View source for Lothian

{{Short description|Region of the Scottish Lowlands}}
{{Other uses|Lothian (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{coord|55|54|33|N|3|05|04|W|type:adm2nd_region:GB_dim:20000|display=title}}
{{Infobox settlement
 | name                     =  Lothian
 | image_map                = Lothian County.svg
| subdivision_type        = Country
| subdivision_name        = Scotland
 | area_total_sq_mi         = 666
 | population_density_sq_mi = 1288
 | population_total         = 858,090
 | population_as_of         = 2014
 | population_footnotes     = <ref name="National Records of Scotland">{{cite web |url=http://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/files//statistics/population-estimates/midyear-2014/14mid-year-pe-cahb-tab2.pdf |title=Estimated population by sex, single year of age and administrative area, mid-2014 |publisher=National Records of Scotland |access-date=17 May 2015 |archive-date=18 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518094043/http://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/files//statistics/population-estimates/midyear-2014/14mid-year-pe-cahb-tab2.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
}}
[[File:Burdiehouse Burn at Little France - geograph.org.uk - 903066.jpg|thumb|The Lothian (Burdiehouse) Burn as it passes through Edinburgh]]
[[File:Traprain Law 4.jpg|thumb|[[Traprain Law]] in East Lothian, said to be the site of King Lot's capital]]

'''Lothian''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|l|oʊ|ð|i|ə|n}}; {{langx|sco|Lowden, Loudan, -en, -o(u)n}};<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/lowden_prop_n |title=Dictionary of the Scots Language :: SND :: Lowden prop. n |publisher=Dsl.ac.uk |access-date=2016-05-26}}</ref> {{langx|gd|Lodainn}} {{IPA|gd|ˈl̪ˠot̪aɲ|}}) is a region of the [[Scottish Lowlands]], lying between the southern shore of the [[Firth of Forth]] and the [[Lammermuir Hills]] and the [[Moorfoot Hills]]. The principal settlement is the Scottish capital, [[Edinburgh]], while other significant towns include [[Livingston, West Lothian|Livingston]], [[Linlithgow]], [[Bathgate, West Lothian|Bathgate]], [[South Queensferry|Queensferry]], [[Dalkeith]], [[Bonnyrigg]], [[Penicuik]], [[Musselburgh]], [[Prestonpans]], [[Tranent]], [[North Berwick]], [[Dunbar]] and [[Haddington, East Lothian|Haddington]].

Historically, the term Lothian referred to a [[Provinces of Scotland|province]] encompassing most of what is now southeastern Scotland. In the 7th century it came under the control of the [[Angles (people)|Anglian]] kingdom of [[Bernicia]], the northern part of the later kingdom of [[Northumbria]], but the Angles' grip on Lothian was weakened following the [[Battle of Dun Nechtain|Battle of Nechtansmere]] in which they were defeated by the Picts.

Subsequent Scottish history saw the region subdivided into three [[Shires of Scotland|counties]]—[[Midlothian (historic)|Midlothian]], [[East Lothian]], and [[West Lothian (historic)|West Lothian]]—leading to the popular designation of "'''the Lothians'''".

== Etymology ==
The origin of the name is debated. It perhaps comes from the [[Common Brittonic|British]] ''*Lugudūniānā'' (''{{lang|cy|Lleuddiniawn}}'' in Modern Welsh spelling), meaning "country of the fort of [[Lugus]]", the latter being a [[Celtic deities|Celtic god]].<ref>Koch, John, ''Celtic Culture'', ABC-CLIO, 2006, p.&nbsp;1191.</ref> Alternatively, it may take its name from a watercourse that flows through the region, now known as the Lothian Burn,{{NoteTag|Also known as the [[Burdiehouse]], [[Niddrie, Edinburgh|Niddrie]], or [[Brunstane]] Burn as it passes through those neighbourhoods.}} the name of which comes from either the British ''lutna'' meaning "dark or muddy stream,"{{NoteTag|In contrast to the nearby Peffer Burn, the name of which comes from ''pefr'', 'clear stream'.}}<ref name="Harris">{{cite book |title = The Place Names of Edinburgh: their Origins and History |year = 2002 |last=Harris |first=Stuart |location = London, England; Edinburgh, Scotland |publisher=Steve Savage Publishers Ltd. |isbn = 978-1-904246-06-0 }}</ref> ''*lǭd'', with a meaning associated with flooding (cf. [[Leeds]]),<ref name="bliton">{{cite web |last = James |first = Alan |title = A Guide to the Place-Name Evidence |url = http://spns.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Alan_James_Brittonic_Language_in_the_Old_North_BLITON_Volume_II_Dictionary.pdf |website = SPNS – The Brittonic Language in the Old North |access-date = 2018-11-25 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170813011121/http://spns.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Alan_James_Brittonic_Language_in_the_Old_North_BLITON_Volume_II_Dictionary.pdf |archive-date = 2017-08-13 |url-status = dead }}</ref> or ''lǖch'', meaning "bright, shining."<ref name="bliton" />

A popular legend is that the name comes from [[King Lot]], who is king of Lothian in the [[Arthurian legend]]. The usual Latin form of the name is ''Laudonia''.<ref name="Harris" />

== Anglian settlement ==
Lothian was settled by Angles at an early stage and formed part of the Kingdom of [[Bernicia]], which extended south into present-day Northumberland and Durham. Many place names in the Lothians and Scottish Borders demonstrate that the English language became firmly established in the region from the 6th century onwards. In due course, Bernicia united with [[Deira]] to form the [[Kingdom of Northumbria]].  Important Anglo-Saxon structural remains have been found in [[Aberlady]] along with various artefacts such as an early 9th-century Anglo-Saxon coin.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.historyscotland.com/articles/news/important-anglo-saxon-remains-discovered-in-east-lothian|title=Important Anglo Saxon remains discovered in East Lothian|website=www.historyscotland.com|access-date=18 March 2018|archive-date=7 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107112849/https://www.historyscotland.com/articles/news/important-anglo-saxon-remains-discovered-in-east-lothian|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Little is recorded of Lothian's history specifically at this time. After the [[Old Norse|Norse]]-speaking Viking [[Great Heathen Army|Great Army]] conquered southern Northumbria (including areas that would later become Yorkshire), northern Northumbria – centred on the former Anglian kingdom of [[Bernicia]] – was cut off from the other Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. How much Norse influence spread north of the [[River Tees]] is uncertain.  Bernicia continued as a distinct territory, sometimes described as having a king, at other times an ''ealdorman'' (earl). Bernicia became distinct from other English territories at this time due to its links with the other Christian kingdoms in what is present-day Scotland and seems to have little to do with the Norse-controlled areas to the south. [[Roger of Wendover]] wrote that [[Edgar of England|Edgar, King of the English]] granted ''Laudian'' to [[Kenneth II]], King of Scots in 973 on condition that he come to court whenever the English king or his successors wore his crown. It is widely accepted by medieval historians that this marks the point at which Lothian became part of Scotland.<ref>{{cite book |last=Rollason |first=David W. |author-link=David Rollason |title=Northumbria, 500 – 1100: Creation and Destruction of a Kingdom |year=2003 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=0-521-81335-2 |page=275}}</ref> Despite this transaction, the control of Lothian was not finally settled and the region was taken by the Scots at the [[Battle of Carham]] in 1018 and the [[River Tweed]] became the ''[[de facto]]'' Anglo-Scottish border.<ref>Mack, Logan, (1924) "The Border Line - Solway Firth to the North Sea", Oliver & Boyd, p. 6</ref>

[[William the Conqueror]] invaded Lothian and crossed over the [[River Forth]]<ref>''[[Anglo-Saxon Chronicle]]''</ref> but was not able to conquer it.  At this time Lothian appears in the ''[[Anglo-Saxon Chronicle]]'' as ''Loðen'' or ''Loþen''. As late as 1091, the ''Chronicle'' describes how the Scottish king, [[Malcolm Canmore]], "went with his army out of Scotland into Lothian in England".<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i7pvBQAAQBAJ&q=anglo-saxon+chronicle+%22went+with+his+army+out+of+scotland+into+lothian%22&pg=PT404|title=OCR A Level History: Early Medieval England 871–1107|first1=Andrew|last1=Holland|first2=Nicholas|last2=Fellows|date=September 25, 2015|publisher=Hodder Education|isbn=978-1-4718-3657-2|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/30320131.pdf |title=Neither Scotland nor England: Middle Britain, c.850-1150|first=Neil|last= McGuigan|year=2015|publisher=University of St Andrews| quote=King Máel-Coluim ‘went with his army out of Scotland into Lothian in England’ (ut of Scotlande into Loðene on Englaland) to parley}}</ref>

== Language ==
In the post-Roman period, Lothian was dominated by British-speakers whose language is generally called [[Cumbric]] and was closely related to [[Welsh language|Welsh]]. In Welsh tradition Lothian is part of the "Old North" (''{{lang|cy|[[Hen Ogledd]]}}''). Reminders exist in British place-names like [[Tranent]], [[Linlithgow]] and [[Penicuik]].<ref name="cyber">{{cite web |url=http://www.cyberscotia.com/ancient-lothian/index.html |title=Ancient Lothian |publisher=Cyberscotia.net |access-date=2007-02-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101205054427/http://www.cyberscotia.com/ancient-lothian/index.html |archive-date=2010-12-05 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

During the Anglo-Saxon period, the Northumbrian dialect of [[Old English]] came to be spoken in the region. Initially confined to Lothian and the Borders, the language would grow, change, and spread across the lowlands of Scotland, becoming the [[Scots language]]. The dialects of the modern Lothians are usually considered to be part of [[Central Scots]]. Place names in the Lothians of Anglian origin include [[Ingliston]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Literary Corstorphine: A reader's guide to West Edinburgh|date=2017|last=Bell|first=Raymond MacKean|location=Edinburgh|publisher=Leamington Books|isbn=9780244644406}}</ref>

Although one of the few areas of mainland Scotland where the [[Scottish Gaelic|Gaelic]] language was never dominant, the presence of some Gaelic place-names,<ref name="cyber" /><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4396660.stm |title=Gaelic roots need to be unearthed |work=BBC News |date=2005-11-02 |author=Craig Cockburn}}</ref> e.g. [[Dalry, Edinburgh|Dalry]], [[Currie]], [[Balerno]] and [[Cockenzie]], has been attributed to the "temporary occupation...[and] the presence of a landowning Gaelic-speaking aristocracy and their followers for something like 150–200 years."<ref>{{cite book |author=W. F. H. Nicolaisen |title=Scottish Place Names |page=240 |isbn=978-0-85976-556-5 |publisher=John Donald Publishers |year=2001}}</ref>

==Governance==
By 1305, the area of Lothian had been divided into three [[shires of Scotland|shires]] (the area controlled by a [[sheriff principal|sheriff]]), called the shires of Edinburgh (or Edinburghshire), Haddington (or Haddingtonshire), and Linlithgow (or Linlithgowshire).<ref name=Chalmers>{{cite book |last1=Chalmers |first1=George |title=Caledonia |date=1889 |publisher=Alexander Gardner |location=Paisley |pages=559, 574, 579|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Hywv0eVoI-8C&pg=PA574 |access-date=24 December 2022 |chapter=Edinburghshire: Of its establishment as a shire}}</ref> Each of these three counties had an informal alternative name referencing their position within the former province of Lothian: Edinburghshire was also known as [[Midlothian (historic)|Midlothian]], Haddingtonshire as [[East Lothian]], and Linlithgowshire as [[West Lothian (historic)|West Lothian]]. The city of Edinburgh was made a [[county of city|county of itself]] in 1482, making it administratively independent from the surrounding county of Edinburghshire.<ref name=Chalmers/>

The three Lothian counties were all legally renamed during the 20th century, with Haddingtonshire becoming East Lothian in 1921,<ref>{{cite legislation UK|type=act|act=East Lothian County Buildings Order Confirmation Act 1921|year=1921|chapter=123|accessdate=25 December 2022}}</ref> Linlithgowshire becoming West Lothian in 1925,<ref>{{cite legislation UK|type=act|act=Westlothian (Bathgate District) Water Order Confirmation Act 1925|year=1925|chapter=10|accessdate=25 December 2022}}</ref> and Edinburghshire becoming Midlothian in 1947.<ref>{{cite legislation UK|type=act|act=Local Government (Scotland) Act 1947|year=1947|chapter=43|accessdate=24 December 2022}}</ref>

[[File:Edinburgh Council building - geograph.org.uk - 1315978.jpg|thumb|[[Lothian Chambers]], Edinburgh: headquarters of Lothian Regional Council 1975–1996]]
In 1975 the old county councils and burgh corporations were abolished under the [[Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973]], being replaced with [[Regions and districts of Scotland|regions and districts]]. '''Lothian Regional Council''' formally took over responsibility from the old county councils in May 1975. The Lothian region was split into four districts: East Lothian, Edinburgh, [[Midlothian]], and [[West Lothian]]. Each district was broadly based on the areas of the pre-1975 counties and city, but with some notable alterations. The Lothian Regional Council was responsible for education, social work, water, sewerage, and transport (including local buses within Edinburgh). The regional council was based at [[Lothian Chambers]] on King George IV Bridge in Edinburgh, which had been built in 1904 as the headquarters of the old Midlothian County Council.<ref name=listed>{{Historic Environment Scotland|num= LB27674|desc= Midlothian County Buildings, George IV Bridge, Edinburgh|access-date=3 July 2022}}</ref>

Lothian Regional Council was abolished in 1996 under the [[Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/local-government/localg/history/Q/editmode/on/forceupdate/on|title=History of Local Government in Scotland|publisher=Scottish Government|access-date=28 January 2022}}</ref><ref>''Councils in Scotland to face shake-up'', The Times.  9 July 1993.</ref> The region's four districts took over all local government functions as unitary [[council areas]].<ref>{{cite legislation UK|type=act|act=Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994|year=1994|chapter=39|accessdate=16 December 2022}}</ref>

===Political control===
The first election to the Lothian Regional Council was held in 1974, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new system came into force on 16 May 1975. Political control of the council from 1975 until its abolition in 1996 was as follows:<ref name=compositions>{{cite web |title=Compositions Calculator |url=https://www.electionscentre.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/composition_calc.html |access-date=21 May 2025 |website=The Elections Centre |publisher=University of Exeter}} (Put "Lothian" in search box to see specific results.)</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|+ {{Screen reader-only|Political control of council}}
|-
! scope=colgroup colspan="2"| Party in control!! scope=col | Years
|-
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} || 1975–1978
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Scottish Labour}} || 1978–1982
|-
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} || 1982–1986
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Scottish Labour}} || 1986–1996
|}

{{wide image|Pentland Hills From Caerketton Hill II.jpg|1200px|The [[Pentland Hills]] in rural Lothian}}

== Notes ==
{{NoteFoot}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Wikivoyage|The Lothians|Lothian}}
*{{commons category-inline}}
*[http://maps.nls.uk/view/00000271#zoom=3&lat=1620&lon=2320&layers=BT Herman Moll's map of the Lothian shires (c.1745)]
* [http://www.lothianbuses.com/ Lothian Buses]
* [http://www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk/ NHS Lothian]

{{Scottish provinces|major}}
{{Former local government regions of Scotland}}
{{Portal bar|Scotland}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Lothian| ]]
[[Category:Administrative divisions of Scotland]]
[[Category:Northumbria]]
[[Category:Regions of Scotland]]
[[Category:Scottish Lowlands]]