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Newhailes House is a Palladian style country house which stands in 80 acres of parkland on the edge of the small town of
Musselburgh Musselburgh (; ; ) is the largest settlement in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, east of Edinburgh city centre. It had a population of as of . History The name Musselburgh is Old English language, Old English in ...
in East Lothian, Scotland. It is a
Category A listed Category, plural categories, may refer to: General uses *Classification, the general act of allocating things to classes/categories Philosophy * Category of being * ''Categories'' (Aristotle) * Category (Kant) * Categories (Peirce) * Category ( ...
building which is now occupied and maintained by the
National Trust for Scotland The National Trust for Scotland () is a Scottish Building preservation and conservation trusts in the UK, conservation organisation. It is the largest membership organisation in Scotland and describes itself as "the charity that cares for, sha ...
. The current building comprises the original 7-bay frontage flanked by later extensions. The stable block is also a Category A building.


Newhailes, Dalrymple's and the Scottish Enlightenment

The origins of the house date back to 1686, when the Scots architect James Smith purchased the lands of Whytehill, where Newhailes now stands. James Smith is believed to have studied for the Catholic priesthood in Rome as a young man, but after being inspired by the works of
Andrea Palladio Andrea Palladio ( , ; ; 30 November 1508 – 19 August 1580) was an Italian Renaissance architect active in the Venetian Republic. Palladio, influenced by Roman and Greek architecture, primarily Vitruvius, is widely considered to be on ...
, he returned to Scotland in 1675, and instead pursued a career as an architect. Smith had intended to profit from the coal seams below Whytehill and had patented machinery for this purpose, but his venture failed and in financial difficulty, he sold the land to
John Bellenden, 2nd Lord Bellenden John Bellenden, 2nd Lord Bellenden (died March 1707) was a Scottish nobleman. Early life Born John Ker, he was the fourth son of William Ker, 2nd Earl of Roxburghe (born William Drummond) and the Hon. Jane Ker. Among his elder brothers was Robe ...
, in 1702, for 40,000 Scots
Merks The merk () is a long-obsolete Scotland, Scottish silver coin. Originally the same word as a Mark (currency), money mark of silver, the merk was in circulation at the end of the 16th century and in the 17th century. It was originally valued at 1 ...
. He also accepted a commission from Bellenden to build a villa on the grounds, to be named Broughton House, which was built using the foundations and ruins of an earlier structure. This original villa comprised only the central core of the current Newhailes House - the two extensions, the Library and Great Apartment wings, were added later by the Dalrymple family.


Sir David Dalrymple, 1st Baronet, of Hailes (1665–1721)

After the death of Bellenden in 1707, his wife, Mary, Countess of Dalhousie, could no longer afford to keep the house. In May 1709, the property was sold to
Sir David Dalrymple, 1st Baronet Sir David Dalrymple, 1st Baronet, of Hailes (1665 – 3 December 1721) was a Scottish advocate and politician who sat in the Parliament of Scotland from 1698 to 1707 and in the British House of Commons from 1707 to 1721. He served as Lord Adv ...
and his wife, Janet Rochead. He renamed the house New Hailes in recognition of
Hailes Castle Hailes Castle is a mainly 14th century castle about a mile and a half south-west of East Linton, East Lothian, Scotland. This castle, which has a fine riverside setting, belonged to the Hepburn family during the most important centuries of its ...
on their family estate at
East Linton East Linton is a village and former police burgh in East Lothian, Scotland, situated on the River Tyne, Scotland, River Tyne and A199 road (former A1 road (Great Britain), A1 road) five miles east of Haddington, East Lothian, Haddington, with ...
, and added the first of the two major extensions to Newhailes, the Library Wing, which was completed in 1721. This anticipated the beginnings of
the Enlightenment The Age of Enlightenment (also the Age of Reason and the Enlightenment) was a European intellectual and philosophical movement active from the late 17th to early 19th century. Chiefly valuing knowledge gained through rationalism and empirici ...
culture, based on close readings of new books, and intense discussions took place daily at such intellectual gathering places in Edinburgh and accumulate into
The Select Society The Select Society, established in 1754 as The St. Giles Society but soon renamed, was an intellectual society in 18th century Edinburgh.Emerson, Roger L. ''The Social Composition of Enlightened Scotland: The Select Society of Edinburgh, 1754–1 ...
in the 1750s. Sir David was a Scottish advocate and politician who sat in the Parliament of Scotland from 1698 to 1707 and in the British House of Commons from 1707 to 1721. He served as Lord Advocate, and eventually Auditor of the Exchequer in Scotland in 1720. They were to become a wealthy Edinburgh legal dynasty; it would also become the golden age of artistic and intellectual development in Scotland. Note: His older brother,
John Dalrymple, 1st Earl of Stair John Dalrymple, 1st Earl of Stair PC (10 November 1648 – 8 January 1707) was a Scottish politician and lawyer. As Joint Secretary of State in Scotland 1691–1695, he played a key role in suppressing the Jacobite rising of 1689 and was force ...
, became one of the darkest figures in Scottish history when he organised and authorised the 1692
Massacre of Glencoe The Massacre of Glencoe took place in Glen Coe in the Argyll region of the Scottish Highlands on 13 February 1692. An estimated 30 members and associates of Clan MacDonald of Glencoe were killed by Scottish government forces, allegedly for fa ...
.


Sir James Dalrymple, 2nd Baronet (1692–1751)

On his death in 1721 the house passed to his heir
Sir James Dalrymple, 2nd Baronet Sir James Dalrymple, 2nd Baronet (24 July 1692 – 24 February 1751) was Member of Parliament for Haddington Burghs and the Principal Auditor of the Exchequer in Scotland. Early life He was the son of Sir David Dalrymple, 1st Baronet and Janet ...
, a Member of Parliament (MP) for Haddington Burghs and the Principal
Auditor of the Exchequer in Scotland The Scottish Exchequer had a similar role of auditing and deciding on royal revenues as in England. It was not until 1584 that it also became a court of law, separate from the King's Privy Council. Even then, the judicial and administrative ro ...
. Sir James extended and reshaped the house, adding a balancing west extension, the Great Apartment wing, and moving the entrance from the north-east to the south-west. The gardens were probably laid out at the same time. In the pediment over the front door are the heads of a male and a female in profile with the inscription ''laudo manentum,'' that is a quote from
Horace Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 BC – 27 November 8 BC), Suetonius, Life of Horace commonly known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). Th ...
referring to 'fickle fortune'. Over the north door of the house is inscribed another Horace quote ''sapienter uti'' which relates to the happy man who wisely uses whatever he has been given to work with. It is considered by many that the carved heads that can be seen over the main entrance were inspired by the famous and controversial
Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
'Netherbow Heads' that were at the time considered to be of Roman origin representing the Emperor
Septimius Severus Lucius Septimius Severus (; ; 11 April 145 – 4 February 211) was Roman emperor from 193 to 211. He was born in Leptis Magna (present-day Al-Khums, Libya) in the Roman province of Africa. As a young man he advanced through cursus honorum, the ...
and his consort
Julia Domna Julia Domna (; – 217 AD) was Roman empress from 193 to 211 as the wife of Emperor Septimius Severus. She was the first empress of the Severan dynasty. Domna was born in Emesa (present-day Homs) in Roman Syria to an Arab family of priests ...
.


Sir David Dalrymple, Lord Hailes, 3rd Baronet of Hailes (1726–1792)

The house passed to Sir David Dalrymple, Lord Hailes, 3rd Baronet of Hailes (28 October 1726 – 29 November 1792) a Scottish advocate, judge and historian, born in Edinburgh. Lord Hailes continued the Scottish tradition of completing his legal education in The Netherlands, studying in Utrecht before being admitted to the Faculty of Advocates in 1748, where he demonstrated an interest in books by becoming a curator in 1752.Cadell, p 'He moved normally in the highest ranks of Edinburgh Society' Carnie, unpaginated and appears to us as a textbook character of the Scottish Enlightenment. He attended the theatre and dancing assemblies, the profits of which went to charitable causes, and between 1750 and 1774 took a prominent part in many of Edinburgh's most famous cultural activities. Hailes was highly active in the club life of Edinburgh, being a member of, amongst others, the Select Society. The Society, founded in 1754 by Allan Ramsay, had a membership composed of socially prominent members of the city's elite that reads like a who's who of Edinburgh's Enlightenment. Although set up as a debating club, the importance of maintaining polite society was recognised by the rule that anything could be discussed 'except such as regard Revealed Religion, or which may give occasion to vent any principles of Jacobitism'. Hailes's nature and interest in his fellow man is shown by his involvement in an offshoot of the Select Society, known as the Edinburgh Society, one of the best examples of the improving spirit of the age. Following their return from the Highlands,
Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson ( – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, literary critic, sermonist, biographer, editor, and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...
and
James Boswell James Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck (; 29 October 1740 ( N.S.) – 19 May 1795), was a Scottish biographer, diarist, and lawyer, born in Edinburgh. He is best known for his biography of the English writer Samuel Johnson, '' Life of Samuel ...
met Lord Hailes at dinner in Edinburgh on 17 August 1773. It would be later declared by Dr Johnson, "the most learned drawing-room in Europe". Boswell records that Lord Hailes 'pleased him .e. Johnsonhighly'. We know Johnson respected Hailes's intellectual prowess as manuscripts of his Annals of Scotland were submitted, via Boswell, to Johnson for his literary opinion. Johnson claimed T never before read Scotch history with certainty' and wrote to Boswell calling them 'a new mode of history which tells all that is wanted ... without laboured splendour of language, or affected subtilty icof conjectur. Sir David inherited the house in 1751. He had it remodelled and the stable block added in 1790 by James Craig. But the most important room at Newhailes is the library. From the 1750s as head of the family, Sir David Dalrymple, the judge Lord Hailes was a key figure in the Scottish Enlightenment, along with
Adam Smith Adam Smith (baptised 1723 – 17 July 1790) was a Scottish economist and philosopher who was a pioneer in the field of political economy and key figure during the Scottish Enlightenment. Seen by some as the "father of economics"——— or ...
and
David Hume David Hume (; born David Home; – 25 August 1776) was a Scottish philosopher, historian, economist, and essayist who was best known for his highly influential system of empiricism, philosophical scepticism and metaphysical naturalism. Beg ...
who borrowed extensively from the library. At the mahogany desk which stands in the shuttered gloom of the two-storey library he wrote the 'Annals of Scottish History', known as the first "modern" history of Scotland. After his death the house passed to Christian Dalrymple.


Miss Christian Dalrymple of New Hailes (1765–1839)

In 1792, Miss
Christian Dalrymple Miss Christian Dalrymple of New Hailes (30 December 1765 – 9 January 1839) daughter of Anne Brown and David Dalrymple, Lord Hailes. She inherited the Newhailes estate in East Lothian, Scotland, in 1792 (where she lived for 46 years). The tit ...
of New Hailes (30 December 1765 – 9 January 1839) daughter of Anne Broun and Sir David Dalrymple, Lord Hailes, inherited the Newhailes estate in East Lothian, Scotland, unexpectedly. She never married and lived there for 46 years. She lavished attention on the surrounding estate and developed the designed landscape, notably adding in 1827 a flower garden, designed by John Hay. She also used the library as a ballroom, and was an able manager and socialite hosting glittering dances and soirées long into the night. She kept a diary discussing and reflecting on the minutiae of her day. It is forms part of Newhailes collection at the
National Library of Scotland The National Library of Scotland (NLS; ; ) is one of Scotland's National Collections. It is one of the largest libraries in the United Kingdom. As well as a public programme of exhibitions, events, workshops, and tours, the National Library of ...
. She died at the age of seventy-two, leaving the estate to her nephew, Charles Fergusson, with whom she had a close and long-standing relationship, evidenced by correspondence between the two.


Sir Charles Dalrymple Fergusson, 5th Baronet (1800–1849)

Sir Charles Dalrymple Fergusson, 5th Baronet of Kilkerran FRSE (1800–1849) was a Scottish lawyer.He was educated at
Harrow Harrow may refer to: Places * Harrow, Victoria, Australia * Harrow, Ontario, Canada * The Harrow, County Wexford, a village in Ireland * London Borough of Harrow, England * Harrow, London, a town in London * Harrow (UK Parliament constituency) * ...
, and became an advocate in 1822, practising at the Scottish bar until his father's death. He was a member of the Speculative Society, and at its meetings read two essays, one on the 'Origin and Progress of Criminal Jurisprudence', and the other on the 'History of Painting'. In 1829 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. In 1837, Fergusson succeeded to the estates of his grandfather, Lord Hailes, in East and Mid Lothian, and in 1838 to those of his father in Ayrshire, on which he constantly lived. He inherited Newhailes, and the Lordship and Barony of Hailes in 1839, on the death of his aunt, Miss Christian Dalrymple (when he also assumed the additional surname of Dalrymple). Fergusson married Helen, daughter of the David Boyle, lord-justice-general of Scotland, by whom he had nine children. He died at Inveresk 18 March 1849.


The last Dalrymples - 19th - 21st century


Sir Charles Dalrymple, 1st Baronet Sir Charles Dalrymple, 1st Baronet, (15 October 1839 – 20 June 1916) was a Scottish Conservative politician. Life Born Charles Fergusson, he was the second surviving son of Sir Charles Dalrymple Fergusson, 5th Baronet, and grandson of Si ...
(1839–1916)

Born Charles Fergusson, he was the second surviving son of Sir Charles Dalrymple Fergusson, 5th Baronet, and grandson of Sir James Fergusson, 4th Baronet, and his wife Jean, daughter of David Dalrymple, Lord Hailes. Sir James Fergusson, 6th Baronet, was his elder brother. On the death of his father in 1849 he assumed the surname of Dalrymple in lieu of Fergusson. He was educated at
Harrow school Harrow School () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English boarding school for boys) in Harrow on the Hill, Greater London, England. The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon (school founder), John Lyon, a local landowner an ...
and
Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...
, became a Scottish Conservative politician. He was created a baronet, of New Hailes in the County of Midlothian, in 1887, and sworn of the Privy Council, in 1905. He was married to Alice Mary Hunter Blair (1852-1889) daughter of Sir Edward, 4th Hunter-Blair baronet. They divided their time between London and Newhailes. The house was substantially modernised in 1907. In the late 1890s Newhailes entertained politicians such as the Speaker of the House of Commons
Arthur Peel, 1st Viscount Peel Arthur Wellesley Peel, 1st Viscount Peel, (3 August 182924 October 1912), was a British Liberal politician, who sat in the House of Commons from 1865 to 1895. He was Speaker of the House of Commons from 1884 until 1895, when he was raised to ...
. Frequently
Joseph Chamberlain Joseph Chamberlain (8 July 1836 – 2 July 1914) was a British statesman who was first a radical Liberal Party (UK), Liberal, then a Liberal Unionist after opposing home rule for Ireland, and eventually was a leading New Imperialism, imperial ...
best known as the leading imperialist of the day in Britain, as a Liberal Unionist before he joined the Colonial Office, and
John Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute John Patrick Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute, (12 September 1847 – 9 October 1900) was a Scottish landed aristocrat, industrial magnate, antiquarian, scholar, philanthropist, and architectural patron. When Bute succeeded to the marq ...
, a landed aristocrat, industrial magnate and philanthropist. He was related to the Royal House of Stuart and the Coutts banking family. His visit coincided with his involvement with a notable company law case, relating to the insolvency of the Cardiff Savings Bank (1892) concerning a duty of care to which he was acquitted.
The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
would typically report the arrivals and departures of prominent people, as they did on 25 October 1901: "Mr. and Mrs. Chamberlain arrived in Edinburgh yesterday evening, the right hon. gentleman having engaged to address a meeting there today. The Colonial Secretary was received by Sir Charles Dalrymple, M.P., whose guest he will be at Newhailes, Musselburgh, during his visit, and after being introduced to several prominent members of the local Unionist party he drove away with his host amid cheers." Much later in 1926 and again in 1935 the house hosted
Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein (Victoria Louise Sophia Augusta Amelia Helena; 3 May 1870 – 13 March 1948), informally known by her family as ''Thora'', was a granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. From July 1917 ...
, Queen Victoria's granddaughter on her way to Balmoral. She was guest of
Archibald Kennedy, 4th Marquess of Ailsa Archibald Kennedy, 4th Marquess of Ailsa, DL, JP, FSRGS (22 May 1872 – 27 February 1943), styled Earl of Cassillis until 1938, was a Scottish peer, barrister and soldier. Early life Styled Earl of Cassillis from birth, he was born at Ber ...
styled Earl Cassilis until 1938, and David Dalrymple's sister in law, Frances Countess Cassillis (née McTaggart-Stewart) who were renting the house at the time. Their first daughter, Christian Elizabeth Louise, was born in 1875, their son David Charles Herbert Dalrymple born in London 1879, and their youngest daughter Alice Mary born in 1884. Five years later, Alice Mary, Charles's wife, died. In bereavement, feeling unable to offer a family environment, he sent his children away to relatives. Alice (5yrs) was sent to her Aunt Eleanor, wife of the Rector of Hartlebury in Worcestershire. David (10 yrs) and his older sister Christian (14 yrs) were sent to his mother's sister Aunt Dorothea, who had married a career naval captain David Boyle, who had fought at the Crimea -later becoming
David Boyle, 7th Earl of Glasgow David Boyle, 7th Earl of Glasgow (31 May 1833 – 13 December 1915), was a British naval commander and colonial governor. He served as Governor of New Zealand between 1892 and 1897. Background Boyle was the son of Patrick Boyle (eldest son of D ...
at Shewalton House in Ayrshire. Around 1901, the two daughters were reunited with their father, taking up residence at his London house in Onslow Gardens. Where he died in June 1916. Christian married a Royal Naval officer Commander
John Saumarez Dumaresq Rear admiral (Royal Navy), Rear Admiral John Saumarez Dumaresq, ( ;G.M. Miller, ''BBC Pronouncing Dictionary of British Names'' (London: Oxford UP, 1971), p. 48. 26 October 1873 – 22 July 1922) was an officer in the Royal Navy. He served duri ...
, in 1907. The wedding was held at St. Peter's Episcopal Church,
Musselburgh Musselburgh (; ; ) is the largest settlement in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, east of Edinburgh city centre. It had a population of as of . History The name Musselburgh is Old English language, Old English in ...
. She had five children and died in 1932. Alice never married, and became the sole beneficiary of her brother David's will. She lived quietly at Halkerston Lodge in Inveresk Village where she died in 1959. Sir Charles' Will was carefully drawn up under Scottish law by the old established firm of Messrs. Hope, Todd & Kirk W S from their offices in Charlotte Square Edinburgh. The Will was published testate later that year on 19 December 1916. It began, "I, the Right Honourable Sir Charles Dalrymple of Newhailes Baronet, Privy Councillor, being desirous of settling the succession to my means and estate after my death, and of securing as far as I can that my said lands and estate of Newhailes shall not be sold, it being my desire that they be retained in the family,..." Clearly aware of his only son's character, his will was specific in its terms. The estate was to be held in trust by four trustees
Sir Charles Fergusson, 7th Baronet General Sir Charles Fergusson, 7th Baronet, (17 January 1865 – 20 February 1951) was a British Army officer and the third Governor-General of New Zealand, in office from 1924 to 1930. Early life and military career Fergusson was the son of ...
(his nephew), Forbes Hunter Blair (brother-in-law), Honourable George John Gordon Bruce
Lord Balfour of Burleigh Lord Balfour of Burleigh, in the County of Kinross, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1607 for Sir Michael Balfour. He was succeeded by his daughter, Margaret, his only child. She married Robert Arnot, who assumed the su ...
, seventh Lord Balfour of Burleigh, a cousin, and his son David. On his father's death Sir David became a relatively wealthy man. Sir Charles had left around £90,000 (£5 million today) in cash and stocks plus Newhailes House and its estate, together with his house in London.


Sir David Charles Herbert Dalrymple, 2nd Baronet (1879–1932)

Influenced by David Boyle's extensive career in the Royal Navy, David enrolled in the
Britannia Royal Naval College Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth, also known as Dartmouth, is the naval academy of the United Kingdom and the initial officer training establishment of the Royal Navy. It is located on a hill overlooking the port of Dartmouth, Devon, En ...
as a thirteen-year-old Midshipman. It was during his career in the navy he met Margaret Anna Mctaggart-Stewart at a London party, whilst on leave serving as Lieutenant with HMS Falcon (1899). They married in
St George's Hanover Square Church St George's, Hanover Square, is an Church of England, Anglican church, the parish church of Mayfair in the City of Westminster, central London, built in the early eighteenth century as part of a project to build fifty new churches around London ...
on 3 April 1906. His career in the Royal Navy was chequered with various disciplinary actions concerning conduct. After facing two courts martial, he eventually resigned from the service in 1911. They had a daughter Dorothea Mary in March 1912, who tragically died in November 1914, and a son, Charles Mark Dalrymple, in May 1915. David and Margaret divorced in 1919, after his widely publicised affair at the
Royal Albion Hotel The Royal Albion Hotel (originally the Albion Hotel) is a 3-star hotel, on the corner of Old Steine and Kings Road in Brighton, England. Built on the site of a house belonging to Richard Russell, a local doctor whose advocacy of sea-bathing ...
in Brighton with actress Mrs Dorothy Lewis, 20 years his junior. After the divorce, Margaret Dalrymple decided to leave Newhailes and live with her sister Susanna in
Maybole Maybole (, ) is a town and former burgh of barony and police burgh in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It had an estimated population of in . It is situated south of Ayr and southwest of Glasgow by the Glasgow and South Western Railway. The town is ...
Ayrshire. There followed an advertisement appeared in
The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
on 12 November 1919. "Situation - the Mansion-House of Newhailes is situated about 5 miles from the Post Office, Edinburgh; 16 minutes by rail from Waverley Station or 45 minutes by tramcar from Edinburgh and 5 minutes from Musselburgh. The house is 18th century with a fine front and circular flight of steps to front door, and a courtyard in front with pillared entrance. The interior is very hansome and ornate, with richly panelled walls and pictures inset. At the back there is a grass park of 2½ acres surrounded by terraces. There is a private entrance from Newhailes station to the grounds." The advertisement went on to describe the number of bedrooms, reception rooms and facilities, saying the drainage was in good order and the house connected to the Edinburgh telephone exchange (Musselburgh 132), asking interested parties to contact Messrs. Hope Todd and Kirk W S of 19 Charlotte Street, Edinburgh. The house it seems was difficult to rent, and it was again advertised in February 1920 and repeated in May and again in August. By December 1921 it was again advertised to let in
The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
and
The Scotsman ''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact (newspaper), compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until ...
hoping to attract a family by adding: David married Dorothy Lewis in London in August 1923; she became Lady Dorothy Mirabelle Cynthia Dalrymple. They lived in London; both hedonistic, they partied, largely neglecting Newhailes, which was eventually leased to the Earl and Countess of Cassillis,
Marquess of Ailsa Marquess of Ailsa, of the Isle of Ailsa in the County of Ayr, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 10 September 1831 for Archibald Kennedy, 12th Earl of Cassillis. The title Earl of Cassillis (pronounced "Cass-ell ...
, Margaret's elder married sister, from the trustees. Their social lifestyle put demands on the Newhailes trustees and various house antiques were sold at auction at
Sotheby's Sotheby's ( ) is a British-founded multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine art, fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, an ...
and Frank Partridge & Sons. Within a few years, the actress and the peer had drifted apart, leading separate lives. Dorothy went back to the theatre, and David eventually died of a heart attack at his flat near Regent's Park, in Walton House, Longford Street on 2 December 1932 age 53. A month before he had changed his will, stating "I give devise appoint and bequeath all my real and personal property of whatever nature or kind and wheresoever situate unto my said sister Alice Dalrymple absolutely...." Using Scottish law, he essentially had disinherited Dorothy. She married Frederick William Hartman in 1933, became a successful Mayfair hostess, inherited his business Lendrum & Hartman Limited and died in 1957.


Sir Mark Dalrymple, 3rd Baronet (1915–1971) died without issue

After his parents’ divorce, his mother married Sir Patrick Graham Blake
Blake baronets There have been four baronetcies for persons with the surname Blake, one in the Baronetage of Ireland, two in the Baronetage of Great Britain and one in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. Two of the creations are extant as of 2010. The Blake ...
in 1925, he died five years later. Mark was taken on a world tour by his widowed mother (Lady Blake). They left England for New York on the Cunard SS Berengaria
SS Imperator SS ''Imperator'' (known as RMS ''Berengaria'' for most of her career) was a German ocean liner built for the Hamburg America Line, launched in 1912. At the time of her completion in June 1913, she was the largest passenger ship in the world, sur ...
in November 1935, across the US to
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
and on to
Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...
in December, later Australia. They returned to England via Ceylon
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
by P&O SS
RMS Strathaird RMS ''Strathaird'', later TSS ''Strathaird'', was an ocean liner of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&O). She was the second of five sister ships in what came to be called the "Strath" class. All previous P&O steamships ha ...
in May 1936. He served with
Royal Scots The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment), once known as the Royal Regiment of Foot, was the oldest and most senior infantry regiment line infantry, of the line of the British Army, having been raised in 1633 during the reign of Charles I of England ...
Territorials 1937 to 1940, then in 1941, during the Second World War, joined the Royal Air Force. In 1935, Mark and his mother discovered on a visit to Newhailes that the estate had been reduced in size - much of the grounds facing the sea front were taken over by the construction of various houses, notably in an area parallel with the main road to Edinburgh. Upon raising this matter with Hope, Todd & Kirk, it was discovered that his father had instructed the Newhailes trustees to feu part of the grounds for the purposes of housebuilding. Despite Mark's attempts to reverse the development, this area expanded - as was pointed out by the solicitors, the estate simple needed the funds. Mark married Antonia Marian Amy Isabel Stewart, in 1946 the only daughter of Randolph Stewart, 12th Earl of Galloway a military man, and his American wife Philippa Wendell, whose sister was married to
Henry Herbert, 6th Earl of Carnarvon Henry George Alfred Marius Victor Francis Herbert, 6th Earl of Carnarvon (7 November 1898 – 22 September 1987), was a British peer. He was the son of George, 5th Earl of Carnarvon, and Almina Wombwell. Life Styled Lord Porchester from bir ...
, whose father had funded archaeologist Howard Carter when he discovered the tomb of
Tutankhamun Tutankhamun or Tutankhamen, (; ), was an Egyptian pharaoh who ruled during the late Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, Eighteenth Dynasty of ancient Egypt. Born Tutankhaten, he instituted the restoration of the traditional polytheistic form of an ...
. They had no children and when Mark died in June 1971, following a heart attack, the Barony became extinct. The house became vacant around 1980. Finally, in 2011 at the age of 71 the widowed Lady Antonia left her apartment in the house and went to live in a cottage on the estate. She died at the Cluny Lodge Nursing Home, Edinburgh, 15 July 2017, aged 91. Thus ended 300 years of the Dalrymples of Newhailes.


Inveresk Inveresk (Gaelic: ''Inbhir Easg'') is a village in East Lothian, Scotland situated to the south of Musselburgh. It has been designated a conservation area since 1969. It is situated on slightly elevated ground on the north bank of a loop ...
Churchyard

About 2 miles from Newhailes House is the village of Inveresk, situated immediately to the south of Musselburgh. It has been designated a conservation area since 1969. There has been a church on the site since the 6th century. The present church Saint Michael's was built in 1805, to the design of Robert Nisbet; the steeple by William Sibbald. The interior was reoriented and remodelled in 1893 and again in 2002. Known as the ‘Visible Kirk’ because of its prominent position, it stands on the site of a Roman praetorium and replaces a medieval church. The interior has a fine Adam-style ceiling and some excellent stained glass. Magnificent pipe organ by
Lewis & Co Lewis and Company was a firm of organ builders founded by Thomas Christopher Lewis (1833–1915), one of the leading organ builders of late 19th-century Britain. Born in London in 1833, the son of Thomas Archdeacon Lewis (1780–1862), a secret ...
1892, originally built with early form of electric action. It has been used by successions of the Dalrymple family and a number of them have been buried or remembered there: * Alice Mary Hunter Dalrymple-Fergusson (Blair) 14 May 1852 – 2 September 1889 * Rt. Honourable Sir Charles Dalrymple 1st Bart. 15 October 1839 – 20 June 1916 * Christian Elizabeth Louisa Dumaresq (Dalrymple) 9 July 1875 – 9 April 1932 * Sir David Dalrymple 2nd Bart. 28 March 1879 – 2 December 1932 * Alice Mary Dalrymple 31 August 1884 – 23 October 1959 * Sir Mark Dalrymple 3rd Bart. 13 May 1915 – 29 June 1971 The last of the Newhailes Dalrymple's * Lady Antonia Dalrymple (Stewart) 3 December 1925 - 15 July 2017 Seafield Crematorium, Edinburgh


Morham church

About 17 miles to the east of Inveresk is the Dalrymple loft and mausoleum of circa 1730, an imposing feature on the north side of
Morham Morham, East Lothian, sometimes spelt Moram, Morum, or Morhame in old records, is the smallest (agricultural) parish in Scotland, sandwiched between five other parishes: Haddington, East Lothian, Haddington, Garvald, East Lothian, Garvald, Yester ...
church, East Lothian. The village, once a few hundred yards south of the church, has vanished. The present building of 1724 replaced a church of 1685 and stands in a secluded hollow in a very neat walled burial ground.


National Trust acquisition of house and estate

In 1976, the books and Lord Hailes's papers were removed to the
National Library of Scotland The National Library of Scotland (NLS; ; ) is one of Scotland's National Collections. It is one of the largest libraries in the United Kingdom. As well as a public programme of exhibitions, events, workshops, and tours, the National Library of ...
in lieu of death duties following the death of Sir Mark Dalrymple at the age of 56. The Government accepted around seven-thousand volumes from the Newhailes Library, the collection included: history and biography (c. 1,800 volumes), classical and modern literature (c. 2,500 volumes), law, politics and economics (c. 1,000 volumes), and theology (c. 750 volumes). In 1997, Newhailes house was given to the National Trust for Scotland by his wife Lady Antonia Dalrymple because the cost of upkeep had become impossible and the house was in danger of falling into disrepair. It was to allow to grow old gracefully through a pioneering conservation policy which does ‘as much as is necessary, but as little as possible’ to keep the house in good order without disturbing its ‘untouched’ atmosphere. In 2002, Prince Charles made a visit to the opening of Newhailes House with NTS curator Ian Gow. In 2016, the National Trust announced a £2.4 million investment plan to be spent on conservation, landscape enhancement, and on commercial and visitor services improvements. In 2019, the National Trust for Scotland reported that it was undertaking a large-scale exercise to rid the house of moth infestation. 65,395 people visited the house during 2019.


Artwork on display in house

A number of paintings are on display within the house, largely Dalrymple family portraits by Scottish painter
Allan Ramsay (artist) Allan Ramsay (13 October 171310 August 1784) was a Scottish portrait Painting, painter. Life and career Ramsay was born in 13 October 1712, in Edinburgh, the eldest son of Allan Ramsay (1686–1758), Allan Ramsay, poet and author of ''The ...
(1713-1784) and a selection of local landscapes by James Norie (1711-1736). There is a landscape (1816) by
John Thomson of Duddingston Rev John Thomson FRSE HonRoyal Scottish Academy, RSA (1 September 177828 October 1840) was a Scottish minister of the Church of Scotland and noted amateur landscape painter. He was the Minister of the Church of Scotland, minister of Duddingsto ...
(1778-1840) featuring the ancestral Hailes Castle and Traprain Law on display in the library.


The house facilities

Having been acquired by the National Trust for Scotland, it is open to the public by way of guided tours, and functions as a venue for weddings, corporate events and private parties.


Newhailes Stable Block

Situated to the south-west of Newhailes House, the stables and office block was built as part of the changes initiated on the estate in 1798 (with the north and east ranges constructed in 1826). They comprise a two-storey quadrangular Classical stable court, incorporating late 17th century to mid-18th century builds in the north-west and south-west ranges. After designs by
James Craig (architect) James Craig (31 October 1739 – 23 June 1795) was a Scottish architect who worked mostly in lowlands of the country and especially his native city of Edinburgh. He is remembered primarily for his layout of the first Edinburgh New Town, Edi ...
, circa 1792. The buildings are currently under renovation with a view for conversion to provide upgraded welcome and catering facilities for visitors.


Newhailes garden

A rare survival of an early to mid-18th century
Rococo Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...
landscape garden, developed in the formative period of the 'natural' style in Scotland, laid out during 1720-40s for the Dalrymple family. It has associations with
James Smith (architect) James Smith may refer to: People Sports figures * J. D. Smith (fullback, born 1936), American football player * James Smith (Australian rules footballer) (1899–1974), Australian rules footballer for Richmond Football Club * James Smith (box ...
(1645-1731) (the architect's own home, known as Whitehill before Newhailes), and the horticulturalist and garden designer John Hay (1758-1836). Considered '...the most eminent horticultural architect Scotland has ever produced.’


The Pleasure Grounds

The estate is notable for the remains of a '
Shell Grotto A shell grotto is a type of folly, a grotto decorated with sea shells. The shell grotto was a popular feature of many British country houses in the 17th and 18th centuries. It suited the Baroque and Rococo styles (which used swirling motifs sim ...
'. The fashion for such grottoes was at its height in the later 18th century, popularised by precedents at
Stourhead Stourhead () is a 1,072-hectare (2,650-acre) estate at the source of the River Stour in the southwest of the English county of Wiltshire, extending into Somerset. The estate is about northwest of the town of Mere and includes a Grade I list ...
estate, in Wiltshire c.1748, and
Pope's villa Pope's villa was the residence of the poet Alexander Pope at Twickenham, then a village west of London in Middlesex. He moved there in 1719 and created gardens and an underground grotto. When Baroness Howe of Langar (1762–1835) purchased the ho ...
Grotto in Twickenham, c.1725. The Newhailes Grotto was Commissioned by Lord Hailes, built c.1785, as a pleasure ground to the north of the house. There are the remains of square plan rocaille grotto set in woodlands, currently roofless. The interior formerly lined with decorative sea shell patterns, mounted on timber panels, of which only remnants remain in woodland around.
In addition a '
Tea House A teahouse or tearoom (also tea room) is an establishment which primarily serves tea and other light refreshments. A tea room may be a room set aside in a hotel, especially for serving afternoon tea, or may be an establishment that only ser ...
' standing upon a
Palladian Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...
bridge with views of cascades and waterfalls. The 'Ladies' Walk' on its raised terrace between the Cow and Sheep Parks is thought to be unique in Scotland.


Newhailes railway station (closed 1950)

The station stood where the Newhailes Road (A6095) bridge crosses the rail track to Newcraighall Road. The house and estate had its own private entrance. First recorded as 'New Hailes' this station stood within the estate but served the town of Musselburgh as well as the estate from 1847 to 1950. The station name was changed from 'NEW HAILES' to 'NEWHAILES' in September 1938. The station opened sometime after the opening of the Musselburgh branch in 1847, and closed on 2 February 1950. The platform buildings are now occupied by Niddrie Bowling Club.


Sources

* Abstract National Library of Scotland, Samuel Johnson and Newhailes Library. * Allan, David, Making British Culture: English Leaders and the Scottish Enlightenment, 1740-1830 (London: Routledge, 2008), p. 37. * Broadie, Alexander, The Scottish Enlightenment: the Historical Age of the Historical Nation (Edinburgh: Birlinn, 2007), pp. 26–27. * Brown, Ian, General Editor, The Edinburgh History of Scottish Literature: Volume 2, Enlightenment, Britain and Empire 1707-1918, Edinburgh University Press, 2007. * Cadel, Patrick, 'Dalrymple, Sir David, third baronet, Lord Hailes (1726-1792)', Oxford Dictionary of National biography (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004). * Carnie, R.H., A biographical and Critical Study of the Life and Writings of Sir David Dairymple (doctoral thesis, University of St Andrews, 1954). Carnie's thesis is unpaginated. * Cornforth, John, 'Newhailes', Country Life (21 November 1996), pp 46–51 (p. 51). * Dalrymple, Sir David, Annals of Scotland, Volume I (Malcolm III to Robert I), J. Murray, Edinburgh, 1776 (Vol II appeared in 1779, Vol III appeared after his death). * Dalrymple, Hew H., Editor, Christian Dalrymple, Private Annals of My Own Time, Douglas & Foulis, Edinburgh, 1914. * Dann, John, Maud Coleno's Daughter -the life of Dorothy Hartman 1898-1957 (previously Lady Dalrymple 1923-1933), Troubador, 2017 (ACT III, Lord Dalrymple Entertains, chapters 12-18). * Desmond, Ray, Dictionary of British and Irish Botantists & Horticulturalists, -Plant Collectors, Flower Painters & Garden Designers, Taylor & Francis, and National History Museum London 1994, p 1443 * Forman, Sheila G., 'Newhailes: A Link with Edinburgh's Little Golden Age', Scottish Field (September 1949), pp 20–21 (p. 21). * Gow, Ian "The Most Learned Drawing Room in Europe?': Newhailes and the Classical Scottish Library", in ''Visions of Scotland's Past: Looking to the Future: Essays in Honour of John R. Hume'', ed. by Deborah C. Mays, Michael S. Moss and Miles K. Oglethorpe (East Linton: Tuckwell Press, 2000), pp 81–96, (p. 94). * Jarvie, Gordon, 'Beauty's Awakening', TES Magazine, (31 July 1998). Magnus Linklater, 'Second Enlightenment is Some Way Off', Scotland on Sunday, (18 February 2002). * Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh, Great Houses of Scotland, Laurence King, London, 1997 (p. 118). * Norman, F.H., Ed. Memories of David, Seventh Earl of Glasgow, (1833-1915) Edinburgh, W. Brown, 1918. * Pottle, Frederick A., Editor, Boswell's London Journal, 1762-1763, Book Club Associates, London, 1974. * Reid, Peter H., 'The Decline and Fall of the British Country House Library', Libraries & Culture, vol. 36, no. 2, (2001), pp 345–66 (p. 359). * Rock, Dr. Joseph (Joe), Newhailes New Research, consultant historian of Scottish material culture. * Towsey, Mark Reading the Scottish Enlightenment: Libraries, Readers and Intellectual Culture in Provincial Scotland c.1750-c.1820 (doctoral thesis, University of St Andrews, 2007), p. 35. * Weaver, Lawrence, 'Newhailes, Midlothian', Country Life (8 September 1917), pp 228–32. *


References

{{Commons category


External links


Official website
by Dr Roger B. Williams
Video footage of the Shell Grotto

Video footage of the Ladies' Walk

Video footage of the Tea House and Palladian Bridge
*
Outlander (TV series) ''Outlander'' is a historical drama television series based on the book series of the same name by Diana Gabaldon. Developed by Ronald D. Moore, the show premiered on August 9, 2014, on Starz. It stars Caitríona Balfe as Claire Randall, ...
film location

* Haunted Newhailes House Tour

* Artwork By Museums: The National Trust For Scotland (Musselburgh, United Kingdom

Musselburgh Category A listed houses in Scotland Category A listed buildings in East Lothian Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes National Trust for Scotland properties