- source: Family History Library Catalog
- source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
- the text in this section is based an article in Wikipedia
Carnwath is a moorland parish on the southern edge of the Pentland Hills of Lanarkshire, Scotland. The village lies about 30 miles or 48 kilometres south of both Edinburgh and Glasgow. It is bounded by the watercourses of the North Medwyn and South Medwyn.
Its main industry was farming but today it is a commuter village for Edinburgh. It has an area of 47.6 sq. miles (123.4km2) and a population of about 1,450 in 2001 (latest census available).
History
- the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia
The former castle of Carnwath is believed to date to the mid 12th-century built under the orders of William de Sommerville (who died 1160). However, the only remains are the motte which is visible beside the Carnwath Golf Club (founded 1907), at the west end of the village.[1] However, the motte is desceibed as "the most impressive Norman earthwork to survive in Lanarkshire."[1] The motte today is a scheduled ancient monument.
At the centre of Carnwath is Carnwath Cross, the mercat cross, set back a little where the Main Street widens to form the Market Square. This was erected by the 5th Lord Somerville in 1516 to celebrate the granting of burgh status to the village in 1514.
Carnwath collegiate church was established in 1386. The only surviving part of the original collegiate church is St Mary's Aisle, built in 1424 and funded by Thomas Somerville, 1st Lord Somerville (later used as a mausoleum for the Lord Somervilles).[2] St Mary's Aisle is Category A listed.[2] In 1869, a new parish church was built beside the earlier buildings to a design by the Scottish architect David Bryce. The church is Scottish baronial in style and is Category B listed. The church no longer functions as a place of worship.
In 1630, the Carnwath estate, then owned by the Earl of Mar was purchased by Sir Robert Dalzell, later to become Lord Dalzell. In 1639, his son, Robert the 2nd Lord Dalzell, was further elevated to become the Earl of Carnwath. The title was forfeit in 1716 when the 5th Earl of Carnwath, Robert Dalzell was attainted due to his support of the Jacobite cause during the Fifteen, however the titles were restored to the family in 1826.[3] Writer, spy and politician, George Lockhart, inherited the Carnwath estates from his father, Sir George Lockhart, of the Lockharts of Lee, who had purchased them in 1681 from the Earls of Carnwath.
The Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland (1882–1885) said the village was: "Long a dingy and disagreeable place, it has been greatly improved". In 1845 the area became a civil parish.
Other buildings of note in the village include the old primary school on Main Street, dated 1876 and abandoned since 2006.
A notable spell of cold weather
In January 1979 the temperature in Carnwath sank to , which was the lowest temperature recorded anywhere in the British Isles in the 1970s.
Research Tips
Sources for Old Parish Registers Records, Vital Records and Censuses
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- Scotland's People This is a pay website providing vital statistics and census data for all of Scotland with original images. There is a description at Scotland under Genealogical Resources.
Notes for Lanarkshire
- GENUKI has a list of references for Lanarkshire. Some of these may be superseded by more modern material.
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- FreeCen index includes the whole of Lanarkshire for 1841 and a substantial section for 1851. The Genealogical Society of Utah sponsored the collection of 1881 census records and these will be found at FamilySearch. A search of all the censuses for Scotland may be done for a fee at Scotland's People
- ’’Lanarkshire Monumental Inscriptions: Pre 1855 Inscriptions and maps from the burial grounds of the Upper (southern) Ward of South Lanarkshire’’. Edited by Sheila A Scott, M.A. Book available through both of the above family history societies or from the original publisher: The Scottish Genealogical Society.
- The Carnwath Parish Registers for the Church of Scotland provide information on baptisms (1709-1854), marriages (1705-1735 and 1826-1854) and burials (1705-1735 and 1826-1854). See the FamilySearch Wiki article on Carnwath for other church denominations.
Further Sources of Reference
Please note and respect the copyright warnings on these websites.
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- Scottish Places article on the parish of Carnwath. The tabs of the right provide more information, and comparative maps.
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- The FamilySearch Wiki article on Carnwath provides direct reference to FamilySearch holdings on many topics with respect to the parish.
- The National Library of Scotland have a website devoted to maps from the 1600s right up to the present. Comparisons of modern-day and old maps of the same place can be made. From the home page click on "Find by place" and then follow the instructions on the next page. Once you are viewing the place you want, use the slider <----> at the top of the map to compare the layout of roads and the place names of smaller areas, perhaps even farms, with the landscape today. The website takes some getting used to. The One-inch 2nd edition, Scotland, 1898-1904 OS is a series of maps with the parishes delineated. Each of these maps cover an area of 18 x 24 miles and will zoom to comfortable reading size with a couple of mouse clicks on the map itself. Unfortunately, they are not geo-referenced, and it is necessary to go to the OS One Inch 1885-1900 series to locate places by latitude and longitude.
- The Statistical Accounts for Scotland In the 1790s and again in the 1830s, the ministers of the all the parishes of the Church of Scotland were asked to provide a description of their parish to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. The original account request included 160 questions to be answered. These accounts are available in print in 20 volumes and are also online where it is freely available to browse. The browsing portal is below the viewing area of most computer screens. Scroll down to "For non-subscribers" and click on "Browse scanned pages". This brings you to another page on which one can enter the name of the parish in which you are interested.
- Excerpts from The Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland: A Survey of Scottish Topography, Statistical, Biographical and Historical, edited by Francis H. Groome and originally published in parts by Thomas C. Jack, Grange Publishing Works, Edinburgh between 1882 and 1885 are provided by Scottish Places. Selections from Groome and other gazetteers from the 19th century are also found on GENUKI.
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