Editing Musselburgh (section)

==History==
The name Musselburgh is [[Old English language|Old English]] in origin, with ''mussel'' referring to [[Mussel|the shellfish]].<ref group="note">Musselburgh was famous for the mussel beds which grew in the Firth of Forth; after many years of claims that the mussels were unsafe for consumption, a movement has been started to reestablish the mussel beds as a commercial venture.</ref> The ''burgh'' element appears to derive from [[burh]], in the same way as Edinburgh, before the introduction of formal burghs by [[David I of Scotland|David I]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gwp.enta.net/scothist.htm#places |title= The early history of Scotland and meanings of the clan names and place-names appearing on the Clan Map of Scotland|website=www.gwp.enta.net |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060517202634/http://www.gwp.enta.net/scothist.htm#places |archive-date=May 17, 2006}}</ref> Its earliest Anglic name was ''Eskmuthe'' (Eskmouth) for its location at the mouth of the [[River Esk, Lothian|River Esk]].

Musselburgh was first settled by the [[Roman Britain|Romans]] in the years following their invasion of Scotland in 80&nbsp;AD. They built a [[Inveresk Roman Fort|fort]] a little inland from the mouth of the River Esk, at [[Inveresk]].

They bridged the Esk downstream from the fort, and thus established the line of the main eastern approach to Scotland's capital for most of the next 2,000 years. The bridge built by the Romans outlasted them by many centuries. It was rebuilt on the original Roman foundations some time before 1300, and in 1597 it was rebuilt again, this time with a third arch added on the east side of the river. The Old Bridge is also known as the Roman Bridge and remains in use today by pedestrians. To its north is the New Bridge, designed by [[John Rennie the Elder]] and built in 1806. This in turn was considerably widened in 1925.

Musselburgh was made a [[burgh]] of barony c.1315 and a burgh of regality in 1562. The town attempted to become a [[royal burgh]] in 1632 but this was prevented by opposition from Edinburgh burgesses. Although Edinburgh is now known to have been a burgh by 1125, Musselburgh's antiquity is reflected in the [[Scots language|Scots-language]] traditional rhyme:

{{cquote|Musselburgh was a burgh<br />When Edinburgh was nane,<br />And Musselburgh will be a burgh<br />When Edinburgh's gane.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Brewer's Britain & Ireland |date=2005 |publisher=[[Weidenfeld and Nicolson]] |page=787 |author1=Ayton, John |author2=Crofton, Ian }}</ref>}}

[[File:Musselburgh.png|thumb|upright=1.4|"Welcome to the Honest Toun"]]
[[File:Mussel Monument by Musselburgh Beach in Scotland.jpg|thumb|Monument to the town's eponymous shellfish]]
Musselburgh is known as "The Honest Toun", and celebrates this by the annual election of the Honest Lad and Lass. The town motto "''Honestas''{{-"}} dates back to 1332, when the Regent of Scotland, [[Thomas Randolph, 1st Earl of Moray|Randolph, Earl of Moray]], died in the burgh after a long illness during which he was devotedly cared for by the townsfolk. His successor offered to reward the people for their loyalty but they declined, saying they were only doing their duty. The new regent, the [[Domhnall II, Earl of Mar|Earl of Mar]], was impressed and said they were a set of honest men, hence "Honest Toun".

Archaeological excavations by [[Headland Archaeology]] between 2003 and 2004, as part of work to renew the water mains, found that the medieval town was concentrated on the High Street and that occupation in the North High Street area and Fisherrow only dates to the 16th&nbsp;century or later. The early town was centred on the eastern side of the river Esk.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Vol 30 (2009): Archaeological monitoring in the streets of Musselburgh: recent discoveries {{!}} Scottish Archaeological Internet Reports|url=http://journals.socantscot.org/index.php/sair/issue/view/51|access-date=2021-08-12|website=journals.socantscot.org}}</ref>

Musselburgh is home to the [[Palladian architecture|Palladian]] Manor House of [[Newhailes House|Newhailes]], which dates back to 1702 and was home to eight generations of the Dalrymple family, who in the 18th century were a prominent political and legal force within [[Scotland]]. The house and grounds are now managed by the [[National Trust for Scotland]].

Stoneyhill House dates from the mid 18th century. The estate of Stoneyhill was formerly owned by [[Bethune baronets|Sir William Sharp]] and later passed to the [[Earl of Wemyss]],<ref name="Lewis -1846">{{cite web |title=Stonehouse - Stromness Pages 500-519 A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/topographical-dict/scotland/pp500-519 |website=British History Online |publisher=S Lewis, London 1846 |access-date=7 April 2023}}</ref> the notorious [[Francis Charteris (rake)|Francis Charteris]].

The town and its population grew considerably throughout the latter half of the twentieth century, with major local authority and private housing developments on both the eastern and western outskirts.

The [[Battle of Pinkie]], part of the [[Rough Wooing]] between Scotland and England, was fought south of Musselburgh in 1547.

=== Town Council ===
Prior to the [[Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973|local government reforms of 1975]], Musselburgh was a [[small burgh]] within the [[Midlothian (historic)|county of Midlothian]]. As such, it elected a town council responsible for a number of areas of local governance, including housing, lighting and street cleaning and drainage. Midlothian County Council was responsible for other areas, including education. The town council met at the [[Musselburgh Tolbooth]] and later, for a short period before its abolition, at the Brunton Hall. The town's civic head and chairman of the council was the [[Provost (civil)|provost]] and there were three [[bailie]]s and a treasurer.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Scran Web Site|url=http://www.scran.ac.uk/database/record.php?usi=000-000-470-881-C|access-date=2021-07-13|website=Scran|language=en}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Provost<ref>{{Cite web|title=Scran Web Site|url=http://www.scran.ac.uk/database/record.php?usi=000-000-470-384-C|access-date=2021-07-13|website=Scran|language=en}}</ref>
! colspan="2" |Party!!Term
|-
|David Lowe
| style="background-color: {{party color|Independent}}" |
|[[Independent politician|Independent]]
|1928-37
|-
|John Henry Paton
| style="background-color: {{party color|Independent}}" |
|[[Independent politician|Independent]]
|1937-40
|-
|Thomas White
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|[[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]
|1940-45
|-
|Daniel Feeney
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|[[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]
|1946-49
|-
|Robert Hunter
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|[[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]
|1949-56
|-
|Joseph H. F. Reid
| style="background-color: {{party color|Scottish Conservative Party}}" |
|[[Moderates (Scotland)|Moderate]]
|1956-57
|-
|James Lannan
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|[[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]
|1957-60
|-
|Peter Hamilton
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|[[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]
|1960-63
|-
|Robert Arthur
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|[[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]
|1963-66
|-
|Thomas White
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|[[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]
| 1966-69
|-
|William Caird
| style="background-color: {{party color|Scottish Conservative Party}}" |
| [[Ratepayers' Association|Ratepayers]]
| 1969-72
|-
|Jessie B. Burns
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
| [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]
| 1972-75
|}

After the local government reforms of 1975, Musselburgh was transferred to the [[East Lothian]] district of the new [[Lothian]] region, and subsequently became part of the East Lothian [[unitary council]] area in 1996.<ref>See also [http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1994/Ukpga_19940039_en_1.htm ''Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994'', Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) website] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100301043228/http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1994/Ukpga_19940039_en_1.htm |date=1 March 2010 }} ([http://www.opsi.gov.uk/about/index.htm OPSI home page] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080418011519/http://www.opsi.gov.uk/about/index.htm |date=18 April 2008 }})</ref>