Prestonpans and Vicinity: Historical, Ecclesiastical, and Traditional By P. McNeil, Tranent Author of “Tranent and its surroundings”, “New Metrical Version of the Psalms”, etc. __________________________________________________________________ TRANENT: P. McNEIL EDINBURGH & GLASGOW: JOHN MENZIES & CO. 1902. PRESTONPANS. ______ Historical, Ecclesiastical and Traditional. ______ CHAPTER I. Introduction — Curious Notes from Gazetteers — Traditional Account — Monks of Newbattle, 1184 — Salt Making, 1189 — Althamer — Aldhammer — Prieststown — Salt Preston — Prestonpans — Prestongrange Harbour, 1526 — Burning of the Church, 1544 — Davidson appointed Minister, 1595 — Formation of Parish, 1505-6 — A Burgh of Barony, 1617 — Licensed Public-houses, 1796 — Valuation — Population, etc., 1901 — Benefit Societies: Hammermen, Potters, &c. THE Parish of Prestonpans, though the smallest in Haddingtonshire, is not the least worthy of note among its neighbours. Not only has it given birth to several great men, but it has been the residence from time to time throughout the past centuries of men who have helped in a measure to form and fashion the history of the nation. It is bounded on the east and south-east by Tranent; on the south-west by Tranent and Inveresk; and on the north by the Firth of Forth. Its length along the coast is about 2½ miles, its breadth barely 1½ mile, and it contains within its very limited dimensions the villages of Cuthill, Dolphinstone, Preston, and Preston Links. It covers altogether an area of 1,429½ acres, of which a little over 135 are foreshore. The prevailing soil throughout the district s loam, partly heavy on a clay bottom, partly light on a gravelly bottom, and considerably over 1,000 acres are under cultivation. The surface rises gently from the shore, attaining a height of 200 feet above sea-level at the Tranent border. The beach is low and sandy, with a bulwark of low reefs, much shattered and water-worn, along its margin. It commands a picturesque prospect of the Firth of Forth and the southern parts of Fife. The parish is traversed by the public roads coastways from Edinburgh to Aberlady, &c., and there is easy access to the Tranent and Prestonpans Station on the North British Railway. Curious Descriptions. The “Pocket Gazetteer of Scotland,” 1860, thus describes the old village:— “An ancient town on the shore of the Firth of Forth, Haddingtonshire, 9 miles east of Edinburgh, 2½ miles from Musselburgh, and 13 from North Berwick. Its long, gloomy, and narrow street, with its mean hovels on every side, ill paved, ill lighted, having dirty puddles in all directions; notwithstanding, the place is celebrated for its ale, which is reckoned by some a good beverage.” The “Imperial Gazetteer,” of a more recent date, does not improve matters:— “The town itself,” it says, “consists principally of a single street, about a mile in length, wriggling along the beach. A rill runs across the roadway, cutting off from the west end of the street an ugly suburb called Cuittle, or Cuthill. The houses of the town have a mean, blackened, worn-out appearance, scarcely any two of them stand in a line, and the whole are so allocated that the town might be described as zig-zag at both ends and crooked in the middle.” On scanning these brief notices, one cannot help wondering if they had been written with a view to “jokularity,” for the grim humour pervading them is exquisite; but no word of comfort had the maligner to bestow upon the village, not even a gracious remark, in passing, for the villagers. Oh, thou weary, weary, woeful village! isn’t it sorrowful to think that, after so many long, dark, and dreary centuries have passed over thy devoted head, during which thou hast suffered crosses and losses enough to drive any other hamlet to despair, yet because thou had’st forgotten to cleave thy jutting corners, pave thy uneven streets, and drive thy decaying dwelling-places out into the middle of the Forth, before these cool defamers entered thy time-hallowed precincts, thou must bear their reproach perhaps for ever; and yet, out of these very surroundings, which they have handled so scornfully, how many of thy sons have risen from low to great estate! Perhaps the very windings of thy streets, and the ruggedness of thy buildings, were the means of sending inspiration into their souls in their youth, which again was the means of forcing them into eminence in their maturity. Be this as it may, according to thine own records thy sons have never been ashamed to return and spend their later years in the place of their nativity. But many others besides thine own seem to have found pleasure in treading thy crooked streets, inhaling thy salubrious air, and residing in thy curious jutting dwelling-places—but of these anon. The Original Hamlet. A little to the west of Ayre’s Wynd, on the north side of High Street, stands a stately old house, built in 1716, and recently known as Alexander’s. It is still in possession of one of the family—Mr W. A. Meek—and is known as Aldhammer House. Once reason for calling attention to this abode so early is not only because its name differs so slightly from that of the original hamlet, but because the earliest real intimation extant of the village is through salt making, and the manufacture of salt is being pursued on this property at the present day as vigorously as ever; though whether it has gone on at this particular spot throughout all these centuries we would not like to maintain. “Newbattle Chartulary” intimates that the monks of that Abbey found a footing in the district in 1184. From the same source we learn that they began to manufacture salt in the hamlet of Althamer in 1189, and this is the earliest intimation extant of the village now known as Prestonpans. Althamer: the name sounds decidedly of Dutch extraction, but how it originated, so far as historical records are concerned, no information can be had. As a rule, however, whenever history fails tradition steps in. Tradition tells that about the end of the 11th century there flourished a man named Althamer; that he was one of those famous, or infamous, sea rovers, better known as pirates, who had been wont for many years to keep the adjacent isles and the German Ocean astir. This continued till one day, being caught in a hurricane, he was swept round Gullane Point, right into the Firth of Forth, when his fragile bark was dashed to atoms among these very peaceable looking boulders lying loosely along the shore here. Tradition continues:— That these shipwrecked mariners, finding it impossible to take to their old calling, not so much for want of will as for want of a ship and munitions of war, they elected to remain on the shore whither the raging billows had driven them, where they formed a settlement, and agreed to name it “Althamer” in honour of their chieftain. These, though only stories handed down from sire to son throughout the centuries, have such a very reliable ring about them that ordinary mortals, in lieu of more reliable information, need scarcely be blamed for accepting them. One thing, however, is certain, that when the monks of Newbattle, in 1184, obtained a settlement in the district, they found the hamlet of Althamer occupied by villagers. Whatever the origin of the name, it soon became Aldhammer; but even this did not continue long, for shortly after the monks obtained a footing therein it became Priests town. Then, as if to keep pace with the commodity manufactured there, it became Salt Prieststown; and, as if for ease of pronunciation, was soon reduced to Salt Preston In good time the “Salt” melted away, when the “Pans” was added, and it ultimately became the town and parish of Prestonpans. That the original settlers in the hamlet of Althamer would be mostly engaged in the fishing trade, when the monks of Newbattle took residence there, may be taken for granted; and that certain of their sons would seek employment in the newly-established saltworks, need scarcely be called in question. Very likely the fishermen of the district are the genuine descendants of those ancient sea rovers; and possibly the present-day salters may be the real descendants of those who, in 1189, went to serve at salt-making. Be that as it may; that these occupations have gone on without a break from the 12th century to the present day need not for a moment be doubted. During the earliest years of the 13th century, coal was discovered and excavated by these new settlers in the district. No doubt the singular discovery lay considerably outside their original boundary. Their original gift from De Quincy of Winton and Tranent was the lands which ultimately became known as the Barony of Prestongrange, but he made them a second gift of land in the meadows of Tranent ultimately known as Bankton. In these meadows they fed their sheep, and out of these meadows he allowed them to excavate peats, and then and there it was they came upon the black diamonds at the outcrops. It is a well known fact that certain seams of coal crop out along these meadows between Bankton and Seton. The Black Well or Bankton Level, for instance, which comes to the surface on Portobello Mains farm, was simply carried in through the outcrop of the upper or great coal seam, and this is supposed to be very near the original spot of coal discovery in 1202-10. Be this as it may, to these early settlers at the Grange alone belongs the honour of instituting this great industry of not only the district but the United Kingdom, for the first English charter to dig coal is that of Newcastle, 1234, fully a quarter of a century behind this highly-favoured district of East Lothian. This is referred to further on. The 14th and 15th centuries seem to have been remarkably sleepy ones, so far, at least, as the village and surrounding neighbourhood of Salt Preston is concerned, and the only hints we catch up now and again throughout a lengthened period are of a very limited nature; but they speak to a continual strife going on between the upper and under villages— which, during the early part of the 16th century, came both to be known as “Preston,” without any distinguishing appellation—as to which would become the great controlling centre of the district. The influence of the Hamiltons, and various other wealthy settlers in the upper village, together with the main highway between Edinburgh and London being directly through that village, kept it for a long series of years to the front, but most of the life and dash it contained was borrowed; whereas the lower Preston had not only its fishing industry to keep it moving, but it had its salt manufactories long-established and still flourishing. In addition to these, it had established potteries, breweries, and several other branches of business, and through these it was likely to progress, while the other was just as likely to retrogress, and this to a great extent was the ultimate result. The upper village, however, with the new century, seems to have taken a new lease of life. During the early part of the 16th century, so flourishing were the various trades in lower Preston, that a regular harbour had to be made for shipping purposes, and, curiously enough, a charter for this purpose was obtained (1526) from the Abbey of Newbattle, to which abbey these lands at that period belonged— but it was the king, who happened to be there at the time, who granted the charter, not the Church. That a regular place of worship had been erected in the district is evident from the historical fact that “the church of Preston, along with Preston Tower, was burned down in 1544 by Lord Hertford and his English army,” but where the church was located no hint is given. The sacred edifice was never restored—but no wonder; for Reformation times had set in, the power of the priests was gone, and the Abbot of Newbattle—a Kerr of Ferniehirst—could scarcely be expected to play into the hands of the reformers; but if the abbot did not restore the church, he certainly took the earliest opportunity of secularising the church lands, and this, it is said, with the “connivance of the king, for he feared the power of the Kerrs.” Whether or not the king really connived at this spoliation of church lands need not at this day trouble us, but one thing is certain, that either this same abbot, or his brother, at once assumed the title of Lord Newbattle, and became proprietor of the lands of Prestongrange. There was still no church or chapel, priest or minister, in Preston or Prestonpans district, and this state of affairs continued from the destruction of the church in 1544 tull the appointment of Maister John Davidsone in 1595. From the terms of Davidson’s appointment, it is evident that the church of Preston was not located in the sea-coast village. The Presbytery records state definitely that he was appointed to South Prestoun, including ye Pannis east and west.” Had the original church been situated in “ye Pannis,” he would scarcely have been called to South, but to Salt Preston. On accepting his appointment, Davidson applied to Mark Kerr of Newbattle for a church, or assistance to erect a place wherein his people might meet for worship, but his application was in vain unless he would agree to its being built on his lands of Prestongrange, which extended over South Preston to within a few yards of the Tower. The minister approached George Hamilton of Preston with a view to the same end. The reply was that unless the church was built on the lands of Preston neither would he assist him; but the Hamiltons were ever to the front as reformers, and, directly on the back of his refusal, he gave the minister, free of expense, land whereon to build a church, a manse, and a school. And there, within the grounds of Preston, and on the site still occupied, the church of Davidson was built—but not wholly at the expense of the minister, as erroneously stated in various journals. Extracts concerning the erection of the church are still extant, and while it - is stated that Davidson, having means of his own, bore the greater part of the burden, these extracts also furnish the names of those of his congregation who supplied certain of the woodwork, tiles for the roof, nails, and various other necessaries. On the erection of the new church, the district hitherto nominally under the charge of the Abbey of Newbattle, but parochially under the church of Tranent, as held by the Abbey of Holyrood till Reformation times, was formed into a quoad sacra; but in 1606, and under the ministry of the second pastor, John Ker of Faddonside, it was finally disjoined from Tranent and erected into a parish. Here a curious little item crops up. At the formation of the parish, whether the Ecclesiastical Commissioners had done it unwittingly or purposely, having the burned church at Preston and Davidson’s appointment to South Preston still in view, is unknown, but it was called the “Parish of Preston,” —but, adds ecclesiastical history, common usage over-rode the Act of Parliament, and it became the “Parish of Prestonpans.” In 1617, through the influence of Sir John Hamilton of Preston, a charter was obtained from James VI. erecting the western district of Prestonpans, including Prestongrange, into a burgh of barony; Preston, including the eastern district of Prestonpans, through the same influence was erected into a burgh of barony at the same period. But the curious little village of Cuthill had long forestalled them both, being erected into a burgh of barony during the previous century through the influence of the Abbot of Newbattle. Prestonpans is in the Presbytery of Haddington and the Synod of Lothian and Tweeddale. The stipend during the 17th century, owing to the continual ecclesiastical strife for supremacy between presbytery and episcopacy, would be—if there were any at all—a very scarce commodity. At all events, during the early part of the 18th century (1730) we find Carlyle, the minister at that period, complaining that he had but £40 per annum, and felt unable to support his family on that sum. Morison, who held the lands of Prestongrange at this period, was under sequestration, and Carlyle, through the influence and the pleading of his friends Lords Grange and Drummore, Lords of Session, got an augmentation of £150. In 1755, it was £116, 16s. 9d.; in 1798, it had risen to £191, 10s. 3d. Lord Hyndford, through his wife, a Grant, was at this period proprietor of the estate and patron of the parish. About 1850 the living was worth £326, 11s. 1d.; at the present time it is very fluctuating. In 1755, the population numbered 1,596; in 1791, it had increased to 2,028; and, in 1801, it had decreased to 1,964. In 1851, it numbered 1,640; and in 1901 it had increased to 3,673. In 1845 there were twenty-four licensed spirit shops in the parish, and of these seven were public-houses. At the present time there are three public-houses and four licensed grocers’ shops. In 1845 there were three friendly benefit societies in the parish; at the present time there are four, and all in a highly flourishing condition. But previous to that date there had been other two benefit societies in the village, that of the “Hammermen” and the “Potters.” How or when the hammermen formed themselves into a benefit society, or, indeed, who the hammermen were, it seems impossible to learn; and yet, it is not so very long ago since they were wont to have their annual procession. Had there been any large iron foundries in the district, this might have accounted for the name; but there were none, and we are compelled to fall back upon our original idea that it was simply a society of villagers who had taken to themselves the name of hammermen from one of the early names of the village—Aldhammer! The society continued till the year 1820 or so. The Potters’ Benefit Society was a very strong one, and the members continued to have their annual turn-out on the first Friday of June even up till about the year 1840; but “Potters’ Day” was held in the village for many years afterwards. CHAPTER II. EARLY COAL WORKING IN THE DISTRICT. Coal Working: Original Charter, 1202-10 — Early Proprietors — Swan’s “De Quincy’s,” &c. — Colliers in Freedom — Fire Raising in Pits — A Fawside Miner Hanged — Colliers and Salters in Slavery — Price of Coal settled by Act of Parliament — Lady Fawside and her Pits — Miners’ Wages fixed by Act of Parliament — Miners and their Idle Days — Pride’s Petition — Examination of Old Miners by Government — Ill feeling among district Miners — Cadell’s Agreement — Durie’s Contract — Women and Children in the Mines — Women put out of the Pits — Rare Ongoings — Prestongrange Colliery up to date. IT is an old old story, that from Seton, along the coast, to Pinkie Burn, and from Winton, inland, on to Inveresk, was originally Tranent or Winton territory. In 1184 De Quincy, -laird of these possessions, granted the monks of Newbattle lands whereon they formed a grange. He also granted them seven acres of his meadows whereon to feed their sheep, &c., and allowed them to take peats out of his Tranent peatries. These meadows, as we understand them, stretch from Beattie’s Row, near Dolphinstone, on the west, along by Bankton, Meadowmill, and continue along the old marsh way to Seton plantation, on the east. One tradition is that the monks discovered coal while taking peats from the peatrie. Another tradition is that, while watching their flocks in these meadows by night, they were wont to kindle fires around them, possibly for warmth, more probably in order to hold the wild beasts at bay that roamed at large during those early ages. There are several parts along these meadows where the upper coal seams crop out. As the story goes, these ancient shepherds had kindled a fire one night directly on top of an “outcrop,” and the consequence was that the ground took fire, when the coal was discovered. One thing is certain, here coal was first discovered, and no sooner was the discovery made than a charter was applied for and obtained, enabling them to excavate these black diamonds. The following is a copy of the earliest charter granted:— Translation of Charter, 1210-1219. (The original may be found in Newbattle Chartulary, and in the Author's “History of Tranent.”) “To all the sons of the Holy Mother Church, Seyr de Quency, Earl of Wynton, greeting: Know that I have given and by this, my charter, confirmed to God and the Church of St Mary of Newbattle, and to the monks serving God in that place, for an unconditional and perpetual gift towards the increase of the Church, which Robert, my father, bestowed on the same, to wit, in the territory of Tranent the full half of the marsh which extends from west to east as far as the rivulet of Wygtrig, that is to say, that portion which lies nearer to their cultivated land. Further, the coal heuch and the quarry between the aforenamed rivulet of Wygtrig and the bounds of Pinkie and Inveresk, both in the ebb and the flow of the sea. Therefore I will and direct that none of my men may have any share either in the pasture, or in the coal heuch, or in the quarry, within the bounds of Prestongrange, without the consent or goodwill of the same monks: these being witness. W., Bishop of St Andrews, Ingram de Balhia, Simon de Quency, Alexander de Seton, and others. “And observe that this charter has a different seal from the others.” Here, then, we have the real fountainhead of the great coal history of Great Britain. For a while Dunfermline was held forth as the earliest coal-producing district in Scotland, but the earliest “coal working” charter Dunfermline can produce is dated 1290, nearly a century behind East Lothian. The Tatler, in reviewing the “History of Tranent,” and referring to its early coal workings, says:— “It was the earliest spot in the kingdom at which coal was dug from the earth. The charter of Newcastle-on-Tyne to dig coals dates from 1234, but the monks in Newbattle, near Edinburgh, obtained a charter to dig the coal (carbonarium) at Tranent in 1210. Coal was known earlier, but it is remarkable to find the little Scots village coming a quarter of a century sooner to obtain the right to work coal than the great Tyne, head of the industry.” Early as this charter is, that another had been granted much earlier on the same estate, and for a similar purpose, is very evident. Observe that Seyr de Quincy, the granter of this charter of 1202-10, refers in it to, and ratifies, among other items, the “coal heugh and quarry which his father, Robert, bestowed on the monks of Newbattle.” Now, as Robert de Quincy died in 1184, his charter must have been bestowed previous to or in that year, which shows that coal had been worked on the Tranent estate some twenty-six years previous to 1210, the date at which Seyr de Quincy granted his charter. What may be termed national slavery, or neyfship, according to Innes’s “Legal Antiquities,” served out its time in Scotland in the fourteenth century, the last claim proved being in 1364. The collier at this period did not only become as free as any other labourer, but had benefits bestowed on him no other working man was favoured with. By Act of Parliament passed in 1592, miners were exempted from all taxation, charges, and proclamations, whether in time of peace or war, and all their “families, guids, and gear,” taken under regal protection. Further, it was declared that “any wrong or oppression done to them directly or indirectly would be severely punished, as done contrary to His Majesty’s special safeguard.” In the same year (1592) the Legislature, stepping in, passed another Act. This refers to a certain lawlessness which had got in among the miners, and which the Government had determined to stamp out. This Act declares: “That for the better punishment of the wicked crime of wilfully setting fire to coal heuchs by ungodly persons, from motives of private revenge and spite, this crime should for the future be treason, and that whoever was found guilty of the same should suffer the punishment of treason in their bodies, lands, and goods.” Shortly after the passing of this Act we find, in “Pitcairn’s Criminal Trials,” a miner named John Henry, in Little Fawside, accused and found guilty of the crime of wilfully setting fire to the coal heuch of Fawside, belonging to Mungo M‘Call, against whom he had conceived “ane deidly rancour and evill will,” &c. For this crime John Henry was hanged at the Market Cross of Edinburgh, and afterwards beheaded, and his head sent out to Fawside, and placed on a pole beside the mine, as a warning to others. This is the only case of hanging for pit firing we know of. The next Act of Parliament (1606) connected with mining affairs is a horrible one. Not only did it abrogate all former Acts, but reduced colliers and salters alike to a state of servitude, a position little short of common slavery. By this Act their service was to be perpetual. If the owner sold the work, the labourer went with it, having no option in the matter. The tradition handed down from sire to son throughout all these years concerning this matter is that the Earl of Winton of that period, proprietor of these lands, a large employer of labour among miners and salters, and a favourite at Court, was the means of getting this heinous Act passed; and the only reason ever given for it was “it was feared that in course of time people would not be found willing to engage in such arduous and unremunerative labour.” In 1621 the price of coal was fixed by Act of Parliament at 7s. Scots per load. This evidently meant a reduction in price, and there was a great outcry among the coalmasters. The greatest complainers were the Master of Elphinstone, whose pit at Little Fawside had been on fire, and he had expended £8,000 on another pit, and Lady Fawside, “whose pit at Mickle Fawside had done so badly that a part of the ancient heritage had to be sold to pay the debts incurred in working it.” A petition was presented. It had the desired effect, and the Privy Council altered their former decision, and fixed the price at 7s. 8d. per load. In 1641 the first Act referring to miners’ wages appeared. It provided that no higher fee than 20 merks should be paid to any coal worker, and thus concluded regarding idle days:— “And because the said coal hewers and salters and other workmen within the coal heuchs within this kingdom doe ly from ther work at Pasch, Yule, Whitsonday, and certane other tymes in the yeer, which tymes they imploy in drinking and deboshrie, to the great offence of God and prejudice of their maister, it is therefor statute and ordeaned that the said coal hewers and salters and other workmen of coal heuchs in this kingdom work all the sex days of the weeke, under the pains following:— “That is to say, that everie coalhewer or salter who lyes ydle shall pay twentie shillingis for everie day, by and atour the prejudice susteend by ther maister, and other punishment of ther bodies.” The following, which emanated from our own gate-end, shows how completely the miner was bound to the soil and his master:— A Copy of Pride’s Petition to Lord Prestongrange, 1746. “Unto ye Honourable ye Lord Grange at Prestongrange, ye petition of Robert Pride, James Pride, his son, James Pride, Robert Thomson, and William Innes, all colliers belonging to his Lordship: Humbly sheweth, that we are all your Lordship’s servants, and is willing to serve your Lordship qn yt you have work for us, but since yt your Lordship’s work is not going on at Prestongrange, we are at ye time at Pinkey, under Mr Robertson, and not far from your Lordship, if yt qn yt you are pleased to fit your work in Prestongrange, we are near to be gatton qn yt your Lordship pleases. And at ye tyme John Binel, oversman to ye Duke Hamilton, is hard upon us stopping us of bread where we now are by lifting us out of ye work, to place us in yt sd Duke’s work at Bawerstoness. And now ye workmen yt is there swares yt if yt we go to yt work yt they shall be our dead. And now we humbly beg yt you, out of your clemency and goodness, will keep us from going to yt place, where our life shall be in so much danger. And we, your Lordship’s humble petitioners, shall ever pray. His ROBERT PRIDE. James J.P. PRIDE. His mark His WILLIAM W. I. INNES. His JAMES J. P. PRIDE. mark Rob R. T. THOMSON. mark mark The day was long in coming, but it came in 1779, when colliers and salters had their freedom, and became as other working men. But before leaving this painful subject we may be allowed to reproduce a few notes regarding the life they had to live, from the examination of two Prestongrange miners. Walter Pride, aged eighty-one years, said:— “I was yoked to work coal at Prestongrange when I was nine years old. We were then all slaves to the Prestongrange laird. The laird or the tacksman selected our place of work, and if we did not do his bidding we were placed by the necks in iron collars, called juggs, and fastened to the wall, or made to go the rounds. The latter,” he continued, “I remember well. The men’s hands were tied in face of the horse at the ‘gin,’ and made run backwards all day.” Robert Inglis, aged eighty-two years, said:— “I worked at Pinkie pit long before the colliers got their freedom. The first emancipation took place on the 3rd of July 1775. We always kept the day as a holiday. Lord Abercorn got us out of our slavery. Father and grandfather were slaves to the Laird of Prestongrange. So binding was the bondage that the laird had the power of taking colliers who had left him out of any of His Majesty’s ships, or bringing back any one who had enlisted in the army. Such ill-feeling existed against colliers and salters years past that they were buried in unconsecrated ground. This was common in Fife. If colliers had been better treated, they would have been better men.” It may be observed here that Inglis says, “The first emancipation took place in 1775.” This is quite true, but the Act of 1775 was not found suitable; it brought freedom by degrees only, and in 1779 a second Act was passed, which had the merit of bringing liberty to all without further delay. The miner got his freedom; but the master becoming apprehensive he would run off, and leave him to work his own fire-coal, craftily got him entangled in another sort of bondage, entitled the “Long Contract” system. (For Cadell v. Davidson's agreement, also Durie v. Brown’s contract, 1811, see “History of Tranent.”) The engagement, as a rule, was for twelve months; but before the twelvemonth was out, the miner was sure to be in debt to the master, and in order that matters might be allowed to go smoothly with him, he was kept continually engaged, and in debt. It was not till after the first quarter of the nineteenth century had passed away that the “Long Contract” system began to fall into disuse. Women and Children in the Mines. We have inquired at the oldest pitmen we could find, and the oldest pitwomen too, many of whom are yet alive, but not one had any knowledge or tradition even of how and when the degrading practice of sending women and children to work in the pits began; and strange to say not one of our early historians ever took any notice of it. Our own idea is that in 1606, when the miner by Act of Parliament was condemned to a life of serfdom, his wife and children would be driven to the mines along with him to assist 1n his slavish work. Be that as it may, although Lord Dundonald in 1793 tried to arouse public indignation against the system, Mr Robert Bald of Edinburgh in 1808 denounced it as “severe, slavish, and oppressive in the highest degree,” and subsequently many others treated of the same subject, it was not until about the year 1839 that a Commission, moved for by Lord Ashley— late Lord Shaftsbury,—was appointed to inquire into the whole system of child and female labour in the mines, and in 1840 evidence was taken in connection with this at the different collieries. The evidence given by women, girls, and boys at the pit-mouths, before the Government Commissioner, and as fully detailed in the “History of Tranent,” is really curious. Subsequently to the foregoing, an examination of coalmasters, managers, and others connected with collieries took place. Here follows the evidence of those connected with the district:— Mr John Grieve, Preston Links Colliery:— “It is my Opinion that it would be advantageous to exclude children under ten years of age and their mothers, so that the children might be better educated and looked after.” Sir G. G. Suttie, Bart., Prestongrange Colliery:— “I have no control whatever over the colliers in my employment; the engagement on their part is merely nominal, as although a fortnight’s notice is stipulated for previous to leaving their employment, it is in point of fact of no avail; the colliers—men, women, and children—go to their work at whatever hour of the night or day they think proper, and just work as long as they choose. There is in all the mines in this district a greater or less number of women and children employed; and I beg leave to state to you my conviction, that the employment of women in the mines of Scotland is one of the reasons which tends to depreciate the character and habits of the collier population; and that to remedy this evil a legislative enactment is required, as any resolution on the part of one or two mine proprietors not to employ women or children would be injurious to them, without tending at all to remedy the evil. I am aware that a different opinion is entertained on this subject by parties connected with the coal trade in this district, who fear that an enactment preventing women from working in the mines would tend to raise the rate of wages, already too high; but of this I entertain no apprehension, if protection is afforded to the mine proprietor who may be disposed to employ labourers in his mine. In the present state of the law, or at all events in the way in which it is enforced, no mine proprietor can employ a labourer, nor can any labourer venture to work in a mine. The result of this system is that the fathers of families frequently remain idle the greatest part of the week, supported by the labour of their families.” From evidences given, some idea may be formed of what life in the mines was wont to be. The appointing of the above-mentioned Commission had a most desirable effect; and in 1843 Her Most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria issued an edict, prohibiting henceforth all female labour in mines within the realm of Great Britain and Ireland. Incredible as it may seem, the Act of 1843 was not hailed as a boon by all whom it was meant to relieve. It is a well-known fact that both women and girls, although driven back morning after morning by volleys of stones, persisted in following out their usual employment. Not until the authorities stepped in with a strong hand, and by threatening fines and imprisonments, could they be restrained from going below. We even know of a case in a Midlothian (Dryden) Colliery, in which about a score of girls—some of whom are still alive— assumed male attire, and in this guise actually wrought in the mines for about three months after the passing of the prohibitory Act. This case became at length so notorious, that the whole band were summoned to appear in court at Edinburgh; where they displayed such ignorance, real or feigned, in regard to the most trifling things, and made such ridiculous answers to questions asked them, that the whole court became convulsed with laughter. They were ultimately dismissed, on promising not to go below again. This was the last case in Scotland of female labour in the mines. All the “putting” or “drawing” is now done by boys when they are to be had; they are better adapted for that work than men, especially when the “putting” roads happen to be low. When the examination of women, girls, and boys connected with the mines took place in 1840, Prestongrange pits happened to be stopped, being drowned out with water, and there were none of the women, girls, and boys connected with that pit called upon to give evidence before the Government Commission. But if Prestongrange Colliery was idle in 1840, that it is going with a vengeance in 1901, may be seen from the following extract, which refers not only to the coal, but to other works carried on by the same Company, and all at the same pithead:— PRESTONGRANGE COLLIERY. Situation. This colliery is situated in the county of Haddington, about 7½ miles east from Edinburgh, and about midway between Musselburgh and Prestonpans, on the southern shores of the Firth of Forth. The mineral field extends to about 2,500 acres, a large portion of it being under the Firth of Forth. Geological Position. The workable seams of coal are all in the Carboniferous Limestone Series, immediately below the Millstone Grit. The mineral field is in the form of an anticline, forming the eastern side of the great trough which runs up the valley of the Esk. On the western side, towards the Esk, the inclination is considerable, in some parts the dip being as high as 1 in 24; while on the eastern side the strata dip gently eastwards towards Tranent and Cockenzie. The seams presently being worked are the “Great” Seam, the “Clay” Seam, the “Five Foot” Seam, the “Jewel” Seam, and the “Beggar” Seam. In Morrison’s Haven shaft the section is as follows, viz.:— “Great” Seam, Coal 6½ to 8 ft. Fire-clay 0 to 2 ft. at 70 fathoms. “Clay” Seam, '' 2½ ft. '' 1½ ft. '' 90 '' “Five Foot” Seam, '' 3 ft. 2 in. . . . '' 95 '' “Jewel” Seam, '' 3 ft. 7 in. to 4 ft. . . '' 124 '' “Beggar” Seam, '' 3 ft. 2 in. . . . '' 130 '' Besides these, there are a number of coal seams over 2 feet in thickness. The output is principally from the “Great” and “Jewel” Seams. The “Clay” and “Five Foot” Seams are being worked under the land, and the “Great,” “Jewel,” and “Beggar” Seams under the sea. Shafts. There are two shafts; one partly 10 feet in diameter, and one partly not so wide, was sunk to the “Great” Seam by Matthias Dunn about 1820, and is used as an upcast and pumping shaft. The winding shaft, which was sunk in 1872, is 16 feet by 10 feet. The cages are double-decked, with two hutches end to end on each deck. The hutches contain about 9 cwts. of coal. Modes of Working. The “Great” Seam is worked on the “stoop and room” system. In the working under the sea, the stoops are formed 15 yards square with rooms 15 feet wide, and the stoops are left in. The other seams are all worked on the “longwall” system, with walls about 50 feet long. Where coal is presently being worked, the depth under the sea bed varies from 360 to 900 feet. Winding. The winding engines are coupled and vertical with the drum overhead. The cylinders are 25 inches in diameter with a stroke of 6 feet, and the drums are 10 feet in diameter on the “Great” Seam side, and 13 feet 3 inches in diameter on the “Jewel” side. Pumping. The shaft pumping is performed by a Cornish engine, with a single cylinder 70 inches in diameter with a stroke of 12 feet. There are four plunger lifts, three of 22 inches in diameter, and one 17 inches in diameter with a stroke of 10 feet. The dook pumping is performed by compressed air and hydraulic pumps. There are two air compressors on the surface, having each a 20-inch steam and 18-inch air cylinder with a stroke of 4 feet. These drive dook pumps in the “Great” Seam. There is a Brown hydraulic pump in the “Jewel” Seam, driven by surplus water, which requires to be run down from the “Great” Seam to the “Jewel” to balance the shaft pumps. An hydraulic installation was recently erected with the intention of supplementing the shaft pumps and taking the place of the compressed air pumps. The power plant consists of a pair of coupled horizontal engines, with cylinders 27 inches in diameter by 5 feet stroke driving pumps directly from the piston rods to keep up a constant pressure of 1,000 lbs. per square inch in the hydraulic mains. The Brown pumps to supplement the shaft pumps are, one in “Great” Seam to pump 500 gallons per minute to a height of 100 fathoms vertical, and one in “Jewel” Seam to raise 200 gallons per minute to a vertical height of 36 fathoms. Haulage. All the engine haulage underground is on the endless rope system with single hutches, the speed being about 1⅓ mile per hour. The rope is under the hutches, and the mode of attachment to the rope is by Smallman’s clips. The engines are on the surface, and are coupled horizontal engines with cylinders 22 inches in diameter by 5 feet stroke. The driving clip pulley is of the Thorncliffe type with mild steel liners in the cheeks. It is 8 feet in diameter and is on the crank shaft. It is intended ultimately to drive these engines at 21 revolutions per minute, giving a speed of 6 miles per hour to the band rope. At present the speed is 14 or 15 revolutions per minute, giving the band rope a speed of fully 4 miles per hour. The band rope is 3-inch diameter, galvanised patent improved steel, and has been on twenty-six months, during which time the splice has been renewed three or four times. It has travelled about 55,000 miles, and is in fairly good condition. Including the driving pulleys, it passes over eight pulleys 8 feet in diameter and one 12 feet in diameter. There is gearing in both seams for reducing the speed of the haulage ropes to one-third of that of the band rope. In the “Great” Seam this is done by passing the band rope round a 12 feet pulley driving a “C.” pulley 4 feet in diameter for the haulage on the same shaft. In the “Jewel” Seam where the haulage will ultimately be heavy, the speed is reduced by spur gearing, all the clip pulleys being 8 feet in diameter, so as to allow of a large haulage rope being used. The underground haulage ropes at present in use are all 2½ inches circumference. Ventilation. The ventilation of the colliery is produced by a Guibal fan 22 feet diameter by 7 feet wide, running about 60 revolutions per minute. The fan is driven by an engine with an 18-inch cylinder and 18-inch stroke. Boilers. Steam is generated for the colliery and brickwork at a range of ten Lancashire boilers, each 28 feet by 7½ feet. The stalk is 200 feet high, 17 feet square outside at the base, and 9 feet square inside at the top. The steam pressure is 70 lbs. per square inch. On account of the saltness and hardness of the pit water, condensers have been erected to obtain a supply of hot distilled water for the boilers. Pithead Screening and Washing Plant. On the pithead, the loaded hutches gravitate to the tumblers, and the empty hutches are brought back to the back scaffold by a creeper. There are six self-acting tumblers, five of which are used for coal, and one for fire-clay. There are five double shaking screens with various sizes of perforations. The coal is hand picked on five travelling tables with lowering ends to prevent or reduce breakage at the waggons. The dross is carried from all the screens by a scraper conveyor to the elevator pit, from whence it is raised by an elevator capable of raising 50 tons per hour. It is then divided into six sizes by a revolving riddle composed of perforated steel plates, the perforations being kept open by means of a blower. Five sizes of dross are washed in “bash” tanks and delivered into hoppers, the unwashed “gum” being conveyed to the boiler dross-hole by a scraper conveyor. Provision is also made for loading large and small coal into carts by means of three coal screens and four hoppers for washed dross. Brickworks. Composition brick, fire brick, covers, blocks, pipes, traps, vent linings, chimney cans, and fancy ware are made from the blaes and fire-clay drawn from the colliery. These are all hand made, except the pipes and vent linings which are made by a Titley pipe machine having a cylinder 42 inches in diameter. The green ware is all steam dried and burnt in circular and Newcastle kilns. Harbour. At the harbour provision is made for loading and disloading vessels either afloat or on the ground. One of the berths is furnished with a movable shoot so that steamers may be loaded and bunkered without being shifted. The capacity of this shoot is about go tons per hour. Electric Lighting. All the surface plant, the brickwork, office, and harbour are lighted by electricity. The installation consists of a Silvertown dynamo with an output of 370 amperes at 60 volts at 460 revolutions per minute. There are 10 arc lamps aud 160 incandescent lamps. This plant is driven by a 13-inch cylinder engine with a 3-feet stroke running at the rate of 60 revolutions per minute. Workmen’s Houses. There are about 250 workmen’s houses connected with the colliery, another block of thirty-two newly erected, and more in course of construction. These recently built are two-storied, two-roomed houses of brick. CHAPTER III. SALT MAKING. Salt Making, 1189 — King David’s Grant — Increase of Salt Works — Complete Description of Salt Making in the Early Centuries — Salt Smuggling — The Bludewife — Bamboozling the Gauger — Sandy Hewit, the Cockenzie Salt Smuggler, and how he did it — Repeal of the Salt Duty — Price of Salt — From an Edinburgh Source. THE manufacture of salt, like the digging of coal, began at a very early period in this locality. We have already referred to charters emanating from De Quincy of Winton and Tranent, wherein he granted the monks of Newbattle a footing at Preston in 1184, where they formed a home and did not delay to set their house in order, for soon we find them not only with their sheep in the meadows and their hands at the plough, but, so early as the year 1198, we find this same religious order busily engaged in the art of making salt. At what period the monks of Newhattle ceased from their labours as manufacturers of salt at Prieststown would now be difficult to determine. Very likely it would be during Reformation times. No doubt the salters would take unto themselves wives from among the fisher folks, and perhaps we have a direct line of continuance down through all these years to our no less worthy labourers at the salt pans of the present day. That it has, however, been a never ceasing branch of industry in the village since that early date may readily be taken for granted. Some two centuries later we have information to the effect that there were no less than ten salt works belonging to the town, and that they were capable of producing between 800 and 900 bushels of salt per week. In an old MS. we find a curious fragment under the heading “Prestonpans.” It says, “King David I., among other places, granted them two salt pans out in the Forth, but,” continues the writer, “whether these were here or elsewhere is a small matter.” A very funny conclusion indeed to arrive at. Hitherto we find no reference to the price of that commodity, but in 1798 “the price of salt,” says the Edinburgh Weekly Journal, “has advanced here from 10d. to 2s. per peck. The additional duty is about 8½d. per peck, so that the vendor draws a considerable profit from the tax—much more, surely, than he can with reason or justice claim.” Had this tax been put on in 1779 it would have caused little surprise, for the salter, like the collier, previous to that date was a serf, subject to be sold with the salt work to the highest bidder. It was in 1779 that the salter also got his freedom, when he was at liberty to roam at will, and work when and where he pleased. At this particular period the price of coal was raised; the price of salt might have been raised too for the very same reason; but the masters of both industries were equally alike mistaken in their suppositions. They feared their men would desert them altogether, or work considerably less than they did in bondage, but the outcome was a very much larger output of both commodities. Between 1787 and 1792 the output of salt at Prestonpans and neighbourhood had increased to about 84,000 bushels per annum. The Salt Duty was repealed in 1826. And about this period there was a great increase in the number of salt works in the village. But the work seems to have been overdone, for during the early part of the same century many of the new beginners collapsed. Those, however, who held steadily on their way continued not only to increase the trade in the district, but to increase the fame which Prestonpans early gained and has ever retained as a salt producing locality. At the present time there are only two salt pans going in the village, but these, owing to their size and capability, are equal to at least four of the old times. Mr William Alexander Meek is sole proprietor. Some years ago we wrote the following account for the Evening Dispatch, which, with apologies to the editor, we reproduce:— “A few years after the salter had obtained his freedom, and before the century which beheld his liberation from serfdom had drawn to a close, another new venture in saltmaking was engaged in at Cockenzie. The promoters in this case were a company of Englishmen, and the system they proceeded on differed greatly from anything that had hitherto been attempted in East Lothian. This new erection was entitled the “threefold pan,” from the fact of there being, instead of one large entire pan, a combination of three pans, built in such a manner that they could act separately, the three standing on platforms of different altitudes. No. 1 was of copper construction, No. 2 of iron, No. 3 of the same material, but of much lighter plate. There was no rock salt used in those days, only pure sea water. No. 1 pan being filled with sea water, it was allowed to boil down to about a half, which was-run off into pan No. 2. Here again it was, by the same method, reduced to a half, and emptied into No. 3, where it was allowed wholly to evaporate. At this stage only a thin white coating of salt, scarcely discernible, would remain on the plates forming the bottom of No. 3 pan. Meantime a second boiling of sea water was running a course of the pans. At the end of this time from a half to three-quarters of an inch of salt would be formed. A third boiling followed, and, when evaporation had ceased, from an inch and a half to a couple of inches in depth of salt would be found. This new enterprise, however, proved no more successful than that of Dr Schwediaur at the beginning of the century (of which more hereafter), and in a very few years it was given up. Prior to the year 1890 the pans in use for the manufacture of salt were about fourteen feet in length. They were built on pillars, and called “sole pans,” from the fact of their being fired from the ground. A pavement of large flags was laid beneath them. On this the wood and coal were piled wherewith the pans were heated. The earliest method of supplying the pans with water was, as may readily be surmised, the bucket-in-hand system. This, while fraught with not a little danger, was a most laborious process. One of the men—it went by turn—would divest himself of his clothing, almost to nudity, and, with a bucket in his hand, would proceed to sea, as far as he could with safety to himself, because the farther from the shore the stronger the water, consequently the better it was for the purpose of salt making. Thence he would return with his bucket full to the shore, where another awaited ready to receive and forward it to the pan. The bucket-in-hand system was at an early period supplanted by the bucket-and-wand. A circular dyke, low enough to let the tide, when full, lap over it, was built around some hollow place among the rocks. To the dyke was attached a long hickory (wand) stick, but fixed so that it could act with lever power, and with a bucket attached to one end of it. On the tide receding, the hollow place inside the dyke remained full of water. Now the work began. One of the men, laying hold of the wand at the open end, would raise it, when down went the bucket into the water at the other end. The full bucket was then raised high enough to reach his companion, who stood ready to catch and empty it into a wooden water course, through which it would run straight into the pan. The single pan, like the three-fold one already described, required to be thrice filled and thrice boiled down before a cargo of salt worth lifting could be produced. Each boiling occupied about four hours, and only one casting of salt could be taken in twenty-four hours. Up to this date the salter was paid at the rate of from 16s. to 18s. per week, with free house, coal, and salt. In the year 1810 the late Hugh Francis Cadell made a sweeping reformation in the system hitherto pursued at Cockenzie. The old pan of 14 by 7 feet he considered by far too small, and erected a new set at 18 feet by 9. Instead of heating, as hitherto, from the sole, he introduced the brander, or furnace, beneath them. Hence the name of brander pans. The “bucket-and-wand” was now also thrown aside, and the force pump, with its latest improvements, introduced, which proved an immense saving of labour. From this date the weekly wage system ceased, and the men were put on piecework; 2s. per box or cwt. was the price paid the men for the salt they turned out. Off this they had to provide and keep up a few tools, purchase all the fuel for the boiling of the pans, and provide the bullocks’ blood for the purifying of the salt. The master upheld the pans, pumping gear, &c. At this period the duty on salt was 16s. per cwt.; the men, as already shown, got 2s, and the master sold it for 30s. per cwt. A few of the evils which the men had to contend with, and which at times caused not a little heartburning among them, were:— On the salt being drawn and boxed, if the salt-grieve was not at hand to let them at once get it stored in the girnal, it, being new and warm, was sure to subside, and as sure as it came to the girnal door below the level of the wood, he condemned it. The salter had to return it to the pan, refill his box, and get it passed. If the salt-grieve chanced to be in a querulous mood, he would thrust his “measuring stick” down through the box of salt, and if, through this treatment, it subsided a little, it was condemned. If the men set their box down too rashly when placing it to get measured, and it then subsided, it was condemned. If on going into the salt house after all had been passed and stored he found a few dark specks among the salt, he condemned according to his discretion, and the men were compelled to carry the salt back to the pan and reboil it. The drippings of the salt-boxes— oil of salt, it is called—were all gathered up and disposed of at the “secret” or chemical works. The carriers who, in those days, purchased salt, as a rule paid all in copper coin, which they brought with them in strong leather bags. Nor did they count it out by pennies, but poured it out by measure. A wooden cup, supposed to hold two shillings of this coin, was the gauge. Out of this same cup the men were paid their wages. A copper measuring cup is still to be seen at Cockenzie. Owing to the heavy duty payable on salt, it was, during these many years, anything but a cheap commodity, and smuggling was carried on extensively. The makers were allowed free salt, and never went home without carrying in their loose clothing a quantity of it. Their wives would then sally forth with creels on their backs, as if to sell fish, while in reality it was to dispose of the salt carried home by their husbands. Occasionally the salt grieve would have cause to complain of little salt being brought to the girnal. He would make a raid on the salt works by night, to inquire of the salters what had become of their latest drawing. “Ah,” would be the rejoinder, “that auld jade the blude-wife (an old woman who went about seeking blood for the use of the salters) has again deceived us. She must have got ‘fou’ yesterday, and brought away swine’s blude instead of bullock’s; and, ye ken, the saut winna purify if there’s ony grease in it; and, ye ken, ye winna pass it if there be ony impurities in it; so there’s our latest drawing in the pan before ye boiling over again”—while all the time the latest drawing would be snug in a boat rowing fast up the Firth for disposal in Leith or Edinburgh. Sandy Hewit of Cockenzie is said to have been one of the most accomplished salt smugglers that ever plied the trade at Cockenzie. Sandy played a great part in the boat loads that were rowed up the Forth, and did a roaring trade on his “own hook” besides. He could baffle both gauger and salt-grieve with the greatest ease, and many a load went out of the salt work before they detected his secret. A bag full of salt would be standing in a corner ready for despatch, when his eye would catch a glimpse of the gauger on his stealthy way over to him. Outside he would go then, and send his assistant in. “Now,” he would say to his man, “the bag is ready, the air-hole (an opening in the roof) is open; as soon as his (the gauger’s) shadow darkens the door, birl it through.” In went the gauger, out went the bag. Out again flew the gauger, and round the house opposite the air-hole he went. He looked around the furnace door, inside the furnace, and beneath the furnace, but there was no bag of salt to be seen. Meantime Sandy Hewit busied himself pulling the red-hot cinders from the furnace, and scattering them about among his feet and over a flag whereon he generally stood when firing. Operations would be stopped, when something like the following would ensue:— -“Where is the bag of salt your assistant bundled through that air-hole?” “Ah, gauger, gauger, mony aman noo-a-days puts questions to others that even himself canna weel answer.” “I saw it depart through that hole to the outside here.” “I dinna dispute it; but, hark’ee, gauger, he’s a cute auld dodger that man o’ mine. Ye dinna, I suppose, for a second suspect he might be trying to bamboozle the gauger? It wadna surprise you a whit, I fancy, to be telt that, while you stand palaverin’ here, he’ll be skirting ower the rocks—away wi’ another bag o’ saut on his back—flying like the very mischief?” This was enough to set the gauger off too. All the while Sandy Hewit had the bag of salt, besides several others, safely ensconced beneath that flag over which he had been pulling the red-hot cinders, waiting the first favourable opportunity of getting them safely conveyed to their destination. Some sixty odd years ago the duty was taken off salt, and the day of the salt smuggler ended. Prior to 1840, rock salt had been introduced, and was being used occasionally. Rock salt is used at every boiling now, and now every boiling means a drawing of salt; and the turnout at the present time compared with only a few years ago is almost incredible. CHAPTER IV. THE ORIGINAL CHURCH. The Original Church — Rival Establishments, 12th Century — Abbeys of Holyrood and Newbattle — Dispute concerning the Tithes, 14th Century — No Church in the 16th Century — Reformation Times — Davidson appointed Minister, but no Church — No Place to Bury — Obliged to Inveresk — Davidson builds a Church — His Successors — Ker of Faddonside — Robert Ker — Oswald — Cooke — Monepenny — Buchan — Ramsay — Moncrief — Andrews — Horseburgh — Carlyle — Roy — Reid — Trotter — Primrose — Cunningham — Struthers—Smith. THOR, the son of Swan of Tranent, confirmed to the Canons of Holyroodhouse, about 1145, the church of Tranent; and De Quincy, one of his successors at Tranent, granted the monks of Newbattle—a rival establishment of the same religious order—lands at the western extremity of his great estate, which ultimately took the name of Preston. It is scarcely in keeping with the nature of things to suppose that the Canons of Holyroodhouse would withdraw from Tranent church, or resign all claim to its tithes, of their own free will; and there is no record in their chartulary intimating that they were, until Reformation times, bereft of either; and yet they became so suddenly eclipsed by the proceedings of those from Newbattle, it looks as if the one order had been sacrificed for the benefit of the other. But it was not so, for in 1320 we find that if the one order was still engaged at the eastern extremity of the estate, the other was no less earnestly engaged at the western extremity, and that amid their various enterprises not only had they clashed together, but had actually laid hold of each other by the ears. A squabble had ensued between them concerning the tithes of the parish. Seeing that the Canons of Holyrood were first established on these lands, they might naturally be expected to hold a superiority over any other “order” that might follow, and that they had been accustomed to gather tithes from the monks of Newbattle there is every indication from the following extract from the “Newbattle Chartulary,” 16th July 1316:— “By Mediation.—The Diocesan Abbot Gervase settled an old dispute between his Convent and the Canons of Holyrood touching the church and church lands of Bathcot and his tithes of the land of Salt Preston. In lieu of the 65 merks 20 pence of rent due by the canons and tenants of the Abbey of Salt Rocks, in the Carse of Valentia, This exchange gave rise four years later (1320) to an arrangement of the salt tithes of Preston with the perpetual Vicar of Tranent, also concluded by Gervase.” The perpetual vicar of Tranent at this period was Andrew, hence we find, “in 1330, the monks of Newbattle made an agreement with Andrew, the perpetual vicar of Tranent, about the tithes of the village and the land which was called the Cottarie of Preston.” This looks as if the Abbey of Holyrood had continued to hold a superiority over the Abbey of Newbattle in all these lands. It need not for a moment be supposed that these rival Abbeys would fraternise with each other. As sure as the canons of Holyrood had a church at Tranent, so sure would the monks of Newbattle have a church at Preston; and that they remained on the footing as adjusted by Gervase up till Reformation times may be taken for granted. That there was a church at Preston, and that it was burned by Lord Hertford the same day he destroyed the Tower, is an historical fact; but even that gives no clue as to where it had been located; and the fact of both villages, during the early centuries, bearing the name of “Preston,” makes the matter all the more difficult to determine. The lower village no doubt was called “Salt Preston,” but this did not continue long, for even in 1606, when it was finally disjoined from Tranent, it was entitled by Act of Parliament —not even the parish of Prestonpans, or Salt Preston, but— the “Parish of Preston.” Our earliest impressions were that the original church of Preston, because of the name, would surely be located in the upper village, and in the vicinity of the Preston Tower—but the evidence is not all on one side. Tradition holds that a small church or chapel at one time stood inside the West Churchyard in lower Preston; and what more natural, or more beautiful, than that the House of God and the habitation of the beloved dead should be adjacent to each other? What lends a certain credibility to this view, is the fact that several properties lying contiguous to the old burial-ground are described in their feu-charters as “bounded by the church or chapel yard,” but this is all we have to show that a church ever stood there. We are more inclined than ever to the supposition that the original church of Preston, as erected by the monkish order at the Grange, was situated in upper Preston; because, not only did all their agricultural labours lie in that direction, but through it, during the early centuries, was the main highway of traffic; in it were several great men early located; in it we hear of fairs and markets being established, even a marketcross being erected, when the lower village is being passed by almost without notice; and we find that when Davidson the first minister was appointed (1595), it was not to Salt Prestoun, but to “South Prestoun, including ye Pannis east and west.” This of itself almost convinces us that the original church had been located at Preston. There may have been a chapel in the West Churchyard, but see how Davidson was used. In his diary he laments that when one of his parishioners died he had nowhere to lay him. On applying for liberty to bury in the West Churchyard, he was refused by the Commendator at Newbattle because it was a “private burial-ground.” He had to go to Inveresk, and ultimately got liberty to bury his parishioner there, but only on condition that he would never ask such an obligation again. If ever there was a chapel in the West Churchyard, it must have been as private as the burial-ground, and not the church that was burned in 1544. It would not have been so readily forgotten had it been there, because Prestonpans at this period was beginning to flourish. Davidson and his people set about getting a burial-place of their own, when the present ground at the church, which was then “Pinkerton’s garden,” was obtained and turned into a place of sepulture. The West Churchyard would not be thrown open for public use till 1609, when the house of Newbattle disposed of the estate of Prestongrange to Morison. From 1544 the people of Preston and Salt Preston had no church, and thus it remained for fully half-a-century. Being in 1544 still one parish, the people obtained the right to attend Tranent church, but this was unsatisfactory to all. They complained there was no room for them in Tranent church, and refused, with few exceptions, to attend. The Presbytery of Haddington complained:— “It was not this twallmonth as it suld be, because of the variances within the parochin, where many vices lay over untried, especially in the Pannis.” It was not only that the people refused to attend church, but they had also refused to come under the discipline of their ecclesiastical superiors. Things had come to a pretty pass among the parishioners when John Davidson, in 1595, was translated from Holyroodhouse, second charge, and presented to the vicarage by James VI. (see John Davidson elsewhere). Whether Davidson preached the gospel to the “Pannis” people on the sea-shore, the public street, or In some house hired for the purpose, is unknown; but one thing is certain, he had no church to preach in. And the people, having no longer an ecclesiastical obligation to attend at Tranent, it was meet a church should be found for them at home. A difficulty soon arose, not only regarding a site for the church, but the providing of means for the erection of it. The Kerrs of Newbattle, who succeeded the monks and took over the lands of Prestongrange, would not help unless on certain conditions; neither, at first, would Hamilton of Preston, but he afterwards gave ground, as already shown, whereon to build, and the minister engaged to erect it at his own expense if need be. When the church was first erected, the principal door was at the north side, and over it the following inscription was set:— Sedam dedit Prestonus, Aedificavit Davidsonus, Texit Williamsonus. The church of 1596 seems to have been of very small proportions, or the Rev. Joseph M‘Cormack, D.D., must have been adding greatly to his congregation, for in 1774 the church had to be partly rebuilt, and greatly enlarged. The original steeple was not interfered with, but the church at this time was constructed with two tiers of galleries, and made capable of seating 900 to 1000 people. It is unfortunate when the church of Davidson was partly pulled down in 1774, that the tablet referring to that great and good man was destroyed. Surely a niche of honour might have been found for it somewhere in the walls of the reconstructed edifice. Probably it may not have been destroyed, but only put to use at the hands of a ruthless builder, in order to bridge over some gap in the wall, and may turn up at the next rebuilding of the church, just as the Hamilton relics did, which had been hid away out of sight when the church was partially rebuilt and the galleries reconstructed in 1774, only to be discovered when the church again underwent a thorough overhauling in 1891. We refer to the heraldic panel, which was brought to light at the above date, and caused not a little stir at the time. The panel referred to was emblazoned with four shields, bearing coats of arms in beautiful colours and various initials. These were the arms and initials, in the first place, of that same George Hamilton who originally granted the site for the church, in 1596, and his wife, and also of his son Sir John Hamilton and his wives, for he had three of them during his days. This panel, with its adornments, had, no doubt, the most conspicuous place in the gallery, in front of the seat occupied by the Hamiltons in 1596; but the Hamiltons of that period had died out, and when the seats were altered in 1774, the heraldic panel was not only removed from its frontal position, but covered over with a canvas sheet, that it might no more be seen. The church, as repaired in 1891, is now not only one of the most comfortably seated, but, for interior beauty otherwise, stands second to none in the county. The following account of the ministers is mostly from “Scott’s Fasti”:— “Prestonpans was formerly a vicarage belonging to the Abbey of Holyrood. The church was burned down by Lord Hertford in his destructive expedition of 1544. The lands and barony of Preston, and the Pannis, which had been annexed to the vicarage of Tranent, were dissolved therefrom, and erected into a distinct vicarage, by James VI., 27th December 1597, to be called the ‘Vicarage of Preston.’ It was erected into a parish by Parliament, 11th July 1606. The following are the names of ministers since the above period:— “1595. John Davidson, A.M. Translated from Holyroodhouse, second charge; presented to the vicarage by James VI., 27th December, and installed 12th January 1597. He died between the 16th of August and sth of September 1604, aged about 56, lamented by the parishioners as their father. He left a widow but no family. He built the kirk and manse (mostly) at his own expense, and left all his effects, both heritable and movable, which realised xiv^cji as subsequently secured on the lands of Preston, in support of the school which he founded for teaching of Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, and instructing the youth in virtue and learning. He was intrepid and fearless in supporting what he considered to be the interests of the church. He protested against the proceedings of the Assembly, 1598, which had permitted certain of the ministry to sit and vote in Parliament, and wrote a letter to the Assembly met at Burntisland in 1601 on the same subject, which so offended His Majesty that he ordered him ‘to ward’ in the Castle of Edinburgh, May 26th, but next day changed it to his own house at Prestonpans, and five days later he was permitted to discharge his ministerial functions, but not to go beyond the limits of his own parish. He was advised to congratulate His Majesty on his accession to the crown of England, which he did in a dutiful letter without further explanation. He disbelieved the story of the ‘Gowrie conspiracy,’ and seemed to have had, at the time, a foreknowledge of future events. He was the author of a great many works. “1605. John Kerr, A.M., son of A. Kerr of Fadounside, of the house of Roxburgh, and the widow of Knox the Reformer. This John Kerr had been a gay youth, and had just returned from France, when he met the preceding incumbent (Davidson), who solemnly charged him to cast off his scarlet cloak, lay aside his gilded rapier, and betake him to his Book, ‘for you are the man,’ said he, ‘who is to succeed me in the ministry of this place.’ He did so accordingly; studied, and attained his degrees at the University of Edinburgh, 28th July 1596, and was admitted rrth April 1605. He married Barbara, daughter and co-heiress of Johnston of Elphinston, and had three sons and four daughters. He died on the 16th February 1644, about sixty-eight years of age, and thirty-ninth of his ministry. “1638. Robert Kerr, second son of the preceding minister, studied and graduated at the University of Edinburgh; became helper on the 11th April 1638, both he and his father having given satisfaction to the parish that no other stipend should be exacted than that which was possessed by the incumbent. This was the first ordination in Scotland irrespective of the Bishop since Episcopacy had been established. He was presented by Sir Alex. Morrison of Prestongrange; called on the 7th, and installed on the roth June 1642. He was deputed to attend the East Lothian regiment with the army; was translated to Haddington, much against the wish and in face of prolonged opposition by the parishioners, 7th October of the latter year. “1648. John Oswald, A.M. Translated from Edinburgh Tolbooth Church; presented by the Laird of Prestongrange, 15th December 1647, and admitted 12th April following, ‘being a rare instance of removal from Edinburgh to a country charge.’ He was called to Duns, but declined acceptance. He married Katherine, daughter of John Forbes of famous memory, minister of Delft. He died April 1653, aged fifty-three, twenty-fourth year of his ministry; was deep in debt at his decease. “1654. Patrick Cooke, son of Patrick Cooke, minister of Stenton, born 21st July 1626; called 24th November 1675, being freed from his acceptance at Whitinghame, and ordained February thereafter. He was selected in 1670 as one of the preachers styled ‘The Bishop’s Evangelists,’ for enlightening the Presbyterians in the West. He died August 1672, forty-seven years of age, nineteenth of his ministry. Married Margaret Cockburn; was deep in debt at his decease. “1673. George Moneypenny, ordained a Presbyterian in England; called on the 18th, admitted and installed on the 20th November. He died in November 1675. He left a son, Mr William, an advocate in Edinburgh; was deep in debt at his decease. “1676. James Buchan, A.M. Translated from Skirling; installed before the 17th September. Deprived because he refused to take the test of 1681. A riot ensued 26th February 1682, when Brown, the schoolmaster, by direction of the Bishop, was supplying the pulpit; in consequence of which, the Privy Council, 30th March, fined Sir William Hamilton j^mviij^c merks for looking on and laughing, and Sir Alexander Morrison of Prestongrange, the patron, iiij^m merks, for not preventing the disturbance. “1682. Robert Ramsay, A.M. Translated from Port; admitted 19th October; deprived by the Committee of Estates, 10th May 1689, for not reading the Proclamation enjoined by the Estates, 11th April previous, and not obeying the same. He was removed by force; his whole library, etc., being sold by auction to defray expenses in ejecting him. “1687. John Moncrief, A.M., son of Mr Alex. Moncrief, minister of Scoonie. Studied at St Salvador and St Andrews; was a minister, and was denounced for keeping conventicles, living in the Synod, 6th July; and admitted by a committee of the number, 21st October 1687, to the meeting house, and to the church before 26th May, 1689. Was translated to Edinburgh Trinity College Church. “1694. George Andrews, A.M. Translated from Tarbolton; called 25th May, and admitted roth October 1694. He attended in Edinburgh as representative of the Presbytery during the sitting of Parliament in 1695, and complained of being ‘leased in the first tithes payable to him, by the laird of Fingalton.’ This would be Sir William Hamilton. He was translated to Edinburgh New North Church 1699. “1792. Robert Horsburgh, A.M. Translated from Glenholm, 11th November 1701; admitted 29th April, succeeding after a protracted vacancy, owing to the Laird of Prestongrange wishing another. In 1710 he complained of the church being unsafe, owing to the coal waste beneath, and for some months the congregation was obliged to meet in a barn at Preston. Repairs were ordered after long litigation. He was a man of solid judgment, and an able disputant and preacher. He died 25th March 1724, age about fifty-four. He married Janet Somervaill, and from him descended in the fourth degree, the Rev. W. B. Cunningham, after-mentioned. “1724. William Carlyle, A.M. Translated from Cummerlees; called 24th, and admitted 26th November, and died in his seventy-sixth year. He was a highly popular preacher, and though an orthodox and pious minister, had a great turn for fun and buffoonery. Dr Alex. Carlyle of Inveresk was a son of his. “1765. James Roy, from St Cuthbert’s Chapel of Ease, Edinburgh, presented by Mrs Janet Grant, Prestongrange. “1768. Mathew Reid. Translated from Prestonkirk, and presented by the Countess of Hyndford. He was a shy, retiring, yet earnest-minded man, and also a great florist and cultivator of tulips. On one occasion, a person of weak intellect got into his garden during divine service, and having adorned himself all over in these gaudy trophies, he sallied into the church. The minister was engaged at the time in prayer, but, hearing the titter which overran the congregation at the new intrusion, he opened his eyes, to discover the poor lad in his showy dress, and forgetting for the instant the solemnity of his devotion, he ejaculated ‘Oh Lord! my tulips!’ “1771. Joseph M‘Cormack, D.D. Translated from Temple, and presented by the Countess of Hyndford. “1783. John Trotter. Presented by John, Earl of Hyndford. “1796. Peter Primrose. Translated from Dalgetty, and presented by Janet, Countess of Hyndford. “1833. William Bruce Cunningham, presented by Sir James Grant Suttie of Balgone and Prestongrange, Bart., April; ordained 5th July 1833. On adhering to the protest in the Free Secession, and signing the deed of demission, he was declared no longer a minister of the church, 24th May 1843. He married, 2nd April 1834, a daughter of the Hon. David Douglas of Reston, one of the Lords of Session.” The Rev. Dr Struthers, who was tutor to the Wemyss family at the Disruption, was appointed to the charge on 4th July 1844 by Sir George Grant Suttie, who was patron of the parish at that period. He received the degree of LL.D. from the University of St Andrews for his antiquarian research. He was minister for the long period of forty-four years. Rev. George Stewart Smith, present minister, who had been assistant to Dr Struthers, was appointed minister of the parish, 14th May 1889; was married on the rsth July 1896 to Victoria Alberta Grant Suttie, third youngest daughter of Sir James Grant Suttie, Bart. of Prestongrange. CHAPTER V. JOHN DAVIDSON MINISTER OF PRESTONPANS AND HIS TIMES. Davidson — Place of Birth — Brilliant Career — Studying at Paris — Head of the Catholic College in Glasgow — Joins the Reformers — Minister at Liberton — Excommunicates Montgomery — Royal Interposition — Ministers and Associated Lords at loggerheads — Davidson’s advice to the King — Compelled to fly to England — Forbidden to preach in London — Returns to Scotland — Appointment at Holyrood — Melvile and Davidson — Prosecuted by the King — Appointed to South Preston — His Protest and Persecution — Extracts from Session Records, 1596 — Names of the first twelve Children Baptised under Davidson — Names of Witnesses — Names of the first Elders at Prestonpans Church. IN a Charter of Mortification, by John Hamilton of Preston, dated 19th November 1615, in keeping of the Kirk Session of Prestonpans, we learn that John Davidson was born about the year 1549 at Dunfermline, where his parents were owners of property in houses and land. Whether he spent his early years at his native place, or how they were spent, is quite unknown: that he must have been studiously inclined, however, is evident from the fact that he was destined for the Church. The earliest notice we have of this eminent divine is on reaching manhood, is even after he had completed his ecclesiastical studies and had received an appointment. “John Davidson,” says M‘Crie, “who was Melville’s predecessor at Glasgow, was a clergyman before the Reformation, and had studied at Paris along with Quintin Kennedy, Abbot of Crossraguel (who died in 1564). Having returned to Scotland, he was placed in 1557 at the head of the college in Glasgow.” When religious controversy first arose, Davidson adhered to the Roman Catholic Church, but afterwards changed his views and joined the Reformers. Shortly after this he was compelled to seek refuge in England, and returned to his native land only on the decease of the Regent Morton. He is next heard of as parish minister of Liberton, on being “appointed by the Presbytery of Edinburgh to excommunicate Montgomery. Montgomery was parish minister at Stirling. The Bishopric of Glasgow had become vacant through the decease of Archbishop Boyd. An attempt, by those in power, was again being made to thrust Episcopacy upon an unwilling people. M‘Crie says, “though the regulations recognising Episcopacy, which were made at Leith in 1572, had been formally abrogated by the General Assembly, and abandoned, and virtually annulled by the Court, yet were they now revived by an Act, October 28, 1581, of Privy Council.” The disposal of the See of Glasgow was given to I.ennox, who offered it to different ministers upon condition of their making over to him its revenues and contenting themselves with an annual pension. The offer was at last accepted by Montgomery,—“A man,” says Dr Robertson, “vain, feeble, presumptuous, and more apt, by the blemishes of his character, to have alienated the people from an order (Presbyterian) already beloved, than to reconcile them to one (Episcopacy) which was the object of their hatred.” This “vile bargain” (Spottiswoode so designates it), made at a time when the episcopal office stood condemned by the Assembly, and tending directly to place the church at issue with the government, excited universal indignation. At the Assembly which met in October 1581, the affair was warmly taken up and Montgomery put to the bar. Royal authority at this juncture interposed and the case was delayed. “Jobn Davidson, who was chosen to preside on the occasion, preached so much to the conviction of his hearers, and made confession of their sins to heaven with such devout fervour, that the whole Assembly melted into tears before him; and rising from their seats at his desire, and lifting up their right hands, they renewed their covenant with God. The scene, which continued during three hours, was solemn and affecting beyond anything that the oldest person present had witnessed.” Again, when the king seemed determined to introduce Episcopacy into the church, “at a meeting of the Provincial Synod of Fife shortly after the dissolution of Parliament, ‘Davidson,’ says Melville, ‘whose zeal had prompted him to attend the meeting, showed that the parliamentary voter was a bishop in disguise, and, catching enthusiasm from the speech of his aged brother (Ferguson), exclaimed “Busk ye, busk, busk him as bonnily as ye can, and fetch him in as fairlie as ye will, we see him weel eneuch, we see the horns of his mitre.” At next meeting of the General Assembly, after Melville had spoken to the same effect, Davidson also reminded the king that he was present as a Christian and not as president of the Assembly. James attempted to reply to this distinction, but had recourse to the ultimate reason of kings, by declaring that he would allow no business to be transacted until his will was complied with. Melville and his colleague Johnston were charged by order of the King “to quit Dundee instantly, under the pain of rebellion.” Davidson complained of this next day in the Assembly, and another member (John Knox, minister of Melrose) boldly asserted that the restriction laid on the University, and the interdiction now given, proceeded from a dread which the Court had of Melville’s learning. “I will not hear one word on that head,” said His Majesty twice or thrice. “Then we will crave help of Him that will hear us,” replied Davidson. It was ultimately decided by a majority of ten votes “that it was necessary and expedient for the weal of the Church that the ministry, as the third estate of this realm, should, in the name of the Church, have a vote in Parliament. The measure was carried chiefly by the votes of elders, and it was urged by the minority that a number of them had no commission. The demand of a scrutiny was resisted. Davidson protested, but his protest was refused, and he was prosecuted for it before his presbytery at the King’s instance.” In 1582 we find the ministers and the Associated Lords at loggerheads concerning the teinds, the most of which these proprietors had appropriated to their own use. “The ministers had sharply rebuked the open profligacy which prevailed among them, and censured them for their appropriation of the ecclesiastical revenues. Mr Davidson, then minister of Liberton, who had been sent to confer with them, called on them to begin the work of reforming the commonwealth with a reformation in their own lives, and to evince their sincerity by delivering up the teinds to their rightful owners.’ During an interview between certain French ambassadors on the one hand, and the King and certain of his nobles and ministers on the other, occasion was taken to put the King on his guard, because it was thought he was likely to play into the hands of the French Court. “This conversation,” says Calderwood, “in which the venerable committee met with rather sharp handling from the precocious acuteness of the young King, was abrubtly terminated by Gowrie, who observed he thought it best the Ambassadors should be despatched as soon as possible.” The ministers now retired, but Davidson, lingering behind the others, craved a word in the King’s ear. “Sir,” he said, “I thought good to advertise you, but not before the rest, that you swore and took God’s name in vain too often in your speeches.” The King was not displeased at this, but thanked him, and, placing his hand upon his shoulder, accompanied him to the door. Melville was chosen Moderator of the General Assembly which met at St Andrews in April 1582. Upon their taking up Montgomery’s cause as referred to them by the Presbytery of Stirling, the Master of Requests presented a letter from His Majesty, desiring the Assembly not to proceed. Soon after, a messenger-at-arms entered the house and charged the Moderator and Members of Assembly, on the pain of rebellion, to desist entirely from the prosecution. They ultimately ratified the sentence of the Presbytery of Stirling, suspending him from the exercise of the ministry; and, having found eight articles of the charge against him proved, declared that he had incurred the censures of deposition and excommunication. This was transmitted to the Presbytery of Edinburgh, who appointed John Davidson, minister of Liberton, to excommunicate Montgomery. Davidson pronounced the sentence accordingly. Lennox and Arran were enraged beyond measure at this resolute behaviour of the Church Courts. A proclamation was issued by the Privy Council, declaring the excommunication of Montgomery to be null and void, and such as refused payment of the episcopal rents were ordered to be imprisoned in the Castle of Inverness. (Record of Privy Council, July 20, 1582.) When informed that Davidson had preached in his own church (Liberton) on the Sabbath subsequent to the excommunication, Lennox exclaimed, “C’est un petit Diable.” On this occasion, through the tyranny of Arran, Davidson was compelled a second time to take refuge in England; when it is said that “Balganqual and he preached several times in London, but were ordered by the bishop to desist.” On the downfall of Arran he again returned to Scotland; but declined returning to Liberton, and was chosen to deliver a morning lecture in one of the churches of Edinburgh. This was evidently the second charge at Holyrood, afterwards referred to. But what with his preaching against the king, denouncing the nobles as oppressors of their tenantry, and condemning the Commons for imitating their vices, Edinburgh soon again got too hot to hold him, and he was counselled to accept a rural charge. He remained in the above charge, however, till called to Prestonpans. In the spring of 1595 he was named for the second charge of Haddington, but proceedings for his settlement were suddenly broken off. On the 5th November 1595, the Presbytery of Haddington took initiatory measures for his being called to the ministry “at South Preston and ye Panns, east and west, and ye haill bounds yairabout, belonging alswill to my Lord Newbattle as to ye Laird of Prestoun.” Mr Davidson demanded “a lawful call,” and in order thereto preached at Salt Preston on the 19th November 1595, and again on the 17th December. He was cordially invited by the people to become their pastor, and Lord Newbattle having expressed concurrence, his induction was proceeded with. That event took:place on the 5th January 1596, when Mr Davidson made a long address to his flock, and proposed to them certain religious stipulations. On the 9th December he had preached a valedictory discourse at Edinburgh. In that discourse he used these words:— “I came not hither by haphazard, but sent of God more than sevin yeers since. So long as I had place to teache, I dealt faithfullie according to the meane measure of knowledge bestowed on me, after a rude and familiar way, of verie purpose for edificatioun’s sake; whereas I could have done otherwise if my conscience would have suffered me. It was compted rude and rough by manie; but I thanke God I wist what I spake; so that I have uttered nothing against prince, preacher, or people which I have not my warrant for, and bye the helpe of God will stand to the defence of it in face of man or angell. So that my first preaching and last are one, without differing, to witt, that the princes of the land, the king, the chiefe prince, with the rest of the rebellious nobilitie, the profane ministrie are negligent for the most part to winne soules, and the rebellious multitude sall be severlie punished except they repent. “I have sought to be away, but could not till that it has pleased the Lord to ryppin my departure. It was nather a drinke of the Muse Well nor anie other benefite in Edinburgh that drew me to it like an adamant stone, as some speeke, or that keeped me here; but the mightie hand of God sent me hither, for causes known to Him, and so having cleered my ministrie hitherto I take my leave of you in Christ.” The Presbytery Records, roth March 1595-6, contain the following minute:— “The haill gentlemen being required to reform their houses and use prayers at morn and evening, with reading of the Scriptures after dinner and supper, promised to obey; and for execution thereof every minister was ordered to visit their houses and see whether it was so or not; and for behoof of the unlearned Mr John Davidson was ordained to pen short morning and evening prayers, with graces before and after meat, to be communicated to each minister for behoof of his flock.” The Presbytery met on the 17th March, when the forms of prayer prepared by Mr Davidson were approved. These were as follows:— Grace Befoir Meit. “Blis us gude Lord and ther thi creatures quhilk thé preparest for our nurishment through Jesus Christ our Lord. —Amen.” Grace Efter Meit. Blissit be you, O Lord, for this nourishment of our bodies at this tyme and mekle mair for the continuall nurishment of our saullis by Christ crucefyit. To quham with the Father and the Haly Gaist be praise and gloire for ever. God save the Kirk and countrey, King, Quene, and Prince.—Amen.” Morning Prayer. “We hairtlie thank thé Hevinlie Father for all thi goodnes this nycht past beseiking thé to forgive us our sinnes for Christ Jesus thi sonnes saik, and blis our labouris and guid us this day in thi trew feire. Continew the trew preaching of thi Word among us and give us grace to esteme mair of it than hitherto we have done, and save us from merciles strangeris, and tak not thi peace from this land. Send us sesonabull wether and stay this greit dearth. Lord blis the Kirk, and King, Quene, and Prince, for Christ Jesus thi sonnes saik. To quhome with thé, O Father and Haly Gaist, be all praise gloire and honour, for ever and ever.—Amen.” Evening Prayer. “We heartilie thank thé Heavinlie Father for all thi goodnes this day past beseeking thé to forgiving us our sinnes for Christ Jesus tht sonnes saik and to blis us and give us good rest this nicht. Continew the trew preaching of thi Word among us and give us grace to esteme mair of it than hitherto we have done and save us from merciles strangers. And tak not thi peace from this land. Send sesonable wether and stay this greit dearth. Lord blis the Kirk, our King, Quene, and Prince for Jesus Christ thi sonnes saik. To quhome with thé, O Father and Haly Gaist, be all praise, gloire, and honour, for ever and ever.—Amen.” Several other prayers, etc., of Davidson’s composition may be found in his Life and Works, first published in 1602. His “Poetical Remains” were in 1829 collected and printed by Mr James Maidment, Edinburgh. And in 1876 “A Memoir,” together with many works of Davidson, were brought out by the Grampian Club by Dr Charles Rogers. During 1596, some time after his appointment to Prestonpans, Davidson, along with five others, was appointed by the General Assembly a visitor to Nithsdale, Annandale, Lauderdale, Eskdale, and Ewesdale. And shortly afterwards we find him in the Presbytery of Haddington, not only lamenting the various corruptions in the Church, but trying to find a remedy for them. Referring to measures connected with the foregoing corruptions, etc., “It originated,” says Melville, “with that pious and honest minister of the gospel, John Davidson. His proposal was approved of by the Presbytery of Haddington. It was thence transmitted as an overture to, and unanimously approved of by, the General Assembly. During the Autumn of 1595, Philip II. of Spain, it became known, had begun to prepare a second Armada. His descent on this occasion was to be on the Irish Coast. The English Government prepared for resistance and the Scottish Privy Council promised co-operation. This required the levying of a tax which could only be carried out with the approval of the Church. On the 24th March 1596 the General Assembly was convened, and the Moderator entreated the brethren to sanction the civil arrangement for defending the kingdom. On this Davidson submitted an overture from the Presbytery of Haddington contending that deep humiliation on account of sin was the first and best preparation against national disaster. A resolution embodying this view was passed by acclamation, and Mr Davidson was empowered to “give up the particular catalogue of the chief offences and corruptions in the estates.” The enumeration of evils to be reformed came under the following heads:— “Corruptions in the persons and lives of ministers of the gospel.” “Offences in His Majesty’s house.” “The common corruptions of all estates.” “And offences in the Courts of Justice.” The King, under the impression that the resolution had a special reference to himself, next day entered the Assembly, and proceeding to entreat the House to sanction the proposed tax, he was firmly informed that “the purging of offences” had, in the first place, been resolved upon; and with the approval of the House Mr Davidson insisted that the estates of the exiled Popish lords—Huntly, Errol, and Angus—still held by their families, should be confiscated and the proceeds applied to national use. To this demand the King gave an evasive answer, but expressed himself willing to undergo ecclesiastical discipline, if the censure was privately administered and not in the church. He was held at his word, and a few days afterwards was informed by a deputation from the Assembly that he was “blotted with banning and swearing; and that the Queen was guilty of forsaking ordinances.” The purgation of the ministry was entrusted to Mr Davidson. On Tuesday, 30th March 1596, the members of Assembly and other brethren having met in the “Little High Church,” Mr Davidson discoursed on the evils of an ungodly ministry, and urged his hearers to repentance and self-abasement. For fifteen minutes he sat down and remained silent, when many of his hearers became deeply moved and sobbed audibly. After another impassioned address, he called on each one to stand up, and with extended hand to pledge himself to a more earnest ministry. “There have,” says Calderwood, “been manie dayes of humiliation for present judgement in imminent dangers, but the like for sinne and defectioun was thus never seen since the Reformation.” On the 17th January 1599 Mr Davidson was admitted by the King to an interview at Holyrood. With his wonted vehemence he urged the monarch to confer familiarly with the clergy, and demanded that the right of publicly rebuking obnoxious persons might be restored to them. The King becoming impatient, was about to retire when Davidson “pulled him by the sleeve” and held him fast till he had concluded his counsel. On the 25th March 1599 Davidson was summoned at the instance of the King before the Assembly, but being indisposed he did not appear. On the sth April following he was again called by the Presbytery for the same case, but the meeting was again postponed on account of Davidson’s sickness. The Commissioners protested, but the brethren were unmoved and no more is heard of the matter. A note in the Records of the Presbytery of Haddington states: “A Presbyterial visitation of Prestonpans Parish was held on the 15th July when, the minister being removed, the people were demanded if they-found anything in their pastor’s life and conversation to find fault with? They answered they had nothing. Being demanded if he taught sensibly and planely? they all with ane voice thanked God for him.” At apparently the same visitation, July 1598, Mr Davidson conveyed the manse to his parishioners, on the condition that he and his representatives should be refunded the cost of erection, excepting “four hundred merks,” which he bestowed as “a free gift.” The parish still reaps the benefit of this sum as “Davidson’s Mortification.” Owing to feeble health Mr Davidson was, for about three years, unable to take any active part in the public business of the Church. In May 1601 he addressed anew his protest to the General Assembly against ministers sitting in Parliament. “Shall we, brethren,” he wrote, “sleep still on Delilah’s knee till she say ‘the Philistines be upon thee, Samson?’” Informed of this new protest, the King hastened to the Assembly, and assured the House of his firm determination to uphold the best interests of the Church. He summoned Davidson before the Privy Council, and demanded that he should at once enter ward at Edinburgh Castle. Davidson entered the castle on the 26th May, but was liberated the following day. Five days afterwards he was permitted to resume his ministerial functions, but was restrained from travelling beyond the bounds of the parish. On the 28th April 1602 the Presbytery of Haddington resolved as follows:— “Forasmekell as Mr Jhone Davidson has remaned in ward within his own paroche this long time, 1t was ordained that his case sh^d be remembered to the Provincial Assembly that some suit and dealing may be made to his Maj for his relief.” Mr Davidson addressed the king on the 22nd June in a respectful communication entreating that his liberty as “a free subject” might be restored. He was answered that the final withdrawal of his protest would alone secure the royal clemency. Davidson never withdrew his protest and never received King James’s pardon. See further. Extracts from the Session Records of Salt Prestoun, 1596. Under the first Minister, John Davidson. “The following are the names of the first 12 children who received baptism at Salt Prestoun after the appointment of the Rev. John Davidson, first minister after the Reformation:— Ninian Moore, 17th Oct. 1596. Then follows Ninian Reid, Agnes Davidson, Mark Acheson, Johane Gray, Beckie Shadowie, George Black, Isobell Staigg, James Lyndsay, Barbara Wood, John Matheson. Witnesses to the above, besides the parents, were John Banks and Dr William Wallace. May 5th 1597, Margret Acheson. The witnesses were Alex. Acheson, elder, of Gosford, and George Acheson, his brother. And on the 29th of May 1598 George Acheson; George Hamilton of Preston, witness; George Acheson, witness; Alex. Acheson, witness; and George Fallsyde, elder, witness. The following were elders during 1596 up to 1601—John Banks, George Acheson, David Hamilton, W. Nicholson, George Hamilton, John Cubie, Alex. Acheson, and George Fallsyde. John Ker was admitted minister to the parish of Salt Prestoun ye 11th day of April 1605.” CHAPTER VI. DAVIDSON'S LIFE AND WORKS—Continued. Regent Morton and the Church — Davidson’s Satirical Poems on Morton and the Church — His Trial and Sentence — Hiding in the West of Scotland — Flying to England — Confined to Edinburgh Castle — Principal Rutherford “ane cursit guse’ — Davidson at Prestonpans — Appointed by the Presbytery of Haddington to Compile Prayers, &c. — His Prayers, etc., approved and sanctioned by the General Assembly — Samples of his Works — Morning and Evening Prayers — Grace before and Thanks after Meat — An Address to his People at Salt Prestoun — Davidson’s Catchism and opinions on it when published — The Old Manse — Memoirs of Elizabeth Wast — At Prestonpans Communion — Curious Stories — A Nobleman and his Foot — Origin of Yule and Christmas. NOT the least of Davidson’s literary qualifications, were his poetical abilities. His poems were gathered together by Maidment in 1829, and some fifty copies printed. Here we notice two curious poems of his, which serve to throw considerable light on the manners and transactions of his time. The Regent Morton, with a view to securing for the use of the Court a large proportion of the “thirds of benefices,” had obtained in 1573 an order of the Privy Council for uniting two, three, and even four parishes under the care of one minister. As pluralities had always. been condemned by the reforming ministers, and considered one of the worst abuses in the Popish Church, this Act excited great dissatisfaction. Davidson in a poem satirised the system bitterly. He was summoned, and sentence of imprisonment was pronounced upon him. He was liberated upon bail, in the hope that he might be prevailed upon to retract what he had written, or that the General Assembly might be induced to condemn it. Finding that nothing short of recantation would save him from punishment, Davidson for a while lurked in the west of Scotland, then retired into England, from which he was not permitted to return during the Regent’s lifetime. Lekprevick, the printer, was also prosecuted, and confined for a time in the Castle of Edinburgh. The following is a sample of one of the poems referred to. In this Rutherford, Principal of St Salvator’s College, imagined he was disrespectfully alluded to as a “cursed goose”:— “Thair is sum collages we ken, Weil foundit to uphold learnit men; Amang the rest foundit we see The teaching of Theoligie. Lat anis the Counsell send and see Gif their places weill gydit be, And not abusit with waist rudis, That dois nathing but spendis gudis, That was made for that haly use, And not to feid ane cursit guse.” For the following dialogue poem, in which there are over one thousand lines, the genial author was bitterly persecuted:— “Unto Dundie as I maid way, Nocht lang afoir Sanctandrais day; So Kinghorne ferrie passand ouir, Into ye boit was thre or four, Of gentill men as did appeir, I said, Schires, is thair ony heir Quhais journay lyis unto Dundie? Twa of thame answerit curtaslie We purpose nocht for to ga thidder, Bot yit our gait will ly togidder, Quhill we be pastit Kenewie. Than I sall beir you companie, Said I, and with that we did land, Syne lap upon our horse fra hand, And on our journay rudelie raid, Thir twa unto Sanctandrais maid. The tane of thame appearit to be Ane cunning clerk of greit clergie, Of visage grave and manneris sage, His tongue weill taucht but all outrage. Men micht have kend that he had bene Quhair gude instructioun he had sene: The uther did appeir to me Ane cumlie courtioure to be, Quha was perfyte and weill besene In thingis that to this land pertene. Be we had ridden half ane myle, With myrrie mowis passing the quhile Thir twa of quhome befoir I spak Of sindrie purposis did crak, And enterit in among the rest To speik how that the kirk was drest. . . . . . . Forsooth schir, said the courteour, I am assurit had ilk preitchour Unto the matter bene als frak, As ye haue bene heir sine ye spak. It had not cum to sic ane heid As this day we se it proceid; But I can se few men amang thame, Thocht all the warld suld clene ouirgang thame. That hes ane face to speik agane, Sic as the kirk of Christ prophane; Had guid John Knox not yit bene deid, It had not cum unto this heid, Had thay myntit tell sic ane steir, He had maid hevin and eirth to heir.” A Memoir of Davidson, by Dr Rogers, was published for the Grampian Club in 1876, with a complete edition of his poems, etc., but it is not very complete. On turning over the Weekly Christian Teacher for 1838, we find the following metrical version of the 23rd Psalm, which, from the signature at the foot, had evidently emanated from Prestonpans. The first edition of his poetical works was published in 1602, but this may have been done after the others went to press. The Lord My Shepherd. God who doth all nature hold, In his fold, Is my shepherd kind and heedful, Is my shepherd, and doth keep Me, his sheep, Still supplied with all things needful. He feeds me in fields which been Fresh and green, Mottled with springs, flowery, painting, Through which creep with murmuring crooks Chrystal brooks, To refresh my spirit fainting. When my soul from heaven’s way Went astray, With earth’s vanities seduced, For his name’s sake, kindly he, Wandering me, To his Holy fold reduced. —DAVIDSON, A.D. 1602. On the 16th November 1602, the following brief address was delivered by Davidson to his congregation at Salt-Prestoun:— “To his loving flock of Salt-Prestoun, who, by the preaching of the Gospel, believe and turne to the Lord. “John Davidson wisheth increase of faith and repentance with constancie therein, to the end, and in the end.—Amen.,” Davidson’s Catechism. Among other works, this stern reformer, great preacher, and indefatigable writer, compiled a Catechism, which was published in 1602, exactly forty-six years previous to the issuing of the Shorter and Larger Catechisms, by that body of Divines which met at Westminster 1648, and for which some may think they were obliged in some degree to the minister of Prestonpans. We give the following quotation, which speaks for itself:— “At Edinburgh the 7th November 1599. “The Provincial Assembly of Lothiane and Tweeddale having red and considered the forme of Examination, and Catechisme, written by our brother Maister John Davidson, approves the same, and agrees that it sall bee imprented. Extract furth of the books of the proviciall assemblie of Lothiane and Tweeddale, by mee Richarde Thomesone, Clerk thereto, “Richarre Thomesone,” “The firste parte of the Catechisme, touching the sinful and damnable estate of man by nature. Teacher—What does thou chieflye heare and learne at the hearing of God’s word? Disciple—That my salvation is in Jesus Christ the Sonne of God only, and nane uther, Teacher—How art thou under condemnation that thou hast need of salvation by Christ? Disciple—By sinne, whilk is the breaking of God’s law, or ten commandements. Teacher—Rehearse the ten commandements as they are set doune in the first and second table? Disciple—Hearken, and take heed Israel, I am the Lord thy God, and sa forth. Teacher—What is summarly contained in these ten commandements? Disciple—That I suld love God intirely with all my heart, with all my saul, and with my haill minde, and my neighbour as myself. Teacher—Can thou not doe sa by nature, but contrariwise hate both God and thy neighbour? Disciple—All the imaginations of the thoughts of my heart are onely evil continually, and so are bent to all actual sinne. Teacher—Whereof cometh this thy bentness to actuall sinne, and breaking of God’s commandements? Disciple—Of the corruption of nature, from my first parents, Adam and Eve, called originall sinne. Teacher—Howe were they corrupted, seing they were made gude at the beginning? Disciple—By the deceit of Sattan, in the serpent making ~ them brake God’s commandement. Teacher—What was the commandement they brake? Disciple—They ate of the frute of the tree in Paridise, whairof God forbad them to eate. Teacher—Brought this their fault condemnation on them and their haill posteritie? Disciple—Yes: for in them wee all sinned, and who can bring ane cleane thing out of filthiness? sa having sinne fra them we have also death and damnation, the reward of sinne through them. Teacher—Then all being sinners by nature, we are all by nature the children of wrath and condemnation? Disciple—It is so; for as by ane man sinne entered into the warld, and death by sinne; sa death went over all men, because all men have sinned.” There are other three parts of the Catechism, about equal in length to the foregoing, and the whole is finished up with a— “Note to the author, touching the Short Catechisme immediatlie going before. “I thank God for your precious pearles, little in quantitie, but infinite in waight. I allow and approve the perspecuitie, ardour, and substantious comprising of so great mysteries in little bounds. “The judgement of another learned man:— “There is not an idle word heir. “N.(B.)—If anything be wrang heir, it is of weaknesse and not of wilfulnes, and therfore is humbly submitted to the loving and advised correction of the Godlie learned by God’s word.” A couple of prayers, also by Davidson, follow, and the following note is in reference thereto:— “These formes of praier and thanksgiving following are onely for thankful persons to God for His benefites, and not fot profane abusers and gracelesse devourers thereof: wha the mair wealth they have by God’s gift, and the better cheere they make, the mair forgetfull of God they are, and swell in pride and disdaine against all true thankfulnesse, swashing downe to the table like swyne, and starting up like dogs when they ar filled: thinking the true praising of God (namely, at table) to bee but monkish hypocrisie, or Popish ceremonie, or loste time,” etc., etc. In March 1603 James succeeded to the English throne. On the suggestion of the Presbytery of Edinburgh Mr Davidson approached His Majesty with congratulations on his advancement, and an expression of earnest desire for his spiritual welfare. He sought permission to kiss the King’s hand. The occasion was opportune for the exercise of clemency, but His Majesty had no favour to bestow on his reprover. In his progress southward the King passed through the parish of Prestonpans, and the “Provincial Synod” met in the neighbourhood and despatched a deputation to the King, praying that Davidson might be pardoned and admitted to homage. To the deputists James said angrily, “I may be gracious, but I will be also righteous, and until he suitably confesses his fault, he may lie and rot there.” Davidson at this period was sick and infirm, and confined within the bounds of his parish; but the end was near, and he died between the 16th of August and the 5th of September of that same year 1603, at the age of about fifty-six years. A little before his death he penned a treatise, “De Hortibus Ecclesia Christi,” wherein he affirms “that the erecting of bishops in the kirk is the most subtle thing to destroy religion that ever could be devised.” “His papers after his death,” says Calderwood, “came into the hands of John Johnstone, Melville’s colleague.” “Item, I leave the trunk that lyes under the buirde, wt Mr Johne Davidsone’s papers thairin, to Mr Robt. Wallace and Mr Alexr. Hoome at Prestounpannes.”—( Johnstone's Testament.) At Johnstone’s death an order was issued by the Lords of Privy Council (21st November 1611) to the Rector of the University and Provost and Bailies of St Andrews to “cause his coffers to be closed,” as it is understood “that he had sundrie paperis, writtis, and books, pairtlie written be himself and pairtlie be uthers, qlk contenis sum purposs and mater whairin his majestie may have verry just cause of offens, gif the same be sufferit to come to licht.”—(Collection of Letters in the possession of the Earl of Haddington.) Rowe, the historian, who knew Davidson personally, describes him as “a learned man and a worthie preacher: yea, a verie prophet of God; for,” he adds, “he foretald many things which came accordingly to passe, and that, when he was praying or blessing the Lord for refreshments of meat and drink.” Rowe quotes several examples of his prophetic power. Wodrow also gives an illustration of his prophetic powers as follows:— A difference having occurred between him and Lord Newbattle respecting the erection of the church at Prestonpans, Davidson made the following prediction: “That his Lordship would be stripped of his lands in Prestonpans parish, and that he would die by an unknown hand. His lands were alienated soon afterwards (1609), and,” adds Wodrow, “the way of his death is a secret, and was the ground of a debate in Parliament.” Among the many traditional tales in the village relating to his prophetic powers we give one sample only. The day on which the builders began the construction of his church, an old woman living adjacent thereto complained that they were encroaching on her ground (the ground was bestowed by Hamilton of Preston). At night she went out and pulled down what had been built on her supposed corner. The same thing happened a second night, when the builders complained to the minister, and pressed him to take action against her. “Poor woman!” was his reply, “leave her alone. She seems unconscious of her wrong-doing; but she will not trouble you again.” That evening, on going out to pull down again, she tripped among the stones lying about, broke one of her legs, and troubled them no more. The minister, it is said, afterwards found she was in real earnest thinking she had been wronged, and gave her more than value for her supposed loss by the church building. Though many things turned out according to Davidson's predictions, it is not on record that he ever gave any one cause to suppose he laid claim to foreknowledge. The following is a copy of Davidson’s Discourse to his parishioners, published along with his Catechism in 1602:— “To his loving flock of Salt-Prestoun who, by the preaching of the gospel, beleeve and turne to the Lord. “John Davidson wisheth increase of faith and repentance, with constancie therein to the end, and in the end.—Amen. “What hath beene the drifte of my doctrine sen God placed mee among you, well beloved in Christe Jesus, yee cannot bee ignorant, seing without excellencie of wordes and all curiositie, in moste plaine sorte after my familiar maner, I shew you the testimonie of God, esteeming ‘not to know anything amang you,’ as the Apostle sayeth, ‘save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.’ For the whilk purpose this day sevin yeare, to wit, the 16 day of Nov. 1595, the first time I spake among you, I made chois of this place of scripture following, to bee asa ground of that doctrine whilk thereafter I minded to build therupon during our continuance together at God’s pleasure. “The place was this, ye remember. The people that sat in darkness saw great light’ (Matthew iv. 16). First, I opened the true meaning of the place, observing some pertinent notes therupon. Therafter I made some use thereof by applycation to you for that present as a people by the sea coaste, long sitting in no less darknesse than did they of Galilie, that dwelt by the lake of Genazareth, whilk was to them as a sea; shewing therewithall the great mercie of God towarde you, in offering to you that day the light of the Gospell after sik a rare maner, so that rightly it might be saide overagaine of new, ‘A people that sat in darkness hath seen great light.’ “Last after all this, I gathered some general grounds of Christian religion out of that place, as first:— “The miserable blinde estate of man by nature without Christ. “Secondly.—The moste comfortable light of salvation in Christ. “Thirdly—That men receave Christ his light by faith wraught by the Holy Spirite in the preaching of the gospell. “Fourthly.—The end; that walking in that light of Christ we may glorifie Him that has translated us out of darknesse into His wonderful light. “Therunto in the afternoone of the same daye, I added. these words of Christ:— ‘Behold I stand at the dore and knock, if any man heare My voice and open the dore, I will come in to him, and suppe with him and he with Mee;’ Rev. iii. 20. To serve as a spurre to exhort you to the cheerful embraceing of so comfortable a ghuest, whilk moved the haill parish present, so at that time, and long thereafter, that as the Apostle speaketh of the Galatians, ‘I beare you record that if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your eyes and have given them to me.’ Though nowe and then to some I became an enemie for speaking of the trueth, God grant them amendement that offend of simplicitie and not of malice. But we must not bee offended, though one parte onlie of the foure parts of ground that the seede of God’s worde lights on (and seeme for the most part to receave it) bee fruitful, for Sathan is a busie bishop; and persecution and cares of the world with fleshly pleasures are not soon overcome. “But with this sorte of people at this present I have not to doe, but onlie with you who obey from the hart unto that form of doctrine whereunto ye were delivered. Whilk ye know has ever bene according to the foresaid groundes: For the better keeping in memorie whereof, I have thought good to put them in writ in divers formes, and set them to printing for your use as ye see, that nothing bee wanting that maye further the sounde grounding of you according to your meane capacitie, in the true Christian religion, so farre as in me lyeth. “Therefore it rests, that yee bee not slothful in exercising your selves, and your families, in reading and practising hereof. Fare-well in Christ. 16th November 1602.” Our admiration for this great good man would have caused us to go on quoting, quoting, quoting; for his works are not only many, but far superior in ability to many who have had “great stones” raised to hand their names down to ages yet to come, but the line had to be drawn somewhere. But will the name of John Davidson, of Prestonpans, ever be allowed to die out? We think not! Had he elected to remain at Holyrood instead of coming to this “sea-coaste village,” the name and fame of John Davidson as a reformer would have stood upon a very different pinnacle at the present day, and his would certainly have been one of the great monuments of the city. The Manse. The old Manse, as Davidson built it, stands in line with the church. Davidson, the minister, was of course the first to occupy it, but his residence there was of short duration. Mr John Ker, successor to Davidson, along with his mother, widow of John Knox, were the next to occupy the manse. Within the manse or adjoining church, Knox’s daughter Margaret was married to Mr Zachary Pont, minister of Bower. Rev. Robert Ker, son and successor to John Ker, Oswald, Moneypenny, Buchan, Ramsay, Moncrief, Andrews, Horsburgh, and Carlyle, father to the famous Dr Alexander Carlyle of Inveresk, all in succession occupied the old manse. It is said that Carlyle of Inveresk, when a youth, cut his initials in some of the woodwork within the house, and that it remains there to this day. That may be so, but the oldest inhabitant there never saw nor heard of it, and we have looked in vain for the initials of the famous “Jupiter.” Roy, Reid, M‘Cormick, and Trotter also lived there, but during the latter’s incumbency in 1783 the present or new manse was partially built, and he and his successors occupied it. After the desertion of the old manse by the ministers, it being too large for one house, the lower or ground floor was made suitable for occupancy by workmen’s families. For several years the upper flat was used as an infant school. At the present time three families occupy the whole building. Elizabeth Wast. An exceedingly curious and interesting little volume, entitled “Memoirs or Spiritual Exercises of Elizabeth Wast,” recently fell into our hands. She resided in Edinburgh, was very religious, and accustomed to attend “Communion” all round the district. Twice she visited Prestonpans. On the first occasion the weather was bad, she was suffering severely, and her people tried to dissuade her from coming, but she “turned a deaf ear to them.” She set out on the Saturday morning. She says “the way was pleasant to me, though otherwise unpleasant, when I met the poor women with their burthens of coals and salt on their back, coming to the market at Edinburgh. Then I thought the badness of the weather does not hinder these from going to their earthly market: O, what fool would I been if anything should have hindered me from the heavenly market. When I came to the place, O, how sweet!” Mr John Moncrief preached that day (Saturday). “He told us of four ways that Christ was coming to keep trist with His people. First, He was coming as a merchant to see what his poor people wanted with all the wares of heaven: And now, O communicants, what will ye buy the day,” &c. ‘On the Sabbath morning about an hour before sermon began, Mr George Andrew, then minister, came to the kirk in his gown, and seeing but two persons at the first table, he uttered this lamentable expression. W4#ll our Lord Jesus get but two brides to-day? Woes our heart, we have enough of weights on us tho ye add not this to the rest. The words were scarcely out of his mouth when the table was full, and I was among the rest. “Written and subscrived at Prestonpans, 9th October 1697, Eliz. Wast.” In 1698 she paid her second visit to “communion” at Prestonpans. “On the Saturday Mr Mathew Selkirk preached, when he made us a large offer of Christ if we would engage to be His servants. He gave us some properties of his Master. First, that He would work all the work, and yet He would pay all the wages. 2ndly, He would never put a piece of work in His servants’ hands, but He would be at the heaviest end of it. 3rdly, All the work that His servants shall work, they shall get the profit of it to themselves. Now where shall ye get such a Master?” Touching on “treasure gathering,” she says, “I think a man or woman in their gathering the world is like a spider working its web: O! what pain doth it take in spinning it out, and when it is spun, it sits down in the midst of it to take a rest: But when the maid comes in to sweep the room, one touch of the beesom sweeps it clean away; as if it had not been. O! but the world be a foolish thing to trust to; and they are the greatest of fools that trust to it.” Continuing, she says, “The rich fool in the gospel, and the rich glutton should be a beacon and warning to all. I remember a note of a sermon I heard by that servant of Christ, Mr John Blair. I was but young when I heard it, and as far as I can call to mind, this was the first publick preaching that durst be avowed by the Presbeterian ministers. In this sermon he was showing what a foolish and vain thing it was to be seeking the world, and forgetting to make ready for eternity: Where he told us a story of a nobleman who had a fool for his divertisement, and being well pleased with him, he gave him a staff, and desired him to keep it till he found a fool greater than himself, and give it to him. Sometime after this the nobleman fell sick, so sent for his fool to divert him with some of his fool sports. When the fool came to his master he asked him what ailed him. ‘O,’ says he, ‘I am going to another world.’ ‘Then,’ said the fool, ‘How long will you stay? A month, or the lke?’ ‘No,’ says the nobleman, ‘I will stay many months.’ ‘How many months will you stay, will it be an year?’ ‘O! I say it will be many years.’ ‘How many years will it be?’ says the fool. ‘It will be to all eternity,’ said the nobleman. ‘O, then!’ said the fool, ‘Master, that is a long journey to eternity. What have you provided for this long journey?’ “Nothing at all,” said the nobleman. ‘Then, Master,’ said the fool. ‘Take your staff again, for you are a greater fool than I am yet.’” She seems to have been born about 1650. She dates her religious experiences from Edinburgh, 1694. Her memoir was published in 1726. CHAPTER VII. OLD SESSION HOUSE PANELS. Old Session House Panels — Swan — Burnet — Tait — Hamilton — Arncors — Nicholson — Stodart — Miss Anna Hamilton — Tombstones in the East Churchyard: Grant of Prestongrange — V.A.G.S. — Smith — Struthers — Primrose — Roy — Horsburgh — Cunningham — Carlyle — Shawell — Ramsay of Abbotshall — Henderson — J. Banks Taylor — Robert Taylor — Crichton — Stuart of Physgul — The Hepburns — The Grieves — The Mellises. Tombstones in the West Churchyard: The Howisons — R.B. M.I. — The Ship Stone — Mason’s Stone — The Oldest, 1644, L.B. - C.E. — R.S. - I.B., with Crescents, &c. — The Staghound Stone, I.R. - I.C. — John Warrock — James Warrock — Paxton — Poetical Epitaphs. IN the old Session House, at the entrance to the East Churchyard, a great panel is set in the wall. It contains ten niches, and eight of these are both curious and interesting, bearing as they do the names of old residenters in the parish, and showing the sums bequeathed by them for the benefit of the poor. They are as follows:— JANET SWAN, Relect of William Barnabie, Portioner—Left 100 Marks. Died November 26th 1668. ———— Dame RACHEL BURNET, Lady Preston. Left £5 sterling. Died July 3rd, 1693. ———— MARGRET TAIT, Spouse to Thomas Cubie, Sailor. Left 100 Marks. Died November 8th, 1693. ———— Mrs RACHEL HAMELTON, Daughter of Sir William Hamelton, Of Preston. Left £5 sterling. Died August 25th, 1694. MARION ARNCORS, Wife of Robert Jamieson, Gardener. Left £50 Scots. Died May 10th, 1711. Dame RACHEL NICHOLSON, Lady Preston. Left £5 sterling. Died March 1716. Given for Mr JOHN STODART, of Cammisten, £6 sterling. He died November 28, 1717. Mr Gilbert Burnet Gave for his Lady, Miss ANNA HAMELTON, £5 sterling. She died November 3rd, 1718. The 9th panel intimates itself a “private press.” The 10th informs us that the above panels were all renewed in the year 1850. The 1st panel to the left, and the oldest, Janet Swan, is curious as forming a grand connecting link with the most ancient name on the great original estate. Swan of Tranent (1124) is the earliest possessor of these lands we have any historical account of. He flourished in the 12th century, she in the 17th century, and our local Swans of the 20th century are for too numerous to mention, unless, indeed, we note “Willie” of Tranent, and his brother John, who happen to be old schoolfellows of the writer. They were born in Tranent, worked as miners in Prestongrange, Willie getting a wife down that quarter. He went out to Queensland, took to tree felling in the great forests, and retired a few years ago quite independent. We see notes occasionally from his far away home, and for several sessions running we observe he has carried, amid great opposition, the chief seat in the council of his chosen home, and is Provost Swan of Dunedin. Since writing the above we are sorry to hear of his decease. He is succeeded in business by his brother John, who paid a lengthened visit to his old home a couple of years ago. The one brother is fully as practical in his way as the other, and where the one succeeded the other will scarcely fail. 2nd panel, “Dame Rachel Burnet, Lady Preston.” This was evidently a daughter of Sir James de Preston, who had died without male issue, for we see that Thomas Hamilton succeeded in 1667 his uncle Sir James de Preston. This was the family who occupied the old tower when, in 1663, it was accidentally but finally put beyond occupation. 3rd panel, “Margret Tait,” was spouse to Thomas Cubie, a sailor. She had been a very benevolent lady. She died eight months later than Lady Preston. Cubie was one of Davidson’s elders. 4th panel, “Mrs Rachel Hamelton,” daughter of Sir William Hamilton of Preston. This daughter of Sir William had evidently predeceased her father, dying in 1694. He is supposed to have died about 1696, leaving no male issue. 5th panel, “Marion Arncors.” She was wife to Robert Jamieson, gardener, and a very benevolent lady. 6th panel, “Dame Rachel Nicholson, Lady Preston.” This seems to have been another married daughter: of Sir William Hamilton. She died in 1716. 7th panel, “Given for Mr John Stodart, of Cammisten.” Stodart, though of Cammiston, had evidently belonged to the parish, and had not ceased to remember the poor. 8th panel, “Mr Gilbert Burnet gave for his lady, Miss Anna Hamelton,” &c. This is evidently another married daughter of Sir William. She died in 1718. We have tried to get to the bottom of that curious document, to which Dr Oswald was privy, when subsequent to Sir Robert Hamilton’s decease he took possession of the estate. The document refers to a “private arrangement” with Oswald for the “redemption of the estate should a covenanting king succeed to the throne.” These panels seem to give a clue to the mystery. It is well known that Sir Robert was “outlawed, banished, and his estates confiscated for his covenanting principles,” but this could not refer to Preston, because his brother Sir William was proprietor then. Robert returned previous to Sir William’s decease. He was no further persecuted, but he never sought pardon of the king, nor had the edict of outlawry against him removed, neither did he ever claim the baronetcy nor seek the estate of Preston after the decease of his brother. The document does not say for whom, or by whom, the estate was to be “redeemed,” but it-is evident these daughters of Sir William, who remained in the background, though nearer heirs to the estate than the Oswalds, were afraid to take possession as “Hamiltons,” but allowed Dr Oswald, their near relative, to do so meantime, under that private arrangement, for their future benefit. Tombstones in the East Churchyard. The place of the dead! They rest from their labours, and how silently they sleep. There is not one jarring element among them; not one disturbing note floats over the place wherein they repose; and yet the many sorrowful-looking faces imprinted on the surrounding tombstones continue to gaze as earnestly upon the little mounds before them as if they were in momentary expectation of a general uprising around them. On entering these hallowed grounds almost the first object to catch the observer’s eye is the great large handsome marble memorial stone, standing high over the Prestongrange vault. It tells of those who have had a dwelling-place at the chief mansion-house of the parish, but the hand of time has worked havoc with the inscription, and all that can be made out in the distance is:— GULIELMA GRANT, de Prestongrange. On a very neat shield over the above are two finely-carved crowns. A lion rampant follows the above. Beneath the lion another crown followed by a Latin inscription. The oldest memorial stone is a small but neat tablet, and may be found in the north wall of the old session house, but where it originally stood, or to whose memory it was raised, it is impossible to discover. It is richly carved, and the date is 1634. V.A.G.S.—Smith. Only a little way inside the churchyard gate stands a beautiful white pale-veined marble cross. It is pleasant to look at as a work of art, but it has a sorrowful tale of its own. A daughter of the mansion-house, a wife of the manse, and a mother—departed. Thus it speaks:— In Loving Memory of VICTORIA ALBERTA GRANT SUTTIE, Wife of The Rev. George Stuart Smith. Born 8th Nov. 1867. Died 5th June 1900. “Blesed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Adjacent to this stands a beautiful Maltese cross. It speaks of the late minister of the parish:— In Memory of The Rev. John Struthers, LL.D., for 44 years minister of the parish of Prestonpans. Born 3rd February 1815. Died 25th August 1888. Closely adjoining the above is the memorial stone of another minister of the parish. He is always spoken of as the “good old Primrose.” Sacred to the Memory of The Rev. PETER Primrose, D.D., 10 years in Dalgetty, And 36 years in Prestonpans. Erected by the Parishioners. If there is a monumental slab in the whole churchyard whose inscription does not wish itself to be understood except by those acquainted with the “dead” languages, it is that of James Roy, another minister. It tells its story:— Roy. “ Quis Desiderio Sit Pudor aut Modus Tam Cari Capitis” Optimo Viro Jacobo Roy Ecclesiae Hujus Pastori Post Breve Biennii Ministerium Immatura Morte Sublato Hunc Lapidem Posuit Frater ejus Unicus Gul. Roy Trib Milit Vixit Anno xxxvii. Obiit iii Sept. A.H.S. MDCLXVII. Translation of the above. “What moderation or what limit can there be to our regret for so dear a life?”—(From Horace.) To James Roy, An excellent man, The Pastor of this Congregation, Carried away by an early death After a brief ministry of two years. This stone is raised by His only Brother, William Roy, Officer in the Army. He lived 37 years, And died on the 3rd Sept. 1667 A.D. Closely adjoining the Latin monument lies, that of another minister of the parish:— Sacred To the Memory of the Rev. ROBT. HORSBURG Somewhile Minister of the Pannis, Died 1724. And of his great grand-daughters ISABELLY OLIVER, died 1806, And Mary OLIVER, died 1853. A familiar name in the district is that of Bruce Cunningham:— Rev. Wm. Bruce Cunningham, Son of the above Isabella Oliver And Robert Cunningham, Captain Berwickshire Militia, Minister of this Parish From 1833 to 1843, And from that date to the day of his death 2nd August 1878 Minister of the Free Church here. And of his eldest Son, Adam Smith Douglas Cunningham, Died 1841, &c. Yet another lies here who if not the greatest among those who have ministered to the people of Prestonpans is certainly not the least:— Here lies the Rev. Mr William Carlyle, Who during his Ministry in this Place, For above 40 years, Possessed the affection, confidence, and esteem Of his Parishioners, For in him were happily joined piety, Benevolence, probity of manner, And fervent zeal. He died 8th March 1765, in the 43rd year Of his Ministry, and 75th of his age. The Parish erected this stone To his Memory. “Shawell,” this is evidently one of the officers who lay in the barracks at Preston during the French scare. Sacred to the Memory of Thomas Shawell, Esq. Late of Haselmere, Surrey, Captain in the Westmorland Militia, Had served as an Officer for 24 years. He died Oct. 10, 1806 Aged 50. To the west of the above, and also on the church wall, is a nice little memorial stone. It speaks to the Memory of two esteemed parishioners, David Ramsay of Abbotshall, Deceased in 1775 and Helen Kyd of Craigie, his spouse, Deceased in 1789. This tribute of affectionate remembrance Was erected by their surviving son, Sir Thomas Ramsay, Bart. of Balmain, 1827. Directly between the two windows of the church stands a rare old stone, bearing a finely-cut shield with a scroll around it, the scroll being surmounted with banners, spears, and trumpets. It has been erected to the memory of JOHN HENDERSON And his Spouse, ——————Alexander The inscription is nearly all worn out. The date is 1540, but this must be a date of birth, not of burial, as there was no churchyard here till 1596. In the south wall of the churchyard may be found that of Taylor. This is a beautiful white marble memorial stone, of circular form, with a finely-cut palm tree flourishing on it, and thus it tells its story:— Sacred to the dearly loved Memory of James Banks Taylor, Fourth son of Alex. Taylor, and Mary Banks his wife. Born at West Seton, 31st January 1834. Died at New York 31st January 1884, And here interred. Also With tenderest memories is here inscribed The name of ROBERT, Fifth son of Alex. and Mary Taylor, Who died in South Africa, 10 Sept. 1864, Age 27. Faithful unto Death. A beautiful oblong red granite memorial stone, to the right of the above, is that to the memory of John Taylor, West Seton. CRICHTON. To the left of the above is another beautiful three-fold red granite stone. Thus it reads:— In loving memory of AMELIA CHRISTINA, Who died at Preston, 10th April 1898. ————— Erected by James Crichton. “Stuart of Phisgul.” In the north wall rests a richly-carved monument. Towards the top, in the centre, is a shield with various carvings, in fine preservation. Over the shield rests a warrior’s helmet, and over the helmet stands a lion rampant. It tells a cruel story:— Here lyeth the Remains of John Stuart of Phisgul, A Galloway Gentleman, And Captain in Lassel’s Regiment, A Man of true Bravery, who died Honourably in defence of his King and Country and a Sacred and Civil Liberty, Being Barbarously murdered By 4 Highlanders near the end of the Battle. He fought in the field of Preston, 21st Sept. 1745. The tombstone of the Hepburns is also in the north wall. There are two heads on the stone. The features in both cases are exquisitely cut, with not a sign of decay uponthem. They may have been Lords of Session, or perhaps the wigs with which their heads are adorned denote the style of the period in which they lived. The following encircles the heads:— John Hepsburn, age 88, Died January 4th, 1660. ——— GEORGE HEPBURN, age 96. Died February 25th, 1671. A handsome memorial stone, and one in which real beauty and fine taste are alike displayed, is that almost adjoining the Hepburns:— In Memory of Barbara Isabella Grieve, Born 6th June 1840. Died 25th August 1851. Christina Grieve, Born 2nd March 1846. Died 24th March 1853. John Grieve, their Father, Born 17th June 1798. Died 21st August 1863. Margaret Dempster, their Mother, Born 25th August 1817. Died 23rd January 1894. Still a little northwards stands a beautiful red granite monumental stone with a scroll nicely cut round the upper part of it. This tells of a name* for a long series of years held in high esteem, yea, a name that will not quickly be forgotten, not only in the parish, but in a very wide district around it:— In Memory of James Mellis, Captain, 69th Regiment. Died at Naples in 1839, And is Buried there. Also His Wife. Died at Edinburgh in 1878, age 95. And of * James Mellis, their Son. Died at Prestonpans, 1st August 1899, Aged 89. However heavy the blow when the aged are called, it may have been expected, but when the youth in his teens is called upon to quit this earthly scene, and he perhaps an only child, none may know the grief it brings but those who are called upon to bear the burden. A beautiful white marble cross adjoining the above says:— In Memory of Thomas Paterson Mellis, Only Son of James Mellis, Prestonpans, Died 19th November 1860. Age, 17 Years. Tombstones in the West Churchyard. Whether there ever was a church here or not, there have been many people buried here, and many beautiful memorial stones have been erected. But unfortunately the best of these give now but little indication of the silent sleepers beneath them. Towards the west end stands a very substantial square pillar. This shows the tombs of the Howisons. There is a finely-cut shield towards the upper end of the stone, and and it is crowned with a skilfully carved pine-apple. This Stone was Erected by John Houisons, Senior and Junior, And James Pettegrew, Masons in Prestonpans, A.D. 1766. Here lies W. Houison, Mason in Prestonpans, Who died Nov. 7, 1753, aged —— Also John Houison, Mason in Prestonpans, Brother of ye above, Died 1st Dec. 1781, Age 74; And Margret Smith, Spouse to John Houison, Died 21st Oct. 1792, Age 76; Also John Houison, Mason in Prestonpans, Son of the above John Houison And Margret Smith, who died 1795, Age 5 Years; Also George Houison, Son of the above J. H., who died 14th Feby. 1788, Age 5 Years. On the west wall there is a beautiful little stone, evidently very old, but the date is gone. Somebody of note must have found a resting-place here. The letters R. B. M. I. are deeply indented in, and beneath these are three fleurs de lis and a cinque foil. The Ship Stone. Adjoining the above, also in the wall, is a very large stone with a ship in full sail finely cut out at the top of it. There are also two crossed pikes on one side towards the bottom, and a spade and shovel crossed on the other side, but name and date are alike gone for ever. Mason’s Stone. In the south wall, towards the west end, stands a very neat little stone. The date is gone. Two initial letters, W. L., are there, and that the sleeper beneath must have been a mason is evident from the fact that not only compass and square, but mallet and chisel are also finely cut on it. The Oldest. Coming towards the east end, also built into the wall, we find the oldest stone in the churchyard, in so far as a date is concerned. Towards the top are the letters— L —— B Here — Lyeth C —— E 1644. Almost adjoining the above is a very neat little stone with no date, but that it has been set up in memory of people of note in the district is evident. There is a very neatly cut shield on it, with three crescents and one ciague foil. To right and left of the shield are the letters— R —— S I —— B Staghound Stone. A beautifully cut shield on a very small stone is set in the wall towards the east corner of the south side. There is a nicely cut anchor at the top. These letters follow:— I. R. I. C. On the shield are four staghound heads beautifully cut, but as usual no date is found. Towards the end of last century Colonel Cameron, a great breeder of staghounds, lived at Preston Lodge. Very likely the above memorial stone is set over the remains of the Colonel. A very tall square stone stands towards the south-east corner of the churchyard. Thus it reads:— Here Are deposited the remains of Catherine Paxton, Spouse of John Warrock, Brewer in Prestonpans, Who died 2nd July 1746, aged 39; Also the said John Warrock, who died 4th June 1776, aged 84; And their Children, John, Jean, and John, Who died when young; George, who died 16th July 1803, aged 69; And James, who died 27th January 1814, aged 83; Also Euphan Paxton, Spouse of Adam Smith, Tanner in Prestonpans, Who died 10th Sept. 1779, aged 77. Here for the first time we find the poet at work, but whether he was a local rhymster or one hired we cannot tell. On the south side of of the stone is an Epitaph on James Warrock, Esq. Here, reader, rests a worthy man, Whose life was spent in virtue’s cause, Who zealously pursued the plan That’s crowned with real self-applause. The bounty heaven on him bestowed He justly viewed as lent, And from his hand it freely flowed To aid the helpless indigent. Of him it truly may be told, His equal rarely can be found, His deeds more precious were than gold, And now they are with glory crowned. On the north side of the same stone he once more breaks forth without sign of fear or trembling in an Epitaph on Catherine Paxton, Spouse of John Warrock. Here lies entombed within this mould, The refined dust, though not the gold, Of Catherine Paxton, who from youth Served God with heart—loved Him in truth— Obedient lived, and so did die, With God omniscient in her eye; Averse to sin, willing to yield Her mortal frame, she quit the field, Threw off her dross which did her cloy, And much retard her heavenly joy. ——— Curious Poetical Epitaph. William Mathieson here lies, Whose age was forty-one, February seventeenth he dies, Went Isbell Mitchell from, Who was his married wife, The fourth part of his life. The soul it cannot die, Tho’ the body be turned to clay, Yet meet again they must, At the last day. Trumpets shall sound, archangels cry— “Come forth Isbell Mitchell and meet Will Mathieson in the sky.” The above is copied from an old gazetteer. The original is said to be in Prestonpans Churchyard, but we fail to find it. CHAPTER VIII. THE FREE CHURCH AND OTHER RELIGIOUS BODIES. The Free Church — Formation here — First Minister — Sir George G. Suttie — The Minister — Old and New Elders — Extracts From F.C. Presbytery — W. B. Cunningham — No Conscience — Pickled Ministers — J. F. Hislop — Rev. Dr. Patrick R. M‘Kay — Rev. D. Iverach — Union of the Churches — Methodists — Mormons — Curious Notes — The Four M‘Neills — Revivalists. THE Rev. William Bruce Cunningham, first minister of the Free Church here, was born in 1806. He studied at the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh. Was presented in 1833 to the living at Prestonpans by Sir George Grant Suttie of Balgone and Prestongrange, and was married shortly afterwards to Ethel Douglass, elder daughter of Lord Reston—a Lord of Session—and first cousin to Adam Smith, the Political Economist. Mr Cunningham belonged to what was known as the “Evangelical party” in the Establishment, and he early came into collision with the “Moderates.” He played a conspicuous part during most of the “ten years’ conflict,” and in that position during these years came several times almost into violent contact with his patron, whose sympathies were wholly with the “Moderates.” While the “conflict” continued, and ere yet the “crisis” was near, Mr. Cunningham took every opportunity of indicating the path he intended to pursue when the “Disruption” came. Sir George was ever a most exemplary attender at church, but the discourses of his aforetime favourite divine he had now no pleasure in listening to, and one Sunday forenoon during his discourse Sir George felt so aggrieved with his “Anti-Erastian” utterances that he hurriedly left his seat, hastened to the Session House, and returning with paper, pen, and ink, began to take down the rest of his discourse. The war of words which ensued between the divine and his patron at the close of the service did not reach the public ear, but henceforth all real friendship was at an end between them. Sir George next day proceeded to Tranent and had two front seats in the gallery of the Parish Church there specially fitted up, one for the use of his household and the other for the use of the tenantry at St. Clement’s Wells, and he continued to sit under the ministration of the Rev. John Henderson until the change at the Disruption. Mr. Cunningham left the Establishment in 1843. He left a large and wealthy congregation behind him, and although a very respectable following went out with him, it was anything but plain sailing for a great number of years. Among those in office who accompanied their minister out of the church were Messrs Robert Hislop, brewer and distiller, elder, William Alexander, salt manufacturer, elder, and Alexander Cumming, Preston, joiner, elder. Messrs M‘Pherson, Meek, and Drysdale were afterwards appointed, the former two elders and the latter a deacon, in the new congregation. Mr Robert Storie was appointed precentor. The first meeting-place of the Free Church congregation was in the “Malt Barns,” directly at the foot of Harlo Hill, on the north side of the road, and kindly put at their service by Mr Hislop. The barns had been used by the new congregation barely a year, when again Mr Hislop stepped in with a grant of that piece of land whereon the present church stands. In good time the four walls were raised and an asphalt roof set over the building. For close upon twenty years the “felt roofed building” remained, but signs of decay were showing. When a shower came on, the rain-drops had no sympathy for the worshippers. But a crisis was at hand since the rain had found a way in, as sure as it happened to be a sunshiny day the tar began to melt on top and found its way in too, when the dresses of ladies and gentlemen alike got spoiled; and at last the “tarred roof” was doomed. The church was repaired in 1866, and again in 1878, when something approaching £1500 was spent upon it. In 1891 it was enlarged by the erection of a gallery, etc., at a cost of about £450. Mr Cunningham remained minister of the church until his decease on August 7, 1878. He left two daughters and three sons. (See “Distinguished Physicians,” etc.) Of those who joined the Free Church in 1843 only five now remain, two Miss M‘Phersons, two Miss Kerrs, and Miss Storie. The following extract is from the records of the Free Church Presbytery of Haddington and Dunbar:— William Bruce Cunningham. “The Presbytery while recording their deep and heartfelt sorrow because of the death of one who was dear to them, and was possessed of so many estimable qualities, at the same time desire to express their gratitude to God, that he has been so long spared to them, and to the congregation to which he ministered. “Few are so long spared to their people and their church, and few have ministered so long in one place, and continued in ordinary vigour and strength, almost to the very end. Mr Cunningham was born in 1806, and was ordained at Prestonpans in 1833. He entered on his ministry just at the commencement of the “ten years’ conflict,” and he was one of several young men of devoted piety and earnest zeal, who about that time came into the Presbytery of Haddington, and by whose means a new interest was kindled in evangelical religion in a district which for long had been almost entirely under the rule of Moderatism and where the sound of the Gospel was never heard from the pulpits save of four or five of its ministers. Mr Cunningham at once entered with energy and zeal on his great work, and the church of Prestonpans was filled as it had not been before. “He early took a prominent share in the business of the church courts. He took a decided part in the great controversy of the day, and when the Disruption came he had no hesitation in casting in his lot with those who by the grace of God were enabled to give up their earthly all for the glory of the Redeemer’s name and kingdom. “Shortly after the Disruption, his congregation, along with that of Cockenzie, was disjoined from the Presbytery of Haddington and united to that of Dalkeith. The Presbyteries of Haddington and Dunbar being at the same time united into one. Some years afterwards, in 1864, the congregation of Prestonpans was again united to Haddington Presbytery, and he resumed his place, receiving a very cordial welcome. Of the band of young men, already referred to, who came into the Presbytery about the same time as Mr. Cunningham, he alone remained in it to the close of his life. “He was a sound and accomplished theologian, and well versed in matters of ecclesiastical polity, with a correct knowledge of the distinctive principles of the Church of Scotland, and thoroughly attached to the Free Church, as alone testifying to these principles. He took an active part in building up the church in various parts of the country. He led a remarkably consistent Christian life. He was a man of deep and devotional spirit, of a singularly friendly and affectionate disposition, careful not to ruffle the feelings of others, and an ever ready and tender sympathiser in time of trouble. He was a pleasant companion at all times, yet was his speech always with grace. He ever stated his opinions boldly without any fear of man. He was an ardent admirer of the beauties of external nature, ever looking up to nature’s God, and he took a more than ordinary interest in literary and scientific pursuits.” “The Presbytery approve of this minute, order it to be engrossed in their records, and a copy of it to be sent to Mrs Cunningham with the assurance of the cordial sympathy of the Court.” No Conscience. One day while Mr Cunningham and his elder Mr Robert Hislop were discussing the coming Disruption, Mr Hislop suddenly inquired, “What are you going to do, Mr Cunningham?” “I am going out.” “But remember you have a wife and children to think about,” said the elder. Without answering, the minister inquired, “What are you going to do, Mr Hislop?” “I am going out,” he replied. “And why are you going out?” “Oh, it’s my conscience,” was the reply. “And do you think I have no conscience?” inquired the minister. Thereafter Mr Hislop presented the manse and the ground on which it stands to his minister and the Free Church. Pickled Ministers. One day during a conversation between Mr Alexander, salt manufacturer, and Dr Moir (Delta), the former inquired if he thought “many would come out at the coming Disruption?” Delta replied “No”; he thought he would be able to eat them all.” After the Disruption Mr Alexander met him one day and said, “I expect a large order for salt from you, Dr Moir.” “For what?” he inquired. “Why,” was the reply, “I hear that 400 ministers have come out, and if you have all these to eat you will require to pickle them,” a sally which was followed by hearty laughter. John Fowler Hislop. Extracted from the Records of the Free Church Presbytery of Haddington and Dunbar. “The Presbytery record with deep regret the death of Mr John Fowler Hislop, of Castlepark, Prestonpans, which took place on 6th August 1894. Mr Hislop was an esteemed elder of the church, a zealous and loyal Free Churchman, a humble and devoted follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. A man of great public spirit, he gave a large amount of time to public affairs, especially to educational matters, and to the elevation of the social and moral condition of the community. “In the congregation in which he was an office-bearer, he was held in the highest esteem as a man of deep and consistent piety, and a liberal and ready helper in every good work. In this Presbytery, of which he was often a member, he ever displayed sound judgment, a gentle courtesy and dignity of manner, with extreme fairness and candour towards the opinions of others. “He was frequently a commissioner from this Presbytery to the General Assembly, 1n the proceedings of which he took a deep interest, and rendered good service in connection with the work of its committees. He has been taken away while still in full intellectual vigour, and in the midst of abundant labours. “The Presbytery desire affectionately to commend to God the widow and family of their departed friend, praying that in their great and sudden bereavement they may realise the presence and sustaining grace of Christ Jesus our Lord.” Dr Patrick R. MacKay. Dr Mackay is the third son of the late Rev. John Mackay, M.A., Free Church minister of Lybster, Caithness, a man who in his day was distinguished for his learning, his wide knowledge of matters historical and ecclesiastical, his interest in education, and the soundness of his judgment, characteristics which are reflected in his sons, four of whom now bear the degree of “doctor,” two being M.D.’s, the third D.D., and the fourth, who as a student had a very brilliant career at both Scottish and English Univerities, is LL.D. of St Andrews, and Professor of History in University College, Liverpool. So much for the plain living and high thinking of a Free Kirk manse. Dr Patrick Mackay entered St Andrews University at the age of fourteen, gained honours in the literary and philosophical classes, and carried off the Gray prize for the best essay on a subject in Metaphysics. He afterwards studied at the University and New College, Edinburgh, was licenced as a preacher in 1878, acted as assistant to Dr Macdonald of North Leith for nine months, and was ordained minister at Prestonpans in February 1879. Dr Mackay occupied the position of Free Church minister at Prestonpans for twenty years, with much acceptance and success. During the period of his incumbency, the congregation doubled in numbers, and greatly increased in material resources, and was noted in the county for the completeness of its organisation, and the energy with which congregational work in all its departments was prosecuted. From the very beginning of his ministry Dr Mackay took the greatest interest in education, and as a member, and for some time Chairman of the School Board, devoted much time and zeal to the educational interests of the parish. He aided greatly in bringing about salutary changes in the administration of certain local well-endowed trusts, by which education, both elementary and secondary, in the parish and district has largely benefitted. Perhaps that for which Dr Mackay is best known is his interest in our soldiers, and in season and out of season he has sought to deepen in the Church and the community a sense of responsibility for their spiritual welfare. In 1882 he was asked by the Colonial Committee of the Free Church to go to Luxor, Egypt—a place of resort for invalids during the winter months—to inquire as to the suitability of Luxor as a station to be occupied by the Free Church. He arrived in Egypt shortly after the battle of Tel-el-Kebir, and impressed with the need of religious ministrations among the troops volunteered for service as a Presbyterian chaplain. His offer was accepted by Sir Archibald Alison, in command of the Highland Brigade, and he remained with the troops until the Brigade broke up. In 1887, with the consent of his congregation and Presbytery, Dr Mackay spent a year in India, acting as minister, during the hot season, of the Union Church, Mussoorie, near Landour, a military sanatorium in the North-West Provinces, and afterwards doing evangelistic work chiefly among soldiers. It was in India that he met the lady—Miss Harriet Sprot, a voluntary missionary to the Santals— who became his wife and true helpmeet, and whose labours among the working lads of Prestonpans will long be held in remembrance. Mrs Mackay is the eldest daughter of Mr Mark Sprot, youngest son of Mark Sprot, Esq. of Garnkirk. In the spring of 1894 a strike occurred at Prestongrange Colliery, Prestonpans. It lasted some weeks, and threatened disaster to the whole community. Through Dr Mackay’s intervention a settlement satisfactory to all parties was arrived at. For this service Dr Mackay received the thanks of the Miners’ Federation of Mid and East Lothian, and as a memento of the event the presentation of a watch subscribed for by the workmen at the various collieries. As a representative social reformer, Dr Mackay was asked to appear before Lord Peel’s Commission on Licensing, and gave valuable evidence as to the condition of matters, and the state of opinion in the county. In the end of 1898, at what he deemed “a call which a servant of Christ may not, without dishonour, decline,” he resigned his charge at Prestonpans, at great personal and considerable financial sacrifice, and went to India to reorganise the work of the Anglo-Indian Evangelisation Society—a society catholic in its constitution and aim, whose one concern is to care for the spiritual welfare of our own countrymen in India, and there he was “in journeyings often,” preaching as he went, finding out where there were no religious organisations among our countrymen, and endeavouring to make provision for unoccupied fields. It would have been difficult to find a man more capable and devoted, and more fully endowed with the gifts and the graces required for this special work. He remained in India for about three years, and his success in the work was great. He seems to possess in a remarkable degree the faculty of approving himself and his work to all sorts and conditions of men, and he succeeded in interesting in the aims of the Society men of the very highest station in the state, the church, and the army—Anglican and Presbyterian working harmoniously together for the one great end. A brave heart may beat beneath a black coat as well as beneath the red or the khaki. At Darjeehling, on a wild night of storm and earthquake, Dr Mackay was one of a noble band who went to the rescue of a family overwhelmed in a fallen house. For the brave work of that night he received the decoration of a golden star, from the Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal, which will doubtless be handed down in his family as a precious heirloom. In 1901, pro honoris causa, St Andrews University, of which he was no mean alumnus, conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Divinity. Rev. Donald Iverach, Rev. Donald Iverach, successor to Dr Mackay, a native of Harpsdale, Caithness, was born in 1856. First attended the district school at Harpsdale, afterwards the parish school at Halkirk. Was a pupil teacher for four years, and afterwards attended the Grammar School at Old Aberdeen for six months. In 1876 gained a bursary which enabled him to prosecute his studies at Edinburgh University. He took the curriculum and graduated in 1880. During the vacations he acted as tutor to the family of J. H. Davidson, Esq., Old Hall, Caithness. In 1880 he entered the New College, Edinburgh. In the summer of 1881 he was missionary to the Scotsmen who lived at Chapelizod, a village about four miles west of Dublin. In 1882-3, he was missionary in Haddington, and during the winter of 1883-4 acted as assistant to the Rev. Robert Logan, Abington and Crawfordjohn. On the conclusion of his studies at the New College he went to Canonbie, Dumfriesshire, and continued there as assistant to the Rev. A. W. Milne for about ten months. In 1885 he received a unanimous call to Nenthorn, in the Presbytery of Kelso, where he continued for fourteen years till called to Prestonpans in 1899, where he still officiates with acceptance. Union of the Free and U.P. Churches. The union of the above churches caused neither sorrow nor rejoicing at Prestonpans, though we remember the time when the United Presbyterian body counted a goodly number of members here. They all attended the late Mr Parlane at Tranent. There are at the present time only four members here who were in connection with the U.P. Church—Mrs and Miss Alexander, and Mr and Mrs George Pringle. George is made of the old covenanting metal; true to the core he will live and die as his father did before him, a genuine United Presbyterian. The Methodists. The good folks of Prestonpans have not been, as a rule, what may be termed “shifty” in religious matters: true they came out strong at the Reformation period; and no wonder, considering the leaders they had, not only the Hamiltons, who were ever in the van as Reformers, but a Davidson, who— though formerly under the domination of the Pope, latterly, like Knox, whom he followed in denouncing popery—feared the face of neither king nor commoner. A little over sixty years ago, and while the “ten years’ conflict” raged, a very different lot from the Free Church party attempted to carry the position as ecclesiastical reformers. Who really were the drawers together of this party it would be difficult now to discover. Our impression is that they formed originally a temperance party only, and ultimately met on Sundays and formed a church. Their place of worship was called the “Meeting House”; this was a very large upper flat in Meeting House or Watchmakers’ Wynd, a well known close a little to the east of Ayre’s Wynd. This religious body took to themselves the name of “Methodists.” They had no regular preacher, but a somewhat erratic gentleman, a great “total abstainer” or “teetotaler” known as Temperance Thomson, took the leading part. The Meeting House went on for quite a number of years, but the place of meeting never became too small for the Methodists. The Mormons. The followers of the Prophet Joseph Smith became quite numerous at one time in the district, and they succeeded the Methodists in the Meeting House. Tranent was the headquarters of this body, but between the villages of Prestonlinks, Prestonpans, and Cuthill they had a good following. One or other of these places, as the case might be, was the home and haunt of the three brothers, Johnnie, Ralph, and Willie Smith. Willie worked himself into a good position among miners, becoming coal manager for a time at Prestonlinks and elsewhere. He was a very fluent speaker, and got into great raptures when addressing a crowd. He became a leader among the Mormons. This was the same Willie Smith who, after getting all his household “dipped” in the “dookin’ hole” near Cockenzie, at last prevailed upon his mother-in-law, a sterling old native of the Pans, to get “dipped” too. The day arrived and the new convert made her way to the “dookin’ hole,” where a large congregation had assembled, for there were many to be “dipped.” Whatever their shortcomings, the Mormons were not given to melancholy. Even amid their most sacred rites a hearty outburst of laughter, followed by curious remarks, was nothing uncommon, and a “dipping day” was looked upon more as a day for diversion at the seaside than a day of prayer and fasting. This turned out to be a day of fun. Several, though willing to become followers of the prophet, refused to face the water; but with a strong man on either side they were quickly rushed in, and the more refractory the subject the louder the laughter on shore. The old woman’s turn came, when, partly by force and partly by persuasion, she was got in up to the knees, but she would go no further. “Willie, Willie!” shouted her “leaders in,” “she’s lost a’ faith! She winna budge an inch, and she winna gang doon.” * Doon wi’ her, or let her be damned wi’ the rest, then,” was the reply; “she was ever a perverse person at ony rate.” This was followed by another outburst of laughter, amid which she went down—but she did not long survive the dipping. Willie ultimately took up his residence in Tranent; and some years afterwards on the above incident being called to his recollection:— “Tut, tut,” was his reply, “they have a very different way of doing things in America. Some time ago there was a great ‘turning’ in favour of the ‘true faith.’ Natives and others came to the riverside for baptism—the river was wild at the time, the place dangerous, and there was a deal of work to get through. One after another the new Disciples were handed over the ledge of the rock, and several went off with the stream; but on the ‘dippers’ went, heedless of their howls, and all the mane they made was, “As one goes another comes, hand us over another one.” The Four M‘Neills. That the followers of Joseph Smith, in the early days at least, were neither solemn during their rites nor choice in their language at other times has already in part been shown, but it could scarcely be otherwise, for as a rule they were drawn from the most illiterate of our mining folks. We knew them well when they flourished most, and we cannot remember one in full communion with any church, nor any labourer or tradesmen ever joining the fraternity. There are no professing followers of the ‘true faith’ in the district now. We do not remember of Elphinstone ever contributing a single convert to the tenets of Mormonism; but the smaller mining villages of New Winton, Newtown, Penston, and Macmerry became great with “Latter Day Saints,” and yet Tranent was the great centre of attraction for the followers of the “true faith” on a Sunday morning, for there they had a large meeting-place. Here is another instance, not only of their freedom of speech, but of their utter carelessness whether or not they caused pain to their friends and relations. One Sunday morning when Willie and Charlie M‘Neill were on their way in from Macmerry to their meeting-place at Tranent, they met their two cousins Tom and John M‘Neill on their way to the Free Church, almost at the church door. The two Mormons halted on beholding them, when Charlie, raising his hands above his head, exclaimed, “Oh, cousins, cousins, are you still going to hell? Turn, turn, come back with us; embrace the ‘true faith,’ and you shall find rest to your feet, comfort to your souls, and an everlasting—ha, ha, ha!” and away they went laughing like to end themselves; while their two friends entered the church, if not in good humour through the interruption, at all events less inclined to embrace the “true faith” than ever they had been. Revivalists. Richard Weaver had also a good many followers here at one time, but the Salvation Army scarcely ever found a footing. CHAPTER IX. DISTINGUISHED PHYSICIANS, SCHOLARS, ETC. Distinguished Physicians, Scholars, etc. — Dr Alexander — Sir William Ferguson — Sir William Hamilton — Rev. Dr Calder Macphail — Sir Walter Scott — Alexander Hume the Grammarian — Colonel Campbell, Governor of Guadaloupe — Sir Robert Murray Keith — Sir Basil Keith — Dr Alison — Lord Westhall — Professor Robert Oliver Cunningham — Professor Dundas Cunningham — Dr James B. Cunningham — William Taylor Brown — Ancient Family Names — John Taylor, Kirk Treasurer, under Carlyle 1741 — Banks and Brown — Lord Fountainhall. PRESTONPANS has been the birthplace of at least two Physicians highly distinguished in their days. Firstly, the late Thomas Alexander, C.B., Director-General of the Medical Department of the British Army, to whose memory a handsome monument was erected in 1862, in the main street of the town. It consists of a stone statue 84 feet high and is set on a square stone pedestal 64 feet high, within an enclosure immediately north of the parish church. The United Service Gazette of July 1860 says: “The account of Dr Alexander’s death was received in his native town of Prestonpans with deep and universal sorrow. The picturesque sea-coast village in the neighbourhood of Edinburgh, where his respected parents and immediate relatives reside, was a never failing source of interest to him; and during the eventful life which he so earnestly devoted to the service of his country, whenever he was relieved from duty, he, with joyous feelings, returned to the home of his boyhood, and with childlike simplicity lived in the midst of his affectionate family, recalling the associations of his early days. “As in the discharge of his public duty Dr Alexander was always the steady friend and the champion of the soldier, in private he was ever ready with a generous heart and a liberal hand to minister to the necessities of the poor, and many in his native place live to bless his memory. “His remains were removed to Prestonpans and laid in the family burying-ground, on the 6th inst. The scene was a solemn one: the places of business were closed; the inhabitants following the procession to the grave; and the fishermen —in whom he took a deep interest—gave up their avocations at sea, to enable them to pay a last mark of respect to one whom they were proud to claim as a townsman. His body was lowered into the tomb amid the deepest manifestations of grief—all present feeling that an able man and a true Christian was lost to his country and his friends.” The following brief sketch tells the story of a truly active and eventful career. It is from the Illustrated London News of 18th July 1860:— “Not only the medical service, but the army and the country at large, have sustained a great loss in the death of Dr Alexander, who has been taken from us in the midst of a career which promised the largest results that could be effected by untiring industry, unswerving honesty, a clear intellect, the highest practical knowledge, and the warmest sympathies with the body over which he was so recently called to preside. “Thomas Alexander entered the service on the staff in 1834, and proceeded to the West Indies, where he did duty for five years and six months, at the end of, which time he came home in charge of invalids. He remained at home only nine months, when he embarked for Nova Scotia, where he did duty till he was removed in August 1846 as Second Class Staff Surgeon to North America, where he served with the Rifle Brigade as Regimental-Assistant-Surgeon, till he embarked for the Cape of Good Hope in 1851, and served with the 6oth Rifles for the next two years throughout the Kaffr war. He was principal medical officer of the expedition despatched beyond the Kei, and he was thanked in general orders for his services throughout the war. “In 1854 he was promoted to the rank of First Class Staff Surgeon, and received orders to join the Turkish expedition. He was in charge of the Light Division under Sir George Brown, and landed at Gallipoli with the first detachment of the expeditionary force, consisting of his old comrades of the Rifle Brigade, and a detachment of Royal Engineers, Sappers and Miners, on the 6th March. With the Light Division he remained to the close of the war. “At the Alma, his tenderness, his inexhaustible endurance and noble devotion in the most terrible trial to which a surgeon, overwhelmed with calls on his utmost powers, and poorly provided with the means of relief, could be exposed were especially remarkable. “At Inkermann, hour after hour, and day after day, he toiled through scenes which those who have not witnessed a battlefield, and the terrors of the hospital tents, can never imagine or conceive, upheld by the noblest sense of duty; and many men now alive can bear witness to the heroic calm and skill which saved life and limb for them, and the prodigality of care he bestowed on others regardless of everything but his sacred duties. In Lord Raglan’s despatch he is described ‘as deserving to be most honourably mentioned.’ All through the winter he never left his post—nay-more, from the time he joined the Light Division till the British army quitted the shores of the Crimea, he never was absent from his duty a single day. “On the rath of January 1855 he was appointed Deputy-Inspector-General, and he went to Kertch with Sir George Brown as principal medical officer of the expeditionary force. “In General Codrington’s despatch of March 18th 1856, in answer to an address from the House of Commons, Dr Alexander is also mentioned, and he was recommended by Dr Andrew Smith for promotion to the rank of Local-Inspector-General for service during the Russian war. “Dr Alexander remained at home just one month and twenty-one days, when he was again ordered for service in Canada as principal medical officer; but after performing that duty for six months Lord Panmure nominated him one of the Royal Commissioners to inquire into the sanitary state of the army, and he returned to England to discharge the functions of his appointment. “He was also selected to draw up a new code of regulations for the management of barracks and hospitals; and on the retirement of Sir Andrew Smith on the 22nd June 1858, Dr Alexander was appointed Director-General of the Army Medical Department, which appointment he held up to the day of his death. “He was also one of the Honorary Surgeons to Her Majesty, and a Companion of the Bath. “A few weeks ago he was interrupted in the usual assiduous discharge of his duties by an attack of gout, complicated with an inflammatory condition of the nervous system, and he died on the morning of the 1st inst. at his residence in Norfolk Square, the immediate cause of death being, it is supposed, determination of gout to the heart. He leaves a widow to mourn his loss, and in her grief she has many deep sympathisers, or few men ever had a larger number of sincere friends among those whom he admitted to his acquaintance than Dr Alexander.” Shortly after his decease it was resolved by the good folks of Prestonpans to do honour to the memory of this “son” of the village. To this end a public meeting was held on February 12th 1861, with the view of erecting in his native place a monument to the memory of the late Thomas Alexander, C.B., Director-General of the Medical Department of the British Army. Sir George Grant Suttie, presiding, said the object of the meeting was, in his opinion, a most proper and a laudable one. He believed many gentlemen present had had the honour of being personally known to the late Mr Alexander, and were more or less acquainted with his history. The high character held by Mr Alexander might, in some sense, be considered public property, as he had certainly conferred great benefits on our suffering soldiers, at times when they most needed it. He felt in anxious interest in the proposal to commemorate the memory of a man who, a native of Prestonpans, had raised himself to the high position which he had ultimately held in the service of his country, solely by his own exertions. Letters apologising for absence, and of sympathy with the object of the meeting, were read from Professor Ferguson, London, Dr M‘Lagan, Berwick-on-Tweed, and others. Mr J. F, Hislop moved, “That this meeting deeply regrets the loss the country has sustained by the death of Thomas Alexander, C.B., Director-General of the Army Medical Department, in which, as well as in previous appointments, he rendered invaluable services; and appreciating also the warm interest he evinced for the welfare of the people of his native place, desire to testify their high sense of his merits and character by erecting a suitable monument to his memory.” Mr H. F. Cadell, Cockenzie, seconded the resolution. Dr Scott, Musselburgh, proposed a committee, and Mr James Mellis, Prestonpans, seconded. It was altogether a most successful gathering. Towards the close of the meeting a subscription sheet was tabled, and this was at once headed by the chairman, Sir George Grant Suttie, with the sum of £20, and in a few minutes afterwards the sheet showed a total of £70. Subscriptions came in fast, and the result was the very handsome and finely-cut stone statue which stands within the enclosure towards the east end of the village, directly beneath the walls of the weatherbeaten church. The work was executed by Mr W. Brodie, R.S.A., Edinburgh, and bears the following inscriptions:— On front of the pedestal— In Memory of THOMAS ALEXANDER, C.B., Of the Medical Department of the British Army. Born at Prestonpans, 6th May 1812, Died 1st February, 1860. On the west side— The improved sanitary condition Of the British Army, As well as the elevation in rank and consideration Of its Medical Officers, Are mainly due to his exertions. His high professional attainments, And his great administrative powers, Were wholly devoted to the service of his country And to the cause of humanity. On the east side— Throughout a long military career He laboured incessantly to elevate the condition Of the Soldier. And during the Crimean War His indefatigable eftorts, As principal Medical Officer of the Light Division, To alleviate the sufferings of the troops Were of inestimable value in stimulating others To follow his example. On the back— West Indies. North America. Caffraria. Alma. Inkerman. Sebastapool. The other child of the village who made for himself a name in the world of science was the late Sir William Ferguson. The Dictionary of National Biography says:— Sir William Ferguson, surgeon, son of James Ferguson of Lochmaben, Dumfriesshire, was born at Prestonpans on the 20th of March 1808, and was educated first at Lochmaben, and afterwards at the High School of Edinburgh. “At the age of fifteen he was placed by his own desire in a lawyer’s office, but the work proved uncongenial, and at seventeen he exchanged law for medicine. He became an assiduous pupil of Dr Robert Knox, the anatomist, who was much pleased with a piece of mechanism constructed by Ferguson, and appointed him, at the age of twenty, demonstrator to his class of four hundred pupils. “In 1828 Ferguson became a licentiate, and in 1829 a Fellow, of the Edinburgh College of Surgeons. Two of his preparations, admirably dissected, are still preserved in the museum of the Edinburgh College of Surgeons. “Soon after qualifying, he began to deliver a portion of the lectures on general anatomy in association with Knox, and to demonstrate surgical anatomy. In 1831 he was elected Surgeon to the Edinburgh Royal Dispensary, and in that year tied the subclavian cord, which had then been done in Scotland only twice. “On the roth October 1833 he married Miss Helen Hamilton Ranken, daughter and heiress of William Ranken of Spittlehaugh, Peeblesshire. This marriage placed him in easy circumstances, but he did not relax his efforts after success in operative surgery, and in 1836, when he was elected Surgeon to the Royal Infirmary and Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, he shared with Syme the best surgical practice in Scotland. “In 1840 Ferguson accepted the Professorship of Surgery at King’s College, London, with the surgeoncy to King’s College Hospital, and established himself at Dover Street, Piccadilly, whence he removed in 1847 to George Street, Hanover Square. He became M.R.C.S. Engl. in 1840, and Fellow in 1844. His practice grew rapidly, and the fame of his operative skill brought many students and visitors to King’s College Hospital. “In 1849 he was appointed Surgeon in Ordinary to the Prince Consort, and in 1855 Surgeon Extraordinary; and in 1867 Sergeant Surgeon to the Queen. “For many years he was the leading operator in London; he was elected to the Council of the College of Surgeons in 1861, Examiner in 1867, and was President of the College in 1876. “As Professor of Human Anatomy and Surgery, he delivered two courses of lectures before the College of Surgeons in 1864 and 1865, which were afterwards published. He was President of the Pathological Society in 1859-60, and of the British Medical Association in 1873. In 1875 he received the honorary degree of LL.D. from Edinburgh University. He resigned the Professorship of Surgery at King’s College in 1870; but until his death was Clinical Professor of Surgery and senior Surgeon to King’s College Hospital. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Society. “He was created baronet on the 23rd January 1866, an honour which led to his receiving a presentation from three hundred old pupils, consisting of a silver dessert service worth #400, at the annual dinner of old King’s College men on the 21st of June 1866, “He died in London, after an exhausting illness of Bright’s disease, roth February 1877, and was buried at West Linton, Peeblesshire, where his wife had been buried in 1860. “He was succeeded by his son, Sir James Ferguson. A younger son, Charles Hamilton, is a major in the army. He left besides three daughters. “A portrait of him by Lehmann, painted by subscription, was presented to the London College of Surgeons in 1874, and a replica is in the Edinburgh College of Surgeons. “He was an excellent carpenter, rivalling skilled artisans. He was a good violinist, an expert fly fisher, and very fond of the drama. “He was tall, distinguished, and of good presence; fond of a joke, and very hospitable. He rendered gratuitous aid to large numbers of clergymen, actors, authors, and governesses.” Sir William Hamilton of Preston. Another of the famous scientists connected with the district was Sir William Hamilton of Preston. He was born on the 8th of March 1788 in the College of Glasgow, and became Professor of Logic and Metaphysics in the University of Edinburgh. His father, Dr William Hamilton, was Professor of Anatomy and Botany in the University of Glasgow. His mother was Elizabeth, daughter of William Stirling, merchant, whose family had for several generations been settled in Glasgow, where they occupied an influential position. This was the same William Hamilton who sought and obtained, as the nearest heir in succession, the baronetcy of Preston (See under the Hamiltons, etc.). He died on the 6th of May 1856, at the age of sixty-eight years, and was buried in one of the vaults in St John’s Chapel; Edinburgh. His tombstone reads as follows:— In Memory of SIR WILLIAM HAMILTON, Baronet, Professor of Logic and Metaphysics In the University of Edinburgh, Who died 6th May 1856, age 68 years. His aim Was by a pure philosophy to teach That Now we see through a glass darkly, Now we know in part. His hope That, in the life to come, He should see face to face, And know even as also he is known. The Rev. Dr Calder Macphail. The information will no doubt be hailed with pleasure by quite a host of friends, that in Dr Calder Macphail of Harlo House we have amongst us a real student of the late great Metaphysician, Sir William Hamilton of Preston. The Rev. Dr recalls yet with no unstinted admiration the many lectures he listened to from that truly great thinker and eloquent teacher, when he himself was little more than a boy. Dr Macphail, though well stricken in years, is still both “hale and hearty,” and always ready to obey his Master in the work to which he was called. This is the same Dr Calder Macphail who did so much for education in the Highlands of Scotland. Sir Walter Scott. Not the least among the “great and mighty” men of Science, men of Law, and men of Literature, who, at one time or other have had a dwelling-place here, was Sir Walter Scott. In his boyhood, while weakly, he was conveyed to the Pans for the benefit of his health, and lived up an outside stair a little to the east of Harlo Hill. He was wont to tell in his after years, that he remembered being carried across the street in the early mornings, and down through a “pend” or arched-way to get his “salt water baths” in the Firth o’ Forth. This was about the year 1777, and “it was during that period,” say the ready writers in gazetteers, etc., that he gathered his historical information concerning Preston Battle for the first of the series of his great novels “Waverley.” He was but a sickly boy then. It is a well-known fact that the “great literateur” was a regular comer and goer between Edinburgh and the “Thorn Tree,” at a much later period, for the purpose above referred to. After several discussions between these fast friends the late General Cadell and Mr Hislop of Castlepark, as to where Scott lived, it was agreed to set up a medallion portrait of him in the front wall of that house, at the foot of Harlo Hill, indicating his home, but even this has not gone far to clinch the argument. Many hold it was in that house farther east, known as Nether Shot, he lived, and the “pend” referred to is that narrow archway adjoining Rennie the baker’s shop. DISTINGUISHED SCHOLARS—ALEXANDER HUME, THE GRAMMARIAN. Among eminent scholars who have spent a portion of their lives here, not the least noteworthy is Alexander Hume, commonly called “the grammarian.” He was appointed parochial schoolmaster in 1606, and held the appointment with honour for a period of ten years. Previous to this, Hume held an appointment as teacher in the High School, Edinburgh. He resigned his Edinburgh situation in 1606 to become principal master of the grammar school at Prestonpans, which had been recently founded there by John Davidson, the minister of the parish. The school was erected for the teaching of Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, and the founder destined all his heritable and movable propcrty, including his books, to the support and ornament of this tri-lingual academy. The school was not entirely finished till about fifteen years after Davidson’s decease. Wood’s “Fasti,” by Bliss, p. 217, says: “He was principal master of the High School, Edinburgh, from 1596 to 1606, when he went to Prestonpans. He left the latter place in 1615, and became master of the grammar school at Dunbar.” His Grammar was appointed to be used in all schools, both by the Privy Council and Parliament. As a curiosity, we give the following account of Hume’s admission to the Grammar School of Prestonpans. “At Hadintoun ye 25 of Junij 1606. The qlk day Mr Jas. Ker minister of ye Panis, producit ye presentatione of Mr Alex. Hoome to be schoolmr of ye schoole of ye Panis foundit be Mr Jon Davedsone for instruction of the youth in hebrew, greek, and latine subscryvet be yais to quhome Mr Jo Davedsone gave power to noiat ye man qlk prentatone ye prebrie allowit and ordenit ye moderator and clerk to subscrive ye samine in ye names qlk yay ded. As also ordeanit yt ye said kirk of ye Panis suld be visited vpon ye eight day of Julij next to come for admissione of ye said Mr Alexr. to ye said office. The visitors were appoyntit, Mr Ard Oswald, Mr Robert Wallace, Mr George Green, Mr Andro Blackhall, and Mr Andro Maghye, to teach at Saltprestoune July 8, 1606. The haill parischoners being poisit how yay lyekit of ye said Mr Alexr., wt uniforme consent, being particularly inquyrit schew yr guid lycking of him and yr willingnes to accept and receiv him to ye said office. Qrupon said Mr Alexr. was admitted to ye said office, and in token of ye approbaone both of visitors, and of ye parischioners prnt, both ye ane and ye vother tuik ye said Mr Alexr. be ye hand, and ye haill majistratis, gentlemen, and remanet parischoners prnt faithfullie promisit to securre for ye furtherace of ye work yt yit restis to be done to ye said schoole, as also to keip ye said Mr Alexr. and his scholleris skaithlis; finallie for farther authorizing of ye aforesaid, it was thought meitt yt ye haill visitors and parischoners prnt suld enter ye said Mr Alexr. into ye said schoole & yr heir him teache qlk also was done.”—(Records of Presbytery of Haddington.) The parliament in the course of that year erected “in ane paroche kirk,” the kirk builded “be the labouris, paynis, gnd expense, of umqle Mr Johne Davidsoun,” and ratified the school founded and doted by him “for teaching of Latin, Greek, and Hebrew Toungis.”—(Act Parl. Scot. iv, 302.) Educated Here. Among those who received their education at school here were Colonel Campbell, youngest son of Hew Dalrymple (Lord Drummore). He became Governor of Guadaloupe, 1756, after its being taken from the French. Sir Robert Murray Keith, and his brother Sir Basil Keith, also had their education here. Atmospheric Contagion. The late Dr. Scott Alison of Tranent, in a volume published in 1839 on propagation of contagious poisons by the atmosphere, says (page 155): “The following facts illustrate well the influence which scanty food, insufficient clothing, and the privations attendant upon poverty, exert in the production of disease. “During the last three months (10th February 1839) the fishermen and potters living in Prestonpans have been in a very destitute condition, the former partly from the very boisterous weather which has prevented their going regular to sea, and the latter from the closure of the potteries at which they were employed. During that time, these two classes of people have been suffering much from fever, about ten of their number having died in that short period; while the people, amounting to 750 including children, connected with Prestongrange colliery, who are well employed, well paid, and well fed, though inhabiting the same locality, and the houses stretching from Prestonpans to Musselburgh Links, have been almost free of that disease, fever having affected two of these families only in the course of the same time; and while fever is still prevailing extensively among the potters and fishermen, the people connected with the colliery have been entirely free of that disease since about the seventh of last December. On these facts I am well informed, being the medical attendant of the colliery.” Lord Westhall and Westhall House. Westhall House, now Dovecot, is a long rambling block, with few outside adornments, but inside full of curious nooks and whirling boutgates, which, though they might drive the artist into fits who tried to sketch them, does no less thrill with delight the soul of the antiquarian who tries to penetrate their curious windings. Lord Westhall was a Dalrymple, connected with the families of North Berwick and Newhailes. He was a Judge Ordinary in 1778, and resided here for many years. Lord Westhall was an elder in the church during the incumbency of Dr M‘Cormac. There is, or was lately, a pane of glass in one of the room windows with “Miss Dalrymple” scratched on it. On the decease of Lord Westhall, during the early part of the 19th century, one Smith, a shoemaker, purchased the building and put the curious upper storey on it. It now belongs to Mr. J. B. Taylor, S.W.M., and is presently occupied by his brother Mr William, a worthy villager indeed. Professor Robert Oliver Cunningham. Among the distinguished living of the ancient village, we are pleased to mention the three sons of the late Rev. Mr Bruce Cunningham. Mr Robert, the eldest, was born in 1841. He received his school and college education in Edinburgh, and graduated as Doctor of Medicine at the University of Edinburgh in 1864. In January 1866 he was appointed Professor of Natural History in the Royal Agricultural College at Cirencester, Gloucestershire; and in June of the same year resigned the appointment in consequence of being appointed by the Admiralty, Naturalist on board H.M.S. “Nassau” then commissioned for the survey of the Straits of Magellan and West Coast of Patagonia. Returning home in 1869, he was appointed by the Crown to the Chair of Natural History in Queen’s College, Belfast, which he still holds. He is author of a variety of scientific papers, and of a separate work on the Natural History of the Straits of Magellan. Professor Douglas Cunningham. David Douglas Cunningham, a younger son of the late minister, entered the Indian Medical Service in 1868, and a few years subsequently was appointed Professor of Physiology in the Medical College, Calcutta. He was much engaged in the investigation of cholera, and has published many papers on that and kindred subjects. He retired from the service in 1897. Dr James Bannerman Cunningham. The third son of the Rev. W. Bruce Cunningham is Dr. James Bannerman Cunningham, M.B., C.M. He graduated at Edinburgh in 1878. He practised for a time in his native village and afterwards proceeded to England. He is still in practice at Ruyton, near Shrewsbury. Mr William Brown—A Successful Merchant and Benevolent Gentleman. Mr Brown was a gentleman who never seemed to care that his one hand knew what the other hand was doing. His mother was a Taylor (Isabel), of that genuine old stock who still form a strong connecting link between West Seton and the village of Prestonpans. He had his upbringing, for the most part, between the two places. At an early age Mr Brown went abroad and became one of the most successful merchants of his day. He afterwards settled in London, whence he showered his charitable gifts around him, but always as an anonymous donor. On one occasion his assistance was requested for a new school at Cockenzie, the other being entirely out of repair. He at once replied offering to build a new school entirely at his own expense, on condition that his name was kept out of it. The work was soon accomplished and magnificently done. His old friends at Prestonpans wished assistance with a public hall, which they had striven fur years to get erected. See how it ended later on. He had two brothers in the medical profession, one of them established for a time at Tranent. They both died at an early age. They were wont to tell him of the Royal Infirmary at Edinburgh, how grand an institution it was, but they never failed to follow up their exclamations of praise with the wish that there was a special home to remove the convalescents to for a while before disbanding them altogether. For, they maintained, that many of the patients, though sent home cured of their troubles, through carelessness or otherwise, very often, after a few days, returned no better than they had been at first on seeking relief. The words of his brothers he never ceased to remember, and as soon as he found it convenient, he it was, again as an anonymous donor, who instituted the Convalescent Home at Corstorphine, in connection with the Royal Infirmary, and of which so many are now continually reaping the benefit. Mr. Brown died upwards of two years ago in London, and was buried in the home of his adoption. Mr Brown is further referred to elsewhere. Ancient Family Names—Taylor, Banks, and Brown. This, as far as can be discovered, is the most ancient family name extant in the parish, showing, as it does, a continuous lineal connection with a family who settled in Prestonpans towards the latter end of the 17th century, with a family resident in the parish and neighbourhood even at the present day. The name referred to is that of Taylor, and the family is supposed to have been originally of Huguenot extraction. Dr Smiles, in his “History of the Huguenots,” says:— “Among the conversions of French into English names may be mentioned that of Le-Tellier, which became Taylor.” The present family have some reason for believing that their paternal ancestors were French and Huguenots, but that cannot now be certified. The first notice we have of them is when settled in the north of Scotland at Fraserburgh, where they seem to have got into touch with the Reforming party, and to have held firmly by it, for we learn that during the early part of the 17th century, owing to severe measures being taken against the party of progress in the north, Alexander Taylor, leaving Fraserburgh, settled among quite a host of congenial spirits in Prestonpans, some of whom had been under the able ministrations of that eminent divine John Davidson. We have no authority for stating that Alexander Taylor ever “sat under” that fearless reformer, but we know that he made the acquaintance of John Banks, whose father had been an elder, and took an active part in the congregation along with his minister, John Davidson; and we find that John Banks, son of the former, and John Taylor,—this John Taylor was born about 1734; he set a ladder against the old garden wall at Prestonpans, and witnessed the battle of Preston from a distance,—son of the latter, were elders in the church at Prestonpans at a later date, and “witnessed” the baptism of the infant daughter of Alexander Banks and Marion Erskine, who afterwards went to reside at Haddington, and whose son James, and his grandson John, became Provosts of the ancient burgh of Haddington. This same John Banks was presented with the freedom of Dunbar, Linlithgow, and Jedburgh. The writs and stamps in connection with these presentations are safely preserved by the family at West Seton. It is somewhat remarkable that, after the lapse of more than a century, the friendship between the families of these two elders of the early church at Prestonpans should have been renewed by the marriage, in 1822, of Alexander Taylor and Mary Banks. After this little retrogression we return to John Taylor, born about 1734. He is said to have been “highly esteemed not only as a kind friend, but as an helper in every good work.” Besides being an able farmer he was a bit of a “scientist,” and is said to have supplied valuable papers to the Astronomical Society in Edinburgh. The old gentleman resided mostly at Prestonpans, visiting occasionally his property of Claybarns, now called Hopefield,—sold at the decease of Mr Taylor,—and his farm at Seton West Mains. John Taylor seems to have been a very early riser. One of his visits there his people had cause to remember. After thundering at the door for a while with his staff he finished up shouting loudly, “What? four o’clock! a summer morning, and everyone asleep here yet!” Mr John Taylor was kirk treasurer under William Carlyle at Prestonpans. John Taylor greatly improved this farm at his own expense. His son Alexander, and his daughter Isabella, resided for a time regularly at West Seton. Isabella married Dr William Brown, son of the famous divine, scholar, and author, Dr John Brown, of Haddington. Dr William Brown was also an author. He revised his father’s “Dictionary of the Bible,” wrote the “History of Missions,” and several other works. He was also author of that charming little book for children, “Brown’s Catechism.” He had four sons, all talented. Dr John Taylor Brown, the eldest, still survives. (He has died since this note was written.) Asan author he has written much in his day, and on various themes. His style is refined and pleasing. His second son was Mr William Brown above referred to. The younger brothers, Dr Alexander Brown and Dr Robert Brown, were young men of great promise in the medical profession, but both died at an early age. We may also here mention the name of James Banks, brother to Mrs Alexander Taylor, of Prestonpans, because of his incessant efforts in the “anti-slavery cause.” When young he visited British Honduras and the Southern States of America, and being deeply impressed by the horrors of slavery, he tried by visiting these places to influence the public against the traffic in human beings. He also took a deal of trouble to ascertain if cotton could be grown by free labour on the west of Africa and in the British Colonies. Obtaining specimens of cotton there grown he tried to interest the Manchester merchants in his plans, but the chief response he got was, “We wish cheap cotton, and we do not care how it is grown;” but when the war broke out between the Northern and Southern States of America, and cotton rose to a fearful price, it is said they expressed regret then that they had not taken the advice of Mr Banks. James Banks wrote a metrical version of the Psalms, which has not been published. Alexander Taylor, the only surviving son of John Taylor, married Miss Banks, whose kindness of heart and gentleness are still well remembered in the district. He was a worthy son of.a worthy father, inheriting his deep religious feeling and strict integrity. He was a kind master, friend, husband, and father. He had five sons, and of these there are:— John Banks Taylor, who retains the lands held by his father, but resides at the farm of Seton West Mains, a good man and true, and strongly in favour of temperance. He has conducted the farm for well-nigh half a century, and a single glance over the highly cultivated lands shows the untiring efforts in well-doing of this long-time tenant of the Earl of Wemyss. Alexander, always of a mercantile turn of mind, after being in business for some years in Egypt returned to the home and the haunts of his early days, interesting himself in the welfare of those around him. He has done a little good literary work. William, who was for many years in South Africa, and was happily married there, now resides an esteemed townsman in Prestonpans, from whence he has sent forth three sons, all of whom have taken an active part in the Transvaal War. James, the fourthson, had an honourable mercantile career, and became the presiding-partner of an eminent firm in Hong-Kong; and as a member of its legislative council, he exerted himself to put down the gambling practices which so evilly affected more especially the natives of the place, and in this was very successful. During his stay there he, along with the other honourable members of the legislature had the honour of welcoming Prince Alfred on his visit to Hong-Kong, which was brilliantly illuminated for the occasion. On his return to England he was one of the first to propose, and with other friends to found, the Chair of Chinese Classics at Oxford. His death took place at New York, 31st January 1884, causing deep regret to a large circle of friends. Robert, fifth son, “the youngest and most cared for of all,” after a very bright but brief career now rests in far off South Africa. There are also two sisters, Misses Margaret and Mary, and ladies more gentle in manner and kindly in disposition it would be difficult to find. One of their chief aims in life seems to be, how to do most for suffering humanity around them. One of the sisters has published—for private circulation only— a little volume of poetic gems, some of which deserve to be better known, and will be. The other is author of “A Noble Life,” a memoir of one of the brothers above referred to. Lord Fountainhall at one time occupied that house now occupied by Mr Bryce, bootmaker, east of Ayres Wynd. CHAPTER X. WITCHCRAFT. Witchcraft — Geilles Duncan — David Seton — Dr Feane at Saltpans — Great Trial for Witchcraft — Condemnation — Military Riot at Tranent; Prestonpans Men Involved — Their Acquittal — Riotous Proceedings at Prestonpans — Imprisonment — Acquittal — A French Professor on Prestonpans — As a Health Resort, &c. — The French Professor and Glasgow Lasses — Taxing in 1827 — Agricultural Shows at Prestongrange. THAT Saltpans was given up to witchcraft too, during the sixteenth century, need scarcely have been doubted; but that it had to do with the greatest witch trial on record would scarcely have been excepted. And yet it was so. The implicator in this trial was Geilles Duncan, a Tranent girl—indeed servant girl to no less a personage than David Seton, the notorious witch-finder, chamberlain to the Earl of Winton of that period, and who had his habitation in that old house in Winton Place known as the Royal George. The person implicated was Dr Fian or Feane. Sometimes he is termed schoolmaster at Tranent, at other times master of the school at Saltpans. It may be that he had both schools under his charge; but we need scarcely attempt, at this time of day, to explain that by any trick of witchery he could be in both schools, and teach the scholars, at one and the same time, for few would readily believe it. Geilles had implicated a good many for witchery before she fell foul of Dr Feane. Fourteen jurymen sat on this case, and a curious thing connected with this trial is the fact that no less than half a dozen of them hailed from Tranent. Such a state of matters would hardly be tolerated now in a court of law. King James himself sat and heard this trial from beginning to end. Now for the case. Amongst others implicated by Geilles Duncan as being servants of the devil was Dr Feane, who was tried at great length before the Assize at Edinburgh; and whose trial, in order to show the frivolous nature of the charges brought against people, in many cases of unblemished character, and for which they were cruelly put to death, we give in its entirety. In the “History of King James VI.,” the culprit in this case is designated “schoolmaster at Tranent, master of the school at Saltpans.” He is termed also “register and secretar to the devil;” and is set down in the indictment, December 26, 1599, as Johnne Feane, alias Cunningham, last dwelling in Preston; Condu, convict of divers poyntes of Witchcraft, condemit in the dittay; comperit the samin Maister David M‘Gill of Cranstoune Rydell, Advocate to our Sovereign Lord, as pursuer, and producit ane dittay against the said Johnne Feanne. The jurymen were:— John Wilson, Edinburgh | Richard Halzeot, Tranent Robert Thriskie | Robert Seyton, Tranent John Halket, Edinburgh | John Donaldson, Edinburgh James Watson, do. | Thomas Craig, Edinburgh Thomas Wright | John Colville Richard Newtoune, Tranent | James Milton, Tranent William Strathearn, Tranent | Robert Smith, do. “Videlicit—Quhilkis persons of Assize being chosen, sworn, and admitit upon the said Johnne Feane. He being accused be dittay of the said crimes, they chuse James Watson, Chanceller; after which, by the mouth of the said Chanceller, ffand, pronouncit, and delyuerit the said Johnne Feane to be fylit and convict. Fyrst, that when the devil appeared and come to him, when he was lying in his bed at Tranent, in Thomas Trumbellis chalmer, mwsand and panpand how he mycht be revenged of the said Thomas, who had offended him in nocht spargeing of his room as he had promised, his face being towards the wall; the devil appeared to him in white raiment, when he, the devil, spak to him in thir terms, or ever he, Feane, spak to the devil, ‘Will ze be ma serwand, and adore me and ma serwands, and ze sall never want, and also ze suld be revengit of zour enimies;” like as, the same devil persuaded him to burn Thomas Trumbellis hoose, in respect he had not kept his promise. 2d Item—Fylit for suffering of himself to be markit by the devil with ane rod the second nicht that he appeared to him in white arayment as said is, in his bed, and for feigning of himself to be seik in the said Thomas Trumbillis chalmer, where he was struck in great estasies and transis by and be the space of twa or three hours deid, his spirit tane, and suffered himself to be careit and transportit to mony mountains, as thocht through all the world, according to his ain deposition. 3d Item—Frylit according to his ain confession for the abusing of the bodie of Margret Spens, wedo, in , promising to haif mareit hir, but at Satan’s command he stayit, quhu said to him, “Gif he mareit hir he sould tyne him of muckill ruches.” 4th Item—Fylit for the suffering of himself to be careit to North Berwick kirk, he being lyand in ane close bed in Prestonpans, as if he had been fouchand athout the aird, quhair Satan commandit him to mak him homage with the rest of his serwandis, quhare he thocht he saw the lycht of ane candill standand in the midst of his serwandis, whilk appereit blue lowe, and Satan stood as in a pulpit, making ane sermon of dowtsoume speechis, saying, “Many cum to the fair, and byis nocht all wares, and desired nocht to fear tho’ he wes grymme, for he had mony serwandis quha sould never want, and sould aill nathing sa lang as thayre hair wes on, and sould never let ane teir fall frae thair een sa lang as they servit him, and gaif them thair lessons and commands to him as follows: Spair not to do evill, and to eit, drink, and be blyth, taking rest and eise, for he sould raise thame at the last day gloriously.” 5th Item—Fylit for the being in company with Satan at his convention, quhair he saw Robert Griersoune, Michaell Clark, Annie Sampsoune, with sundrie others; and at the same tyme for the bewitching and possessing of William Hutsoune in Windygoul, with ane evill speirit. 6th Item—Fylit for suffering himself to be careit to the sea with Satan, and at the first he was skimmin’ ower all the sea without land in ane boit, accompanit with the persons above written, and being of the fair knowledge of the leek that strak up in the queen’s schip as the devil foirtald him. 7th Item—Fylit for the raising of wyindis at the king's passing to Denmark, and for the sending of ane letter to Marioun Linkup, in Leith, to that effect, bidding her to meet him and the rest on the sea within five days, quhair Satan delivered ane cat out of his ain hand to Robert Greirsoune, giving the word to cast the same in the sea hola, and thereafter being mounted in a schip and drawn ilk ane to others, quhair Satan said, “Ye sall sink the schip,” like as they thought it did. 8th Item—Fylit for assembling himself with Satan at the King’s returning frae Denmark, quhair Satan promesit to raise ane mist, and cast the King’s majesty in England; and for performing thairof he took ane thing like ane futeball, quhilk appearit to the said Johnne like a wisp, and cast the same in the sea, quhilk caused ane vapour and ane reik to ryis. 9th Item—Fylit for being in company with Satan in the kirk of North Berwick, quhair he appeareit to him in the form of ane black man within the pulpit thairof, and after his outcoming of the kirk, pointed the graves and stood above them, quhilk were opened in thrie sundrie pairts, twa within and ane without, when the women dememberit the deid corps and bodies therein with thair gullies, and incontinent wes transportit with words. 10th Item—Fylit for opening of locks, and specialy ane lock in David Seytoune’s younger, in Tranent and sic-lyke, for the opening of the said Davide's foir yett, the key thairof being lyand upon the buird at the supper. As also for opening of ane lock by his sorcerie in David Seytoune’s moderis, he blawing in ane woman’s hand, himself sitting at the fyre syde. 11th Item—Fylit for the being cumand furth of Patrick Umphrie’s son’s house in the mylne under nicht fra his supper, and passand to Tranent on horseback, and ane man with him, be his devilitch craft raisit up four candills on the horse’s twa lugs, and ane other candill upon the staff quhilk the man had in his hand, and gaif sic lycht as if it had been daylycht, lyke as the said candills returned with the said man at his hamecuming, and causit him fall deid at his entrie within the house. 12th Item—Fylit for the witching and possessing of the said William Hutchisoune with ane evill speirit, which continued with him twentie-sax oulkis; like as the same speirit departit and left, how soon the said Johnne was tane and apprehendit. 13th Item—Fylit for being in company with Annie Sampsoune, Robert Greirsoune, Kaet Gray, and cthers, upon Hallowene; they embarkit in ane boit beside Robert Greirsoune’s house in the Pannis, and sailit ower the sea to ane tryst they had with ane other witch, quhen they entered within ane schip and drank gude wine and aill therein, and thereafter causing baith schip and boit to perish with the persons therin, and their returning hame. 14th Item—Fylit for the using þe way of witchcraft of moudiwart’s feet upon him in his purse given to him þe Satan for the cause that sa lang as he had them upon him he sould never want siller. 15th Item—Fylit for being in North Berwick kirk at ane convention with Satan and other witches, where Satan made ane devilitch sermon, where the said Johnne sat upon the left side of the pulpit nearest him; and the sermon being endit, he came down and tuke the said Johnne by the hand and led him widdershins aboot, and thereafter causit him kiss him behind. 16th Item—Fylit for the chasing of ane cat in Tranent, in the quilk chase he was carreit heich above the ground with great swiftness, and as lichtly as the cat herself, ower ane dyke heicher nor he wes able to lay his hand on the tap of; and being enquirit to what effect he chased the same, answereit that, in ane convention haldin at Brumhollis, Satan commanded all that wes present ta tak cats, lyke as he for obedience to Satan chased the said cat purposely to be cassin in the sea, to raise wyndis for destruction of ships and boits. 17th Item—Fylit that for as muckle as be his airt of witchcraft, majic, and sorcerie, he gaif himself to declair to ony man how lang they sould live, and what sould be thair end, gif they wad tell the day of their birth, like as he foirtald the same to Marion Weddell, that her son sould not live xv. days, quhilk cam’ to pass as he spak’. 18th Item—Fylit for declaring of the lyke to Alexander Bowis wyffe in Edinburgh, and saying “hir son wad be a short while in hir aucht,” as he died within a short space thereafter. 19th Item—Fylit for the receiving of thir directions and commandiments fra Satan:— 1st, To deny God and all true religeon. 2nd, To gif his faith to the devil and adore him. 3rd, He said to the devil that he sould persuade as mony as he could to his societie. 4th, He dismemberit the bodies of the deid corpse, and specially of bairns unbaptisit. 5th, He destroyit men be land and sea, with cornis, cattell, and guideis, and raised tempests and stormy wedder, as the devil himself blawing in the air, etc. 20th Item—Fylit for ane common notorious witch and enchanter. Sentence: convict of divers poyntes of witchcraft, and to be brynt.” Dr Feane, we learn, while imprisoned in Edinburgh jail, ‘seemed to have a care of his ain soul, and would call upon God, showing himself penitent for his wicked life. Nevertheless he found means to steal the key of the prison door, got out and fled to Saltpans, where he was always resident, and first apprehendit. Of whose sudden departure, when the King’s majesty had notice, he presently commanded diligent enquiry to be made for his apprehension, by public proclamation into all parts of the land to the same effect, by means of whose hot and hard pursuit, he was again taken and brought back to prison. He denied all. But through the confession he had been compelled to make in his own handwriting, by tortures most cruel, he was condemned and burnt on the Castlehill at Edinburgh, on January last, 1591.” The confessions of Feane, Sampson, and others, are said to have caused the king considerable amusement; and in respect of the strangeness of these matters, he took great delight to be present at their examinations. The following is another case bearing on the district:— Catherine Liddel exhibited a complaint against Rutherford, baron bailie to Morrison of Prestongrange, and against David Cowan in Tranent, bearing that they had seized upon her, an innocent woman, and had defamed her as a witch, and detained her under restraint as a prisoner; and that the said Cowan had pricked her with his pins in sundry parts of her body, and bled and tortured her most cruelly. The defence was, that she was delated by other witches mala fama arboratat, and was thereupon apprehended, and yet so kindly used as not to be thrust into any public prison, but kept in a private house. That she and her son-in-law consented that she might be searched, it being desired for the manifestation and vindication of her innocency. As for the pricker:— 1st. He learned his trade from Kincaid, a famous pricker. 2nd, He never came unsent for, because he was either called by sheriffs, magistrates of boroughs, ministers, baron bailies, etc. 3rd, The trade was not improbate, or condemned by any law among us. 4th, All divines and lawyers, when writing on witchcraft, acknowledge there are such marks, called by them stigmata sagarum. Why then may there not be an art for discerning them from other marks of the body? The Council may restrain that way of trial for the future, but must pardon bygones. Answer 1st.—Denies consent. 2nd.—None can virtually consent to their own torture. As for the pricker, he was a cheat, and abused the people for gain; and the Chancellor remembered that he had caused imprison Kincaid at Kinross for abusing the country there. The Lords of Privy Council first declared the woman innocent, and restored her to her good name and fame, and ordained it to be publicly intimated the first Sunday in her parish kirk. They reproved Rutherford for his rashness, and discharged him to proceed so hereafter, and found that no inferior judge or baron bailie had power to apprehend or detain any of the King’s lieges under pretence of their being suspected as witches. But they must immediately intimate it either to the Lords of Privy Council or to the Lords of Justiciary, and obtain’ their warrant for taking them. As also found they might not use any torture by pricking, or by withholding them from sleep; but reserved all that to themselves and the justices, and those who acted by commission from them. And as a mark of their displeasure against the pricker, they committed him to prison, there to lie during their pleasure. The Militia Riot at Tranent. There was no riot at Prestonpans on the day of Tranent mob (1797), but that the seaside villagers fully sympathised with their mining neighbours on the brae-face in their struggle for relief there is ample evidence to prove. It was the enforcing of militia by ballot. The cry of “No militia” had been raised in Tranent. It extended to Prestonpans; and it soon became evident that the potters of Prestonpans did not wish their sons to be taken from them by force any more than the miners of Tranent, Macmerry, and Penston. There were several meetings held in the village, condemnatory of the government of the day, for the Act they had passed; but as yet no active step had been taken in the matter. It was the evening previous to the day in which the Ballot Act was to be put in force at Tranent, whither the young men of all the surrounding villages had been summoned. A certain number were to be drawn out of each district to act as militiamen, whether they would or not; and Prestonpans was not passed over. The meeting, under the presidentship of Nicol Couterside, a potter, had continued almost till midnight, during which many propositions, rash and otherwise, had been before the assembly. At length a petition, containing four clauses, was drawn out; this was to be forwarded next day to Tranent, and presented to the Justices assembled there, as a protest from the people of Prestonpans. The petition ran as follows:— “Prestonpans, 28th August 1797. “To the honourable gentlemen assembled at Tranent for the purpose of raising 6000 militiamen in Scotland. “GENTLEMEN. — The following are the declarations and resolutions to which the undersigned do unanimously agree:— “1, We declare that we unanimously disapprove of the late Act of Parliament for raising 6000 militiamen in Scotland. “2, That we will assist each other in endeavouring to repeal the said Act. “3, That we are peaceably disposed; and should you, in endeavouring to execute the said Act, urge us to adopt coercive measures, we must look upon you to be the aggressors, and as responsible to the nation for all the consequences that may follow. “4, Although we may be overpowered in effecting the said resolution, and dragged from our parents, friends, and employment, to be made soldiers of, you can infer from this what trust can be reposed in us if ever we are called upon to disperse our fellow-countrymen, or to oppose a foreign foe.” A protest indeed! and not awanting in bravado. This was to be signed by some thirty persons; but a difficulty arose,— who was to lead off? The leader was sure to be a marked man, and the consequences none could foresee. Again came Couterside to the rescue. “Let it be signed,” said he, “as at sea: in the form of a circle, or ‘round-robin,’ then none may tell who is the leading party in the affair.” The petition was ultimately signed in a circular form, and quite a little company proceeded to Tranent next day to see the fun and the protest presented. Before they arrived, the parishes of Humbie, Salton, and Ormiston had been subjected to the Ballot Act; even the half of Prestonpans had been gone over before Nicol Couterside entered the room and placed his paper in the hands of Major Wight. The deputy-lieutenants, who included Mr Anderson, St Germains; Mr Cadell, Cockenzie; Mr Gray of Southfield, etc., were assembled in John Glen’s inn, after seriously considering the import of the foregoing document, thought it the wiser plan to pay no attention to it; and the bearer, who seemed (real or feigned) a stupid sort of fellow, was severely reprimanded and dismissed from their presence. The horrible story of the massacre of old and young, in and around Tranent, which followed that day, as it is fully described in the “History of Tranent,” need not be recapitulated here. All the petitioners from Prestonpans escaped scot free. Patriotism and the Public Library. A subscription library, supported by such public-spirited gentlemen as Messrs Mellis, White, Belfield, Hume of Preston, etc., flourished for a considerable number of years in the village, but the subscribers beginning to fall off, and the Garibaldian struggle for freedom being at its height, it was unanimously resolved to sell off and assist the Garibaldians, and some £20 through this means was handed over to the Garibaldian Patriotic Fund. Riotous Proceedings of 1868. On the 4th of May 1868 very riotous proceedings prevailed in Prestonpans. It was altogether a ridiculous affair, brought about indeed by the election of certain burgh commissioners, and those who took an active part laugh heartily now over the folly of it. An instrumental band was engaged for the procession of the rebellious subjects, and the banners the processionists displayed told their own tale, “No Taxes,” “Down with Tyranny,” “No Commissioners,” “Seamen never feared a Storm,” “Britons never shall be Slaves.” It was, in fact, neither more nor less than an election of burgh commissioners, when certain gentlemen wished to win a seat on the board whom certain electors and non-electors wished to keep out. There were no broken heads going, but no end of feeling displayed. The rebellious party not only held the “crown o’ th’ causey,” but gained their point; but, to the consternation of all concerned, by midnight next evening, some fifteen, mostly youths, were conveyed to Haddington and lodged in a place with a nasty name. After five nights’ lodgings, bail was accepted of from £10 to £20 each, and all got home. The case was tried by jury. But acrimony had given place to a very different feeling on both sides, and this had much to do, alike with judge and jury, in bringing the case to a most satisfactory conclusion—dismissal. A French Professor’s Opinion of and Notes on Prestonpans, 1799. B. Fanjas Saint-Fond, Professor of Geology in the Museum of Natural History at Paris, thus writes in his “Travels in England, Scotland, and the Hebrides,” published in 1779:— “I had the unexpected pleasure of meeting in one of the streets of Edinburgh, a learned German whom I had seen some years before in Paris. . . It was Dr Swediaur, a physician who had long resided at London. “He told me that, wishing to enjoy a little repose, and to amuse himself with the chymical arts, in which he was deeply skilled, he had quitted the capital of England, and had purchased an estate about five [9] miles from Edinburgh, in the village of Prestonpans, and by the sea-coast, where he intended to establish a manufacture of sea-salt, principally with a view to separate the mineral alkali from the muriatic acid. “He begged that I would go to see the works which he had begun to construct, and as I had but a short time to remain at Edinburgh, it was agreed that I should go to dine at his house the next day. “Prestonpans is very advantageously situated for the establishing of manufactures; the proximity of the sea, and the abundance of pit-coal found in the neighbouring mines, render it extremely convenient for this purpose. The coal of the place, which is the same as that used at Edinburgh, has the: merited reputation of being of an excellent quality. It burns with a vivid, bright, and long continued flame: its cinder is grey and light. The only fault found with it is, that it is consumed a little quicker than the Newcastle coal; but I should prefer the Edinburgh coal to that of Newcastle; I do not know any that makes a more agreeable fire. “Swediaur showed me at Prestonpans the seat of the greatest manufactory of the oil of vitriol in Britain. I say the seat only, because the whole of the place is surrounded with a very high wall, which does not permit the eye to discover even the chimney tops of the works. A small harbour has been contrived to admit the vessels which bring the sulphur; but everything is so carefully enveloped in mystery that the harbour itself is surrounded with walls of a great height. All is concealed in this manufactory, and none can enter but the persons in employment. The only thing known is that the oil of vitriol (sulphuric acid) which it produces, forms an article of very extensive commerce. I do not suppose, however, that the processes employed here can differ much from those which are generally known, and which consist in burning the sulphur in chambers lined with lead. The suffocating smell perceived at a distance seems to announce that they are the same. But they may have some processes here for rectification or other purposes which they are desirous of concealing, “A great deal of sea-salt is also made at Prestonpans, for home consumption and as an article of commerce. It is produced by means of fire and evaporation. We found no difficulty of admission to the salt works, which are very numerous. “The sea water is raised by pumps into immense boilers of an oblong square form, which are not at most above eighteen inches deep, and are constructed of strong plates of iron closely joined to each other. The boiler is supported on strong bars of cast iron. The furnaces are placed immediately underneath, and divide into several vents which reach to the extremities of the boiler. There are four or five of these furnaces to each boiler, according to its surface, and they are supplied with fuel of pit coal. The water is by this means kept in continual ebullition, and fresh supplies are pumped in in proportion to what evaporates, until the salt is formed in quantity sufficiently large to be taken out. By this simple process there is procured a white salt of very good quality, excellent for cooking and other uses, but not very proper for curing provisions, nor so good as French salt for that purpose. “I observe in these salt works, where artificial ebullition supplies the place of natural evaporation, that the atmosphere is always a little loaded with marine acid in the form of vapour, which quickly corrodes and destroys the polish of steel. I experienced its effects on the buttons of my clothes, which were covered with rust in about ten minutes. This vapour also affects the smell, and is somewhat injurious to the lungs. “This is certainly not the marine acid disengaging itself from the mineral alkali; their union is too intimate for that supposition. The most violent fire acting upon sea-salt volatilizes rather than decomposes it; an intermediate substance is always necessary for the latter purpose. But there is sometimes found in salt a small portion of muriatic acid, united with magnesian earth, and as this basic fixes it but feebly, it is capable of being disengaged by ebullition. “Dr Swediaur conducted me to the piece of ground which he had purchased, where the works for making salt were considerably advanced, the boilers being already erected. I saw all these operations with much interest. “I ate some excellent oysters at the table of this learned physician. This was not to be wondered at, as I was in the place where the best oysters are taken in abundance. They are found in great quantities on banks at a little distance from the shore. They are large, plump, and of an exquisite taste, and are held in such estimation that they are exported to the principal cities of England and Holland. Large quantities also are pickled, put into barrels, and sent wherever there is a demand for them. “The position of Prestonpans and its proximity to the city of Edinburgh render it very agreeable, and one who loves study and tranquillity may here spend some very happy hours. It is therefore not surprising that Swediaur, fatigued with the bustle of London, should have given this spot a preference, and have settled in it, for the more uninterrupted prosecution of his studies and useful occupations.” We had the information long ago that it was in Cockenzie Dr Swediaur commenced operations in salt making, and failed. It may be quite correct, but one thing is certain from the foregoing, that whatever he did in Cockenzie, he also tried his experiments in salt making at Prestonpans. Glasgow Lasses. The French professor was greatly taken up, it seems, with the Glasgow lasses in proceeding west. “I was astonished,” he says, “in a climate so cold and so humid as that of Glasgow, to see the greater part of the lower class of females, and even many of those in easy circumstances, walking about with their heads and their feet bare, their bodies covered only with a jump, and a gown and petticoat of red stuff which descended to the middle of their legs, and their fine long hair hanging down without any other ornament than a crooked comb to keep back that part which would otherwise fall over their faces. This garb of the females, simple as it may be, is not destitute of grace. As there is nothing to fetter their movements, they display an elegance and agility in their gait so much the more striking as they are in general tall, well made, and of a charming figure. They have a clear complexion and very white teeth. It is not to be inferred, because they walk barefooted, that they are neglectful of cleanliness, for it appears that they wash frequently, and with equal facility, both their feet and their hands. In a word, the women of Glasgow will be always seen with pleasure by the lovers of simple nature. The children and young folks go also barefooted.” Taxing in 1827. In an account from the Revenue Office, Haddington, charged to Mr John Fowler, Prestonpans, we find the following items taxed, and the amount of taxation charged upon them :— To duty on 15 windows from Whitsunday 1826 to Whitsunday 1827 . . . . . . . £3 9 0 To duty on a house valued at £15 . . . 1 2 9 To duty on two male servants . . . . 3 4 0 To duty on a four-wheeled carriage . . . 3 5 0 To duty on a 2-wheeled carriage or saddle horse . 1 8 9 To duty on 1 carriage or saddle horse. . . 1 11 6 To duty on 3 cart horse . . . . . { 0 8 0 To duty on 1 dog . . . . . . { ————————— Settled, £14 9 0 ————————— Agricultural Show at Prestongrange. June 16th 1880 was a real “red letter day” in a very wide surrounding district. The Agricultural Show on that day was being held for the first time within the Prestongrange policies, and work in every shape and form, and all around, was brought to a stand for that day. CHAPTER XI. THE ANCIENT POTTERIES. Ancient Potteries — Dr Struthers, etc. — Lord Lovat’s Story — Prestonpans China — Sugar Refinery — Vitriol Works — The Pressgang — A Distillery — A Flour Mill — Gordon’s Pottery — Thomson & Fowler’s Potteries — Rombach & Cubie’s Potteries, etc. — Can, Tile, and Brick Works — Chemical Works — French Invasion Scare — The Pykemen — The Soap Works — Belfield’s Pottery — Magnesia Works. THE late Dr Struthers, who read much, sought much, wrote much, and whose papers ought to have been invaluable for a work of this sort had they not been so ruthlessly destroyed at his decease, thus wrote on 9th July 1874 concerning the old potteries of the district:— “There were potteries, with glassworks adjoining them, at or near Morison’s Haven, during the last quarter of the 17th century. “At a subsequent date a large pottery work, with a stone set in the outer circle of a kiln and the date 1762 inscribed thereon, was removed twenty years ago. Its site was a little west of where the Police Station stands. I am inclined to think it had been built on the ruins of an earlier erection of the same sort. At all events another near it was in active operation previous to 1741, when the Lord Lovat of Carlyle’s autobiography fame brought his second son, Alexander, to be educated at the Grammar School of Prestonpans. “The present Lord Lovat has in his possession what is believed by competent judges to be the earliest specimen of china made in Scotland. And his lordship’s account to me of its history, during a conversation with him at Beaufort, was that it was specially ordered by his young relative while at Prestonpans, and that the glaze applied to it was formed out of flints collected by him on Strichen Hill, the seat of his ancestry in those days, during the vacations. “His lordship, who is seventy years of age, says that the earliest reminiscences he has is, when a child, his aged grandmother was wont to hold out to him and other young friends, as the highest mark of favour, the privilege of getting their tea with her out of the Prestonpans china.” Sugar Refinery. During the early part of the 18th century a sugar refinery, on a small scale, was in full operation here; but from the fact of its closing shortly after the century had passed its centre, it seems not to have been a very profitable concern. Grant’s Inn is built on the site occupied by the refinery. Vitriol Works. Previous to the collapse of the sugar refinery, a vitriol factory had been established on the same side, but farther east the street. This “secret work” flourished for many years, giving work to quite a host of people, mostly old “salts,” every man on the establishment being sworn not to divulge the secrets of the trade. Among other seafaring men engaged there was “old Marr,” grandfather of that sterling old villager still in our midst, David Marr. On retiring from “sea life” he had applied at these works, which were in the vicinity of his own abode, and got employment there. He was still considered an able-bodied seaman. The navy was in want of men, and the “pressgang” had their eye upon him. One night they were out, but he was fully alive to the work of the pressgang, and had his eyes on them too. They pursued him at a distance straight into his own house; but in order to allay suspicion and keep them from surrounding the house, he left the door quite open behind him. They rushed inside in a body expecting to find him there, but without delaying a moment, except to acquaint his gudewife with the state of affairs, he bolted through the back window, and closing it behind him made straight for the vitriol works. After searching every corner, and driving their cutlasses down through the bedclothes, careless whether they killed or not,—‘“Tuts, tuts,” ejaculated his gudewife at last to the interlopers, “ye needna cut an’ slash the bed claes ony sairer; just step alang to the vitriol works and ye’ll find ’im there.” She knew he was by that time quite safe. Seeing they had been outwitted for once, and knowing well that they dared not attempt to enter the “secret” works, they instantly took their departure. Towards the beginning of the nineteenth century the chemical works were brought to a close, and the buildings shortly afterwards taken up as A Distillery. This other fiery liquid branch of business, under Cadell and Fowler, went on employing a great many hands for quite a number of years, continuing up to 1846-7. It was a highly prosperous concern all the time it lasted, and did not go down through want of funds to keep the concern moving, but rather, it is understood, was allowed to die out through conscientious scruples on the part of new successors. The buildings were thrown down and the site afterwards secured for A Flour Mill. There was an everlasting supply of living, bursting, bubbling water (the Forth) on the north side of the mill, but the supply from the south side was wholly inadequate to keep the unwieldy wheels of the grinders moving. The mill had to be driven by force of steam. It was never a paying concern, and . having got out of order, was brought to a standstill for repairs. The repairs were speedily accomplished, and on the morrow it was again to be set going, but when the morrow came the mill was in flames and gone forever. The blackened walls are still standing in all their nakedness at the west end of the old brewery on the south side of the street. Gordon’s Pottery. This was a very flourishing concern towards the west end of the village, near Bankfoot. The pottery was established about the year 1800, and soon became famous for the excellent and beautiful ware it produced. A very fine seam of clay was worked on the “In-gaun-ee” system at Upper Birslie Plantation for this manufactory. The quarry was known for long after as the “Clay Holes,” and the great open wastes, which are still well remembered in the neighbourhood, became famous as a covert for the badger. The Clay Holes were filled up some thirty years ago; but Gordon’s pottery had ceased to turn out its famous ware more than other thirty years previous to that period. Thomson and Fowler’s Potteries, etc. These great manufacturers, for they were great in their day, commenced business as a firm about 1750, and their works extended almost from Ayre’s Wynd on the west, to and Including a considerable portion of the present soap works on the east, and for years gave employment to some forty or. fifty men and boys. The whiteware made here, among other items, included cups and saucers, plates, bowls, bottles, greybeards, etc.; and while this was in full swing, they opened in addition, along where Camperdown Villas now stand, a very extensive brick, tile, can and drain-pipe manufactory, and carried on their very extensive businesses up to the beginning of the 19th century. But the stramash came at length. Thomson had become security for Laidlaw, who owned salt and sulphur works towards the west end of the village, for the sum of £2000. Laidlaw came down with a crash, and Thomson was compelled to pay up; but though he was quite hale and healthy, the transaction so preyed upon his mind that he took to bed and never got up again. Watson succeeded to these great and flourishing businesses, but they shortly after began to decay and were ultimately given up some years previous to the middle of last century. Rombach and Cubie’s potteries closed about the end of the eighteenth century. Chemical Works. Another of these old salt works, situated towards the east end of the village, which had increased to a great extent about the middle of the eighteenth century, gradually began to drop off towards the end of the century making the more common articles of commerce, and set up over its entrance the much more imposing sign “Chemical Works.” This got rapidly into a very extensive business. The goods manufactured here included sulphate of soda, sulphuric, nitric, and muriatic acids, and at one time these works in the height of their prosperity gave employment to upwards of half a hundred men. The first quarter of last century beheld the closing of the gates as a chemical manufactory. The French Invasion Scare. During the early part of last century, while Napoleon was threatening a visit to our shores and everybody were bent on defending their homes and hearths, the sailors and fishermen here also formed themselves into a volunteer company. There was a little compulsion in it, because the “pressgang” were abroad, and all who did not volunteer with goodwill had to go against their will, but all who joined the volunteer “pykemen” or “coastguardmen” were supplied with a government certificate insuring them against being “pressed.” There are several of these certificates still in the village; our gallant “pykemen,” however, never happened to have a brush with the French. Soap Works. “The quantity of soap used in a country is a guage of its wealth and civilisation.” —Baron von Liebig. Situate in High Street and extending south to Kirk Street are the soap works of Messrs. James Mellis and Company, founded shortly after the stirring times of the ’45, and so now making their acquaintance with a third century. Their story tells like a romance. So much has soap become one of “the common things of life” that we fail to appreciate what a boon itis. The ancients, feeling the need of something more even than “pure snow water,” tried “anointing with oil” and “washing with nitre and much sope,” which was probably some alkaline earth; and, strange to say, it is a union of these ingredients that goes to make the soap of to-day. Pliny writing early in the first century tells us that the best article then known was made from the suet of goats and beechwood ashes; and, crude though this product must have been, there was no great improvement in the materials or manufacture till the seventeenth century. Various reasons are given for the slow progress made in this country. Monopolies were granted to favourites, however incompetent,— to “His Majesty’s daily servitor,” for instance,—and no wonder we read that there was much complaint of the quality and the price. In these advanced times we are more free from state monopolies, and we fail to understand legislation that would tax a man for letting light into his house or for washing grime from his body or clothing. But it was only in 1853 that an excise duty, equal to the value of the article itself, was taken off soap! The removal of this hampering restriction gave a great impetus to the trade, and new materials and unfettered methods came quickly into use. This liberty the late Mr James Mellis was not slow to put to advantage, and the results of his great practical knowledge and his matured plans are still seen in the production of honest soaps that make clean in many a washtub. In his younger days he knew the difficulties of procuring more suitable materials than rough fat and soda got from the ashes of seaweed, etc. But ’tis a far cry to kelp burning and rudimentary processes, and now the purest of refined animal and vegetable oils combine with snow-white alkali to make a model cleanser for cottage or castle, for dye work or tweed mill. “Knowledge grows from more to more.” For centuries there has been seen waste, here and elsewhere. Glycerine is a by-product of hard-soap making, but only comparatively recently has its true value been ascertained and every effort made to extract and use it. The latest addition to the establishment is a glycerine recovery plant, and now every day Samson’s famous riddle is solved and reversed, as “out of the strong comes forth sweetness,” and out of the sweetness comes forth strength, for what is more powerful than dynamite and the other explosives to the making of which much of this glycerine goes? The Patersons. Previous to the occupancy of Mr Mellis, the brothers Messrs William and:Thomas Paterson conducted the soap works, and carried on a very large trade for a long series of years. Even at that period the output was about 90,0000 lbs. of hard soap per annum. When writing of soap, we may mention that the use of paraffin as a great help on washing day was brought under notice by a worthy Prestonpans lady, Mrs William Taylor, Dovecot, in a letter to the Scotsman, and many have reaped where she has sowed. Belfield’s Pottery. This has been from its beginning, and continues to be, one of the most flourishing factories in the parish. Its originator, Mr Charles Belfield, was grandfather to the brothers now conducting the business. He came from the pottery districts of Derbyshire about the beginning of the present century, at the instigation of the Earl of Stair, to conduct certain branches of pottery work in a manufactory on his estate at Cousland, near Dalkeith. From there he migrated to Prestonpans, and worked in Gordon’s pottery till its close. In 1832 Charles and his eldest son James opened these premises as potters, towards the west end of Prestonpans. They were among the first to make “white” or “sanitary ware” in Scotland, and so famous did their “white ware” from the old sea-side village become, that before long there was scarcely a firm of plumbers in Edinburgh or Leith but had their name flourishing in the order books of the Belfields. Shortly afterwards they added to their already extensive business the manufacture of Rockingham teapots. These now, and for years past, are being dispatched over the whole habitable globe. There is a large staff of men and boys continually engaged in this very delicate handicraft. Some time previous to 1852 the manufacture of drain pipes, etc., was added to the other branches of industry carried on here, and during that year Mr Charles Belfield invented a system of hand-pressing pipes, but unfortunately the inventor neglected to secure his discovery by patent. The secret was all too soon disclosed to other firms; steam power was applied and the original idea further developed, but it did not add to the wealth or fame of the inventor. Prior to this these pipes were all thrown or spun upon a potter’s wheel. They were, as a rule, fifteen inches long, narrow at the one end and wide at the other so that they could easily fit into each other, for the faucet, or flange, had not yet come into general use. A great many of these pipes were sent at one time into Forfarshire for the purpose of conveying water supplies to towns. They were extensively used in Prestonpans not only for drainage purposes but were actually used for a time as gas pipes. Some time ago quite a number turned up when modern gas pipes were being laid in the streets of the village. These premises, previous to being turned into a pottery, were occupied by one Laidlaw, who was a manufacturer of salt, etc., there. He was also a manufacturer of magnesia on the same premises, CHAPTER XII. THE BREWERY. The Brewery — Cheating the Gauger — Employees — Description of the Works, etc. — Old Brewery Well — Find of Old Coins — Ancient Dovecots — Pump Wells — Water Courses — Rope and Sail Making — The Stevensons — The Clarks. IF Prestonpans has been long famous for its salt, its oysters, its pottery wares, and its soap, it has been long and no less famous for its ale and its beer. There were no less than sixteen breweries in full going order at one time in the village. But they have all been swamped, and one great flourishing concern remains, known as— Prestonpans Brewery. At the present time there are forty men and boys connected with the brewery. There are ten travellers employed daily pushing the trade throughout the country, and a staff of six clerks continually in the office. There are also two agencies connected with the business, one established at Glasgow, the other at Leith. In order to show what gives employment to all these hands, it may be added there are no less than 6,000 quarters of malt used annually, turning out from 24,000 to 25,000 barrels of thirty-six gallons each, representing a money value of from £60,000 to £65,000. The following extract we have from “Bernard’s Noted Breweries of Great Britain and Ireland,” which speaks for itself:— “The old brewery of Pestonpans, which is said to have been built about the year 1720, came into the hands of the Fowler family prior to the year 1756. Reference is made to it in an old work, which states that ‘the brewery has been long at work, and has enjoyed large fame for the good quality of its ales.’ “The first name mentioned in the deeds of the brewery is Robert Fowler, of whom it is recorded that he purchased some property, to be used for brewing, in the year 1774. Robert Fowler was succeeded by John Fowler, his son, who was born July oth 1756, and died at the advanced age of eighty-three years. This John Fowler, who was a laird, was a very notable personage, and he is frequently mentioned in parish documents, in 1809, as a brewer. As years rolled on, and the business increased, the laird found it necessary to enlarge the brewhouse, when the roof was raised, the vessels re-adjusted, and some new ones added. He also built, in 1828, a new brewery, in a most substantial manner, which is fully described in the following pages. Laird Fowler was succeeded by Robert Hislop, his nephew, who had previously managed the business with great energy. Mr Hislop retired from the business in 1865, when it was turned into a private limited company, under the management of Mr R. White, who died in 1887. He was succeeded by: his son, the present managing partner, since whose advent the output of the brewery has been more than doubled. “The ales of Prestonpans have become a household word in Scotland, and their reputation dates back more than a century. J. Parker Lawson, in his work, speaks of Prestonpans ale as a celebrated beverage, and the brewery extensive. But we must now hasten to make our readers acquainted with this venerable brewery and its fine business. “On the east side of the ancient town of Prestonpans stands Laird Fowler’s brewery, and, in close proximity, its numerous subsidiary maltings. The walls, and one or two outlying buildings of the original brewery, are still standing, and contain, among other things, a peculiarly shaped ten-barrel brewing copper, and a quaint-looking old pump, which formed a portion of the ancient plant. Equally interesting is the laird’s dwelling-house, a roomy low-pitched building, which has been altered into a counting-house and offices, joined on to which is a new structure, containing a board room, managing partner’s office, a sample room, and lavatories. “The new brewery, built by Laird Fowler, is opposite the old one, covers upwards of an acre of ground, and is situated close to the margin of the sea. The premises consist of a number of massive stone buildings, grouped around a courtyard, the most important of which comprise the brewhouse, fermenting rooms, and adove-ground cellars. So close are these buildings to the sea, that in rough weather the waves dash up against their walls, in magnificent style, as they did during the time of our visit. “Some of the malthouses are even more ancient than the old brewery, having been erected in the seventeenth century. Beneath the ground floor of one of them, now used for storing ales, are subterraneous caverns, called the “Catacombs,” which are curiously constructed and of great extent. Another of the maltings formed part of an extensive distillery, which, in the days of James II., was famous for its whisky. “On entering the offices of Mr R. H. White, the managing partner, we were entertained by that gentleman with a brief history of the brewery. Afterwards we were introduced to the head brewer, Mr Armstrong. who directed us through the brewery, and finally took us to the maltings. We commenced our observations at the malthouse, a two-storyed building to the left of the entrance, and adjoining the brewhouse. It is used for receiving and storing malt from the various malthouses, and contains, on the ground floor, the mill chamber. The room is paved with stone, and contains one of Milne’s malt mills, enclosing a pair of pressed rollers, capable of crushing thirty-five quarters of malt per hour. Before reaching the rolls, the malt is most effectually screened in the following manner. The malt hopper is situated about 18 feet from the rolls, and the malt is conveyed thither by a propeller 11 feet long, inside a cylinder. This propeller is fashioned to act as conveyor and polisher, and delivers into the malt screen. We do not remember having seen anything like it before. It was designed by Messrs Milne & Son to meet the special requirements here, and has been found to work admirably. When the malt has been crushed between the rolls, it is carried by an elevator to the top of the building, and thence, by an Archimedean screw, to the gristcase depending over the tuns. The remainder of this floor is used for storing cumins in sacks, and for a fitters’ shop. “Pursuing our way upstairs to the top floor, we passed an enormous flywheel, connected with the shafting of the main engine, which is for driving the mill machinery and working the pumps. “The whole extent of the large room above is used for storing malt, and, fixed in the floor, is a hopper, into which the sacks are tipped, when the malt disappears as fast as it is put in. “Before following the crushed malt to its destination, we have something to say about the water used, which plays such an important part in a brewery. The brewing liquor is drawn from a well, 80 feet deep, situated in the old brewhouse, which has supplied the brewery for two centuries, and is of the finest quality. It is particularly free from objectionable matter, which, along with the first-class material always used, accounts for the excellent keeping qualities of even the lightest ale made. “Through an opening in the wall we passed into the brew-house, a square structure with an open roof and a paved floor. On the north side, reached by a staircase in the centre, is a broad gallery, on which the coppers are erected; and over them, at a slight elevation, a special copper tank for heating brewing water, which holds 100 barrels. On the floor of the house, which measures 50 feet square, are three cast-iron mash-tuns, having a total capacity of forty quarters—viz., eight, twelve, and twenty quarters. The difference in the capacity of these vessels indicates the successive and proportionate increase of the trade during the last half century. These tuns, all of which are fitted with covers, telescopic spargers, and slotted iron draining plates, are commanded by an extra size portable Steel’s mashing machine, which possesses a 5-feet gun-metal cylinder, and runs on wheels. “In the basement of the building is a very capacious under-back, for receiving the contents of all the mash-tuns, and from whence the wort is pumped direct to the coppers. “Following our guide, we ascended to the copper-stage, to take a peep at the insides of the three coppers, which hold respectively thirty-five, seventy, and eighty barrels. They are all supplied with boiling fountains, and are heated by fire. As we approached them, the copper-man, as he is called, was emptying the hops from the bags into the boiling wort, and their fragrance soon filled the air with appetising odour. The hop-store, afterwards visited, occupies the upper floor of the beer-bottling house, and is capable of holding 300 pockets. “Leaving the coppers behind us, we descended to the mashing floor, to inspect the hopback, built into a recess on that level. It is a square vessel, holding ninety barrels, and beneath it, sunk into the floor, is a receiver, 10 feet deep, into which the strained wort runs, and from whence it is pumped to the coolers by a powerful three-throw pump. We next bent our steps to the top of the adjoining building, where the cooling department is situated. On our way thither, a capacious tank was pointed out to us, holding 200 barrels, which receives the waste water from the refrigerator. It commands a large oval heating tank, heated by exhaust steam, and its contents are used for flushing down the tun-rooms, for cask-washing, and other purposes. “The cooling room is a spacious and lofty chamber, some 50 feet in length, with louvred walls. How the wind from over the sea whistled through those louvres, and how glad we were to turn our backs on this chilly place! “Nearly the whole of the floor is covered by an open cooler, in the centre of which is a fan, driven round by steam-power. At the east end of the room is fixed a large refrigerator of the Morton type, cooling wort at the rate of forty barrels per hour. From this level a few steps lead down into the fermenting house, 110 feet in length, which contains a range of fermenting rooms extending its whole distance. They are well lighted, most effectively ventilated, and kept beautifully sweet and clean. The fermenting process conducted in this brewery is that known to brewers as the cleansing system. “In the No. 1 room, first entered, we were shown three copper-lined fermenting vessels, fitted with modern attemperators, and each holding seventy barrels. The tops of these vessels, as well as those afterwards visited, are reached bya latticed staging, through which we could see the busy workmen in the racking and other rooms below. “The second chamber contains five fermenting squares, constructed of massive blocks of slate, each vessel holding about sixty barrels, and weighing many tons. Passing through a lofty doorway, we came to the No. 3 fermenting room, the last of the series, which contains five more of these ponderous slate vessels, lined with copper, two of which hold forty-five and three sixty barrels. “Bearing round to the left, we reached the yeast room, where the barm is stored, either for pitching purposes, or for sale to the distillers, beyond which is the finings factory, where we saw heaps of the finest quality of isinglass being manipulated for fining the beers. “Ascending some steps, we reached two settling-back rooms situated over a portion of the cellars, one of which contains six settling squares, lined with copper, and having attemperators, and the other, the same number of settling-backs, constructed of slate; also a capacious vat for finishing stout and porter. “Our next visit was to the cellars, which are situated on the ground level, and have a frontage to the sea of 260 feet. They are four in number, all laid with cement. Together, these cellars will store upwards of 5,000 barrels; at the time of our visit they contained more than half that number spread out on the floor. In order, however, to make room for the Increasing trade, it has been found necessary to add considerably to the cellarage accommodation. The space where the old stabling stood has been utilised for this purpose, and a handsome addition made to the cellars, with a loading-stage, etc., for waggons, the floor being arranged at a convenient height for this purpose. “From the No. 4 cellar, we made our way into the beer-bottling store, situated in a fine building, over which is the hop store. Here the famous Prestonpans specially brewed ale, as well as the twelve-guinea Crown Ale is bottled, the operations being conducted in the same manner as at other large breweries. Adjoining is an empty-bottle store, and beyond, the sampling cellar, where a sample cask of every brew is staged for reference, etc. Whilst resting, our guide related the following anecdote of the previous proprietor of the brewery:— ‘Laird Fowler brewed entirely by rule of thumb; it was, therefore, his custom to test the gravity of the mash by tasting it. On one occasion he was going his rounds, and, as usual, dipped his finger in the mash-tub. Calling out to his man, he said, ‘Jamie, put in anither bag o’ maut.’ To which Jamie curtly replied, ‘There’s owre muckle in’t a’ready.’ The laird frowned, and silenced him with the remark, ‘The maut’s nane O’ yours, Jamie, but mine.’ From this narrative we concluded that the laird believed in giving good value, and this was probably the cause of his wonderful success.” A New Venture. Some years ago Messrs Fowler and Company commenced the brewing of export ales, and in this they have been most successful. The trade is yearly increasing. Cheating the Gauger. Old Laird Fowler was no prophet, but he always knew when the gauger was coming, and as sure as he arrived a good dinner awaited him. While the dinner was being discussed all hands were called at once to the store rooms. These were speedily cleared out, the full barrels being all run up into the old back garden and hid beneath the wide-spreading currant bushes. So as a rule when the gauger entered the store-rooms he found nothing but empty barrels, but no sooner was his back turned than the empties were turned out and the full barrels returned to the store rooms. Free of Speech. Laird Fowler was a hearty old man; he seemed not only to know, and be known, by everybody, but hailed every one in passing in his own familiar way. “One day,” it is told of him, “when Lord Wemyss and Lord Blantyre were passing the brewery, he hailed their lordships very familiarly, got them to dismount, enter, and have a horn of his new brewed beer.” The Old Brewery Well—A Great Find of Coins. About the beginning of last century (1827) the proprietor of those gardens towards the east end of the village in which the old draw-well, known as the brewery well, is situate, sent three of his workmen to have the well thoroughly cleaned out. No one knew when this well had been sunk, and no one knew that it had ever been thoroughly cleansed before. Down went two of the men, and the third, Bill Baxter, well known previously as an artful dodger, elected to stay above ground the first day “and row the rubbish up.” About mid-day they “struck oil” in the form of stone jars all apparently choke-full with mud, and seeing that they were not “home made,” the men at the bottom took great care in sending them up entire. All had been sent up but one, and when searching for more, one of the men at the bottom of the well accidentally struck the jar with his spade and broke it, when out tumbled quite a number of foreign silver coins. The men at the bottom, not wishing to raise any suspicion of what they had discovered, cried up to Bill Baxter to rest himself for an hour or so, “because they had broken a jar and wished to fish its contents out of the water.” ‘All right,” replied Bill, “and I will take care that nobody gets here to disturb you while engaged in fishing.” An hour passed. Two hours passed, and only when about another half hour had gone the two men were “rowed” to the top. But there was no Bill Baxter there to welcome them. Bill had learned what the jars contained long before his fellows at the bottom of the well, and engaged a man to make sure that they would not get up till he had time to be out of the way. He hired, and drove into Leith with the jars and contents, and disposed of all of them. He was never again heard of but once, from America, but he never returned. The proprietor and the two workmen divided the contents of the broken jar amongst them. They were Dutch silver coins, and all about the size of crown pieces. These coins are well remembered yet in the village, and some as curiosities may still be in keeping of the natives. They were of the 14th or 15th century. But how the jars and contents came to be deposited there is a mystery. The general opinion is that some piratical gang had to do with the business, and had forgotten all about them. This may be so, but perhaps the people in Prestonpans had to do with the piratical gang, otherwise they might not have known there was a brewery well in the garden. Subsequently there was another jar got in the well, filled with coins relating to the Stuart dynasty. Several of them are yet in possession of the proprietors of these grounds. It is quite possible that they were all deposited there for security during the 1745 Rebellion. The Old Brewery, etc. The monks of old, according to song and story, were not only brewers of good ale, but loved the “wassail bowl” exceedingly. Tradition has it that along with their coalworks and their saltworks they also went in for ale brewing in the old village. Of the coal, and the salt, we can speak with certainty, but of the ale, there is no record to the fore dating further back than about the year 1756, when it is stated that the brewery “had been long at work, and had enjoyed large fame for the good quality of its ales.” What is known as the old brewery, situated to west of Dovecot Gardens, is known to have been built about 1720. Buildings were not erected long ago to last a century and a half only, but many centuries, and this, judging by appearances, may safely be set down as being built a couple of centuries previous to that date. There is little doubt that the monks of Newbattle would engage in brewing ales here. There were originally three dovecots in these gardens, all within a stonethrow of each other. There are but two now, and one of them is bound partially with iron bands to keep it together. There are no dates on these ancient “dookits,” but their erection may safely be set down at the beginning of the sixteenth century,—about the same period as we would suppose the old brewery to have been erected. There are several pump wells in these gardens, all bubbling up with abundance of delightfully pure spring water. No doubt these wells were put down in past ages as a means of doubly supplying the brewery. Down one of these old wells, of which we have had occasion already to speak, there is an opening right across, through which the water flows incessantly, emptying itself into the Forth. Some'suppose this to be an old coal mine which had been worked by the monks, on the “in-gaun-ee” system from the shore. This would have been quite in keeping with the ways of these early explorers; but no coal seam comes so near the surface at the east end, and the fact of the opening being so nicely and compactly built is a sure sign that it is only a built water course. By the way, we find a great stone quarry had been opened at an early period to the south-west of the garden. Very likely the stone taken from this quarry spoiled the springs which supplied the well, and the consequence was that the course had to be built in order to carry the water on again towards the well. Thus the overflow opening into the Forth is easily accounted for. Rope and Sail Making. Whether the twining and twisting industry of rope making was inaugurated in Salt Preston during the early centuries, we are not aware; but this we do know, that about 1750 a family of Stevensons, migrating from Dunbar, alighted in Prestonpans, and forthwith taking possession of that same old by-path along the south back of the village, began to twine and twist there, where twining and twisting operations are conducted in the presence of every observant eye, even at the present day. About 1801, Mr Robert Clark, grandfather to the brothers constituting the present firm, and also from Dunbar, succeeded the Stevensons in that business. About this period the business began to improve very much, especially in fishing lines. Mr Clark, pushing his way all along the Moray Firth, did an exceedingly large business there. Latterly the firm pushed its way into the Orkneys, and did also a good business among the islanders. Throughout all these years the improvements in machinery did these “hand-spinners” at Prestonpans very little harm; even up to the year 1880 they still kept up a staff of from thirteen to fifteen men and boys; but trawlers beginning to operate in the Forth and elsewhere soon began to tell upon the fishermen everywhere, and this branch of business in Prestonpans began to deteriorate greatly. The firm Clark Brothers still retains a strong connection with Campbeltown and several other outlying districts; and that they still retain a solid business connection among the fishermen of Cockenzie, Prestonpans, and Fisherrow, may be evidenced from the fact that the whole body of twiners are nightly engaged at the present time, in the open air, long after the light of day has deserted them. One evening we came upon them at work. “Oh, ho!” was our exclamation, “we thought naething but fairies worked in the dark.” ‘Ay ay,” was the ready response of the youth encountered, “but we are spiders! behold how we spin.” The liliputian flywheel bounded, some knickknacks began to birr, and away he went twisting and twining through the gloomy: air like fury. “Sailmaking,” which has always been part of this firm’s business, has never been much at a discount with them, and at the present day it is going on as briskly as ever. CHAPTER XIII. OYSTER DREDGING. Oyster Dredging of Old — Famous Oysters — The Pandores — Origin of the Name — English Tackle — Plundering the Oyster Beds — Supplying the English Beds — Who did it? — Dreg Songs — Sailors’ Benefit Society — Ancient Institution — Carters’ Friendly Society — Free Gardeners’ Society — The Hammermen’s Society — The Potters’ Society — Annual Processions — Annual Regatta — Statistical Abstracts — Rents of Lands — Produce — Price of Labour — Salt Pans — Stone Ware — Brick and Tile Works — Brown Ware — Glass Work — Oil of Vitriol — Aquafortis — Spirit of Salt — Fishery — Breweries — Trades and Professions — How many engaged. THE oyster scalps at Prestonpans lie directly opposite the town. They stretch from comparatively near the shore fully six miles out into the Firth of Forth, while from east to west they measure fully three miles. They were originally very rich, and the capture, conveyance, and sale of this highly esteemed article of commerce has been carried on here with success from a very early date. The chief markets long ago were Edinburgh and Glasgow, but as the fame of the fish increased, the trade developed, and Newcastle, Hull, and London became the chief market places for the dredgers. It is a curious fact that the largest and best of these native shellfish have always been caught near the shore, and at an early period during last century, these rich and juicy “scalpers” became known, to the English trade especially, as Pandores. The Pandores became highly esteemed by gourmands, and, as a matter of course, brought a much higher price than the regular sized oysters. Of those who have previously treated of the “Pandore” in connection with this class of oyster, some say they derived the name from the fact of their being nearly as large as “pan doors,” meaning the doors of the salt-pans in the district, while others affirm they owe their name to the fact that the scalps from which they were taken lay adjacent to the doors of the salt pans in the village. The first of these asseverations is too largely overdrawn. In the second, we fail to observe what benefit fish, of any sort, could derive from their near location to a “pan” for salt making. In pursuing our research we came upon an old dredger. “Some folks say,” we observed, “you call your best oysters Pandores, because the scalps lie near the salt pans?” “Eich,” was the reply, “folks juist say onything;” and looking cautiously around him, “Ill tell ye what my faither telt me. One day when up at Hull, wi’a boat load, he had several baskets o’ the ‘biggest and bonniest’ set aside, when forrit cam’ a big burly Englishman—a new customer. ‘Where,’ inquired he, ‘did you get these?’ ‘Oh,’ said my faither, ‘juist at the doors.’ ‘What doors?’ inquired he. ‘Oh, the Pans doors,’ replied my faither, meaning Prestonpans doors— not far out at sea. ‘Oh, then,’ replied the questioner, ‘these will be Pandores.’ ‘Just so,’ and he bought the lot, and soon sent a big order for mair, and frae that day till this they have remained Pandore oysters frae Prestonpans. He held it was the waste from the breweries, etc., that made the oysters sae big and juicy that were found near the ‘Pans doors.’” “How many boats were engaged, did you say?” “Well I remember, previous to the middle of last century, when no fewer than twenty-four boats were regularly engaged during the season, which began with September and ended with April, but the most of these were engaged by English firms. “It was always held previous to that period that the ‘tackle’ used for dredging in English waters would be of no use here. Well, these ‘English firm’ boats of ours got supplied with English tackle, and this proved the ruin of our scalps. The dredgers that were used carried all, small and great, before them. It was reckoned that some 20,000 oysters a day were removed from our scalps for a considerable period. “There are those who complain that our scalps were ‘harried,’ and the seed borne away and laid down in English waters. That is quite true: thousands were carried away daily which were too small to be of use except for replenishing other oyster scalps: and this was the doing of our own people. “One thing I know is, that subsequent to 1850, although all these twenty-four boats still continued to go out, they were unable to take more than from 4,000 to 6,000 oysters per day among them, and latterly they were getting even less. “About 1860, and just when our scalps were reduced to almost total destruction, a terrible storm arose one night and dashed nearly the whole of these English hired boats to pieces among the rocks. None of them happened to be out, and the whole shore to westward was literally strewn with wreckage. The few boats that were left continued to go out for some years afterwards, but it was of no use.” Observing a neighbour approaching, he went off. It is difficult to get a fisherman to speak of his work. The dredgers while at work, either “clam” or “oyster” fishing, sing songs which have a very peculiar effect when borne over the waters. We have heard it in the early morning, many times, fully two and a half miles inland. The effect was pleasing, wild, and weirdlike. The men themselves, as with other things, are very reticent in speaking of their song singing. They scout the very idea, however, of the airs they use being of Norwegian extraction, as held by certain writers, and maintain that the airs they use are like to the songs they sing, real “hame made,” and this is how it is done: there is a recognised leader of song in every boat; he starts whatever air he pleases, and no matter what jumble of words comes first he always aims at turning them into lines that will jingle, the rest following, and keeping time most faithfully. The following are samples picked up by the way:— “Whae’ll dreg a buckie, I'll dreg a clam, I'll dreg a buckie, And I'll be luckie, And I'll no be lang.” Another sample of song secured is:— “Heave, aho, and away we go, What care we for calm or gale, Aye take a dram, as lang as ye can, And brandie’s gude among het ale. “Heave, aho, and away we go; Mag, an’ Meg, an’ Jess, an’ Jane, Oh how they lauch when we get fish, But oh how they girn when we get nane. “Heave, aho, and ahame we go; See them awaiting on the green, Big lots, or wee lots, or nane ava, Gin we dinna try we shall be seen.” Ever since these scalps were destroyed by over-dredging it has not paid to follow out the trade, consequently there has been little done in that way for a great many years. A few are brought in occasionally when the dredgers are out seeking clams for bait, but the Pandore now is scarcely ever heard of. An old dredger gave this other couple of verses, which had been repeated by his father when he was a boy:— “Lady Hyndford’s lang tails, Comin’ doon the brae O, She gets a’ the creamy milk, We get a’ the whey O. “Ye, ho, and away we go, Revelling amidst the gale O, And if gude luck our lot should be, We'll drink the milk o’ the whale O.” Lady Hyndford, a former proprietress of Prestongrange, who was very kind to the fishermen, had been observed by the dredgers coming down the brae towards Bankfoot before setting out one night, and they simply put her ladyship into their dredging song. The reference to the whale in the hindmost line was the public-house at Cuthill which went by that name, and the milk of the whale, of course; was Thomson the inn-keeper’s whisky. On Saturday forenoon, November 2nd 1901, after a cessation from oyster dredging for many years, one of the old boats went out. Soon the “dreg song” was struck up, and came wafting beautifully over the waters. It continued till a great many villagers turned out, and they listened delightedly to the old familiar strains. The boat brought in between two hundred and three hundred oysters. It has been out several times since then, and has never been less successful. The dredgers say that the oyster beds are again beginning to look healthfu’, and their hopes are great for the future. Sailors’ Benefit Society. The venerable institution known as “The Incorporation of Sailors of Prestonpans” must be now fully two hundred years old, because we find as early as 1744, that, owing to restrictive measures passed at that period by the management regarding the admission of new members, the number of the “incorporated” became subsequently reduced to two members only, Messrs James Warroch and George Warroch. It is evident that others would have joined the society, but they could not be admitted owing to the restrictive measures referred to; so in 1798 certain seamen of the town raised an action before the Court of Session concluding that this should be found to be an existing corporation, that they should be admitted members, etc.; and the Court, of this date, February 10th 1801, pronounced an interlocutor in the following terms:— “The Lords having resumed consideration of this cause, and advised the same, with the mutual petitions and memorials for the parties, /izd, That the Incorporation of Sailors in Prestonpans is a legal and existing body corporate, subject to such regulations and management as may be consistent with law, and the constitution of the society: Find, That the admission of members into this incorporation has of late years been too much narrowed, and the management too much confined, in consequence of certain arrangements which took place at their meetings, 13th February 1744; 2nd March 1761; and 17th May 1783: find, That these, or any other similar regulations, which may be found in their books, ought to be revised, and such other rules and bye-laws adopted as are consistent with the nature and purposes of the institution; and remit to the Lord Ordinary to hear parties further, and to make the necessary inquiries with that view, in order that a proper set of regulations may be proposed by those concerned, and sanctioned by the authority of this Court, for the regular admission of members into this society, and future management of its affairs; and, in the meantime, Find, That the following persons who are parties in this cause, and claiming to be admitted, viz.: William Lawrie, Thomas Thomson, George Grieve, Alexander Thomson, Alexander Kellie, Downie Paterson, and James Ritchie, are entitled to their admission, other two of the original claimants, John Manson and George Vint, having died since the commencement of the process, and George White, a mason, being not duly qualified for admission into this society: Find the pursuers entitled to the experises hitherto incurred, out of the funds of the society, and decern.” Thereafter, in obedience to the remit of the Court, Lord Armadale, Ordinary, was pleased to pronounce an interlocutor of this date, December 19th 1801, establishing certain laws and regulations for the government of the incorporation. The experience of many years having suggested various alterations upon the laws and regulations established in 1801, it was resolved to digest a new set of rules, under the authority of the nineteenth article of the existing laws, and the draft of the proposed new laws having been submitted to a general meeting of the incorporation held upon the 28th September 1820, and generally approved of, was ordered to be laid before the Rev. Mr Primrose, minister of the parish of Prestonpans, and thereafter to be submitted to a quarterly general meeting. The draft was accordingly revised and corrected by Mr Primrose, and being considered at the quarterly general meeting held upon the 4th and 5th of February 1821, the following were finally approved of and established as the “Laws and Regulations of the Incorporation”:— Time and Forms of Entry. That none be admitted members of this society above thirty years of age, or who are afflicted with any secret bodily disease or infirmity; who are not of the Protestant religion; who are under church scandal, or otherwise of bad fame, etc. Constitution and Government. That there shall be a standing committee of six of their number; two boxmasters, two key-keepers, one society member, and a clerk. The above to be chosen yearly by the general meeting, etc. After the new rules and regulations came out, the Sailors’ Incorporation gradually increased in numbers, and its wealth also increased. In 1850, Mr Alexander Rennie was appoined secretary, and with a very short interval the office has been in the hands of two Rennies for fully half a century. Alexander resigned, and in 1877 Mr William Rennie, his son, succeeded to the office. In 1835, first and second boxmasters were Messrs James Young and William Thomson No. 2 respectively; first and second key-keepers, Messrs George Thomson and William Thomson No. 3 respectively, and William Bird, society member. In 1890, secretary, Mr William Rennie; two boxmasters, Messrs Sinclair M‘Leod and George Thomson respectively; two key keepers, Messrs James Cunningham and William Thomson respectively; society member, Mr James Smith; and officer, Mr George Ross. There are eighty-six members. The nett capital of the incorporation in 1887 amounted to £1618, 18s. 6d. The field known as the Sailors’ Park, extending to 40 acres 3 roods and 8 falls, in the neighbourhood of Tranent, belongs to this very wealthy incorporation. Their annual procession, which formerly was wont to be in November, is now held in the month of August, All the monetary transactions of the Sailors’ Society are gone over annually by the parish minister of the day, and initialed by him. The Hammermen’s and the Potters’ Societies. There were also the Hammermen’s Benefit Society and the Potters’ Benefit Society, neither of which were so ancient as the Sailors; but both are long since gone for ever. Carters’ Friendly Society. The Carters’ Benefit Society was instituted as early as 1829, and it has seen many ups and downs in its day. The time was when a great array of beautifully caparisoned horses was wont to be turned out in procession on the annual fair day; but now, few of the carters will be at the trouble to dress their horses for the occasion. Their secretary at the present time is Mr David Fraser; treasurer and boxmaster, Mr Peter Dudgeon; first and second key-keepers, Messrs George Cunningham, jun., and William Rodger respectively; and Mr George Rodger, officer. The sick directors are—Eastern District, Mr Andrew Thomson; Middle District, Mr William Thomson; and Western District, Mr George Edmond. Prestonpans Fair, or Carters’ Play rather, took its name from the Carters’ Society, and is always held on the third Wednesday of June. At one time there were over one hundred members on the roll. The number has been considerably reduced of late, but the society continues in a flourishing condition. Free Gardeners’ Society. The Caledonian Branch of Free Gardeners was instituted here at an early period. The committee of management at the present time consists of the following five members— Secretary, Mr Matthew Brown; Treasurer, Mr John Thomson; R.W.M., Mr Alexander Thomson; and Mr James Baxter, officer. The membership at the present time amounts to eighty, and the annual procession is always on the second Saturday of July. The Regatta. This annual féte, like many other sports of a similar nature, has risen from very small estate, until it has assumed not only very large proportions, but until it has actually become a “red letter day” in the district. The following is how it originated:— “In 1874,” said one of our informants, “though it had been previously mentioned, something very like, not ‘spontaneous combustion,’ but a spontaneity of opinion, a desire for diversion, burst out among quite a number of boat owners along the shore, and ‘yes,’ they said, ‘we must have a race of our own,’ and that settled the matter; a beginning was made.” On this occasion two handsome prizes were given—one a magnificent gold breast-pin, by Mr Robertson, jeweller, Edinburgh; and the other a very handsome picture in frame, by Mr Hepburn, carver and gilder, Edinburgh. The entry money for events made up a good many prizes on a small scale, and the affair was fixed for August 29th 1874. The first sailing match was won by the boat “Undine,” Henry Fraser, skipper, the owner; the second being the boat “Morning Star,” David Dobson, owner. Owing to want of wind the sports extended over two days, when quite a number of boys’ races were sailed too. On the second year things were gone about in a thoroughly business-like fashion, a committee appointed, contributions sought, and quite a series of sailing and rowing races, illuminations on sea and shore, and various other sports arranged for. Mr Ford, Beach House, who had taken a very active interest in the affair, was appointed commodore. The sports were kept up for about ten seasons, and unexpectedly ceased. After a good many years cessation a resumption of the sports took place. On this occasion, among others, Messrs R. White, David Adams, the Messrs Belfield, Robert Clark, and George Hunter came strongly to the front, and these annual sports have cont:nued to go with great birr ever since. The month of August, when the sea-side holiday-seekers are expected to be most numerous in the village, is the time chosen for the féte. The last commodore was Mr George Moncur, Preston Lodge. The sailing committee consists of Messrs Thomas Rennie, Henry Fraser, John Meldrum, James M‘Lennan, D. Thomson, R. W. Ritchie, P. Milligan, Alexander Black, John B. Bower, Rev. H. C. Cargill, Joseph Wilson, William Leckie, Andrew Cunningham, George Thomson, and William M‘Neill; with Robert Clark, treasurer, and George Hunter, secretary. Last season there were over twenty items on the programme and a heavy prize list. Statistical Records of the Parish, 1796. The Rev. Peter Primrose was appointed to the parish in 1796. The Statistical Record was published that year; thus it looks as if the work had been compiled by his predecessor, the Rev. John Trotter. From it we quote the following curious and interesting items:— class="sc">Rents—Produce—Price of Goods and Price of Labour. “Rents of lands £1 11s. to £3 10s. per acre. Annual medium produce:— Wheat, 9 to 13 bolls per acre; barley, 7 to 12 bolls per acre; oats, 8 to 15 bolls per acre; beans, 9 to 15 bolls per acre; peas, 6 to 10 bolls per acre: potatoes, 30 to 50 tons per acre; hay, 230 to 300 stones per acre. Wages and price of labour:— Man-servant £5 and maid-servant £3 sterling per annum; man-servant out of house 6½ bolls of oatmeal, money and other perquisites from £5 16s. to £6 11s. 6d. and free house of 10s. or 12s. value, and diet in harvest. Day labourers employed the whole season, 10d. per day; occasionally employed, 1s. per day; women employed in weeding, 5d. per day. A man in harvest 10d. per day and diet, value 6d; a woman in harvest, 7d. per day and diet value 6d.; a mason, 1s. 8d., a carpenter, 1s. 6d. to 1s. 10d. per day; a tailor, 6d. per day and diet. Plowing an acre of land cost 10s.; harrowing, 2s.; cutting grass, 2s. to 2s. 6d.; cutting grain, 6s. per acre. Price of beef, 3d. to 4½d. per lb.; mutton and veal, 3d. to 5d.; pork, 3d. to 4d.; good lamb, 1s. to 3s. per quarter; fowls, 1s. each; pigeons, 2s. to 3s. per dozen; eggs, 4d. to 8d. per dozen; butter, early season, 1s.,; late, 9d. per lb. of twenty ounce Dutch. Statistical Account—Salt Pans, etc. There are ten salt pans, but only six working. When weather is dry and coal good a pan may draw five times a week. Each draught requires three fillings of water, and yields, in summer eighteen bushels, in winter about sixteen, the difference is owing to the sea water being stronger in summer than winter. When the sea water is good a Scotch gallon of it will yield of salt nearly 1 lb. avoirdupois. A bushel of salt contains 8 gallons, weight 56 lbs.; sells 3s. per bushel. Average made during last five years, 10,750 bushels 4 gallons per year. Cost of a salt pan about £300. Stone Ware. A manufactory of stoneware, white and cream chiefly, is carried on a little to the west of the church. It commenced about 1756, and belongs to Messrs Cadell. It employed forty men and thirty bays. Wages, men, 6s. to 15s.—earn more by the piece—boys wage, 1s. to 2s. per week. Boys are taken on at eight years of age, continue till fourteen or fifteen, then bound as apprentices. The clay is brought from Devonshire and flint from Gravesend. Twenty-four tons of coal consumed. weekly, price 5s. 6d. per ton laid down at the work. White and red lead from London, Hull, and Newcastle. Clay, 10s. per ton, freight 14s. Flint, 18s. to 20s. per ton, freight, 8s. Sales of earthenware computed at £5,000 per annum. Brick and Tile Work. A brick and tile work is going near the old church; six men employed; wages, 1s. per day. Other Brick and Tile Works. A little to the west of the above, but on the sea-side, is another brick and tile work; nine kilns are fired; three men; wages, 7s. per week. Tiles, including a duty of 8s., sold at £2 13s. per 1000; bricks, including a duty of 2s. 6d., sold at 17s. 6d. per 1000. Brown Ware. About one hundred years previously (1696) a manufactory of brown ware was commenced here. Glass Work. A glass-house for bottle making was erected at Morrison’s Haven some time after the foregoing, and continued for some years. Oil of Vitriol, etc. A manufactory of oil of vitriol, aquafortis, and spirit of salt is carried on here. It began Anno Domino 1750, under the direction of Messrs Roebuck and Garbet, but passed into other hands. Here they also make white salts and glauber salts. Fifty men employed, and the works go night and day. Men are bound under indentures of twenty-one years, which time they are paid 6s. per week. Oil of vitriol sold at 3½d. per lb., aquafortis at 7½d., and spirit of salt 6d. per lb. Glauber salts, 12s. per cwt., and white ashes, 1s. 8d. Chief Fishery—Oysters. There are ten boats now employed, there were five more recently. About twenty years ago (1776), 6,000 oysters per day were frequently dredged by one boat. An agent in Leith purchased for ten different merchants, and at that period, continuing ten years, some £2,500 per annum were drawn for oysters alone. At this time there were sixteen boats engaged from Cockenzie, eight from Fisherrow, and sixteen from Prestonpans. An old fisherman informed me that sixty or seventy years ago oysters were in little estimation. Another residenter said previous to 1776 only three or four boats were engaged. A custom house is established here. Breweries. In 1754 there were sixteen breweries. In 1796 there were only five. Now (1901) there is one. Trades, Professions, Etc., in 1796. Clergymen, 1; schoolmasters, 1; private teachers, 3; surgeons, 1; officers of customs, 19; excise officers, 2; brewers, 5; licensed spirit and ale shops, 32; salters and salt agents, 14; shopkeepers, 23; gardeners, 18; barbers, 2; smiths, 11; masons, 16; carpenters, 22; weavers, 13; shoemakers, 19; tailors, 13; watchmakers, 3; ropespinners, 4; candlemakers, 1; bakers, 10; coopers, 2; slaters, 3; midwives, 2; washer-women, 8; carriers, 4; domestic servants, male, 7; female, 73; farm servants, male, 24; female, 5; coaldrivers, 3; day labourers, 19; seamen, 20; regular fishermen, 23; employed at potteries, 252; employed at vitriol works, 188; regular fishery, 94; salt pans, 47; brick and tile works, 23. CHAPTER XIV. POST OFFICE, ETC. Post Office — Postmasters, etc.: D. Thomson — T. Cleuch — Mr Whyte — Mrs Whyte — Miss Whyte — Royal Bank — Parish Council — Burgh Commissioners — School Board — Hotel — Inspector of Poor, Registrar, and Heritors’ Clerk — Medical Practitioners — School and Staff — Successful Scholars — Market Gardeners — Bankton Water Scheme — New Water Supply — New Congregation Halls — Co-operative Society — Coflee-house and Recreation Rooms — Public Parks and Bowling Green — The Old Church Clock — Gas Works. THERE was a Post Office in Prestonpans long before a similar institution was established at Tranent. It is recorded that the good folks there were wont to have their business notes, love epistles, etc., conveyed to Prestonpans Post Office by means of the carters who went between the coal pits at the one place and the various manufactories at the other. The exact date at which a Post Office was established here is difficult to ascertain; but the place and the man we know. The opening of that institution here must have been towards the close of the 18th century. The first postmaster was David Thomson, a flourishing merchant, and grandfather of Mr David Marr. The first Post Office was in the house presently occupied by Mr Marr, and the letter-box was fixed in that little window which looks towards the east. The woodwork, with the slit in it for popping the letters through, was removed a few years ago. On the decease of Mr Thomson, Mr Nimmo became postmaster. The office was then shifted almost opposite to where it is at present. In 1825 Mr Thomas Cleugh, grandfather of the present postmistress, became postmaster, when the office was transferred to the foot of Harlo Hill. Mr Robert Whyte, who attended the High School, Edinburgh, along with the late Mr William Cadell, brother to the late Mr Hugh Francis Cadell of Cockenzie, and through him got into old laird Cadell’s office, as head clerk, at Cockenzie, latterly became one of the leading merchants in Prestonpans, and in 1846 became postmaster. In 1853, and in succession to her deceased husband, Mrs Whyte became postmistress. During these years the office had been shifted several times, and in 1875 Miss Whyte, a lady who has a ready and a cheerful word for everybody, became mistress of the situation, and is likely to retain it for many years to come. About this period circumstances compelled another shift, and the office was transferred to the site it now occupies. This brief sketch would scarcely be complete without a slight reference to Miss Cunningham, who has been the daily companion, the consistent friend, and chief business assistant to Miss Whyte for such a long term of years. “She is,” says the head of this little establishment, “an invaluable servant, and it will be a sorrowful day when this long, long partnership is rent asunder.” Royal Bank. A sub-branch to Tranent was established here many years ago, but previous to June 1899 it was open for two hours in the forenoon and thrice a week only; but owing to the increase of business, and in order to further the interests of the commercial community in the district, a very different system was inaugurated from the above date. Agent, William Fraser, Esq.; Accountant, Charles Belfield. Parish Council. Colonel Aitchison of Drummore, Chairman; Mr John C. Belfield, Vice-Chairman. The other members are Lady Susan Grant Suttie; Messrs Js. Shields, Dolphinstone; Js. D. Taylor, Bankton; Js. M‘Neill, Northfield; A. A. Meek, T. Rennie, R. Clark, T. M‘Kinlay, H. Fraser, and W. B. Taylor. Town Council. The Town Councillors at the present time are:— Provost, W. M‘Ewan, M.D.; Bailies, Messrs Robt. Clark and John C. Belfield; Councillors, Messrs John Simpson, Peter Whitecross, Wm. Wilson, Alex. Black, Thos. Rennie, and W. B. Taylor; Clerk, Robt. Hunter; Treasurer, John Rennie. School Board. The present members of the School Board are:— Provost M‘Ewan, Chairman; Lady Susan H. G. Suttie, Miss Madeline Sprot, Rev. G. S. Smith, Messrs R. H. White, Preston; J. D. Taylor, Bankton, and John Belfield; Robert Hunter, Clerk. Hotel, etc. Hotel (Queen’s Arms), Miss Grant. Inspector of Poor and Registrar, R. Hunter; Clerk to the Heritors, James Cowper. Medical Practitioners, W. Crawford M‘Ewan, M.D., and John B. Swinden, L.R.C.P. and S., E., etc. Public School. The last parochial school teacher in the parish was Mr Weir. He was a great favourite in the district, and the parishioners were sorry indeed when he decided to leave them for another appointment. Mr Weir was still here and in harness when the School Board Act came into force; so it may be said of him he was the last of the old system in the parish, and the first of the new. There were three schools in the parish, independently of Schaw’s Institution, previous to the introduction of the new system. These were the Parochial School, the Free Church School, and a works school at Morrison’s Haven. Mr George Hunter succeeded Mr Weir as headmaster in the public school. Meantime, Mr James Wallace was headmaster in the Free Church School; and Mr Sinclair teacher at Morrison’s Haven, all three schools being worked under the new system. It was early apparent to the members of the School Board that one large school, with a suitable staff of teachers, would suit every purpose much better than a continuation of the double or triple school system. With that end in view ground was obtained, and the present public school was erected, and opened in the year 1881. Under conditions highly satisfactory to all concerned, Mr Hunter was allowed to retire, Mr Wallace being appointed headmaster, Morrison Haven school being continued for a time. Owing to the superior system of teaching introduced under the new regime, so great has been the influx of pupils that twice within recent years the building has had to be enlarged; and again the great complaint is the want of room. The playground in connection with the school is at least second to none in the county; and all the teaching being done on the ground floor gives the school one great advantage over many others. Indeed, so highly satisfactory are its equipments all over, that His Majesty’s Inspector of Schools some time ago recommended Newbattle School Board to examine the plan of Prestonpans school with a view to constructing one of theirs on a similar system. The teaching staff at present is:— Mr James Wallace, headmaster; Mr Adam Prentice, M.A., classical master; Mr William White, first assistant; and Miss Jessie M‘Walter, mistress of the infant department. Other certificated teachers:— Misses Hunter, Massie, Crighton, Wells, and M. Hunter. Besides these, there is a large staff of ex-pupil and pupil teachers connected with the school. Among those who had a successful career at school, and have since distinguished themselves, may be mentioned:— Dr George Mathieson, Doune, Perthshire; Dr Andrew Wallace, Coldstream, Berwickshire; Mr John Hunter, M.A., Crosshouse, Ayrshire; Mr William Borland, M.A., Perth Academy; Mr J. G. Wallace, Dalziel High School, Motherwell; Messrs John W. Wood, John M‘Cairn, Joseph M. Hunter, and others too numerous to mention. Market Gardening—Mr J. B. Taylor. Next to the mining trade, the great industry of the parish is undoubtedly “market gardening.” Indeed, during certain months of the year, in so far as railway traffic is concerned, the latter for some years past has put the former somewhat in the shade. In Prestonpans proper there are some five firms engaged in this industry. Of these, to Mr J. B. Taylor, though his headquarters are localised at Seton West Mains, we assign, and not without good reason, the preference of first mention in these notes. A Mr John Taylor, granduncle to Mr J. B. Taylor, flourished in Prestonpans about the beginning of the departed century. He was recognised as one of the foremost landscape gardeners of his day, and to him, we understand, belongs the honour of having laid out not only most of the old orchards in the village, but many other large gardens in the neighbourhood. This landscape gardener, while yet comparatively young, set out for Ceylon, where he became a tea planter, and had a most successful career. The family, though successful in the farming line, have never, we believe, throughout all these years ceased to keep up their market gardening connection with Prestonpans. Besides other lands in the village, Mr Taylor cultivates two fields in connection with Watson’s Trust. Mr W. Sibbald. The name of Sibbald in connection with this industry in the parish is now at least half a century old. The father, we believe, hailed from the Longniddry district. Mr William, assisted by his brother Thomas, has been long at the head of affairs. He has, besides the Glebe, a good slice of Schaw’s Trust lands under cultivation, and adheres rigidly to market gardening. Messrs Inglis. This family have for a long period been known to the trade here, and of late have been extending their boundaries to such an extent that we believe they now have more acreage under cultivation in this line than any other firm in the village. Like the Sibbalds, they adhere very firmly to their own line of business. Messrs Belfield. This firm has been long and very widely known in other and very dissimilar branches of business to market gardening, and yet success in every branch continues to follow them all along the route. Mr Meek. We do not set Mr Meek last on the list because we think he does not deserve a foremost place, quite the opposite; for independently of his success as a market gardener, not only does he own a feu and dwelling-house bearing the name of the original hamlet, but strange to say, he happens to be the only successor in the earliest business we have any authentic information of being established in the village—the manufacture of salt. Bankton Water Scheme. “Water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink,” very often might the villagers have sung out with the poet, for for many years had the village been in a deplorable state for want of water. No doubt there have always been pump-wells and draw-wells in abundance, but these were often muddy or dry; and though there were even wimpling burnies seeking their way across the streets, these were neither at times fit for tea nor for toddy. But at length the Burgh Commissioners, under Chief Magistrate White, took the matter in hand, and in order to supplement their very meagre and unsavoury supply, they had their attention drawn to the “Black Well.” The name “Black Well” sounds a little ill-foreboding, reminding one of the historical “Black Plague,” but nervous people need have no dread of this. The only trouble ever connected with this well was the water trouble in the minerals of the district. The well is known in mineral phraseology as the “Bankton Level.” The upper or great coal seam crops out here, and this level was run under the direction of the York Buildings Company of London, or their trustees, up towards Bankpark and the Glebe, and it was opened for that purpose about 1750. From 1828 to 1840, during the water famine at Tranent, the “Black Well” proved a great source of supply to the villagers, who were wont to carry it thither. The “Black Well” used to be a favourite resort for Sunday strollers long ago, and the well got its name from the fact that when one peeped into the opening, where gross darkness abounded, the water looked very black. The Burgh Commissioners of Prestonpans were early satisfied with the quality and quantity of water which came by way of the “Black Well,” and taking advantage of an old quarry on the south side of the North British line, they erected a reservoir there. This was built with 20 inch rubble and cement, faced with brick, and covered all over with a coating of cement. It is capable of holding 130,000 gallons of water, which was sufficient, according to the population of that period, for supplying the villagers for thirteen days at the rate of thirteen gallons per head per day. The water flows through a filter formed of coke, and is conveyed to the town, about a mile distant, in 4 inch iron pipes, and through the town in 24 inch iron pipes. The average supply was about thirty-four gallons per head per day. The whole works were superintended by Mr M‘Queen, of Prestonpans, and cost something like £900. On 16th July 1878 these waterworks were finally opened. It was quite a day of rejoicing in the district. Mrs White, wife of the chief magistrate of the burgh, had the honour of turning on the new supply. A cake and wine banquet was afterwards held at Bankton Park. New Water Supply. Taking your stand on Tranent Muir, and casting an eye a little south-east over the Lammermoors, you will have no difficulty in distinguishing a small round tower on the highest pinnacle. That is the Cairn—a clump of gathered stones with a pole in its centre stretching heavenwards—and the hill is known as Lammer Law. There is a cleft in the hills directly beneath the Law, and another cleft a little to the west of it, and from this proceeds the silvery spring known as Kidlaw Burn. Following its various windings downhill on a sunshiny day—oh, how delightful!—you may hear the gurglings of the limpid stream as it leaps from rock to rock beneath the overgrowing ferns and mosses, but nothing of it can be seen for its ever verdant covering. Lower down it comes to light, and begins to leap over the many light but beautiful waterfalls; and still lower down, as it begins to spread out, if it loses the charm of its ferns and its mosses, it finds another charm for the stroller in its silver-scaled fishes, for here the playful trout abounds. This then is the source of the new water supply arranged for by the Burgh Commissioners, and a purer, sweeter spring it would have been hard to light upon. In order to lighten the burden of bringing in the supply, a joint water district has been formed, extending east to west from Port Seton to Morrison’s Haven, and south to Prestonpans station. A reservoir will be formed in the hollow ground amidst the hills, known as Kidlaw Loch, and a second reservoir will be formed a little lower down at the Witch’s Knowe. Two filter beds will be constructed at Tranent Mains about 200 feet above sea level, and the estimated cost of the entire scheme is £16,000. New Congregational Hall. A new congregational hall in connection with the Parish Church, and in the vicinity of the church, is being rapidly constructed. The plans show it to be an exceedingly handsome building. It will be comfortably seated for upwards of 400 people, and the cost will be at least £1500. Coffee House and Recreation Rooms. The new Coffee House and Recreation Rooms were opened on July 28th 1887. There was a very large attendance in the rooms. Mr Mellis, addressing the audience, briefly said he was pleased to see that among their amusements they had the very harmless games of bagatelle, billiards, draughts, etc., and he hoped they would soon have chess too. He very much regretted the unavoidable absence of Lady Susan Grant Suttie, who had been so unceasing in her efforts for the establishing of these rooms, and in her name he declared the Coffee House and Recreation Rooms open. Major Dawson, Colonel Cadell, Mr Hislop, and Dr Struthers also addressed the audience. These rooms were started as a limited liability company, capital £300 in 1200 shares at 5s. each; but the venture was of short duration. Public Park and Bowling Green. This other place of amusement and recreation was opened on the 16th of August 1878. The green cost to put in order about £100; charge for membership, 2s. 6d. About forty members were enrolled on the opening night. It was also of short duration. The Old Church Clock. The year following, 1879, the heritors met and agreed to spend £50 in putting the public or church clock in good repair. It must have been sadly out of order. Co-operative Store. The Co-operative Society, when it opened on the 22nd January 1869, had a share capital of £114. First Manager, Mr James Herbert; first President, Mr David Marr; first Secretary, Mr Andrew Munro; and its first Treasurer, who still retains office, Mr David Fraser. Mr Munro retiring towards the close of 1869, Mr D. M‘Cairn was appointed, and retains that office still. The drawings for the first half-year amounted to £961 from members, and from non-members £394. Last half-year the drawings over all amounted to £11,780. The share capital amounts at the present time to £2904, while the loan capital has gone up to £1804; reserve fund, £1709. The society in 1883 purchased the old Parochial School, which was used as business premises for a time ; and about two years ago, wishing a more central place of business, they became proprietors of Beach House and Beach Cottage, which they converted into a very spacious place of business at a cost of fully £5000, while the old store they converted into dwelling-houses. Gasworks Have been long established here. The management is good, and they are in a highly flourishing condition. CHAPTER XV. TOWN HALL. Town Hall — Curious Ups and Downs — Golf Club — Medal Winners — Office - Bearers — Young Women’s Christian Association — Cricket Club — Mutual Improvement Society — Ornithological Association — Football Clubs — Beach House — Land o’ Cakes — Ringan’s Hole — Castle o’ Clouts — Piper’s Wynd — Harlo House — The Burrows — Characteristics of the People — A Tannery — Wealthy People of Olden Times — A Busy Man of the Present Time, James Howden. PRESTONPANS at the present time can boast of being in possession of one of the prettiest and most comfortable halls in the county. It was not always thus. There-was a time when, if Pollock’s Show, Cadona’s Show, or any other show, happened to turn up in the village, if they could not get the use of some old granary, barn, or byre, they had just to steer for some other fair haven. In course of time a hall in connection with the Free Church was erected, but this was mostly for sacred and social purposes. If a famous vocalist, or respectable juggler, turned up, they might be entertained for a night; but the “light fantastic toe” parties, and all the “theatrical” fraternity, were simply given to understand “that the Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans.” As the population increased it soon became evident that a public and a capacious hall was wanted. With a view to this end, in 1874 a committee was appointed, when a course of lectures, socials, concerts, etc., were brought off, and the following year a fancy bazaar was got up for the same purpose, and after all expenses were paid the very handsome sum of £400 was left as a “nest egg.” Various sites were proposed, but latterly the late Sir George Grant Suttie stepped in with the offer of a “free site” in the West Loan. This was approved of, accepted by the committee, and arrangements for commencing all but ready, when a hitch occurred and this site was abandoned. Some half a score years later on, the committee had their attention turned towards a site opposite Aldhammer House. This again was heartily gone into, and during the proceedings Mr Brown, a villager through the mother’s side but located in London, was approached. This was the same gentleman who had built and made a free gift of Cockenzie school only a short time previously. He at once took an interest in the work, and offered, if the committee were pleased to spend their £400 on furnishings, to build a hall with all its other necessary equipments at his own expense. He even went the length of having a plan, on a magnificent scale, drafted and sent down for approval. His share in the transaction would have cost some £4000, but the committee had got the offer of the “hall and its equipments” all too easily, and they raised questions concerning their £400 till the generous offerer became disgusted with their proceedings and withdrew from the matter altogether. Certain of the villagers at this stage felt the situation keenly, and Messrs Mellis, Ford, and others had again taken the matter up, when Lady Susan Grant Suttie proposed another bazaar. The idea was readily caught up, her ladyship promoting the affair with all the tact and power at her command. The outcome was a bazaar in 1887 on a most ‘extensive scale. It was held within the policies military tournaments; etc., took place, and the proceeds of these, added to the former sum, raised the funds to £1000, exclusive of a site which had already been purchased. In 1893 the Hall Committee offered to hand over to the Burgh Commissioners a “free site” and £1000 to build, or help to build, a town hall, but it was refused. A plebiscite of the ratepayers was taken, and went against the acceptance. Latterly, when Dr M‘Ewan became chief magistrate, that gentleman took the matter up at once, got able assistance from many ladies and gentlemen, and speedily had the present very handsome building erected at a cost, including the site, of fully £1500. Mr Peter Whitecross was the architect, and the building was opened in 1899 by R. B. Haldane, Esq., K.C., M.P. for the county. Thorn Tree Golf Club. This great national sport and famous pastime has had a place among the village sports from an early date. There have been always a host of enthusiastic wielders of the club in the district; but whether a regular “club” was previously formed among the players is uncertain. We know that Preston Links has borne witness to many an interesting struggle in the past. But far more curious and interesting surely would the struggles be when the sea coast, with its rugged rocks and water dubs, from Preston Links even on to Ringan’s Hole, was used as a golf course. And this continued for a great many years, during which, no doubt, many a foot would slip and many a ball would take to the water. The tradition is that there was a club formed at Prestonpans as early as anywhere else in Scotland. Over twenty years ago a very strong district club was formed under the name of the Thorn Tree Golf Club, when a handsome silver medal was obtained and played for. The minute-book of the club fails to give particulars of this medal further than that towards the end of 1877 only one vacant space remained for a winner’s name. In 1878, at a general meeting of the club, the following office-bearers were elected:— Robert White, Esq., Chief Magistrate, Captain; John Edgar, Esq., Vice-Captain; Messrs Robert Hay and N. M‘Cairn, Joint-Secretaries. On the conclusion of the business meeting the annual competition for the silver medal was begun, and after three rounds of the green it was found, on scores being compared, that Mr John Edgar was winner for 1878; Mr Archibald Callander being a good second. Mr Edgar had thus the honour of filling up the old medal by — winning it the hindmost time it was played for. A new silver medal was obtained by the members who, at the above period, numbered twenty-six. It is oval in shape, with a heavy thistle-laced border. This medal is also filled up with the names of winners. Mr James Pow, senior, had the honour of first winning it in 1879, and Mr D. Kay had the latest honour of winning it in 1894. In 1895 arrangements were made with Shaw’s Trust for a twelve years’ lease of the Links Fields, and about this time a reconstruction of the club took place. New rules were submitted and passed, and a great influx of members was the result. The new office-bearers appointed at this time were:— President, General Sir Robert Cadell, K.C.B.; Captain, Hew Francis Cadell, Esq., W.S.; Vice-Captain, Mr David Adams; Secretary, Mr George Hunter; and Treasurer, Mr James Dewar, together with a dozen members of committee. In 1895 only nine holes were available, including four on the old links. On the opening Saturday various couples and foursomes were played, and some good scoring made, Richard Ormiston doing two rounds of the nine holes in 44 strokes and 45; William Robertson, second, with three strokes additional. During 1896 the east and west fields were opened up, and the entire course played over. Towards the close of that year it was proposed and carried to have a separate golf course for the ladies, as the ladies of the district had formed a golf club. Throughout the years 1897 and 1898, the Thorn Tree tackled quite a number of other clubs in friendly matches on the links. On Thursday, June 3rd, they met North Esk, twelve men a side, and got beaten by 35 to 12. In October following, with ten men a side, they completely vanquished Haddington players by 30 to 13 points. During 1899 the membership numbered seventy. In 1900 the following office-bearers were unanimously elected:— Honorary Presidents, Colonel Cadell, V.C., Cockenzie, and R. H. White, Esq., Preston House; Captain, H. F. Cadell, Esq., W.S., Edinburgh; Vice-Captain, the Rev. H. C. Cargill; Secretary and Treasurer, Mr Robert Page; besides a very influential acting committee. Some of the fixtures are as follows:— Quarterly Medal and other prizes; Armstrong Trophy, etc.; Captain’s and other prizes; Yearly Medal, etc.; and the Adams Cup, which carries with it a Gold Medal to the one who wins it oftenest throughout the year. Ladies’ Golf Club. The Ladies’ Golf Club is not just so old as the gentlemen’s, but the members of the one are certainly not less enthusiastic over the old Scottish game than the other. There is a very handsome medal in connection with it. It is played for all the season, and the winner most times during the season has her name inscribed on it at the end of the play. Mrs White, Preston, has hitherto proved herself quite invincible, having won it three seasons running. This season Mrs Morrison won it the first month, and Miss Moncur, Preston, the second, but who will ultimately carry home the trophy remains to be seen. The official list is:— Captain, Miss M. D. Hislop, Castlepark; Secretary, Miss Moncur, Preston Lodge; Members of Committee, Miss R. H. White, Preston; Mrs J. K. Morrison, Inveresk; Miss A. Ross, Cockenzie; and Miss Greenfield, Prestonkilns. Young Women’s Christian Association. This is one of the most useful and prosperous associations in the parish. It had its roots in classes for young women which were carried on a number of years ago by Miss Alexander, Aldhammer House; Miss Cumming, Preston; and the Misses Hislop, Harlaw Hill. The present association was formed in 1884, when Miss Mackay, Free Church Manse, was appointed Secretary, an office she held for a number of years. Other Secretaries have been:— Miss Hislop, Castlepark; Miss M. S. Sprot. The Presidents have been:— the Lady Susan H. Grant Suttie, Prestongrange; Mrs Mackay, Free Church Manse; Mrs Taylor, Dovecot. Miss Madeline S. Sprot, Stair Park, is the present Secretary, and Mrs Hislop, Castlepark, is President. The association has been exceedingly fortunate in having had energetic and painstaking office-bearers. It owes much to Miss Davie, Bank House, and Miss Meek, Aldhammer House, who since the beginning of the association have been indefatigable workers on its behalf. Cricket Club. The management at the present time is:— Captain, Mr W. Russell; Vice-Captain, Mr. W. E. Wallace; Secretary, Mr A. W. Cormack; Treasurer, Mr S. Wallace; Members of Committee, Messrs Harbecq, Fairgrieve, and T. Simpson. Mutual Improvement and Debating Society. It is a little over fifteen years since this society was established, but there was a similar institution in the village more than half a century ago. In connection with this a curious fact was mentioned by the late Mr Robert Hislop a short time previous to his decease. He happened to be at a meeting one night, and after listening with great interest to the debate, he assured the meeting that exactly fifty years that night he heard the same subject discussed by a similar society in Prestonpans. The office-bearers of the society at the present time are:— President, Mr Joseph E. Harbecq; Vice-President, Mr Robert Page; Secretary and Treasurer, Mr W. E. White; Editor of Magazine, Mr Joseph M. Hunter; Committee (ladies), Misses M. W. Hunter, I. Thomson, and A. Pockney; (gentlemen) Messrs A. Prentice, M.A., W. Wright, and C. Belfield. The syllabus for the season shows a list of seventeen subjects, among which are lectures, essays, debates, musical evenings, magazine articles, and criticism of leaders of evening papers. Ornithological Association. There is an ornithological association in the district. It was established about 1889, and it has its annual exhibition and prize competition in October. Secretary, Mr James Pow; Treasurer, Mr R. Cumming; Members of Committee are Messrs M. M‘Donald, A. Grundison, W. Rennie, G. Redpath, etc. Football Club. There has been a regular football club here for a great many years. The Athletic were the first to win the East Lothian League Cup. At the beginning of last season the committee placed a good team on the field, but the “fates” were against them, and played havoc with some of their best men at the beginning They soon recruited, however, won many matches, and carried off the Haddington Brewery Cup. Their pitch is at Preston Links. President, Mr John Meldrum; Secretary, Mr James Drumphy; Treasurer, Mr Thomas Edmond; Representative, Mr Matthew Brown. They play under the name of Prestonpans Athletic. Juvenile Football. Several juvenile elevens were also formed last season under the names of The Blue Bell, The Thistle, and The Violet. They are very strong, but were scarcely expected to come to the front their first season. Beach House of Old. If ever there was a quiet, shady, pleasant-looking habitation, from one end to the other of the village in by-gone days, it was Beach House. It was a most desirable residence previous to Mr Ford of Edinburgh becoming proprietor and occupier, and with the multitudinous improvements he made much was added to its amenity. A short time ago the grounds and all thereon were acquired by the Co-operative Society, when the fine old house was pulled down; but the company have set up a building there which certainly has not befooled the fine old site. Over the two garden wall doors on the seaside may be found various carvings and scriptural mottoes set up by Mr Ford in 1872. The Land O’ Cakes. Who has not heard of the “Land o’ Cakes”? This is a two-storied block which stands about the centre of the town on the north side, overlooking the sea. There is a fine warm feeling attached to the name, and in the days that are gone the hungry, no doubt, would be tempted to seek out the place with the expectation of finding something to eat; but it was a place for the drouthy rather. Old Forbes got a license to deal in spirituous liquors here, and he being a man of humour, and his wife a famous baker of oatmeal cakes, he in honour of his better-half’s abilities entitled his “public” “The Land o’ Cakes.” Forbes himself was a salter, and regularly followed out his employment. It is said that he liked a “drap o’ his ain stuff,” and ilka morning on going in to breakfast he had to get a slockener. If what his guidwife Barbara set down to him was not altogether to his taste, “Babbie,” he would say, “that’s a puir breakfast this mornin’, ye had better gie’s a bit glass, I think, to help it.” Another morning, if the dish supplied happened to be nice, “Ay, Babbie,” he would say, “that’s a grand breakfast; I think it deserves a bit glass to keep it company.” The “Land o’ Cakes” did not only keep a good dram, but it was a “house of credit” too, especially for the salters. There was no bookkeeping, but every penny was chalked down behind the door; and all the chalk marks had to be washed out on the Saturday night, otherwise there were no more drams for the forgetful. Ringan’s Hole. There does not seem to be much of a mystery about “Ringan’s Hole” after all. In the years that are gone, a rough-looking block of buildings stood overlooking the beach at this particular spot. The block comprised a famous public-house, owned and held for a great many years by one “Ringan.” In those days, as now, the “game of golf” was a very favourite pastime here; so much so, that daily, as soon as the tide went back, the game was wont to be taken up by the golfers along the beach. It must have been a very rough course, but there were quite a number of holes. One of these was cut out directly opposite the public house door; and so it was christened “Ringan’s Hole,” and “Ringan’s Hole” the spot remains to this day. Mr Gib was the last occupant of a house which stood till recently showing the site of Ringan’s block. Licensed Houses. About the middle of last century there were no less than twenty-four licensed spirit and ale houses in the parish. Now, with a much larger population, there are seven of these: three are public houses, where the indulger may, if he pleases, sit down and take a dram; and four are licensed grocers, where the drouthie passerby must go outside and take his dram. It looks funny, doesn’t it? and why it should be so we can’t tell. Langsyne the tippler could gulp it over at once if he were needfu’, no matter where he bought it. Oh! poor despised tippler. The Castle O’ Clouts. The Castle o’ Clouts is a two-storied building a little to the east of Grant’s Hotel. To those unacquainted with the locality the name betokens some very old and ready to “topple over” structure; but the name belies the building, because, if not a handsome, it is a sturdy-looking block. This is how it got the name. Auld Tam Rodger, a jobbing tailor, lived in the upper storey a great many years ago. “Claes ta Clout” was the sign-board he hung over his door, and “Claes ta Clout” was his cry some days as he trudged along the street. In course of time his business increased so much that he was compelled to employ a good many assistants. The clothes he got in to mend were daily hung outside the building, and when any of his customers wished to know if his “claes were clouted,” he just slipped along and cast an eye over the stock as it flaunted in the air. A wag one day on passing inquired at a bystander if this was “a castle o’ clouts,” and the Castle o’ Clouts it remains. Piper’s Wynd. This old close lies a little to the east of Harlo Hill, on the same side, and it derived its name from Ralstone’s old public-house there, On his sign-board stood a piper in gaudy attire, blowing with might and main, though never a creature heard him. Ralston asserted, what was more to the point with drouthy neighbours, that he always kept the best gaun dram in Prestonpans at a “penny a glass.” Harlo Howse. Harlo House is a fine old building, situated on the Hill of Harlo. Whether the hill gave name to the house or the house gave name to the hill is hard to discover; but the hill, no doubt, was there centuries before the foundations of the house were laid. The house was built early in the 16th century, possibly by David Hamilton. At all events, this brother to George Hamilton of Preston occupied Harlo House in 1596, taking a great part with Davidson in forming his church, and, along with Fallsyde and others, an elder in it. The house is presently occupied by the Rev. Dr Calder Macphail, late of Pilrig, Edinburgh. The Barrows or Burrows. This is a brae-face, simply a continuation of Harlo Hill, down to the shore. The origin of the name is hard to get at. There are many curious old buildings situated there yet, but it was simply crowded at one time with old hovels, and so crushed with population, that it became a common saying that “the people burrowed there like rabbits,” and so it became “The Burrows.” Characteristics of the People. The Statistical Account of the parish 1845 gives the following:— “There are many excellent people in the parish at the present time, and it is earnestly to be hoped the number of such may yearly increase. Violations of the Lord’s Day are not so customary as they were wont to be.” We think the “excellent” of Prestonpans have not at all events decreased in numbers, neither have the people lost respect for the Lord’s Day. A Tannery. It seems evident from names and designations found on tombstones, especially in the West Churchyard, that there must at one time have been a tannery in the village; but the oldest villagers never heard of such an institution here, and there is no tradition about a tannery in the locality. Wealthy People. Among the names of those who were considered very wealthy in the village about the middle of the 18th century, we find the Mathies, Hoggs, Youngs, and Shirreffs. There are few of these names to the fore now in Prestonpans. A Busy Man of the Present Time—James Howden. Among those we feel proud to mention in these pages connected with the district is Mr James Howden, of Glasgow. He writes: “I have always been exceedingly averse to any published notices regarding myself or my work.” But his works are so extensive, and among the multitude of worthies having a connection with the district, and herein brought forward, we humbly think it would have been unfair to have left such a genius out of the roll. Prestonpans will be proud to claim him as one “who has risen from the ranks.” Of his great engineering works we learn that about ten years ago his business was the construction of engines and boilers for steamships, and fitting out these ships complete with their machinery. From time to time he patented improvements in the designs of such machinery, some of which patents became well known, and came into general use. One patent especially, for producing a high rate of combustion, combining with this at the same time a great economy of fuel, became so valuable to steamship owners, that in order to prosecute its improvements more rapidly he gave up his general marine engineering business and restricted himself to the furthering of his forced combustion processes, for which he held several patents. His business during these half-score years till now has been confined to working these patents, his clients being steamship owners and marine engineers in all maritime countries. He does not undertake the fitting of his apparatus on board ship. This is done by the engineers, who contract with the owners to fit their ships with the whole machinery, including his system of combustion for the boilers. These engineers pay him a royalty on the horse-power of such steamers for the use of his system. There are, however, certain parts of the apparatus the construction of which he keeps in his own hands. These parts are purchased from him by the contracting engineers for every installation they individually fit out. At first—ten years ago—this part of his business was of small account; but as his system became more and more adopted, it is now of considerable importance, and gives employment to about three hundred and fifty men. His original engineering works and business, in which he employed from six hundred to seven hundred men, he let go in order to prosecute his present business; but only so far, for he continues to supply drawings to other engineers for the construction of his system to the boilers they make, and has a number of engineer inspectors who regularly visit all the marine engineering establishments in this country and on the continent to see that the work is done properly, according to his drawings and instructions. Mr Howden has also just completed a new shop for the construction of special high-speed engines for generating electricity. CHAPTER XVI. JOHNNIE MOAT. Johnnie Moat — The Real and the Mock — How and when did he arrive? — Strange and various Views — Rocks along Shore: Black Rocks — The Hattles — The Humlicks — The Slide Aways — Quebec Rocks — Hay’s Rocks — Ally Cally Rocks — Doo’s Rock — Ringan’s Hole — The Mathie — The Girdle — Canty Rock — Mackie’s Rock — The Skellys — Ox Crag — M‘Keenie’s Rocks — Gap Rock — Mitchell’s Rock — Robertson’s and Cuthill Rocks. JOHNNIE MOAT was no myth, but a reality, and that he was engaged at Acheson’s Haven some two and a half centuries ago there is no doubt, but whether he was engaged as harbour master or excise officer is doubtful. Acheson’s Haven was then a regular custom-house port, and probably Johnnie Moat combined both of these offices. The Johnnie Moat we have to deal with here, however, is not of flesh and blood, but a stone. Whether the real Johnnie Moat was a man of extraordinary proportions we cannot say, but we know that his namesake is a whinstone boulder of very extraordinary dimensions. Johnnie lies on what is known as the Girdle Rock, and almost directly at the back of Aldhammer House. He is fully nine feet long, a little over six feet in height, and a little over six feet in breadth. His surface is rough as an elephant’s hide, with beautiful carmine veins running through him. Altogether he is a wonderful monster of a boulder. On beholding him from the west, with the waters gently rising and falling around him, only that he is minus the trunk, the tusks, and the great flapping ears, a better model of an elephant lying on his haunches it is hardly possible to conceive. In glancing over Johnnie from the eastward, other two stones of a similar nature may be observed; they are smaller, but it is curious to find the triplets lying in a direct line with each other. There is no regular body of stone in the neighbourhood exactly similar in substance to Johnnie Moat, and it has engaged the attention of men of science for a long time past to learn not only how and when he came there, but whence he was imported. There are those who say the great stone must have been conveyed thither during the glacial ages. Some have even gone the length of localising the district whence he came. These speculators might easily have gone a step further and said it was a very sensible iceberg that conveyed them thither, for it had planted the three, Johnnie Moat and his twin children, all so nicely in a row. But why should these stones have been brought here at all by an iceberg, and especially from a foreign country? If an Almighty hand could form and fashion them in Norway, Sweden, or anywhere else, why should power fail that Hand to form and fashion such stones just as easily in the neighbourhood of Prestonpans? The theory that there is no rock in the immediate neighbourhood of and almost similar in substance to Johnnie Moat, is perhaps not just so very conclusive either after all. Johnnie is a very dark blue whinstone. There are the Hattle Rocks in the Forth, a little to the north of Johnnie, of a very dark whinstone colour, and there is also a Trap Dyke of very dark blue whinstone just a little to the south of him. This latter may be seen fully exposed at the south end of the Cockenzie plantation, it runs east into the German Ocean, and west through Prestongrange Harbour into the Forth. Thus then is Johnnie situated directly between two great ranges of whinstone. Johnnie Moat is no doubt a little different from an outside point of view to either the Hattle Rock or Trap Dyke material; but exposure to sunshine and hail, salt wind and salt waters, one after another for centuries, might account partly for this. He has a burned dander-like appearance—on a near view almost indeed suggestive of one of those occasional heavenly messengers an “aerolite”; but it would not surprise us in the least to learn that Johnnie and his two friends are neither more nor less than a triplet of bastard boulders wrenched from the sides of the Hattle Rocks out in the depths of the Forth, and planted where they are found by the force of the raging waves. Or they may have been lifted, as thousands of other whinstone boulders have been, from the fields adjoining the Trap Dyke to the south of them, and conveyed thither by the fishermen of old simply for tethering their boats to, for stones a deal larger than these did not seem to give much trouble to the ancients. Again, between the Firth of Forth and the Lammermoors lie thousands of whinstone boulders, not only of various colours but of every size and shape conceivable. Even the Lammermoors themselves are composed for a great part of whinstone. Surely an iceberg did not convey the everlasting hills there! Moreover, if this was, according to geologists, an arctic region millions of years ago, the icebergs had long ago taken to flight, and in their going it seems quite as reasonable to suppose that they conveyed these boulders from the Lammermoors to where we find them, as to suppose they conveyed them from Norway, Sweden, or anywhere else to the Firth of Forth. If Johnnie Moat did not come out of the depths of the sea, perhaps he came down from the Lammermoors. Geologists may continue to suppose, and antiquarians to confirm their suppositions, but it will be a hard thing indeed for any speculator to disprove that Johnnie Moat does not still occupy, in a measure, the very position on which he was originally planted by the Hand that made him, and that he is a genuine native of the ancient hamlet of Althamer. Of course the reader will understand that the foregoing remarks do not pretend to be a scientific explanation of the presence of these boulders on the shore, but simply the unsophisticated meditations of a non-scientific observer. Famous Rocks Along the Shore. From end to end along the shore of the village lie quite a host of semi-detached and scattered rocks, nearly every one of which has from time to time been christened, receiving as a rule the name of the man who lived opposite, or any singular individual who happened to take an interest in them. But some received their names from very different causes. At the east end near Preston Links lie the “Black Rocks.” These almost adjoin the great range of rough grey rocks which extend from Cockenzie harbour, and take their name from their dull forbidding colour. Next come The Hattle Rocks. The Hattle rocks are an exceedingly rugged range, of very dark whinstone. They almost adjoin the Black Rocks, which again almost adjoin the Cockenzie rocks, run straight along opposite the village, about a mile out seaward, and terminate at Leith. At low tide, the sea-ware floating above these rocks can be followed for a considerable distance east to westward. Some affirm that the naked rocks were observable at extreme low tides long ago, and that there appeared to have been buildings upon them opposite the town. Inquiring at a very old fisherman, I was told “that he had never actually seen the rocks from the shore, but that he had sailed over them hundreds of times when they almost touched the keel of the boat; and that there had been buildings on them at one time he had no doubt, because he and his companions often used to pay attention, when passing, to the large blocks of square hewn stones resting among them.” His idea is that there might have been a “lighthouse” there at one time, or perhaps a breakwater. The Humlicks. Why these should take their names from such rank smelling poisonous herbs we fail to learn. Following these come the Slideaway Rocks. These we understand carry a double meaning upon their shoulders; not only were the boys accustomed to slide down over them, but the rocks themselves were accustomed to slide away out into the waters, but not to return again. The Quebec Rocks. Some say these received their name from the fact of a ship from that quarter once being driven ashore near that particular spot. Others say the name was derived from the fact of a gentleman from that Canadian city taking up house directly opposite them. The next are The Shadowy Rocks. It is curious to think that this was at one period a good high rock, and more curious still, to think that at one time a dwelling-house rested upon it. A family of the name of Baxter were the last to occupy the house on the rock. A very old man, at the beginning of the nineteenth century, named John Baxter, asserted that he was born in the house thereon. Some say it received its name from the exceedingly dark shadow that always hung around it, alike in sun and moonlight. During the “Richard Weaver revival times,” its neighbourhood became a somewhat famous resort for young preachers. Night after night, without tuck of drum or tingle of bell, great congregations were wont to assemble there. As a rule an itinerant preacher would be in attendance. If not, local talent would step in. One evening Jock Brown took the initiative. Jock was about to give out a hymn to be sung, the first line of which went as follows:— “Under the shadow of the Rock.” Jock, looking up, apparently called to mind that he was in the neighbourhood of the “Shadowy Rock,” and evidently forgetful of his chief mission that evening, he pointed towards the rock lying there, and blurted out— “Under the shadow of that rock, Under the shadow of that rock. Yea, I repeat— Under the shadow——,” but he could get no further. “Brother,” whispered a neighbour to him, “I begin to think you have got under a shadow this evening too. Let us pray.” And he prayed with all his might, but Jock Brown took a back seat afterwards at preaching matches. In an old parish record we find “Shadowy” was a regular family name in the village. Thus the rock would receive its name. Hay’s Rock Derived its name from Hay, a proprietor in its neighbourhood. Mr Hay was a well known townsman, and much respected. Not a very great distance from the foregoing lie The Ally Cally Rocks. But whether these derived their name from bird, beast, or body, we fail to discover. Farther west stands a little prominently the Doo’s Rock. This should of course be “Dow’s Rock,” from the name of a proprietor at one time in the neighbourhood; but it became a common saying in the village, if a pigeon is wanted, you are sure to find one on the “Doo’s Rock.” Ringan’s Hole and Rock. This, I daresay, with the exception of the “Girdle,” has come to be the best known rock along the whole village coast. It derived its name in the first place from Ringan, who had a public house adjacent to it, and the “Hole,” of course, was added, when it became the well-known “western hole”-in the old seaside golf course. A short distance from Ringan lay Mathie’s Rock. About the middle of last century the Mathies were a very wealthy family in Prestonpans. A great stone which lay on the seacoast here took its name from their feu-charter; but that family have long since died out in the district, and it is doubtful if the real stone has not disappeared in the sands, or slipt out into deep water. Next in order comes the “Hepburn Rock,” followed by The Girdle Rock. This beats all the others, named or nameless, along the seacoast easily, not because of its height or its beauty, for it has not the one and lays no claim to the other, but simply because it is the quiet resting-place of Johnnie Moat. Here also is the Dub, a circle of rocks surrounding a never failing supply of salt water, wherein the fishermen long ago were wont to keep their oysters sweet. The Canty Rock. A strange name indeed, and according to local tradition its derivation was no less strange. One evening when an old wifie was passing this way it happened to be clear moonlight, and she had got something to make her either very dim or very gleg o’ sight. “My,” she said, looking over, “but that maun be a canty rock. Where the de’ ha’e a’ these naked bairns come frae, I wonder, now dancin’ owre it?” “Stupid auld gowk,” quoth an urchin passing, “d’ye no’ see that these are only seamaws jumping aboot, an’ no’ bairns at a’.” “Blast yer impudence, ye monkey,” she screamed, and set after him with her umbrella ready to lay on; “d’ye think I dinna ken the yell o’ a bairn frae the yowl o’ a seamaw?” Mackie’s Rock. This is not very far distant from the “Canty.” It derived its name from the Mackies of Prestonpans, and their lands adjacent to it. A little farther west lie The Skelly or Scaley Rocks. The correct name of these, it is understood, is the “Scaley Rocks.” They lie just outside Walford Lodge. It is recorded that no less than three salt pans were located at one time among these rocks. They derive their name from the fact that thin pieces like scales are always splitting off them. A little out at sea from these lie the Ox Crag Rocks. These instead of deriving their name from lands or proprietors of houses give a name rather to the feu-charter of that very substantial property belonging to the Messrs Clark, of “Roperee” fame in the neighbourhood. West from these may be found M‘Keenie’s Rocks. There is nothing very peculiar about these. They have their name from M‘Kenzie, a proprietor, who some time ago resided there. The Gap Rock Lies a little distance westward of the foregoing, and derives its name from its situation. In looking through a gap or opening between two properties it catches the eye very conspicuously. Mitchell’s Rock Follows next. It derived its name, like many others, from a proprietor in the neighbourhood. Robertson’s Rocks and Cuthill Rocks. The first of these derive their name from a proprietor, and the latter from their adjacency to the old village of Cuthill. CHAPTER XVII. TOWN DRUMMERS, BELL RINGERS, CRIERS, ETC. Town Drummers, Bell Ringers, Criers, etc.: Old Hunter — Young Hunter, better known as Puddock Wull — As a Swimmer — Lost at Haddington — A bit of a Glutton — A brief Wooing — Tricked by Tranent Bell Ringer — Wull enlists for a Soldier — Geordie Muir — Davie Storie — Robbie Smith and the Dishcloot — Robbie Smith’s Marriage — Sandie Kedzlie and the Barrelless Gun — Sandie and his Siller — The Old Flint Gun — Rob Tamson’s Prayer. Old Hunter. PRESTONPANS, like other country villages, has always had its quota of curious characters, in the form of town criers, drummers, bell ringers, kirk beadles, etc. In many districts the kirk officer held all the aforenamed offices, but in Prestonpans the beadle as a rule always held himself superior to these things. There have been town criers here from a very early period, but we draw the line at old Hunter, who is still well remembered among the more ancient of the villagers. Old Hunter was a genuine native of the soil, and a shoemaker. He became town bellringer, town drummer, and town crier at an early age, and ceased to make a din only when his tongue would no longer waggle or his fingers hold a drumstick. He was succeeded in office by his son William, better known as Puddock Wull. Wull, like his predecessor, went in for “cobbling,” and if he succeeded his father in the art of using his awl, he also succeeded him in the office of town drummer. Along with these he inherited many of his father’s peculiarities, and possessed no end of whimsicalities very much his own. The new town drummer was a strong-bodied man, with not altogether uncomely features, but he was very much malformed in his nether limbs. His knees were flattened outwards, and his heels came in till they met together. He walked, or bounded rather, with the aid of a pair of crutches. His youthful tormentors maintained that he leapt like a frog, and they nicknamed him “Puddock Wull.” Wull was a powerful swimmer. He was far ahead of all comers in the district, and his aquatic powers were said to be owing to the malformation of his limbs. A boat in distress excited him terribly, through eagerness to rush to the rescue. He liked to be among the wild waves revelling. He ventured into the most dangerous places, and it became a common saying, “There is nae droonin’ o’ Wull.” If a “wild beast” show arrived in the village, if a concert or soiree was to be, or if a sale by auction was about to take place, Wull’s services were sure to be in request, and with his big drum fixed in front of him, and surrounded by noisy children, he was in his glory. Thus accompanied, off he would bound, halt betimes, and sound his drum. He was gifted with a most stentorian voice. His words could be heard distinctly from one end of the village to the other. After proclaiming his news towards the west end of the village, he would set off by way of Tranent, where he was very well known, then making his way down by Cockenzie and Preston Links he would re-enter the village at the east end, and by this means he maintained that he was for Prestonpans, the best— “Disseminator of news That ever stood before In a pair of leather shoes.” Humour or Spleen. One day, during a fit of humour or spleen, Wull, by one of his announcements, rather surprised the natives. Arrayed in all his glory, he took his place in front of the principal inn. “What’s up the day, Wull?” inquired a lounger. “Sad news! Sad news!” was the reply; “but halt and hear.” And after sounding his drum, he bawled out at the top of his voice, “Lost! Lost! Lost!” “Ay, lost at Haddington the other day—a lawyer’s conscience—a jailor’s benevolence—and the sympathy of a policeman.” “Where, Wull? where?” inquired the lounger, in all earnestness. “Oh! I dinna ken,” quoth the drummer; “but it was somewhere between the Nungate Brig and the Westport Toll, I fancy, and the finder is sure to be rewarded.” Whether Wull had suffered at Haddington court previously the historian fails to discover. Just a Little gluttonous. Wull said that he could eat a bit, and drink a bit, but he disclaimed the honour (?) of being a glutton; and yet some great stories are told concerning his food devouring propensities. But he was not a Rab Ha’. The biggest dish he was ever known to clear out was a large brown basin of brose and two chappins of sour dook, but this he said he could do at any time, either before a spree or after one, and the biggest spree he ever had was one day when he cleaned out nineteen glasses of whisky. He got down the inn stair that day he said, but whether he or his drum got first he could not tell. Whether Wull had one wife or many wives the parish register does not declare, but there are those who remember that on one occasion he had A very Brief Wooin’. He had been out on special service, drum and all, and went bounding up to his door at darkening, half fou as usual. Just as he arrived, “Want a wife, Wull?” inquired a neighbour. “Where is she?” quoth the drummer. “There she stands,” rejoined the neighbour, pointing towards a half-intoxicated female leaning against his gable end. “Eh, my darling,” quoth Wull, “will you hae me?” “I will,” quoth she. “Well, I’ll hae you,” and there and then the pair got spliced, for ill or weel, and without the service of priest or minister. Wull said she was a regular heart-breaker. He was glad to get rid of her, and vowed he would never have another wife wi’ such a brief wooin’. Wull at Tranent. Tranent had an able town crier of its own, but what had become of him on this particular day no one knew. Wull concluded he was “juist like other folk, had got fou and couldna turn oot.” It happened that a number of shows had set up at Pigeon Square in Tranent, and as the village official was not on duty, Wull had to be brought up from Prestonpans. Whether it was a make up of the drummer’s own, or if the showman had a hand in the ploy, remains unknown. But drum in hand, and accompanied as usual by a host of youngsters, Wull set off from Tranent down by Cockenzie, the Pans, and back to Tranent, and this is the notice he proclaimed all the way:— “Shows at Pigeon Square, Tranent. “Come a’! come a’! come a’ and see! A horse’s heid where its tail should be!” Further he proceeded— “There is to be seen at Tranent a livin’ lion stuffed wi’ straw, headed like a bear, luggit like a deer, and hasna a tooth in its under jaw. All to be seen for the sma’ sum o’ tuppence.” It need hardly be added that the show containing these living curiosities was soon crowded and the show began. For the curious horse the audience were shown a pony standing with its hindlegs three or four steps up a stair, and its forefeet on the ground. The explanation was “that no horse went up a stair tail foremost, so that practically the horse’s head stood where its tail should be.” “Mockery,” and “vengeance,” was the cry, but the show proceeded. The “living lion” was part of a waxwork. The machinery being set in motion, the lion began to gape and growl. But these things were too much for a Tranent audience. Seeing they had been mocked, the showman was instantly captured, knocked down, and bereft of all the cash he possessed, which being scattered among the audience, the leaders of the rebellion then set fire to the concern and cleared out. Poor Wull was not exactly blamed for being art and part in the deception, but the showman forgot to remunerate him for his services, and he went home cursing his own stupidity, maintaining that the towncrier of Tranent had not been drunk on that occasion at all, but had known of the deception and had taken advantage of his “poor brother at Prestonpans.” Wull vowed he would never be “ta’en in” by his Tranent brother again. Enlisting for a Soldier. Wull was a regular attender at Musselburgh Races. If there were sports on the green he was sure to be there, and if there was a refreshment tent on the ground he was sure to be found in it. One day, together with a number of his fellow villagers, he was boozing in one of these tents when a recruiting sergeant entered. Wull, with his legs beneath the table, looked the most likely civilian among the party for the making of a soldier. He caught the sergeant’s eye, and was requested there and then to take the proverbial shilling, “All right,” quoth Wull, “ca’ in some drink, wit.” The drink was quickly in, and soon quaffed up. “Come on now,” quoth the recruiter, “its time we were going.” “All right,” replied Wull, “hand me ower my stilts an’ I'll be wi’ ye directly.” “Sold again,” shouted his friends, with an outburst of laughter, in which the sergeant heartily joined and retired from the revellers. Quite Fearless. During the cholera epidemic of 1842, Hunter played a great part among those who were stricken down in the village. Many a hovel he entered and brought relief to the sufferers when no one else would venture in. He had not only a fearless heart, but a strong constitution, and except the trouble that over-indulgment in the wine glass brought him, he never seemed to know what suffering was. But his end came too. Geordie Muir. Geordie Muir was Wull Hunter’s successor in office as drummer, etc. Wull used the big drum, his successor the kettle drum. Geordie Muir, like his predecessor, was very lame, but he used only a big stick instead of crutches when walking. Geordie was not a man of bright ideas like Hunter; he liked the “bottle” every whit as well, and he dearly liked to have a flyte with his mother. As a rule drink was always at the bottom of their quarrels, and as sure as she abused him for tippling, as sure was he to shriek out, “If ye dinna haud yer tongue, wuman, as share as daith I’ll run away an’ list.” “Ay, ye blackgaurd,” she would reply, “rin away then, for I ken it’s the road ye have to gang at ony rate.” Before Geordie took to the “drum beating” he was a coal carter. He had a bit beastie and cart of his own, and as sure as he got fou’ he blamed the horse for being drunk. Geordie as a rule drove his coals down from Elphinstone pits to the Pans, coming by the west end of Tranent. One day when coming down a hilly part of the road his horse fell, and loudly he bawled, “Mother, mother! mother, mother!” till no end of assistance came. “What’s wrang, Geordie?” cried one; “What’s wrang?” for Geordie was well known at Tranent. “The horse’s drunk,” exclaimed he, “the cairt’s reestit, and Geordie Muir’s fau’n.” “It’s the horse that’s fau’n, Geordie,” replied the speaker. “Oh so it is, puir beastie,” rejoined he; “but then, d’ye see, he hasna got a wiselike diet this fortnicht, and unless he stops that dram drinkin’ I doot he winna get ony mair for a fortnicht to come; for, d’ye see, gin it gangs intil the gill stoup, it canna gang into the moothpock.” One day he went home with his face all scratched and bleeding. “What’s the matter noo, Geordie?” quoth his mother. “Ah, mother, mother,” replied he, “its that horse again, puir beast. He hasna been sober this fortnicht; but surely, mother, he canna help it. He got drunk again, d’ye see, and Geordie Muir fell; but I think Ill gang an’ list.” “Yes, gang an’ list,” quoth she, “and tak’ the horse too, and they'll surely keep ye sober in the regiment.” Geordie became town crier after he lost his horse, but he was no great success in the art of drum beating. Davie Storie. Davie Storie succeeded Geordie Muir. Davie never used the drum, but stuck to the bell. He was a “Jack of all trades.” Not only did he go in for baking, but at times he was a painter, a plasterer, a plumber, and, to crown all, a famous chimney sweeper. At one time a pair of beautiful figures, representative of our first parents, stood before a cottage door at Preston. One day Davie was requested to sweep the chimneys there. On his way home he met a cronie. “Where hae ye been, Davie?” inquired he. “Oh,” was the reply, “I’ve been up, up,” but he had forgotten the name of the house. “Eh, daggont,” he blurted out, “I’ve been up soopin Adam and Eve’s lums.” One day Davie got fou, and a merchant, who was a character in his way, found the chimney sweeper lying helpless at the mouth of Piper’s Close. He fell in with Geordie Simpson—Geordie acted sometimes as scavenger and crier in Davie Storie’s absence—“Quick, get the bell, Geordie,” cried the merchant, “and alang ye go by Piper’s Wynd and cry oot, ‘Lost, stolen, or strayed, the chimney sweeper of Prestonpans. Whoever shall bring him, livin’ or deid, to the ‘Whale’ at the Cuitle, shall be handsomely rewarded.’” Away went Geordie, ringing and shouting betimes. On approaching the wynd, the sound of the bell had partially aroused Davie Storie, and when he heard the ‘chimney sweeper” mentioned, up he started and stood before the bell ringer. “Hi, Geordie,” he exclaimed, ‘that’s me.” “Yes,” quoth Geordie. “Your quite sure it’s me?” inquired Davie. “Quite sure.” “Well, that’s you, and the bell’s mine.” He knocked Geordie down, taking the bell out of his hands, and rushed back through the village shouting “Lost, stolen, or strayed, the scavenger of Prestonpans,” etc. Just as he arrived at the merchant’s door Geordie overtook his opponent, when a regular melee was about to ensue, but the merchant stepped in, gave both a good dram, and sent them home by different routes. And thus the quarrel ended. Robbie Smith. Robbie Smith was born a good many years before the last century came in. He dwelt with a sister named Bell in that house opposite the church now known as “Morrison’s Buildings.” He had a drum of his own, but he could scarcely be called a “town drummer,” as he only used it for the amusement of the villagers. He was a “wheelman” in Gordon’s Pottery; but often in the summer evenings, when free from his work, he would parade the village beating his drum, accompanied by hundreds of noisy children; or if there was to be a meeting of “potters,” he was not slow to call them to the assembly. But the potters’ annual procession was his head field day. To every door he went, beating them up in the morning long before time for rising, and he never forgot to accompany the procession with his drum slung over his shoulder. When at work, his sister always carried his dinner to the pottery to save him going home for it. One day she had “tattie soop” for him, and brought it in a pitcher. He had not long begun to delve in with the spoon, when something else than “tatties” began to turn up, and, glancing into the dish, “Bags the day, Bell,” he whispered, “bags, bags,” and he nichered and laughed loudly in anticipation of a big feed of tripe. “Eh, Robbie,” she exclaimed, and prepared to fly, “it’s the dishclout; I forgot to take it oot when washin’ the pitcher”; and she fled. But Rob got up, pursued, and lashed her haffits well with the dishclout, crying out the while, “That'll help to keep ’e in mind, Bell, that Robbie Smith may eat bags ony day, but he’ll no try to eat dishclouts.” Robbie Smith’s Marriage. Robbie made up his mind to get married. The cries were put in, the night arranged; the guests came, the bride came, and the minister came. The ceremony began and had proceeded thus far, “Will you have this woman to wife?” “Na, man, na!” he cried, withdrawing his hand from her sharply; and turning to the audience, “Ay, chaps,” he whispered, “I was very near nicket the noo,” and bolted out at the door. But he was pursued, caught, and the ceremony proceeded without any further hitch. Robbie had a fellow “wheelman” in the same pottery every whit as silly as himself, named Sandy Kedzlie. Sandy’s pay when working full time was 4s. 6d. per week, and if he had a deal of overtime he got 6d. extra. He was very particular in the cash offered him at the pay table. If he got two half-crowns he went forth rejoicing, but if five single shillings were laid down to him he went out with a scowl on his countenance, and would not lift them. When he had no overtime he had to get a half-crown, a shilling, and two sixpenny pieces; otherwise it had also to be sent after him. One day the pay clerk inquired at Sandy whether he would prefer one guinea or sixteen shillings. “Lord, man,” was the reply, “d’ye think I’m daft? Ony bodie wi’ half his senses aboot im kens that sixteen’s mair than yin! Jist try it wi’ nips o’ whisky, for instance!” The workmen as a rule took pleasure almost daily in getting up a row between the pair of wheelmen. It seldom went further than a flyte, but one day it ended in a battle. Robbie Smith went home to dinner that day, but Sandy remained at the pottery. Before Robbie’s return one of the men, in order to continue the strife, went out and brought in the stock of a gun, with the lock, but no barrel on it. As soon as Robbie appeared at the gate, the old gun was put into Sandy’s hands, with instructions to fire and have his revenge. It had been a flint gun; there was still a flint in the dog-head. He drew the trigger, the flint flashed, and Robbie turned and fled, howling “Murder!” They told Sandy that he had slain his late opponent, when, throwing away the useless “article of war,” he hurried after him shouting, “Come back, Robbie, come back ! ye’re no killed, man, and the pistol’s deid.” But neither of the two returned. There was no more clay ground that day, and the rest of the men were thrown idle. Both of these worthies died about 1850. Jock Tamson’s Prayer. Jock Tamson was a man of means, and lived and died in the neighbourhood of Ayre’s Wynd. Jock liked his bit drappie, but he began to take so much that the family had to take matters in hand and put a stop to his tippling. Whether he had been accustomed to pray previous to this period is uncertain, but his petition many times a day now was to this effect: “O, Lord, why dost Thou now withhold the wee drappie frae John Thomson? But what needs I ask? it’s no you, O Lord, no! but that family o’ mine. God hae mercy on them and quickly show them the error o’ their ways. Amen.” CHAPTER XVIII. PRESTON VILLAGE. The Old Village — Highway to Haddington — Preston Church — Preston Tower — Destruction by Lord Hertford — Royal Processions and Merriments — Black Plague — Hamilton’s Petition — Ashamed of the Roads through Preston — Toll levying for Repairs — Queen Mary and her Lords’ Visit — Preston — King James’s Visit — Boundary of the Baronies — Wygtrig Hill — Curious Memorial Stone — Description, etc. — Old Pillar or Sun-Dial — Decayed Titles — Market Days of Old — Old Taverns — Curious Impost — Dr Jelly, etc. THE great highway to Haddington, to Berwick, to London all the way, was not, previous to the year 1800, by way of Tranent, Macmerry, and Gladsmuir, as at present, but by way of Preston. There was, indeed, a good post road to Tranent over which the mails between Edinburgh and London and a series of stage-coaches plied regularly; but it turned northwards at the west end of the village, and skirting the upper end of the “Heuch,” proceeded round the “Butts” down by the “Puddin’ Tower” and the old parish school, rejoining the main highway to Haddington towards the east end of the Meadows, now Meadowmill. And that old road on the south side of the North British Railway, leading to Riggonhead Farm, still represents the old post road previous to its being cut by the railway. Preston must have been a very busy place in the early ages, especially with through traffic, and must have been of more consequence in these days than even the hamlet of Althamer. As it was in its immediate vicinity that the monks of Newbattle originally formed their grange, possibly this village acquired the name of Prieststown even before Althamer changed its name, and it may be taken for granted that when the name of the upper village became contracted to Preston, the name of the lower village would accept the contraction too, although after a while, perhaps for a diversity, it became better known as Salt Preston. Seeing that the monks of Newbattle had their habitation in the immediate neighbourhood, it is but reasonable to suppose that they would have a place of worship not far off. The Abbey of Holyrood had already secured the church at Tranent and all the tithes pertaining thereto. The Abbey of Newbattle secured a habitation on the same great estate, but it did not acquire the same privileges as its forerunner. Thus we find the church of Preston entitled “a vicarage of the Abbey of Holyrood,” and this explains the cause of the dispute that raged for so many years between the rival abbeys about the tithes of these lands, ultimately settled by compromise, favourable to the Abbey of Holyrood. It is a matter of history that the church of Preston, together with Preston Tower, was burned by Lord Hertford and his English army previous to the battle of Pinkie in 1544. The tower was repaired and inhabited once more, and there is no doubt about its original situation. But where the church was situated there is not the least hint given. The upheaval which was ultimately to culminate in the overthrow of the Romish Church in Scotland had already set in. The monks of Newbattle seem to have scented defeat from afar, and let their church at Preston go with the flames; but they took very good care to retain the lands for the lords of Newbattle. In that curious old opening east of Northfield House known as “Katie Herrin’s Close” some curious things may be observed. In the old walls, for instance, there are several arches, while the crumbling walls themselves seem to have been repaired betimes with stones removed from some church or churchyard. They are covered with defaced inscriptions. There is an old bell suspended from a tree not far off, and an old church pillar in the neighbourhood of the cross, both of which were known to have belonged originally to this close. We know that a very large brewery once existed here. The arches in the walls may have led to the brewery vaults, or they may have led to the vaults of a church. But inscriptive stones have more to do with a burial than a brewery place. A graveyard may also have been here, and from the fact of Davidson being appointed to South Preston, the original church may also have been here. It is a historical fact that the monks had many processions from their church at Preston by way of Bankton (Holy Stop) to the Abbey of Newbattle. If tradition holds true, there were many processions along this route besides these monkish ones, and not all so quietly conducted. This being the main highway not only between Holyrood House and Seton Palace, but many other noblemen’s seats, “there were,” it is said, “continual royal and other processions along this way, and that these were often the scene of more merriment than discretion.” If these are tales of verity, surely the people of Preston would have a hand in the merriment as well as the comers and goers, else why should such indiscretions as are hinted at have been more observable at Preston than anywhere else along the route? And yet, when glancing at the inscriptions over the doorways of houses erected here some three hundred years ago, the sacred tone of these inscriptions is apt to make the observer think very different things of the people. If they were given to over-indulgence at times, they were not so much afflicted it seems for their sins and shortcomings as other villagers around them; for it is on record that, while neighbouring hamlets were smitten with nearly every trouble that swept over the land, the village of Preston was scarcely ever at all affected. More especially was this observable during the ravages of the great black plague; while other districts lay stricken to death beneath it, the “angel of darkness and destruction” never halted to look in at the village of Preston at all, and “out of gratitude for this memorable interposition of providence” the proprietor of Preston House had cut out over his door the following inscription, “No plague shall near thy dwelling come. No ill shall thee befall.” Possibly the plague of 1797 was here referred to. If the above inscription was over the south door it is gone for ever, because that side of the house was erased long ago; but if it were over the north door, there it remains snugly ensconced behind a heavy coat of firmly intertwined ivy, never more to be read till the woodman with his glittering hatchet makes a clearance. There is no doubt, however, concerning one royal procession which passed through the old village of Preston, and this was in 1616. During 1892, the County Council caused a cutting for a waterway to be made down through what was wont to be the eastern portion of the old village highway, and during their operations they came upon a causeway about two feet beneath the present roadway, consisting for the most part of whinstone very much worn. This is understood to have been thoroughly repaired at the instigation of Sir John Hamilton of that ilk, and there is no doubt he was stimulated to the work by the expected visit of King James the following year to his old kingdom. In 1616 thus Sir John Hamilton petitioned the Lords of Council:— “That altho the Lords have taken great course for enlarging and mending all highways and passages throu which his Majesty will pass on his approaching visit to Scotland, there is a very eminent and open place oversine, to wit, the high gait throu the town of Preston which is so broken after a small rayne and weit as hardlie is passible. “Now it is quite a schame that the common streit of a throu fairing toune so neir to the burgh of Edinburgh sall not be mendit; and unless it is mendit in tyme, and a good calsay made throu the same, it will be a grit discredit quhan that the strangers that accompanie his Majesty sall sie the same.” Sir John seems to have been a bit of a diplomatist. See how he in the first place tries to shame the Lords of Council into mending the roadway through Preston, even before his own tower, “lest the strangers with his Majesty should observe Its poverty strickeness.” Perhaps it lay outside their province to repair the village street. This he would know, but he does not give them a moment’s time for reflection, for with the very next breath he holds them up with a request “that they should grant him permission to levy and uplift a duty for the purpose of repairing the roadway,” and this permission they granted. The time limit was for three years and to this effect, “that he should levy a duty of 2d. on any ‘horse-load’ of whatever goods should pass through the village, 4d. on every ‘cart-load,’ 2d. on every ‘ox or cow,’ and 4d. on every ‘ten sheep’ that should pass that way.” But an exception was made on all green wood that was conveyed through the town, on horse or cart, for use at Salt Preston. From ecclesiastical history we learn that George Hamilton of Preston, like his father David, was a staunch Reformer. Further, that David Hamilton, though one of the most active Reformers, was a sterling supporter otherwise of Queen Mary. Perhaps it was owing to this impartiality of David Hamilton that negotiations between the queen and the Catholic party on the one hand, and her Protestant subjects on the other, were held in 1559, during the Reformation period, at the village of Preston. “Negotiations,” says the MS. State Papers, “were now entered into by commissioners from both sides, who assembled at Preston, in Midlothian (? Eastlothian). These negotiations resulted in no arrangement, as the principal condition proposed by the Regent, that wherever her residence was fixed, the Protestants should refrain from preaching, was evidently one which could not be accepted.” In 1617, during the reign of James VI. and through the influence of Sir John Hamilton, Preston and Prestongrange became burghs of barony. A dribbling burnie which flows down on the west side of Bankton House, crosses the North British line where Milligan’s Mains was wont to stand, seeks its way through Preston gardens, a few yards west of the ancient tower, and finds its way across the streets of Prestonpans a short distance east of Ayre’s Wynd into the Firth of Forth, still shows the divisional boundary of the ancient baronies of Preston and Prestongrange. Wygtrig and Wygtrie Hill. Wygtrig Hill is mentioned in one of the earliest charters relating to Tranent. It is now pronounced Wygrie or Wygtrie. The lands cover several fields; but it is the hill we have meantime in view. Wygtrig Hill may best be described as a great high natural mound, lying about equi-distant between the farm steadings of Bankton on the east and Dolphinstone on the west. It overlooks the village of Preston towards the north, while at its very base, on the south side, lies Bankton Bog. There is a little historical interest attached to this bog, as it happens to form the western extremity of the great “Tranent or Winton Peaterie,” mentioned in one of the state charters of the twelfth century. Barely half a century ago this bog had never felt plough or harrow. Many a time we have approached it lying in all its primeval beauty, burdened with saugh-wands, brambles, and rushes. Facing Bankhead House, on the south, right over Wygtrig Hill, runs an old stone dyke, and in this dyke, a little distance down, may be found the very curious memorial stone shown elsewhere. What may be termed its base or foundation stone, almost on a level with the soil, is rounded at the corners, and has the appearance of a heavy doorstep. Directly above the foundation lies another stone, a little over four feet in length, and about eight inches thick, reminding us of a sculptured window lintel, but lying in a reversed position; it is of light sandstone. Directly over this again, and in the centre of it, stands a piece of yellowish sandstone in pyramidal form; this is about eighteen inches broad at the base and about eighteen inches in height, running to a narrow point at top. There seems to have been a deal of labour spent on this, which may be termed the chief stone, the chiseling evidently having been attended to with great care. In the first place, it has been “cut out” all round about an inch in depth, leaving a border about an inch in breadth, the central part being cut out several inches deeper. Crowning all, and directly on the point of the pyramid, is a crescent, its horns pointing skywards. There is other sculptured work in the dyke, but no more of the same yellowish sandstone; while the foundation stones of the dyke at this point are large hewn blocks, which had evidently been used previously for a very different purpose. The memorial slabs have an aged appearance compared with their surroundings, and this has called attention to them previously. The late Dr Struthers, half a century ago, examined the stones. He expressed no opinion as to their being there; but the inscription we give elsewhere is said to have been copied by him. Part of the original inscription may still be found there, but it will be found difficult to decipher. The late Mr J. F. Hislop, another antiquarian of standing in the district, tried also to unravel the mystery, but without success. It seems to us that this dyke, which is a mutual wall between the Northfield and Castlepark lands, must have been built by old Laird Fowler, laird of Wygtrig, and the proprietor of Northfield at that period, with stones taken from Katie Herrin’s close, for there may be found blocks of the very same sort, the whole of which, including the memorial stone, may have belonged to the original church of Preston. Ancient Pillar or Sun-Dial. Another very interesting relic of the past is that large flat stone and pillar, already referred to, which stands a few paces eastward of the ancient cross. It has a history of its own, and has survived many trials. That it did not always occupy its present site we know. That it is older than the adjoining cross seems evident; that it had witnessed many furious forays around, and countless midnight raids to and from old Preston Tower during the early centuries, need scarcely be questioned. It scents so much of antiquity. It occupied a different site in these gardens during Lord Grange’s occupancy, and it is supposed that his lordship, or a predecessor, had it conveyed thence from the ruins of the ancient church; but when Howieson became tenant, about the beginning of last century, he had it and several other pieces of antiquity cleared out to make space for his cabbages. During the late Mr Wright’s tenancy the large flat stone turned up again deeply imbedded among nettles, while the handsome pillar which had previously supported it was found humbly supporting an old cart shed. The present tenant, Mr John Wright, had them brought together again. The circular stones forming the pillar are three in number—the upper one has been much under the hands of the sculptor. It is eighteen inches deep and seventy-two inches in circumference. It is encircled with a beautiful floral wreath, and four shields had originally found a place on it. Three of these are all but defaced, the fourth yet shows six stars,—one at the top, two on each side, and one at the bottom. The grand old stone on the summit is quite one hundred inches in circumference, and in substance an exceedingly hard white sandstone. It may have been the pedestal for a baptismal font in the ancient church, as suggested by some. It does not seem to have figured as a sun-dial, as suggested by others. We are inclined to think, with our old friend Mr Thomas Reekie of Leith and Prestonpans, that it had served in its day as one of the central pillars of a double arch in the ancient church at Preston. Decayed Titles. Preston gave the title of Viscount to the Barons Graham of Esk, a title which became extinct in 1739 at the decease of Charles the third Viscount. Market Days. There was wont to be two market days weekly at the village of Preston. These were held on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and all business was transacted in the immediate neighbourhood of the cross, around which was a great open space. Latterly the markets were held on Fridays only; but they ceased altogether, like those of the surrounding villages, about the middle of last century. Old Taverns. A curious little old house was recently pulled down in order to make way for that very handsome building erected by Mr Wallace, head master, Prestonpans Public School. It stood directly opposite the Dower House at the north-west corner of Mr Wallace’s property. This was known as Preston Tavern, and during nearly the whole of last century a flourishing business was conducted here. Through the village of Preston being the main highway eastwards from Edinburgh in those days, many a noble lord, it is said, was wont to tie his steed to the iron ring which hung by the door cheek, till he regaled himself with cake and ale before passing on to his mansion-house. Old Willie Rodger, grandfather to Mr George Rodger of Prestonpans, was the hindmost proprietor of the little tavern. The iron ring to which the horses were wont to be tied remained by the door cheek till destruction overtook the puny little building. The Dower House was occupied for a good many years by Mr Thomas Kay as a tavern or licensed house. It ceased to be used as such some thirty-five years ago. A Curious Impost. In 1753, under authority of a special Act of Parliament, a house with a small garden attached was purchased in the village of Preston and fitted up as a workhouse, to be supported by an impost of twopence Scotch on each Scotch pint of ale brewed or sold in the parish. But after a few years trial the workhouse was abandoned, and the house and garden let as an ordinary dwelling, the annual rental going to augment the parochial funds for the benefit of the poor. The house stood at the east end of the Dower House. It was pulled down recently, but the door in the wall and the remains of the western gable may yet be seen. The grounds extend to an acre, and belong to the heirs of the late Mr John Fowler Hislop of Castle Park. Dr Jelly. This famous medical practitioner was reared in Schaw’s Hospital. On turning up an old roll we find he was admitted to the institution (William Jelley) in 1824. He would leave probably in 1832. The next we hear of him is settling as a “Medical” in San Francisco. He paid a visit to his old home at Preston in 1853. We hear no more of him till the late Dr Struthers, who always kept the old “Schaw” boys in view, on returning from the Pan Presbyterian Council, held in America about 1880, foregathered with an Austrian officer on shipboard who spoke English fluently. The Rev. Dr, who knew that Dr Jelly had gone to Austria, inquired at the officer if ever he had heard of the famous practitioner, and was not a little surprised to hear that he knew him perfectly well, and after describing him personally to a nicety, further astonished the Rev. Dr by assuring him that Dr Jelly at that period was chief medical adviser to the Emperor of Austria. CHAPTER XIX. PRESTON TOWER AND THE HAMILTONS. Preston Tower — Its Restoration — Raids and Forays around it — Sir James Liddel of Preston — First of the Hamiltons — History of the Second, Third, and Fourth Hamiltons wanting — David, the Fifth Hamilton, marries a daughter of Sir William Bailie of Lamington — George Hamilton marries Barbara Cockburn of Ormiston — John Hamilton — Church Squabbling between the Hamiltons and Setons at Tranent — People of Prestonpans will not attend Church — Sir Thomas Hamilton — Burning of the Tower — James de Preston — Thomas Hamilton — Sir William Hamilton under Argyll — Sir Robert Hamilton, the Covenanter, at Drumclog — The Last Male of the Race — His Dying Testimony — The relative Oswalds — Obtain and Lose the Lands of Preston — New Sir William Hamilton — How he obtained the Baronetcy — The present Sir William — A Bright Career — At the Siege of Delhi, etc. THE Tower at Preston is supposed to have been built during the 14th century (1365). The original height of the Tower, from the ground to the battlement, was 46 feet, and from the battlement to the extreme top another 20 feet, making over all a total measurement of 66 feet. The grand Tower stands directly above the great whinstone dyke, which takes its course westward through Morrison’s Haven, and eastward: into the German Ocean. A number of years ago a movement was set on foot to have the quaint old fortalice partially restored, especially the top-work, which, being exposed to the elements, was beginning to crumble. For this a sum of £350 was sought by subscription, and was speedily forthcoming. About £500 was expended on the ruin at that period. Preston Tower. Now, as we behold in the distance the fine old ruin standing in all its solitary yet picturesque grandeur, amidst the old grounds over which it has stood a weary but watchful guardian for so many past centuries, how grim, and strong, and defiant-like it still appears, and as we approach the venerable structure curious are the thoughts that arise. There stands the aged tower, with the great wide space all around which, according to tradition, has borne witness in the ancient days to many a fierce tournament for honours at the hands of some fair maiden; which has given ear to the shrill trumpet sound at the dead of night when preparing for the foray, perhaps against their neighbours at Fawside; or, more alarming still, to the hoarse shout of the leaders to battle, and to the wild yell of the accompanying horsemen as they rushed upon horsemen, to the murderous clang of sabre upon sabre, the shouts of the warriors and the groans of the wounded, when perhaps these neighbouring opponents were furiously retaliating upon the chief and his retainers at Preston. But the days of these murderous forays, if they ever existed at Preston, are happily departed for ever; and, leaving such speculations behind, how very different are the feelings which now pervade the soul when, casting the eye around, we behold not trampling steeds and mail-clad warriors, but only the deep drooping fruit-laden trees of the husbandman. The Hamiltons of Preston. The first of the name of Hamilton in Scotland was a Sir Gilbert de Hamilton, who flourished during the early part of the 13th century. The elder son of this Sir Gilbert was Sir Walter, and he was the founder of the family of Cadzow; while the younger son, Sir John, was the immediate ancestor of the Hamiltons of Rossavon, Fingalton, and Preston. The Hamiltons of Preston are thus the eldest of the junior branches of that name. Originally in possession of the lands of Ross, or Rossavon, this branch of the Hamiltons had its earliest seat in an old “Peel Tower,” perched on a wooded promontory, and encircled by the river Avon, where, after a long descent from the upland moors of Drumclog, it pours its tribute into the Clyde. To their lands of Rossavon were soon added the barony of Fingalton in Renfrewshire, and at a later period that of Preston in East Lothian. The foregoing is an historical fact, but at what period this branch of the Hamiltons obtained possession of the lands of Preston, or by what means they acquired them, seems to be shrouded in not a little mystery. Sir Walter Scott supposed Preston Tower to have been a seat or fortalice of the Earls of Home, when they held almost a princely sway over the south of Scotland; and all the gazetteers, etc., since his day, without halting to inquire, simply repeat what he supposed. The supposition of the novelist may pass muster in fiction, but facts have to be dealt with in history. When, for instance, had the Homes to do with the Swans of Tranent, or with the De Quincys of Winchester, Winton, and Tranent, whose boundary extended on the south from Winton to Inveresk, and on the north from Seton along the Forth to Pinkie Burn, and whose period of possession between the families extended from 1124 to 1295; or with the Setons, their immediate successors, whose family only helped to enlarge the boundaries by adding their own? The Setons were ever a warrior race, and always powerful enough to hold their own against the Homes or any rival house when the trial came, and throughout their whole history from the days of Robert the Bruce, when they acquired these estates, up to the great confiscation of 1715, we never hear of a Home or any rival proprietor encroaching upon them. That the Tower of Preston was constructed during the early part of the 14th century there is little doubt, and that it had been constructed by a scion of the house of Seton few would be hard to convince. Indeed, we find that Chalmers, in his “Caledonia,” describes Preston Tower as “an ancient fortalice of the Setons,” but unfortunrtely he gives no date as to its construction, nor any further information concerning it. If a Seton built the Tower, seeing that the family acquired these estates during the last war-throes of the 13th century, it could not possibly be built till the beginning of the 14th, and during the 14th century the name of Lydell steps in. Crawford, in his ‘MS. Baronage,” says “the estate of Preston came into the possession of a cadet of the Hamiltons of Fingalton, by his marriage, towards the end of the 14th century, with Jane, daughter and heiress of Sir James Lydell of Preston.” Crawford gives his information on the authority of Aikman the historian, but no further explanation from either is forthcoming; and the family papers having been destroyed during the conflagration of the Tower in 1544, it is now impossibe to obtain the corroborative evidence which they might have supplied. Seeing that Aikman makes his assertion boldly that “Sir James Lydell was of Preston,” it seems but fair to take for granted that he had good grounds for his assertion. Assuming these points to be correct, we would only add, it is very probable that Sir James Lydell married a daughter of the house of Seton, had the lands of Preston with her as her portion, and built the Tower. From the accession of this first Hamilton to the Tower and estate of Preston, we are also left in darkness through the conflagration of the Tower in 1544, when the family papers were destroyed, concerning his three successors. These three would have carried the family history entirely over the 15th into the early part of the 16th century, when David Hamilton, the fifth in succession, turns up. This David married Janet, a daughter of Sir Willian Bailie of Lamington, 1540, and he it was who resided at the Tower during the conflagration. George Hamilton, the sixth in succession, was born in 1542, two years previous to the destruction of the Tower, and he married, in 1563, Barbara Cockburn, a daughter of the Cockburns of Ormiston. George is said to have been, like his father David, a staunch Reformer, and yet, like the Hamiltons in general, a firm supporter of the cause of Queen Mary and her faction. That he had got into trouble with his neighbour, Lord Seton, is evident, and that he had been the sufferer is no less sure, though what his trouble amounted to, or how it was brought about, no hint is given. Previous to 23rd March 1587 we find he had become so physically disabled that he was permitted by the king’s authority on that date “to remane and abyde at hame frae all hosts and weirs, and also from all compearance upon assysis and inquests during his lifetime.” Latterly he seems to have got the better of his physical disability, so far at least that he was able to attend church. The records of the Presbytery of Haddington show that he was summoned in 1592 before the Presbytery on account of non-attendance at the church of Tranent, to which parish Prestonpans was still attached. In answer to repeated citations from the Presbytery, he alleged that “he dared not pass thro’ Lord Seton’s grounds be terror of his life.” On being afterwards further pressed by the Presbytery ‘to submit himself to reason as became ane Christian, and to take the communion in token of reconciliation,” being assured at the same time of a safe conduct from Lord Seton, he still declined, declaring “that in respect of the great injuries done to him, and of his mutilation by David Seton,” he would “neither hear nor receive any of David’s offers unto the time that landit men subscribed with him for performance thereof.” This was the same David Seton, evidently, who was chamberlain to Lord Seton, the Earl of Winton; had a habitation in the house known as the Royal George in Tranent, and became notorious through his servant girl Gillies Duncan in the “Annals of Witchcraft.” It was quite apparent from the foregoing that George Hamilton had no confidence in the great ‘witch finder,” he would have none of his safe-conduct passes. But the Presbytery of Haddington held “it was nae excuse.” The foregoing incident is treated of in certain works as culminating in a great feud between the houses of Seton and Hamilton, whereas it turns out to have been simply a private quarrel between the good laird of Preston and the notoriously bad chamberlain to the Earl of Winton. But there were others besides the laird of Preston not attending church at this period, for the Presbytery goes on to complain: “It was not this twalmonth as it suld be; because of the variances within the parochin, many vices lay over untried, especially in the Pannis.” The goodfolks of the Pannis, however, complained there was no room in Tranent church for them, and they would not attend there, neither to hear the preaching nor to come under the ban of the church for their misdeeds.” They got a minister of their own about 1595, and a church shortly afterwards, and it was this same George Hamilton who gave the free grant of land to Davidson in 1596 whereon to build a church, a manse, and a school. The Tower was quickly restored to all its former ruggedness and reoccupied, and George Hamilton was its proud possessor when Prestonpans, in 1606, was formed into a parish. George was succeeded by his brother Sir John Hamilton. This was he who, in 1617, obtained from James VI. charters erecting the villages of Preston and Prestonpans severally into burghs of baronies, with the usual privileges pertaining thereto. In 1647 Thomas Hamilton was refoured heir of entail and provision of the late John Hamilton of Preston xepotis sut patris, and it was during this Sir Thomas’s proprietorship and occupancy that Cromwell fell foul of the Tower in 1650 and burned it. That there had been a feverishly quick succession of lairds at Preston during this period is very apparent, and that Thomas had not long survived the destruction of the Tower is evident, for we find the estates almost immediately in possession of James de Preston, or Hamilton, and the Tower again restored and occupied by him. But his occupancy also was of short duration, for during his residence there in 1663 the Tower was accidentally set on fire and destroyed, never more to be occupied or inhabited except by the bats and the owls of Preston. On 2nd June 1667 another Thomas Hamilton came in to the estate, in succession to his uncle Sir James de Preston, and this said Thomas enjoyed the barony till after the Restoration. Sir William, evidently eldest son of Sir Thomas, succeeded his father, but having no home at the Tower it is questionable if he ever took any special interest in the village. Among the earliest notices we have of Sir William is his figuring in 1685 as a lieutenant to Rumbold, one of Argyll’s officers, and as such supporting the expedition of Argyll of that date. About 1695-96 Sir William died, leaving no issue. Robert Hamilton, brother of William, succeeded, or at all events ought to have succeeded, to the baronetcy and estate of Preston. He had several sisters—(see “Old Session-house Panels”),—but he was the last male of that line of the Hamiltons of Preston. He had been born and brought up amid troublous times, and like many of his compeers seems to have been of a curiously querulous temperament, and yet considering all things this is little to be wondered at. He had witnessed in his time the church of his native land, newly out of the throes of Popery, established under a Presbyterian form of government. Again, he had beheld the overthrow of Presbyterianism, and Episcopacy thrust upon a very unwilling people. Further, he had borne witness to the great revolution when Episcopacy was overthrown and the Presbyterian form of government again established, and during all these years of trial and trouble he had played the part of anything but a disinterested spectator. Robert Hamilton was not one of those who believed in the “head” of the State being also the “head” of the Church. He held that James may be king of the State, but Christ must be king of the Church. James continued to form and fashion the government of the Church in keeping with his own convenience, and Hamilton protested at all times vigorously against imperial interference. At an early period of his life he embraced the cause of that sadly persecuted race the Covenanters, and when they were debarred in the towns and the villages from worshipping their Maker according to the dictates of their own consciences, he led them out to the hillsides, to the moors, and to the glens, that they might hold their religious services without restriction or fear of interruption. Hunted like wild beasts over the moors, he accompanied them, seeking shelter from their merciless persecutors in the caves of the earth, or hiding amid the mists on the mountains, He was associated with Cameron in his crusade against “the indulgences and those who accepted them.” He was leader of the band which, in 1679, published the “Declaration” and burned certain Acts of Parliament at Rutherglen. He commanded the Covenanters in their successful skirmish with the dragoons at Drumclog, and continued to occupy the same position till the disaster at Bothwell. After the defeat at Bothwell he escaped to Holland, where he remained till after the Revolution. But he was outlawed in his absence, his property confiscated, and himself condemned to death. For about ten years he lived a wandering and uncertain life, being sometimes quite dependent on the charity of strangers. Robert Hamilton returned to his native land in 1689, but, notwithstanding all he had suffered, he was still the same stern, unyielding covenanter. Rather than conform to any form of Church government in which a king was the supposed head, he still elected to hear the word of God proclaimed in barns or by the wayside, or, when hunted like a wild beast, in glens among the mountains. In the Sanquhar Declaration, 1692, he and his persecuted associates describe themselves as “a poor, wasted, misrepresented remnant of the suffering anti-popish, anti-prelatic, anti-erastian, anti-sectarian, true Presbyterian Church of Scotland. We disown the publishing of that ‘Declaration of His Highness William, Prince of Orange,’ and espousing it as the state of the Church and Kingdom of Scotland’s quarrel, while he was, and yet is, surrounded in council by an army, and by many of the old inveterate enemies of Christ’s cause and people. We declare the refusal of our concurrence with the course now on foot, it being no way concerted according to the ancient plea of the Scottish Covenanters, or the Covenanted Reformation in England, Scotland, and Ireland; but instead thereof, adjoining and concurring with the promoters of papacy, prelacy, malignancy, etc., in their designs, whereby the enemies of Christ are brought into places of greatest power and trust, instead of bringing the wheel of justice over them.” His brother, Sir William, died some years after Robert’s return from Holland, but he did not profit much, if at all, by the change. He was afterwards known as Sir Robert, but he steadfastly refused to take the necessary legal steps to obtain possession of the property, or seek to obtain the title. The reason given for his contumacy is, “because in doing so he could not avoid recognising the existing government and the courts of law.” There is no doubt whatever that Sir Robert was in real earnest in refusing to bend the knee in supplication to king or government; but there were other reasons, some of which he would have found it exceedingly difficult to get over before he could find favour in the eyes of those in authority. For had he not been privy to the publication of the Declaration of 1692, in which the king and his government were disowned, and for which seditionary act he and several others had already been arrested and imprisoned? Sir Robert was ultimately brought before the Justiciary Court for the part he had played in the “Declaration,” but he refused to own the court, or plead before it. He would not swerve from the position he had taken up, and was sent back to prison. But after a while the authorities, thinking they had nothing to fear from such a man, ordered his release. On the 21st of October 1701, Sir Robert Hamilton, still in the prime of life, died at Bo’ness after a lingering illness. It is not recorded that Robert ever paid a visit to his paternal estate at Preston, either during his youth or his years of maturity. Indeed, if he did not form an acquaintanceship with the village and villagers when a boy, it may be safely set down that he never approached it after he got into the whirl of religious controversy, and his brother Sir William being proprietor during nearly both of their lifetimes, he had all the less cause to approach it. Sir Robert left a written testimony behind him, and among other items in it was a clause to this effect:— ‘I die a true Protestant, and, to my knowledge, a reformed Presbyterian.” With the death of Sir Robert ended the direct male line of that ancient family, but the family and the name were not yet extinct. We find a Dame Rachel Nicolson (Lady Preston) taking a great interest in the parish. She died in 1716. Another titled lady, Anna Hamilton, also took an interest in the parish. She married Gilbert Burnet, and died in 1718. And yet another is supposed to have married Sir James Oswald, Lord Provost of Edinburgh. These three are supposed to have been sisters of the last Sir William and Sir Robert Hamilton of Preston: and it must have been through the youngest of these, the wife of Sir James Oswald, that his son, Dr Oswald, entitled nephew to Sir Robert Hamilton, became temporary proprietor: of the estate—yea, temporary proprietor, because a private arrangement was made with him before taking possession, “that, should a covenanted king surmount the throne, the estate would return to the Hamiltons.” It must have been with his aunts, these sisters of Sir William and Sir Robert, that Dr Oswald made the private arrangement. ‘With the death of Sir Robert, who was unmarried,” says Veitch in his “Life of Sir William Hamilton,” ‘closed the main line of the House of Preston, and the family fell to be represented by Robert Hamilton of Airdrie, who was fifth in the main line from John, second son of Sir Robert Hamilton the seventh of Preston, who died before the year 1522.” There is evidently a slight mistake here. We find that David, who was married about 1540 to Janet, a daughter of Sir William Bailie of Lamington, was the fifth Hamilton of Preston. His son George, born in 1542, was the sixth of the race, and John his brother, who obtained charters from James VI. for the two villages of Preston and Prestonpans, was the seventh Hamilton in succession at Preston. The only Robert of Preston we know of was the Covenanter. He was the twelfth in succession, and died about two hundred years after the Robert mentioned by Veitch. We lose the family history of the second, third, and fourth Hamiltons of Preston entirely through the conflagration of 1544; but as David, who was married about 1540, must have been born about 1520 at latest, the Sir Robert referred to by Veitch, who died previous to 1522, would seem rather to have been the fourth in succession, and father to Sir David. If this were so, it would reduce the number of Hamiltons of Preston awanting to only two. “Dr William Hamilton,” continues Veitch, “Professor of Botany and Anatomy in the University of Glasgow, was a Cadet of the Hamiltons of Airdrie, near Glasgow, who again were a branch of the Hamiltons of Preston and Fingalton, and the tradition was that, since the extinction of the direct male line of that most ancient house, they—that is the Airdrie branch—were entitled, as its representatives, to bear its titles and honours. “Hitherto, however, no attempt had been made to prove the claim, which was of the less importance as it did not include the lands of Preston, these having been disposed of by their last owners. The traditional connection of the Hamiltons of Airdrie with the Hamiltons of Preston was destined to influence the imagination of young William Hamilton, son of Dr William, who latterly became Professor of Logic and Metaphysics in the University of Edinburgh, and it was left to him, as we shall see, to trace the precise descent and assume the hereditary honours of the historical house of Preston. “A Dr Robert Hamilton of Airdrie, cousin to William, was at this period the recognised head of the family, and the traditional claim to the Preston baronetcy rested with him, but he had allowed his own estate to get out of his hands. This cousin died in 1799. “During 1813, young Hamilton,” continues Veitch, “is continually in correspondence from Edinburgh with his mother. In one letter he says, ‘I have been working a good deal in the register office and have accumulated a good mass of curious information about the house of Preston. I have found above a score of deeds establishing of Sir William, etc. “It was as representing his late cousin Robert Hamilton, laird of Airdrie, that Sir William claimed and obtained the family honour of Preston.” There is a curious story abroad in connection with this claim. It may be right or wrong, we give it as we got it. When Sir William’s advocate was in the act of bringing evidence before the “Lords” in order to prove his claim, among many other christian names of Hamiltons he came on one Methuselah—when “Stop, stop!” ejaculated the presiding judge, “if you and the court are satisfied that even Methuselah was a Hamilton, I am more than satisfied that this William Hamilton deserves the baronetcy of Preston,” and thus it was decided amid a hearty outburst of laughter. In order to give the old family name once more a standing at Preston, in 1819 Sir William acquired by purchase the old Tower and garden surrounding it. Sir William enjoyed the honours of the ancient barony of Preston for a good many years. He died on 6th May 1856. To the long roll of great and patriotic men which this ancient family has given to the history of Scotland, must now be added that of the present representative of the family, General Sir William Stirling Hamilton, Bart., R.A. He was born in Edinburgh, and educated at the Edinburgh Academy. Prior to the Mutiny he joined the Hon. East India Company Service. Before he had been a year in the army he was placed in command of two field guns on field service with the King of Oude’s troops. He volunteered for every expedition against the hill tribes round Peshawur between 1851 and 1857. He was appointed civil engineer for all the roads in the Peshawur valley from 1853 to 1858. A most determined attack was made on Lieutenant Hamilton’s camp in 1855, when but for his ready resource and invincible pluck he must have been massacred. The following graphic account is taken from the Lahore Chronicle of 12th February 1855. Punjab. Daring Outrage near Peshawur. “A most determined and successful attack was made last night by a party of the Busee Khel Afridis on the camp of Lieutenant W. Hamilton of the artillery, assistant civil engineer at Budebeer, on the high road from Peshawur to ‘Fort Mackeson,’ near Bazud Khel. “About eleven o’clock, some two hundred out of six hundred Afridis surrounded the camp with unlighted torches, and commenced an attack, throwing stones in place of firing their matchlocks to guard against warning, then falling upon the sleeping inmates slashed about them right and left with their long and deadly knives. Sixteen unfortunate wretches, principally a small burkunday treasure guard armed with swords and Lieutenant Hamilton’s private servants, were killed upon the spot, and thirty others were wounded, out of a total of sixty, a very large proportion of these mortally so. Among the victims were two Baboos and a native treasurer. The whole was over in seven or eight minutes, the rascals concluding their bloody work by firing the tents and throwing the mutilated dead and dying into the blazing tents. They succeeded in carrying off some seven or eight thousand rupees in cash, six horses, and everything portable they could lay their hands upon. Lieutenant Hamilton saved his life by the most determined and dauntless courage. He was roused from his sleep by a volley of stones directed at his tent, and rushed out in his nightshirt; finding himself struck by several stones, he ran back into his tent, and fortunately, in place of the sword he always used, brought out a recently purchased revolver, only returned that afternoon with three barrels not fired off, with which he defended himself from seven or eight assailants at once. He killed one Afridi, whose body was buried, but exhumed and carried off by the tribe the following night. He mortally wounded two others, whom they took with them to die the following day. Keeping the pistol pointed at them, he kept them at bay until he could effect his escape towards the Tana. He received a cut on the left hand and five other slight wounds, but happily has escaped any serious injury. The Tana police never emerged from their fortlet until all was over, though there were five-and-twenty well-armed men within it. It need hardly be added that none of the police received the slightest injury, a fact highly creditable to their zeal and sagacity. Lieutenant Hamilton’s work-people, chiefly Afridis, living in the surrounding villages did nothing to stop the massacre or drive off the assailants. “Mr Christie and Captain James were early at the scene of action, and Dr Cox was on the spot svon after 2 A.M., giving every aid in his power to the sufferers. Brigadier Halifax and Captain Dale, his major of brigade, reached Bude-beer soon after sunrise. But of course the Afridis did not wait to greet them. The cause of this bold attack remains to be stated. The Kohat Pass has recently been closed until satisfaction should be given for a murder lately committed near Akhor. To clear themselves, the Akhor Afridis aroused the Busee-Khel Afridis, and Captain Coke insisted, contrary to Captain James’s opinion, that they should be blockaded, 2.¢., prevented from coming into the Peshawur Valley, and their cattle and flocks seized. This was done, and some of their cattle were sold a few days since by auction at the deputy commissioner’s Keetcheree. “By way of reprisal, the foray of last night was determined upon by the Busee-Khel (who had all along protested their innocence), and carried out as described above. Bude-beer is only seven miles from cantonments and fourteen miles on this side of our posts at Fort Mackeson, and at Mutimee. Should anything further transpire of interest, it shall be communicated to you.” During the Indian Mutiny, Sir William was ordered to the siege of Delhi, organising and commanding the 1st Company of the Sikh Artillery throughout the siege. He succeeded in breaking the water bastion preparatory to the assault, led the gallant and successful attack on the magazine after having effected his entry into the city, and this with a loss of only six men. At the close of the siege he proceeded with General Showell’s column, in command of his Sikh company. Sir William was in the Royal Horse Artillery for over sixteen years, and commanded a battery for over eight years, both in India and at home. He was Brigade Major to the Inspector General in India for over five years. Sir William commanded the Royal Artillery in the Western District of England from 1881 to 1885, when he was promoted Major-General. Prior to 1881 he had commanded the Eastern District for over a year. Sir William has been a Colonel-Commandant since 1865 and is now full General. On retiring from the army, after his long and distinguished service, he settled in Sussex, near Horsham, where he bought-the estate of Woodgaters. He is a J.P. and a District and County Councillor, and takes a most active interest in the affairs and business of the county. Sir William married a daughter of General Barr, and has a family of two sons and four daughters. It is interesting to know that Sir William’s eldest son bids fair to worthily uphold the fame attaching to the names of his ancestors. He has served as an officer in the Miners’ Guard Rifles during the present South African war, and for his services has been awarded a government inspectorship of mines in the Krugersdop district. CHAPTER XX. THE CHAPMEN’S LOUP. Chapmen’s Incorporation, 1530 — Acquire a Right to the Cross — St Jerome’s Day — Ancient Fairs and Markets — Gatherings at the Cross — Great Processions — Election of Office-Bearers — Annual Sports at the Cross — A Curious Description of the Sports — The Ancient Cross — Historical Account — Descriptive Account — Is the Cross a Tree Fossil? — How the Unicorn lost his Horn and his Paws. ANCIENT AND ROYAL FRATERNITY OF Crest CHAPMEN OF THE THREE LOTHIANS, INCORPORATED 1530. Wemyss Lord, We hereby command your presence at Our Ancient Cross, on Tuesday, the 8th of July, at Twelve o'clock, when We will hold Our Court and Celebrate the Annual Solemnities of the Fraternity. Thereafter We with Our Council will proceed in State to witness the Sports and Pastimes of the Villagers, and afterwards survey Our extensive Estates, accompanied by Lord-Depute Hume, Custodian of the Cross and Inspector General of the Prestonpans Possessions. At Half-past Three o’clock We will meet Our Brethren at Haddington, in the GREAT HALL Adjoining the Council Room of Our Ancient Burgh, which has been georgously decorated for the occasion, and where a Splendid Banquet will be prepared under the auspices of Brother Murray of the Morning and Evening Star, both of which are expected to be present. We commend such of the Brethren as have Friends of Likely to bring any discredit on the Fraternity, and who can produce undoubted TestimoniaLs of Goop Mora. Character and correct Behaviour, to present them before Us for approval at Our Ancient Cross. By Command. Given at our Palace Salt 4 PIKE, Preston, this 1st day of July X X Secretary. 1851. My Lord’s State Carriage for Salt Preston will leave the N.B.R. Terminus at 20 minutes before 11 o’clock A.M. The foregoing is a form of circular which was wont to be sent out annually from the city of Edinburgh by the members of the Chapmen’s Association. That there was fun at the foundation of it, may readily be seen. There was no fun however in the figure 4 at the foot of the circular. This denoted that the Chapmen always liked to have fourpence in the 1s. when selling their goods. Chapmen. “The Chapmen of the three Lothians formed themselves into an association in 1530; and they received a Charter from James IV. for having supplied him with certain ‘merks Scots’ for the purpose of helping him to equip his army for Flodden, 1513.” This is from an old gazetteer, and another old gazetteer says: “These Chapmen by some means acquired a right to the Cross at Preston in 1636, and the title of descendants to claim it, and a quarter of an acre of ground around it, has never been disputed.” Whether the Chapmen really acquired these rights would be difficult, without “deeds,” to determine; but no ‘“deeds” are required to show that the grounds adjacent to the Cross must have been free of access at all times to everyone. Not only were markets held there twice a week during the early centuries, but the Fair of St Jerome was held there annually, on the 2nd Thursday of October. This fair is mentioned as early as 1617, “but,” says an old minister of the parish (Rev. J. Trotter), “its saintly designation clearly points to its having existed long before that date.” Perhaps Jerome would be chaplain to the original Chapmen. He would probably hail from Newbattle, and might have been the originator of Preston Fair. Whatever the origin of the fair, or however early its date, there seems to be no doubt that the Chapmen began to attend it, and held their meetings at the Market Cross in 1636; but it was not for amusement they met in those days. The annual “fair” day has again arrived. Behold these ancient merchantmen in solemn conclave gathered at the ancient Cross, and listen to their utterings as they rise and fall upon the breeze. There is no grin upon their countenances, no acrimony in their words; because they have not come together with the intention of undermining each other; they have met to arrange their prices, and to settle what profits they will take on the various goods at their disposal, not only at St Jerome’s Fair, but throughout the ensuing season. These were not common “Packmen.” The Packman of our day is a dealer in oddments, who invariably suits his prices and his profits, according to the acuteness or the incredulity of his customer. Upwards of two centuries ago the adjoining villages of Cockenzie, Seton, Penston, Ormiston, Elphinstone, and Tranent had their annual fairs too; not for the benefit of such as now frequent these annual fetes; but the tailors, the shoemakers, and the weavers of the Lothians, were the venders who turned out in those days to dispose of their productions. In these tailors, weavers, etc., we seem to have those who were wont to assemble at St Jerome’s Fair, and formed the early Chapmen’s Society. In 1796 the number of Packmen who kept horses for going about the country, in order to dispose of their goods, had dwindled, in East Lothian, down to six. The two market days a week had, many years previous to this, been reduced to one, and soon afterwards the markets ceased altogether to be held there. The fair of St Jerome continued at Preston till 1732. It was then transferred to Salt Preston, where, in 1752, it came to an end; and with the fair of St Jerome died out the original “Incorporation of Chapmen.” The Incorporation had scarcely breathed its last when a similar institution took its place. This had its headquarters in Edinburgh, and was formed for the most part of clothiers. This new association aspired to be the genuine successor of the “original Incorporation,” claimed all the privileges held by the ancient Chapmen, and fixed the second Tuesday of July for their annual “Fair day.” The new Incorporation continued to flourish; and about the middle of last century, when such circulars as the one heading this chapter were being issued, the society was great, both in wealth and prosperity, the late Duncan M‘Laren, one of the M.P.’s for the city of Edinburgh, being at that period one of its most active members, and year after year, as sure as the second Tuesday of July came round, as sure was he, and some sixty or eighty brethren, to journey by rail to the old Cross at Preston. The Chapmen’s Loup. Mr Hume, proprietor of Preston Lodge, was appointed custodian of the Cross, etc. He was a most enthusiastic member of the society, and not only did he see to having everything in order for the annual gathering, but in order to give the brethren a hearty welcome he had a round tower constructed in his garden. On this tower he mounted seven small pieces of artillery, and as soon as the train dashed into the station their welcome was belched forth from the cannon’s mouth. Not only did Mr Hume construct a small fortalice in his garden, but he purchased a pair of beautiful lions to guard it. They were very tame animals, and were never known to growl but when they heard the cannons firing. That pair of lions escaped one night, and they may now be observed standing peacefully watching on the eastern dyke at Morton Cottage, east of Port Seton, where they never wink an eye till they hear the auld kirk bell at Cockeny ringin’. But to our tale. The Chapmen, on getting outside the station, linked arm in arm in pairs, and followed the directions of John Smith. John was very squint-eyed. He was said to hold some place of trust in Parliament Square, Edinburgh, and had become well known at Preston through his connection with the Chapmen. Arrayed in a high cocked hat, fancy-coloured coat and vest, tight-fitting knee breeches, and with sword in hand, he marched proudly at the head of the procession. After parading the village, on coming to the Cross, John raised his sword, and the processionists going beneath passed up the little stair leading to the platform, which was fitted with table and seats for the occasion. The book containing the names of the members, etc., was laid on the table alongside the sword, and the secretary, proclaiming the meeting open, announced flourishing reports of the Incorporation’s possessions in India, Ceylon, China, Australia, etc., causing no end of laughter, because the Association had no possessions at all. The election of office-bearers then proceeded. First, the “Lord of the Chapmen,” who was invested with the “chain of office”—the “brilliant” which casts the Koh-i-noor into the shade, and suspended from which hangs the “sacred tuft,” or “mysterious cow-tail,” whose curative properties surpassed in virtue all the fabled stories of the “royal touch.” His head was then decked with the diadem, each pearl a king’s crown. Besides “My Lord,” there fell to be elected a Depute and six Bailies, to each of whom was assigned a district, and sundry Councillors. Their duty was to attend fairs where Chapmen erected booths, and see that their bye-laws and rules were duly observed during the fair. Each one gave the bailie a pledge, and appeared before him at night, when the conduct of all was examined, and defaulters fined or expelled, according to circumstances. The fines went to a fund to support decayed brethren. The late Rev. Dr Struthers was annually elected Chaplain to the Association. After the election the Society marched round the Cross, concluding that part of the business by discussing sundry bottles of wine, when the “Chapmen’s Loup” began in real earnest in the form of sports; for by this time, as a rule, a great crowd had gathered in the market-place. The following notice of the sports we quote from one who was there:— “‘My Lord’ adjourned the Court till after the races, and accordingly the brethren proceeded to the race ground, accompanied and followed by the entire villagers. Not having seen the races advertised, and as the officer stood hat in hand to receive the offerings of the brethren, from the aggregate of which the various ‘plates,’ ‘stakes,’ and ‘handicaps’ were to be paid, and having observed no grooms exercising ‘thoro-breds’ in the neighbourhood, we felt curious to be forward, both for the sake of the spectacle, and to be beyond reach of danger should any of the horses bolt or become unmanageable. We were greatly relieved on beholding one of the brethren patting three white-headed rogues on the head, and laying down to them the rules of the course, which, we doubt not, were the latest imported from Newmarket. “The first race ended, and the winner having pocketed his sixpence, four stuffy little wenches were next placed. The fair winner of this race, if we may so describe about as sunburnt a little rustic as ever refused to wear a bonnet, considered herself quite the wonder of the village. Then followed races by lads, then again races by boys, and so on till time was called. “After all this fun and nonsense came the dinner, preceding which came the election of new members, who must abjure the ‘Pope,’ the ‘Devil,’ and the ‘Pretender.’ New members had also to undergo various measurements for length, breadth, thickness, and weight, deficiencies in any one of these particulars being made up from the extras in any other. The evening, until the hour for returning, was spent chiefly in seeing and discussing the ‘lions’ of the district.” The Corporation of Chapmen during the three hindmost years of their existence presented a silver medal to the best scholar at the Pans Parish School. The first of the three was won in 1855 by Mr David M‘Cairn, Prestonpans. The medal of 1856 by Mr Andrew Nimmo, Tranent, and the chief prize of 1857 by Mr Thomas Fysche of Dolphinston. Preston Cross. This fine old Market Cross, or great monumental pillar, is located inside the fruit garden, and only a short distance from the wall on the north side of the avenue leading eastward to Preston Old House. Mr John Wright is tenant of the garden, as his father was before him, and between father and son the tenancy has now gone on for considerably over half a century. At what period the Cross was erected seems to be wholly unknown. Notes from ancient gazetteers state that the Cross was erected in 1617; some affirm that a date to that effect had at one time been on the building. If so, no date exists upon it now. The late Mr Drummond, R.S.A., says of Preston Cross, ‘it is one of the only five which are known to have been built in the same style, the others being those at Edinburgh (destroyed), Perth (destroyed), Dundee (destroyed), and Aberdeen (removed from its old site and much altered). The Cross of Preston is therefore unique in its original beauty and integrity.” Had Mr Drummond been able to fix a date, he would assuredly have done so. Chalmers in his “Caledonia” says, “that the Chapmen of the Lothians acquired the Cross in 1636,” other writers say that they “acquired a right to the Cross,” but in no case is information given as to who granted the right, and whether it was for a period of years, or in perpetuity. Sir John, one of the ablest and most influential of all the Hamiltons, was proprietor of the estate in 1636. It is located on the barony of Preston, and if anyone more than another was enabled to grant a right to the Cross, surely it would be the “Lord of the Manor,” and yet his name is never mentioned .In connection with the Cross. This being a regular Market Cross, it would, undoubtedly, during the early centuries stand on public ground; and whether anyone ever did, or could acquire a right, either to the structure itself, or to enclose it, is, to say the least, doubtful; but probably in 1732, when St Jerome’s Fair was transferred from Preston to Prestonpans, and when the original corporation of Chapmen ceased to attend the Cross, then the ancient structure would be gathered into privacy. At this period Lord Grange was proprietor of the barony, and occupied Preston House. We know that he set himself not only to gather together all the scattered lands of the ancient barony into one estate, but to make fanciful gardens and enclosures around him. Further, from several of his actions, he seems to have always worked with a high hand, and he no doubt was the man who enclosed the Cross. Up till about the year 1840 the Cross was enclosed with a hedge only, and a small ditch ran alongside of it. At that period the ditch was filled up, the hedge removed, and the present stone dyke set up in its stead. It may not have been right to enclose the ancient and beautiful pillar, but one thing is certain, if it had not been enclosed, and in the careful keeping of such tenants as the Wrights during the last half century, the same might have been written of it long ago as has been written of the market crosses of Edinburgh, Perth, Dundee, and Aberdeen. The Cross. The base of the octagonal structure, on which the great monolith still proudly raises its head to the clouds, has recently been strengthened by a layer of cement. Rising about three feet from the base there are six niches round the building, one of these towards the north side is curiously enough more shallow than the others, but all with one accord are beautifully scalloped, of a cockle-shell pattern—over these, and some nine feet from the base, the diminutive building is actually surrounded with what the observer at first sight takes to be vicious looking pieces of artillery, ready to blaze away alike on friend or foe, but on closer inspection these turn out to be very peaceable gargoyles. They are eight in number, and very peaceable indeed, for most of them have their mouths gagged. Some of them it is evident, from the fineness of the workmanship, belonged to the original building; others have been restored. Another six feet or so above the gargoyles brings us to the summit of this octagonal building. Thus we have a height in all, from base to parapet, of fifteen feet to a nearness. — There is a touch of carved work over each of the gargoyles. Towards the west side there is a wicket gate, showing a dungeon on a small scale. There are no windows to give light to it, and we have no evidence to show what it was meant for, or that a refractory person was ever incarcerated there. The circumference of the building is about forty feet. Towards the eastern side is the entrance to the top. That a very strong door had hung here in former times to debar intruders is evident from the powerful iron sockets still fixed in the door cheeks. There are nine steps leading to the platform, and bounding up we find a ridge about three feet in height surrounding the structure. Capping the ridge are eight very strong corner stones: these from the outside give the building its octagonal appearance. These corner stones are firmly bolted down with flat iron bands, and deeply cut into each stone is a square recess meant apparently for a flagstaff. Examining with not a little curiosity that great oval-shaped, finely preserved monster monolith, rearing its head heavenwards, defying the elements as proudly to-day as it challenged and defied them centuries ago, we wonderingly inquire, ‘Is this a pillar cut out of one great solid block of stone?” Just then we remembered a visit paid to acoal pit on Tranent estate some twenty odd years ago, where the miners had actually worked their way through an old forest there, and everywhere we found great tree roots, solid stone, petrified trees, monsters of the forest; some as if they had been cut by the axe of the woodman in long distant ages, and others as if they had been broken over by the force of the raging storm, while all around stood great upright trees whose weighty trunks pierced the roof, but how far they pierced the roof no one ever tried to find out. One of these upright fossil trees came directly in the way of a miner’s working-place. He worked carefully all around and left it standing, a curious yet beautiful pillar. It was straight as a pine and about thirty inches in circumference. Some eight feet of this petrified tree was exposed, but how deep or how high it went was never learned. There were quite a number of fossil trees in this old forest, far surpassing the Cross in circumference, but none so nicely shaped. They were all left standing. Of the root stumps, eight were sketched and described in the Evening Dispatch of that day. These were afterwards, at the instigation of Messrs James Waldie and Sons, brought to the surface, borne to Edinburgh, and shown at the International Exhibition there. Examine carefully this mighty pillar at Preston. Behold the grains as in wood, how they run upwards, and observe that pieces shell off its sides as old bark does off a tree. Probably this mighty pillar, whereever it came from, is neither more nor less than a tree fossil. The great pillar is planted exactly in the centre of the octagonal building, and the base into which it is batted with lead is a solid block of bluish whinstone. In this block may be observed a quartette of neatly cut holes. These recesses held the feet of a table which was wont to encircle the pillar long ago, and on which the chapmen of old were wont to transact their business annually. The pillar at its base is 43 inches in circumference; 36 inches up, it is 42 inches; and 6 feet from the base, it measures 41 inches in circumference. The pillar is exactly 21 feet in length, and losing as it does 1 inch in 36, its circumference at the top must still be about 36 inches. It is square-cut at the upper end, with some beautiful carving on it. Over and above these 21 feet, another 3 feet may be added to its height, on account of the “Puggy” surmounting the whole. Years ago, when no one took any interest in the cross, many a mischievous urchin in passing would run in with his hands full of stones, to “get a crack at the puggy on the top o’ the pole.” This so-called “Puggy” surmounting the pillar, is a beautiful work of art, in the form of a unicorn, posing erect, and on the breast of the unicorn, easily discernible from the ground, on a shield stands the lion rampant, etc. The head of the unicorn was wont to be adorned with the ever-accompanying horn; but one day, some forty years ago, Jock Burns, a stirring youth, who worked in the gardens with the present tenant’s father, was having a “prap at the Puggy” with a stone when he smashed the outstanding horn in pieces. It has never been replaced, and perhaps never will, unless Jock returns some day a millionaire and replaces it. Shortly afterwards one of its paws followed the horn, then followed the claws of the other. Willie Pow, we believe, could account for the paws and the claws; and now it has but one poor stump left to do battle with the elements. The exact height of this piece of antiquity is from the ground to the top of the solid masonry 12 feet; parapet 3 feet; the pillar 21 feet, and the unicorn surmounting it 3 feet more ; in all, 36 feet. On coming down the curious little stair, one may observe two recesses on the inside lintel of the door. Everyone lays hold of this, in order to assist in his outward journey through the narrow entrance. These holes in the stone are said to have been actually worn in by the fingers of the visitors: there is no mistaking the finger-marks. CHAPTER XXI. THE BATTLE OF PRESTON. Battle of Preston — Curious Account — The Real Cause, etc. — Court Intrigue — Argyll — What led to it — James VIII. Proclaimed King — Argyll at Sheriffmuir — The Prince in Disguise — Charles’s Proclamation — £30,000 offered for his Head — Cope’s Arrival — £30,000 offered for King George’s head — Prince Charles at Edinburgh — At Fawside — At Birslie — At Tranent — Before the Battle — Fight and Flight — Colonel Gardiner — After the Battle — Curious Notes, etc. — Protest against the Name of the Battle. THE Battle of Preston was fought on the 21st September 1745, and the rival forces were the disaffected Highland clans under Prince Charles Edward on the one hand, and the Royal troops under Sir John Cope, commander of the British forces in Scotland, on the other. Where disaffection prevails, a grievance, real or affected, is sure to be found. In the Gentleman’s Magazine, October 1787, we find:— “The Real Cause of Disaffection among the Highland Clans, at the 1715 Rebellion. “The following,” says D. R. in that magazine, “is a faithful copy of an address of 102 chief heritors and heads of clans in the Highlands of Scotland, to King George I., on his accession to the throne; which, by court intrigue, was prevented from being delivered to His Majesty. The consequence was, that the clans, in resentment of this supposed neglect, raised a rebellion in the following year, 1715. The Earl of Mar was instrumental in procuring the signatures; but the Duke of Argyll prevented its being presented. The original address was in possession of the Earl of Mar at Antwerp, was given to Mr Dundas forty years ago (1747), and was by him communicated to the Society of Antiquaries, at Edinburgh, who caused a few copies to be printed for the use of the members. “ ‘May it please your Majesty,— “ ‘We, the chief heritors and others in the Highlands of Scotland, under subscribing, beg leave to express the joy of our hearts at your Majesty’s happy accession to the crown of Great Britain. Your Majesty has the blood of our ancient monarchs in your veins and in your family; may that royal race ever continue to reign over us! Your Majesty’s princely virtues, and the happy prospect we have in your royal family of an uninterrupted succession of kings to sway the British sceptre, must extinguish those divisions and contests which in former times too much prevailed, and unite all who have the happiness to live under your Majesty into a firm obedience and loyalty to your Majesty’s person, family, and government; and as our predecessors have for many ages had the honour to distinguish themselves by their loyalty, so we do most humbly assure your Majesty, that we will reckon it our honour steadfastly to adhere to you, and with our lives and our fortunes to support your crown and dignity against all opposers. “ ‘Pardon us, great sir, to implore your royal protection against any who labour to misrepresent us, and who rather use their endeavours to create misunderstandings than to engage the hearts of your subjects to that loyalty and cheerful affectionate obedience which we owe and are ready to testify towards your Majesty. “ ‘Under so excellent a king we are persuaded that we, and all your other peaceable faithful subjects, shall enjoy their just rights and liberties, and that our enemies shall not be able to hurt us with your Majesty, for whose royal favour we presume humbly to hope, as our forefathers were honoured with that of your Majesty’s ancestors. “ ‘Our mountains, though undervalued by some, are nevertheless acknowledged to have in all times been fruitful in producing hardy and gallant men; and such, we hope, shall never be wanting amongst us, who shall be ready to undergo all danger in defence of your Majesty’s, and your royal posterity’s, only rightful title to the crown of Great Britain. “ ‘Our behaviour shall always witness for us, that with unalterable firmness and zeal, we are, may it please your Majesty, your Majesty’s most loyal, most obedient, and most dutiful subjects and servants.’ “Signed by 102 persons of weight and respectability.” The foregoing may have been a “cause” of disaffection, but the student of Scottish history will be inclined to look a little further back for the “real cause” of the rebellion of 1715. The union of the crowns took place in 1606, and a good deal of disaffection was expressed then, especially in the Highlands. The overthrow of the Stuart dynasty in 1689 almost brought matters to a climax, for then the clans “vowed they would have a king of their own, and that a Stuart he should be.” At this period a number of families intrigued with the Court of France and the Pretender to the crown of Great Britain, who called himself James VIII. of Scotland and III. of England. The outcome of this intrigue was that, in 1708, seven years before the outburst in 1715, he, along with the French Admiral Fourbin, and 4,000 men appeared off Montrose, and then in the Firth of Forth, but fled before Byng the British admiral. On the accession of George I.—the very occasion of the “address” referred to, and yet the feeling as expressed there may have been quite genuine, but it had been short lived— we find that the Earl of Mar was among the first to raise the standard of rebellion. On the 20th of August 1715, he assembled a number of Jacobites from both sides of the Grampians, presumably for a grand hunt at Braemar, when he avowed his real intentions; and shortly afterwards James VIII. was proclaimed king. Mar made Perth his headquarters, where he soon gathered together an army of 12,000 men. It was expected that the greater part of England would have risen at this time, but only Northumberland responded. Argyll beat the rebels at Sheriffmuir the same day that they suffered defeat at Preston, in England; and with the flight of the Pretender ended the first serious attempt to replace the Stuarts on the throne. Five years later Charles Edward, the son of James, afterwards known as Prince Charles, was born, and in 1743, when he was in his twenty-third year, Cardinal Tencin, Prime Minister to Louis XV. of France, determined to support his claim to the throne of Great Britain and Ireland. With this object in view, an invading army about 15,000 strong assembled at Dunkirk; vessels were provided to transport them across the channel, and men-of-war to protect them. Charles Edward was to lead in person; Marshal Saxe, a distinguished general of the time, second in command, and the design was to land on the coast of Kent. The fleet set sail, but a British squadron, under Sir John Norris, had been collected in the channel to intercept the invaders, and the Frenchmen learning this made off. They were over-taken in a storm, however, when the fleet was wrecked, and the greater part of the army drowned. Charles returned to Paris disappointed but undismayed. On the evening of 22nd June 1745, the Prince, disguised as a student of the Scottish College, and accompanied by the Marquis of Tullibardine, Sir Thomas Sherridan, the Prince’s former tutor, Sir John M‘Donald, an English clergyman named Kelly, Francis Strickland, an Englishman, and Æneas M‘Donald, Charles’s valet, set out for Scotland. He arrived, but the expected rising of the clans was disappointing. So hopeless did success in the enterprise seem, that he was earnestly implored by Boisdale, brother to Clanranald, to return home. The daring and resolute spirit shown by the Prince at this trme won him many friends. Some urged him to seek succour from France, but he “preferred to owe his restoration not to foreigners, but to his own trusty Scots.” The first to rally round his standard were the Camerons, Stuarts of Appin, M‘Donalds of Clanranald, Keppoch, Glengarry, and Glencoe. The Governor of Fort Augustus, suspecting what was going on, sent out two companies of raw English soldiers to where the Highlanders lay; but when they heard the skirl of the bagpipes, and beheld a threatening force in the way (a dozen of the M‘Donalds of Keppoch, who opened a shower of musketry upon them), they turned and fled, but fell into the hands of Keppoch himself, with a larger body of Highlanders going to join the Prince. Thus the first blood was shed, and the first victory won in favour of the Prince. On 19th August 1745, in the picturesque vale of Glenfinnan, by the old and feeble hands of Tullibardine, amid Highland cheers, and the warlike shriek of the pibroch, the royal standard was unfurled. A declaration from the Prince’s father was read, reciting his wrongs, and exhorting his subjects to return to their allegiance, under the regency of his son. Charles continuing said, “I have come to conquer or perish at the head of my loyal Scots, who, I well know, have resolved to live or die with me.” Sir John Cope, aware of what was going on, began to prepare for the struggle. His troops, consisting of Gardiner’s and Hamilton’s dragoons, three regiments of infantry, several companies of other regiments, together with his artillery, which comprised two mortars and six field pieces, he assembled at Stirling. Cope, proceeding northwards, offered as he went a reward of £30,000 for the person of the Prince, dead or alive. The Prince offered in turn £30,000 for King George, dead or alive. Cope, arriving at Fort Augustus, learned that the Highland army awaited him at the Devil’s Staircase, twenty miles ahead, turned aside at Inverness, and left a clear path for the Prince to Edinburgh. Several of the clans, from which Cope expected assistance, turned their backs upon him. Meantime the Prince, in great spirits, moved towards the city of Perth, his army gathering strength as it proceeded. Charles had no difficulty in getting to Edinburgh, and attended by the Duke of Perth and Lord Elcho, he entered the city on the 17th, took possession of Holyrood House, encamping his army in the King’s Park. On the 15th Cope arrived off Dunbar. By the 17th he had all unshipped, and leaving Dunbar on the 19th, set out for Edinburgh by way of Haddington. The following order of battle was delivered to the commanding officers of the several corps by the Earl of Loudan before leaving Haddington:— General Sir John Cope. Brigadier Fowke. Colonel Gardiner. Colonel Lascelles. 2 Squadrons Dragoons.—2 Pieces Cannon, Murray’s.—2 Pieces Cannon, Lascelles. Lees’ 2 Pieces Cannon, and Cohorn’s 2 Squadrons Dragoons. Corps de Reserve. 1 Squadron Dragoons.—Highland Volunteers.—1 Squadron Dragoons. The line of battle consisted of the following troops:— 5 Companies of Lee’s on the right. Murray’s Regiment on the left. 8 Companies of Lascelles’ Regiment, with 2 of Guise’s in the centre. 2 Squadrons of Gardiner’s Dragoons on the right, and 2 of Hamilton’s on the left. The corps de reserve consisted of:— 1 Squadron of Gardiner’s on the right. 1 Squadron of Hamilton’s on the left. 5 Companies of Highlanders, most of them very weak. And Drummond, with the Volunteers in the centre. Cope left Haddington early on the morning of the 20th, and, passing by way of the Setons and St Germains, arrived at Preston that same day. On the morning of the 20th, Charles, with his Highlanders, left Duddingston, and set out to meet the foe. They drew up at Carberry Hill, but finding Cope had kept down towards Preston, the Highlanders directed their course by Fawside and Birslie, even till they came in sight of the enemy, when they roused a shout of defiance, which was heartily responded to by the Royalists at Preston. Cope took up his position with Preston Loch directly in front of him. The whole of that afternoon was spent by both armies in evolutions, the Highlanders shifting down latterly towards Tranent. In the evening a party of Highlanders entering by the west-end of Tranent proceeded down the Heuch and stationed themselves in the churchyard, some five hundred yards off the Royal army, but they were observed and compelled to beat a retreat. The Highlanders pitched their tents for the night a little to the west of Tranent, on what is now the old, but was then the main post-road, and lay in a field of peas. During the night, Mr Robert Anderson of Whitburgh, son of Mr Anderson at that period proprietor and occupier of Wester Windygoul, Tranent, explained to his friend Hepburn of Keith that he knew of a better mode of attack than that which the Highlanders in council had resolved to follow. Hepburn advised him to acquaint Lord George Murray at once with the information, and to his lordship the plan appeared so eligible that he did not hesitate a moment to use the same freedom with the Prince as young Anderson had used with him. The Prince sat up in his bed of pea-straw and listened to the scheme with great attention, called a council at once, and had the plan approved of. Anderson being a native of the district knew every inch of the ground. His scheme was to go round the south side of Tranent eastwards, over Tranent Muir northwards, and down by Riggonhead to Seton; then coming in by Meadowmill westwards, to take the Royal forces unawares from behind. Andon the Saturday morning, 21st, about three o’clock, the movement was begun. In drawing up the army some difficulty arose as to who should form the right wing. The honour was ultimately assigned to Clan Cola, because the Bruce had assigned that honour to these M‘Donalds at Bannockburn. The Camerons under Lochiel, and Stuarts of Appin under Ardshiel, composed the left wing; while the Duke of Perth’s men under Major James Drummond, and the Clan M‘Gregor with Glencairney, filled the centre. The Duke of Perth commanded the right wing, and Lord George Murray the left. The Athol men, the Robertsons, the M‘Donalds of Glencoe, and the M‘Lauchlans, under Lord Nairn, formed a second line some fifty yards behind. The Prince took his place between the lines. The Highland army consisted in all of 2400 men. When the alarm gun fired, Charles thus addressed his men:— “Follow me, gentlemen, and by the assistance of God, I will this day make you a free and happy people.” Cope, who is said to have passed the night at Cockenzie, on learning that the Highlanders were moving, hastened to join his troops; and in order to meet the foemen face to face he changed the position of his army, disposing his men so that from facing the south they looked towards the east, their front forming almost a direct line with the old waggon-way from where Meadowmill now stands to the village of Cockenzie. The artillery remained on the nght with Colonel Whitney’s squadron of cavalry in the rear between them and the infantry, the want of space for Colonel Gardiner’s squadron to manceuvre causing his dragoons to form a second line behind Colonel Whitney’s. Scarcely were the men in position when they beheld looming through the mist the advance guard of the Highland army. They advanced on their knees as if in the act of deer-stalking, and hoped in this manner to take their enemy unawares. The real state of affairs was soon discovered, and the Royalists firing off their pistols, hastened back to make known the approach of the Highlanders. Seeing they were discovered, three bodies of Highlanders advanced at once with the greatest impetuosity, attacking the right wing, where the artillery with Whitney’s and Gardiner’s dragoons were placed. Just then the Royalist artillery belched forth what might have been a murderous fire upon the approaching foe, but terror had already seized them, and grapeshot and cannister alike flew harmlessly over their heads. The Highlanders, after discharging their muskets, threw them away, and drawing their broadswords, with hideous yells fell foul upon their enemy. The Camerons under Lochiel were the first to grapple with the foe. Sweeping past the cannon they found themselves directly in front of Whitney’s dragoons who were advancing to meet them, but halting at the first onset, they wheeled about, then galloped all over the ground among their own harmless artillery. A panic seized the whole line. The artillerymen deserted their guns and fled in all directions. Gardiner’s dragoons were then ordered to advance; their gallant commander led them in person. These however had not proceeded far, when, receiving a few shots from the Highlanders, they reeled in their saddles, turned and fled, following their terrified companions: Hamilton’s dragoons at the other extremity of the line behaved in a similar manner. As soon as they heard the yells of the Highlanders, they turned and fled without ever discharging a carbine. The rout was already complete, and Cope himself was not the hindmost in the race. The cavalry gone, and the commander amongst them, it was not to be thought that the infantry could long hold the field. They soon broke down and got into utter confusion; and now, with no one to lead them, each man for himself became the order of the day. Of all the Royal army only a handful of the infantry made any resistance, and even these were without a leader. Seeing this, Colonel Gardiner, who had been deserted by his dragoons, and was already suffering from shot and sabre wounds, hastened to their assistance, loudly exclaiming as he went, “Those brave fellows will be cut to pieces for want of a commander.” Placing himself at their head he led them into the heart of the strife, shouting high above the thundering noise, “Fire away, my men, and fear nothing.” But it was all in vain, the gallant colonel who from his commanding appearance offered a good mark for the enemy, was cut down from behind by a M‘Gregor with one of those dreadful scythes with which so many were armed. And with the downfall of Gardiner ended the battle of Preston; what followed was a mere rout. Gardiner is supposed to have fallen in the vicinity of the Thorn Tree. His body was sought out by his own body-servant, who on beholding him fall fled to the mill in the meadows, and, arrayed in the garb of a miller, had him borne from the field, and for greater security up to the manse at Tranent, where he died during the evening in the arms of one of the minister’s nieces. He ceased to breathe while she was holding a glass of water to his lips, for which he had asked in almost the last words he uttered. He died at the age of 57 years 8 months and a few days. His body, on examination, was found to have received eight wounds—two from gun shots in the right side, and six sabre cuts on the head. He was buried at the west end of the south oblong of Tranent old church, where a monumental inscription was set over his remains by his widow, the Lady Frances Erskine, a daughter of David, fourth Earl of Cardross, but what became of the tablet remains a mystery. When the present church was built (1799), the contractor broke up a great many fine old tombstones, and built up the walls with them. It is understood that the tablet to the memory of Colonel Gardiner shared a similar fate. As a tribute of regard to the memory of this brave man, there was in 1853 a monument erected in front of Bankton House, once the property and residence of Colonel Gardiner. It bears the following inscriptions:— On the north side—“To Colonel Gardiner, who fell in the battle of Prestonpans, 21st September 1745. ‘A faithful man, and feared God above many’—Neh. vii. 2.” On the east side—“This neighbourhood, alike hallowed by his life, and renowned by his death, gratefully accepts the guardianship of his memory.” On the west side, this excellent couplet is quoted from a poem on Gardiner’s death, by the late Hugh Miller— “ His valour, his high scorn of death, To fame’s proud meed no impulse owed; His was a pure, unsullied zeal For Britain and for God. “ He fell—he died—the savage foe Trod careless o’er the noble clay; Yet not in vain that champion fought In that disastrous fray.” On the south side—‘“Erected by public subscription, 1853. Archibald Ritchie, Sculptor, Edinburgh.” Notes on and After the Battle. The mode of fighting as practised by the Highlanders at the battle was this,—they advanced with the utmost rapidity towards the enemy, gave fire when within a musket-length of the object, and threw down their pieces, then drawing their swords, and holding a dirk in their left hand along with their target, darted with fury on the enemy through the smoke of their fire. When within reach of the bayonets of their opponents, bending the left knee, they contrived to receive the thrust of that weapon on their targets, then raising the target arm, and with it the enemy’s point, they rushed in upon the defenceless soldier, killed him at a blow, and were in a moment within the lines, pushing right and left with sword and dagger, often bringing down two men at once. The battle was thus decided in an almost incredibly short time, and all that followed was mere carnage. “We,” says Balmerino, referring to the Highlanders, ‘had killed on the spot Captain Robert Stuart of Auchshiell’s battalion, Captain Archibald M‘Donald of Keppoch’s, Lieutenant Allan Cameron of Lindevra, and Ensign James Cameron of Lochiel’s regiment, Captain James Drummond, a/ias Macgregor, mortally wounded, of the Duke of Perth’s, and about 30 privates killed, and 70 or 80 wounded. “The enemy had in killed and wounded, including Colonel Gardiner, mortally wounded, and Ensign Forbes, about goo, besides which we have taken about 1,400 prisoners, all their cannon, mortars, several colours, standards, abundance of horses and arms, together with all their baggage, equipage, etc. Of 2,500 infantry brought into the field, about 200 escaped.” General Cope, by means of a white cockade in his hat, similar to that worn by the Highlanders, passed through their midst without recognition, and made his way along the avenue —that strip of trees forming the old post road opposite Bankton House. With the assistance of the Earls of Home and Loudan, he mustered, towards the east end of Preston village, about 450 horsemen. If the above figures are correct, they account for 2,700 Royalists, but these he could not again entice to face the Highlanders. So, wheeling about, they passed the old farm steading of Milligan’s Mains, which stood then nigh where Prestonpans railway stationhouse now stands, proceeded up the Bankton Road (which on the old county survey maps still bears the name of Johnnie Cope’s Road), got up over Birslie Brae, retreated by way of Soutra Hill to Lauder, and reached Coldstream that same night, about forty miles’ march from the morning’s battlefield. Though acquitted on trial for cowardice, Cope has been consigned to eternal and well-merited infamy, more particularly in the ballad literature of his day, for the want of courage he displayed in this memorable battle. The well-known song of “Hey, Johnnie Cope, are ye wauken yet?” is said to pretty accurately interpret the feeling entertained towards him by his contemporaries. After the Battle. It is pleasing to reflect that no sooner had contention ceased, than the greatest friendship prevailed between the victors and their wounded enemies. The Highlanders hastened in all directions in search of water to quench the thirst of those unable to assist themselves. In one case, a Highlander came upon an English soldier so badly wounded that he could proceed no farther; he took him on his back, and carrying him to a place of safety, set him down, and gave him sixpence to pay for his night’s lodging. Plundering. Notwithstanding the many kindnesses shown towards the wounded on the field, rifling the pockets of the dead, and plundering otherwise seems to have been very much resorted to. Some of the cases recorded of those engaged in this heartless pursuit are not altogether awanting in drollery. The Horse’s Saddle. One stalwart Highlander was observed carrying off the field across his broad shoulders a huge military saddle. This he had wrenched off a dead or dying charger; and when questioned by a comrade concerning his burden, said he purposed taking it back to his mountain home, for the use of his little pony. Arrayed in Fine Feathers. Quite a number of the private soldiers, some of them whose garments were actually in tatters, got themselves arrayed in the fine laced coats and cocked hats of the stricken-down English officers. Johnnie Cope’s Salve. A good many packages of chocolate were found among the General’s baggage. Chocolate was a thing unknown to the rank and file of the Highland army, at all events it was so to the plundering party of that Highland host. They supposed it to be a healer of wounds, and hawked it about as an ointment, which they entitled “Johnnie Cope’s Salve.” The Creature Had Died the Night Before. One Highlander who had become possessor of a gold watch sold it the following day for a trifling sum, triumphantly remarking, on the close of the bargain, that “the creature had died the night before.” This may be true; if so, it is evident the plunderer had known nothing about a watch. It had run down the preceding night, and stopped for want of winding. The day after the battle Charles returned to Holyrood House, and his reception by the people of Edinburgh was great. His father was proclaimed at the Cross James VIII. of Scotland and III. of England. But public rejoicings in honour of his victory were forbidden, “on account of the great slaughter of his father’s subjects.” He remained in Edinburgh till October, and spent his time there right royally. On 31st October 1745 he left Edinburgh with about 6000 men. He crossed the Borders, and on 9th of November he invested Carlisle, which surrendered to his forces after a three days’ siege. Charles proceeded on the 27th to Manchester, thence to Derby. Here he is said to have “awoke from his dream of ambition and paused,” the reception he met with being chilling in the extreme. Leaving Derby he retreated into Scotland before a harrassing enemy with a celerity and good order almost unparalleled. He defeated General Hawley at Falkirk, and met with several other successes. But his short, if hitherto successful, career was rapidly drawing to a close. His exchequer was almost exhausted and his provisions run out. His men too were getting mutinous, clamouring for arrears of pay, etc. To crown all, at this turning-point, he was compelled to give battle to a superior army under the Duke of Cumberland, and on the fatal field of Culloden, 16th April 1746, his forces were totally routed. With a few attendants he escaped on horseback, got to the Highlands, where he continued to wander till, about a year after the Battle of Preston, 20th September 1746, when, after many romantic adventures and hairbreadth escapes, he finally embarked in a privateer, and, accompanied by the brave Lochiel, miraculously eluded the British squadron during a fog. He eventually landed on the coast of Bretagne; and thus ended the Rebellion of 1745. Petition. The following is a copy of a petition presented to the editor of the Scots Magazine by certain enthusiastic towns and villages against the misnomer of Preston Battle. It tells its own story:— “To the Author of the ‘Scots Magazine,’ “The Petition of Prestonpans, Preston, Cockenzte, Seton, and Tranent,— “Humbly sheweth,—That, whereas from all antiquity it has been and still is the universal custom to denominate battles from the field on which they were fought, or from some town or village near to such fields, and whereas some dignity is thereby added to such fields, towns, or villages, their names made remarkable in the maps and recorded in history; witness the small village of Dittingen, which was never of such consideration as to find a place in the maps of Germany until it was celebrated: by the engagement which happened near a few years ago. “And whereas, on 21st September last, there was a battle fought on a field which is in a manner surrounded by the petitioning towns and villages, from one or other of which the said battle ought undoubtedly to derive its title. “Nevertheless, the publishers of a certain newspaper, entitled The Caledonian Mercury, have most unjustly denominated the said battle from a moor on which it was not fought, nor near to it; in which they are followed by several people who, either through malice against your petitioners or through stupidity, have affected to call and still call it ‘The Battle of Gladsmuir,’ by which practice your petitioners are, conjunctly and severally, deprived of that honour and fame which of right pertains to them, and which in all histories, future maps, and almanacs, ought to be transmitted as theirs, to latest posterity. “Your petitioners humbly apprehend that even the conquerors themselves have no right, after a battle is once fought, to determine that it was fought on any other field than where it really was. “Shall, then, our fruitful fields and meadow ground be called by the name of a barren moor? This, sir, is downright transubstantiation, and can be enforced by nothing less than the late fashionable argument of military execution. “Your petitioners could have put up with such encroachment as they take this to be upon their property, had it appeared in a short-lived newspaper, especially when published by a certain authority or rather command; but it afflicts us much to see the same usurped title of the forementioned battle find a way into your last September Magazine, which bids fair to perpetuate it. “May it please you therefore, good sir, if you have occasion hereafter to publish anything concerning said battle, to denominate it from one of your petitioners, or at least to publish this our remonstrance against the encroachment upon our right, and your petitioners,” etc. etc. ( Signed) “Flying Shots.” Whereupon the editor tells his readers, “to change or not, just as they have a mind.” CHAPTER XXII. LORD GRANGE, PRESTON HOUSE, ETC. Preston House, etc. — Lord Grange — Other Proprietors — Lord Provost of Edinburgh — Dr Oswald—Erskine of Grange — Lord Grange — Lord Lovat — M‘Leod of M‘Leod, and Lord Grange — Lady Grange carried off — Held in Captivity till Death — Dr Ramsay — Dr Schaw—Schaw’s Bequest — Hospital Founded — Names, Trades, and Professions of Inmates — Revisit of Old Scholars — Murray’s Bequests — Institution — Matron, Teachers, Inmates, etc. THIS fine old ivy-clad ruin stands a little to the east of the old Market Cross, directly south of Murray’s Institution, and at the extreme east end of the village of Preston. Preston Tower, as already mentioned, was finally destroyed by fire in 1663, and abandoned by the Hamiltons as a dwelling-place. Sir James de Preston or Hamilton was proprietor at that period, but we do not know that he ever returned to the old village or approached the desolate Tower. In 1685 we find Sir William, his son, fighting under Argyll, and he died some years afterwards. His brother Robert did, or ought to have succeeded him, but his estates (private, apparently, for as yet he had no claim to Preston) had been confiscated for his denunciation of the king and his court, and he had been banished for his covenanting principles. He returned in 1689, before his brother died, but still refused to acknowledge king or court, and never served himself heir to the estate or to the baronetcy. He died at Bo’ness in 1701. The old Tower and estate at Preston were shortly afterwards transferred to a nephew of the late Sir Robert Hamilton, Dr Oswald, a son of Sir James Oswald, who was Lord Provost of Edinburgh at that period. But the transference took place under an arrangement that the estate should be redeemed if a covenanted sovereign surmounted the throne. For this new proprietor a new mansion house in lieu of the old Tower was erected about 1705. The estate was heavily burdened with debt when Oswald got it, and what with the building of Preston House, etc., the burdens did not become lighter. Latterly, with debts unpaid, bonds over it, and the interest of the loan money yearly increasing, the poor old estate of Preston got into a sad position. Some time previous to 1715, Lord Grange arranged with Dr Oswald and took possession of Preston House. He instantly set about redeeming the mortgages, paying off old debts, and repurchasing or reclaiming odd pieces which had been cut from the old baronetcy, and by this means acquired a complete title over the whole estate of Preston in his own right. This new proprietor of Preston, the Hon. James Erskine of Grange, was brother of the Earl of Mar, and one of the supreme judges. He became Lord Justice Clerk during the reign of Queen Anne, a position, it is said, to which his brother the Earl of Mar helped him. At this period Lord Grange was considered the leading man in the parish, and the church at Prestonpans becoming vacant, he was the means of securing, in 1724, the appointment for his old schoolmate William Carlyle of Cummertrees, Annandale, who was father to Carlyle of Inveresk. “The stipend” here during the early years of Carlyle’s incumbency was so very small that he was unable to support his family upon it. He complained to his old friend Lord Grange of being in very straitened circumstances, and he, along with Lord Drummore, came down from the bench and pleaded the minister’s cause so effectually that he had his stipend raised from £70 to £140 perannum. Morrison of Prestongrange was patron of the parish at this period, but his estate was under sequestration, and they found little opposition in gaining the augmentation. Lord Grange was dismissed from the office of Lord Justice Clerk in the beginning of the reign of George I. He married a daughter of Chiesly of Dalry, who is said to have been a very passionate man and shot a neighbouring proprietor in Edinburgh one day, simply because he opposed him in some trifling matter. Lady Grange is said to have been a lovely woman, but of violent temperament after her father. Lord Grange, it appears, had cruelly wronged his lady love before marriage, and it was only through fear, after she had threatened to murder him, that he fulfilled his promise and married her. In 1734 he threw up his seat as a judge in the Court of Session in order to oppose Sir Robert Walpole in Parliament. He was elected for the Stirling Burghs, but never shone in the House as a politician. During his stay in London he formed a suspicious connection with the female keeper of a restaurant, of which her ladyship soon had knowledge. He is said to have tried many things in order to appease her wrath, but failed to do the right thing, and there never more was peace between them. Independent of Preston House, they had a private dwelling-place in Edinburgh, and the city house was much occupied by her ladyship. It was while she was living there that Lord Grange conceived a diabolical plot with a view to getting her out of the way and silencing her tongue for ever. Murder was not intended, but banishment was. The plot was to carry her whence she could not return, and leave her where none of her relations might find her. His chief assistants, says Carlyle of Inveresk, in this matter were Lord Lovat, and M‘Leod of St Kilda. Erelong he put his violent and outrageous plot into execution, had her borne direct from his Edinburgh house, carried by way of Stirling, and never halted more than necessary to rest till he had her safely conveyed to the small island of Heoker. After detaining her there for a space of two years, he had her conveyed to the Isle of St Kilda. On the affair getting wind, he afterwards had her removed to Harris, where she died in 1745, before arrangements for obtaining her release and a full inquiry into the case could be completed. “The most extraordinary thing of all,” continues Carlyle, “was that, except in conversation for a few weeks, among the general public nobody took any notice of the outrage. It was generally believed that she was being kept comfortably, though confined, in some castle in the Highlands belonging to Lovat or M‘Leod, and not till many years afterwards did it become known that she had been sent to such a horrid place as St Kilda.” After this, and during the rebellion, Lord Grange kept close to his house at Preston, where he is said to have amused himself by turning his garden into many narrow walks, and by planting trees, forming so many intricate avenues, that although it only extended to some four or five acres altogether it took one about two hours to perambulate the enclosure. The garden here referred to is the one wherein at the present time stands the Market Cross. In 1770, Lord Grange seems to have got tired, not only of his beautifully and artistically laid out garden, but of the entire estate of Preston as well, for in that year he sold the whole property, part of it going to Watson’s Hospital Trust, and the remainder to his factor, Dr William Ramsay, who was then factor also to Lord Elcho and his grace the Duke of Roxburgh. In 1780 the estate of Preston—less Watson’s portion—was acquired, and Preston House occupied, by Dr James Schaw. The house, though in ruins now, was a two-storied building, constructed in the old Scotch baronial style. The whole building, from east to west, measures 142 feet. The main or front door is closed up, but quite a number of the finely rounded steps leading up to it are intact. There are a pair of beautiful circular pillars, one on each side of the door, with very fine fluted stonework behind them. Schaw’s, or some other coat of arms, is said to be emblazoned over the door, but heavy rods of ivy hold the mastery here, and whose they are remains a mystery. From the main door passages run east and west the whole length of the building, and there is a continuous passage from wing to wing in the lower flat of the building. A few of the lower windows are or have been iron-stanchioned, while several of the upper windows have been treated in a similar manner. The old kitchen is situated on the ground floor in the west wing, and a curious little place it is. It has four diminutive windows, two to the front and two to the back. The ceiling is low but strongly arched with stone. The floor has been laid with pavement, and that business has been meant with the fire is evident from the fact that the fireplace covers a space of nine feet, while a couple of iron hooks still retain a place in the ceiling, capable each of bearing aloft the dead weight of either boar or bullock. There isa fine room, 18 by 15, over this, but the ivy is creeping in everywhere. At the extreme east end of the building is a very spacious and lightsome room. It contains a very small fireplace, four very large windows, and a monster of a door at the east end, fully three and a half feet wide by eleven feet in height. This is known as Dr Schaw’s Library. A very large recess in the wall shows where his bookshelves had been, but not a single volume of old forgotten lore is to be found there now. Along the back or south of the house runs what is called the avenue. It is simply a continuation of what had evidently been a direct route eastward through the village of Preston in days that are no more. Opposite what remains of the south side of the ruins there remained until recently a large stone-paved court. It was bounded by the parapet wall still overlooking the garden southwards. Along this parapet wall still runs the original wood railing, with its great iron spikes which formerly went to embellish it. This wood railing was set up when the house was constructed, and it has now become so frail that but for the fruit trees Mr Wright planted against it many years ago it would hold its place no longer. Almost in a line with the old house runs a very high and time-worn wall. That this wall had been built many years antecedent to Preston House is evident, and from the door and window marks shown therein it is also evident that Preston village extended very much farther east at one time than many people now imagine; and it was only, we doubt not, when Preston House was built that this main highway through Preston village was unceremoniously stopped. Dr James Schaw enjoyed his new possessions for a very short time. He acquired the estate of Preston in 1780 and died in 1784. After his decease it was found he had bequeathed Preston House, in the first place, ‘to be fitted up for the maintenance and education of boys of poor but respectable parents.” The age of admission from four to seven years; they might be retained till they were fourteen years of age; and preference was to be given to names in the order set down:— Schaw, M‘Neill, Cunningham, and Stewart. When boys left the institution they were to be bound as apprentices to some sort of trade, or be disposed of otherwise according to the discretion of the trustees, and for the benefit of the youngsters. There were nineteen trustees, including the parish ministers of Tranent and Prestonpans, appointed to superintend the institution, and it was to be conducted by a governor and a matron. It was found that Dr Schaw had also bequeathed the whole of the lands and barony of Preston, together with the proceeds of other property, for the support of the establishment. His daughter’s portion was also to revert to the funds of the Hospital in the event of her dying childless, which was the case, Mrs Sawers, his daughter, dying at Bath without issue. Schaw’s Hospital—Preston Old House—was first opened as an institution in the year 1789. At the opening, and for a considerable time after, its inmates numbered fifteen; but the building was afterwards suited to accommodate twenty-four. Schaw’s Hospital. An official register gives 120 boys who passed through this institution; but there must have been a good many more, seing that no name is given till 1804, only one given in that year, and no more mentioned till 1820-22-24. Of the four names which had a preference of entry, there were fifteen Shaws, but only one of them spelt with the c (Schaw), four M‘Neills, one Cunningham, and one Stewart. The first admitted was William Shaw, 23rd August 1804. He left on 8th January 1814. For upwards of sixteen years this same Shaw was principal bookkeeper and cashier in the office of David Thomson, Esq., factor to Schaw’s Trust, and of Alexander Thomson, Esq., W.S., who succeeded his father in the office of factor. He was afterwards, for some years, principal accountant in the Eastern Bank; and latterly cashier and bookkeeper to the North British Railway Company, where he is said to have won not a little distinction by his exposure of a great railway fraud that was being perpetrated. Next on the roll is George Rodger. He was admitted in 1820, and became a cabinetmaker. Next, John H. Chisholm in 1822, and William Jelly in 1824. The latter became very distinguished as a physician; he went to San Francisco. The other became famous as a dentist in Edinburgh. All these three revisited their old home at the institution in 1853. Among the trades and professions the hospital boys elected to follow on leaving the institution, were wright and engineer, wright, joiner, plumber, baker, jeweller, watchmaker, clerk, bookseller, tailor, printer, grocer, cooper, boilermaker, nurseryman, draper, apothecary, bookbinder, gardener, silk mercer, shoemaker, ironworker, teacher, accountant, dentist, blacksmith, cork-cutter, painter, confectioner, mason, and railway clerk, while one is set down as a skilled labourer, which may mean that he learned to “carry the hod,” or to do nothing at all. One, Robertson, is said to have “tried various things, and at last went to sea.” One, Pearse, by turns became a poster, a turner, a shoemaker, a sailor, and ultimately a soldier. A Henderson and a Waddel were “expelled for telling gross falsehoods.” A Shaw, a Bailie, and a Miller were “expelled for running away often,” but they were always taken back when showing “the least sign of repentance.” Seven years was the limit time for retaining inmates in the hospital, and one or two only were admitted each year. Funds were accumulating, and inmates were clamouring for admission, but the house was getting behind the age for such an institution, and the trustees were seriously interesting themselves concerning the construction of a new building altogether independent of the one then in use. In good time a new, handsome, and very commodious building was constructed, almost in a direct line north of Preston House. This was built in the old English style of architecture, and at a cost of about £3,000, the cash for which was also supplied from the funds bequeathed by the benevolent testator. Preston House as an hospital was closed for ever in 1832, the hindmost teacher being a Mr M‘Bride, and he it was who planted the ivy with which it is now so wholly surrounded. This same gentleman was also the first teacher in the new institution. He afterwards studied for the ministry, and became a preacher of the gospel. No sooner was the new building got into working order than a large increase of inmates took place. The hindmost five to gain admission were named severally, Small, Ward, Ritchie, Stirling, and J. C. Sykes. The close of the roll states that John Forsyth Thomson, blacksmith, and John Anderson, cabinetmaker, both visited their old home in 1855, and that George Goldie, carpenter, but who ultimately became instructor in gymnastics in Princeton College, U.S., paid a visit to Scotland and the hospital in 1875. In 1881, under the “Endowed Hospitals Act,” these funds were otherwise appropriated, and the building ceased for ever to be known as “Schaw’s Hospital.” Murray’s Institution. Scarcely had this very handsome building ceased to be “Schaw’s Hospital” than it became “Murray’s Institution.” Miss Mary Murray was a native of Dysart. She died there in 1861, but not until 1882 did her “will” come into operation, when it was found that under it an hospital was to be founded for the training of female children “of poor but respectable parents” as domestic servants. At her death Miss Murray’s estate was worth a little under £20,000, but by her will she directed that it should be allowed to accumulate for a period not exceeding twenty-one years, and the bequest in 1882 amounted to about £36,000. The original trustees were Messrs John Dundas, William Wilson, Alexander Montgomery Bell, and Samuel Davidson, but these having all died, the management of the estate has, as provided by the testatrix, devolved on the Keeper, Deputy-keeper, and Commissioners of the Signet, who, having assumed the administration of the trust, are now carrying it on, as in the case of John Watson’s Hospital, and other similar institutions. The trustees have taken a lease, fer a period of twenty-five years, of the building at Preston hitherto known as Schaw’s Hospital. Miss Isabella Meikle, formerly of Donaldson’s Hospital, was appointed matron, and the first selection of children made, the number being limited to eighteen, but that number may be doubled, perhaps trebled. The purpose of the bequest, however, will be best explained in the words of the testatrix, who, after giving power to her trustees to invest her estate In certain securities, directs that the proceeds of the same are to be applied:— “In the establishment and maintenance of an hospital for the education of female children of poor but respectable parents; for house servants, for their encouragement during service, and their ultimate provision in old age; children of the name of Murray being admitted to the benefits of the institution in preference to others, should their claims in other respects appear to my trustees to be equally deserving; and I appoint the following rules to be observed by my said trustees in the management of the said hospital:— “The children shall be admitted between the age of six and eight, and remain till the age of fourteen, when they shall be put to service. “They shall be instructed in reading, writing, and arithmetic, sewing, spinning, knitting, and such other plain useful acquirements as my trustees think best calculated for them; and above all, in the principles of religion, honesty, and truth, for which end a portion of the Scriptures shall be read to them evening and morning with prayers. “Such of them as remain in their first places till the age of twenty, and have conducted themselves with propriety, shall receive a present, not exceeding £10, on their being married, or on their attaining the age of forty; and if at the age of sixty any of them shall have no home, they shall be received into the house again, and remain there as long as they please, proper work fit for their age and strength being assigned them, to keep them from idleness; but on the condition that their behaviour has been correct and respectable during their lives, which must always be held out as the only chance of their returning to the hospital. “I desire that no male teacher or chaplain shall be employed in it, but the whole establishment shall be under the immediate charge of a proper mistress or matron, to be appointed and paid by my trustees,” etc. The establishment is under the management of eight directors, viz., the Keeper and Deputy-keeper of the Signet ex officio, and six Commissioners of the Signet. The institution is under the management of Miss Isabella Meikle, who, as matron, has been in charge since the opening of the Institution. Miss Thomson, as teacher, has served a term of over sixteen years; while Miss Pockney, as sewing mistress, has been over that department upwards of five years. When the institution was opened in 1882 twenty girls were at once admitted. At the present time there are sixty-eight inmates. It is now over eighteen years since the institution was opened. Since then oyer sixty have gone forth to service, and two of these are at the present, time within sighting distance of gaining the £10 prize for remaining in one situation from fourteen to twenty. Eight have got married. Not a breath of scandal has ever been raised against a single inmate connected with the institution; and so well are the funds being managed, that the trustees have been enabled to spend £10 each on the whole of these sixty inmates on their going forth from the institution. CHAPTER XXIII. NORTHFIELD HOUSE. Northfield House — The Builder — Defaced Inscriptions — Curious Old Close — Ancient Dovecot — The Original Church supposed to have been here — The Dower House, or Barracks — Original Occupants — French Invasion — Curious Inscriptions — Preston Lodge — Colonel Cameron and his Staghounds — Mr Hume and his Lions — Present Proprietor, Mr George Moncur, one of the firm of His Majesty’s Hothouse Builders — Athelstane Lodge and Lord Cullen, etc. — Market Gardeners: Messrs Wright, Wilson, Crichton, and Gillies. THIS beautiful antique wayside dwelling-place is situated on the south side of the road towards the west end of Preston village. Year after year it is flooded with visitors, sightseers, and no end of artists sit down to make copies of the curious old building. The house was built in the year 1611, as the figures over what is termed the new doorway plainly indicate. Over this doorway too, beautifully carved on the lintel, are the arms and initials of Joseph Marjoribanks of that ilk, and his wife M—— Simpson, together with this Scriptural quotation— “Excep the Lord Bvld Invaine Bvlds Man.” This Joseph Marjoribanks was brother-in-law to Sir John Hamilton of Preston. Sir John Hamilton was brother to Sir George of Preston, and succeeded him in the title and estate of Preston in 1617; and this same Sir John it was who obtained from James VI. charters erecting Preston and Prestongrange, severally, into burghs of barony, with the usual privileges pertaining thereto. In 1746 Mr A. Nesbit, surgeon, Edinburgh, along with several other properties at Preston, purchased Northfield, and he afterwards sold it to James Syme, slater, Edinburgh. It was for a great number of years occupied by his son, the late Captain Syme, R.N. In 1890 Mr James M‘Neill, Wishaw, became proprietor of Northfield House and estate. Having a practical knowledge of coal and iron mining, he immediately began to open up his mineral fields thereon. He afterwards let them on lease, and the minerals are at the present time being successfully worked by the Northfield Coal Company. How many centuries have elapsed since coal was first excavated here would be difficult to determine, and as there are no records extant relating to the matter it may never be discovered. In visiting the gloomy caverns shortly after their reopening by the proprietor, we were struck by the very original system of excavation which had been adopted here during the early ages. The “long wall” system being but a recent innovation, here the “stoop and room” system had been in full swing. The stoops were some 4 feet in thickness only, and about 40 yards in length. In working downhill, where the ancient excavators had the water to contend with, they adopted the usual remedy in those days—the “dam and lave” system; but in such a fashion, until seen here, we had never before heard tell of. Instead of making a “clay dam” to keep back the water after “laving” it out from the wall-face, they resorted to the more laborious system of leaving on a few inches of the “ground coal,” and cutting out again behind it, leaving on a few inches more the next time, and so on, until they ran themselves out altogether. These ancient “dams” may yet be seen in Northfield Colliery. A curious old close or entrance forms the boundary of Northfield estate to the east of the mansion-house. This is known as “Katie Herrin’s Close,” from the fact that a very old woman of that name lived and died there. Her house was pulled down many years ago, the stones going to pile up the walls in the neighbourhood; but there was a brewery of very large dimensions in this close many years before Katie Herrin’s time. It also has vanished and gone, and the only piece of antiquity which remains entire on this very antiquated spot is a curious old conical-shaped dovecot at the extreme south end of it. There is nothing strange in finding an old dovecot in the neighbourhood of an old mansion-house; It is customary all East Lothian over. Northfield House is dated 1611, but this dovecote is evidently a couple of centuries older than the mansion-house. The pigeon, whether as an article of diet or commerce, seems always to have been a favourite with the monks in the early ages; and so we find, wherever an old monastic building remains or has been, there is sure to be a dovecot adjacent to it. Through this we have been led to inquire, What if the ancient church of Preston, the church which Hertford burned along with Preston Tower in 1544, was situated in this neighbourhood? If all the family papers in connection with the Tower and Preston estate were destroyed with the Tower in 1544, very likely all papers and books in connection with the sacred edifice would be destroyed during the same conflagration; at all events not a vestige remains, or at least has ever turned up, to show whether that church was located in upper or lower Prieststown. The House of Newbattle had no sympathy with the Reformation which set in during this period, and so they let not only the old monkish building go out of existence, but allowed all knowledge of its whereabouts to die with it. If it was located in the upper village, which Davidson’s “appointment to South Prestoun” plainly indicates, then it was undoubtedly situated in this opening. Whether there ever was a churchyard adjoining it would be difficult to determine, but a great many stones built into the west dyke have inscriptions on them, and look as if they were parts of old tombstones, while no end of broken-up fluted columns are wedged into all the surrounding walls. These look as if they had been previously used for church building purposes. Our earliest impressions were, that if the original church was located at Preston it must have been adjacent to the Tower; but Preston Tower is situated within the barony of Preston, with which the monks of Newbattle had nothing to do, whereas Northfield is situated within the barony of Prestongrange, with which they had much to do. The Dower House, or Barracks. The building known by the above names is situate about the centre of the old village of Preston. Its front faces southwards. It is a two-storied building of no great height, with three very smart little upper windows, high peaked.- Over the west window are a coat of arms and the letters I. H., evidently meant for John Hamilton. On the centre window is a monogram forming the letters K. H. S., with the date 1628, while over the eastern window is another coat of arms and the letters K. S. Proceeding down the thoroughfare northwards leading to Prestonpans, the fine hollow square of the old house looking westwards catches the eye. That this has been the chief entrance to the house is evident from the fine fluted stonework abounding alike over doors and windows. What seems to have been the main door on the outshot part of the building is clumsily built up, and another broken out, simply spoiling a very handsome building. Over this doorway is a beautifully cut shield, in grand preservation; beneath it are two rose branches, one spreading either way; on the lower part of the shield is a finely-cut rose or cinquefoil, on the opposite side a star. On the upper side of the shield are two roses or cinquefoils, and opposite them are three circles, while rising proudly up over the shield is a very large rose or cinquefoil. High over the chief entrance is a neatly-cut window, surmounted by a thistle head of no mean growth. Beneath the thistle are the finely-carved face and wings representative of an angel, while beautifully cut out in the stone beneath the window is the following:— “Praised be the Lord, my Strength and my Redeemer.” This house is set down in certain gazetteers as that which was built for Hamilton when he was burned out of Preston Tower by Lord Hertford. Now, as the Tower was burned by Hertford in 1544; repaired, and again inhabited; burned down by Cromwell in 1650, and again repaired and inhabited; burned accidentally in 1663, never more to be inhabited; and that Preston House was built the following century as a substitute,— it is evident this was built in 1628 for a very different purpose. It was originally called the Dower House. Thus it would seem to have been built for a Dowager Lady Hamilton. It is evident that Sir John Hamilton seems to have been the builder, and probably K. S. was his mother, the widow of Sir George Hamilton. Sir John’s second wife died in 1629, and he had a third wife. If his widowed mother was still alive previous to 1628, it need cause no surprise if she, amid the coming and going of her various daughters-in-law, expressed a desire for a habitation of her own, and had the Dower House built.. Whoever the house was built for, it has served many purposes since then, not the least among which was that of a barracks for a portion of the army during the great “French invasion” scare about 1797. In connection with this subject, said the late General Sir Robert Cadell: ‘It may be interesting to state that the late Sir William Gomme, Commander-in-Chief in India, who died a few years ago at a very advanced age, shortly before his death met with a gentleman who came from this neighbourhood”— we always understood the gentleman to be General Cadell himself from his manner of telling the story—“on hearing ‘Prestonpans’ mentioned, the old veteran said he had not been there since he was little more than a boy, when he was quartered at Preston, with a company of his regiment, in an old house near the Tower. He had a perfect recollection of the locality, and said his first experience of actual campaigning was when an alarm came that the French had landed, and his company marched at night the whole way to Linton before they heard that it was a false alarm. He mentioned also that if the stones in the courtyard of the old house were examined slits would be found in them which were formed by his men sharpening their bayonets on the sandstone, and that the word ‘Buonaparte’ would be seen cut out of the stone with the same weapon.” Sir Robert informed us that he took an early opportunity, on returning from abroad, of going to Preston and looking for the marks in the sandstone and finding several of them. This is also referred to in “Tranent and its Surroundings.” Preston Lodge. This charming abode, with its two carriage gateways and various other entrances, and surrounded as it is with its venerable and majestic walnut trees; its wide branching chestnut, and countless other natives of the forest; its vineries and greenhouses; its fruit and its flower gardens; and, not the least of its beauties, the lovely lawn-tennis ground in front of the dwelling-place,—all in all, and, at any season of the year, is a picture worth seeing, and seeing, to be admired. It was not always thus. At an early period a very lovely but diminutive-looking dwelling-house was planted here. Who were its original occupants it would be hard to find out; but towards the latter end of last century, and running well into the present, it belonged to and was occupied by a Colonel Cameron. This gentleman was a famous breeder of staghounds. The late Mr M‘Alpine, beadle in the parish church under Dr Struthers, took service, when quite a boy, under Colonel Cameron to attend to his dogs, and remained in his service for well-nigh fifty years. About 1843 Mr Hume, retired plumber and brassfounder from Edinburgh, bought the property, pulled down the old house, and built a new one in its stead. This gentleman was wont to take great interest in the Chapmen’s Association, and in their annual gatherings and services at the Cross. He had a round tower built in his garden, placed seven small pieces of artillery on it, and annually when the chapmen arrived they had a hearty welcome from the cannon’s mouth. About 1873 Mr R. L. M. Kitto, manager to the then Prestongrange Coal Company, became possessor of the property. This gentleman made additions to the house, adding greatly to its picturesqueness. Dr William Ireland, an author, whose works have not only been largely commented on and favourably reviewed by the press, but several have been translated into other languages, was the next occupier as tenant for a number of years. In 1895 Mr George Moncur, of Mackenzie and Moncur, Vinery and Hothouse builders to His Majesty King Edward VII., became proprietor of the estate, and at once took up his residence there, and to this gentleman the honour of making the place a perfect little paradise belongs. If there is a dark neuk in the grounds he has it quickly brightened with evergreens, and if there is an ungainly spot to be seen within the demesne he has it straightway turned into a bed of roses. Athelstane Lodge. That cozy little cottage occupied by Mr A. Purves, who is also proprietor, known by the name of Athelstane Lodge, is said to have been occupied at one time by Lord Athelstane, a Lord of Session, and hence its name. It may or may not have been a home of Lord Athelstane, but we know it was.a habitation of Lord Cullen, another Lord of Session. This Lord Cullen was the father of William Grant, who became Lord Prestongrange, and whose descendants still hold the proud position of proprietors of that ancient barony. Market Gardening in Preston—John Wright. There are at least four parties in Preston connected with the market gardening industry. These are Messrs Wright, Wilson, Crichton, and Gillies, taking them as they come from the eastern extremity of the village. Who has not heard of the Wrights of Preston? It is an old name in the district,—one, indeed, which carries us back to the days of the Young Chevalier. The great grandfather of the present tenant was eleven years old when the battle of Preston was fought, and he was wont to tell his children, with great gusto, how he and a great many others of his boy companions went to look for, beheld, and admired Johnnie Cope’s horsemen the day before the battle, but just to feel as much disgusted the following day when learning of their inglorious retreat from the field at Meadowmill. He dwelt at this period in that house known as “Nether Shot,” near the east end of Prestonpans. His son, grandfather of Mr John Wright, became land-overseer, etc., to Mr John Fowler, famous in brewery history; and his son, father to Mr John Wright, took to market gardening. He became tenant of Schaw’s Lands at Preston about the year 1858. It need scarcely be added here that the gardens of Preston, from the time they were held in possession by Lord Grange, when that gentleman took pleasure in forming “leafy bowers,” and making “fancy pathways” in every direction throughout the extensive orchards, had run to riot ere they came into the hands of the elder Mr Wright, but no sooner had he settled down than improving and planting began. Wherever a vacant spot was found in the orchard, it soon was made glorious with fruitful bush and tree; and wherever an unfruitful nook was discovered, means were instantly taken to compel it to yield its rightful portion of revenue to the cultivator. At his decease, in 1861, his son, the present tenant, then barely out of his teens, took the business in hand, and from that day hence the very fruitful soil therein has had but little time to slumber. Besides a great part of Schaw’s trust lands, Mr Wright also cultivates, with the exception of two fields, the whole of Watson’s trust-estate. These adjoin his orchards, and extend eastward, even to the enclosing of “two” of the “triplet” which comprise the “Thorn Tree” of Preston battle fame. A strange coincidence in connection with both of the above trust lands may be mentioned here. In 1858 Mr Wnght’s father succeeded the late Mr John Fowler Hislop’s father in Schaw’s lands, and in 1896 Mr Wright himself succeeded the late Mr John Fowler Hislop in Watson’s lands Since becoming tenant of these lands, Mr Wright, while going in for general farming, devotes a very large acreage to cabbage plant cultivation. Castle Gardens. This famous little orchard, more famous through holding Preston old Tower within its walls than through any special fruits it produces, was originally the private haunt of the Hamiltons. It afterwards became part of Schaw’s Trust, but was latterly sold to the late Sir William Hamilton by the trustees on the estate, purely and simply, it is understood, in order to give the old family name of Hamilton a localisation again in Preston. The Aitkens in succession, as tenants, held the gardens for long; then the Alisons, who were succeeded by the late John Henderson. John was a thorough market gardener, and a most pronounced politician of the “Gladstonian Liberal” order. He took credit to himself, rightly or wrongly, for every slashing article which appeared in the local news during election times in favour of our present M.P., and was pleased if people seemed to believe it. He got an unco gliff on the day after the election, however, when it became known that Mr Haldane had been elected. He had been at Haddington, or near by, awaiting the result, and hurried home with the news. On coming to Preston he beheld one who had taken a very active part on the same side with him, working with all his might among his men. He halted, and raising his hands above his head, “O Lord God,” he exclaimed, “did I ever expect to see the like o’ this! A Liberal! a genuine Liberal! and his men working like slaves on the tap o’ such a glorious victory!” Poor John, his political and other labours are all at an end. Mr Thomas Wilson, who hails from Ormiston district, has recently become tenant of the Castle Gardens, and is working them on the market gardening system most successfully. Wigitrie Hill Lands. These lands, which overlook Bankton Marsh on the south, are mentioned in our charters of the thirteenth century as ‘““Wygtrig,” and because of this same thing the late Mr John Fowler Hislop was very proud of them. Mr Scott Crichton, a descendant of little short of two centuries of market gardeners in the Dalkeith district, became tenant in 1896. He devotes these lands almost entirely to market gardening purposes. The buildings in connection with the little estate are of a most extensive and commodious character. The late proprietor took pleasure in seeing everything well done. Mr John Gillies. Mr John Gillies, though a resident, is not a native of Preston. He first beheld the light of day in a neighbouring parish, and had a thorough commercial training in the offices at Prestongrange. He afterwards joined his father at Wallyford Gardens, taking part in the same commercial walk of life as he now pursues with such marked success. The old style of gardening was much too slow for John Gillies, and one day, in the absence of his superiors, he got hold of a horse and plough and had the ground thoroughly and quickly turned over, but only to get severely rebuked on their return for his pains, for “who in all the world ever heard of cabbage seed being sowed on ploughed land?” This was no whim of the Wallyford folks; it had ever been a recognised rule that the spade, and not the plough, was the gardener’s soil disturber. But the rule had been broken, and as it did not prove a failure, the spade since then has very often given place to the plough. Mr Gillies was not long under the above jurisdiction, till, borrowing a piece of land, he tried a little “seed sowing” and “plant cultivation” on his own behalf. His success proved great, and he began to cut out a line for himself. On launching out, he found with bitterness of spirit that the Scottish parsley markets were entirely “held up” by English growers, and the Scottish marketmen had simply to stand aside till their rivals were cleared out. This state of affairs he set about to combat. Thus he reasoned: If men can grow parsley hundreds of miles away, and send it here in paying quantities, surely I, being upon the ground, may do the same. It need only be added, that now the native growers do not hold a secondary place in the Scottish parsley markets. This grower has been very much interviewed of late by newspaper correspondents and others, and his praise has been sung all over the land. Among other reports, the North British Agriculturist says: “Some twelve years ago Mr Gillies made a new departure in cabbage and leek plant growing. Now his trade has developed to such an extent that upwards of one and a half million of cabbage plants have been turned out by him in a single day, while as many leek plants were being turned out now by him in one day as were turned out by him during the first five years of costly endeavours to form a trade connection. “In 1899 he offered the Highland and Agricultural Society £100 to be given in prizes for the best crops of cabbages grown in plots throughout the kingdom, and further supplemented this with a sum of £10 for the best essay on the “Cabbage as a Field Crop.” The latter was taken in hand at once, and the former was ultimately taken up by the ‘Scottish National Fat Stock Club,’ to be given in prizes for samples of cabbage shown at their annual prize show, this being considered an easier process than adjudicating upon ‘plots’ throughout the kingdom. Out of this £100 the ‘Fat Stock Club’ procured two very handsome cups at a cost of £20 and £30 each, while the overplus of cash was assigned, part to be presented with each cup, and the balance for less successful competitors.” Later on the N.B.A. gave a “snap shot,” entitled “Despatching the Prize Winners,” in reference to the cups, etc., offered. There were about one hundred women and girls on the field when the “snap shot” was taken, pulling and bundling plants for the market. This brought the Edinburgh evening papers on the scene, and they gave not only glowing accounts of the plant trade as pursued in the district, but of the benefits derivable by all who pleased to avail themselves of the steady employment brought to their doors. A Dundee weekly followed with facts and figures, holding out that this grower had been for some years past recognised as the largest plant grower in Great Britain. The Scottish Farmer, giving a very fine photographic likeness of Mr Gillies, says “it is now an accepted fact that the quantities of leek and cabbage plants grown in the Musselburgh, Levenhall, Pinkie, and Prestonpans districts, are considerably greater than the combined outputs of all the farmers and gardeners in all the other parts of Scotland.” It further added that his trade had bounded up last season fully ten million of plants in excess of the previous season. Mr Gillies has of late years been very often called upon to arbitrate in “market gardening disputes.” Some of these have been very large cases, but his decisions, in every instance, have been tempered with such apparent fairness that no appeal has ever been raised against them. CHAPTER XXIV. PRESTONGRANGE AND ITS LAIRDS. Prestongrange and its Lairds — Monks of Newbattle — Lords Lothian — The Kerrs of Ferniehirst — Kerr’s Prosecution and Trial — Connived at by. the King — John Davidson — Morison of Prestongrange — Sir Alexander Morison as First Lord Prestongrange — Hamilton of Preston and Morison of Prestongrange fined for laughing at a Church Squabble — Morison of Prestongrange First M.P. for East Lothian after Union of the Crowns — Opposed by Fletcher of Saltounhall — The Apocalypse written at Morison’s Haven — Morison’s Sequestration — Lord Grant as Lord Prestongrange — Lord and Lady Hyndford — Sir George Suttie of Balgone — Sir James Grant Suttie — Sir George Grant Suttie — Sir James Grant Suttie — Sir George Grant Suttie — Lady Susan H. Grant Suttie — John Ker’s Bible. THIS beautiful house, the chief seat in the parish, lies a little to the south-west, and barely half a mile as the crow flies from the burgh boundary of the town. It is situated on a fine level stretch of land running east and west across the whole domain, while a gentle declivity sweeps down all the way from the front of the building to the shores of the Firth of Forth. Deeply surrounded as it is by lords of the forest, how far away it seems, in its quietude, from the haunts of men, and the everlasting - whirl and din of daily life. And yet it is so very near, for a never ending whirl of wheels and a never ceasing whish of steam go on in its immediate neighbour-hood. It is a real Scottish baronial mansion, endowed with a massive tower; while the whole structure from wing to wing is so evenly balanced, that, had it not been for a slight difference in the material with which it has been constructed, a casual observer might set it down as having been built as a whole at quite a recent date, instead of having been added to at various times and at very distant periods. Centuries have elapsed since the original building was planted here; and though masonry abounds showing work accomplished ages ago, yet if one stone remains upon another now of the original building it would indeed be difficult to define them. That the Grange was a place of industry over seven hundred years ago the following notes will show:— In 1165 Robert de Quincy acquired the lands previously held by Swan of Tranent, and in 1184 he granted to the monks of Newbattle a goodly slice of land. This land ultimately became known as Preston, and the Grange they had formed thereon became Preston Grange. Here then was formed the great hive from which these busy bees set forth in swarms to prosecute the various industries. Soon we hear of them, like good husbandmen, tilling the lands all around them. Then probably it was they who formed, for their own convenience, a grange on a small scale at Dolphinstone. Anon we hear of them approaching the seaside, laying hold of the angry waves, and charming, in the form of “salt,” the very essence out of them. Meantime they had been gifted with land in the meadows. There they formed a grange originally known as Holy-Stop, now Bankton. Along these meadows they grazed their oxen and their sheep, and out of these meadows, wherein was the “Tranent peaterie,” they excavated peats, and during these herdings and these excavations it was that they accidentally discovered the famous “black diamonds,” known as coal, and straightway began to excavate them. But these original excavations are fully treated of elsewhere. That the monks of Newbattle held these lands from 1165 uninterruptedly till the Reformation times—a matter of four centuries—is an historical fact. Indeed, if we read the times aright, there was no definite break in the line of succession at the time of the Reformation either. It was simply a shuffling of cards from the right hand to the left, and back again. A Kerr of Ferniehirst was Abbott of Newbattle during these troublous times. This same Abbot Kerr, or his brother, suddenly acquires the title of Lord Newbattle, and Lord Newbattle as suddenly becomes Lord Lothian, the proud possessor of Prestongrange. The first we hear of this family is in 1517, when one of its members is found in conspiracy with others to wrest the Regency from Albany. “Kerr of Ferniehirst,” says Buchanan, “a powerful border chief, and one of Home’s most zealous adherents, was brought to trial and condemned, but having obtained a reprieve from the Regent, afterwards succeeded in making his escape.” Again, while Arran was Warden of the Marches, we find Sir John Douglass and his confederate Mark Kerr committed to prison, on suspicion that they had been~ — implicated in a plot against the late warden. But he had not been long confined, for in 1528, during a five years treaty of peace with England, we find James V. complaining to his council at Edinburgh, that the border clans had resumed those habits of plunder and violence which the vigorous measures of James IV. had to a great extent repressed. He commanded the imprisonment of the Lords Bothwell, Home, and Maxwell, Scott of Buccleuch, and Kerr of Ferniehirst. It was at this period he hanged Cockburn of Henderland, Scott of Fushylaw, and sealed the fate of Johnnie Armstrong. But the fate of Kerr was not yet sealed. In 1550, we find that the Lairds of Buccleuch and Ferniehirst, the chiefs of the powerful border clans of the Scotts and the Kerrs, summoning their retainers, made a predatory inroad into England in company with the Earl of Westmorland and committed great ravages. This expedition, it was said, appeared to be undertaken less for the sake of plunder than for the gratification of revenge and a desire to kindle war between the two countries. In 1571 we find “even municipal government of the city of Edinburgh was violently dissolved, and Kerr of Ferniehirst, by authority of the Laird of Grange, appointed provost, with a council composed of his military retainers.” That same year he is engaged with Huntly, Hamilton, Buccleuch, Spens of Wormiston, and others, to surprise the town and castle of Stirling, and seize the principal leaders of the king’s party. He afterwards witnesses Morton’s execution. He is next accused of the murder of Lord Russell, son of the Earl of Bedford, but this was in a border riot between Sir John Foster and others on the one hand, and Kerr of Ferniehirst and his men on the other, and happened during a regular strife for the mastery. Elizabeth of England complained in this case, but his own King James supported him. How it came about we are not informed, but suddenly, in 1592, we learn that a brother of this same George Kerr is going full swing as Abbot of Newbattle. The Presbyterian party is at this period in the ascendancy, and this same George Kerr is engaged in a deep intrigue with the Papist against the Protestant party. The secret, however, had been whispered too soon. He was already on his way to Spain, but was pursued, laid by the heels, and speedily conveyed to prison at Edinburgh. We are informed by Calderwood, “that this George Kerr, a Doctor of Laws, a Roman Catholic, and brother to the Abbot of Newbattle, was about to proceed to Spain on a secret mission, carrying with him important letters. The Rev. Andrew Knox, minister of Paisley, first learned the news, and lost not a moment in setting out to intercept the suspicious fugitive. Accompanied by a body of armed men, furnished by Lord Ross, they ultimately found him at Cumbrae, on board the vessel that was to convey him to Spain. On a search being made, the letters were discovered and seized. On his papers being examined, there were found letters from Jesuits and seminary priests in Scotland, together with blank sheets having at the bottom the seals and signatures of the Earls of Huntly, Errol, and Angus, the Lairds of Auchindown, Fintry, and others of the Popish faction. “Kerr at first obstinately refused to make any disclosure, but having, by command of the King, been put to the torture he confessed the whole conspiracy. It appears the King of Spain was to land an army of thirty thousand men on the west coast of Scotland, where they were to be joined by the Roman Catholic lords with all the forces they could muster; that 15,000 of these were to cross the border, while the remainder, with the assistance of the whole Romish faction, were to attempt the overthrow of the Protestant Church. Graham of Fintry, an accomplice of Kerr, was brought to trial and beheaded at the Market Cross of Edinburgh. Kerr also was examined at great length, but he had powerful friends, and it was said that with the connivance of the King he was allowed to escape. An attempt was made to capture him, but while the fugitive went in one direction, the pursuers were sent in another. “This artifice was so palpable and notorious that on the following Sunday it was publicly exposed from the pulpit and stigmatised as a mockery. “When Parliament met, it was found that, in the absence of Kerr, the principal witness, no proceedings could be taken against Huntly, Angus, and Errol, as there was not sufficient legal evidence of their guilt. The artful subtesfuge under which the Popish earls had been allowed to estape excited strong indignation against the King among all ranks of his Protestant subjects.” On the Sunday following the rising of Parliament, Mr John Davidson (latterly of Prestonpans) vehemently attacked the proceedings of the Parliament, as well as the King himself. “It was a black Parliament,” he said, “for iniquity was seated in the high court of justice, and had trodden equity under foot. It was a black Parliament, for the arch-traitors had escaped; escaped, did he say, no, they were absolved! and now all good men might prepare themselves for darker days; trials were at hand. It had ever been seen that the absolving of the wicked imported the persecution of the righteous; let us pray that the king, by some sanctified plague, may be turned again to God.” The new proprietor, Lord Lothian, did not long enjoy his estate, and his immediate successor seems to have been in a most indecent hurry to get the burden off his shoulders; for in 1609 we find,—“After the decease of the first Earl of Lothian, Mark Kerr, a Lord of Lothian, disposed of the estate to John Morison.” This was the same Mark Kerr, the commendator, who not only refused to assist Davidson in building a church, but actually refused him liberty to bury one of his parishioners in the old churchyard, “because it was a private burial-ground.” It was at this juncture, we understand, that Davidson told Mark Kerr “he would not long enjoy these lands.” In Scot of Scotstarvet’s “Staggering State of the Scots Statesmen,” we find this remarkable story respecting the family of Newbattle. “Playfair, a notable warlock of that period, on being taken prisoner in Dalkeith steeple, whither he had fled for refuge, made several confessions to Archibald Simpson, minister there, amongst which was, that Mark, the commendator of Newbattle, had by his wife, the Lord Herries’ daughter, thirty-one children. His lady always kept in her company wise women or witches, and especially one Margaret Nues, who fostered his daughter, the Lady Borthwick, and was, long after his death, burnt in Edinburgh for witchcraft; and my Lady Lothian’s son-in-law, Sir Alexander Hamilton, told one of his friends how one night, lying in Prestongrange, pertaining to the said Abbey of Newbattle, he was pulled out of his bed by the said witches and sore beaten, of which injury, when he complained to his mother-in-law, and assured her he would complain thereof to the council, she pacified him by giving him a purse full of gold. That lady thereafter, being vexed with a cancer in her breast, implored the help of the notable warlock above mentioned, who condescended to heal her, but with condition that the sore should fall on them which she loved best; whereunto, she agreeing, did convalesce; but the earl, her husband, found the boil of which he died shortly thereafter; and the said Playfair, being soon apprehended, was made prisoner as above.” Poor Mark Kerr! It would almost seem that Davidson, when he prophesied his downfall, had been in league with the warlocks. John Morison was an Edinburgh gentleman, but, on becoming proprietor, became resident at Prestongrange. He was succeeded by his son, Sir Alexander Morison, who became a Lord of Session in 1626, and assumed the title of Lord Prestongrange. In the “Senators of the College of Justice” he is thus referred to (page 275): “Alexander Morison, son of John Morison, one of the Bailies of Edinburgh, by Katherine, daughter of Sir John Preston, Lord President.” Being bred to the bar, he was admitted advocate on the 25th January 1604, and an Ordinary Lord on the 14th February 1626. Lord Prestongrange was elected Rector of the University of Edinburgh 1627, and attended before the Town Council to give his oath de fideli; but, according to Crawford, nothing more came of it. He died at Prestongrange on the 20th September 1631, in the fifty-second year of his age. Sir Alexander Morison was succeeded by his son Alexander, who seems to have been best known simply as the Laird of Prestongrange; and yet he would seem to have been knighted too, like his father, for in Scott’s “Fasti,” he is, in church matters, always referred to as Sir Alexander. He was highly honoured at the beginning of his career, being elected first member of Parliament for East Lothian under the united Crowns of England and Scotland. Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun was his opponent, and the contest was a stiff one; but the government of the day supported Morison, and he carried the seat by nine votes. The Morisons, on acquiring the estate of Prestongrange, had become chief patrons of the church, for in 1642 we find Sir Alexander using his right by presenting Robert Ker to the living, “whose ordination was the first in Scotland since Episcopacy was established,” and in 1648 he also presented John Oswald, from the Tolbooth Church in Edinburgh, to the Parish Church of Prestonpans. In 1682 Sir William Hamilton of Preston and Sir Alexander Morison of Prestongrange were both fined by Privy Council, the former because he laughed at a riot going on at the church because the minister refused to take the test of 1681, and the latter, being patron, for not trying to prevent the disturbance; and in 1701 we find Sir Alexander at litigation with the parishioners, through trying to force an obnoxious minister upon them. Morison was originally very wealthy, and possibly his wealth had not a little to do in hoisting him into his exalted position as member of Parliament for the county. But during his life in London, according to Carlyle, he does not seem to have used his means wisely, for he took to gambling, “and shortly afterwards,” continues this same authority, “the estates of this simple gentleman went under sequestration to pay his debts.” Carlyle as a rule is not wont to waste sympathy on his compeers. He entitles the Laird of Prestongrange a “simple gentleman,” but the epithet is underlined; so whether he was joking or in earnest, and whether he considered him sot or saint in his simplicity, is difficult to determine. One thing, however, is certain, if he had been a “sot,” he would scarcely have been honoured by being elected the first member of Parliament for East Lothian under the new regime; while, on the other hand, if he had been a “saint,” even if he had fallen among thieves, he would have taken care to get out of their clutches before sequestration stared him in the face. Whether the mind of Morison had previously been affected, or had only become affected through the loss of his money, is hard to say, but there is little doubt he became rather curious towards his latter end. A short time ago, when the present Prestongrange Coal Company were making excavations at Morison’s Haven, they came upon an underground passage, nicely and strongly built, and high enough that a man might walk upright therein. It ran right across the cart road straight for the harbour. There must have been several of these vaults or passages, because we know that Morison in his day discovered several. They may have been constructed long ago for water-courses, or they may have been constructed for smuggling purposes. All the same, they were set down by Morison as “caves of the earth” which had been constructed in apostolic ages, and there it was, he maintained, that the persecuted of old were wont to hide from their tormentors. Of course he knew there was a “haven” (Acheson’s) there long before his day, and that there were creeks in its neighbourhood. Further, he knew that the oldest Lodge of Operative Masons had their meeting-place there, and attended it annually on St John’s Day. These things, combined with a severe study of the Scriptures he had given himself up to, got so jumbled in his mind, “that ultimately,” says Carlyle, “he became convinced it was here that St John the Divine wrote the Apocalypse.” The next proprietor of these estates was William Grant. He was second son of Sir Francis Grant of Cullen, one of the Senators of the College of Justice, passed advocate 24th February 1722. As Lord Advocate he is said, in 1746, to have performed with general approbation the difficult task of conducting the prosecution against the defeated Jacobites. He was elected representative for the Elgin District of Burghs in 1747, was elevated to the bench on the death of Patrick Grant of Elchies, and took his seat by the title of Lord Prestongrange 14th November 1754, succeeding him at the same time as a Lord of Justiciary. He died at Bath 23rd May 1764, and was interred in the family vault at Prestonpans. On the decease of Lord Prestongrange, his widow, Lady Grant, seems to have conducted the affairs of the estate, for in 1765 we find Mrs Janet Grant using her privilege as patron ot the church by presenting the Rev. James Roy to the living. She had not long survived this, for we find their eldest daughter, who had married Lord Hyndford in 1768, using a similar privilege by presenting the Rev. Matthew Reid to the living at Prestonpans. As Earl of Hyndford we find his lordship presenting one minister to the living, and her ladyship, as Countess of Hyndford, presenting other two during her lifetime. Lady Hyndford survived her husband for a great many years. She was a very generous person, and a great favourite among the poor, whom she was always seeking out and assisting. She was a great favourite too with the fisherfolks, the oyster dredgers occasionally bringing her name into their “dreg songs” when out on the Forth encouraging the “Pandores” to come and be caught. In 1787, at the breaking up and sale of the great Winton or Tranent estates, Lady Hyndford became purchaser of the Myles and Birslie farms. Sir George Suttie of Balgone, third Baronet, a Lieutenant-Colonel in the army, and M.P. for Haddingtonshire, married Agnes, second daughter of Lord Advocate Grant of Prestongrange, and sister of Lady Hyndford. Her ladyship died in 1818. On the decease of Lady Hyndford in 1818, Sir James Suttie, son of Sir George, fourth Baronet of Balgone, succeeded his aunt as heir of line in the estate of Prestongrange. He assumed the additional surname and arms of Grant. He was member in three Parliaments for Haddingtonshire. He died in 1836. Sir James was succeeded by his only son Sir George Grant Suttie, fifth Baronet, who was born on the rst of August 1797. He married Lady Harriet Charteris, seventh daughter of the seventh Earl of Wemyss, with issue four sons and two daughters. Sir George had long been an elder in the Church of Scotland, and was for many years returned as a member of the General Assembly. On the decease of Sir George in 1878, he was succeeded by his son Sir James Grant Suttie, the sixth Baronet, who married, in 1857, Lady Susan Harriet Innes Ker, daughter of his Grace the Duke of Roxburghe, and had issue one son and three daughters. On the decease of Sir James in 1878, he was succeeded by his only son Sir George Grant Suttie, the seventh Baronet, and present proprietor of Prestongrange. The noble lady, mother of the present baronet, is still resident at this ancient manor-house; and if it could be said of Lady Hyndford in her day, “that through the interest she took in the needy poor her name became quite a household word for good in the parish,” no less may it be said of the present occupant of the same proud position so long and ably held by her noble ancestress the Countess of Hyndford. An Interesting Bible. In the drawing-room at Prestongrange may be seen what is considered, and from every point of view justly so, a very handsome prize. It is a beautifully printed Bible, in grand preservation, and placed in such a position that no observant eye may miss it. It was “imprinted,” we observe, “at London, by Robert Barker, Printer to the King’s most Excellent Maiestie, 1613 Anno Dom.” It has a history of its own. It was, says the late Dr Struthers, the pulpit Bible of John Ker of Faddonside, of the house of Roxburghe, who succeeded John Davidson as minister at Prestonpans, 1605. Considering the dates, some think it may have belonged to Robert Ker rather, who succeeded his father at Prestonpans. But this seems of very small account in the matter, because, although that Bible was “imprinted” eight years after John Ker was appointed to Prestonpans, John Ker continued to preach for thirty-one years after it was “imprinted.” Very likely both father and son used that Bible in Prestonpans church. It had gone amissing, however; was found in Leith by Dr Struthers, and presented by him to Lady Susan H. I. Ker on the day of her marriage to the late Sir James Grant Suttie, Bart. of Prestongrange. CHAPTER XXV. CUITTLE OR CUTHILL. The Cuittle or Cuthill — An Ancient Barony — Dilapidated Buildings — A New Town — Benefit Society — Lucky Vint’s Tavern — Tricking the Minister — The Whale — Minister and Bagpipes — Playing to the Whale — Curious Trick by a Musselburgh Builder — Drummore House — Lord Drummore — The Finlays — The Aitchisons — Morison’s Haven — Originally Acheson’s Haven — A Custom House Port — The real Johnnie Moat — Harbourmaster — Old Fort — Ravensheugh House and Toll — A Curious Tollkeeper — The Devil never pays Toll — A Pony which did not pay Toll. CUTHILL proper is a curious little old-fashioned place. It was created a burgh of barony through the influence of the Abbey of Newbattle, probably a couple of centuries earlier than its much larger neighbours Preston and Prestongrange. It closely adjoins Prestonpans to the west of the village. Dilapidated buildings of very uncommon construction catch the eye of the observer all the way along, especially on the north side. Some of these look as if they had been built to overhang the rocks, but the more likely thing is that, during the many centuries they have stood there, the continual lashing of the waves has broken up and torn the foundations from under them. Nearly all of these wretched-looking buildings were occupied about the middle of the last century, but whether the occupants ever paid rents is a very different question. We rather think the proprietor, in his good nature, just allowed the natives to take possession, or not, as they pleased, and never thought of turning them out; and yet they were very often turned out, for there were holes in the floors through which the water came up; openings in the walls through which the waters rushed in; there were windows stuffed with rags, and roofs without tiles, all on the seaboard side, and as sure as a storm arose as sure were the breakers to be revelling in all their glory in and over them, and, whether it was midday or midnight, the indwellers were compelled to get up and run for their lives. There are some yet to the fore who were wont to occupy these buildings, as children, with their parents; and though they now recount these things with laughter, they say there was nothing but wailing in their mouths when they had to get up out of bed at midnights, and hurry through the water, knee deep, with their body clothes beneath one arm and the bed clothes beneath the other, and had nowhere but at the dykeside to find shelter till the waters abated. The modern Cuthill is a very different place from the ancient of that name. There are great stretches now of very respectable new buildings, erected at the expense of the late Prestongrange Coal Company, for the benefit of their miners and numerous other workmen; and since the Summerlee Coal and Iron Company took the works in hand, row upon row of dwelling-houses sprang up as if called into existence by the hand of the magician, and more are soon to follow. It is indeed already a very large village. The houses at the present time are well filled with a highly respectable class of workmen. In 1889 a Friendly Benefit Society for the district was instituted here, and the members have their annual turnout in procession, accompanied with band and bannerets. It is in a highly flourishing condition. There are about one hundred members on the roll, and funds on hand amount to about £200. The following are the office-bearers:— President, T. M‘Kinlay; Secretary, W. Scott; Treasurer, J. Arnot; Members of Committee, G. Robertson, James Inglis, and G. M‘Kenzie, M.C. and officer. Lucky Vint’s Tavern. This tavern flourished in Cuthill during the greater part of the 18th century, Lucky Vint, proprietor; and here, says Carlyle, in his autobiography, Lords Grange and Drummore had some rare ongoings. Among other items, he mentions he was at dinner one day with these two noble lords, when Lord Grange requested him to hand over a whiting (fish). He told his lordship there was nothing but haddocks on the table. At this his lordship swore very much, saying everybody knew he could eat no sort of fish but whitings. Lucky Vint gave him a wink across the table; when he apologised for his mistake and corrected himself, saying there were nothing but whitings on the table, and served his lordship with a fish of that sort, which he seemed to enjoy heartily, and good humour prevailed. ‘Lucky Vint,” says Carlyle, “told him afterwards that he was quite correct, there were nothing but haddocks on the table, but knowing Lord Grange would not eat that sort of fish if he knew of it, she had scraped the apostle’s finger mark off to make them appear whitings.” Lucky Vint’s tavern stood about twenty yards to the east of Bankfoot, on the north side of the road: the foundation stones of the house may still be seen at low tide. There were eleven public houses at one time during the 18th century in the village of Cuthill. Morison’s Haven was still then a great shipping port. Tricking the Minister. There was no church at Cuthill, and no minister stationed there; but once upon a time when the minister of Prestonpans was sauntering along this way, a sailor lad came up to him requesting a copper. The minister was in a happy mood and tendered the sailor a farthing, assuring him that if everybody he met gave him as much he would be richer than the minister at the end of the year. The sailor was profuse in his thanks, and said he would never forget him. Some twelvemonths afterwards the minister received a very bulky letter from Portsmouth. It was not the days of cheap postage, and he had seven-and-sixpence to pay before he dared open his letter. It was from the sailor thanking him; but the humour had changed sides. He told how he had succeeded since seeing him, gave a full description of his ship, mates, etc. The minister got quite furious over it, rushed to the Post-Office demanding his seven-and-sixpence back, but he found he had been sold for a farthing. The Whale Inn. This was another well known and much frequented tavern during last century in Cuthill. “Thomson the whale fisher” was proprietor, and his signboard displayed one of these mighty monsters of the deep. Davidson the eminent divine is said to have been a famous player on the pipes in his day, and that one night during his incumbency he played his pipes through the town even on to the “Whale,” whither the rabble followed him. 'Tis said he gave them beer to drink, then, addressing the crowd, with a merry twinkle in his eye, said, “I have accompanied you to-night to your favourite resort, and have given you to drink of your favourite beverage. Now, you being — my friends and fellow-parishioners, I know your habits well: and this I know to your credit, if one serves the other at any time, the other is always ready to serve him in return. I have served you in a small way to-night, and I wish you to return that service to-morrow, by accompanying me to church, when I will again give you a drink, but then from the “Fountain of Life.” It is said the congregation was so large that Sunday morning the church was unable to contain it. Davidson gets the credit for this, but we have a very different opinion. Among the divines that have flourished here was William Carlyle, father of Dr Alexander Carlyle of Inveresk. This William, it is said, “was a highly gifted preacher, and though an orthodox and pious minister he had a great turn for fun and buffoonery.” Carlyle, we think, was a more likely man than the great strong-minded reformer Davidson “to play the pipes to the Whale.” The old Whale Tavern is still extant, but its tippling days are gone for ever. A Curious Trick by a Musselburgh Builder. Scott, a Musselburgh mason, was a famous constructor of flues for chimneys. He was engaged at Prestongrange Colliery, and came accompanied every morning by a neighbour mason who was working at Bankfoot. One morning, going to his work, his neighbour told him that he had £2 10s. and some coppers in his pocket. That same day an English tramp approached Scott, saying he was a builder, and asking relief, being “hard up.” The tramp finished up his story by telling that he had applied to a builder at Bankfoot, who told him he would have helped him, but he had no cash at hand. ‘“Now,” replied Scott, “you go straight back to that builder; he is a determined fellow, but very credulous; tell him that you are a seventh son, that you have the second sight, and that you are very much surprised to find him telling a lie to a hard up brother in trade, for that owing to your second sight you can see right into his pockets and that he has there £2 10s. and some coppers. The tramp did as requested, and the builder, beginning to tremble, threw down his trowel, took him into the Whale Inn, gave him bread, cheese, ale, and 2s. in cash, and set him on his way. The tramp returned and told Scott all about it. At night, going back to Musselburgh, the neighbour mason came up to him and with fear and trembling told him all about the tramp’s second sight. Scott laughed to hear the story, but never durst tell him how it came about. Lord Drummore and Drummore House. Lord Drummore was son of Sir Hew Dalrymple of North Berwick, and a Judge of the Supreme Court. He occupied Bankton House previous to its occupancy by Colonel Gardiner of Preston battle fame. He purchased the estate of Westpans, and changed its name to Drummore, though the old sea-side village on the estate retains the name of Westpans to this day. He built a house of somewhat small dimensions on taking possession, and lived in it for a considerable number of years. The smart looking and beautiful building now known as Drummore House was built about 1753, by the Lord of that name. The site had been exquisitely chosen, about midway between the highway to London towards the south and the Firth of Forth on the northern side. Lord Drummore occupied the new house till his decease in 1755. He was sixty-three years of age when he died, and left a family of sons and daughters. The original building has been twice added to. Some eighteen years ago the main doorway, overhead, was of a semi-circular form, with an inscription over it as follows:— Home is the Resort of Love Of Joy of Peace of Plenty Where Supporting and Supported Polish’d Friends and Dear Reelations Mingle Into Bliss. The old stone containing the inscription was removed eighteen years ago when the new entrance was made, and set over a doorway in the flower garden, when a new slab containing a copy of the same inscription was placed in the porch over the renewed doorway. Capping the summit of the original building, surmounted with a triplet of purposely designed vases, and encircled with a beautiful stone-work scroll, is the motto:— Deo Patricie Amicus . . . . . . Seise The Plow and Greatly Independent Live. Capping the summit on the north or sea-side of the house, and also adorned with vases, scroll work, etc., is the following inscription:— All is the Gift of Industry Whate’er Exalts Embelishes or Renders Life Delightful Pensive Winter Cheered by Him Sits at the Social Fire and Happy Hears The Excluded Tempest Idly Rave Along. Thomson, author of “The Seasons,” is said to have been a friend of Lord Drummore’s and author of these inscriptions. It is also said that in Drummore House Thomson wrote his “Castle of Indolence.” If Thomson had to do with the outward parts of the building, as surely would he have to do with the designing of certain of the inside parts too, for on the ceiling of the drawing-room, in beautiful fresco-work, we find the four ages of man illustrated—childhood, youth, middle, and old age; and these again are charmingly represented by the fruits, flowers, etc., of the four seasons; while the arts and sciences are copiously delineated on the surrounding walls. Both stucco and fresco are said to be the handiwork of Italians. After Lord Drummore, the estate came into the hands of the Finlays, connections of the Finlays of Wallyford, whence that same Captain Finlay hailed who led the Cinque Ports or Black Dragoons, and took such an active part in the massacre of harmless men, women, and children during the military riot at Tranent known as the “Tranent Mob.” (See “History of Tranent.”) The Finlays did not remain long in the district after the massacre at Tranent. They sold the estate in 1808, when Mr William Aitchieson became the purchaser. He died in 1839, and was succeeded by his son, Mr William Aitchieson, who dying in 1846 was succeeded by the present proprietor, Colonel William Aitchieson. The Colonel has had a very bright military career, first with the old gist or Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders, and latterly with the Scots Fusilier Guards, with whom he served for twenty-five years, and saw some rough service in South Africa. We are not sure but this is a branch of the same Achesons, the great shippers at Acheson’s, now Morison’s Haven, during the 16th century, and presently represented by the Earl of Gosford in the Irish Peerage. The Drummore family name was originally spelt similarly. The Achesons came out strong at the Reformation time. Morison’s Haven. This was a haven of rest for the toilers of the deep long before the days of Morison, and had a very different name too. The haven lies a little to the west of Cuthill. ‘On 22nd April 1526 King James V., while at Newbattle Abbey, granted a right of constructing a harbour on the lands of Prestongrange, which was ratified in Parliament 11th October.” These lands at this period belonged to the Abbey of Newbattle; but it seems to have been to the Acheson family that the charter was granted, for immediately we find that Alexander Acheson took possession, and it became Acheson’s Haven. This Alexander was an ancestor of the Earl of Gosford in the Irish peerage of the present day. Indeed, as an elder in Davidson’s church, 1597; he is entitled at that period Alexander Acheson of Gosford. The Achesons became famous as shippers in those days, and we find them still flourishing in the district about a century afterwards. Two brothers Acheson were elders in Davidson’s church, 1602, and we find from the session records of that period that quite a number of their children had been baptized by Davidson. Acheson’s Haven was at one time a custom-house port, whose range included all creeks and landing-places between the mouth of the Figgate Burn at Portobello and the mouth of the Tyne near Dunbar; and it had the right of levying customs and the various sorts of dues to the same extent as those exigible at Leith. In 1609, or very shortly afterwards, when Morison became proprietor of Prestongrange, the name of the harbour underwent another change, and became Morison’s Haven; and from that date up to the year 1800, what with the exportation of coal from Prestongrange, salt exportation, and the exportation of multitudinous other goods manufactured at Prestonpans, throughout that lengthened period it beheld no little prosperity. For a considerable time during the past century there was virtually no trafficking in the harbour; but about a quarter of a century ago, when the first Limited Company took the Prestongrange Collieries in hand, they began to open up trade with foreign ports, and before the collieries again changed hands they were not only exporting largely but importing heavily too. The present Company have put on an extra spurt, and the amount of business done here at the present time is in excess out of all comparison with any previous period of its history. Johnnie Moat. The real Johnnie Moat, after whom the big whinstone boulder on the shore is named, was, during the early years, harbour-master at Morison’s Haven, but the exact time of his mastership we have failed so far to discover. An Old Fort at the Harbour. Some thirty years ago an atteinpt was made to deepen the entrance to Morison’s Haven. On the water being pumped out, the remains of an old fort were discovered at the western side of the entrance. It was a three-cornered building with gun holes in it. We have seen a pencil sketch which was taken at that period. The old building was then destroyed and removed. This is further evidence of the fact that the water comes much farther in on this side of the Forth now than it was wont to do years ago. Ravensheuch House. This ever-clean and tidy-looking building is better known to many as “Ravensheuch” or “Raven’s Hauch Toll,” and it was indeed a “toll-house.” It was built a little previous to the year 1800 by Peter Kerr, a sterling old highlander, and somewhat of a character in his day. He was great-grandfather, by the mother’s side, of a well-known and worthy character of the present day, Mr Charles Forman, salt manufacturer in Cockenzie. Mr Peter Kerr became contractor for and looked after a great many tolls in East Lothian, and held them for quite a series of years; but after building Ravensheuch House he kept the toll there also, and, while keeping a strict lookout after the others, made it his headquarters. One of his chief peculiarities was his constant refusal to charge toll for black-faced sheep. Sheep were always charged at so much per score. When counting the flock, he was always observed to miss the black ones; but any time he was reminded of the evident mistake, “Na, na,” was his invariable reply, “it’s nae mistake o’ Peter’s, but ta Tevel never peys toll.” The Pony which did not Pay Toll at Ravensheuch. Some five-and-fifty years ago, half-a-dozen youths, ranging from twelve to sixteen years, left Seton West Mains one morning to spend a holiday in Musselburgh. They took a pony with them to get rides time about by the way. They paid toll both at Ravensheuch and West Pans when going, but forgot they had to pay toll again when returning, and spent all their coppers in the sweetie and bun shops at Musselburgh. On coming back to West Pans Toll on their way home, they just remembered they had to pay again, and had nothing wherewith to pay. They made a dash to get through behind a machine, but were caught. ‘Not so fast, my lads!” said the keeper, “not so fast!” ‘We dinna pay double toll on a wee beast like that?” queried the leader of the party. “Oh yes,” was the reply. They all set to rifling their pockets, and one did find as much as pay the fee. On getting to Ravensheuch they made a dash again, but it was of no avail. Again every pocket was turned inside out, but there were no coppers forthcoming, and the keeper threatened to stable the pony. They knew enough, however, to defy him to lay hands on it. The half-dozen retired for a brief consultation, and a hearty laugh was the outcome. They again approached the keeper, with, “I say maister, if the pony doesna gang through the toll you dinna charge onything?” “Oh no,” was the reply; “if the gate doesna open, no pay.” “A’ richt,” quoth the leader, “come on boys,” when four of them laying hold of a leg a piece, one the head, and another the tail, they carried him amid great laughter right through on the footpath. The toll-keeper became so hilarious over the device that he laughed too, then ran and helped them. New School for Cuthill. At a meeting of School Board held on December 3rd, Dr M‘Ewan presiding, plans of a new school to be erected at Cuthill were approved of—Mr Peter Whitecross, architect. The school will accommodate 540 children, and will cost about £3,400. CHAPTER XXVI. BANKTON. Bankton House — Early Proprietors — Monks of Newbattle — Lords Lothian — Morison of Prestongrange — Sir Thomas Seton — The Hamiltons — Thomas Hamilton — James, the Sheriff of Haddington — Major Thomas Hamilton Wrecked — Colonel-Gardiner — Lord Bankton — Bankton’s Bequest — Colonel M‘Douall, A. K. M‘Douall, Dolphinstone, etc.—Preston Links, etc. — Opening of the Original Coalfields. BANKTON HOUSE is situated in the parish of Tranent, and the good folks all around are proud of the old home of Colonel Gardiner. It is a charming spot, and the genial tenant, Mr James D. Taylor, makes the grounds in its neighbourhood a pleasing resort for thousands during the holiday season. But although the mansion-house is in the parish of Tranent, a good part of the estate lies in the parish of Prestonpans, and must be noticed here. The present house may not be wholly the original building, but that the lower part of it is seems not to be doubted; and that the part, however much or little, which belonged to the original building was erected during the latter part of the twelfth or the beginning of the thirteenth centuries, need scarcely be disputed. We know that when De Quincy granted the monks of Newbattle the lands of Preston, he also gave them six acres of his meadows, etc., in the manor of Tranent. These meadow lands stretch along by Bankton House, on by Meadowmill, etc. More than likely these monks would form a grange and have a meeting-place here too, but on a smaller scale than at Preston. The name of the original building was “Holy Stop,” which means, say ancient authorities, the place where during the procession of the monks from Preston to Newbattle a halt was made with the Host. Other authorities say it was not Holy Stop but Holy Step, and that the step meant is one at an ancient well, still at Bankton, from which these holy fmars drew their supply of water. One thing is certain, a habitation was formed here at a very early period. That Bankton, like Prestongrange, remained territory connected with the Abbey of Newbattle till the monks became merged in the Lords of Lothian is evident, for it is recorded that Morison became proprietor of Prestongrange in 1609 through purchase from Mark Kerr, a lord of Lothian, and some years afterwards (1632) Sir Alexander Morison of Prestongrange also purchased Bankton, then Holy Stop, from the same proprietor. Shortly afterwards the property came into possession of the house of Seton. This must have been in 1645, when Morison’s estates were sequestrated and sold. Lord Kingston, second son of George, third Earl of Winton, writing of that house in 1687, says regarding his uncle Sir Thomas Seton, fourth son of Robert first Earl of Winton, “that he was provided by his father to the lands of Holiestop, now vulgo Olivestob.” The property soon, however, passed from the Setons into one of the many branches of the house of Hamilton, and this, it is understood, was through inter-marriage between these two great houses. Of the Olivestob branch of the Hamiltons, several are honourably mentioned in home and foreign affairs. Colonel Thomas Hamilton, a younger brother of the family here, served for a time in the Swedish army. On returning in 1670 he became eminent as a merchant, and in time became a magistrate of Edinburgh, and before long is found calling the magistrates to account for sundry monies (see “Fountainhall’s Decisions,” etc.). He was appointed Lieutenant-Colonel of the Edinburgh regiment, raised by the Estates of Scotland in Convention 1688.—(Records of Town Council of Edinburgh.) This same Thomas became proprietor of Olivestob shortly after 1688, through purchase from his eldest brother, William Hamilton, who left no issue. His eldest son James, who also had become a soldier and gone abroad, was wounded at the “Siege of Namur,” carried on successfully by King William in person in 1695. Mr James Hamilton, son of Thomas, proprietor after the peace 1697, studied Civil Law at Leyden, and was admitted Advocate 1703. He became Sheriff of Haddington by Commission from Queen Anne till 1715. He was brother-in-law to Lord Grange of Preston. A son of James, Major Thomas Hamilton of Olivestob, was wrecked with the late Lord Byron and Captain Cheape in the course of Lord Anson’s celebrated voyages in the year 1742 James Hamilton, son of Thomas, and father of the late Major Hamilton, sold the estate of Olivestob to Colonel Gardiner, who received his death wound at Preston battle. Shortly after Gardiner’s decease, the property was purchased by Mr Andrew M‘Douall, advocate, who some ten years afterwards was promoted to the bench, and out of delicacy to his old friend Mr Hamilton (former proprietor) took the title of Lord Bankton, instead of Olivestob, and Bankton it remains. The property at present belongs to James M‘Douall, Esq. of Logan, and the mansionhouse is occupied by the tenant farmer on the estate. Lord Bankton—A Handsome Bequest. Though Bankton estate lay for the most part in the parish of Tranent, the sympathies of the proprietor seem to have been rather with the parishioners of Prestonpans, for at his decease it was found he had bequeathed a sum of £600 for the benefit of the poor of this parish. This sum was sunk in Consols, and the poor of Prestonpans have benefited to the extent of £18 per annum ever since. New Coal Works at Bankton. This district is several times already referred to in these pages as the one where coal was first discovered, and we can find no cause in all our research to alter our opinion. The Forth Collieries Company Limited has been fortunate in securing a lease of the minerals here, along with that of Schaw’s and other estates, and a great future seems awaiting these explorers. Boring has gone on, sinking is in operation, and we have no doubt that, before these pages are in print, the heart of Mr Wilson, their young but exceedingly active manager, will be rejoicing in his output of black diamonds along the very line of the meadows where the monks, in the twelfth century, began their world-renowned excavations. Dolphinstone. This curious little village stands on the southern extremity of the parish, about halfway between the east and west boundaries, while the main post rqad, between Musselburgh and Tranent, runs directly through the centre of it. The derivation of the name we suppose to be from dolphin’s stone,—that is, the “stone” on which the “dolphin” sat; but if a dolphin ever sat upon a stone here, it must have been long before the monks of Newbattle had a habitation at the Grange, and the waves of the Firth of Forth must have rushed a good deal farther up the brae in those days than they ever attempt to do now, if they bore a dolphin in their bosom up all that distance. The worthy old village had even a more antique appearance half a century ago than it has now, for then both sides were lined with funny-looking low-tiled houses; but oh! they were pleasant to behold always, with their whitewashed fronts, and flower-plots each side the door, and so happy and clean-looking were the people, it was ever a pleasure to behold alike the village and the villagers. There is a rare old dovecot towards the south-west side of the village, and there is a fine old ruin adjacent to it, the remains of an old fortalice, tradition says; but tradition gives no name or title to the noble lord or baronet who ever had a habitation here, except a M‘Leod, though how a M‘Leod got a habitation here is as difficult to say as how a dolphin got wobbled up to the same place. Tradition affirms that during the great and bloody feuds that raged so long between the houses of Falside and Preston, it standing, as it did, halfway between the contending spirits acted as a sort of “buffer” between them. At times the retainers there, with M‘Leod at their head, were wont to assist the Falsidians against the Prestonians, and at other times they were all for Preston against the castle on the hill. After many years of this sort of warfare, the Dolphinstonians resolved to remain neutral, and to live at peace with all men; but no sooner was this grand resolution arrived at, than the contending spirits on both sides fell foul of the peacefully inclined Dolphinstonians, destroyed the fortalice, slew M‘Leod, and dispersed his retainers for ever. Miller, in his “Lamp of Lothian,” says that Cromwell, during his victorious rush through East Lothian, slept a night at Dolphinstone Castle. He does not say who was the occupant then, or even if it was a regular dwelling-place. It would have been curious for Oliver Cromwell to have passed a night at Dolphinstone, with such houses as Wallyford and Prestongrange at hand. It is an historical fact that he passed these houses even, and spent two nights at Pinkie. The Statistical Account of the parish supposes it to have been originally a grange, or habitation of the monks of Newbattle. But we would as soon trust tradition in this case as supposition. We rather like the idea of its being the ruin of an old fortalice, whose laird’s name, if not M‘Leod, must have been lost in the distant ages. The village and farm of Dolphinstone are on Prestongrange estate, and the tenant-farmer is Mr James Shields, one of the most enlightened and industrious agriculturists in East Lothian. Preston Links. If you wish to see a cheerless-looking lot of houses go to Preston Links, a small village along the sea-coast, near the eastern extremity of the parish; and if you wish to feel a cold piercing wind, if wind is blowing at all, you will be sure to find it at Preston Links. This is where the football people play the rushing game, and this also is where the golf folks swing their weighty clubs; but it cannot be the effect of either of these happy pastimes that keeps the cold winds here; it must be natural to the locality. What tends to give a cheerless look, however, to the dwelling-houses, is the fact of the house-doors, instead of facing the main highway, being turned seaward, and this also must be set down as being natural to the locality. The land and the minerals here, for the most part, belong to Schaw’s trust. The lands, except those directly on the sea-coast, are of a fine loamy substance, and used mostly for market gardening purposes. Previous to the middle of last century (about 1830) a coal pit was opened here by Mr Grieve, and worked successfully for a considerable number of years. The trade was entirely by cart sale, until a successor at his own expense ran a pier out into the sea, when small ships and steamboats were largely supplied. A deal of clay was also taken out of this pit for the fire-clay works at Bankpark. The colliery was discontinued towards the close of 1884, and the pier ultimately went to decay. Other two pits were opened up previous to the middle of the century on the same estate. These were on the field adjoining the “Thorn Tree” westward, and a beautiful’seam of coal, but thin, and very fine clay along with it, were turned out of these pits for a time. It was said ‘they did not pay the working.” But if the coal and the clay did not pay the working of them on Schaw’s estate in those days, they will soon be thoroughly tested again by new lessees.—(See Bankton else-where.) It is understood that the Forth Coal Company has secured a lease of the minerals, not only on Schaw’s estate, but also from the government, of the minerals under the Forth, and boring and sinking operations are already in progress all over the lands. Mr Greenfield, of Preston Links, uses the lands in the neighbourhood largely for market gardening purposes. Mr Scrymgeour, Tranent, has been for some time the proprietor of these lands. Rival Railway Schemes. The Forth Coal Company, it is understood, are the inaugurators of a scheme to form a harbour at Preston Links, so great in extent, indeed, that it will rival the famous docks at Methil.’ Other colliery companies joined in, and a mineral line of railway is already marked off, extending from Preston Links by way of Preston, Wallyford, Smeaton Junction, Newtongrange, on to Stobhill all the way. The North British Railway Company are following with a rival scheme. They propose to extend Cockenzie harbour adjoining Preston Links, run a line of railway from it, keeping always to the north of the other line, skirting Sibbald’s House, Woodbine Cottage, Prestongrange, and Drummore, then catching on to the Musselburgh branch line of railway. This is understood to be for both goods and passenger traffic. If either of these railway schemes be carried out, a great commercial future may lie before Prestonpans and vicinity. The End. TRANENT AND ITS SURROUNDINGS. By P. M‘NEILL, TRANENT, Author of “The Battle of Preston, and other Poems and Songs,” “The Parish Beadle,” “Archie Tamson,” “Geordie Borthwick,” &c. Price 2s. 6d. and 5s. ————— OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. “Last week we had occasion to introduce Mr M‘Neill to our readers in the character of a poet; this week we have much pleasure in speaking of him as a prose writer of no mean ability. He has produced a book which everybody will like and ought to read. It is both amusing and instructive. Tranent seems to be remarkably rich in quaint characters and quaint old stories, and Mr M‘Neill brings both before his readers with rare skill. We have referred to the amusing side of the book, but admirable as that feature of it is, we apprehend that many readers will prize it most for the strange and weird glimpses it gives of the collier life of former times,” &c.—People’s Journal, Dundee. “In this, the Latest production of Mr P. M‘Neill, there is exhibited an amount of careful, patient, as well as laborious research that cannot be too highly appreciated. In spite of drawbacks, which would have daunted most literary aspirants, Mr M‘Neill has produced a work which will take its place in our libraries as a reliable and most interesting record of all that can be gleaned of what is noteworthy in connection with a part of East Lothian that has been the theatre of some of the most stirring events in the history of Scotland.”—Haddingtonshire Courier. “Mr M‘Neill has rendered an important service by this book, in which he tells the interesting story of Tranent, past and present. Tranent is the centre of a district which is rich in historical association, and in collecting and arranging his exhaustive information Mr M‘Neill gives abundant proof of painstaking industry and literary skill. Particularly important is the result of his research into the industries of bygone days. The sketches of the old system of coal digging, when women worked in the mines, when colliers were slaves, and girls were treated like beasts of burden, are specially valuable. The book is also enhanced by several excellent illustrations. ‘Tranent and its Surroundings’ should find its way into every house.”—Daily Review. “Mr M‘Neill has in former works shown that he is possessed of poetic genius of no inconsiderable power. He has now given unmistakable evidence of marked ability as an historian and an antiquary. The handsome volume before us, of which he is the author, is, even as a purely literary effort, a work of which any writer might be proud. As a valuable acquisition to current literature it is deserving of a high place; as a testimony to: the erudition and labour of the author it will abide for generations; and as a means of enlightening the public concerning Tranent, historically, ecclesiastically, and otherwise, it could not possibly be surpassed. It displays the most diligent and painstaking research, and the closest investigation of every fact noted, and a pleasing and correct style of narration. The ancient mining customs and attractions of the district are minutely portrayed; the rise and progress of ecclesiastical institutions is carefully noted; the men of mark, martyrs, soldiers, heroes; the ancient castles, towers, and sacre! edifices; the battlefield and stirring scenes connected with the rebellion of ’45, and a galaxy of other matters of great interest, are graphically and faithfully described. The book is of great interest to general as well as local readers. We heartily congratulate the author on the excellent work he has produced.”—Haddingtonshire Advertiser. “This is one of the latest additions to the literature of local topography, and Mr M‘Neill is to be commended for the exhaustive manner in which he has described the antiquities of Tranent, and retold the stirring events which have taken place in its neighbourhood. In the first chapter the author has gathered together the earliest references to Tranent, one of the most notable of which is a charter granted to the monks of Newbattle by Seyr de Quinci, Earl of Wyntoun, between the years 1210-1219. This charter conveyed to the sons of the Church a considerable portion of land, and a coal mine. Mr M‘Neill devotes a lengthy chapter to an account of the mining industry of the district, in which will be found many painful details with respect to the system of slavery and serfdom which once prevailed in Scotland. Tranent is notable for having the unenviable notoriety of numbering amongst its worthies one of the most famous witchfinders of the day—the infamous David Seton, whose dovecot still stands on a small eminence near the churchyard. In addition to an exhaustive account of the battle of Prestonpans, the volume contains minute descriptions of Seton Chapel, Elphinstone Tower, Fawside Castle, Cockenzie, and other places and objects of interest in the neighbourhood. Mr M‘Neill also presents his readers with a copious budget of stories relating to the village characters of bygone days, some of which are very amusing. It may also be mentioned that the volume has numerous excellent engravings, one of the most attractive of which is a representation of Seton Chapel, now the burial-place of the Wemyss family. Mr M‘Neill’s work has evidently been a abour of love, and it is a worthy contribution to a field of literature which deserves to be widely cultivated.”—Edinburgh Courant. “This is the title of an exceedingly interesting volume by Mr P. M‘Neill. It is full of much valuable topographical and historical information about Tranent and its neighbourhood. That part dealing with the old slave life in coalpits, and the terrible sufferings of the female colliers, is of absorbing interest.”—Glasgow Mail. “With a coal industry dating back over 660 years, and even now practically inexhaustible; with old families and old mansions so famous as Seton and Elphinstone; with a primitive kind of social history reaching almost to the period when records were coming into use in Scotland—with all these fitted to lend attraction to the story, the annals of the quiet Haddington village of Tranent were well worth gathering together, even had they not included in addition narratives su engrossing as the trial and execution of the notorious wizard Dr Feane, or the field of Preston, where the Pretender’s troops snatched a brief, but unfruitful, victory over the Royal forces, led somewhat hesitatingly by Cope, and where the gallant Colonel Gardiner was cut down almost in sight of his own mansion. As appears from charters still extant, the De Quincey of the day, Earl of Wyntoun, bestowed on the monks of Newbattle, between 1210 and 1219 A.D.; certain’ privileges within the territory of Tranent so far as the gathering of fuel was™ concerned. As touching witchcraft, Mr M‘Neill introduces us to an old friend, in the person of Geillis Duncan, domestic servant to a David Seaton, depute-bailie of the town. Other interesting chapters in Mr M‘Neill’s pleasant contribution to local history describe the historical and traditional features of Tranent, Fawside, Elphinstone, &c., the whole closing with a graphic account of some of the more famous village ‘characters’ or humourists, of which the collier village would seem at all times to have had more than one rich specimen.”—Glasgow Herald. “Tranent is chiefly notable as the scene of the memorable battle of Preston in 1745, when the Jacobite forces, under ‘the Young Chevalier,’ inflicted a defeat on the king’s troops, under Sir John Cope. But the writer of this excellent book has other grounds on which to base the claim of his parish to attention. It was the earliest spot in the kingdom at which coal was dug from the earth. The charter of Newcastle to dig coals dates from 1234, but the monks in Newbattle, near Edinburgh, obtained a charter to dig the coal (carbonarzum) at Tranent in 1210. Coal was known earlier, but it is remarkable to find the little Scots village coming a quarter of a century sooner to obtain the right to work coal than the great Tyne head of the industry. There are many old castles, ruins, chapels, and other remains, brimful of family legend, of weird story, or of bloody foray, and the story of these affords the author of this volume the opportunity of enriching his local chronicle with much interesting detail.”—The Tatler. “Mr P. M‘Neill, of Tranent, who has already made some acceptable contributions to the history of that district, furnishes, in ‘Tranent and its Surroundings,’ a more complete record of the local annals. Beginning with the first mention of the Barony of Tranent, in charters dating back to the reign of King David I., he describes the growth of the village through the succeeding centuries, and the events of importance in local and general history that have occurred there or in the neighbourhood. He supplies details respecting the coal-mining industry which has been carried on in the parish for more than six hundred years, and brings out some curious facts respecting the state of serfdom in which the miners were kept till a startingly recent date, and the excessive labour imposed even upon young girls in the collieries. Mr M‘Neill devotes two chapters to the ecclesiastical and one to the educational history of the district; and he has brought together from various sources interesting particulars about prosecutions for witchcraft in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. He gives graphic descriptions of the battle of Prestonpans and the anti-militia riots; and the latter part of his volume is occupied with a collection of miscellaneous traditions and anecdotes relating not only to Tranent but to all the surrounding villages. The volume, which contains several illustrations, is the result of much industry and research; and it will be interesting not only to residents in the district but to collectors of Scottish local historical records,”—Scotsman. “The ‘History of Tranent’ is a distinctly valuable work. With great enthusiasm and industry the author has brought together much local history, village lore, and anecdote, which is not only good reading, but has in parts a real sociological interest. Tranent is a peculiarly rich field for the worker in local antiquities. It has been the abode of certain great historic Scotch families, and has witnessed the growth of the mining industry, so that political and social interests are blended in Mr M‘Neill’s pages. The chapters on the condition of the Scotch miners in the last century are perhaps those to which most readers will first turn. The story has been written often enough, yet few are aware that only a century ago miners were practically slaves—not slaves in the free use of language common to-day, put bondsmen who had to be liberated by Act of Parliament. When it is said that in other sections of his book Mr M‘Neill collects data of the battle of 1745 fought in the neighbourhood, that he also conveys information as to witchcraft and ecclesiastical tradition, the variety of romantic and social interest in his chapters will be understood. Some excellent stories are also presented of village worthies—genuine natives of the soil—which offer temptations to quoting. But readers may be commended to the book itself.”—People’s Friend. “To book lovers generally, and to all interested in his country’s annals in particular, we would heartly recommend the above volume. There are few readers of history who are not familiar with the name and antecedents of Colonel Gardiner—who fell in the battle of Preston, and was interred in Tranent churchyard—but very many are ignorant of the traditions and memories which hallow the name of ‘Tranent,’ and make all its surroundings peculiarly objects of attraction and reverence. The style of narrative is pleasing, the descriptive power excellent, and the details full and accurate, testifying to the author’s thorough knowledge of the subjects on which he treats. His descriptions of the not very ancient slave trade existing in our own country, when the poor colliers and their wives and children were apprenticed and doomed to collier life, may be well styled ‘weird and strange.’ The beautiful illustration of ‘Seton Chapel’ is worth all the price of the book. We strongly commend this work, and also an equally handsome volume formerly published by Mr M‘Neill, in which he sings, like a harper of old, on ‘the Battle of Preston, Gaffer Gray, or Knox and his Times,’” &c.—Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald. THE BATTLE OF PRESTON, AND OTHER POEMS AND SONGS. By P. M‘NEILL, Tranent. In Cloth Gilt, Bevelled Boards, Gilt Edges, 2s. 6d. ————— Opinions of the Press. “Tranent ought to be proud of the author of these poems and songs. Their richness, chasteness, and glowing description, have afforded us an hour’s really pleasant reading. We have seen poetry by men who have made themselves famous in the poetical world which was far less deserving the name than the verses which the elegant boards of this little book contain.”—Haddingtonshire Advertiser. “Of these the best are ‘Wee Willie,’ which has a certain simple pathos about it, and ‘Christie Clavering’ and ‘Cockenzie Tailor,’ a pair of humorous and spirited Scotch songs.”—Glasgow Herald. “P, M‘Neill is the author of a volume of poems entitled ‘The Battle of Preston,’ &c., which prove him the possessor of facility in rhyme, and a wholesome directness in thought and style. The most meritorious pieces in the book are the dialect poems and short lyrics.”—Scotsman. “There is a considerable degree of merit in the contents of this handsome volume, though the merit is very various. It is, however, in the shorter pieces that the author appears to greatest advantage. ‘Jamie’s Grave,’ ‘Little Nelly,’ ‘Onward I Wander,’ ‘The Lover’s Dream,’ and ‘Muirland Maggie,’ are pleasing examples of thought and expression. We have derived no small amount of pleasure from perusing the volume.”—Daily Review. “A perusal of the neatly printed pages of this volume fairly entitles the writer to an honourable place among the poets of Scotland. There is nothing mawkishly sentimental about his verses. He is invariably simple, manly, natural. He sings the loves, the sorrows, and the joys of the people among whom his lot has been cast, with a directness, vigour, and pathos that bear the impress of a sensitive heart as well as an observant eye. The collection is divided into two parts—1st, poems; 2nd,songs. In the latter Mr M‘Neill attains his chief strength. Many of these are quite models of what a song should be— brief, expressive, and earnest in its utterance.”—Haddingtonshire Courier. “Your handsome volume to hand. I like you best in the songs, many of which are truly felicitous and excellent.”—From Mr A. G. Murdoch, Author of “Biographical Sketches of the Scottish Poets.” “I am favoured with your handsome and able volume. You should have had a place in my ‘Poets’ before now. I find in it many beautiful pieces, well worth preserving.”—From Mr D. H. Edwards, of the Brechin Advertiser. “The Battle of Preston,’ &c., by P. M‘Neill, Tranent.—A beautiful volume of most excellent poems. His character sketches are felicitous examples of humorous versification. While a rich vein of humour is very marked in Mr M‘Neill as a poet, we find the sensitive heart and the observant eye in many of his sweet and tender songs. These are full of artless and simple pathos, and appeal directly to the heart.”—From “The Modern Poets of Scotland,” by Mr D, H. Edwards. “Mr M‘Neill is one of the race of self-taught poets so rife in Scotland, who have graduated in the school of nature rather than in the halls of classical learning. He has published several volumes of verse, of which ‘The Battle of Preston’ is the latest and best. Mr M‘Neill writes an easy, flowing style. His thoughts are always fresh, and his imagery pleasing. Some of his songs and character sketches bear the impress of a master hand.”—People’s Journal, Dundee. NEW METRICAL VERSION OF THE PSALMS OF DAVID By P. M‘NEILL, TRANENT., ———— PRICE, 1s. and 2s. 6d. ———— The Marquis of Lorne writes:— “Thanks for your new version. The task is a difficult one, and I think you have succeeded very well.—Believe me, yours faithfully, —Lorne.” “It stands as a successful and, in some ways, an accomplished literary exercise.”—The Scotsman. “There is certainly very little doggerel in this version: the rhymes and the rhythm are very respectable, and in these points are often a decided improvement on the version in use.”—The Christian Leader. “Mr Peter M‘Neill having already made his name locally famous by an instructive work on ‘Tranent and its Surroundings,’ now offers us a work characterised by the same faithful workmanlike ability, ‘A New Metrical Version of the Psalms.’ His bold attempt, as it lies before us, in a neatly printed volume, is indeed worthy of all praise. In common with the old version, it has the distinct merit of being a faithful translation. The language also is simple and well chosen. The whole work may be read from beginning to end with growing pleasure and appreciation.”—Haddingtonshire Advertiser. “Mr M‘Neill has clearly spent much labour and pains on this work, which is in many respects deserving of praise. His versification is fluent and smooth. He discards very much our common metre for measures of his own, and rarely uses a line of the received version. We cannot withhold our commendation of Mr M‘Neill’s venture to go beyond what the editors of the Old Psalter boasted they had produced, a work more plain, smooth, and agreeable to the text than any heretofore.”—United Presbyterian Magazine. “What a tribute to the Psalms of David are the countless attempts made to present them in tuneful verse! Every Christian feels, as he reads the prose version, ‘these are worth the singing, these above all ever set down by human pen.’ So he tries to put them in singable form—more singable, he fondly hopes, than the uncouth version in use in Presbyterian churches. This is what Mr M‘Neill of Tranent (Scotland) has tried again. His explanation of the effort is that an Englishman complained to him that these Scottish Psalms were ‘the most fearful doggerel he ever tried to read,’ and when he answered that they were really the work of an Englishman, the rejoinder was, ‘More shame to old Scotland if she cannot find a son of her own to make a better job of them.’ ‘So,’ says Mr M‘Neill, ‘I have tried it.? But really it’s of no use. Not that Mr M‘Neill’s is not a good version. It is wonderfully good. We venture to say that were we looking for the first time at our present version and this new one, we would prefer this, and perhaps many others, to what we have.”—The Austral Star (Brisbane, Australia). “Dear Sir,—I beg you will accept my warmest thanks for your kind and valuable gift. I highly appreciate your generous action in presenting me with a copy—so heautifully bound—of your ‘New Metrical Version of the Psalms of David.’ So far as I have had time to peruse your version, I am struck with the felicitous way in which you have performed a very difficult task; and I hope to receive further pleasure and profit as I continue to make use of it. With much regard and thanks,—I am, sincerely yours, Walter Ross Taylor,” Moderator of the Free Church. BLAWEARIE: Or, Mining Life in the Lothians Forty Years Ago. By P. M‘NEILL, Tranent. Small Crown Svo., Cloth (neat), 1s. 6d. Only a few Copies left. —————— OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. “‘Blawearie; or, Mining Life in the Lothians Forty Years Ago.’ The author of the unpretentious volume is Mr Peter M‘Neill, bookseller, Tranent; and while the sketch takes the form of fiction, the reader is assured that it ‘is descriptive of real life, as seen, heard, and engaged in’ by the writer. Mr M‘Neill’s description of mining life, as pursued apparently not a hundred miles from his present residence, is admirably delineated, and may profitably be studied by those who desire to become more familiar with the habits and hardships of miners in bygone days, as told by one who has, so to speak, ‘risen from the ranks.’”—Scotsman. “A tale descriptive of mining life in the Lothians forty years ago. It has all the vividness which belongs to that form of fiction which is founded on fact.”—Edinburgh Evening News. “Readers of this little book will have an opportunity of getting an insight into the life of Scottish miners in the Lothians forty years ago, the subject forming a by no means barren theme. Every phase of underground life is dealt with by the author, while as a matter of course the dialogue is as Scotch as it can well be.”—Dumfries Courier. “‘Blawearie; or, Mining Life in the Lothians Forty Years Ago,’ is a tale which gives lively sketches of daily life and conversation, work, and play, and special interests and grievances of Scotch coal miners, of forty years ago. The author evidently writes from close personal experience among that class. He shows considerable narrative and descriptive ability.”—Scottish Leader. “The work is in the form of fiction, but it is descriptive of real life, and whoever reads it cannot fail to form a fair and comprehensive idea of a most interesting class.) The simple love story of an honest and clever miner and the fair daughter of another miner, is well told, though the chief interest lies in the fund of amusing anecdotes with which the book abounds, and the many stirring incidents which are graphically described.”—Haddingtonshire Advertiser. “‘Blawearie; or, Mining Life in the Lothians Forty Years Ago.’ It gives a fair picture of the life and habits of the mining population, and contains some good sketches and anecdotes. The backbone of the tale is. of course a love affair. The story is a good one.”—Glasgow Herald. “Mr M‘Neill, who has written many pretty verses in his day, and will, it may be hoped, live to write many more, has in his present effort freed himself from the shackles of rhyme to depict in homely phrase the sort of life led by those toilers underground on whose unremitting labour so much of the domestic comfort of the community depends. The author informs his readers that the work, though in the form of fiction, is descriptive of real life, as seen, heard, and engaged in, during the last forty years. This renders it all the more valuable as a faithful record of mining life. The story is well told, and the characters vigorously drawn.”—Haddingtonshire Courier. “The story is in the form of consecutives ketches, and admirably serves the author’s purpose. Mr M‘Neill is quite familiar with the whole subject, and by the liveliness and picturesqueness of his narrative he succeeds in investing it with interest.”—Aberdeen Journal. “We knew Mr M‘Neill to be an accurate, painstaking, and thoughtful historian, from his delightful local history ‘Tranent and its Surroundings,’ and that he is a poet of no mean order, possessed of a rich glowing imagination, and warm patriotic feelings, is evinced by his ‘Battle of Preston,’ but we had no idea he could write such a charming tale, or rather a series of fresh and lively sketches, illustrating Scottish life and character.”—Brechin Advertiser. “The book may best be described as a series of vivid photographs of mining life above and below ground during the time that female labour was employed, strung together by the slight thread of fiction afforded by a quarrel between neighbouring colliery proprietors, in which the one tries to flood the other out.”—Kilmarnock Standard. “‘Blawearie’ is a tale of mining life in the Lothians forty years ago. It has many passages of great vigour, displaying descriptive, pathetic, and humorous power of no mean order. Its pictures of mining life are realistic and interesting.”—People’s Friend. “The story is told with the most refreshing simplicity, and this we think is its special charm. The character sketches are most admirable, being true to life, while the whole book is spiced with conversations in the real East Lothian Doric.”—Stationery Trade Review. “There is but little doubt that it truthfully reflects the habits and customs of the Scottish miners at the time to which it refers, and it certainly does justice to the courage and heroism which is so often so conspicuously manifested by those who work in the bowels of the earth.”—Bristol Mercury. “In his present volume the author has succeeded in depicting, in a way very true to nature, life in a mining village; and his book shows that under seemingly rough and rugged exteriors, there dwells much pure and natural love, and much pure and natural emotion.”—Northern Ensign, Wick. “The story is descriptive of real life. The pictures of life in the pits and in the Scotch colliery villages are simple, but told in a style so graphic and life-like as to impress the reader with their fidelity.”—Dundee Courier. “The scenes depicted by Mr M‘Neill have certainly a life-like appearance, and we might with justice designate the story as one of the ‘short and simple annals of the poor.’”—Elgin Courant.