Cambuslang (Scots: Cammuslang, from Scottish Gaelic: Camas Lang) is a suburban town on the south-eastern outskirts of Glasgow, Scotland. It is within the local authority area of South Lanarkshire. The town is located just south of the River Clyde and about 6 miles (9.7 km) south-east of the centre of Glasgow.. Historically, it was a large civil parish incorporating nearby hamlets of Newton, Flemington and Halfway and was known as “the largest village in Scotland”.
Cambuslang’s name may derive from its location on the banks of a large bend on the River Clyde. Cambus literally means bend of the water in Scots and lang means long. It may also mean long bay – the bend in the Clyde was once the highest tidal bay on the river before a weir was built at Glasgow more than 100 years ago.
The Latin derivation of lang suggests a curved bank of a fast moving stream and the Old Parish Church was built on such a bank of the Kirk Burn that flows into the Clyde a mile or so down river. The rectangular parish church, with its square central tower, also stands on a hill – the Anglo-Saxon Camb means a crest or ridge. Designed by Edinburgh architect David Cousin, the ‘B’ listed building, which has an impressive vaulted interior and curved gallery supported on cast-iron columns, was built in the Kirkhill area between 1839 and 1841 on the site of previous churches dating back as far as the 1680s. Construction of the chancel was started in 1919 to a design by Peter MacGregor Chalmers and was completed in 1922.
Going back further in time, it has been suggested that Cambuslang is near where King Arthur won the the sixth of his 12 famous battles around 508AD, as described in the ninth century Historia Brittonum, written by Welsh scholar Nennius. Cambuslang is also supposedly where King Arthur killed the outlawed sons of Caw, a local enemy of Arthur who was buried in the area.
Of the few historical sites in the area, the most notable is probably Gilbertfield Castle, which was built by the Hamilton family in the early 17th century near Dechmont hill to the south of Cambuslang in the ancient barony of Drumsagard. By the 18th century it was owned by the retired soldier William Hamilton of Gilbertfield who translated the famous poem Sir William Wallace by Blind Harry from old Scots into English.
Another historic but less well known event was the evangelical phenomenon, the Cambuslang Wark in 1742. This was a massive religious event started by the local parish minister, Mr McCulloch, whose parishioners believed that a special outpouring of the Divine Spirit had taken place. Over a six-month period, more than 30,000 people, many of them not even religious, flocked to the area to hear several thousand speakers.
Around this time the population was primarily weavers, colliers, masons and agricultural labourers but with the coming of the industrial revolution it became a major centre of heavy industry with coal mining, textiles and iron manufacturing. Along with most of the rest of the country, heavy industry died off in the second half of the 20th century but in the 1980s the town saw the start of a redevelopment of its derelict industrial areas, with the establishment of an Investment Park and South Lanarkshire College. Most employment in the area currently comes from the distribution or service industries. The latest data records the population of Cambuslang as around 28,560.
(Extracts from Wikipedia and South Lanarkshire Council websites)
Local history
Cambuslang Family History Records https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Cambuslang,_Lanarkshire,_Scotland_Genealogy
Clydebridge Steelworks History (pictures from Edward Boyle)
http://www.edwardboyle.com/EB/Cambuslang/Clydebridge_Steel_Works.htm
Gazetteer of Scotland, 1882-85: Cambuslang
http://www.scottish-places.info/towns/townhistory418.html
Glasgow & West of Scotland Family History Online Members’ Interests
http://www.gwsfhs.org.uk/omid/parish627-cambuslang.aspx
Cambuslang Park (old pictures)
http://www.spanglefish.com/cambuslangpark/index.asp?pageid=124436
Old Cambuslang Photo Collection (Edward Boyle)
http://www.edwardboyle.com/EB/Cambuslang/Cambuslang.html
Old Scottish Records https://www.oldscottish.com/cambuslang.html
South Lanarkshire Council Archives and Records Centre https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/info/200165/local_and_family_history/588/archives_and_records/8
Vision of Britain through time: Cambuslang
http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/16359
MP, MSP and Councillors
Margaret Ferrier MP
Member of the UK Parliament for Rutherglen and Hamilton West |
Tel: 020 7219 3000 Email: margaret.ferrier.mp@parliament.uk Twitter: @MargaretFerrierFacebook https://members.parliament.uk/member/4386/contact |
Clare Haughey MSP![]() Member of the Scottish Parliament for Rutherglen |
Tel: 0141 561 5131 Email: Clare.Haughey.msp@parliament.scot Facebook: ClareHaugheyMSP Twitter:@haughey_clare Address: 85 Main Street, Rutherglen G73 2JQ |
Cllr John Bradley![]() South Lanarkshire Councillor for Cambuslang West |
Tel: 07388 955 040 Email: john.bradley@southlanarkshire.gov.uk Twitter@ @bradsat23 |
Cllr Walter Brogan![]() South Lanarkshire Councillor for Cambuslang East |
Tel: 01698 454804 / 07825 583 903 Email: walter.brogan@southlanarkshire.gov.uk Web: http://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/councillors/6/walter_brogan |
Cllr Alistair Fulton![]() South Lanarkshire Councillor for Cambuslang East |
Tel: 07388 955 021
Twitter: @ally_fulton |
Cllr Norman Rae![]() South Lanarkshire Councillor for Cambuslang West |
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/normanforcambuslangwest Email:Norman.Rae@southlanarkshire.gov.uk) |
Cllr Katy Loudon![]() South Lanarkshire Councillor for Cambuslang East |
Tel: 07388 955 046
Twitter@ KatyLoudonSNP |
Cllr Margaret B Walker![]() South Lanarkshire Councillor for Cambuslang West |
Tel: 07388 955 035 / 01698 455897
Twitter: @CllrWalker |
Community groups, support and centres
All about Cambuslang (Facebook Group): https://www.facebook.com/groups/577721115574687/?fref=ts
Cambuslang Allotment Gardens: https://www.facebook.com/cambuslangallotments
Cambuslang Apiary Project: http://apiaryproject.btck.co.uk/
Cambuslang Credit Union: http://www.cambuslangcu.org.uk/
Cambuslang in Bloom (Contact Linda: 07972 558227 or email cambuslangbloom@aol.com)
Cambuslang Probus Club (Secretary: porteous-george@sky.com)
Cambuslang & Rutherglen Community Health Initiative: http://www.elament.org.uk/finding-a-service/cambuslang-rutherglen-community-health-initiative/
Cambuslang Strollers: https://www.facebook.com/cambuslangstrollers
Central Cambuslang Tenants and Residents Association: (Contact Hilda: 0141 641 3934)
Citizens Advice Bureau Cambuslang: https://www.cas.org.uk/bureaux/rutherglen-and-cambuslang-citizens-advice-bureau
Eastfield Community Centre: http://www.slleisureandculture.co.uk/info/289/independentcommunity_managed
Friends of Cambuslang Park: http://www.spanglefish.com/cambuslangpark/
Friends of Holmhills Wood Community Park: https://cambuslangcommunitycouncil.com/friends-of-holmhills-park/
Healthy n Happy Community Development Trust http://www.healthynhappy.org.uk/
The Nuture Education and Multicultural Society http://thenurture.org.uk/
Rotary Club of Cambuslang http://www.rotary-ribi.org/clubs/homepage.php?ClubID=1343
Rutherglen and Cambuslang Housing Association http://www.randcha.co.uk/
VASLAN – support for the voluntary and community sectors in South Lanarkshire http://www.vaslan.org.uk/
Churches
Cambuslang Baptist Church: https://www.facebook.com/cambuslangbaptist/
Cambuslang Parish Church (Church of Scotland) http://cambuslangparishchurch.org.uk/wp/
St Bride’s RC Church: https://www.saintbridesparish.co.uk/
St Cuthbert’s Church (Scottish Episcopal) http://www.scotlandschurchestrust.org.uk/church/st-cuthberts-cambuslang
News media
CamGlen Radio http://camglenradio.org/
Rutherglen Reformer (covers Cambuslang) http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/all-about/rutherglen
Schools
Cairns Primary School http://www.cairns-pri.s-lanark.sch.uk/home.html
Calderwood Primary School http://www.calderwood-pri.s-lanark.sch.uk/
Cathkin High School http://www.cathkin.s-lanark.sch.uk/
James Aiton Primary School www.jamesaiton-pri.s-lanark.sch.uk
Saint Bride’s Primary School http://www.st-brides-cambuslang-pri.s-lanark.sch.uk/
St Cadoc’s Primary School http://www.st-cadocs-pri.s-lanark.sch.uk/
Stonelaw High School http://www.stonelaw.s-lanark.sch.uk/
Trinity High School http://www.trinity.s-lanark.sch.uk/
West Coats Primary School: https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/info/200189/our_primary_schools/1253/west_coats_primary_school
Sports clubs and leisure activities
Backwoods Survival School http://www.backwoodsurvival.co.uk/
Cambuslang Bowling Club http://www.cambuslangbc.co.uk/
Cambuslang Football Academy http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/cambuslangfootballacademy/
Cambuslang Football Club http://www.cambuslangfootballclub.com/
Cambuslang Golf Club http://www.cambuslanggolf.co.uk/
Cambuslang Library http://www.slleisureandculture.co.uk/info/79/cambuslang_library
Cambuslang Rangers Football Club http://www.thelangonline.org/
Cambuslang Rugby Club http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/cambuslangrugbyclub/
Cambuslang Thistle: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cambuslang-Thistle/238980272809124
Clyde Cycle Park www.clydecyclepark.org.uk
Eastfield Lifestyle – fitness centre and swimming pool http://www.slleisureandculture.co.uk/info/168/eastfield_-_lifestyle
Kirkhill Bowling Club http://www.kirkhillbowlingclub.co.uk/
Kirkhill Golf Club http://www.kirkhillgolfclub.org.uk/
Kirkhill Lawn Tennis Club http://kirkhilltennis.webs.com/
Ronhill Cambuslang Harriers: http://cambuslangharriers.org/
ScotKart Indoor Karting http://www.scotkart.co.uk/
Universal Connections Youth Centre http://cambuslang.lanlinks.org/
Whitefield Bowling & Recreation Club http://www.whitefieldbowlingclub.co.nr/