Cultrig bents was a farm to the West of Whitburn, West Lothian, Eh47
Cultrig bents was one of the cult estate near Whitburn, West Lothian’s man’s farms. One of several Steadings that once occupied this beautiful area at the foot of polkemmet moor.
Cultrig Bents
Where was Cultrig Bents?
Cultrig Bents was One of the Cult estates furthermost Southern Farms which lay at the foot of Polkemmet Moor. It’s name’s derived from the Celtic translation ‘Ceit’ (Cult), meaning Hill, ‘Rig’ meaning a Ridge and Bents, meaning ‘Long Grass’. Grassy Ridge of a Hill. The Farm on the Grassy Hill.
Not as fertile and flat to plough as the lower lands of the Cult estate to the North, Cultrig Bent kept Livestock. Namely sheep. This would have been suitable for the terrain. This part of the estate was starting to climb up to Polkemmet Moor. This was where the smooth arable crop fields started getting rougher and rockier as it merged with the heath. Not the greatest of terrain for cultivation. But perfect for sheep hers to graze in.
What happened to it?
The site on which Cultrig Bents was situated on was partm of an extensive Industrial enterprise on the Cult estate and in the late 19th century, the farm was abandoned to make way for coal mining.
Cultrig Bents Pit
Coal mining was carried out here in the late 19th century when the Cultrig Bents Colliery was established. However, this only lasted a short while before being swallowed up by the expanding Greenrig Pit a few yards to the west of the site.
Greenrig Colliery
The later, larger Pit that was Greenrig Colliery had been sunk about a hundred yards to the West of Cultrig Bents Colliery. This newer Pit soon grew larger and swallowed up Cultrig bents whose workings were abandoned. The Greenrig pit was later closed down and swallowed up by the much larger and modern deep shaft mine of Polkemmet colliery about a mile to the East. But the Old workings and railway sidings of Greenrig Colliery were still ruins that could be seen clearly until its overhaul in 2008 as part of the ‘Heartlands’ project.
What do you Know?
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