The Corslet Stone, Currie

Image: © Ian Dodds Taken: 21 Aug 2021

There is a quite badly written plaque on the road-facing side of this stone. It gives some interesting information about where it was found, but doesn't tell you what it actually is and when it dates from. It turns out it is the upright bit from a former stone cross and dates from around the 1200s. It was found in the Riccarton area, which is roughly where Heriot Watt University campus is now situated, and was near the site of what was thought to have been a 'burlaw court'. These small, fairly informal, places were early versions of parish councils, and I would suggest, probably worked far more effectively. Neighbours would vote for one of their own to be the representative for their little patch, and the representatives would meet periodically to agree on local matters and pass judgement on minor issues such as neighbourly disputes. The mounted stone sits on the South side of the main road to Edinburgh, and a few residential streets just North of here start off with 'Corslet' in their names.

Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0