AYR, a sea-port and burgh and market-town, in the district of
Kyle, county of Ayr, of which shire it is the capital, 87
miles (S. W.byW.) from Edinburgh, and 40 (S. S. W.) from Glasgow;
containing 8264 inhabitants, and,including Newton-upon-Ayr
and Wallacetown on the opposite side of the river
Ayr, which are within the parliamentary boundary of
Ayr, upwards of 18,000 inhabitants. This place derives
its name from the river on which it is situated, and
appears to have attained a considerable degree of note
at a very early period. A castle was erected here by
William the Lion, to which reference is made in the
charter subsequently granted to the town by that
monarch; and from the importance of its situation, it
was besieged and taken by Edward L during his invasion
of Scotland. In 12S9, Robert Bruce, on the hostile
approach of an English army towards the town, finding
himself unable to withstand their progress, set fire to
the castle, to prevent its falling into their hands; and
at present there are no vestiges of it remaining. During
the usurpation of Cromwell, a very spacious and
strongly-fortified citadel was erected here as a military
station for his troops, for the maintenance and security
of the town and harbour of Ayr, which at that time
were of great importance, as enabling him to hold the
western and southern parts of the county in subjection;
and of this fort the greater part is still in good
preservation.
The TOWN is finely situated on a wide level plain, on
the sea-coast, and at the head of the beautiful bay of
Ayr, by which it is bounded on the west. The more
ancient part consists of houses irregularly built, and of
antique appearance; but that portion which is of more
modern origin contains numerous handsome ranges of
buildings, among which may be noticed Wellingtonsquare,
Alloway-place, Barns-street, and a spacious and
well-built street leading to the new bridge. 'Very great
improvements have been made in the aspect of the town,
which is seen to much advantage from the higher
grounds, and more especially on the approach from the
south; and many agreeable villas have been erected in
the vicinity, which are embellished with shrubs and
trees. The principal streets are well paved, and lighted
with gas; and the inhabitants are amply supplied with
water, partly from numerous wells opened in convenient
situations, and partly from a softer spring, in Carrick,
by pipes laid down for that purpose. The environs are
extremely pleasing, abounding with richly-diversified
scenery, embracing fine views of the sea, and many interesting
features. There are two bridges over the river
Ayr, celebrated by the poet Burns in his Twa Brigs ofAyr,
one of which, erected about sixty or seventy years ago,
is a very handsome structure, affording communication
with the towns of Newton-upon-Ayr and 'Wallacetown.
The beach, which is a fine level sand, is much frequented
as a promenade, and contributes greatly to render the
town desirable as a place of residence.
There are two libraries supported by subscription, containing
good collections of standard and periodical works,
and newsrooms or reading-rooms well supplied with
journals; and a mechanics' institution established in
1S25, with a library attached of more than 3000 volumes,
for the increase of which a specific sum is annually
appropriated. Races are annually held by the Western
Meeting, in the first week in September, on an excellent
course in the immediate vicinity of the town, comprising
about fifty acres inclosed with a stone wall; and the
members of the Caledonian Hunt hold a meeting here
once in five years. Two packs of fox-hounds, and a
pack of harriers, are kept in the neighbourhood. Assemblies
are held in an elegant and spacious suite of
rooms, admirably adapted for that purpose, in the
Town's Buildings, a stately edifice embellished with a
spire (with clock) rising to the height of 226 feet: it
contains, in addition to the assembly-rooms, two large
newsrooms, rooms for town's meetings, and various
apartments for public purposes. There is also a handsome
structure in the early English style called Wallace
Tower, erected on the site of an ancient building that
bore the same name: this tower is 1 15 feet in height,
and is adorned in the front with a well-sculptured statue
of Wallace by Thom; it contains a clock, and forms a
conspicuous object in the distant view of the town. The
Ayrshire Horticultural and Agricultural Society was established
in 1815, under the auspices and patronage of
the late Lord Eglinton, for the distribution of prizes
for the best specimens of flowers, fruit, and vegetables,
and for improvements in husbandry and agricultural
implements; exhibitions are annually held, and attached
to the institution is a library. A Medical Association
has also been founded by members of that profession
resident in the town and neighbourhood, the library of
which contains a selection of the most valuable works
on medical literature. The Barracks, an extensive range
of building near the harbour, pleasantly situated on a
fine level plain, are adapted for the reception of a regiment
of infantry, and during the late war were fully
occupied by the military stationed here; but since the
peace they have been unoccupied. There are public
baths at Ayr.
On the summit of the bank of the river Doon, about
two miles from Ayr, is a stately monument in honour
of the poet Burns, erected by subscription at an expense
of £2000, and consisting of a circular building, rising
from a triangular basement fifteen feet in height, to an
elevation of more than sixty feet. It is surrounded by
nine Corinthian pillars with an enriched cornice, supporting
a cupola, which is surmounted by a gilt tripod
resting upon dolphins; and a window of stained glass
gives light to a circular apartment eighteen feet in diameter,
in which are a portrait of the poet, an elegant
edition of his works, and various paintings illustrative
of the principal scenes and descriptions in his poems.
Opposite to the entrance is a semicircular recess decorated
with columns of the Doric order, intended for the
reception of his statue; and in the grounds, comprising
an area of about two acres, disposed in gravel-walks and
shrubberies, and embellished with plantations of every
variety of forest-trees, are placed in a handsome building
for the purpose the well-known statues of Tam O'Shanter
and Souter Johnny, executed by the late James
Thom, and exhibited, previously to being deposited here,
in almost every town of Britain. The Burns Monument
was designed by Mr. Hamilton, and finished in 1823.
Notwithstanding the very advantageous situation of
the town, which stands in the midst of a richly-cultivated
district abounding in mineral wealth, and commands
extensive means of communication both by sea
and land, the town has never been much distinguished
for its manufactures. A principal manufacture carried
on here is that of shoes, which has for some years very
much diminished, aEFordiug employment at present to
little more than 200 persons. The working of muslins
in varieties of patterns, for the Glasgow manufacturers,
is carried on to a considerable extent, occupying about
300 persons at their own dwellings. Weaving with the
hand-loom, for manufacturers in distant towns, employs
about 150 persons; and tanning and currying are carried
on upon a limited scale. A spacious factory for
the spinning of wool and the manufacture of carpets,
has been established by Mr. Templeton, which originated
in a small establishment for the spinning of cotton-
yarn; since its application to the present use, the
building has been enlarged, and supplied with the most
improved machinery of every kind, and the concern at
present afiFords employment to 200 persons. A mill for
carding, spinning, and weaving wool for plaids and
blankets, has been also erected; the machinery is impelled
by water, and about thirty persons are employed.
The foreign trade of the port consists almost entirely
in the exportation of coal, and the importation of hemp,
mats, tallow, tar, iron, pitch, timber, and other commodities;
the number of vessels engaged in this trade is
about eighteen. About 300 vessels are employed in the
coasting trade, which is carried on to a very considerable
extent; the imports are corn, groceries, hardware, iron,
lead, haberdasheries, and other wares, and the exports
are coal, corn, wool, and agricultural produce. In a
late year, 739 vessels, of 62,730 tons' aggregate burthen,
cleared out from the port, exclusively of steam-boats:
3136 quarters of wheat, 306 cwt. of flour, 11,145 quarters
of oats, 5623 cwt. of meal, 318 quarters of barley,
643 quarters of beans, and fifty-one quarters of peas,
were brought into the port in the year; and 60,000 tons
of coal, 55" 1 quarters of wheat, 5586 cwt. of flour,
eighty-seven quarters of oats, 3178 cwt. of oatmeal,
eighty- four quarters of barley, and 183 quarters of
beans, were shipped coastwise. The port appears to
have been distinguished at an early period, and ships
are said to have been built here by several of the kings
of Scotland. The harbour is capacious, and affords
good accommodation for vessels, but the entrance is
somewhat obstructed by a bar thrown up by the accumulation
of alluvial deposit, for the removal of which
considerable sums have been expended with great effect.
A wall was raised, nearly twenty feet in height, tapering
from a base nearly thirty feet in breadth to about
eight feet on the summit, and extending nearly 300
yards into the sea, on the south side; and a similar
pier on the north side, parallel to the former, was likewise
erected, at a very great expense, and recently
enlarged. By these means the harbour has been considerably
improved: and to render it still more complete,
a breakwater has been partly erected at the mouth
of the harbour, stretching still further into the sea, and
which it is estimated will be completed at an expense of
about £4000. The depth of w-ater is from fourteen to
sixteen feet, at ordinary spring tides; and about eighty
sail of ships may lie in perfect safety within the bar.
The rivers Ayr and Doon abound with excellent salmon,
and considerable quantities are taken with drags,
and afterwards with stake-nets, and, besides affording
an abundant supply for the town and neighbourhood,
are sent to the Glasgow, Edinburgh, and London markets;
the fishery in the Doon is let for £235, and the
other for £45 per annum. The fisheries off the coast
are extensive, and at present twenty boats, each managed
by four men, are employed in taking cod, ling,
haddock, whiting, turbot, skate, flounders, mackerel,
and herrings, which last are taken only during the
summer months: soles, red gurnet, and large congereels
are found occasionally. The post-office has several
deliveries daily, and the utmost facility of intercourse is
maintained with the neighbouring towns, and with
England and Ireland. The roads are kept in excellent
order; and the trade of the place has been much improved
by the formation of a railroad to Glasgow, for
which there is an appropriate station on the north bank
of the river, near the new bridge, having a frontage of
eighty-four feet, with every accommodation for goods
and passengers. The market-days are Tuesday and
Friday; the markets are amply supplied with grain and
provisions of every kind, and four annual fairs are held
for cattle, horses, sheep, and agricultural produce.
The charter of incorporation was first granted in
the year 1202, by William the Lion, who conferred upon
the burgesses the whole of the lands of the parish, with
many valuable privileges. This charter was confirmed
by Alexander II., who added the adjoining parish of
Alloway, and extended the jurisdiction of the magistrates
over the two parishes; and Robert Bruce, by a charter
dated at Dunfermline, ratified all the grants of his predecessors,
and erected Alloway into a barony, of which
the corporation were the lords. Under these charters,
the government of the burgh is vested in a provost, two
bailies, a dean of guild, a treasurer, and twelve councillors,
of which last number ten were formerly of the
merchants' guild, and two of the trades'. The provost,
bailies, and dean of guild are ex officio justices of the
peace of the county. Until lately the burgh magistrates
were elected from the guild brethren, who formed the
council, by whom all the officers of the corporation were
appointed; but the magistrates and councillors are now
chosen agreeably with the provisions of the Municipal
Reform act, by the parliamentary voters within the limits
of the municipal burgh. The incorporated trade guilds
were nine in number, and were styled the squaremen,
hammermen, tailors, skinners, coopers, weavers, shoemakers,
dyers, and butchers. The magistrates have
jurisdiction in civil and criminal cases, but confine the
latter to petty misdemeanors; they hold courts weekly
for civil and criminal causes. The more important
cases are instituted in the sheriff's court, held every
Tuesday from May to July, and from October to April;
the number of causes in this court averages about 500
in the year, and very few of them are removed into the
court of session, or supreme court. A sheriff court for
the recovery of debts not exceeding £8. 6. 8. is held
every Thursday; and a court every Monday chiefly for
breaches of the peace. A dean-of-guild court is holden
occasionally. These courts are held in the Court- House
or County-Hall, on the north-west side of Wellingtonsquare,
a spacious and elegant building after the model
of the temple of Isis at Rome, erected within the last
thirty or forty years, at an expense of more than £30,000.
The front is embellished with a portico of massive
circular columns, affording an entrance into a lobby,
lighted by an ample and stately dome rising to a considerable
height above the building, which consists of
two stories. The interior comprises the requisite offices
for persons connected with the proceedings, arranged on
the ground floor; while the upper story, to which is an
ascent by a noble circular staircase, contains two spacious
halls, with rooms for the judges and barristers,
and retiring-rooms for the juries and witnesses. Of
these halls, one is appropriated to the business of the
courts, and the other chiefly used as a banqueting or
assembly room; the latter is splendidly fitted up, and
is embellished with a portrait of the late Lord Eglinton
as colonel of the Royal Highland regiment, of Lord
Glasgow, late lord-lieutenant of Ayrshire, and Mr. Hamilton,
late convener of the county. The prisons for the
burgh and county are spacious and well ventilated, and
the arrangement is adapted for the classification of the
prisoners, who are regularly employed in various trades,
and receive a portion of their earnings on leaving the
prison. Ayr is the head of a parliamentary district
comprising the burghs of Irvine, Campbelltown, Inverary,
and Oban, which are associated with it in
returning a member to the imperial parliament: the
right of election, previously vested in the corporation,
is now, by the act of William IV., extended to the £10
proprietors and householders; the sheriff is the returning
officer, and the present number of voters in the
parliamentary burgh of Ayr is about 420.
The PARISH, including Alloway, forms part of an extensive
and richly-cultivated valley, and comprises about
5000 acres. It is bounded on the north by the river
Ayr, which separates it from the parishes of Newton
and St. Quivox; on the south-west by the river Doon;
and on the west by the sea. Towards the sea the
surface is generally flat for about two miles, beyond
which it rises by a gentle ascent to a considerable elevation,
forming a range of hills that inclose the vale, and
terminate towards the south-west in the loftier chain of
Brown Carrick, which projects into the sea in some
precipitous rocky headlands called the Heads of Ayr.
The river Ayr, which has its rise in the eastern extremity
of the county, divides the valley in which the parish is
situated into two nearly equal parts, and flows between
banks richly embellished with plantations and pleasing
villas. It is subject to violent floods, and in its course
to the sea conveys great quantities of alluvial soil,
which, accumulating at its mouth, and to some extent
obstructing the entrance to the harbour, is removed by
the means formerly mentioned. The river Doon has its
source in a lake of that name, to the south-east, on the
confines of the stewartry of Kirkcudbright, and in its
progress displays many strikingly romantic features. A
small stream called the Glengaiv burn flows between the
ancient parishes of Ayr and Alloway; and numerous
springs are every where found, at a small depth from
the surface, affording an abundant supply of water, but
not well adapted for domestic use, containing carbonate
and sulphate of lime, with some traces of iron in combination.
Close to the eastern border of the parish is
Loch Fergus, about a mile in circumference, and abounding
with pike: near the margin were formerly the ruins
of an ancient building of a castellated form, which have
been long since removed to furnish materials for the
erection of farm-buildings, and in the centre of the lake
is a small island, the resort of wild ducks and other aquatic
fowl.
The scenery is interspersed with numerous pleasing
villas and stately residences. Among these are, Castlehill,
commanding a fine view of the town and bay;
Belmont Cottage, embosomed in trees; Doonholme, with
its richly-planted demesne extending along the banks
of the river; Rozelle, a stately mansion surrounded
with trees of venerable growth; Belle-isle, an elegant
castellated mansion with turrets, rising above the trees
by which it is surrounded; and Mount Charles, with its
flourishing plantations crowning the precipitous bank
of the river Doon. The beautiful bay of Ayr is remarkable
for the scenery it discloses. To the north are the
islands of Cumbray, the Bute hills, and the Argyllshire
mountains, with the summit of Ben-Lomond in the distance.
To the west are seen the coast of Ireland, and,
near the Ayrshire coast, the Craig of Ailsa, rising precipitously
from a base two miles in circumference, to a
height of 1000 feet above the level of the sea by which it
is surrounded. The island of Arran with its lofty mountains,
behind which is seen the Mull of Cantyre, also forms
a conspicuous and interesting feature in the view.
The soil, varies in different parts of the parish; but
from the progressive improvements in agriculture, and
the extensively adopted practice of tile-draining, the
lands have been rendered generally fertile, and a considerable
quantity of unprofitable land has been made
productive. The greater portion is under tillage, and
produces abundant crops of grain of all kinds, with
turnips and other green crops. Considerable attention
is paid to the rearing of live-stock; the sheep are chiefly
of the Leicestershire and Cheviot breeds, and the cattle,
with the exception of a few of the short-horned kind,
are of the genuine Ayrshire breed, which has been
brought to great perfection. The annual value of real
property in the parish is £24,664. The substratum is
mostly trap and whinstone, of which the rocks principally
consist. Coal is prevalent, but the working of it
has not been found profitable in this parish, though it
has been extensively wrought in the parishes adjoining.
Red sandstone and freestone also exist, and the latter
was formerly quarried. Some beautiful specimens of
agate are found upon the shore; and in the bed of the
river occurs a peculiar species of claystone with small
grains of dark felspar and mica, which is frequently
used for polishing marble and metals, and as a hone for
giving a fine edge to cutting tools.
The parishes of Ayr and Alloway were united towards
the close of the seventeenth century. The church of
Ayr, which had been made collegiate in the reign of
Mary, afforded sufficient accommodation for the whole
population; and divine service, which, for some time
after the union of the parishes, was performed in the
church of Alloway every third Sunday, was finally
restricted to the church of Ayr. For ecclesiastical
purposes the parish is within the bounds of the presbytery
of Ayr and synod of Glasgow and Ayr. The
stipend of the incumbent of the first charge is £1*8. 5.,
including half the interest of a sum of £1000 bequeathed
for the equal benefit of both ministers; with a manse, a
comfortable modern residence. The second minister
has also a stipend, including £20 interest money above
stated, £82. 15. 8. received from the public exchequer,
and £108. 6. 8. paid from the funds of the burgh; with
an allowance for a manse. The Old church was erected
about the middle of the seventeenth century, to supply
the place of the church of St. John, which had been
desecrated by Cromwell, and converted into an armoury
for the fort that he erected around the site. It is a substantial
edifice, but greatly inferior to the original church
in elegance of design. The New church was erected in
1810, at an expense of nearly £6000, and is a handsome
edifice. The two churches together are capable of
accommodating from 2000 to 2500 persons. There are
places of worship for members of the Free Church, the
United Presbyterian Synod, Wesleyans, United Original
Seceders, Reformed Congregation, Episcopalians, and
Moravians. The parochial schools of the burgh, by a
charter in 1*98, were incorporated into an institution
called the Academy, and a handsome and capacious
building was erected with funds raised by contributions
from the heritors, and subscriptions. It is conducted
under the superintendence of a committee of directors,
by a rector who has a salary of £100 per annum, and
three masters with salaries of about £20 each; the
course of instruction is comprehensive, and the number
of pupils averages about 500. A school in which about
200 children are taught, is supported by the produce of
a bequest of £2000 by Captain Smith, under the direction
of the two ministers and the magistrates.
The hospital for the poor, or Poor's House, was
erected in 1*59, at the expense of the corporation, aided
by subscription, for the reception of the infirm and
helpless poor; it is conducted by a master and mistress
with a salary of £S0. A dispensary was estabhshed in
1817, which afforded medical assistance to more than
500 patients annually, and a fever hospital has been
lately built, with which the dispensary is now conjoined:
the subscriptions amount to about £300 per annum. A
savings' bank was instituted in 1815; the present
amount of deposits is about £3000, and the number of
contributors *00: the gross amount of deposits, since
its commencement, exceeds £30,000. Numerous charitable
benefactions have been made, the principal of which
are, a bequest by Mr. Patterson, of Ayr, to the Glasgow
Infirmary, of £500, in consideration of which the parish
is privileged to send four patients to that institution;
an ann»ial income of £55, derived from a bequest left by
Mr. Smith, a native of this town, and alderman of Londonderry
in Ireland, distributed among poor persons;
a bequest of £300 by Mr. James Dick, the interest of
which is similarly distributed among the poor; the
farm of Sessionfield, consisting of 100 acres, bequeathed
by Sir Robert Blackwood, of Edinburgh, a native of this
parish, the produce of which is distributed among poor
householders; a bequest of £1000 by Mrs. Crawford,
for reduced females; a bequest of £300 by Captain
Tennant, to the Poor-house; a bequest of £5 annually
to ten females, by Miss Ballantine, of Castle-hill; and a
bequest of £1000 to the poor of the parish, by Mr. Ferguson
of Doonholme.
There are remains of the church of St. John, within
the area of Cromwell's fort, consisting of the tower;
and also of the old church of Alloway, of which the
walls are entire. The moat of Alloway may be traced,
on the approach to Doonholme House: on its summit,
according to ancient records, courts of justice were
held for the trial of petty offences. There are evident
traces of the old Roman road leading from Galloway
into the county of Ayr, and passing within half a mile of
the town: portions of it are still in tolerable preservation.
A tract on the coast, called the Battle Fields, is supposed
to have been the scene of a fierce conflict between
the natives and the Romans. Both Roman and British
implements of war, urns of baked clay, and numerous
other relics of Roman antiquity, have been found at this
place. Coins of Charles II. were discovered under the
foundation of the old market-cross, a handsome structure
of hexagonal form, removed in 178B.
Johannes Scotus, who flourished in the ninth century,
eminent for his proficiency in Greek and oriental literature,
and who was employed by Alfred the Great to
restore learning at O.vford; and Andrew Michael Ramsay,
better known as the Chevalier Ramsay, the friend of
Fenelon, Bishop of Cambray, were natives of Ayr. John
Loudon McAdam, celebrated for his improvements in
the construction of roads, and David Cathcart, Lord
Allnway, one of the lords of session and of the high
court of justiciary, were also natives j and John Mair,
author of a system of book-keeping, and Dr. Thomas
Jackson, professor of natural philosophy in the university
of St. Andrew's, and author of several valuable
works, were connected with the town. But the most
celebrated name connected with the place, is that of
Robert Burns, who was born at Alloway, in the
parish, in a cottage which is still remaining. On the
6th of August, 1844, the town of Ayr was the scene of
great rejoicings, occasioned by a national festival being
held in the neighbourhood, on that day, in honour of the
memory of Burns, and to greet the three sons and the
sister of the bard. At an early hour of the morning,
visiters from all parts of Scotland and many from
England and Ireland had arrived, to join in or be spectators
of the proceedings; and a grand procession was
shortly formed, which passed from the town along a
road thronged with people, to the more immediate scene
of the events of the day, the banks of the river Doon.
Here, in the vicinity of the poet's birth-place, beside the
old kirk of Alloway which his muse has immortalized,
and beneath the monument raised by his admiring
countrymen, the procession closed; and not long afterwards
a banquet was partaken of by above 2000 persons,
including many visiters of distinguished talent, in a
large pavilion 120 feet square, that had been specially
erected in a field adjoining the monument. Numerous
appropriate speeches, some of considerable eloquence,
were made upon the occasion. That of the Earl of
Eglinton, lord-lieutenant of the county, who presided,
and that of the croupier. Professor Wilson, were particularly
remarkable; and the whole of the proceedings
were characterized by the utmost enthusiasm, and by an
universal desire to merge every individual feeling, that the
day might be truly devoted to its own peculiar object.