INVERESK, a parish, in the county of Edinburgh,
5 miles (E. by S.) from Edinburgh; containing, with
the town of Musselburgh, and the villages of Monktonhall,
Cowpits, Craighall, Stoneyhill, and part of New
Craighall, 8263 inhabitants, of whom 211 are in the
village of Inveresk. This place derives its name from its
situation near the influx of the river Esk into a bay on
the south shore of the Firth of Forth. The parish is
about three miles in length and two and a half in breadth,
comprising 4000 acres, of which, with the exception of a
small portion of woodland and plantations, the whole is
arable, and in a high state of cultivation. Its surface,
though generally level, and sloping towards the coast, is
pleasingly varied with gentle undulations, which, in the
direction of the southern boundary of the parish, terminate
in a ridge, but of inconsiderable height, having
an elevation of little more than 500 feet above the level
of the sea. Along the shore of the Firth arc some beautiful
downs of great extent, well adapted for the celebration
of public games, and on which a fine race-course
has been formed, and a handsome and commodious stand
erected. The river Esk,. combining the w'aters of the
North Esk, which has its source in the Pcntland hills,
and of the South Esk, which rises in the Moorfoot range,
flows from Dalkeith Park (where the two streams unite),
in a pleasing winding course through the parish, and
falls into the bay of Musselburgh. Salmon are found
in the river, though not in any considerable numbers;
and off the coast are taken haddock, cod, flounders,
whiting, and occasionally soles and mackerel.
Near the village the soil is a light sandy loam, of
great fertility; and on the higher grounds, a deep clayey
loam; the whole producing exuberant crops of wheat,
barley, oats, peas, beans, potatoes, and turnips. The
system of husbandry has been brought to much perfection,
and the lands generally are in the highest state of
cultivation; the farm-houses are substantially built and
well arranged, and on most of the farms are threshingmills,
several of which are worked by steam. The lands
have been well drained, and inclosed either with stone
walls or hedges of thorn; and all the more recent improvements
in the construction of agricultural implements
have been adopted. The cattle reared are not
confined to any particular breed, the horses are usually
the Clydesdale, and the sheep of the Cheviot and Leicestershire
breeds. A considerable portion of land is
cultivated as gardens; and large quantities of fruit,
flowers, and vegetables are raised for the supply of the
Edinburgh and Glasgow markets. The annual value of
real property in the parish is £26,677. The plantations
are ash, oak, elm, plane, beech, and larch, Scotch, and
spruce firs, with a few pines, all of which seem well
adapted to the soil, and are in a thriving state. In this
parish the principal substrata are coal, freestone, and
limestone. The coal-field extends under the whole of
the parish, on both sides of the river Esk, and contains
forty seams, varying from two and a half to nine feet in
thickness: of these seams three are wrought, which are
respectively three, four and a half, and four feet thick,
and at depths of nine, twelve, and ninety fathoms. The
chief collieries now in operation are at New Craighall,
Monktonhall, and Edmonstone: at New Craighall a
steam-engine of 140-horse power was many years ago
erected, at an expense of £6000, by Messrs. Claud Girdwood
and Company, for drawing off the water. Another,
of still greater power, has recently been erected. There
were formerly collieries at Pinkie-burn, Midfield, and
Cowpits; but the workings have been long abandoned.
Several quarries of limestone are wrought to a considerable
extent, both at Chalkieside, in this parish, and at
Cousland, in the adjoining parish of Cranston.
Among the principal mansions in the parish is Pinkie
House, the seat of Sir John Hope, Bart., anciently the
country residence of the abbots of Dunfermline, and,
according to an inscription in front of the building, enlarged
or improved by Lord Seton in 1613. Its most
ancifnt portion is a massive square tower, crowned with
turrets, and the walls of which are of immense thickness,
and the ground-floor strongly vaulted. The mansion in
its present state, though only part of a more magnificent
structure, is spacious, and contains many splendid apartments,
in one of which, called the King's Room, the abbot
entertained his sovereign. The painted gallery, which is
120 feet in length, and has an enriched ceiling painted
in device, was used as an hospital for the wounded, after
the battle of Pinkie; and Prince Charles Edward slept
in the apartment on the night after the battle of Prestonpans.
Carberry House is beautifully situated on the
acclivity of Carberry hill, upon the summit of which the
place is still pointed out where Mary, Queen of Scots,
sat, while holding a conference with Kirkaldy of Grange.
This mansion, which is of great antiquity, has within the
last thirty or forty years been repaired, and partly
modernised; it commands a fine prospect embracing the
Firth of Forth. The grounds are tastefully embellished,
and enriched with groves and avenues of oak, chesnut,
and beech, of stately and venerable growth. There are
numerous other mansions, the principal of which are,
Stoneyhill House, anciently the seat of the son of Archbishop
Sharpe; Monkton House, now in ruins, said to
have been built by General Monk; and New Hailes, formerly
the seat of Lord Hailes, author of the Annals of
Scotland. The grounds of the last are pleasingly laid
out; and near the house is a column, erected to the
memory of the Earl of Stair. The village of Inveresk is
beautifully situated on rising ground overlooking the
picturesque and fertile valley of the Esk; and from the
mildness of the climate, and the interesting variety of
the scenery around, it has long been distinguished as
the" Montpelier" of Scotland, and selected as a favourite
place of residence. Great facility of intercourse is afforded
by the North-British railway.
For ECCLESIASTICAL purposcs the parish is within the
bounds of the presbytery of Dalkeith, synod of Lothian
and Tweeddale. The minister's stipend is £324. 11., with
a manse, and a glebe valued at £22 per annum; patron,
the Duke of Buccleuch. There is also an assistant
minister, who receives the interest of a bequest of £340,
£5 from seat-rents, and from £35 to £40 from his office
as session-clerk. The church of St. Michael, a spacious
building, supposed to have been originally erected soon
after the introduction of Christianity into Britain, was
taken down in 1804, and a new structure erected on its
site in 1806. The present church, containing 2400
sittings, is a plain edifice in the Grecian style of architecture;
with a lofty tower and spire, forming a conspicuous
landmark, and towards the building of which a
contribution was made by the Commissioners of Northern
Lighthouses. A "quoad sacra" church has been built in
Fisherrow, in the parish; and there are places of worship
for members of the Free Church, the United Presbyterian
Church, Independents, and Wesleyans; and an
episcopal chapel. A grammar school, at Musselburgh,
is under the patronage of the magistrates and town
council, who give the master a salary of £27. 4. 5., in
addition to the house and schoolroom. There are also
English schools in Musselburgh and Fisherrow, the
masters of which receive salaries of £12 and £17, respectively,
from the corporation funds. The relics of
antiquity that have been discovered in various parts of
the parish, afford striking evidence that this place was
not merely a military station, but a Roman colony or
municipum. The ancient church of St. Michael was built
on the site, and partly with the materials, of the praetorium
of a Roman camp on Inveresk hill. Foundations
of baths, and numerous other vestiges of Roman occupation,
have been discovered at different times. Among
these were, a votive altar inscribed Apollini Granno; a
golden coin of Trajan, much obliterated; and a copper
medal with the inscription Diva Faustina. Walker, an
eminent engraver of portraits, and Burnet, a distinguished
historical engraver, were natives of the parish; as is,
also, Alexander Ritchie, who has excelled as a sculptor.
Logan, the poet, was educated in the grammar school.
See Musselburgh, Northesk, &c.