Colonel James Gardiner commanded a dragoon regiment for the Government at the battle of Prestonpans. Despite the battle being lost, he persuaded a small group of foot soldiers to make a stand. Gardiner was shot and struck by a Lochaber axe, and fell beneath the solitary Thorn tree. He was later discovered, barely alive, by his servant, who carried him to the manse at Tranent. Gardiner’s own house, the nearby Bankton House, was meanwhile serving as the main field hospital. At the manse, sisters Beatrix and Mary Jenkinson attempted to assist him in his final moments. But victorious highlanders arrived downstairs seeking shelter and provisions. Soon, the downstairs rooms were full of celebrating highlanders and one of the sisters remained downstairs to accommodate them and kept them unaware of Gardiner’s presence upstairs.