John Knox remembered with new plaque in his home town of Haddington

John Knox is thought to have been born on the town’s Giffordgate in the early 1500s, and went on to found the Presbyterian Church of Scotland, as well as playing a key role in the country’s Reformation.

Haddington’s History Society joined forces with the town’s community council, Haddington East Tenants and Residents Association (HETRA) and the community payback team for the project.

Marie Macpherson, of Haddington’s History Society, told the Courier: “The plaque at the John Knox Tree unveiled on March 25 was erected to mark the site of John Knox’s alleged birthplace in Giffordgate to make it more visible for visitors.

“The oak tree had been planted in 1881 on the wish of the Victorian historian Thomas Carlyle, husband of Jane Welsh Carlyle, who is buried in St Mary’s Kirk.

“The stone memorial beside the tree, which incorrectly gives Knox’s date of birth as 1505, has become illegible but revised information and a QR code with links to Haddington’s History Society website offers more details.”

The plaque is now in place on Haddington's Giffordgate.  Image: Gordon Bell

It is the latest link between Knox and Haddington, with streets and the town’s secondary school also bearing his name.

Theresa Laing, chairwoman of Haddington and District Community Council, was pleased to see the project moving forward.

She said: “Tourists stop there a lot and there was nothing to tell them about it.

“We talked about it at the Haddington East Tenants and Residents Association and Alan Dunton was really keen on it.

“He was chair at the time and we got it going to see what we could do.”

An official unveiling ceremony took place towards the end of last month, when representatives from each of the organisations were in attendance.