Category: Burnbank

Childhood Memories of Michael Martin.

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Michael Martin shared some of his childhood memories with us and he told us about his time growing up in Burnbank. Michael wrote:
“I stayed at 72 Hill Street and we would all meet up at Tommy Stirling’s for a game of football after our dinner Rab Nelson (poker), Sanny Hunter, Wullie Mackie, Davie Stirling (ruck) Alex wales (ki) then when it got dark we would have a game of bedlam where we would go into teams and chase each other over the jungle.
we would also be up the bing where you had trenches built by the older guys they called themselves the ‘Black Hoods’ Jimmy Stirling, Tommy Gallacher, Benny McGowan, Billy Stirling & Tam Weir have to say they built good trenches and they were deep with beams across them then tin sheets on top and to finish it off they cut out chunks of grass and earth and put them on top.
But us ‘white hoods’ weren’t scared of them pulling down their teachers we use to go to the back of Phillips factory and steal the fluorescent lights and make them into pea shooters we used big itchy coos.
Your parent’s didn’t need to shout on you when the street lights went on it was time to go home and one last thing Earnock could never beat the jungle boys at football.”
Michael thank you for sharing your memories with us. In my day we did ‘Doakies’ and there wasn’t a back door garden in the Jungle that me and my mates, Andrew Robertson, James Beggs, Billy Bradley, Tommy Holmes, Jason Holmes, James Holmes & Raymond McGuire never jumped over.
We played everywhere and also built good trenches! When I was younger the bing was long gone, but we had Udston woods where we would also make crossbows and use elastic bands as the string and we had the best rope swing down in ‘Carter’s woods’ where we would play from morning to night.
That’s Burnbank Memories, what about the rest of Hamilton, Can you share your memories from your area, “Whitehill, Eddlewood, Fairhill, Earnock, Hillhouse, Quarter” Let us know and tell us your childhood memories of growing up in Hamilton.

IN MEMORY OF EARNOCK BING MY EVEREST.

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(THE LUGE)©©©
Part of the great Scottish heritage was the various “Bings” that were left following the closure of mines and pits throughout the country. I was born and brought up at the top of Hill Street in Burnbank, better known as the “Jungle” right at the bottom of Earnock bing, as a wee boy I looked on it as my own personal real estate. Many of the coal miners were pigeon fanciers (doo men) and had their loft out the backyard including my own dad which explains a wee bit the following tale.

The poem below was written by
THOMAS MATTHEW EDGAR MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA.2005.
AND WAS DONATED TO WILMA BOLTON. Wilma has kindly shared this for the Historic Hamilton readers to enjoy.
Corrugated iron—wae the ends turned up
Blint— wi stoure and shale
Fifty miles an oor at least
Anither on yer tail

Earnock bing my Everest
The biggest bing aroon
Ah climbed ye every day in life
The tallest in the toon,

Mony’s the time I fell aff the tap
Fae aff yer towr’n heights
Broken taes and fingers
Ah should be deid by rights

Cadzow bing it was’nae bad
But wis’nae near sae steep
Naewhere near the broken bones
Aw’right for grazin sheep.

Dae ye mind wee Wullie doon the road
We put him in a tyre
Ah’m shair it wis aff a Chieftan bus,
An’ fae aff yer very spire,

We gied’m sich a hefty shove
He fell oot haufway doon
He staggert’ roon for hauf an oor
An roon n’ roon n’ roon,

As soon as he could staun at peace
He said “Christ that wiz great”
“Could we dae it agane jist wan mair time”
It wiz clear he could’na wait.

So intae the tyre again he went
This time we tied him in
An wi an even harder shove
We sent him for a spin.
Well “Tottie Minto’s” pigeon loft…
Ah’ ken ye’ve guessed already
It, wiz quite plain for aw tae see,
Even tae blind Freddy

Unhappy circumstances wid unfold
And mibbie even mair
A heid oan crash, a lot a stoure
An’ feathers everywhere

Deid doos deid as dodos
Died in their loft that day
Like road kill they aw’ lay aroon
Ah guess its fair tae say

We thought the wee block doon the road
Wi’ the doos had done his dash
Surprise, surprise, would ye believe,
Fae in amang the trash

A ghostly figure staggert’ oot
An roon n’roon n’roon
He said “Christ that wiz bliddy great”
Ah hope that very soon

“ We dae that agane jist wan mair time”
“This time ah’ll git it right”
at this point ye can guess the rest
its time to say guidnight

Dear Earnock bing where ur ye noo
Wherever did ye go
Scattered to the winds, ah think
Ah’ ken ah miss you so.

Oh Earnock bing my Everest,
It’s time to say fareweel
Ah won’t forget ye ever
Fareweel Fareweel Fareweel!!!!!

(A wee efter thought)
For those of nostalgic persuasion
Ah hope ye enjoyed my heart felt reminiscence
Of
Slidin doon ma Earnock Everest, Oan ma erse…….in verse.

Thomas Matthew Edgar.
Wilma Bolton. 2005.

The case of the stolen cabbages.

STOLE CABBAGES. Lawyer takes Exception to Fiscal’s Question.

“I don’t want to be unfair you. I put the question as straight as I can! Do you swear on your oath in that box that you got these cabbages from George Russell?”

This was the question put by the Fiscal (Mr Robert Weir) in Hamilton J.P. Court on Monday to Charles Bell a miner from Udston Rows, Hamilton, who accused with having 16th or 17th September 1922, stolen Five cabbages from a field in Little Udston Farm.

Accused’s agent, Mr Nat. Cochrane, Hamilton, took exception to the form of this question and said the Fiscal was trying to “catch” Bell. The lawyer thought the question should have been: “Are these the cabbages you got from George Russell, or are they like them?”

However, after some argument, the accused answered “Yes” to the Fiscal’s original question. The case for the prosecution was that the police met the accused (Charles Bell) about 12.30 a.m. on the 17th September on the back road leading to Udston Rows.

He looked rather bulky, and when was searched by the constables he was found have four cabbages inside the lining, of his jacket. When asked where had got them, he said: ‘Take to Hamilton and I’ll tell you.”

His name and address’ were taken, and then the police went to the nearest farm (Dykehead Farm) and asked the farmer if had had cabbages stolen from his field. The farmer made a search but found that none of his cabbages had been stolen. The vegetables were then taken the Little Udston Farm, where roots were found that fitted perfectly into the cabbages found in Bell’s possession.

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On the Tuesday night after he was caught the accused stopped by the police and told them that he had got the cabbages from a Burbank man named George Russell. A constable went to Burnbank, and Russell told him that he gave Bell four cabbages out of his allotment about 9:50 on Saturday night on the 16th of September.

The defence was that Bell met Russell in the Empire public house in Burnbank, on the Saturday night, and asked him for some cabbages for Sunday’s dinner. Russell took him to his plot and gave him four cabbages.

On his way, home the accused met two men, Andrew McDade and James McEwan on the road. He sat beside them for about two hours, during which time they drank two bottles of beer which the accused had in jacket pockets. McDade and McEwan said Bell had some cabbages in his jacket when met them. After hearing all the evidence the bench found the charge proven, and Bell was fined £2, with the alternative of going prison for twenty days.

I tried to find out what happened to Charles Bell after his court case, however, I could not track him down, perhaps he didn’t hang around in Hamilton after his trial.

Linn House, Burnbank.

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Linn House featured on the 1896 map of Hamilton. 

During the mid 19th-century Burnbank road was dotted with Villas and grand houses and one of them was called Linn House. Linn House was situated on 2 acres of land and in it’s time it boasted of fantastic “Views of the surrounding  country”.

Like Burnbank House just across the road, there seems to have been at the time military people living around this area. In January 1855 a Mrs Douglas Pattison died at the house, in her obituary, she was noted as being a ‘Relic’ of the late Colonel George Dodds of the 1st Royal regiment of foot.

In 1859, the villa of Linn House was occupied by a Mr B.W. Dodds and in this year he was selling the property. Linn House which was within the last few years almost entirely rebuilt by Mr Dodds for his own occupancy. The villa was comfortable and commodious, commanding, varied and had exclusive views of the surrounding country; and the grounds extending to about two acres bounded on one side by a burn (The Wellshaw Burn) on which there is a picturesque Linn or Waterfall.

It also boasted of well laid out shrubbery an orchard and a large garden with fruit trees and bushes. There was also a greenhouse situated in the garden.

One of the later owners was a Mrs Lynch, who in  May 1894 was looking to employ a new cook. Twenty-Six years later on the 16th of November 1920, the house gets put back up for sale and the grand building boasts of having 3 public rooms, 5 bedrooms, 2 dressing rooms and a nursery. Linn House also had 4 servants rooms, a garage, a stable and the property also had its very own gatehouse wich included 1 room for the gatekeeper and its very own kitchen & scullery. According to the 1925 valuation roll, a joiner called Robert Thomas was now renting the villa.

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Linn House subsiding. Picture taken from The Scotsman 21st February 1929.

The grand villa like many of Hamilton’s buildings fell victim to the coal mines deep under its foundations. Linn House would have still been standing in Burnbank today if it wasn’t for the underground workings from the local coal mines. The exact location of where Linn house once stood was between numbers 30 & 36 Newfield Crescent. The screenshot taken from google maps shows the exact location of where the picture of the subsiding house was taken in 1929. I did notice one thing! The gable side of the house in Newfield Crescent has a large crack on it, I would probably say that this was also down to further subsidence from the underground coal mines collapsing.

linn-house-today

 

Reported Deaths from WW1.

HAMILTON AND THE WAR. Mr John Stewart, Hamilton Terrace, Burnbank Road, has received official intimation that his youngest son. Private Archie Craig Stewart, has been killed in action. Private Stewart enlisted in the H.L.I. in September 1914, and in March of this year, he was transferred to the Machine Gun Corps.

After three months’ further training in this Corps he proceeded overseas. In a letter to Mr Stewart, the Commanding Officer speaks highly of the intrepidity which characterised the work of his son, who was very popular with all ranks.

Private Stewart was shot by a sniper while advancing at the front-line trenches on the 25th October. Previous to the war he was employed in the of office Nobel’s Explosives Coy, Glasgow, and was great favourite with his fellow-workers.  He was in his 20th year, and was on the roll of Honour of the West United Free Church.

It has been officially reported that Private Gilbert Stodart H.L.I was killed in action, on November 1. Private Stodart was only 18 years of age, and was the youngest son of Gilbert Stodart, for long associated with, the firm Campbell, Binnie, Reid & Coy, Greenfield Foundry.

Mr Stodart resided at Greenlea, Reid Street, Burnbank, but left this country for Southern Rhodesia with his wife and family in the summer of this year, and young Gilbert hoped to join them later. Private Stodart before enlisting, was on the staff of the Clydesdale Bank, Hamilton.

Word has been received this week by Captain C Rocks, Bent Road, Hamilton, of the death of Pte. John Calder, Gordon Highlanders. A comrade writes that Pte. Calder was accidentally killed. He was 22 years of age, was the son of a former foreman at Hamilton Gasworks, but had resided with Capt. and Mrs Rocks since early boyhood, and chummed with Pte. Christopher Rocks, also of the Gordons, who reported killed in action in September last. Prior to enlisting, Pte. Calder was employed as baker with the Hamilton Cooperative Society.

Official intimation has been received that Pte. Wm. Armstrong, Scottish Rifles, was killed in action 21st October last. He was years of age, and was the eldest son of Mrs Armstrong, 18 Union Street. Hamilton. He enlisted on 12th January of last year, prior which he had been employed grocer with the Central Co-operative Society in Hamilton.

Mr Lewis Morton. 26 High Blantyre Road, Burnbank, Hamilton, has received intimation that his son. Private Lewis Morton, A. and S.H, died at Malta on November 3rd from malaria. He was 21 years’ age, and before enlisting was employed at Watson’s Colliery, Burnbank.

Pte. John Collins, Seaforth Highlanders, was killed in action on 12th October. Before enlisting. he was employed at Quarter Colliery.

Mrs Brady, 4 New Row. Quarter, has received information that her brother. Private George Robson. was killed in action abroad between October 19 and 21. He was 21 years of age.

Looking to trace Jim who lived at 38 Burnbank Road in 1941.

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Robert Hodgson contacted The Hamilton Advertiser, as he is trying to trace someone, Robert wrote:

“Hello, I am trying to trace Jim who lived at 38 Burnbank Road in 1941. There were three people called Jim lived there around that time; Jim Lawson with his wife Helen, Jim Yuill with his wife Agnes, and Jim L. Stirling with his wife, also called Agnes.

They gave a Robert Burns poetry book to either my father or mother, Jack Hodgson and Edwina (nee) Hanlon who both came from Leeds.

They didn’t know each other at this time but were in the RAMC and Red Cross during 1941.

Any clues would be welcome for me to follow up. I’d like to contact the descendants of Jim who wrote the message in the book. Thanks.”

We thought that we would ask the Historic Hamilton Readers, as we know you guys are really great detectives. Can you help Robert with tracking down anyone mentioned here? Let us know.

MURDER AND SUICIDE IN HAMILTON, 11th May 1895.

MURDER AND SUICIDE IN HAMILTON. On Saturday evening a painful sensation was caused in Hamilton when it became known that a named Mrs Wilkinson, aged 53, had a fit of insanity killed her grandson, James Tyrell, aged six years, and afterwards taken her own life.

Six years ago she was dismissed from lunatic asylum as cured and while in the last three years or so she has from time to time shown symptoms of a return of her old malady, it was not considered necessary to put her under restraint.

On Wednesday last she was in Glasgow, and seemed bright and well, on Thursday, there was a change in her condition, and when, about three o’clock in the afternoon, she proposed to go to her son-in-law’s Hugh Tyrell, who is assistant to Mr Lynas, pawnbroker, there, and who resides at Gloucester Place, Burnbank Road, her son said, he would go with her.

She consented, and the two left her house in Chapel Street, Hamilton. At the hour stated, on reaching Mr Tyrrell’s house, she became excited, and after being inside for fifteen minutes, left, stating that she would be back in a little while.

She appears to have gone in the direction of the Catholic School, in High Blantyre Road, which the boy attended, and between whom and his grandmother there is said to have been warm attachment.

Meeting the child on the road she induced him to accompany her. She took the direction of Udston, and at Mr Dunn’s farm asked the road to Auchintibber. She was told the way, but instead of following it, struck through the fields and reached the highway near Hillhouse Cottage without crossing the railway.

She turned in to Townhill Farm, and was spoken to in passing through the farmyard by a servant girl, her future course was down the back road towards Earnock mansion- house, and she and the boy were last seen passing the laundry in the direction of Earnock Glen, all further trace of their movements being lost.

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In the 1896 map of Hamilton, you can see Townhill Farm with the back road in dotted lines. This was the path leading down to the Laundry mentioned in the story that Janet Wilkinson led her Grandson to his death.

Towards night the absence of the boy from his home gave rise to serious apprehensions on the part of his parents, but all their efforts failed to find any trace of him. Next day an organised search was instituted. The old woman and the boy were traced to the back of Earnock Colliery, but here the clue failed, and nothing further concerning their whereabouts could be ascertained.

On Saturday morning, acting upon instructions received from Chief-Constable Millar, of the burgh police, Sargent Clark, Burnbank, made a search in the vicinity of the Earnock estate, taking with him two assistants.

They entered the gate leading to Earnock House and a search of the woods proving fruitless, they proceeded up the burn in the glen, and towards afternoon, they found the two bodies lying in the water.

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Mrs Wilkinson’s throat was cut, and she had her little grandson clasped to her breast with his face towards her. There was a wound in the boy’s throat, but not sufficient, it is said, to cause death, and the supposition is that he was drowned. A razor was afterwards found near the place where the bodies were found, the handle and the spring of the blade tied tightly together with the old woman’s boot-lace, as if to afford her fuller control of it. How she came by the razor is a mystery, but it is thought probable that she may have purchased it in Glasgow on the Wednesday. The bodies were conveyed to Hamilton.

Demolition of the Trades Hotel,

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Today, I learned the sad news that the former Trades hotel has been demolished. This was one of Burnbank’s landmarks that has dominated the Limetree area since it was built.

When I was younger, I can remember playing at the side of the Trades hotel at the Whiskey Barrels. Today when i was taking pictures of the site, I spoke with Janette McCallum, who was telling me that she can remember the Old homeless men hanging around the front of the building talking and smoking.

Another thing that makes things worse, is that all of the large sandstone blocks that could have been reclaimed and used again has also been destroyed and smashed to bits! This is another little bit of Burnbank, and Hamilton’s history that has been robbed from us.

Fire at Clyde Colliery.

PIT FIRE AT HAMILTON. ONE LIFE LOST; SIX MEN RESCUED (May 1905)

Great excitement was created in Hamilton last evening that the news that fire had been discovered in No. 2 pit, Clyde Colliery, belonging to Wilsons Clyde, Ltd. The fire had originated in the haulage engine-room at the bottom of the shaft in the main coal seam.

Fifteen men were engaged on the back shift in Nos. 2 and 3 pits. The fire was first discovered by the men working in No. 3 pit, through which a current of air, after passing through No. 2 pit, finds its way to upcast shaft. A number of the men speedily came to the surface, but it was found that seven were entombed in Pyotshaw and main coal seams, their names being: David Gibson, Park Place; Peter McGuire, boy, Old Town, Hamilton; James McKillop and Alexander McKiliop, boy, Holyrood Street, Burnbank; Henry Nicol, jun., Holyrood Street; John Sharkie, brusher, Hamilton; Robert Dickson, brusher, Beckford Street, Hamilton.

A rescue party was organised, headed by Andrew Hepburn, manager, and James Boyd, oversman, and consisting of 25 men. They once descended the pit. About ten o’clock information reached the surface that they had succeeded in diverting the smoke into another air-course. A later hour word reached the surface that tho rescuers had been successful in bringing to the surface six of the men entombed, the sole victim being James McKillop. When the fire broke out of the men were as far as half a mile into the workings. Their escape was completely cut off by smoke. Luckily one of their number, who had all his life worked in the pit, and was acquainted with its workings, gathered the men together, and led them to an air shaft about 800 yards from the pit bottom. Here they remained in comparative safety, and here they were found by the rescuers.

Unfortunately, the boy McKillop was noticed by his elder brother, James McKillop, to collapse, and this appears to have upset him that he fell down the air shaft, a distance of some 72 feet. Of the six rescued, Dixon and made their way to the surface unassisted, and the others were brought the shaft wrapped in blankets and conveyed their homes in cabs. Their condition is favourably reported on by the doctors.

The body of James McKillop was afterwards found at the bottom of the ventilating shaft, and brought the surface up No. 3 pit. The colliery  was one of the first to be opened 30 years ago in connection with the development of Hamilton coalfield, opened by Mr George Simpson, of Benbar fame. It afterwards came into the hands of the Wilsons & Clyde Coal Company, the head of which is John Wilson, M.P. lias been singularly free from accidents, anything approaching the present being a fire nearly fifteen years ago.

 

 

Burnbank

Burnbank has existed in one form or another since at least the late fifteenth century when a grant of lands was made to Sir John Hamilton of Newton. A further grant of lands to Sir John Hamilton of Zhisselberry (which is later recorded as Whistleberry) also included the lands in and around Burnbank. At this time the extent of the area accepted as Burnbank included the modern districts of Whitehill and Hillhouse and the area around Peacock Cross on the Burnbank Hamilton border. Burnbank today consists of Burnbank Centre, Limetree & Udston.

Predominantly rural, with a number of plantations (Whistleberry Plantation and Backmuir Plantation being most prominent) to feed the lace industry in Burnbank and Hamilton which had been sponsored since before 1778 by the then Duchess of Hamilton, Elizabeth Campbell, 1st Baroness Hamilton of Hameldon.

With the Industrial revolution, Burnbank lost its rural identity becoming a mining village and the population of Burnbank had grown so great by the 1870s that a committee of citizens decided to apply for the erection of a Burgh of Burnbank. At the same time residents of Burnbank’s western neighbour Blantyre re-acted by petitioning for the erection of a Burgh of Blantyre. Both cases came before the Sheriff Court  sitting at Glasgow. The Sheriff gave extra time for the petitioners for both causes to familiarise themselves with the arguments of their opponents and to respond in turn. The Provost and Burgess’s of the existing Burgh of Hamilton, alarmed at the prospect of one (or possibly both) petitions being successful and thus creating a heavily industrialised, modern and vibrant western rival in turn petitioned the parliament of the United Kingdom giving rise to the Burgh of Hamilton Act 1878.By this Act Burnbank was absorbed into Hamilton – ending its own burghal aspirations.

Prior to the nineteenth century agriculture and lace making were important local industries. Burnbank was home to a number of coalmines or pits. Miner’s cottages or “pit rows” were erected by mine owners to house their employees. Many of these were built by local builder Sir Robert McAlpine, 1st Baronet, early in his career and the foundation of his later wealth.

The Udston Mining disaster occurred in Hamilton, Scotland on Saturday, 28 May 1887 when 73 miners died in a firedamp explosion at Udston Colliery. Caused, it is thought, by unauthorised shot firing the explosion is said to be Scotland’s second worst coal mining disaster. Keir Hardie then Secretary of the Scottish Miners’ Federation, denounced the deaths as murder a few days later.

In August 1918 a fire at Albany Buildings (an apartment block owned by the mining company John Watson Ltd) burned to the ground causing £10,000 of damage and leaving 24 families homeless.

In September 1919 strike action in the Lanarkshire coal fields led to the closure of the Greenfield Colliery.

In May 1932 300 men at John Watson’s Earnock Colliery in Burnbank were thrown out of work because of “bad trace.”

In January 1935 Greenfield Colliery, Burnbank, became the last pit in Hamilton to shut permanently. Earnock Colliery also in Burnbank but out-with Hamilton’s boundaries continued working.

During the Second World War Burnbank suffered at least one attack by the Luftwaffe when a bomb was dropped on tenements (known locally as Sing-Sing) near the railway works on the Whitehill Road. In addition to mining a number of other medium-sized industrial concerns have operated within Burnbank including the Stevenson Carpet Factory, Burnbank, at which Jock Stein had his first job in 1935. This is recorded in the Hamilton Advertiser as opening a new factory worth £85,000 in 1958. MEA also operated a factory in the area for many years. A railway wagon cleaning works is located near Whitehill Road.