Penicuik first became a burgh in 1867 and is Scotland’s 50th largest town and the biggest settlement in Midlothian. The town was originally well known for its paper mills, the last of which closed around 2004. The town’s name is pronounced ‘Pennycook’ and is derived from Pen Y Cog, meaning “Hill of the Cuckoo” in the Old Brythonic language.