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East Lothian
East Lothian stretches south of the Forth Estuary, east of Edinburgh. It
was more commonly known as Haddingtonshire in the 19th Century, its county
town being Haddington. The County was extremely fertile with East Lothian
farms being at the forefront of the agricultural revolution in the late
1700s. In the early 20th Century the coast became a popular tourist area
especially for the people of Edinburgh. There are many golf courses or
"links" including Muirfield. Musselburgh was recently transferred from
Edinburgh's control to that of East Lothian.
Clan and Family Heartlands
You can get a feel for the lives your ancestors lived by visiting the area
they came from. These are areas where, for centuries, families lived
together in a tightly-knit community. In the Highlands they are linked to
clan heartlands, whereas, in the rest of Scotland the names are often those
of the local landed families. Although it is unlikely that family
historians can link their ancestry to clan chiefs or family dynasties, it
can still be a moving experience to tour the clan and family heartlands.
Here is a selection of the most common names in this area.
Hamilton
Heriot
Seton
Parishes
The Parish Church can unlock many secrets for ancestral researchers. Not
only was it the place where children were baptised, proclamations of
marriage announced and the dead buried, it was also the centre of most
social activity within the Parish. There is, however, no such thing as a
definitive list of parishes. Over the decades they have merged, divided,
been renamed and had changes made to their spelling. The following list is
based largely on the situation at the time of publication of the New
Statistical Account (1834-1845).
Aberlady,
Athelstaneford,
Bolton,
Dirleton,
Dunbar,
Garvald and Bara,
Gladsmuir,
Haddington,
Humbie,
Innerwick,
Morham,
North Berwick,
Oldhamstocks,
Ormiston,
Pencaitland,
Prestonkirk,
Prestonpans,
Salton,
Spott,
Stenton,
Tranent,
Whitekirk and Tynninghame,
Whittinghame,
Yester (or Gifford)
* subsequently divided into seperate parishes, ( ) denotes alternative
name or spelling
Detailed information on life and work within each of these parishes can be
found in the Old (1791-99) and the New (1834-45) Statistical Account of
Scotland. These are freely accessible on http://edina.ed.ac.uk/statacc. Part of their charm
is the individual views of the minister, which can include some
fascinating accounts of a parish's history, topography, employment,
landowners, communications, agriculture and even the morality of the
parishioners.
Local Studies Libraries
Almost every municipal authority in Scotland has a collection of local
history publications, maps and archives. Although most of these libraries
are prepared to undertake a limited amount of searching on your behalf, it
is far more fulfilling to visit them yourself. You could lose yourself for
hours, pouring over old newspapers and photographs.
The following is a list of the libraries in your chosen area:
The Local History Centre
Haddington Library
Newton Port
Haddington
EH41 3NA
Tel: +44 1620 823307
Fax: +44 1620 828201
E-mail:
localhistory@eastlothian.gov.uk
www.eastlothian.gov.uk/content/0,1094,1485,00.html
Open: Mon 14:00 - 18:00, Tue 10:00 - 13:00 & 14:00 - 19:00, Thu 14:00 -
19:00 & Fri 14:00 - 17:00.
Holds extensive runs of the principal newspapers, notably the
Haddingtonshire/East Lothian Courier and the Musselburgh News. The
Haddingtonshire Courier is indexed from 1859 (some gaps after 1904).
Local Archives Centres
Almost every municipal authority in Scotland has a collection of local
history publications, maps and archives. Although most of these libraries
are prepared to undertake a limited amount of searching on your behalf, it
is far more fulfilling to visit them yourself. You could lose yourself for
hours, pouring over old newspapers and photographs.
The following is a list of the archive offices in your chosen area:
The Local History Centre
Haddington Library
Newton Part
Haddington
EH41 3NA
Tel: +44 1620 823307
Fax: +44 1620 822531
E-mail: localhistory@eastlothian.gov.uk
www.eastlothian.gov.uk/content/0,1094,1485,00.html
Open: Mon 14:00 - 18:00, Tue 10:00 - 13:00 & 14:00 - 19:00, Thu 14:00 -
19:00 & Fri 14:00 - 17:00.
Museums and Heritage Centres
Scotland is a country with a remarkable history. So it should come as no
surprise that Scotland is home to a remarkable collection of museums and
heritage centres. These range from the major, internationally renowned
collections in Edinburgh's Royal Museum of Scotland to hundreds of small
centres that specialise in the history of local communities. The
following museums are all in your chosen area. A visit to any one of
them may well shed new light on the lives led by your ancestors.
Prestongrange Industrial Heritage Museum
Morrison's Haven
Prestonpans
East Lothian
EH32 9RY
Tel: +44 131 653 2904
Fax: +44 1620 828201
www.eastlothian.gov.uk/content/0,1094,703,00.html
Open: April-October, 11:00 - 16:00.
Tells the story of local industries, particularly the local coal mine.
Dunbar Town House Museum
High Street
Dunbar
East Lothian
EH42 1ER
Tel: +44 1368 863734
E-mail:
museums@elothlib.demon.co.uk
www.eastlothian.gov.uk/content/0,1094,709,00.html
Open: April-October, 12:30 - 16:30.
Includes a display of photographs of Old Dunbar and surrounding areas.
There is also an oral history archive covering the history of the town
throughout the 20th Century.
North Berwick Museum
School Road
North Berwick
East Lothian
EH39 4JU
Tel: +44 1620 895457
www.eastlothian.gov.uk/content/0,1094,700,00.html
Open: April-October, 11:00 - 17:00.
The main exhibit relates to North Berwick's long history as a holiday
resort.
Family History Society
Local societies are run by volunteers who meet together periodically. Most
maintain an index of members' interests - and this could well lead to the
discovery of a long lost cousin or two. If there are any such societies in
your chosen area, they will be listed below.
Lothians Family History Society
c/o Lasswade High School Centre
Eskdale Drive
Bonnyrigg
Midlothian
EH19 2LA
Fax: +44 131 663 6634
E-mail:
lothiansfhs@hotmail.com
www.lothiansfhs.org.uk
Open: Mon-Fri (during term time) 08:30 - 12:00 & 13:00 - 16:00,
Tue-Wed (during term time) 18:15 - 21:00.
Burial Information
It may seem a little odd, but a visit to the burial ground of an ancestor can make you feel more closely connected to them. However, tracking down the specific plot, or lair as they were referred to in Scotland, depends on the period of time when the deaths occurred.
Up to the mid-19th century it was the normal practice for people to be interred in the Parish Kirk burial ground - although this was only rarely marked with anything as grand as a headstone. The Scottish Association of Family History Societies (SAFHS) is currently co-ordinating a major project to develop a National Burial Index, relating to pre-1855 records. This will eventually be available on CD ROM. Although this will help to confirm that burials took place in parish burial grounds, it will not, unfortunately, indicate the location of the lair.
If your ancestor was wealthy enough, their grave may have been marked by an inscribed headstone. Over the years, family history societies and other volunteer groups have painstakingly transcribed and indexed such inscriptions - and these are nearly always held in the relevant local history libraries or family history research centres.
By the mid-19th Century, many parish burial grounds had become seriously overcrowded, especially those in urban areas, and this led to the creation of both private and municipal cemeteries. If you know the place and date of death, you should be able to discover the location of a lair, although not all cemeteries and records have survived.
The concept of cremation started to gain popularity in the late 1940s and has increased ever since. Ashes may be taken away by the family, scattered in the garden of remembrance or buried either in the crematorium or in a family plot.
Dunbar
The Area Registrar
79/85 High Street
Dunbar
EH42 1ER
Tel: +44 1368 863 434
Fax: +44 1368 865728
North Berwick
The Area Registrar
2 Quality Street
North Berwick
EH39 4HW
Tel: +44 1620 893957
Fax: +44 1620 895647
Haddington
The Area Registrar
John Muir House
Haddington
EH41 3HA
Tel: +44 1620 827 308
Fax: +44 1620 827 529
Tranent
The Area Registrar
8 Civic Square
Tranent
EH33 1LU
Tel: +44 1875 610 278
Fax: +44 1875 615 420
Prestonpans
The Area Registrar
Aldhammer House
High Street
Prestonpans
EH32 9SH
Tel: +44 1875 810 232
Fax: +44 1875 814 921
Musselburgh
The Area Registrar
Brunton Hall
Musselburgh
EH21 6AF
Tel: +44 131 665 3711
Fax: +44 131 665 7495
Accurate records are maintained for most of the late 19th, and 20th century cemeteries, but not for the earlier ones. Basic search facilities are offered by the above offices, for which no fee is currently charged. Postal enquiries are preferred to personal visits and there is no provision for copying of burial entries. Enquiries relating to the appropriate Area, should be addressed to Council HQ at John Muir House, Haddington (see above).
