West Linton
Encyclopedia
West Linton is a village
and civil parish
in southern Scotland
, on the A702. It was formerly in the county of Peeblesshire
, but since local government re-organisation in the mid-1990s it is now part of the Tweeddale
committee area of the Scottish Borders
. Many residents are commuters due to the village's close location to Edinburgh
which is 16 miles (25.7 km) to the north east. West Linton has a long history, and holds an annual traditional festival called the Whipman.
(Brythonic) element (cognate with modern Welsh "Llyn") meaning a lake or pool, and the Saxon "tun", a farm or collection of dwellings, and is evidently appropriate, as the village appears to have been surrounded by lakes, pools and marshes. At one time it was known as Lyntoun Roderyck, identified perhaps with Roderyck or Riderch, King of Strathclyde, whose territory included this area, or with a local chieftain of that name. The Scottish Gaelic version of the place name is a partial translation, Ruairidh being a Gaelic form of Roderick. The prefix "West" was acquired many centuries later to clarify the distinction from East Linton
in East Lothian.
The first written record occurs in the twelfth century, when the Church of "Linton-Ridric" was gifted to the Church of St Mary of Kelso
and "the Monks serving God there". The Church remained within the Diocese of Kelso until the Reformation
(1560).
There is considerable evidence of the pre-historic occupation of the area. A right-of-way through the foothills of the Pentland Hills
follows an important pre-historic routeway linking the Upper Clyde valley
with the estuary of the River Forth
. It is marked in this section by two large bronze-age cairns, one of them being the best preserved example of its kind in the country. In 1994 a bronze age
cemetery was excavated at the Westwater Reservoir
. Significant artefacts were discovered, including several beakers and an important lead necklace.
The old Edinburgh to Lanark
road follows the line of the Pentland Hills. Between Dolphinton and Carlops
it is now a right-of-way, approached from West Linton by the Loan or Medwyn Road: it crosses the road from West Linton to Baddinsgill
near Medwyn House. This route continues north-west, following the important droving route along which sheep and cattle passed northwards through the Pentlands by way of the Cauldstane Slap for the great trysts at Crieff
and Falkirk
markets. Livestock from the north came south via the same route to West Linton and Peebles
.
Linton was raised to a Burgh of Regality
in 1631, with the right to hold fairs and markets. The importance of droving and the markets reached their zenith in the early years of the nineteenth century, when upwards of 30,000 sheep would be sold annually, including the famous Linton breed. The markets at Linton were considered the largest in Scotland and were widely referred to as an expression for any gathering of a large size: "big as a Linton Market."
West Linton had two therapeutic wells, the waters of which were sold on market days for either a penny or a half penny, depending on the well.
There were a tannery and brewery situated on the Upper Green and a gas works on the Lower Green, all now gone. The Manor House at the top of the main street dates from 1578, and is said to have been built on Saturday nights by masons who were engaged by James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton, Regent of Scotland, to work on his castle of Drochil
, seven miles distant down the Lyne valley
.
Children of the United Presbyterian Church congregation attended the Somervail School, built in 1852 from money left for the purpose by James Somervail of Moreham, whose wife was a member of the brewing family of Younger, of long standing in the village. The 'New' School was built in 1907 and is still in use today, although there are plans to relocate to a site nearby.
, West Linton experiences a maritime climate with cool summers and mild winters. The nearest MetOffice weather station for which online averages are available is Blyth Bridge, about 4 miles to the south.
. In 1729 there was objection on the part of a section of the congregation to the enforced settlement of the minister, and, on the day of ordination in 1731, "riotous scenes" were reported. Soldiers were sent to restore order, and as they forded the river at the Lower Green, they were pelted with stones by the indignant villagers, several of whom were taken to Edinburgh to answer for their disorderly conduct.
, the minister to be compensated for the loss of his land by the addition of twelve shillings to his stipend. A new manse was built on the glebe land which had been acquired south of the river and in 1782 the new church itself was completed. In 1871 it was enlarged, the roof being raised to accommodate the gallery, larger windows were installed and the spire added. In the succeeding years the wood carvings executed by two local ladies, Miss Jane Fergusson of Spitalhaugh, and Mrs Wodropp of Garvald, were added to the interior walls and gallery. Of note in the graveyard are two bee-bole
s in the boundary wall in which ministers living in the old manse would place their skeps.
, who was also responsible for the ill-fated Tay Bridge
. It was built to facilitate mining and quarrying activities in the area, and although these industries declined, the line led to the expansion of the village to accommodate Edinburgh folk who might rent a house in the summer, or decide to live here permanently, either travelling to work or as a place of retirement.
At the southern end of the main street near the parish church is the old toll house, built in the early nineteenth century at the entrance to the village on the Blyth Bridge
to Carlops turnpike road. Tolls were levied on travellers, including the many drovers and their animals passing through the district. The ticket issued entitled the purchaser to pass free of charge through other districts provided they did so on the same day, but anyone attempting to bypass the toll could be fined twenty shillings if caught, and there were also severe penalties for those convicted of damaging or destroying a toll house.
It is estimated that in 1834 about fifty hands worked in the mines and quarries of the area. There were collieries near Carlops and Macbiehill, the latter operating until recent times; also quarries producing limestone for agricultural purposes. In 1834 there were five tailors in the village, four dressmakers, two butchers, five carriers, nine retailers of meal, groceries and spirits, two surgeons and four innkeepers.
(1776–1854) was raised to the bench with the title of Lord Medwyn, the name of the estate he had earlier purchased. This association with the Court of Session
was maintained in the twentieth century by the Hon. Lord Guthrie (born 1938), one of the youngest judges to be appointed to the College of Justice. Fergusson Place perpetuates the memory of Sir William Fergusson of Spitalhaugh
(1808–1877), surgeon to Queen Victoria.
Robert Sanderson (born 1836), the "Laureate of Lynedale", wrote poems and sketches celebrating the Lyne valley, and his handsome tomb erected by his friends may be seen in the graveyard. George Meikle Kemp
(1795–1844), the architect of the Scott Monument
in Edinburgh, lived for a time near Dolphinton
and came to school in the village.
A local man is elected to the office of "Whipman" and he chooses a young lady to be his "Lass". These two represent the village at other Borders festivals throughout their year in office. The celebrations begin with the Installation of the Whipman & Lass, followed by a celebratory ceilidh
. The following day, the Ride Out (of around 80 to 100 horses) introduces the Whipman to the area, and a full week of events culminates in the annual sports day, held on the village green.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and civil parish
Civil parishes in Scotland
In Scotland, parishes, as units of local government, were abolished by the Local Government Act 1929. The geographical area is sometimes still referred to, however, for statistical purposes....
in southern 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...
, on the A702. It was formerly in the county of Peeblesshire
Peeblesshire
Peeblesshire , the County of Peebles or Tweeddale was a county of Scotland. Its main town was Peebles, and it bordered Midlothian to the north, Selkirkshire to the east, Dumfriesshire to the south, and Lanarkshire to the west.After the local government reorganisation of 1975 the use of the name...
, but since local government re-organisation in the mid-1990s it is now part of the Tweeddale
Tweeddale
Tweeddale is a committee area and lieutenancy area in the Scottish Borders with a population of 17,394 at the latest census in 2001 it is the second smallest of the 5 committee areas in the Borders. It is the traditional name for the area drained by the upper reaches of the River Tweed...
committee area of the Scottish Borders
Scottish Borders
The Scottish Borders is one of 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by Dumfries and Galloway in the west, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian in the north west, City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian to the north; and the non-metropolitan counties of Northumberland...
. Many residents are commuters due to the village's close location to 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...
which is 16 miles (25.7 km) to the north east. West Linton has a long history, and holds an annual traditional festival called the Whipman.
History
The village of Linton is of ancient origin. Its name derives from a CelticCeltic
The words Celt and Celtic can refer to:In ethno-linguistics:*Celts, a people of the Celtic nations*Celts , the modern Celtic identity*Celtic languages...
(Brythonic) element (cognate with modern Welsh "Llyn") meaning a lake or pool, and the Saxon "tun", a farm or collection of dwellings, and is evidently appropriate, as the village appears to have been surrounded by lakes, pools and marshes. At one time it was known as Lyntoun Roderyck, identified perhaps with Roderyck or Riderch, King of Strathclyde, whose territory included this area, or with a local chieftain of that name. The Scottish Gaelic version of the place name is a partial translation, Ruairidh being a Gaelic form of Roderick. The prefix "West" was acquired many centuries later to clarify the distinction from East Linton
East Linton
East Linton is a town in East Lothian, Scotland, situated on the River Tyne and A199 road five miles east of Haddington, with a population of 1,774...
in East Lothian.
The first written record occurs in the twelfth century, when the Church of "Linton-Ridric" was gifted to the Church of St Mary of Kelso
Kelso
-Places:Australia* Kelso, New South Wales, a suburb of Bathurst* Kelso, Tasmania, a small village in the north of Tasmania* Kelso, Queensland, a suburb of Townsville, QueenslandCanada...
and "the Monks serving God there". The Church remained within the Diocese of Kelso until the Reformation
Scottish Reformation
The Scottish Reformation was Scotland's formal break with the Papacy in 1560, and the events surrounding this. It was part of the wider European Protestant Reformation; and in Scotland's case culminated ecclesiastically in the re-establishment of the church along Reformed lines, and politically in...
(1560).
There is considerable evidence of the pre-historic occupation of the area. A right-of-way through the foothills of the Pentland Hills
Pentland Hills
The Pentland Hills are a range of hills to the south-west of Edinburgh, Scotland. The range is around 20 miles in length, and runs south west from Edinburgh towards Biggar and the upper Clydesdale.Some of the peaks include:* Scald Law...
follows an important pre-historic routeway linking the Upper Clyde valley
River Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
with the estuary of the River Forth
River Forth
The River Forth , long, is the major river draining the eastern part of the central belt of Scotland.The Forth rises in Loch Ard in the Trossachs, a mountainous area some west of Stirling...
. It is marked in this section by two large bronze-age cairns, one of them being the best preserved example of its kind in the country. In 1994 a bronze age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
cemetery was excavated at the Westwater Reservoir
Westwater Reservoir
Westwater Reservoir is an artificial reservoir in the Pentland Hills, Scottish Borders, 3 km west of West Linton, and 26 km south west of Edinburgh...
. Significant artefacts were discovered, including several beakers and an important lead necklace.
The old Edinburgh to Lanark
Lanark
Lanark is a small town in the central belt of Scotland. Its population of 8,253 makes it the 100th largest settlement in Scotland. The name is believed to come from the Cumbric Lanerc meaning "clear space, glade"....
road follows the line of the Pentland Hills. Between Dolphinton and Carlops
Carlops
Carlops is a small village in the Pentland Hills, within the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, close to the boundary with Midlothian.The village was founded in 1784 and developed cotton weaving, coalmining and limestone mining....
it is now a right-of-way, approached from West Linton by the Loan or Medwyn Road: it crosses the road from West Linton to Baddinsgill
Baddinsgill
Baddinsgill is a hamlet in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. The Baddinsgill Reservoir is a few hundred metres north of the hamlet.-External links:***...
near Medwyn House. This route continues north-west, following the important droving route along which sheep and cattle passed northwards through the Pentlands by way of the Cauldstane Slap for the great trysts at Crieff
Crieff
Crieff is a market town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It lies on the A85 road between Perth and Crianlarich and also lies on the A822 between Greenloaning and Aberfeldy. The A822 joins onto the A823 which leads to Dunfermline....
and Falkirk
Falkirk
Falkirk is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies in the Forth Valley, almost midway between the two most populous cities of Scotland; north-west of Edinburgh and north-east of Glasgow....
markets. Livestock from the north came south via the same route to West Linton and Peebles
Peebles
Peebles is a burgh in the committee area of Tweeddale, in the Scottish Borders, lying on the River Tweed. According to the 2001 Census, the population was 8,159.-History:...
.
Linton was raised to a Burgh of Regality
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...
in 1631, with the right to hold fairs and markets. The importance of droving and the markets reached their zenith in the early years of the nineteenth century, when upwards of 30,000 sheep would be sold annually, including the famous Linton breed. The markets at Linton were considered the largest in Scotland and were widely referred to as an expression for any gathering of a large size: "big as a Linton Market."
West Linton had two therapeutic wells, the waters of which were sold on market days for either a penny or a half penny, depending on the well.
There were a tannery and brewery situated on the Upper Green and a gas works on the Lower Green, all now gone. The Manor House at the top of the main street dates from 1578, and is said to have been built on Saturday nights by masons who were engaged by James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton, Regent of Scotland, to work on his castle of Drochil
Drochil Castle
Drochil Castle is a ruined castle in the Scottish Borders. It is located above the Lyne Water, north-west of Peebles, and south of West Linton....
, seven miles distant down the Lyne valley
Lyne Water
The Lyne Water is a tributary of the River Tweed which rises in the Pentland Hills of southern Scotland at Baddinsgill Reservoir. It runs through West Linton and Romannobridge, passes Flemington and Lyne Station and enters the Tweed west of Peebles. It floods regularly in winter and occasionally in...
.
Education
The appointment of a schoolmaster was first recorded in 1604, but there is no note of a schoolhouse until 1657. In 1791 the parish school was situated near the cross. A new parish school was opened in 1864 as a single-storey building and may be seen, somewhat altered, on the opposite side of the main street. At one time it was attended by over eighty pupils, all accommodated in the single room. On the Lower Green was a school for females and infants. There was also the Episcopalian School on Chapel Brae, connected with St Mungo's Church.Children of the United Presbyterian Church congregation attended the Somervail School, built in 1852 from money left for the purpose by James Somervail of Moreham, whose wife was a member of the brewing family of Younger, of long standing in the village. The 'New' School was built in 1907 and is still in use today, although there are plans to relocate to a site nearby.
Climate
With the rest of the British IslesBritish Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
, West Linton experiences a maritime climate with cool summers and mild winters. The nearest MetOffice weather station for which online averages are available is Blyth Bridge, about 4 miles to the south.
Village Greens
West Linton has two village greens, the land for which was granted to the inhabitants in perpetuity by the feudal Lord, the Earl of MarchEarl of March
The title The Earl of March has been created several times in the Peerage of Scotland and the Peerage of England. The title derived from the "marches" or boundaries between England and either Wales or Scotland , and was held by several great feudal families which owned lands in those border...
. In 1729 there was objection on the part of a section of the congregation to the enforced settlement of the minister, and, on the day of ordination in 1731, "riotous scenes" were reported. Soldiers were sent to restore order, and as they forded the river at the Lower Green, they were pelted with stones by the indignant villagers, several of whom were taken to Edinburgh to answer for their disorderly conduct.
Kirks and folk
Adjacent to the Lower Green is the parish church of St. Andrew, flanked by the old graveyard in which stood the original church and manse. In 1780 plans were approved for a new church to be built on the old manse glebeGlebe
Glebe Glebe Glebe (also known as Church furlong or parson's closes is an area of land within a manor and parish used to support a parish priest.-Medieval origins:...
, the minister to be compensated for the loss of his land by the addition of twelve shillings to his stipend. A new manse was built on the glebe land which had been acquired south of the river and in 1782 the new church itself was completed. In 1871 it was enlarged, the roof being raised to accommodate the gallery, larger windows were installed and the spire added. In the succeeding years the wood carvings executed by two local ladies, Miss Jane Fergusson of Spitalhaugh, and Mrs Wodropp of Garvald, were added to the interior walls and gallery. Of note in the graveyard are two bee-bole
Bee bole
A bee bole is a cavity or alcove in a wall or a separate free-standing structure set against a wall . A skep is placed inside the bee bole...
s in the boundary wall in which ministers living in the old manse would place their skeps.
Rail and Road
The Leadburn to Dolphinton branch line which was linked to the Peebles-Edinburgh railway was opened in 1864 and was designed by Thomas BouchThomas Bouch
Sir Thomas Bouch was a British railway engineer in Victorian Britain.He was born in Thursby, near Carlisle, Cumberland, England and lived in Edinburgh. He helped develop the caisson and the roll-on/roll-off train ferry. He worked initially for the North British Railway and helped design parts of...
, who was also responsible for the ill-fated Tay Bridge
Tay Bridge
Tay Bridge may refer to:* Tay Road Bridge, across the Firth of Tay at Dundee, Scotland.* Tay Rail Bridge, across the Firth of Tay at Dundee, Scotland.-See also:* Tay Bridge disaster...
. It was built to facilitate mining and quarrying activities in the area, and although these industries declined, the line led to the expansion of the village to accommodate Edinburgh folk who might rent a house in the summer, or decide to live here permanently, either travelling to work or as a place of retirement.
At the southern end of the main street near the parish church is the old toll house, built in the early nineteenth century at the entrance to the village on the Blyth Bridge
Blyth Bridge
Blyth Bridge is a small hamlet in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, near to West Linton.It is located in a bend on the A701 which goes from Moffat to Edinburgh, close to the junction with the East-West road the A72 which goes to Peebles....
to Carlops turnpike road. Tolls were levied on travellers, including the many drovers and their animals passing through the district. The ticket issued entitled the purchaser to pass free of charge through other districts provided they did so on the same day, but anyone attempting to bypass the toll could be fined twenty shillings if caught, and there were also severe penalties for those convicted of damaging or destroying a toll house.
Merchants and craftsmen
At the end of the eighteenth century there were between twenty and thirty looms in the village, rising to about eighty in the early nineteenth century, some weaving household goods but most weaving cotton cloth for Edinburgh and Glasgow merchants.It is estimated that in 1834 about fifty hands worked in the mines and quarries of the area. There were collieries near Carlops and Macbiehill, the latter operating until recent times; also quarries producing limestone for agricultural purposes. In 1834 there were five tailors in the village, four dressmakers, two butchers, five carriers, nine retailers of meal, groceries and spirits, two surgeons and four innkeepers.
Notable residents
Although West Linton has never played a significant part in the history of the country, several eminent men have taken up residence in the area. Early in the nineteenth century, John Hay ForbesJohn Hay Forbes
John Hay Forbes, Lord Medwyn was a Scottish judge.-Life:Forbes was the second son of Sir William Forbes, 6th Baronet, and was born at Edinburgh. He was admitted advocate in 1799, was for some time sheriff-depute of Perthshire, and was made lord of session in January 1825, when he assumed the...
(1776–1854) was raised to the bench with the title of Lord Medwyn, the name of the estate he had earlier purchased. This association with the Court of Session
Court of Session
The Court of Session is the supreme civil court of Scotland, and constitutes part of the College of Justice. It sits in Parliament House in Edinburgh and is both a court of first instance and a court of appeal....
was maintained in the twentieth century by the Hon. Lord Guthrie (born 1938), one of the youngest judges to be appointed to the College of Justice. Fergusson Place perpetuates the memory of Sir William Fergusson of Spitalhaugh
Sir William Fergusson, 1st Baronet
Sir William Fergusson, 1st Baronet FRCS FRS was a Scottish surgeon.-Biography:William Fergusson son of James Fergusson of Lochmaben, Dumfriesshire, was born at Prestonpans, East Lothian on 20 March 1808, and was educated first at Lochmaben and afterwards at the high school and University of...
(1808–1877), surgeon to Queen Victoria.
Robert Sanderson (born 1836), the "Laureate of Lynedale", wrote poems and sketches celebrating the Lyne valley, and his handsome tomb erected by his friends may be seen in the graveyard. George Meikle Kemp
George Meikle Kemp
George Meikle Kemp was a Scottish carpenter/joiner, draughtsman, and self-taught architect. He is best known as the designer of the Scott Monument in central Edinburgh.-Biography:...
(1795–1844), the architect of the Scott Monument
Scott Monument
The Scott Monument is a Victorian Gothic monument to Scottish author Sir Walter Scott . It stands in Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh, opposite the Jenners department store on Princes Street and near to Edinburgh Waverley Railway Station.The tower is high, and has a series of viewing decks...
in Edinburgh, lived for a time near Dolphinton
Dolphinton
Dolphinton is a village in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is located northeast of Biggar, 11 miles northest of Carstairs and 10 miles southwest of Leadburn and 27 miles southwest of Edinburgh, on the A702 road....
and came to school in the village.
The Whipman
The Whipman is an annual summer festival held in the village, and is one of the Borders' oldest festivals: the name also designates the local man chosen as the focus of festivities. The festival commences on the Friday before the first Saturday in June, and runs until the following Saturday. The Whipman Play Society was formed in 1803 by local young men to alleviate hardship and illness for its members and in the community at large, 42 years before the Poor Law Amendment (Scotland) Act, 1845, and possibly before the first insurance company in Scotland.A local man is elected to the office of "Whipman" and he chooses a young lady to be his "Lass". These two represent the village at other Borders festivals throughout their year in office. The celebrations begin with the Installation of the Whipman & Lass, followed by a celebratory ceilidh
Céilidh
In modern usage, a céilidh or ceilidh is a traditional Gaelic social gathering, which usually involves playing Gaelic folk music and dancing. It originated in Ireland, but is now common throughout the Irish and Scottish diasporas...
. The following day, the Ride Out (of around 80 to 100 horses) introduces the Whipman to the area, and a full week of events culminates in the annual sports day, held on the village green.
External links
- St. Andrew's Church, west Linton
- West Linton community web site
- Official Whipman web site
- Return to the Ridings
- (http://www.westlintonlions.co.uk The home of West Lintons Rugby Club for primary school aged children)