Preston, East Lothian - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Preston is a village on the East Lothian

East Lothian

East Lothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy Area. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Scottish Borders and Midlothian. Its administrative centre is Haddington, although its largest town is Musselburgh....

coast of Scotland, to the south of Prestonpans

Prestonpans

Prestonpans is a small town to the east of Edinburgh, Scotland, in the unitary council area of East Lothian. It has a population of 7,153 . It is the site of the 1745 Battle of Prestonpans, and has a history dating back to the 11th century...

, the east of Prestongrange

Prestongrange

Prestongrange is a place in East Lothian, Scotland, UK, situated between Musselburgh to the west, and Prestonpans in the east.The placename derives from "Preston", meaning "priest's town", and a grange which was worked by the Cistercian monks of Newbattle Abbey.In the 16th century the Morison...

, and the southwest of Cockenzie and Port Seton

Cockenzie and Port Seton

Cockenzie and Port Seton is a unified town in East Lothian, Scotland, situated on the coast of the Firth of Forth, four miles north east of Musselburgh. The burgh of Cockenzie was created in 1591 by James VI of Scotland...

.

The name Preston means "priest town", and the monks of Holyrood Abbey

Holyrood Abbey

Holyrood Abbey is a ruined abbey of the Canons Regular in Edinburgh, Scotland. The abbey was founded in 1128 by King David I of Scotland. During the 15th century, the abbey guesthouse was developed into a royal residence, and after the Scottish Reformation the Palace of Holyroodhouse was expanded...

and Newbattle Abbey

Newbattle Abbey

Newbattle Abbey was a Cistercian monastery near the village of Newbattle in Midlothian, Scotland, which has subsequently become a stately home and then an educational institution.-Monastery:...

owned land here. The village was noted for St Jerome's Fair, held on the second Thursday of October. The chapmen of the area had formed themselves into a guild

Guild

A guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade. The earliest types of guild were formed as confraternities of workers. They were organized in a manner something between a trade union, a cartel, and a secret society...

and elected their office bearers at the fair.

Two of Preston's most important structures are Preston Tower

Preston Tower

Preston Tower is a ruined L-plan keep in the ancient village of Prestonpans. It is situated within a few metres from two other historic houses, Hamilton House and Northfield House....

and Preston mercat cross

Mercat cross

A mercat cross is a market cross found in Scottish cities and towns where trade and commerce was a part of economic life. It was originally a place where merchants would gather, and later became the focal point of many town events such as executions, announcements and proclamations...

. The mercat cross is unique in that it is the only such structure still in its original location and form. It has eight compartments, two doorways, six alcoves with semi-circular mouldings of scallop shells. The latter are said to be an allusion to the pilgrim traffic between North Berwick

North Berwick

The Royal Burgh of North Berwick is a seaside town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is situated on the south shore of the Firth of Forth, approximately 25 miles east of Edinburgh. North Berwick became a fashionable holiday resort in the 19th century because of its two sandy bays, the East Bay and the...

and St Andrews

St Andrews

St Andrews is a university town and former royal burgh on the east coast of Fife in Scotland. The town is named after Saint Andrew the Apostle.St Andrews has a population of 16,680, making this the fifth largest settlement in Fife....

.

Preston Tower belonged to the Hamilton family

Duke of Hamilton

Duke of Hamilton is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created in 1643. It is the senior dukedom in that Peerage , and as such its holder is the Premier Peer of Scotland, as well as being head of both the House of Hamilton and the House of Douglas...

(also known as the "haughty Hamiltons") who owned ten strongholds including Preston House, Hamilton House

Hamilton House, East Lothian

Hamilton House is a historic house in the village of Preston in East Lothian, Scotland, UK. It is situated very close to its neighbouring communities of Prestonpans and Prestongrange.-History:...

, Innerwick Castle

Innerwick Castle

Innerwick Castle is a ruined castle in East Lothian, Scotland, near the village of Innerwick, from Dunbar, on the Thornton Burn, and overlooking Thornton Glen....

and Brodick Castle

Brodick Castle

Brodick Castle is a castle situated outside the port of Brodick on the Isle of Arran, an island in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland. It was previously a seat of the Dukes of Hamilton, but is now owned by the National Trust for Scotland.-Early and High Mediæval:...

, Arran

Isle of Arran

Arran or the Isle of Arran is the largest island in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland, and with an area of is the seventh largest Scottish island. It is in the unitary council area of North Ayrshire and the 2001 census had a resident population of 5,058...

.

Other notable buildings include Northfield House

Northfield House, East Lothian

Northfield House is a seventeenth century historic house at Preston, East Lothian, Scotland, UK. It is situated very close to Hamilton House and Preston Tower, and one mile east to Prestongrange House and the Royal Musselburgh Golf Club....

and Preston Lodge, pictured on the right.

External links

Undiscovered Scotland page on Preston, Prestonpans and Prestongrange

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See also

External links