MUSSELBURGH, a burgh of regality, in the parish of Inveresk, county of Edinburgh, 6 miles (E.) from Edinburgh; containing, with the suburb of Fisherrow, 6331 inhabitants. This place, which is of great antiquity, is supposed to have derived its present name, in ancient documents Muskilburgh and Muschelhurgh, from an extensive mussel-bank near the mouth of the river Esk. Under the appellation of Eskinuthe it became, after the departure of the Romans, the seat of the Northumbrian Saxons. In the twelfth century it was bestowed by David I. upon the abbey of Dunfermline. In 1'201, the barons of Scotland assembled here to swear allegiance to the infant son of William the Lion, afterwards Alexander II.; who, in 1'239, granted additional powers to the abbots of Dunfermline, under which the town received all the privileges of a burgh of regality. About a century afterwards, Randolph, Earl of Murray, Regent of Scotland, returning from the frontier of Berwickshire to defend Edinburgh from an expected invasion by the English, was surprised by sudden indisposition on the confines of this parish, in which emergency the magistrates of Musselburgh removed him on a litter to a house in the east port of the burgh, and carefully attended him till he died on the '20th of July, 133'2. In grateful acknowledgment of their kind attention, the carl's nephew, and successor in the regency, the Earl of Mar, proB'cred the inhabitants any reward in his power to confer; and on their declining any remuneration for the mere performance of their duty, he in l.'i40 granted them a charter of additional privileges, with the motto llonestas for the arms of the burgh. In 1530, James V. made a pilgrimage on foot from Stirling to the .shrine of the Virgin Mary, in the chapel of Loretto, at this place; which chapel in 1544 was destroyed by the English army under the Earl of Hertford (afterwards Duke of Somerset), together with the townhouse and the greater part of the town. On the arrival of the Duke of Somerset at Newcastle with 14,000 men, in 154", to compel the Scots to sign a contract of marriage between the infant Mary and Edward VI. of England, the Scots raised an army of 36,000, and took up a strong post here on the steep and densely-wooded banks of the Esk, to await his approach. The duke advanced with a fleet of thirty-five ships of war and thirty transports, and anchored in the bay of Musselburgh, whence landing his troops, he drew them up on Falside Brae, with his right extending over the grounds of Walliford and Drummore towards the sea. After a severe skirmish, in which 1300 of the Scots were slain, and Lord Hume severely wounded, and some ineffectual offers of treaty e,\changed between the contending parties, the Scots passed the Esk; and a general engagement took place on the plains of Pinkie, eastward of the town, which terminated in the entire defeat of the Scots, with the loss of 10,000 men. In the following year. Lord Grey with a powerful army entered Scotland, and, ravaging the districts of Merse and Mid Lothian, destroyed the towns of Dalkeith and Musselburgh. In 1567, Mary, Queen of Scots, and Bothwell held a meeting in the neighbourhood with Kirkaldy of Grange, who had been commissioned by the confederate lords for that purpose: the meeting took place on Carberry Hill, near the field of Pinkie. During the parley, Bothwell, who had taken leave of the queen, fled to Dunbar, and Mary sufiFered herself to be introduced to the regent Morton and the lords, by whom she was conveyed to the castle of Lochleven. In 1632, Musselburgh was by charter of Charles I. erected into a royal burgh; but the magistrates of Edinburgh, by compromise with those of the town, obtained from the privy council, the same year, a decree reducing it again to a burgh of regality. Cromwell encamped a part of his army on the Links of Musselburgh, in I6o0, and took possession of the town, which he held for two months; he converted the church of Inveresk into barracks for his cavalry, and, as had been done in 1547, planted cannon on the mounds in the churchyard. In 1745 the Highland army, headed by Prince Charles, entered the suburb of Fisherrow, and, crossing the old bridge over which the Scots marched to the field of Pinkie, passed through the town on their route to Prestonpans. The TOWN is situated on the east bank of the Esk, near its influx into the Firth of Forth, and consists of several spacious and well-formed streets. It is connected with the suburb of Fisherrow, on the opposite bank of the river, which is here of considerable width, by three bridges, two of them of stone. The older bridge of stone, supposed to be of Roman origin, is narrow and of steep ascent, consisting of three arches, and used solely by foot passengers; the other is an elegant structure of five arches, erected after a design by the late Sir John Rennie. The third bridge is of timber, supported on pillars of cast iron, and was repaired in 183S. The houses are substantially built, and of neat appearance; the streets are well paved, and lighted with gas from works erected in 1832 near the mouth of the river; and the inhabitants are amply supplied with excellent water. A public library, founded in 1812, is supported by subscription, and has now a collection of more than 1300 volumes; there is also a circulating library of 1200 volumes, as well as a reading and news room containing the daily journals and periodical publications. The Links of Musselburgh have from time immemorial been noted for the celebration of sports, for which they are peculiarly adapted; the game of golf is still kept up, and since 1774 a club has been maintained, which holds annual meetings to contest for the prize of a silver cup. The Royal Company of Archers also hold annual meetings on these downs, when a silver arrow is awarded as a prize, the winner of which receives from the town thirteen bottles of claret, on condition of returning the arrow, with a gold or silver medal attached to it, previously to the next meeting. Races have long been established; and in 1817 the town of Edinburgh removed their races from Leith to this place, where they are held every autumn: the races of the Caledonian Hunt also take place here every third year; and at the west end of the course is a handsome and commodious stand. The environs of the town abound with pleasing, and in many parts picturesque and romantic, scenery, and with numerous otjjects of interest. At the eastern extremity of the High-street is the site of the ancient house in which the Regent Murray died; and at the western end is the house where Dr. Smollett was entertained by Commissioner Cardonnel; opposite to which, in Fisherrow, is the villa of Dovecote, occupying the site of the residence of Professor Stewart and his son, Gilbert, the eminent historical essayist: the study of the latter, a small building in which he composed many of his writings, yet remains, overspread with ivy. Here, also, is an elegant mansion erected in 1840 by Mr. Legat, a leather- merchant of the town. Among the manufactures carried on are those of sailcloth, haircloth, fishing-nets, hats, and leather; there are extensive works for bricks, tiles, and the coarser kinds of pottery, a salt-work, and a small establishment for dyeing. The sailcloth manufactory was established in 1811, and the Ijuilding has since been considerably enlarged, and a steam-engine of fifty-five horse power erected; the produce, which is of superior quality, is for the home market, and principally for the use of the British navy. The manufacture of haircloth was introduced in 1820, and the establishment has been progressively increasing: the articles are, satin and fancyfigured cloths, curled hair, kiln-cloths, hair-lines, and lines of all kinds for fishing, girth webbing, ropes, twines, and horse-hair carpeting, in the making of which about 200 persons are engaged; the produce is mainly sent to the London market, and the chief towns of England and Ireland. There is a similar establishment belonging to a different proprietor, but only a small number of persons are employed. The manufacture of fishing-nets was established in 1820 by Mr. Paterson, who, after much laborious experiment, constructed a loom for the purpose; eighteen looms and a spinningmachine are in operation, affording occupation to fiftytwo persons, and consuming thirty tons of hemp annually. A similar manufactory was established in 1834 by Mr. Robinson from England, who, without any communication with Mr. Paterson, invented a loom for the purpose differing only in the form of the knot produced; but Mr. Robinson having lately removed, this manufactory has been relinquished. There are three extensive tanneries and establishments for the currying of leather the raw hides are procured from the Edinburgh market, from Hamburgh, and Russia. In this trade about seventy or eighty hands are employed; and the quantity of bark consumed every year averages 1000 tons, procured from England, Belgium, Germany, and Holland, and some of a peculiar quality from Smyrna. The produce is mostly forwarded to Edinburgh, Glasgow, and London. The ale brewery belonging to Mr. Whitelaw consumes annually 17.50 quarters of malt, made upon the premises; and the ale is sent to the principal towns in Scotland, to London, Hull, and Newcastle, in England, and to the East and West Indies. The trade of the port consists in the e.xportation of coal, bricks, tiles, oats, and staves; and the importation of grain, oil-cake, timber, bark, hides, and bones for manure, from foreign ports; and, in the coasting-trade, the import of grain, bark, mineral-salts, fullers'-earth, potters'-clay, wood, pavement, slates, and stone. The harbour, originally constructed for the fishing-boats of Fisherrow, has little more than fourfeetdepthatneap tides, and is therefore accessible only to vessels of inconsiderable burthen. Previously to 1806, it was formed only hy bulwarks of dry stones: but since that time a substantial quay has been constructed, and the trade materially increased; and further improvements are in contemplation by extending the pier. No vessels are registered as belonging to the port. A salmon-fishery at the mouth of the Esk is conducted on a small scale, by means of stake-nets: it is the property of the burgh, to which it pays a rental of £'20 per annum. This BURGH, the superiority of which was in 1*09 purchased from the Earl of Lauderdale by Anne, Duchess of Monmouth and Buccleuch, is, under previous charters confirmed by charter of Charles II. in I67I, and slightly altered by the Municipal act, governed by a provost, two bailies, a treasurer, and a council now reduced to nine members, of whom nearly oue-half are resident iu Fisherrow, which is included within the limits of the burgh. There are seven incorporated companies, viz., the hammermen, shoemakers, gardeners, weavers, butchers, tailors, and bakers, of one of which an individual must become a member to qualify him for being a burgess; the fees of admission vary from ten shillings to £1 for sons of burgesses, and from £1. 6. S. to £3. 6. 8. for strangers. Bailie-courts are held for the determination of civil pleas to any amount, and also a court for the recovery of debts not e.xceeding £5: such criminal cases, likewise, as are of a trivial nature are summarily disposed of by the magistrates, but offences of a more aggravated character are, after examination, remitted to the sheriff of the county. Musselburgh is associated with Leith and Portobello in retvirning a member to the imperial parliament. The towu-hall is a neat building in the High-street, cinitaining the courts, council-rooms, an assembly-room, and others for transacting the pul)lic business. Attached to it is the town-gaol, built with the materials .of the ruined chapel of Loretto, the site and grounds of whicli are occupied by a private seminary under the superintendence of the Rev. Thomas Langhome, of the Kpisco|)al chapel. Fronting the street leading to Newbiggin is the ancient cross. A fair for two days, commencing on the second Tuesday in August, and wiiieh was formerly well attended by cattle-dealers, and supplied with various kinds of merchandise, is now merely a pleasure-fair. The post-office has a good delivery. Facility of communication is afforded by the North-British railway and its branches, and by the London road. Branches of the Western Bank and the Commercial Bank, and a custom-house subordinate to that of Leith, have been established. The Establishment churches of this district are, the parish church of Inveresk, and Northesk chapel; and there are places of worship for the Free Church, the United Presbyterian Synod, Independents in connexion with the Congregational Union, Independents not in connexion, and Episcopalians. The grammar school of the burgh is under the patronage of the magistrates and town council, who pay the master a salary of £27. 4. 5., and provide him with a good house. Under the same patronage are, an English school at Musselburgh, of which the master has a salary of £21, with a schoolroom and dwelling-house free; and another at Fisherrow, of which the master has a salary of £10, with a schoolroom and dwelling-house rent free. At Fisherrow is a sailors' society, established in I669.