in the Retours. In 1577, one James Lawson held the lands of* Overborderstains in the Barony of Soltray, from the Hospital. He resided in Easter Duddingston, and his descendants for many years afterwards lived in the locality. One of these, John Law- son of Humbie, in 16380, was served heir to this James Lawson, his grandfather, ‘‘in certain lands of Wester Duddingston,” and *‘the lands of Figgate,”’ near to the sea, This John Lawson was involved in a law suit with Sir James Hamilton, proprietor of Prestonfield, in 1631, when the estate was by Act of the Presbytery of Edinburgh, confirmed by Act of the Scottish Parliament, incorporated with the Parish of Duddingston. That Act necessitated the erection of what is called the Prestonfield Aisle, and the removal of Lawson's ‘‘desk” or pew on the north side of the Church, This he opposed, but without success, for the Presbytery decided in favour of Hamilton. The ‘‘desk ”’ was removed and the aisle built,
Besides these, other minor proprietors might be named as holding lands in the parish of old, such as Wauchope, Walker, Matheson, Wilson, Suttie, and Logan. We must leave these, however, for a time to take up the story of the leading proprietors of the barony.
The following, from an old manuscript valuation of the Three Lothians in the year 1616, gives us the rentals of various properties in the parish of Duddingston in that year :—
| Sir Thomas Thomson | £2657 | 5 | 0 |
| Priestfield | 644 | 8 | 4 |
| George Logan | 372 | 0 | 0 |
| Ker’s Land [Church Lands] | 140 | 0 | 0 |
| James Lawson [Lands of Figgate] | 20 | 10 | 0 |
| Mr Charles Lumsden [Minister] | 101 | 0 | 0 |
| John Young’s Heirs | 23 | 13 | 4 |
| ----------- | |||
| £3958 | 16 | 8 | |
