Renfrew

Renfrew (Rinn Friù in Scottish Gaelic) is a town located 6 miles (9.7 km) west of Glasgow in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. Renfrew is known as the "Cradle of the Royal Stewarts" as a result of its early link with the Royal house of Scotland and Great Britain. It gained royal burgh status in 1397 and became the county town of Renfrewshire, also known as the County of Renfrew. The current Baron of Renfrew is His Royal Highness The Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay (known outside Scotland as The Prince of Wales) who holds lands in the area as part of the principality of Scotland.

As the traditional county town, Renfrew once was a centre of local government for the surrounding area. Whilst the county remained, the focus of local government in Renfrewshire gradually shifted from Renfrew to the larger neighbouring town of Paisley. Following the reorganisation of 1975, the county of Renfrewshire was divided for local government purposes into three modern council areas: Renfrewshire, with considerably smaller boundaries than the county, including Renfrew and with its administrative centre at Paisley; East Renfrewshire, with its centre at Giffnock and Inverclyde with its centre at Greenock. The boundaries of the historic county of Renfrewshire remain for a number of ceremonial and administrative purposes.

History

The status of the town and its attachment the Royal House of Stewart begin with the granting of land in the area to Walter fitz Alan, the High Steward of Scotland by King David I of Scotland in the 12th century. The strategic location of this castle was to prevent the eastern expansion of the kingdom belonging to Somerled, the Lord of the Isles, and protect Western Scotland from Norse invaders.^[1] Eventually the hereditary title of High Steward came to form the surname Stewart.

Later in the 12th century, King Malcolm IV, grandson of David I, finally demanded the Somerled's fealty. In 1164, Somerled sailed to Renfrew and attacked an assembling Scottish army in a conflict known as the Battle of Renfrew. The outcome was a defeat of the Lordship of the Isles and the death of Somerled.^[2] The Lords of the Isles were eventually stripped of their lands and titles in 1493, after conspiring with Edward IV of England to overthrow the Scottish monarchy. Since that time, the Lord of the Isles - as with the Baron Renfrew - has been a courtesy title of the heir to the throne and both are currently held by The Prince Charles, heir to Queen Elizabeth II.

The role of the Stewarts continued to grow and in 1315 Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward and Baron Renfrew married Marjory, daughter of King Robert the Bruce. Their son succeeded to the throne as Robert II of Scotland.

During the Monmouth Rebellion of 1685, Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll was injured and captured at Renfrew before being transported to Edinburgh and executed for his role in attempting to overthrow the Crown. The Argyle Stones in the town mark the site where his capture took place.^[3]

Governance

Local government and royal burgh

Although the town gives its name to the council area of Renfrewshire and the larger county of the same name which was used for local government before 1975, the administrative functions of both have in modern times been operated from the considerably larger neighbouring town of Paisley.

The early origins of Renfrewshire lie in the expanding influence of the Stewarts of Renfrew, the family holding the hereditary High Stewardship of Scotland. In 1371, Robert Stewart was crowned King of Scotland as Robert II and in 1402 his son, Robert III established the shire of Renfrew crafted from territory previously within the shire of Lanark and based out of Renfrew, the site of the Stewarts' castle.

Renfrewshire's Commissioners of Supply, Quarter Sessions and freeholders met at Renfrew, as did the sheriff court until it was moved to Paisley in 1705. This began a gradual move in the focus of local government to Paisley. During this time, however, Renfrew continued to hold status not only as a royal burgh, but as a parliamentary, municipal and police burgh.^[4]

Renfrew is now represented by its own community council, which meets in Renfrew Town Hall.^[5]

Parliament of the United Kingdom

Renfrew was a parliamentary burgh as a component of Glasgow Burghs from 1708 to 1832, and as a component of Kilmarnock Burghs from 1832 to 1918, when it was merged into the East Renfrewshire constituency.

Since 2005, it has been part of the Paisley and Renfrewshire North constituency.

Transport

The M8 motorway intersects Renfrew and two junctions at Arkleston and Braehead provide access to the town, with the neighbouring town of Paisley largely lying on the opposite side. The former Renfrew Airport was located to the south of the town (only a couple of miles from the present Glasgow Airport). The site of the terminal building is now occupied by a Tesco supermarket.^[6] The Renfrew Ferry connects to Yoker on the north bank of the Clyde, with the crossing taking a few minutes to make. Renfrew was also once served by a series of stations on a branch of the Glasgow and Paisley Joint Railway. However it was closed to passengers in 1967.

Renfrew is served by Arriva bus services 23 and 26 which gives regular services to Braehead and Glasgow City Centre, the 26 also connects with Paisley.

People from Renfrew always get the bus.

Economy

The major industry of Renfrew was previously shipbuilding. Simons and Lobnitz, most notable for building sand dredgers were based in the town. The Renfrew shipyard closed in the early 1960s. ^[7]

Renfrew is home to the engineering company Doosan Babcock (formerly Babcock and Wilcox), the King George V Dock and the Braehead out-of-town retail development.

Geography

Renfrew is located at the confluence of the River Clyde and the River Cart. A passenger ferry crosses the Clyde to Yoker and a bascule bridge crosses the Cart to Inchinnan and Glasgow International Airport.

Notes

References

Further reading

• History of Renfrew, J.A. Dunn, Town Council of Renfrew, 1971

External links