Loch of Trabboch
Encyclopedia
The Loch of Trabboch or Dalrympleston Loch (NS440211) was situated in a low lying area below the old Castle of Trabboch
, once held by the Boyd family in the Parish of Stair
, East Ayrshire
, Scotland.
The Drumdow colliery near the village of Trabboch was abandoned and flooded by 1905 and has become known as Trabboch Loch, the name Dalrympleston Loch or marsh being applied to the old Loch of Trabboch site.
OS maps mark the loch as a curling pond and records show that from 1853 to at least the 1880s it was used for matches between clubs such as those at Tarbolton
and Ochiltree
. Tarbolton Curling Club used Loch Fail in the 19th century, showing that it was prone to winter flooding at that time.
's survey of circa 1604, clearly shows and names the loch and indicates only an outflow to the Water of Coyle. Roy's map of 1747 does not show a loch. Thomson map of 1832 does not record a loch.
The 19th century Ordnance Survey
maps show the site clearly with an island present, and an inflow from the Dalrympleston Burn, exiting to run down to the Water of Coyle at Gatefoot. An extensive area of wetland is shown extending around the loch waters on early OS maps. The 1897 OS marks the loch as a Curling Pond, but the 1948 map shows a drain running through the loch and no mention of its sue as a curling pond. Many drainage schemes date to the end of WWI when many soldiers returned en masse to civilian life. After 1959 the loch had become a wetland area and no longer had open water.
The lands of Trabboch are first recorded by name in a rental of 1303-4. King Robert the Bruce gave the L-plan castle to the Boyds of Kilmarnock for services rendered at the Battle of Bannockburn
as revealed in an undated charter in the Register of the Great Seal, stating that King Robert I granted the 'lands of Trebach' in Kyle-Regis to Robert Boyd. By 1451 the lands had passed into the hands of William, Earl of Douglas and later to the Boswells of Auchinleck. In the 17th century Chalmers of Gadgirth and Reid of Barskimming held parts of the Barony of Trabboch. Love states that the Arthurs, Lord Ochiltree, and the Campbells of Loudoun also held Trabboch Castle. The associated Mill of Trabboch stood on the Water of Coyle and was not powered by the loch waters.
Campbell sees Trabboch Castle as the only survivor of a defensive chain of castles that once ran across Kyle Regis and included Stair, Auchencloigh
, Drongan, and Drumsuie.
Wildlife
A Common Crane, a rare species for Ayrshire was recorded at Dalrympleston marsh in 1987. It is recorded on the bird gazetteer as a site for watching birds.
Views of the Loch of Trabboch site
Trabboch Castle
-Loch of Trabboch:The ancient Loch of Trabboch was a site where swans, moor hens, and other waterfowl nested and as a site within the old Barony of Trabboch it was an area used for hunting and fishing by the laird. Trabboch Loch is a 19th century site formed from the flooding of Drumdow...
, once held by the Boyd family in the Parish of Stair
Stair
The hamlet of Stair in Scotland nestles at the bottom of a glen beside the River Ayr at the north-west border of the 5,376 acre parish of Stair where the River Ayr is joined by Glenstang Burn in what is now known as East Ayrshire....
, East Ayrshire
East Ayrshire
East Ayrshire is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders on to North Ayrshire, East Renfrewshire, South Lanarkshire, South Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway...
, Scotland.
History
The loch is recorded as the 'Loch of Trabboch' in 1654, pronounced 'Traaboch'. A small 'comma-shaped' island of 0.1 acres and around 120ft long is shown on the first OS maps at co-ordinates 55.458984N and -4.466443W.The Drumdow colliery near the village of Trabboch was abandoned and flooded by 1905 and has become known as Trabboch Loch, the name Dalrympleston Loch or marsh being applied to the old Loch of Trabboch site.
Useage
The loch was a site where swans, moor hens, and other waterfowl nested and as a site within the old Barony of Trabboch it was an area used for hunting and fishing by the laird.OS maps mark the loch as a curling pond and records show that from 1853 to at least the 1880s it was used for matches between clubs such as those at Tarbolton
Tarbolton
Tarbolton is a village in South Ayrshire, Scotland.- Meaning of place-name :Tarbolton has been suggested as having one of three meanings:...
and Ochiltree
Ochiltree
Ochiltree, spelt Uchletree in the Middle Ages, is a village in East Ayrshire, Scotland near Auchinleck and Cumnock. It is one of the oldest villages in East Ayrshire with archaeological remains indicating Stone Age and Bronze Age settlers....
. Tarbolton Curling Club used Loch Fail in the 19th century, showing that it was prone to winter flooding at that time.
Cartographic evidence
Blaeu's map of 1654, dating from Timothy PontTimothy Pont
Timothy Pont was a Scottish topographer, the first to produce a detailed map of Scotland. Pont's maps are among the earliest surviving to show a European country in minute detail, from an actual survey.-Life:...
's survey of circa 1604, clearly shows and names the loch and indicates only an outflow to the Water of Coyle. Roy's map of 1747 does not show a loch. Thomson map of 1832 does not record a loch.
The 19th century Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
maps show the site clearly with an island present, and an inflow from the Dalrympleston Burn, exiting to run down to the Water of Coyle at Gatefoot. An extensive area of wetland is shown extending around the loch waters on early OS maps. The 1897 OS marks the loch as a Curling Pond, but the 1948 map shows a drain running through the loch and no mention of its sue as a curling pond. Many drainage schemes date to the end of WWI when many soldiers returned en masse to civilian life. After 1959 the loch had become a wetland area and no longer had open water.
Micro-history
Trabboch CastleThe lands of Trabboch are first recorded by name in a rental of 1303-4. King Robert the Bruce gave the L-plan castle to the Boyds of Kilmarnock for services rendered at the Battle of Bannockburn
Battle of Bannockburn
The Battle of Bannockburn was a significant Scottish victory in the Wars of Scottish Independence...
as revealed in an undated charter in the Register of the Great Seal, stating that King Robert I granted the 'lands of Trebach' in Kyle-Regis to Robert Boyd. By 1451 the lands had passed into the hands of William, Earl of Douglas and later to the Boswells of Auchinleck. In the 17th century Chalmers of Gadgirth and Reid of Barskimming held parts of the Barony of Trabboch. Love states that the Arthurs, Lord Ochiltree, and the Campbells of Loudoun also held Trabboch Castle. The associated Mill of Trabboch stood on the Water of Coyle and was not powered by the loch waters.
Campbell sees Trabboch Castle as the only survivor of a defensive chain of castles that once ran across Kyle Regis and included Stair, Auchencloigh
Auchencloigh Castle
Auchencloigh Castle or Auchincloigh Castle is a ruined fortification near the Burnton Burn, lying within the feudal lands of the Craufurd Clan, situated in the Parish of Ochiltree, East Ayrshire, Scotland.-Auchencloigh Castle:...
, Drongan, and Drumsuie.
Wildlife
A Common Crane, a rare species for Ayrshire was recorded at Dalrympleston marsh in 1987. It is recorded on the bird gazetteer as a site for watching birds.
Views of the Loch of Trabboch site