Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for Edinburghshire (or mid-Lothian)

Edinburghshire (or mid-Lothian), maritime co. in SE. of Scotland; is bounded E. by Haddington (or East-Lothian), Berwick, and Roxburgh; S. by Selkirk and Peebles; SW. by Lanark; and NW. by Linlithgow (or West-Lothian); coast-line, 12 miles; 231,724 ac., pop. 389,164. The surface is finely diversified. The Moorfoot Hills, a continuation of the Lammermuirs, occupy the SE.; the Pentland Hills stretch across the co. from the SW. All the streams, with the exception of the Tyne and Gala, in the E. and the SE., run to the Firth of Forth; the principal are the North Esk, the South Esk, the Water of Leith, and the Almond; the North Esk especially is noted for its picturesque scenery. The lowlands towards the Forth are the most fertile; the hilly parts of the S. are chiefly under pasture; in the W. are dairy-farms; in the vicinity of the city of Edinburgh are extensive nursery grounds and market gardens. The principal crops are oats and barley, turnips and potatoes. (For agricultural statistics, see Appendix.) The co. consists chiefly of carboniferous strata; and coal, shale, ironstone, limestone, and freestone, are extensively worked. There are valuable herring fisheries in the Firth of Forth. The mfrs. are limited; but(beyond Edinburgh and Leith) there are numerous paper mills, oil-works, and several iron foundries and brick and tile works. Gunpowder is made at Roslyn. The co. is traversed by the North British and Caledonian Rys., and by the Union Canal. It contains 28 pars, and 4 parts, the parl. burgh of Edin. (4 members, and Edin. University, with St Andrews, 1 member), the Leith Burghs (Leith, Portobello, and Musselburgh -- 1 member), and the police burghs of Bonnyrigg, Dalkeith, Loanhead, and Penicuik. It returns 1 member to Parl.


(John Bartholomew, Gazetteer of the British Isles (1887))

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "maritime county"   (ADL Feature Type: "countries, 2nd order divisions")
Administrative units: Midlothian ScoCnty
Place names: EDINBURGHSHIRE     |     EDINBURGHSHIRE OR MID LOTHIAN     |     MID LOTHIAN
Place: Midlothian

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