A VARIETY of events covering everything from centuries-old battles and witchcraft to historic graveyards and bondagers are being held throughout the county to mark this year’s East Lothian Archaeology & Heritage Fortnight.
Starting this Saturday and running through until September 15, the 2024 programme is bigger than ever, with more than 60 events on offer, including talks, guided walks, re-enactments, exhibitions and workshops, as well as the opportunity to tune in online to a series of presentations.
The 1722 Waggonway Project will showcase some of the skills used in Cockenzie’s industrial past during an archaeology and traditional skills weekend.
The weekend, this Saturday and Sunday, will include carpentry, lime pointing and quill writing from 10am to 4pm in various Cockenzie locations.
Also on Saturday, Siege of Haddington historian Jon Cooper will talk about the development of arms and armour, tactics and strategy of the armies in East Lothian. The talk costs £4 per person and takes place in St Mary’s Parish Church, Haddington, from 7pm to 8.30pm.
On Tuesday, author Marie Macpherson will discuss why Haddingtonshire was such a hotbed of witchcraft in the 16th and 17th centuries. The talk, 7.30-9pm in St Mary’s Parish Church, costs £10 per person.
East Lothian’s living history group Catching The Past will be in action on Wednesday, from 11am to 12.30pm, to explore the history of Musselburgh.
The walk, Musselburgh Firsts, will cover its rich heritage of golf, fishing, battles and industries, as well as those who helped shape it.
Meet at Pinkie Pillars, opposite St Peter’s Church on High Street. The cost is £4 for adults (children, who must be accompanied by an adult, go free).
Next Friday (September 6) and on Saturday, September 14, join a gentle walking tour round North Berwick, discovering the history of the town on the way.
Similar guided history walks take place over the course of the festival in Musselburgh, Aberlady, Gullane East Linton and Dunbar.
Musselburgh’s hidden history will be shared next Friday, 10-11.30am and 6.30-8pm.
The walking tour will take the public around the archaeological sites of Musselburgh and through 6,000 years of its history. It is accessible for wheelchair users, with some ramps. The event is free but donations would be appreciated.
A photo safari, exploring and taking pictures of Musselburgh’s monuments, can be enjoyed next Saturday (September 7), from 11am to 1pm. There is a chance to win prizes as part of the Wiki Loves Monuments international photo competition.
This event will consist of a walking tour and photography, followed by an indoor gathering, with refreshments, for “uploading” the photos. The event is free but donations would be appreciated. Booking is required.
Also next Saturday, the Friends of Preston Tower invite everyone inside this unique medieval tower house following the successful conclusion of a four-year project to repair and improve access to Preston Tower, doocot and gardens in Prestonpans.
There is the chance to be among the first visitors in decades to enjoy a visit to its great hall. The event, which runs from 10am to 4pm, is free but visits inside the tower must be pre-booked.
On the same day, eagle-eyed residents who have found items while metal detecting, gardening or out for a walk are invited to bring their potential historical artefact to the Finds Day at the John Gray Centre in Haddington.
A member of the Treasure Trove Unit will discuss and identify the objects. There will also be a talk showcasing some of the most exciting objects which have recently been claimed as treasure from the Lothians.
The event runs from 10am to 1pm, and 3-4pm, while the talk is held from 2pm to 3pm. Both are free to attend but slots need booked online.
Next Saturday and Sunday (September 7-8) will see re-enactment groups portraying elements of the siege of Dirleton Castle in the summer of 1298.
They will also show crafts, skills and battle equipment of the era, with a full tourney to conclude the day.
From 10am to 4pm daily, tickets cost adults £18.50 online (£19.50 at the gate); over-65s £16 online (£17 at the gate); five-15-year-olds £11 online (£12 at the gate).
The annual commemoration of the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh in 1547, organised by the Old Musselburgh Club, will be held next Tuesday (September 10) at 1pm at the memorial stone off Salters Road at the A1 junction.
The ceremony will be preceded by a battlefield walk starting at the Roman Bridge in Musselburgh at 11am. The event is free, with no need to book.
People can learn more at an online lecture, ‘Where were the battles of Pinkie Cleugh?’, by David Caldwell, co-author of The Battle of Pinkie, 1547. It takes place next Tuesday at 7.30pm.
Recent archaeological and historical work on the battlefield has led to a new understanding of the significance and locations of fighting.
The lecture is free but booking is required.
How old do you think your building is? Next Tuesday will see a guided walk around Dunbar, looking at some of the historic buildings on High Street.
Led by a conservation architect, the walk will reveal the clues that can be used to learn more about the buildings’ construction and development.
The walk, from 2pm to 3.30pm, is free and starts from the pop-up shop at 108 High Street.
Next Wednesday (September 11), Catching The Past present a short play, Bonded Tae The Land, at the Hollies Community Hub on High Street, Musselburgh, from 2.30pm to 3.30pm.
A Catching The Past spokesperson said: “The short drama, with an accompanying exhibition, tells the story of bondagers, female field workers who entered into a contract with a male hind as part of his contract with the farmer.”
The event is suitable for an adult group of about 12 people and the Hollies is fully accessible. The cost is £4 per adult (children go free).
Booking for the events is required due to limited numbers – message the Catching The Past Facebook page via facebook.com/Catching-The-Past-100064812396337
Fully guided tours of Lennoxlove House, near Haddington, are on offer on Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday afternoons throughout the fortnight. Tours will reveal prestigious paintings and furniture from The Hamilton Palace Collection and Mary Queen of Scots’ memorabilia.
For more information and to book, see lennoxlove.com
A tour of Saltoun Parish Church, its historic graveyard and the local history collection takes place on Sunday, September 15. Saltoun Local History Group will lead the free 40-minute tours between 11am and 3pm.
Other historic buildings where guided tours will take place over the course of the fortnight include Spott Kirk, St Andrew’s Kirk Ports in North Berwick, and Pinkie House and Loretto School Chapel, Musselburgh.
And the weekend after the conclusion of the fortnight, a re-enactment of the Battle of Prestonpans takes place on Saturday and Sunday, September 21-22, with events from 11am to 4.30pm on both days.
For more information on East Lothian Archaeology and Heritage Fortnight, and to book events, visit the John Gray Centre website via shorturl.at/40sqy
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