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[edit] History
Hugo was an 11th century Knight Templar who followed Walter Fitzalan, the High Steward of Scotland and progenitor of the Royal House of Stewart. The village eventually sprung up around the family's castle. When the modern (17th century) village was created, stone from the castle was given for building purposes. The Castle stayed in the ownership of the family until 1740. Before this time, Houston was the site of a Roman fort, on Barochan Hill to the north-east of the village. A Bronze Age burial site was unearthed in South Mound, part of the western edge of the village.
The old village centre in Houston, located to its north-west, is a designated conservation area. The area is home to the main village pubs, one or two shops and the village's Post Office. The buildings are all traditional local cottages for a good length of South Street and North Street bordered by two large but undeveloped parks. The old village was a planned community of houses largely built around the Houston Burn, which gave communal access to washing facilities. The older parts of it date back to the later half of the 18th century. Some remains of the 16th century Houston Castle still exist largely in the grounds of the newer Houston House. The area sits beside the Houston and Killellan Kirk, the Parish's only Church of Scotland church. It is possible that Lord Darnley, husband of Mary, Queen of Scots resided at the castle for some years[10]. The Barochan Cross, an 11 ft tall Celtic structure carved by the Knights Templar, was to be found on the hill to the north of the village. It has now been moved to Paisley Abbey to keep it from further exposure to the elements, although a war memorial also of a Celtic cross design lies slightly south of its former position. There were two ancient wells in Houston considered to have healing powers. St Fillan's Well no longer exists, but St Peter's Well remains and gives its name to a locally brewed ale. [edit] Research Tips[edit] Source
[edit] Notes
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