Detail View: Charting The Nation: The Hous of Newebiging with gardens, parks and other inclosurs, belonging to Sir John Clerk of Pennycuik [1 of 1]

0043443

RHP9369

National Archives of Scotland

The Hous of Newebiging with gardens, parks and other inclosurs, belonging to Sir John Clerk of Pennycuik

Adair, John (b.1660, d.1718)

Mapmaker

Clerk, John, Sir of Penicuik

Landowner

1687-1726

This map of the original house lands belonging to Sir John Clerk of Penicuik, the first Baronet (d. 1722), at the Penicuik House site, executed by John Adair in 1687, is very faded, and somewhat damaged. A photocopy taken some years ago, which clarifies some of the more faded elements of the map, is on images 00002573 and 00002574. The house shown on here is Newbigging House, the predecessor of the Penicuik House designed by the second Baronet, Sir John Clerk (1676-1755), and built until 1761. Newbigging House then became known as Old Penicuik House. The map has an ornate title cartouche in the bottom left hand corner, showing two cherubs, one of them holding a fishing (or possibly surveying) line, and contains the title and the words 'surveyed & designed by J. Adair 1687'. The first Baronet, Sir John Clerk died in 1722. His father, John Clerk, had bought the lands of the Barony of Penicuik in 1646. The map itself shows the lands around Newbigging House, including the properties of Ravensneuk in the south and Ravens Hall in the west. It shows the North Esk river, and some of the smaller burns, the East Burn, the West Burn, the Cursewell, on which the faded 'Scobie well' and its little structure can just be made out, and [?]sons Clough, on which stands an unnamed building. Also drawn are the avenues of trees, the 'upper ponnd', and what may be a ruin, or possibly a folly, named as 'Knightsla', to the north. In the bottom right hand corner is a vignette of the house taken from the east. Other vignettes show a person fishing in the North Esk, someone striding along with a firearm, a field of hay in stooks, with the haymaker working in it, and a field of sheep with their shepherd. At a later date, a note has been added in manuscript to the top of the sheet 'House & park[s?] of penny[coo?]k by John Adair 1787'. The mistake in the date may have been made because the same person added notes on the horticultural development of the lands, all of which were in the 18th. century - 'The braes of [Ravensneuk?] [was ?] planted between 1710 & 1726', 'This avenue and bridge [?] on the E. burn was begun in 1728', 'The Garden was made between 1714 and 1716'. These developments are in the time of the second Baronet, Sir John Clerk 1676-1755. Another note about the title and date had originally been pasted in the top right hand corner, but this has been removed. However, it can be seen on the images of the photocopy at 00002573 and 00002574. The maps on the images 00002330 and 00002331 may be contemporary with this map, and may be associated with the developments.

Manuscript map/plan

51.1 x 65.6cm (1' 8 1/8" x 2' 1 13/16")

Paper

Hand coloured

Midlothian,Newbigging House,North Esk River,Old Penicuik House,Penicuik,Ravens Hall,Ravensneuk,Scotland

Courtesy of the Keeper of the Records of Scotland

Cropped Tiff

70318936

The Hous of Newebiging with gardens, parks and other inclosurs, belonging to Sir John Clerk of Pennycuik [1 of 1]

5733 x 5012

0043443c.tif

00002576

Inadequate resolution

01/03/2001