CONDORAT &

CONDORRAT & CASTLECARY

1
At the end of the 18th century, the government would not listen to the people especially the returning soldiers, so began the industrial revolution. Unemployment was gradually taking hold and the soldiers who had fought a hard war were not prepared to sit back in squalor devoid of livelihood. This resulted in the radical reform movement, which eventually took hold across the country. The government on the other hand saw the protest of these men, as treason. A group of dissatisfied workers marched from Glasgow to the village of Condorrat situated south of Kilsyth and west of Cumbernauld Village. One of those radicals who was determined to stand up and be counted in a fight against a government which had alienated its people, was John Baird. The result was armed conflict. The ringleaders were John Baird and Andrew Hardie. Both these men were tried and executed for treason. ( It is just as well I hadn't been around at this time, I would probably have been with the radicals, you see when governments don't listen to their people, who after all elect them to administer our democracy fairly and squarely, then reprisal options become limited, especially when the ballot box becomes abused. John Baird lived in this house.

King of Scotland

David 2nd 1329-71

2
The Arches at Castlecary, was the scene of a terrible train disaster.The Dundee and Glasgow trains collided and there was pretty heavy snow and rain at the time, making rescue efforts somewhat hazardous. Seven or eight coaches were mangled together, 35 lives were lost and over 100 injured. During the night the bodies were carried from the train. Many of the dead and injured were soldiers coming home on leave for Christmas break. The year was 1937.