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Local History Index Page updated 3 July 2008 |
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Special Notice: June 2008
MAYFIELD RESEARCH PROJECT |
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On this Local History Index Page:
Armadale History-related Pages linked from this Local History index page:
For publications about Armadale / West Lothian, see:
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"Leave not the mansion so long tenantless, Lest, growing ruinous, the building fall And leave no memory of what it was!" Two Gentlemen of Verona,
Act V, sc iv |
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This site's history pages are dedicated to Betty Hunter, Armadale's jewel, a librarian whose support of, dedication to, and enthusiasm for Armadale are a constant inspiration! Special thanks must go to Robert Kerr for his painstaking research, which has inspired and encouraged us to discover more about Armadale's history. Gratitude must also be expressed to all the unsung individuals who have pursued and collected information about Armadale's past, as well as those who lived it. Their research and reminiscences have made invaluable contributions to the present understanding of Armadale's history. PLEASE NOTE: Links from this website to thumbnail images, followed by * , indicate images that are held by SCRAN |
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Station Road, Armadale, 1907, from
Picturing The Past, vol 4, A photographic look at old Armadale,
produced by The History of Armadale Association, 2006 |
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Armadale's motto: Ferveant Opera (May their works flourish) Burgh Status and Commissioners The Commissioners of Armadale Burgh met on the 18 April 1864 in the schoolhouse. James Clark - Chairman; Robert Thomson, baker, - Senior Commissioner; Archibald MacDonald and Mathew Donaldson, both merchants, - Junior Magistrates of Police; George Sinclair, Solicitor of Bathgate, - Clerk to the Commissioners; Thomas Wilson - Treasurer; William Forrester, bookseller/stationer, - Collector of Rates. During that year, the group organised the creation of a water works and supply for Armadale. Burgh Seal 1916 - 7: it was agreed that Armadale would adopt The Burgh Coat of Arms (as shown in the Earl of Bute's book), with armorial bearings and heraldic devices. 1918 Armadale Burgh's seal die was received. It retained the third boar's head and the tree, representing James Wood's connection with the Burgh. Sir J Balfour Paul suggested the 'Ferveant Opera' motto, and the bill for the design, die and lever press (£57-2 shillings) was sent to James Wood as he had offered to donate a gift of arms and seal. |
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| CHIEF COMMISSIONERS AND PROVOSTS OF ARMADALE | |
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1862 - 1864: James CLARK
(dc1882?); Wester Inch Farm; company manager for J and J McLelland |
1917 - 1926: James Binnie GREIG
(1878 - 1947); hotel owner |
1955: Queen Elizabeth II visits Armadale and is welcomed by the Provost, Will Ferrier |
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| QUOTATIONS ABOUT ARMADALE AND AREA | |
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"Frae Boghead Burn tae Boarbaughlee, Ane cat could loup frae tree to tree" Attributed to Thomas the Rhymer, Thirteenth Century |
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"There is only one place deserving the name of a village, viz. Armadale, two miles west from the town of Bathgate." New Statistical Account of Scotland - Linlithgow, 1845 |
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"ARMADALE, a village, in the parish of Bathgate, county of Linlithgow, 2 miles (W.) from Bathgate; containing 121 inhabitants. .... the population is employed in agriculture, and in the mines and quarries of the neighbourhood." A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland (1846), Samuel Lewis |
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"During the course of the century of Armadale's existence, the face of the district has entirely changed from that of sylvan beauty to a thoroughly industrial centre, employing many hands in various walks of life." Armadale: Past and Present by R. Hynd-Brown, 1906 |
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"Behind the Pentland Hills, an unseen sun sends shafts into a sky opaque and cold. The full moon is a wafer of ice that will soon dissolve...An incandescent glow begins burning on the distant Pentland Hills. A split second ago for the sun, but a hundred years ago, a new coach road was made between Edinburgh and Glasgow, and where the new road crossed the one going north and south, the village began..." from story published in Virginia Quarterly Review, Autumn 1945: Bright and Cheerful is the Day by Tom Hanlin , Armadale-born writer. |
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"Armadale, from the building of the first house in the year 1795 up to the year 1850, had grown very slowly. At the latter date it was a hamlet of a mere handful of straw thatched or red-tiled dwellings around the toll-bar, with Thomas Rankin's provision shop near the Cross as the central attraction and place of business." Armadale: Past and Present by R. Hynd-Brown, 1906 |
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"Armadale (as I remember it in the 1920s) was a small mining community with four main streets, Upper and Lower Bathville, and Station Road, served by a local bus owner Jimmie Aitken, who plied back and forth to pick up passengers from the railway station. Being a small community we knew almost everyone. There were three Protestant churches and a Roman Catholic church. Likewise two schools which produced many a fine scholar, who brought fame and distinction to the Burgh." Jenny Brown, born 1916, Rural magazine, June 1978 |
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In the 1960s, Dorothy Slater observed: "Armadale is a cross-roads town; its commercial core is at the cross-roads, with residential areas to the south and north-west. Its industrial belt is qujte separate, in the region of Bathville, which is higher than the town itself, and which, for some time, was quite distinct from Armadale. Now, with the expansion of the town, it is within the Burgh boundary, but is still regarded as a separate district." The Third Statistical Account of Scotland Volume XXI, The County of West Lothian, ed by Patrick Cadell, 1992 |
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"Situated on the A89 west of Bathgate on the south ridge of the Barbauchlaw Glen, it was until the 1974 reorganisation of local government, one of the four towns in West Lothian with its own Council. The population level of around 10,000 is fairly stable with development and upgrading taking place constantly. In 1851 the population was 141 increasing to 3191 in 1891 and over 4,000 in 1906. On his elevation to the legal peerage in 1790, Sir Honeyman, Laird of Barbauchlaw took the title of Lord Armadale (from a village of that name [which] was on his estate in Sutherland), so finding a name for the new settlement was fairly easy. Perhaps not so important historically as the northern half of West Lothian, Armadale does possess its own charms." "Armadale became a police burgh in the 1860's because of a water crisis, but as late as 1886 there were still open sewers in the street, a water barrel at every house, pigs in the backyards, numerous slaughterhouses and the lack of pavements. Two world wars and the rapid industrial change have left their marks on Armadale, brief spells of prosperity could not halt the inevitable. Coal is no longer King, steel foundering and smelting demand less and the community looks to new industries for help, but despite these changes the population has remained steady and continued to grow." R.D. Dingwall, Vice-chairman, Armadale Community Council. Extract introducing Armadale, Armadale Town Guide 1989. |
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"The place name Armadale first appeared on maps of West Lothian in 1790, when the lands on which the town stands were purchased by Scottish Law Lord, Sir William Honeyman.....to which he could retreat at weekends from his busy law practice in Edinburgh. The distinctly rural nature of Armadale at this time is recalled by the name Barbauchlaw....a corruption of Boar Baughlee...a reminder that the Scottish kings, riding out from their royal palace at Linlithgow, used to enjoy hunting the wild pigs...... [Armadale] was still situated in peaceful, undisturbed farming country, of which the town's nickname of The Dale is still a reminder." Extract from Armadale in old picture postcards by William F. Hendrie |
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"With the upturn in fortunes of the [football] club on the field; the huge success of the local boys' club in recent years creating players of the future; and a major expansion of the town underway with the symbolic and practical effects of the return of the railway service, the future for Armadale and its favourite sport look bright." Extract from Our Town, Our Team ARMADALE......! |
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"A hamlet that mushroomed with the beginning of the mineral exploitation of West Lothian in the mid C19. Precious little to notice. Near the central crossing the Kerr Memorial Lamp Post of 1919 and the Mallace Memorial Clock Tower of 1924, with arcaded base attached to the street front and a curious louvred belfry. The only other buildings that do anything for the place are Ochilview Square, a red brick and harling, c1970, and the Community Centre, red brick and copper, which is by William Nimmo and Partners, 1971." Extract from The Buildings of Scotland, Lothian except Edinburgh, by Colin McWilliam |
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In Search of 'The Place' On a visit to the area in which 'The Place' (Barbauchlaw Manor House) was originally situated, accompanied by the knowledgeable Davie Kerr, we met Jim Black who told us about a pewter Draughts Club cup inscribed to 'William Hunter, Champion of Armadale'. Does anyone know anything about the Draughts Club? Where and when did members play? |
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USEFUL HISTORY-RELATED
PAGES ON THIS WEBSITE Why not take time to explore? You may be surprised by what you find! |
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Views of Armadale and area
(with useful links to other pages containing Armadale images and information) Armadale in Pictures (useful links) Children Evacuated to Armadale in 1939 National Relief Fund, |
Family History Publications by The History of Armadale Association |
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Sir William Honeyman, Lord
Armadale
Local Archaeology: Location of Ogilface Castle |
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| ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES | |||
| OFFICIAL VISITORS TO ARMADALE | |||
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1955: Queen Elizabeth II visits Armadale and is welcomed by the Provost, Will Ferrier |
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| In 1903 General Booth of The Salvation Army passed through Armadale on his Scottish Crusade. | |||
| Queen Victoria's visit | |||
| EMIGRANTS | |||
| In memory of Johnny McNICOL, Local Registrar of Births and Deaths, Manager of Robinson & Love, light entertainer of amusing songs such as In My Little Garden Hub Bub. He was also a shipping agent who aided many Armadalians to emigrate by helping with their paperwork. | |||
| John McCLURE emigrated to Detroit, Michigan 1929 and worked in advertising. | The LAIRD Sisters, singers of Academy Street who performed nationally and eventually emigrated to America. |
George BOYD, an engineer of South Street, near Gladstone terrace, was a bass singer who always performed on stage dressed in tails. He emigrated to New Zealand. |
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Samuel DOUGAN and his new wife Eliza Jane nee DRAKE, emigrated from Scotland to Alberta, Canada in the spring of 1906 with his family, William, William and Sarah Jane: |
David SHARP emigrated to America a few weeks after Armadale's Gala Day in 1925. Nothing more was heard from him. |
David RUSSELL played cornet in many local orchestras as well as an accompanist for silent films and stage shows in the pavilion and Star Theatres. He emigrated to America. |
William PEDEN aka 'Wull', one of a renowned family of fiddlers. He accompanied silent films as well as local singers at the Goth on a Saturday night. He emigrated to America. |
OTHER
RELEVANT HISTORY LINKS
Update May 2008: Latest books about Armadale and area
Armadale in Minutes
by Robert Kerr, produced by
The
History of Armadale Association,
price £5 (+ postage and packing for those outside Armadale). A dust-jacketed hardback of 219 pages with 56
photos/illustrations and 3 maps. It can be purchased locally or ordered
from Betty Hunter, Secretary of The History of Armadale Association: HAAsecretary Some of the surnames included in the book's text: Addie, Aitken, Anderson, Archer, Arthur, Baillie, Baird, Ballantyne, Bamburgh, Barnard, Baxter, Bell, Beveridge, Binning, Bishop, Black, Borza, Boyd, Brock, Brown, Bryce, Bryden, Byers, Caesar, Cairns, Calder, Calderhead, Cameron, Campbell, Carr, Chalmers, Cherry, Clark, Clarkson, Cochran, Cochrane, Collie, Conner, Corsie, Cowan, Craig, Crawford, Cunningham, Currie, Cuthbart, Dalling, Daves, Davidson, Davie, Davis, Dennistoun, Donald, Donaldson, Donnelly, Douglas, Druce, Drummond, Drysdale, Duncan, Easton, Edwards, Elder, Farquhar, Ferrier, Finlay, Finnlay, Fleming, Forrester, Forsyth, Frew, Gall, Gardner, Gartshore, Geddes, Gentleman, Gibb, Gibson, Gilchrist, Gillespie, Gillon, Gilmar, Gordon, Gorman, Gowans, Graham, Gray, Gregor, Greig, Grey, Hailstones, Hall, Hamilton, Harrower, Harvie, Hickman, Honeyman, Hope, Howatt, Hunter, Hynd-Brown, Inglis, Kelly, Kerr, Kirk, Lawson, Learmonth, Lees, Leggat, Leishman, Liddell, Longmuir, Love, MacAdam, MacDonald, MacDougal, Mackay, MacLachlan, MacLellan, Mallace, Marcella, Marr, Marshall, Matheson, Maxwell, McDonald, McDougal, McDowall, McGarrie, McGowan, McGregor, McHardy, McIntosh, McKinnon, McLachlan, McMillan, McNab, McNair, McNicol, McPhail, Millar, Miller, Milne, Moffat, More, Morrison, Muir, Newton, O'Donnell, Parker, Paterson, Pollock, Prentice, Quin, Ramsay, Ranken, Rankin, Readman, Reid, Rennie, Roberts, Robertson, Rodger, Rodgers, Rosebery, Russell, Sharp, Shaw, Shearer, Sibbald, Sim, Simpson, Sinclair, Smith, Snedden, Sneddon, Steel, Stevenson, Stewart, Swan, Syson, Teape, Temple, Tennant, Thomson, Turner, Walker, Wark, Watson, Waugh, Wetherspoune, White, Williams, Wilson, Wood, Wylie, Wyper, Young. ..................................... Also recommended: Old Armadale and Blackridge by John Hood, price £7.99, see Stenlake . It’s a paperback of 52 pages, but it has 55 photos of Armadale and Blackridge on its covers and inner pages. |
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West Lothian Local History Library
Library HQ, Connolly House, Hopefield Road,
Blackburn, West Lothian, EH47 7HZ Phone 01506 776331 or email
sybil.cavanagh Opening hours (no appointment needed): Monday - Thursday 9.00am - 5.00pm; Friday 9.00am - 4.00pm; First Saturday of month 9.30am - 1.00pm Libraries: local history and heritage: useful links to online tools |
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West Lothian Family History Society
holds a workshop each month at Library HQ. For
more information about the Society and its workshops, e-mail: honsec Family History and Genealogy - general information : Births - historical searches ; Marriages - historical searches ; Deaths (and Burials post 1855) - historical searches |
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| West Lothian History and Amenity Society | |||||||||||||||||||
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Researchers may be interested in the Newsletter of West Lothian Heritage Services: Publications include articles on
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| What’s On at Museums in the Armadale Area? | |||||||||||||||||||
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Armadale Library, West Main Street, Armadale, EH48 3JB 01501 678400 Below a photo from a past exhibition entitled: Levi's uncut, which told the story of Levi's factory in Whitburn.
Below: An exhibition about Armadale's novelist, Tom Hanlin, at Armadale Library, April - May 2008.
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Blackridge Community Museum,
Blackridge Library, Craiginn Centre,
Blackridge, EH48 3RJ Visits at other times: contact Museums Development Officer: 01506 776347 Blackridge Community Museum houses, for half a year, a nineteenth century coaching display as well as the village's history. Open all year. Touring exhibitions other times.
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Bennie Museum (Features: Dr Simpson, inventor of chloroform, and James 'Paraffin' Young; early photographs; Victoriana) 9 - 11 Mansefield Street, Bathgate, EH48 4HU 01506 634944 April - Sept: Mon - Sat, 10.00am - 4.00pm Oct - March: 11.00am - 3.30pm |
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Whitburn Community Museum for permanent display about history of town and area coal mining. Open all year. Touring exhibitions also. Whitburn Library, West Main Street, EH47 0AR Winter Opening Times: Monday - Friday : 10.00am - 5.30pm, Saturday: 9.30am - 1.00pm. 01501 678050 |
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Broxburn Community Museum for history of Broxburn and
Uphall and Shale Oil industry for half a year. Open all year.
Touring exhibitions other times. Broxburn Library, West Main Street, EH52 5RH Winter Opening Times: Monday - Friday : 10.00am - 6.00pm, Saturday: 9.30am - 1.00pm. 01506 775600 |
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| The Scottish Industrial Heritage Society | Scotland Timeline | Scottish History Online | Kings and Queens of Scotland | ||||||||||||||||
| National Library of Scotland: Maps | The Scottish Vernacular Buildings Working Group |
Reminiscence Box Loan Service Library HQ, Connolly House, Hopefield Road, Blackburn 01506 776321 |
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Archives and Records Centre 9 Dunlop Square, Deans Ind Estate, Livingston, EH54 8SB 01506 773770 archives.lib@wled.org.uk |
The River Avon Heritage Trail (see Ordnance Survey Map 349) More info: 01501 823919 or visit The Central Forest Trust website (Westfield Viaduct, which carried coal from local mines; Wallace's Cave; Torphichen Mill and cottage, birthplace of Henry Bell, pioneer of steam navigation; Carribber Bridge, world's first stress-laminated wooden bridge; the Muiravonside Country Park, 170 acres formerly owned by the Stirlings of Falkirk; the second longest British aqueduct; the Edinburgh and Glasgow Union Canal) |
West Lothian History and Amenity Society Details from the Society Chairman, Elizabeth Henderson: 01506 411105 |
Scottish Heritage Society West Lothian Branch Meetings: Regal Theatre, Bathgate, First Tuesday each month, 6 February - 5 June, 7.30pm - 9.30pm Annual Membership Fee 01506 652174 |
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A
Topographical
Armadale description
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Includes Bridgecastle, Ogilface Woodend, Blackridge, Westfield Wallhouse (shown left) The Preceptory is linked with the Knights Hospitaller of the Order of St John of Jerusalem. Open April - September weekends. |
See this site for Gazetteer entries for: Armadale Balbardie mansion and estate Barbauchlaw Bathgate Bathville Row Boghead mansion and estate Cappers hamlet |
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| Kinneil Museum, Bo'ness | Grangemouth Museum | Airdrie and surrounding villages | Callendar House, Falkirk | ||||||||||||||||
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Linlithgow Palace birthplace of Mary, Queen of Scots situated in a beautiful lochside position, open all year |
Linlithgowshire (West Lothian) (from Groome's Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland 1882-4) |
Linlithgow
Story
(museum), Annet House, Linlithgow Open April - October |
House of the Binns, Linlithgow Dalyell family seat for 350 years gives stunning view of the Forth and is open daily (except Fridays) May - September |
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Blackness Castle Pier now open where visitors can moor their boats! 01506 834807 |
Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland |
Hopetoun House,
South Queensferry Marquesses of Linlithgow family seat, built over 300 years ago. (Original furniture, paintings, 150 acres of woodland, views of the Forth and 2 bridges, rooftop viewing platform). Open daily April - September |
Historic Scotland Site Office at Cairnpapple: 01506 634622 The highest point in West Lothian for wonderful views and an important prehistoric site, April - September 9.30am - 6.30pm |
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| Use this index page to find: |
Refuge Stane, Witchcraig, east of Torphichen, north east of Cairnpapple Gormyre Stone, east of Torphichen north west of Cairnpapple |
Raven Craig Cairn, between Cairnpapple and Bathgate Galabraes, south of Cairnpapple on road to Bathgate |
Kinneil (for details of the Antonine Wall) The Boar Stane between Armadale and Blackridge Witches Stane between Torphichen and Linlithgow |
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