Over the last three hundred years, many mansion houses have been built in Mearns. Today only a few remain to give testament to a different way of life. This following articles describe the history of mansion houses in Mearns.
Mansion Houses in Mearns
A.Boyd Scott in Old Days and Ways in Newton Mearns, published in 1939 to celebrate the bi-centenary of the Newton Church (Newton Mearns Parish Church) states that there were significant changes in the proprietorship of land in the county (Renfrewshire) between 1772 and 1832, when nearly a third changed hands. In the Second Statistical Account of 1842 admiration is expressed for the ‘excellent modern mansions’ in the parish.
Capelrig
The name Capelrig is found in documents as early as the 12th century. It is thought to have the meaning “Chapel on the Ridge” There is a record of Herbert de Maxwell endowing a chapel in 1300 which could possibly have been at Capelrig.
Capelrig Tower
The origins of Capelrig Tower, or as it is sometimes known, Patterton Tower have puzzled many eople. It appears today to serve no useful purpose.
The History of Hazelden House
Following his marriage in 1818, to Agnes Hay, the daughter of the owner of Netherplace Bleachfield, Patrick Reid built Hazelden House on the site of a previous house.
Uncovering the History of Greenbank
Greenbank is one of many eighteenth century merchant estates which are scattered around Mearns Parish. Back in the 1980s virtually nothing was known about Greenbank, beyond a single line: “The house was built in the 1760s by a Glasgow merchant named Robert Allason.”