image copyright Rachel Windsor

Newhaven, although part of the City of Edinburgh’s administrative centre, retains an independence of atmosphere and custom.  It was once known as Our Lady’s Port of Grace because of the Chapel of St Mary and St James which could be seen from the sea.  After it was chosen by James IV as the ideal place for a new harbour, it was named Newhaven, in contrast with the Haven at Blackness, which served Linlithgow.  A fishing village until around 50 years ago, it developed a close knit society, where outsiders were discouraged.   This is because living in a fishing village, especially one on the harsh eastern coast, is not something everyone is cut out for, and hard, expert labour is required.  At times it must have been absolutely necessary for the survival of the village that every person was able to efficiently carry out their proper function in the community.  The village is on the site of a prehistoric settlement.  In the mid 19th century, the fisherfolk of Newhaven were to provide an unlikely fashion craze, as young women all over the country adopted a style of dress based on the crisp attire of the Newhaven fishwives.