Parochial Economy
Villages-- There were formerly two villages in this parish--Corstorphine and Gogar; the latter, however, now does not deserve the name. Corstorphine towards the end of the last century, and beginning of the present, was a fashionable summer residence for the inhabitants of Edinburgh, having its annual balls and other amusements. The principal attraction to it at that period was the mineral spring before described. Besides these summer visitors, there were other strangers who chose Corstorphine for their residence. These were young men of Norwegian and Swedish families, who were boarded with the schoolmaster of the parish. When Mr. (Alexander) Simpson, the present schoolmaster, was appointed, in 1812, he found it necessary to acquire the Norwegian and Swedish languages, and he continued to have under his charge several Norwegian boarders, until the present heavy duty was imposed on Baltic timber, after- which period the intercourse between this part of the country and Norway ceased.
The appearance of the village of Corstorphine has been greatly improved since the date of the last Statistical Account, by the erection of a handsome villa, and a number of neat cottages, in 1832, by the late David Johnston, Esq. merchant in Gibraltar,--a native of the village, who had acquired a fortune abroad, and spent the last years of his life in superintending these improvements. The healthiness of the climate, and this additional accommodation, has again made Corstorphine a resort for country quarters during the summer season; and were it thoroughly drained, as it might be at a very trifling expense, no situation in the vicinity of Edinburgh would be superior to it, either for salubrity or convenience of access.
The principal traffic carried on in Corstorphine is the purchase
and sale of hay and potatoes. Of other trades there are as follows, viz. 3 bakers, 1 flesher, 8 grocers, 9 spirit dealers, 2 wrights, 2 blacksmiths, 4 tailors with journeymen, 2 shoemakers with ditto.
The village of Gogar is said to have contained 300 inhabitants at one time. About sixty years ago, among its constant residenters were, a watchmaker, flesher, baker, blacksmith, and wright, besides the schoolmaster. Now the three last, and two or three families of farm-servants, constitute its whole population. In 1838, it contained, including the farm-steading, only 7 families, composed of 24 individuals.
There are two other small villages in the parish; the one, Stanhope-mills, on the estate of Saughton, deriving its name from Janet Stanhope, wife of Richard Watson, Esq. of Saughton, who lived about 1550, contains 20 families, consisting of 67 individuals; and the other, Four-mile-hill, contains 12 families of 49 individuals. In each at present there is a resident schoolmaster.
There is an old house in Stanhope-mill, having above the door the arms and initials of Patrick Elphingston, with the date 1623, and the words "Blisit be God for all his giftis." One of the rooms has a circular roof, highly ornamented, and the Royal arms on the wall, with the initials C: R: 2d.
Means of Communication--We have already mentioned, that there was a regular conveyance eight or nine times every weekday, and four times every Sunday, between Corstorphine and Edinburgh, during the summer and autumn of 1749. The fare by this conveyance was 6d. for each person. To show the popularity of Corstorphine at that period in comparison with other places now more resorted to, we may mention, that, in the same year, a stage-coach went and returned thrice every day from Edinburgh; to Musselburgh, the fare being 9d.; while the regular stagecoach to Glasgow went on Monday and Thursday, and returned on Tuesday and Friday, every person paying 9s. of fare, and being allowed to take with him a stone weight of baggage.* As the highway which leads from Edinburgh to Glasgow, and also to Falkirk and Stirling, passes through the village, the means of communication are very frequent, although there is not now any coach from Corstorphine to Edinburgh. Two years ago an attempt was made to establish one, but it was only continued for one season.
Scots Magazine, Vol. xi.
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