Crawford is a village and civil parish in

South Lanarkshire gd, Siorrachd Lannraig a Deas , image_skyline = , image_flag = , image_shield = Arms_slanarkshire.jpg , image_blank_emblem = Slanarks.jpg , blank_emblem_type = Council logo , image_map ...

, Scotland. Crawford is close to the source of the

River Clyde The River Clyde ( gd, Abhainn Chluaidh, , sco, Clyde Watter, or ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. It is the ninth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third-longest in Scotland. It runs through the major cit ...

and the

M74 motorway The A74(M) and M74 form a major motorway in Scotland, connecting it to England. The routes connect the M8 motorway in central Glasgow to the Scottish-English border at Gretna. In conjunction with their southward continuation, the M6 motorwa ...

, southeast of

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

and northwest of

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern England, Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers River Eden, Cumbria, Eden, River C ...

. It has a population of around 300 people and a school.

History

The village is close to an old Roman road and has links with Sir

William Wallace Sir William Wallace ( gd, Uilleam Uallas, ; Norman French: ; 23 August 1305) was a Scottish knight who became one of the main leaders during the First War of Scottish Independence. Along with Andrew Moray, Wallace defeated an English army a ...

(see

Crawford Castle Crawford Castle, substantially in ruins, is located on the north bank of the River Clyde, around half a mile north of Crawford, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The ruins stand on an earlier motte and bailey earthwork. The castle is also known as ...

). Recent archaeological excavations have shown that this was the site of a Roman fort between 80 and 140 AD, housing perhaps 300 soldiers. Crawford is also said to be one of the most haunted villages in Scotland. The old Post Horn Inn, which dated from the 1400s and was made larger around 1744, was the 8th stop from Edinburgh to London, having accommodated important clients as noted in a book about the property.Sheila Scott, HORSES FOR HIRE, 1983, Biggar Museum Trust The Inn, now closed as a public house and hotel, is said to have been haunted by three ghosts. One was said to be a young girl, who was accidentally killed by a coach in the Main Street and who was the daughter of a former innkeeper. Her apparition had allegedly been seen in the dining room, which had originally been the stables, it is said that she was responsible for the movement of chairs around the room and the ghostly sound of her singing to herself. Another alleged phantom was reportedly that of a coachman who wore a dark cloak and it was believed by the locals that he had died in 1805. A third ghostly sighting was that of a five-year-old girl who was said to have been hanged for stealing bread. Ghostly Roman legionaries are also said to have been seen marching up the Main Street of Crawford. Various reports described them as only being seen from the knees up as the level of the road in Roman times was much lower than it currently is today.

References

Villages in South Lanarkshire {{SouthLanarkshire-geo-stub