East Lothian Antiquarian & Field Naturalists’ Society Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation: SC052295
Hon President: The Duke of Hamilton & Brandon
Members of Council (Charity Trustees)
President: Mrs Joy Dodd Vice-President: Mrs Jacqueline Bell Secretary: Mr David Sowerby Treasurer: Mr David Woods Council Members: Mrs Bridget Ellwood Mr Ian Hardie (Events Manager) Mr John Hunt (Field Naturalist Adviser) Dr Arran Johnston (Editor of Transactions) Mr George Robertson (Webmaster) Mrs Elaine Whewell (Information Officer) Mrs Gill Wilson
Independent Examiner
Mr Michael R Burnet, CA 42 Cramond Road North Cramond Edinburgh EH4 6JA
Bankers
Bank of Scotland 44 Court Street Haddington East Lothian EH41 3NP
Principal Office
The Principal Office recorded with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) is:
Mr David P Woods 47 Forthview Walk Tranent East Lothian EH33 1FE
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East Lothian Antiquarian & Field Naturalists’ Society Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation: SC052295
Trustees’ Annual Report for year to 31 March 2026
The trustees present their annual report together with financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2026.
Structure, governance & management
The Society is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) governed under the Constitution which was approved for the SCIO being constituted on 31 January 2023 and resubmitted to OSCR on 20 July 2023.
Membership of the Society is open to any person who is interested in supporting or participating in the activities of the Society. At the Annual General Meeting, members appoint or re-elect the office-bearers and members of Council to serve for the year ahead.
On a day-to-day basis, the affairs of the Society are managed by the named office-bearers of President, Secretary and Treasurer, plus a Council of up to 12 additional trustees. Distinct roles may be appointed from among the additional trustees, including two VicePresidents, an Editor of Transactions, an Events Manager and a Field Naturalist Adviser. The Council is empowered to fill any vacancy in their number that arises during the year.
The charity trustees in office at the date of approval of this Annual Report are listed on Page 1.
Purpose & activities
The Society’s purpose is to undertake, promote and support the study of the antiquities, history, archaeology and natural history of East Lothian.
The activities of the Society include:
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collecting and collating books, journals, records, documents, artefacts and other materials;
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publishing transactions, books, journals, reports, articles, leaflets and letters;
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hosting or supporting lectures, conferences, exhibitions and other events;
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arranging or supporting excursions to places of interest within East Lothian or beyond; and
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encouraging and participating in the work of other bodies, groups or associations with purposes similar to those of the Society.
Achievements & performance
In April 2025, the Society held the traditional Annual Dinner at Maitlandfield House Hotel in Haddington. After dinner, Mr John Hunt (the Society’s Field Naturalist Adviser) delivered a most interesting talk titled The Rewilding of Wetlands. However, as attendance by members was low, Council decided in December 2025 to suspend the holding of Annual Dinners for the foreseeable future.
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The Annual General Meeting was held at Stenton Village Hall in May 2025. Following the meeting, members received a talk covering the early history of Stenton church and countering claims that the church had been purpose-built following the Reformation. To illustrate the point further, members visited the church ruins.
During the year, the Society organised excursions to:
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Balgone House (June 2025) – a guided tour of the largely 18[th] century house and gardens, which have been lovingly restored over recent decades;
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Dunbar Harbour (July 2025) – a tour of Dunbar’s three historic harbours and an overview of the local seabird population;
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Newbattle Abbey (September 2025) – a private visit to the house and gardens, formerly the home of the Marquesses of Lothian; and
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Preston Tower (October 2025) – an introduction to the ongoing renovations at the ruined 15[th] century tower, traditional gardens and 17[th] century doocot.
Also, the Society hosted a programme of lectures:
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The Material Landscapes of Scotland’s Jewellery Craft 1780-1914 (November 2025) – tracing the journey of materials such as gold, silver, crystals, agates and pearls from Scotland’s natural landscape to the design and manufacture of fine jewellery;
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New Looks at Old Pasts (November 2025) – the impact of LiDAR on archaeologists’ understanding of the landscape in Lothian and the Scottish Borders;
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An Eighteenth Century North Berwick Love Story (December 2025) – life in North Berwick and London as portrayed through the correspondence between Sir Hew Dalrymple, 2[nd] Baronet and his wife;
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The Peebles Hoard (January 2026) – the story of how the Peebles Hoard was discovered and the ongoing work to conserve and interpret the wide range of lateBronze age artefacts;
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Farm Servants of South East Scotland 1750-1914 (February 2026) – an overview of the lives of farm-servants and bondagers, including the rural hierarchy, main tasks of the farming year, workers’ living conditions and relationships with employers; and
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The Yester Papers – an exploration from the archives of the Marquesses of Tweeddale, covering life at Yester House from 1600 to 1914.
In November 2024, the President launched an ongoing project to record field names across the county. The project aims to record current field names, gauge the age of field names, and record any earlier names for the same fields. To achieve these aims, the project is referring to old maps, historic documents, farm records and estate plans, as well as visiting farms and interviewing farmers. In addition to a dedicated Field Names section on the Society’s own website, National Library of Scotland has used the research to launch an online searchable map of East Lothian field names.
As well as its own website, the Society maintains a website for the Fourth Statistical Account of East Lothian.
Financial review
In line with OSCR guidance, the financial statements are prepared on a Receipts & Payments basis.
The Society is primarily funded through the payment of annual subscriptions by members, including Gift Aid claimed from HMRC. During the year, subscription income totalled £1,740, with an additional £396 obtained through Gift Aid. Also, the Society received £880 from
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Publishers’ Licensing Services in respect of Collective Licensing fees relating mainly to the publication of past volumes of Transactions. The sale of Transactions and books brought in £23.
A primary category of expenditure was £532 for venue hire and events costs. Meanwhile, £594 was spent on website hosting and support.
Receipts from all sources during the year totalled £4,121. With outgoings totalling £2,355, a net surplus of £1,766 was attributable to the Society.
At the year end, the Society held £16,961 with Bank of Scotland, with the balance split across a Charity Current Account, Commercial Instant Access Savings Account and 95-Day Notice Account. Over the past year, funds held in the bank have increased by 12%.
The Society does not hold any specific reserves, beyond the general funds held with the bank.
Membership
As at 31 March 2026, the Society had 72 single members and 39 joint memberships, representing a total of 150 members. Over the past year, membership has increased by 7%, while membership has increased by 88% over 4 years.
Plans for the future
A full and varied programme of outings and talks is being planned throughout the year ahead. In time for the AGM in May, the Society is preparing to publish Volume XXXV of Transactions.
In addition, work is to continue on the Field Names project, which was launched in November 2024.
Declaration
The charity trustees declare that the trustees’ report above was approved by Council on 11 April 2026.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees:
| Signed | J Dodd | D J Sowerby |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Joy Dodd | David Sowerby |
| Position | President | Secretary |
| Date | 11 April 2026 | 11 April 2026 |
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Independent Examiner’s Report on the Accounts
Report to the trustees and members of East Lothian Antiquarian & Field Naturalists’ Society, Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation SC052295 on the accounts of the charity from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026, which are set out on Pages 6, 7 & 8.
Respective responsibilities of the trustees and examiner
The charity’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the terms of the Charities & Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended). The charity trustees consider that the audit requirement of Regulation 10(1) (d) of the Accounts Regulations does not apply.
It is my responsibility to examine the accounts as required under section 44(1) (c) of the Act and to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
Basis of independent examiner’s statement
My examination is carried out in accordance with Regulation 11 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeks explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required of an audit and, consequently, I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts.
Independent examiner’s statement
In the course of my examination, no matter has come to my attention:
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1) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that, in any material respect, the requirements:
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to keep accounting records in accordance with section 44(1) (a) of the 2005 Act and Regulation 4 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations, and
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to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with Regulation 8 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations
have not been met, or
- 2) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
| Signed | Michael Burnet | Date | 10 April 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Michael Burnet | ||
| Professional qualifications |
Chartered Accountant | ||
| Address | 42 Cramond Road North Cramond Edinburgh EH4 6JA |
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East Lothian Antiquarian & Field Naturalists’ Society
Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation: SC052295
Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2026
STATEMENT OF RECEIPTS & PAYMENTS
| STATEMENT OF RECEIPTS &TATEMENT OF RECEIPTS &RECEIPTS &ECEIPTS && PAYMENTSAYMENTS | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2025 | ||||||
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Receipts(unrestricted funds) | |||||||
| Subscriptions | 1,740 | 1,725 | |||||
| Donations received | 587 | 198 | |||||
| Gift Aid | 396 | 495 | |||||
| Publishers’ Licensing Services | 880 | 894 | |||||
| Sales – Transactions & books | 23 | 670 | |||||
| Centenary Conference – Ticket sales | – | 3,083 | |||||
| Deposits for events & outings(1) | 275 | 476 | |||||
| Bank interest received | 220 | 141 | |||||
| 4,121 | 7,682 | ||||||
| Payments(unrestricted funds) | |||||||
| Venue hire & events costs(2) | 532 | 3,254 | |||||
| Donations made(3) | 250 | 50 | |||||
| Website hosting & support(4) | 594 | 594 | |||||
| Software licences | 156 | 70 | |||||
| Purchase of equipment | 380 | – | |||||
| Printing (including Transactions) | – | 1,009 | |||||
| Corporate memberships | 110 | 110 | |||||
| Postage | 24 | 151 | |||||
| Stationery | 34 | 89 | |||||
| Deposits for events & outings(1) | 275 | 476 | |||||
| Miscellaneous | – | 207 | |||||
| 2,355 | 6,010 | ||||||
| Surplus for year | 1,766 | 1,672 |
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STATEMENT OF BALANCES
Cash funds (unrestricted funds)
| Cash funds (unrestricted funds) | |
|---|---|
| Bank balance at start of year Surplus shown on receipts & payments account Bank balance at end of year OTHER ASSETS (5) |
2026 2025 £ £ 15,195 13,523 1,766 1,672 |
| 16,961 15,195 |
|
| THER ASSETS (5) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cost £ Lease – Rennie Memorial at Phantassie(6) – HP Pavilion laptop 388 Optoma projector 80 Projector Screen 131 Transactions and other books for sale(7) – Postage stamps 18 Gift Aid & GASDS claim submitted – Total 617 IABILITIES Sustaining Dunbar – invoice for data back-up re Field Names project(4) Total |
Cost £ – 388 80 131 – 18 – |
Current value 2025 £ £ – – – – 53 – 86 – 400 400 18 13 257 148 |
| 617 | 814 561 |
|
| Amount due Last year £ £ 75 – |
||
| 75 – |
LIABILITIES
Notes to the accounts
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(1) Deposits received from members to pay for their meal at the Annual Dinner (March 2025) and entrance fees to Newbattle Abbey (September 2025).
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(2) Venue hire and other costs included for holding the Centenary Conference (May 2024).
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(3) In July 2024, the Society donated £50 to The Ridge SCIO in appreciation for a members’ visit to that charity’s facility in Dunbar. In June 2025, £50 was donated to Leuchie House upon request of the owners of Balgone House who had hosted a visit by the Society, and £50 was donated to Dunbar Harbour Trust which had hosted another visit. In September 2025, £50 was donated to Friends of Preston Tower, following an outing. In January 2026, the Society had received £201 in donations from visitors to a talk about The Peebles Hoard and, subsequently, the Society donated £100 towards the conservation of the hoard.
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(4) Website hosting at a cost of £144 is provided by Sustaining Dunbar, a charitable company limited by guarantee. A further invoice for £75 has been received for backing up data relating to the Field Names project. A trustee of the Society is also a trustee of Sustaining Dunbar.
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(5) The list of other assets does not include books and items of historical interest held by the Society or transferred to other bodies, such as National Museum of Antiquities, Scottish Records Office or East Lothian Council’s local history, archive and museums services.
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(6) In 1981, the Society was granted a lease for 999 years over the Rennie Memorial at Phantassie, with the rent being “one penny yearly … only when asked”. Under the lease, the Society is responsible for maintaining the memorial. The lease has no assigned monetary value.
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- (7) The value of Transactions and other books available for sale has been estimated by the Treasurer, bearing in mind the likely difficulty in liquidating these assets.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees:
| Signed | David P Woods | Date | 2 April 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | David P Woods | ||
| Position | Treasurer |
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