St. Leonard's Mill
St Leonard's Mill, of Lasswade
1792 Established by William Simpson of Polton. It is known that he had a Sun Fire Insurance Policy on his house at St. Leonards as well as his new drying house, workhouse and sizing house. Fire insurance was very important for paper mills as they often suffered from serious fires.
1803 The mill had a steam engine, probably the earliest use in a paper mill in Scotland.
1807 The mill was worked by the Cowan family from 1807 until 1816
1816 Hugh Crichton took on the mill.
1832 Its first paper-making machine was installed.
By 1852 the mill was being operated by William Tod Junior
From 1860 operated by Wm. Tod & Sons.
1866 William Tod also acquired Springfield Mill
Eventually St Leonard's was run by John Tod and Son Ltd until it closed in 1965.
See Also
Sources of Information
- [1] Penicuik Papermaking