Gladsmuir

Gladsmuir

Gladsmuir Parish Church
Gladsmuir
Gladsmuir
Gladsmuir shown within Scotland
OS grid reference NT457732
Civil parish
  • Gladsmuir
Council area
Lieutenancy area
Country Scotland
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town TRANENT
Postcode district EH33
Dialling code 01875
Police Scottish
Fire Scottish
Ambulance Scottish
EU Parliament Scotland
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament

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, (usually a buzzard), combined with muir; the Scots form of moor, thus Buzzard's Moor might loosely translate Gladsmuir into English.

Gladsmuir's principal "claim to fame" relates to its role as the site of the Battle of Prestonpans (1745). Some sources - particularly maps - occasionally refer to the confrontation as the Battle of Gladsmuir. The Jacobite poet William Hamilton (1704-1754) wrote a poem entitled Gladsmuir in celebration of the battle.

The philanthropist George Heriot, jeweller to James VI, King of Scots and founder of Heriot's Hospital, (later George Heriot's School), in Edinburgh, was born in Gladsmuir.

Church

Old Gladsmuir Parish Kirk dates from 1695 and its ruins stand to the north of the current operational church.[1]

The replacement church is a Romanesque cruciform church dating from 1839 and designed by William Burn. The interior was destroyed by a fire in 1886 and restored by architect John Farquharson of Haddington with later improvements made in 1929. The older ruined kirk can still be seen and explored behind the new kirk. The graveyard contains interesting 18th century monuments and several CWGC graves from both world wars.

The manse dates from 1871 and stands to the north-east.

In Literature

Letitia Elizabeth Landon's poem Gladesmuir of 1822 extols the beauties of a childhood home.

References

  1. ↑ Buildings of Scotland: Lothian by Colin McWilliam
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