BOLTON, a parish, in the county of Haddington,
2 miles (S. by W.) from Haddington; containing 341
inhabitants. This manor belonged to Hepburn of Bolton,
who, as the associate of the Earl of Bothwell, was
executed for the murder of the Earl of Darnley; and on
its consequent forfeiture, it was granted to William
Maitland, better known as Secretary Lethington. The
grant was confirmed to his kinsman the Earl of Lauderdale,
in whose family the property continued till the
Revolution, when it was sold to Sir Thomas Livingstone.
In 1702 it passed by purchase into the noble
family of Blautyre, its present proprietors; as did also
the adjoining property of Lethington, now called Lennoxlove.
The parish, which is about six miles in length
and one mile and a quarter in average breadth, is
bounded on the east and north-east by the Gifford or
Bolton water, and comprises 3090 acres, of which 3*0
are woodland, 70 acres meadow and pasture, and the remainder
arable. Its surface, though pleasingly undulated,
possesses little other variety, seldom rising to any
considerable elevation; the scenery is, however, greatly
enriched with woods, in which are some remarkably
fine trees. The chief stream is the Bolton water, which
is the boundary between this parish and that of Haddington
for nearly three miles. It rises in the Lammermoor
hills, and, receiving various tributary streams in
its descent, flows with a rapid current past the parish,
and falls into the Tyne near Haddington. It adds
greatly to the scenery, having banks crowned with
thriving plantations, and abounds in trout of excellent
quality. The Birns water, a small stream rising also in
the Lamraermoor hills, after forming a boundary between
this parish and that of Humbie, falls into the Tyne at
Salton. There are likewise various springs of good water,
affording an abundant supply for domestic use.
The soil is generally a fertile clay, with the exception
of a small portion of inferior quality. The principal
crops are wheat, barley, oats, potatoes, and turnips;
the lands are well drained and inclosed, and all the
modern improvements in husbandry, and in agricultural
implements, have been adopted. Great attention is
paid to sheep and cattle, and to the cultivation of green
crops, on which they are fed throughout the winter
season. The annual value of real property in the parish
is £3072. The woods consist of the various kinds of
forest-trees, many of which are of ancient and stately
growth; and in the grounds of],-Baglescarnie are some
remarkably fine chesnut-trees. In this parish the principal
substrata are, sandstone of coarse texture, and
greenstone of very compact quality, but no quarries have
been opened; limestone is supposed to exist, but none
has hitherto been worked. The only mansion-house is
Eaglescarnie, pleasantly situated near the bank of the
Bolton water, which enlivens the demesne; the lands
are embellished with thriving and extensive plantations.
The ancient manor-house of Bolton has long since disappeared,
and the only remaining memorial of it is the
site on which it stood, still called the Orchard Park.
Ecclesiastically, Bolton is in the presbytery of Haddington
and synod of Lothian and Tweeddale: the minister's
stipend is £153. 15. 5., with a manse, and a glebe valued
at £18 per annum; patron. Lord Blantyre. The church,
erected in 1809, is a handsome structure in the later
English style, with a square embattled tower, and is
well adapted for a congregation of 350 persons. The
parochial school affords instruction to about eighty
scholars; the master has a salary of £34. 4. 4., with £40
fees, and a house and garden. There are some remains
of a Roman camp, of quadrilateral form, occupying an
area of more than five acres.