The West Lothian education committee (sorry, education services committee) had a rare chance of a history lesson on Tuesday fromthe director of education (sorry, corporate manager education services).
At issue was the all-important new name to be given to the education offices in Bathgate. The options were Bruce House, Simpson House and Lindsay House, each accompanied by a helpful note from the corporate manager on the relevance to the town of Robert the Bruce’s daughter, Sir James Young Simpson and the Rev John Lindsay (a local minister).
Simpson’s claims were tenuous, the council’s report explained. Although he was born in the town he did not make his famed discovery of the anaesthetic properties of chloroform until he was well away from Bathgate. Not a town, clearly, to put anyone to sleep.
The votes eventually piled up for Lindsay, a truly local lad.
