Midlothian

Midlothian Midlowden Meadhan Lodainn
Coordinates: 55°53′39″N 3°04′07″W / 55.89417°N 3.06861°W / 55.89417; -3.06861Coordinates: 55°53′39″N 3°04′07″W / 55.89417°N 3.06861°W / 55.89417; -3.06861
Admin HQ	Dalkeith
Government
• Body	Midlothian Council
• Control	TBA (council NOC) (SNP + ind)
• MPs	Owen Thompson, SNP
• MSPs	Colin Beattie, SNP Christine Grahame, SNP
Area
• Total	137 sq mi (354 km2)
Area rank	Ranked 21st
Population (2010 est.)
• Total	83,000
• Rank	Ranked 27th
• Density	590/sq mi (229/km2)
ONS code	00QW
ISO 3166 code	GB-MLN
Website	http://www.midlothian.gov.uk/

Midlothian (/mɪdˈloʊðiən/; Scots: Midlowden, Scottish Gaelic: Meadhan Lodainn) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the City of Edinburgh, East Lothian and the Scottish Borders council areas.

Midlothian was also the name of a historic county formed in the Middle Ages. The county included Edinburgh, and was formerly known as Edinburghshire, or more formally as the County of Edinburgh until 1890. The historic county remains a lieutenancy area and a registration county^[1] for which purposes Edinburgh is included.

Midlothian Council area was created in 1996, under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, with the boundaries of the Midlothian district of the Lothian region. The district had been created in 1975, under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, and it consisted of the local government county of Midlothian, minus the burgh of Musselburgh with the areas of Inveresk, Wallyford and Whitecraig being lost to East Lothian, the Calders (East Calder, Midcalder and West Calder) and the Midlothian part of Livingston to West Lothian, the electoral division of Heriot and Stow to the Ettrick and Lauderdale district of Borders Region, and Currie, Balerno, Ratho and Newbridge to Edinburgh.

Constituencies

Midlothian or Edinburghshire Civil Parish map c.1854. Boundaries outlined in red

There is a Midlothian constituency of the House of Commons. There was a Midlothian constituency of the Scottish Parliament up to the 2011 elections when it was divided between Midlothian North and Musselburgh and Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale.

Places of interest

Towns and villages

Notable people associated with Midlothian

• William Drummond of Hawthornden (1585–1649), Scottish poet.
• Princess Margaret of Scotland (1598-1600), daughter of James VI and I of Scotland and England (born Dalkeith Palace)
• John Clerk of Penicuik, 2nd Baronet (1676–1755), was a Scottish politician, lawyer, judge, composer and architect.
• William Robertson (1721–1793), historian, minister in the Church of Scotland, and Principal of the University of Edinburgh
• Robert Smith (1722–1777), American architect, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, born in Dalkeith
• Hector Macneill (1746–1818), poet and song-writer, born near Roslin
• John Clerk, Lord Eldin (1757–1832), Scottish judge, lived in Lasswade for several years.
• Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832) wrote the novel The Heart of Midlothian and lived at Lasswade Cottage (now Sir Walter Scott's Cottage) in Lasswade from 1798 to 1804, where he wrote his Grey Brother, translation of Goetz von Berlichingen, etc. and was visited by Wordsworth.
• William Tennant (1784-1848), the author of Anster Fair, was parish schoolmaster in Lasswade from 1816 to 1819.
• Thomas de Quincey (1785–1859), author of Confessions of an English Opium-Eater (1822), lived in Man's Bush Cottage (now De Quincey Cottage), Polton, from 1840 until his death in 1859.
• Thomas Murray (1792–1872), the Gallovidian author, died in Lasswade.
• William Ewart Gladstone (1809–1898), MP for Midlothian 1880-1895 and conducted his famous Midlothian campaign across the UK in 1880
• Patrick Edward Dove (1815–1873), mainly remembered for his book The Theory of Human Progression, born at Lasswade
• John Lawson Johnston (1839-1900), the creator of Bovril, born at Roslin
• Charles W. Nibley (1849–1931) Scottish-American religious leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Nibley was served as second counselor in the First Presidency to Heber J. Grant (1925–31), and Presiding Bishop (1907–25).
• George Forrest (1873–1932), a plant collector who gained fame with his expeditions to the far east who spent a significant part of his early years in Loanhead.
• Sir William MacTaggart (1903–1981), artist, and grandson of the artist William McTaggart, he became President of the Society of Scottish Artists, President of the Royal Scottish Academy, and Trustee of the National Museum of Antiquities.
• Charles Forte, Baron Forte (1908–2007), the hotelier, worked in an Italian cafe in Loanhead, on his arrival in Scotland from Italy.
• Gary Naysmith from Loanhead (born 1978), Scottish International Footballer who currently plays for Sheffield United and formerly for Heart Of Midlothian and Everton. He was named Scottish PFA Young Player of the Year in 1998. He won the Scottish Cup with Hearts in 1998.
• Darren Fletcher (born 1984), from Mayfield Dalkeith. Scotland International footballer and holds the record of being the youngest player to captain his national side, currently plays for West Bromwich Albion and was part of the Manchester United squad that won the UEFA Champions League in the 2007 - 2008 season.
• Steven Whittaker from Bonnyrigg, (born 1984), Scotland International footballer, ex-Hibernian F.C. and Rangers F.C. Currently plays for Norwich City F.C.
• John Pringle Burnett, (born 1846), actor and playwright, husband of English actress Jennie Lee.

Schools in Midlothian

Primary schools

Secondary schools

• Beeslack High School, Penicuik
• Dalkeith High School, Dalkeith
• Lasswade High School Centre, Bonnyrigg
• Newbattle Community High School, Dalkeith
• Penicuik High School, Penicuik
• St. David's RC High School, Dalkeith

Special schools

• Saltersgate School, Dalkeith
• Support & Reintegration Services, Gowkshill, Gorebridge(now closed)
• Wellington Residential School, Penicuik

Twin towns and sister cities

Midlothian is twinned with Komárom-Esztergom in Hungary and Kreis Heinsberg in Germany. It is a sister city with Midlothian, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.^[2]

Famous battle

The Battle of Roslin was a battle of the First War of Scottish Independence, taking place on 24 February 1303 at Roslin, Midlothian. A Scottish army led by Simon Fraser and John Comyn defeated the English. The English force was raised in Northumberland and was tasked with intervening in support of the occupation forces of Edward I. The much smaller Scottish force rode through the night from Biggar, intercepted them and defeated them in two, possibly three, sharp fights. The site of the battle has been said to be the field opposite the old and new burial grounds. Members of the Comyn, Fraser and possibly Sinclair families fought at the Battle of Roslin.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Towns and villages in Midlothian.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Midlothian.

External links

• Midlothian at DMOZ