| AdminHistory | Armadale was a Burgh in the county of West Lothian (formerly know as Linlithgowshire). It was created in 1864 when many of the villages' residents including James Clark, petitioned the Sheriff for the adoption of the General Police and Improvement (Scotland) Act, 1862. The villagers were successful and the adoption of the Act enabled Armadale to become a police burgh which would be governed by police governors. These governors had the power to form a police force and also to provide street lighting, drainage and sewerage in the burgh area.
The inaugural meeting of the Commissioners of the Burgh of Armadale was subsequently held on Monday, 18th April, 1864. The commissioners were were elected by householders from amongst the local populace and on inauguration were: Robert Thompson, baker; Archibald MaDonald, merchant; Matthew Donaldson, merchant; George Brown, shoemaker; Matthew Wilson, grocer; Thomas Harvie, farmer; John Simpson, Wright; James Clark, Manager for Messrs J & J McLelland and Joseph Syson, Feuar. During the following years of the operation of the police burgh, the following g men also acted as Senior Commissioners; Robert Thomson, baker (1864-1867), George Brown, shoemaker (1867-1870), Thomas Harvie, farmer - Barbauchlaw Mill, (1870-1873), John Aitken, grocer (1873-1876), John Eason (1876-1879), Thomas Elder, baker (1879-1882), Thomas Pow, miner,tailor, fruiterer and confectioner (1882-1885) (Thomas Power was the first Senior Commissioner to be referred to as Provost) Thomas Robertson, fireclay manufacturer (1885-1891 and 1893-1894) and William Marshall, farmer (1894-1900).
The inaugural meeting also appointed George Sinclair, solicitor, Bathgate as clerk to the Commissioners in terms of the statute. Mr Thompson served as Senior Commissioner whilst Mr MacDonald and Mr Donaldson served as Senior Magistrates of Police. The Commissioners of the Burgh of Armadale were responsible for providing a supply of water to the Burgh , and Mr Kennedy, a Civil Engineer, from Glasgow was appointed to superintend the water works. The Commissioners were also responsible for the establishment of a Roll or book of Assessment from the Valuation Roll in terms of the Statute.
The 1900 Town Councils (Scotland) Act (63 & 64 Vict, c49) abolished the Police Commissioners; This body was superseded by the Town Council of Armadale and its first meeting was held on Monday 14th January 1901. The following individuals served as Provost during the years of operation of this body; Adam Arthur Wilson (1900-1905), Robert Smith, miner and political agent (1905-1914), John Wilson, licensed grocer (1914-1917), James Binnie Greig (1917-1926), Neil McNeil Hailstones, miner, (1926-1929), John Wardrope, mine fireman (1929-1932), Hugh Parker Wotherspoon, Armadale Co-op Man. Secy. (1932-1936), Ebenezer Calder (1936-1939), Thomas Russell, coalminer (1939-1942), James McKeown (1943-1955), William Ferrier (1955-1958), John Spence McNeil, steel moulder (1958-1961), Charles King, miner (1961-1964), William Wilson Watson, warehouseman (1964-1967), George Ewart, coalminer (1967-1970), Francis Fagan, steel moulder, (1970-1971) and William Ferrier (1971-1975).
In the year of 1918, the town council adopted an official Burgh Coat of Arms and seal.. The seal was to be used for the sealing of all municipal and legal documents instructed by the town council.
The role and power of Armadale town council changed following the enactment of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1929 which made a distinction between "large" and "small" burghs. Burghs, like Armadale, that had a populace of below 20,000 were classed as small burghs. This meant that a number of the town council's powers were transferred to the county council.
The town council operated until 1975 when it was wound up as part of a re-organisation of local government, under the terms of Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 (c65). The re-organisation created two new bodies, West Lothian District Council and Lothian Regional Council.
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