Lothian
Lothian is a region of the Scottish Lowlands lying south of the Firth of Forth and north of the Lammermuir Hills. It is one of the most populous regions in the whole of Scotland and contains the capital city, Edinburgh. Since the middle ages it has been sub-divided into the shires of West Lothian, East Lothian and Midlothian. Because of this, the region is often colloquially known as 'the Lothians'.
History
The name derives from King Lot, a man who supposedly ruled Lothian before it was settled by the Angles. He features in the Arthurian Legends. Under the control of the Angles, Lothian became part of the Kingdom of Bernicia which covered south-east Scotland and northern Northumberland. Because of the Angles' influence, the English language became prevalent in Lothian as early as the sixth century. At some point Bernicia united with Deira to form the Kingdom of Northumbria, but was later split apart again by the colonisation of southern Northumbria by Norsemen. In 973 King Edgar I of England officially granted Lothian (under the name of 'Laudian') to the Scottish king and thus the region came under Scottish control. However, as late as the eleventh century Lothian was regarded as a separate entity to Scotland.
Settlements
Lothian contains the Scottish capital Edinburgh, which is also the county town of Midlothian. Other major settlements include:
- Bathgate
- Bonnyrigg
- Dalkeith
- Dunbar
- Haddington (county town of East Lothian)
- Linlithgow (county town of West Lothian)
- Livingston
- Musselburgh
- North Berwick
- South Queensferry
- Tranent