Edit Priesthill & Nitshill
By Ronnie Auld.
Page 1 of 16
The Past before You" - a brief history of the Greater Pollok area Early History - When the railway cutting was being excavated near Barrhead in 1846, several fossil bones were discovered. They were later found to be the bones of a primitive horse and ox. Irish elk, wooly rhinoceros, as well as the tooth of a saber-tooth tigerAmongst others. Very little is known of the early people who inhabited the broad area which could be I described as Darnley. Some remains of pre-historic man - bones, stone tools and earthworks; were found near the Craigie Hill, Barrhead. A standing stone "the Boydstoneâ€, six foot tall but with no Inscription, stood near Kennishead but has been lost for many years. The Romans - In Roman times, the writer Tacitus described two war l i ke t r i bes wh i c h l i v ed i nThe area the Damnonii and the Maetae, who raided trade convoys on their way to the coast. Another warlike group, The Lavernani also inhabited villages on the banks of the Levern Water. The remains of a circular entrenchment Surrounded by a ditch were discovered on the top of Norwood Hill in Pollok Estate. It is believed that it was a Roman observation post dating from around 140 A.D. It is also thought the Romans burned lime at Arden.Celtic Christianity - After the Romans left Britain in the fifth century A.D.the Darnley area was sparsely inhabited by a people speaking a language akin to modern Welsh. These people gave names to places we still use today Craig =rock Dubs =black Moyne = peat Aura = shallow stream Rais = red deer Auchenback = field near moss People spoke this Brythonic Celtic tongue until at least the year 1170.These Celtic people lived in huts of wood plastered with muddy clay and covered with thatch. They lived on fish and Game and the products of early agriculture. At the same time there was a fair amount of trade with Ireland. These People were first converted to Celtic Christianity in the sixth century by disciples of St. Kentigern (or St. Mungo, Glasgow's patron saint) and by monks like St. Conval. St. Conval's chief missionary work took place in what later became Eastwood Parish. His feast day was celebrated on the last Friday in May right up until the early 19th century. Another early local saint was Fernum but very I little is known of him.The legendary King Arthur reputedly fought a battle in the Levern Valley in the sixth century. Towards the end of the Ninth century, the Norsemen began raiding the West of ScotÂland. The Viking King of Dublin, 01af the White, ravaged the area in 862 A.D. After this a cloud of darkness settled over the Darnley area. For the sake of convenience, the term Pollok covers the following areas. Arden, Carnwadric, Darnley, Kennishead, Nitshill, Priesthill, Pollok, South Nitshill and Thornliebank. This document has been scanned using O.C.R and a computer so please allow for any mistakes
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