West Calder is of very ancient date. The Established Church dates as far back as 
1643. The old village proper is on the east side of the Sykeburn. West of that were all 
detached houses, thatched with straw, and some with dried heather, having a small 
cow shed and stable all under the one roof. There was a common barn for the cottars 
getting their corn thrashed in. It stood where View Bank is now built. The place 
where the central buildings of Co-operative Society are now built was termed
Gutter Hole, and where Darling's House is was Whin Bush and Cleugh Head farm. 
Behind Knowetap, at one time, a market was held. It was all a common, belonging to 
the village, covering about two acres. There was also a road down to the water for 
taking the cattle and horses for drinking, as there were only three public wells, not 
obtainable at all times, the rest of the wells being all private, and locked in the 
summer time in dry weather.

There was also another public well, on the north side of the Happy Land, close to the 
water named the Penny Well, a great resort for young lads and lassies going for water 
at night, There was a wood at the place called Jackson's Planting.  At one time there 
was a small cellar which stood in the centre of the road, opposite Mr Milne's public-
house, with a narrow roadway on each side, which was used for carrier's quarters, as 
at that time there were no railways near the village, and a carrier went to Edinburgh 
either to take or to bring goods.  There was a coach ran twice. a week from Edinburgh 
to Ayr, but latterly it ran only to Longridge, where a railway was constructed in a 
small way, and at the finish it only came to Bellsquarry and turned.  If business led 
any one to town on other days, they had to walk in and back, unless they could get a 
lift in one of the carts which carried the churned milk and butter to Edinburgh, leaving 
the farm places about midnight, and returning next day about 5 p.m. As there were no 
post offices, the letters cost eightpence for transmission to Edinburgh, and more if 
going a further distance.  The newspapers cost one shilling and they were read by 
nearly all the villagers, each paying his share.  They only got it once a week.

A good number could not read very well, and bookkeeping was very sparingly 
attended to.  A story is told of a grocer, who had also a quarry near the village, and 
when settling an account with a customer for goods, charged him for a cheese. "I 
never got a cheese," said the man.  On looking again "Ah! " said the grocer, " I have 
made a mistake it was a grindstone.  I had a round mark, but forgot to put a hole in the 
middle of it." Another mason had his estimate for a farm building marked on the back 
of a milestone.  About that time there were only about 400 inhabitants in the village, 
and there were no public clocks, or many timepieces at all, and to make up for it a 
drum was sent through the village every morning at five o'clock to waken the people 
for their work, and at ten at night to get to bed.  There was always a bell on the Parish 
Church, and one night it began to ring about twelve o'clock, when all the villagers got 
out, wondering if the last day was coming near.  The minister and a few others went 
into the church, although a little timorous, to see the cause of the ringing, but nothing 
could be seen.  It turned out latterly that a worthy had a string attached to the bell, and 
carried over the house now the Commercial Inn, into Mr Fairley's woodyard, and was 
there pulling away at it.

A good trade was always carried on, although so few people were about the place.  
There were always two separate blacksmiths' shops, two joiners, three tailors, one 
shoemaker, and one mason.
Some of the same men's descendants are in the village yet, viz.:- Fairley, Brown, 
Hope, Robb, Gowans.  There were also a good many weavers, trade coming from the 
surrounding district.

There was only one merchant.His name was Robert Jackson, a relative of the Laird of 
Torphin. His shop was where Mr Thomson, the coach hirer, now lives. It latterly
passed into a public-house, carried on by the late Mr Jackson. His was a general trade, 
and after he died the business was taken up by the late Andrew Mungle, who 
commenced business in a very small way where John Thomson has his business
premises. The first pound of sugar he sold was to an old native named May 
Edmonston, or Mrs Seggie. He had no paper, and he put it into her old-fashioned 
apron. Paper was very dear at that time. As business increased, he built the
present premises occupied by A. Mungle & Sons. Before operations commenced the 
road was cut, as seen from Darling's garden wall, and a bridge built across the 
Sykeburn.

A story is told of the late A. Mungle.  Arriving in Edinburgh early one morning, 
having driven in through the night, and walking along the streets, waiting for the 
business premises opening, he was accosted by a man, a stranger, who said, "If you 
give me a shilling, I could give you a tip you might be the better of." So, through 
curiosity, the shilling was given.  " Well," said the man, " if ever you are on the tread 
mill keep next the wall; you get a lean to."

For a long time there was no resident medical man in the district.  The first one was 
Dr. Mortimer, and after him came Dr. M'Leitchie, who gained an extensive practice, 
and was succeeded by his son, Dr. John.  Previous to that time the doctoring was 
carried on by skilled women.  The older native inhabitants are fast dying out.  Mizzie 
Anderson, in her homely way of making verse, gives a great contrast to the population 
of the parish now:-

There was Andrew Mole, the cloth merchant,
And Jamie Stewart, the grocer ;
There was Ned Brown, the blacksmith,
And Rob Tod, the flesher.

There was Jenny Clarkson, enour the close,
And Willie Lamb, the wright;
There was Davie Bryce, the heckler,
And Robertson, the smith.

There was John Clarkson, at the head o' the toun,
And James Hope, in the middle;
There was Davie Robb, on the stairhead,
And Mary and her dribble.
There was Somerville, in Spring Gardens, And Elder, in Honeyfield; 
There was Hamilton, the carrier, Willie Fairley and his deil.

There was John Wood, the publican,
And Jamie Muir, the sinner;
There was Mig and the tree leg,
And auld Maul, the spinner.

There was Jamie Lind, of Bentyhead,
And Elder, in Birniehill;
There was Lourie up on West Muir,
And Inglis, in Breichmill.

There was Willic Murray, in Mossend, 
And Brown, in Clawfordsyke;
There was Henderson, in Briston Hill, 
And Vernor, in Breichdyke.

There was Robbie Walker, in Rosebank,
His son, into Langside;
There was Johnnie Bryce, in Cock my Lane,
For there he likes to bide.

There was Will Smith, of Longford, 
James Smith ' of Mountain Blaw; 
There was James Gray, of Rusha Farm,
And Fleming, of Black Ha'

Some others are -Smith, Henderson, Thomson, Gowans, Brown, Fairley, Robb, 
Clarkson, Mungle, and a few others.  Most of them have either left the place, or died 
in it.

Let us now look for a little to the outside of the village.  There were a few public 
works in the parish, such as the coal pits of Longford, Breichmill, Muirhousedykes, 
Woodmuir, and Baadsmill.  There is a great difference now in the method of raising 
coal from what it was in these old days ; the worker's- both men and women-having to 
carry the coals on their backs up a long winding stair without any protection from 
falling down the pit, or by the old-fashioned jen.

A story is told of a disreputable horse-dealer, who came sometimes about the place 
and who was seldom out of a scrape.  The law officers were after him, and to escape 
them he went down the pit stair, and having got too much drink soon fell into a sound 
sleep.  The colliers going down to their work in the morning found to their surprise, 
Canty Meikle, by name, at the bottom of the pit.  He arose quite dumbfoundered, 
wondering where he was, and the miners all crowding round him asked who he was.  
"Ah!" said Canty, "when I was on earth I was a horse-dealer, but I will be anything 
you like here, you devils."

There were a few limestone quarries, such as Leavenseat and Baadsmill, which gave 
work to a good many men.  The landed proprietors also gave a good deal of work to 
the people, such as Young of Hayfield, Harburn.  It was nothing unusual to see about 
20 men and women going there to their work; also Mr Mowbery, Hartwood, and Lord 
Hermand, who kept on the workers until they were not able to walk the distance.  
Once Lord Hermand's foreman wanted to put away some of the old men who could 
not do a day's work; he mentioned a few names, his Lordship asked if they had 
anything to go with, not a farthing said the man; then you may go yourself, you will 
have something to go with,. and he put away the foreman and kept the old people.  At 
the time when his Lordship was distributing meal among his old people, the foreman 
said "there was no use giving old Nanny so much, for she was a great waster." Then 
give her double, she will need it all." Once his Lordship was in the Established 
Church, and a farmer, sitting behind him, was singing rather coarsely, when his 
Lordship turning round said " hold your tongue, bay baying there like a calf by-the-
bye you never paid me for the last calf you bought from me."

Five old proprietors still remain in possession of the land now, viz.-Muldron, 
Meadowhead, Baads Barony, Blackhill, and Crosswoodhill, the other lands having 
changed hands.  There are also few farmers in possession of the farms of their 
forefathers, and Smith and Thomson are perhaps the only two.

About the first quarter of this century Cobbinshaw Loch was formed as a feeder to the 
Union Canal; that raised labour greatly, and gave work to a great number of labourers; 
it has been extensively repaired since.  Two brick and tile works were commenced, 
and from them the local farmers got tiles and had their land drained, which brought 
great numbers of Irish labourers about the place, and a good number of their 
descendants have remained since.  Before the police officers were constituted there 
were baton men sworn in to protect property, and the prisoners were taken before 
Lord Hermand for sentence.  Education was carried on by self-taught teachers until 
the Parish School was introduced, which did good work.  There was also an adventure 
school, both schools turning out many good men, such as Lind, the builder of Sir 
Walter Scott's Monument, Princes Street, Edinburgh, and Gowans, the teacher of 
navigation for the British Navy.  As the population grew, a United Presbyterian 
Church was built in 1800, when the Rev. William Fleming was the first placed 
minister there. A tablet to his memory may be seen in the present United Presbyterian 
Church.  The Free Church was built in 1843, the memorial stone was laid by the late 
Miss Mowbery, Hartwood.  In 1845 the Caledonian Railway was made from 
Edinburgh to Carlisle, which was a great boom to the place; trade increased, giving 
work to a great number of people.  Houses became of more value.  Previous to that 
time some of the houses lost their owners, and no one would claim them owing to the 
feu duty having fallen back in payment.  In 1850 the Kaffir war broke out, and in  
1854 the Russian war was also commenced. 	A good number of the West Calder 
young men joined the	army, such as Captain Joseph Maitland, Hermand,and Messrs 
Spense, Thomson, two Seggles, Sommerville, Lamb,Wardrop, and a good many 
more.  At one time the Sappers and Miners came to the place to take a survey for the 
Government; they put up in Mrs Jackson's public house, and kept the small flags used 
for their land marks in a small cellar belonging to her.  Some of the young men, not 
having anything better to do, broke into it through the night, and took out the flags 
and placed them on the tops of the thatched houses throughout the village.  An old 
worthy going out early in the morning saw the village decorated, and gave the 
expression "I thought West Calder would turn out something, it has turned out a 
seaport town."

A Freemasons' Lodge was formed, and after a time the present building was executed, 
and a sick and funeral society was also formed, which has been a great benefit to its 
members.

Coming down to 186o, when Fell's oil work was commenced, West Calder became a 
very different place, and from being a quiet country hamlet, it turned a very busy 
centre for the oil industry, and in 1864 James Young of Limefield commenced his oil 
work on the land of Breichmill, then in possession of the late William Smith, and 
Muirhall, then in the hands of the late Andrew Mungle, merchant, West Calder.  The 
place now grew into one of the busiest centres for Paraffin oil in the country.  Houses 
were built in the village in great numbers.  Addiewell village was formed, Happy 
Land, and Mossend, and Gavieside were all built at that time for the workmen.

At the last census, taken in 1891, West Calder village had I,777 . Happy Land, 738; 
Mossend, including Brandy Braes, 850; Gavieside, 555 Hermand, including Harburn, 
1018; Addiewell, 1696; and the whole population of the Parish was 8,455. There were 
4,682 males, 3,773 females.

With an increased population the mortality also naturally increased, and the old 
graveyard became far too small A new cemetery was formed on the farm of 
Burngrange, and the total number of burials that have taken place in the cemetery up 
to December 1895, since the opening, is 3,664.  The churches became too small also, 
and a new United Presbyterian Church was built, as was also a new Free Church, and 
latterly a new Established Church at the west-end of the village, and also a Catholic 
Church and school.

When the works started all the traffic was carried on from Harburn station.  One 
morning the whole of the village was turned out to see 16 horses yoked to a boggy 
with a large boiler on it,. it was a grand sight to see so many horses coming up 
Morrispool Brae.with it.  At that time shale became all the rage, it was no uncommon 
thing to see two or three gentlemen coming through the village carrying a bag and a 
hammer in search of shale, so much so, that there was an old coal house on the side of 
the street covered with Leavenseat slates, and it was nearly	striped by these searchers 
taking away a portion

Nine oil works started in the Parish, viz. :- Fell's, Young's, Raeburn's, Blackbraes, 
Dennett's, Hermand Oil Co, Cobbinshaw, and Leavenseat, but at the present time 
there is only one, viz. :-Young's Paraffin Light and Mineral Oil Co. Limited.  After 
James Young got his work all complete he formed it into a limited company.  We take 
the following account from " History of West Calder by a Native," which may be of 
interest to the reader.

About the year 1850 the late Dr.'James Young having had the management of a small 
natural mineral oil work in Derbyshire, the supply of which oil was very limited, and 
consequently soon became exhausted.  He then turned his attention to extracting oil 
from coal, and after some experimental trials made in Glasgow and Manchester, and 
having, patented a process for extracting the oil, arranged with other two gentlemen to 
erect works at Bathgate, in the immediate neighbourhood of the Boghead Mineral 
Field, for carrying on the destractive distillation of that mineral, and the purification 
of the products therefrom.  These works were carried on until near the completion of 
the patent in 1864.  During the above period it was found that the extent of that most 
valuable mineral was limited, and no doubt the then firm would be on the outlook for 
some other oil-yielding material.

The shale discovered on the lands of Muirhall, Addiewell and Breichmill, in the 
Parish of West Calder, after careful experiments, was found to yield the then principal 
product desired, viz., burning oil.  About 1864 a commencement was made by Mr 
Young in erecting the extensive works at Addiewell on his own account, and in the 
latter end of 1865 Young's Paraffin Light and Mineral Oil Company Limited, was 
formed to take over the original Bathgate and the Addiewell Works, together with the 
various branches throughout the kingdom.  The Addiewell Works soon became the 
principal seat of the Oil industry in Scotland, and in the course of ten years from the 
erection of the works, employment was given to about 1,300 men.

In 1864, when Mr Young's patent elapsed, a number of paraffin oil works throughout 
the then known shale district, were started, and the parish of West Calder had a large 
share of the new industry.  Works of considerable extent were erected on Gavieside, 
Charlesfield, Burngrange, and Hermand; and a small work was also erected near 
Bellsquarry.  These works being all of considerable extent, although we have not been 
able to gain any data as to the number of men employed, would add greatly to the 
population, and to the amount of money circulated in the village.  At a later period 
two oil works were erected at Cobbinshaw, one at Leavenseat, on the estate of 
Hartwood, and one to the south of West Calder, near the Harburn Road.  Some of the 
works named were not very extensive, and, after a few years' experience, had to be 
abandoned owing to the enormous supply of petroleum from America, and 
consequent reduction in the value of paraffin oil. The crude oil work at Leavenseat 
has been working until recently, but all the other oil works in the parish have been 
abandoned since 1877, with the exception of the Addiewell work, which, since that 
period, has been very considerably increased, and now after twenty years' existence, 
with the shale mines connected therewith, gives employment to about 2,000 men.

During the time that Young's patent existed, burning oil was the most important 
product.  Sulphate of ammonia, heavy oil for lubricating purposes, and paraffin waxes 
were not so much thought of as they have since become.  With the reduced prices for 
burning oil, other products from the shale had to be carefully looked after and a short 
time after the Addiewell works were in operation, when it was found that the shales 
were richer in nitrogen than the Boghead mineral, experiments were made for 
recovering it in the form of sulphate of ammonia; this was first introduced at the 
Addiewell works.  More recently heavy mineral oil, for lubricating purposes, has 
become an important product.  The Boghead mineral, although yielding a large 
percentage of oil, was poor in paraffin, and a refinery formed part of the works at 
Bathgate, and the refined wax was sold to candle makers, principally in London.  A 
candle making house at Addiewell formed part of the original plan, and, although for 
a number of years the trade was riot very extensive, it has, up till now, increased in a' 
greater ratio than any of the other departments of the works and from statements in 
the public prints 4,000 tons of candles per annum can now be turned out.

Young's Company, while giving employment to so large a number of men, are also 
the highest ratepayers in the parish.  The ratable value of their property in 1884 was 
upwards of £11,000, the whole ratable value of property in the parish being,£51,615.

With such an addition of the population Young's Company found it necessary to 
build houses for their workmen, and these are situated in three principal groups, viz. 
:-at Addiewell ,and Muirhall (362), for the men employed in the works; and at 
Happyland, West Calder, and Mossend (320) houses, for the men employed in the 
mining department.  In 1879 they purchased the West Calder Oil Works, including 
the workmen's houses known as the Gavieside rows (108), and also the shale fields 
at South Cobbinshaw.  Since then they have purchased a group Of 59 houses at 
Cobbinshaw oil and brick works.

It may be fair to assume that the parish of West Calder, has been most materially 
benefited by the discovery of the shale and the paraffin industry.  In 1851 the parish 
is described as abounding in coal and ironstone, and as having, some quarries of 
limestone; the parish town being a small village on the road from Edinburgh to 
Lanark, and the population of the parish being 2,120. In 1884 the estimated 
population was 7,900.

There is no doubt but that the rush to erect oil works, from 1865 to 1868, led to the 
Caledonian Railway Company making their Cleland and Mid Calder Branch Line, 
which passes through the parish and has added greatly to its prosperity.  The 
Railway Company is the second highest ratepayer in the parish, the ratable value of 
their property in 1884 being £9,725.

An extract from West Calder and its Co-operative Society; published in 1896 to 
commemorate 'the Society's Coming of Age'