Panoramic image of the Pentland Hills
The Pentlands would have been settled from earliest times, with the Gododdin or Votadini the dominant Celtic tribe of the Lothians most probably settling, farming and defending their upland and fertile territories. These peoples would have witnessed the arrival of the Romans, with whom they co-existed, as Agricola’s army built their base at Cramond in AD 79.
Medieval Pentlands saw Sir Henri de Brad, the 12th Century Sheriff of Edinburgh, taking hunting parties over his lands around Glencorse. Robert the Bruce also frequented the area with his dogs, as he pursued the white stag. The Pentland Hills Producers' signboard at Kirkton Farm will tell you more of that story.
In Blaeu’s early map of Scotland
(1654) we learn of a rich, fertile and populous region. He described
this areas thus:
“Lothian is named from Loth, king of the Picts; on the north
east it is bounded by the Forth or the Scottish Sea, and faces the Clyde
valley on the south west. This region far exceeds the others in the
cultivation of humanity and in the supply of the necessities of life.
It is watered by five rivers, the Tyne, both Esks (which join in one
channel before they fall into the sea), the Leith and the Almond. These
flow down into the Forth partly from the Lammermuir Mountains, partly
from the Pentlands. For towns it has Dunbar, Hadina, in the vernacular
Haddington, Dalkeith, Edinburgh, Leith and Linlithgow”
(External)
Blaeu
Atlas of Scotland, 1654
The Pentland rising of 1666 culminated in the Battle of Rullion Green. On a bleak November day over 50 Covenaters were killed at the hands of General Tam Dalziel of The Binns’s army, as they fought to exercise their presbyterian faith. A memorial and plaque can be seen near the battlesite.
Drove roads are an abiding legacy of historical farming traditions. These routes were used to drive cattle to and from markets (trysts) in West Linton, Biggar and Falkirk. The Cauldstane Slap was one of the most heavily used routes witnessing 150,000 head of cattle in one year.
Water supply developments began in the Pentlands as early as the 17th century with the construction of the cistern at Swanston. However construction began in earnest during the 19th Century with most of the Parks remaining reservoirs built during that time.
Much of the social history of folk who have lived and worked in the Pentlands has been recorded by the Regional Park. They tell of the tough life of shepherds and farmers and the conditions and changes they have witnessed in the hills. Articles relating to these topics appear regularly in the Pentland Beacon .
The Regional Park has 12 Scheduled Ancient Monuments and a number of listed buildings within it. We inherit a rich and interesting history. Enjoy and explore it.
For more information try these links
(External)
Historic
Scotland
(External)
Ancient
Lothian
(External)
About
the Battle of Rullion green
Image of hills
Image of a reservoir
Image of a reservoir
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Pentland
Hills Regional Park, Boghall Farm, Edinburgh, EH10 7DX, UK
Telephone 0131 445 3383 | Fax 0131 445 3003 | Email
pentlandhills@edinburgh.gov.uk