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New Saint Even's Town
The first monastery was a modest affair, built of wood taken from the nearby Shirrel Woods. It proved to be an excellent site and was later enlarged and rebuilt using local stone. In fact some of this stone was later used to lay the foundations of the magnificent Wrangholm Hall once owned by a mining family and later a Comnmunity Centre which was demolished in the 1990s in a shockingly unjustified manner by the local North Lanarkshire Council to make way for houses.
The monastery site was chosen because of its high ground, overlooking the Shirrel Burn to the north and the valley of the River Clyde to the south. With a cluster of 'black houses' around the Burn, the monastery site ensured that it was uphill, and out of range of the smells emanating from the area where the local worthies lived - water was for cooking and making whisky, not washing!
To the east, and on high ground towards what it is now Newarthill, were the remains of a Pictish broch, the only one in central Scotland at that time. In fact, the name 'new-art-hill' comes from the inscribed and decorated standing stones which ringed a promontory on which the town of Newarthill stands today. Sadly, the stones are long gone, pinched by some of the settlers who sought to establish rockeries in ornamental gardens. In fact, if you prowl some of the gardens at night in the upmarket Dalziel estate with a torch, some of the old celtic marks and designs can still be found on the faces of these ancient relics.
No-one is quite sure what the stone circle represented, but in excavations for the new housing estate, many animal remains were found indicating an early settlement where cooked food was prepared, and old chip papers with traces of salt, vinegar and brown sauce.
On the far side of the Shirrel, stands the town of Holytown, another early settlement which derives its name from 'the holy-place'. This was another reason Saint Even's monasters chose their site. The holy-place had connections with long gone pagan practices and it was the scene of miracles or 'holy tricks' which were employed to keep the natives subdued.
This business of holiness and miracles is steeped in the landscape. Indeed the nearby major town of Motherwell grew from much more humble beginnings. This was the site of the first known specialist ante-natal unit which was established by disciples of the monasters and nuns of Saint Even. This early medical practice was renowned for making 'mothers well' again after the difficult birth of children. So, long before the Labour government established the welfare state, 'Mother-well' had set the trend.
New Saint Even's Town was therefore the focal point of this burgeoning religious and welfare conscious society and tribute must be paid to the first saint, Saint Even no less, who had the vision and the tenacity to establish a foothold on Scottish soil for others like Saint Ninian and Saint Columba to follow. Sadly, his efforts have not been given the due recognition that they deserve hence this web site presence and tribute to honour and celebrate that memory.