THE television adaptation of War and Peace has captured viewers’ imagination this winter as they are transported back to the time of the French invasion of Russia in the early 19th century.

The Napoleonic Wars, however, also left their mark on East Lothian; nearly a decade before the French invaded Russia, troops had been ordered to the county coastline to prepare for an anti-invasion role, in case Napoleon turned his sights to our shores.

The Peace of Amiens in 1801 had marked an interlude in the Napoleonic Wars, but it ended when Napoleon declared himself emperor and war broke out in 1803.

Almost immediately afterwards, a massive force was deployed in an anti-invasion role to East Lothian.

By November of that year, timber barracks had already been erected at Haddington and Dunbar.

Thomas Hume secured the position of barrack master at Dunbar.

Hume was responsible for both arranging the billeting of units posted to Dunbar – and for ensuring that there were sufficient supplies for their sustenance while there.

This was a lucrative position to have and indeed the Napoleonic War might have ravaged parts of mainland Europe but it proved beneficial to many in East Lothian at the time, who had access to supplies aplenty.

The troops posted to Dunbar (and Haddington) were generally Militia and Fencible units, those raised for home service and embodied for the duration of the war, as well as the volunteer bodies of East Lothian and adjacent counties, which were in arms for short periods only.

The barracks at Haddington were only slightly smaller in extent than those at Dunbar, being laid out at Artillery Park.

The headquarters were at Goatfield House and James Roughead of Haddington was barrack master.

A quick calculation shows that Roughead had to facilitate the delivery of about 22 tonnes of coal weekly! Most could be sourced at Prestonpans and Tranent – but it then had to be shipped to Dunbar or delivered by road to Haddington.

So at each stage there was profit for the colliers, coal company, carters and shippers, and, of course, the middle man.

The same applied to each and every commodity that the troops required, making it a golden time for some unscrupulous officers and traders.

Of course, all good things come to an end and the barracks were eventually sold off or dismantled for other uses and the troops dispersed. But many of the benefits remained: the capital that had flowed into the hands of agriculturalists and merchants went into improvements in both the countryside and in the burghs for many years to come.