dary, were the ten-foot park walls surrounding Preston House
and grounds. Immediately in rear of Preston House was Colonel
Gardiner's estate of Bankton, while to the east of the Colonel's
enclosures, and flanking almost the whole of the south side
of the position, was a stretch of marshy ground known as 'Tranent
Meadows'. Although some of this land had been partially drained
and divided into small enclosures surrounded by hedges and
dry- stone dykes, much the greater part of it was a deep morass
from which the surplus water was carried off by a series of
ditches. The largest of these, some 8 feet wide and 4 feet
deep, formed the southern boundary of the position for nearly
three-quarters of its length. From the so-called 'meadows'
the ground sloped gently upwards to the ridge on which stood
the village of Tranent, a huddle of mean little houses inhabited
by the colliers who worked in the surrounding pits.
There were two tracks through what Home calls 'this uncouth
piece of ground' separating the two armies. One was 'the waggon
way', a primitive railway with wooden rails, along which coal
was trundled in horse-drawn waggons from the pits around Tranent
to Cockenzie. Descending through a wooded gully called 'The
Heugh', immediately to the west of Tranent churchyard, it
traversed the morass, and after crossing the large ditch ran
north- wards across the plain towards the sea. The other,
a cart road running farther to the east, crossed 'the waggon
way' near the centre of the plain, and likewise terminated
at Cockenzie. To Cope neither was a danger as a possible line
of attack, for both were narrow and easily guarded.
On the east Cope's position was comparatively open, excepting
for the enclosures surrounding the ruins of Seton Tower, and
the cottages of Seton village.
From London's report it seemed certain that the Highlanders'
approach would be from the west, and having advanced towards
the centre of the plain. Cope drew up his army facing south-west,
with the baggage in rear. In this position he was able to
command the only approaches, either to the north of Preston
park walls, or through a narrow defile running between the
Preston and Bankton estates. He was still without regular
gunners, and for this reason the artillery, instead of being
distributed throughout the line, was posted all together on
the left wing. |
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