The following report comes from the Caledonian Mercury of Saturday 23 October 1790.
It recounts in a slightly muddled fashion the consequence of crossing an artificial stream which ran between Canonmills Loch and the mills along today's Canon Street.
Ainslie's later map of 1804 (below) shows a bridge on the south side of the loch, but only the very narrowest (if any) passage over the stream a little to the north.
Here there was a natural desire line between today's Eyre Place at Canon Street (the route from Stockbridge) and Broughton Road (the route to Leith), which, in a city without lamplights, was particularly hazardous at night.
Early this morning, the corps of a young stout made man, of the name of David Aikman, labourer, was taken out of the mill-lead at Canonmills. It is supposed he had mistaken his road in the dark of the morning, and fallen in before the second wheel, which instantly crushed him in a manner too shocking for description. He has left a wife and six small children.—This is the third accident that has happened about the same spot within a short time. The road by the top of the mill-lead has long been considered a very dangerous one, being only about two foot broad. Strangers in the night time cannot cross but at the risk of their lives. Now that a communication has been opened between the latter and Canonmills, it would be well worthy the attention of the Honourable Sheriff and Trustees of the County, to visit this small spot, and order an alteration thereof so as to join the road that runs through Canonmills to Leith, which would be a most convenient passage for both foot and horse, and be the means of preventing such dangerous consequence in time coming.
As the author of the article remarked, this was by no means an unusual occurrence, although the previous two incidents went unreported in this newspaper. Much earlier, two girls fell in at the dam head on 26 August 1769 and were saved, despite one of them passing under two different mill wheels. Eighteen years before that, on 3 July , a three-year-old boy tumbled into the water and was carried under the wheels of five mills. He died very soon afterwards.
In any case, whilst the area has no particular connection with artillery, the sign is attached to a listed building whose owner is apparently powerless to remove it.
More blundering in the dark
Other pitfalls awaited the unwary in an ill-lit city whose streetscape was fast changing. On 6 April 1786, Caledonian Mercury readers read of a woman who had become dangerously disorientated on Queen Street.
Friday night, about nine o’clock, a lady in search of a house in Queen’s street, mistaking the building in that part of it to the east of St Andrew’s street for the house immediately to the westward of St David’s street, unfortunately tumbled over the precipice from the pavement into the green above Broughton, by which accident she had one of her arms broken. It were to be wished that the guardians of the city would expend a trifle of the public treasure in erecting a rail or some other barrier alongst this dangerous spot, to prevent accidents of the like nature from happening in future.
Ainslie's map of 1780 (above) illustrates the problem, but does not explain why the lady crossed the road (regardless of how far west or east she thought she was) and then stepped towards undeveloped ground.
Dead of night
That benighted area to the north of Queen Street held other perils for the unlucky, as this local found to his cost three years later.
MURDER AND ROBBERY.
Sheriff-Clerk’s Office, Edinburgh, Feb. 11. 1783.
This morning about seven o’clock, David Reid, residenter in Broughton, cook to Duncan M’Farlane vintner in Edinburgh, was found dead in a park between the New Town of Edinburgh and Broughton, through which there is a common foot-path, with a variety of wounds in different parts of his body, some of them triangular, and that appeared to have been given with a bayonet or small sword. It would seem he had been robbed of his watch, being possessed of it when he left his master’s house between eleven and twelve o’clock last night.—If any person saw or spoke to the said David Reid in his way home, or elsewhere, after eleven o’clock at night; or if he was in any other house than his master’s after that hour, it is intreated they will give immeadiate information of any of these circumstances at the Sheriff’-Clerk’s Office. WILLIAM SCOTT, P.F.
Feb. 12
N. B. There was brought to the Sheriff-Clerk’s Office yesterday, a stick, and this day a hat; both of which were discovered near to the place where the above David Reid was found dead. The stick, when found, was covered with blood, and is nicked round at the small end in the form of a screw. The hat is a coarse slouched hat, made of wool, and English manufacture.—It is entreated, that any information that can be given respecting the above articles, may be lodged immediately at the Sheriff-Clerk’s Office; or if any person of a suspicious appearance has been seen purchasing or borrowing a hat, it is also requested notice may be given as above.
Persons giving useful intelligence will be handsomely rewarded, and their names kept secret, if desired.
The Procurator Fiscal made the strictest scrutiny to discover the perpetrators of the above cruel murder, but we find no record of them ever having been caught.
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New Town Flâneur Retweeted Broughton Spurtle
Edinburgh before street lights: edgy and (broken) hip.
Lizzie Rynne Retweeted New Town Flâneur
aye. scary. really scary.. But just where does @theSpurtle dredge these items? In our back yards. wholly scary.
Eleanor Margaret Harris A series of people plunged to their deaths off the terrace in which St John's/ Lothian Road is built before they got around to erecting a railing.