MUSSELBURGH, a sea-port town of Scotland, in the county tat Mid-Lothian, is situated on the southern coast of the Frith of Forth, at the mouth of the river Esk. The town of Musselburgh, properly so called, consists chiefly of one street, wide, and well paved, and containing many good houses, with the prison and town house situated near the middle of it. The suburb of Fisherrow and Market Gate is separated from the town lay the Esk, which is crossed by three bridges, one for foot passengers, made of wood, another which is very old, and an elegant and substantial new bridge designed by Mr. Rennie. The village of Inveresk, which may be considered as another suburb, is delightfully situatcd on high ground to the south of Alusselburgh, and con tains many elegant villas. The church of Inveresk, which has been lately rebnilt, is a large structurc, with a lofty spire, and forms a fine object at a distance. Be sides this church there is a Relief church, a Burgher meeting-house, a Haldanite chapel, and an Anabaptist meeting-house. Pinkie house, formerly the residence of the Setons, earls of Dunfermline, stands at the south end of the principal street, and is now the property of Sir John Hope. On the site of thc ancient chapel of Loietto, a cell to the abbey of Dunfermline, there has been erected a good modern villa. One of the cells, covered by a moat, still exists in the garden. There is here an excellent grammar school, which has long been in great repute. The principal manufactures in AIussel
burgh are, those of salt, leather, pottery, starch, hair cloth, and nets for the herring fishery,. Sheep skins were also dressed into what is called roan. The downs or links of Alusselburgh, which lie between the town and the sea, have been lately converted into a race course for the Edinburgh races, which were first held there in October 1316 The earl of Mar is said to have given Musselburgh its first charter in 1340; but the oldest charter it possesses bears the date of 1562, and was granted by the cornmendator of Dunfermline. Alussel. burgh was erected into a royal burgh in 1632; but its charter was reduced the same year, through the influ ence of the magistrates of Edinburgh. King James VI. gave the superiority of the town to the earl of Lauder dale, in whose family it remained till 1709, when it was bought by the duchess of Buccleuch. It now belongs to the duke of Buccleuch as lord of the regality. The town is governed by a town council, of 18 members, 8 of whom are elected from Fisherrow. In the neighbour hood of Pinkie the Scots were defeated hy the English with great slaughter in 1547; and on Carberry hill the forces of queen Mary and Bothwell were dispersed by the confederate army, and the queen taken prisoner in 1567.
Tile population of the parish, in 1811, was 1316 houses 2nd 6393 innabitants, and that of the burgh 5500.