OS1/11/9/72

Continued entries/extra info

[Page] 72
List of Names collected by John E Darnan RS&M [Royal Sappers & Miners]
[Parish] Mid Calder
Calder House Continued
Rev [Reverend] Dr Somers History of the Parish of Mid Calder.
[Description continued] to the peerage, was the acquisition of the great estates of the Knights Hospitallers of St John of Jerusalem - Sir James Sandilands one of the Ancestors of this noble family was the last Grand Master of the above order; there was also another order attached to this family the Knights Templars or Knights of the Holy Sepulchre. These orders were instituted in 1099 and 1119. Sir James at the time of the Reformation in 1560 renounced the Catholic Religion and abjured the tenets of the above orders immediately after which they were entirely suppressed; an interesting account is given in the history of the parish (of this family) by Dr Sommers Another object worthy of remark is a well in the kitchen of Calder House constructed of fine polished stone & 93 ft [feet] deep, from which it is said there is a communication leading to what appears to be a most abundant spring of pure water called St Mungo's 200 yards from its supposed source in the Kitchen; and if tradition can be trusted there was a secret concealed passage under ground from Calder house to the Church or Village of Mid Cal [Calder] from which it may be supposed that at an early period of our history, Calder House must have been place of considerable strength. The original entrance to this ancient mansion was by an Iron Gate with massive rustic Pillars on the public road leading from the west side of the village, on those pillars is the date 1660 also is sculptured in bas relief, the scotch thistle, the crown and bloody heart the same features are also represented on top of the Iron gate; The bloody heart is a true indication of this familie's [family's] connection with the Douglasses

Transcriber's notes

Continuation of Description for "Calder House" from preceding Page 71. Part of information, from "Gate with massive rustic Pillars" is written at right angles on this page.