Inveresk (

Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...

: ''Inbhir Easg'') is a village in

East Lothian 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 and lieutenancy area. The county was called Haddingtonshire until 1921. In 1975, the histo ...

, Scotland situated to the south of

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 ...

. It has been designated a

conservation area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

since 1969. It is situated on slightly elevated ground on the north bank of a loop of the River Esk. This ridge of ground, 20 to 25 metres above sea level, was used by the Romans as the location for

Inveresk Roman Fort Inveresk Roman Fort is an archaeological site within the grounds of St Michael's Church, Inveresk, a village in East Lothian, Scotland. Fort The fort covered an area of 6.6 acres (2.7 ha), placing it at the larger end of the spectrum of fort s ...

in the 2nd century AD. The prefix " Inver" (Gaelic ''inbhir'') means a river mouth and refers to the point where the River Esk meets 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 ...

. The village was formerly in the

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 Edinburgh, ...

parish of Inveresk and developed separately from the

burgh A burgh is an autonomous municipal corporation in Scotland and Northern England, usually a city, town, or toun in Scots. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burg ...

of Musselburgh.

History

A Roman cavalry fort sat on the hilltop around 200AD and numerous Roman artefacts and buildings have been found in the village over the years. In 2004, archaeological excavations by

Headland Archaeology Headland Archaeology Ltd is a wholely owned subsidiary of the RSK Group. Headland provides archaeological services and heritage advice to the construction industry. Company history Headland Archaeology Ltd was established in 1996. Headquartered ...

found Roman artefacts on Inveresk Brae. The lands were gifted to Dunfermline Abbey in the 12th century. Inveresk centres on a street of fine 17th- and 18th-century houses. Its location being thought to be agreeable and healthy earned for the village the name of the

Montpellier Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...

of Scotland. Inveresk Lodge (1683) is now privately leased, but the adjacent

Inveresk Lodge Garden Inveresk Lodge Garden is in the care of the National Trust for Scotland, in the village of Inveresk, East Lothian. The lodge lies about 10 km south-east of Edinburgh, and for over a century was one of the homes of the Wedderburn family. Hist ...

belongs to the National Trust for Scotland, and its west facing gardens overlooking the river Esk are open to the public. This was formerly the mansion of James Wedderburn who had made his fortune as a slave-owning sugar plantation owner in Jamaica. When his son by one of his slaves, Robert Wedderburn, travelled to Inveresk to claim his kinship, while his father did not deny him to be his son, he "called me a ''lazy fellow'', and said he would do nothing for me. From his cook I had one draught of small beer, and his footman gave me a cracked sixpence". This experience turned Robert Wedderburn to radicalism. Halkerstoun dates from around 1690. The

Manor House A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...

was built in 1748 for Archibald Shiells. Catherine Lodge built in 1709 for Alexander Christie. Eskhill was owned by Thomas Mylne in 1710 and incorporates a finely carved 1760 doorpiece moved from a demolition in

George Square, Edinburgh George Square ( gd, Ceàrnag Sheòrais) is a city square in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is in the south of the city centre, adjacent to The Meadows (park), the Meadows. It was laid out in 1766 outside the overcrowded Old Town, Edinburgh, Old Town, ...

in the 1970s. Oak Lodge dates from c.1720, Eskgrove House from around 1750. Inveresk House is one of the oldest in the group dating from at least 1643, and Inveresk Gates dates from 1773. The war memorial, south of the church, was designed by Sir Robert Lorimer in 1920.

St. Michael's Church

The church site predates the Reformation and originally belonged to the

Abbey of Dunfermline Dunfermline Abbey is a Church of Scotland Parish Church in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland. The church occupies the site of the ancient chancel and transepts of a large medieval Benedictine abbey, which was sacked in 1560 during the Scottish Reforma ...

. From 1560 it came under the Presbytery 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 ...

but in 1591 transferred permanently to the control of the Presbytery of

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 ...

. The village is dominated by St. Michael's church that stands at its west end on the summit of a hill overlooking

. Its graveyard/cemetery stretches westwards for almost 300m and is split into separate walled sections (marking its various stages of extension) which can be broadly bracketed as original (mainly 18th century), a late Victorian extension, an Edwardian/ early 20th century extension to the north, and a modern section to the far west. The current church is by Robert Nisbet and dates to 1805 and has a stone spire of Wren-influence.

Noteworthy graves

Major William Norman Ramsay's grave, Inveresk

The graveyard has a number of notable graves: *

Edwin Alexander Edwin John Alexander RSA RSW RWS (1870–1926) was a Scottish artist known for his pictures of animals and birds. Life He was born in Edinburgh in February 1870 the eldest son of the artist Robert Alexander and his wife. In 1887 and 1888 ...

RSA RSW (1870-1926) artist, son of the artist Robert Alexander *

William Lindsay Alexander William Lindsay Alexander FRSE LLD (24 August 180820 December 1884) was a Scottish church leader. Life He was born in Leith, the son of William Alexander, a wine merchant, and his wife, Elizabeth Lindsay. The only address given for his fathe ...

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...

(1808-1884) theologian * John Brunton (manufacturer) (1837-1917) specialist wire-maker whose family financed the Brunton Theatre *A white-painted, cast-iron sculpture of a coffin draped in military regalia, atop a full-sized cannon and cannon-balls, just south of the church marking the grave of Major William Norman Ramsay of Waterloo fame (see separate article Order of battle of the Waterloo Campaign) *A monument to 7 fishermen from

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 pr ...

of the fishing-boat "Alice" from

Boddam, Aberdeenshire Boddam is a coastal village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is north of Aberdeen and south of Peterhead. The settlement of Stirling Village lies immediately to the west. Sea cliffs rise to , south of the village: a coastal path leads along the ...

, lost in the storm of 14 October 1881 (generally referred to as the Eyemouth Disaster). *Very Rev Alexander Carlyle (1722-1805) *Curious cubic gravestones to Admiral Archibald Cochran (d.1843) and his son Admiral Thomas Cochran (d.1888) *Rev

(1808-1884) *John Cran, shipbuilder (1849-1940) *

Sir Charles Dalrymple, 1st Baronet Sir Charles Dalrymple, 1st Baronet, (15 October 1839 – 20 June 1916) was a Scottish Conservative politician. Life Born Charles Fergusson, he was the second surviving son of Sir Charles Dalrymple Fergusson, 5th Baronet, and grandson of Si ...

* Mark Dalrymple, 3rd Baronet (1915-1971) *

Sir Charles Dalrymple Fergusson, 5th Baronet Sir Charles Dalrymple Fergusson, 5th Baronet of Kilkerran FRSE (1800–1849) was a Scottish lawyer. Life He was born at Fort George in Inverness-shire on 26 August 1800. He was the eldest son of Sir James Fergusson, 4th Baronet, fourth baro ...

*The Buller-Elphinstone tomb:

William Elphinstone, 15th Lord Elphinstone William Buller Fullerton Elphinstone, 15th Lord Elphinstone and 1st Baron Elphinstone (18 November 1828 – 18 January 1893), known as William Elphinstone until 1861, was a Scottish Conservative politician. Early life Elphinstone was born on 18 ...

Sidney Elphinstone, 16th Lord Elphinstone Sidney Herbert Elphinstone, 16th Lord Elphinstone and 2nd Baron Elphinstone, (27 July 1869 – 28 November 1955) was a British nobleman. Early life Sidney Herbert Elphinstone was born at Carberry Tower south-east of Edinburgh on 27 July 1869. ...

(a sarcophagus-style monument at the east end of the Victorian section) *

James Greenlees Dr. James Robertson Campbell Greenlees FRSE Distinguished Service Order, DSO Medal bar, & Bar (14 December 1878 – 16 May 1951) was a Scotland, Scottish rugby union footballer, physician and teacher. As a sportsman he played club rugby for Camb ...

(1870-1951) rugby player and scholar, headmaster of Loretto College 1926-41 (a stone on the west wall of the Victorian section) *A large monument to several of Hope Baronets of Craighall (against the far east wall), including Sir Archibald Hope, 9th Baronet *Major General Sir

Patrick Lindesay Sir Patrick Lindesay, (24 February 1778 – 14 March 1839) was a Scottish military officer during the Napoleonic Wars and Peninsular War but is most noted as having served as Acting Governor of New South Wales, Australia in 1831. Mount Linde ...

(1778-1839), military hero, Acting Governor of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

in 1831 (stone fully obscured by yew trees) * John Grieve: John Grieve was awarded the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

for his bravery at the

Battle of Balaclava The Battle of Balaclava, fought on 25 October 1854 during the Crimean War, was part of the Siege of Sevastopol (1854–55), an Allied attempt to capture the port and fortress of Sevastopol, Russian Empire, Russia's principal naval base on the Bl ...

in the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the de ...

. * Admiral Sir David Milne 1763–1845, his son Admiral Sir Alexander Milne 1806-1896 and his geologist son David Milne-Home 1805-1890 *

David Rae, Lord Eskgrove Sir David Rae, Lord Eskgrove, 1st Baronet FRSE FSA (1724–1804) was a Scottish advocate and judge. Life He was the son of Agnes, daughter of Sir David Forbes of Newhall and Rev David Rae of St Andrews, an episcopalian minister. Some sources g ...

(1724-1804) (on the outer south-west corner of the church) *

Sir William Rae, 3rd Baronet Sir William Rae, 3rd Baronet (14 April 1769 – 19 October 1842), was a Scottish politician and lawyer. Life He was born at Old Assembly Close off the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, son of Margaret Stewart, youngest daughter of John Stewart of Blai ...

(1769-1842) son of the above, buried with his father *Pte Alexander Sinclair (1896-1915), a survivor of the

Quintinshill rail disaster The Quintinshill rail disaster was a multi-train rail crash which occurred on 22 May 1915 outside the Quintinshill signal box near Gretna Green in Dumfriesshire, Scotland, United Kingdom. It resulted in the deaths of over 200 people, and remain ...

near

Gretna Green Gretna Green is a parish in the southern council area of Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, on the Scottish side of the border between Scotland and England, defined by the small river Sark, which flows into the nearby Solway Firth. It was historica ...

, the worst rail disaster in British history, killed at

Gallipoli The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles ...

a few months later *Major Robert Vernor (d.1827) wounded whilst a Captain of the

Scots Greys The Royal Scots Greys was a Cavalry regiments of the British Army, cavalry regiment of the British Army from 1707 until 1971, when they amalgamated with the 3rd Carabiniers (Prince of Wales's Dragoon Guards) to form the Royal Scots Dragoon Guard ...

at the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armie ...

Alexander Handyside Ritchie Alexander Handyside Ritchie (16 April 1804 – 24 April 1870) was a Scottish sculptor born in Musselburgh in 1804, the son of James Ritchie, a local brickmaker and ornamental plasterer, and his wife Euphemia. The father in turn was the son of a ...

sculptor (1804-1870) *The Wedderburn tomb:

Sir David Wedderburn, 1st Baronet Sir David Wedderburn, 1st Baronet (10 March 1775 – 7 April 1858) was a Scottish businessman and Tory politician. He was Postmaster General for Scotland 1823-31 and a member of two London militias before that. Family background Wedderburn was ...

(1775-1858), Sir John Wedderburn, 2nd Baronet,

Sir David Wedderburn, 3rd Baronet Sir David Wedderburn, 3rd Baronet (20 December 1835 – 18 September 1882) was a British politician. Life David Wedderburn was the second son of Sir John Wedderburn, 2nd Baronet, and Henrietta Louise Milburn. His grandfather, Sir David, had ...

(1835-1882)

References

;Citations ;Sources * * * * *

External links

Canmore - Inveresk, Musselburgh, Roman Fort site recordWorkhouses - Inveresk
{{authority control Villages in East Lothian Musselburgh Parishes formerly in Midlothian

History

St. Michael's Church

Noteworthy graves

Other notable persons linked to Inveresk

References

External links