History of Prestonpans, East Lothian Printed with permission of Thomas Carroll Woods, webmaster of Prestonpans Battle of Prestonpans Preston Tower Prestonpans is a small town located in East Lothian on the south side of the Firth of Forth. It's main industries were saltworks, soapworks, coal mines and a brewery. Apart from farming the only industry left is a power station. Let's go back to the 12th century and look at the Parish of Prestonpans. Towards the end of the 11th century a pirate named Althamer was caught up in a hurricane and was swept round Gullane Point into the Firth of Forth where his boat was wrecked on the rocks along the shore here. Finding it impossible to get back home the shipwrecked mariners decided to remain where they had been driven by the hurricane. They formed a settlement and named it "Althamer" in honour of their chieftain. That story was passed down from father to son over the centuries. One thing is certain that when the monks came down from Newbattle in 1184 and settled in the district they found the hamlet of Althamer occupied by villagers. It soon became known as Aldhammer. Shortly after that the monks named it Prieststown. With salt being manufactured there it became Salt Prieststown. This was later reduced to Salt Preston. In time the Salt was dropped and the Pans was added. Hence Prestonpans. During the earliest years of the 13th century coal was discovered and excavated by the monks. It is said that from Seaton along the coast to Pinkie Burn and from Winton to Inveresk was originally Tranent or Winton territory. In 1184 De Quincy laird of these lands granted the monks of Newbattle lands whereon they formed a grange. He also gave them seven acres of meadow where to feed their sheep and also allowed them to take peats out of his Tranent peatries. These meadows stretched from Dolphinstone on the west along by Bankton, Meadowmill and along to Seaton on the east. It is believed the monks discovered coal while taking peat from the peatries. A charter was applied for in 1210 enabling them to excavate the black diamonds as they were known. It was the earliest spot in the kingdom at which coal was dug from the earth. The charter of Newcastle-on-Tyne dates from 1234 making the monks the first to excavate coal. The manufacture of salt like the digging of coal began at a very early period in this locality. The monks from Newbattle were granted a footing at Preston from De Quincy in 1184. By 1198 they were busily engaged in making salt. Two centuries later there were ten salt works belonging to the town capable of producing between 800 and 900 bushels of salt per week. Prestonpans at one time had sixteen breweries flourishing but they have all been closed down. The oldest belonging to the Fowler family was built in 1720. The Fowler's obtained it in 1756 and it was in production until the 1960's. Famous for it's wee heavy and good ales it enjoyed large fame in Scotland. The soap works were situated in the high street extending south to Kirk Street. They were owned by Messrs James Mellis and Company. The output was 90,000lbs per annum. This article was used with permission of Thomas Carrol Woods, webmaster of Prestonpans Links: Prestonpans Battle of Prestonpans 1715 Preston Tower