Bolton, East Lothian

:"This page is about a hamlet in East Lothian, Scotland. See also: Bolton, Lancashire."

Bolton is a hamlet and the third smallest parish [ Martine, John, "Fourteen Parishes of the County of Haddington", Edinburgh, 1890, p.36,] in East Lothian, Scotland. It lies approximately convert|2|mi|km south of Haddington and convert|20|mi|km east of Edinburgh, and is an entirely agricultural parish, convert|6|mi|km long by about convert|1.25|mi|km wide. [ Martine (1890) p.36.] The most notable buildings in the hamlet are the Parish Church, and an 18th-century dovecote or "doo'cot".

History

Chalmers' "Caledonia" states that "the most prominent objects which attract the antiquarian eye are the hills forts above Bolton of the earliest people. On Bolton Muir there had been an ancient camp in the field called "Chesters" and it is said that there was here a Roman "castellum" connected with the Roman fort at Whitburgh. [ martine (1890) p.39.]

In 1389 the feudal barony of Bolton was possessed by Sir John Haliburton [ Bain, Joseph, editor, "Calendar of Documents relating to Scotland", vol.iv, 1357-1509 (with "Addenda" 1221 - 1435), Edinburgh, 1888, p.86, no.391.] of Dirleton. [ Martine (1890) p.37.] By the time of the Scottish Reformation the lands of Bolton belonged to John Hepburn of Bolton, a cadet of James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell. John Hepburn was involved in the plot to murder Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley and was executed for his complicity in 1568. The estate was forfeited and regranted to William Maitland of Lethington, in whose family it remained until 1696. [ Louden, Rev. George, "Bolton Parish Church", (pamphlet), Bolton, 1979, p.1.] [ Martine (1890) p.37.] Richard, Earl of Lauderdale, sold the barony of Bolton to Sir Thomas Livingston, who was created Viscount Teviot in 1696. In 1702 he passed it to Lord Blantyre. [ Martine (1890) p.37.]

The principal proprietors in 1890 were Lord Blantyre, the Marquess of Tweeddale, Lady Connemara, Lord Sinclair, John Fletcher of Saltoun, Mr Baird of Pilmore & Kirkland; and Alexander Charles Stuart of Eaglescairnie, whose father had been commander of the army in Scotland, and Governor of Maltain 1841. Eaglescairnie was for centuries a residence of the Haliburtons. [ Martine (1890) p.37-8.]

Church

The first church to be built in Bolton was erected in around 1240. The church at Bolton was placed under the superiority of the Canons of Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh and remained so for the next three hundred years. By 1804 the church was falling into disrepair and the heritors agreed that something must be done. [ Louden (1979) p.2.]

A new church was built in 1809, and in 1930 the pulpit was moved to its present position at the side of the East window, choir seats were removed and other changes were made.

Notable people

After the death of Robert Burns, his brother Gilbert and mother Agnes (and later his sister Annabel) moved to Bolton from Ayrshire. Gilbert, factor to Lord Blantyre, oversaw the building of the new church which was completed in 1809, and all three are buried in the graveyard there, as well as Gilbert's daughters. [ Louden (1979) p.1.]

Today

The "Third Statistical Account of Scotland" relates that by 1953 Bolton had "no village, no railway station, no shop, no post office, no public house, and no police station." Today it could be added "no school" as this too has now been closed, although there is a small village hall. In 2008, work began on converting farm buildings in the centre of the village to domestic dwellings.

Notes

ee also

*List of places in East Lothian
*gbmapping|NT507700