Prestonpans

Prestonpans is a small town to the East of Edinburgh, Scotland, in the unitary council area of East Lothian. It has a population of 7,153 (East Lothian Council Census, 2001). It is the site of the 1745 Battle of Prestonpans, and has a history dating back to the 11th century. The town boasts some impressive examples of historic architecture, such as Preston Tower and doocot and the local Mercat Cross, which is the only one of its kind in Scotland which remains in its original form and location.Fact|date=April 2008

History

According to local legend, Prestonpans was originally founded in the 11th century by a pirate named Althamer, who became shipwrecked on the coast. Finding it impossible to get home, the survivors of the wreck decided to remain where they were and founded a settlement named Althamer in honour of their leader. Whether this story is true or not is a matter of opinion, however when the monks of Newbattle and Holyrood arrived in the district in 1184 there was already a settlement named Aldhammer on the site of what is now Prestonpans. The monks gave the settlement their own name, Prieststown or Prieston. Because of the salt manufacturing carried out by the monks using pans on the sea shore, the town's name would later develop into Salt Prieststown and Salt Preston, and finally Prestonpans.

One of the first post-Reformation churches was built in Prestonpans, in 1596. Ten years after the building of the new church, Prestonpans became a Parish in its own right, having previously formed part of the Parish of Tranent.

Industry

Salt panning was a very important industry in the early history of Prestonpans. By the beginning of the 15th century there were ten salt works belonging to the town capable of producing between 800 and 900 bushels of salt per week. However, Prestonpans was not a one industry town, and many other industries flourished in Prestonpans and contributed towards the town's growth. The discovery and mining of coal by the Newbattle monks in the early 13th century was arguably the first instance of coal mining in Britain. The mining of coal in Prestonpans began in the year 1210, and would continue for centuries.

Prestonpans at one time had sixteen breweries but none of them exist any longer. The oldest brewery in Prestonpans belonged to the Fowler family and was built in 1720. The Fowlers obtained it in 1756 and it was in production until the 1960s. There was a soap works in the town which at one time had an output of 90,000 lb per annum, and also several potteries and brickworks.

The town was served, for several hundred years, by the harbour at nearby Prestoungrange, known as "Morison's Haven". Fishing boats sailed from the harbour and herring was the most important catch. The harvesting of oysters was a lucrative industry up to the early 20th century.

Battle of Prestonpans

The Battle of Prestonpans (also known as the Battle of Gladsmuir) was the first significant conflict in the second Jacobite Rising. The battle took place on 21 September 1745. The Jacobite army loyal to James Francis Edward Stuart and led by his son Charles Edward Stuart defeated the army loyal to the Hanoverian George II led by Sir John Cope. The victory was a huge morale boost for the Jacobites, and a heavily mythologized version of the story entered art and legend. A memorial to the Battle of Prestonpans is in the form of a modest stonemason mason-built cairn, and sits close to the battle site. An earlier monument to Colonel Gardiner, a Hanoverian who was mortally wounded on the field of battle, was also erected in the 19th century near Bankton House where the Colonel lived. Each year on the anniversary of the battle, a Battlefield Walk is organised by local historians, and in September 2008 the Battle of Prestonpans 1745 Trust is organising a symposium on local battlefields.

Modern Prestonpans

Nowadays, Prestonpans is home to mostly working class families. There is very little industry and no longer any mining in the area, and growth of the town has stagnated in recent years. However, new developments are starting to accelerate and there is potential for more affordable housing in the town.There remains a community spirit and a festival in early summer runs for two weeks and links Prestonpans with neighbouring Cockenzie and Port seton, hence the title of The 3 Harbours Festival.

The town has a primary school, an infant school, a nursery (or kindergarten) and Preston Lodge High School. Prestonpans railway station is on the Edinburgh - North Berwick line. The local non-league football team Preston Athletic F.C. plays its home games at the Pennypit Park in the town, along with the local rugby team Preston Lodge RFC. Prestonpans is also home to the Royal Musselburgh Golf Club, the sixth-oldest golf course in the world (and home to The Old Club Cup, the world's oldest golfing trophy still being played for) and the town's cricket team Preston Village Cricket Club. The Prestonpans Murals Trail has become popular over the last few yearsFact|date=April 2008. In 2006 it hosted the Global Murals Conference.

ee also

*John Muir Way
*List of places in East Lothian

References

* Edinburgh Evening News, 12 August 2006, article by Jim Gilchrist "Designs on their wall"
* The Herald, June 1, 2007, "Local festival illuminates Scotland's 'riviera' " by Sarah Unwin Jones
* The Scots Magazine, illustrated article on Prestonpans Murals trail
* [http://www.prestonpans.com/pdfs/PrestonpansWalks1_5.pdf Leaflet "Happy Walks in Prestonpans"]
* [http://battleofprestonpans1745.org/prestonpans/html/news/show_image.asp?imageid=4441&newsid=2174 Prestonpans Historical Society page showing photo of Press cutting about Murals Trail]

External links

* [http://www.prestongrange.org/ Prestongrange Industrial Heritage Museum] - A local museum offering tours
* [http://www.prestonlodge.net/ Preston Lodge High School] - The secondary school for the area
* [http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/prestonpans/prestonpans/index.html Profile of Prestonpans] at "Undiscovered Scotland"
* [http://www.prestoungrange.org/prestoungrange_2006/index.html Global Murals Conference Prestoungrange 2006]
* [http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/news/display.var.2231750.0.First_skirmishes_in_campaign_to_protect_Scotlands_battlefields.php Article, The Herald, April 29 2008, Historic Scotland trying to protect Scotland's battlefields]
* [http://143.252.148.161/tol/news/article3842875.ece TimesOnline article, April 29, 2008, "Historic battlefields in Scotland threatened by lack of legal protection"]