Monks Burn

A historical perspective, drawn from the Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland: A Survey of Scottish Topography, Statistical, Biographical and Historical, edited by Francis H. Groome and originally published in parts by Thomas C. Jack, Grange Publishing Works, Edinburgh between 1882 and 1885.

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Monks Burn, a brook in Penicuik parish, Edinburghshire, rising among the Pentland Hills at an altitude of 1480 feet, and running 2³/₈ miles south-by-eastward, till, after a total descent of 770 feet, it falls into the North Esk near Newhall, at the boundary with Peeblesshire, 4½ miles SW by W of Penicuik town. It enters the glen of the Esk in several considerable falls, amidst landscape of much beauty; is overlooked at its mouth, from the opposite side of the Esk, by a height called the Steel, said to have been so called from a skirmish on itwith a straggling detachment of General Monk's army; and seems to have got its own name from some association with General Monk.—Ord. Sur., sh. 32, 1857.

An accompanying 19th C. Ordnance Survey map is available, or use the map tab to the right of this page.

Note: This text has been made available using a process of scanning and optical character recognition. Despite manual checking, some typographical errors may remain. Please remember this description dates from the 1880s; names may have changed, administrative divisions will certainly be different and there are known to be occasional errors of fact in the original text, which we have not corrected because we wish to maintain its integrity. This information is provided subject to our standard disclaimer