AYR

A Y R, a royal borough, of great antiquity, and considerable extent, the county town of Ayrshire, and the seat of a judiciary court. It was erected into a royal borough by William the Lion, about the year 1180; and the privileges granted by that charter are still enjoyed by the town. It is pleasantly situated on a point of land, between the influx of the rivers Doon and Ayr into the Atlantic ocean. The principal street is a fine ornamented, broad, spacious way, with a row of elegant houses on each side. Its shape is somewhat of the form of a crescent, having the tolbooth and town-hall in the centre, with a fine spire, 135 feet high. In ancient times we find Ayr to have been a town of considerable trade. The merchants imported a great quantity of wine from France, and exported corn and other produce of the country. The rising trade of Glasgow proved very injurious to the trade of this town; but of late it has much revived. The sea shore is flat and shallow, and the entrance of the river Ayr, which forms the harbour, is subject to the inconvenience of a bar of sand, which is often thrown quite across the river, especially with a strong north-west wind. The water never rises above twelve feet; but from some improvements and extensive works now carrying on on the sides of the river, it is hoped the channel will be considerably deepened. There are erected two reflecting light-houses to conduct vessels safely into the harbour. There is great plenty of salmon in the two rivers, the fishings of which rent at upwards of 2001. Besides the salmon fishery, the sand banks on the coast abound with all kinds of white fish; and one or two companies are established here for curing them. The principal trade carried on is the exportation of coal to Ireland, in which nearly 2000 tonnage of vessels are annually employed. There is an extensive manufacture of leather and soap. Ayr was in ancient times, however, not only distinguished for trade, but also for military strength. Here the heroic exploits of Sir William Wallace began, and here Edward I. fixed one of his most powerful garrisons. Oliver Cromwell, too, judging it a proper place to build a fortress, took possession of the old church, and converted it and the neighbouring ground into a regular citadel. On one of the mounts, within the walls of this fortress, stood the old castle of Ayr, mentioned in ancient histories, and the old church, the tower of which still remains, noted for the meeting of the Scottish parliament, when Robert Bruce's title to the throne was unanimously confirmed. Ayr is a very gay and fashionable place. It has well-attended races, and is sometimes the seat of the Caledonian hunt. In 1797, the population amounted to 4647; in 1801, 5560. There is a strong chalybeate spring, which is famous in scrofulous and scorbutic complaints. Tradition reports an engagement to have taken place in the valley of Dalrymple, between two kings, Fergus and Coilus, in which both leaders lost their lives; the names of places in the neighbourhood seem derived from this circumstance, and a cairn of stones in the midst of the valley is said to point out the place of the engagement. History has only recorded two distinguished characters in literature, natives of Ayr: 1st, Joannes Scotus, surnamed Erigena, celebrated for his acumen of judgment, his readiness of wit, and fluency of elocution; and, 2d, the Chivalier Ramsay, author of Cyrus's Travels, and other works. To these we may add the late Robert Burns, whose genius, at least, will bear a comparison with any of the former. A Y R, Newton of. While the borough of Ayr extends along the south side of the river Ayr, this small parish is situated on the north side of the same river. It is a burgh of considerable domain, having in that domain baronial jurisdiction; governed by a magistracy elected by freemen, but not having parliamentary representation. It is of very ancient erection, owing its privileges to Robert Bruce, who upon being attacked with leprosy, came to reside in this place, and was induced to establish a lazar-house, and to confer considerable favours on the town, and on the small village of Priestwick, about two or three miles distant. In the Newton of Ayr are a number of very good houses. It has a tolerable good harbour, chiefly employed in the coal trade. Lying on the banks of Ayr, and the sea coast; the soil mostly flat and sandy. Its extent is about three miles long, and one and a half broad. In 1793, the population was 1680. A Y R, a river in the parish of Muirkirk, in Ayrshire; which after a course of about eighteen miles nearly due west falls into the sea at Ayr, where its estuary forms a fine harbour. It is for a considerable course only a small rivulet; but joined by the Greenock and Garpel, tributary streams, it becomes a large body of water. It frequently shifts its bed, and does considerable damage by its encroachments. Its banks are steep and very romantic, and the number of seats which ornament them present a fine picturesque scenery. Sorn-castle, Auchincruive, and Auchinleck, may be mentioned as the chief beauties of the scene. The village of Catrine is situated on its banks. It forms the boundary between the districts of Ayrshire, denominated Kyle and Carrick. A Y RSHIRE, a county of Scotland, which is bounded on the north by the county of Renfrew; on the east by the shires of Lanark and Dumfries; on the south by Galloway; and on the west by the Irish channel, and the frith of Clyde. Its extent in length is about 65 miles, and about 36 in breadth. It is divided into three great districts or stewarties, which bear the names of Kyle, Cunningham, and Carrick. These divisions are not altogether artificial; the river Doon forming the separation between Carrick and Kyle (or Ayrshire Proper), and the river Irvine (at the mouth of which is a borough of the same name) is the limit between Kyle and Cunningham. These Ayrshire. These districts are very different from each other in appearance. Carrick, and the interior parts of Kyle, are mountainous, and more fitted for pasture; while the coast of Kyle, and the greater part of Cunningham, exhibit a fine level country, interspersed with numerous villages and towns. The sea coast is mostly sandy, with sunk rocks, possessing several good harbours. The island of Ailsa is in this county. From the ridge, of which the mountains of Carrick are a part, rise almost all the rivers of the south of Scotland. The Tweed, the Esk, the Nith, the Annan, the Urr, &c. flow to the east and south, while the Stinechar, the Girvan, the Doon, the Ayr, and the Lugar, pouring into the Irish channel, intersect the county of Ayr with their copious streams. Besides these, the Irvine and other smaller rivulets, water the more northerly parts of the county. Ayrshire has two royal boroughs, viz. Ayr and Irvine; and several populous towns and villages, of which Kilmarnock, Beith, Saltcoats, Kilwinning, Largs, Girvan, and Ballantrae, are the chief. Fitted as Ayrshire is in every respect for the carrying on of trade, and the extension of agricultural improvements, it is only of late years that much has been done in that way. Possessing valuable seams of excellent coal, and enriched with the returns from its exportation, little attention was paid to the culture of the ground. The establishment of the Douglas and Heron Bank, though ruinous to the proprietors, contributed greatly to promote the improvement of Ayrshire. The abundance of wealth which it fallaciously seemed to pour into the country, and the ready command of money it gave, set all the proprietors towards improving and planting their estates, furnished means for raising and burning lime for manure, and above all, with the money from the bank, canals and roads were opened through every part of the county. Upon the failure of that extravagant and ill-conducted speculation, the proprietors of many estates saw their property brought to the hammer, and the greater part of their lands purchased by new proprietors. After the general distress, consequent on so disastrous a scheme, was somewhat relieved, the improvement which the land had received during the profusion of money, enabled the proprietors to continue the improvement, and the new settlers being mostly men of great fortune, allowed no expense to be wanting to produce the same end: and hence the improvement of the country was rather promoted than retarded, by an event which threatened to overwhelm not only Ayrshire, but the greater part of Scotland, in the gulf of bankruptcy. Ayrshire, besides the inexhaustible seams of coal with which it abounds, possesses several other valuable minerals; as freestone, lime-stone, iron-stone, several rich ores of lead and copper. A few curious specimens are also to be found in the hills of Carrick, of agates, porphyries, and of calcareous petrifications. In the parishes of Stair and New Cumnock, galena and plumbario have been found; and in several parts of the county is found that species of whetstone known by the name of Ayr-stone. There is plenty of marl in most of the lochs; the chief of which is Loch Doon, from which the river of that name takes its rise. There is annually a great quantity of sea-weed thrown ashore, from which many tons of kelp are made. All the rivers of Ayrshire abound with salmon, and the coasts are admirably adapted for the white fishing. The following is a statement of the population of this county at two different periods. Population in 1755. Population in 1790—1798 Parishes. Ardrossan 1297 1518 Auchinleck 887 775 Ayr 2964 4047 Ballantrae 1049 770 5 Barr 858 750 Beith 2064 2872 Cumbranes 259 509 Colmonell 1814 1100 Coylton 527 667 10 Craigie 551 700 Cumnock, New 1497 1200 Cumnock, Old 1336 1632 Dailly 839 1607 Dalmellington 739 681 15 Dalry 1498 2000 Dalrymple 439 380 Dreghorn 887 830 Dundonald 983 1317 Dunlop 796 779 20 Fenwick 1113 1281 Galston 1013 1577 Girvan 1193 1725 Irvine 4025 4500 Kilbirny 651 700 25 Kilbride, West 885 698 Kilmarnock 4403 6776 Kilmours 1094 1147 Kilwinning 2541 2360 Kirkmichael 710 956 30 Kirkofwald 1168 1335 Largs 1164 1025 Loudoun 1494 2308 Mauchline 1169 1800 Maybole 2058 3750 35 Monkton 582 717 Muirkirk 745 1100 Newton on Ayr 581 1689 Ochiltree 1210 1150 Riccartoun 745 1300 40 St Quivox 499 1450 Sorn 1494 2779 Stair 369 518 Stevenfloun 1412 2425 Stewartoun 2819 3000 45 Straitoun 1123 934 Symington 359 610 Tarbolton 1365 1200 Total, 59,268 75,544 59,268 Increase, 16,276