Number 35 - Information on residents

Her first novel was an instant success, with at least 500 copies being sold by the end of the first month. Yet the critical response was far more ambivalent: ‘parties [of commentators] have been formed respecting it; some extolling it to the skies, and others depressing it below its real merits.’ While Jane Austen was correcting the proofs of her first published novel, Sense and Sensibility, she wrote to her sister: ‘We have tried to get Self-Control but in vain. I am always half afraid of finding a clever novel too clever – and of finding my own story and my own people all foresaid.’ When she did eventually obtain a copy to read she had some reservations: ‘I am looking over Self-Control again, & my opinion is confirmed of its’ being an excellently-meant, elegantly-written Work, without anything of Nature or Probability in it. I declare I do not know whether Laura’s passage down the American River, is not the most natural, possible, every-day thing she ever does.’ Yet in spite of her reservations, Austen perhaps had some initial jealousy of the success of Brunton's book for later she wrote: ‘I will improve upon it, my heroine shall not merely be wafted down an American river on a boat by herself, she shall cross the Atlantic in the same way and never stop till she reaches Gravesend.’

The year after Self-Control was published Alexander applied for the post of Professor of Oriental Languages at the University of Edinburgh. ‘My Lord, May I request to offer myself to the notice of your Lordship as a candidate for the office of Professor of Hebrew in the University of Edinburgh. ..I would not take this step without being conscious of possessing, in some degree, the qualifications necessary for discharging the duties.’ But Alexander was unsuccessful.

Perhaps to ease Alexander's disappointment at not landing the job he craved, The Bruntons took a holiday in England and Mary wrote an engaging diary of the trip: ‘the first entrance to England is far from conveying favourable impressions. The country is bleak and dreary. The road abominable.’ While some parts of England did not impress her, London did, especially the Vauxhall Gardens: ‘bands of music were stationed, and English, Irish, Scotch, German and Turkish airs were performed by musicians in the garb of each country. Many thousands of well-dressed people were assembled in this gay scene. Upon the whole, Vauxhall is the gayest raree show possible – and no bad type of that kind of pleasure.’ Yet, she found the travelling and the constant new experiences tiring. ‘All the pomps and novelties of this world of wonders become nothing more to me than the shadows that flit along the walls of a prison. Everything tires me now!’ One suspects she also was keen to be home and able to write in peace.

Her second novel, Discipline, was published in 1814, again anonymously. Mary’s concern that sales of her second novel might suffer because its’ Highland scenes, would be compared to the recently published Waverley by Walter Scott proved groundless. Discipline was another success, being reprinted twice in two years. In the same year Alexander was at last awarded the degree of Doctor of Divinity, and due to the timely of the incumbent was appointed to be Professor of Oriental Languages. It was at this time that the Bruntons bought Number 18.

In 1815, the Bruntons again travelled to England and from her journal it appears that Mary enjoyed more of what she saw. Although she was relieved to return home, her pleasure at being back in Scotland was allied to seeing it anew: ‘The road to Edinburgh is right Scotch; though bleak and dreary, it is judicious and substantial. But oh! it is untold how dismally bare this country seems, after four months' acquaintance with "merry England!" I sigh over the thoughts of an Englishman's impressions on visiting mother Scotland. No wonder if we be hospitable! where one eternal winter constantly reminds us to draw together, and be social. Farewell, green fields and rural villages! Farewell, waving fences, and feathery woods, and flowery cottages! But welcome, mine own rugged Scotland! where, though all is bare and naked, everything bespeaks improvement, industry, intelligence; independence in the poor, and enterprise in the rich…. Our cottages range in vile rows, flanked with pig-styes, and fronted with dunghills; but our cottagers have Bibles, and can read them; they are poor, but they are not paupers. In some of the agricultural parishes of England we found more than half of the population receiving charity (if I may so prostitute the word!) from the remainder…. There is the most striking difference, the moment you enter Scotland, on the language of the people, and especially on the accommodation for travellers. "Horses quickly for Hawick," quoth the Doctor. "Ye'll get them in a wee, sir; but they are out at the park e'en now, and we maun send and catch them." At last they came! two unwieldy, raw-boned brutes, alike in nothing but their speed; and driven by a "vera canny lad" of sixty and upwards.’

Although keen to start a third novel, Mary’s health was poor and she was depressed: ‘As for my writing, it has been four months entirely discontinued. For the greater part of that time I have been utterly incapable of interesting myself in that, or indeed any other employment. The worst consequence however of my indisposition has been the uneasiness it has given to Mr. B; to him especially for he has felt it so much: and this has no doubt, tended to increase it.’ Alexander continually tried to encourage her to write. At his behest she drew up a framework for her third novel. She also began to learn Gaelic. Alexander was busy with lectures, sermons and work on his book, Outlines of Persian Grammar that was published in 1822.

In 1818, while working on her third novel, Mary finally became pregnant. She was forty years of age and although the pregnancy appeared to improve her health, it did nothing for her spirits. While Alexander was excited at becoming a father, Mary became convinced that she would die giving birth. This was a time when such fears were understandable for any pregnant woman, let alone one aged 40, but Mary become abnormally obsessed with making preparations for her demise. She chose the clothes she wished to be buried in, picked out objects that should be given to friends and relations in remembrance of her and even wrote the notices to be sent to people following her death. Sadly, her fears proved real. After giving birth to a stillborn son, Mary died a few days later.

Alexander’s loss of the wife he dearly loved, and of whose achievements he was immensely proud, and of the son he craved, must have been heart-breaking. Later he was persuaded to write a memoir of his wife: ‘It has been for twenty years my happiness to watch the workings of that noble mind – my chief usefulness to aid its progress, however feebly. Nothing is more soothing to me than to dwell on the remembrance of her – nothing more dear to me than to diffuse the benefit of her example….I am persuaded, that in all which she had done she was only trying her strength; and that if her life had been prolonged, the standard of female intellect might have been heightened, and the character of English literature might have been embellished by her labours.’ His memoir, the five chapters of the unfinished third book, Emmeline, some letters and sections of her engaging travel journal were published in 1819.

In 1821, Alexander moved out of Albany Street to live in University accommodation and two years later was appointed Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. In 1847, he gave up his Chair at the University, published his last work, Forms of Public Worship and moved to live with his niece and nephew in Perthshire, where he died in 1854 aged eighty two.

The contemporary writer, Fay Weldon, commented: ‘Improving the Brunton novels may be, but what fun they are to read, rich in invention, ripe with incident, shrewd in comment, and erotic in intention and fact.’

1824 – 1844 Alexander Mudie

Alexander Mudie, a doctor, had returned to Edinburgh from his Jamaican estate, Mount Pleasant at St James, where he had owned 19 slaves. He was a widower as his wife, Elizabeth, aged 20, and their infant daughter had died in Jamaica in 1792.

In Jamaica, Mudie had been a member of one of the Masonic Lodges. Being the sugar capital of the world Jamaica had become a valuable British colony, and by 1813 was at the height of its dominance. Its commercial importance had spawned a wealthy and influential business class, many with direct family and business ties to Britain. Therefore, the Masonic Freemasonry of the time was predominantly white, upper-middle class, though a number of masons were Jewish. Jamaica offered Jews a freedom not yet available in much of Europe, and so many who had fled persecution in Portugal and other parts of Europe were attracted to the colony.

This was the time of the revolutionary wars and of high anti-Freemasonry sentiment disseminated by the Roman Catholic Church and, as a result, Freemasonry was viewed with some amount of suspicion by the authorities for political as well as religious reasons. Many governments of the day saw Freemasonic Lodges as meeting places for free thinkers and dissenters, and, therefore, as centres of revolt. For fear of political persecution, some West Indian Lodges had to meet under the guise of educational organisations, offering lessons in Spanish and English.

In 1835 following the Slavery Abolition Act Mundie received £432 15S 10D compensation for his freed slaves. He died in Albany Street in 1844.

1845 – 1850 James Richmond

James Richmond was a doctor and he may possibly have been a retired East India Company army surgeon. If so, then he served in India and received an annuity on retirement in 1839, and was married to Isabella Pringle.

1850 – 1865 Frederick and Eliza (neé Cockburn) Hope

The 1855 Valuation record states that the house was owned by William McIntyre and let.

Major-General Frederick Hope was a retired army officer. He and Eliza moved here with their four children. Hope’s father had been in the navy and Eliza’s in the army. Hope was an officer in various regiments, including the 72nd (Duke of Albany’s own Highlanders) Regiment of Foot. He became a director of the Scottish Naval and Military Academy. This was described as: ‘the only seminary in Scotland which furnishes a complete Course of Instruction to Young Men destined for the Military and Civil Services in all their departments. The system pursued at the Academy, while it has special reference to the examinations prescribed by the Horse Guards, Admiralty, and East India Company, is also designed to qualify Officers for the highest appointments in the service. Apply Military Academy Buildings, Lothian Road.’

Their three daughters all married: Eliza to Andrew Inglis in 1862, Louisa to Lionel Tollemache in 1869, and Katherine to the Reverend George Shaw in 1886. Their eldest son, Frederick, married Anna Gosling in 1860 but four years later accidentally drowned while serving as Aide-de-Camp to the Governor of Madras. Their other son, Charles married Leonora Orde in 1871 and later became the Justice of the Peace for Northumberland. No information found on their third son, Charles.

1865 – 1870 George Clark Ross

George Ross was the agent for the Scottish National Insurance Company. He also was a member of the City of Edinburgh Rifle Volunteers.

1870 – 1882 Lodgings

These were run by Ellen Jackson, a widow with one son. It may well have been that actors and entertainers seeking ‘digs’ when performing in Edinburgh were directed to Mrs Jackson’s Lodging House, for on the days of both the 1871 and 1881 census performers were lodging here.

1871 Lodger - Alfred Howard

Alfred Howard was an actor, and his young daughter, Lydia; better known as ‘The Fairy Actress’. Alfred had been presenting Lydia on stage from when she was only three-years-old. The review of the Edinburgh show was glowing: ‘This gifted little actress, now only six years of age, took her audience quite by surprise; everyone seemed astounded at the juvenile end blooming appearance of their little entertainer. A Lilliputian figure and childish face - the personification of simplicity - a light and airy carriage, free from constraint or affectation, and an arch smile playing over her plump, rosy face, at once gained for her the sympathies of all present, who received her with a burst of honest enthusiasm. Supported by Mr. Alfred Howard and Miss Kathleen Power, the entertainment commenced with a representation of Little Red Riding Hood, in which, of course, Miss Howard sustained the part of the heroine, and the perfectly natural and graceful manner in which she portrayed the character, excited the heartiest applause. In all her other representations she was equally successful, especially in her rendering of the characters of the Leading Lady in a laughable sketch of that title, Tom Tuff. Her recitals of Longfellow's Excelsior and Psalm of Life were also exceedingly beautiful, and as she performs on Monday and Tuesday evenings next, we should advise all to attend the entertainments of this extraordinary little "wonder."’