Old Photograph Market Square Mid Calder Scotland

Old photograph of shops, houses, and people on Market Square in Mid Calder in West Lothian, Scotland. This Scottish town is located on a steep hill overlooking the River Almond and Calder Wood, around 15 miles west of Edinburgh. The town has been on a major crossroads since its origin some time in the eleventh century. For centuries a large part of the economy of the Scottish Highlands revolved around the breeding and trading of Highland Cows. They were moved along drove roads from all parts of the country, including some of the islands, to trysts or markets held in Crieff and Falkirk. Most of the cattle would then be driven south to feed consumers in England. Several of the drove routes used came together at Mid Calder. Huge herds of cattle would come across fords or bridges over the River Almond before crossing the Pentland Hills to West Linton. The peak year was 1840 when some 150,000 cattle passed through the area over the three months from August to October. This traffic helped support no fewer than nine public houses in the village.





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