Ordnance gazetteer of Scotland > Volume 5

lynrSSELBUBGH
Smollett, Home, Beattie, etc. ; and when Dr Carlyle died,
among his papers was found a complete copy of Collins's
long-lost Ode on the Superstitions of the Righlands.
The river Esk flows through the town from SW to
NE in a broad shallow stream, separating Musselburgh
proper from Fisherrow. For the most part, its bed is
disligured with banks of gravel ; and its waters are
dirty ; but iu times of flood it sometimes attains great
depth. Along the banks on either side run public
walks, planted with trees. It is spanned by four
bridges in and near the town. The chief communica-
tion between Musselburgh and Fisherrow is an elegant
stone bridge of 5 elliptic arches, erected in 1806-7 from
a design by Sir John Rennie. Across this passes the
road between Edinburgh and Berwick. Some way
higher up, the Esk is crossed by a new railway viaduct,
■which, erected in 1877-78 at a cost of between £2000
and £3000, consists of two spans of malleable iron, 97
and 75 feet long, resting on substantial piers of
masonry. Near the station, between these two, and
about 220 yards above the former, stands another stone
bridge, believed to be originally of Roman workman-
ship, though many times repaired. It is narrow in the
roadway and high in the centre ; and it was formerly
defended in the middle by a gate, some traces of
which exist in the side wall. It has 3 arches, each
50 feet wide, with a spring of only 10 feet ; and the
segment of the circle is so much depressed in several
parts towards a straight line, as to suggest that the
frame or cover must have sunk during the erection
of the bridge. The bridge is used only by foot pas-
sengers, for access is attained to it by steps at each
«nd ; but it is interesting as having been for ages
the grand thoroughfare between the SE of Scotland
-and the Metropolis. While the Scottish army was
passing along this bridge after the Battle of Pinkie in
1547, Lord Graham, eldest son of the Earl of Montrose,
and several others were killed upon it by a shot from
the English vessels lying off the mouth of the Esk. A
mound was thrown up at Inveresk churchyard by
Protector Somerset of England to defend the bridge as
a pass, and was afterwards used for the same purpose
by Cromwell. The Chevalier's highland army traversed
the bridge in 1745, on their way to the field of Preston-
pans. About 250 yards below the stone bridge of 1807
stands an iron foot-bridge upon iron pillars, replacing
an earlier wooden bridge on the same site.
Churches. — The parochial church, as well as the inter-
esting mansions, etc., of the vicinity are noticed in
Inveresk and other articles. Northesk quoad sacra
chui-ch stands on the N side of Bridge Street, in Fisher-
row, not far from the principal bridge. It is a neat
modern edifice, erected in 1838 at a cost of £2500 from
■designs by WilUam Burn, and containing 800 sittings.
The church at New Ckaighall is within this q. s.
parish, which includes all the civil parish W of the river.
The Episcopal church, St Peter's, on the S side of the E
part of the High Street, was built in 1866. It is in the
pointed style, and has a tower and spire, several fine
stained-glass windows, and 220 sittings. There is also
an Episcopal chapel in connection with Loretto school,
•with a new organ of ISSO ; and in 1880 Lady Mary
Oswald's mission chapel (1843 ; 300 sittings) in New-
bigging was converted into the Roman Catholic church
of Our Lady of Loretto. Other places of worship are
a Free chm-ch (1000 sittings). Bridge Street U.P. church
(1820; 600 sittings), Mill HUl U.P. church (800 sittings),
and a Congregational chapel (1800 ; 320 sittings).
Schools. — Musselburgh grammar-school dates from
the latter part of the 16th century, though the present
building was erected in 1835. It has 3 class-rooms and
accommodation for 377 scholars. Before the Educa-
tion Act it was under the town council, and endowed
by them with £20 annually ; it is now under the burgh
school board, which consists of a chairman and 7 mem-
bers. In 1883 the following were the schools under the
board, with accommodation, average attendance, and
government grant :— Grammar (377, 166, £147, lis.),
JFisherrow (528, 372, £278, 10s.), Musselburgh (451, 265,
HUSSELBUBGH
£216, 3s.), and St Peter's Episcopal (116, 117, £93,
19s. 8d.). Of the private schools in Musselburgh, the
chief is Loretto boarding school for boys, conducted
after the method of English public schools.
Musselburgh has a head post office, with money order,
savings' bank, insurance, and telegraph departments,
branches of the Commercial, National, and Royal Banks,
and offices or agencies of 18 insurance companies. The
chief hotels are the Musselburgh Arms and the Royal
Hotel ; and there is also a temperance hotel, besides
several lodging houses. The healthiness of Mussel-
burgh, together with its comparative retirement yet
easy accessibility to Edinburgh, renders it suitable
for the situation of private lunatic asylums, of which
there are 2 in Fisherrow, 1 at Newbigging, and 1
near Inveresk. The proximity of the links has
largely encouraged the game of golf, and several clubs
have club houses at or near the links. Among these
are the Bruntsfield Links Golf Club (1761), whose
club house includes a former Episcopal chapel ; the
Edinburgh Burgess Golfing Society (1735), the Honour-
able Company of Edinburgh Golfers (prior to 1744), and
the Royal Musselburgh Golf Club (1774). These clubs
are iu the habit of holding competitions for medals
and prizes over Musselburgh Links, once or oftener
during the year. The gas company, whose works are
on the links, was established in 1831. Among the
charitable institutions, the Boy's Industrial School, at
the Redhouse in Mill Hill, deserves special notice. TTwo
funds, known respectively as Bruce's and Hastie's, are
also in operation, under trusteeship of the minister,
provost, etc. The former is for the relief of the poor ;
and the latter is to provide loans to decent tradesmen,
and young men starting in business within certain local
limits. It may be interesting to note, that perhaps the
first evening school for poor lads in Scotland was started
in Musselburgh about 1834 by the Rev. Mr Beveridge,
the minister of the parish.
Iiulustries. — Musselburgh is very favourably situated
for the purposes of manufacture ; but its industrial
history has been fluctuating and curious. A broad-
cloth manufactory, begun in the end of the 17th century,
was long carried on, though to no great extent. A
kind of checks, known as ' Musselbm-gh stuffs,' was
made in the early part of the 18th century from coarse
wool, at the price of from 2Jd. to 5d. a yard, and was
exported for cheaper wear in America, until cotton fabrics
drove it from the market. The manufacture of both
coarse and fine woollen cloth lingered in Musselburgh
till nearly the end of last century. About 1750 a
cotton factory was begun, and employed in the town
and environs about 200 looms ; but the competition of
other parts of the country compelled it to close — a fate
which likewise befell a manufactory of thicksets, waist-
coats, handkerchiefs, etc., which was started on a small
scale near the end of the century. A china manu-
factory at West Pans was compelled to abandon the
finer manufactures and devote itself to the productions
of coarser earthenware, from a similar cause. There are
now two potteries in the burgh, besides brick and tile
works. A starch work at Monkton, S of Mussel-
burgh, paid in 1792 upwards of £4000 of excise duty,
but was given up in the following year. A salt work,
very long in operation at Pinkie Pans, still exists ;
but the adjacent chemical work is not now in operation.
There was also a chemical manufactory near the links.
Brewing was once extensively carried on in Mussel-
burgh ; but since the end of last century it has under-
gone a great decrease, and is now carried on by only
two firms. Dyeing long formed a prominent feature
in the trade of the town, but is now abnost extinct.
The tanning and currying of leather is carried on in
three establishments, and employs about 80 workmen ;
and the manufacture of sheepskin mats engages two
firms. The manufacture of sail-cloth was commenced
on a small scale in 1811, and rose iu a few years to a
flourishing condition, occupying large premises, and
employing a steam engine of 55 horse-power. The
weaving of hair-cloth, principally for chair and sofa
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