Braid

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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Braid, a burn and a range of low green hills in the N of Edinburghshire. The burn rises among the Pentlands 1½ mile SSW of Bonally; runs about 9 miles north-eastward, eastward, and again north-eastward to the Firth of Forth at the north-western end of Portobello; drains parts of the parishes of Currie, Colinton, St Cuthbert's, Liberton, and Duddingston; has its course, at parts due S of Edinburgh, between the Braid Hills and Blackford Hill; and, adjacent to the SE base of Arthur's Seat, flows through the pleasure-grounds of Duddingston House, and is accumulated in ponds to drive the flourmills of Duddingston. The hills extend E and W on the S side of the burn and on the mutual border of Colinton, St Cuthbert's, and Liberton parishes; culminate at a point 3 miles S by E of Edinburgh Castle; have a summit altitude of 698 feet above sea-level; and command a superb view of the Old Town of Edinburgh and the surrounding country. A grand convention of 5000 Seceders, besides ` the ungodly audience, consisting of many thousands,' was held (22 May 1738) on the Braid Hills; and a traditional legend makes them the scene of Johnie o' Breadislee's woful hunting, as related in the old ballad commencing-.

'Johnie rose up in a May morning.
Called for water to wash his hands, hands,
And he is awa' to Braidis banks,
To ding the dun deer doun. doun,
To ding the dun deer doun.'

-See Sir Thomas Dick Lander's Rivers of Scotland (new ed. 1874).

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

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