discovered until some time after 6am; by which time all of the four men were dead. To aid those at the 25-fathom level, who were beginning to become violently affected by the fumes, a trap-door was opened to help clear the air; however, unfortunately, the noxious fumes descended rapidly, and another three men, at the 80-fathom level, suffocated. The other miners, many of whom were affected to a considerable degree, were restored by Braid as they emerged from the mine. Cemetery The cemetery at the northeast of the village features an unusual table-stone inscription (next to the southern wall) detailing, almost as an afterthought, 137 years as the age at death of John Taylor, the father of Robert Taylor, (then) overseer of the Scotch Mining Company. Notable residents Allan Ramsay, the poet, and William Symington (1763–1831), one of the earliest adaptors of the steam engine to the purposes of navigation, were born at Leadhills. The famous mathematician James Stirling was employed by the Scots Mining Company at Leadhills from 1734 until 1770. James Braid, the (later) discoverer of hypnotism, was surgeon to the Leadhills mining community and to Lord Hopetoun's lead and silver mines from early 1816 to late 1825. Edward Whigham, Provost of Sanquhar and friend of Robert Burns was born in Leadhills. Climate Leadhills experiences a subpolar oceanic climate (Cfc). Due to its elevation and inland position, winters are colder and summers cooler than lower lying areas. In terms of the local climate profile, given its elevated position and latitude, Leadhills is amongst the coldest places in the British Isles. According to the most recent 30-year climate period of 1981-2010 Leadhills is the second coldest village in the UK (of those with weather stations) with an annual mean temperature of making it slightly colder than the commonly regarded coldest settlement of Braemar, which had an annual average temperature of in this period. However, Leadhills' slightly more exposed and elevated location than Braemar results in absolute minima being higher than one might expect - the December absolute minimum of compares favourably to usually milder Glasgow Airport's absolute minimum of . Footnotes References A.G.B. (Alexander Balloch Grosart), "A Trip to the Gold Regions of Scotland, Described in a letter to a Friend (Part I)", The Gentleman’s Magazine and Historical Review, Vol.39, (May 1853), pp.459-468; "A Trip to the Gold Regions of Scotland, Described in a letter to a Friend (Part