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Midlothian Council Archives The Andrew Fraser Collection Ref: GB584/AFC Name of creator Andrew Fraser (1917-2007), native of Bonnyrigg and Midlothian County librarian. Biographical history Andrew Fraser (21 November 1917-16 June 2007) was the son of Andrew Fraser (1880-1958), a lithographic artist, and Elizabeth Bone (1880-1983). A native of Bonnyrigg, Andrew worked for Midlothian Library Service in its various guises for 47 years. In his youth, he was a keen Boy Scout and a founder member of the Bonnyrigg and District Motorcycle Club. He joined the Midlothian County Library Service in April 1935, but his early career was interrupted by the Second World War. He served as a Lance Corporal with the King’s Own Scottish Borderers and he was a prisoner of war in Germany for five years. In late 1946, he attended the City of London College School of Librarianship. Subsequently, he became Depute Librarian of Midlothian County and the first Librarian of Midlothian District Council after the reorganisation of local government in 1975. Andrew had a great interest in the history of Midlothian and was instrumental in setting up the Midlothian Local Studies Library. Thanks to his intervention and foresight, many unique documents about the Midlothian area were saved from destruction. A tall, reserved man who often wore a kilt, Andrew was a meticulous scholar and his work is invaluable to researchers of local history. He was a well-respected figure in the local community and a great advocate of public libraries. In a typical act of generosity, he donated his lifelong collection of books and other items to Midlothian Local Studies so that others might benefit from them. Andrew married Eleanor Dods Davidson in July 1952 and moved to Musselburgh in 1960 where he lived until shortly before his death. He was an elder of St Andrew’s Church, Musselburgh, and wrote a history of the church in 1974. He retired in November 1982 and retained his love of Midlothian until the end. Archival history The collection was gathered by Andrew Fraser during his lifetime and donated to Midlothian Council Library Service Local Studies shortly before his death in June 2007. Scope and content Andrew Fraser was an inveterate collector of all types of material about Midlothian, in particular the parish of Cockpen and the village of Bonnyrigg where he grew up. The bulk of this collection is about Midlothian in the twentieth-century, but there is also plenty of earlier material. The collection begins with personal items belonging to Andrew Fraser, including three diaries written during the Second World War, one from 1942 when Fraser was a prisoner of war in Germany. Other personal material includes certificates awarded to Andrew Fraser; army service records (1939-1945); letters and testimonials about Andrew Fraser’s career in librarianship; and personal letters, including three from the artist Odette Kemp. There is a large amount of ephemeral material produced by local churches, schools, local government, local businesses, and clubs and societies. Andrew Fraser was a founder member of the Bonnyrigg and District Motorcycle Club and the collection includes the original club logbook (1922-25). He was an enthusiastic Boy Scout and there is a wealth of photographs, magazines, notebooks and other ephemera about the 14th Midlothian (Bonnyrigg) Boy Scouts, including their visit to the World Scout Jamboree at Vogelenzand, The Netherlands in 1937. Andrew Fraser carried out his own research into the history of Midlothian and the collection includes a 20 volume ‘History of Cockpen Parish’ which was compiled by Andrew Fraser but never published. A significant part of the collection is a series of newspaper cuttings files and scrapbooks containing pasted-in newspaper cuttings, articles, photographs and notes about Midlothian. These were compiled by Andrew Fraser in the 1940s and 1950s, and again from 1984 to 2003. Andrew Fraser was a keen amateur photographer and the collection includes some interesting photographic material, such as early stereoscopic views of Scotland, Edinburgh and Midlothian; early twentieth-century family photographs; photographs of Midlothian taken by Andrew Fraser in the 1930s; photographs of a Second World War Prisoner of War camp; a boxed photograph album of the marriage of Andrew Fraser and Eleanor Dods Davidson in July 1952; and 360 colour slides of Lothian scenery and buildings. Andrew Fraser also collected antiquarian prints and engravings of Midlothian, including local scenery, historic buildings and personalities. There are fifteen original artworks, including three watercolours by Andrew Fraser senior and one watercolour by Odette Kemp. The collection includes several early maps of Midlothian and Edinburgh-shire, including an original Pont map of Midlothian from the seventeenth-century; a John Laurie map of Edinburgh-shire, 1763; Bowle’s New Map of Scotland, 1796; and John Thomson’s map of Edinburgh-shire, 1822. Finally, there are five plans of Midlothian estates, including the Dryden estate (1832) with engravings of Dryden House, and one architectural plan of Dalkeith Co-operative Store (1888). System of arrangement AFC/1/1-3 Collection Guides AFC/2 Personal material /1 Birth, marriage and death certificates, etc 1880 – 1983 /2 Certificates 1922 – 1936 /3 Army Service 1939 – 1946 /4 Diaries 1942 – 1945 /5 Career letters, testimonials, references, etc 1935 – 1963 /6 Letters (personal) 1940 – 1998 AFC/3 Church and Religion /1 Churches and religion in Midlothian 1691 – 1999 /2 St Andrew’s Church, Musselburgh 1886 – 1940 AFC/4 Education /1 Education in Midlothian 1881 – 1992 /2 Penicuik Schools 1881 – 1927 /3 Bonnyrigg & Lasswade Schools 1900 – 1975 /4 Macdonald Educational Bequest 1894 – 1898 /5 School Holiday Trek Camp Information 1951 AFC/5 Libraries 1900 – 1965 AFC/6 Local Government /1 Bonnyrigg & Lasswade Burgh Council 1939 – 1945 /2 Local Government 1942 – 1980 /3 Local Government newsletters 1957 – 1985 AFC/7 Women’s Rural Institute 1951 – 1960 AFC/8 Bonnyrigg & District Motorcycling Club 1922 – 1925 AFC/9 Membership Cards and Syllabuses 1935 – 1984 AFC/10 Tickets 1938 – 1982 AFC/11 Quiz sheets and puzzles 1937 – 1955 AFC/12 Advertising and Trade 1935 – 1992 AFC/13 Cinemas 1939 – 1949 AFC/14 Mining 1920 – 1946 AFC/15 Second World War 1940 – 1944 AFC/16 Miscellaneous letters 1801 – 1928 AFC/17 Miscellaneous Midlothian material 1692 - 1962 AFC/18 Boy Scouts 1930 – 1998 AFC/19 Toll Collection Account Books 1874 – 1881 AFC/20 Miscellaneous volumes 1751 – 1872 AFC/21 History of Cockpen Parish AFC/22 Research Notes AFC/23 Transcriptions AFC/24 Newspaper cuttings /1 Newspaper cuttings: Biographies 1940 – 1960 /2 Newspaper cuttings and scrapbooks 1937 – 1949 /3 Newspaper cuttings 1940 – 1950 /4 Newspaper cuttings 1949 – 1955 /5 Newspaper cuttings 1984 – 1986 /6 Newspaper cuttings 1987 – 1990 /7 Newspaper cuttings 1991 – 1992 /8 Newspaper cuttings except Carrington and Cockpen 1993 – 1999 /9 Newspaper cuttings: Carrington and Cockpen 1993 – 1999 /10 Newspaper cuttings 2000 – 2003 AFC/25 Photographs and photograph albums c1880 – 1980 AFC/26/1 Prints, engravings, etc topography 1700 – 1979 AFC/26/2 Prints, engravings, etc personalities 1766 – 1900 AFC/27 Original artworks 1910 – 1978 AFC/28 Maps 1763 – 1918 AFC/29 Architecture and estate plans 1832 – 1888 Access There are no restrictions on access to the collection. Conditions governing use None. AFC/1 Collection Guides No date Notebooks and ledgers compiled by Andrew Fraser listing his original collection classification scheme, collection accessions and costs of collection items. 4 volumes. /1 Notebook compiled by Andrew Fraser listing collection No date classification system. 1 volume. /2 Accessions ledger compiled by Andrew Fraser listing items No date in his collection. 1 volume. /3/1-2 Two account books detailing the purchase of items by No date Andrew Fraser for his collection. Includes costs and sellers. Cuttings and receipts loosely inserted. 2 volumes. AFC/2/1 Birth, marriage and death certificates, etc. 1880 – 1983 Birth, marriage and death certificates relating to the Fraser family. 6 items. /1 Birth certificate of Elizabeth Bone [mother of Andrew 1 Dec 1880 Fraser], born 19 Nov 1880. 1 item. /2 Certificate of Transfer to Reserve of 299411 Sergeant 5 Feb 1919 Andrew Fraser, Royal Engineers. 1 item. /3 Copy extract of an Entry in a Register of Births for Andrew 3 May 1954 Fraser, senior, born 26 Sep 1880. 1 item. /4 Copy extract of an entry in a Register of Marriages for 22 Jun 1982 Andrew Fraser and Elizabeth Bone, married 18 Jul 1906. 1 item. /5 Extract of an entry in a Register of Deaths for Andrew 23 Jun 1982 Fraser, senior, dated 10 Feb 1958. 1 item. /6 Death certificate of Elizabeth Fraser née Bone [mother of 14 Jan 1983 Andrew Fraser], dated 14 Jan 1983. 1 item. AFC/2/2 Certificates of Achievement. 1922 – 1936 Personal certificates of achievement awarded to Andrew Fraser. 10 items. /1 Edinburgh Band of Hope Union Pledge Card No 1. 20 Oct 1922 1 item. /2 Church of Scotland Cockpen Sunday School certificate 1924 awarded to Andrew Fraser for perfect attendance, Session 1923-24. 1 item. /3 Church of Scotland Cockpen Sunday School certificate 1926 awarded to Andrew Fraser for perfect attendance, Session 1925-26. 1 item. /4 Church of Scotland Cockpen Sunday School certificate 1928 awarded to Andrew Fraser for perfect attendance and good conduct, Session 1927-28. 1 item. /5 Church of Scotland Cockpen Sunday School certificate 1929 awarded to Andrew Fraser for perfect attendance, Session 1928-29. 1 item. /6 Horny Railway Company certificate of membership. 4 Feb 1930 1 item. /7 Higher Education Scotland Leaving Certificate. 1934 1 item. /8 The National Geographic Society certificate of membership. 23 Sep 1936 1 item. /9 The Library Association Certificate for the Elementary Dec 1936 Examination of the Library Association. 1 item. /10 The Library Association Certificate of Associate ship for 6 Oct 1939 Andrew Fraser.