Saltoun Parish Church is a church in

East Saltoun East Saltoun and West Saltoun are separate villages in East Lothian, Scotland, about 5 miles (8 kilometres) south-west of Haddington, East Lothian, Haddington and 20 miles (32 kilometres) east of Edinburgh. Geography The villages of East Salto ...

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 Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. It is part of the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t ...

, and (along with Yester Church and Bolton Parish Church) serves the parish of Yester, Bolton and Saltoun, which includes the villages of Gifford,

Bolton Bolton (, locally ) is a large town in Greater Manchester in North West England, formerly a part of Lancashire. A former mill town, Bolton has been a production centre for textiles since Flemish people, Flemish weavers settled in the area i ...

and West Saltoun. The church lies in the centre of the village.

History

The first church in Saltoun Parish was built in 1244 by the

Bishop of St Andrews The Bishop of St. Andrews ( gd, Easbaig Chill Rìmhinn, sco, Beeshop o Saunt Andras) was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of St Andrews in the Catholic Church and then, from 14 August 1472, as Archbishop of St Andrews ( gd, Àrd-easbaig ...

, and was 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 ...

. During the brief establishment of

Episcopacy A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

in Scotland in 1633, the church (and the control of electing a minister) was transferred to the

Bishop of Edinburgh The Bishop of Edinburgh, or sometimes the Lord Bishop of Edinburgh is the ordinary of the Scottish Episcopal Diocese of Edinburgh. Prior to the Reformation, Edinburgh was part of the Diocese of St Andrews, under the Archbishop of St Andrews ...

, before being passed 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 ...

(the local land-owner) in 1643.

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, ...

(later the

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 at Saltoun in 1665. During his five years there, he enlarged the church. He left in 1669 to become Professor of Divinity at

Glasgow University , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

and, later, Bishop of Salisbury. The present church building was built in 1805, probably by the architect

Robert Burn Robert Burn may refer to: * Robert Burn (classicist) (1829–1904), English classical scholar and archaeologist * Robert Burn (naturalist) (born 1937), Australian naturalist and citizen scientist * Robert Scott Burn (1825–1901), Scottish engine ...

. The church is cruciform in shape, with the

vestry A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government for a parish in England, Wales and some English colonies which originally met in the vestry or sacristy of the parish church, and consequently became known colloquiall ...

and

steeple In architecture, a steeple is a tall tower on a building, topped by a spire and often incorporating a belfry and other components. Steeples are very common on Christian churches and cathedrals and the use of the term generally connotes a religi ...

occupying the eastern arm. Below the church is the burial vault of the Fletchers of Saltoun Hall and in which is interred the body of Andrew Fletcher, (1655-1716) the politician and writer. In 1929 the parishes of Bolton and Saltoun were united, and in 1970 the parish was linked (but not united) with

Humbie Humbie is a hamlet and rural parish in East Lothian, Scotland lying in south-east of the county, approximately south-west of Haddington and south-east of Edinburgh. Humbie as it is known today was formed as the result of the union between Kei ...

to the south and Yester (Gifford) to the east.

References

External links

Yester, Bolton and Saltoun Church website
{{coord, 55.90113, N, 2.84209, W, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Churches in East Lothian Church of Scotland churches in Scotland Category A listed buildings in East Lothian Listed churches in Scotland

History

See also

References

External links