IRVINE, a parish and burgh (royal), in the district
of CUNNiNGHAME, county of Ayr, 26 miles (W. S. W.)
from Glasgow, and 685 (W. by S.) from Edinburgh; the
parish containing 5214 inhabitants, of whom 4594 are
resident within the burgh; exclusively of 3053 in the
parish of Dundonald, into which the town extends, the
total population of the town being "647. This place
derives its name from the river on which it is situated,
and appears to have attained a high degree of importance
at a very early period. The inhabitants obtained from
Alexander II. a charter conferring upon the town the
privileges of a royal burgh; and a charter confirming all
previous grants was subsequently given to them by Robert
Bruce, in recompense of their services during his
wars with England in the reign of Edward I. These two
charters were renewed and enlarged by successive sovereigns
till the reign of James VI.; and the various immunities
possessed by the inhabitants were ratified by
parliament in 1641. The town is finely situated on the
nortii-east bank of the river Irvine, near its junction with
the Garnock, and com])rises one spacious street, extending
throughout its whole length, from which several
smaller but well-formed streets diverge at right angles.
The streets are well paved, and lighted with gas, and the
inhabitants are amply supplied with water, all at the expense
of the corporation. A public library was established
iu 1796, and is supported by subscriptioQ; there is also
a reading and news room, well supplied with the daily
journals and the most esteemed periodical publications.
A handsome bridge, erected in 17-16, and greatly improved
in IS'27. connects the town with the spacious
suburb of Fullarton, on the opposite bank of the river;
and in the immediate vicinity are some fine downs, on
which the game of golf takes place, and the Eglinton
races are held. The environs are interspersed with
numerous pleasant villas; and the scenery, in itself
picturesque, is heightened by the proximity of the grounds
of Eglinton Park.
The chief manufacture carried on is the weaving of
book-muslin, jaconets, and checks, in which more than
500 looms are engaged; and great numbers of females
are employed in tambouring muslin. The manufacture
of anchors and cables is also considerable: there are
extensive rope- walks, a yard for ship-building, and some
works for magnesia and other chemical processes. This
port, previously to the erection of Port-Glasgow, was the
shipping-place of the Glasgow merchants: the trade now
consists principally in the export of coal, of which
nearly 300,000 tons are annually shipped, chiefly for
Ireland and various parts of the British coast, but occasionally
for France, Malta, Gibraltar, and other foreign
parts. The chief imports are, timber, and sometimes
grain, from America; grain and butter, in large quantities,
from Ireland; and iron, slates, and limestone, from
various places. In 1843, the number of vessels belonging
to the port was 123, of 15,380 tons' aggregate burthen;
and the amount of duties paid at the customhouse,
£2040. Irvine harbour, which was greatly improved
in 1826, and has since been under the superintendence
of commissioners, has thirteen feet and a half
depth of water on the bar at spring-tides, and is accessible
to vessels of from 200 to 250 tons. The jurisdiction
of the port extends over that portion of the coast
included between Troon and Largs. The post-office has
a good delivery. Branches of the Union Bank of Scotland,
the Ayrshire Bank, and the British Linen Company,
have been estabhshed; and great facility of communication
is afforded by the Glasgow and Ayr railway, which
nas a station in the town, and is here joined by a branch
from Busby, near Kilmarnock. The market, which is
abundantly supplied with grain and provisions of all
kinds, is on Monday. Fairs are held on the first Wednesday
in January, for horses; the first Tuesday in
May, for cattle; and the third Monday and Wednesday
in August, for horses, and for lint and wool. A marketcross,
a very elegant structure in the centre of the town,
was removed in 1694, and the materials employed in the
erection of the present meal-market.
The government of the burgh is vested in a provost,
two bailies, a dean of guild, and a treasurer, with twelve
councillors, chosen under the regulations of the Municipal
Reform act. There are six incorporated trades, namely,
the shoemakers, coopers, tailors, weavers, hammermen,
and squaremen. The fee of admission as a guild burgess
is £5; and as a common burgess £2. 10. for a stranger,
and half that sum for a son or son-in-law of a burgess.
The magistrates, whose jurisdiction extends over the
royalty, hold burgh courts both in civil and criminal
matters; and the sheriff of the county holds a court
here once in every two months, for causes not exceeding
£8. 6. 8. A justice-of-peace court is also regularly held.
The town-hall, situated in the centre of the principal
street, was built in 1*45, and is a neat plain structure,
containing a court-room and a council-chamber, the
public library, and three apartments for criminals. The
debtors' prison has been discontinued since 1840, under
the new Prison act, and has been transferred to the
county gaol of Ayr, whither, also, all criminal prisoners
are sent whose cases require more than temporary confinement.
This burgh is associated with Ayr, Campbelltown,
Inverary, and Oban, in returning a member to the
imperial parliament: the number of qualified voters, including
the suburb of Fullarton, which is within the parliamentary
boundaries, is 235. The celebrated Robert
Barclay was provost of the burgh.
The PARISH, situated in the north-western portion of
the county, is bounded on the east and south-east by the
river Annick; on the west, by the Irvine; and on the
north-west, by the river Garnock. It is about four miles
in length and nearly two in extreme breadth, comprising
an area of almost 4000 acres, of which 3000 are arable,
and the remainder woodland, plantations, and waste.
Along the shore, and on the banks of the rivers, the surface
is flat and sandy: the soil near the town is a light
rich loam, and in the higher parts a strong clay. The
crops are wheat, oats, barley, potatoes, and turnips: the
system of husbandry is improved; the lands are well
drained and inclosed, and the farm-buildings generally
substantial and commodious. Dairy-farming is well
managed, and the produce is in high reputation. The
annual value of real property in the parish is £10,156.
The plantations distributed over various parts are mostly
in a thriving state: there are some considerable remains
of ancient timber. The chief substrata are, coal, of which
there are numerous seams; freestone; and whinstone,
of good quality for building, and of which an extensive
quarry, near the town, is in full operation. This whinstone
is in great demand for oven soles, for which it is
admirably adapted, and which are frequently sent as far
south as London. The only seat of importance is Bourtree
Hill, pleasantly situated on the banks of the Annick,
about a mile and a half eastward of the town.
For ECCLESIASTICAL purposes the parish is within the
bounds of the presbytery of Irvine, of which this place is
the seat, and the synod of Glasgow and Ayr. The minister's
stipend is about £'280, with a manse, and a glebe
valued at £'25 per annum; patron, the Earl of Eglinton.
Irvine church, erected iu 1774> and repaired in
1830, is a spacious structure with a handsome tower and
spire, and contains iSOO sittings. There are places of
worship for members of the United Presbyterian Church,
the Free Church, and Baptists. An academy, for which
a building was erected in the town in 1816, capable of
receiving 500 pupils, is under the patronage of the corporation,
who appoint a rector, an English master, and
a commercial master, who have salaries of £30 each, in
addition to the fees, which, however, are moderate. Near
Bourtree Hill are some remains of an ancient structure
called Stone Castle, belonging to the Earl of Eglinton;
the principal portion is a square tower, of unknown antiquity.
With this castle is said to have been connected
a nunnery with a chapel and cemetery. Irvine is remarkable
as the birthplace of Montgomery, the poet, and
of the late Mr. Gait, the novelist; and as having been
for some time the residence of Burns: whilst the last
named was endeavouring to establish himself in business
here as a flax-dresser, his shop was unfortunately burnt,
and his prospects blighted. In Irvine also was born the
Right Honourable David Boyle, the present distinguished
head of the court of session. See Fullarton.