Number 24 - Information on residents
1818 – 1849 Emily Wade and her daughter, Elisa
Emily Wade lived here with her daughter. Also, in 1844, a Captain Wade stayed for a year, and may well have been her son. . Emily died in 1846. While alive, she gave a donation to a benefit concert arranged by the Edinburgh Professional Society of Musicians ‘on behalf of the late Edward Simpson’s orphan family’, and also to a subscription to ‘support the distressed inhabitants of Lewis’.
Elisa Wade lived on in the house with three servants until her death in 1850. But nothing further traced.
1851 – 1853 Isabella Winston
All that is known (from the Census of 1851) is that Isabella Winston was a married woman, aged 35. She had ten children, all under the age of 15, living with her. Fortunately, she was assisted by a governess and six servants.
1854 – 1894 William James and Eleanora (neé Kirkpatrick) Hope Johnstone
Admiral Sir William James Hope Johnstone bought the house. His father was Vice-Admiral Sir William Johnstone Hope , was a prominent and controversial Royal Navy officer and politician. In 1786, he sailed with Captain Horatio Nelson and over the next 15 years participated in many naval engagements. William (portrait) followed his father into the Royal Navy; joining in 1811. He commanded various ships in Asia, the East Indies and the Mediterranean. Just before moving to Albany Street Edinburgh he had been Superintendent of Haslar Hospital and the Royal Clarence Victualing Yard in Gosport, and in 1854, he became Commander-in-chief, South-East coast of America, and in 1860, Commander-in-Chief, The Nore, in charge of the South East of England naval stations. He died in 1878.
Lady Johnstone and her unmarried daughter, Alicia, lived on in the house until their deaths. Both converted to Roman Catholicism: ‘The conversion of these ladies took place at a period when no little excitement was caused in Edinburgh by a large number of eminent persons becoming Catholics.’ This probably occurred in the 1840s, for they were received into the church by Bishop Rigg who was active at this time. The eldest daughter, Jane, became a nun. See also ReligionThis report below of the theft is from 1858. A substantial reward was offered for the arrest of Macpherson, who was reported to have fled to London with his wife and daughter with the plan of selling his loot to buy berths to Australia., but nothing further has been traced recounting his fate.
Whether Ellen, the other daughter, converted to Catholicism is not known. In 1865, she married Captain John D’Arcy and left Edinburgh. Mention is made of her husband when he was Captain of HMS Shannon, the first British armoured cruiser. Following a spell in the Mediterranean, D’Arcy and his cruiser were sent to the Pacific in connection with the Peruvian - Chilean War of 1879. The conflicts in South America war threatened British investments in South America, such as the British owned Pacific Steam Navigation Company which ran steamers up and down the Pacific coast, and the lives and property of British emigrants. Italy, Germany, USA and France also sent warships to protect their interests. Word came that Lima might be plundered by Peruvian deserters and immigrants, especially Chinese, attacked. In an attempt to stop such action D’Arcy called a meeting of the neutral warship captains and persuaded them all to land marines and sailors to guard the town. However, the men failed to stop the attack on the city, in which the whole of the Chinese quarter was sacked and all the Chinese inhabitants murdered.
In 1876, Ellen resided at the house for the birth of her daughter, Grace, and the child lived here with her grandmother while the D'Arcy's were abroad.
Eleanora died in 1891, and Alicia the following year. ‘The body of Miss (Alicia) Hope-Johnstone, the last Catholic member of the family, was conveyed to the Cathedral on Tuesday and placed on a catafalque in front of the high altar. The Cathedral was draped in black velvet and gold, and a large number of lights surrounded the bier. On the following day the Most Rev. Archbishop Macdonald, D.D., sang pontifical High Mass of Requiem. The music was rendered by the choir and a large congregation was present. The remains were then taken by train to Dumfries and placed in the same grave as that in which her mother was buried. Kind hands had lined the entire grave with ivy and beautiful flowers.’
1894 – 1916 Lodgings
The lodgings were run by David Munro, a waiter, and his wife.
One boarder for a few years was Alexander Davidson, a solicitor, who worked at Bernard Street in partnership with George Galloway. In the directory he is listed as belonging to the Supreme Courts of New Zealand, and so able to administer oaths relating to that country.
Another boarder recorded in the 1901 census was Sewell Simmons, a recently qualified dentist . See Former pupil and student societies