A conservation volunteer at historic Newhailes House & Gardens in Musselburgh has brought a former owner’s travel diary to life nearly 200 years after it was written.

Keen amateur researcher Martin Cotter, from Musselburgh, jumped at the chance to translate and transcribe the journal of Sir Charles Dalrymple Fergusson about his mini ‘Grand Tour’ of northern Europe, which dates back to 1824.

Sir Charles, 5th Baronet of Kilkerran, inherited the property at Newhailes from his aunt, Miss Christian Dalrymple, who passed away in 1838, despite not being a direct member of the Dalrymple family, owners of the estate since 1709.

Mr Cotter has been a volunteer with the National Trust for Scotland at Newhailes for two years and a Musselburgh resident for 21 years.

He said: “I live locally and spent many happy days at Newhailes with my children while they were growing up.

“I was always fascinated by the house and wanted to give something back.

“Just being at Newhailes House is a privilege and I never fail to be amazed by it, no matter how many times I go there.

“But the historical aspects of the research, whether general topics or specific material from the family, are fascinating and so absorbing.

“There’s a huge amount of material to research – I suspect it will be my life’s work.”

He explained: “The Dalrymple family lived at Newhailes House from 1709 until just a few years ago and left a treasure trove of artefacts for us to study, and I was offered the task of transcribing this amazing little book.

“It’s almost 100 pages in length, every space crammed with Sir Charles’ handwriting.

“He went on a jaunt round northern Europe, a kind of mini Grand Tour, and I believe this diary was made as an aide memoire – he confesses in it after a visit to a museum that unless he writes down what he sees, ‘I remember almost nothing’.

“He was a member of the Speculative Society, where he gave readings, so perhaps he intended to use it to jog his memory for a lecture there.”

Mr Cotter said: “The writing in the diary was at first challenging but I soon became used to his ways.

“He was fond of abbreviations – cd. for could, wh. for which, anct. for ancient. Once those were resolved, it helped to make the text readable.

“He used a quill pen – you can tell where the fresh nib has been cut, then the writing becomes gradually thicker and harder to read as the nib becomes dull again.

“He also had a penchant for French and Latin.

“By the end of the work, out of 41,000 words there were still 49 left that defied transcription. Some are too blotted to read, some are overwritten and some just refuse to make sense!

“In transcription, there’s a distinct satisfaction in suddenly solving a word that’s been stumping you.

“One such was what appeared to read as ‘trackshaugh’. No amount of Googling could solve this for me.

“In the end, I posted it to a community on [the website] Reddit called ‘what is this’ – where users try to help with mystery objects. And it worked. A Dutch Redditor replied that this was actually treckshuit – a kind of river boat taxi service that operated on the Dutch canals at the time.”

The diary highlights Sir Charles’ love for the arts, architecture, agriculture and people of the towns he visited on his tour.

He liked to visit the town halls and museums on his travels, often following advice on which attractions to see from local guides he met with.

A lover of all things ecclesiastical, he rarely left anywhere without visiting the cathedral or church.

The diary recounts his amazement at the sound produced by the St Bavo organ in Haarlem, Amsterdam – thought to be the most famous organ in the world – which turned to outrage when he was asked to pay 12 florins by the organist.

Mr Cotter added: “The diary’s contents are varied and really interesting.

“In the course of this transcription work, I’d research the places that Sir Charles visited and it sometimes felt a little eerie to know I was looking at modern-day pictures that were showing me exactly what he was looking at and how precise his descriptions were.

“I’m actually just starting on another of his diaries, from when he was on a tour of Italy.

“I’m also working on various diaries, letters, papers and manuscripts from other Dalrymple family members, including a diary from the last Baronet of Newhailes, Sir Mark Dalrymple, which he wrote while in hospital after a heart attack. He continued writing in it there until the day of his death in June 1971.”

Mr Cotter, who plays in indie band Radio Ghosts in his spare time, is developing a website where all the material he has worked on will be stored and made available to view by the public.

Claire Grant, operations manager at Newhailes, said: “The work Martin has done to decipher Sir Charles Dalrymple Fergusson’s travel diary is nothing short of amazing, considering the handwritten text and language used dates back to the early 19th century.

"Martin and our other volunteers at Newhailes are a great asset to the National Trust for Scotland and make a fantastic contribution to maintaining our fascinating collection of artefacts left by the Dalrymples and their wider family to protect its history for future generations."

Sir Charles' diary is just one of a host of items in the collection left by the former Newhailes house and gardens owners. The house, once owned by the Dalrymple family, sits amongst impressive woodland landscapes with views across the River Forth. The 18th century Palladian mansion features rococo interiors, Italian marble fireplaces, a Chinese sitting room and an impressive art collection.

The translation of the diary is part of the trust's vision to deliver its strategy 'Nature, Beauty & Heritage for Everyone.'

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