WINTON, a village, in the parish of Pencaitland,
county of Haddington, 3 miles (S. E. by E.) from
Tranent. This place, which is situated in the northwestern
part of the parish, derives its name from the
Earls of Wintoun.its former proprietors, of whom George,
the fifth and last earl, adhering to the interests of the
house of Stuart, and joining the Pretender in 1715, was
taken prisoner in the battle of Preston, and sentenced
to execution for treason. He was committed to the
Tower of London, from which, however, he contrived to
effect his escape; and embarking for the continent, he
took refuge in Italy, and died at Rome in the seventieth
year of his age. His estates were forfeited to the crown
at the rebeUion; and the family, which had flourished
more than si.x centuries in East Lothian, became extinct.
Winton House, the ancient residence, was a spacious
edifice, erected in 1619, but has been deserted,
and suffered to fall into decay; it is beautifully situated
in grounds containing numerous fine trees of stately
growth.