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West Lothian
West Lothian was more commonly referred to as Linlithgowshire in the early
19th Century, Linlithgow being the County Town. Apart from agriculture a
major industry was shale oil extraction largely due to James 'Paraffin'
Young who established his business in the mid 19th Century. West Lothian
lies to the south of the Forth Estuary, west of Edinburgh. South
Queensferry was within the old county but this now falls within the
Edinburgh District.
Clan and Family Heartlands
You can get a feel for the lives your ancestors lived by visiting the area
they came from. These are areas where, for centuries, families lived
together in a tightly-knit community. In the Highlands they are linked to
clan heartlands, whereas, in the rest of Scotland the names are often those
of the local landed families. Although it is unlikely that family
historians can link their ancestry to clan chiefs or family dynasties, it
can still be a moving experience to tour the clan and family heartlands.
Here is a selection of the most common names in this area.
Dalziel
Parishes
The Parish Church can unlock many secrets for ancestral researchers. Not
only was it the place where children were baptised, proclamations of
marriage announced and the dead buried, it was also the centre of most
social activity within the Parish. There is, however, no such thing as a
definitive list of parishes. Over the decades they have merged, divided,
been renamed and had changes made to their spelling. The following list is
based largely on the situation at the time of publication of the New
Statistical Account (1834-1845).
Abercorn,
Bathgate,
Borrowstownesss (Bowness),
Carriden,
Dalmeny,
Ecclesmachan (Ecclemachen),
Linlithgow,
Livingstone,
Queensferry,
Torphichen,
Uphall,
Whitburn
* subsequently divided into seperate parishes, ( ) denotes alternative
name or spelling
Detailed information on life and work within each of these parishes can be
found in the Old (1791-99) and the New (1834-45) Statistical Account of
Scotland. These are freely accessible on http://edina.ed.ac.uk/statacc. Part of their charm
is the individual views of the minister, which can include some
fascinating accounts of a parish's history, topography, employment,
landowners, communications, agriculture and even the morality of the
parishioners
Local Studies Libraries
Almost every municipal authority in Scotland has a collection of local
history publications, maps and archives. Although most of these libraries
are prepared to undertake a limited amount of searching on your behalf, it
is far more fulfilling to visit them yourself. You could lose yourself for
hours, pouring over old newspapers and photographs.
The following is a list of the archive offices in your chosen area:
West Lothian Local History Library
Connolly House
Hopefield Road
Blackburn
West Lothian
EH47 7HZ
Tel: +44 1506 776331
Fax: +44 1506 776345
E-mail:
sybil.cavanagh@westlothian.gov.uk
www.westlothian.gov.uk/sitecontent/libraries/localhistory
Open: Mon-Thu 0900-1700; Fri 0900-1600;, Sat 0900-1300 (1st Sat of month
only)
Newspaper runs include West Lothian Courier (1873 to date), Linlithgow
Journal and Gazette (1891 to date) and Midlothian Advertiser (1906-1967).
These have all been indexed. There are also about 10,000 photographs and
slides. Also censuses 1841-1901 and Old Parish Registers for West Lothian
parishes and other familiy history material.
Local Archives Centres
Almost every municipal authority in Scotland has a collection of local
history publications, maps and archives. Although most of these libraries
are prepared to undertake a limited amount of searching on your behalf, it
is far more fulfilling to visit them yourself. You could lose yourself for
hours, pouring over old newspapers and photographs.
The following is a list of the libraries in your chosen area:
West Lothian Council Archives
Archive and Record Centre
9 Dunlop Square
Deans Industrial Estate
Livingston EH54 8SB
Tel: +44 1506 773770
Fax: +44 1506 773775
E-mail:
archive@westlothian.gov.uk
www.westlothian.gov.uk/tourism/libsservices/archives/
Open: Mon-Thu 0900-1700;, Fri 0900-1600
By appointment only
Museums and Heritage Centres
Scotland is a country with a remarkable history. So it should come as no
surprise that Scotland is home to a remarkable collection of museums and
heritage centres. These range from the major, internationally renowned
collections in Edinburgh's Royal Museum of Scotland to hundreds of small
centres that specialise in the history of local communities. The
following museums are all in your chosen area. A visit to any one of
them may well shed new light on the lives led by your ancestors.
Almond Valley Heritage Centre
Millfield
Livingston Village
Livingston
West Lothian
EH54 7AR
Tel: +44 1506 414957
Fax: +44 1506 497771
E-mail:
info@almondvalley.co.uk
www.almondvalley.co.uk
Open: daily 1000-1700
This is an innovative museum, farm and discovery centre illustrating what
life was like in West Lothian. All aspects of the Shale Oil industry are
featured, including a collection of photographs relating to this mainstay
of the region from the mid 19th to 20th centuries.
Family History Society
Local societies are run by volunteers who meet together periodically. Most
maintain an index of members' interests - and this could well lead to the
discovery of a long lost cousin or two. If there are any such societies in
your chosen area, they will be listed below.
West Lothian Family History Society
Hon Secretary
Mrs Janette Fowlds
23 Templar Rise
Livingston
EH54 6PJ
E-mail:
honsec@wlfhs.org.uk
www.wlfhs.org.uk
Lothians Family History Society
c/o Lasswade High School Centre
Eskdale Drive
Bonnyrigg
Midlothian
EH19 2LA
Fax: +44 131 663 6634
E-mail:
lothiansfhs@hotmail.com
www.lothiansfhs.org.uk
Open: Mon-Fri (during term time) 08:30 -12:00 & 13:00 - 16:00, Tue-Wed
(during term time) 18:15 - 21:00.
Burial Information
It may seem a little odd, but a visit to the burial ground of an ancestor can make you feel more closely connected to them. However, tracking down the specific plot, or lair as they were referred to in Scotland, depends on the period of time when the deaths occurred.
Up to the mid-19th century it was the normal practice for people to be interred in the Parish Kirk burial ground - although this was only rarely marked with anything as grand as a headstone. The Scottish Association of Family History Societies (SAFHS) is currently co-ordinating a major project to develop a National Burial Index, relating to pre-1855 records. This will eventually be available on CD ROM. Although this will help to confirm that burials took place in parish burial grounds, it will not, unfortunately, indicate the location of the lair.
If your ancestor was wealthy enough, their grave may have been marked by an inscribed headstone. Over the years, family history societies and other volunteer groups have painstakingly transcribed and indexed such inscriptions - and these are nearly always held in the relevant local history libraries or family history research centres.
By the mid-19th Century, many parish burial grounds had become seriously overcrowded, especially those in urban areas, and this led to the creation of both private and municipal cemeteries. If you know the place and date of death, you should be able to discover the location of a lair, although not all cemeteries and records have survived.
The concept of cremation started to gain popularity in the late 1940s and has increased ever since. Ashes may be taken away by the family, scattered in the garden of remembrance or buried either in the crematorium or in a family plot.
.
Land Co-ordination and Development Office
Nets and Land Services
West Lothian Council
County Buildings
High Street
Linlithgow
EH49 7EZ
Tel: +44 1506 775 300
Fax: +44 1506 775 256
Email: donna.johnston@westlothian.gov.uk
No charge for personal enquiries. Most cemeteries are indexed but no records held for churchyards. Copies of entries available on request.
