Roslin, Midlothian
Encyclopedia
Roslin is a pretty village in Midlothian
, Scotland
, 7 miles (11km) to the south of the Scottish Capital city Edinburgh
. It is situated approximately 12 miles (20 km) from Edinburgh Airport
.
words ros, a moor, and celyn, holly. An alternative derivation from Gaelic words describing the Glen's features: Ros meaning a rocky promontory and Linne meaning a waterfall or pool is also often given. The theory that it is a corruption of Roseline, a supposed early medieval meridian passing through Paris
and Rosslyn Chapel is fanciful.
.
In 1303 Roslin was the site of a battle
of the First War of Scottish Independence
.
In 1446, Rosslyn Chapel
was constructed, under the guide of William Sinclair, 1st Earl of Caithness
.
Roslin became important as the seat of the St. Clair family
. In 1456 King James II
granted it the status of a burgh
. Coal mining has been a major occupation from the twelfth to the late twentieth centuries.
, now a country park. Overlooking the Glen are
Rosslyn Chapel
and Roslin Castle
.
The elaborately carved chapel has long been associated with the Knights Templars and the Grail legend
, and featured in the best selling book The Da Vinci Code
. The popularity of the book and the use of the chapel as a location in the subsequent film
greatly increased the number of visitors to the village.
Rosslyn Castle, owned by the family of the Earl of Rosslyn
since the 14th century, is in partial ruins. The habitable parts are let as holiday accommodation.
An atmospheric spot, the monument cairn erected by the Roslin Heritage Society at the end of last century, marks the site of the Battle of Roslin
, where on 24 February 1303, 8000 Scots faced an English army numbering 30,000. The Battle ended in victory for the Scots, and gave the country new hope for independence from England.
On the north-western side of the village is Roslin Institute, a biological research establishment, where in 1996 Dolly the sheep
became the first animal to be cloned from an adult somatic cell.
, New Zealand
suburb of Roslyn
was named after Roslin; as was Roslindale, Boston, Massachusetts
as well as Roslin, Ontario, Canada.
Roslyn is an affluent village in Nassau County, New York, on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2000 Census, the village population was 2,570. Roslyn was once called Hempstead Harbor, but its named changed to Roslyn on September 7, 1844 due to postal confusion regarding all the other "Hempsteads" in Long Island and their distance from each other.[3]
The village of Roslyn is at the eastern edge of the Town of North Hempstead.
Midlothian
Midlothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy area. It borders the Scottish Borders, East Lothian and the City of Edinburgh council areas....
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, 7 miles (11km) to the south of the Scottish Capital city Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
. It is situated approximately 12 miles (20 km) from Edinburgh Airport
Edinburgh Airport
Edinburgh Airport is located at Turnhouse in the City of Edinburgh, Scotland, and was the busiest airport in Scotland in 2010, handling just under 8.6 million passengers in that year. It was also the sixth busiest airport in the UK by passengers and the fifth busiest by aircraft movements...
.
The name
The name Roslin (c. 1240 Roskelyn) probably derives from the P-CelticCeltic languages
The Celtic languages are descended from Proto-Celtic, or "Common Celtic"; a branch of the greater Indo-European language family...
words ros, a moor, and celyn, holly. An alternative derivation from Gaelic words describing the Glen's features: Ros meaning a rocky promontory and Linne meaning a waterfall or pool is also often given. The theory that it is a corruption of Roseline, a supposed early medieval meridian passing through Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and Rosslyn Chapel is fanciful.
History
Legend has it the village was founded in 203 A.D. by Asterius, a PictPICT
PICT is a graphics file format introduced on the original Apple Macintosh computer as its standard metafile format. It allows the interchange of graphics , and some limited text support, between Mac applications, and was the native graphics format of QuickDraw.The original version, PICT 1, was...
.
In 1303 Roslin was the site of a battle
Battle of Roslin
The Battle of Roslin was a battle of the First War of Scottish Independence, taking place on 24 February 1303 at Roslin, Scotland. It is the subject of an extremely highly-coloured account written by Walter Bower in the mid-15th century which bears no relationship to the contemporary evidence.It...
of the First War of Scottish Independence
First War of Scottish Independence
The First War of Scottish Independence lasted from the invasion by England in 1296 until the de jure restoration of Scottish independence with the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton in 1328...
.
In 1446, Rosslyn Chapel
Rosslyn Chapel
Rosslyn Chapel, properly named the Collegiate Chapel of St Matthew, was founded on a small hill above Roslin Glen as a Roman Catholic collegiate church in the mid-15th century...
was constructed, under the guide of William Sinclair, 1st Earl of Caithness
William Sinclair, 1st Earl of Caithness
William Sinclair , 1st Earl of Caithness , 3rd Earl of Orkney , Baron of Roslin was a Scottish nobleman and the builder of Rosslyn Chapel, in Midlothian....
.
Roslin became important as the seat of the St. Clair family
Clan Sinclair
Clan Sinclair is a Highland Scottish clan of Norman origin who held lands in the north of Scotland, the Orkney Islands, and the Lothians which they received from the Kings of Scots...
. In 1456 King James II
James II of Scotland
James II reigned as King of Scots from 1437 to his death.He was the son of James I, King of Scots, and Joan Beaufort...
granted it the status of a burgh
Burgh
A burgh was an autonomous corporate entity in Scotland and Northern England, usually a town. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burgh status was broadly analogous to borough status, found in the rest of the United...
. Coal mining has been a major occupation from the twelfth to the late twentieth centuries.
Places of interest
The village sits on the west side of Roslin GlenRoslin Glen Country Park
Roslin Glen Country Park is a wooded glen in the North Esk Valley, near the village of Roslin in Scotland. It contains walks with several places of interest along the way, including Rosslyn Chapel, Roslin Castle, Wallace's Cave and Hawthornden Castle....
, now a country park. Overlooking the Glen are
Rosslyn Chapel
Rosslyn Chapel
Rosslyn Chapel, properly named the Collegiate Chapel of St Matthew, was founded on a small hill above Roslin Glen as a Roman Catholic collegiate church in the mid-15th century...
and Roslin Castle
Roslin Castle
Roslin Castle is a partially ruined castle near the village of Roslin in Midlothian, Scotland. It is located around 9 miles south of Edinburgh, on the north bank of the North Esk, only a few hundred metres from the famous Rosslyn Chapel.There has been a castle on the site since the early 14th...
.
The elaborately carved chapel has long been associated with the Knights Templars and the Grail legend
Holy Grail
The Holy Grail is a sacred object figuring in literature and certain Christian traditions, most often identified with the dish, plate, or cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper and said to possess miraculous powers...
, and featured in the best selling book The Da Vinci Code
The Da Vinci Code
The Da Vinci Code is a 2003 mystery-detective novel written by Dan Brown. It follows symbologist Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu as they investigate a murder in Paris's Louvre Museum and discover a battle between the Priory of Sion and Opus Dei over the possibility of Jesus having been married to...
. The popularity of the book and the use of the chapel as a location in the subsequent film
The Da Vinci Code (film)
The Da Vinci Code is a 2006 American mystery thriller film directed by Ron Howard. The screenplay was written by Akiva Goldsman and based on Dan Brown's worldwide bestselling 2003 novel, The Da Vinci Code...
greatly increased the number of visitors to the village.
Rosslyn Castle, owned by the family of the Earl of Rosslyn
Earl of Rosslyn
Earl of Rosslyn is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1801 for Alexander Wedderburn, 1st Baron Loughborough, Lord Chancellor from 1793 to 1801, with special remainder to his nephew Sir James St Clair-Erskine, 6th Baronet...
since the 14th century, is in partial ruins. The habitable parts are let as holiday accommodation.
An atmospheric spot, the monument cairn erected by the Roslin Heritage Society at the end of last century, marks the site of the Battle of Roslin
Battle of Roslin
The Battle of Roslin was a battle of the First War of Scottish Independence, taking place on 24 February 1303 at Roslin, Scotland. It is the subject of an extremely highly-coloured account written by Walter Bower in the mid-15th century which bears no relationship to the contemporary evidence.It...
, where on 24 February 1303, 8000 Scots faced an English army numbering 30,000. The Battle ended in victory for the Scots, and gave the country new hope for independence from England.
On the north-western side of the village is Roslin Institute, a biological research establishment, where in 1996 Dolly the sheep
Dolly the Sheep
Dolly was a female domestic sheep, and the first mammal to be cloned from an adult somatic cell, using the process of nuclear transfer. She was cloned by Ian Wilmut, Keith Campbell and colleagues at the Roslin Institute near Edinburgh in Scotland...
became the first animal to be cloned from an adult somatic cell.
Notable residents
- John Lawson JohnstonJohn Lawson JohnstonJohn Lawson Johnston was the creator of Bovril.He was born in 29 Main Street, Roslin, Midlothian. A plaque is on the property and can be seen above the door...
the inventor of BovrilBovrilBovril is the trademarked name of a thick, salty meat extract, developed in the 1870s by John Lawson Johnston and sold in a distinctive, bulbous jar. It is made in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, owned and distributed by Unilever UK....
, was born in Roslin in 1839. - David Gray, professional footballer for Manchester United.
Other Roslins
The DunedinDunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
suburb of Roslyn
Roslyn, Otago
Roslyn is a major residential and retail suburb of the New Zealand city of Dunedin. It is located above the city centre on the ridge which runs in a crescent around the central city's western edge. It is to the northwest of the city centre, immediately above the Town Belt. Roslyn's 2001...
was named after Roslin; as was Roslindale, Boston, Massachusetts
Roslindale, Boston, Massachusetts
Roslindale is a primarily residential neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, bordered by Jamaica Plain, Hyde Park, West Roxbury and Mattapan.It is served by an MBTA Commuter Rail line, several MBTA bus lines and the MBTA Orange Line in nearby Jamaica Plain...
as well as Roslin, Ontario, Canada.
Roslyn is an affluent village in Nassau County, New York, on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2000 Census, the village population was 2,570. Roslyn was once called Hempstead Harbor, but its named changed to Roslyn on September 7, 1844 due to postal confusion regarding all the other "Hempsteads" in Long Island and their distance from each other.[3]
The village of Roslyn is at the eastern edge of the Town of North Hempstead.