Editing Govan (section)

===Early history===
Recent studies of the [[archaeology]] of [[Govan Old Parish Church|Govan Old]] have revealed the presence of an ancient [[Christianity|Christian]] church. Two associated Christian burials are [[radiocarbon date]]d to the 5th or 6th centuries, making Govan the earliest known Christian site in the region.<ref>Driscoll, Stephen, "Govan, an early medieval royal centre", p. 79.</ref> Govan is believed to have then been part of a kingdom ruled from [[Dumbarton Rock]], known as ''Alt Clut'', the rock on the Clyde. During the [[Viking Age]], following the sack of Dumbarton Rock in 870, Govan is believed to have been one of the major centres of the [[Kingdom of Strathclyde]]. In 1855, an elaborately carved [[sandstone]] [[sarcophagus]] was found during digging in the churchyard.<ref>[http://www.theglasgowstory.com/image.php?inum=TGSB00002 Govan Sarcophagus], The Glasgow Story</ref> It is now kept inside the church, as part of the [[The Govan Stones|Govan Stones]] museum collection. It may have been used to contain the body or relics of St. [[Causantín mac Cináeda|Constantine]], a Pictish king seemingly killed by Vikings in 877 &ndash; the style of carving indicates an origin in the late 9th or early 10th century.

Govan's earliest recorded name may be found in the ''[[Historia regum Anglorum]]'' attributed to [[Symeon of Durham]]. This is a 12th-century [[Latin]] source, but one believed to be based on much earlier materials; it records a place near Dumbarton Rock named ''Ouania''. Based on this, Govan's [[Cumbric language]] name has been reconstructed as *''(G)uovan''.<ref>Koch, John, "Ovania", p. 34.</ref> Govan is ''Baile a' Ghobhainn'' (the smith's town) in [[Scottish Gaelic]]. Bishop Leslie in his ''Scotia Descriptio'' of 1578 says it got its name from the excellence of its ale ''(God-win)'', whereas Chalmers in his ''Caledonia'' says it is derived from [[Scottish Gaelic]], ''Gamhan'' (a ditch).<ref name="Gazetteer">"A History Of Glasgow & Govan (1883)", ''Ordnance Gazetteer Of Scotland''</ref>

The earliest references to Govan are found in connection with the Christian church. In 1136, when [[Glasgow Cathedral]] was formally consecrated, [[David I of Scotland|King David I]] (1124–53) gave to the See the lands of Partick and also of the church at Govan (on opposite sides of the [[River Clyde]]), which became a [[prebendary|prebend]] of Glasgow. [[Govan Old Parish Church]] was rebuilt in 1762, 1826, and again 1884&ndash;1888. Within it and its roughly circular churchyard is one of the finest collections of Early Christian stones in Britain, known as the Govan Stones, dating from the c.9th to 11th centuries.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.getintogovan.com/attractions/habitasse-pellentesque-phasellus-nam-aptent/|title=The Govan Stones {{!}} Get Into Govan|website=www.getintogovan.com|language=en|access-date=6 October 2017}}</ref>

Not much is known about any medieval village that may have surrounded the church until 1454 when it is recorded that whole houses, barns and mills in the village were brought down by a great flood.In 1756 the Govan Weavers Society was formed to assist members and their families and this organisation continues as a charity in Govan holding annual events and supporting local causes. See www.govanweavers.com .<ref name="NSA" />

By the 16th century, extensive coal mine workings had been developed around [[Craigton, Glasgow|Craigton]] and [[Drumoyne]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Craigton House|url=https://www.theglasgowstory.com/image/?inum=TGSB00258|access-date=13 April 2019|work=The Glasgow Story}}</ref>

[[File:Blaeu.Atlas.of.Scotland.1654.Renfrew.Govan.jpg|center|thumb|600 px|A part of Blaeu's 1654 map of Scotland. Modern Govan is at the site labeled ''Mekle Gouan'' ("Big Govan"). The small town of [[Glasgow]] is on the north bank of the Clyde, across from ''Litle Gouan'' ("Little Govan") In 1756 the Govan Weavers Society was formed to provide benevolent assistance to distressed members and their families and widows and the Society continues as a charity to this day holding several events in Govan annually.]]
There is an oddity whereby part of eighteenth-century parish of Govan (which was in [[Lanarkshire]]) is counted as being within [[Renfrewshire (historic)|Renfrewshire]]. There existed a hospital in the area, and as quasi-religious foundations were not taxed, it had never been assigned to a sheriffdom. Thus, when Renfrewshire was created out of a sheriffdom of Lanarkshire in the early fifteenth century, the lands associated with the hospital ([[Polmadie]]) were not technically in the newly created shire, as they were not part of the sheriffdom. They were, however, very much a part of the physical landscape that became Renfrewshire. A similar uncertainty existed regarding the nearby lands of [[Pollokshields]] and Westends. People lived with the inconsistency in the records. When the railway was to be built in the late nineteenth century, however, the confusion over proper descriptions in the land titles made necessary legal transactions difficult and had to be reconciled. The county added to the description of these lands, the phrase: "but now by annexation in the County of Renfrew."<ref>{{Cite book|last=Scott|first=Alexander|year=1890|contribution=Notes on the Lands of Polmadie and Crosshill|title=Transactions of the Glasgow Archaeological Society|volume=I|publisher=James Maclehose & Sons|location=Glasgow|publication-date=1890|pages=530–532}} (available at {{mono|books.google.com}})</ref>
[[File:Govan Glasgow 1904.jpg|thumb|[[Sir William Pearce, 1st Baronet|Pearce]] Statue and Lyceum Theatre, 1904.]]
By the early part of the 19th century, Govan was rapidly losing its rural appearance and assuming the character of a town with the development of new industries and factories, including Reid's Dye Works and Pollok's Silk Mill.  Town officials arranged for the deepening of the Clyde in 1759, the reclamation of the channels between the islands (The [[Whyte Inch]], The Black Inch, and The King's Inch), and the construction of quays and docks. This facilitated the development of shipbuilding as a major industry. By the 1860s, the village needed a higher order of administration and it was made a [[burgh]] in 1864, under the [[General Police (Scotland) Act 1862]]. At the time, it was the fifth largest burgh in Scotland and contained within its boundaries the areas of [[Plantation, Glasgow|Plantation]], [[Cessnock, Glasgow|Cessnock]], [[Ibrox, Glasgow|Ibrox]], [[Craigton, Glasgow|Craigton]], and [[Drumoyne]].<ref name="2nd Edition OS">{{cite web|title=2nd Edition Ordnance Survey|date=1893–1894|url=http://www.old-maps.co.uk|access-date=16 April 2012}}</ref> in 1901 the Burgh boundaries increased further west to include [[Linthouse]] and West [[Drumoyne]].<ref name="3rd Edition OS">{{cite web|title=3rd Edition Ordnance Survey|year=1913|url=http://www.old-maps.co.uk|access-date=16 April 2012}}</ref>

With [[Morris Pollok]] as its first [[Provost (civil)|Provost]], the Burgh and its Commissioners ensured that during the next 48 years Govan became a well-equipped, modern town. During the late 19th century, the population of Govan increased more than tenfold: from 9,000 in 1864 to 95,000 by 1907. In 1901 Govan was the 7th largest town in Scotland.<ref>{{Cite EB1911 |wstitle=Scotland |display=Scotland § ''Population'' |volume=24 |page=418}}</ref> In 1912, Glasgow annexed Govan after a series of annexation battles.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.acumfaegovan.com/burgh/annexation.php|title=Annexation Battles|access-date=1 May 2012|archive-date=18 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200218024624/http://www.acumfaegovan.com/burgh/annexation.php|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-19168940|title=How Glasgow annexed Govan and Partick 100 years ago|work=BBC News|publisher=BBC|date=7 August 2012|access-date=13 August 2012|first=Reevel|last=Alderson}}</ref>

A prominent feature of the Govan landscape was the Doomster or Moot Hill, which stood near the river, north of the present Govan Cross.<ref>[https://www.glasgowhistory.com/glasgows-crosses.html Glasgow’s Crosses], Glasgow History, 28 May 2016</ref> It was removed in the early 19th century and Reid's Dyeworks was erected on the site. The origins of the Doomster Hill are a mystery. One hypothesis is that it was a prehistoric [[burial mound]]. In 1996, a team from [[Channel 4]]'s ''[[Time Team]]'' programme carried out an archeological excavation at the site. They suggested that the hill may have been a 12th-century [[Norman architecture|Norman]] [[motte-and-bailey|motte]].<ref>''Time Team'' Series 4, episode 4. First broadcast 26 January 1997.</ref>