1903-1904-] Antiquities, &c.^ of Cramond District, 121 



General Monk, after much solicitation employed and interest 

 made, as appears from the Session Records. 



In different parts of the parish are four tombstones, sup- 

 posed to be in memory of victims to that dreadful disease, the 

 plague, who were not allowed to be buried in the churchyard 

 from an apprehension of the infection again spreading by 

 inadvertently opening the graves. The dates on these tomb- 

 stones are 1646 and 1647. (Two years ago the members of 

 our Society, in an excursion to Cramond, inspected one of these 

 " memorials " near Cramond House.) 



The records of the kirk-session, which begin in 1651 (the 

 session books preceding that period having been carried away 

 by Cromwell), exhibit many curious memorials of the strict- 

 ness of discipline which prevailed in the Church of Scotland 

 more than a century ago. 



Manufachires, &c. — The only manufacture worth mentioning 

 is that of iron (now defunct), carried on by Cadell and Eding- 

 ton. Spades, nails, and files were made here. Steel manu- 

 factured here was exported to India. The works were supplied 

 with coal from Grange to the extent of 1600 tons annually: 

 the freight from Grange to Cramond being Is. 6d. per ton, and 

 the prime cost of the coal being 7s. 6d. per ton, made the price 

 of that article 9s. delivered at Cramond. 



In 1794 the harbour of Cramond, which is specified in the 

 records of Exchequer as a creek within the Port of Leith, has 

 belonging to it seven sloops of from 20 to 80 tons burden, 

 measuring in all 288 tons and navigated by twenty-three men. 

 The Amon at its mouth has about 15 or 16 feet depth of 

 water in high spring tides, and the sea flows no farther than 

 Cocklemill, about a quarter of a mile above Cramond, being 

 stopped by the dam here. The common size of vessels brought 

 up to that mill is from 40 to 50 tons, but the navigation is 

 reckoned dangerous on account of the rocky bottom. There 

 are posts still standing in the channel of the river, having 

 evidently been placed to direct the course of vessels up the 

 river. 



The fisheries are at a low ebb : the oyster fishery has greatly 

 declined since 1740, when eleven large boats, belonging to 

 Cramond, were constantly employed during the season in 

 dragging for that delicious bivalve. The principal part of 



