| Code | NA22636 |
| Dates And Places | 1605-1945. The lands owned encompassed Currie, Hermiston and the Gyle in South-West Edinburgh |
| Activity | In 1605 Edinburgh lawyer Thomas Craig bought Riccarton Mains from William Wardlaw. In 1610 his son Ludovic bought the rest of the Riccarton estate and extended the existing building plus continuously bought more land to include Currie and Hermiston in the estate. Thomas Craig II was a Convenanter but the family survived the turmoil of the Civil War. The three Craig owners of the estate between 1691and 1823 never married and in 1823 the lands passed to relative James Gibson who changed his name to Gibson-Craig. The estate had been considerably improved by then with agricultural developments. James Gibson-Craig was a radical lawyer and a leading figure in the Scottish liberal party. His involvement in the campaign for political reform lead to his award of the 1st baronet of Riccarton. He made Riccarton a centre of social and political activity by entertaining leading political figures, developing the landscaping at the estate and supporting the local community. James was a leading supporter of the School of Arts. His son William, 2nd Baronet, also became an MP and served from 1832-1850, becoming Lord of the Treasury, Lord Clerk Register and Keeper of the Signet of Scotland. He inherited the title in 1850. His son James, 3rd Baronet, became convener of Midlothian County Council. Sadly, two of James' sons died at war - Robert in the Boer War in 1900 and Archibald at the Battle of Aisne in 1914. The family had always had close links with the local community, William had been a founder of Currie Curling Club and James founded the Gibson-Craig Memorial Hall in Currie in memory of Robert. The title passed to third son Sir Henry, who also became an MP and inherited the title of Lord Carmichael of Skirling as the 12th baronet of Kiershill. He had no children and in 1926 the title passed to his cousin, Sir Eardley Gibson-Craig Carmichael the grandson of William's youngest sister Anne. As the entail was broken the estate was inherited by his nephew then niece Hermionie which in turn passed to her daughter Mrs Josephine Sudlow in 1945. The army commandeered the house in the 1940s, and was the base for planing the invasion of Norway, and remained there until it was demolished in 1956. Most of the estate land, which encompassed Currie and the Gyle, was sold in the 1950s. The remaining land was sold to Midlothian County Council and then Heriot-Watt University in 1968. Other significant members of the family include Dorothy Gibson-Craig Brooke, Eardley's sister who founded The Brooke animal charity in Egypt. |
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