Stenton

   STENTON, a parish, in the county of Haddington; containing, with the villages of Beil-Grange and Pitcox, 686 inhabitants, of whom 236 are in the village of Stenton, 3 miles (S. E. by S.) from Prestonkirk. This place derived its name, either from the lands abounding with stones, or from its proximity to a valuable quarry of freestone, whence materials were taken for the buildings in the vicinity. The low part of the parish is three miles and a half in length from north to south, and about three miles in breadth from east to west, and comprises 3000 acres, of which 2000 are arable, 500 meadow and pasture, 400 woodland and plantations, and the remainder moor. The surface is elevated, attaining generally to a height of 280 feet above the level of the sea, and is pleasingly undulated, in some parts rising into hills. The scenery is beautifully varied; and though there is no river intersecting the lands, they are enriched by a lake of artificial formation, more than two miles in circumference, the shores of which abound with picturesque objects in richest combination. Springs of excellent water are also found in several parts, from one of which, issuing from the base of a lofty hill into a deep dell inclosed by embankments at the extremities, is formed the lake alluded to, which abounds with trout brought from Loch Leven, and with carp and tench of superior quality. The hills that encompass the lake are well wooded, and the scenery renders it a place of frequent resort to parties of pleasure. Near the village is another copious spring, called Rudewell, over which has been erected a circular building of stone, surmounted by a sculptured cardinal's cap, upon the preservation of which is said to depend the tenure of the lands around. The soil is generally clay, of various qualities, in some parts tenacious, and in others softening into fertile loam; there is also a considerable portion of land of lighter quality, which abounds with pebbles, but which is well adapted for turnips. The crops are, wheat, oats, barley, peas, potatoes, and turnips. The system of agriculture is highly improved; the lands are well drained; the introduction of bone and rape-dust manures has been productive of much benefit to the soil; and all the more recent improvements in implements of husbandry have been adopted by the tenantry. Considerable attention is paid to live-stock; cattle at two years old are now in as great perfection as formerly at three years. The rateable annual value of the parish is £6368.

   Beil, once the seat of the Belhaven family, and now possessed by Mrs. H. N. Ferguson, of Dirleton, is an old mansion much improved: the estate, by intermarriage, is now united with that of Dirleton. The late Mr. Nisbet made great additions to the mansion, at an expense of more than £40,000; it is seated on an eminence, sloping gently, and formed into a succession of terraces in front of the house, which has been extended to a length of nearly 500 feet. The new building is in strict harmony with the style of the ancient mansion, and the whole constitutes one of the most splendid seats in the country; the apartments are stately, and elegantly fitted up, and contain a rich variety of marbles, and a well assorted collection of paintings by the first masters. The terraces, embellished with the choicest flowers, and kept in great order, give a peculiar character to the appearance of the mansion, which is further heightened by a stream that flows at the base of the eminence. In the grounds, which are laid out with much taste, is one of the finest cedars in the country, conveyed from London by Lord Belhaven in a pot, and planted about the beginning of the last century; it is fourteen feet in girth and sixty feet high, and its branches spread over an area 200 feet in circumference. The village is neatly built, and inhabited chiefly by persons engaged in the trades requisite for the supply of the inhabitants of the parish: a very small number are employed in weaving, which was formerly carried on to a greater extent. The nearest market-town is Dunbar, with which, and with places in the more immediate vicinity, communication is afforded by good roads kept in repair by statute labour. The parish is in the presbytery of Dunbar, synod of Lothian and Tweeddale, and patronage of Mrs. H. N. Ferguson: the minister's stipend is £295. 10. 1., with a manse, and the glebe is valued at £21 per annum. The church is a spacious and handsome structure in the later English style, with a lofty square embattled tower, the whole built in 1829 at an expense of more than £2000, towards which the heritors contributed £900; the remainder was given by Mrs. Ferguson, by whom the erection was proposed, to remedy the deficiency of the old church, which was ill adapted and inconveniently situated. The present edifice is adapted for a congregation of 400 persons, and was opened for divine service by Dr. Chalmers. The parochial school affords a useful education to the children of the parish; the master has a salary of £34. 4., with £40 fees, and a house and garden. A library is supported, and there are also two itinerating libraries.