About Blantyre

Feb 19 2008 By Richard Mooney

Home to world famous explorer and missionary David Livingstone, Blantyre is an integral part of Scottish history and culture.

Situated as a burgh on the edge of South Lanarkshire, Blantyre or Bla’an’tir in Lallans and Baile an t-Saoir in Gaelic, has a rich history of characters and events that would capture any historian’s eye.

The town itself is surrounded by rivers. The River Clyde lies to the north, the Rotten Calder lies to the west, with Park Burn to the east and Rotten Burn to the south.

Over the past 3 centuries the population of the town has increased greatly. The main reason for this growth was largely due to the huge number of agricultural workers, highlanders and Irish who moved to the town to find work in mills and then later, the mines during the Industrial Revolution.

Where the name Blantyre came from is a matter of debate. However, the most popular theory says it is derived from the Gaelic "Bla’-an-tir" meaning a warm retreat. This was suggested by Rev. Henry Stevenson in the 1791 Old Statistical Account of Scotland.

Blantyre also shares the same name with Malawi’s largest district and city. This region was named after the South Lanarkshire town due to its links with David Livingstone.

Dr Livingstone’s home still stands today in Shuttle Row as part of the David Livingstone Centre, a museum commemorating his life.

Other famous Blantyronians include the unions activists William Bauchop Wilson and Phillip Murray and also Neil Douglas, a man vital to the town’s mining industry during the 19th century