St Bride's Church Graveyard, Bothwell

Map regression was undertaken to establish changes in the landscape of the graveyard from the 16th century onwards and the surrounding landscape in which it developed.

Given that St Bride's is a collegiate church, there is a wide range of local printed literature and websites which were studied during the desk-based research. References are listed in Section 8 of the Report.

A number of field visits were made by the Glorious Gardens group between September 2017 and July 2018. More information can be found in the associated report.

Bothwell Parish Church Kirkyard (NGR: NS 70490 58604), in the conservation village of Bothwell, South Lanarkshire, is the site of what is said by some to be the oldest collegiate church in Scotland (1398) and stands on the site of a former 6th century church. It is one of a number of collegiate churches “built as burial places for members of great families and as a fitting setting for the perpetual recitation of prayers for their welfare in life and salvation in death” (Close & Gifford, Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire, 2016).

Bothwell lies on the east bank of the River Clyde on the B7071 which runs from Uddingston in the north to Hamilton in the south. The M74 motorway runs along its eastern boundary, with Blantyre to the west. The church and graveyard are situated on Main Street, between Green Street and The Glebe.

The church and graveyard are listed, as are the Church Lodge, the Russell Memorial Hall and the monument to Joanna Baillie, playwright and poet. The churchyard and the Joanna Baillie Monument are both designated At Risk.

The photographic survey was undertaken during the site visits. The collection of images to accompany the texts related to the development of the overall site as well as the graveyard.