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Midlothian
Midlothian, Scotland
Midlothian is a maritime county on the south coast of the Firth of Forth. Its county town and dominating presence is Edinburgh, from which it takes its alternative name of Edinburghshire. Midlothian is a county of contrasts; the busy city and the lovely countryside, the coastal plain and the high hills of Lammermuir.
Type: Historic County
Lat, Long: 55.84159,-3.120771
Grid Reference: NT299614
Country: Scotland
Explore Midlothian on Wikishire
St Giles on the Royal Mile, Edinburgh
Edinburgh, Scotland's historic capital, is possibly the loveliest city in Great Britain. Its heart is the Castle, perched high on its immemorial rock, and the Royal Mile that runs from the Castle to the Palace of Holyrood House, lined with historic buildings and monuments, all part of the national story. North of the Royal Mile is the eighteenth-century "New Town", no longer new but with the Georgian charm with which it was built. Edinburgh has long since spread about it and incorporated its port, Leith. In the midst of Edinburgh is Arthur's Seat: a solitary hill, precipitous and natural, surrounded but untouched by cityscape. Edinburgh Castle is the crowning glory of the city; a grand royal fortress steeped in history which dominates the skyline of the city from its position on the Castle Rock.
Edinburgh Castle
East and west of Edinburgh are dormitory towns, suburbs and industrial areas. Musselburgh is a large coastal town, on the seaboard of the Firth of Forth, and site of Musselburgh Racecourse.
There are no great mountains in the county, but two prominent ranges of high hills. The Pentland Hills run from Edinburgh, south-west across the county into Peeblesshire and Lanarkshire. The loftiest Pentland summits are Scald Law (1,898 feet) and Carnethy (1,881 feet). The Moorfoot Hills, in the south-east, are a continuation of the Lammermuir Hills and here is the highest ground in Midlothian and the county top at Blackhope Scar (2,136 feet).
Blackhope Scar, the county top
The South Esk rises on the slopes of Blackhope Scar. The North Esk rises in the Pentland Hills. The rivers converge into the Esk just north of the town of Dalkeith. Dalkeith was granted a charter making it a burgh of barony in 1401. Dalkeith Palace lies at the north-east edge of the town, surrounded by parkland and follies. Melville Castle, a Gothic, castellated mansion, stands nearby on the North Esk. North of Dalkeith, the Esk flows into the firth at Musselburgh.
Dalkeith Palace
On the North Esk lies Penicuik, a planned village in 1770 and formerly well known for its paper mills. Loanhead was built on coal and shale mining and the paper industry, but now has a wide economic base. Mavisbank, the first Palladian villa in Scotland, lies outside the town. Bonnyrigg is also a former mining town. Dalhoustie Castle, which dates to the 15th century, lies nearby.
Roslin is a small village on the South Esk steeped in history. The village sits on the west side of Roslin Glen. Overlooking the Glen is Rosslyn Chapel, an elaborately carved chapel erected by William Sinclair in 1446, which in modern times has attracted mythical associations with the Knights Templar and the Grail legend. Rosslyn Castle, owned by the Earls of Rosslyn since the 14th century, is in partial ruins. Hawthornden Castle, a 15th-century ruin with a 17th-century L-plan house attached, stands a mile to the east of Roslin.
Rosslyn Chapel
On the South Esk, the village of Temple is known for its historical connection to the Knights Templar. It was the principal Templar seat and Preceptory in Scotland from 1107 until the suppression of the order between 1307 and 1312. Arniston House is a Georgian mansion nearby. Further north, Newtongrange was formerly Scotland's largest mining village and today houses the National Mining Museum. Newbattle Abbey was founded in 1140.
Borthwick Castle, one of the best-preserved surviving mediæval Scottish fortifications, stands by the Gore Water south of the former mining town of Gorebridge. The ruins of the late 14th-century Crichton Castle stand at the head of the River Tyne east of Gorebridge.
Borthwick Castle
The River Almond forms the border with West Lothian. The river, and the border, runs through the centre of Livington, a new town designated in 1962. Edinburgh Airport lies against the border in the north-west of the county.
Prehistoric forts are found on several hilltops in the county and Roman settlements have been identified at Inveresk and Cramond, along the main Roman road northward from England. Following the end of the Roman occupation of Britain, Lothian formed part of Gododdin, within the Hen Ogledd or Old North. In the 7th century, Gododdin fell to the Angles. The whole Lothian region was subsequently held by the Angles of Northumbria until King Malcolm II of Scotland (reigned 1005–34) conquered the area. The county became a sheriffdom in the 12th century. Lothian was the scene of several of the Middle Ages conflicts between Scotland and England. The Battle of Roslin took place in 1303 as part of the First War of Scottish Independence. The county was involved in the Rough Wooing when Roslin Castle was destroyed in 1544 by forces of Henry VIII of England. In the 17th century, the county featured in the War of the Three Kingdoms. General George Monck, the Commonwealth's Commander in Scotland, had his base at Dalkeith Castle.
The ruins of Roslin castle
Edinburgh became the capital of Scotland in the 15th century since when Midlothian’s history has been inextricably linked to that of Edinburgh. Until the 20th century the county was often known as Edinburghshire. The University of Edinburgh was founded in 1583. Edinburgh flourished, commercially and culturally, eventually becoming a leading centre of the Enlightenment and earning the nickname "the Athens of the North". Coal was an industry all along the North Esk; in Penicuik, Loanhead, Bonnyrigg, Eskbank and at Gorebridge, Newbattle, Newbigging, Niddrie, Gilmerton, Mid and West Calder too, while ironstone could be mined at Lasswade and Penicuik. In the nineteenth century the increased prosperity, improved roads and ultimately an extensive network of railway lines built by the North British Railway Company led to a growth of the towns of Midlothian. Sir Walter Scott placed his home county in the title of one of his most popular novels: The Heart of Midlothian. Though the title may purposefully suggest the tender heart of its courageous heroine, Jeanie Deans, the title in fact refers to the Old Tolbooth Prison in Edinburgh, demolished in 1817. The Heart of Midlothian mosaic, located outside St Giles' Cathedral, marks the location of the entrance to the Old Tolbooth. Locals will often spit upon the heart as a sign of good luck.
The Heart of Midlothian mosaic
Type: Historic County
Lat, Long: 55.84159,-3.120771
Grid Reference: NT299614
Country: Scotland
Explore Midlothian on Wikishire
St Giles on the Royal Mile, Edinburgh
Edinburgh, Scotland's historic capital, is possibly the loveliest city in Great Britain. Its heart is the Castle, perched high on its immemorial rock, and the Royal Mile that runs from the Castle to the Palace of Holyrood House, lined with historic buildings and monuments, all part of the national story. North of the Royal Mile is the eighteenth-century "New Town", no longer new but with the Georgian charm with which it was built. Edinburgh has long since spread about it and incorporated its port, Leith. In the midst of Edinburgh is Arthur's Seat: a solitary hill, precipitous and natural, surrounded but untouched by cityscape. Edinburgh Castle is the crowning glory of the city; a grand royal fortress steeped in history which dominates the skyline of the city from its position on the Castle Rock.
Edinburgh Castle
East and west of Edinburgh are dormitory towns, suburbs and industrial areas. Musselburgh is a large coastal town, on the seaboard of the Firth of Forth, and site of Musselburgh Racecourse.
There are no great mountains in the county, but two prominent ranges of high hills. The Pentland Hills run from Edinburgh, south-west across the county into Peeblesshire and Lanarkshire. The loftiest Pentland summits are Scald Law (1,898 feet) and Carnethy (1,881 feet). The Moorfoot Hills, in the south-east, are a continuation of the Lammermuir Hills and here is the highest ground in Midlothian and the county top at Blackhope Scar (2,136 feet).
Blackhope Scar, the county top
The South Esk rises on the slopes of Blackhope Scar. The North Esk rises in the Pentland Hills. The rivers converge into the Esk just north of the town of Dalkeith. Dalkeith was granted a charter making it a burgh of barony in 1401. Dalkeith Palace lies at the north-east edge of the town, surrounded by parkland and follies. Melville Castle, a Gothic, castellated mansion, stands nearby on the North Esk. North of Dalkeith, the Esk flows into the firth at Musselburgh.
Dalkeith Palace
On the North Esk lies Penicuik, a planned village in 1770 and formerly well known for its paper mills. Loanhead was built on coal and shale mining and the paper industry, but now has a wide economic base. Mavisbank, the first Palladian villa in Scotland, lies outside the town. Bonnyrigg is also a former mining town. Dalhoustie Castle, which dates to the 15th century, lies nearby.
Roslin is a small village on the South Esk steeped in history. The village sits on the west side of Roslin Glen. Overlooking the Glen is Rosslyn Chapel, an elaborately carved chapel erected by William Sinclair in 1446, which in modern times has attracted mythical associations with the Knights Templar and the Grail legend. Rosslyn Castle, owned by the Earls of Rosslyn since the 14th century, is in partial ruins. Hawthornden Castle, a 15th-century ruin with a 17th-century L-plan house attached, stands a mile to the east of Roslin.
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Rosslyn Chapel
On the South Esk, the village of Temple is known for its historical connection to the Knights Templar. It was the principal Templar seat and Preceptory in Scotland from 1107 until the suppression of the order between 1307 and 1312. Arniston House is a Georgian mansion nearby. Further north, Newtongrange was formerly Scotland's largest mining village and today houses the National Mining Museum. Newbattle Abbey was founded in 1140.
Borthwick Castle, one of the best-preserved surviving mediæval Scottish fortifications, stands by the Gore Water south of the former mining town of Gorebridge. The ruins of the late 14th-century Crichton Castle stand at the head of the River Tyne east of Gorebridge.
Borthwick Castle
The River Almond forms the border with West Lothian. The river, and the border, runs through the centre of Livington, a new town designated in 1962. Edinburgh Airport lies against the border in the north-west of the county.
Prehistoric forts are found on several hilltops in the county and Roman settlements have been identified at Inveresk and Cramond, along the main Roman road northward from England. Following the end of the Roman occupation of Britain, Lothian formed part of Gododdin, within the Hen Ogledd or Old North. In the 7th century, Gododdin fell to the Angles. The whole Lothian region was subsequently held by the Angles of Northumbria until King Malcolm II of Scotland (reigned 1005–34) conquered the area. The county became a sheriffdom in the 12th century. Lothian was the scene of several of the Middle Ages conflicts between Scotland and England. The Battle of Roslin took place in 1303 as part of the First War of Scottish Independence. The county was involved in the Rough Wooing when Roslin Castle was destroyed in 1544 by forces of Henry VIII of England. In the 17th century, the county featured in the War of the Three Kingdoms. General George Monck, the Commonwealth's Commander in Scotland, had his base at Dalkeith Castle.
The ruins of Roslin castle
Edinburgh became the capital of Scotland in the 15th century since when Midlothian’s history has been inextricably linked to that of Edinburgh. Until the 20th century the county was often known as Edinburghshire. The University of Edinburgh was founded in 1583. Edinburgh flourished, commercially and culturally, eventually becoming a leading centre of the Enlightenment and earning the nickname "the Athens of the North". Coal was an industry all along the North Esk; in Penicuik, Loanhead, Bonnyrigg, Eskbank and at Gorebridge, Newbattle, Newbigging, Niddrie, Gilmerton, Mid and West Calder too, while ironstone could be mined at Lasswade and Penicuik. In the nineteenth century the increased prosperity, improved roads and ultimately an extensive network of railway lines built by the North British Railway Company led to a growth of the towns of Midlothian. Sir Walter Scott placed his home county in the title of one of his most popular novels: The Heart of Midlothian. Though the title may purposefully suggest the tender heart of its courageous heroine, Jeanie Deans, the title in fact refers to the Old Tolbooth Prison in Edinburgh, demolished in 1817. The Heart of Midlothian mosaic, located outside St Giles' Cathedral, marks the location of the entrance to the Old Tolbooth. Locals will often spit upon the heart as a sign of good luck.
The Heart of Midlothian mosaic