Midlothian
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Midlothian
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(Click on the picture to see a larger one) Midlothian is regarded in some quarters as Scotland's senior county, presumably because it contained the nation's capital, Edinburgh. The site of "the Heart of Midlothian", the old Tolbooth, can today be seen clearly marked out in stone setts in Edinburgh's High Street and in the 19th century the county was sometimes referred to as "Edinburghshire". To some considerable extent Edinburgh must have dominated the county as the other burghs were only of moderate size, although stoutly independent. Midlothian is the home of Roslin (or Rosslyn) Chapel, an ornate, fantastically carved building which has far more than its fair share of legends. There's the Prentice Pillar, a column carved with such elaborate skill by an apprentice in the absence of his master who had returned to Italy that when the latter returned he was so envious that he immediately killed the unfortunate youth. Underneath the building is a vault that has apparently never been opened since it was sealed up 400 years ago. Legend has it that that vault and other secret hiding places may contain fantastic holy relics, including early gospels, the Holy Grail, the Stone of Destiny, even the mummified head of Christ. While having its fair share of medieval castles, the county had a particularly generous share of country houses - by 1600 there were over a hundred of them within three miles of the city centre - and by the early 18th century the capital's lawyers, bankers and merchants had created an early commuter belt containing some very elegant villas. And just to quell any dispute: the burgh of Musselburgh appears on our map of Midlothian because it was in the old county of Midlothian prior to 1975; only after the reorganisation of local government that year was the town transferred to East Lothian District. Family names associated with Midlothian include Stewart, Dundas, Borthwick, Sinclair, Douglas, Ramsay, Graham and Kerr. Our map of the county measures 15¼ x 10¼ inches (385 x 260 mm) when stitched on the recommended Linda 27-count evenweaveand and has 23 buildings, a sailing boat, place names, compass and crest. TThe stitch count is 204 x 138.
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