Dalry, North Ayrshire
Encyclopedia
Dalry is a small town in the Garnock Valley
in Ayrshire
, Scotland
.
.
In 1883 excavations by John Smith of caves in the Dalry Blair estate at Cleeves Cove cave
found evidence of prehistoric man and otter bones.
Aitnock fort at the SW angle of Hindog Glen was excavated by John Smith in 1901-2, it showed a possible dun occupying the summit of a cliff which rises about 60 ft perpendicularly from the Rye Water. He stated in ”Excavations of the forts of Castlehill, Aitnock and Coalhill, Ayrshire” it was defended on one side by the steep drop to the Rye and by a horse shoe shaped deep ditch and stone walls.
The interior was about 30 ft in diameter, the floor had been leveled, then covered with yellow clay over which a pavement of rough slabs and river pebbles were laid.
On the pavement was an accumulation of deposits, in some places 6ins deep, in and on which the relics were found… coins, stone objects, a glass bead, 1st or 2nd century Samian bowl fragments, burnt bones and iron objects.
A sandstone cauldron was found near the centre of the interior, close by was a fireplace of slabs set on edge, this he states was possibly used to heat the water in the cauldron. An irregular lump of sandstone was found, bearing two chiseled cup marks one on each side, almost opposite each other.
During his excavations he found 4 silver Roman coins, all denarii, two of Antoninus Pius
and one each of Vespasian
and Hadrian, all of which came from parts of an upper black layer of occupation. Smith's collection of material from here was donated to the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland in 1981.
At Courthill excavations were undertaken by Cochrane–Patrick (1878) & Dobie (1876) in the 1870s. The remains of a timber hall similar to those in England dated to around the 8th century were found. These digs refer to a timber hall or court structure with a turf roof, that was then replaced by a motte (a structure on a hill) similar to those used by the early Normans infiltrating the area then. Amongst the debris a flint arrow head from an even earlier period was found.
At Auchinskich, meaning Cleeves Cove cave
s, there is a natural cave mentioned as the "Elf House" about 183 feet in length near the middle it expands into a large chamber, 35 feet long by 12 broad, and 12 feet in height.
In the reign of Charles II
, it was said to be a refuge to the covenanter
s of this parish from the violence of their persecutors.
When David I
(1082–1153) was crowned King of Scots he brought in and created a high-ranking Norman aristocracy in his new kingdom. These Norman nobles were given lands creating in Scotland an influential Norman aristocracy.
One of these “nobles or knights” a Hugh de Morville
was made Lord High Constable of Scotland
and given lands in Cunninghame. De Morville probably then gave some of these lands or baronies to a relative a Walter de Lynne, to William de Blair, to William Kerr and to the Boyles of Kelburne
.
The name Lynne then meaning “a waterfall,” is first noted in the area of Dalry in the years 1200-1300 They were located here and had land and owned the Castle of Lin near the waterfall of the Calf.
The name Blair at that time meant “a field clear of woods” and is recognised in the area in late 12th century when a Norman keep was within the barony of Blair. This was later replaced by the Blair castle.
Dalry was mentioned in 1226 as a "chapel of Ardrossan
". The parish of Dalry was probably formed in 1279 when a "Henry, Rector of the Church of Dalry" appears in the Register of the Diocese of Glasgow. Two places of worship in the parish appear by the late 13th century. One on the east bank of the River Garnock
at Kilcush, and the other on the west, located near the Old Glebe. This was the main parish church, it almost certainly dedicated to St. Margaret of Antioch, a 3rd or 4th century virgin martyr.
A Knights Templar stone coffin of an Ardrossan Baron was found when excavations were made to the Ardrossan Parish Church. It would most likely have been made by a French mason working on the construction of Kilwinning Abbey
during the late 12th - early 13th centuries. “Templand” names derived from the word templar are to be found in the Dalry area.
Lands including the area of Pitcon in Dalry were given by Robert the Bruce to his right hand man Robert Boyd in 1316.
In the 15th century the parish had five main baronies; Kelburne, Blair, Kersland, Lynn and Pitcon
. These names are still reflected in some of the areas, farms, houses and surnames in the area.
Kersland had a church school and ruined castle and is linked to the covenanter Robert Ker of Kersland.
The Rye Water has its source among the nearby high hills. The most interesting spot is that about which the world has been singing for centuries - the spot where it was crossed by a ford below Ryefield House. Before the erection of any bridge at Drakemire, the fording of the stream had occasioned much fun and banter, as shown by the many traditionary verses of the light and beautiful song that commemorates the primitive scene :-
A Rye Water ford still exists to this day (2008).
In 1892 John Fulton installed one of the first hydroelectric plants in Ayrshire, generating electricity for Broadlie House. The dam still exists (2008) and can be seen on the Putyan Burn
close to a pedestrian bridge that gave views of the installation to visitors. The water was carried downstream to a turbine house through a cast iron pipe.
During this period, the family also owned Baidland on the north-western side of Dalry, Highlees just south of Dundonald, and the estate of Bourtreehill near Irvine
. In 1385, the Laird of Lyne rented Baidland to the Cunninghams for one silver penny, then an average week's wages (this being the only known record of Lynns owning Baidland). In 1452, Andrew Lyn, Lord of that Ilk, gave a charter for Highlees to William Hunter of Arnele "for services rendered and to be rendered" (the Lynns remained superiors of Highlees for more than two centuries, their last recorded title being in 1668). In 1505, Andrew Lyne received a charter for Bourtreehill from Robert Frances, Lord of Stane (the last mention of the Lynns of that Ilk in Bourtreehill being in 1608). In 1614 John Lyn of that Ilk is recorded as the lord superior of the lands of 'Hileis' in the parish of Dalry and Patrick Hunter of Hunterston was his baillie.
In 1522, the 16-acre mains of the barony of Lynn were conveyed in a charter from John Lyne of that Ilk to John Lyne of Bourtreehill, described therein as the "... dominical lands of Lyne called Burnesyd, with a house, garden, and Lyne Knoll." In 1532, John Lind [sic] of that Ilk sold the barony to Thomas Boyd. Nevertheless, the Lynns continued to hold the 16-acre mains of the property. In 1583, they were conveyed by Laurence Lyn [of Bourtreehill] to William Lyn, his son and heir apparent; on this occasion, the mains were further described as "... dominical lands of Lyne together with the house called Burnesyd with the garden thereof and Lyne Knoll lying in the town and territory of Lyne bailliary of Cunningham and sheriffdom of Ayr" [emphasis added].
The property included the beautiful Lynn Falls, lying in a glen said to be the dwelling of witches, elves, and fairies. However, that same glen is the location of Peden's Point, where the noted Covenanting minister Alexander Peden preached from a pinnacle forming a natural pulpit overlooking the water above the falls. The Lynns themselves were Presbyterians, and it may be that they willingly made their land available for the preaching of the reformed faith.
The Lords of Lynn became extinct as a landed family in Dalry, but they were remembered in Ayrshire folklore as "a beloved aristocracy that came, lingered a while, and vanished."
Linn House
Built for the Crichtons in 1812, this house was a small mansion house by 1858 with a vaguely 'Elizabethan' appearance. It was purchased by the Neilsen family of Chapeltoun
in 1924 and sold by them in 1960. The house lay empty for a number of years and was demolished so that the site could be redeveloped as a housing estate. Only the gatepiers remain, leading onto the Dalry to Kilwinninmg road.
She said she first met him while walking between her own house and the yard of Monkcastle, and after a discussion he then disappeared through a hole in a wall or dyke, apparently too small for a normal person to pass through.
She said she was trained by her “familiar” on how to make and use ointments to heal livestock and people. She was said to have cured and advised various people from poor children to gentry. As a “wise woman” her strange efforts at the time attracted the attention of the law. Her abilities were more akin to today’s current psychics, and with an understanding of medicinal herbs, she was identified in a time of witchcraft hysteria. It resulted in a conviction and the tragic outcome was that she was burnt at the stake. at Castle Hill in Edinburgh in 1576. She is also said to have been burnt at Corsehillmuir
, just outside Kilwinning.
Alexander Peden
(1626–1686) the renowned covenanting minister and remarked as a “profit” (sic) traveled throughout the district. He was said to have preached from Peden’s Point (a rocky outcrop) in a natural auditorium at the head of the Lynn glen.
When the main parish church at the Glebe was resited at the "cross" in 1608 it created around it a “kirktoun” establishing the village of Dalry. By 1700 the inhabitants of Dalry still however, numbered barely 100 and contained only about six dwellings.
In the mid 18th century, Dalry was still the only town in the parish.
In 1830 there were about 1,000 inhabitants, and the town consisted of five streets, three of these radiated from the "cross" or centre forming a square.Weekly market were held on Thursdays, and there were fairs in January, May and July.
At that time it was a reasonably large irregular shaped rural parish, centred around on the small town of Dalry. The parish included the small settlements / villages of Blair, Burnside, Drakemire, Southfield and the Den.
The opening of numerous limeworks, and a number of coal pits from the 1840s, wholly changed the character of the parish of Dalry. It became an increasingly industrial area peppered with mines to provide the ore and coal to fuel the blast furnaces at the various iron works.
The town lies on the Ayrshire Coast Line
and once was a busier junction with trains from Kilmarnock
and the Dalry and North Johnstone Line
joining the line here. The railway station
at Dalry opened in March 1840 as part of the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway
. The station at Dalry Junction
opened in April 1843 with the line to Kilmarnock via Crosshouse
, subsequently closing in January 1860 with the interchange transferred to Dalry railway station. The line to Kilmarnock remained open with local services ceasing in 1955, with occasional long distance passenger services remaining. The line closed in 1973, following the electrification of the WCML
. The closure of the Dalry and North Johnstone Line to passengers in 1966 and through freight in 1971, and steel freight traffic to Kilbirnie in 1977. Dalry station retained four platforms until rebuilding of the station and associated overbridge as part of the electrification of the Ayrshire Coast line during the early 1980s.
Maps and information of the time indicate a rail line from Blair iron works to the main line. This development of large iron works and the mining of ore and coal further increased the housing stock and population in and around the area. The suburb of Blair for example developed around one such ironworks. Numerous bings next to these excavations in the area are still evident to this day.
Morning and evening daily stage coaches passed through Dalry on the routes between Glasgow and various coastal destinations.
The "Fair Trader" coach stopped at the Crown Inn and the "Herald" coach at the King's Arms neither ran on Sundays. There were also several public houses, which had accommodation for travelers.
The public libraries at the time were the "Dalry Library", the “Dalry Church Library" and the "United Secession Library". At this time the town was lit by gas, by a Company formed in 1834.
The River Garnock
helps to irrigate the valley and, joined by the tributaries Rye Water and Caaf Water
, was a driving force behind the establishment of the town. These waters were utilised by the various mills in the 19th century
The industries of limestone, coal and ironstone assisted Dalry to develop into a thriving mining community.
The iron was smelted in the furnaces of the four great iron companies - the Ayrshire, the Glengarnock, the Eglinton and the Blair. In 1845 a visitor was “astonished at the change and at the numerous tasks of the busy labourers. The blaze of furnaces, the smoke of coal-pits, the whiter volume emitted by limekilns, and the building of houses, are at intervals seen all over the district.”
In the 1870s it is stated that Blair Iron Works and others in the area were part of the group owned by William Baird & Co. who then was the largiest pig iron producer in the world.
This once industrial town, like many such towns in this area of Scotland has seen a sharp decline of traditional industry, which has hit the town hard. In addition to coal mining, iron stone mining and textile manufacturing the town also had clay mines to be used in the areas various brickworks. To produce common red brick these brickworks were also well supplied with clay extracted from coal mine waste, available from the numerous "bings" throughout the valley, whereas the mined clay was required for higher quality fire brick
.
On the edge of the town lies a large chemical plant once operated by Roche, but now run by DSM
.
allowed the weight of the loaded cars, which were disconnected for unloading, to return the empty ones back up to the mine.
The surface of the inclined plane railroad was paved with firebricks, for employees to walk up the tracks to get to the main Dalry to Kilwinning road where they could catch a bus. The small brick structure gave them shelter from the weather, while they waited. The building is open on the southerly side, and originally had windows on the others (now bricked in), so that they could watch for the next bus coming. The current access road and bridge are more recent additions, as formerly vehicular access to the works was by a road which connected to the area near the railway station, almost a mile to the north. The railway went through a short cutting and passed under the main road in a short tunnel. A truck has been preserved at the nearby Dalgarven Mill
Museum of Scottish Country Life and Costume.
Dalry is a small town in the Garnock Valley
in Ayrshire
, Scotland
.
.
In 1883 excavations by John Smith of caves in the Dalry Blair estate at Cleeves Cove cave
found evidence of prehistoric man and otter bones.
Aitnock fort at the SW angle of Hindog Glen was excavated by John Smith in 1901-2, it showed a possible dun occupying the summit of a cliff which rises about 60 ft perpendicularly from the Rye Water. He stated in ”Excavations of the forts of Castlehill, Aitnock and Coalhill, Ayrshire” it was defended on one side by the steep drop to the Rye and by a horse shoe shaped deep ditch and stone walls.
The interior was about 30 ft in diameter, the floor had been leveled, then covered with yellow clay over which a pavement of rough slabs and river pebbles were laid.
On the pavement was an accumulation of deposits, in some places 6ins deep, in and on which the relics were found… coins, stone objects, a glass bead, 1st or 2nd century Samian bowl fragments, burnt bones and iron objects.
A sandstone cauldron was found near the centre of the interior, close by was a fireplace of slabs set on edge, this he states was possibly used to heat the water in the cauldron. An irregular lump of sandstone was found, bearing two chiseled cup marks one on each side, almost opposite each other.
During his excavations he found 4 silver Roman coins, all denarii, two of Antoninus Pius
and one each of Vespasian
and Hadrian, all of which came from parts of an upper black layer of occupation. Smith's collection of material from here was donated to the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland in 1981.
At Courthill excavations were undertaken by Cochrane–Patrick (1878) & Dobie (1876) in the 1870s. The remains of a timber hall similar to those in England dated to around the 8th century were found. These digs refer to a timber hall or court structure with a turf roof, that was then replaced by a motte (a structure on a hill) similar to those used by the early Normans infiltrating the area then. Amongst the debris a flint arrow head from an even earlier period was found.
At Auchinskich, meaning Cleeves Cove cave
s, there is a natural cave mentioned as the "Elf House" about 183 feet in length near the middle it expands into a large chamber, 35 feet long by 12 broad, and 12 feet in height.
In the reign of Charles II
, it was said to be a refuge to the covenanter
s of this parish from the violence of their persecutors.
When David I
(1082–1153) was crowned King of Scots he brought in and created a high-ranking Norman aristocracy in his new kingdom. These Norman nobles were given lands creating in Scotland an influential Norman aristocracy.
One of these “nobles or knights” a Hugh de Morville
was made Lord High Constable of Scotland
and given lands in Cunninghame. De Morville probably then gave some of these lands or baronies to a relative a Walter de Lynne, to William de Blair, to William Kerr and to the Boyles of Kelburne
.
The name Lynne then meaning “a waterfall,” is first noted in the area of Dalry in the years 1200-1300 They were located here and had land and owned the Castle of Lin near the waterfall of the Calf.
The name Blair at that time meant “a field clear of woods” and is recognised in the area in late 12th century when a Norman keep was within the barony of Blair. This was later replaced by the Blair castle.
Dalry was mentioned in 1226 as a "chapel of Ardrossan
". The parish of Dalry was probably formed in 1279 when a "Henry, Rector of the Church of Dalry" appears in the Register of the Diocese of Glasgow. Two places of worship in the parish appear by the late 13th century. One on the east bank of the River Garnock
at Kilcush, and the other on the west, located near the Old Glebe. This was the main parish church, it almost certainly dedicated to St. Margaret of Antioch, a 3rd or 4th century virgin martyr.
A Knights Templar stone coffin of an Ardrossan Baron was found when excavations were made to the Ardrossan Parish Church. It would most likely have been made by a French mason working on the construction of Kilwinning Abbey
during the late 12th - early 13th centuries. “Templand” names derived from the word templar are to be found in the Dalry area.
Lands including the area of Pitcon in Dalry were given by Robert the Bruce to his right hand man Robert Boyd in 1316.
In the 15th century the parish had five main baronies; Kelburne, Blair, Kersland, Lynn and Pitcon
. These names are still reflected in some of the areas, farms, houses and surnames in the area.
Kersland had a church school and ruined castle and is linked to the covenanter Robert Ker of Kersland.
The Rye Water has its source among the nearby high hills. The most interesting spot is that about which the world has been singing for centuries - the spot where it was crossed by a ford below Ryefield House. Before the erection of any bridge at Drakemire, the fording of the stream had occasioned much fun and banter, as shown by the many traditionary verses of the light and beautiful song that commemorates the primitive scene :-
A Rye Water ford still exists to this day (2008).
In 1892 John Fulton installed one of the first hydroelectric plants in Ayrshire, generating electricity for Broadlie House. The dam still exists (2008) and can be seen on the Putyan Burn
close to a pedestrian bridge that gave views of the installation to visitors. The water was carried downstream to a turbine house through a cast iron pipe.
During this period, the family also owned Baidland on the north-western side of Dalry, Highlees just south of Dundonald, and the estate of Bourtreehill near Irvine
. In 1385, the Laird of Lyne rented Baidland to the Cunninghams for one silver penny, then an average week's wages (this being the only known record of Lynns owning Baidland). In 1452, Andrew Lyn, Lord of that Ilk, gave a charter for Highlees to William Hunter of Arnele "for services rendered and to be rendered" (the Lynns remained superiors of Highlees for more than two centuries, their last recorded title being in 1668). In 1505, Andrew Lyne received a charter for Bourtreehill from Robert Frances, Lord of Stane (the last mention of the Lynns of that Ilk in Bourtreehill being in 1608). In 1614 John Lyn of that Ilk is recorded as the lord superior of the lands of 'Hileis' in the parish of Dalry and Patrick Hunter of Hunterston was his baillie.
In 1522, the 16-acre mains of the barony of Lynn were conveyed in a charter from John Lyne of that Ilk to John Lyne of Bourtreehill, described therein as the "... dominical lands of Lyne called Burnesyd, with a house, garden, and Lyne Knoll." In 1532, John Lind [sic] of that Ilk sold the barony to Thomas Boyd. Nevertheless, the Lynns continued to hold the 16-acre mains of the property. In 1583, they were conveyed by Laurence Lyn [of Bourtreehill] to William Lyn, his son and heir apparent; on this occasion, the mains were further described as "... dominical lands of Lyne together with the house called Burnesyd with the garden thereof and Lyne Knoll lying in the town and territory of Lyne bailliary of Cunningham and sheriffdom of Ayr" [emphasis added].
The property included the beautiful Lynn Falls, lying in a glen said to be the dwelling of witches, elves, and fairies. However, that same glen is the location of Peden's Point, where the noted Covenanting minister Alexander Peden preached from a pinnacle forming a natural pulpit overlooking the water above the falls. The Lynns themselves were Presbyterians, and it may be that they willingly made their land available for the preaching of the reformed faith.
The Lords of Lynn became extinct as a landed family in Dalry, but they were remembered in Ayrshire folklore as "a beloved aristocracy that came, lingered a while, and vanished."
Linn House
Built for the Crichtons in 1812, this house was a small mansion house by 1858 with a vaguely 'Elizabethan' appearance. It was purchased by the Neilsen family of Chapeltoun
in 1924 and sold by them in 1960. The house lay empty for a number of years and was demolished so that the site could be redeveloped as a housing estate. Only the gatepiers remain, leading onto the Dalry to Kilwinninmg road.
She said she first met him while walking between her own house and the yard of Monkcastle, and after a discussion he then disappeared through a hole in a wall or dyke, apparently too small for a normal person to pass through.
She said she was trained by her “familiar” on how to make and use ointments to heal livestock and people. She was said to have cured and advised various people from poor children to gentry. As a “wise woman” her strange efforts at the time attracted the attention of the law. Her abilities were more akin to today’s current psychics, and with an understanding of medicinal herbs, she was identified in a time of witchcraft hysteria. It resulted in a conviction and the tragic outcome was that she was burnt at the stake. at Castle Hill in Edinburgh in 1576. She is also said to have been burnt at Corsehillmuir
, just outside Kilwinning.
Alexander Peden
(1626–1686) the renowned covenanting minister and remarked as a “profit” (sic) traveled throughout the district. He was said to have preached from Peden’s Point (a rocky outcrop) in a natural auditorium at the head of the Lynn glen.
When the main parish church at the Glebe was resited at the "cross" in 1608 it created around it a “kirktoun” establishing the village of Dalry. By 1700 the inhabitants of Dalry still however, numbered barely 100 and contained only about six dwellings.
In the mid 18th century, Dalry was still the only town in the parish.
In 1830 there were about 1,000 inhabitants, and the town consisted of five streets, three of these radiated from the "cross" or centre forming a square.Weekly market were held on Thursdays, and there were fairs in January, May and July.
At that time it was a reasonably large irregular shaped rural parish, centred around on the small town of Dalry. The parish included the small settlements / villages of Blair, Burnside, Drakemire, Southfield and the Den.
The opening of numerous limeworks, and a number of coal pits from the 1840s, wholly changed the character of the parish of Dalry. It became an increasingly industrial area peppered with mines to provide the ore and coal to fuel the blast furnaces at the various iron works.
The town lies on the Ayrshire Coast Line
and once was a busier junction with trains from Kilmarnock
and the Dalry and North Johnstone Line
joining the line here. The railway station
at Dalry opened in March 1840 as part of the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway
. The station at Dalry Junction
opened in April 1843 with the line to Kilmarnock via Crosshouse
, subsequently closing in January 1860 with the interchange transferred to Dalry railway station. The line to Kilmarnock remained open with local services ceasing in 1955, with occasional long distance passenger services remaining. The line closed in 1973, following the electrification of the WCML
. The closure of the Dalry and North Johnstone Line to passengers in 1966 and through freight in 1971, and steel freight traffic to Kilbirnie in 1977. Dalry station retained four platforms until rebuilding of the station and associated overbridge as part of the electrification of the Ayrshire Coast line during the early 1980s.
Maps and information of the time indicate a rail line from Blair iron works to the main line. This development of large iron works and the mining of ore and coal further increased the housing stock and population in and around the area. The suburb of Blair for example developed around one such ironworks. Numerous bings next to these excavations in the area are still evident to this day.
Morning and evening daily stage coaches passed through Dalry on the routes between Glasgow and various coastal destinations.
The "Fair Trader" coach stopped at the Crown Inn and the "Herald" coach at the King's Arms neither ran on Sundays. There were also several public houses, which had accommodation for travelers.
The public libraries at the time were the "Dalry Library", the “Dalry Church Library" and the "United Secession Library". At this time the town was lit by gas, by a Company formed in 1834.
The River Garnock
helps to irrigate the valley and, joined by the tributaries Rye Water and Caaf Water
, was a driving force behind the establishment of the town. These waters were utilised by the various mills in the 19th century
The industries of limestone, coal and ironstone assisted Dalry to develop into a thriving mining community.
The iron was smelted in the furnaces of the four great iron companies - the Ayrshire, the Glengarnock, the Eglinton and the Blair. In 1845 a visitor was “astonished at the change and at the numerous tasks of the busy labourers. The blaze of furnaces, the smoke of coal-pits, the whiter volume emitted by limekilns, and the building of houses, are at intervals seen all over the district.”
In the 1870s it is stated that Blair Iron Works and others in the area were part of the group owned by William Baird & Co. who then was the largiest pig iron producer in the world.
This once industrial town, like many such towns in this area of Scotland has seen a sharp decline of traditional industry, which has hit the town hard. In addition to coal mining, iron stone mining and textile manufacturing the town also had clay mines to be used in the areas various brickworks. To produce common red brick these brickworks were also well supplied with clay extracted from coal mine waste, available from the numerous "bings" throughout the valley, whereas the mined clay was required for higher quality fire brick
.
On the edge of the town lies a large chemical plant once operated by Roche, but now run by DSM
.
allowed the weight of the loaded cars, which were disconnected for unloading, to return the empty ones back up to the mine.
The surface of the inclined plane railroad was paved with firebricks, for employees to walk up the tracks to get to the main Dalry to Kilwinning road where they could catch a bus. The small brick structure gave them shelter from the weather, while they waited. The building is open on the southerly side, and originally had windows on the others (now bricked in), so that they could watch for the next bus coming. The current access road and bridge are more recent additions, as formerly vehicular access to the works was by a road which connected to the area near the railway station, almost a mile to the north. The railway went through a short cutting and passed under the main road in a short tunnel. A truck has been preserved at the nearby Dalgarven Mill
Museum of Scottish Country Life and Costume.
Dalry is a small town in the Garnock Valley
in Ayrshire
, Scotland
.
.
In 1883 excavations by John Smith of caves in the Dalry Blair estate at Cleeves Cove cave
found evidence of prehistoric man and otter bones.
Aitnock fort at the SW angle of Hindog Glen was excavated by John Smith in 1901-2, it showed a possible dun occupying the summit of a cliff which rises about 60 ft perpendicularly from the Rye Water. He stated in ”Excavations of the forts of Castlehill, Aitnock and Coalhill, Ayrshire” it was defended on one side by the steep drop to the Rye and by a horse shoe shaped deep ditch and stone walls.
The interior was about 30 ft in diameter, the floor had been leveled, then covered with yellow clay over which a pavement of rough slabs and river pebbles were laid.
On the pavement was an accumulation of deposits, in some places 6ins deep, in and on which the relics were found… coins, stone objects, a glass bead, 1st or 2nd century Samian bowl fragments, burnt bones and iron objects.
A sandstone cauldron was found near the centre of the interior, close by was a fireplace of slabs set on edge, this he states was possibly used to heat the water in the cauldron. An irregular lump of sandstone was found, bearing two chiseled cup marks one on each side, almost opposite each other.
During his excavations he found 4 silver Roman coins, all denarii, two of Antoninus Pius
and one each of Vespasian
and Hadrian, all of which came from parts of an upper black layer of occupation. Smith's collection of material from here was donated to the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland in 1981.
At Courthill excavations were undertaken by Cochrane–Patrick (1878) & Dobie (1876) in the 1870s. The remains of a timber hall similar to those in England dated to around the 8th century were found. These digs refer to a timber hall or court structure with a turf roof, that was then replaced by a motte (a structure on a hill) similar to those used by the early Normans infiltrating the area then. Amongst the debris a flint arrow head from an even earlier period was found.
At Auchinskich, meaning Cleeves Cove cave
s, there is a natural cave mentioned as the "Elf House" about 183 feet in length near the middle it expands into a large chamber, 35 feet long by 12 broad, and 12 feet in height.
In the reign of Charles II
, it was said to be a refuge to the covenanter
s of this parish from the violence of their persecutors.
When David I
(1082–1153) was crowned King of Scots he brought in and created a high-ranking Norman aristocracy in his new kingdom. These Norman nobles were given lands creating in Scotland an influential Norman aristocracy.
One of these “nobles or knights” a Hugh de Morville
was made Lord High Constable of Scotland
and given lands in Cunninghame. De Morville probably then gave some of these lands or baronies to a relative a Walter de Lynne, to William de Blair, to William Kerr and to the Boyles of Kelburne
.
The name Lynne then meaning “a waterfall,” is first noted in the area of Dalry in the years 1200-1300 They were located here and had land and owned the Castle of Lin near the waterfall of the Calf.
The name Blair at that time meant “a field clear of woods” and is recognised in the area in late 12th century when a Norman keep was within the barony of Blair. This was later replaced by the Blair castle.
Dalry was mentioned in 1226 as a "chapel of Ardrossan
". The parish of Dalry was probably formed in 1279 when a "Henry, Rector of the Church of Dalry" appears in the Register of the Diocese of Glasgow. Two places of worship in the parish appear by the late 13th century. One on the east bank of the River Garnock
at Kilcush, and the other on the west, located near the Old Glebe. This was the main parish church, it almost certainly dedicated to St. Margaret of Antioch, a 3rd or 4th century virgin martyr.
A Knights Templar stone coffin of an Ardrossan Baron was found when excavations were made to the Ardrossan Parish Church. It would most likely have been made by a French mason working on the construction of Kilwinning Abbey
during the late 12th - early 13th centuries. “Templand” names derived from the word templar are to be found in the Dalry area.
Lands including the area of Pitcon in Dalry were given by Robert the Bruce to his right hand man Robert Boyd in 1316.
In the 15th century the parish had five main baronies; Kelburne, Blair, Kersland, Lynn and Pitcon
. These names are still reflected in some of the areas, farms, houses and surnames in the area.
Kersland had a church school and ruined castle and is linked to the covenanter Robert Ker of Kersland.
The Rye Water has its source among the nearby high hills. The most interesting spot is that about which the world has been singing for centuries - the spot where it was crossed by a ford below Ryefield House. Before the erection of any bridge at Drakemire, the fording of the stream had occasioned much fun and banter, as shown by the many traditionary verses of the light and beautiful song that commemorates the primitive scene :-
A Rye Water ford still exists to this day (2008).
In 1892 John Fulton installed one of the first hydroelectric plants in Ayrshire, generating electricity for Broadlie House. The dam still exists (2008) and can be seen on the Putyan Burn
close to a pedestrian bridge that gave views of the installation to visitors. The water was carried downstream to a turbine house through a cast iron pipe.
During this period, the family also owned Baidland on the north-western side of Dalry, Highlees just south of Dundonald, and the estate of Bourtreehill near Irvine
. In 1385, the Laird of Lyne rented Baidland to the Cunninghams for one silver penny, then an average week's wages (this being the only known record of Lynns owning Baidland). In 1452, Andrew Lyn, Lord of that Ilk, gave a charter for Highlees to William Hunter of Arnele "for services rendered and to be rendered" (the Lynns remained superiors of Highlees for more than two centuries, their last recorded title being in 1668). In 1505, Andrew Lyne received a charter for Bourtreehill from Robert Frances, Lord of Stane (the last mention of the Lynns of that Ilk in Bourtreehill being in 1608). In 1614 John Lyn of that Ilk is recorded as the lord superior of the lands of 'Hileis' in the parish of Dalry and Patrick Hunter of Hunterston was his baillie.
In 1522, the 16-acre mains of the barony of Lynn were conveyed in a charter from John Lyne of that Ilk to John Lyne of Bourtreehill, described therein as the "... dominical lands of Lyne called Burnesyd, with a house, garden, and Lyne Knoll." In 1532, John Lind [sic] of that Ilk sold the barony to Thomas Boyd. Nevertheless, the Lynns continued to hold the 16-acre mains of the property. In 1583, they were conveyed by Laurence Lyn [of Bourtreehill] to William Lyn, his son and heir apparent; on this occasion, the mains were further described as "... dominical lands of Lyne together with the house called Burnesyd with the garden thereof and Lyne Knoll lying in the town and territory of Lyne bailliary of Cunningham and sheriffdom of Ayr" [emphasis added].
The property included the beautiful Lynn Falls, lying in a glen said to be the dwelling of witches, elves, and fairies. However, that same glen is the location of Peden's Point, where the noted Covenanting minister Alexander Peden preached from a pinnacle forming a natural pulpit overlooking the water above the falls. The Lynns themselves were Presbyterians, and it may be that they willingly made their land available for the preaching of the reformed faith.
The Lords of Lynn became extinct as a landed family in Dalry, but they were remembered in Ayrshire folklore as "a beloved aristocracy that came, lingered a while, and vanished."
Linn House
Built for the Crichtons in 1812, this house was a small mansion house by 1858 with a vaguely 'Elizabethan' appearance. It was purchased by the Neilsen family of Chapeltoun
in 1924 and sold by them in 1960. The house lay empty for a number of years and was demolished so that the site could be redeveloped as a housing estate. Only the gatepiers remain, leading onto the Dalry to Kilwinninmg road.
She said she first met him while walking between her own house and the yard of Monkcastle, and after a discussion he then disappeared through a hole in a wall or dyke, apparently too small for a normal person to pass through.
She said she was trained by her “familiar” on how to make and use ointments to heal livestock and people. She was said to have cured and advised various people from poor children to gentry. As a “wise woman” her strange efforts at the time attracted the attention of the law. Her abilities were more akin to today’s current psychics, and with an understanding of medicinal herbs, she was identified in a time of witchcraft hysteria. It resulted in a conviction and the tragic outcome was that she was burnt at the stake. at Castle Hill in Edinburgh in 1576. She is also said to have been burnt at Corsehillmuir
, just outside Kilwinning.
Alexander Peden
(1626–1686) the renowned covenanting minister and remarked as a “profit” (sic) traveled throughout the district. He was said to have preached from Peden’s Point (a rocky outcrop) in a natural auditorium at the head of the Lynn glen.
When the main parish church at the Glebe was resited at the "cross" in 1608 it created around it a “kirktoun” establishing the village of Dalry. By 1700 the inhabitants of Dalry still however, numbered barely 100 and contained only about six dwellings.
In the mid 18th century, Dalry was still the only town in the parish.
In 1830 there were about 1,000 inhabitants, and the town consisted of five streets, three of these radiated from the "cross" or centre forming a square.Weekly market were held on Thursdays, and there were fairs in January, May and July.
At that time it was a reasonably large irregular shaped rural parish, centred around on the small town of Dalry. The parish included the small settlements / villages of Blair, Burnside, Drakemire, Southfield and the Den.
The opening of numerous limeworks, and a number of coal pits from the 1840s, wholly changed the character of the parish of Dalry. It became an increasingly industrial area peppered with mines to provide the ore and coal to fuel the blast furnaces at the various iron works.
The town lies on the Ayrshire Coast Line
and once was a busier junction with trains from Kilmarnock
and the Dalry and North Johnstone Line
joining the line here. The railway station
at Dalry opened in March 1840 as part of the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway
. The station at Dalry Junction
opened in April 1843 with the line to Kilmarnock via Crosshouse
, subsequently closing in January 1860 with the interchange transferred to Dalry railway station. The line to Kilmarnock remained open with local services ceasing in 1955, with occasional long distance passenger services remaining. The line closed in 1973, following the electrification of the WCML
. The closure of the Dalry and North Johnstone Line to passengers in 1966 and through freight in 1971, and steel freight traffic to Kilbirnie in 1977. Dalry station retained four platforms until rebuilding of the station and associated overbridge as part of the electrification of the Ayrshire Coast line during the early 1980s.
Maps and information of the time indicate a rail line from Blair iron works to the main line. This development of large iron works and the mining of ore and coal further increased the housing stock and population in and around the area. The suburb of Blair for example developed around one such ironworks. Numerous bings next to these excavations in the area are still evident to this day.
Morning and evening daily stage coaches passed through Dalry on the routes between Glasgow and various coastal destinations.
The "Fair Trader" coach stopped at the Crown Inn and the "Herald" coach at the King's Arms neither ran on Sundays. There were also several public houses, which had accommodation for travelers.
The public libraries at the time were the "Dalry Library", the “Dalry Church Library" and the "United Secession Library". At this time the town was lit by gas, by a Company formed in 1834.
The River Garnock
helps to irrigate the valley and, joined by the tributaries Rye Water and Caaf Water
, was a driving force behind the establishment of the town. These waters were utilised by the various mills in the 19th century
The industries of limestone, coal and ironstone assisted Dalry to develop into a thriving mining community.
The iron was smelted in the furnaces of the four great iron companies - the Ayrshire, the Glengarnock, the Eglinton and the Blair. In 1845 a visitor was “astonished at the change and at the numerous tasks of the busy labourers. The blaze of furnaces, the smoke of coal-pits, the whiter volume emitted by limekilns, and the building of houses, are at intervals seen all over the district.”
In the 1870s it is stated that Blair Iron Works and others in the area were part of the group owned by William Baird & Co. who then was the largiest pig iron producer in the world.
This once industrial town, like many such towns in this area of Scotland has seen a sharp decline of traditional industry, which has hit the town hard. In addition to coal mining, iron stone mining and textile manufacturing the town also had clay mines to be used in the areas various brickworks. To produce common red brick these brickworks were also well supplied with clay extracted from coal mine waste, available from the numerous "bings" throughout the valley, whereas the mined clay was required for higher quality fire brick
.
On the edge of the town lies a large chemical plant once operated by Roche, but now run by DSM
.
allowed the weight of the loaded cars, which were disconnected for unloading, to return the empty ones back up to the mine.
The surface of the inclined plane railroad was paved with firebricks, for employees to walk up the tracks to get to the main Dalry to Kilwinning road where they could catch a bus. The small brick structure gave them shelter from the weather, while they waited. The building is open on the southerly side, and originally had windows on the others (now bricked in), so that they could watch for the next bus coming. The current access road and bridge are more recent additions, as formerly vehicular access to the works was by a road which connected to the area near the railway station, almost a mile to the north. The railway went through a short cutting and passed under the main road in a short tunnel. A truck has been preserved at the nearby Dalgarven Mill
Museum of Scottish Country Life and Costume.
Dalry is a small town in the Garnock Valley
in Ayrshire
, Scotland
.
.
In 1883 excavations by John Smith of caves in the Dalry Blair estate at Cleeves Cove cave
found evidence of prehistoric man and otter bones.
Aitnock fort at the SW angle of Hindog Glen was excavated by John Smith in 1901-2, it showed a possible dun occupying the summit of a cliff which rises about 60 ft perpendicularly from the Rye Water. He stated in ”Excavations of the forts of Castlehill, Aitnock and Coalhill, Ayrshire” it was defended on one side by the steep drop to the Rye and by a horse shoe shaped deep ditch and stone walls.
The interior was about 30 ft in diameter, the floor had been leveled, then covered with yellow clay over which a pavement of rough slabs and river pebbles were laid.
On the pavement was an accumulation of deposits, in some places 6ins deep, in and on which the relics were found… coins, stone objects, a glass bead, 1st or 2nd century Samian bowl fragments, burnt bones and iron objects.
A sandstone cauldron was found near the centre of the interior, close by was a fireplace of slabs set on edge, this he states was possibly used to heat the water in the cauldron. An irregular lump of sandstone was found, bearing two chiseled cup marks one on each side, almost opposite each other.
During his excavations he found 4 silver Roman coins, all denarii, two of Antoninus Pius
and one each of Vespasian
and Hadrian, all of which came from parts of an upper black layer of occupation. Smith's collection of material from here was donated to the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland in 1981.
At Courthill excavations were undertaken by Cochrane–Patrick (1878) & Dobie (1876) in the 1870s. The remains of a timber hall similar to those in England dated to around the 8th century were found. These digs refer to a timber hall or court structure with a turf roof, that was then replaced by a motte (a structure on a hill) similar to those used by the early Normans infiltrating the area then. Amongst the debris a flint arrow head from an even earlier period was found.
At Auchinskich, meaning Cleeves Cove cave
s, there is a natural cave mentioned as the "Elf House" about 183 feet in length near the middle it expands into a large chamber, 35 feet long by 12 broad, and 12 feet in height.
In the reign of Charles II
, it was said to be a refuge to the covenanter
s of this parish from the violence of their persecutors.
When David I
(1082–1153) was crowned King of Scots he brought in and created a high-ranking Norman aristocracy in his new kingdom. These Norman nobles were given lands creating in Scotland an influential Norman aristocracy.
One of these “nobles or knights” a Hugh de Morville
was made Lord High Constable of Scotland
and given lands in Cunninghame. De Morville probably then gave some of these lands or baronies to a relative a Walter de Lynne, to William de Blair, to William Kerr and to the Boyles of Kelburne
.
The name Lynne then meaning “a waterfall,” is first noted in the area of Dalry in the years 1200-1300 They were located here and had land and owned the Castle of Lin near the waterfall of the Calf.
The name Blair at that time meant “a field clear of woods” and is recognised in the area in late 12th century when a Norman keep was within the barony of Blair. This was later replaced by the Blair castle.
Dalry was mentioned in 1226 as a "chapel of Ardrossan
". The parish of Dalry was probably formed in 1279 when a "Henry, Rector of the Church of Dalry" appears in the Register of the Diocese of Glasgow. Two places of worship in the parish appear by the late 13th century. One on the east bank of the River Garnock
at Kilcush, and the other on the west, located near the Old Glebe. This was the main parish church, it almost certainly dedicated to St. Margaret of Antioch, a 3rd or 4th century virgin martyr.
A Knights Templar stone coffin of an Ardrossan Baron was found when excavations were made to the Ardrossan Parish Church. It would most likely have been made by a French mason working on the construction of Kilwinning Abbey
during the late 12th - early 13th centuries. “Templand” names derived from the word templar are to be found in the Dalry area.
Lands including the area of Pitcon in Dalry were given by Robert the Bruce to his right hand man Robert Boyd in 1316.
In the 15th century the parish had five main baronies; Kelburne, Blair, Kersland, Lynn and Pitcon
. These names are still reflected in some of the areas, farms, houses and surnames in the area.
Kersland had a church school and ruined castle and is linked to the covenanter Robert Ker of Kersland.
The Rye Water has its source among the nearby high hills. The most interesting spot is that about which the world has been singing for centuries - the spot where it was crossed by a ford below Ryefield House. Before the erection of any bridge at Drakemire, the fording of the stream had occasioned much fun and banter, as shown by the many traditionary verses of the light and beautiful song that commemorates the primitive scene :-
A Rye Water ford still exists to this day (2008).
In 1892 John Fulton installed one of the first hydroelectric plants in Ayrshire, generating electricity for Broadlie House. The dam still exists (2008) and can be seen on the Putyan Burn
close to a pedestrian bridge that gave views of the installation to visitors. The water was carried downstream to a turbine house through a cast iron pipe.
During this period, the family also owned Baidland on the north-western side of Dalry, Highlees just south of Dundonald, and the estate of Bourtreehill near Irvine
. In 1385, the Laird of Lyne rented Baidland to the Cunninghams for one silver penny, then an average week's wages (this being the only known record of Lynns owning Baidland). In 1452, Andrew Lyn, Lord of that Ilk, gave a charter for Highlees to William Hunter of Arnele "for services rendered and to be rendered" (the Lynns remained superiors of Highlees for more than two centuries, their last recorded title being in 1668). In 1505, Andrew Lyne received a charter for Bourtreehill from Robert Frances, Lord of Stane (the last mention of the Lynns of that Ilk in Bourtreehill being in 1608). In 1614 John Lyn of that Ilk is recorded as the lord superior of the lands of 'Hileis' in the parish of Dalry and Patrick Hunter of Hunterston was his baillie.
In 1522, the 16-acre mains of the barony of Lynn were conveyed in a charter from John Lyne of that Ilk to John Lyne of Bourtreehill, described therein as the "... dominical lands of Lyne called Burnesyd, with a house, garden, and Lyne Knoll." In 1532, John Lind [sic] of that Ilk sold the barony to Thomas Boyd. Nevertheless, the Lynns continued to hold the 16-acre mains of the property. In 1583, they were conveyed by Laurence Lyn [of Bourtreehill] to William Lyn, his son and heir apparent; on this occasion, the mains were further described as "... dominical lands of Lyne together with the house called Burnesyd with the garden thereof and Lyne Knoll lying in the town and territory of Lyne bailliary of Cunningham and sheriffdom of Ayr" [emphasis added].
The property included the beautiful Lynn Falls, lying in a glen said to be the dwelling of witches, elves, and fairies. However, that same glen is the location of Peden's Point, where the noted Covenanting minister Alexander Peden preached from a pinnacle forming a natural pulpit overlooking the water above the falls. The Lynns themselves were Presbyterians, and it may be that they willingly made their land available for the preaching of the reformed faith.
The Lords of Lynn became extinct as a landed family in Dalry, but they were remembered in Ayrshire folklore as "a beloved aristocracy that came, lingered a while, and vanished."
Linn House
Built for the Crichtons in 1812, this house was a small mansion house by 1858 with a vaguely 'Elizabethan' appearance. It was purchased by the Neilsen family of Chapeltoun
in 1924 and sold by them in 1960. The house lay empty for a number of years and was demolished so that the site could be redeveloped as a housing estate. Only the gatepiers remain, leading onto the Dalry to Kilwinninmg road.
She said she first met him while walking between her own house and the yard of Monkcastle, and after a discussion he then disappeared through a hole in a wall or dyke, apparently too small for a normal person to pass through.
She said she was trained by her “familiar” on how to make and use ointments to heal livestock and people. She was said to have cured and advised various people from poor children to gentry. As a “wise woman” her strange efforts at the time attracted the attention of the law. Her abilities were more akin to today’s current psychics, and with an understanding of medicinal herbs, she was identified in a time of witchcraft hysteria. It resulted in a conviction and the tragic outcome was that she was burnt at the stake. at Castle Hill in Edinburgh in 1576. She is also said to have been burnt at Corsehillmuir
, just outside Kilwinning.
Alexander Peden
(1626–1686) the renowned covenanting minister and remarked as a “profit” (sic) traveled throughout the district. He was said to have preached from Peden’s Point (a rocky outcrop) in a natural auditorium at the head of the Lynn glen.
When the main parish church at the Glebe was resited at the "cross" in 1608 it created around it a “kirktoun” establishing the village of Dalry. By 1700 the inhabitants of Dalry still however, numbered barely 100 and contained only about six dwellings.
In the mid 18th century, Dalry was still the only town in the parish.
In 1830 there were about 1,000 inhabitants, and the town consisted of five streets, three of these radiated from the "cross" or centre forming a square.Weekly market were held on Thursdays, and there were fairs in January, May and July.
At that time it was a reasonably large irregular shaped rural parish, centred around on the small town of Dalry. The parish included the small settlements / villages of Blair, Burnside, Drakemire, Southfield and the Den.
The opening of numerous limeworks, and a number of coal pits from the 1840s, wholly changed the character of the parish of Dalry. It became an increasingly industrial area peppered with mines to provide the ore and coal to fuel the blast furnaces at the various iron works.
The town lies on the Ayrshire Coast Line
and once was a busier junction with trains from Kilmarnock
and the Dalry and North Johnstone Line
joining the line here. The railway station
at Dalry opened in March 1840 as part of the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway
. The station at Dalry Junction
opened in April 1843 with the line to Kilmarnock via Crosshouse
, subsequently closing in January 1860 with the interchange transferred to Dalry railway station. The line to Kilmarnock remained open with local services ceasing in 1955, with occasional long distance passenger services remaining. The line closed in 1973, following the electrification of the WCML
. The closure of the Dalry and North Johnstone Line to passengers in 1966 and through freight in 1971, and steel freight traffic to Kilbirnie in 1977. Dalry station retained four platforms until rebuilding of the station and associated overbridge as part of the electrification of the Ayrshire Coast line during the early 1980s.
Maps and information of the time indicate a rail line from Blair iron works to the main line. This development of large iron works and the mining of ore and coal further increased the housing stock and population in and around the area. The suburb of Blair for example developed around one such ironworks. Numerous bings next to these excavations in the area are still evident to this day.
Morning and evening daily stage coaches passed through Dalry on the routes between Glasgow and various coastal destinations.
The "Fair Trader" coach stopped at the Crown Inn and the "Herald" coach at the King's Arms neither ran on Sundays. There were also several public houses, which had accommodation for travelers.
The public libraries at the time were the "Dalry Library", the “Dalry Church Library" and the "United Secession Library". At this time the town was lit by gas, by a Company formed in 1834.
The River Garnock
helps to irrigate the valley and, joined by the tributaries Rye Water and Caaf Water
, was a driving force behind the establishment of the town. These waters were utilised by the various mills in the 19th century
The industries of limestone, coal and ironstone assisted Dalry to develop into a thriving mining community.
The iron was smelted in the furnaces of the four great iron companies - the Ayrshire, the Glengarnock, the Eglinton and the Blair. In 1845 a visitor was “astonished at the change and at the numerous tasks of the busy labourers. The blaze of furnaces, the smoke of coal-pits, the whiter volume emitted by limekilns, and the building of houses, are at intervals seen all over the district.”
In the 1870s it is stated that Blair Iron Works and others in the area were part of the group owned by William Baird & Co. who then was the largiest pig iron producer in the world.
This once industrial town, like many such towns in this area of Scotland has seen a sharp decline of traditional industry, which has hit the town hard. In addition to coal mining, iron stone mining and textile manufacturing the town also had clay mines to be used in the areas various brickworks. To produce common red brick these brickworks were also well supplied with clay extracted from coal mine waste, available from the numerous "bings" throughout the valley, whereas the mined clay was required for higher quality fire brick
.
On the edge of the town lies a large chemical plant once operated by Roche, but now run by DSM
.
allowed the weight of the loaded cars, which were disconnected for unloading, to return the empty ones back up to the mine.
The surface of the inclined plane railroad was paved with firebricks, for employees to walk up the tracks to get to the main Dalry to Kilwinning road where they could catch a bus. The small brick structure gave them shelter from the weather, while they waited. The building is open on the southerly side, and originally had windows on the others (now bricked in), so that they could watch for the next bus coming. The current access road and bridge are more recent additions, as formerly vehicular access to the works was by a road which connected to the area near the railway station, almost a mile to the north. The railway went through a short cutting and passed under the main road in a short tunnel. A truck has been preserved at the nearby Dalgarven Mill
Museum of Scottish Country Life and Costume.
Dalry is a small town in the Garnock Valley
in Ayrshire
, Scotland
.
.
In 1883 excavations by John Smith of caves in the Dalry Blair estate at Cleeves Cove cave
found evidence of prehistoric man and otter bones.
Aitnock fort at the SW angle of Hindog Glen was excavated by John Smith in 1901-2, it showed a possible dun occupying the summit of a cliff which rises about 60 ft perpendicularly from the Rye Water. He stated in ”Excavations of the forts of Castlehill, Aitnock and Coalhill, Ayrshire” it was defended on one side by the steep drop to the Rye and by a horse shoe shaped deep ditch and stone walls.
The interior was about 30 ft in diameter, the floor had been leveled, then covered with yellow clay over which a pavement of rough slabs and river pebbles were laid.
On the pavement was an accumulation of deposits, in some places 6ins deep, in and on which the relics were found… coins, stone objects, a glass bead, 1st or 2nd century Samian bowl fragments, burnt bones and iron objects.
A sandstone cauldron was found near the centre of the interior, close by was a fireplace of slabs set on edge, this he states was possibly used to heat the water in the cauldron. An irregular lump of sandstone was found, bearing two chiseled cup marks one on each side, almost opposite each other.
During his excavations he found 4 silver Roman coins, all denarii, two of Antoninus Pius
and one each of Vespasian
and Hadrian, all of which came from parts of an upper black layer of occupation. Smith's collection of material from here was donated to the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland in 1981.
At Courthill excavations were undertaken by Cochrane–Patrick (1878) & Dobie (1876) in the 1870s. The remains of a timber hall similar to those in England dated to around the 8th century were found. These digs refer to a timber hall or court structure with a turf roof, that was then replaced by a motte (a structure on a hill) similar to those used by the early Normans infiltrating the area then. Amongst the debris a flint arrow head from an even earlier period was found.
At Auchinskich, meaning Cleeves Cove cave
s, there is a natural cave mentioned as the "Elf House" about 183 feet in length near the middle it expands into a large chamber, 35 feet long by 12 broad, and 12 feet in height.
In the reign of Charles II
, it was said to be a refuge to the covenanter
s of this parish from the violence of their persecutors.
When David I
(1082–1153) was crowned King of Scots he brought in and created a high-ranking Norman aristocracy in his new kingdom. These Norman nobles were given lands creating in Scotland an influential Norman aristocracy.
One of these “nobles or knights” a Hugh de Morville
was made Lord High Constable of Scotland
and given lands in Cunninghame. De Morville probably then gave some of these lands or baronies to a relative a Walter de Lynne, to William de Blair, to William Kerr and to the Boyles of Kelburne
.
The name Lynne then meaning “a waterfall,” is first noted in the area of Dalry in the years 1200-1300 They were located here and had land and owned the Castle of Lin near the waterfall of the Calf.
The name Blair at that time meant “a field clear of woods” and is recognised in the area in late 12th century when a Norman keep was within the barony of Blair. This was later replaced by the Blair castle.
Dalry was mentioned in 1226 as a "chapel of Ardrossan
". The parish of Dalry was probably formed in 1279 when a "Henry, Rector of the Church of Dalry" appears in the Register of the Diocese of Glasgow. Two places of worship in the parish appear by the late 13th century. One on the east bank of the River Garnock
at Kilcush, and the other on the west, located near the Old Glebe. This was the main parish church, it almost certainly dedicated to St. Margaret of Antioch, a 3rd or 4th century virgin martyr.
A Knights Templar stone coffin of an Ardrossan Baron was found when excavations were made to the Ardrossan Parish Church. It would most likely have been made by a French mason working on the construction of Kilwinning Abbey
during the late 12th - early 13th centuries. “Templand” names derived from the word templar are to be found in the Dalry area.
Lands including the area of Pitcon in Dalry were given by Robert the Bruce to his right hand man Robert Boyd in 1316.
In the 15th century the parish had five main baronies; Kelburne, Blair, Kersland, Lynn and Pitcon
. These names are still reflected in some of the areas, farms, houses and surnames in the area.
Kersland had a church school and ruined castle and is linked to the covenanter Robert Ker of Kersland.
The Rye Water has its source among the nearby high hills. The most interesting spot is that about which the world has been singing for centuries - the spot where it was crossed by a ford below Ryefield House. Before the erection of any bridge at Drakemire, the fording of the stream had occasioned much fun and banter, as shown by the many traditionary verses of the light and beautiful song that commemorates the primitive scene :-
A Rye Water ford still exists to this day (2008).
In 1892 John Fulton installed one of the first hydroelectric plants in Ayrshire, generating electricity for Broadlie House. The dam still exists (2008) and can be seen on the Putyan Burn
close to a pedestrian bridge that gave views of the installation to visitors. The water was carried downstream to a turbine house through a cast iron pipe.
Image:Doggartland Bridge Gas Light.JPG|Detail of an old gas light on the Doggartland Bridge.
Image:Doggartland Bridge detail.JPG|Detail of the cast iron railings at the Doggartland Bridge.
Image:Doggartland Bridge, dalry.JPG|The Doggartland Bridge.
During this period, the family also owned Baidland on the north-western side of Dalry, Highlees just south of Dundonald, and the estate of Bourtreehill near Irvine
. In 1385, the Laird of Lyne rented Baidland to the Cunninghams for one silver penny, then an average week's wages (this being the only known record of Lynns owning Baidland). In 1452, Andrew Lyn, Lord of that Ilk, gave a charter for Highlees to William Hunter of Arnele "for services rendered and to be rendered" (the Lynns remained superiors of Highlees for more than two centuries, their last recorded title being in 1668). In 1505, Andrew Lyne received a charter for Bourtreehill from Robert Frances, Lord of Stane (the last mention of the Lynns of that Ilk in Bourtreehill being in 1608). In 1614 John Lyn of that Ilk is recorded as the lord superior of the lands of 'Hileis' in the parish of Dalry and Patrick Hunter of Hunterston was his baillie.
In 1522, the 16-acre mains of the barony of Lynn were conveyed in a charter from John Lyne of that Ilk to John Lyne of Bourtreehill, described therein as the "... dominical lands of Lyne called Burnesyd, with a house, garden, and Lyne Knoll." In 1532, John Lind [sic] of that Ilk sold the barony to Thomas Boyd. Nevertheless, the Lynns continued to hold the 16-acre mains of the property. In 1583, they were conveyed by Laurence Lyn [of Bourtreehill] to William Lyn, his son and heir apparent; on this occasion, the mains were further described as "... dominical lands of Lyne together with the house called Burnesyd with the garden thereof and Lyne Knoll lying in the town and territory of Lyne bailliary of Cunningham and sheriffdom of Ayr" [emphasis added].
The property included the beautiful Lynn Falls, lying in a glen said to be the dwelling of witches, elves, and fairies. However, that same glen is the location of Peden's Point, where the noted Covenanting minister Alexander Peden preached from a pinnacle forming a natural pulpit overlooking the water above the falls. The Lynns themselves were Presbyterians, and it may be that they willingly made their land available for the preaching of the reformed faith.
The Lords of Lynn became extinct as a landed family in Dalry, but they were remembered in Ayrshire folklore as "a beloved aristocracy that came, lingered a while, and vanished."
Linn House
Built for the Crichtons in 1812, this house was a small mansion house by 1858 with a vaguely 'Elizabethan' appearance. It was purchased by the Neilsen family of Chapeltoun
in 1924 and sold by them in 1960. The house lay empty for a number of years and was demolished so that the site could be redeveloped as a housing estate. Only the gatepiers remain, leading onto the Dalry to Kilwinninmg road.
Image:Caaf Mill Dalry detail.JPG|Detail of an opening in the gable end of the old mill.
Image:Caaf Mill, Lynn Glen.JPG|The old mill's gable end facing Linn Spout.
Image:Caaf Mill Lynn Glen Dalry.JPG|The Craig Mill ruins from below Linn Spout. This mill was associated with Kilwinning Abbey, together with Garnock and Sevenacres mills.
Image:Lynn Spout turbine house.JPG|Remains of the mill lade and what may have been a later roofed turbine house.
Image:Lynn Spout Detail Dalry.JPG|Linn Spout on the Caaf Water.
Image:Lynn Spout, Caaf Water.JPG|Linn Spout on the Caaf Water; illustrating the thick limestone deposits in this area.
Image:Lynn Glen small spout.JPG|The Caaf Water running over limestone. A good site for rock-cut basins.
Image:Rock-cut basin and pebbles.JPG|Rock-cut basins with the eroding pebble in situ. Very low water levels.
Image:Lynn Glen footbridge.JPG|The remains of an old footbridge near the entrance to the old lade.
Image:Conocephalum conicum in Lynn Glen.JPG|The Liverwort
Conocephalum conicum on a rock in the Caaf Water.
Image:Blechnum spicant at Lynn Glen.JPG|Hard Fern (Blechnum spicant) in the Linn Glen. Note the vertical fertile fronds typical of this species.
Image:Lynn Glen Primroses.JPG|Primroses in the Glen.
She said she first met him while walking between her own house and the yard of Monkcastle, and after a discussion he then disappeared through a hole in a wall or dyke, apparently too small for a normal person to pass through.
She said she was trained by her “familiar” on how to make and use ointments to heal livestock and people. She was said to have cured and advised various people from poor children to gentry. As a “wise woman” her strange efforts at the time attracted the attention of the law. Her abilities were more akin to today’s current psychics, and with an understanding of medicinal herbs, she was identified in a time of witchcraft hysteria. It resulted in a conviction and the tragic outcome was that she was burnt at the stake. at Castle Hill in Edinburgh in 1576. She is also said to have been burnt at Corsehillmuir
, just outside Kilwinning.
Alexander Peden
(1626–1686) the renowned covenanting minister and remarked as a “profit” (sic) traveled throughout the district. He was said to have preached from Peden’s Point (a rocky outcrop) in a natural auditorium at the head of the Lynn glen.
When the main parish church at the Glebe was resited at the "cross" in 1608 it created around it a “kirktoun” establishing the village of Dalry. By 1700 the inhabitants of Dalry still however, numbered barely 100 and contained only about six dwellings.
In the mid 18th century, Dalry was still the only town in the parish.
In 1830 there were about 1,000 inhabitants, and the town consisted of five streets, three of these radiated from the "cross" or centre forming a square.Weekly market were held on Thursdays, and there were fairs in January, May and July.
At that time it was a reasonably large irregular shaped rural parish, centred around on the small town of Dalry. The parish included the small settlements / villages of Blair, Burnside, Drakemire, Southfield and the Den.
The opening of numerous limeworks, and a number of coal pits from the 1840s, wholly changed the character of the parish of Dalry. It became an increasingly industrial area peppered with mines to provide the ore and coal to fuel the blast furnaces at the various iron works.
The town lies on the Ayrshire Coast Line
and once was a busier junction with trains from Kilmarnock
and the Dalry and North Johnstone Line
joining the line here. The railway station
at Dalry opened in March 1840 as part of the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway
. The station at Dalry Junction
opened in April 1843 with the line to Kilmarnock via Crosshouse
, subsequently closing in January 1860 with the interchange transferred to Dalry railway station. The line to Kilmarnock remained open with local services ceasing in 1955, with occasional long distance passenger services remaining. The line closed in 1973, following the electrification of the WCML
. The closure of the Dalry and North Johnstone Line to passengers in 1966 and through freight in 1971, and steel freight traffic to Kilbirnie in 1977. Dalry station retained four platforms until rebuilding of the station and associated overbridge as part of the electrification of the Ayrshire Coast line during the early 1980s.
Maps and information of the time indicate a rail line from Blair iron works to the main line. This development of large iron works and the mining of ore and coal further increased the housing stock and population in and around the area. The suburb of Blair for example developed around one such ironworks. Numerous bings next to these excavations in the area are still evident to this day.
Morning and evening daily stage coaches passed through Dalry on the routes between Glasgow and various coastal destinations.
The "Fair Trader" coach stopped at the Crown Inn and the "Herald" coach at the King's Arms neither ran on Sundays. There were also several public houses, which had accommodation for travelers.
The public libraries at the time were the "Dalry Library", the “Dalry Church Library" and the "United Secession Library". At this time the town was lit by gas, by a Company formed in 1834.
The River Garnock
helps to irrigate the valley and, joined by the tributaries Rye Water and Caaf Water
, was a driving force behind the establishment of the town. These waters were utilised by the various mills in the 19th century
The industries of limestone, coal and ironstone assisted Dalry to develop into a thriving mining community.
The iron was smelted in the furnaces of the four great iron companies - the Ayrshire, the Glengarnock, the Eglinton and the Blair. In 1845 a visitor was “astonished at the change and at the numerous tasks of the busy labourers. The blaze of furnaces, the smoke of coal-pits, the whiter volume emitted by limekilns, and the building of houses, are at intervals seen all over the district.”
In the 1870s it is stated that Blair Iron Works and others in the area were part of the group owned by William Baird & Co. who then was the largiest pig iron producer in the world.
This once industrial town, like many such towns in this area of Scotland has seen a sharp decline of traditional industry, which has hit the town hard. In addition to coal mining, iron stone mining and textile manufacturing the town also had clay mines to be used in the areas various brickworks. To produce common red brick these brickworks were also well supplied with clay extracted from coal mine waste, available from the numerous "bings" throughout the valley, whereas the mined clay was required for higher quality fire brick
.
On the edge of the town lies a large chemical plant once operated by Roche, but now run by DSM
.
allowed the weight of the loaded cars, which were disconnected for unloading, to return the empty ones back up to the mine.
The surface of the inclined plane railroad was paved with firebricks, for employees to walk up the tracks to get to the main Dalry to Kilwinning road where they could catch a bus. The small brick structure gave them shelter from the weather, while they waited. The building is open on the southerly side, and originally had windows on the others (now bricked in), so that they could watch for the next bus coming. The current access road and bridge are more recent additions, as formerly vehicular access to the works was by a road which connected to the area near the railway station, almost a mile to the north. The railway went through a short cutting and passed under the main road in a short tunnel. A truck has been preserved at the nearby Dalgarven Mill
Museum of Scottish Country Life and Costume.
Dalry is a small town in the Garnock Valley
in Ayrshire
, Scotland
.
.
In 1883 excavations by John Smith of caves in the Dalry Blair estate at Cleeves Cove cave
found evidence of prehistoric man and otter bones.
Aitnock fort at the SW angle of Hindog Glen was excavated by John Smith in 1901-2, it showed a possible dun occupying the summit of a cliff which rises about 60 ft perpendicularly from the Rye Water. He stated in ”Excavations of the forts of Castlehill, Aitnock and Coalhill, Ayrshire” it was defended on one side by the steep drop to the Rye and by a horse shoe shaped deep ditch and stone walls.
The interior was about 30 ft in diameter, the floor had been leveled, then covered with yellow clay over which a pavement of rough slabs and river pebbles were laid.
On the pavement was an accumulation of deposits, in some places 6ins deep, in and on which the relics were found… coins, stone objects, a glass bead, 1st or 2nd century Samian bowl fragments, burnt bones and iron objects.
A sandstone cauldron was found near the centre of the interior, close by was a fireplace of slabs set on edge, this he states was possibly used to heat the water in the cauldron. An irregular lump of sandstone was found, bearing two chiseled cup marks one on each side, almost opposite each other.
During his excavations he found 4 silver Roman coins, all denarii, two of Antoninus Pius
and one each of Vespasian
and Hadrian, all of which came from parts of an upper black layer of occupation. Smith's collection of material from here was donated to the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland in 1981.
At Courthill excavations were undertaken by Cochrane–Patrick (1878) & Dobie (1876) in the 1870s. The remains of a timber hall similar to those in England dated to around the 8th century were found. These digs refer to a timber hall or court structure with a turf roof, that was then replaced by a motte (a structure on a hill) similar to those used by the early Normans infiltrating the area then. Amongst the debris a flint arrow head from an even earlier period was found.
At Auchinskich, meaning Cleeves Cove cave
s, there is a natural cave mentioned as the "Elf House" about 183 feet in length near the middle it expands into a large chamber, 35 feet long by 12 broad, and 12 feet in height.
In the reign of Charles II
, it was said to be a refuge to the covenanter
s of this parish from the violence of their persecutors.
When David I
(1082–1153) was crowned King of Scots he brought in and created a high-ranking Norman aristocracy in his new kingdom. These Norman nobles were given lands creating in Scotland an influential Norman aristocracy.
One of these “nobles or knights” a Hugh de Morville
was made Lord High Constable of Scotland
and given lands in Cunninghame. De Morville probably then gave some of these lands or baronies to a relative a Walter de Lynne, to William de Blair, to William Kerr and to the Boyles of Kelburne
.
The name Lynne then meaning “a waterfall,” is first noted in the area of Dalry in the years 1200-1300 They were located here and had land and owned the Castle of Lin near the waterfall of the Calf.
The name Blair at that time meant “a field clear of woods” and is recognised in the area in late 12th century when a Norman keep was within the barony of Blair. This was later replaced by the Blair castle.
Dalry was mentioned in 1226 as a "chapel of Ardrossan
". The parish of Dalry was probably formed in 1279 when a "Henry, Rector of the Church of Dalry" appears in the Register of the Diocese of Glasgow. Two places of worship in the parish appear by the late 13th century. One on the east bank of the River Garnock
at Kilcush, and the other on the west, located near the Old Glebe. This was the main parish church, it almost certainly dedicated to St. Margaret of Antioch, a 3rd or 4th century virgin martyr.
A Knights Templar stone coffin of an Ardrossan Baron was found when excavations were made to the Ardrossan Parish Church. It would most likely have been made by a French mason working on the construction of Kilwinning Abbey
during the late 12th - early 13th centuries. “Templand” names derived from the word templar are to be found in the Dalry area.
Lands including the area of Pitcon in Dalry were given by Robert the Bruce to his right hand man Robert Boyd in 1316.
In the 15th century the parish had five main baronies; Kelburne, Blair, Kersland, Lynn and Pitcon
. These names are still reflected in some of the areas, farms, houses and surnames in the area.
Kersland had a church school and ruined castle and is linked to the covenanter Robert Ker of Kersland.
The Rye Water has its source among the nearby high hills. The most interesting spot is that about which the world has been singing for centuries - the spot where it was crossed by a ford below Ryefield House. Before the erection of any bridge at Drakemire, the fording of the stream had occasioned much fun and banter, as shown by the many traditionary verses of the light and beautiful song that commemorates the primitive scene :-
A Rye Water ford still exists to this day (2008).
In 1892 John Fulton installed one of the first hydroelectric plants in Ayrshire, generating electricity for Broadlie House. The dam still exists (2008) and can be seen on the Putyan Burn
close to a pedestrian bridge that gave views of the installation to visitors. The water was carried downstream to a turbine house through a cast iron pipe.
Image:Doggartland Bridge Gas Light.JPG|Detail of an old gas light on the Doggartland Bridge.
Image:Doggartland Bridge detail.JPG|Detail of the cast iron railings at the Doggartland Bridge.
Image:Doggartland Bridge, dalry.JPG|The Doggartland Bridge.
During this period, the family also owned Baidland on the north-western side of Dalry, Highlees just south of Dundonald, and the estate of Bourtreehill near Irvine
. In 1385, the Laird of Lyne rented Baidland to the Cunninghams for one silver penny, then an average week's wages (this being the only known record of Lynns owning Baidland). In 1452, Andrew Lyn, Lord of that Ilk, gave a charter for Highlees to William Hunter of Arnele "for services rendered and to be rendered" (the Lynns remained superiors of Highlees for more than two centuries, their last recorded title being in 1668). In 1505, Andrew Lyne received a charter for Bourtreehill from Robert Frances, Lord of Stane (the last mention of the Lynns of that Ilk in Bourtreehill being in 1608). In 1614 John Lyn of that Ilk is recorded as the lord superior of the lands of 'Hileis' in the parish of Dalry and Patrick Hunter of Hunterston was his baillie.
In 1522, the 16-acre mains of the barony of Lynn were conveyed in a charter from John Lyne of that Ilk to John Lyne of Bourtreehill, described therein as the "... dominical lands of Lyne called Burnesyd, with a house, garden, and Lyne Knoll." In 1532, John Lind [sic] of that Ilk sold the barony to Thomas Boyd. Nevertheless, the Lynns continued to hold the 16-acre mains of the property. In 1583, they were conveyed by Laurence Lyn [of Bourtreehill] to William Lyn, his son and heir apparent; on this occasion, the mains were further described as "... dominical lands of Lyne together with the house called Burnesyd with the garden thereof and Lyne Knoll lying in the town and territory of Lyne bailliary of Cunningham and sheriffdom of Ayr" [emphasis added].
The property included the beautiful Lynn Falls, lying in a glen said to be the dwelling of witches, elves, and fairies. However, that same glen is the location of Peden's Point, where the noted Covenanting minister Alexander Peden preached from a pinnacle forming a natural pulpit overlooking the water above the falls. The Lynns themselves were Presbyterians, and it may be that they willingly made their land available for the preaching of the reformed faith.
The Lords of Lynn became extinct as a landed family in Dalry, but they were remembered in Ayrshire folklore as "a beloved aristocracy that came, lingered a while, and vanished."
Linn House
Built for the Crichtons in 1812, this house was a small mansion house by 1858 with a vaguely 'Elizabethan' appearance. It was purchased by the Neilsen family of Chapeltoun
in 1924 and sold by them in 1960. The house lay empty for a number of years and was demolished so that the site could be redeveloped as a housing estate. Only the gatepiers remain, leading onto the Dalry to Kilwinninmg road.
Image:Caaf Mill Dalry detail.JPG|Detail of an opening in the gable end of the old mill.
Image:Caaf Mill, Lynn Glen.JPG|The old mill's gable end facing Linn Spout.
Image:Caaf Mill Lynn Glen Dalry.JPG|The Craig Mill ruins from below Linn Spout. This mill was associated with Kilwinning Abbey, together with Garnock and Sevenacres mills.
Image:Lynn Spout turbine house.JPG|Remains of the mill lade and what may have been a later roofed turbine house.
Image:Lynn Spout Detail Dalry.JPG|Linn Spout on the Caaf Water.
Image:Lynn Spout, Caaf Water.JPG|Linn Spout on the Caaf Water; illustrating the thick limestone deposits in this area.
Image:Lynn Glen small spout.JPG|The Caaf Water running over limestone. A good site for rock-cut basins.
Image:Rock-cut basin and pebbles.JPG|Rock-cut basins with the eroding pebble in situ. Very low water levels.
Image:Lynn Glen footbridge.JPG|The remains of an old footbridge near the entrance to the old lade.
Image:Conocephalum conicum in Lynn Glen.JPG|The Liverwort
Conocephalum conicum on a rock in the Caaf Water.
Image:Blechnum spicant at Lynn Glen.JPG|Hard Fern (Blechnum spicant) in the Linn Glen. Note the vertical fertile fronds typical of this species.
Image:Lynn Glen Primroses.JPG|Primroses in the Glen.
She said she first met him while walking between her own house and the yard of Monkcastle, and after a discussion he then disappeared through a hole in a wall or dyke, apparently too small for a normal person to pass through.
She said she was trained by her “familiar” on how to make and use ointments to heal livestock and people. She was said to have cured and advised various people from poor children to gentry. As a “wise woman” her strange efforts at the time attracted the attention of the law. Her abilities were more akin to today’s current psychics, and with an understanding of medicinal herbs, she was identified in a time of witchcraft hysteria. It resulted in a conviction and the tragic outcome was that she was burnt at the stake. at Castle Hill in Edinburgh in 1576. She is also said to have been burnt at Corsehillmuir
, just outside Kilwinning.
Alexander Peden
(1626–1686) the renowned covenanting minister and remarked as a “profit” (sic) traveled throughout the district. He was said to have preached from Peden’s Point (a rocky outcrop) in a natural auditorium at the head of the Lynn glen.
When the main parish church at the Glebe was resited at the "cross" in 1608 it created around it a “kirktoun” establishing the village of Dalry. By 1700 the inhabitants of Dalry still however, numbered barely 100 and contained only about six dwellings.
In the mid 18th century, Dalry was still the only town in the parish.
In 1830 there were about 1,000 inhabitants, and the town consisted of five streets, three of these radiated from the "cross" or centre forming a square.Weekly market were held on Thursdays, and there were fairs in January, May and July.
At that time it was a reasonably large irregular shaped rural parish, centred around on the small town of Dalry. The parish included the small settlements / villages of Blair, Burnside, Drakemire, Southfield and the Den.
The opening of numerous limeworks, and a number of coal pits from the 1840s, wholly changed the character of the parish of Dalry. It became an increasingly industrial area peppered with mines to provide the ore and coal to fuel the blast furnaces at the various iron works.
The town lies on the Ayrshire Coast Line
and once was a busier junction with trains from Kilmarnock
and the Dalry and North Johnstone Line
joining the line here. The railway station
at Dalry opened in March 1840 as part of the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway
. The station at Dalry Junction
opened in April 1843 with the line to Kilmarnock via Crosshouse
, subsequently closing in January 1860 with the interchange transferred to Dalry railway station. The line to Kilmarnock remained open with local services ceasing in 1955, with occasional long distance passenger services remaining. The line closed in 1973, following the electrification of the WCML
. The closure of the Dalry and North Johnstone Line to passengers in 1966 and through freight in 1971, and steel freight traffic to Kilbirnie in 1977. Dalry station retained four platforms until rebuilding of the station and associated overbridge as part of the electrification of the Ayrshire Coast line during the early 1980s.
Maps and information of the time indicate a rail line from Blair iron works to the main line. This development of large iron works and the mining of ore and coal further increased the housing stock and population in and around the area. The suburb of Blair for example developed around one such ironworks. Numerous bings next to these excavations in the area are still evident to this day.
Morning and evening daily stage coaches passed through Dalry on the routes between Glasgow and various coastal destinations.
The "Fair Trader" coach stopped at the Crown Inn and the "Herald" coach at the King's Arms neither ran on Sundays. There were also several public houses, which had accommodation for travelers.
The public libraries at the time were the "Dalry Library", the “Dalry Church Library" and the "United Secession Library". At this time the town was lit by gas, by a Company formed in 1834.
The River Garnock
helps to irrigate the valley and, joined by the tributaries Rye Water and Caaf Water
, was a driving force behind the establishment of the town. These waters were utilised by the various mills in the 19th century
The industries of limestone, coal and ironstone assisted Dalry to develop into a thriving mining community.
The iron was smelted in the furnaces of the four great iron companies - the Ayrshire, the Glengarnock, the Eglinton and the Blair. In 1845 a visitor was “astonished at the change and at the numerous tasks of the busy labourers. The blaze of furnaces, the smoke of coal-pits, the whiter volume emitted by limekilns, and the building of houses, are at intervals seen all over the district.”
In the 1870s it is stated that Blair Iron Works and others in the area were part of the group owned by William Baird & Co. who then was the largiest pig iron producer in the world.
This once industrial town, like many such towns in this area of Scotland has seen a sharp decline of traditional industry, which has hit the town hard. In addition to coal mining, iron stone mining and textile manufacturing the town also had clay mines to be used in the areas various brickworks. To produce common red brick these brickworks were also well supplied with clay extracted from coal mine waste, available from the numerous "bings" throughout the valley, whereas the mined clay was required for higher quality fire brick
.
On the edge of the town lies a large chemical plant once operated by Roche, but now run by DSM
.
allowed the weight of the loaded cars, which were disconnected for unloading, to return the empty ones back up to the mine.
The surface of the inclined plane railroad was paved with firebricks, for employees to walk up the tracks to get to the main Dalry to Kilwinning road where they could catch a bus. The small brick structure gave them shelter from the weather, while they waited. The building is open on the southerly side, and originally had windows on the others (now bricked in), so that they could watch for the next bus coming. The current access road and bridge are more recent additions, as formerly vehicular access to the works was by a road which connected to the area near the railway station, almost a mile to the north. The railway went through a short cutting and passed under the main road in a short tunnel. A truck has been preserved at the nearby Dalgarven Mill
Museum of Scottish Country Life and Costume.
Dalry is a small town in the Garnock Valley
in Ayrshire
, Scotland
.
.
In 1883 excavations by John Smith of caves in the Dalry Blair estate at Cleeves Cove cave
found evidence of prehistoric man and otter bones.
Aitnock fort at the SW angle of Hindog Glen was excavated by John Smith in 1901-2, it showed a possible dun occupying the summit of a cliff which rises about 60 ft perpendicularly from the Rye Water. He stated in ”Excavations of the forts of Castlehill, Aitnock and Coalhill, Ayrshire” it was defended on one side by the steep drop to the Rye and by a horse shoe shaped deep ditch and stone walls.
The interior was about 30 ft in diameter, the floor had been leveled, then covered with yellow clay over which a pavement of rough slabs and river pebbles were laid.
On the pavement was an accumulation of deposits, in some places 6ins deep, in and on which the relics were found… coins, stone objects, a glass bead, 1st or 2nd century Samian bowl fragments, burnt bones and iron objects.
A sandstone cauldron was found near the centre of the interior, close by was a fireplace of slabs set on edge, this he states was possibly used to heat the water in the cauldron. An irregular lump of sandstone was found, bearing two chiseled cup marks one on each side, almost opposite each other.
During his excavations he found 4 silver Roman coins, all denarii, two of Antoninus Pius
and one each of Vespasian
and Hadrian, all of which came from parts of an upper black layer of occupation. Smith's collection of material from here was donated to the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland in 1981.
At Courthill excavations were undertaken by Cochrane–Patrick (1878) & Dobie (1876) in the 1870s. The remains of a timber hall similar to those in England dated to around the 8th century were found. These digs refer to a timber hall or court structure with a turf roof, that was then replaced by a motte (a structure on a hill) similar to those used by the early Normans infiltrating the area then. Amongst the debris a flint arrow head from an even earlier period was found.
At Auchinskich, meaning Cleeves Cove cave
s, there is a natural cave mentioned as the "Elf House" about 183 feet in length near the middle it expands into a large chamber, 35 feet long by 12 broad, and 12 feet in height.
In the reign of Charles II
, it was said to be a refuge to the covenanter
s of this parish from the violence of their persecutors.
When David I
(1082–1153) was crowned King of Scots he brought in and created a high-ranking Norman aristocracy in his new kingdom. These Norman nobles were given lands creating in Scotland an influential Norman aristocracy.
One of these “nobles or knights” a Hugh de Morville
was made Lord High Constable of Scotland
and given lands in Cunninghame. De Morville probably then gave some of these lands or baronies to a relative a Walter de Lynne, to William de Blair, to William Kerr and to the Boyles of Kelburne
.
The name Lynne then meaning “a waterfall,” is first noted in the area of Dalry in the years 1200-1300 They were located here and had land and owned the Castle of Lin near the waterfall of the Calf.
The name Blair at that time meant “a field clear of woods” and is recognised in the area in late 12th century when a Norman keep was within the barony of Blair. This was later replaced by the Blair castle.
Dalry was mentioned in 1226 as a "chapel of Ardrossan
". The parish of Dalry was probably formed in 1279 when a "Henry, Rector of the Church of Dalry" appears in the Register of the Diocese of Glasgow. Two places of worship in the parish appear by the late 13th century. One on the east bank of the River Garnock
at Kilcush, and the other on the west, located near the Old Glebe. This was the main parish church, it almost certainly dedicated to St. Margaret of Antioch, a 3rd or 4th century virgin martyr.
A Knights Templar stone coffin of an Ardrossan Baron was found when excavations were made to the Ardrossan Parish Church. It would most likely have been made by a French mason working on the construction of Kilwinning Abbey
during the late 12th - early 13th centuries. “Templand” names derived from the word templar are to be found in the Dalry area.
Lands including the area of Pitcon in Dalry were given by Robert the Bruce to his right hand man Robert Boyd in 1316.
In the 15th century the parish had five main baronies; Kelburne, Blair, Kersland, Lynn and Pitcon
. These names are still reflected in some of the areas, farms, houses and surnames in the area.
Kersland had a church school and ruined castle and is linked to the covenanter Robert Ker of Kersland.
The Rye Water has its source among the nearby high hills. The most interesting spot is that about which the world has been singing for centuries - the spot where it was crossed by a ford below Ryefield House. Before the erection of any bridge at Drakemire, the fording of the stream had occasioned much fun and banter, as shown by the many traditionary verses of the light and beautiful song that commemorates the primitive scene :-
A Rye Water ford still exists to this day (2008).
In 1892 John Fulton installed one of the first hydroelectric plants in Ayrshire, generating electricity for Broadlie House. The dam still exists (2008) and can be seen on the Putyan Burn
close to a pedestrian bridge that gave views of the installation to visitors. The water was carried downstream to a turbine house through a cast iron pipe.
During this period, the family also owned Baidland on the north-western side of Dalry, Highlees just south of Dundonald, and the estate of Bourtreehill near Irvine
. In 1385, the Laird of Lyne rented Baidland to the Cunninghams for one silver penny, then an average week's wages (this being the only known record of Lynns owning Baidland). In 1452, Andrew Lyn, Lord of that Ilk, gave a charter for Highlees to William Hunter of Arnele "for services rendered and to be rendered" (the Lynns remained superiors of Highlees for more than two centuries, their last recorded title being in 1668). In 1505, Andrew Lyne received a charter for Bourtreehill from Robert Frances, Lord of Stane (the last mention of the Lynns of that Ilk in Bourtreehill being in 1608). In 1614 John Lyn of that Ilk is recorded as the lord superior of the lands of 'Hileis' in the parish of Dalry and Patrick Hunter of Hunterston was his baillie.
In 1522, the 16-acre mains of the barony of Lynn were conveyed in a charter from John Lyne of that Ilk to John Lyne of Bourtreehill, described therein as the "... dominical lands of Lyne called Burnesyd, with a house, garden, and Lyne Knoll." In 1532, John Lind [sic] of that Ilk sold the barony to Thomas Boyd. Nevertheless, the Lynns continued to hold the 16-acre mains of the property. In 1583, they were conveyed by Laurence Lyn [of Bourtreehill] to William Lyn, his son and heir apparent; on this occasion, the mains were further described as "... dominical lands of Lyne together with the house called Burnesyd with the garden thereof and Lyne Knoll lying in the town and territory of Lyne bailliary of Cunningham and sheriffdom of Ayr" [emphasis added].
The property included the beautiful Lynn Falls, lying in a glen said to be the dwelling of witches, elves, and fairies. However, that same glen is the location of Peden's Point, where the noted Covenanting minister Alexander Peden preached from a pinnacle forming a natural pulpit overlooking the water above the falls. The Lynns themselves were Presbyterians, and it may be that they willingly made their land available for the preaching of the reformed faith.
The Lords of Lynn became extinct as a landed family in Dalry, but they were remembered in Ayrshire folklore as "a beloved aristocracy that came, lingered a while, and vanished."
Linn House
Built for the Crichtons in 1812, this house was a small mansion house by 1858 with a vaguely 'Elizabethan' appearance. It was purchased by the Neilsen family of Chapeltoun
in 1924 and sold by them in 1960. The house lay empty for a number of years and was demolished so that the site could be redeveloped as a housing estate. Only the gatepiers remain, leading onto the Dalry to Kilwinninmg road.
She said she first met him while walking between her own house and the yard of Monkcastle, and after a discussion he then disappeared through a hole in a wall or dyke, apparently too small for a normal person to pass through.
She said she was trained by her “familiar” on how to make and use ointments to heal livestock and people. She was said to have cured and advised various people from poor children to gentry. As a “wise woman” her strange efforts at the time attracted the attention of the law. Her abilities were more akin to today’s current psychics, and with an understanding of medicinal herbs, she was identified in a time of witchcraft hysteria. It resulted in a conviction and the tragic outcome was that she was burnt at the stake. at Castle Hill in Edinburgh in 1576. She is also said to have been burnt at Corsehillmuir
, just outside Kilwinning.
Alexander Peden
(1626–1686) the renowned covenanting minister and remarked as a “profit” (sic) traveled throughout the district. He was said to have preached from Peden’s Point (a rocky outcrop) in a natural auditorium at the head of the Lynn glen.
When the main parish church at the Glebe was resited at the "cross" in 1608 it created around it a “kirktoun” establishing the village of Dalry. By 1700 the inhabitants of Dalry still however, numbered barely 100 and contained only about six dwellings.
In the mid 18th century, Dalry was still the only town in the parish.
In 1830 there were about 1,000 inhabitants, and the town consisted of five streets, three of these radiated from the "cross" or centre forming a square.Weekly market were held on Thursdays, and there were fairs in January, May and July.
At that time it was a reasonably large irregular shaped rural parish, centred around on the small town of Dalry. The parish included the small settlements / villages of Blair, Burnside, Drakemire, Southfield and the Den.
The opening of numerous limeworks, and a number of coal pits from the 1840s, wholly changed the character of the parish of Dalry. It became an increasingly industrial area peppered with mines to provide the ore and coal to fuel the blast furnaces at the various iron works.
The town lies on the Ayrshire Coast Line
and once was a busier junction with trains from Kilmarnock
and the Dalry and North Johnstone Line
joining the line here. The railway station
at Dalry opened in March 1840 as part of the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway
. The station at Dalry Junction
opened in April 1843 with the line to Kilmarnock via Crosshouse
, subsequently closing in January 1860 with the interchange transferred to Dalry railway station. The line to Kilmarnock remained open with local services ceasing in 1955, with occasional long distance passenger services remaining. The line closed in 1973, following the electrification of the WCML
. The closure of the Dalry and North Johnstone Line to passengers in 1966 and through freight in 1971, and steel freight traffic to Kilbirnie in 1977. Dalry station retained four platforms until rebuilding of the station and associated overbridge as part of the electrification of the Ayrshire Coast line during the early 1980s.
Maps and information of the time indicate a rail line from Blair iron works to the main line. This development of large iron works and the mining of ore and coal further increased the housing stock and population in and around the area. The suburb of Blair for example developed around one such ironworks. Numerous bings next to these excavations in the area are still evident to this day.
Morning and evening daily stage coaches passed through Dalry on the routes between Glasgow and various coastal destinations.
The "Fair Trader" coach stopped at the Crown Inn and the "Herald" coach at the King's Arms neither ran on Sundays. There were also several public houses, which had accommodation for travelers.
The public libraries at the time were the "Dalry Library", the “Dalry Church Library" and the "United Secession Library". At this time the town was lit by gas, by a Company formed in 1834.
The River Garnock
helps to irrigate the valley and, joined by the tributaries Rye Water and Caaf Water
, was a driving force behind the establishment of the town. These waters were utilised by the various mills in the 19th century
The industries of limestone, coal and ironstone assisted Dalry to develop into a thriving mining community.
The iron was smelted in the furnaces of the four great iron companies - the Ayrshire, the Glengarnock, the Eglinton and the Blair. In 1845 a visitor was “astonished at the change and at the numerous tasks of the busy labourers. The blaze of furnaces, the smoke of coal-pits, the whiter volume emitted by limekilns, and the building of houses, are at intervals seen all over the district.”
In the 1870s it is stated that Blair Iron Works and others in the area were part of the group owned by William Baird & Co. who then was the largiest pig iron producer in the world.
This once industrial town, like many such towns in this area of Scotland has seen a sharp decline of traditional industry, which has hit the town hard. In addition to coal mining, iron stone mining and textile manufacturing the town also had clay mines to be used in the areas various brickworks. To produce common red brick these brickworks were also well supplied with clay extracted from coal mine waste, available from the numerous "bings" throughout the valley, whereas the mined clay was required for higher quality fire brick
.
On the edge of the town lies a large chemical plant once operated by Roche, but now run by DSM
.
allowed the weight of the loaded cars, which were disconnected for unloading, to return the empty ones back up to the mine.
The surface of the inclined plane railroad was paved with firebricks, for employees to walk up the tracks to get to the main Dalry to Kilwinning road where they could catch a bus. The small brick structure gave them shelter from the weather, while they waited. The building is open on the southerly side, and originally had windows on the others (now bricked in), so that they could watch for the next bus coming. The current access road and bridge are more recent additions, as formerly vehicular access to the works was by a road which connected to the area near the railway station, almost a mile to the north. The railway went through a short cutting and passed under the main road in a short tunnel. A truck has been preserved at the nearby Dalgarven Mill
Museum of Scottish Country Life and Costume.
Dalry is a small town in the Garnock Valley
in Ayrshire
, Scotland
.
.
In 1883 excavations by John Smith of caves in the Dalry Blair estate at Cleeves Cove cave
found evidence of prehistoric man and otter bones.
Aitnock fort at the SW angle of Hindog Glen was excavated by John Smith in 1901-2, it showed a possible dun occupying the summit of a cliff which rises about 60 ft perpendicularly from the Rye Water. He stated in ”Excavations of the forts of Castlehill, Aitnock and Coalhill, Ayrshire” it was defended on one side by the steep drop to the Rye and by a horse shoe shaped deep ditch and stone walls.
The interior was about 30 ft in diameter, the floor had been leveled, then covered with yellow clay over which a pavement of rough slabs and river pebbles were laid.
On the pavement was an accumulation of deposits, in some places 6ins deep, in and on which the relics were found… coins, stone objects, a glass bead, 1st or 2nd century Samian bowl fragments, burnt bones and iron objects.
A sandstone cauldron was found near the centre of the interior, close by was a fireplace of slabs set on edge, this he states was possibly used to heat the water in the cauldron. An irregular lump of sandstone was found, bearing two chiseled cup marks one on each side, almost opposite each other.
During his excavations he found 4 silver Roman coins, all denarii, two of Antoninus Pius
and one each of Vespasian
and Hadrian, all of which came from parts of an upper black layer of occupation. Smith's collection of material from here was donated to the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland in 1981.
At Courthill excavations were undertaken by Cochrane–Patrick (1878) & Dobie (1876) in the 1870s. The remains of a timber hall similar to those in England dated to around the 8th century were found. These digs refer to a timber hall or court structure with a turf roof, that was then replaced by a motte (a structure on a hill) similar to those used by the early Normans infiltrating the area then. Amongst the debris a flint arrow head from an even earlier period was found.
At Auchinskich, meaning Cleeves Cove cave
s, there is a natural cave mentioned as the "Elf House" about 183 feet in length near the middle it expands into a large chamber, 35 feet long by 12 broad, and 12 feet in height.
In the reign of Charles II
, it was said to be a refuge to the covenanter
s of this parish from the violence of their persecutors.
When David I
(1082–1153) was crowned King of Scots he brought in and created a high-ranking Norman aristocracy in his new kingdom. These Norman nobles were given lands creating in Scotland an influential Norman aristocracy.
One of these “nobles or knights” a Hugh de Morville
was made Lord High Constable of Scotland
and given lands in Cunninghame. De Morville probably then gave some of these lands or baronies to a relative a Walter de Lynne, to William de Blair, to William Kerr and to the Boyles of Kelburne
.
The name Lynne then meaning “a waterfall,” is first noted in the area of Dalry in the years 1200-1300 They were located here and had land and owned the Castle of Lin near the waterfall of the Calf.
The name Blair at that time meant “a field clear of woods” and is recognised in the area in late 12th century when a Norman keep was within the barony of Blair. This was later replaced by the Blair castle.
Dalry was mentioned in 1226 as a "chapel of Ardrossan
". The parish of Dalry was probably formed in 1279 when a "Henry, Rector of the Church of Dalry" appears in the Register of the Diocese of Glasgow. Two places of worship in the parish appear by the late 13th century. One on the east bank of the River Garnock
at Kilcush, and the other on the west, located near the Old Glebe. This was the main parish church, it almost certainly dedicated to St. Margaret of Antioch, a 3rd or 4th century virgin martyr.
A Knights Templar stone coffin of an Ardrossan Baron was found when excavations were made to the Ardrossan Parish Church. It would most likely have been made by a French mason working on the construction of Kilwinning Abbey
during the late 12th - early 13th centuries. “Templand” names derived from the word templar are to be found in the Dalry area.
Lands including the area of Pitcon in Dalry were given by Robert the Bruce to his right hand man Robert Boyd in 1316.
In the 15th century the parish had five main baronies; Kelburne, Blair, Kersland, Lynn and Pitcon
. These names are still reflected in some of the areas, farms, houses and surnames in the area.
Kersland had a church school and ruined castle and is linked to the covenanter Robert Ker of Kersland.
The Rye Water has its source among the nearby high hills. The most interesting spot is that about which the world has been singing for centuries - the spot where it was crossed by a ford below Ryefield House. Before the erection of any bridge at Drakemire, the fording of the stream had occasioned much fun and banter, as shown by the many traditionary verses of the light and beautiful song that commemorates the primitive scene :-
A Rye Water ford still exists to this day (2008).
In 1892 John Fulton installed one of the first hydroelectric plants in Ayrshire, generating electricity for Broadlie House. The dam still exists (2008) and can be seen on the Putyan Burn
close to a pedestrian bridge that gave views of the installation to visitors. The water was carried downstream to a turbine house through a cast iron pipe.
Image:Doggartland Bridge Gas Light.JPG|Detail of an old gas light on the Doggartland Bridge.
Image:Doggartland Bridge detail.JPG|Detail of the cast iron railings at the Doggartland Bridge.
Image:Doggartland Bridge, dalry.JPG|The Doggartland Bridge.
During this period, the family also owned Baidland on the north-western side of Dalry, Highlees just south of Dundonald, and the estate of Bourtreehill near Irvine
. In 1385, the Laird of Lyne rented Baidland to the Cunninghams for one silver penny, then an average week's wages (this being the only known record of Lynns owning Baidland). In 1452, Andrew Lyn, Lord of that Ilk, gave a charter for Highlees to William Hunter of Arnele "for services rendered and to be rendered" (the Lynns remained superiors of Highlees for more than two centuries, their last recorded title being in 1668). In 1505, Andrew Lyne received a charter for Bourtreehill from Robert Frances, Lord of Stane (the last mention of the Lynns of that Ilk in Bourtreehill being in 1608). In 1614 John Lyn of that Ilk is recorded as the lord superior of the lands of 'Hileis' in the parish of Dalry and Patrick Hunter of Hunterston was his baillie.
In 1522, the 16-acre mains of the barony of Lynn were conveyed in a charter from John Lyne of that Ilk to John Lyne of Bourtreehill, described therein as the "... dominical lands of Lyne called Burnesyd, with a house, garden, and Lyne Knoll." In 1532, John Lind [sic] of that Ilk sold the barony to Thomas Boyd. Nevertheless, the Lynns continued to hold the 16-acre mains of the property. In 1583, they were conveyed by Laurence Lyn [of Bourtreehill] to William Lyn, his son and heir apparent; on this occasion, the mains were further described as "... dominical lands of Lyne together with the house called Burnesyd with the garden thereof and Lyne Knoll lying in the town and territory of Lyne bailliary of Cunningham and sheriffdom of Ayr" [emphasis added].
The property included the beautiful Lynn Falls, lying in a glen said to be the dwelling of witches, elves, and fairies. However, that same glen is the location of Peden's Point, where the noted Covenanting minister Alexander Peden preached from a pinnacle forming a natural pulpit overlooking the water above the falls. The Lynns themselves were Presbyterians, and it may be that they willingly made their land available for the preaching of the reformed faith.
The Lords of Lynn became extinct as a landed family in Dalry, but they were remembered in Ayrshire folklore as "a beloved aristocracy that came, lingered a while, and vanished."
Linn House
Built for the Crichtons in 1812, this house was a small mansion house by 1858 with a vaguely 'Elizabethan' appearance. It was purchased by the Neilsen family of Chapeltoun
in 1924 and sold by them in 1960. The house lay empty for a number of years and was demolished so that the site could be redeveloped as a housing estate. Only the gatepiers remain, leading onto the Dalry to Kilwinninmg road.
Image:Caaf Mill Dalry detail.JPG|Detail of an opening in the gable end of the old mill.
Image:Caaf Mill, Lynn Glen.JPG|The old mill's gable end facing Linn Spout.
Image:Caaf Mill Lynn Glen Dalry.JPG|The Craig Mill ruins from below Linn Spout. This mill was associated with Kilwinning Abbey, together with Garnock and Sevenacres mills.
Image:Lynn Spout turbine house.JPG|Remains of the mill lade and what may have been a later roofed turbine house.
Image:Lynn Spout Detail Dalry.JPG|Linn Spout on the Caaf Water.
Image:Lynn Spout, Caaf Water.JPG|Linn Spout on the Caaf Water; illustrating the thick limestone deposits in this area.
Image:Lynn Glen small spout.JPG|The Caaf Water running over limestone. A good site for rock-cut basins.
Image:Rock-cut basin and pebbles.JPG|Rock-cut basins with the eroding pebble in situ. Very low water levels.
Image:Lynn Glen footbridge.JPG|The remains of an old footbridge near the entrance to the old lade.
Image:Conocephalum conicum in Lynn Glen.JPG|The Liverwort
Conocephalum conicum on a rock in the Caaf Water.
Image:Blechnum spicant at Lynn Glen.JPG|Hard Fern (Blechnum spicant) in the Linn Glen. Note the vertical fertile fronds typical of this species.
Image:Lynn Glen Primroses.JPG|Primroses in the Glen.
She said she first met him while walking between her own house and the yard of Monkcastle, and after a discussion he then disappeared through a hole in a wall or dyke, apparently too small for a normal person to pass through.
She said she was trained by her “familiar” on how to make and use ointments to heal livestock and people. She was said to have cured and advised various people from poor children to gentry. As a “wise woman” her strange efforts at the time attracted the attention of the law. Her abilities were more akin to today’s current psychics, and with an understanding of medicinal herbs, she was identified in a time of witchcraft hysteria. It resulted in a conviction and the tragic outcome was that she was burnt at the stake. at Castle Hill in Edinburgh in 1576. She is also said to have been burnt at Corsehillmuir
, just outside Kilwinning.
Alexander Peden
(1626–1686) the renowned covenanting minister and remarked as a “profit” (sic) traveled throughout the district. He was said to have preached from Peden’s Point (a rocky outcrop) in a natural auditorium at the head of the Lynn glen.
When the main parish church at the Glebe was resited at the "cross" in 1608 it created around it a “kirktoun” establishing the village of Dalry. By 1700 the inhabitants of Dalry still however, numbered barely 100 and contained only about six dwellings.
In the mid 18th century, Dalry was still the only town in the parish.
In 1830 there were about 1,000 inhabitants, and the town consisted of five streets, three of these radiated from the "cross" or centre forming a square.Weekly market were held on Thursdays, and there were fairs in January, May and July.
At that time it was a reasonably large irregular shaped rural parish, centred around on the small town of Dalry. The parish included the small settlements / villages of Blair, Burnside, Drakemire, Southfield and the Den.
The opening of numerous limeworks, and a number of coal pits from the 1840s, wholly changed the character of the parish of Dalry. It became an increasingly industrial area peppered with mines to provide the ore and coal to fuel the blast furnaces at the various iron works.
The town lies on the Ayrshire Coast Line
and once was a busier junction with trains from Kilmarnock
and the Dalry and North Johnstone Line
joining the line here. The railway station
at Dalry opened in March 1840 as part of the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway
. The station at Dalry Junction
opened in April 1843 with the line to Kilmarnock via Crosshouse
, subsequently closing in January 1860 with the interchange transferred to Dalry railway station. The line to Kilmarnock remained open with local services ceasing in 1955, with occasional long distance passenger services remaining. The line closed in 1973, following the electrification of the WCML
. The closure of the Dalry and North Johnstone Line to passengers in 1966 and through freight in 1971, and steel freight traffic to Kilbirnie in 1977. Dalry station retained four platforms until rebuilding of the station and associated overbridge as part of the electrification of the Ayrshire Coast line during the early 1980s.
Maps and information of the time indicate a rail line from Blair iron works to the main line. This development of large iron works and the mining of ore and coal further increased the housing stock and population in and around the area. The suburb of Blair for example developed around one such ironworks. Numerous bings next to these excavations in the area are still evident to this day.
Morning and evening daily stage coaches passed through Dalry on the routes between Glasgow and various coastal destinations.
The "Fair Trader" coach stopped at the Crown Inn and the "Herald" coach at the King's Arms neither ran on Sundays. There were also several public houses, which had accommodation for travelers.
The public libraries at the time were the "Dalry Library", the “Dalry Church Library" and the "United Secession Library". At this time the town was lit by gas, by a Company formed in 1834.
The River Garnock
helps to irrigate the valley and, joined by the tributaries Rye Water and Caaf Water
, was a driving force behind the establishment of the town. These waters were utilised by the various mills in the 19th century
The industries of limestone, coal and ironstone assisted Dalry to develop into a thriving mining community.
The iron was smelted in the furnaces of the four great iron companies - the Ayrshire, the Glengarnock, the Eglinton and the Blair. In 1845 a visitor was “astonished at the change and at the numerous tasks of the busy labourers. The blaze of furnaces, the smoke of coal-pits, the whiter volume emitted by limekilns, and the building of houses, are at intervals seen all over the district.”
In the 1870s it is stated that Blair Iron Works and others in the area were part of the group owned by William Baird & Co. who then was the largiest pig iron producer in the world.
This once industrial town, like many such towns in this area of Scotland has seen a sharp decline of traditional industry, which has hit the town hard. In addition to coal mining, iron stone mining and textile manufacturing the town also had clay mines to be used in the areas various brickworks. To produce common red brick these brickworks were also well supplied with clay extracted from coal mine waste, available from the numerous "bings" throughout the valley, whereas the mined clay was required for higher quality fire brick
.
On the edge of the town lies a large chemical plant once operated by Roche, but now run by DSM
.
allowed the weight of the loaded cars, which were disconnected for unloading, to return the empty ones back up to the mine.
The surface of the inclined plane railroad was paved with firebricks, for employees to walk up the tracks to get to the main Dalry to Kilwinning road where they could catch a bus. The small brick structure gave them shelter from the weather, while they waited. The building is open on the southerly side, and originally had windows on the others (now bricked in), so that they could watch for the next bus coming. The current access road and bridge are more recent additions, as formerly vehicular access to the works was by a road which connected to the area near the railway station, almost a mile to the north. The railway went through a short cutting and passed under the main road in a short tunnel. A truck has been preserved at the nearby Dalgarven Mill
Museum of Scottish Country Life and Costume.
Dalry is a small town in the Garnock Valley
in Ayrshire
, Scotland
.
.
In 1883 excavations by John Smith of caves in the Dalry Blair estate at Cleeves Cove cave
found evidence of prehistoric man and otter bones.
Aitnock fort at the SW angle of Hindog Glen was excavated by John Smith in 1901-2, it showed a possible dun occupying the summit of a cliff which rises about 60 ft perpendicularly from the Rye Water. He stated in ”Excavations of the forts of Castlehill, Aitnock and Coalhill, Ayrshire” it was defended on one side by the steep drop to the Rye and by a horse shoe shaped deep ditch and stone walls.
The interior was about 30 ft in diameter, the floor had been leveled, then covered with yellow clay over which a pavement of rough slabs and river pebbles were laid.
On the pavement was an accumulation of deposits, in some places 6ins deep, in and on which the relics were found… coins, stone objects, a glass bead, 1st or 2nd century Samian bowl fragments, burnt bones and iron objects.
A sandstone cauldron was found near the centre of the interior, close by was a fireplace of slabs set on edge, this he states was possibly used to heat the water in the cauldron. An irregular lump of sandstone was found, bearing two chiseled cup marks one on each side, almost opposite each other.
During his excavations he found 4 silver Roman coins, all denarii, two of Antoninus Pius
and one each of Vespasian
and Hadrian, all of which came from parts of an upper black layer of occupation. Smith's collection of material from here was donated to the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland in 1981.
At Courthill excavations were undertaken by Cochrane–Patrick (1878) & Dobie (1876) in the 1870s. The remains of a timber hall similar to those in England dated to around the 8th century were found. These digs refer to a timber hall or court structure with a turf roof, that was then replaced by a motte (a structure on a hill) similar to those used by the early Normans infiltrating the area then. Amongst the debris a flint arrow head from an even earlier period was found.
At Auchinskich, meaning Cleeves Cove cave
s, there is a natural cave mentioned as the "Elf House" about 183 feet in length near the middle it expands into a large chamber, 35 feet long by 12 broad, and 12 feet in height.
In the reign of Charles II
, it was said to be a refuge to the covenanter
s of this parish from the violence of their persecutors.
When David I
(1082–1153) was crowned King of Scots he brought in and created a high-ranking Norman aristocracy in his new kingdom. These Norman nobles were given lands creating in Scotland an influential Norman aristocracy.
One of these “nobles or knights” a Hugh de Morville
was made Lord High Constable of Scotland
and given lands in Cunninghame. De Morville probably then gave some of these lands or baronies to a relative a Walter de Lynne, to William de Blair, to William Kerr and to the Boyles of Kelburne
.
The name Lynne then meaning “a waterfall,” is first noted in the area of Dalry in the years 1200-1300 They were located here and had land and owned the Castle of Lin near the waterfall of the Calf.
The name Blair at that time meant “a field clear of woods” and is recognised in the area in late 12th century when a Norman keep was within the barony of Blair. This was later replaced by the Blair castle.
Dalry was mentioned in 1226 as a "chapel of Ardrossan
". The parish of Dalry was probably formed in 1279 when a "Henry, Rector of the Church of Dalry" appears in the Register of the Diocese of Glasgow. Two places of worship in the parish appear by the late 13th century. One on the east bank of the River Garnock
at Kilcush, and the other on the west, located near the Old Glebe. This was the main parish church, it almost certainly dedicated to St. Margaret of Antioch, a 3rd or 4th century virgin martyr.
A Knights Templar stone coffin of an Ardrossan Baron was found when excavations were made to the Ardrossan Parish Church. It would most likely have been made by a French mason working on the construction of Kilwinning Abbey
during the late 12th - early 13th centuries. “Templand” names derived from the word templar are to be found in the Dalry area.
Lands including the area of Pitcon in Dalry were given by Robert the Bruce to his right hand man Robert Boyd in 1316.
In the 15th century the parish had five main baronies; Kelburne, Blair, Kersland, Lynn and Pitcon
. These names are still reflected in some of the areas, farms, houses and surnames in the area.
Kersland had a church school and ruined castle and is linked to the covenanter Robert Ker of Kersland.
The Rye Water has its source among the nearby high hills. The most interesting spot is that about which the world has been singing for centuries - the spot where it was crossed by a ford below Ryefield House. Before the erection of any bridge at Drakemire, the fording of the stream had occasioned much fun and banter, as shown by the many traditionary verses of the light and beautiful song that commemorates the primitive scene :-
A Rye Water ford still exists to this day (2008).
In 1892 John Fulton installed one of the first hydroelectric plants in Ayrshire, generating electricity for Broadlie House. The dam still exists (2008) and can be seen on the Putyan Burn
close to a pedestrian bridge that gave views of the installation to visitors. The water was carried downstream to a turbine house through a cast iron pipe.
Image:Doggartland Bridge Gas Light.JPG|Detail of an old gas light on the Doggartland Bridge.
Image:Doggartland Bridge detail.JPG|Detail of the cast iron railings at the Doggartland Bridge.
Image:Doggartland Bridge, dalry.JPG|The Doggartland Bridge.
During this period, the family also owned Baidland on the north-western side of Dalry, Highlees just south of Dundonald, and the estate of Bourtreehill near Irvine
. In 1385, the Laird of Lyne rented Baidland to the Cunninghams for one silver penny, then an average week's wages (this being the only known record of Lynns owning Baidland). In 1452, Andrew Lyn, Lord of that Ilk, gave a charter for Highlees to William Hunter of Arnele "for services rendered and to be rendered" (the Lynns remained superiors of Highlees for more than two centuries, their last recorded title being in 1668). In 1505, Andrew Lyne received a charter for Bourtreehill from Robert Frances, Lord of Stane (the last mention of the Lynns of that Ilk in Bourtreehill being in 1608). In 1614 John Lyn of that Ilk is recorded as the lord superior of the lands of 'Hileis' in the parish of Dalry and Patrick Hunter of Hunterston was his baillie.
In 1522, the 16-acre mains of the barony of Lynn were conveyed in a charter from John Lyne of that Ilk to John Lyne of Bourtreehill, described therein as the "... dominical lands of Lyne called Burnesyd, with a house, garden, and Lyne Knoll." In 1532, John Lind [sic] of that Ilk sold the barony to Thomas Boyd. Nevertheless, the Lynns continued to hold the 16-acre mains of the property. In 1583, they were conveyed by Laurence Lyn [of Bourtreehill] to William Lyn, his son and heir apparent; on this occasion, the mains were further described as "... dominical lands of Lyne together with the house called Burnesyd with the garden thereof and Lyne Knoll lying in the town and territory of Lyne bailliary of Cunningham and sheriffdom of Ayr" [emphasis added].
The property included the beautiful Lynn Falls, lying in a glen said to be the dwelling of witches, elves, and fairies. However, that same glen is the location of Peden's Point, where the noted Covenanting minister Alexander Peden preached from a pinnacle forming a natural pulpit overlooking the water above the falls. The Lynns themselves were Presbyterians, and it may be that they willingly made their land available for the preaching of the reformed faith.
The Lords of Lynn became extinct as a landed family in Dalry, but they were remembered in Ayrshire folklore as "a beloved aristocracy that came, lingered a while, and vanished."
Linn House
Built for the Crichtons in 1812, this house was a small mansion house by 1858 with a vaguely 'Elizabethan' appearance. It was purchased by the Neilsen family of Chapeltoun
in 1924 and sold by them in 1960. The house lay empty for a number of years and was demolished so that the site could be redeveloped as a housing estate. Only the gatepiers remain, leading onto the Dalry to Kilwinninmg road.
Image:Caaf Mill Dalry detail.JPG|Detail of an opening in the gable end of the old mill.
Image:Caaf Mill, Lynn Glen.JPG|The old mill's gable end facing Linn Spout.
Image:Caaf Mill Lynn Glen Dalry.JPG|The Craig Mill ruins from below Linn Spout. This mill was associated with Kilwinning Abbey, together with Garnock and Sevenacres mills.
Image:Lynn Spout turbine house.JPG|Remains of the mill lade and what may have been a later roofed turbine house.
Image:Lynn Spout Detail Dalry.JPG|Linn Spout on the Caaf Water.
Image:Lynn Spout, Caaf Water.JPG|Linn Spout on the Caaf Water; illustrating the thick limestone deposits in this area.
Image:Lynn Glen small spout.JPG|The Caaf Water running over limestone. A good site for rock-cut basins.
Image:Rock-cut basin and pebbles.JPG|Rock-cut basins with the eroding pebble in situ. Very low water levels.
Image:Lynn Glen footbridge.JPG|The remains of an old footbridge near the entrance to the old lade.
Image:Conocephalum conicum in Lynn Glen.JPG|The Liverwort
Conocephalum conicum on a rock in the Caaf Water.
Image:Blechnum spicant at Lynn Glen.JPG|Hard Fern (Blechnum spicant) in the Linn Glen. Note the vertical fertile fronds typical of this species.
Image:Lynn Glen Primroses.JPG|Primroses in the Glen.
She said she first met him while walking between her own house and the yard of Monkcastle, and after a discussion he then disappeared through a hole in a wall or dyke, apparently too small for a normal person to pass through.
She said she was trained by her “familiar” on how to make and use ointments to heal livestock and people. She was said to have cured and advised various people from poor children to gentry. As a “wise woman” her strange efforts at the time attracted the attention of the law. Her abilities were more akin to today’s current psychics, and with an understanding of medicinal herbs, she was identified in a time of witchcraft hysteria. It resulted in a conviction and the tragic outcome was that she was burnt at the stake. at Castle Hill in Edinburgh in 1576. She is also said to have been burnt at Corsehillmuir
, just outside Kilwinning.
Alexander Peden
(1626–1686) the renowned covenanting minister and remarked as a “profit” (sic) traveled throughout the district. He was said to have preached from Peden’s Point (a rocky outcrop) in a natural auditorium at the head of the Lynn glen.
When the main parish church at the Glebe was resited at the "cross" in 1608 it created around it a “kirktoun” establishing the village of Dalry. By 1700 the inhabitants of Dalry still however, numbered barely 100 and contained only about six dwellings.
In the mid 18th century, Dalry was still the only town in the parish.
In 1830 there were about 1,000 inhabitants, and the town consisted of five streets, three of these radiated from the "cross" or centre forming a square.Weekly market were held on Thursdays, and there were fairs in January, May and July.
At that time it was a reasonably large irregular shaped rural parish, centred around on the small town of Dalry. The parish included the small settlements / villages of Blair, Burnside, Drakemire, Southfield and the Den.
The opening of numerous limeworks, and a number of coal pits from the 1840s, wholly changed the character of the parish of Dalry. It became an increasingly industrial area peppered with mines to provide the ore and coal to fuel the blast furnaces at the various iron works.
The town lies on the Ayrshire Coast Line
and once was a busier junction with trains from Kilmarnock
and the Dalry and North Johnstone Line
joining the line here. The railway station
at Dalry opened in March 1840 as part of the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway
. The station at Dalry Junction
opened in April 1843 with the line to Kilmarnock via Crosshouse
, subsequently closing in January 1860 with the interchange transferred to Dalry railway station. The line to Kilmarnock remained open with local services ceasing in 1955, with occasional long distance passenger services remaining. The line closed in 1973, following the electrification of the WCML
. The closure of the Dalry and North Johnstone Line to passengers in 1966 and through freight in 1971, and steel freight traffic to Kilbirnie in 1977. Dalry station retained four platforms until rebuilding of the station and associated overbridge as part of the electrification of the Ayrshire Coast line during the early 1980s.
Maps and information of the time indicate a rail line from Blair iron works to the main line. This development of large iron works and the mining of ore and coal further increased the housing stock and population in and around the area. The suburb of Blair for example developed around one such ironworks. Numerous bings next to these excavations in the area are still evident to this day.
Morning and evening daily stage coaches passed through Dalry on the routes between Glasgow and various coastal destinations.
The "Fair Trader" coach stopped at the Crown Inn and the "Herald" coach at the King's Arms neither ran on Sundays. There were also several public houses, which had accommodation for travelers.
The public libraries at the time were the "Dalry Library", the “Dalry Church Library" and the "United Secession Library". At this time the town was lit by gas, by a Company formed in 1834.
The River Garnock
helps to irrigate the valley and, joined by the tributaries Rye Water and Caaf Water
, was a driving force behind the establishment of the town. These waters were utilised by the various mills in the 19th century
The industries of limestone, coal and ironstone assisted Dalry to develop into a thriving mining community.
The iron was smelted in the furnaces of the four great iron companies - the Ayrshire, the Glengarnock, the Eglinton and the Blair. In 1845 a visitor was “astonished at the change and at the numerous tasks of the busy labourers. The blaze of furnaces, the smoke of coal-pits, the whiter volume emitted by limekilns, and the building of houses, are at intervals seen all over the district.”
In the 1870s it is stated that Blair Iron Works and others in the area were part of the group owned by William Baird & Co. who then was the largiest pig iron producer in the world.
This once industrial town, like many such towns in this area of Scotland has seen a sharp decline of traditional industry, which has hit the town hard. In addition to coal mining, iron stone mining and textile manufacturing the town also had clay mines to be used in the areas various brickworks. To produce common red brick these brickworks were also well supplied with clay extracted from coal mine waste, available from the numerous "bings" throughout the valley, whereas the mined clay was required for higher quality fire brick
.
On the edge of the town lies a large chemical plant once operated by Roche, but now run by DSM
.
allowed the weight of the loaded cars, which were disconnected for unloading, to return the empty ones back up to the mine.
The surface of the inclined plane railroad was paved with firebricks, for employees to walk up the tracks to get to the main Dalry to Kilwinning road where they could catch a bus. The small brick structure gave them shelter from the weather, while they waited. The building is open on the southerly side, and originally had windows on the others (now bricked in), so that they could watch for the next bus coming. The current access road and bridge are more recent additions, as formerly vehicular access to the works was by a road which connected to the area near the railway station, almost a mile to the north. The railway went through a short cutting and passed under the main road in a short tunnel. A truck has been preserved at the nearby Dalgarven Mill
Museum of Scottish Country Life and Costume.
Image:Douglas Fireclay Mine bridge over the Garnock.JPG|The railway bridge over the River Garnock
to the site of the old Douglas Firebrick works.
Image:Control cabin on the Monkcastle fireclay mine railway.JPG|The shelter near the tunnel under the Dalry to Kilwinning road.
Image:Embankment of Monkcastle Fireclay mine railway.JPG|A view of the inclined plane railway's embankment.
Image:A rail on the railway embankment of Douglas fireclay works..JPG|A rail from the old inclined plane railway on the abandoned embankment.
Image:Giffordland Glen.JPG|Giffordland Glen
beechwood off the Ardrossan and West Kilbride road.
Image:Hedgehog Fungus Detail.JPG|The Hedgehog fungus (Hydnum repandum) at Giffordland.
Image:Amethyst Deceiver.JPG |The Amethyst Deceiver (Laccaria
) at Giffordland.
Image:Fly Agaric Slugs.JPG |The Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria
) at Giffordland, damaged by slugs.
Image:Cubeside Farm and Villa.JPG|Well established hedgerows at Cubeside Farm and the villa on the lower slopes of Baidland Hill.
File:Raven's Craig Glen.JPG|Ferns, mosses and liverworts in Raven's Craig Glen on the South Burn.
File:Husband and Wife Trees - Linncraigs, Dalry.JPG|Fused blackthorns at Lynncraigs; known as a Husband and Wife tree.
File:Wasp bike on Hawthorn.JPG|Wasp bike or nest on a hawthorn in Lynn Glen.
Garnock Valley
The Garnock Valley is an area in the northern part of North Ayrshire, Scotland, adjoining Renfrewshire.The region includes the towns of Beith, Dalry, and Kilbirnie, and some smaller villages such as Gateside, Barrmill, Longbar and Glengarnock....
in Ayrshire
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
History
Dalry (in Gaelic..“Dail-righ”) means "King's Valley" or more simply the "Rye Meadow"; indicating a small settlement on the Rye Burn. Its history has signs of early inhabitants in the area. The remains of an ancient fort made of three concentric round walls can be found on the summit of Carwinning Hill to the North of Dalry, west of the B784 to LargsLargs
Largs is a town on the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland, about from Glasgow. The original name means "the slopes" in Scottish Gaelic....
.
In 1883 excavations by John Smith of caves in the Dalry Blair estate at Cleeves Cove cave
Cleeves Cove cave
Cleeves Cove is a cave system on the Dusk Water in North Ayrshire, Scotland, close to the town of Dalry.-The cave system:Cleeves, or Cleaves, cove cave system is situated in the lower bed of carboniferous limestone. It measures around 500 feet if all the passages were put together...
found evidence of prehistoric man and otter bones.
Aitnock fort at the SW angle of Hindog Glen was excavated by John Smith in 1901-2, it showed a possible dun occupying the summit of a cliff which rises about 60 ft perpendicularly from the Rye Water. He stated in ”Excavations of the forts of Castlehill, Aitnock and Coalhill, Ayrshire” it was defended on one side by the steep drop to the Rye and by a horse shoe shaped deep ditch and stone walls.
On the pavement was an accumulation of deposits, in some places 6ins deep, in and on which the relics were found… coins, stone objects, a glass bead, 1st or 2nd century Samian bowl fragments, burnt bones and iron objects.
A sandstone cauldron was found near the centre of the interior, close by was a fireplace of slabs set on edge, this he states was possibly used to heat the water in the cauldron. An irregular lump of sandstone was found, bearing two chiseled cup marks one on each side, almost opposite each other.
During his excavations he found 4 silver Roman coins, all denarii, two of Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius , also known as Antoninus, was Roman Emperor from 138 to 161. He was a member of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty and the Aurelii. He did not possess the sobriquet "Pius" until after his accession to the throne...
and one each of Vespasian
Vespasian
Vespasian , was Roman Emperor from 69 AD to 79 AD. Vespasian was the founder of the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for a quarter century. Vespasian was descended from a family of equestrians, who rose into the senatorial rank under the Emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty...
and Hadrian, all of which came from parts of an upper black layer of occupation. Smith's collection of material from here was donated to the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland in 1981.
At Courthill excavations were undertaken by Cochrane–Patrick (1878) & Dobie (1876) in the 1870s. The remains of a timber hall similar to those in England dated to around the 8th century were found. These digs refer to a timber hall or court structure with a turf roof, that was then replaced by a motte (a structure on a hill) similar to those used by the early Normans infiltrating the area then. Amongst the debris a flint arrow head from an even earlier period was found.
Cleeves Cove cave
Cleeves Cove is a cave system on the Dusk Water in North Ayrshire, Scotland, close to the town of Dalry.-The cave system:Cleeves, or Cleaves, cove cave system is situated in the lower bed of carboniferous limestone. It measures around 500 feet if all the passages were put together...
s, there is a natural cave mentioned as the "Elf House" about 183 feet in length near the middle it expands into a large chamber, 35 feet long by 12 broad, and 12 feet in height.
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
, it was said to be a refuge to the covenanter
Covenanter
The Covenanters were a Scottish Presbyterian movement that played an important part in the history of Scotland, and to a lesser extent in that of England and Ireland, during the 17th century...
s of this parish from the violence of their persecutors.
When David I
David I of Scotland
David I or Dabíd mac Maíl Choluim was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians and later King of the Scots...
(1082–1153) was crowned King of Scots he brought in and created a high-ranking Norman aristocracy in his new kingdom. These Norman nobles were given lands creating in Scotland an influential Norman aristocracy.
One of these “nobles or knights” a Hugh de Morville
Hugh de Morville, Lord of Cunningham and Lauderdale
Hugh de Morville was a Norman knight who made his fortune in the service of David fitz Malcolm, Prince of the Cumbrians and King of Scots .His parentage is said by some to be unclear, but G. W. S...
was made Lord High Constable of Scotland
Lord High Constable of Scotland
The Lord High Constable is a hereditary, now ceremonial, office of Scotland. In the order of precedence of Scotland, the office traditionally ranks above all titles except those of the Royal Family. The Lord High Constable was, after the King of Scots, the supreme officer of the Scottish army. He...
and given lands in Cunninghame. De Morville probably then gave some of these lands or baronies to a relative a Walter de Lynne, to William de Blair, to William Kerr and to the Boyles of Kelburne
Clan Boyle
Clan Boyle is a Scottish clan from Ayrshire in Scotland. There is also an Irish sept of the O'Neill Clan of the name O'Boyle or in Irish Ó Baoighill. The O'Boyles are one of three clans who shared the leadership of the North West of Ireland, specifically Co...
.
The name Lynne then meaning “a waterfall,” is first noted in the area of Dalry in the years 1200-1300 They were located here and had land and owned the Castle of Lin near the waterfall of the Calf.
Dalry was mentioned in 1226 as a "chapel of Ardrossan
Ardrossan
Ardrossan is a town on the North Ayrshire coast in south-western Scotland. The name "Ardrossan" describes its physical position — 'ard' from the Gaelic àird meaning headland, 'ros' a promontory and the diminutive suffix '-an' - headland of the little promontory...
". The parish of Dalry was probably formed in 1279 when a "Henry, Rector of the Church of Dalry" appears in the Register of the Diocese of Glasgow. Two places of worship in the parish appear by the late 13th century. One on the east bank of the River Garnock
River Garnock
The River Garnock, the smallest of Ayrshire's six principal rivers, has its source on the southerly side of the Hill of Stake in the heart of the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. About a mile and a half south of this starting point the untested stream tumbles over the Spout of Garnock, the highest...
at Kilcush, and the other on the west, located near the Old Glebe. This was the main parish church, it almost certainly dedicated to St. Margaret of Antioch, a 3rd or 4th century virgin martyr.
A Knights Templar stone coffin of an Ardrossan Baron was found when excavations were made to the Ardrossan Parish Church. It would most likely have been made by a French mason working on the construction of Kilwinning Abbey
Kilwinning Abbey
Kilwinning Abbey is a ruined abbey located in the centre of the town of Kilwinning, North Ayrshire.-The establishment of the Abbey:The ancient name of the town is 'Segdoune' or 'Saigtown', probably derived from 'Sanctoun', meaning the 'town of the saint'. Saint Winnings festival was on 21 January...
during the late 12th - early 13th centuries. “Templand” names derived from the word templar are to be found in the Dalry area.
In the 15th century the parish had five main baronies; Kelburne, Blair, Kersland, Lynn and Pitcon
The Lands of Pitcon
The Lands of Pitcon, previously Potconnel now form a small estate of around 100 acres in the Parish of Dalry, North Ayrshire in the old Barony of Dalry. The present Grade B Listed Georgian mansion house dating from 1787, replaces an older castellated dwelling...
. These names are still reflected in some of the areas, farms, houses and surnames in the area.
Kersland had a church school and ruined castle and is linked to the covenanter Robert Ker of Kersland.
The Rye Water has its source among the nearby high hills. The most interesting spot is that about which the world has been singing for centuries - the spot where it was crossed by a ford below Ryefield House. Before the erection of any bridge at Drakemire, the fording of the stream had occasioned much fun and banter, as shown by the many traditionary verses of the light and beautiful song that commemorates the primitive scene :-
"Gin a body meet a body Comin’ through the Rye, Gin a body kiss a body Need a body cry ?, Ilka lassie has her laddie, Nane, they say, ha’e I ! Yet a’ the lads they smile on me, When comin’ through the Rye." |
A Rye Water ford still exists to this day (2008).
Broadlie House
In 1892 John Fulton installed one of the first hydroelectric plants in Ayrshire, generating electricity for Broadlie House. The dam still exists (2008) and can be seen on the Putyan Burn
River Garnock
The River Garnock, the smallest of Ayrshire's six principal rivers, has its source on the southerly side of the Hill of Stake in the heart of the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. About a mile and a half south of this starting point the untested stream tumbles over the Spout of Garnock, the highest...
close to a pedestrian bridge that gave views of the installation to visitors. The water was carried downstream to a turbine house through a cast iron pipe.
Doggartland House
This house derives its name from 'Dogger' which is Scots for a course ironstone, much mined in the area as witnessed by waste bings below Ryefield and at Flashwood. A fine but now redundant cast iron bridge crosses the Rye Water at Doggartland.Lords of Lynn
The barony of Lynn was created from lands inherited about 1204 from Hugh de Morville. It reportedly was first held by Walter de Lynne, who signed the 1296 Ragman Roll. According to Douglas, the family bore the name Lynne long before coming to Ayrshire. If, as Douglas reports however, the family line is Robert de Lynne appearing in 1207 (Perthshire), William de Lynne appearing in 1246 (Perthshire), and Walter de Lynne appearing in 1296 (Ayrshire), one would expect William (or perhaps even Robert), rather than William's son Walter, to be the de Morville heir, first Lord of Lynn in Dalry, and progenitor of the Lynns of that Ilk. In any case, the Lynns held the property from about 1204 until 1532, when they sold it to the Boyds of Kilmarnock. Even then, however, they retained use of 16 acres of the barony or "dominical lands", which acres were "called Burnesyd, Garden and Lyne Knoll in the town and territory of Lyne, bailliary of Cunningham and sheriffdom of Ayr".Irvine, North Ayrshire
Irvine is a new town on the coast of the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland. According to 2007 population estimates, the town is home to 39,527 inhabitants, making it the biggest settlement in North Ayrshire....
. In 1385, the Laird of Lyne rented Baidland to the Cunninghams for one silver penny, then an average week's wages (this being the only known record of Lynns owning Baidland). In 1452, Andrew Lyn, Lord of that Ilk, gave a charter for Highlees to William Hunter of Arnele "for services rendered and to be rendered" (the Lynns remained superiors of Highlees for more than two centuries, their last recorded title being in 1668). In 1505, Andrew Lyne received a charter for Bourtreehill from Robert Frances, Lord of Stane (the last mention of the Lynns of that Ilk in Bourtreehill being in 1608). In 1614 John Lyn of that Ilk is recorded as the lord superior of the lands of 'Hileis' in the parish of Dalry and Patrick Hunter of Hunterston was his baillie.
In 1522, the 16-acre mains of the barony of Lynn were conveyed in a charter from John Lyne of that Ilk to John Lyne of Bourtreehill, described therein as the "... dominical lands of Lyne called Burnesyd, with a house, garden, and Lyne Knoll." In 1532, John Lind [sic] of that Ilk sold the barony to Thomas Boyd. Nevertheless, the Lynns continued to hold the 16-acre mains of the property. In 1583, they were conveyed by Laurence Lyn [of Bourtreehill] to William Lyn, his son and heir apparent; on this occasion, the mains were further described as "... dominical lands of Lyne together with the house called Burnesyd with the garden thereof and Lyne Knoll lying in the town and territory of Lyne bailliary of Cunningham and sheriffdom of Ayr" [emphasis added].
The property included the beautiful Lynn Falls, lying in a glen said to be the dwelling of witches, elves, and fairies. However, that same glen is the location of Peden's Point, where the noted Covenanting minister Alexander Peden preached from a pinnacle forming a natural pulpit overlooking the water above the falls. The Lynns themselves were Presbyterians, and it may be that they willingly made their land available for the preaching of the reformed faith.
The Lords of Lynn became extinct as a landed family in Dalry, but they were remembered in Ayrshire folklore as "a beloved aristocracy that came, lingered a while, and vanished."
Linn House
Built for the Crichtons in 1812, this house was a small mansion house by 1858 with a vaguely 'Elizabethan' appearance. It was purchased by the Neilsen family of Chapeltoun
Chapeltoun
Chapeltoun is an estate on the banks of the Annick Water in East Ayrshire, Scotland. This is a rural area famous for its milk and cheese production and the Ayrshire or Dunlop breed of cattle.-Templeton and the Knights Templar:...
in 1924 and sold by them in 1960. The house lay empty for a number of years and was demolished so that the site could be redeveloped as a housing estate. Only the gatepiers remain, leading onto the Dalry to Kilwinninmg road.
Dalry Witch
On the 8th Nov 1576, midwife Bessie Dunlop, resident of Lynne, in Dalry, was accused of sorcery and witchcraft. She answered her accusers that she received information on prophecies or to the whereabouts of lost goods from a Thomas Reid, a former barony officer in Dalry who died at the Battle of Pinkie some 30 years before.She said she was trained by her “familiar” on how to make and use ointments to heal livestock and people. She was said to have cured and advised various people from poor children to gentry. As a “wise woman” her strange efforts at the time attracted the attention of the law. Her abilities were more akin to today’s current psychics, and with an understanding of medicinal herbs, she was identified in a time of witchcraft hysteria. It resulted in a conviction and the tragic outcome was that she was burnt at the stake. at Castle Hill in Edinburgh in 1576. She is also said to have been burnt at Corsehillmuir
Eglinton Country Park
Eglinton Country Park is located in the grounds of the old Eglinton Castle estate, Kilwinning, North Ayrshire, Scotland . Eglinton Park is situated in the parish of Kilwinning, part of the former district of Cunninghame, and covers an area of 400 hectares...
, just outside Kilwinning.
Alexander Peden
Alexander Peden , also known as Prophet Peden, was one of the leading forces in the Covenanter movement, was born at Auchincloich Farm near Sorn, Ayrshire, about 1626, and was educated at the University of Glasgow...
(1626–1686) the renowned covenanting minister and remarked as a “profit” (sic) traveled throughout the district. He was said to have preached from Peden’s Point (a rocky outcrop) in a natural auditorium at the head of the Lynn glen.
When the main parish church at the Glebe was resited at the "cross" in 1608 it created around it a “kirktoun” establishing the village of Dalry. By 1700 the inhabitants of Dalry still however, numbered barely 100 and contained only about six dwellings.
In the mid 18th century, Dalry was still the only town in the parish.
In 1830 there were about 1,000 inhabitants, and the town consisted of five streets, three of these radiated from the "cross" or centre forming a square.Weekly market were held on Thursdays, and there were fairs in January, May and July.
At that time it was a reasonably large irregular shaped rural parish, centred around on the small town of Dalry. The parish included the small settlements / villages of Blair, Burnside, Drakemire, Southfield and the Den.
Industrial History
Various manufacturing existed in the parish relating to cotton and carpet yarn with silk and harness weaving, in which both men and women were employed.A significant number of women were occupied in sewing and embroidering, mainly for the Glasgow and Paisley manufacturers. The dressing and spinning of flax to some extent was also done in the area.The opening of numerous limeworks, and a number of coal pits from the 1840s, wholly changed the character of the parish of Dalry. It became an increasingly industrial area peppered with mines to provide the ore and coal to fuel the blast furnaces at the various iron works.
Ayrshire Coast Line
The Ayrshire Coast Line is one of the lines within the Strathclyde suburban rail network in Scotland. It has 26 stations and connects the Ayrshire coast to Glasgow...
and once was a busier junction with trains from Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock is a large burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland, with a population of 44,734. It is the second largest town in Ayrshire. The River Irvine runs through its eastern section, and the Kilmarnock Water passes through it, giving rise to the name 'Bank Street'...
and the Dalry and North Johnstone Line
Dalry and North Johnstone Line
The Dalry and North Johnstone Line was a branch of the Glasgow and South Western Railway in Renfrewshire and Ayrshire, Scotland, connecting the stations in Elderslie and Dalry via a route running parallel to the existing line built by the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway...
joining the line here. The railway station
Dalry railway station
Dalry railway station is a railway station serving the town of Dalry, Ayrshire, Scotland. The station is managed by First ScotRail and is on the Ayrshire Coast Line.- History :...
at Dalry opened in March 1840 as part of the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway
Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway
The Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway was a railway in Scotland that provided train services between Glasgow, Kilmarnock and Ayr. For a short period, it also provided West Coast services between Glasgow and London. Opened in stages between 1839 and 1848, the line ran from Paisley in the...
. The station at Dalry Junction
Dalry Junction railway station
Dalry Junction railway station was a railway station near the town of Dalry, North Ayrshire, Scotland. The station was originally part of the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway .- History :...
opened in April 1843 with the line to Kilmarnock via Crosshouse
Crosshouse railway station
Crosshouse railway station was a railway station serving the village of Knockentiber and nearby Crosshouse, East Ayrshire, Scotland. The station was originally part of the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway.-History:...
, subsequently closing in January 1860 with the interchange transferred to Dalry railway station. The line to Kilmarnock remained open with local services ceasing in 1955, with occasional long distance passenger services remaining. The line closed in 1973, following the electrification of the WCML
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
. The closure of the Dalry and North Johnstone Line to passengers in 1966 and through freight in 1971, and steel freight traffic to Kilbirnie in 1977. Dalry station retained four platforms until rebuilding of the station and associated overbridge as part of the electrification of the Ayrshire Coast line during the early 1980s.
Maps and information of the time indicate a rail line from Blair iron works to the main line. This development of large iron works and the mining of ore and coal further increased the housing stock and population in and around the area. The suburb of Blair for example developed around one such ironworks. Numerous bings next to these excavations in the area are still evident to this day.
Morning and evening daily stage coaches passed through Dalry on the routes between Glasgow and various coastal destinations.
The "Fair Trader" coach stopped at the Crown Inn and the "Herald" coach at the King's Arms neither ran on Sundays. There were also several public houses, which had accommodation for travelers.
The public libraries at the time were the "Dalry Library", the “Dalry Church Library" and the "United Secession Library". At this time the town was lit by gas, by a Company formed in 1834.
The River Garnock
River Garnock
The River Garnock, the smallest of Ayrshire's six principal rivers, has its source on the southerly side of the Hill of Stake in the heart of the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. About a mile and a half south of this starting point the untested stream tumbles over the Spout of Garnock, the highest...
helps to irrigate the valley and, joined by the tributaries Rye Water and Caaf Water
Caaf Water
The Caaf Water in western Scotland nowadays drains from the Caaf Reservoir above Dalry which is fed from Knockendon Reservoir...
, was a driving force behind the establishment of the town. These waters were utilised by the various mills in the 19th century
The industries of limestone, coal and ironstone assisted Dalry to develop into a thriving mining community.
The iron was smelted in the furnaces of the four great iron companies - the Ayrshire, the Glengarnock, the Eglinton and the Blair. In 1845 a visitor was “astonished at the change and at the numerous tasks of the busy labourers. The blaze of furnaces, the smoke of coal-pits, the whiter volume emitted by limekilns, and the building of houses, are at intervals seen all over the district.”
In the 1870s it is stated that Blair Iron Works and others in the area were part of the group owned by William Baird & Co. who then was the largiest pig iron producer in the world.
This once industrial town, like many such towns in this area of Scotland has seen a sharp decline of traditional industry, which has hit the town hard. In addition to coal mining, iron stone mining and textile manufacturing the town also had clay mines to be used in the areas various brickworks. To produce common red brick these brickworks were also well supplied with clay extracted from coal mine waste, available from the numerous "bings" throughout the valley, whereas the mined clay was required for higher quality fire brick
Fire brick
A fire brick, firebrick, or refractory brick is a block of refractory ceramic material used in lining furnaces, kilns, fireboxes, and fireplaces. A refractory brick is built primarily to withstand high temperature, but will also usually have a low thermal conductivity for greater energy efficiency...
.
On the edge of the town lies a large chemical plant once operated by Roche, but now run by DSM
DSM (company)
DSM is a multinational life sciences and materials sciences-based company. DSM's global end markets include food and dietary supplements, personal care, feed, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, automotive, paints, electrical and electronics, life protection, alternative energy and bio-based materials...
.
The Douglas brickworks and Monkcastle fireclay mine
The Douglas Firebrick Company Ltd had its works located where the Wilson Car Auction company now trades (2008). The works closed in September 1945. The railway was double track and narrow gauge, working through a 'cable and pulleys' system on light steel rails. The gravity railroadGravity railroad
A gravity railroad or Gravity railway is a railroad on a slope that allow cars carrying minerals or passengers to coast down the slope by the force of gravity alone. The cars are then hauled back up the slope using animal power or a stationary engine and a cable, chain or one or more wide, flat...
allowed the weight of the loaded cars, which were disconnected for unloading, to return the empty ones back up to the mine.
The surface of the inclined plane railroad was paved with firebricks, for employees to walk up the tracks to get to the main Dalry to Kilwinning road where they could catch a bus. The small brick structure gave them shelter from the weather, while they waited. The building is open on the southerly side, and originally had windows on the others (now bricked in), so that they could watch for the next bus coming. The current access road and bridge are more recent additions, as formerly vehicular access to the works was by a road which connected to the area near the railway station, almost a mile to the north. The railway went through a short cutting and passed under the main road in a short tunnel. A truck has been preserved at the nearby Dalgarven Mill
Dalgarven Mill
Dalgarven Mill is near Kilwinning, in the Garnock Valley, North Ayrshire, Scotland and it is home to the Museum of Ayrshire Country Life and Costume. The watermill has been completely restored over a number of years and is run by the independent Dalgarven Mill Trust.The village of Dalgarven was...
Museum of Scottish Country Life and Costume.
Dalry is a small town in the Garnock Valley
Garnock Valley
The Garnock Valley is an area in the northern part of North Ayrshire, Scotland, adjoining Renfrewshire.The region includes the towns of Beith, Dalry, and Kilbirnie, and some smaller villages such as Gateside, Barrmill, Longbar and Glengarnock....
in Ayrshire
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
History
Dalry (in Gaelic..“Dail-righ”) means "King's Valley" or more simply the "Rye Meadow"; indicating a small settlement on the Rye Burn. Its history has signs of early inhabitants in the area. The remains of an ancient fort made of three concentric round walls can be found on the summit of Carwinning Hill to the North of Dalry, west of the B784 to LargsLargs
Largs is a town on the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland, about from Glasgow. The original name means "the slopes" in Scottish Gaelic....
.
In 1883 excavations by John Smith of caves in the Dalry Blair estate at Cleeves Cove cave
Cleeves Cove cave
Cleeves Cove is a cave system on the Dusk Water in North Ayrshire, Scotland, close to the town of Dalry.-The cave system:Cleeves, or Cleaves, cove cave system is situated in the lower bed of carboniferous limestone. It measures around 500 feet if all the passages were put together...
found evidence of prehistoric man and otter bones.
Aitnock fort at the SW angle of Hindog Glen was excavated by John Smith in 1901-2, it showed a possible dun occupying the summit of a cliff which rises about 60 ft perpendicularly from the Rye Water. He stated in ”Excavations of the forts of Castlehill, Aitnock and Coalhill, Ayrshire” it was defended on one side by the steep drop to the Rye and by a horse shoe shaped deep ditch and stone walls.
On the pavement was an accumulation of deposits, in some places 6ins deep, in and on which the relics were found… coins, stone objects, a glass bead, 1st or 2nd century Samian bowl fragments, burnt bones and iron objects.
A sandstone cauldron was found near the centre of the interior, close by was a fireplace of slabs set on edge, this he states was possibly used to heat the water in the cauldron. An irregular lump of sandstone was found, bearing two chiseled cup marks one on each side, almost opposite each other.
During his excavations he found 4 silver Roman coins, all denarii, two of Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius , also known as Antoninus, was Roman Emperor from 138 to 161. He was a member of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty and the Aurelii. He did not possess the sobriquet "Pius" until after his accession to the throne...
and one each of Vespasian
Vespasian
Vespasian , was Roman Emperor from 69 AD to 79 AD. Vespasian was the founder of the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for a quarter century. Vespasian was descended from a family of equestrians, who rose into the senatorial rank under the Emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty...
and Hadrian, all of which came from parts of an upper black layer of occupation. Smith's collection of material from here was donated to the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland in 1981.
At Courthill excavations were undertaken by Cochrane–Patrick (1878) & Dobie (1876) in the 1870s. The remains of a timber hall similar to those in England dated to around the 8th century were found. These digs refer to a timber hall or court structure with a turf roof, that was then replaced by a motte (a structure on a hill) similar to those used by the early Normans infiltrating the area then. Amongst the debris a flint arrow head from an even earlier period was found.
Cleeves Cove cave
Cleeves Cove is a cave system on the Dusk Water in North Ayrshire, Scotland, close to the town of Dalry.-The cave system:Cleeves, or Cleaves, cove cave system is situated in the lower bed of carboniferous limestone. It measures around 500 feet if all the passages were put together...
s, there is a natural cave mentioned as the "Elf House" about 183 feet in length near the middle it expands into a large chamber, 35 feet long by 12 broad, and 12 feet in height.
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
, it was said to be a refuge to the covenanter
Covenanter
The Covenanters were a Scottish Presbyterian movement that played an important part in the history of Scotland, and to a lesser extent in that of England and Ireland, during the 17th century...
s of this parish from the violence of their persecutors.
When David I
David I of Scotland
David I or Dabíd mac Maíl Choluim was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians and later King of the Scots...
(1082–1153) was crowned King of Scots he brought in and created a high-ranking Norman aristocracy in his new kingdom. These Norman nobles were given lands creating in Scotland an influential Norman aristocracy.
One of these “nobles or knights” a Hugh de Morville
Hugh de Morville, Lord of Cunningham and Lauderdale
Hugh de Morville was a Norman knight who made his fortune in the service of David fitz Malcolm, Prince of the Cumbrians and King of Scots .His parentage is said by some to be unclear, but G. W. S...
was made Lord High Constable of Scotland
Lord High Constable of Scotland
The Lord High Constable is a hereditary, now ceremonial, office of Scotland. In the order of precedence of Scotland, the office traditionally ranks above all titles except those of the Royal Family. The Lord High Constable was, after the King of Scots, the supreme officer of the Scottish army. He...
and given lands in Cunninghame. De Morville probably then gave some of these lands or baronies to a relative a Walter de Lynne, to William de Blair, to William Kerr and to the Boyles of Kelburne
Clan Boyle
Clan Boyle is a Scottish clan from Ayrshire in Scotland. There is also an Irish sept of the O'Neill Clan of the name O'Boyle or in Irish Ó Baoighill. The O'Boyles are one of three clans who shared the leadership of the North West of Ireland, specifically Co...
.
The name Lynne then meaning “a waterfall,” is first noted in the area of Dalry in the years 1200-1300 They were located here and had land and owned the Castle of Lin near the waterfall of the Calf.
Dalry was mentioned in 1226 as a "chapel of Ardrossan
Ardrossan
Ardrossan is a town on the North Ayrshire coast in south-western Scotland. The name "Ardrossan" describes its physical position — 'ard' from the Gaelic àird meaning headland, 'ros' a promontory and the diminutive suffix '-an' - headland of the little promontory...
". The parish of Dalry was probably formed in 1279 when a "Henry, Rector of the Church of Dalry" appears in the Register of the Diocese of Glasgow. Two places of worship in the parish appear by the late 13th century. One on the east bank of the River Garnock
River Garnock
The River Garnock, the smallest of Ayrshire's six principal rivers, has its source on the southerly side of the Hill of Stake in the heart of the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. About a mile and a half south of this starting point the untested stream tumbles over the Spout of Garnock, the highest...
at Kilcush, and the other on the west, located near the Old Glebe. This was the main parish church, it almost certainly dedicated to St. Margaret of Antioch, a 3rd or 4th century virgin martyr.
A Knights Templar stone coffin of an Ardrossan Baron was found when excavations were made to the Ardrossan Parish Church. It would most likely have been made by a French mason working on the construction of Kilwinning Abbey
Kilwinning Abbey
Kilwinning Abbey is a ruined abbey located in the centre of the town of Kilwinning, North Ayrshire.-The establishment of the Abbey:The ancient name of the town is 'Segdoune' or 'Saigtown', probably derived from 'Sanctoun', meaning the 'town of the saint'. Saint Winnings festival was on 21 January...
during the late 12th - early 13th centuries. “Templand” names derived from the word templar are to be found in the Dalry area.
In the 15th century the parish had five main baronies; Kelburne, Blair, Kersland, Lynn and Pitcon
The Lands of Pitcon
The Lands of Pitcon, previously Potconnel now form a small estate of around 100 acres in the Parish of Dalry, North Ayrshire in the old Barony of Dalry. The present Grade B Listed Georgian mansion house dating from 1787, replaces an older castellated dwelling...
. These names are still reflected in some of the areas, farms, houses and surnames in the area.
Kersland had a church school and ruined castle and is linked to the covenanter Robert Ker of Kersland.
The Rye Water has its source among the nearby high hills. The most interesting spot is that about which the world has been singing for centuries - the spot where it was crossed by a ford below Ryefield House. Before the erection of any bridge at Drakemire, the fording of the stream had occasioned much fun and banter, as shown by the many traditionary verses of the light and beautiful song that commemorates the primitive scene :-
"Gin a body meet a body Comin’ through the Rye, Gin a body kiss a body Need a body cry ?, Ilka lassie has her laddie, Nane, they say, ha’e I ! Yet a’ the lads they smile on me, When comin’ through the Rye." |
A Rye Water ford still exists to this day (2008).
Broadlie House
In 1892 John Fulton installed one of the first hydroelectric plants in Ayrshire, generating electricity for Broadlie House. The dam still exists (2008) and can be seen on the Putyan Burn
River Garnock
The River Garnock, the smallest of Ayrshire's six principal rivers, has its source on the southerly side of the Hill of Stake in the heart of the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. About a mile and a half south of this starting point the untested stream tumbles over the Spout of Garnock, the highest...
close to a pedestrian bridge that gave views of the installation to visitors. The water was carried downstream to a turbine house through a cast iron pipe.
Doggartland House
This house derives its name from 'Dogger' which is Scots for a course ironstone, much mined in the area as witnessed by waste bings below Ryefield and at Flashwood. A fine but now redundant cast iron bridge crosses the Rye Water at Doggartland.Lords of Lynn
The barony of Lynn was created from lands inherited about 1204 from Hugh de Morville. It reportedly was first held by Walter de Lynne, who signed the 1296 Ragman Roll. According to Douglas, the family bore the name Lynne long before coming to Ayrshire. If, as Douglas reports however, the family line is Robert de Lynne appearing in 1207 (Perthshire), William de Lynne appearing in 1246 (Perthshire), and Walter de Lynne appearing in 1296 (Ayrshire), one would expect William (or perhaps even Robert), rather than William's son Walter, to be the de Morville heir, first Lord of Lynn in Dalry, and progenitor of the Lynns of that Ilk. In any case, the Lynns held the property from about 1204 until 1532, when they sold it to the Boyds of Kilmarnock. Even then, however, they retained use of 16 acres of the barony or "dominical lands", which acres were "called Burnesyd, Garden and Lyne Knoll in the town and territory of Lyne, bailliary of Cunningham and sheriffdom of Ayr".Irvine, North Ayrshire
Irvine is a new town on the coast of the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland. According to 2007 population estimates, the town is home to 39,527 inhabitants, making it the biggest settlement in North Ayrshire....
. In 1385, the Laird of Lyne rented Baidland to the Cunninghams for one silver penny, then an average week's wages (this being the only known record of Lynns owning Baidland). In 1452, Andrew Lyn, Lord of that Ilk, gave a charter for Highlees to William Hunter of Arnele "for services rendered and to be rendered" (the Lynns remained superiors of Highlees for more than two centuries, their last recorded title being in 1668). In 1505, Andrew Lyne received a charter for Bourtreehill from Robert Frances, Lord of Stane (the last mention of the Lynns of that Ilk in Bourtreehill being in 1608). In 1614 John Lyn of that Ilk is recorded as the lord superior of the lands of 'Hileis' in the parish of Dalry and Patrick Hunter of Hunterston was his baillie.
In 1522, the 16-acre mains of the barony of Lynn were conveyed in a charter from John Lyne of that Ilk to John Lyne of Bourtreehill, described therein as the "... dominical lands of Lyne called Burnesyd, with a house, garden, and Lyne Knoll." In 1532, John Lind [sic] of that Ilk sold the barony to Thomas Boyd. Nevertheless, the Lynns continued to hold the 16-acre mains of the property. In 1583, they were conveyed by Laurence Lyn [of Bourtreehill] to William Lyn, his son and heir apparent; on this occasion, the mains were further described as "... dominical lands of Lyne together with the house called Burnesyd with the garden thereof and Lyne Knoll lying in the town and territory of Lyne bailliary of Cunningham and sheriffdom of Ayr" [emphasis added].
The property included the beautiful Lynn Falls, lying in a glen said to be the dwelling of witches, elves, and fairies. However, that same glen is the location of Peden's Point, where the noted Covenanting minister Alexander Peden preached from a pinnacle forming a natural pulpit overlooking the water above the falls. The Lynns themselves were Presbyterians, and it may be that they willingly made their land available for the preaching of the reformed faith.
The Lords of Lynn became extinct as a landed family in Dalry, but they were remembered in Ayrshire folklore as "a beloved aristocracy that came, lingered a while, and vanished."
Linn House
Built for the Crichtons in 1812, this house was a small mansion house by 1858 with a vaguely 'Elizabethan' appearance. It was purchased by the Neilsen family of Chapeltoun
Chapeltoun
Chapeltoun is an estate on the banks of the Annick Water in East Ayrshire, Scotland. This is a rural area famous for its milk and cheese production and the Ayrshire or Dunlop breed of cattle.-Templeton and the Knights Templar:...
in 1924 and sold by them in 1960. The house lay empty for a number of years and was demolished so that the site could be redeveloped as a housing estate. Only the gatepiers remain, leading onto the Dalry to Kilwinninmg road.
Dalry Witch
On the 8th Nov 1576, midwife Bessie Dunlop, resident of Lynne, in Dalry, was accused of sorcery and witchcraft. She answered her accusers that she received information on prophecies or to the whereabouts of lost goods from a Thomas Reid, a former barony officer in Dalry who died at the Battle of Pinkie some 30 years before.She said she was trained by her “familiar” on how to make and use ointments to heal livestock and people. She was said to have cured and advised various people from poor children to gentry. As a “wise woman” her strange efforts at the time attracted the attention of the law. Her abilities were more akin to today’s current psychics, and with an understanding of medicinal herbs, she was identified in a time of witchcraft hysteria. It resulted in a conviction and the tragic outcome was that she was burnt at the stake. at Castle Hill in Edinburgh in 1576. She is also said to have been burnt at Corsehillmuir
Eglinton Country Park
Eglinton Country Park is located in the grounds of the old Eglinton Castle estate, Kilwinning, North Ayrshire, Scotland . Eglinton Park is situated in the parish of Kilwinning, part of the former district of Cunninghame, and covers an area of 400 hectares...
, just outside Kilwinning.
Alexander Peden
Alexander Peden , also known as Prophet Peden, was one of the leading forces in the Covenanter movement, was born at Auchincloich Farm near Sorn, Ayrshire, about 1626, and was educated at the University of Glasgow...
(1626–1686) the renowned covenanting minister and remarked as a “profit” (sic) traveled throughout the district. He was said to have preached from Peden’s Point (a rocky outcrop) in a natural auditorium at the head of the Lynn glen.
When the main parish church at the Glebe was resited at the "cross" in 1608 it created around it a “kirktoun” establishing the village of Dalry. By 1700 the inhabitants of Dalry still however, numbered barely 100 and contained only about six dwellings.
In the mid 18th century, Dalry was still the only town in the parish.
In 1830 there were about 1,000 inhabitants, and the town consisted of five streets, three of these radiated from the "cross" or centre forming a square.Weekly market were held on Thursdays, and there were fairs in January, May and July.
At that time it was a reasonably large irregular shaped rural parish, centred around on the small town of Dalry. The parish included the small settlements / villages of Blair, Burnside, Drakemire, Southfield and the Den.
Industrial History
Various manufacturing existed in the parish relating to cotton and carpet yarn with silk and harness weaving, in which both men and women were employed.A significant number of women were occupied in sewing and embroidering, mainly for the Glasgow and Paisley manufacturers. The dressing and spinning of flax to some extent was also done in the area.The opening of numerous limeworks, and a number of coal pits from the 1840s, wholly changed the character of the parish of Dalry. It became an increasingly industrial area peppered with mines to provide the ore and coal to fuel the blast furnaces at the various iron works.
Ayrshire Coast Line
The Ayrshire Coast Line is one of the lines within the Strathclyde suburban rail network in Scotland. It has 26 stations and connects the Ayrshire coast to Glasgow...
and once was a busier junction with trains from Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock is a large burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland, with a population of 44,734. It is the second largest town in Ayrshire. The River Irvine runs through its eastern section, and the Kilmarnock Water passes through it, giving rise to the name 'Bank Street'...
and the Dalry and North Johnstone Line
Dalry and North Johnstone Line
The Dalry and North Johnstone Line was a branch of the Glasgow and South Western Railway in Renfrewshire and Ayrshire, Scotland, connecting the stations in Elderslie and Dalry via a route running parallel to the existing line built by the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway...
joining the line here. The railway station
Dalry railway station
Dalry railway station is a railway station serving the town of Dalry, Ayrshire, Scotland. The station is managed by First ScotRail and is on the Ayrshire Coast Line.- History :...
at Dalry opened in March 1840 as part of the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway
Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway
The Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway was a railway in Scotland that provided train services between Glasgow, Kilmarnock and Ayr. For a short period, it also provided West Coast services between Glasgow and London. Opened in stages between 1839 and 1848, the line ran from Paisley in the...
. The station at Dalry Junction
Dalry Junction railway station
Dalry Junction railway station was a railway station near the town of Dalry, North Ayrshire, Scotland. The station was originally part of the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway .- History :...
opened in April 1843 with the line to Kilmarnock via Crosshouse
Crosshouse railway station
Crosshouse railway station was a railway station serving the village of Knockentiber and nearby Crosshouse, East Ayrshire, Scotland. The station was originally part of the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway.-History:...
, subsequently closing in January 1860 with the interchange transferred to Dalry railway station. The line to Kilmarnock remained open with local services ceasing in 1955, with occasional long distance passenger services remaining. The line closed in 1973, following the electrification of the WCML
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
. The closure of the Dalry and North Johnstone Line to passengers in 1966 and through freight in 1971, and steel freight traffic to Kilbirnie in 1977. Dalry station retained four platforms until rebuilding of the station and associated overbridge as part of the electrification of the Ayrshire Coast line during the early 1980s.
Maps and information of the time indicate a rail line from Blair iron works to the main line. This development of large iron works and the mining of ore and coal further increased the housing stock and population in and around the area. The suburb of Blair for example developed around one such ironworks. Numerous bings next to these excavations in the area are still evident to this day.
Morning and evening daily stage coaches passed through Dalry on the routes between Glasgow and various coastal destinations.
The "Fair Trader" coach stopped at the Crown Inn and the "Herald" coach at the King's Arms neither ran on Sundays. There were also several public houses, which had accommodation for travelers.
The public libraries at the time were the "Dalry Library", the “Dalry Church Library" and the "United Secession Library". At this time the town was lit by gas, by a Company formed in 1834.
The River Garnock
River Garnock
The River Garnock, the smallest of Ayrshire's six principal rivers, has its source on the southerly side of the Hill of Stake in the heart of the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. About a mile and a half south of this starting point the untested stream tumbles over the Spout of Garnock, the highest...
helps to irrigate the valley and, joined by the tributaries Rye Water and Caaf Water
Caaf Water
The Caaf Water in western Scotland nowadays drains from the Caaf Reservoir above Dalry which is fed from Knockendon Reservoir...
, was a driving force behind the establishment of the town. These waters were utilised by the various mills in the 19th century
The industries of limestone, coal and ironstone assisted Dalry to develop into a thriving mining community.
The iron was smelted in the furnaces of the four great iron companies - the Ayrshire, the Glengarnock, the Eglinton and the Blair. In 1845 a visitor was “astonished at the change and at the numerous tasks of the busy labourers. The blaze of furnaces, the smoke of coal-pits, the whiter volume emitted by limekilns, and the building of houses, are at intervals seen all over the district.”
In the 1870s it is stated that Blair Iron Works and others in the area were part of the group owned by William Baird & Co. who then was the largiest pig iron producer in the world.
This once industrial town, like many such towns in this area of Scotland has seen a sharp decline of traditional industry, which has hit the town hard. In addition to coal mining, iron stone mining and textile manufacturing the town also had clay mines to be used in the areas various brickworks. To produce common red brick these brickworks were also well supplied with clay extracted from coal mine waste, available from the numerous "bings" throughout the valley, whereas the mined clay was required for higher quality fire brick
Fire brick
A fire brick, firebrick, or refractory brick is a block of refractory ceramic material used in lining furnaces, kilns, fireboxes, and fireplaces. A refractory brick is built primarily to withstand high temperature, but will also usually have a low thermal conductivity for greater energy efficiency...
.
On the edge of the town lies a large chemical plant once operated by Roche, but now run by DSM
DSM (company)
DSM is a multinational life sciences and materials sciences-based company. DSM's global end markets include food and dietary supplements, personal care, feed, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, automotive, paints, electrical and electronics, life protection, alternative energy and bio-based materials...
.
The Douglas brickworks and Monkcastle fireclay mine
The Douglas Firebrick Company Ltd had its works located where the Wilson Car Auction company now trades (2008). The works closed in September 1945. The railway was double track and narrow gauge, working through a 'cable and pulleys' system on light steel rails. The gravity railroadGravity railroad
A gravity railroad or Gravity railway is a railroad on a slope that allow cars carrying minerals or passengers to coast down the slope by the force of gravity alone. The cars are then hauled back up the slope using animal power or a stationary engine and a cable, chain or one or more wide, flat...
allowed the weight of the loaded cars, which were disconnected for unloading, to return the empty ones back up to the mine.
The surface of the inclined plane railroad was paved with firebricks, for employees to walk up the tracks to get to the main Dalry to Kilwinning road where they could catch a bus. The small brick structure gave them shelter from the weather, while they waited. The building is open on the southerly side, and originally had windows on the others (now bricked in), so that they could watch for the next bus coming. The current access road and bridge are more recent additions, as formerly vehicular access to the works was by a road which connected to the area near the railway station, almost a mile to the north. The railway went through a short cutting and passed under the main road in a short tunnel. A truck has been preserved at the nearby Dalgarven Mill
Dalgarven Mill
Dalgarven Mill is near Kilwinning, in the Garnock Valley, North Ayrshire, Scotland and it is home to the Museum of Ayrshire Country Life and Costume. The watermill has been completely restored over a number of years and is run by the independent Dalgarven Mill Trust.The village of Dalgarven was...
Museum of Scottish Country Life and Costume.
Dalry is a small town in the Garnock Valley
Garnock Valley
The Garnock Valley is an area in the northern part of North Ayrshire, Scotland, adjoining Renfrewshire.The region includes the towns of Beith, Dalry, and Kilbirnie, and some smaller villages such as Gateside, Barrmill, Longbar and Glengarnock....
in Ayrshire
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
History
Dalry (in Gaelic..“Dail-righ”) means "King's Valley" or more simply the "Rye Meadow"; indicating a small settlement on the Rye Burn. Its history has signs of early inhabitants in the area. The remains of an ancient fort made of three concentric round walls can be found on the summit of Carwinning Hill to the North of Dalry, west of the B784 to LargsLargs
Largs is a town on the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland, about from Glasgow. The original name means "the slopes" in Scottish Gaelic....
.
In 1883 excavations by John Smith of caves in the Dalry Blair estate at Cleeves Cove cave
Cleeves Cove cave
Cleeves Cove is a cave system on the Dusk Water in North Ayrshire, Scotland, close to the town of Dalry.-The cave system:Cleeves, or Cleaves, cove cave system is situated in the lower bed of carboniferous limestone. It measures around 500 feet if all the passages were put together...
found evidence of prehistoric man and otter bones.
Aitnock fort at the SW angle of Hindog Glen was excavated by John Smith in 1901-2, it showed a possible dun occupying the summit of a cliff which rises about 60 ft perpendicularly from the Rye Water. He stated in ”Excavations of the forts of Castlehill, Aitnock and Coalhill, Ayrshire” it was defended on one side by the steep drop to the Rye and by a horse shoe shaped deep ditch and stone walls.
On the pavement was an accumulation of deposits, in some places 6ins deep, in and on which the relics were found… coins, stone objects, a glass bead, 1st or 2nd century Samian bowl fragments, burnt bones and iron objects.
A sandstone cauldron was found near the centre of the interior, close by was a fireplace of slabs set on edge, this he states was possibly used to heat the water in the cauldron. An irregular lump of sandstone was found, bearing two chiseled cup marks one on each side, almost opposite each other.
During his excavations he found 4 silver Roman coins, all denarii, two of Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius , also known as Antoninus, was Roman Emperor from 138 to 161. He was a member of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty and the Aurelii. He did not possess the sobriquet "Pius" until after his accession to the throne...
and one each of Vespasian
Vespasian
Vespasian , was Roman Emperor from 69 AD to 79 AD. Vespasian was the founder of the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for a quarter century. Vespasian was descended from a family of equestrians, who rose into the senatorial rank under the Emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty...
and Hadrian, all of which came from parts of an upper black layer of occupation. Smith's collection of material from here was donated to the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland in 1981.
At Courthill excavations were undertaken by Cochrane–Patrick (1878) & Dobie (1876) in the 1870s. The remains of a timber hall similar to those in England dated to around the 8th century were found. These digs refer to a timber hall or court structure with a turf roof, that was then replaced by a motte (a structure on a hill) similar to those used by the early Normans infiltrating the area then. Amongst the debris a flint arrow head from an even earlier period was found.
Cleeves Cove cave
Cleeves Cove is a cave system on the Dusk Water in North Ayrshire, Scotland, close to the town of Dalry.-The cave system:Cleeves, or Cleaves, cove cave system is situated in the lower bed of carboniferous limestone. It measures around 500 feet if all the passages were put together...
s, there is a natural cave mentioned as the "Elf House" about 183 feet in length near the middle it expands into a large chamber, 35 feet long by 12 broad, and 12 feet in height.
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
, it was said to be a refuge to the covenanter
Covenanter
The Covenanters were a Scottish Presbyterian movement that played an important part in the history of Scotland, and to a lesser extent in that of England and Ireland, during the 17th century...
s of this parish from the violence of their persecutors.
When David I
David I of Scotland
David I or Dabíd mac Maíl Choluim was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians and later King of the Scots...
(1082–1153) was crowned King of Scots he brought in and created a high-ranking Norman aristocracy in his new kingdom. These Norman nobles were given lands creating in Scotland an influential Norman aristocracy.
One of these “nobles or knights” a Hugh de Morville
Hugh de Morville, Lord of Cunningham and Lauderdale
Hugh de Morville was a Norman knight who made his fortune in the service of David fitz Malcolm, Prince of the Cumbrians and King of Scots .His parentage is said by some to be unclear, but G. W. S...
was made Lord High Constable of Scotland
Lord High Constable of Scotland
The Lord High Constable is a hereditary, now ceremonial, office of Scotland. In the order of precedence of Scotland, the office traditionally ranks above all titles except those of the Royal Family. The Lord High Constable was, after the King of Scots, the supreme officer of the Scottish army. He...
and given lands in Cunninghame. De Morville probably then gave some of these lands or baronies to a relative a Walter de Lynne, to William de Blair, to William Kerr and to the Boyles of Kelburne
Clan Boyle
Clan Boyle is a Scottish clan from Ayrshire in Scotland. There is also an Irish sept of the O'Neill Clan of the name O'Boyle or in Irish Ó Baoighill. The O'Boyles are one of three clans who shared the leadership of the North West of Ireland, specifically Co...
.
The name Lynne then meaning “a waterfall,” is first noted in the area of Dalry in the years 1200-1300 They were located here and had land and owned the Castle of Lin near the waterfall of the Calf.
Dalry was mentioned in 1226 as a "chapel of Ardrossan
Ardrossan
Ardrossan is a town on the North Ayrshire coast in south-western Scotland. The name "Ardrossan" describes its physical position — 'ard' from the Gaelic àird meaning headland, 'ros' a promontory and the diminutive suffix '-an' - headland of the little promontory...
". The parish of Dalry was probably formed in 1279 when a "Henry, Rector of the Church of Dalry" appears in the Register of the Diocese of Glasgow. Two places of worship in the parish appear by the late 13th century. One on the east bank of the River Garnock
River Garnock
The River Garnock, the smallest of Ayrshire's six principal rivers, has its source on the southerly side of the Hill of Stake in the heart of the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. About a mile and a half south of this starting point the untested stream tumbles over the Spout of Garnock, the highest...
at Kilcush, and the other on the west, located near the Old Glebe. This was the main parish church, it almost certainly dedicated to St. Margaret of Antioch, a 3rd or 4th century virgin martyr.
A Knights Templar stone coffin of an Ardrossan Baron was found when excavations were made to the Ardrossan Parish Church. It would most likely have been made by a French mason working on the construction of Kilwinning Abbey
Kilwinning Abbey
Kilwinning Abbey is a ruined abbey located in the centre of the town of Kilwinning, North Ayrshire.-The establishment of the Abbey:The ancient name of the town is 'Segdoune' or 'Saigtown', probably derived from 'Sanctoun', meaning the 'town of the saint'. Saint Winnings festival was on 21 January...
during the late 12th - early 13th centuries. “Templand” names derived from the word templar are to be found in the Dalry area.
In the 15th century the parish had five main baronies; Kelburne, Blair, Kersland, Lynn and Pitcon
The Lands of Pitcon
The Lands of Pitcon, previously Potconnel now form a small estate of around 100 acres in the Parish of Dalry, North Ayrshire in the old Barony of Dalry. The present Grade B Listed Georgian mansion house dating from 1787, replaces an older castellated dwelling...
. These names are still reflected in some of the areas, farms, houses and surnames in the area.
Kersland had a church school and ruined castle and is linked to the covenanter Robert Ker of Kersland.
The Rye Water has its source among the nearby high hills. The most interesting spot is that about which the world has been singing for centuries - the spot where it was crossed by a ford below Ryefield House. Before the erection of any bridge at Drakemire, the fording of the stream had occasioned much fun and banter, as shown by the many traditionary verses of the light and beautiful song that commemorates the primitive scene :-
"Gin a body meet a body Comin’ through the Rye, Gin a body kiss a body Need a body cry ?, Ilka lassie has her laddie, Nane, they say, ha’e I ! Yet a’ the lads they smile on me, When comin’ through the Rye." |
A Rye Water ford still exists to this day (2008).
Broadlie House
In 1892 John Fulton installed one of the first hydroelectric plants in Ayrshire, generating electricity for Broadlie House. The dam still exists (2008) and can be seen on the Putyan Burn
River Garnock
The River Garnock, the smallest of Ayrshire's six principal rivers, has its source on the southerly side of the Hill of Stake in the heart of the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. About a mile and a half south of this starting point the untested stream tumbles over the Spout of Garnock, the highest...
close to a pedestrian bridge that gave views of the installation to visitors. The water was carried downstream to a turbine house through a cast iron pipe.
Doggartland House
This house derives its name from 'Dogger' which is Scots for a course ironstone, much mined in the area as witnessed by waste bings below Ryefield and at Flashwood. A fine but now redundant cast iron bridge crosses the Rye Water at Doggartland.Lords of Lynn
The barony of Lynn was created from lands inherited about 1204 from Hugh de Morville. It reportedly was first held by Walter de Lynne, who signed the 1296 Ragman Roll. According to Douglas, the family bore the name Lynne long before coming to Ayrshire. If, as Douglas reports however, the family line is Robert de Lynne appearing in 1207 (Perthshire), William de Lynne appearing in 1246 (Perthshire), and Walter de Lynne appearing in 1296 (Ayrshire), one would expect William (or perhaps even Robert), rather than William's son Walter, to be the de Morville heir, first Lord of Lynn in Dalry, and progenitor of the Lynns of that Ilk. In any case, the Lynns held the property from about 1204 until 1532, when they sold it to the Boyds of Kilmarnock. Even then, however, they retained use of 16 acres of the barony or "dominical lands", which acres were "called Burnesyd, Garden and Lyne Knoll in the town and territory of Lyne, bailliary of Cunningham and sheriffdom of Ayr".Irvine, North Ayrshire
Irvine is a new town on the coast of the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland. According to 2007 population estimates, the town is home to 39,527 inhabitants, making it the biggest settlement in North Ayrshire....
. In 1385, the Laird of Lyne rented Baidland to the Cunninghams for one silver penny, then an average week's wages (this being the only known record of Lynns owning Baidland). In 1452, Andrew Lyn, Lord of that Ilk, gave a charter for Highlees to William Hunter of Arnele "for services rendered and to be rendered" (the Lynns remained superiors of Highlees for more than two centuries, their last recorded title being in 1668). In 1505, Andrew Lyne received a charter for Bourtreehill from Robert Frances, Lord of Stane (the last mention of the Lynns of that Ilk in Bourtreehill being in 1608). In 1614 John Lyn of that Ilk is recorded as the lord superior of the lands of 'Hileis' in the parish of Dalry and Patrick Hunter of Hunterston was his baillie.
In 1522, the 16-acre mains of the barony of Lynn were conveyed in a charter from John Lyne of that Ilk to John Lyne of Bourtreehill, described therein as the "... dominical lands of Lyne called Burnesyd, with a house, garden, and Lyne Knoll." In 1532, John Lind [sic] of that Ilk sold the barony to Thomas Boyd. Nevertheless, the Lynns continued to hold the 16-acre mains of the property. In 1583, they were conveyed by Laurence Lyn [of Bourtreehill] to William Lyn, his son and heir apparent; on this occasion, the mains were further described as "... dominical lands of Lyne together with the house called Burnesyd with the garden thereof and Lyne Knoll lying in the town and territory of Lyne bailliary of Cunningham and sheriffdom of Ayr" [emphasis added].
The property included the beautiful Lynn Falls, lying in a glen said to be the dwelling of witches, elves, and fairies. However, that same glen is the location of Peden's Point, where the noted Covenanting minister Alexander Peden preached from a pinnacle forming a natural pulpit overlooking the water above the falls. The Lynns themselves were Presbyterians, and it may be that they willingly made their land available for the preaching of the reformed faith.
The Lords of Lynn became extinct as a landed family in Dalry, but they were remembered in Ayrshire folklore as "a beloved aristocracy that came, lingered a while, and vanished."
Linn House
Built for the Crichtons in 1812, this house was a small mansion house by 1858 with a vaguely 'Elizabethan' appearance. It was purchased by the Neilsen family of Chapeltoun
Chapeltoun
Chapeltoun is an estate on the banks of the Annick Water in East Ayrshire, Scotland. This is a rural area famous for its milk and cheese production and the Ayrshire or Dunlop breed of cattle.-Templeton and the Knights Templar:...
in 1924 and sold by them in 1960. The house lay empty for a number of years and was demolished so that the site could be redeveloped as a housing estate. Only the gatepiers remain, leading onto the Dalry to Kilwinninmg road.
Dalry Witch
On the 8th Nov 1576, midwife Bessie Dunlop, resident of Lynne, in Dalry, was accused of sorcery and witchcraft. She answered her accusers that she received information on prophecies or to the whereabouts of lost goods from a Thomas Reid, a former barony officer in Dalry who died at the Battle of Pinkie some 30 years before.She said she was trained by her “familiar” on how to make and use ointments to heal livestock and people. She was said to have cured and advised various people from poor children to gentry. As a “wise woman” her strange efforts at the time attracted the attention of the law. Her abilities were more akin to today’s current psychics, and with an understanding of medicinal herbs, she was identified in a time of witchcraft hysteria. It resulted in a conviction and the tragic outcome was that she was burnt at the stake. at Castle Hill in Edinburgh in 1576. She is also said to have been burnt at Corsehillmuir
Eglinton Country Park
Eglinton Country Park is located in the grounds of the old Eglinton Castle estate, Kilwinning, North Ayrshire, Scotland . Eglinton Park is situated in the parish of Kilwinning, part of the former district of Cunninghame, and covers an area of 400 hectares...
, just outside Kilwinning.
Alexander Peden
Alexander Peden , also known as Prophet Peden, was one of the leading forces in the Covenanter movement, was born at Auchincloich Farm near Sorn, Ayrshire, about 1626, and was educated at the University of Glasgow...
(1626–1686) the renowned covenanting minister and remarked as a “profit” (sic) traveled throughout the district. He was said to have preached from Peden’s Point (a rocky outcrop) in a natural auditorium at the head of the Lynn glen.
When the main parish church at the Glebe was resited at the "cross" in 1608 it created around it a “kirktoun” establishing the village of Dalry. By 1700 the inhabitants of Dalry still however, numbered barely 100 and contained only about six dwellings.
In the mid 18th century, Dalry was still the only town in the parish.
In 1830 there were about 1,000 inhabitants, and the town consisted of five streets, three of these radiated from the "cross" or centre forming a square.Weekly market were held on Thursdays, and there were fairs in January, May and July.
At that time it was a reasonably large irregular shaped rural parish, centred around on the small town of Dalry. The parish included the small settlements / villages of Blair, Burnside, Drakemire, Southfield and the Den.
Industrial History
Various manufacturing existed in the parish relating to cotton and carpet yarn with silk and harness weaving, in which both men and women were employed.A significant number of women were occupied in sewing and embroidering, mainly for the Glasgow and Paisley manufacturers. The dressing and spinning of flax to some extent was also done in the area.The opening of numerous limeworks, and a number of coal pits from the 1840s, wholly changed the character of the parish of Dalry. It became an increasingly industrial area peppered with mines to provide the ore and coal to fuel the blast furnaces at the various iron works.
Ayrshire Coast Line
The Ayrshire Coast Line is one of the lines within the Strathclyde suburban rail network in Scotland. It has 26 stations and connects the Ayrshire coast to Glasgow...
and once was a busier junction with trains from Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock is a large burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland, with a population of 44,734. It is the second largest town in Ayrshire. The River Irvine runs through its eastern section, and the Kilmarnock Water passes through it, giving rise to the name 'Bank Street'...
and the Dalry and North Johnstone Line
Dalry and North Johnstone Line
The Dalry and North Johnstone Line was a branch of the Glasgow and South Western Railway in Renfrewshire and Ayrshire, Scotland, connecting the stations in Elderslie and Dalry via a route running parallel to the existing line built by the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway...
joining the line here. The railway station
Dalry railway station
Dalry railway station is a railway station serving the town of Dalry, Ayrshire, Scotland. The station is managed by First ScotRail and is on the Ayrshire Coast Line.- History :...
at Dalry opened in March 1840 as part of the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway
Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway
The Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway was a railway in Scotland that provided train services between Glasgow, Kilmarnock and Ayr. For a short period, it also provided West Coast services between Glasgow and London. Opened in stages between 1839 and 1848, the line ran from Paisley in the...
. The station at Dalry Junction
Dalry Junction railway station
Dalry Junction railway station was a railway station near the town of Dalry, North Ayrshire, Scotland. The station was originally part of the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway .- History :...
opened in April 1843 with the line to Kilmarnock via Crosshouse
Crosshouse railway station
Crosshouse railway station was a railway station serving the village of Knockentiber and nearby Crosshouse, East Ayrshire, Scotland. The station was originally part of the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway.-History:...
, subsequently closing in January 1860 with the interchange transferred to Dalry railway station. The line to Kilmarnock remained open with local services ceasing in 1955, with occasional long distance passenger services remaining. The line closed in 1973, following the electrification of the WCML
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
. The closure of the Dalry and North Johnstone Line to passengers in 1966 and through freight in 1971, and steel freight traffic to Kilbirnie in 1977. Dalry station retained four platforms until rebuilding of the station and associated overbridge as part of the electrification of the Ayrshire Coast line during the early 1980s.
Maps and information of the time indicate a rail line from Blair iron works to the main line. This development of large iron works and the mining of ore and coal further increased the housing stock and population in and around the area. The suburb of Blair for example developed around one such ironworks. Numerous bings next to these excavations in the area are still evident to this day.
Morning and evening daily stage coaches passed through Dalry on the routes between Glasgow and various coastal destinations.
The "Fair Trader" coach stopped at the Crown Inn and the "Herald" coach at the King's Arms neither ran on Sundays. There were also several public houses, which had accommodation for travelers.
The public libraries at the time were the "Dalry Library", the “Dalry Church Library" and the "United Secession Library". At this time the town was lit by gas, by a Company formed in 1834.
The River Garnock
River Garnock
The River Garnock, the smallest of Ayrshire's six principal rivers, has its source on the southerly side of the Hill of Stake in the heart of the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. About a mile and a half south of this starting point the untested stream tumbles over the Spout of Garnock, the highest...
helps to irrigate the valley and, joined by the tributaries Rye Water and Caaf Water
Caaf Water
The Caaf Water in western Scotland nowadays drains from the Caaf Reservoir above Dalry which is fed from Knockendon Reservoir...
, was a driving force behind the establishment of the town. These waters were utilised by the various mills in the 19th century
The industries of limestone, coal and ironstone assisted Dalry to develop into a thriving mining community.
The iron was smelted in the furnaces of the four great iron companies - the Ayrshire, the Glengarnock, the Eglinton and the Blair. In 1845 a visitor was “astonished at the change and at the numerous tasks of the busy labourers. The blaze of furnaces, the smoke of coal-pits, the whiter volume emitted by limekilns, and the building of houses, are at intervals seen all over the district.”
In the 1870s it is stated that Blair Iron Works and others in the area were part of the group owned by William Baird & Co. who then was the largiest pig iron producer in the world.
This once industrial town, like many such towns in this area of Scotland has seen a sharp decline of traditional industry, which has hit the town hard. In addition to coal mining, iron stone mining and textile manufacturing the town also had clay mines to be used in the areas various brickworks. To produce common red brick these brickworks were also well supplied with clay extracted from coal mine waste, available from the numerous "bings" throughout the valley, whereas the mined clay was required for higher quality fire brick
Fire brick
A fire brick, firebrick, or refractory brick is a block of refractory ceramic material used in lining furnaces, kilns, fireboxes, and fireplaces. A refractory brick is built primarily to withstand high temperature, but will also usually have a low thermal conductivity for greater energy efficiency...
.
On the edge of the town lies a large chemical plant once operated by Roche, but now run by DSM
DSM (company)
DSM is a multinational life sciences and materials sciences-based company. DSM's global end markets include food and dietary supplements, personal care, feed, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, automotive, paints, electrical and electronics, life protection, alternative energy and bio-based materials...
.
The Douglas brickworks and Monkcastle fireclay mine
The Douglas Firebrick Company Ltd had its works located where the Wilson Car Auction company now trades (2008). The works closed in September 1945. The railway was double track and narrow gauge, working through a 'cable and pulleys' system on light steel rails. The gravity railroadGravity railroad
A gravity railroad or Gravity railway is a railroad on a slope that allow cars carrying minerals or passengers to coast down the slope by the force of gravity alone. The cars are then hauled back up the slope using animal power or a stationary engine and a cable, chain or one or more wide, flat...
allowed the weight of the loaded cars, which were disconnected for unloading, to return the empty ones back up to the mine.
The surface of the inclined plane railroad was paved with firebricks, for employees to walk up the tracks to get to the main Dalry to Kilwinning road where they could catch a bus. The small brick structure gave them shelter from the weather, while they waited. The building is open on the southerly side, and originally had windows on the others (now bricked in), so that they could watch for the next bus coming. The current access road and bridge are more recent additions, as formerly vehicular access to the works was by a road which connected to the area near the railway station, almost a mile to the north. The railway went through a short cutting and passed under the main road in a short tunnel. A truck has been preserved at the nearby Dalgarven Mill
Dalgarven Mill
Dalgarven Mill is near Kilwinning, in the Garnock Valley, North Ayrshire, Scotland and it is home to the Museum of Ayrshire Country Life and Costume. The watermill has been completely restored over a number of years and is run by the independent Dalgarven Mill Trust.The village of Dalgarven was...
Museum of Scottish Country Life and Costume.
Dalry is a small town in the Garnock Valley
Garnock Valley
The Garnock Valley is an area in the northern part of North Ayrshire, Scotland, adjoining Renfrewshire.The region includes the towns of Beith, Dalry, and Kilbirnie, and some smaller villages such as Gateside, Barrmill, Longbar and Glengarnock....
in Ayrshire
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
History
Dalry (in Gaelic..“Dail-righ”) means "King's Valley" or more simply the "Rye Meadow"; indicating a small settlement on the Rye Burn. Its history has signs of early inhabitants in the area. The remains of an ancient fort made of three concentric round walls can be found on the summit of Carwinning Hill to the North of Dalry, west of the B784 to LargsLargs
Largs is a town on the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland, about from Glasgow. The original name means "the slopes" in Scottish Gaelic....
.
In 1883 excavations by John Smith of caves in the Dalry Blair estate at Cleeves Cove cave
Cleeves Cove cave
Cleeves Cove is a cave system on the Dusk Water in North Ayrshire, Scotland, close to the town of Dalry.-The cave system:Cleeves, or Cleaves, cove cave system is situated in the lower bed of carboniferous limestone. It measures around 500 feet if all the passages were put together...
found evidence of prehistoric man and otter bones.
Aitnock fort at the SW angle of Hindog Glen was excavated by John Smith in 1901-2, it showed a possible dun occupying the summit of a cliff which rises about 60 ft perpendicularly from the Rye Water. He stated in ”Excavations of the forts of Castlehill, Aitnock and Coalhill, Ayrshire” it was defended on one side by the steep drop to the Rye and by a horse shoe shaped deep ditch and stone walls.
On the pavement was an accumulation of deposits, in some places 6ins deep, in and on which the relics were found… coins, stone objects, a glass bead, 1st or 2nd century Samian bowl fragments, burnt bones and iron objects.
A sandstone cauldron was found near the centre of the interior, close by was a fireplace of slabs set on edge, this he states was possibly used to heat the water in the cauldron. An irregular lump of sandstone was found, bearing two chiseled cup marks one on each side, almost opposite each other.
During his excavations he found 4 silver Roman coins, all denarii, two of Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius , also known as Antoninus, was Roman Emperor from 138 to 161. He was a member of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty and the Aurelii. He did not possess the sobriquet "Pius" until after his accession to the throne...
and one each of Vespasian
Vespasian
Vespasian , was Roman Emperor from 69 AD to 79 AD. Vespasian was the founder of the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for a quarter century. Vespasian was descended from a family of equestrians, who rose into the senatorial rank under the Emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty...
and Hadrian, all of which came from parts of an upper black layer of occupation. Smith's collection of material from here was donated to the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland in 1981.
At Courthill excavations were undertaken by Cochrane–Patrick (1878) & Dobie (1876) in the 1870s. The remains of a timber hall similar to those in England dated to around the 8th century were found. These digs refer to a timber hall or court structure with a turf roof, that was then replaced by a motte (a structure on a hill) similar to those used by the early Normans infiltrating the area then. Amongst the debris a flint arrow head from an even earlier period was found.
Cleeves Cove cave
Cleeves Cove is a cave system on the Dusk Water in North Ayrshire, Scotland, close to the town of Dalry.-The cave system:Cleeves, or Cleaves, cove cave system is situated in the lower bed of carboniferous limestone. It measures around 500 feet if all the passages were put together...
s, there is a natural cave mentioned as the "Elf House" about 183 feet in length near the middle it expands into a large chamber, 35 feet long by 12 broad, and 12 feet in height.
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
, it was said to be a refuge to the covenanter
Covenanter
The Covenanters were a Scottish Presbyterian movement that played an important part in the history of Scotland, and to a lesser extent in that of England and Ireland, during the 17th century...
s of this parish from the violence of their persecutors.
When David I
David I of Scotland
David I or Dabíd mac Maíl Choluim was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians and later King of the Scots...
(1082–1153) was crowned King of Scots he brought in and created a high-ranking Norman aristocracy in his new kingdom. These Norman nobles were given lands creating in Scotland an influential Norman aristocracy.
One of these “nobles or knights” a Hugh de Morville
Hugh de Morville, Lord of Cunningham and Lauderdale
Hugh de Morville was a Norman knight who made his fortune in the service of David fitz Malcolm, Prince of the Cumbrians and King of Scots .His parentage is said by some to be unclear, but G. W. S...
was made Lord High Constable of Scotland
Lord High Constable of Scotland
The Lord High Constable is a hereditary, now ceremonial, office of Scotland. In the order of precedence of Scotland, the office traditionally ranks above all titles except those of the Royal Family. The Lord High Constable was, after the King of Scots, the supreme officer of the Scottish army. He...
and given lands in Cunninghame. De Morville probably then gave some of these lands or baronies to a relative a Walter de Lynne, to William de Blair, to William Kerr and to the Boyles of Kelburne
Clan Boyle
Clan Boyle is a Scottish clan from Ayrshire in Scotland. There is also an Irish sept of the O'Neill Clan of the name O'Boyle or in Irish Ó Baoighill. The O'Boyles are one of three clans who shared the leadership of the North West of Ireland, specifically Co...
.
The name Lynne then meaning “a waterfall,” is first noted in the area of Dalry in the years 1200-1300 They were located here and had land and owned the Castle of Lin near the waterfall of the Calf.
Dalry was mentioned in 1226 as a "chapel of Ardrossan
Ardrossan
Ardrossan is a town on the North Ayrshire coast in south-western Scotland. The name "Ardrossan" describes its physical position — 'ard' from the Gaelic àird meaning headland, 'ros' a promontory and the diminutive suffix '-an' - headland of the little promontory...
". The parish of Dalry was probably formed in 1279 when a "Henry, Rector of the Church of Dalry" appears in the Register of the Diocese of Glasgow. Two places of worship in the parish appear by the late 13th century. One on the east bank of the River Garnock
River Garnock
The River Garnock, the smallest of Ayrshire's six principal rivers, has its source on the southerly side of the Hill of Stake in the heart of the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. About a mile and a half south of this starting point the untested stream tumbles over the Spout of Garnock, the highest...
at Kilcush, and the other on the west, located near the Old Glebe. This was the main parish church, it almost certainly dedicated to St. Margaret of Antioch, a 3rd or 4th century virgin martyr.
A Knights Templar stone coffin of an Ardrossan Baron was found when excavations were made to the Ardrossan Parish Church. It would most likely have been made by a French mason working on the construction of Kilwinning Abbey
Kilwinning Abbey
Kilwinning Abbey is a ruined abbey located in the centre of the town of Kilwinning, North Ayrshire.-The establishment of the Abbey:The ancient name of the town is 'Segdoune' or 'Saigtown', probably derived from 'Sanctoun', meaning the 'town of the saint'. Saint Winnings festival was on 21 January...
during the late 12th - early 13th centuries. “Templand” names derived from the word templar are to be found in the Dalry area.
In the 15th century the parish had five main baronies; Kelburne, Blair, Kersland, Lynn and Pitcon
The Lands of Pitcon
The Lands of Pitcon, previously Potconnel now form a small estate of around 100 acres in the Parish of Dalry, North Ayrshire in the old Barony of Dalry. The present Grade B Listed Georgian mansion house dating from 1787, replaces an older castellated dwelling...
. These names are still reflected in some of the areas, farms, houses and surnames in the area.
Kersland had a church school and ruined castle and is linked to the covenanter Robert Ker of Kersland.
The Rye Water has its source among the nearby high hills. The most interesting spot is that about which the world has been singing for centuries - the spot where it was crossed by a ford below Ryefield House. Before the erection of any bridge at Drakemire, the fording of the stream had occasioned much fun and banter, as shown by the many traditionary verses of the light and beautiful song that commemorates the primitive scene :-
"Gin a body meet a body Comin’ through the Rye, Gin a body kiss a body Need a body cry ?, Ilka lassie has her laddie, Nane, they say, ha’e I ! Yet a’ the lads they smile on me, When comin’ through the Rye." |
A Rye Water ford still exists to this day (2008).
Broadlie House
In 1892 John Fulton installed one of the first hydroelectric plants in Ayrshire, generating electricity for Broadlie House. The dam still exists (2008) and can be seen on the Putyan Burn
River Garnock
The River Garnock, the smallest of Ayrshire's six principal rivers, has its source on the southerly side of the Hill of Stake in the heart of the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. About a mile and a half south of this starting point the untested stream tumbles over the Spout of Garnock, the highest...
close to a pedestrian bridge that gave views of the installation to visitors. The water was carried downstream to a turbine house through a cast iron pipe.
Doggartland House
This house derives its name from 'Dogger' which is Scots for a course ironstone, much mined in the area as witnessed by waste bings below Ryefield and at Flashwood. A fine but now redundant cast iron bridge crosses the Rye Water at Doggartland.Lords of Lynn
The barony of Lynn was created from lands inherited about 1204 from Hugh de Morville. It reportedly was first held by Walter de Lynne, who signed the 1296 Ragman Roll. According to Douglas, the family bore the name Lynne long before coming to Ayrshire. If, as Douglas reports however, the family line is Robert de Lynne appearing in 1207 (Perthshire), William de Lynne appearing in 1246 (Perthshire), and Walter de Lynne appearing in 1296 (Ayrshire), one would expect William (or perhaps even Robert), rather than William's son Walter, to be the de Morville heir, first Lord of Lynn in Dalry, and progenitor of the Lynns of that Ilk. In any case, the Lynns held the property from about 1204 until 1532, when they sold it to the Boyds of Kilmarnock. Even then, however, they retained use of 16 acres of the barony or "dominical lands", which acres were "called Burnesyd, Garden and Lyne Knoll in the town and territory of Lyne, bailliary of Cunningham and sheriffdom of Ayr".Irvine, North Ayrshire
Irvine is a new town on the coast of the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland. According to 2007 population estimates, the town is home to 39,527 inhabitants, making it the biggest settlement in North Ayrshire....
. In 1385, the Laird of Lyne rented Baidland to the Cunninghams for one silver penny, then an average week's wages (this being the only known record of Lynns owning Baidland). In 1452, Andrew Lyn, Lord of that Ilk, gave a charter for Highlees to William Hunter of Arnele "for services rendered and to be rendered" (the Lynns remained superiors of Highlees for more than two centuries, their last recorded title being in 1668). In 1505, Andrew Lyne received a charter for Bourtreehill from Robert Frances, Lord of Stane (the last mention of the Lynns of that Ilk in Bourtreehill being in 1608). In 1614 John Lyn of that Ilk is recorded as the lord superior of the lands of 'Hileis' in the parish of Dalry and Patrick Hunter of Hunterston was his baillie.
In 1522, the 16-acre mains of the barony of Lynn were conveyed in a charter from John Lyne of that Ilk to John Lyne of Bourtreehill, described therein as the "... dominical lands of Lyne called Burnesyd, with a house, garden, and Lyne Knoll." In 1532, John Lind [sic] of that Ilk sold the barony to Thomas Boyd. Nevertheless, the Lynns continued to hold the 16-acre mains of the property. In 1583, they were conveyed by Laurence Lyn [of Bourtreehill] to William Lyn, his son and heir apparent; on this occasion, the mains were further described as "... dominical lands of Lyne together with the house called Burnesyd with the garden thereof and Lyne Knoll lying in the town and territory of Lyne bailliary of Cunningham and sheriffdom of Ayr" [emphasis added].
The property included the beautiful Lynn Falls, lying in a glen said to be the dwelling of witches, elves, and fairies. However, that same glen is the location of Peden's Point, where the noted Covenanting minister Alexander Peden preached from a pinnacle forming a natural pulpit overlooking the water above the falls. The Lynns themselves were Presbyterians, and it may be that they willingly made their land available for the preaching of the reformed faith.
The Lords of Lynn became extinct as a landed family in Dalry, but they were remembered in Ayrshire folklore as "a beloved aristocracy that came, lingered a while, and vanished."
Linn House
Built for the Crichtons in 1812, this house was a small mansion house by 1858 with a vaguely 'Elizabethan' appearance. It was purchased by the Neilsen family of Chapeltoun
Chapeltoun
Chapeltoun is an estate on the banks of the Annick Water in East Ayrshire, Scotland. This is a rural area famous for its milk and cheese production and the Ayrshire or Dunlop breed of cattle.-Templeton and the Knights Templar:...
in 1924 and sold by them in 1960. The house lay empty for a number of years and was demolished so that the site could be redeveloped as a housing estate. Only the gatepiers remain, leading onto the Dalry to Kilwinninmg road.
Dalry Witch
On the 8th Nov 1576, midwife Bessie Dunlop, resident of Lynne, in Dalry, was accused of sorcery and witchcraft. She answered her accusers that she received information on prophecies or to the whereabouts of lost goods from a Thomas Reid, a former barony officer in Dalry who died at the Battle of Pinkie some 30 years before.She said she was trained by her “familiar” on how to make and use ointments to heal livestock and people. She was said to have cured and advised various people from poor children to gentry. As a “wise woman” her strange efforts at the time attracted the attention of the law. Her abilities were more akin to today’s current psychics, and with an understanding of medicinal herbs, she was identified in a time of witchcraft hysteria. It resulted in a conviction and the tragic outcome was that she was burnt at the stake. at Castle Hill in Edinburgh in 1576. She is also said to have been burnt at Corsehillmuir
Eglinton Country Park
Eglinton Country Park is located in the grounds of the old Eglinton Castle estate, Kilwinning, North Ayrshire, Scotland . Eglinton Park is situated in the parish of Kilwinning, part of the former district of Cunninghame, and covers an area of 400 hectares...
, just outside Kilwinning.
Alexander Peden
Alexander Peden , also known as Prophet Peden, was one of the leading forces in the Covenanter movement, was born at Auchincloich Farm near Sorn, Ayrshire, about 1626, and was educated at the University of Glasgow...
(1626–1686) the renowned covenanting minister and remarked as a “profit” (sic) traveled throughout the district. He was said to have preached from Peden’s Point (a rocky outcrop) in a natural auditorium at the head of the Lynn glen.
When the main parish church at the Glebe was resited at the "cross" in 1608 it created around it a “kirktoun” establishing the village of Dalry. By 1700 the inhabitants of Dalry still however, numbered barely 100 and contained only about six dwellings.
In the mid 18th century, Dalry was still the only town in the parish.
In 1830 there were about 1,000 inhabitants, and the town consisted of five streets, three of these radiated from the "cross" or centre forming a square.Weekly market were held on Thursdays, and there were fairs in January, May and July.
At that time it was a reasonably large irregular shaped rural parish, centred around on the small town of Dalry. The parish included the small settlements / villages of Blair, Burnside, Drakemire, Southfield and the Den.
Industrial History
Various manufacturing existed in the parish relating to cotton and carpet yarn with silk and harness weaving, in which both men and women were employed.A significant number of women were occupied in sewing and embroidering, mainly for the Glasgow and Paisley manufacturers. The dressing and spinning of flax to some extent was also done in the area.The opening of numerous limeworks, and a number of coal pits from the 1840s, wholly changed the character of the parish of Dalry. It became an increasingly industrial area peppered with mines to provide the ore and coal to fuel the blast furnaces at the various iron works.
Ayrshire Coast Line
The Ayrshire Coast Line is one of the lines within the Strathclyde suburban rail network in Scotland. It has 26 stations and connects the Ayrshire coast to Glasgow...
and once was a busier junction with trains from Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock is a large burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland, with a population of 44,734. It is the second largest town in Ayrshire. The River Irvine runs through its eastern section, and the Kilmarnock Water passes through it, giving rise to the name 'Bank Street'...
and the Dalry and North Johnstone Line
Dalry and North Johnstone Line
The Dalry and North Johnstone Line was a branch of the Glasgow and South Western Railway in Renfrewshire and Ayrshire, Scotland, connecting the stations in Elderslie and Dalry via a route running parallel to the existing line built by the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway...
joining the line here. The railway station
Dalry railway station
Dalry railway station is a railway station serving the town of Dalry, Ayrshire, Scotland. The station is managed by First ScotRail and is on the Ayrshire Coast Line.- History :...
at Dalry opened in March 1840 as part of the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway
Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway
The Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway was a railway in Scotland that provided train services between Glasgow, Kilmarnock and Ayr. For a short period, it also provided West Coast services between Glasgow and London. Opened in stages between 1839 and 1848, the line ran from Paisley in the...
. The station at Dalry Junction
Dalry Junction railway station
Dalry Junction railway station was a railway station near the town of Dalry, North Ayrshire, Scotland. The station was originally part of the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway .- History :...
opened in April 1843 with the line to Kilmarnock via Crosshouse
Crosshouse railway station
Crosshouse railway station was a railway station serving the village of Knockentiber and nearby Crosshouse, East Ayrshire, Scotland. The station was originally part of the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway.-History:...
, subsequently closing in January 1860 with the interchange transferred to Dalry railway station. The line to Kilmarnock remained open with local services ceasing in 1955, with occasional long distance passenger services remaining. The line closed in 1973, following the electrification of the WCML
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
. The closure of the Dalry and North Johnstone Line to passengers in 1966 and through freight in 1971, and steel freight traffic to Kilbirnie in 1977. Dalry station retained four platforms until rebuilding of the station and associated overbridge as part of the electrification of the Ayrshire Coast line during the early 1980s.
Maps and information of the time indicate a rail line from Blair iron works to the main line. This development of large iron works and the mining of ore and coal further increased the housing stock and population in and around the area. The suburb of Blair for example developed around one such ironworks. Numerous bings next to these excavations in the area are still evident to this day.
Morning and evening daily stage coaches passed through Dalry on the routes between Glasgow and various coastal destinations.
The "Fair Trader" coach stopped at the Crown Inn and the "Herald" coach at the King's Arms neither ran on Sundays. There were also several public houses, which had accommodation for travelers.
The public libraries at the time were the "Dalry Library", the “Dalry Church Library" and the "United Secession Library". At this time the town was lit by gas, by a Company formed in 1834.
The River Garnock
River Garnock
The River Garnock, the smallest of Ayrshire's six principal rivers, has its source on the southerly side of the Hill of Stake in the heart of the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. About a mile and a half south of this starting point the untested stream tumbles over the Spout of Garnock, the highest...
helps to irrigate the valley and, joined by the tributaries Rye Water and Caaf Water
Caaf Water
The Caaf Water in western Scotland nowadays drains from the Caaf Reservoir above Dalry which is fed from Knockendon Reservoir...
, was a driving force behind the establishment of the town. These waters were utilised by the various mills in the 19th century
The industries of limestone, coal and ironstone assisted Dalry to develop into a thriving mining community.
The iron was smelted in the furnaces of the four great iron companies - the Ayrshire, the Glengarnock, the Eglinton and the Blair. In 1845 a visitor was “astonished at the change and at the numerous tasks of the busy labourers. The blaze of furnaces, the smoke of coal-pits, the whiter volume emitted by limekilns, and the building of houses, are at intervals seen all over the district.”
In the 1870s it is stated that Blair Iron Works and others in the area were part of the group owned by William Baird & Co. who then was the largiest pig iron producer in the world.
This once industrial town, like many such towns in this area of Scotland has seen a sharp decline of traditional industry, which has hit the town hard. In addition to coal mining, iron stone mining and textile manufacturing the town also had clay mines to be used in the areas various brickworks. To produce common red brick these brickworks were also well supplied with clay extracted from coal mine waste, available from the numerous "bings" throughout the valley, whereas the mined clay was required for higher quality fire brick
Fire brick
A fire brick, firebrick, or refractory brick is a block of refractory ceramic material used in lining furnaces, kilns, fireboxes, and fireplaces. A refractory brick is built primarily to withstand high temperature, but will also usually have a low thermal conductivity for greater energy efficiency...
.
On the edge of the town lies a large chemical plant once operated by Roche, but now run by DSM
DSM (company)
DSM is a multinational life sciences and materials sciences-based company. DSM's global end markets include food and dietary supplements, personal care, feed, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, automotive, paints, electrical and electronics, life protection, alternative energy and bio-based materials...
.
The Douglas brickworks and Monkcastle fireclay mine
The Douglas Firebrick Company Ltd had its works located where the Wilson Car Auction company now trades (2008). The works closed in September 1945. The railway was double track and narrow gauge, working through a 'cable and pulleys' system on light steel rails. The gravity railroadGravity railroad
A gravity railroad or Gravity railway is a railroad on a slope that allow cars carrying minerals or passengers to coast down the slope by the force of gravity alone. The cars are then hauled back up the slope using animal power or a stationary engine and a cable, chain or one or more wide, flat...
allowed the weight of the loaded cars, which were disconnected for unloading, to return the empty ones back up to the mine.
The surface of the inclined plane railroad was paved with firebricks, for employees to walk up the tracks to get to the main Dalry to Kilwinning road where they could catch a bus. The small brick structure gave them shelter from the weather, while they waited. The building is open on the southerly side, and originally had windows on the others (now bricked in), so that they could watch for the next bus coming. The current access road and bridge are more recent additions, as formerly vehicular access to the works was by a road which connected to the area near the railway station, almost a mile to the north. The railway went through a short cutting and passed under the main road in a short tunnel. A truck has been preserved at the nearby Dalgarven Mill
Dalgarven Mill
Dalgarven Mill is near Kilwinning, in the Garnock Valley, North Ayrshire, Scotland and it is home to the Museum of Ayrshire Country Life and Costume. The watermill has been completely restored over a number of years and is run by the independent Dalgarven Mill Trust.The village of Dalgarven was...
Museum of Scottish Country Life and Costume.
Dalry is a small town in the Garnock Valley
Garnock Valley
The Garnock Valley is an area in the northern part of North Ayrshire, Scotland, adjoining Renfrewshire.The region includes the towns of Beith, Dalry, and Kilbirnie, and some smaller villages such as Gateside, Barrmill, Longbar and Glengarnock....
in Ayrshire
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
History
Dalry (in Gaelic..“Dail-righ”) means "King's Valley" or more simply the "Rye Meadow"; indicating a small settlement on the Rye Burn. Its history has signs of early inhabitants in the area. The remains of an ancient fort made of three concentric round walls can be found on the summit of Carwinning Hill to the North of Dalry, west of the B784 to LargsLargs
Largs is a town on the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland, about from Glasgow. The original name means "the slopes" in Scottish Gaelic....
.
In 1883 excavations by John Smith of caves in the Dalry Blair estate at Cleeves Cove cave
Cleeves Cove cave
Cleeves Cove is a cave system on the Dusk Water in North Ayrshire, Scotland, close to the town of Dalry.-The cave system:Cleeves, or Cleaves, cove cave system is situated in the lower bed of carboniferous limestone. It measures around 500 feet if all the passages were put together...
found evidence of prehistoric man and otter bones.
Aitnock fort at the SW angle of Hindog Glen was excavated by John Smith in 1901-2, it showed a possible dun occupying the summit of a cliff which rises about 60 ft perpendicularly from the Rye Water. He stated in ”Excavations of the forts of Castlehill, Aitnock and Coalhill, Ayrshire” it was defended on one side by the steep drop to the Rye and by a horse shoe shaped deep ditch and stone walls.
On the pavement was an accumulation of deposits, in some places 6ins deep, in and on which the relics were found… coins, stone objects, a glass bead, 1st or 2nd century Samian bowl fragments, burnt bones and iron objects.
A sandstone cauldron was found near the centre of the interior, close by was a fireplace of slabs set on edge, this he states was possibly used to heat the water in the cauldron. An irregular lump of sandstone was found, bearing two chiseled cup marks one on each side, almost opposite each other.
During his excavations he found 4 silver Roman coins, all denarii, two of Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius , also known as Antoninus, was Roman Emperor from 138 to 161. He was a member of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty and the Aurelii. He did not possess the sobriquet "Pius" until after his accession to the throne...
and one each of Vespasian
Vespasian
Vespasian , was Roman Emperor from 69 AD to 79 AD. Vespasian was the founder of the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for a quarter century. Vespasian was descended from a family of equestrians, who rose into the senatorial rank under the Emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty...
and Hadrian, all of which came from parts of an upper black layer of occupation. Smith's collection of material from here was donated to the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland in 1981.
At Courthill excavations were undertaken by Cochrane–Patrick (1878) & Dobie (1876) in the 1870s. The remains of a timber hall similar to those in England dated to around the 8th century were found. These digs refer to a timber hall or court structure with a turf roof, that was then replaced by a motte (a structure on a hill) similar to those used by the early Normans infiltrating the area then. Amongst the debris a flint arrow head from an even earlier period was found.
Cleeves Cove cave
Cleeves Cove is a cave system on the Dusk Water in North Ayrshire, Scotland, close to the town of Dalry.-The cave system:Cleeves, or Cleaves, cove cave system is situated in the lower bed of carboniferous limestone. It measures around 500 feet if all the passages were put together...
s, there is a natural cave mentioned as the "Elf House" about 183 feet in length near the middle it expands into a large chamber, 35 feet long by 12 broad, and 12 feet in height.
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
, it was said to be a refuge to the covenanter
Covenanter
The Covenanters were a Scottish Presbyterian movement that played an important part in the history of Scotland, and to a lesser extent in that of England and Ireland, during the 17th century...
s of this parish from the violence of their persecutors.
When David I
David I of Scotland
David I or Dabíd mac Maíl Choluim was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians and later King of the Scots...
(1082–1153) was crowned King of Scots he brought in and created a high-ranking Norman aristocracy in his new kingdom. These Norman nobles were given lands creating in Scotland an influential Norman aristocracy.
One of these “nobles or knights” a Hugh de Morville
Hugh de Morville, Lord of Cunningham and Lauderdale
Hugh de Morville was a Norman knight who made his fortune in the service of David fitz Malcolm, Prince of the Cumbrians and King of Scots .His parentage is said by some to be unclear, but G. W. S...
was made Lord High Constable of Scotland
Lord High Constable of Scotland
The Lord High Constable is a hereditary, now ceremonial, office of Scotland. In the order of precedence of Scotland, the office traditionally ranks above all titles except those of the Royal Family. The Lord High Constable was, after the King of Scots, the supreme officer of the Scottish army. He...
and given lands in Cunninghame. De Morville probably then gave some of these lands or baronies to a relative a Walter de Lynne, to William de Blair, to William Kerr and to the Boyles of Kelburne
Clan Boyle
Clan Boyle is a Scottish clan from Ayrshire in Scotland. There is also an Irish sept of the O'Neill Clan of the name O'Boyle or in Irish Ó Baoighill. The O'Boyles are one of three clans who shared the leadership of the North West of Ireland, specifically Co...
.
The name Lynne then meaning “a waterfall,” is first noted in the area of Dalry in the years 1200-1300 They were located here and had land and owned the Castle of Lin near the waterfall of the Calf.
Dalry was mentioned in 1226 as a "chapel of Ardrossan
Ardrossan
Ardrossan is a town on the North Ayrshire coast in south-western Scotland. The name "Ardrossan" describes its physical position — 'ard' from the Gaelic àird meaning headland, 'ros' a promontory and the diminutive suffix '-an' - headland of the little promontory...
". The parish of Dalry was probably formed in 1279 when a "Henry, Rector of the Church of Dalry" appears in the Register of the Diocese of Glasgow. Two places of worship in the parish appear by the late 13th century. One on the east bank of the River Garnock
River Garnock
The River Garnock, the smallest of Ayrshire's six principal rivers, has its source on the southerly side of the Hill of Stake in the heart of the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. About a mile and a half south of this starting point the untested stream tumbles over the Spout of Garnock, the highest...
at Kilcush, and the other on the west, located near the Old Glebe. This was the main parish church, it almost certainly dedicated to St. Margaret of Antioch, a 3rd or 4th century virgin martyr.
A Knights Templar stone coffin of an Ardrossan Baron was found when excavations were made to the Ardrossan Parish Church. It would most likely have been made by a French mason working on the construction of Kilwinning Abbey
Kilwinning Abbey
Kilwinning Abbey is a ruined abbey located in the centre of the town of Kilwinning, North Ayrshire.-The establishment of the Abbey:The ancient name of the town is 'Segdoune' or 'Saigtown', probably derived from 'Sanctoun', meaning the 'town of the saint'. Saint Winnings festival was on 21 January...
during the late 12th - early 13th centuries. “Templand” names derived from the word templar are to be found in the Dalry area.
In the 15th century the parish had five main baronies; Kelburne, Blair, Kersland, Lynn and Pitcon
The Lands of Pitcon
The Lands of Pitcon, previously Potconnel now form a small estate of around 100 acres in the Parish of Dalry, North Ayrshire in the old Barony of Dalry. The present Grade B Listed Georgian mansion house dating from 1787, replaces an older castellated dwelling...
. These names are still reflected in some of the areas, farms, houses and surnames in the area.
Kersland had a church school and ruined castle and is linked to the covenanter Robert Ker of Kersland.
The Rye Water has its source among the nearby high hills. The most interesting spot is that about which the world has been singing for centuries - the spot where it was crossed by a ford below Ryefield House. Before the erection of any bridge at Drakemire, the fording of the stream had occasioned much fun and banter, as shown by the many traditionary verses of the light and beautiful song that commemorates the primitive scene :-
"Gin a body meet a body Comin’ through the Rye, Gin a body kiss a body Need a body cry ?, Ilka lassie has her laddie, Nane, they say, ha’e I ! Yet a’ the lads they smile on me, When comin’ through the Rye." |
A Rye Water ford still exists to this day (2008).
Broadlie House
In 1892 John Fulton installed one of the first hydroelectric plants in Ayrshire, generating electricity for Broadlie House. The dam still exists (2008) and can be seen on the Putyan Burn
River Garnock
The River Garnock, the smallest of Ayrshire's six principal rivers, has its source on the southerly side of the Hill of Stake in the heart of the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. About a mile and a half south of this starting point the untested stream tumbles over the Spout of Garnock, the highest...
close to a pedestrian bridge that gave views of the installation to visitors. The water was carried downstream to a turbine house through a cast iron pipe.
Doggartland House
This house derives its name from 'Dogger' which is Scots for a course ironstone, much mined in the area as witnessed by waste bings below Ryefield and at Flashwood. A fine but now redundant cast iron bridge crosses the Rye Water at Doggartland.Image:Doggartland Bridge Gas Light.JPG|
Image:Doggartland Bridge detail.JPG|
Image:Doggartland Bridge, dalry.JPG|
Lords of Lynn
The barony of Lynn was created from lands inherited about 1204 from Hugh de Morville. It reportedly was first held by Walter de Lynne, who signed the 1296 Ragman Roll. According to Douglas, the family bore the name Lynne long before coming to Ayrshire. If, as Douglas reports however, the family line is Robert de Lynne appearing in 1207 (Perthshire), William de Lynne appearing in 1246 (Perthshire), and Walter de Lynne appearing in 1296 (Ayrshire), one would expect William (or perhaps even Robert), rather than William's son Walter, to be the de Morville heir, first Lord of Lynn in Dalry, and progenitor of the Lynns of that Ilk. In any case, the Lynns held the property from about 1204 until 1532, when they sold it to the Boyds of Kilmarnock. Even then, however, they retained use of 16 acres of the barony or "dominical lands", which acres were "called Burnesyd, Garden and Lyne Knoll in the town and territory of Lyne, bailliary of Cunningham and sheriffdom of Ayr".Irvine, North Ayrshire
Irvine is a new town on the coast of the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland. According to 2007 population estimates, the town is home to 39,527 inhabitants, making it the biggest settlement in North Ayrshire....
. In 1385, the Laird of Lyne rented Baidland to the Cunninghams for one silver penny, then an average week's wages (this being the only known record of Lynns owning Baidland). In 1452, Andrew Lyn, Lord of that Ilk, gave a charter for Highlees to William Hunter of Arnele "for services rendered and to be rendered" (the Lynns remained superiors of Highlees for more than two centuries, their last recorded title being in 1668). In 1505, Andrew Lyne received a charter for Bourtreehill from Robert Frances, Lord of Stane (the last mention of the Lynns of that Ilk in Bourtreehill being in 1608). In 1614 John Lyn of that Ilk is recorded as the lord superior of the lands of 'Hileis' in the parish of Dalry and Patrick Hunter of Hunterston was his baillie.
In 1522, the 16-acre mains of the barony of Lynn were conveyed in a charter from John Lyne of that Ilk to John Lyne of Bourtreehill, described therein as the "... dominical lands of Lyne called Burnesyd, with a house, garden, and Lyne Knoll." In 1532, John Lind [sic] of that Ilk sold the barony to Thomas Boyd. Nevertheless, the Lynns continued to hold the 16-acre mains of the property. In 1583, they were conveyed by Laurence Lyn [of Bourtreehill] to William Lyn, his son and heir apparent; on this occasion, the mains were further described as "... dominical lands of Lyne together with the house called Burnesyd with the garden thereof and Lyne Knoll lying in the town and territory of Lyne bailliary of Cunningham and sheriffdom of Ayr" [emphasis added].
The property included the beautiful Lynn Falls, lying in a glen said to be the dwelling of witches, elves, and fairies. However, that same glen is the location of Peden's Point, where the noted Covenanting minister Alexander Peden preached from a pinnacle forming a natural pulpit overlooking the water above the falls. The Lynns themselves were Presbyterians, and it may be that they willingly made their land available for the preaching of the reformed faith.
The Lords of Lynn became extinct as a landed family in Dalry, but they were remembered in Ayrshire folklore as "a beloved aristocracy that came, lingered a while, and vanished."
Linn House
Built for the Crichtons in 1812, this house was a small mansion house by 1858 with a vaguely 'Elizabethan' appearance. It was purchased by the Neilsen family of Chapeltoun
Chapeltoun
Chapeltoun is an estate on the banks of the Annick Water in East Ayrshire, Scotland. This is a rural area famous for its milk and cheese production and the Ayrshire or Dunlop breed of cattle.-Templeton and the Knights Templar:...
in 1924 and sold by them in 1960. The house lay empty for a number of years and was demolished so that the site could be redeveloped as a housing estate. Only the gatepiers remain, leading onto the Dalry to Kilwinninmg road.
Views of Craig Mill and Lynn Glen
Image:Caaf Mill Dalry detail.JPG|Detail of an opening in the gable end of the old mill.
Image:Caaf Mill, Lynn Glen.JPG|The old mill's gable end facing Linn Spout.
Image:Caaf Mill Lynn Glen Dalry.JPG|The Craig Mill ruins from below Linn Spout. This mill was associated with Kilwinning Abbey, together with Garnock and Sevenacres mills.
Image:Lynn Spout turbine house.JPG|Remains of the mill lade and what may have been a later roofed turbine house.
Image:Lynn Spout Detail Dalry.JPG|Linn Spout on the Caaf Water.
Image:Lynn Spout, Caaf Water.JPG|Linn Spout on the Caaf Water; illustrating the thick limestone deposits in this area.
Image:Lynn Glen small spout.JPG|The Caaf Water running over limestone. A good site for rock-cut basins.
Rock-cut basin
A rock-cut basin, in this usage of the term, is a natural phenomenon. They are cylindrical depressions cut into stream or river beds, often filled with water. Such plucked-bedrock pits are created by kolks; powerful vortices within the water currents which spin small boulders around, eroding out...
Image:Rock-cut basin and pebbles.JPG|Rock-cut basins with the eroding pebble in situ. Very low water levels.
Image:Lynn Glen footbridge.JPG|The remains of an old footbridge near the entrance to the old lade.
Image:Conocephalum conicum in Lynn Glen.JPG|The Liverwort
Marchantiophyta
The Marchantiophyta are a division of bryophyte plants commonly referred to as hepatics or liverworts. Like other bryophytes, they have a gametophyte-dominant life cycle, in which cells of the plant carry only a single set of genetic information....
Conocephalum conicum on a rock in the Caaf Water.
Image:Blechnum spicant at Lynn Glen.JPG|Hard Fern (Blechnum spicant) in the Linn Glen. Note the vertical fertile fronds typical of this species.
Image:Lynn Glen Primroses.JPG|Primroses in the Glen.
Dalry Witch
On the 8th Nov 1576, midwife Bessie Dunlop, resident of Lynne, in Dalry, was accused of sorcery and witchcraft. She answered her accusers that she received information on prophecies or to the whereabouts of lost goods from a Thomas Reid, a former barony officer in Dalry who died at the Battle of Pinkie some 30 years before.She said she was trained by her “familiar” on how to make and use ointments to heal livestock and people. She was said to have cured and advised various people from poor children to gentry. As a “wise woman” her strange efforts at the time attracted the attention of the law. Her abilities were more akin to today’s current psychics, and with an understanding of medicinal herbs, she was identified in a time of witchcraft hysteria. It resulted in a conviction and the tragic outcome was that she was burnt at the stake. at Castle Hill in Edinburgh in 1576. She is also said to have been burnt at Corsehillmuir
Eglinton Country Park
Eglinton Country Park is located in the grounds of the old Eglinton Castle estate, Kilwinning, North Ayrshire, Scotland . Eglinton Park is situated in the parish of Kilwinning, part of the former district of Cunninghame, and covers an area of 400 hectares...
, just outside Kilwinning.
Alexander Peden
Alexander Peden , also known as Prophet Peden, was one of the leading forces in the Covenanter movement, was born at Auchincloich Farm near Sorn, Ayrshire, about 1626, and was educated at the University of Glasgow...
(1626–1686) the renowned covenanting minister and remarked as a “profit” (sic) traveled throughout the district. He was said to have preached from Peden’s Point (a rocky outcrop) in a natural auditorium at the head of the Lynn glen.
When the main parish church at the Glebe was resited at the "cross" in 1608 it created around it a “kirktoun” establishing the village of Dalry. By 1700 the inhabitants of Dalry still however, numbered barely 100 and contained only about six dwellings.
In the mid 18th century, Dalry was still the only town in the parish.
In 1830 there were about 1,000 inhabitants, and the town consisted of five streets, three of these radiated from the "cross" or centre forming a square.Weekly market were held on Thursdays, and there were fairs in January, May and July.
At that time it was a reasonably large irregular shaped rural parish, centred around on the small town of Dalry. The parish included the small settlements / villages of Blair, Burnside, Drakemire, Southfield and the Den.
Industrial History
Various manufacturing existed in the parish relating to cotton and carpet yarn with silk and harness weaving, in which both men and women were employed.A significant number of women were occupied in sewing and embroidering, mainly for the Glasgow and Paisley manufacturers. The dressing and spinning of flax to some extent was also done in the area.The opening of numerous limeworks, and a number of coal pits from the 1840s, wholly changed the character of the parish of Dalry. It became an increasingly industrial area peppered with mines to provide the ore and coal to fuel the blast furnaces at the various iron works.
Ayrshire Coast Line
The Ayrshire Coast Line is one of the lines within the Strathclyde suburban rail network in Scotland. It has 26 stations and connects the Ayrshire coast to Glasgow...
and once was a busier junction with trains from Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock is a large burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland, with a population of 44,734. It is the second largest town in Ayrshire. The River Irvine runs through its eastern section, and the Kilmarnock Water passes through it, giving rise to the name 'Bank Street'...
and the Dalry and North Johnstone Line
Dalry and North Johnstone Line
The Dalry and North Johnstone Line was a branch of the Glasgow and South Western Railway in Renfrewshire and Ayrshire, Scotland, connecting the stations in Elderslie and Dalry via a route running parallel to the existing line built by the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway...
joining the line here. The railway station
Dalry railway station
Dalry railway station is a railway station serving the town of Dalry, Ayrshire, Scotland. The station is managed by First ScotRail and is on the Ayrshire Coast Line.- History :...
at Dalry opened in March 1840 as part of the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway
Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway
The Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway was a railway in Scotland that provided train services between Glasgow, Kilmarnock and Ayr. For a short period, it also provided West Coast services between Glasgow and London. Opened in stages between 1839 and 1848, the line ran from Paisley in the...
. The station at Dalry Junction
Dalry Junction railway station
Dalry Junction railway station was a railway station near the town of Dalry, North Ayrshire, Scotland. The station was originally part of the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway .- History :...
opened in April 1843 with the line to Kilmarnock via Crosshouse
Crosshouse railway station
Crosshouse railway station was a railway station serving the village of Knockentiber and nearby Crosshouse, East Ayrshire, Scotland. The station was originally part of the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway.-History:...
, subsequently closing in January 1860 with the interchange transferred to Dalry railway station. The line to Kilmarnock remained open with local services ceasing in 1955, with occasional long distance passenger services remaining. The line closed in 1973, following the electrification of the WCML
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
. The closure of the Dalry and North Johnstone Line to passengers in 1966 and through freight in 1971, and steel freight traffic to Kilbirnie in 1977. Dalry station retained four platforms until rebuilding of the station and associated overbridge as part of the electrification of the Ayrshire Coast line during the early 1980s.
Maps and information of the time indicate a rail line from Blair iron works to the main line. This development of large iron works and the mining of ore and coal further increased the housing stock and population in and around the area. The suburb of Blair for example developed around one such ironworks. Numerous bings next to these excavations in the area are still evident to this day.
Morning and evening daily stage coaches passed through Dalry on the routes between Glasgow and various coastal destinations.
The "Fair Trader" coach stopped at the Crown Inn and the "Herald" coach at the King's Arms neither ran on Sundays. There were also several public houses, which had accommodation for travelers.
The public libraries at the time were the "Dalry Library", the “Dalry Church Library" and the "United Secession Library". At this time the town was lit by gas, by a Company formed in 1834.
The River Garnock
River Garnock
The River Garnock, the smallest of Ayrshire's six principal rivers, has its source on the southerly side of the Hill of Stake in the heart of the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. About a mile and a half south of this starting point the untested stream tumbles over the Spout of Garnock, the highest...
helps to irrigate the valley and, joined by the tributaries Rye Water and Caaf Water
Caaf Water
The Caaf Water in western Scotland nowadays drains from the Caaf Reservoir above Dalry which is fed from Knockendon Reservoir...
, was a driving force behind the establishment of the town. These waters were utilised by the various mills in the 19th century
The industries of limestone, coal and ironstone assisted Dalry to develop into a thriving mining community.
The iron was smelted in the furnaces of the four great iron companies - the Ayrshire, the Glengarnock, the Eglinton and the Blair. In 1845 a visitor was “astonished at the change and at the numerous tasks of the busy labourers. The blaze of furnaces, the smoke of coal-pits, the whiter volume emitted by limekilns, and the building of houses, are at intervals seen all over the district.”
In the 1870s it is stated that Blair Iron Works and others in the area were part of the group owned by William Baird & Co. who then was the largiest pig iron producer in the world.
This once industrial town, like many such towns in this area of Scotland has seen a sharp decline of traditional industry, which has hit the town hard. In addition to coal mining, iron stone mining and textile manufacturing the town also had clay mines to be used in the areas various brickworks. To produce common red brick these brickworks were also well supplied with clay extracted from coal mine waste, available from the numerous "bings" throughout the valley, whereas the mined clay was required for higher quality fire brick
Fire brick
A fire brick, firebrick, or refractory brick is a block of refractory ceramic material used in lining furnaces, kilns, fireboxes, and fireplaces. A refractory brick is built primarily to withstand high temperature, but will also usually have a low thermal conductivity for greater energy efficiency...
.
On the edge of the town lies a large chemical plant once operated by Roche, but now run by DSM
DSM (company)
DSM is a multinational life sciences and materials sciences-based company. DSM's global end markets include food and dietary supplements, personal care, feed, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, automotive, paints, electrical and electronics, life protection, alternative energy and bio-based materials...
.
The Douglas brickworks and Monkcastle fireclay mine
The Douglas Firebrick Company Ltd had its works located where the Wilson Car Auction company now trades (2008). The works closed in September 1945. The railway was double track and narrow gauge, working through a 'cable and pulleys' system on light steel rails. The gravity railroadGravity railroad
A gravity railroad or Gravity railway is a railroad on a slope that allow cars carrying minerals or passengers to coast down the slope by the force of gravity alone. The cars are then hauled back up the slope using animal power or a stationary engine and a cable, chain or one or more wide, flat...
allowed the weight of the loaded cars, which were disconnected for unloading, to return the empty ones back up to the mine.
The surface of the inclined plane railroad was paved with firebricks, for employees to walk up the tracks to get to the main Dalry to Kilwinning road where they could catch a bus. The small brick structure gave them shelter from the weather, while they waited. The building is open on the southerly side, and originally had windows on the others (now bricked in), so that they could watch for the next bus coming. The current access road and bridge are more recent additions, as formerly vehicular access to the works was by a road which connected to the area near the railway station, almost a mile to the north. The railway went through a short cutting and passed under the main road in a short tunnel. A truck has been preserved at the nearby Dalgarven Mill
Dalgarven Mill
Dalgarven Mill is near Kilwinning, in the Garnock Valley, North Ayrshire, Scotland and it is home to the Museum of Ayrshire Country Life and Costume. The watermill has been completely restored over a number of years and is run by the independent Dalgarven Mill Trust.The village of Dalgarven was...
Museum of Scottish Country Life and Costume.
Dalry is a small town in the Garnock Valley
Garnock Valley
The Garnock Valley is an area in the northern part of North Ayrshire, Scotland, adjoining Renfrewshire.The region includes the towns of Beith, Dalry, and Kilbirnie, and some smaller villages such as Gateside, Barrmill, Longbar and Glengarnock....
in Ayrshire
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
History
Dalry (in Gaelic..“Dail-righ”) means "King's Valley" or more simply the "Rye Meadow"; indicating a small settlement on the Rye Burn. Its history has signs of early inhabitants in the area. The remains of an ancient fort made of three concentric round walls can be found on the summit of Carwinning Hill to the North of Dalry, west of the B784 to LargsLargs
Largs is a town on the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland, about from Glasgow. The original name means "the slopes" in Scottish Gaelic....
.
In 1883 excavations by John Smith of caves in the Dalry Blair estate at Cleeves Cove cave
Cleeves Cove cave
Cleeves Cove is a cave system on the Dusk Water in North Ayrshire, Scotland, close to the town of Dalry.-The cave system:Cleeves, or Cleaves, cove cave system is situated in the lower bed of carboniferous limestone. It measures around 500 feet if all the passages were put together...
found evidence of prehistoric man and otter bones.
Aitnock fort at the SW angle of Hindog Glen was excavated by John Smith in 1901-2, it showed a possible dun occupying the summit of a cliff which rises about 60 ft perpendicularly from the Rye Water. He stated in ”Excavations of the forts of Castlehill, Aitnock and Coalhill, Ayrshire” it was defended on one side by the steep drop to the Rye and by a horse shoe shaped deep ditch and stone walls.
On the pavement was an accumulation of deposits, in some places 6ins deep, in and on which the relics were found… coins, stone objects, a glass bead, 1st or 2nd century Samian bowl fragments, burnt bones and iron objects.
A sandstone cauldron was found near the centre of the interior, close by was a fireplace of slabs set on edge, this he states was possibly used to heat the water in the cauldron. An irregular lump of sandstone was found, bearing two chiseled cup marks one on each side, almost opposite each other.
During his excavations he found 4 silver Roman coins, all denarii, two of Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius , also known as Antoninus, was Roman Emperor from 138 to 161. He was a member of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty and the Aurelii. He did not possess the sobriquet "Pius" until after his accession to the throne...
and one each of Vespasian
Vespasian
Vespasian , was Roman Emperor from 69 AD to 79 AD. Vespasian was the founder of the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for a quarter century. Vespasian was descended from a family of equestrians, who rose into the senatorial rank under the Emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty...
and Hadrian, all of which came from parts of an upper black layer of occupation. Smith's collection of material from here was donated to the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland in 1981.
At Courthill excavations were undertaken by Cochrane–Patrick (1878) & Dobie (1876) in the 1870s. The remains of a timber hall similar to those in England dated to around the 8th century were found. These digs refer to a timber hall or court structure with a turf roof, that was then replaced by a motte (a structure on a hill) similar to those used by the early Normans infiltrating the area then. Amongst the debris a flint arrow head from an even earlier period was found.
Cleeves Cove cave
Cleeves Cove is a cave system on the Dusk Water in North Ayrshire, Scotland, close to the town of Dalry.-The cave system:Cleeves, or Cleaves, cove cave system is situated in the lower bed of carboniferous limestone. It measures around 500 feet if all the passages were put together...
s, there is a natural cave mentioned as the "Elf House" about 183 feet in length near the middle it expands into a large chamber, 35 feet long by 12 broad, and 12 feet in height.
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
, it was said to be a refuge to the covenanter
Covenanter
The Covenanters were a Scottish Presbyterian movement that played an important part in the history of Scotland, and to a lesser extent in that of England and Ireland, during the 17th century...
s of this parish from the violence of their persecutors.
When David I
David I of Scotland
David I or Dabíd mac Maíl Choluim was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians and later King of the Scots...
(1082–1153) was crowned King of Scots he brought in and created a high-ranking Norman aristocracy in his new kingdom. These Norman nobles were given lands creating in Scotland an influential Norman aristocracy.
One of these “nobles or knights” a Hugh de Morville
Hugh de Morville, Lord of Cunningham and Lauderdale
Hugh de Morville was a Norman knight who made his fortune in the service of David fitz Malcolm, Prince of the Cumbrians and King of Scots .His parentage is said by some to be unclear, but G. W. S...
was made Lord High Constable of Scotland
Lord High Constable of Scotland
The Lord High Constable is a hereditary, now ceremonial, office of Scotland. In the order of precedence of Scotland, the office traditionally ranks above all titles except those of the Royal Family. The Lord High Constable was, after the King of Scots, the supreme officer of the Scottish army. He...
and given lands in Cunninghame. De Morville probably then gave some of these lands or baronies to a relative a Walter de Lynne, to William de Blair, to William Kerr and to the Boyles of Kelburne
Clan Boyle
Clan Boyle is a Scottish clan from Ayrshire in Scotland. There is also an Irish sept of the O'Neill Clan of the name O'Boyle or in Irish Ó Baoighill. The O'Boyles are one of three clans who shared the leadership of the North West of Ireland, specifically Co...
.
The name Lynne then meaning “a waterfall,” is first noted in the area of Dalry in the years 1200-1300 They were located here and had land and owned the Castle of Lin near the waterfall of the Calf.
Dalry was mentioned in 1226 as a "chapel of Ardrossan
Ardrossan
Ardrossan is a town on the North Ayrshire coast in south-western Scotland. The name "Ardrossan" describes its physical position — 'ard' from the Gaelic àird meaning headland, 'ros' a promontory and the diminutive suffix '-an' - headland of the little promontory...
". The parish of Dalry was probably formed in 1279 when a "Henry, Rector of the Church of Dalry" appears in the Register of the Diocese of Glasgow. Two places of worship in the parish appear by the late 13th century. One on the east bank of the River Garnock
River Garnock
The River Garnock, the smallest of Ayrshire's six principal rivers, has its source on the southerly side of the Hill of Stake in the heart of the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. About a mile and a half south of this starting point the untested stream tumbles over the Spout of Garnock, the highest...
at Kilcush, and the other on the west, located near the Old Glebe. This was the main parish church, it almost certainly dedicated to St. Margaret of Antioch, a 3rd or 4th century virgin martyr.
A Knights Templar stone coffin of an Ardrossan Baron was found when excavations were made to the Ardrossan Parish Church. It would most likely have been made by a French mason working on the construction of Kilwinning Abbey
Kilwinning Abbey
Kilwinning Abbey is a ruined abbey located in the centre of the town of Kilwinning, North Ayrshire.-The establishment of the Abbey:The ancient name of the town is 'Segdoune' or 'Saigtown', probably derived from 'Sanctoun', meaning the 'town of the saint'. Saint Winnings festival was on 21 January...
during the late 12th - early 13th centuries. “Templand” names derived from the word templar are to be found in the Dalry area.
In the 15th century the parish had five main baronies; Kelburne, Blair, Kersland, Lynn and Pitcon
The Lands of Pitcon
The Lands of Pitcon, previously Potconnel now form a small estate of around 100 acres in the Parish of Dalry, North Ayrshire in the old Barony of Dalry. The present Grade B Listed Georgian mansion house dating from 1787, replaces an older castellated dwelling...
. These names are still reflected in some of the areas, farms, houses and surnames in the area.
Kersland had a church school and ruined castle and is linked to the covenanter Robert Ker of Kersland.
The Rye Water has its source among the nearby high hills. The most interesting spot is that about which the world has been singing for centuries - the spot where it was crossed by a ford below Ryefield House. Before the erection of any bridge at Drakemire, the fording of the stream had occasioned much fun and banter, as shown by the many traditionary verses of the light and beautiful song that commemorates the primitive scene :-
"Gin a body meet a body Comin’ through the Rye, Gin a body kiss a body Need a body cry ?, Ilka lassie has her laddie, Nane, they say, ha’e I ! Yet a’ the lads they smile on me, When comin’ through the Rye." |
A Rye Water ford still exists to this day (2008).
Broadlie House
In 1892 John Fulton installed one of the first hydroelectric plants in Ayrshire, generating electricity for Broadlie House. The dam still exists (2008) and can be seen on the Putyan Burn
River Garnock
The River Garnock, the smallest of Ayrshire's six principal rivers, has its source on the southerly side of the Hill of Stake in the heart of the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. About a mile and a half south of this starting point the untested stream tumbles over the Spout of Garnock, the highest...
close to a pedestrian bridge that gave views of the installation to visitors. The water was carried downstream to a turbine house through a cast iron pipe.
Doggartland House
This house derives its name from 'Dogger' which is Scots for a course ironstone, much mined in the area as witnessed by waste bings below Ryefield and at Flashwood. A fine but now redundant cast iron bridge crosses the Rye Water at Doggartland.Image:Doggartland Bridge Gas Light.JPG|
Image:Doggartland Bridge detail.JPG|
Image:Doggartland Bridge, dalry.JPG|
Lords of Lynn
The barony of Lynn was created from lands inherited about 1204 from Hugh de Morville. It reportedly was first held by Walter de Lynne, who signed the 1296 Ragman Roll. According to Douglas, the family bore the name Lynne long before coming to Ayrshire. If, as Douglas reports however, the family line is Robert de Lynne appearing in 1207 (Perthshire), William de Lynne appearing in 1246 (Perthshire), and Walter de Lynne appearing in 1296 (Ayrshire), one would expect William (or perhaps even Robert), rather than William's son Walter, to be the de Morville heir, first Lord of Lynn in Dalry, and progenitor of the Lynns of that Ilk. In any case, the Lynns held the property from about 1204 until 1532, when they sold it to the Boyds of Kilmarnock. Even then, however, they retained use of 16 acres of the barony or "dominical lands", which acres were "called Burnesyd, Garden and Lyne Knoll in the town and territory of Lyne, bailliary of Cunningham and sheriffdom of Ayr".Irvine, North Ayrshire
Irvine is a new town on the coast of the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland. According to 2007 population estimates, the town is home to 39,527 inhabitants, making it the biggest settlement in North Ayrshire....
. In 1385, the Laird of Lyne rented Baidland to the Cunninghams for one silver penny, then an average week's wages (this being the only known record of Lynns owning Baidland). In 1452, Andrew Lyn, Lord of that Ilk, gave a charter for Highlees to William Hunter of Arnele "for services rendered and to be rendered" (the Lynns remained superiors of Highlees for more than two centuries, their last recorded title being in 1668). In 1505, Andrew Lyne received a charter for Bourtreehill from Robert Frances, Lord of Stane (the last mention of the Lynns of that Ilk in Bourtreehill being in 1608). In 1614 John Lyn of that Ilk is recorded as the lord superior of the lands of 'Hileis' in the parish of Dalry and Patrick Hunter of Hunterston was his baillie.
In 1522, the 16-acre mains of the barony of Lynn were conveyed in a charter from John Lyne of that Ilk to John Lyne of Bourtreehill, described therein as the "... dominical lands of Lyne called Burnesyd, with a house, garden, and Lyne Knoll." In 1532, John Lind [sic] of that Ilk sold the barony to Thomas Boyd. Nevertheless, the Lynns continued to hold the 16-acre mains of the property. In 1583, they were conveyed by Laurence Lyn [of Bourtreehill] to William Lyn, his son and heir apparent; on this occasion, the mains were further described as "... dominical lands of Lyne together with the house called Burnesyd with the garden thereof and Lyne Knoll lying in the town and territory of Lyne bailliary of Cunningham and sheriffdom of Ayr" [emphasis added].
The property included the beautiful Lynn Falls, lying in a glen said to be the dwelling of witches, elves, and fairies. However, that same glen is the location of Peden's Point, where the noted Covenanting minister Alexander Peden preached from a pinnacle forming a natural pulpit overlooking the water above the falls. The Lynns themselves were Presbyterians, and it may be that they willingly made their land available for the preaching of the reformed faith.
The Lords of Lynn became extinct as a landed family in Dalry, but they were remembered in Ayrshire folklore as "a beloved aristocracy that came, lingered a while, and vanished."
Linn House
Built for the Crichtons in 1812, this house was a small mansion house by 1858 with a vaguely 'Elizabethan' appearance. It was purchased by the Neilsen family of Chapeltoun
Chapeltoun
Chapeltoun is an estate on the banks of the Annick Water in East Ayrshire, Scotland. This is a rural area famous for its milk and cheese production and the Ayrshire or Dunlop breed of cattle.-Templeton and the Knights Templar:...
in 1924 and sold by them in 1960. The house lay empty for a number of years and was demolished so that the site could be redeveloped as a housing estate. Only the gatepiers remain, leading onto the Dalry to Kilwinninmg road.
Views of Craig Mill and Lynn Glen
Image:Caaf Mill Dalry detail.JPG|Detail of an opening in the gable end of the old mill.
Image:Caaf Mill, Lynn Glen.JPG|The old mill's gable end facing Linn Spout.
Image:Caaf Mill Lynn Glen Dalry.JPG|The Craig Mill ruins from below Linn Spout. This mill was associated with Kilwinning Abbey, together with Garnock and Sevenacres mills.
Image:Lynn Spout turbine house.JPG|Remains of the mill lade and what may have been a later roofed turbine house.
Image:Lynn Spout Detail Dalry.JPG|Linn Spout on the Caaf Water.
Image:Lynn Spout, Caaf Water.JPG|Linn Spout on the Caaf Water; illustrating the thick limestone deposits in this area.
Image:Lynn Glen small spout.JPG|The Caaf Water running over limestone. A good site for rock-cut basins.
Rock-cut basin
A rock-cut basin, in this usage of the term, is a natural phenomenon. They are cylindrical depressions cut into stream or river beds, often filled with water. Such plucked-bedrock pits are created by kolks; powerful vortices within the water currents which spin small boulders around, eroding out...
Image:Rock-cut basin and pebbles.JPG|Rock-cut basins with the eroding pebble in situ. Very low water levels.
Image:Lynn Glen footbridge.JPG|The remains of an old footbridge near the entrance to the old lade.
Image:Conocephalum conicum in Lynn Glen.JPG|The Liverwort
Marchantiophyta
The Marchantiophyta are a division of bryophyte plants commonly referred to as hepatics or liverworts. Like other bryophytes, they have a gametophyte-dominant life cycle, in which cells of the plant carry only a single set of genetic information....
Conocephalum conicum on a rock in the Caaf Water.
Image:Blechnum spicant at Lynn Glen.JPG|Hard Fern (Blechnum spicant) in the Linn Glen. Note the vertical fertile fronds typical of this species.
Image:Lynn Glen Primroses.JPG|Primroses in the Glen.
Dalry Witch
On the 8th Nov 1576, midwife Bessie Dunlop, resident of Lynne, in Dalry, was accused of sorcery and witchcraft. She answered her accusers that she received information on prophecies or to the whereabouts of lost goods from a Thomas Reid, a former barony officer in Dalry who died at the Battle of Pinkie some 30 years before.She said she was trained by her “familiar” on how to make and use ointments to heal livestock and people. She was said to have cured and advised various people from poor children to gentry. As a “wise woman” her strange efforts at the time attracted the attention of the law. Her abilities were more akin to today’s current psychics, and with an understanding of medicinal herbs, she was identified in a time of witchcraft hysteria. It resulted in a conviction and the tragic outcome was that she was burnt at the stake. at Castle Hill in Edinburgh in 1576. She is also said to have been burnt at Corsehillmuir
Eglinton Country Park
Eglinton Country Park is located in the grounds of the old Eglinton Castle estate, Kilwinning, North Ayrshire, Scotland . Eglinton Park is situated in the parish of Kilwinning, part of the former district of Cunninghame, and covers an area of 400 hectares...
, just outside Kilwinning.
Alexander Peden
Alexander Peden , also known as Prophet Peden, was one of the leading forces in the Covenanter movement, was born at Auchincloich Farm near Sorn, Ayrshire, about 1626, and was educated at the University of Glasgow...
(1626–1686) the renowned covenanting minister and remarked as a “profit” (sic) traveled throughout the district. He was said to have preached from Peden’s Point (a rocky outcrop) in a natural auditorium at the head of the Lynn glen.
When the main parish church at the Glebe was resited at the "cross" in 1608 it created around it a “kirktoun” establishing the village of Dalry. By 1700 the inhabitants of Dalry still however, numbered barely 100 and contained only about six dwellings.
In the mid 18th century, Dalry was still the only town in the parish.
In 1830 there were about 1,000 inhabitants, and the town consisted of five streets, three of these radiated from the "cross" or centre forming a square.Weekly market were held on Thursdays, and there were fairs in January, May and July.
At that time it was a reasonably large irregular shaped rural parish, centred around on the small town of Dalry. The parish included the small settlements / villages of Blair, Burnside, Drakemire, Southfield and the Den.
Industrial History
Various manufacturing existed in the parish relating to cotton and carpet yarn with silk and harness weaving, in which both men and women were employed.A significant number of women were occupied in sewing and embroidering, mainly for the Glasgow and Paisley manufacturers. The dressing and spinning of flax to some extent was also done in the area.The opening of numerous limeworks, and a number of coal pits from the 1840s, wholly changed the character of the parish of Dalry. It became an increasingly industrial area peppered with mines to provide the ore and coal to fuel the blast furnaces at the various iron works.
Ayrshire Coast Line
The Ayrshire Coast Line is one of the lines within the Strathclyde suburban rail network in Scotland. It has 26 stations and connects the Ayrshire coast to Glasgow...
and once was a busier junction with trains from Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock is a large burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland, with a population of 44,734. It is the second largest town in Ayrshire. The River Irvine runs through its eastern section, and the Kilmarnock Water passes through it, giving rise to the name 'Bank Street'...
and the Dalry and North Johnstone Line
Dalry and North Johnstone Line
The Dalry and North Johnstone Line was a branch of the Glasgow and South Western Railway in Renfrewshire and Ayrshire, Scotland, connecting the stations in Elderslie and Dalry via a route running parallel to the existing line built by the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway...
joining the line here. The railway station
Dalry railway station
Dalry railway station is a railway station serving the town of Dalry, Ayrshire, Scotland. The station is managed by First ScotRail and is on the Ayrshire Coast Line.- History :...
at Dalry opened in March 1840 as part of the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway
Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway
The Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway was a railway in Scotland that provided train services between Glasgow, Kilmarnock and Ayr. For a short period, it also provided West Coast services between Glasgow and London. Opened in stages between 1839 and 1848, the line ran from Paisley in the...
. The station at Dalry Junction
Dalry Junction railway station
Dalry Junction railway station was a railway station near the town of Dalry, North Ayrshire, Scotland. The station was originally part of the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway .- History :...
opened in April 1843 with the line to Kilmarnock via Crosshouse
Crosshouse railway station
Crosshouse railway station was a railway station serving the village of Knockentiber and nearby Crosshouse, East Ayrshire, Scotland. The station was originally part of the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway.-History:...
, subsequently closing in January 1860 with the interchange transferred to Dalry railway station. The line to Kilmarnock remained open with local services ceasing in 1955, with occasional long distance passenger services remaining. The line closed in 1973, following the electrification of the WCML
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
. The closure of the Dalry and North Johnstone Line to passengers in 1966 and through freight in 1971, and steel freight traffic to Kilbirnie in 1977. Dalry station retained four platforms until rebuilding of the station and associated overbridge as part of the electrification of the Ayrshire Coast line during the early 1980s.
Maps and information of the time indicate a rail line from Blair iron works to the main line. This development of large iron works and the mining of ore and coal further increased the housing stock and population in and around the area. The suburb of Blair for example developed around one such ironworks. Numerous bings next to these excavations in the area are still evident to this day.
Morning and evening daily stage coaches passed through Dalry on the routes between Glasgow and various coastal destinations.
The "Fair Trader" coach stopped at the Crown Inn and the "Herald" coach at the King's Arms neither ran on Sundays. There were also several public houses, which had accommodation for travelers.
The public libraries at the time were the "Dalry Library", the “Dalry Church Library" and the "United Secession Library". At this time the town was lit by gas, by a Company formed in 1834.
The River Garnock
River Garnock
The River Garnock, the smallest of Ayrshire's six principal rivers, has its source on the southerly side of the Hill of Stake in the heart of the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. About a mile and a half south of this starting point the untested stream tumbles over the Spout of Garnock, the highest...
helps to irrigate the valley and, joined by the tributaries Rye Water and Caaf Water
Caaf Water
The Caaf Water in western Scotland nowadays drains from the Caaf Reservoir above Dalry which is fed from Knockendon Reservoir...
, was a driving force behind the establishment of the town. These waters were utilised by the various mills in the 19th century
The industries of limestone, coal and ironstone assisted Dalry to develop into a thriving mining community.
The iron was smelted in the furnaces of the four great iron companies - the Ayrshire, the Glengarnock, the Eglinton and the Blair. In 1845 a visitor was “astonished at the change and at the numerous tasks of the busy labourers. The blaze of furnaces, the smoke of coal-pits, the whiter volume emitted by limekilns, and the building of houses, are at intervals seen all over the district.”
In the 1870s it is stated that Blair Iron Works and others in the area were part of the group owned by William Baird & Co. who then was the largiest pig iron producer in the world.
This once industrial town, like many such towns in this area of Scotland has seen a sharp decline of traditional industry, which has hit the town hard. In addition to coal mining, iron stone mining and textile manufacturing the town also had clay mines to be used in the areas various brickworks. To produce common red brick these brickworks were also well supplied with clay extracted from coal mine waste, available from the numerous "bings" throughout the valley, whereas the mined clay was required for higher quality fire brick
Fire brick
A fire brick, firebrick, or refractory brick is a block of refractory ceramic material used in lining furnaces, kilns, fireboxes, and fireplaces. A refractory brick is built primarily to withstand high temperature, but will also usually have a low thermal conductivity for greater energy efficiency...
.
On the edge of the town lies a large chemical plant once operated by Roche, but now run by DSM
DSM (company)
DSM is a multinational life sciences and materials sciences-based company. DSM's global end markets include food and dietary supplements, personal care, feed, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, automotive, paints, electrical and electronics, life protection, alternative energy and bio-based materials...
.
The Douglas brickworks and Monkcastle fireclay mine
The Douglas Firebrick Company Ltd had its works located where the Wilson Car Auction company now trades (2008). The works closed in September 1945. The railway was double track and narrow gauge, working through a 'cable and pulleys' system on light steel rails. The gravity railroadGravity railroad
A gravity railroad or Gravity railway is a railroad on a slope that allow cars carrying minerals or passengers to coast down the slope by the force of gravity alone. The cars are then hauled back up the slope using animal power or a stationary engine and a cable, chain or one or more wide, flat...
allowed the weight of the loaded cars, which were disconnected for unloading, to return the empty ones back up to the mine.
The surface of the inclined plane railroad was paved with firebricks, for employees to walk up the tracks to get to the main Dalry to Kilwinning road where they could catch a bus. The small brick structure gave them shelter from the weather, while they waited. The building is open on the southerly side, and originally had windows on the others (now bricked in), so that they could watch for the next bus coming. The current access road and bridge are more recent additions, as formerly vehicular access to the works was by a road which connected to the area near the railway station, almost a mile to the north. The railway went through a short cutting and passed under the main road in a short tunnel. A truck has been preserved at the nearby Dalgarven Mill
Dalgarven Mill
Dalgarven Mill is near Kilwinning, in the Garnock Valley, North Ayrshire, Scotland and it is home to the Museum of Ayrshire Country Life and Costume. The watermill has been completely restored over a number of years and is run by the independent Dalgarven Mill Trust.The village of Dalgarven was...
Museum of Scottish Country Life and Costume.
Dalry is a small town in the Garnock Valley
Garnock Valley
The Garnock Valley is an area in the northern part of North Ayrshire, Scotland, adjoining Renfrewshire.The region includes the towns of Beith, Dalry, and Kilbirnie, and some smaller villages such as Gateside, Barrmill, Longbar and Glengarnock....
in Ayrshire
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
History
Dalry (in Gaelic..“Dail-righ”) means "King's Valley" or more simply the "Rye Meadow"; indicating a small settlement on the Rye Burn. Its history has signs of early inhabitants in the area. The remains of an ancient fort made of three concentric round walls can be found on the summit of Carwinning Hill to the North of Dalry, west of the B784 to LargsLargs
Largs is a town on the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland, about from Glasgow. The original name means "the slopes" in Scottish Gaelic....
.
In 1883 excavations by John Smith of caves in the Dalry Blair estate at Cleeves Cove cave
Cleeves Cove cave
Cleeves Cove is a cave system on the Dusk Water in North Ayrshire, Scotland, close to the town of Dalry.-The cave system:Cleeves, or Cleaves, cove cave system is situated in the lower bed of carboniferous limestone. It measures around 500 feet if all the passages were put together...
found evidence of prehistoric man and otter bones.
Aitnock fort at the SW angle of Hindog Glen was excavated by John Smith in 1901-2, it showed a possible dun occupying the summit of a cliff which rises about 60 ft perpendicularly from the Rye Water. He stated in ”Excavations of the forts of Castlehill, Aitnock and Coalhill, Ayrshire” it was defended on one side by the steep drop to the Rye and by a horse shoe shaped deep ditch and stone walls.
On the pavement was an accumulation of deposits, in some places 6ins deep, in and on which the relics were found… coins, stone objects, a glass bead, 1st or 2nd century Samian bowl fragments, burnt bones and iron objects.
A sandstone cauldron was found near the centre of the interior, close by was a fireplace of slabs set on edge, this he states was possibly used to heat the water in the cauldron. An irregular lump of sandstone was found, bearing two chiseled cup marks one on each side, almost opposite each other.
During his excavations he found 4 silver Roman coins, all denarii, two of Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius , also known as Antoninus, was Roman Emperor from 138 to 161. He was a member of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty and the Aurelii. He did not possess the sobriquet "Pius" until after his accession to the throne...
and one each of Vespasian
Vespasian
Vespasian , was Roman Emperor from 69 AD to 79 AD. Vespasian was the founder of the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for a quarter century. Vespasian was descended from a family of equestrians, who rose into the senatorial rank under the Emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty...
and Hadrian, all of which came from parts of an upper black layer of occupation. Smith's collection of material from here was donated to the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland in 1981.
At Courthill excavations were undertaken by Cochrane–Patrick (1878) & Dobie (1876) in the 1870s. The remains of a timber hall similar to those in England dated to around the 8th century were found. These digs refer to a timber hall or court structure with a turf roof, that was then replaced by a motte (a structure on a hill) similar to those used by the early Normans infiltrating the area then. Amongst the debris a flint arrow head from an even earlier period was found.
Cleeves Cove cave
Cleeves Cove is a cave system on the Dusk Water in North Ayrshire, Scotland, close to the town of Dalry.-The cave system:Cleeves, or Cleaves, cove cave system is situated in the lower bed of carboniferous limestone. It measures around 500 feet if all the passages were put together...
s, there is a natural cave mentioned as the "Elf House" about 183 feet in length near the middle it expands into a large chamber, 35 feet long by 12 broad, and 12 feet in height.
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
, it was said to be a refuge to the covenanter
Covenanter
The Covenanters were a Scottish Presbyterian movement that played an important part in the history of Scotland, and to a lesser extent in that of England and Ireland, during the 17th century...
s of this parish from the violence of their persecutors.
When David I
David I of Scotland
David I or Dabíd mac Maíl Choluim was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians and later King of the Scots...
(1082–1153) was crowned King of Scots he brought in and created a high-ranking Norman aristocracy in his new kingdom. These Norman nobles were given lands creating in Scotland an influential Norman aristocracy.
One of these “nobles or knights” a Hugh de Morville
Hugh de Morville, Lord of Cunningham and Lauderdale
Hugh de Morville was a Norman knight who made his fortune in the service of David fitz Malcolm, Prince of the Cumbrians and King of Scots .His parentage is said by some to be unclear, but G. W. S...
was made Lord High Constable of Scotland
Lord High Constable of Scotland
The Lord High Constable is a hereditary, now ceremonial, office of Scotland. In the order of precedence of Scotland, the office traditionally ranks above all titles except those of the Royal Family. The Lord High Constable was, after the King of Scots, the supreme officer of the Scottish army. He...
and given lands in Cunninghame. De Morville probably then gave some of these lands or baronies to a relative a Walter de Lynne, to William de Blair, to William Kerr and to the Boyles of Kelburne
Clan Boyle
Clan Boyle is a Scottish clan from Ayrshire in Scotland. There is also an Irish sept of the O'Neill Clan of the name O'Boyle or in Irish Ó Baoighill. The O'Boyles are one of three clans who shared the leadership of the North West of Ireland, specifically Co...
.
The name Lynne then meaning “a waterfall,” is first noted in the area of Dalry in the years 1200-1300 They were located here and had land and owned the Castle of Lin near the waterfall of the Calf.
Dalry was mentioned in 1226 as a "chapel of Ardrossan
Ardrossan
Ardrossan is a town on the North Ayrshire coast in south-western Scotland. The name "Ardrossan" describes its physical position — 'ard' from the Gaelic àird meaning headland, 'ros' a promontory and the diminutive suffix '-an' - headland of the little promontory...
". The parish of Dalry was probably formed in 1279 when a "Henry, Rector of the Church of Dalry" appears in the Register of the Diocese of Glasgow. Two places of worship in the parish appear by the late 13th century. One on the east bank of the River Garnock
River Garnock
The River Garnock, the smallest of Ayrshire's six principal rivers, has its source on the southerly side of the Hill of Stake in the heart of the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. About a mile and a half south of this starting point the untested stream tumbles over the Spout of Garnock, the highest...
at Kilcush, and the other on the west, located near the Old Glebe. This was the main parish church, it almost certainly dedicated to St. Margaret of Antioch, a 3rd or 4th century virgin martyr.
A Knights Templar stone coffin of an Ardrossan Baron was found when excavations were made to the Ardrossan Parish Church. It would most likely have been made by a French mason working on the construction of Kilwinning Abbey
Kilwinning Abbey
Kilwinning Abbey is a ruined abbey located in the centre of the town of Kilwinning, North Ayrshire.-The establishment of the Abbey:The ancient name of the town is 'Segdoune' or 'Saigtown', probably derived from 'Sanctoun', meaning the 'town of the saint'. Saint Winnings festival was on 21 January...
during the late 12th - early 13th centuries. “Templand” names derived from the word templar are to be found in the Dalry area.
In the 15th century the parish had five main baronies; Kelburne, Blair, Kersland, Lynn and Pitcon
The Lands of Pitcon
The Lands of Pitcon, previously Potconnel now form a small estate of around 100 acres in the Parish of Dalry, North Ayrshire in the old Barony of Dalry. The present Grade B Listed Georgian mansion house dating from 1787, replaces an older castellated dwelling...
. These names are still reflected in some of the areas, farms, houses and surnames in the area.
Kersland had a church school and ruined castle and is linked to the covenanter Robert Ker of Kersland.
The Rye Water has its source among the nearby high hills. The most interesting spot is that about which the world has been singing for centuries - the spot where it was crossed by a ford below Ryefield House. Before the erection of any bridge at Drakemire, the fording of the stream had occasioned much fun and banter, as shown by the many traditionary verses of the light and beautiful song that commemorates the primitive scene :-
"Gin a body meet a body Comin’ through the Rye, Gin a body kiss a body Need a body cry ?, Ilka lassie has her laddie, Nane, they say, ha’e I ! Yet a’ the lads they smile on me, When comin’ through the Rye." |
A Rye Water ford still exists to this day (2008).
Broadlie House
In 1892 John Fulton installed one of the first hydroelectric plants in Ayrshire, generating electricity for Broadlie House. The dam still exists (2008) and can be seen on the Putyan Burn
River Garnock
The River Garnock, the smallest of Ayrshire's six principal rivers, has its source on the southerly side of the Hill of Stake in the heart of the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. About a mile and a half south of this starting point the untested stream tumbles over the Spout of Garnock, the highest...
close to a pedestrian bridge that gave views of the installation to visitors. The water was carried downstream to a turbine house through a cast iron pipe.
Doggartland House
This house derives its name from 'Dogger' which is Scots for a course ironstone, much mined in the area as witnessed by waste bings below Ryefield and at Flashwood. A fine but now redundant cast iron bridge crosses the Rye Water at Doggartland.Lords of Lynn
The barony of Lynn was created from lands inherited about 1204 from Hugh de Morville. It reportedly was first held by Walter de Lynne, who signed the 1296 Ragman Roll. According to Douglas, the family bore the name Lynne long before coming to Ayrshire. If, as Douglas reports however, the family line is Robert de Lynne appearing in 1207 (Perthshire), William de Lynne appearing in 1246 (Perthshire), and Walter de Lynne appearing in 1296 (Ayrshire), one would expect William (or perhaps even Robert), rather than William's son Walter, to be the de Morville heir, first Lord of Lynn in Dalry, and progenitor of the Lynns of that Ilk. In any case, the Lynns held the property from about 1204 until 1532, when they sold it to the Boyds of Kilmarnock. Even then, however, they retained use of 16 acres of the barony or "dominical lands", which acres were "called Burnesyd, Garden and Lyne Knoll in the town and territory of Lyne, bailliary of Cunningham and sheriffdom of Ayr".Irvine, North Ayrshire
Irvine is a new town on the coast of the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland. According to 2007 population estimates, the town is home to 39,527 inhabitants, making it the biggest settlement in North Ayrshire....
. In 1385, the Laird of Lyne rented Baidland to the Cunninghams for one silver penny, then an average week's wages (this being the only known record of Lynns owning Baidland). In 1452, Andrew Lyn, Lord of that Ilk, gave a charter for Highlees to William Hunter of Arnele "for services rendered and to be rendered" (the Lynns remained superiors of Highlees for more than two centuries, their last recorded title being in 1668). In 1505, Andrew Lyne received a charter for Bourtreehill from Robert Frances, Lord of Stane (the last mention of the Lynns of that Ilk in Bourtreehill being in 1608). In 1614 John Lyn of that Ilk is recorded as the lord superior of the lands of 'Hileis' in the parish of Dalry and Patrick Hunter of Hunterston was his baillie.
In 1522, the 16-acre mains of the barony of Lynn were conveyed in a charter from John Lyne of that Ilk to John Lyne of Bourtreehill, described therein as the "... dominical lands of Lyne called Burnesyd, with a house, garden, and Lyne Knoll." In 1532, John Lind [sic] of that Ilk sold the barony to Thomas Boyd. Nevertheless, the Lynns continued to hold the 16-acre mains of the property. In 1583, they were conveyed by Laurence Lyn [of Bourtreehill] to William Lyn, his son and heir apparent; on this occasion, the mains were further described as "... dominical lands of Lyne together with the house called Burnesyd with the garden thereof and Lyne Knoll lying in the town and territory of Lyne bailliary of Cunningham and sheriffdom of Ayr" [emphasis added].
The property included the beautiful Lynn Falls, lying in a glen said to be the dwelling of witches, elves, and fairies. However, that same glen is the location of Peden's Point, where the noted Covenanting minister Alexander Peden preached from a pinnacle forming a natural pulpit overlooking the water above the falls. The Lynns themselves were Presbyterians, and it may be that they willingly made their land available for the preaching of the reformed faith.
The Lords of Lynn became extinct as a landed family in Dalry, but they were remembered in Ayrshire folklore as "a beloved aristocracy that came, lingered a while, and vanished."
Linn House
Built for the Crichtons in 1812, this house was a small mansion house by 1858 with a vaguely 'Elizabethan' appearance. It was purchased by the Neilsen family of Chapeltoun
Chapeltoun
Chapeltoun is an estate on the banks of the Annick Water in East Ayrshire, Scotland. This is a rural area famous for its milk and cheese production and the Ayrshire or Dunlop breed of cattle.-Templeton and the Knights Templar:...
in 1924 and sold by them in 1960. The house lay empty for a number of years and was demolished so that the site could be redeveloped as a housing estate. Only the gatepiers remain, leading onto the Dalry to Kilwinninmg road.
Dalry Witch
On the 8th Nov 1576, midwife Bessie Dunlop, resident of Lynne, in Dalry, was accused of sorcery and witchcraft. She answered her accusers that she received information on prophecies or to the whereabouts of lost goods from a Thomas Reid, a former barony officer in Dalry who died at the Battle of Pinkie some 30 years before.She said she was trained by her “familiar” on how to make and use ointments to heal livestock and people. She was said to have cured and advised various people from poor children to gentry. As a “wise woman” her strange efforts at the time attracted the attention of the law. Her abilities were more akin to today’s current psychics, and with an understanding of medicinal herbs, she was identified in a time of witchcraft hysteria. It resulted in a conviction and the tragic outcome was that she was burnt at the stake. at Castle Hill in Edinburgh in 1576. She is also said to have been burnt at Corsehillmuir
Eglinton Country Park
Eglinton Country Park is located in the grounds of the old Eglinton Castle estate, Kilwinning, North Ayrshire, Scotland . Eglinton Park is situated in the parish of Kilwinning, part of the former district of Cunninghame, and covers an area of 400 hectares...
, just outside Kilwinning.
Alexander Peden
Alexander Peden , also known as Prophet Peden, was one of the leading forces in the Covenanter movement, was born at Auchincloich Farm near Sorn, Ayrshire, about 1626, and was educated at the University of Glasgow...
(1626–1686) the renowned covenanting minister and remarked as a “profit” (sic) traveled throughout the district. He was said to have preached from Peden’s Point (a rocky outcrop) in a natural auditorium at the head of the Lynn glen.
When the main parish church at the Glebe was resited at the "cross" in 1608 it created around it a “kirktoun” establishing the village of Dalry. By 1700 the inhabitants of Dalry still however, numbered barely 100 and contained only about six dwellings.
In the mid 18th century, Dalry was still the only town in the parish.
In 1830 there were about 1,000 inhabitants, and the town consisted of five streets, three of these radiated from the "cross" or centre forming a square.Weekly market were held on Thursdays, and there were fairs in January, May and July.
At that time it was a reasonably large irregular shaped rural parish, centred around on the small town of Dalry. The parish included the small settlements / villages of Blair, Burnside, Drakemire, Southfield and the Den.
Industrial History
Various manufacturing existed in the parish relating to cotton and carpet yarn with silk and harness weaving, in which both men and women were employed.A significant number of women were occupied in sewing and embroidering, mainly for the Glasgow and Paisley manufacturers. The dressing and spinning of flax to some extent was also done in the area.The opening of numerous limeworks, and a number of coal pits from the 1840s, wholly changed the character of the parish of Dalry. It became an increasingly industrial area peppered with mines to provide the ore and coal to fuel the blast furnaces at the various iron works.
Ayrshire Coast Line
The Ayrshire Coast Line is one of the lines within the Strathclyde suburban rail network in Scotland. It has 26 stations and connects the Ayrshire coast to Glasgow...
and once was a busier junction with trains from Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock is a large burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland, with a population of 44,734. It is the second largest town in Ayrshire. The River Irvine runs through its eastern section, and the Kilmarnock Water passes through it, giving rise to the name 'Bank Street'...
and the Dalry and North Johnstone Line
Dalry and North Johnstone Line
The Dalry and North Johnstone Line was a branch of the Glasgow and South Western Railway in Renfrewshire and Ayrshire, Scotland, connecting the stations in Elderslie and Dalry via a route running parallel to the existing line built by the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway...
joining the line here. The railway station
Dalry railway station
Dalry railway station is a railway station serving the town of Dalry, Ayrshire, Scotland. The station is managed by First ScotRail and is on the Ayrshire Coast Line.- History :...
at Dalry opened in March 1840 as part of the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway
Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway
The Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway was a railway in Scotland that provided train services between Glasgow, Kilmarnock and Ayr. For a short period, it also provided West Coast services between Glasgow and London. Opened in stages between 1839 and 1848, the line ran from Paisley in the...
. The station at Dalry Junction
Dalry Junction railway station
Dalry Junction railway station was a railway station near the town of Dalry, North Ayrshire, Scotland. The station was originally part of the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway .- History :...
opened in April 1843 with the line to Kilmarnock via Crosshouse
Crosshouse railway station
Crosshouse railway station was a railway station serving the village of Knockentiber and nearby Crosshouse, East Ayrshire, Scotland. The station was originally part of the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway.-History:...
, subsequently closing in January 1860 with the interchange transferred to Dalry railway station. The line to Kilmarnock remained open with local services ceasing in 1955, with occasional long distance passenger services remaining. The line closed in 1973, following the electrification of the WCML
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
. The closure of the Dalry and North Johnstone Line to passengers in 1966 and through freight in 1971, and steel freight traffic to Kilbirnie in 1977. Dalry station retained four platforms until rebuilding of the station and associated overbridge as part of the electrification of the Ayrshire Coast line during the early 1980s.
Maps and information of the time indicate a rail line from Blair iron works to the main line. This development of large iron works and the mining of ore and coal further increased the housing stock and population in and around the area. The suburb of Blair for example developed around one such ironworks. Numerous bings next to these excavations in the area are still evident to this day.
Morning and evening daily stage coaches passed through Dalry on the routes between Glasgow and various coastal destinations.
The "Fair Trader" coach stopped at the Crown Inn and the "Herald" coach at the King's Arms neither ran on Sundays. There were also several public houses, which had accommodation for travelers.
The public libraries at the time were the "Dalry Library", the “Dalry Church Library" and the "United Secession Library". At this time the town was lit by gas, by a Company formed in 1834.
The River Garnock
River Garnock
The River Garnock, the smallest of Ayrshire's six principal rivers, has its source on the southerly side of the Hill of Stake in the heart of the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. About a mile and a half south of this starting point the untested stream tumbles over the Spout of Garnock, the highest...
helps to irrigate the valley and, joined by the tributaries Rye Water and Caaf Water
Caaf Water
The Caaf Water in western Scotland nowadays drains from the Caaf Reservoir above Dalry which is fed from Knockendon Reservoir...
, was a driving force behind the establishment of the town. These waters were utilised by the various mills in the 19th century
The industries of limestone, coal and ironstone assisted Dalry to develop into a thriving mining community.
The iron was smelted in the furnaces of the four great iron companies - the Ayrshire, the Glengarnock, the Eglinton and the Blair. In 1845 a visitor was “astonished at the change and at the numerous tasks of the busy labourers. The blaze of furnaces, the smoke of coal-pits, the whiter volume emitted by limekilns, and the building of houses, are at intervals seen all over the district.”
In the 1870s it is stated that Blair Iron Works and others in the area were part of the group owned by William Baird & Co. who then was the largiest pig iron producer in the world.
This once industrial town, like many such towns in this area of Scotland has seen a sharp decline of traditional industry, which has hit the town hard. In addition to coal mining, iron stone mining and textile manufacturing the town also had clay mines to be used in the areas various brickworks. To produce common red brick these brickworks were also well supplied with clay extracted from coal mine waste, available from the numerous "bings" throughout the valley, whereas the mined clay was required for higher quality fire brick
Fire brick
A fire brick, firebrick, or refractory brick is a block of refractory ceramic material used in lining furnaces, kilns, fireboxes, and fireplaces. A refractory brick is built primarily to withstand high temperature, but will also usually have a low thermal conductivity for greater energy efficiency...
.
On the edge of the town lies a large chemical plant once operated by Roche, but now run by DSM
DSM (company)
DSM is a multinational life sciences and materials sciences-based company. DSM's global end markets include food and dietary supplements, personal care, feed, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, automotive, paints, electrical and electronics, life protection, alternative energy and bio-based materials...
.
The Douglas brickworks and Monkcastle fireclay mine
The Douglas Firebrick Company Ltd had its works located where the Wilson Car Auction company now trades (2008). The works closed in September 1945. The railway was double track and narrow gauge, working through a 'cable and pulleys' system on light steel rails. The gravity railroadGravity railroad
A gravity railroad or Gravity railway is a railroad on a slope that allow cars carrying minerals or passengers to coast down the slope by the force of gravity alone. The cars are then hauled back up the slope using animal power or a stationary engine and a cable, chain or one or more wide, flat...
allowed the weight of the loaded cars, which were disconnected for unloading, to return the empty ones back up to the mine.
The surface of the inclined plane railroad was paved with firebricks, for employees to walk up the tracks to get to the main Dalry to Kilwinning road where they could catch a bus. The small brick structure gave them shelter from the weather, while they waited. The building is open on the southerly side, and originally had windows on the others (now bricked in), so that they could watch for the next bus coming. The current access road and bridge are more recent additions, as formerly vehicular access to the works was by a road which connected to the area near the railway station, almost a mile to the north. The railway went through a short cutting and passed under the main road in a short tunnel. A truck has been preserved at the nearby Dalgarven Mill
Dalgarven Mill
Dalgarven Mill is near Kilwinning, in the Garnock Valley, North Ayrshire, Scotland and it is home to the Museum of Ayrshire Country Life and Costume. The watermill has been completely restored over a number of years and is run by the independent Dalgarven Mill Trust.The village of Dalgarven was...
Museum of Scottish Country Life and Costume.
Dalry is a small town in the Garnock Valley
Garnock Valley
The Garnock Valley is an area in the northern part of North Ayrshire, Scotland, adjoining Renfrewshire.The region includes the towns of Beith, Dalry, and Kilbirnie, and some smaller villages such as Gateside, Barrmill, Longbar and Glengarnock....
in Ayrshire
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
History
Dalry (in Gaelic..“Dail-righ”) means "King's Valley" or more simply the "Rye Meadow"; indicating a small settlement on the Rye Burn. Its history has signs of early inhabitants in the area. The remains of an ancient fort made of three concentric round walls can be found on the summit of Carwinning Hill to the North of Dalry, west of the B784 to LargsLargs
Largs is a town on the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland, about from Glasgow. The original name means "the slopes" in Scottish Gaelic....
.
In 1883 excavations by John Smith of caves in the Dalry Blair estate at Cleeves Cove cave
Cleeves Cove cave
Cleeves Cove is a cave system on the Dusk Water in North Ayrshire, Scotland, close to the town of Dalry.-The cave system:Cleeves, or Cleaves, cove cave system is situated in the lower bed of carboniferous limestone. It measures around 500 feet if all the passages were put together...
found evidence of prehistoric man and otter bones.
Aitnock fort at the SW angle of Hindog Glen was excavated by John Smith in 1901-2, it showed a possible dun occupying the summit of a cliff which rises about 60 ft perpendicularly from the Rye Water. He stated in ”Excavations of the forts of Castlehill, Aitnock and Coalhill, Ayrshire” it was defended on one side by the steep drop to the Rye and by a horse shoe shaped deep ditch and stone walls.
On the pavement was an accumulation of deposits, in some places 6ins deep, in and on which the relics were found… coins, stone objects, a glass bead, 1st or 2nd century Samian bowl fragments, burnt bones and iron objects.
A sandstone cauldron was found near the centre of the interior, close by was a fireplace of slabs set on edge, this he states was possibly used to heat the water in the cauldron. An irregular lump of sandstone was found, bearing two chiseled cup marks one on each side, almost opposite each other.
During his excavations he found 4 silver Roman coins, all denarii, two of Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius , also known as Antoninus, was Roman Emperor from 138 to 161. He was a member of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty and the Aurelii. He did not possess the sobriquet "Pius" until after his accession to the throne...
and one each of Vespasian
Vespasian
Vespasian , was Roman Emperor from 69 AD to 79 AD. Vespasian was the founder of the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for a quarter century. Vespasian was descended from a family of equestrians, who rose into the senatorial rank under the Emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty...
and Hadrian, all of which came from parts of an upper black layer of occupation. Smith's collection of material from here was donated to the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland in 1981.
At Courthill excavations were undertaken by Cochrane–Patrick (1878) & Dobie (1876) in the 1870s. The remains of a timber hall similar to those in England dated to around the 8th century were found. These digs refer to a timber hall or court structure with a turf roof, that was then replaced by a motte (a structure on a hill) similar to those used by the early Normans infiltrating the area then. Amongst the debris a flint arrow head from an even earlier period was found.
Cleeves Cove cave
Cleeves Cove is a cave system on the Dusk Water in North Ayrshire, Scotland, close to the town of Dalry.-The cave system:Cleeves, or Cleaves, cove cave system is situated in the lower bed of carboniferous limestone. It measures around 500 feet if all the passages were put together...
s, there is a natural cave mentioned as the "Elf House" about 183 feet in length near the middle it expands into a large chamber, 35 feet long by 12 broad, and 12 feet in height.
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
, it was said to be a refuge to the covenanter
Covenanter
The Covenanters were a Scottish Presbyterian movement that played an important part in the history of Scotland, and to a lesser extent in that of England and Ireland, during the 17th century...
s of this parish from the violence of their persecutors.
When David I
David I of Scotland
David I or Dabíd mac Maíl Choluim was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians and later King of the Scots...
(1082–1153) was crowned King of Scots he brought in and created a high-ranking Norman aristocracy in his new kingdom. These Norman nobles were given lands creating in Scotland an influential Norman aristocracy.
One of these “nobles or knights” a Hugh de Morville
Hugh de Morville, Lord of Cunningham and Lauderdale
Hugh de Morville was a Norman knight who made his fortune in the service of David fitz Malcolm, Prince of the Cumbrians and King of Scots .His parentage is said by some to be unclear, but G. W. S...
was made Lord High Constable of Scotland
Lord High Constable of Scotland
The Lord High Constable is a hereditary, now ceremonial, office of Scotland. In the order of precedence of Scotland, the office traditionally ranks above all titles except those of the Royal Family. The Lord High Constable was, after the King of Scots, the supreme officer of the Scottish army. He...
and given lands in Cunninghame. De Morville probably then gave some of these lands or baronies to a relative a Walter de Lynne, to William de Blair, to William Kerr and to the Boyles of Kelburne
Clan Boyle
Clan Boyle is a Scottish clan from Ayrshire in Scotland. There is also an Irish sept of the O'Neill Clan of the name O'Boyle or in Irish Ó Baoighill. The O'Boyles are one of three clans who shared the leadership of the North West of Ireland, specifically Co...
.
The name Lynne then meaning “a waterfall,” is first noted in the area of Dalry in the years 1200-1300 They were located here and had land and owned the Castle of Lin near the waterfall of the Calf.
Dalry was mentioned in 1226 as a "chapel of Ardrossan
Ardrossan
Ardrossan is a town on the North Ayrshire coast in south-western Scotland. The name "Ardrossan" describes its physical position — 'ard' from the Gaelic àird meaning headland, 'ros' a promontory and the diminutive suffix '-an' - headland of the little promontory...
". The parish of Dalry was probably formed in 1279 when a "Henry, Rector of the Church of Dalry" appears in the Register of the Diocese of Glasgow. Two places of worship in the parish appear by the late 13th century. One on the east bank of the River Garnock
River Garnock
The River Garnock, the smallest of Ayrshire's six principal rivers, has its source on the southerly side of the Hill of Stake in the heart of the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. About a mile and a half south of this starting point the untested stream tumbles over the Spout of Garnock, the highest...
at Kilcush, and the other on the west, located near the Old Glebe. This was the main parish church, it almost certainly dedicated to St. Margaret of Antioch, a 3rd or 4th century virgin martyr.
A Knights Templar stone coffin of an Ardrossan Baron was found when excavations were made to the Ardrossan Parish Church. It would most likely have been made by a French mason working on the construction of Kilwinning Abbey
Kilwinning Abbey
Kilwinning Abbey is a ruined abbey located in the centre of the town of Kilwinning, North Ayrshire.-The establishment of the Abbey:The ancient name of the town is 'Segdoune' or 'Saigtown', probably derived from 'Sanctoun', meaning the 'town of the saint'. Saint Winnings festival was on 21 January...
during the late 12th - early 13th centuries. “Templand” names derived from the word templar are to be found in the Dalry area.
In the 15th century the parish had five main baronies; Kelburne, Blair, Kersland, Lynn and Pitcon
The Lands of Pitcon
The Lands of Pitcon, previously Potconnel now form a small estate of around 100 acres in the Parish of Dalry, North Ayrshire in the old Barony of Dalry. The present Grade B Listed Georgian mansion house dating from 1787, replaces an older castellated dwelling...
. These names are still reflected in some of the areas, farms, houses and surnames in the area.
Kersland had a church school and ruined castle and is linked to the covenanter Robert Ker of Kersland.
The Rye Water has its source among the nearby high hills. The most interesting spot is that about which the world has been singing for centuries - the spot where it was crossed by a ford below Ryefield House. Before the erection of any bridge at Drakemire, the fording of the stream had occasioned much fun and banter, as shown by the many traditionary verses of the light and beautiful song that commemorates the primitive scene :-
"Gin a body meet a body Comin’ through the Rye, Gin a body kiss a body Need a body cry ?, Ilka lassie has her laddie, Nane, they say, ha’e I ! Yet a’ the lads they smile on me, When comin’ through the Rye." |
A Rye Water ford still exists to this day (2008).
Broadlie House
In 1892 John Fulton installed one of the first hydroelectric plants in Ayrshire, generating electricity for Broadlie House. The dam still exists (2008) and can be seen on the Putyan Burn
River Garnock
The River Garnock, the smallest of Ayrshire's six principal rivers, has its source on the southerly side of the Hill of Stake in the heart of the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. About a mile and a half south of this starting point the untested stream tumbles over the Spout of Garnock, the highest...
close to a pedestrian bridge that gave views of the installation to visitors. The water was carried downstream to a turbine house through a cast iron pipe.
Doggartland House
This house derives its name from 'Dogger' which is Scots for a course ironstone, much mined in the area as witnessed by waste bings below Ryefield and at Flashwood. A fine but now redundant cast iron bridge crosses the Rye Water at Doggartland.Image:Doggartland Bridge Gas Light.JPG|
Image:Doggartland Bridge detail.JPG|
Image:Doggartland Bridge, dalry.JPG|
Lords of Lynn
The barony of Lynn was created from lands inherited about 1204 from Hugh de Morville. It reportedly was first held by Walter de Lynne, who signed the 1296 Ragman Roll. According to Douglas, the family bore the name Lynne long before coming to Ayrshire. If, as Douglas reports however, the family line is Robert de Lynne appearing in 1207 (Perthshire), William de Lynne appearing in 1246 (Perthshire), and Walter de Lynne appearing in 1296 (Ayrshire), one would expect William (or perhaps even Robert), rather than William's son Walter, to be the de Morville heir, first Lord of Lynn in Dalry, and progenitor of the Lynns of that Ilk. In any case, the Lynns held the property from about 1204 until 1532, when they sold it to the Boyds of Kilmarnock. Even then, however, they retained use of 16 acres of the barony or "dominical lands", which acres were "called Burnesyd, Garden and Lyne Knoll in the town and territory of Lyne, bailliary of Cunningham and sheriffdom of Ayr".Irvine, North Ayrshire
Irvine is a new town on the coast of the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland. According to 2007 population estimates, the town is home to 39,527 inhabitants, making it the biggest settlement in North Ayrshire....
. In 1385, the Laird of Lyne rented Baidland to the Cunninghams for one silver penny, then an average week's wages (this being the only known record of Lynns owning Baidland). In 1452, Andrew Lyn, Lord of that Ilk, gave a charter for Highlees to William Hunter of Arnele "for services rendered and to be rendered" (the Lynns remained superiors of Highlees for more than two centuries, their last recorded title being in 1668). In 1505, Andrew Lyne received a charter for Bourtreehill from Robert Frances, Lord of Stane (the last mention of the Lynns of that Ilk in Bourtreehill being in 1608). In 1614 John Lyn of that Ilk is recorded as the lord superior of the lands of 'Hileis' in the parish of Dalry and Patrick Hunter of Hunterston was his baillie.
In 1522, the 16-acre mains of the barony of Lynn were conveyed in a charter from John Lyne of that Ilk to John Lyne of Bourtreehill, described therein as the "... dominical lands of Lyne called Burnesyd, with a house, garden, and Lyne Knoll." In 1532, John Lind [sic] of that Ilk sold the barony to Thomas Boyd. Nevertheless, the Lynns continued to hold the 16-acre mains of the property. In 1583, they were conveyed by Laurence Lyn [of Bourtreehill] to William Lyn, his son and heir apparent; on this occasion, the mains were further described as "... dominical lands of Lyne together with the house called Burnesyd with the garden thereof and Lyne Knoll lying in the town and territory of Lyne bailliary of Cunningham and sheriffdom of Ayr" [emphasis added].
The property included the beautiful Lynn Falls, lying in a glen said to be the dwelling of witches, elves, and fairies. However, that same glen is the location of Peden's Point, where the noted Covenanting minister Alexander Peden preached from a pinnacle forming a natural pulpit overlooking the water above the falls. The Lynns themselves were Presbyterians, and it may be that they willingly made their land available for the preaching of the reformed faith.
The Lords of Lynn became extinct as a landed family in Dalry, but they were remembered in Ayrshire folklore as "a beloved aristocracy that came, lingered a while, and vanished."
Linn House
Built for the Crichtons in 1812, this house was a small mansion house by 1858 with a vaguely 'Elizabethan' appearance. It was purchased by the Neilsen family of Chapeltoun
Chapeltoun
Chapeltoun is an estate on the banks of the Annick Water in East Ayrshire, Scotland. This is a rural area famous for its milk and cheese production and the Ayrshire or Dunlop breed of cattle.-Templeton and the Knights Templar:...
in 1924 and sold by them in 1960. The house lay empty for a number of years and was demolished so that the site could be redeveloped as a housing estate. Only the gatepiers remain, leading onto the Dalry to Kilwinninmg road.
Views of Craig Mill and Lynn Glen
Image:Caaf Mill Dalry detail.JPG|Detail of an opening in the gable end of the old mill.
Image:Caaf Mill, Lynn Glen.JPG|The old mill's gable end facing Linn Spout.
Image:Caaf Mill Lynn Glen Dalry.JPG|The Craig Mill ruins from below Linn Spout. This mill was associated with Kilwinning Abbey, together with Garnock and Sevenacres mills.
Image:Lynn Spout turbine house.JPG|Remains of the mill lade and what may have been a later roofed turbine house.
Image:Lynn Spout Detail Dalry.JPG|Linn Spout on the Caaf Water.
Image:Lynn Spout, Caaf Water.JPG|Linn Spout on the Caaf Water; illustrating the thick limestone deposits in this area.
Image:Lynn Glen small spout.JPG|The Caaf Water running over limestone. A good site for rock-cut basins.
Rock-cut basin
A rock-cut basin, in this usage of the term, is a natural phenomenon. They are cylindrical depressions cut into stream or river beds, often filled with water. Such plucked-bedrock pits are created by kolks; powerful vortices within the water currents which spin small boulders around, eroding out...
Image:Rock-cut basin and pebbles.JPG|Rock-cut basins with the eroding pebble in situ. Very low water levels.
Image:Lynn Glen footbridge.JPG|The remains of an old footbridge near the entrance to the old lade.
Image:Conocephalum conicum in Lynn Glen.JPG|The Liverwort
Marchantiophyta
The Marchantiophyta are a division of bryophyte plants commonly referred to as hepatics or liverworts. Like other bryophytes, they have a gametophyte-dominant life cycle, in which cells of the plant carry only a single set of genetic information....
Conocephalum conicum on a rock in the Caaf Water.
Image:Blechnum spicant at Lynn Glen.JPG|Hard Fern (Blechnum spicant) in the Linn Glen. Note the vertical fertile fronds typical of this species.
Image:Lynn Glen Primroses.JPG|Primroses in the Glen.
Dalry Witch
On the 8th Nov 1576, midwife Bessie Dunlop, resident of Lynne, in Dalry, was accused of sorcery and witchcraft. She answered her accusers that she received information on prophecies or to the whereabouts of lost goods from a Thomas Reid, a former barony officer in Dalry who died at the Battle of Pinkie some 30 years before.She said she was trained by her “familiar” on how to make and use ointments to heal livestock and people. She was said to have cured and advised various people from poor children to gentry. As a “wise woman” her strange efforts at the time attracted the attention of the law. Her abilities were more akin to today’s current psychics, and with an understanding of medicinal herbs, she was identified in a time of witchcraft hysteria. It resulted in a conviction and the tragic outcome was that she was burnt at the stake. at Castle Hill in Edinburgh in 1576. She is also said to have been burnt at Corsehillmuir
Eglinton Country Park
Eglinton Country Park is located in the grounds of the old Eglinton Castle estate, Kilwinning, North Ayrshire, Scotland . Eglinton Park is situated in the parish of Kilwinning, part of the former district of Cunninghame, and covers an area of 400 hectares...
, just outside Kilwinning.
Alexander Peden
Alexander Peden , also known as Prophet Peden, was one of the leading forces in the Covenanter movement, was born at Auchincloich Farm near Sorn, Ayrshire, about 1626, and was educated at the University of Glasgow...
(1626–1686) the renowned covenanting minister and remarked as a “profit” (sic) traveled throughout the district. He was said to have preached from Peden’s Point (a rocky outcrop) in a natural auditorium at the head of the Lynn glen.
When the main parish church at the Glebe was resited at the "cross" in 1608 it created around it a “kirktoun” establishing the village of Dalry. By 1700 the inhabitants of Dalry still however, numbered barely 100 and contained only about six dwellings.
In the mid 18th century, Dalry was still the only town in the parish.
In 1830 there were about 1,000 inhabitants, and the town consisted of five streets, three of these radiated from the "cross" or centre forming a square.Weekly market were held on Thursdays, and there were fairs in January, May and July.
At that time it was a reasonably large irregular shaped rural parish, centred around on the small town of Dalry. The parish included the small settlements / villages of Blair, Burnside, Drakemire, Southfield and the Den.
Industrial History
Various manufacturing existed in the parish relating to cotton and carpet yarn with silk and harness weaving, in which both men and women were employed.A significant number of women were occupied in sewing and embroidering, mainly for the Glasgow and Paisley manufacturers. The dressing and spinning of flax to some extent was also done in the area.The opening of numerous limeworks, and a number of coal pits from the 1840s, wholly changed the character of the parish of Dalry. It became an increasingly industrial area peppered with mines to provide the ore and coal to fuel the blast furnaces at the various iron works.
Ayrshire Coast Line
The Ayrshire Coast Line is one of the lines within the Strathclyde suburban rail network in Scotland. It has 26 stations and connects the Ayrshire coast to Glasgow...
and once was a busier junction with trains from Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock is a large burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland, with a population of 44,734. It is the second largest town in Ayrshire. The River Irvine runs through its eastern section, and the Kilmarnock Water passes through it, giving rise to the name 'Bank Street'...
and the Dalry and North Johnstone Line
Dalry and North Johnstone Line
The Dalry and North Johnstone Line was a branch of the Glasgow and South Western Railway in Renfrewshire and Ayrshire, Scotland, connecting the stations in Elderslie and Dalry via a route running parallel to the existing line built by the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway...
joining the line here. The railway station
Dalry railway station
Dalry railway station is a railway station serving the town of Dalry, Ayrshire, Scotland. The station is managed by First ScotRail and is on the Ayrshire Coast Line.- History :...
at Dalry opened in March 1840 as part of the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway
Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway
The Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway was a railway in Scotland that provided train services between Glasgow, Kilmarnock and Ayr. For a short period, it also provided West Coast services between Glasgow and London. Opened in stages between 1839 and 1848, the line ran from Paisley in the...
. The station at Dalry Junction
Dalry Junction railway station
Dalry Junction railway station was a railway station near the town of Dalry, North Ayrshire, Scotland. The station was originally part of the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway .- History :...
opened in April 1843 with the line to Kilmarnock via Crosshouse
Crosshouse railway station
Crosshouse railway station was a railway station serving the village of Knockentiber and nearby Crosshouse, East Ayrshire, Scotland. The station was originally part of the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway.-History:...
, subsequently closing in January 1860 with the interchange transferred to Dalry railway station. The line to Kilmarnock remained open with local services ceasing in 1955, with occasional long distance passenger services remaining. The line closed in 1973, following the electrification of the WCML
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
. The closure of the Dalry and North Johnstone Line to passengers in 1966 and through freight in 1971, and steel freight traffic to Kilbirnie in 1977. Dalry station retained four platforms until rebuilding of the station and associated overbridge as part of the electrification of the Ayrshire Coast line during the early 1980s.
Maps and information of the time indicate a rail line from Blair iron works to the main line. This development of large iron works and the mining of ore and coal further increased the housing stock and population in and around the area. The suburb of Blair for example developed around one such ironworks. Numerous bings next to these excavations in the area are still evident to this day.
Morning and evening daily stage coaches passed through Dalry on the routes between Glasgow and various coastal destinations.
The "Fair Trader" coach stopped at the Crown Inn and the "Herald" coach at the King's Arms neither ran on Sundays. There were also several public houses, which had accommodation for travelers.
The public libraries at the time were the "Dalry Library", the “Dalry Church Library" and the "United Secession Library". At this time the town was lit by gas, by a Company formed in 1834.
The River Garnock
River Garnock
The River Garnock, the smallest of Ayrshire's six principal rivers, has its source on the southerly side of the Hill of Stake in the heart of the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. About a mile and a half south of this starting point the untested stream tumbles over the Spout of Garnock, the highest...
helps to irrigate the valley and, joined by the tributaries Rye Water and Caaf Water
Caaf Water
The Caaf Water in western Scotland nowadays drains from the Caaf Reservoir above Dalry which is fed from Knockendon Reservoir...
, was a driving force behind the establishment of the town. These waters were utilised by the various mills in the 19th century
The industries of limestone, coal and ironstone assisted Dalry to develop into a thriving mining community.
The iron was smelted in the furnaces of the four great iron companies - the Ayrshire, the Glengarnock, the Eglinton and the Blair. In 1845 a visitor was “astonished at the change and at the numerous tasks of the busy labourers. The blaze of furnaces, the smoke of coal-pits, the whiter volume emitted by limekilns, and the building of houses, are at intervals seen all over the district.”
In the 1870s it is stated that Blair Iron Works and others in the area were part of the group owned by William Baird & Co. who then was the largiest pig iron producer in the world.
This once industrial town, like many such towns in this area of Scotland has seen a sharp decline of traditional industry, which has hit the town hard. In addition to coal mining, iron stone mining and textile manufacturing the town also had clay mines to be used in the areas various brickworks. To produce common red brick these brickworks were also well supplied with clay extracted from coal mine waste, available from the numerous "bings" throughout the valley, whereas the mined clay was required for higher quality fire brick
Fire brick
A fire brick, firebrick, or refractory brick is a block of refractory ceramic material used in lining furnaces, kilns, fireboxes, and fireplaces. A refractory brick is built primarily to withstand high temperature, but will also usually have a low thermal conductivity for greater energy efficiency...
.
On the edge of the town lies a large chemical plant once operated by Roche, but now run by DSM
DSM (company)
DSM is a multinational life sciences and materials sciences-based company. DSM's global end markets include food and dietary supplements, personal care, feed, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, automotive, paints, electrical and electronics, life protection, alternative energy and bio-based materials...
.
The Douglas brickworks and Monkcastle fireclay mine
The Douglas Firebrick Company Ltd had its works located where the Wilson Car Auction company now trades (2008). The works closed in September 1945. The railway was double track and narrow gauge, working through a 'cable and pulleys' system on light steel rails. The gravity railroadGravity railroad
A gravity railroad or Gravity railway is a railroad on a slope that allow cars carrying minerals or passengers to coast down the slope by the force of gravity alone. The cars are then hauled back up the slope using animal power or a stationary engine and a cable, chain or one or more wide, flat...
allowed the weight of the loaded cars, which were disconnected for unloading, to return the empty ones back up to the mine.
The surface of the inclined plane railroad was paved with firebricks, for employees to walk up the tracks to get to the main Dalry to Kilwinning road where they could catch a bus. The small brick structure gave them shelter from the weather, while they waited. The building is open on the southerly side, and originally had windows on the others (now bricked in), so that they could watch for the next bus coming. The current access road and bridge are more recent additions, as formerly vehicular access to the works was by a road which connected to the area near the railway station, almost a mile to the north. The railway went through a short cutting and passed under the main road in a short tunnel. A truck has been preserved at the nearby Dalgarven Mill
Dalgarven Mill
Dalgarven Mill is near Kilwinning, in the Garnock Valley, North Ayrshire, Scotland and it is home to the Museum of Ayrshire Country Life and Costume. The watermill has been completely restored over a number of years and is run by the independent Dalgarven Mill Trust.The village of Dalgarven was...
Museum of Scottish Country Life and Costume.
Dalry is a small town in the Garnock Valley
Garnock Valley
The Garnock Valley is an area in the northern part of North Ayrshire, Scotland, adjoining Renfrewshire.The region includes the towns of Beith, Dalry, and Kilbirnie, and some smaller villages such as Gateside, Barrmill, Longbar and Glengarnock....
in Ayrshire
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
History
Dalry (in Gaelic..“Dail-righ”) means "King's Valley" or more simply the "Rye Meadow"; indicating a small settlement on the Rye Burn. Its history has signs of early inhabitants in the area. The remains of an ancient fort made of three concentric round walls can be found on the summit of Carwinning Hill to the North of Dalry, west of the B784 to LargsLargs
Largs is a town on the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland, about from Glasgow. The original name means "the slopes" in Scottish Gaelic....
.
In 1883 excavations by John Smith of caves in the Dalry Blair estate at Cleeves Cove cave
Cleeves Cove cave
Cleeves Cove is a cave system on the Dusk Water in North Ayrshire, Scotland, close to the town of Dalry.-The cave system:Cleeves, or Cleaves, cove cave system is situated in the lower bed of carboniferous limestone. It measures around 500 feet if all the passages were put together...
found evidence of prehistoric man and otter bones.
Aitnock fort at the SW angle of Hindog Glen was excavated by John Smith in 1901-2, it showed a possible dun occupying the summit of a cliff which rises about 60 ft perpendicularly from the Rye Water. He stated in ”Excavations of the forts of Castlehill, Aitnock and Coalhill, Ayrshire” it was defended on one side by the steep drop to the Rye and by a horse shoe shaped deep ditch and stone walls.
On the pavement was an accumulation of deposits, in some places 6ins deep, in and on which the relics were found… coins, stone objects, a glass bead, 1st or 2nd century Samian bowl fragments, burnt bones and iron objects.
A sandstone cauldron was found near the centre of the interior, close by was a fireplace of slabs set on edge, this he states was possibly used to heat the water in the cauldron. An irregular lump of sandstone was found, bearing two chiseled cup marks one on each side, almost opposite each other.
During his excavations he found 4 silver Roman coins, all denarii, two of Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius , also known as Antoninus, was Roman Emperor from 138 to 161. He was a member of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty and the Aurelii. He did not possess the sobriquet "Pius" until after his accession to the throne...
and one each of Vespasian
Vespasian
Vespasian , was Roman Emperor from 69 AD to 79 AD. Vespasian was the founder of the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for a quarter century. Vespasian was descended from a family of equestrians, who rose into the senatorial rank under the Emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty...
and Hadrian, all of which came from parts of an upper black layer of occupation. Smith's collection of material from here was donated to the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland in 1981.
At Courthill excavations were undertaken by Cochrane–Patrick (1878) & Dobie (1876) in the 1870s. The remains of a timber hall similar to those in England dated to around the 8th century were found. These digs refer to a timber hall or court structure with a turf roof, that was then replaced by a motte (a structure on a hill) similar to those used by the early Normans infiltrating the area then. Amongst the debris a flint arrow head from an even earlier period was found.
Cleeves Cove cave
Cleeves Cove is a cave system on the Dusk Water in North Ayrshire, Scotland, close to the town of Dalry.-The cave system:Cleeves, or Cleaves, cove cave system is situated in the lower bed of carboniferous limestone. It measures around 500 feet if all the passages were put together...
s, there is a natural cave mentioned as the "Elf House" about 183 feet in length near the middle it expands into a large chamber, 35 feet long by 12 broad, and 12 feet in height.
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
, it was said to be a refuge to the covenanter
Covenanter
The Covenanters were a Scottish Presbyterian movement that played an important part in the history of Scotland, and to a lesser extent in that of England and Ireland, during the 17th century...
s of this parish from the violence of their persecutors.
When David I
David I of Scotland
David I or Dabíd mac Maíl Choluim was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians and later King of the Scots...
(1082–1153) was crowned King of Scots he brought in and created a high-ranking Norman aristocracy in his new kingdom. These Norman nobles were given lands creating in Scotland an influential Norman aristocracy.
One of these “nobles or knights” a Hugh de Morville
Hugh de Morville, Lord of Cunningham and Lauderdale
Hugh de Morville was a Norman knight who made his fortune in the service of David fitz Malcolm, Prince of the Cumbrians and King of Scots .His parentage is said by some to be unclear, but G. W. S...
was made Lord High Constable of Scotland
Lord High Constable of Scotland
The Lord High Constable is a hereditary, now ceremonial, office of Scotland. In the order of precedence of Scotland, the office traditionally ranks above all titles except those of the Royal Family. The Lord High Constable was, after the King of Scots, the supreme officer of the Scottish army. He...
and given lands in Cunninghame. De Morville probably then gave some of these lands or baronies to a relative a Walter de Lynne, to William de Blair, to William Kerr and to the Boyles of Kelburne
Clan Boyle
Clan Boyle is a Scottish clan from Ayrshire in Scotland. There is also an Irish sept of the O'Neill Clan of the name O'Boyle or in Irish Ó Baoighill. The O'Boyles are one of three clans who shared the leadership of the North West of Ireland, specifically Co...
.
The name Lynne then meaning “a waterfall,” is first noted in the area of Dalry in the years 1200-1300 They were located here and had land and owned the Castle of Lin near the waterfall of the Calf.
Dalry was mentioned in 1226 as a "chapel of Ardrossan
Ardrossan
Ardrossan is a town on the North Ayrshire coast in south-western Scotland. The name "Ardrossan" describes its physical position — 'ard' from the Gaelic àird meaning headland, 'ros' a promontory and the diminutive suffix '-an' - headland of the little promontory...
". The parish of Dalry was probably formed in 1279 when a "Henry, Rector of the Church of Dalry" appears in the Register of the Diocese of Glasgow. Two places of worship in the parish appear by the late 13th century. One on the east bank of the River Garnock
River Garnock
The River Garnock, the smallest of Ayrshire's six principal rivers, has its source on the southerly side of the Hill of Stake in the heart of the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. About a mile and a half south of this starting point the untested stream tumbles over the Spout of Garnock, the highest...
at Kilcush, and the other on the west, located near the Old Glebe. This was the main parish church, it almost certainly dedicated to St. Margaret of Antioch, a 3rd or 4th century virgin martyr.
A Knights Templar stone coffin of an Ardrossan Baron was found when excavations were made to the Ardrossan Parish Church. It would most likely have been made by a French mason working on the construction of Kilwinning Abbey
Kilwinning Abbey
Kilwinning Abbey is a ruined abbey located in the centre of the town of Kilwinning, North Ayrshire.-The establishment of the Abbey:The ancient name of the town is 'Segdoune' or 'Saigtown', probably derived from 'Sanctoun', meaning the 'town of the saint'. Saint Winnings festival was on 21 January...
during the late 12th - early 13th centuries. “Templand” names derived from the word templar are to be found in the Dalry area.
In the 15th century the parish had five main baronies; Kelburne, Blair, Kersland, Lynn and Pitcon
The Lands of Pitcon
The Lands of Pitcon, previously Potconnel now form a small estate of around 100 acres in the Parish of Dalry, North Ayrshire in the old Barony of Dalry. The present Grade B Listed Georgian mansion house dating from 1787, replaces an older castellated dwelling...
. These names are still reflected in some of the areas, farms, houses and surnames in the area.
Kersland had a church school and ruined castle and is linked to the covenanter Robert Ker of Kersland.
The Rye Water has its source among the nearby high hills. The most interesting spot is that about which the world has been singing for centuries - the spot where it was crossed by a ford below Ryefield House. Before the erection of any bridge at Drakemire, the fording of the stream had occasioned much fun and banter, as shown by the many traditionary verses of the light and beautiful song that commemorates the primitive scene :-
"Gin a body meet a body Comin’ through the Rye, Gin a body kiss a body Need a body cry ?, Ilka lassie has her laddie, Nane, they say, ha’e I ! Yet a’ the lads they smile on me, When comin’ through the Rye." |
A Rye Water ford still exists to this day (2008).
Broadlie House
In 1892 John Fulton installed one of the first hydroelectric plants in Ayrshire, generating electricity for Broadlie House. The dam still exists (2008) and can be seen on the Putyan Burn
River Garnock
The River Garnock, the smallest of Ayrshire's six principal rivers, has its source on the southerly side of the Hill of Stake in the heart of the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. About a mile and a half south of this starting point the untested stream tumbles over the Spout of Garnock, the highest...
close to a pedestrian bridge that gave views of the installation to visitors. The water was carried downstream to a turbine house through a cast iron pipe.
Doggartland House
This house derives its name from 'Dogger' which is Scots for a course ironstone, much mined in the area as witnessed by waste bings below Ryefield and at Flashwood. A fine but now redundant cast iron bridge crosses the Rye Water at Doggartland.Image:Doggartland Bridge Gas Light.JPG|
Image:Doggartland Bridge detail.JPG|
Image:Doggartland Bridge, dalry.JPG|
Lords of Lynn
The barony of Lynn was created from lands inherited about 1204 from Hugh de Morville. It reportedly was first held by Walter de Lynne, who signed the 1296 Ragman Roll. According to Douglas, the family bore the name Lynne long before coming to Ayrshire. If, as Douglas reports however, the family line is Robert de Lynne appearing in 1207 (Perthshire), William de Lynne appearing in 1246 (Perthshire), and Walter de Lynne appearing in 1296 (Ayrshire), one would expect William (or perhaps even Robert), rather than William's son Walter, to be the de Morville heir, first Lord of Lynn in Dalry, and progenitor of the Lynns of that Ilk. In any case, the Lynns held the property from about 1204 until 1532, when they sold it to the Boyds of Kilmarnock. Even then, however, they retained use of 16 acres of the barony or "dominical lands", which acres were "called Burnesyd, Garden and Lyne Knoll in the town and territory of Lyne, bailliary of Cunningham and sheriffdom of Ayr".Irvine, North Ayrshire
Irvine is a new town on the coast of the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland. According to 2007 population estimates, the town is home to 39,527 inhabitants, making it the biggest settlement in North Ayrshire....
. In 1385, the Laird of Lyne rented Baidland to the Cunninghams for one silver penny, then an average week's wages (this being the only known record of Lynns owning Baidland). In 1452, Andrew Lyn, Lord of that Ilk, gave a charter for Highlees to William Hunter of Arnele "for services rendered and to be rendered" (the Lynns remained superiors of Highlees for more than two centuries, their last recorded title being in 1668). In 1505, Andrew Lyne received a charter for Bourtreehill from Robert Frances, Lord of Stane (the last mention of the Lynns of that Ilk in Bourtreehill being in 1608). In 1614 John Lyn of that Ilk is recorded as the lord superior of the lands of 'Hileis' in the parish of Dalry and Patrick Hunter of Hunterston was his baillie.
In 1522, the 16-acre mains of the barony of Lynn were conveyed in a charter from John Lyne of that Ilk to John Lyne of Bourtreehill, described therein as the "... dominical lands of Lyne called Burnesyd, with a house, garden, and Lyne Knoll." In 1532, John Lind [sic] of that Ilk sold the barony to Thomas Boyd. Nevertheless, the Lynns continued to hold the 16-acre mains of the property. In 1583, they were conveyed by Laurence Lyn [of Bourtreehill] to William Lyn, his son and heir apparent; on this occasion, the mains were further described as "... dominical lands of Lyne together with the house called Burnesyd with the garden thereof and Lyne Knoll lying in the town and territory of Lyne bailliary of Cunningham and sheriffdom of Ayr" [emphasis added].
The property included the beautiful Lynn Falls, lying in a glen said to be the dwelling of witches, elves, and fairies. However, that same glen is the location of Peden's Point, where the noted Covenanting minister Alexander Peden preached from a pinnacle forming a natural pulpit overlooking the water above the falls. The Lynns themselves were Presbyterians, and it may be that they willingly made their land available for the preaching of the reformed faith.
The Lords of Lynn became extinct as a landed family in Dalry, but they were remembered in Ayrshire folklore as "a beloved aristocracy that came, lingered a while, and vanished."
Linn House
Built for the Crichtons in 1812, this house was a small mansion house by 1858 with a vaguely 'Elizabethan' appearance. It was purchased by the Neilsen family of Chapeltoun
Chapeltoun
Chapeltoun is an estate on the banks of the Annick Water in East Ayrshire, Scotland. This is a rural area famous for its milk and cheese production and the Ayrshire or Dunlop breed of cattle.-Templeton and the Knights Templar:...
in 1924 and sold by them in 1960. The house lay empty for a number of years and was demolished so that the site could be redeveloped as a housing estate. Only the gatepiers remain, leading onto the Dalry to Kilwinninmg road.
Views of Craig Mill and Lynn Glen
Image:Caaf Mill Dalry detail.JPG|Detail of an opening in the gable end of the old mill.
Image:Caaf Mill, Lynn Glen.JPG|The old mill's gable end facing Linn Spout.
Image:Caaf Mill Lynn Glen Dalry.JPG|The Craig Mill ruins from below Linn Spout. This mill was associated with Kilwinning Abbey, together with Garnock and Sevenacres mills.
Image:Lynn Spout turbine house.JPG|Remains of the mill lade and what may have been a later roofed turbine house.
Image:Lynn Spout Detail Dalry.JPG|Linn Spout on the Caaf Water.
Image:Lynn Spout, Caaf Water.JPG|Linn Spout on the Caaf Water; illustrating the thick limestone deposits in this area.
Image:Lynn Glen small spout.JPG|The Caaf Water running over limestone. A good site for rock-cut basins.
Rock-cut basin
A rock-cut basin, in this usage of the term, is a natural phenomenon. They are cylindrical depressions cut into stream or river beds, often filled with water. Such plucked-bedrock pits are created by kolks; powerful vortices within the water currents which spin small boulders around, eroding out...
Image:Rock-cut basin and pebbles.JPG|Rock-cut basins with the eroding pebble in situ. Very low water levels.
Image:Lynn Glen footbridge.JPG|The remains of an old footbridge near the entrance to the old lade.
Image:Conocephalum conicum in Lynn Glen.JPG|The Liverwort
Marchantiophyta
The Marchantiophyta are a division of bryophyte plants commonly referred to as hepatics or liverworts. Like other bryophytes, they have a gametophyte-dominant life cycle, in which cells of the plant carry only a single set of genetic information....
Conocephalum conicum on a rock in the Caaf Water.
Image:Blechnum spicant at Lynn Glen.JPG|Hard Fern (Blechnum spicant) in the Linn Glen. Note the vertical fertile fronds typical of this species.
Image:Lynn Glen Primroses.JPG|Primroses in the Glen.
Dalry Witch
On the 8th Nov 1576, midwife Bessie Dunlop, resident of Lynne, in Dalry, was accused of sorcery and witchcraft. She answered her accusers that she received information on prophecies or to the whereabouts of lost goods from a Thomas Reid, a former barony officer in Dalry who died at the Battle of Pinkie some 30 years before.She said she was trained by her “familiar” on how to make and use ointments to heal livestock and people. She was said to have cured and advised various people from poor children to gentry. As a “wise woman” her strange efforts at the time attracted the attention of the law. Her abilities were more akin to today’s current psychics, and with an understanding of medicinal herbs, she was identified in a time of witchcraft hysteria. It resulted in a conviction and the tragic outcome was that she was burnt at the stake. at Castle Hill in Edinburgh in 1576. She is also said to have been burnt at Corsehillmuir
Eglinton Country Park
Eglinton Country Park is located in the grounds of the old Eglinton Castle estate, Kilwinning, North Ayrshire, Scotland . Eglinton Park is situated in the parish of Kilwinning, part of the former district of Cunninghame, and covers an area of 400 hectares...
, just outside Kilwinning.
Alexander Peden
Alexander Peden , also known as Prophet Peden, was one of the leading forces in the Covenanter movement, was born at Auchincloich Farm near Sorn, Ayrshire, about 1626, and was educated at the University of Glasgow...
(1626–1686) the renowned covenanting minister and remarked as a “profit” (sic) traveled throughout the district. He was said to have preached from Peden’s Point (a rocky outcrop) in a natural auditorium at the head of the Lynn glen.
When the main parish church at the Glebe was resited at the "cross" in 1608 it created around it a “kirktoun” establishing the village of Dalry. By 1700 the inhabitants of Dalry still however, numbered barely 100 and contained only about six dwellings.
In the mid 18th century, Dalry was still the only town in the parish.
In 1830 there were about 1,000 inhabitants, and the town consisted of five streets, three of these radiated from the "cross" or centre forming a square.Weekly market were held on Thursdays, and there were fairs in January, May and July.
At that time it was a reasonably large irregular shaped rural parish, centred around on the small town of Dalry. The parish included the small settlements / villages of Blair, Burnside, Drakemire, Southfield and the Den.
Industrial History
Various manufacturing existed in the parish relating to cotton and carpet yarn with silk and harness weaving, in which both men and women were employed.A significant number of women were occupied in sewing and embroidering, mainly for the Glasgow and Paisley manufacturers. The dressing and spinning of flax to some extent was also done in the area.The opening of numerous limeworks, and a number of coal pits from the 1840s, wholly changed the character of the parish of Dalry. It became an increasingly industrial area peppered with mines to provide the ore and coal to fuel the blast furnaces at the various iron works.
Ayrshire Coast Line
The Ayrshire Coast Line is one of the lines within the Strathclyde suburban rail network in Scotland. It has 26 stations and connects the Ayrshire coast to Glasgow...
and once was a busier junction with trains from Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock is a large burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland, with a population of 44,734. It is the second largest town in Ayrshire. The River Irvine runs through its eastern section, and the Kilmarnock Water passes through it, giving rise to the name 'Bank Street'...
and the Dalry and North Johnstone Line
Dalry and North Johnstone Line
The Dalry and North Johnstone Line was a branch of the Glasgow and South Western Railway in Renfrewshire and Ayrshire, Scotland, connecting the stations in Elderslie and Dalry via a route running parallel to the existing line built by the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway...
joining the line here. The railway station
Dalry railway station
Dalry railway station is a railway station serving the town of Dalry, Ayrshire, Scotland. The station is managed by First ScotRail and is on the Ayrshire Coast Line.- History :...
at Dalry opened in March 1840 as part of the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway
Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway
The Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway was a railway in Scotland that provided train services between Glasgow, Kilmarnock and Ayr. For a short period, it also provided West Coast services between Glasgow and London. Opened in stages between 1839 and 1848, the line ran from Paisley in the...
. The station at Dalry Junction
Dalry Junction railway station
Dalry Junction railway station was a railway station near the town of Dalry, North Ayrshire, Scotland. The station was originally part of the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway .- History :...
opened in April 1843 with the line to Kilmarnock via Crosshouse
Crosshouse railway station
Crosshouse railway station was a railway station serving the village of Knockentiber and nearby Crosshouse, East Ayrshire, Scotland. The station was originally part of the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway.-History:...
, subsequently closing in January 1860 with the interchange transferred to Dalry railway station. The line to Kilmarnock remained open with local services ceasing in 1955, with occasional long distance passenger services remaining. The line closed in 1973, following the electrification of the WCML
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
. The closure of the Dalry and North Johnstone Line to passengers in 1966 and through freight in 1971, and steel freight traffic to Kilbirnie in 1977. Dalry station retained four platforms until rebuilding of the station and associated overbridge as part of the electrification of the Ayrshire Coast line during the early 1980s.
Maps and information of the time indicate a rail line from Blair iron works to the main line. This development of large iron works and the mining of ore and coal further increased the housing stock and population in and around the area. The suburb of Blair for example developed around one such ironworks. Numerous bings next to these excavations in the area are still evident to this day.
Morning and evening daily stage coaches passed through Dalry on the routes between Glasgow and various coastal destinations.
The "Fair Trader" coach stopped at the Crown Inn and the "Herald" coach at the King's Arms neither ran on Sundays. There were also several public houses, which had accommodation for travelers.
The public libraries at the time were the "Dalry Library", the “Dalry Church Library" and the "United Secession Library". At this time the town was lit by gas, by a Company formed in 1834.
The River Garnock
River Garnock
The River Garnock, the smallest of Ayrshire's six principal rivers, has its source on the southerly side of the Hill of Stake in the heart of the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. About a mile and a half south of this starting point the untested stream tumbles over the Spout of Garnock, the highest...
helps to irrigate the valley and, joined by the tributaries Rye Water and Caaf Water
Caaf Water
The Caaf Water in western Scotland nowadays drains from the Caaf Reservoir above Dalry which is fed from Knockendon Reservoir...
, was a driving force behind the establishment of the town. These waters were utilised by the various mills in the 19th century
The industries of limestone, coal and ironstone assisted Dalry to develop into a thriving mining community.
The iron was smelted in the furnaces of the four great iron companies - the Ayrshire, the Glengarnock, the Eglinton and the Blair. In 1845 a visitor was “astonished at the change and at the numerous tasks of the busy labourers. The blaze of furnaces, the smoke of coal-pits, the whiter volume emitted by limekilns, and the building of houses, are at intervals seen all over the district.”
In the 1870s it is stated that Blair Iron Works and others in the area were part of the group owned by William Baird & Co. who then was the largiest pig iron producer in the world.
This once industrial town, like many such towns in this area of Scotland has seen a sharp decline of traditional industry, which has hit the town hard. In addition to coal mining, iron stone mining and textile manufacturing the town also had clay mines to be used in the areas various brickworks. To produce common red brick these brickworks were also well supplied with clay extracted from coal mine waste, available from the numerous "bings" throughout the valley, whereas the mined clay was required for higher quality fire brick
Fire brick
A fire brick, firebrick, or refractory brick is a block of refractory ceramic material used in lining furnaces, kilns, fireboxes, and fireplaces. A refractory brick is built primarily to withstand high temperature, but will also usually have a low thermal conductivity for greater energy efficiency...
.
On the edge of the town lies a large chemical plant once operated by Roche, but now run by DSM
DSM (company)
DSM is a multinational life sciences and materials sciences-based company. DSM's global end markets include food and dietary supplements, personal care, feed, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, automotive, paints, electrical and electronics, life protection, alternative energy and bio-based materials...
.
The Douglas brickworks and Monkcastle fireclay mine
The Douglas Firebrick Company Ltd had its works located where the Wilson Car Auction company now trades (2008). The works closed in September 1945. The railway was double track and narrow gauge, working through a 'cable and pulleys' system on light steel rails. The gravity railroadGravity railroad
A gravity railroad or Gravity railway is a railroad on a slope that allow cars carrying minerals or passengers to coast down the slope by the force of gravity alone. The cars are then hauled back up the slope using animal power or a stationary engine and a cable, chain or one or more wide, flat...
allowed the weight of the loaded cars, which were disconnected for unloading, to return the empty ones back up to the mine.
The surface of the inclined plane railroad was paved with firebricks, for employees to walk up the tracks to get to the main Dalry to Kilwinning road where they could catch a bus. The small brick structure gave them shelter from the weather, while they waited. The building is open on the southerly side, and originally had windows on the others (now bricked in), so that they could watch for the next bus coming. The current access road and bridge are more recent additions, as formerly vehicular access to the works was by a road which connected to the area near the railway station, almost a mile to the north. The railway went through a short cutting and passed under the main road in a short tunnel. A truck has been preserved at the nearby Dalgarven Mill
Dalgarven Mill
Dalgarven Mill is near Kilwinning, in the Garnock Valley, North Ayrshire, Scotland and it is home to the Museum of Ayrshire Country Life and Costume. The watermill has been completely restored over a number of years and is run by the independent Dalgarven Mill Trust.The village of Dalgarven was...
Museum of Scottish Country Life and Costume.
Image:Douglas Fireclay Mine bridge over the Garnock.JPG|The railway bridge over the River Garnock
River Garnock
The River Garnock, the smallest of Ayrshire's six principal rivers, has its source on the southerly side of the Hill of Stake in the heart of the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. About a mile and a half south of this starting point the untested stream tumbles over the Spout of Garnock, the highest...
to the site of the old Douglas Firebrick works.
Image:Control cabin on the Monkcastle fireclay mine railway.JPG|The shelter near the tunnel under the Dalry to Kilwinning road.
Image:Embankment of Monkcastle Fireclay mine railway.JPG|A view of the inclined plane railway's embankment.
Image:A rail on the railway embankment of Douglas fireclay works..JPG|A rail from the old inclined plane railway on the abandoned embankment.
Noted natives and residents
- Daniel Kerr (politician)Daniel Kerr (politician)Daniel Kerr was a two-term Republican U.S. Representative from Iowa's 5th congressional district in the 1880s, who later switched parties....
, became a US Congressman from Grundy Center, IowaGrundy Center, IowaGrundy Center is a city in Grundy County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,706 at the 2010 census a 4.2% increase from 2,596 at the 2000 census. The United States Census Bureau estimated the population was 2,524 in 2009...
in 1886. - William Gibson SloanWilliam Gibson SloanWilliam Gibson Sloan , was a Plymouth Brethren evangelist to the Faroe Islands and Shetland....
, became a MissionaryMissionaryA missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
to the Northern IslesNorthern IslesThe Northern Isles is a chain of islands off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The climate is cool and temperate and much influenced by the surrounding seas. There are two main island groups: Shetland and Orkney...
and the Faroe IslandsFaroe IslandsThe Faroe Islands are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, along with Denmark proper and Greenland... - George Houston RSA, Scottish landscape artist, (1869–1947) lived in house overlooking Lynn Glen in Dalry.
- Chris GeddesChris GeddesChris Geddes is the keyboardist for and a founding member of the Scottish indie pop band Belle & Sebastian. He is a Communist and a vegetarian, the latter earning him the nickname of "Beans". He attended the University of Glasgow and regularly visits Tchai-Ovna Southside. He also likes going to...
, member of Scottish indie band Belle and Sebastian lived in Dalry.
Dalry natural history gallery
Image:Giffordland Glen.JPG|Giffordland Glen
Giffordland, Ayrshire
Giffordland is in North Ayrshire, Parish of Dalry in the former Region of Strathclyde.- Introduction :Giffordland was only a small barony, however the families associated with it played an active part in the history of feudal Scotland....
beechwood off the Ardrossan and West Kilbride road.
Image:Hedgehog Fungus Detail.JPG|The Hedgehog fungus (Hydnum repandum) at Giffordland.
Image:Amethyst Deceiver.JPG |The Amethyst Deceiver (Laccaria
Laccaria
Laccaria is a genus around 75 species of fungus found in both temperate and tropical regions of the world. They are mycorrhizal. The type species is , commonly known as the deceiver. Other notable species include L. bicolor, and the amethyst deceiver , sometimes incorrectly written as...
) at Giffordland.
Image:Fly Agaric Slugs.JPG |The Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria
Amanita muscaria
Amanita muscaria, commonly known as the fly agaric or fly amanita , is a poisonous and psychoactive basidiomycete fungus, one of many in the genus Amanita...
) at Giffordland, damaged by slugs.
Image:Cubeside Farm and Villa.JPG|Well established hedgerows at Cubeside Farm and the villa on the lower slopes of Baidland Hill.
File:Raven's Craig Glen.JPG|Ferns, mosses and liverworts in Raven's Craig Glen on the South Burn.
File:Husband and Wife Trees - Linncraigs, Dalry.JPG|Fused blackthorns at Lynncraigs; known as a Husband and Wife tree.
File:Wasp bike on Hawthorn.JPG|Wasp bike or nest on a hawthorn in Lynn Glen.
See also
- Cleeves Cove caveCleeves Cove caveCleeves Cove is a cave system on the Dusk Water in North Ayrshire, Scotland, close to the town of Dalry.-The cave system:Cleeves, or Cleaves, cove cave system is situated in the lower bed of carboniferous limestone. It measures around 500 feet if all the passages were put together...
- Museum of Ayrshire Country Life and Costume Dalgarven Mill
- Giffordland, AyrshireGiffordland, AyrshireGiffordland is in North Ayrshire, Parish of Dalry in the former Region of Strathclyde.- Introduction :Giffordland was only a small barony, however the families associated with it played an active part in the history of feudal Scotland....
- Dalry railway stationDalry railway stationDalry railway station is a railway station serving the town of Dalry, Ayrshire, Scotland. The station is managed by First ScotRail and is on the Ayrshire Coast Line.- History :...
Sources and Bibliography
- The Genealogy of the Family of Lind, and the Montgomeries of Smithton, Sir Robert Douglas, Baronet, Windsor (1795)
- Historical Tales and Legends of Ayrshire, William Robertson, London and Glasgow (1889)
- Scottish Record Society Publications, Scottish Record Society, Edinburgh (late 19th-early 20th centuries)
External links
- Dalry community site
- Dalry Burns Club
- St. Margaret's Parish Church, Dalry (Church of Scotland)
- St. Peter's Church, Dalry (Scottish Episcopal Church)
- Trinity Church, Dalry (Church of Scotland)
- National Archives of Scotland online
- http://www.amanbornbeforehistime.com/