East Saltoun and West Saltoun are separate villages in
East Lothian, Scotland, about 5 miles (8 kilometres) south-west of
Haddington and 20 miles (32 kilometres) east of
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
.
Geography
The villages of East Saltoun and West Saltoun, together with a large number of farms and hamlets, form the rural and mainly agricultural parish of Saltoun. The two villages lie in the foothills of the
Lammermuirs
The Lammermuirs are a range of hills in southern Scotland, forming a natural boundary between East Lothian and the Borders. The name "Lammermuir" comes from the Old English ''lambra mōr'', meaning "moorland of the lambs".
Geology
The Lamme ...
and are separated from each other by about one mile. To the south the villages are largely bordered by woodland: Petersmuir Wood, Dryden, and
Saltoun Big Wood
East Saltoun and West Saltoun are separate villages in East Lothian, Scotland, about 5 miles (8 kilometres) south-west of Haddington and 20 miles (32 kilometres) east of Edinburgh.
Geography
The villages of East Saltoun and West Saltoun, tog ...
.
History
In the 12th century
David I David I may refer to:
* David I, Caucasian Albanian Catholicos c. 399
* David I of Armenia, Catholicos of Armenia (728–741)
* David I Kuropalates of Georgia (died 881)
* David I Anhoghin, king of Lori (ruled 989–1048)
* David I of Scotland (di ...
gave lands in Saltoun to
Hugh de Moreville. In 1643 the lands and barony were sold to
Andrew Fletcher, Lord Innerpeffer Andrew Fletcher, Lord Innerpeffer (died 1650) was a Scottish judge.
Life
Fletcher was the eldest son of Robert Fletcher of Innerpeffer and Beucleo, Forfarshire, a burgess of Dundee. He succeeded Sir John Wemyss of Craigtoun as an ordinary lord o ...
, (grandfather of
Andrew Fletcher, the Patriot), and it was the Fletcher family who attempted to make Saltoun a centre of manufacturing in the early 18th century. Most industry was sited in West Saltoun (formerly Milton), on the
Birns Water. At the instigation of Andrew Fletcher, James Meikle, a neighbouring
millwright, went to
Holland
Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...
to learn the construction of the iron-work of barley mills, and the mill which he erected at Salton after his return not only gave Salton barley a strong hold on the market, but was also for forty years the only mill of its kind in the British Isles.
Another
Andrew Fletcher, nephew of the elder Andrew, became
Lord Justice Clerk
The Lord Justice Clerk is the second most senior judge in Scotland, after the Lord President of the Court of Session.
Originally ''clericus justiciarie'' or Clerk to the Court of Justiciary, the counterpart in the criminal courts of the Lord ...
as Lord Milton. By his mother's energy the art of weaving and dressing
Holland cloth
Holland cloth, or simply Holland is a plainwoven or dull-finish linen used as furniture covering or a cotton fabric made more or less opaque by a glazed or unglazed finish (the Holland finish). Originally the name was applied to any fine, plainw ...
was introduced into the village. She travelled in Holland with two skilled mechanics who learned the secrets of the craft. Under Lord Milton's patronage, the
British Linen Company had
bleachfield
A bleachfield or bleaching green was an open area used for spreading cloth on the ground to be purified and whitened by the action of the sunlight. Bleaching fields were usually found in and around mill towns in Great Britain and were an integral ...
s in West Saltoun in 1746.
In the early 19th century the Fletcher family invested further in the parish by helping to pay for a new church, manse and school in East Saltoun, and commissioning additions to
Saltoun Hall
Saltoun Hall is an historic house standing in extensive lands off the B6355, Pencaitland to East Saltoun road, about 1.5 miles from each village, in East Lothian, Scotland. The house is reached by way of an impressive gateway and is situate ...
(near West Saltoun).
By the mid 19th century most of the parish's industries were failing, and the land was given over to agriculture.
East Saltoun
![The Fountain to John Fletcher of Saltoun](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/The_Fountain_to_John_Fletcher_of_Saltoun.jpg)
East Saltoun (once known as Kirkton) is the larger of the two villages.
A church dedicated to
Saint Michael
Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...
was first consecrated in 1244, and several church buildings have been used since then.
Gilbert Burnet
Gilbert Burnet (18 September 1643 – 17 March 1715) was a Scottish philosopher and historian, and Bishop of Salisbury. He was fluent in Dutch, French, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. Burnet was highly respected as a cleric, a preacher, an academic, ...
, theologian and
Bishop of Salisbury
The Bishop of Salisbury is the ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Salisbury in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers much of the counties of Wiltshire and Dorset. The see is in the City of Salisbury where the bishop's seat ...
, started his ministry in Saltoun in 1665. The present building dates back to 1805, and is built in the shape of a cross with a Gothic-style tower and steeple.
Local facilities include a garage, shop, village hall, blacksmith, and a school. The school serves East Saltoun and West Saltoun, as well as the wider parish, and as of 2008 the roll was 49.
Saltoun Primary School inspection report
West Saltoun
At one time West Saltoun was larger and had its own school, post office, and shop. Today, West Saltoun is smaller and is made up of just a few houses, with Saltoun Big Wood
East Saltoun and West Saltoun are separate villages in East Lothian, Scotland, about 5 miles (8 kilometres) south-west of Haddington and 20 miles (32 kilometres) east of Edinburgh.
Geography
The villages of East Saltoun and West Saltoun, tog ...
and the Birns Water nearby.
Infrastructure
The B6355 road New
B roads are numbered routes in Great Britain of lesser importance than A roads. See the article Great Britain road numbering scheme
The Great Britain road numbering scheme is a numbering scheme used to classify and identify all roads in ...
runs through East Saltoun, connecting it to Gifford in the east, and Pencaitland in the north-west. A former branch railway line that linked East and West Saltoun to Gifford, Haddington, and ultimately Edinburgh was closed to passengers in 1933 and is now a cycle path.
Notable people
*Gilbert Burnet
Gilbert Burnet (18 September 1643 – 17 March 1715) was a Scottish philosopher and historian, and Bishop of Salisbury. He was fluent in Dutch, French, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. Burnet was highly respected as a cleric, a preacher, an academic, ...
, theologian and Bishop of Salisbury
The Bishop of Salisbury is the ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Salisbury in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers much of the counties of Wiltshire and Dorset. The see is in the City of Salisbury where the bishop's seat ...
, was minister here from 1665 to 1669 who, at his death, bequeathed the parish 20,000 marks
Marks may refer to:
Business
* Mark's, a Canadian retail chain
* Marks & Spencer, a British retail chain
* Collective trade marks, trademarks owned by an organisation for the benefit of its members
* Marks & Co, the inspiration for the novel ...
for the clothing and educating of poor children.
*Patrick Fairbairn
Patrick Fairbairn (28 January 1805 – 6 August 1874) was a Scottish Free Church minister and theologian. He was Moderator of the General Assembly 1864/65.
Early life and career
He was born in Halyburton, Greenlaw, Berwickshire, on 28 Ja ...
, Church of Scotland minister and Free Church minister, professor and Moderator
*Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun
Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun (1655 – September 1716) was a Scottish writer and politician, remembered as an advocate for the non-incorporation of Scotland, and an opponent of the 1707 Act of Union between Scotland and England. Fletcher became ...
, the Scottish patriot, was born here in 1653.
*Andrew Fletcher, Lord Milton
Andrew Fletcher, Lord Milton (1692 – 13 December 1766) was a notable Scottish judge and Lord Justice Clerk.
Family
Andrew Fletcher was born at Saltoun Castle near Pencaitland, east of Edinburgh, the son of Henry Fletcher of Saltoun (d.1733 ...
(1692–1766), Lord Justice.
* Hugh de Moreville, Lord High Constable of Scotland
The Lord High Constable is a hereditary, now ceremonial, office of Scotland. In the order of precedence of Scotland, the office traditionally ranks above all titles except those of the Royal Family.p60-61, Bruce, Alistair, Keepers of the King ...
and friend of David I, owned land in Saltoun.
* Sir Arthur Thomson, the biologist, was born in 1861.
* John Swinton (1829–1901), journalist.
*
See also
*Saltoun Parish Church
Saltoun Parish Church is a church in East Saltoun, East Lothian, Scotland. It is part of the Church of Scotland, and (along with Yester Church and Bolton Parish Church) serves the parish of Yester, Bolton and Saltoun, which includes the village ...
*List of places in East Lothian
''Map of places in East Lothian compiled from this list''
The List of places in East Lothian is a list for any town, village, hamlet, castle, golf course, historic house, hill fort, lighthouse, nature reserve, reservoir, river, and other place of ...
References
Sources
*
External links
Canmore - Saltoun Hall site record
{{authority control
Villages in East Lothian