Symington, South Ayrshire
Encyclopedia
Symington is a conservation village in South Ayrshire
, Scotland
. It is located in Symington Parish, covering 0.41sq Km, and lies close to the A77 road from Ayr to Glasgow. Its church, built in 1160, remains one of the finest examples of a Norman churches in Scotland.
were a branch of this family. Two other villages in Scotland are named after Simon Lockhart, Symington, South Lanarkshire
, and Symington in the Scottish Borders.
The Wheatsheaf Inn (NS 38417 31331) is an 18th century vernacular
building that has been a hostelry since its earliest days; in the days of stage coaches the inn was a posting stage on the route to Ayr.
Halfway House
Dating from 1937 this substantial mock-Tudor building was previously a hotel and replaced an inn that was burnt down in 1935.
Home of Tom the Brave
Date is unknown of this building's construction.
Broadmeadows House
This Arts & Crafts style house was built in 1931-4 by Noad & Wallace. It is embellished with gargoyles, inscriptions, and other ornamental additions. Broadmeadows is the focus of the residential centre known as Hansel Village.
(just outside Tarbolton). The Church was restored in the 18th Century and again in 1919. This restoration by P. MacGregor Chalmers revealed that the earlier alterations of 1797 had covered up some fine architectural features, including the 13th century windows and the open-work timber roof. Three windows with semi-circular heads are located in the gable, with heavy hoodmoulds and dog-tooth ornamentation, the finest of their style in Scotland. The base slab of an aumbrey incorporating a piscina sits as the sill of a south-facing window. The church received an addition and alterations in 1797, which increased the accommodation of the building, but detracted considerably from the unspoilt appearance. A belfry, possibly incorporating some medieval
work, was erected on the east gable end in the 17th century. Noteable stained glass windows are on display, by Gordon Webster, Douglas Strachan, and others. The patronage of the church passed through several hands and was at length acquired by the Earl of Eglinton
. The old manse in Kerrix Road is now known as Symington House (NS 38350 31325).
Coodham
In 1826 Mrs William Fairlie, widow of a banker from Calcutta built the mansion house and in total expended £20,000 on various improvements. In the 1870s W. H. Houldsworth Esq owned the property and added a new wing, conservatory and a private chapel. It was known as Williamfield for a time and later the property was renamed 'Fatima House' and became a retreat with a new wing added. Latterly the house was vacated and became ruinous. Coodham is the official name again and nowadays the site of a luxurious development: the category A listed building has been fully restored after a period of dereliction.
In 1850 James Ogilvie Fairlie of Coodham organised a meeting at the Red Lion in Prestwick of fifty-seven gentlemen from the West of Scotland, leading to the formation of the Prestwick Golf Club and as a direct result in 1860 the first Open Championship was held.
Dankeith
First recorded as Dalketh or Freris Dalkeithe this property was given to the Black Friars of Ayr and held by them until the Reformation. Alane of Lawdor had given the lands in memory of his wife. The Cunninghames obtained the lands in 1614 and they held the property until the 1690s, when William Kelso acquired it. In 1839 Lieutenant-Colonel William Kelso was the owner of Dankeith. The Factor's house of the Dankeith Estate was Craigowan House in Brewlands Road. Dankeith House itself was built in 1893, incorporating an earlier building. The estate had a fine range of hothouses. In May 1857 Dankeith was rented by Janet Story, wife of Dr Story. She published her Early Reminiscences in which she comments on her servants, in particular she refers to a the daughter of a local gamekeeper in glowing terms she is perfectly lovely; just seventeen, tall with the figure of a nymph, quantities of golden hair, a skin like milk and eyes like the pearls of a forget-me-not. I never saw anyone more exquisite ..
John Kelso Hunter
(1802–1873) was born at Gillhead Cottage, close to Symington cemetery, on the Dankeith Estate and was at first employed here during his indenture
as a herd boy, his father being a gardener. John moved to the village of Dundonald and became a respected artist, noted for portraiture. In 1847 he exhibited at the Royal Academy in London before becoming a regular exhibitor at the Royal Scottish Academy for the next 25 years. Hunter published two books: ‘Retrospective of an Artist’s Life’ (1868), and ‘Life Studies of Character’. He is buried in the Southern Necropolis in Glasgow.
In 1932 Dankeith was fire damaged, but restored. In WW2 it was used by the RAF and secret planning meetings for D-day and other allied operations took place here. In 1948 the Roman Catholic Passionist
Fathers acquired the property as a retreat, however they sold the property circa 1968 and the site is now a leisure centre, with caravans surrounding the house.
Townend House and Cottage
Hugh Glover held the lands of Townend circa 1701-4 and in 1733 William Kelso of Dankeith sold the lands to George Boyd of East Overloan Farm. William Hay Boyd, Esq. of Her Majesty's 20th Regiment of Infantry in the Crimea and was the owner of Townend House (NS 37652 31552) and estate in 1839. Townend is an 18th century building with a Victorian Italianate wing. A dated lintel in the walled garden may have come from an earlier building on the site; the old stables, were converted into a small dwelling in the 1960s. In recent times Townend Cottage has functioned as a nursing home, Townend Cottage, circa 1810, situated in the village was its former dower house
. The Hay-Boyds gave land for the village hall, a school, and a garden next to the church.
Rosemount
Dr. Fullerton of Rosemount returned from India, circa 1770 and rebuilt the mansion-house at Rosemount, previously known as Goldring
, improved the cultivation of the land, and ornamented the grounds with the belts of plantings that are apparent today (2011).
Symington, a village and a parish in the NW of Kyle district, Ayrshire. The village stands 3½ miles NNE of Monkton station, and 6 SSW of Kilmarnock, under which it has a post office.
The parish is bounded NE by Riccarton, E by Craigie, S and SW by Monkton, and W and NW by Dundonald. Its utmost length, from NNE to SSW, is 43/8 miles; its breadth varies between 1 and 2¼ miles; and its area is 3736½ acres, of which 11½ are water. In the extreme S the surface declines to close on 100 feet above sea-level; and thence it rises gently to a maximum altitude of 333 feet at a point 21/3 furlongs NNE of the church, from which it sinks again to 201 feet near the Riccarton border. It thus exhibits a pleasing diversity of swells and slopes, and contains many vantage-grounds commanding extensive views of great part of Ayrshire, the Firth of Clyde, and the Isle of Arran. Trap rock has been quarried for road metal, and sandstone for building; whilst limestone and coal exist, but not under profitable conditions. The soil, in general, is of a clayey character., on a hard subsoil. Nearly all the land, except about 300 acres under wood, is regularly or occasionally in tillage. The principal residences are Coodham, Dankeith, Rosemount, and Townend; and 5 proprietors hold each an annual value of £500 and upwards, 5 of between £100 and £500. Symington is in the presbytery of Ayr and the synod of Glasgow and Ayr; the living is worth £350. The parish church is an old building with Norman features, and, as entirely remodelled in 1880, contains 359 sittings. There is also a Free church; and the public school, with accommodation for 132 children, had (1884) an average attendance of 85, and a grant of £69, 16s. Valuation (1860) £6560, (1885) £7104, 5s. 3d. Pop. (1801) 668, (1841) 918, (1861) 855, (1871) 792, (1881) 697.—Ord. Sur., shs. 22, 14, 1865-63.
once stood at the foot of the village and upon its removal some iron arrow-heads and horn combs were found. Helenton Moot Hill may have been a fortified site at one time and the Helenton Loch
with its associated mill were nearby.
and Symington parishes lies an area known as the 'Slough of Despond'. The original Slough of Despond
is a deep bog in John Bunyan's allegory The Pilgrim's Progress
into which the character Christian sinks under the weight of his sins and his sense of guilt for them.
The burn in this area, rising near the old Broadhirst Farm, has long been known as the Slough, the Scots equivalent spelling is Sleugh, meaning a marsh or quagmire. It is not known how the name 'Slough of Despond' was added to the area, however it is recorded since the mid 19th century and may be linked to the nearby limekilns that were generally notorious for the acrid 'hell-like' smoke that issued from them.
The Slough Burn still rises from the marshy area below the Broadhirst Woods, however the limestone quarry that served the limekilns is now abandoned, surviving as an area rich in wildlife, containing old woodland indicator plants such as Wood Anemone (Anemone nemorosa
), Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta), Wood Sorrel (Oxalis acetosella), Dog's Mercury (Mercurialis perennis), Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum) and other species. The Slough Burn runs down past Dankeith House, Templeton and Fortacres, Todrigs and Caprington, to join the River Irvine
near Gatehead.
The parish covered 3725 acres and had a population of 697 in 1881.
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....
, 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 located in Symington Parish, covering 0.41sq Km, and lies close to the A77 road from Ayr to Glasgow. Its church, built in 1160, remains one of the finest examples of a Norman churches in Scotland.
Meaning of place-name
The name of the village and parish of Symington is derived from the person of a Norman Knight, Symon Loccard or Lockhart, who held the barony of Symington lands under Walter fitz Alan, the first Steward in 1165. The Lockharts of Barr in GalstonGalston
Settlements named Galston:* Galston, East Ayrshire, is a town near Kilmarnock in Scotland * Galston, New South Wales, is a town near Sydney in AustraliaPersons named Galston:* William Galston, American philosopher and politician....
were a branch of this family. Two other villages in Scotland are named after Simon Lockhart, Symington, South Lanarkshire
Symington, South Lanarkshire
Symington is a small village in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, 3 miles southwest of Biggar, 10 miles east of Douglas and 13 miles southeast of Carluke...
, and Symington in the Scottish Borders.
Facilities
Symington has a primary school, church, a restaurant, War Memorial, an abandoned water tower and a library. The parish covers 3,736 acres and is mainly a farming community.Buildings
The Wheatsheaf InnThe Wheatsheaf Inn (NS 38417 31331) is an 18th century vernacular
Vernacular
A vernacular is the native language or native dialect of a specific population, as opposed to a language of wider communication that is not native to the population, such as a national language or lingua franca.- Etymology :The term is not a recent one...
building that has been a hostelry since its earliest days; in the days of stage coaches the inn was a posting stage on the route to Ayr.
Halfway House
Dating from 1937 this substantial mock-Tudor building was previously a hotel and replaced an inn that was burnt down in 1935.
Home of Tom the Brave
Date is unknown of this building's construction.
Broadmeadows House
This Arts & Crafts style house was built in 1931-4 by Noad & Wallace. It is embellished with gargoyles, inscriptions, and other ornamental additions. Broadmeadows is the focus of the residential centre known as Hansel Village.
Symington's churches
The Parish Church was founded in the 12th Century by Simon Loccard and is the oldest functioning church in Ayrshire. It belonged to the Trinitarian Monastery at FailFail Monastery
Fail Monstery, occasionally known as Failford Abbey, had a dedication to 'Saint Mary', and was located at Fail on the bank of the Water of Fail, Parish of Tarbolton near the town of Tarbolton, South Ayrshire...
(just outside Tarbolton). The Church was restored in the 18th Century and again in 1919. This restoration by P. MacGregor Chalmers revealed that the earlier alterations of 1797 had covered up some fine architectural features, including the 13th century windows and the open-work timber roof. Three windows with semi-circular heads are located in the gable, with heavy hoodmoulds and dog-tooth ornamentation, the finest of their style in Scotland. The base slab of an aumbrey incorporating a piscina sits as the sill of a south-facing window. The church received an addition and alterations in 1797, which increased the accommodation of the building, but detracted considerably from the unspoilt appearance. A belfry, possibly incorporating some medieval
work, was erected on the east gable end in the 17th century. Noteable stained glass windows are on display, by Gordon Webster, Douglas Strachan, and others. The patronage of the church passed through several hands and was at length acquired by the Earl of Eglinton
Earl of Eglinton
Earl of Eglinton is a title in the Peerage of Scotland.Some authorities spell the title: Earl of Eglintoun In 1859 the thirteenth Earl of Eglinton, Archibald Montgomerie, was also created Earl of Winton in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, which gave him an automatic seat in the House of Lords,...
. The old manse in Kerrix Road is now known as Symington House (NS 38350 31325).
The Free Church
The Great Disruption of 1843 resulted in a second church being established, at the junction of Main Street and Symington Road, however this has now been demolished. the minister of the parish, George Orr and his congregation, "came out" and for or a time they worshiped in a vacant public house, adapted for the purpose; the minister himself having to live in a rented room in a nearby farm house. The new church and schoolhouse were built in February 1844.Country houses
The country seats were Coodham, with its well wooded grounds, sizeable ornamental lake, and once splendid gardens, one mile north-east ; Dankeith, one mile north ; Townend, half-a-mile west ; and Rosemount, one mile and a-half south-west.Coodham
In 1826 Mrs William Fairlie, widow of a banker from Calcutta built the mansion house and in total expended £20,000 on various improvements. In the 1870s W. H. Houldsworth Esq owned the property and added a new wing, conservatory and a private chapel. It was known as Williamfield for a time and later the property was renamed 'Fatima House' and became a retreat with a new wing added. Latterly the house was vacated and became ruinous. Coodham is the official name again and nowadays the site of a luxurious development: the category A listed building has been fully restored after a period of dereliction.
In 1850 James Ogilvie Fairlie of Coodham organised a meeting at the Red Lion in Prestwick of fifty-seven gentlemen from the West of Scotland, leading to the formation of the Prestwick Golf Club and as a direct result in 1860 the first Open Championship was held.
Dankeith
First recorded as Dalketh or Freris Dalkeithe this property was given to the Black Friars of Ayr and held by them until the Reformation. Alane of Lawdor had given the lands in memory of his wife. The Cunninghames obtained the lands in 1614 and they held the property until the 1690s, when William Kelso acquired it. In 1839 Lieutenant-Colonel William Kelso was the owner of Dankeith. The Factor's house of the Dankeith Estate was Craigowan House in Brewlands Road. Dankeith House itself was built in 1893, incorporating an earlier building. The estate had a fine range of hothouses. In May 1857 Dankeith was rented by Janet Story, wife of Dr Story. She published her Early Reminiscences in which she comments on her servants, in particular she refers to a the daughter of a local gamekeeper in glowing terms she is perfectly lovely; just seventeen, tall with the figure of a nymph, quantities of golden hair, a skin like milk and eyes like the pearls of a forget-me-not. I never saw anyone more exquisite ..
John Kelso Hunter
John Kelso Hunter
John Kelso Hunter was a self-taught Scottish portrait painter and author of two books.-Life:Hunter was the second son and in 1799 his father moved the Hunter family moved from Chirnside where he had been born in a village in Berwickshire. His father was a gardener at a South Ayrshire estate owned...
(1802–1873) was born at Gillhead Cottage, close to Symington cemetery, on the Dankeith Estate and was at first employed here during his indenture
Indenture
An indenture is a legal contract reflecting a debt or purchase obligation, specifically referring to two types of practices: in historical usage, an indentured servant status, and in modern usage, an instrument used for commercial debt or real estate transaction.-Historical usage:An indenture is a...
as a herd boy, his father being a gardener. John moved to the village of Dundonald and became a respected artist, noted for portraiture. In 1847 he exhibited at the Royal Academy in London before becoming a regular exhibitor at the Royal Scottish Academy for the next 25 years. Hunter published two books: ‘Retrospective of an Artist’s Life’ (1868), and ‘Life Studies of Character’. He is buried in the Southern Necropolis in Glasgow.
In 1932 Dankeith was fire damaged, but restored. In WW2 it was used by the RAF and secret planning meetings for D-day and other allied operations took place here. In 1948 the Roman Catholic Passionist
Passionist
The Passionists are a Roman Catholic religious order founded by Saint Paul of the Cross . Professed members use the initials C.P. after their names.-History:St...
Fathers acquired the property as a retreat, however they sold the property circa 1968 and the site is now a leisure centre, with caravans surrounding the house.
Townend House and Cottage
Hugh Glover held the lands of Townend circa 1701-4 and in 1733 William Kelso of Dankeith sold the lands to George Boyd of East Overloan Farm. William Hay Boyd, Esq. of Her Majesty's 20th Regiment of Infantry in the Crimea and was the owner of Townend House (NS 37652 31552) and estate in 1839. Townend is an 18th century building with a Victorian Italianate wing. A dated lintel in the walled garden may have come from an earlier building on the site; the old stables, were converted into a small dwelling in the 1960s. In recent times Townend Cottage has functioned as a nursing home, Townend Cottage, circa 1810, situated in the village was its former dower house
Dower
Dower or morning gift was a provision accorded by law to a wife for her support in the event that she should survive her husband...
. The Hay-Boyds gave land for the village hall, a school, and a garden next to the church.
Rosemount
Dr. Fullerton of Rosemount returned from India, circa 1770 and rebuilt the mansion-house at Rosemount, previously known as Goldring
Helenton Loch
Helenton Loch was situated in a a low lying area between the farms and dwellings of Helentongate, Mains, and Burnbank in the Parish of Symington, South Ayrshire, Scotland. The loch was natural, sitting in a hollow, a kettle hole, created by glaciation...
, improved the cultivation of the land, and ornamented the grounds with the belts of plantings that are apparent today (2011).
Ordnance Gazetteer entry
In 1882-4, Frances Groome's Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland described Symington thus:Symington, a village and a parish in the NW of Kyle district, Ayrshire. The village stands 3½ miles NNE of Monkton station, and 6 SSW of Kilmarnock, under which it has a post office.
The parish is bounded NE by Riccarton, E by Craigie, S and SW by Monkton, and W and NW by Dundonald. Its utmost length, from NNE to SSW, is 43/8 miles; its breadth varies between 1 and 2¼ miles; and its area is 3736½ acres, of which 11½ are water. In the extreme S the surface declines to close on 100 feet above sea-level; and thence it rises gently to a maximum altitude of 333 feet at a point 21/3 furlongs NNE of the church, from which it sinks again to 201 feet near the Riccarton border. It thus exhibits a pleasing diversity of swells and slopes, and contains many vantage-grounds commanding extensive views of great part of Ayrshire, the Firth of Clyde, and the Isle of Arran. Trap rock has been quarried for road metal, and sandstone for building; whilst limestone and coal exist, but not under profitable conditions. The soil, in general, is of a clayey character., on a hard subsoil. Nearly all the land, except about 300 acres under wood, is regularly or occasionally in tillage. The principal residences are Coodham, Dankeith, Rosemount, and Townend; and 5 proprietors hold each an annual value of £500 and upwards, 5 of between £100 and £500. Symington is in the presbytery of Ayr and the synod of Glasgow and Ayr; the living is worth £350. The parish church is an old building with Norman features, and, as entirely remodelled in 1880, contains 359 sittings. There is also a Free church; and the public school, with accommodation for 132 children, had (1884) an average attendance of 85, and a grant of £69, 16s. Valuation (1860) £6560, (1885) £7104, 5s. 3d. Pop. (1801) 668, (1841) 918, (1861) 855, (1871) 792, (1881) 697.—Ord. Sur., shs. 22, 14, 1865-63.
Archaeology
A Law or Moot HillMoot hill
A moot hill or mons placiti is a hill or mound historically used as an assembly or meeting place. In early medieval Britain, such hills were used for "moots", meetings of local people to settle local business. Among other things, proclamations might be read; decisions might be taken; court cases...
once stood at the foot of the village and upon its removal some iron arrow-heads and horn combs were found. Helenton Moot Hill may have been a fortified site at one time and the Helenton Loch
Helenton Loch
Helenton Loch was situated in a a low lying area between the farms and dwellings of Helentongate, Mains, and Burnbank in the Parish of Symington, South Ayrshire, Scotland. The loch was natural, sitting in a hollow, a kettle hole, created by glaciation...
with its associated mill were nearby.
The Slough of Despond
On the boundary of DundonaldDundonald
Dundonald is a large settlement in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies east of Belfast and is often deemed to be a suburb of the city. It includes the large housing estate of Ballybeen, and many new housing estates have emerged in the past ten years....
and Symington parishes lies an area known as the 'Slough of Despond'. The original Slough of Despond
Slough of Despond
The Slough of Despond is a deep bog in John Bunyan's allegory The Pilgrim's Progress, into which the character Christian sinks under the weight of his sins and his sense of guilt for them...
is a deep bog in John Bunyan's allegory The Pilgrim's Progress
The Pilgrim's Progress
The Pilgrim's Progress from This World to That Which Is to Come is a Christian allegory written by John Bunyan and published in February, 1678. It is regarded as one of the most significant works of religious English literature, has been translated into more than 200 languages, and has never been...
into which the character Christian sinks under the weight of his sins and his sense of guilt for them.
The burn in this area, rising near the old Broadhirst Farm, has long been known as the Slough, the Scots equivalent spelling is Sleugh, meaning a marsh or quagmire. It is not known how the name 'Slough of Despond' was added to the area, however it is recorded since the mid 19th century and may be linked to the nearby limekilns that were generally notorious for the acrid 'hell-like' smoke that issued from them.
The Slough Burn still rises from the marshy area below the Broadhirst Woods, however the limestone quarry that served the limekilns is now abandoned, surviving as an area rich in wildlife, containing old woodland indicator plants such as Wood Anemone (Anemone nemorosa
Anemone nemorosa
Anemone nemorosa is an early-spring flowering plant in the genus Anemone in the family Ranunculaceae, native to Europe. Common names include wood anemone, windflower, thimbleweed and smell fox, an allusion to the musky smell of the leaves...
), Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta), Wood Sorrel (Oxalis acetosella), Dog's Mercury (Mercurialis perennis), Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum) and other species. The Slough Burn runs down past Dankeith House, Templeton and Fortacres, Todrigs and Caprington, to join the River Irvine
River Irvine
The River Irvine is a river flowing through southwest Scotland, with its watershed on the Lanarkshire border of Ayrshire at an altitude of above sea-level, near Drumclog, and SW by W of Strathaven...
near Gatehead.
Micro-history
Freestone and whinstone are the underlying rocks and the church itself stands on an elevated outcrop.The parish covered 3725 acres and had a population of 697 in 1881.