Lesmahagow
| Lesmahagow | |
| Scottish Gaelic: Lios MoChuda | |
| Scots: Lismahagie or Lesmahagae | |
 Lesmahagow Old Parish Church, August 2011 |
|
  Lesmahagow Lesmahagow shown within South Lanarkshire | |
| Population | 3,685 [1] |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | NS8139 |
| - Edinburgh | 35.8 miles |
| - London | 324 miles |
| Council area | South Lanarkshire |
| Lieutenancy area | Lanarkshire |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LANARK |
| Postcode district | ML11 |
| Dialling code | 01555 |
| Police | Scottish |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament | Lanark and Hamilton East |
| Scottish Parliament | Clydesdale |
Lesmahagow (
listen (help·info); Scots: Lismahagie[2] or Lesmahagae,[3] Scottish Gaelic: Lios MoChuda) is a small town on the edge of moorland, near Lanark in the central belt of Scotland. Lesmahagow was also a Civil Parish.[4]
It is also known as Abbey Green.
Etymology
The name is means "Enclosure (meaning a walled area, like a monastery or fort) of St Machutus". The saint was born in Wales and may originally have been known as "Mahagw" prior to emigrating to Brittany where he became known by the Latinised form of the name and also as "St Malo". It is also possible that the first syllable may mean "garden" rather than "monastery", although Mac an Tailleir (2003) believes the former was altered from the latter in Gaelic.[5][6]
Religion
The town has two Christian congregations in the Church of Scotland, namely Lesmahagow Old Parish Church and Abbeygreen Church. There is an Evangelical Hall on the main street and the Roman Catholic residents are served by Our Lady and St John's in the neighbouring village of Blackwood 3 miles away.
Lesmahagow Priory, founded by Benedictine monks in 1144, no longer stands but its foundations were excavated in 1978 and can be seen next to the Old Parish Church off Church Square.
The Scottish branch of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness operates from Lesmahagow.
Twin towns
Clydesdale International Twinning Association (CITA) was set up in 1975 to promote the benefits of twinning to all sections of the local community. Lesmahagow falls under the Clydesdale community and consequently became linked to Hemmingen in Lower Saxony, Germany, and Yvetot, in Normandy, France.
Highland Games
The Highland Games are held annually with Pipe Bands competing in Grades 1 through 4. There are also events for Highland dancing, weight over the bar, tossing the caber and archery.
Development Trust
Lesmahagow Development Trust[7] (LDT) was formed on 28 August 2009.It is an independent, not-for-profit company registered as a charity in Scotland and the UK, The overriding objective of LDT is funding and implementing projects to enhance the facilities and environment of the village of Lesmahagow.
Famous residents
- Alexander Muir, composer of Canadian patriotic song "The Maple Leaf Forever", was born in Lesmahagow in 1830 before emigrating to Canada as a child.[8]
- Jim Holton, renowned Scottish football centre-half, was born in Lesmahagow in 1951. He died in October, 1993, aged 42, after suffering a heart attack at the wheel of his car.[9]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lesmahagow. |
References
- ↑ "Comparative Population Profile: Lesmahagow Locality, Scotland". 2001 Scottish Census. General Register Office for Scotland. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
- ↑ Scots Language Centre: Scottish Place Names in Scots
- ↑ The Online Scots Dictionary
- ↑ The Imperial gazetteer of Scotland. 1854. Vol.II (GORDON-ZETLAND) by Rev. John Marius Wilson. pp.324-325 http://archive.org/stream/imperialgazettee02wilsuoft#page/324/mode/2up
- ↑ "Chapter 1 - Derivation of Name.." lesmahagow.com. Retrieved 14 February 2008.
- ↑ Iain Mac an Tailleir. "Placenames" (PDF). Pàrlamaid na h-Alba. Retrieved 2007-07-23.
- ↑ Lesmahagow Development Trust website http://www.lesmahagowdevtrust.com
- ↑ Alexander Muir at The Canadian Encyclopedia
- ↑ Jim Holton at Scottish Football Association website
