town  residence  in 
of  Currie,  were  given  by  royal  charter  to  Marion  j  Warriston's  Close.  He  was  born  at  Edinburgh 
of  Wardlaw,  and  Andrew  her  son,  and  have  had  j  about  1538,  and  in  1552  was  entered  as  a  student 
many  proprietors  since  then.  at  St.  Leonard's  College  in  the  University  of  St. 

In  the  Privy  Council  Register  we  find  that  in     Andrews,  which  he  quitted  three  years  subsequently, 
1579  the  Lairds  of  Brighouse  and  Haltoun  became  |  after    receiving    his  degree  of  Bachelor  of   Arts. 


bound  in  caution,  that  the  former  shall  pay  "  to 
Harie  Drummond  of  Riccartoun,  ^100  on  Martin- 
mas next,  the  nth  November,  in  the  Tolbooth  of 
Edinburgh,  for  behoof  of  William  Sandeland  and 
Thomas  Hart,"  whom  he  had  hurt  and  mutilated, 
"or  else  shall  re-enter  himself  as  a  prisoner  in  the 
said  Tolbooth,  on  the  said  day." 

During   the   middle    of   the    sixteenth    century 
Riccarton   became    the    property    of   the    famous 
feudal  lawyer,  Sir  Thomas  Craig,  to  whom  we  have 
137 


He  next  studied  at  the  University  of  Paris,  and 
became  deeply  versed  in  Civil  and  Canon  laws. 
Returning  to  Scotland  about  1561,  he  was  called 
to  the  bar  three  years  afterwards,  and  in  1564  was 
made  Justice-Depute. 

In  1566,  when  Prince  James  was  born  in  Edin- 
burgh Castle,  he  wrote  a  Latin  hexameter  poem 
in  honour  of  the  event,  entitled  Genethliacon  Jacobi 
Principis  Scotorum,  which,  with  another  poem  on  his 
departure,  when  king,  for  England,  is  inserted  in 


OLD   AND    NEW   EDINBURGH. 


the  Delitlx  Poeiarum  Scotorum.  He  was  a  convert 
to  the  Protestant  religion,  and  the  chief  work  of 
his  pen  is  his  learned  book  on  feudal  law.  It  has 
been  well  said  that  he  "kept  himself  apart  from  the 
political  intrigues  of  those  distracting  times,  de- 
voting himself  to  his  professional  duties,  and  in  his 
hours  of  relaxation  cultivating  a  taste  for  classical 
literature." 

He  was  present  at  the  entry  of  King  James  into 
London,  and  at  his  coronation  as  King  of  England, 
an  event  which  he  commemorated  in  a  poem  in 
Latin  hexameters.  In  1604  he  was  one  of  the 
commissioners  appointed  by  the  king  to  confer 
with  others  on  the  part  of  England,  concerning 
a  probable  union  between  the  two  countries,  a 
favourite  project  with  James,  but  somewhat  Utopian 
when  broached  at  a  time  when  men  were  living 
who  had  fought  on  the  field  of  Pinkie. 

He  wrote  a  treatise  on  the  independent 
sovereignty  of  Scotland,  which  was  published  in 
1675,  long  after  his  death,  which  occurred  at  Edin- 
burgh on  the  26th  of  February,  1608.  He  married 
Helen,  daughter  of  Heriot  of  Trabrown,  in  East 
Lothian,  by  whom  he  had  seven  children.  His 
eldest  son,  Sir  Lewis  Craig,  born  in  1569,  became 
a  senator,  as  Lord  Wrightislands. 


On  the  death  of  his  lineal  descendant  in  1823, 
Robert  Craig  of  Riccarton  (of  whom  mention  was 
made  in  our  chapter  on  Princes  Street  in  the 
second  volume  of  this  work),  James  Gibson,  W.S. 
(afterwards  Sir  James  Gibson-Craig  of  Riccarton 
and  Ingliston),  assumed  the  name  and  arms  of 
Craig  in  virtue  of  a  deed  of  entail  made  in  1S1S. 
He  was  a  descendant  of  the  Gibsons  of  Durie,  in 
Fife. 

His  eldest  son  was  the  late  well-known  Sir 
William  Gibson-Craig,  who  was  born  2nd  August, 
1797,  and,  after  receiving  his  education  in  Edin- 
burgh, was  called  as  an  advocate  to  the  Scottish 
Bar  in  1820.  He  was  M.P.  for  Midlothian  from 
1837  to  1 841,  when  he  was  returned  for  the  city  of 
j  Edinburgh,  which  he  continued  to  represent  till 
I  1852.  He  was  a  Lord  of  the  Treasury  from  1846 
to  1852,  and  was  appointed  one  of  the  Board 
of  Supervision  for  the  Poor  in  Scotland.  In  1S54 
he  was  appointed  Lord  Clerk  Register  of  Her 
Majesty's  Rolls  and  Registers  in  Scotland  in  1S62, 
and  Keeper  of  the  Signet.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Privy  Council  in  1863,  and  died  in  1878. 

Riccarton  House,  a  handsome  modern  villa  of 
considerable    size,    has    now    replaced    the    old 
I  mansion  of  other  times. 


CHAPTER     XXXVIII. 
THE    ENVIRONS    OF    EDINBURGH    [continued). 


ton -Ancient  Name  and  Church— Redhall—  The  Family  of  Foulis-Dregho 
— Graysmill — Liberton — The  Mill  at  Nether  Liberton— Liberton  Tower — T 
The  Wauchopcs  of  Niddrie— Xiddrie  House— St.  Katherine's— The  Kaimes 


n— The  Pentland— View  from  Torphin— Comiston— ShteforcT 
e  Church— The  Balm  Well  of  St.  Katherine— Grace  Mount— 
-Mr.  Clement  Little— Lady  Little  of  Liberton. 


The  picturesque  little  parish  village  of  Colinton, 
about  a  mile  and  a  quarter  from  Kingsknowe 
Station,  on  the  Caledonian  Railway,  is  romantically 
situated  in  a  deep  and  wooded  dell,  through  which 
the  Water  of  Leith  winds  on  its  way  to  the  Firth 
of  Forth,  and  around  it  are  many  beautiful  walks 
and  bits  of  sweet  sylvan  scenery.  The  lands  here  | 
are  in  the  highest  state  of  cultivation,  enclosed  by 
ancient  hedgerows  tufted  with  green  coppice,  and 
even  on  the  acclivities  of  the  Pentland  range,  at 
the  height  of  700  feet  above  the  sea,  have  been 
rendered  most  profitably  arable. 

In  the  wooded  vale  the  Water  of  Leith  turns 
the  wheels  of  innumerable  quaint  old  water-mills, 
and  through  the  lesser  dells,  the  Murray,  the  Braid, 
and  the  Burdiehouse  Burns,  enrich  the  parish  with 
their  streams. 

Of  old  the  parish  was  called  Hailes,  from  the 
plural,  it  is  said,  of  a  Celtic  word,  which  signifies  a 


mound  or  hillock.  A  gentleman's  residence  near 
the  site  of  the  old  church  still  retains  the  name, 
which  is  also  bestowed  upon  a  well-known  quarry 
and  two  other  places  in  the  parish.  The  new 
Statistical  Account  states  that  the  name  of  Hailes 
was  that  of  the  principal  family  in  the  parish,  which 
was  so  called  in  compliment  to  them ;  but  this 
seems  barely  probable. 

The  little  church — which  dates  from  only  1771 — 
and  its  surrounding  churchyard,  are  finely  situated 
on  a  sloping  eminence  at  the  bottom  of  a  dell, 
round  which  the  river  winds  slowly  by. 

The  ancient  church  of  Hailes,  or  Colinton,  was 
granted  to  Dunfermline  Abbey  by  Ethelred,  son  of 
Malcolm  Canmore  and  of  St.  Margaret,  a  gift  con- 
firmed by  a  royal  charter  of  David  I.,  and  by  a  Bull 
of  Pope  Gregory  in  1234,  according  to  the  above- 
quoted  authority  ;  but  the  parish  figures  so  little  in 
history  that  we  hear  nothing  of  it  again  till  1650, 


JUNIPER    GREEN. 


3*3 


•when  the  village  was  occupied  on  the  iSth  August 
by  ten  companies  of  Monk's  Regiment  (now  the 
Coldstream  Guards),  of  which  Captain  Gough  of 
Berwick  was  lieutenant-colonel,  and  Captain 
Holmes  of  Newcastle,  major,  prior  to  the  storming 
of  the  fortalices  of  Redhall  and  Colinton,  before 
the  24th  of  the  same  month.  ("  Records  :  Cold. 
Guards.")  Redhall,  in  after  years,  was  the  patri- 
mony of  Captain  John  Inglis,  of  H.M.S.  Belli- 
queux,  who,  at  the  battle  of  Camperdown,  when 
confused  by  the  signals  of  the  admiral,  shouted 
with  impatience  to  his  sailing-master,  "Hang  it, 
Jock  !  doon  wi'  the  helm,  and  gang  richt  into  the 
middle  o't  ! "  closing  his  telescope  as  he  spoke. 

Old  Colinton  House  was,  at  the  period  of  the 
Protectorate,  occupied  by  the  Foulis  family  (now 
represented  by  that  of  Woodhall  in  the  same  parish) 
whose  name  is  alleged  to  be  a  corruption  of  the 
Norman,  as  their  arms  are  azure,  their  bay  leaves 
vert,  in  old  Norman  called  feullis.  Be  that  as  it 
may,  the  family  is  older  than  is  stated  by  Sir  Bernard 
Burke,  as  there  were  two  senators  of  the  College 
of  Justice,  each  Lord  Colinton  respectively — James 
Foulis  in  1532,  and  John  Foulis  in  1541  ;  and 
there  was  a  James  Foulis  of  Colinton,  who  lived 
in  the  reigns  of  Mary  and  James  VI.,  who  married 
Agnes  Heriot  of  Lumphoy,  whose  tombstone  is  yet 
preserved  in  an  aisle  of  Colinton  Church,  and 
bears  this  inscription  : — 

here  .  lyes  .  ane  .  honorabil  .  woman'  .  a.  heriot. 
srovs  .  to  .  j.  foulis  .  of  .  collintovn.  vas.  quha  . 
heid  .  8  .  august  .  1593. 

They  had  four  sons — James,  who  succeeded  to 
the  estate ;  George,  progenitor  of  the  house  of 
Ravelston  ;  David,  progenitor  of  the  English  family 
of  Ingleby  Manor,  Yorkshire  ;  and  John,  of  the 
Leadhills,  whose  granddaughter  became  ancestress 
of  the  Earls  of  Hopetoun. 

Alexander  Foulis,  of  Colinton,  was  created  a 
baronet  of  Nova  Scotia  in  1G34,  and  his  son  Sir 
James,  whose  house  was  stormed  by  the  troops  of 
Monk,  having  attended  a  convention  of  the  estates 
in  Angus,  was  betrayed  into  the  hands  of  the  Eng- 
lish, together  with  the  Earls  of  Leven,  Crawford, 
Marischal,  the  Lord  Ogilvy,  and  many  others,  who 
were  surprised  by  a  party  of  Cromwell's  cavalry, 
under  Colonel  Aldridge,  on  August,  165 1,  and 
taken  as  prisoners  of  war  to  London.  He  married 
Barbara  Ainslie  of  Dolphinton,  but,  by  a  case 
reported  by  Sir  James  Dalrymple  of  Stair,  in  1667, 
he  would  seem  to  have  been  in  a  treaty  of  marriage 
with  Dame  Margaret  Erskine,  Lady  Tarbet,  which 
led  to  a  somewhat  involved  suit  before  the  Lords 
of  Council  and  Session.  After  the  Restoration  he 
was  raised  to  the  Bench  as  Lord  Colinton,  and  was 


succeeded  by  his  son,  also  a  Lord  of  Session,  and 
a  member  of  the  last  Scottish  Parliament  in  1707, 
the  year  of  the  Union. 

After  that  "he  joined  the  Duke  of  Hamilton, 
the  Earl  of  Athol,  and  many  others  of  the  nobility 
and  gentry,  in  their  celebrated  protest  made  by  the 
Earl  of  Errol,  respecting  the  most  constitutional 
defence  of  the  house  of  legislature.  He  also 
joined  in  the  protest,  which  declared  that  an  incor- 
porating union  of  the  two  nations  was  inconsistent 
with  the  honour  of  Scotland.'' 

Further  details  of  this  family  will  be  found  in 
the  account  of  Ravelston  (p.  106). 

The  mansions  and  villas  of  many  other  families 
are  in  this  somewhat  secluded  district ;  the  prin- 
cipal one  is  perhaps  the  modern  seat  of  the  late 
Lord  Dunfermline,  on  a  beautifully  wooded  hill 
overhanging  the  village  on  the  south.  Colinton 
House  was  built  by  Sir  William  Forbes  of  Pitsligo, 
Bart.  Near  it,  the  remains  of  the  old  edifice,  of  the 
same  name,  form  a  kind  of  decorative  ruin. 

Dreghorn  Castle,  a  stately  modern  edifice,  with 
a  conspicuous  round  tower,  is  situated  on  the 
northern  slope  of  the  Pentlands,  at  an  elevation  of 
489  feet  above  the  sea.  John  Maclaurin,  son  of 
Colin  Maclaurin,  the  eminent  mathematician,  was 
called  to  the  bench  as  Lord  Dreghorn.  A  learned 
correspondence,  which  took  place  in  1790,  between 
him,  Lord  Monboddo,  and  M.  Le  Chevalier,  after- 
wards secretary  to  Talleyrand,  on  the  site  of  Troy, 
will  be  found  in  the  Scots  Magazine  for  18 10. 

The  name  of  this  locality  is  very  old,  as  among 
the  missing  crown  charters  of  Robert  II.,  is  one 
confirming  a  lease  by  Alexander  Meygners  of 
Redhall,  to  Robert,  Earl  of  Fife  and  Menteith,  of 
the  barony  of  Redhall  in  the  shire  of  Edinburgh, 
except  Dreghorn  and  Woodhall ;  and  of  the  barony 
of  Glendochart  in  Perthshire,  during  the  said  Earl's 
life.  In  the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth  century 
it  was  the  property  of  a  family  named  Home. 

Near  Woodhall,  in  the  parish  of  Colinton,  is  the 
little  modern  village  of  Juniper  Green,  chiefly 
celebrated  as  being  the  temporary  residence  of 
Thomas  Carlyle,  some  time  after  his  marriage  at 
Comely  Bank,  Stockbridge,  where,  as  he  tells  us  in 
his  "  Reminiscences  "  (edited  by  Mr.  Froude),  "  his 
first  experience  in  the  difficulties  of  housekeeping 
began."  Carlyle's  state  of  health  required  perfect 
quiet,  if  not  absolute  solitude ;  but  at  Juniper 
Green,  as  at  Comely  Bank,  their  house  was  much 
frequented  by  the  literary  society  of  the  day ;  and, 
among  others,  by  Chalmers,  Guthrie,  and  Lord 
Jeffrey,  whose  intimacy  with  Carlyle  rapidly  in- 
creased after  the  first  visit  he  paid  him  at  Comely 
Bank.      "  He   was    much    taken    with    my   little 


324 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


Jeannie,  as  well  he  might  be  "—wrote  Carlyle  in 
1867— "one  of  the  brightest  and  cleverest  creatures 
in  the  whole  world  ;  full  of  innocent  rustic  sim- 
plicity and  variety,  yet  with  the  gracefullest  discern- 
ment, and  calmly  natural  deportment ;  instinct 
with  beauty  to  the  finger-ends !  .  .  .  Jeffrey's 
acquaintanceship  seemed,  and  was,  for  the  time, 
an  immense  acquisition  to  me,  and  everybody  re- 
garded it  as  my  highest  good  fortune,  though  in 
the  end  it  did  not  practically  amount  to  much. 


from  its  resemblance  to  the  Chinese  petunse  or 
kaolin,  out  of  which  the  finest  native  china  is 
made,  it  has  obtained  the  name  of  Petunse  pent- 
landica. 

Boulders  of  granite,  gneiss,  and  other  primitive 
rocks,  lie  on  the  very  summits  of  the  Pentlands,. 
and  jaspers  of  great  beauty  are  frequently  found 
there.  These  summits  and  glens,  though  posses- 
sing little  wood,  are  generally  verdant,  and  abound 
in  beauty  and  boldness  of  contour.     The  fine  pas- 


Meantime  it  was  very  pleasant,  and  made  us  feel 
as  if  no  longer  cut  off  and  isolated,  but  fairly 
admitted,  or  like  to  be  admitted,  and  taken  in 
tow  by  the  world  and  its  actualities." 

A  portion  of  the  beautiful  Pentland  range  rises 
in  the  parish  of  Colinton.  Cairketton  Craigs  on 
the  boundary  between  it  and  Lasswade,  the  most 
northerly  of  the  mountains,  are  1,580  feet  in  height 
above  the  level  of  the  Firth  of  Forth  ;  the  Aller- 
muir  Hill  and  Capelaw  Hill  rise  westward  of  it, 
with  Castlelaw  to  the  south,  1,595  feet  m  height. 
Cairketton  Craigs  are  principally  composed  of 
clayey  felspar,  strongly  impregnated  with  black 
oxide  of  iron.  This  substance,  but  for  its  impreg- 
nation, would  be  highly  useful  to  the  potter,  and 


tures  sustain  numerous  flocks  of  sheep,  and  exhibit 
various  landscapes  of  pleasing  pastoral  romance, 
while  their  general  undulating  outline  alike  arrests- 
and  delights  the  eye. 

The  view  from  Torphin,  one  of  the  low  heads  of 
the  Pentlands,  is  said  to  be  exactly  that  of  the 
vicinity  of  Athens,  as  seen  from  the  base  of  Mount 
Anchesimus.  "  Close  upon  the  right,"  wrote  Grecian 
Williams,  "  Brilessus  is  represented  by  the  hills  of 
Braid ;  before  us  in  the  dark  and  abrupt  mass  of 
the  Castle  rises  the  Acropolis  ;  the  hill  of  Lyca- 
bettus  joined  to  that  of  Areopagus,  appears  in 
the  Calton ;  in  the  Firth  of  Forth  we  behold  the 
iEgean  Sea  ;  in  Inchkeith  /Egina  ;  and  the  hills 
of  the   Peloponnesus   are  precisely  those  of  the 


VIEW    FROM    THE    PENTLANDS. 


325 


opposite  coast  of  Fife."  But  the  distant  views  of 
Edinburgh  are  all  splendid  alike. 

The  northern  slopes  of  these  mountains  com- 
mand a  clear  view  of  one  of  the  grandest  and  most 
varied  landscapes  in  Scotland. 

"  The  numberless  villas  in  the  vicinity  of  Edin- 


of  hills  and  elevated  situations,  useful  as  well 
as  ornamental — protecting,  not  injuring,  cultiva- 
tion. .  .  .  The  expanse  of  the  Forth,  which 
forms  the  northern  boundary,  adds  highly  to 
the  natural  beauty  of  the  scene ;  and  the  capital, 
situated  upon   an    eminence,  adjoining  an  exten- 


FIRTH  OF  FORTH 


MAr   OF   THE   ENVIRONS   OF   EI 


burgh  and  gentlemen's  seats  all  over  the  country 
are  seen,  beautiful  and  distinct,  each  amidst  its  own 
plantations,"  says  a  writer  so  far  back  as  1792,  since 
which  date  great  improvements  have  taken  place. 
"  These  add  still  more  to  the  embellishment  of  the 
scene  from  the  manner  in  which  they  are  disposed  ; 
not  in  extended  and  thick  plantations,  which  turn 
a  country  into  a  forest,  and  throw  a  gloom  upon 
the  prospect,  but  in  clear  and  diversified  lines,  in 
clumps  and  hedgerows,  or  waving  on  the  brows 


sive  plain,  rises  proudly  to  the  view  and  gives 
a  dignity  to  the  whole.  Descending  from  the 
hills  to  the  low  country,  the  surface  which  had 
the  appearance  of  a  uniform  plain  undergoes  a 
change  remarkable  to  the  eye.  The  fields  are 
laid  out  in  various  directions  according  to  the 
nature  of  the  ground,  which  is  unequal,  irregular, 
and  inclined  to  every  point  of  the  compass.  The 
most  part,  however,  lies  upon  a  gentle  slope,  either 
to  the  north  or  to  the  south,  in  banks  which  are 


3^6 


OLD   AND   NEW    EDINBURGH. 


extended  from  east  to  west  over  all  the  country. 
This  inequality  in  the  surface  contributes  much 
to  the  ornament  of  the  view,  by  the  agreeable 
relief  which  the  eye  ever  meets  with  in  the  change  \ 
of  objects;  while  the  universal  declivity,  which 
prevails  more  or  less  in  every  field,  is  favourable  to  ' 
the  culture  of  the  lands,  by  allowing  a  ready  descent 
to  the  water  which  falls  from  the  heavens."  (Agri- 
cultural Survey  of  Midlothian.) 

Situated  in  a  hollow  of  the  landscape,  on  the 
Colinton  slope  of  the  Pentlands,  is  Bonally,  with 
its  ponds,  482  feet  above  the   sea-level.     A   peel 
tower,    added    to    a    smaller 
house,  and  commanding  a  pass 
among  the  hills,  was  finished 
in    1845   by  Lord  Cockburn, 
who   resided  there  for  many 
years. 

There  are  several  copious 
and  excellent  springs  on  the 
lands  of  Swanston,  Dreghorn, 
and  Comiston,  from  which, 
prior  to  the  establishment  of 
the  Water  Company  in  181 9, 
to  introduce  the  Crawley 
water,  the  inhabitants  of 
Edinburgh  chiefly  procured 
that  necessary  of  life. 

At  Comiston  are  the  re- 
mains of  an  extensive  camp 
of  pre-historic  times.  Adjacent 
to  it,  at  Fairmilehead,  tradition 
records  that  a  great  battle  has 
been  fought ;  two  large  cairns 
were  erected  there,  and  when 
these  were  removed  to  serve 
for  road  metal,  great  quantities 
of  human  bones  were  found 
in  and  under  them.  Near  where  they  stood  there 
still  remains  a  relic  of  the  fight,  a  great  whinstone 
block,  about  20  feet  high,  known  as  the  Kelstain, 
or  Battle  Stone,  and  also  as  Camus  Stane,  from  the 
name  of  a  Danish  commander. 

Comiston  House,  in  this  quarter,  was  built  by  Sir 
James  Forrest  in  1815. 

The  Hunter's  Tryst,  near  this,  is  a  well-known 
and  favourite  resort  of  the  citizens  of  Edinburgh  in 
summer  expeditions,  and  was  frequently  the  head- 
quarters of  the  Six  Foot  Club. 

Slateford,  a  village  of  Colinton  parish,  is  two 
ami  a  half  miles  from  the  west  end  of  Princes 
Street.  It  has  a  United  Secession  place  of 
worship,  dating  from  1784,  and  is  noted  as  the 
scene  of  the  early  pastoral  labours  of  the  Rev.  Dr. 
John  Dick.     The  Union  Canal   is  carried  across 


IE    I:\T1LE    Ok    CAM  I*    MUNE,    COM  1 


the  Vale  of  the  Leith,  and  enters  the  parish  here, 
on  the  west  side  by  a  lofty  aqueduct  bridge  of  eight 
arches,  and  passes  along  it  for  two  and  a  half  miles. 
Near  Slateford  is  Graysmill,  where  Prince  Charles 
took  up  his  headquarters  in  1745,  and  met  the 
deputies  sent  there  from  the  city  to  arrange  about 
its  capitulation,  and  where  ensued  those  delibera- 
tions which  Lochiel  cut  short  by  entering  the  High 
Street  at  the  head  of  900  claymores. 

Proceeding  eastward,  we  enter  the  parish  of 
Liberton,  one  of  the  richest  and  most  beautiful  in 
all  the  fertile  Lothians.  Its  surface  is  exquisitely 
diversified  by  broad  low  ridges, 
gently  rising  swells  and  inter- 
mediate plains,  nowhere  ob- 
taining a  sufficient  elevation 
to  be  called  a  hill,  save  in 
the  instances  of  Blackford  and 
the  Biaid  range.  "As  to 
relative  position,"  says  a  writer, 
"  the  parish  lies  in  the  very 
core  of  the  rich  hanging  plain 
or  northerly  exposed  lands  of 
Midlothian,  and  commands 
from  its  heights  prospects  the 
most  sumptuous  of  the  urban 

y  landscape   and  romantic  hills 

of  the  metropolis,  the  dark 
form  and  waving  outline  of 
the  Pentlands  and  their  spurs, 
£,'  - ,.~;*-  the  minutely-featured  scenery 
of  the  Lothians,  the  Firth  of 
Forth,  the  clear  coast  line,  the 
white-washed  towns  and  dis- 
tant hills  of  Fife,  and  the  bold 
blue  sky-line  of  mountain 
ranges  away  in  far  perspective. 
The  parish  itself  has  a  thou- 
sand attractions,  and  is  dressed  out  in  neatness 
of  enclosures,  profusion  of  garden-grounds,  opulence 
of  cultivation,  elegance  or  tidiness  of  mansion, 
village,  and  cottage,  and  busy  stir  and  enterprise, 
which  indicate  full  consciousness  of  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  the  proudest  metropolis  in  Europe."   . 

One  of  the  highest  ridges  in  the  parish  is  crowned 
by  the  church,  which  occupies  the  exact  site 
of  a  more  ancient  fane,  of  which  we  have  the 
first  authentic  notice  in  the  King's  charter  to  the 
monks  of  Holyrood,  circa  1 143-7,  when  he  grants 
them  "  that  chapel  of  Liberton,  with  two  oxgates  of 
land,  with  all  the  tithes  and  rights,  etc.,"  which  had 
been  made  to  it  by  Macbeth— not  the  usurper,  as 
Arnot  erroneously  supposes,  but  the  Macbeth,  or 
Macbether,  Baron  of  Liberton,  whose  name  occurs 
as  witness  to  several  roval  charters   of  David  I. 


THE    TOWER. 


between  1124  and  1153,  according  to  the  Liber 
Cartarum  Sanctoe  Cruris. 

Macbeth  of  Liberton  also  granted  to  St.  Cuth- 
bert's  Church  the  tithes  and  oblations  of  Legbor- 
nard,  a  church  which  cannot  now  be  traced. 

The  name  is  supposed  to  be  a  corruption  of 
Lepertoun,  as  there  stood  here  a  hospital  for 
lepers,  of  which  all  vestiges  have  disappeared;  but 
the  lands  thereof  in  some  old  writs  (according  to 
the  "New  Statistical  Account")  were  called  "Spital- 
town." 

At  Nether  Liberton,  three-quarters  of  a  mile  north 
of  the  church,  was  a  mill,  worked  of  course  by  the 
Braid  Burn,  which  David  I.  bestowed  upon  the 
monks  of  Holyrood,  as  a  tithe  thereof,  "with 
thirty  cartloads  from  the-  bush  of  Liberton,"  gifts 
confirmed  by  William  the  Lion  under  the  Great 
Seal  circa  117 1-7. 

The  Black  Friars  at  Edinburgh  received  five 
pounds  sterling  annually  from  this  mill  at  Nether 
Liberton,  by  a  charter  from  King  Robert  I. 

Prior  to  the  date  of  King  David's  charter,  the 
church  of  Liberton  belonged  to  St.  Cuthbert's. 
The  patronage  of  it,  with  an  acre  of  land  adjoining 
it,  was  bestowed  by  Sir  John  Maxwell  of  that  ilk, 
in  1367,  on  the  monastery  of  Kilwinning, pro  salute 
animce  sua:  et  Agnetis  spo?isce  sua. 

This  gift  was  confirmed  by  King  David  II. 

By  David  II.  the  lands  of  Over  Liberton, 
"  quhilk  Allan  Baroune  resigned,"  were  gifted  to 
John  Wigham  ;  and  by  the  same  monarch  the  lands 
of  Nether  Liberton  were  gifted  to  William  Ramsay, 
of  Dalhousie,  knight,  and  Agnes,  his  spouse,  24th 
October,  1369.  At  a  later  period  he  granted  a 
charter  "to  David  Libbertoun,  of  the  office  of 
sergandrie  of  the  overward  of  the  Constabularie  of 
Edinburgh,  with  the  lands  of  Over  Libbertoun 
pertaining  thereto."     ("  Robertson's  Index.") 

Adam  Forrester  (ancestor  of  the  Corstorphine 
family)  was  Laird  of  Nether  Liberton  in  1387,  for 
estates  changed  proprietors  quickly  in  those  trouble- 
some times,  and  we  have  already  reterred  to  him 
as  one  of  those  who,  with  the  Provost  Andrew 
Yichtson,  made  arrangements  for  certain  extensive 
additions  to  the  church  of  St.  Giles  in  that  year. 

William  of  Liberton  was  provost  of  the  city  in 
1429,  and  ten  years  subsequently  with  William 
Douglas  of  Hawthornden,  Mechelson  of  Herd- 
manston  (now  Harviston),  and  others,  he  witnessed 
the  charter  of  Patrick,  abbot  of  Holyrood,  to  Sir 
Patrick  Logan.  Lord  of  Restalrig,  of  the  office  of 
bailie  of  St.  Leonard's.  ("  Burgh  Charters,"  No. 
XXVI.) 

At  Liberton  there  was  standing  till  about  1840 
a  tall  peel-house  or  tower,  which  was  believed  to 


have  been  the  residence  of  Macbeth  and  other 
barons  of  Liberton,  and  which  must  not  be  con- 
founded with  the  solitary  square  tower  that  stands 
to  the  westward  of  the  road  that  leads  into  the 
heart  of  the  Braid  Hills,  and  is  traditionally  said  to 
have  been  the  abode  of  a  troublesome  robber 
laird,  who  waylaid  provisions  coming  to  the  city 
markets. 

The  former  had  an  old  dial-stone,  inscribed 
"  God's  Providence  is  our  Inheritance." 

Near  the  present  Liberton  Tower  the  remains 
of  a  Celtic  cross  were  found  embedded  in  a  wall  in 
1S63,  by  the  late  James  Drummond,  R.S.A.  It 
was  covered  with  knot-work. 

The  old  church — or  chapel  it  was  more  probably 
— at  Kirk-Liberton,  is  supposed  to  have  been  dedi- 
cated to  the  Virgin  Mary — there  having  been  a 
holy  spring  near  it,  called  our  Lady's  Well — and 
it  had  attached  to  it  a  glebe  of  two  oxgates  of 
land. 

In  the  vicinity  was  a  place  called  Kilmartin, 
which  seemed  to  indicate  the  site  of  some  ancient 
and  now  forgotten  chapel. 

In  1 240  the  chapelry  of  Liberton  was  disjoined  by 
David  Benham,  Bishop  of  St.  Andrews  and  Great 
Chamberlain  to  the  King,  from  the  parish  of  St. 
Cuthbert's,  and  constituted  a  rectory  belonging  to 
the  Abbey  of  Holyrood,  and  from  then  till  the 
Reformation  it  was  served  by  a  vicar. 

For  a  brief  period  subsequent  to  1633,  it  was  a 
prebend  of  the  short-lived  and  most  inglorious 
bishopric  of  Edinburgh ;  and  at  the  final  abolition 
thereof  it  reverted  to  the  disposal  of  the  Crown. 

The  parochial  registers  date  from  1639. 

When  the  old  church  was  demolished  prior  to 
the  erection  of  the  new,  in  181 5,  there  was  found 
very  mysteriously  embedded  in  its  basement  an 
iron  medal  of  the  thirteenth  century,  inscribed  in 
ancient  Russian  characters  "  The  Grand  Prince 
St.  Alexander  Yaroslavitch  Nevskoi." 

The  old  church  is  said  to  have  been  a  pic- 
turesque edifice  not  unlike  that  how  at  Corstor- 
phine ;  the  new  one  is  a  tolerably  handsome  semi- 
Gothic  structure,  designed  by  Gillespie  Graham, 
seated  for  1,430  persons,  and  having  a  square 
tower  with  four  ornamental  pinnacles,  forming  a 
pleasing  and  prominent  object  in  the  landscape 
southward  of  the  city. 

Subordinate  to  the  church  there  were  in  Catholic 
times  three  chapels — one  built  by  James  V.  at 
Brigend,  already  referred  to  ;  a  second  at  Niddrie, 
founded  by  Robert  Wauchope  of  Niddrie,  in  1389, 
and  dedicated  to  "  Our  Lady,"  but  which  is  now 
only  commemorated  by  its  burying-ground — which 
continues  to  be  in  use — and  a  few  faint  traces  of 


OLD   AND    NEAV   EDINBURGH. 


its  foundation  ;  and  a  third  near  the  Balm  Well  of 
St.  Katherine;  it  was  dedicated  to  St.  Margaret, 
but  not  a  trace  of  it  now  exists. 

The  marvellous  history  of  the  well  rests  upon 
Boece  and  other  very  early  authorities. 


had  a  commission  from  St.  Margaret,  consort  of 
Malcolm  Canmore,  to  bring  a  quantity  of  holy  oil 
from  Mount  Sinai.  In  this  very  place  she 
happened  by  some  accident  to  lose  a  few  drops 
of  it,  and   at   her  earnest  supplication,   the   well 


On  the  surface  of  this  well  there  are  always  ' 
floating  oily  substances  of  a  black  colour,  called 
petroleum.  "  Remove  as  many  of  these  as  you 
please,"  says  the  editor  of  the  Scotsman's  Library  in 
1825,  "still  the  same  quantity,  it  has  been 
observed,  remains.  It  is  called  the  Balm  Well  of 
St.  Katherine.  It  was  much  frequented  in  ancient 
times,  and  considered  as  a  sovereign  remedy  for 
several  cutaneous  disorders.  It  owes  its  origin, 
it  is  said,  to  a  miracle  in  this  manner:  St.  Katherine 


appeared  as  just  now  described.  When  King 
James  VI.  was  in  Scotland  in  1617,  he  went  to 
visit  it,  and  ordered  that  it  should  be  fenced  in 
with  stones  from  bottom  to  top,  and  that  a  door 
and  staircase  should  be  made  for  it,  that  people 
might  have  more  easy  access  unto  the  oily  sub- 
stances which  floated  always  above,  and  which 
were  deemed  of  so  much  importance.  The  royal 
command  being  obeyed,  the  well  was  greatly 
adorned,   and  continued  so  until  the  year   1650, 


ST.     KATHERINES    WELL. 


when  Cromwell's  soldiers  not  only  defaced  it,  but 
almost  totally  destroyed  it.  It  was  repaired  after 
the  Restoration.  Hard  by  this  well,"  he  continues, 
"a  chapel  was  erected  and  dedicated  to  St.  Margaret. 
St.   Katherine  was  buried  in   the  chapel,  and  the 


dists  not  one  suits  the  epoch  of  St.  Margaret  of  Scot- 
land, and  St.  Katherine  of  Sienna,  with  whom  it  is 
rather  identified,  was  born  in  1347.  The  probability 
is,  that  a  woman  named  Katherine  brought  the 
oil  from  the  tomb  of  St.  Katherine  of  Alexandria, 


place  where  her  bones  lie  is  still  pointed  out,  and 
it  was  observed  that  he  who  pulled  it  down  never 
prospered.  The  ground  around  it  was  consecrated 
for  burying,  and  it  was  considered  the  most  ancient 
place  of  worship  in  the  parish.  After  the  nunnery 
at  the  Sciennes  was  founded,  the  nuns  there  made 
an  annual  procession  to  this  chapel  and  well  in 
honour  of  St.  Katherine." 

L'nfortunately  for  this  popular  legend,  of  five  St. 
Katherines  whose  memoirs  are  given  by  the  Bollan- 
138 


at  Mount  Sinai,  and  dying  here  was  locally  canon- 
ised as  a  saint  by  name  or  reputation. 

The  following  is  the  chemical  analysis  of  the 
water  by  Dr.  George  Wilson,  F.S.A.,  as  given  in 
Daniel  Wilson's  "  Memorials."  "  The  water  from 
St.  Katherine's  Well  contains,  after  filtration,  in 
each  imperial  gallon,  28T1  grs.  of  solid  matter, 
of  which  8-45  grs.  consists  of  soluble  sulphates 
and  chlorides  of  the  earths  and  alkalies,  and 
19-66  grs.  of  insoluble  calcareous  carbonates." 


OLD   AND    NEW   EDINBURGH. 


East  of  St.  Katherine's  is  a  rising  ground  now 
called  Grace  Mount,  and  of  old  the  Priest's  Hill, 
which  probably  had  some  connection  with  the 
well  and  chapel.  The  Cromwellians,  who  destroyed 
the  former,  were  a  portion  of  16,000  men,  who 
were  encamped  on  the  adjacent  Galachlaw  Hill, 
in  1650,  shortly  before  their  leader  fell  back  on 
his  retreat  to  Dunbar. 


At  the  period  of  the  Reformation  the  chapelry 
of  Niddrie,  with  the  revenues  thereof,  was  attached 
to  Liberton  Church.  Its  founders,  the  Wauchopes  [ 
of  Niddrie,  have  had  a  seat  in  the  parish  for  more 
than  500  years,  and  are  perhaps  the  oldest  family 
in  Midlothian. 

Gilbert  Wauchope  of  Niddrie  was  a  distin- 
guished member  of  the  Reformation  Parliament  in 
1560.  On  the  27th  of  December,  1591,  Archibald 
Wauchope,  of  Niddrie,  together  with  the  Earl  of 
Bothwell,  Douglas  of  Spott,  and  others,  made  a 
raid  on  Holyrood,  attempting  the  life  of  James  VI., 
and  after  much  firing  of  pistols  and  muskets  were 
repulsed,  according  to  Moyses'  Memoirs,  for  which 
offence  Patrick  Crombie  of  Carrubber  and  fifteen 
others  were  forfeited  by  Parliament. 

Sir  John  Wauchope  of  Niddrie  is  mentioned  by 
Guthry  in  his  "  Memoirs,''  as  a  zealous  Covenanter. 

Niddrie  House,  a  mile  north  of  Edmonstone 
House,  is  partly  an  ancient  baronial  fortalice  and 
partly  a  handsome  modern  mansion.  The  holly 
hedges  here  are  thirty  feet  high,  and  there  is  a 
sycamore  nineteen  feet  in  circumference. 

In  17 18  John  Wauchope  of  Niddrie,  Marischal, 
was  slain  in  Catalonia.  He  and  his  brother  were 
generals  of  Spanish  infantry,  and  the  latter  was 
governor  of  the  town  and  fortress  of  Cagliari  in 
Sardinia. 

We  find  the  name  of  his  regiment  in  the  follow- 
ing obituary  in  1 7 1 9 : — "  Died  in  Sicily,  of  fever,  in 


the  camp  of  Randazzo,  Andrew,  son  of  Sir  George 
Seton  of  Garleton — sub-lieutenant  in  Irlandas  Regi- 
ment, late  Wauchope's."   (Salmon's  "Chronology.") 

In  1 7 18  one  of  the  same  family  was  at  the  sea- 
battle  of  Passaro,  captain  of  the  San  Franrisca 
Arreres  of  twenty-two  guns  and  one  hundred  men. 
Lediard's  History  calls  him  simply  "  Wacup,  a 
Scotchman." 

The  other  chapel  referred  to  gives  its  name 
to  the  mansion  and  estate  of  St.  Kaiherine's,  once 
the  residence  of  Sir  William  Rae,  Bart,  of  Eskgrove, 
the  friend  of  Sir  Walter  Scott,  who  apostrophises 
him  as  his  "  dear  loved  Rae,"  in  the  introduction 
to  the  fourth  canto  of  Marmion,  and  who,  with 
Skene,  Mackenzie,  and  others  of  the  Old  Edin- 
burgh Light  Horse,  including  Scott,  formed  them- 
selves into  a  little  semi-military  club,  the  meetings 
of  which  were  held  at  their  family  supper-tables  in 
rotation.  He  was  the  third  baronet  of  his  family, 
and  was  appointed  Lord  Advocate  in  181 9,  on  the 
promotion  of  Lord  Meadowbank,  and  held  the 
office  till  the  end  of  1830.  He  was  again  Lord 
Advocate  during  Sir  Robert  Peel's  administration 
in  1835,  and  was  M.P.  for  Bute. 

A  little  way  to  the  south  is  a  place  called  the 
Kaimes,  which  indicates  the  site  of  an  ancient  camp. 

We  have  already,  in  other  places,  referred  to 
Mr.  Clement  Little,  of  Upper  Liberton,  a  founder 
of  the  College  Library,  by  a  bequest  of  books  thereto 
in  1580.  Two  years  before  that  he  appeared  as 
procurator  for  the  Abbot  of  Kilwinning,  in  a  dis- 
pute between  hiin  and  the  Earl  of  Eglinton  (Priv. 
Coun.  Reg). 

Lord  Fountainhall  records,  under  date  May  22nd, 
1685,  that  the  Lady  of  Little  of  Liberton,  an  active 
dame  in  the  cause  of  the  Covenant,  was  imprisoned 
for  harbouring  certain  recusants,  but  that  "on 
his  entering  into  prison  for  her  she  was  liberate." 


CHAPTER     XXXIX. 
THE     ENVIRONS     OF     EDINBURGH     (continue/). 

e— Origin  of  the  Name— Roman  Camps— The  Old  Church  and  Temple  Lands— Lennox  Tower— Currie 
Malleny— James  Anderson,  LL.D.— "  Camp  Meg  "  and  her  Story. 


i ill  Castle  and  the  Skenes— Scott  of 


Currie,  in  many  respects,  is  one  of  the  most  inter- 
esting places  in  the  vicinity  of  Edinburgh.  The 
parish  is  in  extent  about  five  or  six  miles  in 
every  direction,  though  in  one  quarter  it  measures 
nine  miles  from  east  to  west.  One-third  of  the 
whole  district  is  hill  and  moorland.  Freestone 
abounds   in   a   quarry,    from  which  many  of  the 


houses  in  the  New  Town  have  been  built;  and 
there  is,  besides,  plenty  of  ironstone,  and  a  small 
vein  of  copper. 

Though  antiquaries  have  endeavoured  to  connect 
its  name  with  the  Romans,  as  Coria,  it  is  most 
probably  derived  from  the  Celtic  Corrie,  signifying 
a  hollow  or  glen,  which  is  very  descriptive  of  the 


ROMAN    AND    OTHER    ANTIQUITIES. 


locality.     But  the  "Old  Statistical  Account"  has 
the  following  version  of  it  : — 

'•  From  its  name — Koria  or  Cor/a — it  seems  to 
have  been  one  of  those  districts  which  still  retain 
their  Roman  appellation.  This  conjecture  is  sup- 
ported by  the  following  authors,  who  give  an  account 
of  the  ancient  and  modern  names  of  places  in 
Scotland:  ist.  Johnston,  in  his  ' Antiquitates 
Celto-Normannicae.'  for  the  Koria  of  Ptolemy  places 
Currie ;  2nd,  Dr.  Stukeley,  in  his  account  of 
Richard  of  Cirencester's  map  and  itinerary,  for  the 
Koria  of  Richard  fixes  Corstanlaw  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Currie ;  3rd,  Sir  Robert  Sibbald,  in 
his  '  Roman  Antiquities  of  Scotland,'  conceives 
it  to  have  been  the  place  near  the  manor  of  Inglis- 
ton,  from  a  pillar  dug  up  there,  which  place  is 
likewise  in  the  vicinity 
•of  Currie.  These  circum- 
stances tend  to  prove 
that  it  must  have  been 
originally  a  Roman  sta- 
tion— traces  of  which 
have  lately  been  found 
in  the  neighbourhood " 
{Vol.  V.). 

The  locality  is  very 
rich  in  ancient  military 
remains,  as  the  extract 
from  the  "  Old  Statistical 
Account "  would  lead  us 

to    expect.       Indications   of  Roman    stations  are 
visible  on  Ravelrig  Hill  and  Warlaw  Hill. 

The  former  crowns  the  summit  of  a  high  bank, 
inaccessible  on  three  sides,  defended  by  two  ditches 
faced  with  stone,  with  openings  for  a  gate.  It  is 
named  by  the  peasantry  the  Castle  Yett. 

Farther  eastward,  commanding  a  view  of  the 
beautiful  strath  towards  Edinburgh,  is  another 
station,  traditionally  called  the  General's  Watch,  or 
Post.  These  works  are  much  defaced,  the  hewn 
stones  having  been  carried  off  to  make  field  dykes. 

On  Cocklaw  Farm,  there  were,  till  within  a  few 
years  ago,  the  remains  of  a  massive  round  tower, 
eighteen  feet  in  diameter.  The  ruins  were  filled 
with  fine  sand.  It  had  some  connection  with  the 
station  on  Ravelrig  Hill,  as  subterranean  passages 
have  been  traced  between  them. 

On  the  lands  of  Harelaw — a  name  which  implies 
the  locality  of  an  army — near  the  present  farm- 
house, there  stood  an  immense  cairn,  of  which  three 
thousand  loads  were  carted  aw'ay,  some  time  shortly 
before  1845.  Within  it  was  a  stone  cist,  only  two 
feet  square,  but  full  of  human  bones.  In  the  same 
field  was  found  a  coffin  of  stone,  the  bones  in 
which  had  faded  into  dust ;  amid  them  lay  a  piece 


(After  a  L 


of  earthenware.  South  of  the  great  cairn  were  five 
large  stones,  set  upright  in  the  earth,  to  com- 
memorate some  now-forgotten  battle  ;  and  at  the 
bottom  of  the  same  field  were  found  many  stone 
coffins,  which  the  late  General  Scott  of  Malleny 
re-interred,  and  he  set  up  a  tombstone,  which  still 
marks  the  place. 

At  Enterkins  Yett, according  to  tradition,  a  bloody 
battle  was  fought  with  the  Danes,  whose  leader 
was  slain  by  the  Scots  and  buried  in  the  field  giving 
rise  to  its  name. 

But,  apart  from  these  prehistoric  vestiges,  Currie 
has  claims  to  considerable  antiquity  from  an  eccle- 
siastical point  of  view. 

Father    Hay   records  that    the   Knights    of  the 
Hospital   had   an   establishment   at    Currie,    then 
called  Kill-leith  (i.e.,  the 
Chapel    by    the    Leith), 
which  was  a  chief  com- 
*     ,;.,_  mandery.     But  there  lies 

•'%  m  tne  village  churchyard 
a  tombstone  six  feet 
long  by  two  broad,  on 
which  there  is  carved  a 
sword  of  the  thirteenth 
century,  with  the  guard 
depressed,  and  above  it 
the    eight-pointed    cross 

1,    CURRIE    CHURCHYARD.  °        ' 

ly  1  lie  Author.)  of  the  Temple,  encircled 

by  a  rosary  of  beads. 
It  was  for  a  time  built  into  the  wall  of  the  village 
school-house. 

In  1670  Scott  of  Bavelaw  was  retoured  in  the 
Temple  lands  and  Temple  houses  of  Currie.  The 
fragment  of  the  old  church  bore  the  impress  of 
great  antiquity,  and  when  it  was  removed  to  make 
way  for  the  present  plain-looking  place  of  worship, 
there  was  found  a  silver  ornament  supposed  to  be 
the  stand  of  a  crucifix,  or  stem  of  an  altar  candle- 
stick, as  it  had  a  screw  at  each  end,  and  was  seven 
inches  long  by  one  and  one-eighth  in  diameter. 
On  a  scroll,  it  bore  in  Saxon  characters,  the  legend — 
icsu  .  J?  tli .  Bci .  ittiscrcrc  .  Jttci. 

It  is  now  preserved  in  the  Museum  of  Antiquities. 

In  the  reign  of  David  II.,  William  of  Disscyng- 
toun,  relation  and  heir  of  John  Burnard,  had 
a  grant  of  land  in  the  barony  of  Currie  ;  and  under 
Robert  III.,  Thomas  Eshingtoun  (or  Dishingtoun), 
son  probably  of  the  same,  had  a  charter  of  the 
lands  of  Longherdmanstoun,  Currie,  Redheughs, 
and  Kilbaberton— all  in  the  shire  of  Edinburgh. 

Under  the  same  monarch,  William  Brown  of 
Colstoun  had  a  grant  of  Little  Currie,  in  the 
barony  of  Ratho  ;  and  afterwards  we  find  Robert 


332 


OLD   AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


Maitland  granting  a  charter  to  Robert  Winton 
"of  the  barony  of  Hirdmanston,  called  Curry." 
(Robertson's  "  Index  to  Missing  Charters.") 

The  present  bridge  of  Currie  is  said  to  be  above 
five  hundred  years  old ;  and  the  dark  pool  below 
gave  rise  to  the  Scottish  proverb  concerning  intense 
cunning — "  Deep  as  Currie  Brig." 

Currie  Church  was  an  outpost  of  Corstorphine, 
and,  with  Fala,  formed  part  of  the  property  given 
by  Mary  of  Gueldres  to  the  Trinity  College. 


"  Mr.  Adam  Letham,  minister  of  Currie,  1568-76, 
to  be  paid  as  follows  :  his  stipend  jc  li,  with  the 
Kirkland  of  Curry.  Andrew  Robeson,  Reidare 
(Reader  at  Curry;  his  stipend  xx  lb.,  but  (i.e., 
without)  Kirkland." 

After  the  Reformation  there  was  sometimes  only 
one  minister  for  four  or  five  parishes. 

In  the  seventeenth  century,  Mathew  Leighton, 
nephew  of  the  famous  Archbishop  of  Glasgow,  a 
prelate  of  singular    piety   and   benevolence,   was 


It  was  a  benefice  of  the  Archdean  of  Lothian. 

Even  so  late  as  the  reign  of  Charles  L,  it  does 
not  appear  to  have  been  considered  a  separate 
parish  from  Corstorphine,  for  no  mention  is  made  of 
it  in  the  royal  decree  for  the  brief  erection  of  the 
see  of  Edinburgh,  though  all  the  adjoining  parishes 
are  noticed. 

Till  within  a  few  years,  iron  jougs  hung  at  the 
north  gate  of  Currie  Churchyard,  at  Hermiston 
(which  is  a  corruption  of  Herdmanstown),  at  Mal- 
leny,  and  at  Buteland,  near  Balerno. 

Currie  was  one  of  the  first  rural  places  in  Scot- 
land which  had  a  Protestant  clergyman,  as  appears 
from  the  "  Register  of  Ministers,"  published  by  the 
Maitland  Club  : — 


curate  of  Currie  during  the  reign  of  Episcopacy ; 
and,  singular  to  say,  was  not  expelled  from  his 
incumbency  at  the  Revolution  in  the  year  1688, 
but  died  at  an  advanced  age,  and  was  interred  in 
the  church-yard,  where  his  tomb  is  still  an  object 
of  interest. 

The  parsonage  of  Currie  is  referred  to  in  an  Act  of 
Parliament,  under  James  VI.,  in  1592  ;  and  Nether 
Currie  is  referred  to  in  another  Act,  of  date  1587, 
granted  in  favour  of  Mark,  Lord  Newbattle. 

Cleuchmaidstone  is  so  named  from  being  the 
pass  to  the  chapel  of  St.  Katherine  in  the  valley 
below,  and  having  a  spring,  in  which,  it  is  said, 
pilgrims  bathed  before  entering  it. 

Some   parts   of  the   parish   are   very   elevated. 


LENNOX    TOWER. 


333 


The  surface  of  the  pond  on  Harelaw  Muir  is  802 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 

One  of  the  chief  antiquities  of  Currie  is  Lennox 
Tower,  on  a  high  bank  overhanging  the  Water  of 
Leith,  and  now  called  by  the  rather  uncouth  name 
of  Lumphoy.  It  is  a  massive  edifice,  measuring 
externally  fifty-five  feet  by  thirty-five,  with  walls 
above  seven  feet  in  thickness.  It  is  entered  by 
an  archway  on  the  north,  where  the  gate  was 
secured  by  a  horizontal  bar,  the  socket  of  which 


as  cattle  were  apt  to  stray  into  it.  The  extent  of 
the  outer  rampart,  which  goes  round  the  brow  of 
the  hill,  is  given  in  the  "  Old  Statistical  Account " 
as  measuring  "304  paces,  or  1,212  feet." 

It  was  surrounded  by  a  moat,  and  there  can  still 
be  traced  the  remains  of  a  deep  ditch.  Though 
small,  it  was  undoubtedly  a  place  of  some  strength. 

Amongst  the  many  conjectures  of  which  it  has 
been  the  subject,  one  declares  it  to  have  been  a 
hunting-seat  of  James  VI.  and  a  residence  of  George 


still  remains  in  the  wall.  It  is  all  built  of  polished 
ashlar  ;  the  hall  windows  are  arched,  with  stone 
seats  within  them,  and  the  ascent  to  the  upper 
storeys  has  been  by  a  narrow  circular  stair,  part 
of  which  still  remains  within  the  thickness  of  the 
wall,  at  the  north-east  angle,  the  steps  of  which  are 
only  three  feet  long. 

It  is  said,  traditionally,  to  take  its  name  from  the 
Lennox  family,  to  whom  it  belonged ;  and  the 
same  vague  authority  assigns  it  as  a  residence  to 
Mary  and  Darnley,  and  afterwards  to  the  Regent 
Morton.  It  occupies  very  high  ground,  command- 
ing a  beautiful  prospect  of  the  Firth  of  Forth,  and 
has  a  subterranean  passage  to  the  river,  which  was 
closed  up  about  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  century, 


Heriot,  by  whom  it  was  bequeathed  to  a  daughter, 
"  from  whom,  along  with  the  adjacent  land,  it  was 
purchased  by  an  ancestor  of  the  present  proprietor." 
It  has  been  alleged  that  there  existed  a  subter- 
ranean communication  between  it  and  Colinton 
Tower,  the  old  abode  of  the  Foulis  family  ;  and 
the  common  stock  story  is  added  that  a  piper  once 
tried  to  explore  it,  and  that  the  sound  of  his  pipes 
was  heard  as  far  as  Currie  Bridge,  where  he 
perished.  But  people  were  still  living  in  1845  wno 
had  explored  this  secret  passage  for  a  considerable 
way. 

"  It  is  supposed  that  the  garrison  (in  war  time) 

secured  by  this  means  a  clandestine  supply  of  water, 

I  and  that  during  a  siege,  when  they  were  hard  pressed 


OLD    AND    NEW   EDINBURGH. 


[Ci 


for  provisions,  and  the  enemy  in  confident  expecta- 
tion of  starving  them  out,  a  soldier  accidentally  caught 
some  fish  in  his  bucket  (in  the  act  of  drawing  water), 
which  the  governor  boastingly  held  out  in  sight 
of  the  besiegers.  On  seeing  this  unexpected  store, 
the  assailants  hastily  raised  the  siege,  deeming  it 
hopeless  to  attempt  to  starve  a  garrison  that  was 
so  mysteriously  supplied."  It  is  probable  that 
this  episode  occurred  during  the  war  between  the 
king's  and  queen's  party,  which  culminated  in  the 
siege  of  Edinburgh  Castle  in  1573. 

Curriehill  Castle,  the  ancient  ruins  of  which 
stand  on  the  opposite  bank  of  the  Leith,  at  a  little 
distance,  and  which  was  the  stronghold  and  for 
ages  the  abode  of  the  Skenes,  was  a  place  of  some 
note  during  that  war.  Among  the  six  chief  places 
mentioned  as  being  fortified  and  garrisoned  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Edinburgh  are  Lennox  Tower, 
on  the  loyalists'  or  queen's  side,  and  Curriehill 
for  the  king. 

In  Crawford  of  Drumsoy's  "  Memoirs  of  the 
Affairs  of  Scotland,"  we  find  the  following,  under 
date  1572  : — 

"The  siege  of  Nidderie-Seaton  being  raised  for 
the  relief  of  Merchiston,  the  governor  found  means 
to  supply  his  masters  at  Edinburgh  with  some  corn 
and  about  fifty  or  sixty  oxen.  Those  who  guarded 
the  booty  were  in  their  turn  taken  by  the  Lairds  of 
Colington  and  Curryhill,  and  imprisoned  at  Cor- 
storphin.  This  galled  the  loyalists,  lest  it  should 
dishearten  the  governor  and  garrison  of  Nidderie; 
and  to  let  them  see  how  much  they  resented  the 
loss,  the  Lord  Seaton  was  sent  out  with  a  hundred 
horse,  who  took  the  Laird  of  Curryhill  out  of  his 
own  house,  and  delivered  him  to  the  governor. 
The  same  day  he  lighted  by  chance  upon  Crawford 
of  Liffnorris,  who  was  coming  into  Leith,  attended 
with  fifty  horse,  to  assist  the  Associators.  These, 
with  their  leader,  were  taken  without  blows,  and 
were  sent  next  morning  to  the  governor,  to  keep 
Curryhill  company,  but  in  a  day  or  two  were  ex- 
changed for  those  at  Corstorphin.  Seaton,  however, 
kept  the  horses  to  himself,  and  brought  them  into 
Edinburgh  loaded  with  provisions,  which  he  bought 
at  a  double  price  from  the  country  people;  nor  did 
the  loyalists  at  any  time  take  so  much  as  one 
bushel  of  corn  which  they  did  not  pay  for,  though 
they  often  compelled  the  owners  to  sell  it." 

Malleny  and  Baberton,  in  Currie,  are  said  to 
have  been  the  property  of  James  VI.  ;  and  Alex- 
ander Brand,  to  whom  he  gave  the  latter  house, 
was  a  favourite  of  his. 

Eastward  of  Kinleith,  at  the  north-east  end  of 
the  Pentland  range,  are  the  remains  of  a  camp 
above    a   pass,    through    which    General    Dalyell 


marched  with  the  Grey  Dragoons  and  other  horse 
to  attack  the  Covenanters  at  Rullion  Green,  in 
1666. 

The  following  is  the  roll  of  the  heritors  of  Currie 
Parish  in  1691  : — • 

Lord  Ravelrig.  Sir  John  Maitland  of  Ravelrig 
was  a  senator  of  the  College  of  Justice,  16S9 — 1710; 
afterward  fifth  Earl  of  Lauderdale,  who  early  joined 
the  Revolution  party. 

Robert  Craig  of  Riccarton. 

John  Scott  of  Malleny. 

Alexander  Brand  of  Baberton. 

Charles  Scott  of  Bavelaw. 

Lawrence  Cunningham  of  Balerno,  whose  family 
was  for  three  centuries  resident  there. 

William  Chiesley  of  Cockburn. 

About  the  middle  of  the  last  century  an  English 
company  endeavoured  to  work  the  vein  of  copper 
ore  at  Eastmiln,  but  failing  to  make  it  profitable, 
the  attempt  was  abandoned. 

Currie  was  celebrated  in  former  days  as  the  resi- 
dence of  several  eminent  lawyers ;  and,  curiously 
enough,  the  principal  heritors  were  at  one  time 
nearly  all  connected  with  the  Court  of  Session. 
Of  these,  the  most  eminent  were  the  Skenes  of 
Curriehill,  father  and  son,  said,  in  the  "  Old  Statis- 
tical Account,"  to  have  been  connected  with  the 
royal  family  of  Scotland. 

John  Skene  of  Curriehill  came  prominently  for- 
ward as  an  advocate  in  the  reign  of  James  VI.  In 
the  year  1578  he  appears  in  a  case  before  the 
Privy  Council,  connected  with  Hew  Campbell  of 
Loudon,  and  others,  as  to  the  Provostship  of  the 
town  of  Ayr,  and  in  the  following  year  as  Prolocutor 
for  the  magistrates  of  Stirling,  in  a  case  against  the 
craftsmen  of  that  burgh. 

In  the  year  1588  he  was  elected  to  accompany 
Sir  James  Melville  of  Halhill,  the  eminent  Scottish 
memorialist,  on  a  mission  to  the  Court  of  Denmark. 
"  I  told  his  Majesty "  (James  VI.),  he  records, 
"  that  I  would  chuse  to  take  with  me  for  a  lawyer 
Mr.  John  Skeen.  His  Majesty  said  he  judged 
there  were  many  better  lawyers.  I  said  he  was  best 
acquainted  with  the  German  customs,  and  could 
make  them  long  harrangues  in  Latin,  and  that  he 
was  good,  true,  and  stout,  like  a  Dutchman.  Then 
his  Majesty  was  content  that  he  should  go  with 
me." 

This  mission  was  concerning  the  marriage  of 
Anne  of  Denmark,  and  about  the  Orkney  Isles. 
In  1594  Sir  John  Skene  of  Curriehill  was  ap- 
pointed Lord  Clerk  Register,  and  in  1598  he  seems 
to  have  shared  that  office  with  his  son  James. 
Three  years  before  that  he  appears  to  have  been  an 
Octavian — as  the  eight  lords  commissioners,  who 


DR.    JAMES    ANDERSON. 


335 


were  appointed  to  look  after  the  king's  exchequer, 
"properties,  and  casualties,"  were  named.  ("Moyses' 
Memoirs.") 

In  April,  1598,  he  witnessed  at  Stirling  the 
contract  between  James  VI.,  Eudovick  Stewart, 
Duke  of  Lennox,  and  Hugh,  fifth  Earl  of  Eglin- 
ton,  for  the  marriage  of  the  latter  and  Gabriella, 
sister  of  the  duke.     ("  Eglinton  Memorials.") 

He  is  best  known  in  Scottish  legal  literature  by 
his  treatise  "  De  Verborum  Significatione,"  and  the 
edition  of  the  "  Regiam  Majestatem,"  but  Lord 
Hailes  doubted  if  his  knowledge  of  Scottish  anti- 
quities was  equal  to  his  industry. 

In  1607,  with  reference  to  the  latter  work,  Sir 
James  Balfour  records  in  his  "  Annales"  that  "  The 
ancient  Lawes  of  Scotland,  collected  by  Sr-  John 
Skeene,  Clerke  of  Register,  on  the  Lordes  of  the 
Privey  Counsall's  recommendation  to  the  King, 
by  their  letters  of  the  4th  of  Marche  this  yeire 
wer  ordained  to  be  published  and  printed,  on  his 
Majestie's  charges." 

This  work,  which  was  printed  in  folio  at  Edin- 
burgh in  1609,  is  entitled  "  Regiam  Majestatem 
Scotia.  The  auld  lawes  and  constitutions  of  Scot- 
land, faithfullie  collected  furth  of  the  Register,  and 
other  auld  authentick  Bukes,  from  the  dayes  of  King 
Malcolme  the  Second  vntill  the  time  of  King  James 
the  First."  It  contains  the  Quoniam  Attachiamenta, 
or  Baron  Laws,  the  Burgh  Laws,  the  Forest  Laws 
of  ^"illiam  the  Lion,  and  many  other  quaint  and 
curious  statutes. 

His  son,  Sir  James  Skene  of  Curriehill,  succeeded 
Thomas,  Earl  of  Melrose,  as  President  of  the 
Court  of  Session  in  1626.  At  what  time  he  was 
made  a  baronet  of  Nova  Scotia  is  unknown,  but 
his  death  as  such  is  thus  recorded  by  Balfour  : — 

"The  20  of  October  (1663)  deyed  Sr-  James 
Skeine  of  Curriehill,  Knight  and  Barronet,  Presi- 
dent of  the  Colledge  of  Justice,  at  his  auen  housse 
in  Edinburghe,  and  was  interred  in  the  Greyfriars 
then"  He  was  buried  within  the  church,  where 
his  tomb  was  found  a  few  years  ago;  and  the 
house  in  which  he  died  is  that  described  as  being 
"beside  the  Grammar  School,"  within  the  south- 
east angle  of  the  Flodden  wall,  and  in  after  years 
the  official  residence  of  the  Professor  of  Divinity. 

Sir  Archibald  Johnston  (Lord  Warriston)  was 
a  considerable  heritor  in  the  parish  of  Currie. 
Maitland  (Lord  Ravelrig)  we  have  already  referred 
to,  and  also  to  Sir  Thomas  Craig  of  Riccarton. 
"  The  Scotts  of  Malleny,  father  and  son,  were  like- 
wise eminent  lawyers  at  the  same  period,  and  the 
latter  had  a  seat  on  the  bench,"  says  the  "  Old 
Statistical  Account" ;  but  if  so,  his  name  does  not 
appear  in  the  list  of  senators  at  that  time. 


The  late  General  Thomas  Scott  of  Malleny,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  ninety-six,  served  on  the  conti- 
nent of  Europe,  and  in  the  American  War  under 
the  Marquis  of  Cornwallis. 

He  entered  the  army  when  a  boy,  and  was  a 
captain  in  the  53rd  Foot  in  October,  1777.  It  is 
recorded  of  him  that  he  carried  some  very  impor- 
tant despatches  in  the  barrel  of  his  spontoon  with 
success  and  dexterity,  passing  through  the  American 
lines  in  the  disguise  of  an  armed  pedler.  These 
services  were  recognised  by  Lord  Melbourne,  who 
gave  him  a  pension  without  solicitation. 

He  belonged  latterly  to  the  Scots  Brigade ;  was 
a  major-general  of  1808,  and  a  lieutenant-general 
of  1813. 

In  1882  his  ancient  patrimony  of  Malleny  was 
purchased  by  the  Earl  of  Rosebery. 

James  Anderson,  LL.D.,  a  miscellaneous  writer 
of  considerable  eminence,  the  son  of  a  farmer,  was 
born  at  Hermiston,  near  Currie,  in  1739.  "His 
ancestors  had  been  farmers,"  says  the  Scots  ATaga- 
zine  for  1809,  "and  had  for  several  generations 
farmed  the  same  land,  which  circumstance  is  sup- 
posed to  have  introduced  him  to  that  branch  of 
knowledge  which  formed  the  chief  occupation  of 
his  life." 

Among  the  companions  of  his  youth,  born  in 
the  same  hamlet,  was  Dr.  James  Anderson,  who  in 
the  early  years  of  the  present  century  was  Physician- 
General  of  the  Forces  in  Madras.  They  were 
related,  educated  together,  and  maintained  a  cor- 
respondence throughout  life. 

Losing  his  father  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  he  entered 
upon  the  management  of  his  ancestral  farm,  and 
at  the  same  time  attended  the  chemistry  class  of 
Dr.  Cullen  in  the  University  of  Edinburgh,  study- 
ing also  several  collateral  branches  of  science.  He 
adopted  a  number  of  improvements,  one  of  which, 
the  introduction  of  a  small  two-horse  plough,  was 
afterwards  so  common  in  Scotland. 

Amid  his  agricultural  labours,  so  great  was  his 
thirst  for  knowledge,  and  so  steady  his  application, 
that  he  contrived  to  acquire  a  considerable  stock 
of  information;  and  in  1771,  under  the  nom  de 
plume  of  "  Agricola,"  he  contributed  to  Ruddiman's 
Edinburgh  Weekly  Magazine  a  series  of  "Essays 
on  Planting,"  which  were  afterwards  published  in 
a  volume.  In  1773  he  furnished  the  article 
"  Monsoon "  to  the  first  edition  of  the  Encyclo- 
pedia Britannica,  in  which,  curiously  enough,  lie 
confidently  predicted  the  failure  of  Captain  Cook's 
first  expedition  in  search  of  a  southern  polar  con- 
tinent. 

Previous  to  1777  he  had  removed  from  Her- 
miston to  a  large  uncultivated  farm,  consisting  of 


336 


OLD   AND   NEW    EDINBURGH. 


thirteen  hundred  acres,  which  he  rented  in  Aber- 
deenshire, and  which,  by  his  skill  and  industry,  he 
brought  into  a  fine  state  of  fertility.  In  the  same 
year  he  wrote  his  "  Observations  on  the  Means  of 
Exciting  a  Spirit  of  National  Industry  "  with  regard 
to  agriculture,  commerce,  manufactures,  and  fish- 
eries, and  also  several  pamphlets  on  agricultural 
subjects,  which  gained  him  a  high  reputation  ;  and 
in  17S0  the  University  of  Aberdeen  conferred  upon 
him  the  degree  of  LL.D. 


quire  into  the  state  of  the  British  fisheries  in  May, 
1785,  makes  very  honourable  mention  of  Dr. 
Anderson's  services  ;  but  we  do  not  find  that  he 
was  ever  offered  any  remuneration,  and  he  was 
too  high-spirited  and  purely  disinterested  to  ask 
for  any. 

After  his  return  he  resumed  his  literary  labours 
in  various  ways,  and,  among  other  schemes,  brought 
out  a  literary  periodical  called  The  Bee,  or  Literary 
Weekly  Intelligencer,  which  was  current  from  Decem- 


Quitting  the  farm,  he  returned  to  the  vicinity  of 
Edinburgh,  with  a  view  to  the  education  of  his 
large  family,  and  partly  to  enjoy  the  literary  so- 
ciety which  then  existed  there. 

About  that  time  he  circulated  a  tract  on  the 
establishment  of  the  Scottish  fisheries,  with  a  view 
to  alleviate  much  distress  which  he  had  witnessed  on 
the  coast  of  Aberdeenshire  from  the  failure  of  the 
crops  in  1782. 

This  excited  the  attention  of  the  Government, 
and  he  was  requested  by  the  Treasury  to  survey 
the  western  coasts  of  Scotland,  and  obtain  informa- 
tion on  this  important  subject — a  task  which  he 
performed  with  enthusiasm  in  1784. 

Thp  report  of  the  committee  appointed  to  in- 


ber,  1790,  to  January,  1794,  and  was  very  popular 
in  Edinburgh. 

In  1797  he  removed  to  London,  where  much 
attention  was  paid  to  him  by  the  Marquis  of 
Lansdowne,  at  whose  request,  in  1799,  he  started 
a  periodical,  entitled  Recreations  in  Agriculture. 
The  greatest  portion  of  this  work  was  written 
by  himself,  but  he  pursued  it  no  further  than  the 
sixth  volume,  in  March,  1802.  From  thence- 
forth, with  the  exception  of  his  correspondence 
with  General  Washington  and  a  pamphlet  on 
"  Scarcity,"  he  was  unable  to  write  more ;  and, 
feeling  the  powers  of  life  begin  to  decline,  devoted 
his  leisure  to  the  cultivation  of  a  miniature  garden. 

A  list  of  his  publications,  thirty  in  number,   is 


'CAMP    MEG. 


given  in  the  Scots  Magazine  for  1809,  but  he 
contributed,  in  addition,  various  essays  to  several 
periodicals  under  different  signatures. 

He  died  in  October,  1808,  in  his  sixty-ninth 
year.  His  family  consisted  of  thirteen  children  ; 
one  of  his  sons  brought  the  art  of  wood-engraving 
to  great  perfection  in  London. 

In  his  style  Dr.  Anderson  was  very  copious, 
and  sometimes,  perhaps,  inclined  to  be  prolix ; 
but  in   the  perusal  of  his  longest  works  it  will  be 


supposed  to  have  been  a  soldiers  widow.  With 
no  companion  but  a  cat,  she  was  first  found  occu- 
pying a  little  hut  she  had  constructed  for  herself  in 
an   angle  of   the   trenches   in    the  Roman  camp 

I  above  Dalkeith.    Of  this  place  she  constituted  her- 

'  self  cicerone,  and  was  wont  to  speak  of  Julius 
Agricola  and  his  officers  as  if  she  had  known  them 
all  intimately.     Dewar  of  Vogrie,  taking  pity  upon 

'  her,  had  a  little  hut  properly  built  for  her  occupation  ; 

.  but  a  storm  demolished  it,  on  which  she  returned 


Rl'I.LION    i.KMN. 


found  difficult  to  omit  anything  without  a  visible 
injury  to  his  train  of  reasoning,  which  is  always 
conspicuous  and  guarded.  Of  his  abilities  these 
works  contain  abundant  proofs ;  and,  although  a 
voluminous  writer,  there  is  no  subject  connected 
with  his  favourite  pursuit — agriculture — on  which 
he  did  not  throw  a  new  and  vivid  light ;  and  his 
knowledge  was  not  confined  to  one  science  alone. 

About  the  year  1820  there  was  found  dead  in 
one  of  the  old  camps  near  Currie  a  peculiar  kind 
of  recluse,  who  had  a  craze  for  haunting  such 
places,  and  was  known  by  the  name  of "  Camp 
Meg."  She  was  a  strange,  half-witted  creature, 
weird,  wild-looking,  and  bronzed  by  exposure ; 
but  as  she  spoke  with  a  good  English  accent,  was 
139 


to  her  old  den  in  the  trenches.  Then,  after  a  time,, 
she  wandered  away  westward  to  another  camp  near 
Currie,  also  said  to  be  one  of  Agricola's,  and  there 
"  Camp  Meg  "  was  found  in  her  old  age,  dead  of 
exposure  and  destitution. 

The  village  can  boast  of  an  excellent  parochial 
library,  which  was  founded  by  the  late  Rev.  Dr. 
Thomas  Barclay,  long  incumbent  there,  and  after- 
wards Principal  of  the  University  of  Glasgow. 

Currie  is  somewhat  famous  for  the  longevity  of 
its  inhabitants.  In  1790  a  man  named  William 
Napier  died  there  aged  113,  who  remembered  the 
Revolution  and  the  reign  of  Queen  Anne.  In  1793 
there  was  a  farmer  still  working  in  his  105th  year; 
and  there  were  many  others  whose  age  exceeded  90. 


33S 


OLD    AND    NEW   EDINBURGH. 


CHAPTER    XL. 
THE    ENVIRONS     OF     EDINBURGH     [continued). 


The  Inch  House— The  Wi 


A  little  way  eastward  of  Nether  Liberton  stands 
the  quaint  old  Inch  House,  built  in  the  year  1617, 
during  the  reign  of  James  VI.,  upon  land  which,  in 
the  preceding  century,  belonged  to  the  monks  of 
Holyrood — a  mansion  long  the  residence  of  the  \ 
Little-Gilmours  of  Craigmillar,  and  of  old  the 
patrimony  of  the  Winrams  of  The  Inch  and 
Liberton,  a  family,  according  to  the  Archaologia 
Scotica,  descended  from  the  Winrams  of  Wiston,  in  1 
Clydesdale. 

In  1644  George  Winram  of  Liberton  was  a 
baron  of  Parliament.  In  the  following  year  he  I 
accused  the  Commissioner  for  Aberdeen,  Patrick 
Leslie,  "  as  one  unworthy  to  sit  in  Parliament,  being 
a  malignant,  who  drunk  Montrose's  health " — a 
statement  remitted  to  a  committee  of  the  House. 
(Balfour's  "Annales.") 

In  1649  he  was  made  a  Lord  of  Session,  by  the 
title  of  Lord  Liberton,  and  was  one  of  the  commis- 
sioners sent  to  the  young  king  in  Holland,  after 
seeing  whom,  he,  with  the  others,  landed  at  Stone- 
haven, and  was  with  the  Parliament  at  Perth  in  the 
August  of  the  same  year. 

In  October  he  sailed  from  Leith  to  visit  the 
king  again  at  Brussels  on  public  business,  obtain-  \ 
ing  a  passage  in  a  States  man-of-war,  in  company 
with  Thomas  Cunningham,  Conservator  of  Scottish 
Privileges  at  Campvere.  In  November  he  was 
again  with  the  king  at  Jersey,  with  letters  from  the 
Committee  of  Estates,  and  landed  at  Leith  from 
a  Dutch  war-ship,  in  February,  1650,  charged  with 
letters  from  Charles  II.  to  the  Parliament  and 
General  Assembly,  prior  to  the  king's  coronation  in 
Scotland. 

He  served  in  the  Regiment  of  the  College  of 
Justice,  and  being  mortally  wounded  at  the  battle  of 
Dunbar,  died  eight  days  after  the  defeat  in  that  town. 

His  son,  colonel  in  the  Scottish  army,  was 
Lieutenant-Governor  of  Edinburgh  Castle,  under 
the  Duke  of  Gordon,  during  the  protracted  siege 
thereof  in  1688-9,  and  the  latter  was  urged  by  ' 
Dundee  to  repair  to  the  Highlands,  and  leave  the 
defence  of  the  fortress  to  Winram,  who  was  deemed 
a  loyal  and  gallant  officer. 

After  the  capitulation,  in  violation  of  its  terms,  he 
was  made  a  prisoner  in  the  fortress  for  some  time, 
and  after  that  we  hear  no  more  of  him  in  history. 

In  1726  The  Inch  and  Nether  Liberton  belonged 


to  Sir  Alexander  Gilmour  of  Craigmillar,  according 
to  the  Valuation  Roll  for  that  year. 

In  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century  the 
house  was  the  residence  of  Patrick  Grant,  Lord 
Elchies,  a  senator  of  the  College  of  Justice.  Born 
in  1690,  he  was  called  to  the  bar  in  17 n,  became 
a  judge  of  the  Court  of  Session  in  1732,  and  of  the 
Court  of  Justiciary  three  years  subsequently.  He 
was  an  able  lawyer  and  upright  judge,  and  collected 
various  decisions,  which  were  published  in  two 
quarto  volumes,  and  edited  by  W.  M.  Morrison, 
advocate. 

He  died  at  the  Inch  House  on  27th  June,  1754, 
in  the  sixty-fourth  year  of  his  age,  leaving  behind 
him,  as  the  papers  of  the  time  say,  "  the  character 
of  an  honest  man,  a  sincere  friend,  an  able  lawyer, 
universally  regretted  by  all  those  whose  esteem, 
when  alive,  he  would  have  wished  to  gain." 

Edmonstone  House,  which  is  the  seat  of  Sir  John 
Don  Wauchope,  Bart,  lies  about  a  mile  south  of 
Niddrie,  on  high  and  commanding  ground  over- 
looking the  hollow  where  Little  France  and  King- 
ston Grange  lie,  and  is  an  elegant  mansion,  sur- 
rounded by  fine  plantations.  It  was  named  Ed- 
monstown,  from  Edmond,  a  Saxon  follower  of 
Margaret,  the  Queen  of  Malcolm  Canmore,  said  to 
be  a  younger  son  of  Count  Egmont  of  Flanders, 
and  from  whom  the  Edmonstones  of  Duntreath 
and  Ednum  (chief  branch  of  the  family,  but  lately 
extinct)  and  all  others  of  the  name  are  descended. 

A  charter  of  the  office  of  coroner  for  Edinburgh 
was  given  to  John  of  Edmonstone  by  King  David 
II., pro  Mo  tempore  vita  sua,  dated  at  Aberdeen  in 
the  thirty-third  year  of  his  reign.  The  same,  or 
another  having  the  same  name,  received  from  the 
same  king  a  grant  of  the  thanage  of  Boyen,  in 
Banffshire.  Sir  John  de  Edmonstone,  knight,  was 
one  of  three  ambassadors  sent  by  Robert  II.  to 
Charles  V.  of  France  in  1374,  to  solicit  his  in- 
terposition with  the  Pope  and  Sacred  College  to 
procure  a  favourable  decree  in  the  suit  prose- 
cuted at  the  instance  of  Margaret  Logie,  Queen 
Consort  of  Scotland. 

He  married  Isabel,  daughter  of  Robert  II., 
relict  of  James,  Earl  of  Douglas,  who  fell  at  Otter- 
bourne  in  1388,  and  left  two  sons,  one  of  whom  was 
Knight  of  Culloden  and  first  of  the  House  of 
Duntreath. 


KATHERINE    OSWALD,    WITCH. 


The  same  Sir  John  seems  to  have  possessed 
property  in  East  Lothian. 

In  1413-4  Gulielmus  de  Edmonstone,  scutifer, 
was  a  bailie  of  Edinburgh,  together  with  William 
Touris  of  Cramond,  Andrew  of  Learmouth,  and 
William  of  the  Wood.  ("Burgh  Charters,"  No. 
XXI.) 

It  was  on  Edmonstone  Edge  that  the  Scots 
pitched  their  camp  before  the  battle  of  Pinkie,  and 
when  the  rout  ensued,  the  tremendous  and  exult- 
ing shout  raised  by  the  victors  and  their  Spanish, 
German,  and  Italian  auxiliaries,  when  they  mustered 
on  the  Edge,  then  covered  by  the  Scottish  tents, 
was  distinctly  heard  in  the  streets  of  Edinburgh, 
five  miles  distant. 

In  1629  the  "Judicial  Records"  tell  us  of 
certain  cases  of  witchcraft  and  sorcery  as  occurring 
in  the  little  villages  of  Niddrie  and  Edmonstone. 
Among  them  was  that  of  Katherine  Oswald,  a 
generally  reputed  witch,  who  acknowledged  that, 
with  others  at  the  Pans,  she  used  devilish  charms 
to  raise  a  great  storm  during  the  borrowing  days  of 
1625,  and  owned  to  having,  with  other  witches  and 
warlocks,  had  meetings  with  the  devil  between 
Niddrie  and  Edmonstone  for  laying  diseases  both 
on  men  and  cattle. 

She  was  also  accused  of  "bewitching  John 
Nisbett's  cow,  so  that  she  gave  blood  instead  of 
milk.  Also  threatening  those  who  disobliged  her, 
after  which  some  lost  their  cows  by  running  mad, 
and  others  had  their  kilns  burnt.  Also  her  numer- 
ous cures,  particularly  one  of  a  lad  whom  she 
cured  of  the  trembling  fever,  by  plucking  up  a 
nettle  by  the  root,  throwing  it  on  the  hie  gate,  and 
passing  on  the  cross  of  it,  and  returning  home,  all 
which  must  be  done  before  sun-rising ;  to  repeat 
this  for  three  several  mornings,  which  being  done, 
he  recovered. 

"  Convicted,  worried  at  a  stake,  and  burnt." 

A  companion  of  this  Katherine  Oswald,  Alexan- 
der Hamilton,  who  confessed  to  meeting  the  devil 
in  Saltoun  Wood,  being  batooned  by  him  for  fail- 
ing to  keep  a  certain  appointment,  and  bewitching 
to  death  Lady  Ormiston  and  her  daughter,  was  also 
"worried  at  a  stake,  and  burnt."  ("Spottiswoode 
Miscellany.") 

Regarding  the  surname  of  Edmonstone,  1632, 
Lord  Durie  reports  a  case,  the  Laird  of  Leyton 
against  the  Laird  of  Edmonstone,  concerning  the 
patronage  of  "  the  Hospital  of  Ednemspittal,  which 
pertained  to  the  House  of  Edmonstone." 

The  defender  would  seem  to  have  been  Andrew 
Edmonstone  of  that  ilk,  son  of  "umquhile  Sir 
John,"  also  of  that  ilk. 

The  family  disappeared  about  the  beginning  of 


the  seventeenth  century,  and  their  land  passed  into 
the  possession  of  the  second  son  of  Sir  John 
Wauchope  of  Niddrie,  Marischal,  who  was  raised  to 
the  bench  as  Lord  Edmonstone,  but  was  afterwards 
removed  therefrom,  "in  consequence  of  his  opposi- 
tion to  the  royal  inclinations  in  one  of  his  votes  as 
a  judge."  His  daughter  and  heiress  married  Patrick, 
son  of  Sir  Alexander  Don  of  Newton  Don  and 
that  ilk,  when  the  family  assumed  the  name  of 
Wauchope,  and  resumed  that  of  Don  on  the  death 
of  the  late  Sir  William  Don,  Bart. 

The  estate  of  Woolmet  adjoins  that  of  Edmon- 
stone on  the  eastward.  According  to  the  "  New 
Statistical  Account,"  it  was  granted  to  the  abbey  of 
Dunfermline  by  David  I.  It  belonged  in  after 
years  to  a  branch  of  the  Edmonstone  family,  who 
also  possessed  house  property  in  Leith,  according 
to  a  case  in  Durie's  "  Decisions  "  under  date  1623. 

In  1655  the  Laird  of  Woolmet  was  committed 
to  ward  in  the  Castle  of  Edinburgh,  charged  with 
"  dangerous  designes  and  correspondence  with 
Charles  Stuart;"  and  in  1670  several  cases  in  the 
Court  of  Session  refer  to  disputes  between  Jean 
Douglas,  Lady  Woolmet,  and  others,  as  reported  in 
Stair's  "  Decisions." 

Wymet,  now  corrupted  to  Woolmet,  was  the 
ancient  name  of  the  parish  now  incorporated  with 
that  of  Newton,  and  after  the  Reformation  the 
lands  thereof  were  included  in  James  VI. 's  grant 
to  Lord  Thirlstane. 

The  little  hamlet  named  the  Stennis,  or  Sten- 
house  (a  corruption  of  Stonehouse,  or  the  Place  of 
the  Stones)  lies  in  the  wooded  hollow  through 
which  Burdiehouse  Burn  flows  eastward. 

In  the  new  church  of  St.  Chad,  at  Shrewsbury, 
in  Shropshire,  there  lies  interred  a  forgotten  native 
of  this  hamlet — an  architect — the  epitaph  on  whose 
massive  and  handsome  tombstone  is  quite  a  little 
memoir  of  him  : — 

"John  Simpson, 

"  Born  at  Stennis,  in  Midlothian,  1755  >  died  m  this 
parish,  June  15th,  1815.  As  a  man,  he  was  moral, 
gentle,  social,  and  friendly.  In  his  professional 
capacity,  diligence,  accuracy,  and  irreproachable 
integrity  ensured  him  esteem  and  confidence  wher- 
ever he  was  employed,  and  lasting  monuments  of 
his  skill  and  ability  will  be  found  in  the  build- 
ing of  this  church  (St.  Chad's),  which  he  super- 
intended, the  bridges  of  Bewdley,  Dunkeld,  and 
Bonar,  the  aqueducts  of  Pontoysclite  and  Chirk, 
and  the  locks  and  basins  of  the  Caledonian  Canal. 
The  strength  and  maturity  of  his  Christian  faith 
and  hope  were  seen  conspicuously  in  his  last 
illness.     To  his  exemplary  conduct  as  a  husband 


OLD   AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


and    a  father,   his  afflicted  widow  and  daughters 
erect  this  memorial  of  affection  and  regret." 

He  designed  and  erected  the  column  of  Lord 
Hill,  at  Hawkstone,  near  Shrewsbury. 

Adjoining  the  Stenhouse  is  Moredun,  the  pro- 
perty of  Misses  Anderson,  of  old  called  Good- 
trees,  when  it  belonged  to  a  family  named  Stewart. 
It  is  now  remarkable  for  its  holly  hedges,  which 
are  of  great  height. 


tish,  Roman,  and  English  laws.  He  married 
Agnes,  daughter  of  Trail  of  Blebo,  by  whom  he 
had  several  children.  He  took  an  active  part  in 
the  Revolution  of  1688,  and  became  Lord  Advo- 
cate in  1689.  He  was  made  a  baronet  of  Nova 
Scotia  in  1695,  according  to  Burke — in  1705, 
according  to  Beatson — and  attained  the  reputation 
of  being  one  of  the  most  able  and  acute  lawyers  of 
his  time,  and  of  this  his  "  Answer  to  Dirleton's 
Doubts  "  is  considered  a  proof.    From  his  nephew, 


In  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century  Good- 
trees  belonged  to  a  family  named  McCulloch,  which 
ended  in  an  only  daughter  and  heiress,  Marion, 
widow  of  Sir  John  Elliot,  who  married,  in  1648,  Sir 
James  Stewart  of  Coltness  (a  son  of  Stewart  of  Allan- 
ton),  who  was  twice  Provost  of  Edinburgh,  in  1649 
and  1659,  but  was  dismissed  from  office  at  the  Res- 
toration as  a  Covenanter,  and  was  even  committed 
to  the  Castle.  By  this  marriage  he  acquired  the 
estate  of  Goodtrees,  and,  dying  in  1681,  was  suc- 
ceeded in  Coltness  by  his  eldest  son,  Sir  Thomas 
Stewart  (a  baronet  of  1698),  while  Goodtrees 
passed  by  bequest  to  his  fourth  son,  James. 

The  latter  was  bred  an  advocate,  and  early  dis- 
tinguished himself  by  his  knowledge  of  the  Scot- 


Sir  David  Stewart,  he  purchased  the  estate  of  Colt- 
ness in  17 1 2,  and,  dying  in  the  following  year,  was 
succeeded  by  his  son,  Sir  James  Stewart,  Bart.,  of 
Goodtrees  and  Coltness. 

The  latter,  who  was  born  in  1681,  married,  in 
1705,  Anne,  daughter  of  Sir  Hew  Dalrymple  of 
North  Berwick,  Lord  President  of  the  Court  of 
Session.  Like  his  father,  he  was  a  distinguished  ad- 
vocate. He  became  Solicitor-General  for  Scotland, 
and  in  17 13  was  returned  to  Parliament  as  member 
for  Midlothian.  He  died  in  1727,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  his  only  son,  Sir  James  Stewart  of  Good- 
trees,  who  was  the  most  remarkable  man  of  the 
family,  and  eminent  as  a  writer  on  political  economy. 

He  was  born  on  the  10th  of  October  (old  style), 


SIR    JAMES    STEWART    OF    GOODTREES. 


341 


1 7 13,  at  Goodtrees,  and  his  first  public  education 
was  received  at  the  school  of  North  Berwick, 
where  he  imbibed  the  elementary  part  of  classical 
literature,  and  was  removed  to  the  University  of 
Edinburgh  at  the  age  of  fourteen ;  and  his  father 
being  now  dead,  his  mother  was  entrusted  with  the 
care  of  his  education. 

In  1734  he  was  called  to  the  Scottish  bar,  and 
- — according  to  a  memoir  of  him  by  the  Earl  of 
Buchan,  preserved  among  the  "  Transactions  of  the  ' 


mission  to  the  French  Court,  where,  fortunately  for 
himself,  he  was  detained  till  after  the  battle  of 
Culloden  ;  but  being  among  those  who  were  ex- 
cepted in  the  Act  of  Indemnity,  he  was  compelled 
to  remain  in  exile  for  eighteen  years. 

In  1743,  two  years  before  the  landing  of  the 
prince  in  Moidart,  he  had  married  Lady  Frances, 
eldest  daughter  of  David  Earl  of  Wemyss.  She 
shared  with  him,  at  Angouleme  and  elsewhere,  his 
exile,   during  which  he  published  at  Frankfort  in 


Antiquaries  of  Scotland  " — afterwards  travelled  on 
the  Continent,  from  whence  he  returned  in  1740, 
"  and  became   the  general  object  of  esteem  and  . 
attention  in  his  own  country,  not  only  on  account  : 
of  his  excellent  qualities,  but  by  the  elegance  of 
his  manners  and  the  beauty  of  his  person.     His  i 
return  to  the  bar  was  anxiously  expected  by  his 
friends  and  countrymen,  and  his  absence  from  it 
was  imputed  to  the  influence  of  certain  connections 
of  a  political  nature  which  he  had  formed  abroad, 
and  more  particularly  at  Rome." 

There  he  had  been  presented  to  Prince  Charles 
Edward  Stuart,  to  whom  he  readily  offered  his  ser- 
vices ;  and  on  the  arrival  of  the  latter  at  Holyrood, 
in    J  745,   he   dispatched  Sir  James  Stewart  on  a 


1757,  his  "  Apologie  du  Sentiment  de  Monsieur  le 
Chevalier  Newton,"  or  a  vindication  of  Newton's 
chronology ;  and  in  the  same  year,  while  settled  at 
Tubingen,  in  Suabia,  his  "  Treatise  on  German 
Coins,"  written  in  German.  In  1761  appeared  his 
"  Dissertation  on  the  Doctrine  and  Principles  of 
Money,  as  applied  to  German  Coin,"  and  in  1767 
his  chief  work  on  the  "  Principles  of  Political 
Economy." 

"While  Sir  James  resided  abroad,"  says  Lord 
Buchan,  "during  the  war  between  France  and 
Great  Britain,  he  had  the  misfortune  to  have  some 
letters  addressed  to  him,  proceeding  on  the  mistake 
',  of  his  character  and  person,  whereby  he  became 
innocently    the  object  of   suspicion  as  furnishing 


342 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


intelligence  to  the  enemy,  which  occasioned  the 
imprisonment  of  his  person  until  the  mistake  was 
discovered." 

He  returned  home  in  1767,  and  after  obtaining 
a  full  pardon  in  1 77 1,  "he  repaired  the  mansion 
of  his  ancestors,  improved  his  long  neglected  acres, 
and  set  forward  the  improvements  of  the  province 
in  which  he  resided." 

In  the  year  1772  he  published,  at  the  request  of 
the  East  India  Company,  a  work  on  the  principles 
of  money,  as  applied  to  the  coin  of  Bengal ;  and  in 
1773,  on  the  death  of  Sir  Archibald  Stewart  Den- 
ham,  he  succeeded  to  the  baronetcy  of  Coltness, 
and  died  in  1780.  His  works,  in  six  volumes, 
including  his  correspondence  with  the  celebrated 
Lady  Mary  Wortley  Montagu,  whose  acquaintance 
he  made  at  Venice  in  1758,  were  published  by  his 
son,  Sir  James  Stewart  Denham,  who,  when  he 
died,  was  the  oldest  general  in  the  British  army. 

He  was  born  in  1744,  and  in  1776  was  lieu- 
tenant-colonel of  the  13th  Dragoons  (now  Hussars), 
and  in  his  latter  years  was  colonel  of  the  Scots 
Greys. 

Towards  the  close  of  the  last  century,  Goodtrees, 
or  Moredun,  as  it  is  now  named,  was  the  property 
of  David  Stewart  Moncrieff,  advocate,  one  of  the 
Barons  of  Exchequer,  who  long  resided  in  a  self- 
contained  house  in  the  Horse  Wynd.  Sir  Thomas 
Moncrieff,  Bart.,  of  that  ilk,  was  his  nephew  and 
nearest  heir,  but  having  quarrelled  with  him,  accord- 
ing to  the  editor  of  "  Kay's  Portraits,"  he  bequeathed 
his  estate  of  Moredun  to  Lady  Elizabeth  Ramsay, 
sister  of  the  Earl  of  Dalhousie. 

He  was  buried  on  the  17th  April,  1790,  in  the 
Chapel  Royal  at  Holyrood,  where  no  stone  marks 
his  grave. 

At  the  western  portion  of  the  Braid  Hills  (in  a 
quarter  of  St.  Cuthbert's  parish),  and  under  a 
shoulder  thereof  609  feet  in  height,  where  of  old 
stood  a  telegraph-station,  lies  the  famous  Buck- 
stane,  which  gives  its  name  to  an  adjacent  farm. 
The  Clerks,  baronets  of  Penicuick,  hold  their  land 
by  the  singular  tenure  of  being  bound  to  sit  upon 
the  large  rocky  fragment  here  known  as  the 
Buckstane,  and  wind  three  blasts  of  a  horn  when 
the  King  of  Scotland  shall  come  to  hunt  on  the 
Burghmuir.  Hence  the  family  have  adopted  as 
their  crest  a  demi-forester  proper  winding  a  horn, 
with  the  motto,  "  Free  for  a  blast." 

About  midway  between  this  point  and  St. 
Katherine's  is  Morton  Hall,  a  handsome  residence 
surrounded  by  plantations,  and  having  a  famous 
sycamore,  which  was  planted  in  1700,  and  is 
fourteen  feet  in  circumference.  John  Trotter  of 
Morton  Hall,  founder  of  this  family,  was  a  merchant 


in  Edinburgh,  and  was  born  in  1558,  during  the 
reign  of  Mary. 

A  mile  westward  of  Morton  Hall  are  the  remains 
of  a  large  Roman  camp,  according  to  Kincaid's 
"  Gazetteer"  of  the  county. 

Burdiehouse,  in  this  quarter,  lies  three  miles 
and  a  half  south  of  the  city,  on  the  Peebles  Road. 
"  Its  genteel  name,"  according  to  Parker  Law- 
son's  "  Gazetteer,"  "  is  Bordeaux,  which  it  is  sup- 
posed to  have  received  from  its  being  the  resi- 
dence of  some  of  Queen  Mary's  French  domestics; 
but  it  has  long  lost  that  designation.  Another 
statement  is  that  the  first  cottage  built  here  was 
called  Bordeaux." 

Most  probably,  however,  it  received  its  name  as 
being  the  abode  of  some  of  the  same  exiled  French 
silk  weavers  who  founded  the  now  defunct  village 
of  Picardie,  between  the  city  and  Leith.  It  is 
chiefly  celebrated  for  its  lime-kilns,  which  manufac- 
ture about  15,000  bolls  annually.  There  is  an 
immense  deposit  of  limestone  rock  here,  which  has 
attracted  greatly  the  attention  of  geologists,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  fossil  remains  it  contains. 

In  1833,  the  bones,  teeth,  and  scales  of  what 
was  conjectured  to  be  a  nameless,  but  enormous, 
reptile  were  discovered  here — the  scales,  strange  to 
say,  retaining  their  lustre,  and  the  bones  their  porous 
and  laminated  appearance.  These  formed  the 
subject  of  several  communications  to  the  Royal 
Society  of  Edinburgh  by  Dr.  Hibbert,  who,  in  his 
earlier  papers,  described  them  as  "  the  remains  of 
reptiles." 

In  1834,  at  the  meeting  of  the  British  Associa- 
tion in  Edinburgh,  these  wonderful  fossils — which 
by  that  time  had  excited  the  greatest  interest 
among  naturalists — were  shown  to  M.  Agassiz, 
who  doubted  their  reptile  character,  and  thought 
they  belonged  to  fish  of  the  ganoid  order,  which 
he  denominated  sauroid,  in  consequence  of  their 
numerous  affinities  to  the  saurian  reptiles,  which 
have  as  their  living  type,  or  representative,  the 
lepidosteus ;  but  the  teeth  and  scales  were  not 
found  in  connection. 

A  few  days  afterwards,  M.  Agassiz,  in  company 
with  Professor  Buckland,  visited  the  Leeds  Museum, 
where  he  found  some  great  fossils  having  the  same 
kind  of  scales  and  teeth  as  those  discovered  at 
Burdiehouse,  conjoined  in  the  same  individual.  It 
is  now,  therefore,  no  longer  a  conjecture  that  they 
belonged  to  the  same  animal.  And  in  these  self- 
same specimens  we  have  the  hyoid  and  branchios- 
tic  apparatus  of  bones— a  series  of  bones  connected 
with  the  gills,  an  indubitable  character  of  fishes — 
and  it  is,  accordingly,  almost  indisputable  that  the 
Burdiehouse  fossils  are  the  remains  of  fishes,  and 


THE    KINLOCHS    OF    GILMERTOX. 


343 


not  of  reptiles.     "  Thus  was  dissipated  the  illusion,         In  the  chalk  formations  hereabout  fossil  remains 

founded   on  the   Burdiehouse  fossils,  that  saurian  of  the  prickly  palm  have  been  frequently  found, 

reptiles  existed  in  the  carboniferous  era.     To  this  and  they  have  also  been  found  in  the  lime-pits  of 

M.  Agassiz  assigned  the  name  of  '  megalichthys.'"  Gilmerton. 


CHAPTER     XLI. 

THE    ENVIRONS    OF    EDINBURGH  (continued). 

srton — The  Kinlochs—  Legend  of  the  Burntdale — Paterson's  Cave — The  Drum  House— The  Somerville  Family — Roslin  Castle— The 
St.  Clairs— Roslin  Chapel— The  Buried  Barons— Tomb  of  Earl  George— The  Under  Chapel— The  Battle  of  Roslin- Relics  of  it— 
Roslin  Village— Its  old  Inn. 


Gilmerton,  a  village  and  quoad  sacra  parish, 
detached  from  Liberton,  occupies  the  brow  of 
rising  ground  about  four  miles  south  from  the 
city,  on  the  Roxburgh  road,  with  a  church,  built 
in  1837,  and  the  ancient  manor-house  of  the 
Kinlochs,  known  as  the  Place  of  Gilmerton,  on  the 
south  side  of  which  there  were  in  former  times 
butts  for  the  practice  of  archery. 

The  subordinate  part  of  the  village  consists  of 
some  rather  unsightly  cottages,  the  abodes  of  col- 
liers and  carters,  who  sell  "  yellow  sand "  in  the 
city. 

Robert  Bruce  granted  a  charter  to  Murdoch 
Menteith  of  the  lands  of  Gilmerton,  in  which  it 
was  stated  that  they  had  belonged  of  old  to  Wil- 
liam Soulis,  in  the  shire  of  Edinburgh,  and  after- 
wards he  granted  another  charter  of  the  same 
lands,  "  quhilk  Soulis  foresfecit  "  (sic),  with  "  the 
barony  of  Prenbowgal  (Barnbougle),  quhilk  was 
Roger  Mowbray's."     ("  Index  of  Charters.") 

This  was  evidently  Sir  William  de  Soulis, 
Hereditary  Butler  of  Scotland,  whose  grandfather, 
Nicholas,  had  been  a  competitor  for  the  crown  as 
grandson  of  Marjorie,  daughter  of  Alexander  II., 
and  wife  of  Allan  Durward.  William  was  for- 
feited as  a  traitor  in  English  pay,  and  a  conspirator 
against  the  life  of  Robert  I.  He  was  condemned 
to  perpetual  imprisonment  by  the  Parliament  in 
1320. 

After  this,  it  is  traditionally  said  to  have  been 
the  property  of  a  family  named  Heron,  or  Herring. 
At  a  much  more  recent  period,  the  barony  of  Gil- 
merton belonged  to  John  Spence  of  Condie,  Advo- 
cate to  Queen  Mary  in  1561,  and  who  continued 
as  such  till  1571.  He  had  three  daughters.  "One 
of  them,"  says  Scotstarvit,  <:  was  married  to  Herring 
of  Lethinty,  whose  son,  Sir  David,  sold  all  his  lands 
of  Lethinty,  Gilmerton,  and  Glasclune,  in  his  own 
time.  Another  was  married  to  James  Ballantyne  of 
Spout,  whose  son  James  took  the  same  course. 
The  third  to  Sir  John  MoncrieftV  by  whom  he  had 


an  only  son,  who  went  mad,  and  leaped  into  the 
River  Earn,  and  there  perished." 

In  the  next  century  Gilmerton  belonged  to  the 
Somervilles  of  Drum,  as  appears  by  an  Act  of 
Ratification  by  Parliament,  in  1672,  to  James 
Somerville, ':  of  the  lands  of  Drum  and  Gilmerton;" 
and  after  him  they  went  to  the  family  of  Kinloch, 
whose  name  was  derived  from  a  territory  in  Fife- 
shire,  and  to  this  family  belongs  the  well-known 
reel  named  "  Kinloch  of  Kinloch."  Its  chief,  Sir 
David,  was  raised  to  a  baronetage  of  Nova  Scotia 
by  James  VII.,  in  the  year  1685,  but  the  title  be- 
came extinct  upon  the  failure  of  male  descendants, 
though  there  has  been  a  recent  creation,  as  baronet 
of  Great  Britain,  in  1S55,  in  the  person  of  Kinloch 
of  that  ilk. 

At  what  period  the  Gilmerton  branch  struck  off 
from  the  present  stock  is  unknown,  but  the  first 
upon  record  is  Francis  Kinloch  of  Gilmerton,  who 
died  in  1685,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  only  son, 
Alexander  Kinloch,  who  was  created  a  baronet  of 
Nova  Scotia  on  the  16th  September,  1686.  He 
married  Magdalene  McMath,  and  had  a  numerous 
family.  He  had  been  Lord  Provost  of  the  city  in 
1677.  His  wife,  who  died  in  1674,  was  buried  in 
the  Greyfriars,  and  the  epitaph  on  her  tomb  is 
recorded  by  Monteith. 

On  his  death,  in  1696,  he  was  succeeded  by  his 
eldest  son,  Sir  Alexander  Kinloch  of  Gilmerton, 
who  married  Mary,  daughter  of  the  famous  General 
David,  Lord  Newark,  who,  after  the  battle  of 
Naseby,  drew  off  a  whole  division  of  Scottish 
cavalry,  and,  by  a  rapid  march,  surprised  and 
defeated  the  great  Montrose  at  Philiphaugh,  and, 
in  turn,  was  defeated  by  Cromwell  at  Dunbar. 

His  son,  Sir  Francis,  the  third  baronet,  married 
Mary,  daughter  and  heiress  of  Sir  James  Rocheid 
of  Inverleith,  Bart.,  by  whom  he  had  three  sons 
and  three  daughters.  One  of  the  former,  Alex- 
ander, as  already  related  in  its  place,  took  the  sur- 
name  and   arms  of  his  maternal   grandfather  on 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


succeeding  to  the  estate  of  Inverleith.  Sir  Francis, 
who  entailed  the  Edinburgh  estate  of  Gilmerton, 
died  2nd  March,  1747,  and  Sir  James  and  Sir  David 
succeeded  in  succession  to  Gilmerton,  and  died  in 
1795,  at  a  place  of  the  same  name  in  Haddington- 
shire. Sir  Francis  was  Governor  of  the  British 
Linen  Company  and  Writer  to  the  Privy  Seal  of 
Scotland.  By  his  wife,  Harriet  Cockburn  of  Lang- 
ton,  he  had  five  sons — Francis,  his  successor; 
Archibald  Kinloch  Gordon,  a  major  in  the  army, 


lunatic,    and    the   title  devolved   upon  his    elder 
brother,  who  became  Sir  Francis,  sixth  baronet. 

The  old  Place  of  Gilmerton  has  long  since  been 
deserted  by  the  family,  which  took  up  their  resi- 
dence at  the  house  of  the  same  name  in  East 
Lothian. 

A  mile  south  of  the  old  mansion  is  Gilmerton 

Grange,  which  had  of  old  the  name  of  Burndale,  or 

Burntdale,  from   a   tragic  occurrence,  which   sug- 

;  gested   to   Scott   his    fine    ballad  of  "  The   Gray 


who  assumed  that  name  on  succeeding  to  an  es- 
tate ;  David,  who  served  under  Cornwallis  in  the 
American  War,  in  the  80th  Regiment  or  Royal 
Edinburgh  Volunteers ;  Alexander,  Collector  of  Cus- 
toms at  Prestonpans;  and  John,  who  died  unmarried. 

Sir  Francis  survived  his  father  by  only  a  short 
time,  as  the  "Scottish  Register"  for  the  year  1796 
records  that  he  was  killed  by  a  pistol-shot  in 
his  forty-eighth  year  at  Gilmerton,  "fired  by  his 
brother,  Major  Archibald  Kinloch  Gordon,  who 
was  brought  under  a  strong  guard  to  the  Tolbooth 
of  Edinburgh  to  take  his  trial." 

This  unfortunate  man,  who  had  been  captain  in 
the  65th  in  1774,  and  major  in  the  old  90th  Regi- 
ment in    1779,  was   eventually   proved   to   be   a 


Brother."  The  tradition,  as  related  to  him  by  John 
Clerk  of  Eldin,  author  of  the  "  Essay  on  Naval 
Tactics,"  was  as  follows  : 

When  Gilmerton  belonged  to  a  baron  named 
Heron,  he  had  one  daughter,  eminent  for  her 
beauty.  "  This  young  lady  was  seduced,"  says  Sir 
Walter,  "  by  the  Abbot  of  Newbattle,  a  richly  en- 
dowed abbey  upon  the  banks  of  the  South  Esk, 
now  a  seat  of  the  Marquis  of  Lothian.  Heron 
came  to  the  knowledge  of  this  circumstance,  and 
learned  also  that  the  lovers  carried  on  their  inter- 
course by  the  connivance  of  the  lady's  nurse,  who 
lived  at  this  house  of  Gilmerton  Grange,  or  Burn- 
dale.  He  formed  a  resolution  of  bloody  vengeance, 
undeterred  by  the  supposed  sanctity  of  the  clerical 


THE    HOUSE    IN    THE    ROCK. 


S45 


character  or  by  the  stronger  claims  of  natural  affec- 
tion. Choosing,  therefore,  a  dark  and  windy  night, 
when  the  objects  of  his  vengeance  were  engaged  in 
a  stolen  interview,  he  set  fire  to  a  stack  of  dried 
thorns  and  other  combustibles,  which  he  had  caused 
to  be  piled  against  the  house,  and  reduced  to 
a  pile  of  glowing  ashes  the  dwelling  and  all  its 
inmates." 

In  1587  Gilmerton  Grange  was  the  property  of 
Mark  Kerr,  Master  of  Requests  in  1577,  and  for 


each  apartment  there  was  a  skylight-window.  It 
was  all  thoroughly  drained  and  finished  about  the 
end  of  1724. 

Alexander  Pennicuik,  "  the  burgess-bard  of 
Edinburgh,"  furnished  the  following  inscription, 
which  was  carved  in  stone  over  the  entrance  : 

"  Here  is  a  house  and  shop  hewn  in  this  rock 
with  my  own  hand. — George  Paterson. 

"  Upon  the  earth  there  's  villany  and  woe, 
But  happiness  and  I  do  dwell  below  ; 


DRUM    HOUS 


whom  Newbattle  was  erected  into  a  temporal  lord- 
ship in  1591.  He  died  first  earl  of  the  house  of 
Lothian. 

The  soft  and  workable  nature  of  the  sandstone  at 
Gilmerton  tempted  a  blacksmith  named  George 
Paterson,  in  1720,  to  an  enterprise  of  a  very  re- 
markable character.  In  the  little  garden  at  the 
end  of  his  house  he  excavated  for  himself  a  dwel- 
ling in  the  living  rock,  comprising  several  apart- 
ments. Besides  a  smithy  with  a  forge,  there  were 
a  dining-room  fourteen  feet  six  inches  long,  seven 
feet  broad,  and  six  in  height,  furnished  with  a  bench 
all  round,  a  table,  and  bed  recess ;  a  drinking 
parlour,  rather  larger ;  a  kitchen  and  bed-place  ;  a 
cellar  seven  feet  long ;  and  a  washing-house.  In 
140 


My  hands  hewed  out  this  rock  into  a  cell, 

Wherein  from  din  of  life  I  safely  dwell : 

On  Jacob's  pillow  nightly  lies  my  head, 

My  house  when  living  and  my  grave  when  dead  : 

Inscribe  upon  it,  when  I'm  dead  and  gone, 

'  I  lived  and  died  within  my  mother's  womb.'  " 

In  this  abode  Paterson  dwelt  for  eleven  years. 
Holiday  parties  came  from  the  city  to  see  him  and 
his  singular  house,  and  even  judges  of  the  courts 
imbibed  their  liquor  in  his  stone  parlour.  "  The 
ground  was  held  in  feu,  and  the  yearly  duty  and 
public  burdens  were  forgiven  him,  on  account  of 
the  extraordinary  labour  he  had  incurred  in  making 
himself  a  home." 

He  died  about  1735,  and  his  cave  is  occasionally 


346 


OLD   AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


the  resort  of  the  curious  still,  according  to  Fullar- 
ton's  "  Gazetteer,"  and  a  long  description  of  it 
appeared  in  the  Courant  for  1873. 

Gilmerton  was  long  characterised  simply  as  a 
village  of  colliers  of  a  peculiarly  degraded  and  brutal 
nature,  as  ferocious  and  unprincipled  as  a  gang 
of  desperadoes,  who  rendered  all  the  adjacent  roads 
unsafe  after  nightfall,  and  whose  long  career  of 
atrocities  culminated  in  the  execution  of  two  of 
them  for  a  singularly  brutal  murder  in  1831.  Its 
coal — which  is  of  prime  quality — was  vigorously 
worked  in  1627,  and  is  supposed  to  have  been 
famous  a  century  earlier ;  but  its  mines  have  been 
abandoned,  and  the  adjacent  lime-works — the 
oldest  in  Scotland — were  worked  from  time  im- 
memorial. 

Half  a  mile  to  the  eastward  lies  the  ancient 
estate  and  manor-house  of  Drum,  the  residence  of 
old  of  the  Somerville  family,  secluded  from  the 
highway  and  hidden  by  venerable  trees — a  Scoto- 
Norman  race,  whose  progenitor,  William  de  Somer- 
ville, came  into  Scotland  during  the  reign  of  David 
I.,  who  made  him  Lord  of  Carnwath,  and  whose 
descendants  figured  in  high  places  for  several 
generations.  His  son  obtained  from  William  the 
Lion  a  grant  of  Linton  in  n  74,  for  slaying — ac- 
cording to  tradition — a  monstrous  serpent,  which 
was  devastating  the  country.  William,  fourth  of  that 
name,  was  a  commander  at  the  battle  of  Largs; 
Thomas,  his  son,  served  under  Wallace ;  and  his 
son  Sir  Walter,  the  comrade  of  Bruce,  married  Giles, 
the  daughter  and  heiress  of  Sir  John  Herring,  with 
whom  he  obtained  the  lands  of  Drum,  Gilmerton, 
and  Goodtrees,  in  the  parish  of  Liberton. 

Unlike  most  Scottish  titled  families,  the  Somer- 
villes  were  ever  loyal  to  king  and  country. 

John,  third  Lord  Somerville  of  Drum,  led  the 
Clydesdale  horse  at  the  Battle  of  Sark,  in  1449, 
and  his  son,  Sir  John,  fell  at  Flodden,  by  the  side 
of  his  royal  master.  James,  sixth  lord,  served  in 
the  queen's  army  at  Langside,  and  was  severely 
wounded.  Hugh,  his  son,  recovered  the  lands  of 
Gilmerton  and  Drum — which  had  gone  into  the 
possession  of  the  Somervilles  of  Cambusnethan 
— and  built  the  mansion-house  of  Drum  in  1585  ; 
and  four  years  after  it  was  the  scene  of  a  sad  family 
tragedy,  which  is  related  at  some  length  in  the 
"Domestic  Annals  of  Scotland.'' 

Hugh,  eighth  lord,  who  died  there  in  1640,  in 
his  seventieth  year,  was  buried  in  Liberton  Church; 
and  James,  his  successor,  served  with  distinction 
in  the  armies  of  France  and  Venice. 

"  James  Somerville  of  Drum "  (twentieth  in 
descent  from  Sir  Walter  Somerville),  "and  tenth 
lord  of  that  ilk,"  says  the  "  Memorie  of  the  Sommer- 


viles,"  "died  at  Edinburgh  3rd  January,  1677,  in 
the  82nd  year  of  his  age,  and  was  interred  by  his 
ladye's  syde  in  the  Abbey  Church  of  Holyrood, 
maist  of  the  nobilitie  and  gentrie  in  towne  being 
present,  with  two  hundred  torches." 

James,  the  tenth  lord,  was  lieutenant-colonel  of 
the  Scots  Guards,  in  which  his  son  George  was 
adjutant. 

His  eldest  son,  James,  when  riding  home  to 
Drum  one  night  from  Edinburgh,  in  July,  1682, 
found  on  the  way  two  friends  fighting,  sword  in 
hand — namely,  Thomas  Learmonth,  son  of  an 
advocate,  and  Hew  Paterson  younger  of  Bannock- 
bum,  who  had  quarrelled  over  their  cups.  He 
dismounted,  and  tried  to  separate  them,  but  was 
mortally  wounded  by  Paterson,  and  died  two  days 
after  at  Drum,  leaving  an  infant  son  to  carry  on 
the  line  of  the  family. 

A  son  of  the  twelfth  lord — so  called,  though 
four  generations  seem  to  have  declined  to  use  the 
title — was  killed  at  the  battle  of  St.  Cas  in  1758;  and 
John,  the  fifteenth  lord,  is  chiefly  remarkable  as 
the  introducer  of  the  breed  of  Merino  sheep  into 
Britain ;  and  by  the  death  of  Aubrey-John,  nine- 
teenth Lord  Somerville,  in  1870,  the  title  of  this 
fine  old  Scottish  race  became  dormant. 

Though  a  little  beyond  our  radius,  while  treating 
of  this  district  it  is  impossible  not  to  glance  at 
such  classic  and  historic  places  as  Hawthornden 
and  Roslin,  and  equally  of  such  sylvan  beauty  as 
Lass  wade. 

Situated  amid  the  most  beautifully  wooded 
scenery  in  the  Lowlands,  the  Castle  of  Roslin, 
taking  its  name  from  Hoss,  a  promontory,  and  lyn, 
a  waterfall,  crowns  a  lofty  mass  of  insulated  rock 
overhanging  the  Esk.  This  mass  is  bold  and 
rugged  in  outline,  and  at  one  time  was  convertible 
into  an  island,  ere  the  deep  and  moat-like  gulley 
on  its  western  side  was  partly  filled  up. 

Across  this  once  open  fosse  a  massive  bridge  of 
one  arch  has  now  been  thrown,  and  to  this  the  path 
from  the  village  descends  a  rapid  incline,  through 
leafy  coppice  and  by  precipitous  rocks,  overlooked 
by  the  lofty  hill  which  is  crowned  by  the  wonder- 
ful chapel. 

Built  of  reddish  stone,  and  luxuriantly  clothed 
with  ivy,  the  massive  ruins  form  a  most  picturesque 
object  amid  the  superb  landscape.  For  the  most 
part,  all  that  is  very  ancient  consists  of  a  threefold 
tier  of  massive  vaults,  the  enormous  strength  and 
solidity  of  which  put  even  modern  Scottish  builders 
to  shame.  Above  these  vaults,  and  facing  the 
vast  windows  of  what  must  have  been  a  noble  ban- 
queting-hall,  is  perched  a  mansion  of  comparatively 
modern  date,  having  been  erected   in  1563,  and 


THE    CASTLE    AND    GLEN. 


further  repaired,  as  an  ornate  entrance  seems  to 
show,  with  its  lintel,  inscribed  "  S.W.S.,  1622." 
The  same  initials  appear  on  the  half-circular  pedi- 
ment of  a  dormer  window.  Above  this  door,  which 
is  beautifully  moulded  and  enriched,  is  a  deep  and 
ornate  square  niche,  the  use  for  which  it  is  difficult 
to  conceive. 

From  its  windows  it  commands  a  view  of  the 
richly-wooded  glen,  between  the  rocky  banks  and 
dark  shadows  of  which  the  Esk  flows  onward  with 
a  ceaseless  murmur  among  scattered  boulders, 
where  grow  an  infinite  variety  of  ferns.  The 
eastern  bank  rises  almost  perpendicularly  from  the 
river's  bed,  and  everywhere  there  is  presented  a 
diversity  of  outline  that  always  delights  an  artistic 
eye. 

The  entrance  to  the  castle  was  originally  by  a 
gate  of  vast  strength,  and  the  whole  structure  must 
have  been  spacious  and  massive,  and  on  its  northern 
face  bears  something  of  the  aspect  of  old  Moorish 
fortresses  in  Spain.  A  descent  of  a  great  number  of 
stone  stairs  conducts  through  the  existing  structure 
to  the  bottom,  leading  into  a  spacious  kitchen, 
from  which  a  door  opens  into  the  once  famous 
gardens.  The  modern  house  of  1563  is  ill-lighted 
and  confined,  and  possesses  more  the  gloom  of 
a  dungeon-like  prison  than  the  comforts  of  a  resi- 
dence. 

Grose  gives  us  a  view  of  the  whole  as  they 
appeared  in  1788 — "haggard  and  utterly  dilapi- 
dated— the  mere  wreck  of  a  great  pile  riding  on  a 
little  sea  of  forest — a  rueful  apology  for  the  once 
grand  fabric  whose  name  of  '  Roslin  Castle '  is  so 
intimately  associated  with  melody  and  song." 

It  is  unknown  when  or  by  whom  the  original 
castle  was  founded.  It  has  been  referred  to  the 
year  1100,  when  William  de  St.  Clair,  son  of 
Waldern,  Count  of  St.  Clair,  who  came  to  England 
with  William  the  Conqueror,  obtained  from 
Malcolm  III.  the  barony  of  Roslin,  and  was 
named  "  the  seemly  St.  Clair,"  in  allusion  to  his 
grace  of  deportment ;  but  singular  to  say,  notwith- 
standing its  importance,  the  castle  is  not  mentioned 
distinctly  in  history  till  the  reign  of  James  II., 
when  Sir  William  Hamilton  was  confined  in  it  in 
1455  for  being  in  rebellion  with  Douglas,  and  again 
when  it  was  partly  burned  in  1447. 

Father  Richard  Augustine  Hay,  Prior  of  St. 
Piermont,  in  France,  who  wrote  much  about  the 
Roslin  family,  records  thus  :  — 

"About  this  time,  1447,  Edmund  Sinclair  of 
Dryden,  coming  with  four  greyhounds  and  some 
rackets  to  hunt  with  the  prince  (meaning  'William 
Sinclair,  Earl  of  Orkney),  met  a  great  company  of 
rats,  and  among  them  an  old  blind  lyard,  with  a 


straw  in  his  mouth,  led  by  the  rest,  whereat  he 
greatly  marvelled,  not  thinking  what  was  to  follow ; 
but  within  four  days  after — viz.,  the  feast  of  St. 
Leonard,  the  princess,  who  took  great  delight  in 
little  dogs,  caused  one  of  the  gentlewomen  to  go 
under  a  bed  with  a  lighted  candle  to  bring  forth  one 
of  them  that  had  young  whelps,  which  she  was 
doing,  and  not  being  very  attentive,  set  on  fire  the 
bed,  whereat  the  fire  rose  and  burnt  the  bed,  and 
then  rose  to  the  ceiling  of  the  great  chamber  in 
which  the  princess  was,  whereat  she  and  all  that 
were  in  the  dungeon  (keep?)  were  compelled  to  fly. 

"  The  prince's  chaplain  seeing  this,  and  remem- 
bering his  master's  writings,  passed  to  the  head  of 
the  dungeon,  where  they  were,  and  threw  out  four 
great  trunks.  The  news  of  this  fire  coming  to  the 
prince's  ears  through  the  lamentable  cries  of  the 
ladies  and  gentlemen,  and  the  sight  thereof  coming 
to  his  view  in  the  place  where  he  stood — namely, 
upon  the  College  (Chapel  ?)  Hill — he  was  in  sorrow 
for  nothing  but  the  loss  of  his  charters  and  other 
writings ;  but  when  the  chaplain,  who  had  saved 
himself  by  coming  down  the  bell-rope  tied  to  a 
beam,  declared  how  they  were  saved,  he  became 
cheerful,  and  went  to  re-comfort  his  princess  and 
the  ladies,  desiring  them  to  put  away  all  sorrow, 
and  rewarded  his  chaplain  very  richly."  The 
"  princess  "  was  the  Elizabeth  Countess  of  Roslin, 
referred  to  in  page  3  of  Vol.  I. 

In  1544  the  castle  was  fired  by  the  English 
under  Hertford,  and  demolished.  The  house  of 
1563,  erected  amid  its  ruins  nineteen  years  after, 
was  pillaged  and  battered  by  the  troops  of  Crom- 
well in  1650. 

At  the  revolution  in  1688,  it  was  pillaged  again 
by  a  lawless  mob  from  the  city,  and  from  thence- 
forward it  passes  out  of  history. 

Of  the  powerful  family  to  whom  it  belonged  we 
can  only  give  a  sketch. 

The  descendants  of  the  Norman  William  de  St. 
Clair,  called  indifferently  by  that  name  and  Sin- 
clair, received  from  successive  kings  of  Scotland 
accessions,  which  made  them  lords  of  Cousland, 
Pentland,  Cardoine,  and  other  lands,  and  they  lived 
in  their  castle,  surrounded  by  all  the  splendour  of  a 
rude  age,  and  personal  importance  given  by  the 
acquisition  of  possessions  by  methods  that  would 
be  little  understood  in  modern  times. 

There  were  three  successive  William  Sinclairs 
barons  of  Roslin  (one  of  whom  made  a  great 
figure  in  the  reign  of  William  the  Lion,  and  gave 
a  yearly  gift  to  Newbattle,  piv  salute  anima  suee) 
before  the  accession  of  Henry,  who,  by  one  ac- 
count, is  said  to  have  married  a  daughter  of  the 
Karl  of  Mar,  and  by  another  a  daughter  of  the  Earl 


348 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


of  Strathearn,  the  Rosabelle   of  Scott's   beautiful 
ballad,  which  tells  us— 

"  There  are  twenty  of  Roslin's  barons  bold, 
Lie  buried  in  that  proud  chapelle, 
Each  one  the  holy  vault  doth  hold, 

But  the  sea  holds  lovely  Rosabelle. 
And  each  St.  Clair  is  buried  there, 

With  candle,  with  book,  and  with  bell  ; 
But  the  sea  caves  sung,  and  the  wild  waves  rung, 
The  dirge  of  lovely  Rosabelle." 
In    1264,   Sir    William,    sixth    of    Roslin,    was 


heart  to  Jerusalem,  and  with  whom  he  perished  in 
battle  with  the  Moors  at  Teba,  in  1331.  He  left 
an  infant  son,  who,  in  1350,  was  ambassador  at  the 
Court  of  England,  whither  he  repaired  with  a  train 
of  sixty  armed  horse.  He  married  Isabella, 
daughter  of  Malise,  Earl  of  Strathearn,  and  was 
succeeded  by  his  son,  Sir  Henry  Sinclair  of  Roslin, 
who  was  created  Earl  of  Orkney  by  Haco,  King  of 
Norway,  in  1379 — a  title  confirmed  by  Robert  II. 
According  to  Douglas,  he  married  Florentina,  a 


Sheriff  of  Edinburgh,  Linlithgow,  and  Haddington 
("  Chamberlain  Rolls  "),  and  it  was  his  son  and  suc- 
cessor, Sir  Henry,  who  obtained  from  Robert  I., 
for  his  good  and  faithful  services,  a  charter  of 
Pentland  Muir,  and  to  whom  (and  not  to  a  Sir  Wil- 
liam) the  well-known  tradition  of  the  famous  hunt- 
ing match  thereon,  which  led  to  the  founding  of 
the  chapel  of  St.  Katherine  in  the  Hope,  must 
refer.  With  that  muir  he  obtained  other  lands, 
which  were  "  all  erected  into  a  free  forestry,  for 
payment  of  a  tenth  part  of  one  soldier  yearly,  in 
i3'7-" 

His  son,  Sir  William,  was  one  of  the  chosen 
companions  of  the  good  Sir  James  Douglas,  whom 
he  accompanied  in  the  mission  to  convey  Bruce's 


daughter  of  the  King  of  Denmark.  Nisbet  adds 
that  he  was  made  Lord  of  Shetland  and  Duke  of 
Oldenburg  (which  is  considered  doubtful),  and 
that  he  was  Knight  of  the  Thistle,  Cockle,  and 
Golden  Fleece. 

William,  third  earl,  resigned  his  earldom  of 
Orkney  in  favour  of  King  James  III.,  and  adopted 
that  of  Caithness,  which  he  resigned  in  1476  to 
his  son  William,  who  became  distinguished  by  the 
baronial  grandeur  of  his  household,  and  was  the 
founder  of  the  chapel.  It  is  of  him  that  Father 
Hay  writes  as  "  a  prince,"  who  maintained  at  the 
Castle  of  Roslin  royal  state,  and  was  served  at  his 
table  in  vessels  of  gold  and  silver.  Lord  Dirleton 
was  the  master  of  his  household,  Lord  Borthwick 


THE    ST.    CLAIRS. 


his  cupbearer,  Lord  Fleming  his  carver,  and 
these  had  as  deputies,  in  their  absence,  the  Lairds 
•of  Drummelzier,  Sandilands,  and  Calder.  His 
halls  and  apartments  were  richly  adorned  with 
embroidered  hanging,  and  to  the  state  adopted  by 
his  "  princess  Elizabeth  "  we  have  already  referred. 
The  three  sons  of  William,  the  third  earl,  con- 
veyed the  concentrated  honours  of  the  house  in 
their  respective  lines.  William,  the  eldest,  inherited 
the  title  of  Baron  Sinclair,  and  was  ancestor  of  the 


raised  in  the  year  i  So  i  to  the  title  of  Earls  of  Rosslyn, 
in  the  peerage  of  the  United  Kingdom.  James, 
second  earl,  succeeded  in  the  year  1837,  and  now 
the  Scottish  seat  of  the  family  is  at  Dysart  House, 
Fifeshire. 

The  St.  Clairs  of  Roslin,  from  the  time  of  James 
II.  till  they  resigned  the  office  in  the  last  century, 
were  the  Grand  Masters  of  Masonry  in  Scotland. 

It  may  seem  almost  superfluous  to  describe  an 
edifice  so  well  known  as   the  exquisite  chapel  of 


ROSLIN    CHAPEL 


Lords  Sinclair  of  Herdmanston.  The  second  son, 
also  called  William,  continued  the  line  of  the  Earls 
of  Caithness  ;  while  the  third  son,  Oliver,  founded 
the  more  modern  family,  and  connected  it  with  the 
ancient  one  of  St.  Clair  of  Roslin.  In  1583, 
Thomas  Vans  and  Archibald  Hoppringall,  burgesses 
of  Edinburgh,  became  caution  for  Edward  Sinclair, 
eldest  son  of  Sir  William  of  Roslin,  that  his  spouse, 
Christian  Douglas,  should  have  peaceable  access  to 
him  in  his  father's  Place  of  Roslin,  and  that  he 
should  duly  appear  before  the  Lords  of  Council  to 
underlie  the  law  with  reference  to  a  family  dispute. 
("Reg.  of  Council.") 

Their  descendant,  William,  last  heir  in  the  direct 
znale  line,  died  in   1778.     A  collateral  branch  was 


Roslin,  which  was  founded  in  the  year  1446  by  the 
then  lord,  and  dedicated  to  St.  Matthew.  Only 
the  chancel  of  the  edifice  was  completed,  but 
a  cruciform  structure  must  have  been  contem- 
plated. Though  certainly  squat  in  outline,  all  the 
rare  beauties  of  the  chapel  are  concentrated  in  the 
design  and  wonderfully  varied  character  of  its 
mouldings,  buttresses,  and  incrustations.  It  bids 
defiance  to  all  the  theories  of  Gothic  architecture. 
Britton  calls  it  "  curious,  elaborate,  and  singularly 
interesting ; "  and,  in  comparing  it  with  other 
edifices  of  the  same  period,  he  adds,  "  These  styles 
display  a  gradual  advancement  in  lightness  and 
profusion  of  ornament,  but  the  chapel  of  Roslin 
combines   the    solidity  of  the    Norman   with    the 


35° 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


minute  decorations  of  the  latest  species  of  the 
Tudor  age.  It  is  impossible  to  designate  the  archi- 
tecture of  this  building  by  any  given  or  familiar 
term,  for  the  variety  and  eccentricity  of  its  parts 
are  not  to  be  defined  by  any  words  of  common 
acceptation." 

Though  generally  spoken  of  as  if  it  were  the  chapel 
of  the  adjacent  castle,  this  most  costly  edifice  was 
erected  as  a  collegiate  church,  to  be  ministered  to 
by  a  provost,  six  prebendaries,  and  two  choristers. 

Captain  Slezer  states  that  "  there  goes  a  tradi- 
tion that,  before  the  death  of  any  of  the  family  of 
Roslin  this  chapel  appears  to  be  all  on  fire  ;  "  and  it 
was  this  brief  line  of  that  most  prosaic  writer  which 
suggested  the  noble  ballad  of  Scott.  The  legend 
is  supposed  to  be  of  Norse  origin,  imported  by  the 
Earls  of  Orkney  to  Roslin,  as  the  tomb-fires  of 
the  North  are  mentioned  in  most  of  the  Sagas.  The 
chapel  was  desecrated  by  a  mob  in  1688,  and  though 
partially  repaired  by  General  St.  Clair  about  1720, 
for  more  than  a  century  and  a  half  it  remained 
windowless  and  mouldy.  On  Easter  Tuesday,  1862, 
it  was  repaired,  and  opened  for  service  by  the  clergy 
of  the  Scottish  Episcopal  communion. 

In  this  building  we  have  the  common  stock  legend 
of  one  of  the  finest  pieces  of  workmanship  being  com- 
pleted by  an  apprentice  during  theabsence  of  the  mas- 
ter, who  in  rage  and  mortification  puts  him  to  death. 
The  famous  Apprentice's  Pillar  is  called  by  Slezer 
the  "  Prince's  Pillar,"  as  the  founder  had  the  title 
of  Prince  of  Orkney.  This  pillar  is  the  wreathed 
one,  so  markedly  distinct  from  all  the  others,  and 
was  most  probably  the  "  Master's  Pillar ;  "  but 
among  the  grotesque  heads,  it  was  not  difficult  for 
old  Annie  Wilson,  the  guide,  who  figures  in  the 
Gentleman  s  Magazine  for  181 7,  to  find  those  of 
the  irate  master,  the  terrified  apprentice,  and  his 
sorrowing  mother. 

It  was  from  the  MSS.  of  Father  Hay,  in  the 
Advocates'  Library,  that  the  striking  legend  of  the 
/Sinclairs  being  buried  in  their  armour  was  taken 
by  Sir  Walter  Scott.  He  wrote  at  the  commence- 
ment of  the  eighteenth  century,  and  was  present  at 
the  opening  of  the  tomb,  wherein  lay  Sir  William 
Sinclair,  who,  he  says,  was  interred  in  1650,  on 
the  day  the  battle  of  Dunbar  was  fought ;  and  he 
thus  describes  the  body  : — 

"  He  was  lying  in  his  armour,  with  a  red  velvet 
cap  on  his  head,  on  a  flat  stone.  Nothing  was 
spoiled  except  a  piece  of  the  white  furring  that 
went  round  the  cap,  and  answered  to  the  hinder 
part  of  the  head.  All  his  predecessors  were  buried 
in  the  same  manner  in  their  armour.  Late  Roslin, 
my  gud  father,  was  the  first  that  was  buried  in  a 
coffin,  against  the  sentiments  of  King  James  VII., 


who  was  then  in  Scotland,  and  several  other 
persons  well  versed  in  antiquity,  to  whom  my 
mother  would  not  hearken,  thinking  it  beggarly  to 
be  buried  after  that  manner.  The  great  expense 
she  was  at  in  burying  her  husband  occasioned  the 
sumptuary  Acts  which  were  made  in  the  next  Par- 
liament." This  refers  to  the  Act  "  restraining  the 
exorbitant  expense  of  marriages,  baptisms,  and 
burials,"  passed  in  1681  at  Edinburgh. 

In  a  vault  near  the  north  wall,  there  lie,  under 
a  flag-stone,  ten  barons  of  Roslin,  buried  before 
1690,  according  to  the  "  New  Statistical  Account." 

In  the  west  wall  of  the  north  aisle  is  the  tomb 
of  George,  fourth  Earl  of  Caithness,  one  of  the 
peers  who  sat  on  the  trial  of  Bothwell,  and  who 
died  at  an  advanced  age.  It  bears  the  following 
inscription  : — 

"HlC  JACET   NOBILTS    AC    POTIS     DOMINUS    GeORGIUS, 

quondam  Comes  Cathanensis,  dominus  Sinci.ar, 
Justiciarius  Hereditorius  diocesis  Cathanensis  qui 
obiit   edinburgi    9   die   mensis    septembris,    anno 

DOMINI    1582." 

It  is  supposed  that  an  authentic  history  of  this- 
family — one  of  the  most  remarkable  in  the  three 
Lothians — might  throw  much  light  on  the  history 
of  masonry  in  Scotland.  Among  the  MSS.  in 
Father  Hay's  collection  there  is  one  which  ac- 
knowledges in  remarkable  terms  the  prerogatives 
of  the  Roslin  family  in  reference  to  the  Masonic 
craft. 

"The  deacons,  masters,  and  freemen  of  the 
masons  and  hammermen  within  the  Kingdom  of 
Scotland  "  assert  "  that  for  as  mickle  as  from  adage 
to  adage  it  has  been  observed  amongst  us  and  our 
predecessors  that  the  Lairds  of  Roslin  have  ever 
bein  patrons  and  protectors  of  us  and  our  privileges, 
like  as  our  predecessors  has  obeyed,  reverenced, 
and  acknowledged  them  as  patrons  and  protectors, 
whereof  they  had  letters  of  protection  and  other 
rights  granted  by  his  majesty's  most  noble  pro- 
genitors." The  MS.  then  proceeds  to  record  that 
the  documents  referred  to  had  perished  with  the 
family  muniments  in  some  conflagration  ;  but  that 
they  acknowledge  the  continuance  of  the  Masonic 
Patronage  in  the  House  of  Sinclair.  The  MS.  is 
dated  1630,  and  signed  thus  :— "  The  Lodge  of 
Dundee  —  Robert  Strachane,  master  —  Andrew 
Wast  and  David  Whit,  masters  in  Dundee;  with 
our  hands  att  the  pen,  led  be  the  Notar,  under- 
subscrivand  at  our  commands,  because  we  cannot 
writ." 

At  least  twenty-two  special  masons'  marks  are 
visible  on  the  stones  at  Roslin. 

The  edifice  has  attached  to  it  what  is  said  to 
have  been  an  under  chapel,  although  it  is  on  the 


THE    THREE    BATTLES    ON    ONE    DAY. 


35" 


hillside,  and  not  beneath,  but  is  attached  to  its 
eastern  end,  the  means  of  communication  between 
the  two  being  by  a  steep  descent  of  steps.  Its  use 
has  sorely  puzzled  antiquaries,  though  it  forms  a 
handsome  little  chapel,  with  ribbed  arches  and  roof 
of  stone.  Under  its  eastern  window  is  an  altar,  and 
there  is  a  piscina  and  ambry  for  the  sacramental 
plate,  together  with  a  comfortable  fireplace  and  a 
row  of  closets. 

"  Its  domestic  appurtenances,''  says  a  writer, 
'■'  clearly  show  it  to  have  been  the  house  of  the 
priestly  custodier  of  the  chapel,  and  the  ecclesias- 
tical types  first  named  were  for  his  private  medi- 
tation ;  and  thus  the  puzzle  ceases." 

Near  the  chapel  is  St.    Mathew's  WelL      The 
parish  of  Roslin  possesses  many  relics  and  tradi- 
tions of  the  famous  three  battles  which  were  fought 
there  in  one  day — the  24th  of  February,  1302  : — 
"Three  triumphs  in  a  day, 

Three  hosts  subdued  in  one, 
Three  armies  scattered  like  the  spray 
Beneath  one  common  sun  !" 

On  the  26th  of  January,  1302,  the  cruel  and 
treacherous  Edward  I.  of  England  concluded  a 
treaty  of  truce — not  peace — with  Scotland,  while, 
on  the  other  hand,  he  prepared  to  renew  the  war 
against  her.  To  this  end  he  marched  in  an  army 
of  20,000 — some  say  30,000 — men,  chiefly  cavalry, 
under  Sir  John  de  Segrave,  with  orders  less  to 
fight  than  to  waste  and  devastate  the  already  wasted 
country. 

To  obtain  provisions  with  more  ease,  Segrave 
marched  his  force  in  three  columns,  each  a  mile  or 
two  apart,  and  the  24th  of  February  saw  them  on 
the  north  bank  of  the  Esk,  at  three  places,  still 
indicated  by  crossed  swords  on  the  county  map  ; 
the  first  at  Roslin ;  the  second  at  Loanhead,  on 
high  ground,  still  named,  from  the  battle,  "  Killrig," 
north  of  the  village  ;  and  the  third  at  Park  Burn, 
near  Gilmerton  Grange. 

Meanwhile,  Sir  John  Comyn,  Guardian  of  the 
Kingdom,  and  Sir  Simon  Fraser  of  Oliver  Castle 
(the  friend  and  comrade  of  Wallace),  Heritable 
Sheriff  of  Tweeddale,  after  mustering  a  force  of 
only  8,000  men — but  men  carefully  selected  and 
well  armed — marched  from  Biggar  in  the  night, 
and  in  the  dull  grey  light  of  the  February  morning, 
in  the  wooded  glen  near  Roslin  Castle,  came 
suddenly  on  the  first  column,  under  Segrave. 

Animated  by  a  just  thirst  for  vengeance,  the 
Scots  made  a  furious  attack,  and  Segrave  was 
rapidly  routed,  wounded,  and  taken  prisoner,  to- 
gether with  his  brother,  his  son,  sixteen  knights, 
and  thirty  esquires,  called  sergeants  by  the  rhyming 
English  chronicler  Langtoft. 


The  contest  was  barely  over  when  the  second 
column,  alarmed  by  the  fugitives,  advanced  from  its 
camp  at  Loanhead,  "  and  weary  though  the  Scots 
were  with  their  forced  night  march,  flushed  with 
their  first  success,  and  full  of  the  most  rancorous 
hate  of  their  invaders,  they  rushed  to  the  charge, 
and  though  the  conflict  was  fiercer,  were  victorious. 
A  vast  quantity  of  pillage  fell  into  their  hands, 
together  with  Sir  Ralph  the  Cofferer,  a  paymaster 
of  the  English  army." 

The  second  victory  had  barely  been  achieved, 
when  the  third  division,  under  Sir  Robert  Neville, 
with  all  its  arms  and  armour  glittering  in  the 
morning  sun,  came  in  sight,  advancing  from  the 
neighbourhood  of  Gilmerton,  at  a  time  when 
many  of  the  Scots  had  laid  aside  a  portion  of  their 
arms  and  helmets,  and  were  preparing  some  to  eat, 
and  others  to  sleep. 

Fraser  and  Comyn  at  first  thought  of  retiring, 
but  that  was  impracticable,  as  Neville  was  so  close 
upon  them.  They  flew  from  rank  to  rank,  says 
Tytler,  "  and  having  equipped  the  camp  followers 
in  the  arms  of  their  slain  enemies,  they  made  a 
furious  charge  on  the  English,  and  routed  them 
with  great  slaughter." 

Before  the  second  and  third  encounters  took 
place,  old  historians  state  that  the  Scots  had  re- 
course to  the  cruel  practice  of  slaying  their  prisoners, 
which  was  likely  enough  in  keeping  with  the  spirit 
with  which  the  wanton  English  war  was  conducted 
in  those  days.  Sir  Ralph  the  Cofferer  begged  Fraser 
to  spare  his  life,  offering  a  large  ransom  for  it 

"  Your  coat  of  mail  is  no  priestly  habit,"  replied 
Sir  Simon.  "  Where  is  thine  alb — where  thy  hood  ? 
Often  have  you  robbed  us  all  and  done  us  grievous 
wrong,  and  now  is  our  time  to  sum  up  the  account, 
and  exact  strict  payment." 

With  these  words  he  hewed  off  the  gauntleted 
hands  of  the  degraded  priest,  and  then  by  one 
stroke  severed  his  head  from  his  body. 

Old  English  writers  always  attribute  the  glory  of 
the  day  to  Wallace ;  but  he  was  not  present.  The 
pursuit  lasted  sixteen  miles,  even  as  far  as  Biggar, 
and  12,000  of  the  enemy  perished,  says  Sir  James 
Balfour.  English  historians  have  attempted  to 
conceal  the  triple  defeat  of  their  countrymen  on 
this  occasion.  They  state  that  Sir  Robert  Neville's 
division  stayed  behind  to  hear  mass,  and  repelled  the 
third  Scottish  attack,  adding  that  none  who  heard 
mass  that  morning  were  slain.  But,  unfortunately 
for  this  statement,  Neville  himself  was  among  the 
dead  ;  and  Langtoft,  in  his  very  minute  account  of 
the  battle,  admits  that  the  English  were  utterly 
routed. 

Many  places  in  the  vicinity  still  bear  names  con- 


352 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


nected  with  the  victory  :  the  "  Shinbones  Field," 
where  bones  have  been  ploughed  up  ;  the  "  Hewan," 
where  the  onslaught  was  most  dreadful ;  the 
"  Stinking  Rig,"  where  the  slain  were  not  properly 
interred  ;  the  "  Kill-burn,"  the  current  of  which  was 
reddened  with  blood  ;  and  "  Mount  Marl,"  a  farm  so 
called  from  a  tradition  that  when  the  English  were 
on  the  point  of  being  finally  routed,  one  of  them 
cried  to  his  leader,  "  Mount,  Marl — and  ride  !  " 

Many  coins  of  Edward  I.  have  also  been  found 
hereabout. 


confirmations  of  this  charter  from  James  VI. 
and  Charles  II.  In  modern  times  it  has  subsided 
into  a  retreat  of  rural  quietness,  and  the  abode 
of  workers  in  the  bleaching-fields  and  powder- 
mills. 

In  the  old  inn  of  Roslin,  which  dates  from  i66or 
Dr.  Johnson  and  Boswell,  in  1773,  about  the  close 
of  their  Scottish  tour,  dined  and  drank  tea.  There, 
also,  Robert  Burns  breakfasted  in  company  with 
Nasmyth  the  artist,  and  being  well  entertained  by 
Mrs.    Wilson,  the  landlady,  he  rewarded  her  by 


In    1754,  near  Roslin,  a  stone  coffin  nine  feet' 
long  was  uncovered  by  the  plough.     It  contained 
a  human  skeleton,  supposed  to  be  that  of  a  chief 
killed  in  the  battle  ;  but  it  was  much  more  probably  j 
that  of  some  ancient  British  warrior. 

The  village  of  Roslin  stands  on  a  bank  about  a 
mile  east  of  the  road  to  Peebles.  About  1440, 
this  village,  or  town,  was  the  next  place  in  import- 
ance to  the  east  of  Edinburgh  and  Haddington  ; 
and  fostered  by  the  care  of  the  St.  Clairs  of  Roslin,  it 
became  populous  by  the  resort  of  a  great  concourse 
of  all  ranks  of  people.  In  r456  it  received  from 
James  II.  a  royal  charter  creating  it  a  burgh  of 
barony,  with  a  market  cross,  a  weekly  market,  and 
an  annual  fair  on  the  Feast  of  St.  Simon  and  Jude  ' 
— the  anniversary  of  the  battle  of  Roslin;  and 
respectively  in  the  years  1622  and  1650  it  received 


scratching  on  a  pewter  plate  two  verses,  which  are 
preserved  among  his  works,  and  run  thus  : — 
"  My  blessings  on  you,  sonsie  wife  ! 
I  ne'er  was  here  before  ; 
You've  gien  us  walth  for  horn  and  knife, 
Nae  heart  could  wish  for  more. 

"  Heaven  keep  you  free  frae  care  and  strife, 
Till  far  ayont  fourscore ; 
And  while  I  toddle  on  through  life, 
I'll  ne'er  gang  by  your  door." 

Burns  and  Nasmyth,  it  would  appear,  had  spent 
the  day  in  "  a  long  ramble  among  the  Pentlands, 
which,  having  sharpened  the  poet's  appetite,  lent 
an  additional  relish  to  the  evening  meal." 

It  is  stated  in  a  recent  work  that  the  old  inn  is 
still  kept  by  the  descendants  of  those  who  estab- 
lished it  at  the  Restoration. 


Hawthornden.; 


HAWTHORNDEN. 


353 


CHAPTER    XLII. 
THE    ENVIRONS    OF    EDINBURGH— {continued). 


Hawthornden— The  Abernethys— The  Prummonds — The  Cavalier  and 
Monument-Captain  Philip  Lockhart  of  Dryden— Lasswade— The  . 
Quincey—  Clerk  of  Eldin. 

Hawthornden,  the  well-known  seat  of  the  Drum- 
mond  family,  stands  on  the  south  bank  of  the 
North  Esk,  amidst  exquisitely  picturesque  and 
romantic  scenery.  Constructed  with  reference  to 
strength,  it  surmounts  to  the  very  edge  a  grey  and  | 
almost  insulated  cliff,  which  starts  perpendicularly  ^  I 
up  from  the  brawling  river.  There  it  is  perched 
high  in  air  amid  a  wooded  ravine,  through  which 
the  Esk  flows  between  two  walls  of  lofty  and 
141 


abrupt  rock,  covered  by  a  wonderful  profusion  of 
foliage,  interwoven  with  festoons  of  ivy — -a  literal 
jungle  of  mosses,  ferns,  and  "creepers.  The  great- 
est charm  of  the  almost  oppressive  solitude  is  due 
to  the  bold  variety  of  outline,  and  the  contrast  of 
colour,  which  at  every  spot  the  landscape  exhibits. 
On  the  summit  of  that  insulated  rock  are  still 
the  ruins  of  a  fortalice  of  unknown  antiquity — a 
vaulted  tower,  fifteen  feet  square   internally,  with 


354 


OLD   AND   NEW    EDINBURGH. 


walls  seven  feet  thick,  and  the  remains  of  a  ban- 
queting-hall  with  large  windows,  and  walls  five 
feet  thick. 

The  more  modern  house  of  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury, which  has  been  engrafted  on  this  fortress 
(probably  destroyed  by  the  English  in  1544  or 
1547)  measures  ninety  feet  long,  with  an  average 
breadth  of  twenty-three  feet,  and  exhibits  the  usual 
crowstepped  gables,  massive  chimneys,  and  small 
windows  of  the  period. 

In  the  days  of  the  War  of  Independence  the 
Castle  of  Hawthornden  belonged  to  a  family  called 
Abernethy.  It  was  then  the  stronghold  of  Sir 
Lawrence  Abernethy  (the  second  son  of  Sir  Wil- 
liam Abernethy  of  Saltoun),  who,  though  a  gallant 
soldier,  was  one  of  those  infamous  traitors  who 
turned  their  swords  against  their  own  country,  and 
served  the  King  of  England. 

He  it  was  who,  on  the  day  Bannockburn  was 
fought  and  when  Douglas  was  in  hot  pursuit  of  the 
fugitive  Edward  II.,  was  met,  at  the  Torwood,  with 
a  body  of  cavalry  hastening  to  join  the  enemy,  and 
who  added  to  the  infamy  of  his  conduct  by  instantly 
joining  in  the  pursuit,  on  learning  from  Douglas 
that  the  English  were  utterly  defeated  and  dis- 
persed. 

Three-and-twenty  years  after,  the  same  traitor, 
when  again  in  the  English  interest,  had  the  better 
of  the  Knight  of  Liddesdale  and  his  forces  five  in 
one  day,  yet  was  at  last  defeated  in  the  end,  and 
taken  prisoner  before  sunset.  All  this  is  recorded 
in  stone  in  an  inscription  on  a  tablet  at  the  west 
end  of  the  house.  At  this  time,  1338,  Sir  Alexan- 
der Ramsay  of  Dalhousie,  emulating  the  faith  and 
valour  of  Douglas,  at  the  head  of  a  body  of  knights 
and  men-at-arms,  whom  his  fame  and  daring  as  a 
skilful  warrior  had  drawn  to  his  standard,  sallied 
from  his  secret  stronghold,  the  vast  caves  of  Haw- 
thornden, and  after  sweeping  the  southern  Low- 
lands, penetrated  with  fire  and  sword  into  England  ; 
and,  on  one  occasion,  by  drawing  the  English  into  an 
ambush  near  Wark,  made  such  a  slaughter  of  them 
that  scarcely  one  escaped. 

For  these  services  he  received  a  crown  charter 
from  David  II.,  in  1369,  of  Nether  Liberton,  and 
of  the  lands  of  Hawthornden  in  the  barony  of 
Conyrtoun,  Edinburghshire,  "  quhilk  Lawrence 
Abernethy  forts  fecit"  for  his  treasons  ;  but,  never- 
theless, his  son  would  seem  to  have  succeeded. 

In  after  years  the  estate  had  changed  proprietors, 
being  sold  to  the  Douglases;  and  among  the  slain 
at  Flodden  was  Sir  John  Douglas  of  Hawthornden, 
with  his  neighbour,  Sir  William  Sinclair  of  Roslin. 

By  the  Douglases  Hawthornden  was  sold  to 
the   Drummonds   of  Carnock,  with  whom  it    has 


since  remained ;  and  the  ancient  families  of  Aber- 
nethy and  Drummond  became,  curiously  enough, 
united  by  the  marriage  of  Bishop  Abernethy  and 
Barbara  Drummond. 

The  most  remarkable  member  of  this  race  was 
William  Drummond  (more  generally  known  as 
"Hawthornden"),  the  historian  of  the  Jameses, 
the  tender  lover  and  gentle  poet,  the  handsome 
cavalier,  whom  Cornelius  Jansen's  pencil  has  por- 
trayed, and  who  died  of  a  broken  heart  for  the 
execution  of  Charles  I. 

His  history  of  the  Jameses  he  dedicates,  "  To  the 
Right  Honorable  my  very  good  Lord  and  Chief, 
the  Earl  of  Perth,"  but  it  was  not  published  till 
after  his  death. 

The  repair  of  the  ancient  house  in  its  present 
form  took  place  in  1638  and  1643,  as  inscriptions 
record. 

Few  poets  have  enjoyed  a  more  poetical  home 
than  William  Drummond,  whose  mind  was,  no 
doubt,  influenced  by  the  exquisite  scenery  amid 
which  he  was  born  (in  1585)  and  reared.  He  has 
repaid  it,  says  a  writer,  by  adding  to  this  lovely 
locality  the  recollections  of  himself,  and  by  the 
tender,  graceful,  and  pathetic  verses  he  composed 
under  the  roof  of  his  historical  home. 

He  came  of  a  long  line  of  ancestors,  among 
whom  he  prized  highly,  as  a  member  of  his  family, 
Annabella  Drummond,  queen  of  King  Robert  III. 
Early  in  life  he  fell  in  love  with  a  daughter  of 
Cunninghame  of  Barnes,  a  girl  whose  beauty  and 
accomplishments — rare  for  that  age — he  has  re- 
corded in  verse. 

Their  wedding-day  was  fixed,  and  on  its  eve  she 
died.  After  this  fatal  event  Drummond  quitted 
Hawthornden,  and  for  years  dwelt  on  the  Conti- 
nent as  a  wanderer ;  but  the  winter  of  16 18  saw 
him  again  in  his  sequestered  home  by  the  Esk, 
where  he  was  visited  by  the  famous  Ben  Jonson, 
who,  it  is  said,  travelled  on  foot  to  Scotland  to  see 
him.  At  the  east  end  of  the  ruins  that  adjoin  the 
modern  mansion  is  a  famous  sycamore,  called  One 
of  the  Four  Sisters.  It  is  twenty-two  feet  in  cir- 
cumference, and  under  this  tree  Drummond  was 
sitting  when  Jonson  arrived  at  Hawthornden.  It 
would  seem  that  the  latter  had  to  fly  from  Eng- 
land at  this  time  for  having  slain  a  man  in  a  duel. 
Reference  is  made  to  this  in  some  of  Drummond's 
notes,  and  a  corroboration  of  the  story  is  given  by 
Mr.  Collier,  in  his  "  Life  of  Alleyn  "  the  actor,  and 
founder  of  Dulwich  College. 

Jonson  stayed  some  weeks  at  Hawthornden, 
where  he  wrote  two  of  the  short  pieces  included  in 
his  "  Underwoods "  and  "  My  Picture  left  in 
Scotland,"  with   a   long   inscription   to   his   host. 


THE    CAVERNS. 


355 


Drummond    wrote   most    of   his  works    in    Haw- 
thornden. 

In  the  year  1643  he  met  accidentally  Elizabeth 
Logan,  daughter  of  Sir  Robert  Logan  of  Restalrig, 
•who  so  closely  resembled  the  girl  he  had  loved 
and  mourned  so  deeply,  that  he  paid  his  addresses 
to  and  married  her. 

When  the  civil  war  broke  out  Drummond 
espoused  the  cause  of  the  king,  not  in  the  field 
with  the  sword,  but  in  the  closet  with  his  pen.  He 
was  constantly  exposed,  in  consequence,  to  hos- 
tility and  annoyance  from  the  Presbyterian  party. 

On  leaving  the  house  visitors  are  conducted 
round  the  precipitous  face  of  the  rock  on  which 
it  stands,  by  a  mere  ledge,  to  a  species  of  cavern. 
There  are  seen  an  old  table  and  seat.  It  was  the 
poet's  favourite  resort,  and  in  it  he  composed  his 
"  Cypress  Grove,"  after  recovering  from  a  danger- 
ous illness.  No  place  could  be  better  adapted  for 
poetic  reveries.  "  In  calm  weather  the  sighing  of 
the  wind  along  the  chasm,  the  murmur  of  the 
stream,  the  music  of  the  birds  around,  above, 
beneath,  and  the  utter  absence  of  an  intimation  of 
the  busy  world,  must  have  often  evoked  the  poet's 
melancholy,  and  brought  him  back  the  delightful 
hopes  that  thrilled  his  youthful  heart.  There  were 
other  times  and  seasons  when  it  must  indeed  have 
been  awful  to  have  sat  in  that  dark  and  desolate 
cavern  :  when  a  storm  was  rushing  through  the 
glen,  when  the  forked  lightning  was  revealing  its 
shaggy  depths,  and  when  the  thunder  seemed  to 
shake  the  cliff  itself  with  its  reverberations." 

Drummond  was  the  first  Scottish  poet  who  wrote 
in  pure  English ;  his  resemblance  to  Milton,  whom 
he  preceded,  has  often  been  remarked.  The 
chivalrous  loyalty  that  filled  his  heart  and  inspired 
his  muse  received  a  mortal  shock  by  the  death  of 
Charles  I.,  and  on  the  4th  of  December,  1649,  he 
•died  where  he  was  born,  and  where  he  had  spent 
the  most  of  his  life,  in  his  beautiful  house  of  Haw- 
thornden,  and  was  buried  in  the  sequestered  and 
tree-shaded  churchyard  of  Lasswade,  on  the  south 
slope  of  the  brae,  and  within  sound  of  the  murmur 
■of  his  native  Esk. 

An  edition  of  his  poems  was  printed  in  1656, 
■8vo  ;  another  appeared  at  London  in  1791  ;  while 
■since  then  others  have  been  published,  notably 
that  under  the  editorship  of  Peter  Cunningham, 
London,  1833.  '^n  edition  of  all  his  works,  under 
the  superintendence  of  Ruddiman,  was  brought 
out  at  Edinburgh  in  folio  in  171  r. 

Over  the  door  of  the  modern  house,  which  is 
defended  by  three  loopholes  for  musketry,  and  is  the 
only  way  by  which  the  edifice  can  be  approached, 
are   the    arms   of   the    Right    Reverend    William 


Abernethy,  titular  Bishop  of  Edinburgh  ;  and  near 
them  is  a  panel  with  an  inscription,  placed  there 
by  the  poet  when  he  repaired  his  dwelling. 

"DIVINO  MUNERE  GULIELMUS  DRUMMONDUS  JOHANNIS 
AURATI  FILIUS  UT  HONESTO  OTIO  QUIESCERET  SIBI  ET 
SUCCESSORIBUS     INSTAURAVIT,    ANNO    1638." 

In  the  house  is  preserved  a  table  with  a  marble 
slab,  dated  1396,  and  bearing  the  initials  of  King 
Robert  III.  thereon,  with  those  of  Queen  Anna- 
bella  Drummond,  and  on  it  lies  a  two-handed 
sword  of  Robert  Bruce,  which  is  five  feet  two 
inches  in  length,  with  quadruple  guard  which 
measures  eleven  inches  from  point  to  point.  There 
is  also  a  clock,  which  is  said  to  have  been  in  the 
family  since  his  time  ;  there  are  a  pair  of  shoes 
and  a  silk  dress  that  belonged  to  Queen  Anna- 
bella  ;  the  long  cane  of  the  Duchess  of  Lauder- 
dale, so  famous  for  her  diamonds  and  her  furious 
temper ;  and   a  dress  worn  by  Prince  Charles  in 

1745- 

Below  the  house  are  the  great  caverns  for  which 
Hawthornden  is  so  famous.  They  are  artificial, 
and  have  been  hollowed  out  of  the  rock  with 
prodigious  labour,  and  all  communicate  with  each 
other  by  long  passages,  and  possess  access  to  a 
well  of  vast  depth,  bored  from  the  courtyard  of 
the  mansion.  These  caverns  are  reported  by 
tradition  and  believed  by  Dr.  Stukeley  to  have 
been  a  stronghold  of  the  Pictish  kings,  and  in  three 
instances  they  bear  the  appropriate  names  of  the 
King's  Gallery,  the  King's  Bedchamber,  and  the 
Guard-room  ;  but  they  seem  simply  to  have  been 
hewn  out  of  the  solid  rock,  no  one  can  tell  when 
or  by  whom.  They  served,  however,  as  ample  and 
secret  places  of  refuge  and  resort  during  the  de- 
structive wars  between  Scotland  and  England, 
especially  when  the  troops  of  the  latter  were  in 
possession  of  Edinburgh ;  and,  like  the  adjacent 
caves  of  Gorton,  they  gave  shelter  to  the  patriotic 
bands  of  Sir  Alexander  Ramsay  of  Dalhousie  and 
the  Black  Knight  of  Liddesdale,  and,  by  tradition, 
to  Robert  Bruce,  as  a  ballad  has  it  : — 

"  Here,  too,  are  labyrinthine  paths 
To  caverns  dark  and  low, 
Wherein,  they  say,  King  Robert  Bruce 
Found  refuge  from  the  foe." 

The  profusion  of  beautiful  wood  in  the  opulent 
landscape  around  Hawthornden  suggested  to  Peter 
Pindar  his  caustic  remark  respecting  Dr.  Johnson, 
that  he 

"  Went  to  Hawthornden's  fair  scenes  by  night, 
Lest  e'er  a  Scottish  tree  should  wound  his  sight." 

Half  a  mile  up  the  Esk  is  Wallace's  Cave — so 
called  by  tradition,  and  capable  of  holding  seventy 


356 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


armed  men ;  at  Bilston  Burn  is  Wallace's  camp,  in 
the  form  of  a  half-moon,  defended  by  a  broad  deep 
ditch — a  semicircle  of  eighty-four  yards.  It  is  ten 
yards  wide  at  the  top  and  five  yards  at  the  bottom, 
with  a  depth  now  of  three  yards. 

The  Cast — a  rugged  path — at  Springfield  is  a 
corruption  of  Via  ad  castra,  and  is,  no  doubt,  an 
old  Roman  road,  though  in  some  places  now  six 
feet  below  the  present  surface  ("  New  Statistical 
Account") ;  and  at  Mavisbank  is  a  tumulus,  wherein 


Lord  of  the  Bedchamber  to  His  Imperial  Majesty 
Joseph  II.,  Emperor  of  Germany,  Knight  of  the 
Order  of  Maria  Theresa,  Count  of  the  Holy  Roman 
Empire,  and  General  of  the  Imperial,  Royal,  and 
Apostolical  Armies.  Died  at  Pisa,  in  Italy,  6th 
February,  mdccxc,  in  the  lxiv.  year  of  his  age." 

Captain  Philip  Lockhart,  of  the  Dryden  family, 
was  one  of  the  prisoners  taken  at  Preston,  in  Eng- 
land, in  17 1 5,  and  for  having  previously  borne  a 
commission  in  the  British  army,  was  tried  by  court- 


have  been  found  stilt,  fibula,  weapons,  bridles,  and 
Roman  surgical  instruments  ;  and  at  a  farm  close  by 
is  another,  wherein  urns  full  of  calcined  bones  have 
been  excavated. 

The  Maiden  Castle  at  Lasswade  was  situated 
some  three  hundred  yards  south  of  the  Hewan,  in 
a  spot  of  exceeding  loveliness.  Nothing  now 
remains  of  it  save  massive  foundations,  but  by 
whom  it  was  founded  or  to  whom  it  belonged  not 
even  a  tradition  remains. 

Near  Mount  Marl,  and  by  the  high  road  at 
Dryden,  in  a  field,  stands  the  great  monument  of 
one  of  the  former  proprietors  of  the  estate,  bearing 
the  following  inscription  : — 

"  James  Lockhart-Wishart  of  Lee  and  Carnwath, 


I  martial ;  and  by  a  savage  stretch  of  power  was,  with 
Major  Nairne,  Ensign  Erskine,  Captain  Shaftoe, 
and  others,  shot  for  alleged  desertion. 

Nairne  and  Lockhart  denied  that  they  could  be 
guilty  of  desertion,  as  "  they  had  no  commission 
from,  nor  trust  under,  the  present  Government,  and 
the  regiment  to  which  they  belonged  had  been 
broken  several  years  ago  in  Spain,"  and  that  they 
regarded  their  half-pay  but  as  a  gratuity  for  their 
past  services  to  Queen  Anne.  Major  Nairne  was 
the  first  who  perished. 

"  After  he  was  shot,  Captain  Lockhart  would  not 
suffer  the  soldiers  to  touch  his  friend's  body,  but 
i  with  his  own  hands,  with  help  of  the  other  two 
1  gentlemen,  laid   him  in  his  coffin ;  after  which  he 


rj-^ 


CAPTAIN    PHILIP    LOCKHART. 


357 


was  shot,  and   the  other  two  performed    the  like     turesqueness   and   romance    to   any   in   Scotland. 


to  his  body  ;  then  they  were  shot,  and  laid  together, 
without  a  coffin,  in  a  pit  digged  for  the  purpose. 
Which  tragical  scene  being  thus  finished,  Mr. 
Nairne  and  Mr.  Lockhart  were  decently  buried." 
("  Letter  to  a  friend  in  the  king's  camp,"  Perth, 
I7I5-) 

Count    Lockhart    was    succeeded    by  his    son 


The  river  seems  all  the  way  to  be  merrily  frolicsome, 
and  rushing  along  a  shelving  gradient,  now  hiding 
itself  behind  rocks  and  weeping  wood,  and  mak- 
ing sudden,  but  always  mirthful,  transitions  in  its 
moods." 

A  few  ancient  and  many  modern  mansions  and 
villas  stud  the  banks  of  the  glen  above  the  ancient 


FOSLIN    CHAPEL  :— INTERIOR.      (A/tcr  a  Photograph  ly  G.    //'.   Wilson  <£'  Co.) 


Charles.  In  the  early  years  of  the  present  century, 
Dryden  was  the  property  of  George  Mercer,  a  son 
of  Mercer  of  Pittuchar,  in  Perthshire. 

In  this  quarter,  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Esk,  are 
the  church  and  village  of  Lasswade,  amid  scenery 
remarkable  for  its  varied  beauty.  The  bed  of  the 
Esk  lies  through  a  deep,  singularly  romantic,  long, 
and  bold  ravine,  always  steep,  sometimes  perpen- 
dicular and  overhanging,  and  everywhere  covered 
with  the  richest  copsewood.  "  Recesses,  contrac- 
tions, irregularities,  rapid  and  circling  sinuosities, 
combine  with  the  remarkably  varied  surface  of  its 
sides,  to  render  its  scenery  equal  in  mingled  pic- 


village  of  Lasswade,  whose  bridge  spans  the  river, 
and  the  name  of  which  Chalmers,  in  his  "  Caledo- 
nia," believes  to  be  derived  from  a  "  well-watered 
pasturage  of  common  use,  or  laeswe,  in  Saxon  a 
common,  and  weyde,  a  meadow."  In  an  old  Dutch 
map  it  is  spelt  Lesserwade,  supposed  to  mean  the 
opposite  of  Legerwood — the  smaller  wood  in  con- 
trast to  some  greater  one. 

The  parish  of  Melville  was  added  to  that  of 
Lasswade  in  1633. 

In  the  time  of  James  III.  the  ancient  Church  of 
Lasswade  was,  by  the  Pope's  authority,  detached 
from    St.    Salvador's   College   at   St.   Andrews,  to 


353 


OLD  AND    NEW   EDINBURGH. 


which  it  belonged,  and  annexed  to  Restalrig.  It 
stood  on  high  ground,  where  its  ancient  square 
belfry  tower,  four  storeys  in  height,  was  a  very 
conspicuous  object  among  a  group  of  old  trees, 
long  after  the  church  itself  had  passed  away,  till 
it  was  blown  down  by  a  storm  in  November,  1S66. 
The  effigy  of  a  knight,  with  hands  clasped,  in  a 
full  suit  of  armour,  lay  amid  the  foundations  of  the 
old  church  as  lately  as  1855. 

Tradition  avers  the  tower  had  been  occasionally 


Great  quantities  of  fruit,  vegetables,  and  daily 
produce  are  furnished  by  Lasswade  for  the  city 
markets.  Save  where  some  primitive  rocks  rise 
up  in  the  Pentland  quarter  of  the  parish,  the  whole 
of  its  area  lies  upon  the  various  secondary  forma- 
tions, including  sandstone,  clays  of  several  kinds, 
and  a  great  number  of  distinct  coal-seams,  with 
their  strata  of  limestone. 

On  the  western  side  of  the  Esk  the  metals  stand 
much    on    edge,    having  a   dip   of    650    in    some 


used  as  a  prison.  A  very  florid  cross  at  one  time 
surmounted  its  west  gable.  The  vault,  or  tomb, 
of  Graeme  Mercer  of  Mavisbank,  adjoins  a  frag- 
ment of  the  old  church.  The  new  one,  a  square 
and  very  unsightly  edifice,  was  built  in  1793,  and 
the  manse  previously  in  1789. 

In  the  burying-ground  are  interred  the  first  Lord 
Melville  and  his  successors. 

Lasswade  has  long  been  celebrated  for  the  ex- 
cellence of  its  oatmeal,  the  reputation  of  which, 
through  Lord  Melville,  reached  George  III.  and 
Queen  Charlotte,  whose  family  were  breakfasted 
upon  it  during  childhood,  the  meal  being  duly 
sent  to  'the  royal  household  by  a  miller  of  the 
village,  named  Mutter. 


quarters.  In  the  barony  of  Loanhead  the  work- 
able coal  seams  are  twenty-five  in  number,  and 
vary  from  two  to  ten  feet  in  thickness ;  and,  by  a 
cross  level  mine  from  the  river,  have  been  worked 
from  the  grass  downward  to  the  depth  of  two 
hundred  and  seventy  feet. 

On  the  eastern  side  of  the  Esk  the  metals  have 
a  dip  so  small — amounting  to  only  1  in  7  or  8 
— that  the  coal  seams,  in  contradistinction  to  the 
edge- coals,  as  they  are  called  on  the  west  side, 
have  obtained  the  name  of  "  flat  broad  coals." 
One  of  the  mines  on  the  boundary  of  Liberton 
was  ignited  by  accident  about  the  year  1770,  and 
for  upwards  of  twenty  years  resisted  fiercely  every 
effort  made  to  extinguish    its  fire.      Besides    fur- 


CLERK    OF    ELDIN. 


359 


nishing  supplies  for  local  consumption  and  to 
other  quarters,  Lasswade  sends  about  30,000  tons 
of  coal  to  Edinburgh  every  year. 

Auchindinny  is  a  small  village  situated  on  the 
right  bank  of  the  Esk  at  the  boundary  with  Peni- 
cuick,  and  is  about  five-and-a-half  miles  distant 
from  Lasswade.  It  is  inhabited  by  lace  and  paper 
makers. 

Scott,  in  his  ballad  "  The  Gray  Brother,"  groups 
all  the  localities  we  have  noted  with  wonderful 
effect : — 

"  Sweet  are  the  paths,  oh  passing  sweet  ! 
By  Esk's  fair  streams  that  run, 
O'er  airy  steep,  through  copsewood  deep, 
Impervious  to  the  sun. 

"  There  the  rapt  poet's  step  may  rove, 
And  yield  the  muse  the  day  ; 
There  Beauty,  led  by  timid  Love, 
May  shuu  the  tell-tale  ray. 

"  From  that  fair  dome,  where  suit  is  paid 
By  blast  of  bugle  free, 
To  Auchindinny's  hazel  shade, 
And  haunted  Woodhouselee. 

"  Who  knows  not  Melville's  beechy  grove, 
And  Roslin's  rocky  glen, 
Dalkeith,  which  all  the  virtues  love, 
And  classic  Hawthornden  ? 

"  Yet  never  path  from  day  to  day, 
The  pilgrim's  footsteps  range, 
Save  but  the  solitary  way, 

To  Burndale's  ruined  grange." 

South  of  Lasswade  Bridge,  on  the  road  to  Polton 
— an  estate  which,  in  the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth 
century,  gave  the  title  of  Lord  Polton  to  a  senator 
of  the  College  of  Justice,  Sir  William  Calderwood, 
called  to  the  bench  in  1 7 1 1  in  succession  to  Lord 
Anstruther — is  a  house  into  which  a  number  of 
antique  stones  were  built  some  years  ago.  One 
of  these,  a  lintel,  bears  the  following  date  and 
legend  : — 

1557.   A.    A.    NOSCE  TEIPSVM. 

Lasswade  has  always  been  a  favourite  summer 
resort  of  the  citizens  of  Edinburgh.  Sir  Walter 
Scott  spent  some  of  the  happiest  summers  of  his 
life  here,  and  amid  the  woodland  scenery  is  sup- 
posed to  have  found  materials  for  his  descrip- 
tion of  Gandercleugh,  in  the  "  Tales  of  my  Land- 
lord." 

His  house  was  a  delightful  retreat,  embowered 
among  wood,  and  close  to  the  Esk.  There  he 
continued  all  his  favourite  studies,  and  commenced 
that  work  which  first  established  his  name  zj  litera- 
ture, "The  Minstrelsy  of  the  Scottish  Border," 
which  he  published  at    Edinburgh  in   1802,    and 


dedicated  to  his  friend  and  chief,  Henry  Duke  of 
Buccleuch. 

In  prosecuting  the  collection  of  this  work,  Sir 
Walter  made  various  excursions — "  raids  "  he  used 
to  call  them — from  Lasswade  into  the  most  remote 
recesses  of  the  Border  glens,  assisted  by  one  or 
two  other  enthusiasts  in  ballad  lore,  pre-eminent 
among  whom  was  the  friend,  whose  untimely  fate 
he  lamented  so  long,  and  whose  memory  he  em- 
balmed in  verse — Dr.  John  Leyden. 

De  Quincey,  the  "  English  opium-eater,"  spent 
the  last  seventeen  years  of  his  life  in  a  humble 
cottage  near  Midfield  House,  on  the  road  from 
Lasswade  to  Hawthornden,  and  there  he  prepared 
the  collected  edition  of  his  works.  He  died  in 
Edinburgh  on  the  8th  December,  1859. 

On  high  ground  above  the  village  stands  Eldin 
House  (overlooking  Eldindean),  the  residence  of 
John  Clerk,  inventor  of  what  was  termed  in  its  day, 
before  the  introduction  of  ironclads  and  steam  rams, 
the  modern  British  system  of  naval  tactics.  He 
was  the  sixth  son  of  Sir  George  Clerk  of  Penicuick, 
one  of  the  Barons  of  Exchequer  in  Scotland,  and 
inherited  the  estate  of  Eldin  in  early  life  from  his 
father.  Although  the  longest  sail  he  ever  enjoyed 
was  no  farther  than  to  the  Isle  of  Arran,  in  the  Firth 
of  Clyde,  he  had  from  his  boyhood  a  passion  for 
nautical  affairs,  and  devoted  much  of  his  time  to 
the  theory  and  practice  ot  naval  tactics. 

After- communicating  to  some  of  his  friends  the 
new  suggested  system  of  breaking  an  enemy's  line 
of  battle,  he  visited  London  in  1780,  and  conferred 
with  several  eminent  men  connected  with  the  navy, 
among  others,  Mr.  Richard  Atkinson,  the  friend  of 
the  future  Lord  Rodney,  and  Sir  Charles  Douglas, 
Rodney's  "  Captain  of  the  Fleet "  in  the  memor- 
able action  of  1 2th  April,  1782,  when  the  latter 
was  victorious  over  the  Comte  de  Grasse  between 
Dominica  and  Les  Saintes,  in  the  West  Indies. 

Since  that  time  his  principle  was  said  to  have 
been  adopted  by  all  our  admirals  ;  and  Howe,  St. 
Vincent,  Duncan,  and  even  Nelson,  owe  to  the 
Laird  of  Eldin's  manoeuvre  their  most  signal 
victories. 

In  1782  he  had  fifty  copies  of  his  "  Essay  on 
Naval  Tactics  "  printed,  for  distribution  among  his 
private  friends.  It  was  reprinted  in  1790,  and 
second,  third,  and  fourth  parts  were  added  in  the 
seven  subsequent  years,  and  eventually,  in  1804, 
the  whole  work  was  re-published  anew,  with  a 
preface  explaining  the  origin  of  his  discoveries. 

"  Although  Lord  Rodney,  as  appears  by  a  frag- 
mentary life  of  Clerk  written  by  Professor  Playfair, 
in  the  '  Transactions  of  the  Royal  Society  of  Edin- 
burgh,' never  concealed  in  conversation  his  obliga- 


360 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


tions  to  Mr.  Clerk  as  the  author  of  the  system,  yet 
the  family  of  that  distinguished  admiral,  in  his 
'  Memoirs,'  maintain  that  no  communication  of  Mr. 
Clerk's  plan  was  ever  made  to  their  relative.  Sir 
Howard  Douglas,  too,  has  come  forward  in  various 
publications  to  claim  the  merit  of  the  manoeuvre 
for  his  father,  the  late  Admiral  Sir  Charles  Douglas. 


In  1763  there  were  only  three  paper-mills  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Edinburgh,  and  the  quantity  of 
paper  made  amounted  to  only  6,400  reams.  There 
are  now  more  than  twenty  mills  in  the  county  of 
Edinburgh,  nine  of  which  are  on  the  North  Esk, 
and  nine  on  the  Water  of  Leith.  The  first  paper- 
mill  was  built  at  Lasswade  about  1750;  and  by 


HAWTHORNDEN,    1773.       {After  an  Etching  by  Jo. 


The  origin  of  the  suggestion,  however,  appears  to 
rest  indisputably  with  Mr.  Clerk,  who  died  May  10, 
181 2,  at  an  advanced  age." 

He  was  the  father  of  John   Clerk,  Lord  Eldin, 
already  referred  to  in  earlier  portions  of  this  work. 

Paper  has  long   been   extensively  manufactured 
at  Lasswade. 

Springfield,  a  mile  and  a  half  north  of  the  Esk, 
is  a  hamlet,  with  a  population  of  some  hundreds, 
who  are  almost  entirely  paper-makers.    It  is  situated  j 
in  a  sylvan  dell  remarkable  for  its  picturesque  beauty. 


1794  the  labourers  at  it  received  and  circulated  in 
the  village  .£3,000  per  annum.  "  Mr.  Simpson, 
the  proprietor  of  two  mills  in  this  parish,"  says  the 
"  Statistical  Account  "  for  the  latter  year,  "  has  the 
merit  of  being  the  first  manufacturer  in  this  country 
who  has  applied  the  liquor  recommended  by  Ber- 
thollet  in  his  new  method  of  bleaching  for  the 
purpose  of  whitening  rags."  He  erected  an  appa- 
ratus for  the  preparation  of  it,  and  thus  added 
greatly  to  the  beauty  and  quality  of  the  paper  he 
produced. 


THE    MELVILLES., 


LASSWADE   CHURCH,  1773.      (After  an  Etching  by  John  Clerk  of  Eidin.) 


CHAPTER    XLIII. 
THE    ENVIRONS    OF    EDINBURGH— (concluded). 


Melville   Castle  and   the    Melvilles— The  Vi 


'  The  Wicked   Colonel  Charteri- 


Melville  Castle  stands  on  the  left  bank  of  the 
North  Esk,  about  five  furlongs  eastward  of  Lass- 
wade,  and  was  built  by  the  first  Viscount  Melville, 
replacing  a  fortress  of  almost  unknown  antiquity, 
about  the  end  of  the  last  century.  It  is  a  splendid 
mansion,  with  circular  towers,  exhibiting  much 
architectural  elegance,  and  surrounded  by  a  finely- 
wooded  park,  which  excited  the  admiration  of 
George  IV. 

Unauthenticated  tradition  states  that  the  ancient 
castle  of  Melville  was  a  residence  of  David  Rizzio, 
and  as  such,  was,  of  course,  visited  occasionally  by 
Queen  Mary;  but  it  had  an  antiquity  much  more 
remote. 

It  is  alleged  that  the  first  Melville  ever  known 
in  Scotland  was  a  Hungarian  of  that  name,  who 
accompanied  Queen  Margaret  to  Scotland,  where 
he  obtained  from  Malcolm  III.  a  grant  of  land 
in  Midlothian,  and  where  he  settled,  gave  his  sur- 
name to  his  castle,  and  became  progenitor  of  all 
the  Melvilles  in  Scotland.  Such  is  the  story  told 
by  Sir  Robert  Douglas,  on  the  authority  of  Leslie, 
142 


Mackenzie,  Martin,  and  Fordun  ;  but  it  is  much 
more  probable  that  the  family  is  of  French  origin. 

Be  all  that  as  it  may,  the  family  began  to  be 
prominent  in  Scotland  soon  after  the  reign  of 
Malcolm    III. 

Galfrid  de  Melville  of  Melville  Castle,  in 
Lothian,  witnessed  many  charters  of  Malcolm  IV., 
bestowing  pious  donations  on  the  abbeys  of  Holy- 
rood,  Newbattle,  and  Dunfermline,  before  1165,  in 
which  year  that  monarch  died. 

He  also  appears  (1153-1165)  as  Vicecomes  de 
Castello  Puellarum,  in  the  register  of  St.  Marie 
of  Newbattle.  He  witnessed  two  charters  of 
William  the  Lion  to  the  abbey  of  Cambusken- 
neth,  and  made  a  gift  of  the  parish  church  of 
Melville  (which,  probably,  he  built)  to  the  monas- 
tery of  Dunfermline,  in  presence  of  Hugh,  Bishop 
of  St.  Andrews,  previously  chaplain  to  King 
William,  and  who  died  in  1187. 

Galfrid  of  Melville  left  four  sons — Sir  Gregory, 
his  successor,  Philip,  Walter,  and  Waren.  Of  the 
last  nothing  is  known,  but  the  other  three  founded 


362 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


families  of  note.  Philip  became  sheriff  of  the 
Mearns,  and  ancestor  of  the  Melvilles  of  Glen- 
bervie  ;  Walter,  of  the  Melvilles  in  Fife  ;  but  Waren 
cannot  be  traced  beyond  1 178. 

By  the  chartulary  of  Aberdeen,  Sir  Gregory  of 
Melville,  in  Lothian,  would  seem  to  have  witnessed 
a  charter  of  Alexander  II.,  confirming  a  gift  of 
Duncan,  eighth  Earl  of  Mar,  to  the  church  of 
Aberdeen,  together  with  Ranulph  de  Lambley, 
bishop  of  that  see,  who  died  in   1247. 

His  son  William  was  succeeded  in  turn  by  his 
son,  Sir  John  Melville,  lord  of  the  barony  of 
Melville,  between  the  years  1329  and  1344. 

In  the  reign  of  King  Robert  II.,  the  Melvilles 
of  Melville  ended  in  Agnes  (grandchild  and  sole 
heiress  of  Sir  John  of  that  ilk),  who  married  Sir 
John  Ross  of  Halkhead,  to  whom  and  his  heirs 
the  estate  passed,  and  continued  to  be  the  pro- 
perty of  his  descendants,  the  Lords  Ross  of  Halk- 
head, till  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century, 
when  that  old  Scottish  title  became  extinct,  and 
Melville  passed  into  the  possession  of  a  family 
named  Rennie. 

The  present  castle,  we  have  said,  was  built  by 
the  first  Viscount  Melville,  who  married,  first,  Eliza- 
beth, daughter  of  David  Rennie  of  Melville,  and 
was  raised  to  the  peerage  in  1802.  As  Henry 
Dundas—  descended  from  the  old  and  honourable 
house  of  Arniston,  well  known  in  Scottish  legal 
history — he  had  risen  to  eminence  as  Lord  Advo- 
cate of  Scotland  in  1775,  and  subsequently  filled 
some  high  official  situations  in  England.  He 
married,  secondly,  Jane,  daughter  of  John,  second 
Earl  of  Hopetoun,  by  whom  he  had  no  family. 

In  1805  he  had  the  misfortune  to  be  impeached 
by  the  House  of  Commons  for  alleged  malversation 
in  his  office  as  Treasurer  of  the  Navy,  and  after  a 
full  trial  by  his  peers  in  Westminster  Hall,  was 
judged  not  guilty.  On  this  event  the  following 
remarks  occur  in  Lockhart's  "  Life  of  Scott "  : — 

"  The  impeachment  of  Lord  Melville  was  among 
the  first  measures  of  the  new  (Whig)  Government ; 
and  personal  affection  and  gratitude,  graced  as  well 
as  heightened  the  zeal  with  which  Scott  watched 
the  issue  of  this — in  his  eyes — vindictive  proceed- 
ing ;  but  though  the  ex-minister's  ultimate  acquittal 
was,  as  to  all  the  charges  involving  his  personal 
honour,  complete,  it  must  be  allowed  that  the  in- 
vestigation brought  out  many  circumstances  by  no 
means  creditable  to  his  discretion — and  the  re- 
joicings ought  not,  therefore,  to  have  been  scornfully 
jubilant.  Such  they  were,  however — at  least,  in 
Edinburgh ;  and  Scott  took  his  full  share  in  them 
by  inditing  a  song,  which  was  sung  by  James 
Ballantyne  at  a  public  dinner  given  in  honour  of 


the  event,  27th  June,  1806."  Of  this  song  one 
verse  will  suffice  as  a  specimen  of  the  eight  of 
which  it  consists  : — 

"  Since  here  we  are  set  in  array  round  the  table, 
Five  hundred  good  fellows  well  met  in  a  hall, 
Come  listen,  brave  boys,  and  I'll  sing  as  I'm  able, 
How  innocence  triumphed  and  pride  got  a  fall. 
Push  round  the  claret — 
Come,  stewards,  don't  spare  it — 
With  rapture  you'll  drink  to  the  toast  that  I  give  : 
Here,  boys, 
Off  with  it  merrily — 
Melville  for  ever,  and  long  may  he  live  !  " 

It  was  published  on  a  broadside,  to  be  sold 
and  sung  in  the  streets. 

Kay  has  a  portrait  of  the  first  Lord  Melville  in 
the  uniform  of  the  Edinburgh  Volunteers,  of  which 
he  became  a  member  in  July,  1795,  but  declined 
the  commission  of  captain-lieutenant. 

Kay's  editor  gives  us  the  following  anecdote  : — 

During  the  Coalition  Administration,  the  Hon. 
Henry  Erskine  held  the  office  of  Lord  Advocate 
of  Scotland.  He  succeeded  Dundas  (the  future 
Viscount  Melville),  and  on  the  morning  of  his 
appointment  he  met  the  latter  in  the  outer  house, 
when,  observing  that  Dundas  had  already  resumed 
the  ordinary  stuff  gown  which  advocates  generally 
wear,  he  said,  gaily,  "  I  must  leave  off  talking,  and 
go  and  order  my  silk  gown,"  the  official  costume 
of  the  Lord  Advocate  and  Solicitor-General.  "It. 
is  hardly  worth  while,"  said  Mr.  Dundas,  drily, 
"for  all  the  time  you  will  want  it  :  you  had  better 
borrow  mine." 

Erskine's  retort  was  very  smart. 

"  From  the  readiness  with  which  you  make  me 
the  offer,  Dundas,  I  have  no  doubt  the  gown  is 
made  to  fit  any  party;  but  it  shall  never  be  said 
of  Harry  Erskine  that  he  put  on  the  abandoned 
habits  of  his  predecessor." 

The  prediction  of  Dundas  proved  true,  however, 
for  Erskine  held  office  only  for  a  very  short  period, 
in  consequence  of  a  sudden  change  of  ministry. 

Lord  Melville  died  on  the  29th  May,  181 1,  in 
the  same  week  that  saw  the  death  of  his  dearest 
friend  and  neighbour,  whose  funeral  he  had  come  to 
attend,  the  Lord  President  Blair  of  Avontoun  ;  and 
the  fact  of  "  their  houses  being  next  to  one  another 
with  only  a  single  wall  between  the  bed-rooms,  where 
the  dead  bodies  of  each  were  lying  at  the  same 
time,  made  a  deep  impression  on  their  friends." 

He  was  succeeded  by  his  eldest  son,  Robert 
Saunders-Dundas,  as  second  Viscount  Melville  in 
Lothian,  and  Baron  Dunira  in  Perthshire.  He 
was  born  in  i77r,  and  married  Anne,  daughter 
and  co-heiress  of  Richard  Huck  Saunders,  M.D., 
upon   which  he  assumed  the  additional  name  of 


HENRY    VISCOUNT    MELVILLE. 


363 


Saunders.  He  was  Lord  Privy  Seal,  a  Governor  of 
the  Bank  of  England,  and  Chancellor  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  St.  Andrews. 

In  1822  he  was  visited  by  George  IV.  at 
Melville  Castle,  on  which  occasion  the  Midlothian 
Regiment  of  Yeomanry  Cavalry  was  drawn  up  on 
the  lawn.  In  his  old  age  he  was  also  visited  at 
Melville  Castle  by  Queen  Victoria,  in  1842. 

Dying  in  1851,  he  was  succeeded  by  his  son, 
Henry  Dundas,  as  third  Viscount  Melville,  K.C.B. 


Viscount  Melville,  by  his  brother,  Robert  Dundas, 
who  was  born  in  1803. 

Melville  Paper  Mill,  in  this  district,  was  one  of 
the  oldest  in  Scotland,  and  was  long  superintended 
by  Mr.  Walter  Ruddiman,  who  was  born  in  1687, 
and  died  there,  in  his  eighty-third  year,  in  1770. 
He  was  then  the  oldest  master-printer  in  Scotland. 
He  was  the  son  of  Thomas  Ruddiman,  a  farmer  of 
Boyndie,  in  Banffshire,  and  younger  brother  and 
partner   of  the  eminent  grammarian  and  scholar, 


1776.    C4 


in  1849,  and  G.C.B.  in  1865,  in  1854-60,  General 
Commanding  the  Forces  in  Scotland.  He  com- 
manded the  83rd  Foot  during  the  suppression  of 
the  insurrection  in  Lower  Canada  in  1837,  and  also 
in  repelling  the  attacks  of  the  American  brigands 
who  landed  near  Prescott,  in  Upper  Canada,  in 
1838.  He  was  at  the  head  of  the  60th  Rifles 
as  Colonel-Commandant  in  1863,  after  having  led 
the  Bombay  column  of  the  Indian  Army  through- 
out the  Punjaub  campaign  in  1848-9,  including 
the  siege  and  storm  of  the  town  and  capture  of 
the  citadel  of  Mooltan,  the  battle  of  Gujerat,  and 
many  subsequent  operations  of  considerable  im- 
portance. 

He  died  in  1876,  and  was  succeeded,  as  fourth 


Thomas  Ruddiman,  the  assistant-keeper  of  the 
Advocates'  Library,  who  was  born  in  1674,  and 
who  is  so  well  known  in  Scottish  literature. 

A  mile  eastward  of  Melville  Castle  is  the  place 
called  Sheriffhall,  where  there  are  some  green 
mounds  that  mark  the  site  of  an  ancient  camp, 
and  where  long  stood  an  old  house,  in  which  tradi- 
tionally George  Buchanan  is  said  to  have  written 
his  "  History  of  Scotland." 

Half  a  mile  distant  from  thence  stands  Newton 
Church,  of  old  called  Neaton,  according  to  Chal- 
mers's "  Caledonia,"  thereby  showing  that  "  there 
was  in  the  neighbourhood  some  old  town."  The 
more  ancient  edifice  here  was  granted  to  the 
Abbey  of  Dunfermline   in  the   twelfth  century — a 


364 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


gift  ratified  by  Bishop  Richard  and  Pope  Gregory,  populous  villages,  consisting  of  long  rows  of  red-tiled 

There  are  many  places  in  Scotland  of  the  name  cottages  that  border  the  wayside,  which  are  chiefly 
of  Newton.                                                                      !  inhabited  by  colliers,  and  are  known  by  the  classical 

In  1612  a  Sir  William  Oliphant  of  Newton  (but  names  of  Red  Raw,  Adam's  Raw,  Cauld  Cots,  and 

which  is  not  very  apparent)  was  appointed  King's  Cuckold's  Raw. 

Advocate,  and  held  the  office  till  1626.     "  He  con-         The  present   parish    comprehends    the    ancient 

quered  the  lands  of  Newton,  the  barony  of  Strabroke,  parishes  of  Newton,  on  the  south-east,  and  Wymet 

and  the  Murrows,  near  Edinburgh,"  says  Scott  of  — now  corrupted,  as  we  have  said,  into  Woolmet — 

Scotstarvit ;  "  but  was  unfortunate  in  his  children  which  also  belonged  to  the  abbey  of  Dunfermline, 

as  any  of  the  rest.     For  his  eldest  son,  Sir  James,  and    were    incorporated    with    the    lordship    and 


after  he  was  honoured  to  be  a  Lord  of  Session, 
was  expelled  therefrom  for  having  shot  his  own 
gardener  dead  with  a  hackbut.  His  eldest  son — 
namely,  Sir  James,  by  Inchbraikie's  daughter — in  his 
drunken  humours  stabbed  his  mother  with  a  sword 
in  her  own  house,  and  for  that  fled  to  Ireland.  He 
disposed  and  sold  the  whole  lands,  and  died  in 
great  penury.  The  second  brother,  Mr.  William, 
lay  many  years  in  prison,  and  disposed  that  barony 
of  Strabroke  and  Kirkhill  to  Sir  Lewis  Stewart, 
who  at  this  day  (about  1650)  enjoys  the  same." 

Newton  parish  is  finely  cultivated,  and  forms 
part  of  the  beautiful  and  fertile  district  between 
Edinburgh  and  the  town  of  Dalkeith. 

It  abounds  with  coal,  and  there  are  numerous 


regality  of  Musselburgh,  and  after  the  Reformation 
with  James  the  Sixth's  princely  grant  to  Lord 
Thirlstane. 

Three-quarters  of  a  mile  north  of  Newton  Church 
is  Monkton  House,  belonging  to  the  Hopes  of 
Pinkie,  a  modern  edifice  near  the  Esk,  but  having 
attached  to  it  as  farm  offices  an  ancient  structure, 
stated  to  have  been  the  erection  and  the  favourite 
residence  of  General  Monk.  Here  is  a  spring 
I  known  as  the  Routing  Well,  which  is  said,  by  the 
peculiar  sound  it  makes  at  times,  to  predict  a 
coming  storm. 

"The  case  is,"  according  to  the  "Old  Statistical 
Account"  (Vol.  XVI.),  "  that  this  well  being  dug 
many  fathoms  deep  through  a  rock  in  order  to  get 


COLOxNTEL    CHARTERIS. 


365 


below  the  strata  of  coal  that  abound  in  the  fields,  it 
communicates    through    the    coal-rooms   that   are 
wrought  with  other  shafts,  which  occasions  a  rum-  , 
bling  noise,  that  does   not    precede,  but  accom- 
panies, a  high  wind." 

According  to  the  old  Valuation  Roll,  Monkton 
was  the  property  of  Patrick  Falconer  between  1726 
and  1738. 

Stonyhill  and  Monkton,  according  to  Inquisitiones 
Speciales,  both  belonged  to  John,  Earl  of  Lauder- 


of  fit   accompaniments    of    a   very    ancient   and 
stately  house. 

Colonel  Francis  Charteris  was  a  cadet  of  an 
ancient  and  honourable  Dumfries-shire  family,  the 
Charteris  of  Amisfield,  whose  tall,  old,  stubborn-look- 
ing fortalice  stands  between  the  two  head  streams 
of  the  Lochar.  After  serving  in  the  wars  of  Marl- 
borough, the  year  1 704  saw  him  figuring  in  Edin- 
burgh as  a  member  of  the  beau  monde,  with  rather 
an  awkward  reputation  of  being  a  highly  successful 


dale,  at  one  time.  The  gardens  of  both  appear  to 
have  been  among  the  earliest  in  Britain;  and  entries 
in  the  household  books  of  Dalkeith  Palace  show 
that  fruit  and  vegetables  (which,  however,  could 
scarcely  have  been  so  excellent  then  as  now), 
came  therefrom  two  centuries  ago. 

Stonyhill  House,  near  New  Hailes,  the  property 
of  the  Earl  of  Wemyss,  seeming,  in  its  present  form, 
to  be  only  the  offices  of  an  ancient  mansion,  was 
the  residence,  firstly,  of  Sir  William  Sharp,  son  of 
the  ill-fated  Archbishop  Sharp,  and  his  wife,  Helen 
Moncrieff,  daughter  of  the  Laird  of  Randerston  ; 
and  secondly,  of  the  inglorious,  or  "  wicked 
Colonel  Charteris  " ;  and  it  has  remnants  in  its 
vicinity,  especially  a  huge  buttressed  garden  wall, 


gambler.  There  is  a  story  told  of  him  that,  being 
at  the  Duke  of  Queensberry's  house  in  the  Canon- 
gate  one  evening,  and  playing  with  the  duchess,  he 
was  enabled,  by  means  of  a  mirror,  or,  more  pro- 
bably, a  couple  of  mirrors  that  chanced  to  be 
placed  opposite  each  other,  to  see  what  cards  were 
in  the  hands  of  Her  Grace — Mary  Boyle,  daughter 
of  Lord  Clifford — through  which  means  he  won 
from  her  no  less  a  sum  than  three  thousand  pounds 
sterling — a  very  great  one  at  that  time.  ("Domes- 
tic Annals  of  Scotland.") 

It  is  added  that  the  duke  was  so  provoked  by 
this  incident,  that  he  got  a  Bill  passed  by  the 
Parliament  over  which  he  presided  as  Lord  High 
Commissioner,  to  prohibit  all  gambling  beyond  a 


366 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


certain  moderate  sum  ;  but  this  part  of  the  tale  is 
a  mistake,  as  no  such  statute  was  ever  enacted  by 
the  Scottish  Estates. 

But  as  the  Town  Council  at  this  date  fulminated 
an  Act  of  theirs,  threatening  vigorous  action  under 
an  edict  of  162 1,  concerning  playing  with  cards 
or  dice  in  public-houses,  as  "  the  occasion  of  horrid 
cursing,  quarrelling,  tippling,  loss  of  time,  and 
neglect  of  ordinary  business,"  and  directing  the 
constables  to  be  diligent  in  seeking  out  all  offenders, 
Robert  Chambers  is  led  to  think  that  it  was  at 
the  duke's  instigation,  while  smarting  under  the 
colonel's  successful  play,  this  step  was  taken. 

Though  a  man  of  perilous  and  reckless  reputa- 
tion, among  the  subscriptions  for  the  relief  of  the 
sufferers  by  a  fire  in  the  Lawnmarket  in  1725,  one 
of  four  guineas  from  Colonel  Francis  Charteris  is 
the  only  contribution  from  a  private  individual. 
"Uncharitable  onlookers,"  says  Chambers,  "would 
probably  consider  this  as  intended  for  an  insurance 
against  another  fire  on  the  part  of  the  subscriber." 

On  a  night  in  the  month  of  February,  1732— a 
stormy  night  of  wind  and  rain,  as  it  was  duly 
remarked  to  be — Colonel  Francis  Charteris  died, 
at  his  old  seat  of  Stonyhill.  The  pencil  of 
Hogarth,  which  represents  him  as  the  profligate  old 
gentleman  in  the  "  Harlot's  Progress,"  has  given 
artistic  and  historical  importance  to  this  remarkable 
man.  Though  his  family  in  Dumfries-shire  possessed 
but  a  very  moderate  income,  he,  by  gambling  and 
usury,  amassed  an  enormous  fortune,  by  which  he 
was  enabled  to  indulge  in  all  his  favourite  vices  on 
a  scale  that  might  be  called  royal  and  magnificent. 

It  has  been  said  that  "a  single  worthy  trait  has 
never  yet  been  adduced  to  redeem  the  character 
of  Charteris,  though  it  is  highly  probable  that  in 
some  particulars  that  character  has  been  exagger- 
ated by  popular  rumour." 

His  fortune  amounted  to  what  was  then  deemed 
the  great  sum  of  fourteen  thousand  pounds  a  year, 
of  which  ten  thousand  were  left  to  his  grandson, 
Francis  Charteris  Wemyss,  second  son  of  James, 
fourth  Earl  of  Wemyss,  who  married  Janet,  his 
only  daughter  and  sole  heiress. 

"  When  on  his  death-bed  at  Stonyhill,"  says  the 
author  of  a  work  entitled  "Private  Letters,"  "  he  was 
exceedingly  anxious  to  know  if  there  were  such  a 
thing  as  hell ;  and  said,  were  he  assured  there  was 
no  such  place  (being  easy  as  to  heaven),  he  would 
give  thirty  thousand.  .  .  .  Mr.  Cumming,  the 
minister,  attended  him  on  his  death-bed.  He 
asked  his  daughter,  who  is  exceedingly  narrow,  what 
he  should  give  him.  She  replied  that  it  was 
unusual  to  give  anything  on  such  occasions. 
'  Well,  then,'  says  Charteris,  '  let  us  have  another 


flourish  from  him  ! '  so  calling  his  prayers.  There 
happened  accidentally  the  night  he  died  a  pro- 
digious hurricane,  which  the  vulgar  ascribed  to  his 
death." 

His  daughter  was  the  mother  of  David,  Lord 
Elcho,  who  commanded  Prince  Charles  Edward's 
Life  Guards,  and,  on  being  attainted,  fled  to  France 
after  Culloden.  After  this,  Earl  James — passing 
over  his  second  son,  Francis  Charteris  Wemyss, 
who  married  a  daughter  of  Alexander,  Duke  of 
Gordon — made  a  conveyance  of  his  estate  in 
favour  of  his  third  son,  James,  who  succeeded 
thereto  on  the  death  of  the  earl,  in  1756  ;  but  the 
title  was  inherited  by  Francis  in  1787,  on  the 
death  of  the  exiled  cavalier. 

Midway  between  Stonyhill  and  Brunstane  House 
stands  the  mansion  of  New  Hailes,  formerly  the 
seat  of  the  eminent  Scottish  historian,  antiquary, 
and  lawyer,  Sir  David  Dalrymple,  Lord  Hailes.  It 
is  situated  about  half  a  mile  from  the  Firth  of 
Forth,  and  is  chiefly  attractive  on  account  of  its 
containing  his  lordship's  very  valuable  library,  and 
being  surrounded  by  a  beautifully-disposed  and  well- 
wooded  demesne. 

Within  the  grounds,  and  in  the  immediate  vici- 
nity of  the  mansion,  is  a  tall,  slender,  and  hand- 
some obelisk,  erected  by  Lord  Hailes  in  memory 
of  Field-Marshal  John,  Earl  of  Stair. 

In  the  grounds  there  may  also  be  seen  a  curious 
tea-house,  or  arbour,  in  a  Tuscan  style  of  archi- 
tecture, built  and  decorated  by  Frenchmen  who 
were  prisoners  of  war,  and  in  its  walls  is  a  slab 
bearing  a  somewhat  unintelligible  motto. 

The  ancient  chapel  of  St  Mary  Magdalene  stood 
within  the  property  of  New  Hailes,  but  according 
to  the  "New  Statistical  Account,"  in  1845  the  only 
relics  of  it  surviving  were  a  tombstone  and  some 
foundations  near  the  sea,  and  partly  covered 
by  it. 

We  have  already  referred  to  Lord  Hailes  in  our 
account  of  New  Street,  in  the  Canongate,  and  the 
curious  discovery  of  his  will  after  his  death — a  well- 
known  anecdote,  to  which,  however,  the  editor  of 
"  Kay's  Portraits  "  takes  an  exception. 

"  His  knowledge  of  the  laws  was  accurate  and 
profound,"  wrote  his  friend,  Dr.  Carlyle  of  Inver- 
esk,  after  his  death,  "and  he  applied  it  in  judg- 
ment with  the  most  scrupulous  integrity.  In  his 
proceedings  in  the  criminal  court,  the  satisfaction 
he  gave  the  public  could  not  be  surpassed.  His 
abhorrence  of  crimes,  his  tenderness  for  the  crimi- 
nals, his  respect  for  the  laws,  and  his  reverential 
awe  of  the  Omniscient  Judge,  inspired  him  on 
some  occasions  with  a  commanding  sublimity  of 
thought  and  a  feeling  solemnity  of  expression,  that 


New  Hailes.] 


LORD    HAILES. 


367 


made  condemnation  seem  just  as  the  doom  of 
Providence  to  the  criminals  themselves,  and  raised 
a  salutary  horror  of  crime  in  the  breasts  of  the 
audience.  Conscious  of  the  dignity  and  import- 
ance of  the  high  office  he  held,  he  never  departed 
from  the  decorum  that  becomes  that  reverend 
character,  which,  indeed,  it  cost  him  no  effort  to 
support,  because  he  acted  from  principle  and  sen- 
timent, both  public  and  private.  Affectionate  to 
his  family  and  relations,  simple  and  mild  in  his 
manners,  pure  and  conscientious  in  his  morals, 
enlightened  and  entertaining  in  his  conversation, 
he  left  society  only  to  regret  that,  devoted  as  he 
was  to  more  important  employments,  he  had  so 
little  time  to  spare  for  intercourse  with  them." 
("  Sermon  on  Lord  Hailes's  Death,"  by  Rev.  Dr. 
Carlyle.     Edin.  1792.) 

An  anecdote  of  him  when  at  the  bar  is  noted 
as  being  illustrative  of  his  goodness  of  heart. 
When  he  held  the  office  of  Advocate-Depute,  he 
had  gone  to  Stirling  in  his  official  capacity.  On 
the  first  day  of  the  court  he  seemed  in  no  haste 
to  urge  on  proceedings,  and  was  asked  by  a 
brother  advocate  why  there  was  no  trial  this  fore- 
noon ? 

"  There  are,"  said  he,  "  several  unhappy  crea- 
tures to  be  tried  for  their  lives,  and  therefore  it  is 
but  proper  and  just  that  they  should  have  a  little 
time  to  confer  with  their  men  of  law." 

"  That  is  of  very  little  consequence,"  said  the 
other.  "  Last  year,  when  I  was  here  on  the  circuit, 
Lord  Karnes  appointed  me  counsel  for  a  man 
accused  of  a  capital  offence,  and  though  I  had  very 
little  time  to  prepare,  I  made  a  very  fair  speech." 

"  And  was  your  client  acquitted  ?  " 

"  No  ;  he  was  most  unjustly  condemned." 

"That,  sir,"  said  the  advocate-depute,  "is 
certainly  no  good  argument  for  hurrying  on 
trials." 

When  Sibbald  started  the  Edinburgh  Magazine, 
in  1783,  Lord  Hailes  became  a  frequent  contri- 
butor to  its  pages. 

Lords  Hailes,  Eskgrove,  Stonefield,  and  Swinton, 
were  the  judges  of  justiciary  before  whom  Deacon 
Brodie  and  his  compatriot  were  tried,  and  by  whom 
they  were  sentenced  to  death  in  1788. 

He  died  in  the  house  of  New  Hailes,  in  his 
sixty-sixth  year,  on  the  29th  of  November,  1792, 
leaving  behind  him  a  high  reputation  in  literary  and 
legal  society.  He  had  been  appointed  a  judge,  in 
succession  to  Lord  Nisbet,  in  1766,  and  a  commis- 
sioner of  justiciary  in  1777,  in  place  of  Lord 
Coalston,  whose  daHghter,  Anne,  was  his  first 
wife.  His  grandfather  was  fifth  brother  of  the 
Earl  of  Stair,  and  was  Lord  Advocate  in  the  reign 


of  George  I.,  and  his  father  had  been  Auditor  of 
the  Exchequer  for  life. 

His  second  wife  was  Helen  Fergusson,  a  daughter 
of  Lord  Kilkerran,  who  survived  him  eighteen  years, 
and  died  in  the  house  of  New  Hailes  on  the 
10th  November,  1S10. 

It  was  long  the  residence  of  his  daughter,  and 
after  her  death  became  the  property  of  her  heir 
and  relative,  Sir  C.  Dalrymple  Fergusson,  Bart,  of 
Kilkerran.  Having  no  male  issue,  Lord  Hailes's 
baronetcy  (which  is  now  extinct)  descended  to  his 
nephew,  eldest  son  of  his  brother  John,  who  held 
the  office  of  Lord  Provost  of  Edinburgh  in  1770 
and   1 77 1. 

Our  task — to  us  a  labour  of  love — is  ended.  It 
has  been  our  earnest  effort  to  trace  out  and  faithfully 
describe  how  "  the  Queen  of  the  North,"  the  royal 
metropolis  of  Scotland,  from  the  Dunedin  or  rude 
hill-fort  of  the  Celts,  with  its  thatched  huts  amid 
the  lonely  forest  of  Drumsheugh,  has,  in  the 
progress  of  time,  expanded  into  the  vast  and 
magnificent  city  we  find  it  now,  with  its  schools  of 
learning,  its  academies  of  art,  its  noble  churches 
and  marts  of  industry,  and  its  many  glorious  in- 
stitutions of  charity  and  benevolence  ; — the  city 
that  Burns  hailed  in  song,  as  "  Edina,  Scotia's 
darling  seat,"  the  centre  of  memories  which  make 
it  dear  to  all  Scotsmen,  wherever  their  fate  or  their 
fortune  may  lead  them.  For  the  stately  and  beau- 
tiful Edinburgh,  which  now  spreads  nearly  from  the 
base  of  the  Braid  Hills  to  the  broad  estuary  of 
the  Forth,  is  unquestionably  the  daughter  of  the 
old  fortress  on  the  lofty  rock,  as  the  arms  in  her 
shield — the  triple  castle — serve  to  remind  us. 

We  have  attempted  to  depict  a  prehistoric 
Edinburgh,  before  coming  to  the  ten  centuries  of 
veritable  history,  when  a  Christian  church  rose  on 
the  ridge  or  Edin  of  the  Celts,  to  replace  the 
heathen  rites  that  were  celebrated  on  Arthur's  Seat 
and  other  hills  ;  and  no  royal  city  in  Europe  can 
boast  ten  centuries  of  such  stirring,  warlike,  and 
glorious  annals — in  which,  however,  the  sad  or  sor- 
rowful is  strangely  commingled — as  were  transacted 
in  the  living  drama  of  many  ages,  the  actors  in 
which  it  has  been  our  endeavour  to  portray.  We 
have  sought  to  recall  not  only  the  years  that  have 
passed  away,  but  also  the  successive  generations 
of  dwellers  in  the  old  walled  city  of  the  middle 
ages,  and  their  quaint  lives  and  habits,  with  the 
change  of  these  as  time  rolled  on. 

The  history  of  Edinburgh  is,  in  many  respects,  a 
history  of  Scotland  from  the  time  it  became  the 
residence  of  her  kings,  but  one  in  which  the 
peculiar  domestic   annals  of  the  people  are    ne- 


368 


OLD  AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


cessarily  woven  up  with  the  warlike,  even  from  the 
days  when  our  forefathers,  with  their  good  swords 
and  true  hearts,  were  enabled  to  defend  their  homes 
and  hills  against  all  the  might  of  England,  aided, 
as  albeit  the  latter  often  was,  by  Ireland,  Wales, 
and  all  the  chivalry  of  Normandy  and  Aquitaine  ; 
and  to  hand  down  to  future  times  the  untarnished 
crown  of  a  regal  race  as  an  emblem  of  what  Scot- 
land was,  ere  she  peacefully  quartered  her  royal  arms 
and  insignia  with  those  of  her  adversary,  with  whom 
she  shared  her  kings,  and  as  an  emblem  of  what 
she  is  still,  with  her  own  Church,  laws,  and  con- 
stitution, free  and  unfettered. 

The  Old  city — with  its  "stirring  memories  of 
a  thousand  years  " — has  records  which  are,  in  tenor, 
widely  apart  from  those  of  the  New;  yet,  in  the 
former,  we  may  still  see  the  massive,  picturesque, 
quaint  and  time-worn  abodes  of  those  who  bore  their 
part  in  the  startling  events  of  the  past — fierce  com- 
bats, numerous  raids,  cruelties  and  crimes  that 
tarnish  the  historic  page  ;  while  in  the  New  city, 
with  its  stately  streets,  its  squares  and  terraces, 
the  annals  are  all  recent,  and  refer  to  the  arts  of 
Peace  alone — to  a  literary  and  intellectual  supre- 
macy hitherto  unsurpassed. 


Yet,  amid  the  thousands  of  its  busy  population, 
life  is  leisurely  there ;  but,  as  has  been  well  said, 
"  it  is  not  the  leisure  of  a  village  arising  from  the 
deficiency  of  ideas  and  motives — it  is  the  leisure  of 
a  city  reposing  grandly  on  tradition  and  history, 
which  has  done  its  work,  and  does  not  require  to 
weave  its  own  clothing,  to  dig  its  own  coals,  or  smelt 
its  own  iron.  And  then  in  Edinburgh,  above  all 
British  cities,  you  are  released  from  the  vulgarising 
dominion  of  the  hour."  For,  as  has  been  abun- 
dantly shown  throughout  this  work,  there  every  step 
is  historical,  and  the  past  and  present  are  ever  face 
to  face. 

The  dark  shadow  cast  by  the  Union  has  long 
since  passed  away;  but  we  cannot  forget  that 
Edinburgh,  like  Scotland  generally,  was  for  genera- 
tions neglected  by  Government,  and  her  progress 
obstructed  by  lame  legislation  ;  that  it  is  no  longer 
the  chief  place  where  landholders  dwell,  or  the 
revenue  of  a  kingdom  is  disbursed ;  and  that  it  is 
owing  alone  to  the  indomitable  energy,  the  glorious 
spirit  of  self-reliance,  and  the  patriotism  of  her 
people,  that  we  find  the  Edinburgh  of  to-day  what 
she  is,  in  intellect  and  beauty,  second  to  no  city  in 
the  world. 


GENERAL     INDEX. 


-An  asterisk  prefixed 


Abbey   Church,  Holyrood,  II.  28. 

*45,  *48,  54,  58,   *69,  *73.  III. 

I  ;  west    front   of,    1 1.  *  53  ;  mas? 

celebrated    there.    II.    59  ;  ruin? 

of  the  Abbey  Church,  ib. 
Abbey  Close,  II.  27,  38 

Al.hev  Court-house.    I'lic.   II.    .1 
Abbey  Hill,  II.    ,0,  41,  509,  III.  90, 

127,  128,  16, 
Abbey  Port,  The,  II.  "64 
Abbey-strand,  The,  II.  2 
"Abbot,"  Scene  of  the,  II.  35 
Abbots  of  Cambuskenneth,  Town- 
house of  the,  I.  ir8,  119,  253 
Abbots  of  Holyrood,  II.  3,  46 — 49, 

Abbots  of  Melrose,  Town-house  of 


Abercorn  Street,  III.  147 

e,  Lord,  I.  i2i, 
Abercrombie,   Sir    Ralph, 
339,  III. .138 


Abercrombie 
Abercrombie^  D: 


III 


in.  physician, 
11.    1S7  ;   curious    story    of   his 
death,  ib. 
\bercrombie  Place,  II.  n8,  194 

y,  Sir  Robert,  III.  158 
Aberdeen,   Earl  of,  II.  157;  Coun- 
tess of,  II.  2i,  335 
Aberdour,  Lord,  III.  270 
Aberlady  Hay.   I.   .54,   III.  292 
Abcrnetny,   bishop,   III.  354,  355 
Abernethy  family,    The,  III.   ,s4 

"  ■    ,un,    Sir   Law- 
rence, III.  354 
Aberuchill,  Lord,  I.  116 
Aboyne,  Karl  of.  II.  .7,  i'.r,.  III.  1  57 
Academy,    The    Edinburgh,     III. 


Accident  at   Lord    Eldin's  : 
.87 

intant-Gener.d.   I  be, 


379,  II-  105,  I 
Adam.  W.lliam, 

II.  -,s. 
.dam,  Dr.  Alexander,  II.  16S, 

293,  294,  295,  -  297,  330,  346, 

135,  136  ;  his  frugal  fare,   1 1  I 
.dam,   Lord  Chief  Co 

I-  375 

.dam.  Right  Hon.  William 
.dam's    design     for    St.     I 

Church,     Charlotte    Squ 


Adelphi 


l'..f', 


Agucu'  L>f  Lochnaw,  Lady,  II.  346 
Agricultural  improvers,  II.  348 
Aikenlicud,  David.  Provost,  I.   198 
Aikmun,  the    painter,  II.  90;  view 


Ainslie,  the  ar.  bite.  1.  III.  158  ;  his 
plan  of  the  New  I,.wn,  II.  iS„; 
his  plan  of  Leith,  III.    "205 

206,  207,  III.  70 
Aird,  William,  minister  of  St.  Cuth- 

bert's  Cliurch,  II.   131,  132 
Airth,  Karl  of,  II.  41 
Airth,  Laird  of,  I.  194 


Alan  Na 


Albany,    Chapel    and    arum 'of  the 
Duke  of,  in  St.  Giles's  I.  athedral, 

Albany,  Darnley  Duke  of,  II.  68 
Albany,  Escape  from  prison   of  the 

Duke  of,  I.  33,  34,111.59 
Albany  Row,  II.  190 
Albany  Street,   II.    183,   184,    185, 

Albany  Street,   North    Leith,   III. 

235 
Albert  Do.  k,  Leith,  III.  24=;,      2S5, 

286,  287,  288 
Albert   Institute  of  the  Fine  Arts, 


Albert  Place,  1 
Albert  Street, 
Albyn  Club,  T 


175 


Albyr 

"  Alhyn's  Anthology,"  III.  127 

Alemore,  Lord,  III.  135 

Alesse,  Alexander,  II.  239 

Alexander,  Lord  of  the  Isles,  II.  54 

Alexander     II.,    I.     258,     II.     285, 

III.  58,  274,  343,  362 
Alexander    III.,    I.    23,    78,    II.    47, 

Grand,  III.  91 

,r   William,    Earl    of 


Alexander,    S 
Stirling,  II.  27 

Alexander,  William,  Lord   Provost, 

II.  281 

Alexander    Haves'     Close,     Leith, 

III.  230;  its   Hath   stove  for  me- 
dicinal purposes,  ib. 

Alison  family.  The.  II.  126,  194 
Alison,  Sir  Archibald.  II.  194,  195 
Alison,    Rev.    Archibald.    II.     140, 

156,  158,   188,  190,  194,  247 
Alison  S.piare,   II.  327,  332 

Allan,  s..  William,  I.   no,  II.  26. 
91,  92,  196,  III.  74,  79,  84 


107 


27°,  323,  348,  3°3.  HI-  91.  io3  II.30.III.68 

Ivocates"    Library,    1.    122,    123,  |   Allan,  Captain  Tl 

37r,  II.    249,   314,   382,   III.    131,  Allan    Ramsay,    I 

1S7,   216,  230,  297,  350;  its  lib-  181,  '208,  210, 


82,  83,  86,  154, 
233,  238,  378,  II- 
,      130.  M3»  354, 


;  Wodrow's  opini 
ry  productions,  I. 
.  legal  hindrances, ! 


thr  hot. mist. 


d,  I.  132,  237  ;  his  daugh- 
Lord   Lovat,  I.  237;   his 


Anatomy,  First  Professor  of, 
Anchor  Close,  I.  235,  282,  2; 
Anchorfield  Burn,  III.  306 


Ancrum,  Rattle  of  (see  Battles) 
Ancrum  family,  The,  I,  210,   II.  3c 
Ancrum,  Lord,  II.  120 
Anderson,      Andrew,     the      king'- 


. 


Aiidcrv/n,  W'm.,  the  author,  II.  1S3 
Anderson's  Leith  stage-coach,  III. 

152.  154 
Anderson's  Pills,  I.05 


liuii.;  in  tlie  1  nassmarket,  1  I.  2  -,\ 
Angelo    Tremamondo,  or    Angelo, 

Anglian  ,,,.,6. 
An^'Hileni'',  I  hie  d'.I.  262,  II.  76,  78 


r*,io,2s.i,  270,   ','-,  ;5".  HI.  ,-,  j 
Ankerville,  Lord,  II.  166 
Ann  Street,  I.  339 
Annabella     Drummond,    queen 


Robe 


-7. 


Annand,  Sir  David,   1.  24,  25,  297 

Annandale,  Earl  of,  I.  66 

Anne  of  Denmark,  I.  175,  193,  266, 
II.  222,  289,  364,  III.  180,  214,  219 

Anne,  Cjneen,  II.  352,  353  ;  pro- 
clamation of,  I.  203,  II.  281 

Anne   Street,    II.    92,  155,    156,  iqq, 

in.  7..  7V3, 74 

A.islrnth,  r,   1  ,hn.  advocate,  I  I.   170 
A  11st  rut  her,  Lady  Betty,  II.  18 
Anstruther  of  AnstrutiierheM.    Sir 

Philip,  II.  .7. 
Antemanum  Club,  The,  III.  125 
An ti-burg her  meeting-house,  1 1. 338 
Ami. in. in. in    Museum,    I.   229,  230, 

'•  83,182,218,241,282,347, 


382,  II.  i 

III.,,; 


=58 


n,  Register  House, 


86,    103,    154,   160, 


Arbulhn.it,  Sir  William,  Lord   Pro. 

vost,  I.  380,  II.  126,  283 
Arhuthnoi,  John  Viscount,  II.  166 

Arbuthnot'of  Haddo',  II.  284 
Arbuthnot,  Robert   Viscount,    III. 
90;  his  foster-brother,  ib. 

\'  III.'    first,    in    Edinburgh, 

Ar,  hbish.i].  of  St.  Andrews,   I.  2S3, 

II.  264 

Archbishop's  Palace,  The,   I.  262, 

the!  II.4246?n25,eIU 
Archers'   Hall,    1 1.   212.    140,  *  152, 

354  ;  dining-hall  of  the,  II.  *  353 
Archers,  Royal  Companyof,  II.  34S, 

353.  354,  III.  208,  209 
1 ,  .  1 1  : ,  1 1 1 

Archibald   llelbthe-C.-it,  II.  279 
Ar.  bibal.l,  Duke  of  Argyle,  II.  34, 

III.  150 

Archibald.  Duke  of  Douglas,  I.  lor 
Archibald,    Earl  of  Angus,    I.  "37, 

126,  II.  8,  251,  279 
Archibald  Place,  II.  363 
Ar.lmillan,  Lord,  II.  174.  III.  307 
Ardmillan  Terrace,  II.  219 
Ardshiel,   the  chieftain,  I.  325 


Argyl'e,  Earl  of,  I.  50,  54,  58, 
126,  168,    170,  256,   300,  II 


of,  1     „. 
Argvle  and  Grcenwi.li.  [obn  Duke 

of,  I.  270,  II.  271,  III.  311 
Argvle,   Marquis  of,   I.  56,91,227, 

II.  ti,  278,  III.  62 
Argyle  House,  Queen  Street,  II.  31S 
Argyle  Square,  11.  27 r,  272,274,  362 
Aristocracy,  Manners  and  customs 


Armadale,  I.ord, 


\rnis.,l  ib.-l  ill  -I  Edinburgh,!   '  16 

Arnauld   Lammius,  Seal  of,  I.     182 

Arniston,  L.rd  (sec  I  'Hildas,  Robei  1 1 

Arnot,   Hugo,  the  historian,   I.  12, 

■22.  135.  148,  149.  I02.  l83>   l84. 

192,  236,  238   247,  251,  256,  262, 

302,  307,  315,  318,  338,  342    359, 

360,  363,  366,  371,  376,  382,  II.  17, 

29,  38,  39.  5°,  59,83,  94,  119,  r59, 

160,  166,  233,   247,  252,  288,  298, 


mi  ;  views   from    his   "  History 
of  Edinburgh,"  I.  85,  161,  193,  II. 
'    III.  48 


Arson,  Severe  punishment  or,  I. 


37° 


OLD   AND    NEW   EDINBURGH. 


pilgrimage  to  on  May  Day,  I.  379; 

geology  of  the  hill,  II.  303,  304; 

origin  of  the  name,   II.  304,  303; 

pl.t, 1  of,  II.  -  304 
Art,,!.,  of  Union.    Ihe,  I.  163 
Artillery  Park,  The,  II.  41 
Artois,  Count  d',  I.  102,  1 1.  76,  78,  79 
Ashbrook  House,  III.  307 
.■Way  I  >f!„.e  and  1  .oldsnnth.s'  II. ,11, 


Cathe 


As. en, uly  aisle,   St.  Gil, 

Assembly  Close,  The  old,   I.   189, 

=4=,  II-  =54 
Assembly  Hall,  1.90,-96,337,  II. 

95,  199,  HI-  I23 
Usembfy  House,    Ihe,  I.  243 
Assembly  of  Birds  Club,  III.  123 
Assembly  of  the  FreeChuich,  First 

meeting  of  the,  III.  87 
Assembly  of  the  Kirk  of  Scotland, 

Plate  13 
Assembly  Rooms,  The,  II.  148,  150, 
'  ,  =83         ' 

k  ,0: 
n   of 
the,  Tolbooth  Wynd,  Leith,  III. 


Athol,  Larls  of,  I.  29,  34,  50,  143, 
111.  180,  323  ;  Countess  of,  I.  40 

Athole,  Duke  of,  II.  109,  151,  III. 
146 

Atholc,   Marquis  of,  N.  352 

Allele  Street,  III.  75209'  " 
Auchindir.ny,  III.  359 
Auchinleck,  Lord,  I.  00,  182,  200, 


\uld       Cameronian       Meeting 


Baberton,  III.  319,  334 

Back  Row,  The.  11.  338,  III.  54 

Back  Stairs,  The,  II.  243,245,  246, 

Baddclcy,  Mrs.,  the 
Bagimont,    Cardinal, 

Bai  <■'■'.  'l  I  ,le,  The,  I 


&M 


B.-iillie,  (  olonel  Alexander,  II.  172 
Baillie.  .sir  William,  I.  286 
Baillie,  Murder  of  Lady,  III.  156 
Baillie,  Robert,  III.  89 
Bainlield,  II.  219  ;  its  india-rubber 

manufactories,  il>. 
Bain  Whyt,   Songs  in   memory  of, 


88,  226 

Baird,  Principal,  II.  206,  238 
Bairds    of   Xewbyth,    The,    I.    00, 

III.  222 
Bairds  ,,f  Saughton,  The,  III.  319 
Baird's  Close,  I.  98,  99 
Bakehouse  Close.'  I  I 
l'.a\  an, |,i. ill.  Dr..  He, 

II.  366,  367 

Earl  of,  I.  66,  II.  r43 


Balfour,  Robert,  III. 
Balfour  of  Pilrig.Jan- 
Balfour  Street,  III.  1 
Balgonie,  Lord,  III.  : 
Balgray,  Lord,  II.  34 
Ballantine, James,  the 
Il,348,  III.  78 
ttyne,  Abbot, 
ge  at  Leith,  II 
,  =73 


l:..:: 


Ballantyne,  the  printer,  II.  26,  30, 


Bangholm  Bower, 

III.  99 
Bank  of  Leith,  III 


Bankton,  Lord,  I.  102 
Bannatyne,  Sir  Robert, 
Bannatyne,    Sir  W'lllian 


Barclay,    Jam. 

High  -.1 1 

Barclay,  Rev. 


teacher    of    the 


clay,  John,  and  the  Bereans,  I. 
clay   Free   Church,    The,    III. 


159 


Andrew,  I    27'.  ;    Ladv 
of,  author  of  "Auld 

,,'■  ib. 

,  Leith  Harbour,  III. 

Robert,  III.  317 

6,  3,7,*  3=o; 
,  HI-  317 


1:         \i,,  ■:..     ,:.:.[ 

Baron  Norton(i«Norton,  II.  t,  lKr) 

Baron   of  Spittalfield,  Provost  Sir 

Patrick,  II,  263,  278 
Barony  Street,  II.  181,  183 
Barracks  for  the  troops,  I.  78 
I  'a, -ricr  gateway, Edinburgh  Castle, 

I.  -46 
Barry,  the  actor,  I.  343 
B.u    k, mining,   I  "til,   III.  67 
Bartons,  The,  merchants  of  Leith, 

III.  199,  200,  202,  203,  204,  206, 


graphcr,    I.    207,    212,    213,    215, 
277  ;   his  Bible,   I.  207.   II.   1  ;i 
Bassaudyne's  t  |,„e,   I.   213,  359 

Bathlield,  Leith,  III.  197 
Bathgate,  Portobcllo,  III.  147 
Bail,  Street, Bortoliello.III.  147,  14S 
Bathing-machuies,  L'se  of,  in  l.eith, 


Balll 


Camus  Stone,  The 


Ban  nock  burn,  II.  S9,  92,  197,  III. 

r.u'rl4hmuir,  1.297,  HI.  33 

<_'<>rnchie,  II.  58 

Culloden,    I.  69,    II.    23,    27,    34, 

115,  163,  279,  354,  III.  243 
!  'nniD  !..)-,   II.  231 
Dunbar,   I.  23,  55,  15 

327, 367, 3S3,  in-  4: 

1  lunblane,  II.  40 

Durham,  I.  26,  II.  47 

Falkirk,  I.  136,  II.  298,  383,  III. 


■07,338 


I  lodd 


240, 


t  '.icnlivat,  .. 
Halidon  Hill 
Homildon  H 


;6,  38,   142,  150,  151 
1.  255,  278,  279,  III 
35,  52,  56,  317,  346 
■    246 


Melrose,  I.  194 
Nisbotmuir,  III.  94 
Otterbourne,  III.  338 
Pentland,  I.  201,  II.  231 
Pinkie,    I.  43,  310,  II.  57,  65, 

240,  278,  III.  35,  107,  170,  : 

339 
Prestonpans,  I.  327,  II.  281 


Bavelaw  Burn,  I 
Baxter's  Close,  I 
Baxter's  House, 
Baxter's  Lands, 
Baxters,  The,  or 
Bavll's,  or  Bayl. 


B,  a,  1, 


nds  of  North  Leith, 


beacon  newspaper,  1  he,  11.  242 

Beacons,  Lightingof the,  II.  773., 74 

Bearford's  Barks,  II.   115,   ,  io,  lie 

Beaton,  Cardinal,  I.  42,  43,  II.  64, 

III.  150,  lOg  ;  armorial    hearings 

of,    I.    *26i,    263;    his  house,    1. 

263,  *204;  murder  of,  I.  263,  III. 


285,  287 

.,  I.   101,   121 

I-  235 


Order   of   the, 


Beanie's  Close 

Bedford,  Paul, 

Bedford  Street,   III.  79 
Bee,  I, wood,   III.   104, 

ilysterious 

Beggai 

"  Beggars  <  Ipera,"  l'he,  II.  38 
Beggar's  Row,  I.  340 
Beggars.    Rules  lor  the  riddaia  e  of. 
II.   241 

Beith's  Wynd,  I.  12T,  122,  123 
Belgrave  Crescent,  III.  67 

Belli.iven,  Lord,  II.  1  :o  ;  hi-  u  ife.  /'/•. 
Belhaven,  Robert  Viscount,  II.  =0; 

monument  to,  II.  -  60 
Belhaven,    the    Larl    Marischal,    1. 

67,  163,  271 
Belhaven,  Lady  Penelope,  III.  30 


Bell,  Dr.  Benjamin,  III.  140 
Bell,  Dr.  John,  anatomist,  1 
Bell,    Prof.    George  Joseph, 

Bell,  Henry  Glassford,  II.  I< 


Bell  Rock  lighthouse. 

Bell,   The   t ',  lock. 

Bell's  Brewery,  1.  3S2 


the  bridge,  III.  63,  *  64 
Bell's  .Mil..  Loan,  11.  2,4 
Bell's  Wynd, 

Bellamy,  the  .1 


49,  24°'  2tS- 
r,  I.343;  his\ 


ellevue    Crescent, 


1,6 


.   I. lie 


Cathe- 


lUni-sv^Yr,  or  ru-hes,  II.  290 
Bequests  to  Edinburgh  University, 

III.  26 
Bernard  Street,  Leith,  III.  171,  208, 

=34,  =35,  236,  "237,  238,  239,  244 
Bernard's  Nook,  Leith,  1 II.  238,  271 
Berri,  Due  de,  at  Holyrood,  II.  76 
Bertraham,  Provost,  1.  297,  II.  278 

lielli's  «'toU  ,75 

Bethune,    James,    Archbishop     of  ' 


Bible 


I     - 

:.  246, 383, 11. 


Bishop's  Land,  I,  208,  II.  38 
Basset,  William,  III.  35 
Black,  Adam,  Lord  Provost,  I 


"friar, 


Bl.ickadder  Castle,  I.  40' 
"  Black  Ball  "  inn,  II.  1; 
Black  Craig.  Ihe.  II.  .0 
"Black  dinner,"  Ihe.  1. 
Blackford,  Hi  lis  of,  111.  1 

Blackfriars  Church,  III. 
,  lardens,  I.  1 

Blackfriars  Kirkyanl.  I  1 


resident  therein.   1.  238,  II.  11; 
Catholic  chapels  in,  I.  261 
Black  Friary,  L  2.1,  II.  234 

Blackie,    Prof.,   II.    1  =  C,   HI-    30 
Black    Knight    of   Liddesdale,    II 

354,  355 
lllacklo,  k.    Dr.   Thomas,  the  l.lii 

poet,  I.  106,  II.  330,  336,  346 
Blacklock's  Close,  II.  242 
Black  Murdoch  of   Klnt.,,1.  1 1.  30 
Black  rappee,  Introduction  cf,  \l 


Black  Rocks,  Leith  Harbou 

Black  Rood  of 

BlaVkToi',',  and' 

Black  Turnpike 

206,    11.    71, 

Scotland,  I.  2 
v,"The,  III 
the  ghost,  II 

The.  I.       13, 

jn'of  Queen 

GENERAL    INDEX. 


]'.  ack  ' 
Bluckw 

Bla.kw 


£uzcfc:us<>-t's  Ma^iziiu-, 
139.  "4=.  J59.  J?1.  ".95 
207,  III.  106.  102  ;  us 
tors,  II.  140,  III.  74 


III.  8o 


179,  373.  376,  n-  283> 
toun,  Lord  President, 


I.  159,  II.  203,  270,  339,  343,  382, 

III.  362 
Blair,  Dr.,  I.  98,  99,  101,   156,  231, 

236,  273,  II.  27,  29,  120,  161,  271, 

383,  III.  45,  r36,  240 
Blair  Street,    I.   24s,   376,    II.    231, 

238,  III.  1 
Blairquhan,  Laird  of,  III.  35 
Blair's  Close,  I.  65,  88,  II.  329  ;  the 

Duke  of  Gordon's  holism,  I.   TQ2 
Blnirs  .if  Ballhavock,  Town-house 

of  the,  II.  139 
Blanc,  Hippolyte  J.,  architect,  III. 

Bland,  the  comedian,  I.  342,  343 
Blaw  Wearie.   III.  306 
BL-is-silver,  The  gratuity,  II.  290, 

Blew  Stone,  The,  I.  79 

Blind  School,  Cr.uginillar,  II.  336 

Blockh.mse  of  St.  Anthony,  Leith, 


of- Field.  III.  2 
Bothwcll  . if  Glcncor.e,  Henry,  I.  9. 
Bothwell  Bridge,  II.  30,  87,  375 
Bottle  House  Company,  Leith,  III 


Samuel,  the  artist,  II.  86, 
I.312 


Rough.    Sa 

111.  6S 
Boulder,  Gigantic,  1 
Bourse,  The,  Leith 


223 


Blanket,"  The,  I.  34,  *  36, 

43,  II.  262,  278,  III.  55 
Bhunenreich,  Herr,  III.  83 
Blvth's  Close,  I.  92,  III.  66 
B.iik's  Land,  West  Fort,  I.  224 
Boar  Club,  The,  III.  124 
Board  of  Manulactures,  II.  83 — 86, 

88,  92,  186 
Body- 


Early, 


III. 


Bonally  Tower,  III.  326,  "3: 
Bonham,  Sir  Walter.  II.  57 
Bonkel,  Sir  Edward,  I.  304 
Bonnet  Lairds'  Club,  III.  12 
Bonnet-makers,  The,  II.265 
Bennington,  near  Leith,  II.  : 

,,-,  306;  view  in,  III.  96 
Bonnington    House,    III.    i 

*  93,  247 


Boniunglon     r- 
pany,  Leith, 

Bonnyhaugh, 


t   Holyrood 


SirTh a-    lamieso,,.  Lord 

Provost,  II.  2S4,  III.  88,  288 
Bovd.  Mm.  Slaughter  of  the  ruf- 
fian, II.268 
Bovd's  Close,  I.  6,  298,  299,  II.  23 
Bovd's  Entry,  I.  298 
Bovd's  "While  H.irse   Inn."  I.  299 
llovle.  Lord  President,  I.  159 
Boyle,  David,  Lord  Justice-General, 

Boyle' Lord  Justice-Clerk,  II.  227 

Boyse,   the  poet,  I.  233 

Brade,  Henry  of,  III.  41 

Bradford,  Sir    I'homas,  III.  146 

Braid  Collages,  III.  "40 

Braid  farmhouse,   I.   171,  III.  42 


"  Braid    Hugh    Souicrville   of  the 

Writes,"  I.  315,  316 
Braid,  I-aird  of,  III.  41 

Braid,  The  river.   III.   Mi,   322 
Braid,  Village  of,  III.  40,  113  ;  exe- 
cution near,  I  I  I.   40;  its  lu.loneal 


and  Smith, 


louse,  Causewayside, 
Leith,  III.  167,  210, 
on,  Robberies  com- 
367  ;  lantern  and  keys 


Buchan,  Earl  of, 


123, 


3i4 


thod 


166,  379,  I 

ee.  I.  10S;  I 
;   hurial-pl.i 


Broughton,  1.335,11 
Broughton,  Barony 
185,  186,  366,  111. 
Broughton  Burn  in  : 
Broughton  Hall,  111 
Broughton  Loan,   I 


:t,  II.  178,  179,  183, 
184 

Brought. .11  Toll ih.The.IL*  181 

Broughton  Toll.  III.  95 
Brounger,    John,    the    Newhaver 

fisherman,   1  II.   303,  306 
Brown,  Ct.pt.  Sir  Samuel.   III.  303 
Brown,  t  leorgc,  the  builder,  II.  26. 
Brown,    Thomas,  architect,  II.  191 
Brown,   Rev.  Alexander,  111.  75 
Brown,  Rev.  Dr.,  III.  51 
Brown  Square,   1.  91,  II.  260,  268 

269,270,271,339 
Browne,  Dr.    lames,  I.  190,  339,  II 


Buchanan,   George,  I.  16,  143.  i':>7. 

206,245,    "248,   II.  6.,  127,  3S2, 

III.  116,  179,   r99,  20.,  29S,  303  ; 

memorial  window  in    new   Grey- 

fr.ars  Church,  II.  379 
Buchanan,    Dr.    Franeis,    botanist, 


Buchanan  of  Auchit 
Buchanan  Street,  II 
Buckingham  Terrac 


II.  159 


,  iff.  67 


Buildings    in    Edinburgh, 

laws  regulating  the,  I.  2; 

Bull,  Capture  of  Sir  Stepl 


III 


Bullock.  William  ;  his  plan  for  the 
re-capture  of  Edinburgh  Castle, 
I.  25,  26. 

Bunker'.  Hill.  I.  366 
Bur.lichoiise,    III.    34;  ;    fossil   dis- 


Braid's  Row,  III.  75 

Braid.lmill,    I.   326,   III.  49,  62,  327 

Brand,  Sir  Alexander,   I.  203,  378, 


H.2,7 

and  of 


Brand  of  Raberton,  Alexander,   III. 


andfield  Place. 
andfield  Street, 
axfield,  Lord,  I 
,339, 


t73, 


Bread,  Sale  of,  determined  by  law, 

II.  280 
Breadalbane,  Earlof,  I.  37S.  III.  146 
Breadulliune.    Marquis   of,    II.    86; 

Marchioness  o r,  II.  209 
Breadalbane  Street,  Leith,  III.  91, 

236 
Breakwater, TheNewhaven,III.303 
Bremner,    David,   I.   283,   284,   384, 

II.  84,  III.  239, 
Brewers,  The  Ed 


ill  air  cili.   1 1. 


Borthwick,  Lord,  I.  40 

III.  348 
Borthwick,  James,  II. 
Boiihwiek's  Close,  I.  ; 
Boswell,  Sir  Alexande 

213,  243,  258 


,182, 


37,  98,  99, 

349  ;  Lord  Macaulay's  opinion  o\ 
him,  I.  99  ;  his  father  and  mealier, 
ib.  ;  Johnson',  visit  to  Edin- 
burgh, I.  299,  III.  57,  291,  352 

Boswell  Road,  W.irelle,  III.  308 

Boswell's  Court,  I.  90 

Botanical  gardens.  The,  I.  362,  363, 
III.  159,  161,  162,  163 

Bothwell,  Earls  of,  I.  90,  122,  168, 
196,  206,  207,  209,  210,  245,  258, 
259,  266,  276,  298,  374,  II.  61,  71, 


tree 


■   273 


,242; 


Bridewell,  The,  II. 
Bridge-end,  III.  58 

Bridges.  Sir  Egerto 

Bridges,    David,    cloth    merchant 

Bright','  I„"nV.\i'.V..IL  284 

Brighton  Chapel,  II.  326 

Brighton  Place,  Bortobello,  III.  148 

Brisbane,  Sir  T.,  Father  of,  II.  199 

Bristo,  II.  13s,  267,  344,  III.  94 

Bri.to  Park,  II.  326 

Bristo  Port,  I.  38,  II.  234,  267,  316, 

323,  324,  325,  326,  '  329,  33°,  379, 

III.  94,  156 
Bristo  Street,   I.  335,  II.   326,  327, 

329,  330,  33S,   330.  34",  343,  346 

Re.,    lame.  Peddle,   III.   102 
Britannia  Inn,  The,  Leith,  III.  19  = 
Briti.h   Conventie.n,  The,   II.   236 

seizure  of  its  members,  ib. 
np 

355,  II-  33,  93, 
British    Linen   Co.'sF  Bank',    Ed 


Bo.uiil.iM. 


1  Hall/Canongate,  II. 


Br....  nhill.  the  builder,  1.  q8 
Brown's  Chapel  (Dr.  John),  Rose 
Street,  II.  159,  184 

Brown's  Close,  I.  02,  go 
Brown's    tavern,    Kirkgate,    Leith, 
III.  214;  singular  tragedy  in,  /.''. 


."il.5?*, 

u.h  kiil.e 


Brun.t.ine    manor-house,    III.    I. 

150,  *  157,  366 
Brun.wn  1   Street,  111.  8r 
Brunt, .n.  Dr.,  I.  379,  HI-  83 
Brunton  Place.  III.  158 
Brtintslield  Links,  II.  115,  137,  2: 

313,  348,  III.  29,   30,    31,   33,  4 

the  avenue,    III.   '    33 
Bvunlstield   or  Warrender    Hou 

III.  45,46*48,307. 
Brvee,   I  laviel,  the  architect,   1  1. 

97,  150,  170,  210,  359,  III.  82 
Brvee,  John,  architect,  II.  359 
Bryse.n.  Robert,  I.  379 
Bu.  .  leuch,    Dukes   of,   II.   21, 


63.  205, 


302, 


227,  232,  234,  249 
Burgh  Loch,  The,  II.  29c,  346,  347 
*  349,  354 
urgh  Loch  E 
urghmuir,   '1 
325,  326,  383 
,        I 


349,  354 
Burgh   I  oil  Brewery,  II.  349 
Burghmuir,  The,   I.  34,  204,   314, 
325,  326,383,  H.234,267,  III.  27, 
of  troops 


Va'leyfield"*  House 


Burghmuir.  District  of  the,  III.  29 
-so;   battle  of  the  (iff  Battles) 

Rurghinuir-head  road,  III.  38;  the 
Free  Church,  ib. 

Burial-ground,  The  first,  in  Edin- 

Burials  under  church  porticoes,  II. 

Burke  and  Hare,  the  murderers,  I. 

120,  II.  226-230,  III.  27 
Burleigh,  Lord,  1.  127  ;  escape  from 


turning    of  the    Pope    ill   effigy    l.y 
the  Universitystudents,  III.  11  — 

Curtis,  Robert,   I.   3,  106,  107,   no, 
120,  156,  171,   178,    179,   23s,  236, 

"       1S8,  204,, 327.  331. 


Duchess  of, 
Buccleuch,  Henry  Duke  of,  II.  310 
Buccleuch,  Lady  of,  I.  206 
Buccleuch  Free  Church,  II.  346 
Buccleuch  Place,  II.  148,  268,  347, 


Buccl. 


uch  Street,  II.  339 


Miss",  and  Bailie  Creech,  II. 
158,  159 
Burntisland,  I.  58,  III.  180, 188, 191, 

.98,  III. 
rks,    III. 

Butcher  meat  formeily  an  unsale- 
able article,  11.  219 

Bute,  Earl  of,  I.  164,  179,  272,  II. 
86,  III.  131 

Bute,  Marquis  of,  II.  346 

Bute's  Battery,  I.  78 

Butler,  John,  the   king's  carpenter, 


Butters    of    Pitlochry",     The, 
Byre's.  Sir  John,   I.    153,  =>9, 


Byres'  Cose,  I.  154,  21c 
Byre.'  Lodging,   1.  154 
Bvron.    Lord,  II.  127  ;  1 
1.346 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


Cable's  Wynd,  Leith,  II.  226,  22 
Caddies,  or  street  messengers,  I.  15 

Cadell  and  Co.,  Robert,  I.  211,  I 

Caer-almon  (Cramond),  III.  164 
"Cage,"  The,  II.  348 
Cairketton  Craigs,  III.  324 


Caithness.  Karl 
4,  63,  348,  35< 
Calcraft,  the  ac 
Calderwood,  Si 
Calderwood,    tl 


131.  2=5,  33°,  34' 


229, 

III.  9,  61,  170,  183, 

Caledonian  1  lisiilleiy,  II.  .  1  : 
Caledonian    Horticultural  Society, 

Caledonian  Insurance  Company,  II. 

Caledonian  Railway,  II.  136,  138 
Caledonian    Theatre,  II.  179 
Caledonian    United   Service   Club, 

II.  153 
Callender,  Colonel  James,  II.  162 
Calton  anciently  a  burgh,  II.  103 
Calton    burying.ground,     II.     101, 

103,  *  105,  *  108,  III.  78 
Calton    gaol,    I.    176,    II.   31,      105, 

228,  2S3,  II.  243 
Calton  Hill,  I.  55,  76,    136,  300,  II. 

17,    18,    100—114,    161,  1S2,  191, 

296,  306,   III.   82,  128,  151,  158, 

165,  209  ;  view  of,  II.  *  105  ;  view 

from,  II.  *  107 
Calton  Stairs,  1.  290 
Cambridge  Street,  II.  214 
Cambuskenneth,  Abbots  of,  I.  118, 


Cameron,  Bishop  Alexander, 
Cameron  Bridge,  III.  58 
Cameron,  Charter  of  Thorr 


"Camp   Meg,"  and  her  story 

Campbell,  Lord,  the  judge,  I 
Campbell,  Lord  Niel,  E  203 
Campbell,  Lord  Frt 


Campbell,  Lieut  -Col.   Tolin,  of  [lie 

Ilia,  k  Watch,  I.  274 
Campbell  of  Aberuchill,  Sir  James, 

Campbell  of  Ardkinglass,  Sir  James, 

I.  239  ;  Lady,  162 
Campbell  of  Barcaldine,  III.  162 
Campbell  of  Illy  thswood,  Col.  John, 

III.  87. 
Campbell     of    Boquhan,    General 

(Fletcher  of  Saltoun),  III.  90 
Campbell  of  linn, bank,  I.  67 
Campbell   of  Glenorchy,    Duncan, 

III.  35 
Campbell  of  Kevenknock,  II.  183 
*    am  pi 'ell  of  1. 01  id.  '11,  Hew,  III.    $,4 
Campbell   of  Shawfield,    House  of, 

II.  168 

Campbell  of  Skipness,  Archibald,  I. 

Campbell  of  Sum  oth.  Sir  Archibald, 

II.  143,  187,  344 
Campbell  of  Succoth,  Sir  Islay,  I. 

98,    II.    143,   270,  344;  house  of, 

II.     344 
t  atiq.hcll.  Alexander.  III.   127 
Campbell,  Duncan,  the  lithotomist, 


npbell,  John  Hooke, 


Campbell,  Thomas,  the  poet,  I. 
Campbell,  the  opponent  of  Hu 


Campbell's  N'e 


listorian   of  Leith, 

258 

■  Buildings,  II.  271 


Canch,  Major,  III.  68 

Candlemaker  Row,  I.  292,  II.  121, 
168,  230,  239,  240,  242,  £59,  260, 
267,    268,    271,   374,  375,  380,  382, 

Candiishf  Rev.  Dr.,  I.  87,  II.  138, 
210,  III.  75. 

Cannon-ball    in     wall    of  house    in 

Castle  Hill,  I.  88,  «  90 
Cannye.  Sir  Thomas,  II.  102 
Canongate    Church,    II.    28,    "29, 
III.  91,    150;    Fergusson's  grave, 
II.  "30,  Dugald  Stewart's  grave, 

Canongate,  The,  I.  43,  54,  55,  78, 
79,  9°,  97,  105,  130,  155,  191,  192, 
199,  217,  219,  279,  298,  334,  II.  1 

—41,  '73,  239-  -4>,  -'5°'    -3-'.  si". 
346,    354,    III.   o,    ,2,   50,  36,  134, 


II.  2  ;  records,  II.  2,  3;  burgh 
seal  of  the,  II.  3  ;  pun:. 
II.  3;  burghal  seals,  II.  22  ;  he- 
roines subordinate  to  Edinburgh, 
II.  ;  ;  cleansing  of  the,  II.  is  ; 
plan-  o!  the.  II.   '5.-   16,      36;  «s 


Canongate-^eNhe?.:.  34x, 
342,  343,  I'-  23,  258,  310;  dis- 
turbances at  the,  II.  23,  24  ; 
closing  of  the,  II.  25 

Canongate  Tolbooth,  The,  II.  '  1, 
10,  30,  31  ;  stocks  from  the  old 
Tolbooth,  II.      31 


191,  278, 

Caiionnulls 


,  71,  78,  83,  86, 


Canonmills  House,  III.  03 
Canonmills  Loch,  III.  86,  306 
Canonmills  Loch  and  House,  I 

'85 
Canonmills  Park,  III.  84 
Cant,  Adam,  II.  241 
Cant,  Alexander,  II.  241 
Cant,    Andrew,    Principal    of 

University,  III.  11 
Cant's  Close,  1.115,253,264,  II. 
Cant's  hostelry,  Leith,  III.  i3o 
Cantore's  Close,  Luckenbooths, 


Cap-and-Feather  Close,  I.  23S,  337 
Cap-and-Feather  Club,  III.  123 
Cap.,  Club,  The,  I.  230,  III.  125  ; 

knights  of  the,  I.  230 
Capeiaw  Hill,  III.  324 
Cap,  lla,    [ohn  de,    Lord   of  Craig- 

millar,  III.  58,  59,61 
Capillaire  Club,  The,  III.  r24 
Carberry,  Surreuderof  Queen  Mary 

Cardonel,  Commissioner,  II.  26 

Cardrona,  Laird  of,  I.  230 

Cargillield,  III.  307 

Cat  gill,  I  )onald,the preacher, II.  231 

Caribri,,  Willi.,,,,  of,   II.  241 

Carlisle  Road,  II.  346 

Carlton  Street,  Stockbridge,  1 1. 109, 

III.  7i,  79,  83 
Carlung  Place,  III.  46 
Carlylc  of  Invciesk.  Dr.,  I.  322,323, 

324,  II.  26,  27,  III.  3.,  24,,  300 
Carlyle.    Thomas,   II.   ,?  =  .  337,   III. 

24,  .79,  .323:  his    bequest  to  the 


Caruu,  hael,  Sir  John, 

*  ,  I  ...!\    \!..i  v 


Carthr: 


Earls  of,  I.  91,  III.  4,298 
"Castellof  Mayleiis, '"  The,  I.  1  -, 
Castle.  The  (sc,  Edinburgh  Castle  ) 
Castle,  The,    from   Princes   Street, 

Plate  17 
Castle  Hams,  II.  215 

(-  astl inpanv,    1  lie,  I.  ;:: 

Castle  Esplanade,  II.  230 
Castle  farm.  The,  I.  78 
Castle  Hill,  The,  I.  11,79-94,154, 
187,  282,  313,  316,  319,  330,  331, 
338,   II.   157,  230,  231,   235,  239, 
III.   12,  99,   181,    194,   195;  view 
of  the,  I.  -  83;   palate  ol  Marvol 
Guise,  I.*  336 
Castle  Road,  The,  I.  "328 
Castle   rock,    I.    294,    295,  II.   131, 
215,  224,  267,  111.  io3 

163—165,  230,  270 
Castle    Terrace,   1.  295,  II.  214 
Castle  Wynd,    1.  47,    II.  235,  256 


Cat   Nick,  The,  I.  132,  II.  306,  307 

Catl  lipel,    The  gain-:  of,  II.  39 

Cathcart,  Lord,  II.  348 
Catholic    and     Apostolic    Church, 
The  old,  II.  r8+;  the  new,  II.  185 

C.uhohcChurchofUur  Lady,  Leith, 


HE  244 
Catholic    Institi 

doorhead  in  tl 
Causeway -end,  ' 


Cau 
47,  .50 


\  ay- 


Ill. 


.3,3,1 


CauvinSs    Hospital,     IE    318,    III. 

Cavity,  Capt.,  Tragic  story  of,  IE 

243-245 
Celeste,  Madame,  I.  351 
Census  of  Edinburgh  and    Leith, 


Centenaria 

Chain  pier. 


III.  303 


Chalmers,  Sir  George,  I.   lot 

Chalmers,  Dr.,  IE  96,  97,  126 
145,  146,  155,  204,  '205,295 
50,  323;  statue  ot,  IE  ,51 
death,  III.  38,  148 

Chalmers,  the  antiquarian,  1.  : 


,  Close,  I.  240,  261,  29 

;'  Entry,  IE  333 

■'     Hospital,    II.    363: 

r,  ib. 

.   Memorial   Free  Chu 

.  Tcrt-ito-ia!  Free  Chu 


Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Manu- 
factures, I.  123 
Chamberlain   Road,   III.  38 
Chambers,   Sir  William,   the  archi- 

Chambers,  Robert,  I.  11,79,82,93, 
97,  1 18,  120,  136, 147,  163,  165,  170, 
179,  208,  215,  *224,  242,  251,  253, 
274,  298,  3'o,  3",  3'3,  335,  37S, 
384,  II.  17,  22,  35,  38,  7',  81,  82, 
115,  "8,  125,  128,  143,  160,  161, 
166,  182,  192,  200,  226,   251,  255, 


259,  263,  271,  297,  313,  319,  327, 
333,  339,  377,  384,  HI.  56,  74,  76, 
83,  91,  122,  123,  124,  125,  126,  138, 
139,  142,  154,  163,  182,  192,  193, 

Chambers,'  William,  Lord  Provost, 
I.  147,  '224.  II.  274,  284 

Chambers.  William  ami  Robert,  the 
publishers,  I.  223—226,  III.  79 


Chambers  s  Edinburgh  Journal,  E 
Chambers  Street,   I.  382,    II.    256,. 


'Chan 

Chantrev,    Francis,  1.  ,59  ;  statues 

by,  I.  .23,  II.  15. 
(.  hapcl   Lime,   Leith,   III.  231,  235 
Chapd  tif  Our  Lady,  II.  225 
Chapel    Royal,    Holyrood     House, 

II.  ^49;  ground  plan  of,  II.  '  52; 

ln.ll  frum,  II.  247 
Chapel    Street,    II.    333,    339,    345; 

chapel  ul  case,  II.  346 
Chapel  Wynd,  II.  224 
Chapman    (or    Chepman),    Walter, 

the  printer,  I.    142,    III.    214  {s et 

Chepman) 
Charity    Workhouse,    The,    II.    19, 


2,  127, 


Charles  l.\  I.  50— 54,  123,  ] 
181,  182,  III.  219,  221,  : 
his  visit  to  Edinburgh,  I.  50,  51, 
II.  2,  90,  222,  227,  253,  290,  III. 
I35j  209;  proclamation  of,  III- 
184  ;  coronation,  I.  51,  72,208,  II. 
58,73 

Charles  II.,  I.  54,   55,   59,  no,  166, 
-    v,  II       4    111,.    1  . 

352  ;  birth  ..>f,   I.  200  ;  popularity, 
of,  II.  74  ;  statue  of,  I.  176,  182,- 


Charles  Edward.  Prince,  I.  6,  234, 
26,,  318,  322-334,  IL  74,  UL 
90,  95,  102,  138,  194,  222,  240,  326, 
34',  355  I  popularity  of,  I.  322, 
326,  327,  IE  23  ;  his  arrival  in- 
Eilinburgh,  1.  322,  II.  133;  por- 
traits of,  I.  '  329,  '  333  ;  hbsse.  re- 
late, I.  -,s,  ;  Ins  larewell  ring, 
II.  87;  relics  of,  IE  124;  alleged 
marriage  of  bis  son,  IE  159  ;  his 
death,    IE    247,    III.   231  ;  Court 

IE  i2722 
Charles  X.  of  France  at  Holyrood. 

II.  76,  78 

Charles  Street,  II.  333, 341,  344,  345, 

Charles's  Field,  II.  333,  334 
Charlotte  Lane,  Leith,  III.  220 

Charlotte  Square.  II.  i,3,  172—  17s. 

III.  32|   view  of  the   square.    II. 

^173;  the  Albert  memorial.   11. 


284 


'65 

Charlotte  Street,  Leith,  III.  221,  243 
Charteris,  Hen.  Francis,  I.  178 
Charteris,  Lady  Betty,  IL  27 

C.  bar, ens.  Hem  v,  tin:  patient  book- 
seller, II.  102 

I     '     0  o  i    \       ::',.:        !  !         .  1 

II.   168,   III.   270 

Charteris,  Col.    Francis,   III.    365, 

366  ;  his  love  of  gambling,  ib. 
Charters,  Mrs.,  the  actress,  I.  347 
Charters  of  Edinburgh,  I.  34,  35 
Chatelherault,  Duke  of,  I.  47.  -'77s 

305,11.65,111.2,3,116,  178 
Chepman   of  Ewirland,  Walter,  I. 

Chessel's  Buildings,   IE  '  25 
Chessels  Court,    1.  113,  217,  II.  23. 
Chesterhall,  Lord,  I.  271,  273 

Chevalier  tie  la   Beautt,  The,  I.  42 

"Chevalier,"  The,  IE  351,  352 
Chief    magistrate    of    Ed 
Titles  of,  I 

Chicsley,  Capt.,  and  Lieut.  Moodie, 

I  luarrel  between,   III.  30 
Chieslie,  Major,  II.  217 
Chieslie,  Rachel,  Lady  Grange,  IE 


of   Edinburgh, 


lain. 


7-  =4'.    'I 

Loihan 


Christ  Chun  h.    Trinity.   I 
Christie,  Sir  Robert,  Prov. 

(..  Inistiso,,.  si,  Robert,  tin 


ander,  Professor  of 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


I  hn«',  Church  at  the  Tron,  I.  187 
Christ  s  Chun  h.  C.istle  Hill,  I.  82 
Chrystie  family,  1  he.   111.  43,  45 
Church  Hill,  III.38,  71 
Church  Lane,  11.  115,  III.  38 
Church    offenders,    how    punished, 


cus  Place  Schoul, 


:,    HI 


192  ;    the    guard- 
*  136,    *  137..  203,   204,   254,    255  I 
three    captains  of  the,    I.   *  137  ; 
Lochaber  axes  used  by  the  guard, 

I.  135,  *  138,  255 

City  Improvement  Act,  II.  236,251, 

'mentofPtheTien234 
City  of  tilasgow  Hank,  II.  162 

ciM'.   •t'ri\ilc-;_;cs,    Insistance  on  by 

Civil  Wa'r,eIFirst  movements  of,   I. 
159;  events  of  the,  III.  184 

Clam  Shell  Land,  I.  239 
Clam  Shell   lurnpike,  The,  I.  149 
CI. m  regiments,  I.  327 
Clanranald,    I.    534.   II.   35,    III.    140 
Clanship,  Influence  of,  I.  134,  168 
Clarcmont  Park,  I.c-ith,  III.  266 
Claremont  Street  Chapel,  III.  75 
Claremont  Terrace,  III.  88 
Clarence  Street,  111.  78,  83,  84 
Clarendon  Crescent,  III.  74 
"Clarinda,"  II.  327,  ,28;  house  of, 

II.  *  332;  room  in,  II.  *  333 
Clark  of  Comrie,  II.  159 
Clarke.  Alexander,  II.  242 
Clarke,  Provost  Alexander,  I.  193, 

246,  III.  72 
Clark  son  Stanfield,  the  painter,  111. 


Claverhouse, 

a  descendant  of,  II.  207 
Clavering,  Lady  Augusta,  II.  13! 
Cleanliness  in  the  streets,  Nccessi 

for,  I.  193,  199,  203 
"Cleanse  the  Causeway,"  I.  39,  15 

258,  263,  II.  251 
Clc  chori,.  tlie  physician,    III.  31 

his  nephew,  ib. 
Clelland's  Gardens,  III.  152 
Clci  ihcuch's  Tavern,  I.  120,  *  18 

Clerk,  Sir  John,  I.  231,  232 
Clerk,  John  (Lord  Kidin),  II.  i3t 


Clerk'  ui  'Penicuick,  Sir  George, 
HI.  359 

Clerk  of  Pennicuick,  Sir  James,  I. 
92,  II.  123  ;  his  wife,  II.  123,  124 
125,  III.  192,  193;  relics  cl  Prince- 
Charles,  II.  124 

Clerk  of  Pennicuick,  Sir  lolin,  I. 
••    r37,  III.  63,  198 


Clestram,  Lady,  I. 
Cleuchmaidstone, 
Clifton,  Walter  of, 


'35 


CI'"  km.ikei-.     I  he   first,    II.  263 
Cl..,   sucker's  Land,  1.  310,   '  321 
Clock,,!,!!    House,    II.   41,       308 
Closes,    1'he  old,    II.   241,  242 
"Clouts,  Castle  of,"  II.  355 
Clyde,  Lord,  II.  343 
Clydesdale  Bank,  The,  II.  148,  III 


,;..;.. 


Coal  Hill,  Leii 

247,  250 
Coalsioun,    Lord,   I.  154,   III.  367  ; 

anecdote  of,  I.  154 
Coatcs,  II.  209,  211,  III.  42,  92 
Coates  Crescent,  II.  210,  211 
Coates  Gardens,  II.  214 
Coates  House,  II.  211,  259 
Coates,  .Manor-house  of  Easter,  II. 

Coalfield' Gutter,  Leith,  III.  194 
Coalfield  Lane,  Leith,  III.  220,  221 
Cobbler,  A  clever,  I.  271 
Cob.  aire;  Street,  Leith,  1 1 1.  255,  256  ; 

sculptured  stone  in,  III.  260 
Cochrane,  Lady  Mary,  II.  272 
Cockburn,   Lord,  1.   159,  282,  285, 

307,  362,  366,  374,  375,  380,  II. 

82,  84,  90,  91,  93,  95,   106,   107, 

114,  162,   r74,   283,  339,  347,  34S, 

III.  62,  68,  7S,  86,  95.   no;  his 

father,   III.  87;  his  residence  at 

Bonally,  III.  326,  *  328 
Cockburn,  Sir  Adam,  I.  68 
Cockburn,     Alexander,     the     city 

hangman,  II.  231 
Cockburn,  Archibald,    High   Judge 

Admiral,  II.  348 
Cockburn,  Henry,  the  counsel,  II. 

227.  315 
Cockburn,  Provost  Patrick,  II.  55 
Cockburn,  Sheriff,  I.  172 
Cockburn  ofOrmiston,  II.  348,  III. 

58;  Mrs.,  the  poetess,  I.  99,  II. 

x6i,  329,  346 
Cock). urn    Street,    I.  229,  237,  283, 

286,  II.  100 
"Cocked  Hat"  Hamilton,  II.  139 
Cocktighting,  II.236,  111.262,263  1 


733.. II. 


!.;■ 


255,  259  ; 


Coinage.  The  Scottish,  I.  269 
Col,  hester's  Cuirassiers,  I.  64 
Coldingham,Lord  lohnof,  11.67,72 
Coldingham,  Prior  of,  I.  39 
Coldstream,  Dr.  John,  II.  187 
Colinton,    III.    35,    125,    216,    314, 
*  321,    322      323,    324  ;  its   local 
history,  1 11.  322,  323 
Colinton  House,  III.  323 
Colinton,  Lords,  III.  323 
Colinton  Tower,  III.  333 
College,  The,  I.  379,  II 
establishment  of,  III. 
College  Kirk  cemetery,  III.  15 
College  of  Justice,  I.  121,  166,  182, 
195,  219,  259,  340,  368,   II.  203, 
207,  325,  HI-  49.  202,  316,  323, 
334,  338,359  1  first  meulbcrsofthe, 
I.  167 
College  of  Physicians,  I.  278,  II.  146 
College  uf  Surgeons,  II.  146,  III.  15 
tc.ll.--c  Street,  II.  227,  326,  III.  3 
College    Wyml,    II.       -40,  2Si,  _*^4, 

274,383,ni-3,8 
Colonsay,  Lord,   I.  159,  II.  127,  197 
Colquhoun    of    killenuoiu,    Archi- 
bald, II.  i43 
Colquhoun,  Sir  John,  II.  166 
CoUtoun,  Lady,  I.  282 
Coltbrulge,    I.    336,    III.    102,    103, 

CoVtbridge  House  and   Hall,    III. 

Coltheart's,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  ghostly 

visitors,  I.  228 
Colville,  Lord,  II.  335 
Colville  of  Culross,  Alexander  Lord, 

H.115 
Colville  ot  Easter  Wemyss,  I.  247 
Combe,    George,    the  phrenologist, 

I.  384,  III.  68 
Combe's    Close,    Leith,    III.    226; 

ancient  building  in,  ib. 
"Comedy  Hut,  New  Edinburgh," 

I.  230 
Comely  Hank,  III.  79,  82,  323 
Comely  Gardens,  III'.  128,  135 


La!rds  of.   I. 


Commercial   Lank,  The,  I.  175,  II. 
Commercial  Street,  Leith,  III.  258 

(_  oiniminic.uioii   between    the  north 


I.  nmvn.   III.  3,1 

Confession  of  Faith,  The,  I.  123 

Congakon,   Dr.   Francis,  the  phy- 


Edinburgh 


I.    2Io;     his  Shop,    I.    211,    II.    122; 

Lockhart's  description  of  him,  II. 

122  ;    his    bankruptcy,     ib,  ;    his 

portrait,  ib. 
Constable,  Thomas,  III.  109,  no 
Constable's  lower,  The,  I.  36,  49 
Constables,  Appointment  of  city,  I. 

203 
Constables  of  the  Castle,  I.  78 
Constitution  Street,  Leith,  III.  171, 

184,239,243,244,  288    289;  exe- 
ol  tw    1  pirates,  III.  243,  267 
ng  Rooms,  II.  104,  106 
Convenery,  The,  Leith,  III.  209 
Convention      of     Royal      Burghs, 

Ancient,  I.  186 
Cooper,  Dr.  Myles,  II.  247 
Coopers    of    Gogar,  The  family  of 

the,  III.  318 
Coopers,  The,  II.  265 
Cope,    Sir  John,  I.  322,  325,   326, 

327,  333,  H.  281,  III.  132,  263 
(  ordiners,  or  shoemakers,    I  he,   II. 

263 
Cordiners  of  the  Canongate,  II.  19  ; 

their  king,  ib. 
Cordiners  of  the  Portsburgh,  Arms 

Of  the,  II.  224 
Corehouse,  Lord,  II.  206,  207 
Corn  Exchange,  Grassmarket,   II. 

*236 

Coin  Exchange,  Leith,  III.  239 
Corn  Market,  The,  I.  178,  II.  222, 

230,  231  ;  the  old,  II.  ^233 
Cornwallis,  Lord,  III.  2^,  191.  315 


Corstorphine,  1.  254,  323,  324,  III. 
112— 121,  318,  319,  327,  332,  334  ; 

Cor.toiphine  Castle'  III.  118 
Corstorphine  Church,  III.  115,-116, 
*i2o;  its  history,  III.  115— 118 

Corstorphine  Craigs,  III.  113 
Corstorphine  cream,  III.  114 
Corstorphine  Cross,  III.  113 
Cc-rst-  irphine  !  ill!,  1 1 1.  104,  113, 11S  ; 

view  of  Edinburgh  from,  II  I.  *i  17 
Corst,  ,rpli,ne   Loch,   III.  42,  118 
Cottcrell,   Lieut. -Col.,  General  As- 

>r  ml dv  expelled  by,  II.  223. 
Cotterill,  Right  Rev.  Henry,  I'.ishop 

o(  Falmburgh,  II.  212 
Coulter,  William,  Lord  Provost,  II. 

1     ■■..''  1   !     '■',   11.'  ,   1- 
Council     Chamber,     The     ancient, 
Coal   Hill,   Leith,   III.   246,  247, 

Country  dinner  Club,  The,  III.  125 
County  Hall,  The,  I.  123 
Coupar,  Lord,  I.  154,  164,  III.  222 
Couper  Street,   Leith,   III.  258 
Court  of  Session,  I.  166,167,  II-  23  ; 

probable  extinction  of,  I.  174 
"  Court  of  Session  Garland,"  I.  169 
Ci  iurts  of  [ustice,  I.  157 
Courts  of  Law,  II.  245 


Cousin,    David,    the   a 

95,138,218,234,111 

Courts,  Messrs.,  I.  179 

Covenant,  The,  I.  51,  : 

254,  IL87,  I32>  230,  : 


„375, 
Covenanters,    1  r 


v;" 


51,  52,  160,. 


11. 


Covenanters'  Flag,  I.  *  54 
Covenanters'    Prison,    Entrance   to 

the,  II.  *38i 
Coventry,  the  lecturer,  II.  120 
Covington,   Lord,   I.   170,  272,  338, 

358,  II.  116,  III.  135  ;    his  -own, 

I.  170,  II.  187 
Cow  Palace,  II.  319 
Cowan,  Lord,  II.  207 
Cowan,   Warehouse   of  Messrs,,  II. 


263,  266,   267,   268,   278,   292,  294,, 

295,  373,  374,   375,  378,  II.  2,  23, 

86,   147,    166,  232—268,   270,  273, 

282,  293,  346,    III.  2,  3,  4,  6,  53, 

63,  125,  126;   its  early  name,    the 

Sou'gate,  or  South  Street,  II.  239, 

249;   origin   of  the   thoroughfare, 

II.  239;   ancient  weapons  found 

therein,  1 1.  240  ;  old  houses  in  the, 

II.  *  240,  *  244  ;  ancient  maps  of 

theCowgate,  II.  ^241,  * 245,  *  261; 

excavations  made  on  the  site,  II. 

245  ;  head  of  Cowgate,  Plate  21 

Cowgate  Chapel,  II.  194 

Cowgate  Church,   II.   108 

Cowgate  Head,  II.  168,  242,  267     ■ 

Cowgate  Port,  I.  274,  278,  298,  *  301, 

II.  27,  146,  239,240,250,  III.  15& 

Cuwper,  Lishop,  the  golfer,  111,  ;oo 

Craftsmen,  The  early,  II.  263 

Craig,  Lord,  II.  121,  143,  187,  270,, 

Craig,  Sir  Lewis,  I.  226,  III.  322 
Craig  of  Riccarton,  Sir  Thomas,  I, 

Craig,    James,    architect,    II.    105,, 

117,  118,  146 
(_  raig,  John,  the  Reformer,  II.  262 
Craig  of  kicearton,  Robert,  II.  127- 

HI-  334 
Craig  End,  The,   II.    103,  III.  186, 


Corporal  Shon  Dhu,  I.  255 

Craig  House,  1 1 1.  42  ;  its  successive 

Corporation    of  Candlemakers,    II. 

owners,  II.42.43,-  44  ;  its  dining 

room  and  kit.  hen,  III.     44 

Corporation   privileges,    Monopoly 
of,  II.  15 

Craigantinnie,  lames  Nisbet of,  1 1 1 
65. 

(,  oipor.itioiis,  The    Ancient.  11.  ;>(. ; 

Craigantinnie  manor-house,  III 
136,  138,  *X4i 

-267 

Correction    House,    The,    II.    323, 

Craigantinnie    marbles,    The,    III 

tr.ic,c-,ly  an.l    re111.1rk.1ble  dream, 
III.  108,  109 
Craigcrook  Castle,    III.  106,  *  107. 

Craigcrook,  Lady,  III.  T09 
Crarcie -Wallace,  Lady,  III.  90 
Craicinc.ilt,    or    Craigangilt,    The 

rock,  II.  I02.III.  151 
Craigleith,  III.  94,  107 
Craigleith  quarry,  III.  82,  83,  III. 

Craiglockhart,  III.  42,  43 
Craiglockhart  Hill,  III.  42 
Craigmillar,    II.   3v'.,    III.    57,   142, 

169,  239,  287,  338 
Craigmillar,  Henry  de,  III.  58 
Craigmillar,  Laird  of,   III.  61,  94 
Craigmillar  Castle,  I.  1;,  4.?, 77,  III. 

3,    50,    58;    views   of,    III.    *  6o, 

f'late  27  ;  its   history,    III.    v  — 

62;   Uueen  Mary  at,  III.  59 
Craigmillar  Hill,  III.  61 
Craigmillar  Park,  III.  51,  58 
Craigmillar  Road,  III.  58 
Craig's  Close,  I.  179,  203,  229,  230 
Craig's  plan  of  the  new  streets  and 

squares,  II.  ■  117,  n3 
Cramond   village,    III.    311,    314— 

318,    Plate    14  ;   its    history,     III. 

314,  315;  the  "Twa  Prigs,"  III. 

^315;    old   Cramond   Brig,   III. 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


Cr'.wll.r'.l'hi'r "William,  II.  47 
Crawford,     Captain,     and     Major 

Somerville,  I.  95 
Crawford,  Sir  John,  III.  51,  52,  53 
Crawford,    Thomas,     11. gh    School 

rector,  II.  290 
Crawford  of  Jordanhill,  Capt.,  III. 

Crawford  ,  ,f  Crawfurdland.  Howie- 
son,  III.  74 
Creichton,  James,  Provost,  II.  270 
Creichtoun  of  Felde,   Deputy  Pro- 

Creighlcii.  William  of,  II.  47 
Creech,  William,    bookseller,  I.  155 


139; 

portrait  of,  I. 

ISO 

Creech 

Lord   Provos 

Burn 

Land,  I.  -  15 

is  Levee,"  I. 

t  ri.  lit. 

1,  Lord  Chanc 

•II.  .r 

Cnchto 

,30, 

Crichton  Casl 
Crichton  of  I. ugton,   flavid,  II.    ,9 
Crichton,  Dr.  Andrew,  III.  79 
Crichton,    Dr.    Archibald,   II.    123, 

III.  162 
Crichton,    George,   Bishop  of  Dun- 

keld,  I.  140.  204,  II.  30,47,48 
Crichton,   Richard,  ar.  hiteel,  1 1.  94 
Crichton  of  Elliock,  Robe  t,  I.  126 
Crichton,  Lieut.-Col.   Patrick,  III. 

161  ;  duel  by,  III.  162  ;  hisson,  ib. 
Crichton  Street,  II.  329,  330,  333, 

Cric  h'tons  of  Brunstane.The,  I II.  r5o 
Cringletie,  Lord,  II.  174 

Crisp,  Henry,  I.    ,4; 
Crispin.  Feasts  of  St.,  II.  104 
Cr.j.  hall.m    Club,    I.    235,   230,    II. 

157,  187,111.122 
.  rockat,  Lieut. -t  lenera'.  III.  05,  9^ 
Croft-an-Righ,   ,  ,r   the    field  of  the 

King,  II.  41,     44 
Cromarty,  Earls  of,  I.  In,  II.  298, 

299.  353.   354.   HI.  30,   114,  214, 

(roml.it  s  Close,  II.  230,  270 
Cromwell,  Oliver,  I.  4,  54,  55,  56, 
74.  75.  159.  2°°.  =°7,  218,  227,  298, 
353,  367,  371,  II-  3i,  73,  182,  258, 
286,  290,  327,  367,  375,  383,  III. 
n,  43,  99,  i°3,  "3,  142,  143,  151, 
186,  187,  193,  219,  222,  230,  254, 
318,  329,  330,  343,  347  ;  proposed 
'  '"    7a 


1  rook  .!..,;, i.  thel 
Crosby,  Andrew, 

2=2,  23.,  II.  ,7 

Cro.s,    the  City, 

1  .11',  152.  195,  203,227, 
334,  IL  2,  (..,  ;  ,  ,  ,,III  ( 
146,  155,  182,  191  ;  cruel  pu 


the, 


Keys  Tavern,  I.  251 
■  of  St.  John,  II.  2 
isrig,  Lord,  I.  161,  162,  II.  246 


_6,   171,    271,   II. 
146,  302,  III.  23,  335 
Cull. Jen,  P.attle  of(j..-  Battles) 

of,   I.  332,  334, 


203, 


Crown  Hotel,  II.  118 


Sir  William,  II.  153, 
III.  57 

1    ...:    Raberton,    House 
A,  II.  162 

iiiaiaguam.  Rev.  Dr., I.  87,  III.  51 
n.iii  inhume.    Dr.    George,     the 
i    .      .    :..!.,   II.  208 
.    .  .■     II     :-.-%  The,   Candlemaker 


Curriehill,  Lord,  II.  302 
Curriehill  Castle,  III.  334 
Curriehill  House,  II.  302 
"Curses,"  the  Union  Song,  I.  104 
Custom  House,  Granton,  III.  314 
Custom  House,   The,    Leith,    III. 
91,  192,  228,   250,   "2114,  ::j 


,  Leith,  111.273 


Cu-tom  House tjLK.v,  I.c-i 
Cuthbert's  Lane,  II.  138 


D'Ar 

".  I-  =74 

"Daft  Bailie  Duff,"  II.  255 

/),i/7v  A'.:..-,:...  The,  I.  288,  289 

1  lalglcish,  I:  .thueil's  acemphee 

I  i.irnlev's  murder,  1.  2-,-;,  III.  4 

■  '       Nicol,    minister    of    1 


(hi., 


iChu 


Dalglcisll's  C  lo-e,    I.   207,  252 

D.dhousie,   Earl  of,   I.    154,  II.  26, 
98,  166,  318,  III.  342  ;  Countess 


282, 
Dalkeith,  II.  236,  283,  29r,327,  III. 

61,  134,  364 
Dalkeith  House.  III.  146 
1  'alkcith  railway,  I.  384 
Dalkeith  Road,  II.  340,   355,   III. 

51,  57 
Dalmeny  Park,  III.  in 
Dairy  burn.  II.  347 
Dairy.   District  of,  II.  213,  216,217, 

Hi.    27,   3,,   02 

Dairy  manor-house,  II.    217,111.  78 
Dairy'  Road,  II.  214,  216,  217,  218 

Dalrymple,    David,  Lord  Weill, ill, 

rialrymple,  Hugh, Lord  Drummore, 

Dalnnq.le,  Sir  David,   I.  171,  172, 

II.  243,  366 
Dalrymple,  Sir  Hew,  III.  262,  340 
I  Ulrviuple.  Sir   lames,  II.  327 
Dalrymple,    Sir  John,    II.   26,   86, 

I  ...iVy'mpfc,  Sir  Robert,  II.  143 

I  l.ilrvinple  ofCastlcO.il,  Sir  Robert, 

I.  276 
I  Cili^  in  pie  of  O  msland,  II.  348 
Dalrymple,  William,    I. 


/-,"' 

1T367' 

Dalrymple  of  Stair.  I.  62,  III.  323 
Dalrymple,  Lady,  II.  346 
Dalrymple's  Yard,  I.  219 
Dah'ell.  Sir  John  Graham.  II.  .'2 
Dalyelllor  Dalzell).  Sir  Thomas,  I. 


!78, 


1  larien   Company,    III.    1  ,.,  ;  office 

of  the,  II.  323 

Dari.  11  expedition,  The,  III.  190 

Darien  House,  II.  323,  324,  325, 

Dark  age  of  Edinburgh,  I.  187,  III. 

126 

Dark  Pit,  The,  I.  69 

Darnley,  Lord,  I.  45,46,  47,50,  70, 
126,  i63,  204,  207,  276,  II.  18,  27, 
35,  58,  66,  67,  68.  74,  286,  III.  59  ; 
Oilcan  Mary  and,  I,  41;  murder 
of,  II.  70,71,111.  3 -7,  20.  23  ;  em- 
balming.,fhisl..,.lv,  II.  71,  III.  7 

Dasses,  I  lie,  II.  313 


.,  I.  25,  26    II.  3,  47,  53, 


I  laviil's  lower,  Edinburgh  Castle, 
I.  26,  33,  34,  36,  42,  44,  46,  48,  49, 
77,  84,  II.  55 

I  lavidson  ..1  Muirhouse,  III.  316 

Davidson's  Close,  II.  21 

Davidson's  House,  Castle  Hill,  I.  55 


the' 


1  Room."  ;/..  ;  lintel  of 
,   two  views,    I.  235, 


-236 

ll.iv.suii,  the  comedian,  II.  24. 
Dean,  Baronial  family  of,  II.  134 
Dean,  or  Dene,  Village  of,   1.  183, 

359.  HI-  62,  63,  64,  66,  67,  108 

1  'call  Bank,  111.7s;  ihee.lu,  all.lial 

in-miili.  11,  III. "is 
Dean  Bridge,  I.  10,  III.  63,  67,  70, 


1  Bridge  Road,  III.  82 
1  cemetery,  I.  218,  II.  2c 
[.  63,  66,  68,^69 
1  Church,  III.  67 


Dean  Haugh,  I.  366, 


Dean  Orphan  Hospital,   II 
Dean  Path,  III.  67 
Dean  Side,  III.  67 
Dean  Street,  II 
Dean  Street  Ch 
Dean  Terrace, 


rcn,.!!. 


■1.1"  n 


coast  aftertheUn 
Defences  of  Leith, 'I 
De  Foe,  Daniel,  I. 
Degraver,  Dr.  Pier 
Deid-chack,  The,  I 
Denham,  Sir  Jam. 


Den 


,  342 


I  iciiham's  Land,  II.  324,  325 

1  leiilal  Hospital  and  School,  II.  276 

Derby,     Countess    <..{,    mistress    of 

Charles  II.,  II.  21 
I  lesmond,  Earls  of,  I.  204 
Destitute  Children,  Home  for,  II. 

Devil,   Legend  of  raising  the,  II.  3 
Devil's  Elbow,  The,  I.  71 
Ik-war's  Close,  II.  236 
"Diamond    Beetle  Case,"  The  jeu 

it  esprit  of,  II.  207 
Dick,  Sir  Alexander,  II.  86,  III.  57, 


III.  49 

Dick  family.  The.  III.  114 

Dick,  Lady  Anne,  Strange  hat. its 


of,  I.  254,  HI-  114  (>«  Royston, 
Lord) 

Iii    ;.-(  unningham  family,  III.  ^6 
Dickens,  Charles,  in  Edinburgh,  1 1. 

Dickison   of  Winkston,   House  of, 

Dickson,  the  minister  of  St.  Cuth- 

bert's  Church,  II.  132 
Dickson.  Dr.  David,  II.  134 
Dickson's  Close,  I.  253,  264,  II.  302, 

Digges,  the  comedian,  I.  342,  343, 

II.  =3,  24,  III.  241 
Dilettanti  Society,  The,  I.  108 
Dingwall,  Lord,  I.  262,  III.  62 
Dingwall,  Sir  John,  I.  343 
Dingwall's  Lastlc,  I.  340,  353 
I  hrloton,   Lor..!.   III.  318,  348 
I  broiii.  Colonel,  II.   120,  174 


Dissenters,  Various  sects  of,  1 1 1.  9 
1  listless  of  the  Edinburgh  poor  I 

1795,  IL  283 
Dobell,  Sydney,  III.  148 
Dock  Stiect,    Leith,    III.    255 
Dock   Place.   Leith,   111.  :s, 
Doctors  of  Faculty  Club,  III.  123 
1  loiiiini    all  ill.  aastery,  II.  250,  284 

Darnley's    body    found 
gardens  of,  II.  286,  288 
Don,  Sir  Alexander,  II.  159,  II 


the 


339 


the 


■  351 


95 


Donaldson's     Hospital,     I.    3l3,    II 

214,  Flate  20 
Donaldson's  Close,  I.  318 

Donalds,  .n,  I  'r.    lames,  II.  112,  I2i 

Donaldson,  the  "l kseller.    I.  318 

his  sun  James,  I.  310,  il.  214 
Donaldson,  Capt.,  II.  153 
Dc, aids. .ri,  the  theatrical  author,  I 

Donnibristle  Castle,  I.  246,  III.  113 

302 
Doo  Park,  III.  37 
"  Doubling  the  Cape,"  III.   123 
Douglas,  Duke  of,  I.  105,  142,  II 

331,    35°,   351  i   Duchess   of,    II 


.   1  ...I...:,  .■  ,. 
,  42.  43,  258,  III.' 

old  lll.uisi.iii  ,  if  the,   II.  253 
Douglas.  Archibald,  Earl  of  Angus, 

Provost,  II.  279 
I  'ouglas.Arcliil.al.l.  Marquis,  1 1,  330 
Douglas,    Archibald    Earl     of,    "II. 

331,  III.  32 
Douglas,  James  Marquis  of,  II.  351 
Douglas,   James,    Earl  of  Morton, 

II.380 
D.mgl.is,  Sir  Archibald,  I.  196 
Douglas,    Sir   Archibald    and    Sir 

"obert,  " 


Douglas,  Sir  George,  I.  196 
II.  283 
I.  -S3  . 
2'ClI.35?37U, Til.  119,  318..34*! 


Douglas,  Sir  la 

_"       Sir  Neil,  11.  153 

Douglas,  Sir  Robert,  the  historian 


1  I.  .Uglas, 


I  'oiiglas  ,f  Blockhouse,  The  family 

of,  III.  193,  315 
Douglas  of  Cavers,  I.  271 
I  '... uglas  of!  llenbervic.  Sir  William, 


uglas  .  .| 

HI-  354 

Douglas", .fHyvclie, William,  III      , 
Douglas  of  Kilspindie,    Archibald, 

Provost,    II.   279,  280  ;   begs  the 


Douglases  and    Hamiltons,    Feuds 
between  the,  II.  63,  279,  285 

Douglas  ofSpott.  III.  330 

I  'ouglasofWhittinghame,  William, 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


Douglas,  l'.a-on,  II.  351 

Ilougln,,  Lady  Jane,  Execution  of, 

I.  83,  84 
Douglas  of  t'.rantullv,  Lady  Jane, 

I.   208,   258,  384,   II.  9,  115,  318, 

349-351,  III.  91 
Douglas-Stewart,  Lady  Jane,  Story- 


Douglas,  Campbell,  architect,  III. 

Douglas,  General,  I.  =82 

]  1  Hi-la*.  William,  miniature  painter, 

II.  190  ;  his  daughter,  ib. 
Dougla.,  the  painter,  II.  89,  90 
Douglas,  the  clan,  II.  04,   III.   150 
"  Douglas,"  the  tragedy  of,  II.  24, 

27,  III.  45,  2T9,  240 — 242 
1  '     ; .. '  .   .      » :' .     ;  II 

Dougla-.  I'ranci-  I  Irown,  Lord  Pro- 

■     II 
Douglas,  Heron,  &  Co.,  the  bankers, 

II.  19  ;  failure  of,  II.  35 
I)  .uglas  Hotel,  St.  Andrew  Square, 


Abbot   Wil 


Dover,  Duke  of,  II.  35 

Dow  Craig,  The,  II.  100,  101,  106 

Dowie,  Johnnie,   I.  119.  120,  * 124  ; 

■     :   V-""  Club,  I.  119 

Drama,    The    early  Edinburgh,  II. 

23,    24,    40 ;    denounced   by   the 

Presbytery,  II.  24,  39  ;  theCalton 

Hill  plavs.  II.  100 

Dr.iwl.ri  Ice,  The,   Leith,  III.   198 

Dreghorn,  Lord,  II.  158,  166,  III. 

Dreghom  Castle.  III.  323,      ;24 

Drem,  Barony  of,  II.  233 

Dress   Scottish   dislike   uf  English, 

II.2S0 
Dres:     of    the     Scottish    gentry    a 

century  ago,  III.  139 
Dromedary.  A  travelling,  II.  15 


Drum,  The,  III.  128 
Drumdryan,  II.  218,.  247 
Drumlanrig,  Earl  of,  II.  3? 
I  irunilanrig.   Laird  of,  I.  153 
I  lrur:iinul/;er.    Laird  of,  I.  194 
Drummond,  Lord  John,  I.  332 
Driunmond,  Sir  Oeorge,  Lord  Pre 


7fW, 


1  -i  : 


Drummond,  Bishop  William  Aber- 

nethy,  I.  261,  264 
Drummond,   Colin,   physician,   II. 

Drilmmond,  Dr.  John,  II.  147 
Drummond,  George,  I.  176,  183 
Drummond  Hay.  Coins  of,  II.  87 

I  Inianiii  -a.!,   lamjs,  .naist  and  anti- 
quarian. Ii.  3,.  III.  84,  102,327; 

Drummond,  Jean,  I.  92 
Drummonds  of  Carnock,  The,  III. 

Drammond  Place,   I.  217,  280,  II. 

191,  192,  193,  209 
Drummond  Place  Hardens,  II.  191 
Drummond    Street,    I.    ;S,    II.  330, 

335,  33S,  III.  3,  7 
Drummore,  Lord.  I.  251,  II.  348 
I  Iru.nqabasel,    laird  of,  I.  259,  260 
I  triunshetigh  vilUg..-,  I  1 

III.  71.  105;  ,iew  In. 111.  Ill,        -' 
D.-umsheugh,  Forest  of,  I.  237,  II. 

42,  100,  347,  III.  28,  50,  129,  143, 

3*7 
Drumsheugh  House,  II.  n=,   200, 

III.  139 
Druu.sheugh  Park,  III.  70,  75 


I.  238  ;  treachery  . 

ry's  gun-battery,  I.  76,  330 
den, III.        ' 


''Duchess    of    Br  iganza,"  Play 

the,  I.  343 
1  lud.lmgston,  I.  383,  II.  290,  3< 

317,  318,  347.   HI-    So.   111,   1 

II. '314":'  l.-'t  '.,v"a'  'll'    :'.''■■  L'" 
Duddingston     Church.     II. 
313,  3'4.'.  gateway  of,  1 1. 


14,  ;  skatinc,  there. .11, 
Duff,  the  actor,  I.  350 
Duffiis,  1  ady,  II.   I,;.; 
Dag:. Id    Stewart's    lilon 

109,  "III 
Duke  of  Albany  (sit  J, 

of  Albany) 
Duke    of    Albany's     0 


Duke 
)wn  High- 
apartments, 


Andrea 


Dumbreck's    Hotel, 

Square,  II.  343 
Dunbar,  Earl  of,  III.  14, 

Dunbar.  Sir   I.., lies.  II.  267 
Dunbar,  William,   Burns'  lines  on, 

I.  142,  235,  236,  II.  255 
Dunbar.  B.ntle  office  Battles) 
I  lunbar's  Close,  I.  6,  55,  II.  93 
Duncan,  Admiral,  II.  343,  III.  158, 

Duncan,   Dr.  Alulrew,  pbvsi.  i.in.  I. 
379,384.11.154,  .70,3,1,111.3° 
Duncan,  L.i.lv,  II.  34, 
Duncan,  the  painter,  II,   ii 
Duncan's  Land,  III.  78 


I  Ian. la-,  Sir    I'll. .mas,  II.  102 
Dun. las.    Henry,  Viscount  McKille 

(see  Melville) 
Dundas,  Lord  Chief  Baron,  II.  2,0, 

Dundas,  Robert  Lord  Arniston.    I. 

.23,, 59,  ,72,  142,  II III. 

Dundas.    President,  lather  of  Lord 


Dundas,  Lord  Advocate,  II.  343 
Dundas.  Sir  David,  I.  306,  if.  2S3. 

III.    105,   264;   anecdote    of  his 

mother,  I.  366 
1  'tin. las.  Mi  l.eorge,  II.  ,02 
Ire     'a       3      \:     ,    I     ■■     I      ,  II 

1  lan  las,  Admiral  Deans,  1  ti  thplace 

Dundas  of  Aske,  Baron,  II.  ,7, 
Dundas  of  Beechwood,  Sir  Robert, 

III.  86,  105 
Dundas,  Lady  Emily.  II.  1,98 
Dundas,  Lady  Eleonora,  III.  258 
Dundas,  Col.  Walter,  I.  34 
Dundas,    Lieut. -Gen.    Francis,    II. 

2,0,  342 
Dundas,  Mr.,  II.  202,  283 
Dundas  riots,  1792,  II.  343 
Dundas   Street,    II.   199  ;   its  resi- 
dents, II.  199,  III.  ,62 


Dundrennan,  Lord,  II.  ,75 
Dunglas  and  Greenlaw,  Baron,  II. 

1  lunkc-hl.  Bishops  of,  I.  39,  233,  II. 
54,  251,  287,  III.  132,  307,  314 

Dunfermline,   Earl  of,  1.    ;ic,  II.  2  3, 
Dunfermline,  Lord,  III.  50,  323 

I  luiifermline.    House  of  the  Abb  ,t 


ol,  1.  212,  253 
Dunlop,    Dr.  Vans.    Bequ 


,  Abl  otiof.Mc'i 


:,  George,  Abbot  of  Dunlerm- 
,  the  painter,  II.  87,  89 


East  Cross  Causeway,   I.   384,  II. 

3if3,  349.  HI-  50 
East  end  of  High   Street.   Nether 

Bow,  and  west  end  of  Canongate, 

II.  *  5 
1  astbauk,  Lord,  II.  10 
Last  Gardens,  II.  127 
East  Hermitage  Place,   Leith.  III. 

266 
East  India  Club,  III.  125 
Last  London  Street.  II.  185 
East   Maitland  Str.et.   II.  2.  - 1 
Last    Morningsale    lb. 11....  III.  4- 
East  Pilton,  III.  ''30Q 
East  Princes   Street   Gardens,  II. 


it  Register 
East  Richmond  Str. 
East  Warriston  Ho 
Easter,  The  district 
Easter  and  Wester 
Easter  Coates,  Man 


.  of,  I  I 


::"- 


Easterlings,  III.  94 

Easter  Road,  II.  300,  III.  128,  131, 

Easter  Weiiys's,  1° 305 

Eastern  and  Western  Duddingston, 

II.  3.4 
Echo  Hank,  III.  -o,  ■;  ;  old  hou-e.s 
at,  III.  «  57 

Rock,  The,  II.  : 

■    --I.  ,4= 
Ldgar  s  map  ,1    Edinburgh,  I.  310, 
338,  34°,  362.  373,  382,  II.  17,  82, 
230,  246,  2I7,  27,,  330,  334 
Edgefield's  (Lord),  House,  I.  24, 
Edge-tool  maker,  The  first,  II.  263 
Edinburgh  Academy,  III.  8, 
Edinburgh,  Arms  of  the  City  of,  1. 

,6 
Edinburgh  Castle,  I.  '  1,  2,  14—79  : 
Stowand  Camden's  accounts.  13  ; 
the  leeend  of  the  White  Hart, 
'2,;  Holyrcod  Abbey,  22;  the 
monks  of  the  Castrum  Puella- 
rum,  ii. ;  capture  of  the  Castle  by 
the  English,  ib.  ;  it  becomes  a 
royal  residence,    23;   war.  of  the 


a-Jemior 

of  the  fori 


gress  of  the  city,  //•.  ;  Henry  IV. 
invades  the  city,  27  ;  the  EngH-h 
bafjl-.d,  /''■.  ;  Alii. my's  prophecy, 
ib. ;  laws  regarding  the  building 
of  houses,  ib.  ;  sumptuary  law-. 
2S:  mu.der  of  lames  I.,  29  ;  co- 
ronation of  James  II..  ib.  .'Court 
intrigues,  ?_g,  30  ;  Lord  Chancellor 


;;i  ;  the  city  fortified,  //'.  ;  James 
III.  and  his  haughty  nobility, 
-,2  ;  plots  of  the  I  hike  of  All.ain 
and  Earl  of  Mar,//-.  ;  mvsteriou. 
death  of  Mar.  //>.  ;  capture  and 
escap^ofthe  Duke  of  Albany,  3 ;, 
-14  ;  cptivity  of  James  III..  -4  ; 
Richard  of  Cbu-Vster  at  Edin- 
burgh,//.  ;  the  "t '.olden  Charter" 
of  [he  city,  1':  ;  the  "  Wue  Ulan 
ket,"  34,-36  .accession  of  James 


Castle.  I.  47  •  Elizabeth's  spy,  4",; 
!mi  W.  Drurys  dispositions  tor 
the  siege.  4;.  4,  :  execution  cf  S>r 
W.  kirk.ddy.'  ,0  :  repair  of  the 
mills,  ib  ;  eseeU-.i.ia  of  [he  Earl 
of   Morton.   /.■-.;  m^i   uf  Charles 


castle  besieged  by  Cromwell,  //■.  ; 
ten  years'  peace  in  Edinburgh, 
55  :  the  Restoration,  ib.  ;  the 
\Z  ;  the  accession  of 
James  VIE,  58  ;  sentence  of  the 
Earl  of  Argyle,  58,  59  ;  his  clever 
escape,  59  ;  the  last  sleep  of  Ar- 
gyle. ib.;  his  death,  ib.  ;  torture  of 
the  1.  ov<  nanters,  59,)  .;  pi  1  lam- 
aiton  of  William  and  Mary,  62  ; 
the  siege  of  1689,  63  ;  interview 
between  the  Duke  of  Gordon  and 
Viscount  Dundee,  ib.  ;  brilliant 
defence  of  the  Castle,  63,  64  ;  ca- 
pitulation of  the  Duke  of  <  Gordon, 

65  ;  inner  gateway  of  the  Castle, 
'■  65  ;  the  spectre  of  Claverhouse, 

66  ;  torture  of  Neville  Pa>  ne,  ib.  .- 
Jacobite  plots,  ib.  ;  entombing  of 
the  regalia,  66,  67;  project  for 
surprising  the  fortress,  67  ;  right 
of  sanctuary  abolished,  ib.  ;  Lord 

I  'riimiTLiind'.:  plot,  Co  ;  some  Jaco- 
bite prisoners,  69  ;  "  rebel  ladies," 
70;  James  Macgregor,  ib.  ;  the 
Castle    vaults,    70,    71  ;  attempts 


lh. 


destruction  of  the 

and    sceptre,    ib.  ;     crown-room 

opened  in  1794  and  in  1817,  ib.  ; 
Mons  Meg,  74  ;  general  descrip- 
!■  a  ■  ■("  tin  1  .■.-:'..■,  -  -  - , 
Edinburgh  Castle  and  city,  Ancient 
and  modern  views  of,  I.  5,  17, 
28,  33.  4i,  45,  53,  5<5»  57,  64,  73, 
77,  80,  81,  85,  ii2,  125,  IC.7.  203, 
Plates  .',3,  4;  view  of  the  Castle- 
pointS,  II.  140,  216, 


tir-t 


III        , 

Edinburgh  in  1745,  I.  33' 
Charles  Stuart  in  the  city 

Edinburgh,  Origin  of  the  n 
12  ;  [he  infant  1  ity,  I.  2 
enclosed  by  walls, 'I.  31 

I  1   .tin.1   (  dasgi  >w  Railway 

Edinburgh    and    Leith     Seamen' 
Friendly  Society,  III.  207 

P.ii/iburxAAtfwtisi-r/rhe,  I.31E 


Edinburgh  Association  of  Science 

and  Arts,  11.  ,43 
Edinburgh,  Ri shop  of,  III.  147 

Edinburgh    Wind    Wluiu.  Ill,    ■-  , 
Edinburgh    Lotanie    (  '.ardeii,    Leith 

Walk,  III.  98;  its  curator,  ib. 
Edinburgh  Cemetery  Company,  II. 


Edinburgh  Courant,  The,   I.  203, 
216,  241,   .-1 
383,  II.   261,  307,    J34,    578,    III. 

61,  64,  89,  99,  no,  n 
254,  258,  266,  318,  346 
Edinburgh    I  >eat  and    1  'urn'.  Insti- 
tution, III.  S4 


376 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


Edinburgh  Hock,  Leith,  III.  '284, 

286,  287 
Edinburgh,  Duke  of,  III.  288 

Edinburgh.   ]  .ukedom  of,  III.  126 
Edinburgh  Education.-1ll.wit1.ti,  ,11, 
II.  158 

Edinburgh  Hospital  for  Incurables, 
HI.  55 

Edinburgh  Industrial  School,  I.  264, 

«  265 
]-'., l],il,ut-.j.h    Institution    t,,r    Educa- 

t.on,  II.  153 
Edinburgh    Ladies'    Institution   for 

Education,  II.  344 
Edinburgh  Literary  Institute, 1 1 1.  51 
Edinburgh  Mechanic s'  Subscription 

Library,  I.  251 
Edinburgh  Merchant  Company  (jc^ 

Merchant  Company). 
Eiiin'<it>i;''i      Monthly     Magazine, 

II.  140,  III.  34,  312,  367 
Edinburgh  Original  Kagg.-al  Irnlu  ,■ 

trial  School,  I.  87 
Edinburgh    Philosophical    Institu- 

Edinburgh   RevL 

11.  143,  1 

Ediubiugh 
II.  326 

Edinburgh  Scl 1  of  \,t,  I.    ;  |, 

Edinburgh  Theatrical   Fund  Asso- 


EdMurgh    Weekly  Journa 

79,  82,  89,  143,  154 
Edinburgh    Weekly  Magaz 


u:\  "\ 


Edinburgh  Young    Men's 

Ednionston  Edge,  I.  43.  I 
I'.Ini.  ,-i-t.  .ii.-.    I  ,„,!.   Ill      ; 
Ed.nonstone,  Colonel,  II. 
Edmonstone,  III.  339 
Edn.onstone  House,  III. 


Edward 

351  ;  captures  Edinburgh  Castle, 

I.  23 
Edward  IE,  II.  46,  so.  III.  166,  354 
Edward    III.,    I.    25,    II.    47,    305, 

III.  274 
Edward  IV.,  II.  234 
Effingham,  Lord,  II.  98 
Egl.nton,  Earls  of,  I.  170,231,  232, 

233,  III.  104,  116,  151,  270,  315  ; 


231,  232,  '233,  234,  275,  11.  9; 
her  daughters,  I.  232,  234 ; 
murder  of  her  son,  I.  132,  234  ; 
Dr.  Johnson's  visit  to  her,  I.  234  ; 
her  complexion,  ib.  ;  her  grand- 
daughter, II.  2'',;  the  guardian 
of  her  family,  II.  34 


Elbe  Street.  South  I.eith,  III.  236 
EKliies,  Patrick   (.rant,  Lord,  III. 

33S 
Elcho,  Lord,  I.  326,  327,  II.  31,  318, 

322,  III.  198,  222,  366 
Elder.  Lord  Provost,  II.  157,  176, 

177,  282,  •" 


Tilde 


.-Colo 


•  371 


Elder  Street, 

Eldin,  Lord,  IE,  186,  t87,  III.  167, 

360;  his  fondness  for  cats,  II.  186  ; 

accident  at  the  sale  of  his  effects, 

II.  187 
Eldin.    l„hn  Clerk  of,  II.  186,  i9t 
Eldin  House,  III.  359 
Electric  time-ball,  The,  II.  108 
Elgin,  Earl  of,  I.  107,  336 
Elihank.    Patrick    Lord,  I.  83,  101, 

II.  27,  166,  351 
Eh/abeth,  Countess  of  Ross,  I.  246 
Elizabeth,  Queen,    I.    47,   49,   III. 


of    Mi. 


nil,.. 


Elliot,  the  publisher,  I. 
Elm   Place.    Leith.    III. 

Elm  Row,  Leith  Walk, 
Elphinstone,  Lord,  II.  103,  35s 

Elphhi.tonc,    Jar 


272  ;  distinguished  reside 
I.  271—274 

l.lj.lmi  .tine  of  I:,, niton,  Lord  Bal- 

Llp hin, tone,  The  Master  of,  III. 

Elphinstone  family,  The,  III.  222 
Elphinstone.  Mistress  of,  I.  257 
Llphiust,  nes  of  Logie,  The,  III.  91 
Emery,  the  actor,  I.  348 
"  En,  velopa-dia    lb  iiannica."  The. 
I.  an,  223,  339,11.  126,  165,  III. 

Li'.dmyiie-s  Well,  I.  276,  277 
English  Episcopal  Chapel,  I.  262 
Enclish  in  Scotland,  'The,  I.  23,  24, 

III.  308,  351  ;  driven  out,  I.  25 
English  invasion  expected,  II.  330 
Englishmen  captured  by  Scotsmen, 

I.  31 
Entablature    above    the    Gateway, 

Edinburgh  Castle,  I.  ~  51 
Environs  of  Edinburgh,  The,  III. 

314-368;  map  of,  III. '325 

1  pis,  ,  pal  (  hapcl.t  , >\\  cite.  I  1.  .'J;, 
;  240.    III.  63;  its  bell,  II.  247; 

Episcopal  Chapel,'  Leith,  The  early, 

Episcopacy  in  Edinburgh,  Attempt 
to  enforce,  I.  51,  144,  208,  II.  131, 
24S.  375  ;  its  services  at  one  time 
p.  rl-rnied  by  stealth,  III.  231 

Episcopali 


159,  318, 


Erskine,  John,  Earl  of  Ma. 

Erskine,  Lord  Chancellor, 

287,  III.  271 
Erskine,    lohn  Lord,  II.   2 

318 
Erskine,  Sir  Alexander,  I. 


.37' 


11.344 


,11.243 


Erskine,  Sir  Harry 
Erskine,  Sir  Thomas,  111.  318 
Erskine,  Ceil.  Sir  William,  1 1.  ,07 
Erskine,  Sir  William.  I.  n  ■  III.  .-  - 
Erskine  of  Alva,  Charles  Lord  Jus- 

tice-Clerk,  I.  236,  237 
Erskine  of  Alva,  Sir  Chj 
Erskine  of  Cardross,  I. 
Erskine  of  Carnock,  II.  379 
Erskine  of  Dun,  II.  67,  68 
Erskine   of   Forrest,    Capt.   J.- 
Francis, II.  282 
Erskine  of  Mar,  John  Francis 

Erskine  of  Scotscraig,  Sir  Art 

II.70 
Erskine  of  Torrie,  Sir  James,  I 
Erskine,  Hon.  Andrew.  II.  115 
Erskine,  Hon.   Henry,  I.  115, 


Erskine,   Lady  Elizabeth,  II.  115 
Erskine.  Mrs.  Mary,  II.  272,  362 
Erskine  Club,  II.  17 
Escape  of  prisoners  from  Edinburgh 

Castle,  Attempted,  I.  71 
Esk,  The  river,  III.  318,  346,  353, 

^'coafse^sflll^^36^ 

Eskgrove,  Lord,  II.  26,  120,  III.  367 
Esplanade,  'The,   1.  79,  83,86 
Esten,    Mrs.,    the    actress,    I.   346, 

II.  178 
Eton  Terrace,  III.  74 
Ettrick  Shepherd,   The  {see  Hogg, 


Etty,  the  painter,  II.  89,  91 

Evers,  Lord,  I.  43 

Eubank,  |ohn,  the  painter,  II 

in.  79 

Ewing,  Greville,  I.  361,  362 
Exchange,  The,  I.  176,  178 
Exchange    Buildings,    Leith, 

171.  244,  *245 
Exchequer,  The,  I.  178 
Excise  Office,  The,  I.  112,  113 
22o.II.  23,    no,    191,  259, 


robberies  at  the,  I.  112 — 114 
Excise  I  Iffi, .e,  I.ruiuniond  Place,  II. 

*  192,  III.  124 
Execution    of     English    pirates   at 

Leith,  111.  190,  191 
Executions  for  various  offences,  I. 

83,  84,  86,  115,  117,  122,  126,  234, 

281,    332,    II.    228,    230,231,     238 

(see  also  Grassmarket) 


Fairb.Vrn,  Rev.  Dr.,  III.  303,     304  ; 

his  philanthropy,  III.  303 
Paul  ,x.  Admiral  Si.  W.  1;.,  II.  ,.,. 
Fairholme,  Adam,  III.  47 
Fairholme,  Bailie,  III.  47 
Fairh,,lu.e,    lames    III.  46,  47 
Fairholme.  George,  III.  47 
I  an  h    line    .'honias,  III.  47 
Fairies'  or  Haggis  Knowe,  II.  319 
Fair  Maid  of  Galloway,  The,  I-  31 
Fairnielee,  Alan  of.  Provost,  II.  278 
Fairy  Boy,  The,  II.  101 
Fairy  Holes,  Newhaven,  III.  299 
Falcon    Hall,    III.    i0;    its  ounc-r, 

III.  38 
Falconer,  Miss,  III.  38 
Falconer    of    Borrowstounness,    Sir 

David,    Lord    President,   II.  379, 

III.  199,  202,  206 
Falconer,  Patrick,  III.  365 
Falconer,    William,    author  of  the 

"  Shipwreck,"  I.  216 
Fa!,.,, nc-r of  Halke noun, Lord, 1 1.339 
Falkirk.  Battle  ol  (.tec  Battles) 
Falkirk  Road,  II.  215 
False    news,     Easy    circulation    of. 

I.60 
Falshaw,  Sir  James,  Lord  Provost, 

II.284,  "285,  III.  67 
Falshaw  Street,  III.  159 
Fast  Castle,  III.  37,  134,  135 
Fault.  Mis,    Helen,  actress,  I.  351 
Fenton,  Viscount,  III.  318 
Fentonbarns,  Lord,  I.  207 
Fenwick,  the  painter,  II.  199 
Fergusson,     George    (Lord     Her- 

mand).    I.    i7o,    173,    II.  207  ;  his 

defence  of  the '45  prisoners,  I.  170 
Fergusson,  Sir  C.    Dalrymple,  III. 

36> 
Fergusson,    Robert,    poet,    I.    107, 

119,  230,  238,  348,    II.    127,    194, 

3 IO,   324,  338.  III.  125,  245,  269; 

Fergusson,   Robert,  "  the  plotter," 

I.  66 
Fergusson  of  Pitftur,  James,  I.  213 
Fergussoii.   1  >r.  Adam,  historian,   I. 

123,236,11.27,29,  191,  III.  55.  240 


Ferries  of  Leith,  The 
Ferry  Rail,  II.  82,  11 


Fettes,  Lord  Provost  Sir  William, 
II.3i,i73,2S3,III.82,  97;  Lady, 
II.  318 

Fettes  College.  III.      So,  82,  97,  288 

Fettes,  the  painter,  II.  89 

Fettes   Row,   1.    135,  II.   ,85 

Feuds  of  the  Newhaven  and  Pres- 

tonpans  fishermen,  III.  300,  301 
File.  Earl  of,  1.    ■-.,,  II.  86",  III".  V; 

146;   Lady,  III.  265 
Figgate    Burn,    III.   143,    144,    146, 

259,  263 
figgate  Muir,  III    142,  143 
Figgate  Whins,  III.  ,44.  :-/, 
Filby,  .  ioldsmith  s  tailor,   I  1.   .'-,4 
Fincastle,  Lord,  II.  120 
Fing/ie  Place,  Leith,  III.  266 
Fin lav,  Wilson's  friend,  II.  199 
Fire  of  1B24,  Ruins  of  the,  I.  *  185 
Fire,  Sir  W. : 
First   Parlia 

Cavalcade  at  the  opening  •'(, 
Firth  ofForth.The.II. 151,319 

164,   165,  166,  160,   180,  182, 


kiehr 


of, 


"  I-  ishui.es'  Causeway,"  I.  10,  12, 

III.  144,  165 
Fishwomen  of  Musselburgh,  II.  22 

(see  ah  >  Newhaven) 
Filzsinimons,  Rev,   Mr.,  II.  248 
Flax. nan.  the  sculptor,  II.   .35 
Fleming,  Lord,  I.  40,  262,  III.  298, 
,40  :   marriage  of,  H.  306 
'"      '    g,  Sir  James,  I.  196 
The,  II.  265 

rket,The,  1. 192, 219, 1 1. 17 
ket  Close.  I.  113,  121,  133, 
236,  338,   II.   17  ;  formerly 


1   leshe, 


the  Provost's  office,  II 
Fletcher,  Laurence,  comedian 
Fletcher  ofSaltoun,  II.  34,  I] 


of (see  Battles) 
.  38,  »  40,  183, 


Foot 


tne  comedian,   I.    342,   343, 
111.  163 

Foute,   Maria,  actress,  I.  350 

Forbes,  Lord,  II.  194 

Forbes  of  Culloden,  Lord  President 
Duncan,  I.  159,  161,  166,  330,  IE 
83,  382  ;  his  fondness  for  golf.  Ill, 
31,  262  ;  his  biographer,  III.  43 

Forbes,  Sir  lohn  Stuart,  II.  151 

Forbes  of  Pitsligo,  Sir  William.  I. 
158,  ^176,  179 — 181,  239,  II.  120, 
142,  143,  188,  293,  318,  III.  47, 
244,  323  ;  his  wife,  II.  383 

For  hes,  Prof.  Ed  ward,  the  naturalist, 
III.  68,  242,  307 

I  I 

der,  I.  236 

Forties- 1  irumniond.  Sir  John,]  I.  270 

Forbes,  The  Master  of,  I    " 


Caul,. 
Forduii. 


Ret.     R, 


Forfar,  Earl  of,  II.  65 

Forge  House,  I.  36 

Forglen,  Lord,  I.  235,  236 

Forglen's  Park,  II.  325 

Forres  Street,  II.  204 

Forrest   of  Couiis.oii,    Sir     lames, 

Lord  Provost,  II.  284,  III.  326 
Forrest  Road,  11.  103,  267.  323,  -26, 

367 
Forrest's  Coffeehouse,  Edinburgh, 

III.  210 
Forrester,  Lord,  III.  119 
Forrester.    Sir    Adam,    I.    122,    278, 

III.  115,  118,  327 
iorrester,  Sir  Andrew.  II.  243 
Forrester.  Sir  John,  I.  31,  III.  11:, 

II9,3l8 
Forrester,  Lords,  III.  119-121 
Forrester   family,    'The,    III.     116, 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


:  tomb     'f,  G  ■  i  -- : ^  - r  1 1 i 1 1 : 

III.    -121 

Wynd,    I.  121,  122,  14 


Street,  II.  Qt,  1S5,  too 
cations  of  Inchkeith  Island, 
.111.292-294 

IL    90;    his 


Fortune,    Matth, 

brother,  ib. 
"  Fortunes  of  Nigel, 

the,  II.  346,  363 
Fortune's  Tavern,    I.  231,  234,  267, 


III. 


9",  1 -'4 


Fortune*.    Pontine,  Princes  Street, 

II.i76,III.9o 
Fothergill,  Dr.,  physician,  II.  302, 

III.  311 
Foulis  of  Colinton,   Sir  James,  II. 

288,  III.  318,  323 
Foulis    of  RaveUton,    Family    of, 


II  I 


lbs     of 


Foulis  of  Wooilh.,11,  ^ir  lames,  the 

painter.  III.  35 
Foulis  family.  The.   III.  323 
Foulis's  Close,  II.  159 
Fountain  before  Holyrood   Palace. 

II.  79,      81 
Fouutainbridge,   II.    132,   215,   218, 

Fountain  Close,  I.  276,  277.  II.  147 

Fountain  Well.    1  lie.  I.  144,  210 

Fountainhall,   Lord,  I.   58,  60,  97, 

146,  160,  169,  170,  202,  238,  251, 

270,  II.  28,  34,  35,  40,  59,  75,  Si, 


Fowi.e 


igajtc 


Fowler,    William,    House    of,     I. 

Fowler's  Close,  I.  276 
Fox's  Holes,  The,  II.  313 

Fran.. is   Pell's  Close.   II.  241 

Fianlc,  Capture  of  Edinburgh 
Castle  by  William,  I.  24 

Franklin'-.  Pcniauiin.  visit  to  Edin- 
burgh, II.  282 

Fraser,  Alexander,  Lord  Strichen, 


11.  294,  295,  327 
Fraser,  Major  And: 
Fraser   Tytler,    Lo 


Fraser'of  Beaufort,  I.  66 

Eraser  of  Strichen.   Mrs..   II.    ,63 


Frederick     Sti 


Free  Assembly  Hall,  II.  97 
Free  Church  College,  I.  86,  II.  95, 
96,  97,  199,  Plate  18;  library  of 
the,  II.  *  97,  98;  its  donors,  II. 
98 
Free  Church  of  Scotland,  Offices  of 
the,  II.  95 

.  I  ounding  ofthcl  1. 144 
Free  Church  of  St.  John,  I.  310 
Free     Gardeners     of     Broughton 

Barony,  II.  183 
Free  General  Assembly.  II.  Q7 
Free  St.  Cuthbert's Church,  II.  215 
Free  Tron  Church,  II.  275 
French  ambassador's  chapel,  Cow- 
gate,  II.  258,  *26o 
French     influence    in    the    Scottish 

court,  I.  44 
French    prisoners,    The    Castle    a 
receptacle  for.  1.71,78;  attempted 

Friars'  Wyn.l,  I.  219 

Frieads  of  the  People,  Treasonable 

practices  of  the,  II.  236,  237,  343, 

III.  67,  278 

.eeting" 
Mans 

277,  278 
Fynes   Morison  on  the  manners  of 

the  Edinburgh  people.  I.  108 
Fynie,  Acnes,  the  supposed  witch. 


Lord, 


1  lace.  M.cle.  and  Edinburgh  Castle, 

I.67 
Gaelic  church,  The,    II.   184,   235, 

Gaelic   Free  Church,  II.  214 
Gainsborough,  the  painter,  II.  S9 
Gairdner,  Dr.,  11.    ,35 
Gairns  ot  Greenhill,  Adam,  III.  47 
Gala    lilaw   Hill,   l.ilierton,    III.  330 
Gallery    of   the    kings,    Holyrood 

Palace,  II.  74,  76,  *  77,  79 
Galloway,    Alexander   Earl  of,    II. 


Galloway  House,  II.  257 
Gallowlee,  The,  1. 117, 118,  II. 

III.  151,  154,  155,  156,  157 
Gallows,  The,  II.  "  233 


1  of  Old  Gaul,''  the 


Gardiner. 
Gardiner's 
I  larucii  k, 


335,  382 

t  ,eddes,    Alexander,    artist, 

II.  187 

Gc<:>:<  s,  Murder  of  lames,  I.  1  ,4,  105 
Geddes,  Jenny,  I. '51.  144.  111.  184; 

riots  on  account'  of,    I.    122  ;  her 

stool,  I.  «  146,  II.  87 
Geddes,    Robert,     Laird    of  Scots- 

toun,  I.  253 
Geddes'  Close,  I.  236 
Geikie,  Professor,  III.  27 
General  Assembly,  The,  I.  90,  259, 

261,   II.  39,  48,  79,  133,  135.    144, 

233,  202,  29S,    ;  ,5  I  meet  Uig  ot  the. 


(  leneral     Assembly    of    the     Free 

Church,  II.  146 
General  Assembly  Hall,  I.  310,  II. 

General  Post  Office,  Edinburgh,  I. 

General's  Entry,  The,  II.  327,  "332, 

General's  Watch,  Cu 


II.  331 


107 


'  ic-ntlcni'.n  Pension* 
t  leordie  Boyd's  Mud  Brig,"  II.  82 
Gcorclie  More,  the  dwarf,  III.  23 
George  Inn,  The  old,  II.  326,  379 
George  Master  of  Angus,  II.  279 
t  leorge  II.,  Statue  of,  II.  298 
George    III.,    Submission    of    the 
Jacobites  to,   II.   247;  proposed 
statue  to,  II.   194,  270;  and  the 


II.  10S,  109,  124,  165,  287,  311, 
354,  III.  74,  77,  86,  146;  popu- 
larity of,  I.  350,  II.  58  ;  procla- 
mation of,  111.  -'07  ;  his  landing 
at  Leith,  III.  208;  Chantrev's 
statue  of,  II.  151 
George  Square,  I.  274,  II.  95.  255, 
269,  283,  333,  339—344,  345,  347, 
350,    III.    14;  ;    Mew  of.   II.  '   341 

George  Street,  II.  86,  91,  92,  118, 


Giants.  The  Irish.  11. 
Giant's  l'.rae,  Leith  Li. 
I  iihbct  and    li.it let  \  cm 

II.  101 
Gilihet  loll.  The,  III. 
Gibbet  Loan,  II.  340 
Gibbet  Street,   II.    346 
Gibbet  Toll,  II.  346,  3- 


Glbbs'Cb 


ate,  H.23,227 


Lllongatc 

Gibson,  Sir  Alexander, 

of,  I.  168 
Gibson  of  Pciulatul,  Sir  Alexande 

III.  319 
Gibson-Craig,  Sir  James,    II.  12 

'■.       ■'■!  I     '.,';,     s.„    Wilh.i,,,,    I.   .. 
III.  322 

land,    Sir    Alexand. 

69 


Charles,  II 
Gibson  of  Durie,  Thoi 
Gibson,  the  painter.  1 


1.  313  :  tin 

inlochs,  ib. 

Gilmerton  Grai 

Gilmore  Park, 


Gilford  Park, 

Gilbert  Grab. 1111,  painter,  II.  88 
Gilbertoun,  III.  149,  150 
Gilchrist,  Dr.  John  Borthwick,  II. 

Gilderoy,  Execution  of,  I.  151 

t  iillcSLie,  the  Brothers,  III.  34 

Gillespie's  Hospital,  III.  31,  34, 
37,  41,  308  ;  Black  Tom',  ghost, 
III.  34 

Gillespie's  School,  III.  33 

Gillies,  Lord,  I.  ,;-,         "' 

Gilliland,  the  goldsmith,  III.  76 

Gill,-,  Bishop,  III.  45 

Gillon's  Close,  II.  23 

Gilmerton,  I.  95,  155,  III.  158.34.. 
*  344,  346,  351  1    "s  local  ' 

of  the 
Kinloct 

ige,  IH.344,345,351 
II.  219 

I  .iluiorc  Place  United  Presbyterian 
Church.  III.  30 

Gib, lours. iU  raig.nillar,The,I.l6o, 
HI-  57,  58,  59,  338  ;  their  suc- 
cessors, III.  61,  62 

Girls' House  of  Refuge,  II.  218 

Girnel  Craig,  The,  II.  313 

Girth  Cross,  The,  1 1.  2,  41,  72,  III.  99 

Giuglini,  Signor,  I.  351 

Gladiatorial     exhibition    at     Holy- 


Gladstone,  Sir  Thomas,  III.  2 
Gladstone,  Right  Hon.  W.  E.,' 

24,  250 
Gladstone  family,  The,  III.  25 
Gladstone,  Thomas,  I.  102 
Gladstone  Place,  Leith,  III.  2; 


.  3,84 

l.lamnus,  Master  of.  I.  209,  210 
Glasgow,  Archbishops  of,  I.  38,  39, 

159.  258,  262,  263 
"  I  llasguw  Anus,"  The,  I.  178 
Glasgow,  Earls  of,    I.   163,  II.  339, 

III.  265  ;  Countess  of,  II.  144,  239 

!vljn. 
Glass  House  Company,  The  Leith, 

Glass' Works,  The  Leith,  III.  190, 

239,  273 
Glcncairn,    Earl  of,   I.  93,   106,  II. 

17,  58,  73,  101,  123,  139,  174 
Glencoe,  Massacre  of,  I.  170 
Glengarry,    the    Highland  chief,    I. 

334,  III.  208 
Glengyle  Terrace,  III.  30 
Glenlee,  Lord,  II.  270 
Glenotchy,  Viscount,  I.  238,  III. 317 
Glenorchv,    Lady,    I.   238—247,  359 
-361,  III.   317:   chapel  of,   1.   ";r, 

—362,    II.    33S  ;    its  minister.;  1. 

360,  361  ;  Free  Church,  III.  158  ; 

Glimpses  of  Edinburgh  in  1783,  II. 


Clou,  estcu   Place.  IF. 1.,.,.. Ill 

Gl.ner.   1.. In, linil,  the  ,1,  tor.   I      ,, 
1  .oiiolphin.  Pari  of.  1 1.  33,  36 


Goldsmith's  Hall,  I. 


274 


<  .oiclsiiiuhs,  Phe  Edinburgh,  1.  174. 
376 

Golf,  Native  country  of,  II.  11  :  the 
game  of,  III.  30,  31  ;  various 
golf  clubs,    III.    30;    golf  balls, 

Golf  House,  III.  262,  265 

Golf 'tavern,  III.  30 

Golfers,    Edinburgh    Company   of, 


I  .oilers    Panel.  11.  10.  11,      13 
Golfing  on  the  Links  of  Leith,  III 

Goodsin  Prof.  John,  III.  27,  68 

(  .ooilspcci.l  ol  Scieune-.    111.    s4 
Goodtrees,  III.  340,  342  ;it,owi,er- 


21,  27,   165,  339,  III. 
Adam,   II.  311,  342, 


Joh 


Gordon  of  Ellon,  James,  Murder  of 

children  of,  II.  182 
Gordon  of  Haddo,  Sir  John,  I.  146, 

II.  87  ;  Sir  George,  III.  ,7 
Gordon  of  Kindroch,  III.  182 
Gordon  of  Lesmoir,  Sir  Alexander, 

IIP  161  ;  his  u  id  in,  II.  ,23,  III. 


lo 


11..-  . 

"Villi; 


204 


Gordon,  Patrick,  I.  55 

Gordon  of  Rothiemay,  I.  95,  187, 
192,  219,  298,  302,  316,  340,  362, 
364,  II.  2,  39,  73,  ioi,  103,  131, 
133.  225,  234,  246,  268,  286,  302, 
323,  367,  374.  HI-  7  ;  Ins  birds'- 
eve  view  of  Edinburgh,  II.  280, 
281  (Joy   his    maps,  see  list   of 

Gordon,  the  goldsmith,  III.  42 
Gordon,  Hon.  Alexander,  I.  282 

Gordon]  La.lv  'Katharine,  III.  135 
Gordon,    Mrs.,  daughter  of   Prof. 

Wii-  „,.  r i  ...111-4.-5 


Gourlay,  Robert,  House  of,  I.  1 

-  120,  123;  his  son  John,  I.  11 

Gowrie,    Earl  of,  I.  175,   305,  3 

IIL.  134,  .35 
Gowrie  conspiracy,  III.  134,  13: 
Grace  Mount,  Liberton,  III.  33' 
Graham,  Dr.  James,  the  quack! 
242,  310;  his  lectures,  II.  342 
Graham,  General,  husband  of  M 

Graham,  James  Gillespie,  architt 


179, 


Graham.  Patrick.  Archbishop  of  St. 

Andrews,  II.  55 
l  ',!,,], a,,,,  the  painter.  II.  90 
Graham,  Portrait  of  Mrs,,  II.  89 
l  hah. ml  of    Halyards,    1.   195 
Graham  of   Netherby,    Sir  James. 

(  irahanii  Miss  Clementina  Stirling. 
II.  207  ;her  power  '  f  personation. 

II.  208 

Grammar  or  High  School  ofLe'th. 

III.  -265 

1  . 1  . ,  1  ■ , : .  1 . 1 1     s ,  ,        ,|,i    I   ,   .     '   1 . 1  _  '       II 
287,  302 

Grammont,  Countess  of,  II.  58 


378 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


Urand  Parade,  I.  76 

Grand  Priory  of  Scotland,  I.  321 

Grange,  Krskine,  Lord,  I.  83,  247- 

249,  II.  331  ;  separation  from  hi 

wile,  and  her  removal  to  Skye,  II 


to  Karl,    II. 

r  William,  I. 

187.219.II. 
1.379.  38o; 
■  ;   destroyed 


III.    "48,    40,  50;  ' 
...  III.      »8 
285,  326,  III.  38,  ' 


Grange  Loan, 

Grange  Tollbar,  The,  II.  346 
Grangegate  toll-bar,  III.  31 
Grant,  Sir  Alexander,  II.  33S 
Grant,  Sir  James,  II.  272 
Grant  oft  .rant,  Sir  Ja 
(.rant,    Sir    James   H< 


Gre\ friars  Churchyard,  I.  83,  96, 
in,  131,  136,  154,  158,  179,  182, 
203,  222,  239,  245,  254,  II.  116, 
234,  258,  282,  367,  375,  379,  383, 
III.  106,  124,  156,  180,  195 


,.   .    I  I       [43,       Greyfriars  Po 


Grant   of  Corrimony,  II.   163;  his 

father,  ib. 
Grant  oi  Cullen,  Sir  Francis,  I.  m 
Grant    of   Dalvey.    Sir    Alexander, 

II-  155 
I  .rant  -at    1  >alvc-y,  Sir  James,  I.  6- 


of  Lag^an,    Mrs.,  authoress, 
10,  III.  127 

John,  III.  70 
rchitect,  III.  57 
U.S.A.,  II.  335 
..-,  .II.  12S 
Grants  of  Glenmorriston,  The  clan, 


Grant,  Capt 
t  Irani,  [amt 
Grant,  Presi 
Grantley,  Lord, 


Gram's  Square,  III. 

Granton.    III.  2S9,   3 

of,  and   its    neighn 


Granton  Harhonr,   III.      ,i. 
Granton  House,  The  old,  III.  3 

the  modern,  ib. 
Granton  pier,  III.  308,  3: 


Granton  Road,  III.    ; 
t  irassmarket,     Tin 

83, 


313,314 
38, 7°,  76, 


1, 130,131, 178,219,259, 

296,  310,  311,  313,  318, 

-  _    333.  334, 11. 222, 230— 

<■     '  ;.     !■:.     .'.,.     .74,  in. 

22S,  213,  Plate  21 
Gray  of  Kinf.mns,  Lord,  I.  91 
I. ray,  Sir  William,  I.  222,  II.  7 
Gray,    Andrew,    corsair   and    phy- 

"Gray   llrother,"  Scott's  ballad  of 

the,  III.  344,  359 
Gray,  Capt;  Charles  III.  70 
Gray,  .Master  of,  I.  259 
Gray,  of  the  High  School,  III.  79 
Gray's  Close,  I.  267,  270,  271 
Gray's  Court,  II.  346 
Gray's  Mill,  I.  52  •,"  125,  326,  III.  326 
Great  Junction  Street,  Leith,  111. 

<  heat  King  Street,  II.  194,  195,  196, 

198,  270 
Great  Seal  Office,  I.  372 
Great  Stuart  Street,  II.  200,  207 
the  quack,  II.  260 
"".341.34,= 


I  Ireeiihii]  I  '.aniens,    111.   4- 
Greenland  mills,  III.  70 
Green  Market,    The,  II.  100 
Green  Scalp,  The,    Inchkeith,   II 

301 
Greenside,  Carmelite  monastery  a 

II.    102;  hangings  at,    II.    18; 

dramatic perfirma r ■  ■  e-I.e!.!  ther 

II.  102;  the  KstaMi-;,ed  Clmrc 

II.  103,  III.  -160 
Greenside  House.   Ill     1      , 
Greenwich,  Lady,  111.306,311 
Gregory,  Dr.,  I.  156,  II.  26,  30 


II. 


City, 


Guard-house,  Tl 

"  136,       "37.        _. 

281,  III.  i33 
Gueldres,  Duke  of,  I.  303,  304 
Gilo-kin's,  Mary  of,    II.   47,    54,  58, 

Guest,  Lieut. -Gen.  Joshua,  I,  323, 
324, 326, 328, 329, 332,  333,  III.  193 

Guise  (s<v  Marv  of  Guise) 

Guise  Palace,  Site  of  the,  II.  97; 
pak  door  from  the,  I.  *  102 

Gullan's  Close,  Canongate,  I.  299, 

II.  284 

Gun  House,  The,  I.  36 
Gunpowder    explosion    at    Leith, 

III.  190 

Gun  Stone,  ancient  house,  Leith, 

III.  227 
Guppeld,  William,  alderman,  II.  278 
Guthrie,   Dr.,  I.  87,  ^92,  264,  295, 

II.  258,  III.  50,  323 

Guthrie,  David,  I.  288 
Guthrie,  John,  II.  31 
Guthrie,  the  Puritan,  I.  160,  II.  31, 


'Guitit  I  laddie,"  a  rift  in  Arthur's 

Seat  II.  307 
'Guy  Manncring,"  I.  173,  187,  II. 


H 

Hahits  of  the  Edinburgh  people  in 
1783,  II.  119 

Haokerston's  Wynd,  Plan  of  Edin- 
burgh, from  St.  Giles's  to,  I.      197 

Haeknev  carriages,  I.  202  ;  duel  in 
a,  ib. 

Hackney  coaches.  Introduction  of, 
II.  120;  number  ofini779,  11.232 

Haddington,  Earls  of,  I.  220,  274, 
II.  5  ;  Countess  of,  II.  14 


:.Giles'sCathedral, 


Haig,   Me-srs„  distillers. 
Haig    of    I'.eimerside,     [a 

1  Lilies."  D.'r.k    I.   il'i!"!_a, 


Haldane  of  Gleneagles,  Patrick, 


llall|.<'  lues,    Si.oiiisli    coinage   of, 

Haii-way  House,  Leith  Walk,  III. 

154, '  t68 
W.x  ilmrton.  Master  James,  I.  253 
Haliday,  Mr  John,  I.  253 
Halkerston's  Wynd,  1    38,  43,   233, 


Hall,  Sir  Jo 

'  \°7 


Hall.  Rev.  Dr.,  II.  326 
Halhwell,  Mr.    I.  ().,  III. 
Ha. low  lair.   If.   15 
Halton,  Lord,  II.  35 
Halyburton,  Lord  Dougla 


Gordon, 
[64,    166, 


Hamilton,  Marquis  of,  II.  367,  III. 

Hamilton,  James  Earl  of  Arran,  I. 

Hamilton,  Lord  Douglas,  II.  351 
Hamilton,  John  Lord,  III.  61 
Hamilton,    sir  Alexander,   II.  330, 

III.  56 
Hamilton  of  Finnart,  Sir  James,  the 

royal  architect,  I.  36,  39,  63,  77 
Hamilton  of  Slauehouse,  Sir  [allies. 

Hamilton  of  Kinoavil,  Provost  Sir 

Patrick,  II.  279 
HaiuikoiiofPi  esti  infield.  Sir  lames. 

II.  315,111.  56 

of  Prestonfield,  Thomas, 


III.  50 


ion,  Sir  Patrick,  I.  35,  39 

ton,  Sir  William,  H.126,'156, 

196,  III.  74,  347 

ion    of    Pnestfield,    Earl   of 

•ose  and  Haddington,  II.  259 

ram  o'  the  Cowgate) 

ton,  Lady  Jane,  Countess  of 

nton,  I.305,  III.  116 

ton.  Lady  Susannah,  III.  317 

ton,  James,  the  architect,  III. 


195,  in.  74 
Hamilton,  Thomas,   architect,   II. 
no,  153,  III.  67,  220 

Hamilton  >  >f  Mangour,  poet,  I.  233, 


Hamilton,  the  physician,  III.  79 
Hamilton  of  Innerwick,  I.  355 
Hamilton  Place,  III.  84 
Hamilton  Place  Academy,  III.  79 
Hamiltons  of  Pencaitland,  I.  208 
Hamilton's  Entry,  II.  326,  327 
Hamilton's  Folly.  I.  383 
Hammermen,    Corporation  of,   II. 
261,  262,  263  ;  seal  of  the,  II.  263 
'Close,  I.282,  II.260, 


Harvey,  Sir  George 

290,  II.  89,  91,  92 

Hastings,  Lady  Fl 


Hawt 


354; 


355  i  views  in  1773  and  1883,  II 

'  35S.      360 
Hay,  Lord  David,  II.  8 
Hay.  Ml   John,  hanker,   II.   142 
Hay,    David    Ramsay,  the   painte 


Hay, 


Ola 


■  46,  56,   1 


Hay,  Dr.,  Rom 

I.  261,  264,  II.  179 
Hay,    Robert,   Under-Secretary  of 

State,  II.  87 
Hay,  Lady  Man',  HI.  42 
Havman,  the  actor,  11.24 
I  laymuiket  railway  station,  II.  213 
Hazlewood,  Lucky,  III.  77 
Heart,  Burial  of  a,  II.  134 
Heathfield,  Lord,  I.  2ro 
Hebron  Hank,  III.  39 
Height   of  the   Edinburgh   houses 

formerly  limited  to   five    storeys. 

Hell-fire  Club,  III.  122,  123 
Henderland,  Lord,  II.  Si, 

III.  ro4 
Henderson,  Alexander,  the   Cove- 
Henderson,  David,  ao  : 
Henderson,   Capt.    Matthew,  anti- 
quary, I.  239  ;  Burns's  elegy,  .0. 
Henderson,    John,   architect,    ill. 

38,  70,  248,  259,  303 
Henderson,  Rev.  James,  III.  75 
Henderson,  Robert,  painter,  III.  82 
Henderson,  Lord  Provost,  III.  S3 
Henderson,  the  actor.  I.  347 
Henderson  Row,  III.  83,  84,  85 
Hendersons  of  Fordel,  The,  I.  ao8 
Henderson's  Stairs,  I.  122,  179 
Heilrison,  Alexander,  III.  10 
Henry,    King-Consort,   Murder  of, 

(see  Darnley) 
Ilearv  III.,  1.  23 
Henry  IV.,  I.  27,  II.  47,  III- 52 
Henry  VI.,  II.  233,234,278 
Henry  VII. .  III.  201,  202 
Henry  VIII. ,  I.  38,40,43,  III 

169,  218,  247 
Henryson,    Henry,     sen 

II.287 
Heniyson,    William,   Constable  of 

Scotland,  III.  180 
Hepburn,    Patrick,    Lord    Hailes, 


Hepburn,  Jar 


Earl  of  llothwe 


cdote 


II.  .1; 

Hepburn  of  Bolton,  III.  4,  6 
Hepburn  of  Clerkington,  II.  21 
Hepburn  of  Keith,  II.  26 
Herbergerie,  The,  II.  3,  43 
Herd,  David,  I.  119,  230 
Herdman,  the  painter,  II.  89 
Heries,  Lord,  II.  341 
Heriot,  George,  1.  174,  270,  II. 
184,   354.   363,  364,  "* 
drinking-cup,   I.  "  1 
of  King  James,   I.  175  ;  111s  por- 
trait,   I.   222,   II.   -365,  370;  his 
house,  I.  242  .    Ins  monogram,  II. 
*384;  his  father,    II.  4,  3S2  ;  his 

Anne  of  Denmark,  II.  364;  his 
wives,  II.  365;  his  property  de- 
voted to  the  hospital,  II.  366  ; 
hi-  wealth  II.  366:  death,  II. 
3-- 2.;  statue  of.  II.370  . 
Heri  .t,  Katharine,  Drowning  of, 
II.234 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


riot's  Hill,  III.  So,  S7" 
riot's  Hill  House.  Ill 
riot's  Hospital,  I.  48,  55,  64,  76, 
34,  176,  242,  335,  II.  33,  84,  us, 
Bi,  182,  183,  186,  191,  222,  230, 
33,3"i,  33i,  335,  355,  363—371, 
33,  III.  71,  74,76,85,86,  113; 
rection  of  the  hospital,  II.  366  ; 
s  designer,  ib. ;  curious  items  of 
xpenditure,  ib. :  general  descrip- 
on  of  the  building,  II.  369,  370  ; 
iews  of  the  hospital,  II.  364,  368, 

-':■ ': 


hooi,  1. 298, : 


Hermitage,  The,  Leith  Links, 
Hermitage  Hill,  Leith,  III.  175, 1S6, 


Hermitage  Terrace,  III.  265 

Herries,  Sir  Robert,  I.  179 
Herring,  Sir  John,  III.  346 
Herring    fisher)-,    The    Newhaven, 

III.  302 
Hertford,  Earl  of,  I.  43,  206, 

II.  2,  48,  56,  III.  169,  .79, 


II. 


:of,  III. 


High  Calto 

High    Church,     The,    St.    Giles' 

Cathedral,   I.  141,  *  148,  *  149 

High  Constables  of  the  Calton,  II 


Highlanu  ami  Agricultural  Society's 

Highland  Society  of  Scotland,   I. 

294,  295 
Highlanders  in  Edinburgh,  I.  322, 

323,  324,  II-  133  i  employment  of, 

II.235;  Gaelic  chapel  for,  ib. 
Higih.iuders.kevolt  .1' the  Seaforth, 

II.  307-310 
Hi^hri^^s,    II.    222,  223,  230, 

,V>o,  III.  92,94 
Hi^hriL^s  House,  II.  *  223 
Hi,'h  -School  of  Eiliiiimr^h.  I. 

263,  II.  110-113,   .68,  251, 


j ■■;.  327,  37 


111 


of  the  old  High  School,  II.  287  - 
293;  the  second  High  .School,  II. 
293;  the  new  High  School,  II. 
no— 114  ;    views    of    the    High 


High  Soh 


High  s,  hooi  brawls, 
High  S,  hooi  C  lose,  1 
High  School  Club,  '1 
High  S,  hooi.  leith. 
High  School  Wynd,  1.  3,  11. 

250,  *  253,  286,  2S7,  III.  12 
High  School  Yard,    II.    275,    293, 

Hpgh'Ji? 


II-  249, 


Street,  The, 


3".  43.  79. 


155,183,187,191-282, 
35,   "9,  157,  239,  242 

-'33,   ~/i.    -04.    37;,   III 


01    women   ami    gir Is.   1  ,7  ;   siimp- 

19S;  the  Lord*  Provost,  199;  the 
city  police,   //■.  ;   banquets  at  the 


t  houses,  ib.  ;  Knox's 
church,  ib.  ;  Balme- 
n,  ib.  ;  the  preaching 


earlier  gale,  lb.  ;  the  Regent 
Morton's  surpri-c  parly.  2i3  :  the 
last  gale,  /■■. ;  ill.,  an.  lent  markets, 
210:  house  of  Adam  Bothwcll. 
Pishop  of  Orkney.  ,■'/■.  :  the  bishop 
and  CJueen  Mary,  ib.  ;  Sir  Wil- 
liam 1  lick  of  Braid,  220,  221  ;  his 
colossal  wealth,  222  ;  hard  for- 
tune, ib.  ;  Advocates'  Close,  ib.  ; 

Andrew    Crosbie,    ib.  ;  Scougal's 

pictiire-gallorv.  .  2  ;  ;  Rosbutglie 
Close./-.  ;  Warriston's  Close.,/..  ; 
William   and    Robert   Chambers, 

(.raig.V-i  i'sTa',',  h'lb'ald  TM'lil- 
ston,  ifWarriston,  226,  227  :  Mary 
Kings  Close,  227  ;  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Coltheart's  ghostly  \isit,,rs. 
//■.  ;  Craig's  Ch.se.  220  ;  Ainlro 
Hart,  bookseller,  ib.  ;  the  "  Isle 
of  Man  Arms,"  230 ;  the  Cape 
Club,  ,b.  ;  the  Poker  Club,  ib.  ; 
I  lid  Stamp  Office  Close,  231  ; 
Fortune's  Tavern,  ib.  ;  the  Coun- 
tess of  Egbnton,  231—234;  mur- 
der, .us  nc.t  in  the  t  lose,  234  ;  the 
Anchor  Close,  235  ;  Dawney 
liouglas's  tavern,  23s,  236  ;  the 
Crochallan  Club.  2,;,  ;  Smelhe's 
printing-cillii  e.  2    7.  22'    ;  Mylne's 


2  1.3:  Ki 
rubber's 
M.itlhei 


('.rant's  House,  24t  ;   the  "Sala- 
mander    Land,"    242  ;    the    old 

Fislnnarket    Close,    //'.  ;    Heriot's 


l.ly  kin  ins,  //-.  ;  Mis-. 
243  ;  formalities 
ladies'  fashions, 
245;  Bell's  Wynd,  ,/■.  ;  Plan- 
Street  and  Hunter's  Square.  //■.  ; 
Kennedy's  (.lose.  ;/'.  ;  NiddrN's 
Wynd,        //'.   ;        l'ruvisl        Nic.jl 


cicl  fashioned  concerts,  //'.  ;  the 
bell. ts  of  the  eighteenth  century, 
ib.  ;  the  name  Niddry,  252  ; 
I  hi  k si  m's  and  C. lilt's  Closes.  273  ; 
bouse  of  1  >n\  id  Allan,  lb.  ;  Kosc- 
haugh's  Close,  /,'.;  house  of  the 
Abbots  of  Melrose,  ib.  ;  Sir 
George  M.11  keii'ierif Rosehaugh, 
254  ;  Lady  Anne  Dick,  ib.  ;  Lord 
Strichen,  ib.  ;  the  manners  of 
1730,  ib.  ;  Provost  Grieve,  277; 
John  Dhu,  ib.  ;  Lady  Lovat's 
Land,    ib.  ;    Walter    Chepman, 


chapels   of   the   eighte 


Arg\le-'s  lodging, 270;  Ilr.Cullen, 
271;  Elphinstone's  Court,  272; 
Lords  Loughborough  and  Slc.ne- 
fielcl.  271,  277  ;  I-.  .rci  Selkirk,  274  ; 
Jlr.  Kutherford,  ,-/-.  ;  bouse  ..fthe 
Earls     of     Hyudf  n-d.     .•■-.;     lb. 

Anne,  Colintes"  oil  talc  an  e- . '.  -  •  ; 
South  Foulis'  Close,  //■.  ;  foun- 
tain Close.  //..  ;  Fndmvlie  s  \\  ell, 
ib.  ;  house  of  Bailie  Fullcrton, 
2-7;  Royal  College  of  Physicians, 
272  ;  Tweedclalc:  (  lose.  ib.  ;  h..i|se 
of  tile  Manpiisot  1  Weceldalc,  ;/■.  ; 
the  Prilish  Linen  Company.  2-0  ; 
murder  of  Begbie,  280;  the 
World's  End  Close,  281;  the  Stan- 
1  '  :..■!  ly,  //'.  .  titled  residents 
in  the  old  closes,  282 
High  Street,  Portobello,  III.  ♦  152, 

Hill/Mrs.,  the  sculptor,  II.  131 
Hill-house  Field,  Leith,  III.  90,  273 


Hogarth,! ;g.-.  \\  s„  II.  26 

Ilog.n:       l.s  ...  1.  25} 

lb  '22.  I...-1.C-  .  the  I  t  trick  Shepherd, 
'-,r'i'2'llf'-I1'-IJ.'f',0'    14-. 

Hoiucrne-s.   K.'.bert''E\.'ri"of,  li.',9 
"  Hole  in  the  Wall  "  Inn,  II.  =68 
Holland,    Joh 


llo!i!erVon,Vheaet,."r,I.  350 
Homildon  Hill  (..,-,-  Patties) 
Honeyman,  Bishop  of  Orkney,  1. 2-0 
Honevman,      Sir      William,       Lord 
Armadale,  I.  259 


of  Scotland.  II.  93,  95 
Holstein,  Visit  of  the  Duke  of,  to 

Edinburgh,  I.  in 
Holy  Cross,  Abbey  of  the,  II.  2S8 
Holy  Cross,  Kirk  of  the,  II.  100 
Holyrood  Abbey.  I.  .■.,,  20,  40,  ,,6, 


46,  HI.  49 
5-49,111.41 
,   II.    -46;    it 


lb    ...  ' 


lyrood,  Ancient  chapel  of  the, 
II-  239 

Holyrood  chapel,  St.  Giles's  church- 
yard, I.  256 

Holyrood  dairy,  II.  ''305 

Holyrood  Fountain,  The,  II.  79, *8i 

Holyrood  House,  I.  100  ;  [be  C  ha  pel 
Royal,  II.      49 

HolvKioclhouse,  Lord,  I.  90,  158, 
220,  222,  II.  49,  III.  299 

Holyrood  Palace,  I.  *  1,  6,  40,  42, 
5°,  55,  58,  78,  79,  9°.  17;,  204,  II. 
60—79,  236,  374  ;  Uueen  Mary 
at,  II.  66-7i,  111.  4.7  ;  Charles 
I.  at,  II.  73;  James  Duke  of 
York  and  Albany  at,  I.  335,  II. 
75,  III.  11;  arrival  of  Prince 
Charles  Edward  at,  I.  326;  Comte 
d'Artois  at,  II.  76,  70  ;  isometric 
projection  of  the  Palace,  II.  *  61  ; 
views  of  the  Palace,  II.  '  68,  -  69, 
^  72  ;  modern  views,  II.  "73,  '80, 

the  old  Mint,    I.  207  .  sanctuary 
of,    II.    n,  281,   303  ;  plan  of  the 
sanctuary,    II.    *  304   ;     Hollar's 
print  of,  II.  ^  45 
Holyrood  Tennis  Court,  III.  125 


Alexander    Lord,    Provo 


II-  279 
Home,  Alexander.  Provost.  IF  2S0 
Home,  George,  Clerk  of  Session.  I. 

Home,   Sir  George,   Lord  Provost, 


if\\  cdclci  I  urn,  I  'avid, 


John    de 


supposed 


Hope,   Major-General,  II.  150 

Hope,  Professor  John,  II.  293 

Hope,  President,  II.  292 

Hope  of  Carse,  II.  281 

Hope  of  C'raighall,  The  family  of, 

III.  311. 
Hope  of    Craighall,    Sir   Thomas, 

III.  316 
Hope  of  Rankeillor,  Thomas,  the 

agriculturist,  II.  347 
Hope,  Dr.  John,  I.  7'  7.     164.  II  1. 172 
Hope,   Robert,  physician,  II.  29S 
Hope  Park     II.  339,  347,  348,  349, 

370,  751,  III.  54 
Ibpe  Park  Chapel,  III,  51 
Hope  Park  Congregational  Church, 

III.  51 
Hope    lark   Cresi  etlt,   II.   340 

Hope  Park  End,  II.  349,  351,  354, 
III.  57 

Hope  Park  Terrace,  II.  349 
Hope     Park    United     Presbyterian 

Church,  III.  51 
Hope  Street,  II.  130,  165 
Hope's  Close,  I. 


llopi-tolin    Feu.  ible-s,    11.  236 

Hopetoun  House,  III.  77 

lb  .pctc.un.    Laird  of.    III.  57 
Hopetoun  Rooms,  II.  178,  III.  78 
Hopkins,  Mrs.,  actress,  II.  24 
Horn  Charity,  The,  I.  308 
Horn  Lane,  III.  76 
Horn  Order,  The,  III.  122 
Horner,    Francis,   I.    379,   II.    ,3;, 

292,  295,  347 
Horner,    Leonard,  I.   166,  291,  379, 

Horse-racing  on  Leith  Sands,  III. 

Horse  Wynd,  I.  267,  282,  II.  27.  33, 

'1. 
Hospital  of  Our  Blessed  Lady.  I.  703 
Hospital  of  St.  Thomas,  II.  39,  47 
Hospitallers  of  St.  Anthony,  Leith, 


Correction,  I.  301,  302 


House  in  High  Street,  with  me- 
inorial  window,  "  Heave  awa, 
lads,  I'm  nodeidyet,"  I,  240,^241 

House  of  the  Kirk-uf- Field,  III.  ;. 
4,6,7 

Household  garbage,  The  streets 
formerly  receptacles  for,  I.  192 

Houses  in  the  New  Town,  Number 
of,  II.  175 

Houston.  Archibald,  Murder  of,  1. 
196 

Houston,  Lady,  II.  331 

Howe  Street,  II.  199 

Howard,  the  philanthropist,  I.  132, 

Howf,  The,  Leith,  III.  231 
Hugh  Miller  (,,vc  Miller) 
Hugh  Miller  Place.  III.  75 
Human  heads.  Exposure  of.  II.  226 
Humane  Society  of  Leith,  III.  234, 
248,  249 


OLD    AND    NEW   EDINBURGH. 


High    School 
David,  I.  i2i, 


[ume,   David, 
99,   101,  107,  no, 
.•73,  324,  II.  9,  27, 


;o,     lll.Q. 
II.    '  10S 


his    nephew,    II.    204  ;    hi 

graphcr.    111.  42 
lume  of  Marchmont,  I.  62 
lume   of    Polwarth,    Sir   P 

III.    89;    his    da 

Hume,  III.  89,  91 
lume  Rigg  of  Mi 


Mansion 


Dr.,  of  the  Tron  Chu 

287 


rovost,  II.  273 
,11.87 
204,   245,    282, 


;  Close,  II.  232 

,  Craig,  Cramond,  III.  315 

;  Tavern,  Royal  Exchange-. 


ntingdot 
inly,  Ea 

!4."if-. 
■uly,  II- 


298 
:  of  the  Marquis  of, 
,  10,  178  ;  daughters 


Hutcheon,    Abducti< 


Huxley,  Professor,  II.  161 
JI\  I11e-ne.1l  lectures,  II.  242 
Hyndford,    Earls  of,    I.  274,    275, 
II.  26;  Countesses  of,   I.  90,  II. 

"273,274.275, 


Hyndford's  Close, 


Imperial   Fire  and  Life  Insurant 

<  ompany,  II.  50 
In,  h  H-  -use,  II  I.   -138,  "340 
Inchcape  Rock,  III.  224 
Inchcolm  priory.  III.  131,  180 
1:;-  l,C.ir\  ie  Castle,    III.   180 

Inchkeith,  III.  171,  172,  174,  17 
180,  201,  274,  286,  290 — 295,  30 
308 ;  historical  sketch  of  Inc 
keith  island,  III.  290,  291  ;  i 
fe-rtiheauons,  III. 
view  of.    III.    *  293 


-1.:.  < 


light- 
tie',  II.  -45,  III.  178, 


Inchmickery  island,  III.  315 
Inchmurry  House,  II.  60 
Incorporated  Trades  of  Edinburgh, 

II.  29;  of  Leith,  III.  180 
Incorporation    of    Tailors,    Hall    of 

the,  III.  33- 
India  Place,  Stockbridge,  II.  "201, 

111-74-75-  76 
India-rubber  factories,  II.  219 
Industrial     Museum.       The-     loo... 

Hall,  Natural  History  Room,  II. 

274,   275,    276,    Plate  22  ;  site  of 

the,  I.  378 
1  idustriousl  Company, The,  III.  124 
Infirmary,  The  old  Royal.  II.  *  100, 

-301  ;  site  of  the,  I.  25S,  III.   ; 
Infirmary  Street,  II.  251,  284 — 286, 

Inglis,  Lord  President,  II.  127 

Inglis,  Sir  John,  II.  267 

Inglis  of  Cramond,  Sir  John,  III. 

3i7,  318 
Inglis.  Captain   lohn.  III.   -,;; 
Inglisberry.  Viscount,  I.  275 
Innes,  Alexander,  I.  50 


es,  C.lPlmal,  II.  87 

es,  Cosmo,  II.  192,  III.  94 

es  of  Stow,  Gilbert,  the  million 

ire,  I.97,  251,  II.  170 

inocent  Railway,"  The,  I.  384 

urane'e  Offices,   Numerous,    II 

39,  168  ;  annual  revenue  of  the 


the,  III.  191 
Intermarriages    of    the    Newh 
fishers,  III.  295,  303 

lnvcrkcithing,  III.  279 
lnverleith,  I.  r2,  II.   234,  III 

75,  92,  94,  164,  306 
lnverleith  House,  III.  97,  98 
lnverleith  Mains,  III.  94 


Place,  111 


lnverleith  Row,   I.  .-_"".,   III.  g:„  90, 

98,  101,  102,  163,  288 
lnverleith  Terrace,  II.  207,  III.  95 
Irvine,       Murder      committed      at 

Broughton  by,  II.  1S2 
Irving,  "David,  I.  123,  II.  348 
Irving,  Edward,  I.  239,  II.  184 
Irving.  Henry,  comedian,  I.  351 
Irv  nig,  Lieut.    John,  III.  70 

I      .-..-.     II,  -         - :,     11  ., 

I  slay,  Earl  of,  II.  348,  378 


Ivanov-itch,     Alexander, 

marriage  of,  it. 
Izett,  Mr.  Chalmers,  II. 


J 

Tack's  Land,  I.  97,  98,  II.  9 
Jackson,  Charles,  and  Charles  I 
H-  334 

Jackson,  John,  the  theatrical  autr 

and  manager,  I.  343,  346,  347 
Jackson's  Close,  I.  235 
Jackson's  Land,  II.  294 
jacnhiteClui..  The,  III.  124 

Castle,  I.  69,  70  ;  plots,  I.  66 


;  Ladder, 

J 


,'671 


,  29,  II 

James  IE,  I.  29-31,  36,  74,  II.  3, 
54,  55,  233,  239,  278,  319,  III.  35, 
151,  271.  273,  347,  352 

139,  186,  219,  247,  IE  3,  55,  74, 
230,  234,  239,  241,  246,  278,  111. 
50,  59,  119,  130,  133,  167,  199,  200, 

James  IV.',  I.  35,  36,  38?  74,  75,  142, 
204,  255,  IE  47,  58,  225,  239,  287, 
374,  HI-  34,  35,  49,  5i>  83,  167, 
168,  199,  201,  202,  203,  204,  206, 
251,  274,  290,  302;  marriage  fes- 
tival of,  IE  60—62,  230 

James  IV. 's  Dockyard,  New-haven, 
III.  297,  2Q3,  ^xo  his  warship, 
the  Great  Miciiad,  III. 

James  V.,  I.  38,  39,  40,  42,  43,  74, 
86,  92,  159,  192,  262,  263,  IE -3, 
48,58,  59,63,64,65,  127,279,  III. 
43.  58,  59,  83,  130,  202,  221,  317, 
318,  327  ;  dangerous  freak  of,  II. 

63,  III.  317  ;  his  queens,  E  94, 
II.  63,  64,  279,  303;  attempted 
assassination  of,  I.  383 

ames  V.'s  tower,  I.  326 

ames  VI. ,  I.  46,  47,  50,  75,  123, 
126,  144,  146,  186,  193,  209,  247, 
II-   35,   4°,   71,  73,  74,   127,  180, 

221,   280,    =87,   366,    III.    35,  42,   01, 

64,  66,  86,  113,  134,  149,  179,  180, 
206,  215,  216,  210,  221,  236,  275, 
298,  301,  302,  328,   330, 


burgh  Castle  in  , 
born,  I.  *48,  71,  7: 
George  Heriot,  1. 1 
sopher's  Stone,  II. 
I.  218;  autograph! 
'  ny,  I. 
.382; 


James  VIE,  II.  287.  III.  58,227, 
261,  310,  318,  343 

James  VIII..  I.  67.  ,70,  II.  243, 
353,  III.  222;  proclamation  of, 
I.  327  ;  death  of,  II.  247 


Edin 


is,  Duke  of  Albany  and  York, 

ion^'j^s^I^'.^; 

28,  33,  58,  59,  74 
.-•>  Kennedy's  great  ship,  III.  199 
:son,  the  painter,  I.  159,  II.  73, 

382 


. ,  Portobello,  III.  149 

101,  102,  t32,  242,  331,  IE  93,  95, 

160,  III.  3tr 
"Jamie,  Daft  "(w  Burke  and  Hare) 
l.unicson,  the  novelist.  III.  95 
Jamie-sor     Dr.  John,  IE  338    339, 


i,    Prof.    Robert, 

-1  of  Portobello,  Mr. 
-.'s  Close,  II.  235 

reen,  mother  of  J; 


ugn-bo.ml 


.''-'4,  o  -8, 
58,  78,  i, 
ndfather's    I 


of  his  father  and  uncle 


Jeffrey    Street,    I. 


2.-3, 


Jenru-r.  Mr  William,  II.  123 
Jerrold,  Douglas,  IE  200 
jervi.woode,    Lord,    IE    208,    20 

his  sisters,  IE  209 
Jesuit    church     of    the     "  Sacr 

Heart,"  IE  223 
Jewel  House,  The,  I.  35,  30,  45 
Jewish  synagogue,  II.  344 
Jews'  I  urial-place,  The,  II.  107 
Joanna  Baptista,  apothe 

Juck'1''' 


of  Stah^II 
Lodge,  I    364,   II.  318 


142,  146,  "  148,  165,  192 


lohn  Touris  of  lnverleith, 


ir.7L 


John's  Coffee-house. 


178,  179, 


r.,   I.    6,   97,    too,   1, 
visit    to    Edinburgh, 
99,     222,      262,     299,     II.     66,     I. 

255,   339,  ill-  57,  291,  352,  35 
Macaulay's  description  of  him, 

John'stOT,  Sir  Archibald,  I.  226,  2: 
II.  14,  III.  go  ;  his  execution, 
227,  III 
hn 

John 


Johnston,  Mr  W.  Pulteney,  I.  231 
Johnston,    Mes„-s,  W.  and  A.   K.. 
IE  167,  16S  ;  their  priming  estab- 
lishment, III.  128 
Johnston,  Dr.  Robert,  III.  27 

■    3'5,  3" 

ofWc-ste-rhall, 


Johnstone,     H.     E-,    the    Scottish 

Roscius,  I.  347,  34S,  IE  179 
Johnstone,  Chevalier.  II.  115 


"lolmst,  :. 
III.     4 

Johnston 
296,  II 

Johnston 

[ohnstou 


'-  , 


1  artist, 
III. 79 


;nnes,  Samuel, 
nk  of  Scotland, 


•  Church,  III.  332  ; 
e actress,  I.  343,348 


ury  court.  The  Scottish,  IE  274 
usticiary.  Court  of,  I.  107,  172 
311,  322,  II.  191,  227,  268,  III 
179,  215,  243,  263,  319,  338 


Kaim  Head,  I.  384 

Kaimes,   The,    III. 

camp  near,  it. 


shadows  i 

II.  161 

Kantore,  The,  Leith,  III.  224,  2:--. 

Kapple's  (or  Cable's)  Wynd,  Leith. 

III.  226 
Katharine  Street,  I.  366 

Kay,  John,  caricaturist,  I.  "9,  u;, 
"1,  191.  255,  343, 
3,  IE  .9,  3.,  76, 


345,  346,  347,  3^3: 


15,  121,  122,  123,  136, 


255,  3°7,  3l8,  328.  335,  HE 
34,  39,  47,  90,  139.  146,  159. 
342,  362,  366  ;  his  monument, 


Keeper  of  the  Seal,  I.  372 
Keeper  of  the  Signet,  I.  167 
Keith,  Lord,  IE  255 
Keith,  Sir  Alexander,  IE  255,  II 


veith,  Sir  Jan 
Ceith,  Sir  Wil 


Keith.  Marshal,  III.  91 
Keith,  Bishop,  IE  22,314.  III. 
Keith  family,  The,  III.  106 
Keith  of  Ravelston,  Alexander, 


Keith,  Kirk  of, 

Kellie.  Larl  of.  E  21s,  2Si.    ;-';.     " 

IE  115,  HE  318 
Kelloe,   Rev.  John,  the  murderer. 

III.  155 
Kelstain,  The,  III.  *  326 
Kemble,  John,  I.  108,  348,  349 
Kcinhle.    Mephen,  I.    146.  II.  178 
Kemble,  Mr.and  Mrs.Charles.  1.34c 
Kemble,  Miss,  III.  158 
Kemp,  G.   M.,  architect,    IE   126, 

127,  III.  79 
Kemp's  Close,  Leith,  III.  226 
Kennedy,   John  Lord,  III.  2 


Kennedy,  Silver  mace  found  in  the 

tomb  of  liishop,  III.  23 
Kennedy,  BishopofDunkeld,  1. 240. 

241,  II.  54 
Kennedy,  Walter,  the  poet,  II.  ;.:  = 
Kennedy,  Janet,   Lady    Bothwell, 

Kennedy's  Close,  I.  91,  245 
Kennet,  Lord,  IE  242,  339 
Kenny  Gate  (Canongate),  I.  100 

Kerr.  Mr  Andrew,  I.  ei4,  IE  286 

Kerr,  Mr  Archibald,   II     .•„ 

Kerr,  Sir  Walter,  I.  223 

Kerr  of  Kerrsland,  Memoirs  of,  I.  67 

Kerr,  Lady  Mary*,  IE  350 

Keys  of  the  city  of  Edinburgh.  E   ix. 

Kifbirnie.  III.'  151 

Kilgraston  Road,  III.  50 

Kilkerran,  Lord,  III.  367 

Killigrew,  Henry,  I.  47,  48 

Kilmaino,  k,   Earl  of,   111.222 

Killrig,  III.  351 

Kilwinning,  Lord,  III.  29 

Kilvvinnino  I  odge-.The  Canongate. 


CKNKRAI.     INDEX. 


-rKaid'-of'tt". 
Ill     4.'.     ,■ 


Lord  Provost,  II 


,  The,  II. 


nd,  II.  282 
ki:n  ardine,  Karl  of,  I.   107 
Kincleven,  Lord,  III.  221 
K 1  - 1 4  l  leorge  s  Hast  ion,  Leith  I>o<  k. 

III.  2S3 
Kinghorn,  Karl  of,  II.  352 
kinghorn,   III.  -mi 
Kinghorn-ness,  III.  294 

kins  James's  Kinwe,   III.  29 
king  Street,  Leith,  111.  176,  178.227 
kingcslon,  o-ir  Joint  de,   I.  24,  25 
Kin--.   (iallery   of  the,    Holyrood 

Palace,  II.,  74,  76,  "77,  79 
kins*  of  Scotland,    kneller's  por- 
traits of  the,  I.  158 
King's  Advocate,  Privileges  of  the, 

II.  243 
King's  Body  Guard  for  Scotland, 

II.  352 
king's  Bridge,  The,  I.  118,  295,  II. 


km. 


300 


king's  Printing  ...Vice,  I.  376 
"  kins's  IJuhair,"   1'lie,  I.  27 
King's  Road,  I.  295 
kinS'-  stable*,   Tin-.  11.  224,  225 
kins'*  Wark,  Leith,  III.  236,  237, 
.238,  245 

kings:  si,  \  i->   Hint,  III.  30 
king-lei  Cranse,  III.  338 
ki  li.ilii,  III.  164 
kinloch.  Lord,  II.  197 
Kinloch,  Sir  Alexander,  III.  343 
kriioch.  Sir  David.  III.  343 
Kinloch,    Provost    Sir    Francis,    I. 
169,  254,   III.  94,  343,  344;   his 

kinloch,  Henry,  House  of,  II.  a8, 

Kinloch's  Close,  I.  238,  II.  18 


138,    *  140,    210;    view    of    Edit 
burgh  Castle  from,  I.  '  64 
kirkcudbright,  Lord,  I.  153 
ki  k.ilily,  Mi  James,  I.  50 
Kirkaldy  of  Grange,  Sir  William,  I 
47,  204,  259,  II.  181,  225,  III.  25 


Kirksate,  The,  Leith,  III.  175,  186, 
213—226,  235,  243,  279;  King 
James's  Hospital  in  the,  III.  186, 
217;  ancient  chapel  in  the,  III. 
'212,  214;  view  of  the  Kirkgate, 

Kirkheugh?  The,  I.  181,  II.  243 
kirkland,   II.  60 

k    :        :     '       i.l 

kirk    Loan,  The,    II.  114,  131,  III. 

71,78 
Kirk-of-Field,  The,  I.  263,  266,  II. 


;:... 


23  ;  murder  of  Lord  Darnlev.  III. 
3—7,   2-;    roush    sketch   of   the 
kirk-of- Field,  III.  »5 
Knk-of-FieldPort,  III.  3,  7;  affray 

kirk-.n-Kield     Wynd,     I.     J95,    II. 

254,   HI.  2,  3 
kirkpatricksof  Alli-land,  II.  217 
kirk  Se  — ion,   I. nth,  Petty  tvramn 

of  the,  III.  254 
kirk  Session  of  St.  Cuthbert's,  II. 

kirk  Style.  The  old,  I.  240 
klrkyard,    The,    Hulyrood,   II.      6y 
kitchen  Tower.    The,  I.  36 
ktieller.  Sir  1  ,..  :fr..-v,  I.  1,, 


Ln',l!43oo 

,  6,  93,  140,  143, 
13,  214,  254,  298, 
74,  262,  286,  288, 


and  sitting-room,  I.  '216,  '217; 
hi-  interview  with  Queen  Mary, 
II.  67;  painting  representing  hi- 
di-pensing  the  -a,  rament,  II.  89  ; 
bronze  portrait  of,  11.  127 

knos.  John,  nuni-tet  ol  North 
Leith.    111.   2J4 

krames,  The,  St.  (iiles's  Church, 
■  I*7' 


[  .:■:;--  A-.emMy  K  lom.The.II.  325 


Prince  t.  Iiarles  F.dward,  I.  327,  330 
Ladle-'  fashion-,  I.  243-245;  oy-ter 
/ern   parties  patronised  by,  I. 


xander,    architect,    II. 

Laing,  Alexander  Gordon,  II.  120; 

hi- father,  II.  120 
Laing,    David,    bookseller,    I.    375, 
254,  382,  III.  128,  149 
"ler,  I.  375 
,  206 
Lamb's    Clo-c,    St.    Gile-'s    Street, 

Leith,  III.  »i88 
Lammius,  Seal  of  Arnauld,  I.  "  182 
Lamond  of  Lamond,  John,  II.  17* 
Lamp  Acre,  Corstorphine,  III.  118 
Lancashire,  Tom,  comedian,  I.  230 
Landseer,  the  painter,  II.  89 
Lang  Dykes,  II.  114,  182,  213,  269 
Lang   Gate,  The,  I.  64,   249,  324, 

335,  364,  I'.  114,  176,  III.  135 
'  Lang  Sandy,"  II.  283 
'  I. .ins  Sandy  Gordon,"  II,  157 
'Lang  Sandy  Wood,"  II.    115  (sec 

Wood,  Dr.  Alexander) 
I.angtoft,  the  chronicler,  III.  351 
hauler,  Sir   |ohn,  I.  64,  363 

'    tower,    St.     Giles's 
'  144,  146 

Las-wade,    III.    314,    324,    346,  355, 

'        "late    36; 


357,    359.    3°°,.  3°i, 


the    Maiden    Castle, 

the    ancient    church,  * 

357,  358,  *  361 


Lauder  of  Blythe,  Sir  Alexander, 
Provost,  II.  279 

l.auder.ifFountainliall.  Sir  Aim  1  tew, 

I.97,  III.  49 
I.ainler.  Sir  John  (  .  c  l'.-.nntainli.illi 
Lander,   Sir  Thomas   Dick,  II.  95, 

III.  49,  50;  his  works,  III.  50 
Lauder,  Provost  George  of,  II.  278 
Lauder,  Thomas,    Bishop  of  Dun- 

keld.  II.  251 
Lauder,  William,  the  player,  II.  39 


Lander,  tile  brother-,  painters,    II. 

89,  92,  III.  83,  84 
Lauder  family,  The,  III.  49,  54 
Lauder  Road,  111.  54 
Lauderdale,  Duke  of,  I.  58,  229,  II. 

11,22,  281,315,316,  111.  150,229; 

Duchess  of,  Hi.  150,  355 
Lauderdale,    Earls   of,   I.    90,   182, 
'5.8,    265,    334,    36s; 


50.53 


Lauriston  Gardens,  II.  363 
Lauriston  House,  II.  356 
Lauriston  Lane,  II.  121,  362 
Lauriston  Park,  II.  362 
Lauriston  Place,  II.  362,  363 
financial  schemer,  1 


II  I 


Uuri 


.  Lor, 


John,  I.  ,74 
d  Pi  n    <.  II 


Law  Courts,  Plan  of 
La wers,  Laird  of,  111.  29 
Lawnmarket,  The,  1.  79,94 — 123, 

■75,    253,    292,    295,    310,  311,    ;i*;, 
314,  366,  II.  82,  95,  242,  2i4,  111. 


fire 


...., 


view- of  the,  I.   -1-4, 
Lawnmarket  Club,  The,  III.  124 
Lawnmarket  Gazettes,  I.  123,  HI, 

Laurence,  Sir  Thomas,  II.  88,  91 

HI.?? 

Lawrence,  Lady,  I.  282 

Lord  Provost,  II.  284 


I...U* 


Lauson  of  [he  Hijiri  -s,  K  i-  hard, 
I.  42,  II.  223;   Provost,  II.  270 

Lawson,  Rev.  Parker,  III.  230,231, 
259,  262,  342 

Lawsons,  Mansion-house  of  the,  II. 

•'  Lay  of  the  Last  Minstrel,"  The, 
III.  145 

Lea,  S.r  Richard,  II.  48,  56 

Learmonth,  Lord  Provost,  III.  70 

LtMthci  tr. K.lv.',  Edinburgh  the  seat 

of  the,  II.  264 
Let',  Principal,  II.  29,  III.  50,  179 

Lefe\  re.  Sir  J  ,  ,'hn  Shaw*  1 1.  84,  S5,S8 
Lean's  Land,  III.  75 
Leggett,  Alexander,  III.  82 
Leigh  Hunt,  II.  140,  141 
Lei^h,  Sn  Samuel  Egerton,  II.  159 
Leith,  I.  42,  II.  43,  *  45,  55.  63,  66, 
76,  101,  182,  233,  234,  282,  307, 
330,  354.  HI-  35,  36,  72,  95,  132, 
133,  1.34.  M3)  '40.  150,  151,  152; 
historical  survey  of  the  town, 
III.  164— 212  ;  its  charters,  III. 
166  ;  its  early  history,  III.  166 — 
198  ;  its  subjection  to  the  Edin- 
burgh magistrates,  166 — 184  : 
burnt  and  pillaged  by  the  English, 
169,  170;  arrival  of  the  French, 
171 ;  the  fortifications,  ib. ;  arrival 
of  the  English  fleet  and  army, 
174  ;  opening  of  the  batteries, 
170;  failure  of  the  great  assault, 
177;  the  Queen  Regent's  death, 
177,  178  ;  relics  of  the  siege, 
170;  the  fortitK-.Lti..nsilei)!oh-,!ie.l, 
ib.  ;  lauding  of  (Jueen  Mary, 
179  ;  Leith  mortgaged,  " 
burgh   takes    military 

during 


.   L.lm 


of  Ja 


es  VI 


i86-!he:Crom> 

Cen.:ansinSLe.!h; 

s  first  printed  in 

Tucker  s  report, 

ib. ;  the  Covena 

nters  transported, 

1S9;     English 

pirates    hanged, 

insurrection  of 

dier    Mackinto 

Duke  of  Argyle 

192  ;   landing  of 

the  Hessian  ar 

ny  in   i746,   .94; 

i2  ;  description  of  the  town  and 
s  neighbourhood,  213—289  (see 

eith)\  plan  of  Leith,  III.  '176. 
205,  "  233  ;  view  of  Leith,  1693, 
11.  '  177;  arms  of  Leith,  III. 
180;  view  of  Leith  from  the 
a.ter  Road,  III.  *  185 
:h  and  Edinburgh  people  in  the 


Leith    and    London    smacks    and 

Suction  of  steamers,  III.  211 
Leith,    Appearance   of,    during  the 

French  war,  III.  210 
Leith  Bank, The,  III.  154/236,239 
Leith,  Chamber  of  Commerce,  III. 

Leith   iJock    Commissioners,  The, 
III.  283,  288 

"         Be- 


lli. 


Leith   Docks,    III. 
venues  of,  111.  26 

*285 

Leith  harbour.  III 


in  1S29,  III.  200;  -ca-fight  in, 
III.  184,  104;  ea.-t  and  west  pieis, 
Plate  33 

Leith  High  School,  III.  159 

Leith  Hospital,  III.  248 

Leith  Improvement  Scheme,  1 1 1. 234 


31,    36,    166,    171,   175,    I77, 

259—266,  T  268,  290 
Leith  Loan,  I.  42,  II.  176,223, 

Leith  markets,  The,  III.  246 

Leith  .Men  li.mts'  Club,  III.  23 
Leith  Mills,  III.  207,  229 


Leith  Piers,  III.  *  208,  271  ;  the 
signal  tower,  1775,  III.  '209,  245 

Leith  Post  Office,  111.  243 

Leith  Ritle  Volunteers,  III.  239,244 

Leith  Roads,  III.  170,  182,  183,  186, 
1S8,  1S9,   194,  197,  i98;  207,  229, 

Leith  'sand's,"  1 1 L  '207— 270  ;  exe- 
cutions there,  III.  267  ;  duel 
fought    there,    III.    268     ' 

racing  there.  III.  26S  --  : 
Leith  Science  School,  111. 
Leith  stage,  Travelling  by 


Leith  Street,  I.  364,  II.  107,  176, 
177,  "78 

Leith  Sugar  House  Company,  III. 

Leith  Terrace,  III.  152 

Leith  Walk,  I.  54,87,  280,  II.  178, 
III.  96,  128,  150 — 163,  171,  207, 
209,    218,    234,    251,    269,    288 ; 

lighting  of  the.  III.  152.  154;  its 


164  ;  the    bota 


111.157  1 
Square, 

Leith  Walk  public  school,  III.  159 
Leith  Wynd,  I.  38,  195,  217,  241, 
280,  290,  297,  298,  300 — 309,  336, 
342, 1 1.  17,  18,  2qo,  III.  6,  125,  151 
Leith  Wynd  Port,  I.  43,  63,  302 
Leiihs,  The  family  of.  III.  164 
Le  lay,  Brian,  the  Templar,  II.  51 
Lekprevik,   Robert,  the  printer,  I. 


Lenn 


195, 


243, 


OLD   AND   NEW   EDINBURGH. 


Leopold  Place,  111.  15S;  Owns 
Church  from,  III.  *  161 

Leper  Hospital,  Greenside,  II. 

Leslie,  Sir  Alexander,  I.  51,  52, 
158,227,11.182,330,111.43,1 
151,  186,  318 


Leslie,  Lieut. -Gen.  Sir  Alexander, 

III.  104,  105 
Leslie,  Patrick,  III.  338 
Leslie,    " 


111. 


130, 1 


>ags,  Violation  of,  1.  354 
Letters  of  Marque,  Leith,    III.  279 
Leven  and  Melville,  1  >avid  hail  of, 

II.  335,  337 
Leven,  Countess  of,  II.  166 
Leven,  Earls  of,  I.  63,  67,  91,  178, 

234,  266,  III.  30,   161,   186,250; 

attacked  in  the  HighStreet,  I.  196 
Leven  Lodge,  1 1.  356,  III.  30 
Leven  Street,  II.  222 
Levyntoun,  John  of,  Alderman,  II. 

278 
Lewis,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  lessees,  I.  346 
Leyden,  Dr.   John,   Scott's  friend, 

Libert, In/Villiam  of,   Provost,  II. 


Libcrt.,11.    III.    so.    ;i4.    326,  Plate 

Liberton  Tower,  III.  327,  *  329 
Liberton's  Wynd,  I.  3,  119,  120,  122, 
219,  292,  33  s,  II.  2^S,  2  jo,  241,  240 
Liddell,  Sir  James,  II-  239 

I, lie  Association  of  Scotland,  II.  123 
I  itc- *  iuards,  I 'ri net  Charles's,  I.  \j? 
Lighthouse,  The  Leith,  III.  279 
L.i-htim;  trie  Ne«    1  own,  I.  no,  120 
1. num. in.  Sir  Richard  de,  I.  26 
Lindores,  Lord,  I.  154 
Linlithgow,  Karl  of,  I.  37S,  III.  263 
Lindesay,  Sir  Alexander,  I.  83,209 
Lindesay  of  the  Mount,  Sir  David, 


I. 

III.  47,  49,  52, 
Lindesay  of  Pitso 
Lindsay,  Larl  of, 
Lindsay,  Lord,  I.  15a,  159,  2ot 

II.  70,  71,  116,  315,  374,  II 

Provost,  II.  280 
Lindsay,  Patrick,  Lord  Provo; 


Lindsay  of  Edzell,  Sir  Walter,  I. 

209,  III.  219 
Lindsay,  Master  of,  II.67,  HI-  174 
Lindsay,  the  chronicler,   III.  222 
Lindsay  of  Lochill,  Bernard,   III. 

236,  237,  238 
Lindsay,     David,     first     Protestant 

minister  of  Leith.   III.    179,  180, 

182,  219 
Lindsay,   Lady  Sophia,  I.  59 
Link.    Lane.    Leith,   111.  262 
Linnell,  John,  the  painter,  II.  91 
Lintel    of    doorway     in      Dawney 

Douglas's  Tavern,  I.  "236 


Lion 


II.  30 


1.  Ill-  47 

ch,  The,  Arthur's  Sea 


France,   Niildr 


Little  Mound,  Hie,  II.  «, 
Little  Picardy,  II.  85 

Livingstone,  Sir  Alexander, 
Livingstone,  Sir  James,  11. 
Livingstone,  James  Lord,  I 
Livingstone,  Imprisonment 


Livingstone's  Yard,  I.70,  331 
Lixmount  House,  III.  306 
Ltzars,  engraver,  II.  90,  91, 

Loanh'ead,  111.  351,  35S 
Loan  of  Broughton,  The.  I 
Local  government  of  Leith, 


Loch  End,  Water  of,  III.  128 

I.e.  hiel,  the  Highland  chieftain,  L 
325,326,330,334,111.326 

Lochinvar,  Laird  of,  I.  153 

Lochrin,  II.  218,  347 

Lochrin  distillery,  II.  215 

Lockhart,  Alexander,  Lord  Cov- 
ington, I.  170,  III.  235;  his  de- 
fence of  the  '45  prisoners,  I.  170 

Lockhart,  Alexander,  of  Craig 
House,  III.  42 

Lockhart  of  Carnwath,  Sir  George, 
I.  64,  97,  ll6>  *"8,  170,  239,248, 
272  ;  murder  of,  I.  117,  II.  217 

Lockhart,  Sir  John  Ross,  II.  339 

Lockhart,  John  (libsun,  s.jii-in-law 
and  biographer  of  Sir  W. 


I.108. 


■  3" 


II.26,: 
194, 


Lockhart,  Captain,  I.  195 

Lockhart.  William.  III.    :) 
Lockhart's  Court,  I.  247 
1 .  "  ksmith.    The  first,  II.  263 
Logan,  Sir  Robert,  II.  54,  III.  37 

Luganuf  Coalfield,  Provost  Robert, 

Log-.n,   Rev.  C.e.irge,  I.  318 
Logan,  Rev.  John;  III.  219 
Logans  uf  Restalrig,  The,   II.   54, 
III.  128,   131,   132,   133,  134,  135, 
164,  166,  167,  168,   170,  215,  216, 
220,  234,  247,  31S,  327,  354;  their 
house  at  Loch  End,  III.   '  136 
Logan's  Close.  II.  18 
Log's  lodging-house,  II.  226 
Logie-Drummond,  III.  192 
London  Hotel,  I.  267 
Loudon  Road,  III.  128 
London  Street,  II.  1S4 
Longford,  Mr.  J.  A.,  III.  55 
Longniddry,  Laird  of,  III.  150 
Li  '['K'V  Staiie,  The,  II.  239 
Lord   Advocate,   Alleged   abuse  of 

his  authority,  II.  202,  20  j 
Lord   Uorthwick's  Close,  II.  241 
Lord-Clerk    Register,    Office  of,    I. 
36S,  369 


ckburn  Street, 


2:2.  Fliie 


■d  CuMen's  Close,  I.  in 

d  Durie's  Close,  I.  242 

d    John     Drummond's    plo 

apture  the  Castle,  I.  6S 

d  Provost,    The    dignity  ol 

59  ;  the  title  first  used,  II. 


Lord  Semple's  house,  Castle  Hill, 

Lorimer,  Professor,  III.  26 
Lorimer,  Miss  Jean,  11.  331 
Lome,  Lord,  1.   5S  ;    marriage   of, 


1.63,278,11.31, 

295."i'l°i23, 

f 

Loudon,   Eari  of,  Y.  119,   159,   33 

II.253 
Loudon,   Lord  High  Chancellor, 

Loudon    and   Moira,  Countess  0 


Loughborough,  Lord,  I.  271,  : 

Lounger  Club,  The.  I.  121,  U 

Louping-on-stone,    The,    at 

dingston  Church,  II.  •  314 

Lovat,  Lord,  I.  237,  248,  351 

163,  243  ;  cruel  treatment  c 

widow,  I.255,  256,257;  her< 

1.257;  bis  biographer,  III. 


Lov, 


Lou 


Luckenbooths,  I  he,  I.  122,  124.  152, 
153,  "54,  156,  191.  210,  221,  222, 
327,  331,  II.  281,  282 
Luckmore,    John,    Sir    W.    Scott's 

schoolmaster,  II.  326 
Lucky  Dunbar's.  1.  121 
Lucky  [■  wie's  tavem,  II.  333 
l.uekyMid.:!eiii.i^'sU%erii,Hl.i26 


I.yncls.iy,  Sir  Jcroine,   I.  371 

!  yiiclueh,  Lord,  I  I.  So,  109,  2S3 

Lynedoch  Place,  II.  209 

Lyon  Close,  III.  138 

Lyon   King-of-Arms,  The  office  ol 

I.yltoi'i,  SiV  Edward  Eulwer,  II.  15: 


M 

Macadam,  Dr.  Stevenson,  III.  75 
Macaulay,     Catharine,     authoress, 

II.  242 

Macaulay,    Lord,    I.  59,    285,  339, 

369,  III.43,  191 
Macbeth  of  l.iberlon.  III.  326,  327 
Macbeth,     Norman,     the    painter, 

III.  82 

Macbeth,  Rolrert,  painter,  III.  82 
McCrie,  Dr.  Thomas,  II.  337,  383, 

Met.  r'ic.  Vrc'e9 Church,  The,  II.  337 


Macculloch  1 

III.  307 
Macdoiuld,  Duncan  Lord,  II.  311 

M.li  ri,  n.iM,   I.,  ,rd,   1 1.  144,  173 
Mac  don.  dd,  Sir    lohn,   1.   no 
Macdoiiald,  Colonel,  III.  33 
Ma.  ,1,  ,nald  of  ll.irrlsdale,  I.  70 

Macdonalcl  ut   1.  laiircciald.  K  mail 


McDonald  of  Staff.,,  Ronald, 

Macdonalcl    of    leindreich.    Major 

Donald,    I.    333 ;    his    daughter, 

Macdoiiald,  Gen.  Al.istair,  II.   ,22 
Macdonalcl,   Alexander,   author   of 

"Vimonda,"  III.  159,  160 
Macdonald,  Flora,  I.  no 
Macdonalcl,  Miss  Penelope,  II.  139 

M.icd id.  Col    ncl,  III.  146 

M..cdouuel,,f  Glengarry,  11.  36 
McDuugal,  Helen  (ue  liurke  and 

Hare) 
Ma,  d.w.il.  fC'.,stleseniple,III.270 
M        '.  ,..  !     >  I    g. .11,  Andrew,  I.  iu: 


M'Glll,  John,  physician.  II.  29 

Macgregor,  Sir  Lean.  III.  140 

Macgregor,    James    Mhor,    I. 

escape  and  execution  of,  ib. 


MacGrcgor.  Rev,    I.  R  .bertson,  II. 

235,  III.  264 
Macintyre,  Duncan,  I.  136 
Maclmyre,     Duncan    Ban,    Grave 

Macintosh'' (or    Mackintosh),    Sir 

James,  II.  163,195 
Mackay,  Charles,  actor,  I.  350,366 
Mackay,  Gen.  Hugh,  I.  63 
Mackay,    Major-Gen.    Alexander, 

Mackay.  Dr.  Charles,  I.  325 
Mackay,    |o!m.  gao'eii--:     111.   1'  z 
Mackays"    account     ol     the     High 

School,  11.205 
Mi  (Cellar,  Andrew,  the  golfer,  III. 


George 

Earl  of  Cro 

marty,  I 

.298 

M'Kcnz.e. 

Lord,  II. 

SirAlexander.il. 

Ma,  keli/ie 

of      Ro 

George, 

ii'."4'".  25' 

'    'Oil 

'£ 

"  bltlidy 

ties      of 

;„.. 

daughter 

I.    in. 

,.  111. 

114 

Sch'o 


Mackenzie,  Sa  .  .,    r  ■-.  II.  106 
Mackenzie,  Sir  Jame..  I.  66,  3.0 
Mackenzie,  Sir  John,  I.  in 
Mackenzie,  Sir  Roderick,  I.  in,  166 
Mackenzie,  Hon.  W.  F.,  111.  101 
Mackenzie,   Henry  ("the  Man  of 
Feeling"),  I.  106,   120,  121,  156, 
236,  294,   339,   348,  II.   115,    120, 

38^  III'.  127.'  159.' 240":  lii's  High 

Kincaid,  Lord  Provost, 

II.  2S4.  III.  162 

Ma,  kenzie,  i'h,  mas,  II.  197 
Mackenzie  of  I  lelvir,  III.  -3 
Mackenzie  of  Lines. ie,   Lieutenant 

Roderick,  II.  382 
Mackenzie  o(  Redcastle,  Capt.,  II. 

307 
Mackenzie,  Dr.,  II.  35 

Mackenzie   l'lace,    I  II.  71,  76 
Mackintosh,  Sir  James,  III.  215 
Mackintosh   of  l'.orluni,  Lrigadier, 

III.  191,  192,  229 
Mackoui,  the  thief,  II.  178 
Maclaren,    Charles,    editor   of   the 

Scotsman,  I.  2S3-28;,  III.  79 
McLaren,  Duncan,  III.  '53,  56,  57 
Maclaren,  John  .Wonder  fill  niciiioiy 

of,  II.337 
Maclaren,  Provost  of  Leith.  1 1 1.  21  ) 
Maclaurin,     Colin,     the    luall.ema. 

tician,  II.  .05,38  = 
M'Lean,  Capt.,  1.  ' 
Macleay,  the  painter,  III.  79 
McLehose,  Mr..  Agnes,  II.  187,327 
MacLellan,  Sir  Samuel,  Provost,  II. 

MacLellan,  Sir  Thomas,  I.  153 
M'Lellan  of  Bombie,  1.  42 
Mac  Lellans  Land,  11.  168,  242 
Macleod,  Colonel  Norman,  II.  343 
Macleod,  Flora,  II.  346 


Macmorran,    Bailie     lohn,    Tragic 

death  of,  I.  no,  111,292,  II.  239; 

house  of,  I.  "  113,  '  H4 
M'Nabs,  The.  botanists,  III.  93 
Macnee,  Sir  Daniel,  the  painter,  I. 

159,  II.  92,  III.  79 
McNeill,  Duncan  (  Lord  Cclonsay). 

II-  -95,  197 
McNeill  ofColonsay,  Sir  John,  III. 

McNeill's  Craigs,  II.  101 
Maconochie,  .Allan,  Lord  Meadow- 
bank,  II.  162,  199,  293 
M.icraas,    I  he  Wild,  11.  307—' 
Macrae,  Capt.   J 


pin 


111 


Magdalei 

Magd'alen'e,  Marriage  of  Princess, 


GENERAL     INDEX. 


383 


Maggie  uicicson,  rxt 

after  hanging,  II. 

Maginn,  Dr.,  II.  20 

Mahogany  Land,  Th 

II.  *  336 
Maid  of  Norwav,  I . 
"  Maiden,"  The;  I. 

II.  S7,  231,  "I-  9< 
Mail  bag  robberies, 
Main  Point,  II.  21., 
Main  Street,  New. a 


I.  246  . 


Maitland,  Sir  Richard,  III.  53 
Maitland  of  Lethington,  III.  228 
Maitland  of  Thirl, lane,  III.  61 
Maitland  Street,  II.  13S,  209 
Major    Thomas   Weir,    I.    310;   his 
personal     appearance,    ib.  :     his 
powerful  prayer,.   ;i  i   ;  the  "h.ly 
sisters,"    ib.  ;   his    reputed   coni- 


undoubtedly  mad,    ib.  ;   ter 
reputation  of  the  house,  313 
tenanted  for  upwards  of  acen 
it. 
Major  Weir's   Land,   I.    310- 

Malcoim   III.,    I.  16,  r8,  347, 

his  queen,  III.  12S 
Malcolm   1\    .   I.  .     .   III.   v'l 
Malcolme,  David,  minister  of  Dud- 

dingston,  1 1.  314 
Malle'iiv,   III.    332.   334,  335 
Malloch,  Alexander,  ol  Moultray's 

Hill,  III.  192 
Malloch,   David,  the  poet,  II.  190, 

"  Mally,"  The  beautiful,  II.  324 
Malta  Terrace,  II.  114,  III.  79 
Malthus,    the    political   economist, 

II.  195,  378 
Malt-men,  Trades,  and  Traffickers, 
:  Company  ol  Leitn, 


Parade,    Portobello,    III. 
-s' Church,  Leith,  III.  =58, 


Market,  Armed  Highlanders 

ing  to,  II.  234 
Market  Cross,  The,    I.    196, 


Market  Place,  Grassmarkct,  1 1 
Market  Street,  I.  296 
Markets,  The  ancient,  I.  2t9,  II 

278;  James  III.'s  charter,  II 
Marlin,  the  paviour,  I.  374 
Marlyn's  Wynd  (now  Blair  Stt 

I-  245.  374,  II-  231,  240,  282 
Marriage  of  James  IV.,    II.  6t 


Englishw'O 
Marshal,  Jai 


Ma\  i,l>aiik,    111.    330;    Roman 
Maxwell,  Sir   John,  III.  327 


Maxwells  of  Rarnlun.Thc-,  III.  31; 
Maxwell,  Robert,  Lord  Provost,  II 

MaxueTTco'onel  Wm„  II.  371 
Maxwell  of  Monrcith,  Lady,  I.  275 

III.  163  ;  her  daughters,  ib. 
Mav-dav    observances  on   Arthur": 

Seat,  II.  311 
Maviicl.l  I,  .aMished  Church,  Fret 

Church  and  Hall,  III.  51 
May-field  Loan.  III.  so,  5.,  56 
May-field  Street,  III.  51. 
Meadowbank,  Lord,  I.  350,  II.  87 

r62,  163,  199,  227,  292,  III.  330 
Meadow  Cage,  The,  II.  349 
Meadow   Park,  The,   II.  347 

Meadow  Place,  II.  348 
Mea.low  Walk, II.  207,340,358,3! 
Meadows,  The,  II.  311,  347 
!       349>  354,  355,  359,  3°°,  HI 
Meadowside  House,  II.  362 
Meal   Market,  The,   11.  246,  *  248 


,4    - 


III.  : 

Mait-t.i 

Mande 


b,   and  the    Porteous 

John,  Lord  Provost, 

Miller,  Messrs.,  pub- 
n,  II.  347 
the    Scots,    Spanish 


Manor  Place,  II.  195,  210 
Mansfield,  Larl  of.  I.  272,  II.  143 
Man,hcld.  Capt.  James,  III.  195 
Mansfield,  Ramsay,  and  Co.,  bank- 
ers, II.  282,  283 
Manson,    Mr.   J.  B.,  of  the  Daiy 


2,  222,  246,  247,  347 
;  of  John  Earl  of,  II 


March  Ilyke,  II.  346 
Marchmont,  Earl  of,  III.  9; 
Margaret,  Queen,  I.  38,  39, 

*44,  78,  149 
Margaret    of    England,    Qu 


VI.,  II. 


=  34 


Margaret,  daughter  o(  Henry'  III 

Margaret  Tudor,    Marriage  of,  II 

60—62 
Margaret,  Countess  of  Glasgow,  I 

Margaret,    the     "Friend     of    th 

People,''   II.    177 
-Mane,,  Mary  Stuart's  four,  II.  6; 


Martyrs'  or  Reformed  Presbyterian 

Church,  I.  294 
Mary  .1  Este  of  Modena,  I.  58 
Mary  Ring's  Close,  I.  227 — 229,  II. 

I  hum t icl  s  --picrani,  I.  228 

Mary     of    I lueldres.     I.    303,    304  I 
seal  and  autograph  of,   1.  *  306  ; 


e,,„: 


bearing. 


Mai  v  of  Lorraine,  Queen  of  J; 
V.,  II.  270,111.  170, 172,  173, 
223,  235  ;  he 
III.  -216; 
Piazzas  and  Bourse  of.  III.  230 
Mary  Stuart,  Queen,  I.  3,  43,  44, 
45,  78,  92,  123,  204,  206,  208,  219, 
263,  II.  127,  150,  233,  234,  279, 
280,  287,  303,  306,  319,  374,  375, 
379,  HI-  -,  3-  173.  =M.  22S,  .47. 
301  ;  birth  of,  II.  05  ;  her  lam;. 1:  j 
at  Leith,  III.  17-i;  her  reception 
into  Edinburgh,  II.  66 ;  her  in- 
terview with  Knox,  II.  67,  74  ; 
portrait  of,  Plate  14  ;  her  mar- 
riage to  Darnley,  II.  68,  III.  131, 
306 ;  murder  of  Rizzio,  1 1.  70,  7 1 ; 
her  marriage  to  Bcthwell,  II.  71  ; 
her  armorial  bearings  on  Leith 
Tolbooth.  III.  2,8,  -229,235 

Marvlield,  III.  158 

Mary-  Place,  III.  78 

Masks  and  plays,  I.  7 

Masks   worn   by   ladies  in   former 
times,  III.  126 

Mason,  the  actor,  I,  350 

Masonic  Hall,  George  Street,  II.  ,i, 

Mass,  Celebration  of,  forbidden,  II. 

Masterton,    Allan,    writing-ma-u-: , 

I.  120,  II.  294 
Matheson,  Alexander,  rector  of  the 

High  School,  II.  292  _ 
Matheson,  Robert,  architect,  I.  "2 
Mathieson,  Sir  Alexander,  III.  199, 

Mathieson,  the  poet,  III.  262 
Mathews,  the  actor,  I.  349 

Mauchan's  Close,  II.  241 


riot  in  1763,  II.24 
Me  ial  ol  the  Edinburgh  Revolution 

Club,  I.  *  63 
Medical  House,  The,  II.  298 
MedKal  Ho-pital,   I  he,  II.  360,  362 
Medical   I.e.  lure    Rooms,   II.  335 

Medwyn,  Lord,  111.  127 
Meeting-house  Green,  Leith,  III. 


Meldium  of  the  P.inns,  I.  42,  II.  22 

Melgum,  Lord,  III.  182 

Melrose,  Earl  of,  II.  259,  302,  III 

Melrose,  Abbot  of,  I.  2s3 

Melrose,  Battle  of  (iff  Battles) 

Melvil,  the  historian,  111.  3,  4,  6 


John,  Pro 
Melville,  Earl  of,  I.  62,  66 
Melville,   Henry  Viscount 
159,  172,  188,  236,  346, 


Melville,  The  Viscounts,   III 

363 
Melville  ofllalhill,  Sir  James 


M.   de,  the  am: ,i--a- 


Merchant  Company  of  Edinburgh, 
I.376,  11.323,358,359,363,111. 
288,  292 ;  their  monopoly  and 
progress,  I.  377,  378  ;  hall  of  the, 

Merchant-Maiden      Ho-pital,      II. 

168,  272,  301,  324,    328  ;  the  new 

hospital,  II.  359,  362 
Merchant  marine  ol  Leith,  Exploits 


Mere-month,      William,      merchant, 

III.  199 
Mciliodi,l  meeting-house,  The  old, 

II.  17S 
Methven,  Lord,  I.  43,  II.  166,  181 
Meuse  Lane,  II.  t58,  159,  163 
Midcoiuinon  Close,  II.  17 
Mid. II.  1  .11,  1    ol    a,  I      -.III       -.- 
.\l„l,llel..n,  Sir  William  de,  II.  51 
Middleton's  Entry,  II.  331 
Mrdlicld  House,  III.  339 
Midlothian,  Heart  of,  or  Old  Tol- 

booth,  1.  123,  330,  I'hitc  5,  II.  107 
Mllburn  Tower,  ill.  319 
Military-executions  oil  the  Link,  of 

Leith',   III.  --03 
Militia  Club,  The,  I.  231 
Mill  Lane,  Leith,  III.  248 
.1:      ..l\.  10:     ..:.       I     '     ..    I  I     , 
Millar,  Rev.  Jame,,"  III     ...-■ 


Miller,  the  seedsman,  III.  13S 
Miller',  K.iowe.The,  II.  100,  no 
Milne,  Admiral  Sir  11.,  11.   171,  1C7 
Sir  Alexander,  II.  187 


he  do 


Fletcher  Lord, 


-■07  .  hi. l. 


■  ■1-1  Mi-u 
of   the   old   Mint,    I.    -  2C 
original  »ne  at  Holyrood,  : 
Mint  Close,  I.  271,  11.  166 
Minto,  Earl  of,  il.  173,  273 
Mint,,  Lady,  I.  243 
Minto,  Laird  of,  IH.35 


Mlt.liel.l 

Milch.  II, 'sir  Andrew, 
Mitchell,    Sir  John,  C 


ererofAn  hbishop 


Moggridge,  Colonel,  and  llie  f..r[ 

li,  utioii  of  liiehheith,  III.  292 
Ma:.    Andrew,  and    III,   paliipille 


Moira,  Earl  of,  11.  317 
Monboddo,  Lord,  I.  '  132,  166,  170, 
i7*>  236,  II.   121,  207,  330,  III. 

daughter,   Miss    Burnet,    I.    171, 

M 

:,„. 

Lord,  11.  153,    187,  204, 

Sir  Thomas,  III.  342 

Henry   Well- 

"ll 

■eral,    I.    55,    56,  58,  159, 
367,   375,   HI-  43,   '87. 

v, 

1     :  •.  Ill     .'.,.  ;.'•-, 

M 

\     .     ider,    anatomy 
.■  ipalol  the 

M 

M  -'.'l 


OLD   AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


curious  hoax  on  Cardinal  dc  Ret/, 

II.  jis 
Monteith's  Close,  I.  282 
Monttiith's  ''Theatre  of  Mortality," 

I.  162,  202,  II.  60,   116,  216,  254, 
286,  374,  III.  106,  307,  343 
Montgomerie     of     Skelmorlie,     Sir 

Robert,  I.  66 
Montgomery,  Lord,  II.  38 
Montgomery,   sir  James,  II.  153 
Montgomery,  Major-Gen.,  III.  151 
Montgomery,  Alexander,  the  poet, 

I.  207,  259 
Mniit-Mium-,  Mean,  II.  213 
Montrose.  Duke  of,  11.86,  109,  203 
Montrose,    Earl  of,   I.   105,  II.  22, 

III.  .74,  .79,  .82 

Montrose,  Marquis  of,  I.  51,  56,  58, 

260,  343  ;    executior 

15,  31,  281  ;  curious  item: 

II.  14  ;  his  heart,  III.  38 
Montrose,  Marquis  of,  I.  3; 
Moodie      of      Sauchtonhal 

Thomas,  II.  20 
Moore,  Mr  John',  II.    i7i  ; 


31,  188,= 


.89 


Moray   Place,   II. 

202,  203,  204,  20 

More,  Jacob,  the 


Morocco  Close,  II.  18 

Morocco  Land,  II.  6,  7,  III.  83; 
efihgyof  the  Moor,  II.  *7;  expla- 
nations of,  II.  6,  7 

Morrison,  Alex.indei ,  Lord  Prestoii- 
grange,  III.  .o 
'      '  on  the  Younger,  III.  82 


Mo 


rton,  Earl  of,  I.  47,  48,  49,  50, 
52,  93,  126,  215,259,  260,  II.  17, 
3,71,  38o,lII.  133,134,  179,  180, 
46,  247,  262,  301  ;  execution  of, 
.  50,  II.  380  (see  Morton, Regent) 
rton,  Earls  of,  I.  367,  II.  61,  105, 
*>,  "5,  283,  331  ;  residence  of, 

rton,  The  Regent,  I.  47,  49,  50, 


Mortonhall,  Lady,  I.  91 

Mossman,  the  goldsmith,  I.  i2r,268 

-\loultra\s  of  Seatield,  The,  364 

head  of  the,  before  i:44. /7,;.<,  1 
Marl,  Roslin,  III.  351,  356 


ebank     fe.it 
let,  II. 


thJ'Gr; 


Mowbray  of  Barnbougle,  I. 

Mowbray  of  Castlewan,  I.  , 

Moyse.  I  Jr..  the  blind  phibs 


Munru,    Alexander,    physician,    1 
298,  299,  3S3  ;  his  son,  II.  383 
Monro,  Colonel,  I.  .9. 
Munro  of  Culrain.  II.  rQ9 
Murchisoii.   M,    Roderick,  II.  89 
Murder  Acre,  II.  312 
Murder  of  Archbishop   Sharpe, 


Murde: 


elll.ll  k.lMe     , 


Murdoch's  Close,  I.  266 
Mure,  Robert,  Provost,  II.  27 
Mure,  Miss.  I.  255 
Murray,  Alexander,  Lord  Her 

land,  II.  255 
Murray,  Lord,  I.  379,  III.  68 
Murray,  Lord  George,  I.  330 
Murray,  Lord  Charles,  III.  19 
Murray,  Earl  of,  I.  246 
Murray  of  Touchadam,  Sir  J 


II.223 
Murray  of  Ochtertyre,  Sir  Patrick, 

II.  r7o,  283 
Murray,  Sir  Peter.  I.  254 
Murray   of  Clermont,   Sir  Robert, 

II.  257 
Murray,    William,    Earl  of  Dysart, 

Murray,  Alexander,    III.   .03;  his 


Murray,  Lady,  II.  89 

Murray,  Miss  Nicky,  I.  243,  II.  254 

Mturay,  the  ...  tor,  i.    ;4S,     -,,,  3=1, 

III.  78,  158 
Murray  Kuril,  The,  III.  322 
Murravflcld,  III.  ro3,  104 
Mnrraylk-ld   Road,   III.  106 
Murray's  boarding-school,  Mrs..  II. 

269 
Muschat,    Nicoll,    I.    67,   259,    II. 

310;  murder  of  his  wife,  II.  311 
Muschat's  Cairn,  II.  310 
Museum  of  Ann, juities,  1.  -;,,4,    ,.,, 


.eoroc  ; 


Mo-., 


,  Antipathy  of  the 

Musical  Soeiety   of  Edinburgh,   I. 

251  ;  celebrated  singers,  id. 
Musselburgh,  II.  231,  283,354,  372, 

III.   3r,    58,   143,   145,    146,   192, 

\lu-o  !!,urc,h  Links,  I.  33.,  III.  140 

Musselburgh  Roeks.  Ill  143 
\lu,scli.urgl,  Road.  III.  r47 
Mussel  (  ape.  The,  111.  274 
Mutinies  of  the  Highland  troops, 

II.  307—3.0,  III.  194,  t95 
Muttonhole,  III.  no,  in 
Mylne,  James,  I.  379 
M\  hie,    lohn,   rovul  master    mason, 

II.  382 
Mylne,  Robert,  architect,  I.  65,  75, 

'  ■'-    ''■■      '■    ll'      's 

M  vine's  Court,  Lawnmarket,  I.  96, 

97,  29°,  338,  II.  163 
Myine's  Mount,  I.  65,  75,  78 
M  vine's  .Square,  I.  236,      237,   23S, 

337,  HI-  159,  J9i 
Myines  of  Powderhall,  The,  III.  89 
Mytens,  the  painter,  1.  94 


Ce.'.  Jelm  :  l,i-,widoW, 


Wemyss,    Rev.   Ja 


Napier,  lohn,  inventor  of  loga- 
rithms, II.  132,  134,  III.  35—38, 
66;    his     supposed     superiialur.il 

Archibald,  III.  38      'S    SO"' 

Napier,  Provost  Alexander,  II.  278, 
III.  35'.   his   son,    .Sir  Alexander. 
I.    ,..„.   111.     , 
Napier  of  Ilunmore,  II.  209 
Napier   of   Merchiston,    Sir    Alex- 


ander   Prov 


.278 


Archi- 
bald; 

Napier 

Napier. 

Napier,   Robert,  III.  34 

Napier.W'illiam,  ofWrychtishou" 

"     .319,   II-  ,132,   HI;   32,^33,   3? 


ofessor  Macvey, 
26,  165,  III.  79 
Mark,  III.  35 


for 


Napier,    Barbara,    1 

craft,  I.  318,  319,  11.  8 
Napier  of  Merchiston,  Helen, 

Napier,  Hon.  Miss,  II.  163 
Napiers  of  Merchiston,  1'he, 

34,  35,  .34;  tomb  of,  I.  150, 

35,  41 

Napiers  of  Wrightshouse,   I. 

III.  32,  34  ;  mansion  of,  I.  3 
Nasmy  th,  Dr.  John,  surgeon,  I 
Nasmyth,  the  painter,  II.  89,9. 

188,    109,   314,    III.    75,    352 

Nasmyth,  the  actor,  I.  348 
National  Hank  of  Scotland,  II 


Gallery, 


National   Monument.   Caltoii    Hill. 

II.  108,  *  109,  151,  III.  82 
National    Security    Savings  Bank, 

Natural  History,  Museum  of,  III. 

Neaves,   Lord,  I.  352,  II.   127,  173 
Neighbourhood   of  St.    Giles's,  I, 

148—157 
Neil  Gow,  II.  179 
Nelll,  Patrick,  III.  87 
Nelson  of  Millbank,  House  of,  II. 

162 
Nelson,  Messrs. ,  publishers,  II,  347, 

354,  355 
Nelson,  Thomas,   II.  355,  "'356 
Nelson  Street,  II.  194 
Nelson's  monument,   Calton   Hill, 

Nether  Bow,  The,  I.  31,  38,  39,  43, 
50,  51,  126,  130,  150,  191,  192, 199, 

253,  266,  278,  298,  327,   II.   181, 
222,  331,  III.  6,  187,  229 

Nether   Bow,  The    1-Xelse    <  Hike  at 

the,  I.  '220 

Nether  Bow  Port,  I.  *20i,  217,  218, 
219,  *22i,  241,  281,  300,  311,  325, 
331.  359.  II-  2,  7,  HI-  6,  12,  67, 
125,  130,  319;  the  Regent  Mor- 
ton's surprise  parly.  I.  218;  de- 
molition of  the  gate.  lb. 

Nether  Gogar,  III.  318 

Nether  Hill,  The,  II.  307 

Nether  Liberton.  III.  327,  338,  354 

Neville,  Sir  Robert,  HI.  .351 
New  Bank  of  Scotland,  II.  94,  95 
New  Club,  The,  II.  123 


-V  u  I  0111  I-      liange,  t  .rasMiiarl.et 

II.  234,  '230 
New  Hades.   III.   149 
New  Hailes  House,  III.  '"  365,  366. 

367 


New  Uuecnsferry  Road,  II 
New  Quay,  I.eith,  III.  210 
New  Register  House,  I.  37: 
New  Royal  Infirmary, The,  . 
New    School,    The,    II.    1 

New     St', 


,  Canongate,  I. 

8,  10,  18,  19,  269,  III.  36( 
New  streets  within    the  are 

Flodden  Wall,  I.  282—29 
New  Town,  The,   I.  98,   102,  183, 

335,   338,   364,   H-  104,  114— 119, 

159,     HI.    71,    155,     306,     330; 

progress    of    the,     II.     269,    270; 

Ainslie's  plan  of  the,  II.  *  189 
New  Western  approach,  I.  105 
New      Year's     Eve     at     the     Tron 

Church,  Plate  8 
Newark.  Lord,  I.  231,  III.  343 
Newbattle,  Lord,  II.  115,  111.  331, 

Newbattle,  II.  61 

Newbattle  Abbey,  II.  2S6,  III.  361 

New  ensile,  Duke  of,  II.  83 

Newhall,  Lord,  I.  169 

New  haven,  I.   43,  II.   79,  191,   342, 

III.     166,     168,    258,    295 — 306; 

view  from  the  pier,  III.  *  206 
Newhaven,  Viscount,  III.  299 
Newhaven    fishermen,    their    inter- 


.-ilojes, 


Newhaven  Links,  III.  299 
Newington,  II.  332,  HI.  50,  51 

N  ■  '■'■  ;;      0  ;n    ;.  :  ,  ,    1  I  I 

Newington.  District  of,  III.  50—62 
Newington  Free  Church,  III.  51 
Newington  House,  III.  50,  56 
Newington,  Parish  of,  II.  135 
Newspapers  in  Edinburgn.  I.  2S6, 
289  (see  Scotsman)  ;  spe,  inien  of 


I  ord, 


287 


170, 


fields,  III.  364;  the  church,  III. 
363,  364 

Ni.  ol,   lir.hine,  the  painter,  II.  So 
Nieol,   Wiilie,    the  schoolmaster,  1. 


Nicolas,  Sir  Harris,  II.  1. 

Nicol,   the  diarist,    I.    55,' 

188,  200,   201,  215,  246, 


Nh  oil     l'.dward,     Provost   of   Edit 

burgh,  I.  245,  246,  247 
N'l.  .ill,   Robert,  the  poet,  III,  255 
Nicolson,  Lady.  II.  334 


•374.  II.  330,332, 
8,339,111.5. 
tmrch,  II.  338       - 


Niddry,  Lord,  II.  199 

Niddry,  Robert,  magistrate-,  II.S41 

Niddry  Road.  III.  .47 


Niddry's   Street 

253,3" 
Niddry 


GENERAL     INDEX. 


335 


Nisbet,  Lord,  III.  367 
Nisbet,  Sir  Alexander.  III.  1 
Xisbet,  Sir  Henry,  III.  136 
Nisbet,  Sir  John,   II.   10,  II 


Ni.,bet      of     Dean,       Provost      Sir 
Wi  liam,  II.  280,  III.  26,  65,  66; 

Lady,  II.  335.  III.  66 

Xi-hctiiiuir.    Rattle  ;.f   1  I.  .: 

Xisbets  of  Craig.iniinnie,The,  III. 


Nisbets  of  Dirleton,   II.  33s,   III. 

135,  13S  ;  house  of  the,  II.  io,*i2 

Nisbett.     Execution     of     Serjeant 

John.  II.  231 
X    Ik-  Place,  Leith,  III.  266 
N  >el.  Miss,  the  vocalist,  I.  350 
Xollekens,  the  sculptor,  II.  282 
Non-jurants,  The.   II.  246;  burial- 
place  of,  III.  131 
No-Popery  riots  of  177c    T 
Xormal    School    of   the 
Scotland,  I.  205,  296 


Church  of 


Bail 


III. 


rie,  John,  the  decorator,  I.  299 
iNorrie,  the  painter,  I.  89,  II.  90 
North  Bank  Street,  II.  95 
North  Bridge,  I.  38,  238,  245,  302, 


North    Rriti-.li 'and    ilu 
surance  Company,  1 1 


Iconic,    ..I 
of   the,    I. 


N    ::!]   Ihni.h  1<  .  1 1  v.  l ..  ,1.    "...    -   \ 

339,11.34,100,312,313,338,111. 
128 

North    British    Rubber   Company, 

Xorth,    "Christopher    (iav     \YiIson, 

Prof.  John) 
N   rth  I  ollege  Street,  II.   74,  III. 

178 


»Fi.*2 


N    rl 


North  Leith  Sands,  III.  253 
North    Leith  United   Presby 

Church,  III.  255 
North  Loch,  I. 

119,  183,  230, 

337.  358,  II- 


'££ 


82,  III.  86,  162  ;  the  botanit 
garden,  I.  362,  363  ;  accidents  it 
the  North  Loch,  II.  81,82 


N  .rlhc-k.  I.irlof,  II.  166,  III. 
Countess  of,  II.  21 

X   1 ■-: •  ■  ;    •     ••■■'■ 

the  Larl  of,  II.  =4  = 
X  irthuml.erlani.l  street.  II. 193. 
Norton,  The   Hon.    Fletcher,  I 


III.  165;  the  Board 


'.  Pr  f.  ! 


I.    195,   196,    214, 

imilyof,  II.  165 

.,  III.  ,,3 

1,  II.326 

,  Manufacture  of. 


Ogilvie,  Colonel,  II.  310 
Ogilvie,  George,  I.  121 
Ogilvie,  Thomas,  family  of,  I.  70 
t  >i I  1... l: j ti : i_- -   10  the   Xallun.t!   Gab 

lerv.   [1.88,89 
'  t'keete  S  "  Recollections,"  I.    Isl 
Old   and    New  Town,    Scheme  "for 

joining  the,  II.  95 
Old  Assembly  <-  lose,  I.  245  ;  ruins 

of  the,  I.  '  =44 
Old  Assembly  Hall,  I.  190 
Old  Assembly  Rooms,  I.  242 
Old  Bal  ylon,  Leith,   III.  227,  230 


(  lid 


17,  119. 


Old    Broughton,     Remains    of 

village  of.  II.  *  180 
Old  Canonmills  House,  III.  88 
Old  Deanhaugh  House,  III.  77 
Old  fighting  mariners  of  Leith,  I 


Old  Fishmarket  Close,  I.  1S9, 

Old  High  School  Wynd,  II. 

III.  12 
Old  High  School  Yard,  II. 


\Ve~t    Port, 


Old  I 

the  haunts  of  Burke  and  Hare, 

,   ■   ..  II.  , 

(  11-1  houses,  So.  iety,i852,  II.  *272 
Old    Kirk,   St.    Giles's    Cathedral, 

Meeting  of  the  General  Assembly 

Ol. l'  Playhouse  Close,  II.  23,  25 
Old  School,  The,  II.  in 

(  II. 1  Scicnncs  House,   III.  54 

Old  Stamp  I  lllii  e  I   lose,   I.  231.  27s 

Old  Sin-eon's  Hall, 


Old 


-frontL-,.1    loii.o.,    I.awn 


market,  I.  *  108,  no 
Old  Toll  Cross,  II.  345 
Old  Town,    Views   of  the,    I.    16 ; 

Plate  4  ;  Plate  16 

old  Welch-house,  Leith,  I.1S6,  iSS 
Old  West  Bow,  I.  295 
Oliphant,  Lord,  II.  8 
Oliphant  of  Newton,  Sir  William, 

II.  47,  370,  III.  304  )    his  family, 

III.  364 

oliphant  of   Newland,    House   of, 


Oratory  of  Ma 
Orde,  Chief  Bi 


Original  Seceder  Congregation,  II. 

Or'kney,  Duke  of,  III.  52,  174 

Orkney.    Ill-hops  of,  1.  259,  II.  17 

132,  III.  qS  (.«-,■  Bothwell) 
Orkney,  Larls  of,  I.  262,  II.  3,  III. 

119,  182,  347,  348,  350 
1  Irnuston,  Laird  of,  III.  4,  6,  150 
Ormolu'.,   Da  hess  of,  III.  62 
Orphan  Hospital,  The,  I.  218,  340, 
359.  3fc.  "361,  362.  HI.  67,  *68 
Orphan   Hospital   Park,  I.  33S 
Orr.  Captain  John,  II.  138,  335 
Onock,    Robert,     blacksmith,     II. 


238, 


,  the  volunteer, 


'Our    Lady's    altar,"    Si 

Chun  h,  III.  107 
'  Our  Lady's  Port  of  fin 

1  ant  name  of  New  haven 
1  Our    Lady's    Steps,"    Si 

Church,  I.  147 

lveraBow'SThe.  Il'.'o,!'"!; 


Paddle  ship.  Curious,  exhibited  at 

Leith,  III.  198 
Palace  Gate,  The,  II.  *  40 
Palace  Yard,  II.  310 
Palfrey's  Inn,  II.  =41 
Palbser,  Captain  Sir  Hugh,  Arrest 

and  imprisonment  of,  III.  277 
Palmer's  Lane,  II.  337 
Palmerston,  Lord,  II.  39 
Pahnersion  Place.  II.  211,  214 
Panmure,  Earls  of,  I.  214,  II.  20 
Panmure  Close,   II.   20,  2t  ;  lintel 

of  John  Hunter  -  hoi,.,,.   11.      a 
Panmure  House,  II.  20,  21 
Pantheon  Club,  The,  I.  239 


Pal, I 


.  II... 


m, 


Papi-t-,  Prosecution  of,  I.  215 
Pardowie,  Laird  of,  I.  42 
Paris,   accomplice   of   Bothwell 
I  larnley's  murder.  1 1 1.  4,  6 


Parliament  Court.   Leith,  III.  227 

Parliament  Hall,  I.  15S,  150.  /'Lite 

6  ;    narrow    escape    from    lire    111 

Parliament   House,  I.  56,    122,  124, 
157-173,    174.  178,  181,  187,  190, 

.;.■/.  .74.  II.  17,  :  , 


Parliament   House,    The    ancient 

Leith,  III.  ^  249 
Parliament,  Riding  of  the,  I.  162 


Parliaments  held  at  Holyrood,  II 

46,  47 
Parsons,  Anthony,  the  quack,  II 


,,.111 


Parson's  Green,  II.  _     . 
Passenger  stages,  Establi: 

Paterson,  House  of  Bishop,  II.  22 
Paterson  the  blacksmith,  III.  345  ; 


culptured  abode 


Bailie  John 
267,  268 


Paterson'; 

Paton,  Lord  Ju  ti.  et'lerk.  II. 

Pat   n.  Sir  Noel,  the  painter,  II.  89  ; 

Paton,  the  antiquarian,  I.  119 
Paton,  Miss,  the  actress,  I.  350 
Patrick     Cockburn,     governor    of 

Edinburgh  Castle,  I.  31 
Paulitius,  Dr.  John,  II.  306 
Paul  Jones,    the  pirate,   III.    194, 


Peat  Xeuk,  The,  Leith,  III.  247 

Peddle,    Rev.    Dr.,   II.  326,  III.   102 
Peebles  Wynd,  I.  192,  206,  219,  245* 

Peel  Tower.  The,  I.  36,  49 

Pefter  Mill,  III.  -61,62 

Peffermiln,  II.  231 

Pennant,  the  topographer,  II.  102 

Pennicuik,  Alexander,  the  poet, 
III.  345 

Penny  post.  The  fi-st,  in  Edin- 
burgh, I.  122,  356,  II.  2S3 

Pentland  Hills,  il.  314,  111.  324  ; 
gold  found  in  the,  I.  269;  battle 
of  the  {see  Batt'es) 


:e,  Edinburgh  vit 
29,  35  (see  Plagi 


Phillip,   lohn,  pa'nter,  III.  84 
I     o.     il        111.  138 
Philosophers  Stone.  The,  II.  250 
Philosophical   Institution,  The,  il. 

132 
Phrenological  Museum,  II.  275 
Physic   Gardens,    1  he  old,   1.  308,. 

Physicians,    t  oilece    of,    I.  278,  II. 

153.  155,  298 
Pi, ys, cians'  II. ill,     The  old,  II.   146, 

149,  159  ;  its  library,  II.  146 
Picardie      Village     and     Gaylield 

House,  II.      185 
Picardie  Village,   II.  177,  1S6,  III. 

Picardy  Gardens,  II.  186 

Picardy     Place,     II.     85,    185,    186, 

III.  63,  158,  161 
Pier  Place,  Newhaven,  III.  297 


Piershill  House 
Piershill  Tollbar,  II.  319, 
Pilkington,  the  architect. 


.65; 


Pilrig,    III.    88,   91. 

local  1 11 -tiy,  III,  91 ;  tnemant 

Pilrig  Free  Church,  III.  163,  *  1 
Pilrig  Model  Buildings  Associatic 


Pdton,  Lord,  III.  30 
Pinkerton,  John,  adv 


5% 


Pinkie,  Rattle  ofiicc  Battles). 
Pinkie  House,  I.  331 
Pinmaker,  I  la   tirsi,  II.  2.    ; 
Pious  (I'lc-I, ollse)  Club,  III.  124 
Pipes,  The  (water  rescis  or),   Leith. 

III.  213 
Pira.  \    111  the    Scottish  waters,  HI. 

182 
Piratical  murder  of  three  Spaniards 

by  Scotsmen,  III.  1:4 
Pine's  Close,  II.  23 
Pirnielield,  Leith,  III.  266 
Pitarro,  Lady,  I.  209 
Piteairn,    Dr.    Archibald,    I.   *  181, 
II.  11,33,  3S2,  III. 


.  54, 


-7 


Pitscottie 
262,  II.  62,  64,  65,  207,  285,  111 
A  59. 


4    .    144 


Put  Sir,  ,  I,   II. 

Place  of  Gilmer 

Plague,  Edinburgh  infecte. 

I.  192,  242,  29S,  II.  6,  7.  306,  330, 
380,  III.  65,  134,  186,  290 


336 


OLD   AND    NEW   EDINBURGH. 


Plague  in  Leith,  The,  III.  1S0,  186 
l'lainslanc's  (.'lose,  II.  235 
I'L.vr.iir,  I  >r    I.vuii,  III.  =4 
Playfair,  Professor,  I. 

120, 190,270;  monument  to,II.no 
Playfair,  W.   H.,  architect,  I.  379, 

111.23,68,83 

Playhouse  Close,  II.  23 

Pleasance,  The,  I.  38,  253,  278,  293, 
=98.  335.  382—384,  II-  3.  =1.  135, 
24°,  3°l>  324.  33°,  337,  3  A  345. 
III.  54  :  origin  ol  the  name,  I.  ^J2 

Plewlands,  The,  III.  42 

1'...  Ut-leve,  III.  92 
P,.kerLIub,The.l. 230,231, III.122 

I  ..!     I    ..I    .    .,.;         ..     II 

p.  .lire  Office,  I.242 

Political  unions,  Illegality  of  the, 

II.  236,  237 
Pollok,  Robert,  II.  159 
Polton,  Lord,  III.  359 
Polwarth,  Lady,  II.  209 

Pont,  Robert,  minister  of  St.Cuth- 
bert's  Church,  II.  13:,  132 

Pont,  Robert,  Provost  of  Trinity 
College,  I.  305,  307 

Pontheus,  John,  the  quack  doctor, 

Poole's  Coffee-house,  II.  122 
Popular  songs  of  1745,  I.  325 

Port  Hopetoun,  H.215,226;    Edin- 
burgh Castle  from,  II.     216 
Port  St.  NilIi..1,is,  III.  171 
Porteous,  Captain,  I.  130,  III.  262, 
263  ;  hanged  by  the  mob,  I.  130, 

Porteous,     John,     herald     painter, 

III.  42 

Porteous  riots,  I.  4,  123,  128 — r3r, 


Portland,   Henrietta    Duchess 

II.  191,111.42 
Portland,  Duke  of,  III.  42 
Portland  Place,  II.  222 
1'ortobello,  I.    183,   III.   138,   14 


147,  *  153 
jrtobello  Hu 


irtobello  review,  The,  III.  146 
Portobello  Road,  III.  13S 

Portobello  Sands,  III.  14;,  riatc  so 
Portsburgh  Court  House",  II.     221, 

224 
Portsburgh,  The  Eastern,  I.  38,  64, 

130,11.  222,  224,  226.  .j- 

331  ;  anciently  a  burgh,  1 1.  103 
Post  Office,  The  old,  I.  270,  338, 


356; 


34'-', 


*  357)  358,  364  ;  the  Scottish  postal 

system,  I.  353— 35S  ;  itsexpenses 

at  various  periods,  I 

postmasters,  I.  354, 

various    post-oltiee    buildings,    I. 
'    358 
Post  Office  Close,  I.  358 


Pott 


274.  327,  33°.  331, ; 
5,  III.  51 

257,  33°,  : 


Fort,    II 


Poulterer,  The  King's,  III.  66 

Poultry  Lands.  I  lean,  III.  65,  66 
Poultry  Maiket,  The  old,  I.  373 
Powburn,   The,   II.   267,    III.    29, 
"  ;    its  other  names, 


III. 


!?i.53° 

Powburi 


1  oMrnej     wiuiam,  .mj   . 

IluLhwell  in  the  murder  of  Darn- 
ley,  I.  263,  276,  III.  4,  6 

Prayer,  An  ambiguous, 


Mhl, 


Frca.  Iiing    Friar's  Ve 

207,  258 
"  Preaching     Window,"      Knox's 

Pi'e-liistoric  Edinburgh.  I.  0—14 
Prendergast's  revenge,  II.  52,  53 
Prentice,  Henry,  the  introducer  ol 

the  potato,  II.  30 
Pre-Lvtenan  Church,  Re-establish- 
ment of  the,  II.  246 
Preston,  John,  Lord  Fentonbarns, 

Preston,  Sir  Michael,  I.  207 


Pro-tun  of  Crai-milbr,  Provost  Sir 

Henry.  II.  242,  278,  III.  61 
Preston  of  Craigmillar,  Sir  Richard, 


I':     ■  .,    •  \  dleyfield,  Sir  Charles, 
Presi        I  ?eut. -General,  1. 322,  323, 

iVe'-ton  i-elic",'  St".' Giles's  Cathedral, 

I.  140 
Prestonfield  manor  house,  III.  *36, 

57,  58 

1  •■■,   Lord.    II.  242.  272, 

III.  10 
Prestonpans,  II.  283,  316,  340,  III. 

144,  174,  263:    llie    fishermen    ■  I. 

III.  300;  balt'e  of  Uv  Battles) 
Preston  Street,  III.  50 
Pretender,  Defence  of  the,  III.  194 
Price.  Sir  Magnus,  I.  117 
Priestfield  or  Prestonfield,  I.  326.II. 

1-.   111.  .' 
Primrose,  Viscount,  I.  203,  II.  124; 


.  Sil     An  'ill 


1,111 


1'iimrose,  Lady  IV.rothea,  I.  257 

Primus,  The  tide,   II.  246 

Prince  Anne  of  Denmark  s  Dra- 
goons, I.  64 

Prince  Charley's  house,  Dudding- 
ston.II.  -317 

Prince  Consort,  The,  I.  358,  II.  79; 
memorial  to,  II.  175,  *  177,  284 

PrinceofYVale-,  Marri...-.  ,  .1.  I  I . .  '4 

Prince  of  Wales's  Craving  Dock, 
Leith,  IH.286,289 

Princes  Street,  I.  39,  255,  295,  339, 
358,  304,  372,  II.  93,  95,  99,  too, 


163,  165,  175, 


107,  no,  1 
131,  136, 
r76,  182,  :  ,   . 

372,  383,  III.  146,  295  ;  view  from 
Scott'-  iii'miinc'it.  I  I.  '  124  ;  view 
looking  west,  II.  *  125 
Pringle,  Andrew  Lord  Haining,  I. 

Pringle,  Sir  Walter,  I.  169 

Pringle,  Thomas,  II.  140 

I'lin  '!e  of  Suchel,  Colonel,  III.  4s  ; 
Lady,  II.  163 

Printers,  Number  of,  in  Edinburgh 
in  1779,  I-  3i8 

Printing-press,  The  first,  in  Scot- 
land, I.  142,  253 

Prisoners  01  war  in  Ldinlni:  ,;l: 
Castle,  II.  24E. 

Privy  Council,  Lord  Keeper  of  the, 

I  I        ::.     !  :;  1  !     I  .    T  I  I 

Project    for    surprising    Edinburgh 

Castle,  I.  67 
Promiscuous  dancing,  Presbyterian 

abhorrence  of,  I.  315 
Property  Investment  Society,  I.  123 
Protestant  Institute,   1 .  2.1     II 
Provost  of  Edinburg  1. 

privileges   of   the,     II.     2S1,     III. 

270;  his  first  appearance  in  official 

Provost  Stewart's  Land,  West  Bow, 

I-  -  325 
Provosts  of  Leith,  The,  III.  209, 


ill-  3  .   .      . 
Public  opinion  i ;  1  Li  li  nl  air ch ,  Weak- 
ness of  formerly,  I.  2S3 
Puir  folks'  Purses,  I  he,  I.  138,  11.6 
I'ulteney,  Sir    lames,  1.   106 
"  Purging"  of  the  Scottish  army, 

III.  1S6,  187 
Furitan  gunner,  Anecdote  ofa,  I.  56 
Pye,  Sir"Robert,  III.  260,  261 


Quadrangle,  The,  Holyrood  Palace, 

II.  *76 

Quality  Street,  Leith,  III.  231,235, 

1  lualityWyrid,  Rotten  Row,  Leith. 

III.  r73 

Ouarrv    Holes,  The,  II.    101,    234, 

III.  128,  132,  .=1 
Queen  Mary  ( wv  Mary  Stuart) 


I  lucen    Mary'-    Apartment-,    Holy- 
rood  Palace,  II.  66,  '  67,  74  ;  her 
bedt  liamber,  //'. 
Queen  Mary's  Bath,  II.  40,  "  41 
Queen     Mary's      Bower,     Moray 


11 
)uee 

1    . 

7 
Quel  11     Mary 

House,  III. 
Queen  Mary's 
.....    ,     M  trj 


■'.  :j 


.2,  i7S,  186,  187, 1 
,283,3,8,372,111 

eet  Gardens,  II.  i 


173,  230, 
283,  285 


Queen's  Drive,  Th 

Queen's  Edinburgh  Rifle  Volun  eer 

Brigade,  I.  286 
Queen's  Park,  Volunteer  review  in 

the,  Plate  23 
Queen's  Post,  Ancient  postern  and 

turret  near  the,  I.  '49,78 
Queen's  Theatre  and  O]:.  .,,  House, 

.11.  179 
Queen  \  ictoria'svi-it  to  Eoinl.urgh, 

II-  354,  362 
Queensberry,  Duke  of,   I.  162,  164, 

II.  8,  33,  38,  225,  226,  351,  III. 

Queensberrv,    Duchess    of.    I      155, 
II.  37;  her  eccentric  habits,  11.  38 
Queensberry,  Earl  of,  II.  253 
Queensb.  rry  House,  Canongate,  I. 


207,  III.  255 
Queensferry  Street,  II.  136 
Quhitness.Johnof,  Provost,  II.  278 
Qui'iccv.   1  hnni.as  de,  11.  135,    140, 

=00,111.74,359 


Henry,    I.  lit 
88,  90,  92,   12' 

I.  7-.  74,  76,  7! 

-liter,  III.  77 


Ram-ay    of  Dalhousie,    Sir 

ander,  I.  24.  25,  III.  --4,  3; 
Ramsay  of  Abbotshall,  Sir  An 


Ram-ay,  William,  banker 

111.  124 
Ramsay.  Cuthbert,  I.  2cS 


'  George 
139-141 
83,  II. 


Ramsay  Garden,  I.  83,  II.  82; 
from  Princes  Street,  lUate  1 
Ramsay  Lane,  I.  87,  91 


Rand.'  IphClifr.III.  70,75,  fiatt-A 
Randolph  Crescent,  I.  237,  II.  113, 
200,  205,  207,  208,  209 


Rc.de,  (.  liarles,  the  nove!i-t.  I  I  L-n - 
Reay,  George  Lord.  II. 272.  llL:., 
Reay,  Lady  Elizabeth   Fairlie,   II. 

272,  346 
Record  of  Entails,  I.  372 
Redbraes  manor-house,  III.  88,  80, 

90,  *  93  ;  its  changes,  III.  90 
"  ivcdgauntlet,"  References  to,  II. 


Regain  as 

house,  II.  43 
RedheuJls,  The,  III.  1 
.    The,  II.  3; 
R< .  ■:.  Ri  is:;.  King's  . 
_l63,.'75    . 


■ 
I'll.  128 
Regent  Street,  Portobello,  III.  144 
Register  House,  The,  I.  36,  64,  77, 
238,  340,  342,  "365,  367,   II-  "5, 
119,    120,    182;  formerly   held   in 
the  C  istle,  I.  367,  374  ;  the  anti- 
quarian   room,    I.    *  368  ;    dome 
room  or  library,  I.  '  369  ;  curious 
documents  preserved  here,  I.  368 
Register  of  Sasines,  1 .  370 
Real.  General  John,  II.' 244,  1 1 1.  26 
Reid,   Robert,   Bishop   of  Orkney, 
founderof Eduibur.J.  I 
III.  8,  26 
Real'-  Close,  II.  10 
Relief  Chapel,  Portobello,  III.  147 
Religi  u-  i:.t  Leran<  e,  II    16,  17 
Renaud,  Mrs.,  the  actress,  I.  350 
Rennie,  John,  the  engineer,  III.  273 
Renuak,     lames,    the   last    martyr 

Covenanter,  II.  231,  378 
Repentance  stool,  Old  Greyfriars' 

Church,  II.  87,  *379 
"Rest  and  be  Thankful,"  E.Jin- 
burgh  from,  III.  *  117 
Restalrig,  1.  363,  II.  47,  54,  242, 
293,  3i3,  318,  330,  HI.  37,  6s,  94, 
128,  *i29,  130,  132,  133,  134,  135, 
136,  142,   151,  164,   166,  167,  174, 

district  of,    III.    127 — 143;  local 

history  of,  III.   131-  > 

the   collegiate    church   of.    III. 

130;  notable  residents.  III.  1 -- 
R.  stain-  church,  III.      1  ...      ,      , 

138 
Restalrig,  Lairds  of,  III.  134,  135, 

168 
Restalrig  Loch,  III.  134 


Lord,  il 


Restoration  of  James  VIE,  Plots 

for  the,  I.  66 
Review  of  Scottish  Volunteers,  1S60, 

II.  284,354',  riate-2-i 

'    ub,  The,  III.  123;  its 

medal,  I.  *63 


i 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


387 


Richardsoii.W.L., 


Ritchie,  Le'tch,  III.  79 

Kit    hit-.   Prof.   Da.  id,   II.   1  )6 
Ritchie,    William,    editor    of    the 


K  .- 

1 1  .■       M 

rJer  of,  I 

■  6,  50, 

'..  '..'1,  'ji, 

II,   III. 

361 

Ri//i,., 

Joseph,  II. 

68,  70,  7 

Robert 

Abbot  of  Holvro,d, 

II.  3 

Robert  I.,  II.  -,07, 

III.  33, 

45.  348 

R    ben 

II.  3, 

278, 

III.    32,    59 

118,    166,    315, 

Robert 

fii.fi: £ 

if°ki 

I.  3.7, 

RoY.crt 

Bruce,  I.  23 

,24,111. 

Robert 

t  lourlay  s 

house, 

Roberts.  I  lavid,  the  painter,  II.  8q, 
III.  78,  S3:  Ms  parents.  III.  7,, 
78;  his  birthplace,  III.     7-.  7i 

Robcrt-un,  Patrick,    Lord,  II.  156, 


Robertson  Memorial  Established 
Church,  III.  50 

Robertson,  Dr.,  the  Leith  historian, 
III.  167,  173,  218,  219,  220,  222, 
226,  228,  229,  231,  233,  236,  238, 
=39,  =43,  =47.  249.  232,  256,  239, 
269,  270,  276 

Robertson,  Mr.,  I.  175 

Robertson  of  Lochart,  George,   I. 

Robertson  o flaide,  Lieut. -General, 


Robertson's  Close,  II.  250,  251 
Robertson's  Land,  I.  178 

"R.  .bin  Hood,  'Gatneof.f.rbid.le 

I.  126,  277 ;  riot  in  consequent 
"Robin    Mend-the  Market,"   II 


popularity  of  the  play  of,  I.  341 


Rob  Roy's  pnrse,  II.  87 
Robinson,  Professor,  I  I. 
Robinson's  Land,  I.  261 
Robson,  the  actor,  I.  331 


Roche-id,   I.  V.,  architect, 


R.jden,  Earl  of,  II.  310 

"  Rokeby,"  Story  of  a  fire  from, 

5.  6 
Rollinson,  the  comedian,  I.  350 


289 
II.  307 
1  of  the 


K an  road  near  Portobello,  I.  I 

Roman  urn  found  near  Dear  i  la-id  ■ 

I.     10 
Romieu,    Paul,   the  clockmakoi , 


Rosebery,   Archibald    Earl    of,    I. 

257,  II.  104,  109 
Rosebery,  Earls  of,  I.  9,  III.  106 
Robbery,  Lord,  III.  315,  335 
Rosebery,  James  Earl   of,  II.  324; 

singular  advertisement,  lb. 
Rosehaugh,  the  persecutor,  II.  331, 

Resell. Uigh's  Close,  I.  233,  254 
Rose  Court,  I  ieorge  Street,   II.   IlS 
Rosehill,  I)a\id  Lord,   111.  30 
Rose  btrcet,  II.    146,  15S,  159,  163, 


ki.H-liuni  House,  111.  102,  10 
^104;    lintel  at,    III.    "103;    i 

Koschn'rn^Liki.lgs,   III.   I02 

Rosevale  Place,  III.  266 

Roslin  Castle,  III.  346,  347,  *34 
331  ;  11,  early  In, cry,  I  I  I,  347 
350;  the  St.  Clairs  (Sinclair, 
HI.  347-350 

Roslin  Chapel,  I.  149,  262,  II 
"349.  "352,  '  353.  *355  '  35 
'  357  :  description  of,  111.  349,  3: 


all 


Ross  House,  II.  338,  339 
Ro,s  Park,  H.338,339 

Ros-lyn,  Earls  ot,  1.  271- 


Ros-.'s  '1  'over,  or  "  Folly,"    ]  lean, 

I.246,III.72 
Rosythe  Castle,  III.  2S2 

Rothes.  I  lake  of.  II.  7;.  231 


Rothes,  Earls  of,  I.  1 

258 
Rothesay,  Duke  of, 


Roxburgh,    Earls  of,   I.   223,  II.  3, 

i5,,o,iSi,IlI.s7'.houseof,II.34 

Roxburgh,  Dr.,  botanist,  III.  11  2 


Roxburgh  Close,  I. 


276,   II-     '3: 


II.  338 

Holyrood 


yal  College  of  Phy.sici: 


.362, 


Royal  Company  of  Archers,  II.  348, 
353,    354  i    their  hall,    II.    *  332, 

Royaf'Crescent,  III.  86 

Royal    Edinburgh    Asylum,     III. 

39 
Royal  Edinburgh  Volu 


of  gas,   : 

Rutherford,  the  bot.0,1 

Rutherford,  \ 1 1  -u  \\  dt<  1  Si   ,tl 

mother)  II.  142 

!-:  o  o  o  1  ,.,;.,  1  ,.:.  111 
Ruthven,  David  Lord,  I.  178 
Ruthven,  William  Lord,  I.  6,  206, 

215,  316,  II.  66,  70,  71,  III.  174  ; 

his  dagger,  I.  317 
Rulh\en,  Sir  P.itri   k,  I.  -.-,  c|,  03 
Isuthvcu,  tin   printer,  I  I.  is,  111. 271 
Rulhven's  Land,  Lord,  1.  316 
Rutland  -Street,  11.  13S,  209 
Ryan,  the  actor,  II.  23 


Sabbath,  Breaches  of  t 


III. 


Roy.: 


83- 
,  229,  242,  255, 

plan  of  the,  I. 


o89. 
-188;  the  Council   Chambe: 
184,   1S6,  Plate  7  ;  back   of  the 
Royal  Exchange,  Plate  10 

Royal    family,    Submission   by  the 
Jacobites  to  the,  II.  247 

Royal    gardens,    Holyrood    Palace, 
II.  '63,  '69,  79 

Royal    Highland   Society,  III.  I27 
Royal  Hor,c  B.czaor,  li.  225 
Royal    Hotel,    II.    123;  its  distin- 

guisbed  guests,  ib. 
Royal  Infirmary,  II.  146,  147,  281, 
.  111.  1 1  i  ; 

theuewbuilding,  1  1.  :. -.    .     ,Q,"  o,[ 
Royal  Institution,    1  he,    II'.' S3,  80, 

88,  91,  92;  in  1S29,  II.  *84;  at 
present,  II.  "85 

Royal    Leith  Volunteers,  The,  III. 

198,  264 
R    >..!  Life  Guards,  II.  217 
Royal     lodging,    or    palace,    Edin- 
burgh Castle,  I.  32,36,  *  68 
Royal  Maternity  Hospital,  II.  27 
Royal  Maternity  and  Simpson  Me- 
morial Hospital,  II.  362 
Royal    Mcclic.d    Society,   I.   123,   II. 

302,  303,  III.  266,  311 
Royal  Riding  School,  II.  334,  335 
Royal  Scots  Grey  Dragoon-,    1.  04 
Royal  Scottish  Academy,  II.  86,  88, 

89,  91,  5 


177.282 


Royal  Scottish  Naval 

Academy,  II.  333 
Royal   Scottish    Volunteer 

II.320,  354,  Plate  23 
R..yal  Society,  The,  II.  S3, 

III.77 
Royal   lerrace,  II.  103 
Royal  Terrace  Gardens,  II 


Military 


Royal  1 


•centrk'rani-'s 
daughter,  I.  in,  133,  III. 
Royston,  III.  308,  310 
Royston  Castle,  III.  311 
Ruddiman,   Thomas,   gran: 

Ruddlllian,  the  printer,  1 1. 


Rule,   Pinaipal  Gilbert.   111.    .,. 
Kulli,.,.  Green,  III.  30,334,      337 
Rumbold,  Richard,  I.  59,  60 
I 

253,  II.  90.  247.  337,  347,  ill.  1 

K 1  I 

Russel,     Alexander,    editor    of   tl 

Scotsman,  I.  ^285,  286,  289,  II 

68 

Russell,    Bishop,  of  Leith.  III.    1' 


Sailors'  Home,  Leith,  III.  j 

"  Salamander  Land,"  The, 
Salamander  Street,  Leith,  I 
Salisbury,  Earl  of,  II.  305 
Salisbury-  Craigs,  I.  132,  3S4 
161,  303,  305,  306,  307,  3 


Sancto  Claro,  Will 

Sand  Port,  Leith, 

Sand  Port  Street, 

Sandford,  Bishop,  II.  126.  IIL"i47 

Sanction!,  Sir   I  l.iniel   K.,  II.  126 

Sand  glasses,  Use  of,  in  law  courts, 

Sandibnd,  James,  III.  42 
Sandilands,  Sir    lames,  I.  193,  245, 

302,  II.  47,  65,  III.  116 
Sandiland's  Close,  I.  240 
Saughton  Bridge,  III.  319,  *  320 
Saughton  Hall,  III.  319 
Saughton  House,  III.  319,  *  320;  a 

drunken  brawl,  III.  319 
Saughton  Loan  End,  111.  319 
Saunders  Street,  III.  76 
Saxe-Coburg  Place,  111.  7.3 
Schinit/,  Dr.  Leonhard,  II.  ill,  III. 

81 
S.  hod   House  Wynd,  III.  2 
School  Lane, III.  28 
Sciennes  Court,  111.  54 
Sciennes  Hall,  III.  51 
Si  leiine.  Hill    H.Use,    III.    s5 
Sciennes  Loan,  III.  54 
Sciennes,  The,  III.  29,  50,  51,  52, 
_  53,  54 


Land,  The,  II.  101 
Sclyvers,  The,  II.  313 

Scotland   Street,    II.    191  ;    railway 

Sects  MaS,<z'inf,  I.  155,  220,  26r, 
296,  341,  "■  34,  39,  ist's  134,  130, 
178,180,  218,  318,  335,  372,  111. 
23,  26,  31,  39,  47,  51,  66,  74,  91, 

254,  258,  263,  270,  277,  278,  283, 

Scotsman '  newspaper,''  1.  283—286; 

the  mil  .  .    I  ..." 

J     Mgeriaii 
pirates.  III.  1-3 

Scots  people,  II, .bits  of  il;,  ,  it,  former 


166,   171,   173,     179,    lS2,    211,    222, 
242,   255,  256,  274,    276,    311,    314, 

324,  334,  330,   34,,,  348,  349,  350, 
375.  IE  3.  5.  6,  26,  27,  30,  35,  91, 


2b,  127,  140, 
2,  163,  164,. 


338 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


EB£ 


nl  llnvclaw,  111.  331 

of  Ijranxholm,  Sir  Walter,  1 


ScoUoflluc.leu.h.SirWultcr,!. 
Scott  of  Cauldhouse,  II.  209 
Scott  of  Harden,    Mr    Willi.nn. 

202,  III.  136 
Scott  of  Kirkstyle,  I.  210 
Scott  ofMalk-ny,  I  he  family  of,  1 


534.  335 


•:■!!■         iaiie,s,rErancis,I.27i 

.-..    ■::     I  1.  11!   ■(   .      1  -1  \\  ..,!.'; 

II.  294 

Scott,   David,  the  painter.  II.  02, 

III.  68,  78,  223 

Scott,  John,  Miracle  of,  II.  55,  56 

Scott,  Michael,  II.  200 

Scott.    William,     Creek    professor, 

III.  IS 
Scott  centenary,  The  first,  II.  150, 

165 
Scott's  Close,  II.  27r 
Scott's  monument,   1 

i27,*i2o;  statuettes  on  it,  II.  1: 
Scottish  Academy  of  Painting,  I 

Scottish    Antiquarian    Society, 

Scottish       Iiaptist       mectinc-holls 

Argyle  Square,  II.  274 
Scottish   I'.arra.  k  office,   II.  42 
Scottish  Chamber  of  Agriculture, 

291 
Scottish  currency,  Value  of  the, 


126, 


Scottish  Equitable   Assurance  So- 
Scottish  Heritable   Security   Com- 
pany, II.  153 
Scottish  Hi.rse  Guards,  The,  I.  51 
-Scottish  judges,    Eminent,    I.    167, 

Scottish  Liberal  Club,  II.  125 
-Scottish  matrons,  Spartan  spirit  of, 

Lettish  Ministers'  Widows'  Fund, 

II.  378 
.Scottish  monarchs,  Portraits  of  the, 

Scottish  National  Fire  and  Life 
Assurance- Company,  II.  168 

Scottish  Naval  and  Military 
Academy,  II.  138 

Scottish  navy,  Formation  of  a,  III. 

Scottish  Provident  Institution,  II. 

Scottish  Records,  State  of,  I.  367, 
II.  119;  their  removal  to  the 
Register  House,  I.  368 

Si  otti-h  Reformation  Society,  I.  204 
Scottish  Riahts  Association,  II.  150 
Scottish    Re.soius,     The,   I.  347  ;    his 


Scottish    Widows'    Fund, 

168,  *I72 
Scougal,  John,  the  painte 


Sc.i  leu.  ih'cs,  The,  III.  303 
se.HK  Id.  Chancellor,  I.  163 
Seafield,   Earl  of,  II.  3-,,  III.  191 
Seafield,  Leth,  III.  143,  263,  266 


Sc.ihcld    II. 


:  all.!    Il.ilfls 


.    203. 
,111. 


Seafield  Toll,  III.  2S6 
Sea-fight  in  Leith  harbour,  . 

183,  184 
Seaforth    Highlanders,    Re' 

Seaforth,  Kenneth  Mackenzie 

Seaforth,  Francis   Lord,   III 

his  son,  ii. 
Seal  of  Edinburgh,  The  Co 


Friendly    Society, 
II.  278 

r  Alexander,  I.  167 
Ihe,  I.  323,  325,  33; 

and     Relief    Chut 


1  Edinburgh, 
343  ;  numDer  of  in  1779, 

:  tra.  as  resulting  from  the 


Sederunt,  Acts  of,  I.  166, 
Segraye,  Sir  John  de,  III. 


-'75-  -'74. 


246,  249 


Selkirk,  Countess  of,  I 

Sellars'  Close,  I.  55 

Sell! I ilc,  Lord-,  L  01,  92,  II.  300,  351 

Scmple's  Close,  I.  91 

Senate  Hall,  Edinburgh  University, 


Sesi 


166,  167,  337, 


eton,  Lord,  II.  35,  52  ;  Lady,  III. 
52,  53 

eton,  Sir  Alexander,  III.  49,  318 
i,  54,  247 


1  family,  The. 
1  House,  II.  35 
en  sisters  „f  iiorthuick. 


The, 


Seymour,  Lord  Webb,  II.  347 
Shakespeare  Club,  The,  III.  126 
Shakespeare  in  Edinburgh,  II.  39 
'eespeare    Square,   I.    218,    340, 
3,    346,    347,  353,    II.   176,  33°, 
7  ;  view  from  the  back  of,  I .  '  54  , 
Shandwick  Place,  II.  209,  210 
Shank,  I.  254 

Sharpe,  James,  Archbishop  of  St. 

Andrews,   I.  215,   259;  his  son's 

residence.  III.  365 

Sharpe  of  Hoddam,  Charles    Kirk- 

Patrick,  II.  191,  192,  193.  243,  342, 


193 


shape  of  Hodda 
Sliearsmith.  The  first,  II.  263 
Sheephead  Wynd,  Leith,  III.  227 
Shellvcoat,  'lhe  demon,  III.  282 
Shepherds'  Ha',  III.  ,44 
Sheridan,  the  actor,  I.  343 
Sheriff  Iliac,  or  Shirra  Lrae,  Leith. 

III.  247,  248,  250,  251,  '253,  282 
Sheriff  Court,  I.  166 
Sheriff  Court  Buildings,  I.  294,  295 
Sheriff  Hall,  III.  164,  363 
Ship  Hotel,  The  old,  Leith,  III.  195, 

245,  246  ;  the  new,  III.  245,  246 
Shipbuilding  at   Leith,  Newhaven, 


Shoemakers'  Lands,  II.  9,  10 
Shore,  The,   Leith,   III.   177,] 
194,   195,  207,  209,  210,  227.  : 
236,  238,  245,  246,  247,  Plate 
Short  Sand,  The,  III.  282 
Short's  Observatory,  I.  87,  91, 

Shrub  Hill,  III.  155,163 
Sibbald,  Sir  Robert,  I.  123,  167, : 


i45;  her  p   polarity    1.  345.  34°  ; 

Si,l, Ions.  Il.i.rv.  I.      ,  '.   II.125,  I7S 
Siddons,    Mrs.  Henry,  I.  348,   349, 

35°.  351,  HI    is-',  i-'y  ;  her  crand- 

father,  I.  351 
Sidey,  Dr.  J.  A.,11.  305,  347 
Si  'net.   keeper  of   the.    I       '  ;,     1      ; 

librarian  of  1  he  ( v.  c  I.aing,  I  lavnj) 


-■  I'  rem  hi 


337 


•  257,  =58 
:r,II.i87 


styl. 


Early 


Sin    Ian  (or  Si     CI, ill)  family,   l.ai 
history  of  the,  li.  247.  111.  34; 

Sinclair. .fllunbeath, Sir   Mill,  III. 
63;  Dame,  III.  62,  63 

Sinclair,  Sir  John,  the  agriculturist, 


I  the  Higil 


Sinclair,  Sir  \vi 
School    affray   of 

Sinclair  of  Roslin,  Sir  Wi 


Sm.  lair,  Henry  first  Lord,  II.  251 
Sim  lair  of  ribster,  George,  II.  303 
Sinclair  of  Murkle,  Lady,  II.  It,S 
Sinclair,  John,    Bishop  of  Brechin, 


I.   ten,'  16s" 
I.  165 


visible  World  I  liscovered,"  I.  228, 

.-1.!    i  :    -.1       , 

Si,   Ralph  the  Cofferer,  III.  351 
Sir    Walter    Scott's    house,    Castle 

Street,  IE  *  164 
Six  Feet  Club,  The,  III.  125,  326 
Skene,    Major-Gener.nl  Robert,  II. 

Skene  of  Rubislaw,  Sir  W.  Scott's 
friend,  II. 98, 163,  III. 86, 145, 330 

Skene's  of  Cuinc  hill,  The,  111.  34  ; 
Sir  James  and  Sir  John,  II.  302, 
III.  334,33s 


The,  II.  264,  HE  2 
Close,   I.  239,   266,   267, 


-Mil.    111.    .    III.' 

Smith,  Br.., 
"■7 


SirJoh 


,Lord  Chief  l'.ir.m,  T'.pi^r.  .p;il 

<  Iklpcl    f-.llllded    b\\    1.   2tC,    I  I.  247 

mill,  Adam,   I.   no,  150,  23^,  273, 

II.      I7,      21,      l6l,      I94,      HI.     240; 

residence    of,    II.    21  ;  grave    of, 
II.  29 

Smith.    Alexander,    the    poet,   III. 

102,  308 
imith,  Ceorge,  I.   113,  "117;  rob- 
bery   111    concern     with     Deacon 
Brodie.  I.  113— 115 

Smith,  Sydney,  II.  203 


Sm vt he.  Sir  Tcremudi  rind  the  1  >ut<  h 

fleet,  I. .58,  III.  188 
Snuff-taking  in  church,  an  off-Tni', 

II.  133 

Society  Close,  I.  213,  214 

Society  of  Edinburgh*  -olfers,  II  1. 31 

Society    for     the     Propagation     of 

Christian   Knowledge,   I.  1-14,    :-. 
Society  Port,  The,  II.  2; 

2°9>  274>  346 
S- 'Idler- 1. f  Ld ii iburuji  Castle,  'I'..  .nil. 

in  memory- of,  II.  30 
Soldiers    first    quartered    in    Leith, 

III.  193.  194 

Solicitors  before  the  Supreme  Court, 

Library  of,  I.  123 
Sol  way,  Earl  of,  II.  37 
Solway,  Rout  of,  II.  64,  65 


Son.ervillef.nmly,    1  he,  III.  346 
S..m<-r\  illc,  Bartholomew,  I.  97.  314 
Somerville,  Major,  and  Capt.  Craw- 
ford, Encounter  between,  I.  95 
Somerville  mansion,  The,  1.  314 
Sounding-boards,  II.  326 
South  back  of  the  Canongate,  II. 

238,  *  245 
South  Blacket  Place,  III.  55,  56 
South  Bridge,  I.  245,  373— 3E2,  II. 


South    Bridge  Street,    I.  374,  HI.  23 
South  Castle  Street.   II.  £2,  165 
South  Clerk  Street,  III.  51 
South  College  Street,  II.  330,  III.  23 

South  Foulis"  Close,  I.  276 
South  Frederick  Sire.  1 ,  II 


South  Leith,  Bridge  of,  II. 

Smith  Leith  burial-ground, 
South  Leith  Free  Church,  I 


South  Hanover  Street, 
South   Niddry  Street,   II.  251 
South  St.  Andrew  Street,  II.  09,  159 
South  St.  David  Street,  II.  92',  160 


Spalding  Fund",  The,  II.  92 
.Spalding,  Peter,  II.  92 

Spalding,  the  historian,  II.  10,  III. 

Spence,    Thomas,  Bishop  of  Aber- 
deen, I.  300,  302 
Spence,  William,  I.  59,  60 
Spendthrift  (  lub.  The,  III.  125 
Spittal,  Sir  James,  II.  215 
Spittal  Street,  II.  215,  223 
Spottiswoode,  Archbishop,  I.     .'-. 
298,  II.  39,  III.  219  ;  his  h  .use, 
I.  208 
Spottiswoode,  I.  166 
Spottiswuod,  John,  Superintendent 

of  Lothian,  I.  46,  208 
Spottiswood  Road,  III.  46 
Springfield,  III.  356,  360 
Springfield  Street,  III.  163 
Spur,  The,  Edinburgh  Castle,  I.  36, 

Spynic,  Lord,  I.  209,  III.  113 
St.  Andrew  the  Apostle,  I.  261 
St.  Andrew's  altar,  Holyrood,  II.  58 
St.  Andrew's  Chapel,  Carrubber's 

Close,  I.  239,  II.  242 
St.      Andrew's     Church,     George 

Street,    II.    120,   144,  "145,   146, 


St.  Andrew's  Hali, 
St.  Andrew's  Lane, 
St.  Andrew's  Port, 
St.  Andrew's  Squa 


GENERAL   INDEX. 


3S9 


early  residents,  II.  166 

St.  Andrew  Street,  II.  130,  160,  l6l 
St.  Andrew's  Street,  Leith,  III.  226, 

227,  22S,  234 
St.  Ann,  the  tailors'  patron  saint,  I. 

St?  Anne's  altar,   Holyrood,  II.  58; 

hi  St.  Giles's  Church,   II.  206 
St.    Anne's     altar,     St.    Cuthbert's 

Church,  III.  94 
St.  Anne's  Yard,  1 1.  76,  79,  303,  307 
St.  Anthony'sChapc-1,  Arthur'sScat, 

I.  326  ;  ruins  of,  II.  *32o,  *32i 
St.  Anthony's    Fire,    or   erysipelas, 


b  rnm.igc, 


St.  Anthony's  P 

178,  179,  215, 

St.    Anthony's 


St.   Anthonys   Street,    Leith,  III. 

St"  Anthony's    Well,   II.    312,   319, 

St.  Anthony's  Wynd,  Leith,  111.215 
St.  Augustine,  Chapel  of,  II.  53 
St.  Augustine's  Church,  I.*  292,  294 

St.  Bernard's  Chapel,  III.  75 
St.  Bernard's  Church,  III.  75 
St.  Bernard's  Crescent,  III.  71,  72, 

73.  79.  8l 
St.  Bernard's    parish,    II.    92,    135, 


St.  Catharine's  altar 
58,251,  III.  49 

St.  Catherine  of  Si- 
of,  II.  363 

St.  Cecilia  Hall,    I. 


St.     Crispin's     altar,     St.     Giles's 

Church,  II.  263,  264 
St.  Cuthbert,    Bishop  of  Durham, 

II.  131 

St.    Cuthbert's  chapel  of  ease,  II. 

St'cuthberl's  Church,  Plate  1,  I. 
20,  36,  48,  80,  II.  60,  99,  114,  131 
—'33,    144,    214,   216,    314,    338, 

III.  38,  51,   66,  165,  166  ;  its  tir,t 
incumbents,     II.     131;     the    old 

"leKhurchAT.\3i,'ni',"!'ere'ct'lo'n 
of  the  new  building,  II.  134  ;  the 
old  and   new  churches,   II.   131, 
'  J33.   *"  '36,  *  137  ;  burials  under 
thesteeple,  II.  135;  the  old  poor- 
house,  II.  135,  III.  83 
St.  Cuthbert's  Free  Church,  II.  225 
St.  Cuthbert's  Lane,   II.  335 
St.  David  Street,  II.  161,  165 
St.  David's  Church,  II.  216 
St.  Elig 


Eloi, 


.  262 


:  from   Chapel  .if,  St.    Gil 


St.  Eloi's  gown 
.St.     George's 


Chariot,,: 

George's  Episcopal  chapel,  II. 
190 

St.  George's  Free  Church,  II.  138, 
210,  ILL  75 

St.  George's  Well,   III.   75 

St.  Giles,  the  patron  saint  of  Edin- 
burgh, I.  138,  141,  254  ;  seal  of, 
I.  *i4o  ;  procession  of  the  saints 


I.  .38,  1,0;  the  Norman  door- 
way, I.  I  ;o,  '  .41'.  the  Preston 
relic,  I.  140;  Sir  David  Lindesay 

,  liapc  .fkobert  Duke'jf  Albany. 
I.  142  ;  funeral  of  the  Regent 
Murray,    I.     143  ;     the    "  gude 

Regent's  aisle,''  lb.  '.  the-  Asselll- 
l.lyaisle.  I.  144 '.  disputes  between 
lames  V  I .  and  the  Church  party, 

I     ,,,,1,.    .     a   p     Mm         I    I    .1-      \    I    . 

I.  146;  Haddo's  hole,  U.  ;  the 
Napier   I    nib,  i'\  ;   the   spire   and 


and  bell..  I.  1  p..  :  the-  Krauic,,  1, 
147;  restorations  of  1 
the  organ.  .-'/'.  ;  plan  of  St.  (  blc-s's 
Church,  I.  «i45;  the  High 
Church,  I.  *i4S,  ^149;  removal 
of  bones  from,  II.  384 
It.  Giles's  Churchyard,  I.  148,  149, 


379 


ge,  III.  47,  49,  52, 
i,  II.  239 


St.  Oiles's  Kirkyard,  II.  239 
St.  Giles  Street  (now  Princes  S 

I.286,  II.  117 
St.   Giles's  Street,   Leith,  III.  223 

St.  Ja'meVs chapel,  Newhaven,  III 
216,  295,    298,   302  ;  remains  of 


S..I 


^ 


chapel,  Leith,  III. 


St.  James's  Square,  I.  366,  II.  .76, 

St.  John  the  Baptist's  Chapel,  III. 

St.  John's  altar,  St.  Giles's  Church, 
II.  264,  265 

St.  lohn'si.  atholicChup.  1,  Bnghioii 

Place,   III.  147 

St.  John's  chapel,  Burghmuir,  III. 

St4  John's  Close,  II.  25 

St.  John's  Cross,  II.  23,  25 

St.  John's  Episcopal  chapel,  II.  125, 


St.     John's     Established     Church, 

Leith,  III.  *244 
St.   loan's  Free  Church,  I.  295,  314 
St.  lohn'sFree  Church,  l.eilli,  111 


,  Free  Church,  Leith 
;  Hill, 


I.382 
t,  I-  325, 


St.Joh, 

St.  Johi 

25,  26,  27,  31,  111.  63 

St.  Katherine  of  Seienna,  Convent 
of,  III.  51,  52,  53,  329  ;  ruins  of, 
III.  *54  ;  its  history,  //'.  ;  sea]  ui, 


1D-55. 
St.  Katharine's  alt; 


,  Kirk-of-Field, 

St.  Katharine's  altar,  St.  Margaret's 

chapel,  Liberton,  III.  53 
St.  Katherine's  chapel,  Currie,  III. 

St.  Katherine's  estate,  III.  330 
St.  Katharine's  Place,  III.  54 
St.     Katharine's    Thorn,    II.    363, 

III.  54 
St.  Katherine's  Well,  Liberton,  III. 

328,  329,  330 
St.    Leonard,    Suburb    of,    I.    382  ; 

chapel  of,  I.  383,  384 
St.  Leonard's  Craigs,  I.  75,  III.  27, 

St.  Leonard's  Hill,  I.  55,  384,  II. 

34  ;  combat  near,  I.  383 
St.  Leonard's,  Leith,  III.  227 
St.  Leonard's  Kirkyard,  II.  379 
St.  Leonard's  Loan,  I.  383 
St.    Leonards  Well,   III.  89 
St.  Leonard's  Wynd,  II.  54 
St.  Luke's  Free  Church,  1 1,  is 3,  155 
SI.    Magdalene's  Chapel,  I.  240 


>L  Margaret's,    ttvent,  III.  45,  '48 

.1.   Margaret's   Loch,  II.  319 

st.    Margaret's  Tower,  Edinburgh 

Castle,  I.  36,  48,  78 
-t.    Margaret's    Well,    Edinburgh 


St.  Margaret's  Well,  Reslalrig,  II. 
St.  Mark'sr"chapeflUnitarian),  II. 
St.  Mark's  Episcopal  chapel,  Porto- 


St.  Mary  Magdalene's  Host 
St.  Mary's  Cathedral,  II.  , 


St.  Mary's  Chapel,  Niddry's  Wynd, 

I.  247,  251,  298,  II.  264 
St.     Mary's     Chapel,     Broughton 


St.    Marys   Chi 


South    Leith, 
..  .96,  "  2r7,  2,8, 
"  =20,   :  =  2,  244  ;  its  early  history, 
m.218,219 
St.  Mary's  Convent,  I.  207,  382 
St.  Mary's  Free  Church,   11/184 
St.  Man's  Hospital,  I.  297 
St.      Mary's-inlhelield.      II.     234, 


252, 


St.  Mary's  parish  church,  II.  191  ; 

school-house,  III.  87 
St.  Mary's  Port,  I.  3S2 
St.  Mary's  Roman  Catholic  chapel, 

II.  179;  school,  II.  326 
St.  Mary's  Street,  I.  302,  II.  238 
St.  Mary's  Wynd,  1.38,99,217,219, 

274,  275,  *  297.  298,  299,  335,  375, 

382,  II.  ;;,  240,  2S4,  III.  0  ;  dooi- 


M.i 


e«'s  Well,  R. 


St.   Nicholas  Church,    North  l.eit 
III.  168,  176,  187  ;  ilsdemolit, 
by  Monk,  111.  187,  255 
St.  Xi.  bolus  Wynd,  III.256 
St.      Nmi.ui's      altar,      St.     Gile 


petty  tyranny  in, 
granary 


254. 


54.  255 
St."  Ninian's  Chun  I. yard,  III.     256 
Si.    Ninian's    Free  Church,    North 

Lentil,  III.  =55 
St.  Ninian's  Row,  I.  ,66,  II.  103,  176 
St.  Patrick  Square,  II.  339 
St.  Patrick  Street,  I.  ;6o,  II.  346 
St.     Patrick's      Roman      Catholic 

Church,  I.  278,  II.  249 
St.PaulsChapel.Carrubber'sClose, 


St.  Peter's  Close,  II.  255 

St.  Peter's  Episcopal  Church,  III. 

St.  Peter's  Pend,  II.  255 

St.  Roque,  111.  47  ;  legends  of,  II 

St.    Roque's   Chapel,    Burghmui 

III.  47,  49;  ruins  of,  III.  *  48 
St.  Roque's  Day,  III.  47 
St.  Roque's  Kirkyard,  II.  379 

St.     Salvator's     altar,      St."    Giles 

Church,  III.  35 
St.  Stephen's  Church,  III.  *8i,8 

St.  Thomas's  Episcopal  Chapel,  1 

St.  Thomas's   Church,   Leith,   II 


Stained-glass  window,  Parli 

House,  I.  159,  PlaU-  6 
Stainhouse,  Laird  of,  I.  194 


II.  366, 
367 
Stair,  Elizabeth  Countess  of,  I.  102 
—106,  271,  III.  41;  the"4  magic 

mirror,"  1.  IO, ;  her  marriage  v\  1th 

Earl  Stair,  I.  103,  to4 
Stamp  duty,   Influence  of  the,  on 

newspapers,  I.  284,285 
Stamp  Office,  I.  234,  267 
Stamp    Office    Close,     1.   '  229,    231, 

uti  .11  there,  I.  234 
Standard  Life  Assurance  Company, 

Stanlield  tragedy,  The,  I.  281 
Stanley,  the  actor,  1.  330 
"  Star  and  Garter"  tavern,  I.  187 
Steam  communication  troin  Leith  to 

London,  III.  211 
Stedman,  Dr.  John,  II.  301 
Steel,  Str  John,  sculptor,  1.159,372, 

Steel'e,  §ir  Richard,  l!  106 
Steil,  Pate,  the  musician,  I.  251 

Stenuisor  Slenliousc,   111.  339 
Steven,   Rev.  Dr.,    the    historian   of 
,  287,  288, 
91,  296, 
iw's  Clo 
Stevenson,  Dr.  Archibald,  II.  146, 

M7 
Stevenson,  Duncan,  and  the  AVer ..on 

newspaper,  I.  181,  182,  II.  242 
Stevenson,  Dr.  John,  III.  18,  19,27 
Stewart,  Archibald,  Lord  Provost, 

I.    318,    322,    325,    II.    280,    283; 

house  of,  I.  318,  *  325 
Stewart  of  Allanbank,  Sir  John,  II. 

26 
Stewart,  Sir  Alexander,  I.  195 
Stewart    of    Coltness,    Sir    James, 

Provost,  II.  28i,III.  34a 
Stewart,  Sir  James,  I.  117 
Stewart    of  Goodtrees,    Sir    James, 

in  Advocate's  Clos<=,  L  *  223,  III. 
340  ;  Sir  Thomas,  id. 

Stewart,  Sir  Lewis,  111.   ,04 
Stewart  of  Monkton,  Sir  William, 

Murder  of,  I.  196,  258,  259,  374 
Stewart    of    Grantully,   Sir    John, 


sf  Grantully.  S 
;  his  marriage, 
Dugald,   I.   10 

jther,  II.  207 
lent,  II.  *  in 
*"  .79 


.11. 200  ■ 

Dugald's 


Stewart  of  Garlies,  Alexander,  II. 

Stewart  Belshes  of  Invermay,  Sir 

John,  II.383. 
Stewart,    Daniel,    III.    '"7;   hospital 

of,    *'/».;  view   from   Drumsheugh 

grounds,  III.  *  68 
Stewart,   Robert,   Abbot   of  Holy- 
rood,  I.  366 
Stewart  of  Castle  Stewart,  II.  157 
Stewart  of  Garth,  General,  II.  150, 

308 
Stewart  of  Strathil.ii,    S11    Robert, 

III.  221 
Stewart,  Colonel  John,  II.  350 
Stewart,  Captain  George,  II.  257 
Stewart,    Lieut. -Colonel    Matthew, 

II.206 
Stewart,  Captain  James,  I.  195,  196 

Stewart,    Execution   of   Alexander, 

a  youth,  II.  231 
Stewart,  Lady  Margaret,  III.  221 
Stewart  of  Isle.   Mr.  ,  II.   ,02 
Stewart,    Nicholson,    the  actor,    I. 

Stcwartlicld  manor-house,  III.  83, 

Stewart's  Hospital,  II.  363,  III.  67 

Stirling,    Sir    lames,    Lord  Provost, 

Stirling4  of  Keir,  Sir  William,  II. 

158  ;  his  daughter,  III.  35 
Stirling,  General  Graham,  II.  153 

Stirling,  Mrs.,  actress,  I.  351 


OLD   AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


Sum. 


-\l.,..». 


Stitchill,  Laird  of,  I.  169 
Stockbridgc,  II.  1  si,  i38,  189,  III. 

7°,  7',  74,  75,  7*.  79.  8i,  ??.  83. 

.,.■,,,.  .  Lliiii.Lin.rn;'  :    1    .  ;.     II! 
S:   .  kbi  ig  Brae,  III.  71 
Stocks    from    the    old     Canongate 

Tolbooth,  II.  -31 
St.idd.irt,  Pr,.vo,t.  II.  105,282. 

eCro  ..The,   III.  ,s7 
Stonclicld,   Lord,    I.   273,    II.   339, 

III.  367 
Slonyhill  House,  III.  365,366 


c-r.ili.l  aunt).  Cm  ions  story  relate  1 

Svv.,rd  formerly  used  for  beheading 

I:  :.  .;.'..f  Galloway,  At- 

Sydney  Smi'lh,~I  I.  347 
Sydswff,  Mi  Thomas,  II.  40 
SyilK,  t;eordle,  tile   ll.iikeilll  t  .»■»■ 

piper,  II.   170 
Syme,    Professor  James   surgeon, 

II-274.359 
■-> 1  ..  Dr.,  and  the  ruffian  lioyd, 

Syuison,    Andrew,   the    printer,    II. 


Tabernacle,  Rev.  James  Haldani 

Leith  Walk,  111.  158 
Tailor,  An  enterprising,  II.  271 
Tailors'  Hall,  The,  I.' 239,  240, 


)Uhop,  I  I.  344,  III.  86 
mcfoss,  11.  309 

of  it  ■  .-.  I 
'Heliughani.Sir  Lionel, 

:  Cowgatc,  II.  259,  260, 

all,  Canonmill,,  II.  146, 


•  John 


Lord  I )  Auhigne  ami 

Duke  of  Lennox,  II.  243 
tuart,  Sir  Robert,  I.  243 
mail.. I    hunearn,   James,  I.    173, 

18',     339,    379,      I'-    245,    343; 

(  li.iil.,  II.  -,.,-, 
■  tu.-.i  t  of  1  lalguise,  I  lavid,  Provost, 

11.282 


Stuart,  John  Sobiesk.,  1,. 
Stuart  of  Allanbanl.,  Lady,  11.  89 
Stuart,  Lady  Grace,  1.  273 
Stuart,  Lady  Margaret,  I.  35 
Stuart'-,  I>r.,  '"  Sculptured  Stones," 

Suburbs  of  the  West  Port,  Map  of 


Tarbat,  Sir  James,  I 
I  arl.ct.  Master  ..f,  I  I 
I.,  ...  I,.,..  .,..1 
lers,  II.  89 


a  William,  model- 
d    for,    in   former 


the,  II. 


11.  300,  301,  302,  383 
Surgeons  ami  apothecaries,  Union 

of  the,  I.  3S2 
Surgeons'    Hall,   II.  330,  334,  335, 

Surpcal    Hospital,   The,    II.    296, 

Sarin  a'l    'insuument-inaker,    The 

first,  II.  263 
Surrey,  Karl  •  .f,  II.  61,  62 
Sutherland.  F.arl  of.  1.  237,  238,  II. 

375,    III.   298;    Countess   of,    I. 


Sutherland.  I  ..ike 

Sutherland,  James 


I  I     .,   i.-'  :  .    1  I 

Swanston,  III. 

Sweating  Club 
Sweeps,  Strike 
Swift',  Wynd, 


'- '. 


362, 
Lady, 
;  Lady 


Temple    Lands,    Grassmarkct,    II. 

TempL  of  Health,  II.  242 

1  endii...  i,  the  singer,  I.  251 

theatre  attached  thereto,    II.  39, 
other  plays, 


old,  Leith, 
The,  II.  2: 


23f 
Ten  in.rial  Church 
l'errot,  Bishop,  II.  198,  199 
Terry,  the  actor,  I.  350,  II.  26 
Teviot,  Karl  of,  III.  26 
TeviotRow,  I.38,  H.323,326, 

344,  345,  346,  356,  358 
Thackeray,  W.  ML,  II.  150 
Thatch  House,  Portobello,  111. 


.nut  the  old  I 
itres,    I.  83;' 


his  nephew,  Craig  the  archite 
11.  ,,7 
Thomson,  Alexander  ("  Ruffles 


1  h    :, 

1  h  in 

son,'  Re. 

Duddingston, 

16  ",  Sir  Wlllia 
Andrew,    II 

126 

Th  ... 

Th.nt 

iff 

TI...11 

m     jr'hndd'i'.T-l''':'' 
1,  the  painter,  11.  89,  90 

84 
son,  John  and  Thomas,  I 

■25 
Rev 

ihreeTlor^ofAecilinwartl. 

I'hn'epland,  Sir  Stuart,  I.  208  ;  his 


I  iml.tr  fronted  houses  in  the  Co 

Timber  trad,'.  The  Leith,  III.  23 
Tinwald,  Lord,  I.  273 


.  94 


II.280 

'!:.■,".' 
11.  241 


Todshaugh,  II 

Tolbooth,  1  he  Edinburgh,  1.40,42 
58,  59,  7°,  95,  120,  123  138,  157, 
158,  175,  201,  219,  242,  II.  237, 
238,  246,  248,  262,  307,  323,  324, 
III.  61,   136,   142,   r56,   186,  191, 


.    .: 


Tolbooth,  TheCanongate,  II.*  1 
Tolbooth  Kirk,  The,  I.  129,  144 
Tolbooth  Stair,  II.  239 
Tolbooth, The  Leith,  III    170,  1 

'  1.93,  227,  228,  229,  235,  277  ; 

tered    there,    /'/'.;    its  demolitit 


■ 
burgh  Town  Counc 
Tolbooth,  The  new,  I 


Wynd,  Leith,  111. 
■5,  226,  227,  228,  234, 
J,  273  :  curious  table 


orphin,  Pentland  Hills, 'ill. '324 
..rphine  Hill,  III.  113 
orthorVald,    Murder  of  Lord,    I 
■95.  '96 

ourhope,  Laird  of,  I.  194 
oun-end,  The,  I'    — 
ouris  of  Inverlei 
33°,  I"- 94, 


nily  of, 


..On, 
Tower,  The,  Porn 
Tower  of  James  V 


T.wn  C; 
15,  16 


Town   Guard,  The,  I.  38,    II.  341,. 

III.  19. 
I     ,:     Hall,    Leith,  111.   228,   243,. 

Town    Hall,  Portobello,   III.   148,. 


■      H       J  :: 
K.liubui  jh.' 


College  of  the  Church  of 
Institute  of  the  Scottish 


Treaty  of  Union,  Unpopularity  of 
the,  I.  163,  165  ;  bribery  of  the 
Scottish  member,  of  Parliament, 


rt 


y  Church,  Stockbridge,  1 1 1. 70- 


306.307,     312,338,340,359,562,. 

II.    74,    101,   234,  290,   379;   old 

collegiate    seals,    I.    '303;     the. 

charter,  I.  303;  provision  for  the 

inmates,  1.    -[07;  ground  plan,  I. 

•308 
Trimly  I  Irove,  III.  307 
Trinity  Hospital,  I.  290,*  304,  "305, 

306,  «  300,  «  31=,  362  _ 

Trinity 


1  tht  . 


27  .  ;    s.  n  ;.-i 

:  wing  of,  III 


Tron  Church 
376, 


ly  history,  III. 
Trinity  L-.dge,  III.  302",  306 

.60,  309,111. 154, 191.' 306; 

clionsto  thechurch,  I.  187, 
;  the  fire  of  1824,  I.  188—191  ; 
,•  Year's  Eve  at  the,  f/atr  8  ; 
old   Tron  Church,    I.    "  193. 


Turbulence    of   the    High  School 

I   ..-.     1       ■  .  I.  121,  282 
Tiirnhull.  II.  W.  I:.,  advocate,  II. 

■97,  198. 
Tumbull  of  Airdrie,  William,  III. 

Turner,  Sir  James,  II.  3. 
Iweeddale.  La.  I,  of,  1.  63,  119,  278, 

279,  H.8,286 
I  weeddale,  Marcpnsof,  I.  274,  278,. 


■  77, 


246 


Twecddale's  Close,   I.  278,  280,  297 
Iweedies,     1  he    family   of    the,    1. 

Twetve  ./Clock  Coach,  The,    III. 

"Iw,. penny    Custom,"    The,    II. 


,  m-M. 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


391 


Tyller  of  Wc 
Tyt'ler/'the  ai! 


Union  Bank,  Leith,  111.  .■ 
Union  C:i.i:il,  Tlic,  11.  90, 

'5,  219, 

226,  III.  325 

1   ...  ...  ■.    11,..    III-.  1     ,.,. 

Union  Club,  The,  III.  122 

•Union  of  Scotland   and   ] 

Unpopularity  of  the,  I.  1 

178,  II.  37,  III.  lot  ;  its 

feet*  and  ultimate  go  id 

I.  165  ;  increase  in  wc.ilt 

of  the,   I.  255:  effect  of 

11.  175  :  rights  of  the  U 

defined,  III.  16 

Union  Jack  first  used  in  Lc 

th,  III. 

UnitedCorporationofLeith,llI.2i« 

United  Incorporation  of  St.  .Mary's 

Chapel,  The,  II.  264 
United    Presbyterian    Church,    II. 


United     P 

I    u 


e-hvt.-ri  i 
.11:;   ... 


dge,  Leith,  III. 


Volunteer    review    in     the    Queen's 
Park.  II.  320—322,  ;n,  Plate  23 
Vyse,  General,  II.  372,  373 


University  builtlit 
University  Club, 
University  Hall, 


Kxcavati  .11 


magisterial. i»itati->:i.  III.  10,  ... 

Wallace   of  Craigie,   Sir   Thomas, 

15; abolition  or  the  birch,  lll.u; 

Cromwell's  gifts,  ,.'...  anti  P.,pery 

Wallace  of  Elderslie,  John,  II.  344 
W  ,  .   ...  |ir.  Robert,  I.  90,  II.  180, 

riots,  III.  ii-i3;th.    i-,,!,...    .-. 

professors  expelled,   III.   14  ;   tils- 

W.dlace,  Prof.  William,  II.  134 

section  lir-t  practised.  1  1 1.  1  4.  <■-: 

■  Cradle,-    1.  '  25  ' 

<|U.urel    with    the  T.«   1   t       .       ,!, 

III.  is  ;  the  museum  of  rarities, 

Wallace's  cave  and  camp,  III.  355, 

ib.  ;  a  Greek  professor  app  -inled, 

366 

III.  16  ;  system  of  education  pur- 

Walter Comyn,  I.  23 

Walter  de  Huntercon.be,  I.  24 

sued  by  Principal    Pollock,  //•.  ; 

early  m  ide  of  ,-o,:c.r.i  ,0.  1  1  1.  1    . 

Walter,  Earl  of  Monteith,  I.  23 

hours  01  attendance, //'.  ;  the  silver 

\.          .   Mi-  .the  actress,  II.  23,  24 

\\                 111.  84,  94,  306,  307 

college,//..  ;  original  design  for  the 
new  l.uiltliii:;.    III.      20:  original 

Wardie  Ca's'tle,  1.  .,:',  1 1 1.  310 

Wardlc  Crescent,   111.  307 

plan  of  its  principal   storey,   III. 
-  21  ;  the   foundation-stone    laid. 

college,  III.    23;   its  corporation 

«             V,  Sir  1         .III.   161 

after    1858,    III.    24;    principals. 

chairs,   and  first  holders  thereof, 

Wardlaw,   Portrait  of  Dr.,   11.   )2 

III.  24,  25;  average  number   of 

Wards  Inn,   III.   140 

students.     III.    25;    notable   be- 

Warlaw Hill,  III.  331 

quests,     III.    26;    income,    id.  ; 

Warren,   Samuel,  the    author,   II. 

Warrender,  Sir  George,  III.  46,  47 

new  1, loi.ii -_•.  / V.i.v  .•; 

Warrender,  Sir  John,  Lord  Provost, 

Upper  Dean  Terrace,  III.  75 


Warrender,  Sir  Patrick,  III.  46 
Warrender  of  Lochcnd,  Bailie  Lord 

I',     .  •  ■ .  I  1  I.  46 
Warrender,  Capt.  John,  III.  46 
Warrendei  House,  111.  45,     .' 
Warrender    Lodge,  Meadow  Place, 

II.  348,  III.  29 
Warrender  Park,  Old  tomb  in,  III. 

46 
Warrender  Park  Crescent,  III.  46 
Warrender  Park  Koad,  III    46 
W  u  renders  of  I....,  hem],  1  lie  family. 

Warrist   n,  Lord,   I.  226,   III.  99; 

Hisli  .;.    llumet's  ac<    unit  ,,f  him, 
III.,,',;   his  son,  111.  lot 


mder,  Lord 
:,7Lord  Ches- 
'id,  I.  358 


Warriston's  Land,  III.  99 
Water-colour   collection,    N: 

Gallery,  II.  89 
Water  Gate,  The,  I.  43,  59, 


Leith,  III.   167, 


of,"  ILL  42."  r'^.'V.'  r'7. 
valley  of,   III.  62-86;    i 


l.cv.    Do.    11.  c,3.    I|?. 


358,   359   (" 


Ui.i- 


h.'fhe,  sunken  rock,  III 

West  Church,  I.  330,  II.  82,  130- 
138,  346,  III.67,  73;  view  of,  II 


Wats  >n,    Henry    George,    Bequest 

of,  111.  26 
Watson,    John,    III.    63;    his   hos- 

pital,  111.  "68 
,\  ■.:  Miaihocse,  Margaret,  I. 


,n,   Robert,    and    the   Stuart 

trrs,  III.  215 

,n,  William  S.,  the  artist,  II. 

,11  family,   The,  1 1.  91 
>n's  College  School  for  Boys, 
359,  363 

>n's    (George)    Hospital,    II. 
347,355,358,  359,  '360,  III. 


4   ■ 

-.   sS 

DO, 

-,,0. 

...    1 

!'■ 

Wat;    :,  i  Merchant  Academy,   II. 

359 
Wait,  John,  Deacon  of  the  Trades, 

III.29 
Watt  Institution  and  School  of  Arts, 
,   '•  '377,  379.  380,  11.  275 
Watt,  Provost,  III.2S6 
Watt.SlatueofJ; 


lv. belt.  Trial  and  e> 
of,  for  treason,  II.  236—2 
'alt's  Hospital,  Leith,  II 
its  founder,  ill.  365,  266 
auchope.SirJohl  ' 
'auchopes  of  Nid 


:rley  Bridge,  1 1.  100 
verley  Novels,"  I.  21: 
;    their    popularity 


,  The,'  111. 
339, II. 


a  .:    Street,  III    ... 

■ 


11.  150 

Waverley  Station,  III.  87 

Wi     1'        .  1    ..  III.  283 
Wether..!!,   Lieut. -Gen.,  Sir  G.  A., 

Wealth  of  the  Scottish,  liar,  h.I. 

242 

Webb,  Mrs.,  the  actress,  I.  347 

Whale  fishery  of  Leith,  The  early, 

Webster,  Dr.  Alexander,  1.  00 

III.275 

Webster,  the  murderer,  11.  183 

Wharton,  Duke  of,  I.  1:7 

Webster's  Close,  I.  90 

Wharton  Lane,  II.  221 

Websters,  The,  II.  264 

Wharton  Place,  II.  359 

Weddal,  Captain,  I.  52,  54 
Wedderburn,  Lord  Chancellor, 

Wluai.v   11,11.    111,-.   II.   319 

II. 

Win:,.,'   Hie,   III.  75 

287,  293 

Wlutelield,  George,  and  the  theatre, 

392 


OLD    AND    NEW    EDINBURGH. 


I.  340,  341,   III.    158  ;    1  - 

attack  on  Whitefield,  I.  342 
Whiteford,  Sir  John,  I.  106,282 

3-,,  .66.  III.  161 
Whiteford  House,  II.  34,  35 
White  Hart,  Legend  ol  the,  1.2 

U  hite  II. 01  I:   1.'  irassmarkct, 
old, 


White 


Wh 


ouseLoan,  111.43,46,47, 

on  smith,  The  first,  II.  263 
Rose   of  Scotland,"  The, 


!?3, 


Wig  Club,  The,  III.  124 
Wigan,  Alfred,  the  actor,  I.  351 
Wightman,  Lord  Provost,  I.  94 
Wigmer,  John,  II.  278 
Wigton,  Karl  of.  II.  270 
Wilherforce.  William,  II.  330 
Wilkes,  the  demagogue.  III.  157 
Wilkie,   Sir    David,   I.    108,   II.   89, 
9°.  337.  HI.  7t 

\\  ilkleol    1  Ullden.   II.   I42 
William    III.,    Proclamation  of,    I. 

62;    unpopularity    of,     II.     324; 

proposed  statue  to,  III.  123;  an- 

:,  -uii'.i  merit  of  ihe  death  of,  1.  2t:.2 
William  IV.inl.o.th  Loads,  111,  „,.: 
William  de  1  lederyk,  alderman,  II. 

William  the  Lion  King,  II.  46,  50, 
339.  HI-  94,  274,  3*7,  33S.  34*. 
347,  361 

:■     I    '...    II         |, 

Williamson,  David,  the  ejected 
minister.  II.  n-,  III.  67 

Williamson,  Peter,  the  printer,  I. 
122,   176,    282,  356,   II.   25,   173, 

Willow" itae,  The,  II.  314,  3r8 
Willox,  John,  the  Reformer,  II.  286 

Wilson,  Alexander,  Prove'stof  Ed  in- 
burgh,  I.  131,  218 


.  Execution  of  Alexander, 
II-  231,315 

,  Charles,  painter,  II.  86 
,  Daniel,  antiquarian,  I.  1 


317,   II. 
101,  116, 

;£;  hi' 


268',  270',  278, 308, 1 

,  9,  n,  2.,  34,  58,  i 
168,  227,  234,  242, 
254.  258,  327.  374, 

',  37,  46,  47,  49,  51, 


WiL.,11,   Patrick,  archit 

Wilson,  Prof.  John,  I. 

127,  135,  140,   141,    I, 


-used  ol", 

burned,  II.  10 1,  1 1 1.  134,  155,  i.3i 

Wodrow,    Rev.  Robert,  I.  58,  60, 

in,  123,  179,  196,  222,  247,  287, 

II.  10,  17,  23,  133,  354,  111.  99, 

Women,    Sumptuary   laws   against, 


Woodbine  Cottage,  Trinit 
Woo.lhall,  III.  323 
Woodhouselee,  111.  33 
Woe.dhouselee,   Lord,    I. 


155,  !5°  1  anecdotes  of  the  pro- 
fessor, II.  20c.;  Ins  love  of  dogs.//,. 

Wils William,   Deputy-Clerk  of 

Session,  I.  46,  67,  163 

Wilson,  liothwell's  servant  in  Darn- 
ley's  murder,  I.  263,  III.  4,  6 

\\ :  „!:■   ii    .c  .  1  ■  ■■,  ,  i.  ..'.  1 ;  i 
Wind  Mill,  The,  II.  346 
Windmill  Street,  II.  333,  346 
Windsor  Street.    III.    I-,S,    ISO 
Windy  (Joule,  The,  II.  313/314 
W.nram,  Colonel    |..,hn/ I.   02,  63, 

64,65 
Winrams,  The  family  ..(,  Ill 
Winter  Garden,  The,  II.     14,     t< 
Winton.  Earl  of,  II.    14,      .  I  I  I.     - 

Wishart.  George,  the  n.a.  1  ir.    1 .  4  ,'. 

III.  150 
Wishart.  Ceorge.  minister  of  Leith 

anellhshop  of  Edinburgh,  II.  14, 

III.  254 
Wishart,    Rev.  William,   III.    210, 


of  St.  Cuth- 
in   the   six- 


built  on  the  site  of  l  ieoige  Her  lot  - 
workshop,  I.  175 
\\  yndham,  the  theati  i 
1.348,351,  IL  179,  HI- 05 


III.307 


James  Lord  Hay  of,  I.  278. 
86 

Lady,  I.278, 1 1. 286;  church 
1.  28,  286,  287,  *  288,  290,  291, 
III.  158;  her  sons,  11.  286 
md  Albany,  Duke  of,  I.  79, 
160,355,  371,  II.  10,377,  III- 


Vork,  Cardinal,  I.  71,  7: 
York  Hotel,  II.  230 
Vork  Lane,  II.  188 
York  Place,  I.  366,  II.  c 
182,  184,  185,   186,  187 
199,  328,  III.  158 
Young,  Charles,  tragedi: 
Young,  Sir  John,  III.  4c 
Young,  Dr.,  physi,  iau.  I 
Young's  Land,  II.  159 
Y'ounger,  the  Comedian. 
Yutson,  Andrew.  I'rovos 


Zoological  Gardens.  The,  III.  8S 


Cassell,  Petter,   Galpix  es-  Co.,  Belli;  Salvage  Works.  London,  E.G. 


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ILLUSTRATED     AND     FINE-ART  WORKS. 


been  increased—  Vols.  II.  and  III.  to  15s.  each,  and  Vol.  IV.  to  21s. 

Picturesque  Europe.    Popular  Edition.  Vol.1., 

with  13  Exquisite  Steel  Plates,  and  about  200  Original  engravings 
by  the  best  Arlists.  I  loth  gilt,  iSs.  N.B.— The  Original  Edition, 
in  Five  Magnificent  Volumes,  royal  410  size,  can  still  be  obtained, 
price  £2  2S.  each. 

Picturesque  America.    Vols.  I.  and  II.,  with  12 

Exquisite  Steel  Plates  and  about  200  Original  Wood  Engravings  in 
each.     Royal  4to,  cloth  gilt,  gilt  edges,  £2  2s.  each. 

The    Royal    Shakspere.      A  Handsome  Fine  Art 

Edition  of  the  Poet's  Works.     Vol.  I.  contains  11  Exquisite  Steel 


Pla 


.R.A.,  J.    D.  \ 

McL.  Ralston,  and  oth 
elu'S,  and  the  Work  contai 


Val 


ii.-, 


Fra 


C.  Gr 


Milton's    Paradise    Lost.      Illustrated    with 

full-page  Drawings  by  Gt  stave  Dore.      With  Notes  and  a 
1  by  the  late  Rev.  Robert  Vai-ghan,  D.D. 


5° 

Vezo  Edition, 


cloth  gi 
The  Changing  Year.     Being  Poems  and  Pictures 

of  Life  and  Nature.      With,  numerous  Illustrations,  7s.  6d. 

Morocco:    its  People  and  its  Places.      By 

Edmondo  de  Amicis.    Translated  by  C.  Rollin  Tilton.     7s.  6d. 

The  National  Portrait  Gallery.     Complete  in 

Four   Vols.,   each    containing    20   life-like  Portraits,   in   Colours, 
with  accompanying  Memoirs.     12s.  6d.  each,  or  Two  Double  Vols., 

The  International  Portrait  Gallery.  Com- 
plete in  Two  Vols.,  each  .  ..ntaining  20  life-like  Portraits  in  Colours, 
with  Memoirs.     Cloth  gilt,  12s.  6d.  each,  or  One  Volume,  2ts. 

Longfellow's     Poetical     Works.        Fine-Art 

Edition.     Illustrated  throughout  with  Original  Engravings.     £2  3s. 

Illustrated     British     Ballads.      With    several 

Hundred    Original    Illustrations.      Complete  in  Two   Vols.,  cloth, 
7s.  6d.  each,  or  cloth  gilt,  10s.  6d.  each. 

European  Ferns.  Their  Form,  Habit,  and  Cul- 
ture. By  James  Britten,  F.L.S.  With  30  Fac-simile  Coloured 
Plates,  painted  from  Nature  by  D.  Blair,  F.L.S.     21s. 

Pictures  of  Bird  Life  in  Pen  and  Pencil. 

By  the  Rev.  M.  G.  Watkins.     With  Illustrations,  21s. 

The    Great     Painters     of     Christendom, 

from  Cimabue  to  Wilkie.     Kern  and  Cluaper  Edition. 
By  J.  Forbes-Robertson.     Illustrated,  cloth,  gilt  edges,  21s. 

Familiar  Garden  Flowers.    First  and  Second 

Series.      By  Shirley   Hibberd.      With   40   Full-page   Coloured 
Plates  by  F.  E.  Hu-lme,  F.L.S.,  F.S.A.,  in  each.     12s.  6d.  each. 

Familiar  Wild   Flowers.     First,  Second,  and 

Third  Series.     By  F.  E.  Hulme,  F.L.S.      With  40  Full-page 
Coloured  Plates  in  each.     Cloth  gilt,  12s.  6d.  each. 

Paxton's     Flower    Garden.     New  and  Revised 

Edition.      Vol.    I.      With  Coloured  Plates,    and    numerous  Wood 
Engravings.     Price  21s. 

Poems  and  Pictures.  With  about  ioo  highly- 
finished  Engravings.     Handsomely  bound  in  cloth,  price  5s. 

The  World  of  Wonders.  With  over  200  Illustra- 
tions.    4to,  cloth,  7s.  6d.  ;  cloth  gilt,  ios.  6d. 

The  World  of  Wit  and   Humour.      With 

about  400  Illustrations.     Cloth,  7s.  6d. ;  cloth,  gilt  edges,  ios.  6d. 
^Esop'S     Fables.       With  about  150  Original  Illustra- 
tions by  Ernest  Griset.     Cloth,  7s.  6d. ;  cloth,  gilt  edges,  ios.  6d. 


Evangeline.  Edition  de  Luxe.  With  Magnificent 
Original  Illustrations  by  Frank:  Dicksee,  A.R.A.,  beautifully 
reproduced  in  Photogravure  by  Messrs.  Goupil  of  Paris.  The  Work 
is  printed  on  Whatman's  hand-made  paper,  size  i6i  in.  by  T2\  in., 
the  Wood  Engravings  being  on  red  China  paper.  %•  Further 
particulars,  with  price,  cVc,  may  be  obtained  of  any  Bookseller. 

Egypt:  Descriptive,  Historical,  and  Pic- 
turesque. By  Prof.  G.  Ebers.  Translated  by  Clara  Bell, 
with  Notes   by  Samuel  Birch,   LL.D.       Illustrated  with  about 

Sr.o  Magnificent  Original  Illustrations.  Complete  in  Two  Volumes. 
Cloth  gilt,  Lev.  Ib-.l  hoards,  gilt  edges.  Vol.  I.,  £2  5s.  ;  Vol.  II., 
£2  12s.  6d.  ;  or £4  17s.  6d.  the  set. 

Landscape  Painting  in  Oils,  A  Cotirse  of 

Lessons  in.  By  A.  F.  Grace,  Turner  Medallist,  Royal 
Academy.  With  Nine  Reproductions  in  Colour,  and  numerous 
examples  engraved  on  Wood  from  well-known  pictures,  42s. 

Sketching  from  Nature  in  Water-Colours. 

By  Aaron  Penlev.  With  Illustrations  in  Chromo-Lithography 
after  Original  Water-Colour  Drawings.     Super  royal  4to,  cloth,  15s. 

Figure  Painting  in  Water-Colours.      With 

16  Coloured  Plates  from  Original  Designs  by  Blanche  Mac- 
arthur  and  Jennie  Moore.     Crown  4to,  cloth  gilt,  7s.  6d. 

Flower  Painting  in  Water-Colours.    First 

and  Secomi  Serifs,  eaeh  ia  .in,  lining  ao  I  a.-  simile  Coloured  Plates 
by  F.  E.  Hitlme.  F.L.S.,  F.S.A.  With  Instructions  by  the  Artist. 
Cloth  gilt,  5s.  each. 

Old  and  New  Edinburgh,  Cassell's.  Com- 
plete in  Three  Volumes,  with  nearly  200  Original  Illustrations  in 
each.  Extra  crown  4to,  cloth,  as.  each;  or  in  Library  binding, 
Three  vols.,  £1  ios.  the  set. 

Our  Own  Country.     Vols.  I.,  II.,  III.,  IV.,  and  V, 

with  upwards  of  200  Original  Illustrations  and  Si  a  el  Frontispiece  in 
each.     Extra  crown  4to,  cloth,  7s.  6d.  each. 

The  Countries  of  the  World.    By  Dr.  Robert 

Brown,  F.R.G.S.  Complete  in  Six  Vols.,  with  about  750  Illustra- 
tions.     Cloth,  7s.  6d.  each.     Library  binding,  3  vols.,  37s.  6d. 

Heroes    of    Britain    in    Peace    and    War. 

Complete  in  Two  Vols.,  with  about  300  Original  Illustrations.  4to, 
cloth,  7s.  6d.  each.     Library  binding,  two  vols,  in  one,  12s.  6d. 

The  Sea:  Its  Stirring  Story  of  Adven- 
ture, Peril,  and  Heroism.  By  F.  Whv.mper.  With  400 
Original  Illustrations.  Four  Vols.  Cloth,  7s.  6d.  each.  Library- 
binding,  two  vols.,  25s. 

Great   Industries   of  Great  Britain.     With 

about  '400  Illustrations.  Complete  in  Three  Vols.  7s.  6d.  each. 
Library  binding  (three  vols,  in  one),  15s. 

The    Leopold    Shakspere.      From  the  Text  of 

Professor  Delius,  with  "Edward  III."  and  "The  Two  Noble 
Kinsmen,"  and  an  Introduction  by  F.  J.  Fcrnivall,  Founder  and 
Director  of  the  New  Shakspere  Society.  With  about  400  Illustra- 
tions. Cheap  Edition,  cloth,  price  6s. ;  cloth  gilt,  7s.  6d.  Can  also 
be  had  in  morocco  suitable  for  presentation. 

Cassell's    Quarto    Shakespeare.      Edited  by 

Charles  and  Mary  Cowden  Clarke,  and  containing  about  60c 
Illustrations  by  H.  C.  Selous.  Complete  in  Three  Vols.,  cloth  gilt, 
gilt  edges,  £2  3s.  ;  morocco,  £6  6s.  Also  Three  separate  Vols.,  in 
cloth,  viz..  Comedies,  £1  is.  ;  Historical  Plays,  18s.  £d.  ; 
Tragedies,  £1  5s. 

The  Dore  Fine-Art  Volumes:— 
The  Dore  Gallery.    £s  s*. 
The  Dore  Bible.    Two  Vols.,  morocco,  £4  4s. 
Milton's  Paradise  Lost.     Popular  Edition,  21s. 
Dante's  Inferno.    £2  ios. 
Dante's  Purgatorio  and  Paradiso.    £2  ios. 
La  Fontaine's  Fables.   £1  ios. 
Don  Quixote.    15s. 
Adventures  of  Munchausen.   5s. 
Fairy  Tales  Told  Again.    5s. 


Cassell  e-  Company,  Limited  :  London,  Paris  &*  New  York. 


Selections  from  Cassell  &*  Company's  Publications. 


BIOGRAPHY,    TRAVELS,    HISTORY,    LITERATURE,    &c. 


Oliver  Cromwell  :  the  Man  and  his  Mis- 

^      sion.    By  J.  Allanson  Picton.  With  Steel  Portrait.  Price  7s.6d. 

England:    its    People,    Polity,  and    Pur- 
suits.    By  T.  H.  S.  Escott.    Chtap  Edition,  7s.  6d. 
The  History  of  the  Year.     A  Complete  Narrative 

of  the  Events  of  the  Past  Year.    Crown  8vo,  cloth,  6s. 

A   History  of  Modern  Europe.     Vols.  I.  and 

II.     By  C.  A.  Fvffe,  M.  A.,  Fellow  of  University  College,  Oxford. 

Four    Years    of  Irish    History    (1845-49). 

A  Sequel  to  "  Young  Ireland."     By  Sir  Gavan  Duffv,  K.C.M.G. 

Constitutional      History      and      Political 

Development    of  the    United    States.      By    Simon 
Sterne,  of  the  New  York  Bar.     5s. 


Wealth    Creation. 


A  Winter  in   Ind 

Baxter,  M.P.     Illustrate 

The  Life  of  the  Rt.  Hon.  W 

By  G.  Barnett  Smith.    Jubilee  Edition,  is 
Burnaby's    Ride    to    Khiva. 

Edition,  cloth,  3s.  6d.     People's  Edition,  6d. 

Perak     and     the     Malays.      By    Major 


By  Augustus  Mongredien. 

By  the  Right  Hon.   W.   E. 
Crown  8vo,  cloth,  5s. 

E.  Gladstone. 

New  and  Cheap 


late     Olii,  ia 


H.M. 


Chief    Commit 


Cheap 


Russia.      By  I).  Mackenzie  Wallace,  M.A. 

Edition,  in  One  Vol.,  10s.  fid. 

Wood  Magic:  a  Fable.    By  R.  Jefferies,  Author 

of  "  The  Gamekeeper  at  Home,"  &c.     Cheap  Edition,  One  Vol.,  6s. 

Peoples  of  the  World.  Vols.  I.  cell.  By  Dr.  Robert 

Brown.     With  numerous  Illustrations.     Price  7s.  6d.  each. 

Cities  of  the  World.      Vols.  I.  and  II.,  Illustrated 

throughout.     Extra  crown  410,  cloth  gilt,  7s.  6d.  each. 

English  and  Irish  Land  Questions.  Col- 
lected Essays  by  the  Right  Hon.  G.  Shaw-Lefevre,  M.P.    6s. 

Local  Government  and  Taxation  in  the 

United  Kingdom.    Edited  by  J.  W.  Probvn.    Price  5s. 

English    Land    and    English    Landlords. 

Ey  the  Hon.  George  Brodrick.     12s.  6d. 

Gleanings  from  Popular  Authors.     Vol.  I. 

With  Original  Illustrations.     Price  OS. 

Universal   History,    Cassell's  Illustrated. 

Vol.  I.     Profusely  Illustrated,  576  pp.,  4to,  price  gs. 

England,  Cassell's  History  of,  from  the  Earliest 

Period  to  the  Present  Time.     With  about  2,000  Illustrations.     Post 
4to,  5,500  pp.     Nine  Vols.,  cloth,  9s.  each. 

United   States,    Cassell's    History  of  the. 

By  Edmund  Oli.ier.     Complete  in  Three  Vols.  ;    containing  6co 
Illustrations  and  Maps.     Extra  crown  4to,  cloth,  £1  7s. 

Proverbial  Philosophy,  Illustrated  Edi- 
tion of.  By  Martin  F.  TrriER.  Illustrated.  Cloth,  7s.  6d.  ; 
cloth  gilt,  gilt  edges,  10s.  6d. 


The  Ene 

Original 

Language,   with  a 
nunciat.on,    and  U 


:yclopsedic   Dictionary.     A   New  and 

Work  of  Reference   to  all  the  Words    in    the    English 


■  the  Four  Vols,  bound  in  Two,  half-morocco,  21s. 

Science   for  All.     Edited  by  Dr.  Robert  Brown, 

F. R.G.S.,  &c.  Complete  in  5  Vols.,  each  containing  about  35a 
Illustrations  and  Diagrams.     4to,  cloth,  9s.  each. 

Mechanics,  The   Practical   Dictionary  of. 

Containing  15,000  Drawings  of  Machinery,  Instruments,  and  Tools, 
with  Comprehensive  and  Technical  Description  of  every  subject. 
Three  Vols.,  super-royal  8vo,  cloth,  £3  3s.  ;  half-morocco,  £3  15s. 

Library   of    English     Literature.       Selected, 

Edited,  and  Arranged  by  Prof.  HenrvMorley.  With  Illustrations 
taken  from  Original  MS3.     Each  Vol.  complete  in  itself. 


The  Five  ' 


.  6d. 


,.6d. 


indsomely  bound  in  half-morocco,  ,65  5s. 

English    Literature,  Dictionary   of.      Being 

a  Comprehensive  Guide  to  English  Authors  and  their  Works.  By 
W.  Davenport  Adams.    New  and  Cluap  Edition,  10s.  6d. 

Phrase   and    Fable,    Dictionary  of; 

giving  the  Derivation,  Source,  or  Origin  of  Common  Phrases, 
Allusions,  and  Words  that  have  a  Tale  to  Tell.  By  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Brewer,  linlar^ed  I-dition,  cloth,  3s.  6d.  Superior  binding, 
leather  back,  4s.  6d. 

Old   and  New  London.      Complete  in  Six  Vols., 

with  about   1,200  Engravings,  9s.  each.     Vols.    I.  and   II.  are  by 
Walter  Thornbury,  the  other  Vols,  are  by  Edward  Walford. 
Gulliver's  Travels.     With  Eighty-eight  Engravings 
by  Morten.     Cheap  Edition,  crown  4to,  cloth,  5s. 

Protestantism,  The  History  of.      Bv  the  Rev. 

J.  A.  Wvi.ie,  LL.D.  With  upwards  of  600  Original  Illustrations. 
Complete  in  Three  Vols.     Extra  crown  4to,  cloth,  £1  7s. 

The  Book  of  Health,  Edited  by  Malcolm  Morris, 

F.R.C.S.  tEd.),  with  Contributions  by  Eminent  Medical  Authorities. 


The  Fai 


Hoi 


Physician.  A  Manual  of  Domestic 
IYSICIANS  and  Surgeons  of  the  Principal  London 
ind  Enlarged  Edition,  1,088  pages,  royal  8vo,  21s. 

rliide,  Cassell's.  Revised  Edition. 

A  Guide  to  Every-  Department  of  Practical  Life.     With  Coloured 
Plates  and  numerous  Illustrations.     Four  Vols.,  cloth  gilt,  6s.  each. 

Domestic    Dictionary,    Cassell's.       An  En- 

cyclop;edia  for  the  Household.     Cheap  Edition,  1,280  pages,  7s.  6d. 

Cassell's     Dictionary     of    Cookery.        The 

Largest,  Cheapest,  ami  Lest  Cookery  Book  ever  published.      Cheap 
Edition,  1,280  pages,  royal  8vo,  cloth.  7s.  6d.     Half  roan,  9s. 

A   Year's   Cookery.     Giving  Dishes  tor  Breakfast, 

Luncheon,  and  Dinner  for  Every  Day  in  the  Year.     By  Phillis 
Browne.     Cheap  Edition,  3s.  6d. 
Choice    Dishes    at    Small     Cost.       Containing 

Practical  Directions  to  success  in  Cookery,  and   Original  Recipes 
for  appetising  and  economical  dishes.      By  A.  G.  Payne.     3s.  6d. 


NATURAL   HISTORY. 


New    Natural    History,   Cassell's.       Edited 

by  Prof.  P.  Martin  Duncan,  M.B.,  F.R.S.     Assisted  by  1 
scientific    writers.     Complete    in    '    " 


Illustrated   througho 


Animal  Life    Described   and   Illustrated. 

By  Prof.  E.  Perceval  Wright,  M.D.   Cheap  Edition,  Illustrated 
throughout,   7s.  6d. 

Field   Naturalist's  Handbook.     By  the   Rev. 

J.  G.  Wood  and  Theodore  Wood.    Demy  8vo,  doth,  price  5s. 


Illustrated  Book  of  the  Dog.     By  Vero  Shaw, 

B.A.     With  28   Fac-simile  Coloured  Plates,  and  numerous  Wood 
Engravings.     Demy  4to,  cloth,  35s.  ;  half-morocco,  £2  5s. 

The  Book  of  the  Horse.     By  Samuel  Sidney. 

With  25  fac-simile  Coloured   Plates,    and    numerous  Wood   Engrav- 
ings.     Demy4to,  cloth,  31s.  6d.  ;  half-morocco,  £2  2S, 

Canaries  and  Cage  Birds, Th  e  Illustrated 


3k   of. 


-iinile    Coloured     Males 


cloth, 


liali- 


The     Illustrated     Book     of     Poultry.      By 

L.  Wright.     With  50  Coloured  Plates,  and  numerous  Engravings. 
Demy  4to,  cloth,  3ts.  6d.  ;  half-morocco,  £2  2s. 

The     Illustrated     Book     of    Pigeons.      By 

R.  Fulton.     Edited  by  L.   Wright.     With    50  Coloured  Plates, 
and  numerous  Wood  Engravings.     Demy  4to,  cloth,  31s.  6d.  ;  half- 


Cassell  &*  Company,  Limited:    London,  Paris  6°  New   York. 


Selections  from  Cassell  cy=   Company 's  Publications. 


BIBLES,     RELIGIOUS     WORKS,   &c. 


The    Early    Days   of  Christianity.      Eighth 

Thousand.       By    the   Yen.   Archdeacon    Farrar,     D.D.,    F.R.S. 
Two  Vols.,  demy  8vo,  24s. 
The    Life    of    Christ.       By   the   Ven.    Archdeacon 
Farrar,  D.D.,  F.R.S. 
Popular  Edition,  in  One  Vol.,  cloth,  6s.  :   cloth  gilt,   gilt  edges, 

7s.  6d.  ;  1\  [si. tii  morocco,  -ih  c<!-cs,  10s.  6d.  ;  tree  calf,  15s. 
Library  Edition,  2gth  Edition.      Two  Vols.,  cloth,  24s.  ;  morocco, 

Illustrated  Edition,  extra  crown  4to,  cloth  gilt,  21s.  ;  morocco,  £2  2s. 

The    Life    and    Work    of    St.    Paul.       igt/i 

Thousand.      By  the  Ven.   Archdeacon    Farrar,  D.D.,    F.R.S. 

Two  Vols.,  24s.  ;  morocco, £2  2s. 

An     Old     Testament    Commentary      for 

English  Readers.  By  various  Writers.  Edited  by  the  Right 
Rev.  C.  J.  Ellicott,  D.D.,  Lord  Bishop  of  Gloucester  and  Bristol. 
To  be  completed  in  =;  Vols.,  21s.  each. 

Vol.  I.  contains  Genesis  to  Numbers. 

Vol.  II.  contains  Deuteronomy  to  Samuel  II. 

Vol.  III.  contains  Kings  I.  to  Job. 

New  Testament  Commentary  for  Eng- 
lish Readers.  Edited  by  C.  J.  Ellicott,  D.D.,  Lord  Bishop 
of  Gloucester  and  Bristol.     In  Three  Volumes,  21s.  each. 

Vol.  I.  contains  the  Four  Gospels. 

Vol.  II.  contains  the  Acts,  Romans,  Corinthians,  Galatians. 

Vol.  III.  contains  the  remaining  Books  of  the  New  Testament. 

The  Half-Guinea  Illustrated  Bible.  Con- 
taining 900  Original  Illustrations.     Crown  4to,  cloth,  10s.  6d. 

Cassell's  Illustrated  Bible.  With  900  Illustra- 
tions.     Bound  in  Persian  morocco,  or  in  leather,  with  corners  and 

The  Child's  Bible.  With  220  Illustrations.  Demy 
4to,  cloth  gilt,  £•  is.  ;    leather,  30s.    Cheap  Edition,  7s.  6d. 

The  Child's  Life  of  Christ.      Complete  in  One 


,  eleg 


A  Commentary  on  the   Revised  Version 

of  the  New  Testament  for  Enqlish  Readers.  By 
the  Rev.  Prebendary  Humphry,  B.D.,  Member  of  the  Company  of 
Revisers  of  the  New  Testament.     7s.  6d. 

New  Testament,  Companion  to  the 
Revised  Version  of  the  English.  By  Alexander 
Roberts,  D.D.     Price  2s.  6d. 


The  Dore  Bible.  With  220  Illustrations  by  GUSTAVE 
Dore.     Two  Vols.,  morocco,  £1  4s.  ;  best  morocco,  £6  6s. 

Roberts's  Holy  Land.  Divisions  I.  and  II.,  con- 
taining 42  Tinted  Plates  in  each.     Gilt  edges,  iSs.  each. 

St.  George  for  England.  Sermons  for  Children, 
by  the  Rev.  T.  Teignmouth  Shore,  M.A.     Gilt  edges,  5s. 

Some  Difficulties  of  Belief.  By  the  Rev.  T. 
Teign.mouth  Shore,  M.A.     Cheap  Edition.    Price  2s.  6d. 

Sunday    Musings.       A    Selection    of    Readings — 

Biblical,  Devotional,  and  Descriptive.     Illustrated,  832  pp.,  21s. 
Quiver,  The.      Illustrated  Religious  Magazine.     Pub- 
lished in  Yearly  Volumes,  7s.  6d.  ;  also  in  Monthly  Parts,  6d. 

The    Church    at    Home.      By  the    Right    Rev. 

Rowley  Hill,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  Sodor  and  Man.    Roan  gilt,  5s. 

The  History  of  the  Waldenses.     BytheRev. 

J.  A.  Wylie,  LL.D.     With  Illustrations.     2s.  6d. 

Keble's    Christian    Year.      Profusely  Illustrated. 

Extra  crown  4to,  7s.  6d. ;  gilt  edges,  10s.  6d. 

The  Bible  Educator.      Edited  by  the  Very  Rev. 

E.   H.  Plumptre,  D.D.,   Dean  of  Wells.     With  upwards  of  400 
Illustrations  and  Maps.     Four  Vols.,  4to,  cloth,  6s.  each. 

Cassell's   Bible   Dictionary.     With  nearly  600 

Illustrations.      4to,    1,159  pages.       Complete   in   One  Vol.     Cheap 
Edition.     Cloth,  7s.  6d. 


The    Life    of   the    World    to    Come,    and 

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