Editing Howwood

{{Short description|Village in Renfrewshire, Scotland}}
{{For|the village in Hertfordshire, England|How Wood}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox UK place
| country                          = Scotland
| official_name                    = Howwood
| gaelic_name                      = Coille an Dail
| scots_name                       = The Howewuid
| os_grid_reference                = NS397602
| map_type                         = Scotland
| coordinates                      = {{coord|55.809|-4.558|display=inline,title}}
| population                       = {{Scottish locality population|name|POP=Howwood}}
| population_ref                   = ({{Scottish settlement population citation|year}})<ref>{{Scottish settlement population citation}}</ref>| unitary_scotland                 = [[Renfrewshire]]
| lieutenancy_scotland             = [[Renfrewshire (historic)|Renfrewshire]]
| post_town                        = JOHNSTONE
| postcode_district                = PA9
| postcode_area                    = PA
| dial_code                        = 01505
| constituency_westminster         = [[Paisley and Renfrewshire South (UK Parliament constituency)|Paisley and Renfrewshire South]]
| constituency_scottish_parliament = [[Renfrewshire South (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Renfrewshire South]]
}}
'''Howwood''' ({{langx|sco|The Howewuid}},<ref name="The Online Scots Dictionary">{{Cite web |url=http://www.scots-online.org/dictionary/read.asp?letter=t&CurPage=18 |title=The Online Scots Dictionary |access-date=8 March 2013 |archive-date=24 December 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141224205215/http://www.scots-online.org/dictionary/read.asp?letter=t&CurPage=18 |url-status=dead }}</ref> {{langx|gd|Coille an Dail}})<ref name=railwaynames>[http://newsnetscotland.com/index.php/component/content/article/2999-list-of-railway-station-names.html List of railway station names in English, Scots and Gaelic – NewsNetScotland] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130122064223/http://newsnetscotland.com/index.php/component/content/article/2999-list-of-railway-station-names.html |date=2013-01-22 }}</ref> is a village in [[Renfrewshire]], [[Scotland]]. It is between [[Johnstone]] and [[Lochwinnoch]], just off the A737 [[dual carriageway]] between the nearby town of [[Paisley (Scotland)|Paisley]] and the [[Ayrshire]] border. It is served by [[Howwood railway station]].

==History==
[[File:Howwood, Renfrewshire.jpg|thumb|Howwood seen from a nearby bike trail]]
Its name is listed in the late 19th century Ordnance [[Gazetteer for Scotland|Gazetteer of Scotland]] as ''"Howwood or Hollow-wood"''.<ref>[http://www.electricscotland.com/history/gazetteer/vol3page271.htm Hodges, Holburn Head, Holehouse, Holekettle or Kettle Bridge, Holl, Holland, Hollandbush, Hollows, Hollow-Wood or Howwood, Hollybush, Hollylee, Holm, Holmains, Holme or Holme Rose, Holms Water, Holybush, Holydean Castle, Holy Isle<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Hollow-Wood is an anglicisation of the [[Scots language]] name ''Howewuid''.<ref name="The Online Scots Dictionary"/> The Surname Database gives the following etymology for the equivalent surname 'Howood': a topographical name from residence by a muddy wood, deriving from the pre-7th-Century [[Old English]] "horh", mud, slime, and "wudu", wood.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Howood | title=Surname Database: Howood Last Name Origin }}</ref>

Historically part of the [[List of civil parishes in Scotland|civil parish]] of Lochwinnoch, it now supports its own [[Community Council]].<ref>[http://www.howwood.com/ Howwood Community Council]</ref>

The chief industry in the village was formerly [[bleaching]] and the finishing of cotton cloth and thread, particularly from the mills of Paisley and the other Renfrewshire villages. Two main bleaching works existed at Bowfield and Midtownfield, the former being the last to close in the 1960s.<ref name="renfrewshire.gov.uk">{{Cite web |url=http://www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/ilwwcm/publishing.nsf/Content/Navigation-els-Howwood(OurHistoryandHeritage)Homepage |title=Renfrewshire Community Website - Howwood |access-date=9 November 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090318140104/http://www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/ilwwcm/publishing.nsf/Content/Navigation-els-Howwood%28OurHistoryandHeritage%29Homepage |archive-date=18 March 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Overlooking the village on Kenmure Hill is the Temple, a circular folly built around 1760 and whose purpose is unknown.<ref name="howwood.com">{{cite web| url = http://www.howwood.com/history.php| title = Howwood Village Renfrewshire Scotland Community Website}}</ref> In the hills above Howwood also lie the remains of [[Lands of Elliston|Elliston Castle]], a [[tower house]] once home to the Semple family.<ref name="renfrewshire.gov.uk"/> A battle took place between Government forces and [[Covenanter]]s at Muirdykes on the 18 June 1685, led by the Cochrane family of [[Johnstone]]<ref name="howwood.com"/> The Iron Age hillfort of Walls Hill lies on Whittliemuir with the [[Walls Loch, East Renfrewshire|Walls Loch]] lying to the west of it.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Howwood}}
*[http://www.howwood.com/ Howwood village website]

{{Renfrewshire settlements}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Villages in Renfrewshire]]