Pumpherston
| Pumpherston | |
|---|---|
 The last remains of a shale bing by Pumpherston |
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 Pumpherston
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| Pumpherston shown within West Lothian | |
| OS grid reference | NT071690 |
| Civil parish | |
| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LIVINGSTON |
| Postcode district | EH53 |
| Dialling code | 01506 |
| Police | Scottish |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament | |
| Scottish Parliament | |
Pumpherston is a small dormitory village in West Lothian, Scotland. Originally a small industrial village to the nearby shale mine and works, it now adjoins the new town of Livingston, which was constructed alongside Pumpherston in the late 1960s and quickly grew much larger than its neighbours.
The history Pumpherston, the story of a shale oil village was commissioned by BP and collated and edited by local area historian Sybil Cavanagh. This book acknowledges a previous history by a Mr Vic Armstrong. Both books are out of print as of 2009.
The specific oil shale retort, invented in 1894 and marking the separation of the oil shale industry from the coal industry, is named after the village.
There does not seem to be an unambiguous derivation for the origin of the name.
Various suggestions have been made as to the meaning of the name Pumpherston. One writer suggested it was from 'pamper', a short thickset man; another suggested it was from 'pundler', the official in the middle ages who impounded stray cattle. [A more likely] derivation is from [Brythonic] 'ap Humphrey' meaning son of Humphrey.
Pomphray was probably [the name of] one of the Flemish (Belgian) noblemen invited by King David I and his grandson Malcolm IV to settle in Scotland in the twelfth century ... Pomphray would have been granted the lands north of the Almond in return for serving the king in battle ... around the castle built by Pomphray, probably a wooden structure later replaced by a stone building, would have grown up a little settlement and farm to house and feed his adherents and servants - Pomphray's town.
Manu de Pomphray was a Belgian mercenary who was rewarded for his "deeds" by King Malcolm circa 1130-1145
—Sybil Cavanagh et al.
There is evidence of the Roman occupation approximately two miles north east of Pumpherston - at Roman Camp, near Broxburn.
Pumpherston shares a primary school, Pumpherston & Uphall Station Community Primary School, with near neighbour Uphall Station. For secondary education is provided at nearby Broxburn Academy.
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Wikipedia