Steps leading up to Nobleston

Image: © Lairich Rig Taken: 5 Oct 2012

The steps lead up from Stirling Road. The large area of housing on the hillside is divided into several areas; the part at the top of the steps is Nobleston, derived from the older designation Bonhill-Noble; for example, a retour of Charles II speaks of the lands of "Bonyle Noble alias Noblestoune" (*). There was also a Bonhill-Napier and a Bonhill-Lindsay; they are mentioned in the same retour (as "Bonyle Naiper" and "Bonyle Lindsay"). Each of the three lands was named after the family who held it. According to page 152 of Donald MacLeod's "Historic Families ... of the Lennox" (1891), Bonhill-Noble was in the hands of the Nobles of Ardardan, a family prominent in the area. As is explained at Image, the name Bonhill-Napier refers to the Napiers of Kilmahew. Finally, the name Bonhill-Lindsay reflects the fact that Patrick de Lindsay had been granted lands in Bonhill by Malcolm, Earl of Lennox (early fourteenth century). (*) The retour can be found on pages 100-102 of the Lennox Cartulary ["Cartularium Comitatus de Levenax, etc." (1833), Maitland Club Edition], a collection of charters in medieval Latin. For the grants made to "Patricio de Lindsay", whom Malcolm created a hereditary bailie and forester of the Lennox estate, see pages 49-52 of the same work.

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