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Prestonpans
Prestonpans sits on the Firth of Forth, between
Musselburgh and Cockenzie in East Lothian. The town developed from three early
settlements: Aldhamer, Preston and Cuthill. According to legend, the first of
these was founded in the 11th century by pirates that were shipwrecked here;
unable to get home they decided settle down, naming their new home after their
leader, Althamer. Preston takes its name from the priests of Holyrood and
Newbattle Abbeys that settled there in the 12th century.
The name Prestonpans is derived from the production of salt in the area
through the evaporation of water from the Firth of Forth. In 1959, the last salt
pan operating in the town, and in Scotland, closed. Another industry important
for the area and for salt manufacturing was coal mining; mining in the area
started in the early 13th century and continued in to the mid 20th century. The
Prestongrange Colliery, to the southwest of the town, opened in 1852 and closed
in 1962; it is now the home of the Prestongrange Industrial Heritage Museum
that opened in 1993 and charts the history of local businesses.
Prestonpans is possibly best known for the battle in 1745 when, in a dawn
attack, Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Jacobites defeated the Hanoverians
led by Sir John Cope; this has been commemorated in the song Hey, Johnnie
Cope, are Ye Waking Yet? A memorial to the battle is located to the east of
the town, at Meadowmill, while the battlefield itself is marked with a
pyramid-shaped mound that was created using waste from mining; information
boards, as well as a great viewpoint, can be found at the top. The Battle of
Prestonpans [1745] Heritage Trust was formed in 2006 to ensure a far
better and always accessible interpretation and presentation of the battle.
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