County town: Haddington
East Lothian, historically Haddingtonshire, was established as a sheriffdom from the 12th century. It was one of the most fertile and prosperous counties of Scotland, its agricultural wealth supporting a dense settlement pattern on the coastal plain.
East Lothian is one of Scotland's most fertile counties, its coastal plain between Edinburgh and the Scottish border producing some of the best arable land in Britain. Haddington, its county town, was a prosperous medieval burgh of significant size. The Bass Rock, a volcanic plug rising from the Firth of Forth offshore, was a significant fortress and prison through the medieval and early modern periods. Tantallon Castle, perched on clifftops above the Firth, was a stronghold of the Douglas family. The county's golf courses — North Berwick, Muirfield, Gullane — reflect its long association with the sport. John Knox, the reformer, was born at Haddington around 1514.
The Statistical Accounts of Scotland — the Old Statistical Account (1791–99) and the New Statistical Account (1834–45) — provide detailed parish-by-parish descriptions of East Lothian at two moments of transformation. Aubrey draws on these accounts when generating reports for Scottish locations, providing historical context specific to the parish and county.
Scotland's 33 traditional counties, established as sheriffdoms from the 12th century onward, were the administrative framework of the country until the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1975 replaced them with regional councils. They remain the reference framework for historical records, genealogy, and cultural identity.
An Aubrey report for a specific location in East Lothian draws on historical maps, archaeological records, Domesday data, Statistical Account records, and landscape history to tell the full story of any site in the county.
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