Whitburn, Scotland
Whitburn
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 Whitburn, looking west towards the town centre |
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 Coat of arms of Whitburn Onward |
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 Whitburn
Whitburn shown within West Lothian
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| Population | 10,527 (2011 Census) |
| OS grid reference | NS945645 |
| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BATHGATE |
| Postcode district | EH47 |
| Dialling code | 01501 |
| Police | Scottish |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament | |
| Scottish Parliament | |
Whitburn (originally Whiteburn) is a small town in West Lothian, Scotland, halfway between Scotlands's two largest cities, about 23 miles (37 km) east of Glasgow and 22 miles (35 km) west of Edinburgh. The nearest major towns are Bathgate, 4 miles (6 km) and Livingston, 6 miles (9.7 km).
Originally a small farming & weaving community centred around the Burn that runs through, it was once a district of Linlithgow until 1973 and a parish of Livingston until 1730 when it established into its own as the population began to rise. When reliable statistics began with the Statistical Accounts of Scotland the population was counted at 1,322 in 1755 followed by a more accurately count of 1,322 in 1795.
Whitburn has appeared on maps since the 17th century of the Early Modern period and appears on a manuscript authored by Scottish map maker John Adair in 1680. A reference made in the Index of Charters by King David II of Scotland reads "granting half the lands of Whytburne" in 1365 by the king to a nobleman named Ade Forrester which is so far the earliest reference to date. There were also two gold pieces of roman coin discovered in a field in 1845 but there is no other evidence of roman occupation.
During the Age of Enlightenment the community was trading cotton, pig iron and coal. "Old quarries" can be seen dotted over the area on the Ordnance Survey 1st Edition map, presumably from the days of clay, sandstone and iron ore extraction. The majority of farmers rented agricultural land because of the Lowland Clearances and most of it was owned by Esquires.
Between the 18th and 20th century the town was dominated by mines with the largest being Polkemmet Colliery – a large coal mine, discovered in the town in the late 1800s – but this was closed in the 1980s as a result of damage by underground flooding during the 1984-85 miners' strike and never re-opened. The colliery buildings have gone, and the coal bings that once were prominent have now been removed. Work to dismantle Bing No 3, the infamous burning bing, started in August 2006 and was completed by February 2008. The last major outbreak of burning occurred in 1998. As of 2017 the bings have been flattened and it is now a large housing estate as a result from the Heartlands Project.
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Wikipedia