SHOTTS, a mining and manufacturing parish of Lanarkshire, Scotland. It comprises eight villages, parts of two others, and the town of Cleland (including Omoa) and is served by the North British and Caledonian railways. Pop. (i8gr) 11,957; (1901) 15,562. The parish contains large ironworks, tile, fire-clay and brick-works, and quarries, and includes the Lanark district asylum and a fever hospital. The curious name of Omoa is supposed to have been given to his property by some soldier or sailor who had settled here after the wars in Honduras, of which Omoa is a seaport. Matthew Baillie (1761-1823), famous for his researches in morbid anatomy, and Janet Hamilton (1795-1873), the poetess, were born in the parish of Shotts.
Shotts Heritage Centre portrays the history of the area, from as far back as the Covenanters in the seventeenth century. It also covers the history of the iron and coal industry in Shotts and the surrounding area. Family research facilities are also available. SHOTTS HERITAGE CENTRE (821556 ) Shotts Heritage Centre is a small community-based heritage facility within Shotts Library. Facilities
The displays include the area's covenanting history, as well as the era of the industrial revolution and the rise and fall of local heavy industries such as mining, the railways and iron production. A rare surviving 19th Century lamp post from the Shotts Ironworks has just been installed at the front of the library
As the room housing the Heritage Centre within Shotts Library is quite small, larger groups wishing to visit are asked to book via the parent museum, Motherwell Heritage Centre, on (01698) 251000
tel ( 01501) 821556
