Mary Queen of Scots and Midlothian

Posted on May 1, 2013 by kenb

The Infant Queen 1542-48
Even before her birth Mary’s fortunes had been closely bound up with the political and ecclesiastical rivalries of the great powers of Europe. Her father, James V had taken Scotland into the French and papal camp, a policy underlined by his marriage to a Frenchwoman, Mary of Guise, who was the mother of Queen Mary.

When Mary became Queen of Scots in 1542, Henry VIII of England saw an opportunity to align Scotland with his realm. The agreement that the infant queen should marry Henry’s son, Edward, a boy of five, was, however, repudiated by the Scots. Thereafter, Henry began a series of devastating invasions of Scotland known as The Rough Wooing, the objective of which was to win Mary’s hand for Edward. During these incursions, the Earl of Hertford and an English army laid siege to the castle at Roslin. Despite its strong position on a peninsula above the river Esk, the castle was badly damaged by fire.

Rosslyn Castle

Mary at Crichton
For nearly four years following her return from France in 1561, Mary successfully ruled Scotland alone. Many people thought that her policies were eminently fair and she gained popular support because of her attractive personality.

On 11 January 1562, she visited Crichton Castle to celebrate the marriage of her half-brother Lord James Stewart to Lady Janet Hepburn. Mary was attended by a brilliant retinue, including the Four Maries and other elite members of her court. This was a great occasion at Crichton. It was reported that there was ‘much good sport and many pastimes’ on the level field beneath the castle on the banks of the Tyne. Randolph, the English ambassador, was among the guests and no doubt he sent an account of the event to his mistress Elizabeth I of England who always loved to hear the latest gossip.

Crichton Castle

Mary and Darnley
It was the duty of every monarch to marry and produce a successor. On 29 July 1565, Mary married her cousin Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley at the Palace of Holyrood. There has long been a tradition that Mary and Darnley spent part of their honeymoon at Crichton Castle. However, an inscribed monogram on the wall of the castle does not display the initials of Mary and Darnley, as is sometimes claimed. Rather they are those of Francis Stewart, 5th Earl of Bothwell, and his wife Margaret Douglas. They are dated to the later sixteenth century.

Mary and Bothwell
Following the murder of Lord Darnley in February 1567, Mary entered into a badly chosen marriage with James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell. The couple moved to the Bothwell stronghold at Crichton Castle.

Borthwick Castle

Whilst living there, Mary was a frequent visitor to Borthwick Castle. During one visit, she received news that an army was coming to capture her and Bothwell. Mary escaped to the recently-constructed Cakemuir Castle in the Moorfoot hills to the south-east. She was met by some of Bothwell’s retinue and spent the night at Cakemuir before resuming her journey to Dunbar. Near Cakemuir Castle are the grass-covered roots of Queen Mary’s Tree, supposedly planted to commemorate her brief stay at the castle. Both Borthwick and Cakemuir Castles have a room each that is known as Queen Mary’s Room.

Cakemuir Castle

The Penicuik Jewels
Before Mary was executed on 8 February 1587, she gave to Geilles Mowbray, one of her maids of honour, several items of jewellery. Subsequently, these came into the possession of the Clerk family of Penicuik. The jewels were a treasured possession of the family until 1923 when they were bought for 400 guineas by the National Museum of Antiquities. The main pieces of the collection, which have all been authenticated as genuine relics of the Queen, are a gold locket, known as the Penicuik Jewel, which encloses miniatures portraits of Mary and the infant James VI, dated to 1576-79; a gold and pearl pendant; a necklace consisting of 14 large oval beads divided by 13 smaller gold beads; and a brocaded floral fan mounted on silk and silver tissue.

Now, where’s that again?

Posted on March 14, 2013 by kenb

It is always exciting to receive new donations to the archives, to get them into proper order and capture information about collections for future generations to enjoy. But sometimes archives can be puzzling.

Midlothian Archives have recently started to catalogue a large collection donated by a man called Andrew Fraser. Andrew was once a well-known character in Midlothian and amongst other achievements became county librarian of Midlothian.

Amongst the Fraser collection is a small photograph album containing about twenty sepia toned prints. These date from the Edwardian era and many of them feature unidentified people, but there are also several landscape shots that we would like to identify.

Do you know where any of these places are? Please let us know.

Feeding racing pigeons at an unidentified location

This man is feeding racing pigeons. Is it at Waverley Station in Edinburgh?

Large unidentified house

A beautiful large house somewhere. But where?

Large unidentified house

Another large house with plenty of character. But where? East Lothian?

Unidentified country cottage

Beach in East Lothian

Finally, where is this beach with its distinctive pavillion? It looks like the Bass Rock in the background which would place it in East Lothian. Is it still there?

Thistle Lodge of Free Gardeners, Penicuik

Posted on March 14, 2013 by kenb

Thistle Lodge of Free Gardeners, Penicuik

: Free Gardeners Lodge, Penicuik 1908

The Black Collection is a remarkable record about Penicuik and surrounding area from 1880 to 1930. It is named after James Black and his son Robert, who assembled a mass of material about life in Penicuik. The collection includes research and lecture notes, newspaper cuttings, notebooks, postcards, photograph albums and many other items.

Amongst the collection is a large ammount of material about the Thistle Lodge of Free Gardeners, Penicuik. The Ancient Order of Free Gardeners was a fraternal society that was founded in Scotland in the middle of the seventeenth century. It later spread to England and Ireland although it was principally a Scottish phenomenon. Like numerous other friendly societies of the time, its principal aim was to share knowledge amongst those working in a particular profession and also to provide mutual aid and insurance for its membership. In the nineteenth century, the latter activity became predominant. The Free Gardeners always remained independent of Freemasonry, but the history and organisation of the two orders show numerous similarities. By the end of the twentieth century, the Gardeners had become almost entirely extinct.

Free Gardeners Lodge, Penicuik 1909

The Thistle Lodge of Free Gardeners, Penicuik was formed in June 1822 from members of an earlier order called the Hand Papermakers’ Society (Penicuik was a centre of the paper making industry). The Gardeners were a highly visible presence in Penicuik and held annual walks and feasts, church services, concerts, sales of work and excursions. The Order had very specific rules and members were entitled to wear special regalia, sashes and badges. It would appear that in Penicuik at any rate membership was not very restrictive and open to almost everybody (except, of course, women).

Gardeners demonstration on Bridge Street, Penicuik 1909

Robert E Black, who compiled the Black collection, was an enthusiastic member of the Penicuik Gardeners and at one time acted as secretary of the local branch. His collection contains a good deal of material about the local Order, including dinner menus, press cuttings, concert programmes and photographs of members. As secretary of the Gardeners, he wrote a short history of the Order in Penicuik which was published in 1910. His collection is a treasure trove for any researcher with an interest in this little known but important aspect of Scottish culture.

Page from scrapbook on the Free Gardeners, Penicuik

The Mauricewood Disaster September 1889

Posted on February 14, 2013 by kenb

Mauricewood Colliery from the Illustrated London News

On 5 September 1889, the Mauricewood Colliery near Penicuik was the scene of the worst mining disaster in the history of the Lothians. An underground fire claimed the lives of 63 workers, including some as young as 13-years-old.

Following the accident, a Mauricewood Disaster Relief Committee was established in Penicuik to care for the dependents of the deceased. The committee was comprised of important local worthies, including the adventure novelist SR Crockett who was then a minister of the Free Church in Penicuik.

The Reverend SR Crockett

The Relief Committee raised money to help those who had been bereaved by the disaster. It is worth remembering that there was no welfare state in the late nineteenth century. As a result of the disaster, many households in the Penicuik area lost their only wage earner and would have been left destitute if the committee had not intervened.

The original minute book of the Mauricewood Relief Committee has recently been donated to the Penicuik Historical Society. It is a fascinating document that illustrates Victorian charity and welfare provision in action.

The Victorians have a reputation as being stern and uncaring, but the minute book suggests that, in this case at least, they were surprisingly sympathetic and compassionate.

Money for the disaster fund was raised by voluntary donations. The relief committee, which was entirely unpaid, began their work by compiling a list of victims of the disaster and the names of their dependents. It was calculated that 96 children had lost their fathers. Financial support was given to widows, children up to the age of 14, and to elderly parents who were unable to work for themselves. Pregnant widows received money for their unborn babies. A doctor was employed to administer to the medical needs of bereaved families.

However, there were also strict rules about who could receive support and not every application for assistance was granted. For example, widows who had started work or remarried were immediately cut off.

The original minute book of the Mauricewood Relief Committee was received in a poor condition, but it has been professionally restored and is now in the care of the Penicuik Historical Society. An electronic scan of the book has been prepared and can be consulted in Midlothian Local Studies in Loanhead along with other information about the disaster.

The Official Report on the Mauricewood Disaster

New donations to Midlothian Archives 2012

Posted on December 24, 2012 by kenb

Midlothian Local Studies is a treasure house of local and family history. Based in Loanhead, it is run by Midlothian Council Library Service and is a unique collection about all aspects of Midlothian history and culture.

The collection is always growing and in 2012 many new donations were received from local people.

Amongst these were two collections of photographs about Loanhead. One was given by the family by the late Ernie Tiernan, a local shopkeeper, and the second from the estate of Jim Abbot, a professional photographer.

The photographs are a wonderful record of life in Loanhead in the twentieth century. They show streets, buildings, shops, people and events, including Gala Days and the Queen’s visit to Loanhead in June 1961. Each photograph is being carefully catalogued and local people are helping to identify them.

One fascinating photograph shows a women’s football team. There are no details with the photograph, but it seems to date from around the First World War and may show munitions workers either at Loanhead or Roslin gunpowder works.

Amongst other donations, Roslin Primary Schoolgave a large collection of class registers and photograph albums. These will be of great interest to genealogists in the future.

The family of James Braidwood of Bonnyrigg donated an Air Raid Warden’s notebook that he had kept during the Second World War. This shows regular nightly inspections of the local area to ensure that everybody was obeying the rules during the blackout.

Today’s news is tomorrow’s history. David Adams of Loanhead donated a set of photographs of the Olympic torch on its journey through Loanhead in June 2012, which was a memorable and historic event.

Penicuik Historical Society have recently undertaken a major project on papermaking and the Society gave Local Studies a series of transcripts of interviews with former workers in local mills. These are an invaluable record of a once thriving local industry.

Local Studies also received the records of the Pentland Conservation Group, a local environmental action group which did much valuable work to preserve historic Pentland Cemetery.

2014 will mark the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War. One poignant donation was a memorial plaque, commonly known as a ‘Deadman’s Penny’, belonging to Private John Watson, a Bonnyrigg soldier who joined the Royal Scots and who died at the battle of Arras in 1917.

Midlothian Local Studies thanks everyone who has made donations in 2012. New material is always welcome. Any of the items mentioned here can be viewed at Local Studies which is located at 2 Clerk Street, Loanhead and is free to use.

Who’s that girl?

Posted on December 10, 2012 by kenb

Midlothian Council Local Studies and Archives recently received a large donation of photographs of Loanhead and area. These had been collected by the late Ernie Tiernan, who was a well known Loanhead character. His family kindly donated the collection to the Midlothian archives.

Amongst the collection are some fascinating images of life in Loanhead, a former mining village just to the south of Edinburgh. The collection includes some lovely photographs of Loanhead Children’s Gala Day and long lost buildings in Loanhead.

Also amongst the collection is this photograph of a women’s football team. Unfortunately, there is nothing on the photograph to identify the team, but it seems quite early, probably from around the First World War. It may show muntion workers from the Roslin area, as there was a large munitons work in the area. Curiously there only seems to be ten players. Perhaps nobody wanted to be goalie.

There is the same mystery about this photograph of a car smash somewhere in the Loanhead area. What is the story?

And also for this lovely picture of Girl Guides. Who’s that girl? Can anybody identify them? Please let us know.

Christmas Truce 1914

Posted on December 10, 2012 by kenb

Christmas Day Truce

On Christmas day 1914, opposing sides stopped fighting and met for a temporary truce in no-man’s-land. In this letter taken from the Midlothian Journal of 29 January 1915, a Loanhead soldier in the Scots Guards recounts his experiences.

It may interest you to know the manner in which we spent Christmas and New Year in these parts. On Christmas Eve whilst sitting in the trenches we heard a shout from the enemy’s trenches situated about 100 yards from us, “Englishmen, Englishmen.” On answering, two Germans proposed to come half way unarmed to speak to an equal number of us, as they wished to try and arrange a truce for Christmas Day. Two of our men immediately left the trench and met them half way.

The Germans commenced negotiations by offering our envoys cigars and then shook hands. They said, “If you do not fire to-morrow, our Christmas, we not fire New Year’s Day, when you Scotsmen hold feast.” They apparently knew well that the Scots Guards held the trenches opposite to them. A temporary truce was arranged until our people came back to consult the remainder, and as everyone was in favour of spending a peaceful Christmas Day, our ministers plenipotentiary were sent back to arrange the truce (quite unofficial) for the morning. At nightfall lights were hoisted in the German trenches about every 100 yards, in the shape of Maltese crosses, and Christmas carols were sung by both sides very heartily, and I assure you there were some splendid singers amongst the Germans. One in particular sang the hymn, “Nearer my God to Thee,” in English in a voice which would not have disgraced a first class choir.

On Christmas morning it was a strange sight to see men who, the day before, had been straining their eyes for an exposed head to send a bullet through it, climbing over the parapet of the trench and meeting parties of our friends the enemy quite freely, fraternising, exchanging “souvenirs,” a magic word in France, and acting altogether “Hail fellow, well met,” with men who they honestly intended to kill next day if possible.

The truce held good for that day, and at dusk with many hearty handshakes the parties separated to their own trenches, and at daybreak John Bull’s motto, “Business as usual,” was faithfully observed. I am sorry to say our “friends” the Huns did not keep their word for New Year’s Day, as they shot two of our poor chaps who were getting water from a spring, dead. During the conversations on Christmas Day, a great many of the enemy, Bavarians, I think, who spoke good English, declared they were “fed up” and if it lasted much longer they were going to finish it themselves. They asked us why we did not give in, as they had Russia beaten and France was nothing, we were the only obstacle. With the aid of a few English newspapers we managed to disillusion them somewhat. It appears all news as to the true state of affairs is being kept from them.

Our lives here at present are not all milk and honey, the trenches as a rule are from six inches to two feet deep in mud, which is made, I think, of nine tenths glue, one tenth clay, and to see the frantic struggles of some poor Tommy loaded with a big box of biscuits to extricate himself from the sticky mess, would remind you of the efforts of a gigantic blue bottle (khaki coloured) to free himself from one of our most adhesive patent fly papers.

The Lost Chapel of St Katherine’s-in-the-Hopes

Posted on July 4, 2012 by kenb

Glencorse reservoir from the air - the chapel is in the right-hand corner

One of the finest walks in the Lothians is by the side of Glencorse reservoir in the Pentland hills. The reservoir was built in 1822 to supply water to the city of Edinburgh. How many people know that beneath the reservoir are the remains of lost chapel of St Katherine’s-in-the-Hopes?

St Katherine's-in-the-Hopes 1890s

There are references to St Katherine’s chapel in thirteenth-century documents and it seems to have had some connection with Holyrood abbey inEdinburgh. There’s also a more fanciful story that it was built in the fourteenth-century by Sir William St Clair who had prayed to St Katherine to help him win a hunting wager with the king.

But who was St Katherine? The likeliest candidate is St Catherine ofAlexandria, famously martyred on a fiery wheel. At nearby Liberton, there was once a chapel dedicated to St Catherine and a famous holy well where the water had drops of oil in it.

St Katherine’s-in-the-Hopes is situated at the northern end of Glencorse reservoir, close to the Kirk burn and Kirkton farm. ‘Hopes’ is a Scots word meaning ‘a partly-hidden upland valley, often narrow and twisting’.

The remains of the chapel have long been submerged underneath the reservoir but periodically they re-emerge during an extended period of dry weather.

The Black Collection

The Black Collection, which is held by Midlothian Council archives, contains several reports about the remains of St Katherine’s becoming visible in 1898, 1901 and 1915. The site became a popular tourist attraction and many people took the walk from Edinburgh to have a look at the ruins.

At this time, only the foundations of the chapel and a few small walls remained. The chapel measured approximately 40 feet long and 20 feet wide. The walls were built of local stone in rubble work. The outlines of the chapel grounds were also clear.

Interestingly, two ancient tombstones were still visible at this time. One was very large and had the date ’1623′ and some figures carved on it as well as the text ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from henceforth’, which is taken from the Book of Revelations. In 1898, it was reported that the tombstone was broken in places and some thoughtless people had chipped pieces off as souvenirs.

Sketch of a tombstone at St Katherine's

Some reports also state that there was another stone to the memory of James Glendinning and erected in 1666. It seems likely that some Covenanters would have been buried in the churchyard. On28 November 1666, there was a battle at nearby Rullion Green between the Covenanters and Royalist forces in which the former were routed and many Covenanters were killed.

Another report states that a local farmer used stones from the ruins of the chapel to repair dykes and walls in nearby fields. Supposedly, an urn containing several gold coins was discovered below the site of the altar, but where it is now is anybody’s guess.

St Katherine's in the 1930s

The ruins of the chapel also became visible during a dry spell in the 1930s. Photographs suggest that by this time it was little more than a pile of stones.

The chapel and its tombstones still lie beneath its watery grave. Who knows when it will resurface again?

New Midlothian Archive Guide available

Posted on June 6, 2012 by kenb

In Spring 2012, Midlothian Council Archive Service launched a new guide to the Midlothian archives. The purpose of the guide is to raise awareness of the archive collection and to encourage greater use of it. Copies of the new guide are available from local libraries or from Midlothian Local Studies.

The Midlothian archive collection began shortly after the end of Second World War largely thanks to a man called Andrew Fraser, an unassuming native of Bonnyrigg who became county librarian for Midlothian County Library Service (then based inEdinburgh). Andrew had enough intelligence and foresight to start collecting material which was then regarded as insignificant and could be had for next to nothing. One example of this is a wonderful collection of old postcards of Midlothian. In Andrew’s day, these could be obtained quite cheaply, but are now very expensive and highly expensive.

Andrew Fraser saved a lot of archive material which was almost thrown away during local government reorganisation in 1970s. Amongst these were volumes of burgh records, council minutes, and logbooks and class registers from local schools. These records form the basis of the current collection, although there have been many later additions, usually donated by the public.

Currently, Midlothian archives are based in two sites: Library headquarters in Loanhead and at the Council Records Centre in Bonnyrigg, which is not open to the public. The collection is maintained by the Council Library Service. Midlothian Council has not employed a professional archivist for some years, but there is a Local Studies Officer and a Records Officer who jointly care for the archives.

The Midlothian collection is not vast, but there are plenty of interesting and unique items. Probably the best example is the Black Collection which contains over 150 scrapbooks about Penicuik and the surrounding area. These were compiled by two local men, James Black and his son Robert, from about 1880 to 1930. The scrapbooks record almost every aspect of life in Penicuik and are a rich source for local historians and genealogists.

The bulk of the archive collection comes from the nineteenth- and twentieth-centuries, but there are a few earlier items. These include eighteenth-century minute books from the Guild of the Dalkeith Hammermen, the Penicuik Farmers’ Society, Loanhead Subscription Library (1818-53), and the Trustees of the Burgh of Dalkeith, which began in 1760. There are also several family and estate collections, such as the Don Wauchope of Edmonstone papers, a prosperous family that lived at the Edmonstone house in the parish of Newton, just outsideEdinburgh.

The new archive guide is an attempt to summarise the Midlothian collection and to make it more accessible to users. The guide is organised into eight basic categories, such as Local Authority Records and Unions, Guilds and Associations. There is also an index and a glossary of unfamiliar terms. It is worth remembering that many people may be unfamiliar with archive collections and may not understand how they are organised. The guide was made as simple and clear as possible whilst maintaining the highest archive standards.

It is hoped that the new guide will be first in a series and that new versions will be produced at regular intervals. There is still plenty of material to be added and many new donations. Recently, we were given the punishment book from the Dalkeith Combination Poorhouse which records the penalties handed out to inmates for misbehaviour. This is a fascinating document that shows the harshness of the Victorian workhouse system. In February 1874, a woman called Jane Brunton, who was 23-years-old, was locked up for 8 hours and denied food for being insubordinate to the matron.

As well as the guide, we are also compiling new catalogues for individual collections. Once these are completed they are placed on the Midlothian Council website as PDFs. This is, of course, time-consuming but also rewarding and a good way to become more familiar with the collections and to uncover hidden treasures.

There is a huge amount of work to be done with theMidlothianarchives but we think that the new guide is big step in the right direction.

Rosewell Village

Posted on March 28, 2012 by kenb

The village of Rosewell in Midlothian grew-up around the coal-mining industry. Mining had been taking place in theMidlothianarea since medieval times. Monks from Newbattle Abbey were known to work the local area. Whitehill colliery in Rosewell was owned by Wardlaw Ramsay. It was situated at the top end of the village where the houses ofRosedaleand Fairmeadow are now. In 1856, Archibald Hood, an engine manager, acquired the lease for Whitehill Colliery from Ramsay. Hood modernised and extended the workings of Whitehill and extended the railway to service his pits at Carrington, Eldin, Gorton, Polton and Skelty Muir. Hood also improved the social conditions of the miners. Houses were built to accommodate workers and their families. The houses were built in a hierarchal system with managers and foremen having bigger houses than the ordinary mine worker. Unusually, every house had a garden attached to it so that workers could grow some of their own food. In 1846, the population of Rosewell was just 133 people, but by 1881 it had risen dramatically to 2129. This rise was due to many Irish immigrants coming over to find work and escape the effects of the Irish potato famine. This influx of Irish workers led to Rosewell becoming known as ‘littleIreland’.

By 1885, Rosewell had a church, post office, school and a savings bank. In 1890, Whitehill colliery was amalgamated with the Newbattle collieries, which were owned by the Marquis of Lothian, to form the Lothian Coal Company. It was at this time that Archibald Hood’s son James took over as general manager of the company. James Hood was also a Midlothian County Councillor. He was closely involved with many of his father’s projects, such as the Rosewell Co-operative Society which was founded in 1862 and was the first of its kind inMidlothian. Rosewell was known as a ‘company village’, which meant that the coal company owned and controlled every aspect of life, apart from the school and the church. The co-operative retail society was encouraged and a ‘Gothenburg’ style system was adopted with the opening of The Tavern in 1909. The coal company stipulated that a proportion of the profits from the sale of alcohol went towards the creation of the public park and community facilities, such as abowling greenwhich opened in 1901. This was a win-win situation for the mine owners as the wages that they paid to their workers were handed back at the shop and the Tavern. If a worker lost their job then they also lost their house. There were strict rules about maintaining a tidy garden and planting. Failure to comply with these meant that a worker would be brought up in front of the infamous ‘green table’ to face the consequences.

Life was undeniably hard in the early days. There was no electricity or running water, and water had been drawn from wells situated in the village streets. However, there was a strong sense of community. For example, on25 February 1892, the Rosewell Co-operative annual soiree and concert took place. James Hood was in the chair and guests were entertained by soprano singers and a ventriloquist. On21 July 1892, Rosewell Athletic Games were held in a field adjoining the colliery. Games were also held on29 September 1892under the auspices of the Rosewell Brass Band. These games included a pigeon race from Hawick to Rosewell, and there was also a trotting handicap. Rosewell had many different clubs at this time, including football, pigeon-racing and dramatic arts. By 1900, Rosewell was a self-sufficient village. Nobody really needed to venture outside of it as their needs were met. Local people worked hard and had few material possessions, but in many ways they appeared to be happy with their lot.

Written by Maureen Moffat, Local Studies Assistant

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