Lasswade Genealogical Records
Lasswade Birth & Baptism Records
The baptism registers of Lasswade provide details of births from 1617 to 1854. Entries usually record parents' names (with mother's maiden name) and date of birth and/or baptism.
The baptism registers of Midlothian are the primary source for birth details before civil registration. A full index to names with original images of the registers are available between and . Entries usually contain date of birth and/or baptism, parents' names (with mother's maiden name) and occasionally father's occupation and witnesses.
An index to all foreign, domestic, air-borne, consular, High Commission, marine and military births registered by the Scottish government. The index is linked to images of birth registers from 100 or more years ago. They contain a great deal of information, including parent's full names, date and place of birth, date and place of parent's marriage and more.
The baptism registers of Scotland provide details of births from to . Entries usually record parents' names (with mother's maiden name) and date of birth and/or baptism.
A collection of indexes and transcripts of birth and baptism records that cover over 250 million people. Includes digital images of many records.
Lasswade Marriage & Divorce Records
The registers of marriages for Lasswade provide details on marriages and are the primary source for such information before 1855.
The registers of marriages for Midlothian provide details on marriages and are the primary source for such information before 1855.
An index to all foreign, domestic and military marriages recorded by the Scottish government. The index is linked to digital images of records more than 75 years old. Details given include date & place of marriage, full names of all parents and more.
The marriage registers of Scotland are the primary source for marriage details before civil registration. A full index to names with original images of the registers are available between and .
A collection of indexes and transcripts of marriage records that cover over 160 million people. Includes digital images of many records.
Lasswade Death & Burial Records
The registers of burials for Lasswade provide details on deaths and are the primary source for such information before 1855.
Index to names and images of the original burial registers of Midlothian. They commonly record the deceased's name and date of death and/or burial.
An index to all foreign, domestic, air-borne, consular, High Commission, marine and military deaths registered by the Scottish government. The index is linked to images of death registers from 50 or more years ago. They contain a great deal of information, including parent's full names, date and place of death, age and more.
Images of millions of pages from cemetery and crematoria registers, photographs of memorials, cemetery plans and more. Records can be search by a name index.
The burial registers of Scotland provide details of deaths from to . Entries usually record no more than the deceased's name; occasionally an age and cause of death are given.
Lasswade Census & Population Lists
Documents listing households and residents throughout Scotland. The records include family relations, gender, age, occupation, place of birth, employment status, number of years married, number of children living and deceased, nationality, whether an individual could speak Gaelic, number of windows in property and some infirmities.
The 1901 census provides details on an individual's age, residence, place of birth, relations and occupation. FindMyPast's index allows searches on for multiple metrics including occupation and residence.
Documents listing households and residents throughout Scotland. The records include family relations, gender, age, occupation, place of birth, employment status, whether an individual could speak Gaelic, number of windows in property and some infirmities.
Inventories of all land and buildings in Scotland. They give a description of the property, the name of the owner, tenant & occupier and the rates due on the property.
The 1891 census provides details on an individual's age, residence, place of birth, relations and occupation. FindMyPast's index allows searches on for multiple metrics including occupation and residence.
Newspapers Covering Lasswade
Local news; notices of births, marriages and deaths; business notices; details on the proceedings of public institutions; adverts and a rich tapestry of other local information from the Edinburgh district. Every line of text from the newspaper can be searched and images of the original pages viewed.
A searchable newspaper providing a rich variety of information about the people and places of the Dunfermline district. Includes obituaries and family announcements.
Original images of a local newspaper, searchable via a full text index. Includes news from the Dunfermline area, business notices, obituaries, family announcements and more.
A local newspaper including news from the Edinburgh area, family announcements, business notices, advertisements, legal & governmental proceedings and more.
Fully searchable early editions of the Edinburgh Advertiser. Contains some personal and family notices, but more useful for business and legal notices.
Lasswade Wills & Probate Records
An index to testators and the subject's of other testamentary documents. The index is linked to digital images of the documents. An account is required to search the index.
A index to testators whose will was proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury. They principally cover those who lived in the lower two thirds of Britain, but contain wills for residents of Scotland, Ireland, British India and other countries. A copy of each will may be purchased for digital download.
An index and digital images of PCC wills, available on a subscription basis.
A collection of indexes, abstracts, transcripts and digital images of over 5.5 million wills, administrations and other probate records.
An index to almost 78,000 wills that were disputed. The index can lead you to documents that may shed a great deal of genealogical information as disputes often arose between siblings and cousins.
Lasswade Immigration & Travel Records
A name index connected to original images of passenger lists recording people travelling from Britain to destinations outside Europe. Records may detail a passenger's age or date of birth, residence, occupation, destination and more.
A full index of passenger lists for vessels arriving in the UK linked to original images. Does not include lists from vessels sailing from European ports. Early entries can be brief, but later entries may include dates of births, occupations, home addresses and more. Useful for documenting immigration.
An index to and images of documents recording over 1.65 million passengers who arrived in Victoria, Australia, including passengers whose voyage was paid for by others.
Details on thousands of 17th century British immigrants to the U.S., detailing their origins and nature of their immigration.
A list of over 40,000 passengers traveling from North America to the British Isles. Details of passengers may include: occupation, nationality, gender, age, martial status, class, destination, and details of the vessel they sailed on.
Lasswade Military Records
A searchable list of over 100,000 British Army POWs. Records contains details on the captured, their military career and where they were held prisoner.
Details on around 165,000 men serving in the British Army, Navy and Air Force who were held as prisoners during WWII.
Index and original images of over 5 million medal index cards for British soldiers It can be searched by individual's name, Coprs, Unit and Regiment. Due to the loss of many WWI service records, this is the most complete source for British WWI soldiers
This rich collection contains contains records for 1.9 million non-commissioned officers and other ranks who fought in WWI. Due to bomb damage in WWI, around 60% of service records were lost. Documents cover: enlistment, medical status, injuries, conduct, awards and discharge. A great deal of genealogical and biographical documentation can be found in these documents, including details on entire families, physical descriptions and place of birth.
An index to nearly 900,000 military personnel who were awarded the Silver War Badge for sustaining injures. Records include rank, regimental number, unit, dates of enlistment and discharge, and reason for discharge.
Lasswade Court & Legal Records
A transcription of books containing public matters concerning estates, deeds, powers-of-attorney and more in Midlothian, particularly Edinburgh. Contains much genealogical information.
A transcription of books containing public matters concerning estates, deeds, powers-of-attorney and more in Midlothian, particularly Edinburgh. Contains much genealogical information.
Digital images, searchable by a name index, of registers recording the admittance and discharge of over 840,000 people to insane asylums.
The Privicy Council dealt with a wide spectrum of issues pertaining to administration, the economy, politics and social affairs.
Details on the parole and revocation thereof, of over 4,400 female prisoners.
Lasswade Taxation Records
Inventories of all land and buildings in Scotland. They give a description of the property, the name of the owner, tenant & occupier and the rates due on the property.
An index to 11,000,000 parcels of land and property, connected to digital images of registers that record their owner, occupier, description, agricultural use, size and rateable value.
An index linked to original images of registers recording apprenticeship indentures. Details are given on the trade and nature of apprenticeship. Many records list the parents of the apprentice.
A report detailing the manner in which customs and excise are dealt with in Scotland.
Lasswade Land & Property Records
Inventories of all land and buildings in Scotland. They give a description of the property, the name of the owner, tenant & occupier and the rates due on the property.
A list of people who owned more than one acre of land in Scotland. Lists a landowner's residence, acreage and estimated gross yearly rental.
An index to 11,000,000 parcels of land and property, connected to digital images of registers that record their owner, occupier, description, agricultural use, size and rateable value.
A collection of various land valuation documents extending as far back as 1650, but primarily covering the period after 1884. Useful for establishing the ancestry of land owners and their tenants.
Poll books record the names of voters and the direction of their vote. Until 1872 only landholders could vote, so not everyone will be listed. Useful for discerning an ancestor's political leanings and landholdings. The collection is supplemented with other records relating to the vote.
Lasswade Directories & Gazetteers
A detailed gazetteer of localities, geographic features, buildings and other features in Scotland.
Breif details of companies engaged in or related to the engineering, metal and motor trades industries. Organised by trade and place.
Historical and contemporary descriptions of settlements, detailing their governance, churches, schools etc.; to which is appended lists of residents, with their occupations.
A directory of the court, parliament, aristocracy, mayors, civil service, military, militia and banks in the British Empire.
A directory of the Church of England, its institutions and ministers.
Lasswade Cemeteries
Images of millions of pages from cemetery and crematoria registers, photographs of memorials, cemetery plans and more. Records can be search by a name index.
Photographs and transcriptions of millions of gravestones from cemeteries around the world.
Profiles of several hundred mausolea found in the British Isles.
Photographs and descriptions of Scotland's most illustrious church monuments, often featuring effigies, medieval inscriptions and heraldic devices.
Several thousand transcribed memorials remembering those connected with the nautical occupations.
Lasswade Obituaries
The UKs largest repository of obituaries, containing millions of searchable notices.
A growing collection currently containing over 425,000 abstracts of obituaries with reference to the location of the full obituary.
A collection of 364 obituaries of Quakers from the British Isles. The volume was published in 1849 and includes obituaries of those who died in late 1847 through 1848.
This transcribed and searchable work by Sir William Musgrave contains 10,000s of brief obituaries. The work is a reference point for other works containing information on an individual.
A text index and digital images of all editions of a journal containing medical articles and obituaries of medical practitioners.
Lasswade Histories & Books
Photographs and images of churches in Midlothian.
A growing database including millions of photographs of the United Kingdom, Isle of Man and Ireland catalogued by latitude & longitude and OS grid reference.
Ariel photographs of the British Isles. Browsable by location.
Over 19,000 postcards depicting places in the UK & Ireland.
A collection of 220,000 professional photos covering most towns and villages in Britain, and parts of Ireland.
Lasswade School & Education Records
Contains dates and information (and photographs of the fallen where available) for members of Edinburgh University who served and fell during The Great War. Also includes a section on orders, decorations and dispatches.
A name index linked to original images of short biographies for over 120,000 Oxford University students. This is a particularly useful source for tracing the ancestry of the landed gentry.
A transcript of a vast scholarly work briefly chronicling the heritage, education and careers of over 150,000 Cambridge University students. This is a particularly useful source for tracing the ancestry of the landed gentry.
A searchable database containing over 90,000 note-form biographies for students of Cambridge University.
Details of around 60,000 alumni who fought in WWI.
Lasswade Occupation & Business Records
An index to and images of registers recording over 3.7 million trade union members.
Books listing doctors who were licensed to operate in Britain and abroad. Contains doctor's residencies, qualification and date of registration.
A rich collection of records documenting those who worked for railway companies that were later absorbed by the government. Records include: staff registers, station transfers, pensions, accident records, apprentice records, caution books, and memos. Records may include date of birth, date of death and name of father.
Indexed medical journals from British ships containing personal and medical details of patients. The journals list names, ages, rank/status, diseases, illness duration and notes on symptoms and treatment. Contains details on military men as well as people immigrating or being deported to colonies.
This collection gives brief details on the appointment of over 1.4 million people who worked for the Post Office. Includes references to corresponding data in the Postmaster General’s minute books and is a starting point for research in the rich archive of the British Postal Museum.
Pedigrees & Family Trees Covering Lasswade
Digital images of registers recording those who are eligible to bear coats of arms in Scotland. The records can contain genealogical tracts and renderings of the arms.
Extensive and impeccably sourced genealogies for British, Irish & Manx royalty and nobility. Scroll down to 'British Isles' for relevant sections.
A searchable database of linked genealogies compiled from thousands of reputable and not-so-reputable sources. Contains many details on European gentry & nobility, but covers many countries outside Europe and people from all walks of life.
A searchable book, listing pedigrees of titled families and biographies of their members.
A book containing genealogies and biographies of Britain's titled families.
Lasswade Royalty, Nobility & Heraldry Records
Digital images of registers recording those who are eligible to bear coats of arms in Scotland. The records can contain genealogical tracts and renderings of the arms.
Extensive and impeccably sourced genealogies for British, Irish & Manx royalty and nobility. Scroll down to 'British Isles' for relevant sections.
A searchable database of linked genealogies compiled from thousands of reputable and not-so-reputable sources. Contains many details on European gentry & nobility, but covers many countries outside Europe and people from all walks of life.
A dictionary of families elevated to the peerage of Great Britain & Ireland. It includes genealogies and biographical details.
Lineages of Britain and Ireland's untitled landed families; supplemented with biographical sketches.
Lasswade Church Records
The old parish registers of Lasswade are the primary source for birth, marriage and death details before civil registration. A full index to names with original images of the registers are available between 1617 and 1854. Deaths and burials were often not recorded or the registers have not survived.
Prior to civil registration in 1855, the baptism registers of Midlothian are the most common place to turn for details on births. Entries usually contain the parents' forenames and surnames.
Prior to civil registration in 1855, the parish registers of Scotland are the most common place to turn for details on births, marriages and deaths.
Index to names and images of the original baptism registers of Scotland. They commonly record the date of birth or baptism with parents' names (often including the mother's maiden name).
The parish registers of Scotland are a collection of books documenting baptisms, marriages and burials from 1817 to 1934.
Biographical Directories Covering Lasswade
A searchable book, listing pedigrees of titled families and biographies of their members.
A book containing genealogies and biographies of Britain's titled families.
A book containing genealogies and biographies of Britain's titled families.
Brief biographies of Anglican clergy in the UK.
A compendium of biographies of thousands of Scottish Jacobites.
Lasswade Maps
Images of maps covering Mid-Lothian.
Detailed maps covering much of the UK. They depict forests, mountains, larger farms, roads, railroads, towns, and more.
Maps showing settlements, features and some buildings in mainland Britain.
An index to 11,000,000 parcels of land and property, connected to digital images of registers that record their owner, occupier, description, agricultural use, size and rateable value.
Maps of parishes in England, Scotland and Wales. They are useful in determining which parish records may be relevant to your research.
Lasswade Reference Works
A beginner’s guide to researching ancestry in Scotland.
A comprehensive guide to researching the history of buildings in the British Isles.
A service that provides advanced and custom surname maps for the British Isles and the US.
A dictionary of around 9,000 mottoes for British families who had right to bear arms.
A growing collection of heraldic and related clip art that can be used to reconstruct a families' arms. Includes packs for British, German, Austrian, Spanish, Italian, Danish, Polish, Portuguese, French, Swiss and Dutch arms. Images are available in a variety of formats including vectors.
Historical Description
The parish of Laswade, which includes the eastern extremity of the Pentland hills, and stretches along the North Esk, is eight miles in length, and five in breadth: it is four miles from Edinburgh, and contains, according to the late population act, 808 houses, and 3, 348 inhabitants; viz. 1, 577 males, and 1, 771 females, of which number 724 were returned as being employed in agriculture, and 459 in trade and manufacture. In the lower grounds the soil is rich, but there is a great deal of heath and barren ground in the higher parts. The banks of the North Esk, which runs for several miles in this parish, are bold and picturesque in a high degree. There are five paper, besides other mills, in this parish, and two extensive bleach-fields, which employ a great number of hands.
Various seams of coal and lime-stone run through the whole of this parish. Sand-stone, and the other metals which accompany coal, are in abundance, but no whin stone or granite. There are about 30, 000 tons of coal raised annually, great part of which goes to Edinburgh One of the pits in the parish accidentally took fire, about twenty-five years ago, and is still unextinguished.
Near Laswade, in a romantic spot, is Melville Castle, the elegant residence of the Hon. Robert Dundas; it is built in the Gothic stile, after a plan of the late Mr. Adams.
In this parish, besides a constant succession of gentlemen’s seats, there are many beautiful, romantic, and noted spots; among which is Hawthornden, a small fortalice, or castellated mansion, situated on a high projecting rock, overhanging the river of North Esk. The building, like most of the ancient Scottish mansions, consists of a square vaulted tower, with walls of great thickness, calculated to serve as an asylum, or temporary retreat, from the depredations of civil insurrection, or foreign invasions.
This tower is, if the expression may be allowed, grafted on the native rock; adjoining to it were some additional buildings, also constructed for defence: these and the tower are now in rums, but some part of the latter had a habitable room not many years since. The gate of entrance, though of more modern date than the tower, is probably older than the now dwelling-house; the iron door was lately remaining, and over the gate are loop-holes answering to others at the bottom of the tower. At what time and by whom this tower was built is uncertain; the first time it occurs in record as a fortalice is in a charter of the year 1433, though probably it is of a much older date.
The buildings now inhabited were partly rebuilt by William Drummond the poet, in the year 1638. and partly by his son and successor Sir William Drummond, as we learn from an inscription on a building in the back court.
Under and near the mansion two ranges of caves have been scooped out of the rock; vulgar tradition makes them the works of the Picts, which opinion is embraced by Dr. Stukeley, who, in his Itinerarum Curiosum, has given a plan of them. It appears, however, more probable, from the following description of them by Maitland, that these caves were either a receptacle for robbers, or places to secure the people and their effects during the destructive wars between the Picts and English, and Scots and English; which is in some measure confirmed by a number of works of the same kind on the English and Scotch borders, and in the northern parts of Scotland, to secure the people and their effects against the English and Danish plunderers and cruel depredations.
"The entrance into these caverns (says Maitland) is in the side of a perpendicular rock of great height, above the river, to which you descend by twenty-seven high steps, cut into the said rock; then passing along a board, about the length of five feet, and breadth of ten inches, you mount the rock on eight steps, and arrive at the mouth of the cave, or imaginary palace; within the entrance of which, on the left-hand side, cut in the rock, is a long and narrow trance or passage, ascended to by two steps, of the length of seventy-five feet, and breadth of six, vulgarly called the king’s gallery; near the upper end of which (likewise cut in the rock) is a narrow dungeon, denominated the king’s bed-chamber: and on the right-hand side of these caverns, also cut in the rock, is another cave, of the length of twenty-one feet, and breadth of six feet, descended to by two steps, denominated the king’s guard-room: these are the fine apartments of the royal dungeons, by Dr. Stukeley and the populace called a Pictish castle, and a royal palace. And in descending the rock, before you pass the board, there is a room (but no part of the pretended palace) cut out of the rock, of a modern workmanship, called the Cypress Grove, wherein it is said Drummond composed his poems; it is of the length of seven feet, six broad, and five and a half in height. The three rooms above-mentioned, by their amazing great strength in access, I take to have been at first a shelter-place for a band of thieves and robbers; and the house being since built over them, and a draw-well sunk through the king’s guard-room, I imagine it to have been made by the proprietor to let down his effects by, to secure them from an enemy; for by the narrowness of the way by steps, and along the board, it could not be effected. Such places of security were not peculiar to Scotland; for Tacitus, in his customs of the Germans, tells us they had a number of subterranean houses and caverns, to secure themselves and effects in time of war. We have likewise many instances of such, both in the southern and northern parts of Scotland, as aforesaid thus far Maitland. That these caverns were occasionally used as lurking-places we are told by Fordun, who says "that, in the year 1338, when the English were masters of Edinburgh, the famous Alexander Ramsay concealed himself in the caves of Hawthornden, with a company of resolute young men, and issuing out thence as occasion presented itself, attacked small parties of the English, and plundered their quarters. ’'
A variety of incredible and superstitious stories have been fabricated respecting the depth of these excavations, particularly of one formerly styled the Elves' Cave, the original entrance into which has been stopped up by a fall of the rock It also seems as if these caves were constructed for habitations, from the communication made with a deep draw-well, and from another having pigeon-holes cut into it; but whether this was originally made or done since is doubtful.
The lands of Hawthornden were granted by king Robert II. to Sir William Douglas, of Strabrock, and they remained in possession of that family till, in the year 1598, they were purchased by Sir John Drummond, father of the celebrated poet and historian William Drummond, whose pleasant poem of the Dunghill Battle has shaken the sides of successive generations. This gentleman was not only an historian and poet, but also a great projector in mechanics; fifteen or sixteen articles of his invention are recorded in the patent granted him by king Charles T. annexed to the folio edition of his works: among them are boats navigating without sails or oars, many military machines, and the perpetual motion.
Mrs. Drummond, of Hawthornden, the fifth in descent from Sir John Drummond, by marriage carried the estate into the family of Abernethy.
The Right Rev. Dr. William Abernethy Drummond, a Scotch bishop, and proprietor of the mansion, has, in the following inscription on a stone table, placed over a beautiful seat on the rock, commemorated his kinsman and predecessor, and also Mr. Drummond the poet.
" To the Memory of Sir Lawrence Abernethy, of Hawthornden, second son of Sir William Abernethy, of Salton, a brave and gallant soldier, who, at the head of a
party, in the year 1338, conquered Lord Douglas five times in one day, yet was taken prisoner before sun-set.
And
To the Memory of William Drummond, esq. of Hawthornden,
poet and historian, an honour to his family,
and an ornament to his country, this seat
is dedicated by the Rev. Dr. William
Abernethy Drummond, spouse to
Mrs. Drummond of Hawthornden,
and second son to Alexander Abernethy, of Corskie,
Banffshire, heir male of the Abernethies
of Salton, in the year 1784.
O sacred Solitude, divine retreat,
Choice of the prudent, envy of the great,
By thy pure stream, or in thy waving shade,
I court fair Wisdom, that celestial maid;
There, from the ways of men, laid safe ashore,
I smile to hear the distant tempest roar;
There, blest with health, with business unperplex’d,
This life I relish, and secure the next."
About one mile from Hawthornden, are the venerable ruins of Roslin Castle. This castle stands on an almost insulated rock, in the delightful glen or valley on the north side of the river Esk, which runs through a deep rocky bed, wooded down to the water’s edge. Its situation, though inconceivably romantic and pleasant, is very ill chosen for a castle, being commanded hills on both sides of the river, whence one may look down on the tops of its chimneys. The access to the castle is on the east side, by means of an arch over a deep gulley, and through a once-strong gate.
It is uncertain when or by whom this castle was erected. About the year 1100 William Sancto Clero, son of Waldernus, comte de St. Clair, who came from England with William the Conqueror, obtained from King Malcolm Canmore a great part of the barony of Roslin; and as building of castles was then much in vogue, it is not improbable that some castle might have been built about that time, but not the present one; great part at least of which, if one may judge from its style, being of a much more modern date. — Little occurs in history of this castle previous to the year 1455, when we read that Sir James Hamilton was confined in it under the ward of the Earl of Orkney by James II. but, after some time, was released and taken into favour. It appears that William St. Clair, the founder of Roslin Chapel, lived in great state at his castle here; for the author of the Description of the Chapel says, from Hay, "About that time, i.e. the building of the chapel in 1440, the town of Roslin, being next to Edinburgh and Haddington, in East Lothian, became very populous, by the great concourse of all ranks and degrees of visitors that resorted to this prince, at his palace of the castle of Roslin; for he kept a great court, and was royally served at his own table in vessels of gold and silver; Lord Dirleton being his master-household, Lord Borthwick his cupbearer, and Lord Fleming his carver; in whose absence they had deputies to attend, viz. Steward laird of Drumlanrig, Tweedie laird of Drumerline, and Sandilands laird of Calder. He had his halls, and other apartments, richly adorned with embroidered hangings. He flourished in the reign of James II. and his princess, Elizabeth Douglas, was served by seventy-five gentlewomen, whereof fifty-three were daughters of noblemen, all clothed in velvet and silks, with their chains of gold, and other ornaments, and was attended by two hundred gentlemen in all her journies; and if it happened to be dark when she went to Edinburgh, were her lodgings were, at the foot of Black- friars-wynd, eighty lighted torches were carried before her.
In the year 1554 this castle, with that of Craigmillar, and the town of Leith, were burnt by the English army, sent by King Henry VIII. to punish the Scots for refusing their queen Mary to his son, afterwards King Edward VI. This army laid waste the country seven miles round Edinburgh. Most of the present building seems to have been erected since that time. On the 11th of December, 1688, this castle and the adjacent chapel were plundered by a furious mob, chiefly inhabitants and tenants of the barony.
On the hill immediately above the castle stands the chapel. The word Roslin is said formerly to have been written Roskelyn, a word in the Gaelic or Erse language, signifying a hill in a glen, which is exactly the description of its situation; for it stands on a rising ground, named the college bill, beautifully decorated with wood and water, the river Esk running in a deep rocky bed on its west and south fronts.
This chapel, which seems to have been originally intended for a more spacious building, was erected in the year 1446 by William St. Clair, or Sinclair, prince of Orkney, duke of Holdenburgh, earl of Caithness, the seventh of that family of the name of William. It was dedicated to St. Matthew the apostle and evangelist, and founded for a provost, six prebendaries, and two singing-boys; for whose maintenance it was endowed by the founder with the church lands of Pentland, four acres of meadow near that town, with the kips and eight sowms of grass in the town of Pentland.
Tradition relates that the design for this chapel was drawn at Rome; and in order that it might be properly executed, the founders caused dwellings to be built near it for the workmen, the ancient village being half a mile distant. Here he gave to them houses and lands in proportion to their abilities, with ten pounds a year to each mason, and forty to the master mason; also proportionable rewards to the other artificers: by these bounties he attracted all the best workmen in this and the neighbouring kingdoms.
This chapel is one of the most entire pieces of Gothic architecture now remaining in Scotland. The outside is ornamented with a number of pinnacles, and a variety of ludicrous sculpture. The inside is sixty- nine feet in length and thirty-four in breadth; the roof is supported by two rows of clustered pillars, about eight feet in height, with an aisle on each side: the arches extend across the aisles; but the centre is one continued arch, elegantly divided into compartments, and finely sculptured: the capitals of the pillars are enriched with foliage, and a variety of figures.
Here were several monuments, two of which are remarkable; viz. that of George earl of Caithness, who died in the year 1582; and another engraved in stone, supposed to be for Alexander earl of Sutherland, grandson to King Robert Bruce. He is represented in armour, in a cumbent posture, his hands on his breast, as in the act of prayer; on each side his head a lion rampant, at his feet a greyhound. At the front of the third and fourth pillars, between them and the north wall there is a large flag-stone covering the opening of the family vault, wherein ten barons of Roslin are buried: this vault is so dry, that their bodies have been found entire after eighty years, and as fresh as when first interred. These barons are said to have been buried of old in their armour, without any coffin; and were successively, by charter, the patrons and protectors of masonry in Scotland. "And (says Mr. Hay, the late Roslin) my good father (grandfather to the present Roslin) was the first that was buried in a coffin, against the sentiments of King James VII. who was then in Scotland, and several other persons well versed in antiquity, to whom my mother (Jane Spottiswood, grand niece of archbishop Spottiswood) would not hearken, thinking it beggarly to be buried in that manner." The great expence she was at in burying her husband occasioned the sumptuary acts which were made in the following parliaments. The Theatrum Scotiae records a superstitious tradition concerning this chapel, which is, that before the death of any of the family of Roslin, the building appears to be all on fire.
Of late years this beautiful edifice was in great danger of becoming ruinous; but, to the honour of the late General Sinclair, then proprietor, he prevented it, by putting new flag-stones on the roof, and new wooden casements, with glass, into all the windows; he likewise new laid the floor of the chapel with flag-stones, and rebuilt the high wall round the cemetery; on which repairs he expended a very considerable sum.
The village of Roslyn was erected into a burgh or barony by King James II. at Strivelin, in the year 1456, with a weekly market on Saturday, an annual fair on the feast of St. Simon and St. Jude, a market- cross, &c. The same was confirmed by king James VI. in the year 1622; and by king Charles I. in 1650: and as a mark of royal favour to Lord Loughborough, Roslyn was lately created a British earldom in the family of Wedderburn.
The environs of Roslyn are famous for three victories gained by the Scots over the English in one day, the latter end of February, in the year 1302.
Roslin and Hawthornden make two of the fashionable excursions for all strangers who visit Edinburgh.
Most Common Surnames in Lasswade
| Rank | Surname | Incidence | Frequency | Percent of Parent | Rank in Midlothian |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robertson | 183 | 1:49 | 3.76% | 3 |
| 2 | Brown | 150 | 1:60 | 2.82% | 1 |
| 3 | Watson | 126 | 1:71 | 5.58% | 16 |
| 4 | Smith | 119 | 1:75 | 2.26% | 2 |
| 5 | Thomson | 103 | 1:87 | 2.29% | 4 |
| 6 | Scott | 93 | 1:96 | 2.60% | 7 |
| 6 | Young | 93 | 1:96 | 3.68% | 12 |
| 8 | Dickson | 89 | 1:101 | 4.92% | 25 |
| 9 | Reid | 82 | 1:109 | 3.50% | 13 |
| 10 | Clark | 78 | 1:115 | 4.62% | 29 |
| 11 | Wilson | 76 | 1:118 | 1.69% | 5 |
| 12 | Hunter | 70 | 1:128 | 3.84% | 24 |
| 13 | Kerr | 67 | 1:134 | 4.70% | 33 |
| 14 | Anderson | 66 | 1:136 | 1.72% | 6 |
| 14 | Duncan | 66 | 1:136 | 4.87% | 36 |
| 16 | Simpson | 60 | 1:149 | 3.74% | 30 |
| 17 | Campbell | 58 | 1:154 | 2.17% | 11 |
| 17 | Henderson | 58 | 1:154 | 1.98% | 10 |
| 19 | Cairns | 55 | 1:163 | 7.25% | 85 |
| 20 | Paterson | 51 | 1:175 | 2.64% | 22 |
| 20 | Moffat | 51 | 1:175 | 6.04% | 77 |
| 22 | Walker | 49 | 1:183 | 2.52% | 21 |
| 22 | King | 49 | 1:183 | 5.94% | 78 |
| 24 | McDonald | 47 | 1:190 | 1.57% | 8 |
| 24 | Stewart | 47 | 1:190 | 1.59% | 9 |
| 24 | Black | 47 | 1:190 | 3.59% | 38 |
| 27 | Gray | 45 | 1:199 | 2.52% | 26 |
| 27 | Cunningham | 45 | 1:199 | 5.02% | 71 |
| 27 | Jack | 45 | 1:199 | 7.10% | 105 |
| 27 | Leadbetter | 45 | 1:199 | 31.03% | 493 |
| 31 | Ross | 42 | 1:213 | 1.85% | 15 |
| 31 | Porteous | 42 | 1:213 | 9.35% | 145 |
| 33 | Archibald | 41 | 1:218 | 7.04% | 112 |
| 34 | Bell | 38 | 1:236 | 2.74% | 35 |
| 34 | Johnston | 38 | 1:236 | 1.88% | 19 |
| 34 | Allan | 38 | 1:236 | 2.81% | 37 |
| 34 | Hogg | 38 | 1:236 | 4.17% | 70 |
| 34 | Lumsden | 38 | 1:236 | 10.50% | 191 |
| 39 | Bruce | 36 | 1:249 | 4.05% | 72 |
| 40 | White | 34 | 1:263 | 2.40% | 34 |
| 40 | Grant | 34 | 1:263 | 2.76% | 43 |
| 40 | Baillie | 34 | 1:263 | 7.02% | 134 |
| 43 | Crawford | 33 | 1:271 | 4.60% | 91 |
| 44 | Lawson | 32 | 1:280 | 3.71% | 74 |
| 44 | Sinclair | 32 | 1:280 | 2.57% | 41 |
| 44 | McQueen | 32 | 1:280 | 9.70% | 210 |
| 44 | Nisbet | 32 | 1:280 | 5.83% | 116 |
| 48 | Miller | 31 | 1:289 | 2.04% | 32 |
| 48 | Pennycook | 31 | 1:289 | 17.82% | 418 |
| 50 | Ritchie | 30 | 1:298 | 2.62% | 51 |
| 50 | Cowan | 30 | 1:298 | 5.31% | 115 |
| 50 | Sclater | 30 | 1:298 | 42.86% | 836 |
| 50 | Crookston | 30 | 1:298 | 49.18% | 933 |
| 54 | Ramage | 29 | 1:309 | 6.86% | 156 |
| 54 | Loftus | 29 | 1:309 | 52.73% | 1,017 |
| 56 | Lamb | 28 | 1:320 | 5.44% | 127 |
| 56 | Blair | 28 | 1:320 | 5.17% | 117 |
| 58 | Wright | 27 | 1:331 | 2.66% | 59 |
| 58 | Hughes | 27 | 1:331 | 7.76% | 200 |
| 58 | Murray | 27 | 1:331 | 1.19% | 14 |
| 58 | Kelly | 27 | 1:331 | 3.70% | 87 |
| 58 | Malcolm | 27 | 1:331 | 7.87% | 205 |
| 63 | Williamson | 26 | 1:344 | 2.41% | 54 |
| 63 | Nelson | 26 | 1:344 | 7.03% | 186 |
| 63 | Tait | 26 | 1:344 | 2.15% | 45 |
| 63 | Inglis | 26 | 1:344 | 3.02% | 75 |
| 63 | Neilson | 26 | 1:344 | 5.94% | 150 |
| 63 | Old | 26 | 1:344 | 59.09% | 1,180 |
| 69 | Craig | 25 | 1:358 | 3.43% | 87 |
| 69 | Noble | 25 | 1:358 | 5.02% | 129 |
| 69 | Maxwell | 25 | 1:358 | 6.94% | 192 |
| 72 | Sharp | 24 | 1:373 | 5.41% | 147 |
| 72 | Jardine | 24 | 1:373 | 10.67% | 328 |
| 72 | Armour | 24 | 1:373 | 24.24% | 668 |
| 75 | Law | 23 | 1:389 | 4.86% | 139 |
| 75 | McIntosh | 23 | 1:389 | 2.12% | 53 |
| 75 | Neil | 23 | 1:389 | 14.47% | 455 |
| 78 | McLean | 22 | 1:407 | 2.22% | 63 |
| 78 | Ferguson | 22 | 1:407 | 1.81% | 44 |
| 78 | Baxter | 22 | 1:407 | 3.77% | 111 |
| 78 | McGregor | 22 | 1:407 | 2.06% | 56 |
| 78 | Proudfoot | 22 | 1:407 | 13.41% | 447 |
| 78 | Affleck | 22 | 1:407 | 18.97% | 593 |
| 84 | Adams | 21 | 1:426 | 3.70% | 114 |
| 84 | Graham | 21 | 1:426 | 1.80% | 49 |
| 84 | Munro | 21 | 1:426 | 1.74% | 46 |
| 84 | Beveridge | 21 | 1:426 | 6.62% | 224 |
| 88 | Wood | 20 | 1:448 | 1.53% | 39 |
| 88 | Thompson | 20 | 1:448 | 5.18% | 176 |
| 88 | Richardson | 20 | 1:448 | 3.03% | 97 |
| 88 | Harper | 20 | 1:448 | 4.74% | 157 |
| 88 | Kay | 20 | 1:448 | 4.22% | 137 |
| 88 | Watt | 20 | 1:448 | 2.16% | 68 |
| 88 | McGuire | 20 | 1:448 | 8.26% | 308 |
| 88 | Stark | 20 | 1:448 | 5.10% | 173 |
| 88 | Denholm | 20 | 1:448 | 4.80% | 161 |
| 88 | Clapperton | 20 | 1:448 | 10.53% | 384 |
| 88 | Flockhart | 20 | 1:448 | 11.24% | 410 |
| 99 | Fraser | 19 | 1:471 | 0.95% | 20 |
| 99 | Alexander | 19 | 1:471 | 1.88% | 61 |
| 99 | Welsh | 19 | 1:471 | 4.77% | 168 |
| 102 | Hall | 18 | 1:497 | 2.73% | 96 |
| 102 | Mitchell | 18 | 1:497 | 1.02% | 28 |
| 102 | Gordon | 18 | 1:497 | 1.75% | 58 |
| 102 | Todd | 18 | 1:497 | 6.10% | 252 |
| 102 | Lynch | 18 | 1:497 | 7.96% | 325 |
| 102 | Gillies | 18 | 1:497 | 5.54% | 214 |
| 102 | Shearer | 18 | 1:497 | 7.56% | 310 |
| 102 | Coutts | 18 | 1:497 | 8.91% | 363 |
| 102 | Bryce | 18 | 1:497 | 4.14% | 152 |
| 102 | Goldie | 18 | 1:497 | 13.24% | 511 |
| 102 | Purdie | 18 | 1:497 | 10.11% | 410 |
| 102 | Craik | 18 | 1:497 | 16.98% | 628 |
| 102 | Lothian | 18 | 1:497 | 10.11% | 410 |
| 115 | Taylor | 17 | 1:526 | 0.93% | 23 |
| 115 | Davidson | 17 | 1:526 | 1.11% | 31 |
| 115 | Wallace | 17 | 1:526 | 1.58% | 55 |
| 115 | Fowler | 17 | 1:526 | 8.42% | 363 |
| 115 | McFarlane | 17 | 1:526 | 2.18% | 82 |
| 115 | More | 17 | 1:526 | 14.78% | 596 |
| 115 | Renwick | 17 | 1:526 | 8.10% | 348 |
| 115 | Veitch | 17 | 1:526 | 3.92% | 153 |
| 115 | Blackie | 17 | 1:526 | 5.11% | 208 |
| 115 | Tolmie | 17 | 1:526 | 29.31% | 979 |
| 115 | Spowart | 17 | 1:526 | 41.46% | 1,224 |
| 115 | Darcey | 17 | 1:526 | 89.47% | 2,007 |
| 115 | Cadzow | 17 | 1:526 | 94.44% | 2,087 |
| 128 | McKay | 16 | 1:559 | 0.78% | 18 |
| 128 | Glover | 16 | 1:559 | 19.51% | 761 |
| 128 | Hutchison | 16 | 1:559 | 2.41% | 95 |
| 128 | Hannah | 16 | 1:559 | 12.60% | 544 |
| 128 | Pentland | 16 | 1:559 | 20.25% | 775 |
| 128 | Nagus | 16 | 1:559 | 100.00% | 2,234 |
| 134 | Jones | 15 | 1:597 | 5.75% | 289 |
| 134 | McKenzie | 15 | 1:597 | 0.70% | 17 |
| 134 | Elliott | 15 | 1:597 | 45.45% | 1,400 |
| 134 | Potter | 15 | 1:597 | 7.61% | 376 |
| 134 | Logan | 15 | 1:597 | 2.83% | 120 |
| 134 | Dunlop | 15 | 1:597 | 6.55% | 320 |
| 134 | Gallacher | 15 | 1:597 | 9.80% | 470 |
| 134 | Philip | 15 | 1:597 | 4.82% | 230 |
| 134 | Frame | 15 | 1:597 | 16.30% | 706 |
| 134 | Melrose | 15 | 1:597 | 5.23% | 260 |
| 144 | Russell | 14 | 1:639 | 1.45% | 64 |
| 144 | Kemp | 14 | 1:639 | 4.31% | 214 |
| 144 | Hay | 14 | 1:639 | 1.31% | 57 |
| 144 | Dick | 14 | 1:639 | 1.84% | 84 |
| 144 | Arthur | 14 | 1:639 | 7.04% | 374 |
| 144 | Rodger | 14 | 1:639 | 4.91% | 264 |
| 144 | Telfer | 14 | 1:639 | 9.59% | 485 |
| 144 | Fairley | 14 | 1:639 | 4.98% | 266 |
| 144 | Tod | 14 | 1:639 | 3.76% | 185 |
| 144 | Horsburgh | 14 | 1:639 | 5.76% | 306 |
| 154 | Phillips | 13 | 1:688 | 10.74% | 567 |
| 154 | Foster | 13 | 1:688 | 7.18% | 402 |
| 154 | Gibson | 13 | 1:688 | 1.13% | 50 |
| 154 | Fisher | 13 | 1:688 | 4.36% | 246 |
| 154 | Hamilton | 13 | 1:688 | 1.10% | 48 |
| 154 | Hutton | 13 | 1:688 | 3.77% | 203 |
| 154 | Bain | 13 | 1:688 | 1.58% | 78 |
| 154 | Lyon | 13 | 1:688 | 4.30% | 239 |
| 154 | Arnott | 13 | 1:688 | 7.14% | 398 |
| 154 | Stoddart | 13 | 1:688 | 3.26% | 166 |
| 154 | Hadden | 13 | 1:688 | 12.75% | 648 |
| 154 | Sommerville | 13 | 1:688 | 7.60% | 426 |
| 154 | Haig | 13 | 1:688 | 6.31% | 357 |
| 154 | Naysmith | 13 | 1:688 | 13.40% | 678 |
| 154 | Horseburgh | 13 | 1:688 | 32.50% | 1,247 |
| 169 | Murphy | 12 | 1:746 | 3.44% | 199 |
| 169 | Armstrong | 12 | 1:746 | 2.85% | 158 |
| 169 | Oliver | 12 | 1:746 | 4.18% | 260 |
| 169 | Banks | 12 | 1:746 | 3.45% | 200 |
| 169 | Douglas | 12 | 1:746 | 1.21% | 62 |
| 169 | Beattie | 12 | 1:746 | 3.97% | 239 |
| 169 | Laing | 12 | 1:746 | 1.78% | 94 |
| 169 | McLennan | 12 | 1:746 | 6.42% | 389 |
| 169 | Whyte | 12 | 1:746 | 3.37% | 194 |
| 169 | Stirling | 12 | 1:746 | 3.99% | 241 |
| 169 | Donnelly | 12 | 1:746 | 14.29% | 746 |
| 169 | Falconer | 12 | 1:746 | 2.55% | 140 |
| 169 | Downie | 12 | 1:746 | 3.93% | 234 |
| 169 | Lawrie | 12 | 1:746 | 1.87% | 103 |
| 169 | Leitch | 12 | 1:746 | 5.45% | 336 |
| 169 | Somerville | 12 | 1:746 | 2.93% | 164 |
| 169 | Mulligan | 12 | 1:746 | 16.90% | 823 |
| 169 | Aikman | 12 | 1:746 | 6.09% | 376 |
| 169 | Selkirk | 12 | 1:746 | 12.90% | 698 |
| 169 | Mullholand | 12 | 1:746 | 100.00% | 2,695 |
| 169 | Peaston | 12 | 1:746 | 60.00% | 1,941 |
| 190 | Bennett | 11 | 1:814 | 8.33% | 527 |
| 190 | Morrison | 11 | 1:814 | 0.92% | 47 |
| 190 | Woods | 11 | 1:814 | 16.18% | 856 |
| 190 | Turnbull | 11 | 1:814 | 1.52% | 90 |
| 190 | Muir | 11 | 1:814 | 1.09% | 60 |
| 190 | Rutherford | 11 | 1:814 | 1.51% | 89 |
| 190 | Hume | 11 | 1:814 | 2.26% | 132 |
| 190 | Finlayson | 11 | 1:814 | 2.87% | 179 |
| 190 | Steven | 11 | 1:814 | 6.21% | 413 |
| 190 | Tippett | 11 | 1:814 | 100.00% | 2,853 |
| 190 | Ingles | 11 | 1:814 | 15.28% | 815 |
| 190 | McGilvray | 11 | 1:814 | 20.37% | 1,029 |
| 190 | Seath | 11 | 1:814 | 39.29% | 1,569 |
| 190 | Whitson | 11 | 1:814 | 7.80% | 505 |
| 190 | Torbet | 11 | 1:814 | 61.11% | 2,087 |
| 190 | Stewert | 11 | 1:814 | 73.33% | 2,328 |