Edinburgh Bookshelf

Edinburgh Bookshelf

Search

Index for “dean bank institution”

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 95
might have ranked with the first names in the British Senate. He retired from
the business of the Church Courts in 1780, but still continued his pastoral duties,
preaching when his health permitted, till within a few months of his death,
which took place at Grange House, near Edinburgh, on the 11th June 1793.
His colleague Dr, John Erskine, in a sermon preached after his death, said,
“ Few minds were naturally so large and capacious as Dr, Robertson’s, or stored
by study, experience, and observation, with so rich furniture. His imagination
was correct, his judgment sound, his memory tenacious, his temper agreeable,
his knowledge extensive, and his acquaintance with the world and the heart of
man very remarkable.”
Dr. Robertson is said to have excited the enmity of Dr. Gilbert Stuart, in
consequence of his assumed opposition to the appointment of that clever, but
vindictive personage, to one of the Law chairs in the University. Whether the
Principal really interfered is not certain, but Stuart believed he had done so,
and that was quite sufficient to induce him to take every means in his power to
annoy his imagined enemy. The “View of Society in Europe,” is in direct
opposition to the luminous introduction to Dr. Robertson’s ‘‘ History of Charles
V.,” and the ‘‘ History of Scotland, from the Reformation to the Death of Queen
Mary,” is an undisguised and virulent hypercritical attack on the “History
of Scotland ” by the same eminent writer, and does no great credit to the talents
of Dr. Stuart. The Empress Catherine of Russia was so delighted with Dr.
Robertson’s works, that she presented him with a handsome gold enamelled snuffbox,
richly set with diamonds, through Dr. Rogerson, which is still in possession
of the family.
The eldest son, a Lord
of Session, retired some years ago from the Bench ; he lived in Charlotte Square,
and died only last year (1836). The next son, Lieutenant-General James, who
distinguished himself under Lord Conmallis, still lives at Canaan Bank, near
Edinburgh. The third son was also in the army, but, having ’married the
heiress of Kinloch-Moidart, now (1837) resides almost entirely on his eshte.
The eldest daughter married Patrick Brydone, Esq. of Lennel House, author of’
a “ Tour through Sicily and Malta,” one of whose daughters became Countess
of Minto; and another, the wife of Admiral Sir Charles Adam, K.B. The
youngest daughter married John Russell, Esq., Writer to the Signet.
Dr. Robertson left three sons and two daughters.
No. XIlIII.
QUARTERMASTER TAYLOR.
THIS gentleman was an officer in the 7th Regiment of Foot, and served under
General Elliot, afterwards Lord Heathfield, during the memorable siege of Gibraltar
by the Spaniards. While in Edinburgh, during the year 1788, his
extreme corpulency rendered him very conspicuous, and induced Mr. Kay to
make him the subject of the present etching. It is said that the night before
his death he was offered €400 for his commission, which he refused ... SKETCHES. 95 might have ranked with the first names in the British Senate. He retired from the ...

Book 8  p. 137
(Score 0.71)

YAMES V. TO ABDICATION OF QUEEN MARE 75
throughout the country, requiring them to march with their adherents to Edinburgh, to
reduce its citizens to a sense of duty; but the magistrates having sent a humble representation
to her of their loyalty and desire to stay the popular violence, she contented
herself with reqniring the immediate liberation of the prisoners. The Queen, however,
shortly after ordered the Provost to be degraded from his office, and another to be
elected in his stead.’
On the 28th of July 1565, Darnley was proclaimed King at the Market Cross of Edinburgh.
The banns had already been published in the usual form in the Canongate Kirk,’
and on the following day, being Sunday, at six o’clock in the morning, he was married to
the Queen, in the chapel of Holyrood House, by the Dean of Restalrig. During several
days, nothing was heard at the Court but rejoicing and costly banquets, while the people
.were treated with public sports.a The marriage, however, excited the strongest displeasure
of the reformers. Knox, on learning of its proposal, regarded it with especial indignation,
and in one of his boldest and most vehement harangues, in St Giles’s Church, challenged
the nobles and other leaders of the Congregation, for betraying the cause of God, by their
inaction. “ I see,” said he, suddenly stretching out his arms, as if he would leap from
the pulpit and arrest the passing vision, ‘( I see before me your beleagured camp. I hear
the tramp of the horsemen as they charged you in the streets of Edinburgh ; and most of
all, is that dark and dolorous night now present to my eyes, in which all of you, my Lords,
iu shame and fear, left this town-God forbid I should ever forget it! ” He concluded
with solemn warning against the royal marriage, and the judgments it involved.. Such
was his vehemence, says Melvil, that, ‘‘ he was like to ding the pulpit in blads, and flee out
of it ! ” This freedom of speech gave general offence, and Knox was summoned before
the Queen ; he came to Court after dinner, and was brought into her cabinet by Erakine of
-Dun, one of the superintendents of the kirk; but the presence of royalty was no restraint.
She wept ay she listened to his bold harangues ; and he left her at length, as she yielded
anew to a passionate flood of tears. As he passed from the outer chamber, he paused in
the midst of a gay circle of the ladies of the royal household, in their gorgeous appare1,-
and addressed them in a grave style of banter on the pity that the silly soul could not
carry all these fine garnishings with it to heaven ! Queen Mary dried her tears, and took
no further notice of this interview, but Knox must have been regarded amid the gay
haunts of royalty, at Holyrood, like the skull that checked the merriment of an old
Egyptian feast.
He was
fully three years younger than her, of royal blood, and a near heir to the Crown ; but in
every other respect totally unworthy of her regard. He appears to have been made the
complete tool of the designing nobles. On the 9th of March 1566, the Queen was at
supper in her cabinet, at Holyrood House, in company with the Countess of Argyle and
Lord Robert Stuart, her natural sister and brother, Beaton of Creich, Arthur Erskine,
and David Rizzio, her secretary, when her husband Darnley conducted a body of armed
assassins into his apartments in the north-west tower of the Palace, immediately below
The Queen’s marriage to Darnley was indeed fatal to her future happiness.
Knox’e Hist., pp. 325, 326. ’ “The Buick of the Kirk of the Canagait, July 1565.” ’ Chalmera’s Queen Mary, vol. i. p. ,146.
Edio. Mag., Oct. 1817, p. 33, apud ChaImera ‘ MelvU’s Diary, p. 26. Tytler, vol. vi. p. 330, ... V. TO ABDICATION OF QUEEN MARE 75 throughout the country, requiring them to march with their adherents to ...

Book 10  p. 82
(Score 0.71)

364 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
in many particulars. When William Gibbons, the pugilist, appeared in
the witnesses’ box, he was asked by Counsel-“ Mr. Gibbons, do you know
James Moffat, the pursuer in this suit 4” “NO ; I do not know any person
of that name.” Mackcoull, who was among the crowd, on being called, came
forward in a slounging manner. (Gibbons
to Mackcoull, in a loud whisper), “ Jem, hold up your head, I can’t see
you,” Mackcoull looked up. Witness-“ Yes, this is Jem Mackcoull ; I
never knowed him by any other name.” Gibbons related the circumstance of
Mackcoull having deposited with him a parcel of Scotch notes, amounting to
upwards of 313,000. At the conclusion of the trial, the evidence which had
been adduced appeared so conclusive, that the jury retired only for twenty
minutes, when they returned, finding for the bank in all the three issues.
By this verdict the tables were most, unexpectedly turned, and Mackcoull,
from being a p w w r , was in his turn pursued : for the Lord Advocate thought
it his duty to serve him with an indictment to stand trial before the High Court
of Justiciary on the 12th of June. His trial was postponed till the 19th of
the month, when the Court of Justiciary, as the Jury Court had been, was
much crowded. All the witnesses who appeared on the jury trial were again
cited, with the addition of Mr. Sayer and the prisoner’s wife, who proved the
restitution of the 311,941 odds, in 1811.
Mackcoull’s brother and other friends in London, endeavoured by every
means to prevent the principal witnesses from attending at the trial. Gibbons,
in spite of promises and threats, came boldly forward ; but Scoltock was so
wrought upon that he had resolved to absent himself. After a great deal of
trouble, he was discovered, very much disguised, and conveyed to Edinburgh
by express, where he arrived just in the nick of time. Mackcoull, calculating
on his absence, flattered himself with the hope of acquittal. He was consequently
equally surprised and disheartened when Scoltock entered the witnesses’
box He had previously been apparently in good spirits; but towards the
close of the trial he often looked round with a vacant stare, muttering to himself.
When the jury returned a verdict of guilty, he gave a malignant grin ;
but stood up with firmness on receiving sentence to be hanged, and bowed
respectfully to the Court.
Overwhelmed
with despair, he said to the Governor, with much emotion, “ Had not
the eye of God been upon me, such a connected chain of evidence never could
have been brought forward.” The prisoner was not long in jail till his usual
flow of spirits returned, and he talked with much cheerfulness to all who came to
visit him, indulging in his metaphors with the utmost pleasantry.
Mr. Denovan, who strongly suspected Mackcoull to have been the murderer
of Begbie (and who drew up an interesting narrative on the subject), happening
to be in Edinburgh, called at the prison, with the view of putting a question
or two to him. The result tended greatly to strengthen the belief in his
guilt. Fairly thrown off his guard, by the artful conversation of his visitor,
‘‘ Witness, do you know that man V’
On being carried back to prison, his fortitude entirely failed him. ... BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. in many particulars. When William Gibbons, the pugilist, appeared in the witnesses’ ...

Book 9  p. 483
(Score 0.71)

142 MEMORIALS OF EDINBURGH.
to have been the same that k n o t alludes to as one of the private oratories existing in hi8
time, in which ‘‘ The baptismal fonts are still remaining.” It is described by him as a
building nigh the Weigh-house, on the south side of the Castle Hill, which has been set
apart for devotion.’ This idea, first suggested by him, of
these ornamental niches having been originally intended for
baptismal fonts, has been repeated by some of the most careful
writers on the antiquities of Edinburgh in our own day,
although the fitness of such an appendage to a private oratory
seems very questionable indeed. From our own observation,
we are inclined to believe that, in the majority of cases,
they were simply ornamental recesses or cupboards ; and
this is the more confirmed, from their most common position
being at the side of the fireplace, and the base in nearly
all of them being a flat and generally projecting ledge,
“We doubt not,” Arnot adds, “but that many more of
the present dwelling-houses in Edinburgh have formerly been consecrated to religious
purposes ; but to discover them would be much less material than difficult ! ” It may
reasonably be regretted that one who professed to treat of our local antiquities, should have
‘dismissed, in so summary and contemptuous a manner, this interesting portion of his
subject, for which, as he acknowledges, he possessed numerous facilities now beyond our
reach.
A house of a very different appearance from any yet described occupies a prominent
position on the north Castle bank, and associates the surrounding district with the name of
Scotland’s great pastoral poet, Allan Ramsay. The house is of a fantastic shape, but it
occupies a position that, we may safely say, could not be surpassed in any city in Europe,
as the site of a ‘( Poet’s Nest.” It is surrounded by a beautiful garden, and though now
in the very heart of the city, it still commands a magnificent and varied prospect, bounded
only on the distant horizon by the Highland hills. At the time of its erection, it was a
suburban retreat, uniting the attractions of a country villa, with an easy access to the centre
of the city. We have been told by a gentleman of antiquarian tastes, from information
communicated to him nearly fifty years ago, that Ramsay applied to the Crown for as much
ground from the Castle Hill as would serve him to build a cage for his hra?, meaning his
wife, to whom he was warmly attached, and hence the octagon shape it assumed, not unlike
an old parrot cage 1 If so, she did not live to share its comforts, her death having occurred
in 1743. Here the poet retired in his sixtieth year, anticipating the enjoyment of its pleasing
seclusion for many years to come ; and although he had already exhausted his energies in the
diligent pursuit of business, he spent, in this lovely retreat, the chief portion of the last
twelve years of his life in ease and tranquil enjoyment, though interrupted towards its close
by a painful malady. He was remarkably cheerful and lively to the last, and his powers of
conversation were such, that his company was eagerly‘courted by all ranks of society; yet
he delighted in nothing so much as seeing himself surrounded by his own family and their
juvenile companions, with whom he would join in their sports with the most hearty life and
good-humour.
* Amot, p. 245.
. ... MEMORIALS OF EDINBURGH. to have been the same that k n o t alludes to as one of the private oratories existing ...

Book 10  p. 153
(Score 0.71)

3 50 MEMORlALS OF EDINBURGH.
This was the picturesque half-castellated edifice of Wrychtishousis, unfortunately acquired
by the trustees of Mr Gillespie, a wealthy and benevolent tobacconist who bequeathed
his whole fortune to found an hospital for the aged poor. By them it was entirely demolished
in the year 1800, and the tasteless modern erection built which now occupies its
site. The nucleus of this singularly picturesque group of irregular masonry appeared to
have been an ancient keep, or Peel Tower, evidently of very early date, around which
were clustered, in various styles of architecture, intricate ranges of buildings and irregular
turrets, which had been added by successive owners to increase the accommodation afforded
by the primitive tower. The general effect of this antique pile was greatly enhanced on
approaching it by the numerous heraldic devices and inscriptions which adorned every
window, doorway, and ornamental pinnacle ; the whole walls being crowded with armorial
bearings, designed to perpetuate the memory of the noble alliances by which the family
succession of the Napiers of Wrychtishousis had been continued from early times. The
earliest records of this ancient family which have been discovered, show that William
Napier, the owner of the old mansion in 1390, was then Constable of Edinburgh Castle,
and maintained that important stronghold at the beginning of the following century, with
the aid of Archibald, Earl of Douglas, and the unfortunate Duke of Rothesay, against
Henry IT., at the head of the whole military force of England. To this brave resistance,
which baffled all the efforts of the English monarch, and redeemed Scotland from total
subjection, the ingenious genealogist of the Napiers conceives that the peculiar tenure
of the Wrychtishousis may be referred. From old charters, preserved in the Register
House, it appears that that property was held by payment to the king of a silver penny
upon the Castle Hill of Edinburgh. “ Fourteen yeara’ services as Constable, iucluding so
memorable a siege, may perhaps account for the silver link between the Wrychtishousis
and the Castle Hill.”
The singular edifice thus intimately amociated with a historical event of such memorable
importance, formed by far the most striking example of an ancient baronial mansion that
existed in the neighbourhood of Edinburgh. Minutely examined, it exhibited the
picturesque blending of the rude feudal stronghold with the ornate additions of more
peaceful times, combining altogether to produce a pleasing effect rarely equalled by more
regular designs. The effect of this irregular group of the various styles of Scottish
architecture is described, by those who still remember it with regret, as singularly striking,
especially when viewed from the Borough Muir towards sunset, rearing its towers and
pinnacles against the evening sky. Had it remained till now, it is probable that the prevalence
of a better taste would have induced the trustees of Gillespie’s foundation to adapt
it to the purposes of their charitable institution, instead of levelling it with the ground.
Its demolition, however, was not effected even then without a spirited, though ineffectual
remonstrance, by a correspondent of the Edinburgh Magazine for July 1800, who writes
under the name of Cadmon, and urges, among other arguments, the venerable antiquity of
the building, one of the dates on which was 1376. “Above one window,” he remarks,
“was the inscription, SICUT OLIVA FRUCTIFERA, 1376; and above another, IN
DOMINCO o m o , 1400. There were several Iater dates:marking the periods, probably of
additions, embellishments, or repairs, or the succession of different proprietors. The arms
Partition of the Lennox, p. 181. ... 50 MEMORlALS OF EDINBURGH. This was the picturesque half-castellated edifice of Wrychtishousis, unfortunately ...

Book 10  p. 383
(Score 0.7)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 187
In the unfortunate “ Walcheren Expedition,” undertaken in 1809, under
the late Earl of Chatham, the Marquis commanded the fourth division. The
object of this armament, which had been fitted out on a very extensive scale,
was the destruction of the fleet and arsenal at Anbwerp, but except in the bombardment
of Flushing, the expedition entirely failed of success.
With the Walcheren expedition closed the foreign military career of the
Marquis of Huntly. His subsequent life was distinguished bya patriotic and active
zeal in whatever tended to the honour or advantage of his native country. He was
long a member, and frequently President, of the Highland Society, an association
which has done so much to improve the agriculture and condition of the
peasantry of Scotland. As a mark of distinction, in 1813, the Marquis was
appointed General of the ancient body denominated the Royal Archers of
Scotland, or King’s Body Guard. Of the Celtic Society he was also an equally
honoured member ; and, in short, in all patriotic or national associations he was
found to yield enthusiastic co-operation.
On the death of his lordship’s father, in 1827, he succeeded to the dukedom
of Gordon in Scotland, and the earldom of Norwich in England ; and in the
still more extended sphere of influence thus opened to him, the spirit which
had animated the Marquis continued to be manifested in the Duke. The great
improvements which he effected on his extensive estates-the exquisite taste
displayed in laying out the grounds and ornamenting the lawns around the
princely Castle of Gordon-together with his successful .exertions in improving
the breed of Highland cattle, and promoting agriculture, are well-known instances
of the Duke’s untiring zeal and perseverance.
He married, in 1813, Elizabeth, daughter of the late Alexander Brodie,
Esq. of Am Hall, but had no issue. His Grace died at London in June 1836,’
and with him the dukedom of Gordon and earldom of Norwich became extinct.
The title of Marquis of Huntly, and some of the inferior dignities, devolved to
his Grace’s ‘‘ heir-male whatsoever,” the Earl of Aboyne. The estates passed
by virtue of an entail to his nephew, the Duke of Richmond.
As a tribute to the memory of the Duke of Gordon, we beg to append the following letter of
condolence to the Duchess from the Governors of the London Scottish Hospital, whose opportunities
of knowing his Grace’s exertions in the cause of charity give peculiar weight to their sentiments :
Unto her Grace Elizabeth Duchess of Gordon, Marchioness of Huntly, Countess of
Huntly; Enzie, and Norwich, Viscountess of Inverness, etc. etc etc. etc.
MADAM,
WE, the Vice-Presidents, Treasurer, and Governors of the Scottish Hospital of the foundation of
King Charles the Second, re-incorporated by King George the Third, in General Court assembled,
beg leave thus to olfer our heartfelt condolence upon the severe bereavement with which God in his
Providence has seen meet to make trial of your “faith and patience.”
Be assured, Madam, that it is not in the observance of a mere formality, but because of that
alfectionate regard which we must ever entertain for the memory of our late noble President, that
we intrude thus early upon that grief in which we do sincerely participate.
When, at the command of our present most gracious King and Patron, the Duke of Gordon
entered upon the Presidency of this Institution, we congratulated ourselves on the acquisition of a
nobleman whose ancient and honourable lineage, and whose generous, chivalrous character, concurred
with his previoua knowledge of the Society, and zeal for its interests, to recommend him to our ... SKETCHES. 187 In the unfortunate “ Walcheren Expedition,” undertaken in 1809, under the late ...

Book 8  p. 264
(Score 0.7)

Leith.] HOME-COMING OF MONS MEG. 209
by the foot o the Calton Hill towards the Palace
of Holyrood.
As a souvenir of this event, on the first anniversary
of it a massive plate was inserted on the
Shore, in the exact spot on which the king first
placed his foot, and there it remains to this day,
with a suitable inscription commemorative of the
event.
In 1829, Mons Meg, which, among other ord
nance deemed unserviceable, had been transmitted
by the ignorance of an officer to London, and retained
there in the Tower, was, by the patriotic
efforts of Sir Walter Scott, sent home to Scotland.
This famous old cannon, deemed a kind of Palladium
by the Scots, after an absence of seventy-five
years, was landed from the Happy Janet, and after
lying for a time in the Naval Yard, till arrangements
were made, the gun was conveyed to the Castle by
a team of ten horses decked with laurels, preceded
by two led horses, mounted by boys clad in tartans
with broadswords. The escort was formed by a
123
grooms and esquires; Sir Patrick Walker, as
Usher of the White Rod; a long alternation of
cavalry and infantry, city dignitaries, and Highlanders,
followed.
At the end of the vista, preceded by ten royal
footmen, two and two, sixteen yeomen of the
Scottish Guard, escorted by the Royal Archers,
came the king, followed by the head-quarter staff,
three clans of Highlanders, two squadrons of Lothian
yeomanry, three of the 3rd Dragoon Guards, Scots
Greys, and the Grenadiers of the 77th regiment;
and after some delay in going through the ceremony
of receiving the city keys-which no monarch
had touched since the days of Charles I.-the
magnificent train moved through the living masses
Lochend to the latter on the east, tA-e middle of
Leith Walk on the south, and Wardie Bum on the
west.
Adam White was the first Provost of Leith after
the passing of the Burgh Reform Bill in 1833;
and it is now governed by a chief magistrate, four
bailies, ten councillors, a treasurer, town clerk, and
two joint assessors.
Powers have since then been conferred upon the
Provost of Leith as admiral, and the bailies as
admirals-depute. There are in the town four
principal corporations - the Shipmasters, the
Traffickers, the Malt-men, and the Trades. The
Traffickers, or Merchant Company, have lost their
charter, and are merely a benefit society, without
the power of compelling entries ; and the Ship
masters, ordinarily called the Trinity House, vi11
be noticed in connection with that institution.
The Trades Corporation is multifarious, and
independently of it there is a body called ? The
Convenery,? consisting of members delegated from
troop of the 3rd Dragoon Guards, and detachments
of the Koyal Artillery and Highlanders. In the
evening the Celtic Society, all kilted, IOO strong,
dined together in honour of the event, Sir Walter
Scott in the chair; and on this occasion the old
saying was not forgotten, that Scotland would
never be Scotland till Mons Meg cam hame.?
The gun was then on the same ancient carriage
on which it had been taken away.
It was not until 1827 that the precise limits of
Leith as a town were defined, and a territory given
to it which, if filled, would almost enable it to vie
with the metropolis in extent, More extensive
boundaries were afterwards assigned, and these
are the Firth of Forth on the north, a line from
SIGNAL TOWER, LEITH PIER, 1775. (ABw Ckrk ofEUin.) ... HOME-COMING OF MONS MEG. 209 by the foot o the Calton Hill towards the Palace of Holyrood. As a souvenir ...

Book 6  p. 209
(Score 0.7)

344 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. .
shortly after, and recognising the shoes, brought one of them in his hand into
the hawing-room, and presenting it to another of the guests, Mr. John Bachan,
Writer to the Signet, who was of very diminutive stature, said to him-" Hae,
Johnny, there's a cradle for you to sleep in."
The personal history of Mr. Osborne affords few particulars either peculiar
or interesting. His father, Alexander Osborne, Esq., Comptroller of Customs at
Aberdeen, and who died there in 1785, was a gentleman of even greater dimensions
than his son.
After having filled an inferior appointment for some years at one of the outports,
Mr. Osborne obtained the office of Inspector-General and Solicitor of
Customs. He was subsequently appointed one of the Commissioners of the
Board ; and, latterly, on the reduction made in that establishment, retired upon
a superannuated allowance.
Mr. Osborne was never married ; and, being of frugal habits, he amassed a
considerable fortune, and made several landed purchases. Besides a pretty
extensive tract of land in Orkney, he was proprietor of a small estate in Ayrshire.
Gogar Bank, a few miles west of Edinburgh, belonged to him, where he
had a summer house, and a very extensive and excellent garden. Here he often
contemplated building a handsome villa, but the design was never carried into
execution.
Xlr. Osborne died about the year 1830, at the advanced age of seventy-four ;
and it is understood the bulk of his property was bequeathed to a gentleman of
the west country. He lived at one time in Richmond Street ; but latterly, and
for a considerable number of years, in York Place.
The small figure to the left represents the late MR. RONALDSON of the
Post Office. He was one of the least men of the regiment, but a very zealous
volunteer. He is placed in the same Print with Osborne, in order to record an
anecdote of Sergeant Gould. In forming a double from a single rank, at a
squad drill, Francis became Osborne's rear man. Poor Francis was never seen ;
and Gould, addressing the next man, continued to call out-" Move to the right,
sir ; why the devil don't you cover 1" Little Francis at length exclaimed, with
great na;ivet&'' I can't cover-I do all I can !"
Mr. Ronaldson was Surveyor of the General Post Office, which situation he
held for upwards of forty years. He was a most active, spirited little personage,
and remarkably correct in the management of his official department. He kept
a regular journal of his surveys, which, on his demise, was found to have been
brought up till within a few days of his death.
In private life, Ronaldson was exceedingly joyous, full of wit and anecdote,
and was withal a man of rare qualifications. He had also some claims to a
literary character. He was a votary of the muses, and a great collector of fugitive
pieces. He left upwards of two dozen volumes of Xcraps--culled principally
from newspapers-consisting of whatever seemed to him valuable or
curious. He was also deeply versed in divinity j and, strange as it may appear, ... BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. . shortly after, and recognising the shoes, brought one of them in his hand into the ...

Book 8  p. 481
(Score 0.7)

212 MEMORIALS OF EDINBURGH.
On the south side of the Parliament Close, near to John’s Coffeehouse, was the banking-
house established by Sir William Forbes, the well-known author of the “ Life of Dr
Beattie,” as well as of other works, and one of the most benevolent and public-spirited
citizens of whom Edinburgh ever had to boast. Though descended from the ancient
Lords Pitsligo, attainted for their fidelity to the Stuarts, he commenced life as an
apprentice with the noted bankers, Messrs Coutts, and on their final establishment in
London, he founded the banking company so long known by his name.’ So successful
was he in life, that he accomplished his long-cherished purpose of recovering the
attainted estates of the Barony of Pitsligo, which are now possessed by his descendants.
Adjoining the banking-house of this eminent citizen, Kay, the ingenious delineator of
the (‘ Edinburgh Characters,” kept the small print-shop
where he vended his portraits and caricatures during nearly
the whole of his career as an artist. His windows were
alwaya filled with his newest etching, and formed a centre
of attraction to the numerous loungers of the close,
some of the most noted among whom-both lawyers and
clients-were the frequent subjects of his pencil. An
ancient thoroughfare led from the centre of this range
of buildings to the Cowgate by a broad flight of steps,
latterly called the Back Stairs, of which we furnish a
view, showing the original state of the great south window
of the Parliament Hall. It is occasionally called by
writers of last century the New Stairs, but a passage of
some kind undoubtedly led through the nether kirkyard
to the Cowgate at an early period, affording ready access
from that fashionable suburb, to the collegiate church
of St Giles’s, and the centre of the High Town. For
this the Parliament Stairs were probably substituted
about 1636, and continued from that time to form a convenient
communication between the High Street and
the Cowgate, until their recent demolition to make way for the new Court
Houses.
The booths which disfigured the old cathedral front, forming the north side of the close,
have already been mentioned ; these were almost exclusively occupied by the goldsmiths,
whose hall was attached to the Parliament House, where the lobby of the Signet .Library
now stands. Chambers furnishes in his ‘‘ Traditions’’ an amusing picture of the expectant
rustic bridegroom’s visit to the Parliament Close, on the eve of his marriage, in order to
provide those indispensable household gear, the silver-spunes. On such occasions it was
usual for the goldsmith to adjourn with his customer to John’s Coffeehouse, to receive
the order over a caup of ale or a dram, when the goldsmith was perhaps let into the
whole secret counsels of the rustic, including a history of his courtship,-in return
for which he sought to astonish hii customer with the most recent marvels of city
news. The spunes, however, we rather think, form, according to old-established
,
Now incorporated with other banking companiea under the name of the Union Bank of Scotland. ... MEMORIALS OF EDINBURGH. On the south side of the Parliament Close, near to John’s Coffeehouse, was the ...

Book 10  p. 231
(Score 0.7)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 105
public dinner given in honour of that event. Of this we find the following
notice in the Courant newspaper :-
" On Monday afternoon, 8th June 1828, about a hundred gentlemen belonging to Lady
Glenorchy's Chapel gave an entertainment, in the Waterloo Tavern, to their highly respected
clergyman, on occasion of his entrance on the fiftieth year of his ministry over that congregation.
Several friends of the Rev. Doctor were present, among whom we noticed the Lord Provost
(Walter Brown), Rev. Dr. Gordon, Dr. Dickson, &. Paul, Mr. Henderson, Mr. Purves,
J. S. More, Esq., and R. Paul, Esq. The chair was ably filled by John Tawse, Esq., who, in
an eloquent speech, in which he paid a high and deserved compliment to Dr. Jones for the
fidelity with which he had discharged his dutiea as a minister, concluded by presenting him
with an elegant silver vase, as a tribute of the respect and esteem which the people entertained
for the uniform uprightness of his conduct during the long period they had enjoyed his ministry.
The Rev. Doctor made a feeling and appropriate reply, assuring the chairman and gentlemen
present that he required no token or mark of respect to bind him to a congregation to whom he
was so sincerely attached. John Bonar, Esq., of Ratho,l and J. F. M'Farlan, Esq., acted as
croupiers. "
Besides a funeral sermon 011 the death of Lady Glenorchy, and a volume of
sermons, Dr. Jones published a Life of Lady Glenorchy, which is much esteemed.
No. CCVII.
WILLIARI FORBES, ESQ.
OF CALLENDAR.
THISI ' son of fortune " was a native of Aberdeen, and brought up as a tinsmith.
Having gone to London in early life, he was at length enabled to enter into
business for himself, and was struggling to rise into respectability, when, by a
fortunate circumstance, the path to opulence was invitingly opened to him.
In the course of the year 1780, various plans were proposed to preserve
vessels from the effects of sea-water. The late Lord Dundonald, who died at
Paris in 1831, having directed his attention to the subject, invented a species
of coal-tar, which, on trial, was found to answer the purpose ; and the ingenious
Mr. Bonar died on the 26th November 1838, a few months previous to Dr. Jones. His father,
the late Alexander Bonar, Esq., one of the partners of the long-established firm of Ramsays, Bonars,
and Co., bankera in Edinburgh, was among the earliest and most intimate friends of Dr. Jones in
Scotland ; and was so highly esteemed by Lady Glenorchy for his Christian principles, his prudence,
integrity, and iinobtrusive worth, that she nominated him as one of her trustees to manage the
affairs of her Chapel upon her death. His son continued to take a lively interest in all that belonged
to this Chapel ; and his death, which was very unexpected, was felt as a severe loss by the friends
of that Institution. This event was also much lamented by the public at large, as Mr. Bonar was
universally respected for the kindness and frankness of his disposition, and for his readiness on all
occasions to promote the interests of those around him. In 1826-7, he was in the magistracy of the
city, and there conducted himself in a manner that secured him the approbation of men of all parties.
He was subsequently named one of the trustees for the city creditors ; and although in this capacity
he did not unnecessarily obtrude his own views on others, he devoted his time cheerfully to the
duties of the ofice, and understood 80 well the practical bearing of the different points from time
to time occurring, that his opinion was always received with much respect.
VOL. 11. P ... SKETCHES. 105 public dinner given in honour of that event. Of this we find the following notice in ...

Book 9  p. 141
(Score 0.7)

MUSSELBURGH. 125
plishment conducts to Carberry Hill, ever memorable as the place where the
beauteous Mary, after her unhappy marriage with Bothwell, surrendered herself
into the hands of the confederate lords, wlience she was conveyed to
Edinburgh, amid the taunts and reproaches of the populace, giving vent to
her deep grief and despair in blinding tears and bitter lamentations ; while
to the north again, and down near the shore to the distance of a mile or twa,
is the scene of the battle between the half-armed Highlanders of Prince
Charles and the thoroughly equipped forces of Sir John Cope, and where the
latter suffered such a complete and disgraceful overthrow, numbering among
the slain on the occasion one daring and distinguished officer, 'the good and
the gallant Gardiner,' who, 'disdaining to save his life at the expense of his
honour,' fell, fighting bravely on foot, pierced by shot and covered with
wounds, in sight of his own threshold.
Musselburgh of late years does not seem to have .undergone much change.
It presents very nearly the same appearance that it did when Charles Stuart,
passing through it on his march southward, bowed to the ladies who surveyed
him from their windows, bending to the young and beautiful among them
till his hair even mingled with the mane of his charger. Here and there
indeed a dwelling of a more spacious and imposing kind has been erected in
the principal thoroughfare; and in the outskirts or suburbs, villas and mansions
of a very ornate and handsome style, beautified with tree and shrubbery and
flow-er-plot, the abodes of wealth and luxury, with a fine row of neat, comfortable,
picturesque cottages, running parallel with the west bank of the
river, the happy homes of fortunate merchants or retired seacaptains, have
recently sprung up. With all this, however, Musselburgh for centuries has
altered but little. We feel, as we saunter through it, from the unevenness or
irregularity of its architecture, as well as from the many blind closes, and
narrow and divergent lanes and alleys, that it is a place of great antiquity.
Still, Musselburgh is a clean, tidy, .interesting town ; finely situated, surrounded
with scenery for richness, variety, and extent rarely surpassed ; and connected
with historic incident of a national character and importance, which stirs the
blood and fires the heart of every leal-souled Scotsman. Randolph, thenoble
brother of the royal Bruce, lived and died here ; here Dugald Stewart,
the genial gentleman and learned sage, thought out his ' Philosophical Essays'
and prepared 'them for the press ; Dr. Carlyl?, the Jupite~ Tomm of the
General Assembly of the Church of Scotland-a brave old soul in many ways,
of a half-Christian half-pagan type-here preached a sort of moral essays,
made bad puns, and entertained at his hospitable table all the wit, the learning, ... 125 plishment conducts to Carberry Hill, ever memorable as the place where the beauteous Mary, after ...

Book 11  p. 180
(Score 0.7)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 129
neither commodious nor elegant. He therefore had it immediately pulled down,
and a splendid new castellated edifice erected in its stead Of the buildings
and lands we are tempted to quote the following description, written a few
years after the completion of the structure :-
“ It is one of the finest and most magnificent buildings in the west of Scotland ; nor is the
noble appearance without disgraced by the finishing and furniture within-everything there is
elegant and princely. Its site is indeed low, and still more concealed by being embosomed
among fine old elms. It stands upon an extensive lawn, which is converted into the most
beautiful pleasure-grounds. Nature here has put on none of her bold and majestic features ;
but art has done much. Neither the towering rock, nor extended lake, nor navigable river,
adds to its magnificence ; only a small river runs past it on the east and north, which is rendered
much broader than it naturally is by being dammed back. On the banks of this stream
the most delightful walks are formed. As you walk along, at one time a thicket of shrubbery
conceals the water from your view, and at another it unexpectedly bursts upon your sight, and
raises the pleasurable feelings, no less by surprise than by the beauty it displays ; small, however,
as the river is, it adds much to the beauty of the scenery ; and the vast number of trout,
which on a fine evening are seen sporting on its surface, tend much to increase those tranquil
but pleasing emotions, which the song of the grove and the smiling landscape never fail to
excite in the mind which has a taste for the beauties of nature, and a heart fitted for relishing
the enjoyment of innocent pleasures. To these the humane and benevolent mind receives a
vast accession, on seeing around it the timorous hare sporting unmolested in numbers. This
persecuted creature finds here a safe asylum throughout this extensive policy, which contains
nearly fourteen hundred acres ; not one of them is allowed to be molested or killed. On the
dusk of a summer evening they reward his lordship’s protection with their confidence, by often
playing their innocent gambols before him, round one of the largest and most beautiful chestnut
trees I ever saw, which stands on the green exactly opposite to the house.”
The Earl was an excellent farmer, and continued to improve on the plans of
his predecessors, by draining and cultivating the waste lands, and otherwise
increasing the value of his estates. Among other instances of his lordship’s
anxiety to create sources of local attraction niay be mentioned the institution of
“ Bogside Eaces,” which, during his lifetime, from being well attended by
gentlemen of the turf, were a vast benefit to the town of Irvine.
His attention, however, was by no means confined to his own immediate
locality, the affairs of the county, and indeed all public matters, received a
corresponding share of his attention. On the death of the Earl of Errol, in
1798, he was elected one of the representative Peers of Scotland; and was
again re-chosen at the general election in 1802.
The most extensive of all the Earl of Eglinton’s undertakings was one which,
although it proved in some measure ruinous to himself, now bids fair to realise
some of those advantages to his descendants, which he of course never could
expect to witness himself. We refer to the formation of the harbour of
Ardrossan, and the projected canal from thence to Glasgow. The advantages
presented by such a proposal appeared so manifest to the Earl, that he entered
upon the speculation with the utmost enthusiasm, calculating upon his views
being at once seconded by the commercial capitalists of Glasgow and Paisley,
if not by some of the proprietors, whose lands would be considerably increased
in value by the canal. The primary object of the design was to cut off the
circuitous and even dangerous navigation of the Clyde, which, previous to the
v
VOL. 11. S ... SKETCHES. 129 neither commodious nor elegant. He therefore had it immediately pulled down, and a ...

Book 9  p. 172
(Score 0.7)

B I0 GRAPH I C AL SI< ET CHES. 165
he meant to have the pleasure of drinking tea with her that evening. The lady,
resolving to do honour to her guest, ordered her servant to place her hest set
of china on the table, and to wheel it up opposite her nest. Mr. Wood made his
appearance at the appointed hour, and having, with all due gravity, partaken of
a dish of tea, he suddenly laid hold of a portion of the favourite tea-equipage,
rushed towards the window, which he opened, and seemed about to throw the
whole into the street. hlrs. * * *, alarmed at the insane-like proceeding of her
guest, flew to save the valuable china, when hlr. Wood, seizing the opportunity,
herried the nest, and broke all the eggs. By this stratagem the whim of his
patient was effectually put to flight.
At her
first visit to Edinburgh, many were the fainting and hysterical fits among the
fairer portion of the audience. Indeed they were so common, that to be supposed
to have escaped might almost have argued a want of proper feeling.
One night when the house had been thrown into confusion by repeated scenes
of this kind, and when Mr. Wood was most reluctantly gett,ing from the pit
(the favourite resort of all the theatrical critics of that day) to attend some
fashionable female, a friend said to him in passing, “ This is glorious acting,
Sandy,” alluding to Mrs. Siddons ; to which hlr. Wood answered, “ Yes, and
a d-d deal o’t too,” looking round at the fainting and screaming ladies in
the boxes.
When routs were first introduced in Edinburgh, they were very formal
affairs, being in no way congenial to the manners or temper of the people. At
one of the first that had been given by a person of distinction, the guests were
painfully wearing away the time, stiffly ranged in rows along the sides of the
room, and looking at each other, the very pictures of dulness and ennui, when
bfr. Wood was announced, who, casting his eyes round him, proceeded up the
empty space in the middle of the drawing-room, and then addressed the lady
of the house, saying, “Well, my lady, will ye just tell me what we are all
brought here to doI”-an enquiry which every one felt to be so perfectly
appropriate that it was followed by a hearty laugh, which had the effect of
breaking up the formality of the party, and producing general hilarity and
cheerfulness for the rest of the evening.
If Mr. Wood‘s kindness of disposition widely diffused itself towards his
fellow creatures, young and old, he was almost equally remarkable for his love of
animals, Not to mention dogs and
cats, there were two others that individually were better known to the citizens
of Edinburgh-a sheep and a raven, the latter of which is alluded to by Sir
Walter Scott, in the quotation which has been given from Guy Mannering.
Willy the sheep, pastured in the ground adjoining to the Excise Office, now the
Royal Bank, and might be daily seen standing at the railings, watching Mr.
Wood’s passing to or from his house in York Place, when Willy used to poke
his head into his coat-pocket, which was always filled with supplies for his
favourite, and would then trot along after him through the town, and sometimes
Mr. Wood was an enthusiastic admirer of the great Mrs. Siddons.
His pets were numerous, and of all kinds. ... I0 GRAPH I C AL SI< ET CHES. 165 he meant to have the pleasure of drinking tea with her that evening. The ...

Book 8  p. 233
(Score 0.7)

I 70 MEMORIALS OF EDINBURGH.
Lawson, the colleague and successor of Knox, the true founders’ of ‘‘ King James’s College;”
that royal pedant having in reality bestowed little more on the University than a
charter and his name ! In 1580, Clement Little, advocate and commissary of Edinburgh,
dedicated all his books, consisting of three hundred volumes, “ for the beginning of ane
library,”-the undoubted foundation of that magnificent collection which the College now
possesses. This generous gift waa bestowed during his lifetime, and the volumes “ were
put up in Mr James Lawson’s galery, an part of the lodgings appoynted for the ministry,
situated where the Parliament House is now found.”
James Lawson is well known for his uncompromising resistance to the schemes of
King James for “ re-establishing the state of bishops, flatt contrare the determination of
the kirk.” On the assembly of the Estates for this purpose in 1584, the King sent word
to the Magistrates to seize and imprison any of the ministers who should venture to speak
against the proceedings of the Parliament. James Lawson, however, with his colleague
Walter Balcanquall, nothing daunted, not only preached against these proceedings from
the pulpit, but the latter appeared, along with Mr Robert Pont, at the Cross, on the
heralds proceeding to proclaim the act, and publicly protested, and took instruments
in the name of the Kirk of Scotland against them, in so far as they prejudiced the
former liberties of the kirk. ‘‘ Arran made manie vowes that if Mr James Lawson’s
head were as great as an hay stacke, he would cause it leap from his hawse I ” (I Both he
and his colleague were accordingly compelled to make a precipitate flight to England,
where James Lawson died the same year ; Walter Balcanquall, however, returned afterwards
to his charge. Two years later, in 1586, we find him preaching before the King,
“ in the Great Kirk of Edinburgh,” when “ the King, after sermoun, rebooked Mr Walter
yubliclie from his seat in the loaft, and said he would prove there sould be bishops I ”
&c. The royal arguments were not altogether thrown away, as it would seem; the
young Walter, son of the good man,-having probably listened to this rebuke from ‘‘ the
minister’s pew,”-afterwards became the well known Dr Balcanquall, Dean of Durham
and Rochester, ‘‘ special favorite to King James VI. and King Charles I. ; ” to whom his
relative, George Heriot, committed the entire regulation and oversight of his magnificent
foundation.‘
On the 28th of April
1572, proclamation was made at the Cross, ‘‘ that Mr Robert Maitland, Dene of Aberdene,
ane of the senatouris of the College of Justice, and Mr Clement Littill and Alexander
Sim, advocattis, commissaris of Edinburgh, wes present in Leith, partakaris with the
King, and rebellis to the Quene and her lieutennentis, thairfoir dischargit thame of thair
offices, in that pairt for euver.” The proclamation would appear, however, to have led
to no consequences of very permanent import.
Clement Little also bore his share in the troubles of the period.
Bower’# Hist. of the University, vol. i. p. 69. Craufurd‘a Hiat., p. 20. a Caldemood, vol. iv. p. 65. ‘ The following items from the will of Mr James Lawson, including a bequest to hie colleague, are curious :-
U Imprimis, Yee sall deliver to the Frenche Kirk at London, three angells, to be diatributed to their poore. Item, To
Yaistresse Vannoll, who keeped me in my sicknesse, an angell. Item, I will that my loving brother, Mr James Carmichaell,
sall bow a rose noble inatantlie, and deliver it to my deere brother and loving friend Mr Walter Balcalquall,
who hath beene so carefull of me at all times, and cheefelie in time of this my present sicknesse ; to remaine with
him aa a perpetuall tokin and remembrance of my special1 love and thankfull heart toward8 him.”-Calderwood’s Hist.,
vol. iv. p. 206. ’ Dr Steven’s Memoir of G. Heriot, Appendix, p. 148. Diurnal of Occurrents, p. 295, ... 70 MEMORIALS OF EDINBURGH. Lawson, the colleague and successor of Knox, the true founders’ of ‘‘ King ...

Book 10  p. 185
(Score 0.7)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 11
officiate, which he frequently did, in the capacity of chaplain to the Club. He
was a worthy, social,. well-intentioned person ; and, although by no means
distinguished for his conversational talents, usually acquitted himself to good
purpose. “Really and truly, gentlemen,” was a phrase with which he invariably
prefaced the delivery of his opinions ; and it became so habitual to him, that,
even in common conversation, it formed nearly a third part of every sentence.
Mr. Lauder took an active hand in superintending the Poor-House ; and it
was mainly owing to his exertions that many abuses in its management were
corrected. He almost daily visited the establishment, and saw that wholesome
fare was provided for the inmates. He died in 1794, leaving two daughters,
one of whom married Mr. George Carphin, senior, solicitor-at-law.
MR. JAMES LAWSON, the postillion, mounted on Mr. Lauder’s shoulders,
was a wholesale and retail leather merchant, in company with his brother William.
Their shop was in the Lawnmarket, the first above Bank Street, on the
same side. As indicated in the Print, Mr. Lawson was short in stature and
humpbacked. He was a clever, active sort of person, and a keen politician,
but quite a cynic. He lived a bachelor, and died in his house at the foot of the
West Bow, about the year 1815.’
The other leader, MR. ALEXANDER RITCHIE, kept what used to be
His
One of his sons carried on the
His eldest
called a Scotch cloth shop ; he dealt in all kinds of woollens and tartans.
shop was at the head of Wardrop’s Court.
business many years after his death, and died about the year 1827.
son, Alexander, was a Writer to the Signet.
The first of the centre pair represents MR. ANDREW HARDIE, baker,
Badgon (Bajan) Hole, Lawnmarket, famed for the excellence of his mutton pies.‘
For this celebrity he was mainly indebted to the assistance of his wife, an active,
managing women. Besides the common order of pies, Mrs. Hardie was in the
habit of baking others of a peculiar description, formed in the shape of a smoothing-
iron ; which, in addition to the usual allowance of minced mutton, contained
a well-dressed pigeon, neatly planted in the centre ; and all for the small charge
of threepence !
By the excellent management of his better half, Mr. Hardie wi~s in a great
measure relieved from the drudgery of attending closely to business. During a
considerable portion of the day, he was “free to rove” wherever he wist among
his friends and neighbours; and, in consequence, no one was better versed in
His brother William married a sister of Yr. Braidwood, hard- merchant.
* Many of the Clubs of that social era were supplied with pies from the bakehouse of Badgon
Hole. Mutton waa then cheap ; and a leg of lamb might be had for fivepence-if at any time it ro88
to sixpence it waa considered amazingly clear. The Badgon Hole, which waa simply a ZuQh dmp,
got ita name fmm Wig frequented by College youngatera, the first class of whom were formerly
called Bajans. ... SKETCHES. 11 officiate, which he frequently did, in the capacity of chaplain to the Club. He was a ...

Book 9  p. 13
(Score 0.69)

I82 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Parliament Close.
for a considerable amount, binding themselves to
support the Beacon, against which such strong proceedings
were instituted that the print was withdrawn
from the public entirely by the zznd of
September. ?But the discovery of the bond,?
continues the magazine just quoted, ?was nearly
leading to more serious consequences, for, if report
be true, Mr. James Gibson, W.S., one of those who
had been grossly calumniated in the Beacon, had
thought proper to make such a demand upon Sir
Walter Scott as he could only be prevented from,
ordinary scene for the indulgence of mirth and of
festivity than this subterranean crypt or denfacetiously
named the Greping O#ce-certainly
could not well be conceived, nor could wit, poetry,
and phgsic well have chosen a darker scene; yet
it was the favourite of one whose writings were
distinguished for their brilliancy and elegant
htinity. He died in 1713, and was buried in
the Greyfriars? Churchyard.
In the fourth floor of the Zand overlooking the
aforesaid cellar, there dwelt, about 1775, Lord
to the justice of Heaven; but it seems scarcely
credible, though such was the fact, that the still
more calamitous fire of 1824, in the same place, was
?attributed by the lower orders in and near Edinburgh
also to be the judgment of Heaven, specially
commissioned to punish the city for tolerating such
a dreadful enormity as-the Musical Festival ! ?
. Early on the morning of the 24th of June, rF24,
a fire broke out in a spirit-vault, or low drinkingshop,
at the head of the Royal Bank Close, and it
made great progress before the engines arrived,
and nearly all the old edifices being panelled or
wainscoted, the supply of water proved ineffectual
to check the flames, and early in the afternoon the
eastern half of the Parliament Square was a heap of
blackened ruins. To the surprise of all who witnessed
this calamity, and observed the hardihood
and temerity displayed by several persons to save
property, or to arrest the progress of the flames, the
only individual who fell a sacrifice was a city oflicer
named Chalmers, who was so dreadfully scorched
that he died in the infirmary a few days after.
liament Close, was attributed by the magistrates?is
portrait of George 111. :-
? Well done, my lord ! With noble taste,
You?ve made Charles gay as five-and-twenty,
We may be xarce of gold and cam,
?But sure there?s lead and oil in plenty ;
Yet, for a public work like this,
You might have had some famous artist ;
Though I had made each merk a pound,
I would have had the very smartest.
? Why not bring Allan Ramsay down,
From sketching coronet and cushion? ?
And knows-the English Constitution.
But why thus daub the man all over,
The cream complexion of HANOVER? ?
For he can paint a living khg,
The mgk-white s#ed is well enough ;
And to the swarthy STUART give
In 1832, when a drain was being dug in the
Parliament Square, close by St. Giles?s Church,
there was found the bronze seal of a Knight of St.
John of Jerusalem. It is now preserved in the
Museum of Antiquities, and bears the legend,
? S. AERNAULD LAMMIUS.?
the son of the poet, who had just painted the ... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Parliament Close. for a considerable amount, binding themselves to support the ...

Book 1  p. 182
(Score 0.69)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 427
thing very striking. In 1789 he purchased a cornetcy in the 11th Dragoons,
and shortly afterwards raised an independent company of Foot, which, however,
was disbanded in 1791. He was first elected member of Parliament for the
county of Forfar in 1796, which he continued to represent for many years.
In Parliament he adopted, and consistently maintained, the principles of Fox.
In 1831, a short time after the accession of the Whigs to power, the title of
Panmure was revived in his person, as the reward of long and stedfast adherence
to his principles.
The chief residence of the family is the ancient Castle of Brechin, in
Forfarshire, celebrated for its noble defence of twenty days, under the gallant
Sir Thomas Maule, against the army of Edward I. It is situated in a “romantic
manner on a high and abrupt bank, or rather precipice, overhanging the river,
South Esk, which forms a deep pool beneath.” Part of the old walls are still
standing, but the Castle was rebuilt about the beginning of the seventeenth
century by Patrick, first Earl of Panmure. The title and estates were forfeited
by James, the fourth Earl, who took part in the rebellion of 1715.’ The
representation of the family devolved on his nephew, William, who was created
an Irish Peer by the title of Earl Panmure, with remainder to his brother
John. By him the forfeited family estates were re-acquired and strictly entailed.
Earl William died without issue in 1782, when the estate devolved, as heir of
entail, upon his grand-nephew, the subject of the present notice.
Another estate in Forfarshire, that of Kellp and its ancient Castle, also
belongs to the family of Maule. About the beginning of last century it was
possessed by Henry Maule-a gentleman of considerable literary accomplishments.
Here the Hon. Captain Ramsay (sometime a General in India), brother
to his lordship, built a neat modern house in 1804, A jovial splore, termed
in Scotland the “heating 0’ the house,” was held on its completion. The
following verses, written for the occasion by the Duke of Gordon, were sung
with the greatest applause by his noble representative, the Marquis of Huntly
(the late Duke) :-
“ What pleasure I feel to this house to repair,
With good friends and old claret to drown every care ;
Grant me strength, give me power, kind Bacchus, I pray,
To swig down four bottles to honour this day,
“ May the go& on this fabric each blessing bestow,
Derry, down, down, etc.
And happiness reign here, above and below ;
May heaven on our host and hia family smile,
And each comfort enjoy with his charming De Lisle.*
But still have a bottle to give to a friend ;
From this hall ne’er let Bacchua his thyrsis mmove,
And may Venus preside in the chambers above.
“ May the stock in his cellar ne’er run to an end,
He died without issue. The Honourable Mrs. Ramsay. ... SKETCHES. 427 thing very striking. In 1789 he purchased a cornetcy in the 11th Dragoons, and shortly ...

Book 9  p. 572
(Score 0.69)

writing of the siege, he says, ? upon the twentieth
day, the principal block-house of Leith, called St.
Anthony?s Kirk, was battered down.? And we
have already referred to the Act of Council in 1560,
by which it was ordered that this block house and
the curtain-wall facing Edinburgh should be levelled
to the sound.
. Immediately opposite St;. Mary?s Church stands
the Trinity House of Leith, erected on the site of
the original edifice bearing that name,
This Seaman?s Hospital was dedicated to the
Holy Trinity, and the insctiption which adorned
the ancient building is now built into the south
wall of the new one, facing St. Giles?s Street, and
.
ters :-
?IN THE NAME OF THE
LORD,
YE MASTERIS AND MARINERIS
BYLIS THIS HOVS
TO YE POVR.
ANNO DOMINI, ~555.?
In the east wing of the
present edifice there is preserved
a stone, on which is
carved a cross-staff and
other nautical instruments
of the sixteenth century,
an anchor, and two globes,
with the motto :-
apply those dues in the maintenance of a hospital
for the keeping of ?poor, old, infirm, and weak
matiners.?
Long previous to 1797, the association, though
calling itself ?? The Corporation of .Shipmasters of
the Trinity House of Leith,? was?. A corporation
only by the courtesy of popular language, and posseised
merely the powers of a charitable body ; but
in that year it was erected by charter into a
corporate body, whose office-bearers were to be a
master, assistant and deputy-=aster, a manager,
treasurer, and clerk, and was vested with powersreserving,
however, those of the Corporation of the
city of Edinburgh-to examine, and under its
? Zmtituted 1380. Buiit rj55. RebuiZt 1816.?
?The date of this foundation,? says Daniel
Wilson is curious, Its dedication implies that it
originated with the adherents of the ancient faith,
while the date of the old inscription indicates the
very period when the Queen Regent assumed the
reins of government. That same year John Knox
landed at Leith on his return from exile ; and only
three years later, the last convocation of the Roman
Catholic clergy that ever assembled in Scotland
hnder the sanction of its laws was held in the
Blackfriars Church at Edinburgh, and signalised
its final session by proscribing Sir David Lindsay?s
writings, and enacting that his buik should be
abolished and burnt.? ?
From time immemorial the shipmasters and
mariners of Leith received from all vessels of the
port, and all Scottish vessels visiting it, certain
duties, called ? prirno gilt,? which were expended in
aiding poor seamen ; and about the middle of the
sixteenth century they acquired a legal right to
tained, but they were then ( I 7 7 9) all out-pensioners.
In the inventory of deeds belonging to this
institution is enumerated :-? Ane charter granted
by Mathew Forrester, in favour of the foresaide
mariners of Leith, of thesaid land of ye hospital
bankes, and for undercallit ye grounds lying in Leith. . . also saide yeird. . . dated 26 July, 1567,
sealit and subscnbit be the saide Mat. Forrester,
Prebender of St. Antoine, near Leith.? (?< M o n s
ticon Scotz.?)
During the Protectorate the ample vaults under
the old Trinity House (now or latterly used as wine
stores) were filled with the munition of Monk?s
troops, for which they paid a rent.
? By his Highness? council1 in Scotland, for the
governing theirof: these are to require z,ooo
forthwith out of such moneys dew or schal come
to the hands of the Customes, out of the third part
of the profits arysing from the Excyse in Scotland,
to pay \Villiam Robertson (collector for the poore
of Trinitie House in Leyth) the sornme of A3 15s. ... of the siege, he says, ? upon the twentieth day, the principal block-house of Leith, called St. Anthony?s ...

Book 6  p. 222
(Score 0.69)

writing of the siege, he says, ? upon the twentieth
day, the principal block-house of Leith, called St.
Anthony?s Kirk, was battered down.? And we
have already referred to the Act of Council in 1560,
by which it was ordered that this block house and
the curtain-wall facing Edinburgh should be levelled
to the sound.
. Immediately opposite St;. Mary?s Church stands
the Trinity House of Leith, erected on the site of
the original edifice bearing that name,
This Seaman?s Hospital was dedicated to the
Holy Trinity, and the insctiption which adorned
the ancient building is now built into the south
wall of the new one, facing St. Giles?s Street, and
.
ters :-
?IN THE NAME OF THE
LORD,
YE MASTERIS AND MARINERIS
BYLIS THIS HOVS
TO YE POVR.
ANNO DOMINI, ~555.?
In the east wing of the
present edifice there is preserved
a stone, on which is
carved a cross-staff and
other nautical instruments
of the sixteenth century,
an anchor, and two globes,
with the motto :-
apply those dues in the maintenance of a hospital
for the keeping of ?poor, old, infirm, and weak
matiners.?
Long previous to 1797, the association, though
calling itself ?? The Corporation of .Shipmasters of
the Trinity House of Leith,? was?. A corporation
only by the courtesy of popular language, and posseised
merely the powers of a charitable body ; but
in that year it was erected by charter into a
corporate body, whose office-bearers were to be a
master, assistant and deputy-=aster, a manager,
treasurer, and clerk, and was vested with powersreserving,
however, those of the Corporation of the
city of Edinburgh-to examine, and under its
? Zmtituted 1380. Buiit rj55. RebuiZt 1816.?
?The date of this foundation,? says Daniel
Wilson is curious, Its dedication implies that it
originated with the adherents of the ancient faith,
while the date of the old inscription indicates the
very period when the Queen Regent assumed the
reins of government. That same year John Knox
landed at Leith on his return from exile ; and only
three years later, the last convocation of the Roman
Catholic clergy that ever assembled in Scotland
hnder the sanction of its laws was held in the
Blackfriars Church at Edinburgh, and signalised
its final session by proscribing Sir David Lindsay?s
writings, and enacting that his buik should be
abolished and burnt.? ?
From time immemorial the shipmasters and
mariners of Leith received from all vessels of the
port, and all Scottish vessels visiting it, certain
duties, called ? prirno gilt,? which were expended in
aiding poor seamen ; and about the middle of the
sixteenth century they acquired a legal right to
tained, but they were then ( I 7 7 9) all out-pensioners.
In the inventory of deeds belonging to this
institution is enumerated :-? Ane charter granted
by Mathew Forrester, in favour of the foresaide
mariners of Leith, of thesaid land of ye hospital
bankes, and for undercallit ye grounds lying in Leith. . . also saide yeird. . . dated 26 July, 1567,
sealit and subscnbit be the saide Mat. Forrester,
Prebender of St. Antoine, near Leith.? (?< M o n s
ticon Scotz.?)
During the Protectorate the ample vaults under
the old Trinity House (now or latterly used as wine
stores) were filled with the munition of Monk?s
troops, for which they paid a rent.
? By his Highness? council1 in Scotland, for the
governing theirof: these are to require z,ooo
forthwith out of such moneys dew or schal come
to the hands of the Customes, out of the third part
of the profits arysing from the Excyse in Scotland,
to pay \Villiam Robertson (collector for the poore
of Trinitie House in Leyth) the sornme of A3 15s. ... of the siege, he says, ? upon the twentieth day, the principal block-house of Leith, called St. Anthony?s ...

Book 6  p. 223
(Score 0.69)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 359
took shelter in an adjacent coffee-room, whither he was pursued by Campbell,
the officer, and the person robbed. He was seized and searched, but nothing
found on him, he having had time to drop the notes unperceived in the next
box, where they were found. Mackcoull was carried before a magistrate and
examined, and after nearly nine months' imprisonment was discharged.' Immediately
after this untoward &air, he went to London, and remained some
time concealed near Somerton.
In 1809 Mackcoull again visited Scotland, with a parcel of forged notes,
in the vending of which he was detected at Stirling, and lodged in jail ; but
he contrived to baffle the magistrates in their examination of him, and was
allowed to escape. He then returned to England, and after an unsuccessful
expedition to Chester, which led to his imprisonment and hard labour for six
months, he next set about the grand project he had contemplated while in
Scotland-the robbery of some of the banks. In company with two notorious
characters, Henry French and Houghton (or Huffy) White, who had escaped
from the Hulks, he posted down to the north. The party had previously
arranged with one Scoltock-an iron-grate manufacturer, who had supplied them
on a former occasion-to forward them a complete set of pick-locks and skeleton
keys. On arriving in Glasgow, they took lodgings in the house of a Mrs.
Stewart, with whom they resided for nearly three months, and were remarkably
sober, keeping good hours for some time. Latterly, however, they frequently
went out at ten o'clock at night, not returning till twelve; and on one
occasion, White (who was the working man) remained out all night. A day or
two after receiving a small box by the London mail, Mackcoull went away for
a fortnight, as he pretended, on business to Liverpool, He had, however, been
at London, giving directions to Scoltock about a key, the model of which he
took with him. On his return the night-work was resumed; and when all
things were supposed to be ready, the party gave their landlady a fortnight's
notice, on the expiry of which they carried away their luggage, as if going by
one of the coaches. Between
Saturday evening and Sunday morning, 14th July 1811, and about eight
days after their leaving Mrs. Stewart, the robbery of the Paisley Union Bank
Office, in Queen Street, was effected, and notes to the amount of more than
S20,OOO abstracted. The party now posted their way to London with great
rapidity, changing Scotch notes at all the stages, On their arrival, Mackcoull
was intrusted with the safe-keeping of the plunder, till such time as he and
his accomplices found it convenient to make a division. Subsequently, Mackcoull
deposited the whole with his wife, who lived in Oxendon Street ; but it
was afterwards agreed that the notes should be lodged in the hands of Bill
Gibbons, the pugilist.
This was, of course, a blind to prevent suspicion.
The gentleman robbed was dissatisfied at his liberation. Having complained in a private way
to one of the judges, the latter replied-"The fellow ought in justice to have been hanged. He
went to the playhouse to steal, and not to hear the music ; and he gied poo a strong proof of the
fact, Mr. P., when he preferred your notes to Mr. Incledon's." ... SKETCHES. 359 took shelter in an adjacent coffee-room, whither he was pursued by Campbell, the ...

Book 9  p. 478
(Score 0.69)

398 NEMORIALS OF EDINBURGH.
destroyed; wherethrough the divine worship is not 8 little decreaced in the college,
because they were unable to rebuild the said hospital; . . Therefore they gave,
granted, set in feu farme, and confirmed to a magnificent and illustrious Prince, James
Duke of Chattelarault, Earl of Arran, Lord Hamilton, &c., all and hail their tenement or
hospital, with the yards and pertinent8 thereof; lying within the burgh of Edinburgh in
the street or wynd called School-House Wynd, on the east part thereof.” The Duke of
Chatelherault appears, from frequent allusions by contemporary annals, to have built a
mansion for his own use on the site of the Hospital of St Mary’s Collegiate Church,
which afterwards served as the first hall of the new college. The Town Council proceeded
leisurely, yet with hearty zeal, in the gradual extension of the college; and frequent
notices in the Council Records prove the progress of the buildings. On the 25th June
1656, the following entry occurs ;-(( For the better carieing on of the buildinges in the
colledge, there is a necessetie to break down and demolishe the hous neirest to the Patterraw
Port, quich now the Court du Guaird possesseth ; thairfoir ordaines the thesaurer,
with John Milne, to visite the place, and to doe therein what they find expedient,
as weill for demolishing the said hous, as for provyding the Court du Gnaird uterwayis.”
Private citizens largely promoted the same laudable object, not only by pecuniary contributions,
but by building halls and suits of chambers at their own cost. No regular plan, however,
was adopted, and the old college buildings at the time of their demolition presented
s rude assemblage of edifices of various dates and very little pretension to ornament.
Beyond the walls of the capital the ancient Parish Church of Restalrig was erected by
Jameg 111. into a Collegiate Church for a dean and canons; and the college was subsequently
enlarged both by Jamea IT. and V., as well as by numerous contributions
from private individuals. It must have been a large church, with probably collegiate
buildings of considerable extent attached to it, if we may judge from the uses to
which its materials were app1ied.l The village also appears to have been a place
of much greater size and importance than we can form any conception of from its
present remains. It was no doubt in early times the chief town of the barony, and a
much more extensive one than the Port of Leith. During the siege of the latter in
1559-60, Bishop Lesley informs us that “the Lord Gray, lieutennent of the Inglis
army, ludged in Lestalrig tom, in the Deanis hous, and mony of all thair hors and
demi-lances.” ‘ The choir, which is the only part. that has escaped demolition, is a
comparatively small, though very neat specimen of decorated English Gothic. It
remained in a ruinous state until a few years since, when it was restored and fitted
up with some degree of taste A
church is believed to have existed here at a very early period, as it was celebrated for the
tomb of Saint Triduana, a noble virgin who is said to have come from Achaia in the
fourth century, in company with St Rule, and to have died at Restalrig. Her tomb was
the reaort of numerous pilgrims, and the scene as was believed of many miracles.* By a
a Chapel of Ease for the neighbouring district.
I Ante, p. 83. ’ Lealey, p. 284.
The miracles ascribed to St Triduana were chiefly wrought on diseased eyes ; and she ia accordingly frequently
painted carrying her eyes on a salver or on the point of a sword Lindsay speaks of pilgrims going “ to St Tredwell
to mend their ene ; ” and again in his curious inventory of saints in The Mmrchie .--
Sanct Tredwdl, als, thare may be sene,
Quhilk on ane prick hea baith her ene. ... NEMORIALS OF EDINBURGH. destroyed; wherethrough the divine worship is not 8 little decreaced in the ...

Book 10  p. 437
(Score 0.69)

THE HIGH STREET AND NETHER BOW. 257
of it:-“This is perhaps the oldest stone building of aprivate nature now existing here;
for it was inhabited, before John Rnox’s time, by George Durie, Abbot of Dunfermline
and Arch-Dean of St Andrews.” He was promoted to Dunfermline by King James
V. in 1539, and was canonised by the C%urch of Rome within two years after his
death. No evidence now appears in the title-deeds of the property to afford a clue to
this or any other of its earlier possessors, but the tradition has been long universally
received which assigns it as the residence of the Reformer. Here, in the year 1559, he took
up his abode, along with his faithfd wife, Marjorie Bowes, his companion during years
of wandering and danger, but who did not long survive his settlement in this more
promising place of rest. To the same house, in 1563, he brought his second wife, Margaret
Stewart, daughter of (( the good Lord Ochiltree,” whose affections his defamers
b e d he had gained by sorcery. Nicol Burne, in that curious work, “A disputation
concerning the controversit headdis of religion,” represents him going for his bride,
“rydand with ane gret court on ane trim gelding, nocht lyk ane prophet or ane add
decrepit priest, as he was, bot lyk as he had bene ane of the blude royal, with his bendes
of taffetie feschnit with golden ringis and precious stanes ; and as is plainlie reportit in
the country, be sorcerie and witchcraft, did sua allure that pub gentlewoman that scho
could not leve without him.”
The house where Knox has received the messengers of Queen Mary, the nobles of the
court, and the leaders of the Congregation, is now rapidly falling to decay; but it still
retains the traces of former magnificence. From its peculiar position, projecting into the
thoroughfare, and presenting its western front up the High Street, it is one of the most
remarkable houses in the Old Town : forming a subject well calculated to tempt the artist’s
pencil, even though it wanted the adventitious aid of historical associations. A long
inscription extends over nearly the whole front, immediately above the ground floor ; but it
is unfortunately concealed, all but the first two words, by the sip-boards of the traders,
who have succeeded to the occupancy of the ancient tenement. It is in large Roman
characters, and is understood to run thus :-LVFE - GOD ABOVE * AL - AND *
YOVR * NICHTBOVR AS * PI A small effigy of the Reformer has long
decorated the angle of the old building, on which the pious care of successive tenants has
been expended, with a zeal not always appreciated by their fellow-citizens. He occupies
a pulpit of Presbyterian simplicity of form, and points with his right hand to a curiously
carved stone, whereon the name of the Deity appears, in Greek, Latin, and English,
surrounded by a glory on the Ride towards the preacher, while clouds gather around it
on the. further side. Over a large bow window a carved stone is pierced with a circular
aperture, now closed up, but which, from its position, suggests the idea of having been
constructed for a public clock. Such of the stone-work as remains exposed is of polished
ashlar, but numerous timber additions have been made to the original fabric in early
times. Among these, a small apartment on the south front is, in all probability, the
study constructed for him at the expense of the town, soon after he took up hie abode
there, in conformity with the following act of Council :-6c The samine day the Provost,
Baillies, and Counsail, ordanis the Dene of Gyld, with all diligence, to make ane warme
stdye of dailles to the minister, John Knox, within his hous, abone the hall of the same,
with lyght and wyndokis thereunto, and all other necessaris.” There, therefore, we may
SELF.
2E ... HIGH STREET AND NETHER BOW. 257 of it:-“This is perhaps the oldest stone building of aprivate nature now ...

Book 10  p. 279
(Score 0.69)

Leith Wynd.] TRINITY COLLEGE. 303
near its site stands one of the fine and spacious
school houses erected for the School Board.
At the foot of Leith Wynd, on the west side,
there was founded on the 5th of March, 1462, by
royal charter, the collegiate church of the Holy
Trinity, by Mary, Queen of Scotland, daughter of
Arnold Duke of Gueldres, grand-daughter of John
Duke of Burgundy, and widow of James II., slain
about two years before by the bursting of a cannon
at Roxburgh. Her great firniness on that disastrous
occasion, and during the few remaining
years of her own life, proves her to have been a
princess of no ordinary
strength of
mind. She took
an active part in
goyerning the stormy
kingdom of her son,
and died in 1463.
Her early death may
account for the nave
never being built,
though it was not
unusual for devout
persons in that age
of church buliding,
to erect as much
as they could finish,
and leave to the
devotion of posterity
the completion of
the rest. Pitscottie
tells us that she OLD COLLEGIATE SEALS,
his office shall be adjudged vacant, and the same
shall, by the Provost and Chapter, with consent of
the Ordinary, be conferred upon another. If any
of the said prebendaries shall keep a $ye-maker,
and shall not dismiss her, after being therein admonished
thereto by the Provost, his prebend shall
be adjudged vacant, and conferred on another, by
consent of the Ordinary as aforesaid.
? The Provost of the said college, whenever the
office of provostry shall become vacant, shall by
us and our successors, Kings of Scotland, be presented
to the Ordinary; and the vicars belonging
to the out-churches
aforesaid shall be
presented by the
Provost and Chapter
of the said college
to the Ordinary,
fromwhomtheyshall
receive canonical institution;
and no
prebendary shall be
instituted unless he
can read and sing
plainly, count and
discount, and that
the boys may be
found docile in the
premises. And we
further appoint and
ordain, that whenever
any of the said
?RINITY COLLEGE CHURCH. prebendwies shall
?was buried in the
Trinitie College, quhilk she built hirself.? Her
grave was violated at the Reformation.
The church was dedicated ?to the Holy Trinity,
to the ever blessed and glorious Virgin Mary, to
3t. Ninian the Confessor, and to all the saints and
elect people of God.? The foundation was for a
provost, eight prebendaries, and two clerks, and
with much minuteness several ecclesiastical benefices
and portions of land were assigned for the
support of the several offices ; and in the charter
there are some provisions of a peculiar character,
in Scotland at least, and curiously illustrative of
the age and its manners :-
?Aud we appoint that none of the said preben-
,daries or clerks absent themselves from their offices
without the leave of the Provost, to whom it shall
not be lawful to allow any of them above the space
of fifteen days at a time, unless it be on extraordiaary
occasions, and then not without consent of
the chapter ; and whosoever of the said prebendaries
or clerks shall act contrary to this ordinance,
iead mass,? he shall,
after the same, in his sacerdotal habits, repair to
the tomb of the foundress with hyssop, and there
read the prayer Dep-ofmdis, together with that of
the faithful, and exhortation to excite the people to
devotion.?? .
Thechoir of this church from the apse to the
west enclosure of the rood tower was go feet long,
and 70 feet from transept to transept window ; the
north aisle was 12 feet broad, and the south g feet.
It is a tradition in masonry that the north aisles of
all Catholic churches were wider than the south,
to commemorate the alleged circumstance of the
Saviour?s head, on the cross, falling on his right
shoulder. In digging the foundation of the Scott
monument, an old quarry 40 feet deep was discovered,
and from it the stones from which the
church was built were taken. With the exception
of Holyrood, it was the finest example of decorated
English Gothic architecture in the city, with many
of the peculiarities of the age to which it belonged.
Various armorial bearings adorned different parts
... Wynd.] TRINITY COLLEGE. 303 near its site stands one of the fine and spacious school houses erected for the ...

Book 2  p. 303
(Score 0.68)

LEITH, AND THE NEW TOWN. 375
resting his fore paw on the sword, and the other placing his paw in one of the scales. On
the other sculptured pediment a man is seen armed with a thick pole, with a hook at the
end, by which he grasps it; a goat, as it seems, is running towards him, as if butting at
him, while a bear seizes it by the waist with his teeth, and another is lying dead beyond.
The Hope’s arms are sculptured on the former pediment, underneath the fiingular piece of .
sculpture we have described-which occupies the upper part of a pointed arch-so that
it is not improbable that the curious scene of the judge determining the plea between the
lions and ‘the lamb, may refer to a family alliance with the great Lord Advocate ; though
the key to the ingenious allegory has perished with the last of their race.
On the south side of the ancient Burgh of Broughton, and nearly on the sight of the
present broad street called Picardy Place, there existed till near the close of last century a
small village or hamlet called Picardy, which was occupied exclusively by a body of weavers
who are said to have been brought over from the French province of that name by the
British Linen Company, and settled there for the improvement of their manufactures.’
We have found, however, in a copy of Lord Hailed Annals, a manuscript note, apparently
written while this little community of foreign artisans were still industriously plying their
looms, in which they are described as a body of French refugees, who 0ed to this country
after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, in 1685, and settling on the open common that
then lay between Broughton and the old capital, they attempted to establish a silk manufactory.
A large plantation of mulberry trees is said to have been laid out by them on the
slope of Moutrie’s Hill, and other provision made for carrying on the whole operations of
the silk manufacture there. It is well known, that about 50,000 French refugees fled to
England at that period, the majority of them settled at Spitalfield, while the remainder
scattered themselves over the kingdom. To a body of these unfortunate wanderers the
hamlet of Picardy most probably owed its origin. The failure of their mulberry plantations
here, as in other parts of the kingdom, no doubt compelled them to abandon their project ;
and their experience was probably afterwards made use of in the weaving of linen, on the
institution of a company for the encouragement of its manufacture in 1i46. Since then
this chartered body has devoted its large capital exclusively to the purposes of banking ;
and it is now one of the most wealthy and influential banking companies of Scotland.
One other locality of considerable interest in the same neighbourhood is the low valley
of Greenside, which skirts the northern base of the Calton HilL Though now exclusively
occupied by workshops and manufactories, or by modern dwellings of a very humble character,
it formed in ancient times a place of considerable importance. It was bestowed on
the citizens by James 11.) as an arena for holding tournaments and the like martial sports
of the age; and, according to Pennant, it continued to be used for such feats of arms even
in the reign of Queen Mary. Here, he relates, during a public tournament, ‘‘ the Earl
of Eothwell made the fwst impression on the susceptible heart of Mary Stuart, having
galloped into the ring down the dangerous steeps of the adjacent hilL”O The rude Earl,
however, trusted as little to feats of gallantry as to love for the achievement of his unscrupulous
aims ; and this may rank among the many spurious traditions which the popular
interest in the Scottish Queen has given rise to. A chapel dedicated to the Holy Rood
stood in the valley of Greenside at a remote period, and served, in the year 1518, as the
Walka in Edi11burg4 p. 217. ’ Pennant’s Tour, voL i p. 70. ... AND THE NEW TOWN. 375 resting his fore paw on the sword, and the other placing his paw in one of the ...

Book 10  p. 412
(Score 0.68)

  Previous Page Previous Results   Next Page More Results

  Back Go back to Edinburgh Bookshelf

Creative Commons License The scans of Edinburgh Bookshelf are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License.