CAMBUSNETHAN, a parish, in the Middle ward
of the county of Lanark; including the villages of
Bonkle, Stane, and Stewarton and Wishawton; the whole
containing 5796 inhabitants: the church is 4^ miles
(N. w.) from Carluke. The name is derived from the
Gaelic word Camun, signifying a •' bay " or " curve ", applicable
to the remarkable windings of the river Clyde;
and from Nethan, the name of the celebrated saint
whom Archbishop Us?her styles " religiosissimus et doctissimus
Nethciii ", and to whom the church was dedicated.
The history of the place is chiefly connected
with the families of Stewart, Sommerville, Hamilton,
and Lockhart, all of whom have been long located here
as large landed proprietors. The most remote occupation
of the soil, however, of which we have any account,
was by a family of the name of Baird, to whom the
valuable barony of Cambusuethan belonged at a very
early period. This parish is about twelve miles long,
from east to west, and a little more than four miles
broad, containing '26,000 acres. The surface is tolerably
level in the western e.xti-emity, near the banks of the
Clyde, but gradually rises eastward to an elevation of
about I'JO feet, forming a tract about a mile in breadth,
consisting of a rich and fertile soil, which is well cultivated,
and celebrated for the number and quality of its
hares. Another acclivity succeeds this, rising to a height
of about 250 feet, the larger part of which is covered
with orchards; and still further to the east, the lands
in many parts attain an elevation of 900 feet, and coraniaud
some very extensive views of the surrounding
country. The castle of Edinburgh, Loudoun hill, Durabarton
Castle, Ben-Lomond, and the hills of Argyllshire
may be distinctly seen from Knownowton; and from
the church, the prospect embraces the cathedral of
Glasgow, with at least fifteen country churches.
Besides the Clyde, there are several streams running
through the parish and along its boundaries, the peculiar
character and flexures of which greatly improve its
interesting scenery. The South Colder, rising in Linlithgowshire,
forms about nine miles of the boundary line
between this parish and Shotts; and for some miles
before its approach to the Clyde, into which it falls, its
banks are steep, exhibiting specimens of highly ornamental
scenery, and adorned with several beautiful
varieties of wood and garden. The Water of Auchter,
which rises in" the parish of Carluke, after flowing for
more than a mile on the boundary of that parish and
Carabusnethan, enters the latter, and passing for about
three miles in a meandering route, falls into the South
Calder at Bridgend. Of these rivers, the Clyde is said
to contain twelve different species of fish; the chief is
salmon, which latterly has been abundant.
The prevailing soil is clayey, resting upon a stiff and
tenacious subsoil of till; in the more elevated parts it
is much mixed with gravel and dark sand, and in the
vicinity of the Clyde the haughs are a moist alluvial
compost, yielding, when well cultivated, very fine crops.
About 10,000 acres are cultivated, or occasionally in
tillage; about 6000 are in woods, roads, quarries, &c.;
160 acres in orchards, and a very considerable quantity
waste. Good grain of all kinds is raised, and fruit forms
a prominent article in the produce. Numerous improvements
have been made in agriculture within the last few
years, especially in draining, which is required to a large
extent on account of the wet clayey nature of the soil.
Thriving hedges and plantations have been raised in
many parts; and dells and ravines, formerly the beds of
broom, furze, and heath, have been planted with larch,
or formed into productive orchards. The annual value
of real property in the parish is £32,016. The subterraneous
productions are chiefly ironstone and coal, which
may be procured in very large quantities; the district is
included in the great coal-field of Lanarkshire, and the
coal is extensively wrought. In the neighbourhood of
Headlecross, in the eastern part of the parish, and on
the grounds of Coltness and Allanton, black-band ironstone
is found of superior quality; and in various places
good sandstone is met with. In several directions, also,
plentiful supplies are obtained of excellent clay, which
is found in beds about ten feet in thickness, and used
for the manufacture of drain and roof tiles. The population
are extensively employed in manufactures. Large
iron-works have been built at Newmains by Thomas
Houldsworth, Esq., and two tile-works are in operation
upon the estate of "Wishaw, and one at Coltness. The
Shotts iron-works, on the borders of the parish, caused
an increase of population to the amount of about 2000,
one-third of whom reside at the village of Staue, and the
rest in Shotts; and near Wishawton, in the western
quarter of the parish, a very extensive distillery has been
erected by Lord Belhaven. A road from Edinburgh to
Ayr traverses the parish; and the Wishaw^ and Coltness
railway also intersects it, affording great facility of intercourse:
an act was passed in 1S49 authorizing the sale
of this railway to the Caledonian railway company.
Among the principal seats is Cambusnetlian House, an
elegant structure on the model of a priory, erected about
twenty or thirty years ago, upon the site of a mansion
which had been accidentally destroyed by fire. It stands
in a romantic situation, and the grounds have been much
improved within the last few years, especially the orchards.
If'ishaw House, in the north-west corner of the
parish, upon the bank of the Calder, is an extensive
structure in the castellated style. The front is noble
and commanding, varied by a number of different-sized
and well-proportioned towers. The apartments are enriched
with several portraits, among which are, one of
John, Lord Belhaven, who so zealously opposed the
Union; and a very costly portrait by Vandyke, of Sir
James Balfour, Lord Lyon king-of-arms in the reign of
Charles I. The House of Coltness is an elegant and commodious
building, between the dining-room and drawing-
room of which runs a gallery nearly 200 feet long,
hung round with ancient portraits of the family of
Stewart. It stands in the midst of very extensive and
well laid-out grounds. Allanton House is a majestic
structure, wrought up, by various additions and improvements,
from the old castle of Allanton. It is ornamented
with an artificial lake of large dimensions, containing
several islands so covered with wood that, from no part
of the lake, is its extent capable of being seen. Muirliouse
is also an old structure, in a commanding situation.
The monks of Kelso anciently held the tithes and
other ecclesiastical rights of Cambusuethan, by grant in
the twelfth century from William Finemund, lord of the
manor. In the following century the church was transferred
to the bishops of Glasgow, with whom it continued
till the Reformation. The parish is now in the
presbytery of Hamilton and synod of Glasgow and Ayr j
patron, Robert Lockhart, Esq., of Castlehill: the stipend
is about £2*8, with a manse, built in 1827, and a glebe
of four acres, planted by the late incumbent with the
choicest kinds of fruit-trees. The old church, part of
which is still standing, was situated at the southern
verge of the parish, on a very romantic spot, close to
the river Clyde: the date of its erection is unknown. In
16-10 this was abandoned as a place of worship, and a
very mean structure was erected about three miles
further up the parish, which remained unslated for
seven years, and which never was a commodious or comfortable
place of worship. In 1837 that church was
condemned, and another, with a handsome tower, afterwards
erected close beside it; but owing to the dissensions
of the heritors, this new edifice has not been
completed or opened for public worship. There are
places of worship for the United Presbyterian Synod
and Reformed Presbyterians; also a parochial school, at
which all the usual branches of education are taught, the
master receiving the ma.vimum salary, and about £^0
fees. Two subscription libraries are supported, the books
in which are chiefly historical and religious.