Craigie, South Ayrshire

The parish of Craigie includes part of the ancient parish of Barnweill, and was itself united to Riccarton until 1647. In 1745, a church is shown on Herman Moll's map of the south part of Ayrshire.[3] William Roy's map of circa 1747 shows the church, the new manse or House of Craigie, above the curling pond and the old manse site, now Lodgebush House.[4] The present church building dates from 1776 and the grounds contain the remains of the 1558 church into which a family memorial has been incorporated.[5]

The 1857 OS map shows a network of footpaths running between the old and new manses, the new manse and the church, the church and Campcastle Farm, etc. The former school of 1874 is shown together with the Craigie Inn, then known as the Red Lion Inn.[6] The village had a post office and the first postmaster is buried in the churchyard.[7] A parish seminary or training college for ministers was established in a new building by the school board in the mid 19th century.[7]

Writing in 1926 William Walls refers to the Annual Agricultural Show that was the social event of the year, a major spectacle being the famous Clydesdales bred by James Kilpatrick of Craigie Mains.[8]

The parish has historically had the lowest population in Ayrshire with 786 in 1801, 779 in 1841, and 470 in 1931.[9]

Craigie Castle in the old Barony of Craigie lies around four miles (six kilometres) southeast of Kilmarnock and 1 mile (1.5 kilometres) southeast of Craigie village. The castle is one of the earliest buildings in the county of Ayrshire. In the 12th century Walter fitz Alan, Steward of Scotland, held these lands and Walter Hose held his fief from the Steward. In 1177 Walter Hose of Cragyn (sic) had given the church of Cragyn to the monks of Paisley. John, probably Walter's son, inherited and his son Thomas had no heir, resulting in his sisters Christiana and Matilda inheriting. Walter de Lyndesay was the son of Christiana, the father being William Lyndesey of Crawfurd. The male line ended with John de Lyndesey, whose daughter married John Wallace of Riccarton.[10]

Craigie Castle.

John Wallace of Riccarton in the reign of David II was styled 'Wallayis of Richardtoun'. John married the heiress of Lindsay of Craigie circa 1371 and from this date Craigie was the chief residence of the family. The castle was abandoned and allowed to fall into ruins after 1600.[10] The family moved to their castle at Newton on Ayr and later they built a mansion house on the banks of the River Ayr that they named Craigie.[11]

The Lairds of Craigie cared little for the religious discipline of the presbyterians, and the Laird of Craigie, Sir Hugh Wallace, a supporter of the episcopalian sentiments of Charles I and II, allowed his tenants and servants to work on Sundays and he himself traveled openly upon the Sabbath day. The local ministers wrote to the Laird's local minister, Mr. Inglish, about such open and scandalous breaches of the Sabbath. The Laird ignored the ministers' advice and when he was publicly criticised in church he threw his sword at the minister, the sword sticking in the wood at the back of the pulpit. The minister told the Laird that God will reduce your great stone house to a pile of stones and no one will be able to repair it; and your son, of whom you have great hopes, will die a fool. Soon after the castle was in need of repair and when the stonemasons started work a great part of it fell down and almost buried them all. His son [12]

Wallace's Monument, Wallace Tower or the Barnweil Monument is a category-A-listed building located on Barnweil Hill (elevation 503 ft or 153 m).

Wallace's Monument, Barnweil Hill

The picturesque Wallace's Monument is a Gothic structure in a prominent situation, built to commemorate William Wallace at the time of an upsurge in the Scottish desire for self-determination, predating the 1869 Wallace Monument at Stirling.

The story that the name Barnweil derives from an occasion when Wallace, standing on this elevated site, remarked that the Barns of Ayr (containing English soldiers) `burn weil' is an invention, the reason for the name being that it is situated close to the remains of the medieval parish church of Barnweil, a parish that suppressed in the 17th century.[13]

Barnweil Church or kirk (NGR NS 40506 29903) is a ruined pre-reformation kirk situated on the slopes of Barnweil Hill about 3 km from Tarbolton. The church was known locally as the "Kirk in the Wood". It lies about 170m North North-East of Kirkhill Farm and was central to the Protestant Reformation in Ayrshire through its association with John Knox.

The village of Barnweil no longer exists, however old maps record the Townhead, Midtown and Townend of Barnweill dwellings in the vicinity along the length of the 'loaning' or roading. A manse for the church would have been located near by but the location has been lost.

Findlay of Carnell coat of arms.

The estates in the parish were Carnell (Cairnhill), Barnweil, and Underwood. Underwood was held by the Kennedy family from 1785 and the mansion house dates from 1790.[1] William Roxburgh, the botanist and surgeon, who was born here in 1759, his father probably working on the estate. The eighteenth century Barnweil House stands on the north-east slope of the hill.

Captain William Neill of Barnweil inherited Swindridgemuir House and estate near Dalry on the condition that he assumed the name 'Smith', thus becoming 'Smith-Neill' of Barnweil and Swinridgemuir. In 1850 Major James George Smith-Neill inherited the estates from his father, Colonel William Smith-Neill. In 1857, after the death of his father at Lucknow, Captain William James Smith-Neill of Barnweil, Swinridgemuir, and Kersland R.A. inherited the estates amounting to around 1,275 acres (516 hectares). J. W. Smith Neill CBE born in 1855, died in 1935 and his wife Evelyn died in 1947, both are buried in the Barnweil churchyard.

Carnell was once known as Cairnhill.[14] Fiveways is a row of workers cottages that stands opposite to the main entrance to the mansion house; it once had a smithy.[14] Carnell was held by the Wallaces, followed by the Cathcarts, then by the Hamiltons who built the present day Jacobean house and today (2018) by the Findlay family. A walled garden is present with a modern dower house.[5] The Findlays and Hamiltons are buried at Craigie Church.

This large stone lay in a field close to the church until the local farmer decided to exploit it and after blowing it up with gunpowder he was able to cart away 25 loads of stones, some of which were used to build the inn. The Witch's Stone is said to have appeared in the field following an incident where the church authorities had called a local witch to appear before them and in her anger she had lifted the stone and placed it on her apron, however as she flew towards the church with the intention of dropping it on the roof one of the apron strings broke and it landed instead in the field.[21]