The residents of Lanark are set to enjoy the annual Lanimer Day celebrations on Thursday and the run-up to it included the annual Perambulation of the Marches.
The tradition dates back to 1752, and gives citizens the opportunity to walk the route which bound the area of the former Royal Burgh.
For the first 100 years or so, the route was completed by riders on horseback on a Thursday but to prevent damage to farmers crops it was changed to foot and now takes place on a Monday.
Led by the Lord Cornet and ex-Lord Cornets’, participants check march stones along the route which is over three miles and marks the boundary of the Burgh.
It set off from Lanark Sheriff Court and follows a route along Waterloo Road to Woodend where “Birks” are handed out - branches from the birch tree which relate to a number of disputes with the Laird of Jerviswood,
One of which centred on an accusation that a crowd of participants in the Perambulation of the Marches damaged 300 young birch trees while “trespassing” on the Laird’s land.
The week of Lanimer celebrations had kicked off in earnest the day before when the “Kirkin’” of the new Lord Cornet, Ross Fitzgerald, by Lanimer Secretary Molly Cumming.
Molly said: “Lanark was a Royal Burgh until 1976, initially in the twelfth century it was given Royal land and had to promise the King at the time that they would ensure that everything within the lands was kept safe. So they put “March” stones - landmark stones - around the town. There are 17 of them existing at the moment. And that’s what Lanimer means - landmark day.
“The only issue we’ve had this year is places to build for the procession, the last big shed we had to build our lorries was on Ladyacre Road was sold and demolished.
"Fortunately, South Lanarkshire Council is building a new one for us out near Lanark Loch, but it wasn’t ready for this year. Some people start building in March. Thankfully the weather has been good this year.
“We have a lot of what we call push-pulls which aren’t dependant on tractors or lorries to pull them. The [main] procession has nearly 700 in it. Even the weather forecast is looking good.”
The Perambulation of the Marches was followed by the Equestrian Procession and then the Shifting of the Standard ceremony and Sashing of the Lord Cornet.
Horses are a big part of the week’s celebrations but that has also proven to be slightly problematic.
“The equestrian side is quite a big part of it,” said Molly.
“There are two or three people we hire horses from and they lost some of them, during Covid. Then they’ve had to train other horses.
“There just aren’t as many horses available, not as many as we’d like to have, but we will certainly have around 50. It’s just another thing that will take another two or three years to get back to normal.”
Roads through Lanark will be closed today from 8am until 7pm. Parking is available at Braidfute Retail Park, South Vennel, North Vennel, Castlegate and Kildare Park. Drivers are requested not to park their cars on the processional routes.
We will have the very best of the Lanimer Day celebrations in pictures in next week’s Hamilton Advertiser.
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