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98-670: Beith (locally / b iː ð / ) is a small town in the Garnock Valley , North Ayrshire , Scotland approximately 20 miles (30 kilometres) south-west of Glasgow . The town is situated on the crest of a hill and was known originally as the " Hill o' Beith " (hill of the birches) after its Court Hill . Beith's name is thought to emanate from Ogham , which is sometimes referred to as the " Celtic Tree Alphabet ", ascribing names of trees to individual letters. Beithe in Old Irish means Birch-tree (cognate to Latin betula ). There

196-418: A hermit , according to tradition Saint Inan often visited Beith, frequenting Cuff Hill with its Rocking Stone and various other prehistoric monuments. A cleft in the west-front of Lochlands Hill is still known as " St. Inan's Chair " and said to have been used by the saint as a pulpit. An unsuccessful search for the saint's writings which were said to be preserved in the library of Bonci, Archbishop of Pisa ,

294-505: A 14th-century vault below it that was the crypt (and prison) of the former building. A second tunnel (in which a pig was once lost) heads from the Castle for Carrow Priory (TM242073 area), a Benedictine nunnery whose scant 12th century remains on the outskirts of Norwich are incorporated into a residence of the Colman family, near the junction of King Street and Bracondale. The third tunnel from

392-483: A Scandinavian origin of the legends. Bracknell 's Old Manor is a sturdy 17th century brick manor house having a priest hole and is said to have secret passages connecting to the exterior. Droitwich Spa is said to have a passageway that leads from St Augustine's church, Dodderhill, to Friar Street in the town centre. A system of tunnels is said to run from there to St Augustine's and St Andrew's churches. The story that Thomas Becket fled from Northampton Castle

490-517: A burial ground for the Woodside family. Later on, however, it was closed for further burials and partly renovated, with the old high wall replaced by railings and paths dugs over the ground. Presently, there are no sepulchres of the old baronial families left standing, and the earliest graves date back only until 1710. There are a number of memorials to the Spier and Dobie families within the grounds of

588-655: A fascination due to their being hidden from view and their contents, purpose, extent and destinations remaining unknown. Over the centuries many underground structures have been discovered by chance, ranging from Cornish fogous , souterrains that are possibly Pictish , Roman and medieval sewers to smuggling tunnels , escape tunnels, siege tunnels, and the like. On occasion, possible tunnels prove to be of purely natural origin, such as at Cleeves Cove cave in Scotland, or Kents Cavern in England. The site at Cleeves Cove cave

686-409: A field that lay in the parish of Tocketts. Halfway along was said to be a chest of gold guarded by a raven or crow. In Redcar and Cleveland almost every old castle and ruined monastery has its legend of a subterranean passage leading therefrom, which someone has penetrated to a certain distance, and has seen an iron chest, supposed to be full of gold, on which was perched a raven. The raven may suggest

784-543: A footpath network around the woodland area. William Fulton Love, writer and bank agent in Beith, built Geilsland House and developed this small estate near Gateside in the 19th century although the deeds go back to the 17th century. Geilsland was a special school, run by the Church of Scotland as part of its CrossReach initiative. This mansion house and estate stood on the outskirts of Beith in an area now cut through by

882-497: A long, winding secret passage which led directly into the castle, allowing them to surprise and capture Mortimer. Other tunnels are products of an excessive desire for personal privacy, such as at Welbeck Abbey and Brownlow Castle. Another tunnel allowed for the supposed free and secret movement of monks, abbots and other ecclesiastics who may have had cause to keep a low profile for fear of attack or abusive treatment during periods of unrest or persecution. Smugglers at times avoided

980-486: A mythical piper. Monkredding was a property of Kilwinning Abbey and a tunnel is said to link the two properties. Another tunnel is said to run from Stanecastle to Dundonald . A subterranean passage was found by workmen at Stanecastle in the 19th century. A tunnel is said to run from near Ravenscraig Castle down to the Annick Water just up stream of Lainshaw Castle . The tunnel was reportedly crawled through by

1078-622: A number of years the main manufacturers of mantlepieces in Scotland , some were designed in the elegant style, and required the skill of expert woodcarvers. Matthew Pollock Ltd supplied furniture to both the RMS ; Queen Mary and the RMS  Queen Elizabeth II . I am from beith and believe it was beithcraft who supplied furniture for the RMS Queen Elizabeth II Furniture is no longer produced in Beith due to

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1176-428: A reputation for high-quality furniture. The origins of the industry can be traced back to Mathew Dale who started by making hand-built furniture for local people in 1845. A former employee of Dale, Matthew Pollock progressed the manufacturing by introducing machinery in a factory setting 3 miles (5 kilometres) outside of the town at Beith North railway station. After approximately twelve years, Pollock and his brothers sold

1274-401: A short distance south of Beith. It commanded an excellent view and was well sheltered with trees. Owned by Robert Shedden, who purchased the land in 1748, it is notoriously linked to the case of James Montgomery. James Montgomery, an enslaved African , was brought from Virginia to Beith by Shedden. He wanted Montgomery, then called " Shanker ", apprenticed to a joiner so that he would learn

1372-695: A skill and could then be sold for a large profit back in Virginia . James was trained in carpentry by Robert Morrice, husband of Shedden's sister Elizabeth Montgomery. When Shanker was baptised in Beith Parish Church (by the Rev. John Witherspoon ) with the name James Montgomery in April 1756, Shedden objected. Montgomery was dragged nearly 30 miles (50 kilometres) to Port Glasgow behind horses to be taken back to Virginia but escaped to Edinburgh before

1470-469: A tunnel. A tunnel is said to run the one and a half miles from Craufurdland Castle to Dean Castle in Kilmarnock , Ayrshire. It was used to provision Dean Castle when it was besieged for several months in the time of Edward I, and the siege was only abandoned when the besieged hung several freshly killed sheep over the wall and offered them to the attackers. The tunnel entrance was only blocked up in

1568-484: Is a committee of North Ayrshire council. The trust committee decided in 2007 to investigate ways of making better use of the assets of the trust in particular the former school grounds and the council worked in partnership to set up a Friends of Spiers (FoS) organisation to develop ideas and seek funding. North Ayrshire Council was successful in an application to the Forestry Commission to provide funding for

1666-581: Is a well documented part of 12th century history, but how the persecuted Archbishop of Canterbury managed to flee from the fortress remains a mystery. One myth is that he fled from the clutches of Henry II through a tunnel that linked the castle to All Saints Church in Mercers Row. At Binham Priory in Norfolk a fiddler entered the tunnel which ran beneath the building and could be heard for some distance before all sound of him suddenly ceased. The fiddler

1764-557: Is about 0.5 km (0.31 mi) wide for the most part and has an area of roughly 3 square kilometres (740 acres). The loch is fed mainly by the Maich Water and is drained by the Dubbs Water that runs into Castle Semple Loch . Early authors often use the term "Garnoth" or "Garnott" and may be referring to a single large loch incorporating Kilbirnie Loch and Loch Winnoch (Barr and Castle Semple Lochs). Boece in his book of 1527

1862-558: Is about a tunnel from Glastonbury Abbey to the Tor. At one time some thirty monks were rumoured to have entered the Tor via this tunnel, but only three came out again, and two of them were insane and one was struck dumb. Another widely believed legend is that of a long-distance tunnel leading from the crypt of the Lady (or Galilee) Chapel, under the River Brue to a distant point, possibly to

1960-478: Is known locally as " Dummy Cottage ". The entire outside of the sandstone building is indented with marks giving it a most unusual appearance; in earlier years it was a Toll House . A deaf-and-dumb young man lived in the cottage in earlier times, hence the unfortunate acquired name " Dummy Cottage ". Kilbirnie Loch (NS 330 543), is in the floodplain of between Kilbirnie , Glengarnock and Beith, and runs south-west to north-east for almost 2 km (1.2 mi),

2058-438: Is more likely to be around 80%. The current population is around 6,000 helped by the completion of ten private housing estates dating from 1966 to the present and by redevelopment of sites within the town. The town has good transport links to Glasgow . North Ayrshire is ranked fifth highest in Scotland in terms of percentage of the population living in the most deprived areas. These areas have been targeted for regeneration by

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2156-484: Is no longer the case and the stone is now fully set into the ground. An article was published in Cumnock Chronicle in 1907 on the reason for the stone being dislodged. Signed by a Messer's Robert Boyle & Robert Currie. The area surrounding Willowyards and its whisky bond are characterised by a black staining that covers all living and non-living surfaces to varying degrees. The research that first led to

2254-746: Is now Busby Road. No sign of the tunnel has yet been found. A submarine passage is said to run from the Monks' Cave on Little Cumbrae at Stor Hill to Kingarth on the Isle of Bute. A tunnel was said to have run between James V's Boghouse Castle to the nearby village of Crawfordjohn in South Lanarkshire . King James had built the castle for his mistress the daughter of Carmichael of Crawford. At Strathaven Castle in South Lanarkshire tunnels are recorded in local tradition as running from

2352-483: Is reason to believe that the whole of the district was covered with woods. The town of Beith itself was once known as 'Hill of Beith' as this was the name of the feudal barony and was itself derived from the Court Hill near Hill of Beith Castle . Alternatively, Beith may be derived from Cumbric *baɣeδ , 'boar' ( Welsh baedd ). The local pronunciation of the name would favour this theory. The Wood of Beit, now

2450-530: Is said to run beneath Hertford Castle , running to Dinsley and other local places. A 'secret tunnel' exists at Pevensey Castle in East Sussex, although not open for public access. It links the keep with the former market square and is thought to be Norman in origin; it was reused during the Second World War . A series of tunnels are said to lie beneath Glastonbury Tor . The most famous tale

2548-475: Is still called the Smugglers Tavern, recalling the days when Beith's location between the coast and Paisley and Glasgow , made it a convenient stopping off point for those involved in nefarious activities. A possible relic of the smuggling days of Beith is the ley tunnel that is said to run from Eglinton Street to Kilbirnie Loch. Now a small housing estate, the house and land of Morrishill stood

2646-456: Is supposed to run from the Castle to nearby Easby Abbey . Some soldiers once sent a drummer-boy along it to test the theory and followed the sound of his drum almost halfway to the Abbey. The drumming suddenly stopped and the boy was never seen again, but his ghost is said to haunt the tunnel, from where a slow drumbeat is still sometimes heard. A memorial stone marks the spot at which the drum beat

2744-497: Is the main source of the Powgree Burn and partly lay on the lands of Boghall. On or around the margin of the loch piles or stakes of oak or elm have been discovered and it is thought that these may be the remains of crannogs . The Beith Rocking Stone , sits on top of Cuff Hill. According to local folklore, Saint Inan frequented the stone. Legend states that the stone rocked from side to side on an unseen fulcrum, however this

2842-493: The Abbot of Kilwinning used to administer justice to his vassals & tenants. It is a sub-oval, flat-topped mound, situated at the foot of a small valley . A number of large stones are visible in the sides of the mound. It is turf-covered, probably situated on a low outcrop, and is mostly an artificial work. Pre-dating the channelling of the burn which detours around it, the mound was probably isolated in this once marshy outflow of

2940-551: The Court Hill or attend to other business and later the local laird. No clearly undisputed remains have been found of the tower or grange buildings, however the New Statistical Account of 1845 written by the local minister, George Colville, states that the castle stood close to the Court Hill. Loch Brand or Bran was the name by which Boghall Loch was formerly known. The loch, now almost completely drained,

3038-527: The Heritors of Beith, anno 1734 ″. The kirk had been built in a rather precarious position on a cliff-side, and from 1807 to 1810 it was rebuilt a little further up the hill as the new Parish Church . The Heritors then moved the older portions of the Auld Kirk to the new one, leaving only the front door, the clock and the belfry. There was not much left of the old kirk after that, and it came to be used as

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3136-513: The Hillman Imp , a competitor to BMC's Mini , and provided up to 9,000 jobs during peak production but was closed by Peugeot-Citroen in 1981. It has been estimated that 13,000 workers were left jobless in the region as both direct and indirect consequences of the Linwood closure. In 1966 a local survey estimated that 48% of the population worked outside the town whilst today the figure

3234-762: The Historia Gentis Scotorum (History of the Scottish People), says that this one entity was "nocht unlike the Loch Doune full of fische". There is a long history of drainage schemes and farming operations in the Lochwinnoch area, with co-ordinated attempts dating from about 1691 by Lord Sempill , followed by Colonel McDowal of Castle Sempil in 1774, James Adams of Burnfoot, and by others. Until these drainage works Loch Winnoch and Kilbirnie Loch nearly met and often did during flooding, to

3332-558: The Irvine Customs House, escaping with a rich booty of confiscated contraband goods and by 1789 a company of 76 soldiers were quartered in the town dealing with the continuing illicit trade in tea, tobacco, and spirits. This caused great inconvenience to the law-abiding citizens on whom the soldiers were billeted. The town was policed in this fashion for some time thereafter. Hence, the Main Street's popular public house

3430-688: The Office for National Statistics , based on the 2011 Census estimates, 91.2 per cent of the 6,200 inhabitants of Beith were born in Scotland, with 6.9 per cent born in the United Kingdom, 0.8 per cent from other countries in the European Union and 1.2 per cent classified as other country. Garnock Valley Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include

3528-697: The Wayback Machine at the University of the West of Scotland in Paisley , and a plaque, placed by DSDI in 2009 in Beith town centre. The Scottish Poet Robert Tannahill 's relatives lived at Boghall Farm near Gateside . His mother, Janet Pollock, came from Boghall although she spent much of her life at the home of her uncle, Hugh Brodie, who farmed at Langcroft at the foot of Calder Glen, near Lochwinnoch . Robert Tannahill (3 June 1774 - 17 May 1810),

3626-614: The local authority . This involves the targeting of activity and resources by the community planning partnership in relation to housing, crime, income, employment, health, skills and training and access to services. A small area of Beith is one of three regeneration areas in the Garnock Valley . These are the smallest regeneration areas in Ayrshire . This is partly because rural deprivation tends to be less geographically concentrated than urban deprivation, and so it remains more hidden, being experienced by individuals and households rather than

3724-410: The 'Moor of Beith', has been identified as an Arthurian site where according to Taliessin in a poem under the name of 'Canowan' it was the site of a battle in the wood of Beit at the close of the day. Beith is said to have been the occasional residence of Saint Inan , a confessor of some celebrity, whose principal place of abode was Irvine . He flourished about 839. Although he is said to have been

3822-475: The 1950s. A local tradition was that an underground passage ran from Caldwell House to the old Lugton Inn (now demolished), under the Lugton Water. A search by owners in the cellars did not reveal any signs of a hidden passage. Persistent rumours exist of a tunnel which is said to run from Kilwinning Abbey , under the 'Bean Yaird', below the 'Easter Chaumers' and the 'Leddy firs', and then underneath

3920-466: The Auld Kirk, and also a memorial to Robert Patrick of Hazelhead (Inspector General of Army Hospitals). A sundial dating from the 1840s is also visible, and a stone coat of arms thought to originate from the Auld Kirk manse can be seen nearby, in Reform Street. Beith Townhouse was built by public subscription in 1817; the lower part of the building originally consisted of two shops, one of which

4018-529: The Brownlow tunnel was that Lord Brownlow had a very over protective wife, and after many years of a good marriage, things went sour, so Brownlow had this tunnel dug so he would be able to exit the castle after dark without his wife's finding out. Once out, he would go on the hunt for some Lurgan lassies, book a room at the Ashburn Hotel, then leave early in the morning to get back in time for breakfast at

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4116-598: The Castle ran to the Norman cathedral to the north-east (TM235089), begun in 1096 by Bishop Herbert de Losinga and finally consecrated in 1101-2. Yet another subterranean way links the Castle with the Crown Derby near the Guildhall. At Norwich Cathedral another tunnel begins, running for about nine miles to the ruins of St Benet's Abbey (TG383157) on the marshes at Ludham . A much shorter one, allegedly used by monks,

4214-456: The Newbury arcade towards this church; these were exposed to the public's gaze during construction work. A tunnel is also said to run from Newbury Castle (400 ft above sea level) and Shaw House (260 ft, thus 140 ft below it). The point of entry is said to be a hollow space (now blocked) in the south-east angle of the enclosure. In 1930 workmen investigated the legend by excavating

4312-608: The North Ayrshire Heritage Centre, including the arched stone known as the shrine . Images of these shrine stones can be viewed in The Gallery section below. A plaque remembering James Dobie resides in Beith Auld Kirk. The Court Hill is near Hill of Beith, below the site of Hill of Beith Castle , Gateside , in the old Barony of Beith. Dobie states that this is the moot hill on which

4410-535: The River Garnock and on to Eglinton Castle . No evidence exists for it, although it may be related to the underground burial vault of the Montgomeries, which does exist under the old abbey, or to the main sewer that would have led from the monastery to the river. In the village of Carmunnock near Glasgow a tunnel is said to have connected the parish church with dwellings used by the monks on what

4508-461: The West Kirk, three quarters of a mile away. Eventually the dog emerged into the daylight, but the piper was never seen or heard of again. The caves below Keil Point on Isle of Arran contain a slab which may have been an ancient altar. It has the prints of two right feet on it, said to be those of Saint Columba. In the 19th century some women found the secret tunnel of Coupar Angus Abbey near

4606-401: The castle of Aalborghus. A student once tried to explore the tunnels with a long cord, a sword and a light. The broken cord was retrieved, but the student was never seen again. At Furness Abbey a tunnel has been said to run underneath the Abbey to both Piel Castle and Dalton Castle . This was said to be how the monks travelled between each monument to receive foodstuffs and keep watch over

4704-636: The castle to the Sweetie's Brae, Mill Brae, and the Tower. Road works in the 19th century did not reveal anything of their existence. A tunnel is believed to exist beneath Culross Abbey in Fife and within a man is said to sit on a golden chair waiting to give valuable treasures to anyone who succeeds in finding him. Many years ago a blind piper decided to try and upon entering at Newgate with his dog he proceeded to search and could be heard playing his pipes as far as

4802-662: The castle with his wife. Lakafinna, to the South of Bullaun , has a castle and local folklore relates that a tunnel exists between this castle and the village of Ballyara. Blackness Castle in Lothian is said to have a tunnel linking it with the House of Binns, about three kilometres distant. A tunnel is said to run from Stanecastle near Irvine to Eglinton Castle and another from Stanecastle to Seagate Castle in Irvine, complete with

4900-461: The cellars under Leicester Castle a witch known as 'Black' or 'Cat Anna' is said to have lived. She is said to have journeyed to the Dane Hills through an underground passage. In Lurgan a tunnel supposedly went from Brownlow House to the local police station, the courthouse and to the church in the middle of the town. Another tunnel was from Soyes Mill to Lurgan Castle. One explanation for

4998-409: The closure of the various manufacturing firms. The closures were caused by a multitude of problems such as the economic downturn, and an inability to compete with self-assembly furniture firms and their increase in popularity. The last major furniture manufacturer to close was Beithcraft (formerly Balfours) which finished in 1983 (after a major fire a few years earlier, which destroyed large sections of

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5096-408: The commodity encouraged local farmers to raise great quantities of flax , and the linen yarn trade peaked around 1760. The manufacture of silk gauze superseded both trades and, from 1777 to 1789, the number of looms in the town producing the gauze peaked at approximately 170. From 1845 until the 1980s, Beith had the honour of being the most important furniture-manufacturing town in Scotland with

5194-435: The details below. Request from 172.68.168.226 via cp1108 cp1108, Varnish XID 216675479 Upstream caches: cp1108 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 07:48:53 GMT Ley tunnel Legends about the existence of secret tunnels usually involve improbably long subterranean passages, sometimes running under major obstacles such as rivers and lakes to reach their destinations. Religious buildings, monks and

5292-525: The early 19th century. Cuthbertson records the tradition of a tunnel running from Dean Castle down to the Kilmarnock Water near the old Begbie's Tavern of Burn's fame. This tunnel is said to have become a public sewer. Greenan Castle is said to be linked by a tunnel to St John's Tower at Montgomerieston in Ayr. Stories of it containing skeletons in chains and the entrance being found circulated in

5390-538: The entrance, but found nothing. At Necton in East Anglia a tunnel is said to run from the restored 14th-century church of All Saints to Necton Hall, in possession of the Mason family since the time of Henry VII. The first of a number of legendary tunnels under Norwich leads from the Castle (TM232085) to the Guildhall (TM231085) near the market-place, erected 1407-13 on the site of the old tollhouse. It still has

5488-433: The excise man by making use of drains, sewers or water supply conduits, although in a few cases they seem to have constructed tunnels for the purpose of smuggling. Bruce Walker, an expert on Scottish vernacular architecture , has suggested that the relatively numerous and usually long-ruined ice houses on country estates may have led to Scotland's many tunnel legends. The appearance of ice house entrance could have prompted

5586-519: The extent that, as stated, early writers such as Boece, Hollings and Petruccio Ubaldini regarded the lochs as one, using the name "Garnoth" or "Garnott". Spier's (pron. Speers ) school stood on the Barmill Road near the old Marshalland Farm . It was built for Mrs Margaret Spier of the Marshalland and Cuff estate in 1887 to commemorate John Spier, her son, who had died at the age of 28,

5684-584: The factory to Robert Balfour, and moved into the town to expand their business. Balfour suffered the same problems as the Pollock Brothers in being unable to attract employees from the town willing to walk the 3 miles (5 kilometres) to work. In 1872, he built a factory near the Beith Town railway station and persuaded the railway company to build a siding to allow easy transportation of raw materials and finished products. The industry expanded across

5782-422: The famous Round Table . On the table lay an ancient horn and a mighty sword. Thompson reached out and picked up the horn, but the sleepers began to awake and, fearing for his life, the potter fled. As he raced down the tunnel back to daylight and safety, he heard a voice behind him declare: The tunnel appears to have been well known, though the cave remains hidden. A second story tells how this subterranean passage

5880-543: The former Boghall Loch (see NS35SE 14). In the 12th century the Barony of Beith was given to the Tironensian monks of Kilwinning Abbey by the wife of Sir Richard de Morville . The farm or Grange of the monks is indicated by the name Grange Hill and a castellated tower indicated as once existing in the area may have been the local dwelling of the Abbot of Kilwinning when he was visiting the barony to deliver justice at

5978-648: The grandfather of a local man and may be related to the drainage of the nearby, now flooded, Hillhouse quarry, the Water Plantation area, and other Lainshaw estate lands. A tunnel is said to run from Loudoun Castle under the River Irvine to Cessnock Castle in Galston, East Ayrshire , Scotland. Culzean Castle in South Ayrshire was built on top of a cave system, the castle's previous name

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6076-464: The grounds. The 16 acres (6 hectares) of woodland and gardens remain a popular site for dog walkers, bird watchers, and those out to enjoy the rural surroundings. There are a number of memorials to the Spier's family in the Auld Kirk grounds and in the local area. The Spier's family left a trust for providing financial help to those from the Garnock Valley pursuing further education. The Trust

6174-473: The land, and fish in the lochs. The Saints of old went where the people were, and they also tended to go where there had been worship of heathen gods. It has been suggested that High Bogside Farm, which used to be called Bellsgrove, was really " Baalsgrove ", which fits in with the story of Saint Inan going to where the pagan gods were. There is an annual civic fete held in the town bearing Saint Inan 's name. The sixteenth century poet Alexander Montgomerie

6272-410: The landed gentry are particularly common elements in many tunnel stories. It is unlikely that many of the recorded tunnels exist physically, for this is a characteristic of their very nature; their significance lies in the number of similar legends of tunnels that have arisen and in connection with the more esoteric notions of channels or paths of earth energy, and such. Underground structures have

6370-469: The larger communities. The area of Beith targeted for regeneration amounts to 359 households and 635 people (approximately 10% of the town's population). The Beith Auld Kirk began as a parish church in 1593. It was built in the form of a cross and was dedicated to Saint Inan . A bell tower and clock were added in 1800. The old bell still stands, and bears this inscription: " This bell was given by Hew Montgomerie, sone of Hessilhead, anno 1614, and refounded by

6468-449: The last of her ten children. It was designed by Campbell Douglas . The school started as a fee paying day and boarding school, becoming part of the county education system in 1937. Following the construction of Garnock Academy , Spier's school closed in 1973 and the buildings were demolished in 1984. Robert Spier and family lived in Beith at number 62 Eglinton Street, formerly Whang Street, and they unusually had their own private chapel in

6566-460: The local area making it a centre of excellence in furniture manufacturing, and building its reputation throughout the world. In the late-1920s, transportation switched away from the railway but the industry continued to burgeon with many companies producing high-quality furniture: Macneill Bros, specialised in board room and library fittings, Stevenson and Higgins made lift cages, which were fitted in many hotels and department stores, Balfours were for

6664-531: The main Dalry to Glasgow road. Built for the Kerr family in the 18th century, Crummock was sold in 1815 to William Wilson, who added to the house and improved the grounds. James Dobie , the historian and author, and his family lived here from 1836. Now demolished and a housing estate built on the site, some boundary walls and a cottage remain. Historic stones which had been built into the kitchen garden were donated to

6762-417: The plant) with the loss of 420 jobs. With this final closure came the end of Beith's reputation for being one of the main furniture manufacturers in the country. This history of carpentry is remembered in the nickname of the local football team, Beith Juniors , who are commonly referred to as " The Cabes " (Cabinet Makers). A large Defence Munitions (DM) centre is located between Beith and Barrmill. The site

6860-399: The scientific identification of the organism causing this black and velvety encrustation was partly carried out using samples from Willowyard. The organism causing what is commonly known as 'Warehouse Staining', is a black fungus, Baudoinia compniacensis which is harmless and feeds upon the 'Angels's Share' of alcohol evaporating from the whisky barrels. Country of birth, 2011 According to

6958-726: The ship sailed. Montgomery sought justice but before a decision could be made by judges he died in Tolbooth Gaol. A signatory of the American Declaration of Independence , the Rev. John Witherspoon , was a former minister of one its Church of Scotland parishes between 1745 and 1757. In 1745 he led the men of Beith to Glasgow to defend King George III against the Young Pretender in the '45 rebellion. Despite receiving orders to return to Beith, Witherspoon carried on,

7056-529: The short passage located at Loudoun Castle in East Ayrshire, Scotland, which leads from the old kitchens to a 'tunnel-like' bridge over the Hag Burn; this may however have been a drain of some kind. Other examples were longer: the young king Edward III was imprisoned by Roger de Mortimer, 1st Earl of March at Nottingham Castle , and in 1330 a small group of armed supporters of Edward III made use of

7154-534: The site of the house in New Street where he was born. Aitken was a land surveyor and cartographer who published in Beith a New Parish Atlas of Ayrshire in 1829. About the time of the Act of Union , trade in linen cloth was introduced to Beith, which became so considerable, that the Beith markets were frequented by merchants from the neighbouring towns every week. By the 1730s, the declining linen cloth business

7252-466: The sound of ghostly hoofbeats often heard emanating from under the ground around the Cathedral Close. One smugglers' tunnel was rumoured to run from Kinson, now a Bournemouth suburb, to the coast some four miles away. In the 19th century, it was said that an underground passage ran from the remains of the 12th century Gisborough Priory , immediately south of Guisborough parish church, to

7350-575: The surrender of a small group of Royalists, whom he heard to be present at the Maid's Head Hotel. According to legend, as the Parliamentarians entered the hotel, the Royalists retreated through a secret tunnel, stretching steel ropes across the way behind them. Many of Cromwell's men (and their horses) were beheaded as they raced through the tunnel in pursuit, and this incident is used to explain

7448-615: The towns. It has also been rumoured that the Holy Grail and King John's missing jewels are hidden somewhere inside it. Richmond Castle in North Yorkshire stands in a cliff-top position overlooking the River Swale . A potter named Thompson is said to have discovered a tunnel entrance at the bottom of this cliff. Following it deep into the hillside, he came to a large cavern where slept King Arthur and his knights around

7546-647: The tunnel. Cleeves Cove cave , the site of the Elfhame , is said to be connected to Loudoun Hill. It is reported that once the Laird of Auchenskeich's collie dog entered the cave at its entrance above the Dusk Water and came out at Loudoun Hill near Darvel , many miles away. The end of the Cleeves Cove system is said to have never been found. Mauchline Castle is said to be linked to Kingencleugh Castle by

7644-478: The uninitiated to make such deductions since ice houses are often inconspicuously located in such places as ha-ha walls, house and stable basements, woodland banks, and open fields. Many legends are associated with the actual and supposed activities of the Knights Templar and they are rich in stories about tunnels connecting the various properties that the order possessed up to the 12th century, when it

7742-583: The village of Street, where a passage exists from an outlying building in the grounds of the old manor house. A dog is said to have been put into the tunnel at Street and found his way out at the Glastonbury end. A tunnel is said to run from King's College Chapel to Granchester Manor, Cambridge , passing under the river Cam. A tunnel is said to run from Newbury Town Hall to St Nicolas Church. This belief may have started because there are east-west flowing brick Victorian service tunnels running from roughly

7840-430: Was 'Cove', Scots for cave. The Marquess of Ailsa sent his piper into the cave and he was never seen again however, according to the legend, the sound of bagpipes can still be heard at the piper's brae that lies above the caverns. A tunnel is said to run from the old Giffen Castle near Beith to the now abandoned farm of Bank of Giffen; some years back some children are said to have found and made their way safely through

7938-536: Was also the sixth president of Princeton University and showed great commitment to liberal education and republican government. He died in 1794 on his farm that he had built" Tusculum, " just outside Princeton , and is buried in the Princeton Cemetery . –His direct descendants include actress Reese Witherspoon , and he is commemorated by statues in Washington D.C. , [1] Archived 2 December 2014 at

8036-462: Was an ironmonger's operated by George B. Inglis from 1862 until around 1900. There was also a small room where prisoners were kept prior to their appearance in the upper hall which was used as a JP Court, Sheriff Small Debt Circuit Court, meeting of the road trustees and as a public meeting room. It was also used as a public reading room. For the first twenty years the management of the Town House

8134-571: Was being succeeded by considerable trade in linen yarn. Crawford Brothers, flax spinners and makers of linen thread and shoe thread opened in Crummock in 1775 and moved to a factory at Barr Farm, Barrmill in 1836. The factory changed hands, continuing in production as the English Sewing Company until 1946. Beith merchants purchased the yarn made in the local area, and sold it to Paisley and Glasgow manufacturers. The demand for

8232-439: Was built in 1807 and extended in 1885. Gothic T-plan kirk dominated by the tall five-stage tower. Stained glass by Gordon Webster. Harrison & Harrison pipe organ 1885. The High Church is a category B listed building. Our Lady of Perpetual Succour RC Church was built with a churchyard, in 1816, to replace the 1761 building on a different site. Re-built in 1910, it became a Roman Catholic place of worship in 1921. Scapa Cottage

8330-436: Was built in 1883, designed by architect Robert Baldie. The chief external feature is a graceful octagonal tower. The interior was destroyed by fire in 1917, and rebuilt in 1926. Gothic style, with rectangular nave, Gothic arched chancel and one transept on the east side. The stained glass windows are by John C Hall & Co. Organ 1937 by Hill, Norman & Beard. The church is a category C listed building. The Beith High Church

8428-695: Was captured at the Battle of Falkirk and imprisoned for a time in Doune Castle . He later emigrated and became a member of the US congress and in July 1776 he voted for the Resolution for Independence . In answer to an objection that the country was not yet ready for independence, according to tradition, he replied that it " was not only ripe for the measure, but in danger of rotting for the want of it. " Witherspoon

8526-558: Was hoped at the time, that it would reduce costs by £50m a year by 2010. Historically in recent times, the major employers in the area were the Glengarnock Steelworks and the Linwood car manufacturing plant . Outwith the furniture industry, a large proportion of the local population were employed within these industries. At its peak, the local Steelworks had 3,000 employees, but by the time it closed in 1985 it had been reduced to 200. The Linwood car plant manufactured

8624-540: Was in the hands of the JPs of Beith, Dalry, and Kilbirnie, the heritors of the parishes, the propietors of certain houses in Beith, and finally tenants of said houses within 1 ⁄ 2 mile (800 m) of the cross. Beith hosts three listed 19th-century churches: Two Beith Parish Churches of the Church of Scotland , and the Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour. The Trinity Church

8722-428: Was known as the 'Weaver Poet', his music and poetry is contemporaneous with that of Robert Burns and they both died when relatively young. Henry Faulds , the originator of the concept of forensic use of fingerprinting , was born in Beith in 1843. A well-travelled man, he explained the suitability of fingerprinting for the identification of criminals and also wrote to Charles Darwin to forward his ideas. The letter

8820-634: Was last heard. It is believed that the legendary tunnel was constructed in medieval times as an escape route to the castle for the abbot and canons of the abbey in case of an attack from the Scots, who were continually making raids into the northern counties of England. A smugglers' tunnel is said to run from Smugglers' Farm in Herstmonceux , Sussex to the Pevensey Marshes, a good distance away. A whole network of secret Knights Templar tunnels

8918-503: Was made by Colonel Mure of Caldwell in the 19th century. Saint Inan is said to have preached to the assembled people from the chair on the hill. There was not a great population in the area at that time and the people were located not in Beith, but up on the top of the Bigholm near to the old Beith water dams . The first settlements were in the heavily wooded areas around the dams where people were safe from attack and could get food from

9016-599: Was never published and he died in 1930, aged 86, bitter at the lack of recognition he had received for his work. His work in Japan is remembered by a memorial stone in Tokyo . In 2007 a memorial was also placed in view in Woolstanton near to St Margaret's churchyard, where he was laid to rest. On 12 November 2004 a substantial memorial stone with interpretation plaques were dedicated to his memory in Beith town centre close to

9114-525: Was never seen again. The rhyme below dates from the 17th century and recalls the tradition that a tunnel connects what is now Syon House with the friary of Sheen at Richmond in Surrey, a considerable distance away. The origin of the legend remains a mystery. In Leicestershire a subterranean passage is said to connect a nunnery which once stood near the Humber Stone with Leicester Abbey . In

9212-531: Was originally developed in 1943 as a conventional Royal Naval Armaments Depot, munitions store, for the Royal Navy, the Ministry of Defence continues to maintain the armament depot, DM Beith , in the area. As part of Ministry of Defence reorganisation plans in 2005, the 360 posts at DM-Beith were cut by 60. This was attributed to changes in the way equipment and supplies were stored and distributed, and it

9310-523: Was previously known as the 'Elfhouse' or 'Elfhame', the locals at that time believing that elves had made it their abode. Rarely, natural caves or tunnel systems can be of great extent; the cave system with the greatest total length of passage is Mammoth Cave ( Kentucky , USA ) at 591 kilometers (367 mi) in length, whilst the next most extensive known cave is Jewel Cave near Custer, South Dakota , USA, at 225 kilometers (140 mi). Some castles really did have escape tunnels, such as possibly

9408-529: Was probably born in Hazelhead (now Hessilhead ) Castle, which is on the outskirts of Beith, beyond Gateside . Montgomerie is regarded as one of the finest of Middle Scots poets, and perhaps the greatest Scottish exponent of the sonnet form. Beith has a historical connection to smuggling and built a reputation during the 18th century as being a town which harboured those whose intentions were not always lawful. In 1733 forty or fifty Beith smugglers sacked

9506-565: Was said to run from the cathedral to Samson & Hercules House. The Anglia Restaurant in Prince's Street has a splendid groined crypt for a cellar, and two tunnels from here are said to lead to the cathedral and to St. Andrew's Hall. Monks supposedly used a tunnel from the cellars of the Shrub House at the corner of Charing Cross Street to the site of St. Benedict's Gates. In early January 1644, Cromwell sent his forces to Norwich to demand

9604-404: Was suppressed. Sigmund Freud , Carl Gustav Jung and others had various psychological interpretations of the symbolic meanings of tunnels and these may have a part to play in the origins of tunnel myths. In the city of Aalborg , a tunnel is said to have run from the convent under the fjord to another convent near Sundby. This tunnel had branches which ran to an old bridge, two churches and to

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