Parishes

East Lothian has historic 25 parishes, and we will gradually add information about each one in the pages here. Sometimes their configuration and their names have changed with the passing of years and the changing of population numbers. Our list is based on the ‘classic’ post-Reformation parishes, that retained their integrity and community focus until very recent times. If you have any comments or suggestions, or would like to contribute, please leave a reply below!

The Local History Centre has developed a comprehensive list of East Lothian’s placenames, which includes historic variations in spelling. In this list you will find a note of where you can find each place on the first and second edition Ordnance Survey maps (published in the 1850s and 1890s respectively).

The National Library of Scotland has digitised these maps, among many others, and you can find out more about them and view them on their website.

The Fourth Statistical Account of East Lothian has compiled a wealth of information about the parishes, which you can explore online here.