Preston Tower is a ruined L-plan keep in the ancient Scottish village of

Prestonpans Prestonpans ( gd, Baile an t-Sagairt, Scots language, Scots: ''The Pans'') is a small mining town, situated approximately eight miles east of Edinburgh, Scotland, in the Council area of East Lothian. The population as of is. It is near the si ...

. It is situated within a few metres of two other historic houses, Hamilton House and Northfield House.

History

The original structure, some of which may date from the 14th century, has four storeys. A further two storeys were added above the

parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an extension of the wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/breast'). ...

in 1626, with

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

windows bearing the initials SIDKH (Sir John and Dame Katherine Hamilton). The entrance to the Tower had a lean-to hoarding from which items could be dropped, for instance boulders, hot sand, or boiling oil. Preston passed by marriage to the "haughty Hamiltons" (also known as "Hameldone") at the close of the 14th century. David Hamilton of Preston went France with James V in 1536. Preston Tower was burnt by the

Earl of Hertford Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particular ...

on 16 May 1544 following the

burning of Edinburgh The Burning of Edinburgh in 1544 by an English sea-borne army was the first major action of the war of the Rough Wooing. A Scottish army observed the landing on 3 May 1544 but did not engage with the English force. The Provost of Edinburgh wa ...

during the war known as the Rough Wooing. David Hamilton was a Master Usher for

Regent Arran A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state ''pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy, ...

, and fought for Mary, Queen of Scots at the

battle of Langside The Battle of Langside was fought on 13 May 1568 between forces loyal to Mary, Queen of Scots, and forces acting in the name of her infant son James VI. Mary’s short period of personal rule ended in 1567 in recrimination, intrigue, and disast ...

. His widow, Jonet Bailie, died in 1592. Her will mentions cattle and hogs on the farm, and an iron chain and winch with buckets for draining a mine. Their son George married Barbara Cockburn (died November 1610), a daughter of John Cockburn of

Ormiston Ormiston is a village in East Lothian, Scotland, near Tranent, Humbie, Pencaitland and Cranston, located on the north bank of the River Tyne at an elevation of about . The village was the first planned village in Scotland, founded in 1735 ...

. His grandson John married Katherine Howison (died 1629) as his second wife, and their initials were carved on Preston Tower. They employed a stone mason, William Pedden, who also worked at Winton Castle, and a glazier, James Wauche. A family pew in the church also featured their carved initials and painted heraldry. In 1617 John Hamilton and the Earl of Lothian held a trial for John Hunter, the blacksmith in Prestonpans. Over several years he had stolen iron plough shares and fittings from farms in the neighbouring villages for scrap metal. The tower was burnt again in 1650

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 K ...

with the loss of the family records. After being restored it burnt again, accidentally, in 1663 and was abandoned for the nearby Preston House, East Lothian. One of the Hamilton family was the noted covenanter Robert Hamilton, a commander in the battles of Drumclog and Bothwell Brig. After this, the family were forfeited in 1684, but recovered the property in the 19th century. Preston Tower was purchased by the

National Trust for Scotland The National Trust for Scotland for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, commonly known as the National Trust for Scotland ( gd, Urras Nàiseanta na h-Alba), is a Scottish conservation organisation. It is the largest membership organi ...

in 1969. It is currently under the guardianship of

East Lothian Council East Lothian Council is one of the 32 local government councils in Scotland covering the East Lothian area. Since the last boundary changes in 2017, 22 councillors have been elected from 6 wards. History East Lothian District Council had been ...

. The site also has a laburnum arch, and a

herb garden The traditional kitchen garden, vegetable garden, also known as a potager (from the French ) or in Scotland a kailyaird, is a space separate from the rest of the residential garden – the ornamental plants and lawn areas. It is used for grow ...

, and a

lectern A lectern is a reading desk with a slanted top, on which documents or books are placed as support for reading aloud, as in a scripture reading, lecture, or sermon. A lectern is usually attached to a stand or affixed to some other form of support. ...

-style

doocot A dovecote or dovecot , doocot ( Scots) or columbarium is a structure intended to house pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be free-standing structures in a variety of shapes, or built into the end of a house or barn. They generally contain pige ...

which dates from the mid-17th century, after Cromwell had sacked the Tower. Preston Tower has a pit-prison but the Preston Merkat Cross was eventually used as the local prison instead.

Photo gallery

File:PrestonTower1.jpg File:PrestonTower03.jpg File:PrestonTower doocot.jpg, Lectern doocot at Preston Tower File:Preston Tower August 2018.jpg

References

External links

Video about Preston Tower's history

A Structural History of Preston Tower

Drawing of Preston Tower, 1834, Joseph Turner, Tate
{{coord, 55.9557, -2.9781, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Castles in East Lothian Scheduled Ancient Monuments in East Lothian Tower houses in Scotland Prestonpans

History

Photo gallery

See also

References

Further reading

External links