... College Church (restored) . . . . 289
Victoria Street and Terrace, from George Iv. Bridge. ...
Book 2 p. 394
(Score 2.07)
... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Water of Leith
name doesnot appear in the Baronage) was Sheriff and
Provost of ...
Book 5 p. 62
(Score 2.02)
![Gmrge Street.] THE COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS. I47
of the college, which had entire control over ?the
drugs of apothecaries and chemists. It further
protected Fellows from sitting on juries.
Under this charter the college continued to
discharge its functions for many years, although
it eventually abandoned in practice the exclusive
rights conferred on it, and ceased to exercise any
inspection over the shops of apothecaries as the
changes of social position and necessity caused
many of the provisions to fall into abeyance.
Having become sensible of the advantages that
would accrue to it from a new charter, to the end
that it might be free from the obligation of admitting
to its license all Scottish University graduates
without examination, to get rid of the clause prohibiting,
its connection with a medical school,
and further, that it might have the power of expelling
unworthy members, a new charter was prepared
in 1843, but, after a great many delays
and readjustments, was not obtained until the 16th
of August, 1861.
The first president of the institution was Dr.
Archibald Stevenson, who was elected on the 8th
of December, 1681, and held the chair till 1684;
his successor was Sir Robert Sibbald (of the house
of Balgonie), an eminent physician, naturalist, and
antiquary, who graduated in medicine at Leyden
in 1661 ; but from the time of his election there is
a hiatus in the records till the 30th of November,
1693, when we again find in the chair Dr.
Archibald Stevenson, with the then considerable
honour of knighthood.
It was when Sir Thomas Burnet, author oi
U Thesaurus Mediam Pructice,? London, I 673,
was president, in 1696-8, that we find it recorded
that certain ruinous buildings bordering on the
Cowgate were converted by the college ?? into a
pavilion-shaped cold bath, which was open to the
inhabitants generally, at a charge for each ablution
of twelve shillings Scots, and one penny to the
servant; but those who subscribed one guinea
annually might resort to. it as often as they
pleased.?
Under the presidency of Dr. John Drumrnond,
in 1722, a new hall was erected in the gardens at
Fountain Close ; but proving insufficient, the college
was compelled to relinquish certain plans for
an edifice, offered by Adam the architect, and to
find a temporary asylum in the Royal Infirmary.
In 1770 the premises at Fountain Close were sold
for A800 ; more money was raised by mortgage
and other means, and the hall we have described
was erected in George Street, only to be relinquished
in time, after about seventy years? occupancy.
?The same poverty,? says the ?Historical Sketch,?
?
which had prevented the college from availing
itself of the plans of Adam, and which had caused
it to desire to part with its new hall in George
Street, even before its occupation, still pressed
heavily upon it. Having at that time no funded
capital, it was entirely dependent on the entrancefees
paid by Fellows, a fluctuating and inadequate
source of income. Besides, beautiful as the
George Street hall was in its outward proportions,
its internal arrangements were not so convenient as
might have been desired, and it is therefore not to
be wondered at that when the college found their
site was coveted by a wealthy banking corporation
their poverty and not their will consented ; and in
1843 the George Street hall was sold to the Commercial
Bank for Azo,ooo-a sum which it was
hoped would suffice to build a more comfortable
if less imposing, hall, and leave a surplus to secure
a certain, though possibly a small, annual income.
Although the transaction was obviously an advantageous
one for the college, it was not without
some difficulty that many of the Fellows made up
their minds to part with a building of which they
were justly proud.?
The beautiful hall was accordingly demolished
to the foundation stone, in which were found the
silver medals and other relics now in possession of
the college, which rented for its use No. 121,
George Street till the completion of its new hall,
whither we shall shortly follow k.
On its site was built, in 1847, the Commercial
Bank, an imposing structure of mingled Greek and
Roman character, designed by David Rhind, an
architect of high reputation. The magnificent
portico is hexastyle. There are ninety-five feet in
length of fapde, the columns are thirty-five feet in
height, with an entablature of nine feet ; the pediment
is fifteen feet six inches in height, and holds
in its tympanum a beautiful group of emblematic
sculpture from the chisel of A. Handyside Ritchie,
which figures on the notes of the bank. It has
a spacious and elegant telling-room, surrounded
by tall Corinthian pillars, with a vaulted roof,
measuring ninety feet by fifty. The Commercial
Bank of Scotland and the National Bank of Scotland
have been incorporated by royal charter ; but
as there is no Qubt about their being unlimited,
they are considered, with the Scottish joint stock
banks, of recent creation.
The deed of partnership of the Commercial
Bank is dated gist October, 1810, but subsequent
alterations have taken place, none of which, however,
in any way affect the principle named and
confirmed in the charter. The capital of the bank
was declared at ~3,000,000 j but only, a thud of](images/thumbs/old_new_edin_v3p159.gif "Old and New Edinburgh Vol. III Page 147")
... Street.] THE COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS. I47
of the college, which had entire control over ?the
drugs of ...
Book 3 p. 147
(Score 2)
... BANK OF SCOTLAND. 93 The Mound. J
whereof are to be applied for ever for the support of
decayed and ...
Book 3 p. 93
(Score 2)
![THE LA WNMARKET. I73
to accomplish the foresaid bigging,” &c. This royal mandate not seeming to have produced
the ready acquiescence that was doubtless anticipated, King James, in the following
August, assumes the imperative mode,--“ Whereas the said Robert Gourlay is quarelled
and troubled for diminishing of ye breid and largeness of ye passage thereof, by use and
wont j albeit ye said vennel be na common nor free passage, lyke as ye same hath not been
this long time bygane, being only ane stay hill besouth ye said new wark, and nevir calsayit
nor usit as ane oppen and comoun vennall, lyke as na manner of persones has now, nor
can justlie plead ony richt or entrie to ye said vennal, q’“ be all lawis inviolable observit
in tymes bygane has pertainit, and aucht to pertene to US; ” and to make sure of the
matter this time, his Majesty closes by authorising the buildingof a dyke across the close,
“ notwithstanding that ye said transe and vennall have been at ony time of before, repute
or halden ane comoun and free passage I ”
The result of this mandate of royalty would appear to have been the erection of the house
at the foot of the close,-the only other building that had an entrance by it,-apparently
as the dwelling for his son, John Gourlay. This ancient edifice possessed a national interest
as having been the place where the earliest banking institution in Scotland was establislied.
The Bank of Scotland, or, as it was more generally styled by our ancestors, the Old Bank,
continued to carry on all its. business there, within the narrow alley that bore its name,
until the completion of the extensive erection in Bank Street, whither it removed in 1805.
The house bore the date 1588, the same year as that of the royal mandates authorising its
erection, and on an upright stone panel, on its north front, a device was sculptured representing
several stalks of wheat growing out of bones, with the motto, SPES ALTERA
VITAL The same ingenious emblem of the resurrection may still be seen on the fine
old range of buildings opposite the Canongate Tolbooth.
The only notice of Robert Gourlay we have been able to discover occurs in Calderwood‘
s History, and is worth extracting, for the illustration it affords of the extensive
jurisdiction the kirk was disposed to assume to itself in his day :-“ About this time,
Robert Gourlay, an elder of the Kirk of Edinburgh, was ordeanned to mak his publict
repentance in the kirk upon Friday, the 28th May [1574],for transporting mheate out of
the countrie.” The Regent, however, interfered, and interposed his licence as sufficient
security against the threatened discipline of the church.l
’John Gourlay is styled in some of his titles “ customar,” that is, one who “ taks taxatiounis,
custumis, or dewteis; ’” and his father also, in all probability, occupied a
situation of some importance in the royal household; nor is it to be supposed it was
altogether ‘‘ out of mere love and gade will” that King James was so ready to secure
to him the absolute control over the close wherein he built his house. It was a building
of peculiar strength and massiveness, and singularly intricate in its arrangements, even
for that period. Distinct and substantial stone .stairs led from nearly the same point
to separate parts of the mansion; and on its demolition, a most ingeniously contrived
secret chamber was discovered, between the ceiling of the first and the floor of the second
story, in which were several chests full of old deeds and other papers.’ A carved stone,
at the side of the highest entrance in the close, bore a shield with a martlet on it,
’ Calderwood, voL iii p. 328. ’ Vide Jamieaon’s Scottish Dictionary.
J Now in the Chambers of the Improvements Commission. . .](images/thumbs/memorials/memorials_v1_Page_206.gif "Memorials of Edinburgh in the Olden Time Page 188")
... LA WNMARKET. I73
to accomplish the foresaid bigging,” &c. This royal mandate not seeming to have ...
Book 10 p. 188
(Score 1.97)
... BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES,
Mr. Shiells was married, and had a daughter, who died young. He was
much respected in ...
Book 8 p. 554
(Score 1.89)
![The Castle Hill.] THE RAGGED SCHOOL. 87
the said burgh situated under the Castle Hill t+
wards the north, to the head of the bank, and so
going down to the said North Loch,? &c.
This right of proprietary seems clear enough,
yet Lord Neaves decided in favour of the Crown,
and found that the ground adjacent to the
Castle of Edinburgh, including the Esplanade and
the north and south banks or braes,? belonged,
(?jure coronte, to Her Majesty as part and pertinent
of the said Castle.?
CHAPTER IX.
THE CASTLE HILL (cmclded).
Dr. Guthrie?s Original Ragged School-Old Houses in the Streetof the Castle Hill-Duke of Gordon?s House, Blair?s Close-Webster?s
CloscDr. Alex. Webster-Boswell?s Court-Hyndford House-Assembly Hall-Houses of the Marquis of Argyle, Sir Andrew Kcnnedy,
the Earl of Cassillis, the Laird of Cockpen--Lord Semple?s House-Lord Semple-Palace of Mary of Gub-Its Fate.
ON the north side of this thoroughfare-which,
within 150 years ago, was one of the most
aristocratic quarters of the old city-two great
breaches have been made: one when the Free
Church College was built in 1846, and the other, a
little later, when Short?s Observatory was built in
Ramsay Lane, together with the Original Ragged
School, which owes its existence to the philanthropic
efforts of the late Dr. Guthrie, who, with
Drs. Chalmers, Cunningham, and Candlish, took
so leading a part in the pon-intrusion controversy,
which ended in the disruption in 1843 and the
institution of the Free Church of Scotland. In 1847
Guthrie?s fervent and heart-stirring appeals on behalf
of the homeless and destitute children, the little
street Arabs of the Scottish capital, led to the
establishment of the Edinburgh Original Ragged
Industrial School, which has been productive of
incalculable benefit to the children of the poorer
classes of the city, by affording them the blessing of
a good common and Christian education, by training
them in habits of industry, enabling them to
earn an honest livelihood, and fitting them for
the duties of life,
All children are excluded who attend regular
day-schools, whose parents have a regular income,
or who receive support or education from the parochial
board; and the Association consists of all subscribers
of 10s. and upwards per annum, or donors
of A5 and upwards; and the general plan upon
which this ragged school and its branch establishment
at Leith Walk, are conducted is as follows,
viz.:-?To give children an adequate allowance of
food for their daily support; to instruct them in
reading, writing, and arithmetic ; to train them in
habits of industry, by instructing and employing
them in such sorts of work as are suited to their
years; to teach them the truths of the Gospel,
making the Holy Scriptures the groundwork of
instruction. On Sabbath the children shall receive
food as on other days, and such religious instruction
as shall be arranged by the acting committee,?
which consists of not less than twelve members.
To this most excellent institution no children
are admissible who are above fourteen or under five
years of age, and they must either be natives of
Edinburgh or resident there at least twelve months
prior to application for admission, though, in special
cases, it may be limited to six. None are admitted
or retained who labour under infectious disease, or
whose mental or bodily constitution renders them
incapable of profiting by the institution. All must ,
attend church on Sunday, and no formula of
doctrine is taught to which their parents may
object ; and children are excused from attendance
at school or worship on Sunday whose parents
object to their attendance, but who undertake that
the children are otherwise religiously instructed in
the tenets of the communion to which they belong,
provided they are in a condition to be entrusted
with the care of their children.
Such were the broad, generous, and liberal views
of Dr. Guthne, and most ably have they been
carried out.
According to the Report for 187g-which may
be taken as fairly typical of the work done in this
eminently useful institution-there was an average
attendance. in the Ramsay Lane Schools of 216
boys and 89 girls. The Industrial Department
comprises carpentry, box-making, shoemaking, and
tailoring, and the net, profits made by the boys
in these branches amounted to &;I& 14s. 5+d.
Besides this the boys do all the washing, help the
cook, make their beds, and wash the rooms they
occupy twice a week. The washing done by boys
was estimated at A130, and the girls, equally
industrious, did work to the value (including the
washing) of A109 7s.
Full of years and honour, Dr. Thomas Guthne
died 24th February, 1873.
Memories of these old houses that have passed
away, yet remain, while on the opposite side of the](images/thumbs/old_new_edin_v1p099.gif "Old and New Edinburgh Vol. I Page 87")
... Castle Hill.] THE RAGGED SCHOOL. 87
the said burgh situated under the Castle Hill t+
wards the north, to the ...
Book 1 p. 87
(Score 1.88)
![The Water of Leith.] DANIEL STEWART. 67
with sword and sash, wig and cocked hat, queue
and ruffles. After looking at him steadily, but sadly,
the figure melted away; and, as usual with such
spectral appearances, it is alleged young Nisbet was
shot at the same moment, in an encounter with the
colonists.
In 1784 the Dean House was the residence of
Thomas Miller, Lord Barskimming, and Lord
Justice Clerk. In 1845 it was pulled down, when
the ground whereon it had stood so long was
acquired by a cemetery company, and now-save
the sculptured stones we have described--no relic
remains of the old Nisbets of Dean but their burial
place at the West Church-a gloomy chamber of
the dead, choked up with rank nettles and hemlock.
By 1881 the old village of Dean was entirely
cleared away. Near its centre stood the blacksmith?s
forge of Robert Orrock, who was indicted for
manufacturing pikes for the Friends of the People
in 1792. He and his friend, Arthur McEwan,
publican in Dean Side, Water of Leith village,
were legally examined at the time, and it is supposed
that many of the pikes were thrown into the
World?s End Pool, below the waterfall at the
Damhead. South of the smithy was the village
school, long taught by ? auld Dominie Fergusson.?
North of it stood the old farmhouse and steading
of the Dean Farm, all swept away like the quaint
old village, which?was wont to be a bustling place
when the commander-in-chief of the forces in
Scotland tenanted the Dean, and mounted orderlies
came galloping up the steep brae, and often reined
up their horses at the ?Speed the Plough? alehouse,
before the stately gate.
Somewhere in the immediate vicinity of this
old village a meeting-house was erected in 1687
for the Rev. David Williamson, of St. Cuthbert?s,
who was denounced as a rebel, and intercommuned
in 1674 for holding conventicles, but was sheltered
secretly in the Dean House by Sir Patrick Nisbet.
In 1689 he was restored to his charge at the West
Church, and was one of the commissioners sent to
congratulate King William on his accession to the
throne.
Now all the site of the village and farms, and
the land between them and the Dean Bridge, is
covered by noble streets, such as Buckingham
Terrace and Belgrave Crescent, the position of
which is truly grand. In 1876 a movement was
se: on foot by the proprietors of this crescent, led
by Sir James Falshaw, Bart, then Lord Provost,
which resulted in the purchase of the ground between
it and the Dean village, at a cost of about
A5,ooo. In that year it was nearlyall covered by
kitchen gardens, ruinous buildings, and brokendown
fences. These and the irregularities of the
place have been removed, while the natural undulations,
which add such beauty to the modem
gardens, have been preserved, and the plantations
and walks are laid out with artistic effect,
The new parish church-which was built in
1836, in the Gothic style, for accommodation of
the inhabitants of the Water of Leith village1 and
those of the village of Dean-stands on the western
side of the old Dean Path.
Farther westward is Stewart?s Hospital, built in
1849-53, after designs by David Rhind, at a cost
of about ~30,000, in a mixture of the latest
domestic Gothic, with something of the old castellated
Scottish style. It comprises a quadrangle,
about 230 feet in length by IOO feet in minimum
breadth, and has two main towers, each 120 feet
high, with several turrets.
Mr. Daniel Stewart, of the Scottish Exchequer,
who died in 1814, left the residue of his property,
amounting (after the erection and endowment of a
free school in his native parish of Logieraitj to
about ;G13,000, with some property in the old
town, to accumulate for the purpose of founding a
hospital for the maintenance of boys, the children
of honest and industrious parents, whose circumstances
do not enable them suitably to support and
educate their children at other schools. Poor boys
of the name of Stewart and Macfarlane, resident
within Edinburgh and the suburbs, were always
to have a preference. The age for admission was
to be from seven to ten, and that for leaving at
fourteen .
The Merchant Company, as governors, taking
advantage of the powers given them by the provisional
order obtained in 1870, opened the hospital
as a,day school in the September of that
year. The education provided is of a very superior
order, qualifying the pupils for commercial
or professional life, and for the universities. The
course of study includes English, Latin, Greek,
French, German, and all the usual branches, including
drill, fencing, and gymnastics.
The Orphan Hospital at the Dean was erected
in 1833, after elegant designs by Thomas Hamilton,
at a cost of A16,000, in succession to the
older foundation, which we have already described
as standing eastward of the North Bridge, on the
site of the railway terminus. It comprises a large
central block, with two projecting wings, a portico
of Tuscan columns, and two light, elegant quadrangular
towers with arches, and has within its
clock-turret on the summit of its front the ancient
clock of the Nether Bow Port.
Its white facade stands boldly and pleasingly](images/thumbs/old_new_edin_v5p078.gif "Old and New Edinburgh Vol. V Page 67")
... Water of Leith.] DANIEL STEWART. 67
with sword and sash, wig and cocked hat, queue
and ruffles. After looking ...
Book 5 p. 67
(Score 1.87)
... OLD APU'D NEW EDINBURGH.
CHAPTER XXII.
ST. ANDREW SQUARE.
PAGE
St. Andrew Sq-Lst .of Early R e s i d e ...
Book 4 p. 388
(Score 1.86)
![St Andrew Square] ROYAL BANK
bank. The other existing banks have all been
constituted by contracts of co-partnery since the
year 1825, and, with the exception of the Caledonian
Banking Company, are all carrying on
business under the Companies Act of 1862. With
this office is incorporated No. 41, which, in 1830,
was the shop of Messrs. Robert Cadell and Co.,
the eminent booksellers and publishers.
The Royal Bank of Scotland occupies a pre
minent position on the west side of the square, in a
deep recess between the British Linen Company
and the Scottish Provident Institution.
It was originally the town house of Sir Lawrence
Dundas, Bart., and was one of the first houses
built in the square, on what we believe was intended
as the place for st. Andrew?s church. The
house was designed by Sir William Chambers, on
the model of a much-admired villa near Rome, and
executed by William Jamieson, mason. Though
of an ancient family, Sir Lawrence was the architect
of his own fortune, and amassed wealth as a conimissary-
general with the army in Flanders, 1748 to
1759. He was the second son of Thomas Dundas,
a bailie of Edinburgh, whose diffculties brought
him to bankruptcy, and for a time Sir Lawrence
served behind a counter, He was created a
baronet in 1762, with remainder, in default of
male issue, to his elder brother, Thomas Dundas,
who had succeeded to the estate of Fingask. His
son Thomas was raised to the peerage of Great
Britain as Baron Dundas of Aske, in Yorkshire, in
August, 1794 and became ancestor of the Earls of
Zetland.
About 1820 the Royal Bank, which had so long
conducted its business in the Old Bank Close in
the High Street, removed to the house of Sir
Lawrence Dundas.
We have thus shown that St. Andrew Square is
now as great a mart for business as it was once a
fashionable quarter, and some idea may be had of
the magnitude of the interests here at stake when
it is stated that the liabilities-that is, the total sums
insured-of the six leading insurance houses alone
exceed ~45,ooo,ooo, and that their annual income
is upwards of ~1,8oo,ooo-a revenue greater than
that of several States !
Melville?s monument, in the centre of the square,
was erected in 1821, in memory of Henry Dundas,
first Viscount Melville, who was Lord Advocate in
1775, and filled some high official situations in the
Government of Britain during the administration
of William Pitt He was raised to the peerage in
OF SCOTLAND. 171
1802, and underwent much persecution in 1805
for alleged malversation in his office as treasurer to
the navy; but after a trial by his peers was triumphantly
judged not guilty.
Designed by William Burn, this monument consists
of pedestal, pillar, and statue, rising to the
height of 150 feet, niodelled after the Trajan
column at Rome, but fluted and not ornamented
with sculpture; the statue is 14 feet in height.
The cost was _f;8,ooo, defrayed-8s the inverse
side of the plate in the foundation stone states
-?by the voluntary contribbtions of the officers,
petty-officers, seamen, and marines of these united
kingdoms.? It was laid by Admirals Sir D a d
Milne and Otway, naval commander-inchief in
Scotland, after prayer by Principal Baird, on the
anniversary of Lord Melville?s birthday. In the
stone was deposited a great plate of pure gold,
bearing the inscription. A plate of silver bearing
the names of the committee was laid in the stone
at the same time.
The Hopetoun monument, within the recess in
front of the Royal Bank, is in memory of Sir John
Hope, fourth Earl of Hopetoun, G.C.H., Colonel
of the gznd Gordon Highlanders, who died in
1823, a distinguished Peninsular officer, who assumed
the command of the army at Corunna, on
the fall of his countryman Sir John Moore. It was
erected in 1835, and comprises a bronze statue, in
Roman costume, leaning on a pawing charger.
West Register Street, which immediately adjoins
St. Andrew Square, is a compound of several
short thoroughfares, and contains the site of
?( Ambrose?s Tavern,? the scene of Professor NIson?s
famous ?Noctes Ambrosianze,? with a remnant
of the once narrow old country pathway
known as Gabriel?s Road. cG Ambrose?s Tavern,?
a tall, three-storeyed edifice, like a country farmhouse,
enjoyed much repute independent of the
?Noctes,? and was removed in 1864. Hogg, the
Ettrick .Shepherd, who was fond of all athletic
sports and manly exercises, was long made to
figure conspicuously in these Noctes ? in BZack3
wmZs Magazine, which gave his name a celebrity
beyond that acquired by his own writings.
At one of the corners of West Register Street is
the great palatial paper warehouse of the Messrs
Cowan, one of the most elaborately ornate busiqess
establishments in the city, which was erected in
1865, by the Messrs. Beattie, at a cost of about
A7,000, and has two ornamental fronts with chaste
and elegant details in the florid Italian styk](images/thumbs/old_new_edin_v3p183.gif "Old and New Edinburgh Vol. III Page 171")
... Andrew Square] ROYAL BANK
bank. The other existing banks have all been
constituted by contracts of co-partnery ...
Book 3 p. 171
(Score 1.84)
... AND DESCRIPTIVE NOTES. 69
which he died is situated on the ground floor to the right of the ...
Book 11 p. 110
(Score 1.82)
... MEMORIALS .OF EDINBURGH.
of St Giles as its Cathedral. The new
service-book, which had been expressly prepared ...
Book 10 p. 100
(Score 1.81)
... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Leith Wynd.
housses, biggins, and yards adjacent thereto, and
by and contigue to the ...
Book 2 p. 306
(Score 1.76)
![The Water of Leith.] MAJOR-GENERAL MITCHELL. 79
1849. Horatio Macculloch, R.S.A., a most distinguished
landscape painter, lived for many years
in No. 7, Danube Street, where the best of his
works were executed. With Sir Daniel Macnee,
P.R.S.A., he first obtained employment from Lizars,
the engraver, as colourists of Selby?s ?? Ornithology.?
In 1829 he first exhibited; and from thence onwards,
to his death in 1867, he contributed to the
yearly exhibitions, and won himself much fame in
Scotland.
In No. 16, Carlton Street, adjoining, lived for
many years his chief friend, Kenneth Macleay,
R.S.A., who was born at Oban in 1802, and after
being educated at the Trustees? School, was one of
the thirteen founders of the Royal Scottish Academy,
and at his death was the last survivor of
them. He was chiefly famous for his beautiful
miniatures on ivory, and latterly was well known
for his occasional sketches and delineations of
Highland life, many of which were painted at the
express desire of Her Majesty. He died at No. 3,
Malta Terrace, in 1878, in his seventy-sixth year.
He was an enthusiastic Celt, and fond of wearing
the Highland dress on Academy receptions, and
on every possible occasion.
Among others connected with art who made
Stockbridge their residence was George Kemp, the
luckless architect of Sir Walter Scott?s monument,
who had a humble flat in No. 28, Bedford Street ;
James Stewart, the well-known engraver of Sir
Wlliam Allan?s finest works, who lived in No. 4
of that gloomy little street called Hermitage Place ;
and Comely Bank, close by, was not without its
famous people too, for there, for some years after
his marriage, dwelt Thomas Carlyle, and, in No. I I,
James Browne, LL.D., author of the ?History 01
the Highland Clans,? and editor of the CaZea?onian
Mermv and of The Edinburgh Week& JournaZ,
and Macvey Napier?s collaborateur in the ?? Encyclopzdia
Britannica.? Some differences having
arisen between him and Mr. Charles Maclaren,
the editor of the Scotsman, regarding a fine-art
criticism, the altercation ran so high that a hostile
meeting took place at seven o?clock in the morning
of the 12th of November, 1829, somewhere neaI
Ravelston, but, fortunately, without any calamitous
sequel. He took a great lead in Liberal politics,
and in No. 11 entertained Daniel O?Connell more
than once. He died at Woodbine Cottage, Trinity,
an the 8th of April, 1841, aged fifty years. John
Ewbank, R.S.A., the marine and landscape painter,
livedat No. 5, Comely Bank; while No. 13 was thc
residence of Mrs. Johnstone, who while there
wrote many of her best novels-among them, ? Clan
Albyn : a National Tale ?-and contributed man]
able articles to johnstone?s Magazine, a now forgotten
monthly.
From a passage in a memoir of himself prefixed
to ? The Mountain Bard,? we find that the Ettrick
Shepherd, about 1813, was living in Deanhaugh
Street while at work on the ?Queen?s Wake,?
which he produced in that year; and that, in his
lodgings there, he was wont to read passages of
his poems to Mr. Gray, of the High School, whose
criticisms would seem to have led to a quarrel
between them.
Sir James Young Simpson, Bart., in his boyhood
and as a student lived with his brother, David
Simpson, a respectable master baker, in the shop,
No. I, Raeburn Place, at the corner of Dean Street.
When he first began to practise as a physician, it
was in a first flat of No. 2, Deanhaugh Street ; and
as his fame began to spread, and he was elected
Professor of Midwifery in the University in 1840,
in succession to Dr. Hamilton, he was living in
No. I, Dean Terrace.
In St. Bernard?s Crescent, for many years while
in the employment of the Messrs. Chambers, lived
Leitch Ritchie, author of ?? Schinderhannes, the
Robber of the Rhine,?? a famous romance in its
day ; also of ?? Travelling Sketches on the Rhine,
in Belgium, and Holland,? and many other works.
He was born in 1801, and died on the 16th of
January, 1865.
His neighbour and friend here was Andrew
Crichton, LL.D., author of a ?? History of Scandinavia
I? and other works, and twenty-one years
editor of the Edinburgh Advertiser.
In the same quarter there spent many years of
his life Major-General John Mitchell, a gallant old
Peninsular officer, who was an able writer on military
matters and biography. In 1803 he began life
as an ensign in the 57th Foot, and served in
all the campaigns in Spain and Portugal, France
and Flanders. Under the nomdepZuume of ?Sabretache,?
he wrote some very smart things, his
earliest productions appearing in Fraser?s Magazine
and the United Serzlice JournaZ. He was the
author of a ? Life of Wallenstein? (London,
1837), which, like his ?Fall of Napoleon,? was
well received by the public ; and Sir Robert Peel
acknowledged the importance of the information
he derived from the latter work, after the appearance
of which, Augustus, King of Hanover, presented
the author with a diamond brooch. He
was the author of many other works, including
?Biographies of Eminent Soldiers.? He was a
handsome man, with great buoyancy of spirit and
conversational powers ; thus ? Old Sabretache,? as
he was often called, was welcome everywhere. A](images/thumbs/old_new_edin_v5p090.gif "Old and New Edinburgh Vol. V Page 79")
... Water of Leith.] MAJOR-GENERAL MITCHELL. 79
1849. Horatio Macculloch, R.S.A., a most distinguished
landscape ...
Book 5 p. 79
(Score 1.75)
... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [St. Andrew Square.
old Scottish school. His habits were active, anc
he was fond of ...
Book 3 p. 170
(Score 1.75)
... OLD AED NEW EDINBURGH. [Hanover Street.
in yhich David Hume died the Bible Society oi
Edinburgh was many ...
Book 3 p. 162
(Score 1.73)
... CONTENTS.
111.
EDINBURGH FROM WARRISTON CEMETERY,
AS SEEN FROM THE GRAVE OF SIR JAMES Y. SIMPSON.
By the ...
Book 11 p. xiv
(Score 1.73)
![Echo Bank.] THE DICK-CUNNINGHAMS. 57
Albany and York, and his having adopted energetic
measures with some of the students of the college,
for their Popery not in 1680, was supposed to
have excited a spirit of retaliation in their companions
; hence a suspicion arose that the fire was
designed and executed by them. The Privy Council
were so far convinced of this being the case, that they
closed the university, and banished the students till
they could find caution for their good behaviour.
Sir James?s house was rebuilt by the Scottish
Corstorphine, in 1699, to the second and younger
sons of his only daughter, Janet, who was married
to Sir William Cunningham, Bart, of Caprington,
by whom he was succeeded at his decease, in
1728.
His son, Sir Alexander Dick (paternally Cunningham),
had attained under the latter name a
high repute in medicine, and became President of
the Royal College at Edinburgh; and he it was
who entertained Dr, Johnson and Boswell for
OLD HOUSES, ECHO BANK.
Treasury as it now exists. When he was coming
from London in 1.682 with the duke, in the
Gloucester mankf-war, she was cast away upon a
sandbank, twelve leagues from Yarmouth, and then
went to pieces. Sir James relates in a letter that
the crew were crowding into a boat set apart for
the royal duke, on which, the Earl of Winton and Sir
George Gordon of Haddo had to drive them back
with drawn swords. Sir James, with the Earls of
Middleton and Perth, and the Laird of Touch,
escaped in another boat; but the Earl of Koxburgh,
the Laid of Hopetoun, and 200 men, were
drowned.
As Sir James Dick died without male issue, he
made an entail of his estates of Prestonfield and
104
several days at Prestoniield, where he died, in his:
eighty-second year, in 178s.
The Mayfield Estate, which belongs to Mr..
Duncan McLaren, was laid out for feuing by the.
late Mr. David Cousin; and more? recently the,
adjacent lands of Craigmillar, the property of Mr.
Little Gilmour, and all are now being rapidly
covered with houses.
Proceeding along the old Dalkeith Road, near
Echo Bank, a gate and handsome lodge lead to
Newington Cemetery, with a terrace and line of
vaults. This was the second that was opened
after that of Warriston, and was ready for interments
in 1846. It was laid out by Mr. David
Cousin; but as the designs were open to public](images/thumbs/old_new_edin_v5p068.gif "Old and New Edinburgh Vol. V Page 57")
... Bank.] THE DICK-CUNNINGHAMS. 57
Albany and York, and his having adopted energetic
measures with some of the ...
Book 5 p. 57
(Score 1.72)
... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. Uuhnsrone Terrace.
selection, without regard to the Government order of
merit. The ...
Book 2 p. 296
(Score 1.71)
... Loch. J T,HE BOARD OF
was almost a permanent place for caravans and
wild beast shows. A row of miserable ...
Book 3 p. 83
(Score 1.7)
![The Water of Leith.] ST. BERNARD?S WELL. 75
To protect it, a stone covering of some kind was
proposed, and in that year the foundation thereof
was actually laid by ?? Alexander Drummond,
brother of Provost Drummond, lately British Consul
at Aleppo, and Provincial Grand Master of all
the Lodges in Asia and Europe holding of the
Grand Lodge, Scotland.? The brethren in their
insignia were present, the spring was named St.
Bernard?s Well, and the subject inspired the local
muse of Claudero.
A silly legend tells how St. Bernard, being sent
on a mission to the Scottish Court, was met with
so cold a reception that, in chagrin, he came to
this picturesque valley, and occupied a cave in
the vicinity of the well, to which his attention was
attracted by the number of birds that resorted to
it, and ere long he announced its virtues to the
people There is undoubtedly a cave, and of no
inconsiderable dimensions, in the cliffs to the westward,
and it is now entirely hidden by the boundarywall
at the back of Randolph Cliff; but, unfortunately
for the legend, in the Bollandists there are
at least three St Bernards, not one of whom ever
was on British soil.
The present well-a handsome Doric temple,
with a dome, designed by Nasmyth, after the Sybils?
Temple at Tivoli-was really founded by Lord
Gardenstone in May, 1789, after he had derived
great benefit from drinking the waters. ?The
foundation stone was laid,? says the Advertiser for
that year, ?? in presence of several gentlemen of the
neighbourhood.? A metal plate was sunk into it
with the following inscription ;-
?< Erected for the benefit of the Public, at the sole expense
of Francis Garden, Esq., of Troupe, one of the senators of
the College of Justice, A.D. 1789. Alexander Nasmyth,
Architect ; John Wilson, Buiider.?
A fine statue of Hygeia, by Coade of London,
was placed within the pillars of the temple. For
thirty years after its erection it was untouched by
the hand of mischief, but now it is so battered
by stones as to be a perfect wreck. Since the
days of Lord Gardenstone the well has always
been more or less frequented. A careful analysis
of the water by Dr. Stevenson Macadam, showed
that it resembled closely the Harrogate springs.
The morning is the best time for drinking it.
During some recent drainage operations the water
entirely disappeared, and it was thought the public
would lose the benefit of it for ever; but after a
time it returned, with its medicinal virtues stronger
than ever.
A plain little circular building was erected in
1810 over another spring that existed a little to
the westward of St. Bernard?s, by Mr. Macdonald
of Stockbridge, who named it St. George?s Well.
The water is said to be the sameas that of the
former, but if so, no use has been made of it for
many years past. From its vicinity to the well.
Upper Dean Terrace, when first built, was called
Mineral Street. In those days India Place was
called Athole Street; Leggat?s Land was Braid?s
Row; and Veitch?s Square (built by a reputable
old baker of that name) was called Virgin?s Square.
The removal of the greater part of the latter,
which consisted of four rows of cottages, thirty in
number, and all thatched with straw, alters one of
the most quaint localities in old Stockbridge. Each
consisted only of a ?but and a ben?-i.e., two
apartments-and in the centre was a spacious
bleaching green, past which flowed the Leith, in
those days pure and limpid. The cottages were
chiefly. if not wholly, occupied by blanchtsseuses,
and hence its name.
The great playground of the village children was
the open and flat piece of land in the Haugh, near
Inverleith, known as the Whins, covered now by
Hugh Miller Place and nine other streets of artisans?
houses.
In past times flour-mills and tan-pits were the
chief means of affording work for the people of
Stockbridge. About 1814 a china manufactory
was started on a small scale on the Dean Bank
grounds, near where Saxe-Coburg Place stands
now. It proved a failure, but some pieces of the
?Stockbridge china? are still preserved in the
Industrial Museum.
As population increased in this district new
churches were required. Claremont Street Chapel,
now called St. Bernard?s Church, was built for
those who were connected with the Establishment,
at a cost of ~4,000, and opened in November, 1823.
Its first incumbent was the Rev. James Henderson of
Berwick, afterwards of Free St. Enoch?s, Glasgow.
About the year 1826, persons connected with
the Relief Church built Dean Street Church in
the narrow street at the back of the great crescent,
and named it St. Bernards Chapel. It was after- ?
wards sold to the United Secession body. In the
year 1843, at the Disruption, the Rev. Alexander
Brown, of St. Bernard?s, with a great portion of his
congregation, withdrew from the Church of Scotland,
and formed Free St. Bernard?s; and, more recently,
additional accommodation has been provided for
those of that persuasion by the re-erection in its
own mass, at Deanhaugh Street, of St. George?s
Free Church, which was built in the Norman style
of architecture, for the Rev. Dr. Candlish, at St.
Cuthbert?s Lane.
Mrs. Gordon is correct in stating that Stockbridge](images/thumbs/old_new_edin_v5p086.gif "Old and New Edinburgh Vol. V Page 75")
... Water of Leith.] ST. BERNARD?S WELL. 75
To protect it, a stone covering of some kind was
proposed, and in ...
Book 5 p. 75
(Score 1.67)
... cross was raised, " In memory of Colonel
Kenneth Douglas Mackenzie, C.B., who served for
forty-two ...
Book 1 p. 80
(Score 1.66)
... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [The Mound,
Sculpture had its origin early in the present
century, though in past times ...
Book 3 p. 90
(Score 1.65)
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