Witnesses at Arthur’s birth were Robert CHAPMAN and Robert WATSON in Langside.
The 1841 Census District Cathcart shows Arthur WATSON aged 30. GROS Data 560/00 003/00 001

In 1808 a surprise discovery was made on the grounds of Overlee Farm which could have been one of Glasgow’s finest archaeological finds but instead has become almost forgotten, having been destroyed and re-buried soon after it was uncovered. Having decided to build a new farm steading, Arthur Watson, proprietor of the Overlee estate, set about opening a sandstone quarry by removing soil from a prominent hill to the west of his farm (in the area now covered by Summerhill Rd, Overlee Road and Linwood Avenue). In the process, he uncovered a cluster of 42 semi-subterranean buildings- 36 ranged in a circle around the face of the hill and a further 6 around the crown of the hill. The back of the semi-circular dwellings were cut into the face of the hill and each had walls of stone five feet high. Each apartment was 8-12 feet across with a stone-flagged floor and a central hearth and was reached by a low covered passage to the outside. The ‘Weems’ (a Scots word for a cave or subterranean passage) would have been roofed either in thatch or stone or possibly even turf carried on a wooden framework. The floors were covered in a thick black mould which may have been the decayed organic remains of the roof. Twelve stone hand-querns, used for grinding grain, were found in the houses along with piles of 2-3” diameter water-smoothed pebbles found next to the fireplaces. It was later suggested that these could have been some form of primitive cooking-aid whereby food was cooked using heated stones, hence their location next to the hearth. In reality, anything kept on the floor in a building this size would be next to the fireplace. The fact that these pebbles were gathered and kept in the houses, and that they were all of similar size with smooth surfaces suggests that it is likely that they were missiles to be fired from a sling. The unfortunate element of this intriguing story is that before a record could be made of the dwellings, they were robbed out completely of their stonework.
A short distance from the buildings, a stone-lined grave called a cist was also discovered and was found to contain a pottery food vessel full of ashes from a human cremation, characteristic of Bronze Age burial. In the ‘New Statistical Account of Scotland’ of 1845, where the story of the weems is first related, the author also states that they were located near “The old castle of Lee or Williamwood”. Lee was the original name for what is now Clarkston . The narrative continues ”Several years ago, the proprietor, in clearing away the old foundations of the castle, which interfered with the rectilinear operations of the plough, found within the square which they enclosed many human bones which he avers were of almost superhuman magnitude.” This tells us that the Castle of Lee and the Overlee Weems had their stone robbed out in the early 19th century. The castle appears to have been built over a graveyard – burials don’t tend to occur within the vaulted cellar of a castle. The likely prehistoric date of the weems does not necessarily mean that they are contemporary with the bronze age burial cist found nearby.
It was common practice to re-use stone from defunct structures or buildings in the 19th century. Unfortunately this has robbed the area of two important historical sites – Lee Castle and the underground village of Overlee. Although the stone was taken, other archaeological evidence may survive. The area is now covered in houses, but it remains possible that underneath some of their gardens are the remains of Clarkston’s prehistoric past.

Site Record for Clarkston, Overlee GlasgowTextcontribution, Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Canmore is the heart of the RCAHMS archive. It provides searchable, map-based information on buildings and archaeological sites throughout Scotland.