FENTON, a village, in the parish of Dirleton, county
of Haddington, 4 miles (S. W. by W.) from North Berwick;
containing ^01 inhabitants. This place consists
of East and West Fenton, and lies in the southern part
of the parish, a short distance from the PeflTer burn, the
parish boundary in that direction. A part of the lands
in this neighbourliood formerly belonged to the powerful
family of DeVallibus, or De Vaux. In 1603, James VI.,
having given the castle of Dirleton to Sir Thomas Erskine,
captain of the English guard, for his valour in
preserving him from the traitorous attempt of Gowrie,
created him Baron Dirleton, and afterwards, in 1606,
Viscount Fenton, this being the first dignity of viscount
created in Scotland: in 1619, he was raised to the title
of Earl of Kellie. Some years since, upwards of thirty
pentagonal basaltic pillars were laid bare on the farm of
West Fenton.