Martnaham Loch
Encyclopedia
Martnaham Loch is a freshwater loch lying across the border between East
and South Ayrshire
Council Areas, 2km from Coylton, in the parishes of Coylton
and Dalrymple
, 3 miles from Ayr
. The loch lies along an axis from north-east to south-west. The remains of a castle lie on a possibly artificial islet within the loch. The Campbells of Loudoun
once held the lands, followed by the Kennedys of Cassillis.
which in turn receives water from Loch Fergus
. The loch's outflow is at the south-west end and the Sidehill Burn enters at the north-east end. As stated the outflow from Loch Fergus
passes into Snipe Loch
, this flow entering between Cloncaird Cottages and Martnaham Lodge. A small islet lies off the eastern lochshore and a promontory, once an island, holds the ruins of the old castle.
Etymology
Martnaham is variously recorded as Martinham, Martnam, Martna, Matuane, and even Mertineton in 1700. The name may be Anglian or Gaelic and any connection with Saint Ninian
's tutor, Saint Martin of Tours would be speculation.
Martnaham may have been part of a chain of fortalices forming a defensive line, including Drongan and Auchencloigh castles. Love has it as the original seat of Old King Cole
, thereby linking it with nearby Loch Fergus
, named after King Cole's opponent and vanquisher. Circa 1661 John Bonar, a schoolmaster in Ayr, wrote a poetical description of the local traditions regarding King Cole and states that -
The castle was the caput of the old Barony of Martnaham. The site is said to have been besieged in the 1650s. Groome refers to it as "ivy-clad ruins of an old mansion house."
In 1612 John Monipennie noted the Loch of Matuane, with a strong tower.
Paterson, writing in the 1860s, gives some interesting details -
"Only portions of three gables exist. The walls are not very thick, safety having apparently been chiefly relied upon because of its isolated situation. An artificial causeway, which could have been cut off at pleasure, leads to the ruin, and the island itself is evidently of the same character - being made of forced earth. It is thickly planted with trees, amongst which a colony of crows have continued to brood for ages. The garden is said to have been made of soil brought from France or Ireland, so as to exclude vermin. The Marquis of Ailsa has a shooting and fishing lodge on the banks of the loch, which is well stocked with pike and perch, the latter having been introduced within the last thirty years."
Crannog
The Martnaham Castle island and causeway bear the characteristics of an adapted shallow water crannog
and associated causeway as found in other Ayrshire lochs such as Lochspouts
, Buiston
, Lochlea
, Loch Brand
, and Kilbirnie
.
The loch is botanically-rich loch and Martnaham Wood is one of the largest oak woods in Ayrshire; although it was clear felled in 1914, it has regenerated with little disturbance. The loch exhibits vegetation of submerged, floating and emergent type plant communities. The margin has extensive areas of reed-swamp dominated by common reed. Branched bur-reed, water-plantain, nodding bur-marigold, trifid bur-marigold, greater spearwort, and eight-stamened waterwort are found at the site. In the deeper water white and yellow water-lilies dominate. Canadian pondweed is an invasive plant and is here in abundance. The loch is classed as mesotrophic (moderately nutrient-rich), however it has eutrophic characteristics.
Martinham Wood is well established on the eastern side of the loch, featuring since at least the early 16th century with a fence or pale indicated. As an ancient woodland site Martnaham Wood has a canopy dominated by oak and birch, with abundant hazel in the understorey; sanicle, bluebell and dog’s mercury are common. The woodland exhibits a wide diversity of fungi, mosses and liverworts, including the only Scottish record of the mushroom Mycena picta
, once thought to be extinct in Great Britain.
The outflow at the south-west end was in 1906 built up with stones to divert water into a lade supplying Perclewan Mill. No sluice was present and water flowed down both outflows. William McCandlish and his younger brother of Dr James McCandlish were both were born at Perclewan, sons of the hamlets blacksmith. James was a classmate of Robert Burns
and they were good friends. His father, Henry, lent Burns a copy of The Life of Wallace which aroused his patriotism. Robert Burns wrote his first poem "Handsome Nell" at the mill based on Nelly Fitzpatrick (1759–1820) the daughter of the Miller. The mill has long been abandoned, last recorded as active in 1911.
Martnaham Lodge
Martnaham Lodge was originally built as a fishing lodge by the Kennedys, Earls of Cassillis in the 19th century, incorporating an existing cottage. James Edward Shaw, the Ayrshire County Clerk and treasurer, lived at the lodge from 1900 to 1912. Shaw was the author of a book on the social history of Ayrshire. James Edward Hunter enlarged the house for its then tenant, Herbert J. Dunsmuir, in 1929. The Cassillis Estate sold this now Arts & Crafts inspired manorial dwelling to Mr Dunsmuir in 1945 and its passed to his daughter and Colonel Sir Bryce Knox, his his son-in-law.
Curling and boating
In the 19th century Martnaham Loch was used for curling and ice skating. In 2011 the loch was once again safe for ice skating. Two boat houses are recorded on the western side of the loch on the early OS maps.
Whitehill Tilery wood records the 19th century tileworks that once existed there.
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...
and South Ayrshire
South Ayrshire
South Ayrshire is one of 32 council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of Ayrshire. It borders onto East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway....
Council Areas, 2km from Coylton, in the parishes of Coylton
Coylton
Coylton is a village in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is located east of Ayr, and west of Drongan, on the A70. Sundrum Castle Holiday Park is located to the west of the village, in the grounds of Sundrum Castle, which partly dates to the 13th century...
and Dalrymple
Dalrymple
Dalrymple may refer to:* HMS Dalrymple , frigate of the British Royal Navy* Dalrymple's sign, a medical condition of the eyes associated with goitre-Places:* Dalrymple, Queensland, the first inland town in northern Australia...
, 3 miles from Ayr
Ayr
Ayr is a town and port situated on the Firth of Clyde in south-west Scotland. With a population of around 46,000, Ayr is the largest settlement in Ayrshire, of which it is the county town, and has held royal burgh status since 1205...
. The loch lies along an axis from north-east to south-west. The remains of a castle lie on a possibly artificial islet within the loch. The Campbells of Loudoun
Earl of Loudoun
Earl of Loudoun , named after Loudoun in Ayrshire, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1633 for John Campbell, 1st Earl of Loudoun, along with the subsidiary title Lord Tarrinzean and Mauchline....
once held the lands, followed by the Kennedys of Cassillis.
The loch
Martnaham Loch is a large post-glacial 'Kettle Hole' fed by the Sidehill Burn, the Whitehill Burn and an outflow from Snipe LochSnipe Loch
Snipe Loch or Loch Snipe is a freshwater loch. It is situated in a low lying area close to the B742 road next to Clocaird Farm in the Parish of Coylton, East Ayrshire, Scotland...
which in turn receives water from Loch Fergus
Loch Fergus
Loch Fergus is a freshwater post-glacial 'Kettle Hole' sometimes recorded as Fergus Loch. It is quite visible and is situated in a low lying area close to the B742 road between the farms and dwellings of Trees, Lochfergus and Bowmanston in the Parish of Ayr, South Ayrshire, Scotland. The loch lies...
. The loch's outflow is at the south-west end and the Sidehill Burn enters at the north-east end. As stated the outflow from Loch Fergus
Loch Fergus
Loch Fergus is a freshwater post-glacial 'Kettle Hole' sometimes recorded as Fergus Loch. It is quite visible and is situated in a low lying area close to the B742 road between the farms and dwellings of Trees, Lochfergus and Bowmanston in the Parish of Ayr, South Ayrshire, Scotland. The loch lies...
passes into Snipe Loch
Snipe Loch
Snipe Loch or Loch Snipe is a freshwater loch. It is situated in a low lying area close to the B742 road next to Clocaird Farm in the Parish of Coylton, East Ayrshire, Scotland...
, this flow entering between Cloncaird Cottages and Martnaham Lodge. A small islet lies off the eastern lochshore and a promontory, once an island, holds the ruins of the old castle.
Etymology
Martnaham is variously recorded as Martinham, Martnam, Martna, Matuane, and even Mertineton in 1700. The name may be Anglian or Gaelic and any connection with Saint Ninian
Saint Ninian
Saint Ninian is a Christian saint first mentioned in the 8th century as being an early missionary among the Pictish peoples of what is now Scotland...
's tutor, Saint Martin of Tours would be speculation.
Martnaham Castle
The ruins of an old castle built on an island, recorded as Martnam Ynch (sic), near the centre of the loch are still apparent (NS 3952 1732), the entrance having been from the south side of the loch, formed by a stone embankment or causeway from the land to the island. It is not clear when it was erected. It was inhabited till the 16th century. The remains are of a large building, 21m by 7.5m, and the foundations of an annexe, 12m by 5m, were visible to the north-east. The main block is divided into three compartments, and the walls are of mortared rubble masonry, 0.8m thick, and attain a maximum height of 2.0m. Architectural features suggest a 16th/17th century date. A possible rectangular building at the approach to the causeway may indicate the previous presence of a gatehouse. The site has been densely wooded for many years.Martnaham may have been part of a chain of fortalices forming a defensive line, including Drongan and Auchencloigh castles. Love has it as the original seat of Old King Cole
Old King Cole
"Old King Cole" is an English nursery rhyme. The historical identity of King Cole has been much debated and several candidates have been advanced as possibilities...
, thereby linking it with nearby Loch Fergus
Loch Fergus
Loch Fergus is a freshwater post-glacial 'Kettle Hole' sometimes recorded as Fergus Loch. It is quite visible and is situated in a low lying area close to the B742 road between the farms and dwellings of Trees, Lochfergus and Bowmanston in the Parish of Ayr, South Ayrshire, Scotland. The loch lies...
, named after King Cole's opponent and vanquisher. Circa 1661 John Bonar, a schoolmaster in Ayr, wrote a poetical description of the local traditions regarding King Cole and states that -
"The britones marchet, tuo dayes before the feild, To Marrok's mote, for easment and for beild; Afore the night they waughter liquor fyne, Lyke filthe beasts lying like drunken swine, |
The castle was the caput of the old Barony of Martnaham. The site is said to have been besieged in the 1650s. Groome refers to it as "ivy-clad ruins of an old mansion house."
In 1612 John Monipennie noted the Loch of Matuane, with a strong tower.
Paterson, writing in the 1860s, gives some interesting details -
"Only portions of three gables exist. The walls are not very thick, safety having apparently been chiefly relied upon because of its isolated situation. An artificial causeway, which could have been cut off at pleasure, leads to the ruin, and the island itself is evidently of the same character - being made of forced earth. It is thickly planted with trees, amongst which a colony of crows have continued to brood for ages. The garden is said to have been made of soil brought from France or Ireland, so as to exclude vermin. The Marquis of Ailsa has a shooting and fishing lodge on the banks of the loch, which is well stocked with pike and perch, the latter having been introduced within the last thirty years."
Crannog
The Martnaham Castle island and causeway bear the characteristics of an adapted shallow water crannog
Crannog
A crannog is typically a partially or entirely artificial island, usually built in lakes, rivers and estuarine waters of Scotland and Ireland. Crannogs were used as dwellings over five millennia from the European Neolithic Period, to as late as the 17th/early 18th century although in Scotland,...
and associated causeway as found in other Ayrshire lochs such as Lochspouts
Lochspouts Loch
Lochspouts Loch or Lochspouts was situated in a hollow, surrounded by hilly ground on three sides and bounded by a narrow trap dyke to the north. The land was once held by the Ferguson family of Kilkerran and lies in the Parish of Kirkoswald, South Ayrshire, Scotland...
, Buiston
Buiston Loch
Buiston Loch , also known as Buston, Biston, and Mid Buiston was situated in the mid-Ayrshire clayland at an altitude of 90 m OD...
, Lochlea
Lochlea, South Ayrshire
Lochlea was situated in a a low lying area between the farms and dwellings of Lochlea and Lochside in the Parish of Tarbolton, South Ayrshire, Scotland. The loch was natural, sitting in a hollow created by glaciation. The loch waters ultimately drained via Fail Loch, the Mill Burn, and the Water of...
, Loch Brand
Loch Brand
Loch Brand or Loch of Boghall was situated in a depression between the Grange Estate, Crummock, Hill of Beith Castle site and Boghall in the Parish of Beith, East Ayrshire, Scotland. The loch was fed by the Grange Burn and surface runoff, such as from the old rig and furrows indicated by Roy's Maps...
, and Kilbirnie
Kilbirnie Loch
Kilbirnie Loch , is situated in the floodplain of between Kilbirnie, Glengarnock and Beith, and runs south-west to north-east for almost , is about wide for the most part and has an area of roughly 3 km2 . It has a general depth of around 5.2 metres to a maximum of around 11 metres...
.
Bathymetrical Survey of the Fresh-Water Lochs of Scotland, 1897-1909
This survey carried out by James Murray in 1906 shows a maximum depth of 29 feet in the eastern section with a depth of around 5 feet near the old castle and along much of the length of the loch margin. Areas of marshy ground and sevreral inlets are present.Natural History
Martnaham Loch is a SSSI for the western half of its area. The south-western end of the loch is bordered by mixed woodland. Martnaham has had some notable rarities recorded over the years, such as Smew, Ring-necked Duck, Black Tern, Lesser Scaup and Hobby. Autumn and winter feature visits from flocks of Goldeneye, Wigeon, Pochard and Teal. Shoveler, Scaup, Long-tailed Duck and Gadwall are commonly seen and Glaucous, Iceland and Mediterranean Gulls are occasional visitors. Greylag Geese and Whooper Swans gather in the surrounding fields. Great Crested and Little Grebe breed here. Oystercatcher, Curlew, Redshank, Common Sandpiper, Whimbrel, Ruff, Green Sandpiper, Black-tailed Godwit, Wheatear and Whinchat are regular visitors.The loch is botanically-rich loch and Martnaham Wood is one of the largest oak woods in Ayrshire; although it was clear felled in 1914, it has regenerated with little disturbance. The loch exhibits vegetation of submerged, floating and emergent type plant communities. The margin has extensive areas of reed-swamp dominated by common reed. Branched bur-reed, water-plantain, nodding bur-marigold, trifid bur-marigold, greater spearwort, and eight-stamened waterwort are found at the site. In the deeper water white and yellow water-lilies dominate. Canadian pondweed is an invasive plant and is here in abundance. The loch is classed as mesotrophic (moderately nutrient-rich), however it has eutrophic characteristics.
Martinham Wood is well established on the eastern side of the loch, featuring since at least the early 16th century with a fence or pale indicated. As an ancient woodland site Martnaham Wood has a canopy dominated by oak and birch, with abundant hazel in the understorey; sanicle, bluebell and dog’s mercury are common. The woodland exhibits a wide diversity of fungi, mosses and liverworts, including the only Scottish record of the mushroom Mycena picta
Mycena
Mycena is a large genus of small saprotrophic mushrooms that are rarely more than a few centimeters in width. They are characterized by a white spore print, a small conical or bell-shaped cap, and a thin fragile stem. Most are gray or brown, but a few species have brighter colors. Most have a...
, once thought to be extinct in Great Britain.
Uses
Perclewan MillThe outflow at the south-west end was in 1906 built up with stones to divert water into a lade supplying Perclewan Mill. No sluice was present and water flowed down both outflows. William McCandlish and his younger brother of Dr James McCandlish were both were born at Perclewan, sons of the hamlets blacksmith. James was a classmate of Robert Burns
Robert Burns
Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide...
and they were good friends. His father, Henry, lent Burns a copy of The Life of Wallace which aroused his patriotism. Robert Burns wrote his first poem "Handsome Nell" at the mill based on Nelly Fitzpatrick (1759–1820) the daughter of the Miller. The mill has long been abandoned, last recorded as active in 1911.
Martnaham Lodge
Martnaham Lodge was originally built as a fishing lodge by the Kennedys, Earls of Cassillis in the 19th century, incorporating an existing cottage. James Edward Shaw, the Ayrshire County Clerk and treasurer, lived at the lodge from 1900 to 1912. Shaw was the author of a book on the social history of Ayrshire. James Edward Hunter enlarged the house for its then tenant, Herbert J. Dunsmuir, in 1929. The Cassillis Estate sold this now Arts & Crafts inspired manorial dwelling to Mr Dunsmuir in 1945 and its passed to his daughter and Colonel Sir Bryce Knox, his his son-in-law.
Curling and boating
In the 19th century Martnaham Loch was used for curling and ice skating. In 2011 the loch was once again safe for ice skating. Two boat houses are recorded on the western side of the loch on the early OS maps.
Micro-history
A mineral railway ran close to much of the eastern side of the loch serving a colliery in Coylton.Whitehill Tilery wood records the 19th century tileworks that once existed there.
See also
- Carcluie LochCarcluie LochCarcluie Loch is a small freshwater loch in the South Ayrshire Council Area, lying in a glacial Kettle Hole, Parish of Dalrymple, Scotland.-The loch:...
- CoyltonCoyltonCoylton is a village in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is located east of Ayr, and west of Drongan, on the A70. Sundrum Castle Holiday Park is located to the west of the village, in the grounds of Sundrum Castle, which partly dates to the 13th century...
- Loch FergusLoch FergusLoch Fergus is a freshwater post-glacial 'Kettle Hole' sometimes recorded as Fergus Loch. It is quite visible and is situated in a low lying area close to the B742 road between the farms and dwellings of Trees, Lochfergus and Bowmanston in the Parish of Ayr, South Ayrshire, Scotland. The loch lies...
- Snipe LochSnipe LochSnipe Loch or Loch Snipe is a freshwater loch. It is situated in a low lying area close to the B742 road next to Clocaird Farm in the Parish of Coylton, East Ayrshire, Scotland...
- Lindston Loch, South AyrshireLindston Loch, South AyrshireLindston Loch was a small freshwater loch situated within a glacial 'kettle hole.' The loch lies in the South Ayrshire Council Area, Parish of Dalrymple, Scotland.-The loch:...