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Stinchar Bridge, Colmonell

© Text and transcription, Rob Close 2001.

Stinchar Bridge, Colmonell

(photo D. McClure,30th March 1996)

 

In April 1867, the County Road Trustees agreed to grant £1560 to the Girvan District Road Trustees, to enable them to rebuild and extend the bridge over the River Stinchar on the road which runs south-eastwards from Colmonell towards Bardrochat and Heronsford. This was based on an estimated cost of £1800 for the work. The bridge was designed by Hugh and Bryce McCall, of Daltippan, Girvan, Surveyors to the Girvan Trustees, and an advertisement for contractors was placed in the Ayr Advertiser of 23rd May 1867. The main contract was placed with Andrew Murray, mason, probably in Girvan. Murray kept an account of the moneys he expended in fulfilment of this contract, and this is transcribed below.2

 

 

£

s

d

October 1867

Mens wages for hewing

10

4

0

Nov 2

Mens wages for hewing

10

16

7

 

Travelling

2

   

Nov 11

Wages for hewing

6

   

Nov 21

Wages for John

1

   

Nov 23

11 trucks of stones from Thornhill 3

18

6

8

 

Discharging from trucks

 

5

6

Nov 27

Paid for derrick crane

20

   

Nov 27

Carriage of -do- from Shaws

5

   

Nov 27

2 pair shears

 

8

6

Nov 28

Wages for hewing

3

   

Nov 27

Archibald Murray. To account of freestone

3

   

Decr 4

Carriage of stones from quarry

8

19

4

Decr 4

Discharging from trucks

 

5

 

Decr 4

2 blocks and pinch bar, 1/6 each

 

4

6

Decr 5

30 fathoms of new rope

     

Decr 5

1 new flake for gate

 

2

6

Decr 6

John Murray

1

   

Decr 7

Padlock for crane

   

6

Decr 14

Carriage of freestone from quarry

4

5

7

Decr 14

Hewers’ wages at quarry

5

   

Decr 17

Jib for crane 15s; making -do- 9s

1

4

 

Decr 17

Setting crane, &c

1

   

Decr 28

Carriage of stones from quarry

16

16

4

Decr 28

Discharge from wagons

 

15

 

Decr 21

Hewers’ pay

2

   

Decr 30

Carting 90 tons 12¾ hundredweight of freestones from quarry to Colmonell per J Brown @ 5/6

24

18

6

Decr 31

Carriage of stones from quarry

9

9

8

Decr 31

Discharging from waggons

 

6

 

1868 January 4

Cartage 67 tons of stone - 15½ carts - to Colmonell @ 5/6

18

11

3

January 6

Carriage of stones from quarry

6

3

2

January 6

Discharging from waggons

 

4

 

January 18

Carriage of stones from quarry

9

3

11

January 18

Weighing of carts at station

 

15

 

January 18

Cartage 82 tons 11¾ of stones to Colmonell @ 5/6

22

14

 

January 12

J Murray

1

   

January 20

Alex McWhirter - disloading at bridge

1

   

January 20

Andrew Fulton - disloading at bridge

1

   

January 27

Hewers’ wages at quarry

7

   

Febry 1

Carriage of freestones from quarry

19

18

11

Febry 1

Cartage of 84 tons 10¼ cwt of stones to bridge @ 5/6

23

19

8

Feby 8

Carriage of freestone from quarry

12

5

1

Feby 6

Hewers’ wages at quarry

6

   

Feby 11

Carriage of stones from quarry

3

12

9

Feby 14

Hewers’ wages at quarry

7

   

Feby 15

Hewers at Colmonell

5

14

 

Feby 15

Carting 64 tons 0½ cwt freestone to Colmonell @ 5/6

17

12

Feby 15

Carting sand 10 days @ 6/-

3

   

Feby 15

To account of carting lime, Charles Melville

2

   

Feby 22

2 paddock barrows

1

6

 

Feby 22

David Drynan at sand

 

10

 

Feby 22

Carriage of stones from quarry

9

14

7

Feby 27

Carriage of stones from quarry

6

1

6

Feby 27

2 burrows

1

2

 

Feby 27

1 pick

 

2

6

Feby 27

2 pieces of rope

 

5

6

Feby 27

1 mast for foot bridge

3

0

0

Feby 27

45 old sleepers

1

   

Feby 27

1 pick

 

1

6

Feby 27

1 scabbler pick

 

2

 

Feby 27

7 wedges

 

1

 

March 3

Charles Melville to carting lime

3

10

 

March 9

Charles Melville to carting lime

 

5

 

March 7

Carriage of 48 tons 15¾ to Colmonell @ 5/6

18

8

March 7

Thornhill to Girvan freestone

1

12

1

March 7

Granite from Dalbeattie @ 7/5 per ton

2

11

11

March 7

22 stones at Dalbeattie 2/6 per foot

8

16

 

March 7

2 12 feet battens

 

8

6

March 7

Allan Findlay wages

 

7

 

March 7

John Crae wages

 

2

6

March 7

Alexander McWhirter wages

3

   

March 7

Andrew Fulton wages

3

   

March 7

John McWhirter

3

   

March 14

Carriage of stones from Girvan

3

5

6

March 14

15 days of a cart at sand @ 5/6

4

2

6

March 14

2 blocks

 

3

 

March 14

60 lbs rope @ 3d

 

15

 

March 14

Adam McGarva wages

2

1

9

March 14

James Burges

2

1

9

March 14

2 navvy barrows

1

1

 

March 17

James Findlay, 1 cart stones

 

5

6

March 17

John Kerr to stone breaking

2

   

March 17

Wages of men pulling down old bridge

15

14

9

March 26

Charles Melville to carting 280 bolls lime at 7d per boll. Final settlement

2

8

4

Apr 4

John Kerr to stone breaking

1

10

 

Apr 11

Paid men’s wages at bridge

25

5

2

Apr 16

Paid freight of timber from Stranraer

6

   

Apr 25

John Kerr to stone breaking

1

10

 

Apr 25

Paid men’s wages at bridge foundations

24

11

6

May 2

James Brown

3

6

 

Apr 30

David McWhirter for carriage of wood from Ballantrae

4

2

 

May 1

3 stone of Portland cement @ 1/8

 

5

 

May 9

John Kerr to stone breaking

1

17

 

May 9

Carriage of two barrels of cement

 

3

 

May 9

Men’s wages at bridge

28

16

3

May 9

Stones from quarry carriage

1

5

 

May 23

Men’s wages at bridge

26

15

May 23

John Kerr to stone breaking

1

8

6

May 23

Expenses to James McWhirter and Mrs Shaw

2

   

June 6

Men’s wages at bridge

32

10

5

June 20

Men’s wages at bridge

24

0

1

June 20

Thomas Chalmers to account

6

   

June 20

Carriage of engine from Jameston

3

   

June 20

1 cart coals for -do-

 

8

8

June 20

Carriage of pump from Ayr

 

4

6

June 20

Dr Ferguson, Ballantrae

2

   

June 20

1 cwt stone from Girvan

 

6

 

July 4

Men’s wages at bridge

38

5

9

July 4

Paid James Adair for timber

101

5

 

July 4

A Murray & Sons for stone

40

   

July 4

Carriage of stones from Thornhill

2

1

2

July 18

Carriage of stones from Thornhill

2

5

2

July 18

Men’s wages at bridge

43

0

9

August 1

Men’s wages at bridge

45

19

1

August 15

Carriage of stone from Thornhill

1

17

1

August 15

Men’s wages at bridge

22

5

6

August 29

Men’s wages at bridge

15

9

 

Septr 12

Men’s wages at bridge

15

   

Septr 12

Carriage of stones from Thornhill

2

8

1

 

Amount of contract

1568

   
 

397 yards extra banking at bridge at 8d per yd

13

4

8

 

24 yards of metal @ 5s

6

   
   

19

4

8

There are a few additional entries at the back of the notebook:

1868 March 7

Mast for bridge at Girvan

3

   

March 7

Loading & carting

 

16

 

March 7

Dressing mast

 

2

 

March 14

1 cart timber from Kinclaer

 

3

 

March 21

1 cart timber from Kinclaer

 

3

 

March 28

2 days of joiner @ 3/-

 

6

 
         
         

July 1868

Agreement for footbridge at Colmonell per contract

10

10

 
 

of timber to become my property

7

10

 
 

Paid December 26 1868

     
         

1868 Jany 16

Paid A Murray & Sons to account for stones to bridge at Colmonell

50

   

Jany 16

For crane at Shaws

3

   

March 5

-do- -do-

50

   

July 3

-do- -do-

40

   
         
         

Jany 15 1868

Colmonell Bridge First enstalment

350

8

9

March [ ]

Second -do-

328

19

8

July 3

Third -do-

379

1

7

Decr 29

Fourth -do-

459

10

 
   

1518

-

-

The bridge at Colmonell is unexceptional, and its construction seems to have proceeded without undue incident, though the payment of £2 to Dr Ferguson of Ballantrae may represent payment for medical assistance after an accident on the site. The minutiae of the construction would have been replicated at many other new bridges throughout Ayrshire, and beyond, and it is through these details that we learn about mid 19th Century bridge building. We note the assembly of materials from differing places: freestone from Thornhill, granite from Dalbeattie, wood for the centring from Stranraer and Ballantrae, lime brought by Charles Melville. Equipment and tools are gathered together, such as the derrick crane (for which, after a week or so, it is deemed expedient to obtain a padlock), picks, rope and, towards the end of the contract, an engine and pump. Wood (a mast and old sleepers) is obtained, and a temporary bridge put up before the old bridge is pulled down. Initially men are employed in hewing stone, but after the old bridge has been taken down, labour costs are concentrated at the bridge, with a peak of activity in the summer of 1868.

Rob Close

This article was first published in Ayrshire Notes 21, 2001.

© Text and transcription, Rob Close 2001.

Notes

  1. Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald, 10th April 1869, 3e.

  2. Private collection.

  3. Probably Thornhill in Dumfries-shire.

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