| Broomlands or Broumlands | |
|---|---|
  Broomlands or Broumlands Location within Scotland | |
| OS grid reference | NS 34393 38351 |
| Shire county |
|
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Police | Scotland |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
The lands of Broomlands or Broumlands formed a small country estate about a mile to the east of Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland situated on the east bank of the Annick Water in the Parishes of Dreghorn and Irvine. [1]
The spelling 'Broomlands' and 'Montgomery' is used throughout for consistency. The name may derive from the common shrub Broom or Cytisus scoparius that is plentiful in the area to this day. Roy's map of 1747 clearly marks two properties as 'Broom Land' and 'Broom Lands' [2] and John Thomson's map of 1832 marks 'East, Nether and Over Broomlands. [3] Armstrong's map of 1775 records a 'Bloomly' to the north of the Annick and a 'Broomland' to the south, as well as 'Lockwards' to the west and 'Cherylands' to the east. [4]
In 1596 John Peebles of Broomlands died and is recorded as having been a merchant burgess and also Provost of Irvine at the time of his death. [1] He was buried in Irvine Old Parish cemetery. [5] John's father was Robert Peebles, baillie and burgess of Irvine who died 16 September 1605. Patrick Peebles of 'Brumelands' inherited the property. John Peebles was succeeded by his daughter Mariote Peebles. [6]
Hugh Montgomery of Stane, Auchinhood and Bowhouse lived at Broomlands and his wife Margaret Calderwood of Peacockbank were buried in the Irvine Old Parish cemetery and it is recorded on their memorial that he died aged 92 in November 1658; George Montgomery of Broomlands, their second son, died aged 86 on 6 May 1700. [7] George's spouses were Anna Barclay of Perceton and Margaret Wallace of Shewalton. Hugh, son of George through his first marriage died aged 83 on 3 December 1728 in the 55th year of his marriage to Jean Brown. Jean herself died aged 83 on 8 December 1728. [7]
Robert Montgomery, son of the aforementioned George and Jean let the side down and died aged 68, however his brother Hugh restored the family's reputation for longevity and died aged 80 on 24 February 1766. [7] Hugh had been the Provost of Campbeltown in Argyll and Bute. [8]
Charles Montgomery of Broomlands inherited, however he sold the estate and died in the 1780s unmarried after a career as a merchant burgess in Glasgow. [9]
Jean Montgomerie was Charles's eldest sister and she married Henry Eccles of the excise. [9]
Robert Hamilton of Bourtreehill held Broomlands before the property was acquired by Archibald Montgomerie, 13th Earl of Eglinton, his great-grandson. [1]
Charles Montgomery of Broomlands believed that he was a male heir of the Eglinton line of the Montgomery family with precedency over the Lainshaw branch and employed Mr Dickie of Kilmarnock to produce a family tree of such a size that stretchers of wood were needed when it was opened. [9]
The Montgomery of Assloss family were a cadet branch of the Montgomerys of Broomland, however this line ended with an heiress, Jane Montgomery who married James Sommerville of Kennox near Stewarton. [10]
Robert Montgomery of Broomlands, a banker, represented the line of the Hammils of Roughwood through his great-grandfather Robert Montgomery of Craighouse who had married Anna Hammil. [11] Robert Montgomery of Broomlands married Jane Haldane, granddaughter of William Cunninghame of Lainshaw. [12]
The lands of Broomlands consisted of the 'Little, [13] Upper or Over Broomlands' and 'Nether Broomlands'. [6] East Broomlands and Broomlands Cottage are also recorded, however inclusion within the estate is not clear. [6] Fencedyke and old Hiemyre was sold by Irvine Council to Montgomerie of Broomlands at an unspecified date. [14]
The 1856 OS map shows Nether Broomlands with farm-like outbuildings and a 'superior' dwelling facing an ornate garden with eight parterre-like beds that are absent by 1805, [15] [16] by which time the nearby coal pit No.7 is in operation with the associated freight railway to Dreghorn station. [16]
A route from Nether Broomlands to Over Broomlands is clearly shown with a ford located near to Nether Broomlands with a link over the Busbie Branch of the G&SWR to the Templelands Irvine Road. A lime kiln was situated near East Broomlands. [16]
Broomlands House and old farms have been demolished and the fields now form part of the green space next to the Broomlands housing scheme, Broomlands busway, Sustrans cycle routes, etc.
Coal was being mined and exported from Irvine harbour as early as 1791. [17] In 1856 a Broomlands Coal Pit was located near Annickbank on the Templelands to Irvine Road, [15] closed by 1895. [16] By 1908 coal pits near Nether Broomlands were disused, as was Broomlands Coal Pit No.7., however the Broomlands Miners Rows on Station Brae at Dreghorn are still present and Broomlands Coal Pit No.8 was still operational. [18]
In 1886 the Bourtreehill Coal Company extended its Broomlands No.9 Pit to work under Newmoor, [19] however by 1928 production had ceased. [20]
While 'shanking' (or sinking a shaft for a coal mine) was in progress in the Irvine area, clay was brought in from Broomlands when 'motting the shank' or sealing the shaft was necessary due to the shaft being cut through sand. [21]
The Irvine Town Council accounts for January 1686 record that the town magistrates met with the lairds of Perceton, Old Broomlands, Bryce Blair, clerk and others and were supplied with generous refreshments, namely five pints of wine, tobacco and pipes. [22]
Dreghorn is a village in North Ayrshire, Scotland, 3.5 kilometres east of Irvine town centre, on the old main road from Irvine to Kilmarnock. It is sited on a ridge between two rivers. As archaeological excavations near the village centre have found a significant neolithic settlement provisionally dated to around 3500 BC, as well as medieval structures, scholars have suggested that Dreghorn could be Britain's oldest continuously inhabited village. Both Irvine and Dreghorn have grown in size and they are now separated by the Annick Valley Park, which incorporates a footpath and National Cycle Route 73 on the route of the disused Irvine to Busby railway line. It had an estimated population of 3,540 in 2016.
Bourtreehill is a large housing estate built by the Irvine Development Corporation (IDC) in the late 1970s which forms part of the Irvine New Town in North Ayrshire, Scotland. The estate has two main parts, known as Bourtreehill North and Bourtreehill South. Along its southern border runs the Broomlands estate. The Bourtreehill South area has suffered from anti-social behaviour. However, with more frequent police and Community Warden Patrols, this has gone down, though the area still suffers from the lack of employment opportunities in North Ayrshire.
Bourtreehill House and the enclosed land on which it was built form the original estate of Bourtreehill. The wooded hill-top, a distinctive feature of the estate, is now a landmark that sits at the centre of modern North Bourtreehill in the district of North Ayrshire on the west coast of Scotland.
Cunninghamhead is a hamlet in North Ayrshire, Scotland. It was the centre of the lands of Cunninghamhead, Perceton and Annick Lodge in Cunninghame. This mainly rural area is noted for its milk and cheese production and the Ayrshire, Cunninghame or Dunlop breed of cattle.
The old Barony and castle of Corsehill lay within the feudal Baillerie of Cunninghame, near Stewarton, now East Ayrshire, Scotland.
Auchenharvie Castle is a ruined castle near Torranyard on the A 736 Glasgow to Irvine road. Burnhouse lies to the north and Irvine to the south. It lies in North Ayrshire, Scotland.
Thorntoun School was opened by Barnardo's in September 1971 for children with emotional difficulties aged 11 to 16 years. The school closed in 1990 and Thorntoun is now a nursing home. The complex lies between the villages of Springside and Crosshouse, Kilmarnock in East Ayrshire, Scotland. The old Thorntoun mansion house was demolished in the late 1960s, leaving the West Lodge, some of the home farm outbuildings, the stables and the walled garden as 'memorials' to the ancient history of the site. Many fine trees remain from the estate policies and the surviving gardens are very well maintained (2007). An entrance with a slight deviation from the old course has been created to serve the large modern buildings which house the nursing home.
The village of Springside is in North Ayrshire, Parish of Dreghorn, Scotland. It is three miles from Irvine, 1+1⁄2 miles west of Crosshouse, and four miles from Kilmarnock. In the 18th, 19th and mid-20th centuries, the locality was a highly industrialised coal mining district. The settlement is on the Garrier Burn, which forms the boundary with East Ayrshire. Springside had a population of around 1364 in 1991. The A71 now bypasses the village, 1⁄4 mile to the south.
The Barony of Peacockbank was in the old feudal Baillerie of Cunninghame, near Stewarton in what is now East Ayrshire, Scotland.
Broadstone lies close to the small village of Gateside in North Ayrshire, Scotland about half a mile east of Beith in the old Barony of Giffen.
Skelmorlie Castle stands on the eastern shore of the Firth of Clyde, Scotland, at the north-western corner of the county of Ayrshire. The structure dates from 1502, and was formerly the seat and stronghold of the Montgomery Clan. The modern village of Skelmorlie lies to the north of the castle.
The Castle and Barony of Robertland is located near Stewarton, off the B769 road, in the old district of Cunninghame, Parish of Stewarton, and now part of East Ayrshire, Scotland.
Seagate Castle is a castle in North Ayrshire, in the town of Irvine, close to the River Irvine, Scotland. The castle was formerly a stronghold, a town house, and later a dower house of the Montgomery Clan. The castle overlooks the oldest street in Irvine, which was once the main route between the town and the old harbour at Seagatefoot, which by 1606, was useless and abandoned due to silting. The remains of the castle are protected as a scheduled ancient monument.
Monkredding formed a small estate in the Parish of Kilwinning, North Ayrshire lying between Kilwinning and Auchentiber on the B778. The property was originally held by the Tironensian monks of Kilwinning Abbey and was the 'Monk's Garden', the rest home for the brothers. Monkcastle near Dalgarven was the abbot's country retreat. Monkredding remains in good condition and is in use as a private house in 2010.
The Lands of Lainshaw lie in Strathannick and were part of the Lordship of Stewarton, in East Ayrshire, Scotland. Lainshaw House is a category B listed mansion, lying in a prominent position above the Annick Water and its holm in the Parish of Stewarton, Scotland. Part of the much older Lainshaw Castle is contained within the several later building phases of the present day Lainshaw House. The names 'Langshaw' or 'Langschaw' were used in historic times. Law Mount near the High and Laigh Castleton farms has been suggested as the site of the original castle, granted in the 12th century to Godfrey de Ross by Hugo de Morville.
The ancient lands of Willowyard, Willieyeards, Williyard or Willizeards were part of the holdings of the Regality of Kilwinning, Barony of Beith, and Bailiary of Cuninghame. They later became the property of the Montgomerie family before being sold to the Simson family in 1723. The manor house still survives as part of a business premises and the nearby industrial estate and whisky bond carry the name 'Willowyards'.
The lands of Marshalland, Marsheland, Marsheyland or Marshyland were part of the holdings of the Barony of Beith, Regality of Kilwinning and Bailiary of Cuninghame. They became the property of the Lyle family, then the Shedden family, passing next to the Spier's family before finally becoming part of the Spier's Trust lands. The laird's house and farm were demolished in the 1960s.
Towerlands or Tourlands was a small estate of 70 to 80 acres of good quality land in the parish of Irvine and the old barony of Kilmaurs, North Ayrshire, Scotland, situated near the more extensive property of Bourtreehill, the lands of which surrounded it on three sides. The name suggests that a medieval stone or wood 'tower' structure of some sort existed, but no record of this appears to exist.
The Towerlands Tram Road was a 19th-century mineral railway or 'Bogey line' that transported coal, running from the old Towerlands Colliery and associated coal pits near Bourtreehill to Irvine in one direction and to Dreghorn in the other direction. Both towns are located in North Ayrshire, Scotland.
The Murder of Hugh Montgomerie, 4th Earl of Eglinton at the Annick Ford in Stewarton, East Ayrshire, Scotland, took place in 1586 as a consequence of a long running feud between the Montgomeries, Earls of Eglinton and the Cunninghames, Earls of Glencairn, families who were competing for power and influence locally and nationally. The significant repercussions of this act were felt throughout the county of Ayrshire and beyond. The spelling 'Montgomerie' is used throughout for both the family and Montgomery for the clan and clan and district names 'Cunninghame' in the same fashion.
