Cousland Smiddy History

We believe there has been a continuously working Smiddy in the village since 1703. This is what we have found out so far about the Smiddy.

The Smiddy

The buildings

It is not known exactly when the original Smiddy was built in Cousland. The earliest historical record of smiths working in Cousland dates from 1724, but it is probably much older. It is believed the building here today, on this site, dates from 1703. It has been much altered over the years.

This first smith’s cottage was probably built in the late 17th or early 18th century.

The present cottage, clearly incorporating an earlier structure, dates from about 1820. The but ‘n’ ben is probably 18th century. The workshop to the east of the Smiddy used to be a pig sty.

The blacksmiths

In the 1841 census there is mention of a blacksmith called John Neil, the second last of certainly four, and possibly five, generations of the same family who we now know had been blacksmiths in Cousland since 1724 The Neils left Cousland for Edinburgh in 1874.

The 1882 valuation rolls make reference to a William Sked as proprietor of the Smiddy. We know that the business was handed over to his son Christopher Sked in 1890 then passed down to the third generation, his son, another Christopher - or Kit - in the early 1920's.

In turn the business was handed over to his son, Kit Sked, who worked at the Smiddy until 1989. When Kit Sked was the blacksmith, the Midlothian District Council Newsletter published an interview feature about him in 1979.

In the old days the village "Smiddy" was a focal point in every community. Kit Sked is one of the few agricultural blacksmiths still in business on his own. We thought Kit could be an ideal subject for our monthly profile. True to the traditional image of the smith, Kit proved to be not only interesting, but amiable and helpful.

"My earliest recollection of the "Smiddy" was as a youngster, going there with my father and being enthralled by the sight of my grandfather at the anvil, complete with leather apron: the sweat glistening on his brow. I suppose that from then onwards I accepted the fact I could follow the family tradition and enter the Smiddy. This made me the fourth generation to ply the craft at Cousland as a village blacksmith.

Agricultural Implements

In those days all work was carried out by hand manual labour, with no set hours. You worked till the job was completed and over-time was a thing unknown as far as the financial side was concerned. All farm work was done by horses and all implements repaired at the Smiddy. No need for agricultural engineers as such in these days.

On wet days when work on the land was restricted, we could be inundated with horses for shoeing; as many as four pair waiting at the door at 6.30 am. There was much back-breaking work for the smiths, before they were all shod and many a tale we heard as the ploughmen conversed while waiting their "turn".

The old "worthies" of the village were always at hand and would give a hand at blowing the bellows or assisting with hammer "giein' the smith a chap" as they termed it.

The Sked Family

There seemed to be much more of a fellowship among the folks in those days. But times changed and tractors came into vogue and the farm horse slowly vanished from the scene and we had to adapt ourselves to a different type of work. True with the advent of electrical drills and blowers for the fire things were much easier but for me at least the magic had gone out of the Smiddy. The ploughmen or "hinds" as we called them no long longer came at nights with irons off their horse ploughs, or chains to be re-linked.

The old social life of the Smiddy died out as did the old worthies who trysted there, "Smiddy Elders" people called them. For years the shoeing tools lay in a corner unused and unheeded until some time ago pony riding began to interest people. Soon the demand for farriers far outstripped the supply.

Kit Sked

Any young lad learning the trade could I am sure procure himself steady employment today and in the future the only difference from the old days being he must pass an examination and gain himself a certificate of merit from the Registered Farriers Association. Shoeing a horse without this carries a £100 fine. He must also have an aptitude to handle and understand horses as every one has a different nature.

I am frequently asked what would you do if you were back leaving school again? My reply: "I wid dae it a' again."

A young farrier, Mark Russell, worked at Cousland for short period in 1989. The current blacksmith-metalworker, Jamie Fleming, then took over.