Spott, East Lothian
Encyclopedia
Spott is a small village on the eastern fringes of East Lothian
in Scotland
, just over 2 miles (3.2 km) south-west of Dunbar
. The village straddles an unclassified road leading from the main A1 highway at .
There is believed to have been settlement in the area for over 1,500 years, and Spott is the site of many finds from the time of the Romans occupation of southern Scotland. A Northumbria
n homestead is located at nearby Doon Hill. Spott House has served as home to the proprietors of Spott since the 13th century. Elias de Spott swore fealty to King Edward I of England at Berwick-upon-Tweed
in 1296. Over the centuries the estate has changed hands on several occasions and many eminent Haddingtonshire families – the Humes, Douglasses, Murrays and the Hays – have held the lands of Spott. Spott holds the dubious distinction of playing host to the last executions of the Scottish witch-hunt
s of the 17th and 18th centuries, when several alleged witches were executed at Spott Loan in October 1705. The first Battle of Dunbar
in 1296, took place less than a mile from Spott. Before the second Battle of Dunbar
in 1650, the Scots army, which vastly outnumbered Oliver Cromwell
's army, camped at Doon Hill, just to the east of Spott, before leaving the high ground to meet Cromwell and defeat.
The origins of the church are somewhat vague, but it is certain there was a church here before the Reformation
, when Spott Kirk was a prebendary
of the Collegiate Church
of Dunbar. Major repairs were carried out on the church in 1790 and again the following century giving its present cruciform shape. One arm of the church is an ancient burial vault. In 1570 the minister, John Kello, hanged his wife in the manse
before delivering 'a more than usually eloquent sermon'. He was later executed at Edinburgh
for the crime.
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....
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, just over 2 miles (3.2 km) south-west of Dunbar
Dunbar
Dunbar is a town in East Lothian on the southeast coast of Scotland, approximately 28 miles east of Edinburgh and 28 miles from the English Border at Berwick-upon-Tweed....
. The village straddles an unclassified road leading from the main A1 highway at .
History
There is believed to have been settlement in the area for over 1,500 years, and Spott is the site of many finds from the time of the Romans occupation of southern Scotland. A Northumbria
Northumbria
Northumbria was a medieval kingdom of the Angles, in what is now Northern England and South-East Scotland, becoming subsequently an earldom in a united Anglo-Saxon kingdom of England. The name reflects the approximate southern limit to the kingdom's territory, the Humber Estuary.Northumbria was...
n homestead is located at nearby Doon Hill. Spott House has served as home to the proprietors of Spott since the 13th century. Elias de Spott swore fealty to King Edward I of England at Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed or simply Berwick is a town in the county of Northumberland and is the northernmost town in England, on the east coast at the mouth of the River Tweed. It is situated 2.5 miles south of the Scottish border....
in 1296. Over the centuries the estate has changed hands on several occasions and many eminent Haddingtonshire families – the Humes, Douglasses, Murrays and the Hays – have held the lands of Spott. Spott holds the dubious distinction of playing host to the last executions of the Scottish witch-hunt
Witch-hunt
A witch-hunt is a search for witches or evidence of witchcraft, often involving moral panic, mass hysteria and lynching, but in historical instances also legally sanctioned and involving official witchcraft trials...
s of the 17th and 18th centuries, when several alleged witches were executed at Spott Loan in October 1705. The first Battle of Dunbar
Battle of Dunbar (1296)
The Battle of Dunbar was the only significant field action in the campaign of 1296. King Edward I of England had invaded Scotland in 1296 to punish King John Balliol for his refusal to support English military action in France.-Background:...
in 1296, took place less than a mile from Spott. Before the second Battle of Dunbar
Battle of Dunbar (1650)
The Battle of Dunbar was a battle of the Third English Civil War. The English Parliamentarian forces under Oliver Cromwell defeated a Scottish army commanded by David Leslie which was loyal to King Charles II, who had been proclaimed King of Scots on 5 February 1649.-Background:The English...
in 1650, the Scots army, which vastly outnumbered Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
's army, camped at Doon Hill, just to the east of Spott, before leaving the high ground to meet Cromwell and defeat.
Church
The origins of the church are somewhat vague, but it is certain there was a church here before the Reformation
Scottish Reformation
The Scottish Reformation was Scotland's formal break with the Papacy in 1560, and the events surrounding this. It was part of the wider European Protestant Reformation; and in Scotland's case culminated ecclesiastically in the re-establishment of the church along Reformed lines, and politically in...
, when Spott Kirk was a prebendary
Prebendary
A prebendary is a post connected to an Anglican or Catholic cathedral or collegiate church and is a type of canon. Prebendaries have a role in the administration of the cathedral...
of the Collegiate Church
Collegiate church
In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons; a non-monastic, or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, which may be presided over by a dean or provost...
of Dunbar. Major repairs were carried out on the church in 1790 and again the following century giving its present cruciform shape. One arm of the church is an ancient burial vault. In 1570 the minister, John Kello, hanged his wife in the manse
Manse
A manse is a house inhabited by, or formerly inhabited by, a minister, usually used in the context of a Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist or United Church...
before delivering 'a more than usually eloquent sermon'. He was later executed at Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
for the crime.