Lochside, Lochside House, Lochside Loch

Place-Name:	Lochside
Suggested meaning	‘place beside a loch’
	SSE loch ‘loch’ SSE side ‘side’
Place-Name:	Lochside House
	Place-Name: Lochside + SSE house ‘house’
Place-Name:	Lochside House Hotel
	Place-Name: Lochside House + SSE hotel ‘hotel
Place-Name:	Lochside Loch
	Place-Name: Lochside + SSE loch ‘loch’
Place-Name	Loch O’ Th’ Lowes
	‘loch of the lochs’
	SSE loch ‘loch’ Of The S. lowis ‘lochs’
	N.B. Loch O’ The Lowes was the original name of the loch
Blaeu Coila (1654):	L. of the Lowis
OS Names Book (1855-57):	Lochside, Lochside Loch
Location:	Ordnance Survey (1892-1960)

Earlier Forms

Lochside: Lochside (1629), Lochside (1717-17 83)

Lochside Loch: L. of the Lowis (Blaeu 1645), Loch Side (Roy 1752-55) Lows (Armstrong 1775), Lochside Loch (OS 1857), Lowes Loch (estate map 1803) Loch O’ Th’ Lowes (OS 1897)

Lochside

SSE loch ‘loch’ + SSE side ‘side’

The Ayrshire Ordnance Survey Name Books (1855-57) entry for Lochside reads –

A good house situated on Lochside Loch. There is a small farm of arable land attached. It is in the occupation of Dr Rankin and the property of the Marquis of Bute.

The small farm at Lochside, i.e., ‘place at the side of the loch’ predates the good house by some two centuries century or more. It appears in the records of the Baird family that owned the Lowis properties as well as the land of Lochside and Hillheid [0]. Although the Lowis properties appear in the Blaeu Coilia Provincia (1654), Lochside is missing, however Hillhead appears on the Roy Map (1752-55) [see Map 2 link below].

• 2 mercat lie Nather Lowis (possesse per Jo. Baird et Catharinam Rankene relictam Hugonis M’Kowane
• 2 mercat. de Mid Lowis (per Jo. Asloane)
• 2 mercate de Lochside et Hillheid (per Andream Baird et Saram Murray relictam Joannis Baird in Hillheid)

The Old Parish Records of Births for New Cumnock reveal a strong relationship between Lochside and a Howat family in the 18th century. The following Howat families, possibly successive generations, considering that all births or baptisms may not have necessarily been recorded and that the first sons of William and John (II) are named after the father of the previous ‘generation’.

1. John Howat (I) & Christian Shaw (1717-1724)	2. William Howat & Jean Gemmell (1744-1751)	3. John Howat (II) & Jennet Barrie (1781-1783)
13 Oct 1717: James	04 Jan 1744: John	29 Apr 1781: William
24 Apr 1720: Thomas	06 Apr 1746: Robert	26 Jan 1783: Isabel*
27 May 1722: Agnes	07 Feb 1748: William	*missing birth place
14 Jun 1724: Christian	06 Jan 1751: Gavin

Armstrong’s map of 1775 shows Lochside farm (with no adjoining good house). However, it also shows it to be on the loch side of what is now known as Creoch Loch rather than ‘Lows Loch’ (now known as Loch O’ Th’ Lowes).

Following the ‘Howat dynasty‘, Andrew Brown & Jennet Boyd had a son and a daughter born at Lochside (1804,1806) followed by William Millar & Agnes McCrone who had a daughter born there too (1808).

Then came the Anderson family, John Anderson & Jennet Vass had 9 children born at Lochside farm (1810-1831) and the family were still living there at the time of the 1841 Census. However, hard times lay ahead and in 1848 his name appeared on the list of ‘Scotch Sequestrations’ [1] and then again in 1854 as ‘ J. Anderson farmer, grazier and cattle dealer, Lochside par. New Cumnock, thereafter grazier & cattle dealer, Bowes of Mansfield, now of Mansfield Village‘ [2].

The next tenant of Lochside appears to be Samuel Girdwood and his family. In 1844, the Woollen and Waulk Mill on the Lugar Water were to be let along with some facilities on the Dumfries Estate interested parties were requested to contact S. Girwood, Lochside [3], at which time he was serving as the factor of the Dumfries Estate. However, soon his focus was on the role of farmer at Lochside. He won prizes for his potatoes and carrots at the Cumnock Farmers’ Society Exhibition of Agricultural and Dairy Produce [4] and was called upon to judge sheep, i.e. ‘Short-horned breed, Leicester Sheep and Crosses‘ at the Ayrshire Agricultural Exhibition, Kilmarnock [5].

There were two entries for Lochside in the 1851 Census. The first that of Samuel Girdwood, farmer of 65 acres and his wife Agnes, along with Peter Wilson, farm labourer, while ‘next door‘ was John Beattie, farm labourer and his wife Margaret. These two residences would have been located in the small farm that sat adjacent to the railway line. For the purposes of clarity they will be referred to a Lochside Cottages. From the map below it is clear that Lochside House had been built by 1856 (the date the map was surveyed) and if had been built by 1851, it had no permanent resident at the time of the Census.

Lochside House

Place-Name: Lochside + SSE house ‘house’

Lochside House was said to be built as a personal shooting lodge for the Marquis of Bute and certainly through the years it was used as such. However, the house was tenanted at times by wealthy gentleman of note and their stories gave us an insight not only to their lives but also of the parish at that time.

1. Andrew Ranken M.D., Lochside House

The OS Name Books (1855-57) identified Dr.Rankin as the occupier of Lochside House at the time. He had New Cumnock connections in that he was he was one of fourteen children of George Ranken of Whitehill, New Cumnock and Janet Logan, daughter of John Logan of Knockshinnoch, New Cumnock. His father had acquired the lands of Burnhead in the parish of Sorn, and it was here that Andrew was born, on 10th January 1799. The family later settled at Glenlogan, Sorn while still holding the properties of Whitehill, Dalricket Mill, Auchengee and Braehead and others in the parish of New Cumnock [6].

Andrew M.D. Born 10th January 1799. Was in Demerara for twenty years. Married there Agnes Maria Koert, who died 15th March 1835, without issue, aged 20. He married secondly, in this country, in 1855, Grace Paterson, daughter of James Paterson of Carmacoup, Lanarkshire, and had issue one, George James.

Logans of Knockhinnoch [7]

The Ranken family, like many Scots, were attracted to settle and work in the British Colony of Demerara, on the north-east coast of South America. Indeed, the above account of the family, notes that elder brother Dr William Ranken ‘was for some years in Demerara‘ while another elder brother, Dr Hugh Ranken ‘was for some time in Demerara‘ [7].

Andrew Ranken’s obituary, following his death in 1888 at Ayr, provided some more information on his time at Demerara [8] –

Dr Andrew Ranken was educated at Sorn Parish School, afterwards at Ayr Academy and then Edinburgh University, and then Edinburgh University, where he graduated at the 21. Immediately, after he sailed for Demerara, where he practised for about fifteen years when he returned home.

Ayr Observer, Tuesday 30 October 1888

Aged 21, Dr Andrew Ranken would have settled in Demerara in 1820 and he probably became acquainted with another Ayrshire doctor, Michael McTurk, born at Polshill, New Cumnock. Like Ranken, he headed for the colony after graduating from university, only in his case Glasgow, some 10 years earlier.

Michael McTurk [9]: Although a medical doctor by profession McTurk was also a planter and he owned the plantation known as Felicity. He was also a public official serving as a Burgher-Captain presiding over the districts in the colony and was a Captain in the 1st Company of the 2nd Battalion of the Demerara Militia, in which position he played a major role in crushing the ‘Demerara Slave Rebellion of 1823’. Reports of trials and sentences of those involved are harrowing. Ten years later Parliament passed Abolition of Slavery Act (1833) and came into force in August 1834, at which time only slaves below the age of six were freed in the British Colonies, while those over the age of six were redesignated as apprentices, with the apprenticeship to end in August 1840. However, McTurk was successful in having a motion passed in July 1838 for the freedom of all slaves in the colony of British Guiana and for his efforts was knighted by Queen Victoria on 7th September 1839. The 1833 Act also provided for payments to slave-owners. He died at Demerara on 20th November 1844.

In 1812, Demerara had combined with another British colony to form Demerara-Essequibo and which in 1831 then united with Berbice to form British Guiana while seven years later the three former colonies were created Counties of British Guiana.

The on-line resource ‘British Guiana Colonists’ has proved invaluable in providing some details on the Ranken family [10].

• Dr Andrew Ranken: It gives the date and place of his marriage to Angenietta Maria Koert as 6th August 1834, at St. Mathew’s Church. It also gives the date of death of Angenietta as 20th October 1835. N.B. seven months later than the date given in the above account of the Logans of Knockshinnoch. In addition, the Scotland Census Records of 1841 show that Andrew had returned to Scotland and was living at the Ranken family home at Glenlogan, Sorn
• Dr William Ranken: Sadly, the first entry is death of his son George in 1840, at Golden Grove (he had been born at Edinburgh in 1835). The records also note the birth of a son William, at Demerara in the same year. Later daughters Regina (b.1841) and Jessie (b.1845) were both born at Golden Grove and sadly it was here too, in 1846, that his wife Mary Ann Ramsay Campbell died. In addition, the Scotland Census Records show that William had returned to Scotland and living at Glenlogan, along with his brother.
• Dr Hugh Ranken: No records but it is known he had returned to Scotland to practice medicine at Ayr and passed away in 1831.

Fortunately, a map of ‘St. Mathew’s Parish, being the east bank of Demerara River as far as settlements extend‘ has survived and is considered to have been created/published in 1832 [11]. There was a total of 20 plantations on the east bank and those in the vicinity of Golden Grove are listed below, along with the owners of the plantations, type of plantation and the number of Negro slaves on the plantation. The list of settlements, i.e., plantations can also be found in Joshua Bryant’s ‘Account of the Insurrection of the Negro Slaves in the Colony of Demerara of 1823‘ [12].

Joshua Bryant Account 1823/24 Plantations	Map of St . Mathew’s Parish 1832 Settlements	Map of St. Mathew’s Parish 1832 Owners, Type, No. of Negroes
14. Covent Garden	Covent Garden	Mr Osborn Coffee, 71 Negroes
15. Little Diamond	Prospect & Little Diamond	Mr Retemeyer Sugar, 147 Negores
16. Great Diamond	Great Diamond	Mr Montauroux Sugar & Coffee, 261 Negroes
17. Golden Grove	Grove*	Doctor Rankin Sugar, 149 Negroes
18. Success	Craig Success & Hope	Mr Horsefall Sugar, 102 Negroes
19. New Hope	see above	see above
20. Friendship	Friend	Boode? Sugar, 303 Negroes

*The name of the plantation on the map has been recorded as ‘Grove’ instead of ‘Golden Grove’ There is a Grove plantation but that is further east and nearer the coast. There is no doubt that the ‘Doctor Rankin’ sugar plantation was Golden Grove, in accordance with the births and deaths given at Golden Grove in the records of British Guiana. The plantation names still exist to this day, now as village names, on the east bank of the Demerara River. Golden Grove is a large built-up area, the term ‘Golden’ however is typically dropped from local facilities e.g. Grove Primary School, Grove Post Office, Grove Cemetery.

Statistics on the ‘Free Population’ and the ‘Population of Negroes’ are also annotated on the map of the parish of St. Mathew’s and are presented here as follows [11]-

Free Population	No. of Males	No. of Females	Total
White	82	20	102
Black & Coloured	36	51	87
Grand Total	118	71	189

Negro Population	No. of Negroes
attached to estates	5205
otherwise dispersed not Known	189
Grand Total	5394

First impressions suggest that the name ‘Doctor Rankin‘ annotated on the St. Mathew’s parish is a reference to Andrew rather than William, since his arrival at Demerara based on the records above, i.e., 1835-1840, post-dates the creation of the map in 1832.

However, further research reveals that Dr William Ranken was a leading planter in the colony of Demerara. In 1847 fellow planters, merchants and inhabitants appointed a committee to collect evidence for the Select Committee of the House of Commons on the subject of ‘Sugar and Coffee Planting’ and Ranken was selected to go to England to present their findings [9]. Ranken had previously prepared a pamphlet on ‘Thoughts on Guiana‘ under the pseudonym of ‘An Old Planter‘ [14] and was clearly admired in some quarters as witnessed in the following article in The Barbadian [15]-

Dr Ranken is a landed proprietor, practically acquainted with the distress at this moment overwhelming landed property in the colony….. ……he is one of our leading, as well as most enlightened colonists. Though he has written a book to prove that the colony is ruined, and is, consequently, looked upon by the over-cautious as a kind of mischief-maker, his brother delegates, from the islands will find him a very pleasing, unaffected, sensible, refined person.

The Barbadian, 27th Nov, 1847

Dr William Ranken was ‘called in, and Examined‘ on 23rd March 1848, the examination covering some 28 pages of the report, excluding tables of data he also provided. Of particular interest, for the purpose of this research, was the evidence he gave regarding ‘4,300 immigrants imported into British Guiana in the years 1835, 1836, 1837, and 1838‘, to which he responded ‘I beg to say that I cannot speak positively upon that subject; that was at a time when I was absent from the colony‘ [9, p.128, item 12352]. This suggests he left the colony in 1834/35 and returned to Scotland, which ties in with the timeline above (i.e., birth of his first child at Edinburgh in 1835) and returned to Demerara in 1839, which also ties in with the timeline (i.e., death of that child at Demerara in 1840). Ranken also noted he left the colony on 18th January last! (1847 or 1848?).

Later in the examination, the discussion turned to the recommendation made by the Governor of Demerara as far back as 1834 regarding ‘the introduction of the plough enabling the planters to cultivate more land with a smaller number of labourers.’ The Select Committee enquired ‘has that recommendation been attended to and adopted?‘ Ranken’s response ‘I can say that I have seen the plough at Demerara in 1815.’ [9, p.141, item 12535]. It is easy to imagine Ranken savouring that moment, however for the purpose of this research the key point is that Dr William Ranken was in Demerara in 1815, at which time he would have been 20 years old.

Finally, another snippet of interest is that Ranken revealed after being asked when he had left the colony, he replied ‘On the 18th January last.’ In the understanding that Ranken met with fellow planters in 1847, in preparation for the Select Committee, then ‘January last‘, must be January 1848.

In conclusion, it appears that Dr William Ranken moved to Demerara ca. 1815, aged 20 years old had, at some point, acquired Golden Grove plantation on the east Demerara. For family reasons he returned to Scotland in 1834/25-1839/40 and then returned to his plantation. In his pamphlet ‘Thoughts on Guiana’ he described himself as ‘An Old Planter‘ (rather than ‘An Old Doctor‘). He left the colony in January 1848. As the proprietor or planter, he would no doubt have been supported by a plantation manager, who presumably also looked after affairs during any absences from the colony. Presumably, his younger brother Dr Andrew Ranken, would also have lived on the plantation in his role as a Doctor of Medicine. As noted above the two brothers were living at Glenlogan, Sorn at the time of the 1851 Census.

Although Dr Andrew Ranken was resident at Glen Logan in 1851, his entry in the Ayrshire Post Office Directory 1851/52 reads ‘RANKEN, Dr. Andrew, Lochside, New Cumnock‘ [16] and presumably had settled there at Lochside House by the following year.

In 1855, he married, Grace Paterson, daughter of James and Grizzel Paterson of Carmacoup, Douglas, Lanarkshire and three years later they had a son George Thomas, born in Portobello, Duddingston; although the birth is registered in the parish of New Cumnock.

Dr. Andrew Ranken quickly settled into public life serving as a Justice of the Peace, at the court in Old Cumnock, for most of his time at Lochside. He was often in demand to chair dinners in honour of local dignitaries or for social events.

On 12th September 1856, as ‘Andrew Rankine Esq. of Lochside House‘ he chaired the dinner in honour of the tenth anniversary of the birthday of the Most Noble 3rd Marquis of Bute (his landlord effectively) at Mrs. McKnight’s Crown Inn, New Cumnock. Dr Ranken had recently interviewed the ‘youthful marquis‘ and was clearly impressed but also shared some fears at the dinner [17] –

The chairman also, in the course of his remarks, expressed a fear that that the noble youth might be so much confined to the society of mature minds as to be in a danger of passing through the season and scenes of childhood and youth without an opportunity of imbibing the usual experience, and receiving the ordinary impressions which are common and naturally appropriate to the opening mind.

Dumfries and Galloway Standard, Wednesday 17 September 1856

In October 1859, ‘Dr Rankine of Lochside‘ was called to the chair when Sir James Fergusson, 6th Baronet of Kilkerran addressed the Conservative electors at New Cumnock seeking their support to represent the Conservative Party in the forthcoming by-election to become Member of Parliament for the Ayrshire constituency. Observed at the meeting were Hyslop of Bank; Proudfoot, Lanemark; Craig Guelt; Craig, Lowesmuir; McKerrow, Knockshinnoch; Craig, Blackwood; George Pagan, New Cumnock and Campbell, merchant. ‘On concluding his address Mr. A. B. Todd, Benston, proposed Sir James as a fit and proper person to represent this county in Parliament, which being duly seconded was carried unanimously with cheers. Sir James then moved a vote of thanks be awarded to Dr. Rankin for his conduct in the chair‘ [18]. Fergusson went on to win the seat from the Liberal by 46 votes.

Fergusson had previously served as Member of Parliament for the Ayrshire after winning a by-election in December 1854, following the death of the sitting Conservative MP. However, in the General Election of 1857, he lost his seat to Patrick Crichton-Stuart, representing the Whig Party, who was re-elected unopposed in 1859, now representing the Liberal Party. In September of that year, Crichton-Stuart, passed away aged 65 years forcing another by-election. He was the second son of the 1st Marquess of Bute and the uncle of the aforementioned 3rd Marquess of Bute [19].

In 1860, ‘Dr Rankin of Lochside‘ was in the chair when a public meeting was held in the parish schoolroom for the purpose of raising a Volunteer Rifle Corps. Sir James Stuart-Menteth of Mansfield had given £20; the Hon. Mrs Geoffrey Browne (i.e., Christina Guthrie, Dalleagles and Polquhirter), and Mr. Craig, Lowesmuir, £10 towards defraying expenses. However, very few attendees enrolled their names owing to the difficulty in attending drill due to the considerable distances between their farm and the town [20].

The 1861 Census entry for Lochside had Andrew Ranken and his wife Grace and their baby son George living there along with a nurse, cook and two domestic servants; clearly a reference to Lochside House. There also was an entry for Lochside Cottage (i.e., one of the residences at the small farm) home to John Rorison, shepherd and his family

County-wide, Dr Ranken represented the town in several other organisations including the Commissioners of Supply for the County Ayr and the Kyle Union Poor Board.

In 1871, Dr Andrew Ranken and his wife relocated to the town of Ayr, initially to 4 Kensington Terrace and later to 6 Park Terrace where he passed away on 25th October 1888. His obituary included the following contribution from the New Cumnock correspondent [8].

When the intelligence of the demise of this well-known and highly respected gentleman reached this place, last week, great regret, but no surprise was expressed by the people here, seeing that he was then bearing the burden of nearly ninety years. For a good number of years Dr Ranken rested at Lochside House in this parish, though long before that, he had retired from practice, possessing a competency as a landed gentleman. Sprung from the old Ayrshire family of Glenlogan and Whitehill, Dr Ranken nevertheless adopted the medical profession, and practised for many years abroad, and sometime after retiring from foreign parts, took up residence at Lochside, and being put upon the Commission of the Peace, he often occupied the bench at Cumnock J.P. Courts and was noted for his good judgement, though merciful sentences, and by high and low was held in great esteem and respect. The associate and the country gentleman, he was of easy access and most condescending to the poor, to whom he was always considerate and kind, though with without the least ostentation; and though a thorough and unbending Conservative, yet his upright conduct and kindly disposition gained for him the highest respect of even his keenest political opponents. Although it is nearly twenty years now since he left this locality and settled in the county town, yet his name still continued to be a household word in the place, and after having served his day and generation well he has gone to his grave in peace, leaving a memory behind him which will long be savoury in the West of Scotland. Dr Ranken leaves a widow and one son behind him to mourn his loss and revere and cherish the memory of a loving husband, a kind father, and a good man.

Ayr Observer, Tuesday 30 October 1888

Although he was buried at Ayr New Cemetery, his name also appears on the family memorial stone at Sorn Kirkyard and both his name and that of his brother William, are styled as –

• WILLIAM, M.D. DEMERARA
• ANDREW, M.D. DEMERARA

His wife, Grace Paterson, passed away at Ayr in 1900, aged 83 years.

2. Surgeon Major John Findlay Arthur, CSI, Lochside House

N. B. J. F. Arthur CSI was one of the soldiers selected for the Soldier Trail in The Auld Kirkyard, New Cumnock [21].

John Findlay Arthur was the eldest of five children of David Arthur and Jane Findlay. He was born 17th January 1807, at Crook, a small cottage on the lands of Wellhill, that were later farmed by his father. Wellhill was part of the Marquis of Bute’s estate, just over a mile to the west of Lochside.

After some years labouring on the farm, John decided this was not the life for him and enrolled at the University of Glasgow to study medicine. In 1831 he graduated as a Doctor in Medicine (M.D.) and five years later as a Master of Surgery (C.M.). In between times he practiced medicine at in the village of Catrine, some 10 miles north-east of New Cumnock.

In February 1836, John aged 29 years, entered service as an assistant surgeon with the Indian Medical Service (IMS) and in 1852 was promoted to surgeon. He served with the 1st Madras Fusiliers in the relief of Lucknow during the Indian Mutiny or Rebellion (1857-59) and retired from the army with the rank of Surgeon-Major on 29th February 1860. In June 1869, his service in India was recognised with the military honour of ‘The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India’, in the class of ‘Companion of the Star of India‘, now to be known as John Findlay Arthur CSI.

There is no record of John Arthur Findlay in the Scotland Census 1861. However, in the 1865 Valuation Rolls of Old Cumnock, the name John Arthur is recorded as the tenant at the ‘mansion house of Glaisnock‘, owned by Robert Bannatyne of Glaisnock. This seems certain to be John Findlay Arthur, since his brother William Arthur, Wellhill, New Cumnock, 2 miles from Glaisnock, is recorded as the tenant of the associated land. Therefore, it seems that it was from Glaisnock House, Old Cumnock that Dr. John Findlay Arthur CSI reacquainted himself with his homeland.

The earliest record found (thus far) of him back in the vicinity of New Cumnock was his attendance at the ‘New Cumnock Twelfth September Club‘ and its sixteenth annual meeting on Saturday 12th September 1863, in honour of the Marquis of Bute’s birthday. ‘Twenty-three gentlemen sat down to an excellent dinner in the Crown Hotel. John Hyslop, Esq., of Bank, occupied the chair; Dr. F. Arthur, late of the East Indian Army, being croupier’ [22].

*H.E.I.C.S. – Honourable East Indian Company Service

In June 1864, ‘Doctor John Arthur late H.E.I.C.S.’ was one several gentlemen appointed as a Justice of the Peace for the County of Ayr [23]. One of J. F. Arthur’s early appearances at the J.P. Court House, Old Cumnock was on 9th January 1865, along with four other J.P.s, including Dr Andrew Ranken, of Lochside; president that day. Several cases were covered including the following one from New Cumnock [24] –

John Broom, carter, Connel Burn, New Cumnock, accused of a contravention of the Turnpike Road Act, by driving on the 29th of Nov, on the turnpike road from Old to New Cumnock, a cart which he was the owner, without having his name and place of abode painted thereon in terms of the Act. Pled guilty, and was fined in the sum of 3s, with 17s of expensed, or 17 days imprisonment,

The Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald, Saturday 21 January 1865

J. F. Arthur continued to serve as a J.P. throughout his time at New Cumnock and gained a reputation of being ‘severe in his punishment, especially poachers, he always evinced a desire to know all the circumstances of a case, and to take these into account’ [25].

As noted above Dr Andrew Rankin and his family departed from Lochside House to settle in Ayr and were living there at the time of the Census, 2/3 April 1871. At the time John F. Arthur was recorded as living as a lodger at Moray Place, Edinburgh and his occupation was recorded as ‘M.D. & M.C. Surgeon Retired, Madras Army‘.

It perhaps is no coincidence that the 1871 Census of New Cumnock noted that Lochside House was ‘under repairs‘. Meanwhile William Purdie, farm servant, his wife Janet Hastings and their nine children were living at the one of the cottages, all of their children had been born at Old Cumnock, apart from their youngest who was born at Lochside in 1870, but sadly died there the following year.

J.F. Arthur returned from Edinburgh and attended the J.P. Court at Old Cumnock, a month later on 1st May 1871, albeit there is no reference to his abode of Lochside [26], which remained the case in the remaining J.P. Courts throughout that year.

It was at New Cumnock Annual Ploughing Match, on 14th January 1872, held at Righead Farm, that J. F. Arthur Esq., Lochside presented the winner J. Paterson, Auchinleck with the Highland Society’s medal, as well as having gifted £1 prize money [27], a task he would continue to do through his time at Lochside. Later that year J. F. Arthur, Lochside won 1st prize in the category of ‘Horse or mare, for saddle or harness, not under 15 1/2 hands high‘ at the Annual New Cumnock Cattle Show ‘held in a field contiguous field to the parish church‘ [28].

The 1875 Valuation Rolls records John Finlay* Arthur (* Findlay) as the tenant of Lochside House as well as a field at Lochside, while across the other side of the lochs his brother William Arthur was tenant at Wellhill and his cousin Alexander Arthur tenant at Benston; all three Arthurs tenants of the Marquis of Bute.

Lochside Loch was one of the key venues for curling in the parish and would host many competitions in the district as well as ‘friendly‘ matches. In early February 1879 two rinks met on the loch for the charitable cause of competing for ‘half a ton of meal for the poor’. One rink represented the Marquis of Bute’s estate, skippered by Mr Bruge of Dalgig and the other represented the rest of the parish of New Cumnock, skippered by Dr Richard G. Herbertson. Brothers John and William Arthur turned out for the Bute estate with the former losing heavily and latter losing by a shot as victory went to the New Cumnock rink by a score of 199 to 151 [29].

Mr. Bruges’s rink (Marquis of Bute’s estate)	Score	Dr Herbertson’s Rink (New Cumnock Parish)	Score
J. Arthur	11	Hugh Craig	21
R. Craig	14	David Weir	21
J. Paterson	8	Wm. Howat	21
J. Paterson, Creoch	21	Wm. Hyslop	15
H. Hamilton	12	George Patrick	21
A. Murdoch	18	George Kerr	21
M. Campbell	14	M. Douglas	21
W. Arthur	20	Jas. Gilmour	21
J. Steele	21	A. Sloan	16
Mr Bruges	12	R. G. Herberston	21
	151		199

There were 3 entries for Lochside in the 1881 Census the first that of Lochside House where J. F. Arthur lived along with two domestic servants Grace Neilson and Jessie Swift. At the neighbouring cottages lived Thomas White, coachman along with his wife Catherine and their children while next door was Hugh McCrie, gamekeeper and Janet Finlay, general servant.

Around that time J. F. Arthur got a visit from Captain Richard Bannatine, the son of the late Richard Bannatine of Glaisnock House, where Arthur had lived for a spell. Captain Bannatine had served with distinction throughout the 2nd Afghan War (1878-1880) and was paying a flying visit to his native district and stayed at Lochside as a guest of J.F. Arthur for a few days [29].

Understandably Arthur took an active interest of events in Afghanistan having served for some 25 years in the Madras Army in India and was outspoken about the possible Russian advance through Afghanistan to India. Indeed a few years later at the New Cumnock Conservative Association meeting in the Castle Hall (at the Castle Inn) he rose to speak [30] –

I refer to India and Afghanistan. Having had some experience of that part of the world, I take deeper interest in it. Though India is of the utmost importance to this country commercially and politically, it is far distant, and does not excite so much public interest as home politics. It is well known that Russia has long entertained the design of reaching Afghanistan and she has been insidiously, but steadily, advancing towards the Afghan frontier for a century or so. As a preliminary step to the conquest of India, the possession of Afghanistan, or at least supremacy there is absolutely necessary.

The Ayr Observer and Galloway Chronicle, February 6, 1885

The Valuation Rolls of 1885 revealed some changes in property ownership with J. F. Arthur now owning the cottages as well as the addItion of some offices. Thomas White was still the coachman while William McClure was now the gamekeeper and both now tenants of Arthur. Gamekeeper McClure made the headlines early in the following year [32] –

NEW CUMNOCK -REMARKABLE SHOT Last Week Mr. William McClure, gamekeeper to J. F. Arthur Esq., Lochside, made one of the most wonderful shots of which we have ever heard, bringing down in the meadow of Hall of Auchincross, a wild drake, at the distance of 112 yards, with a breach-loading fowling piece. The cartridge was 3 drachms, No. 4 gunpowder, 1 1/2 oz. No. 5 shot. The gun (which is No. 12 bore), with ammunition, was purchased from Mr William McGeachin, Cumnock.

Ayr Observer, Friday 29 January 1886

On 26th July 1886 John Arthur Findlay Esq., M.D., C.S.I., aged 79 years passed away at Lochside House, his home for the previous 15 years. An extract from his obituary is given below [33] –

He was tall and soldierly in his bearing, spare of body, of very active habits, and possessed of a strong and vigorous intellect. He was naturally fond of field sports, but, unlike the typical sportsman, was quiet and retiring in his nature. He was also a keen student and kept himself fully abreast of the literature of the day. In politics he was a Conservative but was never aggressive in thrusting his opinions on others. During all his long life, with its many trials and vicissitudes, he enjoyed the most perfect health, and was a notable example of the man who is temperate in all things. He was within a few months of his 80th year when he died and had been ailing for some three weeks previously. His latter end was peace.

The Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald, Friday 30 July 1886

On the 15th of December 1885 ‘John Findlay Arthur M.D. C.S.I. Surgeon Major on the Retired List of the Madras Army‘ had prepared his last will and testament, witnessed by Thomas White, coachman and William McClure, gamekeeper [Scotland’s People]. The main beneficiaries were to be his brothers David and William along with his sister Margaret McTurk* (now living in Australia) and their families. J. F. Arthur also wished to reward his ‘faithful servants‘ –

If there be any old & faithful servants, such as the present in my service at my decease it is my intention to bequeath them suitable legacies. Should my decease occur suddenly or circumstances prevent me from adding a formal Codici , I ordain my Executors to pay them as under signed J. F. Arthur. – Thomas White, coachman, Fifty pounds, To his son Arthur White named after me Five pounds to completer his education. Grace Nilson, housekeeper and cook, Thirty pounds, Lizzie Swift, housemaid, Thirty pounds, William McClure, gamekeeper, short service Ten pounds each of the above named servants to receive a suit of mourning at my decease if each remain until that event.

Scotland’s People. Legal Records, Ayr Sheriff Court

John Findlay Arthur left over £28,000 in his will. He lies in the Arthur family plot in the Auld Kirkyard, New Cumnock.

It was the end of an era of sorts at Lochside House following the tenure of Dr Andrew Ranken and Dr John Findlay Arthur. Both men had strong New Cumnock connections and both men had spent much of their lives in British colonies, one in the sugar plantations of Guiana and the other serving in the Madras Army.

There were no recorded residents at Lochside House in the 1891 Census. William McClure, gamekeeper was still in one of the cottages (address given as Lochside Gamekeeper in the Census) with his wife Euphemia Baird and their nine children, four of whom had been born at the cottage since J.F. Arthur had passed. Thomas White, coachman and his family had moved on – no need for a coachman, if no one living at the big house – and he found work in Auchinleck.

The cottages were now back under the ownership of the Marquis of Bute. Meanwhile Lochside House was now available for season tenants.

3.1 James Arthur, Lochside House

The Annual New Cumnock Schoolfellows’ Reunion was held in the Town Hall on Hogmanay, 31st December 1891and those in attendance included James Arthur, Lochside House [34]. This was James Arthur born at Benston in 1843, the son of the aforementioned Alexander Arthur, cousin of John Findlay Arthur.

On leaving Benston, he travelled to Belize in Central America and made his living as a merchant before returning to the UK and settling at Hampstead. In 1884 he married Olive Bushby, daughter of Thomas Bushby, gentleman in West Sussex. At the time of the 1891 Census England the couple were living at Hove, East Sussex along with their three young children – two born at British Honduras and the middle one at Sussex. Also in the household was a domestic cook, parlour maid and two nurses while James Arthur was now a Central American Merchant retired [Ancestry UK].

During their short stay at Lochside House both James and Mrs Arthur got involved in local events. As well as the Schoolfellows Reunion, James attended the annual New Cumnock Ploughing Match in February 1892 at Gatehead Farm, and donated prize money (£1) to the Seniors – in this case to James Craig, House o’ Water [35]. Mrs Arthur of Lochside House was a prize winner at Catrine Cattle Show in May (which covered much more than coos) coming out on top in the Poultry section winning ‘The Best Coop, any class 1st and medal‘. She also won individual prizes 1st & 3rd Golden or Silver Pencilled Hamburgs Cock or Hen and 1st Single Hen any distinct variety [36].

4. Alfred Thomson Crawshay, Lochside House

In the 1895 Valuation Rolls there were no tenants assigned to Lochside House. However soon after, Alfred Thomson Crawshay, a notable sportsman and a man of independent means took up residency at Lochside House [37].

Alfred Crawshay was the eldest child of Captain Alfred Crawshay, 17th Lancers and Jessy Crawshay, the captain’s first cousin. He was born in 1850 at Colney Hatch, Middlesex before the family settled at Dan-y-park, Crickhowel, Brecknockshire (Powys) in Wales. His mother Jessy was the daughter of William Crawshay, Esq. of Cyfarthfa Castle, Glamorganshire known as a great ironmaster of Wales [38].

At the time of the 1901 Census Nellie Houston, cook and Bessie Houston, housemaid were both residents at Lochside House. There were also new residents at the cottages with John Houston, gardener and his wife Annie, along with four children and two grandchildren. Next door was James Tweddle, gamekeeper and his wife Eliza, along with his sister-in-law Margaret Boyd, domestic cook. The gamekeeper made some extra income in the ‘For Sale’ columns of The Scotsman offering ‘a 3 month old retriever dog for £1 and two bitch ferrets in young, 8 shillings the pair’ [40]. Meanwhile, Alfred Crawshay was staying at Dunalastair Hotel, Kinloch-Rannoch one of his favourite locations for angling trips, fishing the River Tummel. He returned there for a week’s fishing the following summer.

The 1905 Valuation Rolls reveal that Alfred Crawshay, gentleman was now also a shooting tenant at Lochside, one of a number of Shootings up for letting in the parish owned by the Marquis of Bute. They also show a change of gardener with William Gray Cowan now in place.

Further changes in personnel at the time of the 1911 Census with Jane Hastings, cook; Mary Houston, parlour maid and Mary Rankin, house maid in Lochside House attending to Alfred Crayshaw, 60 and his wife Margaret*, 35. While there were two new families in the cottages, namely those of Thomas Davidson, gardener and John Malcolm, gamekeeper .

* Alfred Crawshay, age 22 and Maria Augusta Matthew Cornish, age 18 were married in 1872. His death certificate 1916 nores he was married to Madeline Cornish. Was Margaret a second ‘wife’?

At Christmas 1912, Alfred Crawshay made the headlines ‘Ayrshire Shooting Tenant Prosecuted‘ and was charged at Ayr Sheriff Court under the National Insurance Act with having failed to stamp the contribution cards in respect of his gamekeeper (4 occasions), domestic servant (2 occasions) and another domestic servant (1 occasion). It transpired that all three had produced their cards to be stamped but he refused to do so. Crawshay’s position ‘was that he had all along been perfectly willing to pay his employer’s contribution, but, rightly or wrongly he said he was not entitled to make any deduction from the wages which he had contracted to pay to his servants’. The prosecution requested a special penalty ‘in the first instance he was a man of influence in the district in which he resided. He was a shooting tenant of a large house near Cumnock and of course anything that he did became current throughout the community. The accused had deliberately refused to obey the Act and had been very defiant‘. The Sheriff imposed a fine of £5, and ordained him to pay the contributions of 16s. 3d., considerably less than the £70 fine suggested by the prosecution [41].

Perhaps, coincidentally, the 1915 Valuation Rolls recorded a change of gamekeeper at Lochside, with James Dawson taking up that position. Meanwhile, Alfred Crawshay tenanted the shootings at Fordmouth, on the North Boig lands, owned by Alexander Ballantine.

In the summer of that year Alfred Crayshaw advertised for a Handy Man (preferably married, with no family) to look after a Garden and Pony, offering a wage of £1 per week with a good-house and garden [42] . Soon after he was looking for a Man (elderly and preferably single) to kill rabbits and help the gamekeeper for 3 months. He must be thoroughly sober, offering a wage of £1 per week and 2s 6d lodging money [43]. It was interesting to not the applicants for either position had to be ‘not eligible for the army‘.

In the early morning of 20th March 1916, Alfred Thomson Crawshay, aged 65, passed away at Lochside House. His obituary in The Scotsman reads [37] –

OBITUARY NOTICE , MR A. T. CRAWSHAY We regret to announce the death, which took place on Monday at Lochside, New Cumnock, of Mr Alfred Thomas Crawshay, a gentleman well-known and highly respected in that district. Mr Crawshay, who has been in failing health for a number of years, was 65 years of age. For upwards of twenty years he had been tenant of Lochside shootings. He was a keen sportsman and a splendid shot with the fowling piece. All the game he killed was distributed among the farmers and villagers, or sent to hospitals throughout the country. As an angler he had few equals. His record catch for one day was sixteen salmon and in the course of one season his catches weighed a ton and a half. He was accustomed to fish in the best rivers in the north of Scotland and Wales. Mr Crayshaw is survived by his widow, and to her the sympathy of the community will be extended in her sad bereavement. The body was removed to Maryhill, Glasgow, on Wednesday, the coffin being conveyed from Lochside House along the avenue in a waggonette under the charge of Mr Alex Muir, who had driven Mr Crawshay and his friends to the shootings for a number of years. On reaching the Glasgow road the coffin was transferred to a motor hearse, and conveyed to the crematorium in Maryhill.

The Scotsman, Tuesday, 28 March, 1916

The tree-lined road from Lochside House to the junction with the New Cumnock to Cumnock road was understandably known as the Avenue and the trees must have been planted some time after the publication of the 1st Edition OS Maps (1856), which show no trees.

Alexander Muir, coachman lived at nearby Pathhead, tenant of the Tweedie family who owned a Joiners/Funeral Directors business at Mossmark. Alexander married Kate Tweedie and the business eventually passed to the Muir family which continues this day under his great-grandson Alex Muir and his son Robbie.

Today some glorious pine trees still line the avenue.

5. Mrs. Margaret Weir, Lochside House

The Valuation Rolls of 1920 reveal some significant changes at Lochside. The Marquis of Bute was no longer the proprietor which were now owned by ‘James Sloan, 16 William Street, Kilmarnock‘. He was a spirit dealer and owned the Rainbow Bar in Kilmarnock. The buildings comprise Lochside House and three cottages (one of the original cottages divided into two). James was the eldest child of George Sloan and Agnes Nisbet and was born in 1851 in New Cumnock, probably at Marchfoot in the Waterhead estate. The family later settled at Stonyknowes, also in the Waterhead Estate, where their fifth child Margaret was born [Scotland’s People].

Margaret would later marry James Weir, farmer at Lochhill (previously known as East Lowes), New Cumnock neighbouring the lands of Lochside. James died in 1919, and widow Margaret relocated to Lochside House, owned by her eldest brother James Sloan. Meanwhile James Dawson, gamekeeper now turned woodcutter was in one cottage while James Anderson, shepherd was in the other.

The 1921 Census Records provided more detail. Margaret Weir was in Lochside House, which has 11 rooms, living with her adult children Margaret, George, Jean and Elizabeth Clarke along with her son Fred Clarke. James Anderson, now working as a labourer at nearby Pathhead Colliery, and his wife Annie were in a two-roomed cottage. Next door in another two-roomed cottage lived James Dawson and his wife Christina along with their four young children Alice, James, Jean and John; the latter two born in the cottage.

6. Robert Rogerson, Lochside House

The 1925 Valuation Rolls revealed ‘Jean Sloan (Mrs George Davies) per James Sloan’ as the proprietor of Lochside House, she was the daughter of James Sloan.

Meanwhile Margaret Weir had moved to live at Troon and the new resident at Lochside House was Robert Rogerson, railway foreman. Born in Powfoot, Dumfriesshire the son of Peter Rogerson, agricultural labourer and Isabella Martin. He married Lillias Twynholm and together they had nine children all born in Dumfriesshire (1889-1908) – Lizzie, Peter, Bella, George, Alexander, Jane Ann, Marion Maude, Walter and James; in 1913 two of the siblings, Peter (22) and Jane Ann (13) emigrated to Canada, in 1913 [Ancestry].

It was around this time that the Robert & Lillian Rogerson and their family moved to New Cumnock, other than son George who worked as a ticket collector at Carronbridge railway station. Robert also found work on the railways as a foreman surfaceman, while son Alexander worked as the Bank Colliery.

At first the family lived at Gatehead Cottage out the Mansfield Road and it was here in 1914 that eldest child Elizabeth married Thomas Cravens, railway signalman. War broke out that year and sadly in 1916 within a few months of each other brothers Alexander, Black Watch (22nd April, Persian Gulf) and George, Cameron Scottish Rifles (21st September) were killed in action.

The family then moved to Southampton House, Pathhead and it was from here in February 1922 that daughter Marion Maud headed for the Manse of the parish church to marry William Ingham, cow dealer, Bootle, Liverpool. In the same year sister Bella was June bride, then working at Castle Mains farm she married the farmer, William Sloan; at that time younger brother Walter also worked as a ploughman on the farm.

The Rogerson’s neighbours at the Lochside cottage were William Cravens and his family, the brother-in-law of Elizabeth Rogerson. While in the adjoining cottages remained James Dawson, woodcutter and James Anderson, shepherd.

In 1924, Walter Rogerson, railway surfaceman, the second youngest son was living at Lochside House when he travelled to Hillhead farm, Tynron Dumfriesshire to marry Eliza Miller McNiven, daughter of Lachlan McNiven, shepherd and Eliza Morton. His younger brother James also travelled from Lochside House to act as a witness.

The 1930 Valuation Rolls revealed a change in ownership of Lochside House and the cottages to that of ‘James Rogerson, 42 Balliol Road, Liverpool per Robert Rogerson, Lochside House‘. James, was the eldest brother of Robert Rogerson who had established a joinery and contractor business in Bootle, Liverpool. He and his wife Marion Maud Wright also suffered the loss of a son during the war, Private William George Rogerson (10th Liverpool Scottish) was killed in action on June 14, 1915, at Hooge near Ypres, in Flanders, Belgium. Although there was no change to the residents at Lochside House and the cottages, all the heads of household now worked on the railways – Robert Rogerson, railway foreman; William Cravens, pointsman; James Dawson, railway surfaceman and John Anderson, railway surfaceman.

Meanwhile that year, Walter Rogerson, railway surfaceman and his wife Eliza in were celebrating the birth of their first child, Robert (Bobby) Rogerson at Gate-House, Connel Park; siblings Lachland ans Elizabeth would follow over the next four years.

Two years later James Rogerson, railway platelayer and living at Lochside House, married Janet Craig who lived at Polquhap, just over a mile along the railway line and just over the parish boundary with Old Cumnock. Their wedding record notes that Robert Rogerson is now a retired foreman platelayer. Meanwhile the newlyweds lived upstairs in Lochside House before later settling at Dumfries [44]

The 1935 Valuation Rolls recorded another change of ownership at Lochside following the death of James Rogerson the previous year, i.e., ‘Proprietor: Executor of late James Rogerson per P. Rogerson, Pembroke Road, Bootle, Liverpool‘ where P. Rogerson is Peter the eldest son of James. Robert Rogerson is still resident in Lochside House, so too William Craven and James Dawson in the cottages. However, John Anderson had moved on and that cottage was now occupied by Mrs Elizabeth Park, she owned a wooden shop at the top of the avenue or Lochside road-end [Valuation Rolls].

In November 1938, Robert’s wife Lillias, passed away at Lochside House and she lies at rest in Afton Cemetery. With Robert now on his own in the Rogerson family from the Gate House moved into the big House at Lochside.

The 1940 Valuation Rolls, the last available on line, once again recorded a change in ownership with Robert Rogerson now the proprietor of Lochside House and Offices and the three Lochside Cottages. However, Lochside House was now divided into two parts, namely the ground floor and upstairs. Although Robert owned both parts of the house, he was the tenant of the ground floor while upstairs was let out to other tenants, which at this time was John MacFarlane and his family. Meanwhile the tenants of the cottages remained William Cravens and James Dawson and their families, as well as Mrs Elizabeth Park, who still owned her wooden shop at the Lochside road-end.

Robert Rogerson died on the 7th of January 1957 and was laid to rest alongside his wife Lillias in the Afton Cemetery, their headstone also bearing the names of their sons Alexander and George Rogerson that lost their lives in the Great War.

This is an appropriate place to conclude the research into Lochside House and cottages and the people that lived there. The late Bobby Rogerson (son of Walter and grandson of Robert) penned a fascinating account of growing up in New Cumnock which includes the Rogersons time at Lochside House. You can find ‘Captain Number Two, The tale of a wandering Connel Park laddie‘ on the New Cumnock Now and Then and it is more than well worth a read [44].

Lochside House Hotel

Through the years Lochside House was transformed into the Lochside House Hotel and now Lochside House Hotel, Spa and Lodges and is noted for its setting in Burns Country, its range of functions and is recognised as one of Ayrshire’s and Scotland’s Wedding Venues.

Lochside Fields

As well as a meadow associated with Lochside House there were also a few named fields on the lands of Lochside that were let out, namely South Fields, Field above the Road and Low Field [Valuation Rolls]. South Fields would become the home of the New Cumnock Golf Club.

The new golf course on the ‘South fields’ at Lochside was formally opened on Saturday 14^th May 1904. There was a large turnout of members of the club of both sexes including Mr and Mrs Hyslop of Bank, J. B. Cunningham Esq., Dr Robert H Gemmel, club captain, Rev William Scott, vice-captain (United Free Church) and three other minister Revs. James Miller (New Cumnock Parish Church), James Mechie (Bank United Free Church) and J. Campbell [45].

We stand to-day on the third golf course in the parish history. Eight years ago, a few friends succeeded in introducing golf to the village; but alas, the game soon lost interest, and some now before me were present at the funeral of that earlier club. Two years, ago when we had had time to forget our sorrow, some of us again, made the attempt to get the game introduced – this time with much greater success*; indeed, with such success that even the scorners of two years ago are here among us to-day the keenest of the keen. After some ups and downs, we enter formally to-day upon our new course, and all things seem to indicate that we have entered upon a successful stage of our existence as a club, for I think we may take the presence of so many here this afternoon, as a token for good.

The Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald, Friday, May 20, 1904

*In 1902 a few enthusiasts formed the New Cumnock Golf Club, including founder member the Rev. William Scott, and secured ‘a course at the foot of Glen Afton’ while the following year the club secured ‘a lease of the Afton course on the Lord Bute’s estate’ [46], more specifically ‘two fields at Shilling Hill as a 6 hole golf course’ on the Old Mill farm [47]. The Marquis of Bute presented a challenge-medal to the New Cumnock Club which was ‘proving one of the most vigorous of the young inland clubs established in Ayrshire since the existence of a golf course became indispensable adjunct of any place aspiring to the position of a summer residence’ [48].

Mrs Hyslop of Bank House had the honour of driving off the first ball, ‘very gracefully addressing the ball, made a good drive, and smilingly declared the course open.’ Club captain Dr Gemmell on behalf of the club presented ‘a beautiful silver inkstand, designed on golfing lines and inscribed‘ to Mrs Hyslop [45].

A large number of those present were then placed in sets, as mixed foursomes, and a delightful round was then played. At the close of that round and adjournment was made to the club-house, where a very sumptuous tea, provided by the married ladies, was spread, and it hardly need be said the manner in which the good things vanished spoke volumes for the quality of the eatable as well as for the appetising nature of the breeze which played round the golfers at Lochside.

The Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald, Friday, May 20, 1904

In the 1905 Valuation Rolls the Marquis of Bute was recorded as proprietor of the ‘Two fields, Lochside‘ while J. B. Cunningham, bank agent was the tenant, i.e. on behalf of the New Cumnock Golf Club.

In February 1912, on a trip to his hometown of Troon, Alec Campbell, professional to the Brookline Club, U.S.A paid a visit to the New Cumnock golf course with Harry Fernie, of Troon, a son of Willie Fernie, the ex-open champion. In the forenoon Campbell went round in 70, beating the club records by four strokes, while Fernie shot as 79. In the afternoon Fernie equalled Campbell’s record score, while latter shot a 77 [49].

As well as local competitions the New Cumnock Golf Club regularly played against other clubs including the Sanquhar club, formed in 1894. In the mixed foursome match the home side triumphed by 6 1/2 to 4 1/2 [50].

By the 1915 Valuation Rolls, and probably sometime before that, J. B. Cunningham, Pathhead was the tenant of the ‘South fields’ and by the 1920 Valuation Rolls a major change with J. B. Cunningham, farmer, Dunrod * now the proprietor of the ‘South Fields’ with ‘New Cumnock Golf Club per John Cowan, Secy‘ recorded as the occupier. Sadly, James Brown Cunningham, passed away that year. In the ten years that followed the Trustees of J. B. Cunningham continued to own what was now simply known as the Golf Course with the name South Fields now redundant. During this period the tenant was the New Cumnock Golf Club, per William Gold, secretary.

*Dunrod was the name of his house at Pathhead, named after his birthplace Dunrod Mill, Kirkcudbrightshire.

The 1935 Valuation Rolls revealed another change in ownership with Walter Young, farmer, Lochhill, and a keen sportsman, now the proprietor of the Golf Course and Robert Jenkinson, Cairnhill Place, club secretary. Young also owned some agricultural land on the golf course including some grazing land. There were no changes in 1940 Valuation Rolls and from that time the New Cumnock Golf Course has been associated with the Young lands of Lochhill.

While a new clubhouse was being built on the golf course visitors could purchase a day ticket at Lochside House Hotel.

Lochside Loch

Place-Name: Lochside + SSE loch ‘loch, lake’

The Ayrshire Ordnance Survey Name Books (1855-57) entry for Lochside Loch reads –

A considerable sheet of water the Southernmost of three Lochs. It abounds with Perch and Pike “Lochside Loch” is the modern name

The three ‘Authorities for Spelling’ of the Name Book were Mr Kay, Dumfries House, Dr Rankin, Lochside and Mr. Paterson, Little Creoch, all of whom supported the ‘modern name‘ of Lochside Loch. A fourth ‘Authority’ was the Estate Map of 1802 which recorded Lowes Loch, similar in a way to the Armstrong Map (1775) which gave Lows, both clearly names that pre-dated the modern name. This suggests that the ‘modern name‘ was coined sometime after 1802 and before 1855-57, the period of compilation of the Ayrshire Ordnance Survey Name Books for New Cumnock. This can be pushed back to December 1844 and the newspaper report on the annual Old Cumnock and New Cumnock curling match [51] –

OLD AND NEW CUMNOCK – On the 21st instant, the curlers of Old and New Cumnock met on Lochside Loch, with eighteen rinks aside, of nine players each; and, after a most animated and anxious contest, victory, was at last declared in favour of New Cumnock, by a majority of 72 shots.

NEW CUMNOCK V. SANQUHAR – These parishes turned out in great force to play a match at the “roaring game”, on Friday last, There were 162 players aside, and the match came off on Creoch Loch. New Cumnock, after an animating contest gained by 169 shots.

Ayr Observer , Tuesday 31 December 1844

Although Lochside Loch may well have been a modern name in 1855-57 it seems to have been resurrected since it appears on Roy’s Military Survey of Scotland, Lowlands 1752-55 (See Map 8 link below) as ‘Loch Side’, annotated as such, slap bang in the middle of the loch. Whatever the case, the name of Lochside Loch is taken from the small farm of Lochside (‘place on the side of the loch) that sat on the northern shore and may possibly have been known as that by the aforementioned Howat family that farmed there in the 1740/50s, i.e., at the time of Roy’s survey. Similarly, the neighbouring Creoch Loch was name after the farm and lands of Creoch.

Certainly, in the mid and late 19th century the loch was regularly referred to as Lochside Loch which may have been reinforced with the emergence of Lochside House but particularly associated with newspaper reports on curling matches. The roaring game was a popular game and attracted large numbers of curlers and spectators and in the match below the G. & S. W. Railway Company not only offered cheap fares for the journey but also stopped at Lochside [52].

A curling match is to take place between the parishes of Sorn, Auchinleck, and Muirkirk v. Ochiltree, Old Cumnock, and New Cumnock (sixty rinks aside), for 20 loads of meal to the poor. The game will be played on Lochside Loch, near New Cumnock, as soon as the ice is of sufficient strength, In connection with the above game, the G. & S. W. Railway Company have agreed to run a special train at cheap rates, which will leave Muirkirk about 9:30 a.m., calling at Cronberry, Lugar, Auchinleck and Old Cumnock, reaching Lochside Loch about 10.30 a.m., with the curlers and their friends from the various parishes. The special train will again leave Lochside about 4.30 p.m. So many known friends and curlers meeting together will insure the gathering being a happy and agreeable one.

Irvine Times, Friday 31 December 1886

Although the Roy Map (1752-55) named the loch as Loch Side an earlier form of the name, L. of the Lowis (i.e., Loch of the Lowis) appears in Blaeu Coila Provincia (1654).

L. of the Lowis

SSE loch ‘loch’ of the Scots lowis ‘lochs’

At first glance Blaeu’s map Coila Provincia appears to show that the body of water is a single loch called L. of the Lowis, i.e., Loch of the Lowis. However, on closer inspection that name is assigned to the southern section of the loch while the northern section is called Black l., i.e., Black Loch. The presence of two lochs helps to reveal the meaning behind the name ‘Loch of the Lowis’, i.e., ‘loch of the lochs’, from Scots lowis ‘lochs’ [53].

In turn these lochs, or perhaps specifically the Loch of the Lowis, have given rise to the farm names Over Lowis, Nether Lowis and Lowis. It is also worth noting the farms of Over Krioch and Nether Krioch on the west of Loch of the Lowis, which would give their name to Creoch Loch.

Loch O’ Th’ Lowes

SSE loch ‘loch’ of the Scots lowes ‘lochs

By the next edition of the Ordnance Survey Maps of 1895, Lochside Loch has been renamed ‘Loch O’ Th’ Lowes’, reverting to the early form given by Blaeu. Interestingly at that time the nearby farm of Lochill was re-named as East Lowes, but has since reverted to Lochhil (note the double ‘h’). Whereas the change from lowis to lowes has since remained permanent.

Other Loch O’ Th’ Lowes, Lowes Loch

There are other well-known Loch O’ Th’ Lowes throughout Scotland.

• In the Borders there is Loch of the Lowes with the neighbouring St. Mary’s Loch.
• At Dunkeld, Perthshire there is Loch of the Lowes Visitor Centre for those coming to see the ospreys nesting in the vicinity of the three lochs – Loch of Lowes, Loch of Craiglush and Loch of Butterstone.
• Nearer to home in Kirkcudbrightshire there is a Loch of the Lowes in the parish of Minigaff, a solitary loch albeit with two arms, while there is a Loch of the Lowes in the parish of Balmaclellan.

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Maps

Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland.

https://maps.nls.uk/

Images used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) licence.

Map 1: Ordnance Survey Maps – 25 inch 1st edition, Scotland, 1855-1882 (1856) | Lochside

Map 2 : Roy Military Survey of Scotland, (Lowlands 1752-55) |Hillhead

Map 3 : Joan Blaeu, Coila Provincia, [or], The province of Kyle / auct. Timoth. Pont (1654). |Lowis

Map 4: Andrew Armstrong, A new map of Ayrshire (1775) | Lows (Loch)

Map 5: Ordnance Survey Maps – 25 inch 2nd and later editions, Scotland, 1892-1949 (1895) | Lochside

Map 6: Ordnance Survey, 1:25,000 maps of Great Britain – 1945-1971 (1957) | New Cumnock Golf Course

Map 7: Ordnance Survey Maps – Six-inch 1st edition, Scotland, 1843-1882 (1857) |Lochside Loch

Map 8 : Roy Military Survey of Scotland, (Lowlands 1752-55) |Loch Side

Map 9 : Joan Blaeu, Coila Provincia, [or], The province of Kyle / auct. Timoth. Pont (1654) | L. of the Lowis

Map 10: Ordnance Survey Maps – Six-inch 2nd and later editions, Scotland, 1892-1960 (1895) |LOCH O’ TH’ LOWES

Other Loch of the Lowes

Ordnance Survey, One-inch to the mile maps of Great Britain Seventh Series, 1952-1972 | Borders, Loch of the Lowes

Ordnance Survey, One-inch to the mile maps of Great Britain Seventh Series, 1952-1972 | Perth and Kinross, Loch of Lowes

Ordnance Survey Maps – Six-inch 2nd and later editions, Scotland, 1892-1960 Minigaff, Kirkcudbrightshire, Loch of the Lowes

Ordnance Survey Maps – Six-inch 2nd and later editions, Scotland, 1892-1960 Balmaclellan, Kirkcubrightshire, Lowes Loch

References

[0] Registrum Magni Sigilli Regum Scotorum, (A.D. 1620-1633), Vol.8, No. 1476

[1] British Newspaper Archive | Dumfries and Galloway Standard, Wed 29 March 1848

[2] British Newspaper Archive |Perry’s Bankrupt and Insolvent Gazette, 11th Nov 1854

[3]British Newpaper Archive |Ayr Observer, Tuesday 9 April 1844

[4] British Newpaper Archive |Ayr Advertiser, Thursday 21 November 1844

[5] British Newpaper Archive |North British Agriculturist, Wednesday 20 June 1844

[6] New Cumnock History | Heritors, George Ranken of Whitehill

[7] Logans of Knockshinnoch

[8] British Newpaper Archive |Ayr Observer, Tuesday 30 October 1888

[9] New Cumnock History | Sir Michael McTurk (in progress)

[10] Tikwis A Begbie | British Guiana Colonists, Ranken

[11] St. Mathew’s Parish, being the east bank of Demerara River as far as settlements extend. [?, 1832] Map. https://www.loc.gov/item/2001622461/.

[12] Library of Congress, Joshua Bryant, Account of an Insurrection of the Negro Slaves in the Colony of Demerara of 1823 which broke out On the 18th August, 1823. Printed by A. Stevenson at the Guiana Chronicle Office, Georgetown (1824)

[13] The Sessional Papers of the House of Lords in the Session 1847-48, Vol XXXVI Reports from Secret and Select Committees of the House of Commons, and evidence, communicated to the Lords, Subject of this Volume: Sugar and Coffee Planting|p126-144

[14] British Newspaper Archive |The Patriot, Thursday, July 29,, 1847

[15] British Newspaper Archive |The Bardbadian, 27th Nov, 1847

[16] National Library of Scotland Directories |Scottish Post Directories 1851/52 (published 1851), Ayrshire, New Cumnock p.153

[17] British Newspaper Archive | Dumfries and Galloway Standard, Wednesday,17 September 1856

[18] British Newpaper Archive | Kilmarnock Weekly Post and County of Ayr Reporter, Saturday 1 October 1859

[19] WIKIPEDIA, Ayrshire (UK Parliamentary constituency)

[20] British Newpaper Archive | Kilmarnock Weekly Post and County of Ayr Reporter, Saturday 14 January 1860

[21] New Cumnock Heritage | Auld Kirkyards Trails, Soldiers Trail

[22] British Newpaper Archive |The Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald , Saturday, 19 September 1863

[23] British Newpaper Archive |The Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald , Saturday, 25 June 1864

[24] British Newpaper Archive |The Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald , Saturday, 21 January 1865

[25] British Newpaper Archive |The Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald , Friday, 30 July 1886

[26] British Newpaper Archive |The Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald, 6 May 1872

[27] British Newpaper Archive |The Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald, 20 January 1872

[28] British Newpaper Archive |The Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald, 25 May 1872

[29] British Newpaper Archive |The Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald, 8 February, 1879

[30] British Newpaper Archive |The Ayr Observer and Galloway Chronicle, 5 April 1881

[31] British Newpaper Archive |The Ayr Observer and Galloway Chronicle, 6 February 1885

[32] British Newpaper Archive |The Ayr Observer and Galloway Chronicle, Friday 29 January 1886

[33] British Newpaper Archive |The Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald, Friday 30 July 1886

[34] British Newpaper Archive |The Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald, Friday 8 January 1892

[35] British Newpaper Archive |The Ayr Observer and Galloway Chronicle, Tuesday 16 February 1892

[36] British Newpaper Archive |The Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald, Friday 20 May 1892

[37] British Newpaper Archive |The Scotsman, Tuesday, 28 March, 1916

[38] Thomas Nicholas, Annals and Antiquities of the Counties and County Families of Wales , Vol 2, p.474 (1872) Cyafatha Castle

[39] Thomas Nicholas, Annals and Antiquities of the Counties and County Families of Wales , Vol I (1872), p.113 | Crawshay

[40] British Newpaper Archive |The Scotsman, 5 May 1906

[41] British Newpaper Archive |The Scotsman, Wednesday 25 December 1912

[42] British Newpaper Archive | Dumfries and Galloway Saturday Standard, 3 July 1916

[43] British Newpaper Archive | Dumfries and Galloway Saturday Standard, 25 August 1916

[44] Bobby Rogerson, Captain Two’ The tale of a wandering Connel Park laddie’ (1996). Adapted by Stephen Kennedy ‘New Cumnock Then and Now‘

[45] British Newpaper Archive |The Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald, Friday, May 20, 1904

[46] British Newpaper Archive |The Scotsman, Tuesday, September 29, 1903

[47] George Sanderson, New Cumnock Long Ago and Faraway

[48] British Newpaper Archive |The Scotsman, Tuesday, May 19, 1903

[49] British Newpaper Archive |Pall Mall Gazette , February 27, 1912

[50] British Newpaper Archive |Dumfries and Galloway Standard and Advertiser , May 6, 1914

[51] British Newpaper Archive | Ayr Observer , Tuesday 31 December 1844

[52] British Newpaper Archive |Irvine Times, Friday 31 December 1886

[53] Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd | lowis

Ordnance Survey Name Books

By Permission of Scotland’s Places

scotlandsplaces.gov.uk

Ayrshire OS Name Books (1855-57) Vol. 49 |Lochside

Ayrshire OS Name Books (1855-57) Vol. 49|Lochside Loch

Scotland’s People

https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk

Old Parish Records, Births, Marriages, Deaths, Census Records, Valuations Rolls, Wills & Testaments