Bust of the last burgh provost is discovered

Pictured with the bust of Hutchison Sneddon are (l-r) North Lanarklshire provost Jean Jones, Culture NL chairwoman Heather McVey, Richard Marshalls wife Jean, Culture NL chief executive Jillian Ferrie and Hutchison Sneddons wife Elizabeth

Hutchison Sneddon, became a councillor in the old burgh in 1958 becoming leader of the council from 1960 to 1977, the latter three years after local government reorganisation to form Motherwell District Council.

He would later become the first commoner to be appointed Lord Lieutenant of Lanarkshire and was also awarded both the OBE and CBE for his services to local politics.

Mr Sneddon was also heavily involved in establishing a twinning link between Motherwell and the town of Schweinfurt in Germany and had links with a wide variety of number of other organisations.

These included: the World Federation of Burns Club, the Royal Marines Association, the Scottish Development Agency, the Scottish Tourist Board, Cumbernauld Development Corporation and the Gas Higher Managers Association of Scotland.

Mr Sneddon and his wife Elizabeth, had three children, Joanne, Irene and Cleland, and were active members of Chalmers Church in Wishaw where they were both Sunday School teachers.

He died in 2009 at the age of 80.

Back in 1975 Motherwell artist Richard Marshall started work to create a sculpture of Mr Sneddon.

For reasons lost to history it was never made public and nearly five years after his death Mr Marshall’s widow Jean recently discovered the fibreglass bust and gifted it to the heritage centre.

Other examples of his work include a wood carving in Dunoon Pavilion and a figure of former Dalziel High rector J K Scobbie, which can be found in the foyer of the school.