History of Leith, Edinburgh

Prom the Reformation till 1845 the relief of the poor depended mainly on kirk sessions, the money coming from church collections, gifts from parishioners, and fines imposed by the sessions. The following extracts
from the records of South Leith Church show the manner of treatment of the poor in the seventeenth century :—
” 22 Jany. 1685.—The Session ordained a groat per
week to be given to a poor child in Caldtoun (that is,
the Calton, which then as now formed part of South
Leith parish) who is fatherless and motherless and hath
nothing qrby to be sustained or keeped from starvation.
” 15 Men. 1691.—To Marjory Cruden who fell over
the Shore among the ships anchors and was sore hurt,
14s.”
As the money mentioned is Scots money, and as 14s. in 1691 would represent Is. 2d. nowadays, it cannot be said that the treatment of the poor in those times was of too extravagant a nature. As a matter of fact, kirk sessions had sometimes very little in hand to disburse
in the form of charity.
In 1845 the Poor Law Act was passed under which two Parochial Boards—one for South Leith and the other for North Leith—were set up, each consisting of so many members nominated by the kirk session and so many elected by the ratepayers, and to these bodies the kirk sessions handed over the care of the poor. These Parochial Boards each built its own poorhouse, that of South Leith being erected in 1850, and that of North Leith in 1863.

Source-The Story of Leith

ANY account bearing upon the history of the commerce and shipping of Leith should not fail to include reference to the body by which the affairs of the Port have been administered—and that with outstanding success—for close upon one hundred years. This, then, may be
conveniently introduced at this point. The Commissioners for the Harbour and Docks of Leith, the title by which they are officially designated, although more commonly styled the Leith Dock Commission,
came into existence in 1826. For a very long time previous to that the City of Edinburgh had, by right of royal grants and otherwise, enjoyed the position of proprietor of the harbour, and latterly also of the two
docks, the construction of which, was completed in 1817. To meet the cost of these docks, Edinburgh had had to borrow large sums of money from time to time. Her administration of affairs was not successful; so both her own finances and those of the Port of Leith fell into a serious condition. The management of the harbour and docks was put into the hands of a new composite body of twenty-one Commissioners,

(note-This was the position in 1922. The Commission has now been superseded by Forth Ports)

The ruined Chapel and Hermitage of St. Anthony on the rocky spur of Arthur’s Seat, overlooking St. Margaret’s Loch and the Firth of Forth, are popularly believed to have been closely connected with the Hospital
at Leith, and even to have been built by its canons. Now there is no other foundation for these statements than the similarity of name of the two foundations ; for if we have few charters belonging to St. Anthony’s Hospital, we have none at all to tell us who founded the Chapel on Arthur’s Seat.

(note-This was the position in 1922 however since then records for the chapel have been found)

source-The Story of Leith

The trade incorporations of Leith during that long period practically represented the whole of the people of the town gathered together in groups according to their occupations. The Leith trade incorporations were divided into four groups—
1. The skippers and mariners of the Trinity House.
2. The maltmen, brewers, and sledders or carters.
3. The craftsmen and meal men.
4. The traffickers, and all other gentlemen and indwellers
in Leith not members of any of the other
corporations.
The oldest and wealthiest of these incorporations is that of the Masters and Mariners of the Trinity House in the Kirkgate. From time immemorial they had received certain dues called the ” prime gilt ” on each ton of goods from all vessels unloading at the port. These
dues were abolished in 1872, but out of the funds thus obtained they erected a seamen’s hospital or almshouse.For the keeping of ” poor, old, infirm, and weak mariners.” This hospital, like mariners’ guilds in other ports, they dedicated to the Holy Trinity. The hospital was demolished in 1816, and the present Trinity House erected on the site as a guild hall for the meetings of the Masters of the Incorporation

source-The Story of Leith

William Laud (7 October 1573 – 10 January 1645) was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1633 to 1645. One of the High Church Caroline divines, he opposed radical forms of Puritanism. This and his support for King Charles I resulted in his beheading in the midst of the English Civil War. for more click here

The visit of Charles I. in 1633, like that of his father James in 1617, was mainly undertaken with a view of bringing the Church of Scotland into harmony with that of England in its form of worship. For this purpose Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury, drew up a service book to be used in Scottish churches. The introduction of this service book led to the Jenny Geddes riot and the drawing up of the National Covenant in February 1638.The Covenant was sworn to by the people of South
Leith in St. Mary’s Church on Thursday, 12th April when the minister of Greyfriars’ read and expounded it. Then ” he gurd the people stand up, hold up thair right, hands, and swear very solemnly, which God blessed

source-The Story of Leith

The Citadel, ” passing fair and sumptuous,” built by Monk, was erected on the site of the Chapel of St. Nicholas at the foot of Dock Street, where its great arched gateway may still be seen. The house over the archway, according to tradition, was the meeting-place of the
officers and men of Cromwell’s Ironsides in Leith who held Baptist views. We know that there were Baptists in Leith during the Cromwellian period who were wont to go to Bonnington to be ” dippit in the clear rynnand water.” The house over the Citadel archway, however, is of later date than Cromwell’s time, as is shown by the
stair by which it is reached being outside, instead of inside, the Citadel gateway.

(note-The house has long since been removed)

Source-The Story of Leith

At Shrubhill was the Gallow Lee, which was excavated to form Leith Walk Raiway Station,Here stood the gallows tree,a permanent erection in old days,From it ( the bodies of nolorious criminals like Chiesly of
Dairy, after being dipped in tar, were hung in chains, and swayed eerily to and fro with every gust of wind. Towards the end of the eighteenth century the Low Walk was raised to the level of the High Walk, and in 1804 the great roadway was causewayed, a toll being erected at Pilrig to defray the expense. The tollkeeper’s shelter afterwards became the policeman’s box at the end of Albert Street, where its successor has formed a feature in Leith Walk for many years. Leith Walk then developed into the spacious thoroughfare we know it to-day.

source-The Story of Leith

volume measure of grain, meal, potatoes etc. that varied according to commodity and locality. Commonly, a boll of wheat was about 4 Imp.bushels, a boll of oats, barley or potatoes was about 6 Imp. bushels, and a boll of meal weighed about 140 lb. Smaller measures related to the boll were: firlot = ¼ boll, peck = ¼ firlot, lippie = ¼ peck. A chalder was 16 bolls. Boll was also used as a term of valuation of crop land according to the number of bolls it could produce.