The Hall of Mansfield and Mansfield Mains are situated at either ends of a cross section on the Mansfield road, just beyond Bowes Cottage. To the south sits the Mains and to the north the Hall, sandwiched between the Mansfield Burn and the road to Mounthope farm.
On further inpsection the map below reveals two sandstone quarries, a freestone quarry, a clay pit as well as a limestone quarry and limekiln in the vicinity of the Hall of Mansfield.
BC=Bowes Cottage; MM=Mansfield Mains; HoM=Hall of Mansfield; MH = Mansfield House (now in ruins); MC=Mansfield Cottage
Walking up the road to Mounthope and soon after passing the road-end to the Hall of Mansfield the limekiln quickly comes into view sitting proudly in the field beyond the Hall Burn.
The key components of the Hall of Mansfield ‘lime-work’s are readily identified in the map below. The limestone quarry running west to east before ending with a dog-leg to the south. On the west-side of the quarry sits some out buildings and to the south built into an escarpment is a T-shaped limekiln. Access to the lime works is from a path off the road to Mounthope and a couple of bridges over the Hall Burn.
Ordnance Survey Maps
- 25 inch to the mile 1st edition 1855-1882 Sheet XLII.6
- Survey Date 1857 Publication date 1860
- 25 inch 2nd and later editions (1892-1949) Ayrshire 042.06
- Revised 1895 Publication Date 1896
The main changes in the maps of 1857 and 1896 is the disappearance of the pool at the footbridge over the Hall Burn and the appearance of two buildings on the banks of the burn upstream from the bridge. There also appears to be a building flush with the west side of the limekiln.
Limekiln
The path to the limekiln over the small bridge in the forefront with the track to the top of the kiln on the left to feed the limestone and a track to the track to the right to gather the lime.
West facing access arch
West facing acess arch
West and south facing access arches
South facing access arch
South facing access arch
South and east facing access arches
East facing access arch
East facing access arch
Top of kiln with pieces of scrap
Top of the kiln
Limestone Quarry
Quarry face
Quarry flood water
House & Outbuildings
This may be the site of the house that appears in the Valuation Roll of 1865 under the entry of N. Jamieson and Son who had a leass of “Hall Limework” and a”House”. It may also be the “Hall’s Cottar House” recorded in the 1881 Census at which time John McClure, ploughman and his family were resident.
House 1
The small brick pillars are presumably foundations for a floor
House 2
Outbuildings
Not sure what role these parallel blocks of stone played. Any idea?
Hall Burn
The bridge over the Hall Burn with Mansfield Mains farmhouse in the distance
Acknowledgements
Maps
- Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland.
- National Library of Scotland http://maps.nls.uk/index.html
Scotland’s People
http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk
- Census Records
- Valuations Rolls
- Births, Marriages and Deaths
Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical and Monuments of Scotland
The RCAHMS Canmore entry contains one image of the lime-kilns.
NEW CUMNOCK HISTORY 