Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 1.djvu/150

Rh AYH. 110 AYK. ruble, association, was a nativr of Ayrshire. Bock and castle and bridge, lark and cottage, ho has touched them all and made thorn poetic for ever, and his monu- ment stands amidst scenes which he loved so well. AYR, a par., market town, municipal and parlia- nn'iitary burgh, and the county town of Ayrshire, Scot- land, 75 mil. - !< tin S.V. of Edinburgh by road, or 86 miles by the Glasgow and South Western railway, on which it is a station. It occupies a nearly central posi- tion in the county, lying on the coast of the beautiful bay of Ayr, on the southern bank and near the mouth of the Ayr Water. The parish comprises the ancient parish of Alloway, which was united with it in 1690. Although a Roman station existed here, and subsequently a small village, the town is considered to have been foun'l William the Lion, at the close of the 12th century. In 1202 it was constituted a royal burgh by the same monarch. The old church, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, was probably built about the same time. In 1230, a monastery was founded for monks of the Domi- nican order, or Black Friars, by Alexander II. The townspeople themselves founded another house for the Franciscans, or Grey Friars, in 1472. This house pos- sessed a wonder-working statue of the Virgin. No re- mains of either of these monasteries are now to be seen. A small castle was erected at Ayr by William the Lion, which was burnt by Uobert Bruce in 1298, after the defeat at Falkirk, that the English might not have pos- session of it. It was afterwards rebuilt by the English. In 1315, a parliament, or meeting of the barons and higher clergy, was assembled by Bruce in the old church of St. John, for the purpose of settling the succession to the throne. A great fort was erected in the 17th cen- tury by Cromwell, inclosing the church and a space of about 18 acres. It was surrounded by a moat, formed by the river Ayr and the sea, and wus approached by a drawbridge. A new church was built for the use of the inhabitants in 1054, for which Cromwell granted 1,000 marks. The town of Ayr is in form nearly a parallel- ogram, consisting of 2,091 houses, inhabited, according to the census of 1861, by 4,307 separate families. It is clean, well paved, and lighted with gas. The har- bour, which is formed by two piers running out as far as low-water mark, extends up the river to about the middle of the length of the town. Close to the end of the quay is the new bridge, and a short dis- tance higher up the river is the " uuld brig." The l:itti-r is supposed to have been erected in the second half of the 13th century. It is very narrow, and con- sists of four low arches. It connects the burgh of New- ton with Ayr, and is now open only to foot-passengers. The new bridge was built in 1788. Dose to its Newton end is the goods railway-station, the passenger-station being at the head of High Street. The principal street is High Street, parallel with the river ; from one end of which another broad street called Sandgate runs down to the new bridge. At the southern termination of this street is Wellington Square, one side of which consists of the county buildings, designed after the temple of Isis, at Home, and containing a large hall, court-rooms, and offices. The county gaol, a large and convenient edifice, stands behind these buildings. The Town's Now Buildings stand at the junction of High Street with the Sandgate, and are surmounted with a handsome spire rising to the height of 226 feet. In High Sti. Vallace Tower, a modern stri' 1 !."> fret in height, with a Maine of the hero in front. It is on the site of an old building in which Wallace is said to have been imprisoned, and the dungeon bells are placed in the spire. Not far from the Fishmarkct, which is opposite the old bridge, is a handsome new edifice for business purposes, called Winton Building*. To the north-west of the town is the Academy, which ranks as one of the best in Scotland. It is governed by a body of directors incorporated by roynl charter, and is well attended. Ayr has a mechanics' institution, several banks and libraries, a dispensary, and various charitable institutions. The chief trade of the place is now in the shipping and the- lir-h' ries. The woollen and cotton manu- facture*, embroidery of muslin, carpet-making, tannin and nail and shoe-making, are carried on extensively, The bar at the mouth of the harbour admits only ' small vessels entering it. Between 40 and 60 vet belong to the port, most of which are engaged in coasting trade, a few only visiting the colonies foreign ports. The principal exports are coal, whetstones, &c. ; and the imports timber, hides, ti slates, hemp, &c. Two lighthouses, about 280 yards apart, mark the entrance to the harbour. <jii subport to Ayr. There is constant cominunk. steam with Glasgow and the coast towns. Th< meut of the burgh is vested in a provost, tv thirteen councillors, &c. Its revenue is about 2,800, and its population, in 1861, 18,571, of whom 2,970 arc returned as children between the ages of five and fifteen ing school. It is contributory with Oban, Irvine, In- verary, and Campbell town, in sending one re] : tive to parliament. Three newspapers are pi; called the Ayr Adrertittr, Ayr Ofaerrtr, and the AyrtHit Eipreu. Uncos take place once a year on a course which is about a mile and one-fifth in circuit. The C;c ; Hunt meet occasionally near this course. Ayr i* the seat of a presbytery in the synod of Glasgow and Ayr. There are two livings, of which the first charge is of H vaL of 178, and in the patron, of the crown ; the second, val. 283, is in the gift of the corporation. Th old kirk, built in 1654, on the site of the Grey !$ monastery, is near High Street. The new kirk is i* Fort Street. There is an Episcopal church, ing to the Free Church, two to the Tinted rians, and five others for Roman Catholics, In Wesleyans, Reformed Presbyterians, and Mora. portion of the ancient tower of the parish church is standing, and has been converted into part of a dwel' house. The birthplace of Burns, a two-re- tage, stands about a mile and a half from the town. Close by are the "Brig o' Doon" and the remains Alloway kirk. The monument to the memory of poet stands on an eminence near the kirk, and on banks of the Doon. It is formed of frei style of architecture is Grecian ; it is 60 feet high, contains a bust and portrait of Burns, and several inte- resting relics. Ayr was the birthplace of the eminent scholar and philosopher of the 9th century, Jo' Scotus, or, as he was named from his native place, Kri, Among other distinguished natives are John Lou M'Adom, the great road-maker, born in 1756; David Cuthcart, Lord Alloway, a distinguished ju< bom in 1764. Dr. Thomas Jackson, Professor of Nat Philosophy in the University of St. Andrew's,' some time at the head of A'yr Academy. The contains some traces of a Roman road. The m Alloway, a very ancient work, may still be t. the neighbourhood of the town, and along the banks 4 the river, as it winds through the fertile sheltered vaJ'~ surrounding the town, are many handsome villas i charming grounds. Among them are Castle Hill, 1. mont Cottage, Rozelle, Doonholm, Cambus 1> ark Castle, and Mount Charles. The market days I Tuesday and Friday. Fairs are held in January, <~ .S ptrmber, and October. A Y U, or AIR, WATER, a river in Ayrshire, f rising in the par. of Muirkirk, among the hills eastern edge of the county, crossing it in a w direction, and falling into the sea at Ayr. It has | name to the town, the county, and tho bay. The s through which it runs is wild and bleak in the i its course, but of great beauty and richness j the lower part. On its banks ore Sorn Castle, many elegant modem residences near the town Ayr. It nas been celebrated for the abundance I excellence of its salmon ; but the supply has of 1 years greatly diminished. In its bed is found the j liar stone called Wat. r o' Ayr stone, used for TTH nes and for polishing metals. It is a kind ( claystone, with particles of felspar and mica. This rirsr is about 30 miles lonp, and divides the county into two nearly equal parts. Its name is said to be an anciSB* >wn. a of S