No 1824

William Roy Military Survey of Scotland 1752-55

The map above shows the original location of where the first Haughfoot Lodge met. Just one mile South of Stow with Torsonce House overlooking the area. As no evidence of any buildings now exist, the exact location of the Haughfoot Hamlet has been a matter of much discussion and debate within the Lodge. Brother James B Hogg has kindly sent me copies of the only two maps that exist that show a location for the Haughfoot Hamlet. The one dated 1763 is not very accurate or detailed so I do not show it here. The one shown above is dated 1755 - one year after the old Turnpike Road to the West was opened (1754). It clearly shows Haughfoot as being (at that time) midway between the Gala Water, to the East and the Turnpike road to the West.

The other road or possibly just a track running parallel to the river and the turnpike, from South to North passes through both Haughfoot and Haughhead. I think that we can clearly deduce that in 1702 and for most of the Years that the Haughfoot Lodge met here that this was the route that travellers used, probably on horseback, they would have forded the rivers at the various junctions we see where it meets the river.

We now move to the above OS map, dated 1853 and Haughfoot is no longer shown. It shows the Waverley Railway Line (opened in 1849). Although Haughhead has survived, the road that passed through Haughfoot is no longer shown. It is fairly clear that the Railway line now covers large sections of where the old Road originally was. On the 1755 Map, the Ford Marked No 4. to the South of Haughfoot is clearly exactly where a Railway bridge now is. I think it fair to assume that the Railway builders altered the course of the river here so that the bridge would go over at right angles.

So if the buildings at Haughfoot still survivied just prior to the coming of the Railway, it clearly would have had devastating consequences for the survival of Haughfoot. It's main communication link would be gone. Even if the Railway did not run right through Haughfoot, it was probably too close for comfort. Brother Harry Carr speculated, in his book about the Haughfoot Lodge, that the Meetings probably took place in an Inn or Tavern. The loss of the Road would devastate that trade. Indeed it could also be speculated that when the Turnpike opened in 1754, Haughfoot had already become isolated from through traffic.

To figure out the Haughfoot location I have scaled from the Turnpike Road. By measuring from the Lugate Bridge to where the Road takes a bend at the South end