INNERWICK, a parish, in the county of Haddington,
4 miles (S. E. by S.) from Dunbar; containing,
with the hamlet of Skateraw, and village of Thorntonloch,
961 inhabitants, of whom 144 are in the village of
Innerwick. This place, the name of which is descriptive
of its relative position, was granted by David I. to Walter
Stewart, to whom the gift was confirmed by Malcolm IV.
in 1157; and it remained in the possession of his descendants
till the reign of Charles II. It afterwards
passed to the Hamiltons, and ultimately to Sir Peter
W^edderburn of Gosford, ancestor of the present proprietor.
The parish, which is about ten miles in length,
and varies from two to three miles in breadth, is bounded
on the north-east by the German Ocean, and comprises
11,725 acres, whereof 5040 are arable, 6300 meadow and
pasture, and 378 woodland and plantations. Its surface
is varied with fertile vales and deep dells, and, from the
shore, rises gently towards the Lammermoor hills: the
coast, which extends for about two miles, is rocky, but
marked with few features of grandeur. The scenery is
pleasing, and in some places enriched with wood: that
part of the parish bordering upon the hills is characterized
by picturesque beauty. There are two small streams,
one of which, called the Monynut, rises nearly in the
centre of the parish, and taking a south-eastern course,
falls into the Whitadder at Abbey St. Bathan's in the
county of Berwick. The other, called the Thornton
water, rises also near the centre of the parish, and flowing
in a direction from south to north, falls into the sea
near the village of Thorntonloch.
In general the soil is fertile, consisting of a deep rich
loam; and the crops are oats, wheat, barley, peas, beans,
potatoes, and turnips. The system of agriculture is in
a very advanced state; the course of husbandry on the
lighter soils is a five, and on the heavier a six, shift
course. Lime and bone-dust are the principal manures.
The farm-houses and offices are substantial and well
arranged; and the lands are partly inclosed with stone,
and partly with hedges of thorn, all of which are kept
in good order: most of the farms are furnished with
threshing- mills, some of them driven by steam, others by
water. Much attention is paid to the rearing of live stock,
for which the extent of natural pasture affords abundant
opportunity. About 5000 sheep are fed in the hilly district,
and a large number, also, are pastured on the
lower lands: the former are chiefly of the Cheviot and
black-faced breeds, with occasionally a cross between the
two; the latter are the Leicestershire. Very few blackcattle
are reared; but a considerable number are purchased
and fattened for the markets. The annual value
of real property in the parish is £10,384. The woods are
mostly oak, and the plantations fir: some of the trees
are of very ancient growth; and from the names of
several places, it would appear that the lands were at one
time covered with extensive woods. Of the higher portion
of the parish the substrata are grey wacke, greywacke
slate, and red sandstone intersected with veins of trap
rock; and of the lower, limestone, ironstone, bituminous
shale, and indications of coal, which last appears to have
been formerly worked. The limestone, which is of excellent
quality, is quarried at the Skateraw shore, where
is also a kiln for burning it into lime for agricultural use.
Great quantities of limestone used to be sent from the
quarries to the Devon iron-works; at present, the stone
is burnt here, and then sent chiefly to Berwickshire.
Freestone of good quality for building is also found
in the parish, and is worked as occasion requires. A
small harbour was constructed on the Skateraw shore,
some years since, for the exportation of the produce of
the quarries, and for the importation of coal; and
belonging to it are two boats employed in the fishery
off the coast, where haddock, mackarel, lobsters, and
other fish are taken. The village of Innerwick is situated
about a mile from the London turnpike-road; it
consists of irregularly built and detached houses, on the
base of a steep but richly cultivated hill. The inhabitants
are chiefly employed in agriculture, and in the
trades requisite for the supply of the parish. The North-
British railway and the London road intersect the lower
part of the parish, and other facilities of intercourse are
afforded by roads kept in repair by statute labour.
Innerwick church, together with its revenues, was
granted by Walter Stewart to the abbey of Paisley,
which gift was confirmed by Malcolm IV. in the twelfth
century; it of course ceased to belong to the monks at
the Reformation, and in I670 the great and small tithes
were bestowed on Sir Patrick Wedderburn. The parish
is now in the presbytery of Dunbar, synod of Lothian
and Tweeddale, and in the patronage of Mrs. Hamilton
Nisbet Ferguson; the minister's stipend is £'^77- 19.,
with a manse, and a glebe valued at £15 per annum.
The church, situated on an eminence, in the village of
Innerwick, is a neat plain edifice, erected in 1784. The
members of the Free Church have a place of worship.
Innerwick parochial school, also situated in the village,
is well attended; the master has a salary of £31, with
£33 fees, and a house and garden. There is a parochial
library in the village; and at Thorntonloch, a small
itinerating library. The poor are partly supported by
the interest of £800 vested in securities. There are
some remains of the ancient castle of Innerwick, formerly
the baronial residence of the Stewarts, and afterwards of
the Hamiltons. In 1403, when occupied by an English
garrison, it was assaulted and taken by the Regent, the
Duke of Albany; and, together with Thornton Castle,
which stood on the opposite bank of the glen, it was
attacked by the Protector Somerset, on his invasion of
Scotland. The remains are now very slight, and are
rapidly disappearing. At a short distance from the
castle are some small remains of Edinkens Bridge, the
origin of which is involved in obscurity: near it were
four large stones, apparently indicating the tomb of some
distinguished person, supposed to have been Edwin of
Northumbria, who took refuge with Malcolm III. from
the tyranny of William the Conqueror. Several stone
coffins have been found in the parish, in two of which
were a ring and part of a sword; and near the village is
a field called Corsikill Park, in which tradition records
a conflict to have taken place between Cospatrick and
William Wallace. On the Skateraw shore was an ancient
chapel dedicated to St. Dennys, the remains of which
have within the last few years been completely destroyed
by encroachments of the sea.