Monday 24 December 2012

Merry Christmas

Kilmarnock & District History Group extends Season's Greetings to all our members and web-site visitors.
Have a Merry Christmas and a prosperous 2013 !

Monday 10 December 2012

Guide to Kilmarnock 1893



Guide to Kilmarnock and the Burnsiana of the Town and District, 1893

This excellent little guide was printed in 1893 by D. Brown & Co. of King Street, Kilmarnock. It is a wonderful snapshot of the area c1890s, including its advertisements for the likes of the George Hotel and Ossington Coffee Tavern (“Ossington Reading Room – Strangers, One Penny Per Visit”).
It serves as a tourist guide, rejoicing in the town’s literary heritage while celebrating it’s contemporary achievements in industry and trade. It ends with the bold and confident statement that “Kilmarnock is the most convenient centre for pilgrims to the Land of Burns who wish to get over the ground in an expeditious and systematic manner.”
This and further digitised pamphlets etc will be added to the Collections pages of this site.

You can access the Guide by clicking on here.


Thursday 6 December 2012

Kilmarnock Periodicals

Kilmarnock Periodicals (1815 – 1900) is one of the Burns Monument Centre’s Special Collections.

This is an almost complete collection of the periodicals printed in Kilmarnock from 1816 to 1900 (it also includes The Ayrshire Magazine and West Country Monthly Repository, which was printed in Irvine in 1815).

http://bmc.burnsmonumentcentre.co.uk/discoveries-in-our-kilmarnock-periodicals/




The early periodicals in particular provide an interesting view of the town’s literary scene at the time. Most of them contain original poems, stories, essays and reviews by writers with some connection to the area. For example, the Kilmarnock Annual and Western Literary Annual (1835) contains two songs by John Galt.
Some of the main printers of the town ventured into periodical printing at some stage. For example, H. Crawford (who was the town’s next printer after John Wilson left for Ayr), printed The Ayrshire Miscellany from 1817. A little later, James McKie printed a few titles including The Ayrshire Inspirer (1839). D. Brown and Company, who printed lots of Burns books from the 1880s until the 1900s, produced the Burns-inspired Auld Killie (1893 – 1898).

Monday 3 December 2012

Battle of Largs

BBC2 Scotland devotes a special programme to the Battle of Largs in an hour long documentary to be broadcast on Friday 14 December from 9pm. 

The Battle of Largs in 1263 was the last time a Norse army fought on British soil. The battle might have ended in bloody stalemate but it marked the beginning of the end of Norse power in Scotland.

This documentary 'The Last Battle of the Vikings' presented by underwater archaeologist Dr Jon Henderson, who grew up near the battle ground in Largs, examines how a few Viking war bands from the Norwegian fjords managed to establish the longest lasting Norse power base in the British isles - and how that Viking influence reverberated through the centuries.

Change of Speaker December 11 2012

Please note that there will be a change of programme for our meeting on Tuesday 11 December 2012.  The speaker will no longer be Mr. Richardson from Beith.  Instead it will be Norman Deeley, who will be speaking to us about the Goatfell Murder.
Consequently, we do not yet have a speaker for our final meeting on Tuesday 19 March 2013, since Mr Deeley was supposed to be our speaker on that night.  Watch this space for more information about that evening's speaker.
We are extremely grateful to Norman for agreeing to this change of schedule.

The Goatfell Murder

Our speaker on Tuesday 11 Dember is Norman Deeley, Deputy Head Teacher of Grange Academy.  His topic is the still contentious murder committed on the mountain of Goatfell, Arran in 1889.

 John Laurie, was convicted of killing Edwin Rose on the isle of Arran's Goatfell peak in July 1889.  But did  Rose fall or was he pushed?

Rose's decomposed body was found hidden in a howff, on the remote mountainside near Brodick, three weeks after he had left London for a week's summer holiday on Scotland's west-coast islands. His skull was shattered, his spine badly broken.
John Laurie, 25 years old, was subsequently arrested after two months on the run, having fled first from Arran then subsequently his Lanarkshire hometown of Coatbridge, where on his apprehension by police he attempted suicide with a cut-throat razor.
"I robbed the man," Laurie stated on his arrest and later in his defence, "but I did not murder him." Laurie would protest his innocence until his death more than 40 years later in 1930, age 69, in the lunatic division – as it was then known - of Perth Prison.

We look forward to listening to Mr Deeley's thoughts on the case.

Sunday 25 November 2012

Oldest in the World

Our speaker on Tuesday night (27 November) is Duncan Close from Sanquhar, who will be telling us a bit about the oldest post office in the world.



The Sanquhar post office had long been accepted as the oldest in Britain  It has been operating since 1712 and is now reckoned to be the oldest in the world..
At the time the post office started, the Crowns of England and Scotland had not long been united. There was considerable activity in the border areas of both lands and one of the most important and influential families of the day was the Crichton family, who owned Sanquhar Castle.
In 1712 a service known as the "Nithsdale cross-post" was established, with mail-runners on horseback delivering messages among the landed gentry on both sides of the Scottish-English border.
When  Robert Burns was alive in the latter part of the 18th century, he was great friends with the owner of Sanquhar post office, and the fireplace in the living room of the building was constructed from elm trees grown by Burns at his farm at Ellisland Farm, near Dumfries.

Come along on Tuesday night and learn more.

Tuesday 13 November 2012

Important - Change of Programme 11 December 2012

Please note that there will be a change of programme for our meeting on Tuesday 11 December 2012.  The speaker will no longer be Mr. Richardson from Beith.  Instead it will be Norman Deeley, who will be speaking to us about the Goatfell Murder.
Consequently, we do not yet have a speaker for our final meeting on Tuesday 19 March 2013, since Mr Deeley was supposed to be our speaker on that night.  Watch this space for more information about that evening's speaker.
We are extremely grateful to Norman for agreeing to this change of schedule.

Maps of Kilmarnock

Tonight's(13 November) speaker is Paula Williams Senior Map Curator at the National Library of Scotland's Map Collections.  We are regularly asked questions about the location of particular long-gone streets in Kilmarnock or where a certain farm was situated.  So, if you have any questions of that sort, this evening's meeting just might be the opportunity to have them answered.
We meet in Kilmarnock College, Holehouse Road, starting at 7.30pm.  As always, if you want to be sure of a good seat, be there early.

Wednesday 7 November 2012

Hugh Montgomerie - 12th. Earl of Eglinton



Hugh Montgomerie -  12th Earl of Eglinton
(5 November 1739 – 14 December 1819) 



Montgomerie was styled Lord Montgomerie from 1769, and sat as a Member of Parliament for Ayrshire off and on from 1780 to 1796. That year he became Lord Lieutenant of Ayrshire, which post he held until his death.
In 1798, having previously succeeded to the earldom through his third cousin, he was elected a representative peer and moved to the House of Lords. In 1806 he was created Baron Ardrossan in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, enabling him to sit the Lords in his own right. He was made a Knight of the Thistle in 1814.
As large ships were unable to reach Glasgow due to silting of the River Clyde, Montgomerie promoted and partially funded the Glasgow, Paisley and Ardrossan Canal. However funds ran out and the canal was only constructed from Glasgow to Johnstone via Paisley. The Glasgow terminus of the canal was at Port Eglinton. Though the wharf is now filled in, the neighbouring Eglinton Street still bears his name. Preparatory work on the canal from the new harbour created at Ardrossan was used as the basis for Glasgow Street, which is the main thoroughfare of the town.
He is responsible for the erection of the Beacon Tower on Horse Island just outside Ardrossan Harbour, following a suggestion made to him by the Arctic explorer Sir John Clark Ross
Montgomerie was an amateur composer and cellist. His best known work is the dance tune "Ayrshire Lasses".

Sunday 28 October 2012

Belgian Refugees

Our speaker on Tuesday 30 October is one of our own members, Ian MacDonald.  He will be talking about Belgian Refugees in Ayrshire during World War 1.

Almost one quarter of a million Belgians fled to Britain after the German invasion of Belgium in 1914. The largest contingent of refugees ever to come here and their absorption into the host society was bound to be a complex process.

The Belgians were mostly assimilated smoothly into the local communities and they benefited at first from overwhelming public sympathy. Trade unionist fears that they would provide a pool of cheap labour soon dissipated as the war economy created conditions of full employment.

Much has been written about the conflict in Flanders and the numerous military battles, as the front line ebbed to and fro throughout the war.  Much has also been written about the terrible conditions in which the troops on either side had to live and fight; but very little is documented about the impact of the fighting on the local civilians.  Hopefully Ian will fill in some of the gaps in our knowledge as, appropriately, Armistice Day approaches.

 Belgian Refugees.







Saturday 27 October 2012

No Evidence of Mass Grave

Excavation work at  Ardrossan Cemetery, where there was thought to be a mass grave of bodies from the HMS Dasher disaster, has ended with no positive result.  The archaeology team, led by John Atkinson, hoped to find evidence of a grave site but instead found only undisturbed virgin soil.
HMS Dasher blew up off Arran in March 1943, killing 379 people, but only 23 bodies are in marked graves. The others have never been accounted for.
Some locals believe there could still be a grave site at Ardrossan Cemetery as well as a second site, possibly in a field within a two-mile radius of Ardrossan.

The mystery continues.

Wednesday 24 October 2012

Possible Mass Grave - HMS Dasher


Work began at Ardrossan Cemetery on Monday and a team archaeologists began their excavation on Tuesday morning 23 October 2012 to try and resolve an unsolved mystery dating back to World War 2.  They are endeavouring to determine whether victims of a war-time sea tragedy are buried in a mass grave.

The aircraft carrier HMS Dasher exploded and sank in the Firth of Clyde on 27 March 1943 with the loss of 379 of her 528 crew.  Of the 68 bodies recovered, 24 were buried at Ardrossan Cemetery and it is not known what happened to the other 44.  Local historian John Steele believes some of these missing 44 who perished in the tragedy may also be buried in the cemetery.  He persuaded North Ayrshire Council to petition a court for permission to excavate part of the cemetery suspected of being the mass grave.

Much secrecy still applies to this disaster and it's to be hoped that these excavations will go some way to answering some of the unresolved questions hanging over the event.

Wednesday 17 October 2012

Bloggers welcome

Any members or visitors to the site are invited to contribute via our Blog.
We welcome any news or discussion on historical topics, not only local issues !

www.kilmarnockhistory.co.uk

Saturday 6 October 2012

Important Notice - Change of Venue

Since Kilmarnock College will be closed on the evening of Tuesday 16 October, our next meeting will be help in the hall of St Andrew's and St. Marnock's Church in St Marnock Street, Kilmarnock, adjacent to the police station.  We are very grateful to the Kirk Session of the church for making their premises available to us at short notice.  Please pass on this information to any members who may not have been present at our first meeting.  There will also be someone present outside Kilmarnock College to re-direct any members who turn up there.
The speaker will be Jim Steel who will speak to us about the Kirk Session Minute Books of Laigh Kirk from 1643 till 1900.

St Marnock'sChurch, Kilmarnock.  The chuch hall is at the left hand side.

Wednesday 3 October 2012

French Foreign Legion

A great start to our lecture programme last night (2 October 2012), with an eye-opening and thought provoking talk by Alex Lochrie.  He shared with us some of his wonderful experiences while serving with the French Foreign legion (la Legion d'Etrangere).  He left us with many points to ponder about the current conflict in North Africa and the Middle East.
You can find more information about the Legion, in English or French, at the following websites:-

http://en.legion-etrangere.com/

http://www.legion-etrangere-magazine.fr/2012/06/legion-etrangere-n%C2%B03/



Tuesday 2 October 2012

2012-13 Session starts tonight

Summer is officially over when KDHG meet again for the winter session.
Tonight sees our new series of talks begin with what promises to be a fascinating insight to life in the French Foreign Legion by local man Alex Lochrie.
Please remember that it is always recommended to turn up a few minutes early for the first couple of weeks as it can take a bit of time to collect subscriptions.
Please have your membership form completed as far as possible to ensure matters move smoothly. Thanks.

Monday 13 August 2012

Ayrshire Meetings 2012 - 2013

We've just received from Rob Close the diary of all history society meetings in Ayrshire from August 2012 until May 2013.


Diary of History Groups Meeting in Ayrshire 2012 – 2013

KEY
AA                          Arran Antiquarians.  Meetings in Brodick Public Hall, Brodick, at 2 p.m.

AANHS                 Ayrshire Archaeological and Natural History Society.  www.aanhs.org.uk Meetings in Town Hall, Ayr, at 7.45 p.m.

AMC                      National Trust for Scotland, Ayrshire Members Centre.   Meetings in Education Pavilion, Burns Cottage, Alloway at 7.30 p.m.

ASA                        Alloway & Southern Ayrshire Family History Society.  www.asafhs.co.uk Meetings in Alloway Church Halls, Alloway, at 7.45 p.m.

BHS                       Beith Historical Society. Meetings in Our Lady’s Hall, Crummock Street, Beith at 8.00 p.m. (* 7.30 p.m.)

CHS                       Cumbrae Historical Society.  Meetings in Newton Lounge, Newton Bar, Millport at 7 p.m.

DHS                       Dundonald Historical Society.  Meetings in Dundonald Castle Visitors Centre, Dundonald, at 7.30 p.m.

EAFHS                  East Ayrshire Family History Society.  www.eastayrshirefhs.org.uk Meetings in Gateway Centre, Foregate Square, Kilmarnock, at 7.30 p.m.

FBC                        Friends of Brodick Castle.  Meetings at Brodick Castle,  Brodick, at 2.30 p.m.

FHS Joint              Joint Meeting of Ayrshire Family History Societies.  Gateway Centre, Kilmarnock, at 7.30 p.m.

KCCS                     Kyle and Carrick Civic Society.  Meetings in Loudoun Hall, Ayr, at 7.30 p.m.

KDHG                    Kilmarnock & District History Group.  www.kilmarnockhistory.co.uk Meetings in Kilmarnock College at 7.30 p.m.

Largs HH              LDHS Hakon Hakonsson Lecture.  In Vikingar!, Largs at 8 p.m.

Largs Jt                  Joint meeting of LDHS and LNAFHS.  In St Columba’s Session House, Largs at 7.30 p.m.

LDHS                     Largs and District Historical Society.  www.largsmuseum.org.uk Meetings in Largs Museum at 7.30 p.m.

L(MS)                    LDHS, Marine Section.  Meetings in Largs Museum at 7.30 p.m.

LNAFHS               Largs & North Ayrshire Family History Society.  www.largsnafhs.org.uk Meetings in Largs Library, Allanpark Street, Largs at 7.30 p.m.

PHG                       Prestwick History Group.  Meetings in 65 Club, Main Street, Prestwick KA9 1JN, at 7.30 p.m.

SHS                        Stewarton & District Historical Society.  www.stewarton.org Meetings in John Knox Church Hall, Stewarton, at 7.30 p.m.

SWT                       Scottish Wildlife Trust: Ayrshire Members’ Centre.  Meetings in The Horizon Hotel, Esplanade, Ayr KA7 1DT, at 7.30 p.m.

TAFHS                  Troon @ Ayrshire Family History Society.  www.troonayrshirefhs.org.uk Meetings in Portland Church Hall, South Beach, Troon, at 7.30 p.m.

WKCS                    West Kilbride Civic Society.  Meetings in Community Centre, Corse Street, West Kilbride, at 7.30 p.m.





August 2012



Mon 20th
AA
Tom Rees
The Archaeology pf Kilwinning Abbey








September 2012



Mon 3rd
SHS
Nigel Willis
Glasgow Necropolis
Mon 17th
AA
Sue Furness and Fiona Jackson
The Lost Village of Morlaggan
Tues 18th
TAFHS
Robert Faulkes
Census - Past and Present
Tues 18th
ASA
Alan Sorenson
Addicted to Ancestors
Tues 18th
SWT
Eric Scott
Land of Ice and Fire
Thurs 27th
BHS
Robert Ferguson
Dalgarven Mill




October 2012



Mon 1st
SHS
Ian Matheson
The Scottish and Ayrshire Home Front in the Great War
Mon 1st
KCCS
James Brown
Pilgrims’ Way
Tues 2nd
KDHG
Alex Lochrie
Never Too Old: The French Foreign Legion
Thurs 4th
PHG
Tom F Cunningham
Buffalo Bill’s Wild West in Scotland 1891-92 and 1904
Mon 8th
CHS
Alex Hunter
The Greenock Blitz
Thurs 11th
AANHS
Gordon Riddle
Cape Verde Islands - In Search of Kestrels
Thurs 11th
EAFHS
John Hall
Personal Treasures
Mon 15th
AA
Ian Marshall
The Battle of Langside
Tues 16th
ASA
Chris Paton
Tracing Your Irish Ancestors on the Internet
Tues 16th
KDHG
Jim Steel
Laigh Kirk Session 1643 to 1900
Tues 16th
SWT
Jonny Hughes
Beyond Boundaries: The Future of Nature Conservation in Scotland
Thurs 25th
BHS
Ian MacCrorie
Calmac
Thurs 25th
AANHS
Derek Alexander
St Kilda
Tues 30th
KDHG
Ian MacDonald
Belgian Refugees in Ayrshire during World War 1




November 2012



Thurs 1st
PHG
Jean Lockley and Graham Humphreys
The Man who Made Glasgow
Mon 5th
KCCS
Tom Barclay
Kilmarnock Troon Railway
Mon 5th
SHS
Bill Fitzpatrick
The Beloved, The Damned and the The Forgotten - The Titanic, the Olympic and the Britannic
Thurs 8th
EAFHS
Frank Donnelly
Sir Alexander Fleming
Thurs 8th
AANHS
Fiona Watson
Taking Sides in the Wars of Independence
Mon 12th
CHS
Iain Wilkie
Lichens and Industry
Tues 13th
KDHG
Paula Williams
Putting Kilmarnock on the Map
Mon 19th
AA
John Inglis
Arran - Heritage and Identity
Tues 20th
ASA
Alastair Wham
Railway Ramblings
Tues 20th
SWT
Andrew Jarrott
The Habitats and Wildlife of Galloway Forest Park
Tues 20th
TAFHS
Irene O’Brien
Poor Law Archives from 1845
Thurs 22nd
AANHS
Nat Edwards
The Darien Expedition
Tues 27th
KDHG
Duncan Close
Sanquhar Post Office - The Oldest in the World




December 2012



Mon 3rd
SHS
Stuart Wilson
Kilmarnock’s Industries During World War 2
Mon 3rd
KCCS
Amy Miller
Amaz’d and Curious - New Discoveries from Robert Burns Birthplace Museum
Thurs 6th
PHG
David Rowan and Alisdair Cochrane
Sights and Sounds of Prestwick
Mon 10th
CHS
Brian Boyd
History of Kilwinning Archers
Tues 11th
KDHG
Allan Richardson
History of Beith Furniture




January 2013



Mon 7th
KCCS
Irene McMillan
Dundonald Castle
Mon 7th
SHS
Barbara Graham
Marie Curie: Her Life and Legacy
Tues 8th
KDHG
Lawrence Wyper
Make it Kilmarnock
Thurs 10th
EAFHS
Max Flemmich
Darvel Telegraph Museum
Mon 14th
CHS
Alastair Chisholm
The Bicentenary of the Comet Paddle Steamer
Tues 15th
ASA
Edwin Lawrence
All the Fun of the Fair
Tues 15th
SWT
Ian Cornforth
Bats and Windfarms - Sorting the Facts from the Turbulence
Thurs 17th
TAFHS
Chris Paton
Genealogy and Newspapers
Tues 22nd
KDHG
Annie McLauchlan
Portencross Castle
Thurs 24th
AANHS
Stephen J Reid
James VI
Thurs 31st
BHS
George Kerr
The Lure of Steam




February 2013



Mon 4th
SHS
Morag Smith
Womens’ History and Heritage at the Glasgow Womens’ Library
Mon 4th
KCCS
John Rattenbury
Clyde Lighthouses
Tues 5th
KDHG
Ian Matheson
In Search of El Dorado - the Spanish Conquistadors of the 16th Century
Thurs 7th
PHG
Alasdair J. Malcolm
Ayrshire Coastal Walk
Thurs 7th
AANHS
Karen Bowie
Ayrshire and the Making of Union, 1707
Mon 11th
CHS
Jean Leader
Lacemaking and Textiles
Tues 19th
ASA
Gordon Thomson
Ayrshire’s Railway Heritage
Tues 19th
KDHG
Jim Boyle
A History of the Royal College
Tues 19th
SWT
Roger Griffith
Galls; the Weird, the Wonderful and the Downright Peculiar
Thurs 21st
AANHS
Cjris Rollie
Robert Burns in England
Thurs 21st
TAFHS
Ian Kennedy
A Kirkcudbright Campbell in America
Thurs 28th
BHS
Hugh Kerr
Diasporama








March 2013



Mon 4th
KCCS
Euan Terras
Rights of Way
Tues 5th
KDHG
Jim Penman
The Genius of James Clark Maxwell
Thurs 7th
AANHS
Philip Robertson
Marine Archaeology
Thurs 7th
PHG
Members
Pot Pourri
Mon 11th
CHS
Jim Grant
Scottish Maritime Museum
Thurs 14th
FHS Joint
Margo Graham
100 Years of Lace
Tues 19th
KDHG
Norman Deeley
The Goatfell Murder
Tues 19th
SWT
Carol Crawford and Natalie Fleming
t.b.c.
Thurs 21st
TAFHS
Tom Barclay
The Franco-Scottish Wine Trade and Ayrshire Involvement
Thurs 28th
BHS
Elaine McFarland
John Boyd Orr: Ayrshire Man and World Citizen




April 2013



Thurs 4th
PHG
John Kellie
Ayrshire Miscellany, Part Two
Mon 8th
SHS
John Stevenson & Dan MacKay
Strang’s Foundry, Hurlford
Thurs 11th
EAFHS
Irene Hopkins
Belgian Refugees 1914-1919
Mon 15th
CHS
Robert Ferguson
The Museum of Ayrshire Country Life and Costume
Thurs 25th
BHS
David Donaldson
The Taiwan Aborigines




May 2013



Thurs 2nd
PHG
Members
Blether of 2013
Mon 13th
SHS
Joyce Brown
Hamilton Palace