royal burgh (town), South Lanarkshire council area, historic county of Lanarkshire, south-central Scotland, situated by the right bank of the River Clyde (Clyde, River), southeast of the Glasgow metropolitan area. The town developed around a castle built by David I of Scotland (David I) (reigned 1124–53), who made the town a royal burgh. Lanark is now primarily a residential town and a market centre for an agricultural area, with regular livestock sales.

New Lanark, 1 mile (1.6 km) south, was founded in 1785 as a cotton-spinning centre, by David Dale with the support of Sir Richard Arkwright (Arkwright, Sir Richard), inventor of the spinning frame. New Lanark became well known for its humane working and living conditions, brought about by the experiments of the socialist Robert Owen (Owen, Robert), Dale's son-in-law. New Lanark now houses a historic village and visitor centre with interpretive tours and exhibits; the village was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2001. Pop. (2001) 8,253.