I erred in assuming that that inhabitants of the Levern River Valley likely followed the Levern River west to carry the Caldwell surname into Ayrshire and into what Tom describes as Caldwell country, where a multitude of Caldwell surnames surfaced in the 14th and 15th century. It would have more plausible to have said said that Caldwells likely migrated west from the hill area of Neilston (600 feet) and Lochwinnoch (900 feet), which were the peak elevations within the Lervern Valley preceding the descent to sea level at the Ayrshire coast.

I just learned that The Levern River begins at Loch Libo, a few miles to the east of Caldwell Tower (Caldwell Castle) and the former Caldwell Estate (“Tierra de Caldwell”), located on the western hills of the Levern Valley, in the west central lowlands of Scotland. The Levern River flows east to the Clyde Firth, and in so doing, courses past today's village of Uplawmoor and its present day Caldwell Parish Church (Presbyterian), Uplawmorr, and further east past the Neilston Parish Church, Neilston, in which are entombed some of the Mures of Caldwell), and Barrhead. (E. Patricia Dennison, Simon Stranach and Russell Coleman, “Historic Barrhead: Archaeology and Development, The Scottish Burgh Survey,” 2008, published by The Council for British Archaeology and Historic Scotland, £9.5 plus postage.

Uplawmoor, Neilston, and Barrhead lie mostly to the east of the Levern River. The Caldwell Manor and Tower lie to the west of the river, elevated on the flanks of the adjacent Firenze Hills. The location favored Caldwell Manor in presenting a picturesque panoramic view of the entire Levern Valley and in preserving the purity of the artesian springs clear of any ground water contamination on the floor of the Valley. The Tower rests on basaltic rock that contributes to its stability.

Virtually identical towers had been erected in Barrhead in the late 15th century, guarding the west and east ends of a ford (or bridge. (See Map 33, Baronie of Renfrew, Collected Maps of Timothy Pont, posted online.) These twin towers guarded travelers as they traversed the Levern as they walked or road on Monk's Road (renamed Craigheads Street, then Main Street) to continue their trip from Glasgow to Caldwell Manor.

Dennison's book reveals that in 1160 Robert de Croc [an Anglo-Norman] of Crocstown (Crookston), assigned the patronage of Neilston Parish (Neilstoun), to the monks of the Abbey of Paisley, in return for a regular mass for the benefit of his soul, as so noted in AD 1163 in the Chartulary of the Abbey at Paisley, and the New Statistical Account of Scotland (Edinburgh, 1834-5, vii, 307-308. (E. Patricia Dennison, Simon Stranach and Russell Coleman. Historic Barrhead Archaeology and Development, The Scottish Burgh Survey, published by The Council for British Archaeology and Historic Scotland, 2008, p. 11.) Robert de Croc’s heiress married Stewart of Darnly [sic], giving rise to the Lennox and Darnley line. (Id., and the New Statistical Account of Scotland (Edinburgh, 1834-5, vii, 322.) The Lordship of Neilston passed by marriage to Cunningham of Craigends. (p. 13.)