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BO'NESS
"Borrowstounness or Bo'ness, a town and a parish of NW Linlithgowshire.
A seaport, a burgh of barony since 1748, and a police burgh since 1880,
the town stands at the NE angle of the parish on a low ness or promontory
washed by the Firth of Forth; by road it is 3 miles N of Linlithgow and
8 ENE of Falkirk, by water 2 3/4 miles SSE od Culross, and by rail, as
teminus of a section of the North British, 4 1/4 miles NNE of Manuel Junction,
24 WNW of Edinburgh, and 29 1/4 ENE of Glasgow. Defoe described it, early
in last century, as consisting only of one straggling street, extended
close to the water along the shore, but 'a town that has been, and still
is, of the greatest trade to Holland and France of any in Scotland, after
Leith'."
(Extract from Groomes Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland c.1895)
WEST LOTHIAN (Linlithgowshire)
"LINLITHGOWSHIRE, (or West Lothian), maritime Co. in SE. of Scotland;
is bounded N. by Firth of Forth, SE. by Edinburghshire, and W. by Lanarkshire
and Stirlingshire; greatest length, NE. and SW., 19 miles; greatest breadth,
E. and W., 14 miles; area, 76,806 ac., pop. 43,510. The coast is low;
the surface is varied, but there are few hills of any height; the chief
rivers are the Avon on the W. and the Almond on the E. border. Much of
the soil is fertile, and agriculture is in an advanced condition. Linlithgowshire
is one of the richest mineral counties in Scotland, coal, shales, ironstone,
freestone, limestone, &c... being very abundant. Paraffin oil is largely
manufactured at Bathgate, Broxburn, and Uphall. The co. contains 12 pars.
and 2 parts, the parl. and royal burghs of Linlithgow (Falkirk Burghs)
and Queensferry (Stirling Burghs), and the police burghs of Armadale,
Bathgate, Borrowstounness, and Whitburn. It returns 1 member."
(Bartholemew's Gazetteer of the British Isles, 1887)
A BRIEF HISTORY OF WEST LOTHIAN
West Lothian, located at the heart of Central Scotland, sits astride
the M8 and M9 motorways, halfway between the cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh.
It is in many respects, a district of great diversity. The Bathgate Hills,
which divide the North from the South, divide good low lying agricultural
land from high moorland rich in minerals. Its population of around 140,000
is to be found in both small, rural villages and large industrial towns
throughout the area.
In its entirety, however, West Lothian has over the centuries played
a cruical role in Scotland's history with Linlithgow Palace being the
home of Kings and the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots, and in the 19th
century James Paraffin Young founded the world's oil industry in West
Lothian. This historic past provides the basis for the district's tourism.
Coal has been mined on an industrial scale since early 18th century,
initially where it occurred in association with ironstone around Benhar
and Breich. Increased demand and technical innovation in the Victorian
period greatly expanded the industry as deeper and thinner seams were
exploited, and influx of population, especially from Ireland and England
and other mining areas was the result.
A Number of modern settlements were established or expanded from pre
existing hamlets and at its peak the industry employed around 8,000 people.
If you ever visit West Lothian why not retrace the footsteps of some
of Scotland's most famous romantic characters and pioneers of innovations
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Linlithgow:
" Mary, Queen of Scots' birthplace.
" David Waldie, chemist, conducted experiments with anaesthetics
above the Four Marys pub.
" Burke and Hare, the notorious grave robbers.
" General Tam Dalyell, persecutor of the Covenanters.
Bathgate:
" James 'Paraffin' Young opened the World's first oil refinery.
" John Newlands, local boy turned wealthy West Indian sugar planter.
" James Young Simpson, pioneered the use of chloroform.
Torphichen:
" William Wallace assembled a convention in 1298.
" Sir James Sandilands, the last Preceptor and an important figure
in the Reformation.
" Henry Bell, builder of the first steam ship.
PARISHES in WEST LOTHIAN
Parishes that have always been in West Lothian:
Abercorn, Bathgate, Ecclesmachan, Linlithgow, Torphichen, Uphall and Whitburn.
Parishes which used to be in West Lothian until 1975, but are no longer:
Bo'ness, Carriden, Dalmeny, Kirkliston and Queensferry.
Parishes which were in Midlothian until 1975, but are now in West Lothian:
East Calder, Kirknewton, Mid Calder and West Calder.
TOWNS and VILLAGES in WEST LOTHIAN
Livingston, Bathgate, Linlithgow, Whitburn, Armadale, Broxburn, East
Calder, Blackburn, Fauldhouse, Uphall, Mid Calder, West Calder, Winchburgh,
Polbeth, Stoneyburn, Blackridge, Pumpherston, Addiewell, Kirknewton and
Greenrigg.
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