The continued growth of the importance of the village during  the 18th century resulted in Alexander, eighth Earl of Eglinton, seeking and obtaining an Act of arliament authorising a yearly fair and a weekly market to be held at Eaglesham.

In his petition to Parliament the Earl says that the village is ‘above six miles distant from any burgh royal or from any other place where markets or fairs are kept, and that lying on the Kings highway it is a most fit and convenient place for keeping markets’. The Act grants ‘ane yeirlie frie fair to be keepit within the kirktoun of Eglishame upon the twentie fourt day of Aprile yeirlie with ane weekly mercat to be kept therat upon each Thursday, for buying and selling of all sort of merchandise and other commodities necessar and useful for the country’.

The weekly market has long since been abandoned; for some time, in place of the fair, a flower show was held, but recently a biennial fair has been re-established with our latest one being held on the 30th of May 2009.