11th March - 17th March in Victorian Edinburgh

13th March 1869 

The Edinburgh Evening Courant reports – ‘The subject of the number of young children in large towns who grow up without education, or coming under the educational provisions of the Factory Acts, was brought up by Mr Melly in the House of Commons yesterday. He suggested compulsory attendance on school as the remedy, and proposed a select committee to enquire into the present state of matters. Mr Forster, however, spoke in a dubious way regarding compulsory measures as anti-English, and finally the motion was withdrawn.’

The Factory Act was introduced in an attempt to improve conditions for children working in factories, and set a minimum age for child workers and maximum hours they could work depending on their age. It also stipulated that children were to receive two hours of schooling each day. This however was still far from ideal and it was not until 1870 that the Education Act came into place, which allowed many more children to attend school during the day. Though this was an improvement, it was not necessarily mandated that children attend school, therefore many children still spent the majority of their days working in the factories through financial necessity to provide food for their families.

13th March 1839

Thomas McEwen, a Market Trader in the Cowgate was convicted in the Police Court for selling ‘unwholesome hams’. McEwen had been attempting to sell a quantity of bacon hams, which were said to be ‘neither fit for the use of man nor beast’. He was fined two guineas and the hams were ordered to be buried.

14th March 1849

Mary Bone, Henry Grant and Elizabeth Henderson appeared in court, charged with having stolen a watch from a young man, whilst in a house in Leith Wynd. They pleaded not guilty, but after much evidence had been given the jury found the charge proven and all three were sentenced to ten years transportation.

15^th March 1869

An advertisment for teeth appeared in the Scotsman newspaper (c) The Scotsman

16th March 1839

Peter Lays, a farm steward, residing in Morrison Street, appeared in the High Court of Justiciary accused of assaulting a young man named Rintoul by pushing him off one of the carriages of the train between Musselburgh and Edinburgh. Rintoul fell under the wheels of another carriage and received a fracture to one of his thighs and various other injuries. Lays was found guilty by the jury, however it was accepted that he had no premeditated malice against Rintoul, and the judge found the railway company more to blame, as overloading their carriages with people was a common practice. Lays was therefore sentenced to three months imprisonment.

16th March 1848

The theft of a pair of boots from a house in Cumberland Street, gave Ronald Marshall the sentence of seven years transportation.