River Irvine
The River Irvine is a river that flows through southwest Scotland. Its watershed is on the Lanarkshire border of Ayrshire at an altitude of above sea-level, near Loudoun Hill, Drumclog, and SW by W of Strathaven. It flows westward, dividing the old district of Cunninghame from that of Kyle, until it reaches the sea via Irvine Harbour in the form of the Firth of Clyde, and flows into Irvine Bay by the town of Irvine. It has many tributaries, some of which form parish, district and other boundaries.
Etymology
Irvine was first recorded in 1258 as Yrewyn, and several etymologies have been proposed. According to Groome, Irvine is derived from the Gaelic iar-an meaning 'westward-flowing' river. A Brittonic origin is also possible. The root *arb-īno, meaning "wild turnip", has been suggested, though the earliest record and the possibly identical River Irfon in Wales do not encourage this. The Middle Welsh adjective erbyn, meaning "hostility, fighting against", might also be considered here. An ancient river-name formation of very obscure origin is also quite probable.The course of the Irvine and its tributaries
The River Irvine rises in two head-waters, the one in a moss at Meadow-head, on the eastern boundary of the parish of Loudoun or of Ayrshire, and the other a mile eastward in the parish of Avondale in Lanarkshire, near the battle-field of Drumclog.About from the point it enters Ayrshire, Glen Water joins it from the north. Strictly speaking Glen Water is the parent stream, because it is longer and carries more water; for the Glen Water rises at Crosshill in Renfrewshire, a mile north of the East Ayrshire boundary, and runs southward, joined by five rills in its progress, to the point of confluence with the Irvine. Swollen by the Glen Water, the Irvine immediately passes the town of Darvel on the right, then onward, the town of Newmilns and farther on, the town of Galston, on the left. The Hagg burn joins before the town, having run past the old ruined castle of Arclowden: Old Loudoun Castle or "The Old Place", near the present Loudoun castle. The Burnanne joins at Galston.
below Galston it receives from the north the Polbaith burn; lower down, the Cessnock water joins it from the south; and later it passes Kilmarnock and Riccarton on opposite sides, and receives on its right bank the tributary of the Kilmarnock Water. or more along its bed, Carmel Water joins it on the right bank; and farther on, it receives the Annick Water, again on the right bank. The river now runs in a north-west direction, passing through the town of Irvine; it then suddenly bends round until it follows a southerly direction; and opposite the town of Irvine, when running southward, it suddenly expands into a basin wide. It receives the Garnock river at its north-west extremity, and communicates by a narrow mouth or strait with the Firth of Clyde. The course of the Irvine is recorded as having shifted in an old Eglinton Estates document, a map recording the previous course with a note that the water left the old riverbed in 1758. This altered the confluence of the River Irvine with the Annick Water.
The Irvine is tidal as far as the nature reserve at Shewalton, or so upstream from the confluence with the Annick Water.
The main contributing rivers and rivulets in descending order of their confluences are therefore the Glen Water, Polbaith Burn, Cessnock Water, Kilmarnock Water, Carmel Water, Annick Water, and the Garnock.
Changing course
Many watercourses have changed direction over the years for various reasons. The Kilmarnock Water used to run slightly to the west as it passes through the Howard Park in Kilmarnock, previously 'Barbadoes Green'; the old 'fossilised' river bank is still discernible. It is said that this was done deliberately by a Lord Boyd, the local laird, so that he could claim more land. The river formed the boundary and by moving it permanently he gained more land.St. Winnan of Kilwinning is said to have made the River Garnock change its course and follow another "adverse to nature". The river's mistake was to fail to deliver up any fish to one of the saint's angler friends!
The Garnock, Annick and Irvine did not even have the same confluence within recorded history, for Timothy Pont's and Herman Moll's maps show the Garnock emptying into the sea, about from the mouth of the Irvine. The Annick did not flow into the Garnock at this time and the Ardeer peninsula was an island. Subsequent to Pont's time, the sea came right up to the town, with vessels loading and unloading at the Seagate, which is now half-a-mile from the sea.
The Earl of Eglinton changed the course of the Lugton Water where it ran through what is now Eglinton Country Park.
Adamson records that a link once existed between the Carmel Water and the Fenwick Water so as to provide more water for the needs of cutlers and tinkers in Kilmaurs. The king allowed the diversion of water that would flow through the 'leg of a boot'.
Parish boundaries
The parishes that border the river's south bank are Galston, Riccarton, and Dundonald; and on its north side are Loudoun, Kilmarnock, Kilmaurs, Dreghorn and Perceton, and Irvine.Country houses
The presence of country estates effected the river and its tributaries, often through landscaping and engineering works such as weirs, embankments and minor alterations of its course. The feudal or Victorian estates of Loudoun castle, Cessnock house, Lanfine house, Holms house, Kilmarnock house, Peel house, Caprington, Fairlie house, Craig house, Newfield, Auchans, and Shewalton were all connected with the River Irvine and on the banks of its tributaries are Craufurdland and Dean castle, the two joining to form the Kilmarnock Water; Rowallan, Tour house, Kilmaurs Place, Carmel Bank and Busbie castle on the Carmel; Lainshaw, Chapelton, Annick Lodge, and Bourtreehill on the Annick Water; Aiket, Bonshaw and Kennox House on the Glazert, and Lambroughton on the Garrier. In the area around Stewarton the valley of the Annick Water was known as 'Strathannick'. Dunlop house and Corsehill castle are on the Clerkland Burn and Robertland House is on the Swinzie Burn, both of which flow into the Annick Water.Prehistoric sites
A large procumbent boulder known on the OS map as the 'Carlin's Stone' lies next to the Carlin Burn near Craigends Farm below Cameron's Moss in East Ayrshire. A Carl is a commoner, a husband or in a derogatory sense, a churl or male of low birth. More commonly the name Carlin was used as a derogatory term for a woman meaning an 'old hag'. It is also said to be a corruption of the Gaelic word "Cailleach", meaning a witch or the 'old Hag', the Goddess of Winter. This would therefore be the Witch's or Hag's Stone, one of several in Scotland with this name. It has been much visited at one time, with the clear remains of a footbridge running to it across the Hareshawmuir Water.The Grannie Stane is described as "one of Irvine's prehistoric puzzles", this boulder is either left behind from the Ice Age or is the last remaining stone of a stone circle – others were removed, by blasting, after the Irvine weir was constructed in 1895, but popular protests saved this remaining stone. The Grannie Stane is visible when the water is low. It is unlikely to have gained its name from various similar sounding Roman and Celtic deities.
The river at work
Many of the weirs, dams and fords on the rivers were built on or developed at natural stone dikes, which already raised the water level at that point.In Kilmarnock in 1880 the Glencairn Mill stood near Riccarton, just before the two bridges, with a long lade running up to join the river near the Glenfield Iron Works; Richardland Brewery sat on the river bank and no doubt used its waters. A slaughter house sat where the Kilmarnock Water joins the Irvine, with an engine works just upstream from it. A Foundry, a forge and an engine works sat beside the Kilmarnock Water at Townholm.
A large number of mills existed along the length of the Annick Water, with only Cunninghamhead Mill still standing today. The Corsehill Mills were at Stewarton, powered by water from the Corsehill Burn, which arose from the Clerkland Burn. Lambroch Mill was located near Laigh Castleton Farm. Scroaggy or Fairliecrevoch Mill was a waulk mill for preparing cloth and existed until the 1960s, with its lade cutting across the large loop in the river near Ramstane. Downstream from Cunninghamhead was a sawmill and a corn mill existed in Perceton near the old church. Scroag or scrog is a crab apple or gnarled tree stumps in old Scots and this 'nickname' well describes the area where the mill stood. At Galston the Burnanne joins the Irvine. This tributary was famous for its rich jasper pebbles; semi-precious stones, which were collected, cut and polished for use in jewellery. The gravel bed of rivers was an important source of income for millers and others who owned the rights of extraction. The gravel was sold for various farm and horticultural purposes, such as infilling drainage ditches, the surfacing of field entrances and driveways, road surfaces, horticulture, etc.
In 1656 a report to Oliver Cromwell describes the port of Irvine at being "clogged up and almost choked with sand." In 1760 Irvine was the third most important port in Scotland, behind Port-Glasgow and Leith second.
The river at play
The River Irvine and its tributaries have many leisure uses, such as sailing, swimming, fishing, riparian walks, etc. Irvine harbour is now officially closed as a commercial port and now houses a number of privately owned pleasure craft. It is also now home to part of the Scottish Maritime Museum with numerous vessels on display, including the 'Spartan', one of the last surviving Clyde puffers.Fishing is a very popular pursuit and many angling clubs maintain the river and its banks, monitor fish stocks, report on pollution and carry out conservation measures. Pont in 1604 – 08 writes that salmon are plentiful in the River Irvine. The river contains, amongst others, brown trout, sea trout, salmon, eels, minnows, and sticklebacks.
Rivers have always been used for swimming and one such favourite swimming pool, called the 'Toad Hole' is found near Ramstane on the Annick Water above Cunninghamhead. Many others exist, such as the 'Auld dam' and the 'Munt' on the Corsehill burn at Stewarton, running into the Annick, which had 'Andra Sweelzies' and the Ladies 'Dookin' Hole.