142 Me^toirsof John Cochhurn Efq* April 



ports to each other. As a preliminary flep, he \ti aoout re^ 

 forming his village of Ormifton ; made a plan of a neat, r-iry, 

 regular (Ireet, to be filled up with the houles of manufa£lurera 

 and tradefmen ; and granted feus on moderate terms to all his 

 tenants and cottars who choofed to build houfes. Hence, a vil- 

 lage was reared up in a Oiort fpace of time, which to tliis day 

 meets with admiration from every one that paiTeF. 



To promote the manufacture of linen, Mr Cockburn was 

 warmly difpofed. He confidered it as one of the ftaple trades of 

 Scotland, and as the beft fupport of the general intereft. He 

 viewed it as intimately connedted with hufoandry^ the land afford- 

 ing an opportunity for producing the raw article to the manufac- 

 turers ; while they, in return, furnilhed hands for carrying on 

 agricultural works, efpeciaily in harveft, and for the confumptioH 

 of its various produce. To attain thefe obje(£ts, an eminent under- 

 taker, from Ireland, both in the manufacturing and whitening of 

 linen, was induced to take up his refidence at Ormifton ; and a 

 favourable leafe of the blcachfield and fome lands in the neigh- 

 bourhood was granted to him. This was the firft blcachfield in 

 tliis county — probably the fecond in Scotland ; for, before 173c, 

 fine linens were lent to Haarlem in Holland to be whitened and 

 drefled. A piece of gr(5und, in feu, was given to the undertak- 

 er, for builcing a dwelling and fuch other houfes as were required 

 to accommodate the manufaftory. Influence was alfo exerted 

 with the Honourable Board of Truitecs for Manufactures in 

 Scotland, and pecuniary aid obtained from them in fupport of 

 the infant manufaclure. 



As, in thcfe days, people at home were unacquainted with the 

 operations of a blcachfield, feveral experienced hands were brought 

 from Holland and Ireland to execute the labour of this new un- 

 dertaking. Such met with liberal encouragement from Mr Cock- 

 burn and his tenants. The growth of flax forming an eflential 

 part of the new eftablifluTient, Mr Cockburn obtained premium* 

 from the Truftees to encourage its culture, and an annual falary 

 for an edabliihed lint-drefler and heckler. A fchool for teaching 

 young girls to Ipin linen yarn, was alfo erected, under the direc- 

 tion of a qualified fpinftrefs, who received a fuitable falary for 

 her trouble in educating them. Hence a confiderable quantity of 

 linen yarn was fpun upon the fpot, which fupplicd the manufac- 

 tory with materials of the befii quality. 



About the year 1736, the progrefs of agricultural improve- 

 ments at Orm.iilon had excited fo much notice over all Scotland, 

 that Mr Cockburn, always awake to every circumilance which 

 could forward his tlarling objecl, felzcd upon fuch a notable op- 

 portunity of diileminating uicfui knowledge among his brother 



proprietors 



