Colmonell 1846
COLMONELL, a parish, in the district of Carrick, county of Ayr, 5 miles (N.
E.) from Ballantrae; containing 2801 inhabitants. This parish, of which the
name is of very uncertain derivation, is about nineteen miles and a half in
length, and seven miles in extreme breadth. It is bounded on the north by
the Frith of Clyde, and comprises 56,800 acres, of which 4000 are arable,
2000 fine meadow land, 800 woods and plantations, and the remainder moor and
rough pasture. The surface is beautifully varied with hills of gentle
elevation, inclosing fertile valleys, and with gradually rising grounds and
level meadows. The chief river is the Stinchar, which has its source in the
parish of Barr, and, in its winding course of nearly nine miles through this
parish, receives the waters of the Dhuisk, or Blackwater, a river of nearly
equal breadth, over which are three bridges of stone, and several of wood.
The banks of the Stinchar and the Dhuisk are clothed with wood, chiefly oak,
ash, elm, birch, alder, and larch. There are also several lakes, of which
the principal are Loch Dornal and Loch Mabiery, which abound with romantic
scenery. The higher grounds command prospects of the surrounding districts,
but none of the hills have an elevation of more than 700 feet above the sea,
and the views, though interesting, are not very extensive. The finest is
that from the hill of Knockdolian, which embraces the whole extent of the
vale of the Stinchar, from Penmore to Knockdolian.
The soil on the banks of the Stinchar is extremely fertile; the higher lands
are chiefly a stiff clay, resting upon gravel, and a considerable portion is
poor moorland, affording scanty pasturage. The chief crops are, oats, wheat,
barley, potatoes, and turnips; the system of agriculture is in a very
advanced state, and all the more recent improvements are in general
practice. Great attention is paid to the management of the dairy, and about
4000 stone of cheese are annually produced for the neighbouring markets. The
Cunninghame breed of cows is daily increasing, and about 500 of that kind
are pastured on the several dairy-farms; the cattle reared are chiefly of
the Galloway breed, and about 1500 are annually sold to the cattle-dealers
from the south. About 9000 sheep of the black-faced breed, and 200 of the
Cheviot and Leicestershire breeds, are annually pastured, on the average.
The rateable annual value of the parish is £12,425. Limestone is extensively
quarried, and there are five kilns, at which about 20,000 bolls of lime are
burnt for manure every year. The fishery on the coast is carried on with
success; the chief fish found here are, cod, whitings, haddocks, turbot,
skate, and herrings, and lobsters are taken in abundance, and sent by steam
to Dublin, where they are in great demand. Salmon is also found, in the
river Stinchar; and there are several salmon pools, the rents of which, in
the aggregate, amount to £30 per annum.
The chief seats of the
parish are Penmore and Dalgerrock, which are of some antiquity; and
Knockdolian, Dhuisk Lodge, Corwar, Ballochmorie, and Drumlamford, of recent
erection, are handsome mansions, embellished with flourishing plantations.
The village, formerly consisting only of a few thatched cottages, has been
almost entirely rebuilt in a regular style; and, since the passing of the
Reform act, has been a polling-place for the election of a member for the
county. A post-office has been established; and fairs are held on the first
Monday in February, May, August, and November (O. S.), and three
cattle-markets at Barhill, a small hamlet of recent origin, on the river
Dhuisk, on the fourth Friday in April, September, and October (O. S.).
The parish is in the presbytery of Stranraer and synod of Galloway, and in
the patronage of the Duchess de Coigny. The minister's stipend is £256. 18.
9., with a manse, and a glebe valued at £15 per annum. The church, erected
in 1772, and repaired in 1832, is a neat substantial edifice, adapted for a
congregation of 500 persons, but very inadequate to the population of the
parish. A chapel of ease has been erected, in which the incumbent officiates
every fourth Sunday, during ten months of the year; and there are places of
worship for Reformed Presbyterians and Original Seceders, besides a Free
church. The parochial schoolmaster has a salary of £34, with £26 fees, a
house and garden, and the half of £21. 15., the rent of the farm of Little
Dungart, bequeathed by Dr. Kennedy, for the gratuitous instruction of six
poor scholars. There are some remains of the ancient castles of Knockdaw,
Carleton, Craigneil, Kirkhill, Penwherry, and Knockdolian. The most
interesting of these are the ruins of Craigneil, supposed to have been
erected in the thirteenth century, and to have been frequently visited by
Robert Bruce; they are situated on a rock, and the castle was anciently a
prison, and a place of execution for criminals.
From: A Topographical
Dictionary of Scotland (1846)
and .co.uk