Dalkeith

The name Dalkeith first appeared in recorded history when land at “Dolchet” was granted by King David I to William de Graham, an Anglo-Norman Knight, in 1142. 200 years later the land passed by marriage to the powerful Douglas family and Sir James Douglas became the 1st Lord of Dalkeith in 1369.

In 1540 Dalkeith became a “Burgh of Barony & Regality” which gave the town the right, among other things, to hold a weekly market and annual fair.
The 7th Lord of Dalkeith, who was the 4th Earl of Morton, was Regent of Scotland during the early reign of James VI, from 1572 to 1578, and he controlled Scotland from Dalkeith Castle – “The Lion’s Den”. Morton’s successors ran into financial difficulties because of their support for Charles I and sold the Castle to the Buccleuch family in 1642.
Around this time Dalkeith became known as “a town where all witches were burnt” (in 1648–49 alone, 5 women were executed as witches). After the arrival of the Rev. William Calderwood in 1659 the number of witches being accused rose so rapidly that weekly witch trials were held in the town.
In 1650 Cromwell’s army occupied Dalkeith after the Battle of Dunbar. His troops used the parish church as a barracks and stable and his Governor in Scotland, General Monck made the castle his HQ. Scotland was once more ruled from Dalkeith Castle and Monck while here made plans for the restoration of Charles II.
Our Heritage
Dalkeith has a long and exciting history: a tale of Romans; kings, knights and castles; of beheadings, burnings and hangings; witches, dungeons and body- snatchers; of agriculture, coal mining and electronics.
Over the centuries Dalkeith has been at the heart of a rich agricultural area and before the coming of the railways it had the biggest grain market in Scotland.
In more recent times it was at the centre of Midlothian coal mining industry. Scotland’s first railway, the Edinburgh & Dalkeith opened in 1831 for horse drawn wagons taking coal from the local pits to Edinburgh and by 1832 passengers were being carried on what became known as the “Innocent Railway”.
A passenger railway has now returned to Dalkeith. The Borders Railway has a new station at Eskbank.

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