Page:Annals of Duddingston and Portobello.pdf/57

24 The oldest salt pans at Magdalene Bridge were dependencies of Kelso Abbey. Joppa Salt Pans are of more recent origin, and date from the beginning of the seventeenth century. In a charter dated 9th July 1640, we find that David Preston of Craigmillar infefted his son, George Preston, and his wife, Jean Gibson,“in that piece of land and rock let to him by Sir Thomas Thomson of Duddingston for building a salt pan, with the house, etc., near the sea, and bounded within two great fixed rocks (lapides marinos) within the bounds of Easter Duddingston, ”sasine being given on the ground by presenting "schellis” of the said salt pans. We have reason to believe, however, that the pans were built by David Preston before 1635.

At the end of last century there were no less than six separate salt pans in the parish, including those still carried on at Joppa. The Magdalene Bridge works have ceased to exist for many years, and the two separate works of Joppa have been for long under one management. Formerly the salt was made entirely by evaporation of the seawater, but salt rock is now imported from Cheshire for the purpose. An extensive trade has long been carried on with Edinburgh and Leith, and with the interior towns of the south of Scotland. At one time as many as forty carriers - all women - were employed retailing salt from the coast to Edinburgh and neighbouring district; about 18,000 bushels of salt being annually delivered in this way from the pans. At the end of last century, when the fiscal duties on the necessaries of life were so heavy, salt did not escape the vigilance of the Government. The tax was a heavy one, and such was the importance and value of the revenue from this source, that its collection was then under a separate department or commission. The officers of the salt duties were nearly as important as the officers of customs, and were divided into nine various districts throughout the country. In addition to the leading staff of commissioners, supervisors, controllers, collectors, clerks, etc., about thirty-five salt officers and forty-seven