73-439: Kilbirnie Loch (NS 330 543) is a freshwater Loch situated in the floodplain between Kilbirnie , Glengarnock and Beith , North Ayrshire , Scotland. It runs south-west to north-east for almost 2 km (1.2 mi), is about 0.5 km (0.31 mi) wide for the most part and has an area of roughly 3 km (740 acres). It has a general depth of around 5.2 metres (17 feet) to a maximum of around 11 metres (36 feet). The loch
146-457: A crannog , its causeway and up to four logboats were revealed at the south-west corner of the loch as a result of dumping of furnace-slag from the now closed ironworks, causing the lake-bed sediments to be pushed upwards so that the crannog and logboat remains were exposed above the surface of the water. A site known as 'The Cairn' was already recognised, being exposed during exceptionally low water conditions. The crannog and causeway are marked on
219-585: A Malibu Response ski boat. It is open for water skiing and wakeboarding from 1 April to 30 September on Wednesday and Friday evenings and also on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Garnock Rugby Club plays on the Lochshore Playing fields, what was part of the old loch area, infilled by the iron and steelworks in the 19th century. The club is an amateur rugby union club and currently plays in the Scottish National League Division 1 . The club
292-434: A chemicals company. The rubble walls of the building were harled and the window and angle margins left as exposed dressed stone; the roof was thatched originally. The main railway line from Ayr to Glasgow runs below the industrial estate and forms the eastern margin of the loch in places. The properties named 'Mains' became divided up into 'Mains-Neil', 'Mains-Houston', and 'Mains-Marshal'. Robertson records that Mains-Hamilton
365-439: A result of high levels of nutrient input which has sometimes resulted in algal blooms in the summer, counteracted by bales of barley straw. These algal blooms can be dangerous to both humans and dogs. The source of this input has not been clearly tracked down, however a reedbed may be established to act as a filtration system. The loch is rather poor in terms of invertebrate faunal diversity under its present conditions, not helped by
438-710: Is a fjord in Greenland named by Douglas Clavering in 1823. Earl of Glasgow Earl of Glasgow is a title in the Peerage of Scotland . It was created in 1703 for David Boyle, Lord Boyle . The first earl was subsequently one of the commissioners who negotiated the Treaty of Union uniting the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain . He had already been created Lord Boyle of Kelburn, Stewartoun, Cumbrae, Finnick, Largs and Dalry in 1699, and
511-539: Is a common Gaelic word, it is found as the root of several Manx place names. The United States naval port of Pearl Harbor , on the south coast of the main Hawaiian island of Oʻahu , is one of a complex of sea inlets. It contains three subareas called 'lochs' named East, Middle, and West or Kaihuopala‘ai, Wai‘awa, and Komoawa. Loch Raven Reservoir is a reservoir in Baltimore County, Maryland. Brenton Loch in
584-460: Is a good house, and garden stocked with fruit trees, a malt mill and an elegant court of offices newly erected. A valuable flag and stone quarry has been opened in the ground and it is believed there are both coal and limestone in it. There are about ten acres of wood and a good deal of timber on this farm; and thriving belts of planting surround the greatest part of it . In 1820 Willowyard is recorded as being an estate of 120 acres, well planted up by
657-440: Is dominated by large areas of mown grass with mature grown bushes and wood copses. The western shore for the first 0.75 km or so is composed of planted willow with some older deciduous trees; round the loch into the very north-east corner, pastures surround the loch. Along the western part, the ground slopes quite steeply down to the loch. The northern shore itself is level and there are areas of marshy ground. The eastern side of
730-780: Is fed mainly by the Maich Water, which rises in the Kilbirnie Hills near Misty Law (507m or 1663 feet), and is drained by the Dubbs Water that runs past the Barr Loch into Castle Semple Loch , followed by the Black Cart , the White Cart at Renfrew and finally the River Clyde . The boundary between East Renfrewshire and North Ayrshire , in the vicinity of the loch, runs down the course of
803-647: Is no strict size definition, a smaller loch is often known as a lochan (spelled the same also in Scottish Gaelic; in Irish , it is spelled lochán ). Perhaps the most famous Scottish loch is Loch Ness , although there are other famous ones, such as Loch Awe , Loch Lomond and Loch Tay . Examples of sea lochs in Scotland include Loch Long , Loch Fyne , Loch Linnhe , and Loch Eriboll . Elsewhere in Britain, places like
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#1733085033448876-729: Is situated in the Parish of Kilbirnie and the ancient Barony of Glengarnock once held by the Cuninghams, a cadet branch of the Earls of Glencairn from Kilmaurs ; it later formed part of the estate of the Crawfurds of Kilbirnie as a result of the Honourable Patrick Lindsay acquiring, in 1677, the Glengarnock estates and marrying Margaret, heiress of Sir John Crawfurd of Kilbirnie. Their son became
949-700: Is unusual. Some lochs in Southern Scotland have a Brythonic , rather than Goidelic , etymology, such as Loch Ryan , where the Gaelic loch has replaced a Cumbric equivalent of Welsh llwch . The same is, perhaps, the case for bodies of water in Northern England named with 'Low' or 'Lough', or else represents a borrowing of the Brythonic word into the Northumbrian dialect of Old English. Although there
1022-663: The Afon Dyfi can be considered sea lochs. Some new reservoirs for hydroelectric schemes have been given names faithful to the names for natural bodies of water. For example, the Loch Sloy scheme and Lochs Laggan and Treig (which form part of the Lochaber hydroelectric scheme near Fort William ). Other expanses are simply called reservoirs, e.g. Blackwater Reservoir above Kinlochleven . Scotland has very few bodies of water called lakes. The Lake of Menteith , an Anglicisation of
1095-827: The Falkland Islands is a sea loch, near Lafonia , East Falkland . In the Scottish settlement of Glengarry County in present-day Eastern Ontario , there is a lake called Loch Garry. Loch Garry was named by those who settled in the area, Clan MacDonell of Glengarry , after the well-known loch their clan is from, Loch Garry in Scotland. Similarly, lakes named Loch Broom , Big Loch , Greendale Loch , and Loch Lomond can be found in Nova Scotia , along with Loch Leven in Newfoundland , and Loch Leven in Saskatchewan . Loch Fyne
1168-456: The Lady Mary's planting , but the northern end was devoid of trees. The old industrial sites on the western shore, for the first 0.75 km or so have substantial Willow plantations and there are some groups of older deciduous trees. Beyond the plantations, and continuing round the loch into the very north-east corner, farmland borders the loch. The Bark Mill near Mains House may be responsible for
1241-497: The Latin lacus ( ' lake, pond ' ), English lay ( ' lake ' ) and French lac , as well as the Italian, Portuguese and Spanish word for a lake, lago . Lowland Scots orthography, like Scottish Gaelic, Welsh and Irish, represents / x / with ⟨ch⟩ , so the word was borrowed with identical spelling. English borrowed the word separately from a number of loughs in
1314-611: The Scots Laich o Menteith meaning a "low-lying bit of land in Menteith", is applied to the loch there because of the similarity of the sounds of the words laich and lake . Until the 19th century the body of water was known as the Loch of Menteith . The Lake of the Hirsel , Pressmennan Lake , Lake Louise and Raith Lake are man-made bodies of water in Scotland, referred to as lakes. As "loch"
1387-427: The 'Three Lochs'. These partners continue to develop options for the potential future management of this important wetland system. On the east side of the loch lie the ancient lands of Willowyard, locally pronounced 'Williyard', and the various Mains dwellings associated with it. These lands were passed to Helen, daughter of Robert Lord Boyd, in her pure, spotless, and inviolate virginity and were held by her for life,
1460-455: The 'icy chain' was safely thrown over it." Kilbirnie is well known as a fishing loch with big pike and large stocks of roach, plus rainbow and brown trout; boat and bank fishing take place. In 2009 a 30 lb plus pike was caught in the loch. The Kilbirnie Angling Club was founded in 1904 when it fished Kilbirnie Loch and the Plan Dam. In 1934 the club began fishing the Dubbs Water and now leases
1533-562: The 19th century near to the old Nether Mill opposite the lost 'Cairn' island and together with 'Thankard' may be derived from 'Tancu'. The term 'Garnoth' has also been used and may derive from 'Garnock'. In early feudal times many Flemings were granted land in the valley of the Clyde, including an individual named 'Thankard', who gave his name to Tankerton, Wice in Wiston, Lambin in Lamington and William,
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#17330850334481606-459: The 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Ayrshire, sheet viii) at NS 3238 5356. Two of the boats were recorded in some detail. The most complete of the longboats was 18 ft (5.5 m) in length, 3 ft (0.91 m) in breadth and circa 2 ft (0.61 m) in 'depth'; about 2 ft (0.61 m) had been lost from the bow. The stern was 'square'. A tripod pit and a bronze ewer were found in one of
1679-789: The East round to the South and into the West side. Creeping bent, reed sweet grass and iris are abundant. Common water-crowfoot, chara species, Canadian waterweed, slender spike-rush, perfoliate pondweed and spiked water milfoil are the other main species present. The diatoms genera Capucina and Asterionella have been recorded, together with blue-green algae, copepods , and some rotifers . Oligochaete worms, snails, freshwater louse, leeches, mayflies, caddisfly larvae, beetles, chironomid larvae, six-spot burnet , green-veined white , common blue , common blue damselfly , are all present. Surveys have identified
1752-692: The Kilbirnie end the loch can be accessed by following the B777 to the Lochshore Industrial Estate. This provides ample parking and the road leads to the boat launching area in the south-west corner of the loch. At the Beith end the unclassified 'Kerse' road runs between Beith and the A760 enables access to the northern shore of the loch. Parking along the roadside is difficult. At the railway bridge (NS 338 552) close to
1825-512: The Maich Water along the northern loch shore to then run up beside the Dubbs Water. Hector Boece (1465–1536) is the first to publish a reference to the loch, using the name 'Garnoth', in his book of 1527 the 'Historia Gentis Scotorum' (History of the Scottish People), saying that nocht unlike the Loch Doune full of fische . There is a long history of drainage schemes and farming operations in
1898-512: The Maich Water, Kilbirnie Loch, the Barr Loch, and the Dubbs Water from the Crown Estates. The loch is stocked with rainbow trout. Circa 1604 it is recorded by Timothy Pont that Loch of Killburney it is ye goodliest frech vatter in all Cuninghame and in 1641 Sir John Crawfurd was ratified as holding the fishing rights. In 1876 it is recorded as being well stored with pike, trout, perch, braize (bream) and eels . Late autumn through winter are
1971-458: The ancestor of the family of Douglas. A Lochend Farm existed in the area that is now occupied by Glengarnock. Early maps, circa 1600, show the two lochs with separate names, but effectively a continuous body of water. The place name 'Kerse' used for the farms and the bridge at the northern end of the loch refers in Scots to 'Low and fertile land adjacent to a river or loch'. The old Barony of Kersland
2044-544: The area, with co-ordinated attempts dating from about 1691 by Lord Sempill , followed by Colonel McDowal of Castle Sempil in 1774, James Adams of Burnfoot, and by others. Until these drainage works the two lochs nearly met and often did during flooding, to the extent that early writers such as Boece, Hollings and Petruccio Ubaldini regarded the lochs as one, using the name 'Garnoth' or 'Garnott'. The Castle Semple and Barr Lochs lie in an area previously covered until more recently by one large loch known as 'Loch Winnoch', however by
2117-471: The banks, and several gull species. It has been noted that waterfowl prefer the northern reaches of the loch. The reedbed habitats are confined and not large enough for marsh specialists, although sedge warbler and reed bunting are probably present. The willow plantations, other deciduous species and scrub on the western slopes provide cover for great spotted woodpecker , tits, thrushes, finches, and warblers and other passerines. The north-eastern corner and
2190-541: The baronies of Kilbirnie and Renfrew did not follow the Maich Water and Dubbs Water, it even ran into the loch itself, reflecting the aforementioned disputes. In 1775 Armstrong's map records 'Loch Tankard' as the property of the Earl of Crawford, but holds of the Prince of Wales . In the 1860s the loch was owned by James, Earl of Glasgow . The solum of the loch is now owned by Scottish Enterprise , however ' riparian owners' possess
2263-622: The boats, now preserved at the Royal Museum of Scotland. These items were not contemporary with the logboat. The boat itself disintegrated rapidly on exposure to air. Part of a second logboat was subsequently found 'close by the island'; its fate is not recorded. This boat was worked from 'oak'. In May 1952 part of a logboat was found on the west side of the loch and on the property of the Glengarnock Steelworks; slag-dumping operations were responsible for revealing it. Analysis of pollen from
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2336-400: The edge of the mainly birch scrub area. This large puffball fungus releases its spores by the decay of the head portion, leaving a pestle-like stem that persists through to the following summer. In 2022 a £4.2 Million visitor and community hub was built at the entrance to Kilbirnie Lochshore. It has changing rooms for sports players on the ground floor and a cafe with community meeting rooms on
2409-516: The end of the 18th century silt from the River Calder had divided the loch into two. In 1814 Barr Loch and the Aird Meadow was bunded and drained, however after WW2 the area was gradually abandoned for agriculture. 'Loc Tancu' is seemingly the earliest recorded name from circa 1210 and the name 'Loch Tankard', 'Thankard' or 'Thankart' was used locally. A farm named 'Unthank' or 'Onthank' existed until
2482-533: The estate as being the property of Robert Steel Esq. In the New Statistical Account, William Wilson, a maternal descendant of previous owners purchased the estate in 1832 and in 1839 Alexander Shedden is noted as the owner. The Willowyard Industrial Estate is situated between Kilbirnie loch and the town of Beith. A large whisky bond is located in the area with a number of large storage buildings and Willowyard House still stands, converted into offices serving
2555-511: The feu for the property passing to the abbot and convent of Kilwinning. Blaeu's map of Timothy Pont 's survey marks the property as 'Williezeards'. In 1559 Hugh Montgomery of Hessilhead held the lands of old extent of Williyard, in the parish of Beith and regality of Kilwinning. The lands became the property of the Hon. Francis Montgomerie of Giffin and then passed to his nephew, Alexander, 9th Earl of Eglinton. in 1723 Mr William Simson or Simpson obtained
2628-573: The first Viscount Garnock and in 1707 he had the baronies of Kilrbirnie and Glengarnock combined under into the 'Barony of Kilbirnie'. As stated, the loch once belonged to the Cunninghames of Glengarnock , but the Craufurds of Kilbirnie disputed their rights over rowing and fishing; these families broke one another's boats, etc. until inter-marriage solved the problem. Both clans had the loch included in their charters. The boundary shown in 1654 between
2701-474: The first floor. The design of the building reflects the appearance of the now demolished Garnock Steelworks that stood nearby. The loch has had spoil, effluent and other pollutants discharged into it when the Glengarnock Iron and then Steel Works were operational; the remaining slag in the loch is relatively rich in phosphates which exacerbates the pollution problems. In the 1990s the loch become eutrophic as
2774-536: The following rare species: reed grass ( Glyceria maxima ); Carex aquatilis ; viper's bugloss ( Echium vulgare ); mare's tail ( Hippuris vulgaris ); field scabious ( Knautia arvensis ); spiked water-milfoil ( Myriophyllum spicatum ); shoreweed ( Littorella uniflora ); butterfly orchid ( Platanthera chlorantha ); ivy-leaved crowfoot ( Ranunculus hederaceus ); weld ( Reseda luteola ); marsh yellow-cress ( Rorippa islandica ); bay willow ( Salix pentandra ); creeping yellow-cress ( Rorippa sylvestris ); and
2847-534: The form of 7271 is for some unrecorded reason carved on the exterior of the house. Circa 1750 a William Simson is recorded as the owner. By the end of the 18th century Willowyards was a well established farmstead and the Edinburgh Advertiser describes it as: consisting of about 175 English acres of arable land, well enclosed and subdivided into fifteen fields, and let by one lease to three substantial tenants for 19 years at £130 per annum. Upon this property there
2920-512: The invasive pondweeds, such as Canadian pondweed. Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park Authority are not directly involved in the management of Kilbirnie Loch, it does however lie within the regional parks extended boundary. The park authority has in the past initiated discussions with a number of partners including Scottish Natural Heritage, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), RSPB , etc. with 'A Shared Vision' for
2993-533: The loch for nesting birds in the 1980s. Lochside Farm was present on the north-west side of the loch in the 19th century, lying below and to the south-west of Lochrig, later Lochridge, as shown on the 19th century OS map ; a 'Flax Pond' for rhetting flax , as part of the process of linen manufacture, is also shown nearby on the loch bank; it is now visible as a wet area dominated by rushes. The firm of William & James Knox, linen thread manufacturers, established as early as 1788, are still based in Kilbirnie. Scotland
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3066-482: The loch is a narrow strip of reedbed and bogbean grows in sheltered area. The Mains and Willowyard burns feed the loch from the eastern side and the Black Burn enters from the north-west; both have brought in silt that has created the areas of reedbeds. In addition to the Dubbs Water, a small burn, now piped, drains into the loch at the southern end. The dominant plant of the waters edge is reed canary grass running from
3139-418: The loch is still hazardous due to slag lying close to the surface. The Dubbs Water was originally dug as a canal in the late 18th century for transporting coal and iron ore to the steelworks and to take finished products to their markets. Roads were unsuitable for transport of heavy goods at the time and the railways were in their infancy. This was a collier's hamlet near the Maich Water. The Loch Riggs Colliery
3212-505: The loch shoreline and have certain duties and obligations as well as rights. North Ayrshire Council own the land at the southern end of the loch, Network Rail own the land on the eastern shore of the loch along the side of the main railway line to Glasgow and private owners hold land to the west and north. The salmon fishing rights are held by the Crown. the Chivas Regal (Pernod Ricard Ltd) own
3285-564: The loch to Beith. Hugh Stevenson used to have the "sole right to howk coal in Brodie's Glen" up the Maich Water. Hugh Stevenson transported the coal down to the loch, and ferried it across to a jetty which was near the mouth of the Mains Burn, then locally known as the Back Burn, and from there it was taken up to Beith by cart. A passenger ferry also ran across the loch at one time, most likely from near
3358-414: The loch was the site of infill with slag and other wastes from 1841 onwards. By the 1860s 'The Cairn' had become distorted and shifted by the movement of the sediment on the loch caused by the weight of the infill, revealing the presence of a crannog lake dwelling (see 'Archaeology'). Infill operations completely destroyed then island in due course. An artificial island was created at the south-east end of
3431-632: The loch was used for curling and in the 19th century the Paisley Saint Mirren Curling Club records show that they played in matches for Royal Caledonian Curling Club medals at Kilbirnie Loch. The John Bull Magazine records that on 10 January 1850 a match took place on the loch between the Eglinton Kilwinning and Beith Fullwoodhead Clubs with six rinks each and a medal given by the Royal Caledonian Club. The Eglinton team were
3504-757: The loss of the oak trees from around the loch. The virtual absence of emergent vegetation is a characteristic of the loch and may be linked to the consolidated substrate. Castle Semple and Barr Lochs are SSSIs and Kilbirnie Loch is a Scottish Wildlife Trust designated LSNC (Local Site for Nature Conservation) in terms of the Ayrshire Local Biodiversity Action Plan (ALBAP) and in partnership with North Ayrshire Council . High levels of invasive alien waterweed species, Canadian waterweed ( Elodea canadensis ) and Nuttall's waterweed ( Elodea nuttalli ) if left unchecked, will continue to spread and overwhelm other native aquatic plants. The loch's southern end
3577-619: The loughs in Northern England have also previously been called "meres" (a Northern English-dialect word for "lake", and an archaic Standard English word meaning "a lake that is broad in relation to its depth"), similar to the Dutch meer , such as the Black Lough in Northumberland . However, reference to the latter as loughs (lower case initial), rather than as lakes , inlets and so on,
3650-491: The mines before winding engines were in use. The solid geology in the lower catchment area is carboniferous limestone. Higher ground to the North and South is mainly basalt . The drift geology includes a layer of peat to the North and boulder clay and lake alluvium over the lower catchment zone. Soils are alluvium to the North and Southeast, whilst to the East and West poorly drained non-calcareous gley soils predominate. In 1868
3723-557: The modern Scottish English loch . In Welsh , what corresponds to lo is lu in Old Welsh and llw in Middle Welsh (such as in today's Welsh placenames Llanllwchaiarn , Llwchwr , Llyn Cwm Llwch , Amlwch , Maesllwch ), the Goidelic lo being taken into Scottish Gaelic by the gradual replacement of much Brittonic orthography with Goidelic orthography in Scotland. Many of
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#17330850334483796-435: The mud found in the timber suggested that the logboat was from between about 3000 and 700bc. The surviving portion of the boat was donated to Paisley Museum. The southern end of the loch was the site of infill with slag and other wastes from 1841 onwards, the greatest loss of open water being between 1859 and 1909. By 1930 the southern end infill had largely ceased, however infill from the west bank continued for some time. At
3869-478: The north shore provide shallower, marshier habitats where waders such as common snipe , common redshank , and curlew . The hawthorn and other tree cover in this area create cover and feeding for finches, tits, and thrushes, which are prey for sparrowhawks . A great grey shrike was seen here in December 2001. Historical records include storm and Leach's petrel , ruff, Atlantic puffin and black-legged kittiwake in
3942-454: The old Lochside Farm, which is reached by a lane from Stonyholm, across to the Bark Mills delta where the silt from the mains burn has encroached into the loch and a small jetty existed. The old Beith Mid Road then led up into the town itself. Plantations are recorded as having existed at Willowyard near Beith from the 19th century and some woodland policies still survive; the southern end had
4015-481: The old station is a rough track which leads down to the lochside and parking in this area is hazardous. The track and the area at the bottom are used by the local Kayak Club. Access to the land along the north shore is dependent upon the good will of the landowner at Kerse Bridge Kennels. Part of the Sustrans National Route 7 runs close to the loch, starting at Paisley Canal railway station and following
4088-450: The owner with belts of plantings and the fine house situated in full view of the loch. The estate sits on whinstone and a small quarry nearby became an ornamental lake. In 1820 John Neil Esq of Edinburgh was the owner, however by 1822 the owner of Willowyard is recorded as being Robert Steele, a Port Glasgow ironmaster and the lands were assessed as the 14th most valuable in the parish at £114 per year valued rent. The 1827 map by Aitken marks
4161-572: The period 1889 to 1915. The loch is a Wetland Birds Survey (WeBS) site and total count results are available on the WeBS site. Kyle Waterski and Wakeboard Club has been active on the loch for over 30 years. The clubhouse is based at the southern end of the loch where there is a car park, slipway and a jetty as well as the club's changing facilities. KWSW is affiliated to both British Waterski & Wakeboard (BWSW) and Waterski and Wakeboard Scotland (WWS). The club has two tournament standard slalom courses and uses
4234-486: The previous Cumbric language areas of Northumbria and Cumbria . Earlier forms of English included the sound /x/ as ⟨gh⟩ (compare Scots bricht with English bright ). However, by the time Scotland and England joined under a single parliament, English had lost the /x/ sound. This form was therefore used when the English settled Ireland . The Scots convention of using ⟨ch⟩ remained, hence
4307-455: The properties of Mains Mure, Mainshill, and Mains neil, with Mains Mure as a castellated tower house. Loch Loch ( / l ɒ x / LOKH ) is a word meaning " lake " or " sea inlet " in Scottish and Irish Gaelic , subsequently borrowed into English. In Irish contexts, it often appears in the anglicized form " lough ". A small loch is called a lochan . Lochs which connect to
4380-541: The property from the Earl. Mr Simpson was said to be a man of expensive tastes and his son William was forced in 1772 to sell the estate to Mr John Ker of London. By 1777 Mr Ker had sold the property to Mr John Neale of Edinburgh. In 1804 John Neale sold the property to Mr Robert Steel of Port Glasgow and John and Robert Duncan are recorded as tenants. By 1833 William Wilson (son of Janet Simson) had purchased Willowyard and his nephew, Alexander Shedden of Morishill later inherited. The surviving Willowyard House dates from 1727 in
4453-600: The relatively rare plant, bogbean ( Menyanthes trifoliata ), that grows in sheltered areas on the west bank of the loch. A number of groups use the loch and its surrounds, such as the Kilbirnie Angling Club, Garnock Canoe and Boating Club, Kyle Waterski and Wakeboard Club, the Model Boat Club, Garnock Rugby Club, and the Garnock Valley Model Aircraft Club. Before the advent of the ironworks
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#17330850334484526-422: The same route as National Route 75 until Johnstone, passing Elderslie and continuing south-west to Kilbarchan , Lochwinnoch and Kilbirnie, passing by Castle Semple, Barr as well as Kilbirnie Loch. Cycle paths runs on down via Glengarnock, Dalgarven and Kilwinning to Ardrossan, Irvine and beyond. The loch was used for pleasure cruises in the 18th century and coal was once carried from the Kilbirnie side across
4599-409: The sea may be called "sea lochs" or "sea loughs". Some such bodies of water could also be called firths , fjords , estuaries , straits or bays . This name for a body of water is Insular Celtic in origin and is applied to most lakes in Scotland and to many sea inlets in the west and north of Scotland . The word comes from Proto-Indo-European *lókus ( ' lake, pool ' ), and is related to
4672-430: The strip of land running from the railway to the loch shore opposite their whisky bond site. This was the only island on the loch and was thought as late as the 1860s to have been built by one of the lairds as a retreat for swans, geese, or other water fowl during the breeding season. It had a fordable causeway leading out to it and rose about 2.5 feet above the water level, clothed in trees and grasses. The southern end of
4745-401: The times of greatest interest. Mallard , tufted duck , Eurasian coot and mute swan are present throughout the year, but it is towards the end of September before numbers and species begin to increase. Tufted duck, common goldeneye , Eurasian wigeon , Eurasian teal and possibly goosander with sometimes smew and greater scaup . Cormorant are frequent, with grey heron feeding along
4818-525: The victors and the Earl accepted the medal from the umpire, Mr Brown of Broadstone . A large number of spectators were present. A Bonspiel took place at the nearby Barr Loch on 11 January 1850 and attracted huge crowds. The North won for the first time by a majority of 233 shots. The Curling Stone manufacturer, J & W Muir, were at one time based in Beith . The History of Curling. 1800–1833 records that "In Beith there were then, as there are now, many keen and good curlers who flocked down to Kilbirnie when
4891-420: Was abandoned in 1808 when the works were flooded. The rich coal seams ran under the loch and were never further exploited. In 1900 the old colliery waste was encountered by the navvies during the construction of the railway between Lochwinnoch and Kilbirnie. A nearby road was locally known as the 'Back-Stair-Heid' and it has been suggested that this refers to the location of a pit ladderway used to carry coal out of
4964-416: Was amongst the first producers of flax. The road running down to the loch here from Baxter Head became known locally as the 'Shanks-McEwan Road' after the company that was contracted to remove the old steelwork's slag heaps. The Glengarnock Ironworks and the later steelworks produced slag and other wastes which were disposed of into the loch, significantly reducing its size and depth. The south-west section of
5037-405: Was created Baron Fairlie , of Fairlie in the County of Ayr, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, in 1897. Brigadier Bernard Fergusson, Baron Ballantrae , and journalist Sir James Fergusson, 8th Baronet , were both grandsons of the 7th Earl. The Earl of Glasgow is the hereditary Clan Chief of Clan Boyle . The family seat is Kelburn Castle in Ayrshire , Scotland . The heir apparent
5110-483: Was formed in 1972 as the result of a merger of the Old Spierians and Dalry High School FP clubs. This was a response to the amalgamation of feeder schools Spier's and Dalry High (along with Kilbirnie Central and Beith Academy) to form Garnock Academy , which happened around the same time. The Old Spierians club had been founded in the early years of the 20th century and joined the Scottish Rugby Union in 1911. The Pestle puffball fungus ( Handkea exipuliformis ) grows at
5183-413: Was held by the Ker (latterly Kerr) family; by chance or by association with this site the surname Kerr may derive from the nature of the location. The term 'Loch of Kilbirnie' is sometimes found in books, on older maps, etc. The monks of Paisley Abbey once held the lands between the Maich and Calder and it is likely that the old toll route, using the toll point of Maich, came through this area. The loch
5256-625: Was made Lord Boyle of Stewartoun, Cumbraes, Fenwick, Largs and Dalry and Viscount Kelburn at the same time as he was granted the earldom. These titles are also in the Peerage of Scotland. The fourth Earl was in 1815 created Baron Ross , of Hawkhead in the County of Renfrew , in the Peerage of the United Kingdom , a title which became extinct on the death of the sixth Earl in 1890. The seventh Earl served as Governor of New Zealand from 1892 to 1897 and
5329-458: Was recently (1820) converted into a good looking house by Mr. Dun, however it passed to a Mr. Houston. A farmhouse is shown marked as Mains Hamilton on the OS map of 1856 together with an L-plan outbuilding, which may now form part of the former coachhouse at 'The Meadows' on Arran Crescent. The farmhouse was demolished and the villa built on the site, perhaps utilising the existing whinstone. Blaeu's map of Timothy Pont 's survey of circa 1600 marks
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