Midlothian

History

Midlothian County Council was abolished in 1975 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, which abolished Scotland's counties and burghs as administrative areas and created a new two-tier system of upper-tier regions and lower-tier districts. Most of Midlothian's territory went to a new district called Midlothian within the Lothian region. The Midlothian district was smaller than the area of the pre-1975 county, parts of which went to other districts: Currie, Balerno, Ratho and Newbridge to the city of Edinburgh; Musselburgh burgh and parish of Inveresk (which included the villages of Inveresk, Wallyford and Whitecraig) to East Lothian; East Calder, Mid Calder and West Calder) and the Midlothian part of Livingston to West Lothian; Heriot and Stow parishes to the Ettrick and Lauderdale district of the Borders region.

The boundaries of the historic county of Midlothian, including the city of Edinburgh, are still used for some limited official purposes connected with land registration, being a registration county. The Midlothian lieutenancy area corresponds to the current council area rather than the historic county. The last lord-lieutenant of the county of Midlothian was made lord-lieutenant for the new district of Midlothian when the reforms came into effect in 1975. The former county council's headquarters in Edinburgh became the offices of the new Lothian Regional Council, whilst the Midlothian District Council established its headquarters in Dalkeith.

In 1991 the council built itself a new headquarters called Midlothian House at 40-46 Buccleuch Street in Dalkeith.

The Lothian region was abolished in 1996. The four districts in the region, including Midlothian, became unitary council areas. The reconstituted Midlothian Council continues to be based at Midlothian House in Dalkeith.

Central government

There is a Midlothian constituency of the House of Commons.

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

Geography

The Midlothian council area contains the towns of Dalkeith, Bonnyrigg and Penicuik, as well as a portion of the Pentland Hills Regional Park, Rosslyn Chapel and Dalkeith Palace.

Demography

Languages

The 2022 Scottish Census reported that out of 93,255 residents aged three and over, 31,635 (33.9%) considered themselves able to speak or read the Scots language.

The 2022 Scottish Census reported that out of 93,257 residents aged three and over, 712 (0.8%) considered themselves able to speak or read Gaelic.

Settlements

Largest settlements by population:

Places of interest

Arniston House

Borthwick Castle

Castlelaw Fort

Crichton Castle

Dalhousie Castle

Dalkeith Palace

Flotterstone

Hawthornden Castle

Midlothian Snowsports Centre, Hillend

National Mining Museum

Loanhead Memorial Park

Mavisbank House

Melville Castle

Newbattle Abbey

Pentland Hills

Roslin Castle

Roslin Glen Country Park

Roslin Institute

Rosslyn Chapel

Tyne-Esk Walk

Vogrie Country Park

Wallace's Cave

Transport

Midlothian has a modern road network as well as some rural single-track roads. The Borders Railway runs between Tweedbank to Edinburgh, with four stations in Midlothian – Shawfair, Eskbank, Newtongrange and Gorebridge.

Notable people associated with Midlothian

William Drummond of Hawthornden (1585–1649), Scottish poet.

Princess Margaret of Scotland (1598–1600), daughter of James VI and I of Scotland and England (born Dalkeith Palace)

John Clerk of Penicuik, 2nd Baronet (1676–1755), was a Scottish politician, lawyer, judge, composer and architect.

William Robertson (1721–1793), historian, minister in the Church of Scotland, and Principal of the University of Edinburgh

Robert Smith (1722–1777), American architect, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, born in Dalkeith

Hector Macneill (1746–1818), poet and songwriter, born near Roslin

John Clerk, Lord Eldin (1757–1832), Scottish judge, lived in Lasswade for several years.

Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832) wrote the novel The Heart of Midlothian and lived at Lasswade Cottage (now Sir Walter Scott's Cottage) in Lasswade from 1798 to 1804, where he wrote his Grey Brother, translation of Goetz von Berlichingen, etc. and was visited by Wordsworth.

William Tennant (1784–1848), the author of Anster Fair, was parish schoolmaster in Lasswade from 1816 to 1819.

Thomas de Quincey (1785–1859), author of Confessions of an English Opium-Eater (1822), lived in Man's Bush Cottage (now De Quincey Cottage), Polton, from 1840 until his death in 1859.

Thomas Murray (1792–1872), the Gallovidian author, died in Lasswade.

Schools in Midlothian

Primary schools

Bilston Primary School, Bilston

Bonnyrigg Primary School, Bonnyrigg

Burnbrae Primary School, Hopefield

Cornbank St James Primary School, Penicuik

Cuiken Primary School, Penicuik

Danderhall Primary School, Danderhall

Easthouses Primary School, Mayfield

Gore Glen Primary School, Gorebridge

Gorebridge Primary School, Gorebridge

Hawthornden Primary School, Bonnyrigg

King's Park Primary School, Dalkeith

Lasswade Primary School, Lasswade

Lawfield Primary School, Mayfield

Loanhead Primary School, Loanhead

Mauricewood Primary School, Penicuik

Mayfield Primary School, Mayfield

Moorfoot Primary School, North Middleton

Newtongrange Primary School, Newtongrange

Paradykes Primary School, Loanhead

Rosewell Primary School, Rosewell

Roslin Primary School, Roslin

Secondary schools

Beeslack High School, Penicuik

Dalkeith High School, Dalkeith

Lasswade High School Centre, Bonnyrigg

Newbattle Community High School, Mayfield

Penicuik High School, Penicuik

St. David's RC High School, Dalkeith

Special schools

Saltersgate School, Dalkeith

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Twin towns and sister cities

Midlothian is twinned with Komárom-Esztergom, Hungary and Kreis Heinsberg, Germany. Since 1978 it is a sister city with Midlothian, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.