Carnwath (Gaelic: A' Chathair Nuadh; English: ford of the cairn[1]) is a moorland village on the southern edge of the Pentland Hills of Lanarkshire, Scotland. The village lies about 30 mi (48 km) south of both Edinburgh and Glasgow. It is bounded by the North Medwyn and South Medwyn watercourses.
Its current population is about 1,400. The area is agricultural, but the locality also serves as a commuter dormitory for the large cities nearby. The combination of agricultural machinery, a through-traffic of heavy lorries, and peak-time commuter traffic, all means the local roads are seriously congested. The A70 Ayr to Edinburgh road, joined by the A721 (Kirkdean to Broomhouse) just to the east, passes through the village, while the B7016 enters Carnwath from the south.
There are proposals for a large wind farm nearby at Harrows Law.
Close to the village is the Little Sparta garden at Dunsyre and Ampherlaw House, home of the Somervilles.
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Local landmarks
The Wee Bush Inn
The Wee Bush Inn dates from the 1750s, built in connection with the turnpike road, now the A70, from Ayr to Edinburgh. This is the reason for its very prominent position, especially when seen when approaching on Main Street from the west, at right angles to the main road.
For many years the thatched roof was covered by corrugated iron sheeting. In the mid-1980s the then landlady Mrs Helen Wilson carried out a total renovation and upgrading including restoration of the thatched roof. Mrs Wilson installed a completely new thatched roof once again in the spring of 1999.
Regrettably, the Wee Bush was seriously damaged by fire on 28 September 2002. Rebuilding started in May 2003 although, for insurance reasons, the roof was replaced with slate rather than thatch.
Carnwath Cross
In the centre of the village is a cross built by Hugh Somerville, the 5th Lord Somerville in July, 1516, in terms of the Charter granted by King James in 1514, which ordered a Market Cross to be erected. It is thought that it may have been erected in front of the old Dower House or could have been erected where it stands today, in the Market Square.
The Cross was blown down in a gale on the night of 16 February 1962. It was redressed and re-erected with a small metal cross on top, but it never had the same appearance. However, in 1970 a Mr Aitken, a Carnwathian, who had died in America, left $100 to enable a new urn to be placed on top, and this was duly done by the 3rd District Council. The Cross stands on four ascending steps, with a base and cornice, a shaft square and large in comparison with others
St Mary's Aisle
At the west entrance to Carnwath, adjacent to Carnwath Parish Church (1867), is St Mary's Aisle, the only remaining part of the Collegiate Church built in 1386. It is recognised as a Category A Listed Building on the Secretary of State for Scotland's Statutory list. St Mary's Aisle is the mausoleum of the Lockhart family, and previously of the Earls of Carnwath and the Lords Somerville.
History
The Clan Lamont were driven from their homeland to settle in Carnwath. They later became Covenanters.
In 1630, the Carnwath estate, owned by the Earl of Mar was purchased by Sir Robert Dalzell, later to become Lord Dalzell. In 1639, his son, the 2nd Lord Dalzell and also named Robert, was elevated to become the Earl of Carnwath. The title was forfeit in 1716 when the 5th Lord, Robert Dalzell became attainted due to his Jacobitism support but was restored in 1826 and finally became extinct upon the death of the 13th Earl in 1941.[1][2][3]
Writer, spy and politician, George Lockhart, inherited the Carnwath estates from his father, George Lockhart of the Lockharts of Lee, who had purchased them in 1681.
The Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland (1882-1885) said of the village: "Long a dingy and disagreeable place, it has been greatly improved".[1]
There is a Gothic church that dates from 1798, directly abutting the former tiny church of 1424.
In 1845 the area became a parish but it was abolished in 1975 as part of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973.[4]
Carnwath railway station, originally part of the Caledonian Railway, later the London, Midland and Scottish Railway and finally the Scottish Region of British Railways, was closed as port of the Beeching Axe in the 1960s.
Famous people from Carnwath include author and critic, Robert Anderson, footballer, Tom Brownlee and the Ordnance Gazetteer remarks that: "the minor poet, James Graeme (1749-72)" was a resident of the locality.[1]
Education
There is a primary school in the village which is part of the Biggar Learning Community, that includes the Biggar High School, and is run by the South Lanarkshire Council.[5]
See also
- Caledonian Amateur Football League, Balmore who form part of the league play at Carnwath Village Park
- Lanark Blue, a locally made sheep's milk cheese
- Cobbinshaw Reservoir, a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)
References
- ^ a b c d The Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland
- ^ The Peerage
- ^ Dalzell
- ^ A vision of Carnwath
- ^ Carnwath Primary School
External links
- Aa local man's page of maps and photos
- Carnwath at Undiscovered Scotland
- Dunsyre.com and Dunsyre.net Information about Dunsyre and links to local pages.
- Dunysre Holiday Camp
- Carnwath Primary School
Coordinates: 55°42′02″N 003°37′30″W / 55.70056°N 3.625°W
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