Neilston is a village and parish in East Renfrewshire

East Renfrewshire

East Renfrewshire is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. Until 1975 it formed part of the county of Renfrewshire for local government purposes along with the modern council areas of Renfrewshire and Inverclyde...

 set in the west central Lowlands

Central Lowlands

The Central Lowlands or Midland Valley is a geologically defined area of relatively low-lying land in southern Scotland. It consists of a rift valley between the Highland Boundary Fault to the north and the Southern Uplands Fault to the south...

 of Scotland. It lies in the Levern Valley

River Levern

The River Levern, also known as the Levern Water, is a small river in East Renfrewshire and Glasgow, Scotland.The Levern has its source in Long Loch, and for a few miles divides parts East Renfrewshire, passing the village of Neilston and town of Barrhead.The Levern Valley anciently formed part of...

, 2 miles (3.2 km) southwest of Barrhead

Barrhead

Barrhead is a town in East Renfrewshire, Scotland, southwest of Glasgow on the edge of the Gleniffer Braes. As of the 2001 census its population was 19,813....

, 3.8 miles (6.1 km) south of Paisley

Paisley

Paisley is the largest town in the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland and serves as the administrative centre for the Renfrewshire council area...

, and 5.7 miles (9.2 km) south-southwest of Renfrew

Renfrew

-Local government:The town of Renfrew gave its name to a number of local government areas used at various times:*Renfrew a town to the west of Glasgow*Renfrewshire, the present unitary local council area in which Renfrew is situatated....

, at the southwestern fringe of the Greater Glasgow conurbation

Greater Glasgow

Greater Glasgow is an urban settlement in Scotland consisting of all localities which are physically attached to the city of Glasgow, forming with it a single contiguous urban area...

. Neilston is a dormitory village comprising a resident population of just over 5,000 people.

Neilston is mentioned in documents as early as the twelfth century, and its early history is marked by its status as an important ecclesiastical parish linked with Paisley Abbey

Paisley Abbey

Paisley Abbey is a former Cluniac monastery, and current Church of Scotland parish kirk, located on the east bank of the White Cart Water in the centre of the town of Paisley, Renfrewshire, in west central Scotland.-History:...

 to the north.