MAUCHLINE, a parish and town (manufacturing), in the county of Ayr,
85 miles, (S. E. by S.) from Kilmarnock,
and 11 (E. N. E.) from Ayr; containing, with
the villages of Haugh and Auchmillan, 2156 inhabitants,
of whom 1336 are in the town, 90 in the village of
Haugh, 35 in that of Auchmillan, and the rest in the
rural districts of the parish. This place derives its
name from the Gaelic magh, a meadow, and Unn, a lake,
which together are descriptive of its most prominent
features. The town is situated on the south side of a
hill that intersects the parish, and at no great distance
from the river Ayr. It was formerly a burgh of barony,
and still retains something of its original character,
being governed by a baron-bailie in conjunction with
the county magistrates. Mauchline is neatly built and
well inhabited. A public library is supported by subscription,
and a certain portion of the funds is annually
appropriated to the augmentation of the collection.
The inhabitants are principally engaged in weaving,
and in the manufacture of shoes, and snuff-boxes of
wood. The manufacture of snuffboxes affords employment
to about 140 persons, and the articles produced are
of admirable workmanship and of a great variety of elegant
patterns; the weavers work at their own dwellings
for the manufacturers of Glasgow and Paisley, and many
of the inhabitants are occupied in the various trades requisite
for the supply of the neighbourhood. A wooUen
manufacture is carried on in the village of Haugh, where
is a mill for that purpose, which gives employment to
thirty persons, chiefly in spinning yarn for the carpet
manufactory of Kilmarnock. There are also a corn-mill,
a lint-mill, a saw-mill, and a mill for grinding reapinghooks,
all set in motion by the Ayr. A post-office is
established; and facility of communication is afforded
by excellent roads, of which the turnpike-road from Ayr
to Edinburgh, and that from Glasgow to London, intersect
each other in the town. At Barskimming is an elegant
bridge over the river, consisting of one arch a hundred
feet in span and ninety feet high. There is a station
at Mauchline of the Glasgow, Dumfries, and Carlisle
railway: at Ballochmyle is a grand viaduct on the line.
Fairs arc held on the first Thursday after the 4th of
February, for cows and horses and for hiring servants;
on the second Thursday in April, for cows, and general
business; the first Wednesday after the 18th of May,
and the third Wednesday in June, for cows and horses;
the first Wednesday in August, for cows and horses and
the hiring of shearers; the first Thursday after the 26th
of Scptemljcr, or on that day if it be Thursday, for cows,
horses, ewes, and lambs; the first Thursday alter the 4th
of November, and on the fourth Wednesday in December,
for cows and horses. A horse-race takes place on
the last Thursday in April. There is a small prison for
the temporary confinement of petty offenders.
The PARISH has been reduced in extent by the separation
from it of the parishes of Sorn and Muirkirk, and
part of Tarbolton. It is situated nearly in the centre of
the county, and is about eight miles in length and from
two to four miles broad, comprising 7206 acres, of which
500 are woodland and plantations, and the remainder
arable in good cultivation, with a moderate portion of
meadow and pasture. The surface is level, with the exception
of a lofty ridge which intersects it in part from
east to west, and terminates in a hilt in the parish of
Tarbolton. The river Ayr, in part of its course, flows
between precipitous banks of red freestone about fifty
feet in height. Along it are numerous caverns cut out
of the rock, and in other parts its sides are richly wooded,
presenting some pleasingly-picturesque features. Near
Barskimming it receives the waters of the Lugar; and
after a course of ten miles further, it falls into the Firth
of Clyde at Ayr. Loch Brown is a fine sheet of water,
covering about sixty acres of ground, and frequented by
aquatic fowl; it was long in contemplation to drain this
lake, but it has been preserved for the supply of the
mills to which it gives motion. There are numerous
springs affording an abundant supply of water; some
of them are supposed to possess mineral qualities, but
they have not been yet analysed.
The soil is various, but chiefly of a clayey nature interspersed
with light sand, and in some parts a rich loam.
It is well adapted to the culture of trees, several of which
have attained a luxuriant growth. The crops are, grain
of all kinds, potatoes, turnips, and carrots; the system
of agriculture is improved, and the rotation plan of husbandry
generally adopted. Furrow-draining has been
practised to a considerable extent, and the lands are inclosed
with hedges of thorn kept in excellent order; the
farm-houses are roofed with slate, and the offices well
arranged and commodious. The plantations are of
larch and other fir, ash, oak, beech, &c.; they are carefully
managed, and in a thriving state. On the lands of
Barskimming are some larch-trees of remarkably fine
growth; and in the churchyard is a stately ash, fifteen
feet in girth, and apparently of great age. The substrata
are chiefly limestone, ironstone, coal, and white and red
freestone; the three first appear in beds of inconsiderable
thickness, and are not wrought. Of the red freestone
the strata are more than forty feet in depth, and are extensively
quarried for building purposes; the white
freestone is exceedingly compact and durable, and is
employed chiefly for paving and similar uses. The annual
value of real property in the parish is £7'i72. Ballochmyle
is a handsome mansion in the Grecian style,
and chiefly of the Ionic order; Netherplace is a spacious
castellated mansion in the Elizabethan style, pleasantly
situated in a well-wooded demesne; and Kingincleugh
Cottage is also a good residence.
Mauchline is ecclesiastically in the presbytery of Ayr,
synod of Glasgow and Ayr, and in the patronage of the
Marquess of Hastings: the minister's stipend is £230.
19. 11., with a manse, and a glebe valued at £10 per
annum. The church is a handsome and spacious edifice
in the later English style, with a square embattled tower
crowned by angular turrets. It was erected in 18'29, to
replace the old church, which, being much dilapidated,
was taken down; the interior is elegantly arranged and
well lighted, and is adapted for a congregation of 1100
persons. There is a place of worship for the United
Presbyterian Church. The parochial school affords a
useful education; the master receives a salary of £34,
with £40 fees, and a house and garden. There is also a
school at Crosshands; the master has a house and garden
given by the Duke of Portland. Eight friendly
societies are maintained in the town, two of which have
been established many years, and possess considerable
funds; and all of them have contributed to keep down
the number of applications for parochial relief. A savings'
bank was founded in 1815. A skirmish took place
at Mauchline Muir, between the King's forces and the
Covenanters, in 1647, when the former were defeated;
and their military chest is said to have been many years
afterwards discovered, hidden in the ground. The only
remains of an ancient monastery that existed here, subordinate
to the abbey of Melrose, consist of a tower in
the village, to which has been attached a building converting
it into a residence called Mauchline Castle, for
some time the abode of Gavin Hamilton, Esq., the friend
of Burns. The poet for nearly nine years occupied the
farm of Mossgiel, in this parish, and while here published
the first edition of his works, by the advice and under
the patronage of Mr. Hamilton. Mauchline in part
confers the title of Baron on the Marquess of Hastings:
the dignity was created in the year 1633.