[Vol. VIII, pages 314–328]

(Counties of Ayr and Renfrew.  Presbytery of Irvine.  Synod of Glasgow and Ayr.)

By the Rev. Mr David McClellan

Situation and Extent

This parish lies within the county of Ayr, and district of Cunningham; excepting 4 farms which belong to Renfrewshire, on the border of which it is situated.  It extends about 5 miles in length, from E to W and its breadth is about 4.  The land rises by a gradual ascent from S to N where there is a small ridge of hills, whose summits are elevated, perhaps about 400 feet, above the lowest ground in the parish, or 500 feet above the level of the sea.

Rent, Heritors, Cultivation, &c

The valued rent, of that part of the parish which lies in Ayrshire, is £6115 14s 2d Scotch; and that of the 4 farms in Renfrewshire, £163 6s 8d.  The real rent is believed to be in some places 6 times, in others 8 times, and, perhaps in others, owing to their vicinity to the town of Beith, the richness of the soil, or the high cultivation of the lands, even 12 times the valued rent.

[315] There are two circumstances chiefly, which serve to account for the high rent of lands in this neighbourhood.  The country is populous, and property is greatly subdivided.  Beith is surrounded on all sides with considerable villages and towns, to the number of 12, within as many miles.  The subdivision of property is more remarkable, in this and the neighbouring parishes, than perhaps in any other part of Scotland.  There are in this parish 105 heritors, besides a considerable number of smaller proprietors in the village.  This circumstance is supposed to have much influence upon the cultivation, and of consequence upon the produce and rent of lands.  The small land–holders generally reside upon their own property; and improvements made by any of them, in the cultivation of their lands, and management of their farms, are more readily adopted by the rest, than those introduced by persons who have large estates, or carry on farming upon a more extensive scale, because they are evidently more within their reach.  The lands in this parish are almost all arable, and were generally inclosed many years ago.  The common practice amongst farmers is to plough only a third part of the arable ground annually, upon which they raise oats or barley; but seldom any wheat, peas or beans.  Rye–grass seed is frequently sown, where the ground is rich, or well manured, but very little clover is raised, and sometimes hay is made from the natural grass.

Cheese, Cattle, &c

The tenants in this parish pay their rents chiefly from their dairy.  They almost universally make sweet milk cheese.  The method of making this cheese was first introduced into this country, by a farmer's wife in the parish of Dunlop, about the beginning of this century; and from this circumstance, it has got the name of Dunlop cheese.  It is a commodity which has been rising in value for a long [316] time past.  The present price is 7s per stone, containing 24 lb English.  About 100 cows are kept for the purpose of making cheese.  The average produce from each cow, besides what goes to the use of the family, is supposed to be 33 10s Sterling per annum; and consequently, the quantity of cheese sent to the market annually, from this parish, should bring to the farmers about £3500. [1]

Roads and Bridges

The great road from Glasgow, by Paisley, to Irvine, Ayr and Port–Patrick, passes through the town of Beith.  It is much frequented, especially in summer.  A stage coach, in some seasons, runs in that direction from Glasgow to Ayr, three times a week.  The parish roads, in several places, are not in good repair, owing to the deepness of the soil, or the scarcity of proper materials.  The stature labour is paid in money.  All the roads are well supplied with bridges, wherever they have been found necessary.  There are no turnpikes in the parish.

Ecclesiastical State

The Earl of Eglintoun is Patron.  The stipend paid to the minister, by use and wont, (for there is no decreet for it,) is 79 bolls of meal, and £17 12s 6d in money.  The old glebe, upon which a part of the village now stands, was exchanged in 1727, by a formal contract between the Earl of Eglintoun, the presbytery of Irvine, and the incumbent, for a small farm near the town of Beith, consisting, as is mentioned in the contract, of 31 acres 3 roods.  It would appear, that the present church was built soon after the reformation.  There is a stone in the wall, with the date 1593 upon it; and there is a coat of arms, coarsely done, upon the [317] front of a gallery, having the date 1596, and marked with the initials of Robert Montgomery of Giffan, a younger son of the Earl if Eglintoun, and his lady, who was of the family of Loudoun.  The church is built in the form of a cross.  In 1754, one of the ailes [sic] was lengthened, so as to admit of nearly 200 additional sitters.  This was done at the expence of the Kirk Session, with the advice and consent of the heritors, for the behoof of the poor. [2]

Population

About the time of the revolution, or rather earlier, the Kirk–town of Beith, as it was then called, is said to have consisted only of 5 dwelling houses, and the minister's manse.  Accordingly, the 5 feued houses are mentioned, as a distinct article, in the cess books.  In the year 1759, there were about 700 examinable persons in the town, and upwards of 800 in the country part of the parish.  The return to Dr Webster, in 1755, was 2064 souls.  The number of inhabitants in the country, has continued much the same ever since; but the population of the town increased so rapidly, that, in 1788, it contained nearly 1500 examinable persons.  Since that period, however, it has rather decreased.  From a very accurate enumeration taken lately, with a view to be inserted in this paper, the population was found to be as follows.

[318]

 

Births taken at an average, in periods of 4 years since 1759.

 

No register of burials is kept in this parish; and therefore, no calculation, to be depended upon, can be made, with regard to the proportion of deaths to births.

Climate, Diseases, &c

There are several persons, both in the town and country, above 80 years of age, but none so old as 90.  The climate does not appear to be very favourable to longevity.  Owing to the elevated situation of the country, and its vicinity to the western ocean, we have frequent rains and storms; and the air contains a greater degree of moisture, than in places removed to a considerable distance from the Atlantic.  There is frequently a good deal of sickness from the Atlantic.  The diseases most common are fevers and consumptions; the croup [3] and small pox sometimes prove very fatal to children.  The people, in general, are averse to inoculation.  No remarkable instance of longevity is known to have occurred amongst those who have resided in the parish.  A native, however, of this place, named Matthew Tait, died upon the 19th [319] of January last, in the parish of Auchinleck, at the very advanced age of 123 years.  According to his own account, he was born at the farm of Willieyards, but left the parish when young, and inlisted [sic] in the army.  He served as a private soldier, at the taking of Gibraltar by the British in 1704.  His name is not to be found in our register; but it is known, that there was a family of the name of Tait, at Willieyards, more than a century ago, and some of their relations still live in the parish.

Trade and Manufactures

About the time of the union of the two kingdoms, a trade in linen cloth was introduced into this place, which became so considerable, that the Beith markets were frequented by merchants from the neighbouring towns every week.  Many houses, soon after this, were built on the old glebe, upon tack rights granted by the minister for half a merk Scotch, of rent per fall; and, when the Glebe was afterwards exchanged, the Earl of Eglintoun became bound to grant few rights to the holders of these tack rights, upon equitable conditions, particularly specified.  About the year 1730, the linen business, which had greatly declined, was succeeded by a considerable trade in linen yarn.  The Beith merchants purchased the yarn made in the country around, and sold it to the Paisley and Glasgow manufacturers.  This trade, when carried to its greatest extent, about the year 1760, is supposed to have amounted to £16000 Sterling yearly; and though it has long been upon the decline, linen yarn is still a considerable article of merchandise.  The demand for this commodity encouraged the farmers to raise great quantities of flax.  About 60 hhds. [sic] of flax seed were sold in this town annually.  From 1777 to 1789, the manufacture of silk gauze was carried on to a great extent in this place, [320] particularly by the Messrs Fultons of Paisley.  They employed at one time 270 looms.  Considerable quantities were also, at the same time, manufactured by persons in the employment of other companies.  This business has also greatly failed.

 

[321] We have 3 principal fairs annually, and a weekly market upon Friday.  There is often a fine shew of horses in the Beith markets, especially on the 30th of August, St. Tennant's day, (supposed to be a corruption for St. Anthony's day,) and on several Fridays in the beginning of spring.  It is obvious from the above statement, that the population of the town of Beith increased with its trade; and that the present decrease in the number of its inhabitants, is owing chiefly to the decline of the silk manufacture, and to the extensive cotton works erected in the neighbourhood, particularly in the parish of Lochwinnoch, and at the town of Johnstone, in the parish of Paisley.

Poor

The funds for supporting the poor are the weekly collections at the church door; the hire of the mortcloths; the rent of the poor's aile, the seats of which are let yearly by roup; the rent of a small farm, purchased with the poor's money in 1695, and a small proportion of the dues of proclamation of marriages.  The average amount of these funds, from Whitsunday annually, appears, by the register, to be as follows:

 

The collection last year amounted to upwards of £45 and it is still upon the increase, though we have various dissenters, [322] and though the population of the town has begun to decline.  Besides the distributions, which these funds enable the Session to make to the poor, they sometimes receive a temporary assistance from occasional charities. [8]

Charitable Societies

There are three charitable societies in Beith; two of those commenced in 1772.  One of them has £220 of stock and the other £370.  The third commenced in 1784, and its funds amount to £300.  The advantage of these institutions has already been sensible felt, by those of the poor who are entitled to their charity.  The funds of these societies, are deposited in the public banks for security.  In 1782 and 1783, the funds of the two first mentioned societies, together with £40 furnished by the Kirk Session, were employed under the direction of a Committee, in purchasing grain and meal for the used of the inhabitants.  The meal was sold to the inhabitants in general, at the market price; but to the members of the societies, and to the poor ½d cheaper per peck, by proper persons appointed to this office, who received a small allowance for their trouble.  From the 28th of October 1782, to the 14th of September 1783, above 1000 bolls were sold in this manner.  As the object was to secure plenty, a premium of 6d per boll was given for 230 bolls of the above quantity, which has the desired effect.

Since charitable societies are evidently of great utility to the poor, it is a pity they should labour under any disadvantages, tending to check the ardour of that benevolence, to which they owe their existence.  They certainly deserve every encouragement from the friends of mankind, and are [323] even entitled to the countenance of government, and the protection of law.  It would doubtless serve the cause of humanity much, to confer upon them such privileges, as might enable them more fully to carry into effect the laudable purposes of their institution; and to put them under proper regulations, sanctioned by an act of the legislature in their favour; declaring amongst other things, that such associations are legal, and their rules, with regard to their own members, capable of being enforced by law: that they have a right to make such bye–laws as shall not contradict any statute law of the realm, or the original rules of their association: that their articles of agreement must be registered in the sheriff court books of the county to which they belong: that they shall lodge their cash with some banking company for security: that they shall be exempted from stamp duties on bills and receipts, in regard that their funds belong to the poor: that it shall be as competent for them, as for individuals, to purchase and dispose of property in lands or houses; and that their capital shall not be allowed to accumulate above a certain sum, or beyond a certain number of years.  Such privileges and regulations as these, confirmed by legal authority, it is apprehended, would encourage the formation of such societies, and thereby great relief would be afforded to the deserving poor; any deficiency of the ordinary charitable funds would be made up, and the necessity of poor's rates prevented; which must always be an object of importance to the nation; and with such views these remarks are submitted to the consideration of the public.

Vagrant Poor

The great number of stranger poor, who wander through the country, has long been complained of, not only as a burthen, but as a nuisance; and to encourage them, is to encourage idleness, theft, and debauchery.  In 1786, a vigorous attempt was made to prevent them from begging [324] in this parish.  The parishioners, in general, subscribed a paper, binding themselves neither to lodge vagrant beggars, nor give them alms.  Several of the inhabitants were appointed to act as constables, in apprehending and carrying them out of the parish; any expences necessary for this purpose were to be paid by the heritors.  At the same time, the poor of this place were furnished with certificates, which authorised them to beg within the parish.  The good consequences of these measures were, for some time, remarkable.  Such regulations, perhaps, might not be so suitable for large towns; but, were they generally adopted in country parishes, they would, in all probability, have the most salutary effects.  Vagrants would be effectually excluded; the charity of every parish would be bestowed upon its own poor, and there would be less occasion for stents and such legal methods of raising supplies for the poor, as are always burdensome to the public, and frequently prove the occasion of cruelty and additional distress, to those objects of sympathy they are intended to relieve.

School

In the parish school, the following branches are taught: Latin, Greek, French, English, Writing, Arithmetic, Book–keeping, and the practical branches of the Mathematics.  The number of scholars, for some years past, has been from 60 to 90.  The schoolmaster's salary is £11 Sterling, subject to the deduction of £3 to be divided equally among the teachers of three small schools in the country, who are chosen by the people in the neighbourhood, and are entitled to this encouragement upon their keeping school, for 4 months in the year.  There are also to private schools in the town which are well attended.

[325]

Dissenters

There are two dissenting meetings in the town of Beith: One of them, which is attended by that class of Seceders, called Antiburghers, commenced above 30 years ago.  The first minister ordained to this charge soon after renounced his connection with that society, and embraced the communion of the Established Church.  He published at Edinburgh in 1764, the reasons which induced him to this measure, under the title of A Farewel [sic] Address to the Associate Congregation of Beith, by John Laidly, A.M.  It must be mentioned to the honour of this congregation, that they co–operate, as far as their weekly collections can allow them, with the Established Church, in supporting the poor of the parish.  They contribute for this purpose at the rate of about £7 annually, which is distributed jointly with the parish funds formerly mentioned; an example worthy to be imitated by all dissenters.  The other dissenting meeting is connected with the society, who are called Relief.  It commenced about 9 years ago.

Antiquities

Before the reformation, there were 2 chapels for public worship in the parish; one where the present church now stands, (whereof a small fragment of the wall is still to be seen,) and the other upon the lands of Treehorn, one end of which remains entire.  This chapel, with two acres of land adjoining to it, belonged to the monastery of Kilwinning, as appears from a charter under the great seal, in the possession of the proprietor, dated in the year 1594. [9]

There were formerly several castles, or square towers in the parish.  All of them have been razed to the foundation but one, which forms at present a stately ruin.  It was antiently the seat of the Montgomeries of Giffan.

Lake and Fish

Kilbirnie Loch, which lies at the west end of this parish, is something more than a mile long, and about half a mile broad.  It contains trouts, pikes, perches, &c, and is frequented in hard winters by many aquatic birds, such as ducks, geese, swans, &c.

Fuel, Minerals, &c

Both peats and coals are used for fuel, but chiefly the latter.  Peats are always used in drying corn, and for the purposes of the dairy.  The extent of moss is very inconsiderable.  Coals are found in many parts of the parish, but have never been wrought with great success.  We are plentifully supplied with that useful commodity, from the neighbouring parishes of Dalry, Lochwinnoch, and Kilbirnie; and this appears to be the principal reason, why proper efforts have not been made, to turn our own coal to greater advantage.  We have abundance of whin stone, and free stone is found very frequently, but of an inferior quality.  There is, however, a remarkable species of free stone near the west end of this parish.  It lies in horizontal laminæ, or flakes, to a considerable depth, and these are from 2 to 6 inches thick, and from 3 to 4 or 5 feet square.  It does not receive the same polish as other freestone, but is of a very firm contexture, and greatly valued on account of its strength.  It is used chiefly for pavements, and for bridges over small rivulets.  It bears the weight of the heaviest carriages.  The limestone in this parish is inexhaustible; besides the great quantities annually burnt by the farmers upon their own lands, for manure, there are 2 public lime–works, which have a regular and extensive sale.  Several beds of stone marle have been lately discovered, and may rich veins of iron stone.

[holograph insertion: “See p.651”.]

Petrifactions

There are various specimens of figured stones, and upon some of them, the impressions are exceedingly [327] beautiful.  The lime stone abounds with petrifactions of shells, entrochi and other marine productions; the exuviæ of the ancient ocean.  In the lands of Robert Montgomery Esq. of Bogstown, some years ago, silicious petrifactions were discovered, similar to those found in calcareous substances; the shells possessing the specific qualities of the flint in which they were incorporated.  These curious and uncommon productions of nature were probably the first of the kind discovered in this part of the world; at least they were the first that some of the ablest chemists in this country had seen.  Silicious petrifactions have been since found both in England and Scotland, but very rarely.

Proposed Improvements

The cultivation of trees is much neglected in this country.  Excepting the policies, or pleasure grounds, around a few country seats, there is very little growing wood in this neighbourhood, though there are few places where it is more necessary.  Were proprietors to plant a small proportion of their land, it would certainly prove of great advantage to the soil, as well as afford a shelter for cattle, in so exposed a situation.

Were a navigable canal carried across the country, from the Clyde below Paisley, to the sea at Irvine or Saltcoats, it would be of essential service to this part of the kingdom, and to the public in general.  The distance is upwards of 20 miles.  Nature seems to point out the line of communication, through a narrow strath, running in that direction most of the way.  In the middle of this strath stands the loch of Kilbirnie, about an equal distance from each end of the proposed canal, and it occupies also nearly the highest ground between them.  A stream runs from the north end of this loch into the Clyde below Paisley, and the water of Garnock, running [328] in an opposite direction, passes by the other end of it, and empties itself into the sea at Irvine.  The fall, from the north end of Kilbirnie Loch to Clyde, is calculated to be about 95 feet, and the declivity towards the sea cannot be much more.  Were this plan put in execution, besides serving many other commercial purposes, it would lay open immense treasures of coal, lime and iron stone.  But should this be thought too expensive an undertaking, a canal of only half the proposed length, joining Kilbirnie loch, wither to the Clyde or to the sea, would still be an object of great importance.  Considering the present high price and scarcity of coals, any proposal tending to enable proprietors of coals, at a distance from populous cities, to carry them with advantage to market at home or abroad, deserved their regard.  And any improvements suggested with a view to secure plenty, or to lessen the price of a commodity so useful and necessary, has a claim to the public attention.

Whatever reason there might be, to impose a servitude upon farmers in former times, for encouraging the erection of corn mills, thirlage is at present justly considered, not only in many instances to be inconvenient, but in general burthensome [sic].  The multure and other perquisites paid to the miller, and his servants, amount in some places to the ¹/₁₂ or ¹/₁₁, or even ¹/₁₀ of the produce [confirm fractions].  This is a heavy tax upon agriculture, and it lays the tenant under temptation to carry part of his grain elsewhere, to the prejudice of the miller, as often as he can avoid detection.  It would be of advantage, therefore, both to the holders of land, and the proprietors of mills, in this and other parishes, were the latter obliged to sell, and the former to buy up this servitude at a moderate value.