BUSBIE ROWS, PARISH OF KILMAURS.

Privately owned. Brick built and age.

Busbie Rows, about a quarter of a mile from Crosshouse, on the Kilmaurs road, is a melancholy looking village from the outside. The inside view does not give a better impression. These rows formerly belonged to a colliery company, but are now privately owned. They are built of brick, and said to he about 24 years old, but they are very much older than their years, as the material, so it is alleged, was brought from Birnieknowe, where it had formed old houses.

Local name.

Busbie Rows are locally known as the 'bug' rows, because of the importation of the insect with the wood and the bricks. These houses certainly do not look wholesome.

1st Row, two apartments, etc. Dimensions.

There are in all six rows, the first row consisting of 10 two apartment houses, with porches both back and front. The kitchen measures 12 feet by 11 feet, and the room about the same. The front porch is 8 feet by 5 feet, the back porch 4 feet by 4 feet.

Accommodation.

There are two closets for this row, one with a door the other with no door, and one small, dirty, open ashpit.

Rent.

The rent of this row is 2s 6d a week. It is owned, so we were informed, by Mr. Lamont, of Crosshouse. [53]

2nd Row. Vermin.

The second row consists of four two apartment houses similar to first row, except that there is only one porch in front, 9 feet by 4 feet. The kitchen floor is of cement, the room floor of wood. These houses are overrun by rats. There are no coalhouses, the coal being placed below the beds, which have no floors. This, as well as the other four rows, are said to belong to a Mr. Thompson, of Wishaw.

3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Rows. Dimensions. Rent.

Rows Nos. 3, 4, 5, and 6 are single apartment houses. They measure 15 feet by 12 feet. The. rent is 1s 6d a week.

Accommodation.

There is a washing-house for every six tenants, but no coalhouses. There is one closet for every six houses, having no door, and one small open ashpit. Both are too filthy for words.

Unpaved pathways.

The pathways are unpaved and are very dirty, often having pools of dirty stagnant water. The open syvor is 4 feet from the doors.

Water.

There is a supply of gravitation water.

This, in our opinion, is the worst village in the Crosshouse district. We can suggest no remedy. The houses seem to be beyond remedy, and fit only to be razed to the ground and the rubbish carted to the nearest public coup.

HEMPHILL, PARISH OF KILMAURS.

Owned by Messrs. J. & R. Howie, Ltd.

Hemphill is a small village of 21 houses, forming a half-square. It looks dingy, but the inside is rather better than the outside. These are two apartment houses, built of brick. The kitchen is 13 feet by 12 feet, the room 12 feet by 9 feet.

Accommodation.

There is one ashpit and four dry-closets for the place, all very dirty when we saw them on 26th November, 1913. There are coalhouses for all, and there are four very nice looking washing-houses.

Unpaved.

The paths were unpaved, but were covered with very rough red 'blaes' which, although against the appearance of the place, kept the pathways dry.

Water.

There is a supply of gravitation water.

Rent.

The rent is 2s per week. At the time of our visit there were 10 empty houses.

BURNFOOTHILL, PARISH OF DALMELLINGTON.

Owned by Dalmellington Iron Co., Ltd. Number of houses in all. Kind of houses.

What is known as Burnfoothill is composed of rows of various names numbering, when we visited it on November 27, 1913, about 256 dwellings. The great majority of these are single apartment houses; indeed, they were all, with a very few exceptions, originally built as single apartment houses, but some families, in the course of time, have obtained two [54] of these houses, which gives them rooms and kitchens. A number of the doors of these are built up, so that they are permanent double houses. We were informed by an old man that the dwellings formerly numbered 350, the difference being explained by this later formation of the double houses from two single ones.

Accommodation. Epidemic.

The houses are all owned by the Dalmellington Iron Co., Ltd., the majority of them built of stone, and every one of them lacking in even the elementary conveniences of life. Many families have absolutely no washing-house, no coalhouse, no ashpit, no closet! What do the people do? That is a question which should not be asked too loudly! From time to time one hears rumours that fever is rife here. We have only these rumours to go by, but there is certainly plenty of fever breeding ground.

Figures from Medical Report of Ayr District. Names of parishes.

Here are a few suggestive figures from the County Medical Officer's Report for 1912. What is given as Ayr District embraces the following parishes, viz., Auchinleck, Ayr (Landward), Coylton, Dalmellington, Dalrymple, Monkton, Muirkirk, New Cumnock, Ochiltree, Old Cumnock (Landward), Stair, and Tarbolton.

Number of Infectious Cases. Cases detailed.

For these parishes there is a total of 382 cases of all kinds. Three parishes had 223 cases, viz., New Cumnock 46. Coylton 53, Dalmellington 124. Take them in detail. The Ayr District had 40 cases Diphtheria, 12 of these from the parish of Dalmellington. There were 283 cases of Scarlet Fever, 101 of these from the parish of Dalmellington; 22 Enteric cases, 8 from parish of Dalmellington; 29 cases Erysipelas, 3 from Dalmellington. The remaining 8 are the less common diseases.

N.B. - Burnfoothill, at which there are no conveniences, is in the parish of Dalmellington. It would be interesting to know how many came. from Burnfoothill.

POLNESSEN ROWS, PARISH OF DALRYMPLE

1st Row. Accommodation.

The first houses visited on the way up from Patna were Polnessen Rows [Ponnessen is given]. There are three rows, the first built of stone, containing 22 families. About three-fourths of these are in single apartment houses, with sculleries. The kitchen measures 18 feet by 11 feet, the sculleries 9 feet by 8 feet. There is no washing-house, but generally there are boilers in the sculleries, but bought by the tenants. There are no coalhouses, the coal usually being placed below the bed. There are no closets in the proper sense, but a tenant may apply to the Company, who may give him a wooden erection, readymade, not much larger than a sentry box. This is set up, but nothing more, for the tenant has to place in his own pail and [55] to empty them, and as there are no ashpits the matter is either scattered among the ashes or put on ground called a garden.

Rent.

The rent for single houses is 1s 9d a week, for double 3s 6d.

Pathways.

The paths in front are unpaved, and when we saw them were lying under pools of water.

Where ashes go. The people.

The ashes and slop pails are emptied in front of the houses on the open moor. In spite of everything the people in this row, as in all the other rows, are of a superior appearance.

2nd Row.

The second row is built of brick. It contains 23 families, and is hardly anything different from the first row. Here there are no coalhouses, no washing-houses, no ashpits, and only the same tiny wooden closets. Hardly the half of the people had them. The rent is the same also. The majority are single apartment houses.

3rd Row.

The third row is built of stone, and houses 20 families. The houses are the same size, the same rent, the same lack of accommodation. Three or four of these are two apartment houses, the rest single. Ashes and slop pails are emptied on moor in front, with the same irritatingly small wooden hutches for closets, when the tenant is fortunate enough to get one.

There is a supply of gravitation water, which is brought from the surrounding hills. Paths both back and front are unpaved and muddy, and the open syvor which runs along all three rows is very flat and sluggish, the tenants themselves often having to look after them in wet weather. There is no sewage, unless one might call an iron pipe such, which empties itself on the moor a few yards from the doors.

LETHANHILL, PARISH OF DALMELLINGTON

Aerial photograph and plan of Lethanhill

1st Row. Houses. Rent. Accommodation.

The next series of rows are called Lethanhill, but every one has a distinctive name given by the people. That which we called the first row has 21 two apartment houses built of brick. The kitchen is about 17 feet by 11½- feet, the room about 9 feet by 9 feet, the scullery 8 feet by 7 feet or thereby. The rent is 2s 3d a week. There is a supply of gravitation water. The paths are unpaved and very muddy. There is not a single ashpit, coalhouse, nor closet, with the exception of the wooden hutch already mentioned, which the tenants have to clean out, scattering the matter as they think fit. The boiler in the scullery is the property of the tenant.

2nd Row. Same as No. 1.

The second row is a replica of No. 1. The houses are damp, the rain having easy access at some of the front doors. If there is any difference from the first, there are fewer of those diminutive closets. Coals usually kept in scullery. Ashes and refuse scattered in front and at back in a horrible mixture. [56]

These houses are sadly in need of repair. There are 23 houses in this row.

Briggate Row. The first ashpit.

What is called the Briggate Row contains 18 dwellings, single apartments generally, with sculleries. The kitchen and scullery are of the usual size here, and the rent is 1s 9d a week. There is a supply of gravitation water, but the people complain of the scarcity of water, there being but one well for two rows. There are no washing-houses nor coalhouses. Only nine of the tenants have those wooden closets, though the others would be glad to get even one of them. The fronts and backs are, of course, unpaved, and in the usual condition of unpaved paths. There is one broken down ashpit, the first we had seen in the whole of the district. We were told there was actually one other in some other row, though we had not discovered it as yet.

White Brick Row.

White Brick Row consists of 20 single apartment houses, but a few families occupy two. Rent of single 1s 9d, double 3s 6d per week. There are also one or two originally built two apartment houses at a rent of 3s a week.

Dimensions.

The kitchens here are 21 feet by 12 feet, the sculleries 9 feet by 8 feet.

Accommodation.

There are no coalhouses, no washing-houses, no closets, but the impertinent apologies so often mentioned, and even these are not sufficient to give one to every house. The washing boiler belongs to the tenant, as in other rows.

Disease.

People complain of prevalence of epidemic disease. It would be a miracle if it were otherwise. The other remaining ashpit was found here.

Stone Row. Rent.

The Stone Row has 20 two apartment houses. The kitchens measure 17 feet by 11 feet, the rooms 9 feet by 9 feet, scullery 9½ feet by 8 feet. The rent is 2s 3d a week.

Accommodation.

No ashpit, no coalhouse, no washing-house, no closets except a few of the kind peculiar to this district, the small wooden erections.

Age.

We learned from an old man that the age of all the houses in the rows was about 60 or 70 years.

Water.

There is one well of gravitation water.

Paths.

The paths were in the usual unpaved, muddy condition. The People complain that they cannot ask any one to visit them because of the want of accommodation.

Whaup Row.

The Whaup Row has 24 houses, single apartments, but eight families occupy 16 of them as rooms and kitchens. The rent is 1s 9d for single and 3s 6d for double houses.

Accommodation. Dimensions.

No washing-houses - one woman was standing in the rain washing (27th November, 1913) - no closets, except a few a la Burnfoothill, no ashpits ; but each house had a small brick [57] built coalhouse. The kitchen measures about 18 feet by 10½ feet, the sculleries 9 feet by 6 feet. Gravitation water.

Old School Row. Dimensions.

The Old School Row is built of brick, and contains 28 two apartment houses. The kitchen is 17 feet by 11 feet, the room 9 feet by 8 feet, the scullery 10 feet by 8 feet.

Accommodation. Flooded syvors in wet weather.

The accommodation is the same as in former rows. No coalhouse, no washing-house, no closets except the small wooden one, and we were told that these can hardly be got, one tenant having had to wait years for one. The open syvor at back is very sluggish, and when flooded by rain causes shameful conditions. Here, as elsewhere, the tenant must empty his closet, with no place provided to receive contents, consequently contents must be flung out exposed on the moor.

Rents. Right to ashpit.

Rents are 2s 3d a week. This row has the right to a share in the only ashpit in the district.

Step Row. Number of families. Rents.

The Step Row has 18 dwellings, in some cases the family occupying two. The kitchen is about 17 feet by 11 feet, the scullery 9 feet by 7 feet. The rent is 1s 6d a week.

Accommodation.

There are no ashpits, no washing-houses, no coalhouses, with only a few of the small wooden closets.

Gravitation water.

There is a supply of gravitation water.

Final word.

The lack of conveniences at this large village is disgraceful, and not worthy of such an important Company as the Dalmellington Iron Co., Ltd. The people in every row gave evidence of being able to appreciate better conditions. We trust better conditions will be given to them.

KILGRAMMIE ROWS, PARISH OF DAILLY.

Owned by V. C. Dalrymple-Hamilton. Leased by the Killochan Coal Co., Ltd.

Kilgrammie Rows are beautifully situated on Kilgrammie Hill, rather better than two miles above the village of Dailly. It is probably the finest site in Ayrshire for a village, but the village as it stands is one of the worst, both as to type of house and conveniences. Happily it is not a large village, there being only 31 dwellings in it. It is leased by the Killochan Coal Co., Ltd., from Mr. V. C. Dalrymple-Hamilton.

New Row. Size.

In what is called the New Row there are 10 houses of two apartments, the kitchen measuring I2 feet by 12 feet, the room about the same. The row is built of brick and rough cast.

Accommodation.

There is a dry-closet at the back for every two houses, with two open ashpits. There are coalhouses, but no washing-houses.

Where ashpits are emptied.

The ashpits, when we visited the row on 4th December, 1913, were full of water, and about 35 yards from the houses [58] we saw the emptyings of these ashpits, which had been dumped down from time to time regardless of decency or of health. A few yards from the ashpits it was really an awful looking mess.

Fronts.

The path in front is unpaved, very dirty, and broken, owing to the rain and usage having worn much of it away.

Age.

Some of these houses are out of repair, although only about nine years old. One doorstep was completely broken down, and already this row has a drab, dirty appearance.

Rent.

The rent is 2s 6d a week.

Old Row, No. 1.

The Old Row, No. 1, consists of six houses, two having two apartments and four only one.

Rent and age.

The rent of the double house is 2s a week, the single one 1s 9d a week. We were told that the age of these houses was fully 100 years.

Closet accommodation, etc.

There is one dry-closet of two compartments, one of which had no door, and ashes and filth were strewn around. There is no ashpit, no coalhouse, and of course no washing-house.

Dimensions.

The single houses measure 16 feet by 11 feet. The double house measures - kitchen 14 feet by 9 feet, the room 18 feet by 10 feet.

Floors.

The floors are of brick tile, very badly broken.

Where coals are kept, and where washing done.

The coals are kept below the bed, and the washing is done on the middle of the floor. One woman we saw in a one -apartment house doing her washing there. A wet Winter clay, an abominable path into the house, a floor littered with dirty clothes ready for the wash, made a picture which one is almost ashamed to think about.

House damp and out of repair.

The houses are very damp, and much of the plaster is badly broken. All of them need repair.

Fronts.

The fronts are unpaved and filthy. All around were ashes, filth, and broken ,glass, with the other rubbish which one sees in an ashpit. The truth about this row would seem to one who had not seen it, the wildest exaggeration The whole row is a pollution.

Old Row, No. 2.

What we call No. 2 Old Row really consists of but two dwellings of two apartments each. The kitchen measures 14 feet by 11 feet, and the room  about the same.

Accommodation.

There is a dry-closet for these tow houses, but no coalhouse or washing-house.

Clean and superior to the others.

The path was unpaved but clean, and altogether this row is superior to the rows already mentioned.

Gardens. Rent.

There are large and rather nice gardens to them, .and the rent is 2s a week.

Old Row, No. 3. Same as No. 2.

No. 3 Row also consists of two two-apartment houses, in size and conveniences the very same as No. 2. The only difference is that the gardens seem to be a little larger. [59]

Old Row, No. 4 or Low Row.

No. 4 Old Row, or Low Row, has two single and three two apartment houses.

Dimensions.

The single house measures 16 feet by 12 feet, the kitchen of the double house 16 feet by 8 feet, the room about the same.

Rent.

The rent for the single house is 1s 9d a week, the double house 2s a week.

Age.

These houses are very old and out of repair. They are damp, and in some cases the rain gets in.

Roofs rotten. Damp. Rain getting in.

The roof seems to be so rotten that it cannot hold slates for any length of time, and in one house the water was being caught in a pail placed at the foot of the bed.

Accommodation, Closets, etc.

There. is no washing-house, no coalhouses, the coals being kept below the beds. There is one dry-closet, but no ashpit. the ashes being flung in heaps all around, both back and front.

Water Supply for the whole village.

The water supply is on a par with the village. It is simply surface water collected in a sort of well at which a pump is placed. This pump is about 300 yards distant, sitting on the side of the hill below the rows, and the surroundings of this pump were scandalous when we saw it. We were told that in Summer tinge the water here is so thick and dirty that it has to be sieved through a fine cloth before it can be used. Many of the people prefer to go further down the hill to a common horse trough, which is on the public road.

SKARES ROWS, PARISH OF OLD CUMNOCK.

Owned by Wm. Baird & Co., Ltd.

Skares is a village of 118 houses, about three miles from the town of Old Cumnock. It is built in three rows, and all are two apartment houses, one of the rows having a scullery besides. This is the front row. every house of which has a back and front door.

Front Row. Front and back doors unpaved.

The paths are unpaved, the front being fairly clean, but the back is rather dirty, with pools of water here and there. There are 42 dwellings here, built of stone, and the rent is £5 a year, exclusive of rates.

Accommodation, Closets, etc.

There is a dry-closet for every five houses, and a washing-house for every eight. There are also ashpits and coalhouses but the usefulness of these is marred, in our opinion, by all of them - the washing-house, coalhouse, closet, and ashpit - being built together practically under one roof.

Dimensions.

The size of the kitchen is 14 feet by 11 feet, the room 10 feet by 10 feet.

Water supply.

There is a supply of gravitation water, but all the tenants complain about the quality of the water. It is said to be brought from a burn quite near, assisted by a receiving tank, [60] also quite near, which, as might be expected, is discoloured in rainy weather. There is a scullery attached.

Second Row or Middle Row.

There are 40 houses in the second, or Middle Row. It is built of brick, and the dimensions, rent, and accommodation are the same as the front row, minus the scullery and one tenant less for each closet.

Paved fronts. Difference in appearance.

The one marked difference is the concrete pavement in front of the doors. This gives the row a nice, clean appearance, and is really a boon to the womenfolk.

Third Row, or Back Row.

The Back Row consists of 36 houses. It is the same in every particular as the second row. Again we saw the difference the concrete pavements made. These should be before every door. The fronts were clean in spite of a rather sluggish open syvor and a badly bottomed roadway for vehicles. There are gardens, but only a few cultivated,

GLENGYRON ROWS, PARISH OF OLD CUMNOCK.

Owned by Wm. Baird & Co.

Glengyron Rows are about a mile from Old Cumnock, and are owned by William Baird & Co., Ltd. 'There are 44 two apartment houses. Of these two families have three apartments at the expense of other two families, who have now only single apartments.

Dimensions.

The kitchens measure 15 feet by 12 feet, the rooms 10 feet by 9 feet.

Rent.

The rent is £4 16s a year, exclusive of rates.

Unpaved.

The paths are unpaved, but not very dirty when we saw them on 4th December, 1913.

Accommodation, Closets, etc.

There is one dry-closet for every three tenants, coalhouses for each tenant, and a washing-house for every six tenants. These are all under one roof which, in our opinion, is a bad arrangement. Some of the closets we saw were ill-kept, one with the door off and very filthy.

State of repair.

The houses are in a bad state of repair. In one house we saw rain getting in and being caught in a basin. Another we saw with half of the window of the room boarded up. We were informed that it had been in this state for a year, in spite of repeated enquiries of the tenants as to when it would be glazed.

Floors.

The floors are of brick tiles, and broken.

Water supply.

There is a supply of gravitation water taken from the supply of the burgh of Old Cumnock. [61]

GARALLAN ROWS, PARISH OF OLD CUMNOCK.

Leased by the Carraden Coal Co. from Boswell of Garallan.

Garallan Rows contain 22 houses, four being two apartments and eighteen single. It is leased from Boswell of Garallan by the Carraden Coal Co.

Rents.

The rent for double houses is 2s 1d and 1s 11d for single The single houses are back to back, and one of these has been halved, one half each being given to two tenants, thus making a small room.

Dimensions.

The double houses measure - the kitchen 14 feet by 12 feet, the room 12 feet by 12 feet. The single houses measure 15 feet by 13 feet.

State of repair.

All of these are in a shameful state of repair. We saw in one house a pail placed in bed to catch the water which was coming in from the roof on 4th December, 1913.

Damp.

All of them are very damp. We saw in another house the roof discoloured and the paper hanging in shreds from the walls. One woman said to us 'Ane has nae heart to clear them, for your work is never seen.' That is not difficult to believe. The floors are of brick tiles and badly broken. The rooms are wooden floored.

Unpaved.

The paths are unpaved and unspeakably dirty, and then are dirty cesspools in front of the doors.

Accommodation, Closets, etc.

There are six dry-closets, ill-kept and dirty. We saw some of then with at least three inches of water lying in them and some of the seats were covered with filth deposited by children we presume, for no self-respecting adult could use them. There are no washing-houses and no coalhouses, the coals being kept below the bed.

Water supply.

The water supply, so we were informed, was from field drains.

This row is fully a mile from the town of Old Cumnock.

GLENBUCK, GRASSHILL ROW, PARISH OF MUIRKIRK

Owned by Wm. Baird & Co., Ltd.

Glenbuck is a village in the parish of Muirkirk, about three and a half miles from the town of Muirkirk, nestling among the Glenbuck Hills. Our investigation only covered the Grasshill Rows, owned by William Baird & Co., Ltd. although most of the village is occupied by miners.

No. of houses and population.

These Grasshill Rows have 33 two apartment houses with a population of 123. There were three empty houses when we visited the village on 4th December, 1913.

Rent.

The rent is 7s a month (lunar).

Accommodation, Closets, etc.

There is one dry-closet for every four tenants, formerly without doors, but now protected by sparred gates, with [62] locks. The peculiarity of these closets is that each of them could accommodate two persons; in fact, are seated to do so, but are without partition of any kind. There are coalhouses, but no washing-houses. The closet, ashpit, and coalhouse are under one roof, only 12 feet from front door. The ashpits were very dirty.

Unpaved.

The footpaths are unpaved and dirty, with dirty, sluggish, open syvors in front.

Dimensions.

The kitchen measures 15 feet by 12 feet, the rooms 12 feet by 9 feet. The floors are of wood.

State of repair.

Many of the houses have large rents across them, due, it is thought, to the vibration of the works locomotives and waggons passing so near, and because the foundations are in mossy ground.

Water supply.

There is a supply of gravitation water brought from the Hareshaw Hill.

Sewerage.

The sewage runs in an open drain till it reaches the main road, 20 or 30 yards away, and, we were told, smells badly in Summer.