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Lanarkshire was Scotland's most important county from the standpoint of industrialisation. Embracing most of Glasgow, the shipbuilding facilities along the Clyde (notably Govan) and the steel making plants at Motherwell and Monklands (Airdrie and Coatbridge), the County was at the very heart of the Industrial Revolution. Glasgow itself became known as the second city of the Empire, largely as a result of its transatlantic trade involving cotton, sugar and tobacco.
Inland areas of Lanarkshire, particularly along the banks of the fast-moving Clyde, were dotted with cotton spinning mills notably at New Lanark where David Dale, and later Robert Owen, introduced enlightened employment practices especially for oprhans and other disadvantaged children. David Livingstone was born in Blantyre, also a cotton spinning town.
Hamilton was the county town. Glasgow is now a separate unitary authority and the old county has been split into North, and South Lanarkshire.
You can get a feel for the lives your ancestors lived by visiting the area they came from. These are areas where, for centuries, families lived together in a tightly-knit community. In the Highlands they are linked to clan heartlands, whereas, in the rest of Scotland the names are often those of the local landed families. Although it is unlikely that family historians can link their ancestry to clan chiefs or family dynasties, it can still be a moving experience to tour the clan and family heartlands.
Here is a selection of the most common names in this area.
Hamilton
The Parish Church can unlock many secrets for ancestral researchers. Not only was it the place where children were baptised, proclamations of marriage announced and the dead buried, it was also the centre of most social activity within the Parish. There is, however, no such thing as a definitive list of parishes. Over the decades they have merged, divided, been renamed and had changes made to their spelling. The following list is based largely on the situation at the time of publication of the New Statistical Account (1834-1845).
Avondale,
Bertram,
Shotts (Shotts),
Biggar,
Blantyre,
Bothwell,
Cadder,
Cambuslang,
Cambusnethan,
Carluke,
Carmichael,
Carmunnock,
Carnwath,
Carstairs,
Covington and Thankerton,
Crawford,
Crawfordjohn,
Culter,
Dalserf,
Dalziel,
Dolphinton (Dolphington),
Douglas,
Dunsyre,
East Kilbride,
Glasford (Glassford),
Glasgow,
Govan,
Hamilton,
Lanark,
Lesmahago,
Libberton and Quothquan (Liberton),
New Monkland,
Old or West Monkland (Old Monkland),
Pettinain,
Rutherglen,
Stonehouse,
Symington,
Walston,
Wandell and Lammingtoune (Wandell and Lamington),
Wiston and Roberton
* subsequently divided into seperate parishes, ( ) denotes alternative name or spelling
Detailed information on life and work within each of these parishes can be found in the Old (1791-99) and the New (1834-45) Statistical Account of Scotland. These are freely accessible on http://edina.ed.ac.uk/statacc. Part of their charm is the individual views of the minister, which can include some fascinating accounts of a parish's history, topography, employment, landowners, communications, agriculture and even the morality of the parishioners
Almost every municipal authority in Scotland has a collection of local history publications, maps and archives. Although most of these libraries are prepared to undertake a limited amount of searching on your behalf, it is far more fulfilling to visit them yourself. You could lose yourself for hours, pouring over old newspapers and photographs.
The following is a list of the libraries in your chosen area:
Glasgow
The Mitchell Library
Special Collections Department
Glasgow City Libraries
North Street
Glasgow
G3 7DN
Tel: +44 141 287 2988
Fax: +44 141 287 2912
E-mail:
history_and_glasgow@cls.glasgow.gov.uk
www.glasgow.gov.uk
Open: Mon-Thu 0900-2000; Fri-Sat 0900-1700.
The History and Glasgow (HG) Room contains a vast resource of books, illustrations, photographs and newspapers relevant to Glasgow and its environs.
North Lanarkshire
Motherwell Heritage Centre
1 High Road
Motherwell
ML1 3HU
Tel: +44 1698 251000
Fax: +44 1698 253433
E-mail:
heritage@mhc158.freeserve.co.uk
www.motherwellheritage.freeservers.com
Open: Wed-Sat, 10:00 - 17:00 & Thu 10:00 - 19:00.
The "Local History Laboratory" holds a range of sources for local and family historians. Local newspapers include Bellshill Speaker (1898 to date), Hamilton Advertiser (1862-1875), Motherwell Times (1883 to date) and Wishaw Press (1873 to date). Covers the parishes of Dalziel, Cambusnethan, Bothwell and Shotts.
North Lanarkshire Libraries
8 Allander Walk
Cumbernauld
G67 1EE
Tel: +44 1236 725664
Fax: +44 1236 458350
Open: Mon-Tue, Thu-Fri 1000-1900; Wed 0900-1200; Sat 0900-1700
North Lanarkshire Libraries
Local Studies Discovery Room
Airdrie Library
Wellwynd
Airdrie
ML6 0AG
Tel: +44 1236 758073
Fax: +44 1236 758076
Open: Mon-Tue, Thu-Fri 0900-1930; Wed 0900-1200; Sat 0900-1200
This library covers research material for the Monklands area of Airdrie and Coatbridge.
South Lanarkshire
East Kilbride Central Library
Reference Department
40 the Olympia
East Kilbride
G74 1PG
Tel: +44 1355 220046
Fax: +44 1355 229365
E-mail:
ek.reference@southlanarkshire.gov.uk
www.familia.org.uk/services/scotland/south_lanarkshire.html
Open: Mon, Tue & Thu, 09:15 - 19:30, Wed & Sat 09:15 - 17:00 & Fri 09:30 - 19:30.
Hamilton Township Library
Reference and Local History
102 Cadzow Street
Hamilton
ML3 6HH
Tel: +44 1698 452121
Fax: +44 1698 452199
E-mail:
hamilton.reference@library.s-lanark.org.uk
Open: Mon, Tue & Thu, 09:15 - 19:30, Fri 09:30 - 19:30, Wed & Sat 09:15 - 19:00.
Newspapers include Hamilton Advertiser (1856 to date).
Almost every municipal authority in Scotland has a collection of local history publications, maps and archives. Although most of these libraries are prepared to undertake a limited amount of searching on your behalf, it is far more fulfilling to visit them yourself. You could lose yourself for hours, pouring over old newspapers and photographs.
The following is a list of the archive offices in your chosen area:
Glasgow
Glasgow City Archives
The Mitchell Library
North Street
Glasgow
G3 7DN
Tel: +44 141 287 2910
Fax: +44 141 226 8452
E-mail:
archives@cls.glasgow.gov.uk
www.glasgowlibraries.org
Open: Mon-Thu, 09:30 - 16:45 & Fri 09:30 - 16:00.
Additional material includes Poor Law records for Glasgow (1851-1948), Barony (1861-1948) and Govan (1876-1948), estate records and registers of some local government employees notably the Police. A comprehensive computer-based name index covering applications for poor relief, etc. is maintained.
North Lanarkshire
North Lanarkshire Archives
10 Kelvin Road
Lenziemill
Cumbernauld
G67 2BA
Tel: +44 1236 737114
Fax: +44 1236 781762
www.northlan.gov.uk/leisure+and+tourism/museums+and+heritage/archive+centre/index.html
Open: Mon-Fri, 09:00 - 17:00.
South Lanarkshire
South Lanarkshire Archives
Records Management Unit
30 Hawbank Road
College Milton
East Kilbride
G74 5EX
Tel: +44 1355 239193
Fax: +44 1355 242365
www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk
Open: Mon-Thu, 09:30 - 16:30 & Fri 09:30 - 16:00, by arrangement only.
Includes most council records of those authorities falling within the present South Lanarkshire jurisdiction.
New Lanark Trust
Robert Owen's House
New Lanark Mills
Lanark
ML11 9DB
Tel: +44 1555 661345
Fax: +44 1555 665738
E-mail: trust@newlanark.org
www.newlanark.org
www.robert-owen.com
Open: Daily 11:00-17:00
Scotland is a country with a remarkable history. So it should come as no surprise that Scotland is home to a remarkable collection of museums and heritage centres. These range from the major, internationally renowned collections in Edinburgh's Royal Museum of Scotland to hundreds of small centres that specialise in the history of local communities. The following museums are all in your chosen area. A visit to any one of them may well shed new light on the lives led by your ancestors.
Museum of Scottish Country Life
Wester Kittochside
East Kilbride
G76 9HR
Tel: +44 1355 224181
Fax: +44 1355 571290
E-mail:
kittochside@nms.ac.uk
www.eastkilbride.org.uk/tourism/kittoch.htm
Open: Daily, 10:00 - 17:00.
This is one of Scotland's newest museums, the result of a partnership between the National Museums of Scotland & The National Trust. It shows how people lived and worked in the countryside.
New Lanark Heritage Village
Lanarkshire
ML11 9DB
Tel: +44 1555 661345
Fax: +44 1555 665738
E-mail: trust@newlanark.org
www.newlanark.org
Open: Daily 1100-1700
Designated an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001, this model village was set up to house the workers employed in the local cotton mills. Owned by the benevolent industrialist David Dale, it was later sold to his even more progressive son-in-law Robert Owen who made himself responsible for the education and well-being of the many orphans working in the mill.
The Tenement House
145 Buccleuch Street
Garnethill
Glasgow
Tel: +44 141 333 0183
www.nts.org.uk/Property/59/
Open: March-October, daily, 14:00-17:00
A typical Victorian flat comprising four rooms and retaining most of its original features such as bed recesses, kitchen range, coal bunker and bathroom.
Glasgow Museum of Transport
Kelvin Hall
1 Bunhouse Road
Glasgow
G3 8DP
Tel: +44 141 287 2720
Fax: +44 141 287 2692
www.glasgowmuseums.com
Open: Mon-Sat 1000-1700; Sun 11:00-17:00
Exhibits include horse drawn carriages, fire engines, railway engines, veteran cars and model ships. There is also a re-creation of a 1938 street and a reconstructed underground station.
David Livingstone Centre
165 Station Road
Blantyre
G72 9BT
Tel: +44 1698 823140
Fax: +44 1698 821424
Open: April-September, Mon-Sat 10:00-17:00; Sun 12:30-17:00; October-March Mon-Sat 10:30-16:00, Sun 12:30-16:00
Based on the tenement in which the explorer was born, the exhibition includes material relating to life and work in Blantyre, especially the local mills.
Heatherbank Museum of Social Work
Glasgow Caledonian
University
City Campus
Cowcaddens Road
Glasgow
G4 0BA
Tel: +44 141 331 8637
Fax: +44 141 331 3006
E-mail: A.Ramage@gcal.ac.uk
www.gcal.ac.uk/heatherbank/index.html
Local societies are run by volunteers who meet together periodically. Most maintain an index of members' interests - and this could well lead to the discovery of a long lost cousin or two. If there are any such societies in your chosen area, they will be listed below.
Lanarkshire Family History Society
26A Motherwell
Business Centre
Coursington Road
Motherwell
ML1 1PW
www.lanarkshirefhs.org.uk
It may seem a little odd, but a visit to the burial ground of an ancestor can make you feel more closely connected to them. However, tracking down the specific plot, or lair as they were referred to in Scotland, depends on the period of time when the deaths occurred.
Up to the mid-19th century it was the normal practice for people to be interred in the Parish Kirk burial ground - although this was only rarely marked with anything as grand as a headstone. The Scottish Association of Family History Societies (SAFHS) is currently co-ordinating a major project to develop a National Burial Index, relating to pre-1855 records. This will eventually be available on CD ROM. Although this will help to confirm that burials took place in parish burial grounds, it will not, unfortunately, indicate the location of the lair.
If your ancestor was wealthy enough, their grave may have been marked by an inscribed headstone. Over the years, family history societies and other volunteer groups have painstakingly transcribed and indexed such inscriptions - and these are nearly always held in the relevant local history libraries or family history research centres.
By the mid-19th Century, many parish burial grounds had become seriously overcrowded, especially those in urban areas, and this led to the creation of both private and municipal cemeteries. If you know the place and date of death, you should be able to discover the location of a lair, although not all cemeteries and records have survived.
The concept of cremation started to gain popularity in the late 1940s and has increased ever since. Ashes may be taken away by the family, scattered in the garden of remembrance or buried either in the crematorium or in a family plot.
Glasgow
Cemeteries and Crematoria
Glasgow City Council
20 Trongate
Glasgow
G1 5ES
Tel: +44 141 287 3961
Fax: +44 141 287 3960
E-mail: Lucille.furie@land.glasgow.gov.uk
There is a £52 search fee, payable in advance, to discover the location of a lair. As the archival records are date dependent, a precise date of death/burial is normally required.
South Lanarkshire
Bereavement Services
18 Forrest Street
Blantyre
G72 0JP
Tel: +44 1698 717 818
Fax: +44 1698 717 821
Email: william.stanley@southlanarkshire.gov.uk
Enquiries relating to the 54 cemeteries in this authority may be by personal visit, telephone, letter or e-mail. An appropriate date is normally sufficient. The service is free for the first 30 minutes and £12 for each subsequent 30 minute period.
North Lanarkshire
Cemeteries Office
Old Edinburgh Road
Bellshill
ML4 3JS
Tel: +44 1698 506 301
Fax: +44 1698 506 309
Various day-books, section-books and owner-books relating to 20th Century records of cemeteries. No search fee.
