Barr 1846
BARR, a parish, in the district of Carrick, county of Ayr, 8 miles (E. S.
E.) from Girvan; containing 959 inhabitants, of whom about 230 are in the
village. This place is supposed to have derived its name from the almost
inaccessible site of the ancient village, surrounded on all sides by rugged
hills of precipitous elevation, and only to be approached by a narrow wild
glen, frequently impassable from the swelling of a small stream which
intersects it, and which, in winter, attains the violence of a torrent. The
parish, which formed a natural barrier between the counties of Ayr and
Galloway, was included in the parishes of Girvan and Dailly till the year
1653, when it was erected into a parish of itself; it comprises nearly
70,000 acres, of which only 1200 are arable, and not more than 1000 capable
of being rendered profitable. The surface is mostly an extensive level, with
various ridges of different elevation, two of which rise from the banks of
the river Stinchar, to the height of nearly 1200 feet; and a third, in a
direction nearly parallel to these, on the south-east, is about 1400 feet
above the sea. Another range, forming part of that chain of mountainous
heights stretching from Ayrshire into Galloway, has an elevation of nearly
2700 feet. The chief rivers are, the Stinchar, which has its source in this
parish, and, taking a south-westerly course, falls into the sea at
Ballantrae; and the Minnoch, which, rising in the highest ridge of hills,
flows southward through the lands, and falls into the river Cree, which
separates this parish from the county of Galloway. The Stinchar, in its
course of nearly fifteen miles through the parish, forms a beautiful cascade
of about thirty feet; and most of the smaller burns with which the parish
abounds, in their several courses, fall from heights, with various degrees
of beauty. There are numerous lakes of different extent, varying in depth
from six to fifteen feet, all of which afford trout of a dark colour, and
also yellow trout; the scenery is dreary, from the want of wood, of which
there is scarcely any in the parish.
The soil, in the lower lands, is of very fair quality, and in the high lands
principally moss; the chief crops are, grain of all kinds, and potatoes.
Surface-draining has been extensively practised, and the grounds are
partially inclosed, but improvement in the system of husbandry, from the
want of good roads and facilities of drawing lime, is greatly retarded.
Attention is paid to the management of the dairy, and a moderate number of
milch cows, mostly of the Ayrshire breed, have been introduced; but the main
dependence of the farmer is on the rearing of cattle and sheep, for which
the hills provide tolerable pasturage. The rateable annual value of the
parish is £7578. The few trees indigenous to the soil, are ash and alder;
and the plantations, which are on a very limited scale, are larch,
interspersed with oak and ash, which seem to thrive well. The substrata are
chiefly conglomerate rock, which appears in very irregular masses, and
limestone of good quality, which is slightly wrought; in that portion of it
that lies near the bed of the river, some fine specimens of fossil shells
are found. Slate-quarries have been also opened, but have not been wrought
to any extent.
The village, which is
neatly built, has a post-office, established under Girvan; and fairs are
held annually, but very little business is transacted, and, from the want of
good roads, little facility of intercourse is afforded with the surrounding
district. The parish is in the presbytery of Ayr and synod of Glasgow and
Ayr, and patronage of the Crown; the minister's stipend is £231. 3. 1., with
a manse, and a glebe valued at £18 per annum. The church, an ancient
edifice, is in good repair, and had a gallery added in 1834; it is adapted
for a congregation of 410 persons. A place of worship has been erected in
connexion with the Free Church. The parochial school is well conducted; the
master's salary is £34. 4. 4½., with £18 fees, and a house and garden. A
parochial library has been established, which has a collection of nearly 200
volumes. There are some remains of a chapel called Kirk Dominę, and on the
rising ground near its site, is a well, to which is an approach through an
ancient and well-built archway. This chapel was in tolerable preservation
till the year 1653, when the roof was taken off, and placed on the parish
church. Viscount Stair, well known as ambassador of George II., at the court
of France, in 1720, was born in the parish.
From: A Topographical
Dictionary of Scotland (1846)
and .co.uk