Ballencrieff, East Lothian
| Ballencrieff | |
|---|---|
 Houses adjacent to the B1377 at Ballencrieff | |
  Ballencrieff  Ballencrieff Location within Scotland | |
| OS grid reference | NT483781 |
| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LONGNIDDRY |
| Postcode district | EH32 |
| Dialling code | 01875 |
| Police | Scotland |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| UK Parliament | |
| Scottish Parliament | |
Ballencrieff is a rural community in East Lothian, Scotland. It is located between the towns of Aberlady, Drem, Haddington and Longniddry and is approximately 20 miles from Edinburgh. The name comes from the Gaelic Baile na Craoibhe, meaning "stead of the tree".[1]
There is a prehistoric enclosure at Ballencrieff Mains which is a Scheduled Ancient Monument.[2]
The village comprises typical rural housing, and there was some industry in the past.[3] There is a farm and farm shop which breeds rare breed pigs.[4] Nearby Ballencrieff Castle was built in 1507.[5] This was the seat of the Murray family, the Lords Elibank, and James Murray, who was the governor of Quebec was born here in 1721.[6] There is a 16th Century granary located 250 yards (230 m) south south west of the castle.[7]
There was a brickworks in Ballencrieff which was shown on a 1799 map and in 1837 a George Reid was recorded as a brick and tile maker. In 1838 the Marquess of Tweeddale tested a tile making machine at this site. It was still recorded on a map in 1853 and in 1867 William Brodie was recorded as a brick and tile manufacturer. It was last recorded in 1915 when the Edinburgh Evening News reported that the farmer G. Sinclair, who had been farming the land, bought the site from Lord Elibank.[3]
In 1846–1847 there was a railway station at Ballencrieff on the North British Railway, the East Coast Main Line still passes to the north of the settlement.[6] The roundabout and whereabouts are also known for being something of a black spot for road traffic accidents, for example a fire engine crashed there in 2015 and an unconscious driver crashed into one of the roadside houses pictured above.[8]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Watson, William J. (1926). The History of the Celtic Place-Names of Scotland. Edinburgh and London: William Blackwood and Sons. p. 145.
- ^ "Ballencrieff Mains,enclosure 300m south west of". AncientMonuments.uk. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
- ^ a b "Aberlady or Ballencrieff Brick Works, Aberlady, Haddingtonshire, East Lothian". Scotland's Brick Manufacturing Industry. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
- ^ "Ballencrieff Rare Pedigree Pigs". Farming UK. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
- ^ "Ballencrieff Castle : Historic Aberlady Building". glasgowarchitecture. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
- ^ a b "Ballencrieff East Lothian". The Editors of The Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
- ^ "Ballencrieff Granary". John Gray Centre Library Museum Archive Archaeology. East Lothian Council. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
- ^ "Six injured as fire engine leaves road in East Lothian". BBC. 16 February 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
External links[edit]
