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 THE TOWN

Today, Rutherglen is a small town just outside Glasgow in Scotland. It could be considered a suburb, but Rutherglen existed as a town in its own right for many centuries. Here's a dull review I wrote:

 FAQ (FREQUENTLY-ASKED QUESTIONS, YA DAFT BASTARDS):

"What did Rutherglen look like before?"  You can see for yourself on the Old Photos page;

 "Where is Rutherglen anyway, and how can I get there?"  You can find out on the Location and Transport page;

 "Haven't you got pictures and a better story?"  The History page was written by a pro, and I added the images;

 "And what does it look like now?"  Use the Photo Guide to explore the town from the comfort of your home;

 "Any famous people come from Rutherglen?"  You bet, check out them all on the Ruglonians page;

 "I just have to get pished and eat greasy food in your town. Any taverns?"  The list is on the Food and Drink page;

 "I like the town but your website is shit. Give me links to something better!"  Fine then, go to the Links page;

 "You're a great guy/dick and this town/site is great/awful"  Find out what folk think on the Guest Comments page;

 "I like your aerial map, can I get it with no words?"  I'm sad, It's put together from wee maps. You can ask me...;

 "I want websites about hiking in the wine valleys of Australia! How did I get this?"  Wrong Rutherglen, mate;

 "Wantay tap us 30p furra bus fare, muckur?"  Not really, I know you'll buy smack or Buckfast. Can't you be honest?

"Callin me a liar? Ye want a sair face ya bam? Gies yir fuckin change"  Here's 20p ya jake. Gies peace.

 "No-one really asked these 'Frequently-Asked Questions', did they?"  Emm...no. Just made em up cos I'm bored.

 There are two contrasting theories about the origins of the name 'Rutherglen':

According to the 1997 Westminster parliamentary elections website: - The name Rutherglen is said to come from Gaelic for "reddish glen" after the red clay found here.

But by contrast, a book on the town written by historian David Ure way back in 1793 reads: -

"The origin of Rutherglen, if we believe the traditional account of the name, must be placed at a very distant period. The origin and antiquity of nations and families are often discovered by their names. By these we are carried back to some remote period, which presents to our view certain persons and actions, the remembrance of which, many successive ages have not been able to obliterate. Proper names, not unfrequently, remain unaltered during the obscurity of barbarism, and amidst the devastations of war; they often survive the greatest changes that take place in the customs and manners of nations; and retain their original meaning, though sometimes obscured by the wildest fables, and most gloomy superstition.

The name of Rutherglen, or by contraction Ruglen, is commonly said to be derived from king Reuther, or Reutherus, the fifth, in the genealogy of the Kings of Scotland, from Fergus the first. This King, according to the Scottish historians, was the son of Dornadilla, whose memory is still preserved in the name of Dun-Dornadilla, a venerable ruin, in Strathmore.

From Reuther, or Reuda, as Bede calls him, the Scots were, for a long time, called Dalreudini. He began to reign about the year 213, before the christian æra. Having experienced the various changes of a war, by which his army was greatly exhausted, he retired to the mountainous country of Argyle, where he remained in peace for several years. Finding, at length, that his forces, now greatly increased, were inflamed with the love of war, he left his retirements, and by many successful attacks upon the Britons, regained the ancient boundaries of his kingdom.

From the above it appears that the Dalreudini, or Scots, possessed, both in the beginning and end of Reuda's reign, a more extensive tract of land than the county of Argyle.

The truth of this observation will still farther appear by considering the literal meaning of the expression Dalreudini. It properly signifies the inhabitants of the valley or plain of Reuda. No place, perhaps, in Scotland corresponds to the etymology of this name so well as Rutherglen: the termination glen in the one word is synonymous with dal in the other; the word dal signifying a plain or valley, as Crom-dal, the crooked plain, Dalray, the King's vale, &c.

Is it not, therefore, highly probable that Rutherglen was the capital of the district inhabited, at some time or other, by the Scots or Dalreudini ?

Some modern historians, who seem to be much better acquainted with the antiquities of Scotland than its ancient inhabitants were, have denied the existence either of king Dornadilla, or Reutherus. But it surely requires a much greater degree of implicit faith to believe their ideal system of negatives, than to believe the accounts which the earliest historians of our country have left on record concerning the Kings of Scotland.

It is probable that some of these accounts may have originated from tradition: but tradition, when it refers to the great events of a nation, is, not unfrequently, a faithful historian; especially amongst a people like the Scots, whose sagacious Bards were, for time immemorial, employed in celebrating these events, and perpetuating their memory. Some fables, and not a few errors, may have been interwoven with their narrations; but these fables, or what, to us now, may seem to deserve that appellation, were, in many instances, we have reason to believe, founded on fact. Shall the wildest fables and romances of Greek and Roman historians be, with almost a sacred care, faithfully transmitted to posterity, and be made to refer to events which actually took place, and shall the history of our own nations, for several complete centuries, be wholly rejected, as having no foundation of truth, because there may be some things mentioned in that history for which we cannot easily account ?

But, exclusive of all conjectures, founded on tradition, or etymology of names, we are sure, from authentic records, that Rutherglen is a very ancient town. ... it is evident that is was erected a Royal Borough in the reign of king David I."

Zzzzzz...sorry, fell asleep there. Television has dramatically lowered my concentration...um...thing.

To summarise the garble, the name may have come from an ancient Scots king, but no-one seems certain if this king even existed. They took a lot more words to explain things in the 18th century! I find that explanation more probable, and certainly more attractive, than the red clay theory. I didn't even know there was red clay round here!

THE CREST AND MOTTO                           Rutherglen's heraldic town crest is about 500 years old, and comprises three main parts: The Crown - Rutherglen has the right to use a crown as it is a 'Royal Burgh'.  Only certain towns with this distinction can use a crown, a mediaeval symbol of importance. I think it looks a bit daft now.  Golden pine cones?? The Ship - Rutherglen used to be a decent wee shipbuilding town.  But as you'll read elsewhere, it was a small enterprise really, and is now long gone. Seems odd in modern Rutherglen to see it associated with maritime interests. Just swans in the river now. The Latin - Every decent crest has a Latin motto.  Rutherglen's ('ex fumo fama') translates as "Fame From Smoke", which I take to mean that someone from the town will make their name through tobacco or marijuana.  The next Howard Marx? Maybe it's me! Obviously in the past this referred to Rutherglen's industry and smoky chimneys. Glasgow of course made early millionaires of its merchants who imported the killer weed in the 1700s, but I don't think Ruglonians had a major part in the trade. The ancient seal also depicts a mum with a wean. A tiny ship is in full sail bound for her mighty skirts, while two midgets hold up giant thistles. I'm sure it made sense at some time.

GOOGLISMS

I have done a few 'Googlisms' (A googlism is a fun tool on the web which provides statements lifted from random web pages about any phrase you enter - some googlisms are just bizarre half-sentences or refer to strange things but some make sense and are relevant) about various things relating to this site. Here are some (genuine) which are at least partly true:

glasgow is one of the funniest places on earth
glasgow is believed to have grown up round a christian settlement established in the late 6th century by st mungo
glasgow is blessed with many museums and galleries adding to its reputation as a city of culture
glasgow is often depicted as being part of a european periphery
glasgow is popular with students drawn by the glasgow school of art and university of glasgow
glasgow is noted for its heritage
glasgow is an urbane and spirited place
glasgow is significant too as a conference and congress city
glasgow is scotland's biggest city
glasgow is truly a visually stunning city

planet earth is blue and there's nothing i can do
planet earth is only a tiny part of the universe
planet earth is more than 4 billion years old and its subsystems are continually evolving
planet earth is the most special planet in the solar system to ourselves
planet earth is probably best suited for children
planet earth is suffering such a rapid loss of its natural resources
planet earth is in a constant state of change
planet earth is the only celestial body with known living organisms
planet earth is much like a giant spaceship
planet earth is continually changing

river clyde is scotland`s third longest river and it flows about 160km
river clyde is spanned by many bridges
river clyde is seen in the clyde valley structure plan as a focus of tourist related development
river clyde is a key asset to be exploited in developing the future prosperity of glasgow
river clyde is the most important river in scotland
river clyde is coming alive again

rutherglen is a local shopping centre
rutherglen is said to come from gaelic for "reddish glen" after the red clay found here
rutherglen is now a part of south lanarkshire from glasgow after the reorganisation of local government
rutherglen is also an ancient burgh from the time of king david I
rutherglen is always significant though not heavy by any means
rutherglen is located 1 km e and 3 kms s of glasgow
rutherglen is noted for its fortified wines and also for robust reds
rutherglen is the oldest royal burgh in scotland and at one point in history was an industrious ship building area

scotland is sick woman of europe
scotland is entering an exciting new phase
scotland is at heart of euro debate
scotland is not for the squeamish
scotland is a real concern for the scottish executive
scotland is open for business
scotland is a country in the northern part of the island of great britain
scotland is indeed a land of contrasts
scotland is steeped in maritime history
scotland is one of four constituent nations which form the united kingdom

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