Background In 1870, the Poorhouse in Edinburgh moved from its overcrowded premises on Forrest Road, to an innovative purpose-built complex at Craiglockhart. The complex remained in use until 1987 when it was finally closed. It gradually metamorphosed over the years into a hospital and then an old people's home, but it apparently never actually closed as a Poorhouse, so there is no definite finishing date for Craiglockhart Poorhouse. The Merchants of Edinburgh Golf Club started to lease some of the land formerly belonging to the Poorhouse in 1907, and their lease continues to this day. It is on this Golf Club land that the midden on which I am doing my dissertation is located. Exploratory work on the midden I have studied pottery, glass and other materials lying on the surface of the midden, and so far what appears to be there is: an enormous quantity of chunky ash, presumably from the boilers which heated the Poorhouse complex. a very small amount of pottery presumably belonging to staff at the Poorhouse, including parts of three plain white porcelain egg cups. This sherd comes from the surface of the midden a large quantity of pottery which can be identified as belonging to the Poorhouse, falling into two main categories: white with pink stripes, and white with blue stripes. The stripe patterns further separate the pottery, possibly chronologically. There are some very substantial round plates - about 14 inches in diameter, as well as dinner plates, soup plates, bowls and mugs, all of various styles. The City of Edinburgh crest, along with its motto Nisi Dominus Frustra and Edinburgh City Poorhouse appears on one style of bowls and mugs. a large quantity of white bowls of three different sizes, white mugs, and some white plates, all of which may be assumed to be table ware from the Poorhouse, some being the equivalent without the stripes of the previous category. a medium quantity of stoneware - apparently small storage jars and mugs. a medium quantity of glass, almost exclusively broken bottles. On one, the writing would indicate that it held shampoo of some sort. This sherd also comes from the surface of the midden a small quantity of small ceramic pots, at least one being a container for polishing paste. parts of possible ceramic funnels (maybe used for transferring liquids of some sort). one or more ceramic dolls (parts of). a medium quantity of red ware - nearly all the same type of large vessel, possibly for skimming milk. a very small quantity of ceramics which appear to parts of pipes, troughs, sinks, toilets, etc. a few pieces of patterned, etched Victorian window glass. parts of mesh from a food safe. one piece of lead in the shape of an isosceles triangle. what appears to be a very battered iron watering can. some parts of clay pipe bowls and stems. one or more bones from a very large animal. The only pottery mark I have been able to trace is one appearing four times on different pieces of white pottery, and is from a pottery in Newcastle (C. T. Maling). Due to lack of bases for the blue- and pink-striped crockery it isn't possible to say at present whether this pottery was also manufactured by C. T. Maling, or indeed if several different manufacturers were involved over time. Desktop study I have already done a fairly extensive literature/document search on Craiglockhart Poorhouse, and I have found a small number of useful texts/pieces of information. One is an extensive tender by the successful competing architect, George Beattie, for Craiglockhart Poorhouse, dated 1865. Another is the complete plans of the Poorhouse showing the functions of each area and room on all three floors, with differences pre- and post-1906, dated 1950. The plans are loose with no accompanying explanation, and it is unclear where the information came from. Finally, I have information from the Sasines, detailing the changes in ownership and use of land associated with the Poorhouse. Plans are mentioned in the documents, but they appear to no longer exist. Although there are some useful documents relating to Scottish Poorhouses and to Craiglockhart in particular, nothing appears to have been written about pottery in these institutions or indeed in any others operating at the same time (although some information may be forthcoming from local government reports). In order to look at the pottery from the midden at Craiglockhart in its wider context it has been necessary to do some exploratory work on the surfaces of middens from the nearby institutions of the former Craighouse Hospital, the Royal Edinburgh Hospital, and the City Hospital. Results from these so far are summarised below. Craighouse Hospital There are extensive dumps of ash near the boiler house which have yeilded a limited number of sherds from their surfaces. A lot of these are plain white with grass green and gold edging, made by various manufacturers including Wood, who supply the City Hospital at the present time. Royal Edinburgh Hospital Plate sherd from midden in grounds of Royal Edinbrugh Hospital This has been by far the most productive of the background studies, with very large quantities of good-sized sherds coming from an area which is at present being developed. There is a close similarity in pattern to the sherds from the Poorhouse midden, although those from the Royal Edinburgh all have crests on them, some of the items display embelishment which is not present at all on the Poorhouse sherds. Soap dish(?) used in Royal Edinburgh on display in the Clouston Room There are several items of higher status pottery on display at the Clouston Room in the Royal Edinburgh, very similar to what is coming from the disturbed midden, but this time with gold rather than pink or blue edging. All the vessels from the main midden at the Royal Edinburgh are made by Copeland and date from 1877 onwards. It appears that the pottery used in the Royal Edinburgh before 1877 was willow pattern and other blue and white transfer wares, manufactured by Clyde Pottery, Greenock and Bell's Pottery, Glasgow and also unmarked cream wear with R.E.A. in black capitals as the only form of decoration. Both the blue and white ware and the cream ware were found together in large quantities but in a different location from the Copeland pottery. The following letter from the 1877 letterbook helps to put both groups of pottery into context. Royal Edinburgh Asylum Letter Book #9 Page 418 Messrs W.T. Copeland & Sons Stoke on Trent 8th May 77 Gentlemen I send herewith a list of articles of crockery required at the Royal Edinburgh Asylum for the Insane for which the managers of that institution are taking competitive tenders. I shall feel obliged by your informing me if you are open to contract for a three years supply of these in such quantities, and at such periods as may be necessary. I regret that I am unable to inform you of the probable quantities that may be required; the institution having been hitherto supplied with articles of a somewhat inferior kind which do not last so long as your ware is understood to do. I may however mention that in the East Division of the asylum there are from 90 to 100 high class patients and in the West Division about 650 patients of a humbler rank. From these numbers you will be able to form some idea of the quantities which are likely to be wanted. If you are inclined to compete I shall feel obliged by your forwarding goods, with sketch of the monogram to Mr Andrew Lealie House Superintendent at the Asylum within ten days from this date, and at the same time to send a sealed tender addressed to me here. I am gentlemen Yours obediently D. Scott Moncrieff Also invited to tender were: Messrs G.L.Ashworth and Bros Hanley; Messrs T. Fell and Co St Peters Pottery Newcastle Upon Tyne; Messrs J.Miller and Co (retailer) Edinburgh The following two letters were written to John Donald, a pottery retailer still in existence in Edinburgh. They appear to refer to pottery which had no pottery marks at all to indicate the manufacturer and which bore the initials 'R.E.A.', which is true of the pottery bearing the letters R.E.A. mentioned above. Since John Donald had close connections with Clyde Pottery, Greenock, it may be conjectured that the unmarked R.E.A. pottery and the blue and white ware from Clyde Pottery may both have been purchased from John Donald around about the time of the letters. However, there are no more letters to back this up as John Donald only has records going back to the 1920s, and there is a gap in the Royal Edinburgh letter books between 1857 and 1870. The marks on most of the pieces of Clyde Pottery are beehive marks saying C.P.Co. which, it has been suggested, may indicate that it dates to shortly after the end of the Thomas Shirley period, since the beehive mark was first used by Thomas Shirley. Mr. John Donald Bristo Port Lane 30 dec 75 Dear Sir, Your letter of 28th inst. was yesterday submitted to the Managers of the Asylum when I was directed to inform you that they were satisfied that the tumblers supplied by you to the Asylum were of British manufacture. They considered however that they were not equal in quality to the sample. Yours truly D. Scott Moncrieff Mr. John Donald 49 Forrest Road 3rd February 76 Dear Sir, I received your letter of 25th January. The Managers felt that without Mr. Swan's sanction they could not relieve you of the goods to which you refer. I am glad to say however that as Mr. Swan has signified his willingness to the transaction, the managers have authorized me to inform you that they will take from you the articles marked with the Asylum stamp provided you will supply them at the prices marked in the new contract and that the total cost does not exceed £10. Yours truly D. Scott Moncrieff City Hospital The grounds of the City Hospital are covered in dumps from the incinerator, and at present no substantial early dumps have been located. Plate sherd showing Edinburgh crest and Edinburgh City Hospital banner However, one sherd (pictured) was recovered from a minor - apparently secondary - dump, showing that the practice of marking the pottery ordered for the hospital with the relevant crest seems to have been in operation. In addition to the above, the Chrichton Royal Hospital in Dumfries has in its museum examples of pottery in use there during the last century which has crests on it and some also has the same pink stripe pattern along the edge as the pottery from the Poorhouse midden. Excavation A small trench will be put into the main midden for the Craiglockhart Poorhouse on the grounds of the golf course around the end of July. The City Archaeological Service in Edinburgh will act as monitor during the excavations. More details on the dissertation can be found on the next page. For more letters from the R.E.A. to pottery retailers in Edinburgh go to the letters page. Back to main page The text and images in this page are ©copyright Joanna Dawson 1999