MIDLOTHIAN COUNCIL ARCHIVES the BRYCE COLLECTION GB584/BRY Name of Creator the Bryce Family of Roslin Biographical History This
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
MIDLOTHIAN COUNCIL ARCHIVES THE BRYCE COLLECTION GB584/BRY Name of creator The Bryce family of Roslin Biographical history This collection of photographs and photographic glass plates is named after the Bryce family of Roslin. From about 1880 to the Second World War, two generations of the family lived and worked in a draper’s shop and post office on Roslin High Street. One daughter of the family, Margaret or ‘Maggie’ married a man called Thomas Ritchie, who was a keen amateur photographer. In the early years of the twentieth century, Ritchie took many photographs of Roslin and the surrounding area. Some of these were made into postcards and sold in the Roslin post office. On 16 July 1858, George Bryce (born c.1829 in Roslin) married Fanny Crawford Law (born c.1836 in Glencorse). The couple had two daughters: Marion Anderson Bryce (born 13 August 1859 in Roslin) and Margaret or ‘Maggie’ Bryce (born 22 April 1862 in Roslin). The census of 1881 shows the Bryce family living in the Post Office on Roslin High Street. George’s occupation is given as a millwright and Margaret, his daughter, a letter carrier. Hector Law, George’s father-in-law, is also living at the same address. Ten years later, the family are still in the post office. George is described as a gunpowder packer, Marion a milliner and Maggie a telegraphist. By 1901, George has become a postmaster and newsagent. Margaret Bryce married Thomas or ‘Tom’ Ritchie on 30 April 1897 in Roslin. Thomas Ritchie, who was also known as ‘Frosset’, was born around 1864 in Glasgow. In 1891, he living in Roslin and working as a labourer. On 21 March 1902, the Midlothian Journal carried an obituary to ‘Mrs [Fanny] Bryce of the Post Office’. It stated that: ‘For many years the deceased lady has bourne a prominent part in the life of the village, and her kindly ministrations in times of trouble were much appreciated by all for whom she rendered willing service and sympathy’. George Bryce died on 16 November 1912 at Roslin and after his death his daughters took over the house and shop in Roslin. Physical description 162 glass plate negatives measuring 16.5 x 8cm; 95 glass plate negatives measuring 10.5 x 8cm; 12 lantern slides measuring 10.5 x 8cm; 65 original photographs either b&w or sepia-toned without negatives and of various sizes; 125 modern photographic prints; and 2 CD-ROMs produced by the Roslin Heritage Society containing scans of each image on the negatives. Scope and content The Bryce Collection contains many unique images of Roslin village before the First World War, including street scenes, buildings, Rosslyn Chapel and Castle, Roslin Glen, Roslin Gala Day and other local events, and images of local people. The collection also contains images of the Midlothian countryside, including the Dryden and Bush estates; Glencorse parish, and the Pentland Hills. Archival history In the 1940s, Mrs Margaret (Meg) Campbell (née Bryce), the great-niece of George Bryce, moved from Glasgow and took over the family business in Roslin. The collection of photographs and negatives were stored in an attic and largely forgotten. In 1993, Mrs Campbell donated the collection to Midlothian Local Studies and stipulated that it should be known as the ‘Bryce Collection’. Subsequent to the donation, members of the Roslin Heritage Society researched and identified many of images, and some of the images were used in the book Old Roslin (Stenlake, 2003). The Society made electronic scans of the images and these are included in the collection on CD-ROM. System of arrangement The collection was received in a series of original boxes for glass plates each containing 10-15 plates. Although the boxes were labelled, the plates had become badly jumbled and had no clear order about them. In 2012, the collection was reorganised and catalogued. For safe storage, plates of the same size have been kept together, namely 162 glass plate negatives measuring 16.5 x 12cm; 95 glass plate negatives measuring 10.5 x 8cm; 12 lantern slides measuring 10.5 x 8cm; and 65 original photographs without negatives and of various sizes. The collection has then been organised by general themes listed below. This means that an image of a particular subject may appear in more than one section. For example, there are images of Rosslyn Chapel in both the larger and smaller plate sections, and also in the lantern slides. Reference Subject Format Size BRY/1/1-26 General views of Roslin Glass plate negative 16.5 x 12cm and Roslin streets. BRY/2/1-19 Roslin buildings and Glass plate negative 16.5 x 12cm houses BRY/3/1-16 Roslin churches Glass plate negative 16.5 x 12cm BRY/4/1-18 Roslin Glen and Glass plate negative 16.5 x 12cm Hawthornden BRY/5/1-16 Roslin people Glass plate negative 16.5 x 12cm BRY/6/1-11 Roslin Gala Days and Glass plate negative 16.5 x 12cm Events BRY/7/1-4 Polton Glass plate negative 16.5 x 12cm BRY/8/1-7 Dryden Estate, near Glass plate negative 16.5 x 12cm Roslin BRY/9/1-5 Bush Estate, near Roslin Glass plate negative 16.5 x 12cm BRY/10/1-7 Glencorse area Glass plate negative 16.5 x 12cm BRY/11/1-13 The Pentland and Glass plate negative 16.5 x 12cm Moorfoot Hills BRY/12/1-20 Unidentified Glass plate negative 16.5 x 12cm BRY/13/1-25 Roslin and surrounding Glass plate negative 10.5 x 8cm area BRY/14/1-9 Roslin Glen Glass plate negative 10.5 x 8cm BRY/15/1-20 Roslin Gala Days and Glass plate negative 10.5 x 8cm Events BRY/16/1-8 Curling Glass plate negative 10.5 x 8cm BRY/17/1-3 Dryden Estate, near Glass plate negative 10.5 x 8cm Roslin BRY/18/1-8 Glencorse and the Glass plate negative 10.5 x 8cm Pentland and Moorfoot Hills BRY/19/1-22 Unidentified Glass plate negative 10.5 x 8cm BRY/20/1-12 Lantern slides Lantern slides 10.5 x 8cm BRY/21/1-66 Photographs without Photographic prints Various negatives Access There are no restrictions on access to the collection. Conditions governing use None. Related materials Winnie Stevenson and Veronica Meikle Old Roslin (Stenlake, 2003) Kenneth R Bogle and Susan Falconer The Pentland Hills (Stenlake, 2010) BRY/1 General views of Roslin and Roslin streets. 26 glass-plate negatives, 16.5 x 12cm; 26 electronic scans; 4 original photographs; 19 modern b&w photographs. /1 Main Street, Roslin showing the Original Hotel and the Royal Hotel, and two horse-drawn buses for Edinburgh. 1 glass-plate negative, 16.5 x 12cm; 1 electronic scan; 1 modern b&w photograph. /2 ‘Main Street, Roslin’ showing two horse-drawn buses for Edinburgh. 1 glass-plate negative, 16.5 x 12 cm; 1 electronic scan; 1 modern b&w photograph. /3 The Royal Hotel and Roslin Main Street under thick snow. The date was given on a postcard as 24 April 1908. 1 glass-plate negative, 16.5 x 12 cm; 1 electronic scan; 1 modern b&w photograph. /4 Main Street, Roslin with snow. 1 glass-plate negative, 16.5 x 12 cm; 1 electronic scan. /5 Main Street, Roslin looking south-east with a rider and horse and a group of women outside Roslin Post Office. 1 glass-plate negative, 16.5 x 12 cm; 1 electronic scan; 1 original sepia photograph. /6 ‘Bryce. Draper’ and ‘Post Office’ in Roslin Main Street. The post office has a display of postcards for sale in window, probably using images from the Bryce collection. 1 glass-plate negative, 16 x 12cm; 1 electronic scan. /7 ‘Dryden Place, Roslin.’ 1 glass-plate negative, 16.5 x 12 cm; 1 electronic scan; 1 modern b&w photograph. /8 Dryden Place, Roslin. 1 glass-plate negative, 16.5 x 12 cm; 1 electronic scan; 1 modern b&w photograph. /9 Penicuik Road, Roslin with Roslin Free Church. 1 glass-plate negative, 16.5 x 12 cm; 1 electronic scan; 1 original sepia photograph. /10 ‘East End, Roslin’. 1 glass-plate negative, 16.5 x 12 cm; 1 electronic scan; 1 modern b&w photograph. /11 ‘The Auld Inn, Roslin’. 1 glass-plate negative, 16.5 x 12 cm; 1 electronic scan. /12 The Auld Inn, Roslin and Chapel Loan. Situated at College Hill and dating from about 1660, this was Roslin’s inn until 1866. The inn had several famous visitors, including Samuel Johnston and Robert Burns. 1 glass-plate negative, 16.5 x 12 cm; 1 electronic scan; 1 modern b&w photograph. /13 The Auld Inn, Roslin and Chapel Loan. 1 glass-plate negative, 16.5 x 12 cm; 1 electronic scan; 1 modern b&w photograph. /14 Midway cottages on the track leading to Rosslyn castle, looking east towards the gate at the castle entrance. 1 glass-plate negative, 16 x 12cm; 1 electronic scan; 1 modern b&w photograph. /15 ‘Lynwood’ and ‘Ashvale’ houses taken from the Butts, Roslin. 1 glass-plate negative, 16.5 x 12 cm; 1 electronic scan; 1 modern b&w photograph. /16 View of Margaret Place, Manse Road from Slateburns with Creel Ha’, the Reading Room, Glebe, and Auld Kirk, Roslin. 1 glass-plate negative, 16.5 x 12 cm; 1 electronic scan; 1 modern b&w photograph. /17 View from behind Main Street, Roslin towards Penicuik Road; Roslin United Free Church in centre. 1 glass-plate negative, 16.5 x 12 cm; 1 electronic scan; 1 modern b&w photograph.