OS1/34/58/20

Continued entries/extra info

[Page] 20

Remarks on Name Sheet,
Sheet 6 No 9 Trace 6
Uphall Parish

Binny Quarry, is written
on trace but not entered
in Name Sheets. Descriptive
Remarks, requested to be
written. Is there no
distinctive term used to
distinguish the one or the
other of the two quarries
on this trace from each other?

Uphall
Sheet 6 No 13 Trace 6

Houston House. In the New
Stat. [Statistical] Acct. [Account] there is the following
notice respecting this house.
"Sir John Shairp, Knight,
Advocate for Queen Mary who
acquired most of the property
and in whose time it is said
the oldest part of Houstoun
House was built". Can you
ascertain in the country
whether the above conjecture as to the
age of the building be correct?
It is necessary to make
some enquiry as to the traditions
in the locality, respecting its
history date of building
and whatever authentic information
can be got, in order to write it in
character of antiquity or otherwise

Linlithgow
22nd Sept [September] 1853

Sir
These quarries are
not distinguished by either
prefix or suffix, one from
the other. They are each
called Binny Quarry.
The Quarry in Linlithgow
Parish is the original; and
that in Uphall is the property
of the Earl of Buchan. The stone
is known in the "Market", and
Among Builders &c as Binny Quarry
Stone; and the stone of both
Quarries is the same quality.
Auths. [Authorities] Revd [Reverend] John Smith Ecclesmachan
Revd [Reverend] George Boag Uphall

There is a datestone over
one of the door within the House
on which is cut 1151, but
whether this refers to the date
of the erection of the old portion
of the Building cannot be ascertained
but it is very probable.
The Shairps got possession of
the Estates about 1550, about
which time the House was enlarged
and repaired. Of its History
previous to this date, the present
owner has no records. It is quite
probable, he says, that there existed
a House at Houstoun previous
to 1550. The old part of

[signed] Captain Kerr RE [Royal Engineers]

Remarks to be attended to at once DM