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Ayrshire |
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The parish of Ardrossan is a small area running north-east from the town of Ardrossan, a small seaport and watering place on the Firth of Clyde. The town was extensively rebuilt in the early 19th century, on a grid pattern under the sponsorship of the 12th and 13th Earls of Eglinton. The Earls also began development of the harbour and began a short-lived project to construct a canal to Glasgow.
Angus Mitchells's "Burial Grounds in Scotland: An Index of Unpublished Memorial Inscriptions" Scottish Genealogy Society, first published 1991; lists in their collection of Memorial Inscriptions some for Ardrossan:
There were several churches within the town of Ardrossan. They include the following churches, that are found today; others have been replaced or demolished:
The ruined foundations of the original Parish Church are to be found on Castlehill.
The earliest surviving baptism or marriage record for the parish date from 1734.
The parish of Ardrossan is small area running north-east from the town of Ardrossan, a small seaport and watering place on the Firth of Clyde. The town boasted a small oil refinery and a fertilizer plant in the 1960s. The harbour is the sailing point for regular ferries to the Isle of Arran. The harbour and esplanade recall the town's past existence as one of the Clyde coast holiday resorts for people escaping industrial Glasgow during "Clyde Week". Just outside the harbour is Horse Isle, a small rocky island, now a nature reserve.
The hinterland of the town has become a residential belt lying astride the A 78 trunk road. The town merges seamlessly into the neighbouring town of Saltcoats (in Stevenston parish.) In the mid-19th century, Ardrossan took over the shipping trade of Saltcoats which thereafter gradually declined in commercial significance.
Above the town are the ruins of Ardrossan Castle, which is open to visitors. The 12th century castle was destroyed by the forces of Oliver Cromwell.
An 1837 description of Ardrossan, including a listing of the key personalities of the town, is given in this extract from Pigot's Directory for Ayrshire. The transcript was provided by Keith Muirhead from the Sunshine Coast of Queensland.
The North Ayrshire Museum, located in an 19th century church, has displays of local history.
John Kerr [1824-1907] the Scottish physicist who discovered the magneto-electric Kerr effect , was born in Ardrossan and studied and worked in a modest laboratory in Glasgow between 1857 and 1901.
For a current local map of Ardrossan go to Multimap and either insert the placename Ardrossan or the Grid Reference NS430230.
Here are some figures showing the parish's population through time:
|
1961 |
1931 |
1881 |
1871 |
|
18,000 |
13,736 |
7,657 |
7,221 |
|
1861 |
1851 |
1841 |
|
|
6,776 |
2,071 |
920 |
Page created by Iain Kerr.