Cambuslang
Encyclopedia
Cambuslang is a suburban town on the south-eastern outskirts of Glasgow
, Scotland
. It is within the local authority area of South Lanarkshire
. Historically, it was a large rural Parish
incorporating nearby hamlets of Newton, Flemington, and Halfway
. It is known as "the largest village in Scotland", with a population of around 24,500. The town is located just south of the River Clyde
and about 6 miles (9.7 km) south-east of the centre of Glasgow. It has a long history of coal mining
, iron and steel making, and ancillary engineering works, most recently Hoover
. Tata Steel Europe
's Clydebridge Steel Works and other smaller manufacturing businesses continue but most employment in the area comes from the distribution or service industries.
remains loom over 21st century housing developments. The local geography explains a great deal of its history. It has been very prosperous over time, depending first upon its agricultural land, (supplying food, then wool
, then linen
), then the mineral resources under its soil (limestone
and coal
, and, to some extent, iron
). These were jealously guarded by the medieval Church, and later by the local aristocracy, particularly the Duke of Hamilton
(previously Baron
s of Cadzow and Earls of Arran
).
Because of its relative prosperity, Cambuslang has been intimately concerned in the politics of the country (through the Hamilton connection) and of the local Church
. Bishop John Cameron of Glasgow
, the Scottish King's first minister, and Cardinal Beaton
, a later first minister, were both Rectors of Cambuslang. This importance continued following the Protestant Reformation
. From then until the Glorious Revolution
a stream of Ministers of Cambuslang came, were expelled, or were re-instated, according to whether supporters of the King, Covenanters, or Oliver Cromwell
were in power. The religious movements of the 18th century
, including the Cambuslang Wark
, were directly linked to similar movements in North America. The Scottish Enlightenment
was well-represented in the person of Rev Dr James Meek
, the Minister. His troubles with his parishioners foreshadowed the split in the Church of Scotland
during the 19th century.
The manufacturing industries that grew up from the agricultural and mineral resources attracted immigrants from all over Scotland and Ireland and other European countries. Cambuslang benefited at all times from its closeness to the burgeoning city of Glasgow, brought closer in the 18th century by a turnpike road then, in the 19th century, by a railway. In the 21st century, it continues to derive benefit from its proximity to Glasgow and to wider communication networks, particularly via the M74 motorway system.
Its increasing (and increasingly diverse) population posed problems, over the centuries, of employment and housing as well as of schooling and health, not all of which have been solved. In this regard, it is fairly typical of most Scottish towns. Cambuslang F.C.
were founder members of the Scottish Football League
, whose most notable achievement was being the runners-up of the Scottish Cup in 1888. They folded, but a new team, Cambuslang Rangers F.C.
, were established.
for elections to the House of Commons
at Westminster
.
Tommy McAvoy
retained the seat for the Labour Party
. He had been a Government Whip
since 1997. After his recent retirement, however, he was replaced by Tom Greatrex
, of the same party.
for the Scottish Parliament
at Holyrood. James Kelly retained the seat for Labour Party with 10237 votes, a majority of 18.1%. However, there was a swing of 6.5% from Labour to the Scottish National Party
(SNP).
s in the 2007 local elections were:
WARD 13
WARD 14
Councillor John Higgins subsequently died on December 29, 2007, and a by-election was held March 6, 2008. This was won by Richard Tullet (Labour Party).
Cambuslang is located on a lengthy bend on the River Clyde
, south-east of Glasgow. The town is accessible from the nearby M74
; the nearby A724 links to Glasgow city centre and Hamilton
; the town is also accessible by car from East Kilbride
by the A725, A749
and then the B759. The town's railway station, Cambuslang
, lies on the Argyle Line
between North Glasgow and Lanark
.
The Reverend Dr John Robertson, Minister of Cambuslang Kirk, described it, in the Second Statistical Account of Scotland 1845. “It is bounded by the Clyde on the north, which separates it from the Parish of Old Monkland; by the Calder on the east, which separates it from Blantyre; by part of Blantyre and Kilbryde
, on the south; and by Carmunnock
and Rutherglen
on the west.” The highest points in this low-lying Parish are Dechmont Hill (602 ft) and Turnlaw (or Turnlea) Hill( 553)ft. There are remains of an iron age
fort on Dechmont. The land slopes gently downwards to the North West to the River Clyde
. The Clyde can overflow the lower parts. Dr Robertson is rather more optimistic, suggesting that ‘the town is traversed by a romantic brook running into the Clyde’. He describes the course of the brook as a ‘romantic gorge’. This is nowadays a park.
). Its domestic buildings range from 19th century mansions, villas and tenements to modern flats and detached houses, along with sheltered and nursing homes.
took place in the 18th century.
, West Coats Primary School
, James Aiton Primary School, Cairns Primary School, Hallside Primary School and St Brides Primary School. Secondary school
s in Cambuslang include Cathkin High School
and Trinity High School (which had a new school built early this year). There is also Uddingston Grammar School
, only one train stop down on the Motherwell via Bellshill line.
South Lanarkshire College has links with University of the West of Scotland, Hamilton Campus, a degree-awarding higher education institution, 3 miles (5 km) away in Hamilton
, so that local students can progress through to degrees.
, and probably before that. The schoolteacher was appointed and paid by the heritor
s, though he also charged fees. Free primary education
came with the Education (Scotland) Act (1871), (see http://google.com/search?q=cache:kc9CMqjELUQJ:eacea.ec.europa.eu/ressources/eurydice/eurybase/pdf/section/SC_EN_C2_1.pdf+education+scotland+act+1872&cd=40&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk#3) though there had always been charitable provision.
The original Cambuslang Public School can be seen on Greenlees Road, where it is now Greenlees Care Home. It had been for some time the Cambuslang College of the Building Trades, which became part of Cambuslang College (now South Lanarkshire College). An even earlier school is now a Gospel Hall in Bushiehill Street. 
The Cambuslang Subscription School of 1848 provided basic education to the children of miners and weavers in return for a few coppers. It was attractive to those who did not like the influence of the gentry and the minister on the parish school.
(c 497 – c 570), also called "Cadow" or "Cattwg", reputedly founded a monastery
on the site of the present Old Parish Church in the later sixth century. He is the patron saint
of Cambuslang, where there is a modern primary school named after him. His feast day is the 25th of September. In medieval times, Cadoc was called on for help by (among others) deaf people and those suffering from cramp
.
He was a Celtic
saint – previously, a Prince of Glamorgan
– who brought succour to the native Christians against the invading Saxons
. Cambuslang is at the northernmost reach of the Welsh
speaking Brythons, so he may well have visited here in his wanderings, or in an effort to secure help against the Saxons
. He had travelled to Ireland
, to Brittany
(to visit the Welsh speaking monks there), Rome
(the centre of Western Christianity
) and Jerusalem (from where he brought back two altar stones that had touched the Holy Sepulchre. The Europe he walked through was being battered by the barbarian invasions, so it is not improbable that he managed to reach Cambuslang. However, as no mention is made in the legends of an expedition this far north, it might have been a disciple
, or a pilgrim
returning from Glamorgan with a relic
, who established the church at Cambuslang.
Cadoc was cut down, while serving Mass
, by a Saxon raiding party at "Benevenna", most probably near Weedon
in Northamptonshire
.
St Cadoc was prestigious enough in his lifetime for local chiefs to have recourse to him to settle disputes. This reputation lasted well into the Middle Ages, where solemn bonds and oaths were sworn over his (or his followers') remains. Just before the Reformation, a wealthy Cambuslang notable expressed in his will a desire to be interred "with the ashes of St Cadoc", in the Parish Kirk.
(1739–1806) was a Scottish industrialist and philanthropist. His efforts to establish a cotton-spinning factory at Flemington failed but he was very successful as co-founder of the New Lanark
Mills in 1786. Dale owned the estate of Rosebank in Cambuslang, which he used as a summer retreat from his townhouse (reputedly still standing) in Charlotte Street Glasgow and to where he retired and lived until his death. The estate was sold after his death to the Caledonian Railway Company, which divided it in two to accommodate the new railway. The half to the north of the railway line, including Rosebank House, eventually became Rosebank Industrial Estate. The southern half was sold to Thomas Gray Buchanan, a Glasgow merchant, related to the Buchanan who established Buchanan Street
in Glasgow, who established a country retreat at Wellshott House, but his son Michael sold off the lands to build suburban villas in the 1860s.
(1739–1810) was Minister of Cambuslang from 1774 until his death. He had been Dean of the Chapel
at Glasgow University, when the Rector was Edmund Burke
and the professors included the philosopher Thomas Reid
. He was Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
in 1795. He wrote the entry for Cambuslang in the First Statistical Account of Scotland. The cool, objective account in his report of the Cambuslang Wark remains the prime historical source for that event. He kept a detailed "Journal and Register of the Weather..." for each day over 29 years, with remarks on weather and events throughout Britain and the world. This Journal is still quoted in modern histories of the weather. He is buried in the Old Parish Church kirkyard, just inside the gate.
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It is within the local authority area of South Lanarkshire
South Lanarkshire
South Lanarkshire is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of the former county of Lanarkshire. It borders the south-east of the city of Glasgow and contains many of Glasgow's suburbs, commuter towns and smaller villages....
. Historically, it was a large rural Parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
incorporating nearby hamlets of Newton, Flemington, and Halfway
Halfway, Cambuslang
Halfway is a largely suburban area in the town of Cambuslang, Scotland located within the local authority area of South Lanarkshire. Halfway borders the smaller areas of Lightburn, Flemington and Hallside. It was named when passengers, in the days of the Glasgow to Hamilton stagecoach would stop...
. It is known as "the largest village in Scotland", with a population of around 24,500. The town is located just south of the River Clyde
River Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
and about 6 miles (9.7 km) south-east of the centre of Glasgow. It has a long history of coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
, iron and steel making, and ancillary engineering works, most recently Hoover
The Hoover Company
The Hoover Company started out as an American floor care manufacturer based in North Canton, Ohio. It also established a major base in the United Kingdom and for most of the early-and-mid-20th century, it dominated the electric vacuum cleaner industry, to the point where the "hoover" brand name...
. Tata Steel Europe
Tata Steel Europe
Tata Steel Europe is a multinational steel-making company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the second-largest steel-maker in Europe and is a subsidiary of Tata Steel of India, one of the ten largest steel producers in the world.Corus Group was formed through the merger of Koninklijke...
's Clydebridge Steel Works and other smaller manufacturing businesses continue but most employment in the area comes from the distribution or service industries.
History
Cambuslang is an ancient part of Scotland where Iron AgeIron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
remains loom over 21st century housing developments. The local geography explains a great deal of its history. It has been very prosperous over time, depending first upon its agricultural land, (supplying food, then wool
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
, then linen
Linen
Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather....
), then the mineral resources under its soil (limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
and coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
, and, to some extent, iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
). These were jealously guarded by the medieval Church, and later by the local aristocracy, particularly the Duke of Hamilton
Duke of Hamilton
Duke of Hamilton is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created in 1643. It is the senior dukedom in that Peerage , and as such its holder is the Premier Peer of Scotland, as well as being head of both the House of Hamilton and the House of Douglas...
(previously Baron
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
s of Cadzow and Earls of Arran
Earl of Arran
Earl of Arran is a title in both the Peerage of Scotland and the Peerage of Ireland. The two titles refer to different places, the Isle of Arran in Scotland, and the Aran Islands in Ireland...
).
Because of its relative prosperity, Cambuslang has been intimately concerned in the politics of the country (through the Hamilton connection) and of the local Church
Cambuslang clergy
The sequence of Clergy of Cambuslang reflects pretty accurately the development of the Christian Church in Scotland.-The Catholic Church:The revenues of the Parish of Cambuslang were obviously substantial enough for the priests to carry the title Rector. One - William Monypenny - had enough to...
. Bishop John Cameron of Glasgow
John Cameron (bishop)
John Cameron was a 15th century Scottish cleric, bishop of Glasgow, and Keeper of the Privy Seal.A licentiate in decrees , and provost of Lincluden, he became an official of the bishopric of St Andrews, and a canon of Glasgow, as well as secretary to Archibald Douglas, Earl of Wigtown, who...
, the Scottish King's first minister, and Cardinal Beaton
David Beaton
The Most Rev. Dr. David Cardinal Beaton was Archbishop of St Andrews and the last Scottish Cardinal prior to the Reformation.-Career:...
, a later first minister, were both Rectors of Cambuslang. This importance continued following the Protestant Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
. From then until the Glorious Revolution
Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, is the overthrow of King James II of England by a union of English Parliamentarians with the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau...
a stream of Ministers of Cambuslang came, were expelled, or were re-instated, according to whether supporters of the King, Covenanters, or Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
were in power. The religious movements of the 18th century
First Great Awakening
The First Awakening was a Christian revitalization movement that swept Protestant Europe and British America, and especially the American colonies in the 1730s and 1740s, leaving a permanent impact on American religion. It resulted from powerful preaching that gave listeners a sense of personal...
, including the Cambuslang Wark
Cambuslang Work
The Cambuslang Work, or ‘Wark’ in the Scots language, was a period of extraordinary religious activity, in Cambuslang, Scotland...
, were directly linked to similar movements in North America. The Scottish Enlightenment
Scottish Enlightenment
The Scottish Enlightenment was the period in 18th century Scotland characterised by an outpouring of intellectual and scientific accomplishments. By 1750, Scots were among the most literate citizens of Europe, with an estimated 75% level of literacy...
was well-represented in the person of Rev Dr James Meek
James Meek
James Meek was Minister of Cambuslang from 1774 until his death. He was Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1795, but is most remembered as the model Enlightenment cleric who wrote the entry for Cambuslang in the First Statistical Account of Scotland.-Biography :James...
, the Minister. His troubles with his parishioners foreshadowed the split in the Church of Scotland
Disruption of 1843
The Disruption of 1843 was a schism within the established Church of Scotland, in which 450 ministers of the Church broke away, over the issue of the Church's relationship with the State, to form the Free Church of Scotland...
during the 19th century.
The manufacturing industries that grew up from the agricultural and mineral resources attracted immigrants from all over Scotland and Ireland and other European countries. Cambuslang benefited at all times from its closeness to the burgeoning city of Glasgow, brought closer in the 18th century by a turnpike road then, in the 19th century, by a railway. In the 21st century, it continues to derive benefit from its proximity to Glasgow and to wider communication networks, particularly via the M74 motorway system.
Its increasing (and increasingly diverse) population posed problems, over the centuries, of employment and housing as well as of schooling and health, not all of which have been solved. In this regard, it is fairly typical of most Scottish towns. Cambuslang F.C.
Cambuslang F.C.
Cambuslang Football Club was a Scottish football club, based in the Cambuslang area of Glasgow. Cambuslang was one of the founding members of the Scottish Football League, but left the league after just two seasons....
were founder members of the Scottish Football League
Scottish Football League
The Scottish Football League is a league of football teams in Scotland, comprising theScottish First Division, Scottish Second Division and Scottish Third Division. From the league's foundation in 1890 until the breakaway Scottish Premier League was formed in 1998, the Scottish Football League...
, whose most notable achievement was being the runners-up of the Scottish Cup in 1888. They folded, but a new team, Cambuslang Rangers F.C.
Cambuslang Rangers F.C.
Cambuslang Rangers Football Club are a Scottish football club based in Cambuslang, South Lanarkshire. Nicknamed The Lang or the wee Gers, were formed in 1899, they play at Somervell Park and wear blue strips ....
, were established.
Westminster
Cambuslang is in the Rutherglen and Hamilton West ConstituencyRutherglen and Hamilton West (UK Parliament constituency)
Rutherglen and Hamilton West is a burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which was first used in the general election of 2005...
for elections to the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
at Westminster
Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
.
Tommy McAvoy
Tommy McAvoy
Thomas McLaughlin McAvoy, Baron McAvoy PC is a British Labour Co-operative politician who was the Member of Parliament for Rutherglen and Hamilton West from 2005 to 2010, having previously been MP for Rutherglen from 1987 to 2005...
retained the seat for the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
. He had been a Government Whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
since 1997. After his recent retirement, however, he was replaced by Tom Greatrex
Tom Greatrex
Thomas James Greatrex is a British Labour Co-operative politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Rutherglen and Hamilton West since 2010. He is presently Shadow Energy Minister.-Early life:Greatrex was born in Kent...
, of the same party.
Holyrood
Cambuslang is in the Glasgow Rutherglen ConstituencyGlasgow Rutherglen (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Glasgow Rutherglen was a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elected one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election....
for the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
at Holyrood. James Kelly retained the seat for Labour Party with 10237 votes, a majority of 18.1%. However, there was a swing of 6.5% from Labour to the Scottish National Party
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
(SNP).
South Lanarkshire Council
The councilors elected for Cambuslang WardWard (subnational entity)
A ward is a subdivision of a municipality. Wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to the area...
s in the 2007 local elections were:
WARD 13
- Councillor David Baillie (Liberal Democrats)
- Councillor Russell Clearie (Labour Party)
- Councillor Clare McColl (Scottish National PartyScottish National PartyThe Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
)
WARD 14
- Councillor Walter Brogan (Labour Party)
- Councillor Pam Clearie (Labour Party)
- Councillor John Higgins (Scottish National PartyScottish National PartyThe Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
)
Councillor John Higgins subsequently died on December 29, 2007, and a by-election was held March 6, 2008. This was won by Richard Tullet (Labour Party).
Geography
River Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
, south-east of Glasgow. The town is accessible from the nearby M74
M74 motorway
The A74 and M74 motorways form a major motorway in Scotland. Following an extension opened on 28 June 2011, it connects the M8 motorway west of Glasgow to the English border at Gretna, creating an alternative route for traffic moving from the south to the west of the city...
; the nearby A724 links to Glasgow city centre and Hamilton
Hamilton, South Lanarkshire
Hamilton is a town in South Lanarkshire, in the west-central Lowlands of Scotland. It serves as the main administrative centre of the South Lanarkshire council area. It is the fifth-biggest town in Scotland after Paisley, East Kilbride, Livingston and Cumbernauld...
; the town is also accessible by car from East Kilbride
East Kilbride
East Kilbride is a large suburban town in the South Lanarkshire council area, in the West Central Lowlands of Scotland. Designated as Scotland's first new town in 1947, it forms part of the Greater Glasgow conurbation...
by the A725, A749
A749 road
The A749 road connects East Kilbride with Glasgow City Centre. The road starts off at a roundabout called "The Whirlies", with a junction for the A725 road, starting as a dual carriageway. The road continues and it meets another roundabout for the A749 spur which leads onto the A725 road. The road...
and then the B759. The town's railway station, Cambuslang
Cambuslang railway station
Cambuslang railway station is a railway station which serves the town of Cambuslang, Scotland. The station is five miles south east of Glasgow Central, and is regularly served by trains on the Argyle line to and from Glasgow Central low level...
, lies on the Argyle Line
Argyle Line
The Argyle Line is a suburban railway located in West Central Scotland. It connects the Lanarkshire towns of Lanark, Larkhall and Motherwell to West Dunbartonshire via central Glasgow using sub-surface running...
between North Glasgow and Lanark
Lanark
Lanark is a small town in the central belt of Scotland. Its population of 8,253 makes it the 100th largest settlement in Scotland. The name is believed to come from the Cumbric Lanerc meaning "clear space, glade"....
.
The Reverend Dr John Robertson, Minister of Cambuslang Kirk, described it, in the Second Statistical Account of Scotland 1845. “It is bounded by the Clyde on the north, which separates it from the Parish of Old Monkland; by the Calder on the east, which separates it from Blantyre; by part of Blantyre and Kilbryde
East Kilbride
East Kilbride is a large suburban town in the South Lanarkshire council area, in the West Central Lowlands of Scotland. Designated as Scotland's first new town in 1947, it forms part of the Greater Glasgow conurbation...
, on the south; and by Carmunnock
Carmunnock
Carmunnock is a conservation village within the City of Glasgow boundary, lying within three miles of East Kilbride and Rutherglen in South Lanarkshire, and Busby, East Renfrewshire....
and Rutherglen
Rutherglen
Rutherglen is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. In 1975, it lost its own local council and administratively became a component of the City of Glasgow. In 1996 Rutherglen was reallocated to the South Lanarkshire council area.-History:...
on the west.” The highest points in this low-lying Parish are Dechmont Hill (602 ft) and Turnlaw (or Turnlea) Hill( 553)ft. There are remains of an iron age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
fort on Dechmont. The land slopes gently downwards to the North West to the River Clyde
River Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
. The Clyde can overflow the lower parts. Dr Robertson is rather more optimistic, suggesting that ‘the town is traversed by a romantic brook running into the Clyde’. He describes the course of the brook as a ‘romantic gorge’. This is nowadays a park.
Landmarks
Cambuslang has an interesting range of churches, public buildings, schools, industrial and commercial buildings (see Buildings of CambuslangBuildings of Cambuslang
The buildings of Cambuslang include the architecture, ancient sites, medieval castle ruins, 18th century mansion remnants, churches, schools, public buildings, commercial and industrial premises and retail and leisure facilities in the Scottish town of Cambuslang. There are two, much modified,...
). Its domestic buildings range from 19th century mansions, villas and tenements to modern flats and detached houses, along with sheltered and nursing homes.
Sites
Cambuslang Park spans 27 acres (109,265.2 m²) encompassing the contrast of open park land and the Borgie Glen, which is a steep tree-lined ravine, containing a complex network of pathways. The park also features a pond, sport pitches, woodland areas and the Bandstand, which is a natural amphitheatre, near where the famous Cambuslang WarkCambuslang Work
The Cambuslang Work, or ‘Wark’ in the Scots language, was a period of extraordinary religious activity, in Cambuslang, Scotland...
took place in the 18th century.
Education
There is a range of schooling in Cambuslang, together with a college of further education with links to the University of the West of Scotland.Schools
Primary schools in Cambuslang include St Charles' Primary School, St Cadoc's Primary SchholCadoc
Saint Cadoc , Abbot of Llancarfan, was one of the 6th century British Christian saints. His vita twice mentions King Arthur. The Abbey of Llancarfan, near Cowbridge in Glamorganshire, which he founded circa 518, became famous as a centre of learning...
, West Coats Primary School
West Coats Primary School
West Coats Primary School in Cambuslang, Scotland was built in the late 19th century and is still an active school with over 400 children. It recently underwent a renovation, adding an extension to accommodate the number of pupils....
, James Aiton Primary School, Cairns Primary School, Hallside Primary School and St Brides Primary School. Secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
s in Cambuslang include Cathkin High School
Cathkin High School
Cathkin High School is a state secondary school in Cambuslang, South Lanarkshire , Scotland, United Kingdom.-Senior Management Team:...
and Trinity High School (which had a new school built early this year). There is also Uddingston Grammar School
Uddingston Grammar School
Uddingston Grammar School is the only high school in Uddingston, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. Its motto is 'Virtute Crescam' which means 'may I grow in moral excellence'The school was opened in August 1885...
, only one train stop down on the Motherwell via Bellshill line.
Colleges
Cambuslang College of the Building Trades was a specialist college established in the mid-20th century but it gradually expanded the trades and academic subjects taught. It became Cambuslang College of Further Education in the 1960s. It gradually expanded its provision at its East Kilbride Campus, but retained a substantial annex on Hamilton Road. It renamed itself South Lanarkshire College in 2000.South Lanarkshire College has links with University of the West of Scotland, Hamilton Campus, a degree-awarding higher education institution, 3 miles (5 km) away in Hamilton
Hamilton, South Lanarkshire
Hamilton is a town in South Lanarkshire, in the west-central Lowlands of Scotland. It serves as the main administrative centre of the South Lanarkshire council area. It is the fifth-biggest town in Scotland after Paisley, East Kilbride, Livingston and Cumbernauld...
, so that local students can progress through to degrees.
Early schools in Cambuslang
There has been a Parish school in Cambuslang at least since the ReformationScottish Reformation
The Scottish Reformation was Scotland's formal break with the Papacy in 1560, and the events surrounding this. It was part of the wider European Protestant Reformation; and in Scotland's case culminated ecclesiastically in the re-establishment of the church along Reformed lines, and politically in...
, and probably before that. The schoolteacher was appointed and paid by the heritor
Heritor
Heritor, was a privileged person in a Parish in Scots Law. In its original acceptation, it signified the proprietor of an heritable subject, but, in the law relating to Parish government, the term was confined to such proprietors of lands or houses as were liable, as written in their title deeds,...
s, though he also charged fees. Free primary education
Primary education
A primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...
came with the Education (Scotland) Act (1871), (see http://google.com/search?q=cache:kc9CMqjELUQJ:eacea.ec.europa.eu/ressources/eurydice/eurybase/pdf/section/SC_EN_C2_1.pdf+education+scotland+act+1872&cd=40&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk#3) though there had always been charitable provision.
Notable people
People who have either been attracted to Cambuslang, or who have gone out from there to make a mark on the world include a saint, a king, a queen, a cardinal, a bishop, a lord, a famous manufacturer, a garden designer, at least three significant clergyman, a famous retailer, a miners' leader, a leader of the RAF, a physicist, several poets, at least one writer and two historians, a pop singer and a boxerCadoc
St CadocCadoc
Saint Cadoc , Abbot of Llancarfan, was one of the 6th century British Christian saints. His vita twice mentions King Arthur. The Abbey of Llancarfan, near Cowbridge in Glamorganshire, which he founded circa 518, became famous as a centre of learning...
(c 497 – c 570), also called "Cadow" or "Cattwg", reputedly founded a monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
on the site of the present Old Parish Church in the later sixth century. He is the patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of Cambuslang, where there is a modern primary school named after him. His feast day is the 25th of September. In medieval times, Cadoc was called on for help by (among others) deaf people and those suffering from cramp
Cramp
Cramps are unpleasant, often painful sensations caused by muscle contraction or over shortening. Common causes of skeletal muscle cramps include muscle fatigue, low sodium, and low potassium...
.
He was a Celtic
Celtic Christianity
Celtic Christianity or Insular Christianity refers broadly to certain features of Christianity that were common, or held to be common, across the Celtic-speaking world during the Early Middle Ages...
saint – previously, a Prince of Glamorgan
Glamorgan
Glamorgan or Glamorganshire is one of the thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It was originally an early medieval kingdom of varying boundaries known as Glywysing until taken over by the Normans as a lordship. Glamorgan is latterly represented by the three...
– who brought succour to the native Christians against the invading Saxons
Saxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
. Cambuslang is at the northernmost reach of the Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
speaking Brythons, so he may well have visited here in his wanderings, or in an effort to secure help against the Saxons
Saxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
. He had travelled to Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, to Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
(to visit the Welsh speaking monks there), Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
(the centre of Western Christianity
Western Christianity
Western Christianity is a term used to include the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church and groups historically derivative thereof, including the churches of the Anglican and Protestant traditions, which share common attributes that can be traced back to their medieval heritage...
) and Jerusalem (from where he brought back two altar stones that had touched the Holy Sepulchre. The Europe he walked through was being battered by the barbarian invasions, so it is not improbable that he managed to reach Cambuslang. However, as no mention is made in the legends of an expedition this far north, it might have been a disciple
Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill. Apprentices or protégés build their careers from apprenticeships...
, or a pilgrim
Pilgrim
A pilgrim is a traveler who is on a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journeying to some place of special significance to the adherent of a particular religious belief system...
returning from Glamorgan with a relic
Relic
In religion, a relic is a part of the body of a saint or a venerated person, or else another type of ancient religious object, carefully preserved for purposes of veneration or as a tangible memorial...
, who established the church at Cambuslang.
Cadoc was cut down, while serving Mass
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
, by a Saxon raiding party at "Benevenna", most probably near Weedon
Weedon Bec
Weedon Bec , usually just called "Weedon", is a large village and parish in the district of Daventry, Northamptonshire, England. It lies close to the source of the River Nene.-Geography:...
in Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
.
St Cadoc was prestigious enough in his lifetime for local chiefs to have recourse to him to settle disputes. This reputation lasted well into the Middle Ages, where solemn bonds and oaths were sworn over his (or his followers') remains. Just before the Reformation, a wealthy Cambuslang notable expressed in his will a desire to be interred "with the ashes of St Cadoc", in the Parish Kirk.
David Dale
David DaleDavid Dale
David Dale was a Scottish merchant and businessman, known for establishing the influential weaving community of New Lanark, in South Lanarkshire, Scotland and is credited along with his son in law Robert Owen of being a founder of utopian socialism and a founding father of socialism-Early...
(1739–1806) was a Scottish industrialist and philanthropist. His efforts to establish a cotton-spinning factory at Flemington failed but he was very successful as co-founder of the New Lanark
New Lanark
New Lanark is a village on the River Clyde, approximately 1.4 miles from Lanark, in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It was founded in 1786 by David Dale, who built cotton mills and housing for the mill workers. Dale built the mills there to take advantage of the water power provided by the river...
Mills in 1786. Dale owned the estate of Rosebank in Cambuslang, which he used as a summer retreat from his townhouse (reputedly still standing) in Charlotte Street Glasgow and to where he retired and lived until his death. The estate was sold after his death to the Caledonian Railway Company, which divided it in two to accommodate the new railway. The half to the north of the railway line, including Rosebank House, eventually became Rosebank Industrial Estate. The southern half was sold to Thomas Gray Buchanan, a Glasgow merchant, related to the Buchanan who established Buchanan Street
Buchanan Street
Buchanan Street is one of the main shopping thoroughfares in Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland. It forms the central stretch of Glasgow's famous shopping district with a generally more upmarket range of shops than the neighbouring streets: Argyle Street, and Sauchiehall Street.-History:...
in Glasgow, who established a country retreat at Wellshott House, but his son Michael sold off the lands to build suburban villas in the 1860s.
James Meek
Rev Dr James MeekJames Meek
James Meek was Minister of Cambuslang from 1774 until his death. He was Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1795, but is most remembered as the model Enlightenment cleric who wrote the entry for Cambuslang in the First Statistical Account of Scotland.-Biography :James...
(1739–1810) was Minister of Cambuslang from 1774 until his death. He had been Dean of the Chapel
Dean (religion)
A dean, in a church context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church.-Anglican Communion:...
at Glasgow University, when the Rector was Edmund Burke
Edmund Burke
Edmund Burke PC was an Irish statesman, author, orator, political theorist and philosopher who, after moving to England, served for many years in the House of Commons of Great Britain as a member of the Whig party....
and the professors included the philosopher Thomas Reid
Thomas Reid
The Reverend Thomas Reid FRSE , was a religiously trained Scottish philosopher, and a contemporary of David Hume, was the founder of the Scottish School of Common Sense, and played an integral role in the Scottish Enlightenment...
. He was Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
The Moderator of the General Assembly of Church of Scotland is a Minister, Elder or Deacon of the Church of Scotland chosen to "moderate" the annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, which is held for a week in Edinburgh every May....
in 1795. He wrote the entry for Cambuslang in the First Statistical Account of Scotland. The cool, objective account in his report of the Cambuslang Wark remains the prime historical source for that event. He kept a detailed "Journal and Register of the Weather..." for each day over 29 years, with remarks on weather and events throughout Britain and the world. This Journal is still quoted in modern histories of the weather. He is buried in the Old Parish Church kirkyard, just inside the gate.
Others
- There is some evidence from Welsh Chroniclers – using place name analysis – that King ArthurKing ArthurKing Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
was a prince of the northern Welsh-speakers of StrathclydeStrathclyderight|thumb|the former Strathclyde regionStrathclyde was one of nine former local government regions of Scotland created by the Local Government Act 1973 and abolished in 1996 by the Local Government etc Act 1994...
and that he fought his last battle against the invading Saxons at Cambuslang. - William de CambuslangWilliam de CambuslangWilliam de Cambuslang was a 14th century Scottish churchman, presumably coming from a family based at or originating from Cambuslang near Glasgow....
(died 1361) Bishop of DunblaneBishop of DunblaneThe Bishop of Dunblane or Bishop of Strathearn was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Dunblane/Strathearn, one of medieval Scotland's thirteen bishoprics. It was based at Dunblane Cathedral, now a parish church of the Church of Scotland. The bishopric itself certainly derives from an older...
, (1347–1361) - Mary, Queen of Scots (1542–1587) is reputed to have crossed the Clyde at the "fliers ford" as she fled to England from the Battle of LangsideBattle of LangsideThe Battle of Langside, fought on 13 May 1568, was one of the more unusual contests in Scottish history, bearing a superficial resemblance to a grand family quarrel, in which a mother fought her brother who was defending the rights of her infant son...
in 1567. The ford is situated where the Kirkburn enters the river, below the bridge near the supermarket. - David BeatonDavid BeatonThe Most Rev. Dr. David Cardinal Beaton was Archbishop of St Andrews and the last Scottish Cardinal prior to the Reformation.-Career:...
(1494–1546) was Rector of Cambuslang from 1520. He was appointed to this post by his Uncle, James BeatonJames BeatonDr. James Beaton was a Scottish church leader, the uncle of Dr. David Cardinal Beaton and the Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland....
, the Archbishop of GlasgowArchbishop of GlasgowThe Bishop of Glasgow, from 1492 Archbishop of Glasgow, was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Glasgow and then, as Archbishop of Glasgow, the Archdiocese of Glasgow...
, and was a prebendaryPrebendaryA prebendary is a post connected to an Anglican or Catholic cathedral or collegiate church and is a type of canon. Prebendaries have a role in the administration of the cathedral...
, which means he lived off the titheTitheA tithe is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash, cheques, or stocks, whereas historically tithes were required and paid in kind, such as agricultural products...
s and never lived there, leaving the work of a parish priest to a vicar. - William Hamilton of GilbertfieldWilliam Hamilton of GilbertfieldWilliam Hamilton was a Scottish poet. He wrote comic, mock-tragic poetry such as "The Last Dying Words of Bonny Heck" - a once-champion hare coursing greyhound in the East Neuk of Fife who was about to be hanged, for growing too slow. It is written in anglified Scots, with a spritely narrative and...
(1665 to 1751) lived in Westburn and Gilbertfield. He wrote a metrical abridgement, in 18th century ScotsScots languageScots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...
, of Blind HarryBlind HarryBlind Harry , also known as Harry, Hary or Henry the Minstrel, is renowned as the author of The Actes and Deidis of the Illustre and Vallyeant Campioun Schir William Wallace, also known as The Wallace...
's poem The Actes and Deidis of the Illustre and Vallyeant Campioun Schir William WallaceThe Actes and Deidis of the Illustre and Vallyeant Campioun Schir William WallaceThe Actes and Deidis of the Illustre and Vallyeant Campioun Schir William Wallace, also known as The Wallace, is a long "romantic biographical" poem by the fifteenth century Scottish makar of the name Blind Harry probably at some time in the decade before 1488...
on Sir William WallaceWilliam WallaceSir William Wallace was a Scottish knight and landowner who became one of the main leaders during the Wars of Scottish Independence....
, whose 17th century castle remains, though in ruins. He corresponded with Allan RamsayAllan Ramsay (poet)Allan Ramsay was a Scottish poet , playwright, publisher, librarian and wig-maker.-Life and career:...
and his poetry was praised in an epistle by Robert BurnsRobert BurnsRobert Burns was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide...
– where he referred to him as "Gilbertfield". - Claudius BuchananClaudius BuchananClaudius Buchanan was a Scottish theologian, an ordained minister of the Church of England, and an extremely 'low church' missionary for the Church Missionary Society....
(1766–1815) was born in Cambuslang to the schoolmaster, and died in Hertfordshire. His maternal grandfather had been converted at the Cambuslang Wark. His studies at Cambridge were supported by John NewtonJohn NewtonJohn Henry Newton was a British sailor and Anglican clergyman. Starting his career on the sea at a young age, he became involved with the slave trade for a few years. After experiencing a religious conversion, he became a minister, hymn-writer, and later a prominent supporter of the abolition of...
, the anti-slavery campaigner. His books and publications seeking to strengthen the Christian presence in India resulted in the setting up of an educational and ecclessiastical structure. Jane AustenJane AustenJane Austen was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature, her realism and biting social commentary cementing her historical importance among scholars and critics.Austen lived...
, in one of her letters, professed to have loved these books. He was honoured for his missionary work by Glasgow and Oxford Universities and he seems to have made enough money in India to fund several prizes to promote missionary activity back home. - John Claudius LoudonJohn Claudius LoudonJohn Claudius Loudon was a Scottish botanist, garden and cemetery designer, author and garden magazine editor.-Background:...
(1783–1843), a famous gardener (or rather "horticultural writer, dendrologist and designer") was born in Cambuslang to a respectable farming family. He wrote the Encyclopaedia of Gardening in 1822, and invented a flexible iron-bar sash which made possible such monumental greenhouses as the Palm House at Kew GardensRoyal Botanic Gardens, KewThe Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, usually referred to as Kew Gardens, is 121 hectares of gardens and botanical glasshouses between Richmond and Kew in southwest London, England. "The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew" and the brand name "Kew" are also used as umbrella terms for the institution that runs...
and the Crystal PalaceThe Crystal PalaceThe Crystal Palace was a cast-iron and glass building originally erected in Hyde Park, London, England, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. More than 14,000 exhibitors from around the world gathered in the Palace's of exhibition space to display examples of the latest technology developed in...
. He also laid down the prototypical semi-detached house (in Porchester Terrace, London), to satisfy the needs of the emergent and aspirant middle classes. - Sir George Burns (1795–1890), Shipping Magnate and co-founder of the Cunard LineCunard LineCunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century...
resided at Rosebank House after David Dale's time. - Sir Thomas LiptonThomas LiptonSir Thomas Johnstone Lipton, 1st Baronet, KCVO was a Scotsman of Ulster-Scots parentage who was a self-made man, merchant, and yachtsman. He created the Lipton tea brand and was the most persistent challenger in the history of the America's Cup.-Parentage and childhood:Lipton was born in Glasgow...
(1850–1931) of tea fame lived in the Johnstone Villa in Cambuslang, which was named after his mother's family. One his aunts lived in a detached villas in Wellshot, now the North Street Health Centre. He often drove in style in a carriage-and-four to Glasgow. - Jimmy JacksonJimmy Jackson (footballer)James "Jimmy" Jackson was a Scottish-Australian football player.Jackson was born in Cambuslang, Lanarkshire, Scotland, but his family emigrated to Australia when he was two. The young Jackson grew up in Australia and played football as a youth, before returning to Scotland in 1893...
was a Scottish-Australian Footballer - Dr David Forbes MartynDavid Forbes MartynDavid Forbes Martyn was a Scottish-born Australian physicist and radiographer.Martyn was born in Cambuslang, Scotland , the son of a local doctor. He was educated at Alan Glen's School then the Royal College of Science at Imperial College London....
(1906–1970) was born in Cambuslang on 22 June 1906, the son of a local doctor. He was educated at Alan Glen's School then the Royal College of ScienceRoyal College of ScienceThe Royal College of Science was a higher education institution located in South Kensington; it was a constituent college of Imperial College London from 1907 until it was wholly absorbed by Imperial in 2002. Alumni include H. G. Wells and Brian May and are distinguishable by the letters ARCS ...
, London. He was a physicist and radiographer who moved to AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in 1927 to take up one of the first posts in radio research there. He contributed to the development of coastal and air defence radar for Australia during World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of London in 1950. - Robert WilsonRobert Wilson (tenor)Robert Wilson was a Scottish tenor. After beginning his career with the Rothesay Entertainers in Scotland, Wilson joined the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, with whom he performed from 1931 to 1937...
(1907–1964) Opera and concert singer with the D'Oyly Carte Opera CompanyD'Oyly Carte Opera CompanyThe D'Oyly Carte Opera Company was a professional light opera company that staged Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy operas. The company performed nearly year-round in the UK and sometimes toured in Europe, North America and elsewhere, from the 1870s until it closed in 1982. It was revived in 1988 and...
and recording artist with ParlophoneParlophoneParlophone is a record label that was founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch was formed in 1923 as "Parlophone" which developed a reputation in the 1920s as a leading jazz label. It was acquired in 1927 by the Columbia Graphophone Company which...
and HMVHMVHis Master's Voice is a trademark in the music business, and for many years was the name of a large record label. The name was coined in 1899 as the title of a painting of the dog Nipper listening to a wind-up gramophone... - Air Vice-Marshall John B Wallace (1907 – ) came from Cambuslang. He was Deputy Director-General of Medical Services, Royal Air Force from 1961 to 1966.
- Robin JenkinsRobin Jenkins (writer)Robin Jenkins OBE was a Scottish writer of about thirty novels, the most celebrated being The Cone Gatherers....
' (1912–2005) most famous novel is the Cone Gatherers, much studied in Scottish schools. - Sir Ian McGregor, malariologistMalariaMalaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
(1922–2007) led British research in tropical medicine at the MRC Laboratories in the Gambia. - Mick McGaheyMick McGaheyMichael "Mick" McGahey was a Scottish miners' leader and life-long Communist, with a distinctive gravelly voice. He described himself as "a product of my class and my movement".-Early life:...
, (1925–1999) was a Scottish Miners leader who had worked in the mines of Cambuslang. There is a significant memorial (in the form of mine workings) to him at the east end of Main Street. - Duncan Munro GlenDuncan GlenProfessor Duncan Munro Glen was a Scottish poet, literary editor and Emeritus Professor of Visual Communication at Nottingham Trent University. He became known to the literary world through his first full-length book, "Hugh MacDiarmid and the Scottish Renaissance"...
, (1933 – ) as well as being a prolific poet and historian, is Emeritus Professor of Visual Communication at Nottingham Trent UniversityNottingham Trent UniversityNottingham Trent University is a public teaching and research university in Nottingham, United Kingdom. It was founded as a new university in 1992 from the existing Trent Polytechnic , however it can trace its roots back to 1843 with the establishment of the Nottingham Government School of Design...
. Through his editorship of the magazine Arkos, he has been a vigorous promoter of Scots literature, becoming a friend and early champion of, among others, Hugh MacDiarmidHugh MacDiarmidHugh MacDiarmid is the pen name of Christopher Murray Grieve , a significant Scottish poet of the 20th century. He was instrumental in creating a Scottish version of modernism and was a leading light in the Scottish Renaissance of the 20th century...
and Ian Hamilton FinlayIan Hamilton FinlayIan Hamilton Finlay, CBE, was a Scottish poet, writer, artist and gardener.-Biography:Finlay was born in Nassau, Bahamas of Scottish parents. He was educated in Scotland at Dollar Academy. At the age of 13, with the outbreak of World War II, he was evacuated to family in the countryside...
. He was born and brought up in Westburn, Cambuslang. Among his 150-odd publications he has produced the definitive modern history of Cambuslang, along with a collection of Cambuslang poets. His own poetry deals with friends and fellow poets, relatives, Scots history and the history and landscape of Cambuslang. His poetry has been translated into Italian. He was recently awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws by the University of PaisleyUniversity of PaisleyThe University of the West of Scotland is a university operating from four campuses in south-western Scotland, in the towns of Paisley, Hamilton, Ayr and Dumfries. The present institution dates from August 2007, following the merger of the University of Paisley with Bell College, Hamilton...
. - John FallonJohn FallonJohn Fallon is a Scottish former professional footballer and member of the Celtic squad that won the European Cup in 1967, which came to be known as the Lisbon Lions....
(1940 – ) was goalkeeper for Glasgow Celtic and one of the Lisbon LionsLisbon LionsThe Lisbon Lions is the nickname given to the Celtic team that won the European Cup at the Estádio Nacional in Lisbon, Portugal on 25 May 1967, defeating Internazionale 2–1. All the members of this team were born within 30 miles of Glasgow, Scotland. Celtic's style was the antithesis of the...
. - The Rt Rev David LunanDavid LunanDavid Ward Lunan is a Church of Scotland minister. On 30 October 2007 was he nominated to be the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland for 2008-9, formally being elected as Moderator on the first day of the Assembly ....
(1944 – ) was brought up in Cambuslang, and became Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 2008. - Mike WatsonMike WatsonMichael Goodall Watson, Baron Watson of Invergowrie, known as Mike Watson, is a former British Labour Party politician...
(1949 – ), previously a LabourLabour Party (UK)The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
life peer as Lord Watson of Invergowrie, was given a 16-month prison sentence in 2005 for wilful fire-raising. Though born in Cambuslang in 1949, Watson moved early to Invergowrie near Dundee. - Robert CrawfordRobert Crawford (Scottish poet)Robert Crawford FRSE FRA is a Scottish poet, scholar and critic. He is currently Professor of English at the University of St Andrews.-Early life:...
(1959 – ), Scottish poetPoetA poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and Professor of Modern Scottish Literature at St Andrews University was born in BellshillBellshillBellshill is a town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, 10 miles south east of Glasgow city centre and 37 miles west of Edinburgh. Other nearby towns are Motherwell , Hamilton and Coatbridge . Since 1996, it has been situated in the Greater Glasgow metropolitan area...
and raised in Cambuslang. He was educated at Hutchesons' Grammar SchoolHutchesons' Grammar SchoolHutchesons' Grammar School is a co-educational independent school in the southside of Glasgow, Scotland. It was founded by the brothers George Hutcheson and Thomas Hutcheson in 1641 and was opened originally to teach orphans, starting with "twelve male children, indigent orphans".In 1876 a girls'...
in Glasgow, Glasgow University and Oxford University. While there, he wrote a poem called "Cambuslang" - Midge UreMidge UreJames "Midge" Ure, OBE is a Scottish guitarist, singer, keyboard player, and songwriter...
(1953 – ) is a pop-singer, formerly performing with SlikSlikSlik were a Scottish pop group of the mid 1970s, most notable for their UK no.1 hit "Forever and Ever" in 1976. Beginning with glam rock and changing their style to soft rock/bubblegum...
and Ultravox and a leading campaigner against world hunger, including Band AidBand Aid (band)Band Aid was a charity supergroup featuring British and Irish musicians and recording artists. It was founded in 1984 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia by releasing the song "Do They Know It's Christmas?" for the Christmas market that year. The single...
and Live 8Live 8Live 8 was a string of benefit concerts that took place on 2 July 2005, in the G8 states and in South Africa. They were timed to precede the G8 Conference and summit held at the Gleneagles Hotel in Auchterarder, Scotland from 6–8 July 2005; they also coincided with the 20th anniversary of Live Aid...
. He was born James Ure in Cambuslang on 10 October 1953 and was awarded the Honorary degree of Doctor of Letters at Dundee Abertay University in October 2005. - Brendan O'HareBrendan O'HareBrendan O'Hare is a Scottish musician, best known as drummer in the Scottish rock band Teenage Fanclub from 1990 until early 1994.-Career:...
(1970 – ) is a musician, formerly performing with Teenage FanclubTeenage FanclubTeenage Fanclub are an alternative rock band from Bellshill, Scotland. The band is composed of Norman Blake , Raymond McGinley , Gerard Love and Francis MacDonald , with songwriting duties shared equally among Blake, McGinley and Love...
and MogwaiMogwaiThe word mogwai is the transliteration of the Cantonese word 魔怪 meaning "monster", "evil spirit", "devil" or "demon".-Mogwai/Mogui in Chinese culture:... - Patrick Harkins (1965– ) is a TV and Film director and writer with his most noted work including TaggartTaggartTaggart is a Scottish detective television programme, created by Glenn Chandler, who has written many of the episodes, and made by STV Productions for the ITV network...
and CasualtyCasualty (TV series)Casualty, stylised as Casual+y, is a British weekly television show broadcast on BBC One, and the longest-running emergency medical drama television series in the world. Created by Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin, it was first broadcast on 6 September 1986, and transmitted in the UK on BBC One. The...
. - Scott Harrison (1977 – ), the World Boxing Organisation featherweight champion for 2002, was born in Bellshill on 19 August 1977 and brought up in Cambuslang.
External links
- http://www.cambuslangpark.org Friends of Cambuslang Park
- http://www.edwardboyle.com/EB/cambuslang/Cambuslang.html Views of Old Cambuslang
- http://www.scottish-places.info/towns/townhistory418.html Historical perspective for Cambuslang, from the Gazetteer for Scotland
- http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/clydebridge History of Clydebridge Steelworks and Clyde Iron Works
- http://stat-acc-scot.edina.ac.uk/stat-acc-scot/stat-acc-scot.asp The Statistical Accounts of Scotland
- http://electricscotland.com/history/glasgow/cambuslang.htm for an extract on Cambuslang from Rambles Round Glasgow by Hugh MacLelland
- http://electricscotland.com/history/other/buchanan_claudius.htm for an account of Claudius Buchanan
- http://gdl.cdlr.strath.ac.uk for pictures and histories of Wellshott House, Rosebank House and other country houses round Glasgow.
- http://pemberley.com/janeinfo/litalus.html for Jane Austen's letter mentioning Buchanan
- http://www.cambuslangharriers.org Ronhill Cambuslang Harriers are Scotland's top road running and cross country