Cumnock, Old, a parish in the E of Kyle district, Ayrshire. It contains the station and most of the town of Cumnock, beside a small part of Lugar Iron-works, and formed one parish with New Cumnock till 1650, when, being curtailed by the separation of New Cumnock, it changed its name from Cumnock to Old Cumnock. It is bounded N and NE by Auchinleck, E and S by New Cumnock, and W by Ochiltree. Its utmost length, from E to W, is 9¼ miles; its breadth, from N to S, varies between 9 furlongs and 4¼ miles; and its area is 14,209½ acres, of which 69½ are water. All the Auchinleck border is traced, first, by Guelt Water, running 2¾ miles north-westward to Glenmore Water; next, by Glenmore Water, running 43/8 miles west-north-westward to form Lugar Water; lastly, by the Lugar itself, winding 7½ miles west-by-southward: and a number of burns flow northward through the interior to these three streams. In the NW, near Pennyfadzeoch, where the Lugar quits the parish, the surface sinks to close on 300 feet above sea-level, thence rising to 693 near Whitehill, 1198 at Hogh Mount, 764 near Shield, 1081 at Avisyard Hill, 1034 at Airds Hill, and 1352 at Craigdollyeart Hill in the SE. The scenery, tame in places, in most presents a pleasing, finely cultivated aspect, and along the Lugar is often highly picturesque. The rocks -are chiefly carboniferous. Limestone and sandstone, both of excellent quality, are worked; and bituminous and anthracitic coal is mined. The soil by the Lugar is frequently a fine alluvinm, and elsewhere is mostly of a clayey nature, incumbent on strong till; but on the higher lands is mossy. About 2000 acres are moorland, 500 or so are planted, and the rest are all under the plough. The chief antiquities are ruins of Ferringzean Castle within the policies of Dumfries House, traces of Boreland Castle on the S side of the parish, vestiges of a small pre-Reformation chapel on the farm of Chapelhouse, and graves or memorials of several martyrs of the Solemn League and Covenant. Hugh Logan, the Laird of Logan ' and celebrated wit of Ayrshire, resided on Logan estate; and James Taylor, the associate of Miller of Dalswinton in the invention of steam-navigation, superintended the mines on that of Dumfries House about the close of the 18th century. Mansions, all separately noticed, are Dumfries House, Garrallan, Glaisnock, and Logan; and 6 proprietors hold each an annual value of £500 and upwards, 7 of between £100 and £500, 21 of from £50 to £100, and 28 of from £20 to £50. Old Cumnock is in the presbytery of Ayr and synod of Glasgow and Ayr; the living is worth £315, or £365 with voluntary supplement from heritors. Garrallan public, Old Cumnock public, and Old Cumnock Roman Catholic school, with respective accommodation for 100, 600, and 216 children, had (1880) an average attendance of 93,574, and 140 children, and grants of £75,3s., £471,9s., and £128,3s. 6d. Valuation (1860) £14,424, (1882) £27,225,12s. 9d., including £4899 for railways. Pop. (1801) 1991, (1831) 2763, (1861) 3721, (1871) 4041, (1881) 4860.—Ord. Sur., shs. 14,15,1863-64.
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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.
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