Penicuik

Penicuik is a burgh in Midlothian, Scotland, lying on the west bank of the River North Esk. The town was developed as a planned village in 1770 by Sir James Clerk of Penicuik. It became a burgh in 1867. The town was well known for its paper mills, the last of which closed in 1975. More recently the town was home to the Edinburgh Crystal works, which .

The town's name is derived from the ancient Pen Y Cog, meaning 'Hill of the Cuckoo'.

The Dalmore Paper mill on the Esk near Auchendinny closed in 2005.

[edit] Statistics

The site of Penicuik was home to the paper mill established by Agnes Campbell in 1709
Around 1770 after the arrival of the Cowan family and their expanded mill, the need for homes for their workers led to the hamlet of Penicuik expanding to a town.
By 1800 the population had risen to 1700
In 1803 Penicuik was the site of a prison camp for French prisoners during the Napoleonic Wars. The former camp is now the site of a housing development in Valleyfield.
Penicuik is the site of Glencorse Parish Kirk which was the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevensons' Kidnapped (1886). Some of the streets nearby are named after characters in the novel and its sequel, Catriona (1893)
Penicuik is twinned with the town of L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue in France
Penicuik is home to the Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, garrisoned in Glencorse Barracks.

Paper-making was started here by Mrs Agnes Campbell in 1709
The mill was subsequently purchased by Charles Cowan, originally a grocer in Leith. He established the Cowan Valleyfield Mills
In 1796, Charles Cowan brought in his son Alexander Cowan to manage the mill
An adjacent corn mill was purchased in 1803 which became known as Bank Mill after he converted it to produce the paper on which banknotes were printed
Paper was also produced at Eskmill which has recently now become a site for private housing.