Haddington is a town in East Lothian, Scotland, located approximately 17 miles east of Edinburgh. The town's name is Anglo-Saxon in origin, dating from the sixth or seventh century AD when the area formed part of the Kingdom of Bernicia. Following the reign of King Edgar of England in the tenth century, Haddington, along with the broader Lothian region, was ceded to Scotland and became part of the Scottish realm.
During the reign of David I (1124–1153), Haddington received royal burgh status, making it one of Scotland's earliest settlements to attain this distinction. The designation as a Royal Burgh granted the town trading rights that proved instrumental to its development as a market center. This commercial privilege helped establish Haddington as a significant settlement in East Lothian during the medieval period.