GILMERTON, a quoad sacra parish (for a time), in
the parish of Liberton, county of Edinburgh; containing
942 inhabitants, of whom 548 are in the village
of Gilmertou, 4 miles (S. E. by S.) from Edinburgh.
This district comprises about 1100 acres of land, the
whole in tillage or pasture, with the exception of some
small plantations around the seats of the principal heritors.
It contains several coal-mines, of which those of
Gilmerton, Drum, and Somerside, are the principal: the
Gilmerton mine ceased to be wrought in 1838, but was
subsequently brought again into operation. Iron-ore is
known to exist in considerable quantity, some of it of the
best black-band kind; and the lime-works here are perhaps
among the oldest in the kingdom. In 1843 Sir
David Baird, Bart., the proprietor, erected a steam-engine
to take the water off the lime rock, and to draw the stone
to the surface on an inclined plane: also, a draw-kiln was
built for burning the limestone. Drum House, a fine
mansion, was erected in 1698 by Lord James Somerville,
but has since passed through the hands of various families:
Gilmerton House, the property of Sir David Baird,
Bart., is also an ancient structure; and an elegant residence
in the Elizabethan style has lately been built at
Fernieside. The village is situated on the road from
Edinburgh to Carlisle, and coUiers and carters form a
large part of its population. In the district are the two
smaller villages of Edgehead and Todhills. Ecclesiastically
the place is within the bounds of the presbytery of
Edinburgh, synod of Lothian and Tweeddale; it is now
a preaching-station, and the stipend of the preacher is
£80 per annum, which is raised by subscriptions, and
collections in the parish church of Liberton. Gilmerton
church, opened for divine service in April 1837, is a neat
structure seated for 300 persons, built at a cost of about
£600, by subscription aided by a grant from the General
Assembly. The members of the Free Church also have a
place of worship. There is a school, the teacher of which
has a salary contributed by Sir David Baird and others,
and a house and garden. To the teacher of another
school David Anderson, Esq., of Moredun, pays a salary
of £10; and a sewing-school is supported by the Misses
Anderson. A small library was founded by the late
Rev. James Grant, minister of Liberton. The poor in
the village and district, amongst whom are a great number
consisting of the residue of the operatives of the late
extensive coal and lime works, have their sufferings much
alleviated by the kind liberality of Mr. Anderson and his
family, who, besides their donations to the schools, and
other private charities, distribute oatmeal and coal to the
amount of upwards of £50 annually. Gilmerton Cave,
or, as it is usually termed, " the Cove", is a curious and
extensive subterraneous passage, consisting of several
apartments, dug out of the solid rock, with forms and
tables, similarly wrought, for the convenience of visiters.
It was the result of five years' hard labour of an eccentric
individual, a blacksmith, named Paterson, by whom
it was completed in 1724 j and it has since continued to
attract the attention of all strangers. In the cave is also
a well.