STEWARTON, a burgh and parish, in the district
of CuNNiNGHAME, couuty of Ayr, 9 miles (N. E.) from
Irvine; containing 4656 inhabitants. This place derived
its name from its ancient proprietor, James, High
Steward of Scotland in the thirteenth century, and is
supposed to have been subsequently the residence of
some of the kings of the Stuart line. Among the charters
granted to the proprietors of the lands is one by
Robert III. to John Stuart, Earl of Buchan, son of the
Regent, conferring upon him the lands of Stewarton,
and others in Cunninghame, on the resignation of the
Earl of Douglas. The lands had previously belonged
to the potent family of Ross, whose representative, the
Earl of Glasgow, takes his title of Lord Boyle of Stewarton
from this place; and three cadets of the Cunninghame
family held considerable portions, and were respectively
baronets of Corsehill, Robertland, and Auchenharvie.
The property is now divided among numerous
owners, of whom Wdliam Cuninghame of Lainshaw,
Esq., Alexander Kerr, Esq., of Robertland, Sir Thomas
Montgomery Cunninghame of Corsehill, Bart., James
S. Burns, Esq., of Auchenharvie, and Colonel S. Macalister
of Kennox, are the principal. Few events of
any importance are recorded in connexion with the
place. The castle of Robertland, the stronghold of the
Cunninghames, was burnt by the Montgomeries of Eglinton,
in a feud between them and the Cunninghames,
in 1586; in revenge of which, Hugh, fourth Earl of Eglinton,
was afterwards waylaid and shot at the ford of Annock.
The PARISH is situated on the confines of Renfrewshire.
It is nearly ten miles in extreme length, and
from three to four in extreme breadth; comprising
about 13,000 acres, of which 2500 are arable, nearly
7000 meadow and pasture, 200 woodland and plantations,
and the remainder hill pasture, moss, and waste.
The surface is beautifully diversified, rising by gentle
acclivities from the south-west towards the north-east
(where it terminates on the border of Renfrewshire) in
hills of various elevation, commanding from their summits
extensive and finely-varied prospects over the surrounding
country. On the west are seen the isles of
Jura, Arran, and Ailsa, with the coast of Ireland faintly
in the distance; on the north, the mountain of Ben-
Lomond; and on the south, the hills of Kirkcudbright
and Dumfries-shire. The principal river is the Annock,
which has its source in a lake in the parish of Mearns,
and, taking a south-western direction, flows in a beautifully
winding course through this parish, and falls into
the Irvine. There are several streams tributary to the
Annock, which intersect the lands in various directions:
these are, the Swinsey, the Corsehill, and East burns,
flowing into the Annock at the town of Stewarton; and
the Glazart, which joins it about four miles to the south.
At the hamlet of Bloak is a mineral well, the properties
of which are not perfectly known; it was discovered in
1810, and a small but handsome building has been
erected over it by the proprietor of Lainshaw, who has
appointed a person to take care of it.
In general the soil is fertile; in some parts light and
friable, and well adapted for green crops; in others, of
deeper and stronger quality, producing wheat and other
grain. The arable lands are under good cultivation;
but the greater portion of the parish is in pasture. The
crops are oats, barley, wheat, potatoes, and turnips.
Husbandry is in a highly improved state; the farm
buildings and offices are substantial and well arranged,
and the lands have been drained, and inclosed chietly
with hedges of thorn, kept in excellent order. There
are about 2500 cattle. Great attention is paid to the
management of the dairy-lands, and the produce, which
is abundant and of fine quality, is sent principally to
Glasgow, Paisley, and Kilmarnock, where it obtains a
ready sale. About "00 sheep and 500 swine are fed.
There are few remains of the ancient woods. The plantations,
which are chiefly on the lower lands, are comparatively
of recent date, and consist of various kinds of
trees, for which the soil is well adapted, and which are
under careful management and in a thriving condition.
In this parish the principal substrata are whinstone,
freestone, and limestone. The freestone is of good quality
for building, for which purpose it is occasionally
quarried; the limestone, which lies near the surface, and
is easily wrought, is burnt into lime on several of the
lands. Coal is found in some plates, and, being readily
obtained, is used on the spot for burning lime; but no
.seams sufficiently thick to encourage the sinking of a pit
have yet been discovered, though some attempts have
been made to find them, at a considerable expense. The
annual value of real property in the parish is £17,023.
Lainshaw House, the seat of Mr. Cuninghame, is a spacious
and handsome mansion, erected in 1S2S, and pleasantly
situated on the banks of the Annock, in a demesne
embellished with thriving plantations. Lochridge, built
in 1637; Kennox, an ancient mansion with recent additions;
Girgenti, a modern residence; Robertland, also
a modern structure; and Williamshaw, partly ancient
and partly modern, are likewise finely situated.
The TOWN of Stewarton is situated on the banks of
the river Annock, nearly in the centre of the parish;
and, since the establishment of its manufactures, has
greatly increased in population and extent, now containing
nearly 3000 inhabitants. It is more than threequarters
of a mile in length, consisting of several intersecting
streets; the houses are well built, and to some
of them is attached a portion of ground for the cultivation
of fruit, vegetables, and flowers. The streets are
lighted with gas from works establi.shcd in 1832, at a
cost of £1200; and the inhabitants are amjjly supplied
with water. A public library, founded in 1810, forms a
large collection of volumes in the various departments
of literature; and there is a public news-room, well supplied
with journals and periodical publications. A horticultural
and florists' society, also, has been established.
The environs of the town, which are pleasant, and
abound with picturesque scenery, contain some handsome
houses and villas. The manufacture of bonnets and
caps has long been established here, affording constant
employment to 500 persons. In the manufacture of
cotton and silk fabrics, of more recent introduction,
about 300 persons are employed; and shirtings, sheetings,
towelling, table-linen, blankets, druggets, and other
fabrics are woven by others. Mills for carding and
spinning, &c., have been erected; and there are two
carpet-manufactories, in one of which 150, and in the
other about forty, persons are employed. The making
of steel clock-work is peculiar to this place, and the
produce is in great demand both at home and for the
American market. There is also a large manufactory of
spindles for cotton and woollen mills. A very extensive
manufacture of bricks, and of tiles for roofing and for
draining, is carried on in the vicinity of the town; the
quantity of tiles alone produced annually is estimated
at 500,000. All the handicraft trades necessary for the
wants of the neighbourhood are pursued; and there
are numerous shops in the town, stored with various
kinds of merchandise. Branches of the Union Bank of
Glasgow and Messrs. Hunter's bank at Ayr, have been
opened here; and also a savings' bank. The market is
weekly, on Thursday; and fairs for horses, cattle, and
dairy-stock, are held on the first Monday in May, the
last Thursdays in June and December, and the first Friday
in November. The May and June fairs are also for
hiring servants. Facility of communication is maintained
by the turnpike-roads to Glasgow, Paisley, and
Kilmarnock, which pass through the town; by other
roads kept in good repair by statute labour, which intersect
the parish in various directions; and by bridges over
the several streams. There is also a station of the Ayrshire
railway at the distance of four miles from the
town, to which an omnibus runs twice a day. The
burgh is governed by a baron-bailie appointed by the
superior of the barony, Mr. Cuninghame of Lainshaw,
but his jurisdiction extends only over the markets and
fairs; the magistrates of the county hold justice-of-peace
courts for petty offences. A commodious court-house
for the trial of prisoners, and a lock-up house for their
temporary confinement, have been erected in the town,
and are both the property of Mr. Cuninghame. The
suburbs are chiefly on the lands of Sir T. M. Cunningharae
of Corsehill.
For ECCLESIASTICAL pnrposcs this place is within the
limits of the presbytery of Irvine and synod of Glasgow
and Ayr: the minister's stipend is £280. 19- 2., with a
manse, and a glebe valued at £12 per annum; patron,
Mr. Cuninghame. Stewarton church, originally built in
1696, and repaired and enlarged in 1825, is a handsome
edifice centrically situated, and containing 1400 sittings.
There are places of worslii]) for members of the Free
Church, the United Presbyterian Church, and the Congregational
Union. The parochial school is attended
by about thirty children: the master has a salary of
£34. 4. 4., with a house, an allowance of £2. 2. in lieu
of garden, and the school fees; also £5 per annum,
from a bequest by Mr. Smith for the gratuitous instruction
of poor children. There are some remains of the
ancient castles of Corsehill and Auchenharvie. On the
braes of CarndtilT, the property of Mr. Deans, of Peacock
Bank, have been found three urns containing human
bones. About a mile from the town, on the farm of
Chapelton, were dug up the foundations of an ancient
chapel, of which, however, no authentic records have
been preserved. Among the eminent persons connected
with this place was Dr. Robert Watt, compiler of the
Bibliotheca Brilannka, a work of celebrity; he was born
on the farm now called Girgenti, in the year 1774, and
died in 1819.