AYRSHIRE, a county (extensive), on the western
coast of Scotland, bounded on the north by Renfrewshire,
on the east by the counties of Lanark and Dumfries,
on the south by the stewartry of Kirkcudbright,
and Wigtonshire, and on the west by the Firth of Clyde
and the Irish Channel. It lies between 54° 40' and 55°
52' (N. lat.), and 4° and 5° (W. long.), and is about
sixty miles in length and nearly thirty in extreme
breadth, comprising an area of about 1600 square miles,
or 1,024,000 acres; containing 31,497 houses, of which
30,125 are inhabited; and a population of 164,356, of
whom 7S,9S3 are males, and 85,373 females. This
county, which includes the three districts of Carrick,
Kyle, and Cunninghame, was originally inhabited by
the Damnii, with whom, after the departure of the
Romans, were mingled a colony of Scots, who emigrated
from Ireland, and settled in the peninsula of Cantyre,
in the county of Argyll. In the eighth century, the
Saxon kings of Northumbria obtained possession of this
part of the country; and in the reign of David I., Hugh
de Morville, who had emigrated from England, and was
made by that monarch constable of Scotland, received
a grant of the whole district of Cunninghame, in which
he placed many of his English vassals. Previously to
their final defeat at the battle of Largs, in 1263, the
county was frequently invaded by the Danes; and
during the wars with Edward of England, it was the
scene of many of the exploits of William Wallace in
favour of Robert Bruce, who was a native of the county,
and obtained by marriage the earldom of Carrick, which,
on his accession to the throne, merged into the property
of the crown. The change in the principles of religion,
which led to the Reformation, appears to have first developed
itself in this county; and Kyle is noticed by
the reformer Knox as having at a very early period embraced
the reformed doctrine.
Before episcopacy was abolished, the county was included
in the diocese of Glasgow; it is now almost
entirely in the synod of Glasgow and Ayr, and comprises
several presbyteries, and forty-six parishes. Within its
limits are the royal burghs of Ayr (which is the county
town) and Irvine; the towns of Largs, Beith, Ardrossan,
Saltcoats, Kilwinning, Kilmarnock, Mauchline,
Catrine, Old and New Cumnock, Muirkirk, Maybole,
and Girvan; and numerous large and populous villages.
Under the act of the 2nd of William IV., the county
returns one member to the imperial parliament. The
surface is varied. In the district of Cunninghame,
which includes the northern portion, it is comparatively
level; in Kyle, which occupies the central portion, it is
hilly and uneven, though containing some large tracts
of fertile and well cultivated land; and the district of
Carrick, in the south, is wild and mountainous. The
principal mountains are, Knockdolian, which has an
elevation of 2000 feet above the sea; Cairntable, rising
to the height of 1650 feet; Knoekdow and Carleton,
each 1554 feet high; and Knocknounan, 1540 feet.
The chief rivers are the Ayr, the Doon, the Garnock,
the Girvan, and the Stinchar; and the county is intersected
by numerous smaller streams, the principal of
which are the Rye water, the Irvine, and the Kilmarnock
water. There are also numerous small lakes, especially
in the district of Carrick; but the only one of
any extent is Loch Doon, from which issues the river
of that name. The coast, particularly that of Carrick,
is precipitous, rocky, and dangerous, and possesses few
good harbours; towards the extremities it is almost inaccessible
owing to rocks in the offing, and towards the
centre the beach is sandy, and the water so shallow as
generally to preclude the approach of vessels of any
considerable burthen.
About one-third of the land is arable and in cultivation,
and the remainder, of which a very large portion
is mountain waste, is chiefly meadow and pasture. The
soil is in some parts light and sandy, and in others a
rich clay, and nearly the whole of the district of Cunninghame
is a rich and fruitful vale. The dairies are
well managed, and their produce is in very high repute;
the county is distinguished for its excellent breed of
cattle. The moors abound with all kinds of game, and
the rivers with salmon and trout. The minerals are,
coal, ironstone, lead and copper ore, black-lead, and
gypsum, the two first of which are largely wrought;
the coal is very abundant, and the working of it for exportation
is daily increasing, for which purpose tramroads
have been laid down, and harbours have been
constructed. There are also extensive quarries of freestone
and marble. The ancient forests of Ayrshire
have long since disappeared; and the plantations, which
are extensive, are mostly of recent growth. In this
county the seats are Kelburn House, Eglinton Castle,
Culzean Castle, Loudoun Castle, Fairley Castle, Dalquharran,
Blairquhan, Bargeny, Fullarton House, Dumfries
House, Stair House, Auchincruive, Auchinleck, and
many others. The manufactures comprise the various
branches of the woollen, the linen, cotton, and thread
manufactures, for which there are extensive works at
Kilmarnock and Catrine; the weaving of muslin is also
general throughout the county, and the Ayrshire needlework
has long been distinguished for its elegance.
There are tanneries and potteries, iron-foundries, and
some very large iron-works, of which those at Muirkirk,
Dairy, and Glengarnock are among the most celebrated
in the country. Along the coast are valuable fisheries,
and salt-works, and works for kelp and soda. Facility
of communication is maintained by excellent roads, and
bridges kept in good repair; also by the railway from
Ayr to Glasgow, with its different branches. The annual
value of real property in the county is £531,319, of
which £390,278 are returned for lands, £86,430 are for
houses, £27,851 for mines, £11,313 for railway communication,
£1301 for quarries, £843 for fisheries, £507
for iron-works, and the remainder for other species of
real property. There are numerous remains of antiquity,
consisting of the ruins of fortresses and religious
houses, in various parts of the county; all of which are
described in the articles on the several parishes where
they are situated.