Bit more history of Penicuik - Greenlaw Barracks.

Another bit of historical trivia about Penicuik and its environs.   Having passed Glencourse Barracks almost daily for the past forty odd years I was scanning an old map,  circa 1865 and discovered that where the barracks stood it was named Greenlaw Barracks and Military Prison.  Bit of enquiry and I found that in 1803 the grounds of Greenlaw House were given over for the construction of an army barracks and a few years later a military prison.   The only part of the original building left standing is the stone Keep which has been integrated into the design of the current garrison layout.
The Prison was finished in 1813 when it was then used for a number of years to house up to 6000 French prisoners of  war.
Penicuik must have been a very busy place during that period as the nearby Valleyfield Paper Mill was also converted in 1813 to house a further 6000 prisoners of war.  With a statue erected in the grounds of the new Valleyfield  housing estate in memory the 300 prisoners who died there.