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West Lothian (Lodainn an Iar in Gaelic) is one of the 32 unitary
Unitary authority

A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national government....
 council areas in Scotland
Scotland

conventional_long_name = ScotlandAlba|common_name= Scotland|image_flag = Flag of Scotland.svg|flag_width = 130px...
, and a Lieutenancy area
Lieutenancy areas of Scotland

The Lieutenancy areas of Scotland are the areas used for the ceremonial Lord Lieutenant, the British monarch's representatives, in Scotland. They are different from the local government of Scotland council areas, the committee areas, the sheriffdoms, the registration counties, the former Regions and districts of Scotland, the former counties...
. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Scottish Borders
Scottish Borders

The Scottish Borders , often referred to simply as the Borders, is one of 32 local government Council areas of Scotland 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 Metropolitan and non-metropolit...
, South Lanarkshire
South Lanarkshire

South Lanarkshire is one of 32 council area of Scotland, covering the southern part of the Counties of Scotland of Lanarkshire. It borders the south-east of the city of Glasgow and contains many of Glasgow's suburbs, commuter towns and smaller villages....
, North Lanarkshire
North Lanarkshire

North Lanarkshire is one of 32 council areas in Scotland. It borders onto the north east of the City of Glasgow and contains much of Glasgow's suburbs and commuter towns and villages....
 and Falkirk
Falkirk (council area)

Falkirk is one of the 32 unitary authority council areas in Scotland. It borders onto North Lanarkshire to the south west, Stirling to the north west, West Lothian to the south east and, across the Firth of Forth to the north east, Fife....
.

The council area was created in 1996, under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994
Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994

The Local Government etc. Act 1994 is an Act of Parliament of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which created the current Local government of Scotland structure of 32 unitary authorities covering the whole of Scotland....
, with the boundaries of the West Lothian district
Regions and districts of Scotland

The local government areas of Scotland were redefined by the Local Government Act 1973 and redefined again by the Local Government etc Act 1994....
 of the Lothian
Lothian

Lothian forms a traditional region of Scotland, lying between the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and the Lammermuir Hills.In Lothian there is Edinburgh City, West Lothian, Mid Lothian and East Lothian....
 region
Regions and districts of Scotland

The local government areas of Scotland were redefined by the Local Government Act 1973 and redefined again by the Local Government etc Act 1994....
.



county of West Lothian was called Linlithgowshire or the County of Linlithgow until 1921.

As abolished in 1975 by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973
Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973

The Local Government Act 1973 is an Act of Parliament of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, that reformed local government of Scotland in Scotland, on May 16, 1975....
, the county contained six burgh
Burgh

A Burgh is an Wiktionary:Autonomy corporate entity in Scotland, usually a town. This type of administrative division has existed since the 12th century, when David I of Scotland created the first Royal burghs....
s.






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Encyclopedia


West Lothian (Lodainn an Iar in Gaelic) is one of the 32 unitary
Unitary authority

A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national government....
 council areas in Scotland
Scotland

conventional_long_name = ScotlandAlba|common_name= Scotland|image_flag = Flag of Scotland.svg|flag_width = 130px...
, and a Lieutenancy area
Lieutenancy areas of Scotland

The Lieutenancy areas of Scotland are the areas used for the ceremonial Lord Lieutenant, the British monarch's representatives, in Scotland. They are different from the local government of Scotland council areas, the committee areas, the sheriffdoms, the registration counties, the former Regions and districts of Scotland, the former counties...
. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Scottish Borders
Scottish Borders

The Scottish Borders , often referred to simply as the Borders, is one of 32 local government Council areas of Scotland 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 Metropolitan and non-metropolit...
, South Lanarkshire
South Lanarkshire

South Lanarkshire is one of 32 council area of Scotland, covering the southern part of the Counties of Scotland of Lanarkshire. It borders the south-east of the city of Glasgow and contains many of Glasgow's suburbs, commuter towns and smaller villages....
, North Lanarkshire
North Lanarkshire

North Lanarkshire is one of 32 council areas in Scotland. It borders onto the north east of the City of Glasgow and contains much of Glasgow's suburbs and commuter towns and villages....
 and Falkirk
Falkirk (council area)

Falkirk is one of the 32 unitary authority council areas in Scotland. It borders onto North Lanarkshire to the south west, Stirling to the north west, West Lothian to the south east and, across the Firth of Forth to the north east, Fife....
.

The council area was created in 1996, under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994
Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994

The Local Government etc. Act 1994 is an Act of Parliament of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which created the current Local government of Scotland structure of 32 unitary authorities covering the whole of Scotland....
, with the boundaries of the West Lothian district
Regions and districts of Scotland

The local government areas of Scotland were redefined by the Local Government Act 1973 and redefined again by the Local Government etc Act 1994....
 of the Lothian
Lothian

Lothian forms a traditional region of Scotland, lying between the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and the Lammermuir Hills.In Lothian there is Edinburgh City, West Lothian, Mid Lothian and East Lothian....
 region
Regions and districts of Scotland

The local government areas of Scotland were redefined by the Local Government Act 1973 and redefined again by the Local Government etc Act 1994....
.

Major Towns

  • Armadale
    Armadale

    Armadale may refer to:...
  • Bathgate
    Bathgate

    Bathgate is a rapidly growing town in West Lothian, Scotland, on the M8 motorway five miles west of Livingston, Scotland. Neighbouring towns are Blackburn, West Lothian, Armadale, West Lothian, Fauldhouse, Whitburn, West Lothian, Livingston, Stoneyburn, and Linlithgow....
  • Broxburn
    Broxburn, West Lothian

    Broxburn is a town in West Lothian, Scotland located 12 miles west of Edinburgh on the A8 road road. It is situated approximately 5 miles from Edinburgh Airport, and to the north of Livingston, West Lothian....
  • Linlithgow
    Linlithgow

    Linlithgow is a town and former Royal burgh in West Lothian, Scotland. Those born in Linlithgow are sometimes nicknamed Black Bitches, and the town's coat of arms shows a black bitch dog, chained to an oak tree, which grows on an island....
  • Livingston
  • Whitburn
    Whitburn

    Whitburn is the name of more than one place:* Whitburn, South Tyneside, England* Whitburn, West Lothian, ScotlandWhitburn can also refer to the following people:...


Towns and villages

  • Abercorn
    Abercorn

    Abercorn is a village and parish in West Lothian, Scotland. Close to the south coast of the Firth of Forth, the village is around 5 km west of South Queensferry....
  • Addiewell
    Addiewell

    Addiewell is a village in the Scotland council area of West Lothian. It is a former mining village, originally a support residence for the oil shale industry ....
  • Ainville
  • Blackburn
    Blackburn, West Lothian

    Blackburn is a small town in West Lothian, Scotland next to Bathgate and five miles from Livingston, Scotland. It is situated about 20 miles from Edinburgh along the old M8 towards Glasgow....
  • Blackridge
    Blackridge, West Lothian

    Blackridge is a small town located in the western part of West Lothian, Scotland.The village name dates to 1581, first recorded as Blakrig. Later, Blackrig and then Blackrigg became the standard spelling until Blackridge became the norm in official documents after about 1840....
  • Breich
    Breich

    Breich is a small village lying in the western part of West Lothian in Scotland. It lies on the A71 road, the Edinburgh to Ayrshire road, which also goes to the large town of Livingston, West Lothian 7 miles to the east....
  • Bridgend
  • Dechmont
    Dechmont

    Dechmont is a small village located near Uphall, West Lothian in Scotland. Bangour Village Hospital is located to the west of Dechmont. It has an approximate population of 989 people....
  • East Calder
    East Calder

    East Calder is a small town located in West Lothian, Scotland. It is located about a mile east of Mid Calder and about a mile west of Wilkieston....
  • Ecclesmachan
    Ecclesmachan

    Ecclesmachan is a village in West Lothian. It lies just north of Uphall on the B8046 road. As at United Kingdom Census 2001, the population of the civil parish of Ecclesmachan was 529 and was 811 in United Kingdom Census 1991....
  • Fauldhouse
    Fauldhouse

    'Fauldhouse' is a town in West Lothian, Scotland, lying roughly half way between Glasgow and Edinburgh.Fauldhouse is known since the Middle Ages, and was known until the 19th century by the names "Falas" or latterly "Fallas." The seventeenth century Netherlands Cartography Willem Blaeu features Fauldhouse as "Falas" on two maps in his Atla...
  • Greenrigg
    Greenrigg

    Greenrigg is a small village that lies in the west of West Lothian, Scotland.Greenrigg is within walking distance to shops in the bordering village of Harthill, Scotland and a quick drive away from Whitburn, West Lothian....
  • Harthill
    Harthill, Scotland

    Harthill is a village which lies on the border between West Lothian and North Lanarkshire in central Scotland, about halfway between Glasgow and Edinburgh....
  • Kingscavil
    Kingscavil

    Kingscavil is a small settlement in West Lothian lying between Linlithgow and Bridgend, West Lothian on the old A9 road .Essentially a single row of houses, Kingscavil once had a school serving the many local agricultural settlements, but this is now privately owned....
  • Kirknewton
    Kirknewton

    Kirknewton is the name of two villages in the United Kingdom:*Kirknewton, Northumberland*Kirknewton, West Lothian...
  • Mid Calder
    Mid Calder

    Mid Calder is a small town in West Lothian, Scotland. Those who dwell there say "the village" to speak of the oldest part of the thorp, perched on a steep hill overlooking the River Almond, Lothian and Calder Wood....
  • Philpstoun
    Philpstoun

    Philpstoun is a small village situated roughly two miles east of the historic county town of Linlithgow, West Lothian. Surrounded by rich arable farm land, the village is comprised almost entirely of housing, with only a community centre and bowling club not being used for this purpose....
  • Polbeth
    Polbeth

    Polbeth is a former coal-mining village located in and is not far from livingston West Lothian, Scotland....
  • Pumpherston
    Pumpherston

    Pumpherston is a small dormitory village in West Lothian, Scotland. Originally a small industrial village to the nearby shale mine and works, it now adjoins the new town of Livingston, Scotland, which was constructed alongside Pumpherston in the late 1960s and quickly grew much larger than its neighbours....
  • Seafield
    Seafield, West Lothian

    Seafield is a small village in West Lothian, Scotland. Seafield lies 1? miles east of Blackburn, West Lothian and 2 miles southeast of Bathgate ....
  • Stoneyburn
    Stoneyburn

    Stoneyburn is a village in West Lothian, Scotland. Nearby towns include Bathgate, Whitburn, West Lothian, Addiewell and Blackburn, West Lothian....
  • Torphichen
    Torphichen

    Torphichen is a small village located near Bathgate, West Lothian, Scotland.The village church is said to have been founded by St. Ninian in about 400CE, a small wooden structure on the site of the present church ....
  • Uphall
    Uphall, West Lothian

    Uphall in West Lothian is a rapidly growing village in a conurbation with Broxburn,_West_Lothian to the east, Dechmont to the west and the major town of Livingston to the south west....
  • Uphall Station
    Uphall Station

    Uphall Station is a small village located in the geographical county of West Lothian, Scotland. The name is derived from neighbouring town Uphall on account of there being a small railway station located on the southeast perimeter of the village ....
  • West Calder
    West Calder

    West Calder is a village in West Lothian, Scotland, located 4 miles west of Livingston, West Lothian. The village was an important centre for the oil shale economy in the 19th and 20th Centuries....
  • Westfield
    Westfield, West Lothian

    Westfield is a small village of around 180 houses located in Torphichen Parish in West Lothian, Scotland. The village was focused for many decades on a local paper mill that closed in the 1990s....
  • Winchburgh
    Winchburgh

    Winchburgh is a village situated within the geographical county of West Lothian, Scotland. It is located approximately west of the city-centre of Edinburgh, east of Linlithgow and Ordinal direction of Broxburn....


Former status


County

The county of West Lothian was called Linlithgowshire or the County of Linlithgow until 1921.

As abolished in 1975 by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973
Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973

The Local Government Act 1973 is an Act of Parliament of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, that reformed local government of Scotland in Scotland, on May 16, 1975....
, the county contained six burgh
Burgh

A Burgh is an Wiktionary:Autonomy corporate entity in Scotland, usually a town. This type of administrative division has existed since the 12th century, when David I of Scotland created the first Royal burghs....
s. Two are outside the West Lothian unitary council area:

Burgh Unitary council area
Armadale
Armadale, West Lothian

Armadale is a town within the district of West Lothian in central Scotland.Armadale, formerly known as Barbauchlaw, is an ex-mining town which is also known for its brick manufacturing....
 West Lothian
Bathgate
Bathgate

Bathgate is a rapidly growing town in West Lothian, Scotland, on the M8 motorway five miles west of Livingston, Scotland. Neighbouring towns are Blackburn, West Lothian, Armadale, West Lothian, Fauldhouse, Whitburn, West Lothian, Livingston, Stoneyburn, and Linlithgow....
Linlithgow
Linlithgow

Linlithgow is a town and former Royal burgh in West Lothian, Scotland. Those born in Linlithgow are sometimes nicknamed Black Bitches, and the town's coat of arms shows a black bitch dog, chained to an oak tree, which grows on an island....
Whitburn
Whitburn, West Lothian

Whitburn is a town in West Lothian, Scotland.The town was once dominated by Polkemmet Coal mining – a large coal mine – but this was closed as a result of damage by underground flooding during the UK miners' strike and never re-opened....
Bo'ness
Bo'ness

Bo'ness, properly Borrowstounness, is a town in the Falkirk council area of Scotland, lying on a hillside on the south bank of the Firth of Forth....
 Falkirk
Falkirk (council area)

Falkirk is one of the 32 unitary authority council areas in Scotland. It borders onto North Lanarkshire to the south west, Stirling to the north west, West Lothian to the south east and, across the Firth of Forth to the north east, Fife....
South Queensferry
South Queensferry

Queensferry , originally a Royal Burgh in West Lothian, is now part of the City of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located some ten miles to the north west of the city centre, on the shore of the Firth of Forth between the Forth Bridge and the Forth Road Bridge, approximately 8 miles from Edinburgh Airport....
 City of Edinburgh


On abolition in 1975 the county, with the exception of the Bo'ness area, was included in the Lothian Region. Bo'ness became part of the Central Region. Lothian Region was divided into four districts, one of which was named West Lothian and approximated to the former county.

District

West Lothian District was created in 1975, comprising the county
Counties of Scotland

The counties of Scotland were the principal subdivisions of Scotland of Scotland until 1975. Scotland's current Lieutenancy areas of Scotland and registration counties are largely based on them....
 of West Lothian; less the burgh
Burgh

A Burgh is an Wiktionary:Autonomy corporate entity in Scotland, usually a town. This type of administrative division has existed since the 12th century, when David I of Scotland created the first Royal burghs....
s of Bo'ness
Bo'ness

Bo'ness, properly Borrowstounness, is a town in the Falkirk council area of Scotland, lying on a hillside on the south bank of the Firth of Forth....
 and South Queensferry
South Queensferry

Queensferry , originally a Royal Burgh in West Lothian, is now part of the City of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located some ten miles to the north west of the city centre, on the shore of the Firth of Forth between the Forth Bridge and the Forth Road Bridge, approximately 8 miles from Edinburgh Airport....
 and the Kirkliston
Kirkliston

Kirkliston is a small village within the City of Edinburgh council area of Scotland. It sits on the historic route between Edinburgh and Queensferry, the gateway to Fife and the north....
 area; it also included the East Calder and West Calder districts of the former county of Midlothian. The council's headquarters were originally in Bathgate, later moving to the new town
New towns in the United Kingdom

Below is a list of some of the new towns in the United Kingdom created under the various New Town Acts of the 20th century. Some were completely new, while others were expansions of existing settlements, sometimes known as "expanded towns"....
 of Livingston. The unitary authority created in 1996 used the same boundaries.

Areas of West Lothian


Livingston
Livingston

Livingston may refer to:People named LivingstonTowns and Places*Livingston, West Lothian, Scotland**Livingston **Livingston ...
:

East Calder
East Calder

East Calder is a small town located in West Lothian, Scotland. It is located about a mile east of Mid Calder and about a mile west of Wilkieston....
 West Calder] Mid Calder Wilkieston Pumpherston
Pumpherston

Pumpherston is a small dormitory village in West Lothian, Scotland. Originally a small industrial village to the nearby shale mine and works, it now adjoins the new town of Livingston, Scotland, which was constructed alongside Pumpherston in the late 1960s and quickly grew much larger than its neighbours....


Broxburn
Broxburn

Broxburn is the name of more than one place in the United Kingdom:*Broxburn, East Lothian, Scotland*Broxburn, West Lothian, ScotlandIt is also the name of a place in Australia:...
:

Uphall Winchburgh Dechmont Bridgend

Bathgate
Bathgate

Bathgate is a rapidly growing town in West Lothian, Scotland, on the M8 motorway five miles west of Livingston, Scotland. Neighbouring towns are Blackburn, West Lothian, Armadale, West Lothian, Fauldhouse, Whitburn, West Lothian, Livingston, Stoneyburn, and Linlithgow....
:

Armadale
Armadale

Armadale may refer to:...
 Whitburn
Whitburn

Whitburn is the name of more than one place:* Whitburn, South Tyneside, England* Whitburn, West Lothian, ScotlandWhitburn can also refer to the following people:...
 Fauldhouse
Fauldhouse

'Fauldhouse' is a town in West Lothian, Scotland, lying roughly half way between Glasgow and Edinburgh.Fauldhouse is known since the Middle Ages, and was known until the 19th century by the names "Falas" or latterly "Fallas." The seventeenth century Netherlands Cartography Willem Blaeu features Fauldhouse as "Falas" on two maps in his Atla...
 Longridge Torphicen Blackburn Seafield

Places of interest

  • Blackness Castle
    Blackness Castle

    Blackness Castle is a 15th century fortress, near the village of Blackness, Falkirk, Scotland, on the south shore of the River Forth. It was built, probably on the site of an earlier fort, by Sir George Crichton in the 1440s....
  • Linlithgow Palace
    Linlithgow Palace

    The ruins of Linlithgow Palace are situated in the town of Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland, 15 miles west of Edinburgh. A royal manor existed on the site in the 12th Century....
    , birth place of Mary Queen of Scots.
  • Cairnpapple Hill
    Cairnpapple Hill

    Cairnpapple Hill is a hill with a dominating position in central lowland Scotland with views from coast to coast. Its summit is the highest point in West Lothian....
  • Beecraigs Country Park
    Country park

    A country park is an area designated for people to visit and enjoy recreation in a countryside environment....
  • Polkemmet Country park
    Country park

    A country park is an area designated for people to visit and enjoy recreation in a countryside environment....


Mentions in popular culture

The West Lothian question
West Lothian question

The West Lothian Question was first posed on 14 November 1977 by Tam Dalyell, Labour Party Member of Parliament for the Scottish constituency of West Lothian , during a British House of Commons debate over Scotland and Wales devolution :...
 is so named as it was raised by Tam Dalyell
Tam Dalyell

Sir Thomas Dalyell of the Binns, 11th Baronet , known as Tam Dalyell , is a Scottish politician and was a British Labour Party member of the United Kingdom House of Commons from 1962 to 2005....
, then member of Parliament
British House of Commons

The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the British monarchy and the House of Lords ....
 for the former West Lothian constituency
West Lothian (UK Parliament constituency)

West Lothian was a county constituency of the British House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1983. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post voting system....
, in his 1977 book Devolution
Devolution

Devolution is the Statute granting of powers from the central government of a state to government at a subnational level, such as a regional, local, or state level....
: The End of Britain ?.

Leon Jackson
Leon Jackson

Leon Jackson is a Scotland singer and winner of the The X Factor of the British television talent show The X Factor in 2007. His debut single, "When You Believe ", was released in December 2007....
, the winner of The X Factor
The X Factor (UK)

The X Factor is a British television music talent show contested by aspiring pop singers drawn from public auditions. It is broadcast on Saturday evenings on the ITV Network in the UK and on TV3 Ireland in the Republic of Ireland, with spin-off "behind-the-scenes" shows #The Xtra Factor and The X Factor 24/7 screened on ITV2 and T...
 UK 2007, is from Whitburn, West Lothian.

David Tennant, best known for portraying the tenth incarnation of the Doctor in the television series Doctor Who, is from West Lothian.

Town Twinnings


West Lothian is town twinned with the following cities:

  • Grapevine
    Grapevine, Texas

    Grapevine is a city in Tarrant County, Texas, Texas, United States and a suburb of Fort Worth and Dallas, Texas. It was known in its early years as Grapevine Prairie....
    , USA
  • Hochsauerland
    Hochsauerland

    Hochsauerland is a Kreis in the east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Soest , Paderborn , H?xter , Waldeck-Frankenberg, Siegen-Wittgenstein, Olpe , M?rkischer Kreis....
    , Germany
    Germany

    Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....


Council political composition


 PartyCouncillors
 Labour
Scottish Labour Party

Scottish Labour, often described as the Scottish Labour Party, is that part of the Labour Party which operates in Scotland. It is historically the largest List of political parties in Scotland in modern Politics of Scotland, having won the largest share of the vote in Scotland at every UK general election since the 1960's, every Europe...
14
 Scottish National Party
Scottish National Party

The Scottish National Party is a centre-left List of Scottish political parties which campaigns for Scottish independence. In the last few decades, the SNP has normally polled the second highest number of votes for a Scottish political parties in Scotland....
13
 Action to Save St John's Hospital3
 Conservative1
 Independent
Independent (politician)

In politics, an independent is a politician who is not affiliated with any political party. Independents may hold a Centrism viewpoint between those of major political parties, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do not feel that any major party addresses....
1


External links