A Bit of History
The Village of Oldhamstocks
The name 'Oldhamstocks' (pronounced Oldhamstocks)
is said to have come from an Anglo-Saxon source:
'Ald ham stoc' which means an old home or
dwelling. The alternative theory is that it
comes from the Gaelic 'Altan' and 'Stotan'
meaning a small burn and tree trunks.
Oldhamstocks is said to be one of East Lothian's
'hidden villages' and certainly that is the
impression given as you reach the Cocket Hat
at the top of the Smiddy Brae and wonder where
the village is.
The village consists of a single row of houses
and at its West end, grouped round the green,
are the former school and schoolhouse, the
parish church and its manse, the market cross
and a stone well for drinking water. The village
smithy remains at the East end and the corn
mill, now a house, is down by the burn. The
site of the former inn, where Cromwell stayed,
is still to be seen on the south side of the
village where the old road from the South
entered over Berwick Bridge.
Times have indeed changed, now that we have
reached the 21st Century - the Census of Oldhamstocks
from the Survey of 1791 makes interesting
reading:
| Families |
Occupation |
Souls |
| |
|
|
| 1 |
Residing Heritors |
1 |
| 13 |
Farmers |
59 |
| 42 |
Hinds |
161 |
| |
Household Servants |
57 |
| 10 |
Fishers |
39 |
| 3 |
Wrights |
15 |
| 3 |
Smiths |
16 |
| 7 |
Weavers |
28 |
| 5 |
Millers |
27 |
| 2 |
Shoemakers |
6 |
| 1 |
Tailors |
3 |
| 1 |
Saddlers |
4 |
| 1 |
Tidewaiters |
2 |
| 8 |
Day Labourers |
37 |
| 12 |
Householders & Single Women |
23 |
| 1 |
Schoolmasters |
5 |
| 1 |
Clergymen |
3 |
| |
|
|
| 111 |
|
498 |
| |
|
|
| *238 males and 260 females |
The Parish Church has been in existence since
before 1127. In that year, Adulph priest of
Oldhamstocks, witnessed a charter of Robert,
Bishop of St Andrews, to the monks of Saint
Cuthbert of Coldingham. The church was consecrated
in October 1242 by David, Bishop of St Andrews.
The patronage of the church was vested in the
Lords of the Manor, the Hepburns of Black Castle,
a large manor house in the field opposite Oldhamstocks
Cottage, long since disappeared in ruins.
From 1562 to 1672 there were nine Ministers
of the church. Portraits of some of the recent
Ministers now hang in the Vestry.
The graveyard is overlooked by a watch-house
erected by Mrs. Agnes Moore, wife of a former
Minister, who was alarmed at the emergence of
the practice of body snatching for Edinburgh's
medical students.
Oldhamstocks Cottage
The cottage is part of the former stable block
serving the manse. The buildings were built
at the same time as the manse, at the turn of
the 19th Century. In 1969 the stable block was
altered to form what is now the cottage - out
went the horses and in came the facilities which
effectively remain today.
Adjacent to the cottage is a Coach House (now
garage) where the coach (as in 'coach and horses')
was kept and the other buildings which make
up the courtyard surrounding the cottage were
all formerly connected to the stables ie for
the grooms, a hay loft and so forth.
The plans showing the conversion of the stables
into a dwelling house hang in the manse.
Contact us: olivia@oldhamstockscottage.com
