Dirleton | Population

By parish, from the General Registrar’s office By locality – census – ie Dirleton & Gullane villages
1931 2824 1224M 1600F
1951 2817 1317M 1500F
1961 2768 1316M 1452F
1971 3041 1469M 1572F 476
2046
231M
941M
245F
1105F
1981 3205 1481M 1724F 458
2232
217M
1005M
241F
1227F
By Small Area Statistics – census
1991 3278 1575M 1703F 456
2049
213M
963M
243F
1086
2001 3188 1475M 1713F NO DATA
By Parish, from ELDC By settlement, from ELDC
1991 3111 477
2229
1997 (est.) 3411 1666M 1747F 486
2283
2001 NO DATA No data
2172 (ELC)

Note: where two sets of figures are given, the figures for Gullane village follow those for Dirleton in boldface.

Population figures are difficult to compare, as no two sources extract data in the same way.

According to census returns, in 1951 the population of Dirleton parish was 2817. In 1991 the figure was 3278, with 2229 of these living in Gullane and 477 in Dirleton. Significantly 30% of the residents at that time were at or over retirement age. The population of Dirleton village is very much the same as it was at the end of the war but living in double the number of houses. East Lothian Council projected figures for 1997 were 2283 for Gullane and 486 for Dirleton.

In the Third Statistical Account of 1953 farming is mentioned as the only industry, providing employment to over 300 people. Gardening and quarrying are also listed along with a dozen girls employed in the laundry at Dirleton and a good number working at golf clubs in Gullane. At that time too there were five joiners in Gullane and two in Dirleton. In 1977, Gullane boasted five joiners/builders, two plumbers and two painter/decorators. At the end of the century there are six joiners/builders, five plumbers/heating engineers and five painters/decorators but agriculture has seen the biggest change with a 40% fall in employment since 1990.

Golf remains a major employer, along with local hotels and the building trade in the widest sense, though the largest single workforce in 2000 was the mushroom-growing operation at Fenton Barns. Many people work outside the parish and, as has been the case for the last 50 years, there are a considerable number of retired residents. A quick rundown of Dirleton’s 416 adult residents indicates around half are in employment and about half of these work within East Lothian.