Parish of Dreghorn

A historical perspective, drawn from the Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland: A Survey of Scottish Topography, Statistical, Biographical and Historical, edited by Francis H. Groome and originally published in parts by Thomas C. Jack, Grange Publishing Works, Edinburgh between 1882 and 1885.

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1791-99: Dreghorn
1834-45: Dreghorn

Dreghorn, a village and a parish on the southern border of Cunninghame district, Ayrshire. The village, standing 3 furlongs from the right bank of the river Irvine, is 2½ miles ESE of Irvine and 5 W of Kilmarnock, having a station on the branch of the Glasgow and South-Western between those towns; at it is a post office, with money order, savings' bank, and railway telegraph departments. It chiefly consists of irregular lines of whitewashed houses, interspersed with trees, and, occupying a gentle acclivity above adjacent flats, commands a fine view of the waters and screens of the Firth of Clyde. Pop. (1861) 901, (1871) 821, (1881) The parish comprises the ancient parishes of Dreghorn and Perceton, united in 1668, and contains the greater part of Bankhead and Perceton villages. It is bounded NW and N by Stewarton, E by Fenwick, SE by Kilmaurs, S by Dundonald, and W by Irvine. Its utmost length, from NE to SW, is 6 miles; its breadth, from NW to SE, varies between ½ mile and 23/8 miles; and its area is 56612/3 acres, of which 36 are water. The river Irvine glides 23/8 miles westward along all the southern border; Garrier Burn, running 6¼ miles south-westward to Carmel Water, and Carmel Water, running 4½ furlongs westward to the Irvine, trace nearly all the boundary with Kilmanrs; whilst Annick Water, another of the Irvine's affluents, winds 10½ miles south-westward on or near to all the boundary with Stewarton and Irvine. Sinking at the south-western corner of the parish to 30 feet above sea-level, the surface thence rises gently north-westward to 97 feet beyond Dreghorn village. 150 near Warwickdale, 226 near Albonhead, and 258 near Whiterig. The rocks are mainly carboniferous. Coal is largely worked, and ironstone, limestone, and sandstone abound. The soil, in the SW ranging from loam to gravel, is elsewhere mostly a deep rich loam; and all the land, excepting some acres of wood and meadow, is under cultivation. Though now much subdivided, the entire parish belonged in the 12th century to the De Morvilles, lord high constables of Scotland, from whom it passed in 1196 to Roland, Lord of Galloway. Mansions are Annick Lodge, Cunninghamhead, Perceton, Springside, and Warwickhill; and 9 proprietors hold each an annual value of £500 and upwards, 9 of between £100 and £500,3 of from £50 to £100, and 14 of from £20 to £50. In the presbytery of Irvine and synod of Glasgow and Ayr, Dreghorn gives off about 450 acres, with 350 inhabitants, to the quoad sacra parish of Crosshouse; the living is worth £448. The parish church (1780; reseated 1876 for 500) stands at the village, where also are a Free Church mission station and an Evangelical Union chapel; and Dreghorn Free church is at Perceton village. Three public schools-Crossroads, Dreghorn, and Springside-with respective accommodation for 100,300, and 300 children, had (1880) an average attendance of 34,248, and 234, and grants of £32,4s., £237,8s., and £200,15s. Valuation (1860) £18,915, (1882) £22,679,9s., plus £3243 for railways. Pop. (1801) 797, (1831) 888, (1841) 1222, (1861) 3283, (1871) 3241, (1881) 3949.—Ord. Sur., sh. 22,1865.

An accompanying 19th C. Ordnance Survey map is available, or use the map tab to the right of this page.

Note: This text has been made available using a process of scanning and optical character recognition. Despite manual checking, some typographical errors may remain. Please remember this description dates from the 1880s; names may have changed, administrative divisions will certainly be different and there are known to be occasional errors of fact in the original text, which we have not corrected because we wish to maintain its integrity. This information is provided subject to our standard disclaimer

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