STRAITON, a parish, in the district of Carrick,
county of Ayr, J miles (S. E. by E.) from Maybole;
containing, with the village of Patna, 1363 inhabitants.
This place derives its name, signifying in the Celtic
language " the town of the strath", from its situation
at the head of an extensive and fertile vale. Little is
known of its ancient state, and very few, if any, incidents
of importance connected with it are on record.
The parish, which is one of the largest in the county,
is about twenty miles in length, and of very irregular
breadth, scarcely averaging more than four miles, but
in some parts extending to eight miles. It is bounded
on the north by the parishes of Kirkmichael and Dalrymple;
on the east by the parish of Dalmellington;
on the south by the parishes of Carsphairn, Kells,
MinigafF, and Barr; and on the west by the parishes
of Dailly and Kirkmichael. The surface, with the
exception of the valleys of the Girvan and the Doon,
is generally uneven, abounding with hills, some few of
which are of considerable height. Of these, the Graigeugower,
behind the manse, has an elevation of 1300 feet;
and Bennan Hill, about half a mile from the village,
rises to the height of 1150 feet above the level of the
sea; both commanding fine views of the county of Ayr,
the Firth of Clyde, the Isle of Arran, and the coast of
Ireland. The other hills, though numerous, are not of
any great altitude. There are also many lakes on the
borders, and within the limits, of Straiten. The prin-
cipal is Loch Doon, which is about six miles in length
and one mile broad, and is much frequented by fishing
parties, for whose accommodation boats are kept in
readiness during the season. Its scenery is bleak, and
destitute of beauty, from the want of trees; and its
most romantic feature, the outlet of its waters into the
river Doon, in one wide volume over a rocky barrier,
has been destroyed by the erection of sluices to regulate
the supply. Of the other lakes are Loch Hraden, Loch
Dercleiigh, and Loch Finlas, on all of which boats are
kept for angling; the remaining lakes are nearly twenty in number.
The river Doon, issuing from the lake of that name,
forces its way for almost a mile through the deep and
rocky glen of Berbeth, in which it is apparently lost. The
interior of this dark and narrow dell abounds with the
most sublime and romantic features. Along the margin
of the river a narrow footpath has been formed at an
elevation above the highest point to which its waters
ever rise in forcing their way; and the narrow channel
of the stream is inclosed on both sides by lofty precipitous
cliffs, rising almost perpendicularly to the
height of nearly 300 feet, in some parts clothed with
the rich foliage of trees whose boughs impend over the
water, and in others forming vast and rugged masses
of barren rock. From this pass the river winds
through the pleasure-grounds of Berbeth House, and
afterwards expands into a wide lake, whence it pursues
a gentle and noiseless course through meadow lands.
After forming for about ten miles the boundary of this
parish, it flows past the parishes of Dalrymple and
Maybole into the sea, near Ayr. The river Girvan,
which rises about twelve miles from Straiton, passes
along a rich and fertile vale to the village, and, after a
course of nearly three miles through the well-wooded
demesne of Blairquhan, enters Kirkmichael. The river
Stinchar, which has its source in the parish of Barr,
constitutes the southern boundary of this parish for
two miles. A beautiful waterfall occurs near Berbeth,
where a lake called Dalkairneij Linn, which is created
by a small bum, projects itself from a height of forty
feet in a perpendicular descent. Tarelaw Linn is formed
by the Girvan, and, after a succession of falls, together
more than sixty feet in height, expands into a fine sheet
of water in a deeply-wooded dell. The streams abound
with trout, and salmon also are found in the Doon and
the Girvan j the lakes contain pike, trout, and other
fish, and the moors afford plenty of grouse.
On the banks of the Girvan the soil is hght and
gravelly, and on those of the Doon a retentive clay.
The whole number of acres in the parish is estimated
at 51,800. About 4200 of these are arable; 600 in woods
and plantations; and the remainder, of which not more
than 500 or 600 could be reclaimed and rendered
capable of cultivation, are pasture and moorland in a
state of nature. Crops are raised of oats, wheat, barley,
beans, potatoes, and turnips. The system of agriculture
is improved; the lands have been drained to a considerable
extent, and the greater number of the farmhouses
having been rebuilt in a better style, are now
substantial and commodious, and roofed with slate.
On most of the farms threshing-mills have been erected.
The introduction of bone-manure has been attended with
success, and all the more recent improvements in implements
of husbandry have been adopted. Great attention
is paid to the rearing of live-stock, and to the
improvement of the breeds. Galloway cows, formerly
prevalent here, have given place to cows of the Ayrshire
breed; about 700 milch-cows of this description are
pastured, and 1400 head of cattle of the Galloway kind.
Of sheep, about '20,000 are fed on the several pastures;
they are of the black-faced breed, with some of the
Cheviot. There are some good specimens of full-grown
timber; near the village are some remarkably fine old
sycamore-trees, and at Blairquhan are some lime-trees
of great beauty, forming a noble avenue to the mansion.
The plantations are of larch, spruce, silver, and Scotch
firs, with oak, ash, elm, and beech; they are well attended
to, and make a profitable return to the proprietors. In
this parish are strata of granite, of which the hills about
Loch Doon are formed, greywacke, and greywacke-slate;
on the banks of the Girvan is found trap interspersed
with mountain limestone, and in the lower lands red
sandstone. Limestone is quarried in several places, and
coal has been found in different parts of the parish. The
limestone in some spots abounds with marine shells.
The coal is worked at Patna and Keir, but not to any
great extent; it occurs in seams varying from three to
eight feet in thickness, and of various quality. The annual
value of real property in the parish is returned at £9107.
Blairquhan Castle, the seat of Sir David Hunter Blair,
Bart., completed in IS'24, is a castellated mansion in the
later style of English architecture, beautifully situated
on the tjanks of the Girvan, about a mile from the village
of Straiton. The approach is by a handsome bridge, and
through a lodge in strict keeping with the style of the
castle; it conducts the visiter through a succession of
interesting scenery, and leads to a fine view of the house,
with the hills of Craigengower and Bennan in the back
ground. In the castle are many fine apartments; the
saloon, which communicates with the principal rooms,
measures sixty feet in height. The grounds are laid out
with great beauty, and adorned with full-grown timber
and thriving plantations. Berbelh, the residence of the
Honourable Colonel Cathcart, is situated on the banks
of the Doon, at one extremity of the parish; it is a substantial
mansion, in a highly embellished demesne comprising
much interesting scenery. On the river Stinchar,
at about eight miles' distance from the village of Straiton,
there is a shooting-lodge belonging to the Marquess of Ailsa.
The village is pleasantly situated on the Girvan, and
consists of neat and well-built houses. Its inhabitants
are partly engaged in weaving for the Glasgow and Paisley
manufacturers, the principal articles being tartans and
plaids. A great part of the females, also, are employed
in working muslins in flowers and various patterns for
the markets of Paisley and Glasgow. A post office, a
branch of the post-othce of Maybole, is established here;
and also a parochial library, forming a collection of about
500 volumes. The nearest market-town is Ayr, with
which communication is afforded by good roads, that
from Ayr to Newton-.Stewart ))assing through the village;
and over the rivers are bridges kept in excellent repair.
Ecclesiastically this place is within the limits of the presbytery
of Ayr, synod of Glasgow and Ayr; and the
patronage is in the Crown. The stipend of tlie iiicunihcnt
is about. £'2;i.5; the manse is a small but comfortable
residence, beautifully situated, and the glebe comprises
about eight acres of profitable land, valued at £16 per
annun. Straiton church is a plain edifice, and has
undergone repeated alterations and repairs; the most
ancient portion of it, which formed part probably of the
original structure, is an aisle, having a fine Gothic
window, and now belonging to Sir Hunter Blair. It is
nearly in the centre of the parish, and is adapted for a
congregation of 444 persons. A chapel of ease has been
erected by subscription in the village of Patna, on a site
given for that purpose, in 1836, by Mr. Leslie Cumming;
it is adapted for a congregation of about 340 persons, and
has a gallery in front. In this village also, is a place of
worship for members of the United Presbyterian Church.
There are two parochial schools; one in the village of
Straiton, of which the master has a salary of £31. 10.,
with a house and garden, and fees averaging £32 per
annum; and the other in the village of Patna, of which
the master has a salary of £11, with a house and garden
given by the proprietor, and the fees, amounting to £95.
The former is attended by about eighty, and the latter
by about sixty scholars. There is also a female school
built and endowed by Lady Hunter Blair, and partly
supported by the fees; and at both villages are parochial
libraries, besides small collections of religious works.
Coal is distributed annually among the poor by Lady
Hunter Blair; and two friendly societies, long established,
have contributed to keep down the number of applications
for parochial relief.
On an island near the head of Loch Doon are the
remains of the ancient castle of Doon, of irregular form,
consisting of eleven different facia, and of a lofty square
tower in the Norman and early English styles of architecture.
This was once a royal castle, of which the Earl of
Cassilis was governor. Doon was one of the five strongholds
held by the royalists during the minority of the
son of Bruce, when the rest of Scotland yielded to the
English power: its gallant defender was John Thomson,
believed to be the same that led back the remains of the
Scottish array from Ireland, after the death of Edward
Bruce. In the loch, near the ruins, were found in 1893,
and also in 1831, some canoes formed of trunks of oaktrees:
one is preserved in the museum of the university
of Glasgow, and others in some water near Berbeth.
There are some slight remains of the ancient castle of
Blairquhan, incorporated in the modern mansion of that
name. This castle early belonged to the family of
Mc Whirter, from whom it passed to the Kennedys, a
branch of the Cassilis family. In the reign of Charles II.
it came into the possession of the family of Whitcford;
and at the end of the last century it was purchased by
the family of Hunter Blair, the present owners of the
estate of Blairquhan, who arc maternally descended
from the Kennedys, Earls of Cassilis.