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Meggetland


Edinburghshire, Sheet 6
Ordnance Survey, 1852

Meggetland was an “ancient mansion” on the western edge of the Burgh Muir which was demolished in the 19th century.

Little seems to be known about Meggetland’s early history. It isn’t marked on Hendrik Hondius’ maps of 1630 and 1636, based on Timothy Pont’s late 16th century maps, nor does it seem to be marked on Gordon’s map of c.1636 – 1652 or Blaeu’s map of 1654. The first map I can find it on is Adair’s map of c.1682 where it is shown as Meggatland on a road from Merchiston Castle to Craiglockhart Castle (i.e. what is now Colinton Road), marked with the same tower symbol as neighbouring castles.

Map of Midlothian
John Adair, c.1682

The origin of the name is unclear. It’s earliest recorded appearance is seemingly in the The Register of the Great Seal of Scotland in 1654 as Meggitland, with variations of the spelling appearing throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. It may have been named after someone with the surname Megget (or one of its variations) which occurs in various records of the 16th and 17th centuries.

The name may also refer to the local topography, with “mig-et” meaning “bogginess”. The house was built on the western edge of the Burgh Muir, with the nearby Myreside also suggesting a boggy area, on slightly raised ground.

Another possibility is that it was named after the Meggetland on the edge of the ancient royal forest of Ettrick in the Borders, the colloquial name for the Megget valley. That Meggetland was the ancient seat of the Meggets of that Ilk, owned by the Cockburn family in the 13th century and granted to Sir James Douglas by Robert the Bruce as part of Ettrick Forest in 1324. It returned to the crown upon the forfeiture of the Earl of Douglas in 1455, and passed to the Hays of Yester soon after. Meggetland remained in the Hay family until 1686 when John Hay, 2nd Earl of Tweeddale, sold it to William Douglas, 1st Duke of Queensberry, to settle debts. The property passed down to the Earl’s descendants the Earls of Wemyss and March.

It’s conceivable that one of these families may have brought the name to a newer property situated on what was then the western edge of the Burgh Muir outside Edinburgh, but it’s perhaps more likely that the name came from its location in a boggy area or from its owner.

I have been unable to find any architectural descriptions of what was known as Meggetland House, however a tall, ornately-carved sundial which stood in the grounds to the north of the house was probably 17th century in date and is stylistically similar to examples found at Lochgoilhead, Barnbougle and Barnton. It is decorated with several representations of the sun, moon and a star and also features the initials RB and DHP (the last initial is indistinct and it may actually be DHR or DHB).

The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland, Volume 5
David MacGibbon and Thomas Ross, Edinburgh, 1892

A William Rutherford of Meggatland was buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard in 1672 leading to the intriguing possibility that the obscured initial on the sundial is an R for Rutherford. In 1676 a merchant named John Henderson was described as “the young laird of Meggetland”, dying in 1699. A James Brown of Megatland is mentioned in 1708 and a James Brown of Meggitland is referred to in 1710 and 1715 when he was described a tenant of Saughton-Milnes or Stonhope-milnes.

After seemingly passing through several families in the late 17th century the Sivwright family (also recorded as Sivewright, Seivewright and Sievewright) seem to have owned Meggetland for a longer period in the 18th century. A David Seivewright of Meggetland is referred to in 1732, while in the mid-18th century it was owned by Thomas Sievewright or Sivwright, a merchant. Later still another Mr Sievewright is described as being the late owner of “South-house and Meggetland”.

In 1773 the property appeared on Andrew and Mostyn Armstrong’s map as Meggotland, illustrated with the same symbol used for other castles in the vicinity.

Map of the three Lothians
Andrew and Mostyn Armstrong, 1773

During the first quarter of the 19th century the Union Canal, which was completed in 1822, was built through the estate. This led to a stone pillar belonging to Meggetland becoming marooned in a field on the opposite of the canal. What function this stone pillar served is unknown however it may have been one of a pair of gateposts marking a distance entrance to the estate.

Jessica Duncan, better known as Jessie Piazzi Smyth after marrying the Astronomer Royal for Scotland Charles Piazzi Smyth, moved to Meggetland House with her mother Jannet in 1844. Following her marriage in 1855 she and her husband travelled extensively making astronomical observations and by 1864 the house seems to have been lived in by a John Cunningham, a seedsman. These residents may have been tenants as a Bedall Sivwright of Southhouse and Meggetland is referred to in 1874.

Several late 19th century sources refer to the ancient mansion of Meggetland having been demolished, some time before 1883. For example in the late 19th century book “Walks near Edinburgh” a walking route from Colinton towards Edinburgh past Craiglockhart Castle is described thus:

Half a mile farther on, where the Union Canal comes close to the road on the left, we look across it and see a solitary gate-pillar standing in a field. This, and a curious old pillar sun-dial on the opposite side of the road, are all that remain of the ancient mansion of Meggetland”
Walks near Edinburgh
Margaret Warrender, Edinburgh, 1890

However Meggetland appears on later maps. The late 19th century sources are very definitive about the house having been demolished which must mean that either its inclusion on the later maps is a mistake or perhaps that the original Meggetland was replaced by a later house of the same name. This latter scenario seems unlikely as there is no mention of a new house. Meggetland is marked on the Ordnance Survey’s 25 inch to the mile maps of 1895, 1908, 1914 and 1933. The pillar across the canal is shown on the 1895, 1908 and 1914 maps but not on the 1933 map when the land had been developed into sports pitches for the University and a pavilion constructed. The sundial is shown on the 1908 and 1914 maps but not on the 1895 or 1933 maps.

A slightly different picture emerges when consulting Bartholomew’s plans of Edinburgh published for the Post Office. Meggetland is marked on the late 19th and early 20th century maps until its disappearance on the 1932-33 when the plot’s boundary and the driveway are illustrated but the house itself has gone. The following year’s edition shows new houses built within the plot, along Colinton Road and the newly-created Meggetland Terrace which approximately follows the boundary of the 19th century plot, and outlines of plots for houses that appear on the next edition.

The sundial from Meggetland was acquired by Sir William Burrell and taken to Hutton Castle, later moving to the Burrell Collection in Glasgow following Sir William’s death in 1958.

The pillar, an impressively tall structure, seems to have been moved to the Colinton Road entrance to a 19th century villa at 1 Lockharton Gardens, and is crowned with a decorative metal finial. The finial matches similar details on the top of the villa’s window pediments so is most likely a Victorian addition.

It is difficult to draw a definitive conclusion from the available evidence. The early maps are not always comprehensive so Meggetland not being depicted on them doesn’t necessarily suggest that a building hadn’t yet been built. The depiction on Adair’s map and also that on the Armstrongs’ map suggests that Meggetland may well have been a castle or tower house. The existence of an ornate probable 17th century sun dial indicates a property of some status, and built at that time on the edge of the relative wilds of the Burgh Muir it is likely to have been defensive in nature. In the absence of any stronger evidence it needs to be considered a “possible”.

The name lives on in the streets Meggetland Terrace, North Meggetland, Meggetland Wind and Meggetland View. The “ancient mansion” of Meggetland stood just in front of where 18 and 20 Meggetland Terrace now stand.

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Alternative names for Meggetland

Megatland; Megetland; Meggatland; Meggetland House; Meggitland; Meggotland; Meghetland

Where is Meggetland?

Meggetland is in the parish of Edinburgh and the county of Midlothian.

Grid reference:NT 23221 71118

Lat / long:55.9269857,-3.2303131

Bing Maps | Google Maps | Historic maps (NLS) | OpenStreetMap | Ordnance Survey | PastMap | Streetmap | Wikimapia

OS Map for Meggetland

OS map 350
Edinburgh (Musselburgh & Queensferry)
OS Explorer map 350


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Directions to Meggetland

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Weather at Meggetland

-1°C
max 1°C / min -2°C
4km/h N
1033mb
95%
0%
08:17 16:33

Clear sky
Weather observed at Edinburgh at 08:03

References (books)

An Ordinary of Arms
James Balfour Paul
Edinburgh, 1893
Calendar of the Laing Charters
John Anderson
Edinburgh, 1899
Cassell's Old and New Edinburgh, Volume 3
James Grant
London, 1883
Historic South Edinburgh
Charles J. Smith
Edinburgh, 2000
Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland (Volume 111)
Various
Edinburgh, 1981
Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland (Volume 24)
Various
Edinburgh, 1890
Register of Interments in the Greyfriars Burying-Ground, Edinburgh, 1658-1700
Henry Paton
Edinburgh, 1902
The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland Volume 5
David MacGibbon
Edinburgh, 1892
The House of Cockburn of that Ilk
Thomas H. Cockburn-Hood
Edinburgh, 1888
The Placenames of Midlothian
Norman Dixon
Edinburgh, 1947
Scottish Post Office Directories
Postmaster General
Edinburgh, 1773 to 1911
The Register of Marriages for the parish of Edinburgh, 1595-1700
Henry Paton
Edinburgh, 1905
The Register of Marriages for the parish of Edinburgh, 1701-1750
Henry Paton
Edinburgh, 1908
Walks near Edinburgh
Margaret Warrender
Edinburgh, 1890
Women in Early British and Irish Astronomy
Mary Brück
London, 2009

Castles near Meggetland

Craig House

0.5km away

Craiglockhart Castle

1.0km away

Merchiston Castle

1.2km away

Saughton Hall (site of)

1.4km away

Stenhouse

1.6km away

Greenhill (possible) (site of)

1.7km away

Redhall Castle (site of)

1.7km away

Roseburn House

1.9km away

Braid Castle (site of)

1.9km away
more castles....

Ancient sites near Meggetland

Wester Craiglockhart Hill fort

1.1km away

Buck Stane standing stone

2.3km away

Caiy Stane standing stone and rock art

2.9km away

Edinburgh Castle fort

3.0km away

Cat Stanes (site of) cairns

3.1km away

Camus Stone (site of) standing stone

3.3km away

Samson's Ribs fort

4.4km away

Arthur's Seat fort

4.8km away

Dunsapie fort

5.3km away
more ancient sites....

Pictish stones near Meggetland

Princes Street Gardens Class I symbol stone

3.0km away

Abernethy No. 2 Class III symbol stone

3.4km away

Abernethy No. 4 Class III cross shaft

3.4km away

Court Cave Class I rock carving

28.1km away

Doo Cave Class I rock carving

28.1km away

Jonathan's Cave Class I rock carving

28.4km away

Sliding Cave Class I rock carving

28.5km away

Scoonie Class II cross slab

34.1km away

Tullibole Class III cross slab

34.6km away
more Pictish stones....
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Pictish sites near Meggetland

Haddington silver chain

28.3km away

Borland silver chain

30.2km away

Todholes (possible) silver chain

32.0km away

Whitlaw silver chain

35.2km away

Traprain Law silver chain

35.2km away

Norrie's Law hoard

40.3km away

Hoardweel silver chain

56.5km away

Whitecleugh silver chain

66.1km away

Dunnicaer fort

131.1km away
more Pictish sites....
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Accommodation near Meggetland

15 Merchiston Gardens Bed & Breakfast
bed and breakfastEdinburgh
0.6km away
Royal Ettrick Hotel
hotelEdinburgh
1.0km away
Ardmillan Hotel
hotel, barEdinburgh
1.3km away
Granville Guesthouse
hotelEdinburgh
1.5km away
NB's Guest House
hotelEdinburgh
1.6km away
Best Western Braid Hills Hotel
hotel, restaurant, barEdinburgh
1.6km away
Martins Guest House
bed and breakfastEdinburgh
1.6km away
Kaimes Guest House
hotelEdinburgh
1.6km away
Albyn Townhouse
bed and breakfastEdinburgh
1.7km away
Robertson Guesthouse
bed and breakfastEdinburgh
1.7km away

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Cafés, restaurants & bars near Meggetland

Caley Sample Room
bar, restaurantEdinburgh
1.2km away
The Waiting Room
barEdinburgh
1.3km away
Ardmillan Hotel
hotel, barEdinburgh
1.3km away
Merlin
barEdinburgh
1.3km away
Morningside Glory
barEdinburgh
1.3km away
Best Western Braid Hills Hotel
hotel, restaurant, barEdinburgh
1.6km away
Montpeliers Bar & Brasserie
bar, restaurantEdinburgh
1.6km away
Best Western Bruntsfield Hotel
hotel, restaurant, barEdinburgh
2.0km away
Links Hotel, Edinburgh
hotel, restaurant, barEdinburgh
2.1km away
Cumberland Hotel
hotel, barEdinburgh
2.1km away
more food.... / more drink....

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Dunbar harbour and castle
Published on the 8th of November 2016 at 11:11 pm. Updated on the 10th of November 2016 at 5:10 pm.

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Andy Sweet above Fast Castle

Stravaiging around Scotland is written, photographed and researched by Andy Sweet.
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