'' A quaint and quiet little place, its houses were chiefly thatched and had outside stairs and picturesque outshots overhanging the street on beams of wood and pillars of stone. - 'The White Cockade' by James Grant |
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In March 1728 a bond for 1000 merks was granted for the erection of a new Tolbooth. This
refers to the present Council Chambers and shop below. The older part of the building was probably erected at the end of the 16th
century as the Tolbooth is mentioned as far back as 1638. The contract to build the new Tolbooth was given to Archibald and John
Brouns, masons in North Berwick and Patrick Forgan mason at the Heugh. There is an entry in the accounts 'To the masons a quart of
ale, 4s' - a custom known as a 'founding pint'. In the older part of the Tolbooth was two prison cells, one on the ground floor
entered from the High Street, and lit by a slit in the north wall. The other directly above was accessed by the stair to the
Council room. In 1749 the shop below was occupied as a dwelling house. The earliest reference to the Mercat Cross was in September 1751 when the Magistrates decided to remove the Cross to a more appropriate location. Nothing more was recorded until December 1770 when the following entry appears: "Taking into consideration the ruinous condition of the Cross and inconvenient situation of it, the Council have agreed that it shall be removed and put up a new at the east end of the Toune House, also that the stair up to the Council Chamber being much failed, agree that it should be completely made up and repaired." As the account paid to the mason was for rebuilding the Tolbooth stair and taking donne the Cross, the probability is that the remains of the Cross will be found built in the stair. A sum of 6d. was paid to workmen for carrying away rubbish from the Cross. The earliest surviving Town Council minute book commenced 5th September 1727. The previous minute books from 1639 -1727 are missing. The first of many repairs to the harbour was carried out in 1728 by the Town Council. In 1731 the Treasurer warned the neighbours and burgesses that each house was to send a man able to carry out the clearing of the channel out of the harbour, under penalty of half a merk Scots. The Council wrote to Sir Hew Dalrymple as superior in Westgate, requesting that the inhabitants there should also assist in clearing out sand in the harbour. The Town Council also requested any tenants with carriages to help remove the debris. In 1728, the bakehouses were thatched and the whins and other fuels stacked close by were causing the neighbours to be 'holden in continual fear and dread of fire'. The Magistrates instructed that all bakehouse roof's should be constructed of slate or tiles and that no stacks of heather, broom, whins and other fuels be kept adjacent to the bakehouse under penalty of £10 Scots. Following a number of complaints to the Town Council regarding the under weight of the bread being sold, the bakers formed a committee to supervise the weight and price of bread. In April 1794 they agreed on the fixed price of 32/- per boll of wheat and each baker was requested to put his name or mark on the bread as there had been complaints of light weight. In December 1765, the Town Council wrote to the Members of Parliament to prohibit the exportation of wheat and other grains and stop the importation of cheap wheat from America. An increased number of 'debased persons' were causing a nuisance in 1739 by gathering daily in the street and on the common. Again in 1773 there was a multitude of beggars and vagrants passing through the town, knocking on the doors and asking for charity. The Town Council used an Act of Council from 1754 to remove the beggars from the town. An entry in the burgh accounts refers to at least eight cripples visiting the town in 1742. The Rhodes was a dumping ground for vagrants as there frequently appears -' To carriage of a cripple to the Rhodes 4 pence'. Sometimes they were taken to the Heugh, while another entry reads, 'Carrying a blind woman from ye toun, 2 pence.' The Council ordered that no beggars could pass through the town except on Wednesday (Market Day) and if the rules were disobeyed the officers were to imprison all vagrants. This Act of Council was published through the town by tuck of drum and copies thereof affixed to the Cross and Kirk door. Jacobite Uprising
There was only meagre reference to the 1715 and 1745 Jacobite rebellions in the Town Council minutes. But the following note
discovered on the flyleaf of an old leather book, chronicled by the Town Clerk makes for interesting reading. Brigadier General
William Mackintosh of Borlum landed his forces here after crossing from Fife on 6th October 1715. The militia went out to Haddington -
40 days pay each man. - 13th October 1715, being Thursday about ane acloach in the morning the Highland men ran a shoar att this harbour,
and att Aberlady, Dirleton and Adam (Auldhame) they war reckoned to be about three thousand under the command of Mackintosh of Borlum,
my Lord Nairne, and two of the Duke of Athol's sones was with them; they proclaimed the King here and then went to Haddington and
proclaimed him yr. and then went to Seton hous and upon the Saturday went to Leith and upon the Sabbath day cam back to Seton hous and
went away upon the Tuesday to the North.
During the 1745 uprising North Berwick High Street rang with the clatter of the hoofs of Fowke's dragoons in their headlong flight
from the Prince's Highlanders at Coltbridge. Home, the author of "The Rebellion of 1745" says "they galloped to North Berwick and
being now about twenty miles from Edinburgh they thought they might safely dismount from their horses and look out for victuals".
The sheep and turkeys of North Berwick paid for this warlike disposition, but just as the mutton was to be put on the table they
heard the same cry of 'the Highlanders' and they got on horseback and cleared the town.
An entry in the Town Council accounts for 1714-5 reads - 'To spent when Highlanders were here £14.14s (for refreshments). These
entries support the inference that the town was on the side of the Old Pretender. The only reference to the 1745 rebellion reads
'Boats coming into the harbour are to be detained.' The accounts mention two pound candles to soldiers keeping guard and
billeting some soldiers. Bailie Lauder for an express to Edinburgh in the late troubles - 3s; for Mr Vetch himself going to
Dunbar for news at that time - 7s; To 4 men for watching the approach of the Highlanders - 1s. 6d; and billeting some soldiers -
6d.
Balderstone Wynd
In 1755, the population of the Parish of North Berwick was 1,412. That year John Simpson wrote to the Town Council complaining that
it was impossible to earn a living in the cloth business in North Berwick and asked if he could sign up with one of the battalions
being raised in the town. In 1777, Matthew Balderstone assisted the Town Officer to maintain the Council property such as making
good the staircase leading to the Council Chambers and cleaning out the sluce at the harbour for a salary of 15/- per year. He is
remembered today in the name of Balderstone's Wynd. In 1779, the Scots born John Paul Jones, founder of the American navy, mounted
several raids on Scotland during the American War of Independence. Spain joined France to fight the Americans and the privateer John
Paul Jones anchored five ships off North Berwick much to the consternation of the local inhabitants, but a storm blow up and his
ships was forced further out into the North Sea.
There were fourteen burgesses admitted between 1785 and 1816. honorary burgesses were admitted from all parts of Scotland and
included, a Lord Provost of Edinburgh, Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun, Lord Advocate Grant of Prestongrange, Sir William Maxwell of
Monrieth, Robert Blair, advocate, afterwards Lord President of the Court of Session: merchants from Edinburgh, Leith, Dundee,
Aberdeen, Selkirk, Coldingham and one from Liverpool.
In 1799 the Town Council decided that any whisky landed at the harbour or coming into the Town or Westgate will pay one farthing
per gallon duty. One penny on coal entering the harbour and one farthing per boll of corn. The Custom & Shore Duty in 1815 included
Wine and Spirits 3/6, Foreign Salt 1/6, British Salt 6d, Iron or Lead 1/-, Bulk Wool and Linen Cloth 2/-, Slates per hundred 2/-,
Great Coal 1 and 1/2 d, Bricks per thousand 6d, Ton of Potatoes 5d, Chalk or Whitning 6d, Load of furniture 2/-, Large Boat
anchorage 6d, Small Boat 3d. |
Biarritz of the North The railways in Scotland began as wagonways which transported coal and minerals from Lanarkshire and Fife to the coast. In 1842 a passenger line was running between Edinburgh and Glasgow. In England in the 1850s only one train a day carried third class passengers but in Scotland nearly all carried them and the working class were able to make a regular pilgrimage to the seaside. By the 1880s, the express railway engines and plush carriages served the well-to-do, with travelling time from London to Edinburgh reduced from 17 to 8 hours. In 1874 the Town Council wrote to the Railway Company asking them to restrict the cheap excursion tickets as the town was being over run with visitors. On Easter Monday 1895, 1500 visitors arrived in North Berwick on regular and special excursion trains. When added to those already in the Burgh for the weekend, this amounted to over three thousand visitors. Some notable families who spent the months of August and September in the town included the McAlpines of Accrington, Weirs of Glasgow, Forrester-Patons of Alloa and the Coats of Paisley whose summer residence was 34, Dirleton Avenue (Golf Hotel). Peter H. Coats also owned the land to the south known as Smiley Knowe. One of the earliest references to North Berwick being called the 'Biarritz of the North' was included in article written by Edmund Yates, editor of 'The World' a weekly society journal. In November 1889, Yates wrote an article about Arthur Balfour when he used the term Biarritz of the North to describe the town. The slogan was used as part of an advertising campaign instigated by the North Berwick Town Council in 1902. The North Eastern Railway Company displayed the posters, which featured many of their most popular destinations to increase the number of passengers using the railway. These wealthy families would bring their entourage of housekeepers, butlers, footmen and nannies to manage the household and the local merchants and shopkeepers would supply all their sundries. The residents included Captain Francis Grant Suttie - Royal Navy (Hyndford House), Robert Chambers - Publisher (St Baldred's Tower), Eduardo de Zoete (Ormesdene, Fidra Road), Sir George Berry - Ophthalmic Surgeon (Kings Knoll), Professor Edward Sharpey-Schafer - Physiologist (Marly Knowe 1902), Walter de Zoete - Stockbroker (Blenheim House), Astor family (Shipka), John Blair Balfour - Lord Advocate for Scotland (Glasclune), Alexander, Isabella and Barbara Keiller of Dundee (12, Marine Parade), Sir Patrick Ford - Solicitor General for Scotland (Westerdunes), J. G. Thomson - Wine and Spirit Merchant, The Vaults, Leith, Deuchar family (Inchdura House, Hamilton Road), John R. Dale - Farmer (Abbots Croft), and Shaw-Stewart family - Ardgowan Estate on the Forth Of Clyde (Redholme), Samuel Peploe the Scottish Colourist (Cheylesmore Lodge); Robert Craig - Papermaker Newbattle Mill (Bunkershill), James Hislop a local shoe and boot maker built Normanhurst, 16 Westgate. Arthur James Balfour, Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister was a regular visitor to North Berwick. In 1887 Balfour was appointed Chief Secretary for Ireland and as such was given round-the-clock protection. While playing golf on the West Links Balfour was shadowed by two armed detectives discreetly following among the sand dunes. During September each year Balfour would take rooms in the Bradbury Hotel from where he played two rounds of golf each day and in the evening he attended to the affairs of State. His regular bodyguards were John Sweeney, Detective Inspector at Scotland Yard and his boss Sir Robert Anderson. They also provided an armed guard for Queen Victoria, Empress Frederick, President Loubet, the Czarina of Bulgaria, and the German Kaiser while they visited Great Britain. Since 1849, challenge or brag matches between the best golf professional's of the day, attracted large crowds to North Berwick. In 1899, Willie Park Jnr. who owned the property at the 'Garve' in Beach Road, challenged Harry Vardon to a match for 100 pounds over the West Links, with the return at Ganton; 36 holes played on each course. In June 1899, a deputation from the Merchants met with the Town Council and asked them to recommend the partial closure of the shops on the occasion of the Park v Vardon Golf Match. Provost John McIntyre granted permission for the shop-keepers to close in the afternoon to allow their staff to follow the match. In July at North Berwick over 7,000 spectators arrived by train to watch the game. In the summer the 'Rose' a paddle steamer owned by the Galloway Saloon Steam Packet Company would bring daytrippers on a round trip from Leith to North Berwick, tieing up at Galloways Pier on the Platcock Rocks, where passenger would board for Elie in Fife before returning to Leith. In 1879 the Council instructed Peter Whitecross to draw up a specification for the construction of a sea wall between the Auld Kirk and Melbourne Place. The wall was to be built to the same design as the sea wall at Portobello and the ingredients were listed as six parts broken whinstone, three parts clean sharp sand and one part Portland cement, tested to 220lbs at 7 days. The work was completed the following year and cost £160. That year Whitecross built the stairs leading from the Auld Kirk to the harbour at a cost of £10. North Berwick Freemasons
The earliest recorded society in the town were the Freemasons, instituted by former members of the dormant Lodge of Gullane and
Dirleton founded in 1738. The St Balldred's Lodge in North Berwick was established at a meeting attended by thirteen Freemasons in
James Grieve's Inn (15-17 High Street) on 17th March 1825. During this early period the Lodge held their meetings in David Blair's
Dalrymple Arms Hotel (10-12 Quality Street) where a large function room still exists on the first floor. In 1830 John Carmichael,
the Burgh School teacher was admitted a member because of his wonderful performance in ventriloquism.
In May 1833, the members were invited to attend the laying of the foundation stone for the new County Buildings in Haddington. The
deputation from North Berwick made the journey in one long cart with two horses. The St Baldred Lodge also attended the laying of
the foundation stone at the New Harbour at Dunbar in 1842.
In 1837 the first Masonic Ball was held in the Granary at the North Berwick harbour where the monthly meetings of the Lodge were
conducted. They also met in The Lodge in Quality Street, residence of Sir Hew Dalrymple while a member stood at the front of the
building with a drawn sword during the meetings. The Freemason's also met in the Town Council Chambers, County Hotel, Ship Inn,
Burgh School Room (Victoria House, 66 High Street), and in 1874 they used the facility of the Tantallon Lodge of Oddfellows,
No.3739 at 10 Forth Street, North Berwick.
At the annual roup in March 1854, Peter Smith secretary of Tantallon Lodge and Oddfellows offered to pay £5-half-yearly to rent
the Burgh School room for their meetings. In July 1880 the Lodge held a meeting on the Bass Rock and in 1898 they secured the use of
premises at 97 High Street (now 88 High Street) and in 1948 the members purchased the Oddfellows Hall. In December 1894 the laying
of the foundation stone for the High School in Law Road was given full Masonic Honours with Willie Struth RWM and John R. Whitecross,
a member and also Provost of the Royal Burgh in attendance.
The memorabilia held in the Lodge was collected by Davie Cochrane, the maltman living in Westgate, this included a square of wood
from the old Lodge Room in the Dalrymple Arms, a level of wood from Baillie Balcraftie's old house, a plumb rule made of wood from
Tantallon Castle and the Wardens' columns coming from the Bass Rock in 1907. In May 1929 during the Open Championship at Muirfield
a Special Meeting was held for members talking part in that Championship and a dinner was held in their honour. The champion golfer
that year was American Walter Hagen. Volunteer Rifle Corps
The Volunteers 'F' Company, (7th V.B.R.S) Rifle Corps. was raised by Sir Hew Hamilton-Dalrymple in 1860 when Queen Victoria accepted
the offer of their services. The Volunteers later held their meetings in the Foresters Hall, situated in the area now occupied by Tigh
Mhor in the High Street. The hall owned by the Ancient Order of Foresters was opened in 1887 by Richard Haldane, member of parliament
for East Lothian who was appointed Secretary of War in Asquith's 1905 Liberal government. The hall accommodated 800 persons and was the
centre of activity in the town. In 1895, Colour-Sergeant Dodds from the Scots Guards succeeded Sergeant Crawford as drill-inspector.
He also drilled the pupils at the High School and Public School. The Volunteers carried out their weekly drills on the East Links,
with their firing range at Canty Bay. They had 60 members and a Band which played every Saturday evening on the Auld Kirk Green.
To the right of the entrance door to the Foresters Hall was Methven & Simpson's music shop where instruments and piano's could be
hired by the session.
The North Berwick Golf Club was established in 1832 in Seacliff House, when the Westgate feuars granted the use of the links for the annual
sum of £4. Among the founder members were Sir David Baird of Newbyth, Sir Robert Hay whose father was tenant of The Lodge in Quality
Street, George and John Sligo of Seacliff, Robert Stewart of Alderston Mains Farm, John Campbell of Glensaddell, a Kintyre laird and
Captain Brown of the Inniskillen Dragoons and Waterloo fame, who lived in Quality Street. Tantallon Golf Club was established in 1853
by the businessmen in the town and the artisan Bass Rock Golf Club was founded in 1873 by the tradesmen, teachers and office clerks.
At the centre of the social activities was the Marine Hotel (1875), where among others, Field Marshall Roberts and Prince Edward of
Saxe-Weimar, resided during the summer season. Prince Edward Saxe-Weimar served in the British Army and fought with the Grenadier
Guards at Alma, Balaclava, Inkerman and Sebastopol in the Crimean War. He was Commander-In-Chief of the troops in Ireland (1885-1890). He
lost his Royal rank in Germany by marrying the daughter of the fifth Duke of Richmond, but she was accorded the rank of Royal Princess at
Queen Victoria's Jubilee in 1887. They lived in a large house in Portland Place in London and each year they spent several months at the
Marine Hotel in North Berwick. It was reported at the time that they alone were responsible for increasing the popularity of North Berwick
and thereby laying the foundations for its future prosperity. They also rented The Knoll in Clifford Road where they entertained King Edward
V11 in 1902.
During the visit of King Edward VII to North Berwick he watched the golfers playing 'Perfection' and the children playing on the Ladies
course while he toured the town in an open top carriage with two horses. Ben Sayers was presented to his Majesty by Prince Edward of
Saxe Weimar who hosted the King's visit and as such Prince Edward was later awarded the freedom of the Burgh. The King ordered a set
of clubs from Ben Sayers who played the West Links with the King's Equerry.
Field Marshall Earl Roberts was one of the most successful commanders of the Victorian era. He fought in the Indian campaign and the 2nd
Boer War. He lived at Englemere in Ascot, Berkshire and was a friend of Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar. In 1903 it was reported that playing
golf on the West Links on the same day were four MPs, the Speaker of the House of Commons, two bishops and the Prime Minister. Later they
were joined by Lord Kitchener and HMS Dreadnought on passage to Rosyth, fired a ten-gun salute over the course.
Football Club
The Victoria Football Club was instituted in February 1888 playing on ground provided by Sir Walter Hamilton-Dalrymple at Abbey Park
(Redcroft). Football was extensively played in this district in the seventeenth century and was mentioned in the Session Records of
Tynninghame Parish. In May 1619 there was a game of football played on the Sabbath afternoon at Scoughall links between that parish and
Whitekirk against the North Berwick parishes. In November 1919, John Lambie tenant of Rhodes Farm offered a field east of Tantallon Hotel
for playing football (now Rhodes Park). Angus Football Club (Miss Lucy Hope's team), Primrose Football Club (W.H.Montgomery Secretary) and
the Continuation Classes Football Club, were charged an annual rent by the Town Council but allowed to keep their goal posts. In 1924
Mr Glover the headmaster took over the lease on behalf of the School Football and Hockey teams. In 1926, Rev. Leonard Small secretary of
the reconstituted Bass Rock Football Club requested permission to use the football pitch which was granted.
In September 1929, the Bass Rock Football Club requested the use of the new Recreation Park every second Saturday from 1.30 until dark.
The following year the BRFC asked permission to charge 'gate' money for a friendly match with Rutherglen Ladies's Football team. The club
also requested a timber hut for changing and the Council offered an old Bathing Box as a temporary solution. Swimming Pool and Yachting Pond
In April 1888 Matthew Galloway whose company erected the pier suggested to the Town Council that a salt water bath could be formed at
the east end of the harbour by using part of the flushing pond. Gallway instructed civil engineer Robert Henderson to investigate. Using
the excavation plans drawn up by D & T Stevenson in 1862, Henderson was able to calculate the depth of the rock base which would be
required for a swimming pond. In July 1899 James R. Jenkins, secretary of the Swimming Club, wrote to the Town Council requesting
permission to have the occasional race in the harbour during the summer evenings. Jenkins said the swimmers would be in proper bathing
costumes. The Swimming Club and Humane Society held their annual aquatic gala in the harbour from 1895. At this time the Swimming Club also
suggested a Safety Bathing Pool should be constructed at the east end of the harbour, paid for by subscriptions raised by the Swimming
Club including contributions from Prince Edward Saxe-Weimar and the MP's Robert Haldane and Arthur Balfour. The Pool was constructed by
civil engineers Belfrage & Carfrae and opened on 8th August 1900.
James H. McCraken was appointed Pond Keeper and Swimming Master on 17th April 1920. He resigned after his request for two assistants
during July and August was turned down. In October 1922 the Eastern Counties Amateur Swimming Association voted in favour of mixed
bathing in Corporation swimming ponds, if proper dressing facilities were provided. McCracken moved to Troon and Fred W. Lemmon was
appointed Pond Master in April 1932, Three years later McCracken was reinstated as Pond Master. The peripheral buildings were completed
in 1930 and spectators at the swimming pool had to pay for the first time in 1964.
The pond initially was run by the swimming club but in 1905 when enough money was raised to pay off the capital cost the North
Berwick Town Council took control. In 1917 the Town Council appointed a pond mistress Ethel Baillie to take over from Mr Hope
who was called up for military service. In 1920, Jim McCracken was pond master during the summer and the rest of the year he
taught at Portobello School.
Scottish speed champions Ellen King and Jean McDowall (both Olympic swimmers) were coached at North Berwick at a time when a daily ticket
cost six pence. Ellen King (1909-1994) was a winner of two Olympic medals, three Commonwealth (Empire) Games medals and a dual world
record holder. Every swimmer of repute appeared in exhibitions at the pool, including regular visits from world famous American high
board divers.
The first mention of the North Berwick Cricket Club was in March 1884 when George Hamilton, a grocer and club secretary requested permission
from the Town Council to play cricket on the East Links, which was approved. The Yachting Pond was constructed in 1924 supervised by John
C. Miller Burgh Surveyor and laid out below the high water mark, north of Melbourne Road costing £45. In August the Town Council
provided prizes for the first yachting competition Bowling Club
In May 1854 Councillor William Walker intimated that several individuals had approached him to form a Bowling Club. They suggested a site
on top of Castle Hill and Councillor Walker said he would submit plans to the Town Council. The following month when the subject was raised
again, the Chief Magistrate David S. Meikham intimated he had received numerous complaints about the proposed site and suggested an area
east of Castle Hill would be more acceptable.
The Bowling Club was founded in 1865 with the green laid out on ground south of Kirkports provided by Sir Hew Hamilton Dalrymple. Among
the founder members were Alex McKenzie (Grocer), Andrew Wallace (Solicitor) and Peter Brodie jnr. (Post Office). In May 1902, Donald
Jackson, honorary secretary of the Bowling Club requested permission from the Town Council to lay out a bowling green on the East Links.
The Town Clerk advised the Council that residents in Marine Parade had objected to the application and there were also legal objections.
Sir Walter Hamilton-Dalrymple offered ground in Clifford Road and in June 1903 the Bowling Club requested the installation of a water
supply which the Town Council agreed at £1 per annum. A second green was added in 1923.
In 1853, William Walker mentioned above, was a Town Councillor and a carpenter to trade, employing four men. He purchased land on the
northern site of Shore Street (24 Victoria Road) and built the existing house and stables. In 1858 Walker had a disagreement with the
Town Council, and was instructed to remove the buildings erected on the ground not conveyed to him and which formed an encroachment on
the sea beach. In 1860 William Walker emigrated to New Zealand with his wife and five sons. The family resided on Clyde Street in Dunedin
where William Walker died in 1862, aged 40 years. His youngest son Andrew Walker, born in North Berwick in 1855 became a prominent union
leader before joining the United Labour Party and was elected to the New Zealand Parliament as MP for Dunedin North in 1914. Tennis Courts
In January 1914, the Town Council decided to layout four tennis courts and a pavilion on the East Links. The courts were constructed by
Messrs Maxwell M. Hart (Glasgow) Ltd. and the blaise supplied by Portobello Brick Company. The pavilion designed and built by F.D.
Cowiesons & Co. (Glasgow) cost £49-15/-. An advert carried in the Courier during the month of May suggested the best place to buy a
racket was at Ben Sayers shop at 21 and 27 Station Hill where he had a large selection by the world's best makers costing between 4/9d
and 31/-.
At the opening ceremony on 10th June 1914, Provost MacIntyre presented Miss Swan of St Baldred's Tower with a racket and ball suitably
inscribed for her to play the opening shot. An exhibition match followed, arranged between Miss Swan and the Secretary of the East Of
Scotland Lawn Tennis Association with eight players taking part.
Miss Beatrice Swan was the daughter of James Swan director of John Swan & Sons Ltd. Auctioneers of Live Stock. Her father owned property
at 24 Eglington Crescent, Edinburgh and St Baldred's Tower, North Berwick with its own tennis court. The Town Council thanked Miss Swan
for entertaining the players and visitors on the opening day. The following year David Matheson, Balfour Street was appointed caretaker
and attendant. In October 1919, the Burgh Surveyor John C. Miller drew up plans to modify the tennis courts to championship dimensions.
They were laid out by John McNulty & Co, 14 Atholl Place, Dunfermline on a north to south direction at a 26 degree angle, on flat ground.
Hugh Pow the Honorary Secretary of the Tennis Club submitted their draft rules and regulations for the approval of the Town Council and
the North Berwick Lawn Tennis Club was founded on 4 May 1920. A family ticket cost 15/-, monthly 12/6, daily 2/-. Hamilton Dunn was
appointed caretaker. There was a request to use the facility as an artificial Curling and Skating pond in the winter as the courts flooded,
but this was refused.
In December 1926, the Town Council contacted the Scottish Lawn Tennis Association requesting their permission to organise a tournament.
They gave their approval and the authority to use the title 'The East Lothian Open Tournament' held for the first time on 13-18 June 1927.
In 1994, Andy and Jamie Murray played tennis at North Berwick. This was in the days when brother Jamie was considered the better prospect.
At North Berwick Gordon Scott partnered nine-year-old Jamie in the handicap doubles tournament while six-year-old Andy teamed up with dad
Willie. Mother Judy, a former Scottish women's champion was in the gallery. The brothers also played Dunbar in 1998 and went on to be
number one tennis players in the world in November 2016. Putting Greens The first mention of a putting green in the town was in April 1919 when David M. Lewis, Duneaton House, 1 Pointgarry Road, North Berwick wrote to the Town Council suggesting the laying out of a putting green on Elcho Green. Later that year the Town Councillors visited St Andrews to discuss the laying out of their putting green. They were met by the Provost of St Andrews and Mr. Watson the Burgh Surveyor who supplied the original drawings for the Himalayas Putting course. The North Berwick Town Council asked Ben Sayers Jnr. and Andrew Gilholm the head greenkeeper at the Glen course to layout an eighteen hole putting green. Baillie George Nelson offered his disused bathing box as the starters hut, erected on the putting green. Willie Robertson the blacksmith at 33 Forth Street made the metal flag posts and cups and the posts on Beach Road were supplied by David Stevenson, Rosehall, Haddington. Tom Irvine a former greenkeeper was appointed caretaker and the putting green was officially open on Monday 14 June 1920. A second eighteen hole putting green was laid out the following year when Councillor Loftus Calder offered a trophy for a putting competition known as the Calder Cup. The decorative compass beside the stair leading from the harbour to the pier was gifted by Loftus Calder in 1932. The first Daily Record putting competition was held in 1926 with competitors from all over the country taking part. In 1921 the putting green was featured in a painting by Sir John Lavery called 'Putting Course'. Lavery spent several summers in North Berwick living in Westcliffe, 14 York Road, and also as a guest of Sir Patrick Ford at Westerdunes. The first mention of a putting green on the East Links was in September 1921. North Berwick Yacht Club and Curling Pond.
The original North Berwick Yacht Club was founded in 1900. The curling pond was situated at the foot of Berwick Law with access
from Glenburn Road which was used by very active clubs at North Berwick (1855), Balgone (1887) and Tyninghame. The North Berwick
Dowcate Curling Club was founded in 1909 with the Curling Pond off Nungate Road until it closed in 1957. The Boys Brigade meetings
were held in the Foresters Hall and on 12th August 1908 the 1st North Berwick Scout troop was founded, one of the earliest in
the country. In 1905, Major General Baden Powell spent a holiday at Leuchie as a guest of Colonel Sir William Gardiner Baird. He
was greeted by a large cheering crowd when he arrived at the North Berwick railway station. The North Berwick Brownies certificate
of incorporation was signed by Lady Baden Powell on 13th December 1921.
In 1877 there was a large fire in William Auld's timberyard situated between Balderstane Wynd and the Abbey Church. John Forrest, coach hirer in Beach Road sent an express to Haddington for the Fire Engine. The Town Council discussed purchasing a fire engine similar to the engine at Archerfield but the decision was defered for another ten years. Throughout the early years of the twentieth century the sound of music and laughter could be heard from the open-air ' Pierrots' variety show on the esplanade while crowds of over three thousand watched the aquatic gala's at the swimming pool. The controversial subject of mixed bathing was passed by the Town Council in 1905. Hugh Kirkwood, a ship's wright from Govan was the original boat hirer in North Berwick. In July 1886 he asked the Town Council for permission to erect a sign-board on the new quay at the harbour. Kirkwood may have constructed his own fleet of rowing boats which he hired out on the West Bay. He complained to the Town Council that he paid 10/- harbour rates for each boat per year and his boats were only in the water for five months. Unfortunately the Council could not see their way to reduce his rates. In December 1886, the Rowing Pleasure Boats Hire Company as Hugh Kirkwood advertised his business requested permission to remove a section of leck rock on the West Bay, situated 80 yards west of the west quay stairs. He also requested permission to make a wooden platform for the visitors to access the rowing boats. The Town Council granted permission as long as the work was carried out at his own expense and George Lumsden, Inspector of Works was instructed to supervise the works. St Baldred's Lady's Cycle Club
No records have survived from the formation of the North Berwick Cycle Club but by 1900 there were cycle clubs catering
exclusively for men in Haddington, Dunbar, Musselburgh and North Berwick. There were two attempts in North Berwick to
establish a Ladies Cycle Club firstly in April 1902 and again in February of 1905 when the St Baldred's Lady's Cycle Club
was born. There are no records surviving from that period only the year the club disbanded in April 1912 when their funds
were donated to the Bowling Club Bazaar. The Bass Rock Cycle Co. at 8 High Street, North Berwick offered Cycles for Hire
and teaching was a speciality.
Photographers
The earliest photographer in North Berwick was James Abbott Jnr. who rented property in the Dalrymple Buildings in 1883. His father also
James Abbott was a photographic artist at 57 Constitution Road, Dundee. In June 1889 the Town Council received a request from Sam Scott
in Elie for a piece of ground where he could erect a photo tent approximately 18 feet x 9 feet. He suggested a site on the opposite side
of the road north of the Lifeboat House, adjoining the wall of the Auld Kirk green. The photo tent was to be in place for 12 weeks and
he offered to pay a rent of 5/- per week which the Town Council accepted. Another photographer David H Ross also requested permission
to construct a timber photographic studio in the same area. David H Ross was the son of John Ross who had a photographic business at 41
George Street, Edinburgh. The Ross family also owned the photographic studio at 7 Station Road, North Berwick until 1915 when James C.H.
Balmain a photographer from Edinburgh took over the property. Ross took the official photographs at the Open Golf Championship at Muirfield
in 1896. In 1921 E.W.Parker had a photographic studio at 25 Station Road, Messers Whyman & Gray had a studio in Church Road, and in 1925
George W. Day and James Govan, photographers at 58 High Street, Dunbar, opened a studio in Market Place, North Berwick. In 1930 the
British Photomation Trading Company applied to the Council to have their kiosk situated on the sea front, but the application was refused.
In 1923 a group lead by Messers Hunter and Laidlaw were in negotiations with Colonel Nisbet Hamilton Grant owner of Archerfield Estate to
purchase land in the area of Yellowcraig and establish the Fidra Golf Club. They proposed to erect a clubhouse in the grounds of Link
House Wood west of Invereil House and that year they made enquires to North Berwick Town Council regarding the cost to supply gas and
water to the premises. Former Provost John MacIntyre was also involved in this project. He had previously been in lengthy negotiations to
purchased the ground on behalf of North Berwick Town Council for a relief golf course. In 1922, Grant benevolently gave a piece of ground
to the villagers of Dirleton where a nine-hole course was laid out and tended by a band of 30 local enthusiasts. It was known as the Fidra
Golf course and survived until 1940 when the land was commandeered by the Ministry of War.
Fidra Golf Course
Among the duties carried out by the Police Sergeant James Snowie was the ringing of the curfew bell. In September 1894 he expressed his
desire to refrain from carrying out this demeaning task. David Ross the gravedigger was appointed at 2/6d per week and Mr. A. Paton, the
Tacksman of Customs wrote to the Council offering his services as the curfew bell ringer at 2/- per week. In August 1896 a travelling
circus camped on the eastern portion of the West Links and erected a marquee without permission. The previous week a booth for preaching
was erected in the same place, again without permission. Sir Walter Hamilton Darymple wrote to the Town Council requesting this practice
be stopped.
In 1893 Sir Walter Hamilton-Dalrymple feud an acre-and-a-half of land to the Commissioners of North Berwick for an Isolation Hospital
south of the Newhouse Road (Gilsland). Construction started in 1898 and the building consisted of two wards with 16 beds and the opening
ceremony was carried out by Lord Trayner (The Grange) on 29 March 1900. The hospital closed in October 1931.
Hope Rooms
In May 1898 the trustee's for Miss Lucy Hope purchased the old Slaughter House in Forth Street and applied to the Council to erect a
building to be known as the 'Caddie Institute' or the Hope Rooms. John Muirhead Builders, Dalkeith were awarded the contract and he
offered to remove the adjacent town byre and use the materials in the construction. For many years the community spirited Miss Lucy Hope
provided a building where the caddies could meet during the winter months. Lucy was born 1856 daughter of George William Hope MP,
Luffness, Aberlady and his wife Caroline Montagu Scott. In 1890 Lucy resided in Angus House, 7 West Bay Road (now No.16) North Berwick.
She not only assisted in the regulation of the Caddie Institute but had a sympathetic ear for the welfare of the men's families when
times were hard. There was a billiard table, card games, daily newspapers and a roaring fire in the winter. The Institute closed in June
and re-opened in late October.
An annual golf match was played between Tantallon Golf Club and a team representing Lucy Hope's Angus Golf Club which included a number of
local golfers who emigrated to America. Ben Sayers (North Berwick); David Grant (Biarritz GC, France); James Souter (Tuxedo GC, New
); James Ferguson ( Spring Lake GC, New Jersey) ; George Sayers (Merion GC. Philadelphia); George Livingstone (Belle Meade GC, Nashville);
James L. Fowler; William Hunter; George Pearson.; P.eter Purves, (Essex Falls Country Club); G. Thomson (Scarsdale NY) and William Hunter
(Onwentsia, IL). The Tantallon team included John Gardener and two former Amateur Champions Johnny Laidlay and Robert Maxwell. In 1937
she was conferred with the Freedom of the Burgh for her work in the community. Lucy Georgina Hope died 14th March 1946, North Berwick aged
90 years.
In 1898, George Fowler purchased the old Dirleton Granary on the corner of Forth Street and Market Place and applied to the Dean of Guild
to build a stables and coachouse. The stables were on the first floor accessed by an outside ramp. In June 1898 the Council approved a
request from Harry Crawford to erect a temporary stand on the East Links for refreshments on the occasion of day trips. Campbell also
organised the stand on the West Links serving the golfers with aerated water and bars of Duncan's Chocolate.
In 1927, George Souter resigned his post as Lamplighter, a position which became ceremonial. That year the Town Council built public
toilets at the junction of Quality Street and Melbourne Place including a Tourist Information Centre and garden. The final Public Roup
took place in the Council Chambers on 29 April 1930 when five ice-cream stances were auctioned on ground east of Heriot Place (Victoria
Road) The successful bidders were (Stance 1) George R. Thomson, (2) T. Di Rollo, (3) Luca Scappaticcio, (4) Benedette Di Rollo, (5) F. Di
Rollo, but were not permitted to open on a Sunday. Mr. J. D'Ambrosio did not bid for a stance but continued to produce ice-cream in the
Duchess Cafe at 95 High Street with a pianist playing in the window. The following year U.L.De Marco requested a stance at the putting green.
Harbour Pavilion and One-way Traffic System
In 1927 East Lothian County Council identified ground on the High Street owned by former Provost John MacIntyre for the new Police Station.
The widening of Beach Road was in progress and the Council purchased part of the Rhodes Farm and Steading from the farmer John Lambie. The
deputy Harbour Master Robert Russell died in 1930 and was replaced by George Kelly. Dr. Laurence C.M.Wedderburn, established his medical
surgery at 1 Dirleton Avenue. In December 1929 the Town Council submitted plans for a Harbour Pavilion drawn up by architects Mears &
Carus-Wilson, Edinburgh and the main contractor was Glasgow-based D.McKellar. The building was leased to James C. Lumsden who organised
dances and other entertainments.
Following a trail period of a one-way traffic system on Forth Street, High Street and Beach Road during the summer months, the
new one-way regulations were implemented in May 1931. That year there was no cattle or horses owned by the Burgesses grazing on the Town
Common (East Links) a tradition dating back to before the written records of the town. In 1931 the grazing was leased out to Messers
William & David Wright, Heugh Farm who had 12 cows on the common. Dundas Thomson, Mains Farm grazed stock on the Recreation Park. In
1930 the Town Council requested that H.M.Postmaster General establish a telephone kiosk on the corner of Dunbar Road and Lochbridge
Road. The Telephone Company agreed if the Town Council guaranteed revenue of £16 a year.
1931 was the first year a list of summer entertainments were organised by the Town Council. Starting in July with the Daly Mail 'Sand'
Competition, Model Yacht Competitions, Daily Record 'Putting' Competition, Fancy Dress Parade in aid of Edinburgh Infirmary, Tennis
Competitions, Seaside Mission finishing in September with a Swimming Gala. The first mention of a second Putting Green adjacent to the
Tennis Courts was minuted in November 1931.
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The Early Settlers The formation of the landscape around North Berwick dates back over 340 million years, when this area was desert. Berwick Law and the islands of Craigleith, Fidra, Lamb and Bass Rock are composed of igneous fire work formed during the early carboniferous era. This was the site of many volcanic eruptions and these famous landmarks are the result of the mouth of the volcano being choked with its own molten lava, forming a plug when extinct. During the ice-age, Scotland was covered in a frozen glacial blanket that rubbed and wore away the volcanic ash and soft sedimentary layers. When the glacier receded it exposed the black rock visible today. The oldest rock in the area can be seen at Smiley Knowe. In both the East and West Bays, there is evidence of lava-flow of the most extensive nature with enormous deposits of volcanic ash or scoriae, forming the flat red tuffs visible at low tide. Farther east the colour changes to green and a basalt dyke of considerable length appears on the shore opposite the Leithies. Tuff is much easier to work than basalt and the resulting Red Leck in Milsey Bay was quarried for building and oven lining in the late Middle Ages. There is documentary evidence that red leck from the East Bay was used to line the ovens in Edinburgh Castle. Professor Fleming of Edinburgh University was the first to observe the marks of glacial action on the striated rocks at the Auld Kirk in 1846. According to some writers the first inhabitants of North Berwick came from the Elbe, they settled on the coast where water was available and their principal food was shell fish gathered from the rocks. In 2001, the remains of a Mesolithic round house was discovered at East Barns near Dunbar, dating from 8,000 BC. This is the oldest house to be unearthed by archaeologists in the United Kingdom. It is believed the inhabitants survived on a diet of seafood, deer from the inland forests and gannets from the Bass Rock which they could reach in a day using their currachs. The early settlement at North Berwick would have been similar, constructed on the high ground on the south of Berwick Law, where there is evidence of at least eighteen hut circles, rich middens and a field system dating from 2000 years ago. There is also the remains of a defensive stone dyke and ramparts which were not just military artifacts but show that farming and a peaceful settlement was a feature here. Activity in more recent times can also be found near the summit, notably a rare example of a stone-built Napoleonic period watch-tower with the outline of a garden. There are traces of four such settlements in the district, first and most important was on the hill, above the west beach. In 1907 the remains of two Neolithic or Bronze Age middens were discovered under the stone floor of Tusculm, 8 York Road. Their burial ground was between that house and the shore, which was discovered when the gasworks were being erected close to what is now the eighteenth fairway on the West Links. A medieval pottery in the shape of a jug was dug up in this ancient tumular cemetry. It measured eleven and a quarter inches in height and about five and a half inches in diameter and was covered in a geeenish glaze common on pottery of that early period. Since ancient times there was a burn in this area which flowed into the sea and was crossed by a timber footbridge, still being used in 1854. There was another settlement east of the Eil Burn where several internments and urns were found. These internments are believed to date from the beginning of the Christian era. The fourth settlement was above the Leithies on the Rhodes Farm where a kitchen midden was found, it contained a stratum of shells, pieces of broken pottery, fragments of bones and wood ashes. A similar site was also detected on Castle Hill, the grassy mound between Marine Parade and Tantallon Terrace, where a castle once stood owned by the Earls of Fife. While excavating the lake in Balgone Estate, workmen discovered several wooden plies hidden beneath the surface, as if fixed there to support a habitation. Near them was found parts of a skull, and other items in keeping with an early settlement such as bones, flints and charred stones. When the foundations of Silverbank (41 Westgate) were being taken out, the workmen found hundreds of coins, a large number of these being silver pennies of the reigns of Alexander II of Scotland and Edward I of England and in 1896 several similar coins were found when laying a new drain in the 'Cats Close' off High Street. Theses finds show that the English forces had been in North Berwick prior to the battle of Bannockburn. It is known that 2000 marks were sent by ferry from here to Earlsferry in March 1304 to Edward I at Dunfermline. During the upgrading of the town water mains in October 2002 deposits of animal bones, shellfish and fragments of pottery were discovered buried beneath the High Street. Several midden layers were traced less than half-a-metre below the surface, dating from the 14th century. The material contained a variety of shellfish, mediaeval pottery and bones from sheep and cattle lodged between layers of sand. The largest concentration was found west of the Council Chambers, consistent with a midden pile where the inhabitants would discard their waste into the street. Town Eastern Boundary Wall
In May 2003, the foundations of a 15th century wall was discovered in Melbourne Place, leading to speculation that this was the
town's eastern boundary wall. This theory was reinforced when the shell and bone fragments discovered in East Road came to an
abrupt end opposite the Vennel in line with what may have been the boundary wall leading to the beach.
The remains of an old metal road made up of large red sandstone blocks was exposed 30cm beneath Victoria Road. According to the
archaeologists, the road from Quality Street to Victoria Road is the oldest road in the burgh, and among the artefacts unearthed
in Quality Street was a whale bone scarred with the marks of a sharpe implement similar to a cooking knife.
During Roman times, a Welsh-speaking Goddodin tribe dominated the area from their hill forts on Traprain Law, Berwick Law and
the Garletons whose King Loth gave his name to the whole region. By the seventh century after heavy defeat at Catterick they fell
prey to Northumbrians surging north from their capital at Bamburgh.
Despite becoming a Christianised province of Northumbria, sealed by a monastery founded by Baldred their rule was weak, explaining
survival of many Brythonic place names such as Pencaitland, Aberlady, Tranent and Longniddry. During the next 300 years most of
the county's main settlements appeared with names of Anglian origin such as Tyninghame, Haddington, Kingston, Sydserff and Linton.
The Vikings raidings introduced their influence as they settled and created the origins of Dunbar leaving Norse local names Ð
Fidra, and Scoughall. A key moment was the Battle of Carham in 1018 when Malcolm I lead an army into Northumberland and defeated
the English Earl of Uhtred to secured Lothian as part of Scotland. Royal Scottish Geographical Society
The Royal Scottish Geographical Society came about as a result of a conversation between a young mapmaker and the daughter of a
famous explorer during a walk along the beach near North Berwick. Inspired by what they had discussed, John Bartholomew and Agnes
Livingstone-Bruce drew up an outline for the proposed Society and took it to James Geikie, professor of geology at Edinburgh
University. And so it was that the Society was established in December 1884.
The name North Berwick (Bearaig a Tuarth) means 'North' barley farmstead. Bere in Old English means 'barley' and wic in Old English
is 'farmstead'. The word North was applied to distinguish this Berwick from Berwick-upon-Tweed, which throughout the Middle Ages the
Scots called South Berwick. It was recorded as Northberwyk in 1250. |
The Pilgrim Ferry In the middle ages people would travel vast distances to worship and pray in the presence of holy relics at sites such as St Andrews in Fife. Ever since St. Rule was washed ashore with the remains of the apostle St Andrew in 365 AD, the town has been a place of Christian teaching and worship. The relics consisted of the bones from three fingers, a kneecap and a bit of skull, and the pilgrims thought they had super natural powers and praying in their presence would heal their illness. Three ferries crossed the Forth at Queensferry, Leith and North Berwick, despite the later being the widest and most exposed it was the shortest route from England. The ferry was established in 950 AD between North Berwick, Dirleton and Earlsferry in Fife, and more than 15,000 people made the trip in 1412 alone. The town of Earlsferry was named after MacDuff, Earl or Thane of Fife who also owned lands at North Berwick and used a ferry to cross the Firth of Forth. The Kings and Queens invested heavily in promoting the monastery at St Andrews. They also built the church of St. Rule, its enormous square tower was like a beacon and could be seen for miles around. In 1362, King David II narrowly escaped being shipwrecked in the Forth Estuary while sailing from North Berwick to Earlsferry. To show his gratitude he expanded the existing cult and built a chapel to St Monan close to the point where he came ashore in Fife. The original St Monans shrine and Ardross hospice was under the patronage of the Cistercian Nunnery at North Berwick during the period when the Earl's Of Fife prevailed. To serve the needs of the Catholic pilgrims using the ferry at North Berwick a hospice and church were built. The ruins of the church can be seen on the Anchor Green and the hospice was situated to the north west of the church. Inside the church was an alter to the Virgin Mary, lime washed walls and a floor decorated with tiles made by the nearby nunnery kilns.The nuns from North Berwick Abbey also looked after the hospice at Earlsferry. There were guest-houses built by the Lauder family at North Berwick harbour to accommodate the pilgrims on a site now occupied by the granaries. Robert Lauder later built and was patron of the famous Hospital of Poor Brethren (commonly known as Lauder's Hospital) at North Berwick circa 1540 sited in the area presently occupied by the Housing Association flats in Quality Street. The chaplain of the hospital was James Cowan. St Andrew's Well situated close to the Wall or Well Tower in the Lodge Grounds was possibly a holy well, and a meeting place for the pilgrims before they continued their journey by sea from North Berwick. The journey to a shrine was not only spiritual but a holiday, particularly for the peasant farm workers as their landlord was obliged to grant time off work to take part in a pilgrimage and the church looked after their procession while they were away. Pilgrims meant money, they were the tourists of their day, producing prosperity in their wake in souvenirs and trade at the market stalls. A clay mould for casting lead pilgrim badges was unearthed on anchor green. The cast depicted the figure of St Andrew on his diagonal cross. These lead badges or tokens were sold to pilgrims by the nuns as a souvenirs to be sewn onto a pilgrim's clothing as a token they had undertaken the arduous ferry crossing. Often the nuns would light lamps on the rocks to guide the travelers when the Fife coast was shrouded in thick mist and the sea was running high. Whitekirk
In the 12th century the ancient church of Whitekirk became famous due to its holy well dedicated to St Mary the Virgin which attracted
pilgrims from far and wide. Whitekirk was on the route of the pilgrims from St Andrews to Santiago de Compostela and they used to
stop here for food and prayer. In 1356 King Edward III of England plundered the church, desecrated the shrine of Our Lady at
Whitekirk and took away the offerings left by the pilgrims. In contrast, King James I of Scotland placed the church under his
personal protection, also having hostels built near by to shelter the growing number of pilgrims.
In 1294 the Countess of Dunbar built a chapel and chantry at Whitekirk. The Countess dedicated the chapel to 'Our Lady' in gratitude
to the miracle she received from a nearby well, securing Whitekirk's position on the pilgrim route to and from Santiago de Compostela
in Spain. In 1413 over 15,000 pilgrims passed through North Berwick, stopping at the chapel dedicated to St Mary at Whitekirk before
crossing by ferry to the St Monans shrine in Fife and on to St Andrews, raising 1422 merks annually.
In 1435 Aeneas Silvius Piccolini later became Pope Pius II was travelling to Scotland on a diplomatic mission as a Papal legate when
his ship was beset by a severe storm, after the crew said a solemn prayer to Our Lady the ship made it safely to Dunbar. The ferry
depicted in the North Berwick Coat of Arms was also used by James VI in 1592. By the mid 16th century, pilgrim numbers had dwindled
and had ceased altogether by the end of the century due to the king's separation from the pope and dissolution
of the monasteries.
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The Royal Charter William, Earl of Douglas, acquired the barony of North Berwick in 1371 and laid the foundation of the long, extensive and powerful influence of the Douglas family in East Lothian. It was forfeited in 1455 by James, Earl of Douglas; but in 1479 it was granted by James lll, with most of the forfeited estates of that Earl, to his heir Archibald, Earl of Angus and erected into a free barony. It was sold by the Marquis of Douglas to Sir Hew Dalrymple, Lord President of the Court of Session in 1694 and remains in the ownership of his descendants. The original charter of Royal Burgh was granted to the town in 1373 during the reign of Robert II, but this was suppressed by William, Earl of Douglas who held the barony of North Berwick during that period. The Earl refused to implement the charter because he might lose his right of superiority over the port and burgh. Although at this time the main trade was wool and only small amounts were being exported. Even at its peak in 1429 only ten tons of wool were exported yearly. The charter now in existence was granted by James VI and 1, on 18th September 1568 although this particular ruler was born in 1566 and inherited the throne of Scotland at the tender age of 13 months old. The charter would have been granted by a regent acting in his name. In that charter mention is made of the original document being destroyed by fire. It narrates 'calling to mind that our predecessors of good memory did of old erect and make our burgh of North Berwick into a free royal burgh, and that the ancient infeftment thereupon granted to them by our said predecessors in the time of the burning of the said burgh by the English was burnt and destroyed, and so cannot readily be found. We with consent of our Regent foresaid (James, Earl of Murray) have erected, made, and confirmed, as by the tenor of our present charter we erect, make, and confirm, the said town of North Berwick into a free royal burgh.' A ratification of this was passed again in 1609. In 1391 Robert III visited North Berwick as shown by the following extract from the Exchequer Rolls for that year :- Et solute pro expensis domini regis factis apud Northberwyk in mense Januarii ultimo preteriti. In 1404, Prince James with his protector Sir David Fleming passed through North Berwick on his way to the Bass Rock, where he was to embark for France for his education and safety. In 1491, Bothwell accompanied by the Bishop of Glasgow also found North Berwick a convenient port of embarkation when on a mission to the continent to find a queen for James IV at the Courts of France and Spain. Included in the privileges and status of being granted a Royal Burgh was the right to levy the King's custom duties and have a market-cross where the sale of leather, skins, wool and other merchandise was permitted. This was the exclusive preserve of the town's burgesses. One of their principal roles was to prosecute illegal trade, and to enforce the king's charters. The town was also allowed to return a representative to the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh but according to the records, no member from this district attended until 1481. North Berwick was one of sixty-six royal burghs in existance at the time of the Union in 1707. No new royal burghs have been created since. The Burgh Charter worked effectively for over 600 years until 1975 when government legislation disbanded the Town Council in favour of local authority regionalisation. Part of this restructuring was to elect a Community Council to represent the views of the town and whose first priority was to enlist the assistance of Lord Lyon, King of Arms and successfully reinstate the Royal Burgh title. |
Abbey Nunnery and Witches Coven The priory of Cistercian nuns was founded by Duncan, Earl of Fife between 1147 and 1153. This house may have been founded as a Benedictine house, and later claimed to be Cistercian. The church was dedicated to St Mary by David de Brenham, Bishop of St Andrews in 1242. By 1587, the abbey was described as being in a ruinous state. The remains of the nunnery are the oldest buildings connected with the town and the total length of the building was 170 feet. Its founder also bestowed on the convent the patronage of the Auld Kirk of North Berwick. In 1296 the Prioress submitted to the power of Edward 1, ensuring protection and for a while the female inhabitants of the nunnery were safe. But with the turbulent violence during the reign of James lll, the nunnery was plundered. In 1336 the prioress was Elena de Carrick; and in 1463 the prioress was Marion Ramsay. The later died in 1474 and was succeeded by Elizabeth Forman. In 1482 she applied to Parliament for protection and redress, and the Lords decreed the restoration of the property and the repair of the damages that the assailants had inflicted. Alison Home followed as Prioress and after her Isobella Home, who in 1539 was in charge of seventeen nuns. The gravestone of Isabella Home is displayed in the local museum. Isabella was third daughter of Sir Alexander Home of Polwarth and she was followed in 1580 Margaret Home with the last two remaining nuns named Renton and Donaldson. Thus, previous to the Reformation, the nunnery had become part of the Home family estate. After the Reformation, the untransferred were erected into a lordship for Sir Alexander Home of North Berwick, a special favourite of James VI. The site of the church, which formed part of the Abbey buildings cannot now be traced but several very interesting stained floor-tiles, seemingly connected with it, have been dug up in the adjoining fields, along with a finely carved font. A charter of the Great Seal of Scotland which was confirmed at Edinburgh on 28th September 1549, mentions Robert Lauder of The Bass in occupation of the lands of Balgone, and Farm-acres, in East Lothian, the superior landlord being the Monastery of North Berwick. In this charter, signed at the monastery on 24th June 1548, Margaret, Prioress of North Berwick, sold the superiority of these properties to Alexander, brother of Patrick Home of Polwarth. A letter dated 9th April 1565, from Mary, Queen of Scots, to Mr John Spens of Condy, her advocate, ordering him to stop registration of the confirmation of Alexander Hume's feu of 80 acres of lands of abbey of North Berwick following complaint by Robert Lauder of The Bass that he and his predecessors had been kindly tenants of these lands. Several Lauders were still resident on the farm-acres in 1690 when there was a dispute about the rentals due by all the various tenants. The earliest record of land being rented by Margaret Home, the prioress at the Abbey was in 1561 when 80 acres of 'ferme lands of Norberwick' were rented to John Baillye. The Abbey Farm lands surrounded the convent and during the laying of the railway line in 1848 workmen came upon two stone cists on the farmland. Measuring a little more than four feet in length, each contained a human skeleton. In one of them an iron sword and dagger lay together and at the sides of the skeletons in both cists were urns of rough grey ware. Also in the neighbourhood was found several remarkable relics of mediaeval pottery and leaden pipes of considerable extent, which were used to draw water from higher ground to the convent. Several tobacco-pipes were also discovered from the Jacobean and Caroline periods. There are two roads remaining from those times which lead from the beach directly to the Abbey Farm. Ware Road 'ware' meaning seaweed, which was extensively used as a fertiliser and the other is the path crossing the west putting green over Beach Road through West End Place to Abbey Road which leads to the Nungate or the nun's road. Seaweed was harvested in February and spread on the land in spring as a manure for such crops as corn, barley and later potatoes. Tangle was also used especially for cabbage, while brown kelp was used as a general fertiliser. The grain from Abbey Farm was milled at the Glen, where the ruins of the Mills of Kintreath are situated. They were first mentioned in 1434, but letters inscribed on the doorpost of the middle mill suggest they were built in the 1300s and occupied until the 1840s. In 1738 a Waulk Mill was established at the foot of the Glen. 'Waulk' means preparing cloth and this mill provided fabric for local weavers. It was short lived and converted into a Wash House (1755). There was a large Mill Pond situated at the entrance to the Glen where the culvert now passes under Dunbar Road. This gave the name Lochbridge to the bridge over the reservoir. The water was controlled by a sluice gate and water lades provided overshot power for the mill wheels. The water then flowed into the Mill Sea, hence the name Milsey Bay. The Abbey was entitled to a percentage of all grain milled and was also known for it's wool, a staple export of North Berwick in mediaeval times. The wool from the Nunnery was known in Italy in the 13th century. Following the reformation the mills were the property of Patrick Home. In dry periods the water supply was insufficient to power the wheels and the grain was transferred to the mill at East Linton also owned by Home. In 1739 Sir Hew Dalrymple with the permission of the Town Council built a kiln on the burgh land. He also arranged for the construction of a waulkmill for the weavers who worked the looms at Horse Crook. The wool was exported to Bruges in Flanders where the Scots had a special agreement with the merchants of Bruges who gained a monopoly on all Scottish wool and in return the Scots paid lower custom duties. During the 15th century Bruges was the centre of the wool trade and merchants came from all over Europe to purchase their goods, so Scottish wool had a ready market. The wool was woven into fine materials for clothes, tapestries and Flemish cloth. The most famous person connected with the Scottish trade in Flanders was Anselm Adornes, governor of the Scottish privileges in Bruges. He became ambassador of James III to the Low Countries, but when King James got into trouble with his nobles, Adornes took the flak and was murdered near North Berwick in 1483. Fortunately trade with Europe continued and during the 16th century, Veere in Flanders became its centre after the river to Bruges silted up. The port of Leith dominated the Scottish trade and the merchants of Edinburgh became very wealthy. Farming came to East Lothian during the period from 1050 to 1250 through Northern Europe where the monks helped train local communities in agricultural skills. The district climate favoured arable farming which flourished until the 17th century when land was devastated during the wars with the English. In the 1690s there had been five years of famine when two Scots in every ten died of hunger. The parliament was weak and the customs and excise system notoriously corrupt. Scotland's only manufactured export was linen. The Act of Union in 1707 opened up access to markets in England but the only beneficiaries were the landlords who profited from free export of grain and cattle. Within ten years of the Union, Scottish grain exported to England had increased to unprecedented levels. But these successes produced much suffering for ordinary Scots as grain and beef supplies either ran out in Scottish markets or prices rose dramatically. In the winter of 1719, the markets along the east coast of Scotland were looking empty and ordinary people feared there would be a return to the famine. This led to enormous unrest and great bitterness among the Scots with riots, seizures of grain, burning of ricks and sabotage of landlords water supplies. Gradually the situation stabilised and during the Napoleonic wars there was more land under the plough than at any other time in history. The Prioress at North Berwick Abbey was also the owner of the tidal island where the ruins of the Auld Kirk of St Andrew are situated. Two walls from the original Romanesque church can still be seen, made up of small stones and constructed facing east to west, typical of the Celtic churches of the period. In the 13th century the church was substantially enlarged with a bell-tower added. The Auld Kirk and graveyard extended to a considerable distance eastwards but the sea gradually nibbled it away until a violent storm in 1656 reduced the buildings to ruins. During the excavation of the Auld Kirk Green in 1951 an upright slab bearing a cross on both sides was discovered which may have been a marker to indicate the church's right of sanctuary. This was important to protect those fleeing their pursuers till the due process of law could be brought into effect. For many years the Auld Kirk was used by pilgrims on their journey to St Andrews, but by the 16th century the public belief in pilgrimages had declined due to the pressures of the Reformation throughout Europe and by 1692 there were no ferries at North Berwick. The last Prioress before the reformation was Margaret Home in 1578. The Auld Kirk remained in the patronage of the nuns until the Reformation and was acquired with all their possessions in the 17th century by Lord President Dalrymple in the hands of whose lineal descendants it remained until the Act of the Abolition of Patronage came into operation at 1st January 1875. The Auld Kirk Green was an island until the end of the 18th century when the road to the harbour was made up. |
In February 2000, during the construction of the Seabird
Centre over 30 skeletons were discovered on the site of the Auld Kirk graveyard. The skeletons ranged from a new born to an
elderly woman and were in a remarkable state of preservation, the oldest is thought to date back to the 7th century. The density
of the burials with the coffins laid inches above each other and intercutting made it a complex archaeological project.
The unearthed graves, sited on the eastern portion of the old graveyard date from mediaeval times. It was not until the 17th
century that the church authorities insisted that all future burials should be on the north side, as interments on the east and
south were exposed to storm damage and ground erosion. The last burial at the Auld Kirk was between 1649-1656 when the church fell
into ruin. The Douglas and Lauder families are believed to be buried at the Auld Kirk. In a vault in 1788, a stone coffin was found containing a metallic seal with the legend 'Sigillum Williehmi de Douglas' marking the grave of Lord Douglas who lived about the year 1353. A large flat stone lying in the centre of the green enclosed by the Kirk buildings is said to mark the burying place of Lauder of the Bass. The skeleton on the left is over 500 years old. |
The Witches Coven
During the 16th century there was reputedly a witches coven practising in the town and a well publicised trial of the North
Berwick Witches took place in 1595. Accused of conspiring to do damage to King, James VI during his voyage from Denmark with his
new bride. Their ship was caught in a terrible tempest and although the royal couple escaped, the storm was later blamed on a
group of witches who met in North Berwick.
The town's connection with the plot to shipwreck the king seems to have begun with a poor maidservant from Tranent, Gelie Duncan.
Employed in the house of a wealthy local man, Chamberlain David Seton. Gelie Duncan had an exceptional gift for healing and
comforting the sick. In an atmosphere of fear and misgiving it was not long before her skills aroused suspicion and fearing that
she possessed supernatural powers, her master put her to torture, using the 'pinniewinks' thumbscrews, designed to extract quick
confessions from suspects. When Gelie Duncan kept her silence, Seton had her body examined for marks of the devil, a popular
method of identifying witches. As the devil's signs were identified on her throat, she confessed and was thrown into prison.
Under torture and interrogation, Gelie Duncan claimed that she was one of 200 witches, who at the behest of the Earl of Bothwell,
one of James's greatest enemies, had tried to overshadow the king. Some of their most extraordinary plotting she said took place
in North Berwick. At Hallowe'en in 1590, Gelie Duncan revealed, the witches sailed to North Berwick and gathered at the Kirk. On a
dark and stormy night the devil appeared to them in the church. Surrounded by black candles dripping wax, he had preached them a
sermon from the pulpit. While in the churchyard, Gelie Duncan played a Jew's harp and the throng danced wildly, singing all the
while.
The king had everyone named by Gelie brought before him. Among those put to death were Agnes Sampson from Humbie and John Fian, a
Prestonpans schoolmaster. Both were 'convicted of divers pyntis of witchcraft and brynt'. Historians dismiss the witchcraft at the
Auld Kirk as a myth, the story being tortured out of poor servant girl Gelie Duncan and in the end she was burnt as a witch on
Castle Hill, near what is now the castle esplanade in Edinburgh.
Research suggests that the trials were brought about by the efforts of the minister of Haddington, James Carmichael, working in
consort with James VI and David Seton of Tranent. Basically, it was a royal and clerical outrage that was committed against
ordinary people, which furthered their own political and clerical ends. There had been witch hunts before these trials, but they
had the effect of unleashing a national terror that lasted until the repeal of Witchcraft Act in 1735.
The victims were tortured in the most terrible ways until they said what their inquisitors desired. Bothwell was the one they
implicated, not as the devil, but as one who attended their 'conventions'. This happened at a time when Elizabeth of England had
asked James VI to deal with Bothwell, only a few years after she had his mother executed. Bothwell stood trial in 1593 and was
found not guilty. There were no conventions, pacts with the devil, or witchcraft practises, just ordinary people trying to survive
in an age of unbelievable horror - caused by the kirk and crown.
In 1650, six women were brought before the congregation of the St Andrews Old Kirk on the Anchor Green for practicing witchcraft
in the ruins of Tantallon Castle. According to the Kirk Session Book the women were listed as Agnes Lumsden, Elspeth Thomson,
Marion Patterson, Helen Nicolsone, Margaret Yule and Alison Hale. In April 1650 they faced the congregation, and listen to the
ranting of the minister William Walker against them and their sins. Due contrition was shown by the penitents as they fell to
their knees at the feet of the minister and prayed for atonement for their misdemeanors and after a suitable number of humiliating
appearances, they were forgiven. It has been suggested that this may have inspired Robert Burns to write Tam O' Shanter.
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