Neilston
Principal Sources
OSA Vol 2 No 13 Nielston 1791
The New Statistical Account of Scotland, Vol VII, Edinburgh, 1845:
Neilston pp 307-352, dated 1837
OPS I p 96, (NB comments re Boundary changes), Appendix p 508
RMS I (471) 1372-4, (606) 12/10/1374, (799) 1390
RMS I App 2 p 629 No 1699 (Index A), No 34 (Index B) 1393
RMS II (213-214) 1439-40, (2429) 1498 on original of 1393, (3421) 1509-10, (3712) 1511-12
RMS III (1229) 1532, (3271) 1546
RMS IV (253) 1548, (1674) 1565, (2074) 1572
RMS V (596) 1583
RMS VI (1838) 1607 on original of 1606
RMS VII (672) 1612 on original of 1611
RMS VIII (724, 732) 1621, (746) 1623
RMS IX (640.1) 1637 on original of 1622, (1224.1) 1642 on original of 1639, (2145) 1649
RSS I (3857) 1527
RSS II (667) 1530
RSS III (855) 1544 (1199) 1545, (1381) 1545, (1906, 1910) 1546, (2409) 1547, (2957) 1548
RSS IV (782) 1550, (2295) 1553
RSS VI (1382) 1571, (1663) 1572
GD3/1/1/20/3 1528
GD3/1/2/4/14 1811
GD3/1/7/1/5 1545
GD3/1/7/3/1 1685
GD3/1/7/3/8A 1685
GD3/1/7/4/1 1704
GD3/1/7/7/1
GD3/1/10/41/1 1484
GD8/162 1559
GD148/14 1471
GD148/29-30 1483-1484
GD148/50 1496-1497
GD148/58 1500
GD148/58A c. 1500
GD148/59 1501
GD148/67 1505
GD148/93 1512
GD148/101 1520
GD148/146 1537
GD148/184 1556
GD220/1/F/6/2/5 1511/1512
GD220/2/1/139 1527
GD220/6/1967/4 1519
GD220/6/1969/2&3 15??
GD220/6/1976/1 & 2 1527
GD220/6/2026/9 1630
GD220/6/2035/24 1675
RS53 ff 28r-29r 1642
RS53 ff 29r-29v 1642
RS53 f 32r 1642
Charter Chest of the Earldom of Dundonald (50) 1537, (51) 1562, (54-6) 1597, (57) 1601, (58-62, 66) 1621, (67-8, 70) 1622, (71) ?, (72, 74-5) 1623, (76-7) 1631, (78-9) 1634, (92) 1521, (95) 1516, (97) 1517, (99) 1522, (109) 1627, (143) 1587
Renfrew Retours (13) 1602, (36) 1615, (38) 1616, (47) 1617, (49) 1619, (62) 1624, (87) 1632, (92) 1634, (99) 1636, (109) 1639, (112) 1641, (113-114) 1642, (124-125) 1646, (127) 1647, (138-9) 1649, (144) 1654, (159) 1661, (178) 1678, (186) 1685, (189) 1690, (198) 1695, (199) 1696
Volume II of the Retours, published 1811, has a section titled ‘Inquisitiones de possessione quinquennali ad capellam domini regis retornatae’.
No 4 of 1676 refers to Easter Caldwalls and Glanderstoune. (Hereafter ‘Renfrew Retours Q (No 4) 1676’).
ER XVIII pp 390-1 1545, p 471 1549, p 591 1555, p 596 1555
ER XIX p 471 1561
ER XXI pp 457-8 1581
ER XXII p 491 1593
NRAS 1209/30 1546
NRAS 1209/1082 1545
NRAS 3957/21 1671, 22 n.d., 23 1671
Fraser, W., The Lennox Vol II p 2 No 2 c. 1200 (& Abstracts p 359 No 2), p 126 No 83 1485, pp 158-9 No 98 1495, pp 187-8 No 115 1508, pp 228-9 No 139 1527
Fraser, W., Memorials of the Montgomeries Vol II p 12 No 15 1374, No 117 1528
Crawfurd, G., A Genealogical History of the Royal and Illustrious Family of the Stewarts, from the year 1034 to the Year 1710 …, Edinburgh, 1710. (Hereafter ‘Crawfurd’).
Descriptions of the Sheriffdoms of Lanark and Renfrew, compiled about 1710 by William Hamilton of Wishaw, Maitland Club, Glasgow, 1831, pp 108-110.
Robertson, G., A general description of the Shire of Renfrew …, Paisley, 1818 (Hereafter ‘Robertson(1818)’). Table of Property p 300. On pp 301-2 Robertson has an interesting commentary about the fortunes of some Renfrewshire covenanters in the years 1666-7. They lost their estates for a number of years and he gives some land-valuations.
Macquarrie, A., ‘Notes on some charters of the Bruces of Annandale’, in Dumfriesshire and Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society, Vol 58, 1983.
Dodds, J. (ed.), The Diary and General Expenditure Book of William Cunningham of Craigends, kept chiefly from 1673 to 1680, Scottish History Society, Edinburgh, 1887; (hereafter ‘Craigends’). It includes a ‘Scheme of Rental’ drawn up c. 1690, which refers to Arthurlie.
Maps (available via the National Library of Scotland digital Map Library – online)
Pont (33)
Gordon (55)
Blaeu (Renfrew)
Roy (PC)
Ainslie (1796)
Thomson(1826)
The Paisley Abbey Rental is available online at:
This can be downloaded as a PDF file. More than one set of numbers is used for page numbering in this document. For ease of reference I have used the Arabic numerals given at the top centre of the page. These are not consistent throughout the document so care is required. The Paisley Abbey Rental is printed as an Appendix by Cameron Lees but this also has a couple of page numbering errors. What Cameron Lees gives as cxlvi should read clxvi; likewise cxxvi (second occurrence) should read clxxvi.
The Paisley Abbey Chartulary is available online at:
A Chapel, a Hospital?
Crawfurd, 1710, p 10, makes a very interesting statement about an early foundation of Robert de Croc which he attributes to Neilston parish. Robert de Croc’s base was probably the old castle of Crookston (literally ‘Croc’s toun’) which is at the eastern edge of Paisley parish, beside the Levern Water, which is there the boundary with Eastwood. However we also know, from an early charter referring to ‘Kellebrid’ (see Fraser, Lennox II p 359 No 2), that Robert owned property in Neilston parish as well. This is further supported by a document given in RMP pp 23-4 (WW Scott No 26 1219 x 1230), which refers to Robert Croc’s estate in this area. After Robert Croc’s death we learn that his estate went to the Stewart family. Crawfurd, 1710, writes on p 29:
This Barony of Crocstoun, with many other Lands, came by Marriage of the Heiress of Robert de Croc, to a Son of the Illustrious Family of Stewart, Ancestor of the Dukes of Lenox.
In later documents we come across that part of the Lennox estate which lay in Neilston, presumably deriving from this former ‘fee’ of Robert Croc.
Let us return to Crawfurd’s statement on p 10:
There were also several Chappels of Ease in this Country, but one of the most Ancient was near Neilstoun, Founded by Robert de Croc, in the Reign of King William; and to which Roger, Prior of Pasly, with Consent of the Convent, gave
(Crawfurd then gives a Latin quotation, which he prints in italics. I have here underlined it as well):
infirmis fratribus, Hospitalis quod Robertus Croc construxit in terra sua, ut habeant Capellam & Capellanum qui iis Divina celebret officia ita quod Robertus Croc, eidem Capellano stipendia & omnia alia necessaria providebit, qua Divini officii usibus conveniet.
(i.e. Robert had built a hospital on his land and will provide chapel, chaplainry and financial support).
This statement can be supported by documents quoted in the Paisley Register:
RMP pp 77-78, W.W. Scott No 70, concerns the construction of a hospital. Scott offers two possible ranges of dates: 1179 x 1187 or c. 1196 x c. 1214.
RMP p 78, W.W. Scott No 71, c. 1200 x 1219, concerns the oratories or chapels of Robert Croc and Henry de Nes.
The Latin quoted by Crawfurd is a slightly abbreviated version of the text near the beginning of RMP pp 77-78. The second document, RMP p 78, doesn’t mention hospitals at all, only oratories or chapels. However, since we know that the hospital was associated with a chapel it seems reasonable to link them. It appears that R(oger), prior of Paisley, was more concerned with any potential loss of income to Paisley than he was with the sick, or even with religion.
Despite this flurry of early documentation Robert Croc’s foundation than drops from public view. After his death it may be that his original charitable objective was quietly forgotten. The traditional site of a mediaeval chapel at NS 493588 is discussed under HES Canmore ID 42998. An associated Holy Well is discussed under HES Canmore ID 43005. The well is called St Conel’s Well. (Other spellings include Connel, Conval etc). Canmore offers an alternative hospital site at NS 5161 (further downstream on the Levern, near Hurlet, Canmore ID 44404).
Short of conclusive archaeological evidence, currently lacking, the site of any hospital remains uncertain. Nevertheless, a location near to the supposed chapel site does seem the most likely. It is also much closer to Neilston than Hurlet is. Whilst we cannot be sure of 12th century parish boundaries the site at NS 493588 seems far more likely to fit the evidence provided about Robert Croc. Crawfurd was writing c. 1710 but he may have been accurately reporting on local traditions, perhaps traditions which associated the chapel with the hospital.
The table shows 137m 8s 8d in Neilston. This is probably an underestimate.
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