Roslin, Midlothian
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| Roslin | |
  Roslin shown within Scotland |
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| OS grid reference | |
|---|---|
| Constituent country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Police | |
| Fire | |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| European Parliament | Scotland |
| List of places: UK • Scotland | |
Roslin (sometimes spelt Rosslyn or Roslyn) is a village in Midlothian, Scotland, to the south of the Scottish capital city Edinburgh. It is situated approximately 12 miles (20 km) from Edinburgh Airport.
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[edit] History
The name Roslin derives from the Celtic words "ross", a rocky promontory, and "lynn", a waterfall. Legend has it the village was founded in 203 A.D. by Asterius, a Pict.
In 1303 Roslin was the site of a battle of the First War of Scottish Independence.
Roslin became important as the seat of the St. Clair family. In 1456 King James II granted it the status of a burgh. Coal mining has been a major occupation from the twelfth to the late twentieth centuries.
[edit] Places of Interest
The village sits on the west side of Roslin Glen, now a country park. Overlooking the Glen are Rosslyn Chapel and Roslin Castle.
The elaborately carved chapel has long been associated with the Knights Templars and the Grail legend, and featured in the best selling book The Da Vinci Code. The popularity of the book and the use of the chapel as a location in the subsequent film greatly increased the number of visitors to the village.
The castle, owned by the family of the Earl of Rosslyn since the 14th century, is in partial ruins. The inhabitable parts are let as holiday accommodation.
On the north-western side of the village is Roslin Institute, a biological reseach instute, where in 1996 Dolly the sheep became the first animal to be cloned from an adult somatic cell.
[edit] Notable residents
John Lawson Johnston the inventor of Bovril, was born in Roslin in 1839.
[edit] Mystical theory on the origin of the name
It is suggested by some that the name Roslin has a mystical origin[1] from a meridian or ley line named the Roseline, predating the Paris Meridian [2], running directly through the chapel.
[edit] Other Roslins
The Dunedin, New Zealand suburb of Roslyn was named after Roslin; as was Roslindale, Boston, Massachusetts as well as Roslin, Ontario, Canada.
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