Moscow, Scotland
Encyclopedia
Moscow is a hamlet
in East Ayrshire
in Scotland
.
It is on the A719 road some four miles east of Kilmarnock
. The name is thought to be a corruption of 'Moss-hall' or 'Moss-haw' but its spelling was formalised in 1812 to mark Napoleon's retreat from Moscow
. A stream called the Volga Burn flows through the village.
Walter Emery of the Kilmarnock Glenfield Ramblers had researched the names Moscow, Volga and Ruschaw in 1933. The Ordnance Survey
(OS) notified him that the local residents had authorised the name 'Moscow' and that the name appears on Aitken's 1829 map, the valuation role, the Grougar Estate map, and Johnson's 1828 County map. The Ordnance Survey
also referred to a local tradition that the name was derived from the burning of Moscow in Russia in 1812, the first house in Moscow in Ayrshire having been built at about that time. Ayr County Council suggested that "during the Crimean war there were various refugees and prisoners located in the neighbourhood, and it was then that Russian names were given to various places."
Shaw records that "a generation ago Russian prisoners of war were located between Galston and Fenwick, at a place called Moscow".
Locally the land and forest around Cowans Law to the North West is referred to as little Russia.
In the 1980s it was reported a delegation of Russian dignitaries stopped in the village to see the other "Moscow".
its population is reported as 118. It is represented in the "Galston West and Hurlford North" ward of East Ayrshire Council.
Recently (2008) a personal airstrip was established in a field near the village for light aircraft.
A Geocache
is located near the village, just up the road from the Community Woodland.
The village is referenced in the song "Hayfever" by The Trash Can Sinatras
on their album "I've Seen Everything": "Moscow's in Ayrshire, what's the problem?"
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
in 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...
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
It is on the A719 road some four miles east of Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock is a large burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland, with a population of 44,734. It is the second largest town in Ayrshire. The River Irvine runs through its eastern section, and the Kilmarnock Water passes through it, giving rise to the name 'Bank Street'...
. The name is thought to be a corruption of 'Moss-hall' or 'Moss-haw' but its spelling was formalised in 1812 to mark Napoleon's retreat from Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. A stream called the Volga Burn flows through the village.
Walter Emery of the Kilmarnock Glenfield Ramblers had researched the names Moscow, Volga and Ruschaw in 1933. The 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...
(OS) notified him that the local residents had authorised the name 'Moscow' and that the name appears on Aitken's 1829 map, the valuation role, the Grougar Estate map, and Johnson's 1828 County map. The 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...
also referred to a local tradition that the name was derived from the burning of Moscow in Russia in 1812, the first house in Moscow in Ayrshire having been built at about that time. Ayr County Council suggested that "during the Crimean war there were various refugees and prisoners located in the neighbourhood, and it was then that Russian names were given to various places."
Shaw records that "a generation ago Russian prisoners of war were located between Galston and Fenwick, at a place called Moscow".
Locally the land and forest around Cowans Law to the North West is referred to as little Russia.
In the 1980s it was reported a delegation of Russian dignitaries stopped in the village to see the other "Moscow".
its population is reported as 118. It is represented in the "Galston West and Hurlford North" ward of East Ayrshire Council.
Recently (2008) a personal airstrip was established in a field near the village for light aircraft.
A Geocache
Geocaching
Geocaching is an outdoor sporting activity in which the participants use a Global Positioning System receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called "geocaches" or "caches", anywhere in the world....
is located near the village, just up the road from the Community Woodland.
The village is referenced in the song "Hayfever" by The Trash Can Sinatras
The Trash Can Sinatras
The Trash Can Sinatras, now generally known as Trashcan Sinatras, are a Scottish band that was formed in Irvine, Scotland in 1986. The band's music makes frequent use of wordplay and pop harmonies.-Formation:...
on their album "I've Seen Everything": "Moscow's in Ayrshire, what's the problem?"