Tranent
| Tranent | |
| East Lothian | |
|---|---|
 High Street, Tranent | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | NT40387198 |
| Location: | 55°56’14"N, 2°57’16"W |
| Data | |
| Postcode: | EH33 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | East Lothian |
Tranent is a town in East Lothian, close to the A1 road some 11 miles east of Edinburgh. It is one of the oldest towns in East Lothian, and built on a gentle slope, about 300 feet above sea level.
The town's name is thought to be of the British (or Old Welsh) language, possibly similar to the Modern Welsh Tre nant (town of the stream).
History
Once an important mining town, coal was first worked in Tranent in the 12th century. The history of coal mining in Scotland is mirrored in the history of the coal heughs, mines and pits of Tranent. Tranent is now a 'commuter' town supporting East Lothian, Edinburgh and nearby towns.
In 1797 during the French Revolutionary War, a local protest was held against the conscription of men into the arm, which became kown as the Tranent Militia Riot and resulted in the Massacre of Tranent when a number of protestors were killed by soldiers. One of the 12 victims was Jackie Crookston, and there is a statue of her in Civic Square.
In connection with the annual commemoration of the Battle of Prestonpans (1745), there are plans to recreate a small portion of the Tranent to Cockenzie Waggonway [1]
Fa'side Castle
Fa'side Castle, sometimes known as Fawside, Falside, Ffauside, Fauxside, or Fawsyde, is a 15th-century keep found some 2 miles southwest of Tranent.
The castle was rebuilt and extended to the south in the late 16th century. The Fawsydes sold it in 1631 to an Edinburgh burgess and merchant called Hamilton but by the 19th century it had fallen into ruin, and was close to being demolished altogether in the 1970s. However, the castle was bought and restored by Thomas Moodie Craig in the 1980s and is now protected as a Category B listed building.
Literature
William Dunbar's poem the Lament for the Makaris includes the name Clerk of Tranent as a poet probably of the fifteenth century, citing him as author of the Anteris of Gawain. Some examples of such works exist but his has not been traced.
Gordon Kennedy, one of the comedy team of the sketch show Absolutely is a Tranent man and inserted photographs of Tranent in its frequent sketches based on the bizarre, fictional town of Stoneybridge.