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Local History Index Page

e-mail Rosie

updated 26 June 2009

Useful Map of Armadale and Area

  • This page is only as reliable as the information it receives. 

  • This page has grown so much recently that it has been divided into separate pages linked from this Local History Index Page. 

  • If you have information about Armadale's history that would interest other readers, please contact me.

  • 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 the late 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

Station Road, Armadale, 1907, from Picturing The Past, vol 4, A photographic look at old Armadale,

produced by The History of Armadale Association, 2006; INDEX4 .

On this Local History Index Page:

Chief Commissioners and Provosts of Armadale

Quotations about Armadale and Area

Useful History-related Pages on this Website

Arrivals and Departures (official visitors to Armadale and emigrants)

Other Relevant History Links (including local exhibitions/museums and useful local history-related sites)

Armadale History-related Pages linked from this Local History Index Page:

Armed Forces and World Wars

Employment and Industries

Friendly Societies and Freemasons

Hospitals and Medical Personnel

Old Postcards of Armadale

Photos from West Lothian History and Heritage Fair 2007 and 2008

Photos from Almond Valley Heritage Centre (at the bottom of the page)

Police and Crime

Population and Development Index Page (includes places of interest around Armadale):  This Index leads to two further pages: POPULATION and DEVELOPMENT

Railway Lines in the Armadale Area

Religious Groups and Buildings

Schools

Shops and Public Houses (and other businesses)

Sports and Leisure

Transport and Communications except railways

For publications about Armadale / West Lothian, see:

The History of Westfield and Bridgehouse  A colourful and informative booklet, priced at a modest £2-50, available from Westfield School and the local shop. 

'This little history of our area is published to celebrate the life of Westfield school and the community it serves.  We are a small but very popular and successful school working for the village of Westfield, the hamlet of Bridgehouse and the scattered rural population in the area around.'  From the Foreward by Lesley Ann Gould, Chair of Westfield Parent Council.

Congratulations to the pupils and staff of Westfield School, and all the other people who have contributed to this attractive publication.  Highly recommended!

Westfield

 

Posted 20 November 2008

BEVIN BOYS

Can anyone help?  Information is sought about Bevin Boys who stayed in huts behind the Institute around where King
Street is today.  Billy & Jimmy WOOD from Torry in Aberdeen have been remembered so far.  Ron Dingwall has told us that both Billy & Jimmy were keen B.B.'s and gained the highest medal available to boys. It was the 1st Armadale B.B. Company attached to the East Church.

How many Bevin Boys were there?  How many stayed in Armadale? Can anyone supply more names? e-mail Rosie

Posted 27/01/09

ARMADALE TRI-CAR

Can anyone help?  Looking for information about  the  Armadale Tri-car.

In 1906, an Armadale tri-car and a Lagonda tri-car attempted to drive to Cape Wrath on the north-west tip of Scotland. Unfortunately, the driver of the Armadale put a wheel in a ditch and turned the car over, buckling a wheel in the process. This happened in a remote spot, twenty miles from civilisation.  As a result, the Lagonda had to ferry everyone to the nearest habitation and bring up the rescue party, and so they never made it to the Cape. The whole episode is covered in three issues of The Motor Cycle magazine: 14 November, 21 November and 28 November 1906.

The Armadale Tri-car was an English light three wheeled car, first known as the ‘Toboggan’, with either a single-cylinder Aster or a two-cylinder Fafnir engine. Unusually for a tri-car, the Armadale Tri-car, (sometimes assessed as the "perfect little three-wheeler") featured a pressed steel chassis as well as an infinitely variable friction drive.  

It was manufactured from 1906 to 1907 by Armadale Motors Ltd, Northwood, Middlesex, then, in 1907,  Northwood Motor & Engineering Works, also of Northwood.

I would like to thank Tony Beadle who provided the following information:

ARMADALE MOTORS LTD

In its 14th July 1906 issue, an early weekly motoring magazine called The Motor-Car Journal announced: “We learn that the style of the firm manufacturing the Armadale has now been altered from Toboggan Motors Ltd to Armadale Motors Ltd. For some time past it has been apparent to the directors that the title of “Toboggan” was unsuitable. They have therefore, by special resolution of the company and sanction of the Board of Trade, made the alteration. The company is now installed in its new works at Trinity Road, Wandsworth Common, London S.W.”

The first Toboggan tri-car appeared in March 1905 and got its name from the shape of the body. Known as a forecar (i.e. with the passenger sitting in between the two front wheels and the driver at the back perched over the single rear wheel) the Toboggan was powered by a 4hp Aster water-cooled engine, had a friction disc transmission and a single chain final drive.

In November 1905 the directors of Toboggan Motors Ltd were listed as H.E. Harrison, A.C.G. Smith, R.G. (or W.G.) Batchelor and J.A. Leon. The first recorded use of the Armadale name by Toboggan seems to have been at the Cordingley Motor Show held in London from 24th to 31st March 1906. The company also built a more conventional type of four-wheel car later that year.

Although it has been suggested that there might be some connection to the town of Armadale in the choice of the name, it has not been possible to find any evidence for this – can someone from Armadale provide any clues or suggestions?

The most likely person to have chosen the name must be the managing director of Armadale Motors, Arthur Cyril Godwin Smith – did he have any links to the town? Unfortunately, Godwin Smith was in a financially embarrassing situation by the latter part of 1906 and the company was wound up. Production of the tri-car was then taken up by the Northwood Engineering & Motor Works of Northwood in Middlesex but it is believed that the Armadale failed to survive beyond 1907.

If you have any information about the tri-car or the reason for its Armadale name, please e-mail Rosie

Posted 28/01/09

 

"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
 

 
 
 
 

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.

CHIEF COMMISSIONERS AND PROVOSTS OF ARMADALE

1862 - 1864: James CLARK (dc1882?); Wester Inch Farm; company manager for J and J McLelland
1864 - 1867; Robert THOMSON, baker
1867 - 1870: George BROWN, shoemaker
1870 - 1873: Thomas HARVIE (c1820 -1900) ;farmer; Barbauchlaw Mill
1873 - 1876: John AITKEN, grocer
1876 - 1879: John EASON (1845 - 1926)
1879 - 1882: Thomas ELDER (c1838 - 1915); baker
1882 - 1885: Thomas POW (1831 -1908); miner>tailor>fruiterer & confectioner; 1st to be termed 'Provost'
1885 - 1891: Thomas ROBERTSON (1835 - 1914); Bathgate; fireclay manufacturer; 1st term
1891 - 1893: Adam Arthur WILSON (c1853 - 1905)
1893 - 1894: Thomas ROBERTSON (1835 - 1914); Bathgate; fireclay manufacturer; 2nd term
1894 - 1900: William MARSHALL (c1855 - 1923); farmer
1900 - 1905: Adam Arthur WILSON (c1853 - 1905); 2nd term
1905 - 1914: Robert SMITH (c1863 - 1934); Gladstone Terrace; miner & political agent
1914 - 1917: John WILSON (1864 - 1925); East Main Street; licensed grocer

1917 - 1926: James Binnie GREIG (1878 - 1947); hotel owner
1926 - 1929: Neil McNeil HAILSTONES (1876 - 1952); South Street; miner
1929 - 1932: John WARDROPE (1880 - 1954);;Hailstones Crescent; mine fireman
1932 - 1936: Hugh Parker WOTHERSPOON (c1897 - 1965); James Street; Armadale Co-op Man. Sec.
1936 - 1939: Ebenezer CALDER (c1870 - 1956)
1939 - 1942: Thomas RUSSELL (c1878 - 1956); Barbauchlaw Avenue; coal miner
1942 - 1955: James McKEOWN (c1891 - 1972); Mount Pleasant
1955 - 1958: William FERRIER (b1913 -); 1st term
1958 - 1961: John Spence McNEIL (b1916); Wood Terrace; steel moulder
1961 - 1964: Charles KING (c1901 - 1981) West Main Street; miner
1964 - 1967: William Wilson WATSON (1911 - 1975) Wotherspoon Crescent; warehouseman
1967 - 1970: George EWART (1904 - 1971); Mayfield drive; coal miner
1970 - 1971: Francis FAGAN (1900 1971); Mount Pleasant; steel moulder
1971 - 1975: William FERRIER (b1913 -); Shaw Place; 2nd term

1955: Queen Elizabeth II visits Armadale and is welcomed by the Provost, Will Ferrier

 
 
 
QUOTATIONS ABOUT ARMADALE AND AREA

In the days when the area was heavily forested, this description would have been very appropriate!

"Frae Boghead Burn tae Boarbaughlee,

Ane cat could loup frae tree to tree"

Attributed to Thomas the Rhymer, Thirteenth Century

"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

"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

"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

"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.

"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

"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

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

"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.

"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

"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......!

"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

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?

e-mail Rosie

USEFUL HISTORY-RELATED PAGES ON THIS WEBSITE

Why not take time to explore?  You may be surprised by what you find!

Views of Armadale and area via old postcards

 Around Armadale

Armadale Environment

(with useful links to other pages containing Armadale images and information)

Armadale Photos By Others

Armadale in Pictures (useful links)

Children Evacuated to Armadale in 1939

National Relief Fund,
Armadale Local Committee Minute Book, 1914 - 1916

Family History

Publications by The History of Armadale Association

Armadale Gala Days

School Memorabilia

Armadale Bands and Performers

The History of Armadale Concert Ensemble

History of Golf in Armadale

Armadale Thistle Statistics

Sir William Honeyman, Lord Armadale

Archaeology Index

Local Archaeology: Location of Ogilface Castle

Woodend

Armadale-related Publications

 

ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES  
OFFICIAL VISITORS TO ARMADALE

1955: Queen Elizabeth II visits Armadale and is welcomed by the Provost, Will Ferrier

Buffalo Bill in Bathgate Queen Victoria's visit Sir Harry Lauder's visit in 1941 In 1903 General Booth of The Salvation Army passed through Armadale on his Scottish Crusade.
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.

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
  • Links to thumbnail images, followed by  * , mark images that are held by SCRAN

  • The Family History page also contains links that are useful to the local historian.

  • If you decide to visit any of the places described below, you are advised to check for up-to-date information before travelling.  Some venues are subject to seasonal closure.

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:   HAAsecretaryarmadale.org.uk  .  Why not visit the HAA page to read about their activities?

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. 

West Lothian Local History Library

Library HQ, Connolly House, Hopefield Road, Blackburn, West Lothian, EH47 7HZ   

Phone 01506 776331 or email Sybil.Cavanaghwestlothian.gov.uk

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

Next section indicates resources available at West Lothian Local History Library for family history research.

Researchers may be interested in the Newsletter of West Lothian Heritage Services 

I have listed a few of the contents for each edition I have read

October 2006 included:

  • Worst Disaster in West Lothian's History: the Winchburgh Railway Disaster

  • Linlithgow Union Canal Society

  • Strathbrock Stories

  • Princess opens new footbridge: the footbridge at Almond Valley Heritage Centre

  • Former Bathgate Academy saved

  • When is Statistical not Statistics?

  • The Chieftain Forge

Spring 2007 included:

  • Simply Samplers

  • Lochcote: can you help?: an appeal for a photo of Lochcote mansion house

  • Keep the Home Fires Burning

  • Putting Whitburn on the Map

  • The Armadale Nurse and the War Poet

  • Lost Mansions of West Lothian

  • The Bloody Muscovite's Descendants

  • Preserving School Archives

Spring 2008 included:

  • Archaeological investigations at the Burgh Halls,Linlithgow

  • Before the railway came: 1823 print showing part of Linlithgow canal (opened 1822) given to Linlithgow Union Canal Society

  • Granny’s getting younger!: Appeal for reminiscence items from the 1950s onwards

  • Simply Samplers make a comeback

  • Banners and Benefits

  • Can you help? These SMT bus drivers and conductresses were based in the Broxburn depot in the 1950s.

  • Lost mansions of West Lothian: Boghead House near Falside

  • Rediscovering Tom Hanlin

  • Fleming of Bathgate

  • Bathgate’s Cinema Heritage

  • West Lothian County Council 1890-1975

  • LDC Technical Library photographic collection

  • History of Armadale Association

Autumn 2008 included:

  • Good Old School Days! Redhouse School Senior Class 1961 photo

  • James Maitland

  • Historic Gems Uncovered

  • Anti-social Behaviour 18th Century Style

  • Remembrance 90

  • Log on to Your Family Tree: WLFHS

  • Linlithgow in Print

  • A Soldier's Tale: Peter Jack of Blackridge

  • Donating Objects to Local Museums

  • Bathgate History Group

  • West Lothian History and Amenity Society: Syllabus

Other publications I have read included articles on subjects such as:

  • West Lothian History and Amenity Society's discovery of Christina Kay's grave ( the inspiration for Muriel Spark's character Miss Jean Brodie)

  • Buried Treasure: The Bathgate burial grounds records 

  • Levi's Uncut!

  • West Lothian and Slavery

  • East Carribber Limekilns

  • Putting West Lothian on the map

Museums in the Armadale Area

West Lothian Museum Collections

Armadale Library, West Main Street, Armadale, EH48 3JB 

01501 678400

Below a photo from a 2007 exhibition entitled: Levi's uncut, which told the story of Levi's factory in Whitburn.

 

Below: Part of an exhibition about Armadale's novelist, Tom Hanlin,  at Armadale Library, April - May 2008.

 

October 2008 - January 2009

A Century of West Lothian Women

Women's lives in the 20th Century illustrated through photographs and objects.

Blackridge Community Museum, Blackridge Library, Craiginn Centre, Blackridge, EH48 3RJ
Opening Times: Tuesday & Thursday: 2.00pm - 6.30pm, Wednesday: 9.30am -12.30pm & 1.30pm - 4.30pm  Contact:
01501 752396 

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.

Below: Photos of exhibits from Blackridge Community Museum Exhibitions 2007 - 2008:

An exhibition of 6 Modern Young People's Banners created by Armadale primary pupils who worked with textile artist Anna Cocciadiferro as part of the Threading Together Project in response to WLC Museums Exhibition about Friendly Societies in Spring 2008.  Pupils from Armadale, Eastertoun and St Anthony's Primary Schools co-operated in designing and making banners, which recalled the days of juvenile Friendly Societies in Armadale a century ago.


Top: St Anthony's RC PS; Middle: Armadale PS; Bottom: Eastertoun PS

 

Banners and Benefits, the colourful history of West Lothian Friendly Societies

26 February - until late May 2008

 

The Exhibition was based on the research of Elizabeth Henderson.  Visitors learned how early friendly societies, based on local trades, experienced difficulties when their membership grew older and made increasing demands on society funds. 

From 1793, the self-help organisations grew and flourished, attaining their greatest popularity by the end of the 1800s. As a result of small weekly sums paid by members, the societies, which were also owned and run by members, paid sickness benefit to needy members and also pensions to widows. 

In 1914, National Insurance changed to central administration and  society membership declined. 

Realising that the NHS would be incapable of total provision, Sir William Beveridge, architect of the Welfare State, tried in vain to encourage members to stay with their societies, but, by the mid-1960s, West Lothian's local friendly societies had disappeared. 

Photo above: Armadale banner discovered in 2001.

Photo below - centre: Armadale Thistle Lodge banner. 

 

The History of Blackridge

Everyday items of Blackridge life

More elements of Blackridge life: the environment, Craig Inn, stagecoach and rail travel, and Gala Day

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: Monday - Saturday, 10am - 4.00pm  Oct - March: 11am - 3.30pm

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 : 10am - 5.30pm,  Saturday: 9.30am - 1pm.

 01501 678050

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 : 10am - 6pm,  Saturday: 9.30am - 1pm.

01506 775600

Linlithgow Library, The Vennel, Linlithgow

01506 775490

Winter Opening Times: Monday - Friday: 10am - 5.30pm, Saturday: 9.30am - 1pm

Linlithgow Heritage Trust, Annet House, 143 High Street, Linlithgow.  Closed 31 October 2008 - Good Friday 2009
Linlithgow Canal Centre and Museum, Canal Basin, Manse Road, Linlithgow

01506 671215 (answerphone); 01506 843194 (bookings)

Hopetoun House Preservation Trust, Queensferry, West Lothian.  Only open for special events during the winter.  See website for opening times.
Almond Valley Heritage Trust, Millfield, Livingston Village

01506 414957

Open 7 days a week, 10am - 5pm

OTHER SOCIETIES and USEFUL LINKS
West Lothian History and Amenity Society

Schedule of Talks

Wednesday 20 May 2009: West Lothian History and Amenity Society talk  at St Joseph's Primary School, Linlithgow: History of Manuel Nunnery and the surrounding area, including the River Avon and its mills: Laurie Alexander, and AGM, 7.30pm

Saturday 23 May 2009: West Lothian History and Amenity Society's summer outing to Summerlee Heritage Centre ("NEW" after a £10 million redevelopment), Coatbridge, and also Holmwood House, Cathcart

For more information about the Society, contact Norma Cuthbertson, email cuthbertsonnpaol.com

Bathgate History Group

meets in Bathgate Community Centre, Marjoribanks Street, every second Wednesday at 2pm.

New members welcome!

 

History of Armadale Association

meets at the Methodist Church, on the second Tuesday of every month, at 7pm.

New members welcome!

Contact info on webpage

Scottish Heritage Society West Lothian

meets at Regal Community Theatre, Bathgate on the 1st Monday of every month, 7.30 - 9pm, £5 membership

01506 652174

West  Lothian Family History Society

holds a workshop each month at Library HQ. For more information about the Society and its workshops,

e-mail: honsecwlfhs.org.uk or contact Sybil Cavanagh, (details above)

To give you a taster of the Society's publication, the December 2008 edition of their Journal The Oak Tree included articles on subjects such as: Crime and Punishment; Irish Research; What's in a Name?; DNA for the Family Historian; Kirk o' Shotts; A Movie Star's Ancestral Trail; Census Humour

The Scottish Industrial Heritage Society Scotland Timeline Scottish History Online Kings and Queens of Scotland
Scottish History Scottish Handwriting Etna Bricks: Play a clip from the film!

Film clip of Livingston village c1960

Prestonpans film clip

Bathgate Festival 1951 film clip

Bo'ness Fair 1912 film clip

National Library of Scotland: Maps

 

National Archives of Scotland

The Scottish Vernacular Buildings Working Group Scottish Mining Museum
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 Museum Service: Reminiscence Boxes

Loan Service

Library HQ, Connolly House, Hopefield Road, Blackburn

01506 776321

 

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

A Topographical

Dictionary of Scotland (1846)

Armadale description

 

Description of Torphichen

Includes Bridgecastle, Ogilface Woodend, Blackridge, Westfield Wallhouse

Torphichen Preceptory

(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

Kinneil Museum, Bo'ness Grangemouth Museum Airdrie and surrounding villages Callendar House, Falkirk
West Lothian Council Cemeteries Society of Archivists Scotland Fife Family History Society Armadale Military History
SAFHS: Scottish Association of Family History Societies Bo'ness Motor Museum SCRAN : Scottish Cultural Resources Access Network Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland
Lothians Family History Society Scottish Genealogy Society ASGRA:
Association of Scottish Genealogists
& Researchers in Archives
Arts Services

& the Burgh Halls Project

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 Civic Trust 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

Blackness Castle

Pier now open where visitors can moor their boats!

01506 834807
April - September
9.30am - 18.00pm
October - March
9.30am - 16.30pm
(closed Thursdays and Fridays)

 

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

Cairnpapple Hill

Historic Scotland Site Office at Cairnpapple: 01506 634622

(2)

The highest point in West Lothian for wonderful views and an important prehistoric site,

April - September

9.30am - 6.30pm

See our Archaeology Index Page for a full list of useful links.  Below are some of them.
Historic Scotland Edinburgh Archaeological Field Society The West of Scotland Archaeology Service

WoSAS Sites and Monuments Record

Scotland's Rural Past
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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