Reply Requested--Shoe Maker's Close in Canongate

[knrivers]

Hi,

My 6th g grandfather John Drummond (b. 13 Apr 1749 in Canongate) is listed in the Edinburgh City Directories (1751-1775) as having been a weaver and living with his wife, Ann Thompson (b. 11 Jan 1753 in Edinburgh) at Shoemaker's Close, Canongate, Edinburgh. 

I am fascinated to know what this place looked like.  Does this place still exist?  If so, does anyone have any further information on it and/or would be willing to snap a photo or two of it for me?

I live in California and am a public school teacher with three children under the age of 9 so my chances of getting "over the pond" anytime soon I would say are pretty slim.  :-)

Thank you very much for any help you can provide.

Thank you, again,
Kristin

[Little Nell]

Hi Kristin

Welcome to RootsChat.

This is a link to a site which I have found useful for both history and the current situation:

http://www.edinburgh-royalmile.com/

I'm not sure if Shoemaker's Close exists anymore - at least not in that name.  I have found it on cir 1849 OS map at:

http://www.nls.uk/maps/

Choose "Browse Town plans" and then Edinburgh 1849-53.

Go to the south-east part of the overview map of Edniburgh.

Then click on the second square from the top on the left hand side.

Zoom in until you can see Shoemaker's Close.  It runs in a sort of Z shape from what is now Calton Road to  the Canongate, near the Canongate church, but beside the Edinburgh Gas Works.  I doubt that they would have been there in 1749 but at least it gives you the location!  It is west of the Tolbooth Wynd, which does still exist.

I hope that helps - it is difficult to describe and I hope you get there.

Nell

[Akwaba]

Shoemakers' Close and Dark or Little or East Shoemakers' Close (215 and 195 Canongate) are shown on Ainslie 1780 and were named for the Incorporation of the Cordiners or Showmakers of the Canongate, established in 1554, who acquired the site for the three Shoemakers' Lands in 1647.  The eastmost one, known as Bible Land from the Bible carved below the craft insignia, dated from 1677 and contained their Hall.  Little and dark simply distinguished the east close as being narrower and therefore somewhat darker than the other.

Have a look at Google maps using the address 215 Canongate (http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&tab=wl&q=) - this is now somewhat changed as the site of the large roof (bus depot at one time) is being developed = http://www.caltongate.com/Home.aspx

[ADP]

Using the link that Nell gave, you can check three different old streetmaps of Edinburgh.


http://www.nls.uk/maps/

Choose "Browse Town plans" and then Edinburgh 1849-53.
- Click on the south-east section
- Click on the top-left map section (sheet 30)
- Zoom in on the bottom centre of the map to find Shoemakeres Close on the eastern boundary of the Gas Works.

Choose "Browse Town plans" and then Edinburgh 1876-77.
Choose "Browse Town plans" and then Edinburgh 1893-94.
By the time of these maps, the Gas Works had expanded and north section of Shoemaker's Close had gone. The south section was certainly still there in 1894. Although un-named on the map, it appears in the street directory on the back of the modern reprint of that map by Alan Godfrey Maps.

ADP

[knrivers]

Hi,

Thank you all for your great maps (and instructions on how to view them)!  It's really cool to see where my ancestors were (eventhough the street's not there anymore).  It was still awesome to see where it was!  :-)

Thank you, again,
Kristin

[ADP]

Hi Kristin,

I must have edited the last section of my post above while you were writing your reply.

... the south section of Shoemaker's Close was still in existence in 1894...

My feeling is that it probaly went in the 1930s when the tenements shown in the picture on the following webpage were built. (A development currently on the drawing board wants to demolish some of these tenements)

http://eh8.org.uk/node/46

ADP

[Akwaba]

http://www.edinphoto.org.uk/0_B/0_buildings_-_bible_land_007537.htm

just to see part of the original "Showmaker's Land" incorporated into the rebuild.

[jimmijam]

Hi Kristin,
I came across your post and I too have been tracing my family's history.

I have a  Margaret, born c1740, daughter of John Drummond.  She married George Stark in 1766 in the Canongate, Edinburgh. George Stark, according to Ancestry has Trade Listings in "Shoemaker's Close" as a comb & toy maker. 

The names and locations do seem quite close to your research.

It would be great to see if we can link anything up,

Best wishes, Jimmijam

[Les de B]

I "stumbled" across this post when researching Shoemakers Close, Edinburgh. My interest is my wife's ancestors who were married in Canongate Church. The church records indicate both were from Shoemakers Close. I've had a fairly hard time trying to find the location, but thanks to those who replied to this post with map details, it appears that I have now located it, though during my research into this location there appears to be a little confusion between Shoemakers Close and Shoemakers Hall. Both are only about 50m's apart (street No.s 195 and 185 respectively), and both have a shoemaker's crest above their doors.

Now to my query. Below is a transcript from the marriage I mentioned, however, I'm at a loss as to the references of "Burnets Lane" and "McQueens Lane" which appear after after "Shoemakers Close"? I've checked numerous maps trying to see if these lanes adjoin the close, but can't find any. I've found Burnets Close way down the other end of the Royal Mile, but nothing at all relating to McQueen. Any ideas?

24TH (February 1816)
Francis Benson, Labourer, Shoemakers
close, Canongate, Burnets lane 3rd story and
Agnes Bishop, in the said close, McQueens lane
ground story, Daughter of the late Robt
Bishop, Labourer, parish of Currie, gave
up their names for Marriage.
Certified by John McPherson, Sawer,Shoe-
Maker close Canongate and Willm Dudgeon,
Haberdasher, Tolbooth wynd Leith.


Photo of Shoemaker Close attached.

Les