
Musselburgh (; ; ) is the largest settlement in
East Lothian
East Lothian (; ; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, as well as a Counties of Scotland, historic county, registration county and Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. The county was called Haddingtonshire until 1921.
In ...
,
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
, on the coast of the
Firth of Forth
The Firth of Forth () is a firth in Scotland, an inlet of the North Sea that separates Fife to its north and Lothian to its south. Further inland, it becomes the estuary of the River Forth and several other rivers.
Name
''Firth'' is a cognate ...
, east of
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
city centre. It had a population of as of .
History
The name Musselburgh is
Old English
Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...
in origin, with ''mussel'' referring to
the shellfish.
[Musselburgh was famous for the mussel beds which grew in the Firth of Forth; after many years of claims that the mussels were unsafe for consumption, a movement has been started to reestablish the mussel beds as a commercial venture.] The ''burgh'' element appears to derive from
burh, in the same way as Edinburgh, before the introduction of formal burghs by
David I. Its earliest Anglic name was ''Eskmuthe'' (Eskmouth) for its location at the mouth of the
River Esk.
Musselburgh was first settled by the
Romans in the years following their invasion of Scotland in 80 AD. They built a
fort
A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...
a little inland from the mouth of the River Esk, at
Inveresk.
They bridged the Esk downstream from the fort, and thus established the line of the main eastern approach to Scotland's capital for most of the next 2,000 years. The bridge built by the Romans outlasted them by many centuries. It was rebuilt on the original Roman foundations some time before 1300, and in 1597 it was rebuilt again, this time with a third arch added on the east side of the river. The Old Bridge is also known as the Roman Bridge and remains in use today by pedestrians. To its north is the New Bridge, designed by
John Rennie the Elder and built in 1806. This in turn was considerably widened in 1925.
Musselburgh was made a
burgh
A burgh ( ) is an Autonomy, autonomous municipal corporation in Scotland, usually a city, town, or toun in Scots language, Scots. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when David I of Scotland, King David I created ...
of barony c.1315 and a burgh of regality in 1562. The town attempted to become a
royal burgh
A royal burgh ( ) was a type of Scottish burgh which had been founded by, or subsequently granted, a royal charter. Although abolished by law in 1975, the term is still used by many former royal burghs.
Most royal burghs were either created by ...
in 1632 but this was prevented by opposition from Edinburgh burgesses. Although Edinburgh is now known to have been a burgh by 1125, Musselburgh's antiquity is reflected in the
Scots-language traditional rhyme:

Musselburgh is known as "The Honest Toun", and celebrates this by the annual election of the Honest Lad and Lass. The town motto "''Honestas'' dates back to 1332, when the Regent of Scotland,
Randolph, Earl of Moray, died in the burgh after a long illness during which he was devotedly cared for by the townsfolk. His successor offered to reward the people for their loyalty but they declined, saying they were only doing their duty. The new regent, the
Earl of Mar, was impressed and said they were a set of honest men, hence "Honest Toun".
Archaeological excavations by
Headland Archaeology between 2003 and 2004, as part of work to renew the water mains, found that the medieval town was concentrated on the High Street and that occupation in the North High Street area and Fisherrow only dates to the 16th century or later. The early town was centred on the eastern side of the river Esk.
Musselburgh is home to the
Palladian Manor House of
Newhailes, which dates back to 1702 and was home to eight generations of the Dalrymple family, who in the 18th century were a prominent political and legal force within
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
. The house and grounds are now managed by the
National Trust for Scotland.
Stoneyhill House dates from the mid 18th century. The estate of Stoneyhill was formerly owned by
Sir William Sharp and later passed to the
Earl of Wemyss
Earl of Wemyss ( ) is a title in the Peerage of Scotland created in 1633. The Scotland, Scottish Wemyss family had possessed the lands of Wemyss Castle, Wemyss in Fife since the 12th century. Since 1823 the earldom has been held with the Earldo ...
,
the notorious
Francis Charteris.
The town and its population grew considerably throughout the latter half of the twentieth century, with major local authority and private housing developments on both the eastern and western outskirts.
The
Battle of Pinkie
The Battle of Pinkie, also known as the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh (), took place on 10 September 1547 on the banks of the River Esk near Musselburgh, Scotland. The last pitched battle between Scotland and England before the Union of the Crowns, ...
, part of the
Rough Wooing
The Rough Wooing (; December 1543 – March 1551), also known as the Eight Years' War, was part of the Anglo-Scottish Wars of the 16th century. Following the English Reformation, the break with the Catholic Church, England attacked Scotland ...
between Scotland and England, was fought south of Musselburgh in 1547.
Town Council
Prior to the
local government reforms of 1975, Musselburgh was a
small burgh within the
county of Midlothian. As such, it elected a town council responsible for a number of areas of local governance, including housing, lighting and street cleaning and drainage. Midlothian County Council was responsible for other areas, including education. The town council met at the
Musselburgh Tolbooth and later, for a short period before its abolition, at the Brunton Hall. The town's civic head and chairman of the council was the
provost and there were three
bailies and a treasurer.
After the local government reforms of 1975, Musselburgh was transferred to the
East Lothian
East Lothian (; ; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, as well as a Counties of Scotland, historic county, registration county and Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. The county was called Haddingtonshire until 1921.
In ...
district of the new
Lothian
Lothian (; ; ) is a region of the Scottish Lowlands, lying between the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and the Lammermuir Hills and the Moorfoot Hills. The principal settlement is the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, while other signific ...
region, and subsequently became part of the East Lothian
unitary council area in 1996.
Demography
Population
At the 2022 census, the population was 21,479 and 79.2% of residents were born in Scotland, 9.5% other UK, 7.2% Europe and 4.1% Other.
Religion
At the
2011 Census, 52% of Musselburgh residents stated they belonged to a religion, with 51% being Christians,
and there are several churches catering to different denominations.
Church of Scotland
There are three
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland (CoS; ; ) is a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity that holds the status of the national church in Scotland. It is one of the country's largest, having 245,000 members in 2024 and 259,200 members in 2023. While mem ...
ecclesiastical parishes in Musselburgh, each with its own church, however discussions are currently underway regarding the future of these three churches and possible amalgamation:
* North Esk
* St. Andrew's High
*
St. Michael's, Inveresk
Roman Catholicism
There is one
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
congregation which worships at Our Lady of Loretto and St Michael Catholic Church.
Scottish Episcopal Church
There is one
Scottish Episcopal congregation which worships at St Peter's Church.
Other Churches
* Harbour Church
* Hope Church
* Musselburgh Baptist Church
* Musselburgh Congregational Church
Education
Schools include
Loretto School, a private
boarding school
A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...
, and
Musselburgh Grammar School, the local large
comprehensive that is one of the oldest
grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a Latin school, school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented Se ...
s in the country, dating from 1608. Primary schools include: Campie Primary School, Musselburgh Burgh Primary School, Stoneyhill Primary School, Pinkie St Peter's Primary School, Loretto RC Primary School and Loretto Nippers (private). Early learning locations (ages 3–5) include The Burgh, Stoneyhill, Loretto RC, and St. Ninian's. There are also several private nurseries for pre school aged children.
Queen Margaret University relocated all its schools from Edinburgh to Musselburgh in 2007.
Her Majesty The Queen officially opened the QMU
campus
A campus traditionally refers to the land and buildings of a college or university. This will often include libraries, lecture halls, student centers and, for residential universities, residence halls and dining halls.
By extension, a corp ...
in July 2008.
Transport
Railway
Musselburgh is served by two railway stations.
Musselburgh railway station is in the west of the town adjacent to Queen Margaret University and has regular
ScotRail services from to . It is a relatively new station, having opened in 1988. The other station serving the town is
Wallyford railway station to the east of the town in the village of
Wallyford, which opened in 1994.
The town's
original station was close to the town centre at the end of a short branch from Newhailes Junction. Passenger services from there ceased in 1964, and the line closed to all traffic in the early 1970s. The former railway line is now a road bypassing the
Fisherrow area of the town. There was also
a station at Fisherrow.
Bus
The town is served by
Lothian Buses,
East Coast Buses and Prentice Coaches Ltd.
Roads
The
A1 by-passes the town and meets the
A720 Edinburgh City Bypass at the edge of the town before continuing to Edinburgh city centre. The A199 goes through the High Street to
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
in the west and to
Dunbar
Dunbar () is a town on the North Sea coast in East Lothian in the south-east of Scotland, approximately east of Edinburgh and from the Anglo–Scottish border, English border north of Berwick-upon-Tweed.
Dunbar is a former royal burgh, and ...
to the east. This was originally the
A1 until the town's bypass was built in the mid-1980s.
Sport
The Musselburgh Silver Arrow is reputed to be the oldest sporting trophy in United Kingdom, and is competed for annually by the
Royal Company of Archers. It dates back to at least 1603.
Musselburgh is home to both
Musselburgh Racecourse and
Musselburgh Links golf course. The links, a former venue of
golf
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible.
Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...
's
Open Championship, have recently been acknowledged as the oldest continuously played golf course in the world.
Musselburgh Athletic F.C.
Musselburgh Athletic Football Club are a Scottish football (soccer), football club based in the town of Musselburgh, East Lothian. Formed in 1934, they have played under different names including Musselburgh Bruntonians, Musselburgh Juniors and ...
are the town's football team, competing in the
East of Scotland League at their Olivebank Park ground in the west of the town. Musselburgh also has some grassroots teams for young players, such as the Musselburgh Windsor and the Musselburgh Youngstars.
Musselburgh RFC play in the
Scottish Premiership
The Scottish Premiership, also known as the William Hill (bookmaker), William Hill Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Scotland and the highest level of the Scottish football league system. Th ...
at Stoneyhill.
The Musselburgh Roads Cycling Club was formed in January 1936 by a breakaway group of 16 from the Musselburgh Clarion. After forming an alliance with other clubs during the war, the MRCC reformed again in its own right in January 1945. The club has a long and successful history of competitive cycling. Notable riders include: Jock Allison, who in 1945 won the
British Best All Rounder title and is to date still the only Scottish club rider to do so; Janet Sutherland, who dominated Scottish woman's cycling in 1951–4; and Sandy Gilchrist, who in 1977 won 5 individual and 4 team Scottish Championships. Many other riders from the club have won national championships or have been selected to compete at world championship level or the
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, which consists mostly, but not exclusively, of territories of the former British Empire. The event was first held in 1930 ...
. Today, club members take part in track racing, road racing, time trials, cyclo cross and mountain biking. Their base is at the Tolbooth in the High Street.
There is also a locally run
darts
Darts is a competitive sport in which two or more players bare-handedly throw small projectile point, sharp-pointed projectile, projectiles known as dart (missile), darts at a round shooting target, target known as a #Dartboard, dartboard.
Point ...
league, the Musselburgh and District Darts League, comprising an A and B league, each containing eight teams. Many players from this league represent the Lothian team at county level.
In Musselburgh there is also an amateur swimming club called Musselburgh Amateur Swimming Club. The club is home to the Musselburgh Marlins and trains at Musselburgh Sports Centre. The club was first established in 1886 and in its current format in 1994 where they trained at Loretto Swimming Pool which is now closed.
The East Lothian Seagulls of the Scottish
Floorball
Floorball (also known by other names) is a sport played with five players and a goalkeeper in each team. It is played indoors with sticks and a hollow plastic ball with holes. Matches are played in three periods. The sport of bandy also playe ...
League are based in Musselburgh and train and play matches at the sports centre at Queen Margaret University.
Notable people

;Acting
*
James Martin, best known for his role as Eric in
Still Game
''Still Game'' is a Scotland, Scottish sitcom produced by Effingee Productions, The Comedy Unit and BBC Scotland. It was created by Ford Kiernan and Greg Hemphill, who played the lead characters, Jack Jarvis (Still Game character), Jack Jarvis, ...
. Although originally from Glasgow, he has lived in East Lothian since 1974.
*
Callum Kerr, actor and musician
;Medicine
*
David Macbeth Moir, physician and writer
;Military
*
John Grieve, recipient of the
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...
;Writers and artists
*
Alexander Carrick, sculptor
*
Margaret Oliphant, novelist and historical writer, who usually wrote as Mrs Oliphant
;Sports
*
Gary Anderson, darts player
*
Barney Battles Jr., footballer
*
Alistair Brown, footballer
*
Billy Brown, football coach
*
John Clark, footballer
*
Jason Holt, footballer
*
Willie Jamieson, footballer
*
Jim Jefferies, football manager
*
John McGlynn, football manager
*
Michael McKenna, footballer
*
Paul McLean, footballer
*
Bill McPhillips, footballer
*
Kenny Miller, footballer
*
Alan Morgan, footballer
*
Ross Muir, professional snooker player
*
Scott Murray, rugby union player
*
Yvonne Murray, athlete
*
Colin Nish, footballer
*
Willie Ormond, footballer and manager
*
Kirsten Reilly, footballer
*
Kris Renton, footballer
*
George Walker, footballer
*
John White, footballer
;Various
*
Callum Beattie, singer-songwriter
*
Rhona Cameron, comedian
*
Kirsten Imrie, professional model and former
Page Three girl
Areas
Fisherrow,
Inveresk,
Levenhall Links,
Pinkie, Stoneyhill, Clayknowes, Denholm, Stoneybank,
Queen Margaret University Student Village, Monktonhall, Pinkie Braes
Twin towns
Musselburgh is twinned with:
*
Champigny-sur-Marne
Champigny-sur-Marne (, literally ''Champigny on Marne'') is a major city in the region of Île-de-France, France. It is located from the centre of Paris.
Name
Champigny-sur-Marne was originally called simply Champigny. The name Champigny ultim ...
(France)
*
Rosignano Marittimo (Italy)
"Champigny was already twinned with Rosignano, so a three-way link was considered advantageous."
Gallery
File:Musselburgh harbour.png, A panoramic view of Fisherrow harbour and its pleasure craft
File:Harbour Masters Office.jpg, Harbour Master's Office at Fisherrow
File:Pinkie House, Musselburgh.jpg, Pinkie House, now one of the buildings of Loretto School
File:ScottishEpiscopalChurch.jpg, Scottish Episcopal church on the High Street
File:Eskmills1.jpg, Eskmills, a former factory complex, is transformed into a business park
File:Musselburgh station.png, Musselburgh railway station, showing a local eastbound (North Berwick) train, and a westbound (Edinburgh) intercity (125) train
File:Brunton hall.png, Brunton Hall provides access to East Lothian Council
East Lothian Council is one of the 32 local government councils in Scotland covering the East Lothian area. Since the last boundary changes in 2017, 22 councillors have been elected from 6 wards.
History
East Lothian District Council had been ...
's services, as well as a theatre and restaurant
File:Brunton hall2.png, Brunton Hall, from the west of the town
See also
*
John Muir Way
The John Muir Way is a continuous Long-distance trail, long-distance route in southern Scotland, running from Helensburgh, Argyll and Bute in the west to Dunbar, East Lothian in the east. It is named in honour of the Scottish conservation ...
*
List of places in East Lothian
The List of places in East Lothian is a list for any town, village and hamlet in the East Lothian council area of Scotland.
Prestongrange Industrial Heritage Museum
A
* Aberlady, Aberlady Bay
* Archerfield Estate and Lin ...
References
Notes
Citations
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
*
Census data (PDF)Musselburgh FestivalVideo footage of Fisherrow Harbour
{{authority control
Towns in East Lothian