Cumnock

Last updated

Cumnock
Town and former civil parish
Cumnock town centre, Scotland.jpg
NS5420 - Mahfouz Fountain at Dumfries House.jpg
The James Keir Hardie Bust - geograph.org.uk - 982563.jpg
Cumnock Old Church - geograph.org.uk - 4110012.jpg
Cumnock War Memorial - geograph.org.uk - 3745978.jpg
From top, left to right: Cumnock Town Centre, Dumfries House, bust of James Keir Hardie at Cumnock Town Hall, the "Old Church", Cumnock town centre and the Cumnock War Memorial
East Ayrshire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Cumnock
Location within East Ayrshire
Population8,700 (2020) [1]
Language English
Scots
OS grid reference NS569200
  Edinburgh 54 mi (87 km)
  London 321 mi (517 km)
Council area
Lieutenancy area
Country Scotland
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town CUMNOCK
Postcode district KA18
Dialling code 01290
Police Scotland
Fire Scottish
Ambulance Scottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament
List of places
UK
Scotland
55°27′11″N4°15′50″W / 55.45294°N 4.2638°W / 55.45294; -4.2638

Cumnock (Scottish Gaelic: Cumnag) is a town and former civil parish located in East Ayrshire, Scotland. The town sits at the confluence of the Glaisnock Water and the Lugar Water. There are three neighbouring housing projects which lie just outside the town boundaries, Craigens, Logan and Netherthird, with the former ironworks settlement of Lugar also just outside the town, contributing to a population of around 13,000 in the immediate locale. A new housing development, Knockroon, was granted planning permission on 9 December 2009 by East Ayrshire Council. [2]

Contents

The town is home to the Robert Burns Academy, a new educational campus housing the main Robert Burns Academy secondary school following the merger of Cumnock Academy and Auchinleck Academy, Lochnorris Primary School and Cherry Trees Early Childhood Centre. The campus is the largest educational establishment in Scotland. [3]

The 2011 UK Census revealed that the Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock constituency, of which Cumnock is part, had an above-average unemployment rate at 5.6% compared to the Scottish average of 4.8%, with a significant proportion of residents living in local authority housing at 20.2% compared to the Scottish average of 13.2%. The constituency also had a high proportion of retired people and Church of Scotland Protestants at the Census relative to elsewhere in Scotland, with 19% of those living in the constituency retired (14.9% across Scotland) and 43.3% of constituents recognising their religion as Church of Scotland (32.4% across Scotland). 90% of residents identified their ethnicity as White British, with 99% recognising their ethnicity as White. [4] On indicators such as health, educational attainment, income and social class however the area is more deprived than the national average.

History

Early Cumnock

Etymology

The origin of the name "Cumnock" has been debated over the years and several interpretations have been offered.

  • Com-cnoc, (hollow of the hills)
  • Com-oich, (meeting of the waters)
  • Cam-cnoc, (crooked hill)
  • Cumanag, (little shrine)[ citation needed ]

Early history

This part of Ayrshire has seen human settlement for over 5,000 years. There are many Bronze Age burial sites around the nearby area.[ citation needed ]

Medieval history

The patron saint of Cumnock is Saint Conval. It is believed that a place of worship has existed in Cumnock's Square for over 1,100 years, although the records do not begin until about 1275. James IV created the Burgh of Cumnock.[ citation needed ] Three castles existed in the parish of Old Cumnock, namely Borland, Terringzean and Lefnories or Lochnorris. Lefnories was the largest and was replaced as a dwelling by Dumfries House, with only the below ground foundations remaining, excavated by the Marquess of Bute in the late 19th century. [5]

William Wallace allegedly spent three months in the seat of Patrick Dunbar ((New) Cumnock or Cumno in 1296), according to the poem The Wallace , by Blind Harry. Robert the Bruce, Robert I, was in Cumnock in 1307 being pursued by two of Edward I's men: Aymer de Valence, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, and John MacDougall of Lorn. The latter used Bruce's own bloodhound to track him. Bruce evaded capture and the bloodhound lost the scent when Bruce waded into a stream. [6]

Industrial Cumnock

Cumnock Town Hall Cumnock, New Year's Day (geograph 6014349) (cropped).jpg
Cumnock Town Hall

The town has a strong socialist heritage due to its history as a mining centre. The father of the Labour Party, James Keir Hardie, lived in the town for a large part of his life, [7] and his statue sits outside Cumnock Town Hall. The left-wing politician Emrys Hughes was local MP for a time in the mid-20th century, and also lived in the town. [8]

Modern history

Whilst many traditional industries in Cumnock have declined, such as coal mining, common in many parts of East Ayrshire, the area has seen some revival to its economy. The development of Knockroon was expected to continue over a 25-year period, creating construction jobs in the local area, and was backed by The Prince's Foundation for the Built Environment, [9] and is being designed on green principles. The first houses in the development were built by Hope Homes Scotland and ZeroC. [10] Prince Charles has expressed a personal interest in the development. [11] Construction started in April 2011.

In February 2019 The Scotsman reported that only 31 of the planned 770 homes had been built. [12]

Emergency One, one of the largest producers of fire engines in the UK, is located in Cumnock, and is a major employer in the Cumnock and the surrounding areas. Like most communities affected by the decline in coal mining, Cumnock has shifted towards a more skilled base and services economy. [13]

Politics and governance

Official portrait of Allan Dorans MP crop 2.jpg
Allan Dorans has been the MP for Cumnock since 2019
Elena Whitham official portrait 2022.jpg
Elena Whitham has been the MSP for Cumnock since 2021

Local government

In East Ayrshire Council, the local government, Cumnock is represented as Cumnock and New Cumnock, whereby it elects four councillors to represent the area. Following the most recent 2022 East Ayrshire Council election, the four councillors elected to the ward were Billy Crawford (Scottish Labour Party), Neill Watts (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party), Jim McMahon (Scottish National Party) and June Kyle (Scottish Labour Party).

Elected councillors

ElectionCouncillors
2007 Billy Crawford
(Labour)
Eric Ross
(Labour)
Barney Menzies
(Labour)
Kathy Morrice
(SNP)
2012
2017 Walter Young
(Conservative)
Jim McMahon
(SNP)
Jacqui Todd
(SNP)
2022 Neill Watts
(Conservative)
June Kyle
(Labour)

Scottish Parliament

Cumnock is represented in the Scottish Parliament as Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, currently represented by Elena Whitham MSP (Scottish National Party), elected in the 2021 Scottish Parliament election and replaced Jeane Freeman.

The Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley constituency was created following the re-establishment of the Scottish Parliament in 1999, and since then has been represented by the following MSPs.

ElectionMemberParty
1999 Cathy Jamieson Labour
2011 Adam Ingram SNP
2016 Jeane Freeman
2021 Elena Whitham

UK Parliament

In the House of Commons, the UK Parliament, Cumnock is represented as Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock, currently represented by Allan Dorans MP (Scottish National Party). The constituency was created in the 2005 United Kingdom general election following the boundary review which saw the constituency created from the former constituencies of Ayr and Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley.

Churches

Dumfries House, located in the town, is owned by the Prince's Trust Dumfries House - geograph.org.uk - 2673934.jpg
Dumfries House, located in the town, is owned by the Prince's Trust

The town has six churches, five Protestant churches, the Congregational Church, Old Cumnock Old Parish Church, St Andrew's United Free Church, Cumnock Trinity Church, Cumnock Baptist Church, and the Roman Catholic St John the Evangelist Church (1878–1880), by architect William Burges for the third Marquess of Bute. [14] [15]

Education

Cumnock is home to the largest educational campus in Scotland, the Robert Burns Academy, a new educational campus housing the main Robert Burns Academy secondary school following the merger of Cumnock Academy and Auchinleck Academy, Lochnorris Primary School and Cherry Trees Early Childhood Centre. [3]

One other primary school is located within the town at Netherthird Primary School. [16] Barshare Primary School closed and was demolished in 2021 following the merger of Barshare and Greenmill Primary School to form the new Lochnorris Primary School located within the Barony Campus. [17]

Nearby Dumfries House offers a variety of educational programmes and apprenticeships through the Dumfries House Educational Programme created by The Prince's Trust. The programme offers vocational training and education in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM), textiles, outdoor and resilience building, hospitality and horticulture amongst others. [18] When Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay's, bought the estate of Dumfries House in 2007, he created the educational programme at Dumfries House in an attempt to see young people undertake learning experiences and training that promote confidence, personal development and offer training in real life skills. [18]

Further education is provided at Ayrshire College, with its nearest campus in Kilmarnock, and university education at University of the West of Scotland located at the Ayr campus.

Transport

Buses at Cumnock Bus Station, 2014 Cumnock Bus Station - geograph.org.uk - 4110037.jpg
Buses at Cumnock Bus Station, 2014

Cumnock has its own bus terminal, Cumnock Bus Station, which is operated by both Stagecoach West Scotland and Strathclyde Partnership for Transport. In July 2020, redevelopment of the bus station was completed with new shelters and CCTV being provided. [19]

The original Cumnock railway station opened on 20 May 1850. [20] The station was renamed to Cumnock on 10 January 1955, [21] and closed to passengers on 6 December 1965. [21]

A second, and to date, last Cumnock railway station opened to passengers on 1 July 1872, and closed on 10 September 1951. [22] The second Cumnock railway station was originally part of the Annbank to Cronberry Branch on the Glasgow and South Western Railway.

Cumnock is connected to nearby settlements including Kilmarnock, the principal town in East Ayrshire, and other smaller settlements such as Mauchline by the A76 road. [23] The A70 also connects Cumnock to other large towns including Ayr. [24]

Sports

The local football team is Cumnock Juniors, who compete in the West of Scotland League Premier Division and play their home matches at Townhead Park. The team has a bitter rivalry with local neighbours Auchinleck Talbot. The town also has an athletics park and rugby club Cumnock RFC, as well as a modern sports centre containing fitness gym and swimming pool. [25]

Notable residents

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Ayrshire</span> Council area of Scotland

East Ayrshire is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland. It shares borders with Dumfries and Galloway, East Renfrewshire, North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire. The headquarters of the council are located on London Road, Kilmarnock. With South Ayrshire and the mainland areas of North Ayrshire, it formed the former county of Ayrshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ayr</span> Administrative centre and town in Scotland

Ayr is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. A former royal burgh, today it is the administrative centre of the South Ayrshire Council, and the historic county town of Ayrshire. With a population of 46,982, Ayr is the 15th largest settlement in Scotland and second largest town in Ayrshire by population. The town is contiguous with the smaller town of Prestwick to the north. Ayr submitted unsuccessful bids for city status in 2000 and 2002, and as part of the wider South Ayrshire area in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cumnock and Doon Valley</span> Local government district in Scotland

Cumnock and Doon Valley was one of nineteen local government districts in the Strathclyde region of Scotland from 1975 to 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyle and Carrick</span>

Kyle and Carrick was one of nineteen local government districts in the Strathclyde region of Scotland from 1975 to 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyle, Ayrshire</span>

Kyle is a former comital district of Scotland which stretched across parts of modern-day East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire. It is supposedly named after Coel Hen, a legendary king of the Britons, who is said to be buried under a mound at Coylton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Auchinleck</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Auchinleck is a village 5 miles (8 km) southeast of Mauchline, and 2 miles (3 km) northwest of Cumnock in East Ayrshire, Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 2005 onwards

Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was created for the 2005 general election from parts of the old Ayr and Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley constituencies. It has been represented since 2019 by Allan Dorans of the Scottish National Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ayr (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1950–2005

Ayr was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1950 to 2005. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first-past-the-post system of election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ayr (Scottish Parliament constituency)</span> Constituency of the Scottish Parliament

Ayr is a burgh constituency of the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood) covering the town of Ayr in the council area of South Ayrshire. It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) via the plurality electoral system. It is also one of nine constituencies in the South Scotland electoral region which elects seven additional members to the Scottish Parliament via a proportional electoral system known as the Additional Members System which allows for greater accuracy in representation for the region as a whole.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley (Scottish Parliament constituency)</span> Region or constituency of the Scottish Parliament

Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley is a county constituency of the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood, covering parts of the council areas of South Ayrshire and East Ayrshire. It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the plurality method of election. Also, it is one of nine constituencies in the South Scotland electoral region, which elects seven additional members, in addition to the nine constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1983–2005

Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1983 until 2005. Half of the constituency was incorporated into the new Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock constituency, with the remainder incorporated into the new Central Ayrshire constituency and the expanded Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Joseph's Academy, Kilmarnock</span> State comprehensive school in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, Scotland

Saint Josephs' Academy is a Roman Catholic secondary school in New Farm Loch, Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, Scotland. Whilst the school is located in Kilmarnock, it serves the entire Catholic secondary school aged population in East Ayrshire, with the school being the only Roman Catholic secondary school within the local authority area. This means for families in all areas of East Ayrshire, St. Joseph's Academy is a catchment Secondary school. A long-standing inter-authority arrangement sees a small number of primary seven pupils attending St. Xavier’s Primary School in Patna, transition to Queen Margaret Academy located in Ayr, South Ayrshire instead of Saint Josephs' Academy at the start of S1.

Doonfoot is a suburb in the south-west of Ayr, South Ayrshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South of Scotland (European Parliament constituency)</span> Former European Parliament constituency

Prior to its uniform adoption of proportional representation in 1999, the United Kingdom used first-past-the-post for the European elections in England, Scotland and Wales. The European Parliament constituencies used under that system were smaller than the later regional constituencies and only had one Member of the European Parliament each.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley (Scottish Parliament constituency)</span> Region or constituency of the Scottish Parliament

Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood) covering part of the council area of East Ayrshire. It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the plurality method of election. It is also one of nine constituencies in the South Scotland electoral region, which elects seven additional members, in addition to the nine constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Grant (politician)</span> Scottish politician

William Grant is a Scottish Conservative Party politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock UK Parliamentary constituency from June 2017 to November 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lefnoreis Castle</span>

The site of the old Lefnoreis Castle or Ward of Lochnorris lies about 100 yards north-west of the old stable block of Dumfries House in East Ayrshire, Parish of Old Cumnock, Scotland. The old castle stood on a natural rise overlooking the Lugar Water, built and held for many years by the Craufurd family. For consistency the spelling Craufurd will be used throughout and Lefnoreis for the castle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Burns Academy</span> School in Scotland

The Robert Burns Academy is a secondary school located in Cumnock, East Ayrshire, Scotland, which opened to pupils in October 2020 following the merger of Cumnock Academy and Auchinleck Academy. The current Head Teacher, Tracy Stewart, also acts as the Head of Barony Campus, meaning she has the responsibility of leading the whole Barony Campus which consists of Robert Burns Academy, Lochnorris Primary School, Cherry Trees Early Childhood Centre and Hillside School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carol Mochan</span> Scottish Labour politician

Carol Mochan is a Scottish Labour politician. She has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the South Scotland region since the election in May 2021.

References

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  2. [ dead link ]
  3. 1 2 Hilley, Sarah (8 October 2020). "Scotland's biggest school will be finished tomorrow in East Ayrshire". Daily Record. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
  4. "Scotland's Census". Scotlandscensus.gov.uk.
  5. Paterson, James (1863). History of the counties of Ayr and Wigton. Vol.1 Kyle. James Stillie. p. 326.
  6. Thomson, Thomas (1895). A History of the Scottish People from the Earliest Times. pp. 220–21.
  7. Stewart, William (1925). J. Keir Hardie: A Biography (rev. ed.). London: Independent Labour Party Publication Department. p. 25.
  8. "Hughes, Emrys Daniel (1894 - 1969), politician, journalist and author". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  9. "The Prince's Foundation". Princes-foundation.org.
  10. "Royal welcome to first 'Trim Town'". Scotsman.com.
  11. "Charles sets out builders' test". BBC News. 1 June 2010.
  12. McLaughlin, Martyn (3 February 2019). "Knockroon: Has Prince Charles' dream become a folly?". The Scotsman . Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  13. "Cumnock firm manufacture the world's first electric fire engine". Cumnockchronicle.com.
  14. "St John the Evangelist, Cumnock". Scotland's Churches Trust. 24 September 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
  15. "Cumnock, Car Road, St John's Roman Catholic Church". Canmore: National Record of the Historic Environment. Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
  16. "Primary schools · East Ayrshire Council". East-ayrshire.gov.uk.
  17. "Former pupils share memories of Barshare as school is demolished". Cumnockchronicle.com.
  18. 1 2 "Dumfries House". Dumfries-house.org.uk.
  19. "Cumnock bus station reopens to public after being refurbished". Cumnockchronicle.com.
  20. Butt 1995, p. 177.
  21. 1 2 Butt 1995, p. 174.
  22. Quick, M E (2002). Railway passenger stations in England, Scotland and Wales – a chronology. Richmond: Railway and Canal Historical Society. p. 145. OCLC   931112387.
  23. "A70 roadworks on Cumnock to Muirkirk road to start Monday 11 July". Newsroom.east-ayrshire.gov.uk.
  24. "Sweco - A70 Ayr to Cumnock Improvements". Ayrshireroadsalliance.org.
  25. "Visions Leisure, Swimming Pool, Fitness Facilities". Archived from the original on 17 December 2004.

Sources