LANGSIDE is situated in the parish of Cathcart and county of Renfrew, and is about three miles distant from Glasgow.
The lands of Langside were originally part of the Barony of Cathcart. The Maxwells of Nether Pollok afterwards possessed them, and in 1616 part of them were in the hands of James Hamilton of Aikenhead, merchant in Glasgow.
In the possession of this family they remained till the middle of the eighteenth century, after which time they belonged to Robert Crawford of Possil. In 1776 a portion was purchased by Thomas Brown.
Thomas Brown was born in Ayrshire, and was bred to the medical profession. He practised in London, and, having made a fortune, returned to Scotland, and buying part of Robert Crawford's lands of Langside in 1776, he built thereupon, from a plan of Robert Adam, what now forms a great part of the present house. There was an addition in 1854. (1)
Semple describes it as "an elegant large modern house upon an eminence, three stories high, pavilion roofed, with a platform covered with lead; the house stands due east and west, the front is toward the north with office houses in form of a court; the main door is beautified with a large portico supported by two large square pillars arched over, upon which is a balluster and rail walk, and a pediment above."
In 1766 Thomas Brown married Martha, eldest daughter of George Bogle of Daldowie, by whom he had four sons and one daughter; he died in 1782, (2) and was succeeded by his eldest son, George Brown.
George Brown of Langside afterwards succeeded to Daldowie as heir of his mother and aunts, who were co-heiresses of their brother Robert Bogle. (3)
He died unmarried, and was succeeded by his brother Robert, who also died a bachelor. Their brother Thomas, M.D., was next heir, (4) and by him Langside was sold in 1852 to the late Neil Thomson of Camphill, whose heirs now own it.
(1) This house is built near that part of the lands of Langside where the battle of the thirteenth May 1568 is supposed to have been principally fought. The unhappy Queen Mary watched the battle from a hill about a mile from the scene of conflict. The City of Glasgow seems to have sent a considerable body of men to assist the Regent, and upon his return to the City after his victory the various incorporations received from him additional privileges and confirmations of their rights. M'Ure informs us in particular that "at this time there was one Matthew Fauside, foreman or deacon of the Baxters of Glasgow, a very judicious, projecting man," who requested from the regent a charter in favour of the Baxters for erecting their mills on the river Kelvin, and grinding their own wheat, as they were "thirled" to no mill in particular; this request was granted.
(2) After Mr. Brown's death his widow, Martha Bogle, lived with her sons and daughters in Glasgow, on the "north side of George's Street," in winter, and in summer at the cottage at Langside, the mansion house being then let to Mr. Francis Stewart Crawford of Milton and afterwards to others. Mrs. Martha Bogle or Brown died in 1820, aged eighty-seven.
(3) George Brown sold Daldowie in 1825 to John Dixon of Calder ironworks, by whom it was sold in 1830 to James M'Call, father of the present proprietor. (See Daldowie.)
(4) BROWNS OF LANGSIDE, AND AFTERWARDS OF WATERHAUGHS AND LANFINE, AYRSHIRE
Nicol Brown was a surgeon in Newmilns of Loudoun, Ayrshire. He married Marion Campbell, eldest daughter of Campbell of Waterhaughs, a family of old standing in the parish of Galston. The old mansion house, which is on the river Irvine, still remains. Campbell of Waterhaughs was a cadet of Campbell of Loudoun. Nicol Brown died in 1739 leaving issue two sons: (I.) Thomas, (II.) John, who afterwards, on prospering in the world, bought back the old maternal family estate of Waterhaughs.* Thomas Brown, after receiving a thorough classical and medical education in the University of Glasgow, was employed in his youth as surgeon on board an East Indiaman; he afterwards settled in London as a surgeon apothecary. In 1766 he married Martha, eldest daughter of George Bogle of Daldowie (which see), and had issue: 1) George, 2) Robert, 3) Marianne, 4) Thomas, 5) John. In 1775, Thomas Brown, having prospered in London, returned to Scotland with his family, and resided at Aikenhead. He went into business in Glasgow, being a partner in the Ship Bank. The firm was then Moor Carrick & Co.: they were the successors of Dunlop Houston & Co., and the Bank itself was by this time removed from the Bridgegate to a wing of the "Shawfield Mansion." Shortly after his arrival from England he purchased from Robert Crawford of Possil 117 acres of his lands of Langside for £4000, and built thereupon the house, which was finished in 1780. He died in 1782. His sons, George, afterwards of Daldowie, and Robert succeeded him, but both died unmarried. Their brother, Thomas Brown, M.D., a well known and popular doctor in Glasgow, then fell heir to Langside. He married Marion Jeffrey, sister of the famous Francis Lord Jeffrey, and had issue: 1) Harriett, died unmarried, 2) Thomas, of whom afterwards, 3) Martha, of whom afterwards, 4) Marion, died unmarried.
In 1829 Dr. Thomas Brown succeeded his cousin-german Nicol Brown in Waterhaughs and Lanfine, and died in 1853, having sold Langside in 1852 for £21,050. He was a scientific man, and formed a large collection of minerals, fossils, and antiquities, one-half of which he left to the University of Glasgow, and the other half to the University of Edinburgh.
Thomas Brown and Martha Bogle's fourth son and fifth child John married Katherine M'Call, daughter of George M'Call, one of the old "Virginia Dons," and had issue four daughters: 1) Mary, married Hugh M'Tavish and has issue, 2) Martha married to Alexander Stewart Cleland, and has issue, 3) Katherine, married to Daniel Frazer and has issue, 4) Christina, married to William D'Esterre Roberts, and has issue.
Thomas Brown and Martha Bogle's only daughter Marianne married William Morehead of Herbertshire, and had issue one son William, who died unmarried, and a daughter Matilda, who married John Christie, and predeceased her parents, leaving issue.
On the death of Thomas Brown, M.D., of Waterhaughs and Lanfine in 1853, his only son Thomas succeeded. He was a man of great literary attainment, of fine artistic taste, and an accomplished classical scholar. He died in 1873. and was succeeded by his sister Miss Martha Brown. This excellent lady is now the representative of the families of Brown of Langside, Brown or Campbell of Waterhaughs, and Bogle of Daldowie.
* JOHN BROWN OF WATERHAUGHS, AND OF BROWN, CARRICK & CO.
John Brown, brother of Thomas Brown of Langside, was born in 1729. He married Margaret, daughter of Andrew Brown of Waterhead, near Muirkirk. Issue, 1) Nicol, 2) Andrew, who died unmarried in 1806, and three daughters, who all died unmarried. John Brown was a manufacturer in Glasgow. In 1759 he entered into partnership with Robert Carrick (son of the minister of Houston) and others under the style of Brown Carrick & Co. They carried on business for many years as manufacturers of various fabrics, and had a bleachfield. John Brown used to travel all over Britain in the way of his business, and in his journal gives many interesting descriptions of the places and the people he saw. He also records many curious historical details.
In 1776 John Brown writes in his journal - "Mr. Robert Carrick and I have had it for some time in contemplation to set up a Banking Company in place of the old Banking Company that was carried on by Alexander Houston, Colin Dunlop, Mr Macdowal of Castle Semple, Denniston of Colgrain, and George Oswald of Scotstown, that company had given up about year ago.
"The Company now formed was Robert Carrick, George Moor of Ballimore, Isle of Man, James Moor, his son, Thomas Brown my brother, Thomas Buchanan of Ardoch, merchant in Glasgow, Andrew Thomson of Fasken, William Craig, merchants in Glasgow, and myself.
"The Company's stock was £12,000, each of us to have one-sixth share, only G. Moor, J. Moor his son, And. Thomson, and W. Craig to have one-twelfth share.
"We bought the old Bank House and utensils at the head of the Stockwell at £1700, and opened the bank and commenced business on the first day of March 1776. Our firm is Moor Carrick & Co. Robert Carrick is cashier, and is to manage the concern, and is to reside in the house immediately above the Bank."
John Brown realised a good fortune, and purchased the estates of Waterhaughs and Lanfine. Waterhaughs had formerly belonged to the father of Marion Campbell, his mother, but had been sold. He combined both estates into one, under the name of Waterhaughs, the mansion house being at Lanfine.
His latter days were saddened by the death of his wife and three daughters, who all died within a period of less than three years. He himself died immediately after in 1802. His second son Andrew died in 1806.
Nicol, his eldest son, succeeded his father in his estate and in the Bank. He was a man of great influence both in Glasgow and Ayrshire. He added greatly to the estate of Waterhaughs, and dying without issue in 1829, left the estate, as before mentioned, to his cousin-german, Thomas Brown, M.D., third son of Thomas Brown of Langside.
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