John Cockburn

Cockburn Hall Ormiston

East Lothian

John Cockburn was born in 1695 in Ormiston and followed his father into politics and became a supporter of union with England. In 1707 on the Union, John became the MP for Haddingtonshire which he maintained until 1741. In 1714 John inherited his family estate in Ormiston East Lothian. John Cockburn initialised the changing of agriculture in Scotland when he change the old system and built farm steadings on large areas of sectioned land. The new deal gave tenants long lease, which were transferable to three generations so the family would benefited from the work they carried out on the land. Circa 1720 John decided to build a brewery and distillery in Ormiston due to the now large harvests. He then built Ormiston Village (1735) to a new town structure using a feuing of the lands. He also introduced the first bleachfield where cotton and linen would be laid out in fields to be bleached by the sun. East Lothian owes its reputation as the garden of Scotland to John Cockburn his success came at a price he died in debt after selling Ormiston to the Earl of Hopetoun in 1747, 10 years prior to his death.