East Saltoun and West Saltoun

East Saltoun and West Saltoun are separate villages in East Lothian, Scotland, about 5 miles (8.0 kilometres) south-west of Haddington and 20 miles (32 kilometres) east of Edinburgh.

East Saltoun and West Saltoun
Saltoun village shop
East Saltoun and West Saltoun is located in East Lothian
East Saltoun and West Saltoun
East Saltoun and West Saltoun
East Saltoun and West Saltoun is located in Scotland
East Saltoun and West Saltoun
East Saltoun and West Saltoun
Location within Scotland
OS grid referenceNT467676
Civil parish
  • Saltoun
Council area
Lieutenancy area
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townTRANENT
Postcode districtEH34
Dialling code01875
PoliceScotland
FireScottish
AmbulanceScottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament

Geography

The villages of East Saltoun and West Saltoun, together with a large number of farms and hamlets, form the rural and mainly agricultural parish of Saltoun. The two villages lie in the foothills of the Lammermuirs and are separated from each other by about one mile. To the south the villages are largely bordered by woodland: Petersmuir Wood, Dryden, and Saltoun Big Wood.

History

In the 12th century David I gave lands in Saltoun to Hugh de Moreville. In 1643 the lands and barony were sold to Andrew Fletcher, Lord Innerpeffer, (grandfather of Andrew Fletcher, the Patriot), and it was the Fletcher family who attempted to make Saltoun a centre of manufacturing in the early 18th century.[1] Most industry was sited in West Saltoun (formerly Milton), on the Birns Water. At the instigation of Andrew Fletcher, James Meikle, a neighbouring millwright, went to Holland to learn the construction of the iron-work of barley mills, and the mill which he erected at Salton after his return not only gave Salton barley a strong hold on the market, but was also for forty years the only mill of its kind in the British Isles.[2]

Another Andrew Fletcher, nephew of the elder Andrew, became Lord Justice Clerk as Lord Milton. By his mother's energy the art of weaving and dressing Holland cloth was introduced into the village. She travelled in Holland with two skilled mechanics who learned the secrets of the craft. Under Lord Milton's patronage, the British Linen Company had bleachfields in West Saltoun in 1746.[2][3]

In the early 19th century the Fletcher family invested further in the parish by helping to pay for a new church, manse and school in East Saltoun, and commissioning additions to Saltoun Hall (near West Saltoun).[4]

By the mid 19th century most of the parish's industries were failing, and the land was given over to agriculture.

East Saltoun

Saltoun Parish Church
The Fountain to John Fletcher of Saltoun

East Saltoun (once known as Kirkton) is the larger of the two villages.

A church dedicated to Saint Michael was first consecrated in 1244, and several church buildings have been used since then. Gilbert Burnet, theologian and Bishop of Salisbury, started his ministry in Saltoun in 1665. The present building dates back to 1805, and is built in the shape of a cross with a Gothic-style tower and steeple.[5]

Local facilities include a garage, shop, village hall, blacksmith, and a school. The school serves East Saltoun and West Saltoun, as well as the wider parish, and as of 2008 the roll was 49.[6]

West Saltoun

At one time West Saltoun was larger and had its own school, post office, and shop. Today, West Saltoun is smaller and is made up of just a few houses, with Saltoun Big Wood and the Birns Water nearby.

Infrastructure

The B6355 road runs through East Saltoun, connecting it to Gifford in the east, and Pencaitland in the north-west. A former branch railway line that linked East and West Saltoun to Gifford, Haddington, and ultimately Edinburgh was closed to passengers in 1933 and is now a cycle path.

Notable people

See also

References

  1. Wyllie, Margaret, A History of Saltoun and the Fletcher Family, Saltoun, 1986: 9
  2. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Tranent". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 27 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 169.
  3. Gifford, John, East Lothian Villages, East Lothian, 1975
  4. Gifford, John, 1975
  5. McWilliam, Colin, Lothian Except Edinburgh, London, 1978: 200
  6. Saltoun Primary School inspection report Archived 2011-06-04 at the Wayback Machine
  7. Scott 1915.

Sources

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