after a while, perhaps for a diversity, it became better
known
as Salt Preston.
Seeing that the monks of Newbattle had their habitation in
the immediate neighbourhood, it is but reasonable to suppose
that they would have a place of worship not far off. The Abbey
of Holyrood had already secured the church at Tranent and
all the tithes pertaining thereto. The Abbey of Newbattle
secured a habitation on the same great estate, but it did
not acquire the same privileges as its forerunner. Thus we
find the church of Preston entitled " a vicarage of the
Abbey of Holyrood, " and this explains the cause of the
dispute that raged for so many years between the rival abbeys
about the tithes of these lands, ultimately settled by compromise,
favourable to the Abbey of Holyrood.
It is a matter of history that the church of Preston, together
with Preston Tower, was burned by Lord Hertford and his English
army previous to the battle of Pinkie in 1544. The tower was
repaired and inhabited once more, and there is no doubt about
its original situation. But where the church was situated
there is not the least hint given. The upheaval which was
ultimately to culminate in the overthrow of the Romish Church
in Scotland had already set in. The monks of Newbattle seem
to have scented defeat from afar, and let their church at
Preston go with the flames; but they took very good care to
retain the lands for the lords of Newbattle. In that curious
old opening east of Northfield House known as " Katie
Herrin's Close " some curious things may be observed.
In the old walls, for instance, there are several arches,
while the crumbling walls themselves seem to have been repaired
betimes with stones removed from some church or churchyard.
They are covered with defaced inscriptions. There is an old
bell suspended from a tree not far off, and an old church
pillar in the neighbourhood of the cross, both of which were
known to have belonged originally to this close. We know that
a very large brewery once existed here. The arches in the
walls may have led to the brewery vaults, or they may have
led to the vaults of a church. But inscriptive stones have
more to do with a burial than a brewery place. A graveyard
may also have been here, and from the fact of Davidson being
appointed to South Preston, the original church may also have
been here.
It is a historical fact that the monks had many processions
from their church at Preston by way of Bankton (Holy Stop)
to the Abbey of Newbattle.
If tradition holds true, there were many processions along
this route besides these monkish ones, and not all so quietly
conducted. This being the main highway not only between Holyrood
House and Seton Palace, but many other noblemen's seats, "there
were, " it is said, " continual royal and other
processions along this way, and that these were often the
scene of more merriment than discretion. "
If these are tales of verity, surely the people of Preston
would have a hand in the merriment as well as the comers and
goers, else why should such indiscretions as are hinted at
have been more observable at Preston than anywhere else along
the route? And yet, when glancing at the inscriptions over
the doorways of houses erected here some three hundred years
ago, the sacred tone of these inscriptions is apt to make
the observer think very different things of the people.
If they were given to over-indulgence at times, they were
not so much afflicted it seems for their sins and shortcomings
as other villagers around them; for it is on record that,
while neighbouring hamlets were smitten with nearly every
trouble that swept over the land, the village of Preston was
scarcely ever at all affected. More especially was this observable
during the ravages of the great black plague; while other
districts lay stricken to death beneath it, the "angel
of darkness and destruction " never halted to look in
at the village of Preston at all, and " out of gratitude
for this memorable interposition of providence " the
proprietor of Preston House had cut out over his door the
following inscription, " No plague shal. near thy dwelling
come. No ill shall thee befall. " Possibly the plague
of 1797 was here referred to. If the above inscription was
over the south door it is gone for ever, because that side
of the house was erased long ago; but if it were over the
north door, there it remains snugly ensconced behind a heavy
coat of firmly intertwined ivy, never more to be read till
the woodman with his glittering hatchet makes a clearance.
There is no doubt, however, concerning one royal procession
which passed through the old village of Preston, and this
was in 1616. During 1892, the County Council caused a cutting
for a waterway to be made down through what was wont to be
the eastern portion of the old village highway, and during
their operations they came upon a causeway about two feet
beneath the present roadway, consisting for the most part
of whinstone very much worn.
This is understood to have been thoroughly repaired at the
instigation of Sir John Hamilton of that ilk, and there is
no
|
