east-lothian-1924/05-048

Transcription

INVENTORY OF MONUMENTS IN EAST LOTHIAN.

Castle. Some 40 years ago, in a field lying to the north-east of the hamlet
of Whittinghame, during the absence of the farmer, an extensive burying ground
apparently of this character was torn up by the steam plough, about thirty-
five cart loads of slabs being afterwards removed. The adjoining field on the
east used to be known as the Kirklands.
Many mediaeval kitchen middens have been exposed along the southern
shore of the Forth, at Gullane, Archerfield, at North Berwick and near
Auldhame. These contain many fragments of wheel-turned glazed pottery
and much food refuse in the form of shells and animal bones.
NOTE ON " CASTLES " AND " CHESTERS."
Five forts are known as Castles of which four have a colour name. " Green " and " Black "
castles apparently refer respectively to tree or grass and heath covered land. " White " castle
is to be understood, as in Northumberland, in the sense of " dry open pasture ground in oppo-
sition to woodland and black-land growing heath " (cited in Mawr's Place Names of Northumber-
land and Durham p. 124). Names like Whitefield and Whitehill have had a similar origin.
" Green fort or castle " also translates " Dunglass," so that there may be a question of early
Celtic usage. " Castle " is mediaeval and was applied by the Welsh to a stronghold smaller
than the early caer or din, especially the residence of a tribal chieftain (Y Cymmrodor xi. p. 27).
The name occurs in East Lothian only among the foothills of the Lammermuirs. Three forts
bear the name of Chesters, i.e. Lat. castra. Probably all are later substitutes for British caer
or din, the last apparently preserved in the early " Dentaloune " for Tantallon (cf. No. 106 p. 65).

II.

SECULAR STRUCTURES.

No example of a mediaeval mote castle exists now in the county but late
allusions to such positions are on record. The mote of Gladsmuir ¹ was a
landmark in the seventeenth century. On the south side of the island of
Fidra was the mons castri vocat(us) Tarbet, ² where the first phrase is a common
designation of a castle mote, in this case a natural rocky hillock (cf. Art. 32)
The barony, too, constituted by the lands granted in the context was styled
Tarbet, a further suggestion of the presence of an ancient castle from which the
barony took its name : " Tarbet " is simply Gælic for a portage or land ferry.
What was known in 1220, and still in 1621, ³ as the " old castle " of Eldbottle was
no doubt another structure of this class. From it David I. issued charters, and it
seems to have been a frequent resort of Scottish kings down to Malcolm IV. ⁴ The
name survives, but the precise position of the castle site cannot be determined.
Of stone buildings, other than ecclesiastical, the earliest examples are the
thirteenth century castles of Dirleton (No. 27), Hailes (No. 147) and Yester
(No. 251) all of which however present also much building of dates subsequent
to that time. In each case the plan is mainly determined by the character
of the site, but in general consists of a walled enclosure, having at Dirleton
circular towers with one square tower, all projecting from the line of the
curtain walls ; while at Hailes one great square tower projects into the north-
west angle of the site - the bank above the river - an oblong tower extends
wholly inwards, and no other towers seem to have existed ; the remains

1 " monticuli seu Moitt de Glaidsmuir." Inquisit. Spec. Hadd. Nos. 170, 181.
2 Reg. Mag. Sig. s.a. 1509 No. 3344. 3 Inquis. Spec. Hadd. No. 93.
4 Early Scottish Charters, p. 329, Nos. lxxviii, clvii.

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