or by contraction Ruglen, the head borough of the nether ward of Lanarkshire in Scotland, is situated in N. Lat. 55° 51', and W. Long. 4° 13'; about two miles south-east of Glasgow, and nine west of Hamilton. Few towns in Scotland can lay greater claim to antiquity than Rutherglen. Maitland, in his History of the Antiquities of Scotland, vol. i. p. 92, tells us, that it was founded by a King Reuther, from whom it derived its name; and a tradition of the same import prevails among the inhabitants. But without laying any stress on the authority of tradition, which is often false and always doubtful, we find, from several original charters still preserved, that it was erected into RUT

a royal borough by King David I. about the year 1126.

The territory under the jurisdiction of the borough was extensive, and the inhabitants enjoyed many distinguished privileges, which were however gradually wrested from them, by political influence, in favour of Glasgow, which in latter times rose into consequence by trade and manufactures. The ancient dimensions of the place are now unknown; but in the fields and gardens towards the east the foundations of houses are occasionally discovered. It is now of a very reduced size, consisting but of one principal street and a few lanes, and containing about 1631 inhabitants.

About 150 yards to the south of the main street is a kind of lane, known by the name of Dins-dykes. A circumstance which befell the unfortunate Queen Mary, immediately after her forces were routed at the battle of Langside, has ever since continued to characterize this place with an indelible mark of opprobrium. Her majesty, during the battle, stood on a rising ground about a mile from Rutherglen. She no sooner saw her army defeated than she took her precipitate flight to the south. Dins-dykes unfortunately lay in her way. Two ruffians, who were at that instant cutting grass hard by, seeing her majesty fleeing in haste, rudely attempted to intercept her, and threatened to cut her in pieces with their scythes if she presumed to proceed a step further. Neither beauty, nor even royalty itself, can at all times secure the unfortunate when they have to do with the unfailing or the revengeful. Relief, however, was at hand; and her majesty proceeded in her flight.

Adjoining to a lane called the Back-row stood the castle of Rutherglen, originally built at a period coeval, it is reported, with the foundation of the town. This ancient fortress underwent several sieges during the unhappy wars in the days of King Robert Bruce, and it remained a place of strength until the battle of Langside; soon after which it was destroyed by order of the regent, to revenge himself on the Hamilton family, in whose custody it then was. The foundations of the buildings are now erased, and the site converted into dwelling-houses and gardens.

The church of Rutherglen, an ancient building of the Saxon-Gothic style, was rendered famous by two transactions, in which the fate of Sir William Wallace and his country was deeply concerned. In it a truce was concluded between Scotland and England in the year 1297 (Henry's Life of Wallace, book vi. verse 862.), and in it Sir John Monteath bargained with the English to betray Wallace his friend and companion (Life of Wallace, book xi. verse 796.). This ancient building, having become incommodes, was, in 1794, pulled down, and one of a modern style was erected in its place. Buried in the area were found vast quantities of human bones, and some relics of antiquity.

No borough probably in Britain possesses a political constitution or felt more free and unembarrassed than Rutherglen. It was anciently under the influence of a self-elected magistracy, many of whom lived at a distance from the borough, and who continued long in office without interruption. Negligence on the one hand, and undue exertion of power on the other, at length excited the burgesses, about the middle of the last century, to apply an effectual remedy to this evil. The community who, at that period, possessed the power of reforming the abuses that had long prevailed in the management of the borough, were much assisted in their exertions by a Mr David Spens, town-clerk, a gentleman unbaffled by false politics, and who was animated with a high degree of true patriotism. Great opposition was at first made to the reform; but the plan adopted by the burgesses was wisely laid, and was prosecuted with unremitting fidelity. They were proof against the influence and bribery of a party that struggled to continue the old practice; and having at length surmounted every difficulty, they formed a new constitution and set for the borough, which, in 1671, was approved of by all the inhabitants of the town, and afterwards inserted in the records of the general convention of the royal boroughs of Scotland.

conjunction with Glasgow, Renfrew, and Dumbarton, sends a member to the British parliament. The fairs of this town are generally well attended, and have long been famous for a great flow of horses, of the Lanarkshire breed, which are esteemed the best draught-horses in Britain. The inhabitants of this borough still retain some customs of a very remote antiquity. One of these is the making of Rutherglen four cakes. The operation is attended with some peculiar rites, which lead us to conclude that the practice is of Pagan origin. An account of these rites is given in Ure's History of Rutherglen and Kilbride, p. 94; from whence we have taken the above account of this place, and which we do not hesitate to recommend to the attention of such of our readers as are fond of natural and local history, being persuaded that they will find it to be both an useful and entertaining performance.