Libberton is a village and historical parish in

South Lanarkshire South Lanarkshire (; ) is one of 32 unitary authorities of Scotland. It borders the south-east of the Glasgow City council area and contains some of Greater Glasgow's suburban towns, as well as many rural towns and villages. It also shares bor ...

. The village is approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Quothquan and 2.3 miles (3.68 km) south-east of

Carnwath Carnwath (Gaelic: ''A' Chathair Nuadh''; English: "New Fort") is a moorland village on the southern edge of the Pentland Hills of South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The village lies about south of both Edinburgh and Glasgow. It is bounded by the N ...

. The nearest rivers are the South Medwyn River, the North Medwyn River and the

River Clyde The River Clyde (, ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde, in the west of Scotland. It is the eighth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the second longest in Scotland after the River Tay. It runs through the city of Glasgow. Th ...

which lies the east of the village.

History

There are several prehistoric

Hillfort A hillfort is a type of fortification, fortified refuge or defended settlement located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typical of the late Bronze Age Europe, European Bronze Age and Iron Age Europe, Iron Age. So ...

s in the area, including West Whitecastle. However, over centuries, West Whitecatle has been extensively disturbed by ploughing and tree planting. A carved stone dating to the late 13th or early 14th century has also been found within the fort at West Whitecastle Farm (just to the west) of Libberton. A camp earthwork with a circular enclosure lies to the east of the village at Bowmuir. Another earthwork is also near Libberton at Craigieburn. A polished greenstone axe was found there circa 1900 and this was purchased by the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland. Libberton has a long history as an agricultural settlement. In 1660, the village was incorporated as a parish with Quothquan. Much of the parish was historically owned by the Lords Dalzell before being sold to Sir George Lockhart in 1676. In 1811, the population of the village was recorded as 749 and by 1831 this had risen to 773. There were two

Smithies Smithies may refer to: * Smithies (surname) * Smithies boiler, a type of steam boiler * Smithies Peak, a mountain in Tasmania, Australia *Smithies, South Yorkshire Smithies is an area of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. It lies about two ...

in the town, the buildings are now in residential use. In 1854, Liberton Mains farmhouse was built. The adjacent housing development at Libberon Mains was built after 2007 following an archeological survey. The surrounding area has several

Cropmark Cropmarks or crop marks are a means through which sub-surface archaeological, natural and recent features may be visible from the air or a vantage point on higher ground or a temporary platform. Such marks, along with parch marks, soil marks a ...

s. The village red telephone box is of the K6 design. It dates to 1935 and is Category B listed.

Church

Libberton parish church was built in 1812. The church is a congregation of the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland (CoS; ; ) is a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity that holds the status of the national church in Scotland. It is one of the country's largest, having 245,000 members in 2024 and 259,200 members in 2023. While mem ...

. The church interior was refurbished in 1902. The 2 story manse was built in 1824 and is also Category B listed. In 1892, a medieval bronze cauldron was found near the Church and is now in the

National Museum of Scotland The National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, Scotland, is a museum of Scottish history and culture. It was formed in 2006 with the merger of the new Museum of Scotland, with collections relating to Scottish antiquities, culture and history, ...

Education

Libberton Primary School is located just outside the village on the Muir road to Quothquan.

References

{{Authority control Villages in South Lanarkshire Parishes in Lanarkshire