The west wall with the arched window is the oldest edifice in the village. On September 28th the gates to this hallowed ground were open for the public to visit and hear its fascinating history courtesy of local residents Emma Kemp and Sarah Gale, as part of Edinburgh’s annual Doors Open Day. About 80 to 100 visitors were welcomed throughout the day as a result.

King James IV of Scotland was committed to building a Royal Navy for Scotland, To find craftsmen to help with the construction he turned to the Low Countries of Flanders, France and as far as Spain and Denmark. King James was a pious king, good and wise. He had ascended to the throne after the death — in actual fact, the murder, by rebel barons — of his father, King James III in 1488 following the Battle of Sauchieburn.

It was soon established that the shallow grounds of the water around Leith were inappropriate to build large warships. The king identified links, scrubland and whins about a mile to the west of the port stretching from the Chapel of St Nicholas in Leith up to what we now call Wardie Bay where the sea was deep and suitable for his Royal Dockyard. There were only a few fishermen’s huts here. The land belonged to the Abbey of Holyrood and the Abbot was most happy to exchange these 143 acres for more suitable and fertile land near the Palace of Linlithgow.

Devoted to the Church, as was his mother, he funded a sanctuary, the Chapel of St James and the Virgin Mary, in1504 to be built for the workforce. Because of this, the village was originally known as Our Lady’s Port of Grace and even Maryport. The outer walls are still to be seen with the gable ends fairly intact. In official documents, however, it was referred to as Novus Portus de Leith and so New Haven of Leith, or more simply Newhaven as it was soon to become, was founded.

Simple the chapel may have been in style and construction but there were a number of altars within and the priests tending them needed to be fed. The lands around the simple stone chapel including the land on which St Andrew’s Church (now Alien Rock) stands were used by the monks mainly as a vegetable garden with cattle for milk and beef kept in a nearby field called Holy Blude Acre and now better known as Anchorfield after the Anker Burn which ran into the Forth at this point.

The first recorded burial was in 1505, a French shipwright working on the Great Michael, the famous ship built here in Newhaven Harbour for the Scottish navy and the largest of its age.

After the Reformation, the chapel fell into ruin, although the grounds continued to be used for burials. Nevertheless, around 1654 the congregation of North Leith Parish Church used it briefly when they were not allowed to use their own church by the occupying Commonwealth (English) forces when the Citadel was being built. In June 1725, the Society of Free Fishermen of Newhaven (the Society) acquired the land and formally asked to use the chapel ruins as a burial ground. The Society, which tradition holds had existed since around 1400, predated the founding of the Royal Dockyard and was one of Scotland’s oldest trade associations, modeled on Flemish guilds.

Jealous of the increasing importance of Newhaven’s Royal Dockyard and its threat to the port of Leith, the burghers of Edinburgh persuaded King James IV to sell them the feu on the promise that they would continue to look after the village. They then promptly reneged on this commitment following the King’s death at the Battle of Flodden. Thereafter, the Society effectively acted as a town council, collecting dues, rents, and fines, and using the funds to support widows, the elderly, and community needs — including the graveyard.

Between 1805–1810, the Society bought and demolished two derelict fishing cottages to expand the graveyard, building a new stone wall to the west. The graveyard once had a footprint of 7,000 sq ft. However, the graveyard became so full that new burials often disturbed earlier ones. An archaeological dig in 1972 found “jumbled” burials, likely due to remains being moved when the grounds were extended. Eventually, the graveyard closed in 1848 as it became too full, and Newhaven families began using the recently opened Warriston and Rosebank cemeteries.

The Newhaven Heritage Community Gardens Group continue to look after this important part of our history but have ambitions to do more to restore the garden’s attractiveness and tranquillity. If you are happy to help the group in their efforts by helping out with time, or donations. Contact: emma-kempTNCC@mail.com