Ralston
Ralston's location locally and nationally
Demographics
Population:	4,507 (1991 Census)
Administration
Local Government Region:	Renfrewshire
Nation:	Scotland
Geography
Traditional County:	Renfrewshire
Former Region:	Strathclyde
Grid reference:	NS507638
Post Office and Telephone
Post Town:	Paisley
Postcode:	PA1 3**
Dialling Code:	0141

Ralston (Baile Raghnaill in Scottish Gaelic) is a small, suburban settlement in Renfrewshire, Scotland, bordering onto the eastern edge of the royal burgh of Paisley. The district straddles the A761 (formerly the A737), the main dual-carriageway between Renfrewshire and the City of Glasgow. I, the creator of this image, hereby release it into the public domain. ... For local government purposes, Scotland is divided into 32 areas designated as Council Areas which are all governed by unitary authorities designated as Councils. They have been in use since April 1, 1996, under the provisions of the Local Government etc. ... Renfrewshire (Siorrachd Rinn Friù in Gaelic) is one of 32 unitary authority regions in Scotland. ... One of the most influential doctrines in history is that all humans are divided into groups called nations. ... Motto: Nemo me impune lacessit (English: No one provokes me with impunity) Scotlands location within Europe Scotlands location within the United Kingdom Languages English, Gaelic, Scots Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow First Minister Jack McConnell Area - Total - % water Ranked 2nd UK 78,782 km² 1. ... The traditional counties of Scotland are historic and cutural divisions of Scotland. ... Before 1975 local government in Scotland was organised on the county system. ... Strathclyde (Srath Chluaidh in Gaelic) was one of the regional council areas of Scotland from 1975 to 1996. ... The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using latitude or longitude. ... A post town is a required part of all UK postal addresses. ... Paisley is: the name of several towns, including Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland (the original Paisley) Paisley, Florida, United States Paisley, Oregon, United States the name of a textile pattern or motif, often referred to as Paisley (design). ... UK and Australian postal codes are known as postcodes. ... Subscriber trunk dialling (STD) (also known as subscriber toll dialling) is an obsolete term for the UK telephone system allowing subscribers to dial trunk calls without operator assistance. ... Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) is a member of the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages. ... Renfrewshire (Siorrachd Rinn Friù in Gaelic) is one of 32 unitary authority regions in Scotland. ... Motto: Nemo me impune lacessit (English: No one provokes me with impunity) Scotlands location within Europe Scotlands location within the United Kingdom Languages English, Gaelic, Scots Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow First Minister Jack McConnell Area - Total - % water Ranked 2nd UK 78,782 km² 1. ... A Royal Burgh is a type of Scottish burgh (town or city), used today for ceremonial purposes only. ... Paisley (Pàislig in Scottish Gaelic) is a large town, and former royal burgh in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. ... For other uses, see Glasgow (disambiguation). ...

History

The estates of Ralston

The modern settlement of Ralston takes its name from the ancient feudal estates of Ralphistoun (Ralph's settlement), named after the younger son of the Earl of Fife, to whom the lands were gifted in the early 12th century. The feudal estates included the lands of Auldtoun (now Oldhall), Hullhead, Barshaw, Whitehaugh, Byres, Honeybog, Pennylee, Maylee and Ralstonwood. Feudalism comes from the Late Latin word feudum, itself borrowed from a Germanic root *fehu, a commonly used term in the Middle Ages which means fief, or land held under certain obligations by feodati. ... The title of Earl of Fife was created several times in the Peerages of Scotland, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. ... (11th century - 12th century - 13th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. ...

When the use of surnames was adopted in the Scottish Lowlands, the descendants of the Earl's younger son named themselves 'Ralston' after the estates. The lands remained in the Ralston family until 1704 when they were sold by Gavin Ralston to John, Earl of Dundonald, who conferred them on his daughter, Lady Anne Cochrane, when she married James, the fifth Duke of Hamilton. Their son sold Ralston in 1755 to William MacDowal of Castle Semple, an eminent Glasgow merchant and one of the founders of the Ship Bank there. His son, William of Garthland and Castle Semple, sold Ralston in 1800 to William Orr, son of a Paisley manufacturer who, with his brother, had made a fortune in the manufacture of linens in Ireland. Three years earlier, he had acquired from the Earl of Glasgow, part of the lands of Ingliston, on which he built an elegant manor house. Upon his purchase of the estates, he merged all of them into one, which he called Ralston, and his manor house became the Mansion of Ralston. In 1840, James Richardson, a Glasgow merchant, secured the lands. His son, Thomas Richardson, enlarged the mansion and increased the size of the estate. A family name, or surname, is that part of a persons name that indicates to what family he or she belongs. ... The Scottish Lowlands, although not officially a geographical area of the country, in normal usage is generally meant to include those parts of Scotland not referred to as the Highlands (or Gàidhealtachd), that is, everywhere due south and east of a line (the Highland Boundary Fault) between Stonehaven and... Events Building of the Students Monument in Aiud, Romania. ... The title Earl of Dundonald was created in 1669 in the Peerage of Scotland for the soldier Sir William Cochrane. ... The Mausoleum of the Dukes of Hamilton sits in the grounds of the old Hamilton Palace in Hamilton The Duke of Hamilton is a title in the Peerage of Scotland created in 1643. ... 1755 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1800 (MDCCC) was an common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Linens are fabric household goods, such as pillowcases and towels. ... 1840 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

The Ralston estates were eventually carved up and sold as farmland in the late 1800s. The ruins of Ralston Mansion were demolished in the 1930s, however part of the original stonework forms an annex to the club house at Ralston Golf Club. The East and West Lodges on the Glasgow Road were the original gate houses to the estates. Events and Trends Beginning of the Napoleonic Wars (1803 - 1815). ... This article or section is missing references or citation of sources. ... Golf (gowf in Scots) is a sport where individual players or teams hit a ball into a hole using various clubs, and is one of the few ball games that does not use a fixed standard playing area. ...

The planned village

In the early 1800s, the development of the textile industry in Renfrewshire resulted in the increase in road traffic across the county. The main road running through the Ralston estates was nothing more than a narrow dirt track. The original road ran from Paisley, through the then-village of Williamsburgh and across the tops of the Byres, Barshaw and Honeybog hills. When a programme of long distance road construction was introduced, a new road was built, snaking through the low-lying ground at the foot of the hills. The original track later fell into disuse and the new route became what is now the Glasgow Road. Williamsburgh is a place name, derived from the name William and the Scots language and Scottish English word burgh: Williamsburgh, Paisley, a residential area in Paisley, Scotland, originally a separate village outwith the boundary of the ancient Burgh of Paisley Williamsburg, Brooklyn, originally called Williamsburgh from 1802-1855 Rockville, Maryland...

Villas began to appear along Glasgow Road in the late 1800s, mostly in what is now the Oldhall district near Barshaw Park. A village-proper was established in the valley between the hills of Bathgo and Honeybog in the early 1930s as post-war residential development increased. Developers planned Ralston as a leafy haven for wealthy Paisley textile merchants, wishing to raise their families in a more rural setting beyond the burgh's boundaries. Events and Trends Beginning of the Napoleonic Wars (1803 - 1815). ... This article or section is missing references or citation of sources. ...

Most of the area's original farmhouses were demolished to make way for the fledgling village. These included:

• Oldhall (at the far end Oldhall Road, which was actually originally the path leading up to the farmhouse)
• Rylees (which sat at the bend of Atholl Crescent - its path coincides roughly with School Road, leading down to Penilee Road, which like Glasgow Road, was a well-established track)
• South Hillington (the most recent victim of Ralston's expansion, which lay in ruin until 1973 when it was finally consigned to the history books to make way for Ossian Avenue)
• South Ingliston (which lay in what is now Ralston Golf Course, just beyond the bend of Bathgo Avenue)

1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... Ossians dream, Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, 1813 Ossian, alternatively spelled Oisín, son of Fingal (Fionn mac Cumhail), is a poet and warrior of the fianna in the Fenian Cycle of Gaelic literature (also, see Irish Mythology). ...

Geography

Ralston is situated primarily on a series of south-facing hillsides, overlooking the Gleniffer Braes and the Bullwood plantation. The district merges incongruously with the sandstone villas of Paisley to its west. Here, Barshaw Park provides a convenient boundary between the district and its larger neighbour. To the east, Ralston's painted stone cottages and their proudly-maintained front gardens define the Glasgow Road all the way to the Renfrewshire border and beyond, merging unobtrusively with the cottages of neighbouring Crookston. Ralston's northern edge is defined by South Arkleston farm at the foot of Honeybog Hill; its southern extent is limited by Ralston Golf Course and the leeward side of Bathgo Hill. Glennifer Braes is a set of hills to the south of Paisley. ... Crookston is a residential suburb on the southwestern edge of the Scottish city of Glasgow. ...

To the north, the district's official (ward) boundary extends beyond Honeybog Hill, to the main Paisley-to-Glasgow railway (Inverclyde Line), which forms the boundary between North and South Arkleston farms. To the south, Ralston's 'jurisdiction' takes in the whole of Ralston Golf Course and extends beyond the Paisley Canal railway line to the River Cart at Ross Hall Mains farm. Inverclyde Line is a railway line running from Glasgow through Gilmour St, Paisley to Gourock and Wemyss Bay on the West Coast. ... The Paisley Canal Railway line originally ran from Glasgow, Scotland, to Paisley Canal Railway Station. ... The River Cart is a tributary of the River Clyde, Scotland, which it joins from the west roughly midway between Erskine and Renfrew. ...

Ralston's northern boundary falls close to the new out-of-town retail development at Braehead on the River Clyde near Renfrew. To the west, Ralston's boundary with Paisley is less well-defined. Despite Paisley's pre-1974 burgh boundary intersecting the Glasgow Road at the corner of Oldhall Road, today, the district is considered by many, including the local community council, to include the part of Paisley between Hawkhead Road and the historic Paisley-Ralston boundary. This is primarily attributable to the fact that, in spite of the formal administrative boundaries, both current and traditional, children living east of Hawkhead Road have always fallen within the catchment area of Ralston Primary School. MV Kyles, a diesel powered Clyde puffer, on the River Clyde at Braehead shoppping centre. ... The River Clyde, looking eastwards upstream, as it passes beneath the Kingston Bridge in Central Glasgow. ... Renfrew (Rinn Friù in Scottish Gaelic) is a small town and former royal burgh in the Renfrewshire region of Scotland (see main article on the town of Renfrew, Scotland). ... Community councils (CCs) are the most local official representative bodies in Scotland and Wales. ...

Administration

Despite its close proximity to Paisley, Ralston has always remained proudly independent of its larger neighbour, and until 1974, formed the most-part of the Hurlet and Oldhall district of the County of Renfrew. 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1974 calendar). ... Renfrewshire was a county of Scotland until their abolition in 1975. ...

In a local referendum, held in 1995 ahead of the planned abolition of the Strathclyde Region and the partition of Renfrewshire into three separate local governments, the residents of Ralston voted overwhelmingly against leaving the new Paisley-based (and Labour-dominated) Renfrewshire authority to become an annex of the newly-partitioned (and Conservative-run) East Renfrewshire. Despite East Renfrewshire's assurance that a local government office would be set up within Ralston, locals were concerned that the district would be no more than a remote outpost, linked to the rest of the authority by a narrow strip of countryside with no direct road or public transport links connecting the two. By far the most persuasive reason against annexation, however, was that Ralston School was (and is) one of the two feeder primaries, serving Paisley's Grammar School. Parents were concerned that if the district were to leave the jurisdiction of Renfrewshire's education authority, local children would be prevented from attending not only Ralston's closest secondary school, but one of Scotland's finest in the state sector. A referendum (plural: referendums or referenda) or plebiscite (from Latin plebiscita, a decree of the Concilium Plebis) is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Strathclyde (Srath Chluaidh in Gaelic) was one of the regional council areas of Scotland from 1975 to 1996. ... For local government purposes, Scotland is divided into 32 areas designated as Council Areas which are all governed by unitary authorities designated as Councils. They have been in use since April 1, 1996, under the provisions of the Local Government etc. ... East Renfrewshire (Siorrachd Rinn Friù an Ear in Gaelic) is one of 32 unitary council regions in Scotland. ... A comprehensive school is a secondary school that accepts pupils of all abilities. ...

Ralston is now administered as a local government ward of the Renfrewshire authority. In terms of local democracy, the district is represented by the Ralston Community Council, which lobbies the Renfrewshire authority on matters of local significance. Nationally, the area falls within the Paisley North constituency of the Scottish Parliament and is represented in the UK Parliament as part of Paisley and Renfrewshire North. A ward is an electoral district used in local politics, most notably in England, Scotland, and Wales, as well as Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa and many cities in the United States and the federal district of Washington, DC. Wards are usually named after neighbourhoods... Community councils (CCs) are the most local official representative bodies in Scotland and Wales. ... Paisley North is the name of the Scottish parliamentary constituency, which includes the northern portion of the town of Paisley, together with surrounding areas in north, central Renfrewshire. ... For the national legislative body up to 1707, see Parliament of Scotland. ... The Houses of Parliament, seen over Westminster Bridge The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative institution in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories (it alone has parliamentary sovereignty). ... For other things called Paisley and Renfrewshire North see Paisley and Renfrewshire North. ...

Today, mainly as a result of postal addressing and local government reorganisation, many newcomers to Ralston are unaware that they do not technically live in Paisley. Nowadays, the only obvious, albeit subtle, reminder of Ralston's separate identity is the fact that on crossing into Renfrewshire on the A761 Glasgow Road, drivers pass a "Welcome to Renfrewshire" sign a whole kilometre before they pass a sign welcoming them to Paisley. A kilometre (American spelling: kilometer), symbol: km is a unit of length in the metric system equal to 1000 metres (from the Greek words χίλια (khilia) = thousand and μέτρο (metro) = count/measure). ...

Ralston's future, however, seems very likely to be that of a middle-class Paisley suburb. The middle class (or middle classes) comprises a social group once defined by exception as an intermediate social class between the nobility and the peasantry. ... Housing subdivision near Union, Kentucky, a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio. ...

Transport

The main road through Ralston is the A761, which begins in Port Glasgow at the junction with the A8, and runs through Linwood and Paisley before reaching Ralston. It then continues across the Renfrewshire-Glasgow border through Crookston, Cardonald and Ibrox to Paisley Road Toll, where it meets the A8 once again. The road is regularly subject to police speed checks, due to the problem of drivers speeding through Ralston's 30mph limit. Typically around 1400 vehicles travel in both directions through the area per hour. Port Glasgow is a burgh in Inverclyde, Scotland on the River Clyde. ... The A8 is a major road in Scotland, connecting Edinburgh to Greenock via Glasgow. ... ĺFor other uses of the word see: Linwood (disambiguation) Linwood, a small town in Renfrewshire, Scotland, 14 miles south-west of Glasgow, which saw an explosion in its population during the middle of the 20th century due to the mass exodus of people from the Glasgow slums. ... Paisley is: the name of several towns, including Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland (the original Paisley) Paisley, Florida, United States Paisley, Oregon, United States the name of a textile pattern or motif, often referred to as Paisley (design). ... Crookston can refer to: Crookston, Minnesota Crookston, Nebraska This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Cardonald is a suburb of the Scottish city of Glasgow. ... Ibrox is a district of the city of Glasgow in western Scotland. ...

As a middle-class suburb, car ownership is among the highest in Renfrewshire, with many 2-car households. Ralston is also above the Strathclyde regional average in car ownership, which is the lowest in Scotland.

Ralston is bounded by both the Paisley Canal and Ayrshire & Inverclyde railway lines on its southern and northern sides, respectively. Whilst Hillington, Crookston and Hawkhead stations are close for some residents, the majority of the district's population live too far away to receive a convenient train service. The Paisley Canal line partially re-opened in 1990, following it's closure in 1983, one of the last railway lines to ever fall victim of the Beeching cuts. Hawkhead station opened later than the rest of the line in 1991. Dr. Richard Beeching later Baron Beeching (21 April 1913 — 23 March 1985) was an British physicist and engineer, and former chairman of British Railways. ...

Primarily on account of its location on the main route between Paisley and Glasgow, Ralston is well-served by local bus services, with some services running 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It is estimated that the frequency of buses on the main A761 road is every 2-3 minutes during the day, which makes traffic through Ralston very busy indeed. Several carriers, including multinationals Arriva and First Group, as well as local operator First Stop Travel, operate bus routes through the area, connecting Ralston with neighbouring towns and facilities, including Paisley, Johnstone, Glasgow Airport and Glasgow. An Arriva train in Denmark Arriva plc is a UK-based international public transport operator and vehicle rental company, headquartered in Sunderland. ... First Group PLC (LSE: FGP) is a British transport company operating in the United Kingdom, Ireland and North America, with headquarters in Aberdeen, Scotland. ... First Stop Travel is a bus company that operates in mainly in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Govan in Glasgow as well as other parts of South West Glasgow. ... For people named Johnstone, see Johnstone (surname) Johnstone (Baile Eòin in Scottish Gaelic) is a town in Renfrewshire, Scotland, three miles west of neighbouring Paisley. ... Glasgow International Airport (IATA: GLA, ICAO: EGPF), located 8 miles (13 km) west of Glasgow, near the towns of Paisley and Renfrew, is the largest international airport in Scotland, and fifth largest in the UK in terms of annual passenger throughput. ...

Trivia

• Scottish actors, David Tennant, Tom Conti and Gerard Butler were brought up in Ralston, as was interior designer, John Amabile and political commentator Andrew Neil. Gerard Butler was not brought up in Ralston, he was brought up in Gallowhill, Paisley and attended the local primary school, St. Catherines.

• It is said that the courtyard of Oldhall Lodge is haunted by the last woman who was hanged there for witchcraft. Dalfoil Court is also said to be haunted.

• The Ralston Primary School uniform includes a scarlet tie in honour of a visit by Queen Elizabeth (the former Queen Mother) in the 1940s, it being her favourite colour.

• Today, Penilee Road runs northwards past the Arkleston farms and turns sharply to the right to avoid the M8 motorway as it enters Hillington Estate. At this bend, the road used to veer slightly to the left and continued through to Renfrew, where it became what is now Newmains Road.

• Buses only enter the Ralston 'fare stage' at Bathgo Avenue - at the site of the period house at Ralston East Gate, which formerly marked the entrance into the Ralston Estate. The Ralston stage runs from here to the corresponding West Gate at Strathmore Avenue. This leaves the section from the Renfrewshire boundary at Killearn Drive to Bathgo Avenue in the Crookston stage, despite it being commonly regararded as Ralston.

• Until the 1950s, Buchlyvie Road only existed on the Auchmannoch side of the Southwold hill crest, turning sharply right into Southwold Road rather than continuing down-hill toward Ralston School. Similarly, Auchmannoch Avenue ran from its cul-de-sac near Dalfoil Court to Buchlyvie Road where it formed a T-junction - the stretch between Buchlyvie Road and Penilee Road was a later addition, as characterised by the modern brick contruction of the houses in contrast to the traditional sandstone that is common in Ralston.

• Up until 1966, what is now the M8 motorway between Hillington and Arkleston was the runway of Renfrew International Airport, which closed in that year, following the opening of the new Glasgow (Abbotsinch) Airport slightly further west. Hillington Estate was actually the airport engineering works, hence it being (until recently) the location of the Rolls-Royce Plc aero engine plant.

David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor in Doctor Who. ... Tom Conti (born November 22, 1941) is a Scottish actor. ... Gerard Butler Gerard James Butler (born November 13, 1969) is a Scottish actor. ... John Amabile (prenounced Am-ab-illy) is a Scottish interior designer. ... Andrew Ferguson Neil (born May 21, 1949) is a British journalist and broadcaster. ... Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon as Queen Elizabeth. ... // Events and trends World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrination, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atomic bomb. ... The M8 at Charing Cross in Glasgow The M8 runs under Sauchiehall Street and the Bridge to nowhere Kingston Bridge, looking eastward up the River Clyde The M8 is the busiest motorway in Scotland. ... The 1950s were a decade that spanned the years 1951 through 1960. ... For the musical group, see Cul de Sac (group). ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... The M8 at Charing Cross in Glasgow The M8 runs under Sauchiehall Street and the Bridge to nowhere Kingston Bridge, looking eastward up the River Clyde The M8 is the busiest motorway in Scotland. ... Hillington can refer to: Hillington, Glasgow, Scotland. ... Aerial picture of a runway of Chennai International Airport, Tamil Nadu A runway is a strip of land on an airport, on which aircraft can take off and land. ... Glasgow International Airport (IATA: GLA, ICAO: EGPF), located 8 miles (13 km) west of Glasgow, near the towns of Paisley and Renfrew, is the largest international airport in Scotland, and fifth largest in the UK in terms of annual passenger throughput. ... Rolls-Royce plc (LSE: RR.) (also known as Rolls-Royce Aero Engines) is the second-largest aircraft engine maker in the world, behind General Electrics GE Aircraft Engines division. ...

See also

• Renfrewshire Council information on Ralston