Date: 1862 to 1901
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
Surnames/tags: One_Place_Studies Midlothian Scotland

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Contents 1 Dalrymple Crescent, Edinburgh, Midlothian One Place Study 1.1 Name 1.2 Geography 1.3 History 2 Feuing Dalrymple Crescent 3 The Houses 3.1 House Nos 1 to 4 3.2 House Nos 5 to 8 3.3 House Nos 9 to 12 3.4 House Nos 13 to 16 3.5 House Nos 17 to 20 3.6 House Nos 21 to 23 3.7 House Nos 24 to 27 4 The People 4.1 Years 1862 to 1871 4.2 Years 1872 to 1881 4.3 Years 1882 to 1891 4.4 Years 1892 to 1901 5 Sources

Dalrymple Crescent, Edinburgh, Midlothian One Place Study

When we moved into Dalrymple Crescent in 2006, I was intrigued by the information on the seller’s schedule which stated that the house had been built circa 1862 by a builder named Samuel Hunter ‘along with numbers 7 and 8’ and that ‘Hunter’s daughter was in fact the first occupant’. I started to investigate the history, and was spurred on by receiving the original title deeds from our solicitors, since the deeds were no longer required for legal purposes. What I found was so intriguing that I decided to investigate the whole of Dalrymple Crescent, from its creation in 1862 up to 1901. I drew mainly on the abstract of the Register of Sasines, which recorded the buying and selling of property, and also the census records for the four decades: 1871, 1881, 1891 and 1901. This information gave such a fascinating glimpse of the people living here in Victorian times that I decided to follow up some of the stories; and then wrote a book. In addition to the census records, I used the records of births, marriages and deaths, and The Scotsman archives also gave some useful insights. In addition, trawling the Web disclosed other snippets of information, and the Edinburgh and Leith Post Office Directory was an invaluable source.

Dalrymple Crescent is located in an area called the Grange: a conservation area to the south of Edinburgh’s city centre. It is a highly sought-after residential area, with good access to the centre, shops and schools. It has many beautiful streets, and Dalrymple Crescent is one of its gems. Running between Findhorn Place and Lauder Road, it is a quiet street. The road itself is quite narrow, but the houses are set well back, giving a feeling of spaciousness. The gentle curve of the Crescent seems to pull the houses together, strengthening the feeling of community. All the houses were built in the latter half of the 19th century. Although there have been a number of additions, divisions and conversions, the street retains its Victorian identity. The houses are of different styles and sizes, but the use of similar stone and slate, and the uniform lengths of the gardens give a sense of unity. This then is the street whose history I set out to explore. Who were the Victorians who built the street and lived and worked here?

I published the book ( Dalrymple Crescent, A Snapshot of Victorian Edinburgh ) which sold all the 500 copies that were printed, so then I decided to add the people in the book to Wikitree.

I have now entered most of them, and so I have started to link them together in a ONE PLACE STUDY.

• Wikidata: Item #, en:Wikipedia
• WikiTree Profiles that link here
  • See The People

Name

• Dalrymple Crescent

Geography

Continent: Europe

Sovereign State: United Kingdom

Country: Scotland

County: Midlothian

GPS Coordinates: 55.93367557423527, -3.182433873017228

Elevation: 79.0 m or 259.2 feet

History

In 1825 Sir Thomas Dick Lauder, by Act of Parliament, obtained permission to feu his lands in the Grange, upon certain conditions that were designed ‘to maintain a high standard in the layout of the streets, the design of the houses, the value of the properties, and the exclusion of all development other than for residential use’. A feuing plan was drawn up by Grainger and Miller. However, also in 1825, there was a stock market crash that started in the Bank of England, and, although Scotland was less affected, there was a decline in the rate of property development in Edinburgh. A few houses were built in 1845, but Sir Thomas died in 1848, and it was left to his heir, Sir John Dick Lauder, to implement the enterprise. In 1851 another feuing plan was drawn up by David Cousins, based on the 1825 plan, but breaking up the grid pattern by introducing Dalrymple Crescent, St Catherine Place and Tantallon Place as curved streets, softening the geometric layout of the first plans. The names of the streets are mostly linked to the Dick Lauder family. Dick Place and Lauder Road are obvious. Dalrymple Crescent was named after Sir John’s wife, Anne Dalrymple.

Feuing Dalrymple Crescent

In January 1862 an advertisement appeared in The Scotsman. There would be ‘Exposed to FEU by Public Auction, within the Rooms of Messrs Dowells & Lyon, No 18 George Street, Edinburgh, upon Monday 21st day of March 1862, at Twelve o’clock noon’: THOSE PORTIONS of the ENTAILED ESTATE of GRANGE consisting of Sixty-six Lots, laid out for Feus, as the same are delineated on a Feuing Plan, prepared by Mr Robert Reid Raeburn, Architect, Edinburgh, and situated in the Roads or Streets called, or to be called, the Mansion-House Road, Dick Place, the Lauder Road, Cumin Place, the Grange Road, Findhorn Place, Seton Place, Tantallon Place, Saint Catherine Place and Dalrymple Crescent The architect was now Robert Raeburn, and in his feuing plan of 1864, nine houses had already been built in Dalrymple Crescent.

The lot numbers are shown in the diagram to the right

The lots numbered 176 to 183, that is, all of the north side of Dalrymple Crescent except the corner site, had to be ‘one storey or one storey and a half only’. The plans and elevations had to be approved by Sir John Dick Lauder, and no building could commence ‘until the same had been sanctioned’.

The south side of Dalrymple Crescent was offered in a similar auction on 22 September 1864, and, if anything, the conditions were even more strictly spelled out, with comments about the height of boundary walls, and the rights of adjacent properties that had already been feued. This time 54 pieces of land were auctioned, and those in Dalrymple Crescent were numbered 234 to 243.

The Houses

In 1912 the Inland Revenue conducted a survey of houses in Scotland, and the National Archives of Scotland have the field workers’ note books in their possession. Although slightly later than our period, they offer the best insight into the physical structure of the houses in the late Victorian period. I have therefore drawn on them for the physical descriptions of the houses. In passing, I have noted where the field books give more information about the residents of the Crescent during the period we are interested in.

House Nos 1 to 4

No 1 (Lot 176)

No 1 Dalrymple Crescent is described as a small detached house, two storeys high, with a slight camp1 on the first floor. Like most of the building in the street, the walls were of coursed rubble – that is the stones are evenly spaced, but unpolished. It had one bow window, with a polished stone surround. There was a single storey wing at the back. In 1912 the entrance was by a wood and glass vestibule on the west gable. It and the hall had tiled flooring. There was a pantry, and a press under the stairs. The lower rooms consisted of a dining room, a sitting room, and a kitchen, with a washhouse out the back. Upstairs there were four bedrooms, and a bathroom. Elizabeth Johnston had the house built in 1862 and rented it out.

From 1863 to 1867 it was let to William Gorrie. Then Robert William Fraser rented it in 1868. Elizabeth died in 1869, and on 4 December 1869, the house was advertised for sale in The Scotsman, and on 20 January 1870 it was announced that it had been sold for £795. It had been bought by David Gilmour. Robert Fraser continued to live there until 1873.

Between 1875 and 1881 it was occupied by Mary Ann Philips, and from 1882 until 1901 it was inhabited by Wallace Hicks, who bought the house from David Gilmour in 1893. Wallace Hicks still owed the house at the time of the 1912 survey of buildings.

No 2 (Lot177)

No 2 Dalrymple Crescent was a cottage with six main rooms. It has been considerably enlarged since Victorian times, but the original building can still be easily discerned. Elizabeth Sinclair and her sister Janet had the house built in 1863 and rented it out.

The first tenant was Alexander Aitken, who lived there from 1864 to 1865. Then John Watt rented it between 1867 and 1869. John Crosbie Paterson was in residence from 1870 to 1882. The Sinclair sisters returned to the house in 1884. Elizabeth died in 1888, but Janet continued to live there until 1894, when the house was sold to John Stewart, who was still living there in 1901.

No 3 (Lot 178)

Edward Lothian had the house built in 1863 and lived in it.

We have a description of the cottage, as given in The Scotsman when the property was advertised in February 1878. It contained a dining room, drawing room, three bedrooms, kitchen washing house, etc. The grounds were ‘laid out with much taste’ and there was a large conservatory and small forcing house.

Sometime between 1881 and 1885 the house was altered, and a new storey was built onto the original cottage, and a tower was added. The 1881 census reported that it had five rooms, but by the time of the 1901 census it had ten rooms.

Edward Lothian sold the house to Duncan Fraser Stewart in April 1878, who lived in it until 1884, when he rented it out. The first tenant was David Noble Bertram, who lived there from 1886 to 1889. The house was empty at the time of the 1891 census, but James Bett died there in September 1891 and between 1892 and 1894 his daughter, Mrs John Willison, was living there. In December of that year Duncan Stewart transferred the property to his wife, Mary Catherine Divine . From 1895 to 1901 it was occupied by Richard Gibson and his family.

Mrs Stewart still owned the house in 1912, when it was let to Mrs Edith R Ransome, the mother of the author Arthur Ransome.

No 4 (Lot 179)

No 4 is described in the 1912 survey as a single-storey detached house. The front walls were of polished ashlars, with a front bow window and an attic window. The side and back walls were of coursed rubble. There was a wing to east, and an outhouse to the back. Since then a more modern extension has been built on it, but the original house is still discernible.

The feu for the land was bought by Robert Inglis, who then sold it to the builder David Rutherford. who built No 4 in 1866. He sold it to Robert Sinclair Smith the following year. Smith lived there until 1869, when he sold the house to James Sinclair. James lived there until 1886, and he and his family then rented it to David Graham from 1887 to 1895, and to the Buist family from 1896 to 1901.

In 1912 the owner was Martha Stevenson, the daughter of James Sinclair

House Nos 5 to 8

No 5 (Lot 180)

No 5 is also a single-storey cottage. Extensive work has been done to the back of the house, but the front is relatively unaltered. In 1912 it was described as a one and a half, ‘almost two’ storey building with a wooden porch to the door. The ground floor consisted of a dining room, drawing room, kitchen and servant’s room. There was also a washhouse. Behind there was a one-storey cool house, and also a one storey wooden room that led into the back of the house.

On the first floor there were two bedrooms, a small room, and ‘a good size room’ as well as a bathroom with a WC, a basin in good condition, and a bath.

It was built by James Hunter and sold to Henry Newcombe in July 1864. He who owned the house until his death on 2 October 1898. The house was then put up for auction and acquired on behalf of James Thomson Grieg, who was still living in the house in 1901.

No 6 (Lot 181)

No 6 was built by Robert Hunter in 1862 for his own use.

In March 1874 when the house was put up for sale it was described as a ‘Handsome Cottage’ with a dining room, drawing room, five bedrooms, kitchen, scullery, bathroom ‘(Hot and Cold Water)’. The garden is described in detail: ‘about a quarter of an Acre, with Greenhouse, Two Vineries, Boiler &c’. The advertisement states that the house was ‘built for proprietor’s own occupancy’,

After the tragic events of 1865, Robert Hunter sold No 6 to David Henderson, who lived there from 1866 to 1874.. It was then bought by James Brechin, who lived there until February 1878, when he sold the house to Isabella Thompson and her two sisters, Helen and Mary. They lived in the house until 1886, when they sold it to John Middlemass. He lived there from 1886 to 1898, and sold it to Elizabeth Ritchie in May 1898. She lived in the house until 1901, when she sold it to Isabella Maclean in March 1901.

No 7 (part of Lot 182)

No 7 is a semi-detached house, one of a pair built by Samuel Hunter in 1864. The Inland Revenue survey of 1912 merely describes it as being similar to No 8. It has two floors, with dormer windows in the upper floor.

In May 1864 Samuel Hunter sold No 7 to Charles Wilson, who lived there with his wife until he died in 1884. His son inherited the property, but his widow lived there until 1894, when the property was sold to Frank Rutherford, who was still living there in 1901. At that time the house was known as Neworth Cottage.

No 8 (part of Lot 182)

This is the other half of the pair of semi-detached villas built by Samuel Hunter . The survey of 1912 describes No 8 in a rather succinct manner. There was a dining room with an oriel window, and a kitchen with provision for a bed and accommodation for a maid, but no scullery. There was a servant’s room and WC, and a coalhouse outside. Upstairs there was a drawing room, and two bedrooms, both in excellent condition. The front wall was of polished ashlar, and the back wall had a course of ‘Squared snecked rubble’. The gable was of coursed rubble, and the roof of slate. In January 1865 Samuel Hunter sold the house to George Campbell who subsequently sold it to William Bell in 1878. William Bell was still living in the house in 1912.

House Nos 9 to 12

No 9 (part of Lot 182)

In the Inland Revenue survey, No 9 is described as a one and a half storey cottage of rubble walls with polished stone surrounding the windows, and two small gables. The front was covered in ivy, and there was a wing to the back. The accommodation consisted of a drawing room with a white marble fire surround, a dining room, with a press which went right back under the landing of the stairs. On the ground floor there was also a bathroom and kitchen. The upper floor had three bedrooms. Off one was a small closet ‘not large enough for a room’, but it had a roof light. There was a small dressing room with a window between the other two bedrooms. The general structure of the house has not changed much since it was built by Samuel Hunter in 1864.

In January 1865 Samuel Hunter sold it to David Cowan Mudie, who lived here until 1871, when he bought No 10, and moved into it. No 9 was rented out, first to Andrew Henderson, from 1872 to 1877, and them to Andrew William Usher, from 1878 to 1888. From 1889 to 1897 it was occupied by Robert Paterson and his son, Andrew. Then from 1898 to 1901 it was rented by George R Jamieson.

No 10 (part of Lot 183)

No 10 is a substantial detached house, built by the architects Leadbetter & Smith and sold in May 1864 to Rev John Duncan . He died in February 1870 and his trustees appear to have rented No 10 to Rev Harry Anderson and his sisters Helen and Susan Anderson. In April 1872 the trustees sold the house to David Cowan Mudie, who lived there until his death in 1893. The house was then rented out, to Harry Lawrence Usher from 1896 to 1898, and to Robert S Gracie in 1900 and 1901.

No 11 (part of Lot 183)

No 11 is also a detached house, similar in style to No 10, also built by Leadbetter and Smith. The Inland Revenue survey of 1912 describes its accommodation. Downstairs there was a dining room and sitting room, in good condition, with a marble fireplace in the sitting room. There was a kitchen and a servant’s room, and a washhouse with tubs and a sink. Upstairs there were four bedrooms and a modern bathroom.

George Tod Bathgate bought it in April 1863, but in March 1864 he advertised it in The Scotsman for sale by Public Roup and was bought by Richard Lister. It was sold in May 1870 to Henry Haig Banks. In 1879 Henry Haig Banks sold no 11 to John Anderson. It was rented to John D Gardiner in 1881 and 1882, and thereafter the Anderson family lived in it until 1901.

No 12 (Lot 184)

Throughout Victorian times the house on the north-east corner of the street was known as 25 Findhorn Place, but later became renumbered as 12 Dalrymple Crescent. It was owned by Robert Middlemass, and he and his family lived there throughout the period. In 1871 The house had twelve rooms, but in 1876 the architect Charles Leadbetter extended or modified the house, which was now known as Rathan, and by the 1881 census it had 16 rooms. The Journal of Decorative Art of 1877 described it as a ’luxurious decorative scheme by Joseph Shaw & Co’^[1]

House Nos 13 to 16

The houses on the south side of Dalrymple Crescent fall into two groups: No 13 and Nos 24 to 27 are substantial detached houses, mostly lived in by their owners. Nos 14 to 23 are three-storey semi-detached villas, built by George Alexander specifically for renting. The landscape of the south side also affects the design of the houses. There is a substantial drop in the land running east to west through the grounds of the houses on the south side. Consequently most houses are two-storey at the front, facing the street, but three-storey at the back. Nos 24 to 26 were developed considerably later than the rest.

No 13 (Lot 243)

No 13 occupies the corner site on the south east of Dalrymple Crescent. The Inland Revenue record of 1912 describes it as a one and a half-storey detached house, with front wall of coursed rubble. It has two small gables with bargeboards projecting in front. There is a three-storey gable to the back, and a low two-storey part to this wing to the east. (The ground slopes to the rear, so the back has more stories than the front). In the basement there was a kitchen with a concrete floor, and a ‘jaw box’ (a sink and drain) and a washhouse. There was also a WC with an old seat, a pulley, and cellarage. There were three steps up to the ground floor, where there was a bedroom, a dining room and a drawing room. In the wing there was a small bathroom with a zinc lined WC, and also a pantry. On the upper floor there were two good-sized bedrooms to the front, with camp ceilings, and another bedroom to the back. There was also a small store and two presses, with a small window to the back. Alexander Henderson Chalmers had the house built by 1865.

Reverend Robert Gemmell bought the house from Alexander Henderson Chalmers, the transaction being dated 28 July 1865. From 1879 to 1881 the house was let out to William Jenkinson, but the Gemmells returned in 1882. Robert died there in November 1886, and the house was again let out. Benjamin Peach occupied it between 1887 and 1891. David Hugh Wilson lived there 1893 and 1894, and Mrs Anne Kinmont rented it from 1895 to 1897, or possibly later. In February 1899 house Elizabeth Gemmell sold the house to William Blues Scott, whose family lived there from 1899 to 1901

No 14 (part of Lot 242)

No 14 is an eight-roomed semi-detached villa, the first (from the east) of the houses built by George Alexander.

In 1871, it was rented by Stephen Wellstood, and Robert Beattie was also listed as living there in that year. From 1873 to 1877 it was let to Miss Cleland, and William Brodie lived there from 1878 to 1881. Donald MacKinnon occupied it from 1883 to 1886, and Jane and Isabella Paterson rented from 1888 to 1901.

No 15 (part of Lot 242)

No 15 seems to have been a much bigger house than No 14 as there were 13 rooms recorded in 1871. This is probably due to the slope of the ground, which means that there was more headroom in the basement of No 15, allowing for proper rooms and not just storage. Also built by George Alexander.

No 15 seems to have been a much bigger house than No 14 as there were 13 rooms recorded in 1871. This is probably due to the slope of the ground, which means that there was more headroom in the basement of No 15, allowing for proper rooms and not just storage. It was rented by Rev John Pulsford from 1869 to 1879. David K B Whyte occupied it from 1882 to 1885, and Mrs William Steel was living there between 1887 and 1890. Walter Strang had the house from 1891 to 1894. The Mackillop family lived there from 1895 to 1901, and the villa was again available for rent in October 1901.

No 16 (part of Lot 241)

The Inland Revenue survey of 1912 describes No 16 as a semi-detached villa with a polished ashlar front wall. There is a two-storey bow window, with moulded quoins and a heavily moulded wall head course. There is a three-storey bow window to the back. On the ground floor the accommodation consisted of a sitting room with a marble mantelpiece, a pantry, dining room and nursery room. On the first floor there was a small bedroom over the hall, another bedroom, a bathroom and a drawing room with a white marble mantelpiece. Downstairs there was a small bedroom, the kitchen, with a small room off it, and various storerooms and cellars. Nos 16 to 19 are slightly grander than the other houses built by George Alexander, as they all have bay windows on both floors. Nos 14, 15 and 20 to 23 have ‘flat’ frontages.

From 1869 to 1874 the house was occupied by John Sibbald. James Sime was living there in 1875 and 1876, and the Misses Cleland had the house between 1877 and 1879. In 1879 Hugh Andrew Brown died there. From 1881 to 1887 it was rented to Mrs Oliver Russell. From 1888 to 1897 it was the home of Alicia Sutherland. Miss Margaret Crawford died there in 1899, and from 1900 onwards it was rented to Agnes Gibson.

House Nos 17 to 20

No 17 (part of Lot 241)

No 17 was built slightly later than some of George Alexander’s houses, being first occupied in 1872.

Margaret Rosie moved here from No 20 in 1872, and lived in it until 1874 when Archibald MacCalman was the tenant. He lived in the house until 1876. W B McLachlan rented it in 1877, and Rev G Fisher occupied it in 1878. From 1879 to 1886 it was the home of[[ Ballantyne-1005|Margaret Lamb], and Leslie O Paterson was the tenant from 1888 to 1893. John Bruce lived there in 1894, but we have no further information about him. George Stevenson and his family occupied it in 1895, and were still living there in 1901.

No 18 (part of Lot 240)

No 18 is one of four semi-detached villas built slightly later than the rest, and with more architectural detail. It was not occupied at the time of the 1871 census, but Mrs Webster lived there later in the year, and Miss Webster was living there from 1872 to 1874. It was then rented by William Lawson from 1877 to 1881. Charlotte Dalziel lived there from 1882 to 1884. There was a change of tenancy in February 1885, when the ‘household furniture and other effects’ were auctioned at Dowell’s auction house. George Brook was resident in 1888. C. J. Shiells lived there in 1890 and 1891, and James H Black in 1892 and 1893. Finally Alexander Mustard lived in the house from 1894 to 1901.

No 19 (part of Lot 240)

We only have a description of the accommodation of No 19 from the Inland Revenue records of 1812. On the ground floor there was a drawing room, a dining room, one bedroom, a small press with a wash-hand basin, and another press in the hall. There was a small room used as a kitchen. In the basement there was another kitchen with a servant’s room off it, a coal store and a wash house. On the first floor there was a drawing room, a bedroom and a bathroom.

John Dick rented the house from 1872 to 1885, and during that time, in 1875, Charlotte Algeo died at the house. Archibald Oliver was the tenant from 1886 to 1894, and John G Johnston rented the house in 1897 and was still living there in 1901.

No 20 (part of Lot 239)

No 20 was rented to Margaret Rosie from 1868 to 1871. Then Colonel W Walker became the tenant from 1872 to 1874. Mrs Williamson lived there in 1876, and Thomas Ogilvy Cownie rented it in 1877 and 1878. Rev Thomas Dymock lived there from 1881 until his death in 1888, and his widow continued to live in the house until she died in 1897. Her son, Thomas Dymock junior was living there in 1898, and in 1901 it was occupied by William F Robertson.

House Nos 21 to 23

No 21 (part of Lot 239)

The house was first occupied by John Simpson, from 1868 to 1873. Mrs Mary Amelia Downie and her daughter Mrs Jean Campbell Firmstone were both living there in 1875. The Misses Plummer were living there some time in 1876, and James Gibb Cownie rented it from 1877 to 1878. The house was advertised to let in The Scotsman in May 1878. In 1879 the tenant was Alexander Kemp, and then it was rented by David Crouch from 1881 to 1891. Mrs Louisa Nicoll lived there in 1895 and 1896, and Robert Pennefather was the tenant from 1897 to 1900. Subsequently Frank R T Pearson was renting the house in 1901.

No 22 (part of Lot 238)

No 22 had a large number of tenants over the period.Mrs J Forster Pratt was living here in 1869 and 1870. At the time of the 1871 census, it was occupied by Charlotte Brand. Then Richard Liste rented it from 1872 to 1876, and he was followed by Rev James T Stuart in 1877 and 1878. Eleanor Fowden rented the property from 1878 to 1880, and Mrs Jas Hay Ower was living there from 1881 to 1884. In 1887 it was occupied by R. L. Lundin Brown, and from 1889 to 1893 Jane McJerrow rented it. During this time, in 1892, Mrs H M Parry gave her address as 22 Dalrymple Crescent. From 1895 to 1900 it was occupied by George A Young. Finally, James Robertson was renting it in 1901.

No 23 (part of Lot 238)

.No 23 was also rented by a large number of people. Henry Brougham Crouch was the tenant from 1869 to 1971, and he was followed by Robert Dick in 1873 and 1874. John H Banks was living there in 1876, and from 1877 to 1884 the tenant was Fulton-3246|James J Fulton]]. George Mackie lived there in 1887 and 1888, and Mary S Edgar was the tenant at the time of the 1891 census. Mrs G C Rosebank Hay was living there in 1894, and Mrs Anne S Paterson in 1896. {{Paterson-5453|Rev Alex Paterson]] was there in 1897 and 1898, and John Stewart of Ensay died there in 1899. Mrs J A Bryden was in residence at the time of the 1901 census.

House Nos 24 to 27

No 24 (Lot 237)

No 24 is built on one of three plots of land owned by John Paterson. The site passed through various hands and there is no record of a house on the site until December 1886, when John Robb Matthew bought the property. This makes it the last house to be built in the Crescent. It is a detached house of 13 rooms. John Matthew died shortly after buying the house, but his widow continued to live there until the end of the century.

No 25 (Lot 236)

No 25 is also a detached house, built in a classic style. It is the middle plot of the three bought by John Paterson. His estate sold it to George Stratton, who built the house, which he then rented out. The first tenant was Rev James Gregory, who lived there from 1880 to 1887. It was then let to James Hay between 1888 and 1898. George Stratton died in 1897, and his trustees sold the house to James Hall, who lived there from 1899 onwards.

No 26 (Lot 235)

No 26 is the most westerly of the three plots owned by John Paterson. , and was sold to Thomas Ogilvie Cownie in 1878. He lived there with his family until he died in 1898. The house was put up for auction soon after he died. It was described as:

‘Convenient and Commodious DETACHED VILLA of 3 Public Rooms, 6 Bed-Rooms, Dressing-Room, Bath-Room and Lavatories, Kitchen, Laundry, Servants’ Accommodation, Housemaid’s Pantry with Lift, and other Pantries, Closets and Presses. Ground Quarter Acre’

The upset price was ‘moderate’ and the Feu duty £6-5s. However it was not sold, and his widow, Margaret Cownie, continued to live in it until 1901.

In the Inland Revenue survey of 1912 the house is described as a one-and-three-quarter-storey detached house with coursed rubble walls, gables and back wall. The gable to the front was fitted with bargeboards and half-timber work, and projecting eaves. There was one small attic, and the front canopy over the door was supported by wooden trusses. The boundary walls were rubble, and there was a parapet wall and railings to the front. There was a small tool house on the south boundary.

Accommodation consisted of a basement kitchen with a good range. There was also a scullery with sink and a small service hoist. There was a washhouse with a brick floor, two wooden tubs, and a boiler. On this floor there was also a bedroom, a coal cellar, a WC, and a wine cellar with stone shelves. There was a larder under the stair. In addition there was a nursery with a window giving on to the garden, and a press containing a washbasin.

On the ground floor, there was a dining room, another small room, a small bedroom, and a pantry. Wooden stairs led to the first floor, where there were four bedrooms, a small dressing room, a bathroom and WC.

No 27 - originally No 30 (Lot 234)

The last house on the southwest side of the Crescent is another large detached house, built in 1874. The land had been sold to James Hogg, a builder and joiner, and during 1874 it was advertised in The Scotsman. By 1875 the house had been bought by Camilla More and her family. They were still there in 1912 when the Inland Revenue survey took place. It described the building as a two-storey detached house with rubble walls and two-storey bow windows. There was a hot-house in the back garden, with a parapet wall and railings to the front.

The People

Years 1862 to 1871

1862

Elizabeth Johnston had No 1 built and rented it out.

Robert Inglis bought the land for No 4 , and then sold it on

James Hunter built No 5 and sold it to Henry Newcombe who lived there until his death

Robert Hunter built No 6 and lived there

Samuel Hunter built Nos 7, 8 and 9 and sold them

Charles Leadbetter and James Wilson Smith built Nos 10 and 11 and sold them

Robert Middlemass built No 12 and lived there

1863

William Gorrie rented No 1 from 1863 to 1867.

Elizabeth Sinclair and her sister Janet had No 2 built and rented it out until 1884

Edward Lothian built No 3 and lived in until 1877

George Tod Bathgate bought No 11 and then sold it

1864

Alexander Aitken rented No 2 in 1864 and 1865

Henry Newcombe bought No 5 and lived there

Charles Wilson bought No 7 and lived there

Rev John Duncan bought No 10 and lived there

Richard Lister bought No 11 and lived there

Alexander Henderson Chalmers built No 13 and sold it

Robert Paterson, City Assessor acquired the land that became No 14 to 27 and later transferred it

1865

David Henderson bought No 6 and lived there

George Campbell bought No 8 and his family lived there

David Cowan Mudie bought No 9 and lived there until 1871

Robert Gemmell bought No 13 and lived there until 1879

1866

David Rutherford built No 4 and sold it the next year.

1867

John Watt rented No 2 from 1867 to 1869

Robert Sinclair Smith bought No 4 and lived in it

1868

Robert Fraser rented No 1 from 1868 to 1873

George Alexander built Nos 14 to 23 and rented them out

Margaret Rosie rented No 20 until 1871

John Simpson rented No 21 until 1873

Peter Simpson acquired the land that became No 27 and later transferred it

1869

Elizabeth Johnston died and No 1 was advertised for sale

James Sinclair bought No 4 and lived in it

John Pulsford rented No 15

John Sibbald rented No 16

Mrs J Forster Pratt rented No 22 until 1870

Henry Brougham Crouch rented No 23 until 1871

1870

David Gilmour bought No 1 (Robert Fraser was still renting it)

John Crosbie Patterson rented No 2 from 1870 to 1882

Rev Harry Anderson rented No 10

Henry Haig Banks bought No 11 and lived there

1871

Stephen Wellstood rented No 14

Mrs Webster rented No 18

Charlotte Brand rented No 22

Years 1872 to 1881

1872

Andrew Henderson rented No 9

David Cowan Mudie bought No 10 and lived there

Margaret Rosie rented No 17

John Dick rented No 19 until 1885

Colonel W Walker rented No 20 until 1874

Richard Lister rented No 22 until 1876

1873

Miss Sophia Cleland rented No 14

Robert Dick rented No 23 until 1874

John Paterson acquired the land that became Nos 24,25 and 26 but died in 1877

James Hogg built No 27 and sold it

1874

James Brechin bought No 6 and lived there

Archibald MacCalman rented No 17

1875

Mary Ann Phillips rented No 1 from 1875 to 1881

James Sime rented No 16

William Lawson rented No 18

Charlotte Algeo died in No 19

Mrs Mary Amelia Downie rented No 21

Camilla More bought No 27 and lived there

1876

Mrs Williamson lived in No 20

Misses Plummer rented No 21

John H Banks rented No 23

1877

Janet Cleland rented No 16

W.B.McLachlan rented No 17

Thomas Ogilvie Cownie rented No 20 until 1878

James Gibb Cownie rented No 21 until 1878

Rev James T Stuart rented No 22 until 1878

James J Fulton rented No 23 until 1884

1878

Duncan Fraser Stewart bought No 3 and lived there until 1884 when he rented it out.

Isabella Thomson bought No 6 and lived there

William Bell bought No 8 and lived there

Andrew William Usher rented No 9

William Brodie rented No 14

Rev G Fisher rented No 17

George Stratton built No 25 and rented it out

Thomas Ogilvie Cownie built No 26 and lived there

Eleanor Fowden rented No 22 until 1880

1879

John Anderson bought No 11 and rented it out

William Jenkinson rented No 13

Hugh Andrew Brown rented No 16

Margaret Lamb rented No 17

Alexander Kemp rented No 21

1880

Rev James Gregory rented No 25 until 1887

1881

John D Gardiner rented No 11

Mrs Oliver Russell rented No 16

Rev Thomas Dymock rented No 20 until his death in 1888

David Crouch rented No 21 until 1891

Mrs Jas Hay Ower rented No 22 until 1884

Years 1882 to 1891

1882

Wallace Hicks lived in No 1 from 1882 to 1901.

Robert Gemmell lived in No 13 until he died in1886

David K.B.Whyte rented No 15

Charlotte Dalziel rented No 18

1883

John Anderson moved into No 11

Donald MacKinnon rented No 14

1884

Elizabeth Sinclair and her sister Janet lived in No 2 from 1884 until 1894. (Elizabeth died in 1888)

1886

David Noble Bertram rented No 3 from 1886 to 1889

John Middlemass bought No 6 and lived there

Archibald Oliver rented No 19 until 1894

John Robb Matthew built No 24 and lived there

1887

David Graham rented No 4 from 1887 to 1895

Benjamin Peach rented No 13

William Steel rented No 15

R L Lundin Brown rented No 22

George Mackie rented No 23 until 1888

1888

Jane Paterson and her sister Isabella rented No 14

Alicia Sutherland rented No 16

Leslie O Patterson rented No 17

George Brook rented No 18

Mrs Thomas Dymock rented No 20 until her death in 1897

James Hay rented No 25 until 1898  

1889

Robert Paterson rented No 9

Jane McJerrow rented No 22 until 1893

1890

C.J.Shiells rented No 18

1891

James Bett rented No 3 but died the same year

Richard R Gibson rented No 3 until 1901

William Fraser Buist rented No 4

James Thomson Greig bought No 5 and lived there

Walter Strang rented No 15

Mary S Edgar rented No 23

Years 1892 to 1901

1892

Mrs John Willison lived in No 3 until 1894

James H Black rented No 18

Mrs H.M.Parry lived in No 22

1893

Wallace Hicks bought No 1 from David Gilmour in 1893, and was living there in 1901

Henry Lawrence Usher rented No 10

David Hugh Wilson rented No 13

1894

John Stewart bought No 2 in 1894 and was living there in 1901

Frank Rutherford bought No 7 and lived there

John Bruce rented No 17

Alexander Mustard rented No 18

Mrs G,C,Rosebank Hay rented No 23

1895

William Fraser Buist and family rented No 4 until after 1901

Mrs Anne Kinmont rented No 13

Archibald Mackillop rented No 15

George Stevenson rented No 17

Mrs Louisa Nicoll rented No 21 until 1896

George A Young rented No 22 until 1900

1896

Mrs Anne S Paterson rented No 23

1897

John G Johnston rented No 19 until after 1901

Thomas Dymock jnr rented No 20 until 1898

Robert Pennefather rented No 21 until 1900

Rev Alex Paterson rented No 23 until 1898

1898

James Thomas Grieg bought No 5 and lived there

Elizabeth Ritchie bought No 6 and lived there

George R Jamieson rented No 9

1899

William Blues Scott bought No 13 and lived there

Miss Margaret Crawford rented No 16

John Stewart of Ensay died in No 23

James Hall bought No 25 and lived there  

1900

Robert S Gracie rented No 10

Agnes Gibson rented No 16

1901

Duncan Fraser Stewart transferred ownership of No 3 to his wife Mary Catherine Divine

Isabell Maclean bought No 6

William F Robertson was renting No 20

Frank Pearson was renting No 21

James Robertson was renting No 22

Mrs J.A, Bryden was renting No 23

Sources

1. ↑ Gifford, J., McWilliam, C. and Walker, D. M., ‘Edinburgh (The Buildings of Scotland)’, Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd, 1984 ISBN 014071068, page 598

• Lamb, Joanne Myra. Dalrymple Crescent, A Snapshot of Victorian Edinburgh, T&J Lamb, 2011, ISBN 978-0-9566713-0-1