Part IV.

THE DEAN AND WATER OF LEITH.

THE DEAN.

The ancient village of the Dean has now been entirely cleared away, the few inhabited houses that remain being of comparatively recent erection. In old times, when the village was in its entire state, its appearance was very picturesque. There was one short street, with a lane or two branching off to the east. The most of the houses. were thatched; some of them that were of two storeys being reached by outside stairs. Its inhabitants were chiefly employed as carters and quarrymen at Craigleith Quarry. There were also some farm servants, employed at the neighbouring farm of Dean, at that time tenanted by Mr George Carfrae, a respected elder of the West Kirk, and the father of our townsman, Mr Robert Carfrae, who is distinguished by his taste in house decoration, as well as by his archæological knowledge. Although so close to the village of Water of Leith, the village of Dean was distinct in itself, and its own wants, to a certain extent, it could supply. The school was taught by Thomas Shirref, afterwards minister of the Parish of Fala, an able and a kindly teacher; his successor, Alexander Ferguson, was possessed of much the same characteristics and capabilities. On one side of the school was the house of James Aitken, the village shoemaker, and on the other side was

the smithy of Robert Orrock, of whose handiwork, doings, and sayings we will require to speak more fully afterwards. As cartwright and joiner we had Peter Lock; while the little hostelry and grocery were kept by Mrs Burr, its signboard swinging above the door having on it a well-painted horse and cart, with the motto "Lang may the wheel row." Situated about the centre of the hamlet was the old draw-well,-deep, dark, and cool,— that supplied all the villagers with excellent water. Striking eastward from the well was a row of one-storeyed thatched cottages. In the second of these lived "Coal Nelly," so called from her dealing in a small way in coals. We do not now remember her full name. Dear old Nelly was a kind friend to the schoolboys. She had an old chair placed close to the door in the inside of her cottage; upon the chair was a large brown can filled with water, and a jug beside it. This was placed there for the use of the scholars, and at any time when the school was dismissed, there was always a run of thirsty ones to Nelly's door.

In the last remaining house of the old village, which was cleared away in 1885, there was born one who rose to some eminence and distinction as a scholarly clergyman. This was Thomas Wright, the son of Thomas Wright, plasterer in the Dean. He was educated at the High School and the University of Edinburgh, where his assiduity and attainments attracted the notice of several of the professors, especially that of Dugald Stewart; while the kindly notice and affectionate regard of the Rev. Dr Meiklejohn, who discovered in his pupil the germ of much talent, greatly encouraged him to prosecute the study of theology. Thomas Wright became tutor successively in the families of Campbell of Stonefield and Clerk Rattray of Craighall,

where his diligence in advancing the education of the younger members of their families led both these gentlemen to interest themselves in promoting his views toward a settlement in the church. He was licensed by the Presbytery of Edinburgh, Sept. 20th, 1810, and he was presented to the parish of Borthwick by the Right Hon. the Lord Chief Baron Dundas, and ordained there Dec. 4th, 1818. He was deposed by the General Assembly May 24th, 1841, for constructive heresy. On receiving notice. of this severe sentence, he indignantly removed his furniture from the manse of Borthwick to Edinburgh before break of the following day. In this decision it was thought that very scant justice had been given to Mr Wright. The deposition was carried by the overwhelming majority of the dominant party, who had made attempts to enlist him into their ranks, and failing in this endeavour, they raised a hue and against him, without being able to point out specifically any heresy. For many years after his retirement he lived with his sister, Mrs Miller, at Wester Farmhouse, Comely Bank. He died at South College Street, Edinburgh, 13th March 1855, in his seventieth year.

The house occupied by Mr Wright's father was accounted rather superior in the village. It was a onestoreyed red-tiled house, and it stood close to the large land directly opposite the Dean Church.

In 1743 the population of the Dean, according to the return furnished to the ministers of the West Kirk, was as follows:-"Families 85; men 107, women 157, boys 68, girls 63. Total number of males 175. Total number of females 220. Total number of the population, 395."

DEAN HOUSE.

The old mansion house of Dean, the seat of the ancient but now extinct family of Nisbet of Dean, was one of the finest in the neighbourhood of Edinburgh. It was taken down in 1845, in laying out the grounds of the Dean Cemetery. It was one of those fine, old, aristocratic dwellings that once abounded within easy walking distance of the city, but which are now rapidly disappearing, like so many of its other interesting memorials of former times. It was a large, irregular pile. On a sculptured stone over the east doorway was the date 1614, but other parts of the building bore evident traces of an earlier date. The large gallery had an arched ceiling, decorated with paintings; the subjects were chiefly sacred, and though executed in distemper, they had a bold and pleasing effect when seen as a whole. One of the panels bore the date 1627. A portion of this ceiling is preserved in the museum of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. The dormer windows and principal doorways were richly decorated with sculptured devices, inscriptions, and armorial bearings. Some of these very finely cut carvings were illustrative of the successive alliances of the owners, and some of these curious stones have been built into the boundary walls of the cemetery.

When James VI. revisited Edinburgh in 1617, he entered the city in great pomp, and proceeded in state to St Giles' Cathedral. After divine service he conferred the honour of knighthood upon William Nisbet of Dean, who was then Lord Provost of the city.

The earliest notice in the minutes of the Session of St Cuthbert's Church of the purchase of a piece of family burying-ground is by Sir William Nisbet of Dean, in March 1645, the year of the plague, when "Sir William