Haddington, Town Defences
Town Defences (16th Century)
Site Name Haddington, Town Defences
Classification Town Defences (16th Century)
Canmore ID 56532
Site Number NT57SW 42
NGR NT 51 73
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/56532
- Council East Lothian
- Parish Haddington
- Former Region Lothian
- Former District East Lothian
- Former County East Lothian
NT57SW 42 51 73.
An English force, under Lord Grey of Wilton, Governor of Berwick, took Haddington (NT 5173) in the spring of 1548, and immediately fortified it, the work being planned and superintended by Sir Thomas Palmer. The enclosure was square, with bastions at the corners, was wholly con- structed of earth and turf and had an outer round-bottomed ditch, dry save in wet weather, in the digging of which old coins were found and sent to Protector Somerset with a request that one should be presented to the King, Edward IV. There was a second ditch behind the outer rampart; timbers for the earthworks were obtained close by. Within the enclosure remained "the substance of all the town and fair houses" though there was a clearance of buildings on the bank of the river. The Franciscan friary (NT57SW 15) was included within the works, but the parish church (NT57SW 2) was not. A Franco-Scottish force arrived in June 1548 and assembled batteries around the town, the French and Italian mercenaries operating from Clerkington (NT 507 726) and Lethington (now Lennoxlove - NT57SW 29, at NT 515 720). German mercenaries entrenched along the water side beyond the bridge (approx NT 519 738); the Scots were at the nunnery (NT57SW 10, at NT 534 746) and a Highland contingent occupied the hill to the N (?NT 509 747). By July 2 the town was "enclosed round about". The garrison continued with their earthen fortifications and by 22 July it was said that the town was five times stronger than when the French came. The formal siege was abandoned in August 1548, and the town did not return to the Scots until the autumn of 1549. On the conclusion of peace in 1550, the works at Haddington were entirely destroyed.
M H Merriman 1975
In 1878, while workmen were cutting a deep drain up the centre of the High Street, they cut through a point (NT 5144 7389) a few yards W of the Town House. Remains of a ditch were uncovered to a depth of 7ft and a width of 3ft which was paved with flat free-stone. Several cannon-balls were found in it. This could have been part of the 1548 system of defences.
Town Council records refer to a ditch being built on the N side of Haddington in 1542, and other on the S side in 1544.
R Gourlay and A Turner 1977; W F Gray and J Jamieson 1944; J Robb 1883
