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Illieston House
Illieston House, also known as Illieston Castle, is a castle located in West Lothian, Scotland, by the River Almond near Broxburn. Description The castle is a T-plan design, 2 storeys tall, with an attic, slated roof, and an additional kitchen wing. It has gabled dormers, and a stair-tower on the south side. There is an additional 2nd stair-turret from the 2nd storey leading to a watch-chamber at the top of the main stair-tower. The modern interior includes four bedrooms and three reception rooms over three levels, plus a "turret room". The kitchen wing includes a separate laundry room and small lobby, beside a walled garden. History Origins to 18th century The Stewart kings James II and James IV are said to have had a hunting lodge at Illieston. The castle was built on the slopes of the River Almond some time around 1600 for a branch of the Hamilton family. It was acquired by John Ellis in 1663 or 1664, who added a gateway inscribed with his initials in 1665. The name Il ...
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West Lothian
West Lothian ( sco, Wast Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Iar) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and was one of its shires of Scotland, historic counties. The county was called Linlithgowshire until 1925. The historic county was bounded geographically by the River Avon, Falkirk, Avon to the west and the River Almond, Lothian, Almond to the east. The modern council area occupies a larger area than the historic county. It was reshaped following local government reforms in 1975: some areas in the west were transferred to Falkirk (council area), Falkirk; some areas in the east were transferred to Edinburgh; and some areas that had formerly been part of in Midlothian were added to West Lothian. West Lothian lies on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and is predominantly rural, though there were extensive coal, iron, and shale oil mining operations in the 19th and 20th centuries. These created distinctive red-spoil heaps (locally known as "bing (mining), bings") throughout the ...
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Merk (coin)
The merk is a long-obsolete Scottish silver coin. Originally the same word as a money mark of silver, the merk was in circulation at the end of the 16th century and in the 17th century. It was originally valued at 13 shillings 4 pence (exactly of a pound Scots, or about one shilling sterling), later raised to 14''s.'' Scots. In addition to the merks, coins issued include the four merk worth 56s or £2/16/- (£2.8); the half merk (or noble), 6 shillings and 8 pence or 80d; the quarter merk, 3s and 4d or 40d; the eighth-thistle merk, worth 20d. The first issue weighed and was 50% silver and 50% base metals,. thus it contained of pure silver. "Markland", or "Merkland", was used to describe an amount of land in Scottish deeds and legal papers. It was based upon a common valuation of the land. During the "Lang Siege" of Edinburgh Castle in 1572, the last phase of the Marian civil war, the goldsmith James Cockie minted half merks in the castle, while the supporters of James VI ...
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Canmore (database)
Canmore is an online database of information on over 320,000 archaeological sites, monuments, and buildings in Scotland. It was begun by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Historic Environment Scotland has maintained it since 2015. The Canmore database is part of the National Record of the Historic Environment (or NRHE), formerly the National Monuments Record of Scotland (or NMRS) and contains around 1.3 million catalogue entries. It includes marine monuments and designated official wreck sites (those that fall under the Protection of Wrecks Act The Protection of Wrecks Act 1973 (c. 33) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which provides protection for designated shipwrecks. Section 1 of the act provides for wrecks to be designated because of historical, archaeological or ...), such as the wreck of . References External links * Archaeology of Scotland Architecture in Scotland Canmore Archives in Scotland Databas ...
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Bothy
A bothy is a basic shelter, usually left unlocked and available for anyone to use free of charge. It was also a term for basic accommodation, usually for gardeners or other workers on an estate. Bothies are found in remote mountainous areas of Scotland, Northern England, Ulster and Wales. They are particularly common in the Scottish Highlands, but related buildings can be found around the world (for example, in the Nordic countries there are wilderness huts). A bothy was also a semi-legal drinking den in the Isle of Lewis. These, such as ''Bothan Eòrapaidh'', were used until recent years as gathering points for local men and were often situated in an old hut or caravan. In Scots law, bothies are defined in law as: a building of no more than two storeys which— (a)does not have any form of— (i)mains electricity, (ii)piped fuel supply, and (iii)piped mains water supply, (b)is 100 metres or more from the nearest public road (within the meaning of section 151 of the Roads (S ...
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Airbnb
Airbnb, Inc. ( ), based in San Francisco, California, operates an online marketplace focused on short-term homestays and experiences. The company acts as a broker and charges a commission from each booking. The company was founded in 2008 by Brian Chesky, Nathan Blecharczyk, and Joe Gebbia. Airbnb is a shortened version of its original name, AirBedandBreakfast.com. The company has been the subject of criticism for lack of regulations and enabling increases in home rents. History After moving to San Francisco in October 2007, roommates and former schoolmates Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia came up with the idea of putting an air mattress in their living room and turning it into a bed and breakfast. In February 2008, Nathan Blecharczyk, Chesky's former roommate, joined as the Chief Technology Officer and the third co-founder of the new venture, which they named AirBed & Breakfast. They put together a website that offered short-term living quarters and breakfast for those who ...
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William Burn
William Burn (20 December 1789 – 15 February 1870) was a Scottish architect. He received major commissions from the age of 20 until his death at 81. He built in many styles and was a pioneer of the Scottish Baronial Revival,often referred to as the golden age of Scottish architecture. Life Burn was born in Rose Street in Edinburgh, the son of architect Robert Burn and his wife Janet Patterson. He was the fourth born and the eldest survivor of the 16 children born. William was educated at the High School in Edinburgh's Old Town. He started training with Sir Robert Smirke in London in 1808. This is where worked on Lowther Castle with C.R. Cockerell, Henry Roberts, and Lewis Vulliamy. After training with the architect Sir Robert Smirke, designer of the British Museum, he returned to Edinburgh in 1812. Here he established a practice from the family builders' yard. His first independant commission was in Renfrewshire. In 1812 he designed the exchange assembly rooms for the Gr ...
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James Hope-Johnstone, 3rd Earl Of Hopetoun
James Hope-Johnstone, 3rd Earl of Hopetoun FRSE (23 August 1741 – 29 May 1816), known as Viscount Aithrie from 1742 to 1781, was a Scottish Representative Peer and military leader. Life Hopetoun was the son of John Hope, 2nd Earl of Hopetoun, and his first wife, Lady Anne Ogilvy, daughter of James Ogilvy, 5th Earl of Findlater. His many siblings and half siblings included his sister Lady Henrietta Hope. Being set on a military career he spent from 1758 until 1764 as an Ensign (junior officer) in the British Army. He succeeded to the earldom of Hopetoun on the death of his father in 1781. He was Lord-Lieutenant of Linlithgowshire from 1794 to 1816 and sat in the House of Lords as a Scottish Representative Peer from 1784 to 1790 and from 1794 to 1796. In 1786 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Scotland. His proposers were John Walker, James Hutton and Henry Cullen. In 1809 he was created Baron Hopetoun, of Hopetoun in the County of Linlithgow, in the Peerage o ...
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James Anderson (lawyer)
James Anderson (5 August 1662 – 3 April 1728), Scottish antiquary and historian, was born at Edinburgh. His father was Patrick Anderson of Walston, a church minister, who was for some time imprisoned on the Bass Rock on the Firth of Forth in Haddingtonshire. Education and career He was educated for the law, and became a writer to the signet (Scottish solicitor or attorney) in 1691. His profession gave him the opportunity of gratifying his taste for the study of ancient documents; and just before the Act of Union 1707 the Parliament of Scotland commissioned him to prepare for publication what remained of the public records of the Kingdom of Scotland, and in their last session voted a sum of £1940 pound Scots to defray his expenses. At this work he laboured for several years; but it was not completed at his death in 1728. The book was published posthumously in 1739, edited by Thomas Ruddiman, under the title ''Selectus Diplomatum et Numismatum Scotiae Thesaurus''. Ruddiman a ...
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British Interregnum
The interregnum in the British Isles began with the Execution of Charles I, execution of Charles I of England, Charles I in January 1649 (and from September 1651 in Scotland) and ended in May 1660 when his son Charles II of England, Charles II was restoration (1660), restored to the thrones of the three realms, although he had been already acclaimed king in Scotland since 1649. During this time the monarchial system of government was replaced with the Commonwealth of England. The precise start and end of the interregnum, as well as the social and political events that occurred during the interregnum, varied in the three kingdoms and the English dominions. Prelude After the Second English Civil War, the leadership of the New Model Army felt deeply betrayed by the King because they thought that while they had been negotiating in good faith he had duplicitously gone behind their backs in making The Engagement (1647), The Engagement with the Scots and encouraging a Second English Ci ...
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John Scot, Lord Scotstarvit
Sir John Scot, Lord Scotstarvit (1585–1670), was a Scottish laird, advocate, judge, politician and author. He was Director of Chancery and a Lord of Session. His surname is often spelt as Scott, and Scotstarvit is also spelt as Scotstarvet or Scotstarver. Life He was the only son of Robert Scot the younger of Knights-Spottie in Perthshire, representative in the male line of the Scots of Buccleuch. Robert Scot succeeded to the office of director of chancery on the resignation of his father, Robert Scot the elder of Knights-Spottie, but, falling into bad health, resigned the office in 1582 in favour of his father, its former holder. Robert Scot the elder in 1592 again resigned the office to a kinsman, William Scot of Ardross, on condition that his grandson, John Scott (the subject of this article) should succeed to it on attaining majority, which he did in 1606. The Scottish chancery framed and issued crown charters, brieves, and other crown writs. The possession, loss, and effort ...
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James VI Of Scotland
James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until his death in 1625. The kingdoms of Scotland and England were individual sovereign states, with their own parliaments, judiciaries, and laws, though both were ruled by James in personal union. James was the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, and a great-great-grandson of Henry VII, King of England and Lord of Ireland, and thus a potential successor to all three thrones. He succeeded to the Scottish throne at the age of thirteen months, after his mother was compelled to abdicate in his favour. Four different regents governed during his minority, which ended officially in 1578, though he did not gain full control of his government until 1583. In 1603, he succeeded Elizabeth I, the last Tudor monarch of England and Ireland, who died childless. He c ...
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River Almond, Lothian
The River Almond ( gd, Abhainn Amain) is a river in Lothian, Scotland. It is approximately 28 miles (45 km) long, rising at Hirst Hill in Lanarkshire near Shotts, running through West Lothian and draining into the Firth of Forth at Cramond, Edinburgh. The name Almond/Amon is simply old Celtic for "river". Environment Running through areas that were dominated for much of the 20th century by heavy industry and shale- and coal mining, the River Almond has long been notorious for its high levels of pollution. With the demise of mining and heavy industry in Central Scotland, the river became cleaner, and it is being actively repopulated by wildlife: there is a healthy population of brown trout and there are improving runs of both Atlantic salmon (''Salmo salar'') and sea trout (''Salmo trutta''). There is also a good array of birds to be seen around the river banks, including dippers, kingfishers and grey herons, and increasing numbers of otters are being reported. The river is ...
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