The East Lothian Lieutenancy Team
Roderick Urquhart, WS - Lord-Lieutenant
[Haddington & Pencaitland areas]
Roderick’s early years were spent living in Stenton in East Lothian. Since 1988 he and his family have lived in Samuelston. Educated at Loretto School, Musselburgh, he later read Law at University, and subsequently joined the family law firm Urquharts in Edinburgh in 1982. He was the fourth generation of his family to have worked for the firm, which was established in 1876. He became Senior Partner in 2009, and retired from Urquharts on 31 March 2021.
In his professional life, he sat on various management and executive committees, including the Society of Writers to Her Majesty’s Signet, and the Boards of various private companies and family trusts.
In 1990, he was appointed Clerk to the Governors of Loretto School and sat on the main board for 19 years.
In 1997, he was elected as a member of the High Constables and Guard of Honour of Holyroodhouse. His obligations include assisting with Royal visits to the Palace, and with the Lord High Commissioner’s Week. He has been a senior Office Bearer since 2015, and has recently been appointed Moderator of the 30 High Constables.
Roderick served as a Trustee of The Lamp of Lothian Trust in Haddington, from 2009 to 2018.
He was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of East Lothian in 2016. Married to Libby, they have a son and two daughters, all of whom work in the south. His interests include travel, hill walking, golf, and gardening when there is time.
Patrick Gammell, DL, FRICS - Vice Lord-Lieutenant
[Gifford, Humbie, Garvald & Morham]
Patrick was born in Edinburgh and has lived in Morham, between Haddington and Gifford, since 1981. He is a Chartered Surveyor and senior partner in The Uffizi Partnership which specialises in creating viable new uses for listed buildings in Edinburgh and East Lothian.
In 1994, he became Deputy Chairman of the Lamp of Lothian Trust, a Haddington-based charity restoring and maintaining listed buildings for community use by groups of all ages and backgrounds (c.1,000 people per week). He co-hosted the visit to the Lamp by HM The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh in 2007 and retired as Chairman of the Lamp in 2019.
Other charitable work included being on the boards of Cargilfield School, St Mary’s Cathedral Workshop (training stonemasons) and Equibuddy (RDA vaulting group). He was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of East Lothian in 2010 and Vice Lord-Lieutenant in 2014 (re-appointed in 2021). Now semi-retired, he remains Chairman of two grant-making charities, principally benefitting young people.
Patrick has been married since 1984 to the artist Sally Oyler and they have a son, a daughter and three grandchildren. His interests include travel, architecture, gardening and old vehicles.
John Kinnaird, DL, FRAgS.
(East Linton, Whittingehame, Stenton]
John Kinnaird and his family have farmed Papple Farm, which is five miles south of Haddington, since 1923, when his grandfather obtained the tenancy on the Balfour Estate. He is a partner in the family farming business, which farms 600 acres in arable farming and beef.
As well running the family farm, John has been very closely involved with the NFU, both in East Lothian and in Scotland, and was President of NFUS from 2003 to 2007.
Using his agricultural experience, he has held board positions on various companies, and has sat on a number of Government Advisory and Associated Organisations. He has been a Consultant on the development of a future strategy for agriculture in Scotland.
He is a former Vice President of the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland.
John became a Deputy Lieutenant in 2010. He is married to Sheila, and they have two grown up children, Andrew and Jennifer. His main hobbies are reading and walking.
Elizabeth Nicoll, DL
[Longniddry, Macmerry, Tranent & Ormiston ]
Elizabeth grew up near Falkirk, attending the local primary & secondary schools, before studying at Queen Margaret College , Edinburgh (now QMU), gaining a BA degree in Home Economics. She gained her secondary teaching qualification at Jordanhill College, Glasgow. She taught locally, before moving to teach in the City of Edinburgh/ Leith Academy.
Married to Morgan in 1987, she moved to East Lothian and a farming life, while still teaching part-time and raising two daughters and a son. Since 1999, Elizabeth has worked at Preston Lodge High School teaching Home Economics and more recently managing the Health & Wellbeing faculty. She also benefitted from a secondment to Learning, teaching Scotland, now Education Scotland as a Development Officer.
Elizabeth has been involved in Girlguiding since the age of seven, having followed in her Mother’s footstep. She has held a number of different voluntary and senior positions as an adult Girl Guide leader, in both Forth Valley and East Lothian. All these positions involved working with girls and women to help maximise their potential within the organisation and beyond.
She was appointed Deputy Lieutenant in 2010, the same year she became County President for Girlguiding East Lothian.
She also enjoys gardening, cooking, walking, golfing and curling.
Lyn Marshall, DL
[Prestonpans, Cockenzie and Port Seton]
Lyn has lived in East Lothian all her life. Since attending Cockenzie Primary and Preston Lodge High School, she has worked as an Administrator in the Scottish Legal Aid Board, Scottish Life Assurance Company, and has now almost 25 years service with the University of Edinburgh.
Married to John with one grown up son, she has spent much of the last 30 years working within the community on various groups, including the Community Council, Gala Committee, Homestart East Lothian and Preston Lodge School Board.
Lyn is also an Elder in Chalmers Memorial Church in Port Seton.
Spare time is spent with family and friends, however she is a recent convert to wild swimming at the local beaches, as well as enjoying East Lothian countryside walks with her new puppy.
Iain Clark, DL
[Musselburgh, Inveresk, Wallyford & Whitecraig]
Iain was brought up in Musselburgh in the fishing community and still resides in the town.
He was educated at Campie Primary and Musselburgh Grammar Schools, subsequently joining the police service. Serving from Police cadet to Detective Chief Inspector over 31 years, he specialised in Mounted Branch, Royal/VIP Protection, and counter terrorism. He was the first police officer in Scotland to be personally recognised by Quality Scotland for quality of service.
On retiring from the police, he took up a part-time position as an education officer with the Scottish Parliament and is currently their Intranet Manager
Iain served on Pinkie St Peters Primary School Council for a decade with positions as treasurer, Vice Chair and latterly Chair. He has undertaken many other community roles including secretary to the Musselburgh Festival, President of the Crusaders Riding Club and was appointed Turf Cutter to the historic 2016 Riding of the Marches.
Iain has recently retired as chair of the Musselburgh Area Partnership. He is a Trustee of the Musselburgh Charitable Trust and a Governor on the Board of Governors of the Red House Home Trust. He is also a Career Ready Scotland student mentor.
He was appointed as a Deputy Lieutenant in 2019.
Married to Debbie, they have a son and a daughter. His interests include photography, horse riding and more recently dog walking.
Sir Hew Dalrymple, Bt , DL
[North Berwick & Whitekirk]
Hew has spent most of his life in North Berwick, where his family have lived for 330 years.
He trained as an economist and spent his twenties working in Africa. On return, he worked as a management consultant and for Scottish & Newcastle Breweries.
He has been involved with several local charities including the Lamp of Lothian and Leuchie House. He helped set up the Scottish Seabird Centre and was a Trustee for 25 years. He is President of the North Berwick branch of RNLI and the East Lothian Yacht club.
Hew is married to Janey and they have four children and a grandson. His interests include golf, local history and trees.
Kate Darrah , DL
[Dunbar and East Linton]
Kate Darrah grew up in Norfolk, moving to Edinburgh in 1986 to study languages. She taught in Fife, Edinburgh, Mid and East Lothian, moving latterly into working with young people excluded from mainstream education.
A deterioration in her hearing saw Kate leave teaching to retrain in Horticulture at the Royal Botanical Gardens of Edinburgh, and she briefly ran a successful garden design company focused on increasing biodiversity.
In 2012 she established The Ridge, a social enterprise and charity which addresses the lack of access to support services and training provision in the Dunbar area. As part of its work, The Ridge uses the restoration of historic buildings in Dunbar to train young people in traditional skills through apprenticeships in stonemasonry and joinery, transforming lives in the process of bringing back into use local built heritage otherwise at risk of permanent loss.
Kate has lived in East Lothian (Stenton then Dunbar) since 2002, and brought up her family here. She has Chaired Dunbar Grammar School Council, served as secretary of Stenton Horticultural Society, been on Dunbar Rugby Club committee and sits on local trade and community committees as part of her work at The Ridge. She was appointed as a Deputy Lieutenant in 2024.
She is a keen gardener, walker, traveller and visitor to historic buildings and art galleries, most often in the company of her husband John.