Lanark
Encyclopedia
Lanark is a small town in the central belt
Central Belt
The Central Belt of Scotland is a common term used to describe the area of highest population density within Scotland. Despite the name, it is not geographically central but is nevertheless situated at the 'waist' of Scotland on a conventional map and the term 'central' is used in many local...

 of 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...

. Its population of 8,253 makes it the 100th largest settlement in Scotland. The name is believed to come from the Cumbric
Cumbric language
Cumbric was a variety of the Celtic British language spoken during the Early Middle Ages in the Hen Ogledd or "Old North", or what is now northern England and southern Lowland Scotland, the area anciently known as Cumbria. It was closely related to Old Welsh and the other Brythonic languages...

 Lanerc meaning "clear space, glade".

Lanark was the county town
County town
A county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...

 of the former county of Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire or the County of Lanark ) is a Lieutenancy area, registration county and former local government county in the central Lowlands of Scotland...

, though for many years Hamilton
Hamilton, South Lanarkshire
Hamilton is a town in South Lanarkshire, in the west-central Lowlands of Scotland. It serves as the main administrative centre of the South Lanarkshire council area. It is the fifth-biggest town in Scotland after Paisley, East Kilbride, Livingston and Cumbernauld...

 was the county town, before the formation of Strathclyde
Strathclyde
right|thumb|the former Strathclyde regionStrathclyde was one of nine former local government regions of Scotland created by the Local Government Act 1973 and abolished in 1996 by the Local Government etc Act 1994...

. Lanark railway station
Lanark railway station
Lanark railway station is in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is managed by First ScotRail and is the southern terminus of the Argyle Line.The station is located on Bannatyne Street, Lanark...

 and coach station has frequent services to Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...

. There is little industry in Lanark and some residents commute to work in Glasgow and Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...

. Its shops serve the local agricultural community and surrounding villages. There is a large modern livestock auction market on the outskirts of the town.

History

Lanark has served as an important market town since medieval times, and King David I
David I of Scotland
David I or Dabíd mac Maíl Choluim was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians and later King of the Scots...

 made it a Royal Burgh
Royal burgh
A royal burgh was a type of Scottish burgh which had been founded by, or subsequently granted, a royal charter. Although abolished in 1975, the term is still used in many of the former burghs....

 in 1140, giving it certain mercantile privileges relating to government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...

 and taxation. King David I realised that greater prosperity could result from encouraging trade. He decided to create a chain of new towns across Scotland. These would be centres of Norman civilisation in a largely Celtic country, and would be established in such a way as to encourage the development of trade within their area. These new towns were to be known as Burghs. Bastides
Bastides
Bastides are fortified new towns built in medieval Languedoc, Gascony and Aquitaine during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, although some authorities count Mont-de-Marsan and Montauban, which was founded in 1144, as the first bastides...

 were established in France for much the same reason.

When a site had been selected for a new town the King’s surveyors would lay out an area for the town’s market. Each merchant who came to the town was granted a plot of land (usually rent free for the first few years) bordering on the marketplace. These plots were known as feu
Feu
Feu was previously the most common form of land tenure in Scotland, as conveyancing in Scots law was dominated by feudalism until the Scottish Parliament passed the Abolition of Feudal Tenure etc. Act 2000...

s or rigs. Each feu in a burgh was the same size, though the size varied between burghs. In Forres
Forres
Forres , is a town and former royal burgh situated in the north of Scotland on the Moray coast, approximately 30 miles east of Inverness. Forres has been a winner of the Scotland in Bloom award on several occasions...

 each feu was 24 feet 10 inches wide and 429 feet deep. The layout of the feus in Lanark can still be easily seen between the north side of Lanark High Street (the former market place) and North Vennel, a lane which runs behind the feus. A motte and bailey castle was also constructed at the bottom of Castlegate.

Governance

European Parliament

Lanark is part of the constituency of Scotland which elects six representatives
Members of the European Parliament for the United Kingdom 2004-2009
This is a list of Members of the European Parliament for the United Kingdom in the 2004 to 2009 session, ordered by name.See European Parliament Election, 2004 for a list ordered by constituency.-Current members:...

 to the European Parliament.

Parliament of the United Kingdom

Lanark is part of the constituency of Lanark and Hamilton East. Jimmy Hood
Jimmy Hood
James "Jimmy" Hood is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Lanark and Hamilton East since 2005...

 has represented Lanark and Hamilton East in the UK Parliament since 1987.

Scottish Parliament

Lanark is part of the constituency of Clydesdale
Clydesdale
Clydesdale was formerly one of nineteen local government districts in the Strathclyde region of Scotland.The district was formed by the Local Government Act 1973 from part of the former county of Lanarkshire: namely the burghs of Biggar and Lanark and the First, Second and Third Districts...

. Karen Gillon
Karen Gillon
Karen Gillon, née Turnbull is a Scottish Labour politician, and was Member of the Scottish Parliament for Clydesdale from 1999 to 2011. She had previously served as personal assistant to Helen Liddell MP since 1997....

 represented Clydesdale in the Scottish Parliament since 1999. Clydesdale is one of nine constituencies in the South of Scotland electoral region, which elects seven additional members by a system of proportional representation. The 2007 electoral results are given in the Clydesdale article and in the article for the Scottish Parliament election, 2007
Scottish Parliament election, 2007
The 2007 Scottish Parliament election was held on Thursday 3 May 2007 to elect members to the Scottish Parliament. It was the third general election to the devolved Scottish Parliament since it was created in 1999...

. In 2011, Aileen Campbell (SNP) defeated Karen Gillon (Labour) in the Scottish Parliamentary elections, to become the newly elected MSP for Clydesdale.

Landmarks

Visitors to the town can visit the nearby World Heritage Site of New Lanark
New Lanark
New Lanark is a village on the River Clyde, approximately 1.4 miles from Lanark, in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It was founded in 1786 by David Dale, who built cotton mills and housing for the mill workers. Dale built the mills there to take advantage of the water power provided by the river...

, close to the Falls of Clyde, the Corehouse
Corehouse
Corehouse is a large country house and estate, located approximately 30 miles to the south east of Glasgow, Scotland. The estate is by the Corra Linn Falls on the River Clyde, and close to the World Heritage Site of New Lanark, in South Lanarkshire....

 estate and the Scottish Wildlife Trust's
Scottish Wildlife Trust
The Scottish Wildlife Trust is a registered charity dedicated to conserving the wildlife and natural environment of Scotland.-Description:The Scottish Wildlife Trust has over 32,800 members...

 Corehouse Nature Reserve.

The Lanark Museum is located in West Port.

A large boating lake, Lanark Loch, adjoins a golf course and the former racecourse, the latter offering pony-trekking activities.

The town's Castlebank Park lies near the former site of Lanark Castle, and allows access to the River Clyde
River Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....

 and the Clyde Walkway
Clyde walkway
The Clyde Walkway is a foot and mountain bike path which runs from Glasgow, Scotland, to just above the UNESCO World Heritage village of New Lanark. The path runs close to the River Clyde for most of its length...

.

An ornate gas lamp, known as the 'Provost's Lamp' stands at the bottom of the high street. The lamp used to be placed outside the home of whoever was Provost
Provost (civil)
A provost is the ceremonial head of many Scottish local authorities, and under the name prévôt was a governmental position of varying importance in Ancien Regime France.-History:...

 of Lanark at the time.

One of the churches in the town bears the name of The Old Church of St Kentigern (perhaps better known as St Mungo), who set up many medieval churches in the Scottish Lowlands
Scottish Lowlands
The Scottish Lowlands is a name given to the Southern half of Scotland.The area is called a' Ghalldachd in Scottish Gaelic, and the Lawlands ....

, including Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...

, and died c.612 AD. The town's cemetery stands on the site of The Old Church of St Kentigern, and includes many Covenanter
Covenanter
The Covenanters were a Scottish Presbyterian movement that played an important part in the history of Scotland, and to a lesser extent in that of England and Ireland, during the 17th century...

 graves.
St. Nicolas' Parish Church stands at the bottom of the high street. The church bell is believed to date from 1110, and may be one of the oldest church bells in the world. It was moved from The Old Church of St Kentigern when St. Nicolas's Church was built in 1774. It has been recast four times, including 1659 and 1983. There is an 8-foot (2.45 m) statue of William Wallace in the steeple. This was sculpted by Robert Forrest, from an ancient drawing in the possession of the Society of Antiquaries.

Lanark Lanimer Day

This historic background forms the basis for the Lanark Lanimer
Lanark Lanimers
Every June the town of Lanark in Scotland holds its Lanimer celebrations. The festivities reach a high point on the Thursday of Lanimer week, when the town's schoolchildren parade in fancy dress with decorated vehicles, pipe bands, and a Lanimer Queen and her Court, who have been elected from local...

 celebrations, which take place each year for one week in June. Local primary schoolchildren elect a Lanimer Queen and court; and a Lord Cornet is chosen from local businessmen. On the Monday night the Perambulation of the Marches takes place, when townspeople turn out to walk around half the town boundary, following the Lord Cornets past and present as they inspect the border-stones. Traditionally, the townspeople carry "birks", which are small branches of birch trees cut from the woods at the Glenburnie estate. This tradition was started in 1948 by Joseph Doolan, whose family owned the land. The other half of the boundary is inspected on the Wednesday night, again led by the Lord Cornet accompanied by many local riders who participate in the Riding of the Marches, locally referred to as the Rideout. On the Thursday morning, schools and other organisations parade before the Lanimer Queen in themed dress, accompanied by pipe bands. The best floats win prizes, and after the parade the crowning of the Queen takes place on a temporary stand erected in front of St Nicholas' Church, under the statue of William Wallace
William Wallace
Sir William Wallace was a Scottish knight and landowner who became one of the main leaders during the Wars of Scottish Independence....

. The Queen holds a reception party in the town's Memorial Hall on the Thursday and Friday nights, where children perform songs and dances.

Music

Pipe Bands: Lanark & District Pipe Band previously had two units which competed in competitions run by the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association
Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association
The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association was founded in 1930 as a governing body to oversee pipe band competition and to promote and encourage the development of pipe band culture throughout the world....

 - one competing in grade 4b and one in grade 3a, having been upgraded from 4b to 4a to 3b to 3a in consecutive years from 2004. In the 1980s, the band competed as high as grade 2 and as of 2011, the band is thriving in numbers and competes in Grade 4b.

The 'Music in Lanark' programme began in 2000 with the aim of bringing a variety of the highest quality live music to the town. In the first five years there were three classical concerts, one jazz concert and one traditional (Scottish) music concert. The programme continues to grow.

Climate

As with the rest of the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...

 and Scotland, Lanark experiences a maritime climate with cool summers and mild winters. In terms of the local climate profile, Lanarks inland, rural, river valley setting means frost is very common, having been recorded in all months. Typically almost 100 nights will report a frost per year, and even in a statistically average year the temperature should fall to as low as -14.3 C on the coldest night.

Notable Lanarkians

Some would argue that William Wallace
William Wallace
Sir William Wallace was a Scottish knight and landowner who became one of the main leaders during the Wars of Scottish Independence....

 is one of the most notable people in Lanark's history. A key leader in the Scottish Wars of Independence, he is known to have first "drawn his sword to free his native land" in Lanark in 1297
Action at Lanark
William Wallace led a rebellion of the Scots in 1297.The first act which is definitely known to have been carried out by him was his killing of William Heselrig, the English Sheriff of Lanark, in May 1297. At the time this was not an isolated incident, but he was joining in with risings taking...

, killing the English sheriff Haselrig. His name is well known through the town, with first year pupils at Lanark Grammar School
Lanark Grammar School
Lanark Grammar School is a secondary school in Lanark, Scotland. It was founded in 1183, and celebrated its octocentenary in 1983, including a visit by The Princess Anne. Notable former pupils include rally driver Colin McRae and General William Roy, a contributor to the Ordnance Survey project...

 studying Wallace and the Wars of Independence in detail. An 8 foot statue of Wallace sits on St Nicholas Church at the town cross dating back to 1817 which was sculpted by Carluke
Carluke
The town of Carluke lies in the heart of the Lanarkshire countryside in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, 5.4 miles northwest of Lanark and 4 miles southeast of Wishaw....

 man Robert Forrest
Robert Forrest
Robert Forrest was a Scottish monumental sculptor, receiving many important commissions in the early 19th century.He was self-taught, beginning his working life as a mason in a stone quarry in Clydesdale...

.

Other important figures in Lanark history include:
  • George Gray, born in Lanark in the 1620s, a POW from the Battle of Dunbar (1650)
    Battle of Dunbar (1650)
    The Battle of Dunbar was a battle of the Third English Civil War. The English Parliamentarian forces under Oliver Cromwell defeated a Scottish army commanded by David Leslie which was loyal to King Charles II, who had been proclaimed King of Scots on 5 February 1649.-Background:The English...

    , Durham Cathedral
    Durham Cathedral
    The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham is a cathedral in the city of Durham, England, the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Durham. The Bishopric dates from 995, with the present cathedral being founded in AD 1093...

     survivor, and New World
    New World
    The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...

     refugee upon arrival to Berwick, Maine.
  • William Smellie
    William Smellie (obstetrician)
    William Smellie was a Scottish obstetrician.He practiced medicine before getting a licence, but enrolled later at the University of Glasgow and received his M.D. degree in 1745. After training in obstetrics in London and Paris, he opened a practice in London and began teaching...

     (1697–1763), obstetrician
  • Lord Braxfield
    Robert Macqueen, Lord Braxfield
    Robert McQueen, Lord Braxfield was a Scottish lawyer and judge.McQueen was born near Lanark, son of John McQueen of Braxfield.He studied in Edinburgh and was called to the Bar in 1744. In 1759 he was appointed an Advocate Depute appearing for the Crown in prosecutions. He often appeared in more...

     (1722–1799), High Court Judge
    High Court judge
    A High Court judge is a judge of the High Court of Justice, and represents the third highest level of judge in the courts of England and Wales. High Court judges are referred to as puisne judges...

  • John Glaister
    Regius Professor of Forensic Medicine, Glasgow
    The Regius Chair of Forensic Medicine at the University of Glasgow was founded in 1839 by Queen Victoria.The Chair was occupied for over one hundred years by the same family, when John Glaister Jnr. succeeded his father as Regius Professor...

     (1856–1932), forensic scientist
  • The rallying family of Jimmy
    Jimmy McRae
    Jimmy McRae is a Scottish rally driver. He is the father of World Rally Championship drivers Alister McRae, and the late 1995 World Rally Champion Colin McRae...

    , Alister
    Alister McRae
    Alister McRae is a Scottish rally driver, who competed in the World Rally Championship. He is the son of the five-time British Rally Champion Jimmy McRae and the younger brother of the late 1995 World Rally Champion, Colin McRae...

     and the late Colin McRae
    Colin McRae
    Colin Steele McRae, MBE was a Scottish rally driver born in Lanark.The son of five-time British Rally Champion Jimmy McRae and brother of rally driver Alister McRae, Colin McRae was the 1991 and 1992 British Rally Champion and, in 1995, became the first British person and the youngest to win the...

  • Scotland goalkeeper and former Glasgow Celtic goalkeeper, Robert (Rab) Douglas
    Robert Douglas (footballer)
    Robert James "Rab" Douglas is a Scottish footballer currently playing for Dundee as a goalkeeper. He is a former Scotland international, and is known as a Motherwell F.C. supporter.-Celtic:...

  • Scotland and Middlesbrough
    Middlesbrough F.C.
    Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...

     defender Stephen McManus
    Stephen McManus
    Stephen McManus is a Scottish footballer who currently plays as a centre back for Middlesbrough. McManus was club captain of Celtic from 2007 until his move to Middlesbrough....

  • Scotland and Rangers
    Rangers F.C.
    Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...

     manager Walter Smith
    Walter Smith
    Walter Smith, OBE is a Scottish football manager. His most recent job was at Scottish Premier League club Rangers.Smith had a relatively modest playing career, consisting of two spells with Dundee United which was split by a short time at Dumbarton.A pelvic injury meant he moved in to coaching at...

  • Scotland and Hearts
    Heart of Midlothian F.C.
    Heart of Midlothian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Gorgie, in the west of Edinburgh. They currently play in the Scottish Premier League and are one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian...

     goalkeeper Henry Smith
    Henry Smith (footballer)
    Henry George Smith was a goalkeeper who played the majority of his career with Heart of Midlothian.He made his debut for Hearts in a League Cup win over Airdrie at Broomfield in 1981....

  • Billy Ritchie
    Billy Ritchie (musician)
    William Edward Ritchie is a British keyboard player and composer. Formerly a member of The Satellites, The Premiers, 1-2-3, and Clouds. He is generally acknowledged as being the first keyboard player in rock music to stand and take a leading role, thereby providing a model for others such as Keith...

     Rock music's first lead keyboard player, born in Lanark
  • Lee Miller
    Lee Miller (footballer)
    Lee John Miller is a Scottish footballer who currently plays as a striker for Football League One club Carlisle United.Miller was born in Lanark, Scotland and began his career at before moving to in 2003. After a poor first season at Bristol City, he joined on loan in 2005. That same year, he...

    , Carlisle striker
  • Stephen Pearson
    Stephen Pearson
    Stephen Paul Pearson is a Scottish footballer who plays for Bristol City, on loan from Derby County in the English Championship. He is a full international for Scotland, and also played for Motherwell, Celtic and Stoke City.-Early career:Pearson was born in Lanark...

    , Derby County
    Derby County F.C.
    Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...

     midfielder, formerly of Motherwell
    Motherwell F.C.
    Motherwell Football & Athletic Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire. The club compete in the Scottish Premier League and are one of only seven teams to have remained in this league since it was founded in 1998...

  • Johnny Reid
    Johnny Reid
    Johnny Reid is a country music artist who has charted several hit singles in Canada. Reid moved to Canada in July, 1988 when he was 13. His father, a diesel mechanic, wanted to give Reid and his brother opportunities he did not think they would have in Scotland...

    , a Scottish/Canadian country music singer, who is very popular in Canada where he has 2 platinum albums and one gold album.
  • Darren Smith
    Darren Smith (footballer born 1988)
    Darren Lee Smith is a Scottish professional footballer who plays for Stirling Albion. Smith represented the Scotland national under-21 football team once and played nearly 60 SPL games for Motherwell....

    , former Motherwell
    Motherwell F.C.
    Motherwell Football & Athletic Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire. The club compete in the Scottish Premier League and are one of only seven teams to have remained in this league since it was founded in 1998...

     winger

Primary schools

There are three main primary schools in Lanark:
  • Lanark Primary School (LPS) 1
  • Robert Owen Memorial Primary School (ROMPS) 1
  • St. Mary's Primary School 2

1 Indicates non-denominational school

2 Primarily a Roman Catholic school, but will accept other religious groups

Secondary schools

There is one secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...

 in Lanark:
  • Lanark Grammar School
    Lanark Grammar School
    Lanark Grammar School is a secondary school in Lanark, Scotland. It was founded in 1183, and celebrated its octocentenary in 1983, including a visit by The Princess Anne. Notable former pupils include rally driver Colin McRae and General William Roy, a contributor to the Ordnance Survey project...

     (LGS), a non-denominational school

See also

  • Lanark County
    Lanark County, Ontario
    Lanark County is a county located in the Canadian province of Ontario. As of 2006, the population is 63,785. Its county seat is Perth.The county took its name from the town of Lanark in Scotland.-Geography:...

     in Ontario, Canada
  • Lanark, Ontario
    Lanark, Ontario
    The village of Lanark is located in the township of Lanark Highlands in eastern Ontario, Canada.-History:The village was first settled in 1820 by Scottish immigrants who named it after the town of Lanark in Scotland...

     a village in Lanark County
  • Lanark Grammar School
    Lanark Grammar School
    Lanark Grammar School is a secondary school in Lanark, Scotland. It was founded in 1183, and celebrated its octocentenary in 1983, including a visit by The Princess Anne. Notable former pupils include rally driver Colin McRae and General William Roy, a contributor to the Ordnance Survey project...

  • Bonnington pavilion, Falls of Clyde A nearby historic feature.
  • Whuppity Scoorie Day
    Whuppity Scoorie Day
    Whuppity Scoorie is a traditional festival dating from the early 19th century observed by people in Lanark, Scotland on March 1 to celebrate the approach of spring. Local children gather around the local St. Nicholas kirk where at 6 pm the wee bell is rung...

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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