Saint Baldred silver plaque

This silver commemorative plaque records: St Baldred's Well. St Baldred, or Baldred of the Bass, was born in the middle of the 6th century AD and founded several churches in East Lothian, nearby Preston Kirk being one of them. Many churches of this date were deliberately located near to springs. The precise reason for this is not clear. The springs may have been used for baptism or they may have been already honored in the beliefs of those the Early Church came to convert. The Well by the riverside has been known since time immemorial as "St Baldred's Well" and would have provided water for the Red Friars who had their monastery near it in the 13th Century. The Well remained a source of supply for the cottagers in nearby Preston until early in the 20th Century. Recorded plaque organisation: Dunpender Community Council.

Saint Baldred, active in the 6th century, was an early Christian missionary and monastic founder in East Lothian, Scotland, known for establishing several churches including Preston Kirk near springs, which were likely sites of both baptismal rituals and pre-Christian veneration.