Sunday 22nd August 1819
Sunday, August 22 Went to Church in the morning the service is quite different to English no Prayer books are used and the Minister preaches extempory after taking some refreshments at the hotel we returned through a pretty country which we had before passed over in darkness to Hamilton in order to see the Palace and Bothwell Castle; in the evening we walked in the
Palace gardens which appear extensive we intend to view the interior of the palace tomorrow morning.
OBSERVATIONS & COMMENTS:
Church: Probably Glasgow Cathedral (also called the High Kirk of Glasgow or St Kentigern's or St Mungo's Cathedral). The congregation is part of the established Church of Scotland's Presbytery of Glasgow. It is the nearest church and less than a mile from the Bucks Head Hotel, where the Coplands were staying. See 20th August for more details of the Cathedral. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glasgow_Cathedral
Hamilton Palace was built on the site of a 13th-century tower house, the south front of Hamilton Palace was erected in 1695 in the Palladian style, with a huge Corinthian pedimented frontispiece, by architect James Smith for William, 3rd Duke of Hamilton and his wife Duchess Anne. During the 17th century purchase or exchange of land surrounding the palace enabled extensive landscaping to take place. The Palace stood at the centre of extensive parklands which, as the main axis, had a great north–south tree-lined avenue over three miles (5 km) in length.
circa 1840: Hamilton Palace. The Seat of His Grace the Duke of Hamilton & Brandon. Engraving by Joseph Swan after J. Fleming. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SEHamiltonPalace14.jpg
1880: Hamilton Palace in Scotland from Morris's Country Seats.This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 70 years or less. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hamiltonpalacemorris_edited.jpg
The layout was later developed, most notably by William Adam, who introduced Châtelherault banqueting house/hunting lodge into the south avenue in the High Parks where it commanded a broad vista northwards across the Low Parks. The tenth Duke, who succeeded in 1819, began a wave of total refurbishment, using the almost limitless wealth falling upon the family from their ownership of the Lanarkshire coalfields.
2005: The Duke of Hamilton's hunting lodge in, what is now, Chatelherault Country Park, by Alistair McMillan, the copyright holder of this work and published under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AM_Hunting_Lodge.jpg
Decline led to the palace’s demolition in 1921 and much is sold off. The remains of the tree-lined avenue that linked the palace to Chatelherault hunting lodge can still be seen. These give the visitor a good indication, particularly from Chatelherault Country Park, of where the palace stood. A Virgin Active health club, municipal sports facilities and an Asda superstore now stand on the site of the original palace. Hamilton Mausoleum still stands and tours can be booked at the nearby Hamilton Museum. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamilton_Palace
Bothwell Castle is a large medieval castle sited on a high, steep bank, above a bend in the River Clyde. Construction of the castle was begun in the 13th century by the ancestors of Clan Murray, to guard a strategic crossing point of the Clyde. Bothwell played a key role in Scotland's Wars of Independence, changing hands several times. The huge cylindrical donjon was built in the 13th century, but before the rest of the castle was completed it was severely damaged in a series of sieges.
2008: Bothwell Castle, South Lanarkshire, Scotland - south-east tower by Otter and published under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bothwell_Castle_20080505_-_south-east_tower.jpg
Rebuilding in the early 15th century enlarged the castle, but it was abandoned by the 18th century. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bothwell_Castle
1847-54: Bothwell Castle by Edmund Walker after Samuel Prout. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/Lithograph_of_the_ruins_of_Bothwell_Castle_by_E._Walker_after_S._Prout.jpg
1997: Bothwell Castle by Dave Souza. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bothwell_castle_1997_c.jpg
Can you help us?
Old Regency Prints, Pictures an Coaching maps: Do you have access to any prints or pictures showing what town and country would have looked like when Lucy travelled through? Any illustrations of what she would have seen in 1819 will enliven our research.
New Pictures: Do you have any modern pictures of the streets, buildings, gardens and views that would enable us to see the changes that two centuries have wrought?