DALBETH

The name Dalbeth is Celtic in origin and signifies "a field or meadow covered in birchwood." Although it is now associated almost entirely with the Roman Catholic St Peter's Cemetery, the name once applied to a much larger area of land which was contiguous with the likewise Celtic named Dalmarnock and which extended at least as far as the present Auchenshuggle Wood. The present Dalbeth survives as a core of this more ancient property.

It is difficult now to ascertain the exact extent of the old lands which formed Dalbeth; there are no known maps which delineate the boundaries. However, some guidance is provided by comparing the place names still existing or which have endured by association with e.g. housing schemes, with those known to have been applied to parts of Dalbeth such as "the Newlands of Dalbeth," "Little Newlands", "East Thorne", "West Thorne" and "Easterhill". These names are derived from the rental book of the Glasgow diocese which includes references to transactions as far back as 1510.

The lands of the Barony Parish belonged to the Church prior to the Reformation and included Tollcross, Maukinfauld, and Auchenshuggle as well as Dalbeth. The lands were confiscated and divided among the powerful families of the day. Much of Dalbeth fell to three such principal owners; Louk (Luke), Wardrop (Waddrop) and Gray.

Although the present London Rd now forms a "natural" northern boundary to the riverside estates, this obviously was not always the case. Indeed, it seems likely that the northern boundary of Dalbeth land may have marched with the southern boundary of that of Tollcross. The latter itself extended as far west as the present Eastern Necropolis, the one-time " Little Hill of Tollcross." Dalbeth probably stretched to the land south of this - Newlands estate. This history does not extend to these western extremities of Tollcross or Dalbeth as they seem more appropriate to a history of Parkhead.

In later maps, property lines are more clearly defined. The rough outline of the riverside estates as they had developed by the end of the 18th century are shown on Richardson's 1795 map, shown on page --. The five properties discussed hereafter are known to be located upon old Dalbeth, and are given their more modern names - Springbank, Belvidere, Westthorn, Dalbeth and Easterhill.