Masterton

Newbattle, Lothian, Scotland

From A new description of the Shyres Lothian and Linlitquo Be T. Pont. Judocus Hondius celavit sumptibus Andrae Hart. Timothy Pont 1630. Source: National Library of Scotland

References on Maps
Mostertoun 1630 Hondius (Pont) Lothian
Mostertoun 1636 Hondius (Pont) Lothian
Mostertoun 1654 Blaeu Lothian
Masterton 1744 Elphinstone Lothian
Mostertoun 1745 Moll Lothian
Masterton 1773 Armstrong Lothian
Masterton 1821 Ainslie Southern Scotland
Masterton 1843-82 OS 6-inch edition
Masterton Mains 1843-82 OS 6-inch edition
Masterton 1857 OS 1st edition
Masterton 1898 OS 2nd edition
Masterton 1904 OS 3rd edition
Masterton 1926 OS "Popular" edition

Sources: Maps with permission from National Library of Scotland.

Stodart

A critical examination of the genealogy of Masterton of that Ilk, Parkmill - 1878

There are also lands in the county of Edinburgh named Masterton, and it is possible that they may have given name to a family in that quarter, who, however, never were owners of the estate. Robert I. granted a charter of half Masterton, near Newbottle, to the Abbot and Convent of Newbottle, on the resignation of Nigel de Carrick and Marion his spouse, and of Gilbert de Aytoun and Ada de Rossine his spouse ; a subsequent charter conveyed the patronage of the church of Masterton to the Abbey. David II. granted half of Masterton to Walter Dispensa ; Masterton was included in the great estate which was acquired by Mark Ker, last Abbot of Newbottle, as a hereditary barony, and was held by his descendants the Earls of Lothian till the middle of the seventeenth century, when it belonged to Thomas Meggat and descended to his heirs.

by R.R.Stodart
Depute Lyon King of Arms
Privately Printed, London
Mitchell and Hughes
24 Wardour Street, W
1878

Register of the Great Seal of Scotland

1306-1424

Roberti Primi. CARTA ABB't CONVENT De NEUBOTILL

....Mas'ton ppe Neubotill...Nigellis de Carrick, Mariota his wife, Gilbert of Ayton, Ada de Rossine, wife of Gilbert.

The Register of the Great Seal of Scotland
AD 1306-1424
by HM Command
1814

NEWBATTLE, FORMERLY MASTERTOUN

[Previous to the Reformation the church, dedicated to St Mary, belonged to the Abbot of Newbattle.]

Fasti Ecclesiasticae Scoticanae
The Succession of ministers of the Church of Scotland from the Reformation
Hew Scott, D.D.
Oliver & Boyd. 1915

The House of Cockburn of that Ilk

On 20th May 1735 was given "sasine on disposition by Robert Rocheid of Masterton, with consent of Agnes Murray, his spouse, to Archibald Cockburn, merchant in Edinburgh, of the lands of Masterton, in the parish of Newbottle."

The House of Cockburn of that Ilk
Thomas H. Cockburn-Hood.
Scott & Ferguson, 1888

No trace remains of the former Masterton House near Newbattle. When I visited the site I met Stan Gowrie, near neighbour, and he identified this tree (looking east) as the nearest to the location of the old house....

Image by Gordon Masterton

....and he was right! Below is a photograph taken in 1938 (looking west) from the collection of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland.

The view must have been magnificent, particularly before the industrial development of Lothian. Below is the view to the north-west, with Edinburgh Castle rock (far left) and Arthur's Seat (mid left) notable landmarks, with the Firth of Forth and the coast of Fife on the horizon.

Image by Gordon Masterton

Below is a closer view of Masterton House before it was demolished.