east-lothian-1924/05-169

Transcription

PRESTONKIRK.] HISTORICAL MONUMENTS (SCOTLAND) COMMISSION. [PRESTONKIRK.

143. Burial Knowe, Milton Farm.-Some
300 yards south-west of Milton farm steading,
on the summit of a ridge running north and
south, the O.S. map notes "Stone Cists and
[marginal note]
See Proc. Soc. Ant.
Scot., vol.III. pp.503-6.
? Early Xtian burials.
Human Remains Found." The land has been
long under cultivation, and there is now not
the slightest vestige of a cairn.

xiv. N.E. 8 July 1913.

PRESTONKIRK.

ECCLESIASTICAL STRUCTURE

144. Parish Church.-The parish church and
churchyard of Prestonkirk are situated on an
[marginal note]
Illustration
wanted
eminence overlooking a wooded haugh tra-
versed by the River Tyne 1/4 mile to the north
of East Linton village. The church is an oblong
structure erected in 1770 on a site previously
occupied by a mediæval church. The eastern
termination of this early building has fortun-
ately been preserved almost in entirety and
presents an interesting example of mid-13th
century design. It is unlikely that the 18th
century structure, which is wider than the
13th century chancel, is erected on the foun-
dations of its predecessor, as the chancel is
obviously curtailed in length and would have
extended farther west than the east gable of
the present church. The internal width of the
fragment-17 feet 6 inches-suggests that nave
and chancel were of the same width and were
housed beneath one roof with no structural
division other than a low screen.
The chancel is square ended. The eastern
gable and some 18 feet of the south wall are
intact from the ground to the wall-head. The
north wall, though modern, appears to be built
on the old foundations. These walls are about
3 1/2 feet thick and are of ashlar quarried appar-
ently from the same place as the stones of
Tynninghame Church. Along the south and
east walls there returns a heavy offset course
with a weathered cope, from which arise
buttresses of slight saliency to strengthen the
angles of the chancel, while other buttresses
divide the east gable into three bays. These
latter buttresses rise squarely to a sill course,
above which the arrises are chamfered and
stopped beneath a weathered set-off.
In each of the bays of the east gable is a
tall lancet window with an obtusely pointed

90

head beneath a hood-mould received on either
side by the flanking buttresses ; the jamb
mouldings consist of two splays with inter-
mediate planes at right angles to each other.
In the south wall are two shorter lancets under
hood-moulds. Their sills are at a higher level
than those of the east windows.
The chancel is roofed in and forms a mortuary
chapel for the Hepburns of Smeaton. It is in
good repair and, if denuded of its dense
covering of ivy, will require no further attention
for some considerable time.
A square 17th century tower built of rubble
projects from the west gable of the church.
It is four storeys in height, is divided hori-
zontally by a stringcourse and terminates in
a slated roof ogival in contour. The windows
have semi-circular heads, and these and the
quoins have back-set margins. On the south
wall at ground level there is an offset course
returning along the west wall. This course
appears to be either later than the present
church or to have been repaired subsequent
to the rebuildings.
HISTORICAL NOTE.-The church was at first
designated of Linton, later as Hauch,1 next as
Prestonhaugh, finally Prestonkirk. Linton was
one of the three places in Lothian in which the
body of St. Baldred was buried2 and the
church was dedicated to Baldred. In 1127
Blahan was priest of Linton3 and the church
of Linton was among those dedicated by
David de Bernham in 1240. Baiamund or
' Bagimont '4 collected from the church of
Linton, through its rector, for the terms
December 25, 1274 and June 24, 1275 the sum
of £8, comparatively a very large amount,
being payment for the first year of the
crusading tenth; and a similar amount for the
second year 1275-6.5 On the foundation of
the collegiate church of Dunbar it was annexed
thereto as a prebend-" the church of Hauche,
called the prebendarie of Lintoune."6 In 1493
John Irland was parson of ' Halch,'7 but there
was a notable succession of Hepburns in the
prebendary before and after the Reformation :
Patrick Hepburn rector in 1462, George Hep-
burn parson or rector in 1548 and 1563,
Robert Hepburn in 1588 and Edward Hepburn
in 1617.8 In 1584 the patronage of the prebend
was ratified to Francis Earl of Bothwell and in
1606 to the Earl of Dunbar.9