HAMILTON, a parish and burgh and market-town, in the Middle ward of the county
of Lanark; including the village of Fernigair, and containing 10,862 inhabitants, of
whom 8876 are in the town, 1 1 miles (S. E. by E.) from Glasgow, and 38 (W. S. W.)
from Edinburgh. This place appears to have been distinguished at a very early period
as a royal residence, under
the appellation of Cadzow, of which name, however, the
origin and signification are now unknown. In 1153,
and also in 1289, the monarchs held their courts here;
and it continued to be a royal manor till the battle of
Bannockburn, immediately after which it was conferred
by Bruce upon Walter Fitzgilbert de Hamilton, ancestor
of the present ducal family of that name, in whose possession
it has ever since remained. In 1445, James II.,
by charter dated the 3rd of July, created James, then
proprietor of the estate, first Lord Hamilton; and
erected the manor of Cadzow into a barony, which took
its name from the family of its possessor. In the year
1474, Lord Hamilton married the Princess Mary, eldest
daughter of the king, and widow of the Earl of Arran,
by virtue of which alliance his descendants were, after
the death of James V., recognised by parliament as heirs
of the Crown in the event of the death of Mary, Queen
of Scots. On their accompanying that princess into
France, they were created Dukes of Chatelherault in
that kingdom; and they were subsequently made Dukes
of Hamilton by Charles I., and Dukes of Brandon in
England by Queen Anne.
Few events of historical importance have occurred to
distinguish the town. A conflict took place in 1650
between the array of the Covenanters, consisting of 1500
horse under the command of Colonel Kerr, and the
forces of General Lambert sent against them by Cromwell,
when, after an obstinate resistance, in which Kerr
and 100 of his men were killed, the Covenanters were
dispersed. In 16/9, a body of Covenanters defeated a
detachment of the king's troops at Drumclog, in the
neighbouring parish of Avondale: this happened on
Sunday, the 1st of June, the Covenanters having assembled
for worship; and in consequence of the success
then gained, their numbers increased to about 4000.
They marched to Glasgow with the intention of making
themselves masters of that city, but being repulsed with
the loss of several killed and wounded, they fell back
upon Hamilton, where the more moderate drew up what
is called the Hamilton Declaration. Weakened by internal
divisions, and having lost the prestige of success
acquired at Drumclog, they encamped on the 22nd of
June at Bothwell moor, between the river Clyde and the
town of Hamilton, from which position they were dislodged
by the royal army under the Duke of Monmouth,
being defeated with the loss of many killed, and 1200 of
their number who were taken prisoners. In 1774, an
accidental fire broke out in the town, which, raging for
several days with unabated violence, reduced a considerable
portion of it to ashes.
The TOWN is situated on a tract of elevated ground,
about a mile from the confluence of the Avon with the
Clyde, and considerably to the west of the ancient town,
of which the only remains now existing are a small
portion of an out-building belonging to the old hall in the
pleasure-grounds of Hamilton Palace. It is intersected
by the Cadzow burn, over which is a noble bridge of three
arches, and by the roads leading to Glasgow and Edinburgh,
on the line of the latter of which an elegant bridge
of five arches was erected over the Clyde, by act of parliament,
in 1*80. Across the same river is Bothwell
bridge, a very ancient structure on the road to Glasgow,
of which the date is unknown, and which was lately
widened and repaired: Bothwell bridge was the scene
of the fight between Monmouth and the Covenanters, in
1679. A handsome bridge has been built over the Avon,
on the London road; and across the same river is an
ancient bridge of three arches, built by the monks of
Lesmahagow. The houses are in general well built, and
some additional houses have been lately erected. The
streets are lighted with gas by a company of proprietary
shareholders, who erected works for the purpose upon
a very elegant plan: a company, also, has been formed
to supply the town with water. A public library, supported
by subscription, was opened in 1808, chiefly
under the auspices of Dr. John Hume, which lately
contained more than 3000 volumes; and a mechanics' institution
was established within the last few years. The
cavalry barracks occupy a large area surrounded with a
wall, and comprise a riding-room, and an hospital, with
stabling and the other usual accommodations. There
are three masonic lodges, two gardeners' societies, and
several building and friendly societies. Considerable improvements
have taken place in the town by the formation
of new streets. The market is on Friday; and five
fairs are held in the year, which were formerly great
marts for lint and wool, but at present are little more
than large markets: two additional fairs or markets for
cattle and the hiring of servants have been established
with much success. The market for butchers' meat and
the shambles are situated nearly in the middle of the
town, on the bank of the Cadzow burn; the buildings are
neat, and well adapted to the purpose.
A very considerable trade was formerly carried on
here in malt, under the direction of the Society of
Maltsters: this society is still kept up for convivial
purposes, but the trade has altogether declined. The
linen trade, also, which formed at one time almost the
staple business of the place, has been wholly discontinued.
The cotton trade, on its first introduction,
flourished here for some j'ears, and the town became
the principal seat of the district for the weaving of imitation
or Scotch cambrics. This branch of trade has been
on the decline since 1792, but is still considerable, and
aflfords employment to many of the inhabitants: there
are at present about 1300 looms in the town, and fifty
in the rural districts of the parish; and many females
are engaged in winding and in tambouring. The old lace
manufacture, introduced by one of the Duchesses of
Hamilton, has for many years been decaying, and is now
almost extinct. A new manufacture of lace, introduced
some years since by a firm from Nottingham, is at present
the most flourishing trade of Hamilton, and gives
occupation to nearly 3000 women in the town and neighbourhood.
The principal productions are, tamboured
bobbinets, and black silk veils of various patterns, with
other articles, for which there is a large and still increasing
demand, for the markets of England, America,
and the British colonies. Many very respectable houses
are engaged in this trade, which, since its introduction
here by Mr. Galloch, has been much improved. Large
quantities of check shirts are also made in the town,
and exported to Australia: the weaving of stockings is
carried on to a limited extent; and the tanning of leather,
at one time extensive, is conducted on a very small scale.
Great facility of intercourse is afforded by the Glasgow
and Hamilton section of the Caledonian railway.
The present town, though not the ^original one, and
though the larger part of it is comparatively modern, is
of considerable antiquity, having in the reign of James II.
been erected into a burgh by charter of that monarch,
granted in 1456. In 1 548 it was created a royal burgh
by Queen Mary; and it continued to enjoy its privileges as
such till 1670, when the inhabitants forfeited their rights
by disuse, and accepted a new charter from Anne,
Duchess of Hamilton, by which it became merely the
chief burgh of the duchy of Hamilton. This charter,
also, is now superseded by the late Municipal Corporations'
act, by which the government is vested in a provost,
three bailies, a treasurer, and a council of seven,
assisted by a town-clerk and other officers. The provost
and bailies are elected annually from the council, four
of whom go out of office by rotation, every year, when
four new ones are chosen by the qualified electors; the
treasurer and the town-clerk are appointed by the corporation.
Both the provost and the bailies are justices
of the peace, by virtue of their office, with power to hold
courts for the determination of all claims in actions of
debt, and for the trial of all criminal cases not extending
to life or limb, within the burgh. They used occasionally
to hold a court for the recovery in a summary form
of debts under forty shillings, but this court, from a
doubt of its legality, has fallen into disuse: they still
hold weekly courts for the recovery of debts and for
civil actions to an unlimited amount, in which the townclerk
acts as assessor; and also police courts for the
trial of misdemeanors and other offences not capital.
On the back of the burgh seal is the inscription, " Harailtoun
1695". The elective franchise was granted by
act of the 2nd and 3rd of William IV.; and the burgh
has from that time, in conjunction with Lanark, Falkirk,
Linlithgow, and Airdrie, returned one member to the
imperial parliament: the right of election is vested in
the proprietors or tenants and occupants of houses of
the yearly value of £10 and upwards. The former
court-house and prison, erected at the cross in the reign
of King Charles L, were lately taken down; and the
old town-hall was also disused. A new town-hall with
public offices and a prison, the first stone of which was
laid in 1834, has been built in lieu. It consists of a
distinct range of building two stories high, comprising
on the ground-floor a court-room thirty-seven feet long
and thirty-two feet broad, three apartments for the sheriff's
clerk, a record-room, and three rooms for the townclerk,
with an apartment for the sheriff-substitute, and
another for the county procurator-fiscal: in the upper
story are a large hall for county meetings, and other
apartments. Behind is the prison, three stories high,
containing forty-five cells, with a spacious day-room for
debtors, and day-rooms for criminals; the lower part is
appropriated as a bridewell, and the upper part to
debtors. Between the public offices and the prison is
the house of the governor, with requisite apartments,
and a bath for the use of the prison. The trades' hall,
in Church-street, erected in 1816, is a neat and appropriate
building, comprising in the upper part a hall for
the meetings of the trades, and in the lower a wellarranged
tavern. The annual value of real property in
the parish is £38,181.
The PARISH extends nearly six miles in length, and
is almost of the same breadth; being bounded on the
north and north-east by the river Clyde, on the south
and south-west by the parish of Glassford, on the east
by the parishes of Dalziel, Cambusnethan, Dalserf, and
Stonehouse, and on the west by Blantyre. It comprises
14,'i40 acres of land, of which aliout 8000 are
arable and of good quality, 2000 woodland, and 2040
unprofitable or waste. The surface is generally level,
occasionally varied with sloping ridges, but not rising
into hills of any considerable elevation. The most fertile
lands are the extensive vales on the south-western
bank of the Clyde, where the soil is a deep rich loam;
and on the north-eastern side of that river are a few
hundred acres belonging to this parish, though they
would seem to be more properly within that of Dalziel,
which nearly surrounds them. In the middle of the
parish the soil rests upon yellow clay, and is less fertile
than in the valleys near the Clyde; the higher parts of
the parish consist chiefly of gravel and sand, and are
comparatively unproductive. The substrata are principally
sandstone rock, appearing in great masses that are
from under fifty to more than 300 feet in thickness;
whinstone also prevails in some parts, and coal, limestone,
and ironstone are found. The several strata of
coal vary from twenty to twenty-four feet in average
thickness. In this district the limestone is of various
quality; that obtained in the south-west is excellent,
and much used for building and also for agricultural
purposes. The ironstone is found in seams about eighteen
inches thick, and also in masses varying from very
minute balls to others several inches in diameter, chiefly
in the clay near the strata of coal. As yet the coal and
limestone only have been wrought.
Among the crops produced are, wheat, which is grown
on all the lands near the Clyde, and also on some few of
the higher lands; and oats of various descriptions, of
which the Polish, Essex, and Friesland species are predominant.
Peas and beans are chiefly raised on the
lower grounds. Barley, formerly more largely cultivated,
is now seldom sown, except for preparing lands for artificial
grasses; potatoes are produced in great quantities,
and of good quality, and a little flax for domestic use.
The system of agriculture, though varying in different
parts, is generally advanced; there are some considerable
dairy-farms, and much attention is paid to the breeding
of cattle, in which many improvements have taken place
within the last few years. Great improvement has also
been made in draining and inclosing the lands; the
fences are chiefly hedges, and are mostly well kept up.
The pastures, especially in the low grounds bordering
on the Clyde, are fertile; and attached to a few of the
farms, and even to some of the houses in the town, are
orchards which abound with fruit. Of late years, since
fruit became so cheap, much less attention has been
bestowed upon its cultivation here. There are various
tracts of woodland in the parish, the principal of them
being Bar-Michael wood near Bothwell bridge, Ross
wood on the river Clyde, and Hamilton wood on the
Avon and the Barncluith burn. Forest-trees of every
kind thrive well, particularly on the lower lands. Oak
is very prevalent, and many of the older trees have
attained considerable size, several of those in Hamilton
wood, said to be the remains of the ancient Caledonian
forest, measuring thirty-six feet in girth. Larch and
Scotch fir also thrive; and the banks of the rivers,
wherethey have any elevation, are crowned with luxuriant
foliage. Silver and spruce fir are grown with success;
and the cedar of Lebanon has attained a tolerable size
where it has been planted. In Hamilton wood are still
preserved the famous breed of Scottish wild tattle,
milk-white in colour, with black muzzles, horns, and
hoofs. Freestone is found in several parts of the parish,
of a good quality for building; and at present about fifty
men are constantly employed in the various quarries.
The principal river is the Clyde, which rises in the
heights of Crawford, and begins to bound the parish
some miles below the falls at Lanark; it expands into
a breadth varying from eighty to 100 yards, and is subject
after rains to frequent inundations, by which the
lands have at different times been much injured. The
river Avon also, or Evan, as it is sometimes written,
intersects the parish, receiving in its course sis tributary
streams; and there are three other streamlets or burns,
which fall into the Clyde. The Avon rises on the west,
near the borders of the county of Ayr, and after a picturesque
course of several miles through the dale to
which it gives name, enters the parish at Millheugh
bridge, and a little below flows through a defile bounded
on each side by majestic rocks of romantic aspect, rising
to the height of 200 or 300 feet, and richly clothed, in
some parts almost to their summits, with stately and
venerable oaks. Nearly in the centre of this defile are
the remains of Cadzow Castle, seated on a rock ascending
perpendicularly to the height of 200 feet above the
level of the river; and on the opposite bank is the bauqueting-
house of the Duke of Hamilton, built after the
model of Chatelherault, from which it takes its name.
Not far from the extremity of the chasm, and about
three miles from the entrance, are the gardens of Barncluith,
the property of Lord Ruthven, rising in terraces
firom the western bank of the river, which, after forcing
its way through this rocky channel, flows along the fertile
valleys of the parish, and falls into the Clyde near
Hamilton bridge. Of the several other streams that
intersect the parish the principal are, Cadzow burn,
which rises in Glassford, and after running through the
town, falls into the Clyde at a short distance below
Hamilton bridge; "and Barncluith burn, which joins the
Avon about half a mile from the town. The latter bum
flows through Hamilton wood, forming in its way five
or six falls, varying from five to six feet in height, and
adding greatly to the beauty of the scenery. Both the
Clyde and the Avon abound with fish, of which salmon,
trout, par or samlet, silver-eels, and minnow are the
most common; and pike, perch, lampreys, and roach are
occasionally found: roach are the most uncommon.
Hamilton Palace, the seat of his grace the Duke
of Hamilton, situated on the borders of the town, about
half a mile westward of the confluence of the Avon and
the Clyde, was originally a square tower of very small
dimensions. The more ancient part of the present
mansion was built in 1590, and nearly rebuilt about the
year 1720; considerable additions have been made to the
building since 1S22, and at present it is one of the most
splendid structures in the kingdom. Its north front
is 264 feet in length, and three stories in height, with a
stately portico of duplicated Corinthian columns, each
thirty feet high, three feet in diameter, and formed of
one single block, and the columns together supporting
a triangular pediment. To the west is a wing 100 feet
in length, appropriated for offices and servants' apartments;
and in the rear of the building is a corridor of
recent addition, in which are baths and various appendages
for the use of the family. The entrance hall is
lofty, and richly embellished; and the state apartments,
which are extremely spacious, are magnificently decorated
throughout, and ornamented with sculpture. The
dining-room is seventy feet in length and thirty feet
wide, and has numerous embellishments, among which
is a tripod of exquisite beauty standing on a pedestal of
African marble: the other apartments, also, abound
with costly vases, cabinets, specimens of mosaic, gems,
and other rare and interesting curiosities. The gallery,
which is 120 feet long, twenty feet wide, and twenty
feet high, contains an extensive and very valuable collection
of paintings by the most eminent masters of the
Italian and Flemish schools, and many family portraits.
At the upper end is the throne used by his grace when
ambassador at the court of Petersburgh, and on one side
of it is a bust of Augustus, and on the other one of Tiberius,
both of oriental porphyry: at the opposite end
of the gallery is a beautiful door of black marble, surmounted
by a pediment supported ou two pillars of green
porphyry. The library contains a large collection of
well-assorted volumes, and of prints, the latter alone
being valued at £10,000. There are some stables, built
between the palace and the town, on a scale adapted
to the style of the palace; and the grounds abound with
stately timber, and with every variety and beauty of
scenery. The banqueting-house of Chatelherault was
erected in 1732, by the then duke, after a model of the
citadel of that name in France; it is built of red freestone,
and decorated with four square towers, and, with
its numerous pinnacles and other ornaments, forms a
conspicuous object on the eastern side of the river Avon.
Among various interesting works of taste it contains a
small but choice collection of paintings; and the grounds,
in which is an extensive flower-garden, are tastefully
embellished. Earnock House, a seat in the parish, formerly
belonging to the ancient family of Roberton, is
beautifully situated in its western part, on an elevated
site surrounded with flourishing plantations; the house
is of modern erection, well adapted for its purpose, and
the gardens and pleasure-grounds are agreeably laid out.
Ross is a spacious mansion, situated in grounds comprehending
much agreeable scenery: Nielsland is also a
handsome residence, with an extensive demesne; and
there are some good houses at Fair Hill, Grovemount,
Edlewood, and Fairholme. Of Barncluith the principal
feature is the gardens previously noticed; and many of
the ancient seats of different branches of the Hamilton
family have become farm-houses. The chief landed proprietor
is the Duke of Hamilton, who owns more than
one-half of the parish.
Hamilton parish formerly comprised the chapelry of
Machan, now the parish of Dalserf; and it also appears
that the church was granted by David I., together with
the lands belonging to it, to the abbej' of Glasgow, and
was afterwards appropriated to the deanery of that see.
The parish is within the bounds of the presbytery of
Hamilton, synod of Glasgow and Ayr. There are two
ministers, the first of whom has a stipend of about £314,
whereof £2. 15. arise from a bequest for communion
elements; £107. 10. are allowed by the Duke of Hamilton
in lieu of manse and glebe: the second minister has
a stipend of rather less amount, with a manse, but no
glebe. The church was made collegiate under the influence
of the first Lord Hamilton, in 1451; and a new
church was consequently built, which was finished in
April 1462: it was endowed for a provost and eight
prebendaries, and contained a chapel dedicated to the
Virgin Mary, for which a chaplain was appointed. This
building, which was of hewn stone, consisted of a nave,
choir, and transepts, of elegant design, and continued
till 1732, when it fell into decay, since which time it has
been greatly dilapidated, nothing of it now remaining
but one of the transepts, still used as a burying-place
for the Hamilton family. The present parish church,
situated in the southern part of the town, is a handsome
structure of circular form, erected after a design by the
elder Adam, architect; and is adapted to a congregation
of 800. A second church in connexion with the Estabhshment,
and capable of containing lO'il persons, was
some years ago erected by subscription; it was known
as St. John's church, and was occupied by the minister
of the second charge, until the Disruption of the Church
of Scotland, when it was appropriated by the members of
the Free Church for their own use. There are several
congregations of the United Presbyterian Church; also
places of worship for Independents and others. The
Episcopalians in Hamilton and its neighbourhood have
lately formed themselves into a congregation, and there
is also a congregation of Roman Catholics, who purchased
ground a few years ago for the erection of a chapel. The
grammar school is of ancient origin, and in 1588 was
endowed by Lord John Hamilton with £'20 Scotch per
annum; it affords a liberal education to about forty
children, and is under the patronage of the corporation.
The master's salarj' is £34, and the fees on the average
amount to £60: the school-house is a venerable building,
nearly in the centre of the town. The Duke's Hospital,
for a certain number of aged men, was originally
built in the old town, but was removed to the present;
it is an ancient building with a belfry, situated near the
Cross, and was formerly inhabited by the pensioners,
but has for some years been let out, and the receipts
applied to their use along with the ordinary proceeds.
An hospital was built in 17/5, in Muir-street, by William
Aikman, Esq., for four aged men, who have each a residence
in the building, with a certain endowment. Mr.
John Rae bequeathed to the town council a sum of
money which, together with some bequests by other
benefactors, produces an annual interest of £9. 2. 4.,
distributed among poor housekeepers according to the
will of the testators. Mr. Robertson, of this town, and
sheriff-clerk of Lanark, in conjunction with Mr. Lyon,
left £4 per annum for nine aged men; and Miss Christian
Allan, in 1785, left to the Kirk Session £50, in trust for
the benefit of the poor. Mr. William Torbuet bequeathed
to the same trustees an orchard that lets at £10 per
annum; and they have also a legacy of £50, the interest
of which is divided among five female housekeepers
named by them; another legacy of £50, of which only
£30 were paid, for clothing the indigent poor; and a
donation of £100, the interest of which is applied to the
instruction of twelve children. Another bequest has
been made recently.
Among the antiquities in the parish, the most conspicuous
are the remains of Cadzow Castle, previously
noticed as occupying the summit of a precipitous rock
rising from the river Avon, in Hamilton woods. It has
been repaired at various times. The keep, with the fosse
around it, a narrow bridge over the fosse, and a well
within the walls, are still in good preservation; and
several vaults, with part of the walls of the chapel, may
yet be distinctly traced. Darngaber Castle, in the southeast
of the parish, supposed to have been founded by
Thomas, son of Sir John de Hamilton, lord of Cadzow,
occupied an elevated site at the extremity of a point of
land near the confluence of two rivulets: the only remains
are, portions of the foundations, which appear to
have consisted of flat unhewn and uncemented stones;
and some vaults, that seem to have been constructed at
a much earlier period. At Meikle Earnoch, two miles
south of the town, is a tumulus about twelve feet in
diameter, and eight feet high, which appears to have
been originally of larger dimensions. On opening it
several urns were found, containing human bones nearly
reduced to ashes; they were all of baked earth, without
inscription, but some of them were decorated with
mouldings. Near Meikle Earnoch, in a field on the
lands of Stonehall, is a small mound called the Martyr's
Grave, which is regarded with much veneration by the
country-people: it has always been left untouched by
the plough, and is said to mark the place w-here one of
the Covenanters was buried. To the north of Hamilton
Palace is a mount supposed to have been in remoter ages
a seat for the administration of justice; it is about thirty
feet in diameter at the base, and fifteen feet high, and
near it is a stone cross four feet in height, without inscription.
This cross is thought to have been the market
cross of the old town, called Netherton, which, previously
totheerectionof the upper or present town of Hamilton,
occupied this part. In the south of the parish is a portion
of a cromlech, consisting of one stone of about six
feet, which, having declined greatly from its erect position,
was replaced by the tenant of a neighbouring farm.
The celebrated Dr. Cullen was born in this parish in
1714, and for several years was a magistrate of Hamilton.
The father of the late Professor Millar, of Glasgow, was
parochial clergyman here; as was also the father of the
late Dr. Baillie, of London, and of his distinguished
sister, Joanna Baillie.