The Castles of Scotland by Martin Coventry | Goblinshead | A comprehensive guide to 4,100 castles, towers, historic houses, stately homes and family lands
The Castles of Scotland by Martin Coventry | Goblinshead | A comprehensive guide to 4,100 castles, towers, historic houses, stately homes and family lands
The Castles of Scotland
The Castles of Scotland 

Tranent Tower

Lothians: To north of Tranent, on minor road east of B6414 between A199 and A1, in Church Street, at Tranent Tower.

 

Ruin or site   NT 404729   OS: 66   EH33 1BL

 

View from exterior.

 

Tranent Parish Church: churchyard accessible at all reasonable times.

Web: www.tranentparishchurch.co.uk

Tranent Tower, a ruinous old tower house of the Seton family and then the Valances, not far from the atmospheric parish church in a fine wooded setting with many old carved tombstones and a large doocot, at Tranent in East Lothian. Tranent Tower (M'Neill, 1884)
Tranent Tower, a ruinous old tower house of the Seton family and then the Valances, not far from the atmospheric parish church in a fine wooded setting with many old carved tombstones and a large doocot, at Tranent in East Lothian. Tranent Tower (© Martin Coventry)

Tranent Tower is a ruined 16th-century L-plan tower house. It consists of a main block of three storeys and a square stair-wing, which rises a storey higher. The roof is pantiled (a later repair), and a doocot is built into the top of the wing.

  The basement contains two vaulted chambers. A narrow turnpike stair climbs to the upper floors. The hall was on the first floor, but the storeys above have lost their floors.

Tranent doocot (dovecot), near Tranent Tower is a ruinous old tower house of the Seton family and then the Valance family, not far from the atmospheric parish church in a fine wooded setting with many old carved tombstones and a large doocot, at Tranent i Tranent Tower: doocot, near parish church (© Martin Coventry)

There is a lectern-type doocot [NT 403734], dating from 1587, by the old parish church, which had more than 1,000 nesting boxes.
  ‘Tranent’ is marked on Blaeu’s map of The Lothians, then on Adair’s map of East Lothian. The original village was near the church and by the tower, and Tranent parish covered a wide area including Prestongrange, Preston, Prestonpans, Cockenzie, Port Seton and Tranent. The village was a centre of coal mining.

Coal bearers from Tranent, Tranent Tower is a ruinous old tower house of the Seton family and then the Valance family, not far from the atmospheric parish church in a fine wooded setting with many old carved tombstones and a large doocot, at Tranent Tranent Tower: Coal bearers (M'Neill, 1884)

The lands belonged to the Setons in 1542 (also see Seton Castle), but were held by the Valance family in the 17th century and they held the property into the 19th century. They have a burial monument at the parish church (see below). The building may have been used as a barracks at one time, and was a stable and hayloft. It is not in a good state of repair, although there are plans for conservation and it is covered in scaffolding.

  There is said to have been a tunnel linking the tower to Falside Castle.

Tranent Old Parish Church, near Tranent Tower is a ruinous old tower house of the Seton family and then the Valance family, not far from the atmospheric parish church in a fine wooded setting with many old carved tombstones and a large doocot, at Tranent Tranent Tower: Tranent Old Parish Church, replaced by the current building (M'Neill, 1884)
Gravestone, Tranent Parish Church, near Tranent Tower is a ruinous old tower house of the Seton family and then the Valance family, not far from the atmospheric parish church in a fine wooded setting with many old carved tombstones and a large doocot, at Tranent Tower: old gravestone (© Martin Coventry)

The Tranent Massacre of 1797 was caused by the Militia Act, when the government tried to conscript Scottish men into the army. This was resisted throughout many parts of Scotland, but a protesting crowd in Tranent was attacked by gorvernment cavalry and dragoons, and at least 12 people were killed, most just in the wrong place at the wrong time, more were wounded, and many arrests were made following the killings. A statue of Joan ‘Jackie’ Crookston, one of the leaders of the rising and shot dead after being pursued by government forces, is located in Tranent’s Civic Square.

Tranent Parish Church, near Tranent Tower is a ruinous old tower house of the Seton family and then the Valance family, not far from the atmospheric parish church in a fine wooded setting with many old carved tombstones and a large doocot, at Tranent in E Tranent Tower: Tranent Parish Church (© Martin Coventry)
Gravestones, Tranent Parish Church, near Tranent Tower is a ruinous old tower house of the Seton family and then the Valance family, not far from the atmospheric parish church in a fine wooded setting with many old carved tombstones and a large doocot, at Tranent Tower: gravestones (© Martin Coventry)

Tranent Parish Church [NT 403739] is set in a pretty wooded location and the church dates from the end of the 18th century on an ancient site. The church was looted and burnt by the English following the Battle of Pinkie in 1547, when the bells were stolen.

Tranent Parish Church, near Tranent Tower is a ruinous old tower house of the Seton family and then the Valance family, not far from the atmospheric parish church in a fine wooded setting with many old carved tombstones and a large doocot, at Tranent in E Tranent Tower: Tranent Parish Church (Seton, 1899)
Memorial to the Vallance family, Tranent Parish Church, near Tranent Tower is a ruinous old tower house of the Seton family and then the Valance family, not far from the atmospheric parish church in a fine wooded setting with many old carved tombstones an Tranent Tower: memorial to Vallance family, Tranent Parish Church (© Martin Coventry)
Cadell burial aisle, Tranent Parish Church, near Tranent Tower is a ruinous old tower house of the Seton family and then the Valance family, not far from the atmospheric parish church in a fine wooded setting with many old carved tombstones and a large do Tranent Tower: Cadell burial aisle, Tranent Parish Church (© Martin Coventry)

In the burial ground are a large number of fine carved tombstones, dating from the late 17th century, as well as the burial aisle for the Cadells of Cockenzie. John Caddell of Cockenzie, blamed by many for his part in the Tranent Massacre of 1797, is buried here. Colonel James Gardiner, who owned nearby Bankton House and was killed at the Battle of Prestonpans after being tended in the nearby former manse, is buried in the graveyard. His memorial, however, was lost when the church was extended. There are also memorials to the Vallance family and the Setons.

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