CUMNOCK-OLD, a parish and town (manufacturing),
in the district of Kyle, county of Ayr, 10^ miles
(S. W.) from Muirkirk, and 61 (S. W. by W.) from Edinburgh;
containing 2S36 inhabitants, of whom two-fifths
are in the town. This place derives its name of Cumnock
from its situation in the bosom of a hill, and its adjunct
Old by way of distinction from that part of the parish
which, more than a century since, was erected into a
separate parish. The town appears to owe its origin to
a charter granted to Sir Thomas Campbell, prebendary
of Cumnock, by James IV., making the church lands a
free burgh of barony, and empowering him and his successors
to let the glebe, in burgage tenure, for building.
After passing through several hands, the barony came
ultimately, in the reign of Charles II., into the possession
of the Earl of Dumfries, and is now the property of the
Stuart family. Marquesses of Bute. The town is beautifully
situated in a deep recess, at the confluence of the
rivers Glasnock and Lugar, and consists chiefly of three
streets, and a spacious quadrangular area now the market-
place, the sides of which form ranges of good houses,
and in the centre of which is the church. The houses
are regularly built, with the exception of those in some
narrow lanes, which are of inferior order. The whole
has an air of cheerful neatness; and, combined with the
interesting banks of the Lugar, and the rich woodlands
immediately surrounding, it presents a pleasing appearance.
Gas-works have been constructed for lighting the
town; and there are two public libraries supported by
subscription, each of which has an extensive and wellselected
number of volumes. A post-office is also established.
The manufacture of wooden snuff-boxes resembling
those originally made at Laurencekirk, is extensively
carried on here, and has been brought to a state of great
perfection. These boxes are made from the wood of the
plane-tree, as being closest in its texture; and at the
original prices paid for them, a solid foot of wood worth
three shillings, could be manufactured into boxes that
would sell for £100. From the great reduction in the
price since the extension of the manufacture, however,
they are sold for less than a tenth part of the original
value; and the painting of the boxes in devices has been
nearly superseded by the introduction of chequering.which
is performed in great variety by machinery, producing
brilliancy of colour and elegance of pattern. The number
of persons employed in this manufacture is about
fifty. Weaving is carried on for the manufacturers of
Glasgow and Paisley, and more than 120 looms are in
constant operation; a considerable number of females,
also, are employed in working and embroidering muslins,
which are much admired. There is a large manufactory
for threshing-mills and cheese- presses, some of the former
of which are sent to Ireland; also a pottery for
brown earthenware, for which purpose clay of good quality
is found in the parish. Fairs are held on the first
and sixth Thursdays after Candlemas, the Wednesday
after the last Tuesday in May and first Tuesday in July,
and the Wednesday after the third Tuesday in October
(O. S.). Great facility of intercourse is afforded by the
Glasgow, Dumfries, and Carlisle railway. A baron-bailie
is appointed to superintend the jiolice of the town, by
the Stuart family.
The PARISH is about ten miles in length and two in
average breadth, and comprises 16,400 acres, of which
about 630 are woodland and plantations, 2500 moorland
pasture, and the remainder arable. Its surface is pleasingly
undulated, rising in some parts into hills of gentle
elevation • and along the banks of the Lugar are fine
tracts of level ground. In this parish the whole of the
lands have an elevation of some hundred feet above the
sea, but they are finely sheltered by the still higher lands
of the district adjoining. The river Lugar, which has
its source in the eastern extremity of the parish, is
formed by the union of the streams of Glenmore and
Bella, and after constituting the northern boundary of
the parish, flows with a western course into the river Ayr.
Its scenery is boldly varied; in some parts the banks
are richly wooded, whilst in others the stream runs between
perpendicular ramparts of barren rock and projecting
crags. The river Glasnock issues from a lake on
the southern confines of the parish, and after flowing
though the town, falls into the Lugar. The lake just
referred to abounds with trout, pike, and eels; trout are
found also in the Lugar, and salmon were formerly often
taken in its waters, but, since the construction of a dam
on the river Ayr, none have ascended so high. The
SOIL is chiefly clayey, intermixed with portions of a light
and sandy quality, and occasionally a rich loam. The
crops grown are oats, with a little wheat, barley, and bear,
also potatoes, peas, beans, and turnips; the system of
agriculture is in an advanced state. A great degree of
attention is paid to the management of the dairies, and
considerable quantities of clieese are made, and sent to
the neighbouring markets, where it is much esteemed.
About 1000 milch-cows, of the Ayrshire breed, are kept
on the several farms; and the number of sheep, chiefly
of the black-faced kind, averages about 1200. The annual
value of real property in the parish is £9724. The
substrata are limestone, coal, and freestone. The limestone
is of very superior quality; and the lime, which is
distingnished by the appellation of Benston lime, is in
great demand tor cement, and, from its property of acquiring
hardness when under water, is much used in the
erection of bridges. The freestone on the banks of the
Lugar has a light-blue tint, and is susceptible of a very
high polish; a white freestone is also found, which is in
repute for millstones, and sent off in great quantities for
exportation. The coal is alternated with strata of trap,
but is on the whole of good quality. The woods consist
of oak, ash, elm, beech, plane, lime, chesnut, and birch;
and the plantations, of silver, spruce, and Scotch firs,
poplar, mountain-ash, holly, and evergreens of almost
every variety: many of the trees are of stately growth,
and all are in a flourishing condition. Dumfries House,
one of the seats of the Stuart family, Marquesses of Bute,
is a very spacious and handsome mansion, built of the
blue freestone found in the parish, and containing stately
apartments; the walls of the drawing-room are hung
with some fine old tapestry, presented to one of the Earls
of Dumfries by Louis XIV. of France. This house is
beautifully situated on the bank of the Lugar, which
flows through the pleasure-grounds, and over which an
elegant bridge has been erected near the mansion. Glasnock
House, situated on the bank of the Glasnock, is
an elegant mansion of recent erection, built with the
white freestone found near the Lugar. Logan and Garrallan
are likewise good houses.
Ecclesiastically the parish is in the presbytery of
Ayr, synod of Glasgow and Ayr, and in the patronage of
the Stuart family. The minister's stipend is £218, with
a manse, and a glebe valued at £'20 per annum. Cumnock
church, erected in 1/54, is adapted for 900 persons:
the cemetery has been removed to a rising ground called
the Bar Hill, east of the town. There are places of worship
for members of the Free Church and the United
Presbyterian Synod. The parochial school affords instruction
to about 130 scholars: the master has a salary
of £34, with £15 fees, and a house and garden; he also
receives one-half of the interest of a bequest of £1000 by
Mr. Duncan, the other half of the interest being distributed
among poor persons not on the parish list. There
is a savings' bank with a fund of about £1000; and
three friendly societies are supported. Within the
grounds of Dumfries House are the ruins of the ancient
castle of Terringzean, ancientlj' the residence of the
Loudoun family; and in the south side of the parish are
some slight ruins of Boreland Castle.