INGLISTON HOUSE

Ingliston House ©

Ingliston House is situated in the Parish of Kirkliston, county of Midlothian. Built in 1846 by George Mitchell Innes of Bangour to whom the estate then belonged. It is in the old Scottish Baronial style of architecture, and was designed by Brown & Wardrop, architects, Edinburgh. It is of two storeys (with garret) and basement, with ashlar corbie step gable, and angle turrets, inset over the entrance.

Sir James Gibson Craig of Riccarton, 1st Bart, who lived in the East Mains of Ingliston and was the then owner of the estate, built the stables and offices in 1803.

An older mansion seems to have at one time existed but all traces of it have been lost. The grounds were well laid out and contained many large trees. There was a fine old lime tree near the mansion house known by the name of “Wallace’s Switch”, which measured 23 feet in circumference three feet from the ground. (This was cut down when the golf course was constructed in 1934).

The lands are first recorded in 1134 when King David I of Scotland granted large tracts of lands including the lands of Liston, to the Knights Templar. They retained the lands until 1312 when their order was suppressed and the lands passed into the hands of their rivals the Knights of St. John.

In 1563 the head of the order of the Knights of St. John in Scotland (Sir James Sandilands, Preceptor of the Torphichen Priory) handed the lands over to Queen Mary probably with reversion. However the ownership after this date remains obscure.

3^rd November 1640. ALEXANDER INGLIS de Inglistoun hæres masculus Jacobi Inglis de Inglistoun olim designati de Eastfield, patris, - it terris subscriptis, viz.7¼ bovatis terrarum de Rottenraw; - 3 bovatis terrarum de Eastfield aliasRottenraw; - 4 bovatis terrarum de Rottenraw nuncupatis Wastfield de Rottenraw; - parte terrarum de Brigis vulgo nuncupata Eister Brigis; - 6 bovatis terrarum et 3 cottagiis villæ et terrarum de Auldlistoun; - 2 bovatis terrarum in Auldlistoun, et quarta parte et tertia parte quartæ partis unius bovatæ terrarum in Auldlistoun, et pendiculo noncupato Cottagium;- terris de Todishauche;- terris de Westerbrigis;- terris de Carlaw et Ridhauche;- terris de Listounscheils, omnibus infra baroniam de Listoun, cum libera capella et cancellaria, unitis in baroniam de Inglistoun, et jacentibus infra vivecomitatus de Edinburgh et Linlithgow respective:- E. 10l. 6s. 8d. - Molendino de Gogar cum terris molendinariis et libertate communitatis in mora de Gogar. - E. 5l. &c. -(Vide Linlithgow). xvi.52

On 19th December 1679, Hugh Wallace of Ingliston W.S. is recorded as having accumulated the whole burden of the debts of Corstorphine and William the 4th Lord Forrester. Wallace obtained a charter, under the Great Seal, of the Barony of Corstorphine and his title was ratified by Lord Forrester in November 1698. On 26th July 1701, he sold the estate to Sir Robert Dickson of Sorneborg, whose title was also ratified by the master of Forrester.

1732, Alexander Greig a prosperous drover obtained an 11 year let from George Smollet of Ingliston of the farm and parks and enclosures.

1850, George Mitchell Esq. was living in the house.

1864, Edinburgh Directory, David Fortune and Robert Stewart, are apparently in possession.

The title deeds to the property then tell us that the property owners were:-

1926, Robert Montgomery Stevenson and Elizabeth Gentle Stevenson.

1934, Robert Montgomery Stevenson and Elizabeth Gentle Stevenson or Lang sold the property to William Brown.

Mr Brown turned the estate into a golf course and the mansion house into the clubhouse.

The 1935 Golfer’s Handbook describes the course: - Ingliston G. C. Ingliston House, Ratho Station near Edinburgh. Tel No. Ratho 65. Membership limited to 650. Hon. Sec., W. F. McGregor. (p). I. Walker. 18 holes. Visitors’ fees, 2s per day; 2s 6d Saturdays and Sundays.

1945, Catherine Jane Smith Brown or Hanton, and Charles McKendrick sold property to Trustees for the institution in Edinburgh denominated the House of Refuge for the Destitute.

In 1956, the aforementioned House of Refuge now known as Queensberry House sold the property to Neil McKinlay, a motor dealer at Newbridge and his wife Margaret May Fraser or McKinlay.

In 1959, the McKinlay’s sold the property to the Royal Highland & Agricultural Society of Scotland, who continue to own the property.

The first show was held by this organisation at the new permanent venue was between the 21st and 24th of June 1960.

The property at this time changed hands for £20,000.

Ingliston is the only place in Scotland where an individual Roman Milestone has been found. It was discovered by Sir Robert Sibbald (1641-1712) and is now kept at the National Museum of Antiquities: -

Erected in the reign of Antoninus Pius, on one of the roads linking the Antonine Wall with the provinces in the south, fragments of an inscription survive:

N[I]NO. AVG PIO / PP . COS[I] II / 2 lines erased / CO]H I . CVGERNOR /  [TRI] MONTI . MP /.

It is generally agreed that the Complete text ran more or less as follows:

I[mp(eratori) Caes(ari) T(ito) / Ael(io) Hadr(iano) Anto] / nino Aug(usto) Pio / P(atri) P(atriae) Co(n)s(uli) [I]II / 2 lines erased / [Co]h(ors) I Cugernor(um) / [Tri]monti(o) m(illia) p(assuum) / [ . . . ]

‘For the Emperor Caesar Titus Aelius Hadrianus Antoninus Augustus Pius, father of his country, thrice consul, . . .,  The first cohort of Cugerni (set this up). From Trimontium . . . miles.’

Probably erected between AD 139 and 144 it gave the distance in Roman miles between Ingliston and Newstead (Trimontium), at Melrose.