STEVENSTON, a market-town and parish, in the
district of Cunninghame, county of Ayr, 5 miles (W.
N. W.) from Irvine, and 14 (X. N. W.) from Ayr; containing
3791 inhabitants, of whom 143'2 are in that portion
of the town of Saltcoats which is within the parish.
This parish derived its name from Stephen Lockhart,
who fixed his residence in the place, of which and of
other lands, constituting the barony of Stevenston, his
father had in the year 11*0 obtained a grant from
Richard Morville, Lord of Cunningharae, and Constable
of Scotland. From the Lockharts the barony soon
afterwards passed to the Loudoun family, with whom it
remained nearly till the time of the Reformation, when
it became part of the possessions ol the Earl of Glencairn.
After passing through other families, among whom were
the Boyds, the Cunninghames, and the Hamiltons, the
estate was divided; and it is now in the possession of
various proprietors. The town is principally inhabited
by persons engaged in the works carried on in the neighbourhood,
and in the mines and quarries of the parish;
and from its immediate proximity to Saltcoats, its trade
is intimately identified with the trade of that place,
which is described under its own head. It is neatly
built, and well supplied with water; a public library is
supported by subscription, and a post-office has been
established. Many of the inhabitants are employed in
weaving for the manufacturers of Glasgow and Paisley,
and a considerable number of the females in flowering
muslins. The market, which is abundantly supplied
with provisions of all kinds, is on Saturday; and a fair
is held yearly on the 30th of October, which is chiefly a
pleasure-fair, and a mart for hiring servants. Facility
of communication with distant ports is afforded by the
harbours of Saltcoats and Ardrossan.
The PARISH is about five miles in length, extending
from the harbour of Saltcoats to the bar of Irvine. It
is about three miles in extreme breadth, and is bounded
on the east by the river Garnock, which for nearly
three miles forms a boundary between it and the parish
of Irvine , on the south by tlie Firth of Clyde; and on
the south-east by the confluence of the rivers Garnock
and Irvine. It comprises about 4000 acres, of which
'2000 are arable. The surface, though undulated and
acclivous, in no part attains an elevation of more than
300 feet above the level of the sea. Near the eastern
boundary are two richly planted eminences of great
beauty, commanding extensive and varied prospects, and
forming interesting features in the appearance of the
parish, as seen from different points of view. The
scenery is enlivened with some well-grown wood, and
flourishing plantations on the lands of the resident
heritors; on the grounds of Ardeer, Sea-Bank, and
Kerilaw the plantations are particularly extensive and
highly ornamental. Though some of the low lands are
of a loamy quality and tolerably fertile, the soil is generally
unproductive; in the upper part of the parish it is
a stiff clay, and the lands near the Firth are thickly interspersed
with sand-hills. The crops are oats, wheat,
potatoes, beans, turnips, barley, and carrots. Agriculture
is improved, but there is still a large portion of
unprofitable land j there are some dairies which are well
managed, and a considerable number of cattle are grazed.
The farm-houses are mostly in good condition, and the
lands are all inclosed with hedges of thorn, kept in good
order: there is a large mill for grain, of great antiquity.
The sand-hills abound with rabbits, which were introdu
Ğed in 1777, about 100 having been brought from the
island of Little Cumbray: nearly 6000 are annually killed.
In this parish the rocks are chiefly of greenstone,
limestone, and sandstone; and coal is found in some
places. The greenstone, which is exceedingly compact,
is quarried principally for mending the roads; the limestone
is quarried for the supply of the lands on which it
is found, and the sandstone is wrought extensively.
There is a remarkably fine vein of white freestone at
Ardeer, which has obtained the appellation of Stevenston
stone. Great quantities of it are raised, not only for the
use of the neighbourhood, but for that of Dublin and
Belfast, where it is in much demand; it admits of a
very fine polish, and is esteemed for mantelpieces and
ornamental works. About forty men are constantly
employed in this quarry, the produce of which is conveyed
by a railroad to the port of Ardrossan, where it is
shipped. A superior kind of firestone, also, called Osmond
stone, is raised from a quarry at Parkend, and is
in great request for ovens and furnaces. Coal is very
extensively wrought in the parish: t'he quantity raised
annually averages nearly 40,000 tons, of which about
two-thirds are shipped for Ireland, and a third consumed
in the neighbouring districts; the number of
persons employed in the collieries is 200, of whom fifty
are boys. The annual value of real property in Stevenston
is £6313. The Ardrossan railway, already noticed,
which forms a junction with the Ayrshire railway at
Kilwinning, passes through the parish in an east-bynorth
direction, after proceeding close by the sea-coast
for a short distance. There are several handsome mansions,
situated in tastefully ornamented demesnes: of
these, Kerilaw, Ardeer, Sea-Bank, Hullerhirst, and Hayocks
are the principal.
Stevenston is ecclesiastically in the presbytery of Irvine,
synod of Glasgow and Ayr, and in the patronage of
Gavin FuUertoa and Robert Cunningham, Esqrs.: the
stipend of the minister is £250. 9., including £4. 3. 4.
arising from the interest of a bequest 5 with a manse,
and a glebe of the annual value of £20. The church is
a handsome and substantial edifice, erected in 1832-3,
on the site of the ancient church of St. Monoch; it is
well situated, and adapted for a congregation of 1175
persons. There are places of worship for the United
Presbyterian Church and the Free Church. Stevenston
parochial school affords a useful education: the master
has a salary of £34. 4. 4., with a house and garden va-
lued at £6, and the fees; also an allowance of £2. 2. 9.
for additional garden-ground, and the interest of a small
bequest. There is likewise a school, the teacher of
which has a good school-house from Mr. Cunningham,
in addition to the fees. The interest of a bequest of-
£180 is applied to the support of a Sabbath-evening
school. There are some interesting remains of the turreted
castle of Kerilaw, the baronial residence of the
Earls of Glencairn. In 1832 some workmen, when
levelling a field at Dubbs, in the parish, discovered, at
about five feet below the surface, a pavement six yards
in length and two feet in breadth, at one end of which
was a stone coffin containing an urn of l)lack, and
another of grey, pottery, with some fibula; of jet, finely
polished.