It was announced this evening that Her Majesty the Queen has sadly passed away. She was 96 years of age. May she rest in peace.
In the above photograph Her Majesty the Queen is with her late husband HRH Prince Philip and both are waving to the public from the balcony of Hamilton’s Municipal Buildings (Library & Townhouse) at Cadzow Street, Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The Townhouse Offices were officially opened by the Queen’s grandfather King George V on the 9th July, 1914. The Queen and HRH Prince Philip visited Hamilton on Monday , 29th June, 1953, just weeks after her Coronation. The visit was included within her tour of Lanarkshire. After an inspection of the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), the Queen met with all the necessary dignitaries who were present and then attended a luncheon at the County Buildings in Almada Street.
Courtesy of Dominic Creechan, who’s father Jimmy Creechan features in the photograph that was originally displayed in the Hamilton Advertiser newspaper. The exact date it was taken is unknown but was most likely the late 1950’s to Early 1960’s approximately. Many prominent catholic men are gathered on the steps leading into St Mary’s RC Church in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland.
The photograph also features the then priest for the church Fr McNamee. Dan Daly, my great uncle John McManus (who was a popular musician/entertainer for the town), his father and my great grandfather Henry “Scout” McManus (who was a Goalkeeper for Hibernian F.C. and popular musician for the town) and lastly my grandfather Axe Murphy.
November 1905.F. & Pipes marked thus (thick coloured blue line)
Alterations to date in iron pipes ” ” (thin coloured red lines).
By Alexander Cullen. Architect.
The above detailed drawing from November c. 1905 shows the Plan of Drains for Neilsland House. It was kindly gifted to me from Sir Simon Watson 6th Bt of Neilsland and Earnock. Out of all my history documents and photos that I have gathered or acquired over the years this is by far my prize possession. Because the drawing details the entire ground floor plan of Neilsland House and it was created by Alexander Cullen. Architect. who was responsible for the design of many of Hamilton’s grand Victorian buildings.
A Merry Christmas To You All! This Snow Covered Swiss Cottage, Neilsland photograph was taken during the 1940’s and was kindly sent to me by William McIntosh.
Keep the Heid! Here he is, in all of his majestic splendor! The Lord Byron Statue At The Swiss Cottage, Neilsland c. 1940’s, with his head intact. Gathering up his cloak with his left hand and clasping a book in his right, he settles down in a seated position within the tranquil surroundings to take rest and gaze out on the pond, in an afternoon’s repose.
In the foreground of the photograph you can see the entrance and exit point of a small water drainage channel that led away from the rockery and down towards the weir. Behind Lord Byron and some rhododendron shrubs is a more close-up and detailed front view of The Swiss Cottage.
The photograph was kindly sent to me by William McIntosh. He informed me that at the time the photograph was taken there were at least three statues located at the site; 1): Lord Byron, 2): Robert Burns and 3): Mary Of Argyle. The Burns statue was located near the Swiss Cottage and the correct title for the statue is “the figure….resting from the plough” or “Burns….resting from the plough”. The sculpture was recently purchased by the Carluke Parish Historical Society and placed in an undisclosed safe location until a permanent site can be found. The Mary Of Argyle statue was positioned near the small original stone bridge and its current location is unknown.
This is the second only photograph of the Swiss Cottage, Neilsland to have ever been published. It was kindly sent to me by William McIntosh. William’s uncle lived in the cottage during the 1940’s and in fact his cousin was actually born there. It is interesting to note the scale of the cottage as it is much larger than I had previously thought. This is a view looking at one of the sides of the cottage from the now Woodhead Green side of the weir.
At the Court at Buckingham Palace, the 4th day of May 1911.
PRESENT,
The King’s Most Excellent Majesty in Council.
WHEREAS by “The Burial Grounds (Scotland) Act, 1855,” as amended by “The Secretary for Scotland Act, 1885,” it is provided that it shall be lawful for His Majesty from time to time , by Order in Council, upon the Representation for the Secretary for Scotland that a copy of an Interlocutor of a Sheriff of a County of Scotland as in the said first-named Act provided has been received by him, in pursuance thereof to order that no new burial ground shall be opened within certain limits specified in such Order, save with the previous approval of the Secretary for Scotland or (as the case may require) that after a time mentioned in the Order burials within certain limits, or in certain burial grounds or places of burial shall be discontinued wholly, or subject to any exceptions or qualifications mentioned in such Order, and that such Order in Council shall thereupon have like force and effect as if the same were embodied in the said first-named Act: provided always, that notice of such Representation and of a time it shall please His Majesty to order the same to be taken into consideration by the Privy Council, shall be transmitted to the Crown Agent in Edinburgh, and to the Sheriff-Clerk of the County in which such burial ground is situated ; and that the same shall be by them respectively published in the Edinburgh Gazette, and fixed on the doors of the church of, or on some other conspicuous places within, the parish affected by such Representation, one month before such Representation is so considered :
And whereas the Secretary for Scotland has made a Representation that he has received a copy of an Interlocutor of the Sheriff-Substitute of Lanarkshire at Hamilton finding that the non-parochial Burial Ground known as Meikle Earnock Graveyard, in the Parish of Hamilton, in the County of Lanark, is in a condition which is offensive and contrary to decency :
And whereas in the said Representation it is recommended that the said Burial Ground should be forthwith closed in terms of the said Burial Grounds (Scotland) Act, 1855.
And whereas by Order in Council of the 4th day of March 1911, notice of such Representation was given, and it was ordered that the same should be taken into consideration by the Privy Council on the 13 day of April 1911, and that the said Order in Council or notice thereof should be published in the Edinburgh Gazette, and that copies of the said Order in Council or notice thereof should be fixed on the doors of the church of, or on some other conspicuous places within, the parish affected by such Representation one month before the said 13th day of April 1911 :
And whereas notice of the said Representation and of the time when it pleased His Majesty to order the same to be taken into consideration by the Privy Council has been duly published in the Edinburgh Gazette and has been fixed in the manner required by the said Order in Council.
Now, therefore, His Majesty, by and with the advice of His Privy Council, is pleased to order, as it is hereby ordered, that the said non-parochial Burial Ground known as Meikle Earnock Graveyard, in the Parish of Hamilton, in the County of Lanark, be forthwith closed.
The above photograph shows an “Old Well And Cottages At Meikle Earnock” and it was taken during c.1877. The old well was also known as the “Meikle Earnock Pump Well”. It was the water supply for the immediate area (the village of Meikle Earnock). The road was nothing more than a dirt track at the time. On the left is the entrance to the Meikle Earnock Shuckie, which is an old miner’s path.
The well and the old miner’s cottage that sits behind and to the left of it are mentioned in my previous article titled: “A Wee House”. This is the oldest known photograph of the well and the cottage. The well was removed many years ago (exact date unknown) but the cottage still exists to this present-day, which means it is at least 144 years old! Because it was already clearly established when this photograph was taken. The three cottages on the right have thatched roofs with whitewashed lime rendered walls and a room on each side of the front door. They were built for the farm workers and miners who were employed in the local area.
Between the 18th and 19th century Hamilton had become established as a weaving town. Producing some of the finest cambric and silks as well as coarser fabrics for everyday use. Whole streets were built for weavers in the town of Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland; the New Wynd and Young Street were perfect examples of this. Sadly both streets no longer exist within the town. The houses were mostly single-storey with clay floors and thatched roofs. A living room on one side of the door and on the other side would be a “Weaving Shed”, sometimes for four looms. The loft space above contained spare beams, candle holders and yarns.
The weavers were an intelligent and frugal lot of men. At a time when a man would earn from sixpence to one-and-six per day. They were so keen to read and educate themselves on current affairs that they would often club together to purchase and share a newspaper costing from fourpence-halfpenny to sixpence each. Weaving must have been a drouthy occupation. In c. 1790, there were in Hamilton, three breweries, a distillery and sixty-six public houses. The population at the time was slightly less than six thousand.
One weaver named Alexander Scott who later became a “Weaving Agent” had proudly caused to be carved above his door (the stone is now built into the wall of the Low Parks Museum), ‘ THE ART OF WEAVING IS RENOWNED SO THAT RICH’ NOR POOR WITHOUT IT CANNOT GO ‘. The arms of the weaver contains three leopard’s heads erased argent, each having in mouth a weaver’s shuttle with the initial A on the left side and initial S on the right. The three leopard’s heads represent the weaving industry in interior parts of the district and as previously mentioned, the initials A S stand for Alexander Scott of 31 Quarry Road, Hamilton. The weavers of old were often called the “Girnin’ Weavers”. As they would always be seen with a sewing needle or crochet hook held tightly between their lips. This, coupled with the fact that many had poor dental hygiene and little or no teeth in their mouths, would have made them look as though they were gurning! Weaving is the Oldest Tradesmans Guild and was incorporated before c. 1222!
The weaving industry went into decline due to the introduction of machinery in the early days of the nineteenth century. A similar fate overtook the prosperous lace-making industry which had been introduced by Duchess Anne in the seventeenth century and had spread far beyond her charitable institution. The Duchess of Hamilton’s Home (Alm’s House) was set up in Hamilton for the reception of twelve poor girls and a mistress. The girls were taken in at the age of seven, fed and taught to spin, make lace, etc. And dismissed at fourteen.
It is very difficult to find or even identify a piece of real Hamilton Lace as similar lace was produced in many other places although the Low Parks Museum does have some examples within their collection and they can also be viewed online. Very little is known of the lace making industry and all mention of it in Scotland ceases before the end of the eighteenth century.
During the depression caused by the decline of the weaving trade another form of lace-making was introduced to the women of Hamilton. Who were already skilled in flowering and fine Ayrshire embroidery, for which there was a depot and school in Muir Street. This was a form of lace, developed from tambouring of fine muslin, which became very popular. It was worked in delicate and intricate designs with a type of crochet hook on cotton or silk net stretched over a frame or drum and was known as “Tambour Lace”. Its popularity lasted till the end of the nineteenth century. The early chain stitch sewing machines made it easy to imitate the hand tambouring and the lace lost much of its interest and value.
Soon after the collapse of the lace industry, came the discovery of the rich seams of coal in and around the borough. That established Hamilton as a prosperous coal-mining centre and more than 40 pits were developed by the first quarter of the twentieth century. Our present-day Hamilton was built on coal and our hard working miner ancestors who broke their backs to put food on the table and survive for the sake of their future generations!
The above photograph shows an old miner’s cottage located at 83 Meikle Earnock Road, Hamilton ML3 8AG South Lanarkshire, Scotland c. April 2021. The following excerpt is from a locally produced small booklet on the history of the area titled: “Our Story” c. 1986. Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner who were the owners at the time provide their story.
” A Wee House “
We moved into this cottage 53 years ago, coming from Lanark. I was working with the Highway Department, and I recall that roads around here were in a pitiful condition. Up here there were just cart tracks then. We began to repair and surface the roads, which took three years to do. This house here belonged to Neilsland Estate, it was owned by Douglas Watson. When the estate was broken up, houses and farms were sold. We took the opportunity and bought this house. The dairy next door was sold as well, it was bought by James Baird, the uncle of Andrew Baird.
We first saw this house on a trip by motorbike, coming from Lanark, and I thought, “I would like to live in this wee house.” Well, we are still here. Before us a family by the name of Cuthbertson used to live here. They have descendants living in Canada and Australia, and they still come occasionally to look at the house. They were miners. When we first came here, I went to a sale at the pit head, which was about 150 yards from here, down the road. The pit had just closed down, and they sold all sorts of things, iron, huts, bricks, you name it. I went to see what I could pick up cheap. I made that yard at Meikle Earnock Road which belongs to the Department of Transport. I made that in 1932/33. Sometimes we had four or five steamrollers at a time. We used to have the garden of our cottage cultivated like a market garden. We even kept goats, sheep, hens and pigs. We could do with the goats now, to eat the grass.
We were here when they took the chimney stack down at the pit head. I saw it coming down. It was pretty high, and and it was quite a sensation to see it come down. It was a tight community then, and you would speak to everybody.
(Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, 83 Meikle Earnock Road)
The structure and look of the cottage hasn’t changed much over the years and it is still very recognisable. The whitewashed lime rendered walls have been roughcasted over and the slate roof tiles are now gone. The small porch/doorway has also been removed and the window on the right side has been lengthened. You can easily see the alterations that have been made to the building over the years, If you cross-reference the above featured photograph with the Meikle Earnock Pump Well c. 1901 photograph provided below (showing the cottage in the background). In fact, within John Watson’s first journal there is a photograph of the Meikle Earnock Pump Well featuring the cottage (already clearly established) in the background dated c. 1877. So, the cottage is at least 144 years old!
The cottage is no longer occupied and it is currently owned by the Barrie family, who are descendants of Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner. They also own the ” Fairhill Cottage ” across the road and this cottage formed part of the original Fairhill Estate.
Hamilton Historian. Terry Murphy 