This remarkable newspaper clipping is from the “Calendonian Mercury” newspaper Wednesday 22nd September 1769. It describes an event that took place 244 years ago tomorrow, on 8th December 1769. Described in that newspaper is the sale or let of the lands of Bellsfield, Birdsfield and Burnbrae (that ultimately became Broompark). After the sale, substantial farms or grand houses were built on each piece of land. Bellsfield farms eventually became the housing estate that current borders next to the A725 EK Expressway and Birdsfield is now the Timber Houses. The document charters another little piece of the jigsaw that formed Blantyre’s beginnings. Importantly, the names Birdsfield, Bellsfield and Burnbrae were already established before 1769. The lands in each of Birdsfield and Bellsfield were known to have been farmed before this advert and had been in the hands of the Hamilton family for some considerable time prior to the 1700’s.