56-519: Whittingehame is a parish with a small village in East Lothian , Scotland, about halfway between Haddington and Dunbar , and near East Linton . The area is on the slopes of the Lammermuir Hills . Whittingehame Tower dates from the 15th century and remains a residence. The village is the birthplace and burial place of Prime Minister Arthur Balfour . The barony was anciently the possession of
112-765: A Senator of the College of Justice , the barony of Whittingham, the castle, mills, and the avowson of the Church there, ratified by parliament on 19 April 1567. This William Douglas had married in 1566 Elizabeth (d. after 6 August 1608), daughter of Sir Richard Maitland of Lethington, a Senator of the College of Justice. It is said that the plot to murder Mary's husband, Lord Darnley , was discussed at length at Whittingehame castle in 1566, and in March of that year "William Douglas of Whittingehame, brother to Master Archibald Douglas parson of Douglas",
168-563: A charter or "an instrument" dated June 23, 1547 Thomas Sinclair in Northrig, Clerk to the Diocese of St.Andrews, was recorded as servitor to Robert Lauder of Bass . A few months later, in the Protocol Book of James Harlaw 1547 - 1585 , there is an Instrument of August 10, 1547, where Thomas Sinclair of Northrig again acted as Procurator for Robert Lauder of The Bass. Also, with the earlier demise of
224-467: A church of 1685 and stands in a secluded hollow in a very neat walled burial ground. The Dalrymple loft and mausoleum of circa 1730 are an imposing feature on its north side. A walled garden separates the church from the 1827 manse . The Statistical Account of Haddingtonshire (Edinburgh 1841) states that the earliest date in the Parochial Records is 22 February 1712. However, there is also a gap in
280-457: A huge country house and A-listed, still stands, albeit now divided into private apartments. It is not open to the public. Having passed through various hands after the Balfours (at one time it was a private school - Holt School, but it closed and the property lay dormant) there is still much of interest to see, including a spectacular ceiling to the dining room. A parochial school, of which the laird
336-661: A large fortune in India. James Balfour subsequently enlarged his estate by buying up a great many adjoining properties. By 1900 there were about 25 farms on the Whittingehame estate. The coal mines on their Fife lands greatly increased their prosperity throughout the 19th century. James Balfour engaged James Dorward, from Haddington , to build a new neo-classical mansion and offices to designs by Sir Robert Smirke , Whittingehame House, completed about 1817, with additions and alterations by architect William Burn ten years later. This became
392-768: A majority of voters in the East Lothian council area opted for Scotland to remain a part of the United Kingdom - with 61.72% casting their ballots for the Union and 38.28% voting for independence. East Lothian is a constituency in the House of Commons , electing one Member of Parliament . It is one of only 4 UK Parliamentary Constituencies in Scotland which matches the boundaries of its Local Authority area. The other examples being Inverclyde , Moray , and Na h-Eileanan an Iar , East Lothian
448-578: A saltire representing East Lothian as the birthplace of Scotland's flag. A gold cross signifies the wealth of East Lothian's farmlands and reputation as the granary of Scotland with a lion in the centre representing the Haddington lion along with blue stripes to represent the rivers Esk and Tyne . East Lothian is served by a local paid-for weekly newspapers, the East Lothian Courier . The East Lothian Courier (often locally "The Courier") began as
504-459: A yearly payment of £100 from Martinmas next, 'and als payand and deliverand all and sundrie the annuellis awand furth of the said lands....to thame that richt hes thairto as law will.' This Jane Hepburn's third husband was the notorious Archibald Douglas, Parson of Douglas , who escaped from her tower house at Morham just prior to his intended arrest for his part in the murder of Lord Darnley . The Statistical Account of Haddington states that
560-604: Is a day and boarding school in Musselburgh founded in 1827 and Belhaven Hill School , established in 1923 is a smaller preparatory school in Dunbar also providing boarding. In 2007, Queen Margaret University began its move to a new, purpose-built campus in Musselburgh within East Lothian, providing it with its first university. In November 2017, a county flag competition was launched in East Lothian to register an official flag of East Lothian . Anyone willing to enter this competition
616-591: Is cited as one of those in the conspiracy to murder David Riccio . On 26 August 1582 William Douglas of Whittingehame is cited as one of the Ruthven raiders . On 28 December 1630, Sir Archibald Douglas, 5th of Whittingehame, son and heir of the previous couple, was a witness to the baptism of Archibald Sydserf at Whittingehame Church, but by 1640 Sir Archibald was dead with no issue. Whittingehame passed to his brother Sir William Douglas of Stoneypath , near Garvald , whose daughter Isobel married, in 1628, Sir Arthur Douglas of
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#1732894778217672-514: Is headed "Dame Agnes Sinclair, Countess of Bothwell and Lady Morehame". On 8 October 1573, a Tack was made to Agnes Sinclair's daughter, Dame Jean (or Jane) Hepburne , Mistress of Caithness, of the lands and barony of Morham with the mill of Morham, the lands of Mainshill, Pleuchfield, the Briad meadow, the feu mails of the Northrig and all other mails, ferms, profits and duties in the constabulary of Haddington, sheriffdom of Edinburgh which pertained to
728-889: Is in the East Lothian Scottish Parliament constituency and South Scotland region with the exception of Musselburgh which is in Midlothian North and Musselburgh and the Lothians region. East Lothian Council is based in the historic county town of Haddington, with the council meeting at the Haddington Town House and offices at nearby at John Muir House. The unitary local authority contains six wards, electing 22 councillors. Largest settlements by population: 21,100 11,910 10,460 10,360 10,270 7,840 5,370 3,370 2,810 2,340 In 1894, John Martine published Reminiscences and Notices of Ten Parishes of
784-546: Is one of the few UK Parliamentary Constituencies which fully covers the boundaries of its Council area. The current MP for East Lothian is Kenny MacAskill of the Alba Party, who has represented the constituency since the 2019 general election when he was elected for the SNP. Former UK Prime Minister Arthur Balfour was born on 25 July 1848 at Whittingehame House in what is now the East Lothian constituency. Most of East Lothian
840-472: The Firth of Forth . The coast has several headlands and bays, most notably Gosford Bay , Aberlady Bay , Gullane Point , Sandy Hirst , Tyne Mouth , Belhaven Bay , Barns Ness , Chapel Point and Torness Point . There are several small islands off the coast north of North Berwick, the largest of these being Fidra , Lamb , Craigleith and Bass Rock . Only two towns are landlocked, Tranent and Haddington. To
896-583: The Knights Templar , their two Temple-lands in Morham passed to an earlier Sir Robert Lauder of The Bass, and remained in that family's possession until their incorporation in a charter of the new Barony of Drem for Thomas Hamilton, Lord Bynning, Secretary of Scotland , confirmed at Edinburgh 30 July 1614, wherein it is recorded that the Temple-lands at Morham (and others at Tyninghame) were "previously possessed by
952-561: The North Berwick Line . Rail service operators which travel through and stop at stations in the area include: ScotRail on both lines; and CrossCountry and London North Eastern Railway on the East Coast Main Line. Bus operators in East Lothian are: Lothian Buses and its subsidiary East Coast Buses, Eve Coaches of Dunbar, Prentice of Haddington and Borders Buses . East Coast Buses is the main bus service provider connecting
1008-663: The Restoration of the monarchy, Glorious Revolution and Acts of Union , Jacobite forces conflicted with Government forces, with the main conflict taking place as part of the 1715 Rising and 1745 Rising . Under the command of Sir John Cope , the British Army met with the Jacobites under Charles Edward Stuart at the Battle of Prestonpans in the west of the county in September 1745, with
1064-547: The 12th and 13th centuries, the Palace of Haddington was one of the seats of the Kings of Scotland . King William the Lion of Scotland used the palace from time to time and it was the birthplace of Alexander II in 1198. The palace and town were burned and pillaged in 1216, by an English army under the command of King John of England . In 1296, the Battle of Dunbar was a decisive victory for
1120-740: The A199 road also travels through East Lothian beginning at Musselburgh and passing through Wallyford, Tranent, Macmerry and Haddington before joining the A1 in West Barns . Some non-primary routes in East Lothian are the A198, A1087, A6093 and A6137 roads. East Lothian is served by eight railway stations: East Linton (opened December 2023), Dunbar and Musselburgh on the East Coast Main Line ; and North Berwick , Drem , Longniddry , Prestonpans and Wallyford on
1176-571: The County Buildings to the county council. In 1975 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 , Scotland's county councils were dissolved and a new system of regional and district councils was created. East Lothian District was created within the wider Lothian region . The district comprised the historic county of East Lothian plus the burgh of Musselburgh and the parish of Inveresk (which included Wallyford and Whitecraig ) from
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#17328947782171232-664: The County of Haddington . There are a range of schools in the county, including six state secondaries : Dunbar Grammar School, Knox Academy (formerly the Grammar School) in Haddington, Musselburgh Grammar School , North Berwick High School , Preston Lodge High School in Prestonpans and Ross High School in Tranent . There are two independent schools in the county. Loretto School
1288-730: The Dunbar Earls of March family, and Chalmers' Caledonia records that they held their baronial court there. In 1372 George de Dunbar, 10th Earl of March , gave in marriage with his sister Agnes to James Douglas of Dalkeith , the manor of Whittingehame, with the patronage of the chapel. The Douglases remained in possession for over 200 years: about 1537 Elizabeth (d. after August 1557), daughter of Sir Robert Lauder of The Bass (d. 1517/18), married William Douglas of Whittingehame, and in October 1564 Mary, Queen of Scots , confirmed to their son, William Douglas of Whittinghame (d. 17 December 1595),
1344-633: The English cause, including John Cockburn of Ormiston , Alexander Crichton of Brunstane , and Regent Arran demolished their houses. During the War of the Three Kingdoms , another Battle of Dunbar took place in 1650 between Scottish Covenanter forces and the English Parliamentary forces under Oliver Cromwell . The Parliamentary forces were victorious and able to march on to take Edinburgh. Following
1400-662: The Haddingtonshire Courier in 1859, before changing its name in 1971. It was owned by D&J Croal, based in Haddington, until its purchase by the Dunfermline Press Group in 2004. It is now owned by Newsquest The East Lothian News was first published in 1971, as part of Scottish County Press Group, with editorial offices in Dalkeith and printing at Bonnyrigg (both in Midlothian). The Scottish County Press Group
1456-584: The Jacobite side gaining a significant victory before being defeated at the Battle of Culloden in April 1746. Haddingtonshire County Council was created in 1890 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889 , which established elected county councils across Scotland, taking over most of the functions of the Commissioners of Supply , which had been the main administrative body of the shire since 1667. The county council
1512-682: The Kellour family, and their daughter Elizabeth (1632–1668) married, in 1652, Alexander Seton, 1st Viscount of Kingston and carried Whittingehame to him (Elizabeth's brother Archibald having died unmarried). Their youngest daughter Elizabeth, carried Whittingehame to her husband William Hay of Duns and Drumelzier , Peebleshire , upon their marriage in 1695. The Hays, as proprietors, were highly esteemed by their tenants. In 1817 they sold Whittingehame and Stoneypath, near Garvald , to James Balfour , second son of John Balfour, 5th of Balbirnie in Fife , who had made
1568-525: The Lord of The Bass ". These temple-lands continued, however, to be feued to the Lauder family and Sir Harry Lauder 's direct ancestors were farming them, as well as Northrig, which they held from Hepburn of Bearford, in that century and the next. On 21 April 1659, Patrick Hepburn of Smeaton was served heir of his father, John Hepburn of Smeaton, in a long list of properties which included "the lands of Mainshill within
1624-519: The Morham Old Parish registers from late in 1714 until 1720. There was at Morham a parochial school very early on, and a James Hogg was schoolmaster there until 1742, when he took up a new appointment at Whittingehame . For centuries, a small castle or Tower house stood opposite the church but there are scant remains of it today. James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell was at Morham in April 1565. On 31 October 1580, hearing he would be arrested for
1680-524: The control of the Scottish monarchy in the 10th century. The earliest reference to the shire of Haddington, or Haddingtonshire, occurred in the 12th century, in two charters issued by King David . The shire covered the eastern part of Lothian. Haddingtonshire was heavily involved in several medieval and early modern conflicts and several fortified castles and buildings such as Dunbar Castle , Tantallon Castle and Dirleton Castle date from this period. In
1736-404: The county of Midlothian. When further reforms in 1996 moved Scotland to a system of 32 unitary local authorities, the modern council area of East Lothian was created. East Lothian is predominantly rural. It has 40 miles (64 km) of coastline where the towns of Musselburgh , Prestonpans , Cockenzie and Port Seton , Longniddry , Gullane , North Berwick and Dunbar lie along the coast of
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1792-516: The deceased Dame Agnes Sinclair, Lady Morham, and fell to the Scottish Crown through the conviction in Parliament and forfeiture for treason of the 4th Earl of Bothwell , son and heir apparent of the said Dame Agnes, for 'the space and termes of ane yeir and farder induring oure will nixt and immediatlie follow and hir entre thairto, which entre was at the deceis of the said Dame Agnes Sinclair', for
1848-595: The family home of the Balfours and the birthplace of the Prime Minister Arthur Balfour and the scientist Francis Maitland Balfour . Between 1939 and 1941, Whittingehame was converted into a school for Jewish refugee children coming to Britain through the Kindertransport . The school, known as the Whittingehame Farm School , sheltered 160 children between the ages of 7 and 17. This building,
1904-408: The first witness to a charter signed at Samuelstown, Haddingtonshire, on 29 October 1497. The 3rd Earl of Bothwell married, in 1533 or 1534, Agnes Sinclair. He divorced her within a decade and as part of his settlement, Lord Bothwell gave her a charter of the lands of Morham. She was styled Lady Morham and lived in the tower house at Morham for the rest of her life. She died in 1573 and her testament
1960-541: The forces of Edward I of England against the forces of John Balliol , the Scottish king who was Edward's vassal. Haddingtonshire was also the site of conflict during the war of the Rough Wooing , with many houses and villages burnt by the English in May 1544 after the sacking of Edinburgh , the Scottish defeat at the battle of Pinkie , Dunbar Castle burnt in 1548, and the siege of Haddington . Haddingtonshire lairds supported
2016-460: The general public once had a right to travel with carts &c., to and from Haddington , &c., by an old road through the Hagg's Muir, on the farms of Northrig and West Bearford in Morham parish. The road entered on the south side at Loanhead and came out on the north side opposite Stabstan Loan, on the farm of Easter Monkrigg, a little way east of Monkrigg East Gate on Seggarsdean road. Along this route
2072-449: The murder of Lord Darnley , Archibald Douglas escaped from Morham, the house of his wife Jean Hepburn , at midnight to England. The house was then occupied by Alexander Hume of Manderston , and kept by his son, Alexander Home, Prior of Coldingham . The English ambassador Robert Bowes noted in July 1591 that Sir William Keith of Delny "lay in bed" once or twice at Morham with the owner,
2128-640: The rebellious Francis Stewart, 1st Earl of Bothwell . In June 1592 James VI sent Sir John Carmichael and James Sandilands to Morham to arrest Bothwell, but they only found a horse belonging to one of his friends. The feudal superiors of Morham changed over the centuries. Most of the parish had been possessed by the Hepburn family: the Earls of Bothwell, and the Hepburns of Bearford. The two largest farms were Northrig and Mainshill, and William Sinclare de Northrig appears as
2184-618: The rest of Lothian , it formed part of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Bernicia and later the Kingdom of Northumbria . Popular legend suggests that it was at a battle between the Picts and Angles in the East Lothian village of Athelstaneford in 823 that the flag of Scotland was conceived. From the 10th century, Lothian transferred from the Kingdom of England to the authority of the monarchs of Scotland. It
2240-449: The south are the Lammermuir Hills along the boundary with Berwickshire; it is here that Meikle Says Law , the highest point in the county at 535 metres (1,755 ft), can be found. The River Tyne flows through Haddington and several of East Lothian's villages, reaching the Firth of Forth near Belhaven . The River Esk flows through Inveresk and Musselburgh where it empties at the north of
2296-526: The superiority of Mainshill had belonged to the 4th Earl of Bothwell (who briefly became the 1st Duke of Orkney in 1567), as part of the barony of Morham which he also possessed. He was the superior in October 1559, but upon his forfeiture Mainshill passed to Francis, 5th Earl of Bothwell . Lord Bothwell was forfeited in 1593, and the superiority of Mainshill went to Scott of Buccleuch. The Hepburns, however, continued to hold it by feu charter. The Lauder of The Bass family had long connections with Morham: in
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2352-416: The toune and territorie of Morhame." The Cess-Book of 1667 gives the proprietors of Morham Parish as (Esther, wife of James Hepburn) Lady Bearford, Alexander Seton, 1st Viscount of Kingston (who had held Tantallon Castle against Oliver Cromwell ), Patrick Hepburn of Beanston, and James Cockburn. In a Haddingtonshire Sasine registered on the 8 August 1792, No.576, Francis Charteris, 7th Earl of Wemyss
2408-629: The town into the Firth of Forth. Major bodies of water include Pressmennan Lake , the Whiteadder Reservoir , Hopes Reservoir , Stobshiel Reservoir and Lammerloch Reservoir . The A1 road travels through East Lothian where it meets the Scottish Borders southbound and Edinburgh northbound. The A1 throughout East Lothian is dual carriageway and major junctions include Dunbar, Haddington, Tranent, Prestonpans and Musselburgh. Starting in Leith ,
2464-512: The towns and villages of East Lothian to Edinburgh. The company has depots in North Berwick and Musselburgh. The population of East Lothian as of 2022 is 112,450. The fastest growing district in East Lothian is the Tranent, Wallyford and Macmerry ward which is expected to see its population of just over 20,000 increase to just under 30,000 by 2026. In the 2014 Scottish independence referendum ,
2520-408: The undulating lower reaches of the Lammermuir Hills . The village, once a few hundred yards south of the church, has vanished. The first notice of the church is as a prebend in 1481, although a charter of Bara in 1340 is witnessed by a "'Lord' William, Rector of the parish of Morham". In April 1532 Mr. Robert Hoppringill was parson of Moreham (NAS - GD150/710). The present building of 1724 replaced
2576-504: The west, Midlothian to the south-west and the Scottish Borders to the south. Its administrative centre and former county town is Haddington while the largest town is Musselburgh . Haddingtonshire has ancient origins and is named in a charter of 1139 as Hadintunschira and in another of 1141 as Hadintunshire . Three of the county's towns were designated as royal burghs : Haddington , Dunbar , and North Berwick . As with
2632-404: Was a boarding school called "Whittingehame House School For Boys", then a few years later, it was used as a school called Holts Academy; which only lasted a few years. After that, it was sold off and converted to 3 or 4 apartments. There is a folk legend that Whittinghame was once home to the ghost of an unbaptised child, who could not enter the afterlife because he had no name. One night the ghost
2688-521: Was a cross-point in battles between England and Scotland and later the site of a significant Jacobite victory against Government forces in the Battle of Prestonpans . In the 19th century, the county is mentioned in the Gazetteer for Scotland as chiefly agricultural, with farming, fishing and coal-mining forming significant parts of the local economy. Following the end of the Roman occupation of Britain, Lothian
2744-412: Was acquired by Regional Independent Media in 2000, which was in turn bought by Johnston Press in 2002. The East Lothian News closed in 2015. Morham Morham , East Lothian , sometimes spelt Moram, Morum, or Morhame in old records, is the smallest (agricultural) parish in Scotland, sandwiched between five other parishes: Haddington , Garvald , Yester , Whittingehame , and Prestonkirk , in
2800-446: Was allowed to enter, which resulted in 623 entries to the competition. The end of the entry submission time was the 28th of February 2018. Four final flag designs will be placed in a vote to the residents of East Lothian. In December 2018 the winning design was announced, designed by Archie Martin, a local man from Musselburgh and residing in Gifford who had worked for the council for 23 years. Martin died in July 2018. The flag features
2856-481: Was based at County Buildings in Court Street, Haddington, which had been built in 1833 and also served as the county's sheriff court . In April 1921 the county council voted to request a change of the county's name from Haddingtonshire to "East Lothian". The government agreed and brought the change into effect as part of the East Lothian County Buildings Order Confirmation Act 1921, which received royal assent on 8 November 1921. The act also transferred ownership of
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#17328947782172912-447: Was called Haddingtonshire until 1921. In 1975, the historic county was incorporated for local government purposes into Lothian Region as East Lothian District, with some slight alterations of its boundaries. The Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 later created East Lothian as one of 32 modern council areas. East Lothian lies south of the Firth of Forth in the eastern central Lowlands of Scotland. It borders Edinburgh to
2968-404: Was encountered by a drunk, who addressed him as 'Short-Hoggers'. The ghost, overjoyed at being given a name, was never seen again. East Lothian East Lothian ( / ˈ l oʊ ð i ə n / ; Scots : Aest Lowden ; Scottish Gaelic : Lodainn an Ear ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland , as well as a historic county , registration county and lieutenancy area . The county
3024-449: Was patron, was long established at Whittingehame, and Mr James Hogg was appointed schoolmaster there in 1742; having transferred from neighbouring Morham . In 1820, James Balfour rebuilt the church, supplanting the previous rebuild of 1722, and then established, in 1840, a new model village to the north-west of the former medieval settlement. It consists of a schoolhouse and a string of cottages, all in red sandstone. From 1950 to 1955, it
3080-401: Was populated by Brythonic-speaking Ancient Britons and formed part of the kingdom of the Gododdin , within the Hen Ogledd or Old North. In the 7th century, all of the Gododdin's territory fell to the Angles, with Lothian becoming part of the kingdom of Bernicia . Bernicia united into the Kingdom of Northumbria which itself became part of the early Kingdom of England . Lothian came under
3136-458: Was seised in the barony of Newmilns, or Amisfield, Haddingtonshire, plus half of the barony of Morham and its lands, plus the grain mill of the monastery of Haddington called Abbey Mill. In the parish of Morham in 1841 the superior/proprietor of Northrig and Mainshill farms was Lord Wemyss; Morham Kirkhall and Mains to Robert Ainslie of Redcoll; James Aitcheson, Esq., of West Morham, and George Carstairs of Morham Bank. The people of Garvald and
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