Gilmerton

Gilmerton Post Office

Gilmerton (Scottish Gaelic: Baile GhilleMhoire) is a one-time coal mining village, now a southern suburb of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It is south-west of Danderhall. Its name derives from a combination of Scottish Gaelic: Gille-Moire - a personal name and later surname meaning 'Servant of [the Virgin] Mary', from which we have the first element, Gilmer, - and Old English: ton, 'settlement, farmstead'. It is possible that the name could derive from Sir John Gilmour of Craigmillar (1605–14 August 1671) who bought Craigmillar Castle a few miles away in the 1660s.

Below ground level in the centre of Gilmerton are a series of shallow linked caves known collectively as Gilmerton Cove. Traditionally the caves were attributed to the work of a local blacksmith, George Paterson, who supposedly completed excavations in 1724 and lived in the caves for several years, although there may be reasons to doubt this explanation.

Gilmerton Boxing Club has produced professional boxers including Gary Young.

Sources

• Google Maps