Farming One of the principal industries of the Newbattle monks was wool. The Abbey was known for the production of the finest quality of wool grown in Scotland. The invaluable account book of the early Scottish merchant, Andrew Halyburton, Conservator of the Scottish Liberties in the Netherlands, records that in 1490 a consignment of Newbattle wool arrived in the Low Countries. |
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A Monk working the fields. |
Coalmining The monks of Newbattle were amongst the first – if not the first – coal miners in Scotland. At the start of the 13th century, the monks were granted a Charter by the Earl of Winton to operate coal heughs. The Charter gave the right of coal working and quarrying “between the said burn of Witrig and the bounds of Pinkie and Inveresk and in the ebb and flow of the sea”. The coal was used for saltpanning which the monks carried out at the nearby town of Prestonpans. Coal was used to boil the pans of seawater. |
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The earliest recorded instances of coal mines worked by the monks are on the opposite side of the River Esk to the Abbey. The enterprising monks were responsible for digging holes and tunnels into the surrounding hillsides and banks of the South Esk. Initially,the methods of extracting coal were very simple. A hole was driven into the river bank where an outcrop was traced and the coal extracted with tools such as chisels, hammers, spades and drills. These early workings can still be seen in the grounds of Newbattle. An archaelogicial survey carried out in 2006 also revealed what is believed to have been a series of bell pits. Monks would simply sink short, vertical shafts. On reaching the desired depths, the bottom of the shaft was widened out to form a rough bell shape. When this area was exhausted, it was filled in and another bell pit was sunk, usually very close to the previous one. Over time, the monks developed more efficient methods of mining. |
A Bell Pit (above) |
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Trade In 1526, James V visited Newbattle Abbey and gave the monkspermission to build a harbour at Prestongrange. A road was then built from Newbattle to the coast to the harbour so that coal and other products could now be exported abroad and to other Scottish ports. Goods were carried in special wagons, the famous ‘New Botyl’ carts, to the harbour, returning with salt, mussels, oysters, fish, wine and even fishing nets which were used in the Abbey grounds. |
Carts The Newbattle carts acquired a reputation for durability and usefulness. Indeed, the term ’Newbattle Carts’ became a generic one – a guarantee of perfection. These carts were made by craftsmen who followed the tradition of woodcarving established by the monks. In design, they were 2 wheeled and high sided and so greatly prized in the area that they were used as barter. For example, it is well known that a local landowner allowed the monks passage over his land on their way to market in exchange for a car! |
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The monks of Newbattle also introduced several new trees and plants to the area. They believed in the saying ‘Blessed is he who plants a tree.’. |
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Salt Panning The monks began to make salt at Prestonpans around 1189. During the 18th century, several works were in production, making a third of a million bushels annually by boiling seawater to dryness in large open pans. This mallet is one of the few surviving tools to be used at the works; its use is now unknown.
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