Clydesdale

Clydesdale (pronounced ; in Scottish Gaelic, ) was a local government district in the Strathclyde region of Scotland from 1975 to 1996. The district was initially called Lanark when created in 1975, but changed its name to Clydesdale in 1980. Clydesdale was an old name for the county of Lanarkshire, one of the historic counties of Scotland. Both the names Clydesdale and Strathclyde reference the area's position in the valley (strath or dale) of the River Clyde. History The district was created in 1975 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, which established a two-tier structure of local government across mainland Scotland comprising upper-tier regions and lower-tier districts. Lanark was one of nineteen districts created within the region of Strathclyde. The district covered the whole area of five former districts from the historic county of Lanarkshire: Biggar Burgh Lanark Burgh First District Second District Third District The district was initially named "Lanark" after the area's main town. The council changed the name to "Clydesdale" in 1980. The district was roughly conterminous to Lanarkshire's historic 'upper ward', being its southern part, the largest part in area but more rural and agricultural in character than the 'middle' and 'lower' wards which covered the densely-populated industrial towns in and around the lower Clyde Valley and the city of Glasgow. The district was abolished in 1996 under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 which replaced regions and districts with unitary council areas. South Lanarkshire council area was formed covering the districts of Clydesdale, East Kilbride, Hamilton, and parts of the City of Glasgow district.