Earnock

Deep in the heart of Lanarkshire, Earnock whispers tales of old. Earnock was more than just land. It was a sprawling estate, stretching from Strathaven Road westward across the Parish of Hamilton. The name itself echoes through time, possibly from the Celtic “Earnogg,” meaning “the old son’s possessions.” Another theory suggests it means “Ireland.” Or perhaps, as James Johnston’s Place-names of Scotland proposes, it comes from the Gaelic “earr an achaidh,” meaning “end/boundary of the field.” Earnock’s story begins long ago, intertwined with the powerful Hamilton family. In 1314, the lands of Cadzow, including Earnock, were granted to Walter fitz Gilbert, the ancestor of the Hamiltons. Sometime between 1160 and 1200, Earnock was given to Robert de Robertoun. This marked the beginning of the Roberton family’s long reign as Lairds of Earnock. They held the estate from 1226 to 1296 and again from 1390 to around 1700. A dark chapter unfolded when the Robertons were dispossessed for supporting the Ragman Roll. Simon Robertoun later cleverly regained Earnock by marrying a daughter of David fitz Walter of Cadzow. Earnock remained in the Roberton family for centuries. At the turn of the 19th century, the 12th Laird of Earnock, James Roberton, sold it to a Mr. Semple. He then sold it to A. Millar in 1810. Upon Millar’s death, his sister, Mrs. Williams, inherited the estate and sold it to Sir John Watson. The grand old Roberton house was sadly demolished, though stories persisted of its great hall, adorned with family emblems and a magnificent carved fireplace. Watson built a new mansion on the site, a testament to modern innovation, as electric light graced its halls in 1881, years before the town of Hamilton. This grand house met its end in 1926, demolished to make way for the future. The spirit of Earnock lived on. When John Roberton settled in New Zealand in the 19th century, he christened his new home in Takapuna, “Earnock,” a tribute to his ancestral lands. That house still stands today, a quiet echo of a Scottish estate.