Eaglesham

History

Eaglesham is a hybrid name, composed of the Brittonic element *egles (ultimately from Latin ) and the Old English element ; the meaning is "church estate". The parish of Eaglesham formed part of the district of Mearns, and together with other lands was bestowed on Walter fitz Alan, Steward of Scotland (1106–1177), a member of the FitzAlan family, by David I. It is almost certain that Walter granted Eaglesham to Robert de Montgomerie, one of his principal followers, who appears to have originated from the Shropshire lands of the FitzAlans. Situated in the Orry is the Motte or Moot Hill, a flat-topped mound situated on the north-west bank of the Eaglesham Burn in the Orry used for judicial and local assemblies. In 1361, Sir John de Montgomerie of Eaglesham and Eastwood married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Hugh de Eglinton and niece of King Robert II. Sir John obtained the baronies of Eglinton and Ardrossan upon Sir Hugh's death in 1374. Afterwards the Montgomeries made Eglinton Estate their chief residence. In 1388, Sir John de Montgomerie captured Sir Henry Percy at the Battle of Otterburn. It is believed that Sir John accepted a ransom for his prisoner and built Polnoon Castle on a small hillock on what appears to be an earlier motte. Polnoon Castle was refurbished for occupation in 1617 but was in ruins by 1676. Following a period of peace and relative stability in Scotland during the reign of King James VI, religion continued to be a major issue. The Calvinistic Covenanter movement was founded as a reaction against the efforts of King Charles I to forcibly introduce High Church Episcopalianism inspired by the Caroline Divines and a hierarchy of bishops into the Church of Scotland. The population of Renfrewshire was predominantly in favour of the National Covenant…

Most-observed species

• Field Penny-cress

  Thlaspi arvense L. · Magnoliopsida
  6
• Bufflehead

  Bucephala albeola (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  5
• buffalo-berry

  Shepherdia argentea (Pursh) Nutt. · Magnoliopsida
  5
• Least Flycatcher

  Empidonax minimus (W.M.Baird & S.F.Baird, 1843) · Aves
  4
• Northern Flicker

  Colaptes auratus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  3
• White-throated Sparrow

  Zonotrichia albicollis (J.F.Gmelin, 1789) · Aves
  3
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3

Most recent

• M 4.2 — 2023-03-16
  Alberta, Canada
• M 4.7 — 2023-03-16
  44 km ESE of Peace River, Canada
• M 4.6 — 2023-03-16
  Alberta, Canada
• M 4.3 — 2022-11-30
  Alberta, Canada
• M 3.9 — 2022-11-30
  42 km ESE of Peace River, Canada
• M 4.3 — 2022-11-30
  42 km ESE of Peace River, Canada