Kirkmichael and Crosshill 1846

Kirkmichael

KIRKMICHAEL, a parish, in the district of Carrick, county of Ayr; containing, with the village of Crosshill, 2933 inhabitants, of whom 499 are in the village of Kirkmichael, 3 miles (E. by S.) from Maybole. This place, which derives its name from the dedication of its church, appears to have been at an early period part of the possessions of the Kennedy family, to whose ancestor a grant of the lands was confirmed by charter of David II., about the year 1360. By the marriage of Sir James Kennedy with the daughter of Robert III., this family obtained a considerable degree of rank and influence. Gilbert Kennedy, the second Earl of Cassilis, was employed in many of the most important offices of state; he was assassinated at Prestwick by Hugh Campbell, sheriff of Ayrshire. His son, Quintin Kennedy, who became Abbot of Crossraguel, is distinguished for having maintained the tenets of popery in a discussion with the celebrated reformer, John Knox, and on his decease was canonized for his zeal and profound devotion to the Roman Catholic faith. Gilbert, the third earl, was the friend and pupil of the historian, George Buchanan; and John, the sixth Earl of Cassilis, was one of the ruling elders who attended the assembly of divines at Westminster, in 1643. The parish is about twelve miles in length, and rather more than five miles and a half in extreme breadth; it is bounded on the north and north-east by the parish of Dalrymple, on the east by that of Straiton, on the south by Dailly, and on the west and north-west by the parishes of Kirkoswald and Maybole. The surface generally, with the exception of some level tracts along the banks of the rivers, is undulated and hilly, in some parts attaining considerable elevation. The hill of Glenalla is 1612 feet above the level of the sea; and there are several other eminences, of which Guiltree hill commands a beautiful prospect, embracing on one side the valley of the Girvan, with the Galloway hills, and on the other, the bay of Ayr, the peaks of Arran, and the towns along the coast, with the Highlands and Ben-Lomond in the back ground. The river Girvan has its source among the hills of Barr and Straiton, and, running below Blairquhan, enter this parish, which it divides into two nearly equal parts, passing by the grounds of Cloncaird, where it assumes a wide expanse, and presents a finely-picturesque appearance: flowing between richly-wooded banks, it pursues its course to the village of Crosshill, and then forms a boundary between the parishes of Kirkoswald and Dailly. The river Doon passes by one extremity of the parish, about two miles below Patna, washing the base of the eminence on which is situated the stately mansion of Cassilis; and the Dyrock, issuing from Shankston loch, and augmented by the streams of the Barnshean and Spalander, flows by the church and village of Kirkmichael into the Girvan. There are numerous lakes in the parish, of which the principal are, Loch Spalander, about forty-five acres in extent, abounding in excellent trout, and sometimes with char; Loch Barnshean, twenty-eight acres in extent; Loch Croot, ten acres; Shankston loch, twelve acres; Drumore, nine acres; and Kirkmichael loch, about five acres in extent.

The soil in the low lands is extremely fertile, producing luxuriant herbage; in some parts, and especially near the bases of the lower hills, light and gravelly; and in others, clayey, and intermixed with loam. The whole number of acres in the parish is estimated at 15,250, of which about 1130 are in natural woods and in plantations, 500 waste, and the rest arable, meadow, and pasture land. The system of agriculture has greatly advanced; and the lands have been much improved under the influence of the example given by the Rev. John Ramsay, incumbent of the parish about forty years since, and who was the founder of the Carrick Farmers' Society: and also under the encouragement afforded to the tenants by the late Earl of Cassilis and the present proprietors. Furrow-draining has been extensively carried on; and in 1832, Henry Ritchie, Esq., of Cloncaird Castle, erected a work for the manufacture of draining-tiles, which at present produces on the average about 330,000 tiles annually. The farm-buildings are substantial and commodious, and generally slated; and all the recent improvements in husbandry are extensively practised. The substrata are chiefly sandstone, greenstone, and limestone; clay of excellent quality for making tiles is found in abundance, and there are some veins of galena, which appear to have been wrought, and are said to have yielded a considerable proportion of silver. The surface of the land in several parts is thickly strewn with boulders of granite, some of vast magnitude. There are quarries of freestone, at Auchalton, Clonclaugh, Balgreggan, and Glenside, which have been all extensively wrought; and also a quarry of peculiarly fine quality at Trochain, on the lands of Cloncaird. The rateable annual value of the parish is £10,035. Cloncaird Castle, an old castellated mansion, has been entirely new fronted, and is now a very elegant residence, beautifully situated in a highly-embellished demesne abounding with stately timber. Kirkmichael House stands in grounds well laid out, near the lake of that name, which forms an interesting feature. Cassilis House, the property of the Marquess of Ailsa, who bears the inferior title of Earl of Cassilis, occupies an eminence rising from the bank of the river Doon, and is an ancient mansion, supposed to have been built about the fifteenth century; it was enlarged and much improved in 1830, and is now a stately structure, surrounded with trees of noble growth, and with thriving plantations. Under the ancient castle was a subterraneous apartment, which, on being cleared out some years since to form a wine-cellar, was found to be replete with human bones.

The village of Kirkmichael is neatly built and pleasantly situated, and has a post-office dependent on that of Maybole: its inhabitants, in addition to the various trades usually carried on, are employed in weaving for the Glasgow and Paisley manufacturers, and the female population in working muslins, which branches of trade are pursued to a still greater extent at Crosshill. Facility of communication is afforded by numerous good parish roads, and there are about twenty-six miles of turnpike-road.

The ecclesiastical affairs are under the superintendence of the presbytery of Ayr and synod of Glasgow and Ayr. The stipend of the incumbent is £261; the manse is a handsome antique building of modern erection, and a very comfortable residence, and the glebe comprises sixteen acres of profitable land. The church, which is pleasantly situated on the Dyrock stream, and surrounded by a spacious burial-ground planted with ash-trees of stately growth, was built in 1787; it is in good repair, and adapted for a congregation of 556 persons. A chapel of ease has been erected for the accommodation of the inhabitants of Crosshill, by the liberal assistance of Sir Charles Dalrymple Fergusson, of Kilkerran, Bart., and others; it is a neat edifice, adapted for nearly 460 persons, and may be considerably increased by the addition of galleries. The parochial school affords instruction to about seventy children; the master has a salary of £34, with a house and garden, and the fees average £30. There is also a school at Crosshill, for which a former proprietor erected a spacious schoolroom; the master once received an annual payment of £3. 10. from the proprietors of the lands, in addition to the school fees. A parochial library is supported by subscription; and two savings' banks have been established. In several parts of the parish are traces of ancient circular forts, about 100 yards in diameter, and surrounded by a ditch fifteen feet broad: on being removed by the plough, fragments of spears, horns, urns, and ashes were found in profusion. There were also till lately some remains of a chapel, supposed to have been subordinate to the abbey of Crossraguel; the well is still known by the name of the "Chapel well."

Crosshill

CROSSHILL, a village, in the parish of Kirkmichael, district of Carrick, county of Ayr, 2¾ miles (S. E.) from Maybole; containing 1163 inhabitants. This village, which is pleasantly situated on the river Girvan, has arisen within the last fifty years, and is partly built on lands let for that purpose by the proprietor of the barony of Dalhoan. The inhabitants, of whom a large majority are settlers from Ireland, are chiefly employed in the cotton manufacture established by the wholesale houses of Glasgow, who have agents residing on the spot. A considerable number of the female population, both here and throughout the parish, are employed in working and flowering muslins for the Glasgow and Paisley manufacturers, and their work is much admired for its elegance. A chapel of ease has been erected; it is a neat and substantial edifice, adapted for a congregation of more than 450, and is so arranged as to admit of future enlargement by the addition of galleries when requisite. A spacious schoolroom was erected in the village by a former proprietor, for the instruction of the children of this part of the parish, and in addition to the use of the schoolroom, the master till recently received £3. 10. from the heritors. This school has lately been taken into connexion with the schools of the General Assembly.

From: A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland (1846)