Lands of Morishill

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Lands of Morishill
Beith, North Ayrshire, Scotland
UK grid reference NS342535
Morishill Boundary wall.jpg
A section of the old Morishill boundary wall.
Scotland relief location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
Lands of Morishill
Coordinates 55°44′47″N4°38′36″W / 55.7464°N 4.6432°W / 55.7464; -4.6432 Coordinates: 55°44′47″N4°38′36″W / 55.7464°N 4.6432°W / 55.7464; -4.6432
Grid reference NS 34186 53505
TypeLaird's House
Site information
Controlled byMontgomerie
Open to
the public		Yes
ConditionDemolished
Site history
Built17th century
Built byShedden family
MaterialsStone

The lands of Morishill, [1] Morrishill, [2] Moorishill [3] or Moricehill [3] were part of the holdings of the Barony of Beith, Regality of Kilwinning and Bailiary of Cuninghame. The name may have derived from large shielings or huts that were once erected at the site. [3]

Contents

History of the lands of Morishill

In the early 17th century Robert Peibles held Moreisheills, Pedderland and Maynshill. In 1637 the lands of old extent of 'Morishill' were held by James and Janet Stewart. [3] By 1748 the Adam family had held the 20/- land of old extent of Morishill for several generations, acquiring it through the marriage of Henry Adam with Margaret Stewart, daughter of John Stewart of Morishill. [4] Robert Shedden of Marshalland purchased the property from William Adam upon his return from Virginia where he had prospered as a merchant. [1] He was born on 5 October 1709 as the second son on John Shedden of Marshalland. [1] Robert also purchased the Longcroft, Hillhead, the Shortback of the hill and other lands at Townhead of Broadstone. [5]

William Adam was rather too fond of drink and as a result he failed to manage the lands of Morishill and was advised to sell. Robert Shedden in 1748 purchased the property and this gave rise to this short ditty [6] -

William Adam of Morr'shill
Spent it a' in penny yill;
While Robert Shedden, as I'm told,
Bocht it wi' Virginia gold.

James Dobie was of the opinion that the name 'Morishill' was derived via the old name 'Moreishiels' from the large shielings or temporary summer dwellings for shepherds erected on the site. [3]

Lairds

After the Adam family, the Sheddens obtained the property. Robert Shedden married Margaret Simson of nearby Willowyard and secondly Elizabeth Moore of Bruntwood, with whom he had seven children. He died in 1759 and his widow married James Wilson, the master of the parish school. [7] The eldest son by this marriage became an eminent surgeon in London. [7] John Shedden, born 1753, inherited in 1760 and after a spell abroad as a merchant he returned and in 1787 married his cousin Barbara Wilson of Kilmarnock and secondly Janet Simson of Willowyard. He had six children and died at Morishill in 1833. [8]

Alexander Shedden inherited in 1833 and in 1842 he also inherited the Willowyard Estate from Mr Wilson of Crummock. [9] Alexander married Jessie Glasgow and had a daughter Jessie Caldwell Shedden; he married secondly Martha Wilson in 1851 with no offspring and died in 1867. [9] Jessie Shedden inherited Morishill, Willowyard, Ferguslie and the Superiority of Drums. Jessie died aged 27 of measles and diphtheria, and the property went to Mrs Shedden-Dobie who died in 1883, aged 97. [10] John Shedden-Dobie succeeded his mother.

In 1938 Morishill was the home of Colonel and Mrs Hope Murray. [11]

The case of James Montgomery

The first case in Scotland of a runaway slave attempting to gain their freedom was that of Jamie or James Montgomery, later named 'Shanker' by Robert Shedden or later still as James Montgomery Shedden. Montgomery had been purchased by Shedden from Joseph Hawkins, a slave trader in Fredericksburg, Virginia, for £56 12s 6d in 1750. He had been baptised as 'Jamie Montgomery' by none other than the Reverend John Witherspoon in Beith. Robert Shedden objected to this as slave owners usually did not allow their slaves to be baptised or to take a Christian first name and surname.

The name 'Shanker' was used by Robert Shedden to reinforce the impression that Montgomery was mere property. Shedden claimed that the baptism was solely undertaken so that Montgomery could unlawfully free himself as a slave. Montgomery was dragged in chains behind a horse to Port Glasgow and put on board a ship bound for Virginia, however on 21 April 1756 he managed to escape with the help of others and made his way to Edinburgh where he was eventually recognised as a runaway slave and placed in the tolbooth following the placing of descriptions of him in the local newspapers. [12]

Shedden had Montgomery apprenticed to a wright or joiner [13] so that as a skilled person he would fetch a much higher price back in Virginia, delivering a handsome profit to his owner. [14] Shedden even petitioned for a quick trial as he had to pay for Montgomery's keep in the tolbooth and because Montgomery was not well. Montgomery died in the Edinburgh tolbooth before the case could be concluded, [12] however it is said that the Lords were going to find in favour of Robert Shedden. [15]

The appellation 'Shanker' appears to be an insult as this word is a variant of 'chancre' which is the name for a sore or ulcer caused by syphilis. [16]

Morishill House and grounds

A gatepier from the old estate entrance. Morishill gatepier.jpg
A gatepier from the old estate entrance.

After several years in the West Indies and America as a merchant John Shedden returned to Morishill and made a number of improvements. [7] In the 1830s Alexander Shedden improved the old house and offices at Morishill and also erected a gatehouse and gates, together with many improvements to the gardens which eventually covered fourteen acres. [17] A new house was completed by 1842 and a two-storey detached octagonal tower to the north with a walled garden. The marsh fed by 'Tams Well' was converted into an ornamental lake with three islands. [7]

In the 1870s a new road was made to the stables and in 1888 the original house was unroofed and modified to become an ivy-clad garden feature. This old house had been much altered and improved over the years, serving latterly as a coachmans' quarters. It carried a marriage stone dated 1752 which commemorated the union of Robert Shedden and Margaret Simson, as well as a date stone of 1887 with the initials 'J.S.-D' in relief. [3] A summerhouse and dovecote were present [11] as was a walled garden. A rookery was established at the estate by tying small bundles of sticks in the forks of the trees upper branches. [3]

A feature of the grounds was a copy of the principal pinnacle of the monument in the Skelmorlie Aisle at Largs which had been made by Mr Logan of Beith, a local sculptor. This had been moved here from Grangevale and stood on a wall that linked the house to the laundry; it bore the inscription Designed for Elizabeth by W. Dobie, 24th May 1845. [3]

In 1865 the lands of Morishill extended to 272 acres (110 ha). [18]

The house was demolished in early 1980s and a housing estate named Morishill Manor was built at the site. [11] A large number of the old trees were kept and still grace the estate today (2013).

Curling

An asphalt artificial curling rink was made for Alexander Shedden at Morishill for playing during the summer months. This game used a 10-inch (25 cm) and 23-pound (10 kg) ball made from lignum vitae covered in copper and previously balanced in a bath of mercury. The ball had a handle which could be pulled out with a hook for use, which then quickly sprung back into place upon release. [9]

The Morishill 'Pleasure pond' otherwise known as 'Beith Loch' was used for curling in the winter months and in 1892 on 27 December the Glasgow Herald records that a match took place between Beith and Morishill. [19] The Beith Morishill Curling Club is still in existence and plays at the Greenacres Curling Rink. [20]

See also

Related Research Articles

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Spiers School

Spier's School, at Beith, in North Ayrshire, Scotland was opened in 1888 and closed in 1972. The school, now demolished, was built using Ballochmyle red sandstone and was reminiscent of the ancient Glasgow University. The school motto was 'Quod verum tutum'. The gardens and woodlands are open to the public at all times.

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Broadstone Castle

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Kilbirnie Loch Lake in the Scotland

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Hill of Beith Castle

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Loch Brand

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Lands of Bogston

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The Lands of Roughwood

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Lands of Willowyard

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'.

Lands of Marshalland

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.

Lands of Threepwood

The lands of Threepwood were located in the Parish of Beith, at the eastern boundary between East Renfrewshire and North Ayrshire, Scotland. The settlements of Midtown, Townhead and Townend were part of the old Threepwood Estate. Cuffhill at 675 feet is the highest eminence in the parish and it overlooks the area with Little Hill and Cuff Hill and Little Hill plantations nearby, now situated next to the entirely artificial Cuffhill Reservoir.

Murder of Hugh Montgomerie

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.

References

Notes;

  1. 1 2 3 Dobie (1896), Page 199
  2. ↑ Thomson's Map Retrieved : 2013--06-25
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Dobie (1896), Page 216
  4. ↑ Dobie (1896), Page 67
  5. ↑ Dobie (1896), Page 200
  6. ↑ Dobie (1996), Page 69
  7. 1 2 3 4 Dobie (1896), Page 201
  8. ↑ Dobie (1896), Page 208
  9. 1 2 3 Dobie (1896), Page 210
  10. ↑ Dobie (1896), Page 211
  11. 1 2 3 Reid (1999), Page 97
  12. 1 2 National Archives of Scotland Retrieved : 2013-06-26
  13. ↑ Scottish Education Archived 5 July 2013 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved : 2013-06-26
  14. ↑ The Scottish Government Retrieved : 2013-06-26
  15. ↑ Judge & Jurist Retrieved : 2013-06-26
  16. ↑ Think Exist Retrieved : 2013-06-27
  17. ↑ Dobie (1896), Page 209
  18. ↑ A Vision of Britain Retrieved : 2013-06-26
  19. ↑ Caledonian Curling Club Retrieved : 2013-06-24
  20. ↑ Beith Morishill Retrieved : 2013-06-26

Sources and Bibliography;

  1. Aitken, Robert (1827). Map of Beith Parish.
  2. Archaeological & Historical Collections relating to the counties of Ayrshire & Wigtown. Edinburgh : Ayr Wig Arch Soc. 1880.
  3. Archaeological & Historical Collections relating to the counties of Ayrshire & Wigtown. Edinburgh : Ayr Wig Arch Soc. 1882.
  4. The Bellman. Beith Cultural and Heritage Society. Issue 12. January 2011.
  5. Campbell, Thorbjørn (2003). Ayrshire. A Historical Guide. Edinburgh : Birlinn. ISBN   1-84158-267-0.
  6. Coventry, Martin (2010). Castles of the Clans. Musselburgh : Goblinshead. ISBN   1-899874-36-4.
  7. Davis, Michael C. (1991). The Castles and Mansions of Ayrshire. Ardrishaig : Spindrift Press.
  8. Dobie, James D. (ed Dobie, J.S.) (1876). Cunninghame, Topographized by Timothy Pont 1604–1608, with continuations and illustrative notices. Glasgow: John Tweed.
  9. Dobie, James (1896). Memoir of William Wilson of Crummock. Edinburgh : James Dobie.
  10. Douglas, William Scott (1874). In Ayrshire. Kilmarnock : McKie & Drennan.
  11. Kinniburgh, Moira & Burke, Fiona (1995). Kilbirnie & Glengarnock. Shared Memories. Kilbirnie Library. ISBN   1-897998-01-5.
  12. Love, Dane (2003). Ayrshire : Discovering a County. Ayr : Fort Publishing. ISBN   0-9544461-1-9.
  13. Murray, W. H. (1981). The Curling Companion. Glasgow : Richard Drew. ISBN   0-904002-80-2.
  14. Paul, L. & Sargent, J. (1983). Wildlife in Cunninghame. Edinburgh : SWT, NCC, MSC, CDC
  15. Reid, Donald (1999). Yesterday's Beith. A pictorial Guide. Beith : DoE.
  16. Reid, Donald (2001). In the Valley of the Garnock (Beith, Dalry & Kilbirnie. Beith : DoE. ISBN   0-9522720-5-9.
  17. Reid, Donald L. (2011). Voices & Images of Yesterday and Today. Beith, Barrmill, and Gateside. Precious Memories. Irvine : Kestrel Press. ISBN   978-0-9566343-1-3.
  18. Robertson, George (1820). Topographical Description of Ayrshire : Cunninghame. Irvine : Cunninghame Press.
  19. Strawhorn, John (1985). The History of Irvine. Royal Burgh and Town. Edinburgh : John Donald. ISBN   0-85976-140-1.
  20. Strawhorn, John and Boyd, William (1951). The Third Statistical Account of Scotland. Ayrshire. Edinburgh : Oliver & Boyd.
  21. The New Statistical Account of Scotland. 1845. Vol. 5. Ayr - Bute. Edinburgh : Blackwood & Sons.
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