This is a film about Maulseden, Brechin. The mansion house was demolished a century ago.
Maulesden gave name to a sailing boat that sailed around the world in 220 days.
Today, Maulesden survives as mature trees and lost steps that climb to a wilderness.
To play the film please click here or on the above image.
Miss Christina Gib (1824-1863), who was born at Maulesden House, compiled musical notebooks of Scottish tunes (that she dated November 1836). It is worth noting that she seems to have been only 12 years of age at the time. A few years later her father and one of her brothers died as a result of involvement in military campaigns in India.
Christina and her siblings were probably educated in England. Christina seems to have been particularly close to her older sister Ann. Neither sister married. Ann lived into her early forties, Christina did not manage that. They both died in their father’s ancestral home, St Ann’s cottage, which neighboured Maulesden and out-survived it. Shortly after her death, Miss Christina Gib was publicly declared bankrupt.
Fortunately for us all Jimmy Shand acquired Miss Christina Gib’s musical notebook and it has now been fully archived.
In researching Maulesden it was lovely to come across the wonderful creative work by Esa Flett – a young, current, and award-winning virtuoso violinist. Esa’s recent work has been based upon Miss Christina Gib’s musical notebooks [Esa has also undertaken research on Miss Gib and has visited the ploughed fields where Maulesden once stood].
Christina’s parents married in 1811:
Christina’s mother attended this ‘Caledonian Fancy Ball’ in Edinburgh in 1829:
An account of one of Christina’s brothers:
In 1832, when Christina was 8 years old her mother bought diamonds worth £1155. It seems she was defrauded and that at this time, her husband Colin was in India as a Captain in the Army:
In the early 1850s the ‘auld Maulesden’ was almost entirely razed and a new house built:
In November 1863, aged 39, Christina Died in her faither’s ancestral hame:
Shortly after death Christina was publicly declared bankrupt:
A picture of the sun rising at St Ann’s Cottage, 6th August 2019:
A few years later, a green silk umbrella was lost (this has no wider meaning in this fragmented narrative; it is just a chance finding that I did not wish to ignore):
In 1875, a later generation/branch of Christina’s family had this ship launched at Dundee:
It sailed round the world faster than any vessel before it:
Up until WWI Maulesden House and Estate thrived and it’s garden had the admiration of wider Scotland:
But deaths and taxes caught up with Maulesden [but not before it became a temporary hospital for Brechin]:
A few years before Maulesden was demolished its heid gairdener gave this talk:
Maulesden, 6th August 2019:
