presented a decaying, though picturesque, appearance, and
to some degree this condition still exists, despite the many
new houses built and the open spaces created by the process
of demolition. The burgh, as at present known, was con- stituted
in 1893 under the Burgh Police Act, previously it had long
been a Burgh of Barony.
For many centuries there were two villages in the parish,
Preston and Cuthill, but since 1920 there has been so much
new building in the intervening spaces between them and the
burgh that all now virtually form one urban unit, although
for purposes of local government Preston and Guthill rank
as part of the landward area. After 1920 the old village of
Preston became the nucleus of a new garden city, built largely
to relieve overcrowding in the neighbouring burghs. The village
of Guthill, lying west of Prestonpans and close to the shore,
also belonged in ancient times to the Abbey of New- battle.
In later days it had a pottery and salt-works, and in 1840
its population was about 300. Prestongrange Pit, whose shaft
is probably the oldest in use in Scotland, was sunk in 1850,
and thereafter the population of Guthill increased considerably.
The English Company which was responsible for the sinking
built several rows of houses, which were of typical English
architecture and different from the usual " miners' raws "
of Scotland. In recent years many of them have been demolished,
and the municipal and county authorites intend to build modern
houses on the site. The higher ground south of Cuthill and
an area east of Preston have been chosen for most of the houses
built by the County Council since 1945.
The buildings of historic interest in the parish include Preston
Tower, the Mercat Gross, Hamilton House, now the property
of the National Trust, all in the old village of Preston,
and Bankton House nearby, the home of Colonel Gardiner, who
was killed in the Battle of Prestonpans in 1745 when Charles
Edward's army was led across the former marsh south of the
village to take his opponents by surprise.
Famous Men.- Several men of more than local importance
have been born, or have resided, in Prestonpans. Among them
were Alexander Hume, " the Grammarian," whose Latin Grammar
was the first to be appointed by the Scots Parliament |
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