East Lothian (; sco, East Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Ear) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, as well as a historic county,

registration county A registration county was, in Great Britain and Ireland, a statistical unit used for the registration of births, deaths and marriages and for the output of census information. In Scotland registration counties are used for land registration pur ...

and lieutenancy area. The county was called Haddingtonshire until 1921. In 1975, the historic county was incorporated for

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loc ...

purposes into

Lothian Region Lothian (; sco, Lowden, Loudan, -en, -o(u)n; gd, Lodainn ) is a region of the Scottish Lowlands, lying between the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and the Lammermuir Hills and the Moorfoot Hills. The principal settlement is the Scott ...

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 The Firth of Forth () is the estuary, or firth, of several Scottish rivers including the River Forth. It meets the North Sea with Fife on the north coast and Lothian on the south. Name ''Firth'' is a cognate of ''fjord'', a Norse word meani ...

in the eastern central Lowlands of Scotland. It borders

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 ...

to the west,

Midlothian Midlothian (; gd, Meadhan Lodainn) is a historic county, registration county, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian lies in the east- central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinbu ...

to the south-west and the

Scottish Borders The Scottish Borders ( sco, the Mairches, 'the Marches'; gd, Crìochan na h-Alba) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Dumfries and Galloway, East Lothian, Midlothian, South Lanarkshire, West Lot ...

to the south. Its

administrative centre An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune is located. In countries with French as administrative language (such as Belgium, Lu ...

and former

county town In the United Kingdom and Ireland, a county town is the most important town or city in a county. It is usually the location of administrative or judicial functions within a county and the place where the county's members of Parliament are elect ...

is Haddington while the largest town is

Musselburgh Musselburgh (; sco, Musselburrae; gd, Baile nam Feusgan) is the largest settlement in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, east of Edinburgh city centre. It has a population of . History The name Musselburgh is Ol ...

. 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 Dunbar () is a town on the North Sea coast in East Lothian in the south-east of Scotland, approximately east of Edinburgh and from the English border north of Berwick-upon-Tweed. Dunbar is a former royal burgh, and gave its name to an ...

, and North Berwick. As with the rest of Lothian, it formed part of the

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons were a cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo-Saxons happened wit ...

kingdom of

Bernicia Bernicia ( ang, Bernice, Bryneich, Beornice; la, Bernicia) was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom established by Anglian settlers of the 6th century in what is now southeastern Scotland and North East England. The Anglian territory of Bernicia was ap ...

and later the Kingdom of Northumbria. Popular legend suggests that it was at a battle between the

Picts The Picts were a group of peoples who lived in what is now northern and eastern Scotland (north of the Firth of Forth) during Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. Where they lived and what their culture was like can be inferred from ea ...

and Angles in the East Lothian village of

Athelstaneford Athelstaneford () is a village in East Lothian, Scotland. It lies almost 6 kilometres (3.5 mi) north-east of the market town of Haddington and about 28 kilometres (17 mi) east of Edinburgh. Battle of Athelstaneford According to popula ...

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 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 The ''Gazetteer for Scotland'' is a gazetteer covering the geography, history and people of Scotland. It was conceived in 1995 by Bruce Gittings of the University of Edinburgh and David Munro of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, and c ...

as chiefly agricultural, with farming, fishing and coal-mining forming significant parts of the local economy.

History

Early history

Following the end of the Roman occupation of Britain, Lothian was populated by Brythonic-speaking Ancient Britons and formed part of the kingdom of the Gododdin, within the

Hen Ogledd Yr Hen Ogledd (), in English the Old North, is the historical region which is now Northern England and the southern Scottish Lowlands that was inhabited by the Brittonic people of sub-Roman Britain in the Early Middle Ages. Its population sp ...

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 united into the Kingdom of Northumbria which itself became part of the early

Kingdom of England The Kingdom of England (, ) was a sovereign state on the island of Great Britain from 12 July 927, when it emerged from various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, until 1 May 1707, when it united with Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain. On ...

. Lothian came under the control of the Scottish monarchy in the 10th century. The earliest reference to the

shire Shire is a traditional term for an administrative division of land in Great Britain and some other English-speaking countries such as Australia and New Zealand. It is generally synonymous with county. It was first used in Wessex from the begin ...

of Haddington, or Haddingtonshire, occurred in the 12th century, in two charters issued by

King David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

. The shire covered the eastern part of Lothian.

Medieval and early modern period

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 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 the forces of

Edward I of England Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a va ...

against the forces of

John Balliol John Balliol ( – late 1314), known derisively as ''Toom Tabard'' (meaning "empty coat" – coat of arms), was King of Scots from 1292 to 1296. Little is known of his early life. After the death of Margaret, Maid of Norway, Scotland entered a ...

, the Scottish king who was Edward's vassal. Haddingtonshire was also the site of conflict during the war of the

Rough Wooing The Rough Wooing (December 1543 – March 1551), also known as the Eight Years' War, was part of the Anglo-Scottish Wars of the 16th century. Following its break with the Roman Catholic Church, England attacked Scotland, partly to break th ...

, 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 the English cause, including John Cockburn of Ormiston,

Alexander Crichton of Brunstane Alexander Crichton of Brunstane, (died before December 1558), was a Scottish Protestant laird who advocated the murder of Cardinal David Beaton and supported the plan for the marriage of Mary, Queen of Scots and Prince Edward of England. In contem ...

, 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 Parliamentary forces under

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three ...

. The Parliamentary forces were victorious and able to march on to take Edinburgh. Following the Restoration of the monarchy,

Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution; gd, Rèabhlaid Ghlòrmhor; cy, Chwyldro Gogoneddus , also known as the ''Glorieuze Overtocht'' or ''Glorious Crossing'' in the Netherlands, is the sequence of events leading to the deposition of King James II and ...

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 Charles Edward Louis John Sylvester Maria Casimir Stuart (20 December 1720 – 30 January 1788) was the elder son of James Francis Edward Stuart, grandson of James II and VII, and the Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, Scotland and ...

at the Battle of Prestonpans in the west of the county in September 1745, with the Jacobite side gaining a significant victory before being defeated at the

Battle of Culloden The Battle of Culloden (; gd, Blàr Chùil Lodair) was the final confrontation of the Jacobite rising of 1745. On 16 April 1746, the Jacobite army of Charles Edward Stuart was decisively defeated by a British government force under Prince Wi ...

in April 1746.

Modern history

Haddington Sheriff Court (geograph 3774105)

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 Commissioners of Supply were local administrative bodies in Scotland from 1667 to 1930. Originally established in each sheriffdom to collect tax, they later took on much of the responsibility for the local government of the counties of Scotland. ...

, which had been the main administrative body of the shire since 1667. The county council 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 Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in oth ...

on 8 November 1921. The act also transferred ownership of the County Buildings to the county council. In 1975 under the

Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 (c. 65) is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom that altered local government in Scotland on 16 May 1975. The Act followed and largely implemented the report of the Royal Commission on Local Gove ...

, Scotland's county councils were dissolved and a new system of regional and district councils was created. East Lothian

District A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivision ...

was created within the wider Lothian

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

. The district comprised the historic county of East Lothian plus the burgh of Musselburgh and the parish of Inveresk (which included

Wallyford Wallyford is a village near Musselburgh and approximately east of Edinburgh in East Lothian, Scotland. History The village was initially populated by coal miners and later grew as an overspill/commuter town for workers in Musselburgh and Edi ...

and Whitecraig) from 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.

Geography

East Lothian is predominantly rural. It has of coastline where the towns of

, Prestonpans,

Cockenzie and Port Seton Cockenzie and Port Seton ( sco, Cockennie ; gd, Cùil Choinnich, meaning "cove of Kenneth") is a unified town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is on the coast of the Firth of Forth, four miles east of Musselburgh. The burgh of Cockenzie was created ...

Gullane Gullane ( or ) is a town on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth in East Lothian on the east coast of Scotland. There has been a church in the village since the ninth century. The ruins of the Old Church of St. Andrew built in the twe ...

, North Berwick and

lie along the coast of the

. The coast has several headlands and bays, most notably Gosford Bay, Aberlady Bay, Gullane Point, Sandy Hirst, Tyne Mouth,

Belhaven Bay Belhaven may refer to: Places United Kingdom *Lord Belhaven and Stenton *Belhaven, Scotland **Belhaven Hill School, commonly referred to as "Belhaven" United States *Belhaven, North Carolina *Alexandria, Virginia, formerly named Belhaven. *Belhav ...

, 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 Craigleith ( gd, Creag Lìte) is a small island in the Firth of Forth off North Berwick in East Lothian, Scotland. Its name comes from the Scottish Gaelic ''Creag Lìte'' meaning "rock of Leith". It is at its highest point. Geography and geolo ...

and Bass Rock. Only two towns are landlocked,

Tranent Tranent is a town in East Lothian (formerly Haddingtonshire), in the south-east of Scotland. The town lies 6 miles from the boundary of Edinburgh, and 9.1 miles from the city centre. It lies beside the A1 road, the A1 runs through the paris ...

and Haddington. To the south are the

Lammermuir Hills 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 Lamm ...

along the boundary with Berwickshire; it is here that Meikle Says Law, the highest point in the county at , can be found. The

River Tyne The River Tyne is a river in North East England. Its length (excluding tributaries) is . It is formed by the North Tyne and the South Tyne, which converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Wat ...

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 the town into the Firth of Forth. Major bodies of water include Pressmennan Lake, the

Whiteadder Reservoir Whiteadder Reservoir is a reservoir in East Lothian, Scotland, UK, in the Lammermuir Hills, north west of Duns in the Scottish Borders, and five miles (8 km) south east of Garvald. It was created to provide additional water facilit ...

, Hopes Reservoir, Stobshiel Reservoir and Lammerloch Reservoir. File:Physicalmapjoined.jpg, Orographical Map of East Lothian File:WhiteadderReservoir01.jpg, The Whiteadder Reservoir File:BassRockNB.JPG, Bass Rock in the Firth of Forth File:Traprain Law from the north.JPG, Traprain Law File:Geomapjoined.jpg, Geological Map of East Lothian

Transport

Road

The

A1 road A list of roads designated A1, sorted by alphabetical order of country. * A01 highway (Afghanistan), a long ring road or beltway connecting Kabul, Kandahar, Herat and Mazar * A1 motorway (Albania), connecting Durrës and Kukës * A001 highw ...

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 Leith (; gd, Lìte) is a port area in the north of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith. In 2021, it was ranked by ''Time Out'' as one of the top five neighbourhoods to live in the world. The earliest ...

, 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 West Barns is a small village in East Lothian, Scotland. It lies 2 miles west of Dunbar and approximately 28 miles east of Edinburgh. It is close to John Muir John Muir Country Park, Country Park and Belhaven Bay. For many years, it was home to t ...

. Some non-primary routes in East Lothian are the A198, A1087, A6093 and A6137 roads.

Public transport

Dunbar railway station, East Lothian - view south

East Lothian is served by seven railway stations:

and

on the

East Coast Main Line The East Coast Main Line (ECML) is a electrified railway between London and Edinburgh via Peterborough, Doncaster, York, Darlington, Durham and Newcastle. The line is a key transport artery on the eastern side of Great Britain running b ...

; and North Berwick, Drem,

Longniddry Longniddry ( sco, Langniddry, gd, Nuadh-Treabh Fada)
...

, Prestonpans and

on the North Berwick Line. Rail service operators which travel through and stop at stations in the area include:

ScotRail ScotRail Trains Limited, trading as ScotRail ( gd, Rèile na h-Alba), is a Scottish train operating company that is publicly owned by Scottish Rail Holdings on behalf of the Scottish Government. It has been operating the ScotRail franchise ...

on both lines; and

CrossCountry CrossCountry (legal name XC Trains Limited) is a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by Arriva UK Trains, operating the Cross Country franchise. The CrossCountry franchise was restructured by the Department for Transport (DfT ...

and

London North Eastern Railway London North Eastern Railway (LNER) is a British train operating company. It is owned by the DfT OLR Holdings for the Department for Transport (DfT). The company's name echoes that of the London and North Eastern Railway, one of the Big Fou ...

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 Borders Buses operates both local and regional bus services in the City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian and Scottish Borders, Scotland, as well as Cumbria and Northumberland, England. It is a subsidiary of West Coast Motors. History The ...

. East Coast Buses is the main bus service provider connecting the towns and villages of East Lothian to Edinburgh. The company has depots in North Berwick and Musselburgh.

Demography

The population of East Lothian as of 2019 is 105,790. This is an increase of over 6,000 since 2011 and this is projected to reach over 120,000 by the 2030s. 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.

Ethnicity

Population by major ethnic group in East Lothian according to the 2011 Scottish census is as follows:

Politics

In the

2014 Scottish independence referendum A independence referendum, referendum on Scottish independence from the United Kingdom was held in Scotland on 18 September 2014. The referendum question was, "Should Scotland be an independent country?", which voters answered with "Yes" ...

, 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.

Parliament of the United Kingdom

East Lothian is a constituency in the House of Commons, electing one

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

. It is one of only 4 UK Parliamentary Constituencies in Scotland which matches the boundaries of its

Local Authority Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-l ...

area. The other examples being

Inverclyde Inverclyde ( sco, Inerclyde, gd, Inbhir Chluaidh, , "mouth of the Clyde") is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Together with the East Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire council areas, Inverclyde forms part of the hi ...

Moray Moray () gd, Moireibh or ') is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with a coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland (council area), ...

, and

Na h-Eileanan an Iar The Outer Hebrides () or Western Isles ( gd, Na h-Eileanan Siar or or ("islands of the strangers"); sco, Waster Isles), sometimes known as the Long Isle/Long Island ( gd, An t-Eilean Fada, links=no), is an island chain off the west coast ...

, East Lothian 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. Haddington

Scottish Parliament

Most of East Lothian is in the East Lothian Scottish Parliament constituency and

South Scotland South Scotland is one of the eight electoral regions of the Scottish Parliament. Nine of the parliament's 73 first past the post constituencies are sub-divisions of the region and it elects seven of the 56 additional-member Members of the ...

region with the exception of Musselburgh which is in Midlothian North and Musselburgh and the

Lothians Lothian (; sco, Lowden, Loudan, -en, -o(u)n; gd, Lodainn ) is a region of the Scottish Lowlands, lying between the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and the Lammermuir Hills and the Moorfoot Hills. The principal settlement is the Scot ...

region.

Local government

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.

Places of interest

* Aberlady Bay * Bass Rock * Dirleton Castle * Dunglass Collegiate Church *

Fa'side Castle Fa'side Castle (Faside Estate) has previously been known as Fawside, Falside, Ffauside, Fauxside, or Fawsyde and is a 15th-century keep located in East Lothian in Scotland. The castle is approximately southwest of Tranent, and southeast of M ...

* Fenton Barns Retail & Leisure Village *

Hailes Castle Hailes Castle is a mainly 14th century castle about a mile and a half south-west of East Linton, East Lothian, Scotland. This castle, which has a fine riverside setting, belonged to the Hepburn family during the most important centuries of its ...

Hopetoun Monument The Hopetoun Monument is a monument in the Garleton Hills, near Camptoun, East Lothian, Scotland. It is tall and is situated on Byres Hill near Haddington. History The monument was erected in 1824 in memory of John Hope, 4th Earl of Hop ...

Lennoxlove Lennoxlove House is a historic house set in woodlands half a mile south of Haddington in East Lothian, Scotland. The house comprises a 15th-century tower, originally known as Lethington Castle, and has been extended several times, principally in ...

historic house A historic house generally meets several criteria before being listed by an official body as "historic." Generally the building is at least a certain age, depending on the rules for the individual list. A second factor is that the building be in ...

* Longniddry Bents * Muirfield Golf Links * Museum of Flight, East Fortune * North Berwick Harbour *

North Berwick Law North Berwick Law, sometimes abbreviated to Berwick Law, is a conical hill which rises conspicuously from the surrounding landscape (this is the definition of the Lowland Scots word "law"). It overlooks the East Lothian town of North Berwick, Sc ...

* Preston Mill * Prestongrange Industrial Heritage Museum *

Scottish Seabird Centre The Scottish Seabird Centre is a marine conservation and education charity, that is supported by a 5 star visitor attraction in North Berwick, East Lothian, Scotland. Opened by HRH Duke of Rothesay in 2000 and funded by the Millennium Commission ...

, North Berwick * Seacliff Beach * Seton Collegiate Church * Tantallon Castle * Chesters Hill Fort * Torness Nuclear Power Station * Traprain Law * Yellowcraigs, a beach and conservation area

Towns and villages

* Aberlady *

Auldhame Auldhame and Scoughall are hamlets in East Lothian, Scotland. They are close to the town of North Berwick and the village of Whitekirk, and are approximately east of Edinburgh. Saint Baldred's legacy It is said that the 8th-century Christia ...

* Ballencrieff * Bara * Belhaven * Biel *

Bilsdean Bilsdean is a village between Thorntonloch and Cockburnspath on the East Lothian coast of Scotland. See also *List of places in East Lothian ''Map of places in East Lothian compiled from this list'' The List of places in East Lothian is ...

* Bolton *

Broxburn Broxburn ( gd, Srath Bhroc, IPA: �s̪ɾaˈvɾɔʰk is a town in West Lothian, Scotland, on the A89 road, from the West End of Edinburgh, from Edinburgh Airport and to the north of Livingston. Etymology The name Broxburn is a corruption ...

* Canty Bay * Cockenzie * Dirleton * Drem *

* Dunglass * East Fortune * East Linton * East Saltoun * Elphinstone * Fenton Barns *

Fisherrow Fisherrow is a harbour and former fishing village at Musselburgh, East Lothian, Scotland, to the east of Portobello and Joppa, and west of the River Esk. History There has been fishing at Fisherrow and Musselburgh since Roman times, and the p ...

(''historically within Midlothian'') * Garvald * Gifford * Gladsmuir * Glenkinchie *

* Haddington * Humbie *

Innerwick Innerwick ( gd, Inbhir Mhuice) is a coastal civil parish and small village, which lies in the east of East Lothian, from Dunbar and approximately from Edinburgh. Name The name Innerwick is of Anglo-saxon origin and means inland farm or dwel ...

* Inveresk (''historically within Midlothian'') * Kingston *

Longniddry Longniddry ( sco, Langniddry, gd, Nuadh-Treabh Fada)
...

* Luffness * Macmerry * Markle * Monktonhall (''historically within Midlothian'') *

(''historically within Midlothian'') * North Berwick * Oldhamstocks * Ormiston * Peaston *

Pencaitland Pencaitland is a village in East Lothian, Scotland, about south-east of Edinburgh, south-west of Haddington, East Lothian, Haddington, and east of Ormiston. The land where the village lies is said to have been granted by William the Lion t ...

* Phantassie * Port Seton *

Preston Preston is a place name, surname and given name that may refer to: Places England *Preston, Lancashire, an urban settlement **The City of Preston, Lancashire, a borough and non-metropolitan district which contains the settlement **County Boro ...

* Prestonpans * Samuelston * Scoughall * Spittal * Spott * Stenton *

* Tyninghame *

(''historically within Midlothian'') *

* West Saltoun * Whitecraig (''historically within Midlothian'') * Whitekirk and Tyninghame * Whittingehame

Civil parishes

In 1894, John Martine published ''Reminiscences and Notices of Ten Parishes of the County of Haddington''. * Aberlady *

* Bolton * Dirleton *

* Garvald * Gladsmuir * Haddington * Humbie *

* Morham * North Berwick * Oldhamstocks * Ormiston *

Prestonkirk East Linton is a village and former police burgh in East Lothian, Scotland, situated on the River Tyne and A199 road (former A1 road) five miles east of Haddington, with an estimated population of in . During the 19th century the populati ...

* Prestonpans * Saltoun * Spott * Stenton *

* Whittingehame * Whitekirk and Tyninghame *

Yester } Gifford is a village in the parish of Yester in East Lothian, Scotland. It lies approximately south of Haddington and east of Edinburgh. It groups around the Colstoun Water (locally called Gifford Water) at the junction of the B6369 and B6 ...

Education

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 Musselburgh Grammar School a state-funded secondary school in Musselburgh, East Lothian, Scotland. It serves as the main secondary school for Musselburgh and the surrounding areas of Wallyford and Whitecraig. The school dates back to the sixte ...

, North Berwick High School,

Preston Lodge High School Preston Lodge High School is a six-year non-denominational school located in Prestonpans, Scotland. It serves students from Prestonpans, Port Seton, Longniddry and the surrounding areas. Primary Schools A student goes to Preston Lodge Hig ...

in Prestonpans and Ross High School in

. There are two

independent school An independent school is independent in its finances and governance. Also known as private schools, non-governmental, privately funded, or non-state schools, they are not administered by local, state or national governments. In British En ...

s in the county.

Loretto School Loretto School, founded in 1827, is an independent boarding and day school for boys and girls aged 0 to 18. The campus occupies in Musselburgh, East Lothian, Scotland. History The school was founded by the Reverend Thomas Langhorne in 1827. ...

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.

Culture and community

Symbols

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 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

and residing in Gifford who had worked for the council for 23 years. Martin died in July 2018. The flag features 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 Tyne may refer to: __NOTOC__ Geography *River Tyne, England *Port of Tyne, the commercial docks in and around the River Tyne in Tyne and Wear, England *River Tyne, Scotland *River Tyne, a tributary of the South Esk River, Tasmania, Australia People ...

Local media

East Lothian is served by two local paid-for weekly newspapers, the ''East Lothian Courier'' and the ''East Lothian News''. The ''East Lothian Courier'' (often locally "The Courier") began as 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. The ''East Lothian News'' was first published in 1971, as part of Scottish County Press Group, with editorial offices in

Dalkeith Dalkeith ( ; gd, Dail Cheith, IPA: �t̪alˈçe is a town in Midlothian, Scotland, on the River Esk. It was granted a burgh of barony in 1401 and a burgh of regality in 1540. The settlement of Dalkeith grew southwestwards from its 12th-cent ...

and printing at

Bonnyrigg Bonnyrigg ( sco, Bonnyrigg) is a town in Midlothian, Scotland, eight miles (13 kilometres) southeast of Edinburgh city centre. The town had a population of 14,663 in the 2001 census which rose to 15,677 in the 2011 census, both figures based o ...

(both in Midlothian). The Scottish County Press Group was acquired by Regional Independent Media in 2000, which was in turn bought by

Johnston Press Johnston Press plc was a multimedia company founded in Falkirk, Scotland, in 1767. Its flagship titles included UK-national newspaper the '' i'', ''The Scotsman'', the ''Yorkshire Post'', the ''Falkirk Herald'', and Belfast's ''The News Letter ...

in 2002. There are two local community radio stations in East Lothian, broadcasting on FM and online. East Coast FM, based in Haddington, has been broadcasting since 2009. Radio Saltire, formerly East Lothian FM, is now based in Tranent.

Notable people (by date of death)

* Gospatric II, Earl of Lothian, d.1138 * Gospatric III, Earl of Lothian, d.1166 * Waltheof, Earl of

, d.1182 * Alexander II, King of Scots, 1198–1249 *

Black Agnes Agnes Randolph, Countess of Dunbar and March ( 1312 – 1369), known as Black Agnes for her dark complexion, was the wife of Patrick, 9th Earl of Dunbar and March. She is buried in the vault near Mordington House. She was the daughter of Tho ...

, 4th Countess of

, c.1312-1369 * Abbot Walter Bower, ca.1385–1449, canon regular of

Inchcolm Abbey Inchcolm Abbey is a medieval abbey located on the island of Inchcolm in the Firth of Forth in Scotland. The Abbey, which is located at the centre of the island, was founded in the 12th century during the episcopate of Gregoir, Bishop of Dunk ...

, chronicler, born about at Haddington * Sawney Bean, cannibal and

outlaw An outlaw, in its original and legal meaning, is a person declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so that anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill th ...

, 15th to 16th century * William Dunbar,

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or w ...

, 1460–1520 * John Mair or Major,

philosopher A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...

, 1467–1550 *

John Knox John Knox ( gd, Iain Cnocc) (born – 24 November 1572) was a Scottish minister, Reformed theologian, and writer who was a leader of the country's Reformation. He was the founder of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland. Born in Giffordgat ...

, leading Protestant reformer in Scotland and founder of

Presbyterianism Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their n ...

, c.1510-1572 * John Cockburn of Ormiston, (d.1583) early supporter of the Scottish Reformation *

Ninian Cockburn Ninian Cockburn (died 6 May 1579) was a Scottish soldier and officer of the Garde Écossaise, a company which guarded the French king. He had an ambiguous role in political relations between Scotland, France and England during the war of the Rough ...

(d.1579), soldier, an officer of the

Garde Écossaise The Scottish Guards () was a bodyguard unit founded in 1418 by the Valois Charles VII of France, to be personal bodyguards to the French monarchy. They were assimilated into the ''Maison du Roi'' and later formed the first company of the '' Gard ...

, political intriguer * Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun (1655–1716), writer, politician, soldier and patriot * Adam Cockburn, Laird of Ormiston, Lord Ormiston (1656–1735), administrator, politician and judge * John Cockburn, agricultural improver, 1695–1758 * Andrew Meikle, inventor of the

Threshing machine A threshing machine or a thresher is a piece of farm equipment that threshes grain, that is, it removes the seeds from the stalks and husks. It does so by beating the plant to make the seeds fall out. Before such machines were developed, thr ...

, 1719–1811 * John Brown of Haddington, 1722–1787 * Rev. Dr. John Witherspoon, a signatory to the

United States Declaration of Independence The United States Declaration of Independence, formally The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen States of America, is the pronouncement and founding document adopted by the Second Continental Congress meeting at Pennsylvania State House ( ...

, 1723–1794 * George Brodie (1786?-1867), historian * Robert Cadell (1788–1849), bookseller and publisher, closely associated with

Sir Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy ...

* Robert Moffat 1795–1883, Congregationalist missionary to Africa, and father in law of

David Livingstone David Livingstone (; 19 March 1813 – 1 May 1873) was a Scottish physician, Congregationalist, and pioneer Christian missionary with the London Missionary Society, an explorer in Africa, and one of the most popular British heroes of t ...

* Jane Welsh Carlyle, 1801–1866, letter-writer, and wife of

Thomas Carlyle Thomas Carlyle (4 December 17955 February 1881) was a Scottish essayist, historian and philosopher. A leading writer of the Victorian era, he exerted a profound influence on 19th-century art, literature and philosophy. Born in Ecclefechan, ...

, 1801–1866 * Sir William Fergusson, 1st Baronet,

surgeon In modern medicine, a surgeon is a medical professional who performs surgery. Although there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon usually is also a licensed physician or received the same medical training as ...

, 1808–1877 * Samuel Smiles, author of

Self-Help Self-help or self-improvement is a self-guided improvement''APA Dictionary of Physicology'', 1st ed., Gary R. VandenBos, ed., Washington: American Psychological Association, 2007.—economically, intellectually, or emotionally—often with a subs ...

, 1812–1904 * Mary Balfour Herbert, watercolour painter, 1817–1893 * Samuel Morison Brown,

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe th ...

and essayist, 1817–1856 *

John Muir John Muir ( ; April 21, 1838December 24, 1914), also known as "John of the Mountains" and "Father of the National Parks", was an influential Scottish-American naturalist, author, environmental philosopher, botanist, zoologist, glaciologis ...

, father of the US

National Parks A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individua ...

, 1838–1914 * Eleanor Mildred Sidgwick, Principal of Newnham College, 1845–1936 * James Porteous, inventor of the Fresno Scraper, 1848–1922 * Peter Hume Brown, historian, 1849–1918 * Arthur Balfour (1848-1930),

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

, 1902–1905 * Eleanor Mildred Sidgwick (1845-1936), mathematician and co-founder of

Newham College Newham College is a large general further education college in the London Borough of Newham, England, established in 1985. The college's main site is in East Ham, with a further site in Stratford and six further local neighbourhood learning cen ...

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

William George Nicholson Geddes William George Nicholson Geddes CBE DSc FRSE FEng (29 July 1913 – 10 November 1993) was a Scottish civil engineer. Life George Geddes was born in Oldhamstocks, East Lothian the son of Ina Nicholson and her husband, William Brydon Geddes. Hi ...

1913–1993, civil engineer * Maureen Mollie Hunter McIlwraith, commonly known as Mollie Hunter 1922–2012, Scottish writer * Peter Kerr b.1940, best-selling author of travel books and fiction *

John Bellany John Bellany (18 June 1942 – 28 August 2013) was a Scottish painter. Early life Bellany was born in Port Seton. His father and grandfather were fishermen in Port Seton and Eyemouth near Edinburgh. During the early 1960s, he studied at ...

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...

, 1942-2013 *

Rhona Cameron Rhona Cameron (born 27 September 1965) is a Scottish comedian, writer and TV presenter. She rose to prominence via the stand-up comedy circuit, and was a regular on British television in the 1990s. Television career In 1992, she won '' So You ...

comedian A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolish (as in slapstick), or employing prop comedy. A comedian who addresses an audienc ...

and activist, b.1965 A number of sports personalities also have links with East Lothian: * Willie Anderson, golfer, four times U.S. Open Golf Champion, 1901, 1903–05 * Ian Black, professional footballer * Callum Booth, professional footballer * Billy Brown, football coach * Kenny Miller, professional footballer * Colin Nish, professional footballer * Jim Calder rugby union player * Gary Anderson, Darts player * Andrew Driver, professional footballer * Danny Handling, professional footballer * Jason Holt, Professional footballer *

David Huish David Huish (born 23 April 1944) is a Scottish professional golfer, perhaps best known for being the halfway leader of The Open Championship in 1975. Personal life Huish (pronounced "hush") was born in North Berwick, Scotland. He married his ...

, professional golfer * Allan Jacobsen, rugby union player * Jim Jefferies, football manager * John McGlynn, football manager *

Catriona Matthew Catriona Isobel Matthew (née Lambert; born 25 August 1969) is a Scottish professional golfer who plays mainly on the US-based LPGA Tour and is also a member of the Ladies European Tour. Amateur career Catriona Lambert was born in Edinburgh ...

, golfer *

Mathew Dawson Mathew Dawson (1820–1898) was a British racehorse trainer. In a career which lasted from 1840 until his death in 1898 he trained the winners of twenty-eight British Classic Races, a figure surpassed by only two other men. He was significant ...

, racehorse trainer * Euan Burton,

judoka is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponica, "Judo"). ...

and

2012 Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

contender * Finlay Calder, rugby union player * Ross Muir, professional snooker player * Scott Murray (rugby union), Scott Murray, rugby union player * Garry O'Connor, professional footballer * Willie Ormond, footballer and manager * Jock Taylor, World Champion motorcycle sidecar racer * Ben Sayers, professional golfer & club maker * John White (footballer born 1937), John White, footballer * Willie Wood (bowler), professional bowler * Dean Brett, footballer * Josh Taylor (boxer), Josh Taylor, boxer

Freedom of the County

The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the City, Freedom of the County of East Lothian.

Individuals

: 2004. *

: 2009.

Military Units

* 1st Battalion The Royal Scots Borderers: 2012. * E Squadron The Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry: 6 July 2019.

References

Bibliography

Church and parish histories: Presbytery of Haddington

* The Lamp of Lothian ; or, The History of Haddington. James Miller (new edition, 1900). * Reminiscences of the Royal Burgh of Haddington. John Martine (1883). * Reminiscences of the County of Haddington. John Martine (1890). * Reminiscences of the County of Haddington. Second Series, ed. E. J. Wilson (1895). * The History of Morham. David Louden (1889). * North Berwick and its Vicinity. George Ferrier (1875). * The Bass Rock, its Civil and Ecclesiastical History. Thomas M'Crie, D.D. (1847). * Emeralds chased in Gold. Rev. John Dickson (1899). * Prestonpans and Vicinity. P. M'Neill (1902). * Tranent and its Surroundings. P. M'Neill (1884). * East Lothian Studies. Louden and Whitfield (1891). * East Lothian. Charles E. Green (1907). * Sketches of East Lothian. D. Croal (1873).

Presbytery of Dunbar

* Coldingham: Parish and Priory [notices of Cockburnspath, etc.]. A. Thomson (1908). * The History of Dunbar. James Miller (1859). * An Old Kirk Chronicle. Peter Hately Waddell, D.D. (1893). * The Churches of St Baldred. Rev. A. I. Ritchie (1880). * Saint Mary's, Whitekirk. Rev. E. B. Rankin (1914). * History of Berwickshire Naturalists' Club [for Cockburnspath, Oldhamstocks, etc.]

External links

*
East Lothian Council
''official government website'' * {{Authority control East Lothian, Counties of Scotland Lieutenancy areas of Scotland Council areas of Scotland Counties of the United Kingdom (1801–1922)