COVINGTON,
LANARKSHIRE, SCOTLAND
A small town and parish (with
Thankerton) in the Upperward of the county of Lanarkshire, 4 miles West by
North from Biggar, 33.5 miles South West of Edinburgh, 7 miles South East of
Lanark, 36 miles South East of Glasgow. It has a population of 518
A habitation name from
Covinton was first recorded in the late 12th Century in the Latin form Villa
Colbani, "Colban's or Cowan's village", and 20 years later as
Colbaynistun. The proprietor was a follower of David, Prince of Cumbria circa
1120. By 1434 the name had been collapsed to Cowantoun, and at the end of the
15th Century, it first appears in the form Covingtoun. It is, nevertheless
clearly named with the personal name Colban, possibly derived to Coleman and
the Old English "tun", enclosure or settlement.
There could be association
with Cobbinshaw or Cobinshaw (18 miles South West of Edinburgh) and Colinton
(a village, now part of South West Edinburgh), both of which are in
Midlothian.
Covington has a castle ruin,
situated 1 mile North East of Thankerton. The parish is of approx 5110 acres
of which 2000 are arable, 80 acres woodland and plantation and the remainder
being sheep pasture. The cattle are mainly of Angus breed and sheep are of the
black faced kind.
The parish of Covington and
Thankerton is about 4 miles in length South to North and nearly 3 miles in
average breadth. It is bounded to the East by the River Clyde, which separates
it from the parish of Libberton. The ecclesiastical affairs of the parish are
under the superintendence of the presbytery of Biggar and synod of Lothian and
Tweedale. The church in Thankerton has been suffered to fall into ruins and
that of Covington has been enlarged for the population of the whole parish,
The parochial school is in the village of Covington, and in 1960 the master
had a salary of £28, with a house and garden and the fees averaged about £16
per annum.
Of these ancient parishes,
which were joined about the beginning of the 18th century, Covington derived
its name as shown above. Thankerton got it's name from a Flemish settler
Tankard or Thankard, who obtained a grant of lands here during the reign of
Malcolm IV
