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Peter McLagan MP, was an extraordinary local character, and the longest-serving MP (next to Tam Dalyell) that this area had in 300 years. Peter McLagan was born in 1823 in Demarara, the then-colony of British Guyana in South America. His father - also known as Peter - jointly owned a plantation there. Of his mother we know nothing, only that his father had a 'relationship' from which he and an elder brother, John, were born. As a result of a decision by the British Parliame

The sign welcoming visitors to Pumpherston says “Historic centre of shale oil industry.” This simple description belies the enormity of the place that Pumpherston had in the Scottish - and indeed the British - economy for almost a century. Between the late 1800s and the mid 1900s, Pumpherston was the epicentre of Britain's most important industry and many villages around West Lothian were practically owned by the Pumpherston Oil Company. Many companies jumped on the very lucr