east-lothian-1924/05-061

Transcription

ABERLADY.] -- HISTORICAL MONUMENTS (SCOTLAND) COMMISSION. -- [ABERLADY.

FORTIFICATIONS. - Round the house at a
short distance are the relics of a considerable
ditch and regularly drawn mounds, the lines
of which may be seen in the plan given as Fig. 35
These probably represent the camp raised by
the French commander De Thermes in the
summer of 1549 to block English supplies to
[Marginal note]
[Diurnal of Occurents].
p.48.
their garrison at Haddington. ² In January
1552 the fort of Aberlady was ordered by the
Queen-Regent and the lords to be delivered to
Patrick Hepburn of Wauchton to be cast down
and destroyed, " except the housis and man-
sioun thereof " ; the artillery to be taken to
Dunbar, the mansion and houses to be 'enjoyed'
by Patrick as his heritage, as his father had
done before him. ³ Macfarlane in 1723 speaks
of " some old fortifications viz. four bastions
and two Fusnes (sic) " i.e. fosses or ditches. ⁴

HISTORICAL NOTE. - On the early history of
Luffness and the family of Bickerton see No. 1
and Introd. p. xx.

[Drawing inserted]
FIG. 35. - Earthworks, Luffness (No. 3).

There was a 13th
century castle. ⁵ In
1451 Robert de Byk-
kirtoune lord of
' Lufnois ' granted
half the lands, but
not the castle or head
messuage, to Patrick
Hepburn of Waugh-
ton, ⁶ and in 1464
William de Bekir-
toune, son and heir
of Robert, with his
father's consent,
conveyed the re-
mainder including
the head messuage,
to the same Hep-
burn in exchange for lands elsewhere. ⁷ David
Hepburn of Waughton in 1498 transferred the
barony of Waughton and that of Luffness to
his son and heir Kentigern. ⁸ (cf. No. 1).

1 Reg. Mag. Sig. s.a. No. 250 ; 2 Cf. Illus-
trations of the Reign of Queen Mary p. 37 ;
Balfour's Annales i. p. 296 ; 3 Reg. P.C. i.
p. 119 ; 4 Geog. Colls. i. p. 374 ; 5 Cal. Docts.
ii. Nos. 857, 1986 ; 6 Reg. Mag. Sig. s.a. No.
438 ; 7 Ibid, No. 782 ; 8 Ibid, No. 2455.

iv N.E. 3 July 1913.

4. Kilspindie Castle. - The ruin of this castle
lies 200 yards north of the Parish Church of
Aberlady within the glebe. The remains are
fragmentary and consist of some 33 feet of the
north wall, which is nowhere higher than 7 feet,
containing the entrance and a gunloop, and the
return of the west wall. The north wall is
2 feet 4 inches thick and the return of the west
wall 3 feet 9 inches thick.
HISTORICAL NOTE. - In 1561 it is recorded
that " Aberlady teind and ferme (i.e. rent) wes
set of auld to Archibald Douglas of Kilspindie" ¹
Aberlady was the property of the bishopric of
Dunkeld and in 1612 there is a royal con-
firmation of a grant of these lands by the
bishop with consent of his chapter, to Alexander
Hay, Clerk-Register, including " the castell
toure and fortalice biggit be Patrick Douglas
of Kilspindie upon the north part of the saidis
landis of Abirladie towards the sey" ; and of
infeftments by Hay in favour of Patrick
Douglas, junior son of the builder of the
tower and son-in-law to Hay. ² The tower is
therefore of a date in the later part of the 16th
century.

1 Rental. Dunkeld. p. 345 ; 2 Act. Parl. Scot.
iv., p. 501.

iv. N.E. 2 June 1913.

5. Ballencrieff House. - Ballencrieff House
occupies a level site 1 3/4 miles south-east of
Aberlady village, immediately south of the
railway. The structure was erected in the
early 17th century and added to in the 18th
century. A disastrous fire about the end of
last century gutted the building, which has
since been allowed to lapse into its present
desolate condition. On plan (fig. 36) the
mansion is oblong with its major axis lying
approximately east and west ; the south-
western portion is the original 17th century
structure and contained three storeys beneath
its wall head with an attic storey lit by dormer
windows in the roof. The ground floor con-
tains a kitchen on the east with a wide arched
fireplace in its west wall, the kitchen communi-
cating by a corridor with the original entrance
and two vaulted cellars. The stonework of
one dormer is still in situ ; the pediment is
triangular and bears the initials D E D (Dame
Elizabeth Dundas, second wife of Sir Patrick

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