Looking for Boundary Stones with the ASDAN Group

On a beautiful Autumn morning in early November, John Esslemont and myself went with members of the ASDAN group on a field trip to visit some boundary stones on the southern boundary of the Royal Burgh.

Above, group leader Colin Ferris takes a photo of some of the ASDAN group standing behind an 1863 stone placed at the edge of the Bourtree Burn which marked the boundary.

This was part of our continuing involvement with the group as they work through the Local History module of their History Course.

Above, some of the group group examine the 1885 boundary stone placed by Robert Cross, a Rutherglen councillor who ran a grocer's business in late Victorian Rutherglen.

Some of the stones were fairly easy to get to and examine, like the first two pictured above. Others, where we followed the boundary into heavily wooded areas, were less easy to spot and harder to get to.

Along the way, John pointed out the course of the old Royalty Boundary, and described the different styles of boundary stones to be found along its route, notably the 'round-head-on-a-square-base', and the gravestone styles pictured above.

Above, John with members of the group at a stone dated 1876. It bears the initials 'JRG', and is thought to have been placed there by J. R. Gray, partner in the firm of King & Gray, power loom cloth manufacturers at the Avonbank factory in Rutherglen.

John also disclosed the names of the individual burgesses who had placed the boundary stones, where that information is known. Further research is needed to attribute names to more of the remaining stones that we know are still in place.

More photos from the field trip....