East Lothian
East Lothian Aest Lowden (Scots) Lodainn an Ear (Scottish Gaelic) | ||
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Coordinates: 55°55′N 2°45′W / 55.917°N 2.750°WCoordinates: 55°55′N 2°45′W / 55.917°N 2.750°W | ||
Admin HQ | Haddington | |
Government | ||
• Body | East Lothian Council | |
• Control | Labour minority (council NOC) | |
• MPs |
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• MSPs | ||
Area | ||
• Total | 262.2 sq mi (679.2 km2) | |
Area rank | Ranked 18th | |
Population (mid-2017 est.) | ||
• Total | 104,800 | |
• Rank | Ranked 21st | |
• Density | 400/sq mi (154/km2) | |
ONS code | S12000010 | |
ISO 3166 code | GB-ELN | |
Website | http://www.eastlothian.gov.uk/ |
East Lothian (/ˈloʊðiən/; Scots: Aest Lowden; Scottish Gaelic: Lodainn an Ear), is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy area.
It borders Edinburgh, Midlothian and the Scottish Borders. Its administrative centre is Haddington, although its largest town is Musselburgh. East Lothian is also the name of a registration county which has the boundaries of the old county of East Lothian, also known as Haddingtonshire.[1]
History
The council area was created in 1996, replacing the East Lothian district of the Lothian region. The district had been created in 1975 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, consisting of the old county of East Lothian plus the burgh of Musselburgh and the parish of Inveresk (which included Wallyford and Whitecraig) which until then had been in 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 Berwickshire to the south.
In November 2017, a county flag competition was launched in East Lothian to register an official flag of East Lothian. Anyone willing to enter this competition was allowed to enter, which resulted in 623 entries to the competition. The end of entry submission time was the 28th of February 2018. Four final flag designs will be placed in a vote to the residents of East Lothian, and the final winning design will be unveiled in November 2018.[2]
Geography
Despite its size, the geography of East Lothian is varied. The county is surrounded by 40 miles of coastline where towns Musselburgh, Prestonpans, Cockenzie and Port Seton, Gullane, North Berwick and Dunbar lie along the coast of Firth of Forth estuary. The South of the County are Lammermuir Hills where the county meets the Scottish Borders. The River Esk runs through Musselburgh where it empties at the north of the town into the Firth of Forth and the River Tyne runs through several of East Lothian's villages and county town Haddington, The county has only two major towns which are landlocked, these are Tranent and Haddington,
Transport
Road
Primary Routes
The A1 road travels through East Lothian where it meets the Scottish Borders southbound and Edinburgh northbound. The A1 throughout East Lothian is dual carriageway and major junctions include Dunbar, Haddington, Tranent, Prestonpans and Musselburgh.[3]
Starting in Leith, the A199 road also travels through the county, including Musselburgh; where it first enters the county, Wallyford, Tranent, Macmerry and Haddington before merging into the A1 in West Barns.[4]
Non-Primary Routes
Some non-primary routes in East Lothian are the A198, A1087, A6093 and A6137 roads.[5]
Public Transport
Rail
East Lothian is served by seven railway stations: Dunbar, North Berwick, Drem, Longniddry, Prestonpans, Wallyford and Musselburgh. Railway lines which travel through and stop at stations in the county include: The Abeillo North Berwick Line, The CrossCountry line and the London North Eastern Railway London to Edinburgh line.
Bus
East Lothian is well served by bus services. Operators in the county are: Transport for Edinburgh which operate Lothian & East Coast Buses, Prentice of Haddington and Borders Buses. East Coast Buses is the county's main bus provider connecting the towns and villages of East Lothian to Edinburgh, the company has depots in North Berwick and Musselburgh.[6]
Politics
UK Parliament
The constituency of East Lothian covers the whole county. The current MP for East Lothian is Martin Whitfield.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Martin Whitfield | 20,158 | 36.1 | +5.1 | |
SNP | George Kerevan | 17,075 | 30.6 | -12.0 | |
Conservative | Sheila Low | 16,540 | 29.6 | +10.1 | |
Liberal Democrat | Elisabeth Wilson | 1,738 | 3.1 | +0.5 | |
Independent | Mike Allan | 367 | 0.7 | +0.4 | |
Majority | 3,083 | 5.5 | |||
Turnout | 55,878 | 70.6 | -3.6 | ||
Labour gain from SNP | Swing | +8.6 | |||
Scottish Parliament
Most of East Lothian is in the East Lothian Scottish Parliament constituency and South Scotland region with the exception of Musselburgh which is in Midlothian North and Musselburgh and the Lothians region.
Local Government
East Lothian Council is based at John Muir House, Haddington. East Lothian elects 22 councillors across 6 wards. These wards are:
Ward 1: Musselburgh
Ward 2: Preston, Seton and Gosford
Ward 3: Tranent, Wallyford and Macmerry
Ward 4: North Berwick Coastal
Ward 5: Haddington and Lammermuir
Ward 6: Dunbar and East Linton
Following the 2017 election, the council is composed of the following parties:[8]
Labour | Conservative | SNP | |
---|---|---|---|
Musselburgh | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Preston, Seton & Gosford | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Tranent, Wallyford & Macmerry | 2 | 1 | 1 |
North Berwick Coastal | 1 | 2 | - |
Haddington & Lammermuir | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Dunbar & East Linton | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Total: | 9 | 7 | 6 |
Places of interest
- Aberlady Bay
- Bass Rock
- Dirleton Castle
- Dunglass Collegiate Church
- Fa'side Castle
- Fenton Barns Retail & Leisure Village
- Hailes Castle
- Hopetoun Monument
- Lennoxlove historic house
- Longniddry Bents
- Muirfield Golf Links
- Museum of Flight, East Fortune
- North Berwick Harbour
- North Berwick Law
- Preston Mill
- Prestongrange Industrial Heritage Museum
- Scottish Seabird Centre, North Berwick
- Seacliff Beach
- Seton Collegiate Church
- Tantallon Castle
- Chesters Hill Fort
- Torness Nuclear Power Station
- Traprain Law
- Yellowcraigs, a beach and conservation area
Towns and villages
- Aberlady
- Athelstaneford
- Auldhame
- Ballencrieff
- Bolton
- Cockenzie
- Dirleton
- Drem
- Dunbar
- East Fortune
- East Linton
- East Saltoun
- Elphinstone
- Fenton Barns
- Garvald
- Gifford
- Gladsmuir
- Glenkinchie
- Gullane
- Haddington
- Humbie
- Innerwick
- Kingston
- Longniddry
- Luffness
- Macmerry
- Musselburgh
- North Berwick
- Ormiston
- Pencaitland
- Port Seton
- Prestonpans
- Samuelston
- Scoughall
- Spott
- Stenton
- Tranent
- Wallyford
- West Barns
- West Saltoun
- Whitecraig
- Whitekirk and Tyninghame
- Whittingehame
Civil Parishes
In 1894, John Martine published Reminiscences and Notices of Ten Parishes of the County of Haddington.[10]
- 1. Aberlady
- 2. Athelstaneford
- 3. Bolton
- 4. Dirleton
- 5. Dunbar
- 6. Garvald
- 7. Gladsmuir
- 8. Haddington
- 9. Humbie
- 10. Innerwick
- 11. Morham
- 12. North Berwick
- 13. Oldhamstocks
- 14. Ormiston
- 15. Pencaitland
- 16. Prestonkirk
- 17. Prestonpans
- 18. Saltoun
- 19. Spott
- 20. Stenton
- 21. Tranent
- 22. Whittingehame
- 23. Whitekirk and Tyninghame
- 24. Yester
Notable people from East Lothian
- Gospatric II, Earl of Lothian, d.1138
- Gospatric III, Earl of Lothian, d.1166
- Waltheof, Earl of Dunbar, d.1182
- Alexander II, King of Scots, 1198–1249
- Black Agnes, 4th Countess of Moray, c.1312-1369
- Abbot Walter Bower, ca.1385–1449, canon regular of Inchcolm Abbey, chronicler, born about at Haddington
- Sawney Bean, cannibal and outlaw, 15th to 16th century
- William Dunbar, medieval poet, 1460–1520
- John Mair or Major, philosopher, 1467–1550
- John Knox, leading Protestant reformer in Scotland and founder of Presbyterianism, c.1510-1572
- John Cockburn of Ormiston, (d.1583) early supporter of the Scottish Reformation
- Ninian Cockburn (d.1579), soldier, officer of the Garde Écossaise, political intriguer
- Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun (1655–1716), writer, politician, soldier and patriot
- Adam Cockburn, Laird of Ormiston, Lord Ormiston (1656–1735), administrator, politician and judge
- John Cockburn, agricultural improver, 1695–1758
- Andrew Meikle, inventor of the Threshing machine, 1719–1811
- John Brown (theologian), 1722–1787
- Rev. Dr. John Witherspoon, signatory to the United States Declaration of Independence,1723–1794
- George Brodie (1786?-1867), historian
- Robert Cadell (1788–1849), bookseller and publisher, closely associated with Sir Walter Scott
- Robert Moffat 1795–1883, Congregationalist missionary to Africa, and father in law of David Livingstone
- Jane Welsh Carlyle, 1801–1866, letter-writer, and wife of Thomas Carlyle, 1801–1866
- Sir William Fergusson, 1st Baronet, surgeon, 1808–1877
- Samuel Smiles, author of Self-Help, 1812–1904
- Mary Balfour Herbert, watercolour painter, 1817–1893
- Samuel Morison Brown, chemist, poet and essayist, 1817–1856
- John Muir, father of the US National Parks,1838–1914
- Eleanor Mildred Sidgwick, Principal of Newnham College, 1845–1936
- James Porteous, inventor of the Fresno Scraper, 1848–1922
- Peter Hume Brown, historian, 1849–1918
- Arthur Balfour (1848-1930), Prime Minister, 1902–1905
- Eleanor Mildred Sidgwick (1845-1936), mathematician and co-founder of Newham College, University of Cambridge
- William George Nicholson Geddes 1913–1993, civil engineer
- Maureen Mollie Hunter McIlwraith, commonly known as Mollie Hunter 1922-2012, Scottish writer
- Peter Kerr b.1940, best-selling author of travel books and fiction
- John Bellany, painter, 1942-2013
- Rhona Cameron, comedian and activist, b.1965
Sports personalities from East Lothian
- Willie Anderson, golfer, four times U.S. Open Golf Champion, 1901, 1903–05
- Ian Black, professional footballer
- Callum Booth, professional footballer
- Billy Brown, football coach
- Kenny Miller, professional footballer
- Colin Nish, professional footballer
- Jim Calder rugby union player
- Gary Anderson, Darts player
- Andrew Driver, professional footballer
- Danny Handling, professional footballer
- Jason Holt, Professional footballer
- David Huish, professional golfer
- Allan Jacobsen, rugby union player
- Jim Jefferies, football manager
- John McGlynn, football manager
- Catriona Matthew, elite golfer
- Mathew Dawson, racehorse trainer
- Euan Burton, judoka and 2012 Olympics contender
- Finlay Calder, rugby union player
- Ross Muir, professional snooker player
- Scott Murray, rugby union player
- Garry O'Connor, professional footballer
- Willie Ormond, footballer and manager
- Jock Taylor, World Champion motorcycle sidecar racer
- Ben Sayers, professional golfer & club maker
- John White, footballer
- Willie Wood (bowler), professional bowler
- Dean Brett, footballer
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). Some articles from the Haddingtonshire Courier and the Haddingtonshire Advertiser were published in 1883.[11] The paper was owned and operated by the family firm of D. & J. Croal, based in Haddington, 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 and printing at Bonnyrigg (both in Midlothian). The Scottish County Press Group was acquired by Regional Independent Media in 2000, which was in turn bought by Johnston Press in 2002.
East Coast FM (Scotland) is a community radio station run by volunteers which has been broadcasting since 2009 from studios at 8 Market Street in Haddington. The station is registered as a charity (SC042784). An FM Community Radio Licence was awarded to the station in September 2012 by regulator Ofcom and a frequency of 107.6 FM was allocated in January 2013. Broadcasting on this frequency started in March 2013. The station can be accessed worldwide across the internet through their website.
East Lothian FM is an Online Community Radio Station operated and managed by East Lothian Community Media Ltd. The station started webcasting to the county from their studio at 38 Market Street, Haddington in October 2011 and applied for a Community Radio Licence (on the FM band) during the application period that ended on 14 February 2012. The result of this application will be announced by Ofcom in due course.
References
- ↑ "Land Register Counties and Operational Dates" (PDF). Registers of Scotland. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
- ↑ "A Flag For East Lothian - Haddingtonshire". British County Flags.
- ↑ "A1 Road".
- ↑ "A199 Road".
- ↑ "Road Map East Lothian".
- ↑ "East Coast Buses".
- ↑ "Latest candidate announced for General Election". East Lothian Courier.
- ↑ https://www.eastlothian.gov.uk/info/210600/elections_and_voting/12030/election_results/2
- ↑ https://archive.org/stream/imperialgazettee02wilsuoft#page/n46/mode/1up
- ↑ Martine, John; Wilson, E. J . (1894). Reminiscences and Notices of Ten Parishes of the County of Haddington. Haddington: W. Sinclair. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
- ↑ Martine, John (1883). Reminiscences of the royal burgh of Haddington and old East Lothian agriculturists. Edinburgh; Glasgow: J. Menzies. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
External links
- East Lothian Council official government website
- East Lothian at Curlie (based on DMOZ)
- East Lothian Directory
- East Lothian Courier
- East Lothian News
- East Coast FM
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