A N C I E N T Aiuu MODERlw

1'1MlL.

B E R T O N

ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

BY

G E O R G E GOOD.

WITH

INTRODCTCTION

BY

REV. W. H. GRAY, D.D.,

MINISTER O F I . I B E R T 0 N PARISH.

EDINBURGH: -4NDREW ELLIOT,

I

7 PRINCES STREET.

1893.

AUTHOR'S PREFACE.

H E idea of the present volume sprang from a suggestion of several friends, whose judgment I highly valued, that I should give permanent form to a Lecture I delivered two years ago in the Anderson Hall here, entitled " Liberton in Ancient Times ; " and having for the greater part of my life been deeply impressed by the wealth of historical and antiquarian matter relating to my native parish lying hidden in old records and rare books, equally beyond the reader or the average student, the idea thus presented was so fascinating that I found it irresistible : hence my present appearance before the reading public. I n my constant walks and journeys through Liberton I became sensible of its inexhaustible fund of things remarkable and worthy of remembrance, discoverable on every side, and unconciously fell into a habit of jotting down in my note-book the more striking incidents thereof as they promiscuously cropped up. Many of these were very striking, but for want of being able in a manner to remove all doubt, I have been compelled to refuse them admission into a book which only treats of facts. That, however, is not, I find, an irksome restriction, as what remains is thoroughly imbued by the spirit of romance so dear to the general reader, and so satisfying to the more studious one, who believes that "Truth is stranger than fiction," as indeed it always proves itself to be.

viii

A UTNOR'S PRERA CE.

Since beginning my now completed task, many kind friends have passed away who gave me encouragement and assistance, so that I am deprived of the pleasure it would have afforded me of acknowledging my indebtedness to them : however, I have still that pleasing duty to perform towards those who, I trust, shall long survive in unclouded happiness. I have specially to thank the following gentlemen for information bearing on the subject, viz. :-The Rev. Dr. Gray, John Welsh, Esq. of Moredun, G. G. Cunynghame, Esq., Sir R. K. A. Dick Cunyngham, Bart., of Prestonfield, John h/Iore Nisbet, Esq., Younger of Drum, Robert Forbes, Esq., Dr. Dickson, Curator of the Historical Department, Register House, and many others. I am also indebted to John Henderson, Esq., for his assistance with the Geology of the Parish, and to Alexander Mathison, Esq., for most of the Illustrations. I have endeavoured to make the work as attractive and artistic as possible ; the Illustrations are all new, having been specially executed for the work, and the Map I have inserted will enable the reader who is unfamiliar with the scenes which my history unfolds to follow the course of the narrative with a fair degree of comprehension, and if he derives as much pleasure in its perusal as I have in its compilation, I will be very well satisfied indeed. G E O R G E GOOD.

CONTENTS.

PAGE

xi.-xx.

IV. CRAIGMILLAR, V. NETHER LIBERTON, . VI. NIDDRIE BRUNSTANE, . AND VII. THEDRUM AND GILMERTON, VIII. GILI\IERTON, .

IX. MOREDUN, .

X. STENHOUSE,.
XI. MORTON MORTONHALL, AND . XII. STRAITON BROOMHILLS, AND XIII. SOUTHHOUSE MUIRHOUSE, AND XIV. GEOLOGY NATURAL AND HISTORY, . XV. STATISTICAL ACCOUNT OF
THE

148
152

154

PARISH LIRERTON, OF 1649-1893,

167

ADDENDA,.

L I S T O F ILLUSTRATIONS.

PAGE

PLAN SHOWIXG PARISH LIBERTON, OF

Frontlispiece.

LIBERTON TOWER, (from a Dra.wz'?zgby B a n k Grose), I 788

34

FACSIMILE SIGNATURES CONTRACT MARRIAGE OF TO OF BETWEEN SIR JAMES STEUART ANNEDALRYMPLP, AND 1705,

125

INTRODUCTION.
H A V E great pleasure in writing a few words by way of preface to Mr. Good's account of Liberton, both because I am interested in the subject, and because I think the writer has treated it remarkably well. H e is not only himself a Libertonian, but he is connected with the

things, but the state of things onward since the century began. H e has also sought in many ways to make himself acquainted with the history of every part of the parish in former centuries. I t has been to him for years a labour of love to search for information regarding it in all sorts of places, and to dig from buried material, topical and biographical incidents, which till now have never seen the light of day. Mr. Good does not profess to be a practised writer, but he has proved himself a capable and painstaking worker in this field. will I feel sure of this, that those who read this book caref~~lly thank him for his labour, and own that they have been both pleased and profited by the account he gives of Liberton in ancient and modern times. As to the subject itself, surely it is not the prejudice of one belonging to the parish which leads me to think of it as having no mere local or passing interest. Connected with the history of Liberton there are persons, and places, and things well worthy of general consideration. It is quite true that this is not the first account published of some at least of these persons, places, and things. Especially is the account of Liberton written by the Rev. Thomas Whyte, Minister of the Parish, for the Society of Antiquaries, and published in the first volume of their Tra;rzsactions in 1792,

xi i

INTROD UCTION;

very full and excellent. I t seems to have been written shortly before his death, which took place in 1789, and has been quite a quarry for writers on the subject since. There have also, quite recently, been published, Walks near Edinburgh, CrazgmiZZar and its Ef~vivans,and other writings more or less connected with this subject in some of its parts. But since Mr. Whyte's account, written more than a hundred years ago, there has been no attempt to deal exhaustively with the parish. Now, many things have happened in the course of a century. Besides, even as to former centuries, it will be found that Mr. Good has brought to light many things of great interest and importance which have long been hidden in manuscripts or in volumes that are little known, and so has enriched his volume with a great deal of new material, and thrown fresh light on many matters formerly but dimly seen, and therefore very much misjudged. T h e r ~ another remark which it is of consequence to make. is I t is still possible to exhibit an authentic chain connecting 1789 with 1892. There are persons living who have received full information as to local matters from individuals who lived before the eighteenth century had closed ; but every year makes it more difficult to get, and to authenticate, such information. Hence the importance of having a publication now, which enables us to see, as afterwards we could not see, from oral sources of a reliable kind, Liberton as it has been in more modern days, while also we see in it, from written as well as published sources, what it was in ancient times. Even since I became minister here, in 1880, much more since I came to Edinburgh in 1850, there have been very great changes. T h e northern part has been linked to the metropolis, and become quite suburban. T h e rural character of the parish towards the south and east has been greatly lost by mining operations a t Niddrie and New Craighall, and at the Clippens and the Mid-Lothian oil-works. New villages and rows of colliers' and miners' houses have been built, some of the older villages have been added to, and the character of the population in them has been almost entirely changed. In the central parts of the parish the dairies, which forty years ago were very few and very small, are now so numerous and so large, that Liberton may be truly spoken of as a parish flowing with milk,

INTRODUCTION.

.a .

Xlll

though not with honey. After I became minister of Lady Yester's parish in 1850 I came out frequently to Liberton. Mr. Stewart was then minister of the parish-one of the kindest and best of menwith nothing of the dignity of a prelate about him, but with everything of the warmheartedness of a Christian minister. Every year I assisted at his Summer Communion, and thus became well acquainted with him, with his elders, and some other inhabitants. I had many conversations about the history of Liberton, and received from persons who had lived in the beginning of this century, or even towards the close of the last, interesting reminiscences of these

1843. Dr. Begg was minister then, and was very energetic, both in parochial and in Church affairs. H e took a great interest in the social welfare of the people, greatly reducing the number of public-houses, and opposing the carters' plays and other sports and processions which were carried on on a great scale, and characterised sometimes by scenes which it pained the minister to see when they were enacted near the manse. I remember the late Mr. Anderson of Moredun telling me he had on one occasion complained to him on the subject, but the Laird, having a kind of sympathy with their time-hallowed sports-though there were occasional excesses-laughingly said to the minister, " You must just draw down the manse blinds as your predecessors did." An old parishioner, who remembered the time, early in the century, when there were above forty public-houses in the parish, and only one minister and no policemen, declared he thought the people more orderly and quite as temperate then as they are now with half a dozen public-houses, and as many policemen and ministers. Dr. Begg was in great request as a platform speaker in favour of non-intrusion principles, and no wonder, for he was a weighty and effective orator. One who remembered him in his younger days expressed rather quaintly his admiration of his warmth and energy of speech. " I have seen," said he, " the fro' coming out of his lips like sixpences when he got warmed to his work." These engagements, however, for speaking and preaching elsewhere, interfered

xiv

INTRODUCTION:

with work and worship at home, and some wags put up a ticket on the church " T o Let," and offered a reward for the bringing back of the minister " lost or strayed." T h e immediate predecessor of Dr. Begg was Mr. Purdie, who was only minister for about two years, dying in 1834. H e was a very earnest and a very popular minister. These were the early Reform days. Some of the Libertonians, like others, had their bands and banners, and thought the millennium was at hand. AI1 this greatly irritated some of t h e Conservative heritors. Poor Mr. Purdie so far suffered, for they could not forget that he had been Lord Cockburn's tutor, and that it was Whig patronage that put him in. Mr. Harry Trotter of Mortonhall ceased to attend the Parish Church. When Mr. Purdie went to visit there, he said, "Mr. Trotter, we never see you in Liberton Church now." " No,!' said the testy Laird, "and but for Cockburn, Jeffrey, and their Radical following, we would never have seen you in Liberton Church either." During his short incumbency he worked hard in ministerial visiting and in holding devotional services throughout the parish. But, notwithstanding, some of the poor people looked back with regret to the days when Mr. Grant, his predecessor, used to go about giving money liberally, and not troubling them with many questions or meetings. One of them said, speaking of the two, " I would far rather have Grant's shillings than Purdie's This Mr. Grant immediately succeeded Mr. Whyte (the writer of the account of Liberton), being ordained in 1789, and continuing minister till 1831. I have often heard the late Dr. Grant, of St. Mary's, Edinburgh, speak of this bachelor uncle of his. Dr. Grant was born in January 1800, and only died last year, so that he almost directly connected the close of the last century with the present time. His first visit to Liberton was in 1808, when his father, who was minister of Kilmarnock, then came as Moderator to the General Assembly. From that year Dr. Grant was a great deal here, and knew Liberton well. I have already hinted that his uncle was very generous in money-giving. This feature was so well known, that latterly his housekeeper had instructions to see that only a certain sum was in his pockets when he went out of doors. I t

was known that whatever he had when he went out, he had nothing when he came in. In these days there was no chapel or minister in Gilmerton. Mr. Grant was the only minister, and apparently he had great trouble with the Gilmerton carters, who were then very rough, very uneducated, and often brought themselves and him into trouble by their violence and vices, and subjected themselves to punishment for their crimes, sometimes even suffering the extreme penalty of the law-far more frequently inflicted then than now. These carters drove coals to Edinburgh and its neighbourhood from Gilmerton, Dalkeith, Newbattle, &c. There were twelve publichouses in Gilmerton village, and that did not tend to make matters more quiet and peaceful. On one occasion some ministers at the General Assembly time were speaking of the difficulty they had in dealing with old and hardened sinners. They appealed to Mr. Grant, who quietly said, " I have little experience in that way; most of my bad parishioners get banished or hanged before they have time to grow old with me." Mr. Whyte, in his History ofliberton, accounts in a peculiar way for anything that was discreditable among his parishioners. This is what he says of them-"The cpper part of them are sober, regular, exemplary, and always have shown a particular regard to the interests of the poor. The lower sort are often noisy and clamorous, and are rather of :-iolent passions, but soon pacified and appeased. Their morals, in general, are not so unexceptionable as could be wished, and no wonder, when they Live in the nezghbouvhood o swh a city as f E g h " Poor Mr. 'CVhyte ! H e suffered himself by going once too often into Edinburgh. On an occasion memorable to him, L e had been induced to go to the theatre there. T h e play was that ei Douglas, written by a neighbour, the Rev. John Home, minister oi -4thelstaneford. And though he tried to conceal himself he n~ seen, and the sad result was that he was dealt with by b e Presbytery, and suspended for six weeks for his evening's t k t r i c a l attendance. After Mr. Whyte's death there seems to L5-e been greater toleration in this respect; for when Mrs. Sicdons came to act in Edinburgh at Assembly time, it is stated that on certain evenings matters of small importance were put on
'

xvi

INTR OD UCTION,

the billet of business to allow ministers and elders to go to see and hear the great actress. This tragedy of Douglas had in its time a great popularity. On one occasion, after it was acted in London, an enthusiastic Scotsman got up at the close, and shouted out to his English friends, " Whaur's your Wullie Shakespeare noo ? " Alas ! for Home and Scotland, Shakespeare is still admired and acted, and Douglas is almost forgotten. We hear a good deal in the present day about non-churchgoing. There seems to have been quite as much of it in the beginning of the century as there is now, when it is drawing to its close. Even easy-minded Mr. Grant was obliged to bring some of them to book who came for baptism, telling them he never saw them in church. One of them gave him as an answer, " Sir, I am generally there when the roll's called," meaning that he was generally present at the Communion, as if he could hardly be expected to attend at other times. It is said that some parishioners, especially Gilmertonians, had suits of clothes that went from one to another as they were needed. They were used, according to requirement and arrangement, at processions, at baptisms, and at Communion seasons. Sometimes ingenious plans were adopted to avoid the necessity of answering awkward questions. On one occasion a carter tied his horse, with a loaded cart, to the manse gate, which was rather shaky at the time. He wanted baptism, and after telling the minister his errand, he mentioned the fact as to the horse and the gate. The device was eminently successful, for Mr. Grant, alarmed for the safety of his gate and gateposts, immediately told him to go away and tell his wife to come with him on Sabbath to have the child baptised. There is no doubt that at that time many, and especially many of those belonging to the class of which I have been speaking, were very ignorant and uncultivated. There were no such educational advantages as we have now, and the press and the post were not the powerful agencies they are now for furthering the education of the school by carrying on the habit of reading and writing after school is left. I have heard of one carter who, on being asked if the horse and cart he was driving were his own, pointed to the cart-shaft and said, " Can you no read

INTRODUCTION;

xvii

cauk ? Do you no see C. D. for Sandy Jamieson ? " Another was asked how he spelled his name, and answered, Je-my (in two syllables) Jemmy, Fi-ny (also in two syllables) Finney-Jemmy Finney. Notwithstanding what my old friend said about the quiet and order of the good old times, with their forty parish publichouses, I hope and believe we are more temperate than our fathers were. I do not indeed believe in the reduction of publichouses as a panacea for drunkenness, and have no high idea of the temperance which consists merely in the impossibility of getting intoxicating drink. I allow also that in former times, when there were no railways, and when there was a very great amount of driving and exposure, a good many more houses than now were required for public refreshment. A t the same time, I think, so many open doors gavc not only facilities but temptations to drink, and these were not withstood. Even on Sabbath the tavern was open, and presented special temptations. Formerly there were two services in church, and many members of the congregation remained for the afternoon diet. But they had no retiring rooms, as some of the heritors had in their church aisles, to which they could withdraw during service, or after it, for refreshment, so the interval was spent in the public-house, where they had " rows and ale." The consequence too often was that in the afternoon they slumbered and slept. Perhaps it was partly this that led to a change of arrangemerit. There came to he only one diet of worship, at which first a lecture was given, and then a sermon. This was very unpopular, and non-church-going became more common than before. Mr. Purdie reintroduced the two services, but Dr. Begg returned to the one diet, which is now the custom here, though we have also evening services in the Hall and elsewhere throughout the parish. Towards the close of Mr. Grant's ministry the Resurrectionists created great excitement here and elsewhere. T h e inhabitants contributed a small sum for watchers, and the different families besides provided one in turn to watch the burial-ground along with them. On one occasion an Irish porter was found lifting a dead body, and they very nearly strangled him. On another occasion one of the watchers shot a neighbour who had hid in the churchyard, and
c

xviii

INTROD UCTION.

narrowly escaped with his own life. There is now a cemetery besides the old burial-ground, but at that time all were buried in the churchyard or under the tower of the church. There are in the Session records some curious statements regarding these funerals. One of these, to which Mr. Good himself called my attention, but which he has not mentioned, speaks of a custom occasionally followed, viz., the ringing of a handbell by the beadle before a funeral, in the neighbourhood of the place where a person died, to intimate the time of burial, and to invite to it. The following extract speaks of this, as well as of the tolling of the church bell on special occasions :--" Robert LVatson, who was beadle in 1734, acquainted the Session that the making of a big grave is 13s. qd. Scots, with the bell it is 1 Scots ; and that a little grave is 6s. 8d. Scots, with the bell it is 13s. qd. Scots. As also that the marriage money is 6s. 8d. Scots, and baptism money is 3s. qd. Scots ; and the ringing of the great bell is half a crown." T h e reader will find in Mr. Good's account of Liberton a fair statement of the pros and co7zs connected with the origin of the name. The time-hallowed derivation of Lepertown is not quite so certain as has been supposed. There are, however, I think, a good many things to be said in its favour. It is certain there were places outside towns five or six hundred years ago where lepers lived, and where hospitals were erected for them, in which they were bound to f reside. Mr. Colston, in his GuiZdry o Edi?zburg/z, says of the Berwick Guild Statutes of I 284, " That they are by common consent admitted to be the foundation on which civic government in the Royal Burghs of Scotland mainly rested ; " and he thus gives the eighteenth ordinance of these statutes, which is one concerning lepers-" W e statute that no leper shall come within the thresholds of the gates of our burgh, and if, contrary to this prohibition of ours, any leper shall have the presumption to make a habit of coming within the gates of our burgh, the clothing in which he is clad shall be taken hold of and burnt, and himself ejected naked ; because it is provided by common consent that eleemosynary aid shall be collected for the sustaining of lepers in a competent place beyond our burgh, and this I say regarding alien lepers."

INTRODUCTION.

xix

Liberton was a likely place for lepers to reside in. Its healthiness has long been proverbial. Some diseases and plagues which have prevailed in other places, and even in the neighbourhood, have not affected it. There have always been parishioners in it who have attained to a great old age. Even ministers seem to have lived longer here than in many other places. Since 1697, almost two hundred years ago, I am only the ninth minister of the parish, the others having been Semple, Jardine, Mowbray, Whyte, Grant, Purdie, Begg, and Stewart. Then evidently there has been a hospital in this immediate vicinity, the ground having in some writings the name of Spittaltown, or Hospitaltown. Yet, again, lepers in beguing were required to make use of a cup and a cdafiev, and there is also a field which went by the name of the Clapper-field. Unfortunately, however, this statute about the leper-houses was made in the thirteenth century, while the name of Liberton is spolien of as existing in the eleventh, and is mentioned in several writings of the twelfth century. But there may have been leper-houses, as there were certainly lepers before the Berwick Statutes were written. It is stated, apparently on good authority, that " in England the leprosy was common from the tenth century to the beginning of the sixteenth, and that leper homes were numerous." Mr. Good has mentioned that the lands of Liberton were held in the eleventh century by " Johailnes Leper." H e may have been afflicted with leprosy, and, living here, have bought the lands. There is one tradition that carries us back to the reign of Malcolm Canmore, in the middle of the eleventh century, and which may be connected with lepers and the leper town. Whyte relates it thus: " A t St. Katherine's (in Liberton) is a famous well. Oily substances of a black colour are continually floating on the surface. These are called petroleum. Remove as many of them as you please, still the same quantity, it has been observed, remains. It is called the Balm Well of St. Katherine. I t was much frequented in ancient times, a n d considered as a soverez+ remedy for scveral cutaneous distemjers. It owes its origin, it is said, to a miracle in this manner : St. Katherine had a commission from St. Margaret, ~orzsortf lMnlcolm Cannsore (1057 to 1093), to bring a quantity of o

[TRANSLATIOK.]

T H E GREAT CH.4RTER O F HO1,YROOD.

IS tlie name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in honour of the 1101)- Rootl, and of Saint Mary the Virgin, and of All Saints. I David, by the grace of God king of the Scots, of lily roynl authority, and \\-it11 the ,?sent of IIenry my son ancl the
Eiiholls of my kingdom, and with the confirmation and testimony of the Earls alltl Earons, the clergy also assenting -.?cl tlie people, of divine prompting, grant all the things nnderwritten to the C1111rchof tlic IIoly Roorl of Edinl~urgh, -.nil in perpetual peace confirm them. These therefore are what me grant to tlie aforesaid Chr~rchnncl to the Canons r y u l a r serving God therein in free and pcrpetnal alms. T o wit, the Church of the Caitle wit11 all its a l ~ l > e ~ ~ d a g e s and -i<hts. And the trial of bnttlc, water, anrl hot iron, as far as 11elong.s to ecclesiastical dignity ; and with Salectun 11s -: right tuarches ; anil the Church of Saint Cutl111e1-t, with the parish ancl all things tlint pertain to that church ; nntl -irl~ Kyrcheton by its right marches, and wit11 the land in which that Cllurch is s i t u a ! ~ and n-ith tlie other land that ; '.?i under the Castle, to \\-it: fro111 the spring that rises near the covller of nly garden, I)y the road that leatls to the hnrch of Saint Cuthbert, nnil on the other side under the Castle ~ ~ n tyou come to a crag n.hich is nnder the Castle il r 'n-arils the east ; ant1 nit11 the two chnliels nrhicli pertain to the same Church of Saint C u t l ~ l x r tto wit Crostorfin ~ v i t h , -:\-o oxgates and six ncres of land, and that chapel of Libertun with tn70 o x g n t e of land, ant1 wit11 all the tithes ancl :hts, as vell of the living as of the tleatl, of I,egl~ernard,nliich l l ? c b e t b e ~pnve to that ('IIuI-c~I,and which I have z'antcd ; Ancl the Church rrf IIeretli nrith the land that I~clougsto that Church, nnil with all tI12 lancl that I have - irlrcl ant1 given to it, as my scrvants and gootl men \vall;ell its hounds nnrl gave it over to .4l\vin t l ~ eA l ~ l ~ o~ ,v i l lone t ~ .t - -1.. l .~ ln Hereth, and twenty-ciu ncres of lantl. IVhich Chnrc11 ant1 1a11c1aforetiauned, I ~villthat the Canoni of the ... II,:II~ Crosc lioltl and possess for ever freely and quietly ; an 1 I strictly forl~itlthat any one xnjuztly nppre;s or trouble -:..e Canon.; or their men who lii-e in that Inncl, or unju;tlg exact from them any work.; or aids, or secular C I I S ~ O ~ I S . I .; :I moreover that the same Canoni have lillerty of n~nl;i~l_= a mill in thnt Iand, an11t11.1t they h ~ v in IIereth all those e :-rows rights and easenient.;, to ~ v i tin water;, in fijl~ings,in menilo..vi: in ~>nctu~.cs in a!' o:hc~.neccsinry thingi, anrl ..-.\icy heit helcl them on the tlny in ~ ~ ~ l lIi c h it in my ilnmain ; An,l Rroctun wit11 its rifiht marches : nn(l Inverlet, hnil nliich is nearest the harl~onr,mith it.; right marcllcs, anrl with that I ~ a r l ~ o nallcl with the hllf ~r the fishing, nn3 r, - : l 1 n \vliolc tithe of all thc f i ~ h i n gmliicl~helon:; to the Chlrrcli of Saint C u t l ~ l ~ ; ~ t c A.111 I'c!en'lrei, \vilh its right :.:rches ; and ITamere and Ford, mith their rigl~tmarches ; nntl the Hospital, wit11 one plough of Iantl ; A I I forty ~ . . ,lin_=s fr~lrnmy h ~ ~ r of ? ~ g E,linl,urgl~yearly ; 2nd a rent of a I~untlreil h i l l i ~ i pyearly to the c l o t l ~ i nof t l ~ eCanons, s ~ ---?:l1my cane of Perth, anil tl~i;from thc first ships that come t o Pevth for t l ~ e sake or trade ; nnrl if it happen that they not come, I grant to the aforeinill Church, f r o ~ nmy r e ~ ~ t Ediii17urgh forty .i!~illin;s, a.1.l fro:li Stirling t ~ v e n t y of . ,~ - .:!ings, and from Perth forty sl~illing.;; Anil one toft in Stirlitig, anil the tlrauglit of one net G I 6shinf ; Xorl one toft ~ - m!- I~urXhof Eilinbl~rgh free nnil illlit of all cuslotn and e~actiiin Anrl one tort in Gcren.ic!<: nnil the rlrn11,rrllt of two : - 5 : - ill Scyl'n'ell : and one toft in Reinfry of five pcrclles, and lilt- d r a q l l t of one uct for salm 311, and to firh tl~ercfor :-ling; freely ; And I for1)id that nny one exact from y o or from your men, any customs Il12refor. I grant mljrexrer ~ r i : ~nioresaitl Cn~ions from my B ~ c l i e i l ~ ~ e r c11aml1-r )early, ten ~ ~ o u n i to the Iighti of tlie (.'!~l~rch, i d t I (112 \vdrlci l; a ' - ' l ~ ('hurch, and to ~ . e l n i r i n ~ nrorl;i for ever. I chat-y. moreover, all my ccrvan!.; nncl forejtcrs of Strivelin t these : - 5 nnd of Clacmnl~.~n, that lie .$hhot a11f1 Convent have free ~ l o n c t i-n nll my n701'1i :cn,I forest?, OF talcing a i much -n:lr.r as they please nn,I wish for the I~uiIiIinqof tl~circ11urcI1nncI c l r heir h ~ n ~ c eant1 fnr m y purpose of th?iri. Ancl s, , .l : toin that tl~eirmen who talcc timller for their (1s: ill t l l ~ s:1/,1 \\-o011;,have 11iy fil-111 ln,acc, a n ~ lso that ye do not :::lLil them to Ile rlisturl,al in any way ; And tile sl\7ine the p ~ - , ~ l > e r t tlie nforeiai<l C ~ I I I . C ~ I , in all my woods, or ~ . I zrnnt - :,? qllit of pannage. 1grant moreover lo thc arc>reiai(l Canons the 11:llf of the fat, tallow ant1 llille.; of the slaughter i E!i~ihurgh, and a tithe of all the mlinlei and sca-lleasts ~rhicli to me from .$vitr tg Colllrnn l?il~n!le ; fall a tithe -:.!l lny picas ancl gains from Xvin to Colbmn~lespade; Ant1 t!~ehalf o f m y titl~eo f tuy cauc, nn.1 of nly plea5 nntl gain5 Iccntyr and Argyll, ancl nll the slcin.; of mnls, ewes, nn,l lambs of the Castle and of I.i~liitcu \l.l~icli (lie of lily flock ; --I ! eiglit chal(lcr.i of mnlt, anrl eigllt of meal: ancl thirt! cnrt lin,lk f ) - o ~the I~u,ll of T,il~c.rtu;~ hntl one oc my mills of 'n ; :'enc. nnil a tithe of the mills of I.il,erlun an(l Dciic, ancl of the nenz mill of Elli111111rg11: .%nil of Cra,rrgenema!.f>as m11c11 - - I Ilnve in my tlomain, anil P S m~tch J'uicth tlic JYhite gave thrrn in alm.5 of tlie same CY:IX 1 grant likewise to as -'.:l:l leave to estahlisli a b:11.g11 I~etn-ecn tliat cllurch ancl my hlirgh ; nntl I gmnt that theil- I > ~ I ~ K C S ~I C % \ ~ c ~ a common ._:..of selling their wares, anil of 1111ying,in my mal-l;et freely ancl q~li!or claim anrl custo;:~ in lil;? nlanner ns my own . ::-zeises ; 1111tl I forbid that any one take in their l ~ o r g hI>reacl, ale, cloth, or any \\-are 11s f ~ ~ r c or without the e: : --cnt of the I~urgcsses. I grant moreover thnt the Canons be quit of toll ancl of all clrit<,m in all my I ~ ~ r g l land s, -'~-lllgllolltall lily I a ~ ~ tto, \\-it, of all thing- that t l ~ e y u y ncld sell. An11 I forbitl that any one take pled::e on the Inn11 l b f :he IIoly Rood, unless the Allhot of that place shall have refu~edto tlo right and jl~sticc. T will inoreover that they . . 1 that is above-~rrittcn, freely and quietly a5 I hold m y own lands ; ancl I will that t1le Allhot hol(l his court as - .fl-<ely, fully, and honouml~ly,as the Gishol, of Saint Xndrelvs, t l ~ eAhl~ot of I)unfcrrnli~~, the Ahl)at of I:elso . [heir courts. These I~cingwitnesses, Robert Eiaholi of Saint Anllrems, J o l ~ n13ishoji of and - . 1 C;lnsgo\v, Hcnry my son, :.li.lm my nei)hem, E(l\varrl the Chancellor, I-Ierelxrt the Chamberlain, Gillewic1:nel the Eal-l, Goipntric the hrrither i Dillfin, Kobert of hlontag~re,Robert of I:n~.nevilc, Peter of Iiruh, S o r m a n the Sl~eriff, Og9!, T,eising, Gilli?c, II'illinm - (-~l.aliam,Turstan of Crectun, nlein the .\rchtlencon. Aelfl-ic the Chal~lain,\ITnlrr:ln the C1:aplnin.
I
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GENERAL

HISTORY.

H E parish of Liberton is in the county of Edinburgh, or NI idlothian. T h e origin of the name of Liberton has been accounted for by several writers in various ways, but none of them has given a satisfactory derivation. Its etymology is involved in obscurity, and has puzzled philologists. Liberton as a surname is mentioned in the reign of Malcolm 111. In 1059, Scott, in his History of Scotland, gives the following names :-Gordon, Seaton, Calder, Lockart, Lauder, Wauchope, Wallace, Shaw, Liberton, Learmonth, Meldrum, Dundas, Cocltburn, Cargill, Morton, Menzies, Abercrombie, ancl Lesly. T h e first time we have any mention of Liberton as a place is in a charter to HoIyrood Abbey by David I., King of Scotland, in I 143 to I 147. This charter, the original of which is in good preservation, is still in the archives of the city of Edinburgh. men to David I. farmed a good portion of Liberton, and he p u ~ labour and cultivate the land, and they were called Libertines, or tenants of the King,-Libertine being from the Latin, for among the Romans this word signified a freedman, a persoil manumitted or set free from legal servitude. Another writer has said the name is a corruption of Lepertown, and arose from the circumstance that a hospital for the sick of Edinburgh was situated at or near it.
A

LIBERTON I N ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

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Although all traces of such an institution have long since disappeared, yet in certain old writings the lands of Spittletown in Liberton are mentioned-Spittletown being synonymous with hospital town i11 our old language. There seems to have been a hospital at or near the village of Libcrton, as Over Liberton, now called Upper Liberton, in old writings had the name of Spittletown. Sir John Dalmahoy of that illc got a charter of the lands of Spittletown, by which is understood Upper Libcrton. T h e charter is dated 1455. This, however, will scarcely bear out the assumption of Lepertown being the original name of Liberton, for the first tirne we have any record of a plague in Edinburgh is in the year 1282, and the name of Liberton was known 139 years before we have any record of such a plague in Edinburgh as was likely to call for such a hospital outside the city. In 1cg3, Malcolm, surnamed Canmore, made a law that his subjects should assume surnames from the lands which they possessed, and he invented new titles of honour, as those of Earls, Barons, and Knights. Although we can trace Liberton as a personal name before it was the name of a place, yet it is most likely that it was the name of a place first, though at this distance of time we can find no distinct account of this. There are none of the name of Liberton in the parish at the present time, although there were several persons of that name in the last century. T h e Littles of Liberton, proprietors of the lands of Upper Liberton, had for their crest a leopard's head, and this may be considered as showing that they possessed the land u7hich belonged to the Libertons of that illr, or that they vt7ere connected with that family. Allan de Liberton and David de Liberton were the tenants of the King, who held land in Liberton, and they swore fealty to Edward I. in I 296 LVilliam de Liberton was a benefactor to the monastery of Newbattle in 1429. Among the first l3ossessors of land in Liberton we have any record of is one Baron hlIalbeth. H e is also named Mal-bet -ber or -bere, and in two instances his name is spelt Macbet. H e was owner of the modern parish of Liberton, and apparently founded the church of that parish, which he endowed with lands in Liberton, and also with a grant from Letbernard, probably Leadburi~. I t is doubtless

LIBERTON I N ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

from the name of this Baron of Liberton that the popular tradition arose that the ancient Church of Liberton was founded by King Macbeth. T h e particular lands in Liberton which had belonged to this hlalbet cannot be ascertained, but they probably lay near the church, Stenhouse, and that part of Liberton called Northfield. T h e first recorded owner of the lands of Melville, named Galfred de Melville, acquired the lancls in Liberton from Malbet. T h e earliest Melville charter which has been preserved is a grant by Icing William the Lion to Galfred d e Melville and his son, of that land which r\lalbet held in Liberton, having the same marches, and the land of Lecbernard or Letbernard, probably Leadburn, which had also belonged to Baron Malbet of Liberton. These lancls which Galfred de Melville acquired do not appear to have remained long in the possession of the Melville family, as no reference is made to them in charters later than I 190. hIacbeth's Tower is supposed to have been in the village of Liberton, on the site where the present beadle's house now stands. T h e lands of Leadburn probably belonged to Rlalbet or hlacbeth of Liberton before the reign of King Malcolm IV., but there is very little mention of them in the extant writs pertaining to the family of the Melvilles, and no very definite information has been obtained from other sources. I t is to be regretted that so little is known of Baron Macbeth, who had been such a liberal benefactor to Liherton. His possessions seem to have been very extensive, but tradition and history are practically silent about him. T h e boundaries of the parish are very irregular. I t extends almost from the eastern extremity of the Pentland Hills to within a few yards of the sea near Fisherrow, and from Edinburgh to within a mile of Dalkeith. I t is about six miles long, and fully four miles broad. In the centre it is nearly square, but towards the east becomes very narrow, and runs out to a sharp point for nearly two miles, between the parishes of Newton and Inveresk on the one side and Duddingston on the other, in the form of a wedge. This peculiarity of outline arises from the circumstance that it is properly speaking a united parish, the portion of it beyond Craigmillar Castle having in former times been connected with the Chapel at Niddrie.

LIBERTON I N ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

I t is bounded on the north and west by the parish of St. Cuthbert's, on the north-east by Duddingston, on the east by Inveresk, on the south-east by Inveresk, Newton, and Dalkeith, on the south by Lasswade, and on the south-west bp Colinton. Its surface is finely diversified with low broad ridges, gently rising grounds, undulating swells, and intermediate plains, nowhere attaining sufficient elevation to be called hills, but exhibiting an ever-varying curve of beauty. eastern slopes of the Braids and Blackford Hills are included within the western confines of the parish. T h e elevated positions command magnificent views of the city of Edinburgh, the Pentlands, Braid and Blackford Hills, Arthur's Seat, the Firth of Forth, the coasts of Fife, the Bass Rock, North Berwick Law, and East Lothian, and of the whole surrounding district, which is in many respects the most interesting in Scotland, and of which the late Dr. Begg (who was minister of the parish and the author of a statistical history) justly remarks, " I t is the Heart of Midlothian, and there is not in Britain a more commanding view of rich and varied scenery, including wood and ~vater,a fine city, and a richly cultivated country, than the view from Craigmillar Castle, the high grounds above Mortonhall, the ridge of Gilmerton, or the neighbourhood of Liberton Church." T h e soil in some parts is a wet clay or dry gravel, but in general is a very fertile loam. A considerable portion of the land is now cultivated for the growing of vegetables and fruit, and as a nursery for trees and shrubs, for which a ready market can be had, being so near the city of Edinburgh. What is produced is of a superior quality ; hardly an acre of waste ground exists, and where the soil continues to be inferior, skill and labour are rapidly enriching it. T o the north of the parish, adjoining Edinburgh, a good portion of the land has been feued for villas and tenements, and now forms a part within the city boundaries. A portion of this, called Craigmillar Park, has extended beyond the site of Mayi'ield Toll, and with villas on each side of the Mayfield road forms one of the finest approaches to Edinburgh. Craigrnillar Park is on the Borough Moor, famous of old as the rendezvous of Scottish armies when about to engage in war. On it James IV., in 1 5 1 3 , reviewed

LIBERTON IN ANCIENT AND MODERN TIA'ES.

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his troops before they set out for Flodden Field. Here, too, in the reign of David II., Randolph, Earl of Murray, defeated the young Earl of Namur and his brother, who had led a gallant train of knights and their followers, and were marching to Edinburgh, in order to join Edward 111. and the English army, at that time quartered at Perth. It was also on the Borough Rioor that, on 20th May 1571, a party belonging to Lennox, the Regent, and commanded by t ~ v oof his captains, Hurne and Ramsey, defeated a detachment sent in pursuit from the Castle by Kirkaldy of Grange, acconlpanied by a number of volunteers of the first rank from the city, who had espoused their cause. Two engagements took place on this occasion, the first being at Powbdrn, the boundary between Liberton and the West Kirk. Kirltaldy's men were soon driven back, with considerable loss, as far as Iiirk-0'-Field, but being joined by a great number of citizens in arms, they obliged Hume and Rainsey to retreat. The latter rallied in the vicinity of a rising ground on the moor called Lussie Law, south of the present Blind Asylum. l he opposing party could not, however, maintain their ground, and were shamefully beaten a second time, and obliged to seek shelter in the city with double the loss they had first sustained. T h e rencontre was commonly called the Battle of Lussie Law, which, because of the cowardice of the Loyalists, was changed into another name. This battle, insignificant as it was, proved to be the beginning of a war ~rosecuted without intermission for nearly two years.' Three years ago, when deepening the water-run at the hamlet of the Dams, a cannon ball was found, measuring four inches in diameter, and made of malleable iron. Probably this ball might have been used in the engagement on Lussie Law. At the last volunteer sham fight, which took place in Liberton in 1890, the field guns were planted on the same spot as that occupied by the battery at Lussie Law 320 years before. On the west side of the parish, where a part of the old Roman
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I When this happened the Eorough Moor was thickly covered with oak trees, and the timber of the wooden houses in Edinburgh was taken from it.

LIBERTON IfV ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

road forms the boundary, are the lands of Morton, a name in which a Celtic root is apparently present, which signifies great or large,that is, the great or large city. North-west fro111 Morton House is a rampart of a circular, or rather of an oval form, intersected by the turnpike road. It is entire on the Mortoil side, but not so on the other. This was probably the site, not of a Roman camp, which was quadrangular in form, but of a Roman town. The Roman military way from Linton to Cramond intersected it. When the present turnpike was made, for more than a mile human remains were unearthed. Most of them had been interred in stone coffins, together with urns and weapons of primitive form. A little to the west of the road, but in Colinton parish, stands an ancient monolith, the tallest and most striking in the vicinity of Edinburgh. It is a massive unhewn pillar of whinstone, about ten feet in height, bearing neither n~arlinor inscription, and known by the name of the Camus Stone, Ket Stane, Caiy Stone, or Battle-stone. The craig, or steep rocky declivity, which forms the northern extremity of the Pentland Hills hangs over what was a field of battle. It is called Caer Ketton Craig, a name derived from the stone and the fortified camp thereto adjacent. The high road for a mile follows the line of the old Roman military way. This was done by the direction of the late Sir John Clerk of Penicuick, a Baron of Exchequer in the reign of George I. There are four battle-stones or obelisks in the parish : one on the glebe at Kirklands; another stood on the east side of Craigmillar, which was unfortunately overset, and is now erected in the policy grounds at Niddrie; a third on the west side of hlortonhall House; and the other built into the wall on the public road to Greenend at Nether Liberton. This last-mentioned stone was taken down in the beginning of the present century, when the road was widened, and it long lay in the field opposite, but was restored to its original place in 1891. These stones are called Cat-Stanes or Battle-stones. Chalmers, in his Caledonia, propounds the explailation of the word Cat " as being derived from the British " Cad," or the Scoto-Irish Cath," which signifies a battle, but the word under the form Cat "
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LIBERTOAr I N ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

is Welsh or British as well as Gaelic. Thus, in the Aznales Cambrzh, under the year 7 2 2 , the battle of Pencon is entered as Cat Pencon. An incidental remark in Bede's history proves that the erection of a monument like the Cat-Stane is to record the resting-place of the early Saxon chiefs or leaders. An obelisk in the parish of Kirkliston bears a Latin inscription, which has been deciphered, and found to be the tombstone of Vetta, after a Saxon king named Vetta, who was grandfather of Hengist and Horsa. This venerable monolith is not only interesting as one of our most ancient national historic monuments, but corroborates the floating accounts of the early presence of the Saxons upon our coasts. I t presents to us the earliest individual Saxon name known in British history, and confirms, as far as it goes, the accuracy of the genealogy of the ailcestors of Hengist and Horsa as recorded by Bede and our early chroniclers. At the same time it forms in itself a link, as it were, between the two great invasions of our island by the Roman and Saxon, marking the era of the final decline of the Roman dominion among us, and the first dawn and commenceinen~ of that Saxon interference and sway in the affairs of Britain which was destined to give to England a race of new kings and new inhabitants, new' laws, and a new language. North from the stone on the glebe at Kirklands, when a sandpit was opened for the building of Craigend House, a coffin was discovered, formed of rough stone slabs. When opened human remains were disclosed. A careful search was made, when one of the labouring men found a gold ring. There had been a stone set in it, but this was gone. I t was allowed to he very ancient, the ends not being joined together. This may indeed be regarded as the earliest form of a ring, since it is only at a comparatively late period that traces of any knowledge of the art of - soldering among . native metallurgists became known. There were found on the highest point of the Braid Hills, about thirty years ago, several cists containing human remains, and built with stone slabs. The late Mr. Trotter of Mortonhall intimated the discovery to the Society of Antiquaries. A deputation of that body, accompanied by the late Sir James Simpson, visited the
+

LIBER TOAr I N AArCIENT AND MODERN TINES.

spot, and made an exainiilation of the remains. I t was their opinion that the graves mere of a very early date, as no urns were found. T h e teeth were in fine preservation, and must have belonged to persons of comparative youth. T h e remains were, after exatnination, replaced in the graves and covered up. Near the present Liberton Tower a portion of the shaft of a sculptured cross had been built into a wall, which can be remembered by several of the inhabitants. I t was there as late as I 863, and, according to Odd and New ErEinburgh the I late Jalnes Drummond, R.S.A., described it as part of a Celtic cross covered with knotwork. I t is now to be seen in the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland, and tneasures 28 inches long by rq inches broad, and 6 inches in thickness. I t had previously been used as a step, and the sculpture on one side is obliterated. It is thought by some antiquarians that the cross of which this fragment is a part PORTIONO F ANCIENT CROSS. may have been a t some time removed from the ancient burial-ground of Liberton Church, and then used as a piece of material, as many vestiges of early settlement occur in the parish. A t one time most of the land in the parish was covered with wood. When cutting field-drains, large trunks of trees were found, and with them the bones of many species of animals. When d,igging for sand to the north of the tower the entire skeleton of a dog or wolf was found. T h e head was in good preservation. At another time, when cutting for the sewer from Portobello to Craigmillar Park the ancient forest of Drumseuch was intersected. I t extended from the Drum to Holyrood, and was a royal hunting-ground. A peat " h a g " was cut through on the centre of the public road, and many roots and trunks of trees were come upon, also antlers of the red deer.
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LIBERTON IN ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

Easter Duddingston, which at one time belonged to the Monastery of Kelso, had a servitude on the lands of Cameron for the digging of peats. T h e date of this charter is unknown. T h e early archaeology of Scotland is sadly deficient in written documents. From the decline of Roman rule, onward through the next six or eight centuries, we have but slender data to guide us in historical or antiquarian inquiries. Nor have we any numismatic evidence to appeal to. In consequence of this, the most primitive inscriptions belonging to these dark periods of our I~istoryare invested with an interest much beyond their mere intrinsic value. A s George Chalmers says, when writing of this age, ' l Archaeology is loquacious, and history silent."

CHAPTER 11.
CHURCH A N D VILLAGE,

T h e precise date of its foundation is not known. Its founder may have been Malbet of Liberton, already alluded to. Probably it was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, there being a well on the east side of the church which was known as Our Lady's Well. There still exists a right of way to this well from the public road through the grounds o f one of the neighbouring proprietors. T h e Chapel of Liberton belonged to the parish of St. Cuthbert previous to the year I 143, as appears from a charter granted by King David I. in favour of the Abbey of the Holy Rood : " T h e two chapels which pertain to the same Church of Saint Cuthbert, to wit, Crostorfin, with two oxgates and six acres of land, and that Chapel of Libertun, with two oxgates of land, and with all the tithes and rights, as well of the living as of the dead, of Legbernard, which Macbeter gave to that church, and which I have granted." I This Legbernard, which is mentioned in the charter as having belonged to Macbeter, is said by several writers never to have been
I From this charter we learn something of the personal history of King David. Scotland had not, till a much later time, any recognised capital or established seat of government. The King's Court moved from place to place, and dwelt mostly in the great abbeys, but David I. had a dwelling on the castle rock of Edinburgh, a place recommended by its safety against the surprise of an enemy. He gave to the monks of Holyrood the church of the Castle, the little church which we know as St. h9argaret1s Chapel, and the church of St. Cuthbert in the valley below, and some land under the castle rock, where the King had a garden ; for one of the boundaries of that land is the well at the corner of the King's garden, on the path that leads from the Castle to St. Cathbert's Church,-the spring apparently which give rise to the name of the Well-House Tower in the present Princes Street Gardens.

H E old church was taken down in 1814.

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LIBERTON I N ANCIRNT AND MODERN TIMES.

II

located. Recent researches, however, would seem to suggest that Legbernard is probably another name for Leadburn, near Penicuick. In a charter granted by Bernard de Hauden in favour of the Abbey of Kelso, the name of VlTilliam, styled "persona de Liberton," appears with other witnesses. The charter is without date, but there is internal evidence which shows that it may be assigned to the reign of William the Lion. " William, persona de Liberton," is also a witness to an agreement between the Abbot and Convent of Kelso, and is the first parson cleric speciallv named in connection with Liberton. T h e Rev. Thomas White, who wrote a history of Liberton in the latter end of last century, describes the old church which was pulled down in 1814. " The main entry," he says, " t o the church is on the south, under a porch. The steeple at the west end makes a decent and venerable appearance." The spire or cupola was formerly of wood, but was afterwards built of stone, and in August I 744 it was struck by lightning. The bell here, as the inscription bears, was made by Henderson & Ormiston, I 747. I t is far superior to any in the neighbouring country parishes, but not at all like the one formerly in use, which was said to have been heard at Soutra Hill, fully sixteen miles distant. T h e mid aisle of the old kirk was of great length and extremely narrow-a fact which suggested the comparison made by Jeanie Deans to her lover, the schoolmaster of Liberton, " Ye wad laugh wee1 to see my round face at the far end of a strae bou-grace, that looks as muckle and round as the middle aisle of Liberton Kirk." T h e original building was probably of inconsiderable size, numerous additions having been made to it from time to time ; for example, there were the Stainhouse Aisle, and Gavin's Aisle, so called from its proprietor, Mr. Gavin Nisbet of Muirhouse, now Murrays. On the north side of the church were three aisles, one built by Sir John Baird of Newbyth in 1736, and in which was a gallery with an apartment behind. There were also seats for the tenants, and underneath was the burying-place of the family. T h e other aisle, which belonged to the Gilmours of Craigmillar, was of early date, and had an arched roof. I t was also used as a family

12

LIBERTON I N ANCIENT AND MODERN TliMES.

burying-place, and gave sitting accommodation to the tenants. Sir Alexander Gilrnour, as representing the Prestons of Craigmillar, owned a large seat in the body of the church.' T h e third aisle was on the west side. It was built by Lord Somerville of the Drum and Mr. Thomas Rigg of Morton in I 724. On the east side of the church there was a gallery, erected by Sir John Wauchope of Niddrie it1 1640. Opposite to this, or on the west side, was the gallery of the lairds of Mortonhall, which dated from 1670, and there was also Nether Liberton Aisle. The burying-place of Lord Somerville was in the centre of the church, opposite the pulpit. T o the wall near the pulpit was affixed a large board, on which were recorded the several donations made to the poor of the parish. T h e largest of these was that bequeathed by the Lord Advocate, Sir Jarnes Stewart of Goodtrees, now Rloredun, who died in I 7 13. His benefaction was allowed to accun~ulate,and by means of it, almost xvithout any assistance from the heritors, the poor of the parish were supported during that memorable and severe year I 783. T h e nucleus of the church, or the original " Capella de Liberton," was represented by the middle aisle and tower. On the east wall of the church hung the jougs," the terror of evil-doers. In 1592 it was enacted that irons and stocks were to be provided in every parish for the puaisllnleilt of idle beggars and vagabonds. Tlle " louping-on " stone stood at the south gate of the church, for the use of those who came to church on horseback, a mode of conveyance more common a hundred years ago than it is now. T h e large top-stone long lay dismounted in the village, but was broken up about twenty years ago. There was another louping-on " stone which stood a little to the south of the present manse gate, at the bottom of a wynd or passage which led to the church. I t was erected in June 1 7 2 2 for the benefit of the people on that side of the parish. In " Blind Harry's " history of Wallace, allusion is made to Thomas Gray, minister of Liberton, presumably the parish with which we are now dealing. This Sir Thomas Gray, together with
' l li

The right to the north aisle in the kirk was ratified to Winrame of Liberton in and to Lord Somerville of Drum, which belonged to Sir James Dennistoun, Vicar of Liberton, in 1641.
1621,

LIBERTON IN ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

13

John Blair, rendered important assistance to Wallace in a very critical emergency, and both were afterwards engaged in compiling his biography. Further, we learn that Sir Thomas Gray accompanied Wallace on his second expedition to France. On this account, if the chronicler is to be credited, the name and nlemory of Sir Thomas have a special interest for Scottish patriots. In I 240 the Chapelry of Liberton was disjoined by David Benham, Bishop of St. Andrews and Lord High Chamberlain to the King, from the parish of St. Cuthbert, and constituted into a rectory under the Abbey of H ol yrood. Sir John Maxwell, an ancestor of the Earl of Nithsdale, held the patronage of the Church of Liberton in right of his grandfather, Sir Eustache iCIaxwell of Carlaverocli, one of the noble patriots who most strenuously adhered to Icing Robert the Bruce through all the vicissitudes of fortune. Upon the English invasion he held out his Castle of Carlaverock, and forced them to raise the siege, after they had lain some weelts before i t ; but, lest it might afterwards have been used as a garrison by the enemy, from which they might have harassed the country, he dismantled it himself, and threw it-down to the ground. In recompense for this he afterwards obtained from King Robert many gifts in commemoration of that noble act of service to his country. H e had a son named John, who was taken prisoner at the battle of Durham, and dying not long after, left a son, also named John, who was styled " Dominus de eodem." He bestowed the patronage of Liberton on the Monastery of Kilwinning in 1357, and this donation was ratified by a charter under the Great Seal of David 11. in the year 1370. HOWlong the patronage of Liberton, with the piece of ground adjoining the church, continued in the possession of the Abbey of Kilwinning is not known. Adam Bothwell, the Bishop of Orkney, Commendator of Holyrood, who performed the marriage ceremony between Queen lLIary and Bothwell on the 15th May 1567, exercised the rights of patronage over Liberton. John Bothwell of Whitekirk had a grant of the patronage, rectorship, and tithes of Liberton, with those of several other

I4

LIBERTON IN ANCIENT AND ,jMODERN TMES.

parishes, dated Whitehall, 20th December 1607. This John Bothwell, " a very polite and learned person," was by Icing James VI. promoted to be one of the Senators of the College of Justice, 26th June 1593. H e was a Privy Councillor, and was chosen to accompany the King to England in rGo3. I n 1633 the patronage was annexed to the newly founded See of Edinburgh. After the disestablishmeilt of Episcopacy, the selection of the minister was at first left to the heritors and elders, but by an Act of Queen Anne the patronage became the property of the Crown, Wauchope of Niddrie claiming, and it is supposed exercising, a conjunct right of patronage from his connection with the ancient Chapel of Niddrieilfarischall. (This right was disputed by the Crown.) From the charter of erection of the See of Edinburgh, it appears that the parson or minister of Liberton was constituted a member of the Chapter, and one of the twelve Prebendaries. Without their consent, together with that of the Dean, or at least without the consent of a majority of them, nothing of any moment was to be determined with respect to the S e e ; and it was ordained that this preferment should descend to his successors. T h e lands wllich lie west and south-west from the church, also the land on the south side of Gilmerton called Pilrig's Mailing, were church lands, and were vicar's acres. T o the north-west of the church is rising ground, where in ancient time stood the Kirk Cross. T h e lands are called vicar's acres in the Liberton entail, and under that name were conveyed by Sir Adam Saunderson to John Carketill, and from him or his successors transferred to one of Mr. Little's predecessors. T h e old churchyard covers about an acre of ground. There is a considerable number of tombstones, some of them very much weather-worn, the oldest decipherable date being I 624. Adjoining the old churchyard about an acre of ground has been enclosed and laid out as a cemetery for the use of those in the parish. It is rapidly being filled up : the first interment took place in 1878. There is a feu-duty paid annually to Captain Gordon Gilmour, amounting to 29 : 7 : 10. T h e first of the post-Reformation clergy of Liberton was AIex-

LIBERTON IN ANCIENT AND MODERN TlrMES.

I5

ander Forrester, sometime a monk of Holyrood. H e was translated to Jedburgh prior to 25th June I 566, and died at Tranent in I 597. Thomas Cranstoun, previously minister of Borthwick, entered at Lammas with a stipend of 2 0 0 merks (1 I : 2 : 2TUs2) in 1569. H e was translated to Peebles May I 57 I , but returned before I 574, and continued till 1578. H e was removed to Ashkirk, Selkirk, it1 1579, but returned I 2th April I 582, and died in Edinburgh 21st May 1585. H e left a son and daughter, hSicha1 and Isobel. His son afterwards succeeded to the charge of the parish.I In 1579 John Davidson, a man of great zeal and talent, was minister of the parish. H e was born sometime about the year I 550, and enrolled a student of St. Leonard's in 1567, where he continued until I 570. H e early displayed much fervour in his piety, and evinced a fearless boldness and constant zeal in the cause of the Reformation in Scotland. H e wrote a poetical tract against the Regent James, Earl of Morton, in I 5 79 ; b ~ l tultimately attended the Earl, along with other clergymen, when his Lordship was about to suffer on the scaffold, and on that occasion a reconciliation took place between them. Davidson also involved himself in dificulties by the active part which he took against Robert Montgomery, minister of Stirling. Montgomery, it appears, had made a purchase of the Archbishopric of Glasgow from the Earl of Lennox, whereon Davidson, then minister of Liberton, was appointed by the Presbytery of Edinburgh to pronounce sentence of excoinmunication against him, which duty he performed with great boldness. Lennox called him ('un petit diable," and he was threatened with death, so that for the ten following Sundays he had to be numerously escorted by his friends to the kirk. A t an Assembly in the same month his boldness and determination against a proposed measure caused the >loderator, Mr. Andretv Melville, who has been considered as not failing in these qualities, to tell him to "moderate his zeal." Mr. Davidson also admonished King James VI. " t o forbeare his often swearing and taking of the name of God in vain." " I thank you," said the King, with a little laughter. Calderwood, in his
Thomas Cranstoun returned to Liberton after thrcc years in Ashkirk, during which time complaints mere made of slackness and Romish tendencies.

I6

LIBERTON I N ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

Histovy o the K i r k o Scotland, says, " Preaching upon Manasseh, f f he so inveighed and threatened the King and Court that the bruit was soon repressed." H e said, " H e ceased not to be a loving friend and subject to the King, howbeit, as the cause craved, he reproved publicly the King's public offences." " For honey," he said, " is sweete, and yett being layed to a sore it byteth vehementlie." In 1584, from an idea that he would be forcibly seized as being concerned in the attack which he had also made on the town and castle of Stirling, he first absco!ldecl, and afterwards fled before any formal charge was brought against him. On 5th November 1588 he was offered to be reinstated in Liberton, but refused. In 1596 he was minister of Prestonpans. H e was accounted a prophet or extraordinary person, and is even mentioned by Fleming, in his treatise concerning the fulfilling of the Scriptures, as a saint and as a person of a particularly eminent character. H e aspired to be a minister of Edinburgh, and was greatly disappointed at not being appointed. H e wanted much to be recoilciled to the King, whom he had so often offended. On this account he waited on him as he passed Prestonpans on his way to England in 1603, but was most miserably disappointed, for His Majesty took no notice of him. In 1586 Michal Cranston, son of Thomas Cranston, was translated from Ornliston to the vicarage. In May 1591 he was suspended by the Presbytery until 2d October 1599 " for lying at His Majesty's horn." Reponed I ~ t hDecember thereafter, he died before the 20th hlarch 1609. H e had a son named John. Mr. John Adamson, A.Nl., translated from North Berwick in 1609, was presented to the charge by James VI. H e was one of the committee appointed to draw up a form of liturgy and a proper catechism for children and the lower ranks. H e was accounted a man of learning, and was translated to the Principalship of the University of Edinburgh in 1623. According to Calderwood, he spoke about the King in the following words :-" King David had more faults than he had, for he committed both adulterie and murther, whereof our King was not guilty." His name is still to be seen on a stone built into the wall of one of the gardens of the present manse at Liberton.

LIBZRTON I N ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

17

John Cranston, A.M., translated from South Leith second charge in 1624, was presented by James VI. H e was translated to South Leith first charge 12th March 1627.1 Andrew Lermond, A.R.I., Regent in Old St. Andrews, was, on 7th September 1627 presented by Charles I. On December 1st he appeared before the Commissioners of the Tithes to give an account of his stipend, which consisted of 17 bolls of barley, 16& bolls of wheat, j chalders and 4 bolls of oats, and 2 0 0 inerks of vicarage. H e declared he never made any year of his money stipend a hundred pounds, which was equal to 8 : 6 : 8. In 1635 he posted to His Majesty, and informed him of the outrages of the people against those ministers who were zealous in his cause. H e was deposed in 1639 for calling the Covenanters perjured, &c. H e died 20th June 1644. H e married Agnes Aytone, who survived him, leaving issue Jean, David, John, hqargaret, and another. Archibald Newton, A.M., was translated from Duddingston in 1639, being presented to the charge by Charles I. During his administrition the Covenant was renewed at Liberton in a solemn manner, and subscribed by all ranks. By his will he left a donation of money to the kirk-session, 27th June 1657, also to Robert Douglas, one of the ministers of Edinburgh, four of the best of his books, at his own choosing, and the rest of his books he left to be equally divided between John Smyth, one of the ministers of Edinburgh, and Richard Waddell, afterwards minister of Dunbar. He died 2d July 1657, aged fifty-two. Andrew Cant was promoted from being Regent in h4arischall College, Aberdeen, March 1659. H e had a presentation from the Provost and Magistrates on 9th April 1673 to be minister of the Trinity College Church of Edinburgh, which he accepted, and was ordained on the I $11 July following. H e was eventually appointed Principal of the College of Edinburgh on 12th April 1683. H e was a most zealous straight man for the Covenant and cause of God, and at his death said that his conscience bare him witness that he never
The earliest Church records which existed in 1839 began 28th November 1624, most of which have been destroyed or lost.
C

18

LIBERTON I N ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

gave a wrong touch to the Ark of God all his days. The malignants used to call him one of the Apostles of the Covenant. Ninian Paterson, A.RII., was translated from Smallholm on the 14th October 1674. H e was a native of Glasgow. A riot happened at his ordination, and on that account the Privy Council ordered the principal persons to be pilloried in Edinburgh and Liberton. H e was deposed for immorality, ancl petitioned the Presbytery of Dalkeith, 10th October 1683, to have the sentence relaxed. Compliance was delayed, however, " until it shall he made more apparent that he is reformed in his life and conversation." H e died December 1688, aged fifty-two. Whatever may have been his faults, he was an elegant poet ; he wrote eight books of epigrams, and paraphrased no less than fifty of the Psalms of David. H e married, 31st August 1668, Margaret Somerville, and had two children, Jean and Ninian. Robert Farquhar was translated from Cullen-on-Boyne 10th April 1683. H e died 6th March 1687. By Christian Udney, his spouse, he had one son, named George. Alexander Cumming, bursar to the Presbytery, was minister of the parish 1689. H e was deprived by the Committee of Estates, 14th May, for not obeying the proclamation to pray for King William and Queen Mary. H e died in Edinburgh 26th April I 733, aged sixty-one. James IVebster, Presbyterian minister of the meeting-house at Craigmillar, erected upon the indulgence of James VII., preached his first sermon in Liberton 29th hlay 1689 as minister of the parish. H e was descended from an ancient Fifeshire family, and studied at the University of St. Andrews, where he greatly distinguished himself. A few days previous to the date fixed for his graduation, an order came from the Archbishop for his removal, because he did not regularly attend public ordinances. I11 1687, for being present at a conventicle, he was detained a prisoner in Dundee for eighteen months. I11 168j or 1686 he was seized and imprisoned at Dumfries more than seven weeks, being detained for a great part of the time with abandoned and infamous companions. A third time he was captured at Edinburgh, but specially released by

L I B E R T O N IN A N C I E N T A N D M O D E R N T I M E S .

I 9

Viscount Strathallan. H e was licensed as a probationer at the meeting of Presbyterian ministers in Lothian and Tweeddale 6th July 1657, and ordained in 1688 to the congregation at Craigmillar, which is said to have been the first meeting-house opened by the Presbyterians after the indulgence above referred to was granted to them, and he appears as the junior minister of Presbytery 25th July I 688. Permission was given him by the Committee of Estates, I 7th hfay 1689, to exercise his ministry at the kirk without prejudice to the patron. H e was translated to Whitekirk, in East Lothian, and thence to Edinburgh. Gideon Jacque, A. M,, was minister of Liberton I 6th October 1692. H e returned to Ireland in 1695, was settled at Wexford, and subsequently removed to Ulster, but refused to talce the oath of abjuration in I 703, though he was then without a charge. By his wife, Judith Waulkets, he had a son, Lv'illiam. Samuel Semple was chosen by the heritors and elders, and ordained minister 31st August 1697. H e died 24th January I 742, aged seventy-six. His father was Gabriel Semple, minister of Jedburgh, liis mother being a daughter of Sir Patrick Murray of Blaclccastle. Samuel Semple was the fifth generation from John, first Lord Semple, who received the title from James IV. in 1488, and fell at Flodden along with his royal master in I 5 13. When Samuel Se~npledied, debts were due to him to the amount of 1 7 2 1 : I 1 : 4. H e proposed to write a history of the Church of Scotland, and with this view got a recoinmendation from the General Assembly 20th April 1708, 26th April I 709, and ~ ~ t h May 1710, to the Presbyteries of the Church for their assistance. I t was encouraged by the Lords of the Treasury, and he collected a great mass of material. Wodrow says, " H e let me see a vast many papers, upwards of thirty quircs, he had caused copy out of the Bodleian and Cotton Libraries, and other collections in England." H e married, November I 701, Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Archibald 14urray of Blackbarony, who died 18th January 1748, leaving a daughter, Mary, who married John Swinton of that ilk.[ made, with the date on one side, and L. K.
On July 13th, 1718, it was agreed by the session that new tokens were to be on thc other, and to be made round.

2o

L.?BERTON lilr ANCIENT AND MODERN TIAIES.

Dr. John Jardine, son of Robert Jardine of Lochmaben, being by the Presbytery thereof licensed 7th September r 736, was presented by George 11. 28th February, and ordained assistant and successor to Samuel Semple 30th July I 741. H e was translated to Lady Yester's Church, Edinburgh, 26th Scptember I 7jo. In I 756 he was removed to the Tron Church, where he remained until his death, which took place in I 766. There is a stone built into the wall of the manse garden bearing the inscription, " J. Jardine, V. D.M. I 75 2." David Moubry was translated from Currie. H e was called unanimously, and admitted 28th May I 7 j I . H e died 3d October I 75 I , in the thirty-sixth year of his age. H e was distinguished as a preacher by very popular talents. His widow, Sarah Forclyce, died I 2th December I 744, by 1vhon1 he had a sen, George, AccountantGeneral at Madras, and a daughter, lane. who died in I 775. Thonlas IVhite was ordained minister of Li1)erton 20th August I 752. H e was a son of J a ~ n e sI~,'hite, Stockhridge, Edinburgh, and licensed by tile Presbytcry of Idanark 3d June 1747, and prcsented by Georg-e 11. Having been present when the tragedy of Douglas was produced for the first time, he was called before the Presbytery I 2th January I 757 for this. I-Ie pleaded that he had gone to the playhouse but once, and endeavoured to conccal himself in a corner to avoid giving offence, expressing deep sorrow for what he had done, and firm resolution to be more circumspect for the future. H e was suspended, however, for three weeks. H e died I 3th January I 789, aged seventy-one. H e married, 20th April 1757, Anne, third daughter of the Reverend Daniel Bethune, minister of Rosskeen, \v110 died 2d June 1774, aged forty-eight years. H e had seven sons, five of whom survived him, and one daughter. 'Thomas White wrote an account of the parish of Liberton, which will be found in the first volunle of the Transactions of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. James Grant, A.M., son of David Grant of Limepots, licensed a t Crail by the Presbytery of St. Andrews 8th September r 784, was pesented to Liberton by George 111. I 8th August 1789.1 H e
T h e following is taken from the Edz'nhurg?. Adz~ertiser,1789 :-'' Tuesday last, Mr. James Grant was ordained minister of Libberton, in the neighbourhood of this

LIBERTON f N ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

21

died unmarried 9th June I 83 I , aged seventy-two years. A monument was erected to his memory by subscription among the parishioners in I 838. William Purclie, a native of Lanark, presented to Liberton by William IV. in I 83 I , was ordained 26th January 1832, and died unmarried 16th November 1834, aged thirty. H e was tutor in the family of Henry Cockburn. H e was greatly esteemed by the parishioners, and a monument has been erected to his memory. Tames Begg, D.D., was translated from Paisley in 1835, and presented to Liberton by Ltrilliarn IV. H e joined the Free Church at the Disruption, and, signing the demission, was declared to be no longer minister of Liberton 5th July 1843. T h e degree of D.D, was conferred on him by Lafayette Collvge, Pennsylvania, in 1847, and he was elected hloderator of the Free Church Assembly ~ S t hRIay 1865. H e married, 23d September 1835, Margaret, daughter of Alexander Faithfuil Campbell, Sheriff-Substitute of Paisley, and married a second time hlaria Faithfull, daughter of the Kcv. Ferdinand Faithfull, of Headley Rectory, Surrey, on the 2 jth November 1845. H e published the following ivorks Are you prepared to Die?" 1345 ; " How to promote and preserve the Beauty of Edinbui-gil," I 849 ; " Pauperism and the Poor Laws," I 849 ; " National Education for Schools considered," I 850 ; " Keformation in the Free Church," I 855 ; " Scotland's demands for Electoral Justice," I 857 ; " A Handbook of I'opery ; " " Tlle Art of Preaching," 1863. Besiclcs these, he published an accollnt of the parish, and many other smaller worlts. H e diecl 29th September 1883, in the seventy-fifth year of his age, and the fifty-fourth year of his ministry. John Stewart, a native of Greenock, was educated at Glasgow University, where he graduated M.A. In I 823 he was ordained to the pastoral charge of the Scotch Church in Olclham Street, Liverpool, where he remained for a year. H e was then presented to the parish of Sorn, in Ayrshire, and in 1844 was inducted to Liberton.
:-'l

'

city, in the room of the Rev. Mr. Thomas White, deceased. The Rev. Mr. William Moodie, minister of St. Andrew's Church, New Town, preached and presided upon the occasion."

22

LIBERTON IN ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

H e became the father of the Church of Scotland, and died on 27th December 1879, in the eighty-seventh year of his age, and the fiftysixth year of his ministry. T h e Rev. Dr. Gray, of Lady Yester's Church, preached his funeral sermon to a large congregation, when he chose for his test John xiii. 6-7, " Peter saith unto Jesus, Lord, clost Thou wash my feet ? Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now ; but thou shalt know hereafter." H e had two sons, James Stewart, M.D., and Harcourt Stewart, a master mariner; also a daughter, who is the wife of the Rev. George Davidson, minister of Kinfauns, Perthshire. Dr. Lliilliam Henry Gray, a native of St. Madoes, Perthshire, was born in 1825. H e studied a t the University of St. Andrews, graduating in Arts in 1841. H e was ordained minister of St. Paul's, Perth, in 1846. In 1850 he succeeded the Rev. John Caird, now Principal of Glasgow University, as minister of Lady Yester's, Edinburgh. In 1880 he was translated to Liberton, and inducted to the charge 3d June that year. St. Andrews University conferred upon him the degree of Iloctor of Divinity in 1869. H e was Moderator of the General Assembly in 1888. H e is the twentyfourth minister from the Reformation, and the eleventh from the Revolution. T h e situation of the parish church is perhaps, on the whole, as good as any that could be found, although for some parts of the parish it is very inconvenient. Its distance from the northern and western extremities is only about a mile, whilst from the eastern boundary it is nearly five miles, and from the southern extremity three miles. T h e inconvenience has been remedied so far, there being now a puoad sacra church at Gilmerton, and another at New Craighall. T h e crection of a chapel of ease seems to have been contemplated in regard to the eastern district as far back as 1650, a s appears from the following extract from the records of the Synod and Presbytery of Dalkeith :-" They were of opinion that the lands and mills thereto belonging should be recommended to be annexed to the kirk to be erected a t Fisherrow." T h e present church, built in 1815 on the same site as the old church, is a handsome semi-Gothic building, from a design by Gilbert

LIBERTON I N ANCIRNT AND MODERN TIMES.

23

Graham. T h e interior arrangements, however, were not in keeping with the elegance of the external architecture. T h e gallery projected too far, and was besides flat, dark, and too near the roof, which gave it an uncomfortable appearance, and prevented the people from seeing and hearing with advantage. Sir David Baird's burial vault is within the principal walls of the church, and is still in use, but entirely shut off from the place of worship. In 1882 the church was re-seated, and the galleries reduced, which has made a considerable improvement. T h e ceiling, however, lacks height, and has a tendency to make the church look less than it really is. T h e church is seated for fdly one thousand persons. T h e seats are all free, and have been allocated to the proprietors of the parish. Seat-letting prevailed to some extent for about a hundred years, but has been long discontinued. T h e expense connected with the improvements and alterations (amounting to about I 200) was met by subscription from those connected with the parish, the heritors contributing about 400. A clock has been placed in the centre of the gallery by hTr. Robert Inch, a native of the parish, also tablets containing the T e n Commandments, Beatitudes, and Lord's Prayer, mere repainted on the wall at each side of the pulpit a t the expense of the late Mr. Thomson Shepherd, Craigmillar Park. Instrumental music was introduced into the church in I 887. T h e remarks of the late Dr. Begg as to the attendance in 1839 are applicable at the present time : " Divine service at the parish church is well attended, especially in summer, when the ~veatheris good, and the number of worshippers is increasing. A good many of the people, however, have long been destitute of regular habits of church-going." Mr. White states that in his time many were lukewarm and indifferent, or rather seemed to have no religion. If this were so, it is unfortunately but too true that we are no worse than others, for if the population be considered, and the number of seats in the church, it will be found that the average attendance on public worship here is above that of a good many parishes of Scotland. T h e average number of communicants in 1836 was about 600. I n May 1889

24

LIBERTON IN ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

there were 672 tokens issued, and 554 used, the ilunlber of communicants being upwards of 800. It must, however, be remembered that the Gilmerton Church had not been opened in 1836, and the coinmunicants there tlleil formed a part of the Liberton membership. At a meeting of Presbytery in I 701, the inanse and offices are described as they then existed. "It is a sklated house, containing four rooms in the lower storey, a bed-chamber, a dining-room, a pantry, and a closet, all of one floor ; the storey above, three fire-rooms and a closet, and above that storey a garret, ancl the roof in good repair, and further, that there is builded to the east of the house a kitchen, thatched wit11 reeds, and on the other side of the close south\varcls there is a lesser sklated house of two storey high, coiltaiiliilg in the lower storey a stabie and brew-house, and above that a large fireroom, all within a close, and likewise that there is two ' yairds ' belonging to the said manse, with stone walls about them, and the dykes in good repair." The present inanse was built in 1821,and is a substantial ar.d comfortable builclitlg. It was coilsiclerably improved and repaired in 1880. Its situation, being to the north, com~nailds nlagilificent a view, although at the same time it is inuch exposed. The glebe contains about four acres of land, in two detached portions, besides the gardens and site of the nlanse, its value being about 2 0 annually. The stipend amounted in 1533 to twenty cllalders of grain, with 10 for corn~nunio~l elements, and 10, called prebend's fees, from the tithes of Sir David Baird. The value of the whole stipend on an average of seven years was then 326 : 14 : 7 ; there have since been augmentatiorls of stipend, which ilow amounts to about 400. I The Tower or Castle of Malbet, who was probably the founder of the church, stood on or near the court of the present school. In
I On every baptism there was due to the session-clerk half a merk Scots, and to the church officer forty pennies Scots. Before the year 1750 the session-clerk received for every inarriage a ~nerkScots, and the church officer half a merk Scots. The session-clerk, about the year 1780, received two shiliings and sixpence sterling for every marriage.

LIBERTON I N ANCIBNT AND MODBRN TIMBS.

25

form it may have been similar to the old keep or tower west from the church; nothing, however, is known with certainty about it. An old house, now demolished, stootl on this site as late as 1840. On the third storey was a sun-dial, inscribed "God's providence is nly inheritance.-R. H. J. G.," and the date 1676. Some of the stones of this old house were used for the building of buttresses against a wall on the Penicuilt Road at the foot of Liberton Brae, where could be seen window sills and lintels, with iron stanchion holes and the run lead ; all are now covered up. T h e sun-dial is in the possession of a neighbouring proprietor. T o the east of the site of Malbet's Tower is the garden which belongs to tllc poor of the parish. I t is in the barony of Upper or Over Liberton. I t is let on a short lease, at the rental of A8 yearly. Several small houses adjoining this garden, which had been bought by the accumulated funds for the poor, being in a ruinous state, were cleared away about seventy years ago. T h e rental of the houses and garden a t the beginning of this century amounted to A13 : 7 : 4. A small feu-duty was paid every year to the superior, Little of Liberton, consisting of one boll and one peck of barley, two hens at eightpence each, and eight merks. This benefaction, along with several others, was recorded on painted tablets in the church before the alterations in I 882. In I 853 this garden became the property of the Parochial Board for behoof of the poor. This garden and the houses which stood in the present school play-ground were purchased from hlr. Thomas Mercer, writer in Edinburgh, for the sum of 1950 merks Scots : " On November 5th, I 7 I I , the session being informed that the houses and gardens belonging to Thomas Mercer, lying in the ltirktown and barony of Upper Liberton, are to be sold, and considering that money belonging to the poor is with much dificulty lent out in sufficient hands, think fit to try if the said llouses are to be sold at a reasonable rate, so as the said money may be improved that way, and the poor advantaged by that bargain, and for that end they recommended to the minister, Thomas Peacock, and the treasurer, to discourse Mr. Mercer upon the affair, and to ask him the very lowest he will sell his houses for. T h e price agreed upon was 1950 merks Scots."
D

26

LIBER TON IN ANCIENT AND NODERN TINES.

In regard to hIr. Mercer's houses and garden, the committee report " that a disposition being drawn in favour of the session, and the same with other rates being read and considered by Sir James Stewart of Goodtrees, he declared his satisfaction with them, and thought the conditions good in law ; whereupon the said disposition was signed by &fr. hlercer. T h e price agreed upon was 1950 merlis Scots, the entry to the garden and houses to commence a t Whitsunday I 712, except that possessed by Andrew Reed, gardiner, and to the garden and said house is at Martinmas thereafter; all which the session having heard, did unanimously approve of the committee's conduct, and ratified and confirmed the said bargain in all its heads and clauses. T h e money was borrowed from J a ~ n e s Johnstone, cooper in Nether Liberton, 1000 merks from James Johnstone, and the other from Samuel Semple, nlinister of the parish. Which Tohn Werock gave his bond and obligation in name of the session. T h e rooo ~nerltsfrom Samuel Sen~ple, being the poor's money which he lent out." (John Werock was farmer in Upper Liberton.) I T h e old school and schoolmaster's house, which adjoin the churchyard, were the supposed residence of T;:eubcn Butler, ~ ~ 1 was 10 the sweetheart of Jeanie Deans, the heroine i11 Scott's Hmrf ofMidZothia~z. I t is also said that some of Oliver Cronlwell's soldiers lived in it for a time. Here, too, early in the present century, cock-fights the were held, the feathered warriors that were killed l~ecoming perquisite of the schooln~aster. '' In July 1 7 6 2 the session desired
I An opinion of Counsel relative to a part of tl;e Property which was purchased from Mr. Mercer by the Kirk-Session, also other property and fiL~nds which had been purchased and left in trust of the Kirk-Session, to kllolv to whom the possession of said right belonged.

"

LIDERTON, ]iznuary 1853. 8f/Z

"Joint Meeting of Hcritors and Kill<-Session. The Memorial and Opinion of Lord Curriehill, together with the folloning resolutions of the Parochial Board passed at their meeting held on the 20th November last. The meeting resolved that the possession of and right to the several propertics and funds be regulated and held in terms of the o~inion,viz. :-'That Sharpdale property and balance of the Volunteer fund shall be held to belong to the kirk-session, and that the half acre forming Mr White's garden be held to belong to the Parochial Board.'"

that it should be marked in the records that at Martinmass last the heritors of the parish appointed that ye garden adjoining to the schoolmaster's house on the north side, and which formerly was set in tack with the house now possessed by Daniel Robb, and which has been the property of the poor since General Monk resorted in this country, should be alienated from the poor to the use of the schoolmaster, for ye room possessed by his predecessors adjoining to his dwelling-house, which is now the property of the session." This school-house was sold by the School Board to Mr. John Cochrane in I 889. A new school-house has been recently built in the garden connected with the former building. Previous to the Education Act, 1872, the schoolmaster of Liberton had a salary of about 2 0 0 merlis, including 40 merks from the Session as session-clerk, and twenty-five merks from the lands of Moredun, besides the school fees. T h e report of the examination on I 4th August I 78 I was as follows :-(c On the 14th August current, the parish school of Liberton, two miles south from Edinburgh, was examined by the minister, in presence of a great many respectable gentlemen in the neighbourhood, upoll the Greek, Latin, French, and English languages, and liltewise upon the English grammar, arithmetic, book-keeping, and the principles of the Christian religion, when the children in their different classes acquitted themselves very much to the satisfaction of all present, and discovered such proficiency as did much honour to the industry and abilities of Mr. Ferguson, the master of the school, and render him worthy of the greatest encouragement. T h e school convenes again the 13th day of September next. T h e scl~oolmasterhas good accommodation for boarders, and room for more than he has at present. T h e greatest attention is paid to their health and morals, and his terms are only 14 a year, education included. Liberton has a remarkably fine situation and salubrious air, and it is not near woods or rivers, or anything that is dangerous to children." In 1882 the kirk-session, considering the importance of having a hall for church purposes, which might also be useful for parochial and general objects, called a meeting of the congregation, at which it was agreed that such a hall should be built. A site was obtained on

28

LIBERTON I N ANCIBLVT ArVD MODERN TIMES.

favourable terms from Mr. Little Gilmour on the south side of the church. Soon afterwards the Rev. Dr. Gray applied for and obtained from the trustees and executors of the late Miss Anderson of Moredun about 600, which had been left by her for Liberton benevolent purposes. T h e rest of the money required was raised partly by subscription and partly from the proceeds of a bazaar. The wllole cost of the building and furnishing was about 1200. The hall can accommodate about 400 persons, and is used for Sabbath school purposes, church meetings, concerts, lectures, and other ith he rings. The Original Ragged School was transferred from Ramsay Lane, Edinburgh, to a new building erected in 1887 in the village. About 2 0 0 boys are boarded and educatecl here. T h e sum requircd, in addition to that provided by Goveriiment, is obtained by the contributions of the general public. A portion of land east from the church was for many years cultivated as a market garden. It is now fcued out, Captain Gilmour being the superior. I t was originally called Lesley Park. T h e well dedicated to the Virgin hIary is on the east side, and there is a right of way to it. Liberton Park, the property of the late Mr. Jariles Smart, is fcued from the barony of Stenhouse. The old house, which dated from the seventeenth century, had a very ancient appearancc ; there were no windows to the north and west. On the same propcrty is Park Villa, formerly named Snell Cottage, built by Mr. John Jones, son of Dr. Snell Jones, of Lady Glenorchy's Church, Edinburgh. T o the south of Liberton Park there are several houses, all having been feued from the barony of Stenhouse. The present licensed house in the village occupies the site of the old inn. East from the church is Mount Vernon, formerly called Nellfield, the property of Mr. Aitchison. It belonged to RIr. John Watson, Clerk to the Signet, who by his will, dated 2 1st &Tay 1768, left to the poor of the parish the sum of 100. I t is also i 1 the 1 barony of Stenhouse, and is held in feu from Lord Soinerville. In I 795 thc grounds are described as well wooded, containing 500 fullgrown trees. I t then belonged to Mr. Thomas Campbell. T h e -? extent of the ground is about ten acres.

LIBERTON I N ANCIZNT AND rMOBZRN TIMES.

29

North from h'lount Vernon is Northfield, forinerly in the barony of Stenhouse, land which anciently belonged to Malbet. Liberton Free Church was erected here in 1869, and is seated for about 500 people. The Rev. David Guthrie is senior minister, and the Rev. George Dodds colleague and successor, the latter having been ordained September I 890. Adjoining the church eleven villas have been erected. Dr. Alexander Forbes, who has been medical practitioner for the parish for the last ten years, resides here. One of these villas (" Almora") was purchased recently fi-om the trustees of the late Mr. William Christie by Lady Emma ICI'Neill. In October 1892 the Princess Louise and her husband, the Marquis of Lorne, resided here for a few days.

CHAPTER 111.
UPPER OR OVER LIBERTON.

H E baroily of Upper or Over Liberton extends from the Braid Burn on the north to the boundary of the hlortonhall estate on the south, and from the Braids on the west to a point beyond Liberton Church, including what is called Lesley Park and that piece of ground which belongs to the poor of the parish, on the east. In heraldry the name of Liberton is associated wit11 the libbard or leopard as a distinctive cognisance. Nisbet in his " Heraldry " says. " I have seen the seal of arms of one Jolln Leper, burgis in Eclinburgh, appended to an assignation of 10 merks, payable out of the lands of Dundas, dated the 1st September I 189, whereupon was a shield with a cheveron between three leopards' heads, as relative to that name, and round the seal were these words, ' Sig. Johannis Leper, burgin. de Edinburgh,' and was so desigilecl in the body of the assignation.'' I The name of Libertoil bore azure a leopard's head erased. The Littles of Liberton, whose representative now possesses the barony of Upper or Over Liberton, have for crest a leopard's head, and the motto Magnum in parvo." By David 11. the lands of Over Liberton, "quhilk Allan Baronne resigned," were gifted to one Jollll Wigham, xvllo at a later period granted a charter to David Libbertoun of the office of Sergandrie of the Overward of the Constabularie of Edinburgh, with the lands of Over Liberton pertaining thereto (Robertson's Index). On the 20th January 13 I I a jury was named at the instigation of Edtvard 11. to inquire into the value of the land of
"This assignation exists in the custody of the Lairds of Dundas."-Nisbet.

LIBERTON IN ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

31

certain Scottish patriots. Two of the members of this jury were Alland de 1,iberton and David de Liberton. John Dalmahoy had a charter of part of the lands of Upper Liberton in 1453. There is no account of his posterity. T h e surname of Dalmahoy, like many others of great antiquity, is local in its origin, and was assumed by the proprietors of the lands and barorly of Dalmahoy, in Midlothian, when surnames became hereditary. Robert Dalmahoy of that family, with the consent of his wife, Janet Robertson, a daughter of the family of Strowan, granted a charter of certain lands in Upper Liberton to Thomas Liberton, burgess in Edinburgh, dated 13th August 14j5. H e died in the reign of James III., and left a son and successor, Alexander. T h e name of onc Andrew Dalmahoy is recorded as that of a sergeant in attendance on Parliament from I 5 24 to I 542, and from 1544 to 1546. From this circumstance, probably, the lands round the Tower derived the name of Sergeant's Lands, by 1~11ich they were ltno~vna hundred years ago. Little is known regarding Thomas de Liberton above mentioned. In 1425 William de Liberton was Provost of Edinburgh, being the second provost of whom we have any record. H c is also mentioned in 'the same capacity in 1426, 1429, and 1432. An Edward Little was one of the Dailies during the provostship of the Earl of Arran. H e was also Dean of Guild from I 524 to I 527. Alexander Dalmahoy, by a charter dated I 5th December I 587, .'ranted a part of the barony of Over Liberton to Iiilliam Little, 2 tlargess i11 Edinburgh. William became a Bailie in 1540, and was Provost from 1586 to 1591. T h e successors of this IVilliam Little :..-ere much esteemed in the city, and had great influence. They zquired in course of time the whole barony. Provost Little's house i n Edinburgh was on the east side of an open court in the Cowgate, immediately beyond the Roman Eagle Hall. Built into the walls .,> - a moulded and deeply recessed stone panel, which bore the c - 3 r d ~ " lTTilliam (1570) Litil." Also on the corbels of the crow. 5:epped gables were the initials " W. L." ' This house was
TT.-

32

LIBERTON I N ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

demolished in 1835, when many of the carved and lettered stones were removed to the Inch, where they still remain. T h e property in Edinburgh which belonged to the Littles was a feu from the Incorporation of Weavers. T w o merks yearly were paid to them from the year I 5 3 2 . In I 766 the ground-annual was capitalised a t fifty years' purchase. T h e tithes paid by William Little in 1630 were 30 bolls of victual, which consisted of I 2 bolls of oats, I 2 bolls of barley, 4 bolls of wheat, and 2 bolls of peas. T h e late Dr. Daniel Wilson, in his Jfeuzoriads o Edzizlrurgh, says of that William and his f brother Clement that they may be justly considered, together with James Lawson, the colleague and successor of Knox, as the true founders of King James' College, that royal pedant having in reality bestowed little more on the University than a charter and his name. In I 580 Clement Little, advocatc, and cominissary of Edinburgh, gave all his boolts, consisting of 300 volumes, for the beginning of " ane library." This was undo~~bteclly foundation of that the magnificent collection which the University now possesses. This generous gift was bestowed during his lifetime. He was also proprietor of the barony of Upper Liberton. His wife's name was Maria Fleming. William Little married Margaret, daughter of John Murray of Blackbarony, who fell a t the battle of Flodderi 9th September I 5 13. There is a Latin inscription in the Greyfriars' Churchyard to the following effect :" To the incmory of his great-grandfather on the father's side, \Villiain Little of Over Liberton, sometime Provost of Edinburgh, his great-grandchild erected this monument, 1683. Here also, beside his brother, hIr. Clemeat, elder than the Provost Com~nissaryin Edinburgh thc hIetropolitan, waits the Resurrection.

What Clement was, how great that Little were This, citizcns, that Dibliotheque declare. This noble pair of brethern did contend, In merits great, each other to transcend, For both did good : this to the mother town, That to the Muses, whence came their renown.''

Part of the barony of Upper Libertor, to the west of the

LIBERTON IN ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

33

church was called Vicar's Acres. These lands were legally conveyed by Sir Adam Sanderson to John Carketill, and by him or his successors transferred to the Littles. I The Winrams of the Inch possessed a part of the lands of Over Liberton before the Littles became the proprietors of the barony. The tithes in 1630, on the part which belonged to George Winram, were in amount the same as those paid by William Little. George Winram was a son of James Winram, proprietor of Nether Liberton. According to the old valuation, made in the reign of Alexander III., Upper Liberton is called " a ten pound and one merk land," that is, a sixteen merk land. Gabriel Little was grandson of William, Provost of Edinburgh, and was proprietor of Upper Liberton. H e became a burgess on 2d December I 724, and died in I 737. T h e name of Little of Liberton appears on the Committee of War for Edinburgh in 1646. T h e wife of William Little of Liberton was one of the sufferers during the persecution. She was imprisoned in 1685 for harbouring conventiclers, but was set at liberty in consequence of her husband agreeing to be confined as her substitute. H e died in 1686, leaving no issue. The portrait of m7illiam Charles Little of Liberton, advocate, is in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. H e was an original Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland in I 780, H e contributed to the A r c h g o l o g i c n Scolica, vol. I., a historical account of the hammermen of Edinburgh.=
I There is a charter of confirmation by Dame Janet Paterson, relict of the deceased Alexander Lauder of Blyth, Knight, and John Carketill, her nephew, of the land of Upper or Over Liberton, dated 16th February 1533. Sir Alexander Lauder was Provost of Edinburgh from 1510 to 1513, and fell at Nodden.-(From Crauford's Ahmories o Haltoun. Sir Alexander founded a chaplainry in connection with the f Collegiate Church of St. Giles, in honour of God, the Virgin Mary, and Gabriel the Archangel. Janet Paterson, his lady, mortified for the benefit of a chaplainry in the same church an annual rent of four merks, payable out of William Carketill's land in Edinburgh, on the north side of the street betwixt the Bishop of Dunkeld's land on the east and the Lord St. John's land on the west, dated 20th June, probably 1523. 2 William Charles Little of Liberton gave to the poor of the parish 5 : 2 : 8, being the amount of five years' feu-duty due by the kirk-session of Liberton to him

34

LIBERTON IN ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

Liberton Tower or Fortalice commands a noble prospect, and stands 590 feet above the level of the sea. I t is mentioned in several charters of the fifteenth century, and appears to have been erected a t a remote period. I t measures 45 feet in height, 35 feet in length, and 2 5 feet in breadth. T h e immense space is divided into two by a semi-circular vault in the centre, above which is the common hall. T h e upper portion is also vaulted, with a pointed barrel vault which carries the roof. Each vaulted compartment was divided into two storeys, with wooden floors, resting on corbels. T h e oak timbers of the upper floor still remain in part, and show the method of construction. Beams rest on corbels, and the joists are laid on the flat, and morticed into the beams. T h e ground floor is only 6$ feet high, and was pro]-ably intended for sheltering cattle. I t had no separate outer doer,' and was entered by a hatch in the floor above. T h e first floor from the upper compartment of the vault communicates with the hall by a stair in the north-west angle. This floor was used for storage, and has a hatch in the centre of the vault. T h e entrance to the Tower is by a door on the east side, 16 feet from the ground, and on the level of the hall, whence one stair descends to the lower, and two other stairs ascend to the upper flat, which was divided into two rooms, each having a separate approach. T h e eastern room formed the owner's private apartment. There is a small opening in the wall of the staircase leading up to this floor, a t the east end of the building, from which a watch could be kept on the proceedings in the hall. There is no properly formed stair leading to the parapet, which must have been reached by a ladder leading to a door on the eastern gable. T h e access to the battlements would thus be also under the owner's eye. Almost the only form of ornament in the Tower is the ('aumbry " of the hall, situated in the south-west wall, which has an ogeefor certain houses and two gardens lying at the kirk of Liberton, 15th June 1764. H e died in 1797. The freedom of the city of Edinburgh, along with a piece of plate, was voted to Willianl Charles Little, Advocate, by the Lord Provost, Magistrates, and TownCouncil of Edinburgh, for his generous gift of the water springs on his property for the use of the public on 18th April 1786.

LIBEXTON IN ANCIENT AND MODERN TIikILS.

35

headed opening. On the south elevation, near the top, a human figure has been cut on a stone panel. The head of the figure was mutilated when iron ties were put through the Tower to strengthen and preserve it. T h e ground around the Tower has been made up. Probably there was originally a moat or ditch surrounding the building. When cutting drains two cannon balls mere found at a depth of about 5 feet. Ilihen sinking a well near the same place, traces of a made road were discovered about 5 feet from the surface. T h e old cottages near the Tower were erected about the latter end of the seventeenth century. The uncle of Hugh hl'Kail, the martyr, is said to have resided in one of them. Hugh h'I'I<ail was taken prisoner at the Braid Craigs, when on his way to Liberton, on the 27th November, and was hanged on a gibbet at the Market Cross of Edinburgh on the 7th December 1662, when also many other martyrs suffered death. Near the Tower there seems to have been a chapel, of which some mention is made in old charters, but the site of this chapel cannot be located. North from the Tower is a well, marked on the Ordnance Survey of the parish in 1851 as "Our Lady's Well." It is now covered in. T h e site of the chapel may have been near this. There is a considerable flow of water from this well, which falls into the Braid Burn, east from the point where the lade is diverted for the mill at Nether Liberton. T h e rising ground above the well is called the Bank, and was formerly covered with trees, but for many years it has been under cultivation. The thatched house by the streamlet, which crosses the public road near Upper Liberton hamlet, is part of an ancient brewery belonging to the barony. Liberton House or Place was the residence of the Littles of Upper Liberton. T h e oldest date existing on the lower portion of the house is 1675. On the south-west corner there is a fine angle dial, round the top of which is the motto, A S . T H E . SVNE . RVNS . S O . D E A T H . COMES." Above the dial the corner is rounded and enclosed with a carved scroll containing the arms of Little and the initials "W. L. 1653." T h e structure has undergone many alterations and additions, and during these a stone was found with the date 1605.

LIBER TON I N ANCIZNT AND AfODERN TIMES.

A t the present time it is occupied by a gentleman who has, with the assistance and consent of the proprietor, restored a part of the house to its original state. South from this is Alnwick Hill, formerly called Stanedyke. head, and the site of the first lunatic asylum in Scotland. After the Disruption, it was for some time the residence of the Rev. Dr. Begg. After his removal it became a reformatory for women. I n 1891 the old buildings were all taken down, and a handsome and commodious structure has been erected at a cost of nearly 6000. Adjoining Alnwick Hill are the filters for the supply of water to Edinburgh. They are very extensive, and a large sum of money has been expended on their construction. 'They occupy nearl) 2 7 acres of ground, purchased by the Edinburgh Water Trust from the late Mr. W . J. L. Gilmour in 1876. T h e farm-steading 01 Backsidelee is west from the filters, and Mr. Archibald Torrance is the present tenant. T h e reservoir and filters for the Liberton water supply were constructed in 1870, and are on the west side of Liberton House.

CHAPTER IV.
CRAIGiLIILLAR.

I
I

0 the east of the church and village of Liberton is Craigmillar Castle, which stands 360 feet above the level of the sea. It is minutely described by Mr. T. Ross, Architect, Edinburgh. T h e structure consists of a keep of the style characteristic of Scotland, incrusted with exten. sive additions at later periods, the whole developing into one of the most important castles in Scotland. The keep stands on the edge of a cliff about 2 0 feet high, and is so near the edge that there is barely room left for access to the door, where at some parts a foothold on the top of the rock is all that can be obtained. Immediately in front of the door, a cutting in the rock almost severs the path, and must at this point have rendered the castle almost impregnable. T h e original doorway, which looks to the west, is round-headed, and surn~ountedby the Preston arms. It gives access to a small entrance hall, from which two doors open, the one on the left leading to the ground iloor, and the one in front to the staircase. By the former you enter a small chamber in the thickness of the wall, from which you pass into the large chamber on the ground floor; this is vaulted, and has a height of 1 7 feet 6 inches, with an intermediate floor of wood. The under floor was divided by a partition wall into two apartments. A circular staircase leads to the great hall. After ascending for a couple of revolutions, or about 10 feet, it abruptly stops, and turns to the right on to another staircase, by which the ascent continues. The great hall is 35 feet long by 2 0 feet g inches wide; and 24 feet high to the apex of its pointed roof. T h e walls, which are of the average thickness of g feet, are pierced by windows on the north,

38

LIBER TON IN AATC(EIVT AND MODERN TIMES.

'

south, and east, all provided with stone seats. T h e fireplace is a fine specimen of its kind, and is quite entire. T h e hall has been divided into two storeys, and the stone corbels for supporting the beams have been painted, a s some traces are still to be seen of the paint-work. A small arched room of the hall is known as Queen Mary's Room. A s usual the stair leading to the top is not a continuation of the lower one, but is on the opposite side of the door and passage leading into the great hall. Ascending this stair a door leads off to the floor over the hall, and another to a room over Queen Mary's Room. T h e main roof is almost entire, very flat, and covered with overlapping stones, the under stone being wrought with a groove along the side of its upper surface. T w o rows thus wrought were laid in their sloping position, with a space between for the overlapping stones, which extended over the grooves, the object being that rain blown in beneath the edges of the overlapping row would be caught in the groove, and thus run down to the carefully formed gutter. T h e roof was doubtless constructed flat for the convenience of working military engines. T h e total height of the keep from the top of the roof is about 70 feet. T h e additions made a t various times consisted first of a curtain wall, of which the keep itself forms a part on the south, having angle towers, and enclosing a courtyard, averaging 1 2 2 by 80 feet. Later and a t various times, within the courtyard, buildings have been added against the curtain walls of the east, west, and south sides, having the entrance upon the north. Beyond this, on the east, west, and north, are other walls, strong and high, enclosing a space of about I$ acres within the castle bounds, and within this space again various offices were built at different times. T h e curtain walls are about 28 feet high to the top of the parapet, and 5 feet thick. Inside the entrance doorway, on either hand, is an arched recess about 9 feet above the ground, each having a spy-window and stone seat for a sentinel. T h e east range of buildings is three storeys high, with a gloomy sunk floor at the south end, all vaulted, with the exception of the upper floor. T h e beautiful entrance doorway in connection with this range superseded the old doorway to the keep, and in connection with it a wide turnpike led up to the great

LIBERTON IN ANCIENT AND MODERN T M E S .

39

1l
l

hall and the upper floors of the new wing. A t the side of the new door, and in the thickness of the wall, a separate stair leads up to the kitchen, which has an arched fireplace, stone sink, with drain and service window into the corridor leading to the great hall. From the floor above the kitchen, through the south-east tower, the east and north battlements are reached. These are supported on bold corbels, with intervals between, through which stones could be thrown on an enemy approaching the base of the walls. In the centre of the south-east tower is a raised platform, reached by steps, from which shooters could send arrows over the heads of those defending the battlements. When the west wing came to be added, the west curtain was nearly all taken down and rebuilt as it is seen now, with windows and chimneys, and without the openings through which were poured lead and stones dropped on the heads of assailants. This was the latest addition made to the castle. I t is two storeys high, with vaults at the south end. T h e rooms are large and handsome, entering through each other, as was the style in the seventeenth century. This was evidently the family side, with its separate entrance from the courtyard, now kitchen, dining-room, and private bedrooms. T h e dining-room has a beautiful fireplace, once lined with Dutch tiles, and a window with mullion and transom. From the bowling-green, immediately outside this range of building, a flight of steps led down to the gardens a t the lower level, where the bed of a pond can still be seen in the form of the letter P. Between the east curtain and the outside wall is a small roofless chapel, measuring within the walls 30 feet by 14 feet 9 inches. Except that the gables have crow-steps, the chapel is very much in the style of the late Perpendicular work of England. T h e original door was in the east, and on the right side within that entrance there still stands the holy water stoup, which is in good preservation, and exhibits traces of fine moulded workmanship. T h e large ivycovered building at the west end was a Presbyterian meeting-house, erected in virtue of the indulgence granted by James V I I . A s is evident from its style, the lieep was built about the early part of the fifteenth century, and the curtain walls shortly afterwards. T h e etymology of Craign~illaris from a Gaelic original for

40

LIBERTON I N ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

" Craig-moil-ard," which signified a rock bare and high, running out into a plain. It was named by Lesley and Buchanan " Craigmillarium." T h e earliest possessor of whom we have any record is Henry de Craigmillar or William Fitz-Henry. There is extant a charter of a gift of a certain toft of land in Craigmillar, near the church of Liberton, to the monastery of Dunfermline in I 2 I 2, during the reign of Alexander 11.) and in this year it is described as a " fortalice." 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 Robert 11. of the " lands of Craigmillar in vic du Edinburgh, whilk LVilliam de Capella resigned, sustenand an archer in the king's army."-(Robertson'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, whilk Simon Preston resigned, he (John) performing the same service in the king's chapel that his predecessors used to perform for the third part of Craigmillar. Sir Simon Preston is a witness to a charter of a donation to the monastery of Newbattle in 1360. H e acquired the lands of Craigmillar from John de Capella in the year 1374. Thereafter it became the chief seat of his family. T h e surname of Preston is certainly local, and was assumed by the proprietors of the lands and barony of Preston in Midlothian. The first of these of whom we have any record is Leolpus de Preston. H e flourished in the reign of William the Lion, who succeeded to the Crown in I 165, and died I 2 I 4. Sir Simon was the sixth from Leolpus de Preston of I 165, and he had two sons, Sir Simon and Sir Henry, the latter being a man of great parts, and highly esteemed by King Robert II., to whom he did homage in 1371. H e got a share of forty thousand francs that were sent by the King of France to be divided among his faithful allies the Scots in 1385. His son seems to have been Provost of Edinburgh in 1434. Sir Simon is the first found designed by the title of Craigmillar. H e enlarged and repaired the castle, and was succeeded by his son, Sir George Preston, and he and his successors were promiscuously designed by the titles Preston, Craigmillar, and Gourton, and were possessed of several

LIBER TON I N ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

41

other lands and baronies. H e died 2d August 1424, leaving a son and successor, named John Preston of Craigmillar and Gourton, who married Christian Cockburn, a daughter of the family of Langton, by whom he had a son named William. \Villiam was retoured heir to his father in 1442. This William Preston, ltnown in ecclesiastical history as "Preston of Gourton," was a man of wide influence in the reign of James 11. H e appears to have been intimate with, and to have been regarded with much favour by the then King of France. H e July 1453, and was buried i11 the Lady Aisle of St. died on I ~ t h Giles' Church in Edinburgh. That he was a sincere and devout Catholic no one can doubt, for he it was who procured and bequeathed to the church of St. Giles the famous arm-bone of its patron saint. The Magistrates of the day were so impressed with the great efforts he had made to secure the bone, and the magnitude and value of the legacy, that they voluntarily undertook certain obligations with the view of perpetuating Preston's name in a charter still in the archives of the Register House. This document is sufficiently valuable to warrant its being transcribed. It is in the following terms:-" Be it kend til a1 men be thir present lettres ws the Prouost Baillieis Counsale and Communite of the Burgh of Edynburgh to be bundyn ande sekirly oblist to LVilliam of Prestoune of Goirtoun, sone and aire to vmquhile LVilliame of Prestoune of Goirtoun, and to the freindis and surname of thaim, that foralsmekle as M7illiame of Prestoune the fadir, quham God assoillie, made deligent labour ande grete menis be a he and michty prince the King of France and mony vthir lordis of France for the gettyn of the arme bane of Sant Gele, the quhilk bane he frely left to oure mother kirk of Sant Gele of Edynburgh withoutyn ony condicioun makyn, we considerand the grete labouris and costis that he made for the gettyn tharof we promit as said is that within six or seuin yhere in a1 the possible and gudely haste we may that we sal big ane Ile furth frae our Lady Ile quhare the said Williame lys, the said Ile to be beginnyn within a yhere, in the quhilk Ile thare sal be made a brase for his lair in bosit werk, and aboue the brase a table of bras with a writ specifiand the bringing of that rillyk be him in
F

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LIBERTON IN ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

Scotland with his armis ; and his armis to be putt in hewyn werk in vthir thre partes of the Ile ; alsua ane alter to be made in the said Ile with buke and chalice of siluer and a1 vthir grath belangand tharto; alsua that we sal assing the chapellane of quhilom Sehir 'Cl'illiame of Prestoun to sing at the alter fra that tyme furth, ande gif ony vthir freindis lykys to feft ony ma chapellanis thai salbe thankfully ressauit to singne at the alter; Item, that als oft as the said ryllik beis borne in the yhere that the surnam and nerrest of blude to the said Williame sal bere the said rillyk before a1 vtheris : alsua that fra the dede of the said IVilliame fadir thare salbe fundyn a chapellane for the termis of fiue yheris to sing for him. Item, we promit that thare sal be ane obit yherely done for him sic as afferis the time of the yhere of his decesse. In witnes of the quhilk thingis we haue set to oure commoun sele at Edynburgh the xi day of the moneth of Januare the yhere of our Lord a thousande four hundred fyfty four yheris." T h e obligations of the Magistrates recorded in this charter were faithfully performed, but the monument to Preston's memory, the brass plate with its inscription, the altar, &C., together with the arm-bone, all disappeared at the Reformation. T h e aisle, still known as the " Preston Aisle," \vhich the Magistrates undertook to build, remains, an elegant piece of church architecture, and the bosses of the groined roof still bear in three places the arms of Preston of old, viz., argent three unicorns' heads couped sable, in " hewyn werk." T h e precious relic was much venerated by the citizens of Edinburgh, and was shown to them on St. Giles' Day, 1st September. Like another of the Saint's arm-bones, still in the Church of St. Giles at Bruges, it was enclosed in a chased gold case with an artificial hand on the outside, on one of the fingers of which was placed a diamond ring. A time came, however, when the relic ceased to be regarded as anything more than an ordinary arm-bone, without possessing any special virtue. T h e Reformation swept the old religion away, and the Church was cleared of its altars and furniture. T h e minutes of the Town-Council of 30th August 1560 bear that the relic was on that date placed in the custody of the Dean of Guild, Janles Barroun. No further mention of it is made, all knowledge of it was thereafter

LIBERTON IN ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

43

lost, and so passed from sight the famous relic which this pious proprietor of Craigmillar presented to the mother kirk of " Sant Gele of Edynburgh." No trace of it could ever be found, but about two years ago a solitary arm-bone, apparently hid away, was fouild by one of the worltmen engaged in restoring the old side chapel in the north aisle of the choir. Whether it is the ancient relic, hid away by some devout son of the Church to preserve it from sacrilegious hands, it is now impossible to say, but experts who examined the bone found on it traces as if it had at one time borne mountings. I t is that part of the left arm-bone from the shoulder to the elbow, and is in the custody of the session-clerk of St. Giles. This William was succeeded by his son Willia~nin 145 3 . H e got two other charters of several other lands and baronies in 1463 and 1471, and died in 1474. In 1477 this castle became connected with a dark and mysterious state tragedy. T h e 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. Their younger brother, John, Earl of Mar, was placed a prisoner in Craigmillar on the same charge. Janles I I I. did not possess, it was alleged, the true characteristics of a king in those days. H e loved music, architecture, poetry, and study; " h e was ane man that loved solitude," says Pitscotie, "and desired never to hear of warre." This was a character that the Scottish nobleman never cared to patronise. Mar, a handsome and gay fellow, knew nothing but nobility. H e was a keen hunter, a sportsman, and breeder of horses for warlike purposes. Whether he was guilty- or not of the treasons which were alleged against him will never be known, but certain it is that the captive came to a speedy end. Old annalists say that he was permitted to choose the manner of his owl1 death, and had his veins opened in a warm bath ; but Drummond, in his History o the Jameses, says he was seized by fever and delirium f in Craigmillar, and was removed to the Canongate, where he died in the hands of the king's physician, either by opening his veins or from his having in a fit of frenzy torn off the bandages. William was succeeded by his son Sir Simon, who obtained a

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LIBERTON I N ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

charter of the lands of Craigmillar, and was served heir-general to his father in 1478. H e had two sons, LVilliam and George, and one daughter. His daughter married William Sinclair of Herdmanstone. Sir Simon died in I 5 19.1 Sir Simon was succeeded by George, his second son, who was returned heir in 1520, and got a charter from King James V. H e left a son, like his grandfather, named Simon, who got a charter along with Janet Beaton, his spouse, of the barony of Craigmillar, in Edinburghshire, and of Balgay, in Forfarshire, upon his father's resignation in 1542, and a charter of several other lands, wherein he is designed (' son and heir of that ilk," dated 5th June I 543 ; also a charter in favour of himself and Elizabeth Menteith, his second wife, of the barony of Preston, in 1549. By Janet Beaton, his first wife, he had no issue, but by Elizabeth, daughter of IVilliam Menteith of Carse, he had a son named David. Sir Simon was the Provost of Edinburgh in 1536, and again in 1565 to 1568, on the recommendation of Queen Mary and her f husband, Darnley. In 1544 it is stated in the Diur;ttnl o OLLZWrents that the fortress was too hastily surrendered to the English invaders, who sacked and burned it. T h e castle was taken by the the Earl of Hertford, along with many articles of value deposited there by the citizens. I t was surrendered on the promise of being preserved scathless, but was immediately devoted to the flames, Rosslyn Castle sharing the same fate. Sir Simon, after being taken prisoner, was, as an indignity, con~pelled march on foot to London. to In 1562 an incident occurred which proves that the Scottish nobility were altogether unscrupulous in their efforts to ruin those with whom they were at feud. George, fifth Earl of Huntly, had fled after his father's defeat and death a t Corrichie, to his father-in-law, the Duke of Chatelherault, who was obliged to surrender him, and he was committed a prisoner to the Castle of Dunbar till the Queen's pleasure should be known. Presto11 of Craigmillar, the Governor of Dunbar
I I n 1 5 1 7 Balfour records that the young King James V. was removed from Edinburgh to Craigmillar, and the Queen mother was not permitted to see him, in consequence of the pestilence then raging in the city. James V. frequently resided in the castle.

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Castle, received a warrant ordering him to behead the young nobleman. This was intimated by Preston to the Earl, who was not surprised a t the announcement, and declared that he knew well enough by whose means and after what manner such an order had been obtained, but that the Queen had doubtless been imposed on, since he was very well assured of H e r Majesty's favour, and that she would never deliver him up to the rage of his enemies, and therefore he begged that he would do him the favour to go to the Queen and receive the order from her own mouth before proceeding further. Preston immediately rode to Edinburgh, and arrived at Holyrood late in the evening. H e forthwith demanded ail audience of the Queen, having a matter of the utmost importance to communicate. Upon gaining admittance to the royal presence, Preston told Mary that he was anxious to inform her that he had obeyed her command. " What commands from me?" asked the Queen. " T h e beheading of the Earl of Huntly," was the reply. \Vhen h4ary heard this she was in great distress, weeping, and solemnly protesting that she llad never given nor known of such an order. Preston quieted her apprehensions by telling her that it was very lucky he had not executed the order, that the Earl was alive and well, and begged to have her Majesty's commands as to how he should behave for the future towards his prisoner. Mary thanked Preston for his prudent conduct, saying that nothing could be more acceptable to her, and that she had now full confidence in his fidelity. H e was neither t 3 deliver up the Earl nor execute any sentence on him unless she personally commanded him. By far the most interesting associations connected with Craigmillar are those in which Queen Mary bears a part. I t was to her a favourite country residence. Within its walls was drawn up, by Sir James Balfour, with " unique solemnity," the bond of Darnley's murder, which was there signed by many nobles of the first rank, who pledged themselves to stand by Bothwell with life and limb, in weal or woe. After its perpetration this bond of blood the wily lawyer destroyed. Some moilths after the murder of Rizzio, and while the avaricious statesmen were watching Mary and her husband, on the 2d December 1560, L e Croix, the French ambassador,

46

LIRBRTON IN ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

wrote thus to the Archbishop of Glasgow :-" T h e Queen is for the present a t Craigmillar, about a league distant from the city. S h e is in the hands of the physicians, and, I do assure you, is not a t all well, and do believe the principal part of her disease to consist in deep grief and sorrow, nor does it seem possible 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 Darnley. When he returned from Glasgow in 1567, instead of being lodged in the Kirk-0'-Field, the conspirators proposed to bring him to Craigmillar, where he might have (as it was pretended) the use of a s.anitary bath, that he might recover more speedily from the disease with which he was afflicted.' Queen Mary was an inmate of Craigmillar in the autumn of 1566, when a divorce between her and Darnley was projected. This was long known a s the " Conference of Craigmillar." Those concerned in it were the Earls of Huntly, Argyle, Bothwell, Moray, and the Secretary, Maitlaild of Lcthington. I t appears that they were all residing in the castle, this being some months after the murder of Rizzio, which the Queen still remembered with bitterness of feeling, increased by the outrageous and imbecile conduct of Darnley. Bothwell, who had completely secured the Queen's favour by affecting the utmost devotion to her interest, attended by the earls, waited on Mary, and represented Darnley's enormities, but the Queen resolutely declared that though she wished for a divorce, she would consent to no measure which might be prejudicial to the future welfare of her infant son. After Queen Mary's surrender on Carberry Hill she was brought froin fi4usselburgh to Edinburgh by the road on the north of Craigmillar. In the numerous skirmishes which occurred during the regencies
Ry proceedings before the Commissioners at York, 9th December 1568, it would appear that it had been Mary's intention to take Darnley to her favourite residence at Craigmillar, when one of his friends, named Crawford, hinted that she treated him too like a prisoner, adding, " Why should he not be taken to one of your own houses in Edinburgh ? "

LIBERTON IN ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

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of the Earls of Mar and Morton, Craigmillar was garrisoned by their soldiers. In 1571, during the siege of Edinburgh Castle, which became the resort of Queen hlary's adherents in 1570, Captain Melville, one of the eight sons of Sir John Melville of Raith (all of whom were devoted to Queen Mary), was killed on Craigmillar Hill by the igniting of a barrel of gunpowder, which he was in the act of dealing out to his soldiers. Sir Simon, who had the Castle of Craigmillar from 1542 to I 576, must have witnessed many of the events which happened in the reign of the unfortunate Mary. It was to his lodging, called the Black Turnpike, the town house of the Provost, that she was taken after the battle of Carberry, 14th June 1567. This house is said by several writers to have been situated to the west of the Tron Church, but from a careful research in the Register of Sasines, confirmed by other proofs, it appears that the Prestons of Craigmillar retained possession of a tenement on the north side of the High Street from 1423 to I 718. In Edgar's map, Stewart's and Pearson's Closes appear on what is now the site of the Royal Exchange. T o the west of this was Mary's King's Close, not even now wholly effaced. In a sasine of 1496 the tenement of Henry's Court is bounded on the east by Pearson's Close, and that tenement constitutes the eastern boundary of Sir Simon Preston's lodging. T h e position and measurement of the old properties are still preserved on the Government Survey sheets of 1859, and suffice to show that the old Provost's tenement and the last lodging of Queen hlary in the Scottisll capital occupied the site of the present entrance to the Royal Exchange, directly " fornent the Croce," in accordance with the explicit statement of Archbishop Beaton, whose letter was written within a day or two after the events he described. On October 25, 1892, a motion was made at a Meeting of the Town-Council by the Dean of Guild and Councillor Smith, and remitted to the Lord Provost's Committee, to consider and report that an inscription may be placed at the entrance to the Royal Exchange, in order to point out the exact site of Sir Simon Preston's house. Maitland describes it as a magnificent edifice, which, were it not partly defaced by a false wooden front, would appear to be the

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WBERTON IN ANCIENT ANB MODERN TliKES.

most sumptuous building in Edinburgh. I t was here that Queen Mary passed the night after the battle, in a small apartment, whose window looked to the street; and it was from this window that, on looking forth in the morning, she saw the large white banner fixed betwixt two spears, whereon was painted the murdered Darnley, with the words " Judge and revenge my cause, 0 Lord,"-a sight which drew from the unhappy sovereign the words, " Good people, either satisfy your cruelty and hatred by taking away my miserable life, or release me from the hands of such inhuman tyrants." Sir Simon, as Provost, represented the city of Edinburgh in the Parliament held on 5th December I 567. A t the same time he was a member of the Privy Council. T h e revenues of Trinity College Hospital were presented by he Regent Murray to Sir Simon Preston in 1567. O n his death they seemed to have remained in the possession of a private individual, being afterwards bought by the Town-Council from Robert Pont, then Provost of the College, who finally constituted them as an endowment for burgesses, their wives or children, not married, or under the age of fifty years, which was ratified by James VI. in 1587. David of Preston and Craigmillar, who succeeded Sir Simon, got charters under the Great Seal of several lands and baronies in H e had three sons and two daughters-Sir 1576 and 1577. George, his heir, Robert, who succeeded his brother, and Sir Richard, created Lord Dingwall. T h e eldest daughter married, first, James Cunningham of Drumwhassel ; secondly, Walter ILI'Laren of Gartarten. hlagdalene married James Nicolson of Lasswade. Sir David died in February 1593, and was succeeded by his eldest son.1 Sir George of Preston and Craigmillar married a daughter of H a y of Fingask, by whom he had a son, James, who died before his
David of Preston was on the 12th June 1587 denounced a rebel. Calderwood relates that in January 1590, when James VI. was sitting in the Tolbooth, hearing the case of the Laird of Craigmillar, who was suing for a divorce against his wife, the Earl of Bothwell forcibly carried off one of the most important witnesses to his Castle of Crighton, threatening him with the gallows, "as if there had been no king in Israel."

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49

father. Elizabeth married Sir George Buchanan of that ilk, and died without male issue in 1609. Sir George was succeeded by his brother, Robert of Preston and Craigmillar, who was served heir to his father and infeft in the lands of Craigmillar 18th May 1625. This Robert died without issue in 1639. Sir Richard also, as mentioned above, was created Lord Dingwall, and was drowned on his passage from Dublin to England 28th June 1628. A period of fully thirty years now intervenes, during which we have no certain history regarding the possessor of CraigmilIar. Sir John Gilmour,~ who had while an advocate or barrister purchased the lands from George Preston, with consent of his brother, John Preston, and others interested in the property, obtained a " ratification of the castle and barony." After this legal possession, Sir John erected the addition on the west side of the castle and of the inner court, and subsequently built the Presbyterian meeting-house. Sir John seems to have acquired the lands in 1660. H e was son of John Gilmour, W.S., and passed Advocate on the 12th December 1628. On the 15th November 1641, when the Parliament met, a letter was read from the King, excusing his not coming till the 15th August following; whereupon, they resolved to continue and sit in the meantime, to prepare matters against the King's coming. summoned the Earl of Montrose, with other persons imprisoned with him, to appear before the Parliament on the 13th August, on which the Earl desired the liberty of Advocates for consultation ; but most part of the Advocates, being so much afraid of the Committee, refused to attend the Earl ; so that, as we are told, "the chief person who attended him was one Mr. John Gilmour, whose greatest employment before that time had been to agent the affairs of some of the deposed bishops; but having consulted with Montrose, and having been called his Advocate, all the other Royalists .Gilmour, a surname derived from the Gaelic '' Gillie-mhor,"great servant, being the designation of the henchman or follower of a Highland chief. The family o l
I

Gilmour of Craigmillar carried in their armorial bearings three writing pens with, as

crest, a dexter hand, holding a scroll of paper, and the motto, " Nil penna sed usus " to indicate that their rise was from being writers or lawyers.
G

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LIBERTON I N ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

employed him, so that a t length he became the most considerable man of his profession." O n I 3th February 1666 he became Lord President of the Court of Session, which, after a lapse of nearly eleven years, resumed its sittings. T h e bold stand which he made for the luckless Marquis of Argyle was long remembered in Scotland. I t has been said, when Cromwell appointed eleven commissioners for the administration of justice at Edinburgh, they being Englishmen, their decisions were most impartial ; and, on hearing them lauded, after the Restoration had replaced the old judges on the bench, the President, Gilmour of Craigmillar, said, angrily, " Deil thank them, a wheen kinless loons." Sir John's pension was only 500 per annunl. H e became 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. H e resigned his office in 1670, and died in I 67 I. H e had a large family, who intermarried with some of the leading houses in Scotland. On the west side of the inner court of the castle Sir John built several stately apartments in 1661. Dr. William Chambers, in his H?j.Lof,y Peebdesshire, states that the Council of Peebles ordain of' "that all the able horses in the town shall carry in sklaits from Stobo to the house of Craigmillar, belonging to Sir John Gilmour, President of the Session, ilk person contravening under the pain of five pounds Scots." This seems to be a rather hard ordinance, impressing horses to carry slates a distance of thirty miles, in order to save a person with whom the burgh had no concern. Sir John was four times married, his third wife being Margaret, eldest daughter of Sir Alexander Murray, Baronet, of Blacltburny, in Peebles, by Margaret, daughter of Sir Richard Cocltburn of Clerltington, near Haddington. Sir John had a brother, named Andrew, who was an eminent counsellor-at-law, and also had the honour of knighthood. Sir Tohn was succeeded by his son, Sir Alexander I of Craigmillar, who was created a baronet in 1678. In that year he (Sir
--

Sir Alexander Gilmour, an elder in Liberton kirk in Rev. Samuel Semple being minister at this time.
I

1722

and

1723, the

LIBERTON IN ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

51

Alexander) had a plea before the Lords against Captain Straiton, for 2000 merl;s, lost at cards. The Lords found that only thirty-one guineas of it fell due under the Act of I 62 I , and ordered the Captain to pay it to them for the use of the poor, except 5 sterling which he might retain. H e was chosen Member of Parliament for the County of Edinburgh from 1698 to 1731. H e married the Hon. Grizel Ross, eldest daughter of George, eleventh Lord Ross of Melville, by Lady Grizel Cochrane, his wife, only daughter of William, first Earl of Dundonald. Two children survived him, Sir Charles Gilmour of Craigmillar, and a daughter, who married Little of Liberton. The Hon. Grizel Ross, Lady Gilmour, died in 1732. Sir Charles Gilrnour, Baronet, became Member of Parliament for Edinburgh in 1737, and died at Montpelier, Languedoc, in I 750. H e married in I 733 Jean, second daughter of Sir Robert Sinclair of I,ongformacus, Berwick, by Christian, his wife, daughter of Adam Cockburn of Ormiston, Lord Justice-Clerk of Scotland, and had one child, Alexander. Sir Alexander Gilmour of Craigmillar, an officer, First Foot Guards, accompanied that regiment to France, and was taken prisoner there in I 758 In I 75; he was chosen Member of Parliament for the County of Edinburgh, and continued to represent that county until I 774. He also held various official appointments under Government. H e died in France in 1792, and the baronetcy and main line of the family then became extinct. T h e succession devolved on William Charles Little, grandson of the first Sir Alexander Gilmour, whose daughter married, as before mentioned, Willianl Little of Liberton, a gentleman of an ancient family that had been in possession of the barony of Over Liberton for upwards of one hundred years preceding. William Charles Little assumed in consequence the surname of Gilmour, and became also " of Craigmillar." I H e married in I 763 lean, daughter of Sir Robert Clerk, and dying in 1797, was sucFrom the Edinbuugh Advertiser, February rgth, 1gg3-" On Friday, IVillian~ C?z:es Little, Esq. of Liberton, was served heir, by a most respectable jury, to the k-c-ased Sir Alexander Gilmour of Craigmillar, Baronet, and has since taken the of f illiam Charles Gilmour."

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LIBERTON I N ANCIENT A N D MODERN TIMES.

ceeded by his eldest son, Walter Little Gilmour of Liberton and Craigmillar, an officer in the army. This gentleman was born in I 764, married, 6th July 1805, James-Anne Macdotvall, heiress of Canonmills, and died 1st April 1807, survived by his wife, who died in 1847. They had a daughter, Jane, and a posthumous son, Walter James Little Gilmour of Liberton and Craigmillar. The last named died unmarried 30th September 1887, in his eighty-first year, and was succeeded by his sister's grandson, Robert Wolrige Gordon Gilmour of Liberton and Craigmillar, a distinguished officer in the Grenadier Guards, who married, 19th October 1889, Lady Susan Lygon, secoild daughter of Earl Beauchamp of Madresfield Court, Malvern, Worcester. Although the arms of Scotland are emblazoned on the walls of the castle, it does not appear that the Crown was ever proprietor. The royal arms were probably intended to show that the castle was regarded as belonging to the king in time of war, or during any tumults or commotions. In 1882 the late proprietor repaired the castle at the suggestion of the Edinburgh Architectural Association, and expended a considerable sum of money in opening all old doors and apartments that had long been built up, and preserving many parts that were showiilg signs of decay. At this time nothing of any interest was found, excepting a large stone under a heap of rubbish, with the Preston Arms with supporters cut on it. This stone has been built above the entrance door at the inner c0urt.I On Friday, 29th August 1856, the Queen, Prince Albert, the Princess Royal, and Princess Alice, in one carriage, followed by two others, in which were the hlarchioness of Ely, the Hon. Miss Seymour, Miss Hillyard, Lord Clarendon, and other members of the suite, visited Craigmillar. South-east of the castle is a small hamlet called Little France. Here Queen Mary is said to have planted a tree. This has been handed down by tradition, and it has been shown for general I n 1859 the Antiquarian Society purchased a cross-bow which was found in an underground passage near the outer wall of the castle.

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tions as Queen Mary's tree. I t showed signs of decay, and fears to were entertained that it would succun~b a gale. T o prevent this, the top branches were taken off, so that it might offer less resistance to the wind. In I 886 this tree was rendered yet more famous, in consequence of Queen Victoria taking notice of it, and expressing her desire to have some relic of it. Some seedli~lgswere accordingly forwarded to Windsor, accompanied by a photograph of the tree, framed with wood of the same. R portion of the tree was also made into a casket, in the shape of an old Scottish " providing chest," in which the address was placed and presented to the hlarquis of Salisbury on the occasion of the great Conservative Demonstration held in the Edinburgh Corn Exchange in 1889. An old house opposite the tree, lately taken down, was said to have been Queen Mary's laundry. I t must have been erected about her time. T h e door lintel was of oak, and had an inscription cut on it in French. Presumably some of Queen hlary's retainers lived here. In another of the cottages at the same place lived an old man, named Llialter Glover. In his younger days he had been a carrier between Dumfries and Edinburgh. H e had seen and spoken to Robert Burns, our national poet, and at the Burns Centenary in 1859 he was taken to the Music Hall in Edinburgh, and there recited some verses. A t that time he was six months older than Burns would have been. T h e late Lord Ardmillan made a remarkable speech on the occasion, and alluded to " the old man who had heard the voice and seen ;he eyes of our immortal bard." Walter Glover lived only a short time after that, being 1 0 2 years at his death, which took place about thirty years ago. Adjoining the hamlet of Little France is Kingston Grange, formerly called Craigs, and afterwards Sunnyside, the property of Mr. Peter Ingles, merchant, Edinburgh, in I 780. T h e name was changed when it was purchased by the late Mr. Hay of Duns Castle, in memory of his ancestor Viscount Kingston. T h e present owner is Captain Gordon Gilmour. It was purchased by him in 1889. The house is finely situated, and commands an extensive view to the east coast and surrounding country. T h e ground to

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LIBERTON I N ANCIENT AND MODBRN TIMES.

the south is rich, fertile, and finely wooded, containing about eighty acres, and feued from Moredun. T o the north of Kingston Grange is Craigend Park, formerly the property of the late Mr. William Christie, who built the mansionhouse from designs by Pilkington & Rell, Architects, Edinburgh, in 1869. T h e present proprietor i &fr. Henry Grierson, a Glasgow s gentleman, who purchased it in I 889. T h e old cottages at Upper and Lower Craigend were rebuilt by the late Mr. Christie, and now belong to his son, Mr. William Christie, Ardveich, Liberton. Adjoining the cottages are the lands called Kirklands. These were certainly church lands, and belonged to the Church or Chapel of Liberton. A part of the glebe is here, consisting of more than three acres, and is in the barony of Moredun. 'To the north-west of Craigmillar is the hamlet of Bridgend. Here was a hunting lodge erected by James V. An interesting and authentic relic of this building is an old stone which was originally built at the old entrance gate, and then removed to the present house and placed above the doorway. I t has again lately been removed and built into the garden wall at Inch House. On it is sculptured a castle, resembling that blazoned in the arms of Edinburgh, the central doorway, which is deeply recessed, being, however, flanked by two shields, intended doubtless for armorial insignia. T h e royal initials could be seen in I 760, but are now wholly undecipherable. Adjoining the hunting lodge was a chapel, but, like that at Craigmillar, it has been converted into a stable.' From a house at Bridgend, Archibald Wauchope, young Laird of Niddry, along with George Roig and William Craig, servants to the Laird of Craigmillar, William Lauder, brother of the Laird of Bannochie, Richard Bigum, also his servant, and Thomas Icnox, blacksmith at Niddry, were arrested for the slaughter of James Giffard of Sheriffhall, John Giffard, his brother, Robert Caise in Dalkeith, and John Edmiston, brother of David Edmiston of
I I n the valuation proceedings before the Commission of Teinds in 1630, the lands of Bridgend are called The Lady Bridgend, which may indicate that the chapel there was dedicated to the Virgin, " Our Lady."

LIBERTON IN ANCIENT A N D MODERN TIMES.

55

Woolmet. " Upon the I 2th May I 589 Archibald \Vauchope, young Laird of Niddry, lying in Robert Peacock's house a t the Bridge-end, in waite for the Laird of Edmiston, was besett by Edmiston, who was advertized and gathered his friends. Some cried for fire ; others, better advised, to advertize the King. T h e drumme was beaten betweene seven and eight in Edinburgh. T h e inhabitants and other gentlemen and noblemen were charged to come incontinent to the King's lodging. T h e King cometh to the Burrow Mure, and directeth an herald to charge Niddry to come out of the house to him, under paine of treason. H e cometh furth with his companie, is brought to Edinburgh, and wairded in Tolbooth. T h e day following he was brought furth to thole an assise for the slaughter of the Laird of Sheriffhall and his brother, John Giffard. T h e Lord Hume, the Laird of Edmiston, the Laird of Broxrnouth, and Thomas Giffard of Sheriffhall were pursuers. T h e matter was continued till the next day. Then he and his accomplices were brought furth again out of the prison-house to thole an assise, but some of his friends were upon the assise. T h e dittay being read, and the assise enclosed, tyme was protracted that noblemen might have leisure to travel for pardoun. N o pardon being granted, a t least professed, the judge sitting in judgement, and about a thousand persons in the Tolbooth waiting upon the event, the candles were put f ~ ~ r t h about eleven houres a t night, and Niddry and his complices escaped out a t the windows of the Tolbooth. Sir James Sandilands, tutor of Calder, the chief man that assisted him to break waird, was soon after familiar again with the King in his own chamber. But God in H is justice pursued Niddry till he came to an unhappy end. This enormitie was so vile and odious that ministers could not keep silence." An Act was passed in 1599 for a toll for repairing the brig and calsay callit the Lady Brigend.2
Calderwood's Histo~yf the Church o Scotland. o f From the Register of the Privy Council of Scotland :U Sujlication b the inhabitants of Dalkeith, Newbottle, GGizertoun, Easter and y Wester Dudingstonis, Over and Nether Libbeytonis, as follows : 'L Considering the great skaith sustauned by them and other subjects through the
I

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LIBERTON I N ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

The meadows, which are irrigated by the POW Burn, were anciently called the King's Haugh. From the Register of the Great Seal there is a charter by King James V,, dated at Kirkcaldy 2d September 1536, "whereby he demits to his friend and barber (familiari suo et barbe tonsori) John Murray, the lands called King's hleadows, lying between the Figgat Burn lands called King's Haughs, pertaining to Alexander Forrester of Corstorphine, and the Common Myre of the Burgh of Edinburgh, in Sheirifdom of Edinburgh, extending in his rental to 2 0 merks, which umquhil Walter Chapman, burgess of Edinburgh, had set to him in feu-farm in the King's minority for 14 yearly, to be holden by the said John and his heirs-male, whom failing, and the eldest heir-female without division, paying annually A14 : 3 : 4, and doubles the said feu-duty at the entry of heirs and building houses, &C.,so much as is necessary for the occupancy ; and further, for the good service of the said John, the King revokes the charter granted" to the said Waiter, Agnes Cockburn, his spouse, David and heir, son, and all others whomsoever, of the said lands and meadows. The lands of Craigmillar hold blench of the Crown for a penny only, to be paid at a certain term each year, if demanded on the ground, in acknowledgment of the superiority.
decay of the brig and calsay callit the Lady Brigend, the watter quhairof arrising sa grite at fludis and inundatioun of watter, that not onlie the commoun travellaris on horse and fute, bot all uthiris, ar stayed in thair passage and in danger of thair lyveis, they have agreed among themselves, for repairing of the said bridge, that every horseload of coals, ale, and all other loads passing by the said bridge and calsay shall pay 2d. ; and for collection of this duty they hath nominated Jalnes Douglas of Hathrondaill, now residing in Craigmillar, to whom it is necessary that a commission be passed for the purpose. They humbly crave therefore that such a commission be granted to same James. 'l The King and Council finding the desire of the petition to be very rcasonable, grant full power and commission to the said Jarnes to uplift the said duty of every ladin horse passing by the said bridge and calsay for the space of two years from the date hereof, applying the same to the beiting, helping, and repairing the said brig and calsay, and ordain publication to be made accordingly at all places needful."

CHAPTER V.
NETHER LIBERTON.

I
i
l

E T H E R L I B E K T O N lies on the north side of the parish, and forms part of the ancient barony of Craigmillar, which included Craiglockhart, Drylaw, Peffer Mill, and Cairntows, besides lands in Corstorphine and other places. The hamlet and mill were of great antiquity. In a charter by King David I. in favour of the Abbey of Holyrood, in the year I 143, the mill of Liberton is specially mentioned. So again Robert the Bruce, in the twentieth year of his reign, granted to the Monastery of the Blackfriars in Edinburgh six merlts to be paid out of his mill of Nether Liberton. This mill was on the same site as the present one. T h e water-run for it must have been made more than 700 years ag0.1 T h e lands of Nether Liberton were by David 11. granted by charter under the Great Seal to Sir William Ramsey of Dalwolsy, now Dalhousie, who like many of his brave ancestors lost no opportunity of distinguishing himself in the wars against the English. A t the battle of Nisbet, he with singular prudence and conduct drew the English army into an ambuscade, whereby the Scots gained a complete victory in I 355. He obtained for his good and faithful services an annuity of A20 sterling for life in I 362, also, in conjunction with his wife, a grant of the lands of Nether Liberton in I 369. The grandfather of this Sir William was one of the signatories to the memorable letter to the Pope declaring the independence of
I In 1336 the SHeriff of Edinburgh in his account states that carucates of land once paying 30 chalders of victual then paid only 116s. 8d. ; that 6s. for the King's hearth, and 24 hens for his table had not been paid; that half rent had only been paid for the mill and brewery there ; and that a park of 30 acres had been destroyed by the English.

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LIBERTON I N ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

the Kingdom of Scotland in 1320. His father was distinguished for many great and loyal services to Icing David Bruce against the usurper Baliol. In consideration of these, he was in the year I 342 constituted Warden of the Middle Marches and Constable of the Castle of Roxburgh, from which he had ousted the English governor. This brave man, who well deserves to be numbered among Scottish heroes, fell by the hand of William Douglas of Liddesdale on the 7th July 1348. The name of Adam Forrester, Alderman or Provost of Edinburgh, next appears in connection with these lands. There is an indenture between Adam Forrester, Laird of Nether Liberton, and the burgh of Edinburgh, dated 29th November 1387. Thomas Forrester had from his brother, Sir John Forrester of Corstorphine, I<night, a charter of the lands of Drylaw, in the barony of Nether Liberton, in the sheriffclom of Edinburgh, in favour of himself and the heirs of his body. This was dated at Corstorpliine 20th August 1406, and confirmed by Robert, Duke of Albany, on the 24th of that month. H e also obtained a charter from James I. erecting the lands of Drylam, Nether Liberton, Clerkington, and Meadowfield into a barony, to be holden of the King for the sum of one penny.1 T h e old mill of Nether Liberton has been long disused, and more than fifty years have elapsed since Andrew Dick, the last miller in Nether Liberton, occupied it." Near the mill stood the miller's house, an old thatched cottage, which has been recently demolished. A brewery, as ancient as the mill, stood a little to the north of it, and was in full working order in I 789, as appears from the E&burgh Advertiser-" T o let immediately, that Brewery at Nether Liberton, Malt Barns, &C., containing every requisite for carrying on
I The surname of Forrester has evidently an official origin. The family was formerly of some importance. Sir John Forrester founded in 1429 the Collegiate Church of Corstorphine, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, and situated near the Parish Church, for a provost, five prebendaries, and two singing boys. The first provost was Nicholaus Bannachtyne, who died in 1470,and was buried in the church. His epitaph was extant in 1734. The daughter of this Andrew Dick well remembered the so-called meal mobs attacking the mill and rifling it of its contents.

LIBERTON IN ANCIENT AND MODERN TliMES.

59

the business of Brewing and Distilling, having an easy and complete supply of running Water which comes in above the Work : the present Utensils, which are in good repair, may be had by agreement." T h e village was of considerable size, a market being held therein weekly. T h e population at the close of last century was 267. In the centre of the village in I 760, on a rising ground near the mill, stood a cross, no trace of which now exists. T h e Braid Burn at one time ran through the village, but the old course was changed when the present roads were made. Few of the large trees by which the village was surrounded now remain. There were once several houses in the village for the selliilg of liquor. One of them was called the Virgin Inn, and held a licence up to 1820. Nether Liberton house held a licence for retailing liquor until 1850. A school and school-house existed at Nether Liberton. T h e teacher had a free house and a small salary from the feuars. H e was under an obligation to give gratuitous instruction to the poor scholars belonging to the barony. In the " town" of Nether Liberton, as it was sometimes called, a carter's play was held annually, when horse-racing and various sports was carried on. T h e horses were decorated with flowers and ribbons, and a procession, accompanied by a band of music, took place. The cc play" finished with cart-horse racing on the public road, a spectacle which drew forth crowds of onlookers from Edinburgh. T h e programme included also a dinner, for which a fixed sum was paid. W e extract the following from the Register of the Privy Council under date ad October 1595 :--"Mr. Johanne Preston of Fentonbarns, one of the Senators of the College of Justice, complains as follows : ' T h e eight oxengate of the lands of Nether Liberton belonged to him heretably; he has been in peacable possession of the same till 5th June ~ 5 9 8 last, when Henry iyardlaw, sometime of Killabertoun, with his accomplices, all armed with swords, pistols, and other weapons, came to the said lands where complainer's servants were gangand at his plewchering and teilling the samyn landis, and there not only stoppit his said plewch, but maist barbarously hurt and straik his horse and oxen;

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L I B E R T O N I N A N C I E N T A N D MODERN TIMBS.

further, the said Wardlaw maist barbarously slew a grey horse belonging to complainer. Such criminality has never before been heard of, being so near to the place of his Hienes residence and College of Justice, and the complainer being a Senator thereof. The pursuer and defender appearing personally, and the latter having admitted the slaying of the said horse, the Lords ordain him to enter a ward in the prison house above the west kirk door of Sanct Geillis Kirk, and remain there till freed by the King and his Council." " There is a complaint by Johnne Elphingstoun of Schank, that Harrie Forrester of Corstorphing remains unrelaxed from horning of 12th December I 61 I , for not paying to complainer, as assignee to James Libertoun, in Nether Libertoun, 1600 merks for redemption of the roume and mailling of Nether Liberton with a ninteen year tack thereof, and for not paying to the complainer the ferms paid by the said James to Dame Jeane La~vderduring the non-redemption foresaid ; pursuer appearing by said James, decree as above against the defender." In Nether Liberton was born Captain William Horn. Maitland, the historian, makes the following statement regarding him :Amongst all the pious benefactions belonging to Edinburgh, I think none deserves the name of charity more than the legacy of Captain William Horn, who by his will of the 17th July 1741 bequeathed to the Magistrates of Edinburgh in trust, after the decease of his widow, the sum of 11;3500 sterlillg in South Sea annuities, to be laid out to the best advantage, and the profits arising therefrom to be yearly distributed on the 25th December to poor labourers and their families, whose business being to work without doors, are by the inclemency of the weather in severe seasons rendered incapable to follow their labour, the largest of which families to have 5 each, and the smallest 2 : 10s. sterling each,-the profits of 1500 of the said legacy to be given to poor labourers belonging to the city of Edinburgh, those arising from 11;1ooo to the labourers in the Nether Parish of Liberton, and those of the other 1000 to the poor labourers of the West Port, Bristo, and Potterrow, in the parish of Saint Cuthbert of Edinburgh."
' l

LIBERTON IN ANCIENT AND MORERN TIMES.

6I

Upwards of 30 is distributed from this source to the poor every Chi-istmas by the ministers of Liberton and Gilmerton, and the minister of the Free Church, in sums of 2 : 10s. sterling. Mr. IVhite, in his account of the parish, says "that Alexander Horn rose from a very low situation to the rank of a commodore. H e always remembered his place of nativity, and chose by this method to evidence it, and that nothing could be more laudable than his conduct, and for this reason every well-disposed person must approve of him, and revere his memory." T h e field to the south of the mill-dam was called the Clapperfield, no doubt from association with the mill.' A rising ground, now within the policies of the Inch, had the name of the King's Hill. It was formerly planted with fir trees. Though these were all blown down on what was known as the "Windy Saturday of I 739," it is still known as the Fir Hill. Adjoining the King's Hill, but now separated by the public road to Greenend, stands the dovecot, which was erected early in the sixteenth century, an Act being passed in I 503 ordaining landowners to make parks for deer, dowcats, orchards, &c. It is leased along with South Mains farm, the rental being so many pigeons paid to the proprietor yearly. A little to the south of the dovecot, and on the public road, stood a hamlet called " The Bawbee Houses," the origin of the name being from an old board which was hung on the gable with the following words on it :-" Walth o' straw, five bawbees a wunlin." These houses, falling into ruin, were taken down about thirty years ago. The Inch, as its name indicates, was at one time surrounded by water. During a great flood in 1760 the Braid Burn, which runs along the east side of the policies, burst its embankment, and completely surrounded the house with water to a considerable height. In 1870 a similar occurrence took place. T h e entrance to the house was formerly by a drawbridge over the moat. T h e Inch, also called Inch Place and King's Inch, was granted
I

Seisin was taken of the mill by delivery of clap and hopper.

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LIBXRTON IN ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

to the Abbey of Holyrood House by a charter dated the fourteenth year of James 11. The oldest date on the existing house is 1617. Another date, 1634, occurs above a window, along with initials of the Winram family. These Winrams were descendants of the Winrams of Woolston or Wiston, in Clydesdale. John Winram was Sub-prior of St. Andrews in 1570.I George Winram was a Baron of Parliament in 1644. In 1649 he was made a Lord of Session by the title of Lord Liberton, and was one of the Commissio~~ers sent to the young King at Holland. In October he sailed from Leith to visit the King again at Brussels on public business, obtaining a passage in a man-of-war in company with Thomas Cunn ingham, Conservator of Scottish Privileges at Campervere. 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 11. to the Parliament and General Assembly prior to the King's coronation in Scotland. H e 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.z A son of George Winram, colonel in the Scottish army, was Lieutenant-Governor of Edinburgh Castle, under the Duke of Gordon, during the protracted siege thereof in 1688-9. After the capitulation of the Castle, in violation of its terms of surrender, he was detained a prisoner in the fortress for some time. T h e Winram family, during the Civil War, seemed to have sided with the Covenanters. It is strange, therefore,, as Mr. White remarks, "that they should have been so attached to James VII., and followed his fortunes at the Revolution." The Winrams possessed not only the Inch House and the fields
John Winram died in 1582,leaving by his will James Winram and John Winran1 of Craigton, sons of Mr. Kobert Winram of Ratho, his principal heirs. The Inch House was probably built by them. Oliver Cromwell's sword is in the possession of Captain Gilmour. On the blade the following inscription is engraved : " Belonged to Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector. Naseby, June ~ q t h 1641. Dunbar Battle, Sept. grd, 1650. Praise to the Lord of , Hosts."

LIBERTON I N ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

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adjoining it, but the greater part, if not the whole, of the lands of Nether Liberton. They were likewise proprietors of a part of Upper or Over Liberton. The Gilmours of Craigmillar acquired the Inch about the year 1660. The mansion-house was for some time the residence of Patrick Grant, Lord Elchies, a Senator of the College of Justice. Born in I 690, he was called to the bar in I 7 I I , and became a Judge of the Court of Session in I 732. H e died at the Inch on the 27th June 1754, in the sixty-fourth year of his age. The Gilmours of Craigmillar transferred their domicile to the Inch at the latter end of last century, and resided there until 1844. After that date the house was occupied by various tenants. The late Dr. Begbie resided in it for some time, then Mr. Ritchie, proprietor of the Srotxman. Sir John Douglas, G.C.B., of Glenfinart, also lived here while he was Commander of the Forces in Scotland. Sir James Gardiner Baird, the last tenant, resided at Inch House for nineteen years. The garden is on the east side of the house and contains about two acres of ground. The park contains many stately old trees. T h e present laird has qliite recently planted largely, and extensive additions and alterations are now in progress on the house, for his occupancy, under the direction of Messrs. M'Gibbon 1 & Ross, Architects, Edinburgh. The houses lately erected on Liberton Brae are in the barony of Nether Liberton. Here formerly there used to be a waulk-mill for the thickening and cleansing of cloth. The formation of the old dam can still be seen, and this piece of ground was known by the name of the " Wauk-Mill Shot." When digging foundations on this spot human remains were discovered, and two old coins of the reign of Queen Mary. This place also went by the name of " Nelson's Graves." The hamlet called the Dams, the property of Mr. Thomas Alexander, is a feu from the barony of Nether Liberton. The sunk houses there are built on the run of the small streamlet which fell into the Braid Burn. The large embankment on the west side

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LIBERTON IN A N C m AND MODBRN TIMES.

contains the Crawley water-pipes, and was constructed i n 1822 when this water supply was taken to Edinburgh.1 Westmains, which had the name of Windmill fifty years ago, stands on the Borough Moor, so famous in ancient times. T h e late Mr. John Inch was tenant here for fully forty years. Half of the farm is now within the city boundary, where an extensive laundry, a factory for fruit preserving, and many villas have been erected. T h e Pow Burn, the boundary on the north side of the parish, has been nearly all covered up by the construction of the Suburban Railway in I 884. Within the last thirty years, what were once cultivated fields, where Hallow Fair was held, and where a hundred years ago oxen might have been seen a t the plough, are now covered by villas, terraces, and gardens tastefully laid out. T h e district is now known by the name of Craigmillar Park, and forms one of the finest approaches to Edinburgh. Adjoining the Inch is Parknook, or Little Paisley, a s it was sometimes called. Some of the houses here were long in a ruinous state, and half of the hamlet was taken clown in 1885. Most of the inhabitants in the last century were hand-loom weavers, hence probably the name. T h e old path from the Dalkeith Road to the mill a t Nether Liberton passed by Little Paisley. T h e road from Mayfield to Sharpdale, called the Lady's Road,z made in the beginning of the present century, is substituted for it. Sharpdale, the property of the kirk-session, was purchased in 1838, being a t that time part of a bankrupt estate. T h e northmost building, oncc a toll-house, belongs to the Gilmour estate. T h e bridge across the l'ow Burn was built in I 752, before that time there being a ford. From Sharpdale extending nearly to the lands of Niddrie, was the common marsh, designated the Common Myre, which belonged to the city of Edinburgh. At that time this
L From the Edi~zburghAdz~ertisev, 30th December I 788.-" An engine to raise water from Braid's Burn to the city pipes was employed, and has been most successful. Eighteen or twenty men have been constantly engaged, and the engine raises every day upwards of a hundred Scots pints or four hundred English pints per minute. This has given great relief to the inhabitants since it was adopted." It was formed by the orders of Mrs. Gilmour, the last laird's mother, hence the name.

LIBERTON IN ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

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marsh, along with the Borough Moor, was acquired by the town does not appear. It may, however, have been granted by David I. In the year 1508 James IV. empowered the citizens of Edinburgh to sett or let in fee-farm their common lands called the Borough Moor, and their common marsh called the Common Myre, and as llaitland remarks, "the citizens were no sooner in possession of this grant than they set about clearing the ground by cutting down a vast number of large trees, whereby the quantity of wood in their hands on that occasion was so very great that they could not dispose of i t ; wherefore, to encourage the inhabitants to purchase the said wood, the Town-Council enacted that whoever should buy a quantity thereof sufficient to new front the tenement they dwelt in, were allowed to extend the said new front the space of seven feet into the street, whereby the High Street was reduced fourteen feet in its breadth, and the buildings which before had stone fronts were now converted into \vood, and the burgh into a wooden city." A trespass was committed on these lands by David of Craigmillar, for which a process was raised against him, and at that time a survey of the lands and their boundaries was made, which are minutely described by Maitland. T h e old house on the Common Myre appears to have been the lodge at the original entrance to Craigmillar Castle. T h e old road from Edinburgh to Musselburgh ran through the grounds of Prestonfield, joining the old Musselburgh Road near this house. That part of the road from the present entrance to Prestonfield on to the Old Dalkeith Road was made in the beginning of the present century. T o the north of the Common Myre are the lands of Cameron,' on which was built in I 770 Cameron House. A part of these lands was acquired from the Prestons of Craigmillar by Sir Robert Murray, from whom Sir James Dick of Prestonfield or Priestfield purchased them in 1677, he being the eldest son of Alexander of Heugh, fourth son of Sir William Dick, Bart., of Braid.

resto on

I n 1475 Sir Simon Preston of Craigmillar gave an annual rent of ten merks out of the lands of Cameron to a chaplain in hlusselburgh Church for such appropriate worship.-M.5 Donations.
I

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The lands of Prestonfield, which still belong to the descendants of this family, were anciently attainted to the Abbacy of Holme or Holmcultram, sometimes designed Harehope, situated near the sea, about twelve miles distant from Carlisle, in Cumberland. The monks of Holmcultram suffered forfeiture for adhering to the English interest ; and the lands of Priestfield, the Grange, and Spittalton, belonging to them, were given to John, Lord Kyle, Earl Carrick. His son disponed them to a nephew of Cardinal Wardlaw, Bishop of Glasgow. I Sir Thomas Hamilton acquired the lands of Priestfield by charter in the year 1597. His son, the first Earl of Haddington, and proprietor of Priestfield, was a man remarkable for great learning and legal knowledge. He was in high favour with James VI. H e became in his father's lifetime King's Advocate, and one of the Senators of the College of Justice in 1592 ; he was appointed one of the Octavians in 1595, and Secretary of State in 1612. Afterwards he was made Lord President and Lord Clerk Register, in all which high offices he acquitted himself with " honour, fidelity, and reputation." From this family Sir James Dick acquired the lands of Prestonfield. H e was the eldest son of Alexander of Heugh, fourth son of Sir William Dick of Braid, reputed to be the richest subject in Scotland in his day. H e was a merchant in Edinburgh, and Lord Provost in 1638 and 1639. His ships traded to the Baltic, the Mediterranean, Holland, France, Spain, and Portugal. H e became one of the most eminent bankers in Scotland, and acquired considerable wealth even before the decease of his father, so much so as to have been able to advance to the King &6ooo sterling to defray the household expenses when His Majesty held a Parliament in Scotland in 1618. In the year 1628 he farmed the customs on wine at 6222 sterling, and the Crown rents in Orkney at 8000 sterling, and afterwards the Excise. H e purchased the lands of
It was in this Abbey that Robert Bruce, Earl of Carrick, and father of King Robert, was buried, and near to him lie the bowels of Edward I., who died at Burghupon-Sands while on the expedition against Scotland.

LIBE'RTON I N ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

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Cameron from Sir Robert Murray in 1677. Cameron House was the residence of some of the members of this family, but for a considerable time it has been let to various tenants. In front of the house there used to be a small loch, which has recently been filled up. Adjoining Cameron House is the Cellar Park, this name being associated with a place where liquor was sold.1 This park is said to be the oldest laid down in grass in the parish. In it are vestiges of fortifications. These are described by Mr. White :-" They begin at the rivulet called Clearburn, and run on the west of the house through this park, and after intersecting the public road run about a furlong to the north, and from thence run east to Duddingston loch." T h e Clearburn rivulet does not now intersect the grounds of Prestonfield, being used for the irrigation of the meadows known as the King's Haugh. The stream is then carried to the sea in the culvert lately made for the sewage of the south side of Edinburgh. Close by stood Clearburn House, lately demolished. This old house was the boundary between Liberton and Duddingston. Here was born, in 1708, the Rev. Thomas Gillespie, the first Relief minister, and founder of the Synod of Relief. His parents were distinguished for their piety. H e lost his father, who was a farmer and brewer, when he was very young. His mother, who seems to have been a woman of decided piety, and at the same time of active habits, continued her husband's business after his death. She was accustomed to attend the services at the dispensation of the Lord's Supper by Mr. Wilson of Maxton, Mr. Boston of Ettrick, Mr. Davidson of Galashiels, and other evangelical ministers well known in the south of Scotland. On these occasions she commonly took with her Thomas, in whom the anxious mother had not yet traced those satisfactory evidences of decisive piety which her maternal regard for his best interests so earnestly desired. On one of these occasions she mentioned her distress on account of her son to Mr. Boston, who at her request spoke to him in private on his eternal welfare. His counsels made a decisive impression upon the mind
The parks which lie to the north of Cameron were described in the Edinburgh Chronicle of 1759 as Marchhall, Combhead, and Echofield, lying near the Gibbet.

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LIBERTON I N ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

of Gillespie, who was at that time a young man about twenty-four years of age, and led him soon after to commence preparation for the ministry a t the University of Edinburgh. H e left in manuscript about 800 sermons, " fairly and distinctly written." H e died on the I 9th January I 774. Sir William Dick, son of Sir James, was ruined by the Covenanters, to whom he advanced large sums of money, which were never repaid, and he died in prison for debt, at Westminster, on 19th December 1655. H e had five sons-John, who predeceased his father, Sir Andrew of Craighouse, William of Grange, and Alexander, the latter of whom had a son, James, a merchant in Edinburgh, who by his success in business acquired the barony of Corstorphin and the barony of Prestonfield, Cameron, and Clermiston. H e was knighted on 2d March 1677 by Charles II., with whom he was in great favour. H e was Lord Provost of Edinburgh in 1682 and 1683, and was created a baronet in I 707. H e died in I 728, in his eightyfifth year, leaving his only daughter, Janet, his heiress. She married Sir William Cuninghame of Caprington, and had three sons, one of whom, Sir John Cuninghame, succeeded to the estates of Prestonfield, and also to his grandfather's title of baronet, in terms of the patent and entail, but he, dying without any family in 1766, was succeeded by his younger brother, Sir Alexander Dick, then settled in England as a physician. On succeeding to the family honours, Sir Alexander gave up his profession, and retired to his estate of Prestonfield. He was, by repeated elections, for seven years successively President of the Royal College of Physicians in Edinburgh. H e entertained Dr. Samuel Johnson and Boswell for several days at Prestonfield. At his retirement, the Fellows, in testimony of the sense which they had entertained of his eminent services, hung a portrait of the ex-president in their hall, a mark of distinction never previously bestowed on any member. Sir Alexander Dick was one of the original members of the Society of Antiquaries, and he presented to that Society a collection of Roman arms, also of skulls and other human bones, togethet with the horns of animals of the deer and elk species, dredged out of the middle of a bed of shell marle at the bottom of

LIBERTON I N ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

69

Duddingston Loch.1 H e died in I 785, in the eighty-second year of his age. T h e present proprietor of Prestonfield and Cameron is Sir Robert Keith Alexander Dick-Cunyngham of Prestonfield and Lamburghtoun, county of Ayr, late Lieutenant 93d Highlanders, in which regiment he served a t the siege of Lucknow, and in eight other engagements in India in I 857 and 1858. H e was severely wounded in the action at Khujwah, 1st November 1857, and received the Indian medal with one clasp. H e married Sarah Mary, only daughter of William Hetherington, Esq., of Birkenhead, Cheshire, and has issue three sons and three daughters. Sir Robert is the ninth Baronet of Prestonfield, and seventh of Lamburghtoun. Prestonfield House, although in Duddingston parish, is near the boundary of Liberton. T h e present mansion was rebuilt by the Scottish Treasury in 1681. T h e former building was supposed to have been burned by the students of the University of Edinburgh during a political riot. T h e 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. I t is said that Prince Charles slept a t Prestonfield before the battle of Prestonpans. T h e Marquis of Lorne was born here on the 6th August 1845. T h e house is occupied a t present by C. M. P. Burn, Esq. East frorn Cameron are the lands of Peffer Mill, a name of somewhat uncertain origin. I t had also the name of Paper Milne, and here a coarse k i ~ of paper was manufactured a t the close of d last century. Here also was a bleachfield for gauze and thread, on which a considerable number of persons were employed. T h e land attached to the mill was called the King's Meadow.2 T h e mansion-house of Peffer Mill was built in 1636. Over the principal door are the names of Edgar, impaling with the mottoes
I The Earl of Buchan presented to this Society a half-sheet of brown paper of a good texture, made of some weed fished out of Duddingston Loch in 1782. a A part of the lands of Cameron, at present tenanted by Mr. Daniel Mackay, Nurseryman, and Mr. Thomas Wright, Dairyman, was purchased by the late W. J. Little Gilmour from the late Sir William Dick-Cunyngham of Prestonfield.

70

LIBERTON IN ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

The house is of picturesque elevation, with crow-stepped gables and a circular staircase surmounted by a conical roof. The lands were acquired from the Prestons of Craigmillar by the Edgar family. From the Edgars they passed to the Osburns, and afterwards to the Alexanders and Nelsons. Major George Ramsay of Whitehill was owner of Peffer Mill for a time, and it was bought from him by the late W. J. Little Gilmour. Peffer Mill is said to have been the original of the mansion of " The Laird of Dumbiedikes" in the Heart o Midlothian. The f house is also associated with a startling occurrence. Here it was that Margaret Dickson awoke to life after being hanged in Edinburgh. The story is a ghastly one. The relatives were conveying the body to Musselburgh in a cart. They had stopped at Peffer Mill to refresh themselves at the inn, when a passer by, examining the coffin through curiosity, discovered the inmate alive. When the attendants came out of the inn the dead woman had come to life. Margaret Dickson lived for a considerable time, and was known ever after by the name of " Half-hanged Maggie of hlusselburgh." Adjoining Peffer Mill is Cairntows, said to signify the beginning of the rocky rising ground. Cairntows originally belonged to the Prestons. In 1741 Mr. James Davidson of Halltree purchased it. It is now the property of Captain Gordon Gillnour, having been ' purchased by his granduncle, the late U. J. Little Gilmour. Duddingston Station on the Suburban Railway, and the brewery lately erected there, are on the lands of Cairntows. Four acres of land have been feued for the erection of a brewery by Messrs. Drybrough and Company of Edinburgh. After boring to a considerable depth, spring water, well adapted for brewing purposes, has been obtained. A butterine factory has been in operation for several years in the same place, and extensive building operations are in contemplation in the immediate neighbourhood.

" Quod vult dat Deus," "Dum Spiro Spero."

.
if

.-.;-

house is of

: zircular stair,1

raigmillar by :: r:~eOsburns, . :.I>ior George i: rime, and it -. . . . . .

r:

CHAPTER VI.
NIDDRIE AND BRUNSTANE.

'r : r t:e mansion of , , .. . . h The F . , Here it was :-:n:ed in Edinat Peffer l., examining . : \\'hen the . . r ~. come to life. .. > -.-. . . ~: was known - .. 2 : ..- .sselburgh." r:/-: beginning > , :3e . . I.- :.,>:lged to the tI : purchased it. r. . r . having been -. I-;: ..::~ur.
:I ..- r F
: '
l,

H E lands of Niddrie, on the east side of the parish, are

not very extensive, but they are compactly situated and the soil is very fertile. T h e word Niddrie is evidently of Celtic origin. It is sometimes spelt Nidrof and Nidraif in the old documents. Unlike that of Craigmillar, the name is not derived from any topographical feature. T h e addition of Marischal to the name arose, as several writers aver, from the Lairds of Niddrie having been hereditary Bailies to the Keiths, Earls Marischal and Marischal deputes in Midlothian. In some manuscript notes written by Liilliam Wauchope of Niddrie in I 700, the author says, that according to tradition the addition of the name of Marischal to that of Niddrie arose from the family having great power and possessions on the southern borders. In the reign of David II., Liralter, the son of Augustine, burgess of Edinburgh, had a charter of the lands of Niddrie, in the county of Edinburgh, qullilk John Bannantyne of Corrokie resigned, and in the same reign Henry Niddrie had a charter from John Bannantyne in Corrokie of the three part lands of Niddrie-Marischall, so called even before the GVauchopes came into possession of them. In point of ancient lineage the liauchopes of Niddrie-Marischal stand highest in the parish. Their local contemporaries of the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth centuries have all disappeared. They themselves passed through the ordeal of those unhappy feuds and civil wars by which so many were swept away, and though they suffered considerably both at home and abroad, yet their descendants retain the same heritage in which their fathers rejoiced more than five hundred years ago. Pentland Burn runs through the grounds. It drives the mills

: : -~ .~ r . . ed

.t-.-i?. by
S

Four acres of Messrs. . . .: : ::g to a con:! L T:..~.-:II~ purposes,

.

I--..

:::ngoperations

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LIBER TON IN ANCIENT AND MODE RN TIMES.

at Niddrie and Brunstane. A village formerly stood near the mansion-house of Niddrie. It lay on both sides of the stream, and the public road passed through it. It is said to have contained three hundred families, and it also boasted three breweries and fourteen houses which sold liquor. This village has entirely disappeared. A chapel, the Capella de Nudry-Merschal, stood on the north side of the rivulet, at the west end of the present mansion. It was dedicated to God and the Blessed Virgin Mary, and held of the Abbey of Holyrood. The priest who officiated at its foundation in 1502 was styled Dominus Willielmus Werok. He had a manse, an acre of ground as glebe, the right of pasturage for two cows on the common, and a salary of twelve merks payable from the lands of Pylmuir, in the parish of Currie, which, with Ravelrig, at that time belonged to the barony of Niddrie. The fabric of the chapel was destroyed by a mob from Edinburgh, after they had sacked the Chapel at Holyrood House in 1688. After the Reformation the chapelry of Niddrie was united to the church of Liberton, and as the Laird of Niddrie was patron of the chapel, his family became joint patrons with the Crown of that church. There is still a burialplace on the west side of the policy, where several of the inhabitants of the village were interred. The present burying-ground has been in use since 1685. The family of Niddrie-illarischal was attainted in the reign of James 11'. for having been concerned in an inroad into England, so that most of the old charters and evidents were lost. The estate was again forfeited in the time of Queen Mary, the lairds, both elder and younger, having espoused her cause. At a later period the house was burned by certain neighbours who were at feud with its possessors; a further destruction being wrought by the English invaders in the time of Cromwell. A family of the name of Nudrie appears to have preceded possession by the IVauchopes, at least in the case of the three part land of Niddrie-Marischal. The date of their last charter of confirmation is 18th October I 364. The first Wauchope in whose name a charter appears is Gilbcrt, who had a charter " of the lands of Niddery " from Robert I I I., who began to reign in I 390, and it is possible that he was not the first of the fanlily in the possession of the lands of Niddrie.

LIBERTON IN ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

73

Patric de Wauchope, and Isabel, his spouse, are mentioned in the Acts of the Lords Auditors 6th November 1470, as pursuing George, Lord Setoun, " for the spoilation and taking of twa oxen of the lands of Greendykes, pertaining to the said Isabel by reason of terce and thrid,~ and taken be the said Lord for the malis of the said lands, be reason of gift made to him of the wardes of the said lands," &c. T h e Lords Auditors found that Lord Setoun had done wrong, and ordered him to return the oxen. T h e lands of Greenside or Greendykes are in the vicinity of Niddrie Edge. Archibald Wauchope had a tack of the teind sheafs or tithes of the Lairds of Niddrie-Marischal from Robert, Abbot of Holyrood, dated I ~ t h June 1493. Patrick Herring, Dominus de Gilmerton, granted a charter in favour of Archibald Wauchope and Eufeme, his spouse, of the two merk lands in Gilmerton, dated 4th February 1498. Robert Wauchope, Archbishop of Armagh, was one of the most remarkable members of this family. T h e feuds, chiefly about land, which began in his father's lifetime ran high during his own. Sir James Melville, in his memoirs, relates the following incident about this prelate :-" When travelling with a French Ambassador, named John de Mouluck, Bishop of Valance, to Ireland, the Patriarch of Ireland did meet us, who was a Scotsman born, called Wauchope, and was blind of both his eyes, yet he had been divers times at Rome by post. H e did great honour to the Ambassador, and convoyed him to see St. Patrick's purgatory, which is like an old coal-pit which had taken fire, by reason of the smoke that came out of the hole." Archbishop Wauchope was a man of extraordinary talent. .After studying, probably under a tutor, at home, he was sent by his parents to France, where he finished his course-belles lettres and philosophy. H e then applied himself to theology, and after several years repaired to Rome, where he took holy orders. Returning to Paris, he there became distinguished by his varied
I "Terce and thrid," a liferent competent by law to widows who have not accepted of a special provision of the heritable subjects in which their husbands died infeft.--Erskine.

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LIBERTON 12V ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMRS.

accomplishments. His piety, however, led him to the almost exclusive study of divinity, and he attained to such proficiency in a knowledge of the Scriptures, the Fathers and Councils, that in all public discussions he appeared with marked distinction. At length he received the degree of Doctor of Divinity from the University of Paris, of which he became Procurator. H e was also appointed Visitor of all the Colleges in France-an extraordinary office, but which was deemed necessary from the spread of the Reformed religion. His abilities having attracted the notice of Pope Paul III., he was called to Rome about the year 1535, and received the commission of legate to the Emperor of Germany and King of France, in both of which posts he exhibited the highest prudence and tact. Archbishop Wauchope was present during the sitting of the Council of Trent till the year I 55 I, and not only took part in the proceedings, but wrote a fill1 account of them. H e barely outlived this harassing and exciting labour, as he died a t Paris on his wxy home on the 10th November of that year. Gilbert Wauchope of Niddrie-Marischal had a charter as heirapparent to Archibald, 6th November 150.1, and a charter of confirmation from James IV. " Villz de Gilmertoun," dated 15th December 1504. H e was involved in the feuds with the Edmonstons and Wauchtons in 1553. H e obtained a protection for himself and family from Jamcs V. Unlike his predecessors, he took an active part in promoting the Reformation, and he frequently filled the office of Deputy-hlarischal in Parliament from 1 5 2 7 to I 535. Tames Wauchope, a grandson of Gilbert, was slain a t the comdat in St. Leonard's Hill, on Sunday, the 20th April 1600, by Robert Auchmuttie, a barber. Each of thc combatants had two followers ; the sons of the Bailie of Niddrie were James Wauchope's seconds. T h e duel, which originated in some insulting words exchanged between the parties while in company in the city, was fought without a licence. Auchmuttie was tried, condemned, and beheaded. When committed to prison he nearly effected his escape by applying vitriol to the iron stanchions. (The trial is the first on record for duelling. There were lengthy pleadings 017 both sides.) William Wauchope does not seem to have had any connection

LIBERTON IN ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

75

with the feuds of his day, yet he had a ~rotectionfrom Queen Mary, dated 8th May 1555. H e died in I 587, as appears from the inscription on his tomb in the vault at Niddrie House-" Hear lyes ane honor - abil - man - William Wauchope of Nidre - Merchilquha - deceisit - the vi. day of Februar I 587." H e had a son named Archibald, who was his heir. H e was of a bold and reckless humour, and entered into the feud with the Edmonstons with great keenness. H e was an adherent of Francis Stewart, Earl of Bothwell, and as such was one of those who broke into Holyrood House on the night of the 27th December I 59 I , to the terror and dismay of the King. The conspirators missed the the object of their hatred, however-Maitland the Chancellor-and entered without doing much mischief. For this offence Wauchope was forefaulted along with the Earl of Bothwell and his accomplices. H e had been connected with deeds of this kind at a pretty early period of life. On 25th December 1590 he had a remission for the slaughter of Gilbert Home from the kinsmen and friends of the deceased on payment of " 500 lbs." This deed was committed by Wauchope and his servant, Joseph Reidpath, so far back as 1580, at the Paper Milne, now called Peffer Mill. Archibald, and John Wauchope, Bailie of Niddrie, his uncle, were both indited on a charge of treason, R4ay 29, 1592, and December 2 7 , 1593. Archibald, who did not appear, was declared a rebel. This Archibald maintained a large number of followers. Calderwood relates a murder committed by him upon the 16th January 1590 :-" The young Laird of Niddrie killed a gentleman, depending upon the Abbot of Holyrood, because he reproved him for striking an officer of arms. Immediately after the slaughter he went to Edinburgh, and had conference with Bothwell.') His fate was characteristic of his career. While in concealment in Skinner's Close, Edinburgh, his servant gave the alarm that his enemies had surrounded the house. With the view of escaping or destroying himself rather than be taken prisoner, he sprang out of an upper window, and in falling broke his neck. H e predeceased his father, and of course never succeeded to the property. Sir John \Vauchope, the ninth from Gilbert, was a person of

76

LIBERTON IiZr ANCIENT AND MODRRN T M S .

great prudence and sagacity, and took an active part in public affairs down almost to the very close of a long and useful life. H e had a son name John of Edmonston, christened, it is said, when Charles I. was in Scotland in 1633. The King was present in person at the ceremony, and took from his own neck a beautiful gold and enamel chain, which he placed round that of the child. This chain is still in the possession of the family of Sir John Don Wauchope of Edmonston. Sir John was bred for the bar. H e married Ann, only daughter of James Raith of Edmonston, and succeeded to the estate, of which he had a Crown charter in 1671, In I 672 he was appointed a Lord of Session, as Lord Edmonston, when Charles Maitlarld of Hatton, brother to the Duke of Lauderdale, was superseded ; but having disobliged King James I I. by voting against a scheme for educating the young Marquis of Montrose in the Roman Catholic faith, he was displaced in 1688. This was remarkable, as Lord Edmonston's brother, Andrew Wauchope of Niddrie, was a Roman Catholic. H e had a son by his second wife, named James, who appears to have joined Dundee, and probably fought at Killiecrankie in 1689. The name of James Wauchope, brother of the Laird of Niddrie, occurs amongst those summoned to appear before a Committee of the Estates, to answer for their treasonably rysing in armes, and joining with the Viscount of Dundee," a declared rebel, 15th May 1689. H e died, probably abroad, before I 698. Andrew Wauchope, successor to his brother John, married in 1656 Margaret, eldest daughter of Sir John Gilmour of Craigmillar, President of the Court of Session. H e had a family of nineteen. His sons were William, his heir, James, and Gilbert, Lord F-ountainhall. William survived until 1725, when, his two brothers being dead, and the two sons of his uncle, Lord Edmonston, being dead also, all without issue, and the daughters being excluded by the settlement on heirs-male, the son of James, his uncle by half-blood, succeeded. This James Wauchope was served heir of his father's second marriage 1685. H e married Jane, daughter of Sir William Wallace, Bart., of Craigie, by a daughter of William Menzies of Pitfoddles, and had a son, Andrew Wauchope of Niddrie, who succeeded his
l'

LIBERTON IN ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES,

77

cousin in I 725. H e (Andrew) married in June I 735 Helen, daughter of the Hon. Andrew Hume of Kimmerghame, son of Patrick, first Earl of Marchmont, and had three sons-Andrew, his heir, William, and John. Andrew Wauchope, the thirteenth from Gilbert, was a captain in the First Regiment of Dragoon Guards and fought at the battle of Minden. In the ballad " Carle, now the King's come," he is thus alluded to" Come stately Niddrie, auld and true,
Girt with the sword that Minden knew, We have ower few sic lairds as youCarle, now the King's come."

H e married, 26th September- I 776, Alicia, daughter of Willianl Baird of Newbytl~, and sister of General Sir David Baird, the hero of Seringapatam, and had a large family. In Miss Warrender's interesting little work, Walks roundEdinburgh, the following circumstance is related, which took place in this Laird's time : " When the year I 745 brought Prince Charles to this country to make his gallant attempt to win back his father's throne, the Laird of Niddrie collected a considerable sum of money for the the royal cause. The Prince was encamped at Duddingston, but as some of the enemy's troops lay between that village and Niddrie, it was difficult to convey the money to him. The plan the Laird adopted was this : he sent his son, a boy about six years old, in charge of his tutor with a large basket of fruit as a present to the Prince. The money was carefully concealed at the bottom of the basket ; the boy passed through the enemy's lines in safety, they suspecting nothing, and reached the royal camp, where he delivered the money into the Prince's own hands. A few days afterwards, as the Prince was marching out with his troops, he perceived the boy with his tutor on the further side of hedge. He stopped and said, Is that the young Lairdof Niddrie?' And desiring the tutor to lift him over the hedge, he took him up in his arms and gave him his blessing. This is not the only time that the Laird of Niddrie sent supplies to his royal master, for on another occasion the money was successfully taken to the Prince by one of the Yetholm tenants,
I

78

LIBERTON Iilr ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMZS.

a man named Thomson, who packed the coins in a load of hay and succeeded in crossing the country undiscovered. As a reward for his courage and loyalty, the laird gave him his land rent free from that time. The Laird's own family were of divided opinions, his wife, a Hume, Lord Kimmerghame's daughter, being a Whig, like all her family. She had a cousin, a Sandilands, in the Hanoverian army. H e was wounded at Prestonpans, whereupon the Lady of Niddrie went out secretly, brought him back from the field of battle, and, unknown to her husband, attended him in a place of safety until his recovery. Another link with the old Jacobite days lasted well into this century, in the person of Lucky Brown, who lived at one of the lodges. She had been Mrs. Wauchope's nurse, and was a Cumberland woman by birth. In the '45 she was living near Carlisle with her father, and when Prince Charles passed their house on his march south, they had breakfast laid out for him on the louping-on stone. H e stopped and breakfasted there, and a few months later, when the Ilanoverians fastened the heads of the executed Jacobites over the gates of Carlisle, Lucky Brown and another young woman procured a ladder, and in the dead of night took down every head, carrying them away in their aprons, and buried them. Lady John Scott, aunt of the present Duke of' Buccleuch, remembers Lucky Brown quite well, and has often heard her grandfather tell the story of his expedition to the Prince's camp." The present laird, Colonel Andrew Gilbert Wauchope, of the Black Watch, is the seventeenth in direct succession from Gilbert IVauchope of 1390. He served in the Ashantee War of 1873-74, being twice wounded. From 1878 to 1880 he held the appointment of Civil Commissioner in Cyprus, and during that time was delegate on the Sultan's Lands Commission, for which he received the distinction of C.M.G. H e was engaged in the Egyptian Expedition of 1882, and was at the battle of Tel-el-Kebir, for which he received a medal with clasp, and the Khedive's Star. H e served in the Soudan Expedition under Sir Gerald Graham in 1884 as Deputy Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster-General, and was in the engagement at El-Teb, where he was severely wounded. In

LIBERTON I N AATCIEflT AND MODERN TIMES.

79

1884-85 he served with the First Battalion of the Black Watch in the Nile Expedition and with the River Column under MajorGeneral Earle, taking part in the engagement at Kirbekan, where he was severely wounded and his life despaired of. H e has also received the distinction of C.B. In 1892 Colonel Wauchope contested Mid-Lothian against the Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone at the General Election, and has recently received his commission as Deputy Lieutenant of the county. The older portion of Niddrie House, including the tower, was built by Sir John, but it is possible that it may have been commenced by his father. I t bears the date 1636. The style of building is that which prevailed at the period, strength and elegance being combined. The tower is arched both below and above, and has a battlement which could be used as a means of defence. In the dining-room, above the fireplace, is a portrait of Sir William Wallace. This picture, which differs considerably from the popular representations of the Scottish hero, has unfortunately no history. I t is, however, of considerable age and excellence as a painting. (A copy of this portrait appears, with the permission of the proproprietor, as a frontispiece of a work entitled Wallace and A& Times.) T h e Niddrie picture, if not an original, is from the same source as that preserved at Priory Lodge, Cheltenham, in the hands of a descendant of the Craigie-Wallace family. In the Wallace papers it is said by the owner to have been presented to his ancestor Robert Wallace of Holmston, Sheriff of Ayr, by Lady Southesk, who picked it up in France. T h e portrait in Niddrie House is thought to have been brought into the family through the marriage of James Wauchope in 1710 with Jane, daughter of Sir W illiam Wallace, Bart., of Craigie. A few houses still remain at the north-east corner of the park, where Niddrie Mill formerly stood. These are called Milltown and Hunter's Mill. A family lived there who, from father to son, had been bakers to the Wauchopes for nearly five hundred years. They died out in the time of the father of the present Laird. T o the south of Niddrie, at Niddrie Edge, Alexander, Lord Home, was defeated by the Earl of Bothwell. Each of them had a

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LIBERTON I N ANCIENT AND IMODERN TIMES.

considerable number of followers. This rencontre happened in 1594, and was called the Raid of Greenside or Greendikes. T h e inhabitants of Niddrie had frequent skirmishes with those of Edmonston, in one of which it is said that the latter forcibly seized the bell belonging to the chapel of the other, and carried it off, and placed it in the chapel of Edmonston, where it still remains. East from the house was a rising ground called the Law Knowe, where in more early times judgment was dispensed, and probably feudal obligations were discharged. This knoll does not now exist.' T h e Niddrie coal-work seems to have been commenced in the seventeenth century. There is an account of the outlay and income, beginning 1st June 1696 up till 18th May 1700, by Andrew Wauchope. " T h e accompt of uncost," before any yield was realised, amounted to 677 sterling. Some of the entries are curious :" F o r marking on the sink, a gallon of aill, 16s." " F o r setting of the stoolls, halfe a gallon of aill, 8s." " Sinking g fathome of the holl, at 6 lb. the fathome, 54.'' " A wife for carrying the picks " T o Robin Henderson too and frae the smiddie, I 5 dayes, 3.'' for 10 darg a t the coal1 mynd, a t 10s. ye day, 5." " For timber" F o r five fathomes of stair, ing 3 fathomes of the stair sink 2.'' putting in at a merk the fathome, 3 : 6 : S." " T o Robt. Henderson, one day and a halfe neidling ye stair and mending ye sink, 15s." " F o r 7 fathome of sinking and mining mynd at 4 lb. ye fathome, 28.'' " For marking on of the stair sink, a gallon of aill, 16s." " F o r setting on the stoolls thereon, 4 pynts, 8s." " T o pay Tove for 6 ston 3 pound ye windoes (windlas), too 3 Ibs. 6s. 8d. per ston, 21.~) ( ' F o r casting the stank and bigging the dam-dyke, 8 : 8 ~ . , &c. ~' The price of the load of coals was 2s. 2d. From "ane extract drawn out of this compt book of the who11 net money and coalls for the laird's use, produced be his coalierie from the I s t June 1692 to
About a hundred years ago, in the grounds belonging to North Mains, were found in several places stone cists, containing human remains of a very large size.

LIBER TON I N ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

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the I 8th May I 700, being 8 years, conform to the particular instructions of this book," the total amounted to 1 1,384 : 4 : 8 net money. T h e present village of Niddrie consists principally of a long row of cottages, inhabited partly by colliers, the working of coal being now pretty extensive. North-east from Niddrie-Marischal is Brunstane, anciently called Gilberton.~ T h e main part of the house, which is large, was built by John, Earl and afterwards Duke of Lauderdale, in 1639, a man of great abilities and singular accomplishments. H e was one of the Commissioners appointed by the Presbyterians of Scotland to confer with the Divines at Westminster in 1643, in order to remodel the formularies of the Church. In 1644 he was one of the Commissioners from the Estates to treat with the King a t Uxbriclge, but the negotiations proved futile. H e was again commissioned by the Parliament to confer with His Majesty at Hampton Court in 1647, the result of which was the raising of an army to rescue the King. When the Scots were ready to march into England the Earl was sent over to Holland to endeavour to prevail with the Prince of \Vales to repair to the Scottish army, but without effect. Before the Earl got back to Scotland the execution of the King had been perpetrated, and the Earl returned at once to Holland to offer his services to Charles II., and was most graciously received by him.
I There is an inventory of old title-deeds of the lands of Gilberton, beginning with a charter by King Willianl to Fleming, his clerk, of lands which formerly belonged to Gilbert Sufack :-" I n July 1410 a charter passed under the Great Seal of the lands of Gilberton to Margaret Creichtoune, spouse of William Creichtoune of Brumston, in the parish of Penicuik; the lands of Gilberton were held in chief of the King, for service of ward and relief. In 1447 Thomas Creichtoune had sasine of the lands of Gilberton. I n 1456 George Creichtoune had also sasine. I n 1461 John Creichtoune was retoured heir. I n 1487 Edward Creichtounc succeeded to the estate of Gilberton. On the 27th April I507 Edward Creichtoune was succeeded by his son John in all his lands, but in December of that year the latter resigned the lands of Gilberton, with mansion and orchards, into the King's hands, who granted them to Patrick Creichtoune of Kinglassy, son of his familiar Sir Patrick Creichtoune of Cranston-Redell, Knight, under reservation of John Creichtoune's liferent and his wife's terce. I t would appear that Patrick had advanced money to John, and obtained the lands of Gilberton as security. I n 1597 the lands of Gilberton were alienated to Dame Jean Fleming, Lady Thir1estane."-Wilson's A7:naZs nf Penimik.

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In 1650 the King came to Scotland, and the Earl accompanied him, though both the Duke of Hamilton and he were obliged to conceal themselves among their friends for some time, both being regarded as hostile by Argyle and the Covenanting party. At the battle of Worcester Lauderdale was taken prisoner and committed to the Tower, where he underwent a rigorous confinement of nine years, until he was released by the Restoration in I 660. After this, in recompense of his sufferings, and on account of his great learning, he became the King's first favourite and Prime Minister. Posts of honour were showered upon him. H e was made Secretary of State, President of the Council, Heritable High Sheriff of the County of Edinburgh, one of the Extraordinary Lords of Session, First Commissioner of the Treasury, one of the Lords of His Majesty's Bedchamber, Lord High Commissioner to the Parliament, and Governor of Edinburgh Castle. On 2d May 1672 he was created Marquis of lCIarcll and Dulte of Lauderdale by patent to him and the heirs-male of his body. H e died 24th August 1682. His coat of arms, impaling those of his wife, Lady Anne, daughter and CO-heiress of Alexander, Earl of Home, surmounted the entrance of the house. From time to time various additions have been made to Brunstane. An older mansion on the same site, in the time of the Reformation, belonged to a family named Crighton. In 1545 George Wishart ventured to preach in Leith, and among those who heard him was the Laird of Brunstane, at whose house he stayed, accompanied at times by Knox,-who always found a warm welcome and shelter,-his devoted scholar, and the bearer of his two-handed sword. " George Wishart was apprehended in the house of Ormiston by the Earl of Bothwell, when the Laird of Brunstane and others were with him, their servants going on foot to Ormiston, for it was a vehement frost."-(Calderwood's History). In I 546 the Laird of Brunstane was forfeited, but the forfeiture was withdrawn in a Parliament held by the Queen Regent in 1556. T h e house of Brunstane was sold to Archibald, Duke of Argyle, in I 736. Ten years afterwards it was purchased by James,

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third Earl of Abercorn. Part of the lands of Brunstane, with the house, were sold in 1747 to Andrew Fletcher, whose armorial bearings are above the door, a distinguished judge, under the designation of Lord Milton, and for many years 'c sous ministre " of Scotland under Archibald, Duke of Argyle. His father was Henry Fletcher of Saltoun. The genius of Lord Milton appears to have been derived from his mother, who was a daughter of Sir David Carnegy of Pitarrow, and granddaughter of David, Earl of Southesk. During the troubles in which the family were involved in consequence of their liberal principles, this lady went to Holland, taking with her a weaver and a millwright,-both men of genius and enterprise in their respective departments,-and by their means she secretly obtained the art of weaving and dressing fine linen cloth called Holland, of which she established the manufacture at Salton. Andrew, her son, was born in 1692, and educated for the bar. H e was admitted Advocate in I 71 7, one of the Lords of Session in I 724, when only thirty-two years of age, and Lord Justice-Clerk in 1735, which office, on being appointed Keeper of the Signet in 1748, he relinquished. After a truly useful and meritorious life of seventyfour years, he died at his house of Brunstane on the 13th December I 766.1 H e succeeded the celebrated Lord Fountainhall, and was much esteemed for the mild and forbearing manner with which he exercised his authority as Lord Justice-Clerk. After the Rebellion of I 745 he sternly discouraged all informers ; and many cornmunications, which he suspected to have been sent by over-officious and malignant persons, were found in his repositories, after his death, unopened. His wife was a daughter of Sir Francis Kinloch of Gilmerton, East Lothian. The heirs of Andrew Fletcher sold the house and part of the lands which belonged to him to James, eighth Earl of Abercorn, whose descendant and representative, the first Duke of Abercorn, sold Brunstane in 1875 to the Benhar Coal Company.
I His town residence was Milton House in the Canongate, which of course derived its name from his official title. The site is now occupied by one of the Edinburgh Board Schools.

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Brunstane House has been bought lately by Sir James Miller of Manderston. Mr. White thus describes the ground around the house as seen by him about the middle of last century :-" There are many old trees. T h e garden, which contains more than three acres, is on the east side, and at some distance from the house. It is encompassed with a high wall, being of an oblong form. In it are still many fruit trees. A fine walk reaches from west to east ; towards the centre there is a pond on each hand. A t the further end of the south pond, on an artificial mound, there is a summer-house. On the south side of the garden is a circular mound, round about which there has been a broad gravel walk. I t was formerly surrounded with water, and there could be no access to it except by a boat or a bridge." T h e lands of Brunstane are not extensive, but are well enclosed. T h e north-west park,-a deer-park it seems to have been in its palmy days,-is intersected by the burn. Here formerly were a great many houses and cottages, and many inhabitants. Barracks were also erected here. Now, not the smallest vestige of any of these buildings remains. I t is probable that Brunstane was once the property of the Wauchopes, Niddrie-Marischal being a part of the barony. In the approach to the house there is a bridge over the burn which is very picturesque, and of great antiquity, possibly dating from Roman times. Brunstane Mills were a t one time famous for the manufacture of thick chamois leather for soldiers' belts, by which much money was realised. They are now the property of Wiliiam Tod, Junior, and Company, papermakers, Springfield and Lasswade.

CHAPTER VII.
T H E DRUM A N D G I L M E R T O N .

H E lands of the Drum are on the south side of the parish. Drum signifies a rising ground, the back or ridge of a hill. Sir John Herring, who also held lands in Clydesdale, possessed then1 before 1320. This Kinght appears, from JNyntoun1s Chronicle, to have been a constant adherent and companion of the gallant Sir Alesander Ramsey of Dalhousie, alld used to join him in making inroads into England. H e distinguished himself specially in the victory which Ramsey gained over the English near Norham in 1355. The hero of the capture of Rosburgh was Sir Alexander Ramsey of Dalwolsey or Dalhousie. As a reward for his services he was appointed Sheriff of Teviotdale. There was another hero of the war, however, who counted that the sheriffship belonged or should belong to himself; that was Sir VCTilliam Douglas, called the Knight of Liddesdale, a natural son of the Good Lord James. H e leaders in the guerilla was one of the most audacicus and successf~~l warfare of his day. H e was knightly, too, in his bearing, and earned the applauding title of the Flower of Chivalry. His conduct on this occasion was a poor justification of the title. Coming from his castle of Hermitage, which he had taken from the English and kept, he seized the Sheriff while, it is said, he was transacting the business of his office, and dragged him to Hermitage, where he thrust him into a vault and left him to die of starvation. By this act Douglas gained what he wanted, and became governor of Roxburgh Castle. About the year 1320 a sad catastrophe happened in the family of Sir John Herring, which was the means of his giving up half of his lands in Liberton. Sir John, who had two daughters, Margaret and Giles by name, intended to marry the elder to his brother's son

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Patrick, and make them heirs to the greater part of his estate, but his intentions were frustrated in a most unhappy manner. Margaret, who was very beautiful, of a melancholy and devout disposition, was a rigid observer of all the rites and ceremonies of the Church, and for the purpose of performing the same was in the habit of frequenting the Abbey of Newbattle, which was about three miles distant from Gilmerton. There she made the acquaintance of a young monk, who, under a pretext of holiness, insinuated himself into her confidence, and then took advantage of the ascendancy he gained over her to ensnare and betray her. But fearing that this intrigue should be detected, the monk arranged to meet her at a little farm called the Grange, in the neighbourhood of Gilmerton, which was surrounded with trees. T h e mistress, a young widow, was the more willing to lend herself to the plan as she was also carrying on an intrigue with another monk at Newbattle. In spite of the monk's caution, suspicions were soon aroused, from the undue familiarity subsisting between a lady of rank and one so far beneath her in position, and of such doubtful character as the mistress of the Grange. Soon the rumours came to Sir John's ears, and he, being a man of violent temper, threatened his daughter with nothing less than death, should she ever resort to the Grange again. Margaret promised compliance with his wishes, but that very night she slipped out to apprise the monk of her father's suspicions. Sir John missed her, and at once proceeded to the Grange, accompanied by two servants. Finding the door of the farm-house shut when he arrived, and admittance being denied him, his worst suspicions were confirmed, and her death alone could, in his eyes, wipe out the disgrace. In a fit of rage he took the torch from his servant's hand and deliberately set fire to the thatch. In a moment the building was in a blaze, and all its inmates, of whom his daughter was one, perished in the flames. For this cruel act, which was aggravated into sacrilege from the fact that two churchmen were victims, Sir John had to fly the country, while his estate was forfeited to the King. His friend, Sir Walter Somerville of Carnwath, however, represented to the Abbot of Newbattle how scandalous the lives of the two monks had been, even before their acquaintance with the unhappy lady, and

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how their villanies had thrown the greatest reproach on the order to which they belonged. These entreaties moved the Abbot to petition the Bishop of St. Andrews, craving for him the absolution of the Church. Meanwhile Sir John, with his remaining daughter, Giles, a beautiful girl of eighteen, secretly took up their abode at Sir Walter's Castle of Couthally. While there, Sir Walter, who was a widower at the time, fell in love with Giles, and made a bargain with her father, that if he procured Sir John's pardon from the King, he should marry Giles, and "half of the lands of Gilmerton should be settled on him and his wife, and the heirs of that marriage, or any other marriage past or to come, irredeemable for ever." At last, by Somerville's exertions, the matter was arranged, and an agreement come to as follows :-" That Sir John should make over for him and his the merlt lands of the Grange, where the murder was committed, to and in favour of the Abbey of Newbattle, claiming no right therein, neither in property, superiority, nor vassalage, in all time coming, and further, that the said John Herring should, bareheaded crave absolution at the Bishop's and and barelegged, in sacltclotl~, Abbot's hands, and stand in the same manner at the principal door of St. Catherine's Chapel, every Sabbath and holy day, for one year, paying forty pennies at every time to the poor of the parish, and IOO merks to the monlts of Newbattle, to pray for the souls of those who died through his trangression." These conditions being agreed to, Sir John received the King's pardon, was restored to his estate, and had absolution from the Church.'
I The weird legend of Sir Walter Scott's ballad, The Gray Brother, is founded on this story, and in the following verses the Abbot is represented as returning from Rome, clothed in sackcloth robes, to revisit the scene of the crime, after being excommunicated by the Pope for the part he bore in it :U And the convent bell did vespers tell, Newbattle's oaks among, And mingled with the solemn knell Our Ladye's evening song.

" The heavy knell, the choir's faint swell,

Came slowly down the wind, And on the pilgrim's ear they fell, As his wonted path he did find.

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Sir John did not live long after his daughter's marriage. Before his death, however, he clisponecl half of his lands in Gilmerton to his nephew, Patrick Herring. But the property did not long remain in the hands of the family ; Patrick's great-grandson, Sir Gilbert Herring, was forced to sell it to William Ramsey to pay his debts. Grange Farm, where this tragic event happened, is now the property of Henry Dundas, Lord h'lelville. I t is also known by the name of Burndale, or, as it was called a hundred years ago, Burnt-dole. Around Gilmerton Grange, in 1302, the third division of an men, under the comEnglish army encamped, consisting of ~ o , o o o mand of Sir Robert Neville, when a battle took place on the 24th February, near Rosslyn. T h e English army was totally routed by the Scots, who were under the command of John Coniyn and Simon Fraser. T h e whole English army was commanded by John D e Segrave. H e was accompanied by an important person, Ralph d e Manton, or Ralph the Cofferer, as he was called, because he was paymaster. T h a t eminent historian Dr. Hill Burton, who lived and died in the parish of Liberton, says that any account we have of the triple battle of Rosslyn is meagre and indistinct. W e must depend on the English chroniclers, and all we can distinctly carry from them is that their army was surprised, and had the worst part in the conflict. One day a boy ran into the camp, telling that from the top of one of the high banks abundant round Rosslyn an army might be seen close upon them. I t had come from the uplands of Peebles and Lanark, and fell on Segrave by surprise. He was wounded and made prisoner along with twenty knights. Another of the divisions

" Deep slink in thought, I ween,

he was, Nor ever raised his eye Until he came to that dreary place, Which did all in ruins lie. walls so scathed with fire, With many a bitter groanAnd there was aware of a Gray Friar Resting him on a stone."

" H e gazed on the

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came up and released the captives, but seems rather to have suffered than to have inflicted punishment. T h e services of the third division indeed sho\v that the others were in flight. This division had been hearing mass, undisturbed by the double battle, and after it was over were enabled to check the retreat of the other two divisions, and punish their pursuers. Ralph the Cofferer was among the slain. Into some old accounts of this battle it has found its way that Wallace was present, and commanded the Scots force. I t may have been so, but it is not sufficiently vouched to be admitted as a historical fact. T h e Scottish chroniclers, Iliyntoun and Bower, articulate this affair into a great battle, and an eminent victory gained by the Scots, but as they accompany it with acts of extreme cruelty, their narrative of triumph may be abandoned without any sacrifice of the national honour. Lord LValter Somerville, who married Sir John Herring's daughter, was Lord of Linton and Carnwath, in Lanarkshire, and was descended from Sir Gualtier Somerville, who, with his two sons, Sir David and Sir John, fought at the battle of Biggar in 1297, under Sir William Wallace, wherein father and sons behaved themselves very worthily. There was a Sir Walter de Somerville, who lived in England in the year I 100, and who carried on the line of that great and opulent family with added lustre. H e was famous for his hospitality, and is recorded to have given a flitch of bacon as a reward to any husband and wife who could say that they had never had the least difference, nor had contradicted one another within the space of twelve morlths after marriage. Probably this was the origin of the ancient rite of Dunmow, in the county of Essex, where a happy couple can demand a flitch of bacon at the end of a year from their marriage. Sir James Somerville, son of Sir Walter and Giles, like many of his brave ancestors, was a true patriot and a gallant soldier. H e accompanied King David in his unfortunate expedition into England, where he lost his life at the battle of Durham in 1346. Having left no family, he was succeeded by his brother, Sir Thomas, who also attended the King into England, and behaved with the utmost

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resolution at the battle of Durham, where his royal master was taken prisoner. He, however, had the good fortune to escape, and being a man of great parts, was sent to England by the Estates of the kingdom to treat about the King's liberty in 1354. Sir Thomas had three sons, William, Thomas, and John, and two daughters. T o Thomas he gave the lands of Gilmerton, Drum, and Goodtrees, but he dying without issue, the lands returned to the family. His brother, Sir LITilliam de Somerville, succeeded him. H e was one of the noble Scotch heirs who were appointed sureties for King David's ransom in 1357. Sir William had vast possessions in lands, and being a man of great parts, was in great favour, and highly esteemed by King Robert 11. This knight had two sons, Tllomas and JVilliam. Thornas, the elder, succeeded to the estates, and was first Lord Somerville. From the Memovie of fhe So~evviZZes it appears that, " in this year (presumably I 427) coal and lime had been wrought in the lands of Gilmerton. 'Thomas, being returned from the south, came to Mid-Lothian, and ordered his affairs in Gilmerton, from which lands he reaped so much benefit, both in real and casual rent, as he did from any other of his baronies within the nation, having both coals and limestone in abundance, with a constant and settled rent, being all of it in acre-dale rent (except the Drum and Moredun) duly paid, because of the near neighbourhead of the tounc of Edinburgh." This Lord Somerville was one of the Commissioners to England to negotiate the liberty of James I. in 1423, and, upon the King returning home the year after, he was called to Parliament by His Majesty as a Lord Baron, along with five others, who had been hostages for his ransom, " most of whom are either arrived at higher dignities or are extinct." 1Ie was one of the sureties for a seven years' truce with the English, and was appointed one of the Wardens of the Marches towards England in 1424. That same year he sat as a peer in the trial of Murdoch, Duke of Albany. There is sufficient proof that Lord Somerville was a Lord of Parliament in 1424, and he appears to have been the first Lord Baron of Scotland. H e married Janet Stewart, daughter of Alexander Stewart, Lord Darnley, ancestor of James VI., and left two sons, TVilliam and

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Thomas, and three daughters, Mary, Giles, and Margaret. Mary married Sir William Hay of Yester, ancestor of the Marquis of Tweeddale. Giles married Sir Robert Logan of Restalrig. Margaret married Kilpatrick of Closeburn, in Nithsdale, and, secondly, Thomas Kerr of Fernyhirst, ancestor of the Marquis of Lothian. Lord Somerville died in 1444, and was succeeded by his son, Sir William, a man of great honour, a firm and steady friend to James II., as he had been before his succession to his father, James I. After the murder of James I. he attended Parliament in 1439, and was largely instrumental in procuring the Queen's liberty, she being kept little better than a prisoner by the ruling faction of the time. H e had two sons, John and William, and two daughters, Jane and Mary. H e was succeeded by his eldest son, John, in I 45 I . This Baron was a mail of singular courage and resolution, and distinguished himself remarkably at the battle of Sark, where he had the command of the Clydesdale Horse. H e behaved with singular magnanimity a t the siege of Roxburgh, where his royal master James 11. was slain, in 1460, and became a great favourite with James 111.) who often took the diversion of hunting in the Southern Park, and stayed several days at Lord Somerville's house a t Couthally, where he and his whole retinue were royally entertained. John married, first, Helen, daughter of Sir Adam Hepburn, Lord Hailes, by whom he had a son, William, and two daughters, Elizabeth, married to Archibald, eldest son of Duncan Campbell, ancestor of the Duke of Argyll (her second son was ancestor of the Earl of Breadalbane), and Helen, married to Sir John Jardine of Applegarth. Lord Somerville married, secondly, Mary, daughter of LVilliam Baillie of Lamington. History here repeats itself, as Viscount Melville, a possessor of land in Liberton, married 19th June 1891 the Hon. Violet Cochrane Baillie, third daughter of the late Lord Lamington. William was served heir to his father in 1477, and married first, Margaret, daughter of Hugh, Lord Montgomery, and had two sons, John and Mugh. H e married, secondly, Janet, daughter of Sir William Douglas of Drumlanrig, by whom he had no issue, and died in 1488.

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John, who succeeded to his grandfather also in 1491, was fourth Lord, and got a charter from James IV., Johanni domino Somerville baroniz de Carnwath," and a great many other lands, dated hlarch I 3th, 1507. H e was killed at the battle of Flodclen along with his royal master, and his estate and honours devolved upon his brother Hugh. Lord Hugh Somerville, being a man of noble spirit, was in high favour with James V., who did him the honour to be frequently with his whole retinue at his house of Couthally, called by the King in a jocular way Cowdaily, because he had observed that a cow and ten sheep were killed every day. The King desired Lord Somerville to wait upon him at Holyrood, and requested the nobility when attending His Majesty at Court to be sumptuous in their dress. The fifemovie o the f Somer-~iZZes,speaking of this, says-" The Lord Somerville made no great haste to wait upon the King, of purpose that he might be more particularly taken notice of and observed by His Majesty, which accordingly succeeded, for as he passed the great porch, which is now the Duke of Hamilton's lodging, to enter the Palace of Holyrood House, the King by accident, it being then ten in the morning, was standing at the great light in his own bedchamber, opposite to that entry. When the Lord Somerville was coming to kiss his hand, the King, at first not ltnowing him, admired who111 it could be so brave in his clothes, and had no attendance at his back save two pages in rich livery. The King called the Earls of Argyle and Huntly, and inquired at them if they knew who it was, but they did not. Whereupon Sir James Hamilton advanced, and, looking out, informed His hlajesty that he was well enough acquainted with that person, and would quickly know him when he made his address. By this time the Lord Somerville was entered the chamber of presence to which the King had retired, and now coming to kiss His Majesty's hand, the King prevented him before he had gotten one word spoken, and in raising him up said, My Lord, you are very brave, but where are all your men and usual attendance ?' The Lord Somerville, kneeling again, quickly answered, ' If it please your Majesty, here they are,' pointing to every lace
((

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that was on his own and his pages' clothes, insinuating as much thereby as if he had been obliged to sell them all to the merchants for that rich suit. Whereat the King laughed heartily, and then viewed them carefully, which, when he had done, he bade ' away with them all, and let me have your men again.' All the noblemen were glad of the occasion, and made good company with Lord Somerville, giving him thanks that his brave clothes had gotten them leave, for undoubtedly the effects would have been what he presaged to the King." This very suit of Lord Somerville which occasioiled all this sport was kept by his grandchild, Hugh Somerville of Drum, until by accident the house was burned, whereat his steel coat, his headpiece, gauntlet, gloves, and all the other furniture used in war in these days were burnt. In the year 1542 this same Lord accompanied the King on his unfortunate expedition to the Solway, where he was taken prisoner, carried to the Court of England, and confined, but was at last released for a ransom of 1000 merks. H e married, first, Lady Ann Hamilton, daughter of James, Earl of Arran, by whom he had no issue, and secondly, Janet, daughter of William Maitland of Lethington. By her he had three sons and three daughters.1 Jan~es, eldest, succeeded his father. H e was a great loyalist, the and adhered firmly to the interests of Queen Mary, and strenuously opposed the Reformation at the Convention in I gGo. Along with the Earl of Athol and Lord Borthwick, he entered a protest against any alterations being made in the established religion of the country. The only reasons given were that their ancestors were as wise as they. In 1568 be joined the Queen's party at Hamilton, with about 300 horse of his own friends and vassals, and fought at their head at the battle of Langside, where the Queen's army was defeated and dispersed. Lord Somerville was sore wounded and narrowly escaped being made prisoner. There was long preserved in the house of Drum an antique Hugh, Cord Somerville, added endowments in 1543 to Maison Dieu of St. Mary Magdalen, in the Cowgate, near the Grey Friars.

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chess-board and set of men, presented by Queen Mary to this Lord Somerville, which has unfortunately been lost or stolen. Lord Somervillc died in 1570. By Agnes, daughter of Sir James Hamilton of Finart, Lord of Evandale, he had two sons and two daughters. His eldest son, Hugh, who was served heir in I 5 7 I , recovered the lands of Gilmerton, L)rum, and Moredun, which had been for some time in the possession of the Somervilles of Cambusnethan ; upon which he got a charter under the Great Seal in I 5 78, and he rebuilt the house of Drum in I 585. H e was a man of great abilities, and was long one of the Privy Council to James VI., with whom he was in great favour. H e married Eleanor, daughter of George, Lord Seton, ancestor of the Earl of Winton, by whom he had sixteen children. One of his sons, named John, was accidentally shot by his brother. It is thus related in the Memorie o f the SomerviZZes : There falls out a sad accident, as a further warning that God was displeased with the fanlily of Lord Somerville. Having come from Couthally early in the morning, as the weather was hot, Lord Somerville had ridden hard to be at the Drum by ten o'clock, which having done, he laid him down to rest. T h e servant, with his two sons, William, hlaster of Somerville, and John, his brother, went with the horses to ane shott of land directly opposite to the front of the house, where there was some meadow ground for grazing the horses, and willows to shaddow themselves from the heat. H e had not long continued in this place, when the Master of Somerville, after some little rest, awaking from his sleep and finding the pistols that lay hard by him wet with clew, he began to rub and dry them, when one of them went off the ratch, being lying upon his knee and the muzzle turned sideways. T h e ball struck his brother John directly in the head and killed him outright, so that his sorrowful brother never had one word from him: albeit he begged it with many tears,-a lamentable case and much to be pitied. Two brave young gentlemen so nearly related and dearly loving one another, who besides being brethren by birth were entirely so in affection, colninullicating ail illeir aliairs and designs one to the other, wherein
('

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they were never known to differ in the least. S o soon as they were men, and came to understand themselves, they constantly attended their father and advised him in many things. (' Their father hearing the shot, being then in the chamber of the dius to the south light, and seeing his son and servants all in a cluster, called aloud to know the matter, but receiving no answer, he suspected some mischief, and thereupon flew hastily down the stair and went directly towards the place where they were, which the gentlemen observing, they advised the blaster to take him to his horse until his father's passion should be over. Which at length, upon their earnest entreaty he did, taking his direct way for Seatoune, where his lady mother then lived, by Smeatounfoord. T h e father being come upon the place, first hears the lamentations of the servants, and then sees the sad spectacle of his son all bloody and breathless, with his head laid upon a cloak. IC'hereupon he falls himself and cries aloud, ' My son, my son, dead or alive, dead or alive ? '-embracing him all the time, which he continued for some space, thereby giving time for his eldest son to escape. A t length, finding no motion in his dear son, all in a fury he arises and cries aloud, ' Where is that murderer who has done the deed ? ' Staring wildly about and missing the Master, he cries out, ' Oh, heavens, and it is h e ! Must I be bereft of two sons in one day ? Yes, it niust be so, and he shall have no other judge or executioner than myself and these hands.' With that he immediately mounts his horse, commanding two of his servants to attend him, making protestation in the meantime that they should both go to the grave together. But God was more merciful, for by this time the Master was past Smeatoun Ford, and before his father came that length, he was a t Fallside House out of all danger. " Coming now a little to himself, Lord Somerville began much to condemn this unwarrantable attempt of his, upon second thoughts. Before he came back, the sad object of his sorrow was removed to the Drum, and the corpse decently handled by the ladies of Edmonston, Sheriffhall, and Woolmet, near neighbours. F o r within an hour the report was spread all over the locality ; even before the King rose from dinner he got notice of it, being then a t Holyrood

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House, with the circumstance of the father's intention to kill his other son. F o r which the King within three days thereafter (the Lord Somerville coming to wait upon His Majesty) reproved him by saying he was a madman ; that having lost one son by so sudden an accident, should needs wilfully destroy another himself, in whom he was certainly informed there was neither malice nor design, but a great misfortune, occasioned by unwary handling of the pistols. T h a t it should rather have been a matter of regret and sorrow to him that the like had happened in his family, than that he should have sought after revenge. Therefore the King commanded him to send for his eldest son and be reconciled to him, for he knew he was a sober youth, and the very thought of his misfortune would afflict him enough. " T h e Master never held up his head again, so from henceforth he might be called the sad and sorrowful brother ; for from the time of the accident until his death, which took place three years after, he never enjoyed a comfortable hour, being always sad and melancholy. H e died in I 587." In 1584 Lord Hugh Somerville built a new mansion-house at Drum, which was completed in October of the following year, the builder being John Milne, the King's blaster Mason.' T h e building of this house and the repairing of the Castle a t Couthally required so much money that Lord Somerville had to borrow or " wadset the the lands of hloredun now called Gutters, which Gilbert, a goldsmith and jeweller to the Queen, advanced ane thousand pounds Scots." There was another Hugh, Lord Somerville, who succeeded his father in the lands of Drum, Gilmerton, and Moredun. This Lord was one of the pages of honour to James VI. H e died in 1640, in
I This family of Milne were for six generations Master hlasons or Architects to the Kings of Scotland. This remarkable circumstance is recorded upon the tomb of John Milne, his great-grandson, the monument being still extant in Greyfriars' Churchyard, and bearing the following lines :('Reader, John Milne, who maketh the fourth John, And by descent from father to son Sixth Master Mason to a royal race Of seven successive kings, sleeps in this place."

LIBPRTON I N ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

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the seventieth year of his age, and was buried in the church of Liberton. Two of his sons, who died young, were also buried in the church, in the centre opposite the pulpit. Lord Hug11 was a man with an ungovernable temper, which created him many troubles both in his youth and elder years, and he was tried for his life on two occasions, as being art and part in the slaughter of two men. T h e one, nameci Purdie, was killed a t a place called the Corset Hill ; the other, whose name is not mentioned, was killed a t Gilmerton.1 These deeds were done when Lord Somerville was very young, and cost his father a great deal of money to get him free. I t is told " that he had little command over his passions, and that it was the great mercy of God that prevented his killing a gentleman in the very church of St. Giles before Divine service. Upon this occasion, having accompanied his sister-in-law Lady Ross to churcll, and seated himself by her, there comes a gentleman to the same seat, and pressed with some rudeness to be next the lady, which Lord Somerville observing, with like civility pulls him down in the seat, and bids him be content with his place. T h e gentleman, on offering to resent this by gripping to him, Lord Somerville pulls out his dagger, which was an ordinary weapon worn by persons of quality in that age, and was about to have struck him if Lady Ross had not quic1;ly gripped him fast in her arms, and entreated the gentleman to go out of the seat, or that he would be leased to nlalie way for her and her brother to go out. This desire the gentleman readily obeyed, but told Drum that he would call him to account for so public an affront. T h e other, as little concerned, smartly replied that he should find his man for him when he durst make the attempt." In 1640 Lord Hugh Somerville bought the parsonage teinds of the lands of Drum and Gilmerton from the Lord of Holyrood House, who was titular to the whole teinds of Liberton parish. His wife, Lady hlargaret Hamilton, outlived her husband some four years, and increased both in riches and esteem with the country, having in her time been mainly instrumental in rebuilding the house of Drum, it having been twice burned.
Probably on that field which is still known as the Man o' War Park.

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LIBERTON IN ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

Lord Hugh Somerville was succeeded by his son Jatnes. I t was at Liberton Church in March I 63 I that Lord James Somerville first saw the lady who became his wife, Lillias Bannantyne, daughter of Sir James Bannantyne of Newhall, one of the Senators of the College of Justice. " She being in company of her eldest sister, between sermons they were all taken to ane inn to be refreshed by old Sir David Crighton of Lugton, their aunt's husband. Young Drum, as a neighbour and acquaintance, came to pay his respects to them, and after the refreshment was over, he was pleased to wait upon them to the church, and after sermon to their horses. This compliment being over, and all of them returned to their respective dwellings, James Bannantyne, out of a pleasant humour, when at supper, inquired at his sister-in-law how she liked that gallant that was so courteous to all of them, and waited so punctually upon herself. T o which she answered 'that he had much of good breeding, but he was a sodger-like man.' Whereat the company laughed heartily. They were married in the following month, April 1631, the marriage being solemnized at Edinburgh. They took up house at Middlemills, Lasswade, in a house belonging to his cousin, Lord Ross, where they dwelt four years. After which he bought a piece of ground on the south side of Gilmerton, called Pilrig's Mailing, anciently belonging to the vicars of Liberton." This ground had been a feu from the vicars to h4r. John Moniepennie, whose grandchild, Mr. Patrick Moniepennie, sold the same to Mungo Short, farmer in Kevock Mill, whose son resold it to Lord Somerville for the sum of 4000 merks, the price being what he had received in tocher with his lady. Lord James died 3d January 1677, at a great age, and was buried in the Abbey Church of Holyrood House, by his lady's side, most of the ilobility and gentry in Edinburgh being present, with two hundred torches, it being eight o'clock. Thus lived and died James Somerville of Drum, the twentieth in descent from Sir Gualtier de Somerville, and the only representative of the houses of Whichenour in England, and of Lintoune, Couthally, and Drum in Scotland. H e had a son, James, who died in 1690. This Lord James wrote an interesting account of

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the House of Somerville from 1066 to 1690. Robert Chambers f describes it as " that curious book the Melilzorie o the Somervilles." This Lord James' son was unfortunately killed while riding from Edinburgh to Drum. H e had seen two of his friends fighting with swords, and having dismounted, and interposing to separate them, received himself a wound from one of the combatants named Learmonth (son of Mr. Thomas Learmonth, Advocate), which was instantly fatal. T h e opponent was Hugh Paterson, younger of Bannockburn. This young man left an infant son, James, who succeeded his grandfather, and was twelfth Lord Somerville. H e married a daughter of Murray of Deuchar, descended from the ancient family of Philiphaugh. H e died in I 709, and was succeeded by his eldest son, James, thirteenth Lord Somerville, who married first in I 724 Anne, only daughter of Henry Baynton of Spey Park, in the county of Wilts, whose mother was eldest daughter and CO-heiress of Wilmot, the celebrated Earl of Rochester. Lady Somerville was buried in Liberton Church in October 1734. Lord James Somerville built the present house from a design by Adams, the old house having been burnt in 1692, and being left in a ruinous state until I 730. T h e new house is situated a little to the east from where the old house stood. H e also recovered the title, and restored the fortunes of the family, by an arrangement with his kinsman, the celebrated author of The Chase, William Somerville of Eadstone, Warwickshire, and Somerville Aston, Gloucestershire, representative of the English branch of the Somervilles, by which, in consideration of certain sums applied to the relief of burdens, the latter, who was unrparried, settled the reversion of his estates upon him, and to which he succeeded on the death of the poet in I 742.' H e died at Drum, 14th December I 765, leaving two sons. T h e elder, James, fourteenth Lord Somerville, an officer in the 2d Regiment of Dragoon Guards, served several
I

Verses addressed to Mr. Somerville by Allan Ramsay :L' YOUboth from one great lineage spring, Both from de Somervile, who came With William, England's conquering king, To win fair plains and lasting fame.

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LZRERTON I N ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

campaigns with great credit ; he quitted the army in I 764, with the rank of lieutenant-colonel, and was chosen a Representative Peer 7th August I 793, and died 16th April I 796, unmarried. His brother, the Hon. Hug11 Somerville, was also ail officer of the 2d Dragoon Guards, and afterwards Major of the 16th Light Dragoons. In I 762 he accompanied the latter regiment to Portugal, and was in the force under Brigadier-General Burgoyne, which surprised a Spanish advanced party in the town of Valencia dJAlcantara, August 27, I 762, when they entirely destroyed one of the finest regiments in the Spanish service. In 1763 he became lieutenant-colonel of his regiment. H e quitted the army soon after, and died at York House, Clifton, May 7, 1795. H e was twice married, like his father, and to English ladies. By his first wife he had a son, John, fifteenth Lord Somerville, and by his second, six sons and one daughter. John, fifteenth Lord Somerville, distinguished himself by the attention which he paid to agriculture, and has transmitted his name to posterity by the introduction of the breed of merino sheep from Lisbon into Great Britain. In 1805 and subsequent years, while residing at his seat of The Pavilion, on the Tweed, he was the companion of Sir Walter Scott ; his skill in every department of the science of rural economy was of great use, and Sir Walter always talked of him in particular as his master in the art of planting. In Scott's work PauZ's LetLevs to his Kilitsfolk he figures as Paul's laird. H e succeeded Sir John Sinclair in IS r 3 as President of the Board of Agriculture, and died unmarried in I 8 19. There is a story told that the former President, Sir John Sinclair, wrote on one occasion to Pitt that it was very desirable that the President in the office he then held should be a Peer. Pitt answered that he quite agreed with him, accepted his resignation, and appointed Lord Somerville. Sinclair always complained of it as " such a wilful misunderstanding."
\Vhich,lowr he left to 'S eldest son, That first-born chief you represent ; His second came to Caledon, From whom our Somer'le takes descent."

L/BERTOrI7 /Ar A,I%IEL%-T AND MODERN TIJfES.

IOI

His half-brother, Mark, succeeded as sixteenth Lord, born October 2 6 , I 784 ; he died unmarried June 3, I 842. Mark's brother, Kenelm, became seventeenth Lord. H e was born November 14, I 787, educated at Rugby, entered the R o ~ ~ a l Navy in 1801, and placed on the retired list of Rear-Admirals in 1846. H e commanded the Thames on the coast of America, and was officially reconlmencled for his service during the expedition up the River Patuxent. H e married, September 3, 1833, Frances Louisa, only daughter of John Hayman, Esquire ; issue--two sons, viz., Hugh, born October I I , I 839 ; and Frederick Noel, bcrn October 8, 1840, and five daughters. It is said that the first \v110 planted a field of potatoes in the district was Lord Janles Somerville, in 1744. H e did so at the suggestion of an eccentric and remarkable personage called Henry Prentice, who lived for a long period in the Sanctuary of Holyrood I-louse, and died in the end of the last century a t a very advanced age. After the potatoes were raised, it seems nobody could be found to purchase or eat them, till Prentice proposed to drive them in a cart to Edinburgh, which being agreed to, he brought them to the city, cart by cart, until all were sold off, T h e forest of Drumselch or L>sumseugh began at Drum and reached to Holyrood House. T h e original entrance to Drum was on the north side by Ferneyhill. T h e gate pillars, which still remain, were from the design of John Milne, the King's Master Mason before mentioned. I n the barony of Drum were several villages, nearly all of which have now disappeared,-Drun~town, Drumholm, Drummuir, Awalls, Norman Icnows, and Todhills. One George Borth~vickwas proprietor of Todhills in 1630. T h e Drum has been famous for its large trees, of which a considerable number yet remain, which are of a great size. Some years ago severa1 were cut down, principally beech, as they were showing signs of decay, a few of these weighing over ten tons each. T h e tithes of Drum in 1630 were 2 0 bolls of victual, of which were 6 bolls of barley, I I bolls of oats, 2 bolls of wheat, and I boll of pease.

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LIBERTON IN ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

John, fifteenth Lord Somerville, having for family reasons determined to sell his estate of Drum, exposed the same in lots. T h e mansion-house and principal part of the lands were in 1800 acquired by James Hay, of Bhaglepore, East Indies. In 1806 Mr. Hay sold the above to Robert Cathcart, W.S. (except the deer park, which he had previously sold to Robert Baird of Newbyth, and from whom in 1836 Mr. Wauchope of Edmonstone acquired it). Mr. Cathcart also in 1809 acquired from Lord Somerville the lands of Todhills, and about the same time also reduced the estate by selling to Mr. Baird of Newbyth Drum Farm, east of Gilmerton village; and his trustees in I 8 I 7 sold half of Todhills to Mr. John Tod, W.S. ; and finally, in 1820, the mansion-house and remaining lands were sold to Gilbert Innes of Stow. Mr. Innes was succeeded by his daughter Jane, on whose death the estate passed to her kinsman, Alexander Mitchell of Stow. In 1862 Mr. Mitchell sold the property to John More Nisbett of Cairnhill ; he also bought the Drum Colliery, which included the coals in various lands now alienated from the estate. In 1865 Mr. More Nisbett also bought the half of the lands of Todhills, above referred to, from Mr. Tod's trustees. I t is said, when Lord Somerville sold Drum he had never seen it (having succeeded his uncle, who lived at Drum somewhat of a recluse), and that some years after, when he visited Drum, which was then a very fine place, he was much annoyed to find what a mistake he had made. T h e Somervilles held their Mid-Lothian lands for 428 years. There is an old stone carved with the Somerville arms a t Drumthose of Hugh, sixth Lord, and his name encircling same-now built into the garden wall for preservation, with a suitable inscription beneath. This old stone was in 1524 over the fireplace in the great hall of Couthally Castle, and in 1694 was brought to Drum by James, twelfth Lord Somerville, and built into the staircase of the old mansion-house. On the demolition of this old house in 1739, James, thirteenth Lord Somerville, caused the stone to be built into his view tower. On the tower being pulled down about 1830, this old stone lay neglected for many years, until built into its present position in 1883.

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103

Nisbet in his System o Heraddry makes mention of this stone. f With regard to the view tower above mentioned, it was built by James, thirteenth Lord Somerville, in 1 741, and stood directly behind the house, on the top of the rising ground, and at the termination of an avenue. No part of this tower now remains, except the foundations, which are circular. The site of this tower is the highest point in the parish. According to old maps and plans, it was circular in form, and had an embattled top : the surrounding trees were planted in sixteen wedge-like clumps with the thin end towards the tower, no doubt planted in this radiated form for strategic purposes. This view tower was demolished about 183I , and the material used for building purposes. In the dome of the stables at Drum is preserved an old church bell 144 inches high, and the same in diameter. The date on the bell is I 7 I 5, and there are also the initials A. R., with the figure of a bell between the letters, probably the name of the founder. This old bell is almost white, there being so much silver in its composition ; the tone is very clear and sweet, and the tradition is that when rung it can be heard at Soutra Hill. There is a fine old hammer-shaped knocker still at Drum, of wrought iron, with the date 1696, and initials J. S. ; it is fixed on a door in the old vaulted part of the house. After the Cathcarts parted with Drum, it was for long untenanted. During this period it was rumoured that the house was haunted. However, it eventiially turned out that only a gang of coiners had carried on business there, and used to dress up one of their party to act as the Lady of the Drum, to keep inquisitive people away. The present gardens were formed by Mr. Cathcart ; the old gardens were more to the south and west. At Drum pine apples were grown for about the first time in Scotland. When the plague was in Scotland in 1 5 I 3, many people in Edmonstone village, which was then of considerable size, died ; the dead were buried at Todhills, on the knoll where six sycamore trees stand, in a great pit or trench. T h e footpath along which the dead were carried which ran in a straight line from Woolmet Chapel to Todhills, was long afterwards called the Mortal Baulk.

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LIBERTON IN ANCIENT AND ATODERAT TIMRS.

When the old cross was demolished in Edinburgh, Lord Somerville begged the shaft ancl capital, lvl~ichhe took out to Drum : this was on I 5th March I 756. T h e cross was first set up at the south end of the avenue running north and south to the west of the house, and the mound of earth on which it stood may still be seen, he caused to be cut on the shaft perpeildicularly
"

THEOLD

OF

ED".')

About the year 1806, when the present ofices were built near that spot, it was removed to the lawn directly in front of the house. T h e old pillar had been kindly placed at the disposal of the city by Alexander Mitchell of Stow, and although, on account of various hindrances, the con~pleterestoration first intended was not carried out, yet the pillar was brought to Edinburgh, a n d set up on a pedestal within the railings of St. Giles' Churcll in 1869, having been I 13 years at Drum. T o the energy and generosity of the late David Laing, that most genial and learned of Scottish antiquaries, the city of Edinburgh is inclebtccl for its restoration. T h e shaft while at Drum was surmwnted by cross crosslets in stone, in allusion to the Somerville arms. These were removed, ancl can now be seen in the grounds of a villa at Liberton. A good view of the cross while at Drum appears in Balliilgall's Editzbz~rgh,P a s t a n d Present. Since writing the above, Mr. More Nisbett has secured the cross crosslets, and rcstorecl them to their original position at the Drum, in facsi~nile the shaft and capital of the Edinburgh Cross. of Finally, in 188j, the Right Hon. William Ewart Gladstone, Member of Parliament for hlicl-Lothian, restored the " Mercat Cross " as it was in I 756 to its present position a t the entrance to old Parliament House and Courts of Law.

CHAPTER VIII.
GILMERTON.

H E lands of Gilnlerton were cultivated or farmed out by David I., both when Prince of Cumbria and after his succession to the Scottish throne; and they remained in the possession of the Crown until the time of Robert the Bruce. No charters exist of an earlier date than his reign, and those who occupied the lands were called the King's tenants. Sir John Herring held the lands of Gilmerton, Drum, and Goodtrees, and Sir IValter de Somerville got half of these lands, as mentioned before, by marrying Giles, Sir iohn Herring's daughter. The heirs of Sir John Herring had heid a part of the lands of Gilmerton for a considerable time, for Patrick Herring, Dominus de Gilmerton, granted a charter in favour of Archibald Jliauchope of Niddrie-Marischal, and Eufeme, his spouse, of the two merk lands in Gilmertoun, dated 4th February 1498. H e also had a crown charter of the three husbandlands called Boggisland, in Gilmerton, 27th March 1503; and he had sasine of his part of the lands of Gilmerton 4th January 1507. There is a charter of confirmation granted to Patrick Herring, Laird of Edmonstone, in Clydesdale, for the lands of Gilmerton, dated at Carnwath 1st April 1380. From the Mcfizzo~ieo the SomerviZZ~sit appears that the greatf grandchild of this Patrick, named Sir Gilbert Herring, by frequenting the Court, and being a great spendthrift, made an end of all by selling the lands of Gilmertou,:e to one LVilliam Ramsey, a brother of the house of Culliechope. The lands of Gilmerton were also held of the Earl of Strathearn. This confirmation is dated 10th November 1434. Earl Menteith seems also to have been superior of the lands, one of the family having married the sole heiress of David, Earl
0

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LIBERTON IN AA7VCIEE7VT AND MODERN TIMBS.

of Strathearn. James I., through the Earl's forfaulture, was also superior. Lord Somerville was in great danger of losing his lands of Drum, Gilmerton, and Gutters by holding them from Menteith, Earl of Strathearn. James IV., in I 5 0 2 , raised an action in law against those who had served Lord John Somerville heir, for not acknowledging the King as superior of the lands of Drum, Gilmerton, and Gutters. T h e King gained his case as superior over the whole of these lands, and Lord John Somerville, James Ramsey, and Patrick Herring had to pay the King fourscore merks yearly, as being due to him and his predecessors for sixty years previous. About this time Simon Preston of that ilk, son of the Laird of Craigmillar, and several others, had been labouring and taking possession of the lands of Gilmerton and Gutters from the year 1500, and some time preceding. T h e right which Craigmillar maintained was an assignation from Lord John Soinerville's father, William, who had transacted and made some agreeinent about the lands of Gilmerton and Gutters. This was supposed to have been a " leish " or wadset, empledging the lands in security of money advanced. They lost their case, and had to pay a considerable some of money, as decreeted against them by the Lords of Council. Sir David Crighton of Lugton acquired the lands of Gilmerton from his father, Patrick Crighton of Cranston-Riddel, in 1609. H e was patron of St. Leonard's Hospital, Canongate. The rents were to be annually divided among the chaplains and beadsmen nominated by himself. In 162 I he was Commissioner to Parliaillent for Edinburgh, and for planting kirks; in 1633 Commissioner for valuing teinds ; in 1640 he was Commissioner for the shire of Edinburgh. T h e lands of Todhills, now part of the Drum estate, were ratified to him in 1647. H e officiated at the conferring of knighthood upon four esquires, and put a gilt spur upon their right heel, as being the ancient knight then present (Balfour's Annals). Sir David Crighton had many debates about the marches of his lands in Gilmerton, they being " runrigg," that is, lying by alternate ridges,-a very inconvenient state of property.

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Mr, John Baird, Lord of Session under the title of Lord Newbyth, purchased the lands of Gilmerton in the parish of Liberton from Crighton of Lugton in 1669. H e purchased also Foord and Whitekirk, in the shire of Haddington, and got them erected into one barony by the name of Nembyth. H e married Margaret, only daughter of Sir James Hay of Linplum, in Haddingtonshire, second son of the Earl of Tweeddale. By this marriage he had one son, William, and a daughter, who was betrothed to the Lord Balmerino, but in going to her uncle the Earl of Tweeddale's house at Yester to be married the coach overturned, whereby she nTas so injured that she died in a few hours after. T h e son, William, became Sir William Uaird. H e was Member of the Scots Parliament, and was sent by them to London in 1680 on a deputation to Charles II., and was by that Prince created Knight Baronet. H e married for his first wife Margaret, daughter of Sir John Gilmour of Craigmillar, Lord President of the Council and Session. By this marriage he had two sons, John and Alexander. Lady Baird was interred in Liberton Church 22d April I 701. Sir Willian~married, secondly, Margaret, third daughter of Lord Sinclair, by whom he had no children. Sir John succeeded his father, and died at Berwick in September I 74.5.' Alexander, second son of Sir William, married, first, Ann, daughter of Mr. Wauchope of Niddrie, and afterwards Margaret, only daughter of Lord Belhaven, by neither of whom he left any surviving children. H e died himself in I 743. W e now come to Robert, second son of Mr. James Baird, and H e received a large patrimony from his posterity is numerous. his father, and became a merchant in Edinburgh, of the greatest reputation and credit in his time. In 1660 he purchased the lands of Saughton Hall, and others, in the shire of Edinburgh. H e married Elizabeth Fleming, by whom he had six sons and five daughters. T h e fifth son, William, was the father of David, the
I Sir John Baird, on the death of his father, sent to the Liberton Kirk-Session the sum of 10 to be distributed to the poor of the parish on the 25th February I 737.

hero of Seringapatam, and great-grandfather of the present Sir James Gardiner Baird, who until lately resided at Inch House. T h e present proprietor of the lands of Gilmerton is Sir David Baird of Newbyth, county of Hacldington, D.L., late of the 74th Higlllanders, made Brevet-Major for services on Lord Clyde's staff during the Indian Mutiny. H e married the Hon. Helen, second daughter of Charles, twelfth Lord Blantyre. T h e Baird family never occupied the mansion-house, called Gilmerton Place House.' None of the proprietors have lived in it for upwards of 2 2 0 years. T h e present house appears to havc been erected about the micldle of the sixteenth century. In r 547 Gilmerton House was traitorously delivered to the English, and by an Act it was ordered to be cast down, " swa that na habitashion sulbe had in ony of the saids places to our saids auld ynemeis frae thyme furth in ony tymes to cum." This house has been let to many tenants since then ; a t present it is occupied by several families, principally miners.
John Anderson, historian of the Hamiltons, \\.as born here June 6th, 1759. H e was the eldest son of Jarnes Anderson, Supervisor of Excise, Oban, whose father, William Anderson, was a farmer at Upper Liberton, and a burgess and guild brother of the city of Edinburgh. His mother nas Elizabeth, daughter of John IVilliams, the well-knonn author of The d f i r e ~ a r Ki?7gdon~, then rcsidcd at Gilmerton. After \\l10 receiving the proper education and attending the University of E(linburgh, he was in 1813 admitted a Licentiate of the Edinburgh Royal Collcge of Surgeons, and had scarcely passed his college examinations nhen he was apljointed by the Marquis of Douglas-afterwards, on the death of his father in 1819, Dllke of Hamilton-first Surgeon of the Royal Lanarkshire hlilitia, and he retained that situation and the patronage and confidence of His Grace until his death. H e settled at Hamilton and obtained an extensive practice. I n 1825 he published, in quarto, a large and elaborate work entitled Historical and Genealogical Menzoirs o the House o Hnmilton, to which f f in 1827 he added a supplement. For more than two years previous to his death he had been engaged collecting materials for a statistical account of I anarkshire, and he also contemplated writing a genealogical history of the Robertsons of Struai~. I n the particular line of Iiterature ~ i h i c hhe selected for himself, he \ ~ z s distinguished by sound and pertinent information, deep research, untiring pcrscverance, ancl a ready and perspicuous style. H e died 24th December 1832, his last illness being caused by extraordinary fatigue in attending patients under cholera morbus. H e was universally known in the neighbourhood of his residence, and from his unassuming manners, his social disposition, and extensive benevolence was as generally respected.

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In a small house at the gardens there was born in 183; R4argaret Crawford, the authoress of Rztrfic Lays, an interesting little volume of lyric poetry. LVith limited oj3portunitics of attending school, she was chiefly indebted for her elementary training to occasional instruction communicated by her mother. Her fither was a gardener with Mr. Greenshiels, who occupied the rnansionhouse. There are three pieces coinposed by Margaret Crawford to be found in the Scoflish Mi?tsl~eZ,-Day&-eants o other years, / My Naliue Land, and The Sl~~ennz Ltyi. o f At the east side of the house is the garden, ~ v l ~ e r e there is a large built arch and a balcony, from which a magnificent view can be had. In the p r d e n there are a number of yew trees surrounding a circular building, conlmonly known as the " Bath," which is about eight feet in diameter, having a doorway. T h e trees have been planted round it in the form of a scroll, completely closing it from view. They must be of considerable age, as they are from nine to eighteen inches in diameter, and about thirty feet high. A number of thein have, however, been cut down, thus impairing the original effect produced by that ingenious design. Possibly they were planted about the year 1604, as there is a stone with that date on it built into the garden wall. A t one time all the barony of Gilmerton was thickly wooded, although little now remains. The village of Gilmerton is mentioned as early as the eleventh century. According to the old valuation, the town and lands of Gilmerton are considered as a ten pound land, and the mains or messuage of Gilmerton as a ten merk land." There was a " play " in the town of Gilmerton, commencing about the begincing of the sixteenth century, and continuing until 1600. I t was called " Robin Hood and Little John," and was held every year upon the 1st of h4ay. This play or game was also enacted in Edinburgh and in most of the surrounding villages. Great numbers of persons came from Edinburgh to Gilmerton to attend this play. I t was introduced to Scotland from England, but eventually it had to be put down by law, being in many cases grossly profane, as well as being an opportunity for dissipation and licentious-

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ness. I t was the means of raising an insurrection in Edinburgh, when the jail was broken into and all the prisoners set free.1 There is still a friendly society connected with the village, which has been in existence for over a hundred years. The members have an annual gathering in the month of August. It is also a benefit society, and by paying a small sum yearly the heirs of each member are entitled to a certain amount at his death, or at the death of any of his family. This society has lately erected a public hall from its funds ; it is situated on the north side of the village. At one time there were a great many of the inhabitants employed in the working and carting of coal to Edinburgh. Coal was wrought on the lands of GiImerton as early as 1427. There is a contract between Lord and Lady Ross of Melville and John Herring in Gilmerton in 1573, as to coal working on their lands. It is of some interest as a specimen of such agreements. The parties to it are James, fourth Lord Ross, and his wife, Jean Sempill, on the one part, and John Herring in Gilmerton, for himself and his colliers, on the other :" Herring undertakes (God willing) to win coal and coalheughs within the bounds and farms of Easter and Wester Melville, and bunds himself and his croftsmen to enter eight colliers to labour the place where the coal shall happen to be, within three days from this date, who shall be partners with him in all expenses and profits of working the coal. H e shall labour a level and water-pots for drawing off water and keeping dry the coal and coal-heughs. Herring also promises to work the coal, upper and nether, in such a way that the ' samin sal1 not be f~lllzietowr-run nor waistit be ony manner of way, and to work and seek the main-coil1 vein and nether to the vtirment hall of the samin, so far as possible is to ony workmen to laubour or do in sic behauffis.' The contract is to endure for two years only from the date of Herring's entry, 14th November 1573.
session records. In 1714 Henry weaver in Gilmerton, was several times before the session for drinking the health of the evil one. I'homas Millar, a mason in Gilmerton, complained that Margaret Gray did call h m a u~arlock, i and also his wife, Katherine Syn~pson,spouse to Thomas Millar, complained that James Sanderson's wife did call her a witch.
I

There are some curious entries in the old

Hails,

LIB&? TON I N AIZ?CIENT AND MODE.RN TIMES.

I 11

l
I
l

Lord and Lady Ross, on the other hand, bind themselves to cause men of judgement and understanding to examine the work twice or thrice or oftener in the year, and if it be not done to the owner's profit, the contract shall be void. It shall also expire if Herring should die or fail in two years. Lord and Lady Ross are also bound to pay John Herring one-half of the expenses incurred in winning the coal, 'and to find and sustain quarrell mellis, quarrell piks, wageis, towes, forks, rowis, doggis, and buckattes if neid beis to that effect, as vse is required in sic caiss.' Further, Herring for performing the contract shall have the third of Lord and Lady Ross' part of the coal that shall happen to be won, he sustaining the third of the expenses as they do, providing always that the grieve or overseer to be appointed over the coal working shall be chosen by Lord and Lady Ross. They shall also receive from Herring yearly during the contract three dozen draughts of coal, one dozen at Christmas, Easter, and Whitsunday respectfully, which coals are to be free and not named in contract or pairtiemenis pairtis, nor coallearis coilles. The parties bind theinselves faithfully to observe the contract, which is dated at LIelville on the I 1t11 November I 573. Among the witnesses are John Ross of Swanston, John Ross in Tartraven, Hew Ross, brother to Lord Ross, and Sir John Kolland, notary public." There is at Gilmerton a cave cut out of the solid rock by one George Paterson, a blacksmith, in I 724, after five years' hard labour. It contains several apartments, a forge, beds, and a large table, all carefully formed. H e lived in this cave till about the year 1735. This underground house was for many years considered a great curiosity, and was visited by many. In I 7 2 j George Paterson, smith in Gilmerton, appeared before the Liberton sessioil charged with entertaining people with liquor in his house on the Sabbath day that came to see his cave. H e told the sessioil that he had just a padlock on his door, and brought the key always with him to the kirk, but that his wife opened a back door to let then1 in. H e intimated to the session that a great many people from Edinburgh
I

From Sir W. Fraser's History of the Melvilles of Carnbee.

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and other places haunted his house for seeing his caves on the Sabbath day. H e made a promise that this would be put a stop to in future. Pennycuik, the poet, wrote an inscription on this cave :

" Upon the earth thrives villany and woe,

But happiness and I do dwell below. 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 1745, immediately after the battle of Prestonpans, an encounter took place between the inhabitants of Gilmerton and forty Highlanders who had come to Drum House after the battle. Edlzbzygh, relates the story thus : Miss Warrender, in bVaZks Roz~nd " One night, when the family were at supper, word was brought in that the Highlanders were seen advancing up the avenue. All were in consternation. T h e plate was instantly thrown out of the window into the grass, which luckily was high ; and Lady Somerville entrusted a casket of diamonds to her step-daughter Ann (afterwards Mrs. Burgess), with the directions to conceal them. Miss Somerville ran out of the house into the deer-park, and, making a hole at the root of a tree, buried the diamonds, and crept back to the house unperceived. In the meantime Lord and Lady Soinerville had locked themselves into a closet in one of the garrets, and effectually concealed themselves. T h e Highlanders, about fortv in nurnber, broke into the house, and not finding Lord Somerville, contented themselves with feasting on whatever they could get in the kitchen and cellars, and then carried off everything moveable of any value. By this time a servant had escaped to the village of Gilmerton, and roused t?le inhabitants, who sallied forth to Lord Somerville's rescue. Half-way between the village and the house they met the Highlanders. A bloody conflict ensued, in which three of the former and five of the latter were killed. I t ended in the Highlanders relinquishing their booty and beating a

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retreat. Next day the Prince, with his usual generosity, and out of respect for Lord Somerville's high character, sent an officer's guard to protect him." There were several breweries in the village, and some of the old buildings still remain. There is a very large stone at the late Mr. R. Edgely's farm-steading which has been used for brewing purposes. It measures ten feet six inches long by eight feet, being a part of what was called the steeping tank. The old farm-house and garden is thought to have been the place which Sir Walter Scott describes in his novel The Surgeon's Daughtev. As strengthening this belief, I may recall the fact that Robert Stevenson, M.D., an intimate acquaintance of the great novelist, and whom he frequently visited here, lived in the present farm-house from the beginning of the century until the year 1815. That he was a man of mark and a congenial spirit with Sir Walter may be inferred from the following notice of him which appeared at his death in the newspapers of the day :--" Died on the 2 1st May I 815, in the prime of life, Robert Stevenson, Surgeon, Gilmerton. His abilities were highly respectable, and he was unremitting in his attention to the duties of his profession, of which his knowledge was accurate and extensive. By his death the public have lost a useful member of society, and the poor a steady friend. His amiable qualities and prepossessing manners made him much beloved by an extensive circle of friends and acquaintances, by whom he will be long remembered. It may be justly said that by those who knew him best he was most esteemed." H e was succeeded by a younger brother, Dr. William Stevenson, who conducted the practice of his profession for twenty-two years, dying in the year 1837. H e built a house for himself, which is now occupied as the manse. On his death there, as above stated, he was succeeded by his cousin, Dr. Robert Nimmo, who only survived until 1842, being cut off in the prime of life. This gentleman, in addition to being expert in his profession, was an accomplished musician. His favourite instruments were the violin and violoncello, on both of which he was a finished executant ; and persons still living, who well understand the capabilities of these instruments, are enthusiastic in their eulogies
P

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of his playing, even at this distance of time, so unfading are the impressions it created. I t need scarcely be added that he was a man of a kind and genial disposition, and his memory as such and as a conscientious and painstaking physician is equally cherished. William Richardson was farmer and brewer there in I 763. He was also an elder in Liberton Church under the Rev. Samuel Semple. There was also a candle factory in the village in the beginning of this century, and there were twelve licensed houses for the selling of liquor.1 T h e Rev. John Campbell-that active and enterprising traveller, whose many labours procured for him a high estimation in the Christian world-opened a preaching station for Sabbath evening service in the village of Gilmerton about the year I 785. H e was aided in his labours by stuclerlts of divinity and lay preachers, and fathers of especially by Rate, Aikman, and the Halclens,-the Scottish Independency. Gilmerton at this time was chiefly inhabited by colliers, the despised pariahs of British society. T h e church was erected and opened on the 20th April 1837 by the General Assembly's Church Extension Scheme, for which the people were in a great measure indebted to the zeal of the late Mr. Anderson of Moredun, and contributions from several of the heritors. I t was seated for 300 people. T w o side aisles were built in 1883. T h e church was feued by the Liberton kirk-session from Sir David Baird for 2 yearly. A constitution for this church was granted by the Assembly in 1838. T h e first minister, the Rev. Walter Fairlie, from Whitehaven, was inducted on the 16th Augcst of the same year. T h e Rev. R. F. Proudfoot was minister for some time, and translated to Fogo, Berwicltshire, in 1844, where he died in 1891. T h e Rev. Mr. Johnston was minister for a short time, then the Rev. Thomas Fleming, who died a t Liberton Manse in March 1862. Tlie Rev. Peter Stewart was ordained in September 1862, and died at Dollar in 1873, and was succeeded by the Rev. Thornas
I n 1 7 2 2 John Burns, candlemaker, was summoned before the session of Liberton Kirk for marrying John Muir in his house, and there excommunicated and rebuked.

LIBER TON IN ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

1 1S

Walker, who died at Gilmerton in 1881 ; the present minister, the Rev. James Christie, D.D., being the seventh minister since the church was erected. T h e school and offices under the School Board were erected in 1875, and there have been several additions and alterations since then. T h e old school, which was upheld by Sir David Baird, Miss Innes at Drum, and David Anderson of Moredun, is now converted into a reading-room. T h e late Misses Anderson of hIoredun erected and endowed a school at the north end of the village in 1883, which is chiefly for girls and young children. T h e village has been greatly improved, many old houses being removed and new ones erected with modern conveniences. Two convalescent homes have also been built, which are supported by public subscription. A little to the west of the village stood the hamlet of Carthall. In J 780 it contained ninety-six inhabitants, who were principally engaged in the carting of coal to Edinburgh. This hamlet is now entirely cleared away. A little to the north-west of Gilmerton another hamlet existed called Brolten Briggs. It stood on the side of the burn which rises in the Pentlands, but not a trace of this village now remains. A musical genius lived here, named Peter Baillie, who was born in T 774, and died at the age of sixty-seven. His parents belonged to the labouring class, and were both very musical, more particularly his mother. H e was the youngest of the family, some of whom he acknowledged surpassed him on the violin. For some time he wrought in Burdiehouse lime quarries, from which he was often called away to pjay the violin in competition. When very young he stayed occasionally with several families of distinction, entertaining them with his violin, and was a great favourite at Dallteith Palace. H e composed several pieces, principally reels and strathspeys. Peter was regarded as a great musical genius in the state of nature, without cultivation. T h e characteristics of his playing, like those of most other celebrated Scotch players, were his vigorous bow stroke and his rapid and distinct method of fingering. H e had also an

16

LIBERTON I . ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

unrivalled genius for improvising variations on well-known tunes, and was well skilled in playing chords ; his double stopping efforts resembled several violins playing together in harmony. Coming down to the present time, we have another famous violin player, Mr William Dow, Gilmerton. At the competition for reel and strathspey playing, held at the Edinburgh International Exhibition of 1890, he gained the gold medal. H e has that particular stroke of the bow which is necessary in the playing of Scotch reels and strathspeys, but which very few violin players possess.

CHAPTER IX.
hIOREDUN.

H I S residential estate, originally called Godistree, Goodtrees, or Gutters, has changed hands frequently. It appears to have belonged at one time to a Sir John Herring, and to have been afterwards acquired by the family of Somerville of Drum, who sold the lands in 1602 to John Fenton of Fentonbarns. A later pro, prietor was David ~ ' ~ u l l o cahservitor to Thomas, Earl of ~ e l r o s e , and a gentleman of large property.' Moredun became at length the property of the Stewarts,~ the marriage of Marion M'Culloch, by widow of John Elliot, Advocate, younger of Stobs, to Sir James Stewart, which event took place in the latter end of the year 1648. Though Sir James had reason to hope from this connection a considerable increase of fortune, his expectations were not fully realised, neither, it is said, was the lady equal to his former wife in point of sweetness of disposition. T h e marriage, however, was in many respects happy, and the character of the lady quite irreproachable. Sir James Stewart of Kirkfield and Coltness, commonly known as Provost Stewart, was a merchant and banker of Edinburgh. H e was accounted a rigid Presbyterian in Covenanting times, but was withal an amiable and tender-hearted man. H e is described, at a time when there was little leniency on either side, as having nothing of insolence or bloody cruelty in his disposition, and it is said that he considered that the Marquis of Argyle pursued and
* David M'Ulloch of Guthers was on the Committee of War, 26th August 1643.Ad of the Estates of Parliament.
This family can be traced to a remote period, and much might be said concerning their great connections and transactions. Indeed this was the family from which at length the royal lines, first of Scotland then of England, were derived.

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LIHE.RTON I N A.NCIRNT A.ND M O D E R N TIMES.

prosecuted the unfortunate Montrose with too keel1 resentment. " W h a t need," Sir James would say, "of so much butchery and dismembering ; has not heading and publicly affixing the head been thought sufficient for the most atrocious State crimes ? Hitherto we are embroyled, and have taken sydes, but to insult too much over the mislead is unmanly." When the army of the Commonwealth entered Scotland, and before the battle of Dunbar was fought, Provost Stewart, together with the Marquis of Argyle and the Earl of Eglinton, held a conference with the Protector on Bruntsfield Links, and withstood stoutly his independent and sectarian arguments, opposing to them views based on respect for the Church of Scotland, the Covenant, royalty, and true reformation ; and so persistently were these urged, that Oliver Crom~vellmounted his horse and rode off, muttering as he went threats of bloodshed. IVhile the Marquis of Argyle continued to push the vengeance of Church and State against RiIontrose, Sir James Stewart persisted in exercising toward him all the humanity that was in his power. T h e cruelty of the sentence he could not i n any degree remit, and as Chief hlagistrate of Edinburgh he was under a necessity of seeing it put into execution, but he treated his noble prisoner with every degree of personal tenderness and respect. When hlontrose desired a conference with some of the leading Presbyterian ministers for the purpose of prevailing up011 them to permit the excomnlunication to be taken off which had been pronounced against him, such were the rude manners of these clergymen, that they refused him the returns of common civility ; and though, with the politeness becoming his rank, he offered them a friendly salute, they would not so much as touch his hand. Sir James Stewart, \v110 was present a t the interview, was greatly disausted with their illiberal behaviour. " Strange," said the Provost, b this is treating a man worse than a heathen or a publican." ( T h e unhappy nlarquis sought in vain for absolution with tears, and Sir James could not refrain from weeping with him upon this melancholy occasion.) After the defeat at Dunbar the Provost and Magistrates of Edinburgh fled from that cit)?, and joined the King at Stirling.

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119

When the time of their magistracy was nearly expired, Sir James Stewart and the Town-Council petitioned the Estates of Parliament and the Commissioners of the Kirk for advice whether, notwithstanding their being excluded from Edinburgh, which was otherwise the legal place of meeting, they might not proceed to the election of their successors. T h e answer they received from the Committee of Estates was, that the present Magistrates should continue in office until the King's affairs had taken a more favourable turn. When, in consequence of the battle of Worcester, Scotland fell entirely under the power of the Commonwealth, the Lord Provost was called upon to give an account of his conduct as Commissary General, and to exhibit his books, vouchers, and clearances in transactions with the Scotch Parliament. Some of the conquering were disposed to proceed against him with rigour, but by the greater number of them he was treated with all the justice and equity that could have been expected from friends. Cromwell, in particular, said, " I have seen the gentleman, and have had Sir James Stewart's character from several persons, ancl no good man shall have disquiet so long as I have power to prevent it." Provost Stewart was entrusted with the care of a young student from England, who afterwards became Principal of Edinburgh University and Bishop of Dunblane, none other than the gentle and lovable Robert Leighton, destined for a higher place in the religious annals of his country. li7hen he paid a visit to Goocltrees, his old fi-iencl and guardian, the Provost, would meet him with the familiar "Welcome, Robin." Though his Lordship took all that Sir James said in good part, he did not so easily digest what the Provost's eldest son, Thomas, put closer home. In reference to these the Bishop would say, " I have dined at Goodtrees ; I wish I had stayed at home and chawed gravel." T h e Provost, on the other hand, used to liken him to a '(sanct travelling to heaven sincerely, but by dubious steps, a prey to whims and novelties." Hugh M'Kail, the martyr, chaplain to Sir James Stewart, was searched for in Sir James' House at Goodtrees, in November 1662, and the Council commenced a process against Sir James Stewart for entertaining him. Hugh M'Kail had been tutor in the

IZD

LIBERTON I N ANCIENT AND MODBRN TINES.

family of a near relative ; two of the sons attended him to the lace of execution at the Cross of Edinburgh, and there received his blessing, while he gave to the elder his Bible. Sir James was zeaious for His hlajesty's restoration, and that event was the commencement of his troubles. As his loyalty was accompanied by a warm attachment to the Presbyterian religion and the civil liberties of his country, it could be no security to him at a period in which the most arbitrary principles and measures of Government were encouraged and pursued, and yet it ought to have been remembered that in the season of his power and prosperity he had been ready to perform offices of kindness to those who were entirely opposite to him in political sentiment and conduct. Thus, for instance, when the Duke of Hamilton was impeached, and had few friends to stand by him and little credit to support him, Sir James, being then in London, was applied to for the advance of a sum of money to assist the Duke in his distress. With this request he cheerfiilly and liberally complied, and the Duke esteemed it so high a favour that he left a charge to his heirs never to forget Sir James Stewart's generosity. Soon after the Restoration an order came down from London dismissing Sir James from the chief magistracy of the city of Edinburgh, and this order was accompanied by a warrant for his being committed to " close prison in the castle of the city ;" a fine of 500 was likewise imposed upon him. Great was the surprise of the burgesses and ministers of the city at such arbitrary proceedings in the new Government. When many attempts made to impeach Sir James Stewart's integrity were found ineffectual, and it clearly appeared that the balance of accounts was highly in his favour, it was resolved to terrify him in another form. A friend was commissioned to acquaint him in the year 1669 that Government designed to attack him on higher matters, and that a prosecution for treason was intended. At the same time he was assured that if he would pay 1000 sterling, he should have an ample discharge, and receive a full pardon under the Great Seal. If he did not accede to this proposition, he had nothing to expect but to be proceeded against with the greatest severity. T h e Lord Clerk Register, whose friendship for Sir

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121

James Stewart continued unabated, earnestly pressed him to accept of the proposal as the best terms that could possibly be procured for him, and the only method which was left of saving his family. Though Sir James had the fullest conviction in his own mind that he had been guilty of no improper compliances with the usurper, that he had been steady and uniform in his loyalty, and that nothing criminal could justly be charged against him, yet, when he considered the tragic fate of the Marquis of Argyle, and of others whose conduct was much less exceptional, he was induced to listen to the importunities of his friends. Accordingly he agreed to the hard conditions which were offered him, accepted the indemnity and the pardon, and was released from his prison at Dundee on the 14th January 1670. His health had been greatly impaired by his long confinement, by the want of free air and exercise, and by the persecutions to which he had been exp0sed.I The remainder of his clays was spent with resignation and serenity in the company of his children and friends: and in the exercises of devotion. The time of his decease was the 31st day of March 1681, in the seventy-third year of his age. H e died at his town residence in Edinburgh, and left behind him an undoubted character for piety, integrity, and benevolence. H e was buried in his own ground in Greyfriars Churchyard, and many sincere tears were shed upon his grave. The devotional spirit of Sir James Stewart was thus described by Mr. George Gillespie, an eminent
From the Colrrt of Sessiotz G~rZa?zd appears that the Lord Advocate, Sir it James Stewart, was very unpopular with the Jacobite party, who vented their spleen against him in lampoons. T o them he was indebted for the sobriquet of "Jamie Wylie." I n the Scottish PaspuiZs will be found the following pithy lines upon Sir James, from a MS. of old Robert Mylne :Sir James Stewart, thou'lt hing I n a string ; Sir James Stewart, knave And rogue thou art, For thou ne'er had a true heart TOGod or King ; Sir James Stewart, thou'lt hing I n a string.

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Presbyterian clergyman of that period, who was distinguished by his knowledge both of books and men. Sir James being the subject of conversation in a large company, some mentioned his character and others his money and credit. cc I know," said Mr. Gillespie, " little of these last particulars, and value them less, but I aver Sir James Stewart has more sterling religion in 'ready cash' than any man ever I knew ; he is always agreeably composed and recollected, in a devotional frame of spirit, and such as I should wish to have in my last moments." Sir James' second wife, Marion M'Culloch, died in 1690. This lady mortified 500 merks for the teaching of some poor scholars in the barony of Goodtrees. Sir James Stewart, besides having six sons and five daughters by his first wife, had four daughters by his second. T h e greater number of these survived him. James, the third son, born in August 1635, became proprietor of Goodtrees. H e built a residence on the property, and was the first entitled " Laird of Goodtrees." Purchasing afterwards the estates of Kirkfield and Coltness from his brother, Sir Thomas Stewart, he became the head of thc family. James of Goodtrees was educated for the law, and having united diligent application to a lively genius, made great progress in the various parts of literature to which his studies were directed. During the course of his preparation for the bar, the laws-Roman, civil, and municipal-were studied by him in their full extent; nor did he forget the English law books, all of which were read by him with so much attention that he became master of them in a far higher degree than might have been expected or thought needful in a person whose practice was chiefly intended to be confined to the kingdom of Scotland. In 1660 Mr. Steuart was entered as an Advocate, and the first marked proof he exhibited of his talents was in support of his persecuted father, whom he not only assisted with his best advice, but for whom he drew up the memorials in which the Provost's accounts were faithfully stated and his integrity clearly evinced. When in 1681 the famous Test Act had passed in the Scottish Parliament, imposing an oath of assent to the most despotic princi-

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ples of the Government, Mr. Steuart, who was now become very eminent in his profession, was supposed to have given his assistance and advice to the Earl of Argyle with regard to the explication of the test which that nobleman delivered upon his submitting to take the oath required. H e was likewise one of the Earl's counsel in the prosecution of that nobleman for treason, which speedily followed. Mr. Steuart rendered himself so obnoxious to the Duke of Yorli's administration that he found it necessary to retire to Holland, in consequence of which he was declared a fugitive and his estate forfeited.1 Being in London in hiding in 1678, and perhaps not greatly abounding in money, he opened an office in an obscure street near the legal haunts of the day, and offered to solve intricate law cases of any kind at half fees, or half a guinea. H e never went to the office himself, but he had with him a faithful clerk, named Spence, a Scotsman. (Mr Welsh, the present proprietor of Moredun, has in his possession documents with Mr. Spence's signature as a witness connected with Sir James Steuart.) Spence met clients at the office, received their papers and carried them to Steuart. H e wrote his own opinion, which was handed to the client by Spence, who received the fee and brought it to his master. A story is told by Wodrow, from which it may be inferred that, even at the period when Steuart was concealed in London, Sir George M'Kenzie, the Lord Advocate, had little difficulty in finding him when he wanted assistance :-" A debate fell in betwixt one of the Scotch bishops about English bishops (Wodrow is not sure if it was Robert Leighton). H e set up a defence of Scots moderate Episcopacy without liturgy and ceremonies. Ultimately Sir George produced a man in a mean and negligent habit, who amazed the English bishops with his knowledge and skill in debate. Could he be gained, they said, he deserved the highest post in the Church for
I H e is also said to have been concerned in the Ryehouse Plot. He, along with Lord Stair, was ultimately charged with rebellion. I n absence, after having been cited at the pier of Leith, according to old custom, Steuart was tried and condemned to execution when he should be apprehended.

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his learning and good sense." T h i s poor man was James Steuart, the future statesman and King's Advocate. Another anecdote may be mentioned as a further proof of Mr. Steuart's abilities in his profession :-" A man of business went to the eminent Sir George Lockhart to consult him in a case of high importance. After Sir George had read the papers he paused some time, and, looking earnestly a t the gentleman, said t o him, ' Sir, tell me plainly, without shuffling, is this your doing or not, for if James Steuart is alive this is his draft, and why did you not make hinl solve your difficulty ? ' T h e agent muttered, and said, ' My Lord, I did, but I wanted your Lordship's authority too.' Sir George was so well pleased with Mr. Steuart's solution that he ordered a copy of it to b e taken." When the Reformation of 1688 was accomplished, and the re-settlement of Scottish affairs, both of Church and State, demanded attention, it was found impossible to g e t on without his assistance. H e was appointed Lord Advocate in 1692, and was knighted three years afterwards. H e was against the Union, and was deprived of his office after holding it for twenty years. I n Wodrow's correspondence, where the matter is mentioned, no reason is assigned for this dismissal : the Advocate is put off without knowing anything of it. F o r many years Sir James enjoyed his estate a t Goodtrees. H e was twice married. H i s first wife, and mother of all his children, was Agnes Traill, of the Fifeshire family of Blebo, a family that had suffered much in the Covenanting times. T h e Rev. Samuel Semple, who was minister of Liberton, waited on Sir James, the ex-Lord Advocate, during his sickness. Some days before his death Sir James told Mr. Semple that he desired to leave 1000 merks to the poor of his parish, and ordered his son, His Majesty's Solicitor, to give bond to the minister and kirk-session for the said sum. This was intimated to the session in June I 713. Sir James died a t his town house in Edinburgh in Advocate's Close.' S o great was his popularity that after his decease his
Advocate'sClose was situated to the north of St. Giles', and the house Sir James occupied was to be seen up till 1882,when it was pulled down.

FACSIMILE O F SIGNATURES T O T H E CONTRACT O F MARRIAGE BETWEEN AND ANNE DALRYMPLE,

1705.

SIR JAMES STEUART

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12j

funeral was voluntarily attended by an immense number of persons of all ranks. Sir James' last moments are thus described by MTodrow :-" His son James, standing by, said, ' My Lord, will you die before you bless me ? ' When he recovered a little out of his fainting, he said, ' No, James, I will not die till I bless you all ;' and indeed, like old Jacob, I may say he died ill the act of blessing his family, and, like his Master and Lord, his soul was taken away. H e was parted from his relations when blessing then^." H e , departed this life May ~ s t 1713, in the seventy-eighth year of his age. Though on his deathbed he charged his son, " No pageantry, James,"-r 500 gentlemen were invited. Such was the length of the procession, that the first of the company had arrived at the Greyfriars Church before the last had left Sir James' house. Thus passed away one of the best civilians of the age, a man of fine natural parts, who was distinguished by great plainness, affability, and familiarity in his manners and dealings with his fellow-men.1 Sir James Steuart, son of the Lord Advocate, was born in 1681. H e applied himself, after his father's example, to the study of the law. Being in due time called to the bar, he became so distinguished in his professio:l that he was appointed early in life Solicitor-General to Queen Anne. T h e same office was held by him under King George I. Sir James was Member of Parliament for Edinburgh, and was knighted in I 704 by the Marquis of Tweeddale, the Lord High Commissioner to the Church of Scotland. He was one of the last of the Scottish Knights elevated in this manner before the Union, and was created a Baronet by Queen Anne in 1705. That same year he married the witty and beautiful Anne Dalrymple, daughter of Sir Hew Dalrymple, Lord President of the Court of Session, and niece of Janet Dalrymple, the " Bride of Lammermoor," Sir ilralter Scott's heroine, daughter of the first Viscount Stair. A facsimile of the signatures to the marriage-contract betweell the parties has been reproduced from the original, which is in the There is a striking portrait of Sir James Steuart, by Sir John de Mediua, in the Library of the Writers to the Signet, Edinburgh, presented by John Parker, Esq.
I

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LIBERTON I N ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

possession of the present proprietor of Moredun. In it, as will here be seen, appear the names of many eminent men of that period. Sir James Steuart was appointed ruling elder in Liberton church to the ensuing Synod on 24th October 1 7 1 2, the Rev. Samuel Semple being then minister. H e took a great interest in the affairs of the church, and in the purchasing of the houses and garden which Mr. Mercer sold to the session, and which were bought with money belonging to the poor of the parish. H e examined the disposition relative to the purchase, and declared his satisfaction with it, and thought the conditions good in law, which the session agreed to, and got possession of the same at Whitsunday I 7 I 2. Sir James wrought the minerals on his estate of Goodtrees.~ H e died in I 727, and his wife, Lady Steuart, died in 1736, leaving a family of four daughters and a son, Sir James Steuart of Goodtrees and Coltness, author of Poditical Ecolzoq!, a great literaq work, and perhaps the earliest treatise on the subject produced in this country. I t was published in I 770, reprinted in 1776, and translated into French. In I 772, a t the request of the Honourable East Inclia Company, Sir James compiled his Essay on the Coi~zag o Bengad, in acknowleclgment of which the Board of Directors f pesented him with a magnificent diamond ring. A collected edition of the works of Sir J a n ~ e sSteuart, embracing several branches of learning, was published by desire of his son a t London in ~ S o j and extends to six large volumes. His sister, Margaret Steuart, who was born in I 715, married in
The limework was perhaps the oldest in Scotland, and had also been in operation from time immemorial. I t was at first wrought by tirring, afterwards by mining. These quarries extended from Moredun Mains along by Hyvots Mill to Muirhouse, presenting abundant evidence of former operations, there being a great many pillars with open areas, the rock being nine feet thick. The stones from the mine or quarry were at first carried to the bankhead by women with creels fastened on their backs, and when the works were being carried on probably fifty women were thus employed. At length asses were, with more propriety, enlployed in this occupation,-a change suggested by a man of the name of Pidie, who had been at the siege of Gibraltar, and had seen asses employed there in carrying up sand to fortify the trenches.

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127

1735 Thomas Calderwood of Polton, son of Sir W. Calderwood, Lord Polton.1 Agnes married in I 739 Henry David, tenth Earl of Buchan. She was the mother of two very distinguished men, namely, the Hon. Henry Erskine, better known in Scotland as Harry Erskine, Lord Advocate, and Thomas, Lord Erskine, Lord Chancellor of Great Britain. She died in I 778, in St. Andrew Square, Edinburgh, at the house of her son, Lord Buchan. Elizabeth died in I 803, unmarried. Marion married LieutenantColonel Murray of Cringletie. and would Sir James Steuart married Lady Frances Wen~yss, probably have risen to higher honours in the law but for his premature death at the age of forty-six years. His son, Sir James Steuart Denham, lived to be senior General and the oldest soldier in the British Army. H e was an excellent cavalry officer, and was at the time of his death in 1839 Colonel of the Scots Greys. H e represented the County of Lanark in Parliament for many years. As he left no issue, his two baroiletcies devolved on Sir John Stewart of Allanbank, the sole remaining male of this once widely spreading family. Sir James Steuart Denham sold Goodtrees to Mr. Mackenzie of Delvine, who was proprietor for about fourteen years. Baron David Stewart Moncreiff, Advocate, one of the Barons of Exchequer, purchased the estate in 1769, and gave it the name of Moredun, that being the name of a hill on his father's estate, the barony of Moncreiff, in the county of P e r t h . V t afterwards passed into the hands of Gilbert Mason, a merchant in Edinburgh.
I Mrs. Calderwood wrote an interesting account of a tour on the Continent in 1756, This book is a literary curiosity, and over and above the interest it possesses has a value as a standard of the purest Scottish ideas. Mrs. Calderwood's journal and letters, as first published, are rarely to be met with except in public libraries or in the collections of book-hunters. When a copy belonging to the Coltness collections was by chance offered for sale, it brought a large price. Baron Stewart Moncreiff was anxious to engage his nephew, Sir Thomas, his heir, in a matrimonial alliance with Lady Elizabeth Rainsey, sister of the Earl of Dalhousie, but being unsuccessful, left the lady his estate of Moredun, and all the other property he could bequeath.

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LIBERTON IN ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

Samuel Anderson, of the Union Bank of Scotland, who resided some time at Hailes, next became proprietor. H e was born 1st October I 756, and married Jane Hay, daughter of Sir James Hay of Haystoun, and had twelve of a family. H e was a liberal benefactor to the poor of the parish, especially in the village of Gilmerton. ll'hile at Hailes he gave a donation of 100 to the kirk-session, with directions to expend the interest thereof, at every returning new year, on meal, to be divided among the industrious poor. H e died on 27th March 182 I , and was succeeded by his son, David Anderson, also of the Union Bank of Scotland, who also took a great interest in the affairs of the parish, and bestowed his charity most liberally on all who came under his notice. David Anderson died on 16th November I 88 I , and was succeeded by his two sisters, Christian, the elder, who died on 4th October 1886, and Barbara, who died on 20th May I 884. Samuel Anderson's great-grandfather was the Rev. David Anderson, Professor of Humanity at St. Leonard's College, St. Andrews; he obtained from the town of Edinburgh a presentation to the church of Dumbarnie, and was settled minister there on 4th September I 679. On the I 3th August I 680 he entered into a contract of marriage, with consent of Mr. Patrick Anderson, his uncle, Minister of the Gospel, with Anne Blair, then second daughter of Andrew Blair of Inchyra, with consent of her father. H e was translated to Perth from Dumbarnie on the 27th October 1680, but was deprived of his living at the Revolution for not conforming to the Presbyterian form of Church government. H e then kept a school at Perth till 1697, when he died. His widow came over to Edinburgh and lived till 1743. In the last years of her life she resided with her daughter, Mrs. Foulis. Andrew Anderson, grandfather of Samuel Anderson, the eldest son, came to Edinburgh, and was educated with his cousin James Anderson. H e married in the year I 705 Margaret Blair, daughter of Mr. Blair, surgeon in Perth : they had a son David, of Stonehill, near Musselburgh, born 1707, died I I th January I 786, father of Samuel Anderson of Moredun. The present proprietor of Moredun is Mr. John Welsh, who purchased the beautiful and compact estate in 1888. This gentle-

LIBERTON IN ANCIENT AND MODERN TI&IES.

129

man takes an active interest in the affairs of the parish, being Chairman of the Parochial Board and Representative of the Eastern Dii-ision in the County Council of Mid-Lothian. The gardens are situated to the south of the house, and have long been famous. Some of the first glass-houses in Scotland were erected here, where grapes, peaches, pine apples, nectarines, and various other fruits are grown.' In the barony of Moredun there were also several hamlets, such as Couch-a-Braehead, Burnside, and Parkend, each containing a good many inhabitants. Not a trace of these places now remains. Most of the trees were planted in the time of Sir James Steuart, the Lord Advocate. Some of them are of a great size, containing from two to three hundred cubic feet of wood. A larch tree was taken down in 1877 which measured 135 feet long, and had no appearance of decay. Part of the policies were intersected when the new road from Greenend to Gilmerton was made, the original entrance having been from the old Dalkeith road, near Craigend cottages, on the east side of the grounds of Kingston Grange. T h e tithes of Goodtrees in 1630, at the time that David MICulloch was proprietor, were twenty bolls of victual, of which were three bolls of wheat, six bolls of barley, nine bolls of oats, and two bolls of pease. The lands of Moredun are held of the Crown. Gracemount, which is in the lands of St. Catherine's, and anciently called Priest's Hill, also part of the glebe, and that piece of land which is now a market garden, consisting of about five acres, called Kirklands, at one time belonged to the barony of Goodtrees, but is now held in feu from the proprietor of Moredun. From the Register of the Great Seal there is a charter by King James VI., dated at Holyrood 26th June 1600, whereby he demits and quit-claims to Mr. Edward Aitken of Underedge, and his heirs and assignees whomsoever,
On 18th June 1776 there was in bloom in the garden of David Moncreiff of

Moredun, Esq., the Passgora maZ$ornris, or Passion Tree, with an apple leaf. It is a native of Dominica and Tortu, and the first of that species which has flowered in this country.-Edinburgh Adverfisn, June 18, 1776.
R

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twelve acres of land called Priesthill, nine acres of arable land near the Bridgend of Craigmillar (now nursery ground and glebe), with the teind sheaves of then1 all included, in the parish of Liberton and sheriffdom of Edinburgh, which formerly pertained to the vicar of Liberton, paying for l'riestllill 3, nursery ground and glebe 6, with 6s. 8d. in augmentation,--in all, 14 merks, doubling the said feu-duty on the entry of heirs and assignees.

CHAPTER X.
STENHOUSE.

DJ 0 I N IN G Moredun is the barony of S tenhouse. This belonged at one time to the ancient family of hlelville of Carnbee, in Fife, the proprietors also of hIelville Castle, near Lasswade. Tlle earliest IkIelville charter which has been preserved is n grant by King LVilliam the Lion to Galfred de hlelville and his son, of that land which htalbet held in Liberton.' After the Melvilles, Sir John Ross of Halkhead, in Renfrewshire, became proprietor of this barony through his marriage with Agnes, daughter and sole heiress of Sir John hfelville of that ilk. His son, Sir John Ross, who succeeded him, obtained a charter under the Great Seal of the lands and barony of Melville, as heir to his mother, in I 40 I . T h e family, in consequence of this marriage, have quartered the arms of Melville xvith those of Ross ever since. Sir John's great-grandson was raised to the dignity of the the Peerage, by the title of Lord Hallihead, in the beginning of the reign of King James IV., and sat as Lord of Parliament in the years 1481-149I and 1494. H e was a man of great courage, and accompanied his sovereign to the fatal field of Flodden, where he shared the fate of the King and the flower of the Scottish chivalry. Lord Halkhead's son, Ninian, was during the minority of James V. nominated one of the envoys sent to the Court of France to endeavour to get Scotland included in their treaty of peace with the English in I 5 I 5. H e was also one of the Scottish Commissioners
I

Sir IITilliamFraser, K.C.B., LL.D., who has written a history of the Melvilles

c' Czrnbee, which family anciently held a large portion of the parish of Liberton, has

t r ~ z , o h to llght some interesting information thereanent. t

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LIBXRTON IN ANCIXNT AND MODXRN TIMXS.

at the English Court when peace was concluded in 1534. H e had a son named Robert, who was slain at the battle of Pinkie in 1547. James, Lord Ross, a son of Ninian, the above mentioned, by a second marriage, was a great loyalist, and a firm and steady friend of Queen Mary, never deserting her interest. H e was one of the Peers who sat on the trial of James, Earl of Bothwell, when he was acquitted for complicity in the murder of Darnley in 1597. William, ninth Lord Ross of the Melville family, was fined by Oliver Cromwell the sum of 3000 sterling in 1654. Though this nobleman accepted office under the Commonwealth, he was a great loyalist, and suffered many hardships on that account. George, tenth Lord Ross, had a daughter Grizel, wh3 married Sir Alexander Gilmour of Craigmillar. George, twelfth Lord Ross, about the year 1740 feued out portions of this barony. On the death, in I 754, of William, fourteenth Lord Ross, this peerage became extinct. The Lords Ross, probably as representing the Melville family, also held rights over the lands of St. Catherine's, which were in the barony of Stenhouse. These lands belonged to a very ancient chapel dedicated to St. Catherine, which stood with its buryingground near the modern mansion of St. Catherine's. All trace of this chapel has disappeared, but at the end of last century its ruins were still extant. I t was reputed to be the most ancient place of * worship in the parish, and the ground around the chapel was consecrated for burials. Hither came annually in solemn procession the nuns from the Convent of Sciennes, a foundation due to the piety of one of the St. Clairs of Rosslyn, who may possibly have also been connected with the origin of the Chapel of St. Catherine. Hector Boece speaks of the Well of St. Catherine as follows: " About two miles from this town, Edinburgh, a spring on which drops of oil float gushes out with such force that if you draw nothing from it the flow is no greater, and however much you take away no less remains. I t is said to have arisen from some of the oil of St. Catherine, which was being brought from Mount Sinai to St. Margaret, having been spilt at that spot." The well was also described in 1664 by Matthew Mackaile, a

I
i
i

LJBERTON IN ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

I33

surgeon. H e says-" In the paroch of Libberton, the church whereof lyeth two miles southward from Edinburgh, there is a well at the Chapel of St. Catherine's, which is distant from the church about a quarter of a mile, and is situate toward the south-west, whose profundity equaleth the length of a pike, and is always replete with water, and at the bottom of it there remaineth a great quantity of black oyl in some veins of the earth. His Majesty Icing James VI., the first monarch of Great Britain, of blessed memory, had such a great estimation of this rare well, that when he returned from England to visit his ancient kingdom of Scotland in anno 1617, he went in person to see it, and ordered that it should be built with stones from the bottom to the top, and that a door and a pair of stairs should be made for it, that men might have the more easy access into its bottom for getting of the oyl. This royal command being obeyed, the well was adorned and preserved until the year 1650, when that execrable regicide and usurper, Oliver Cromwell, with his rebellious and sacrilegious complices, did invade this kingdom, and not only defaced such rare and ancient monuments of nature's handiwork, but also the synagogues of the God of nature." 'This well was azain repaired after the Restoration, and there can be little doubt that its waters had a healing tendency. Oils when rubbed on the skin have often been found to produce most beneficial results in skin diseases. T h e tarry substance or petroleum mixture discovered in this spot was no doubt due to the presence of the coal or shale strata of the district. The existence of the oil-works at Straiton and elsewhere cannot fail to throw a light upon the history and peculiarities of the so-called Balm Well of St. Catherine's, which even yet has an occasional visitor. In I 794 St. Catherine's is named in the Edinburgh Advertiser, the minerals being at that time for sale. W e read-" Two seams of parrot coal have been discovered, and there is every reason to expect other seams will be found upon a proper search, as there are strong indications in different parts of the land. By trials it is found that the above coal contains a very considerable proportion of tar, and after extracting the tar, the ashes afford lamp-black and ink for copper plates and printing. Pieces of the coal inay be had at St.
U

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LIBERTON I N ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

Catherine's for experimenting. No price, however, will be asked for the coal ; there is also plenty of freestone of a good quality." From I 71 I to I 7 14 St. Catherine's was the property of one Alexander Brown. It then passed into the hands of Patrick Crawford of Auchinmains, who possessed it for many years. Mr. Stewart, a gentleman from Jamaica, was proprietor for some time about the year I 780. Mr. Hume, from East Florida, appears to have owned i t ; as also Sir William Rae. H e was the second son of Sir David Rae, Lord Eskgrove, and was called to the bar on the 25th June I 791, and became Sheriff of Mid-Lothian in 1810. He never at any time of his life was in full practice ; but was, nevertheless, appointed Lord Advocate in I 8 I g, being at the same time returned to Parliament for Anstruther District of Burghs. As Lord Advocate he was much occupied with the political trials of the day. These were held before a Commission of Oyer and Terminer, consisting of Lord President Hope, Justice-Clerk Boyle, Sir Samuel Shepherd, Chief Baron of the Court of Exchequer, Chief Commissioner Adam, and two of the Justiciary Judges. They sat between the 23d June and the 9th August 1820, at Stirling, Dumbarton, Paisley, and Ayr. T h e first sitting was at Stirling, where the prisoners taken at Bonnymuir were to be tried. While the grand jury were considering the Bills laid before them, Sir William wrote to Mr. Hobhouse, " Our commission is just opened, the only thing we have neglected has been to provide a proper shorthand writer to take d o ~ v the proceedings. There is no i~ fit person of that description in Edinburgh, and in the treason trials in 1794 a shorthand writer was sent from London. This is a matter of considerable consequence in many points of view, and I therefore beg that you would send us down, without loss of time, a persoil duly qualified for the above purpose." Sir William conducted the celebrated trial of William Burke -of Burke and Hare notoriety-and Helen MCDougal, for the murder of Marjory Docherty, which took place on 24th December 1828. H e was a Member of Parliament until his death, and was Lord Advocate during Sir Robert Peel's short-lived administration of 1834, and again in 1841, when his party came into power.

LIBERTON I N ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

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Sir Walter Scott in his Journal, lately published, mentions dining a t St. Catherine's on the 23d November 1825, " with the Lord Advocate, Sir IVilliam Rae, Lord and Lady Melville, Lord Justice-Clerk, Sir Archibald Campbell of Succoth, all class conipanions, and acquainted well for more than forty years." I t was Sir William Rae who persuaded the Road Trustees to put down the granite tramway on Liberton Brae, which has been a great source of relief to many a poor animal. Sir William died a t St. Catherine's otl the 19th October 1842. T h e estate, after the death of Sir William Iiae, was purchased by Mr. LVright, an Edinburgh seedsman, who continued to be proprietor until 1870. I t now belongs to the family of the late Maurice Lothian, sometime Procurator-Fiscal. T o the east of St. Catherine's is a rising ground formerly called Priest's Hill, now Grace Mount, which was probably connected with the chapel of St. Catherine. Part of the hamlet of Kaiines, originally called Combs, is built upon this property. Southfield, the property or' Mrs. David Croall, has been in possessioil of the family since 1849, and was purchased from Bruce of Kennet by the late h4r. John Croall, so well known for his enterprise in connection with the stage coaches of former days. Southfield was long the property of I'atrick Millar of Dalswinton, who launched on a lake at Dalswinton the first vessel popelled by steam. H e it was who offered Robert Burns a farm a t whatever rental the poet thought proper. Southfield was also the property of the eminent Sir William Forbes in 1792. H e was head of the well-known banking firm of Forbes, Hunter, and Company, now known as the Union Bank of Scotland. Sir William was a gentleman of the highest breeding the head of the most cultivated and elegant society in the city, and a link between the old Scottish aristocratic families to which he belonged by birth. T h e rising commercial opulence with which he was connected by profession, as well as the literary circle with which he was intimate from his acquirements, brought him into contact with men immortal in English history,-Dr. Samuel Johnson, Edmund Burke, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Di-. Oliver Goldsmith, and

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many others. Dr. Johnson, along with his biographer Boswell, probably spent a night at Southfield when on a trip to the Highlands.' T h e old road frorn Hyvots Mill ran along the south side of Southfield, and was known for fifty years as Lady Millar's road. T h e origin of the name Hyvots is from " heavy oats." T h e land here is well adapted for the growing of corn, being in a high state of cultivation, and has long been famous for the growing of heavy oats, and to this day the crops are generally as good as any to be met with in Mid-Lothian. Adjoining the hamlet of Lower Stenhouse is a market garden with a south-west exposure,-the earliest strawberries in the Edinburgh market used to be grown here. In 1832 they are said to have ripened as early as the 5th of June. Limestone was wrought on this land at the end of last century. Stenhouse Mill is on the same site as the ancient mill mentioned in the charters of Malbet and the R/lelvilles. A part of the house of the barony, or the " Stone House" as it was called, stands to this day, and was occupied for generations by the forefathers of the late Dr. Peacock, to whoin a considerable part of the land in the barony of the Stenhouse belonged. What is now known as Liberton Free Church stood originally on a site in the village of Stenhouse. Its first minister was the Rev. Walter Fairlie, who, as minister of Gilmerton, cast in his fortune with the Free Church at the Disruption, and officiated as such until his death in 1856, when he was succeeded by the Rev. D. K. Guthrie, soil of the famous Dr. Guthrie. T h e new church was built at Northfield in 1869. T h e old church and school are now used for the storage of grain in connection with the mill, and are the property of Mrs. Croall, Southfield. T h e village is intersected by two roads, one running from the new Dalkeith road to the old Lasswade road, and the other from
Scott remarks in his notes to Marmion that Sir William Forbes was unequalled perhaps in the degree of individual affection entertained for him by his friends, as well as in the general esteem and respect of Scotland at large, and who, in that noble poem, commemorates his virtues with equal truth and tenderness :'c Far may we search before we find, A heart so manly and so kind."
I

LIBERTON IN ANCIENT AND MODERN T M E S .

I37

Gilmerton to Liberton Kirk, part of the latter being only a footpath. This is one of the oldest roads in the parish, In former times roads appear to have been conveniently distributed over the country in order to meet the requirements of traffic, but some of these were mere cattle tracks, as their names indicate,-such as VirirEis Via, the Green Way, no doubt grown over with grass, thus enabling cattle to snatch a bite as they were being driven along; others bearing the style of Alta Via, the Highway, some of which were fit for wheeled carriages. T h e road above referred to, which passed through Lower i Stenhouse, was the V a Regis, or King's Highway. I t entered the parish to the south of hlelville Grange, passed the old farm-house, ran through the village of Gilmerton on the west side, continuing along by Moredun Dykes, passing on the west side of Liberton Church, and on to Edinburgh. T h e King's Highway from Newbattle to Edinburgh is mentioned in a charter of 1253.' That house and garden in the village, now the property of Mr. Welsh of Moredun, was long possessed by one John Goldie, who was a feuar of the barony ; the house was built in I 769. There appeared in the Edinburgh Advertiser of 1786 the following notice :-" Died at Stenhouse on Sunday, 10th September, in the one hundred and twelfth year of her age, Mrs. Goldie, Senior, a lady of the most amiable disposition. She retained the use of all her faculties till within a few days of her death, and was so recollected as to call those persons by name who waited upon her in her last moments." Burnhead, the property of Lady Emma M'Neill, was purchased by the late Sir John M'Neil from the heirs of John Duncan, of the firm of Duncan & Flockhart, Chemists, Edinburgh. His grandson, John Duncan, M.D., is proprietor of the land on the west side of the public road. Mr. John Duncan built Burnhead House, and expended a large sum of money in the erection of glass-houses.
Although the original roads have all been diverted from their course, the above description of the King's Highway is borne out conclusively by an advertisement which appeared in the public prints in I 760 regarding the sale of a property in the Stenhouse, in which the Regis Via is set forth as one of the boundaries.
S

LIBBRTON I N ANCIENT AATB MODERN TIMES.

Princess 1,ouisc and the Marquis of Lorne were the guests of Sir John and Lady Emma M'Neill in June 1871. This property has been sold lately and divided into three parts, Miss Margaret E. Handyside having purchased the house and garden. T h e Lockerbie Trust have bought two acres for the erection of cottages for decaycd gentlemen, and Mrs. Croall of Southfield a portion of the land adjoining hcr property. T h e Free Church Manse, erected in 1858, is situated on a piece of ground at the junction of the Lasswade and Stenhouse roads. T h e grounds are intersected by the streamlet which falls into the burn at Stenhouse. The site is feued from Captain Gordon Gilmour ; also Neville Cottage, the property of Mr. MCDonald, built by Captain Thornton, a Iiaterloo veteran. A considerable portion of the lands of Stenhouse was long possessed by Sailluel and David Anderson of Moredun, and farmed by Mr. James Smart, Liberton. This land was purchased by Mr. R. A. Irelacd in 1890. The greater part of it is leased at present as a market garden. I t is held of the Crown for one penny, to be paid when asked for. The field to the south of the pathway leading to Liberton is called the Mill Field, and the one to the north the Dovecot Field, the dovecot of the barony being situated here. North from Stenhouse is the village of Grecnend. It was completely changed by the formation of the new road to Dalkeith, which forn~erlypassed through the grounds of Kingston Grange. F e w of the old thatched cottages remain in this hamlet. On a two-storied house, which stood nearly opposite the entrance to Greenpark, were the words " Kobert Bryden, Portioner, 1722," deeply cut on a stone lintel. Descendants of this Robert Bryden still retain property here of considerable value. Greenpark is the property of Mr. R. Middlemass, who has enlzrged the house and laid out tlle grounds in a most artistic manner. Greenpark was long the residence of Mr. Richard iIrhytock, who carried on the weaving of tapestry on the premises. The late Mr. IVilliam Christie also rcsided here for a considerable timc.

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T h e bridge here over the burn led originally to the mill now called Moredun hlill, then known by the name of Guardwell. This bridge was widened abcut the year 1780, lvhen the new roa-' was made intersecting a part of Moreclun policy ground. T h e population of this small hamlet in I 7 5 0 was nineteen. T h e mill itself is still in operation ; it was a t one time famous for the pease-meal

CHAPTER XI.
MORTON A N D RIORTONHALL.

H E lands of Morton are on the west side of the parish, and were anciently included in the possessions of the St. Clairs of Rosslyn. Sir Henry St. Clair of Rosslyn, Sir William's eldest son, swore fealty, with his father, to Edward I., 13th June 1292, and appears to have been on the English side in the great struggle for the indepensubsequently he gave in his dence of the ~ c o t t i s h monarchy.' adherence to Robert the Bruce, from whom, in I 3 I 7, he obtained a grant of all the Crown lands in the Moor of Pentland, iilcluding Morton and Mortonhall, in free warren for the service of the tenth part of a knight's fee.2 H e was one of those who in 1320 signed the letter to the Pope, asserting the independence of Scotland, and was one of the guarantors of a truce concluded with the English 1st June 1323. H e also held the office of chief butler of the kingdom. Sir Henry's son, Sir William St. Clair, was the adventurous knight of whom the following hunting story is told :-" IGng Robert the Bruce had been repeatedly baulked by a fleet white deer, which he had started in his hunts among the Pentlands ; and having asked an assembled body of his nobles whether any dogs in their possession could seize the game which had escaped the Royal hounds, Sir William St. Clair promptly offered to pledge his head that two favourite dogs of his, called Help' and ' Hold,' would kill the deer before she crossed the march burn. T h e King instantly accepted the offer, and pledged himself to give the forest of Pentland Moor,
Letters were addressed to him and to others of Edward's supporters in Scotland, calling upon them to assist in suppressing the rebels in patriotic parts. * A knight's fee was so much inheritance in land as was suficient to maintain a knight.-jncb's La7c Dicfionavy.

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which included the northern division of the great Mid-Lothian hill range, in guerdon of success. A few slow hounds having been let loose to beat up the deer, the King stationed himself on the best vantage ground for commanding a view of the chase. Sir William, on his part, after slipping his dogs, prayed earnestly to St. Icatherine to give the deer up to them, and on a fleet-footed steed went in full chase after the deer. Arriving at the march burn he threw himself from his horse in despair, ' Hold' just in the crisis of fate stopped the deer in the brook, and the next instant ' Help ' came up, drove her back, and killed her on the winning side of the stream. The Icing, who had witnessed the result, came speedily down from his vantage ground, embraced Sir William, and granted him, in free forestry, the lands of Loganhouse, once a favourite hunting seat of the Scottish Kings, Kirton, and Earncraig. In gratitude for the fancied interference of St. Katherine in his favour, the Knight, in the superstition of the times, built the Chapel of St. Katherine in the Hopes, parish of Penicuick." Morton and Mortonhall continued in the possession of the family of St. Clair, as appears from a charter granted to them by James I I I. in 1486, and for a long time after was held by them. William Rigg, of the family of Rigg of Carbcrry, was owner of Morton in 1630.1 His son, Thomas Rigg, sold it to the Porterfields of Comiston, but it was bought fro111 them by a son of Thomas Rigg named also Thomas, an advocate. H e was an elder in Liberton church for some time, but removed and sold his seat in the church for seven pounds. Morton continued to be in the possession of this family for a considerable time. Mr. Peter Rigg of Downfield, a male representative of the family, became proprietor in 1789, subsequent to which it became the property of the Trotter family of ILIortonhall, &c. Morton House was tenanted by Lord Cuninghame, one of the
Mr. Hugh Rigg, a relative, was an advocate and personage of some distinction, he is mentioned in Knox's history in 1534 testifying to the remorse of Cardinal Beaton, after that prelate had condemned many of the Reformers to the flames. He is also mentioned by Pitscottie as being one of the four to whoin the Governor of Scotland communicated the overturzs of the Duke of Somerset immediately previous to the battle of Pinkie.

42

LIBERTON IN ANCIENT AND MODRRN TIiCIES.

Lords of Session, for a considerable time, and also by Dr. Hill Burton, the historian, who died there in 1881. A part of the house is of considerable antiquity. Morton is supposed to have been a Roman town, ' More ' in the Celtic language signifying great or large. North-west from Morton House is a rampart of an oval form intersected by the public road. This was not a Roman camp, not being quadrangular, but rather a town of Roman origin. T h e Roman road ran by Litlton to Morton, and from thence to Cramond, where the Romans had an important station. Another military road came from Teviotdale, which led to this town. Morton was situated on what might be called the trunk line by which the Roman troops travelled to the far north, it being a continuation of the great Watling Street, which entcrs Scotland near the River Coquet, passing by Jedburgh and the Eildon Hills and the Pentlands, along the boundary line of the parish of Liberton, on to Cramond. Sir John Clerk of Penicuick, a Baron of Exchequer and a learned antiquary, owned forty or fifty very curious Roman coins, which were found in the construction ~f the new road at Morton, and also at the Roman station at Cramond. " Among them was a large brass coin or medallion of the Emperor Claudius, bearing on one side the Imperial crest, with the inscription TICLAVDIVS. C E S A R ,\VG. P.M.T.R.P.IMP. On the reverse is S.C., then N E R O CLAVDIVS DRVSVS, with the figure of a horseman upon a triumphal arch between two bexilla. There was also found a well-preserved gold medal of Antoninus Pius, and that invaluable medal of Severus, supposed to be. coined on the peace with the Caledonians. T h e Baron's collection included also a coin of C. Augustus, Divi Filius-reverse Pon. Max, ; five of Trajan, five coins of Hadrian, two of Vespasian, two of Nerva, two of Antoninus Pius, one of Galba, one of Nero, one of Julia, one of Domitian ; another of Severus with this reverse, Felicitas Augustorum, one of Octavianus Augustus, one of Claudius, one of Antoninus Augustus, which is said to be Caracalla ; another of the same with this reverse, hloneta Auguste; another of Antoninus without a beard, the reverse two hands joining. There are besides six consuIar medals."-Itzit., p. I I 6.

LIBERTON IN ANCIENT AND M0DERhT TIMES.

I43

T h e boundary line of the parish, for about two and a quarter miles, extending from Bowbridge to Ruckstone Snab, is on the line of the Roman road. Adjacent to the Roman town, and near the old cottage at Fairmilehead, which is situated close by the old Roman road, a great and important battle had been fought and two large conical cairns have been erected to commemorate the event and mark its locality. On demolishing these, for the purpose of making the new road, remains of human bones were found and several fragments of ancient weapons, two of which were in the possession of the late Mr. Trotter of Mortonhall in 1839. Not far from these cairns is the Camus Stone, which still stands, and has beet1 known for generations by its present name. T h e description which Sir Walter Scott gives of the Roman camp near Callander is applicable here-

" The mouldering lines

Where Rome, the Empress of the World, Of yore her eagle wings unfurled."

T h e wood around Morton House is named Mount Plantation, and a hamlet which once stood about two hundred yards north-east of the lodge at n'lorton House was known as Mounthooly, or the Holy Mount. A little to the north of this is the Galachlaw, still so called, where were held the old Courts of Law, and which probably has retained the name since the days of the Romans. W e have no written history regarding this Roman town or camp. T h e roads from Fairmilehead and the Bra.id Hill Road may be said to have been Roman pathways going direct to the sea at Portobello and Musselburgh. At the Galachlaw Oliver Cromwell encamped with his army in 1650. A little to the north-west is a small quadrangular rampart, in which Oliver and his principal officers encamped for a considerable time before the battle of Dunbar, His army at the time consisted of sixteen thousand men. This place is still known as Oliver's Camp. East from Morton is Mortonhall. A t an early date the possessors of these lands were the St. Clairs of Rosslyn. Various indications point to there having been an encampment here in Roman days. East from the mansion-house is one of the four obelisks which

144

LIBERTON IN ANCIENT AND MODERN 37MES.

stand in the parish. Almost on the boundary of the lands of Upper Liberton there are several tumuli, called Caer Duff Knowes. There are several traces of fortifications near Mortonhall House. On the south side of the Braid Hills is a hollow, called Elves' or Elf's Kirk, denoting a place where the fairies assembled, near which is a pretty natural pond called Elf's Loch. A t one time deer were plentiful in this place, the farm of Buckstone taking its name from this circumstance. Here also is the Tournament Field, so called, presumably, from the purpose for which it was used. T h e next proprietor of Mortonhall, after the St. Clairs of Rosslyn, was Mr. Alexander Ellis, who held it for a short time. John Trotter purchased the estate about the year 1635, and it still remains in possession of his family. H e claims descent from an ancient family of the time of Roberts I I. and I 11.1 John Trotter died in 1641, aged eighty-one, and was buried in Greyfriars Churchvard. On his tomb is a Latin epitaph, which has been translated thus" Death is most sure, unseen its hour. 'Bove eighty years John Trotter lived,
And saw his issue fair : He from ambition all was free, A property lnost rare. Though private, public was his mind, He guardian to the poor, Whom to assist, by power or wealth, He laboured every hour."

'<TheLord is the Giver of all good to them that love and trust Him." H e left four thousand merks in charity to the town of Edinburgh, two thousand merks to St. Paul's Hospital, and a considerable sum to Trinity Hospital. H e also built two chambers in the College of Edinburgh for two bursars of Philosophy, and further left seven hundred merks to the town of Lanark. Bred a merchant, he acquired by commerce a great estate. Marrying Janet, eldest daughter of David MiMath of that ilk, an ancient family in DunOne Thomas Trotter appears to have been proprietor of the lands of Foulshaw, Catchelraw, Kilnhill, &C., Berwickshire, at that period.
l

LIRE RTON I N A NCIEATT AND &IODERN TIMES.

I45

fermline, by whom he had five sons and four daughters. H e was a great Loyalist during the troublous times. John Trotter was succeeded by his son and namesake, second Baron of Mortonhall, also a steady Loyalist. H e was fined 500 sterling by the Parliament in 1645 for assisting the Marquis of Montrose. In I 648 he was on the Committee of l i a r for Edinburghshire. Espousing Janet, daughter of Henry Morrison, son of John Morrison of Saughtonhall, by whom he hacl two sons and eight daughters, and dying in 1651,hc was succeeded by his eldest son, John, who was served heir to his father in 1652. T h e latter was one of the benefactors to the College of Edinburgh that same year, and died unmarried in Malta in 1665, aged twenty-six. H e was succeeded by his brother, Hcnry Trotter, one of the Con~missioners Supply, ~vhomarried Marian, eldest daughter of of Sir Alexander Dalmahoy. H e died in I 685, aged forty-two. Henry Trotter was succeeded by his son John, fifth Baron of Mortonhall. H e married Elizabeth, eldest daughter of William Wilkinson, of Thursdale, county of Durham, ancl died in I 718, aged fifty-one. Henry was succeeded by his son Henry, the sixth Baron, and who in turn was succeeded by his brother Thomas, the seventh Baron of Mortonhall, who died in I 793, leaving six daughters and three sons. John and Henry, the two elder sons, succeeded to the estate, and died without issue, John in 1804, and Henry in I 838. Alexander, the third son, Lieutenant-General, married in I 793 Margaret Katherine, daughter of Richard Fisher, Esq. of Lovetts, Mid-Lothian. H e died in 1825. H e had two sons and two daughters,-Richard, who succeeded his uncle Henry in Mortonhall, and Thomas, Lieutenant (General), Scots Greys, killed at Waterloo, 18th June 1815. Margaret married in 1813 Lord Cuninghame, one of the Judges of the Court of Session, and Joanna married in 1838 the Rev. John More11 Mackenzie. Richard Trotter, tenth of Mortonhall, was Convener of MidLothian. Interesting himself keenly in the affairs of the parish, he was an elder in Liberton Church, as well as chairman of the Parochial Board. Born in 1797, and marrying Mary, daughter of General
T

146

LIBZRTON I N A N C I Z N T A N D MODZRN TIMZS.

Sir John Oswald, G.C.B., of Dunnikier, he died 27th December 1874, and had issue, Henry, born in 1844, John Oswald, born I 849, and three daughters. Richard was succeeded by his eldest son, Henry, the present proprietor, being the eleventh of Mortonhall, who is a Colonel of the Grenadier Guards. H e married 24th May 1866 the Hon. Eva, daughter of Lord Gifford, and has issue, three sons and one daughter. T h e crest of the family represents a man holding a horse, ppr., furnished, gules, with the motto " In promptu." T h e Mid-Lothian Yeomanry Cavalry met frequently at Mortonhall, Richard Trotter having been Colonel. This must have been an old custom, as appears from the newspapers of 19th June I 798:"On Saturday last the Mid-Lothian Yeomanry Cavalry, consisting of the Currie, Dalkeith, and Cramond troops, commanclecl by Major Trotter, met at Mortonhall, when their colours, after being consecrated by a very solemn and suitable prayer by the Rev. Mr. Dick, their chaplain, were delivered by Mrs. Dunclas of Arniston, and received with three cheers from the whole corps, and a very numerous company of spectators. T h e cavalry then went through a variety of evolutions with a degree of accuracy and perfection that woulcl have done honour to any standing regiment, and received the highest approbation from His Grace the Duke of Buccleuch, Lord Lieutenant of the county, who remained on the ground during the whole of the time. That nobleman afterwards inspected the whole corps, and expressed his complete satisfaction both with the men and the horses. His attention was remarkable, and fully corresponded with that generous and manly spirit of loyalty and patriotism which he has so uniformly displayed, and which in these times justly entitles him to be held up as an example to the nobility of Scotland. The ground was guarded by a respectable detachment of the Libberton volunteers, under the command of Anclrew Wauchope of Nidclry, Esq., one of the Deputy Lieutenants of the county, whose exertions during the present period of alarm are truly meritorious. T h e day was excellent, and the whole exhibited a spectacle highly gratifying to the surrounding multitude, and inspired a pleasing confidence that, protected by her own subjects, whose hearts are

LIGE R TOL\- ILV d ,\'CIE,\-T

AD ', \

Jf ODE RAJ- TLIfES.

I i i

now united in her cause, Britain shall yet retain her respectability among the nations, and resist with her ancient spirit every attempt, either of the traitor at home, or of her ambitious and perfidious foreign foe." The present mansion was built in I 796. Near the private burying-ground stood several cottages, which went by the name of Redcastle, no trace of which noxv remains. T h e present mansion is nearly on the same site as the old house. Here in more ancient times had been a fort or stronghold enconlpassed with water, the access to it being by a drawbridge. T h e modern house is beautifully situated in a finely wooded part of the estate, and is surrounded by the garden and lawns, laid out in a most tasteful and attractive manner. A t a few yards distance froin the frontage of the building is a tree which was planted at the birth of Colonel Trotter. From the rising ground a splendid view of the surrounding country is obtained.

CHAPTER XII.
STRAITON AND BROOhIHILLS.

0 the south of Mortonhall lie the village and lauds of Straiton and Brownhills or Broomhills, which were possessed by a family of the name of Straiton under a charter of David I. A mansion-house called Straiton Hall, and another house, south-west from the present farmhouse, must have been places of considerable strength, surrounded by water and approached by a drawbridge. T h e haroily was in former times of considerable extent and value. T h e villages of Straiton, Straiton Mill, Burdiehouse, and a hamlet called Phantasy belonged to it. Alexander de Straiton's was one of the signatures of the let.cer addressed to the Pope in 1320, declaring the independence of Scotland. Professor Veitch, speaking of this letter, remarks in his Bovdev H j f 1"y the principle it asserted it was worth any 2 . o .For , document in European history. I t aslted the Pope to require the English Icing to respect the illdependence of Scotland, and mind his own affairs. S o long as a hundred of us are left alive, say the signatories, we will never in any degree be subjected to the English ; it is not for glory, riches, or honours that we fight, but for liberty alone, which no good man loses hut with his life. T h a t is the spirit and the lesson of Scottish history ; it is a spirit and a lesson that will be required through all ages." There was another Alexander Straiton, a Member of Parliament in r463, and who served a t the trial of Boyd of Drumcoll in 1469. This falnily
I n the General Register House, Edinburgh, lnay be seen the duplicate of this address. I t is worn and a little decayed, but has been preserved on the whole with such pious care that few words are illegible. Many of the seals still dangling to it show clear impressions in green or red wax.
I

LIBERTON I N ANCLEAT AND MODERN TIMLS.

I49

of Straiton appears to have been of northern origin, there being a charter of confirmation of an indenture made at the burgh of Aberdeen, dated 5th February 1447, between a worshipful Lady Christian of Straiton, where she grants to Alexander Frog, his sons, and Marian, his wife, to farm the lands of Straiton and Straiton Hall for a period of nineteen years, and f ~ ~power l' to big ll ane mill" within the said lands, also to work coals and stone to their best advantage, at the early rent of 26 merks. Frogston, once a small hamlet, of which not a vestige now remains, was situated on the road leading from Kaimes village to Morton, at the foot of the steep hill which is called Frogston Brae. taken from this Alexander Frog. The name is The Lords Somerville were anciently connected by marriage with the family of Straiton. Catherine Straitoil was married to a son of Sir Walter Somerville named Thomas. She was the second daughter of the Laird of Straiton, who was also Laird of Louriston, near Aberdeen. One David Straiton of this family was burned at the stake for heresy on the 27th August 1534, at the rood or cross at Greenside, on the north side of the Calton Hill, where he met his fate with wonderful resolution. The last of whom we have any history was William Straiton, who was proprietor at least of a part of Straiton about the middle of last century. James Henderson of Forclel, King's Advocate in 1494, and afterwards Lord Justice-Clerk, got a charter of the lands of Straiton, dated 21st February I 508. H e was a man of great bravery and resolution, and accompanied James in the unfortunate expedition into England, where both he and his eldest son lost their lives along with their royal master in 1 5 13. James Henderson was succeeded by his son George, who obtained a charter under the Great Seal from Queen Mary to him and Marion Scott, his spouse, of the lands of Straiton Hall, Straiton Mill, and the manor of Broomhill, dated 20th August I 546. George Henderson was slain in defence of the liberties of his country at the battle of Pinkie in 1547. By his wife, Marion Scott, who was one of the Maids of Honour to Queen ILlary, he had a son

I50

LIBERTON I N ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

named James, who got a charter of the lands of Straiton 1st [anuary 1569. H e was a man of parts and merit, and in great favour with James VI., who granted him an excuse from attending him in his wars during all the days of his life, the terms of it being very honourable to the family. Sir John Henderson of Fordel, who had the honour of knighthood conferred upon him by James VI., upoil his father's resignation, had a charter of the lands of Straiton, April 1600. H e had a son, John, who having embraced a military life, held a considerable command upon the coast of Africa. H e was taken prisoner by the natives, and when on the point of being put to death by them, was ransomed by a lady, whose picture, with a coronet on her head, and a landscape representing the deliverailce to which she had been instrumental, was preserved in the family of Fordel. A sister of Sir John Henderson being apprehended for witchcraft, was imprisoned it1 the Tolbooth in the month of July 1649, where she remained until the month of December following. Being well at night, and found dead in the morning, also having symptoms of poison, it was thought she had taken such by the advice of her friends and relations, to save her from being publicly burnt. The barony of Broomhill was purchased by Sir John Baird of Newbyth from Sir John Henderson of Fordel in I 709. It continued to be in the possession of that family until 1827, when it was purchased by the Trotters of Mortonhall. In 1666 Robert Denham is mentioi~edunder the title of fiar of Straiton, that name being given to those who were to succeed to their father's heritage without being obliged to enter as heir. Mr. Alexander Johnstone was proprietor of S traiton in I 744,'
I I n April 1760 a singular fatality occurred at Straiton Mill. Two boys, sons of a butcher, were playing together, when the elder said to the younger that he would show hinl the way his father killed sheep. Immediately thereafter he seized a knife and thrust it into his throat. The mother, who was rocking another child in a cradle, hearing the boy shriek, ran to his assistance, u,)on which the elder lad, conscious of his guilt, ran away, stu~llbledinto the mill-dam, and was csrried down and crushed by the wheel. T o complete the catastrophe, the mother on her return found the cradle overturned and the infant smothered.

L I T E R T O N IN A N C I E N T A N D M O D E R N T/ICCES.
-

151

one of his predecessors having purchased the lands of Straiton from the Denhams. John Allan was tenant of Broomhills from 181S to 1876 (as his ancestors had been for upwards of two hundred years). H e had a brother named George, born 2d February 1806, who died in 1835. H e was the author of several poetical pieces : " Young Donald frae his Love 'S away," " Is your W a r Pipe Asleep ? " " I will think of Thee yet," " I canna leave my Hieland Hame," and others, which were set to music by Peter M'Leod, and appeared in the original fVeZo&s o Scotland. H e is said to have been a man of siilgularly f gentle and amiable disposition, a pleasant companion, and a devoted friend. Broomhills farm is leased at present by Mr. Thomas Hutchison, who has long been connected with the parish. Most of the old houses in the village of Straiton have been demolished and replaced by those of a more modern character, thus entirely altering the former appearance of the place. T h e brewery which stood in the village in I 760 was tenanted by one John Pringle. A little to the west of the hamlet, and near what was called Straiton Green, is an old draw-well dedicated to the Virgin, and known by the name of Our Lady's Well. There may possibly have been a cell or chapel near this well, but no tradition or history

jb c:-::-?

from Loanhead, and proceeded onwards to the hamlet of

F-.-!r :sly mentioned.

CHAPTER XIII.
S O U T H H O U S E A N D AlUIRHOUSE.

H E lands of Muirhouse, now called Murrays, which

are north-east from Straiton, were long possessed by Mr. Gavin Nisbet. Before the year 1630 he built an aisle and burying-place in Liberton Church, and near the top of one of the gables of the old church were the armorial bearings of Nisbet of that ilk. In 1655 Muirhouse became the property of the Denhams, and a few years before the Revolution that of the Humes, from whom Henry Trotter of Mortonhall acquired it by purchase, and it still remains in the possession of that family. T h e Gilmerton coal seam runs through this land, and limestone has been wrought to a certain extent. On the other side of the burn, which forms the boundary, are the lands of Southhouse, which probably once belonged to the St. Clairs of Rosslyn. A family of the name of Bowman were proprietors from 1625 to 1638. I t was at Southhouse that a daughter of Sir James Bannantyne of Newhall came to reside. She had married her cousin James Bannantyne, brother-in-law of Lord Somerville of Drum. I t is thus described in the Memorie o f the SomerviZZes ;-" T h e marriage, it seems, not being agreeable to Sir James and Lady Bannantyne, and many of his acquaintances, knowing him to be a prodigal of his money and entertainment, hang upon him almost for their dayly bread, which being taken notice of both by his own father and his father-in-law, they concluded it was fittest for him to live in the country, and in order to this they take for his residence the Southhouse, which they mynded to make a purchase of, it being then for sale. A pleasant dwelling two miles and a half upon the

LTBERTON IN ANCIENT AND MODE RN TIMES.

I53

south of Edinburgh, and in the parochin of Libbertoune, which they came to dwell in the 1st of March 1631." In 1645 one Robertson seems to have been proprietor, on the evidence of a moulded and pannelled stone built into the old millgang. This stone was originally a portion of one of the gate pillars. William Stoddart, who married Elizabeth White, daughter of a merchant in Edinburgh, was also proprietor of the same lands. H e had an only daughter, who married Fullerton of Kinnader, and Southhouse was sold by them to Sivright of Meggatland, who had acquired a large fortune, and in whose family it still remains. Mr. Sivright is superior of Straiton, and has a certain sum allowed him upon the accession of every new vassal. A t the end of last century the ruins of an old mansion-house existed, part of which is still to be seen incorporated with a barn at the farm-steading. T h e Penicuick Road, on the west side, intersects the lands of Southhouse, a portion of ground, along with the hamlet called the Five Houses, being on the other side, the old road having been further west than the present one. The following tithes were paid in 1630 on the lands of Southhouse-ten bolls of victual, of which were four bolls of barley, five bolls of oats, half a boll of wheat, and half a boll of pease. T h e executors of the late Mr. Adam Inch are the present tenants. T h e name of the village of Burdiehouse, on the Penicuick Road, is said to be a corruption of Bordeaux, in consequence of some of Queen Mary's retainers having taken up their abode here on her return to Scotland in 1561. There are several feus held here from Sir David Baird, to whose family it belonged at the beginning of the present century. T h e property at the south end of the village, which belongs to Mr. M. Brown, is held in feu ; the conditions of the charter are " that all the victual which is grown is to be thirled 1 at the Straiton Mill, and the ale used in the family is to be taken from the brewery in the barony." A Board School has been erected here, which has proved a great boon to the neighbourhood. T h e buildings, which are extensive and imposing, add greatly to the appearance of the village.
* Thirled is the term used to denote those lands the tenants of which are bound t o bring all their grain to a certain mill. U

CHAPTER XIV.
GEOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY.

PROM I N E N T feature of the parish is the great Carboniferous deposit, containing as it does representatives of all the divisions of thzt system within its boundaries. The north-west portion is occupied by the interbedded felstones of the Braid and Blackford Hills. These felstones are a continuation of the great sheets 1 of felstone that form the north-east portion of the Pentland Hills, and are supposed to be of the Old Red Sandstone age. These felstones at their north-eastern extremity are overlaid by a coarse red conglomerate, also supposed to be of the Old Red age. They dip to the north-east and form an ascending series towards Craigmillar and Arthur's Seat, these forming the lowest beds of the carboniferous formation. T h e Petunse Pentlandica, so called from its resemblance to the materials which are employed in China for the manufacture of porcelain, runs through the Braid Hills, and is the only sample of this compound stone in Britain. It is composed of siliceous and argillaceous earth, some specimens being pure white, others of a flesh colour, and some again cream-coloured with small spots of a bright red. Sometimes the fragments are irregular, but they are also found separated in layers about three-quarters of an inch thick, and bent as if they had been subjected to the action of heat. Nodules also very generally appear in the rcck about the size of peas ; these are of the same compound as the rock itself. In some places to the south and east of the parish is found petrosilex, and at the south corner specimens of terra-ponderosa have been found, and zeolite, both in considerable masses. Specimens of copper ore and graphite have also been found on these hills. Some veins of agate also occur, too thin, however, to be

LIBERTON IN ANCIZNT AND MODERAT TIMES.

I 55

of practical value. In some parts a fine-grained greenstone is to be found, and at the base of the cliff on Blackford, facing southwards, which is about 130 feet in height, there is an accumulation of gravel, consisting chiefly of felspar, and containing pieces of coalsandstone not much rounded. Above the gravel is a bed of sand, which is in contact with the overhanging face of the rock. T h e upper part of the sand next to the rock contains numerous pieces of shale and coal. On clearing away the sand, the face of the cliff is seen to be very much rutted and scratched, the directions of the scratches being nearly east and west. About 30 feet from the base of the cliff another deposit of gravel exists, in which pieces of coal occur. The base of this cliff is about 320 feet above the level of the sea, and it has been conjectured that the gravel and sand in this locality must have been brought from the eastward. Blackford Quarry was visited by Professor M. Agassiz and Charles M6Laren, editor of the Scotsnzan, in 1840. The latter, writing on this subject, says :-" The most striking specimen of glacial action near Edinburgh is seen in the quarry of Blackford, at a place where the rock leans forward, forming a sort of natural vault. T h e surface of the clinkstone here for the space of 10 or 12 feet in length is smoothed and marked by striz or scratches in a direction approximating to horizontal." Professor Agassiz expressed doubts as to other supposed marks of the action of ice near the city, but concerning the origin of Blackford he had no hesitation whatever. The same stria2 are also visible on the rocks of Craigmillar. On the northern declivity of the road leading from Liberton to Edinburgh a coarse conglomerate rises to the surface, though probably one of the lowermost beds of the sandstone deposit. Around Craigmillar and Kingston Grange the beds consist of coarse gritty sandstone and pebbly conglomerates, lying nearly horizontal. The sandstones are not so coarse as the coal-sandstones of the district, especially in the lower part of the deposit. They have generally a yellowish colour with but a slight tinge of red. They exhibit no traces of vegetable impressions or fossils of any kind ; the conglomerates contain fragments of felspar, both white and red, of greywacke, as also of sandstone and limestone. The limestone

156

LIBERTON I N ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

pebbles are so numerous in some places that the bed containing them might not inappropriately be termed a limestone conglomerate. These limestone pebbles effervesce strongly with acids. T o the east of Kingston Grange beds of limestone, shale, and sandstone can be seen standing nearly vertical. This extreme disconformity is due to a slip or fault that traverses the district in a southwest and north-eastern direction. T h e effect of this fault is to place the beds that lie to the eastward, which belong to the upper portion of the Lower Carboniferous and even a portion of the Carboniferous limestone series, on a level with the much lower co~lglomeratesand sandstones of Craigmillar and Kingston Grange. A t Kingston Grange, in that part of the park which lies between the mansion and the burn, the edge metals cross the channel of the latter, and on the brow of its north bank, lying about IOO yards from the stream, there are sandstone rocks very nearly flat, but with a slight dip of 3" to the north-west. North-west of the latter spot the edge metals become visible at a point where limestone was formerly quarried, separated by a few hundred yards from the true Kingston Grange and Craigmillar conglomerates. These last occur in front as well as to the rear of the mansion-house. A t Gracemount, about three-quarters of a mile further west, and a t the Grange, about two miles to the north, the vertical sandstones have been quarried. T o the south of Craigmillar the vertical rocks occur, a t Edmonston House at the distance of a mile, and to theeast of Niddrie House at a distance of half a mile. O n the north-west side of the Castle a quarry was opened in 1825 to procure stones for the Edinburgh Waterworks. This stone was also used in the construction of Leith Docks from I 8 5 7 to 188I. A railway was constructed, and the large blocks were cut and dressed in the quarry and conveyed direct to Leith. Many buildings, especially in the old part of the city and suburbs, have been built of this stone. T h e quarry is in working operation a t the present time. Hugh Miller, who for ten months wrought as a working mason in 1824 a t Niddrie House, thus describes the geology of the district in his work My Schools ( t ~ .~ d / L o o l ~ ~ t a s t-"sI was now for the S~ :e~

LIBRRTON I N ANCIENT AND MODERN T M E S .

1

15 7

t
E

first time located in the Carboniferous system. T h e stone a t which I wrought was intercalated among the working coal seams, and abounded in well-marked impressions of the more robust vegetables of the period, stigmaria, sigillaria, calamites, and lepidodendra ; and as they greatly excited my curiosity, I spent many an evening hour in the quarry in which they occurred, in tracing their forms on the rock, or, extending my walks to the neighbouring coalpits, I laid open with my hammer, in quest of organisms, the blocks of shale or stratified clay, raised from beneath by the miner. There existed at the time none of those popular digests of geological science which are now so common, and so I had to grope my way whhout guide or assistant, and wholly unfurnished with a vocabulary; at length, however, by dint of patient labour, I came to form not very erroneous, though, of course, inadequate conceptions of the ancient Coal Measure flora. I t was impossible to doubt that its numerous ferns were really such; and though I at first failed to trace the supposed analogies of its lepidodendra and calamites, it was at least evident that they were the bole-iike stems of great plants that had stood erect like trees." South-west from Craigmillar is a stratum of indurated clay, containing a good deal of copper, not in veins, but diffused in an irregular manner through the stone. There is no freestone quarry in the parish of any extent except at Gilmerton, where there are several seams, one of which is now being \vrought. The next beds, in ascending order, that lie within the parish occur at the south and on the west side of the ' fault ' ; they belong to the upper portion of the Lower Carboniferous, and consist of sandstones, shales, and beds of paraffin oil shale, and about the middle of this series lies the famous Burdiehouse limestone. The beds dip to the south-east, and where first exposed near the ' fault ' they are nearly vertical, but the dip gradually gets less as they rise in the series, until the Burdiehouse limestone is reached, where the dip is about 20". T h e Burdiehouse limestone which occurs here is a simple bed of about 2 7 feet in thickness. I t differs from the ordinary carboniferous iimestone in being finely laminated, the laminz being separated by layers of carbonaceous matter,

158

LIBERTOAJ IN ANCIENT A N D MODERN TIMES.

containing fern and other plant impressions. I t is supposed to be of esturance or freshwater origin. This limestone has long been quarried and mined for commercial purposes, and has long been renowned for its fossil fish and plant remains. Besicles these, there are myriads of extremely minute crustacea or entomostracea, named Cypris ; these are microscopic animals, which for size may be comto the heads of pins, the smallest being like a mite, and the largest 0 1 1 1 ~ about one-twelfth of an inch in length. There are probably few fragments of limestone as large as the fist on which some of these orgailis~lls nlay not be discovered. After the surface has been exposed to the weather, it appears as if powdered over with objects like the roe of herring. In these bo&es, minute as they are, the organised structure can be observed with a glass of no great power, and with a good microscope an exterior shell of covering;, claws, eyes, and slender feelers call be perceived. M'Laren remarlcs, when writing on this subject, that nothing perhaps is better calculated to give us a conception of the refined and delicate process by which foreign substances are nlineralised in rock, than the fact that such peculiarities of structure can be ascertained in these very mi:lute fossils, which have lost every trac; of animal matter, and consist merely of atoms of limestone. One or two beds of paraffin shale occur lower down in the series than this limestone, but the principal workable seams lie above it, that is, between the Eurdiehouse limestone and the Gilmerton limestone, the outcrops of which lie about 500 yards further east. T h e lower or Burdiehouse limestone was discovered nearly I 50 years ago. It was originally worked by tirring. When a successful attempt was macle to work it by means of a mine, a level was at first macle to the burn near Burdiehouse Mains for the purpose of carrying off the water. Afterwards a steam engine was erected for the purpose. T h e limestone was formerly carried to the surface by means of asses, but in 1822 two " g i n s " with inclined planes were erected for this purpose. From that period until I S27 this quarry was worked extensively, producing in 1825 and 1826, when building in Edinburgh was being vigorously carried on, from 800 to 1000

LIB E R T0-V I N A_VCIEL'lTT AATD MODE RAr TLVES.

p -

159

4
1

bolls of six bushels each per week, ancl giving employment to from forty to fifty men during the year. T h e rocks immediately under the Burdiehouse limestone are found almost vertical in the bed of the stream between Moredun Mill and Little France. There are carboniferous strata below the Burdiehouse limestone, consisting of regular beds of sandstone, coal, shale, limestone, &c. A t Straiton IIill calcareous and carboniferous strata may be seen, and dipping in the same direction. As the strata there is nearly on edge, the number and thicltness of the deposits between the two parts illust be very great. A t Straiton &Till there are two beds of coal, one about two feet thick, the other, a coarse parrot coal, from four to five feet thick; the former of them has been worked. It runs through the south end of the hamlet of the Five Houses, and is supposed to pass near the south side of Gracemount House. At Straiton Mill there may also be seen two strata of limestone in coinposition and texture very similar to that of Burdiehouse rock. It lies 2 0 0 fathoms below the Burdiehouse limestone, and is filled with teeth, scales, and coprolites similar to those discovered at Burdiehouse. About a quarter of a mile above Straiton Mill roots of large trees, apparently hazel, are seen in the boulder clay, covered by a large deposit of yel1o.c~gravel about three feet thick. This spot is 470 feet above the sea level. Some of the sandstone here is very coarse, and there is a bed of conglomerate about six feet thick : this would seem to indicate that it is near the bottom of the basin. T h e same strata is supposed to run as far as Carlops, the seams there being much of the same thickness, containing the same fossils, and are associated with coal seams resembling those at Straiton Mill. T h e Gilmerton limestone appears from its position to lie above the Burdiehouse strata, and its organic remains, unlike the other, are exclusively marine. This bed is about nine feet thick, and lies below the North Greens coal, which at one time was wrought a t Gilmerton. It was from this stratum that the largest supplies of parrot coal were obtained. It occupies a very low place in the basin, being beneath the great seam. Underneath is a hard compact limestone, with numerous remains of encrinites. Above, are layers of a

160

LIBERTON I N ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

coarser limestone, called by the workmen " blaes," alternating with layers of bituminous shale. In these layers producti, spiriferi, and other shells are abundant. T h e east part of the quarry was afterwards worked by means of a steam engine, but this was found unprofitable, and was consequently abandoned. T h e working was, however, renewed and carried on with great vigour during the years I 825, 1826, and r 8 2 7 , when the rock was laid dry by the draining and working of the North Green coal, which lies regularly above it. A t this time there

were upwards of twenty quarrymen employed, and the quantity produced was about 15,000 bolls of six imperial bushels per annum. Nearly the same quantity of coal was consumed, and the rock was forced out by means of blasting with gunpowder. This limestone also dips to the east at an angle of about 2 s 0 , and lies below the great coal basin, which commences immediately to the south. On descending, the spectator finds himself on a shelving declivity, and, walking along, is encaverned beneath a roof

LIBERTON I N ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

I6I

of solid rock, which is supported by a vast series of rocky pillars, left as props in the process of mining. As the enormous piazza is very spacious, the roof being high, and the opening along the extended entrance large, the light is for a considerable way abundant; but as he explores onward, and descends the declivity towards a stripe of water at the extremity, it gradually so far fails him as to let a sepulchral obscurity hang its veil of mystery over the objects of his vision. T h e vast colonnaded cavern, instead of proceeding far inwards, wllere the rapid dip of the stratum carried the miner at every yard increasingly downward from the surface, advances obliquely up the side of a long ridge or hill, and affords the curious visitant an opportunity of making a lengthened excursion underground without losing the light of day. This stratum extends from the adjoining parish of Lasswade nearly across the whole breadth of the parish. It begins near Loanhead on the west, and runs almost in a north-easterly direction to Moredun, passing through Muirhouse, entering a corner of Moredun grounds, turning to the west by Hyvots Mill, entering the grounds of Southfield, running through the village of Stenhouse and Moredun Mains, where it again takes a turn almost due south, through the grounds on the west side of Ferneyside Lodge. I t crosses the public road and continues nearly in the same direction until it enters the parish of Newton, near Edmonston. T h e limestone at all these places is of excellent quality, except at Muirhouse. These bends in the stratum are evidently due to the action of the great slip or fault already mentioned, as the limestone here is thrown westward against the line of fault, and can be seen standing nearly vertical within a short distance of the horizontal beds of the Craigmillar series. T h e old workings are at present mostly filled with water. The quality of the product is very pure, containing about 95 per cent. carbonate of lime. T h e Gilmerton limestone is reckoned as the base of the carboniferous or marine limestone series, which in this and the adjoining parishes is split into six distinct limestones, separated by nLmerous beds of sandstone, shale, and coal. The presence of organic remains certainly indicates that limeX

162

LIBERTON IN ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

stone deposit has been formed either by a freshwater lake, or some river flowing placidly as an estuary into the sea. The latter supposition is the more probable, and indeed there are various indications that during the period of the formation of the coal strata a large river must have flowed westward into the sea, most probably near this spot. If the Burdiehouse limestone be actually below the marine bed of Gilmerton, it becomes a question, not easily solved, by what means the land has been at alternate periods submerged by the sea, and again, in view of the second appearance of marine limestone in the Loanhead coal measures, by what agency this later inundation of the ocean was brought about. Dr. Hibbert and some others adopt the theory of oscillatory motions of the surface, by which the land was alternately elevated and submerged : this suggestion is in accordailce with occurrences which actually take place, even in our own day. T h e substance of the Burdiehouse limestone may have been deposited by a large river at the bottom of the estuary into which it flowed. A marine bed of molluscous animals may have been formed above this, to be in turn buried under another deposit of somewhat modified character, by which greater masses of vegetable matter were thickly accumulated ; then a third partial occupation of these beds by marine testacea, followed by successive depositions of coal, until at last the whole was elevated by a subterranean force into dry land. The probability may be that the Burdiehouse limestone is a partial formation, that it may in reality be the bottom of the river, which has joined the shores of the ocean somewhere about the same level as Gilmerton quarry. Doubtless there are geological problems which can never be solved, many recondite laws which can never be disclosed by investigation of visible phenomena, but yet the progress of the human mind continually removes further and further the visible barrier of knowledge, and renders possible the solution of many problems once despaired of. Dr. Hibbert was the first geologist who with a scientific eye e ~ t e r e dthe district in order to describe with fulness and accuracy any of its rocks. His discovery of the Saurian remains in the limestone quarry of Burdiehouse led him to a minute inspection of

LIBERTON I N A N C 1 . T AlVD MODERN TIMES.

763

the strata in which they were imbedded, and to a consideration of the relative position of these particular strata in the Mid-Lothian coal-field. The paper which he read to the Royal Society on this subject has been published in their Transactions, and it contains a good deal of valuable information in regard to the character and position of the rocks which are in the immediate neighbourhood of Gilmerton and Burdiehouse. The Gilmerton coal appears to have been wrought early in the fifteenth century, and again on a considerable scale in 1627, and in I 760 about eighty families were constantly employed, the output being from twenty to twenty-four thousand tons annually, the wages paid amounting to ninety pounds weekly for colliers alone. There are about twenty seams of coal, varying from two and a half feet to ten feet in thickness, and about a dozen of them workable. Above these again lie a set of beds known as the upper limestone group, consisting of sandstones, shale, and thin beds of coal, and three beds of marine limestone. These upper and lower limestones, with their intervening strata, are acknowledged to be the equivalents of the mountain limestone series of England. Above these lie a considerable thickness of soft, gritty, yellow and reddish sandstones, supposed to be equivalent to the millstone grit of the Encrlish coal-field. Above this again, at the eastern boundary '? of the par~sh, an extensive coal-bearing strata, known as the flat lie coal, and representing the coal measures of England. In 1830 the Gilmerton coal mines were the deepest that had ever been made upon the edge levels or upon any of the coal-fields in Scotland, and the first in which a railway was introduced for carrying the produce of edge-coal, working to the bottom. In 1829 the engine pit, after two years and a half of labour, was completed to the depth of g6 fathoms, but the level being found considerably deeper than expected, and the power of the engine insignificant, a stone mine was driven out toward the full rise, cutting the level at 80 yards distance. The principal level shaft, 10 yards apart from the engine pit, was slipped at 88 fathoms, and a similar stone mine, IOO yards long, ran out to the coal, from which point railway passages were driven water-level-wise, right and left.

164

LIBERTON IN ANCIENT AND MODERN TrMES.

The level lies at an angle of 40". As it was found impracticable to use wheel carriages in the conveyance of the mineral either from the rise or the dip, the coal was borne upon the backs of women and girls from all the working places apart from the main waterlevels. Those who carried full loads provided themselves with wicker creels, which were fitted to the back and steadied by a leathern strap passing round the forehead. The smaller boys and girls carried single bloclts of coal proportionate to their strength and expertness. T h e standard load of a good bearer in the edge seams was from 12 to 14 stones, and in the flat levels from 16 to 2 0 stones. The bearers found their own lights and creels, and were hired at from ten to fourteen pence per day by such of the hewers as were not fortunate enough to possess wife, sister, or daughter. This state of things tended to constant and early intermarriages, and was attended with an utter want of domestic comfort. The difference of the labour in bearing up or bearing down was by no means as great as might be expected, for after a while the bearers were unwilling to change from one to the other. In this manner 80 to IOO tons per day were regularly worked. The great coal fetched 7s. 6d. per ton, and the small coal 2s. 6d, per ton, nearly all the former being carted into Edinburgh. T h e bearing system, which ~ v a s peculiar to the coal-mining so of Scotland, seems to have originated in the working of these edge seams, and when the difficulty of applying any other means was considered, necessity would appear strong for such a practice, especially at a period when the means of sinking to the deep coal were so imperfectly understood. But it is difficult to account for a system so replete with poverty, slavery, and demoralisation, and so destitute of real economy, having been so long persisted in throughout the neighbouring collieries. The barbarous practice of employing females in the pits was put an end to by Act of Parliament in 1842. The Gilmerton mines lay dormant for upwards of thirty years, when the Glasgow Coal and Iron Company leased them from Sir David Baird for a period of nineteen years. They are at present wrought by a company under the name of the Gilmerton Gas Coal Company. T h e Niddrie coal seams, which are the same

LIBERTON I N ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

165

!
1

as Gilmerton, have been extensively wrought, and are in working order a t the present time. T h e Mid-Lothian, now the Clippens Oil Company, have worked the shale and limestone for the last twenty years, employing about 800 men in the parish of Lasswade and 500 in the parish of Liberton. Even with the extensive working of minerals, it is said that the seams of shale and limestone will last for many years. T h e parish of Liberton affords a wide field of interesting investigation to the naturalist, and may be said to constitute the classic field of geology where can be seen the broken and contorted strata in the rocks, the coal, limestone, shale, boulders, and deposits of sand and gravel, the evidences of glacial action in times so recent that the phenomena are apparently those of yesterday. An eminent writer on this subject justly remarks that the system of organic life has always been adjusted to the actual conditions of the land and sea. When the water covered the globe, life was marine ; as land arose and new conditions supervened, terrestial life was created. Old races died away ; with new circumstances, new creations were called into being to supply their place, and at length the physical revolutions of the globe brought that wonderful variety of external circumstances to which organic life is a t this day adjusted. T h u s a perpetual stimulus is afforded to man, the last great creation of Divine power, to study the works of his Maker, and through them to receive proofs, " strong as holy writ," of the long-enduring providence of the Almighty, whose appointed plans the permitted violence of the physical agencies of nature, amidst all their irregularities, exactly fulfii, and whose care, now so manifest for His human creatures, has never been withheld from the meaner forms of every age, since the time when the earth became tenanted by beings capable of enjoying the knowledge of their own existence. Of the fauna the following are found in the parish :-The common bat, hedgehog, common shrew, mole, fox, badger, otter (rare), weasel or whittret, wood-mouse, harvest-mouse, black rat (now rare), brown or Norway rat (very common), squirrel, hare, rabbi t, common vole. Mention of the birds which are seen must be limited, but the

I 66

LIBER TON IN ALVC~ELW' AATD MODERN TIMES.

following may be particularised :-Peregrine falcon, sparrow hawk, merlin, kestrel, tawny owl, barn owl, red-backed shrike, great titmouse, blue titmouse, common kingfisher, carrion crow, rook, jackdaw, magpie, Bohemian chatterer (rare), tree creeper, spotted woodpecker, cuckoo, goat-sucker or nightjar, swift, chimney swallow, sand martin, pied wagtail, yellow wagtail, tree pipit, woodlark, skylark, snow bunting (very rare), in severe winters ; yellow bunting, chaffinch (a flock of which alighted on Inchlieith in I 803) ; sparrow, greenfinch, sisken, redpole, bullfinch, starling, water ousel, missel thrush, fieldfare, redwing, thrush or mavis, blackbird, golden oriole (very rare,-a pair shot on the borders of the parish, near the Pentlands ; redbreast, redstart, sedge warbler, whi tethroa t, wren, golden-crested wren, wood pigeon or ringdove, pheasant, common grouse, common partridge, quail (rare), golden plover, peewit or lapwing, heron, curlew, ~vooclcock, common snipe, jacksnipe, landrail, waterhen, coot, kittiwake, black-headed gull, and various kinds of wild duck.

CHAPTER XV.
STATISTICAL ACCOUNT OF THE PARISH OF LIBERTON, 1649-1893. H E valuation of the parish from 1649 to I 745 amounted yearly to 1 3,685 : 6 : 8 (Scots). From the cess books of I 726 to I 745 the proprietors and valuation of their Duke of Argyle, lands were the following :-The A666 : I 3 : 4 ; Sir John Baird, for Gilmerton, Broomhill, and part of Muirhouse, 1 764 ; the Laird of Niddrie, I 5 79 ; Sir Charles Gilmour, for Craigmillar, Inch, and Nether Liberton, A2932 : I s S . ; Jaines Davidson, A167 : 5s. ; Sir William Dick, for Cameron and Cameron Mure, 600 ; Pepper Mylne, 250; Lord Ross, A733; John Colvine, 184; John Hamilton, writer, A44 ; Patrick Crawford of Kames, A I 30 ; Lord Somervaile, Drum and Tod Hills, A964 : 10s. ; Thomas Rigg, for Morton and Morton Teinds, 390 : 3 : 4 ; Laird of Mortonhall, 783 ; Laird of Muirhouse, A465 ; Alexander Johnstone, for Straton, 400 ; John Sivewright, A261 ; the Ladies' Part, Over Liberton, 432 ; the Lairds' Part, Over Liberton, 864 : I 3 : 4 ; Sir James Stewart of Goodtrees, 374. I n 1792 the valuation of the whole parish amounted to ~ o , o o o sterling ; in I 8 I 5, 28,904 ; 1842, 23,715 ; 1860, 26,242.

qv

I 68

LIBERTON I N ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

A nad3,si.s of the Valuation RZ for years I 8 70-7 I and I 880-8 I . oZ

1
Lands,. Houses, Shops, &c. Minerals, . Mills, . Manufactories, Water and Gas Works, . Railway (Private), Railways,

1870-71.

188C-81.

Increase.

Decrease.

.
.

Feu-Duties)

Analysis of the Valaation Roll for years I 880-8 I and I 890-9 I .

1
1

1880-81.

1890-91.

Increase.

Decrease.

Lands, Houses, Shops, &c. Minerals, . Mills, . Manufactories and Public Works, . Shootings and Fishing~, Water and Gas Works, . Railway (Private), Railways, .

Dtntme,

'
0

4,851

11 11

Net ikc~ease, 4, I 63 I 8 7
Feu-Duties,

997

I7

L 1 5 7 '7

10

LIBERTON IN ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

169

The valuation for the year 1892-93 :-Lands, &C., A46,7 I 3 ; Railwzys and Waterworks, 1 2,88 I . Total valuation, A 59,594. The population in I 755 was 2793 ; 1792, 3457 ; 1814, 3565 ; 1821, 4276; 1831, 4063; 1841, 3450; 1861, 3507; 1871, 3791 ; 1881, 5732 ; 1891, 6233. Population of the most populous places in I 891 :-Gilmerton, 1300; New Craighall, g91 ; Oak Bank, 979 ; Straiton, 853 ; Burdiehouse, 2 0 0 ; Liberton village, I 73 ; Greenend, I 47 ; Liberton Dams, I I 7 ; Stenhouse, 100. The number of persons receiving parochial aid in 1892 are 104 ; two of that number in the Dalkeith Union Poorhouse, sixteen insane in District Asylum, one in private house. The assessment for support of the poor for 1891-92 is 5d. per L ; on rental, registration, and valuation, %d. per A ; burial-ground, %d. per A ; school rate, 3d. per A ; road tax, 6 s d . per A. The following are the members of the School Board :-Captain Gilmour, Chairman; Messrs. John M. Gowan, William Christie, Harry Topham, Thomas Hutchison, and William Welsh, Miss Redpath. Mr. Thomas J. Cochrane, Clerk to Board. T h e Parochial Board of Liberton consists of upwards of 1 2 0 members. The acting members for 1892 are-John Welsh of Moredun, Chairman; Rev. Dr. Gray, Rev. George Dodds, Colonel Trotter, Messrs. James M. Johnstone, Williatn Christie, D. F. Mackenzie, John M. Gowan ; Captain Clifton ; Messrs. W. M. Welsh, Alexander Forbes, Thomas Hutchison, Harry Topham, William Mein, and George Good. Mr. William Cochrane, Inspector The representatives and members of the County Council areJohn Welsh of Moredun for the Eastern Division, and Major Baird for the Western Division of the Parish.

ADDENDA.
IN deviating from the general rule observed by local chroniclers, of making the concluding chapter consist of the statistical matter, and reserving the account of their material prosperity for the last word, I am perhaps to blame; but there is much in the foregoing history which requires adverting to in an explanatory spirit. There have also been omissions which I should like to supply; therefore, I find it imperative that the following pages should be added, which I hope shall, in some measure, serve to throw light on what has gone before, and also to complete, as far as possible, the narrative of facts applicable to my subject. I n doing so I may probably appear to repeat myself too much, but I shall willingly run that risk if I may be enabled thereby to furnish the information which it is my ambition to bring before the public regarding my native parish. Of course I do not pretend to pronounce with authority on any debateable point, and when I touch upon such in an argumentative vein, I am merely echoing the opinions and sentiments of our recent and credited writers. In beginning this volume I followed the time-hallowed custom of my predecessors in this particular branch of work, by attempting to explain the origin of the name of Liberton. That is a course which, in our remarkably composite language, is well calculated to lead to dubiety, if not confusion. I find that this district is full of names so complicated as to excite the curiosity of most persons, whilst it opens up a tempting field of operations for the philological disputant. In fact it seems to be the happy hunting ground of that kind of etymologist whom I may venture to dub the worddissector. The derivation of Lothian has been greatly canvassed. Buchanan says that it was so called after a Pictish king of the name of Lothus or LothIr but the chronicles of that nation show such an assumption to be baseless, as tliere is no name resembling that to be found therein. The more likely solution of the problem lies in its similarity to Lothing, the old German juridical appellation for a march or border ; which would fit it in conjunction with the inroads of the Saxons about the time when Edwin, the King of Northumbria, extended his dominions from the Humber to the Forth, and left his signature on the history of the country in the name of the metropolis-Edinburgh -in the beginning of the seventh century; that being about the period when it began to receive an appellation approximating to its modern designation. Subsequent events and circumstances would go far to confirm such a view, as it was alternately seized by the predominating peoples of the different sections of the Anglo-Saxons during the succeeding three centuries, and can only be characterised as a border or march during that time, and long after, when we remember the struggles for its possession down to to the fourteenth century. However, to try and determine the date of the rise of this
l

H e is also credited with the opinion that it took its name from the Water of Leith.

L I B E R T O N IN A N C I E N T A N D M O D E R N TIMES. perplexing nomenclature generally, reference must be made to the acquisition of this temitory by our Celtic forefathers, and I am enabled to do this very easily by applying for information to the pages of our standard historians. The Saxon kings who ruled over Northumbria during the ninth and tenth centuries found their hands full of work in repressing domestic troubles, resisting the inroads of their neighbours, and repelling the invasions of outsiders, such as the Danes. Consequently they sought to strengthen their position by forming alliances with those princes and peoples who would he likely to be of most use to them in their emergencies. I t was in pursuing this policy that the sagacious Dunstan (the Richelieu of his day, and all-powerful minister of the West Saxon kingdom during four reigns) granted Kenneth, King of Scotland, the district then called Lothian, in the brief reign of Eadred-A.D. 947-955. Green, in his fascinating Hisiory o fhe English People, says of this matter-'' The f grant was more important in its bearing on the history of Scotland than our own. Lothian became the chief abode of its new rulers; Edinburgh their capital. The Scots kings were absorbed into the mass of their English subjects, and renounced their old Gaelic for the English tongue." This was in the middle of the tenth century, when that transition of speech began to operate. Of course it is only to be understood that the English of that day was merely engrafted upon the Celtic. And even this speech was already greatly mixed, as may be inferred from the continual changes of such, entailed in the advent of the prevailing races who alternately took forcible possession of the country from time to time, without our seeking for proof of that in the language of the period. The compound words which give our authorities on such so much congenial work in explaining, only serve to perplex and irritate the general class of readers to which I belong, and when I encounter a word that can be read in different ways, I cannot help thinking that our forefathers might have saved a great deal of logic-chopping had they distinctly chosen one only out of the number at their disposal. This is emphasised in the pleonasms they committed, apparently in the miserly spirit of losing nothing of any possible value, or in the craving for novelty, when they made use of new words in conjunction with old, perhaps with the idea of obtaining fresh melody by the combination. As instances in point I may quote from Chalmers' Caledotzia the following, but, of course, examples might easily be multiplied without limit. However, these will be sufficient :-Knoc-hill, Cairn-hill, Glendean, Caerduffknowes, &c. ; Pentland Hills, evidently a corruptiotl of Ben-land Hills. The likeness which Morton bears to Moredun (Mohrdun) is also to be noted. Gilmerton was called Penjacob or Pentejacob prior to I I 65, when it became Gillemoreston. In the Newbotle Chartularies it is recorded that Ranulph de Sules, the Pincerna (chief officer) of William the Lion, granted a carucate of land in his lordship of Gilmoreston, laid by the measurement of Galfred de Maleville and other worthy men. The mention of the last-named personage recalls the fact of his family having possessed land in the parish in those days. The lands held in Liberton by them were &tained from Malbet, otherwise Macbeth, who of course cannot be confounded with the t y ~ a n t the preceding century that Shakespeare has immortalised. In fact there were of several Macbeths in the time of our proprietor Malbet, and apparently the name was

172
--

LlBERTON I N ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

common among the leading families, as we find Macbeth, MacTorfin, and MaldowenMacbeth witnessing charters of David I. to the monastery of Dunfermline. There was also a Macbeth at the same time who was designated Thane of Fife, and one Bishop of Ross ; further, a Macbeth Judex of Gowrie,-all flourishing contemporaneously with him of Liberton, and all undoubtedly different persons. Although it is admissible to suppose that the places of the same name in adjoining parishes or counties may have belonged to one proprietor,-in illustration of which I may mention that there are some remains of an ancient building existing in Manor Parish, Peeblesshire, which bears the name of Macbeth's Castle, also another ruin in Broughton Parish with the same appellation. Probably these places belonged to the Liberton Alacbeth, who certainly held the lands of Legbernard or Leadburn. And as much later proprietors adopted the one name for their various lands in different parts of the country, they likely but followed the precedent set down in history or furnished by tradition : hence the confusion and error which lie in the path of the local historian, who is liable to take for granted what appears on the surface, either tending the one way or the other. I have myself committed such an error in saying that Sir Thomas Gray was parson of Liberton in the time of Wallace. That must refer to a place of that name in Lanarkshire, as at the period mentioned there could not possibly have been a parson of Liberton, seeing the church belonged to the monks of Holyrood. I mentioned the name of Galfred d e Maleville, whose family acquired land here from hfalbet. His ancestor appears to have come from England in the train of David I., who figures in history in the dual character of Earl of Huntingdon (an Earldom conferred on him by his father-in-law, the King of England) and King of Scotland, along with other AngloNormans of distinction and enterprise. This nobleman, the founder of the abovementioned family, was first known here as Male, and on obtaining a grant of land from his patron, the generous king just mentioned, called the property thus received Rlaleville, from which territorial designation his descendants took their surname, and from whom have descended the noble Melville family. Calfred seems to have been a man of the first importance, as his name constantly appears in connection with state affairs during the reigns of rtlalcolm IV. and M1illiam, his successor. T o him also belongs the honour of having been the first Justiciary of Scotland who appears on record. This was a high judicial ofice, there being but two in the kingdom, one for Lothian, which was the jurisdiction of Galfred, and one beyond Forth. Of course the reader will recollect that by Lothian is here meant the old bounds, which extended from the Tweed to the Forth. I n I 170 Richard de Morville,~the Constable, took to farm the whole territory of Gillemorestun for fifteen years, paying in advance three hundred merks to the Chancellor of Scotland, Engelram, the Bishop of Glasgow, who succeeded Herbert, his predecessor in both offices, and who owed his elevation to the ability and success with which he defended the independence of the Scotian Church against the pretensions of
The name of De Morville has been lost in Scotland since the thirteenth century ; even the place of residence of Hugh de Morville, the progenitor of this once princely race, in spite of all his possessions, is now unknown.

LIBERTON I N ANCIENT AND MODERN T M E S .

'73

Roger, the Archbishop of York. Engelram died on 2d February 1173, or on that day in the succeeding year. The mention of that transaction with the Constable raises the question as to his position. " I n theory, he commanded the king's army in the field, and under his cognizance came all offences com~nitteclwithin the precincts of the king's court "(See Cosmo Innes's Scotch LegalAntiyuities). The power of this officer was greatly circumscribed and his dignity diminished, when Bruce, for political reasons, demolished the castle of Edinburgh; but in previous reigns this office was influential enough to give the denomination of constabulary to the whole shire of Edinburgh, which in the time of David 11, was divided into several wards; as is seen in the grant that the same monarch gave to David of Liberton of the office of sergeant in the overward of the constabulary of Edinburgh, with the lands of Over Liberton, to the same pertaining. These lands were called sergeant's * lands, and continued to be so designated through the reigns of James VI. and Charles I. I t can be seen from the chartulary of St. Giles that there was one John Wegmer, Alderman of Edinburgh, who was lord of Over Liberton in 1362; probably the same who sat in the Parliament at Perth in 1369. Sir Roger iVygmer had a grant of land from the town of Edinburgh in 1392. T h e name is met with later, then disappears, and seems now to be extinct. Sir William d e Sules was the Justiciary of Lothian in the time of Alexander III., and subsequently, as his name appears frequently in public affairs, during the troublous period following on that prince's reign. The Ile Sules family figured prominently during several centuries. The founder of it seems to have come, like many other Anglo-Normans, from England with David I., when he settled on land in Liddesdale, which he received in the same manner as that Prince's other adherents of the same race, and whose names can still be traced in various forms throughout the country. H e also obtained land in Teviotdale, of which the Manor of Nisbet formed a part, and also in Lothian. I n Liddesdale he built a fortalice, round which rose the village of Castletown. The su~nnlitof his fortunes was reached when he became Pincerna Regis during the first years of the reign of William the Lion, an office which ultimately became hereditary in his family. l ' h e Pincerna, or Minister Proculorum, was the only officer of state mentioned in the household of our kings immediately subsequent to the Celtic period. There were several of the name during the Justiciary's lifetime, and they seem to have been men of courage and ability, who by force of arms and intrigue-the commonly accepted methods of advancement in those days-rose to rank and power. The most impoltant of the family, after Sir William, was Sir Nicolas de Soules, who was a competitor with Baliol and Bruce for the Scottish crown in 1290. This seems to have been the cause of their decline in after times, as, although Sir Nicolas withdrew his claims, he seems to have espoused the cause of the English King Edward I., and his whole family suffered in consequence on that king's death,
l I think that this must have been a superfluous title, as Cosmo Innes says, "We had no tenures by sergeantry."

174

LIBERTON I N A N C M T AND MODERN TIMES.

and the expulsion of the latter's adherents during the reign of his contemptible successor Edward 11. Another iniportant fanlily connected with the district was that of the Prestons. I t lays claim of consanguinity to a great patriot of the period of David II., namely, Sir Lawrence Preston, Sheriff of Lothian. H e distinguished himself by his successful military talents on several occasions during the reign of that unfortunate monarch. I n the years I 330 and 1340 he repeatedly defeated the English, and particularly on one occasion, with the assistance of William de Keith and Robert de Gordon, overcame an army of these enemies under the command of General Talbot, whom he took prisoner. I n 1337 Sir Andrew Moray, the Guardian of Scotland, besieged Edinburgh Castle, and Lothian having submitted to his power, Sir Lawrence Preston was appointed Sheriff of the same, but, it is said, the sheriffdom was wasted, through his efforts to maintain his authority therein and defend it from the English. During the more peaceful part of David's reign, when his English troubles were quieted, the sheriffdom of Edinburgh continued to extend over the constabularies of Haddington on the east and Linlithgow on the west ; and when Sir Simon de Preston was Sheriff of Edinburghshire at that time he took part in all the important matters of state. In 1366 he witnessed a deed of Malcolm de Fawside; and on 23d February 1368-9, Simon de Preston of Gorton, or Goverton, as it was then called, witnessed a charter of David 11. Sir Henry Preston of Craigmillar was Provost of the city of Edinburgh and Sheriff of the shire in 1434 and 1435, under the reign of James I. As early as the reign of James III., it became the practice for the Sheriffs of Edinburghshire to attend the meetings of Parliament, as they believed such to be the highest court. The Prestons of Craigmillar long continued to hold important offices in the city and county of Edinburgh. Sir Simon, the fourteenth in desceilt from Leolpus de Preston, who flourished in the reign of William the Lion, was Provost of Edinburgh in the eventful reigns of Queen Mary and her son, Jan~es VI. An interesting note from the Register of Privy Council appears regarding the Castle of Craigmillar. The King having sent a large embassy to Denmark to bring home his Danish bride, whom he married by proxy there, and the Queen being delayed by storms and prevented thereby from reaching this country for a considerable time, His Majesty seems to have become very impatient, and at last went over in person to bring her home. His resolution to do this was formed at Craigmillar, as appears in a letter written in his own hand to the Privy Council, and expressed thus :-" I upoun the instant, yea very moment, resolvit to niak possible on my part that whilk was impossible on hiris. The place that I resolvit this was Craigmillar, not ane of the hail1 Counsall being present there." Sir Simon Preston was succeeded by his son David in 1593. From the Register of Privy Council it can be seen that a meeting of King and Council was held at Craigmillar on 1st October 1589. The lawlessness of the times is illustrated in the complaint to the Privy Council

LTBERTON IN ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

I75

" on

25th December rggo, by William Hering, gardener at Craigniillar, his wife, the

' grief' at same, together with Andro Hill and William Young, keepers of the place
of Craigmillar, that Archibald Wauchope, younger of Nudrie, with others, had beset them in a cruel manner with ' battonis and rungs,' and uttered disrespectful speeches against his Majesty, for all of which the assailant and his accomplices were denounced rebels." Adam Forrester, Laird of Corstorphine and Nether Liberton, Provost of Edinburgh in 1373 and 1378, was Sheriff of Edinburghshire and Lothian in 1382, during the reign of Robert 1 . 1 The Sheriff seems to have superseded the Justiciar, and was "in theory and practice the minister of the Crown for executing writs and trying cases, civil and criminal, with the full authority of the Crown." His office was no sinecure, when we consider the lawless habits of early times, which compelled the people everywhere to live in collected societies, in villages and hamlets, rather than in scattered farm-houses or lonely cottages. They generally collected under the walls of a castle. A village had risen under the shelter of Craigmillar's walls as early as the reign of \Villiain the Lion. That relniilds me of the antiquity of CraiginiLlar Castle, as its Celtic name suggests, Craig-moil ard-a rock, bare, in the plains. Circumstances would point to its probably having received its name about the tenth century; but who were its first possessors or occupants or builders cannot be gathered froin any external or other evidence, and the Prestons acquired it from John de Capella, regarding whom as little is known, and the charter dated I 2 I z of IVilliam de Craigmillar in favour of the monks of Dunfermline is among the early matters relating thereto.' ZIIany hamlets and even villages have disappeared from Liberton, just as elsewhere, and places which are often mentioned in old charters are no longer to be found or located. T o these villas, as they are named in the chartularies, were annexed a territoria or district of land, which was cultivated by the husbandman and cottagers in their several proportions. The husbandinan cultivated the larger divisions, bovates or oxgates, and husbandlands, whilst the cottars improved their tenelnents and tofts. An oxgate consisted of thirteen acres ; double that extent, or two oxgates, was twentysix acres, and constituted a husbandland ;' and four husbandi, by joint tenure and working together, cultivated one hundred and four acres-a ploughgate. The pasturelands and the woodlands were enjoyed in common, each of the villagers having a right of pasturage for a certain number of domestic animals, according to the extent of are the arable land he held. The chartula~ies full of notices regarding the woodlands, and speak often of the forest mares. The forests were used for purposes which would appear incredible to our modern farmers, as it is evident from the contents of old charters that they afforded shelter and pasturage for numerous brood-mares, cattle, sheep, and swine ; and this pasture, which was frequently let by the holders of such a right, under the name of pannage,

4
I

b
t

176

LIBERTON IN ANCIE-VT AND MODERN TIMES.

seemed to have been allowed in a limited extent, and where it was common, to the smallest cottagers; for it is mentioned that these had a right to the comtnon pasture for a sow and her pigs. The kings also received swine from every district as " can," and the monks received them as " canveth." When the tillers of the soil here, as elsewhere in the neighbouring parishes and counties, came to have a settled system of agriculture, is uncertain, but it is evident that David I., himself a large landholder in Liberton, gave great encouragement to its prosecution, and it is owing to him and his example that the Church acquired so much property. His benefactions to it impoverished the exchequer, and limited the resources of his successors so much, that on his canonization by the grateful beneficiaries, one of those is said to have expressed himself regarding the pious monarch as " a sair Saunt for the Cro\\,n." H e speaks of his new miln of Edinburgh and his lnilns of Dene and Liberton in his charter of Holyrood, the monks of ~ h i c h received grants here and elsewhere from him frequently. But during the earliest reigns of the ScotoSaxon kings this parish was in some form or other engaged in handicrafts connected with agriculture. The making of corn into meal and malt into ale was practised then. Horticulture seems to have been introduced by Uavid I. from England, and his friends, the ecclesiastics, must have been enthusiastic in their practice and pursuit of such in all its then known branches, as their gardens and orchards are mentioned whenever their property is particularised.[ Under the reigns of the Alexanders our rural industries seem to have thriven r .markably well, as IVyntoun's chronicles testify ; but the trouble which followed broke up the settlements of the husbandmcn, and converted the country into a battlefield. I n lamenting the state of the country then, the quaint chronicler just alluded to says"

Awaye was sons of ale and brede, Of wyne and wax, of gamyn and glP Our gold was changed into lede," &c.

But regretfully looking back to the better times just past, he expresses himself thus-

'' A bolle of ilis pennys foure,

Of Scottis monk past noucht oure ; A bolle of bere for aucht or ten, I n common prys sauld wes then ; For sextene a boll of quhetes."

Our parish is frequently mentioned in the charters of those early times, as much of its land was under the jurisdiction of the keepers of such-the monks. Although David 11. was apparently favourable to peaceful pursuits, his gardens are the only parts of his property mentioned as receiving care and attention. The later kings were too much involved in troubles of all kinds to give much attention to rural matters ; and it was not until the time of James 111. that definite rights were accorded the husbandman. H e it was who passed a law providing for the
The remains of an ancient orchard could be seen at Gilmerton in 1607.

LIBERTON I N ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

inviolability of the property of a tenant on the transfer of land from one proprietor to another. This was on 20th November 1469. I am afraid, however well-intentioned this il!-fated monarch was in that transaction, that the objects of his care derived little substantial benefit from it in his time, and long after, as feudal right was all-powerful in those days. It was during the disastrous times following immediately on this that a famine swept off great numbers of the people. Our parish had handicraftsmen in most of its villages ; these seem to have been principally weavers, and Edinburgh was their market. I n 1521 all weavers who worked for the people of that city were obliged to pay one penny per week for the support of their Altar Sovereign in St. Giles' Kirk. There was a part of the rental of Nether Liberton paid with twenty-four hens for the king's table. During this period cultivation produced oats, wheat, barley, pease, and beans. Rye seems scarcely to have been cultivated. Oats were grown in much greater proportion than they are at present. Fire have in the parish a hamlet named Hyvots-a contraction for Heavy-oats. On the other hand, barley was grown in very much less quantities than now. But the consumption of malt was heavy, as we know from the number of kiins and brew-houses mentioned throughout the neighbourhood. That was, of course, common to all the country. The payment of rental in kind survived in many forms until quite recently, and the statutes authorising such have not all been abolished, but they are so trivial as to be allowed to remain entirely dormant. I imagine that our district shared the vicissitudes which fortune and war brought upon the land generally, until feudal chiefs and absolute monarchs became things of the past. How hard the conditions of life, even in peaceful intervals, must have been the lot of the rural labourer, after serfdom had disappeared, may be easily inferred from the architecture of the dwellings, or rather forts, of the nobility. l h n t is shown in the keeps of Liberton Tower and Craigmillar Castle. And although it is on record that the poorest tenants had their gardens in the fifteenth century, which supplied them with kail, it must be borne in mind that they were subjected to all sorts of highhanded pillage they dare not resent. But they were not so hard pressed in that matter as when gardens were under tithes to the Church. I n regard to that, it was decreed in 1269 that the tithes of gardens in cities and burghs should belong to the vicars, and that the tithes of gardens, in villages wherein corn was cultivated, should belong to the parson, but for other produce cultivated in these gardens the tithes should remain to the vicar. Evidence, shows, however, that each century after the fourteenth saw some fresh provision in the laws for amelioration of the condition of the husbandman, which more settled and peaceful times allowed to be put into operation. Inclosing cultivated ground was first advocated by John Reid of Niddrie, a famous Scots gardener, in 1683. I t must be noticed that the Laird of Makerston advocated the plan of sowing the land with 'salt as far back as 1598. No great progress in agricultural methods took place, however, until the establishment of the Society of Improvers in I 723, the z

178

LIBERTON I N AArCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

parent of that great and useful institution the Highland and Agricultural Society. Perhaps the greatest improver of the Society was Thomas Hope of Rankeillor, whose name and territorial designation are perpetuated in the crescents and streets so called in the south side of the city. Summer fallowing and rotation were then proposed. I n 1718 the white wheat of Cleveland was introduced into Lothian, and a new ingredient for preparing the seed was frequently advertised in 1723. The potato is said to have been transferred from the garden to the fields about I 744. IVilson, the Quaker, recommended that measure to the Hope of Rankeillor already mentioned. The soning of grass was slow of adoption ; and the two-horse plough only superseded that drawn by four, twenty years after the last-mentioned date. The turnip preceded the potato in its migration from the garden to the field. There has been little notice taken of further improvements until the statistical accounts of Scotland began to appear, more than half a century ago. I t is then seen that great progress hacl been made in labour-saving implements and machinery. Steam power had then been introduced through the medium of stationary thrashing-mills. That has in turn been improved upon by the portable steam thrashing-mill, the sowing machine was a great step in the right direction, and the horse-rake and grubber were marvels ;but could the farmer even of that time see the improvements that have taken place since then he would stare. Agricola would be as astonished at the reaping machine as at the Martini-Henry rifle, not to mention the Austrian one, which can cnt down the human harvest as swiftly as the combined reaper and binder can the yellow grain. When that Roman who understood the arts of peace and war as then practised surveyed Liberton parish to make his road through it to his camp at Cramond, he little thought of the possibility of such an iron road as the Suburban Railway, and such a horse and chariots as roll si5iftly over it. H e taught our forefathers the arts of peace and war when they were very much like Stanley's African pupils, but could he have another look at Liberton now, he would go back to his grave dismayed by the fast life now being lived by his aforetime uncivilised Britons. Our district has always in modern times been noted for its agricultural preeminence, our farmers as ranking high in intelligence, energy, and ability. They bring capital to bear on their undertakings ; they are near a central market; labourers can be had from the adjoining city in times of need for such ; and crops are snatched from the earth by constant application at critical nloments. They are unrestricted as to selling by any of those remnants of feudal laws which linger in northern counties. They have the agricultural chemist, who can tell what ingredients are out of proportion in the soil, and the proper constituents to balance such for the successful production of the various forms of plant lifc. Doubtless there are bitter complaints at present from agriculturists in other quarters, more especially from England, and keen competition in every industry and trade, which is leaving little margin for loose management. The last century has witnessed many changes in prosperity and adversity, yet on the whole the balance has been greatly in favour of the progress and happiness of the country and the people.

LIBERTON IN ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

I79

The great increase in the valuation and population of Liberton parish which has taken place with the last century is accounted for by the extensive working of the minerals in the Niddrie and Straiton districts ; also by the extension of the city of Edinburgh in the lands of Sir R. D. Cunyinghame and Captain Gilmour,-the houses in Craigmillar Park having been nearly all built within the last twenty years. An Established Church was erected at Mayfield and opened for public worship on 6th July 1879, of whom the Rev. Alex. Neil is the pastor.

INDEX.

PAGE

'

Abercorn, Duke of, . Abercrombie, Family of, . Adamson, Mr. John, A.M. . Advocates' Close, Edinburgh, . Agassiz, Professor, . Aitchison, Mr., of Mount Vernon, Albany, Duke of, . . Albert, Prince, . Alexander 111. . Alice, Princess, . Allan, John, Broomhills, . Allan, George, do. Allan de Liberton, . Almora Villa, . Alnwick Hill, .

83 Ueaton, Janet, . . 1 Begg, Rev. Dr. . I 6 , Eenhar Coal Company, . . I 24 Blackford Quarry, , . 155 Blair, John, , 28 Blair, hiargaret, . 43, 58 Blind Asylum, Edinburgh, . 52 Borough Moor, . . 33 Borthwick, George, . . . 52 Borthmick, Lord, . . I 5 I Bothwell, Adam, . r ,- I Bothwell, Earl of, Bothwell, John, of Whitekirk. 2 . 29 Bowbridge, . . 36 Braid Burn, Braid Craig, . AZta Via, . Anderson of RIoredun, zS,I I'{, I r g, I 28,138 Braid Hills, , Annales Canzbri~, . 13: Blidgcnd, . .%rchzology of Liberton, . . 6 3roken Briggs, Argyle, Duke of, . . S,, 83 / Rroomhills, . hrgyle, Earl of, . 46 / Erunstane, . gc. T I 7, I I 8, i 2 I Iiruntsfield Links, Argyle, Marquis of, . Arthur's Seat, . 4 Buccleuch, Duke of, . . Auchmuttie, Robert, . . 74 Buckstone Farm, . . I O I Burdiehouse, . Awalls, Village of, Gurdiehouse L i ~ n e Quarries, Burnhead, . Baillie, Hon. Violet Cochrane,Viscountess Melville, , 91 Burntdale, . Baillie, Peter, . . I 15 Rurton, Dr. Hill, . 231 24, 164 Baird, Sir David, Baird, General Sir David, . . 77 Caer Duff Knowes, . . 63 Caer Ketton Craig, . Baird, Sir James Gardiner, . 107, 150 Cairntows, . Baird, Sir John, of Newbyth, Baird, Robert, of Newbyth, . . 1 0 2 Calder, Family of, . Baird, William, of Newbyth, . . 7 7 Caldcrwood of Polton, . Baird, Sir William, . . 1 0 7 Caledonia,Chalmers',. . Bannantyne, John, of Corrokie, . . 71 Cameron House, . Battle Stone, . . 6 Campbell, Rev. John, . BawLee Ilouses, . . 6 I Canonmills,
!

1/

PAGE

44 . 4!2',23 83 '55
S S

S 1

18z

INDEX.
PAGE

Cant, Andrew, . Davidson, Rev. George, . . 22 Denham, Sir James Steuart, . . 127 Carberry Hill, . . 68 Carketill, John, . . 14, 33 Dick, Alexander, . . . 65, 66 Cathcart, Robert, . . 1 0 2 Dick, Sir Jaines, , 65, 66, 68 Cat-Stanes, . 6, 7 Dick, Sir William, G 9 Cellar Park, , . 67 Dick-Cunyngham, Sir k o b e k K. A. . 138 . 8 Dovecot Fielcl, . Celtic Cross, . 116 . 69 Dow, Mr. William, . Charles Edward, Prince, . Christie, Mr. William, . 29, 54, 138 Drum, 8, 85, 90, 93-99, 101-104, 106, 1 1 2 . 8,101 Christie, Rev. James, D.D. . . r 15 Drumseuch Forest, . 57 Clapperfield, . . 61 Drylaw, . 3, 4 I7, 67, 69 1 Clearburn House, . . 67 Duddingston, . 8 Clerk, Sir John, of Penicuick, . . G Duddingston, Easter, . 69 Clippens Oil Company, . . 165 Uuddingston Loch, . 137 Cochrane, Lady Grizel, , . 51 Duncan, John, M.D. . Dundas, Mrs., of Arniston, . 146 Cochrane, Mr. John, . . 27 . 40 Cockburn, Falllily of, . I , 51 Dunfermline, Monastery of, Colinton, , 4, 6 Coinmon Myre, . s6, 65 Edgar Family, . 69, 7 0 Convent of Sciennes, . "3' Edinburgh Castle, . 43947 Couch-a-Braehead, . "9 Edinburgh Market Cross, . . 104 Craigend House, . 7 Edmiston of iVoolmet, . 54 Craigend Park, 54 Edmonston, Village of, . 95, 161 Craiglockhart, . 57 Elf's Loch, 144 Craigmillar Castle, 3, 4, 37, 39, 40, 43, Ellis, i\ll.. 1 I41 4 6 473 s2, 65 Elves' or Elf's Kirk, . I44 Craigmillar, Henry de, . 4' Erskine, Hon. Henry, . . 127 Craigmillar Park, . ' 1 ' 4 Erskine, 'rhornas, . . I27 Craigs, . 53 Cramond, . . 6, 142; I S [ Fairlie, Rev. Walter, . . . 114, 136 Cranston, John, M.A. . Pairnlilehead, . 143 Cranston, Michal, . Fallside House, . 95 Cranstoun, Thomas, Farquhar, Robcrt, . I8 Crawford, Margaret, . I5 Fauna of Liberton, . . 165 Crighton of Lugton, . . 117 106 I"ento11, John, of Eentonbarns$ . Crighton, Fatrick, of Qanston Riddel,' Ferneyside Lodge, . . 161 Croall, Mr. John, . I35 I59 Cromwell, Oliver, . . 114 Crostorfin, . 10 Fletcher, Henry, . I8 1 Cumming, Alexander, . Forbes, Dr. . . 83 29 Cuninghame, Lord, . 1411 Forbes, Hunter, & ~ i i ~ l ~ u n ) . I35 Cunningham, Sir William: . . '49 . 20,72 Frogston Brae, Currie, .

:: :::

Dalkeith, . Dalkeith Palace, l)almahoy,. . Dnlrymple, Sir He\\, Darns, . Darnley, Lord, . David de Liberton,

3,4,22 . 115 31 . 125 5963 45946

2

Galachlaw, Gillespie, Mr. George, . Gilmerton, 14, 2 2 , 61, 90, 96, 97, 105116, 129, 136, 137, Gilmerton Cave, . Gilmerton Church, . Gilmerton Grange, . .
~

143
121

1j9
111

24 88

INDEX.
PAGE

783

98 Gilmerton House, . . IOS i Kevock SIill, . Gilmour, Sir Alexander, . . 50, I 32 i Iiingston Grange, . 53, 129, 138, 1j 5 . . 56, 69 Gilinour, Sir Charles, . . 5 1 King's LIeadows, 6, 7 Gilmour, Sir John, . . 49, 50, 107 Kirklallds, . Gilmour, Captain Gordon, 14,28, 53, 70, 138 , Gilmour, Walter Ja~nesLittle, . 52, j o Lady Road, . 64 Glover, Walter, . . 53 Laing, Dr. David, . 104 Goodtrees, ;o, 1i7, I 19, 129 I Laudertlale, Duke of, . S1,82 Leadburn, . 2, 4 Gordon, Family of, . . I . I Gourton, . . 40 I,earmonth, Family of, . Gracemount, . . I 29, 125, 159 I,ccbernard, Letbernard, Legbernard, 2: 3, 10 30 , SS I,eper, Johannis, Grange Farm, . Lepertown, , . I, 2 Grant, Rev. James, , , 20 Andrew, 1f.A. . 17 Grant, Patrick, Lord Elchies, . . 6 3 T,er~-r?and, . . 2 8 , 30 Gray, Rev. Dr. . . 22, 28 1,esley Park, 30, 31 . G. Gr, 129 I,itlbertoun, David, . Greenend, . I . ~ 3 8ldberton, Origin of, . Greenpark, . Greenside or Greendikes, . , So I 1,ibeiton Church, 3, 4, 8, I I , 13, 30, 72, 54 97,99, 107, I I4> 126, 152 Grierson, Mr. Henry, Guthrie, Rev. Dr. . . 136 1,iberton Free Church, 29, 136 I,it)erton House or Place, . 35936 Guthrie, Rev. D. K . . Liberton. Lord. . . 62 . 114 Hailes, , . 128 Liberton Manse, . Over, 2, 51 . 138 Liberton, Park, . Handyside, Miss Margaret E. . Libcrton . 28 Henderson, James, of Fordel, . I49 Lil)erton, 'l'homas de, 31 Hengist and Horsa, . 7 1.iberton Tower, . 8, 31, 33, 35 Hepburn, Sir Adam, . 91 T.ibel.ton, IVilliam de, 3' Herring, Sir John, 85, 89, 105, 1 1 0 , r r r , 117 Libertun, Chapel of, . . 10 Herring, Patrick, . 7 3 , 87, 105 Little France, . 52,53 Herring, Sir Gilbert, . 87 Gabriel, I,iber\oil, Hoiyrood, . . S, 10, I j, 57, 62 Little, IVilliam, of UpperI,ibel.ton, 3 I , .32, 33 Little, of Over Hope of Rankeillor, . 178 38, 51 Horn, Captain Williani, . . Go Lorne, Marquis or, . . 29: 69, 138 . 151 Louise, Princess, Hutchison, Mr. Thomas, , 29, 138 Hyvots Mill, . , 136, 161 Lussie Law, . 5

'I

PAGE

--

Inch, The, Inch, hlr. Robert, . Inch, Mr. John, Inch, Mr. Adam, . Innes, Gilbert, of Stow, Innes, Miss, of Drum, Inveresk, . Ireland, hlr. R. A. . Jaque, Gideon, M.A. . Sardine, Rev. John, . Johnstone, Mr. Alexander,

. "5 . 138
314

63 23 63 I53
103

. .
.

I9
20

151 I35
6

Kaimes or Combs, Ket Stane,

hIacheth's Tower, . 3, 2 5 :\Ialbet, Earon of Liberton, 2 , 3, 10, 131 Malbet, Tower or Castle of, . 24 Market Cross of Edinburgh, . 35 1Iarquis of lTcntrose, 76 Mary, Queen of Scots, 13, 38, 44, 45, 52, 63, 75, 93, 94, 1391 I53 Mayfield Church, . 64, I79 II'Culloch, Ddvid, . . 117, 129 ?rllCulloch, Marion, . . 177, 1 2 2 hl'Kail, Hugh, , 35 MINeill, Sir John a n d ' ~ a d ; ~ m d a , 2 9 , 137, 138 Melville Castle, . . 131
a

18 2

INDEX.
PAGE
PACE

. 22 Cant, Andrew, . . 17 Davidson, Rev. George, . . . 127 Carberry Hill, . . 47 Denhain, Sir James Steuart, . 68 . 14, 33 Dick, Alexantier, . Carketill, John, . . 1 0 2 ' Dick, Sir Jaines, . 65, 66 Cathcart, Robert, . 6, 7 Dick, Sir William, . 65, 66, 68 Cat-Stanes, 69 Cellar Park, . . 67 nick-Cunyngham, Sir Robert K. A. . 138 . 8 Dovecot Field, . Celtic Cross, . 116 Charles Edward, Prince, . . 69 Dow, Mr. William, . . 29, 54, 138 Drum, 8, 85, go, 93-99, 101-104, 106, I 1 2 Christie, Mr. William, Drumseuch Forest, . . 8, I O I . "5 Christie, Rev. James, D. D. 57 Clapperfield, . . 61 Drylaw, . 3, 4, 17, 67, 69 . . 67 Duddingston, . Clearburn House, . 8 . G Duddingston, Easter, . Clerk, Sir John, of Penicuick, . 69 Clippens Oil Company, . . 165 Ihddingston Loch, . I37 Cochrane, Lady Grizel, . . 51 Duncan, John, M.D. . . 146 Cochrane, 91r. John, . . . 27 Dundas, Mrs., of Arniston, . 40 Cockburn, Family of, . I , 51 Dunfermline, hlonastery of, Colinton, . 4, 6 Common hfyre, . s6, 64r 65 Edgar Family, . . . . 69,70 Convent of Sciennes, . 'S2 Edinburgh Castle, . 43947 Couch-a-Braehead, . 129 Edinburgh Market Cross, . . 104 Craigend House, . 7 Edmiston of Woolmet, . 54 Craigend Park, . 54 Edmonston, Village of, . 95, '6' Craiglockhart, . 57 Elf's Loci], '44 Craignlillar Castle, 3, 4, 37, 391 40, 43, Ellis, 144 4 6 471 s2, 65 Elves' or Elf's Kirk, . . '44 Craigmillar, Henry de, . 4' Erskine, Hon. Henry, . . 127 Craigmillar Park, . 8, '4 Erskine, 'Thornas, . . 127 Craigs, . 53 6 1 14" Cramond, . . . 114, 136 Cranston, John, M.A. . I7 Fairlie, ~ e v Walter, . Fairmilehead, . '43 I6 Cranston, Michal, . Fallside House, . 95 Cranstoun, Thomas, , 18 Crawford, Margaret, . I 5 Farquhar, Robert, Fauna of Liberton, , . 165 Crighton of Lugton, . John, FentOnbarns, . "7 Crighton, Patrick, of ~ r a n s i o nidd del, 106 , 161 Croall, Mr. John, . I Ferneyside Lodge, . Cromwell, Oliver, . F'ive I59 . 1'4 Crostorfin, Fleming, Rev. Thomas, . Cumming, Alexander, . Fletcher, Henry, . 83 Cuninghame, Lord, . ~ o r b e s ,~ r . . 29 Cunningham, Sir William. . I4I1 Forbes, Hunter, L cornpan), I35 1 Frogston Brat, . Currie, . '49 ,,, 7 2

. .

'

::

Dalkeith, Dalkeith Palace, Dalmahoy,. . Dalrymple, Sir H e n , Dams, Darnley, Lord, . David de Liberton,

. .

3, 4, 2 2 . 115 31 . 125 563 4546

2

Galachlaw, Gillespie, Mr. George, . . Gilmerton, 14, 2 2 , 61, go, 96, 97, 105'16, 129, '36, 137, Gil~nertonCave, Gilmerton Church, . . Gilmerton Grange, .

143
121
i

. .

'59
III

24 88

INDEX.
PAGE

183
PAGE

Gilmerton House, . . 108 Gilmour, Sir Alexander, . . 50, c32 Gilmour, Sir Charles, . 5' Giltnour, Sir John, 49, 50, 107 Giltnour, Captain Gordon, 14, 28, 53,7o, I j S Giltnour, Walter James Little, . 52, 7 0 Glover, Walter, . 53 Goodtrees, . 90, 117, 119, 129 Gordon, Family of, . . I Gourton, . . 40 Gracemount, . . 129, 1 3 5 ~ 159 Grange Farm, , SS . 20 Grant, Rev. James, Grant, Patrick, Lord Elchies, . h; Gray, Rev. Dr. . , 2 2 , 2s Greenend, . h. 61, 129 Greenpark, . . r;S Greenside or Greendikes, . . So Grierson, Mr. Henry, . 34 Guthrie, Rev. Dr. . . 136 Guthrie, Rcv. 9. K . . . 136

Kcvock ?*fill, . Icingston Grange, King's hleadows, Kirk!ands, .

98 53, 129, 138, 155 . 56969 6, 7

Hailes, . . 128 Handyside, Miss Margaret E. . 138 Henderson, James, of Fordrl, . I49 Hengist and Horsa, . 7 91 Hepburn, Sir Adam, . Herring, Sir John, 85,89,105, 110, 111, 117 Herring, Patrick, . 7 3 , $7, 105 Herring, Sir Gilbert, . 87 Holyrood, . S, 10, I;, 45, 57, 62 Hope of Rankeillor, . 175 Horn, Captain Williani, . . 60 I,orne, Hutchison, Mr. Thomas, . . 151 Louise, XIarquis or, Princess, Hyvots Mill, . . 136, 161 Lussie Law, .

. .

I,ady Road, . 64 Lning, D r . David, . 104 123udertlale, Duke of, . 81,82 Idendburn, 21 4 Lenrinonth, Family of, . . I Ixcbernard, Letbernard, Legbernard, 2, 3, 10 I,eper, Jol:annis, 30 I,epcrtomn, . I, 2 T,~YI:?c~:~, Andrew, R1.A. . '7 I,eslsy Park, . 2 8 , 30 I,it~Lertoun, David, . 30, 3' I.iberton, Origin oft . . I Libelton Chuych, 3, 4, S, 1I , 13, 30, 72, 97,99, 107, 1'4, 126, 152 I,i!~erton Free Church, . 29,136 1,iberton House or Place, . 35, 36 Liberton, Lord, . , 62 Liherton Manse, . 114 Liberton, Over, . 2, 51 1,ibcrton Park, . . 28 Liberton, Thotnas de, . 3I I.i!~erton Tower, 8, 31, 34, 35 I.ii)erton, William de, 31 LiLertun, Chapel of, . . 10 Little I:rar?ce, 5453 Little, Gabriel, of Upper Libertoil, . 33 Little, IYilliam, of Over Liberton, 3 1 ~ 32,

.
5

Inch, The, Inch, Mr. Robert, . Inch, Mr. John, Inch, Mr. Adam, . Innes, Gilbert, of Stow, Innes, Miss, of Drum, Inveresk, . Ireland, Mr. R. A. . Jaque, Gideon, M.A. . Sardine, Rev. John, . Johnstone, Mr. Alexander,

. .

.
.

. . .

Kaimes or Combs, Ket Stane,

63 Rincbeth's Tower, . 3, 25 23 Llnlbet, Baron of Liberton, 2, 3, 10, 131 6.4 RI'llbet, Tower or Castle of, . 24 '53 Rlnrket Cross of Edinburgh, . 35 102 Llarcluis of 1,Iontrose, 76 115 hfary, Queen of Scots, 13, 38, 44, 45, 52, 3, 4 63, 75, 93, 94, 149, I53 138 Mayfield Church, . 64,179 "9 RI'Culloch, David, . . 117, 129 20 M'Culloch, Marion, . . 777, 1 2 2 151 M'Kail, Hugh, 35 M'Neill, Sir John a n d a ~ a d Y 'm m a , 29, ~ I35 137, 138 . 131 6 MeIville Castle, .

PAGE

Melville, Easter, . IIO Melville, Galfred de, . . 3, 131 Melville Grange, . I37 Melville of Carnbee, . . 131 Melville, Wester, . . 110 Alemorie o the Sonzen~illes, go, 94, 99, f 105, 152 Mercer, Mr. 'Thornas, 25, 26 '35 hlillar, Patrick, of Dalswinton, . Miller, Hugh, . . 156 Milnc, John (King's Master Mason), gG, ror Milton, Lord, . 83 Mitchell, Alexander, of Stow, . 1 0 2 , 104 hlontgomery, Robort, 15 Moredun, Estate of, . 54, 94, 96, 129, 131, 137, I39 Morton, . . I, 6, 140-143 hlortonhall, 4, 12, 140-141, 143-146, 148 Morton House, . . 6, 143 Mounthooly, or Holy Mount, . I43 Morville, . . 172 Muirhouse, . 11, 152 Murray, Sir Robert, . 6567 Mussclburgh, . 46, 65, 701 I43
U

Peffer Mill, . 577 69, 701 75 Pentland Hills, . 3, "5, 140, 142, I j 4 Pentland Moor, . . 140 Pilrig's Mailing, . 14 Porterfield of Coiniston, . . 141 Portobello, 8, 143 POW Burn,. 5664 Preston Aislc, St. Giles' Cathedral, . 42 . 44 Preston, Barony of, 65 Preston, Ilavid, of Craigmillar, . Priestfield, . . 66 Prestonfield, Lands of, . 66, 69 I'reston, John, of Craigmillar, . . 41 Preston, Leolpus de, . . 40 Preston of Fcntonbarns, . 59 Preston, Sir Simon, 40, 43, 44, 47, 48, 106 Priest's Hill, . . 129,130 Proudfoot, Rev. R. F. . . I14
S

PAGE

Queen, Her Majesty the,

52953

Nelson's Graves, . 63 Nether Liberton, . 6, 35, 57, 58, 63, 64 Neville Cottage, . 138 . 22 New Craighall, Newbattle Abbey, . . 40,PG Newbyth, Lord, . . 106 . 3, 161 Newton, Parish of, . Niddrie, Village of, . 6, 54, 55, 71, 72, 79 Niddrie, Chapel at, . 3 Niddrie Coalwork, . 80 . 71, 81, 84 Niddrie Marischal, Niddrie Mill, . 79 113 Nimmo, Dr. Robcrt, . Nisbet, Gavin, . . 11, I 5 2 Nisbett, John More, of Cairnhill, . 102 Northfield, 3, 26 Norman Knowes, . . 101

Rae, Sir David, Lord Eskgrove, . Rae, Sir IVilliam, Lord Advocate, Kamsey of Dalwolscy, , Kamsay of Whitehill, , Rigg, Thornas, of hforton, . Roman Remains, , Kosslyn, Battle of, , Rosslyn Castle, . Ross, Hon. Grizcl, . Ross, Lord, of Melville, . Saughton Hall, Estate of, . . 106 Saxon Remains, 7 . . 100, 113, 125 Scott, Sir Walter, Semple,Samuel, 19,20,26,114,124,126 Sergeant's Lands, , 31, I73 Sharpdale IIamlet, , . 64 Shepherd, Mr. Thomson, . 23 Sheriffhall, Village of, . 95 I53 Sivwright of Meggatland, . Smart, Mr. James, . . 28 Somerville, Family of, 12, 28, 90-96, 104, 1 1 2 , 113 South Mains Farm, . . 61 Southfield, 135 Southhouse, . . 152 Stainhouse Aisle, ~ i b k t o n Churdh, . I r Stanedykehead, 36 Stenhouse Village, . 3, 28, 29, 131, 138 Stenhouse Mill, . . 136
a

Original Ragged School, Liberton, Our Lady's Well, . Parknook Hamlet, . Park Villa, Paterson, George, . Paterson, Ninian, A.M. Peacock, Dr.

28 63 28
111

10, 1.51

. .

. 18 . 136

PAGE

Stevenson, Robert, Surgeon, . . I I; Stevenson, Dr. William, . . I I; Stewart of Goodtrees, Family of, 1 2 , I I 7-12; . 21 Stewart, Rev. John, . Stewart, Rev. Peter, 114 , stewartis Close, . . 47 Stoddart, IVilliam, of Southhouse, . I53 Straiton Village, . 14', '53 Straitoil Green, . Is'i Straiton Hall, . I49 , Straiton, Lady Christian of, . Straiton hlill, . , I ~ ' ~ , St. Catherine, Chapel of, . . 133 St. Catherine, \Veil of, . . 133 , St. Clair, Sir Henry, . . 140 St. Clairs of Rosslyn, . 132, 140, 143, 1 5 2 ) St. Cuthbert's Parish, . 4, 10 ' St. Giles and St. Giles' Cathedral, 43, 97, 104 St. Katheriue, . . 141 St. Katherine in the Hopes, Chapel of, 141 ; St. Margaret's Chapel, . . 10 Sules, Sir William de, . I 73

Tcdhi::s. . Torr~nci., i r . >:c:-.:? l Tourcan~ec:F:-::. Trotter of l10:to::k.: Vernon, Nount.

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V,a , Vicar's *lcres, yilidisVia, .

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Walker, Rev. l'homar. . 11: -2.-. . ITmchope of Kiddrie, Fa~nii!. c:< J\'auchope of Edmonston, . 13 IVaulk Mill Shot, . 53 Urebster, James, . IS ]Vest Mains Farm, . . 6; . 11, 22, 6;. 54 lI7hyte, Rev. Thomas, IVhytock, Mr. Richard, Greenend, , i,jS \\'inrams of the Inch, 33 \\'oolmet, . 9; Woolmet Chapel, . . 103

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