Chryston

Chryston is a village in North Lanarkshire, around 7 miles (11 km) east of Glasgow, in Scotland. It lies north of its sister village, Muirhead, which is on the A80.^[2] The village has around double Muirhead's population, although the exact boundary between the two modern villages is difficult to find.

Chryston Scottish Gaelic: Baile Chrisdein Scots: Chrystoun
Chryston Parish Church
Chryston Show map of North Lanarkshire Chryston Location within Scotland Show map of Glasgow council area Chryston Chryston (Scotland) Show map of Scotland
Population	3,100 (2022)[1]
OS grid reference	NS681701
Lieutenancy area	Lanarkshire
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	GLASGOW
Postcode district	G69 9
Police	Scotland
Fire	Scottish
Ambulance	Scottish
UK Parliament	Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill
Scottish Parliament	Coatbridge and Chryston
List of places UK Scotland 55.906°N 4.110°W / 55.906; -4.110

History

Blaeu's map^[3] based on Pont's original^[4] "Glasgow and the county of Lanark" map c.1596 depicting Chriſtoun (Chryston) north-west of Gartcaiſh (Gartcosh).

Map of Chryston in the early 1900s

The etymology of the name is said to be from 142 AD of Roman origin as Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius had said "living there would have been the only punishment worse than crucifixion" and named it Christ's Town in jest.

The etymology of the name is uncertain but may refer to the "town of Cristinus".^[5] Several old documents show Chryston with various spellings including maps by Timothy Pont,^[6] William Forrest, Thomas Richardson,^[7] and William Roy.^[8]

In the 18th century, Chryston had one of the four schools in the parish of Cadder. William Barclay, himself a school teacher, reported the low pay of his profession in the Old Statistical Account.^[9]

One gazetteer, Samuel Lewis, from around 1846, describes a recently established library. He quotes 555 inhabitants.^[10] The same publication also stated that Chyston was a quoad sacra parish including the villages of Mollinsburn, Moodiesburn, Muirhead and the hamlet of Auchinloch. Even today Moodiesburn is often included in the Chryston district: Devro headquarters has Chryston as its official address, and Moodiesburn's Stoneyetts Hospital (originally part of East Muckcroft within the "Woodilee Estate") was sometimes listed under Chryston.^[11][12]

On Friday 18 September 1959, 47 miners lost their lives in the Auchengeich mining disaster at Auchengeich Colliery situated in nearby Moodiesburn.

Chryston High School is a six-year non-denominational secondary school situated on Lindsaybeg Road.^[13]

Demography

Groome's Gazetteer gives historical statistics including population.^[14] The 1891 and 1901 statistics include Muirhead.^[15]

Year	Chryston Population	Quoad Sacra Parish Population
1836[16]	374	_
1841	_	2,670
1846	555	_
1861	582	_
1871	486	3,203
1881	464	3,240
1891	899	_
1901	1,102	_

See also

• List of places in North Lanarkshire

External links

• Official site

References

1. "Mid-2020 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland". National Records of Scotland. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
2. "OS 25 inch 1892-1949". National Library of Scotland. Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
3. Blaeu, Joan. "Glottiana Praefectura Inferior". National Library of Scotland. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
4. "Chryston on Pont 34". Maps of Scotland. Timothy Pont (16th century). Retrieved 31 December 2017.
5. Drummond, Peter, John (2014). An analysis of toponyms and toponymic patterns in eight parishes of the upper Kelvin basin (PDF). Glasgow: Glasgow University. p. 155. Retrieved 3 July 2017.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
6. "Christoun on Pont's Map". NLS. Pont. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
7. "Old County Maps". NLS. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
8. "Roy's map of the Lowlands". NLS. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
9. Barclay, William (1791). The statistical account of Scotland. Drawn up from the communications of the ministers of the different parishes (Vol 8 ed.). Edinburgh: W. Creech. pp. 480–481. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
10. Lewis, Samuel (1846). A topographical dictionary of Scotland ... London: S. Lewis and Co. p. 198. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
11. Stoneyetts Hospital, Glasgow. The National Archives. Retrieved 23 June 2011.
12. Tough, Alistair (23 July 1998). "NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Archives: Records". University of Glasgow. Retrieved 23 June 2011.
13. "Chryston High School – #WeAreChrystonHighSchool".
14. Groome, Francis Hindes (1882). Ordnance gazetteer of Scotland : a survey of Scottish topography, statistical, biographical, and historical (Vol 1 ed.). Edinburgh: T.C. Jack. p. 261. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
15. Eleventh decennial census of the population of Scotland taken 31st March 1901, with report : volume I. HMSO. 1902. p. 278. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
16. The new statistical account of Scotland by Society for the Benefit of the Sons and Daughters of the Clergy. Vol. 6. Edinburgh and London: W. Blackwood and Sons. 1836. p. 408.