Thistle Lodge of Free Gardeners, Penicuik

Posted on March 14, 2013 by kenb

: 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

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

Index to Inmates of Edinburgh Charity Workhouse

Posted on March 3, 2012 by vikkik

volunteer busy at work

Thanks to the tremendous hard work carried out by our committed band of volunteers, we are creating several useful indexes to a few records within our extensive collections. The latest index to be completed relates to a Register of Inmates of Edinburgh Charity Workhouse between July 1835 and June 1841 (our ref. SL146/9/1). This index is now available on our website in the ‘Find out about records we hold‘ section, alongside our other completed project indexes for readers to search.

Background on the Edinburgh Charity Workhouse

In 1739 proposals were published for founding a hospital or workhouse for the employment and maintenance of the poor, the care of orphans and foundlings and the support of out pensioners. A contract between the Town Council and kirk sessions was agreed in 1740 setting the terms of the foundation of the Edinburgh Charity Workhouse. The Workhouse was funded by donations and subscriptions, from an assessment levied on householders and an annual grant from the Town Council. It was to be managed by an executive committee of 15 managers.

The Workhouse opened on 20 June 1743 atBristoPortnext to the Bedlam for lunatics. The original Bedlam was used as an infirmary for the sick and as a children’s hospital. A new Bedlam was built in 1746. The Bedlam was partly demolished in 1836 and the lunatics were moved to the Children’s Hospital. The children were moved to the oldOrphanHospitalunder theNorthBridge.

The passage of the Poor Law Amendment Act in 1845 led to the foundation of Edinburgh Parochial Board. The Parochial Board assumed responsibility for the Charity Workhouse, which became the Edinburgh Poorhouse. The Craiglockhart Poorhouse and Hospital replaced the Edinburgh Poorhouse in 1870 and the Charity Workhouse buildings were demolished.

Index to Register of Inmates

The Register of Inmates and Index

The Register itself is divided in to three main sections relating to the House, the Children’s Hospital and the Bedlam. The index now online is a consolidated alphabetical list of all inmates from each of these three divisions. You can simply do a free text search within the index and see if any of your ancestors were inmates during this period. If you find someone you can pop in to our public searchroom and request to see the register to check for any further information. For more information on our opening hours and where to find us see our website www.edinburgh.gov.uk/cityarchives

19th Midlothian (Loanhead) Scouts

Posted on May 11, 2011 by kenb

Midlothian Local Studies holds a run of magazines produced by local Boy Scouts in the 1930s. The Glenrath Review was issued by the 19th Midlothian (Loanhead) Troop. The first issue appeared in 1932. Two hundred copies were produced and it cost sixpence. The paper for the magazine was donated by local paper manufacturers in Midlothian. It is a well produced magazine that provides a fascinating insight into the world of the Boy Scouts.

The Boy Scout movement began in 1908 and quickly swept the country catching the imagination of boys everywhere. It stressed informal education, standards of behaviour and practical outdoor activities, such as camping, woodcraft and sports. A Scout troop was formed in Loanhead before the First World War and flourished in the 1920s and 1930s. John Bayne, a local man, became Scoutmaster in 1927 and he did much to encourage the movement locally, including editorship of the magazine.

The Glenrath Review took its name from Glenrath farm near Peebles where the Loanhead Scouts often held a summer camp. The magazine has a huge variety of articles and features contributed by local Scouts. These included articles about travel and local history, short stories, cartoons, puzzles, jokes and poetry.

The ‘Camp Number’ for 1937 includes the following list of ‘Books to Read’:

The Bicycle by I.M. Tyred
Electricity by O. Switchoff
The K.O. Kid by Esaw Stars
The Cliff Tragedy by Illene Dover
The Rustlers by E. Pinch
The Broken Window by Eua Brick

Special issues of the magazine were produced for King George V’s Jubilee (1935), the Coronation of Edward VII (1937) and the Empire Exhibition in Glasgow (1938). This last included an essay competition for Scouts who had visited the Exhibition, first prize 2/6d.

The issue from late 1939, when the Second World War had started, is described as ‘the First Blackout Number’.

Earlier issues of the magazine contained some advertising, which seems to have been drawn by the boys themselves.

Writers were aware of what was happening in the wider world and how it impacted on them. The 1935 issue contained a poem called To Glenrath Review by ‘Snainy’ which included the following two verses:

Herr Hitler’s a dictator.
He’s kicked out every Jew,
Don’t call him ‘Bad Potater’,
Send him Glenrath Review.

But Baldwin is our leader,
We’ll stick to him like glue,
He’s our most constant reader,
He loves Glenrath Review.

The most important articles were reports of the annual camp, including lists of participants. The boys had lots of fun but it rained a lot.

Glenrath Review survived until the late 1960s.

Loanhead Subscription Library

Posted on March 25, 2011 by kenb

Loanhead Library Subscribers' list

Midlothian Local Studies holds two volumes from the Loanhead Subscription Library: a minute book dating from 1818 to 1850 and a record of borrowings between 1832 and 1855.

The Loanhead Subscription Library was established in May 1818 ‘as a means of diffusing useful knowledge to a great number of persons in and about the neighbourhood whose circumstances and life will not admit of the purchasing of books upon an enlarged scale’.

The minute book lists office bearers and 21 ‘articles’ or rules for the running of the library. There is also a list of the 56 original subscribers which included two women, Miss Christie and Miss Helen Dickson. Other women joined the library later.

Members of the library committee who were absent from meetings were fined 1s, and this rule was rigidly enforced.

The library was housed in the Loanhead Subscription School, so called because it was erected by public subscription. The building became known as Park’s School after the name of its first headmaster.

Loanhead Library Loans December 1835

The record of borrowings provides a fascinating insight into the types of books that the library held and also what members were reading. Predictably, the novels of Sir Walter Scott were much in demand and were regularly borrowed. Other popular authors were Tobias Smollett, Henry Fielding and Henry Mackenzie. Non-fiction was also read, including works on history, politics, travel and science.

Around 1840, the library seems to have run into some difficulties, but the committee turned down a suggestion that it be amalgamated with Lasswade Library. The last minute of the library committee is dated 12 February 1850 but books were still being borrowed in 1855.

It would be interesting to know what happened to the book stock once the library was discontinued and whether any of the books survive.

In 1901, Loanhead Town Council turned down an offer from the philanthropist Andrew Carnegie to build a new public library in the town. The local Miners’ Welfare Institution held a small number of books but it was not until the late 1960s that a new public library was finally opened for the reading public in Loanhead.

Centenary of Public Libraries in Midlothian

Posted on January 27, 2011 by kenb

The earliest libraries in Midlothian were private subscription libraries, which meant that anybody who wished to use them had to pay a regular fee to gain access to the books. Penicuik Subscription Library opened in 1797, Loanhead in 1818 and the Dalkeith Scientific Association, which was founded in 1835, had a private library for its members.

Some shops also ran their own borrowing libraries, which people could use for small fee. In Bonnyrigg there was a library in a local café, which was known as the ‘Coffee-House Library’.

In 1853 the Public Libraries Act gave burgh councils the option of running a free public library. These were paid for out of local taxation, which often meant that poorer areas of the country like Midlothian were unable to afford them.

The free public library movement in Scotland was greatly encouraged by the generosity and foresight of Andrew Carnegie.

Carnegie was born in Dunfermline in 1853. He emigrated to the United States where he became a wealthy iron and steel magnate. In his later life, he used his vast fortune to finance many philanthropic projects. He offered money for the building of public libraries on condition that others donated building land and paid for the books and running costs.

The first Carnegie library in the old Midlothian County was opened at West Calder on 24 November 1903. Two years earlier a new public library had been proposed for Dalkeith. After great debate the Burgh Council rejected it because it would impose a heavy burden on local ratepayers.

Bonnyrigg Town Council, however, accepted Carnegie’s offer and land was obtained in Lothian Street. Building work started on 31 July 1908 and a memorial stone was laid by Provost Archibald Gilchrist on 2 September 1908.

Bonnyrigg Public Library was opened on Saturday 2 October 1909 amidst an ‘extraordinary degree’ of interest from ‘hundreds of inhabitants’. A special commemorative poem was written by Provost Porteous of Lasswade, which began:

‘Twas on a lovely autumn afternoon,
A great big day for Bonnyrigg toon;
What a folk did gather there
Fra round about far and near.

For to attend a demonstration
Of Carnegie’s presentation;
A lovely mansion here you’ll find
With beauty and order all combined.

The opening ceremony was performed by Dr Hew Morrison, who represented Andrew Carnegie. He was accompanied by Provost Gilchrist and his wife, and representatives of the Town Council and other bodies in Bonnyrigg. Dr Morrison was presented with a special silver key to open the building, but, as the Dalkeith Advertiser reported, there was a ‘slight contretemps’ when he tried to open the front door:

‘The Doctor inserted and turned the key in the lock, but the door did not respond to the gentle push with which he attempted to open it. Even the combined efforts of the Provost and some other gentlemen in the vicinity failed to open it. Presently however the door swung easily open, the appearance of the caretaker behind indicating the bolt securing the door from inside had been withdrawn. The incident lasted no more than a minute, and its only effect was to cause merriment amongst the spectators.’

Following the opening ceremony there were a long series of speeches in the library hall followed by a reception:

Now when the business it was over
They did adjourn to the corner,
And as some were cauld and shakey
They got cakes and wine and aqua vittie.

The new library was designed by the Edinburgh architectural firm of Greig, Fairbairn and McNiven. It was built in the English ‘medieval style’ style in red sandstone and had many fine details, including the Dundas family coat-of-arms over the main entrance. On the ground floor, the library had a lending section and a reading room with spaces for 36 readers and a separate alcove for women. A side entrance to the building gave access to a meeting room and also to a public bathroom, which had ‘two spray baths, one plunge bath and a changing box’. On the first floor there was a public lecture hall that could hold 200 people. The building included a flat for the librarian and caretaker. The total cost of the library was £2300 of which Andrew Carnegie donated £2000.

The library housed around 6000 books which had been chosen to suit all tastes, including fiction by the latest authors. There was also a selection of ‘Juvenile Literature’ for children, which Provost Gilchrist hoped would ‘shape and mould their minds in the right direction’. The Reference Room included newspapers and magazines.

The Lending Library was open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between 3 and 5 o’clock in the afternoon and between 7 and 9 o’clock in the evening. The Reference Room was open each day except Sunday between 9am and 10pm. Access was available to every ratepayer in Bonnyrigg but they were only allowed to borrow one book at a time. The library had strict rules about behaviour. Users were not allowed to cut articles out of the newspapers and they were not to be ‘intoxicated, disorderly or uncleanly’. Users were fined one penny for every three days that their books were overdue.

The library was originally run by a Library Committee of Bonnyrigg Town Council but in 1921 Midlothian Education Authority took over the administration of the lending library. Funding was always limited and a billiards room was introduced to supplement income. A Council report in 1945 described the library as ‘a somewhat dingy unprogressive appearance’. Bonnyrigg library was soon incorporated into the new Midlothian County Council Library Scheme.

The current library in Bonnyrigg opened on 16 April 1974 but in 1989 the old library was pressed into service because of building work in the new library.

Since 1909, many other public libraries have been opened in Midlothian and they continue to provide a valuable free service to the local community

Jamie Gorrie: a Penicuik Character

Posted on December 3, 2010 by kenb

Jamie Gorrie

Amongst the cllection is an obituary to Jamie Gorrie, a well known Penicuik character.

Jamie Gorrie: a Penicuik Character
From the Midlothian Journal 24 January 1890

Jamie Gorrie’s Tree Fallen

Every native of Penicuik will hear with regret that the recent storm has demolished “Jamie Gorrie’s tree.” This fir tree, which is situated in the Bog Wood, on Sir George D. Clerk’s estate has been for nearly half a century the favourite pleasure haunt of the children of the village and round its base they have played together while the boys and even girls vied with each other in reaching the highest point and cutting their names in the wood. The result was that a considerable portion near the top was covered with names of boys and girls, who are now grown up and many of them gone to different parts of the world. The tree is 77 feet in length and two feet from the base measures 4 feet 2 inches in circumference.

From the appearance of the tree as it lies it would seem that its fall is due not to the weakness of the roots but to the fact that the children have been making fires at the side of it with the result that for nearly two feet from the base the tree is like a shell having been burned so much, and the wonder is that it has stood so long. The “Jamie Gorrie” tree in addition to being an interesting pleasure spot for the village children had the reputation of being the highest fir tree in the wood and the one most easily climbed – the branches spreading from the tree at regular intervals like a ladder, and from this cause there is scarcely a man or child in the village who cannot boast of having climbed it. Visiting it on Monday when the snow was lying deep on the ground and everything had the appearance of winter, we could not but think of the many who will hear of the tree being blown down with regret contrasting strongly with the sentiments of one of our local poets, who wrote recently in the Journal about the Penicuik bairns:

Simmer’s come again my lads,
Hurra! hurra! hurra!
Simmer’s come again my lads,
Hurra! hurra! hurra!
Awa’ wi’ buits or shoon
For freely we maun rin
By muir, or dalce, or linn,
O sae braw! O sae braw!
The ‘Bog’ we’ll hunt wi’ glee,
When we come frae the schule,
An’ roon’ the ‘Gorric Tree’
We’ll see nae dunce nor fuIe;
Or doon the ‘sunny knowe,’
Where the wee primroses grow,
We’ll play the auld row-chow
Frae the tap o’ the hill.

About a year ago an old man visited the village and asked to be directed towards “Jamie Gorrie’s tree.” On being shown, he remarked “I maun see hit ye ken, for its the only freend I can mind o’ an’ its thirty ‘ear since I saw’t an’ played aboot it.” Such no doubt will be the exclamation of many who are now for various reasons unable to see the old relic of the past.

“Jamie Gorrie” after whom the tree was called was a painter to trade, but having sustained an accident his brain became affected and for years he was the character of the village, running messages and doing odd jobs for a living. He was generally in a happy mood, but sometimes when he was threatened with punishment he would take refuge in this tree from his tormentors, and thence the name has originated. When the band was out he always accompanied it – ready to assist in the carrying of the drum. Gardeners Walks and Whupmen Plays were his great days, and he aIso attended all the funerals in the district. He played the whistle and triangle, and was often smart in answering those who tried to raise a laugh out of him.

An artist’s daughter

Posted on August 25, 2010 by kenb

Some of William McTaggart's children with Betty (right)

William McTaggart (1835-1910) is recognised as one of the great Scottish artists. He is famous for his paintings of the sea and the countryside although he considered himself primarily as a portrait painter. He was especially interested in children and often included them in his work.

In 1890 William McTaggart moved to a house called Dean Park in Bonnyrigg, Midlothian where he lived until his death in 1910. There is a family tradition that he moved away from Edinburgh to escape hostile gossip about his second marriage to Marjory Henderson, who was 21 years younger than him.

William and Marjory McTaggart had nine children together, three of whom died young. Their fifth daughter Eliza or ‘Betty’ was born in 1896.

Betty McTaggart never married and lived most of her life in Bonnyrigg before moving to a house called Davaar in Longniddry, East Lothian. She died in an Edinburgh nursing home on 10 October 1986. Sometime after her death her nephew, Neil McTaggart presented a collection of McTaggart family papers to the Bonnyrigg and Lasswade Local History Society. These papers are now held by Midlothian Local Studies on behalf of the History Society.

Betty McTaggart inherited some of her father’s talent and was an accomplished artist in her own right. She obtained a DA degree and held exhibitions of her work.

Amongst the McTaggart family papers there are a large number of sketchbooks of Betty McTaggart’s work. Many of her sketches feature children.

Children from Cowgate Nursery School (with Betty McTaggart?)

At some time in her life, possibly in the 1940s, Betty McTaggart seems to have worked at Cowgate nursery school in Edinburgh. In 1937, the Church of Scotland opened a Free Breakfast Mission in Fishmarket Close to provide meals to local children. The school was designed to help the children of poor families living in and around the Cowgate area of Edinburgh, then a notoriously deprived part of the city. In 1942 the school moved to a new site at Guthrie Street. It was taken over by the Edinburgh Corporation in 1959 and rebuilt in the early 1960s.

This photograph is thought to show Betty McTaggart (centre) with children from Cowgate Nursery School awaiting a royal visitor to Edinburgh

During her time at the school, Betty produced many sketches of the pupils, often showing them in the playground or at their lessons. Some of these delightful sketches were drawn literally on the backs of envelopes and scraps of paper.

Children in Cowgate nursery school playground by Betty McTaggart

It is interesting that some the children in the sketches are named:

Charlie Ainslie
Joan Cairns
Anna Conway
Peter Daly
Nancy Day
David Elder
Catherine Gardiner
Sandra Huggan
Isaac McCallum
Martha McEwan
Joe McGlyn
Josephine McGlyn
Alec McGregor
Robert Marshall
Linda Milne
Catherine Mooney
Jimmy Moore
Janette Niven
Mary Niven
Maureen O’Connor
George O’Donnel
Maureen Sandman
James Taylor
Rosemary Watt

Martha McEwan by Betty McTaggart

Linda Milne by Betty McTaggart

Cowgate Nursery school children at tea by Betty McTaggart

It would be nice to trace some of these children, who now would be in their 70s and 80s, and to reunite them with their sketches. We will be contacting Cowgate nursery school in due course but if anybody has any further information about either Betty McTaggart or Cowgate nursery school then please contact Midlothian Local Studies.

For further information on William McTaggart and his association with Bonnyrigg and Lasswade please click on this link: Bonnyrigg and Lasswade Local History Society

Wheelbarrow Men

Posted on July 14, 2010 by kenb

Bob Carlisle and his Peep Show

The collection includes research and lecture notes, newspaper cuttings, notebooks, postcards, photograph albums and many other items. It is particularly strong on papermaking, the Thistle Lodge of Free Gardeners, the Penicuik Rifle Volunteers, and Penicuik and the First World War.

The main part of the collection is a series of carefully compiled scrapbooks on life in Penicuik. The subjects range from local industries, sport, clubs and societies, and biographies of Penicuik people.

In the 1970s, the Black Collection was gifted to Midlothian Library Service by James Black’s grandson, William. The originals have been indexed and microfilmed, and these can be consulted in Penicuik Library or in Local Studies at Loanhead.

Amongst the collection is a small, 3-page scrapbook about the curious phenomena of ‘Wheelbarrow Men’.

Originally Wheelbarrow Men were carters or delivery men, who carried goods from one place to another on their wheelbarrows. They were too poor to own a horse to pull their wheelbarrows so instead relied on their own strength and power.

With the arrival of the railways and improved transport the role of the Wheelbarrow Man changed into one of entertainment and novelty. Wheelbarrow Men promoted themselves as being able to travel huge distances by their own efforts whilst relying on charity and donations to survive. The idea seems to have originated in the United States of America where there are records of several Wheelbarrow Men who tried to walk across the entire continent pushing their wheelbarrow.

The scrapbook in the Black Collection mentions several intrepid Wheelbarrow Men who became quite familiar characters in late nineteenth-century Scotland. Amongst these were ‘Cochrane’ the Dundee Street porter who in February 1887 walked from Dundee to London and back again in 45 days, pushing his wheelbarrow all of the way. The report states: ‘He received very little encouragement in England, and was barefooted and almost starving ere he got back to Scotland. Since he crossed the border on his return matters have improved.’

Another prominent Wheelbarrow Men was Michael Heriot, who in June 1887 walked from Cramond to London and back again in 28 days. Herriot’s feat was doubly remarkable as he had only one arm, the other having been replaced by an iron hook after an accident. Heriot also met with little success or sympathy in England. The newspaper report states: ‘The reception accorded him did not meet his expectations, or even his requirements, and for several days he was without even some of the necessities of life.’

Gambling and betting were an important factor in the story of the Wheelbarrow Men. They survived by taking bets that they could accomplish various feats. In some cases they were encouraged by wealthy sponsors who challenged them to achieve certain tasks. This in turn created a circle of betting about their progress and whether or not they would succeed.

The scrapbook contains an account of the life of Bob Carlisle, a famous Wheelbarrow Man of the late nineteenth-century. Carlisle claimed to have been the first man to introduce the idea into Britain from the United States. Carlisle was a native of Edinburgh but was brought up in Haddington. When a young man he heard of an American visitor called Weston, who took bets that he could walk two thousand miles in one thousand hours on the turnpike roads of England. Carlisle resolved to do something similar and his first stunt was to walk one thousand miles around the roads of Cornwall. Subsequently he made his living by undertaking mammoth walks around the country pushing his wheelbarrow. On at least one walk, from Glasgow to London, he was accompanied by his wife.

Carlisle was certainly a colourful character with an eventful life. He had been in the Navy and a merchant seaman, and worked in the travelling circus as a clown and a lion-tamer.

However by the time of the newspaper report in 1906 the days of the Wheelbarrow Men were starting to fade. To earn extra income Carlisle built a tiny house on the top of his wheelbarrow and put on a miniature peep-show for paying customers.

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Centenary of Public Libraries in Midlothian