Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland; A Survey of Scottish Topography, Staistical, Biographical and Historical Volume 4 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1883 edition. Excerpt: ...are water. The river Irvine winds 4 J miles west-north-westward along all the Dundonald border; Garrier Burn, running 6J miles south-westward, and Carmel Water, running 4 J furlongs westward to the Irvine, trace nearly all the boundary with Dreghorn; and, higher up, Carmel Water, coming in from the NW corner of Kilmarnock parish, and here very often called Kilmaurs Water, flows 5 miles south-westward through the interior, cutting it into two nearly equal parts. Sinking at the south-western corner to 45 feet above sea-level, the surface thence rises gently northeastward to 208 at Fardalehill, 216 near Busbiehead, and 308 at Newland--vantage grounds that command delightful prospects over Cunninghame and Kyle, and across the Firth of Clyde to the Arran and Argyllshire mountains. The rocks are carboniferous; coal and iron are largely worked; and the soil, for the most part, is deep, strong, and of high fertility. Scarcely an acre of land is unproductive; and the beauty of the parish is greatly enhanced by clumps of wood. Agriculture has undergone vast improvement, and the dairy husbandry is eminently excellent. The chief antiquity is Busbie Castle, on the Carmel's right bank, J mile NE of Crosshouse. Mansions are Craig, Knockentiber, Thornton, Tour, and Towerhill; and 8 proprietors hold each an annual value of more, 10 of less, than 500. Since 1882 giving off its western half to the. s. parish of Crosshouse, Kilmaurs is in the presbytery of Irvine and synod of Glasgow and Ayr; the living is worth 480. Two public schools, Crosshouse and Irvine Vennel, with respective accommodation for 450 and 290 children, had (1881) an average attendance of 311 and 215, and grants of 262, 17s. and 93, 9s. Valuation (1860) 17,676, ...