St Mary's Roman Catholic Church, Lanark

St Mary's Church is a Roman Catholic church in Lanark, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The church building and presbytery are Category A listed buildings. Also listed in Category A is the L-shaped school building to the north of the west end of the church. The entrance gates to the church grounds and the Sisters of Charity convent, which form part of the St Mary's Church site, are Category C listed buildings. In September 2011, the two-storey Hall that stood on Ladyacre Road was badly damaged by fire and was later demolished.

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Lanark railway station

Lanark railway station, managed by ScotRail, is the southern terminus of the Argyle Line on Bannatyne Street, Lanark, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The station is staffed part-time.

St Kentigern's Church, Lanark (Hyndford Road)

St Kentigern's Church is a scheduled monument in Lanark, South Lanarkshire. Its churchyard and burial aisles are a category B listed building. It was previously the parish church of the town. It is believed that the church was founded by St Kentigern himself shortly before his death in 603 AD. There is documentary evidence of its existence, however, dating back to 1150 AD when King David I granted it to the monastery of Dryburgh. Pope Gregory VIII took the church into his own protection in 1228. The church, which was once attended by William Wallace, is now in a state of disrepair, despite having had repair work completed recently.

Lanark Grammar School

Lanark Grammar School is a secondary school in Lanark, Scotland. It was founded in 1183, and celebrated its octocentenary in 1983, including a visit by The Princess Anne. The school draws its pupils from the town of Lanark and many villages in the local area, including Douglas, Carstairs and Braehead. The Head Teacher is Jeff Warden, who took over in January 2022 following Mark Sherry who served 17 years in post. The school has 6 houses: Lockhart, Jerviswood, Wallace, Hyndford, Braxfield and Clyde, pupils are sorted into these by tutor group upon the first day of term. There are around 100 teachers (FTE) and around 1100 students.

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Action at Lanark

The action at Lanark was an attack at Lanark, Scotland during the First War of Scottish Independence in May 1297. The Scotsman William Wallace led an uprising against the English and killed the Sheriff of Lanark, William Heselrig. The attack was not an isolated incident, but rather saw Wallace joining in with uprisings taking place across Scotland. Not much is definitely known about this incident. The best account comes from the Scalacronica by Thomas Grey, whose father, also called Thomas Grey, was present. A fracas broke out at a court being held by Heselrig, but Wallace was able to escape with help from an individual named Innes who may have been his wife. He then came back with some supporters and attacked Heselrig and his men, killed Heselrig, nearly killed Thomas Grey senior, and set fire to some houses. Wallace then continued with his rebellion, which culminated in his victory at the Battle of Stirling Bridge four months later. It is unclear what Wallace was doing at Heselrig's court, and whether this was a spontaneous incident or if it was co-ordinated with other risings in Scotland. According to the 15th century poem The Wallace, written by Blind Harry, Wallace carried out the attack in revenge for the killing of his beloved wife by Heselrig. Her name is traditionally claimed to be Marion Braidfute of Lamington. Harry also claims that Wallace dismembered Heselrig's body. Wallace biographer Ed Archer published his findings in 2005 that disputed the existence of Marion Braidfute, as there had been no mention of her prior to a revised rendition of Blind Harry's poem in 1570, believed by Archer to have been commissioned by the Baillies of Lamington, to gain favor with Mary, Queen of Scots by claiming relation to Wallace through their Braidfute lineage. Fictionalised versions of this incident have appeared in various accounts of Wallace's life, notably in the 1995 film Braveheart, in which his wife was called Murron MacClannough, and her execution preceded the battle.