Whitehill () is a village in Midlothian in the south-east of Scotland, approximately 1.5 miles (2 km) south-east of Dalkeith and 8.5 miles (13.6 km) from Edinburgh. The village is situated on the northwest slope of the Mayfield-Tranent ridge which spans the border between Midlothian and East Lothian. Both road entrances to the village offer magnificent panoramic views over Edinburgh, the Firth of Forth and the Pentland Hills. Etymology The name of the village comes from the name of the farmstead situated near to the entrance/exit of the village towards Edgehead. The name of the farm may have been derived from the definition of unploughed arable farmland as being 'white' or from the definition of hill land that is covered with bent grass (rather than bracken or heather) as being 'white'. Snow can fall and accumulate during the winter months and, as the village is at higher elevation than the Esk valley, this could also be the origin of the name. History Whitehill is located on Dere Street, an ancient Roman road that linked the fort at Cramond to York. Part of this road are visible further down the A68 at Soutra. Map records from 1821 show that the village grew from individual houses/buildings at Wet Holm and Whitehill. Farming and mining increased the population of the village during the agricultural and industrial revolutions with map records from 1892 showing the village was then home to both a school and a blacksmith. To the northwest of Whitehill is the former Dalkeith Fever Hospital, erected in 1912 on land gifted to the town of Dalkeith by the Duke of Buccleuch, which is now part of a small industrial estate. During their service in World War I four young men from the village were killed. Corporal Arthur Neil Simpson, 22, of the King's Regiment (Liverpool) was killed in action on the 16th of June 1915 most likely as part of the 1/10th Battalion at Bellewaarde. Private William Robert Watson of the Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) died from wounds received in action on the 30th of July 1916 possibly in the aftermath of the Battle of Delville Wood. Private John Ferguson Macrae Pringle, 21, of the Cameron Highlanders was killed in action on the 15th of September 1916 most likely at the Battle of Flers–Courcelette as part of the Battle of the Somme. Private Samuel Brown Smith, 22, of the Royal Scots died