Misplaced Pages

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90-496: The old Barony and castle of Corsehill lay within the feudal Baillerie of Cunninghame , near Stewarton , now East Ayrshire , Scotland. Godfrey de Ross was an early holder of the castle and lands of Corsehill, moving his seat here from the castle at Boarland (also 'Borland') or Dunlop hill. The De Ross family are now represented by the Earls of Glasgow . Andrew Cunningham, second son of William Cunningham, 4th Earl of Glencairn ,

180-549: A description used in the locality. Dobie goes on to state that following the correction " that the real and original name of this castle ... was Ruincraig cannot for a moment be entertained... " We know from historical records about Godfrey de Ross and his family of Corsehill Castle, they were Lords of Liddesdale in the Borders and later on the Cunninghams became the holders. The later Corsehill (also Crosshill) House stood on

270-510: A design reserved by Lord Lyon to district councils, topped by thistle-heads. Stewarton Stewarton ( Scots : Stewartoun , Scottish Gaelic : Baile nan Stiùbhartach ) is a town in East Ayrshire , Scotland . In comparison to the neighbouring towns of Kilmaurs , Fenwick , Dunlop and Lugton , it is a relatively large town, with a population estimated at over 7,400. It is 300 feet (90 metres) above sea level. The town

360-399: A few years ago. The proprietor, from an idea that it might fall or be blown over in a storm, very wisely gave orders to have it strengthened; but the mason who executed the work, either from a want of taste, or from ignorance, converted it into the pillar-like object that we can see at present ". The proprietor in question was Sir Thomas Montgomery Cunningham of Corsehill whose wife restored

450-619: A field near the house of the same name. Due to a housing development it has been moved to a site in front of Draffen House. It is not known whether this stone is merely a 'rubbing stone' for cattle or a menhir . It is not recorded by Historic Scotland . The Lairds of Corsehill were the Deacons Heritable of the Bonnet Court of Corsehill which regulated the activities of the Stewarton bonnet makers. The first Corsehill Queen

540-473: A fine avenue of magnificent trees used to run down into Stewarton. Herman Moll 's map of 1745 shows a 'Reuinsk' to the west of the Clerkland Burn and 'Corshill' to the west of it whilst Roy's map of 1747 shows a square shaped 'Old Crosshill' with a U-shaped 'Crosshill' to the west of the burn together with a 'mains' farm. Armstrong's 1775 map shows 'Ruins' and 'Corshill' depicted as a house standing to

630-532: A former capital of Scotland, was the capital of Cunninghame, indicating its status as a royal burgh. The family crest includes the unicorn, which is restricted to the Crown, and Clans Cunningham, Oliphant, and Ramsay. The historic district of Cunninghame was bordered by the districts of Renfrew and Clydesdale to the north and east respectively, by the district of Kyle to the south over the River Irvine and by

720-404: A general dealer in the village. William Jack was born here in 1834. International women's footballer Rose Reilly grew up in Stewarton, before being forced to leave to pursue a career in professional football. but returned in later years and now resides in the area. The sports centre located in the town has since been renamed in honour of her. The ground of Stewarton's cricket club

810-400: A more ancient building belonging to the same family", he is also probably referring to "Reuincraig", the "small remains" being those of "Corsehill". (Grose 1791); (MacGibbon) and (Ross 1889). General Roy's Military Survey of Scotland (1745–55) marks 'Ravenscraig' as 'Old Corsehill' and also marks the 'new' Corsehill on the other side of the burn, thereby apparently confirming that they both had

900-456: A pardon by King James upon his marriage to Anne of Denmark . Lady Montgomery, who was alleged to have signaled the murderers by placing a white 'napkin' on a window sill, is said to have escaped and lived with her retainer Robert Kerr at Pearce Bank (now High Peacockbank) for several years until the 'hue and cry' died down at which point she returned to the castle and was not molested on the understanding that she did not 'show her face' outside of

990-483: A peasant, Friskin (or Friskine), turning hay in a barn (or pasture) nearby. Friskin hides Malcolm who then escapes to England with Friskin as a retainer. King Harthacanute of England and Norway gave them protection. When Harthacanute died his successor King Edward the Confessor gave Malcolm an army which permitted him to conquer Scotland and kill King Macbeth. The grateful King Malcolm III (1031 to 1093) gave Friskine

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1080-633: A relatively unfortified laird's house with relatively thin walls, many doors at ground level, large windows, etc. akin to buildings such as the Place of Auchinleck. Canmore gives measurements for the Corsehill Castle tower remnant as nearly 3m thick and 10m high. If the 'tower' in Frances Grose's engraving was that of the castle then the wall remnants associated with it would have to be at least 10m high and six or more stone courses thick, which

1170-405: A small distance from this ruin are some small remains of a more ancient building belonging to the same family ", he is therefore referring to 'Old Corsehill Castle'. General Roy's Military Survey of Scotland (1745–55) marks 'Ravenscraig' as 'Old Corsehill' and also marks the 'new' Corsehill on the other side of the burn, thereby apparently confirming that they both had the same name and one replaced

1260-453: A standing stone now long destroyed or possibly moved as the nearby farm has two large boulders in front of it. Coal pits are marked in the vicinity of Magbie (MacBeth) Hill, possibly explaining the name, as 'mag' was a term used for poor quality coal. The nearby 'Water Plantation' was known as 'Magbie-hill Plantation'. Dunlop and Stewarton both stand on the old turnpike, completed from Glasgow by Lugton , to Kilmarnock, Irvine and Ayr in 1820 at

1350-494: Is a seriously destructive alien invader which should not be transplanted to other sites. Stewarton railway station was opened in 1871 by the Glasgow, Barrhead and Kilmarnock Joint Railway. The station closed in 1966, reopening in 1967. In 2009-2010 the line was partly re-doubled and the train frequency increased to two trains an hour in each direction. The station was rebuilt and a second platform brought into use. Thomas Oliver

1440-576: Is derived from 'Ruin Crag', i.e. ruined castle. Godfrey de Ross and his family of Corsehill Castle were Lords of Liddesdale in the Borders and later on the Cunninghames became the holders. Corsehill (also Crosshill) castle is said to have been on the east side of the Corsehill Burn. The 1860 OS map does record the site of Templehouse which had a small fortalice associated with it and its site

1530-440: Is jocularly said to be King Malcolm III second wife, Queen Margaret , niece of Edward the Confessor of England. This Malcolm III, also known as Malcolm Canmore, was also Lord of Corsehill. She was canonised and St. Margaret 's Chapel is the oldest surviving building at Edinburgh Castle , Highlanders however called her the 'Accursed Margaret.' In 1797 Magbie Hill above Stewarton has a field called 'Stone Field' which may record

1620-603: Is just a description of a ruin that was called 'Corsehill', 'ruined Corsehill'. Archibald Adamson in his 'Rambles Round Kilmarnock' of 1875 makes no mention of the name Ravenscraig, calling the site he visited Corsehill. Aitken only marks Crosshill Castle in 1829 on the west side of the Corsehill Burn. The first OS maps show only the surviving castle's site. To sum up, the map in Pont's 'Cuninghame' of 1604–1608 shows two buildings, "Reuincraige" and "Corshill", at approximately NS 417 467 and NS 422 465 respectively, and Dobie comments that

1710-597: Is served by Stewarton railway station . Stewarton lies within Strathannick, with the Annick Water flowing through the town. The community is in a rural part of East Ayrshire, about 6 miles (10 kilometres) north of Kilmarnock and to the East of Irvine . In the past, Stewarton served as a crossroads between the traditional routes from Kilmarnock, Irvine and Ayr to the city of Glasgow . However, in recent times,

1800-706: Is so populous that, at the ringing of a bell in the night for a few hours, there have seen convene 3000 able men, well-horsed and armed." In the 1600s Stuartoune had fairs on the first Thursday of January, the first Monday of May, and the last Wednesday of October. A weekly market on Thursdays is recorded as being not well attended. In 1820 only six people were qualified to vote as freeholders in Stewarton Parish, being proprietors of Robertland (Hunter Blair), Kirkhill (Col. J. S. Barns), Kennox (McAlester), Lainshaw (Cunninghame), Lochridge (Stewart) and Corsehill (Montgomery-Cunninghame). The Draffen Stone used to be in

1890-551: Is stated by Frederick van Bassen who was a Norwegian historian, that the saviour of King Malcolm III was actually a Malcolm, son of Friskin, however in other respects the story is the same. This story does not fit with the historical record, however it is of ancient origin and a grain of truth must in some way relate it to real events. A Magbie or MacBeth Hill curiously or coincidentally exists above Stewarton near Old Coreshill Castle. Sir William Montgomery of Giffin acquired these lands, his father being Troilus Montgomery. The holder of

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1980-526: Is the 'Baron-Court book of the Baron-Court of Corshill', having been in the possession of Mr John Brown of Stewarton and published by the Ayr & Wigton Archaeological Association in 1884. The records start in 1666 and ends in 1719. In 1667 Hew Harper was fined and sentenced to be placed in the stocks at the 'Laird's pleasure'. An old thatched cottage at the top end of Stewarton, on the road to Glasgow, had

2070-508: Is the site of the remnants of a Bronze Age burial cairn inside of which three urns or beakers were found in the 19th century containing bones and relicts. In 1847 the old Barony Court House still stood near the Avenue running up towards Corsehill. The War Memorial used to stand outside the front of the library in the avenue square and was moved to provide a more suitable setting near Standalane house above Lainshaw primary school. Dunlop cheese

2160-637: The Annick Water escaped major contamination. The Stewarton Flower, so named due to its local abundance and recorded as such by the Kilmarnock Glenfield Ramblers, is otherwise known as Pink Purslane ( Claytonia sibirica ) is found in damp areas. This plant was introduced from North America in Victorian times, quite possibly at the Robertland Estate. In 1915 it was stated to have been in the area for over 60 years and

2250-689: The Firth of Clyde to the west. Cunninghame became one of the three districts or bailieries of Ayrshire , the shire or sheriffdom of Ayr. Cunninghame was in the north, along the River Irvine ; Kyle was in the centre, along the River Ayr ; and Carrick was in the south, along the River Doon . By the eighteenth century Ayrshire had become one of the counties of Scotland , with the three bailieries being described as "districts" or "divisions" of

2340-471: The M77 motorway has bypassed the town. The old road is known as the "Auld Glesga Road" (Or the "Old Glasgow Road") and the former name is still used by locals. Historical records show that Stewarton has existed since at least the 12th century with various non-historical references to the town dating to the early 11th century. The most famous of these non-historical references concerns the legend of Máel Coluim III

2430-467: The lands of Cocklebie had the 'right and privilege' of holding a weekly market and four yearly fairs. Andrew Cunninghame was concerned in the murder of David Rizzio . Sir A. Cunningham of Corsehill attended the famous 1839 Eglinton Tournament in what is now Eglinton Country Park and he was allotted a seat in the Grand Stand. Robertson in 1820 refers to Macbeth Hill (Magbie) as being part of

2520-555: The 2nd baronet, married Margaret Boyle, sister of the Earl of Glasgow . Their son David married Penelope Montgomerie, daughter of Sir Walter Montgomerie of Skelmorlie Castle . Their eldest son married the heiress of Sir David Montgomerie of Lainshaw and adopted the patronym Montgomerie-Cuninghame, however he predeceased his father and it was his son Walter, who never married, that inherited in 1770 and died in March 1814. His brother David became

2610-692: The 5th baronet and also died unmarried in 1814. James, the third brother, inherited and married Jessie, daughter of James Cuming of Earnside, Nairnshire. Sir James died in 1837 and Alexander David inherited, however being unmarried his brother Thomas inherited and married Charlotte, daughter of Hugh Hutcheson of Southfield in Renfrewshire . In 1820 the Corsehill lands included Bonshaw, High and Low Chapeltoun, Lainshaw, Kirkwood, Sandielands, Bankend, Gallowayford and Corsehill. In 1832 Sir Thomas Montgomerie-Cuninghame of Corsehill and Kirton-holme (near Lanark )

2700-510: The Battle of Lumphanan in 1057 to become King of Scots , he rewarded Friskine's family with the Baillie of Cunninghame to show his gratitude to the farmer who had saved his life 17 years earlier. The Cunninghame family logo now features a Y-shaped fork with the words "over fork over" underneath - a logo which appears in various places in Stewarton, notably as the logo of the two primary schools in

2790-582: The Corsehill lands. Troilus Montgomery became Laird of MacBeth-hill or Magbie hill in Peeblesshire. Timothy Pont in 1604–1608 records that so thickly was the district about Stewarton and along the banks of the Irvine populated for a space of three or four miles (6 km) " that well travelled men in divers parts of Europe (affirm) that they have seen walled cities not so well or near planted with houses so near each other as they are here, wherethrough it

Barony and Castle of Corsehill - Misplaced Pages Continue

2880-459: The Cunninghame clan and shot dead by John Cunninghame of Clonbeith. Hugh is said to have been on his way to attend the court of King James VI at Stirling when he decided to stop off at Langshaw House (now Lainshaw house which was for a long time a home for the elderly) to dine with his associates. The lady of the house Lady Montgomery - told several of her Cunninghame associates who lived in

2970-569: The Cunninghame family. In the 16th century Ayrshire was divided into three regions or bailiaries - Kyle , Carrick and Cunninghame. The two powerful families residing in Cunninghame - the Cunninghame's and the Montgomeries - had been involved in a dispute over landholdings which came to a head in 1586 when Hugh, the 4th Earl of Eglinton was attacked at the ford on the Annick Water (which flows through Stewarton) by 30 or so members of

3060-504: The W bank of the burn. Macgibbon and Ross, describing "Corsehill Castle" at the end of the 19th century as a very ruinous mansion, evidently of late date and apparently of the L-plan, and ascribe it to the period 1542-1700, must be referring to "Reuincraig". Grose, in 1791, published an illustration of "Corshill House", but does not give it a close siting. As, however, he mentions that "at a small distance from this ruin are some small remains of

3150-712: The area - Lainshaw primary school and Nether Robertland primary school. Another reference to Stewarton, this time a historical recorded version, is that one Wernebald was given the Cunninghame lands by his superior, Hugh de Morville , the builder of Kilwinning Abbey who lived at this time in Tour near Kirkland in Kilmaurs. The family were originally from Morville in Normandy (Wernebald was from Flanders ) and had been established in Scotland for at least twenty years when one of

3240-583: The area of the Earl's planned visit. As a response to the killing the Montgomery family declared they would kill every Cunninghame who had been at the river that day and a series of 'tit for tat' killings were carried out between the two families. John Cunninghame of Clonbeith was eventually slain in Hamilton, Scotland , but several of those responsible for the murder fled to Denmark and were eventually granted

3330-576: The cost of £18,000. Notes; Sources; Cunninghame Cunninghame ( Scottish Gaelic : Coineagan ) is a former comital district of Scotland and also a district of the Strathclyde Region from 1975 to 1996. The origin of the name (along with the surname Cunningham ) is uncertain. The ending -hame is from Old English hām ('home, village'). The first component may be either Old English cyning , cuning ('king') or Gaelic coineanach ('rabbit'). Irvine,

3420-409: The council from 1975 was as follows: The council was based at Cunnninghame House on Friars Croft in Irvine, which was purpose-built for the council and completed in 1975, forming part of the new town centre for Irvine following its designation as a New Town. Following the district's abolition in 1996 the building has been the headquarters of North Ayrshire Council. The Cunninghame District Council

3510-437: The county, although they had no formal administrative existence. In the late nineteenth century the "territorial division" was described as comprising the civil parishes of Ardrossan , Beith , Dalry , Dreghorn , Fenwick , Irvine, North Ayrshire , Kilbirnie , West Kilbride , Kilmarnock , Kilmaurs , Kilwinning , Largs , Loudoun , Stevenston , Stewarton and part of Dunlop . The Cunninghame poor law combination

3600-415: The east bank of the Corsehill Burn. The single section of tower wall that remains today (2020) of Corsehill Castle has had extensive consolidation works to stabilise it and this gives it its unusual appearance, accentuated by the existence of a fireplace and aumbry on the eastern side. The Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald from 28.11.1863 records that " Much of its beauty as a ruin was unfortunately destroyed

3690-409: The east side of the Corsehill or Clerkland Burn and only a few remains were said to exist to show its site, however the 1860 OS indicates no ruins of any description and nothing now remains on the site (2015). Corsehill House is shown in one old print of 1791, drawn in 1789 by Grose with the comment that " At a small distance from this ruin are some small remains of a more ancient building belonging to

Barony and Castle of Corsehill - Misplaced Pages Continue

3780-544: The east side of the burn. The 1776 map by Taylor & Skinner shows a 'Corsehill' only as a dwelling house held by Sir William Cunynhame (sic). The old Corsehill Castle and Corsehill House (NS 416 415) were separate entities and a vague memory may persist of Templehouse and its fortalice at Darlington on the lands of Corsehill Farm, causing some extra confusion. (see below) Many references can be found to Corsehill/Corshill or even Crosshill in old records, none for 'Ravenscraig', but several for 'Reuincraig', although as stated, this

3870-536: The east side where Corsehill House once stood. The fine old sandstone bridge which carried the road up to Corsehill was demolished in the early 1990s. A local tradition was that the iron 'jougs' on it were for imprisoning witches, although it may be that these were linked to the Barony Court functions of the old Corsehill Barony, the records of which still survive and make reference to the stocks. Adamson on his walking tour in 1875 records that Old Corsehill Castle

3960-420: The engraving does not show. With these measurements Corsehill House would have been a very large building indeed. The footprint of Corshill House as shown by the engraving also seems far too large for the knoll on which the surviving remnant of Old Corsehill Castle still stands. The 1779 map by Crawford does not indisputably show Corsehill as a ruin although by this time the lands of Cocklebie have extended across

4050-426: The existence of the castle or fortalice here (Hewitt 2006). Archibald Adamson in his 'Rambles Round Kilmarnock' of 1875 only records three castles, these being Robertland, Auchenharvie and Corsehill. He makes no mention of the name Ravenscraig, calling the site he visited Corsehill. Aitken only marks Crosshill Castle in 1829 on the west side of the Corsehill Burn. The first OS maps show only the existing castle site, so

4140-473: The family monument in Kilmaurs 's Glencairn Aisle . The dressed stone work blocks suggests that two phases of consolidation were carried out, possibly years apart. The lower level appears as possible robbed dressed ashlar from Corsehill House, and the second phase is distinguished by a raised rectangular area, typically intended to emphasise that this is not original work. A number of authors have assumed that

4230-570: The family was involved in the murder of Thomas Becket . Dervorguilla of Galloway , mother of John Balliol , was a daughter of the Morvilles on her mother's side, and when Robert the Bruce won the crown the family of Balliol lost their lands in Cunninghame. The Red Comyn , whom Bruce murdered, was a nephew of Balliol. William Cunninghame de Lamberton was Archbishop of St. Andrews and a supporter of Bruce. Pont in 1604 - 08 records that so thickly

4320-509: The feu for the area of Templehouse, now more commonly called 'Darlington'. The 1860 OS map does record the site of this Templehouse which may have had a small fortalice associated with it. Its precise site was at Darlington on the road to Kingsford before the East Burn. This area continued to be called Templehouses for many years after the buildings stones were removed by local people for building purposes. A remarkable and fortuitous survival

4410-554: The grounds. A path known as the 'Weeping or Mourning Path' runs upstream from the Annick (previously Annack or Annock Water) Ford and this is where the Earl's widow is said to have wept as she later followed the trail of blood left behind as his panicked horse took him away from Bridgend. The Earl's body was placed in Lainshaw Castle until arrangements were made to remove it to Eglintoun Castle. The name Ravenscraig or Reuincraig

4500-576: The high road; they knocked down and wounded those who complained; they stole, and wantonly destroyed, cattle; they subjected people to the torture of fire to discover to them where their money was hidden; they threatened to burn down houses if their demands were not at once complied with; besides free quarters they demanded money every day; they compelled even poor families to buy brandy and tobacco for them; they cut and wounded people from sheer devilment. " The cost of all this amounted to £6062 12s 8d in Stewarton parish. Cairnduff Hill overlooks Stewarton and

4590-784: The house begged the King for the life of her husband who was one of those to be tried by the King. The others were hanged, but the King dismissed the husband with the admonition " to be a better bairn." . This is a well known local story and one version given by Robert Cunningham in 1740 in his manuscript, entitled the Right Honorable the Earl of Glencairn's family , is that Macbeth murders his cousin, King Duncan I. The king's son, Malcolm Canmore (big head in Gaelic) tries to reach temporary safe refuge in his castle of Corsehill (also Crosshill). Macbeth’s men were almost upon Malcolm when he sees

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4680-549: The house. An avenue of trees ran down to the town, however this was interrupted by some of the Cocklebie lands which are not shown planted up. The ruined castle is shown as just the surviving part of the tower and it is otherwise unnamed. The whole area is called the Corsehill lands. Surprisingly only ten years after the estate map was surveyed Grose shows Corsehill House as an abandoned and much robbed ruin. The 1828 map of Ayrshire by William Johnson only records Corsehill lying on

4770-563: The lack of suitable materials locally. Buses run regularly to Kilmarnock from the Robertland Bus Terminus. Stewarton, like many other Scottish towns, holds an annual gala festival at the beginning of summer. Dating back to the days when Stewarton had a prosperous trade in bonnet-making, the 'Bonnet Guild' organises activities for the local residents and proclaims a 'Corsehill Queen', the most academically successful girl in 2nd year at Stewarton Academy . The Cadgers’ Fair

4860-520: The latter being involved in the murder of Hugh, Earl of Eglinton . Patrick was murdered in revenge by the Montgomeries. The spelling ' Cunningham ' will be used throughout for consistency where it stands alone. Alexander Cunningham inherited and married Marion Porterfield of Duchal. Alexander's son, also Alexander, held the lands of Lambruchton and Thirdpart in 1622 and died in 1667, being succeeded by his grandson, another Alexander Cunningham, who

4950-422: The name of "King's Kitchen Head", more recently called Braehead. It was nearly adjacent to the old baronial residence of Corsehill and was part of that barony. Further along the road is Kingsford and further along still is King's Well and the King's Stable. The story is told of a King who whilst on his progress of administering justice was given hospitality, for some long forgotten reason, at this cottage. The wife of

5040-422: The new survey has not perpetuate the error. To sum up, the map in Pont's 'Cuninghame' of 1604-8 shows two buildings, "Reuincraige" and "Corshill", at approximately NS 417 467 and NS 422 465 respectively, and Dobie (1876) comments that the two have often been confused, but that "Reuincraig" stood on the W of the Corsehill Burn and "Corsehill Mansion" on its E. "Reuincraig", he says, was so modernised about 1840 that it

5130-581: The night until relieved the next day. William rose to the rank of colonel, was an MP for Ayr Burghs from 1874 to 1880. His Victoria Cross is held by the Royal Green Jackets Museum, Winchester . The Montgomery-Cuninghame of Corsehill Baronets are still extant, with Sir John Montgomery Cuninghame of Corsehill and Kirton-holme, 12th. Baronet now representing the family, head of the Clan Cunninghame. With no male heir, however

5220-432: The once prestigious avenue of trees. Fullarton in 1858 records that " ..the ancient castellated mansion of Coreshill has been wholly removed – not a stone now remaining to mark its site; nor does any vestige of its garden or other decorations remain to procalim its former state and fallen grandeur. ". He goes on to state that the site was well remembered, the last parts of the building having been removed around 1800 and that

5310-415: The other, although only 'Old Corsehill' is still in any way visible, just some foundations of 'new' Corsehill being apparent in 2007, the rest of Corsehill House being removed in the 19th century. Traces survive of a much silted up ditch that may be the remains of a track which led from the Stewarton to Dunlop road to the castle and then on to the cattle creep that runs under the railway line giving access to

5400-604: The region of Strathclyde . The district covered the whole area of three former districts from the historic county of Buteshire and nine former districts from Ayrshire , plus small parts of a further two districts within the designated area for Irvine New Town : Arran, Cumbrae and Millport were from Buteshire, the rest were from Ayrshire. The district was abolished in 1996 by the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 which replaced regions and districts with unitary council areas . North Ayrshire council area

5490-636: The relative safety of England . Unfortunately for Máel Coluim, Mac Bethad and his associates had tracked him down and were gaining on him as he entered the estate of Corsehill on the edge of Stewarton. In panic Máel Coluim pleaded for the assistance of a nearby farmer named either Friskine or Máel Coluim (accounts differ) who was forking hay on the estate. Friskine/Máel Coluim covered Máel Coluim in hay, allowing him to escape Mac Bethad and his associates. He later found refuge with King Harthacanute , who reigned as Canute II, King of England and Norway and in 1057, after returning to Scotland and defeating Mac Bethad in

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5580-577: The same family. " referring to the old Corsehill castle whilst drawing Corsehill House, the home of the laird at that time. Substantial remains of Corsehill House were thought to exist until the railway was constructed and that most of the ruins were used to build the embankment with the course of the burn also being partly altered at this time, however a contemporary record states that the Corsehill House site had been entirely robbed by circa 1800. Armstrong's 1775 map clearly shows Corsehill as being on

5670-494: The same name and one replaced the other, although only 'Old Corsehill' is still in any way visible, just the foundations of 'new' Coresehill being apparent in 2007. The same map shows buildings named 'Temple' in the area of 'Templehouse'. To prevent the Covenanters holding 'Conventicles', King Charles II moved highland troops, the 'Highland Host' into the west-land of Ayrshire. " They took free quarters; they robbed people on

5760-586: The shakefork was a leopard's head holding in its mouth a weaver's shuttle. this represented the weaving industry of the inland parts of the district. Such an emblem appeared in Scottish arms grants to weaving societies and associations, and in the armorial bearings of the Worshipful Company of Weavers of the City of London . The motto was Sense and Worth , and the arms were completed by a gold coronet of

5850-536: The son of Donnchad I of Scotland who appears as a character in William Shakespeare 's play Macbeth . As the legend goes, Mac Bethad had slain Donnchad to enable himself to become king of Scotland and immediately turned his attention towards Donnchad's son Máel Coluim (the next in line to the throne). When Máel Coluim learned of his father's death and Mac Bethad's intentions to murder him, he fled for

5940-447: The surviving remnant of the typical tower castle equates to a distinctive part of Grose's engraving however the thickness at nearly 3 metres and the other features such as the lack of a fire-place and aumbry, of this clearly later building together with map evidence suggests otherwise and in addition the OS map evidence suggests a typical square or oblong tower castle shaped building rather than

6030-472: The thanedom or Baillery of Cunninghame and the family took this name, together with the motto of 'Over Fork Over' which they retain to this day. It is also said that the Cunninghams were 'Masters of the king's horses' and that they took their motto from this position in the 'punning way' which is typical of the armorial bearings and mottos of many an aristocratic family. In another version of the story, it

6120-596: The title can pass through the female line. In A.D. 1451 the Registrum Magni Sigilli, records in Stewartoune (sic), Ayrshire, "Le Mote de Casteltoune." Some considerable confusion exists about the sites and naming of these 'castles' in Stewarton . The printed name 'Revincraige' arose as a printed spelling error from the original manuscript's 'Reuinscraige' i.e. stone ruins, so it isn't a name, it's

6210-508: The two have often been confused, but that "Reuincraig" stood on the west side of the Corsehill Burn and "Corsehill Mansion" on its east. "Reuincraig", he says, was " .. so modernised about 1840 that it was difficult to realise that it had been ruined in 1608 ", while the ruins of 'Corsehill House' were removed about the beginning of the 19th century and only foundations could be traced when he wrote. He also thought that "Reuincraig" (i.e. Ruin Craig)

6300-546: The west of it. Dobie categorically states that no records in Ayrshire exist of a 'Ravencraig Castle' and goes on to record that the building on the west side of the Corsehill Burn has been a ruin since 1608 and that the area it stands in was once called 'Corsehill Park . It is worth noting that the Scots for a raven ( Corvus corax ) is a 'Corbie'. The Blaeu map of 1654 based on Timothy Pont 's earlier map gives 'Reuinskraig on

6390-596: The west side of the Clerkland Burn and 'Corshill' on the east side. Both are depicted the same without any clear suggestion of 'Reuinskraig' being a ruin. The 1779 estate map of Lainshaw shows Corsehill as a relatively small and apparently intact property on the east bank of the Corsehill/Clerkland Burn, reached by a road branching off at Cocklebie , running across the top of what is now the Cunninghame-Watt Park and turning uphill to reach

6480-472: Was abundant on the Corsehill Burn below Robertland in 1915. As far away as Dalgarven Mill the white flowered variety still dominates. The plant is very adept at reproducing by asexual plantlets and this maintains the white gene pool around Stewarton. The pink variety has not been able to predominate here, unlike almost everywhere else in the lowlands of Scotland, England and Wales. Claytonia sibirica

6570-399: Was an annual event unique to Stewarton in the 18th Century. "Our annual fair took place on Monday last. In the morning there was a large turnout of cattle. . . . Our Cadgers’ procession was a slight improvement on some former occasions, and headed by a brass band they marched through the town, thence to a field on the farm of Robertland where the races took place". Horses were traded and much of

6660-532: Was at Darlington, the village which lay just beyond Stewarton on the Kingsford road before the East Burn. Corsehill castle is shown in one old print of 1691 by Gross as Corsehill House and substantial remains existed until the railway was constructed and most of the ruins were used to build the embankment. It is recorded that an avenue of trees ran down from the well planted Corsehill into Stewarton. The single tower that remains today (2006) of Ravenscraig / Corsehill

6750-619: Was awarded a Victoria Cross in the Crimean War . He had served as a lieutenant in the 1st Battalion, The Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own). On November 20, 1854, he was with a party detailed to drive the Russians from some rifle pits. After dark they launched a surprise attack and the Russian riflemen were forced to move from their cover. The officer in command was killed. However, the two soldiers withstood several counter-attacks during

6840-443: Was difficult to realise that it had been ruined in 1608, while the ruins of "Corsehill" were removed about the beginning of the 19th century and only foundations could be traced when he wrote. He also thought that "Reuincraig" (i.e. Ruin Craig) was not an original name. If Dobie is correct, the ruins published as "Corsehill Castle" on the OS 6", must be those of "Reuincraig", both because they are standing remains, and because they are on

6930-426: Was formed in the 1850s with a poorhouse at Irvine but had a different area from the ancient district. The Cunninghame name was revived for a local government district created in 1975 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 , which established a two-tier structure of local government across Scotland comprising upper-tier regions and lower-tier districts. Cunninghame was one of nineteen districts created within

7020-479: Was formed with identical boundaries to Cunninghame District. The name Cunninghame is still used for two constituencies in the Scottish Parliament , namely Cunninghame North and Cunninghame South . The first election to the district council was held in 1974, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until it came into its powers on 16 May 1975. Political control of

7110-492: Was given the dignity of a baronet in 1672. In 1626 Alexander Cunningham senior of Corsehill is recorded. In 1691 the Hearth Tax records show the 'House of Corsehill' as having ten hearths and suggests that 83 other dwellings were in the barony. David Cunningham was the last to occupy Corsehill House and he then lived at Doura Hall near Kilwinning where he had proposed building himself a new laird's house. In 1685, Alexander,

7200-457: Was granted a coat of arms by Lord Lyon King of Arms in 1979. The main feature of the arms was a black "shakefork" from the arms of Clan Cunningham . To the left was the arms of the former royal burgh of Irvine, based on the crest of the royal arms of Scotland , and said to have been granted to the town by King David I . To the right was an ancient ship which had appeared in the arms of both Bute County Council and Arran District Council. Above

7290-426: Was located between Lochridge and Ward Park house. Stewarton Golf Club (now defunct) was founded in 1912. The club disappeared following WW2. On 27 January 2009, a BP tanker train carrying liquid fuels (diesel and heating oil) from Mossend to Riccarton was derailed at the bridge over the Stewarton to Kilmaurs road at Peacockbank Farm. Several wagons subsequently caught fire. The Lochrig Burn was badly polluted, however

7380-547: Was made in Stewarton as well as many other Ayrshire localities, such as Beith . Robert Burns 's uncle, Robert Burnes , is known to have helped guard the Stewarton Laigh Church graveyard against the activities of body snatchers. David Dale , industrialist, merchant, philanthropist and founder of the world famous cotton mills in New Lanark , was born in Stewarton in 1739. He was the son of William Dale,

7470-520: Was never very large and that the surviving portion showed signs of recent repair. A great treasure is said to lie buried beneath the founds in a dark chamber and that a local man had once starting digging in search of it when a voice arose from deep under the ground saying " Dig no more in ruined Ravenscraig ". A tunnel or Ley tunnel is said to run from near Old Corsehill Castle down to the Annick Water just up stream of Lainshaw Castle . The tunnel

7560-578: Was not an original name. If Dobie is correct, the ruins published as "Corsehill Castle" on the OS 6", must be those of "Reuincraig", both because they are standing remains, and because they are on the west bank of the burn. MacGibbon and Ross, describe Corsehill Castle at the end of the 19th century as a very ruinous mansion of a late date and apparently of an 'L-plan', belonging to the period 1542–1700 so they must be referring to Corsehill House. Grose, in 1797, published an illustration of 'Corshill House', but does not give its exact location. He mentions that " at

7650-516: Was repaired to stabilise it. It seems that Ravenscraig and Corsehill Castles were separate entities, and that a vague memory of Templehouse and its fortalice at Darlington on the lands of Corsehill farm, may have caused some extra confusion as in the King’s Kitchen tale of the location of the Baronial residence. An area opposite the site of Templehouses was known as 'The Castle' and this may reflect

7740-566: Was supposedly crawled through by the grandfather of a local man. This tunnel may be related to the drainage of the nearby, flooded quarry, the Water Plantation area and other Lainshaw estate lands. An area opposite the site of Templehouses was known as 'The Castle'. and this may reflect the existence of the castle or fortalice here (Hewitt 2006). An old road also crossed the river here and ran up to Robertland Castle and Nether Robertland (Lainshaw 1779). Steven states that William Dean held

7830-514: Was the district about Stewarton and along the banks of the Irvine populated for a space of 3 or 4 miles (5 or 6 kilometres) " that well traveled men in divers parts of Europe (affirm) that they have seen walled cities not so well or near planted with houses so near each other as they are here, wherethrough it is so populous that, at the ringing of a bell in the night for a few hours, there have seen convene 3000 able men, well-horsed and armed." Another significant event from Stewarton's history involves

7920-514: Was the eighth baronet, marrying Charlotte Niven Doig Hutchison, grand-niece of William Niven of Maybole , who left her much of his wealth, this being over £100,000. Sir William James Montgomery Cuninghame was the ninth baronet of Corsehill and Kirltonholme. He is buried at Kirkmichael in South Ayrshire . He was born in 1834 and died on 11 November 1897. His wife Elizabeth is also buried at Kirkmichael and died on 12 February 1936. William

8010-535: Was the first of the House of Corsehill in 1532. In 1532 his father had granted to him the lands of Doura, Potterton , Little Robertland, and the two Corsehills. In 1538 he was also granted Cuttiswray, Clarklands, et Hillhouse. He was a great supporter of the reform movement and had his lands forfeited, later returned and died in 1545. Cuthbert Cunningham, son of Andrew, inherited and married Matilda 'Maud' Cunningham of Aiket Castle . He had two sons, Alexander and Patrick,

8100-631: Was titled "roadmaker in Stewarton", being employed by the Kilmarnock to Irvine road committee. He worked with the specifications of a road 24 feet (7.3 metres) wide, 14 inches (36 centimetres) thick in the middle to 10 in (25 cm) in the sides, the understratum to be made of stones not exceeding 6 lb (2.5 kg) tron weight and 6 in (15 cm) thick, etc. Very precise requirements which would cost seven shilling per fall from Annick Bridge to Gareer Burn, but ten shillings per fall from Gareer Burn to Corsehouse bridge (Crosshouse) because of

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