were found guilty of the robbery and sentenced to death. While Gilchrist was hanged in public on the 3rd August 1831, Davidson managed to escape with the aid of relatives and escaped on a ship, eventually settling in New York. The first post office arrived in the village in 1855. In 1857, a murder took place in Armadale on the road to Boghead in which the murderer, John McLean was subsequently hanged at Linlithgow in what became the last public execution in West Lothian. During the mid 19th century, the farms around Armadale increasingly used Irish labourers to assist with farm work and this eventually led to a notable incident in 1858, where a riot broke out between locals and Irish workers. Although the participants were armed with firearms, there were no fatalities. Also in 1858, the first church in Armadale, St Paul's Episcopal Chapel was built. The discovery of large coal deposits and also ironstone in the area attracted the attention of a number of companies and several pits were sunk in the area. A coal company was formed in 1819 and began to work the "Woodend Pit" to the north-west of the toll house. The resulting boost in prosperity brought railway companies onto the scene transporting an influx of workers requiring housing, shops and public buildings, transforming Armadale into a town. A school was first formed in the town also in this year, and it eventually became necessary to build a dedicated school house in 1839 to accommodate the growing number of students. By 1862, there were fifteen licensed pubs in the town. There were increasing concerns by some village residents over alcohol consumption in the area and by 1901, following a public meeting, a new Public House Society was created in the village. The Society sought to limit how much members could drink and they erected a new public house building under the Gothenburg Public House System. Known as the 'Goth', this building still stands today as a landmark on the Main Street. In 1924, a stone frontage with an Art Nouveau public clock tower, extensive columned interior and stained glass was added to the structure by Peddie and Kinnear. The building is Category C listed. In 1870, a second church named the parish church was built in the town (with a belfry and pedimented porch). By 1912, the town had extensive coalfields, quarries, tile and brickworks