History of Leith, Edinburgh

In the “Old Statistical account” we find it stated that there are appearances of coal on the sea side, in the adjacent part of Royston and Wardie both above and below the water line. At times of scarcity the poor carried this coal away to. There was even a pit sunk at Pilton wood in 1788 but was soon abandoned due to inferiority of the coal found. In the links at Royston can be seen the remains of ancient coal working. (more…)

Just to the west of Leith along the Forth Coast lay the Wardie Muir which must have been a wide, open and desolate place extendinf from Inverleith and Warriston to the shore of the Firth of Forth and from North Inverleith Mains of old called Blaw Wearie on the west to Bonnington on the east traversed by a narrow stream know as the Anchorfield Burn. (more…)

Just along the coast from Leith is the town of Portobello now part of Edinburgh. It was once a desolate place and was known as the Figgate Muir and was probably part of the Drumsheugh Forest. Through this flowed the Figgate Burn from Duddingston Loch a continuation of the Braid. (more…)

We hear nowadays how the West unfairly trades with poorer countries. Unfortunately the idea isn’t a new one. (more…)

The Mercurius Politicus-these are rare volumes now held in the National Library of Scotland records that in October 1652 there was a dangerous mutiny among General Monks garrison in Leith due to deductions being made to create a store. (more…)

The author Chambers relates in his book “Book of Days” a curious story which happened in Leith in 1731. The story comes from Lady Clerk of Penicuik (nee Mary Dacre of Kirkliston in Cumberland) who told it to the Blackwood’s Magazine in 1826. (more…)

At the age of twenty seven in 1786 the already acclaimed poet Robert Burns made the two day trek from his native Ayrshire on a borrowed pony to Edinburgh and entered the city by the West Port and shared a room with a friend in the Lawnmarket. (more…)

To guard against a possible French invasion at the time of the Napoleonic wars towers were modelled on the original at Mortella Point in Corsica were built at strategic points around the east coast. One was constructed on mussel Cape Rock at the mouth of the harbour in 1807/9 at the cost of 17,000 pounds. Migrant labourers may have been used for carvings on the stonework describe Irish Folk Symbols. (more…)

Unfortunately the “History of Leith” site has been down over the the past few days due to Server problems which have now been resolved. I would like to apologise to all my readers for this however this happened due to circumstances beyond my control.

I have been researching and writing about the “History of Leith” and the Kirk Records of South Leith Parish Church. These records tell not only of the history of the Church, but also the history of the community of Leith over a period of over three hundred years. (more…)