East Lothian
Encyclopedia
East Lothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

, and a lieutenancy Area
Lieutenancy areas of Scotland
The lieutenancy areas of Scotland are the areas used for the ceremonial lord-lieutenants, the monarch's representatives, in Scotland. They are different from the local government council areas, the committee areas, the sheriffdoms, the registration counties, the former regions and districts, the...

. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Scottish Borders
Scottish Borders
The Scottish Borders is one of 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by Dumfries and Galloway in the west, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian in the north west, City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian to the north; and the non-metropolitan counties of Northumberland...

 and Midlothian
Midlothian
Midlothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy area. It borders the Scottish Borders, East Lothian and the City of Edinburgh council areas....

. Its administrative centre is Haddington
Haddington, East Lothian
The Royal Burgh of Haddington is a town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is the main administrative, cultural and geographical centre for East Lothian, which was known officially as Haddingtonshire before 1921. It lies about east of Edinburgh. The name Haddington is Anglo-Saxon, dating from the 6th...

, although its largest town is Musselburgh
Musselburgh
Musselburgh is the largest settlement in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, six miles east of Edinburgh city centre.-History:...

.

The council area was created in 1996, under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994
Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994
The Local Government etc. Act 1994 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which created the current local government structure of 32 unitary authorities covering the whole of Scotland....

, with the boundaries of the East Lothian district
Regions and districts of Scotland
The local government areas of Scotland were redefined by the Local Government Act 1973 and redefined again by the Local Government etc Act 1994....

 of the Lothian
Lothian
Lothian forms a traditional region of Scotland, lying between the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and the Lammermuir Hills....

 region
Regions and districts of Scotland
The local government areas of Scotland were redefined by the Local Government Act 1973 and redefined again by the Local Government etc Act 1994....

. The district had been created in 1975, under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973
Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973
The Local Government Act 1973 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, that reformed local government in Scotland, on May 16, 1975....

, and it consisted of the local government county
Counties of Scotland
The counties of Scotland were the principal local government divisions of Scotland until 1975. Scotland's current lieutenancy areas and registration counties are largely based on them. They are often referred to as historic counties....

 of East Lothian, plus the burgh
Burgh
A burgh was an autonomous corporate entity in Scotland and Northern England, usually a town. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burgh status was broadly analogous to borough status, found in the rest of the United...

 of Musselburgh
Musselburgh
Musselburgh is the largest settlement in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, six miles east of Edinburgh city centre.-History:...

 and the Inveresk
Inveresk
Inveresk is a civil parish and was formerly a village that now forms the southern part of Musselburgh. It is situated on slightly elevated ground at the south of Musselburgh in East Lothian, Scotland...

 area, both formerly within the county of Midlothian.

When abolished, for local government purposes, in 1975, the county of East Lothian bordered the county of Midlothian to the west, and the county of Berwick to the south. The county was called Haddingtonshire until 1921. At this time, border changes saw several villages on the outskirts of Edinburgh (e.g. Whitecraig
Whitecraig
Whitecraig is a village in East Lothian in Scotland. It is between Musselburgh and Dalkeith, to the east of the city of Edinburgh....

) become part of East Lothian.

Towns and villages

  • Aberlady
    Aberlady
    Aberlady is a coastal village in the Scottish council area of East Lothian. On Aberlady Bay, it is five miles northwest of Haddington and approximately 18 miles east of Edinburgh, to which it is linked by the A198 Dunbar - Edinburgh road.Aberlady Parish Church dates back to the 15th century. It...

  • Athelstaneford
    Athelstaneford
    Athelstaneford is a village in East Lothian, Scotland. It is close to the town of Haddington and lies approximately 20 miles east of Edinburgh. The village is also known locally as Elshingford....

  • Auldhame
  • Ballencrieff
  • Bolton
    Bolton, East Lothian
    Bolton is a hamlet and the third smallest parish in East Lothian, Scotland. It lies approximately south of Haddington and east of Edinburgh, and is an entirely agricultural parish, long by about wide...

  • Cockenzie
  • Dirleton
    Dirleton
    Dirleton is a village and parish in East Lothian, Scotland approximately east of Edinburgh on the A198. It contains . Dirleton lies between North Berwick , Gullane , Fenton Barns and the Yellowcraigs nature reserve, Archerfield Estate and the Firth of Forth...

  • Drem
    Drem
    Drem is a small village in East Lothian, Scotland. It is approximately 20 miles east of Edinburgh and is close to Haddington , North Berwick , Dirleton and Gullane ....

  • Dunbar
    Dunbar
    Dunbar is a town in East Lothian on the southeast coast of Scotland, approximately 28 miles east of Edinburgh and 28 miles from the English Border at Berwick-upon-Tweed....

  • East Fortune
    East Fortune
    East Fortune is a village in East Lothian, Scotland, located 2 miles north west of East Linton. The area is known for its airfield which was constructed in 1915 to help protect Britain from attack by German Zeppelin airships during the First World War. The RNAS airship station also included an...

  • East Linton
    East Linton
    East Linton is a town in East Lothian, Scotland, situated on the River Tyne and A199 road five miles east of Haddington, with a population of 1,774...

  • East Saltoun
    East Saltoun and West Saltoun
    East Saltoun and West Saltoun are separate villages in East Lothian, Scotland, about 5 miles south-west of Haddington and 20 miles east of Edinburgh.- Geography :...

  • Elphinstone
    Elphinstone, East Lothian
    Elphinstone is a village in East Lothian, Scotland, UK.It lies two miles south-west of Tranent on the B6414, and one mile north-west of Ormiston....

  • Fenton Barns
    Fenton Barns, East Fenton and West Fenton
    The hamlets of Fenton Barns, East Fenton and West Fenton make up a rural community in East Lothian, Scotland, approximately east of Edinburgh and close to the settlements of North Berwick, Drem, Dirleton and Gullane....

  • Garvald
    Garvald, East Lothian
    Garvald, is a village south of Haddington in East Lothian, Scotland. The combined parish of Garvald and Bara, borders Whittingehame to the East, Morham to the North, Yester to the West, and Lauder to the South. It is mainly an agricultural parish...

  • Gifford
    Gifford, East Lothian
    Gifford is a village in the parish of Yester in East Lothian, Scotland. It lies approximately 4 miles south of Haddington and 25 miles east of Edinburgh.-History:...

  • Gladsmuir
    Gladsmuir
    Gladsmuir is a village and parish in East Lothian, Scotland, situated on the A199 and near Tranent and Prestonpans.-Description:The name Gladsmuir stems from the Scots word Gled, meaning a bird of prey, , combined with Muir; the Scots form of Moor...

  • Glenkinchie
    Glenkinchie
    Glenkinchie is a Scotch single malt whisky, produced at the Glenkinchie Distillery in East Lothian, Scotland. It is one of only three remaining Lowland malt whiskies in production.- The Distillery:...

  • Gullane
    Gullane
    Gullane is a town on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth in East Lothian on the east coast of Scotland. There has been a church in the village since the 9th century. The ruins of the Old Church of St...

  • Haddington
    Haddington, East Lothian
    The Royal Burgh of Haddington is a town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is the main administrative, cultural and geographical centre for East Lothian, which was known officially as Haddingtonshire before 1921. It lies about east of Edinburgh. The name Haddington is Anglo-Saxon, dating from the 6th...

  • Humbie
    Humbie
    Humbie is a hamlet and rural parish in East Lothian, Scotland. It lies in the south-west of the county, approximately 10 miles south-west of Haddington and 15 miles south-east of Edinburgh. Humbie as we know it today was formed as the result of the union between Keith Marischal and Keith Hundeby in...

  • Innerwick
    Innerwick
    Innerwick is a coastal civil parish and small village, which lies in the east of East Lothian, from Dunbar and approximately from Edinburgh....

  • Kingston
    Kingston, East Lothian
    Kingston is a small hamlet near North Berwick in East Lothian, Scotland.- Fenton Tower :Fenton Tower in Kingston is a refurbished 16th century tower house. Fenton Tower was used as the location for Archie's castle in the BBC children's programme "Balamory." - External links :* official site...

  • Longniddry
    Longniddry
    Longniddry is a village in East Lothian, Scotland, with a population of 2,613 .Longniddry is primarily a dormitory village for commuters to Edinburgh, with good transport links by road and rail to the capital...

  • Luffness
    Luffness
    Luffness is a hamlet in East Lothian, Scotland. It lies between the towns of Gullane and Aberlady and is approximately 20 miles east of Edinburgh....

  • Macmerry
    Macmerry
    Macmerry is a large village located on the old A1 just east of Tranent.The village has a primary school with a roll of around 100.There is an industrial estate to the east of the town...

  • Musselburgh
    Musselburgh
    Musselburgh is the largest settlement in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, six miles east of Edinburgh city centre.-History:...

  • North Berwick
    North Berwick
    The Royal Burgh of North Berwick is a seaside town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is situated on the south shore of the Firth of Forth, approximately 25 miles east of Edinburgh. North Berwick became a fashionable holiday resort in the 19th century because of its two sandy bays, the East Bay and the...

  • Ormiston
    Ormiston
    Ormiston is a village in East Lothian, Scotland, UK, near Tranent, Humbie, Pencaitland and Cranston, located on the north bank of the River Tyne at an elevation of about 276 ft....

  • Pencaitland
    Pencaitland
    Pencaitland is a village in East Lothian, Scotland, about south-east of Edinburgh, south-west of Haddington, and east of Ormiston.The land where the village lies is said to have been granted by William the Lion to Calum Cormack in 1169, who gave the church, with the tithes and other property...

  • Port Seton
  • Prestonpans
    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 . It is the site of the 1745 Battle of Prestonpans, and has a history dating back to the 11th century...

  • Scoughall
  • Spott
    Spott, East Lothian
    Spott is a small village on the eastern fringes of East Lothian in Scotland, just over south-west of Dunbar. The village straddles an unclassified road leading from the main A1 highway at .- History :...

  • Stenton
    Stenton
    Stenton is a parish and village in East Lothian, Scotland. It is bounded on the north by parts of the parishes of Prestonkirk and Dunbar, on the east by Spott and on the west by Whittingehame. The name is said to be of Saxon derivation. In earlier times, when names were often written phonetically,...

  • Tranent
    Tranent
    Tranent is a town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is close to the A1 road and approximately east of Edinburgh. It is one of the oldest towns in East Lothian, and built on a gentle slope, about 300 feet above sea level.Population of the town is 9,917....

  • Wallyford
    Wallyford
    Wallyford is a village in East Lothian, Scotland. It is close to the larger town of Musselburgh and approximately 7 miles east of Edinburgh.-Amenities:...

  • West Barns
    West Barns
    West Barns is a small village in East Lothian, Scotland. It lies 2 miles west of Dunbar and approximately 28 miles east of Edinburgh. It is close to the John Muir Country Park and Belhaven Bay. It is home to the West Barns Inn and a John Deere manufacturer. There is also a local amateur football...

  • West Saltoun
    East Saltoun and West Saltoun
    East Saltoun and West Saltoun are separate villages in East Lothian, Scotland, about 5 miles south-west of Haddington and 20 miles east of Edinburgh.- Geography :...

  • Whitecraig
    Whitecraig
    Whitecraig is a village in East Lothian in Scotland. It is between Musselburgh and Dalkeith, to the east of the city of Edinburgh....

  • Whitekirk and Tyninghame
  • Whittingehame
    Whittingehame
    Whittingehame is a parish with a small village in East Lothian, Scotland, about halfway between Haddington and Dunbar, and near East Linton. The area is on the slopes of the Lammermuir Hills...

  • Wellington

Places of interest

  • Aberlady Bay
    Aberlady Bay
    Aberlady Bay is a bay in East Lothian, Scotland between Aberlady and Gullane.In 1952, Aberlady Bay became the UK's first Local Nature Reserve and is served by the East Lothian Council Rangers....

  • Bass Rock
    Bass Rock
    The Bass Rock, or simply The Bass, , is an island in the outer part of the Firth of Forth in the east of Scotland. It is approximately offshore, and north-east of North Berwick. It is a steep-sided volcanic rock, at its highest point, and is home to a large colony of gannets...

  • Dirleton Castle
    Dirleton Castle
    Dirleton Castle is a medieval fortress in the village of Dirleton, East Lothian, Scotland. It lies around west of North Berwick, and around east of Edinburgh...

  • Dunglass Collegiate Church
    Dunglass Collegiate Church, East Lothian
    Dunglass Collegiate Church is situated in south-east East Lothian just off the old A1 highway, one mile north of Cockburnspath in Berwickshire, Scotland, UK.-History:...

  • Fenton Barns Retail & Leisure Village
    Fenton Barns, East Fenton and West Fenton
    The hamlets of Fenton Barns, East Fenton and West Fenton make up a rural community in East Lothian, Scotland, approximately east of Edinburgh and close to the settlements of North Berwick, Drem, Dirleton and Gullane....

  • Hailes Castle
    Hailes Castle
    Hailes Castle is a mainly 14th century castle about a mile and a half south west of East Linton, East Lothian, Scotland. This castle, which has a fine riverside setting, belonged to the Hepburn family during the most important centuries of its existence....

  • Hopetoun Monument
    Hopetoun Monument
    The Hopetoun Monument is a monument in the Garleton Hills, near Camptoun, East Lothian, Scotland. It is tall. Situated on Byres Hill near Haddington, the monument was erected in 1824 in memory of John Hope, 4th Earl of Hopetoun . The foundation stone was laid on May 3, 1824...

  • Lennoxlove historic house
    Historic house
    A historic house can be a stately home, the birthplace of a famous person, or a house with an interesting history or architecture.- Background :...

  • Longniddry Bents
    Longniddry Bents
    Longniddry Bents is a beach just north of Longniddry in East Lothian, Scotland.The beach is almost 2 miles in length, which includes Gosford Bay to the east side, and the rockier Seton Sands to the west. Along the beach are the remains of a wall of concrete tank traps erected during World War II as...

  • Museum of Flight
    Museum of Flight (Scotland)
    The National Museum of Flight is Scotland's national aviation museum at East Fortune Airfield, just south of the village of East Fortune, in East Lothian. It is one of the museums within National Museums Scotland. The museum is housed in the original wartime buildings of RAF East Fortune which...

    , East Fortune
    East Fortune
    East Fortune is a village in East Lothian, Scotland, located 2 miles north west of East Linton. The area is known for its airfield which was constructed in 1915 to help protect Britain from attack by German Zeppelin airships during the First World War. The RNAS airship station also included an...

  • North Berwick Harbour
    North Berwick Harbour
    The Harbour at North Berwick in East Lothian, Scotland, was originally a ferry port for pilgrims travelling to St. Andrews in Fife. Today the water is home to leisure craft, a famous tourist launch and the remains of the fishing fleet that once dominated the area, while on dry land the Scottish...

  • North Berwick Law
    North Berwick Law
    North Berwick Law is a conical hill which rises incongruously from the surrounding landscape . It overlooks the East Lothian town of North Berwick and stands at 613 ft above sea level.Geologically, the law is a volcanic plug of hard phonolitic trachyte rock of Carboniferous age...

  • Peter Potter Gallery
  • Preston Mill
    Preston Mill
    Preston Mill is a watermill on the River Tyne at the eastern edge of East Linton on the B1407 Preston Road, in East Lothian, Scotland, UK. It is situated close to Prestonkirk Parish Church, the Smeaton Hepburn Estate, Smeaton Lake, and Phantassie Doocot....

  • Prestongrange Industrial Heritage Museum
    Prestongrange Industrial Heritage Museum
    The Prestongrange Industrial Heritage Museum is an industrial heritage museum at Prestongrange between Musselburgh and Prestonpans on the B1348 on the East Lothian coast, Scotland UK....

  • Scottish Seabird Centre
    Scottish Seabird Centre
    The Scottish Seabird Centre is a visitor attraction in North Berwick, East Lothian, Scotland. Opened by HRH The Prince of Wales in 2000 and funded by the Millennium Commission, the showpiece of the centre is the network of cameras which beam back live pictures from the bird colonies on islands such...

    , North Berwick
    North Berwick
    The Royal Burgh of North Berwick is a seaside town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is situated on the south shore of the Firth of Forth, approximately 25 miles east of Edinburgh. North Berwick became a fashionable holiday resort in the 19th century because of its two sandy bays, the East Bay and the...

  • Seacliff Beach
  • Seton Collegiate Church
    Seton Collegiate Church
    Seton Collegiate Church, known locally as Seton Chapel, is a collegiate church south of Port Seton, East Lothian, Scotland. It is adjacent to Seton House.-Description:...

  • Tantallon Castle
    Tantallon Castle
    Tantallon Castle is a mid-14th-century fortress, located east of North Berwick, in East Lothian, Scotland. It sits atop a promontory opposite the Bass Rock, looking out onto the Firth of Forth...

  • Chesters Hill Fort
    Chesters Hill Fort
    Chesters Hill Fort is an Iron Age hill fort in East Lothian, Scotland. It lies one mile south of Drem, 1.5 miles east of Ballencrieff Castle, 2.5 miles north of Haddington, and 2 miles west of Athelstaneford...

  • Torness Nuclear Power Station
    Torness nuclear power station
    Torness nuclear power station was the last of the United Kingdom's second generation nuclear power plants to be commissioned. Construction of this facility began in 1980 for the then South of Scotland Electricity Board and it was commissioned in 1988...

  • Traprain Law
    Traprain Law
    Traprain Law is a hill about 221m in elevation, located east of Haddington in East Lothian, Scotland. It is the site of an oppidum or hill fort, which covered at its maximum extent about 16 ha and must have been a veritable town...

  • Yellowcraigs
    Yellowcraigs
    Yellowcraigs, less commonly known as Broad Sands Bay, is a coastal area of forest, beach and grassland in East Lothian, south-east Scotland. Yellowcraigs is designated as a Local Nature Reserve and a Site of Special Scientific Interest...

    , a beach and conservation area

Notable people from East Lothian

  • Gospatric II, Earl of Lothian
    Gospatric II, Earl of Lothian
    Gospatric II was Earl of Lothian or Earl of Dunbar in the early 12th century.He was the son of Gospatric I, sometime Earl of Northumbria...

    , d.1138
  • Gospatric III, Earl of Lothian
    Gospatric III, Earl of Lothian
    Gospatric III was a twelfth century Anglo-Celtic noble, who was Earl of Lothian later Earl of Dunbar, and feudal Lord of Beanley....

    , d.1166
  • Waltheof
    Waltheof, Earl of Dunbar
    Waltheof , Earl of Lothian or "Dunbar" and lord of Beanley, was a 12th century Anglo-Scottish noble. He was the eldest son of Gospatric III, Earl of Lothian by his Scottish wife Deirdre....

    , Earl of Dunbar
    Dunbar
    Dunbar is a town in East Lothian on the southeast coast of Scotland, approximately 28 miles east of Edinburgh and 28 miles from the English Border at Berwick-upon-Tweed....

    , d.1182
  • Alexander II
    Alexander II of Scotland
    Alexander II was King of Scots from1214 to his death.-Early life:...

    , King of Scots
    Scottish people
    The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...

    , 1198–1249
  • Black Agnes, 4th Countess of Moray
    Moray
    Moray is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland.- History :...

    , c.1312-1369
  • Sawney Bean, cannibal and outlaw
    Outlaw
    In historical legal systems, an outlaw is declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, this takes the burden of active prosecution of a criminal from the authorities. Instead, the criminal is withdrawn all legal protection, so that anyone is legally empowered to persecute...

    , 15th to 16th century
  • William Dunbar
    William Dunbar
    William Dunbar was a Scottish poet. He was probably a native of East Lothian, as assumed from a satirical reference in the Flyting of Dunbar and Kennedie , where, too, it is hinted that he was a member of the noble house of Dunbar....

    , medieval poet
    Poet
    A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...

    , 1460–1520
  • John Mair
    John Mair
    John Mair was a Scottish philosopher, much admired in his day and an acknowledged influence on all the great thinkers of the time. He was a very renowned teacher and his works much collected and frequently republished across Europe...

     or Major, philosopher, 1467–1550
  • John Knox
    John Knox
    John Knox was a Scottish clergyman and a leader of the Protestant Reformation who brought reformation to the church in Scotland. He was educated at the University of St Andrews or possibly the University of Glasgow and was ordained to the Catholic priesthood in 1536...

    , leading Protestant reformer in Scotland
    Scottish Reformation
    The Scottish Reformation was Scotland's formal break with the Papacy in 1560, and the events surrounding this. It was part of the wider European Protestant Reformation; and in Scotland's case culminated ecclesiastically in the re-establishment of the church along Reformed lines, and politically in...

     and founder of Presbyterianism
    Presbyterianism
    Presbyterianism refers to a number of Christian churches adhering to the Calvinist theological tradition within Protestantism, which are organized according to a characteristic Presbyterian polity. Presbyterian theology typically emphasizes the sovereignty of God, the authority of the Scriptures,...

    , c.1510-1572
  • John Cockburn
    John Cockburn (Scottish politician)
    John Cockburn of Ormiston, East Lothian, was a Scottish politician, the son of Adam Cockburn of Ormiston, Lord Justice Clerk. He is also known as the father of Scottish husbandry....

    , agricultural improver, 1695–1758
  • Andrew Meikle
    Andrew Meikle
    Andrew Meikle was an early mechanical engineer credited with inventing the threshing machine, a device used to remove the outer husks from grains of wheat. This was regarded as one of the key developments of the British Agricultural Revolution in the late 18th century...

    , inventor of the Threshing machine
    Threshing machine
    The thrashing machine, or, in modern spelling, threshing machine , was a machine first invented by Scottish mechanical engineer Andrew Meikle for use in agriculture. It was invented for the separation of grain from stalks and husks. For thousands of years, grain was separated by hand with flails,...

    , 1719–1811
  • John Brown (theologian)
    John Brown (theologian)
    John Brown of Haddington , was a Scottish divine and author. His works include “The Self-Interpreting Bible”, “The Dictionary of the Bible”, and “A General History of the Christian Church”.-Career:...

    , 1722–1787
  • Rev. Dr. John Witherspoon
    John Witherspoon
    John Witherspoon was a signatory of the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of New Jersey. As president of the College of New Jersey , he trained many leaders of the early nation and was the only active clergyman and the only college president to sign the Declaration...

    , signatory to the United States Declaration of Independence
    United States Declaration of Independence
    The Declaration of Independence was a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain regarded themselves as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. John Adams put forth a...

    ,1723–1794
  • Jane Welsh Carlyle
    Jane Welsh Carlyle
    Jane Welsh Carlyle was the wife of essayist Thomas Carlyle and has been cited as the reason for his fame and fortune. She was most notable as a letter-writer. In 1973, G.B...

    , 1801–1866, letter-writer, and wife of Thomas Carlyle
    Thomas Carlyle
    Thomas Carlyle was a Scottish satirical writer, essayist, historian and teacher during the Victorian era.He called economics "the dismal science", wrote articles for the Edinburgh Encyclopedia, and became a controversial social commentator.Coming from a strict Calvinist family, Carlyle was...

    , 1801–1866
  • Sir William Fergusson, 1st Baronet
    Sir William Fergusson, 1st Baronet
    Sir William Fergusson, 1st Baronet FRCS FRS was a Scottish surgeon.-Biography:William Fergusson son of James Fergusson of Lochmaben, Dumfriesshire, was born at Prestonpans, East Lothian on 20 March 1808, and was educated first at Lochmaben and afterwards at the high school and University of...

    , surgeon
    Surgeon
    In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...

    ,1808–1877
  • Samuel Smiles
    Samuel Smiles
    -Early life:Born in Haddington, East Lothian, Scotland, the son of Samuel Smiles of Haddington and Janet Wilson of Dalkeith, Smiles was one of eleven surviving children. The family were strict Cameronians, though when Smiles grew up he was not one of them...

    , author of Self-Help
    Self-Help (book)
    Self-Help; with Illustrations of Character and Conduct was a book published in 1859 by Samuel Smiles. The second edition of 1866 added Perseverance to the subtitle. It has been called "the bible of mid-Victorian liberalism"....

    , 1812–1904
  • Mary Balfour Herbert
    Mary Balfour Herbert
    Mary Balfour Herbert was a British artist. She was born Mary Balfour in 1817, the daughter of James Balfour and Lady Eleanor Maitland. She grew up in Whittinghame, East Lothian, Scotland, and travelled widely during her childhood. She took drawing lessons but had no other formal art education.She...

    , watercolour painter, 1817–1893
  • Samuel Morison Brown
    Samuel Morison Brown
    Samuel Morison Brown , Scottish chemist, poet and essayist, born at Haddington, East Lothian, was the fourth son of Samuel Brown, the founder of itinerating libraries, and grandson of John Brown, author of the Self-Interpreting Bible. In 1832 he entered the university of Edinburgh, where, after...

    , chemist
    Chemist
    A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...

    , poet
    Poet
    A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...

     and essayist, 1817–1856
  • John Muir
    John Muir
    John Muir was a Scottish-born American naturalist, author, and early advocate of preservation of wilderness in the United States. His letters, essays, and books telling of his adventures in nature, especially in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, have been read by millions...

    , father of the US National Parks,1838–1914
  • Eleanor Mildred Sidgwick
    Eleanor Mildred Sidgwick
    Eleanor Mildred Sidgwick, née Balfour was an activist for the higher education of women, Principal of Newnham College and a leading figure in the Society for Psychical Research.-Biography:...

    , Principal of Newnham College, 1845–1936
  • James Porteous
    James Porteous
    James Porteous was the Scottish-American inventor of the Fresno Scraper.James Porteous was born in Haddington, East Lothian, Scotland. His father, William Porteous, had been a wheelwright and blacksmith who built and repaired carriages, wagons and farm equipment...

    , inventor of the Fresno Scraper
    Fresno Scraper
    The Fresno Scraper is a machine used for constructing canals and ditches in sandy soil.It was invented in 1883 by the Scottish immigrant and entrepreneur James Porteous who, having worked with farmers in Fresno, California, had recognised the dependence of the Central San Joaquin Valley on...

    , 1848–1922
  • Peter Hume Brown
    Peter Hume Brown
    Peter Hume Brown was a Scottish historian and professor who played an important part in establishing Scottish history as a significant academic discipline...

    , historian, 1849–1918
  • Arthur Balfour
    Arthur Balfour
    Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour, KG, OM, PC, DL was a British Conservative politician and statesman...

    , Prime Minister
    Prime minister
    A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...

    , 1902–1905
  • John Bellany
    John Bellany
    John Bellany, CBE, RA is a Scottish painter.He was born in Port Seton. During the 1960s, he studied at Edinburgh College of Art and then at the Royal College of Art in London....

    , painter
    Painting
    Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...

    , b.1942
  • Rhona Cameron
    Rhona Cameron
    Rhona Cameron is a Scottish comedian. She rose to prominence via the stand-up comedy circuit, and became a regular on British TV in the 1990s.-Television career:...

    , comedienne and activist, b.1965

Sports Personalities from East Lothian

  • Euan Burton
    Euan Burton
    Euan Michael Burton is a Scottish judoka.Born in Ascot, Berkshire and living in Edinburgh, Burton represented Great Britain at the 2008 Summer Olympics in the Half-Middleweight Judo event. Burton was educated at Pencaitland Primary School and Edinburgh University...

    , judoka and 2012 Olympics contender
  • Ian Black, professional footballer
  • Andrew Driver
    Andrew Driver
    Andrew David Driver is a professional footballer who plays for Scottish Premier League team Hearts as a left winger. He has represented Scotland at schoolboy level and England, where he was born, for the under-21 side.-Hearts:...

    , professional footballer
  • Kenny Miller
    Kenny Miller
    Kenneth "Kenny" Miller is a Scottish footballer who plays as a striker for Cardiff City and the Scotland national football team...

    , professional footballer
  • Callum Booth
    Callum Booth
    Callum Booth is a Scottish footballer who currently plays as a left back for Scottish Premier League club Hibernian. Booth, who joined Hibs aged 10, played for a Hibs youth team that won a league and cup double in 2009...

    , professional footballer
  • Danny Handling
    Danny Handling
    Danny Handling is a Scottish footballer who currently plays for Scottish Premier League club Hibernian.-Hibernian:He made his first team debut as a substitute against Aberdeen on 14 May 2011. He became the fourth-youngest person to play for Hibs, with only Jamie McCluskey, Jimmy O'Rourke and Joe...

    , professional footballer
  • Jason Holt
    Jason Holt (footballer)
    Jason Holt is a professional football player currently playing for Raith Rovers in the Scottish First Division on loan from Scottish Premier League side Heart of Midlothian. Holt has represented Scotland at under 19 level.-Youth career:Holt grew up in Musselburgh as a Hearts fan and attended...

    , Professional footballer
  • Colin Nish
    Colin Nish
    Colin Nish is a Scottish footballer who currently plays as a striker for Hartlepool United.-Early life:Nish grew up in Musselburgh and was a fan of his local side Hibernian as a child.-Dunfermline Athletic:...

    , professional footballer
  • Garry O'Connor
    Garry O'Connor
    Garry Lawrence John O'Connor is a Scottish professional footballer who currently plays for Hibernian. He has also played for the Scotland international team....

    , professional footballer
  • John White (footballer born 1937), footballer
  • Jim Jefferies
    Jim Jefferies
    James "Jim" Jefferies is a Scottish football former player and manager. Jefferies played for Heart of Midlothian for almost his whole playing career and enjoyed a successful first managerial spell with the club, winning the 1998 Scottish Cup...

    , football manager
  • Jock Taylor
    Jock Taylor
    Jock Taylor was a Scottish World Champion motorcycle sidecar racer.John Robert Taylor was born in Pencaitland, East Lothian, and entered his first sidecar race at the age of 19, as the passenger to Kenny Andrews . The following year he took part in his first race as a driver.-Racing career:Taylor...

    , World Champion motorcycle sidecar
    Sidecar
    A sidecar is a one-wheeled device attached to the side of a motorcycle, scooter, or bicycle, producing a three-wheeled vehicle.-History:A sidecar appeared in a cartoon by George Moore in the January 7, 1903, issue of the British newspaper Motor Cycling. Three weeks later, a provisional patent was...

     racer
  • John McGlynn, football manager
  • Willie Ormond
    Willie Ormond
    William 'Willie' Esplin Ormond OBE was a Scottish football player and manager. As a player, Ormond was well known as one of Hibernian's Famous Five forward line, winning three league championships in the late 1940s and early 1950s. He then returned to prominence as a manager, first with a...

    , footballer and manager
  • Billy Brown
    Billy Brown (footballer born 1950)
    Billy Brown is a Scottish football former player and coach. He is currently the caretaker manager of Hibernian. Brown played in the Scottish Football League for Motherwell and Raith Rovers...

    ,football coach
  • Ben Sayers
    Ben Sayers
    Bernard "Ben" Sayers was one of the most successful early professional golfers...

    , professional golfer & club maker
  • Willie Wood (bowler)
    Willie Wood (bowler)
    William "Willie" Wood MBE is a Scottish professional bowls player, who has mainly competed in the outdoor or lawn form of the game. His list of achievements include two Commonwealth Games gold medals and two World Bowls Championship runner-up medals...

    , professional bowler
  • Finlay Calder
    Finlay Calder
    Finlay Calder is a Scottish former rugby union player.Born in Haddington, East Lothian and educated at Stewart's Melville College, Calder played at open side flanker and won 34 caps representing Scotland from 1986-91. He captained the British Lions tour to Australia in 1989...

    , rugby union player
  • Scott Murray (rugby union), rugby union player
  • Catriona Matthew
    Catriona Matthew
    Catriona Isobel Matthew MBE is a Scottish professional golfer who plays mainly on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour and is also a member of the Ladies European Tour.-Amateur career:...

    , elite golfer

Local media

East Lothian is served by two local paid-for weekly newspapers, the East Lothian Courier and the East Lothian News. The former, known locally as The Courier, is the better-selling and started in 1859 as the Haddingtonshire Courier (the name was changed in 1971). The family firm of D. & J. Croal, based in Haddington, owned and operated the paper until it was bought by the Dunfermline Press Group in 2004. The East Lothian News was first published in 1971, as part of Scottish County Press group, with editorial offices in Dalkeith
Dalkeith
Dalkeith is a town in Midlothian, Scotland, lying on the River North Esk. It was granted a burgh of barony in 1401 and a burgh of regality in 1540...

 and printing at Bonnyrigg
Bonnyrigg
Bonnyrigg is a town in Midlothian, Scotland, eight miles southeast of Edinburgh city centre. The town had a population of 11,260 in the 1991 census which has risen to 14,457 according to the 2001 census. Along with Lasswade, Bonnyrigg is a twin town with Saint-Cyr-l'École, France.- History :Early...

 (both in Midlothian
Midlothian
Midlothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy area. It borders the Scottish Borders, East Lothian and the City of Edinburgh council areas....

). SCP was acquired by Regional Independent Media in 2000, which was in turn bought by Johnston Press
Johnston Press
Johnston Press plc is a newspaper publishing company headquartered in Edinburgh, Scotland. Its flagship titles are The Scotsman and the Yorkshire Post; it also operates many other newspapers around the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and the Isle of Man. It is the second-largest publisher...

 in 2002.

Council political compositions

  • Scottish National Party
    Scottish National Party
    The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....

     - 9
  • Labour
    Scottish Labour Party
    The Scottish Labour Party is the section of the British Labour Party which operates in Scotland....

     - 7
  • Liberal Democrat
    Scottish Liberal Democrats
    The Scottish Liberal Democrats are one of the three state parties within the federal Liberal Democrats; the others being the Welsh Liberal Democrats and the Liberal Democrats in England...

     - 4
  • Conservative
    Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
    The Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party is the part of the British Conservative Party that operates in Scotland. Like the UK party, it has a centre-right political philosophy which promotes conservatism and strong British Unionism...

     - 2
  • Independent
    Independent (politician)
    In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...

    - 1

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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