| Place-name: | Redhall Burn |
| Suggested Meaning: | named after a red brick building /hall |
| First element | |
| Second element | |
| Blaeu Coila (1654): | N/A |
| OS Name Books (1855-57): | Redhall Burn |
| Location: | Ordnance Survey (1898) |
Redhall Burn
The Ordnance Survey Name Book (1855-57) entry for Redhall Burn -.
A Stream rising on Straid farm and flowing north by Straid enters Lane Burn.
The Authorities for the Spelling of the name were William Johnstone, School Master and William Herbert, Straid along with the name shown on the New Cumnock Iron Company Plan.
William Herbert along with his business partner Robert McWhirr had obtained a lease to work the minerals on the Afton Estate [1], which at that time comprised of the four properties Brockloch, Burnfoot, Littlemark and Straid. In later years he served as gamekeeper at Straid before retiring to Auchinleck where he passed away in 1868, aged 79 years [Scotland’s People].
The 1851 Census Records show that Herbert was living at Straid Cottage as a Coal Agent along with his wife Agnes (Blackwood) and their grand-daughter Agnes Johnstone. Also living there was 19 year-old lodger Durham-born George Clennel, Manager at the Brickworks and labourer James Ledgerwood. The works were operated by Messrs. R. Dickinson & Co. and the following year they opened a new Brick and Tileworks at Sanquhar, with George Clennel as manager. Two years after that these works to Clennel [2,3]
Redhall Burn rises on Blarene Hill and flows north downhill and past the east side of Straid farm. It then slowly makes its way past the Straid Level pit and then Straid Brick & Tileworks , before turning east to join the Lane Burn.
Redhall Burn is a fairly untypical burn name in the parish. The name Redhall is certainly not a hydronym, i.e. a name that implies a water course name such as pol- in Polquhirter Burn and neither is it, like many burns, named after a nearby hill or farm e.g. Straid Burn. Although there was a Hall of Auchincross and is a Hall of Mansfield in the parish there are no local records of a Redhall.
Neither a Redhall farm or Redhall Burn appears on Blaeu’s Map (1654) unlike its neighbour Strayid b. (Straid Burn). So perhaps something changed in the landscape to generate the need to name it. Could it be associated with the formation of the Straid Brick and Tileworks on the bank of its lower reaches which would comprise of red brick buildings, one perhaps known as the Red hall? Albeit, something like Brickwork Burn, Tilework Burn or Kiln Burn were perhaps more likely candidates. Perhaps the name was borrowed from some other place.
Although the name Redhall Burn survives to this day the Straid Brick and Tile Work was short lived. In 1855 a Public Roup (a public auction) was held on the Afton Estate to sell off the works at Straid along with railways and sleepers on the lands of Straid and Burnfoot [4].
TO BE SOLD BY PUBLIC ROUP
Upon the ESTATE OF AFTON, in the parish of New Cumnock, in virtue of a Warrant of the Sheriff of Ayrshire, on Thursday the 9th day of August next, an on the immediate following days if necessary . All and Whole the following EFFECTS sequestrated by the said Sheriff for Payment of rents.
The Roup to commence on the said Farm of Straid, at Eleven o’clock Forenoon.
The Glasgow Herald, Friday Morning, July 20, 1855
The list of effects associated with Straid Brick and Tile Work at the roup makes fascinating reading –
Straid Brick and Tile Work
Straid Brick and Tile Work: Engine and Gearing for driving Clay Mill, and Clay Mill in complete working order, Boiler, Boiler Seat and Furnace, Poker, Claut, Shovel, Two Pinches, Hutch Working Table, large quantity of Made Bricks, at side of Tile House; Branch Railway, leading from Main Railway to Brick and Tile Kiln with Wooden Sleepers and Cast Metal Chairs, Hutch Railway, leading from Brick and Tile Kilns to and into Coal Pit, Two Rows of Four Bar Paling, enclosing Railway leading from Main Branch to Brick and Tile Works; Two old Hutches, large quantity of Fire Clay, Table for making Tiles, Clay Box, Twenty-four Brick and Tile Wooden Shapes, Wheel Barrow, Spade, Pail, large quantity of Fire Brick in Three Kilns, quantity of Fire Clay, Lot of Old Wood about Brick and Tile Kilns and Coal Pit.
The Glasgow Herald, Friday Morning, July 20, 1855
Five years later another roup was held at Straid to try and sell off the remaining effects, namely ‘Engine and Gearing for driving Clay Mill, and Clay Mill. Boiler, Boiler Seat and Furnace and a Quantity of Made Bricks at Tilehouse and Kiln‘ [5].
| References |
| [1] New Cumnock Place-Name | Straid |
| [2] British Newspaper Archive | Dumfries and Galloway Standard, Wednesday October 13, 1852 |
| [3] British Newspaper Archive | Dumfries and Galloway Standard, Wednesday October 4, 1854 |
| [4] British Newspaper Archive |The Glasgow Herald, Friday Morning, July 20, 1855 |
| [5] British Newspaper Archive |The Glasgow Herald, Thursday November 8, 1860 |
| Maps |
| By Permission of 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) | Redhall Burn |
| Map 2: Ordnance Survey Maps – Six-inch 2nd and later editions, Scotland, 1892-1960 (1894) | Redhall Burn |
| Map 3: James Mc. Derment & Sons. Map of the turnpike & parish roads … [for parishes in central Ayrshire] New Cumnock (1852) | Tilework |
| Scotland’s People |
| https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk |
| Old Parish Records, Births, Marriages, Deaths, Census Records, Valuations Rolls, Wills & Testaments |
NEW CUMNOCK HISTORY 