Fala and Soutra

F A L A AN D S O U T R A

IN C L U D IN G

A H IS T OR Y O F T HE A N C l E N T

D O M U S D E S O LT R E

WITH IT S M A S TER S A N D G R E A T R EVEN U ES

A N D OF OTH E R H IS TOR I CA L A S S OCIA TI ON S A N D B U IL D IN GS

A M E S U N T E R J ﬂ , Alarm” (y the P a r i s!:

WIT H IL L U S T R AT IO N S

E D I N B U R G H

H T T G E O R G E S T R E E T A M E S C . I J , 3 7

P R IN T E D BY T U R N BU L L A N D S PEA R S

1 89 2

P R E F A C E .

F E W a o iv i n years g , after g g a lecture on Soutra

thou ht that an Monastery, a g possessed me interesting

n S oltre history of the ancie t Domus De , and of the Parish

. au tho generally , might be put into permanent form The

. ritie s t that are given were consulted , and af er several years

of casual research , which has been a labour of pleasure

and . love , the present volume is the result I have tried

u re re my best, witho t fear or favour, to give a faithful p se n tati on o f men and things of the past ; and now it is sent

h s out with the earnest hope t at the Pari hioners , the Anti

uar i t q y , and the general Reader will not only ﬁnd worthy

s o f of a peru al at the present, but also a book reference in

the future . A list of Authorities has been give n instead of the usual reference notes which often appear in similar works at the foot of the page ; and the local spelli ng has also been

“ ” t l sle H re ained , as for Aisle , eatsman for Beads ”

& c . man,

u n &c . For much co rtesy shown while consulti g books, ,

’ best thanks are due to the Lib rarians of the Ad v ocates Preface .

the Library, Signet Library, and the Edinburgh University

n Library ; to Mr Skin er and Mr Adam , of the Edinburgh Town Council Chambers ; to the heads of several depart k ments of the Register House and especially to Dr Dic son , of the H istorical Department . For several of the Illustrations I am indebted to Mr

Baird , agent for the Clydesdale Bank, Portobello ; to Mr

C osterton M r Ainslie of , and Horn of Woodcote Park , for - the loan of Photographs ; and to Major General Anderson ,

E n n v di burgh, who ki dly ga e the use of the jacobite Relics

n in his possessio , belonging to the Anderson family. The Illustrations were all reproduced by Photo-!incography by

Alexander Brown , Picardy Place , Edinburgh .

s r istmas 1 8 r , 9 I L L U S T R A T I O N S .

P A G E ' I E er or ew of S ou ra e F r on tzs i ece xt i Vi t Isl , p

v F ala u e L ggi ,

S er W e of Pr n ce C ar e ilv histl i h li ,

’ o S arf-Pi n w Pr n e ar e Ha r G ld c ith i c Ch li s i , J Por ra of Pr n e ar e t it i c Ch li ,

Woo o e Par dc t k, Woo o e Par E a F ron t dc t k ( st ),

J M r o n A . A n e J h i sli ,

’ or W L d ood s C oat of A rms on owe r Gilst T ,

F a a K r l i k,

S er C om mun on C u ilv i p ,

K r o e n —O er e an d e er e i k T k bv s R v s ,

F ala K r an d M an e i k s , v F a a M a n e l s ,

J T h R H e ev . ame un er J s t ,

’ ” J F a a M eeti n Hou e l s ,

T he S ea of the A n er on of Whitbur h ow n en ar e m re on l d s s g (sh i g l g d i p ssi ), The a r S ea ow n en ar e m re on ) Bl i l (sh i g l g d i p ssi ,

L I S T O F A U T H O R I T I E S

ON E D F OR H IS W R C S U LT T O K.

A of Genera A s emb hur of S o an . cts l s ly, C ch c tl d A n en T axati o 1 1 6. ci t , 7 ’ A rno Hi tor of E n ur t s s y i b gh . ’ d A r bi o T ax o 1 . ch sh p s R ll, 547 ’ Ba imon t s o i n e era monumen a Theiner. g R ll, v t t , by Bannatyne Club Publication s Book of the U niversal Kirke of S cotlan d. Diurnal of Remarkable Occurren ts till the Year 1 57 5. o ia Origi nes Parochiales S c t e. ’ Ragman s Roll.

e ol r &c. R egi strum omus d S t e, ' d Bower s History of E inburgh U n iversity. ’ d of the an or Campbell s (Lor ) Lives Ch cell s . ’ d a Carlyle s ( D r)A utobiogr phy. ’ Chalmers Caledon ia. ’ am ers H or of the R e e on 1 . Ch b ist y b lli , 745 ’ Chambers Lives of E minent S cotsmen .

C le hane v . own oun of E n ur u 1 8 . p T C cil i b gh, j ly 7 4 ’ d D alyell s F ragments. o Dalkeith Presbytery Rec rds. E inburgh Town Council Recor s . d d ’ n ur n r omm oners e o 1 8 E i h U ive sity C issi p rt, 37 . d b g R 71 E n ur n un . ur n 1 2 . E i n ow Co ci i g U iversity, 8 4 d b gh T l d b h E xchequer Rolls of S cotlan . - d F ala Kirk S ession Records . F orbes on Tithes. ’ F orsyth s Beauties of S cotlan . ’ d F ordun s S cotichronicon . L ist of A uthorities .

’ or on D r M on asti con &c G s ( ) , . d ’ Ha e o a o il s (L rd) C tal gue. Ham on Pa er T he ilt p s , ’ Ha F a r M y s ( the ) S S . ’ Han y e s S tate Papers . ’ Ho R gg s J acobite elics . In t S al M r r e o rea e ar er S S . S ne a . x G t Ch t s, ig t Lib y d ’ am e on on ar J i s s Dicti y. M aitland Club Publications H or of h K r of ist y t e i ke S cotlan . R f M d e er o n r . gist s i iste s, &c ’ M aitlan H r d s isto y of E i n ur . d b gh M aps

' A rm r r on ee o an 1 . st g s Th L thi s, 7 7 3 ’ F orr M a of E a o n 1 e a . st s ps st L thi , 7 7 9 ’ ‘ Pon an d A a r M M a 6 S S . 1 08 . ts i s ps, ’ d N isb H r et s erald y. Pr oun R or of a ivy C cil ec s S cotl n . ’ d d Pr nne H or y s ist y . R egisters of Great S eal Charters .

R e our S erv e of r &c . t s, ic W its, ’ R r D o ge s ( r) S ocial Life. R d ’ d ymer s F ae ra. ’ i o s R e ou H o S pott sw ode ligi s uses . ’ D r F a otia S cott s ( ) sti S c e . ’ Turnbull s F ragmen ts . ’ r Wood row s Chu ch History . &c. &c. &c . T E T C O N N S .

H A P E R C T I .

INTRODU CTION .

PA GE ” er a on of the wor F a a S ou ra — S ua on— ew from S ou ra D iv ti s s l , t it ti Vi t — d — S ream L i n ndean R oa t s ds,

C HA PTE R II .

F A L A K IR K A N D PROPRIETORS . — — — — F ala Ki rk Rectory Proprietors Hays E dmon stones S in clai r Hamil ‘ on —M ill—S a r t s G t i ,

C HA PTE R III .

v r A A n 1 1srons o F L PA RIS H . — — — — F ala Parish Division s of Property Brothershiels F ala M oor King m V —F a a F o — S alvandi— F a a u e— C akemui r J a es . l l w l L ggi Cas tle — — — - — F rosti neb Blackshiels Inn F ala D am Pri nce Charlie F al a M l— F ala Ha il ll,

H R C A PTE IV.

V F ILLA GE O F A LA . — — — — a am . n F ala Village J mes V . J es VI S i r J oh Cope Lor Chancellor — d E on D e ne S m ld cli ith, Contents .

C HA PTE R V .

M ONA S TE Y OF S OU T A . R R PA GE — — — M ona r —E ar hart r — S outra Gi rthgate Watling S treet ste y ly C e s Gifts of — — — Lan s Wealth of M onastery Importan ce C on ﬁrmation by Pope d — — — — Gregory l x Hospice Tri n ity Well S anctuary S outra Isle — — O r er of S t A ugusti n e S pecial Protection N ames of M asters d — ’ S ou ra M onas er M Pr or e t t y ill i s W ll,

HA P E VI C T R .

F R A V E TRA NS F ER O S OU T RE EN U . H — — S outra M onastery or Holy Trin ity ospital Transfer of R even ues Of me—E re on of r n o e Ho a E n ur —Pre Na cti T i ity C ll ge spit l, i b gh ben — — — d — ai ries S outra Vicarage C urch Vicars Bea smen Pringle d h d , HA P E VI C T R I.

A F S T L NDS O OU RA . - S outra Lan s S outra Beacons T he Hertfor Invasion S urety M en ' d ’ — ’ — d — Hun ter s Hall Lawrie s D en S outra Witch M r J ohn A inslie ’ T he e u n S one D il s P tti g t ,

HA P E R III C T V .

T S OF S U T A PROPRIE OR O R . — m or w —R o er F e h r— — T he Geology Willia B th ick b t l tc e Pringles M aitlands - — — S i r oma — — R eidhall F alconers Th s N apier M rs Ogilvie Woo — — - — d or u e ener In — cote L or Woo L J stic G al gli s M r La ban M r —d d — d — — M Horn on ower ro r Crombie r Gilst T P p ietors of Gilston North n s and ro r e ors —A n er on of Whi Brothersto e P p i t s s thurgh Kellybaak — d and ohnstounburn ro r e or e t M ar a J P p i t s K i h isch l,

HA P E I C T R X.

C U C OF F A H R H LA .

—F urn s n — ommun on u — — — F ala Church i hi gs C i C ps Bell Churchyar M ort — — - d F l a M an e e e a r na Cloth a s Gl b P t o ge Right of Presentation S a e of h of resen a on l Rig t P t ti , m Contents . x

HA E C PT R X .

M S TE F T A INI RS O HE P RI S H . — PA GE oma a rn the a oman a o ar T he R ev. M e r F ran Th s C i s, l st R C th lic Vic ss s k, ohnstoun Hen er on Ha e Carkettill arm ae homsone Por J , d s , sti , , C ich l, T , u o an M oo e ohn stou ne ran a er and S m o tec s, L g , i , J , G t, C v s, i ps n d — Wo h a e of re on an The R ev. M e r t ers oon our a B ttl P st p s ss s p , G l y, ' ’ ' S ro S n er S herriﬂ Har ne M un ro In ram om on and p tt, i g s, , k ss, , g , Th s , Hun er t ,

CHA PTE R XI.

ST IPEND or F A LA . — — S tipen R etum to E cclesiastical Commissioners i n 1 627 Down Gra e d — d n er a n alue ne au e e n U c t i V U xh st d T i ds, I CHA PTE R X I .

K-S RECORDS OF KIR ESS ION . - — — r S es on e or o ume I. II. III IV. V. ua n E ra Ki k si R c s V l s , , , , Q i t xt cts d — — R e i er of a m R e er of Pro lama on s e e r of ur a g st B ptis s gist c ti R gist B i ls,

E I CHA PT R X II.

B AR F T HE PA O DS O RIS H . — - — — Parochial B oard S chool Board S choolmasters Libraries Charities F r en S o e i dly ci ty,

CHA PTE R XIV.

F A A S C S S C U C H L E E ION H R . — — — T he S ece ssion Church Its Origi n M i nisters S ir William J ohnston on r on—A n er ar C g egati n iv s y,

E CHA PT R XV.

M N T M E N C N CT W TH T HE PA E I EN ON E ED I RIS H. — — E m nen M en A n er on of Whitbur h o n o an—R l i t s s g J h L g ev. Wil iam d — — — A erson F arm enan s A r u ur W nd T t g ic lt e ages General Condition of the Peo e pl , x iv Contents .

C HA PTE R XVI .

C HA RA CTER OF PA RI S H A N D PEOPLE . — T he Perfect R ural Character of the Parish T he Gen eral Con ition of the — — — d People What they Rea Thei r In telligence Their R eligion — d — — Thei r I nquisitiven ess Their Politeness Con scription Home Life - an i n — W — T he an ue n— A S o u on Ch ge F ood Their ork L d Q stio l ti A e n Bl ssi g,

GENERA L IN n Ex F al a n d S r a o u t a .

A C H P T E R I.

R O D U C O INT TI N .

” er a on of the wor F a a S ou ra — S ua on— ew from S outra D iv ti s l , t it ti Vi d — - n n d S treams L i can R oads . H E name “ Fala ” is derived from the little hill upon

n which the Parish Church sta ds , and is a contraction

for F aulaw P . F aw , awlaw , or Falla It is the same Fal or

u and F au side n which is fo nd in Falkirk, Falkland , , and mea s “ " “ ” e speckled , hence Fala means speckled hill In som of “ u the old charters it is designated lie Falla, lie , a corr p “ i le t on of the French article , showing that the French inﬂuence was considerable at Court and in Law . The use of

' the article was m eant to mark it oﬂ from the s maller Falas that then existed in various parts of the country .

S oltre S ow tra S o utra Soutra, spelt , Solter, y , y, means , in - “ . n the Cambo British , prospect town No doubt the ame arose from the magniﬁcent view which is got from the site of the ancient monastery, which was at one time surrounded by

a con siderable village . ! The question has been often asked , Where is Fala and

A 2 Fala and Soutra . the manner of asking indicated that the enquirer thought that

the Fala was either in the North Seas, West H ighland glens , or l m in the wi ds of Conne ara. Many will be surprised to - learn that it forms the so uth east corner of the county of

- c Mid Lothian , and is distant from the ity of Edinburgh only

ﬁf n a teen miles . It is bounded o the e st by the parish of H umbie ; on the south by the parish of Soutra ; on the west by Heriot and Stow an d on the north by the detached parts

o f C ran sto u n t Borthwick , , and Humbie, and by an a tached

n part of Crichto parish . It is about ﬁve miles long from east

to west, and one mile broad from north to south , and contains

a 2 l l 1 0 . bout 3 imperia acres Soutra, which is a most of the

s ame length and breadth , lies immediately to the south , in the

c n ounty of East Lothian, havi g Channelkirk for its southern

n 2 0 . boundary, and contai ing about 9 4 acres The great road,

1 8 made in the year 34 , between Edinburgh and Lauder, is

w off the the line hich marks the cultivated lands to east, f rom those which are mostly pasture to the west. The various white and green crops of the district are cultivated with success ; and the parish has been long known to raise

sheep which command the highest prices at fair and market . l After entering the parish from the north , the ascent is gradua

is ~ about 1 2 0 until you reach the summit of Soutra H ill , which 3

feet above the level of the sea . At this point a wide expanse o f cou ntry opens to your

’ w a vie . Mr Singers, in Sinclair s St tistical Account of

n s s ays The view from Soutra is most enchanti g. Pa sing

for a considerable way through the dreary moor, where nothing

all meets the eye but barren heath , here , at once, the ﬁne

v culti ated counties of M id and East Lothians, with the Frith V w ie from Soutra . 3

r of Forth and coast of Fife, bu st upon the view . The

n h n n sudde ness of the c a ge , and the mi gled group of hills ,

d d an d n ow x and ales, and woo s , waters, which stretch e ten

u sive to the eye, give s ch a throb of pleasure to the heart as f is not to be described . Even in the clear atmosphere o April and September there may be seen far beyond the Pent - land range the coneshaped tops of Ben Lawers and Ben

’ s Ledi and farther to the east, on a clear, harp winter s day ,

a r o l after a f ll of snow, the e is reﬂected the general ut ine of

S idlaw . the H ills in Forfarshire The Isle of May, with its

n k r bright electric ﬂash at ight ; the Bass Roc , North Be wick ,

Bu T ra rai n o the . t and p Law, all c me within visual range seldom will the spectator ﬁnd within such a short radius so - m m b tu e . any eautifully si at d ansions Elphinstone Tower,

O x e n foord s Preston hall o Hall Ca tle , , Ormist n Hall , Saltoun ,

se C oste rton Whitbur h o H umbie Hou , House , g , Wo dcote

a ohnstou nbu rn . P rk , and J , may be all seen from Soutra Hill

of ba s The Firth Forth , from Dun r to the Bas Rock , and

F idra t to from Ligh house Cramond Island , is distinctly seen ;

n the o f st eve Castle Rock Edinburgh, rugg ling hard to rise

u above the smoke , is conspic ous. The centre of the united parishes m ay be considered the

e e r wat rsh d between the t ibutaries of the Gala on the west,

C ak e mu ir and the Tyne on the east. Burn , rising in the moss m - about the fa ous castle of that name , runs north east, under

a the high embankment of the L uder road towards Fala dam ,

s and joins the L i n ndean Burn beyond the man ion of Keith .

u s of Fala Hall B rn ri es in the moor to the south Fala Flow,

e and forms the boundary b tween Fala and Soutra parishes ,

— D ean burn u leaves , the residence of Mrs Dods , thro gh the 4 Fala and Soutra .

Woodraik a C ak e mu ir lands of and Fal Hall , and joins the

n C oste rton . L i n ndean Bur above The , by far one of the

a a t prettiest streams in the Lothi ns , st r s in the H ens Moss to ’ — the west of Lawrie s D e m rushes on to a wild and deep m and rocky gorge, and for s a splendid cascade clothed by ’ u birch and oak and mo ntain ash , and falls into Kate s

Cauldron , a deep pool named after a Miss Cathrine Mait

of ed land , daughter of the Laird Soutra, who drown

herself two hundred years ago, in a state of frenzy over a love ff . t n a air After leaving the pool , it gurgles on be wee high 00 rocks on either side, over boulder and shingle for about 5

n yards , until it comes to the open grounds around the ma sion

oodcote n s h ohnstoun burn of W . I t the passe on throug J and k i Humbie Woods to join the C a e mu r Burn .

The Armet, which is the boundary between Channelkirk

’ i n o f parish and Soutra, rises the bog to the west Lawrie s

n Brothe rsto n e n Den , and passes Gilsto and Nether , and joi s

w C r kst n N the Gala belo oo o e Castle . It recei ves at ether

Brothersto n e Brothershie ls n w the Bur , hich is the boundary

a line between Fal and Soutra on the west. The beautiful undulations of the soil— the uniform divi — sions of the lands caused by these streams the natu ral

on l the L am m ermuir situation the northern s opes of H ills, and the ﬁr plantations on the moor and bills to the south

west, make the climate salubrious , although the air at times is

r m f b acing and sharp . Fogs are seldo seen , and the rain all

n 2 o the lower grounds is only 9 inches per annum . Often

i n when the Lothians are covered with mist and fog winter, the higher grounds are enjoying the bright and warm

sunshine.

II C HAPT E R .

F A LA K I R K A N D PR OPR I ETO R S .

— — — — — F ala Ki rk R ectory Proprietors Hays E dmon stones S in clai r ‘ on —M i l— a r Hamilt s G l S t i .

two i n 1 6 1 8 P to the time when the parishes were united , there seems to have been little or no connection between

u a h . t e them The rectors of Fala p to the Reform tion , from complete silence as to their names and functions, seem not to have been on friendly terms with their greater an d richer l neighbours on S outrahi l . In all the charters and historical references there is not the slightest notice of the priest who n the served the Fala altar, and supplied the spiritual wa ts of

Fala people . Yet there is a historical reference to the existence of a church at Fala prior to the oldest date in connection with the monastery of Soutra . I n the ancient

x tio 1 1 ta a of 3 7 Fala Kirk had to pay, as its proportion ,

of t ra the sum six merks , while here is no reference to Sout , as the church and hospital there were the property of the

n ot x Master and Brethren , and subject to the same ta ation .

the It is supposed that the Rectory of Fala was, like other - churches i n Mid Lothian during the tenth an d eleventh centuries, under the diocese of St Cuthbert . The patronage

u of Fala , p to the present time from the eleventh century, has continued with the Lord of the Manor . It is supposed that there were associated with the Rector of Fala, some of the Brethren of the Trinity friars who had charge of a small r Fala P oprietors . 7 hospital in connection with Fala Church ; and this is sup b ported y an entry in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland , of 1 6 the the date 3 5 , which states that Brethren of Holy Trinity

E rsk n of Fala had received from Robert de y , treasurer, the ”

6 5 . 8d. sum of g; 3 , ; and Forbes , in his Book on Tithes, mentions that the order of the Trinity friars was appointed

ban e id es and conﬁrmed by Pope I nnocent I I I . Their /

c were alled and the prelate was called minister . ’

e &c. Such wer the ministers of Fala, Peebles, Scotland s Well ,

V . x The Rectory of Fa a, as it stood under James , was ta ed l ’

6 . a r T x 1 . d a at !I , 3s 4 and it gain appea s in the Archbishop s R oll 1 of 5 47 . Of the teinds as well as of the minister nothing can be said ;

but in all likelihood, as the church was under the immediate

patronage and supervision of the Lord Superior, the minister would be paid by him according to some rule approved of

by the Bishop . The church and rectory would be upheld

from the same source, under the spiritual supervision of the

Bishop of St Andrews, who held sway over the Lothian f churches up to the Re ormation . The proprietors of the lands of Fala were better recognised by the Master and Brethren utrahill w on S o than ere the Rectors of Fala. In the early Soutra charters there appear the names of Sir Barthole mow

F awla awla F awla de y, Samuel de F y, and Adam de y, these

n gentlemen taking the names of their estates , as was commo

at the times . Father Hay mentions that the name of Sir

F awla L i n lum Edward Hay, ﬁrst laird of y and p , appears in a

charter of his brother David, granting him the lands of Fala .

This Sir Edward was a second brother of the House of Yester, “ de roth A u ust and the charter is dated , Apud castrum Peebles, g 8 Fala and Soutra .

1 1 2 awla 1 439 . In 4 9 , Agnes de F y was paid the sum of 1; 4

a u n s v by William Nory, Tre s rer, Edi burgh , for e enteen ells of

ma cloth which she supplied to the Royal H ousehold . Agnes y

d n have been the wife ofthe lair . Joh Hay, who was killed at the f battle of Verneull in France, was ather to Sir William Hay of

Fala, as appears by a charter of David , Lord Yester, to Sir

l 1 6 a Wil iam of Fala, dated August 4 9 . The H ys, it may be

n presumed , were the Lords of the Ma or up to the time that the lands fell into the hands of the E dm on stou ns of that Ilk . Early in the beginning of the sixteenth century the Edmon stouns were the chief proprie tors of the lands in the parishes

o C ran stoun r w of Newt n , Liberton , , C ichton , and Fala, as ell

u as of Ednam in Roxb rghshire. The ﬁrst charter relating to

E dmonstou ns the in the Great Seal charters of Scotland , is

e 1 th 1 that of dat the s May 5 33 , which says that the King

(James V . ) conﬁrmed the charter by James E dm onstoun e on

E dmon stoun e the one part , and Adam H ume and Janet on

t w s the other part , of heir la ful and just right to the land of

E dm onstou n &c f , Ednam , . , with the gi t of the Churches and

the i Chapels , and to r ght of the patronage of the hospital of

Fala. The lands of Fala were destined soon to pas s from the

E dm onstou ns , and , whether by marriage or otherwise , the

n . 1 2 Si clairs of Roslin became proprietors In 5 4 , the King

n (James at Edinburgh , conﬁrmed the charter of the la ds

of Fala to Sir William Sinclair of the Roslin M ilitia . Sir

u la n d- r ad bu tton William co ld play not only at g , but also at

m b u g , for, in the Privy Co ncil Records , it is recorded that at Holyrood House on the 6th July 1 5 7 3 appeared Sir William

R osli n K n cht Sinclair of g, y , who was charged to give, exhibit, ’ The K ing s Buttons . 9 m ’ and produce before y Lord Regent s Grace, and Lords of Secret Council ce rtane button is of gold sum tym e pertenan to ’ S ov eran e owre Lord s Moder, given to him in pledge, contan

n sex ten e dosane ressait thairof and in umber , and deny the ,

f M ak cal ean e ressav it a ﬁrmed that M r Thomas y had the same ,

u s w su er where pon the said M r Thoma , being called to ans er p confessed the re ssit of sa mony bu tton n is of the

the. wecht foresaid fra said Sir William Sinclair, by virtue of

his writing, under his subscription containing the selling and deliverance thai rof made by him to the said Maister Thomas

' for the sow me of fyv e hundreth m e rk is ressav it to him for the

n samyn , wherefore the said Maister Thomas , bei g charged to

make exhibition , exhibit the same of the number and wecht fo irsaid desyrit ane day to call the said Sir William for his ” w d d warrand . The buttons were after ards returne to the Lor

and Regent, Mr Thomas was allowed to take action against

Sir William , which was settled out of court. The Sinclairs

1 n were not long in possession , for in 59 7 , the Ki g conﬁrmed

a charter made by John H islop , Master of the Hospital of ’ E den ham e E dmonstoun St Leonard s in , by which David of Charterhouse w as to be given back the lands in fee simple of

-K ellaﬂat Spittal , also the lands of Fala , Fala Hall , Brother

Woodraik shiels, and (Longwood), with the hill and mill

lands and the tein ds . This charter was witnessed by Francis E dm onstoun r 1 th at his residence, Fala Hall House, on the

1 6 October 59 . The last of the E dm on stouns who w as proprietor was m named Patrick . His na e appears in the deposition which

r n was made by the pa ish mi ister and others , before the Pres b te r 1 6 2 y y of Dalkeith in 7 , when a Royal Commission , which

13 1 0 F ala and Soutra. was appointed to enquire as to the Ecclesiastical Revenues of

u . the Ch rch , appeared The next name that appears in con necti o n with the lands of Fala is that of David C re ichton of

L u tou n e -C re ichto n i g , who was served he r to the lands and

n tei nds on the 2 2 nd Novembe r 1 649 . It cannot be ascertai ed

C re ichtons whether this property came into the by purchase ,

. T n by theft, or by gift hough they were not lo g in possession , the family kept up a connection with the parish for many years ’ afterwards . The Laird s son became schoolmaster at a salary

- 0 as from the Kirk Session of 4 a year. H e also acted reader in the Church . The grandson was educated at Edin burgh University from the Session Funds , and afterwards

his f as a succeeded ather parochi l teacher, acting in that capa

u f city p to the Revolution sett ement . Shortly be ore his ° l i' esi nation a scan dal w g , arose in the parish hich created a great

n amount of feeling, and which caused his resig ation . I n the - newly erected mansion of Fala, called Fala House, which

u -a- -a stood abo t half mile south e st from the Parish Church ,

two r lived a Lady H umby, whose servants , Patrick C aig and

° n f - for Jane Hanson , were summo ed be ore the Kirk Session

. u scandalous conduct They ref sed to appear, as it afterwards

C re ichton was turned out, by the private advice of David , who

f r also summoned o his connivance . After a long and pro

the - tracted consideration of the case by Kirk Session , the f n three were all , in the ace of the co gregation , rebuked by the

so ff minister, which gave much o ence to Lady Humby that

she left the parish , and gave as a solatium to the poor the

sum ﬁ of v e pounds .

1 66 2 Prestoun son In , Patrick Hamilton of Little , and

heir of Mr Patrick H amilton , was served heir to the lands of 1 1 Hamiltons of Fala . - &c . t 2 0 1 s . a Fala, , with the einds in augmentation of g , 3 year. This marks a very important epoch in the history of the

parish , as the lands up to the present time had remained in

f and the same amily connection , as he was the ﬁrst to erect a f the amily residence, lay out grounds , and plant with ﬁrs and t s f r . as a other ree a large portion of the estate Patrick , as

be ad — can learned from the Register, h three children Thomas ,

1 6 e 1 6 who became proprietor in 7 4 J an , who became, in 9 9 , the wife of William Blackwood, merchant, Edinburgh ; and f John Hepburn Hamilton , who was named a ter the Laird of and ea the Humbie, who b c me a Co onel , and was witness to ’ l s baptism of three of his brother children . f Colonel Thomas Hamilton succeeded his ather Patrick ,

a and had a large family, four of whom were b ptised in Fala

. v 1 2 Kirk Thomas , son of the Colonel , was ser ed heir in 7 4 . He had been married for several years before he came to own

e f his the lands, and he , lik those who had gone be ore, took up e two residence in Fala House . Ther were children of the — who was 1 6 marriage Thomas, born in October 7 3 , and ’

z 1 . m Eli abeth , born in November 7 37 At Elizabeth s baptis “ as r f and in Fala Kirk there were sponsors , My Lo d Ox ord ”

n D alrm le . Sir Joh p The ﬁrst, no doubt, was meant for

O x enfoord and of n Baron , the second was son the Sir Joh

r e sa Dal ympl , who, by his connection with the Mas cre of

Glencoe , left an indelible mark on Scottish history . Their n h w as presence at this baptism is sig iﬁcant, for t is little lady destined to bring together by marriage the three great houses

v iz . e that were represented , , the houses of Hamilton, Dalrympl , ‘ ll and M Gi . Tradition throws a humorous light upon Eliza

’ is t C ranstou beth s marriage . It said tha Sir John rode from n 1 F 2 ala and Soutra . and met his lady-love unknown to both parents at the Fala u w ’ Ho se Lodge , which was situated on hat is now the Joiner s

u . Park , thirty yards west from the so th corner of the Glebe

They were careful to have witnesses present , who could prove if necessary that she ran away with him , and not he with her . m Before they ounted the same horse she was heard to exclaim , !” Come on , John A start was made , and soon she was

’ ’ O er the border an d awa W ’ ’ - ” i J ock o F ordel d ean .

Thomas, the brother of Elizabeth , when he came to heir -M ‘ Gill the Fala estates , took the name Thomas Hamilton ; w the and after ards , when estates came to her, she was known e M ‘ Gill as Lady Dalrympl Hamilton , wife of Sir John

lan d . . C ous Dalrymple, Bart , of

n i e r After the an exation of the var ous prop ties, the

proprietors of Fala ceased to live in Fala House , and although it was occupied by tenants up to the beginning of

r . the present centu y, it was allowed to fall into decay That

n which was once one of the ﬁ est country mansions, and the

n . sce e of domestic felicity, is now no more The old armour

O x e nfoord which made it famous was removed to Castle, and the stones of the buildi ng itself were carted away to build that which has been known for the last eighty years as

. u Blackshiels Inn Altho gh the mansion was neglected , much has been done to improve the value of the land by

a plantation on the east of the moor, and by dr inage and

other means . As much of the land to the west of the parish

is only of prairie value , an extension of the present woods

w e bu t u u r ould not only give bett r shelter to stock , wo ld f rthe

CH A PTE R I I I .

P D IVIS IONS OF F A LA A R IS H .

— — - — F ala Parish Divisions of P roperty B rothershiels F ala M oor Kin g J ames V. — — — F ala F low S alvandi F ala Luggi e Cakemuir Castle F rosti neb — nn — a a D am— r n har — ala M — F Ha l Blackshiels I F l P i ce C lie F ill ala l .

n the h T H E followi g divisions of paris of Fala, which is n n the entirely ow ed by Lord Stair, are recog ised in old er i n c — , d F chart s an also the old lo ality of stipends ala, Fala Brothershiels Woodraik Hall , , and , or Longwood . Brother s f the hiels orms the western part of parish , and lies up

a N ettlin ﬂat Han in shaw ‘ h ag inst g and g g , in the paris of Heriot ; both were for long i n the possession of Soutra

h N ettli n ﬂ t f Monastery. O n t e g a road there existed or long of w -ﬁv e h a common piece pasture of about t enty acres , w ich was used by gipsies and drovers for feeding and resting a al a o e t c ttle, but sever years g a march fenc was run hrough Brothershiels it, giving the one half to and the other to

l a Brothershiels N ett in ﬂat . g To the e st of , stretching for

s w - about three mile , and one mile broad, lies the ell known Fala I has n 1 2 t e . Moor. b e made historical by King James V in 54 resting there for a few days an army of thirty thousand men . x w as K ing Henry of England, under the prete t that he Lord

u r t f t S pe ior over Sco land, that James had broken ai h in not e aff keeping an appointment to meet and arrange Stat airs , and also that James had been found guilty of connivance with

the r e war n S a . I ish rebels, d clared agai st cotl nd A great M 1 Fala oor. 5

u Borou hm uir u m ster took place on the g , Edinb rgh , and after

n a a n all ecess ry rrangements were made, the ki g and his

u e army marched so thwards through Dalkeith , Pathh ad , and

a . u the village of F la, to the muir After bivo acking there for a

fe w . days, news arrived of the marching of the English army w as d The king held a council with his nobles , and it agree

u w t s upon that Earl Huntly sho ld proceed ith a hou and men ,

and those behind should prepare to give battle . After H untly

as was had left, and as the English were not so near anticipated, e m n discontent broke out among the nobl s , who the ki g again r a summoned to his presence, and t ied to pacify by appe ling H . e a to their devotion and patriotism made long speech, of which the follow ing is a part : Shall it ever be said that the nobility of Scotland have abandoned the services of their e king in the sight of the enemy, and when the two armi s

e ! s were r ady to engage Is it pos ible that you , who have

r v courted opportunity to shew you bra ery, would willingly lose this opportunity which offers when you may purchase f resh laurels The leaders could not agree, and the army

was disbanded .

F a a n The king, shortly after he had left l , got intimatio a x that a d ughter had been born to him, when he e claimed, ” T h . e s It came with a lass, and will go with a lass religiou u w a feeling of the co ntry, the ne s of the defeat of the rmy at w e the Sol ay, where so many wer taken prisoners, the dis

all content of the nobles , and the birth of a daughter, preyed

and r upon his mind, and ﬁlled him with rage, shame, egret .

a e few e s a H is he lth soon gave way , and he di d a we k fter his h v a t e a e. isit to F la Moor at Falkland , in ﬂower of his g dd e a u ted F o I n the mi l of F la Moor is sit a Fala l w, a Fala and Soutra .

small loch about a quarter of a mile long . It is believed by

its some of the inhabitants that the loch has no bottom , as

water is of a dark , peaty colour . There are many stories of

n horses and men havi g been drowned in crossing the moor, by coming in winter upon the morass which surrounds the

. s Flow Of all the tories , the following appeals most to the — imagination A gentleman on horseback was crossi ng the

a w and moor on one occ sion , hen horse rider suddenly dis

a i n appe red . The y were never seen this country again but

a it appe rs that three weeks afterwards they were found , safe

! a n r and sound, in New e land, havi g fallen st aight through

the earth to the other side .

a k The Flow is a natur l resort of wild duc s and geese , and f other owls . There is only a solitary house occupied by the

d S alv andi shepher , upon the moor , called , the name taking us ” back to the time when the church on the hill was supreme .

a The name is the Latinised form , and may me n the place of

salvation or safety .

On the north side of the moor a scar may be seen , where for generations the villagers and minister got their peats for - fuel ; but the development of the coal ﬁe lds at A m iston and Newbattle has put all in the district beyond the need of a

peat ﬁre . Near to the scar is situated the remain s of an old Roman Of speculum or keep , called Fala Luggie . its history nothing is known ; but as it is situated on that part of Watling

Street which runs from Soutra to Currie , near Borthwick - u . Castle , it is either the r ins or the site of a Roman look out

e Ther can be no doubt that the Romans lived there, for two 1 8 2 Roman urns were found in 5 , a few hundred yards

akem uir l 1 C Cast e . 7

h C ak e mu ir . t e to the north , on H ill They were presented to

Museum of the Society of Antiquaries, Edinburgh , by Mr

ro k st n v u Borthwick of C o o e . Se eral coins were fo nd at the

n C harles . ruin about the same time, belo ging to the reign of I

n n ow and w The rui itself is not much , sho s that utilitarian hands have been upon it again and again . I t commands a

w of n A an d magniﬁcent vie the Pe tlands , rthur Seat, M id

and Lothian , a most likely place to erect a signalling station . Around it are still to be found faint traces of

u a ditch or moat, and beyond the land has been c lti

at n v ed. O verlooked by the Luggie is the a cient castle

C ak em uir n of , where Quee Mary slept the night after she

r Cak em uir ﬂed from Bo thwick Castle . She went from to

Carberry Tower, where she met the Earl Bothwell .

w as u The castle itself only a sq are , strong tower, in much

n decay , until it fell into the ha ds of the present proprietor, W Mr George ight of Edinburgh . It has been thoroughly repaired ; stained glass windows put into the room where the Q ueen slept ; and also a large wing has been built in har mony with the older building. The whole building is now

ﬁrst- s in class condition , and reﬂects the greate t credit upon u the present laird, who occ pies it during the summer months .

n The lands arou d, like others in the district, are held in feu , and were once in possession of the House of Soutra . About the time of the Reformation they were acquired by the

Waucho s N iddrie i n p of , who were possession for over three hundred years, when they were sold to Alexander Mackay, the son of a successful border drov er. Mackay held them

1 880 w f until , hen they were purchased by the ather of the

n d prese t lair . To the east, and still overlooked by the Luggie, 1 8 Fala and Soutra .

F rosti neb n is West Mains , which is better known as , a ame

c whi h the property does not in any way suggest. It also has been purchased by Mr Wight. Adjoining this property to

i s - the east the well known Blackshiels, the shieling of the

f . Blackfriars, rom whom it originally got its name The w monks possessed it for long . Little is kno n of the other

n proprietors u til the land was held by the Kers , late of

Woodburn e , Dalkeith , who owned it for over a hundred years . I t was sold to Lord Stair forty or ﬁfty years ago . The great increase of vehicular trafﬁc between Edinburgh n and the south brought into existence , about the begin ing of - this century, the well known Blackshiels I nn . I t grew step b by step , until now it is , for size, a formidable uilding on the east side of the new public road of 1 834 . A great trade was carried on , not only in supplying the wants of the neighbouring

m r people and sportsmen , but also of nu erous t avellers who

. 1 8 2 came by coach When the railways were opened in 4 ,

s there were thirteen coaches , which pa sed each way every day. w There were t enty pairs of horses , and vehicles of all kinds, constantly kept at the inn . It was a stirring place . Farmers from Lauderdale , from east and west, met to transact business and to drink deep . It was no uncommon thing for farmers who had been at the Thursday Dalkeith market never to h t ink about going home until their wives , who came to church ’

u d . on S n ay, came to the rescue Their Sunday s worship was

’ a ﬁtti ng pe nance for three days debauch . All this is now

Broomﬁeld changed . The inn is now occupied by Mr , son of - w . the last keeper of the inn , as a d elling house He farms h lands . T e the of Blackshiels , Fala Mill , and Fala Parks - post ofﬁce and another dwelling house are all that now re

r 2 0 Fala and Sout a .

Andersons of Whitbu rgh after the Battle of Prestonpans in

a 1 7 45 . When the Prince and his rmy were encamped above Tranent Muir the night before

the battle, they were consider ing the best means ofattack ing the army of

S ver Whist e of Pri nce Char ie 1n ossession of il l l , p S l r C h“ co e - I p , M a or Genera A nderson C . B. j l , when one of the Generals informed the Prince of a young man who w as w knew the ground , and illing to lead the army by the best and safest path . This young man was the son of the h Whitbur . Laird of g He knew the ground well , for, being a

n keen sportsman , he often shot over it , as part of it belo ged to s an uncle . Young Anderson was admitted into the pre ence

n of the Pri ce, who received him favourably, as he had learned of his knowledge of the place, and as the Andersons were well

n . know to be strong Jacobites He accomplished the task , which led to a disastrous result to the Whig army . The

w n for Prince never forgot this act, and , hen passi g Fala the

i . south , made a halt at the Dam to receive the Anderson fam ly

1 st 1 n w six On the 3 October 7 45 , the Pri ce, ith an army of thou

for the sand , left Musselburgh for Dalkeith , where they halted night . The army here divided into two portions . One, under the command of Lord George Murray, took the road to Carlisle d eb . r by Pe les The other left Dalkeith on the 3 November, with the Prince marching at their head , and arrived at Preston e had a f the hall Gate, wher he bre k ast, which was prepared by r 2 1 Prince Cha lie Relics .

Prestonhall orders of the Duchess of Gordon , who occupied

n P nhall . resto at that time After leavi g , the next halt was

Fala Dam , where the Prince and his suite had luncheon , which was prepared and served by the

Whi bu r h . young ladies of t g House After a little attention on his part, and when he was about to

Im m edi leave, the ladies asked for a keepsake . ately he cut from the hilt of his sword a piece of

as embroidered red cloth (not a piece of velvet, is sometimes narrated), and handed it to them . The

Prince and army marched on through Fala Village ,

S outrahill f over , and had re reshments again at ’ ’ Lawrie s Den , and ﬁnished the ﬁrst day s march at - B w . C . Lauder to n Major General Anderson, . , of

D rum sheu h g Gardens , Edinburgh , the last of the

Whitbur h Andersons who possessed g , has in his possession the relic of the Prince, and several other historical articles which the Prince had

the gifted to family at various times. The following articles are in General Anderson ’ s ’ n possession . A miniature e amelled portrait of m wﬁﬁfjfzé

’ h i r r 5 6 s a . p e the Prince sent by him after he had left the “ Whitbu r h country to Robert Anderson of g , as if; a remembrance of his services at the Battle of A s 1 . Pre tonpans, 7 45 gold scarf pin with small lock of the ’ Prince s hair. Two small silver seals . Two sleeve buttons worn by the Prince at his balls at Holyrood after the battle in 1 74 5 ; and a silver whistle which he used be

fore the same battle . These invaluable relics of a chival rous Prince might be procured by the nation for national 2 2 Fala and Soutra .

purposes ; although the Andersons guard them with feelings

of pride .

About the beginning of this century , Fala Dam was in a high state of excitement by the discovery of the body of a lady in

a d t one of the old houses . I t appe rs that a La y Forres er had

made her escape , or had decamped from her residence about

r Corsto phine . She made her way southwards, and when she

x t reached Fala Dam , e hausted by cold and fa igue, she crept

into an old dilapidated house to die , where her body was found next day by her relatives . n C osterton Adjoini g the lands of Fala Mill , and opposite ,

a . lies Fala H ll, one of the best farms in the parish It takes

a its name, Fala Hall , from the fact th t, before Fala House

was built by the Hamiltons , and upon it stood the resi

r dence of the ea ly proprietors . The Hays of Fala would

reside here . The house itself is old and quaint, inhabited by the tenant, and the farm now also includes that of Fala North

r e . Mains . Seve al r lics of a bygone age have been found Two cists or stone cofﬁns were got when draining the ﬁeld to

1 86 the west of the steading ﬁfty years ago, and in 5 a celt of m sandstone , g inches by inches , was also discovered , and

o was presented to the Museum of the S ciety of Antiquaries,

Edinburgh , by Mrs John Scott. Various articles of bronze ff at di erent times have been found , but these now cannot be

r t aced . All this is a great proof that Fala Hall must have

e been inhabited, and the lands cultivated , at an early p riod of Scottish history. C H A P T E R I V

VILLA GE OF F A LA .

F ala a — am — am — — Vill ge J es V. J es VI. S ir J oh n Cope Lor Chancellor E l i n — d d D eclin e S mith . T H E village of Fala is the most important centre in the parish, having the Church and manse, the school and - U P school house, the . Church and manse, and all those

n necessary co comitants that go to make up a village . I t is

often confounded with Blackshiels, as it lies against it, the

division not being visible to the stranger. It is entirely in - the parish of Fala, Mid Lothian , was at one time situated

on the main road from Edinburgh to Lauder, and became a

place of considerable importance. It is only since the great

d 1 8 a roa was opened in 34, which p sses within a hundred

yards of the village , that it has become obscure, and

eclipsed by its neighbour Blackshiels , through which the

s f k new road pa ses . I n act , Blac shiels only came into notice f after the ﬁrst quarter of this century by its inn and post o ﬁce . . In the olden time the village of Fala w as a convenient

- ma resting place for travellers , amongst whom y have been

s kings and queens , nobles and squires, knight and common V w people . King James . , when passing ith his army in

1 2 October 54 to Fala Moor, stopped at the village and

r signed a conﬁrmation charter, g anting to William Menteith

' an d baron &c . &c . de Kerse , the lands y of Kerse, , On the oth 1 u September 54 7 , ﬁve years after, the Q een (Mary), at 2 F 4 ala and Soutra.

l Fala, granted by charter to George, Earl of Rothes, the ands

Balli nbri ch l and barony of y , and a so another charter, granting the lands of Leslie and Kennoway . But as the

ﬁv e Queen was only years of age , a minor, and resident at

u the time in Stirling, she co ld not have in person granted s l these two charter . As Earl H unt y had been on the West

Marches at the time, and had been appointed Governor of

Scotland a few months before , and had got word that the

was w w English army marching north ards by Ber ick , he, in

n passi g Fala four days before the disastrous battle at Pinkie ,

in Musselburgh , all likelihood , in name of the Queen , granted these charters . The village of Fala was honoured by another Royal visit

1 2 1 of some importance on Friday, the th October 5 9 3 . King V I m James . ade a proclamation at Edinburgh on the 9 th

1 as October 5 9 3 for a great muster at Lauder . I t may be well to notice that there were two great parties in the State at

n an d the time, who were each plotti g planning for their own ff interest and for the m anagement of a airs . There was the

Bothwell party, the chief of whom were the Earls of Athole ,

an d . Montrose , Gowrie There was also the party of the for fe ited and fugitive Catholic lords, led by the Earls of Huntly,

’

s r . n Angu , and Er ol The K i g hated the party that the clergy

h w . favoured , t at of the Both ell party Shortly before , the w Synod of Fife, hich met at St Andrews, proclaimed the Earls

n n of Hu tly , A gus, and Errol , Lord Hume , Sir Patrick Gordon

A uchin doun e of , and Sir Jam s Chisholm, excommunicated ,

w as r . &c &c . idolaters , heretics, , This proclaimed in eve y

r r n t presbyte y and in eve y parish in Scotland, feeli g agains l them was so strong. The King also issued a proc amation

2 6 Fala and Soutra .

l r advantage of the ull in their troubles, and ﬂed to F ance, and their estates were soon afterwards conﬁscated by the

Crown .

1 the After the battle of Prestonpans, in 74 5 , routed army

s the L ammerm ui rs of Sir John Cope ﬂew from the disa ter to , passing Fala. The village people received into their homes some of the soldiers , and hospitably entertained them , moved

e by a kindred feeling, as th ir minister and several men from

i n the farms around had been engaged the battle . Up to

a the recent ye rs soldiers were often billeted in village, which caused the people to hold the soldier in terms of the highest respect . n Another event of some historical importa ce , although

ff a of a di erent character, took place in the vill ge in November — i z . 1 2 v . m 7 7 , the arriage of Lord Chancellor Eldon

Lord Eldon , whose family name was John Scott, was the

al 0 son of a Newcastle miner, who opened a sm l sh p in Love t Lane of hat town , and as it proved of moderate success , he

n was enabled to educate his children at the best schools . Joh

th 1 1 e an was born on the 4 J une , 7 5 , w nt at early age to

n 1 66 school , and left for the U iversity of Oxford in 7 , where he intended to complete his studies for the Church . During

o his h liday he courted Elizabeth Surtees , the daughter of - - w a well to do Ne castle banker, very much against the wish

. O n 1 8th 1 2 of her parents the night of the November 7 7 , an elopement was made by placing a ladder hgai n st the window

’ the w of ﬁrst ﬂoor of Mr Surtees house , and do n it came the

had young lady, assisted by one Wilkinson , who also a post chaise waiting a short distance off. The young pair drove off unknown to any of the relatives , and made their way by L E ord Chancellor ldon . 2 7

' rahill and Morpeth and Coldstream to S ou t Fala. When they

n oh arrived at the village they asked the parish mi ister, Mr J n

u ma e h not Go rlay , to rry them , but he refus d, as t ey had complied w ith the laws of the Church . A post boy from the inn w as immediately dispatched for the nearest Episcopal T h n . e me minister, who was at Haddington mi ister in ti

f z appeared, and John Scott, Student at Ox ord, and Eli abeth

u se t Surtees, were d ly married in that house which is pre n ly n used by the Fala baker. I n this connection often Fala a d f e was Blackshiels are con ounded . I n Blackshiels proper, ther o - on the nly at that time a small public house, the inn being d an . opposite side of the road , newly built The following certiﬁcate of marriage was preserved by him up to his death

o n S o of the Par s of A ll S a n N ewcastle-u on- ne en e J h c tt i h i ts, p Ty , g tl man and E z a e S urtees of S t N o as Par s i n the same , li b th ich l i h , own were marr e at a s e s N or h r a n ac or n to the t , i d Bl ck hi l , t B it i , c di g form of matr mon prescr be and use b the hurc h of Englan i y i d d y C d, on s the n ne een da of N o em er 1 2 ames thi i t th y v b , 7 7 , by J

u anan M n s er. B ch , i i t

I r I n e en e A M S F A BA n ess. p s c J E R IRN, Wit f M A A BA o H S F ness. T O IR IRN, Wit

two The witnesses were father and son, and occupied

a Fala I nn , Blackshiels, at the time . The newly m rried

u off t n couple h rried af er the marriage , and never halted u til

h s e t ey arrived at Morpeth , where arrangement wer made ’ for their accommodation by Mrs Walsh of the Queen s ”

the . Head , who had given up her own room for occasion

e The marriage alienated the sympathy of both their par nts , which ca used John Scott to give up the idea of studying 2 8 Fala and Soutra .

h . for the C urch However, his elder brother, unlike the one m in the parable, ca e to his rescue, and materially assisted m him in prosecuting his studies . By his arked ability and faithful labours he rose to ﬁll one of the most honoured

t n positions in the land ; and after years of devo io to duty , died Lord H igh Chancellor of all England . Few villages have had such a rapid decline as that of

x Fala . It is not now the fourth of the size it was si ty years

h i n n u . ad ago It its doctor, policeman , , several public ho ses,

shops of various kinds, tailors, joiners , and blacksmiths in abundance . Now these have mostly all disappeared , and the closing of the Blackshiels Inn ten years ago , and the stopping h of the coach , have left it wit out stir or bustle . Houses after

v houses ha e disappeared , and are disappearing, some of

a which at the present time are in a very dilapid ted condition ,

n T h and unﬁt for huma residence . e famous blacksmiths of

h the Fala ave now only one representati v e . During coaching

n h days the smithy was a place of some importa ce , t ere

m n the eeting all and sundry, discussi g kirk and market, the

laird , the minister. The blacksmiths were usually hired m th . fro year to year, as the hinds are hired at e present time

- the Often the under smith went under name of hind, a name m com on still in the district. About the beginning of this

century the Fala smith was named John , and was as usual - quite a character . He became the subject of the well known

r the nurse y rhyme , author of which is unknown . It is as follows

ohn S m F a a n J ith , l hi d , C an ye shae a horse of m ine ! T m l th he Fala S . 2 9

Yes n ee and a I can , i d d, th t , J ust as well as any man ’ I ll ut a hit u on the tae p p , ’ T o make the pony tak the brae ’ I ll ut a hit u on the ee p p h l, T o make the pony trot weel ” Trot weel l l trot weel l C H A PT E R V .

R A M ON A S T E R Y O F S O U T .

— — — — — S out ra Gi rthgate Watling S treet M onastery E arly Charters Gi fts of Lan s — — — d Wealth of M on astery Im portan ce C on ﬁrmati on by Pope Greg ory IX . — — — — Hospice Tri n ity Well S an ctuary S outra Isle O r er of S t A ugustine — — d — ’ S pec ial Protection N ames of M asters S outra M on astery M ill Prior s We ll.

T H E most outstanding historical feature connected with the the the t parish is Hospital of Holy Trini y, which

S outrahill stood on the summit of , overlooking the Lothians to the north .

f Gi rth ate Be ore the existence of g , which passed through the

’ n K ing s I nch , a small piece of grou d lying to the south , which

l r a for ong was the reso t of gipsies and tr mps , the only access

n to the Hospital was by the Roman Watling Street. Watli g

the the Street crossed borders at Carter Fell , through parish m of Oxna , and straight towards Lauderdale , through which it pas sed to Channelkirk and S outrahill. From the hospital it formed one straight line to Currie , in the parish of

C ak m i Bla k s l e u r c ca t e . Borthwick , passing Fala, Luggie , , and

can a There be no doubt but the hospit l , in whatever f shape it ﬁrst existed , ound its existence on the side of l . n as Wat ing Street It is possible that the Roma s had there ,

f r a at Channelkirk, a camp or o t, which grew after ye rs into a

for v retreat the traveller and the devout . I t may ha e existed

n long before the ﬁrst historical otice . The common Opinio n

w as . 1 1 6 that it founded by King Malcolm I V , in the year 4 , r 1 Soutra Cha tulary . 3

rests only upon the authority of the Continuator of the S cotichron icon a , who wrote bout the middle of the ﬁfteenth ” “ a 1 1 6 century . He says , In the ye r 4, by the consent of f Walter Abbot of Melrose, King Malcolm ounded the nobile ' ' u at a n te é oc coen obzum as monasterium de C pro in Angus,

’ ' ” n S oltr ey ad vzator es lzospzl a dos. This only shows that before

r f the year 1 1 64 the monas te y was ounded . As he does not

s f o he give the ource of his in ormation , it may be supp sed that ’ got it from the king s charter, which contains the grant of the

Brotherstan es the L i n ndean lands of extending to , the greater

part of Soutra parish . But this charter, granted between ’ 1 1 1 1 6 5 3 and 5 , the period of the king s reign , has no date , and

the as n w makes no reference to H ospital being e ly founde d .

Of its great wealth and inﬂuence there can be no doubt. “ ” “ Chalmers , in his Caledonia, says that it was the best ” n n endowed in Scotla d , and the existe ce of the original

a a a ﬁft - - ch rtul ry, cont ining y eight charters , on twenty seven

e m the leaves of v llu , in the possession of Faculty of

A . dvocates , gives proof to this The follow ing is an account of the enormous wealth which n this a cient Hospital enjoyed for many years, as given by the

. a as as charters that are extant The gifts are arr nged , far can

be , chronologically .

1 . Brotherstan es ( ) King Malcolm IV granted the lands of , L n dean up to and including the lands of y . This grant was

renewed with extended privileges by his brother, William the

n x . men Lion, and again co ﬁrmed by Ale ander I I I Lands, ,

&c . u . , were incl ded d t 1 2 sh a ves Davi Oliver gran s of corn yearly, and - all his tenants are to give one sheaf from every cart load 2 ra 3 Fala and Sout .

h in harvest . It is supposed t at his lands lay near

Melrose . E w E w w Philip of gives the lands of Philipstoun , , ith one toft and croft, and the two acres of land next to it which

Peter, son of Albert, held of the Holy Trinity Hospital , along with common pasture for 2 horses and 7 oxen .

son Peas ton Richard , of Michael , of , grants 4 bolls

l a n d a P aston c e oo e . of corn , and g , yearly from the l nds of He

w an as after ards gifted his whole l ds , with all the common p the Peaston k one ture in village of , to up eep chaplain in the

a for House of Soutra , to serve perpetu lly the living and the dead .

D uncanlaw John , son of Robert Russell of , gives

c x half oxgang of land , with the toft and roft of half an o gang hi from s lands . The master and brothers also set land at “ ' ' " D n nl w r m le é e zr l or 1 5 ca m f . s u ca a o a 0 o . , f y y and 3 p E ustacee of S tutte nel grants 2 measures of oatmeal

m his L edale f v fro lands in , yearly, at the east of the passo er

(Easter . ) a the l u n Flor , (widow) of ate Ade Q inti , bequeaths all L m etlaw Welﬂat the arable land at y p , which is named , with the toft and croft adjoin ing that land. Bernard of H aude n gi v es ann ually at the feast of St N icholas 4 bolls of corn . t Peter de Graham grants 3 oxgang of land , the tof

f a u f the and cro t, and right of common p st re on his arm , in

Barony of E lphi nstou n . Vi nean M ulineys gives half a ploughgate of the r lands of Saltoun for pu r e and pe petual charity . The whole w the m d lands were shortly after ards, by sa e person , gifte ,

34 Fala and Soutra . monastery of Soutra presenting a clergyman to serve the church at O rm istoun .

R estilri Thomas de g gives one half chalder of corn,

to be paid yearly. w William, Bishop of St Andre s, grants the church of ’ S trathe c n the St Martin s , y y , Forfarshire , with all lands and

teinds and other things rightly pertai n ing to the same. Soutra in return presenting a clergyman to serve the church of ’ St Martin s . Charles de Duncan grants 34 acres of l and and 2 acres

e of meadow on the estat of Swanston, to be held on the condi

tion of an annual payment of a pair of spurs at Haddington fair. e The H . T . of Soutra also get the right of common pastur

2 2 2 00 . for 4 cattle and their following, horses, and sheep

his M ariot 2 n He and wife further grant 3 acres of la d, along with the toft and croft held by Adam the Blacksmith mm n e 60 1 0 r 2 also co o pastur for sheep, private ho ses, and

work horses.

1 o a They further grant § acres of land , long with the right a 2 1 0 of common p sture for work horses, private horses , and

60 sheep .

m 1 2 2 ﬁ Alexander I I 5 , con rms by charter the gifts of the lands of S wayn stoun . Thomas de C raynstoune confers the right to culti vate that portion of C ran s to un which lies next to the lands of

Peas ton .

R adul h C ra nstoun l p , Lord of y , grants the ands of Cran ston , which (from the description of the boundaries given) are l k castle n h auchland B ac . S , , and Ty e ead

C ra nstoune in 1 William de y , notary, granted a charter 39 9 Soutra Charters . 3 5

of all the lands of C rayn stoune possessed by the house of

S oltre A ldtoun , and instructed Thomas de , at that time f a . n master, to make per ect inventory The mo astery also sse 8 posse d a property which gave yearly 6 5 . d.

Germ ne the h L m e tlaw Richard y gifts c urch of y p , with all the lands an d teinds and other things belonging to the same .

L m e tlaw He also grants the other lands of y p held by him .

the Walter, Bishop of Glasgow, conﬁrms gift of the

h K irk u rd ertenen ts C urch of Orde ( ), and all its p which had been in the possession of the Monastery for some time , in

1 2 1 a m 1 2 3 gain conﬁr ed in 5 5 .

2 n w ( Nicholas of Old Bridge , and A nabella, his ife , con v ey the lands of Old Br idge and S w ayn stou ne to the House

S oltre of . Edward of Whitewell gives all his lands of White

t s i n S w a nstou n a well , his enement y , his lands in Mount Lothi n

S oltre ofﬁ i e and Temple . The House of to grant a priest to c at three days a week at Whitewell .

2 u u 1 2 r ( H ugh , son of A g stine of Moravia, in 49 g anted m 2 5 . n u n W s o n to be paid an ally by the tena t of the ill at y t .

William also gr anted 4 bolls of oatmeal yearly. John M arishall de Keith grants all the lands of

ohns u n Upper J to wi th the mill . This is now Woodcote

Mains and M av ishall. John of John stou n grants the lands of Lower Johnstoun

of M arescall by consent Robert de Keith , of Scotland ; but as - the master an d brothers felt the yearly feu duty of 6 merks a burden , the charter was declared null and void by consent .

S oltre w r Walter of , Burgess of Ber ick , g anted his 3 6 Fala and Soutra .

lands and buildings , with free entrance and exit for all time coming . This was afterwards conﬁrmed by another charter.

1 2 2 Alexander I I . , in 9 , granted half a chalder of oat meal from the mill at Peebles to be paid yearly.

E R mou r Thomas of rcildoun , son and heir of Thomas y

1 2 his of Ercildoun , in 94 grants all lands with all his belong

ings . The Monastery had also property in Earlston which

2 5 . e gave 0 y arly . David de Grame of E lotistoun comes under the obligatio n to pay yearly half mark in sil v er as rent for 5 acres of land which the Monastery possessed at Whiterig

‘ o f d The Abbot the Holy Cross of Edinburgh grante , 6 1 2 6 5 . in 3 , to be paid yearly . The Master and Brothers of the House of Sou tra

m 5 h held tene ents in Lauder giving 9 . yearly in Musselburg ,

00 5 t which yielded 3 dried ﬁsh and 3 . a year ; in Hadding on ,

1 d. which gave one pound of cu myn and s . 6 yearly ; in

Whitt n h m 1 s 6 s 8d 2 s M ax a e . . o . y g , 5 . ; in Duns, ; Heriot, ;

w 6 8d. In n rl itha n 2 s . and 2 s . e e e tone , Ha ick , ; , dozen

fo ulli s 1 05 . . of ; and North Berwick , a year (3 I n 1 4 59 Sir William Lauder gave half an acre of his D lands in Cowgate , Edinburgh , and onald Gill gave a per

e ual 2 5 . p t grant of 0 yearly value . The Hospital also possessed

two n F alaw hill the pou ds lands in the village of , parish of

s w lan d e s. Heriot, and the 5 merks land in the parish of N The — following yearly rents were also received 2 merks from ’ ’

2 5 . u houses in Leith , from Allanson s and Lawson s ho ses in

2 5 . R isilto un 0 e 2 05 . Leith , from the village of , from lands of

h 5 . a h Wauk in Edinburg , 5 from the house of Thom s , Bis op f o 6 s . 8d. d. 6 s . 8 Dunkeld ; from village of Lauder, from M r Privileges of onaste y. 3 7

was t a 1 0d . . Str thmiglo, and from Linlithgow There also a crof ’

s h n . in St Leonard , Edinburg , which belo ged to the Monastery In the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland there is n otice — of the following payments being made William St Clair,

ff h com 1 2 0 Sheri of Edinburg , 4 bolls of ( 9 ) Sir Robert of

8 2 Peebles , bolls for years which was paid yearly for w some time after ards . To manage so much property in these days w as no easy task . I n such an important house there must have been a large staff of qualiﬁed servants to perform the various duties n that were incumbent upon them . The Master and Brethre would not only require to superintend those that w ere under

s w ho w them , but to be continually watchful of tho e ere ever

for w as ready to play at the game of grab, grab common even

1 2 1 then . I n 7 Walter of Moravia refused to give to the M aster and Brethren of the House of Soutra a thrave of corn from every ploughgate of his lands, which had been gifted by I l l . r . e e n one of his ancesto s An app al was made to Al xa der , who commanded an inquisition to be held at Roxburgh . Four persons were selected from each of the baronies of Upper

and u t Crailing, Eckford , Heto , as judges in the ma ter ; and f they decided in avour of Soutra. On the approach of

a . Edw rd I to Scotland , Thomas, the Master of the Hospital

u a w a of the Holy Trinity at So tra, did hom ge and s ore fe lty to him at Berwick in 1 2 96 ; and obtained in return orders to several sheriffs to deliver the estates and rights of the

Hospital which had been appropriated by them . They were all secured.

a n The House of Soutr , as it was called, possessed ma y

as w privileges well as endo ments . Not only were the 38 Fala and Soutra .

m r a Brethren and their lands exe pt from gene al tax tion , and i al the r persons protected by roy command , but also, accord

n r Of M ing to the a cient cha ter alcolm the Maiden , the house for was recognised as an hospital the relief of pilgrims . a h f d s elter for the support of the poor and a ﬂicte , and a sanctuary to protect those who sought refuge from their

was w troubles . All this after ards , by authority of Pope r as w Grego y I X . , conﬁrmed by charter, which runs follo s

e v r Pope Gr gory, ser ant of se vants of God , to his beloved

r r sons in the Lord. We have g aciously g anted your reason able request ; and we have taken the Church of the Holy

t S oltre Trini y of under our protection, and that of the has Blessed Peter. We ordain that the religious order w hich been instituted in that place , according to God , and the rule of s v ; St Augustine , shall be trictly preser ed in all time coming now l and whatever possessions you have, or sha l in future h obtain by the bounty of Kings, Rulers, C iefs, or others, shall be inalienably preserved ; the place in which the Church is d n situate , with all its belongi gs, its aforesaid lands, pastures in n mountai and plain , waters , mills, roads, paths, and all other things shall be retained by you ; within the bou nds of your parish no one shall erect a n e w chapel or oratory without your consent , and that of the Bishop of the Diocese . We also ordain that those who have stated in their last will and testament that they wish to be buried there , shall have the free right of burial ; such teinds as belong by right to your Churches, but which have been appropriated by laymen, shall be delivered up by them to the Churches to which they rightly belong on the death of the present M aster of the

. S ltre o . House of , or any of his successors No one shall be r Charter of Pope Grego y . 3 9 appoi nted to the ofﬁ ce ex cept with the consent of a majority

n of the Brethre . I f in future any person , ecclesiastic, or lay

of n man , aware this writing of conﬁrmation , shall do anythi g f t contrary to the tenor thereo , let him know hat he thereby

m and renders hi self liable to Divine punishment, becomes alienated from the Most Holy Body and Blood of our

Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ ; but upon all who keep h these laws , may the peace of our Lord Jesus C rist descend, th and may they have e reward of everlasting peace . Given

n M r - at Rome by the ha d of William, Vice Chancellor of the

1 2 th Holy Roman Church , on the of the kalends of October, P 1 2 6 A n . on tificate in the year 3 . , and the tenth year of the of ” Pope Gregory the 9 th. Amen . This charter is the first indication of the Monastery being under the protection and influence of the Roman Catholic

Church .

u e n Being sit at d half way betwee Holyrood and Melrose,

a a h a in one of the he lthiest p rts of Scotland , and in suc commanding situation , it need not be wondered at that it became the scene of ostentatious charity and great conviviality during the middle ages . The religious pilgrim , the traveller, - and the health seeker would ﬁnd in abundance that which they were in search of. There were the shrines and the altars to attract the devout there were the free hospitality of a w ealthy hospice to entertain the wayfarer ; and there were not only the medical knowledge which the monks in those

o l days possessed , and used for the go d of the peop e, but

r there was also a mine al well , which became famous , and was

frequented by thousands up to the Reformation .

r u 00 w as To the no th of the Monastery , abo t 4 yards, 4 0 Fala an d Soutra .

s n t or T e m it r n l a ituated Tri i y y Well , a sp i g of water c e r and w as s t and h cool , which a popular re or , from w ich the Brethren

l as ers w n wou d acquire some fame, the wat ere co sidered to be

ea of a mi raculou s character. This w ell disapp red in the

r d ainage of the ﬁeld some years ago .

s ar c s u r Thi place , having also the ch a ter of a anct a y, would be largely frequented by those w ho ﬂed from the wrath that

w as n t coming . They were not conﬁ ed to the precinc s of the

n for the k buildi g, a chain surrounded the hill to south to mar

06 the privileged ground which they might enjoy. Of the

building itself now little remains to indicate its size or shape.

as n The Isle, it is called , is supposed to be a part of the a cient s r 1 686 w ro Church , re to ed by the Pringles in , who ere the p

bo rietors tr . p of Sou a for a ut thirty years It is simply a plain ,

e an d square vault, arched with ston within , covered with turf - w . ithout, and used as a private burial place I n every likelihood the monastery would extend to the

south an d west of the present building. T he present church

the yard , which is contiguous to the building, may have been

s f cloi ter court. The stones and oundations have all disap peared even the very stones that were erected to the memory of the Protestant dead have been taken away to build stead

ings and to repair dykes . Dr Laing, when he visited the

1 860 place in , spoke as if this vandalism had only taken place

f e ten or twelve years be ore , and as if the Isle its lf had only escaped from the same fate by the prompt exertion of the

proprietor. U ntil recently a ﬁne gargoyle graced the apex

f e s . o the front, but it, too , has gon the ame way There is a monumental stone in the south end erected by the Pringles of ’ Beedsm an s w the Acres to mark the spot of their burial , hich

A 1 O rder of St ugustine . 4 is supposed to be near. The lintels of the front entrance show traces of ancient sculpture work . There is also the following 6 1 . 6 . n h s . . 8 o e a . D P A R . Some made the last P into an

. a A r 1 686 . R I t me ns David Pringle and lexander P ingle, There is no trace of the order, if they had any, to which

s the Ma ter and Brethren belonged , until , by their own wish , h t e Pope placed them under the Order of that of St Augustine . I t is generally supposed that St Augustine himself never f m ounded any onastic order, but one was deduced from his

w . ritings, and was adopted by many monastic fraternities T he Soutra monks belonged to that branch called Canons

R c egular, or the Black Canons, from the black loak or hood w hich they wore over their long cassock . Their rule w as not

s . evere They lived under the one roof, having a common d ining hall and sleeping room . There can be no doubt but the n — ames of many of the places arose with them Blackshiels, the Brothershiels sheiling of the Black Canons ; , the sheiling o f Brotherstan es the Brothers ; , the stony ground of the

a r e Brothers. All these names are char cte istic of the plac s and . own early owners They elected their Superior, who

the carried title of Master, and who was usually a person of

s . ome importance, inﬂuence , and power They travelled over m Europe, and so etimes , like others , got into trouble . I n consequence of the insecurity of the traveller, King Alex

l . 1 1 8 2 as ander , in the year , granted to the M ter and Brethren S oltre of the House of , that if they , or any of theirs, shal be ’ l d be in lan s beyond the King s dominions , they shall treated with right and justice wheresoever they shall be , and all in any cou n try are prohibited from presuming to detaining them ” in any place . 2 4 Fala and Soutra .

’ S ottisw oode s From the Soutra charters, p Religious ’ ’ Pr n n e s R Houses , y H istory , The agman s Roll , Chal ’ ’ - mers Caledonia, and Turnbull s Monastico Fragmenta , a very interesting list of the Masters and others of the Hos pital may be given . The list may not be complete , but every means have been used to make it as much so as possible .

end About the of the twelfth century , Sir Reginald ,

Master of the House of Soutra, is witness to several charters . ’ n Sir William , in every likelihood Sir Regi ald s suc

as w n . cessor, also gives his name to charters it ess 1 2 0 S oltre In 4 , Alexander, Magister de , is a witness

to grants by charter.

1 2 0 R adul hus About 9 , p de Soutra is witness to a

charter . He swore fealty to Edward I . of England at Edin

2 h 1 2 1 s on t . burgh Ca t e, the 9 July 9 l ’ R min istrie In agman s Roll occurs Frere Thomas ,

de la meron de la Trinite de S oltre del cou nte de Edinburgh .

2 0th u 1 2 6 . On the Aug st 9 , he swore fealty to Edward I at

m to the ff Berwick , and got Royal per ission instruct sheri s to d return certain lan s that had been stolen .

1 0 I n 39 , Dominus Thomas de Alton , Master of

Soutra, is witness to a charter. H is name again appears in R III 1 0 1 . 4 in a charter granted at Scone by obert , giving, by

n co sent of the Bishop of St Andrews , the whole lands and

rents and other things belonging to the Nunnery of S .

D r bur h. Berwick, to the Monastery of y g He was also master

1 1 in 4 0. th I n one of the Soutra charters, dated the 4 March

1 2 6 a F le m n . 4 , appe rs the name of Stephen y , Master of Soutra

H is a L aw de r ed successor is Thom s de , a distinguish M asters of Soutra . 4 3

studen t and gifted divine . He is witness to charters in the - 1 1 1 0 . 1 years 43 7 439 , and 44 I n 444 he founded a chaplainry

. M at the altar of SS artin and Thomas, in the Holy Cross

u Isle of St Giles, Edinb rgh ; and this endowment was con

d 1 0 w as w ﬁrme by Royal charter in 45 , and after ards renewed

x d and e ten ed by himself, and conﬁrmed by James I I I . in L wd r w 1 8 1 . a e as 4 promoted to the See of Dunkeld , as a w re ard for his services as preceptor to King James I I . H e

w as a and then sixty ye rs of age, was the ﬁrst to adopt

his . his be neﬁce preaching in diocese Before he resigned ,

1 6 saw owing to old age and inﬁrm health , in 47 , he the per

of s t ff version the Hou e of Sou ra to a di erent purpose , much

to his regret .

In 1 the year 4 5 3 , Alan Cant became Rector of the

a h Hospit l of Soutra, and C ancellor of the Church of St

n Andrews , which latter appointme t he received from Pope V Nicholas . , who annexed Soutra to the Church of St

the ﬂ L awder Andrews, by in uence of Bishop , and by consent

of Cant himself.

He was a St Andrews student, and died there in 1 460 .

1 60 T r . In 4 , John y y became his successor He was one of the masters elected assistant to the Rector of St

Andrews . — Amongst the minor ofﬁcials w ere Mas ter H ugh of Brotherstanes ; Henry the Priest ; William the Miller ;

who M Reginald and William , Chaplains, both became asters ;

r E dul h Richard the Priest, and his se vant ; p of Cakemore ;

r Pradium a Gilbe t, son of the Priest of Heriot ; Andre of

‘ a ir am A t S outr , Priest ; S Willi and dam , Chaplains a 44 Fala and Soutra .

ohnstou n Soutra ; Hugo of J ; Sir Nicholas , Chaplain of

Soutra and Adam , the Janitor .

w as The, mill under the auspices of the Soutra Hospital

1 - situated about ; miles north east from the Hospital , on the

L i nndean . side of the burn A road or footpath, which connected the two places, passed a little to the north of the

of present Woodcote mansion , and several parts the road can

still be traced . On the side of this path , and within half a mile of the mill may still be found the well called the ’ ’ s Friars or Prior Well, from which the monks of old ,

c as we are told , as they passed, stopped to quen h their

. a thirst It is a spring of beautiful clear and cool w ter, and is presently used by those who occupy Woodcote Park . CH A PTE R VI .

R R F T A N S F E O S OU T R A R EVE N U E .

— — S outra M onastery or H oly Trin ity Hospital Tran sfer of R evenues Of Name E rec on of ri n o e e Ho a E n ur — Pre en ari e —S ou ra ti T ity C ll g spit l, i b gh b s t — — — d d a ur Vicar ge Ch ch Vicars Beadsmen Pri ngle. T H E Hospital of the Holy Trinity at Soutra was not e destined to njoy their possessions long, for in the year

1 6 2 w n Gu ldr s . e e 4 , the wido quee of James I I , Mary of , with

the es s consent of Jam Kennedy, Archbi hop of St Andrews, f the t ounded Trini y College and Hospital in Edinburgh , and esto on n s a b wed up it the endowme t of Soutra Hospit l , and i a converted ts depe nde nt church into a Vic rage . rs s e i n 1 60 w the was The ﬁ t negotiation b gan 4 , hen Queen under deep afﬂiction by the accidental death of her husband a the of n x c used by bursting a canno at Ro burgh Castle. T he foundation of the Trinity H ospital at Edinburgh w as n simply a transfer of the revenues a d name. T he charter i s e 1 5 t 1 6 2 and l oth 1 6 2 dat d April 4 , on the July 4 , Pope Pius ’ r te r the e e s an f I I . g an d a bull eciting Qu n charter, tr s er, and fo n i ar of re s is as u dat on , a p t which, ndered into Engli h , follow s “ am s ra e God and the o c S ee J e , by the g c of , Apost li , w the so s l M h Bishop of St Andre s , to all n of the Ho y ot er

c ose r e n e s o e Chur h , to wh knowledge the p es t l tter shall c m ,

ee n and f t fr m the S u all men gr ti g ; elici y o avio r of , 6 4 Fala and Soutra . T he splendour of the eternal glory which illuminates the w n orld with its u speakable brightness, and with all its great

w v clemency , prosecutes ith a special and benign fa our the pious desires of the faithful when their humble devotion and sincere affection are found to be z ealous for the increase of

x public worship . We therefore take e ample by things below from those above, are induced partly by the power of equity , and partly by reason to favour the godly requests and prayers

S f of upplicants whom aith , hope, and charity incessantly d solicit to show their love by benefactions , that being isposed e to grac , and invited to glory, may persevere in doing good actions ; w herefore we have received the letters of the most

r potent princess and sovereign lady , Ma y, by the grace of

God, Queen of Scotland , sealed with her seal .

M to ary, by the Grace of God , Queen of Scotland , the Reverend Father in Christ Lord James by the Grace of

God and the Apostolic See , Bishop of St Andrews , our

a w n de rest cousin , hom we revere ce with honour becoming f such a Father . There ore know ye Reverend Father, that for the praise and honour of the Holy Trinity of the ever

s i n ians bles ed and glorious Virgin Mary, of St N , the con

fessor . af e of all the saints and elect of God We the or said ,

s Mary, with consent and a sent of the illustrious Prince, and

Lord James our son , the invincible King of Scotland, and in perpetual memory for the salvation of the soul of the late

illustrious Prince James, King of Scotland , our late husband of pious memory ; likewise for the souls of all the K ings and Q ueens of Scotland deceased ; also for the salvation of the i our n of llustrious prince, son James , the present Ki g

8 4 Fala and Soutra .

2 which belonged to the late William Chines ; 05 . Scotch in the village of R i siltone ; and 2 5 . out of the house of John A lla 2 nsone and i n 05 . John Lawson , Leith ; annually out of

5 . the . house of Wauk, let in Edinburgh ; 5 yearly out of

h . t e o 6s 8d. house of Thomas , Bish p of Dunkeld ; in the

d r w . 8 L a e 65 d. village of ; in the village of Strathmiglo, to be by us declared hereafter, as it is more fully contained in the rental of Soutra ; an d tenpence out of a certain village near

s t - Linlithgow, as is a cer ained in the rental ; and 5 merks

Brotherstanes Gilstoune lands of and , within the Lordship of - S oltre s e e , with their limit , marches , and bounds to be her aft r speciﬁed .

a The second Prebendary shall be called the Sacrist n,

s the - who , for his upport , shall have 5 merk lands in the village

- ’ w d ; of H ill, ithin the omain of Balerno the 5 merk land of Browderstanes Gilstoun e r and , of the domain of Sout a, to be

us as re &c. limited by , afo said,

The third Prebendary shall be called the Pre

Brotherstanes bendary of , who shall have for his prebend the 2 - s Brotherstane s Gilstoune merk land of and , to be appointed us r s by , and a fou th part of the proﬁt of the Rectory of

S trathmartin . “ The fourth Prebendary shall hav e for his support the

-m Brotherstanes Gilstoune and 5 erks lands of and , a fourth part of the proﬁts of the Rectory of S trathmartin

r Gilstoune The ﬁfth Prebenda y shall have the title of , - and have for his prebend the 5 merk lands of Broderstanes and Gilstoune . V a icars of Soutr . 4 9

The sixth Prebendary, which shall be dominated Ormis - v Browde rstanes toun, shall ha e the 5 merk lands of and

Gilst oune .

e The sev nth Prebendary , to be called of H ill, to have - for his preben d the 5 merk lands within the demaine of

Balerno. “ ri The eighth Prebendary, who sh ll be intitled New

his - lands , shall for support have the 5 merk lands of New

S oltre lands , in the demaine of and to uphold the

O rmistou n &c . church of by the ﬁrst fruits arising therefrom, d This charter, as may be understoo , stripped the Hospital of its importance as well as its revenues , and the church of

for r w the Hospital became the church the dist ict, hich was served by a vicar. The provost and chapter of the new H ospital became the patrons of the Vicars in each of the w parishes hose churches were under Soutra .

The ﬁrst vicar appointed by the Provost and Chapter,

f r s w as a te the Mona tery stripped , is styled Dominus Johannes

H rotte S oltre 1 6 w y , Vicarius de ; and in 4 7 he was itness to several charters .

1 I n October 47 9 , in a civil action , the Lords of Parlia men t directed Roby L earmont and others to prove that Sir

n John Heriot, as Vicar of Soutra, claimed havi g power from

Bon k ill Sir Edward , Provost of Trinity College, Edinburgh , t to grant a lease of the teinds of F aw nys . H is his ory cann ot be traced beyond 1 489 . w H e was succeeded by Ed ard Red , of whose history n w as r othing can be found , except that he witness to seve al charte rs . 0 5 Fala and Soutra .

F idlar the n John , next vicar, was also wit ess to charters .

Thomas Cairns was vicar up to, and for about seven

o m t n . years after, the Reforma i H e left to ake room for the

1 6 f ﬁrst Presbyterian minister in 5 7 , a ter he had reclaimed some of the property originally belonging to So utra . The names of the followi ng Beadsmen and Hospitallers V — V illia m R occur in various charters Anderson , obert Hec

m . quat , William S yth , and Robert Watson Vicar Pensioners — of Soutra Thomas Bathcat and John Grief. The transfer to Edinburgh also closed the connection

Soutra had with the diocese of St Andrews and afterwards ,

when parishes were erected , Soutra was declared by the Pope

to be the Parish Church for the district or parish of Soutra .

n r n f &c . U der the t a s er charter, the Provost, , were to bear

n v iz . the burde s incumbent on the Soutra Church , , to pay the vicar ; to support three poor persons dwelling in the

parish and to keep the church in repair.

T he vicar was paid , the church and other ecclesiastical f m buildings were kept in repair up the Re or ation , but no trace of the payments made to the poor can be fou nd after a few

years .

i n 1 66 Under the reign of Queen Mary, 5 , a grant was made to the Lord Provost and Magistrates of Edinburgh of

o n 2 th 1 8 the charge of the Hospital ; and the 5 April 5 5 , a

r contract was entered into by Pont, the provost of the T inity

t 00 College Hospi al , for 3 merks, on the receipt of which he

was to resign the provostship , and also the parish kirk ,

L im e tlaw parsonage , and Vicarage of Soutra , p , and other

n e Prov es ri kirks and teinds an ex d to the said t e . The Crown ' B A 1 eadsman s cres . 5

n 1 t im co ﬁrmed this in May 5 8 7 . Al hough this charter is

&c . portant, as it gives an account of the property possessed , ,

the it is silent regarding three Soutra beadsmen , or even the

u an paymen ts made to them . Abo t the same period action was raised at the instance of the two of the three Hospital

r n S ow tra w ho la is (Beadsme ) of y, had obtained a decree on

2 oth 1 8 - r n the February 5 3 4 , egarding the four acres of la d ,

thairof houses, biggins , and perten , pertaining to the said

r i pe rsawaris as H ospitalla is foresa dis lands i n S ow tray hill .

The action was fallen from , and nothing came out of it . I t is

n supposed, and supposed upo good grounds, that this said

n f la ds ( our acres) were the acres that James V . gave as a

’ ’ r the the g ant to Pringles , of Beadsman s Acres , for a night s ” shelter. Father Hay, in his Scota Sacra, a MS . of great ’ “ historical interest in the Advocates Library, says that V . 1 2 James , in 54 , collected about soldiers from all parts of the country , and ordered them to be gathered at

Soutra hill . It is supposed that the king had visited the district about this time , and had lost himself in the woods , which at that time covered the greater part o f the Lammer t muirs . He at las came upon the house occupied by one

John Pringle , the shepherd for the district under Sir William

Borthwick . The king requested shelter for the night, never

e but s o f r vealing his person ; the pauky herd , consciou the

o f d rank his guest, asked him in , and irected the guidwife to take dow n the he n which sat n e x t to the cock on the baulks

’ and roast it for the stranger s supper.

for The King supped and retired the night, and was so much pleased in the morning with the kind hospitality which

d m n f n the he receive , that he ade Pri gle a gi t of the la ds of 2 5 Fala and Soutra .

’ Beadsme n s Acres , which were to be held by him and his

n l s o successors for all time coming. The Pri gles he d posse si n of this land to the beginning of this century, when it was sur purchased by the laird of Soutra Mains , whose lands r i t ound . This ground was situated west from the Isle , and on the south of the road that leads to Gilston . The i ’ Pringles l ved in a small house on the Beadman s Acres , which disappeared shortly before these lands were sold . A ballad an d was composed by some one, sung by itinerants during the ” as n w r last decade of l t ce tury, entitled , The gude ife of Sout a, but all that can now be found is the following

’ H ae e no ear 0 the u e au imes y h d g d ld t , en r n e was sae u e Wh P i gl l cki , ’ T o et a um 0 S outrahill g l p , ” u for a roa J st sted chuckie. CHA PT E R V I I .

LA N D S OF S O U TR A .

— S outra Lan s S outra Beacon s T he H ertfor Invasi on S urety M en ’d — ’ — d— — Hun ter s Hall Lawrie s D en S outra Witch M r J ohn A i nslie The D eil s

Putting S ton e .

LT H O U G H the oldest charter speaks of the lands A “ ” around the Monastery of Soutra as a gift from l Ma colm the Maiden , in all likelihood the Master and Brethren were in possessio n long before and the charter only conﬁrm d ing that which they already possesse . In this ancient docu m n ent there are no names of previous ow ers, as in the other

a charters , the omission of which t citly acknowledges their “ ownership . As common at the times , lands and men were all included in their possession . As far as can be learned, m that land which they at ﬁrst possessed ca e, when parishes

u were deﬁned, to be called the parish of So tra, East Lothian . w - Why this tongue of land , lying bet een M id Lothian and

w n Ber ickshire, should be declared as East Lothia must ever

u ! u remain an unanswered q estion I n agricultural val e , the contrast between this parish and Fala is striking. Fala is

1 0 u generally 5 feet below the level of So tra, yet Soutra is ,

and ever has been , in a much higher state of cultivation ,

owing largely to the activity of the monks. The parish has d o ff no moorland ; and has been divide int ﬁve di erent properties ,

v iz . Brothe rs ton , Soutra proper, Gilston , Over and Nether e ,

ohnsto nbur n a - and a small part of J on the east, c lled Kelly bauk . 5 4 Fala and Soutra .

’ As Watling Street of the Romans , the King s Road, made

1 8 — run in the time of Malcolm , and the present road of 34 , all

r o er t through this p p y , and as from the summit there is such a i n commanding view of the Lothians, it became famous, a strategical way, during the invasion of the English . There is m uch historical matter in this connection which must ever

n tele r a h ! remain u known, yet often g p communications by beacon and faggot were made with Edinburgh to the north ,

E il ns and the do to the south .

1 f By an Act of Parliament in 45 5 , one bale or aggot was to be a warning of the approach of the English in any manner ; f two, that they are coming indeed and our, beside each other, that they are coming in great force . Those at Hume were to

n E erho e sig al to those at gg p Castle, and those on Soutra

E e rho e a Edge shall see the ﬁre of gg p C stle, and make ” taik in n . g in like manner, and then may all Lothia be warned

1 88 w In 5 , when panic had seized the hole country over the Spanish Armada, the Privy Council of Scotland appointed Commissioners under Earl Bothwell to cause baillis to be b ryn t and w atche is kepit at all placis and occasions requisite ’ —S t s S outrahill Abb s Head, Hume Ca tle , Eldon H ills , , North

&c Berwick Law , . Even so far down as at the beginni ng of this century these signals were used to communicate warlike intelligence . During the alarm caused by Napoleon ’ s victories and threatened

n invasion , Soutra Edge was see to be on ﬁre. The last

n w as beaco that lit was not the signal to arms , but of a more

u . 1 88 peacef l and joyous character I n 7 , when Queen Vic ’ t ria s S outrahill o jubilee was being celebrated , the people of joined with he r loyal subjects everywhere in giving ex pres

6 5 Fala and Soutra .

a s hill , after they had t ken Hume Castle, Fast Ca tle , and the

town of Haddington . These incidents show that Soutra was

a convenient route betwee n Edinburgh and the south . But it - was also a convenient meeting place for the armies of the

Lothians. King James in 1 5 88 issued a proclamatio n that

all the earls , barons , lords , freeholders, and substantious gentlemen dwelling within the bounds of the shire of Edin r bu gh , Haddington , and Peebles, were to meet his highness at

1 8th Soutra upon the April , and go with him to reduce the

disturbance on the West Marches .

' The Privy Council looked upon Soutra as the ultzma Mad e of the Lothians when they were receiving surety from the h lairds for military service and ot er causes . The following are some of the c urious entries in their records :

r C ra s oun 1 . n t s 544 The Rutherfords, Tu nbulls , and , to

l oth remain within the Castle of Edinburgh till February. If an y of them wish to relieve their sureties that they shall obey the laws of Scotland or E ngland (they an d their followers to shall s i nlanded fh keep good rule), they ﬁnd suretie ( men su

cient within Soutra Edge). “ d 1 h u 2n . o nstoun Jan ary , 59 3 William Borthwick of J and ff Soutra, as principal , and Patrick Murray of Fala H ill , Sheri

1 000 of Selkirk , as surety, g , not to harm Robert Oliphant of ”

rstoune . A ulde , burgess of Edinburgh “ hn t 1 . o s o un July 5 9 5 William Borthwick of J and Soutra,

M airshall 000 for George, Earl of , 5 merks , not to harm James

Lawson of H umbie . “ 8 ohnstoun September 1 5 9 . William Borthwick of J and

Soutra, for Margaret Borthwick, relict of Robert Lauder of

r V Sout a illage . 5 7

t 00 t hat Ilk, 3 merks, to deliver the for alice of Lauder, which

n f u belo ged be ore to her late husband, to William La der of Cauldshie ls f , in case it should be ound she ought to do

so .

w as 1 The village restored after its destruction in 544 , and

x u r e isted p to the end of last centu y, although now not a single stone stands to mark its site . It is supposed to have stood on the ﬂat, the centre of which was the Isle and old church

I r . t for yard g ew to considerable dimensions, one of the

r - ministers speak s of it as having seve al public houses . Near ’ a o the vill g e, to the s uth , was the King s Inch or common

a f l nds, consisting of several acres, but these now have allen n s Borthw icik i to the po session of M r of Crookston , and are l to . held be in the parish of Channe kirk, County of Berwick ’ ” On the ﬂat of the hill , on the right of the K ing s Road , ’ n stood a large house called Hu ter s Hall . It w as used as a lace r m w u meeting p for va ious sports en , and hen the co ntry - lairds were given more to fox hunting than they are at the m present, a pack of hounds was kept there for their a use

O — s — m ent . On the pposite side of the road the ea t side was - - situated a well known pub ic house, which was possessed for f l a considerable time by a amily named Lawrie. I t was con l venie nt y situated for drovers , carters , and carriers, and was m o often the scene of any a quarrel and blo dy ﬁght. About

a eighty. ye rs ago the gipsies , who were encamped on the

’ ’ n n common , or K i g s Inch , had been drinki g freely at Lawrie s

n . Den , the ame by which it is best known A quarrel arose, and one was killed another was captured, tried , and hanged

r f n e . for the of e ce , and some othe s were imprisoned for a tim All that now remains of this public-house are a few lines of H 5 8 Fala and Soutra .

doggerel which were painted on a signboard at the door, which are remembered by some of the oldest inhabitants.

Hum um heerie eer e pty, d pty, , p i ’ S tep i n here and ye ll be cheet ie . ’ r rits an oor or er T ry oo spee p t , ’ h r r They ll make the road t e sho te . A n d if e hae a m n to sta y i d y, Your horse can get guid corn and hay

m n o e Good entertainmen t for a and h rs .

’ 600 200 About yards north from Lawrie s Den , and about

rd for n ya s to the east of the public road , stood ma y a long

day a turf hut , and occupied last by an old woman named Margaret Dobson . Margaret for long, by her strange retiring and habits , was a terror to the neighbourhood , as there was a

halo of the unearthly thrown around her, she was blamed

r fo every evil that befell any one in the district. I f a storm

u n . s dde ly arose from the south , Margaret was blamed If

sudden death came to a home or to any of the cattle, Margaret

had her hand in it. I f bad harvest weather came, Margaret

— in as was the cause short, she was feared and dreaded a witch , and was considered to be in league with the powers of - darkness . Margaret lived to the age of ninety, and died

about forty years ago .

n Mr John A . Ainslie , nephew of Mr Ai slie , the respected ’ C osterton f proprietor of , after his ather s death lived with his

C st r on uncle at o e t . He was educated at Harrow and at Oxford where he graduated w ith honours ; but as he had

u i a -t nderm ned his he lth with over s udy, he died at Algiers , i 1 2 th where he had gone to recruit h mself, on the March

1 87 4 . H is relatives put into the English church at Algiers A A J ohn . inslie . 5 9 a beautiful stained glass window to his memory . John

S outrahill Ainslie loved to roam over , and became so familiar with the story of Margaret Dobson, that when at

r Harrow Schoo l he wrote the following na rative of her.

n S outrahill Standi g on , he says

On e as I az e a sad m s er ous wa c g d, y t i il Cam e gen tly stealing on the aut umn gale L ow m ournfu r in en a er s , l, th ill g, th bitt igh ,

e me to the ear I s ar e n ew wh . Which chill d h t, c c k y It seeme i n low-rea e a en s us to sa d b th d cc t th y, ’ A few s or ours and m resume her swa . h t h , ight y S u en I urn ere rou n o e e n dd t , th c chi g cl s b hi d, H er on re o k s oose ream n in the w n d l g g y l c l st i g i , ’ w man r h r sn ow ea S its a weird o . O e e y h d F ull more than fourscore win ters must have ﬂed Yet something tells that care as well as age ’ H a ef its traces on her fe s ar a e th l t li d k p g , H a ou e a w ere ee w man a seam th pl gh d th t ith d ch k ith y , A nd in a ar e e a man a eam lit th t d k y i c gl . A wes ru I wa e her w us en e rea t ck tch d , ith s p d d b th, So s she sat so e a n death till , lik livi g , When ce hath she come ! What can this spectre be ! S ome weak delusion S ome mock fan tasy us a n om a in m r s n fear Th v i ly c b t g y i i g , I see ose r m so ar rear cl by, g i , lit y, d

T he a s e of a eser e ur w rown i l d t d ch ch , hich c ed T he o mos summ of a rass moun t p t it g y d, A n d s reser e from sa r e ous rea till p v d c il gi t d, T he restin g place of the forgotten dead e n ha e en ere for a r ef s an T lli g, t t v h b i p ro and r Had e and e e s e man . liv d , i t d, p i h d, A an on e n ow w ose who in s ee b d d , ith th it l p, h on e v s of the m oun a n s ee T o t e l i its t i h p . r 60 Fala and Sout a .

But ar ! A s r ro ra ed e oi n cr h k h ill, p t ct , ch g y, ’ A wrun from some oomed s r s a on s g d pi it g y , rea s the a m s n ess of the morn n ai r B k c l till i g , Proclaiming that still site i s lingering there ; N o more low ower n n o more oun or s c i g , b d till , But ta erect as one forebo in ill ll, , d g T o all who hapless fall beneath the blaz e - - Of a ill omene fur ﬂashin az e . th t d, y g g S en she s oo en osse her arms on il t t d, th t d high ,

A nd thus commen ced with horrid mystery .

S ran e ﬁtful murmurs ﬁll m s en n ear t g y li t i g s, M o n ear ea s wi un n own fears y b di g h t b t high th k , ’ H ushed is all n ature s voice ; some mighty spe ll ’ Han s o er the moun ai n overs i n the e g t , h d ll, While inborn voices speak with every breath

Of en ean e ru n sw f a roa n ea . v g c , i , i t pp chi g d th H en e mor a s en e forsa e the ﬁe and woo c , t l , h c k ld d,

N or em n er n the an r God. t pt by li g i g, g y F or soon I el e s a the r nce of ra h t l y , h ll P i W t r um an ri e the ra i n F or T i ph t d g g th , ra in his oom ail t ese s and ro l W p gl y p h hill , l H is ﬁery thun derbolts from pole to pole ; ’ ’ M ar how e en n ow on L ammerlaw s rou form k, p d roo s the ar en us of the im en n s orm B d d k g i p di g t , Waiting the signal to swoop down and pour H is noisome a ours on s sm l n s ore v p thi i i g h . ' Ha I H a I I see r se it i , L ower n in the s an s es i g di t t ki , It omes omes and w r n c , it c , ith it b i gs D estruction seated on its wings Har I ear a isma roan n k h d l g i g, R s n fal n s n moan n i i g, li g, ighi g, i g, W hile a warn ing voice is there n all the wor r a Biddi g ld p ep re.

Has e en as e ou fur ous a t th , h t th i bl st,

' 6 1 D eil s Putting Stone .

D r e the storm cloud r e fast iv , d iv it re m e mor a s a e but I T bl t ls, h k , ose who ere for o en lie With th h g tt , Burstin g from the Open tomb R evel in the m idnight gloom ’ N ea the m r e of n th i ky v il ight , ’ Or the m oonbeams struggli ng light ’ e the em es a ers o er us Whil t p t g th , A n d the tn n a h efore us ligh i g ﬂ s b , R aise a loud and hideous chorus h k ’ T o t e s y.

S he ease ex au e w her m s la c d h st d ith y tic y,

en ra se her arm an d s r e ed an d ﬂed awa . Th i d s, h i k , y

Until recently, there stood nicely poised on the top of the rock

L i n n dean overlooking the Waterfall , a large boulder of about “ ’ ” w t . t en y tons weight, called the Deil s putting stone Tradition has it that his Satanic Majesty was on the spree at C arfrae

e I nn , and got into a dispute about putting stones with som

w as handloom weavers from Lauder. A bet taken that he

L amm erm uir could putt the boulder clear over the s . An

was L i n n dean attempt made, but it only reached the Water

f l w it . a l, here had lain for ages The Deil , true to his nature,

refused to pay the bet, and the moral now is , Never bet with ” the Deil , C HA PTE R V I I I .

P PR O R I ETOR S OF S OU T R A .

T he Geology Willi am B orthwick Robert F letcher Pri ngles M a itlands — — — — ' — R eidhall F alcon ers S i r Thom as N api er M rs Ogilvie Woo cote Lor — — — —d d Woo Lor J ustice General I nglis M r Lothian M r Crombie M r H orn d d — — or N Broth rstones a Gilston Tower Propriet s of Gilston . e n d Proprietors Whitbur h —Kell haak an d ohn stoun burn Pro o — A n derson s of g y J pri e t rs Keith M arischal . T H E geology of the upper part of Soutra is almost similar to that which is found over the greater part of the — L amm e rm uirs an inferior w hm and on the lower part that

red Wt h of the lower sandstone , is a good specimen of a

building stone . Hematite ironstone has been found in the h streams , and w en analysed has been found to contain about

8 2 per cent . of pure iron . Limestone was burnt, and clay was

dug for brickmaking, until both were found to be not worth

the labour spent in getting them .

U nless the various Prebendaries of Trinity College , Edin ff f burgh , farmed themselves the di erent properties rom which their respective incomes came, there is now no account of tack or lease of proprietor or tenant until after the Reformation .

1 8 When K ing James , in 5 7 , conﬁrmed the charter granting the church lands of Soutra to the Burgh of Edinburgh , the Town Council entered into a tack w ith William Borthwick for 0 nineteen years, at the yearly rent of f 3 Scots . This William Borthwick was the son of another William

u Borthwick of So tra Mains, who may have been the steward B r w k 6 William o th ic . 3 or grieve upon the place before . Under this tack , which is the ﬁrst that is recorded, he was to uphold also the parish kirk f of Soutra by su ﬁciently bigging, besting, mending, repairing, ’ - ” an d U pholding the town s share being one third of the whole .

Bo rthwick s ohn stounburn The were in possession also of J ,

1 6 0 and these lands they possessed until the year 5 , when they passed by marriage to Robert Fletcher, connected with the

B rthwicks Saltoun family. It is curious that all the o whose names are extant were surnamed

m . Willia They built , shortly after possession , the old mansion called ” M eusde n he ad , which means the head of the den where hawking was practised in olden times . This mansion was situated in what is ” n now known as the Bar yard Park, and the approach from the present lodge runs in a straight line to its site . Some time ago the old fo un da tions w ere dug up when draining

Borthw ick s the ﬁeld . The were also the ﬁrst to build a house upon

ohns tonburn J , where they after

’ . 1 608 wards went to reside I n . Lo rd Wood s C oat o f A rms above “m“ William Borthwick having failed to appear as charged, to answer for the reset of thieves , s m u s ohn stou n tolen goods, rebels, and ho ers in the ho e of J , d and for airt and pairt with them , is to be enounced a

1 rebel . He became also surety for £ 000 not to harm

H rn e E lst nef rd George epbu of a o . Robert Fletcher and 64 Fala and Soutra .

his son and heir, Andrew, who held the property for twenty - s . years, paid a yearly feu duty to the Town Council of 7

T he Borthwick s property returns again to the , who had d it for ﬁve years , when by marriage it passes into the han s of

o . 1 00 the Pringles , who were in p ssession for thirty years I n 7 ,

Charles Maitland , a member of the Lauderdale family, appears

1 1 1 20 as proprietor ; then David in 7 7 another Charles in 7 ,

u who b ilt the old part of the present mansion , and called it

R e idhall u m ; and lastly, Lie tenant Tho as Maitland , who died

1 . in 7 7 3 H is daughter married a Mr Falconer , who became

Po bie proprietor ; and her brother got as his share g , which up

M i l s to this time was a part of the estate . The a t an d were in

Po bie d g up to thirty years ago , when the last die , who was

d. h named Davi He was quite a character. W en dying he care

’ and w ho fully instructed his butler, sister s sons, were his heirs ,

i n to bury him the family vaults of the Isle , which they retained i h Po b e . w t e with the g property They ere also to lock door. t and to throw in o the vault the keys, to prevent anyone from

having access thereto . This was literally carried out . The

w w . nephe , Charles Maitland Keith , is the present o ner

R e idhall Thomas Falconer, as proprietor of and Soutra

u 5 011 Mains, was s cceeded by his Alexander, who changed the

name of the estate into Woodcote Park , to commemorate the erection o f the present hedges of beech and hawthorn ; and

1 1 also the laying out of the present woods in 7 9 . He died in

1 7 9 5 , and was buried in Fala Churchyard, where a marble

was d a . 5 011 mural t blet erecte to his memory He left a , m F . George Ho e alconer, and three daughters George, when

u quite a lad, joined the Scots Greys, and by his disting ished m t services at Waterloo, was pro oted to the position of cap ain. k 6 Woodcote Par . 5

r m d Shortly afterwards he etired, arried , and settle at Wood f cote, to ﬁll the position of a worthy ather. But providence had decreed that his life should be short upon earth , for after

him in n 1 8 20 a severe cold, which seized the spri g of , he died i n September of the same year, and was buried beside his

s l parent . A white marb e mural tablet was erected in the

Church to his memory, bearing the following

S acred to the m emory of

G H OM F A C N E s . of oo o e GEOR E E L O ER , q , W dc t a e a a n in the S c o s re l t C pt i t G ys, A ust e of the Pea e i n the o un of H a n on J ic c c ty ddi gt , and an E er i n s Pari ld thi sh , wh de art s li f on th 1 h o e e e t S e . 1 82 0 p d thi 5 pt , , in r r f hi the thi tieth yea o s age. This tablet is placed with lasting affection an d respect his afﬂ w w by deeply icted ido .

S a we re e e oo at the an of the ord h ll c iv g d h d L , n ha w n ot r e l a d s ll e ec ive evi . T he or ave and the or a h a en L d g , L d h t t k away : blessed be the name of the Lord

O n e r of his three sisters died shortly afterwards, anothe - r . . . a mar ied Lieut Colonel T E Napier of Thirlst ne, brother to

m f as Ad iral Napier of I ndia ame , and got a dowry the property which is now known as Woodcote Park . He was

r an elder in the parish fo several years. The other sister m ru arried the late Mr Ogilvie of Chesters , Anc m , and got as

r her portion Sout a Mains . Mrs Ogilvie lived to a great age ,

an d t . died hree years ago at Chesters Her son , Thomas

Elliot Ogilvie, is now the proprietor of Soutra Mains .

Colonel Napier, who became Sir Thomas E . Napier, lived in and possessed Woodcote for eighteen years ; and in 6 6 Fala and Soutra .

1 8 rifﬁ s G e . 43 sold it to Thomas Dixon Mr Dixon married , and several children were born to him before he left in 1 854

for Nant Hall , Wales, where he presently resides. Woodcote was destined to become more famous by having for its owner

Lord Wood , one of the Senators of the College of Justice .

Immediately, whenever the property was purchased, he m employed Bryce , the fa ous Edinburgh architect, who, by his

genius and skill , transformed a square, plain country house

e n into a ﬁne Scottish baronial mansion . Lord Wood not only

lar ed g the house , but he also made walks, erected little chalets and bowers ; and planted as ﬁne a selection of shrubbery as

may be found in the Lothians . H e also acquired from Mrs

1 8 - L in n dean Ogilvie , in 5 7 , the ground around the well known

Waterfall , and thereby added variety and character to his

u summer retreat. Woodcote appeared nder Lord Wood at

n its best . He took great interest in not only addi g beauty to

beauty, but in keeping everything about his grounds and woods

and fields in the finest order . H e was much respected in the parish and district and his house was always well filled with

guests and friends during his vacation . He also took a aff fatherly interest in the poor, and in the airs of the parish

generally. By his inﬂuence and exertion he got the present

1 86 Parish Church rebuilt. In 4, after a residence of ten

years , he died at Woodcote, and was buried in the family

sta lri w a vault at R e g . H is wido put st ined glass into the

s w three ea t windows of the Church , which have the follo ing inscription Dedicated by his widow to the memory of 1 1 88 Alexander Wood of Woodcote, born 3th November 7 ,

died 1 9 th J uly 1 86 4 . H e left a large family of sons and

. rr 1 8 2 daughters One of the daughters ma ied , in 4 , John

6 8 Fala and Soutra . would have stationed there for agricultural purposes a staff of

l u n m e n . Gil sto , like Woodcote, Soutra H ill , and the Brother

fe u stones , is held in from the Town Council of Edinburgh .

a - 2 1 05 Woodcote and Soutr paid as feu duty £ , . per year ; a

2 K l n 2 5 . d el baak oh stounburn part of Soutra H ill , 5 ; y (J ),

Br th rs ne 85 . d o e to 1 25 . 2 d 45 ; Nether , £ , 5 ; Over Brother

i ill u n G s r . 1 2 s. a to e stone , , g ; and the same p year All

th fe n- ese duties, according to the wish of the Town Council , were bought up by the respective proprietors in 1 8 2 7 for -ﬁ ' l e v e . i ls n 5 tw nty years purchase G tou still pays 5 . year y to - l the Marquis of Tweeddale as feu duty ; but it is for a small

e piece of land which b longed to the Tweeddale property , and

the Gillstou n w which was acquired by o ner, as it was sur

l o f rounded by his ands . Upon this piece land stood an old ’ u ho se until a few years ago , which went by the name of Mak ” c ed a t him rich , a name whi h was appli by the inhabit n s

owing to the easy terms of its possession .

Gillsto u n r is of some historical interest to the antiqua y, as there is still sta nding in the centre of the property an old

peel tower. Of its origin , history, or object, nothing is known

f e beyond the act that . it exist d prior to the Reformation , at

a w hich time it was rep ired by the proprieto r. It may have

had R m as m its origin in the time of the o ans, it would co

m e mand the approach fro the west to Watling Stre t, or it

n may have bee erected by the monks for a similar purpose. All that now remains has been transformed into dwelling

houses for the workmen on the property. - About three quarters of a mile to the west of the tower

be f u am are still to found the o ndations of an old Roman c p ,

a of which there are sever l in the neighbourhood.

Bro erston e 6 th s . 9

as w has e x va Nothing, so far is kno n , been don to e ca te in search of relics . or even to know its extent or shape. Gillstoun has had several proprietors since it fell in to the h the w the ands of Edinburgh To n Council , through Trinity t T h College Hospi al . e ﬁrst that is recorded who got a feu of

an s Brotherston e s the l ds of Gil ton and Over , is J ame Aber h H ne t e 1 . y . held them from 549 Sir William Seton of

C ak em uir 1 6 2 0 1 6 6 he h is proprietor from to 5 , when sold t em A uchm utie to Sir Alexander of Gosford , who sold them again

to Alexander E lphi nstoun in 1 694. I n 1 7 07 they were sold

s w s to Thoma Baillie, a merchant in Musselburgh , hose heir sold them in 1 7 74 to Thomas Bervie . Early this century they

were purchased by Robert Brown of Musselburgh , who sold

1 8 0 the them in 5 to late John Dun , merchant, Leith . They ’ an d are r are now held by M r Dun s trustee, fa med by Mr ’ m M r Dun s only son , who beco es proprietor. Dun improved the value of the property by draining and fencing ; and of

t s e late the cot age have been so much improved, that th y are ’ t e now the ﬁnes workmen s cottag s in the parish . - Nether Brotherstones is the south western point of the

Brothersto nes parish , and derives its name, like Upper , from ‘ f the stony nature of the soil . From the act that it is called

Brotherston es i n x o the ﬁrst charters e tant, sh ws that the Brethren of the Monastery had been long in possession when

the lands were called by their name . There is nothing of his torical interest connected with this small property of about 1 2 0

one w acres , except the site of two old Roman camps, of hich is completely obliterated ; the other shows a slight elevation T h w e the s . e abov surrounding oil Armit, hich rises in the ’ ’ e a the r H en s Moss opposit L wrie s Den on Laude road, ﬂows 0 and 7 Fala Soutra.

’ ’ past the Cross Chain H ill , the King s Inch, Mak him rich ,

‘ Gilston , and forms the south boundary of Nether Brother

w C rook s to ne stones, hence it proceeds to , where it joins the

Gala . The Armet is one of the ﬁnest trouting streams in the

Br h r i l . ot e sh e s district The burn , which ﬂows from Fala m Moor, for s the boundary on the north and west.

Of the proprietors little is known . The ﬁrst who appears is Alexander Hodge, who held the property until it passed

Whitbur h into the hands of the Andersons of g , in the parish

m 1 680 . of Hu bie, about the year The Andersons possessed

1 8 0 it until about 5 , when it was sold to William Paterson , lawyer, Edinburgh ; and his heirs sold it to Robert Young,

merchant, Ratho , whose widow is in present possession . The

Andersons, although living in another parish , took all along a

warm interest in the welfare of the parish . They had ac n Whitbu r h w quired the la ds of g from James Calder ood, min

u . ister of H mbie , who got a gift of them from Charles I I , and also was presented to the li v ing of H umbie Parish because

H e burn es m he adopted Episcopacy. The p of H u bie were w the old proprietors, who lost them o ing to their strong loyal ” leanings for Christ, Kirk , and Covenant. The Andersons

Whi tbur h 1 8 sold g in 7 7 to Charles Watson of Glasgow, who

n M r S limon 1 88 sold it agai to in 5 , the present proprietor,

who is one of the most hospitable of men .

K ell baak the ohn stounbu rn y , a small part of estate of J ,

forms the eastern part of the parish of Soutra, in East ’ K ell k . baa Lothian y is a contraction for Kelly s baak , the baak

a or b ulk of Kelly, who lived in a small house in that land

about the middle of last century. Soutra Croft, or Kiln Croft

ohn stou n bu rn is the proper name . J , as given to the House of ohn o n rn 1 J st u bu . 7

M arishall Soutra by John de Keith , included also the two U ﬁelds that surround the present farm house of pper Keith , the property of M r Usher. The Frasers were the original

e s s proprietors of the w stern districts of East Lothian , pos es

ohns toun burn ing J , H umbie , Upper and Lower Keith , Whit

C oste rton . burgh, and A daughter of Simon Fraser married S mm Keith y or Philip de Keith , and took to her husband

Keith Harvey and Keith Hundley. H undley after a time ” b R efor became Humbie , which has een a parish since the

r mation , and includes both the p operties designated under “ ” Keith . The M aster and Brethren farmed these gifted

1 lands up to the time of the transfer to Edinburgh in 46 2 .

The Provost and Prebendaries of the Trinity College, Edin

u u burgh , wo ld in all likelihood let them to tenants ntil the

Reformation , when the Town Council , representing the the Trinity College, took possession . Like other lands of

Borthw ick s Soutra , they were let as a feu to the , who were in

1 6 t possession to 5 9 , when Helen , daughter of the la e Thomas w k Borth ic , married James Primrose , a soldier, and was served

1 68 heir. She died in 7 , and left the property to her husband .

1 0 Primrose retained it till about the year 7 3 , when it was

e . purchas d by Thomas Crocket, merchant, Edinburgh

u Crocket was for a n mber of years Dean of Guild , and died

1 0 about 7 7 , when he bequeathed merks to the poor

as . of Edinburgh , well as some other gifts At that time it

u was p rchased by the ancestors of the present proprietor,

n w as m Archibald Brow , who pri us clerk to the Court of

ohn sto unbu rn Session for a grea t number of years . J is ﬁnely

wooded , and laid out, like Woodcote , with great taste and

m e expense, which makes it a char ing resid ntial property . 2 r 7 Fala and Sout a .

The old house that was built by the Borthw ick s on the west

was e n side of the stream , which comes from Woodcote , larg ed and improved at considerable expense several years

u e n ago . The old farm ho se , called Chesterhill , was also lar e d g , and is now the residence of M r Brown and family ; and a very ﬁne house at the steading was erected for the

n farm te ant.

C H A P T E R I X .

C HU R C H OF F A LA .

— — — — — F ala Ch urch F urn ishi ngs Com m un ion Cups Bell Churchyar M ort Cloth — — d F ala M an e e e Pa ron a e R of Pre en a on S a e of s Gl b t g ight s t ti , l A FTE R 1 46 2 the church of Soutra became a vicarage church , and remained in that condition until the R m efor ation , when the ﬁrst Presbyterian minister entered in , and carried on religious worship in the same building that

had been used by the last Roman Catholic vicar.

r This church , no doubt a pa t of the old church of the

1 6 2 Monastery, was in use for public worship up to 4, when the parish minister removed to the church and manse in Fala

village . The Fala church at the Reformation had suffe red violence

at the hands of the people, as the priest had ﬂed , and would

not conform to the new order. It stood in this condition till

1 1 w as s the year 5 9 , when it put into repair, and u ed for one

year as the parish church . After the removal of the minister

1 6 2 to Soutra village , the church stood unused until 4, when

1 86 1 he g ot it repaired . From that date up to it was con

tin uousl u . 1 86 1 y sed as the church of the two parishes I n , greatly through the inﬂuence of the late Lord Wood of

o n Wo dcote, Mr Bryce, Edi burgh , was engaged to

prepare plans of a new church . He recommended that the new church should be erected upon the site and foundations

a . of the old , which was ultimately c rried out K 7 4 Fala and Soutra .

n d The old foundatio s were use , the church was made the

m the s sa e shape and size of the old , only omis ion being the

u . chancel , which may be supplied at some fut re time The pulpit was placed against the east wall instead of the south ,

and where it formerly stood there is only one gallery, which is against the west wall , instead of the two which were in the

t a nd co m old building . I t is n ow one of the pret iest most fortable of our rural parish churches .

While the church was being rebuilt , a very interesting

m n discovery was made in the shape of a ﬂat to bstone, upo which the only legible words were

N airne of D un sin nan e I t is matter of regret that means were not adopted at the time the stone was laid bare to decipher the remaini ng part of m the inscription , as so e light might have been given to assist in clearing up an epoch in the history of the Nairne family . As the church was in continuous use from the time of its

1 6 2 m repair in 4 , and as an Act of the General Asse bly pro

hibi ted burials in churches , this burial must have taken place

1 600 prior to that date . About the year there were two

N ai rnes m . , Sir William and Sir Tho as After the death of

ot the former , the latter g into trouble , left his residence at

D n s n n a n u i ne a d . , wandered about from place to place H e

must have wandered to Fala , and probably may have taken

up his residence in Fala Hall , the house of the Hays and

E dm on ston e s w as , and , having died , buried in Fala Church .

At the east end of the church, and directly under what was

u called the Stair or Hamilton gallery, were also fo nd the ’ remains of one of Lord Stair s ancestors.

6 7 Fala and Soutra .

n are v Communio plate of common pewter, and were gi en to

1 1 the Church by Thomas Hamilton Macgill de Fala in 7 5 . I n e very parish the bell usually plays a very important part and it so happens that around the hell of Fala a halo of

T he Ki rk ok ens T romance has grown , and

r many stories about it have been told . After inqui y, it turns i h t out that tradit on is wrong , t at the stories are unwor hy of

v belief, and e en of record . The bell belongs properly to

Borthwick parish , for which it was made , and made at a time m when the rules for grammar were very ﬂexible . How it ca e

. to Fala , and at what time, are unanswered questions Neither the records of the one parish nor the other can give - . o ff any information It is most likely a cast bell , having been replaced by a larger at Bo rthwick fand brought here to supply a want . The inscription on it is quaint, and worthy of reproduction .

I do call to feed sleep and pray God bless you all good people of Borthwick M D I XX X . ou all . CC y Of the bell it may be said

“ ’ ’ ’ It s ra t n oo an i n n c cki , , j gli , ’ ’ ’ It s faili n like mysel ’ ’ Yet weel I lo e the jowin ’ - O oor ai n kirk bell I

’ ’ A handfu s the rk w ere an e i ki , h c ’ T he coun tryside itsel ’ Wad gaither at the jowin ’ " O oor ai n r - e ki k b ll. Fala Churchyard . 7 7

- According to a time honoured custom , the sacred dead lie

buried around the place consecrated to the worship of God . As neither tradition nor history gives the slightest idea of another place of sepulture in the parish , there can be no doubt that the churchyard around the parish church of Fala

has existed from time immemorial . Alas !like too many of

our rural churchyards, its condition is a reproach , and its walls

are a ruin . Beyond several of the parish ministers, and one

or two lairds, nobody, as far as is known , has been buried in it

of any note . According to the custom of the past generation , om the t bstones bear those emblems of Time, Decay, and

n . Eter ity, which are generally adopted At Soutra the parishioners at the Reformation changed

their manner of worship , but not their churchyard . About one acre or more of the land around the Isle was the burial place

for that parish up to the end of last century, when the custom

began of burying i n Fala Churchyard alone. The walls have m all been removed the very to bstones have disappeared, which the late Dr Laing described as a gross act of vandalism ;

and now the plough has eaten in year by year, until only a

small piece of the old churchyard remains . There has also accumulated on the south side of the Isle a large heap of

gathered stones , which gives the place a look of sad neglect . The mort cloth was in use in the parish up to thirty years

. m ago , when it entirely ceased to be used For a ti e there

were two , one for the loan of which was paid the sum of ﬁve — shillings, and the other two shillings and sixpence, the sexton

getting six pence or one shilling for carrying it to the house.

The mort cloth dues were paid into the poor box . The good

s v can old cu tom still pre ails in the parish , of everybody who 7 8 Fala an d Soutra .

attending the funerals . Often there may be seen quite a

m en crowd of respectably dressed , from the laird to the hind , walking silently and reverently after the remains of even a - child to its last resting place . Rich and poor lie together.

L a the one rea an d r in the s ron lo er n e y g t ich t g c ist ich , Give him his cofﬁ n of c edar an d gold L et the w or fa ou n the e e a ild t chlight ll, ﬂ ti g v lv t p ll,

oc him i n mar e au dar some and o d. L k bl v lt, k c l

’ But ere s a sun n fo n remem ered th y hill, dly b still ; rowne w fa r rass and a onn elm ree C d ith i g , b y t here the w n ou an d ron w s es i ts w n er on T i d , l d st g , hi tl i t s g ; — ” There spring the wild dowers fair as can be .

’ the As far as can be ascertained , priest s house or manse

n ever occupied the site of the prese t Fala Manse . After a

and t r long struggle , considerable rouble on the pa t of the

m st the m 1 2 . ini er, present anse was built in 79 It was

1 8 2 repaired and enlarged in 3 , and again , after another

’ 1 88 struggle and some trouble, in 9 , when the Precentor s

Tower was also erected. I t never was a good house, and

its present condition clearly indicates that it never will . Complai nts shortly after its erection were m ade against it to the Presbytery ; even its description in the Statistical - Account of Parishes in 1 7 9 3 94 has been veriﬁed again and

again . The minister at the Reformation occupied the

u V t ho se that the Soutra icar left, which was si uated on the

north side of the road , which passes the Isle . The ministers

n 1 6 2 lived there u til 4 , when a removal was made to Fala . Around the Soutra Manse was the glebe of about eight

a x 1 86 imperi l acres , which were e cambed to Fala in 5

8 0 Fala and Soutra .

the Parochine and Parish Kirk of Falla, within the Presbytery of

k r Dal eith , considering that the said K irk of Falla is at p esent

a vacant in our h nds, and at our gift and presentation , by the

transportation of the Reverend M r Patrick Simpson, late

n minister thereof, to the Parish of Cluny, and we bei g desirous that the same be provided with some well qualiﬁed and godly

man ﬁtted for the exercise of the Holy Ministry , and being

informed of the ability, literature, and qualiﬁcations of Mr

Wothers oon e William p , pr acher of the Gospel , to discharge f the o ﬁce and function of a minister within the Church of God,

a nd and of the great pains, travel , study taken by him these several years past for that effect ; therefore we have

n n ominated and presented, and by these presents , nomi ate and present the said Mr William Wotherspoon to the ministry

of the said Parochine and Parish Kirk of Falla, and to the

manse, glebe, and stipend, with all the privileges, proﬁts, and emoluments of the same as w as formerly posse st and paid to

the said Mr Patrick Simpson , late minister thereof, and that for the croft and year of God one thousand seven hundred

d n and sixty years, and yearly in all times coming uri g his e ncu mbe n cy there ; requiring and hereby desiring the Reve rend Moderator and remnant brethren of the said Presbytery of Dalkeith to take trial of his literature and

qualiﬁcations, and being found qualiﬁed , to admit him to the f i said Church , con orm to the rules of ecclesiastical disc pline,

h . t s established by law and order, used in suc cases In wi nes

whereof (written on stamped paper by John Forbes, servitor

to the principal city clerks of Edinburgh), We the said Lord

e d s Provost, Bailies , D an of Gil , and Trea urer, as also Mr

n William Forbes, one of the City Clerks, in ame and at the

8 2 Fala and Soutra. an d O f a t Professors , as they represent in their ﬁci l capaci y the educational interests of the burgh . m The clai was not admitted , and the University allowed it to drop . On the following August, the right of presentation to the parish of Currie w as bought by Sir James Gibson

l 00 . Craig, Bart , for £ 5 The alternate right to Fala and b Soutra was ought by Mr George Grant, advocate , for

1 0 of £ 5 , and the right presentation to Wemyss parish was

00 . bought by Mr John Angus, Aberdeen , for £ 5

Mr Grant, who bought the right of presentation to Fala

v 1 860 and Soutra , ne er exercised it, but at Martinmas, , he sold it to Mrs Ferguson Blair of Balthayock (now the Honourable

60 w as Mrs Arbuthnot)for the sum of £4 . When patronage m n abolished , patrons were e powered to claim compe sation , which was to be ﬁ x ed by order of the Sheriff. Lord Stair

is n generously gave up h claim and got othing, but Mrs

w as f su m Arbuthnot claimed, and a terwards paid the of 2 6 s . 6 7 , d . C HA PTE R X .

M S E R S OF T H E PA R IS H INI T .

om as a rn s h a R om a — t e n a o ar T he R ev . M e sr . F ran Th C i , l st C th lic Vic s s k, ohn stoun Hen er on Ha e C arkettill arm ae T homsone or eou J , s , sti , , C ich l , , P t s, d — o an M oo e ohn stoune ran a er and S m on a e of reston L g , i , J , G t, C v s, i ps B ttl P — d ' an T h R v M r Wo h r n ers S herr iﬂ e e . e t e s oon our a S ro S p s ss s p , G l y, p tt, i g , , Har ne M unro n r m om on an r a d H un e . k ss , , I g , Th s , t

E W h F parishes in Scotland have preserved for them t e name of the last parish priest who ofﬁciated duri ng the time of the Reformation . I t appears that the property at Hawick which the Soutra

Monastery possessed, and which was transferred to the b “ Trinity College, Edin urgh, retained its name , Soutra

an d e 1 66 . Croft , was hand d over again to Soutra in 5 That “ ” n year the K i g and Queen (Queen Mary and Darnley),

b the two months efore murder of Rizzio at Holyrood, con

a r m s ﬁrmed cha ter giving to Dominus Tho a Cairns , the chaplain of the altar of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the subordinate church of Soutra, by the consent of Dominus

C la e rton George pp , Provost of the Holy Trinity College

Church of Edinburgh , the feudal land held by William Scott,

a r in Hawick ; a croft of l nd called Sout a Croft, an acre

’

k . called Blac ie s Acre , and a croft called Campiri Croft Thomas Cai rn s must have been ofﬁciating at this time ;

a f and as it was six ye rs after the Re ormation , and as the

a ﬁrst Presbyterian minister was placed the next ye r, it is 8 4 Fala and Soutra .

quite possible that the one left the same day the other came , or may even have ofﬁciated together in the same church at

s the same time . Thi was no uncommon practice, for the

m d !a Ro an priest to conduct services Roman in the morning,

and the Presbyterian at noon .

1 . William Frank is the ﬁrst Presbyterian minister . He

1 6 was ordained in 5 7 , lived in the manse at Soutra, and had -H under his charge Fala , Soutra, and Keith umbie , which is

the southern part of the present parish of Hu mbie . H e had

f t res e c also three readers under his charge , who o ﬁcia ed p

v l n ti e y in each of the parishes . Of their names o ly one sur

e a -ﬁv e viv s , that of James Murray, whose sal ry was twenty

n 0 merks a year. The i come of the minister was £3 Scots

for Soutra, nothing, as far as can be ascertained , for Fala , - and the Vicarage teinds for Keith Humbie. He was also in

possession of both the Fala and Soutra glebes . l 2 . 1 r I n 5 7 4 , he was t ans ated to Lauder, and was succeeded

hnstou n e that same year by Adam J o . Under this minister - m Keith H u bie was separated from Fala and Soutra, and

C r ichton its e was annexed in place . He also had three

readers under his charge , and lived at Soutra. The Soutra

w s a . reader paid twenty merks , and had also the kirk lands

. 1 8 3 I n 5 9 , Crichton was separated from Soutra and Fala, at which time Adam J ohn stoune demitted ofﬁ ce to give m place to Ja es Henderson , the ﬁrst of the Episcopalian

ministers under James VI . All that is recorded of him is

that he left in a disorderly manner on 2 1 5 t May 1 5 90 .

. 1 1 . . 4 Early in 5 9 , James Hastie , M A , was translated

Clerkin ton from g to Fala, where he resided . He got in the

. n n following year Soutra also u der his charge . H e co tinued

86 Fala and Soutra .

. t they arrived at a proper age 5 . That he anniversaries of

the Nativity, Passion , Resurrection , and Ascension of Christ,

and Pentecost , should be observed as solemn days. Porteous

died in 1 643 .

9 . John Logan , M . A . , studied at the University of Edin 6 e he 1 1 1 . w as n burgh , wher took his degree in He lice sed

s r by the Edinburgh Pre byte y, and recommended by them to h the Town Council of Edinburg , who presented him to the m living in August 1 6 1 6 . This is the ﬁrst appoint ent that is

recorded by the Town Council made by them . Logan was

the last of the ministers who lived at Soutra . He left in

6 1 8 s r 1 , and took up his abode in Fala Man e, whe e the

n . ministers have lived ever si ce Before this the two parishes, h although aving only at times one minister, were looked upon

r a a . as sepa ate p rishes , but this ye r they were united In

2 h r 1 6 4 Soutra church was given up , Fala c u ch was repaired , and has been used as the church for both parishes ever

In 1 6 2 since . 7 there were one hundred and sixty communi

a m s cants , as shown by the return to the Roy l Com i sion by ff Charles I . on ecclesiastical a airs .

’ It is s trange that Logan neither got into the Bishop s

- 1 66 f d rag net of 3 , nor demitted o ﬁce when, by Act of Parlia

, d ment , Presbyterianism was declared illegal and the atten ance on Episcopal worship made compulsory . Woodrow says that he, along with William Calderwood of Heriot,

C ock e n Adam Penman of p , and Gideon Penman of Crich

m bu t for ton , all confor ed ; that is not so , , when an attempt f 1 6 f was made to orce him to conform in 7 4 , he demitted o ﬁce .

How he escaped these eleven years is an unsolved riddle .

0 . e . . 1 Georg Moodie, M A , a student of Edinburgh Uni . M A 8 Rev Walter Cavers , . . 7

1 66 versity, laureated in 9 , and was licensed by the Bishop of

Edinburgh in 1 6 7 3 . He was presented to the living of Fala

1 as vicar by Thomas Hamilton of Preston in 6 74 . He

s 1 68 1 continued Epi copal vicar up to , when he was deprived

fﬁ . of o ce by refusing to take the Test Act by Charles I I , and swear for King, Kirk , and Country .

. hns ou n . 1 1 o t e . He was succeeded by George J , M A , a

1 68 2 . student and graduate of Edinburgh University, in He

of was presented by the Town Council Edinburgh , and

h 1 2 t e 1 68 . ordained by Bishops , th January 3 He was trans 68 lated to Burntisland in 1 8 .

1 2 . . . ca Alexander Grant, M A , son of Dun n Grant of

Branchell u , studied and grad ated at the U niversity and

’ 1 6 6 d K ing s College, Aberdeen , in 7 . He was or ained by

n 1 688 the Bishop of Edi burgh in , and continued minister

ou only for one year, as he w ld not read the proclamation of the for estates , and also refused to pray King William and

r . Queen Ma y He was the last of the Episcopal ministers ,

for a and might have continued m ny years, as far as the parishioners were concerned , if he had not been expelled by the Privy Council . It is worthy of note that the congrega tion retained the Episcopal attitude of worship up to a few

. b e years ago They stood oth at pray r and singing.

1 . 3 The parish remained vacant for eight years , until M A . n u Walter Cavers, was appointed , the ﬁrst of the broken chain o f Presbyterian ministers . He was a grad uate

1 6 2 of Edinburgh U niversity, which he left in 9 . He was called and ordained to the parish on the 2 1 s t September

1 6 T he n 9 7 . congregatio or parishioners had taken the pre

se n ta tion t the in o their own hands, for Edinburgh Town 8 8 Fala and Soutra.

Council records are silent about it. If the Town Council m a ade the present tion , there was no record kept of it . Mr

f -ﬁv e Cavers was minister of the parish for orty years , and d r 1 2 . H e died on the 3 January 7 4 , aged seventy years , as

can e - far as be trac d from the kirk session records , was a

n most exemplary minister, carefully guardi g the discipline of

the Church , faithfully preaching the Gospel , and dispensing d the Sacraments. The recor s are better kept during his

min istry than at any other period . Although the numbers d cannot be given , the congregation must have been goo , for

Hill C oste rton he had the lairds of Fala, Soutra, Soutra , , .

Whitbu r h F alahill g , Humbie , and Heriot, all members of m . as the church He , is com on to all good ministers, had a

large family. There are ten children recorded as having

e been born in Fala Manse; and baptised in Fala K irk . Th ir

history cannot be traced .

1 . s 4 The next to succeed Mr Caver is Patrick Simpson ,

M . A . , son of Mr Matthew Simpson , minister of Pencaitland .

1 He studied at Edinburgh University, and graduated in 7 3 3 .

1 He was licensed by the Presbytery of Haddington in July 7 3 7 , was presented to the living of Fala in June 1 7 4 2 by Thomas

n . 1 . Hamilto , Esq of Fala, and was ordained in May 7 4 3

m for This appointment ust have been popular, the collection

d . 6 1 1 5 . 6 . on the day of his ordination was , (Scots) When it became known that Prince Charlie was raising an army to asse rt his claim to the crown of Scotland , the excitement it create d caused the parishioners to prepare themselves for T h defence . e minister for some time drilled a small company

n at Fala village , and when it was k own that the Prince and

m n his army were on the east coast, Mr Si pso marched at the

B n 8 attle of Presto pans . 9

head of a small contingent to Prestonpans . When he arrived - there , he got possession of a saddle bag with six hundred ’ n guineas belonging to Sir Joh Cope s army, and was appointed

’ to act as treasurer. After Cope s army was routed at the

o 1 P n Battle of Prest npans in 7 4 5 , they ﬂed to Lauder by a side

but before the Fala minister left , he handed over the money ’ i n to Dr Carlyle s father, who hid it for a time the manse

' n garden at Prestonpa s . Mr Simpson s brother, Dr Colin

Simpson , who distinguished himself by caring for the wounded l and dying, after the battle carried the money to Bo ton

Manse , where it lay for a considerable time . The routing at Prestonpans was not looked upon in a very serious light by the Jacobites , however seriously the Whig army may have suf fe red . The various characters that appeared at the battle were

S k irv i n C made fun of by Adam g , the farmer at arleton , East

. S k irv i n Lothian , who wrote a rustic poem on the event Mr g w as S k i rv i n father to the late Mr g , the distinguished f artist, and grand ather to M r Ainslie , the present proprietor

C osterto n of , who is in possession of portraits of the poet, the artist himself, and other members of this distinguished family . These portraits form a part of a most interesting collec tion of

u C osterto n pict res and articles of vertu at House , one of the prettiest mansions in the district . There w ere several ministers at the battle along with Simpson . Mr Monteith ,

n w as - minister of Lo gformacus , well known for his distin

hed - k ir in u is S v . g horsemanship , and also well known to Mr g Of him he writes

M on e the rea w ere H e rsell a e t ith g t , h s t , ’ U n ware n her ower m an s did di g , , M 9 0 Fala and Soutra .

Yet wa na an to ear a and d st d b h ,

' But aﬁ fou fa s our man st did c , , ’ O er S ou ra ere he s oo ti l t hill , t d s l , efore he a e m ea man B t st d t , ro he ma ra o f his sw f na T th , y b g i t g ” a are him at!sae ee man . Th t b ﬂ t ,

n ex eri Mr Simpson being a kee soldier, and having little p

the t ence , made it his boast the day before bat le that he would convince the rebels of their error by the pistols he d two carrie . He had for that purpose two in his pocket, in

con ec his holsters, and one in his belt. It has been often j

tur d e if they were of Fala make .

A nd S m son een to ear the ee n i p k , cl f rebels far i n wran man O g , ,

’ D id n e er s r e wi to s ﬁve v t iv , pis l , ’ ’ But allo d wi the ran man g p th g,

H e urne his a and i n a ra t d b ck , c ck Was ean out of man cl ly sight , , A nd thought it best it was nae jest ’ ” Wi H an ers to ﬁ man ighl d ght, .

After the battle, Mr Simpson resided for about three

w a months at Ber ick , fraid of coming to Fala, as he learned

that the Prince and his army were coming by Fala to Carlisle . The minister returned to his parish at the begin n ing of the

to . year, be taken prisoner He was removed to Stirling,

where he lay for about three weeks , but was afterwards

liberated . He always belonged to the advanced party in the Church ; and when Jupiter Carlyle of I nveresk was libelled by the Presbytery of Dalkeith for attending the representa

the l m w as on e tion of Tragedy of Doug as by Ho e, Simpson

9 2 Fala and Soutra . licensed by the Presbytery of Edinburgh on the 3o th Augu st 1 780 ; presented to the parish of Fala by Lady Dalrymple

‘

M Gill . Hamilton , with consent of Sir J ohn Dalrymple , Bart , the 1 5 t November 1 7 9 0 ; and ordained on the 2 0th April

1 1 . s 7 9 Mr Singers, like some of his predeces ors , was a faith

o s an d b v ful minister of the G pel , liked y e erybody , except a

n few of the village Disse ters , who tried to get him into trouble V in 1 8 1 5 . A petition was presented to the Sheriff by a V illiam

’ a a M r Pearson and others g inst Singers, for refusing to give a greater allowance of poor money to the petitioner. At a

- u meeting of the heritors and kirk session of Fala, it t rned

not out that Pearson was in need of more than he was getting,

that he possessed money, and was spending it foolishly , and that the whole case was got up against the minister thro ugh ’ - r n ill feeling. The he itors approved of Mr Singers co duct,

supported him in the bogus trial , and at last got the case

a quashed , and the costs thrown upon the compl iners . This

a c se created considerable feeling in the parish , but failed in — v i z . its object , to get a schism among the parishioners, with

n a View to increase the Dissenting congregation . Mr Si gers

’ wrote the article in Sinclair s Statistical Account of 1 7 9 4 on

Fala parish , which is characterised by a bitter attack on those whom he designates the great ones ” for their absence from

n on - the parish , and attendance on public worship , and also on

n accou nt of the small ess of the stipend . He had reason s to

n complain of the latter, for he began a process of stipe d

u an d not a gmentation before the Court of Teinds, only lost

- n his case, but lost also about one eighth part of his i come , as

n the last augmentation , which was enjoyed for about a hu dred

: years , was declared illegal . He says If we take into b Rev . A rchi ald Singers . 9 3 account the remarkable high price of provision here, this small sum (abou t £60 a year)is very inadequate to the main

te nan ce d of a family , unless they are clothe , like the Baptist o f old , in coats of skins, and live , too, like him , upon locust and ” w wild honey . O ing to his superior knowledge of ecclesiasti

u r cal law, and his faithf l attendance on the Church Cou ts , he

v n l was, when a aca cy occurred , appointed c erk to the Presby

te r f y of Dalkeith , which o ﬁce he held for nearly a quarter of - a century . In everything he was thorough ; the kirk session

and the Presbytery minutes bear this out . He was eloquent

as a preacher, and his name lives still among the older

parishioners . When a member of the General Assembly at the begin d t ning of this century, it was propose to appoin a committee

to revise the old Scottish Psalmody . One gentleman , amidst

u great la ghter, proposed Archibald Singers of Fal -law - Harry Sangster of H um bie ; - David Pyper of Pe n cait land ; and - Robert L o ng rym er of Hadding toun . These gentleme n all happen ed to be the m i n isters of the

respective parishes named at the same time . Old age at last came upon Mr S ingers ; and in 1 8 24 he

u l was laid aside nder para ysis , and became quite unﬁt for his T h . e ministerial duties parish became neglected , and in

1 8 2 7 Sir John H . Dalrymple wrote to the Town Council of

h a n Edinburgh , asking t em to ppoi t an assistant and successor, sending at the same time a petition signed by about 3 5 0 out

’ 00 ff n of 4 parishioners , praying that Mr Sherri , Mr Si gers

. n assistant, be presented to the parish The Town Cou cil 94 Fala and Soutra .

taking no notice of these communications, Sir John Dalrymple

O x e nfoo rd n 1 e wrote again from , u der date the 3th Novemb r 1 8 2 7 , in which letter he says I refer your Lord ships to the deplorable state in which the parish of

Fala is at this moment . Mr Singers may live for years , but

his mind is quite gone ; so he cannot administer baptism , and children in the parish are now unbaptised . There is no

n church discipline, as there is no one to take cog isance of the

for e . conduct of the people , ther is not an elder in the parish

n I might mention other thi gs , but I feel convinced that I have said enough to draw your Lordships ’ immediate attention to ” a subject of such importance . A committee of the Tow n Council was appointed to

consider the matter, and afterwards it was agreed to appoint

Mr Sherriff. M r Singers removed from the manse early in

1 8 2 8 w On , and went to reside at Belhaven , here he died the

8 1 8 0 - th October 3 , in the seventy ninth year of his age, and

in the fortieth of his ministry. H e married Mary Lothian

1 80 — i be in December 7 , and had two children Arch bald, who w came a banker at Newcastle ; and Ann , who became the ife

of the Rev . James Stirling, minister of Cockburnspath . Both

i n Mr Singers and his wife were buried Fala Churchyard . ff 1 . 9 Thomas Sherri , who acted as assistant to Mr Singers for six years ; by the strong desire of the heritors and parish

ione rs was , presented to the parish by the Town Council of

n Edinburgh in January, and ordai ed assistant and successor

8 2 8 th 1 . on the 9 May He belonged to Tweedside , was

a educ ted at Edinburgh University, and licensed by the

8 2 Presbytery of Chirnside in 1 2 . After a short ministry

1 8 6 in - of eight years, he died in 3 , the forty sixth year of his

6 9 Fala and Soutra .

a . preach according to my stipend I would be puir, puir han

mimster 2 nd He was not destined to be long , for, on the July

1 8 1 4 , he died , in the fortieth year of his age , and in the ﬁfth

m 1 . 8 0 of his ministry H e married in Septe ber 4 , Anne,

e daught r of Hugh Rose , St Andrews . h 2 1 . a S ortly after the dece se of Mr Harkness, the congre g ation petitioned the Town Council of Edinburgh to present R e v . the David Brown , minister of Roslin , to the vacant church and parish . The heritors also petitioned on behalf of

n w n m e t 1 8 1 the said mi ister ; but, he the Council in October 4 to elect a minister, it was resolved to rescind the motion to

. w to m elect , and to allo the parishioners elect fro a leet, as had been done in the case of the previous minister. I t was also moved to proceed with the election . Eighteen voted for

the n latter motion , and fourteen , includi g the Lord Provost

‘ f r o . and most of the bailies , voted the former The Lord

r P ovost proposed the Rev . David Brown of Roslin , and

Councillor Dunbar proposed Thomas Munro, M . A . , of Edin

n burgh University , which motio was carried by a majority of

two votes . When the Council again met to sign the presen tation e , the Council minute was objected to , and diss nts were

. s who recorded The presentation was sent to the Pre bytery, , at their ﬁrst meeting, objected to it on the ground that Mr

n alone Mu ro was appointed to Fala , and not to Fala and

a. Soutr The Council agreed to prepare a new presentation , ’ w IVh n which as done at the expense of the presentee . e the matter again came before the Presbytery, the congregation and several members of Presbytery raised objections under

’ Lord Aberdeen s Act, and an appeal was taken to Synod and

s General Assembly . The ca e was sent back by the Assembly

9 8 Fala and Soutra .

. e at ﬁrst H was minister of Dumblane for about eight years ,

. m where he died While at A sterdam, he married Maria - - Boi s ~ Petronella De j , the daughter of a well to do wood f o . merchant, an old Huguenot family There were six . at — children born to him Fala Manse Mary Ann and Johanna,

' and w e re at who died buried Dumblane ; Helen , who died

and was buried at Fala ; William John , who became a wealthy

n ba ker at New York ; Maria Petronella, who studied medi

at cine New York , and became a distinguished lady doctor in

a o Brooklyn, and was thanked publicly a few years g by the Mayor for her heroic conduct in sucking the mouth of a child t who had diph heria ; and Jane, who married several years

‘ K z i . M a o . M e n e . rs g , James G S , late merchant, Calcutta

‘ M K n z i k e e E s bank . died two years ago at , Dalkeith

2 f m 3 . John Fernie Thomson , the son of a ar er in the parish

T ibberm u i r a Of of , Perthshire , a distinguished cl ssical student

a a r St Andrews University, bec me cl ssical master in Mad as

College , St Andrews , was licensed by the Presbytery of Perth ,

at How ood and ordained to the chapel , parish of Lochwinnoch , i ’ n 1 8 How ood 5 7 . After a year s service at , he was translated

’ u to St Leonard s Chapel , Perth , where he labo red until he

1 6 was appointed to Fala . I n 8 1 he was prese nted to the

alt living of Fala by Mrs Ferguson Blair of B hayock . H e

1 88 1 died in , having completed a ministry of almost twenty w years . He married , hile at Perth , Jessie Wood Fisher,

n ow daughter of the Town Clerk of Cupar, Fife, who resides

with her family at Edinburgh .

2 . 4 The present minister, the ﬁrst appointed under the

n 1 8 Patro age Act of 74 , was ordained by the Presbytery of h 8 Dalkeith on the 2 4t January 1 8 2 . b k M U n ro en Succession of inisters . 9 9 It is a question if any parish history in Scotland can show

and v almost an unbroken chain of ministers , masters , icars back to 1 1 6 0 A D . like this parish . From 1 1 60 to 1 46 2 there are recorded ten masters ;

1 6 2 1 6 u m from 4 to 5 7 four vicars, nder the Ro an Catholic regime and from 1 56 7 to 1 89 1 there are recorded four Epis copal vicars and twenty Presbyterian ministers ; many o f f whom were men of great ability, high character, and aithful in the discharge of their spiritual duties. Of all these there is t t not recorded a single scandal , or any hing unwor hy of their f position and character. O each it may be said

H e was a meek an d holy man amid religious strife

A n d he his ous rura oc fed w the rea of fe . , pi l ﬂ k, ith B d Li C H A P T E R X I .

PE D O F F A A S TI N L .

— - S tipend R eturn to E cclesiastical Co mmissi oners i n 1 627 D ow n G ra e — d U n certai n Val ue U nexhausted Tein ds . A S the stipend has all along played an important part in the existence of every minister, steps have always readily been taken both by the m inisters and the Ecclesiastical Courts

a dece n m e n to ensure as far as possible t aint ance . As the Parliament allowed the Church to be unmercifully robbed at the Reformation , Knox and the other leaders in the Church t w enacted, in the ﬁrs Book of Discipline , that the hole teinds go to provide an honest provision for ministers and their w families , for the relief of the poor, and for the endo ment of schools and universi ties . An Act was also passed the follo w ing year giving the whole of the thirds of all be n eﬁce s to the ministers . If these laws had been carried out , the Church - to day would have been in a much healthier condition , and

. w also in a much stronger position But, as is well kno n ,

w as h . F e w the greed of the barons too much for the C urch , ff ifany parish in Scotland , su ered so much as Fala and Soutra . There is only a mere fragment saved from what belonged to the minister. Step by step, by natural causes , and by

ﬂuk e s law d w in , the value of the stipend has gone o n ever since the Reformation . Its history shows the depravity of human nature w 1th a vengeance .

1 0 2 Fala and Soutra .

a establishments within their bounds, of the st te and amount of ecclesiastical property, and its application . Fortunately, the

m u returns fro the parish of Fala and So tra are extant, and are here given .

S O WT R A A N D F A LA K m x .

m l e ir I Att Da keith the tenth day of Maii , the y of God

c VI e iris twenty and seven y .

uhilk L o ane The q day , M r Johne g , minister at the K irkis

S ow tra to idde r of and Fala , g with Alexander Hodge Tail

eour T urn e t aroche n e ris nom i nat y and Adam , p be the said

u ff com e iri t be foir minister as most judicio s and indi erent, p

Presb te rie the Moderator and y of Dalkeith , and they gave all their aiths and wer adm itte t to the Tryall of the articles ’ committed to them by the L ordi s of H is Majestie s Com

a nd mission , gave up their Declaration anent the saidis articles according to thair k n awledg e in manner following

u ow tr The nited Parishes of S a and Fala. The Kirkis of S o w tra and Fala were united upon the twenty day of

1 i Februar 6 1 8 ye ir s . Before their union there was about

scoi r comm un ican tis four of in each one of them , and now in them bothe being united together thair ar aucht scoi r of

com m unican tis .

l eth to idder Both the Paroches y contigue g , and ar bothe of a lyke lenth and bre idth of the bo undi s of thrie myles in

i r farrest bre idth to dde . lenth and twa myles in , bothe g The hon s in the paroche fra the Kirk quhai rto it be longis is two myllis.

S ow tra uhilk The Kirk of was ane Abbey K irk of old , q

be n e ﬁce m Abbacy was ﬁrst a be itself, as We ar infor ed , and 1 0 Report to Royal Commissioners . 3 thereafter united with the p rov estrie of the Trinitie College

thai rfra . in Edinburgh , as yet undissolved The Kirk of Fala is ane Kirk of the Hospital! of

E dne m be ne ﬁce uhairto belon is rece torie , the q it g is the p p of

S ow tra the said Hospital!. The patron of the Kirk of is the

w . to n of Edinburgh , as is alledged by them The patron of

E dmestoun u ho the Kirk of Fala is the Laird of of that ilk, q

r is also patrone of the said precepto ie . The present stipend of the minister se rv eing the cure at

s f ftie m e rk i s the saidis Kirki is twa hundreth and y , payit be the town of Edinburgh as titulars of the bene ﬁce an d fe tte ris

te ndis aroche m of the y of the p , aug ented be the last plat ten m erk is ; for befoir they payed bot twa hundreth and fourty m e rk is out of the personage and v iccarage te yn dis of S ow tra ’ and for the K irk of Fala the minister s stipend presently is ane hundreth m erkis payed be the Laird of E dmon dstou n as tu tour

adm in istrato ur E dm on dstou n and to his brother James , out

te n dis aroche of the personage y of the said p of Fala, and the v iccara e te ndis aroche uhilk to idde r g y of the p of Fala, q , g with - the v iccarag e of E dn em S pittell (qu hilk lay e ve rmair to the v iccarage of Fala as a pairt thairof is e s tim at w orthe

' f ftie undis comm u n ion : a n n zs y p and 7 merk , but without - the v i ccarag e of E dnem S pi ttell is w orthe fou rtie pu ndis

allenarly . “ ’ n w as Before the unio , the minister s stipend , for the

allan erl v iccara e Kirk of Fala y the said g , bot at the union the Laird of E dm on stou n was ordained to pay ane hundreth m e rk is

more o u t of the personage te yndi s of Fala. Now the hail stipend of the minister presen tly for his

k un - merk is service at bothe Kir is is four h dreth twenty sax , 1 0 4 Fala and Soutra .

e E dne m-S i ttell u with the Vicarag of p , or fo r hundreth and

ten m erk is without it. “ m an s is le ibs By and attour his two and g at. the two

uhilk w orthe - Kirkis , q , being valued, ar bothe thretty sax

undis un dis . p yearly, and tene p ilk ane of them at the maist

e fou n datioun e Th re is , as We ar informed , a for four

heidman b in Fala, bot qu at is become of the founded rent,

uhom i t d w l h w e and to q is paye , We kna not, a thoug have

used all diligence we can to try the samyn . As for any other

provision of any founded rent, ather for the poore or for a

On fo irsaidis schoole in y of the paroches , we knaw nane, l a tho h at . g they bothe very necessary As for prebendaries , cha lanarie s \Ve w p , or frier landis, kna nane within the saidis ” paroches.

T H R H ‘ T H E V A LU A TION O F T H E ROWM E S w1T 11 E P A IS or S ow l R A .

The sax te n e husband landis of S o w tra barnis payis to

B w S ow tra thrie e e lle v in William orth ick, elder of , s oir and bollis of beir and n yne bollis ait meill and pre se n tli e as the

' ’ airtis w orthe of it commm zzous a n n zs. And the p and pendicles

S o wtra a al of the said rowme of barnis , c lled Reid h l and

ow tr thrie m e rki s befoir S a hill , payis hundreth , bot all the said row m e w ith the pendicles fo i rsaidis paye d thrie

n ot S ow tra hu ndreth m erk is . Bot were the said rowme of

! . le s w t barnis hes the commodite of lyme quarrel , it was or hy. “ The personage te yndis of the said rowm e with the pendicles thai rof ( 5 a meikle as is led be the said William Borthwick)is w orthe ane chalder of beir and twenty bollis of

' aitis presently ; bot eomm n n zbn s a n n is it is w orthe thretty bollis half beir half aite allan e rly.

Fala and Soutra . con sidderit sev erallie estim at w orthe fra the stock , is ane

ellev i n u n dis the v iccara e te n dis hundreth and p , and g y thair

' w f f n un i z u a n n uhilk of orthe y te e p d s eom nm n b s zs . The q rowme of Fala his the comm ode tie of lyme quarre lle i n the

thai ro f th uhilk ground , wi out the q it wald not be so meikle

w orthe . t And in respect it is ane la e rowme , we think it payis tua hu ndredth merks abon d the w orthe of it in mail!

comm n n !bu s ! mm!.

“ The myln e land of F ala is w orthe thrie bollis of beir in

u n dis te n dis stock and four p in y , and tua merk and ane half

for v iccarage teynd. “ Brodersche ill The landis of , being bot a gerse rowme

e iris resen tlie f v e subject to rotting in wet y , p payis y hundreth

' m e rk is comm u n i ties an n zs w orthe thrie , bot, , it is hundreth and fyftie merk is in stock alla ne rly. It has little corne l and

uhairof te n d m w orthe m erk is q the y co e is twenty , and the

’ ' ” x n e ndis m v iccara e te n di s t sa te u eo m n n zé us a n n zs . g y hereof p ,

The above deposition shows that the stipend from the

00 1 0 parish of Soutra should be 5 merks , and from Fala 0

0 5 . 1 0 merks , or £ 5 , 7 By the Act of Parliament of 7 7 , thirteen shillings and four pen ce represented one merk

be and , accordingly, from the two parishes the stipend would h 2 1 2 s . n £ , 7 , even granti g t at the pound sterling has the same purchasing power that it had when this Act was passed .

r o 1 6 2 As the esult of the Royal C mmission of 7 , an Act

1 was passed in 1 6 3 . By this Act every proprietor was

u t him entitled to have his teinds valued , and either bo gh by , or he paying the ﬁfth part of the constant rent of stock and teind . The heritors of the parish took advantage of this Act, Fala Stipend . I 0 7 and got all their teinds valued, which valuation was considered : to be ﬁxed for all time coming . The following was allowed

h ﬁrlots - Twenty bolls and t ree beir, twenty four bolls of oats, and £43 7 Scots ; which was a fair stipend for the time, and which would at the present be equal to the purchasing l 2 0. a power of about £ 3 The ands of the p rish of Fala ,

v iccara e under stock and teinds, parsonage and g , were valued

1 1 00 a at merks, and from that part of Fala p rish called

Brothershie ls 00 86 £ 3 Scots , which gives a total value of £ ,

2 5 . according to the legal manner of computation .

Under the Act, the ﬁfth part being paid to the minister,

d. s 1 3 . which represent £ 7 , 4 55

The stipend remained undisturbed until the minister, in

1 2 a the year 7 7 , raised a process of augment tion , modiﬁcation , and locality . There was no augmenta tion given from the land of the parish of Soutra, but the stipend from the lands of

Brothe rshie ls Fala, Fala Hall , Fala Mill , was increased to

5 . 6 5 d . 1 1 . d 2 . . £3 5 , 3 4 Scots , or £ 9 , 4i sterling The minister

1 802 continued to enjoy this increased stipend up to , when a h process aga in was raised to augment the stipend . T e Lord f Ordinary not only re used to grant an increase, but he held that the augmentation which w as granted in 1 7 2 7 was unlaw

-ﬁfth 1 6 1 ful , as it represented more than one of the value of 3 . The stipend was then reduced from the lands of Fala to

d a 1 s . a £ 7 , 4 55 , although the rent l is now thirteen times gre ter than it was when this stipend was fixed . This is the wrong, not only fixi ng the value of the pound Scots at the twelfth n part of the pound sterling, but also fixi g a value absolutely, w ithout the slightest consideration for prospective change . 8 9 d n 6 25 . 2 Fala Parish , with an a nual rental of £ , , , , paid as 1 0 8 Fala and Soutra .

much stipend in 1 6 3 1 as it does at the present with an annual

f r 1 6 00 . a rental of about £ Fala parish , as as paying stipend

rn . is conce ed , is without a parallel in the whole of Scotland t Of this unfor unate state of things the Parliament, not the

1 8 2 heritors, came in 5 to the rescue , by making up the legal

stipend to £ 1 5 0 from the Exchequer. There is also an allow 8 the 8 65 d. ance of £ , . for communion elements and right to

pasture twenty sheep on Fala Moor, which was discovered

f u some orty years ago , and which now is comm ted into the - equivalent of eight quarters of the best Mid Lo thian oats.

l . There are a so , of course , the two glebes and manse The heritors have not as yet been called upon to erect a second

‘ is t manse , as it generally recognised tha one minister requires only one residence The origin and history of the teinds of these tw o parishes show that the common idea an d common

are practice that teinds are strictly parochial entirely wrong. Before the Reformation teinds were inter-parochial and even after the Reformation teinds were constantly transferred from

one parish to another. The teinds , for example , of Soutra

Croft in this parish , were taken to the parish of Humbie .

t . This was common all over Sco land But an idea arose, not

based upon an Act of Parliament, that teinds should be

. f conﬁned to the parish This became a custom , and a terwards

got incorporated into Acts of Parliament relating to teinds .

This custom is much to be regretted , for if teinds were - considered inter parochial , as their origin and free use were t for many years , certain anomalies which exis could be cured

without having to seek for redress from Parliament. There are parishes where the free teind represents something like

1 000 and 800 a £ £ a year in e ch case, and which is being

C H A PTE R X I I .

-E R ECOR D S O F K I R K S S S IO N .

- — — — K rk S e on ecord o ume I. I L III. . V. ua n E ra e er of i ssi R s V l s , , , IV , Q i t xt cts R gist — — a Baptisms Register of Proclamation s R egister of B uri ls .

- v H E kirk session records, both as to state of preser ation ,

and to events and number of year which they record , will stand favourable comparison with many parishes in t . ﬁv e Scotland They are in volumes , the ﬁrs bound in cloth d of a modern ate , and the others in calf bindings . Volume I . contains the session minutes and church-door collections from

2 1 6 88 t 1 1 1 6 1 o . 7 4 to 7 3 , with a blank from 7 3 All narrated from the l gth June 1 7 1 5 has been copied and is found in the - s . D n a econd volume uri g the Episcopal period , the penm n ship and ink used are superior to that which follows, showing that the Episcopalians took great care in recording the life and work of the Church . Many of the leaves are much torn , u and much of the matter is nreadable . - Volume I I . contains the session minutes and church door

1 th 1 1 2 th 1 6 collections from the 9 J une 7 5 to 4 May 7 7 , and is

“ l e and 1 0 almost complete , except a b ank her there from 74 to

1 749 . This volume is in a good state of preservation . It is

l . bound in calf, and tied with eather thongs

s Volume I I I . contains the session minute , with the names of the heads of families, and the record of other parochial

1 6 1 8 . matters from May 7 7 to 39 I t is in splendid condition , and shows that the greatest care has been taken to give a full 1 1 1 Quaint E x tracts .

’ - s and perfect account of the kirk session transactions , and to w rite them out in the most perfect manner. The work almost throughout the whole book reﬂects the greatest credit on - ministers a nd session clerks .

IV v the Volume . gi es minutes of session from August

1 8 1 8 . 39 to May 7 4 , and is in perfect condition

1 8 Volume V . is the record from June 7 4 to the present

time . w Many of the entries in the older books, hen the kirk t sessions had to do wi h almost everything in the parish, are

quaint, and worthy of a place here .

1 6 6 th t — 7 4 Augus John Liddell , late schoolmaster, Car

t 85 . ring on , got

1 6 7 7 4th November. 9 5 . given to James M ylne to put ane

handell on ye bell .

. 8 1 67 8 January 5 . to ane poore man who had his house

burnt and all that he had .

. 6 5 . e December for casting y snow out of ye K irke .

— u r May . James Dobie was reb ked by ye session fo speaki ng in ye prese nce of ye minister in a wicked

fashion .

— i nlis n w May . John F o and his ife complained against

Bessie Borthwick stealing a pocke of corn . — 1 d . v s . to 1 686 August . 3 4 were g i en John Binny for

tickets for our Kirke . — 85 . th. w as November 7 collected, which given to a

poore distressed man recommended by ye bishop . — 1 1 u 2 th. l tm e 0 1 1 0 oo 7 5 J ly 5 for nails to y tente , l tm to Thomas Lato for

0 1 00 fetching ye elements, oo 1 1 2 Fala and Soutra.

— I m 2 nd April . t given to Robert Hou den for mending Soutra bridge and

e fu rm s 0 1 1 y Kirk , 5 — 1 3th J uly Collected for the u se of the

L u the ran ian Church , — 2 h . : ot December Col . for the use of

t 1 1 1 French Refuges set led in Saxony, 3 — l m h . : 3ot October . p given out to poor

stranger being great object, — 8 . March th Given by Jean Menteith , her penalty for ye sin of fornication

0 1 1 6 with James Bowhill , — Dec. 2 4th. I mp . : bought from Robert

F oular Blac khouse , tenant at , tua trees

S outra to be a bridge over y Water, ’ fur ye scholars use at 1 5 sh . (Scots) ye price is O I I O Given out to Helen Riddell to pay for ’ 1 0 06 dying a goun and tailors wages ,

— I m u February 1 3th . t given o t to by four e lns and ane half of black sai rge to bind ye large moar cloth att sixteen

shill . and six pennies Scots ; ye elu is O 3 1 4 04 — 2 8 h . March t . I mp given out for the use of families in N ew bottle by the accident

fn O of e , 4 04

’ 2 — April md. Collected for ye Bridge 0

IDee 06 , 08 09 h — l 2 t . m September s t . to John Houde n

e 1 I for mending y bridge at ye K irke door, 5 O

I 1 4 Fala and Soutra .

land of S ou tray before the Congregation for his sin t w w as of fornication Janet Sympson , called upon by

the minister, seriously spoke to and sharply rebuked

r to m ack owled e ment for his sin , exho ted ake public g " of his offe n ce and declare his sense thereof w sorrow

for ye same , he confessed his sin , promised repent

t o r ff ance of and sorrow for y and all y o ences ,

absolved from ye scandal!. — r f June 1 4th . This day being read by ye min rom the pulpit threatn i ngs of excommunication agt ye Laird of C rooksto ne and his servant Isobel

Scot .

— It whiskie January 2 n d. m to a pinte of

’ to James F in lison s burriall 00 I 6 00 l tm for 4 dozen of pipes, 3 quarters of a pound of tobacco l tm the grave l tm the bell

s The Parochial Regi ters of Baptisms , Marriages, and

Burials for this Parish were transferred to the Register House ,

Edinburgh , when the Registration Act came into operation in

1 8 . 1 6 1 8 1 5 5 The Register of Baptisms is from 7 3 to 9 , but

1 6 8 1 6 and is awanting from 9 to 9 7 , Births are registered from

1 8 1 1 8 m 9 to 5 4 , which akes almost a complete record . From 1 85 5 to the present date the record has been carefully kept to satisfy the law of the Church . Here and there are to be

&c . found notices respecting the ministers , as ordinations , , and also the payments of the duty tax of threepence upo n each

baptism , which was levied for about twenty years at the close B I I Proclamation of anns . 5

r of last centu y . The entries are made after the custom of h t e times .

1 6 . 7 3 Upon ye ﬁrst day of May, ye Laird of Fala House

bu rn had a bairn baptised John H ep e . mi " 1 6 . 1 8 n 7 3 Upon ye day of September, our Mr George

o . M odie , had a child baptised, named Agnes Wit

He burn e M an derston ness , David p of , and James

late Provost of Edinburgh .

1 6 . 2 th 7 9 Upon ye 9 day of April , Major William Borthwick

ohn stou nburn of J , ane childe baptised , named

t &c . Marion . Wi ness ,

1 6 h M an . 2 t 7 9 Upon ye 7 day of , John Borthwick of Coster

a . ton, had child baptised, named Helen Witness

— alahill John Moir, laird of F , and John Pringle

of S outrahill. h — Y 1 2 2 1 8t . e 7 . November ilk day a poore stranger had a — n . child baptised , amed Walter Witness Thomas

n l H oude n and Thomas Gri ay .

1 1 6 — A 7 74 . July th child found at the gate of Fala House ,

was baptised , named William Fala . - h . 1 . 2 0t . 7 9 1 J uly The which day Alexander Falconer, Esq

of Woodcote Park , and Mrs Matilda Clark , his

spouse , had a son born and baptised by the Rev . Mr

Simpson , one of the ministers, Edinburgh , named ” George Hemel .

The Register of Proclamations and of Marriages is com

le te 1 6 1 8 1 686 p from 7 5 to 47 , except for the eleven years from the to 1 69 7 . They have been carefully recorded , and fee of 1 1 6 Fala and Soutra .

s 5 . always paid, except in those cases which were exempt - by order of the kirk session . Those who were irregularly

for married had to appear before the minister rebuke, after which the marriage was registered . The following is a specimen

1 1 — 7 50 . June 5th . The which day William Home and Marion Carter was called before the minister in the t manse, and in presence of Thomas Bor hwick and

com e irin William Hoy, they p g , were questioned

r anent a report of their irregular mar iage . They

e . own d they were married at Edinburgh Oct last, and prod uced marriage lines bearing date the 1 sth of d the said month, and had live as man and wife ever

since . The minister declared them married persons , and sharply rebuked them for their breach of order

a of the Church , and their contempt of th t as well as

of the civil law, and seriously exhorted them on all

the duties incumbent upon them as man and wife, and to live and behave themselves as such i n time

e to com , which they promised , and submittingly received tokens from the minister in order to partake ” of the Sacrament .

The Register of Burials has been ill kept, and only shows

1 8 2 the names of those who w e re buried between 1 8 2 9 and 5 .

u S bsequent to the last date, the Registrar only registers those

d e i n who have i d the parish, and not those who are buried in

Fala Churchyard . The result is that there is no account of

the number of burials that took place, which is a matter of

reproach and regret .

1 1 8 Fala and Sontra .

a continued until the decay of the vill ge, after which for a time the schoolmaster taught one month at the Fala school ,

f r and the next at the Soutra school . This went on o about

the ﬁfty years, until Soutra popu ation got so small that the - l turn out of children rendered it necessary to close altogether. What became of the Soutra school buildi ngs nothing is

n known they have left no record or mark behi d . After the

n rise of the Secession Church , the parents belongi g to that body expressed a wish that their children should be taught “ d !a . O Secession A teacher was employed , an pposition

and school was opened , a great halo of romance and interest 1 8 was thrown around the enterprise, which made it up to 60 b a success . The neglect of the parish school uildings also tended to drive the children to another school .

1 8 The education of the parish was at a low ebb in 7 3 , when the present school system began . The school was getting out of repair, and no attempt was made to supply those helps and means which modern education demands .

The teacher, Mr Whiteford , one of the most respected of m en es r i t rte cor s , having all the p p of the old parochial school w as u master which has made Scotland great, becoming n

f 0 able, owing to old age, to per orm his duty . N help was

ff . o ered , and a pension refused To employ a young man

n mea t an increase of attendance at school , which the build ing could not accommodate , and a new and suitable building was out of the question . This state of affairs was continued

n year after year in a ticipation of new laws . The Act of

1 8 2 7 came as a great boon to the parishioners, and a great pecuniary relief to the heritors ; fo r by this Act the burden of providing education for the parish was removed from them, B I 1 Fala School oard . 9

u . as heritors, and placed pon the ratepayers The Act was generous , as it did not recognise the right of compensation

r f om those who were exempt from obligations, which had continued for about 3 50 years . This was not all in Fala

. n parish At the second meeti g of the new School Board ,

1 8th 1 8 which was held on the October 7 3 , it was resolved

’ to erect a new school and master s house on a new site,

1 at a cost of about £ 000 . This was carried out . A loan m 800 was got from the Educational Co missioners of , the - payment of which was to be spread over a period of forty ﬁve

5 d 1 6 8 1 . . years . A grant in aid was also got of £ , 3 9 , and - the old school , school house, and garden were sold to Lord

’

1 1 5 . 0d . Stair for the sum of £ 3 , 9 The schoolmaster s

1 886 house was very soon found to be inadequate, and in an

1 0 addition was made at a further cost of £ 5 .

Out of all this the parish minister was kept. The ﬁrst

con Board , which was appointed by the Board of Education , ’ sisted of Lord Stair s local factor, three of his tenants, and another person . 1 8 6 When the second election came round in 7 , a report h was circulated t at the same Board must be returned , other

n o t wise the Government would ﬁnish the promised grant, as

n ot the school buildings were complete , which would bring the f ratepayers into great pecuniary di ﬁculties . This game was

a nd successful among a simple people , the ministers were again left out. After it was too late , a reaction set in , and the ministers and others were enabled to keep out both factor and tenants on the occasion of the election to the third Board . ” v Use and wont was resolved upon , and e er since the

Board has done its work in peace and goodwill . The school 1 2 0 Fala and Soutra .

rate for the parish is high . The school buildings show that

the work and material generally are very inferior . The schoolmasters have all along played an honou rable d and important part in the history of the parish , and sel om getting that recognition and reward which their work de

n . t ma ds Along with the position of eacher, they up till

a recent years cted also as reader or precentor, and in more f modern times filled the o fice of inspector of poor, collector ffi &c . w of parish rates , They have al ays filled the o ce of - ' session clerk . In the ea rly records appear the names of

a d n John Crichton , James Ron l , and Joh Knox ; Crichton 1 6 1 8 acting from 67 3 till about 1 9 6 at a salary of £ Scots .

a for fe w Ronald was schoolm ster a years , and was succeeded

1 1 0 r 0 by John Knox in 7 , at a sala y of £3 Scots for teaching, 8 5 . £3 , for acting as reader, £7 for precenting, and £3 for

- I 1 2 8 fﬁ . n ﬁlling the o ce of session clerk 7 , it was discovered

had that he misappropriated the session funds, and after a lengthy trial and confession , he was found guilty and deposed .

was William Hogg then appointed, at whose death James

Fi nlison ﬁlled the ofﬁce until his de ath in 1 7 48 . William

u 1 H oy was next , and he acted p to April 7 7 4 , when J ohn ffi Paterson w as chosen . John Paterson continued in o ce till

1 8 1 his death in 7 , and was succeeded by James Turnbull, who left in 1 83 3 to ﬁll a more remunerative sphere in Glads m x i n 1 8 uir. Ale ander Murray was appointed 3 3 , and was translated to C ranstou n in 1 843 . He was succeeded by f James Whiteford , who continued in o ﬁce until his death in e 1 87 3 . From the manner and car shown in writing the kirk

n session minutes , the last four named above seem to have bee men of considerable culture and ability, and qualiﬁed to ﬁll

1 2 2 Fala and Soutra .

Scotch Educational Commissioners, from the United Presby

-s s terian kirk ession, under who e charge it had formerly been , to the School Board for the parish . Its origin is as f z— He rk es 1 00 ollows Peter , a tailor in Fala , died and left £ , the proceeds to go to assist poor parents in Fala in the

educati on of their children . After its reception by the kirk

c h session , it was reso ved to ere t with it two cottages , whic l ” “ H e rk es were to be named The Cottages, the rents of

n which were to pay for educatio . An appeal was made ,

’ a - feu and Lord St ir generously gave a ninety nine years ,

f fen - ree of duty, of a small piece of land in the village upon f a . r which to erect the cott ges The armers and othe s , without m distinction of religious sectarianis , all assisted in the good

work , which soon became an accomplished fact .

- also Second , the United Presbyterian kirk session has in their hands a small endowment of about £ 5 a year for the o w poor in c nnection with their congregation , hich was left

a e . by man in Lauder, of the name of Shi ls

1 8 0 Third , in the year 4 a Friendly Society for the parish

has was instituted , and which existed ever since with com

parati v e success . The rules were carefully drawn up by the

a M r p rish minister, the late John Paterson, and John Jones . Each member pays one shilling per month to the funds and

during sickness the allowance is ﬁve shillings per week , which amount decreases if the recipient remains fo r a long time

unable to return to his employment . There is also as funeral ’ f money an allowance of £4 for a member or member s wi e ,

and £ 1 for a child under twelve years of age . The society

di a ssolves every year on the ﬁrst Tuesday of Janu ry, and the

e mbe surplus funds are equally divid d among the me rs . CH A PTE R X I V .

F A E LA S C ES S ION C H U R C II .

— — T he S ecessi on Church Its O rigi n M in isters S i r William J ohn ston n r on — Co g egati A nn iversary.

E Secession Congregation of Fala had its origin in

H 1 T 7 7 9 by a few members living in the district, who were n attendi g the Secession churches at Stow and Dalkeith , joining together, and petitioning their respective sessions

s h to give them sermons at Fala. Both sessions refu ed t e

r petitions ; but the petitioners , by protest and appeal , ca ried their c ase to the Presbytery . As there was considerable opposition to this movement by the respective congregations t concerned , the Presbytery agreed to transmi the petitions to

T he the Synod . Synod agreed to send one of their number,

dst . K e on e t the Rev William of Stow, to preach for the ﬁrs f time , and to continue the supply , the record says , as o ten ’ as their other calls would permit . After four years casual

r sermon supply, the cong egation took another step by peti tion i ng the Presbytery to recognise the congregation as a

t m . distinc charge, and to settle among the a minister This

n r the Presbytery refused to do . A other p otest and appeal

a b was t ken to the Synod , which , after hearing parties on oth

e t the sides , agr ed to allow the protes and appeal to lie on 1 8 w as n table . At the next Synod in 7 4 , the question agai

e r i a rais d , and , after conside able del beration , it was greed by

r a majority of v otes to sanction the charge . Three yea s 1 2 4 Fala and Soutra .

f n m a terwards a sessio was for ed , consisting of the following

— R ou hmare persons viz . , James Johnstone , g ; Robert Lees ,

Bro the rstone s farmer, Nether ; George Rough , Pathhead ;

‘

M Gilc hri st r o tern . and the Rev. James as moderator p

A n w as u n fter the sessio constit ted , ca didates were heard , and

ft w was M r M r a er ards a leet formed , Thomas Aitchison and

B i m n d. r a James lythe be ng no i ate The cong eg tion , by a

h and majority, elected Mr Blyt e , his ordination took place on

1 2 m 1 88 . A s the th Nove ber 7 there was no church , Mr Blythe was ordai n ed in a ten t erected in a small grass ﬁeld to

w s the north of Black Shiels Inn . Shortly after ard , by the ’ “ ” x t u minister s e er ion , the Long Stable , an old b ilding, the

. ’ now site of which is occupied by the joiner s workshop , was cleaned out , and seated for a place of worship . The con ’ re ation w ﬂ u g g gre and o rished , for after four years existence M ’ i t had a membership of abo ut 300 . r Blythe s mi nistry

a 1 w as only lasted ﬁve ye rs, for in 7 9 3 he deposed by the

m . Synod , and e igrated to America He got the ﬁrst manse erected in 1 7 9 1 and regarding it the session book has the following entry The congregation having applied to the session for s upplies of money from the daily collections to

s a sist them in building the manse , the session agreed to

’ 1 0 . M r lend them £ , free of interest After Blythe s

n deposition, the congregation went on hearing ca didates for two years, after which Mr David Watson , Mr

an d Archibald H arper, Mr James Keith were nominated h and voted upon . T e majority of votes came out in favour

was of Mr Keith , and he subsequently ordained on the 2 6th

August 1 7 9 5 . It is strange that the session book is a blank

u . d ring his ministry H is ordination is recorded , but that is

r 1 2 6 Fala and Sout a .

ministry . He was buried in Fala Churchyard , where a handsome monument stands to his memory .

w s . h a The Rev Jo n Cooper, the successor to Mr Keith ,

2 nd 1 8 . inducted to the church on the April , 34 He had

r ea H urnee been a missiona y for several y rs before at , East ’

I ndies . Shortly after Mr Cooper s settlement , the congrega f tion had reached the climax of its prosperity : the numbers o the congregation increased to about 400 communicants and a l great number of adherents . He was popu ar. He became

’ n the farmer s minister . O the Sunday the people streame d ’ ” M ee tin m to Fala House from the south , fro the north ,

m . at fro the east, and from the west These were great days f m Fala . From every ar within ten miles came pouring along m every Sunday, far er and grieve , herd and hind , with their

l e . wives and fami ies , to h ar Mr Cooper As a preacher he

n was gifted . He could keep them e tranced narrating his experiences in foreign lands for hours . When at rebuke

— a before the congregation , he was severe, terror to evil doers . Some of his remarks on these high occasions cannot be reproduced . He was always spoken of as a warm preacher.

u On one occasion two hinds were making their way to ch rch , one to the Meeting House , the other to the Parish Church .

a r They beg n to discuss their respective ministe s , and getting

U P. into a heat over the matter, the . hind retorts by saying, ’ ’ ” 0 Man , he s a cauld , cauld minister, that yours . The ’ answer was, H e may be cauld, but I m shair yours is warm ’ ’ ’ ”

n uch s sm elli n . e o , for he aye o brimstone As old age came

U pon Mr Cooper, he began to go about to preach to children w and when he preached in Edinburgh and else here , he could always get a crowded church . Being so much absent from r 1 2 Rev . William Frase . 7 d his proper work , the Fala Congregation began to ecline , and

1 86 and in 3 he resigned his pastorate , and went to live in

Edinburgh .

u . H is s ccessor, the Rev William Fraser, was ordained to

1 6 the congregation on the th August 1 864 . During his

5 0 ministry, owing to the depopulation which is marked in the district , the congregation in numbers came down to a

v . little o er a hundred members Yet, those who continued

e . remain d true and loyal to their Kirk and minister Indeed ,

e l a in this resp ct, they are a most exemp ary and respect ble

v congregation , which shows the power of oluntary invested interest . After a short illness brought on by cold , Mr Fraser

d 1 1 8 1 die on Tuesday the 7 th of February 9 , deeply mourned by his congregation and by all who knew him . By his

1 8 exertions a new manse was erected in 7 5 , which cost over

1 1 00 w £ , and hich was raised and paid all in two or three years . On the hundredth anniversary of the founding of the

1 th 1 6 congregation , which was celebrated on the s and th of

1 888 July , in reply to a gift of a purse of sovereigns and a “ silver salver, Mr Fraser said , They had started on a new ‘ w man f existence , o ing no anything they had more than le t ’ the ditch . This has been the cong regation s principle, and this has been its s uccess . They have practically realised what John Logan of Soutra teaches in the second of our

s w as Scottish Paraphrases, and which Mr Fra er fond to quote

0 God of Bethel !by whose han d Thy people still are fed Who th rough this weary pilgrimage H ast all our fath ers led 1 2 8 Fala and Soutra .

O ur ows our ra ers we n ow re en v , p y , p s t Be fore Thy throne of grace God of our F athers !be the God

f r u n O thei s cceedi g race .

Th rough each perplexin g path o f life ’ O ur wand rin g footsteps guide e us ea da our a read Giv ch y d ily b , A n ra m n ﬁ r e d i e t t p ovid . ’ 0 s rea T h cov ri n w n s aroun p d y g i g d , ’ all our wand ri n s ease Till g c , ’ A n d at our F ath er s loved abode ur ou s arr i n ea O s l ive p ce .

S uch blessi ngs from Thy grac ious han d ’ O ur h umble pray rs implore A n d ou s a be our ho en God Th h lt c s , A nd n rm r portio e ve o e .

C H A PTE R XV .

E M IN EN T M E N C O N N E CTE D WITH T HE PA R IS H .

E m nen M n — — — W am A n er on i t e A n erson s of Whi tb urgh J ohn Logan R ev. illi s — d— — — d F arm enan A r W a n on of Peo e . T ts g iculture ages Gen er l Co diti the pl

m ma T H E parish has not as yet produced any men who y be called great or eminent according to the usual

n standard . Yet, considering its isolated positio and its

paucity of inhabitants , there are a few connected with it who

have left their mark on the history of the country. Reference

has already been made to Lord Chancellor Eldon , Lord W - ood, Lord Justice General Inglis, Sir William Johnston ,

and Sir Thomas Napier.

Brotherston es The Andersons of Nether , whose residence

Whitbur h was at g , who have produced for four successive

u re re generations four disting ished generals, are worthily p - C B. sented in the person of Major General Anderson , . , a f brave soldier of I ndian Mutiny ame . H is successful charge

S cu ndra th 1 8 8 at e Gunge , on the 5 January 5 , is recorded as am ong the m ost heroic deeds which hav e made our army

t a nd greatly to be respec ed feared by the enemy . This event forms the subject of a large and beautiful oil painting which

n o w - adorns the walls of the mess room at Woolwich , and which was subscribed for in 1 889 by ofﬁcers connected with ! he . t Royal Horse Artillery In this painting, Genera Ander son is the most prominent ﬁgure , and represents him in the

act of charging the enemy . a 1 3 0 Fala and Soutr .

John Logan , the author

of The Cuckoo, was born at Soutra Mains in

1 8 t 7 4 , his father, Rober

Logan , being the tenant

farmer there . H e is usually described as be longing to the Secession

Church at Fala, which did not exist till thirty-two years after his birth ; and as there was no other Secession Church in the

aﬂi rm ed district, it may be with all safe ty that he and his parents belonged to

the Parish Church . It so happens that owing to the

d F inli son eath of James ,

- 1 8 the session clerk , in 7 4 , and the frequent absence

of the minister, the Rev .

Patrick Simpson , there are several years of blanks

in the session records . H is brother’ s baptism is d ’ recorde , and his uncle s

’ marriage and children s

baptism are also recorded .

v T he S ea!o f the A nderso ns o f Whitburgh. The statement is gi en

1 3 2 Fala and Soutra .

m and Robertson , who became inister of Dalmeny, author of the “ Life of Queen Mary and others who spent ff their leisure in quoting and casting o ff poetical e usions. About this time Lord E liban k was attracted by his appearance and ability, and paid some attention to him him , and also secured for the appointment as tutor to e John Sinclair, who afterwards b came Sir John

a Sinclair, the author of the St tistical Account of Parishes in

1 6 the Scotland . In 7 7 , M ichael Bruce died , and , by request m of so e friends , Logan published three years after a volume

and of his poems , inserting some of his own , among the latter “ was the Ode to the Cuckoo , about the authorship of which

s 1m hi s considerable controversy has arisen . The la t t e i t matter was publicly discussed was in a series of articles which

Good Wor ds f a appeared in about ﬁ teen ye rs ago, by the late

S hair l Principal p of St Andrews . He c aimed Bruce as the

u n v a thor ; but the late Dr Small , Libraria to the Uni ersity

v e s eci of Edinburgh , re iewed all the arguments of the case , p

S hair a ally those raised by Principal p , in an rticle which appeared in the B r i ti s/z an d F oreign E va ng el ical R evi ew for

u 1 8 w J ly 7 7 , which after ards was reprinted in pamphlet form . He concluded that there was no absolute proof that Logan

n was the author, but the evidence stro gly supported that

contention . Sir Walter Scott and the late Dr Laing were ’ f of both in avour Logan s authorship . In 1 7 7 3 Logan was licensed by the Presbytery of Edin

burgh , and the same year was appointed minister of South

. Leith , in succession to the Rev Dr Hunter. As minister, he l had a short and bri liant career. In 1 7 7 9 he lectured on ’

philosophical subjects in St Mary s Church , Edinburgh, which 1 Church of Scotland Paraphrases . 3 3 attracted the attention of the elite ; and night after night the

t e place was crowded to excess . In h same year he also “ published sev eral contributions On the Manners and Govern ” ment of Asia , which also attracted attention . His play ” a R unn im ede 1 8 c lled , which was issued in 7 3 , was named after the ﬁeld in w hich K ing John and his barons met on the river Thames , between Staines and Windsor, and deals with “ ” the granting of the Great C harte r which secured for the

nobles, clergy, and people of England a basis for the rig hts ” ' R un n imede and liberties which they still enjoy . was acted for a time in Covent Garden Theatre ; but was latterly suppressed by order of the Chamberlain , as it was considered

a nd a breach of privilege against the House of Commons, also because it might arouse public feeling in regard to the

American War of I ndepende nce .

s Logan , having fallen into intemperate habit , resigned his

i n 1 86 w ministry 7 , and the year after ards went to London ,

r f d 2 8th where he led an unfo tunate li e , and ied on the of

1 88 December 7 . After his death , two volumes of his sermons w were published, hich show that he was a man of consider

able intellectual power, and of spiritual discernment . H is life

x n shows that man is a comple problem , a mass of co tradic th tions , which gives to all is important lesson, N ever put ” your trust even in intellectual princes . When the Paraphrases were adopted by the General ’ n Assembly of the Church of Scotland , eleve of Logan s

o . r 8 productions were incorp rated He wrote Pa aphrases , 9 ,

1 0 1 1 1 8 1 8 8 8 , , , 3 , 3 , 4 , 5 3 , 5 , and the last hymn at the end of w d the Paraphrases , hich begins with the wor s , The hour of ’ ” m u 5 y depart re come ; I hear the voice that calls me home , 1 34 Fala and Soutra .

&c. 8th n About the 5 Paraphrase some controversy has arise , l and the friends of Bruce naturally c aim it as his . It would

’ appear that, as Bruce s life was honourable and his death

u n i n nat ral , and as his frie ds were ﬁrst the ﬁeld , they claimed everything that was of merit which was published under the joint authorship of Logan and Bruce . On the other hand , as ’ n Loga s life was unfortunate and his death untimely, he got

little credit for what he had so successfully accomplished .

But the time will come whe n his mistakes will be forgotte n .

and when he will be judged by the labours of his hands.

r Yes , his Ode to the Cuckoo and his Paraph ases will live

. when his essays , lectures , and sermons will be no more l Generations unborn wi l yet sing with feeling and pathos, as our fathers before us

’ W ere the heav nl em e tan h high y t pl s ds, T he ouse of God not m a e w an h d ith h ds, A rea H r e our na ure wear g t igh P i st t s, T h ard an of man n a ars e Gu i ki d ppe .

H e who for m en e r ure oo th i s ty st d , ’ A nd our d on ear His re ou oo p th p ci s bl d, ur ue i n ea en His m an P s s h v ighty pl , ” T he S aviour and the friend of man .

The Rev. William Anderson , one of the missionary pioneers to Old Calabar under the auspices of the U nited

n Presbyterian Church , although not exactly bor in the parish ,

t w as w was iden iﬁed with it for a number of years . It hile attending to the cattle at Fala Mains farm in 1 8 2 8 that he

v got his ﬁrst religious impressions , and resol ed to dedicate his

life to the preaching of the Gospel . On Fala Moor, during

1 6 3 Fala and Soutra .

“ always farmed high , and produced sheep , horses , and cattle which commanded the highest prices in the O pen market; Thomas Baillie held the farm of Soutra Mains for abo ut ﬁfty

L o 1 0 years . The gans entered in 7 4 , and farmed it for over

. a forty years William Hunter, who had been ten nt of Fala

e M ill, succeed d the Logans ; and his son , David H unter, acted -ﬁ as elder in the parish for about thirty v e years . The Hun ters left Soutra for Fala Mains , and , after occupying it for

O x e n foord w nearly forty years , they removed to Mains, hich

f 1 8 they armed till 83 . I n Soutra the Gi bsons followed the l H unters ; and Andrew , who was the ast in the farm , was ‘ N elder for the parish for many years . Mr M iv e n and his so n were next, and they were succeeded by Mr Pate the

Brothe rston e s present tenant. Gilston and Over have been

the farmed by Johnstones , Hasties , Taits, Mr Cossar of

D un Heriot Town , and the present proprietor, Mr .

Brothershiels H o ude n s has had as tenants, the , the Taylors, and for over sixty years the Inglis, who have been long known

Br h rshi ls for their excellent breed of sheep . ot e e is also the birthplace of three or four distinguished ministers and mis

r of l siona ies of the name Ing is . Fala Mains was for long in

H oude ns w as the hands of the ; M r Peter Burton , who the

. Br m respected elder for thirty years ; and Mr D oo ﬁe ld. Mr

Prentice is the present tenant . The Olivers , Taylors , the

Andersons, Herdmans , succeeded each other in Fala Hall , and

e n t the pres nt tenant is Mr James Burto , the son of Mr Bur on

an d -ﬁv e of Fala Mains , has been in possession for twenty years . Fala Parks, after the removal of the proprietors of Fala dm from the parish , were farmed by the Murrays and Her ans .

k n n and l e Blac shiels , includi g Fala Mill la ds Fa a Parks , w re T W n 1 he age Questio . 3 7

farmed for n early half a century by Mr Da v id Broomﬁeld of

Blackshiels Inn . I n the inn M r Broomﬁe ld succeeded the

‘ R ou hheads w ho succeeded l ﬁ g , the Tay ors , the rst innkeepers ,

after the erection of the present building . The present tenant

l R Broomﬁeld w ho i nn of the ands is Mr obert , got the 8 1 80 . s l abolished in The shooting , genera ly, in the parish ,

are let to yearly tenants , who pay a large rent, as game is

plentiful and well preserved . The Messrs Herdman , Edin

burgh , have had the Fala shootings , the best in the district, for thirteen years ; and they succeeded Mr Charles Jen ner of

D uddin ston Easter g , who held them for nearly twenty years, and who always resided in the pari sh for a few months every

year, and became thereby one of the most popular of shoot " ing tenants . Owing to the improved m ethods of agricult ure adopted

1 0 by the Hamiltons of Fala 5 years ago, the parish has ever

n remained in a high state of cultivatio . The soil of the

a nd arable lands is good , the ﬁelds well drained sheltered , an d the result is, the crops year after year will compare favour ably with even those in more favoured quarters . Yet with

fo re 1 n t all this , owing to g competi ion and other causes , the

s s rents have gone down for the la t twelve year , when , it may

t; the be said , they reached the highest poin The rental of

2 1 8 parish at the present time is about £3 00. I n 44 it was

000 1 1 1 00 1 2 00 1 6 2 1 60 £3 ; in 7 94 , £ ; in 7 7 , £4 ; and in 7 , £

sterling . The wages of servants have incre ased at a greater ratio m than the rental , and at the present time present a proble that requires careful handling. The labour question is putting

the t r farmer into a sta e of fear and t embling, and what the s 1 8 a 3 Fala and Soutr . i ssue m a s . y he remain to be seen . Male servants employed

f 6 0 on arms are getting from £3 to £4 a year , with gains ,

. 1 8 1 1 house , and garden In 44 they got from £9 to £ , and

‘ 1 6 w e o . in 7 9 4 from £ to £9 , ith the sam additi ns Female domestic servants n o w get from £ 1 5 to 1 8 a year ; at the beginning of the century they had from £3 to

an d £4 ; in the middle of the century from £5 to £7 . Day labourers now demand three shillings a day, and were only paid one shilling an d twopence ninety years ago .

The parish being purely rural , there are no public works of

u n a any kind , and nothing for yo ng men to do whe they rrive T h . e at manhood , except to work in connection with farming

off result is, whenever the young grow up they go , and leave generally their parents behind . Some time ago there was worked on the north side of the parish , along the bank of

C ak e m u ir l the Burn , a sma l seam of coal , but as the quality w as fﬁ bad , and the means of getting it di cult, it was aban donad . The result of all this is that the population has gone

w n do n for ma y years . What the population was prior to the middle of last century w ould be diﬂi cult to say but it must

n t n have bee greater ha since , for the small farms have been

o abolished , the village of S utra demolished , and decay and t ruin have come to the village of Fala i self. I n 1 7 5 5 the

1 2 1 0 2 1 80 1 population was 3 ; in 7 9 , 3 7 ; in , 3 5 4 ; and in

1 8 1 4 , 39 3 , which increase was caused by the great coach

1 trafﬁc before the railways were developed . In 1 87 it stood

1 2 n 1 8 1 2 6 . at 3 , and last ce sus ( 9 )gave only 4 l The peop e , being isolated from the great centres of civi

lisation c n , do not give mu h atte tion to those social problems

1 0 4 Fala and Soutra . may they be kept from the snares and temptations of our d mo ern civilisation , for

II!fares the an d to a e n n s a re l , h st i g ill p y, Where wealth accumulates and men decay Pr n e an d or ma our or ma fa e i c s l ds y ﬂ ish, y d , h n ma m r h m a A rea ca e e as a ea as e . b t k th , b th d ’ But a o easan r e r countrv s r e b ld p t y, th i p id , en on e e ro c n n r b su Wh c d st yed a eve e pplied . ! C HAPT E R XV .

C HA R A CT E R O F PA R IS H A N D PE O P L E .

— T he Perfect R ural Charac ter of the Parish T he Gen eral C on itio n of the People - — d— What they R ea Their I n tellige nce Thei r R eligion Thei r I nquisiti ve d — — — — n e ss Thei r Polite ness Con scription H om e Life Change i n F oo The i r — — — d W r T B n . o k he Lan d Questio n A S ol uti on A lessi g T H E RE is no parish within the same radius of Edinburgh that presents such perfect rural surroundings and life as

’ the parish of Fala and Soutra . I t has its hill and dale, moun

n tain and stream , moor and marsh , woods and gle s, and ﬁelds ,

pasture and arable . It has its old historical buildings and its

modern mansion , its bield farmhouses with the adjoining

i n -ﬁlled - steading, showing season the well stack yard , and - well ﬁlle d cattle and sheep pens . There are no outstanding

u w feat res of ne ness to be met. Everything looks seasoned

t . o wi h age and respectability Visit it t day, and again after

o u . a lapse of ten years , and y ﬁnd everything the same I t

s - ever retains the same teady going character, in spite of the

rapid march of time and men in the world around . Owing to

an d the dryness of the atmosphere, the absence of all smoke

n ff t smells, or anythi g that is o ensive to heal h, the ﬁne healthy

occupation , and the simple and frugal ways of Fala life, give

a t w not only a gre t longevity to its inhabi ants, but sho to the

outside observer few indications of chang ing life . And yet,

u a is altho gh the p rish retains this perfect rural character, it 1 4 2 Fala and Soutra .

l t th e not beyond the pale of civi isa ion . It has its post o e and

e n T n e tel graph station . I t has its daily co nection with ) head S tation on the Waverley route by post gig . It n ow has

d i n an d n its coach aily to Dalkeith the morning, the retur coach each evening. Your lette rs are handed to you every - ’ morning by half past eig ht o clock , and even at that hour you may read your copy of the S cotsma n fresh from Edin

a r esu me burgh , giving of the principal topics which have

n appeared i the L on don Ti mes of that same date . These are ” all modern adjuncts to the usual means in cou ntry parishes ” of carrying news and gossip . And these means have their effect o n the character and lives of the people . The casual visitor from Edinburgh is apt to think that the people are

n simple . But to say that they are simple does not mea that d ’ they are stupid . An el er from Free St George s Church ,

w n Edinburgh , on one occasion was being sho the church ,

& . u c . ch rchyard , , by the worthy beadle As he thought the

e b adle simple, he began to make fun of him about the small ness of the kirk and congregation . He next asked how many services were held on Sunday P w ! The ans er was , Only ane , Sir, how mony would ye hae

! n Oh that is nothi g, says the worthy elder, we have three or four services every Lord ’ s day in our church in ” “ Edinbu rgh . What kirk is that asked the beadle . Free ’ ” l St George s , Edinburgh , was the reply . The bead e was as

n smart as he , and closed the conversatio by the pauky reply, “ Wi ’ ’ ’ a your services , Sir, ye re no sae near heaven as we ” are . Whether the Fala folks, according to the beadle , are

n o nearer heave in the physical or spiritual sense , r both , remains to be seen .

1 44 Fala and Soutra .

n u h the stra ger they present a d ll external , but within t ere is l a genera intelligence equal to the occasion . They are well

a l Tlze Weekl re d on the current po itical and social questions. y ’ S cotsma n T/ze D u n dee Weekl A dver ti ser Tlze P eo le s , y , p F r i en d an d M oder n S oci et , y are carefully read and circulated , and read again . There is nothing in these journals that escapes them . Their contents are inwardly digested and dis cussed by the people at their work and in their social gather

S cotsma n c ti /z . S ot s ings These, with an occasional daily and

L a der u e the . , are practically the intellectual pab lum of people - Although they are a Bible loving, they are not a Bible

. are reading. people Here and there to be found men who “ ” x are mighty in Scripture , but they are the e ception , and

r . a re e not the ule They slow to speak of r ligion , looking entire ly to the minister for the outward expre ssion of religious

u tr th .

e They are keen , cunning . and inquisitive . In the gen

c an alogy of their neighbours they are perfect, and narrate with open candour and clearness the virtues and fa ilings of

’ generations that are gone . Each knows his neighbour s m private affairs better than he himself sometimes knows the . “ ”

d . It has been often sai , There are no secrets in Fala The late Mr Cooper told his people on one occasion , that on the d great day of ju gment all secrets would be made known ,

n a but there will be one from F la, as they are all known ” already .

Every movement of the visitor, as well as neighbour, is

he w . t atched If the minister passes, one neighbour runs to the other to tell that the minister has gone by, and to ask , ” Whar will he be gane the day . D 1 Want of iscipline . 4 5

t Like the rural Scotch generally , the people are deﬁcien i n those outward signs of respect and politeness which characterise the peasantry in England and on the

Continent. The English who visit the district frankly say the p eople

here have no manners . These are sadly deﬁcient ; but this

work should be undertaken by the School Boards . It is to be ex pected that the time is not far distant when district Boards

a will take the place of p rish Boards, and when these larger Boards will employ withi n their bounds a drill instructor to

give gymnastic exercise and drill to every boy at school . I f

e . politeness is required, so are drill and disciplin The lads and boys and men do not know how to walk and carry them

n selves , because they have bee neglected in the training of early years . This is an important National question , not only for the good of the individual , but also for the welfare of the n ation . Every young boy and every young man should be well drilled . The great expense incurred in keeping up our S army , and the great scarcity of recruits , in pite of all the ff inducements that are o ered , indicate that the time has about come when the best solution of the army question may be found to be a mild f or m of conscr i tion . What ’ p a blessing a year s drill would be to the young men of Fala and other Scotch rural parishes . I t would do more than teach them politeness. It would be a lasting good to them as individuals, as well as a blessing to the nation . s — see It has often been aid , To judge of a nation you must

w ha and the people in their homes, you must kno their bits,

the the learn their characteristics . The home is nursery of 1 4 6 Fala and Soutra .

n . natio , and the country is the nursery of the towns Too little attention has been given in the past to the home life

of our Scottish peasantry . Who is to do it !it may be asked . A great and noble work in other countries has been done by the priest or spiritual adviser of the people in the way of

directing home life . This has been much overlooked in f Scotland . But in Scotland the minister is not alone su ﬁcient to for the task . Other help is required . For the minister

interfere alone , he is apt to be met by the answer to mind his w own ork . The growing freedom from ecclesiastical control indicates this answer . If this work is ever successfully ff an d accomplished , it can only be by the joint e ort of minister master. The home life and home habits in the whole district around S how the necessity of teaching the people ’ e Domestic Economy , and how to spend a winter s ev ning in

some easy useful occu pation . The local exhibitions of industrial work have not come too

me n soon , and will yet do a good work by encouraging and women in their spare moments to engage their attention with

useful work . Satan ﬁnds mischief for idle hands ; but by proper directions and encouragement Satan m ay yet be non

u plussed . The local ind strial exhibitions, representing several

tw o parishes, which have been held at Upper Keith on occa

n m d sions , are doi g uch goo , by supplying a long felt want ,

and are worthy of greater support .

a n d I n regard to food, the h bits of the people have cha ge f much of late . The growing habit or custom o paying the

wages of the farm labourers all in money, instead of the more “ n is ancie t, in that of gains and money , likely to lead to unfortu nate results .

1 8 4 Fala and Soutra .

as r far is possible , both maste s and servants observe the

s Sunday alike . There is no need for a Sunday Ob ervan ce

w ho Society in this parish , unless to prohibit those come in

u n h s mmer from the eighbouring towns to visit t eir friends .

n Since tolls have been abolished , there is a growi g tendency for everybody in small towns who can turn out anything in

e the shape or name of v hicle , to run to visit the country districts . On summer Sunday evenings there is quite a procession of no ndescript v ehicles down S ou trahill towards

Dalkeith and Tranent. This is the only Sunday disturbance that exists in the parish .

If the agricultural labourers were let alone, little would be heard of the cry for small holdings and crofts . The plough men in the district understand the practical difﬁcu lties in the way of subdividin g the land better than man y of those who run hither and thither over the face of the earth crying for three acres and a cow . Not that there is no land grievance ,

c n but the grievan e is not peculiar to the ploughma , but to all

n u sm who share in cou try or r ral life . The all farms are dis appearing along with the population everywhere , and the large ones are getting larger. But what is this b ut a neces sity of the times ! The great laws of supply and demand must operate in agriculture as in everything else . The subdivision

r of farms would only lead to national disasters and uin , simply because of the enormous amount required to raise buildings and steadings , and to provide the modern and improved machinery that are required to enable the farmer f to compete with the oreign market . This is the secret of

t e agricultural commerce . And h saving of this expenditure T L n 1 he and Questio . 49

n the x s e ables farmer to pay rent and ta e , and to compete in Open market.

But rie apart from this , there is a grievance, and that g v ance arises from the fact that many in these days who possess land never think of the moral obligations that are due towards who l those ive upon it, and who gather the rent . Absentee

w as ln n n ism, which the curse Ireland, is also a ru ni g sore in

. and Scotland The people now are being educated , they are beginning to ask how this one and that one came to possess these lands, and why they pocket the rent and take no interest in the welfare of the inhabitants ! Not that all - landlords are alike . There are some in M id Lothian whose n ames are a household word , who are not only a credit to their class , but by the faithful discharge of moral obliga n w tions , they are a restraini g inﬂuence upon many who ould rise up to bring this question to the front of political warfare . F ew parishes have suffered more by the absent landlord than this, and this absence creates a discontent and a desire for w w redress . I f something ere done in the following ays to l put this question upon a satisfactory basis, natural aws should be left to do the rest . The law of entail and primo geniture should be abolished . Free sale and free registration

dou l of and should become the aw, and the ocal taxation b ed l l - l upon all properties that are non residential . These , by the w l help of God , ould end the on y real land grievances that exist at the present moment, and , these secured and adopted

w a in time , might go a long y towards destroying the growing demands for greater and more extravagant reforms which M might bring the country to revolution . ay the Giver of all 1 0 5 Fala and Soutra .

Good raise up an d inspire men to solve for ever this land and question,

Long may the hardy sons of rustic toil Be es w ea and ea e and swee con en bl t ith h lth , p c , t t t A n d oh !may H eaven th eir simple lives preven t ’ F rom uxur s on a on wea an d v e ! l y c t gi , k il ’ en owe er crowns and coronets be ren Th , h t, A r uous o u ace ma r se the w e vi t p p l y i hil , - A n d stand a wall of ﬁre around our much loved Isle .

I 2 G I x 5 eneral nde .

PA G E

F a a u e n u ene l L ggi , I q isitiv ss, F a a M oor 1 n a on of Her for l , 5, 5 I v si t , F a a R e or d l ct y, F ala S m h it , F a a V a e l ill g ,

F alcon e rs , am e V. J s , F arm W or s, ame . k J s VI , F awla A nes de y, g , o n on R ev . eor e J st , G g , . h -u l eS F en d t , o n on S i r am J h st , Willi , F er R o er etc , t, ohnstounb urn l h b J ,

F oo of the Peo e, ohn o n R p st u e ev . A . l J , ,

W . F rand R ev. k, ,

ra r R ev . W . F se , , ’ F ri ar s We ll,

F rosti n eb, Ke -M ar al ith isch , K e R ev. as. ith, J Kell baak y ,

a a Wa er G l t , £125: £133 ton Gils , Gi rth ate or S anc uar R oa g , t y ,

ourla R ev . . d G y, J ,

ran R ev . A . G t, , an ue on L Q sti , ’ awdr e D en L i s , rar e H Lib i s, L n inn dea , Ham on Pa r c ilt , t i k, o an o n Poe L g , J h , t, i ton oma Ham , s , l Th o an R ev . . L g , J , ‘ H am l on M Gill om a i t , Th s, or E comm un a e L s x ic t ,

W . n R ev . Har ess, , k o d an M . . d L t i , J , m h e R ev . a e Has ti , J s, Ha S i r E m un y, , Ha S i r Wd amd y, illi , m on R ev . a e Hen ers , J s, M aitlan ds Homde fe , Li , of ou ra M a and D . S H orn M r itl , , t , , , M a o m K n H u m e lc l , i g , bi , M an ners of the Peo e H u m e Woo pl , bi s, ’ M an e T he Il un te rs H a d s , , ll, M arr a e rre u ar i g s, I g l , M ar of Gueldres y , ’ I M ar ueen arter y s, Q , Ch , - M a r of the M ona er n or u e enera ste s st y, I glis, L J stic G l, M eusdenhead n ram R edv . am e , I J s , g , General Index .

PA C ! R M l of M ona er i l st y, ea n of the eo e M ni er R i g P pl , i st s, odr f r - on M ona er ea of ec s o K S essi , st y, W lth , R i k R eidhdall M on e R ev. M r , t ith, , e i on of h eo e M ort o ig t e p , Cl th, R l P l R en a M unro R ev. T . t , , , l R oa of the ar s P ish, ui nd of M onas er R s t y, R ura hara er of eo e l C ct P pl ,

airne of D unsinnan e N - , a er L ieuL Col . N pi ,

S an - a gl ss, S odo of F ala ch ls , S oo ma er of F a a ch l st s l , S ece on ur ssi Ch ch,

O i i e M rs S erriff R ev . oma g lv , , h , Th s,

O e oma E . S oo i n gilvi , Th s , h t gs, S n la r S ir am i c i , Willi ,

S n er R ev. A r a i g s, chib l ,

S m on R ev. Pa r d i ps , t ick, n S k irvi g , A am, S ou ra ard er t Ch t s, ara ra e S o P ph s s, c ttish, S ou ra er a on of or t , D iv ti W , a oar aroc i B , P h l S ou ra M on a er d d t st y, S ou ra S an uar t ct y, Po i gb e, S ou ra S ua on of t , t ti , o t a E emen i P li ic l xcit t, ol eness P it , S ou ra la e ’ t Vil g , Po e re or ar er p G g y s Ch t , S ro R ev . am p tt, Wi , la on lli Popu ti , S en of F a a tip l , eou R ev . ame . ort s, J s, P S end a ua on of tip , V t , f r n o e e l i reben aries o i ity C g , P T ll S un ad O er an e y bs v c , E ndur i g , b h S uredt M en y , re den a on S ale of of P s t ti , Right , r n es of S ou ra P i gl t , ’ r or e l P i s W l , Pro o of r n ol e e E n v st T i ity C l g , i ur d gh, enan of F arm b T ts s,

omson R ev. . F Th , J

Thomsone R ev. oma , Th s , o en for r Q T k s Ki k,

ran fer of e en ue &c . T s R v s, , een u ee of the r n e Qu , J bil , T i ity W ll, 1 I x 54 General nde .

r n ol e e E n ur T i ity C l g , i b gh, a es ne a er d W g , Ty W t , a er of M ora a W lt vi , a n W t i g S treet, U l eal of M onas er W th t y, M n e Pres er an hur g , r, U it byt i C ch, Wi ht d h of S ou ra Witc t , Whi tburgh, V oo or W , L , on of n a ua S i e oodd . Ad. V l ti t p W , J ,

ars of S ou ra R .dC W r W . othe s oon R ev . Vic t , p , ,