Westlothiana ("animal from West Lothian") is a genus of
reptile-like
tetrapod that lived about 338 million years ago during the latest part of the
Visean age of the
Carboniferous. Members of the genus bore a superficial resemblance to modern-day
lizards. The type specimen was discovered in the
East Kirkton Limestone at the
East Kirkton Quarry in 1984. West Lothian was extensively settled in prehistoric times, and several ancient burial sites have been uncovered, such as at
Cairnpapple Hill, described as one of Scotland's richest archaeological sites and one of the earlier places of organised worship in the country. There are remains of hillforts on Cockleroy, Peace Knowe, Bowden, Cairnpapple, and Binns Hills. The area was anciently inhabited by
Britons of the tribe known as the
Votadini or
Gododdin. By 83 AD, southern Scotland had been conquered by Romans, who built a road from their fort at
Cramond to the eastern end of the
Antonine Wall, as well as forts in West Lothian (of which
Castle Greg is a known example). The Romans withdrew roughly two centuries later, and the area was left to the Britons until the arrival of Anglo-Saxons in the fifth and sixth centuries, who brought Lothian under the rule of the
Kingdom of Northumbria. In later centuries the region was regularly overrun by Gaelic-speaking Scots, and it became permanently part of the
Kingdom of Scotland in the 11th century. In the 11th century, sheriffs were introduced in Scotland by
Malcolm II of Scotland. More shires, which would later become counties, were created by
Edgar of Scotland,
Alexander I of Scotland, and
David I of Scotland. The first known reference to a sheriff of Linlithgow occurs in a charter dating from the reign of
Malcolm IV, the successor of David I. For a time West Lothian became a constabulary, but it seems to have been made a sheriffdom again during the reign of
James III. During the
medieval period, settlements such as Linlithgow, Abercorn, Dalmeny and
Torphichen grew in importance.
Torphichen church is said to have been founded by St. Ninian in about 400AD, a small wooden structure on the site of the present church (itself rebuilt in 1756) and in 1165, the
Knights Hospitaller of St John made their Scottish headquarters at Torphichen and the Preceptory stands as testament to their presence. In pre-industrial times West Lothian was almost entirely agricultural. In the way of heavy industry there was a silver mine at
Hilderston near Cairnpapple, a cotton mill at
Blackburn, paper mills at Linlithgow, and shallow coal mines around
Bathgate and
Whitburn. The county was radically changed by the
Industrial Revolution, (from about 1760 to sometime between 1820 and 1840) with the opening of deep-pit iron, coal, and shale oil mines, as well as foundries and brickworks, which dramatically altered the landscape. The works were the world's first commercial oil-works, manufacturing
paraffin oil and
paraffin wax, signalling an end to the rural community of previous centuries. By 1871, there were over 50 oil works producing more than 25 million gallons each year. The increased industrialisation led to a growing population and the development of numerous villages, such as
Pumpherston and
Broxburn. The
bings (black and pink hills of shale waste) produced by the mining industry, 19 of which still stand in West Lothian, were at first considered blights, but now are thought of as monuments to Scotland's industrial past, and a representation of one appears on the council's coat of arms. The
Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889 established a uniform system of
county councils in Scotland and realigned the boundaries of many of Scotland's counties. Subsequently, West Lothian County Council was created in 1890. The historic county of West Lothian or of Linlithgowshire contained six burghs:
Armadale, Bathgate, Bo'ness, Linlithgow, Queensferry, and Whitburn. Areas outside the burghs were administered as districts, of which there were also six: Borrowstounness, Linlithgow, Queensferry, Torphichen & Bathgate, Uphall, and Whitburn & Livingston. The county was also split into twelve parishes; these were not used for administrative purposes after 1930. West Lothian County Council was based at the
County Buildings in the High Street, Linlithgow. Prior to 1925, the county was formally called the "county of Linlithgow" or Linlithgowshire, although the name West Lothian had long been used as an informal alternative name. Following a petition by the county council the government changed the name formally to "Westlothian" under the Westlothian (Bathgate District) Water Order Confirmation Act 1925, which received
royal assent on 27 March 1925. In May 1927 the county council resolved that West Lothian should be written as two words rather than one. The
Local Government (Scotland) Act 1947 (
10 & 11 Geo. 6. c. 43) subsequently gave statutory confirmation for the two word version of the name. in High Street, Linlithgow, the former headquarters of West Lothian County Council between 1940 and 1975 In the
Second World War the county adopted during
Warship Week the destroyer
HMS Wallace raising over £547,000 in donations. Many of the houses built for the expanding population during the 19th and 20th century were of poor quality, necessitating the building of thousands of council houses in the latter part of the 20th century, especially at Livingston, where several smaller settlements were historically mining villages. Under the
New Towns Act of 1946, Livingston was designated as a
New Town on 16 April 1962. Heavy industry in the county declined after the Second World War, and the last shale oil mine closed in 1962. In 1975, as a result of the
Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, the boundaries of West Lothian were adjusted, so that some western areas of Midlothian were added, while some West Lothian settlements became part of Falkirk District and Edinburgh. The 1973 Act abolished the traditional counties, burghs and districts, instead creating a system of
Regions and
Districts. West Lothian was made a district of
Lothian Region but lost the burgh of Bo'ness and the district of Bo'ness to Falkirk District of
Central Region, and the burgh of Queensferry and the district of Kirkliston plus part of Winchburgh to Edinburgh district of Lothian Region. It gained East Calder and West Calder districts from Midlothian. The two-tier system was abolished by the
Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, and the district of West Lothian was made into a
unitary council area named
West Lothian Council. Notable residents of West Lothian include monarchs and political figures including
Mary Queen of Scots (born at Linlithgow Palace),
King James the Fifth (born at Linlithgow Palace),
Robin Cook (the
Member of Parliament for
Livingston from 1983 to 2005),
Alex Salmond (from Linlithgow, the former first minister of Scotland), and
Sir Tom Dalyell (the
Member of Parliament for
Linlithgow from 1962 to 2005). Figures from industry and academia include
John Fleming (from Bathgate, a naturalist, zoologist and geologist),
Sir Charles Wyville Thomson (from Linlithgow, a natural historian and marine zoologist), and
James Young Simpson (an obstetrician and significant figure in the history of medicine). ==Geography==