Many thanks to both Ella and you Anne. I had no idea about the Monkland Canal and I definitely feel the Dikehead which on the mining site also spells it as Dykehead is the place I have been looking for. It all fits perfectly with all the mines around it as well as the Canal. I have been having a great time today looking at the old maps, reading about the Canal etc. Anne I found that site you have mentioned and it is wonderful, could switch back and forth and really the places that were previously and are not there today is amazing. All that I feel is left of the small area called Dikehead/ Dykehead is Dykehead Road and close to it which was Langmuir is now Langmuir Way. Again thanks to all from the list for your help. Ailsa Ailsa Corlett [email protected] www.st.net.au/~ailsa alternative email if having trouble sending to my normal email is: [email protected] From: Anne Burgess [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Saturday, 16 November 2013 3:45 PM To: Ailsa Corlett; [email protected] Subject: Re: [Lanark] Occupation listed as Boatman on Canal - where were the canals in Glasgow If the births are registered in a particular district at that period, then the place of birth is normally in the district where the registration took place. The exception is where a child was born in a different parish from its parents' usual residence, in which case it was registered in the place where the birth occurred, and the Registrar there forwarded the details to the Registrar in the district where the parents normally lived. In this cad you get duplicate index entries. Dykehead is a very common name for a farm, and occurs in parishes all over Scotland. So I don't think that this Dykehead is the one in the parish or the one near the Lake of Menteith. It will be a different Dykehead in the parish of Old Monkland. Go to www.nls.uk and follow the links to the digital maps of Scotland. Select 'Series Maps' and 'OS Six-inch 1843-1882'. Type 'Baillieston' in the search box and hit 'return'. This should produce a map showing Ballieston in the 1850s. Move right from Baillieston until you are level with Baillieston and below the 'M' and 'O' of 'Monkland'. You should find Dikehead, which I am willing to bet is the place you are looking for. You will also see the Monkland Canal snaking across the map above the words 'Old Monkland', and if you move the slider button marked < > at top left of the map you can see the area as it is today. Your 19th century ancestors would not recognise it now. HTH Anne