CHAPTER II

The First Buildings - The Future Town Named - The First Friendly Society - The Building of the Pale and Pale House - The End of the Society.

Before the opening of the great road from Edinburgh to Glasgow in 1786, the road leading to these cities lay a short distance to the north, and was of a very hilly nature, with many sharp and dangerous turns, while the north and south road lay as at present by North and South Streets, and was a mere track with a branch off at South Mossend leading down Academy Street to Falkirk by Woodend and Avonbridge.

With the opening of the new road and the formation of a cross near to the east end of the estate, the time had now arrived, providing all things were equal, for the building of a town.  The Carron Iron Company were operating mines a short distance to the north, and coal had been discovered on the estate in the bed of a tributary to Barbauchlaw Burn, known as Colinburn, and was easily obtained by the dwellers on the estate, who gave the seam the name of the Colinburn coal, a seam of "rough coal" still worked in the district.

The mines began to attract a number of miners from all parts of the country, and housing accommodation being scarce, many built turf huts for themselves, and lived happily under such conditions without let or hindrance from Dean of Guild Courts or sanitary authorities.

The district soon began to show an activity hitherto unknown to it, and the demand for housing accommodation being observed by a wright or joiner, named John Russell, he secured a feu near the Cross, where be erected a house and workshop.  This feu was the first granted by Sir William Honeyman, Bart. of Armadale, on the Barbauchlaw estate, and may be said to have been the foundation-stone of our Armadale.  The date on which the feu was granted was August 4th, 1795, and is now described in the title as :- "All and hail that piece of ground in the Village of Armadale, extending in front towards the road to 41 feet, and 126 feet southwards, as measured from the north wall of the house built thereon, which is placed exactly 9 .feet south from the footpath upon the said great road".

The property has, since that, been acquired by the County Council and rebuilt, and is now the County Police Station.

Two years later Mr. George Swan secured a large feu, extending from the north-west corner of the Cross west to the opening which separates "The Armadale Public-House Society's" property in West Main Street, and on this feu near the Cross he built an inn of a modest one-and-a-half-storey building, consisting of several sitting-rooms, and two attic bedrooms.  Stables were built at the back for the accommodation of travellers, but no horses appear to have been kept for hire.  In honour of the landowner the inn was designated "Armadale" Inn, a name it still enjoys, although the old building was burned down in 1894.  A more modern structure has been raised on the old foundation.  "Armadale" was therefore adopted as the name of the now rising town.

Mr Swan seems to have cultivated part of the land around Armadale in addition to catering for the travelling public, as may be gathered from a letter, designated " An Obligation - Wm. Dallas to Thos. Harvie, 1806" as follows:-

"Smyllum Park, 28th August, 1806

" Thos. Harvie, - I am directed by Lord Armadale to say that in consequence of George Swan's direction, whatever balance is due to him, by Lord Armadale on account of plowing the south field at Armadale, after deducting what is due to his Lordship by Swan, will be paid to you.  -  I am, sir, yours, etc.,

"WM. DALLAS."

The Inn was built with the financial assistance of a Mr. Reid, of Bathgate, and a condition was made between them that should Mr. Swan at any time while Mr. Reid was bondholder be required to dispose of the property, Mr. Reid was to have the first chance of it.  In the year 1808 the time came when Mr. Swan found himself in a position to dispose of the Inn, when Mr. Reid embraced the opportunity and became owner.

John Harvie, a stone mason, and brother of Thomas Harvie, the father of "Sweet Jessie o' the Dell", tenant of the Mill Farm, became tenant of the Inn, and also took over the fields held and cultivated by Swan.

Meantime a regular 'bus traffic was growing in popularity on the new road, and the inn became a favourite meeting-place of those desiring to travel east or west.  Gradually small houses here and there, to the west of the Cross, began to be erected, and amongst them was the indispensable blacksmith shop, which was established by Mr. Thomas Rankin next to Mr. Russell's joiner's shop on the site of Mr. Alex. Hutton's ironmongery shop in West Main Street - Mr Rankin, like Mr. Harvie and Mr. Russell, taking an active part in all matters pertaining to the welfare of the rising village.

THE FIRST FRIENDLY SOCIETY

By the year 1810 Armadale began to look upon itself as a place of some importance, and a number of gentlemen of the locality met in the Inn and proposed to form themselves into a Friendly Society, the following being an exact copy of the minute of the first meeting of the first of the many Friendly Societies that have sprung up in Armadale:-

"Armadale, January 8th, 1810.

"A number of the inhabitants in and about Armadale, sensible of the utility of society, this night constituted themselves into a Friendlay Society, adopted some regulations for the better conducting the society, and proceeded to elect office-bearers as follows:- Thomas Brock, Preses: John Johnston, Treasurer; James Gardner, Boxmaster; John Harvie, Clerk; James Thomson, John Wardrop, Barbauchlaw ; John Wardrop, Torbanehill; Robert Walker, Joseph Bell and Thomas Harvie, jun., Managers.  Collected the entries the sum of £23 17s 6d.

(Signed) THOS. BROCK, Preses."

At a special meeting held five days later the members of the society agreed to have a Pale (hearse) built for the benefit of the society, when the order was given to Mr. John Russell, with instructions to have it ready as soon as possible, Mr. James Gardner (who was a tailor at Easterton) to provide the cloth to cover the hearse.

THE COST OF THE FIRST HEARSE

On the next page of the minute book appears the following entry:-

An account of the expense of Pale paid out of the society's funds:-

The first intimation that the hearse -was finished was at a meeting dated August 18th, 1810, when the account was settled.

THE PALE HOUSE

At a later special meeting arrangements were made to build a house wherein to keep the hearse.  The same house is still standing at the entrance to the Volunteer Park in North Street, but is now slate-roofed instead of straw-thatched as originally.  The following minute is a copy of the first mention of the ‘Pale House’;-

"Armadale, September 7th, 1810.

"This night a meeting being called by order of the Preses, accepted of Thomas Harvie grant to build a house for Pale upon his feu and exchanged missive letters to that effect, and agreed that the house shall be forwarded so soon as possible.  Ordered James Walker to forward material, and John Harvie to employ masons.

(Signed) THOS. BROCK, Preses."

The following accounts are afterwards entered in the minute book relating to the house:-

Armadale, April 9th, 1811.

This night paid out of the stock to sundries as follows for Pale House:-

The hearse, or Pale, seems to have been a paying venture for the society, as at every quarterly meeting there are several entries of income from that source.  Those engaging the hearse had to find the horse and driver.  The charges made by the society for the use of the hearse were for the hearse and harness only.  For a hire to Mid-Calder the charge was 8s 6d; Linlithgow, the same; Torphichen, 8s; West Calder, 6s 6d; Bathgate Old Churchyard, 4s 6d; Livingston and Shotts, 6s 6d each; Kirkliston, 8s 6d.

The regular meetings of the society were held every three months in the Armadale Inn, but many special meetings appear to have been held by order of the Preses for the purpose of considering some new notion by some member as to how the society should be conducted, and in the course of the first year or two many changes were made on the first set of regulations.  The entry money was 5s 6d, and 1s 6d per quarter afterwards.  The aliment received during illness varied from 3s a week to 1s 6d, according to the funds in hand.  The funds increased rapidly during the first few years, and the old bank at Falkirk is first mentioned as being a proper place to lodge the money in, but later, on the Relief Congregational Church at Bathgate hearing that the society had some cash to invest, approached them and offered 5 per cent interest and satisfactory security.  The committee of the society, on Wm. White and John Clarkson becoming cautioners, agreed to let them have £45.  A short time afterwards the members of the society began to think their money was not too safe, and their suspicion was increased when they called up the amount they had out on loan, and were unable to get it at short notice.  After threatening to put the case into the hands of a law agent, the society were paid back their money by instalments.

In the year 1813 the hearse appears to have got into a dilapidated condition, and after considering the matter at a meeting held for that purpose on the 31st of October of that year, it was resolved to have it re-painted and re-covered with black velvet.  It was also agreed to get as much wheat straw as was necessary from Mr. Thos. Harvie, to repair the roof of the Pale house.  Then follows an entry of the expenses under this heading:-

At the quarterly meeting held on the 19th July 1842, it was resolved to have the roof of the Pale house covered with tiles, the tiles to be brought from West Calder Tile Works.  Then the annual statement shows the account thus:-

In 1844 the affairs of the society seemed to be in a back-going state, since at the annual meeting held on the 9th January of that year, the members resolved to reduce the funeral allowance from 20s to 10s, and to continue to pay 2s 6d per week as sick aliment.  The following year it was agreed not to pay aliment for the first week's illness, and that if a member died during the first year he was in the society his entry money only would be paid back, and what dues he had paid if not paid out in sick aliment.  On the 6th January, 1846, the committee met to consider how best to get a full meeting of the members at the forthcoming annual meeting seeing that the funds of the society were getting so low, when it was arranged with the clerk and the officer of the society that every member would receive notice to attend.  At the annual meeting, which was held on the 13th January, 1846, it was resolved to wind up the society, but to reserve the Pale, harness, and house, for the use of the members of the society, who were to have the use of it to carry them to their last resting place free of charge.  The hearse was to be allowed out on hire to those outside of the society, the proceeds to be devoted to keeping it in order, but should any additional funds be required to keep it in repair, those having a claim on it were to meet the expense, and if anyone refused to pay his share his name was to be struck off the roll of membership.  A committee was appointed to manage everything in connection with the hearse until the month of January the following year, when the annual meeting would be held to elect new managers.  Nothing is further recorded in the minute book of the society regarding its affairs, but as time wore on the old hearse became worn out and no longer fit to be trusted to carry the dead.  A society was then formed to build a new hearse, and was afterwards known as the Pale Society, 10s qualifying any person to become a. member.  The new hearse was duly obtained after the style of the old one, and housed in the old house.  Gradually this old-time two-wheeled, black box grew out of fashion, and the demands made upon it were few and far between, with the result that it was disposed of to a butcher about Broxburn for a small sum, and the house that used to cover it handed over to Mr. James Verrier, on whose feu it stands, and forms the only link with the old original Armadale Friendly Society.  The date on which the old Pale Society ceased to exist may be given as the date on which Mr. Thos. Harvie, as chairman, signed the agreement with Mr. Verrier to let him have the Pale House in lieu of feu-duty, on his paying £1, which was closed on the 14th June, 1887.