County Dossier
East Lothian
A fertile coastal county with deep medieval roots.
East Lothian is a maritime county on Scotland’s east coast, stretching along the southern shore of the Firth of Forth (Firth Foirthe) and curving toward the North Sea.
At a glance
East Lothian at a glance
A fertile coastal county with deep medieval roots.
- Maritime county
- Haddington = royal burgh since 12th century
- Birthplace of John Knox, Protestant reformer
- Area: 267 sq miles 692 km²
- Population: 74,882
- County top: Meikle Says Law 1,755 ft / 535 m
County Geography
East Lothian meets Midlothian to the west and Berwickshire to the south and south-east, while the Firth of Forth and the North Sea form the county’s northern and north-eastern edge. The county is shaped by its long coastline, the low fertile plain around Haddington, and the Lammermuir Hills rising along the southern side.
East Lothian is easy to recognise through its Forth-side coast, Haddington plain, and Lammermuir edge.
Map Reference
View East Lothian on the map
East Lothian is the county. The map also shows lieutenancies and council areas that use the county name.
The county.
The lieutenancy.
Council areas.
Places and routes
Haddington, North Berwick, Dunbar, Prestonpans, and Gifford show the county from its central inland town and coast-side burghs to the western approach and the Lammermuir side.
Connections
The county’s routes have long followed the coast, crossed the plain through Haddington, and run south toward the Lammermuir edge. Movement follows the same coast, plain, and hill pattern.
Names
- East Lothian
- County of East Lothian
- Haddingtonshire
- County of Haddington
- Siorrachd an Ear Leothain
Siorrachd an Ear Leothain is the Gaelic form of East Lothian. County of Haddington is the formal historical style, while Haddingtonshire is the long-standing alternative county name used alongside East Lothian.
The county was a sheriffdom by the twelfth century, and its older history reaches into the Northumbrian period. Haddington remained the county town, and the coast-plain-Lammermuir pattern still makes East Lothian legible.