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Population 370 (approx)
The village of Crawford is situated adjacent
to the M74 south of Abington.
It has been a stopping place for travellers
since the days of the stagecoach, and the Crawford Inn was a well used
staging post. It had many famous patrons including Sir Robert Peel,
Henry Duke of Bordeaux, rightful heir to the French crown, and Prince
Louis Napoleon Bonaparte.
It is also adjacent to the main railway line
south, and before the station closed in 1965, being easily accessible
from Glasgow and Edinburgh, Crawford became a popular holiday location.
Good angling on the Clyde was and still is one of its attractions.
The scenery around Crawford is stunning and
there are many good walks in the area which attract groups of ramblers.
Many of the houses in Crawford were built by merchants and businessmen
from the cities as holiday homes where families with their servants
spent the summer months. There are also a number of smaller cottages,
and recently a few new builds.
Now bypassed by the motorway, there are two
remaining hotels which mainly serve the trucks which stop overnight.
There is also a guesthouse and a Bed and Breakfast for tourists passing
through. There is one village store/Post Office which is well stocked
and also offers sandwiches and hot food take-away service.
Work has commenced in the building of what
will be the largest wind farm in Europe. Over the next 3 years 152
turbines will be appearing on both sides of the M74 around Crawford and
Elvanfoot, producing enough energy to power over 200,000 households.
Two bus services, Edinburgh/Dumfries and
Leadhills/Lanark, pass through the village.
The local school, Crawford Primary, is a
feeder school for Biggar High School. Crawford is served by the Lanark
and Carluke Advertiser and the Lanark Gazette.
History
Crawford is an ancient settlement. Evidence
of Mesolithic (middle stone age) people has been found in the form of
stone tools by the banks of the River Clyde near Crawford. In 1992
archaeologists excavated part of a Bronze Age site normally submerged by
Camps Reservoir.
On the opposite side of the Clyde from the
village is the site of a Roman Fort, which was partially excavated in
1938, then again between 1961 and 1966. It was concluded that the fort
had three periods of occupation by the Romans between 80 AD and 163 AD.
A little to the east of the site of the fort
are the ruins of Castle Crawford or Tower Lindsay, for generations the
ancestral home of the Lindsay family. David Lindsay was created the Earl
of Crawford in 1398 and was given a charter by Robert III elevating
Crawford from a barony to a regality.
William Wallace, on his mother's side was
related to the Crawford Lindsays and he led an assault on Crawford
Castle to seize it from a garrison of English soldiers who held the
castle.
James V was a regular visitor to the castle
for hunting and hawking expeditions. The hills around Crawford became
known as a hunting ground for kings and princes.
The last King to visit Crawford was Edward
VII in October 1906 as part of a royal shooting-party when he was the
guest of Lord Colebrooke at Glengonnar. It was reported that his party
had excellent sport, having bagged 76 grouse, 14 black game, and two
hares on Midlock moor and then he "suppit kail" at Midlock Farm.
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