Chapeltoun

Chapeltoun is an estate on the banks of Annick Water in East Ayrshire, Scotland.

Templeton and the Knight's templar

The name Chapeltoun is of fairly recent origin as Pont's map (a topographer and cartographer of the 1600's) does not show such a placename, however he does show a Tempelton in approximately the right place between the river Annick and the river Glazert. Other Knight's Templar temple-lands were to be found at the Templehouse fortalice in the old village of Darlington near Stewarton, Templehouse near Dunlop, at the Templetounburn on the outskirts of Crookedholm and at several other places in the area, such as Temple-Ryburn and Temple-Hapland.

In 1312 the Knight's Templar order, who's headquarters had been at Torphichen, was disbanded (Dobie 1876) and its lands given to the Knights of St.John (of St John's Ambulance fame). Lord Torphichen as preceptor obtained the temple-land tenements and the lands passed through the hands of Montgomerie of Hessilhead to Wallace of Cairnhill (now Carnell) in 1720, before passing out of the hands of the aristocracy. A tenement is a grant of land which has a building on it and is held in tenure by the tenent (Robinson 1985).

The farms in the area used the Chapelton name in 1829 and Armstrong's 1775 map shows and names the Chapel. The name change fron Templetoun to Chapelton may have resulted from the end of the official existence of the temple-lands sometime after 1720 or as a result of the breaking up of the ownership of these lands at around this date or slightly earlier. Thus the name Templeton was in use in 1604-1608 (Pont 1604), but not by 1775 (Armstrong 1775). The appelation 'ton or toun' simply refers to a farm house and its associated buildings (Robinson 1985).

Paterson states that on the lands of Langshaw (now Lainshaw) there was a chapel, dedicated to the Virgin Mary and that it had an appropriate endowment. After the reformation the endowment was appropriated by the patron and the chapel allowed to fall into ruins. Temple-lands did not pay teins to maintain the local church and they were therefore a highly prized and lucrative asset.

In 1616 the patronage was in the hands of Sir Neil Montgomerie of Lainshaw as granted by the Earl of Eglintoun, but by 1661 the patronage once again held directly by the Earl of Eglintoun as indicated below. The site of the chapel was called Chapeltoun in the 17th. century and Chapel by 1874.

Dobie in 1874 records that Hugh, Earl of Eglintoun inherited in May 1661 the 10 merk land of Langshaw with the patronage of the chapel of the Blessed Virgin within these lands. A reference is made to a James Wyllie, whose family held these lands for several generations. This statement is made as part of a reference to the 5 merk lands of Gallaberry which were part of a larger area of land, most of which belonged to the estate of Dunlop. The name Gallaberry is thought to be derived from the saxon word burgh and the celtic word Gauls, the term meaning therefore the burgh, mansion or strength of the Gauls.

Interestingly Dobie lists three families with the name Tempiltoun in the Kilmaurs valuation role of 1640 and no other Cunninghame parishes have this name listed.

The Chapel Hill

Dobie states that two chapels existed, one at Lainshaw and one at Chapeltoun, however he may have confused the term 'attached' which can mean that it was on the land of or had been endowed by the owner or the lord of the Barony, rather than necessarily being in close proximity to the castle/house of Lainshaw. If Paterson is right, and he was brought up locally, then our knowledge of the history of the Chapel Hill is greatly enhanced.

In January 1678 Robert Cunynghame, druggist / apothecary in Edinburgh, is stated to be the heir to Anne, daughter of Sir Robert Cunynghame of Auchenharvie. She was his cousin german and part of the inheritance was 10 merk land of Fairlie-Crivoch, with the chapel lands and glebe of Fairlie-Crivoch. No other chapel is in the locality, so this most probably refers to the Chapel at Chapeltoun. He also owned much of the the lands of Lambroughton.

Crivoch was a barony and the lands had been split between Lindsay-Crevoch and Montgomerie-Crevoch. Fairlie Crevoch could be either the property close to the old Crivoch Mill at Kennox or the old farm of the same name at Cunninghamhead.

The topography of the area is typical of the sort of site chosen for early ecclesiastical establishments and the building of chapels or churches on pagan sites is a classic example of the way that christianity supplanted pagan beliefs and practices.

The chapel can never have been very large and was abandoned at the time of the protestant reformation in Scotland led by the ex-Roman Catholic priest John Knox (1514 to 1572). Interestingly is not marked as a ruin on the 1775 Armstrong map, although he marks ruins elsewhere and no obvious reason exists for its survival to this date. We do know that this site was just called 'chapel' at this time, and it is named as such on Armstrong's map.

No evidence for the site of the priest's dwelling exists, however the site of the old Templeton/Chapleton House suggest itself. If the Laigh marked on the 1775 map refers to Laigh Chapelton then the antiquity of the site is further enhanced as it is the only other named site in the vicinity of the chapel.

The history of the monastic settlement and the chapel of Saint Mary at the Thugart stane/T'Ogra Stane/Thurgatstane/Thorgatstane/Field Spirit Stane/Ogrestane near Dunlop is a parallel example to the Chapel Hill. The pagan stone is still there, 13 feet long, 10 feet broad and 4 feet high (Smith 1895), but no evidence of the christian sites is visible, apart from the inconspicuous holy well in the field bordered by the burn. Bayne states that the stone may have been a 'rocking or logan' stone at one time and it is recorded that the farmer was not permitted to plough within a set distance of the stone, presumably because of a tradition of pagan burials around this monument, which is a 'glacial erratic' in origin.

Both these religious sites are in sheltered valleys, with amble running water and are hidden from view.

As stated the 1775 Captain Armstrong maps of Ayrshire clearly shows a chapel marked on the Chapeltoun mound, so it was known to exist at this time, however the remains were slowly mined/removed over the years by local farmers and used for building work, etc. The remains of the chapel would have been hard to locate by the early 19th. century.

Smith, the well known antiquarian, in 1895 describes the mound as being 22 paces in diameter, 20 feet high on the low side and 7 feet high on the high side. He states that it is well cared for and that a flight of steps, not clearly visible today, ran up from its base to the top. However he makes no reference to any remains of the chapel itself. The 1897 25" to the mile OS shows a path at the Chapelhill House side of the mound and a possibly a curving path or steps up. Smith also states that the mound was repaired some fifty years before, which fits in with the approximate dates for the likely construction of the Chapleton (old) house, by or for James McAlister (Dobie 1876) who is given as the owner of Chapelton at around this time, and it is stated in 1874 that the chapel ruins were found some 40 years before. i.e. around 1834.

Alternative local names for the mound are the 'Jockey's cap' and the 'Monk's Graveyard', indeed the 1897 OS map states that human bones were found in the hill. John Dobie in his additional notes to his father's work, calls the site 'the chapletons'. The mound itself is one of the finest preserved bronze age burial mounds in Ayrshire (Smith 1895). A previous owner of the Chapel Hill carried out an unofficial excavation in recent years.

The name 'Jockey's Cap' originates from the days when the annual 'Stewarton Bonnet Guild Festival' included horse racing - like the 'Irvine Marymass' Celebrations still do. The mound was the perfect site for viewing the 'racecourse' set out on the field below 'Chapeltoun Mains'. The shape of the mound is reminiscent of a jockey's cap.

In the 1980's a group of 'wicca' chose the Chapel Hill top to hold a 'halloween' festival with a large bonfire, etc., much to the surprise of the locals.

Chapelton and the Kennox Connection

In around 1700 John Somerville of the Kennox Estate in Lanarkshire purchased the Bollingshaw (now Bonshaw) barony and built Kennox House (Paterson 1847) on the the lands of Montgomerie-Crevoch. He married Janet, eldest daughter and heiress of Alexander Montgomerie of Assloss near Kilmarnock. William Somerville succeeded to the property in 1743 and married Lilias Porterfield of Hapland. A daughter, Janet, married Charles McAlester in 1792, only son of Angus McAlester of Loup, Chief of the Clan. Colonel Charles McAlester of Loup and Kennox became Deputy Lieutenant of Ayrshire, and Commandant of the first regiment of Ayrshire Local Militia.

Charles and Janet had four children. They bequeathed the part of the barony of Bollingshaw named Chapleton to their younger son James, who never married and died in 1857. Charles the father died in 1847 and his eldest son, also called Charles Somerville McAlester, born in 1828 and married to Mary Brabazon, inherited the Kennox estate. It is recorded by Dobie that the older Charles was an eccentric and was one of the last of the country squires of old in his attitudes and behaviour.

The Kennox consisted of the lands of Crevoch-Lindsay, Crevoch-Montgomerie, part of the lands of Bonshaw and the lands of Fairlie-Crevoch, including the chapel lands and the glebe.

No date is given for when James McAlester obtained Chapleton, however we know from Dobie that another James, nephew of the aforementioned James, was the owner in 1874. The nephew also never married.

Templeton becomes Chapleton and develops into an Estate

The Armstrong map of 1775 show a 'Laigh' in fairly close proximity to the 'Chapel'. This is in all probability Laigh Chapelton, suggesting that Laigh Chapelton existed at this date and adding strength to the supposition that it was a building, or the site of a building, of some considerable antiquity.

We know that the formal name change from Templeton to Chapleton did not occur as a result of the rediscovery of the chapel ruins by the new landowner, James McAlister, for indeed it had clearly never been truly lost as such. However the discovery may help provide an approximate date for the reconstruction / extension of the house at Laigh Chapelton.

Paterson says in 1847 that the chapel discovery was some years before, evidence from Dobie gives us the date of 1836 and Smith's evidence gives the date of 1845. Aitken shows only a Laigh Chapelton Farm in 1829 and all this suggests that the 'old' Chapelton House and estate were developed in around 1830 to 1850. They appears complete in the 1858 OS map.

A legal document, 'Defences for James Wilson of High Chapelton sued by John Miller of Laigh Chapelton' in 1820 gives us the names of the tenents of both of these properties at this time (see Misc.).

The early to mid 1800's is a time during which many country houses were built, modernised or extended (Davis 1981) and OS maps show the increasing importance of the Laigh Chapelton estate around this time, with the development of formal gardens (from the 1858 OS), new driveways, etc. The first track corresponding to the present main entrance appears in the OS of 1897.

Chapeltoun Mains farm changes its name from simple Chapelton, which Laigh Chapelton now adopts, sometime between 1829 and 1858. This suggests that at this time Chapelton Mains was the home farm prior to the building of what is now Chapelhill House, in around 1911, as judged from the OS maps. A small building appears near the site of Chapelburn Cottage from 1858.

A farm called Mosshead was situated in the fields of Bottoms Farm with its entrance just after the bridge over the Chapel Burn. All trace of it above ground has vanished, whilst Bogside cottage is still represented by building debris at the edge of the field near the entrance to the Bogflat Farm, which has itself been lovelingly rebuilt in the last few years (circa 2004).

Windwaird is the name given by Aitken in 1829 to a house on the Torranyard to Stewarton road, not far from the old entrance (with its demolished gatehouse) to Lainshaw House that runs through the Anderson Plantation. This building is called Parkside on the OS maps, it is marked on the 1960, but not the 1974 OS. Interestingly in 1616 the "lands of the Waird, etc." were conveyed to David Cunninghame of Robertland by William, Lord Kilmaurs (McNaught 1912), but any connection with this site is unproven. A waird is a feudal land tenure right conferred through military service obligations of tenants (see Definitions and Scot's words).

High Chapleton is marked on the 1858 OS, together with a limekiln and a ford over the Annick. An old track is seen running from the farm to the field containing the 'Miller's House' near Laigh Castleton, however ploughing in this field has not turned up any worked building stones.

The Chapelton Estate is unfortunately not mentioned in the 'Rambles Round Kilmarnock' by Archibald R. Adamson who writes in some detail about the area in 1875 although it would have been well established by this time and other writers do not seem to mention the estate.

The Construction of Chapeltoun House and other Developments

The Chapelton (old) house was demolished in around 1908, possibly following a fire as this is the strong local tradition for the demise of the house. Some of the dressed stonework may have been used in the building of the new house, garden and drive walls, the sides of the Chapel burn and elsewhere. The walling around the field side of the Chapel Hill mound was brought in from elsewhere at a much later date by the owner of Chapeltoun Mains, Mr.A.Robertson.

The gate to the field below the mound has three sandstone gateposts laid horizontally, two of them are exceptionally large and could be the ornamented gateposts from the old entrance and driveway to Chapleton (old) House. The actual drive is now represented by the curling pond behind the walled up entrance and the OS maps show an entrance here until at least 1911. Chapletoun Mains has only one gatepost and both High Chapletoun and Chapelhill house have none. These changes probably reflect the requirement to have access for large modern farm machinery. The gateposts are machine cut sandstone and the same design is found elsewhere, such as opposite Peacockbank Farm (previously Pearce Bank) near Stewarton, near the original entrance road to Lochridge. In 1775 Armstrong's map shows the road goung no further than Lochridge (formerly Lochrig).

During demolition it was noted (Davis 1991) that the stonework in the lower story of Chapelton (old) House was noticeably older than the upper story as would be expected if Laigh Chapelton had developed into Chapelton when it acquired an owner with greater financial means, Mr.James McAlister (or McAlester), who added an upper story, developed the ornamental gardens and probably built the bridge over the river with the associated 'ha-ha' (see the section on the estate gardens and landscape).

Michael Davis records that Hugh Neilsen, the owner of 'Summerlee Iron Company' had the present mansion house designed in 1908 by Alexander Cullen, an architect from Hamilton. The family moved into the house in 1910, however The gate-lodge was not built until around 1918, having been designed by Cullen, Lochhead and Brown. R.W.Schultz had proposed a terraced garden in 1911, but it is not known to what extent the existing terraces reflect this design. The pillars at the base of the main flight of steps incorporate old ornamental worked sandstone, presumably from 'old Chapelton'. The name 'Chapletoun', with the extra letter 'u' was presumably adopted for the new mansion house.

Hugh Nielsen was a keen player of the bagpipes and the music could be heard at many of the surrounding farms, drifting up from the estate gardens. He was also very fond of curling and as soon as the weather was cold enough he would invite all the locals down for a match and a dram at his curling pond. It is believed to have been restored when the house was a hotel, using concrete and tarmac.

The Chapeltoun Estate was never very large, incorporating Chapeltoun Mains, High Chapeltoun, the home farm (now Chapelhill House), Chapelburn Cottage, Bogside cottage and Bogflat. 'Cankerton' and 'Bloomridge' were part of the 'Kennox Estate'.

Bogside cottage was lived in by Mr.Troup and his family. He was the Chapletoun House gardener. Mr.Thow (pronounced Thor) a forester, lived with his family at the Bogflat Farmhouse. A chauffeur, a Mr.McLean lived at Chapelburn cottage.

The 'mansion' house of 1910 has had a number of changes of use, being the headquarters of an insurance company and a hotel under several different owners, before becoming a family home again around 2003.

The Toll Road

This road was a turnpike as witnessed by the name Crossgates (Stewarton 3 and Irvine 5 1/4 miles), Gateside (near Stacklawhill Farm) and the check bars that are shown at Crossgates and at the Bickethall road end to prevent vehicles, horse riders, etc. turning off the turnpike and avoiding the toll charges.

The milestone near Kirkmuir is likewise missing, presumed buried. Nearby Kirkmuir is the Freezeland plantation as marked on the 1858 OS, nowadays it is a smallholding wuthout a dwelling house. The name and the existence of this small patch of seperately owned land are both unsolved puzzles.

The name 'Turnpike' originated from the original 'gate' used being just a simple wooden bar attached at one end to a hinge on the supporting post. The hinge allowed it to 'open' or 'turn' This bar looked like the 'pike' used as a weapon in the army at that time and therefore we get 'turnpike'.

Other than providing better roads, the turnpikes settled the confusion of the different lengths given to miles (Thompson 1999), which varied from 4,854 to nearly 7000 feet. Long miles, short miles, Scotch or Scot's miles (5,928 feet), Irish miles (6,720 feet), etc. all existed. 5280 seems to have been an average!

Another point not often realised is that when the toll roads were constructed the Turnpike Trusts went to considerable trouble to improve the route of the new roads and these changes could be quite considerable.

None of the toll road milestones survive because they were buried during the Second World War to prevent them from being used by invading troops, agents, etc.!

Features of the Estate Gardens and Landscape

In the woodland policies of Chapeltoun House is the Monk's Well (OS 1974), fountain or spring as indicated on the OS maps going back as far as 1858. Its present appearance is probably as a Victorian or Edwardian 'whimsy' or 'folly' with a large, thick sandstone 'tombstone appearance' with a slightly damaged cross carved in relief upon it and a spout through which the spring water once passed into a cast iron 'bowl'.

It seems unlikely from the workmanship that this stone and cross have anything to do with the old chapel, but one slight possibility is that it came from over the entrance door to Laigh Chapelton as the custom was for a Templar property to have the cross' symbol of the order displayed in such a fashion (Dobie 1876). It is more likely that it was made for the Chapelton (old) House to associate the building with the christian history of the site. The stone is unusually thick and has been clearly reworked to pass a spout through it.

A well is marked near the Chapelton (old) House which became a pump later and may now be represented by a surving stone lined well with steps leading down to it. The water from this well was used to fill the Curling Pond which was built by the Neilsen's on the site of the original driveway into the old house/farm.

At the top edge of riverside meadow are to be found a couple of sizeable glacial erratics, which were dug out during the construction of the sewerage treatment plant.

The remains of the abutments of a footbridge across the river are visible where the garden boundary hedge meets the Annick. This presumably Victorian or Edwardian feature would take people across to the area now thick with rhododendrons (R.ponticum), typically planted by estate owners and hated by conservationists due to the invasive nature of the plants growth habit.

On the Lambroughton side of the river is a substantial wall with a wide ditch in front, built with considerable labour and of no drainage function. This structure was probably a 'ha-ha' (sometimes spelt har har) or sunken fence which is a type of boundary to a garden, pleasure-ground, or park so designed as not to interrupt the view and to not be seen until closely approached. The ha-ha consists of a trench, the inner side of which is perpendicular and faced with stone, with the outer slope face sloped and turfed - making it in effect a sunken fence. The ha-ha is a feature in the landscape gardens laid out by Charles Bridgeman, the originator of the ha-ha (according to Horace Walpole) and was an essential component of the "swept" views of Lancelot 'Capability' Brown.

"The contiguous ground of the park without the sunk fence was to be harmonized with the lawn within; and the garden in its turn was to be set free from its prim regularity, that it might assort with the wilder country without. Most typically they are found in the grounds of grand country houses and estates and acted as a means of keeping the cattle and sheep out of the formal gardens, without the need for obtrusive fencing. They vary in depth from about 4 feet (Chapeltoun House) to 9 feet (Petworth).

The old driveway to Lainshaw House off the Stewarton to Torranyard road has a 'ha-ha' on the side facing the home farm before it reaches the woods.

The name may be derived from the response of ordinary folk on encountering them and that they were, "...then deemed so astonishing, that the common people called them Ha! Ha's! to express their surprise at finding a sudden and unperceived check to their walk." An alternative theory is that it describes the laughter of those who see a walker fall down the unexpected hole.

A seat may have been situated by the ha-ha and the woodland view would have been, and indeed still is, very attractive as this area is clearly an ancient woodland remnant. The stone boundary wall stops in line with the ha-ha.

The Chapeltoun Bridge over the Annick is a specifically designed sandstone structure complementing the scene and possibly matching the architecture of the Chapelton (old)House. 'Stepping stones' are marked on the 1897 OS map as being located just downstream from here. Immense labour has been expended building walls on either side of the river and even the Chapletoun Burn bed is 'cobbled'.

'Fossilised' linear bands of stone deposition in gardens which were part of this 'boundary' field suggest that the old 'rig and furrow' system was used, however extensive modern ploughing has hidden the 'tell tale' signs (McNaught 1912). The amount of stone clearance in the 'Lambroughton Woods', bearing plough scoring, illustrates the extent of the ploughing. Other fields in the area still show these unmistakable signs of cultivation and place names such as Lochrig (now Lochridge) preserve the history of the practice.

The Bloak Well

Paterson states that their is a mineral spring near Stewarton, called the Bloak Well. Robinson gives the Scot's word 'blout' as meaning the 'eruption of fluid' or a place that is soft or wet. Both meanings would fit in this context. Blout and Bloak are very similar words, with a Bloak Moss not very far away at Auchentiber.

Bloak Well was first discovered in around 1826, by the fact that pigeons from neighbouring parishes flocked here to drink. The birds would be after the rich calcium supply in the mineral water which they needed to form their eggshells.

Mr.Cunningham of Lainshaw built a handsome house over it in 1833 and appointed a keeper to take care of it. No obvious signs remain today other than a number of dressed sandstone blocks. The main spring has been covered over and the water piped out.

The Chapel burn rises near the Anderson Plantation in the fields below Lainshaw Mains and is marked as being a chalybeate or mineral spring on the 1911 6" OS map. Bore holes nearby suggest that the water was put to a more formal use at one time, supplying cattle troughs or possibly even for a stand pipe as mineral water was popular for its supposed curative properties. According to the opinion of the day, it could cure ‘the colic, the melancholy, and the vapours; it made the lean fat, the fat lean; it killed flat worms in the belly, loosened the clammy humours of the body, and dried the over-moist brain.

The chalybeate spring described here is the only water source in the area which is identified as being a mineral spring and therefore it is more than likely that the Bloak Well was the name given to the spring which is the source of the Chapel burn.

The March Dyke and a Dispute between Neighbours

The Chapeltoun march is a significant historic survival in an Ayrshire context and in addition we have some information about its construction (Smith 2006). We are told in 1820 that "the march was built some many years ago" when such boundaries were "quite a new thing and thought by some to be rather an incovenience". Ditchers were employed to build it and thorns and trees were purchased to plant on it. The word fence is used as well as dyke in regards of the construction method and thorns and trees were planted on the dyke.

Part of the march dyke is still clearly indicated by a large coppiced beech and we know that this coppicing or pollarding was done because such 'marker' trees will live considerably longer than trees which have been left untouched.

James Wilson of High Chapelton and John Miller of Laigh Chapelton went to court over the matter of the march dyke built between their lands by the father of James (Smith 2006). The document makes it clear that such inclosures were unusual at the time and although John's father very reluctantly agreed to the march dyke being built with a straightening of the old boundary, he did not pay anything towards its construction or for its maintenance, despite the march being of a level of construction which required skilled ditchers to be employed for the task.

The ill-feeling seems to have spread into the next generation for James records that John has cut 'march' trees down in the past and has thrown thorns and brambles from the march into the High Chapletoun's hayfield, a clearly provocative action. The irony is that John of Laigh Chapleton is suing James for cutting down trees from the march dyke and requires money to plant new trees and to compensate for the inconvenience he has been put through. We do not know the outcome, however the action is described as "trifling and frivolous". The clue may be in the term 'straightening' which may imply that John's father agreed to a new march which resulted in some small loss of his lands.

Natural History of the Chapeltoun Estate

The area of 'wild-wood' with its 'sheets of bluebells', the wood rushes, wood sorrel, dog's mercury, snowdrops, celandine, broad buckler, lady and male-shield ferns, helleborine orchids and other species typical of long established woodlands, abruptly ends at the 'march' (estate boundary)indicated by a large earth bund and a boundary coppiced beech. The 1858 OS shows the wood as confined to the area of the ha-ha, however by 1897 the OS shows woodland as far up as the march. The Lambroughton woods beyond (until recently the property of the Montgomery/Southanan Estate) are not shown on the older maps including the 1911 OS, they are shown in the 1960 OS map and are a pine plantations amongst what was scrub or partial woodland cover containing elder, gean, ash, etc. before this the area above the river was not even fenced off at the top where it becomes 'level' with the field.

Although giant hogweed is taking hold along the Annick, the riparian (water side) flora is still indicative of long established and undisturbed habitats. The rare crosswort, (a relative of the goosegrass or cleavers) is found nearby. The river contains, amongst others, brown trout, sea trout, salmon, eels, minnows, and stickleback. The water quality is much improved since the Stewarton cloth mills closed and the river no longer carries their dyes and preservative pollutants.

Kingfishers have been seen just downstream and the estates woodland policies and river contain, amongst others, tawny and barn owls, herons, mallard, ravens, rooks, treecreepers, buzzards, roe deer, mink, moles, grey squirrels, hares, hedgehogs,foxes, badgers and probably otters. Migrating Canada and Graylag Geese frequent the nearby fields on their way up from the Solway Firth/Caerlaverock or coming down from Spitzbergen in the winter.

Duncan McNaught in 1895 records that he found a kingfisher's nest at arms length inside a earthen burrow at Chapleton on the Annick. The area which this river runs through was once called Strathannick (Dobie 1876).

The estate woodlands contains typical species, such as copper beech, horse-chestnut, yew, bay-laurel, oaks, ornamental pines, and a fine walnut. Several very large beeches and sycamores are also present.

Hedgerow trees were not planted by farmers for 'visual effect', they were crops and the wood was used for building, fencing and millers needed beech or hornbeam wood for mill machinery, in particular the cogs on the drive gears.

It is not generally appreciated how much the Ayrshire landscape has changed its character, for even in 1760-70 the Statistical Account it is stated that "there was no such thing to be seen as trees or hedges in the parish; all was naked and open".

Crevoch Mill

Crivoch or Crevoch mill, part of which was recently rebuilt as a family home, was the site of a Mill and associated miller's dwelling, byre, etc. as far back as 1678. The old cornmill mill was part of the Barony of Crevoch and lay in the portion which was called Crivoch-Lindsay.

In 1608 Archibald Lindsay was heir to Andrew Lindsay owner, however by 1617 the lands were in the hands of James Dunlop, whose father was James Dunlop of that Ilk.

In January 1678 Robert Cunynghame, apothecary / druggist in Edinburgh, is stated to be the heir to Anne, daughter of Sir Robert Cunynghame of Auchenharvie. She was his cousin german and part of the inheritance was the 5 merk land of Fairlie-Crivoch and the mill. He also owned some of the lands of Lambroughton.

The grandmother of Mrs.Minnie Hastings of West Lambroughton farm (deceased 2004) had been one of the last occupants of the house at the mill site. A track led from Crivoch up to Bottoms farm and this gave access through to Chapeltoun. The full name of Bottoms farm is Bottoms at Point Crivoch.

The Dusky Cranesbill, a rare garden escape, was recorded by the Glenfield Ramblers' Society of Kilmarnock at Crivoch mill in the 1850's and was still growing at the site in 2004.

The Gallowayford Cists

At Gallowayford near Kennox is the site of the discovery in 1850 (Smith 1895) of stone lined graves about 3 feet square, in a tumuli, in which were found two urns containing flint arrowheads and some 'Druid's glass'. Charles McAlister Esq. of Kennox House, the laird, had ordered these graves to be opened and examined. The flints and the eleven beads (probably made of amber) have been lost after having being taken into the keeping of the laird. They had been at least been photographed and sketched by a visitor in the 1920's. The urns were also feared lost, however it was found that they had been recorded under Loup and not Kennox (as the owner was Laird of both places) in the record of the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland. In 1949 they had been purchased from the estate. This find is one of the very few where two urns were found in the same cist and the assemblage of grave goods is unusual (Ritchie 1981/2).

Bonshaw

William Irvine (c. 1298) (also known as William de Irwin) was a soldier. He was granted land in Aberdeenshire in 1323 by Robert the Bruce for faithful service. This grant included a defensive work known as the Drum Tower, thus William became the first Laird of Drum. The family had previously held the lands of Bonshaw and took their name from the town of Irvine.

Bonshaw (formerly Bollingshaw) was a small estate, however the house has been long demolished and all that remains are the entrance gateposts and an ice house. Near to the existing farm is Hutt Knowe, also known as Bonshaw or Bollingshaw Mound, 17m in diameter and 2.7 m high, variously described as a mounded corn-kiln or lime kiln (Linge 1987). It has large integral basal stones and was described in 1890 (Smith 1895) as having culverts or 'penns' in its sides, although these are not visible today. In 1828, Alexander Ferguson Reid inherited the estate, he was known as the "Ayrshire Genius" and was an inventor and collected antiquities, as well as geological and natural history specimens. He dug into the Druidical Mound or Moot Hill several times and found nothing to help explain its age or purpose (Dobie 1876).

Other Miscellaneous notes of Interest

The Glasgow Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) is housed in an elegant, neo-classical building in Royal Exchange Square in the Glasgow city centre, which was built in 1778 as the townhouse of William Cunninghame of Lainshaw, a wealthy tobacco lord. The building has undergone a series of different uses;It was used by the Royal Bank of Scotland; it then became the Royal Exchange. Reconstruction for this use resulted in many additions to the building, namely the Corinthian pillars to the Queen Street facade, the cupola above and the large hall to the rear of the old house.

Kennox house has a very unusual survival, a saw pit is marked on the 6 inch 1858 OS, used for producing sawn planks. It is still clearly visible today. The present house was built in 1820 and part of the older house, built on the lands of Montgomerie-Crevoch in the old Barony of Crevoch and dated 1762, still survives.

The Glazert burn, previously Glazart or Gawreer (Paterson 1847) has otters and the rare freshwater mussel (source of freshwater pearls). The name comes from the celtic, glas in gaelic meaning grey or green and dur meaning water. It is recorded by Dobie in 1876 as being a favourite resort of fishermen and this is still very much the case today.

Bankend farm near the Annick is marked on the 1775 Armstrong's map, however it shown as a ruin as far back as 1858. Its name was transfered to the farm of Sandilands sometime after 1960 and the name Sandilands or Sandylands dropped, apart from the cottage nearby which still uses it.

Near Stacklawhill is the site of the discovery (Smith 1895) of celts (axe heads) and earthenware in 1875.

On a visit to the Kennox Estate in 1930 the Kilmarnock Glenfield Ramblers Society were told by McAlister, the Laird of Loup and Kennox, that the nearby name Gallowayford is derived from the Gallows which permanently stood beside the ford on the Glazert (Kilm Glen Ramb.1930). It was also noted that an ancient Yew tree grew in the ground which challenged theLoudoun Castle yew in size and antiquity. A very fine specimen of a Hornbeam was also noted.

It

Definitions and Scot's Words

Barony - lands held directly from the crown.

Cousin german - having the same grandparents.

Glebe - land apportioned to a minister in addition to his stipend.

Ham - old English for a village or homestead.

Mains - the home farm of an estate, cultivate by or for the owner.

March - an estate or property boundary, from the old English Mearc a mark.

Merk - a land value of 2/3 of a Scot's pound.

Shaw - a small natural wood.

Teins - a tenth of the income of a property, payable to the church.

Temple - lands belonging to the Knight's Templar.

Tenement - land built on and held in tenure.

Toun or Ton - a farm and its outbuildings.

Ward (waird) - feudal land tenure rights conferred through military service obligations of tenants.

Wardater - the person receiving from the original ward superior the enjoyment of lands held in ward.

Ward-holding, (waird) - tenure of lands through ward rights.

Ward Lands, (waird) - lands held in ward.

Ward Superior, (waird) - the person entitled to draw rent from the lands of a deceased vassal while the heir was still remained a minor, thus unable to perform military service for the ward superior.

Ward Vassal, (waird) - the person holding the lands held in ward.

References

• Aitken, John (1829). Survey of the parishes of Cunningham. Pub. Beith

• Adamson, Archibald R. (1875). Rambles Round Kilmarnock. Pub. T.Stevenson, pps.168-170

• Armstrong and Son. Engraved by S.Pyle (1775). A New Map of Ayr Shire comprehending Kyle, Cunningham and Carrick
• Bayne, John F. (1935). Dunlop Parish - A History of Church, Parish, and Nobility. Pub. T.& A. Constable, pps.10-16

• Dobie, James (1876). Pont's Cunninghame topographized 1604-1608 with continuations and illustrative notices (1876). Pub. John Tweed

• Davis, Michael C. (1991). The Castles and Mansions of Ayrshire. Pub. Spindrift Press, Ardrishaig, pps.206 & 207

• Linge, John (1987). Re-discovering a landscape: the barrow and motte in north Ayrshire. Proceedings of the Society of Antiquities of Scotland. V.117. p.28

• McNaught, Duncan (1912). Kilmaurs Parish and Burgh. Pub. A.Gardner.

• Paterson, James (1847). History of Ayr and a Genealogical Account of the Ayrshire Families. P.452.

• Paterson, James (1866). History of the Counties of Ayr and Wigton.

• Pont, Timothy (1604). Cuninghamia. Pub. J.Blaeu in 1654

• Ritchie, J.N. (1981/82). A Cist from Gallowayford, Stewarton, Ayrshire. Proc Soc Antiq Scot, 112, pps.548-549

• Robinson, Mairi (1985). The Concise Scots Dictionary. Aberdeen. ISBN 0-08-028491.

• Smith, David and Barbara (2006). Defence for James Wilson Sued by John Miller 7th. August 1820. Manuscript.

• Smith, John (1895). Prehistoric Man in Ayrshire. Pub. Elliot Stock. p.85

• Thompson, Ruth & Alan (1999). The Milestones of Arran

External links

• Map sources for Chapeltoun