82-723: Linlithgow Loch lies immediately north of the town of Linlithgow in West Lothian , Scotland. 1.3 kilometres in length and 0.4 in breadth, its area of 41 hectares makes it the largest natural freshwater loch in Lothian . It is, however, shallow, with a mean depth of 2.3 metres and a maximum depth of 9.2 metres. The loch is fed by four small streams, the Hatchery Burn, the Bonnytoun Burn, the Springfield Burn, and Bell's Burn, and drained by
164-592: A royal burgh and residence around Linlithgow Palace . In later centuries, Linlithgow became a centre of industry in leather making and other materials, before developing rapidly in the Victorian era with the opening of the Union Canal in the 1820s and the arrival of the railway in 1842. Linlithgow was the former county town of the county but the Council now resides in nearby Livingston . Today Linlithgow has less industry and
246-513: A 95.4 per cent confidence level that they date to the Late Bronze Age to Early Iron Age . The date ranges fall after around 800 BC and so could be considered Late Bronze Age by only the narrowest of margins. Crannogs have been variously interpreted as free-standing wooden structures, as at Loch Tay , although more commonly they are composed of brush, stone or timber mounds that can be revetted with timber piles. However, in areas such as
328-594: A Methodist chapel (now an evangelical church, St. John's, which meets in Linlithgow Academy on a Sunday morning); St Peter's , an architecturally distinctive Scottish Episcopal church; and a Roman Catholic church, also called St Michael's, which was used as an ambulance depot by Polish servicemen during the Second World War. The Linlithgow Museum is a volunteer-run local history museum in Linlithgow. The museum
410-492: A Scots renaissance style with turrets by James Graham Fairley in 1900. The Academy moved to a new school complex on Braehead Road in 1968 towards the south-west of the town and the old academy buildings are now home to Low Port Primary School. The town has five primary schools : Linlithgow Primary School, St Joseph's RC Primary School, Linlithgow Bridge Primary School, Low Port Primary School and Springfield Primary School. Donaldson's School , Scotland's national school for
492-408: A black bitch chained to an oak tree on an island, and those born within the town are known as "black bitches". In his account of a tour of Scotland, published in 1679, an English gentleman, Thomas Kirk, described the arms of the town as "a black bitch tied to a tree, in a floating island. We enquired for a story about it, but could meet with none: their schoolmaster told us it proceeded from the name of
574-613: A carbine shot from a window of his uncle Archbishop Hamilton's house. Many historic buildings line the High Street that follows the original route from the East (High and Low Ports) and West (Ports) Gates . On the south side, ground levels rise and several historic wynds and closes, as found in Edinburgh , still exist. The most prominent historical space is the Kirkgate, a processional route to
656-944: A coach'; 'vessel/box/chest' more generally; and 'wooden pin'. The Scottish Gaelic form is crannag and has the additional meanings of 'pulpit' and ' churn '. Thus, there is no real consensus on what the term crannog actually implies, although the modern adoption in the English language broadly refers to a partially or completely artificial islet that saw use from the prehistoric to the Post-Medieval period in Ireland and Scotland. Crannogs are widespread in Ireland , with an estimated 1,200 examples, while Scotland has 389 sites officially listed as such. The actual number in Scotland varies considerably depending on definition—between about 350 and 500, due to
738-584: A college in the town. The nearest colleges are West Lothian College in Livingston and Forth Valley College in Falkirk . Linlithgow Rose Community Football Club (formed from a partnership of Linlithgow Rose Football Club and BFC Linlithgow) has about 500 player members, involved in soccer 4s, soccer 7s, girls, youth and adult junior football. The club has a dedicated goalkeeping school and referee training programme and has been awarded Community Level status in both
820-532: A controversial replacement spire in aluminium in a modern style by Geoffrey Clarke , representing Christ's crown of thorns, was added to the tower. The church was used in the early 17th century as host for the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and one of the national covenants was signed within. The church was extensively altered and renovated in the 19th century, with James Gillespie Graham demolishing
902-467: A generally east–west orientation and is centred on what used to be the main Edinburgh-Stirling road; this now forms the main thoroughfare called the High Street. Plots of farmed land, known as rigs, ran perpendicular to the High Street and comprised much of the town's development until the 19th century. Growth was restricted to the north by Linlithgow Loch, and by the steep hill to the south, but, in
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#1733086047473984-526: A large number of crannogs. The causeways may have been slightly submerged; this has been interpreted as a device to make access difficult but may also be a result of loch level fluctuations over the ensuing centuries or millennia. Organic remains are often found in excellent condition on these water-logged sites. The bones of cattle , deer , and swine have been found in excavated crannogs, while remains of wooden utensils and even dairy products have been completely preserved for several millennia. In June 2021,
1066-627: A local demonstration. However, in February 2022, Greene King confirmed that a name change to "The Willow Tree" would take place. Linlithgow has several parks and recreation grounds across the town. The largest public area is the Peel and Palace Royal Park beside Linlithgow Loch and palace, including a large open grassland (the Peel), a circulatory walk around the Loch and mature trees to the south. Linlithgow Rose Garden
1148-464: A major sporting event, which was depicted by artist Charles Lees . Linlithgow Loch was once famed for its brown trout , but most of the sport today comes from stocked rainbow trout , regularly released by the Forth Area Federation of Anglers. The Low Port Centre, which was run by West Lothian Leisure, provided facilities for sailing, canoeing, kayaking, and windsurfing on the loch prior to
1230-491: A number of extremely important finds were destroyed as a result; in some instances, they were even dried out for firewood. From about 1900 to the late 1940s there was very little crannog excavation in Scotland, while some important and highly influential contributions were made in Ireland. In contrast, relatively few crannogs have been excavated since the Second World War . This number has steadily grown, especially since
1312-510: A previous hall or Tolbooth demolished by Oliver Cromwell 's army in 1650. Much of its original interior was removed in a modernisation project of 1962. In June 1622 Katherine Rannald (alias Broun) from Kilpunt and her daughter Barbara Home (alias Winzet) were imprisoned in the Tolbooth on suspicion of witchcraft. Linlithgow was also the site of the Battle of Linlithgow Bridge at the western edge of
1394-429: A private woodland (Rosemount woods) and estate, occupied by a 19th-century villa, Nether Parkley. The first murder using a firearm in Scotland took place in the High Street of the town on 23 January 1570 when James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray was assassinated by James Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh , a supporter of Queen Mary. As Moray was passing in a cavalcade in the main street below, Hamilton fatally wounded him with
1476-566: A public effort to save the facade. Other prominent Victorian buildings in the town include the turreted Royal Bank (erected in 1959), the Star And Garter Hotel (converted in 1847) and the Scots revival styled St. Michael's Hotel (1886). Animal glue was produced at the Gowanstanks works for many years, on the site now occupied by St. Josephs primary school. Linlithgow has been cited as
1558-515: A retail park situated in Linlithgow Bridge. There are also a diverse range of local retailers in the High Street. In 2012, there were controversial proposals for a new retail and housing development to the east of the town which were opposed by several local groups. However, in November 2013, the planning application was rejected due to the effect it would have on the towns character. Linlithgow
1640-791: A sense of legitimacy and ancestry towards ownership of the surrounding landscape. A strict definition of a crannog, which has long been debated, requires the use of timber. Sites in the Western Isles do not satisfy this criterion, although their inhabitants shared the common habit of living on water. If not classed as "true" crannogs, small occupied islets (often at least partially artificial in nature) may be referred to as "island duns". Rather confusingly, 22 islet-based sites are classified as "proper" crannogs due to differing interpretations of inspectors or excavators who drew up field reports. Hebridean island dwellings or crannogs were commonly built on both natural and artificial islets, usually reached by
1722-412: A small islet as a home may seem odd today, yet waterways were the main channels for both communication and travel until the 19th century in much of Ireland and, especially, Highland Scotland. Crannogs are traditionally interpreted as simple prehistorical farmsteads. They are also interpreted as boltholes in times of danger, as status symbols with limited access, and as inherited locations of power that imply
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#17330860474731804-521: A stone causeway. The visible structural remains are traditionally interpreted as duns or, in more recent terminology, as "Atlantic roundhouses". This terminology has recently become popular when describing the entire range of robust, drystone structures that existed in later prehistoric Atlantic Scotland . The majority of crannog excavations were, by modern standards, poorly conducted in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by early antiquarians, or were purely accidental finds as lochs were drained during
1886-532: A strict Early Historic evolution, Irish excavations are increasingly uncovering examples that date from the "missing" Iron Age in Ireland. The construction techniques for a crannog (prehistoric or otherwise) are as varied as the multitude of finished forms that make up the archaeological record. Island settlement in Scotland and Ireland is manifest through the entire range of possibilities ranging from entirely natural, small islets to completely artificial islets, therefore definitions remain contentious. For crannogs in
1968-457: A visitor centre and a loch) and Muiravonside Country Park between Linlithgow and Torphichen (170 acres of woodland and grassland). Linlithgow railway station is the main railway station serving the town and is located on the Glasgow to Edinburgh via Falkirk Line . It is served by ScotRail services from Edinburgh Waverley to Dunblane , and the daily train between Glasgow Queen Street and
2050-458: A wooden structure or vessel, stemming from crann , which means "tree", suffixed with "-óg" which is a diminutive ending ultimately borrowed from Welsh. The suffix -óg is sometimes misunderstood by non-native Irish-speakers as óg , which is a separate word that means "young". This misunderstanding leads to a folk etymology whereby crannóg is misanalysed as crann óg , which is pronounced differently and means "a young tree". The modern sense of
2132-694: Is a large open public park in the centre of southern Linlithgow containing a Friar's Well. The well originally provided water for the former carmelite priory, destroyed during the Scottish Reformation and is now covered with a stone arch. The park contains several mature trees. Kettlestoun Mains is a woodland walk beside the Avon Lagoon and near the former site of the Battle of Linlithgow Bridge . Just outside of Linlithgow, there are several country parks , including Beecraigs Country Park (a 370 hectare park between Bathgate and Linlithgow with forests,
2214-560: Is a mature rose garden in the area adjacent to the Kirk grave yard and the rear of the Burgh Halls and contains a large bronze statue of John Hope, 7th Earl of Hopetoun and Marquess of Linlithgow (created in 1911). As of 2021, the rose gardens are in the process of being improved. Learmonth Gardens is located on the south side of the railway across from the canal basin and were given to Linlithgow in 1916 in memory of Alexander Learmonth, who
2296-468: Is a town in West Lothian , Scotland . It was historically West Lothian's county town , reflected in the county's historical name of Linlithgowshire. An ancient town, it lies in the Central Belt on a historic route between Edinburgh and Falkirk beside Linlithgow Loch . The town is situated approximately 20 miles (32 km) west of Edinburgh . During the medieval period, the town grew in prominence as
2378-647: Is also documented into the early 18th century. Whether this increase in status is real, or just a by-product of increasingly complex material assemblages, remains to be convincingly validated. The earliest-known constructed crannog is the completely artificial Neolithic islet of Eilean Dòmhnuill , Loch Olabhat on North Uist in Scotland. Eilean Domhnuill has produced radiocarbon dates ranging from 3650 to 2500 BC. Irish crannogs appear in middle Bronze Age layers at Ballinderry (1200–600 BC). Recent radiocarbon dating of worked timber found in Loch Bhorghastail on
2460-636: Is home to a major computing centre owned by Oracle and to the telecommunication company Calnex Solutions, founded in 2006 in the town and which floated on the AIM market in September 2020. Former industries include the St. Magdalene's distillery , the Nobel explosives works, paper mills and many tanneries. The Regent Centre, now known as Nobel House, replaced the previous 1908 build Nobel Explosive Company Works Factory in 1983 and
2542-500: Is home to a small shopping centre, with several shops and a bank. The Riding of the Marches, held in one form or another since the mid-16th century and nowadays celebrated on the first Tuesday after the second Thursday in June, involves young and old in the tradition of checking the burgh's perimeter, including the town's historic port of Blackness. Although today's activities are centred more on
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2624-646: Is housed in the Linlithgow Partnership Centre, along with the West Lothian Family History Society and library. St Michael's is a community hospital in the town, operated by NHS Lothian . The hospital has its origins in the Linlithgow Combination Poorhouse and Infirmary which opened on the site in 1856. An infectious diseases hospital was built on an adjacent site in around 1900. The poorhouse infirmary and
2706-532: Is served by McGill's Scotland East bus service X38 between Edinburgh and Falkirk via Corstorphine, Kirkliston & Winchburgh. Linlithgow used to be served by Lothian Country services X38 & EX2, these were suspended in March 2020 and later withdrawn. Linlithgow has one Secondary school : Linlithgow Academy . The original Linlithgow Academy was housed in a purpose build sandstone building in East Port, designed in
2788-411: The 2022 , Linlithgow ward elected one SNP, one Labour and one Liberal Democrat councillor, namely Pauline Orr, Tom Conn and Sally Pattle, respectively. 2022 was the first election which saw Linlithgow ward elect any female councillors to West Lothian Council. At the local level, the Linlithgow and Linlithgow Bridge Community Council is the local Community council . The burgh's coat of arms features
2870-631: The Fife Circle Line . The station opened on 21 February 1842. The M9 Motorway is located on the northern outskirts of the town, connecting Linlithgow with Edinburgh, Stirling and Falking via motorway . The main east/west road through the town is the A803 road , part of which is the High St of Linlithgow. The main north/south road through the town is the A706 road. The nearest airport is Edinburgh Airport . Linlithgow
2952-574: The Irish National Heritage Park , County Wexford and at Castle Espie , County Down . In Scotland there are reconstructions at the "Scottish Crannog Centre" at Loch Tay , Perthshire ; this centre offers guided tours and hands-on activities, including wool-spinning, wood-turning and making fire, holds events to celebrate wild cooking and crafts, and hosts yearly Midsummer , Lughnasadh and Samhain festivals. Crannogs took on many different forms and methods of construction based on what
3034-544: The Isle of Lewis has produced evidence of crannogs as old as 3380–3630 BC. Prior to the Bronze Age , the existence of artificial island settlement in Ireland is not as clear. While lakeside settlements are evident in Ireland from 4500 BC, these settlements are not crannogs, as they were not intended to be islands. Despite having a lengthy chronology, their use was not at all consistent or unchanging. Crannog construction and occupation
3116-525: The Old Welsh lynn llaith cau meaning "lake in the moist hollow". Originally "Linlithgow" referred to the loch itself, the town being known as just "Lithgow" (hence the common surname ). Folk etymology associated this name with the Gaelic liath-chù meaning "grey dog", likely the origin of the black bitch on the burgh arms. Evidence of Bronze Age and Iron Age settlements has been found around Linlithgow, in
3198-583: The Outer Hebrides of Scotland, timber was unavailable from the Neolithic era onwards. As a result, crannogs made completely of stone and supporting drystone architecture are common there. Today, crannogs typically appear as small, circular islets, often 10 to 30 metres (30 to 100 ft) in diameter, covered in dense vegetation due to their inaccessibility to grazing livestock. The Irish word crannóg derives from Old Irish crannóc , which referred to
3280-420: The 17th until the late 19th century, the two largest industries in Linlithgow were leathermaking and shoemaking. In 1847, a pharmacist in the town, David Waldie is credited as being the first to produce a sample of chloroform for medical use, presenting it to James Young Simpson who later tested it and had it produced again on his return to Edinburgh, popularising its use as an anesthetic in medicine. In
3362-611: The Alps , which were built on the shores and not inundated until later, crannogs were built in the water, thus forming artificial islands. Crannogs were used as dwellings over five millennia, from the European Neolithic Period to as late as the 17th/early 18th century. In Scotland there is no convincing evidence in the archaeological record of Early and Middle Bronze Age or Norse Period use. The radiocarbon dating obtained from key sites such as Oakbank and Redcastle indicates at
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3444-664: The Drumlin Belt of the Midlands, North and Northwest. In Scotland, crannogs are mostly found on the western coast, with high concentrations in Argyll and Dumfries and Galloway . In reality, the Western Isles contain the highest density of lake-settlements in Scotland, yet they are recognised under varying terms besides "crannog". One lone Welsh example exists at Llangorse Lake , probably a product of Irish influence. Reconstructed Irish crannógs are located at Craggaunowen , County Clare , in
3526-524: The Linlithgow Players and the 41 Club. The town also has its own weekly local newspaper, the Linlithgow Gazette. The Linlithgow Union Canal Society runs a canal museum and operates narrowboat tours from Manse Road basin. The town has two Church of Scotland parish churches: St Michael's and the smaller St. Ninian's Craigmailen. There are also churches of other denominations, including
3608-585: The Loch Tay Crannog was seriously damaged in a fire but funding was given to repair the structure, and conserve the museum materials retained. The UNESCO Chair in Refugee Integration through Languages and the Arts, Alison Phipps of Glasgow University and African artist Tawona Sithole considered its future and its impact as a symbol of common human history and 'potent ways of healing' including restarting
3690-677: The Mill Burn on its western side, which eventually joins the Avon . The loch is the source of the town of Linlithgow's name; the British llyn laith cau translates to "lake in the damp hollow". Two islets in the loch, Cormorant Island and the Rickle, are thought to be the 5,000 year old remains of crannogs . In the winter of 1847/8 Linlithgow Loch in its frozen state played host to the Grand Curling Match,
3772-527: The Palace which is a music festival held annually in August by the loch and has brought acts including Nile Rodgers , Kaiser Chiefs , Travis , Simple Minds , The Proclaimers , Texas and many others to play in the town. The Charlatans and Deacon Blue headlined Party at the Palace 2019. The sense of community is enhanced by many active local groups such as Linlithgow Amateur Musical Productions (LAMP), Lithca Lore,
3854-495: The SFA Quality Mark and West Lothian Council Club Accreditation schemes. Crannogs A crannog ( / ˈ k r æ n ə ɡ / ; Irish : crannóg [ˈkɾˠan̪ˠoːɡ] ; Scottish Gaelic : crannag [ˈkʰɾan̪ˠak] ) is typically a partially or entirely artificial island , usually built in lakes and estuarine waters of Scotland , Wales , and Ireland . Unlike the prehistoric pile dwellings around
3936-513: The archaeological and historic records. Rather than the simple domestic residences of prehistory, the medieval crannogs were increasingly seen as strongholds of the upper class or regional political players, such as the Gaelic chieftains of the O'Boylans and McMahons in County Monaghan and the Kingdom of Airgíalla , until the 17th century. In Scotland, the medieval and post-medieval use of crannogs
4018-515: The building is recorded as dating to the 18th century. In early December 2021, the pub's owners, the Greene King chain, announced plans to change the name of the pub to "The Black Hound" on the basis that the original name had "racist and offensive connotations". The change was opposed by some local residents, who started a petition to retain the old name. By mid-December 2021, the petition had received over 10,000 signatures and had also resulted in
4100-399: The chancel arch and added fake-masonry plaster vaults, and then later Honeyman and Keppie rebuilding the chancel arch and added a choir vestry. A Carmelite Friary was located in the southern part of town from the 13th century until 1559, when it was destroyed during the Scottish Reformation . The grounds of the friary are split between a public park (Rosemount Park and Friar's Well) and
4182-627: The closure of the building in 2021. The future of the LPC site is currently uncertain. Urban and agricultural runoff make eutrophication a concern. Algal blooms have affected the loch's value for wildlife and recreation. Linlithgow Loch is a Site of Special Scientific Interest due to it being an example of a lowland eutrophic loch and supporting representative examples of aquatic and emergent plant communities. Linlithgow Linlithgow ( / l ɪ n ˈ l ɪ θ ɡ oʊ / lin- LITH -goh ; Scots : Lithgae ; Scottish Gaelic : Gleann Iucha )
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#17330860474734264-543: The colourful parades through the town that involve bands and floats decorated by local groups, the more ceremonial duties of the Marches are still performed, and a variety of local groups ensure that the traditions, old and new, are maintained. There are many other events during the year such as the Children's Gala Day, the Linlithgow Folk Festival and a pre-Christmas Victorian Street Fayre, and since 2014, Party at
4346-497: The courtyard of the Palace, an elaborately carved hexagonal fountain and well survives. Besides the palace, a second attraction, standing adjacent, is the primarily 15th century construction of St. Michael's Church . Its western tower originally had a distinctive stone crown spire , of the type seen also on St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh, and Newcastle Cathedral , but it was damaged in a storm in 1768 then removed in 1821. In 1964
4428-566: The deaf, is based in the town, having relocated from Edinburgh to a new campus (the Sensational Learning Centre) in Linlithgow in 2008, designed by JM Architects. The school was built on the site of a former Signetics electronics factory that had opened in 1969 during the Silicon Glen period of development, which itself was built on an earlier Racal factory that produced defence radars and displays. Linlithgow does not have
4510-660: The early 1980s, and may soon surpass prewar totals. The overwhelming majority of crannogs show multiple phases of occupation and re-use, often extending over centuries. Thus the re-occupiers may have viewed crannogs as a legacy that was alive in local tradition and memory. Crannog reoccupation is important and significant, especially in the many instances of crannogs built near natural islets, which were often completely unused. This long chronology of use has been verified by both radiocarbon dating and more precisely by dendrochronology . Interpretations of crannog function have not been static; instead they appear to have changed in both
4592-463: The economy of the town centre is focused on hospitality, heritage and tourism services. Linlithgow's patron saint is Saint Michael and its motto is St. Michael is kind to strangers . A statue of the saint holding the burgh coat of arms stands on the High Street. In 2019, the population of the Linlithgow ward (which includes the town and greater area) was 16,499. The name Linlithgow comes from
4674-575: The form of Crannogs in Linlithgow Loch . Linlithgow gained its royal status as a burgh in 1388 under a charter from Robert II of Scotland . Linlithgow developed in the Middle Ages as a royal residence for Scottish Kings on the raised hill beside the Loch, as the site was a logical stop between Edinburgh to the east and Stirling to the West. Linlithgow Palace remains the chief historic attraction of
4756-579: The improvements to increase usable farmland or pasture. In some early digs, labourers hauled away tons of materials, with little regard to anything that was not of immediate economic value. Conversely, the vast majority of early attempts at proper excavation failed to accurately measure or record stratigraphy , thereby failing to provide a secure context for artefact finds. Thus only extremely limited interpretations are possible. Preservation and conservation techniques for waterlogged materials such as logboats or structural material were all but non-existent, and
4838-416: The infectious diseases hospital came together to form St Michael's Home and Hospital in 1932. The combined facility joined the National Health Service in 1948. The poorhouse building was demolished in 1969 and replaced with the current modern facility. A local pub and hotel on West Port named "The Black Bitch" (after the town's coat of arms) is reputed to be one of Scotland's oldest pubs although much of
4920-429: The late 19th and early 20th centuries, development began much further south of the High Street. In the late 20th century, demand for housing led to many residential developments much further south, as well as spreading into new areas. This southward development was bisected by the Union Canal and latterly by the main Edinburgh-Glasgow railway line, and today there are traffic problems because there are only three places in
5002-460: The location of the first petrol pump in Scotland. A plaque on the High Street records that Scotland's first petrol pump was installed at a garage here in 1919. In 1940, the Neo-Georgian County Buildings were completed in the town and became the home of Linlithgowshire Council. They were later renamed as the Tam Dalyell House and are now the Linlithgow Partnership Centre, home to the town library and museum. In 1967, two large tracts of land on
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#17330860474735084-419: The main railway route to Glasgow. Before the construction of the M8 and M9 motorways and the opening of the Forth Road Bridge , the town lay on the main road from Edinburgh to Stirling, Perth and Inverness , while the canal system linked the burgh to Edinburgh and Glasgow. The nearby village of Blackness once served as the burgh's port. Linlithgow is overlooked by its local hill, Cockleroi . The town has
5166-407: The mid 20th century, the chemists became a restaurant and is now the Four Mary's pub (a plaque records the history). In December 1887 a new events venue was completed in a castle style with turrets and named the Victoria Hall. In 1956, the Hall was sold for use as a Ritz cinema and later was used as a theatre, before falling out of use in the 21st century and subsequently being demolished, despite
5248-424: The northern side of the High Street (with their associated pre 19th century buildings) were demolished and replaced by 90 flats, garages and public buildings (including a library and health centre ) in a brutalist style project named the 'Vennel redevelopment'. The name Vennel coming from the term for a passageway between the gables of two buildings. While the development won a Saltire Housing award in 1969, it
5330-399: The palace from the High Street. This contains the Cross Well of 1807 (redesigned by James Haldane ) which is said to be replica of its 1628 predecessor. North of the well stands the former civic home of the Burgh Council, the Town House of 1668 which was created under the direction of the master mason John Smith and now forms part of the complex known as the Burgh Halls . This replaced
5412-413: The perceived quality of its schooling and local amenities. The town grew considerably during the 1990s with the completion of several housing developments on the east side of the town. Development in the town is carefully controlled, as it is now bounded by green belt to the south and east, the M9 to the north, the river Avon and county boundary to the West. Following the formation of the Territorial Force
5494-409: The place. Linlithgow, in Erst [Gaelic], is thus explained: Lin signifies Lough; Lith, black; and Gow, a hound." A more recently recorded legend relates that the bitch was a black greyhound whose master was sentenced to starve to death on an island in the loch. She used to swim from the town every day with food for him. When this was discovered she was chained to a tree on a different island to suffer
5576-422: The same fate as her master. The townspeople took the animal's loyalty and bravery as symbolic of their own. Linlithgow's rich history and central location make it a popular tourist destination, while many local people commute to Glasgow, Edinburgh or Stirling; this is made relatively easy by the town's railway station and its proximity to both the M8 and M9 motorways. The town is served by three supermarkets and
5658-626: The strict sense, typically the construction effort began on a shallow reef or rise in the lochbed. When timber was available, many crannogs were surrounded by a circle of wooden piles , with axe-sharpened bases that were driven into the bottom, forming a circular enclosure that helped to retain the main mound and prevent erosion. The piles could also be joined by mortise and tenon , or large holes cut to carefully accept specially shaped timbers designed to interlock and provide structural rigidity. On other examples, interior surfaces were built up with any mixture of clay, peat, stone, timber or brush – whatever
5740-463: The term first appears sometime around the 12th century; its popularity spread in the medieval period along with the terms isle , ylle , inis , eilean or oileán . There is some confusion on what the term crannog originally referred to, as the structure atop the island or the island itself. The additional meanings of Irish crannóg can be variously related as 'structure/piece of wood', including ' crow's nest ', ' pulpit ', or 'driver's box on
5822-413: The town was allocated, for recruiting, to the Lothians and Border Horse and 10th Battalion, Royal Scots . Today 1 SCOTS recruit from the area keeping the traditions of the area from the Royal Scots. Linlithgow is located in the north-east of West Lothian , close to the border with the Falkirk Council area (historically part of Stirlingshire ). It lies 20 miles (32 km) west of Edinburgh along
5904-427: The town was represented by Mary Mulligan of Labour. It is also part of the Lothian electoral region , which elected 3 Conservative , 2 Labour and 2 Green MSPs under the additional member system in 2016 . At the county level, Linlithgow is represented locally under West Lothian Council . In both the 2012 and 2017 local elections, Linlithgow ward elected one Conservative, one Labour and one SNP councillor. In
5986-618: The town where each of these can be crossed. To the west, Linlithgow Bridge used to be a somewhat distinct village with its own identity, but in the latter half of the 20th century it was enveloped in the expansion of the main town. Today the distinction between them is hard to make out. In the Parliament of the United Kingdom at Westminster, Linlithgow has been represented as part of the Bathgate and Linlithgow constituency since 2024. Linlithgow
6068-482: The town. The bridge no longer stands. The roadway to Linlithgow over the River Avon is described by scholars as a lifted road. By 1799, Linlithgow was described as a large town with about 2300 inhabitants, whose primary industries included the tanning of leather , refining cotton cloth, the making of Tambour lace and Stockings , and shoemaking , as well as acting as a market town for the surrounding agriculture. From
6150-458: The town. The present palace was started (on an older site) in 1424 by James I of Scotland . It was attacked by Oliver Cromwell in 1650 and later burnt in 1746, and, whilst unroofed, it is still largely complete in terms of its apartments, though very few of the original furnishings survived. The palace was the birthplace of James V and Mary, Queen of Scots , and has been described as Scotland's finest surviving late medieval secular building. In
6232-424: The use of the term "island dun" for well over one hundred Hebridean examples—a distinction that has created a divide between mainland Scottish crannog and Hebridean islet settlement studies. Previously unknown crannogs in Scotland and Ireland are still being found as underwater surveys continue to investigate loch beds for completely submerged examples. The largest concentrations of crannogs in Ireland are found in
6314-409: Was Provost of Linlithgow from 1802 to 1807. The key feature of the gardens is a 16th-century beehive type doocot that was originally part of the tail of a run rig from the house of Baron Ross of Halkhead on the High Street (the rig was split when the railway was created in 1842). The doocot has 370 nest boxes in 18 tiers and a lantern on the top although access inside is closed. Rosemount Park
6396-642: Was a safe Labour seat until the 2015 when sitting MP Michael Connarty was defeated by Martyn Day of the SNP. Day remained the MP until the 2024 election where he was defeated by Kirsteen Sullivan of Labour Co-op . In the Scottish Parliament , Linlithgow is represented by the SNP's Fiona Hyslop , the Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs . Prior to the 2011 Scottish Parliament election ,
6478-536: Was and still remains controversial, especially as the style contrasts starkly with the character of other buildings in the town and significantly altered the street layout. After many decades of discussion, the partial demolition and redevelopment of the Vennel area was agreed by West Lothian Council, subject to consultation, which began in 2021. The town has continued to grow, not only because of its transport links with Edinburgh, Glasgow and Stirling, but also because of
6560-664: Was at its peak in Scotland from about 800 BC to AD 200. Not surprisingly, crannogs have useful defensive properties, although there appears to be more significance to prehistoric use than simple defense, as very few weapons or evidence for destruction appear in excavations of prehistoric crannogs. In Ireland, crannogs were at their zenith during the Early Historic period, when they were the homes and retreats of kings, lords, prosperous farmers and, occasionally, socially marginalised groups, such as monastic hermits or metalsmiths who could work in isolation. Despite scholarly concepts supporting
6642-414: Was available in the immediate landscape. The classic image of a prehistoric crannog stems from both post-medieval illustrations and highly influential excavations, such as Milton Loch in Scotland by C. M. Piggot after World War II . The Milton Loch interpretation is of a small islet surrounded or defined at its edges by timber piles and a gangway, topped by a typical Iron Age roundhouse. The choice of
6724-430: Was available. In some instances, more than one structure was built on crannogs. In other types of crannogs, builders and occupants added large stones to the waterline of small natural islets, extending and enlarging them over successive phases of renewal. Larger crannogs could be occupied by extended families or communal groups, and access was either by logboats or coracles. Evidence for timber or stone causeways exists on
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