County town: Edinburgh
Midlothian, historically Edinburghshire, was established as a sheriffdom from the 12th century, centred on Edinburgh, which became Scotland's capital city in the 15th century.
Midlothian is the county of Edinburgh, Scotland's capital, and the Pentland Hills that rise to its south. Edinburgh Castle, built on a volcanic rock, has been a fortified site since at least the 7th century and is the most visited castle in Scotland. Holyrood Palace, at the foot of the Royal Mile, has been the principal Scottish royal residence since the 16th century. The county's coalfields in the south were significant from the medieval period. Rosslyn Chapel, built in the 1440s and now world-famous through Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code, lies in the Esk valley. The Royal Mile, linking castle to palace, is one of the most historically dense streets in the world.
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 Midlothian 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 Midlothian 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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