56-533: Leadhills , originally settled for the accommodation of miners, is a village in South Lanarkshire , Scotland, 5 + 3 ⁄ 4 miles (9.3 km) WSW of Elvanfoot . The population in 1901 was 835. It was originally known as Waterhead. It is the second highest village in Scotland, the highest being neighbouring Wanlockhead , 2 miles (3 kilometres) south. It is near the source of Glengonnar Water ,
112-811: A tributary of the River Clyde . The Leadhills Miners' Library (also known as the Allan Ramsay Library or the Leadhills Reading Society), founded in 1741 by 21 miners, the local schoolteacher and the local minister, specifically to purchase a collection of books for its members’ mutual improvement — its membership was not restricted to the miners; several non-miners, such as William Symington , John Brown (author of Rab and his Friends ) and James Braid , were also full members — houses an extensive antiquarian book collection, local relics, mining records and minerals. The library
168-466: A Civil Aviation Authority aircraft tracking station on the summit. The huge white 'golf ball' on the top of Lowther Hill can be seen from many miles away in all directions. The Southern Upland Way passes over the top of Lowther Hill - the highest point of the entire route. The southern portion would generally be taken to mean the lower but more expansive hills which lie between the Dalveen Pass and
224-729: A corridor between the Lowther Hills and the Moffat Hills (which lie to the east.). This corridor between the hills carries the main route running northwards into Scotland on its west side. It carries both the west coast railway line and the M74 motorway and has been the main route north over centuries. Nithsdale to the west of the Lowthers carries both the A76 road and the rail line from Dumfries to Kilmarnock . The next range of hills to
280-770: A paper reporting on the treatment of a particular case of hydrothorax , published in 1823, James Braid commented that, given all of the theoretically possible causes, with his numerous Leadhills hydrothorax patients, "[those who] have been exposed to breathe noxious or confined air" were by far the majority: Like many metalliferous miners in other parts of the British Isles in the early 1800s, Leadhills miners did not work for daily wages; in fact, Leadhills miners lived rent-free, working no more than six hours in any one day and, significantly, had no fixed working hours. At Leadhills, each miner belonged to an autonomous group of up to 12 (a " partnership "), who were paid collectively: on
336-745: A probable overflow channel cut by glacial meltwaters. The original source of the Clyde is inferred to have been here, captured to the Nith by the Dalveen trough-head. The village of Durisdeer sits at some distance from the A702, nestling tightly into the foot of Durisdeer Hill at the bottom of the pass through the hills that the Romans used. The Duke of Buccleuch , the largest private landowner in Britain, owns much of
392-468: A roughly rhomboidal or lozenge shape on the map with the acute angles being to north and south. It has river valleys along its boundaries to north east ( Clydesdale ) and south west ( Nithsdale ) which carry the two largest arterial routes northwards into the west side of the Central Belt of Scotland. A string of small towns have long since developed along these routes. Most of the Lowther Hills lie in
448-474: A route which takes a more direct route to the head of the pass than is offered by the Dalveen Pass. Inglis calls this route Well Path and he considers this to have been on the main pilgrimage route from Edinburgh to Whithorn and one of the main ancient routes northwards through the Southern Uplands. The Lowther Hills are composed of resistant Ordovician shales, heavily compressed and contorted in
504-522: Is reached. Just to the north, there is Glenochar Bastle and Fermtoun a 17th-century settlement and fortified house. The archaeological dig which revealed this was the winner of the 1997 Pitt Rivers Award for amateur archaeologists. Also, just to the south is the source of the River Clyde which flows north through Lanarkshire and passes through the City of Glasgow. Where the Daer and Potrail Waters confluence,
560-593: Is renowned amongst mineralogists and geologists for its wide range of different mineral species found in the veins that lie deep within the (now abandoned) mine shafts; with some now recognized as unique to the Leadhills area. The village lends its name to the Leadhills Supergroup , one of the large geological features of the British Isles. 16th-century mining entrepreneurs working the area were landowners, goldsmiths and metallurgists, granted patents by
616-502: Is the oldest subscription library in the British Isles; and is of significant historical and geological importance. In the late eighteenth century, Peterkin observed the library had "as many valuable books as might be expected to be chosen by promiscuous readers"; he found its members to be "the best informed, and therefore the most reasonable common people that I know" (1799, p. 99); and, in 1823, "J", observing that "every miner can read, and most of them can write tolerably well", noted
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#1732779693169672-499: Is the second coldest village in the UK (of those with weather stations) with an annual mean temperature of 6.76 °C (44.17 °F) making it slightly colder than the commonly regarded coldest settlement of Braemar , which had an annual average temperature of 6.81 °C (44.26 °F) in this period. However, Leadhills' slightly more exposed and elevated location than Braemar results in absolute minima being higher than one might expect -
728-483: Is the shortest of the three passes without the steep ascents and overarching hills that characterise the other two. It is also the lowest of the three reaching a maximum height of 288 metres. There was another pass from Durisdeer through to Wanlockhead called the Enterkin Pass which was an old pack horse route through the hills from Dumfries to Glasgow. It has been argued by H.R.G. Inglis (1924) that this route
784-586: The Central Lowlands of Scotland though Tinto is an outlier 11 kilometres north of Abington. The south east boundary of the hills is formed by the Forest of Ae which is one of the largest forests in Britain at 10,000 hectares. A continuous band of trees runs, again in a north easterly direction, from Auldgirth on the River Nith (9 kilometres south of Thornhill), for some 26 kilometres till it meets
840-399: The 18th century poet Allan Ramsay , whose son, also Allan Ramsay , was the leading portrait painter in Britain in the mid 18th century. The Leadhills & Wanlockhead Railway is a preserved former industrial narrow-gauge railway line. The Lowther Hills can be split into a northern and southern section. The northern section would generally be taken to mean the string of tops lying between
896-554: The Administrative County of Dumfries and Galloway , though part in the administrative county of South Lanarkshire moves into them around the village of Leadhills and the Daer Reservoir. There is some obscurity surrounding the name Lowther . Derivation from the early Irish lothur meaning "a canal, a trench", in this sense "a pass between hills", has been suggested. It is some 30 kilometres across
952-603: The B797 which runs from the small village of Mennock on the A76 to Abington near the M74, passing through the villages of Wanlockhead and Leadhills . The B797 reaches to a height of 467 metres as it leaves Wanlockhead - which is the highest village in Scotland. Crawick Pass is the most northerly of the three passes and carries the B740 from Crawick to Crawfordjohn and on to the M74. The Crawick
1008-537: The Caledonian mountain-building orogeny. The headwaters of the River Nith incise them deeply on the south, as the Nith falls much more steeply (to the nearby Solway Firth) than does the Clyde on the north. The flanks of the heavily glaciated Dalveen Pass and of the deep, steep-sided Enterkin Pass are both lined with rock slope failures (large landslips and landslides), with a deep V-shaped notch linking these passes being
1064-512: The Dalveen Pass and the Mennock Pass and running south eastward from near Elvanfoot over Lousie Wood Law , White Law, Dun Law, Dungrain Law, Peden Head, Green Lowther , Lowther Hill , East Mount Lowther , Thirstane Hill and Steygail which dominates the steepest part of the Dalveen Pass on its northern side. Green Lowther is the highest point of the Lowther Hills area and, like Lowther Hill, has
1120-536: The December absolute minimum of −15.0 °C (5.0 °F) compares favourably to usually milder Glasgow Airport's absolute minimum of −20.0 °C (−4.0 °F). [REDACTED] This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : Chisholm, Hugh , ed. (1911). " Leadhills ". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. South Lanarkshire Too Many Requests If you report this error to
1176-598: The Forest of Ae, the highest point of which is Queensberry . Mitchellslacks, on the northern edge of the Forest Ae, and which provides access to Queensberry, along with nearby Locherben, were the homes of the Harknesses involved in the Covenanter ambush. They also offer views into the northern Lowthers, Nithsdale and Annandale . The Lowther Hills are one of the birthplaces of Scottish winter sports. Curling in
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#17327796931691232-574: The Leadhills Curling Club –one of Scotland's first Curling societies- was created. The sport remained popular in the area until the 1930s, when the mines closed. Since the 1920s skiing in the Leadhills area has been organised intermittently by a succession of local residents as well as several non-for-profit sports clubs. Lowther Hill, above the village, is home to the only ski area in the south of Scotland and Scotland's only community-owned ski centre. Operated by Lowther Hills Ski Club,
1288-469: The Leadhills district was mining. On his visit to the mining area in 1772, the naturalist Thomas Pennant had remarked on its barren landscape: Three years later, in 1776, artist William Gilpin found that, in relation to the working conditions, "the mines here, as in all mineral countries, are destructive of health", "you see an infirm frame, and squalid looks in most of the inhabitants". and twelve years later, according to Rev. William Peterkin (1738-1792),
1344-418: The Lowther Hills. It runs from Carronbridge on the A76 just north of Thornhill to Elvanfoot near the M74 and carries the A702 trunk road. The road passes near the village of Durisdeer en route and reaches a height of 350 metres at the top of the pass. It is the only pass enlarged by ice into a U-shaped glacial trough, hence the road has to climb up the steep side to gain the head. The Mennock Pass carries
1400-583: The Lowthers can be traced back to 1777, when the Wanlockhead Curling Society –one of Scotland's first Curling societies- was created. Scotland's first boys' Curling club was established in Wanlockhead in 1883. The sport remained popular in the area until the 1930s. Since the 1920s skiing in the Lowther Hills has been organised intermittently by a succession of local residents as well as several non-for-profit sports clubs. Lowther Hill
1456-407: The M74 motorway 10 kilometres north of Beattock. Continuing south of Ae leads into the plain that surrounds the town of Dumfries. There are three road passes running in a north easterly direction diagonally through the Lowthers linking the A76 trunk road to the M74 motorway, and several 'ancient passes' now followed by paths or tracks. Dalveen Pass is the most southerly and the longest pass within
1512-552: The Minister at Leadhills (and member of its library) from 1785 until his death, the conditions of both the miners and the lead smelters were no better: As Pennant had noted in 1772, the human counterpart of the animals' lead-brash was "mill-reek": However, because lead was attracting such high prices during the American and Napoleonic Wars, and the domestic construction boom, Leadhills became world-famous for its lead mines. In
1568-635: The River Clyde begins. The Daer Water has its head waters near Queensberry and it flows through Daer Reservoir before it meets the Potrail. The head waters of the Potrail are on the north east side of Durisdeer Hill. The fact that there are two villages nearly 500 metres up in a desolate hillside in the Southern Uplands of Scotland requires some explanation: because of the rich variety of minerals to be found here, this area became known as "God's Treasure House in Scotland". Notably, it has produced some of
1624-732: The Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.237 via cp1104 cp1104, Varnish XID 211093199 Upstream caches: cp1104 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 07:41:33 GMT Lowther Hills The Lowther Hills , also sometimes known as the Lowthers , are an extensive area of hill country in the Southern Uplands of Scotland , though some sub-ranges of hills in this area also go under their own local names - see "Hillwalking" below. They form
1680-402: The basis of a contract (a " bargain ") struck between one partner (the " taker ") and the mining company, to perform a specific task for an agreed payment — in other words, the miners were paid for their results; not for the time they spent underground. There were two types of bargain: The individual miner's family also contributed; the sons worked on the uncovered washing platforms (exposed to
1736-527: The elements in all weathers) washing the impurities from the ore prior to smelting, and the wives and daughters spun wool and embroidered muslin for sale in Glasgow. The partners supplied their own tools; and were responsible for their upkeep. Many important responsibilities lay with the partners; thus, for instance, only two overseers were needed to manage more than 200 Leadhills’ miners. In the absence of an overseer's constant and immediate personal supervision,
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1792-405: The four men were dead. To aid those at the 25-fathom level, who were beginning to become violently affected by the fumes, a trap-door was opened to help clear the air; however, unfortunately, the noxious fumes descended rapidly, and another three men, at the 80-fathom level, suffocated. The other miners, many of whom were affected to a considerable degree, were restored by Braid as they emerged from
1848-447: The general area was known as "God's Treasure House in Scotland". During the 16th century, before the alluvial gold deposits were exhausted, 300 men worked over three summers and took away some £100,000 of gold (perhaps £500 million today): "Between 1538 and 1542, the district produced 1163 grams of gold for a crown for King James V of Scotland and 992 grams for a crown for his queen. Much of the gold coinage of James V and Mary Queen of Scots
1904-484: The grouse moors has been identified as a location of several wildlife crimes involving raptor persecution. Leadhills Golf Club, instituted in 1891, is the highest in Scotland . The nine-hole course offers a considerable challenge as the winds can be high and unpredictable as they are channelled between the hills. At one time, there were two courses amalgamated into 18 holes before it was decided to stick with 9 holes on
1960-425: The land for many miles around this area and has a castle at Drumlanrig on the west bank of the River Nith some 5 kilometres north of Thornhill. In the church at Durisdeer there is a mausoleum to the first Duke of Buccleuch complete with marble statues of him and his wife Mary dating from 1713 though there has been a church on this site since medieval times. Approaching Elvanfoot on the A702, Glenochar farmhouse
2016-467: The library had around 1,200 volumes, all of which "have been entirely chosen by [the members] themselves", and that: Today, the library is owned and run by a registered charity, The Leadhills Heritage Trust and has full accreditation with Museums Galleries Scotland. It is open from Easter to September on weekends and bank holidays, between 2 pm and 5 pm. Grouse moors cover in excess of 11,000 acres (45 km) around Leadhills. The area covered by
2072-428: The lower ground and abandon the original course. The club was originally known as Leadhills Golf Club prior to World War 1 , but it was renamed Lowthers Golf Club following the war, until 1935 when it reverted back to its original name. The club as we know it today was founded in 1935. An exhibition game was played as part of the opening ceremony, players included Walker Cup player Leonard Crawley . The clubhouse
2128-432: The mine before 4 am; another two, presumably from the same partnership, entered soon after. Reaching their work level (at 25 fathoms) the first two encountered the bad air. They persisted, thinking they could force their way through it, began to feel dizzy, collapsed, and eventually suffocated. The next two encountered a similar fate. The accident was not discovered until some time after 6 am; by which time all of
2184-466: The mine's surgeon, James Braid, was called urgently to the mine to alleviate the distress of a number of miners who appeared to be suffocated. It was later established that noxious fumes from the faulty chimney of a coal-fired steam engine, operating deep within the mine, had combined with a dense fog pervading the entire area. The contaminated air was lethal. Two men, in the hope of finishing early, and contrary to established Leadhills custom, had entered
2240-533: The mine. The cemetery at the northeast of the village features an unusual table-stone inscription (next to the southern wall) detailing, almost as an afterthought, 137 years as the age at death of John Taylor, the father of Robert Taylor, (then) overseer of the Scotch Mining Company. Near to the cemetery overlooking a row of miners' cottages is an 1891memorial in obelisk form was erected to William Symington , by public subscription, where he
2296-471: The monarch and Privy Council . These included, Cornelius de Vos , George Douglas of Parkhead , John Acheson , Eustachius Roche , Thomas Foulis , George Bowes , Bevis Bulmer , and Stephen Atkinson . In 1720 a Dutch traveller, Hugh Kalmeter, described the mine workings and noted that exported ore was used for pottery glazes. In the 18th-century lead ore was shipped to Holland and used to make white and red lead paint pigments. The initial attraction of
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2352-401: The partners were totally responsible for their collective work practices and occupational safety; thus, the partners, rather than overseers, would decide how to act against threats posed by subterranean water, loose ground, earth tremors, etc. However, with no overseer, there was also no oversight; and, often, hastily constructed passages/shafts were misaligned with those of other teams, affecting
2408-529: The rhomboid as the crow flies from the town of Sanquhar just to the west of the Lowthers to the towns of Beattock and Moffat on the east and some 28 kilometres from the town of Thornhill near the southern apex to Abington near the northern one. Sanquhar and Thornhill lie on the River Nith , Moffat on the River Annan and Abington on the River Clyde . Annandale and Clydesdale taken together, form
2464-491: The ski centre runs three ski lifts for beginners and intermediate skiers. Leadhills is host to a number of small local businesses including shops and a hotel. Silver and lead have been mined in Leadhills and at nearby Wanlockhead for many centuries, according to some authorities even in Roman days. Gold was discovered in the reign of James IV and, in those early days, it was so famous for its exceptionally pure gold that
2520-479: The structure of the entire mine—also, the disposal of waste and rubbish from one team's work area often impeded the progress of another team (or teams). Coal-fired steam engines, were an important part of the operation at Leadhills. Leadhills had three steam engines as early as 1778 (Smout, 1967, p. 106). In the winter of 1765, James Watt had been approached to design and build a steam engine for Leadhills that would raise water from 30 fathoms (approx. 55 m) below
2576-400: The surface. Watt did not get the contract (Hills, 1998). A most melancholy accident happened in the lead mines belonging to Messrs Horner, Hurst, and Co. Leadhills, on the forenoon of the 1st inst. occasioned by the air being rendered impure from the smoke of a fire engine, placed about one hundred feet underground. As soon as the danger
2632-552: The west beyond the River Nith is the Carsphairn and Scaur Hills . The north west boundary of the hills runs up the Crawick Water in a north easterly direction from where the Crawick Water runs into the River Nith. This boundary follows the B740 road through Crawfordjohn and connects to the old trunk road north which was used before the M74 was built on its present route. North of the B740 the hills gradually drop out into
2688-488: The world's purest gold (22.8 carats) which was used in the manufacture of the Scottish Crown Jewels - dating from the 15th and 16th centuries. The name "Leadhills" testifies to the fact that this area was chiefly known for its lead mining; and there is a lead mining museum in nearby Wanlockhead. Leadhills has the oldest subscription library in the UK (founded by miners in 1741), and was the birthplace of
2744-604: Was ascertained. two miners and the company‘s blacksmith descended to the relief of their neighbours below, when unfortunately the two miners perished in the humane attempt. The smith escaped but is still dangerously ill. Many of the miners who were at work at the time were violently affected, almost to suffocation, but are now out of danger. We have since learned that in all seven lives have been lost in this accident. ( Caledonian Mercury , Thursday, 6 March 1817) According to his later report (Braid, 1817), at 7:00 am on 1 March 1817,
2800-453: Was born in Leadhills. Leadhills experiences an oceanic climate ( Cfb ) , bordering on a subpolar oceanic climate ( Cfc ) . Due to its elevation and inland position, winters are colder and summers cooler than lower lying areas. In terms of the local climate profile, given its elevated position and latitude, Leadhills is amongst the coldest places in the British Isles. According to the most recent 30-year climate period of 1981-2010 Leadhills
2856-614: Was born. Allan Ramsay , the poet, and William Symington (1763–1831), one of the earliest adaptors of the steam engine to the purposes of navigation, were born at Leadhills. The famous mathematician James Stirling was employed by the Scots Mining Company at Leadhills from 1734 until 1770. James Braid , the (later) discoverer of hypnotism, was surgeon to the Leadhills mining community and to Lord Hopetoun 's lead and silver mines from early 1816 to late 1825. Edward Whigham , Provost of Sanquhar and friend of Robert Burns
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#17327796931692912-520: Was built in 1736 for James Stirling , the managing agent of the Scots Mining Company . It is attributed to the architect William Adam and is now a category A listed building. The Leadhills and Wanlockhead Railway runs at weekends only and at Christmas sees the "Santa Express" which includes a ride on the train, a visit to Santa down the lead mine and a story read by "Mrs Kringle" in the Museum of Lead Mining , Wanlockhead. The Elvanfoot railway station
2968-494: Was minted from Leadhills gold … No commercial gold mining appears to have taken place after 1620, but gold washing with a sluice box or pan was later to become a sometimes lucrative pastime of the lead miners" (Gillanders, 1981, pp. 235–236). Gold is still panned in the area with the correct licence. The minerals lanarkite , leadhillite , caledonite , susannite , plattnerite , scotlandite , macphersonite , chenite and mattheddleite were first found at Leadhills. The area
3024-485: Was on the Caledonian Railway main line from Glasgow to the south. A branch from there ran through Leadhills to Wanlockhead and operated until 1939. Part of the route has been reused by the Leadhills & Wanlockhead Railway. The railway is 1,498 feet (457 m) above sea level. The Lowther Hills is one of the birthplaces of Scottish winter sports. Curling in Leadhills can be traced back to 1784, when
3080-464: Was upgraded in 2013 after planning permission was sought from South Lanarkshire Council to build the £17,000 cabin. The previous clubhouse was built in the 1980s. The grave of John Taylor is also available to visit in the cemetery. Reputed to be 137 years of age at the time of his death, Taylor's grave (shared with his son, Robert) even attracted the attention of the BBC. The Scots Mining Company House
3136-539: Was used mainly for extracting lead to the Solway coast and was never viable as a main route north because of its height. There is no road through there now though there is a track for walkers into the centre of the hills. The Enterkin Pass was the location of a 1684 Covenanter ambush of a party of Dragoons during the Killing Time The Romans built a road through from their fortlet near Durisdeer on
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