David Old

David Old was the first child of Honeyman Old and Elder Samuel after their marriage in Leith.  We know he was born in South Leith then moved to Roslin around 1826 and lived the rest of his life around there.  High Street is the most specific location we are given and "north side of village" could just mean the bit up the hill, i.e. the main village.

He was a cooper or barrel-maker like his dad but swapped the location of the docks for the calmer and prettier Rosslyn Glen.  It was more dangerous though as he was making barrels for gunpowder and there were explosions on site from time to time. The works were established to supply gunpowder during the Napoleonic Wars but Britain never seemed to be short of a war in the eighteenth century. His cooperage still stands at the south-west limits of the now-ruined gunpowder works, in use as a sawmill.

The move to the country suited him though and he lived to the ripe old age of 85, very unusual in those days.

In addition to a marriage entry in St Cuthberts (a huge parish) in Edinburgh we have banns three weeks before in Lasswade.

David Old Lasswade Parish and Janet Walters in the Cannongate (sic) Parish have given their names for Proclamation in order to Marriage 3 Sabbath days

The marriage record says he was living in Low Calton but I think that the banns in Lasswade suggest that he was in transition between Edinburgh where he met his wife and Roslin where the work was.

Low Calton wasn't the best address in town despite being close to some of them.