Some odd mentions of Bathgate From The Dictionary of Place Names in Scotland by Mike Darton (1994) Bathgate [Lothian] Apparently a Brythonic name: ‘Boar (baedd) wood (coed)’; some commentators alternatively suggest ‘House (bod)’ for the first element. [Brythonic: Refers to Celtic languages of Wales, Cornwall and Brittany.] From Dictionary of Place-Names in the British Isles by Adrian Room (1988) Bathgate (Lothian) The name of this iron- and coal-mining town south of Linlithgow does not mean what it seems. It is of Celtic origin (British, rather than Gaelic), and is composed of two Cumbric root words meaning ‘boar wood’. (Compare modern Welsh baedd, ‘boar’ and coed ‘wood’. Compare also BETWS-Y-COED.) Bathgate’s name was recorded in a document of about 1160 as Batket. [Cumbric: Refers to language of the ancient kingdom of Cumbria. Cumbria took in parts of south-west Scotland and north-west England.] From ‘The Bruce’ by John Barbour (c1375). An edition with translation and notes by A.A.M. Duncan, Canongate Books Ltd (1997): On the death of Walter Stewart (1293-1326) At this time, when the truce was being kept on the Marches, as I said before, Sir Walter Stewart, the worthy man, took a serious illness at Bathgate. His sickness kept worsening more and more, until men realised from his appearance that the time approached to pay the debt which no man can escape discharging. Shriven and very penitent too, when everything that a Christian man needs to have, had been done in all particulars, he gave up his spirit as a good Christian man. Then you could hear folk weeping and wailing , many a knight and many a lady openly showing great distress; whoever they were, they all did it, all men bemoaning him in common, for he was a worthy man among his contemporaries. When they had made their mourning for a long time, they took his corpse to Paisley, and there he was buried with great ceremony and deep mourning. May God in his might bring his soul where joy lasts and never ceases. From A Military History of Scotland : editors Edward M. Spiers, Jeremy A. Crang and Mathew J. Strickland (Published 2012) p302-306 paraphrased The religious settlement in Scotland following the Restoration of Charles II in 1660 caused much trouble. Despite the majority of Scots being Presbyterian, the legislation passed by the Covenanting Parliaments of the 1640s , which had established and maintained Presbyterianism as the national religion and church, was repealed by the Rescissory Act. Charles condemned Presbyterianism as unsuited to ‘our monarchiall estate’ and he ordered restoration of the prelacy. Opposition to the religious settlement in Scotland was widespread. In 1663 disputes flared in Kirkcudbright. Lt. Col. Sir James Turner was despatched to the town with sixty Foot Guards to join one hundred who had arrived earlier under Captain Rattray. Turner remained active in the town and surrounding area for nearly a year, suppressing the illegal meetings, and levying fines upon those who did not attend church. Turner’s severity increased the militancy of the Presbyterian opposition. Worshippers turned up at conventicles bearing arms. In Dalry on 13 November 1666 a band of Covenanters rescued one of their own from a small party of soldiers. A trooper was shot. Two days later they captured Turner in Dumfries. This was the prelude to a widespread rising. The rebels then began their march upon Edinburgh. They left Dumfries in the second week of November under the command of ‘Colonel’ James Wallace. They went to Ayr then north-east through Lanarkshire. En route they increased their number from 300 to over 1000. Then the rebels came through Bathgate towards Edinburgh. Wallace found that he had Tam Dalyell in his rear with militia and government forces guarding Edinburgh. He therefore decided to retreat to the south and on 28 November he bivouacked at Rullion Green in the Pentland Hills. Here the rebels were caught and defeated by Dalyell. Fifty rebels were killed and eighty were taken prisoner. From Reminiscences of Scottish Life and Character by Dean Ramsay (1872) p301 The Rev. Mr. M——– of Bathgate came up to a street-pavoir one day and addressed him, “Eh, John, what’s this you’re at?” “Oh! I’m mending the ways of Bathgate!” “Ah, John, I’ve long been trying to mend the ways o’ Bathgate, an’ they’re no weel yet.” “Weel, Mr. M., if you had tried my plan, and come doon to your knees, ye wad maybe hae come mair speed!” [The Rev. Mr. M——- is Samuel Martin.] From The Lithology of Edinburgh by the late Rev. John Fleming, D.D., F.R.S.E., Professor of Natural Science, New College, Edinburgh. Edited with a memoir by the Rev. John Duns, Torphichen (1859) p103 – 104 Works published by William P Kennedy, Edinburgh Second Edition, price 3s. 6d.Memoir of the late Rev. Samuel Martin, Minister of the Free Church, Bathgate. By the Rev. John Duns, Torphichen. “The memoir is written in a tone of affectionate admiration, and is fitted to be useful to those entering upon the ministry. The chapter on Burden Bearing gives some interesting illustrations of his skill in comforting the afflicted, and guiding them to the only source of joy.” – News of the Churches. From The Family History and Genealogy of James Young Simpson by Dr Jean Horton, Cambridge, Past President, History of Anaesthesia Society. p142 James Young Simpson was born on the 7th June 1811 in the house in Main Street Bathgate where his father had the bakery. The local medical practioner, Dr Dawson kept detailed records of visits to patients:No 275. Simpson, David, baker, Bathgate. Wife, Mary Jarvie. Age 40. Lab. Nat. easy. Rapid. 8th child. Son. Natus 8 o’clock. Uti veniebam natus (Born before arrival). Paid 10s 6d (Half a guinea). Rapid labour after multiple pregnancies and therefore the delivery of a child before the arrival of the medical attendant or midwife is a common occurrence. The following entry appears in the Linlithgow OPR [Old Parish Register] 662/2 for 1811.June 7th David Simpson and his spouse Mary Jarvey had a child born.Baptised 30th June – James Simpson. The addition of Young to his first names appeared later. In 1839 Professor Hamilton resigned from the Chair of Midwifery which was the first of its kind in Great Britain, having been established in 1726. Its administration had always been under the auspices of the Town Council of the City of Edinburgh, who were thus responsible for the appointment of a new professor. Simpson, although he was only twenty eight, had already been in specialist practice as an obstetrician for five years, and so on 15th November he sent in his application for the post to the Lord Provost, together with eighty testimonials which he had received from colleagues. His youth was a disadvantage and so it is claimed was his provincial background. It was also suggested to him that it might be inappropriate for the Professor of Midwifery to be unmarried. Simpson wrote to Walter Grindlay in Liverpool requesting to marry his daughter Jessie. Jessie was Simpson’s first cousin, once removed. James Young Simpson and Jessie or Janet Grindlay, as she is described on the marriage certificate and in the 1812 Bo’ness OPR record of her birth, were married according to the Rights and Ceremonies of the Established Church on the 26th December 1839, at the St John the Baptist Church in the Parish of Walton on the Hill, a suburb of Liverpool. At this point it should be noted that in both his application for the professorship and in his marriage certificate, Simpson is now called James Young Simpson. He may have adopted this additional name when he set up in private practice, as there was a James Simson in the City, who was a surgeon. He probably chose the name Young as he was often called ‘Young Simpson’… The result of the election was announced on 4th February 1840, James Young Simpson having been elected the Chair by a majority of one vote. From Sir James Y Simpson by Eve Blantyre Simpson (1896) p 136 (A nightingale came to West Lothian and) Sir James used to tell how the Linlithgow villagers turned out to hear this southern singer, and a Bathgate weaver, after listening to its warble, remarked with a contemptuous voice, ‘It’s naething mair than a yellow yoit gane gyte.’ From Edinburgh in the Nineteenth Century p119 CHLOROFORM – The announcement of the discovery of chloroform by Professor J.Y. Simpson, Edinburgh, as a substitute for ether in surgical operations, was made 17th November 1847. p152 SIMPSON MONUMENT – A bronze monument by Mr William Brodie, R.S.A., of Sir James Y. Simpson, erected in West Princes Street Gardens, was unveiled on 26th May 1877 by the Countess of Galloway. p293 HONORARY BURGESSES OF EDINBURGH 1869 Sir James Young Simpson, Bart., M.D., Professor of Midwifery in the University of Edinburgh. – Whose numerous and varied contributions to medical science and to literature, and particularly whose distinguished discoveries and appliances for the alleviation of human suffering, have served to maintain and extend the reputation of the city and its medical school, and entitle him to the respect and gratitude of his fellow-citizens. From A Capital View THE ART of EDINBURGH by Alyssa Jean Popielp112 Shows the statue of Simpson by William Brodie (1815-1881). The plinth is inscribed: James Young Simpson Baronet M.D. D.C.L. Born 1811 Died 1870 Pioneer of Anaesthesia p113 Depicting Simpson dressed in his academic robes and reading one of his precious books, this memorial reflects Simpson’s monumental status as Edinburgh’s great medical pioneer. Professor of Midwifery at Edinburgh University for over thirty years, Simpson was honoured for his contribution to obstetrics and admired for his intellect, kindness and dedication… In 1849, as president of the Royal College of Physicians, Simpson was the first person to be knighted for his contribution to medicine. This was a towering achievement for the son of a baker from Bathgate, West Lothian. Paid for by public subscription, the statue was unveiled on behalf of the Simpson Memorial Committee by Lady Galloway on 26 May 1877… As Honorary Professor of Antiquities for the Royal Scottish Academy, it was Brodie who wrote* to congratulate Simpson on his knighthood on behalf of Scotland’s artists. His words of praise ‘on your elevation to a rank which you will in every way adorn’, are reflected in this tribute, Brodie’s Edinburgh masterpiece. *Letter to JYS from William Brodie, (Jan 8th 1866), Simpson Collection, Library Archive, The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (1479). Among William Brodie’s other works is the statue of Greyfriars Bobby. From A Memoir of the late John Fleming, D.D., F.R.S.E., Professor of Natural Science, New College, Edinburgh.pxci There was some doubt as to whether Fleming’s professorship would be allowed to continue after the chairs of Professors Macdougall and Fraser were not filled after they moved on. Fleming wrote to The Witness on 28th October 1856 expressing his concerns in a letter entitled On the State and Prospects of the Chair of Natural Science in the New College, Edinburgh. A committee of influential members of the Free Church was formed to protect this Chair. In February 1857, the Chairman, James Cunningham, wrote to Fleming to tell him that the committee was resolved to see that the Chair of Natural Science would be maintained. The resolutions were signed by the committee members. Among those who signed were: Sir Tho. Makdougall Brisbane, Bart.; Thomas Constable, Printer to her Majesty; A. Keith Johnstone, F.R.S.E., and Geographer to the Queen; John Melville W.S., F.R.S.E. (the Right Hon. The Lord Provost); and J.Y. Simpson, Professor, F.R.S.E.. pc Fleming’s address on 29th March 1849 is given as 22 Walker Street, Edinburgh. From Handbook of Geological Terms and Geology by David Page (1859) Under SPECIFIC APPELLATIONSp396Flemingii; after Professor Fleming of Edinburgh, naturalist. p62 Akumite Series (Gr. Akamos, tranquil). – According to Dr Fleming (Lithology of Edinburgh), the modern epoch, from the commencement of the Boulder-clay upwards may be divided into three series, viz. – the Taragmite, the Akumite, and the Phanerite. The first embraces the Boulder-drift, or period of disturbance; the second, those laminated clays and sands which immediately overlie the Boulder-clay, and seem to to indicate the assorting power of water under circumstances of comparative tranquility; and the third, all those more superficial deposits whose modes and causes of formation are sufficiently evident.p292 Phanerite series (Gr. Phaneros, evident). – A term employed by Dr Fleming in his Lithology of Edinburgh to designate the uppermost stage of the modern epoch, as consisting of deposits produced by causes in ordinary operation, and whose origin is evident, as compared with the brick-clays and boulder-clays (the Akumite and Taragmite series) which lie beneath. P346Taragmite Series (Gr. Taragma, disturbance). – A term employed by Dr Fleming in his Lithology of Edinburgh to embrace the Boulder Clay, or lowest stage of the modern epoch, as “having been formed when violent aqueous movements were taking place, and probably at a period when the state of our island was widely different from the present.” The Brick-clays which lie above he terms the Akumite or tranquil series; and the more superficial deposits, the Phanerite or evident series. [The Lithology of Edinburgh was published in 1859. Fleming had not accepted the fact that boulder-clay was a glacial deposit though as early as 1840, Louis Agassiz had recognised that Scotland had been glaciated.] From
http://shipseducation.netAGASSIZ IN BRITAIN, 1840: THE SCOTTISH TOURWater (global or regional inundations, tsunami), ice-floes, glaciers, ice dams and debris flows — all were candidate explanations for: erratics, boulder-clay, polished-striated-grooved rocks, roches moutonees, and moraine ridges. In his “Discours de Neuchatel,” Agassiz (1837) argued that only a glacial theory could account for all these features at one and the same time. Agassiz sent a letter to William Jameson from his Highland trip and The Scotsman Newspaper published it under the headline: “Discovery of the Former Existence of Glaciers in Scotland, especially in the Highlands, by Professor Agassiz.” Fromwww.edinburghgeolsoc.org/edingeologistEdinburgh and the Reception of early Glacial Theory by Diarmid Finnegan
The part played by The Scotsman has been noted before in accounts of early glacial theory but it is worth re-visiting. Often cited in this regard is the letter from Louis Agassiz, dated 3rd October 1840 and first published in The Scotsman, announcing his recently acquired Scottish field evidence in support of previously existing glaciers; an occurrence often celebrated, perhaps unhelpfully, as a famous journalistic scoop. The series of detailed and original articles, published in January 1841, introducing The Scotsman’s readers to glacial theory and penned by the geologist editor Charles Maclaren are also widely known. A number of other RSE members tackled the subject of glaciers and glacial theory through the 1840s including James Stark, John Fleming and David Milne. Stark, an Edinburgh physician, concentrated on theories of glacial motion. Milne and Fleming both presented, on various occasions between 1846 and 1848, papers on geological markings around Edinburgh. From Cambridge County Geographies – Linlithgowshire (1912) by T.S. Muir, Geography Master, Royal High School, Edinburgh.p130 Linlithgowshire has given birth to several distinguished men of science, inventors, and engineers. Perhaps greatest of all, is the discoverer of chloroform as an anaesthetic in surgical operations. Sir James Young Simpson was born at Bathgate in 1811. He became Professor of Midwifery at Edinburgh University in 1840, was knighted in 1854, and made a baronet in 1866. For years he had been experimenting with a view to discovering some means of alleviating the pain of patients under the knife. One day it is said that he received a letter from Dr James Waldie, a Linlithgow practioner, advising him to try chloroform. It was done, and found practicable. This is one of the greatest discoveries that has ever been made in medical science. Well might Simpson take for his motto the beautiful words “victo dolore.” [victory over pain] p131Bathgate, a market-town and police-burgh was created a burgh of barony by Charles II in 1661, and a free and independent burgh of barony in 1824. Near the town are coal and iron mines. The industries include foundries, spade and shovel works, and a distillery. No less than seven fairs are held annually. Bathgate Academy for secondary education stands in a good position on the outskirts. Its erection was due to the munificence of John Newland, a native of the burgh, who made a fortune in Kingston, Jamaica. It is managed by a body of trustees, and is a commodious and well-arranged building. The old parish church, erected in 1737 was demolished in 1882. On the same site was erected the present church, a fine building in the Gothic style. Bridgend is a western suburb. Woodend and Durhamtown are colliery villages in Bathgate parish. Bathgate is a railway junction of some importance, and the centre of a busy mining district of rapidly growing population. The origin of the name is obscure, the earliest spellings being Bath chet, Bath ket and Bat ket. p61 Stock breeding is not engaged in to any extent, the usual practice being to buy store cattle and sheep and fatten them for the market. Auction rings exist at Linlithgow and Bathgate. p74 The Binny Quarries are at present closed. The sandstones associated with the oil-shale have long provided a beautiful and durable stone for building purposes. The quality is similar to to that of the now exhausted quarries at Craigleith near Granton, which along with Binny have supplied most of the material for the new town of Edinburgh. [Bathgate Academy was built from Binny Sandstone. The Scott Monument, also Binny Sandstone, was inaugurated in 1846. The quarry was reopened 1997-98 to get stone to repair the Monument.] p101 Most of the modern churches in the county are handsome buildings, but few are of special interest. The most striking is Bathgate parish church, completed in 1884. It has a square tower 108 feet high. The east gable is relieved by a semi-circular apse, pierced by five memorial windows. p116 In the thirteenth century the monks of Newbattle, who had lands in Lanarkshire, complained that owing to the lack of a public road they had difficulty in passing to and fro. They therefore negotiated with the proprietors, who granted access through their estates. The route selected was along the valley past Broxburn and Bathgate; and this is the line of the main road from Edinburgh to Glasgow, which is one of the best highways in Scotland today. p123 It is interesting to note that till the sixteenth century Bathgate and the surrounding territory formed part of the sheriffdom of Renfrew. This was because the district was a portion of the dowry of Marjory, Robert the Bruce’s daughter, on her marriage with Walter the sixth Steward, baron of Renfrew. p124 The military force is in the Scottish Command with headquarters at Edinburgh. The army in the county is represented by the Territorial Branch, which consists of the 10th (Cyclist) Battalion Royal Scots, forming part of the Lothians Infantry Brigade The Territorial Association established by Act of Parliament in 1907 has for its President, the Lord Lieutenant [the Earl of Rosebery]. From The National Encyclopaedia Vol2 (ca 1885) p 310Bathgate: It is a burgh of barony, and governed by a provost, three bailies, and twelve councillors. It consists of an old part, situated on a steep acclivity, at the base of a low ridge of hills, and a new and more regular part, on level ground and well laid out. There are coal, iron, lime and oil works in the vicinity and the chief branch of industry in the town is the manufacture of ginghams, pullicates, plaids and shawls for Glasgow houses. It has an excellent academy and many other useful institutions. A little to the S. of the town are the remains of the castle of Walter, high-steward of Scotland, who died 1328. He had married the daughter of Robert the Bruce, and the barony passed to him from her father. The town was made a free burgh of barony by Charles II. in 1663. From The Gazetteer of Scotland W. & A.K. Johnston (1882) p 38Bathgate: The town stands at a convergence of railways , 18½ miles west-south-west of Edinburgh; is partly old and irregular on an acclivity, partly new and regular on low ground; carries on much business in connection with rich, extensive, surrounding mineral field… Bituminous minerals, ironstone, and limestone are extensively worked. (Churches): Established, Free, United Presbyterian, Evangelical Union and Roman Catholic… (Schools): a handsome free academy, and a large public school. Pop. 4887. From ‘Ordnance Gazetteer Scotland’ Vol. 1 c.a. 1895 p 134Bathgate: Its situation is a pleasant one. The hilly grounds to the NE, and the beautiful park of Balbardie on the N, give a cheerful aspect to the town, which consists of two parts, the old and the new. The old stands on a ridgy declivity, and has narrow crooked lanes; the new town, on low ground, is regularly aligned, and has well-built streets. A considerable extension occurred after the opening of the Bathgate and Edinburgh railway in 1849; a greater one, after the establishment of a neighbouring paraffin work in 1852… The inhabitants prior to the first of these extensions, had little other employment than hand-loom weaving, and lived in a state of penury; but the the new works employed not only them but numerous immigrants from other towns. Bathgate soon grew to three times its former extent, and passed from a state of stagnancy and decay to one of bustle and prosperity. It is lighted with gas, is abundantly supplied with water of an excellent quality by waterworks costing £6000, and it has a foundry, glass works and a distillery. It possesses… two chief hotels, the Bathgate and the Commercial; a handsome and commodious corn-exchange; a police station (1870); a working men’s institute (1875); and a Saturday paper, the West Lothian Courier (1872). Places of worship are the parish church (rebuilt 1882; cost £8000), a Free church, a U.P. Church, an Evangelical Union chapel, a Wesleyan chapel, and a Roman Catholic chapel (1858; 600 sittings). A weekly market is held on Tuesday, and has become important as a central corn-market for Linlithgowshire and for parts of the adjoining counties. Cattle fairs are held on the fourth Wednesday of June and October; and cattle and hiring fairs on the Wednesdays after Whitsunday and Martinmas, old style… Pop. (1831) 2581, (1861) 4827, (1871) 4991, (1881) 4885, (1891) 5331… Ballencrieff Water rises among the hills, makes a circuit through great part of the low tracts, and then runs for 1½ mile along the boundary with Torphichen… A lake of about 11 acres lay in the northern vicinity of the town but was drained in 1853… At Boghead, 1½ mile SW of the town, a black bituminous shale was found in 1850 to be peculiarly rich in mineral oil, and began to be worked about 1852 for the production of illuminating gas, paraffin oil, and solid paraffin. Coming into much demand also for exportation to the Continent and elsewhere, it was mined at the rate of fully 100,000 tons a year; but about 1866 began to show signs of exhaustion,- signs that fulfilled themselves in 1873. Chemical works, for manufacturing paraffin oil and solid paraffin stand about ¾ mile SSW of Boghead; cover 25 acres; are connected by branch railways with the main lines in their vicinity; and employ from 400 to 500 men… Collieries have long and extensively been worked in the parish. A very rich iron ore was, at one time, worked in the estate of Couston. Limestone for conversion into quick-lime, sandstone for building, and trap rock for road-metal are largely quarried. Bathgate and Edinburgh Railway, a railway in Edinburgh and Linlithgow shires, from a junction with the Edinburgh and Glasgow section of the North British system at a point a little W of Ratho station, 11 miles west-by-southward to Bathgate. It was authorised in 1846; was leased to the Edinburgh and Glasgow for 999 years, at 4 per cent. at one-half surplus profits; passed, with the Edinburgh and Glasgow line, into connection with the North British system; came under an agreement with the North British directors to receive 5 per cent. in perpetuity, in lieu of the terms of lease to the Edinburgh and Glasgow; and its total annual value is about £6600. From Edinburgh in the Nineteenth Century p110 EDINBURGH AND BATHGATE RAILWAY – The first sod of this railway was cut 9th April 1847. From ‘The Concise Universal Encyclopaedia’ c.a. 1935 p 206Bathgate: It has foundries and distilleries, and is a centre of an iron and coal mining district. Market day, Monday Pop. 8504. From Chambers Scottish Biographical Dictionary 1992 p8Betty Allen (1936- ) Chef and restaurateur, born in Bathgate, West Lothian. Like many other successful Scottish chefs of her generation, she is self-taught. She developed her professional skills in her first hotel in Largo (1973-78), which she ran with her husband Eric, and in 1978 moved to Port Appin, Argyll, opening the Airds Hotel. There, with her son and fellow-chef Graeme (1966- ) whom she taught, and her husband, she has won wide acclaim, her success being based on an imaginative but simple presentation of excellent local produce. National recognition by food writers and restaurant guides was followed by international appreciation. In 1990 she and Hilary Brown became the first women in Scotland to receive a Michelin star. p40Catherine Blair [nee Shields] (1872-1946) Painter and reformer, born in Bathgate [Byres Farm, Drumcross]. She was at the forefront of the Women’s Suffrage Movement and she founded the Scottish Women’s Rural Institute. [The first meeting was held in Longniddry in 1917.] In 1920 she founded the Mak’ Merry Pottery in Macmerry, East Lothian. p189Henry Forsyth Hardy (1910 -1994)Journalist and filmmaker, born in Bathgate. A tireless activist on behalf of the Scottish film community, he was the first film critic of The Scotsman (1932-41) and served as an office-bearer of the Edinburgh Film Guild (1930), the Federation of Scottish Film Societies (1933) and the Scottish Film Council (1933). Instrumental in rendering assistance to such international figures as John Grierson and Michael Powell, he was one of the founders of the Edinburgh International Film Festival in 1947 and the first Director of the Films of Scotland Committee (1955-75), encouraging generations of film-makers in the documentary field and winning Scotland an Academy Award for Seawards the Great Ships (1961). Co-editor of Cinema Quarterly (1933-36) and Chairman of BBC Scotland’s Arts Review (1941-55), his many books include Grierson on Documentary (1946 and 1961), Grierson on the Movies (1981) and Scotland on Film (1990). For obituary see:<independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-forsyth-hardy-1438984.html> p363Sir George Houston Reid (1845-1918) Born in Johnstone, Renfrewshire. Went to Australia with his parents in 1852. Premier of New South Wales 1894 to 1899. He became Prime Minister of Australia for a short time in 1904. In 1909 he was appointed Australia’s first High Commissioner to London, a post he held with distinction till 1916. He then entered the British House of Commons. [Sir George Reid was the son of Bathgate Minister, the Rev. John Reid. The family moved from Bathgate to Johnstone in 1840. See: ‘History of Bathgate and District’ by Alex. M. Bisset 1906 p45.] From THE SCOTTISH FOOTBALL LEAGUE – THE FIRST 100 YEARS (1890 – 1990) by Bob Crampsey pp67 – 69 By the summer of 1919 the decision had been taken not to operate a Second Division of the Scottish League although the First Division was expanded to 22 clubs. The news that there would only be one Division operating led to what was potentially a most damaging situation in Scottish football. Some of the spurned clubs sought refuge in the Central League, a body whose main strength lay in the counties of Stirling, Fife, and West Lothian. At first sight it did not look particularly enticing, the clubs in membership being Bo’ness, Dunfermline Athletic, East Fife, Hearts “A”, Alloa, Armadale, St. Bernard, Bathgate, Broxburn United, Stenhousemuir, Falkirk “A”, East Strilingshire, King’s Park and Clackmannan, but this initial impression was misleading. For a short time after the end of World War 1 the coalmines of Fife and the shale oil industry of West Lothian did comparatively well and workers had money to spare for football matches. It was argued that if The Scottish Football League were to survive, it must revert to a two Division system and the Central League clubs must be admitted. On the opening day of the 1921-22 season eleven clubs could boast Scottish League membership for the first time, Alloa Athletic, Arbroath, Armadale, Bathgate, Bo’ness, Broxburn, Clackmannan, East Fife, Forfar Athletic, King’s Park and Stenhousemuir. [On January 17th 1931, Armadale Thistle played Rangers in the first round of the Scottish FA Cup. Armadale lost 7-1. They were expelled from the Scottish Football League during season 1932-33.] pp83-85 The Scottish game was caught between the rock of finance, of business prudence, and the hard place of sentiment. There was no doubt that some of the Second Division clubs were in their death throes. Anyone with an eye to see knew that the West Lothian clubs, Armadale, Bathgate, Bo’ness and Broxburn United had no long-term future, they could not have, for the West Lothian coal field was shrinking and the shale oil industry was on the way to disappearance. Bathgate and Armadale were re-elected for season 1928-29 but there was a limit to the tolerance which had been extended to them. By March 1929 Bathgate could not even make the end of the season and folded up. As by that stage of the season they had not played each team that was in the running for promotion twice, it was decided that the fairest procedure was to expunge completely their playing record from the Second Division table. CLUBS FORMERLY IN MEMBERSHIP OF THE SCOTTISH FOOTBALL LEAGUE:p292BATHGATE (1921-28) Another of the West Lothian clubs which joined the Scottish League from the Central League, Bathgate were no more fortunate than their neighbours. Again the pattern was of a bright start in 1922 and in 1924 they missed promotion to the first division by one place. The Coal strike of 1926 savagely affected them however and on March 2nd, 1929, they were compelled to resign from the League, their record for season 1928-29 being expunged. Some half-hearted attempts were made to revive the club were made but Bathgate’s footballing future lay with the Juniors. From A Short History of the Scottish Coal-mining Industry by Murray Macgregor and JamesMcKechnie (1958) p101 Cannel coal is a tough, compact, uniform and non-laminated material, with a dull lustre and an irregular fracture. It consists largely of finely-divided plant-debris, sometimes with scattered colonies of freshwater algae. It differs from ordinary coal in its mode of origin, having been formed over very limited areas in shallow sheets of water in which drifting plant-debris was constantly accumulating. It differs from ordinary coal also in sometimes containing animal remains (e.g., scales and teeth of fish). Cannel coals are local in their occurrence either as individual seams or as a component of ordinary coals. They are rich in volatile matter and burn with a long, bright flame. Cannel (a variant of candle) was at one time widely sought after as a source of illuminating gas. A special kind of cannel is the once well-known Torbanite or Boghead Gas Coal worked for a few years near Bathgate in the middle of last century as a source of oil. Torbanite, largely composed of colonies of freshwater algae, yielded on distillation up to 120 gallons of crude oil per ton of raw material. It was the exhaustion of this seam that led to a search for a material to replace it and to the discovery of oil-shale in the Broxburn district about 1858. From A long Life’s Work by Archibald Geikie (1924) p44 FIRST YEARS IN THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY (1855-1860) In mapping the western part of Midlothian and the eastern part of Linlithgowshire or West Lothian I traced certain bands of black shale which appeared to occur on definite horizons in the lower division of the Carboniferous series. They had never apparently been worked for any purpose, though some were so bituminous as to be easily kindled into flame. Mr. James Young , afterwards known as ‘Paraffin Young,’ consulted me as to the extent of these shales, and accompanied me on the ground. I was able to show him many localities where their outcrop could be seen, and to indicate to him roughly the area under which they extended. He did not say anything about the purport of his enquiry. But in a short while, having secured the right to work these and other shales over a considerable tract of ground, he began active operations for the extraction of mineral oil from them. He thus founded the oil-shale industry of Scotland from which so much wealth has since been obtained. Internet search Bathgate is a city in Pembina County, North Dakota, United States. It sits on the banks of the Tongue River. The population was 43 at the 2010 census. Bathgate was founded in 1881. In 1908 the North Dakota School for the Blind was placed in Bathgate. The building still stands and is now occupied by a publishing company. Bathgate was the childhood home of former world-champion speed skater and figure skater, Norval Baptie.
Bathgate was featured in the Coen brothers‘ 1996 film Fargo as a fictional version of Brainerd, Minnesota.
Bathgate School BadgesSchool badges first appeared on the cover of The Rover in October 21st 1950 then on the back cover of The Rover and Adventure. The badge of Bathgate Academy appeared on March 15, 1952 in The Rover and on April 17, 1962 in The Rover and Adventure.The badge of The Lindsay High School appeared on April 26, 1952 in The Rover and on April 15, 1961 The Rover and Adventure. Isla Fisher Isla Fisher the Australian actress was born in Oman, 1976, to Scottish parents Brian Fisher and Elspeth Reid. Brian Fisher, born 1938, lived in Marchwood Crescent, Bathgate. After leaving Oman, the family returned to Bathgate. When Isla was six years old they went to Perth, Western Australia. She found early fame as Shannon Reed in ‘Home and Away’. She married Sacha Baron Cohen in 2010. In 1997, she appeared in a film called Bum Magnet. In acting, as in other professions, one must start at the bottom. Exhibition of Scottish Samplers held in the National Museum Of Scotland 26 October 2018 – 21 April 2019. Samplers on loan from the Leslie B. Durst Collection. <nms.ac.uk/samplers>One sampler is the work of MAY ROBERT OF BATHGATE. It was completed in 1767, it is silk on wool and it measures 306 x257mm. ‘The large-scale religious imagery on May Robert’s sampler, including two scenes from the story of the Old Testament prophet Elijah, make it more akin to a needlework picture. The scene on the left, showing Elijah being fed by ravens after he fled to the wilderness [I Kings 17: 4-6], has been enhanced by the addition of numerous butterflies. Later Elijah fled from Israel, after threats from the faithless Queen Jezebel, and in despair asked God to grant him death. Instead an angel brought him bread and a jar of water , with the words ‘arise and eat’. The peacock-like bird watching over Elijah in the sampler does not appear in the biblical text The image of Elijah and the Ravens may be taken from a 17th-century engraving after the Dutch artist Paulus Potter. Potter’s print was copied in mezzotint by the English printmaker John Smith in the 1760s and could be the immediate source for this sampler.’
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| WEST LOTHIAN | THE ROVER #1394 March 15th 1952 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| WEST LOTHIAN | ROVER AND ADVENTURE April 7th 1962 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Bathgate Old Times 