Stonehouse, a town and a parish in the Middle Ward of Lanarkshire. The town, which lies 450 feet above sea-level, near the right bank of Avon Water, by road is 3¾ miles ENE of Strathaven and 7¼ SSE of Hamilton, whilst its station, on a branch-line of the Caledonian, is 3¼ miles SSW of Ayr Road Junction and 18¼ SE of Glasgow. Mostly a growth of the last half century, it is a fine, airy, thriving place ; and has long been kept in a neat cleanly condition. It comprises a main street extending 7 furlongs south-westward along the highroad from Edinburgh to Ayr, two new streets built on a specified plan, and some small lanes or subordinate parts. Its houses, 50 years ago, were mostly of one story and generally thatched ; but now not a few are substantial, well-built, slated, two-storied structures. The town's rapid advances, both in character and population, arose from the liberal encouragement given to feuars and builders by the late Robert Lockhart, Esq. of Castlehill. A large portion of the inhabitants are miners, weavers, and tradesmen. Stonehouse has a post office, with money order, savings' bank, and telegraph departments, a branch of the Union Bank, 9 insurance agencies, a gas company, a public library, and fairs on the last Wednesdays of May, July, and November. Pop. of town (1841) 1794, (1861) 2585, (1871) 2623, (1881) 2615, of whom 1331 were males. Houses (1881) 511 inhabited, 31 vacant, 4 building.
The parish contains also Sandford village, at the SW border, 3½ miles SW of the town and 1½ mile SE of Strathaven. It is bounded NE and E by Dalserf, SE by Lesmahagow, SW by Avondale, W by Avondale and Glassford, and NW by Hamilton. Its utmost length, from N to S, is 55/8 miles ; its utmost breadth is 25/8 miles ; and its area is 6311½ acres, of which 70½ are water. Avon Water winds 41/8 miles north-north-eastward along the Avondale and Glassford boundary, 2 north-north-eastward across the interior, and 2¼ north-north-westward along the Dalserf boundary. It thus has a total course here of 81/8 miles, though the point where it first touches and that where it quits the parish are only 5 miles distant as the crow flies. Kype Water flows to it 35/8 miles west-north-westward along all the south-western border, and Cander Water 2½ miles north-north-westward along the southern half of the Dalserf boundary. Sinking in the extreme N to close on 200 feet above sea-level, the Vale of Avon water is very romantic, especially below the town of Stonehouse. From it the surface rises gradually to 533 feet near Crofthead, 642 at Udston, and 734 near Hazeldean. The parish thus mainly consists of gentle ascents, higher in the S than in the N, but nowhere hilly, and nearly all subject to the plough. Its general appearance is pleasing and rich. Wood was formerly scarce, but is now abundant enough to afford both shelter and embellisbment. The rocks belong to the Carboniferous formation, with protrusions of trap. Prime limestone has been largely worked ; and ironstone of excellent quality occurs in thin beds and in round isolated masses above the limestone. Coal is abundant, but has been chiefly used in the lime-works ; sandstone, suitable for building, is also plentiful ; and the trap is of a quality well adapted for road-metal. A sulphurous spring, called Kittymuir Well, situated on the banks of the Avon, long enjoyed some medical repute for cutaneous diseases. The only noticeable antiquities are vestiges of two old castles, called Coat Castle and Ringsdale Castle, surmounting cliffs on the banks of the Avon, but unstoried by either record or tradition. William Hamilton, D.D. (1780-1835), an eminent minister of the Church of Scotland, was a native. Major-General G. A. Lockhart, C.B., of Castlehill, owns more than one-half of the parish, 2 lesser proprietors holding each an annual value of £500 and upwards, 11 of between £100 and £500. Stonehouse is in the presbytery of Hamilton and the synod of Glasgow and Ayr ; the living is worth £295. The parish church is a handsome modern building, with a neat spire, and upwards of 900 sittings. The Free church, rebuilt in 1874, is a good Perpendicular structure, with a spire 114 feet high, and nearly 700 sittings. The U.P. church was rebuilt in 1879. Four public schools-Camnethan Street, Greenside Infant, Sandford, and Townhead-with respective accommodation for 178, 143, 100, and 253 children, had (1884) an average attendance of 104, 90, 76, and 183, and grants of £79, 6s., £78, 15s., £68, 18s. 3d., and £171, 3s. Valuation (1860) £9965, (1885) £l3, 301. Pop. (1801) 1259, (1831) 2359, (1861) 3267, (1871) 3177, (1881) 3173.—Ord. Sur., sh. 23, 1865.
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