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The earliest known settlements in Renfrewshire predate written history and there are traces Roman occupancy at Whitemoss near Bishopton.In the 6th Century it is believed a Christian missionary
called Mirin settled here establishing the area as a religious centre and his shrine was a place of pilgrimage for many early visitors.His name is still remembered with the local football team bearing the
name of St Mirren.
From the 12th Century Renfrews history becomes clearer when King David 1 of Scotland granted land to his High Steward Walter Fitzalan.He brought with him 13 monks and founded a monastery in Paisley. Being close to the shrine to St Mirin, it was turned into one of the most important sites of pilgrimage in Scotland.Their descendants became Scotlands Royal Family with the title Steward becoming their surname Stewart.Marjorie Bruce, mother of Robert II the first Stewart King of Scotland, is buried in the Abbey.
Renfrew saw many new developments in the 14th and 15th Centuries.The town of Renfrew was granted Royal Burgh status in 1397, which gave it the right to hold markets and charge tolls on goods passing through.Paisley became a Burgh of Barony in 1488 and the competition became fierce.In the countryside
landowners had to protect their agricultural holdings with fortified buildings
but sadly few remain.
You
can, however, still see some examples i.e. Johnstone Castle and the former
hunting lodge of the Stewarts at Blackhall in Paisley.During
the wars of Independence, William Wallace, probably Scotlands most famous son
is known to have been born in Elderslie but following the Reformation of 1560
Renfrewshire and Paisley Abbeys importance declined.
Civil War raged in England and Scotland struggled to
preserve its national church and the last witch-hunt in Renfrewshire took place
in 1697 where six people were executed and burnt.There is a horseshoe embedded in George Street in Paisley to mark the
spot where their ashes are buried.
As we now enter the 18th Century, industry was vastly improving and saw
imports such as tobacco and sugar coming in from America.Some quick thinking industrialists ceased this opportunity to export
cargoes of linen and thread and soon became one of the leading textile producers
in the world.The later part
of the 18th Century saw this industry flourish with the likes of
weaving, bleaching, dyeing and thread making which manufacturers incorporated
into shawls, etc copied from souvenirs brought back from Kashmir. As
productivity increased, pollution and poor housing became a big problem and the
town of Paisley had the riot act read to them several times, but despite their
problems, this was a time when many of their public buildings were built and
still can be seen today.
The 20th Century saw the introduction of many world-class leaders to the
area.Shipbuilding was a booming
business due to World Wars I and II with names such as Fleming and Ferguson and
Lobnitz.These industries
have sadly disappeared now but Paisley is still home to Sir J H Biles Company of
consulting naval architects.Car
manufacturing had its place in Linwood with Hillman producing the first Hillman
Imp followed by the Hunter and Avenger.In 1967 it was taken over by Chrysler and then again by Peogeot-Citreon
but economy failed to pick up and manufacturing ceased in 1981.The aptly named Phoenix Retail Park is now situated at this site.
There is also a long history of engineering dating back to the 1700s with the
production of machine parts for mine pumps.
In 1895 Babcock Energy Ltd, set up in Renfrew by 2 American engineers,
produced steam boilers for the shipbuilding industry and still to this day make
boilers for central power stations.
As
we now enter the 21st Century we see the development of places like
Braehead Shopping Centre and 2 B&Q Superstores as well as the new Ikea
Store, said to be one of the largest in the UK.Housing
is another booming business with property being snapped up all over and new
property being built on almost any available land.The
future is bright, the future is Renfrewshire!!
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