Bolton, East Lothian

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

Bolton is a hamlet and the third smallest parish^[1] in East Lothian, Scotland, approximately 2 miles south of Haddington and 20 miles east of Edinburgh. This entirely agricultural parish is 6 miles long by about 1.25 miles wide and has no hills.^[2] The most notable buildings in the hamlet are the Parish Church, and an 18th-century dovecote or "doo'cot".

Contents 1 Early proprietors 2 Church 3 Famous sons 4 Population 5 Notes

[edit] Early proprietors

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.^[3]

Chalmers continues: "the manor of Bolton was early enjoyed by the St. Hilaries, who were succeeded by William de Vetereponte who had married Emma de St. Hilary."

In 1389 the feudal barony of Bolton was possessed by Sir John Haliburton, Knt.,^[4] of Dirleton.^[5] 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 complicty in 1568. The estate was forfeited and regranted to William Maitland of Lethington, in whose family it remained until 1696.^[6][7] 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.^[8]

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.^[9]

[edit] Church

In around 1240, churches were erected at Bolton, Saltoun, and Yester. The church at Bolton was placed under the superiority of the Canons of Holyrood Abbey and remained so for the next three hundred years. The original church at Bolton, "an old building very thick in the walls", was in a sorry state by 1804 and the heritors agreed that something must be done.^[10]

In January 1805 the heritors met and decided that a new church should be built instead of repairing the old one, and that the new church should be capable of containing 250 people. By the end of 1809 the new church was completed, using stone from lord Blantyre's quarry at Abbey mains.^[11] In 1930 the pulpit was moved to its present position at the side of the East window, choir seats were removed and other changes made. In 1957 the present central aisle was introduced and this also had the effect of reducing the available seating. In the church porch is a Victorian "grave-guard", a contrivance designed to thwart body-snatchers who sought to steal from the graveyard newly buried corpses for sale to the medical schools in Edinburgh.^[12]

In the aisles of the church are buried the Lords Blantyre and the Stuarts of Eaglescairnie.^[13]

Famous possessions of Bolton include the Bolton Hearse, a horse-drawn vehicle believed to be the earliest surviving piece of Scottish coachwork still in existence, and the Bolton graveguard, a well preserved memento of body-snatching days, and one of the best of such relics around. The hearse is kept in the Museum of Antiquities in Edinburgh, but the graveguard and its accessories are on display in the porch of the church.

[edit] Famous sons

After the death of Robert Burns, his brother Gilbert and later his sister Annabel and mother Agnes (1731 - January 14, 1820) moved to Bolton from Ayrshire. Gilbert, factor to lord Blantyre, oversaw the building of the church, and the three are buried there as well as Gilbert's daughters. A bronze plaque on the boundary wall of the churchyard states: "In this Churchyard lie the mortal remains of the mother, brother, and sister of Scotland's national poet, Robert Burns."^[14]

[edit] Population

The population of the parish in 1755 was 359. It had fallen to 235 in 1791, but rose again to 323 in 1835.^[15] The population in 1881 was 337.^[16]

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 it has now been closed.

[edit] Notes

1. ^ Martine, John, Fourteen Parishes of the County of Haddington, Edinburgh, 1890, p.36,
2. ^ Martine (1890) p.36.
3. ^ martine (1890) p.39.
4. ^ Bain, Joseph, editor, Calendar of Documents relating to Scotland, vol.iv, 1357-1509 (with Addenda 1221 - 1435), Edinburgh, 1888, p.86, no.391.
5. ^ Martine (1890) p.37.
6. ^ Louden, Rev. George, Bolton Parish Church, (pamphlet), Bolton, 1979, p.1.
7. ^ Martine (1890) p.37.
8. ^ Martine (1890) p.37.
9. ^ Martine (1890) p.37-8.
10. ^ Louden (1979) p.2.
11. ^ Martine (1890) p.39.
12. ^ Louden (1979) p.4.
13. ^ Martine (1890, p.39.
14. ^ Louden (1979) p.1.
15. ^ Louden (1979) p.2.
16. ^ Martine (1890) p.36.

• grid reference NT507700

East Lothian Towns & Villages
Aberlady | Athelstaneford | Auldhame & Scoughall | Bolton | Cockenzie and Port Seton | Dirleton | Drem | Dunbar | East Linton | East Saltoun and West Saltoun | Gifford | Gullane | Haddington | Humbie | Innerwick | Kingston | Longniddry | Macmerry | Musselburgh | North Berwick | Oldhamstocks | Ormiston | Pencaitland | Prestonpans | Tranent | Whitekirk and Tyninghame | Wallyford

Coordinates: 55.92054° N 2.79042° W