Why did your Ancestors settle in Cumbernauld
Old Parish Records
OPR's began in Cumbernauld in 1688. Cumbernauld is Parish no 495 in the County of Dunbarton.
The Name
Cumbernauld is interpreted from the Gaelic as 'The meeting of the waters' - being a reference to the Luggie Water and the Red Burn which are close to the village.
The Early Years
The original settlement began in Roman times beside the Antonine Wall. By the early Middle Ages the settlement must have grown to a respectable size to warrant the Comyns placing their chapel here. A castle was then built adopting the classic medieval Scottish town, with its principal street running from castle to church.
In the 1500s the village, like most others, was badly hit with the plague. There were so many dead that it was difficult to get the bodies to the parish cemetery at the old kirk of St Ninian's in Kirkintilloch, so a new burial ground at the Chapel in Cumbernauld was opened. In the churchyard, the oldest headstone is dated 1654.
The 1700 and 1800s
In the early 1700s the main industry in Cumbernauld was hand loom weaving which moved to Glasgow as soon as the industrial revolution started. This changed with the onslaught of the industrial revolution and the proximity to the Forth and Clyde canal. Mining and quarrying took over with the rich minerals in the area and the convenience of the new transportation links.