Duddingston
Encyclopedia
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, next to Holyrood Park
Holyrood Park
Holyrood Park is a royal park in central Edinburgh, Scotland about a mile to the east of Edinburgh Castle. It has an array of hills, lochs, glens, ridges, basalt cliffs, and patches of whin providing a remarkably wild piece of highland landscape within its area...
.
Origins and etymology
The estate wherein Duddingston Village now lies was first recorded in lands granted to the Abbot of Kelso AbbeyKelso Abbey
Kelso Abbey is what remains of a Scottish abbey founded in the 12th century by a community of Tironensian monks first brought to Scotland in the reign of Alexander I. It occupies ground overlooking the confluence of the Tweed and Teviot waters, the site of what was once the Royal Burgh of Roxburgh...
by David I of Scotland
David I of Scotland
David I or Dabíd mac Maíl Choluim was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians and later King of the Scots...
between 1136–47, and is described as stretching from the Crag (from Craggenmarg, an old name for Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh
Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh
Arthur's Seat is the main peak of the group of hills which form most of Holyrood Park, described by Robert Louis Stevenson as "a hill for magnitude, a mountain in virtue of its bold design". It is situated in the centre of the city of Edinburgh, about a mile to the east of Edinburgh Castle...
) to the Magdalene Bridge. This land grant included the settlement known by the name of Treverlen or Traverlin, in the western part of it; this being the oldest known name of the village and estates that eventually became known as Duddingston.
There are several possibilities exist for the etymology of "Treverlen".
- "tref + gwr + lên" meaning "place of the learned man"
- "tref + y + glyn" with lenition following the definite article, meaning "place of the learned women"
- "tre + war + lyn" meaning "the farm at or on the loch"
- "traefor llyn" meaning "settlement by the lake (loch) of reeds and/or rushes"
All these names originate in the celtic Brythonic languages
Brythonic languages
The Brythonic or Brittonic languages form one of the two branches of the Insular Celtic language family, the other being Goidelic. The name Brythonic was derived by Welsh Celticist John Rhys from the Welsh word Brython, meaning an indigenous Briton as opposed to an Anglo-Saxon or Gael...
, which pre-date the use of gaelic or Saxon in Scotland, tempting us to believe they may go back to the time of some of the earliest settlements on Arthur's Seat. The last two names, in particular, fit well as a possible name for the celtic Crannog settlement, which stood in the southernmost corner of Duddingston Loch.
The last Celtic owner of the Treverlen estates is said to have been Uviet the White, owning it from at least 1090 onwards. By 1128, though, at the forming of Holyrood Abbey, the lands of Arthur's Seat seem to have become divided between the Royal Demesne and the estates of Treverlen belonging to said Uviet the White. For confirmation of what passed in 1128 at the forming of Holyrood Abbey and the passing of the lands to Kelso Abbey, we can look to the later "Charter of Confirmation, Granted to the Monks of Kelso of King Malcolm IV". Malcolm IV of Scotland
Malcolm IV of Scotland
Malcolm IV , nicknamed Virgo, "the Maiden" , King of Scots, was the eldest son of Earl Henry and Ada de Warenne...
inherited from his grandfather David I of Scotland
David I of Scotland
David I or Dabíd mac Maíl Choluim was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians and later King of the Scots...
, and was perhaps called upon to confirm many such gifts of land in case of later disputes. This he did, in the above mentioned charter, confirming the previously given entitlement of
Traverlin, with its due bounds, as Vineth fully and freely possessed and enjoyed it, with all the easements of the adjoining strother (march), which is called Cameri; and the Crag of the same village
to Kelso Abbey. Malcolm goes on to state that in his grandfather's time Alfwyn (perhaps the saxonised form of Uviet, or one of his descendants), Abbot of Halyrude (Holyrood Abbey
Holyrood Abbey
Holyrood Abbey is a ruined abbey of the Canons Regular in Edinburgh, Scotland. The abbey was founded in 1128 by King David I of Scotland. During the 15th century, the abbey guesthouse was developed into a royal residence, and after the Scottish Reformation the Palace of Holyroodhouse was expanded...
) and Ernald, Abbot of Kelso, came to a mutual agreement concerning a dispute which was between them over The Crag, which allowed for the lands of The Crag and Traverlin to pass to the church of Kelso, in exchange for the ten-pounds-lands they had in "Hardiggasthorn, near Northamtun".
Kelso Abbey
Kelso Abbey is what remains of a Scottish abbey founded in the 12th century by a community of Tironensian monks first brought to Scotland in the reign of Alexander I. It occupies ground overlooking the confluence of the Tweed and Teviot waters, the site of what was once the Royal Burgh of Roxburgh...
by David I. The Abbey quickly feued the estate to one Dodin de Berwic, evidently, from his name, an Anglo-Norman
Anglo-Norman
The Anglo-Normans were mainly the descendants of the Normans who ruled England following the Norman conquest by William the Conqueror in 1066. A small number of Normans were already settled in England prior to the conquest...
knight. Apparently, then, it was Dodin who changed the name of the settlement, as by 1150 he was referring to himself as "Dodin of Dodinestoun". (Dodin's toun or farm place). This last may be slightly misleading, though, as there was a toft (a homestead with attached arable land) near Berwick-Upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed or simply Berwick is a town in the county of Northumberland and is the northernmost town in England, on the east coast at the mouth of the River Tweed. It is situated 2.5 miles south of the Scottish border....
, also referred to as Dodin's Town, with which he is quite likely to have had connections. However, it seems likely that the names are connected through branches of the same Norman family. Thereafter the village is often, though not always, referred to as Duddingston, with quite a wide range of spellings. For instance, from heraldic sources we are told that in May 1290 Edward I. granted a protection against proceedings for debts to William de Dodingstone, burgess of Edinburgh. Also, with quite a different spelling, but six years later, we are told the name is that of a locality near Edinburgh, and Eleyne de Duddynggeston, of that county, swore fealty to Edward I.
The kirk which was built on the newly gifted lands went by the name Duddingston Kirk
Duddingston Kirk
Duddingston Kirk is a Parish Church in the Church of Scotland, located adjacent to Holyrood Park in Duddingston Village, on the east side of the City of Edinburgh. Regular services are held at the Kirk, conducted by the minister, Rev Dr James A. P...
, but the name Treverlen still survived into the next century as the parish name, being confirmed as such in a list of 13 parishes belonging to Kelso in 1200, which leads one to suspect there had been a kirk on the site previously.
History
Duddingston Loch has been used for ice-skating and curlingCurling
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...
, even boasting a Curling House
Curling House
A Curling House was used to store curling stones, brushes and other equipment used to maintain a curling pond and play the game of curling in Scotland and elsewhere.- Introduction :...
, for several centuries. In the 17th and 18th century the village was primarily a centre for the coal and salt mining industry, but was also known for its weaving industry, in particular for a cloth known as Duddingston Hardings.
Bonnie Prince Charlie held a council of war in a house in the village, shortly before the Battle of Prestonpans
Battle of Prestonpans
The Battle of Prestonpans was the first significant conflict in the Jacobite Rising of 1745. The battle took place at 4 am on 21 September 1745. The Jacobite army loyal to James Francis Edward Stuart and led by his son Charles Edward Stuart defeated the government army loyal to the Hanoverian...
in 1745. In the same year, James Hamilton, 8th Earl of Abercorn
James Hamilton, 8th Earl of Abercorn
James Hamilton, 8th Earl of Abercorn PC , was a Scottish and Irish nobleman, the eldest son of James Hamilton, 7th Earl of Abercorn and Anne Plumer. He was styled Lord Paisley from 1734 until his accession in 1744...
purchased the Duddingston Estate from the Duke of Argyll
Archibald Campbell, 3rd Duke of Argyll
Archibald Campbell, 3rd Duke of Argyll, 1st Earl of Ilay was a Scottish nobleman, politician, lawyer, businessman and soldier...
. Lord Abercorn commissioned the architect Sir William Chambers to design Duddingston House
Duddingston House
Duddingston House is an 18th-century mansion in Edinburgh, Scotland, located west of the village of Duddingston. It was built in the 1760s for James Hamilton, 8th Earl of Abercorn, and was designed by Sir William Chambers...
in the Palladian style, and this was completed by 1768.
The loch provided the setting for Henry Raeburn
Henry Raeburn
Sir Henry Raeburn was a Scottish portrait painter, the first significant Scottish portraitist since the Act of Union 1707 to remain based in Scotland.-Biography:...
's painting of The Reverend Robert Walker Skating on Duddingston Loch, painted in the 1790s, as well as the less famous but very atmospheric painting by Charles Lees called Skaters on Duddingston Loch by Moonlight.
Dr. James Tytler
James Tytler
James Tytler was a Scottish apothecary and the editor of the second edition of Encyclopædia Britannica. Tytler became the first person in Britain to steer a hot air balloon ....
(1745–1804), author, balloonist and encyclopedist, lived in Duddingston. Robert Burns
Robert Burns
Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide...
knew him, describing him as a mortal who wandered the precincts of Edinburgh in leaky shoes, a sky-lighted hat and unlikely breeches, who yet was responsible for at least three quarters of Elliot's Encyclopedia Brittanica. In 1774 he was living on the Holyrood Abbey "sanctuary lands" to avoid his creditors. After his wife left him and their children in 1775, he was known thereafter to be co-habiting with at least one, if not two women, one of them a Duddingston washerwoman. This circumstance eventually led to his flight from Scottish justice for the crime of bigamy in 1788, when he left Duddingston, and both women, to remove himself to Berwick. Whilst living in Duddingston he did build a printing press, and turned out further copies of the encyclopedia, and other more successful publications, but he was a poor businessman and never seemed to benefit from these and other successes. Sadly, even his attempt at ballooning in 1784 was something of a debacle. He was finally able to rise to a height of 105 feet, and descend again, which qualified him as Britain's first balloonist, but his success at the time was overshadowed by other more popular balloonists.
Local attractions
Sheep Heid Inn
The Sheep Heid Inn is a public house in Duddingston, Edinburgh, Scotland. There has reputedly been a pub on this spot selling liquor and victuals since 1360...
is said to be Scotland's oldest pub, dating from 1360. It is named after a snuff box either embellished with, or in the shape of a ram's head presented to the landlord by King James VI in 1580.
Today the loch is a wildlife reserve, owned by the Scottish Wildlife Trust
Scottish Wildlife Trust
The Scottish Wildlife Trust is a registered charity dedicated to conserving the wildlife and natural environment of Scotland.-Description:The Scottish Wildlife Trust has over 32,800 members...
, it contains a variety of wildfowl and reedbeds.
Dr Neil's Garden is located between Duddingston Kirk and the Loch. Andrew and Nancy Neil were awarded the Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother Medal by the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society.
Further reading
- Susan Mercer: Take One Garden (2006).
- The Miller O' Duddingston or The Betrothal by J. F. Published in 1875. The author, John Forbes, lived in Duddingston when he wrote it. In his handwritten notes in the National Library of ScotlandNational Library of ScotlandThe National Library of Scotland is the legal deposit library of Scotland and is one of the country's National Collections. It is based in a collection of buildings in Edinburgh city centre. The headquarters is on George IV Bridge, between the Old Town and the university quarter...
Archive copy of this book, he says it was written after an accident left him an invalid for a period of seven weeks, and he decided to take some of the tales he had heard from a good friend and storyteller who had been a drayman in the area, and mix fact and fiction into a story set locally. The result is a rollicking good tale, written in verse, of about 40 pages. In the hand written end notes, the author mentions that one of the characters was based on a real person, and relates the story of a famous suicide which happened at that time. All the locations are real, however, including the Sheep Heid InnSheep Heid InnThe Sheep Heid Inn is a public house in Duddingston, Edinburgh, Scotland. There has reputedly been a pub on this spot selling liquor and victuals since 1360...
, which you can still visit in the present day, and which has a treasure trove of stories and memorabilia for you to peruse while you enjoy your food and drinks.
- The Cobbler by Alexander Whitelaw. Published in 1833 This is a short story first published in 1833 as part of a collection of works by the best writers of the day called "The Republic of Letters". It was edited by Alexander Whitelaw, and included a few of his own pieces of work. "The Cobbler" is a salutory comedy about knowing who your friends are. The action takes place in various locations in the village, most of them gone now, except for the famous Sheep Heid InnSheep Heid InnThe Sheep Heid Inn is a public house in Duddingston, Edinburgh, Scotland. There has reputedly been a pub on this spot selling liquor and victuals since 1360...
. In the frontspiece of this collection, and alongside later versions, of the story in other collections are charming sketches and woodcuts of Robin Rentoul the "Duddingston Cobbler". The original of one of these drawings is in The Sheep Heid InnSheep Heid InnThe Sheep Heid Inn is a public house in Duddingston, Edinburgh, Scotland. There has reputedly been a pub on this spot selling liquor and victuals since 1360...
upstairs dining room.
- Tales of Thomas Neil Thomas Neil, an undertaker in Don's Close, was born in 1730 and died in 1800. Also known as Tom or Tam Neil, during the last forty years of his life he was precentor of the Old Tolbooth Church. Burns, in a letter referring to a version of "Up and warn a' Willie" he received from Neil, refers to him as "of facetious fame", but adds "Tam kenn'd what was what fu' brawlie". In the footnotes written by the collector of those Burns letters, R. H. Cromek, says "he (Tom Neil) had a good strong voice, and was greatly distinguished by his powers of mimicry; as well his humorous manner of singing old Scottish ballads". The most notable character Tam Neil was famous for was one he invented, and then portrayed frequently upon request, with great humour, that he called "The Auld Wife". Mary Clementina Hibbert-Ware calls him "that son of song, possessed of greater local notoriety in his time than any other man in Edinburgh". His notoriety was certainly more than just "local" if the descriptions of Tam Neil found in books from all over Scotland are to be believed. The Transactions of the Hawick Archaeological Society gives a particularly long description of Tam, describing him as "formed for the very purpose of smoothing the wrinkled brow of care". One story about Tam Neil occurs at Duddingston, in the village alehouse. Presumably this refers to the Sheep Heid InnSheep Heid InnThe Sheep Heid Inn is a public house in Duddingston, Edinburgh, Scotland. There has reputedly been a pub on this spot selling liquor and victuals since 1360...
, as the reference seems to suggest there is only one alehouse in Duddingston. In M. C. Hibbert-Ware's version the location of the inn is certainly given in detail, and is assuredly The Sheep Heid InnSheep Heid InnThe Sheep Heid Inn is a public house in Duddingston, Edinburgh, Scotland. There has reputedly been a pub on this spot selling liquor and victuals since 1360...
. The story itself involves the irate landlady of the public house, a coffin, and a rascal that cannot pass an alehouse without stopping for a drink even if he has no money and should be working. Like all rascals, though, he nevertheless gets away with it! Other stories about Tam Neil can be found in many books of the day.