I first met Jack Gallacher 32 years ago during which time we have shared a pride in and, enthusiasm for, the village of Bothwell where we have been privileged to be part of village life. "Where A River Bends" has been a labour of love for Jack. It comprises a gripping collection of short stories which chart the fascinating development of the village through the ages up to the present day and beyond and uncovers a rich tapestry of village connections to famous and iconic Scottish figures. I commend this book to students of history and to visitors and residents of Bothwell alike. Councillor Henry Mitchell “Where a River Bends” provides a vibrant history of the ancient village of Bothwell with its castle and 13th century collegiate church and excels in telling of the extraordinary significance of the village in Scottish history, both political and ecclesiastical. The narrative tells of the power struggle within Scotland, Scotland‟s affrays with England and the country‟s relationship with France. Jack Gallacher skilfully punctuates the history with anecdotes and quotes, many of them amusing. The range of people associated with the village through the ages is astonishing. Alister Baird 1938 – 2011 2 / Castle Bothwell Village Timothy Pent’s Map 1596 – Courtesy of the National Library of Scotland WHERE A RIVER BENDS P a g e | 3 Where a River Bends Stories from a Scottish Village By Jack Gallacher Published in Great Britain 2011 Bothwell Publishing Ltd Copyright © by Jack Gallacher 2011 Printed and Bound by Ink Spot Superquickprint 4 FOREWORD FOREWORD The genesis of this project began over thirty years ago when I was asked to write an article for the Bothwell gala week programme. It struck me then what an incredible amount of “forgotten” history there was in this one small town which had almost but not quite been absorbed by larger surrounding communities. Some of its story had been written up but a great deal remains to be researched and recorded. Over the years, it has become an exercise in self indulgence for me as I have written about those aspects of Scottish history and personalities with a Bothwell connection of personal interest to me. There is a thin time line in the book but each chapter is in essence self- contained so some repetition is unavoidable. It is by no means a comprehensive history either of Scotland or Bothwell and a great deal of interesting material remains to be brought into the light of day. It is certainly not an academic treatise I am grateful to many friends for encouragement and support, in particular to Fiona and Keith Brown in Hamilton for help with editing the manuscript. Sheila and Ian Beckett in Bothwell took a pile of paper and turned it into a book. Ian took the contemporary pictures and organised the other illustrations as well as dealing with the business side of things. Thank you. I am also indebted to Bothwell Community Council for financial support towards the cost of publishing and to Councillor Henry Mitchell for his unflagging enthusiasm for the project. Brighter Bothwell is an organisation which does a great deal to beautify the village and to foster community spirit. I am in their debt for information on village life and for publicising the book. The Rev Thomas Doyle and Gerry Duffy were generous with help in providing me with information on the history of St Bride‟s Church and the Catholic community in Bothwell in more recent times. Alistair Baird, Mr and Mrs W Allan, Hugh Dunn, Minnie Storrie , John Murray. Mrs W McCue and Megan and Alistair Brogan allowed me to publish some of the pictures which enhance the text. Martin Clark of the “Motherwell Times” Ian McLean of the “Bellshill Speaker” and John Rowbotham of the “Hamilton Advertiser” kindly gave assistance in promoting the project.A special note of appreciation must go to Diane Hill in Bothwell Library for all her help and WHERE A RIVER BENDS P a g e | 5 encouragement and to Mohraig Gwyn-Davies, Head Teacher at Bothwell PrimarySchool and to the children and parents of the school.My thanks to everyone. While communities should modernise and move forward, looking at our past and preserving its tangible remains does help with community spirit which benefits all of us who congregate and live together in a social group-our village, our Bothwell. DEDICATED TO EVELYN, SIOBHAN AND CARA Jack Gallacher, “Airlie” April 2011 6 FOREWORD Contents FOREWORD ........................................................................................... 4 BOTHWELL THE PLACE, THE PEOPLE AND A PERSPECTIVE ON BOTH. .............................................................................................. 7 THE MURRAYS ................................................................................... 15 IF I HAD A HAMMER ......................................................................... 27 THREE FURTHER EDWARDS. ......................................................... 36 STICKS AND STONES – THE DOUGLASES ................................... 46 A DUKE, A FAT MAN, AN UNUSUAL DINNER AND A FIERY FACE ..................................................................................................... 60 AFTER THE FALL ............................................................................... 70 A LOVE NEST ...................................................................................... 83 A GREAT PARTNERSHIP .................................................................. 90 THE LAIRD OF CLARTY HOLE........................................................ 96 SIBLINGS NOT RIVALS ................................................................... 107 FOR CHRIST‟S KIRK AND THE COVENANT ............................... 112 Mr. BROWN, THE MIKADO‟S MAN .............................................. 125 THE LITTLE BOY WHO NEVER GREW UP .................................. 130 A SECRET PASSAGE ........................................................................ 139 C G L CANTAUR ............................................................................... 149 ENGLAND EXPECTS: SCOTLAND PROVIDES ............................ 157 A SOLDIER OF THE QUEEN ........................................................... 161 FROM HANOVER TO WINDSOR ................................................... 164 LET THE WOMAN LEARN IN SILENCE WITH ALL SUBJUGATION. ................................................................................. 177 NOT QUITE THE LAST CHAPTER ................................................. 183 WHERE A RIVER BENDS P a g e | 7 BOTHWELL THE PLACE, THE PEOPLE AND A PERSPECTIVE ON BOTH. View of Bothwell across Strathclyde Loch Few people hurtling along the motorway leading to the urban attractions of Glasgow or the beckoning mountains of the tourist north pause even for a second to notice an antique bridge, a distinguished church tower or a huddle of sandstone houses which sprawl over a south facing hillside sloping down to a river. Yet there has been a human settlement on this site since before the onset of recorded history. Fertile land, an abundance of water and the ability to defend what was theirs, attracted early man to these slopes. So far in the past are the community‟s origins that no one may reasonably be certain of how the name came to be. None the less on this site humanity has pursued its course, mainly in obscurity but occasionally blasting on to the pages of the history books. Sometimes the local bus will advertise the name “Bothwell” as its ultimate destination but most public transport simply travels through the narrow main street en route to more significant destinations. The railway now passes it by. Yet here men and women have lived their lives, worshipped their gods and subjected themselves 8 BOTHWELL THE PLACE, THE PEOPLE AND A PERSPECTIVE ON BOTH. to the will of the great and good in the land since primitive man first made his way up the fertile valley. Those with an inclination to romanticism may be prepared to swallow the story that the great mediaeval Lord, Archibald Douglas, known as “The Grim”, desirous of erecting a great church to the glory of God and as a place to pray for the souls of him and his, caused two archers to fire their bolts into the heavens so that where the arrows landed would determine the location of the high altar of his church. An alternative version says that where they crossed would determine the height of the church tower. Legend says that the two arrows landed side by side and the great man cried out, “Both well” and thus christened his settlement. Sadly this exotic explanation does not match the documentation predating the time of Grim Archibald, referring to the settlement as “BODEUIL” or “BODEWEL” or to other variations on the theme reflecting the more relaxed attitude our ancestors had towards spelling. Few outside the monasteries could read and so spelling wasn‟t particularly important. It is worth noting that the site of the earl‟s new collegiate church is believed to have been dedicated to Christian worship since the 6th century AD. If that is so then Archibald the Grim‟s choir was added to an already antique Norman nave. The 6th century AD was when St Mungo and his acolytes were active in Glasgow and the site of Bothwell‟s Parish Church may have been one of their out stations. Creative history is often more colourful and picturesque than mere reality. The writers of the Declaration of Arbroath in 1320 in writing to Pope John XXii created a marvellously dramatic tale of the origins of the Scottish race whose Mother Scota was the daughter of an Egyptian Pharaoh and whose