Pollok House

A historical perspective, drawn from the Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland: A Survey of Scottish Topography, Statistical, Biographical and Historical, edited by Francis H. Groome and originally published in parts by Thomas C. Jack, Grange Publishing Works, Edinburgh between 1882 and 1885.

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Pollok House, a mansion in Eastwood parish, Renfrewshire, near the right bank of the White Cart, 1½ mile WNW of Pollokshaws. Erected in 1747-52, it is a plain quadrangular four-storied building, with beautiful grounds, and on 15 Aug. 1859 was honoured by a visit from the Prince of Wales. Pollok formed part of the broad estates that were granted by David I. to Walter the High Steward about the year 1124. The superiority was acquired by Rolland de Mearns, and afterwards by the Maxwells of Caerlaverock; and about 1270 the lower division of Pollok, commonly called Nether Pollok, was given by Sir Aymer Maxwell of Maxwell, Caerlaverock, and Mearns, to his younger son, Sir John Maxwell, the first of the Maxwells of Pollok. Among his descendants, who by marriage were allied to royalty, were the brave young Sir John, who earned his spurs well at Otterburn (1388); Sir John, who fell at the Battle of Dryfe Sands (1593); Sir George, for bewitching whom, in 1677, five persons were strangled and burnt; Sir John, created a baronet in 1682; and Sir John, the eighth Bart. (1791-1865), at whose death the estate and the baronetcy devolved on his nephew, William Stirling, Esq. of Keir. From him, the late Sir William Stirling-Maxwell, the estate of Pollok passed in 1878 to his younger son, Archibald (b. 1867).—Ord. Sur., sh. 30, 1866. See Eastwood, Keir, Crookston, Darnley, Haggs Castle; Dr Wm. Fraser's Memoirs of the Maxwells of Keir (2 vols., Edinb., 1865); and his Cartulary of Pollok-Maxwell (Edinb. 1875).

An accompanying 19th C. Ordnance Survey map is available, or use the map tab to the right of this page.

Note: This text has been made available using a process of scanning and optical character recognition. Despite manual checking, some typographical errors may remain. Please remember this description dates from the 1880s; names may have changed, administrative divisions will certainly be different and there are known to be occasional errors of fact in the original text, which we have not corrected because we wish to maintain its integrity. This information is provided subject to our standard disclaimer

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