Roslin, Midlothian

Roslin (formerly spelt Rosslyn or Roslyn) is a village in Midlothian, Scotland, 7 miles (11 km) to the south of the capital city Edinburgh. It stands on high ground, near the northwest bank of the river North Esk.

Roslin

The centre of the village
Roslin
Location within Midlothian
OS grid referenceNT268634
Council area
Lieutenancy area
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townROSLIN
Postcode districtEH25
Dialling code0131
PoliceScotland
FireScottish
AmbulanceScottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament

The name

The name Roslin (recorded around 1240 as Roskelyn) probably derives from the Celtic words ros, meaning a moor, and celyn, meaning holly. An alternative derivation is from Gaelic ros, meaning a rocky promontory, and linne, meaning a waterfall or pool.[1] The theory that it is a corruption of Roseline, a supposed medieval meridian passing through Paris and Rosslyn Chapel, is fanciful.

History

Legend has it the village was founded in 203 A.D. by Asterius, a Pict.

In 1303 Roslin was the site of a battle of the First War of Scottish Independence.

In 1446, Rosslyn Chapel was constructed, under the guide of William Sinclair, 1st Earl of Caithness.

Roslin became important as the seat of the St Clair (or Sinclair) family. In 1456 King James II granted it the status of a burgh. Coal mining has been a major occupation from the twelfth to the late twentieth centuries.

From the 19th century onward, the attractions of the Glen, Castle and Chapel developed Roslin as a popular tourist destination. Notable visitors included J. M. W. Turner,[2]William Wordsworth (who wrote a poem in the chapel whilst escaping a storm)[3] and his sister Dorothy, who wrote “'I never passed through a more delicious dell than the glen of Rosslyn”.[4] William Morris visited in March 1887, noting in his Socialist Diary that Roslin was "a beautiful glen-ny landscape much spoiled . . . by the misery of Scotch building and a manufactory or two."

On the north-western side of the village used to be Roslin Institute, a biological research establishment, where in 1996 Dolly the sheep became the first animal to be cloned from an adult somatic cell.[5] It moved to Easter Bush in 2011.

Places of interest

The village sits on the west side of Roslin Glen, now a country park. Overlooking the Glen are Rosslyn Chapel and Roslin Castle.

Roslin War Memorial

The elaborately carved chapel has long been associated with the Knights Templar and the Grail legend,[6] and featured in the best selling book The Da Vinci Code. The popularity of the book and the use of the chapel as a location in the subsequent film greatly increased the number of visitors to the village.[7]

Rosslyn Castle, owned by the family of the Earl of Rosslyn since the 14th century, is in partial ruins.[4] The habitable parts are let as holiday accommodation.[8]

A monument cairn erected by the Roslin Heritage Society at the end of last century, marks the site of the Battle of Roslin.

Notable residents
gollark: You apparently care enough to say "HAHAHA I DO NOT CARE ABOUT PRIVACY" on Discord for several decaminutes, but *not* to spend five installing firefox?
gollark: But they could, I don't know, pass it onto employees/other companies, and they could... blackmail you, pass it onto repressive governments, who knows.
gollark: Well, that's unlikely.
gollark: I mean, I expect to live for a while, maybe we'll have some way to work around stupid stuff like "aging" before I would otherwise die.
gollark: OR IS IT?

See also

References
  1. Plaque at Rosslyn Chapel
  2. "J.M.W. Turner: Sketchbooks, Drawings and Watercolours". Tate Gallery. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  3. William Wordsworth. "Composed in Roslin Chapel During A Storm". Bartleby.com. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  4. "Rosslyn Castle History". The Landmark Trust. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  5. 1997: Dolly the sheep is cloned On This Day, BBC News online
  6. Hargraves, Neil. "Rosslyn and the Grail Myths". scotland.org, Scottish government website. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  7. Da Vinci Code tourists flock to Scottish chapel, Sue Leemam, Associated Press published on msn,com
  8. "Rosslyn Castle". Landmark Trust. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
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