Copy of plan of improvements by William Pettigrew
From at least the mid-15th century, the urban
community which has developed into modern Hamilton grew up alongside
the residence of the Lords (later Dukes of) Hamilton, and was very
much under their authority. From the late 17th century onwards,
that authority began to have an impact on the actual layout of the
burgh and its physical relationship to the nearby palace. It was
made manifest in a long process involving the removal of the townspeople
from the 'Hietoun' of Hamilton which was clustered around the palace's
western doorstep, and the consolidation of the area as private parkland.
This copy plan of 1813 shows how the Hamilton
estate dealt with the lower part of the 'Hietoun' of Hamilton which
closely impinged upon the precincts of the palace (right). A new
route to a bridge over the River Clyde cuts across the great tree-lined
'Chatterault Avenue', replacing the route to the old ferry which
had previously continued along the line of the High Street past
the front of the palace. The immediate purpose of the drawing is
to show the line of a new wall cutting through the middle of the
'Hietoun', just to the east of the old tolbooth in the middle of
the street, effectively sealing off the rest of the town from the
palace grounds.
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