Tag: East Lothian

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Food and Drink Uncategorized

Pie Monday!

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On the Monday immediately preceding the Dalkeith Hiring-Fair in October (2nd Thursday of the month), Musselburgh celebrated a day known as Pie Monday.

To correctly celebrate Pie Monday everyone *must* have a hot mutton pie for tea, as simple as that.

It is meant to have started when a baker’s horse was lamed in Musselburgh as they were on the way to Dalkeith with a full cart of pies and something had to be done to prevent waste! They sold so well that the following year he was sold out before getting to Dalkeith and so it became a yearly tradition.

Musselburgh let it fall by the wayside and no longer celebrate hot mutton pies in October. They should sort that out!

Source

Stirling, R. McD. (1894) Inveresk Parish Lore from Pagan Times. T.C. Blair, Musselburgh. 284pp.

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Disasters

Rowboats in the aisles

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In September 1421, the Tyne flooded so badly that “a great many houses were entirely defaced” in Haddington. The waters were still high on the Feast of St Ninian (16th Sept) so parishioners had to row boats into the church to pray.

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Uncategorized

North Berwick Lifeboat Day

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In the 1880s, “Lifeboat Day” was the biggest fête of the year in North Berwick. In addition to rescue manoeuvres by the lifeboatmen, there was a greased mast to climb, diving competition and a “tub race” across the harbour, in drag.

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Medicine Rural Life

The Man Who Vomited a Slug

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After drinking from ditches, Robert Dixon, of Markle, E. Lothian complained of “sour belchings” and “obstinate bowels”. For 2 years he coughed up “fetid slimy matter”. In June 1828 a doctor gave him bicarb and he vomited up a great grey slug, 4 inches long!

He kept it as pet for 5 days. It was “quite lively and vigorous when voided”.

The account is from William Rhind’s 1829 book on intestinal worms. He was clear it was “limax major” (a big slug) rather than one of the more typical invertebrates found in the human gut.