In later centuries, Linlithgow became a centre of industry in leather making and other materials, before developing rapidly in the Victorian era with the opening of the Union Canal in the 1820s and the arrival of the railway in 1842.

[5] Folk etymology associated this name with the Gaelic liath-chù meaning "grey dog", likely the origin of the black bitch on the burgh arms.

[6] Linlithgow developed in the Middle Ages as a royal residence for Scottish Kings on the raised hill beside the Loch, as the site was a logical stop between Edinburgh to the east and Stirling to the West.

It was attacked by Oliver Cromwell in 1650 and later burnt in 1746,[8] and, whilst unroofed, it is still largely complete in terms of its apartments, though very few of the original furnishings survived.

The palace was the birthplace of James V and Mary, Queen of Scots, and has been described as Scotland's finest surviving late medieval secular building.

[11] In 1964 a controversial replacement spire in aluminium in a modern style by Geoffrey Clarke, representing Christ's crown of thorns, was added to the tower.

[29] In 1956, the Hall was sold for use as a Ritz cinema and later was used as a theatre, before falling out of use in the 21st century and subsequently being demolished, despite a public effort to save the facade.

While the development won a Saltire Housing award in 1969, it was and still remains controversial, especially as the style contrasts starkly with the character of other buildings in the town and significantly altered the street layout.

[42][44] After many decades of discussion, the partial demolition and redevelopment of the Vennel area was agreed by West Lothian Council, subject to consultation, which began in 2021.

[45][46][44][47] The town has continued to grow, not only because of its transport links with Edinburgh, Glasgow and Stirling, but also because of the perceived quality of its schooling and local amenities.

Development in the town is carefully controlled, as it is now bounded by green belt to the south and east, the M9 to the north, the river Avon and county boundary to the West.

Following the formation of the Territorial Force the town was allocated, for recruiting, to the Lothians and Border Horse and 10th Battalion, Royal Scots.

[48] Linlithgow is located in the north-east of West Lothian, close to the border with the Falkirk Council area (historically part of Stirlingshire).

Plots of farmed land, known as rigs, ran perpendicular to the High Street and comprised much of the town's development until the 19th century.

This southward development was bisected by the Union Canal and latterly by the main Edinburgh-Glasgow railway line, and today there are traffic problems because there are only three places in the town where each of these can be crossed.

To the west, Linlithgow Bridge used to be a somewhat distinct village with its own identity, but in the latter half of the 20th century it was enveloped in the expansion of the main town.

Linlithgow was a safe Labour seat until the 2015 when sitting MP Michael Connarty was defeated by Martyn Day of the SNP.

In the Scottish Parliament, Linlithgow is represented by the SNP's Fiona Hyslop, the Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs.

It is also part of the Lothian electoral region, which elected 3 Conservative, 2 Labour and 2 Green MSPs under the additional member system in 2016.

In the 2022, Linlithgow ward elected one SNP, one Labour and one Liberal Democrat councillor, namely Pauline Orr, Tom Conn and Sally Pattle, respectively.

[50] In his account of a tour of Scotland, published in 1679, an English gentleman, Thomas Kirk, described the arms of the town as "a black bitch tied to a tree, in a floating island.

"[51] A more recently recorded legend relates that the bitch was a black greyhound whose master was sentenced to starve to death on an island in the loch.

Linlithgow's rich history and central location make it a popular tourist destination, while many local people commute to Glasgow, Edinburgh or Stirling; this is made relatively easy by the town's railway station and its proximity to both the M8 and M9 motorways.

[54] Linlithgow is home to a major computing centre owned by Oracle and to the telecommunication company Calnex Solutions, founded in 2006 in the town and which floated on the AIM market in September 2020.

[57] The Riding of the Marches, held in one form or another since the mid-16th century and nowadays celebrated on the first Tuesday after the second Thursday in June, involves young and old in the tradition of checking the burgh's perimeter, including the town's historic port of Blackness.

[58] There are many other events during the year such as the Children's Gala Day,[59] the Linlithgow Folk Festival and a pre-Christmas Victorian Street Fayre, and since 2014, Party at the Palace which is a music festival held annually in August by the loch and has brought acts including Nile Rodgers, Kaiser Chiefs, Travis, Simple Minds, The Proclaimers, Texas and many others to play in the town.

It is served by ScotRail services from Edinburgh Waverley to Dunblane, and the daily train between Glasgow Queen Street and the Fife Circle Line.

A number of local parks, including play areas for children, are spread throughout the burgh, with the tract of land surrounding the palace known as the Peel being particularly popular in summer.

Historical figures in trade, science and industry from Linlithgow include Sir Charles Wyville Thomson, natural historian, marine zoologist and chief scientist on the Challenger Expedition), John West, Captain (1809–1888, was a Scottish inventor and businessman who emigrated to Canada, California and later Oregon where he operated a cannery and exported tuna to Great Britain), David Waldie (a local chemist who recommended the use of chloroform in medical use to Sir James Young Simpson[32]) and Sir Thomas Carlaw Martin (1850–1920, a newspaper editor and Director of the Royal Scottish Museum).

Notable persons in military history and politics include Robert Blair (a recipient of the Victoria Cross) and Alex Salmond (a former First Minister of Scotland, who was born in 1954 and grew up in Linlithgow).