CAMBUSLANG, a parish, in the Middle ward of
the county of Lanark, 4§ miles (S. by E.) from Glasgow;
including the villages of Bushyhill, Chapelton,
East and West Cotes, Cullochburn, Howieshill, Kirkhill,
Lightburn, Sauchiebog, Silverbanks, andVicarland; and
containing 302'2 inhabitants. This place is supposed to
have derived its name from its situation on the banks
of the Clyde, which here takes a circuitous course, and
forms the northern boundary of the parish. The barony
in which the greater portion is included, and which was
anciently called Drumsargart. belonged in the reign of
Alexander II. to Walter Olifard, justiciary of Lothian,
and subsequently became the property of the Morays
of Bothwell. It afterwards passed into the possession
of the Earl of Douglas, who had married the daughter
of Sir Thomas Moray, and remained in that family till
1452, when the property was transferred to James, Lord
Hamilton, in the possession of whose descendants it
still continues. Its name was changed in the seventeenth
century from Drumsargart to Cambuslang. the
name of the parish. There are no other remains of the
ancient castle of Drumsargart than the mere site, from
which it is supposed to have derived its name, significant
of its situation on a circular mount at the extremity
of a long ridge of ground about thirty feet above
the surrounding plain. This plain, from its extent and
undulating surface, has been said to bear a striking resemblance
to the Field of Waterloo.
The PARISH is bounded on the east by the river
Calder, which is a tributary of the Clyde; and comprises
an area of 3507 acres, all arable and pasture land, with
the exception of about 200 in plantations, roads, and
waste. Its surface, though generally level, is varied
with rising grounds and ridges, the principal of which
are Turnlaw and Dechmont, in the south-west. The
latter, having an elevation of 600 feet above the level of
the sea, commands an extensive prospect, comprehending
in the distance the Tweeddale and Pentland hills,
Ben-Lomond, and several of the hills of Cowal and
Breadalbane. The adjacent scenery is beautifully picturesque,
embracing the windings of the Clyde in its
course from Lanark to Dumbarton, with its richly-wooded
banks interspersed with villages and gentlemen's .seats,
the plantations of Hamilton, the romantic ruins of
Bothwell Castle, and the cathedral and city of Glasgow,
which are here seen with peculiar and striking effect.
Of the rivers, the Clyde is about 2.'>0 feet in breadth;
and the Calder, the banks of which are ornamented
with pleasing villas, and finely wooded, is about forty
feet wide.
The soil is generally good, and, in the low lands near
the Clyde, extremely rich and fertile. The principal
crops are oats and wheat, of which latter the culti-
vation has been for some time progressively increasing
under an improved system of agriculture; peas, beans,
and potatoes are also raised in considerable quantities,
and a small proportion of barley. There are several
large dairy-farms, the produce of which is chiefly
butter, of excellent quality, sent to the Glasgow market,
where it finds a ready sale; the cows are the
Ayrshire. The annual value of real property in the
parish is £11,555. The substratum is mainly argillaceous
freestone, limestone, ironstone, and coal, all of
which are wrought, affording employment to many of
the population. The freestone is of good quality, and
much esteemed for ornamental building; and the limestone,
which is peculiarly compact, and susceptible of a
high polish, is wrought into mantel-pieces of great
beauty under the appellation of Cambuslang marble.
The ironstone is found in several places, but is worked
only to a very limited extent. The coal lies at various
depths, and in some few places rises nearly to the surface;
the field in which it is found forms part of
the coal district of the Clyde, and the seams vary
from three to five feet in thickness: the mines in
this parish are the property of the Duke of Hamilton,
and are partly held on lease. The weaving of muslin for
the Glasgow manufacturers, formerly carried on to a
much greater extent, at present affords employment
to about 500 males and females. There are corn-mills
on the Clyde and Calder rivers. Great facility of intercourse
is afforded by the lines of the Caledonian railway
company. The principal seats are, Newton, a handsome
modern mansion; Calder Grove, also lately erected;
and Gilbertfield, an ancient turretcd edifice.
Ecclesiastically the parish is in the presbytery of
Hamilton and synod of Glasgow and Ayr; patron, the
Duke of Hamilton: the minister's stipend is £281. 11.
11., with a manse, and a glebe valued at £10 per annum.
The church, erected in 1743, a plain building much
dilapidated, has been rebuilt on a larger scale, for a
congregation of 1000 persons; it is a handsome structure
in the Norman style, with a lofty spire. There
are places of worship for members of the Congregational
Union and the United Presbyterian Church. The
parochial school affords education to nearly 100 pupils:
the salary of the master is £34, with £40 fees, and a
good house and garden. On the summit of Dechmont
Hill, the foundations of ancient buildings have been
discovered; and within the last fifty or sixty years considerable
remains existed there, but they have been removed
for the sake of the materials, which have been
employed in repairing the roads, and for other purposes.
Among them were the remains of a circular
building about twenty- four feet in diameter, the site of
which is supposed to have been occupied anciently as
a signal station, and as a place of security in case of
irruption from an enemy. At Kirkburn was formerly
a chapel dedicated to the Virgin IMary, which appears
to have subsisted till the Reformation; but the only
memorial preserved of the building is the name of
the land on which it stood, still called Chapelton.
Spittal Hill was the site of an hospital that has long
since disappeared. Dr. Claudius Buclianan, author of
Researches in India, was a native of the parish.