Tour Scotland Video Preston Tower Prestonpans East Lothian

Tour Scotland video of Preston Tower on ancestry visit to Prestonpans, East Lothian, Scotland. The name Preston means Priest town and the land was first owned by the monks of Newbattle Abbey in Dalkeith. Preston Tower is just one of a chain of some ten Hamilton strongholds running from Brodick Castle on the Isle of Arran in the west to Innerwick Castle near Dunbar in the east. This Scottish tower was badly damaged by fire on three occasions. First in 1544 by the English during the wars of the Rough Wooing where by the method of castle burning they hoped to force the marriage of the infant Mary Queen of Scots to the English Prince Edward. Secondly, it was burnt by Oliver Cromwell in 1650 during his systematic destruction of Lothian castles after his victory over the Scots at the battle of Dunbar. Finally, the tower was accidentally set ablaze in 1663. Preston Tower was purchased by the National Trust for Scotland in 1969. It is currently under the guardianship of East Lothian Council.

All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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