25-540: Cunninghamhead is a hamlet on the Annick Water in the Parish of Dreghorn, North Ayrshire , Scotland. The area was part of the old Cunninghamhead estate, and once contained several watermills. The area is recorded as far back as Pont's / Blaeu's map of 1654 where it is listed as Kunghamhead with a water mill situated nearby. The mill appears on Armstrong's map of 1775. This relatively large mill still exists today as
50-623: A BP tanker train carrying liquid fuels (diesel and heating oil) from Mossend to Riccarton was derailed near the bridge over the Stewarton to Kilmaurs road at Peacockbank Farm. Several wagons subsequently caught fire. The Annick Water was polluted, however, it escaped major contamination. Mesolithic man used the Annick as his waterway. From Bourtreehill to Dreghorn , the Annick has presented us with many artifacts dating from that time. Indeed, recent archaeological evidence from Dreghorn uncovered
75-409: A few other buildings, probably 'butt and bens' and cothouses occupied by farm and other labourers. The 1897 25 inch to the mile clearly marks 'Crossroads' in bold letters. Therefore this hamlet does seems to have been called Crossroads and the name Cunninghamhead only referred at this time to the estate and mansion. Aitken's 1829 map confirms that the name Crossroads as does Railton's of 1856, whilst
100-467: A private house. One of the millers here was a cousin of the Smiths of Coldstream Mill and he taught them the milling craft (Griffith 2004). A track from the mill ran to Byres Farm and thus to the main road (Bartholomew 1912). The leat for the mill ran from a dam on the other side of the 'river loop', then behind the miller's dwelling to finally run under the road to enter the mill site. It is said locally that
125-615: A weir existed close to Lainshaw House, raising the water level to form an area which was ideal for water fowl. A small weir is still present beneath the surviving bridge into the Lainshaw Holm. Wooden carriageway bridges existed at two places on the Lainshaw estate; the stone built abutments are still visible. A number of old bridges cross the Annick Water along its entire length, such as at Stewarton and Chapeltoun . Notable
150-563: Is done by raising the hem and tying it with a garter round each limb above the calf - the cotte bulging a little, like a pineapple. Annick Water The Annick Water (previously also spelled as Annack, Annoch (1791) or Annock) is the largest tributary of the River Irvine . The river runs from Long Loch , just inside East Renfrewshire , in a generally south-western direction through North Ayrshire and East Ayrshire , to confluence with its parent river at Irvine, North Ayrshire on
175-523: Is the 17th century remains of bridge-supports in Bourtreehill 's own stretch of the Annick. Other early railway bridges cross its shallow and easy waters. The lower reaches were known as Strathannick in the 18th century, but the name has sadly gone out of use. During a particularly long feud between the Cunningham and Montgomery families in the 16th and 17th centuries, the fourth Earl of Eglinton
200-419: Is well known as they were a major consideration in the exploitation of coal. Nothing remains of the sawmill other than a vague indication of the lade and the exit onto the river. It had a right-angle turn on its lade, which is a very unusual feature. The point at which the lade changes direction may have been the site of the old mill marked on the 1832 map, but not afterwards, and the lade was then later reused for
225-522: The Dreghorn parish churchyard. The statistical report refers to the hamlet as Cunninghamhead railway station in around 1875. Dykehead Smithy was located at the bend of the road before the crossroads on the Kilmaurs road end side. Crossroads used to actually be a 'true' cross road junction of two roads, B769 and the road to Torranyard and Kilmaurs roads. It is believed that on the grounds of safety
250-543: The Sargasso Sea has been known to cross land at certain sections of the Annick River. This is a common habit of the eel but the sight is rather odd. As well as some Trout and Salmon it has a healthy population of Sticklebacks, Minnows, Freshwater Shrimps, Freshwater Limpets, Caddisfly Larvae, Blackfly, Stonefly and Leeches, indicating that the water quality is good. Mallard and heron are frequently encountered and
275-419: The 1923 OS map seems to call the hamlet site Dykehead, which is the farm name. Dykehead may refer to a dyke or dike as has been described crossing the river relatively nearby, especially as Dykehead is marked on Pont's 1654 map at a time when very few stone hedges or dykes existed. The Wallace family were blacksmiths for several generations, living and working at Crossroads in the 19th century. They are buried at
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#1732791711534300-576: The Devil to make a road across this moss in a single night.(Service, P. 105) Downstream from the mill was a sawmill fed from a lade which took its water from a dam built on a natural dyke across the Annick. These dykes, bands of especially hard rock, are found at several points crossing the river and many were exploited as the basis for dams, such as also occurred at Dalgarven Mill on the River Garnock . The course and position of most of these dykes
325-532: The Kerr sisters. Just across the Annick Bridge is located a dwelling called 'Tail' on Aitken's 1829 map and Roys map of 1745 - 47. The 1850s OS map shows a dwelling known as Hallgate existing in the middle of the first field on the right after crossing Cunnighamhead Bridge. The only remains are the entrance drive as well as ground depressions and hummocks on the satellite views. Tail and Hallgate appear to be in
350-479: The dam was removed, after the closure of the mill, by the anglers, who lost salmon to poachers gaffing them as they leapt over it. The leat has been filled in. The course of the lane has changed, once running directly in front of the miller's house. The miller's house is particularly well constructed and ornamented, being owned, like the mill, by the Cunninghamhead Estate until sold after the death of
375-462: The earth riverside banks at Cunninghamhead and elsewhere. The riverside vegetation includes Butterburr, Reed-Canary Grass, Rushes, Water Forget-Me-Not, Brooklime-Speedwell, Giant Hogweed, Hemlock Water-Dropwort, Willows and Alders. B769 road B roads are numbered routes in Great Britain of lesser importance than A roads . See the article Great Britain road numbering scheme for
400-474: The fields, called 'Breeking the Cotte', literally 'making a skirt into trousers' was a habit of women working on the farms in this parish according to Milligan and McMichael. Two methods are recorded, the first being by sewing a button on the hem in front and a loop on the hem behind, and buttoning it together between the ankles; it is usually adopted by wives. The other, which gives more scope for athletic movements,
425-430: The junction was altered to a staggered junction in about the mid 1980s it was renamed to "Cunninghamhead", which causes great confusion with Cunninghamhead Estate. The alteration of the junction to Springside just beyond the old Cunninghamhead railway station bridge was altered at around about the same time. A quaint method of tying up the skirt at the front in a knot or from below with string to prevent it getting dirty in
450-499: The occasional Great Crested Grebe can be seen. Eels are sometimes to be found on land, especially in wet weather, taking a shortcut across the top of the lengthy loops that are found in the river in the area. Marchantia polymorpha, the Common Liverwort grows on the bare bedrock dykes of the Annick near Cunninghamhead Mill, this plant being much rarer than the name suggests. Pellia epiphyla and Lunularia liverworts grow on
475-505: The oldest continually used settlement in Europe. This mesolithic village was on the banks of the Annick. A number of mills existed along its length with only Cunninghamhead Mill still standing today (2006). Lambroch Mill was located near Laigh Castleton Farm. Scroaggy or Fairliecrevoch Mill was a waulk or cloth mill and existed until the 1960s, with its lade cutting across the large loop in the river near Ramstane. Downstream from Cunninghamhead
500-461: The river for several hours, unsuccessfully. The body was found in the river a few days later near the sewerage works. North American mink have been sighted along the banks of the Annick. This aggressive animal was unfortunately introduced to Britain and has been the cause for much concern for many years. Kingfishers have been spotted flying above the surface of the water, successfully catching small fish in their beaks. The eel, which originates in
525-477: The same location. An area of well established and biodiverse woodland is present nearby, containing a very large specimen of a Black Poplar (2009), a rare tree in Ayrshire. Evidence suggests that the name Cunninghame was originally produced as 'Kinikim' and in the 18th century Cunninghamhead Moss was still referred to as Kinnicumheid Moss. A legend is told of how the warlock Laird of Auchenskeith near Dalry set
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#1732791711534550-482: The sawmill. A mill-wand was the rounded piece of wood acting as an axle with which several people would role a millstone form the quarry to the mill and to permit this the width of some early roads was set at a 'mill-wand breadth', giving an early conformity to the appearance of country lanes (Gauldie 1981). The 1860 OS map shows the Crossroads hamlet to only consist of the school, toll house and Dykehead farm with
575-467: The west coast of Scotland. The name may derive from the Gaelic for 'overflowing' and Strathannick is very much prone to flooding as recorded by SEPA . The water now (2006) appears to be pollution free for most of its length. An independent survey in the Bourtreehill (1999) area revealed a strong colony of freshwater shrimp, a crustacean known only to live in relatively clean water. On 27 January 2009
600-464: Was a sawmill and a corn mill existed in Perceton near the old church. Scroag or scrog is a crab apple or gnarled treestumps in old Scots and this 'nickname' well describes the area where the mill stood. A number of fords and stepping stones are present, notably at Chapeltoun , Lambroch Mill, and at Ramstane where a footbridge was also present. A footbridge is still present at Laigh Castleton and
625-565: Was murdered at a ford on the Annick at Bridgend in Stewarton. The river can be dangerous and a gravestone in Dreghorn Parish Church records the death by drowning of a young lad from Perceton in Victorian times. On 18 August 2007 a Stewarton boy, Dean McGregor, fell into the Annick Water when it was in flood. The scene of the tragedy was near Lainshaw House . An RAF 'Search and Rescue' helicopter from HMS Gannet searched
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