Tarbolton

Last updated

Tarbolton
Tarbolton Church.JPG
Tarbolton church.
South Ayrshire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Tarbolton
Location within South Ayrshire
Population1,860 (mid-2020 est.) [1]
Council area
Lieutenancy area
Country Scotland
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town Mauchline
Postcode district KA5
Dialling code 01292
Police Scotland
Fire Scottish
Ambulance Scottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament
List of places
UK
Scotland
55°30′48″N4°29′12″W / 55.5132°N 4.4866°W / 55.5132; -4.4866

Tarbolton (Scots : Tarbowton) [2] is a village in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is near Failford, Mauchline, Ayr, and Kilmarnock. The old Fail Monastery was nearby and Robert Burns connections are strong, including the Bachelors' Club museum.

Contents

Meaning of place-name

Hood's Hill or Tarbolton Motte. Hood's Hill, Tarbolton.JPG
Hood's Hill or Tarbolton Motte.

Bal was the Armenian word for the sweet cherry originally found on the Northern coast of Anatolia. The sweet cherry was not only a delicious treat but an important source of Vitamin C for the locals. Folks sought various ways of preserving cherries for the winter months including making it into wine, cherry syrup, jam & drying the cherries & putting them in fruit cake along with nuts. Sweet cherries are very finicky requiring not only good weather during the Spring & Summer but about 20 days of frost in the Winter to trigger the bloom. Baal was originally a weather god that the locals prayed to for favorable weather for the cherries & other crops. Baal became one of the main Gods of the Celtic religion." Google translates the word English word "fire" as the Welsh word "tân." It was very common for Celtic folks to hold their Baaltân Baalfire celebrations on a hill or tor. [research into the name "Bolton" by Gordon Alexander Bolton] Beltane or Bealtaine (Irish pronunciation: [ˈbʲal̪ˠt̪ˠənʲə], approximately /ˈb(j)ɒltɪnə/ B(Y)OL-tin-ə)[5][6] is the Gaelic May Day festival, marking the beginning of summer. It is traditionally held on 1st May, or about midway between the spring equinox and summer solstice. Historically, it was widely observed in Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. In Irish the name for the festival day is Lá Bealtaine ([l̪ˠaː ˈbʲal̪ˠt̪ˠənʲə]) while the month of May is Mí na Bealtaine, in Scottish Gaelic Latha Bealltainn ([l̪ˠaː ˈpjaul̪ˠt̪ɪɲ]), and in Manx Gaelic Laa Boaltinn/Boaldyn. Beltane is one of the four main Celtic seasonal festivals—along with Samhain, Imbolc, and Lughnasadh—and is similar to the Welsh Calan Mai. Wikipedia

Tarbolton has been suggested as having one of three meanings:

Location

Tarbolton is 7 miles (11 kilometres) east-northeast of Ayr, 7 mi (11 km) southwest of Kilmarnock, 5 mi (8 km) West of Mauchline, and 1+14 mi (2 km) from its own now disused railway station. It has a school, church, a gospel hall, two pubs, and is home to the Bachelors' Club, a frequent haunt of Robert Burns. The village is in the Cumnock and Doon Valley (it is strange that Tarbolton falls under South Ayrshire Council when its postcode is KA5 which links to Mauchline, East Ayrshire

The monastery and later castle of Fail existed at the hamlet of that name near Fail Toll. Fail Loch once covered a significant area however it survives now only as an area liable to flooding.

Nearby going towards Failford was the Old Montgomery Castle or Coilsfield House where one of Robert Burns's loves worked.

Tarbolton Primary takes pupils from surrounding farms and from Failford, a small hamlet north of the village. Its houses are Fail, Afton, Coyle and Montgomery, named after local areas and rivers.

Famous residents

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beltane</span> Gaelic May Day festival

Beltane or Bealtaine is the Gaelic May Day festival, marking the beginning of summer. It is traditionally held on 1st May, or about midway between the spring equinox and summer solstice. Historically, it was widely observed in Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. In Irish the name for the festival day is Lá Bealtaine while the month of May is Mí na Bealtaine, in Scottish Gaelic Latha Bealltainn, and in Manx Gaelic Laa Boaltinn/Boaldyn. Beltane is one of the four main Celtic seasonal festivals—along with Samhain, Imbolc, and Lughnasadh—and is similar to the Welsh Calan Mai.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yogh</span> Letter of the Latin alphabet

The letter yogh (ȝogh) was used in Middle English and Older Scots, representing y and various velar phonemes. It was derived from the Insular form of the letter g, Ᵹᵹ.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galston, East Ayrshire</span> Town in Scotland

Galston is a municipality in East Ayrshire, Scotland, which has a population of 5,001 (2001) and is at the heart of the civil parish of the same name. It is situated in wooded countryside four miles upriver from Kilmarnock and is one a group of the small towns located in the Irvine Valley between the towns of Hurlford and Newmilns. To the north of the town is the ruin of Loudoun Castle, the site of Loudoun Castle theme park from 1995 to 2010. In 1874 the population was 4,727.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Ayr</span> River in Scotland

The River Ayr is a river in Ayrshire, Scotland. At 65 km (40 mi) it is the longest river in the county.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mauchline</span> Town and civil parish in East Ayrshire, Scotland

Mauchline is a town and civil parish in East Ayrshire, Scotland. In the 2001 census Mauchline had a recorded population of 4,105. It is home to the National Burns Memorial.

Glenbuck is a small, remote village in East Ayrshire. It is nestled in the hills 3 miles (5 km) east of Muirkirk, East Ayrshire, Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mossblown</span> Settlement in Scotland

Mossblown is a village in South Ayrshire, Scotland, a little larger than neighbouring Annbank. It was a coal mining community but the mines have been closed for some time now. There is a book available written by a local historian entitled 'Old Annbank and Mossblown' which provides more written and pictorial information about the village. Most recently (2010–11), the population of the village has grown, with new housing, both private and council, being added to the village's north-east boundary on the B743, the Ayr to Mauchline road. This is the third latest expansion in housing development since a private housing scheme was built in Mossblown's south-eastern quarter in the 1990s, adjacent to the old Annbank Church. More recently there have been expansions to the north eastern part of the village, including the newest development Limekiln Wynd and slightly older Johnston drive. It had an estimated population of 2,100 in 2020

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beltany stone circle</span> Bronze Age stone circle

Beltany is a Bronze Age stone circle just south of Raphoe town in County Donegal, Ireland. It dates from circa 2100-700 BC. There is evidence that it may also have been the sacred site of Neolithic monuments, possibly early passage tombs. It overlooks the now destroyed passage tomb complex at Kilmonaster and Beltany is dominated by Croghan Hill to the east on the summit of which there sits a Neolithic mound most likely a passage tomb.

A moot hill or mons placiti is a hill or mound historically used as an assembly or meeting place, as a moot hall is a meeting or assembly building, also traditionally to decide local issues. In early medieval Britain, such hills were used for "moots", meetings of local people to settle local business. Among other things, proclamations might be read; decisions might be taken; court cases might be settled at a moot. Although some moot hills were naturally occurring features or had been created long before as burial mounds, others were purpose-built.

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

Failford is a hamlet in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) west of Mauchline, where the Water of Fail flows into the River Ayr.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fail Monastery</span> Former monastery in Ayrshire, Scotland

Fail Monastery, occasionally known as Failford Abbey, had a dedication to 'Saint Mary', and was located at Fail on the bank of the Water of Fail, Parish of Tarbolton near the village of Tarbolton, South Ayrshire. Most of the remaining monastery ruins were removed in 1952. The official and rarely used title was House of the Holy Trinity of Failford or the Ministry of Failford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barnweill Church</span> Ruined pre-reformation kirk in South Ayrshire, Scotland

Barnweill Church or Barnweil Church is a ruined pre-reformation kirk situated on rising ground on the slopes of Barnweill Hill, Parish of Craigie, South Ayrshire, Scotland; about 3 km from Tarbolton. The church was known locally as the "Kirk in the Wood". It lies about 170m North North-East of Kirkhill Farm. Barnweill was central to the Protestant Reformation in Ayrshire through its association with John Knox. The spelling 'Barnweill' is used throughout for consistency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lochlea, South Ayrshire</span> Drained freshwater loch in South Ayrshire, Scotland

Lochlea or Lochlie was situated in a low-lying area between the farms and dwellings of Lochlea and Lochside in the Parish of Tarbolton, South Ayrshire, Scotland. The loch was natural, sitting in a hollow created by glaciation. The loch waters ultimately drained via Fail Loch, the Mill Burn, and the Water of Fail. It is well-documented due to the presence of a crannog that was excavated and documented circa 1878, and its association with the poet Robert Burns, who lived here for several years whilst his father was the tenant. Lochlea lies 2+12 miles northeast of Tarbolton, and just over three miles northwest of Mauchline.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loch Brown</span> Drained freshwater loch in East Ayrshire, Scotland

Loch Brown, also known in Scots as Loch Broun, Broon or Broom, was situated in a kettle hole in the mid-Ayrshire clayland near Crosshands. It is nowadays (2011) visible as a surface depression in pastureland, partially flooded, situated in a low-lying area close to farms and dwellings of Skeoch, Dalsangan, Ladebrae, Lochhill, and Crosshands, mainly in the Parish of Mauchline and partly in Craigie, East Ayrshire, Scotland. Duveloch is an old name for the loch and this may derive from the Gaelic Dubh, meaning black or dark loch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fail Loch</span> Drained freshwater loch in South Ayrshire, Scotland

Fail Loch or Faile Loch was situated in a low-lying area near the old monastery of Fail in the Parish of Tarbolton, South Ayrshire, Scotland. The old Lochlea Loch lies nearby and its waters still feed into Fail Loch via the Mill Burn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belston Loch</span> A lake in east Ayrshire, Scotland

Belston Loch, also recorded as Dromsmodda Loch is a small freshwater loch in the East Ayrshire Council Area, near Sinclairston, 2 miles south-east of Drongan, lying in a glacial Kettle Hole. Parish of Ochiltree, Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Campbell (Highland Mary)</span> Lover of Robert Burns

Mary Campbell, also known as Highland Mary, was the daughter of Archibald Campbell of Daling, a sailor in a revenue cutter, whose wife was Agnes Campbell of Achnamore or Auchamore. Mary was the eldest of a family of four. Robert Burns had an affair with her after he felt that he had been "deserted" by Jean Armour following her move to Paisley in March 1786. The brief affair started in April 1786, and the parting took place on 14 May of that year. Her pronunciation of English was heavily accented with Gaelic and this led to her becoming known as 'Highland Mary.'

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irvine Burns Club</span> Association which celebrates Robert Burns and Scottish literature

The Irvine Burns Club, based at the Wellwood Burns Centre & Museum, was founded on 2 June 1826 and is one of the world's longest continuously active Burns Clubs. At least five personal friends of Robert Burns were among the group of local gentleman, whose idea it was to form the club. Irvine in North Ayrshire is an old market town and port situated on the west coast of Scotland, approx 14 miles north of Ayr.

Alexander Tait, Sawney Tait or Saunders Tait was a tailor, a published poet and also a contemporary of Robert Burns who he knew well. Tait was also well acquainted with the published poet and close friend of Burns, David Sillar. Sawney spent much of his life in Tarbolton where he was an active member of the community. His poems were exhibited in the 1896 Burn Exhibition, a copy being loaned by the Mitchell Library. Alexander was generally known locally as 'Whip-the-cat' an old expression that referred to itinerant tailors, etc. who went from door to door to do work for others.

References

  1. "Mid-2020 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland". National Records of Scotland. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  2. Eagle, Andy. "The Online Scots Dictionary".
  3. "Gold rush". The Herald.[ permanent dead link ]
  4. "Ian McLauchlan, non-executive director". Scottish Rugby website. Retrieved 27 November 2017.