EAST LOTHIAN or HADDINGTONSHIRE, a south eastern county of Scotland, bounded north by the Firth of Forth, north-east by the North sea, east and south by Berwickshire, and south-west and west by Edinburghshire. It covers an area of 170, 971 acres. The sea coast measures 41 miles. On parts of it there are wide stretches of blown sand; on others grassy links, and there are several residential villages with such well-known golf courses as that of North Berwick. Traces of old raised beaches are seen. The Bass rock and Fidra isle belong to the shire, and there are numerous rocks and reefs off the shore, especially between Dunbar and Gullane bay. The northern half of the shire slopes gently to the coast, and the southern half is hilly. In the south the Lammer muir hills reach 1,733 f t.; the rocks here are of Silurian age mainly, bordered by Ordovician and broken by igneous intrusions. The more level tract, mainly of Carboniferous rocks, is broken by Traprain Law (724) in the parish of Prestonkirk, and North Ber wick Law (612), both volcanic necks, and Garleton Hill (S9o) to the north of the county town. The river Tyne (28m.) rises south east of Borthwick in Mid-Lothian, and reaches the sea just beyond the park of Tynninghame House. It is noted for a fine variety of trout, and salmon are sometimes taken below the linn at East Linton. The Whiteadder rises in the parish of Whittinge hame, but leaves the shire to join the Tweed near Berwick.
Throughout nearly the whole of the 19th century East Lothian agriculture was held to be the best in Scotland, because of the enterprise of cultivators like George Hope of Fenton Barns (1811-76). East Lothian is fa mous for the richness of its grain and green crops, the size of its holdings and the good housing of its labourers. Much of the Lam mermuirs is unproductive, though the lower slopes are cultivated. In the centre of the shire occurs a belt of tenacious boulder clay on a Lilly subsoil not adapted for agriculture. The coast is sandy, but farther inland the rich loam is very fertile. The land about Dunbar is the most productive, yielding a potato—the "Dunbar red"—highly esteemed in the markets. Of the grain crops, oats and barley are the principal, and wheat also is grown. Turnips and potatoes are cultivated extensively. Many sheep are kept on the Lammermuirs.
Some fishing is carried on at Dunbar, North Berwick and Port Seton. Fireclay as well as limestone is worked, and there are some stone quarries. The chief industries are the manufacture of agri cultural implements, pottery, bricks, woollens, and salt, besides brewing and distilling. Only a limited part of the Carboniferous limestone area includes the coal-measures, but coal is extensively worked at Tranent, Ormiston and near Prestonpans, the coalfield having an area of about 3o sq. miles. Ironstone is mined at Macmerry.
The county is served by the main line of the L.N.E.R., with branches at Drem to North Berwick, at Longniddry to Hadding ton, and also to Gullane, at Smeaton (in Mid-Lothian) to Mac merry, and at Ormiston to Gifford.
The population was
in 1931, when 213 persons spoke Gaelic and English. The chief towns are Dunbar (pop. in 1931, 3,751), Haddington (4405), North Berwick (3,473), Prestonpans (2,426), and Tranent (4,526). The county, which returns one member to parliament, with Berwickshire, forms part of the shericfdom of Mid-Lothian, and a sheriff-substitute sits at Haddington, North Berwick and Tranent.
Of the early Celtic inhabitants, traces are found in a few place-names and circular camps (in the parishes of Garvald and Whittingehame), and hill forts (in the parish of Bolton). Ex cavations at Traprain Law, carried on since 1914, gave evidence that this hill, a natural stronghold strengthened by earthworks, was in occupation nearly continually from the Bronze age to the beginning of the 5th century A.D. Most of the objects found are Celtic, but there was also a hoard of Roman silver plate of the 4th century, weighing over 77o oz., and believed to have been pillaged from Gaul by Saxon pirates. After the Roman occupa tion, of which few traces remain, the district formed part of the Saxon kingdom of Northumbria until 1018, when it was joined to Scotland by Malcolm II. It was comparatively prosperous till the wars of Bruce and Baliol, but from that period down to the union of the kingdoms it suffered from its nearness to the Border and from civil strife. The last battles fought in the county were those of Dunbar (1650) and Prestonpans
