Cadzow
| Hamilton | |
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 Hamilton Townhouse and Library |
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 Hamilton
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| Hamilton shown within South Lanarkshire | |
| Population | 53,188 (2011 census) |
| OS grid reference | NS712557 |
| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | HAMILTON |
| Postcode district | ML3 |
| Dialling code | 01698 |
| Police | Scottish |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament | |
| Scottish Parliament | |
Hamilton is a town in South Lanarkshire, in the central Lowlands of Scotland. It serves as the main administrative centre of the South Lanarkshire council area. It is the fourth-biggest town in Scotland. It sits 12 miles (19 km) south-east of Glasgow, 35 miles (56 km) south-west of Edinburgh and 74 miles (120 km) north of Carlisle, Cumbria. It is situated on the south bank of the River Clyde at its confluence with the Avon Water. Hamilton is the later county town of Lanarkshire which was preceded anciently by Lanark.
The town of Hamilton was originally known as Cadzow or Cadyou (Middle Scots: Cadȝow, the "ȝ" being the letter yogh), pronounced /kadyu/. During the Wars of Scottish Independence the Hamilton family initially supported the English and Walter fitz Gilbert (the head of the Hamilton family) was governor of Bothwell Castle on behalf of the English. However, he later changed loyalty to Robert the Bruce, following the Battle of Bannockburn, and ceded Bothwell to him. For this act, he was rewarded with a portion of land which had been forfeited by the Comyns at Dalserf and later the Barony and lands of Cadzow, which in time would become the town of Hamilton.
Cadzow was renamed Hamilton in the time of James, Lord Hamilton, who was married to Princess Mary, the daughter of King James II. The Hamilton family themselves most likely took their name from the lands of Humbleton or Homildon in Northumberland, or perhaps from a place near Leicester.
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