County town: Linlithgow
Linlithgowshire, now known as West Lothian, was established as a sheriffdom from the 12th century. Linlithgow Palace, one of Scotland's grandest royal residences, was built within its boundaries.
Linlithgowshire — West Lothian — occupies the Forth valley between Edinburgh and Stirling. Linlithgow Palace, built from the 15th century onward by successive Stewart kings, was the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots in 1542. It is one of the most romantic royal ruins in Scotland, its great hall and fountain courtyard still impressive. The county's position between Scotland's two main centres of power gave it strategic importance: the Roman Antonine Wall crossed its northern edge. Blackness Castle on the Forth was one of Scotland's most formidable fortresses. The Bo'ness area's coal and salt industries developed from the medieval period.
The Statistical Accounts of Scotland — the Old Statistical Account (1791–99) and the New Statistical Account (1834–45) — provide detailed parish-by-parish descriptions of Linlithgowshire at two moments of transformation. Aubrey draws on these accounts when generating reports for Scottish locations, providing historical context specific to the parish and county.
Scotland's 33 traditional counties, established as sheriffdoms from the 12th century onward, were the administrative framework of the country until the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1975 replaced them with regional councils. They remain the reference framework for historical records, genealogy, and cultural identity.
An Aubrey report for a specific location in Linlithgowshire draws on historical maps, archaeological records, Domesday data, Statistical Account records, and landscape history to tell the full story of any site in the county.
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