fact that it was built on the banks of the River Avon atop a cliff face. Little is known about the provenance of the castle, but it is thought to have changed hands frequently in a period when loss of a battle meant loss of one's property. However, it is known that it belonged to the Hamiltons in the year 1500. In the 1937 Statistical Account of Stonehouse mention is made of Cot castle in the following extract: "Among the documents discovered in 1887 in the Hamilton Chamberlain’s office, is a notarial instrument, narrating that in terms of a charter granted by himself, Alexander Hamilton of Catcastell, passed to the one-mark of Woodland and the half-merk land of Brownland, lying in the barony of Stanehouse and the sheriffdom of Lanark and there gave sasine of these lands with his own hands to James Wynzet, his heirs and assignees in usual form, 29th January 1511-12." Cot Castle farm, which was built much later, lapsed into ruins and was abandoned altogether in the late 1970s. A railway station was also located here at more recent times. Holy Wells Four holy wells stood in Stonehouse in pagan times, but may eventually have been adapted to Christian use as baptismal fonts. Thomas Carlyle, 19th century philosopher and writer, said this of holy wells: It is a curious thing that I remarked long ago and have often turned in my head that the old word for 'holy' in the German language—heilig—also means 'healthy.' And so Heilbronn means 'holy well' or 'healthy well.' We have in the Scotch 'hale,’ and I suppose our English word 'whole'—with a 'w'—all of one piece without any hole in it—is the same word. I find that you could not get any better definition of what 'holy' really is than 'healthy'—completely healthy" Richard Naismith drew the connection between the pagan and Christian use of the well, saying, "It is easy to conceive how this well would be used to administer the rite of Christian baptism and, in those superstitious times, virtues would be attributed to the water of a healing character that would cause such wells to be regarded as holy, and pilgrims from the surrounding country would flock to try the healing properties of the famous wells." He locates the well "between the churchyard and the farm of Eastmains." Site of Ringsdale Castle Ringsdale Castle, like Cot, was not a