Dirleton

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Location
Dirleton
Dirleton

Dirleton is a village and parish in East Lothian, Scotland approximately 20 miles east of Edinburgh on the A198. It contains 7500 acres.[1] Dirleton lies between North Berwick (east), Gullane (west), Fenton Barns (south) and the Yellowcraigs nature reserve, Archerfield Estate and the Firth of Forth (north). Gullane parish was joined to Dirleton parish in 1612 by an Act of Parliament because "Golyn (as it was anciently spelt) is ane decaying toun, and Dirleton is ane thriven place."[2]

Contents

[edit] Locale

Dirleton has two hotels The Castle which looks on to the Village Green and The Open Arms Hotel. Other visitor attractions today include the Dirleton Gallery, Archerfield Links recently built with two 18 hole golf courses and hotel. Dirleton is a beautiful, quaint village surrounded by a beautiful landscape.

The church and manse of Dirleton stand immediately to the north of the village in a beautiful situation. The church has extensive Vicorian renovations, and a churchyard.[3]

[edit] Castle

Dirleton is notable for Dirleton Castle, a well-preserved medieval fortress, which today belongs to Historic Scotland. It is the caput of the feudal barony of Dirleton, said to be one of the oldest in Scotland (This barony did not, however, cover the entire parish). It was built in the middle of the twelfth century by a branch of the Anglo-Norman family of De Vaux, a family with its origins in Rouen, Normandy, which had settled at Dirleton during the reign of King Malcolm IV (1153-1165). They also held the manor of Golyn (Gullane) and parts of the lands of Fenton. In 1298 when King Edward I of England invaded Scotland, no place was able to resist him except Dirleton castle. After a resolute resistance it surrendered to forces under Antony Beck, Bishop of Durham. It was still in English possession in 1306. When Cromwell invaded Scotland in 1650 the castle was, after a gallant defence, taken by Lambert and by him partially dismantled and reduced to its present ruinous state.[4]

The heiress of William de Vaux, Lord of Dirleton, brought the barony and estates to her husband, Sir John de Haliburton, about 1430. Their grandson, Sir Walter de Haliburton, High Treasurer of Scotland, was created a Lord of Parliament in 1447. This family failed in the male line and an heiress took Dirleton to her husband, Lord Ruthven, grandfather of the Earl of Gowrie who was forfeited in 1600.[5] The barony then graduated to a number of proprietors during the corrupt 17th century. Finally, Sir John Nisbet (d. 1688), a Senator of the College of Justice as Lord Dirleton, acquired it in 1663 and the barony remained with this family into the 20th century.

In recent times the questionable practice of feudal baronies in Scotland being entirely separated from the caputs or, indeed, any land whatsoever, has arisen, the baronies being sold on in paper form only. In the late 20th century this feudal barony, in such paper form, was purchased by one Patrick Hannigan, from Savaldor in Brazil, who subsequently bequested the barony to the present baron of Dirleton, Camilo Agasim-Pereira of Fulwood and Dirleton. He was later recognized as such by charter recorded in the land Registers of Scotland on April 22, 2002. Since the Act Abolition of the Feudal System of Scotland which abolished the Feudal duty and priviles of the Barony, but did not affect the dignity of the Barons of Scotland all Baronies have now been separed from the caput (or Land). The sit of the Barony of Dirleton today is Lamb Island which is owned by the Barony of Fulwood Trust.

[edit] Congalton

The feudal barony of Congalton gave its name (or visa versa) to a very ancient family that subsisted in a part of Dirleton parish for twenty generations in the male line. The first on record, Robert de Congaltoun, witnessed a charter of Richard de Morville, Constable of Scotland, circa 1162. However, whether or not the family were then the lairds is called into question by the burial at North Berwick in May 1311 of Sir Robert de Lawedre (Lauder), where the inscription stated: "here lies the good Robert Lauedre the greate Laird of Congaltoun and The Bass Maii MCCCXI".[6] Sir John de Congaltoun of that Ilk appears to be in possession as laird just a few years later when he recorded a mortification dated December 13, 1314.[7]

The elder branch of the family succeeded through heiresses to the estates of Hepburn of Keith, in Humbie parish, and Riccart of Riccarton, in Kincardineshire. Robert Hepburn Congalton of Keith and Congalton, the 18th generation of the family, sold Congalton to his brother who became Charles Congalton of that Ilk (d. Jan 1742) who had married Janet (1671 - 1751), daughter of Sir John Lauder, Lord Fountainhall. They had William Conglatoun of that Ilk who also had issue.[8][9][10] The last of the direct male line, who died in 1804, was buried with his ancestors in the church of Golyn (Gullane).[11]

[edit] Islands

Three islands, Fidra, Ibris, and the Lamb, belong to the parish of Dirleton. Fidra is the largest, directly opposite the village, and a mile from the shore. Upon it there was once the castle of Tarbet, a possession of the Congalton family. There was also here St. Nicholas's Priory, dating from 1165, the ruins of which still exist. The monks had a ferry from the island to the mainland, from which the farm of Ferrygate takes its name.[12]

[edit] Elbottle

A Saxon word signifying "the old dwelling", Elbottle is also within Dirleton parish. Near Archerfield House there was a convent of Cistercian nuns, probably in connection with the large Cistercian nunnery at North Berwick.[13] The Lauder family held lands here also. James Lauder (d. 1631), a great-great-grandson of Robert Lauder of The Bass (d. June 1576) held three husbandlands (78 acres) plus 6 acres in Elbottle.[14] His sister Alison was wife to the Minister at Gullane, the Reverend Andrew McGhie.[15][16]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Martine, John, Fourteen Parishes of the County of Haddington, Edinburgh, 1890, p.44.
  2. ^ Martine (1890) p.52.
  3. ^ Martine (1890) p.46.
  4. ^ Martine (1890) p.45-47.
  5. ^ Martine (1890) p.47.
  6. ^ Nisbet, Alexander, Systems of Heraldry, Edinburgh, 1722, p.443.
  7. ^ Douglas, Sir Robert, The Baronage of Scotland, Edinburgh, 1773, p.521.
  8. ^ Douglas, Sir Robert, The Baronage of Scotland, Edinburgh, 1773, p.523.
  9. ^ Burke, Sir Bernard, Ulster King of Arms, Burke's Landed Gentry, 9th edition, London, 1898, vol.1, p.717.
  10. ^ Grant, Francis J., W.S., Lyon Clerk and Keeper of the Records, Index to Genealogies, Birthbriefs, and Funeral Escutcheons, Edinburgh, 1908, p.11.
  11. ^ Martine (1890) p.48 - 50.
  12. ^ Martine (1890) p.50-51.
  13. ^ Martine (1890) p.51.
  14. ^ Reports on the State of Certain Parishes in Scotland, 1627, Edinburgh, 1835, p.117, under 'Dirleton', dated May 6, 1627, there is an assessment of ground-rents and tithes.
  15. ^ Scott, Hew, D.D., Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae, Edinburgh, 1915, vol.1, p.359.
  16. ^ Transactions of the East Lothian Antiquarian and Field Naturalists' Society, 20th volume, Haddington, 1989.




East Lothian Towns & Villages
Aberlady | Athelstaneford | Auldhame & Scoughall | Bolton | Cockenzie and Port Seton | Dirleton | Drem | Dunbar | East Linton | East Saltoun and West Saltoun | Gifford | Gullane | Haddington | Humbie | Innerwick | Kingston | Longniddry | Macmerry | Musselburgh | North Berwick | Oldhamstocks | Ormiston | Pencaitland | Prestonpans | Tranent | Whitekirk and Tyninghame | Wallyford


Coordinates: 56°02′N, 2°46′W

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