Historic county of Scotland
Midlothian
Meadhan Labhdaidh / Edinburghshire / County of Edinburgh
Capital and Forth shore north, Pentlands and Moorfoots rising south.
Midlothian / Edinburghshire runs from the southern shore of the Firth of Forth into the hills of southern Scotland. Edinburgh dominates the northern county, while inland the landscape passes through river valleys, farmland and increasingly open hill country.
That makes Midlothian much more than a rural hinterland around the capital. Edinburgh is itself part of the geographic county, and the contrast between great city, firth-side lowland and southern uplands is fundamental to Midlothian’s character. The city grew within the county landscape; it did not replace it.
- Ancient heart of Lothian
- Sheriffdom recorded c.1120
- 'Midlodine' in charters
- Area: 362 sq mi
- Population: 621,610
- County Top: Blackhope Scar
County geography
Current Census
Contemporary Census profile
Scotland Census 2022. Detailed contemporary statistics are available in the Geographic County Census Explorer.
- Population density
- 1,841.8 people per sq mi (711.13 people per km²)
From Forth to hills
The county changes markedly from north to south.
Dense settlement around the capital and Forth gives way inland to valleys and agricultural country before rising into the Pentland and Moorfoot hills.
A capital within a county
Edinburgh’s scale can obscure the geography around it.
Yet the city, its suburbs, river valleys and neighbouring uplands remain parts of the same broader Midlothian landscape. Urban growth crossed and transformed land; it did not create a new geographic county.
Hills behind the city
The Pentlands provide a dramatic upland edge immediately behind the capital, while the Moorfoots create more extensive hill country further south-east.
Together they give the county a substantial rural and upland dimension alongside its overwhelmingly urban northern image.
County questions
Questions about Midlothian
Are Midlothian and Edinburghshire different counties?
No. They are long-established alternative names for the same geographic county. County of Edinburgh is another historical form.
Is Edinburgh geographically in Midlothian?
Yes. Edinburgh is geographically in Midlothian. The City of Edinburgh council area is a separate local-government area.
Is the Midlothian council area the same thing as Midlothian?
No. The council area is a separate local-government area and does not define the geographic county.
County record
Names and continuity
- Formal name
- County of Midlothian
- Local name
- Meadhan Labhdaidh
- Alternative name
- Edinburghshire
- Foundation
- 12th Century
Midlothian, Edinburghshire and County of Edinburgh are forms associated with the same county. Capital, Forth plain and southern hills together form its enduring geography.