140 MEMORIALS OF EDINBURGH.
afterwards possessed by the ancient family of the Nisbets of Dirleton, and by Gordon of
Braid ; but, if so, it must have been as tenants, as it was sold by Mr Baird to A. Brown,
Esq., of Greenbank, from whom it passed successively to his sons, Colonel George Brown,
and Captain James Brown, commander of the ship Alfred, in the East India Company’s
service. From these later owners, Brown’s Close, where the modern entrance to the house
is situated, derives its name.
The name of Webster’s Close, on the same side of the street, by which Brown’s Court
was formerly known, served to indicate the site of Dr Webster’s house, the originator of
the Widows’ Scheme, and long one of the ministers of the old Tolbooth Kirk. He was a
person of great influence and popularity in his day, and entertained Dr Johnson often at
his table during his visit to Edinburgh. At a later period it was occupied by the Rev. Dr
Greenfield, Professor of Rhetoric and Belles Lettres in the University, after whose time
it passed through various hands, and closed its career as a cholera hospital, previous to its
demolition in 1837, to make way for the Castle Road. Dr Webster built another house
immediately adjoining this, from stones taken out of the North Loch. It was first occupied
by Mr Hogg as a banking house, and afterwards, for twenty years, by the Society of
Scottish Antiquaries, during the whole of which period, Alexander Smellie, Esq., the
Emeritus Secretary, resided in the house.
A very handsome old land of considerable breadth stands to the east of this. It presents
a polished ashler front to the street, ornamented with string courses, and surmounted by
an elegant range of dormer windows, with finials of various design. Over the main entrance,
in Boswell’s Court, there is a shield bearing a fancy device, with the initials T. L.,
and the inscription, 0 * LORD a IN THE IS AL MI * TRAIST. In a compartment
on the left of the shield, there are also the initials, I. L., R. W. ; a similar compartment
on the right is now defaced.’
Immediately to the west of the Assembly Hall, a tall narrow land forms the last remaining
building on the south side of the Castle Hill. In the style of its architecture it differs
entirely from any of the neighbouring houses, presenting a pediment in front, surmounted
with urns, and otherwise adorned according to the fashion that prevaqed during the earlier
part of the last century.
This house, as appears from the title-deeds, was built by Robert
Mowbray, Esq., of Castlewan, in 1740, on the site of an ancient
mansion belonging to the Countess Dowager of Hyndford. The
keystone of the centre window in the second floor is orpamented
with a curiously inwrought cipher of the initials of Robert Mowbray,
its builder; from whose possession it passed into that of
William, the fourth Earl of Dumfries, who succeeded his mother,
Penelope, Countess of Dumfries in her own right, and afterwards, by the death of his
1 The close, we believe, derives ita name from a Dr Boawell, who reaided there about eighty years since. We were
Znformed, hdwever, by the good lady who very politely conducted us over the house, that it was the Earl of Bothwell’s
mansion, ‘‘ An’ nae doubt,” said she, aa she showed ua into the best room, with its fireplace lined with Dutch
tiles, ‘‘ nae doubt mony queer doings hae taen place here between the add Earl and Queen Mary 1 ” Nothing is 80
amusing, in investigating our local antiquities, iw the constant association of Queen Mary’s name with everything that
is old, however homely or even ridiculous.
