A locality and former estate in West Lothian, Torbanehill is located a quarter-mile (0.4 km) east of Tippethill and a half-mile (1 km) north of Whitburn, on the opposite side of the M8 motorway. Taking its name from Torbane Hill, all that remains of the estate today is Torbanehill Mains Farm, but this once included Torbanehill House, home of Elizabeth Honyman and her husband William Gillespie (1808-75), and a further farm called simply Torbanehill. These were demolished c.1928 to make way for a new road, although a doo'cot survived until the 1960s. The locality also included several coal, fireclay and ironstone mines. It gives its name to Torbanite, or 'The Torbanehill Mineral', which formed the basis of a valuable oil industry in West Lothian and North Lanarkshire. This new mineral, also known as 'boghead coal', became the focus of much scientific investigation and a notable court case in 1853, which centred on the definition of the term 'coal'. Gillespie had leased the rights to mine coal from his wife's estate but, realising the value of the oil which was being produced, brought a case to the Court of Session seeking to prove that the couple were being unfairly recompensed because the mineral being extracted was not coal. The case proved very difficult, involving the opinions of various scientists and engineers and eventually came to the view that Gillespie and his wife were being treated fairly. He appealed to the House of Lords, who agreed with the lower court, but the case was finally settled with Gillespie receiving a better price from the mining company. Torbanite is now accepted as an intermediate between oil shale and coal.
