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Here you will find some snippets of local history. This section will be added to regularly, so if local history interest you, bookmark this page.

1. Why is there little Roman Influence in Ayrshire?
2. Mary Queen of Scots 
3. The Eglinton Tournament
4. Loudon Hill and William Wallace
5. The Ghost of Robert Burns.

Why is there little Roman influence in Ayrshire?

According to folklore, the invading Roman army were eager to claim the rich pastures of Ayrshire for the Empire.

They attempted to settle and farm in what is now the village of Patna, outside the town of Ayr. Frustrated and infuriated by massive loses of livestock, the Roman hierarchy resolved to send an entire legion of Roman soldiers to the region to put paid to the rustling and teach the Celtic upstarts a lesson in reverence.

The legion vanished. The only evidence of their ever being in the area were some fragments of clothing - no weapons, bodies.......nothing.

Rumour has it that the soldiers were eaten by the local inhabitants. 

Apparently this was enough to worry the Romans into not venturing close to the region again. Further forrays into Caledonia (Scotland) gave Ayrshire a wide berth. Further fueling the already fearsome Celtic reputation for warfare and tenacity.

I cannot vouch for the accuracy of this tale, but it is a story I have heard since I was a small child. 

It is a historic fact that Ayrshire and South West Scotland were one of the last Celtic strongholds, the invading Roman armies had all but driven the Celts to extinction as they conquered the ancient world. 

The difficulties the Romans faced daily from the Celts prompted Hadrian to build his wall in AD 122.It's purpose was to mark the boundary between lands ruled by Rome and the lands where the Celtic chiefs still had power. Roman soldiers were posted at Forts built at intervals along the wall to look out for Celtic raiders.

The above tale may explain why there is little Roman influence in Ayrshire, personally I believe it was just too difficult for them to find an area where they could build a straight road!

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Mary Queen of Scots 

Mary Queen of Scots,  according to tradition visited the now ruined Seagate Castle in Irvine in 1563.

The association of Carters dates back to this time when some of the men left the Burgh of Irvine to join the battle forces of Mary Queen of Scots to fight at the battle of Langside in 1568.

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The Eglinton Tournament

Read about the Tournament Earl on the Famous People Pages. Follow this link for the complete story of the Earls of Eglinton.

Find out more about the Castle.

Eglinton Castle Ruins in Kilwinning.

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The ghost of Robert Burns

It is believed that the ghost of Robert Burns walks 'the Moor' at Irvine. Many tales have been told of sightings of him as he jumps the style on his way into the town. This story, reputedly originates from circa. 1960.

It was around 3am, the moor was black and dark, the tall grasses rustled in the gale, shadows leapt all around as the local baker walked to work, staining against the buffeting on the wind. He pulled his jacket close and wound his scarf more snuggly around his neck as he pushed onwards, almost horizontal against the strength of the wind.

As the wind grew stronger and the night altogether wilder, the baker began to feel uneasy, the roar of the wind was deafening and he turned his head sideways to listen out for other travellers - anxious for some company in this lonely place. He noticed movement to his left, a brief glimpse of what he deemed to be a potential companion, he struggled on in the general direction, attempting to hail the stranger - he called out. The dark figure ignored him - "I doubt he could hear me o'er this racket.", he thought and trudged closer to the wooden style on the edge of the moor, which would lead him into the town. The stranger appeared to be waiting for him......perhaps he had heard after all.

he tried to quicken his pace as best he could given the atrocious conditions. As he inched closer he realised there was something odd about the dark gentleman, his clothes were not typical of the people he usually met around town, he did not altogether recognise the gentleman either, although there was something vaguely familiar about him -  he prided himself on his local knowledge of the people in the town. He was almost upon the stranger. He froze.

In one terrifying moment of recognition that chilled his soul and made the heckles rise on his neck, he realised he was staring into the eyes of Robert Burns. He could not move, the fear that gripped him was unrelenting and all he could do was watch as the Ghost of Robert Burns lighty 'louped' the style and vanished into the night.

Reputedly this baker was so frightened that his hair literally turned white, it never regained any of it's natural pigment.

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Loudon Hill and William Wallace

Loudoun Hill is an imposing volcanic 'plug' lying at the head of the Valley of the River Irvine about 10 miles east of Kilmarnock. The Hill is also of geological interest for the agates which can be found on its slopes.
Loudoun Hill has since earliest times been an important waymarker on the route between the Clyde coast and Edinburgh. The surrounding area contains prehistoric features and there was once a Roman fort at the foot of Loudoun Hill. (I didn't say there was no Roman influence - just not a lot!)

William Wallace, who has many connections with Riccarton in Kilmarnock ambushed an English convoy at Loudoun Hill in 1297. It is widely believed that William Wallace killed his first Englishman on the banks of the River Irvine.

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