114-413: The ruins of Linlithgow Palace are located in the town of Linlithgow , West Lothian , Scotland, 15 miles (24 km) west of Edinburgh . The palace was one of the principal residences of the monarchs of Scotland in the 15th and 16th centuries. Although maintained after Scotland's monarchs left for England in 1603, the palace was little used, and was burned out in 1746. It is now a visitor attraction in
228-409: 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 was and still remains controversial, especially as the style contrasts starkly with the character of other buildings in the town and significantly altered
342-503: A parliament in the great hall of the palace in December 1585, the first gathering of the whole nobility in the palace since the reign of his grandfather James V of Scotland . James VI gave lands including the palace to his bride Anne of Denmark as a " morning gift ". On 14 May 1590 Peder Munk , the Admiral of Denmark , rode to Linlithgow from Niddry Castle , and was welcomed at the palace by
456-594: 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
570-492: 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
684-577: 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 the town. The present palace was started (on an older site) in 1424 by James I of Scotland . It
798-612: A carpenter from Linlithgow, Thomas Milne, to make three wooden chandeliers to hang in the palace in January 1546. As an adult Queen Mary often visited Linlithgow, but did not commission new building work at the palace. She returned on 14 January 1562 with her half-brother Lord James Stewart and received James Hamilton, 3rd Earl of Arran as a guest. She returned to Edinburgh on 30 January after visiting Cumbernauld Castle . Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley , her second husband, played tennis at Linlithgow. Mary came to Linlithgow in December 1565 to take
912-612: 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 the economy of the town centre is focused on hospitality, heritage and tourism services. Linlithgow's patron saint
1026-584: 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
1140-504: A daughter of James Stewart, 1st Lord Doune . Roger Aston helped the queen move to Linlithgow Palace at the end of May 1595. Over several days at Linlithgow in June 1595, James VI and Anne had discussions about the keeping of their son Prince Henry by the Earl of Mar . Anne refused to talk to Mar when he came to Linlithgow. The daughter of James VI and Anne, Princess Elizabeth , lived in the palace in
1254-484: A fictional castle for which Linlithgow Palace stands in; this has attracted a number of international tourists. 55°58′42.6″N 3°36′4.0″W / 55.978500°N 3.601111°W / 55.978500; -3.601111 Linlithgow Linlithgow ( / l ɪ n ˈ l ɪ θ ɡ oʊ / lin- LITH -goh ; Scots : Lithgae ; Scottish Gaelic : Gleann Iucha ) is a town in West Lothian , Scotland . It
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#17331058032781368-513: 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 a carbine shot from a window of his uncle Archbishop Hamilton's house. Many historic buildings line
1482-693: 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 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
1596-507: A grand residence for Scottish royalty, also beginning the rebuilding of the Church of St Michael immediately to the south of the palace: the earlier church had been used as a storeroom during Edward's occupation. James I set out to build a palace rather than a heavily fortified castle, perhaps inspired by Sheen Palace which he probably visited in England. The royal apartments were decorated by Matthew
1710-478: A later age, it was here that Archibald earned his nickname by offering to "bell the cat", initiating the action against the king's favourite , Thomas (or Robert) Cochrane , as a prelude to the arrest of the king. Angus is said to have begun the attack by seizing the gold chain from Cochrane's neck, then ordering him and others of the king's favourites to be hung from Lauder Bridge (Lauder Brig in Scots ), located today in
1824-442: 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 the 17th until the late 19th century, the two largest industries in Linlithgow were leathermaking and shoemaking. In 1847,
1938-580: 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
2052-553: 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 the town. The bridge no longer stands. The roadway to Linlithgow over the River Avon is described by scholars as
2166-450: A more open state of rebellion broke out against the king, this time with greater support of the Scottish nobility, with the king's eldest son, James, Duke of Rothesay, counted among their ranks (although not as leader). Angus once again came out against the king. In 1488, he marched against James III at the Battle of Sauchieburn , where the king was killed. After Sauchieburn, Angus became for
2280-709: A new black velvet suit accompanied by minstrels in April 1517, and went on to take up residence in Edinburgh Castle . Margaret Tudor rewarded the King's nurse and governess, Marion Douglas, with a grant of the lands near Linlithgow Palace called the Queen's Acres in July 1518. Marion's daughter, Katherine Bellenden , made the king's shirts. When the teenage James V came to Linlithgow in 1528, Thomas Hamilton supplied him with sugar candy. James V added
2394-510: 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 a public effort to save the facade. Other prominent Victorian buildings in the town include the turreted Royal Bank (erected in 1959),
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#17331058032782508-484: 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 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
2622-492: A time one of the guardians of the young king James IV , but soon lost influence to the Homes and Hepburns , and the wardenship of the marches went to Alexander Home . Although outwardly on good terms with James, Angus treacherously made a treaty with Henry VII around 1489 or 1491, by which he undertook to govern his relations with James according to instructions from England. He also agreed to hand over Hermitage Castle , commanding
2736-450: 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 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
2850-457: 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
2964-504: 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 the Old Welsh lynn llaith cau meaning "lake in the moist hollow". Originally "Linlithgow" referred to
3078-694: 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,
3192-560: 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
3306-574: 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
3420-606: 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 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,
3534-573: 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 a previous hall or Tolbooth demolished by Oliver Cromwell 's army in 1650. Much of its original interior was removed in
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3648-532: 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
3762-521: The African servants Margaret and Ellen More . In April 1513 the roof of the chapel was altered and renewed, and a new organ was made by a French musician and craftsman called Gilyem and fixed to the wall. Timber was shipped to Blackness Castle and carted to the Palace. The windows of the queen's oratory, overlooking the Loch, were reglazed. An English diplomat, Nicholas West , came to the palace in April 1513 and
3876-631: 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
3990-563: The Master of the Household of James II of Scotland . During the turbulent 1450s, when Archibald was growing up, his father came out in support of James II, thereby pitching himself against many of his own clan, and the Black Douglas line in particular, who were in rebellion against the king. He was also at the siege of Roxburgh in 1460. After the accidental death of the king during the siege, it
4104-634: 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 , 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
4218-612: 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 the town was allocated, for recruiting, to the Lothians and Border Horse and 10th Battalion, Royal Scots . Today 1 SCOTS recruit from
4332-512: The English king in return for the right to rule Scotland in place of his brother. While James was in captivity in Edinburgh, Albany did indeed make a short-lived attempt to rule under the name of "Alexander IV". Eventually, however, by March 1483, both Albany and Angus returned to their allegiance to James who, despite the treasonous alliance with Edward, granted them pardons. Later in that same decade
4446-455: The Great Hall. Mary of Guise returned to Edinburgh on 3 February and was crowned soon afterwards. Mary, Queen of Scots , was born at Linlithgow Palace in December 1542 and lived at the palace for a time. In January 1543, Viscount Lisle heard that she was kept with her mother, "and nursed in her own chamber". In March 1543 the English ambassador Ralph Sadler rode from Edinburgh to see her for
4560-618: 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 the palace from the High Street. This contains the Cross Well of 1807 (redesigned by James Haldane ) which
4674-510: The King stayed at Linlithgow in July 1506 a coat was bought for a fool, and James IV visited the building work at the quire of St Michael's Church . He gave the master mason a tip of 9 shillings. The son of James IV and Margaret Tudor , the future James V , was born in the palace in April 1512. The captain of the palace, Alexander McCulloch of Myreton, took on the role of the Prince's bodyguard. The household of Margaret Tudor at Linlithgow included
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4788-524: 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
4902-669: The Painter in 1433. Mary of Guelders , the widow of James II and mother of James III , made improvements in 1461, for the visit of the exiled Henry VI of England . Over the following century the palace developed into a formal courtyard structure, with significant additions by James III and James IV . James IV bought crimson satin for a new doublet to wear while formally welcoming the Spanish ambassador Don Martin de Torre at Linlithgow in August 1489. Silverware and tapestries were brought from Edinburgh for
5016-429: 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,
5130-466: The Palace, 1565, Frenchman and archer of the Queen's Guard; John Brown, June 1569; Andrew Lambie, June 1571; Ludovic Bellenden of Auchnoul 22 November 1587, and 1595 Roger Aston . The office was acquired by Alexander Livingstone, 1st Earl of Linlithgow , and remained in that family until 1715 when the rights returned to the Crown . A Scottish heraldic manuscript known as The Deidis of Armorie dating from
5244-481: The Palace. An iron yett was brought to the Palace from Blackness Castle by Alexander Stewart in 1571. Timber was used to fortify the church steeple. In March 1576 Regent Morton ordered some repairs to the roof and the kitchen chimney. James VI of Scotland came to Linlithgow in May 1583, and his courtiers, including Francis Stewart, 5th Earl of Bothwell and George Keith, 5th Earl Marischal played football. James VI held
5358-485: The SFA Quality Mark and West Lothian Council Club Accreditation schemes. Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus (c. 1449 – October 1513) was a Scottish nobleman, peer, politician, and magnate . Tradition has accorded him the nickname Archibald 'Bell-the-Cat' due to his association with the 1482 rebellion against James III of Scotland . He became one of
5472-566: 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 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
5586-574: The Summer of 1303. Elizabeth of Rhuddlan , a daughter of Edward I, was at Linlithgow Palace in July 1304. She was pregnant and travelled to Knaresborough Castle in England to have her child. In September 1313, Linlithgow Peel was retaken for Scotland by an ordinary Scot named William Bynnie or Bunnock who was in the habit of selling hay to the garrison of the peel. When the gate was opened for him, he halted his wagon so that it could not be closed, and he and his seven sons leapt out from their hiding place under
5700-524: The air and have a quiet time with few visitors, but her husband Lord Darnley was expected. She was pregnant and was carried to Linlithgow in a horse-litter. She had a bed at Linlithgow of crimson velvet and damask embroidered with love knots. In the years after the abdication of Mary and the Marian Civil War , Captain Andrew Lambie and his lieutenant John Spreul kept an armed guard of 28 men of war at
5814-577: 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 the main railway route to Glasgow. Before the construction of the M8 and M9 motorways and the opening of the Forth Road Bridge ,
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#17331058032785928-462: 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
6042-403: The care of Helenor Hay, Countess of Linlithgow , helped by Mary Kennedy, Lady Ochiltree . Alison Hay was her nurse, helped by her sister Elizabeth Hay. John Fairny was appointed to guard her chamber door. In 1599 James VI had to write to the Linlithgow burgh council about townspeople who had built houses which obstructed a route taken by the royal horses to water, and houses and gardens built near
6156-427: The care of Historic Environment Scotland . A royal manor existed on the site from the 12th century. This was later enclosed by a timber palisade and outer fosse to create a fortification known as 'the Peel', built in 1301/2 by occupying English forces under Edward I . The site of the manor made it an ideal military base for securing the supply routes between Edinburgh Castle and Stirling Castle . The English fort
6270-421: 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 a private woodland (Rosemount woods) and estate, occupied by a 19th-century villa, Nether Parkley. The first murder using
6384-426: 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
6498-475: 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 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
6612-442: 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
6726-449: 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 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
6840-401: The end of October, he too was dead. His successor to the Earldom of Angus was his grandson, Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus . Angus married twice: Janet Kennedy was one of his mistresses. The earl is an important character in Chain of Destiny by Nigel Tranter , set during the reign of James IV of Scotland . He is depicted negatively as an adversary of the king and a friend of
6954-434: The entry fee is waived during the organisation's "Doors open days". In summer the adjacent 15th-century parish church of St Michael is open for visitors, allowing a combined visit to two of Scotland's finest surviving medieval buildings. The site was visited by 103,312 people in 2019. For over 40 years, tours of the palace for children are led by 'Junior Guides', pupils at Linlithgow Primary School A Strathspey for bagpipes
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#17331058032787068-440: The event, and the wardrobe servant David Caldwell brought cords and rings to hang the tapestry in the palace. New rushes were brought from the Haw of Lithgow for the chamber floor. Entertainment included a play performed by Patrick Johnson and his fellows. After a visit to Stirling the King returned to Linlithgow and played dice with the Laird of Halkett and his Master of Household, and on 17 September rewarded stonemasons working on
7182-432: The first time. Mary of Guise showed him the queen out of her swaddling and Sadler wrote that the infant was "as goodly a child I have seen, and like to live". Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox came to see the infant queen on 5 April 1543. The blacksmith William Hill was employed at this time to increase the security of the palace by fitting iron window grills, called yetts . Alexander Livingston, 5th Lord Livingston
7296-458: The fountain vandalised by those who objected on religious grounds to the motto "God Save the King," but some woodcarving remained in the Chapel Royal. The palace was again described as ruinous in 1668. Its swansong came in September 1745, when Bonnie Prince Charlie visited Linlithgow on his march south but did not stay overnight. It is said that the fountain was made to flow with wine in his honour. The Duke of Cumberland 's army destroyed most of
7410-456: The grounds of Thirlestane Castle . The phrase " to bell the cat " comes from the fable "The Mice in Council" , misattributed to Aesop , and refers to a dangerous task undertaken for the benefit of all. Angus subsequently joined the party of the king's disaffected younger brother, Alexander Stewart, Duke of Albany , who was part of the English invasion. Albany had entered into a treaty with Edward IV which gifted suzerainty over Scotland to
7524-407: The hay, and they captured the peel for King Robert the Bruce . King Robert sent reinforcements and had the peel dismantled so that it could not be retaken by the English. In January 1360, King David II visited Linlithgow and the peel was repaired 'for the king's coming'. In 1424, the town of Linlithgow was partially destroyed in a great fire. King James I started the rebuilding of the palace as
7638-416: 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
7752-423: The keeper Lewis Bellenden . He took symbolic possession or ( sasine ) by accepting a handful of earth and stone. The keeper of the palace in 1594 was the English courtier Roger Aston who repaired the roof using lead shipped from England. Roger Aston was of doubtful parentage and as a joke hung a copy of his family tree next to that of the king of France in the long gallery, which James VI found very amusing. There
7866-625: The kitchens, and seven oak trees from the Torwood. The improvements included altering the chapel ceiling and trees were brought from Callender to make scaffolding for this. Six hogshead barrels were bought to hold the scaffold in place. The older statues of the Pope, the Knight, and Labouring Man on the east side of the courtyard, with the inscriptions on ribbons held by angels were painted. New iron window grills, called yetts , were made by blacksmiths in Linlithgow, and these, with weather vanes, were painted with red lead and vermilion . A metal worker in Glasgow called George Clame made shutter catches for
7980-456: The late 15th-century and derived and translated from a variety of sources, outlines the duties of keepers and captains: "The capitanys war ordanit be princis to keip the fortrassis and gud townys of the princis and to vittaill thaim and garnys thaim of al necessar thingis petenyng to the wer; ... and gar mak certane and sur wachis be him and his folkis, baith be nycht and day, ffor dout of ganfalling in pestilence, sua that he may rendre gud compt of
8094-439: The lead roofs and the plumbing of the fountain. There was a tennis court in the garden and an eel-trap in the Loch. The lodgings built for the Queen in the 1530s may have been in the old north wing on the first floor. Only one side of a doorway from this period remains, which may have led to a grand staircase for the Queen. When Mary of Guise arrived in Scotland, James Hamilton of Finnart was given 400 French gold crowns to repair
8208-406: The local level, the Linlithgow and Linlithgow Bridge Community Council is the local Community council . The burgh's coat of arms features 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
8322-479: The loch (in recent times of drought) which hindered the royal laundry. Anne of Denmark came to visit Princess Elizabeth at Linlithgow Palace on 7 May 1603, and then rode to Stirling Castle , where she argued again with Marie Stewart, Countess of Mar and the Master of Mar over the custody of Prince Henry . She brought Prince Henry to Linlithgow on 27 May, and after a week in Edinburgh, went to London. In 1616 Alexander Livingstone, 1st Earl of Linlithgow said there
8436-509: 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 the form of Crannogs in Linlithgow Loch . Linlithgow gained its royal status as
8550-421: 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 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
8664-552: 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 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
8778-534: The most powerful nobleman in Scotland through his influential position on the Scottish Marches , and a willingness to be involved in multiple rebellions in the reigns of James III and James IV of Scotland . Archibald Douglas , eldest son of George Douglas, 4th Earl of Angus , head of the Red Douglas line, was born at Tantallon Castle , East Lothian , around 1449. His mother was Isabella Sibbald, daughter of
8892-416: The news: Please your most Sacred Majestie; this sext of September, betuixt thre and four in the morning, the north quarter of your Majesties Palice of Linlithgw is fallin, rufe and all, within the wallis, to the ground; but the wallis ar standing yit, bot lukis everie moment when the inner wall sall fall and brek your Majesties fontane." King James had the north range rebuilt between 1618 and 1622. The carving
9006-552: The outer gateway and the elaborate courtyard fountain. The stonework of the south façade was renewed and unified for James V in the 1530s by the keeper, James Hamilton of Finnart . Timber imported from Denmark-Norway , including "Estland boards" and joists, was bought at the harbours of Dundee , South Queensferry , Montrose , and Leith , and shipped to Blackness Castle to be carted to the palace. Three oak trees were cut down in Callender Wood to provide tables for dressing food in
9120-623: The palace buildings by accidentally burning it through lamps left on straw bedding on the night of 31 January/1 February 1746. The positions of official keeper and captain of the palace have been held by: Andrew Cavers, Abbot of Lindores , 1498; John Ramsay of Trarinzeane, 1503; James Hamilton of Finnart, 1534, Captain and Keeper; William Danielstoun from 19 November 1540; Robert Hamilton of Briggis , from 22 August 1543; Andrew Melville of Murdocairney, later Lord Melville of Monimail, brother of James Melville of Halhill , from 15 February 1567; George Boyd, deputy Captain, 1564; Andrew Ferrier, Captain of
9234-531: The palace passed into the care of the Commissioners of Woods and Forests , together with the surrounding grounds, in 1832. It passed to the Office of Works in 1874. Major consolidation works were undertaken in the 1930s and 1940s. Today the palace is managed and maintained by Historic Environment Scotland . The site is open to visitors all year round, usually subject to an entrance fee for non-members, but on occasion
9348-432: The palace with two gold angel coins. In November 1497 he played cards and bought jesses and leashes to go hawking . James gave the masons working on the building a tip of 9 shillings, known as " drinksilver ", and ordered the master mason to go to Stirling Castle to provide a plan for his new lodgings there. Andrew Cavers, Abbot of Lindores , was made supervisor of construction at Linlithgow. James IV spent Easter 1490 at
9462-471: 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 a controversial replacement spire in aluminium in a modern style by Geoffrey Clarke , representing Christ's crown of thorns,
9576-600: The palace, visited the town of Culross, and returned on 18 April to play dice with Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus and the Laird of Halkett, losing 20 gold unicorn coins. The King spent Christmas 1490 and Easter 1491 at Linlithgow. On 9 April he bought seeds for the palace gardener. The poet Blind Harry came to court at Linlithgow at least five times. James IV was interested in medicine and experimented taking blood from his servant Domenico and another man at Linlithgow. Perkin Warbeck
9690-435: The palace. In August 1539 he was paid for rebuilding the king's kitchen , at the north end of the great hall, with a fireplace, an oven, and a room for silver vessels, and another for keeping coal. During a visit in December 1539, Mary of Guise was provided with gold, silver, and black thread for embroidery, and her ladies' embroidery equipment was brought from Falkland Palace . Tapestry was brought from Edinburgh to decorate
9804-515: The palace. The goldsmiths Thomas Rynde and John Mosman provided chains, tablets or lockets, rings, precious stones, necklaces, and jewelled coifs for ladies called "shaffrons" for the King to give as gifts to his courtiers on New Year's Day. On the feast of the Epiphany in January the court watched an "interlude" that was an early version of David Lyndsay 's play, A Satire of the Three Estates , in
9918-461: The pass through Liddesdale into Scotland, on the condition of receiving English estates in compensation. In October 1491 he fortified his castle of Tantallon against James, but had to submit and to exchange his Liddesdale estate and Hermitage Castle for the lordship of Bothwell . In 1493 Angus again returned to favour, receiving various grants of lands. He became Chancellor , which office he retained till 1498. In June 1497 he opened talks for
10032-437: The place quhen tym and place requiris" (modernised) The Captains were ordained by princes to keep the fortresses and good towns of the princes, and to stock them with food and furnish armaments in case of war; ... and to make sure and certain watch, himself and his kinsfolk, both by night and day, For fear of succumbing to the plague, so that he may render good account of the place, when time and place requires. Long-neglected,
10146-668: The planning application was rejected due to the effect it would have on the towns character. Linlithgow 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
10260-433: The possibility of restoring the roof of the palace. In August 2014, a music festival was held on the palace's grounds called 'Party at the Palace'. This became a yearly event and again took place in 2015; from 2016 it was moved to the other side of the loch due to its popularity and need for more space. The festival still boasts views of the palace. Some scenes in the time-traveling romance TV series Outlander are set at
10374-529: The previous 1908 build Nobel Explosive Company Works Factory in 1983 and 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
10488-449: The project, King James put the Earl of Mar in charge of the "speedy finishing of our Palace of Linlithgow". On 5 July 1621 the Earl of Mar wrote to James to tell him he had met James Murray, the master of works, and viewed the works at "grate lenthe". Mar said the Palace would be ready for the King at Michaelmas . King James planned to visit Scotland in 1622, but never returned. The carving at
10602-475: 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 the perceived quality of its schooling and local amenities. The town grew considerably during
10716-497: The surrender of Perkin Warbeck at 'Jenyn Haugh' . In 1501, in disgrace once more, he was confined to Dumbarton Castle . Angus's two eldest sons were killed at the Battle of Flodden in early September 1513. He himself had not been present at the battle. As the Scottish nation was coming to terms with the disastrous defeat, Angus won appointment as one of the councilors of the Queen Regent, Margaret Tudor . Shortly afterwards, by
10830-465: 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 a generally east–west orientation and is centred on what used to be the main Edinburgh-Stirling road; this now forms
10944-521: The window-heads and the Royal Arms of Scotland on the new courtyard façade were painted and gilded, as were the old statues of the Pope, Knight, and Labouring Man on the east side. In 1629 John Binning, James Workman, and John Sawyers painted the interiors with decorative friezes above walls left plain for tapestries and hangings. Despite these efforts, the only reigning monarch to stay at Linlithgow after that date
11058-420: The windows and door locks in iron plated with tin. The chapel ceiling was painted with fine azurite . Thomas Peebles put stained glass in the chapel windows and the windows of the "Lyon Chamber", meaning the courtyard windows of the Great Hall. A chaplain, Thomas Johnston, kept the palace watertight and had the wallwalks and gutters cleaned. Peter Johnstoun was the palace carpenter. Robert Murray looked after
11172-460: Was King Charles I , who spent a night there in 1633. As part of the preparations, the burgh council issued a proclamation forbidding the wearing of plaids and blue bonnets, a costume deemed "indecent". In 1648, part of the new North Range was occupied by Alexander Livingston, 2nd Earl of Linlithgow . An English visitor in October 1641 recorded in a poem that the roof of the great hall was already gone,
11286-409: 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
11400-414: Was a Christmas guest in 1495. The king's mistress Margaret Drummond stayed at Linlithgow in the autumn of 1496. The park dykes were rebuilt in 1498. On 31 May 1503 the palace was given to Margaret Tudor the bride of James IV. A mason, Nichol Jackson, completed battlements on the west side of the palace in the summer of 1504. An African drummer known as the " More taubronar " performed at the palace. When
11514-507: Was a private stair accessing the king's apartments, and the Laird of Dundas claimed to have encountered the Queen there in the dark without recognising her. In January 1595 John Stewart, 5th Earl of Atholl , Simon Fraser, 6th Lord Lovat , and Kenneth Mackenzie were kept prisoners in the palace, in order to pacify "Highland matters". Lord Lovat gained the king's favour and soon after married one of Anne of Denmark's ladies in waiting, Jean Stewart,
11628-510: 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 the chancel arch and added fake-masonry plaster vaults, and then later Honeyman and Keppie rebuilding
11742-488: Was appointed Warden of the East March by James III, but the following year took part in the surprise action against the king carried out by a league of Scottish nobles at Lauder on 22 July 1482. This was at a moment when English forces had just invaded Scotland and the secretly disaffected nobles were ostensibly part of the army that James had mustered to repel the invasion. According to David Hume of Godscroft , writing in
11856-461: 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 the courtyard of the Palace, an elaborately carved hexagonal fountain and well survives. Besides
11970-409: Was begun in March 1302 under the supervision of two priests, Richard de Wynepol and Henry de Graundeston, to the designs of Master James of St George , who was also present. In September 1302, sixty men and 140 women helped dig the ditches; the men were paid twopence and the women a penny daily. One hundred foot-soldiers were still employed as labourers on the castle in November and work continued during
12084-467: 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 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
12198-561: Was composed in honour of Linlithgow Palace. The palace is said to be haunted by the spectre of Mary of Guise , mother to Mary, Queen of Scots. On 4 December 2012, the French fashion house Chanel held its tenth Métiers d’Art show in the palace. The collection, designed by Karl Lagerfeld , was called 'Paris-Édimbourg' and inspired by classic Scottish styling using tweed and tartan fabrics worn by models Stella Tennant , Cara Delevingne , and Edie Campbell . The show renewed media interest in
12312-562: Was designed by the mason William Wallace . In July 1620, the architect, James Murray of Kilbaberton , estimated that 3,000 stones in weight of lead would be needed to cover the roof, costing £3,600 in Pound Scots (the Scottish money of the time). Scottish lead was sent from Leadhills in Lanarkshire by John Fairlie. After the death of the depute-treasurer Gideon Murray who was supervising
12426-520: 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 a royal burgh and residence around Linlithgow Palace . In later centuries, Linlithgow became
12540-522: Was met by Sir John Sinclair, one of the courtiers featured in William Dunbar 's poem Ane Dance in the Quenis Chalmer . West talked to Margaret Tudor and saw the baby Prince. He wrote "verily, he is a right fair child, and a large of his age". After the death of his father at the Battle of Flodden , the infant James V was not kept at Linlithgow, but came to the palace from Stirling Castle dressed in
12654-471: Was paid £813 for keeping the infant queen in the palace. Regent Arran was worried his enemies, including Cardinal Beaton , would take Mary in July 1543. He came with Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus and brought his artillery. He considered putting the queen in Blackness Castle , a stronger fortress. Henry VIII hoped that Mary would be separated from her mother and taken to Tantallon Castle . Mary
12768-744: Was still a tapestry from the royal collection at Linlithgow, used in Prince Henry's chamber. The tapestry had been damaged by the fool Andrew Cockburn. The Earl had decorated Princess Elizabeth's rooms with his own tapestry. After the Union of the Crowns in 1603 the Royal Court became largely based in England and Linlithgow was used very little. The North Range, said to be in very poor condition in 1583, and "ruinous" in 1599, collapsed at 4am on 6 September 1607. The Earl of Linlithgow wrote to King James VI & I with
12882-466: Was teething and plans to move her were delayed. Supporters of the Auld Alliance at Linlithgow signed the " Secret Bond " pledging to prevent Mary marrying Prince Edward . Following lengthy negotiations between the armed factions at Linlithgow, Mary was taken to Stirling Castle by her mother on 26 July 1543, escorted by the Earl of Lennox, and an armed force described as a "great army". Arran employed
12996-410: Was the earl, Archibald's father, who is said to have placed the crown on the new child king's head, reputedly declaring as he did so: "There! Now that I have set it upon your Grace's head, let me see who will be so bold as to move it." Archibald succeeded his father as fifth Earl of Angus about two years later, in 1462 or 1463, aged fourteen. In 1481, during a time of gathering war with England, Angus
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