Cumbernauld House
Encyclopedia
Cumbernauld House is an 18th-century country house located in Cumbernauld
, Scotland
. It is located near in the Cumbernauld Glen, close to Cumbernauld Village
, at . The house is situated on the site of Cumbernauld Castle
, which was besieged by General Monck in 1651. It was built in 1731, to designs by William Adam (1689–1748), for John Fleming, 6th Earl of Wigtown
. In the later 20th century the house was used as offices, first by Cumbernauld Development Corporation, then North Lanarkshire Council, and latterly by DH Morris, who went into liquidation in March 2007. Since then the building has lain dormant. Cumbernauld House is a category A listed building, and is included on the Buildings at Risk Register.
, only a mile or two away, which still grows there. The whole great hall collapsed while the queen was staying there on 26 January 1562, and 7 or 8 men were killed. Most of the queen's party were out hunting. Mary was not hurt and visited the relatives of those who were injured or killed in the village below. After the new house was built, the castle was converted to stables, and was burnt down by dragoon
s posted here in 1746. One original wall can still be seen in the allotment area.
William Adam was the foremost architect in Scotland during the first half of the 18th century, and Cumbernauld House is a particularly good example of his work.
In 1746 the retreating Jacobite army
was billeted for a night in Cumbernauld village. Rather than stay in Cumbernauld House, the commander, Lord George Murray, slept in the village's Black Bull Inn, where he could enforce closer discipline on his soldiers.
The last Lord Fleming, Charles, 7th Earl of Wigtown, died childless in 1747, and the estates passed to the Elphinstone family. Naval officer and politician Charles Elphinstone-Fleming was laird
from 1799-1840. Elphinstone-Fleming retired as an Admiral, and was MP for Stirlingshire
. His son Lieutenant-Colonel John Elphinstone-Fleming became Lord Elphinstone
in 1860, but died unmarried in 1861. The Cumbernauld property was then inherited by his nephew from Canterbury, Cornwallis Maude-Fleming, son of Lord Hawarden
. Cornwallis was killed in action fighting the Boers as a Captain of the Grenadier Guards
at Majuba Hill, Transvaal, in 1881. Before that, around 1870, the house was gutted and internally reconstructed. In 1875, Maude-Fleming sold the Cumbernauld 'interesting historical estate' to John William Burns, son of James Burns of Bloomfield, for £160,000. The Burns family sold the estate to the government for the development of Cumbernauld new town
in 1955.
Following transfer of ownership to Cumbernauld Development Corporation, the first caretaker of Cumbernauld House was Stewart Law. Stewart Law was a Justice of the Peace, a correspondent for The Falkirk Herald, was on the Planning Committee for Cumbernauld New Town, and worked in the Architect's Office within Cumbernauld House. Stewart resided in Cumbernauld House with his wife, Helen Grant McGuire (b.01/06/1899 - d.12/02/1957), until his death in Glasgow Royal Infirmary on November 4, 1958 as a result of injuries sustained in a road traffic accident which had occurred in Cumbernauld Village four days earlier. He was 63 years old and left behind four sons, two daughters and twelve grandchildren.
, a pioneer Victorian photographer. The articles goes on to note that the Scottish Government has stated there are no plans to buy the property.
In early 2010 a re-invigorated Facebook campaign was launched entitled 'Save and Preserve Cumbernauld House'.
running from the listed kirk and manse at Baronhill, through the Village conservation area with its Lang Riggs, to the site of Cumbernauld Castle and beyond that to the Comyn Motte and adjacent lime kilns. The whole represents the classic 'herringbone' layout of the mediaeval Scottish burgh
with its principal street running from the castle to the church, along the summit of a ridge, with long narrow gardens (the Lang Riggs) stretching out behind. Cumbernauld village boasts almost the sole survivors of the land riggs feature in Scotland. From the slopes of the Wilderness Brae a panoramic view of the whole arrangement may be obtained - a view unique in Scotland: Edinburgh's Royal Mile
in miniature. The wide centre of Main Street accommodated the stalls of the weekly market.
Cumbernauld
Cumbernauld is a Scottish new town in North Lanarkshire. It was created in 1956 as a population overspill for Glasgow City. It is the eighth most populous settlement in Scotland and the largest in North Lanarkshire...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It is located near in the Cumbernauld Glen, close to Cumbernauld Village
Cumbernauld Village
Cumbernauld Village is an area of the new town of Cumbernauld. Whilst Cumbernauld is a new town, having been first planned in 1956, the Village itself has a pre-mediaeval history, with a Roman settlement being built in the area due to its proximity to the Antonine Wall...
, at . The house is situated on the site of Cumbernauld Castle
Cumbernauld Castle
Cumbernauld Castle actually refers to two castles which are roughly on the site of the now Cumbernauld House. The first castle was owned by the Comyn Family and was granted to the Fleming family after Robert the Bruce killed John 'the Red' Comyn in 1306 in Greyfriars kirk...
, which was besieged by General Monck in 1651. It was built in 1731, to designs by William Adam (1689–1748), for John Fleming, 6th Earl of Wigtown
Earl of Wigtown
The title of Earl of Wigtown was created twice in the Peerage of Scotland. The first creation was in 1341, and was surrendered in 1372, when the second earl sold the earldom and territory to Archibald the Grim , Lord of Galloway...
. In the later 20th century the house was used as offices, first by Cumbernauld Development Corporation, then North Lanarkshire Council, and latterly by DH Morris, who went into liquidation in March 2007. Since then the building has lain dormant. Cumbernauld House is a category A listed building, and is included on the Buildings at Risk Register.
History
Cumbernauld Castle was built by the Fleming family, on the site where the house now sits. The castle played host to the royalty of Scotland, including Mary, Queen of Scots, who visited the castle and planted a yew tree at Castlecary CastleCastle Cary Castle
Castle Cary Castle, is a fifteenth-century tower house, about from Falkirk, in the former county of Stirlingshire, Scotland. It is located on the site of one of the principal forts of the Roman Antonine Wall....
, only a mile or two away, which still grows there. The whole great hall collapsed while the queen was staying there on 26 January 1562, and 7 or 8 men were killed. Most of the queen's party were out hunting. Mary was not hurt and visited the relatives of those who were injured or killed in the village below. After the new house was built, the castle was converted to stables, and was burnt down by dragoon
Dragoon
The word dragoon originally meant mounted infantry, who were trained in horse riding as well as infantry fighting skills. However, usage altered over time and during the 18th century, dragoons evolved into conventional light cavalry units and personnel...
s posted here in 1746. One original wall can still be seen in the allotment area.
William Adam was the foremost architect in Scotland during the first half of the 18th century, and Cumbernauld House is a particularly good example of his work.
In 1746 the retreating Jacobite army
Jacobite Rising of 1745
The Jacobite rising of 1745, often referred to as "The 'Forty-Five," was the attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the British throne for the exiled House of Stuart. The rising occurred during the War of the Austrian Succession when most of the British Army was on the European continent...
was billeted for a night in Cumbernauld village. Rather than stay in Cumbernauld House, the commander, Lord George Murray, slept in the village's Black Bull Inn, where he could enforce closer discipline on his soldiers.
The last Lord Fleming, Charles, 7th Earl of Wigtown, died childless in 1747, and the estates passed to the Elphinstone family. Naval officer and politician Charles Elphinstone-Fleming was laird
Laird
A Laird is a member of the gentry and is a heritable title in Scotland. In the non-peerage table of precedence, a Laird ranks below a Baron and above an Esquire.-Etymology:...
from 1799-1840. Elphinstone-Fleming retired as an Admiral, and was MP for Stirlingshire
Stirlingshire
Stirlingshire or the County of Stirling is a registration county of Scotland, based around Stirling, the former county town. It borders Perthshire to the north, Clackmannanshire and West Lothian to the east, Lanarkshire to the south, and Dunbartonshire to the south-west.Until 1975 it was a county...
. His son Lieutenant-Colonel John Elphinstone-Fleming became Lord Elphinstone
Lord Elphinstone
Lord Elphinstone, of Elphinstone in the County of Stirling, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1510 for Alexander Elphinstone who was killed at the Battle of Flodden three years later. He was succeeded by his son, the second Lord, killed at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh in 1547....
in 1860, but died unmarried in 1861. The Cumbernauld property was then inherited by his nephew from Canterbury, Cornwallis Maude-Fleming, son of Lord Hawarden
Cornwallis Maude, 1st Earl de Montalt
Cornwallis Maude, 1st Earl de Montalt , known as the Hon. Cornwallis Maude until 1856 and as the Viscount Hawarden from 1856 to 1886, was a British Conservative politician....
. Cornwallis was killed in action fighting the Boers as a Captain of the Grenadier Guards
Grenadier Guards
The Grenadier Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards...
at Majuba Hill, Transvaal, in 1881. Before that, around 1870, the house was gutted and internally reconstructed. In 1875, Maude-Fleming sold the Cumbernauld 'interesting historical estate' to John William Burns, son of James Burns of Bloomfield, for £160,000. The Burns family sold the estate to the government for the development of Cumbernauld new town
New town
A new town is a specific type of a planned community, or planned city, that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are uncommon in new...
in 1955.
Following transfer of ownership to Cumbernauld Development Corporation, the first caretaker of Cumbernauld House was Stewart Law. Stewart Law was a Justice of the Peace, a correspondent for The Falkirk Herald, was on the Planning Committee for Cumbernauld New Town, and worked in the Architect's Office within Cumbernauld House. Stewart resided in Cumbernauld House with his wife, Helen Grant McGuire (b.01/06/1899 - d.12/02/1957), until his death in Glasgow Royal Infirmary on November 4, 1958 as a result of injuries sustained in a road traffic accident which had occurred in Cumbernauld Village four days earlier. He was 63 years old and left behind four sons, two daughters and twelve grandchildren.
Modern history
In January 2009 the Cumbernauld News reported that the Friends of Cumbernauld House had presented a case to the Scottish Government for the house to become a national museum of photography. One of the former residents of Cumbernauld House is reported to have been Lady Clementina Elphinstone-FlemingClementina Maude, Viscountess Hawarden
Clementina Maude, Viscountess Hawarden, née Fleeming , commonly known as Lady Clementina Hawarden, was a noted portrait photographer of the 1860s. A daughter of Admiral Charles Elphinstone Fleeming, she married Cornwallis Maude, 4th Viscount Hawarden in 1845; the couple had ten children...
, a pioneer Victorian photographer. The articles goes on to note that the Scottish Government has stated there are no plans to buy the property.
In early 2010 a re-invigorated Facebook campaign was launched entitled 'Save and Preserve Cumbernauld House'.
Conservation area
Cumbernauld House is part of a historical conservation areaConservation area
A conservation areas is a tract of land that has been awarded protected status in order to ensure that natural features, cultural heritage or biota are safeguarded...
running from the listed kirk and manse at Baronhill, through the Village conservation area with its Lang Riggs, to the site of Cumbernauld Castle and beyond that to the Comyn Motte and adjacent lime kilns. The whole represents the classic 'herringbone' layout of the mediaeval Scottish burgh
Burgh
A burgh was an autonomous corporate entity in Scotland and Northern England, usually a town. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burgh status was broadly analogous to borough status, found in the rest of the United...
with its principal street running from the castle to the church, along the summit of a ridge, with long narrow gardens (the Lang Riggs) stretching out behind. Cumbernauld village boasts almost the sole survivors of the land riggs feature in Scotland. From the slopes of the Wilderness Brae a panoramic view of the whole arrangement may be obtained - a view unique in Scotland: Edinburgh's Royal Mile
Royal Mile
The Royal Mile is a succession of streets which form the main thoroughfare of the Old Town of the city of Edinburgh in Scotland.As the name suggests, the Royal Mile is approximately one Scots mile long, and runs between two foci of history in Scotland, from Edinburgh Castle at the top of the Castle...
in miniature. The wide centre of Main Street accommodated the stalls of the weekly market.
External links
- Cumbernauld House, sale particulars and background from King Sturge estate agents
- Cumbernauld House Park
- Photographs of the interior of the house