Old Monkland was a parish in the former county of Lanarkshire, some 7 miles (10 km) southwest of Cumbernauld, now in North Lanarkshire, and 6 miles (10 km) north of Hamilton, now in South Lanarkshire. It contained the town of Coatbridge. Old Monkland was part of the area of coal mining and iron and steel production which brought it to importance during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The coal mines and almost all the iron and steel foundaries have now closed. Alexander Crichton moved around a lot more than some of the other members of this branch of the family tree at this time. As a coal miner he moved from one pit to the next as work dictated.