Bothwell
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Coordinates: 55°48′08″N 4°03′58″W / 55.802329°N 4.066217°W
| Bothwell | |
  Bothwell
Bothwell shown within Scotland |
|
| Population | 6,379 (2001 Census) |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| Council area | South Lanarkshire |
| Lieutenancy area | Lanarkshire |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Glasgow |
| Postcode district | G71 |
| Dialling code | 01698 |
| Police | Strathclyde |
| Fire | Strathclyde |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament | Lanark and Hamilton East |
| Scottish Parliament | Hamilton North and Bellshill |
| List of places: UK • Scotland • | |
Bothwell is a small town in the South Lanarkshire council area of Scotland. It lies on the north bank of the River Clyde, adjacent to Hamilton, nine miles east-south-east of Glasgow city centre.
Bothwell is an affluent commuter town that has attracted a number of local celebrities including a number of Old Firm footballers. Thanks to a steady rise in property prices and a thriving "Main Street", Bothwell has earned its reputation as one of Glasgow's most prosperous satellites. In fact, a recent survey published in the Scotsman revealed that Bothwell's Imperial Way, site of the former home of ex-Celtic manager Gordon Strachan, is the fifth most expensive street in Scotland.
The parish church (which was restored at the end of the 19th century) contains the choir of the old Gothic church of 1398. A memorial honours the poet Joanna Baillie (1762–1851) who was born in the manse.
A suspension footbridge crosses the Clyde linking Bothwell to Blantyre. The African explorer David Livingstone was born in a former mill downstream of the bridge. Another bridge crosses the Clyde close to the site of the Battle of Bothwell Brig. Here on June 22, 1679 Royalists, under the leadership of The Duke of Monmouth defeated the Covenanters with relative ease.
The castle by the bridge on the northeastern bank once belonged to James Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh (fl. 1566–1580), the noted assassin of the regent James Stuart, 1st Earl of Moray.
A Roman bridge spans the South Calder near the present farmhose.
The picturesque ruins of Bothwell Castle occupy a prominent position in Uddingston, which here takes the bold sweep famed in Scottish song as the Bothwell bank. This fortress belonged to Sir Andrew de Moray, who was fatally wounded at the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297. It passed by marriage to the House of Douglas. The lordship was bestowed in 1487 on Patrick Hepburn, 3rd Lord Hailes, 1st Earl of Bothwell. When he resigned in 1491 the title passed to "Bell-the-Cat", Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus. The title ultimately passed to the Earls of Home. The castle is a fine example of Gothic architecture. It consists of a great quadrangle with circular towers on the south. At the east end stand the remains of the chapel. An unpretending mansion was built nearby by Archibald Douglas, 1st Earl of Forfar (1653–1712), and was known as New Bothwell Castle, but suffered mining subsidence and was demolished in 1926.
Bothwell has two primary schools, Bothwell Primary School (currently being demolished and rebuilt) and St Bride's Roman Catholic Primary School, golf and bowling clubs. It also has several small shops and businesses; all are situated on "Main Street". There are many pubs and resturaunts in the modern town.
[edit] Sports
Speedway racing was staged in the Bothwell Castle estate area in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The track was constructed on old railway land by club members who used it as a training track. Occasional team matches saw the Bothwell Bulls take on other training venues such as Newtongrange and High Beech.
Tommy Miller, who had a meteoric rise to fame with Glasgow Tigers in 1950, and Ken McKinlay, arguably the best ever Scottish speedway rider, both started out at Bothwell. The venture, safety fence and all, moved to Chapelhall.
[edit] External links
[edit] See also
|
|||||||||||
This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
