Dalkeith

About Dalkeith

Dalkeith a town in Midlothian, Scotland, situated near the River Esk with a population of around 12,500 people. It is the administrative centre for Midlothian. It was originally a market town drawing in produce from all across southern Scotland and then onwards to Edinburgh. On one side of the High Street is the Corn Exchange, once Scotland's largest indoor grain market.

The large stately home of Dalkeith House, it has a long history and has passed through many hands, thought to have started life as a small castle in the 1100s. In the 1570s it was transformed by 4th Earl of Morton into Dalkeith Palace, and in 1642 it was sold to the Earls of Buccleuch. In 1650, Oliver Cromwell's army came to Dalkeith. His officer General George Monck, was Commander in Scotland, and the government of the country was based out of Dalkeith castle.
In 1879, Dalkeith was where William Ewart Gladstone started his campaign for British Prime Minister, which became known as the "Midlothian Campaign".