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The Annick Water (previously also spelled as Annack, Annoch (1791) or Annock) is the largest tributary of the
River Irvine The River Irvine ( gd, Irbhinn) is a river that flows through southwest Scotland. Its watershed is on the Lanarkshire border of Ayrshire at an altitude of above sea-level, near Loudoun Hill, Drumclog Moss, Drumclog, and SW by W of Strathaven. I ...
. The river runs from Long Loch, just inside
East Renfrewshire East Renfrewshire ( sco, Aest Renfrewshire; gd, Siorrachd Rinn Friù an Ear) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. Until 1975, it formed part of the county of Renfrewshire for local government purposes along with the modern council areas of ...
, in a generally south-western direction through
North Ayrshire North Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Àir a Tuath, ) is one of 32 council areas in Scotland. The council area borders Inverclyde to the north, Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire to the northeast, and East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire to the east and so ...
and
East Ayrshire East Ayrshire ( sco, Aest Ayrshire; gd, Siorrachd Àir an Ear) is one of thirty-two council areas of Scotland. It shares borders with Dumfries and Galloway, East Renfrewshire, North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire. The headquart ...
, to confluence with its parent river at
Irvine, North Ayrshire Irvine ( ; sco, Irvin,
gd, Irbhinn, IPA: Johnston, James B. (1903), ''Place-Names of Scotland''. Pub. David Douglas, Edinburgh. P. 12. and Strathannick is very much prone to flooding as recorded by SEPA. The water now (2006) appears to be pollution free for most of its length. An independent survey in the
Bourtreehill Bourtreehill is a large housing estate built by the Irvine Development Corporation (IDC) in the late 1970s which forms part of the Irvine New Town in North Ayrshire, Scotland. The estate has two main parts, known as Bourtreehill North and Bour ...
(1999) area revealed a strong colony of freshwater shrimp, a
crustacean Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals as decapods, seed shrimp, branchiopods, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopods, barnacles, copepods, amphipods and mantis shrimp. The crustacean group ...
known only to live in relatively clean water. On 27 January 2009 a BP tanker train carrying liquid fuels (diesel and heating oil) from Mossend to Riccarton was derailed near the bridge over the Stewarton to Kilmaurs road at Peacockbank Farm. Several wagons subsequently caught fire.METRO. January 28, 2009. p. 5. The Annick Water was polluted, however, it escaped major contamination.


History

Mesolithic The Mesolithic (Greek: μέσος, ''mesos'' 'middle' + λίθος, ''lithos'' 'stone') or Middle Stone Age is the Old World archaeological period between the Upper Paleolithic and the Neolithic. The term Epipaleolithic is often used synonymous ...
man used the Annick as his waterway. From
Bourtreehill Bourtreehill is a large housing estate built by the Irvine Development Corporation (IDC) in the late 1970s which forms part of the Irvine New Town in North Ayrshire, Scotland. The estate has two main parts, known as Bourtreehill North and Bour ...
to
Dreghorn Dreghorn is a village in North Ayrshire, Scotland, east of Irvine town centre, on the old main road from Irvine to Kilmarnock. It is sited on a ridge between two rivers. As archaeological excavations near the village centre have found a signifi ...
, the Annick has presented us with many artifacts dating from that time. Indeed, recent archaeological evidence from
Dreghorn Dreghorn is a village in North Ayrshire, Scotland, east of Irvine town centre, on the old main road from Irvine to Kilmarnock. It is sited on a ridge between two rivers. As archaeological excavations near the village centre have found a signifi ...
uncovered the oldest continually used settlement in Europe. This mesolithic village was on the banks of the Annick. A number of mills existed along its length with only Cunninghamhead Mill still standing today (2006). Lambroch Mill was located near Laigh Castleton Farm. Scroaggy or Fairliecrevoch Mill was a waulk or cloth mill and existed until the 1960s, with its lade cutting across the large loop in the river near Ramstane. Downstream from Cunninghamhead was a sawmill and a corn mill existed in Perceton near the old church. Scroag or scrog is a
crab apple ''Malus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 30–55 species of small deciduous trees or shrubs in the family Rosaceae, including the domesticated orchard apple, crab apples, wild apples, and rainberries. The genus is native to the temperate zone o ...
or gnarled treestumps in old Scots and this 'nickname' well describes the area where the mill stood. A number of
ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...
s and stepping stones are present, notably at
Chapeltoun Chapeltoun is an estate on the banks of the Annick Water in East Ayrshire, a rural area of Scotland famous for its milk and cheese production and the Ayrshire or Dunlop breed of cattle. Templeton and the Knights Templar The feudal allocatio ...
, Lambroch Mill, and at Ramstane where a footbridge was also present. A footbridge is still present at Laigh Castleton and a weir existed close to Lainshaw House, raising the water level to form an area which was ideal for water fowl. A small weir is still present beneath the surviving bridge into the Lainshaw Holm. Wooden carriageway bridges existed at two places on the Lainshaw estate; the stone built abutments are still visible. A number of old bridges cross the Annick Water along its entire length, such as at
Stewarton Stewarton ( sco, Stewartoun,
gd, Baile nan Stiùbhar ...
and
Chapeltoun Chapeltoun is an estate on the banks of the Annick Water in East Ayrshire, a rural area of Scotland famous for its milk and cheese production and the Ayrshire or Dunlop breed of cattle. Templeton and the Knights Templar The feudal allocatio ...
. Notable is the 17th century remains of bridge-supports in
Bourtreehill Bourtreehill is a large housing estate built by the Irvine Development Corporation (IDC) in the late 1970s which forms part of the Irvine New Town in North Ayrshire, Scotland. The estate has two main parts, known as Bourtreehill North and Bour ...
's own stretch of the Annick. Other early railway bridges cross its shallow and easy waters. The lower reaches were known as Strathannick in the 18th century, but the name has sadly gone out of use.


Death on the Annick

During a particularly long feud between the Cunningham and Montgomery families in the 16th and 17th centuries, the fourth Earl of Eglinton was
murdered Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the c ...
at a ford on the Annick at Bridgend in Stewarton. The river can be dangerous and a gravestone in Dreghorn Parish Church records the death by drowning of a young lad from Perceton in Victorian times. On 18 August 2007 a
Stewarton Stewarton ( sco, Stewartoun,
gd, Baile nan Stiùbhar ...
boy, Dean McGregor,Dean McGregor
/ref> fell into the Annick Water when it was in flood. The scene of the tragedy was near Lainshaw House. An RAF 'Search and Rescue' helicopter from HMS Gannet searched the river for several hours, unsuccessfully. The body was found in the river a few days later near the sewerage works.


Wildlife

North American
mink Mink are dark-colored, semiaquatic, carnivorous mammals of the genera ''Neogale'' and '' Mustela'' and part of the family Mustelidae, which also includes weasels, otters, and ferrets. There are two extant species referred to as "mink": the A ...
have been sighted along the banks of the Annick. This aggressive animal was unfortunately introduced to Britain and has been the cause for much concern for many years. Kingfishers have been spotted flying above the surface of the water, successfully catching small fish in their beaks. The eel, which originates in the
Sargasso Sea The Sargasso Sea () is a region of the Atlantic Ocean bounded by four currents forming an ocean gyre. Unlike all other regions called seas, it has no land boundaries. It is distinguished from other parts of the Atlantic Ocean by its charac ...
has been known to cross land at certain sections of the Annick River. This is a common habit of the eel but the sight is rather odd. As well as some Trout and Salmon it has a healthy population of Sticklebacks, Minnows, Freshwater Shrimps, Freshwater Limpets, Caddisfly Larvae, Blackfly, Stonefly and Leeches, indicating that the water quality is good. Mallard and heron are frequently encountered and the occasional Great Crested Grebe can be seen.
Eel Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 19 families, 111 genera, and about 800 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage ...
s are sometimes to be found on land, especially in wet weather, taking a shortcut across the top of the lengthy loops that are found in the river in the area. Image:WaterMeetings.jpg, The Glazert rivulet and the Annick Water at Water Meetings. Image:Annickwater1.JPG, The Annick Water looking upstream from Chapeltoun Bridge. Image:Annickwatercunnighamhead.JPG, The Annick Water near Cunninghamhead mill. Image:Waterfallcunnighamhead.JPG, A waterfall near Cunninghamhead bridge. Image:Bourtreehillannick1.JPG, The Annick Water at Bourtreehill. Image:Bourtreehillannick2.JPG, The Annick Water at Bourtreehill. Image:LainshawAnnickweir.JPG, The bridge and weir below Lainshaw House. Image:River_Annick.jpg, A View on the Annick Water. Marchantia polymorpha, the Common
Liverwort The Marchantiophyta () are a division of non-vascular land plants commonly referred to as hepatics or liverworts. Like mosses and hornworts, they have a gametophyte-dominant life cycle, in which cells of the plant carry only a single set of g ...
grows on the bare bedrock dykes of the Annick near Cunninghamhead Mill, this plant being much rarer than the name suggests. Pellia epiphyla and Lunularia liverworts grow on the earth riverside banks at Cunninghamhead and elsewhere. The riverside vegetation includes Butterburr, Reed-Canary Grass, Rushes, Water Forget-Me-Not, Brooklime-Speedwell, Giant Hogweed, Hemlock Water-Dropwort, Willows and Alders.


See also

*
Cunninghamhead Cunninghamhead is a hamlet on the Annick Water in the Parish of Dreghorn, North Ayrshire, Scotland. The area was part of the old Cunninghamhead estate, and once contained several watermills. Cunninghamhead and the mills on the Annick Water The ...
*
Corsehill The old Barony and castle of Corsehill lay within the feudal Baillerie of Cunninghame, near Stewarton, now East Ayrshire, Scotland. The Lairds of Corsehill Godfrey de Ross was an early holder of the castle and lands of Corsehill, moving his ...
*
Chapeltoun Chapeltoun is an estate on the banks of the Annick Water in East Ayrshire, a rural area of Scotland famous for its milk and cheese production and the Ayrshire or Dunlop breed of cattle. Templeton and the Knights Templar The feudal allocatio ...
*
Lambroughton Lambroughton is a village in the old Barony of Kilmaurs, Scotland. This is a rural area famous for its milk and cheese production and the Ayrshire or Dunlop breed of cattle. Although Kilmaurs is in the council area of East Ayrshire, Lambrought ...
*
River Irvine The River Irvine ( gd, Irbhinn) is a river that flows through southwest Scotland. Its watershed is on the Lanarkshire border of Ayrshire at an altitude of above sea-level, near Loudoun Hill, Drumclog Moss, Drumclog, and SW by W of Strathaven. I ...
*
Fullarton Fullarton is a small area in Irvine, North Ayrshire. It is situated close to Irvine Bay and is next to several industrial estates, large supermarkets and retail stores and the town centre itself. Stagecoach Western buses operate the local bus s ...


References


External links


Video and commentary at Water Meetings
{{authority control Rivers of North Ayrshire Rivers of East Ayrshire Rivers of East Renfrewshire