Howwood is a village in Renfrewshire, Scotland. It is between Johnstone and Lochwinnoch, just off the A737 dual carriageway between the nearby town of Paisley and the Ayrshire border. It is served by Howwood railway station. Its name is listed in the late 19th century Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland (see: Gazetteer for Scotland) as "Howwood or Hollow-wood", demonstrating the probable origins of its name.HistoryHistorically part of the civil parish of Lochwinnoch, it now supports its own Community Council.The chief industry in the village was formerly bleaching and the finishing of cotton cloth and thread, particularly from the mills of Paisley and the other Renfrewshire villages. Two main bleaching works existed at Bowfield and Midtownfield, the former being the last to close in the 1960s.In the hills above Howwood lie the remains of Elliston Castle, a tower house once home to the Semple family. A battle took place between Government forces and Covenanters at Muirdykes on the 18 June 1685, led by the Cochrane family of Johnstone.
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