55°54′33″N3°05′04″W / 55.90917°N 3.08444°W /55.90917; -3.08444
Lothian | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,720 km2 (666 sq mi) |
| Population (2014)[1] | |
• Total | 858,090 |
| • Density | 497/km2 (1,288/sq mi) |
Lothian (/ˈloʊðiən/;Scots:Lowden, Loudan, -en, -o(u)n;[2]Scottish Gaelic:Lodainn[ˈl̪ˠot̪aɲ]) is a region of theScottish Lowlands, lying between the southern shore of theFirth of Forth and theLammermuir Hills and theMoorfoot Hills. The principal settlement is the Scottish capital,Edinburgh, while other significant towns includeLivingston,Linlithgow,Bathgate,Queensferry,Dalkeith,Bonnyrigg,Penicuik,Musselburgh,Prestonpans,Tranent,North Berwick,Dunbar andHaddington.
Historically, the term Lothian referred to aprovince encompassing most of what is now southeastern Scotland. In the 7th century it came under the control of theAnglian kingdom ofBernicia, the northern part of the later kingdom ofNorthumbria, but the Angles' grip on Lothian was weakened following theBattle of Nechtansmere in which they were defeated by the Picts.
Subsequent Scottish history saw the region subdivided into threecounties—Midlothian,East Lothian, andWest Lothian—leading to the popular designation of "the Lothians".
The origin of the name is debated. It perhaps comes from theBritish*Lugudūniānā (Lleuddiniawn in Modern Welsh spelling), meaning "country of the fort ofLugus", the latter being aCeltic god.[3] Alternatively, it may take its name from a watercourse that flows through the region, now known as the Lothian Burn,[note 1] the name of which comes from either the Britishlutna meaning "dark or muddy stream,"[note 2][4]*lǭd, with a meaning associated with flooding (cf.Leeds),[5] orlǖch, meaning "bright, shining."[5]
A popular legend is that the name comes fromKing Lot, who is king of Lothian in theArthurian legend. The usual Latin form of the name isLaudonia.[4]
Lothian was settled by Angles at an early stage and formed part of the Kingdom ofBernicia, which extended south into present-day Northumberland and Durham. Many place names in the Lothians and Scottish Borders demonstrate that the English language became firmly established in the region from the 6th century onwards. In due course, Bernicia united withDeira to form theKingdom of Northumbria. Important Anglo-Saxon structural remains have been found inAberlady along with various artefacts such as an early 9th-century Anglo-Saxon coin.[6]
Little is recorded of Lothian's history specifically at this time. After theNorse-speaking VikingGreat Army conquered southern Northumbria (including areas that would later become Yorkshire), northern Northumbria – centred on the former Anglian kingdom ofBernicia – was cut off from the other Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. How much Norse influence spread north of theRiver Tees is uncertain. Bernicia continued as a distinct territory, sometimes described as having a king, at other times anealdorman (earl). Bernicia became distinct from other English territories at this time due to its links with the other Christian kingdoms in what is present-day Scotland and seems to have little to do with the Norse-controlled areas to the south.Roger of Wendover wrote thatEdgar, King of the English grantedLaudian toKenneth II, King of Scots in 973 on condition that he come to court whenever the English king or his successors wore his crown. It is widely accepted by medieval historians that this marks the point at which Lothian became part of Scotland.[7] Despite this transaction, the control of Lothian was not finally settled and the region was taken by the Scots at theBattle of Carham in 1018 and theRiver Tweed became thede facto Anglo-Scottish border.[8]
William the Conqueror invaded Lothian and crossed over theRiver Forth[9] but was not able to conquer it. At this time Lothian appears in theAnglo-Saxon Chronicle asLoðen orLoþen. As late as 1091, theChronicle describes how the Scottish king,Malcolm Canmore, "went with his army out of Scotland into Lothian in England".[10][11]
In the post-Roman period, Lothian was dominated by British-speakers whose language is generally calledCumbric and was closely related toWelsh. In Welsh tradition Lothian is part of the "Old North" (Hen Ogledd). Reminders exist in British place-names likeTranent,Linlithgow andPenicuik.[12]
During the Anglo-Saxon period, the Northumbrian dialect ofOld English came to be spoken in the region. Initially confined to Lothian and the Borders, the language would grow, change, and spread across the lowlands of Scotland, becoming theScots language. The dialects of the modern Lothians are usually considered to be part ofCentral Scots. Place names in the Lothians of Anglian origin includeIngliston.[13]
Although one of the few areas of mainland Scotland where theGaelic language was never dominant, the presence of some Gaelic place-names,[12][14] e.g.Dalry,Currie,Balerno andCockenzie, has been attributed to the "temporary occupation...[and] the presence of a landowning Gaelic-speaking aristocracy and their followers for something like 150–200 years."[15]
By 1305, the area of Lothian had been divided into threeshires (the area controlled by asheriff), called the shires of Edinburgh (or Edinburghshire), Haddington (or Haddingtonshire), and Linlithgow (or Linlithgowshire).[16] Each of these three counties had an informal alternative name referencing their position within the former province of Lothian: Edinburghshire was also known asMidlothian, Haddingtonshire asEast Lothian, and Linlithgowshire asWest Lothian. The city of Edinburgh was made acounty of itself in 1482, making it administratively independent from the surrounding county of Edinburghshire.[16]
The three Lothian counties were all legally renamed during the 20th century, with Haddingtonshire becoming East Lothian in 1921,[17] Linlithgowshire becoming West Lothian in 1925,[18] and Edinburghshire becoming Midlothian in 1947.[19]
In 1975 the old county councils and burgh corporations were abolished under theLocal Government (Scotland) Act 1973, being replaced withregions and districts.Lothian Regional Council formally took over responsibility from the old county councils in May 1975. The Lothian region was split into four districts: East Lothian, Edinburgh,Midlothian, andWest Lothian. Each district was broadly based on the areas of the pre-1975 counties and city, but with some notable alterations. The Lothian Regional Council was responsible for education, social work, water, sewerage, and transport (including local buses within Edinburgh). The regional council was based atLothian Chambers on King George IV Bridge in Edinburgh, which had been built in 1904 as the headquarters of the old Midlothian County Council.[20]
Lothian Regional Council was abolished in 1996 under theLocal Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994.[21][22] The region's four districts took over all local government functions as unitarycouncil areas.[23]
The first election to the Lothian Regional Council was held in 1974, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new system came into force on 16 May 1975. Political control of the council from 1975 until its abolition in 1996 was as follows:[24]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| No overall control | 1975–1978 | |
| Labour | 1978–1982 | |
| No overall control | 1982–1986 | |
| Labour | 1986–1996 | |
King Máel-Coluim 'went with his army out of Scotland into Lothian in England' (ut of Scotlande into Loðene on Englaland) to parley
Media related toLothian at Wikimedia CommonsLocal government areas ofScotland, in use 1975 to 1996 | ||
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| Borders |  | |
| Central | ||
| Dumfries and Galloway | ||
| Fife | ||
| Grampian | ||
| Highland | ||
| Lothian | ||
| Strathclyde | ||
| Tayside | ||
| Island areas1 | ||
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