Beith is a small town in the
Garnock Valley,
North Ayrshire,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
approximately south-west of
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
. The town is situated on the crest of a hill and was known originally as the "''Hill o' Beith''" (hill of the birches) after its ''Court Hill''.
History
Name
Beith's name is thought to emanate from
Ogham
Ogham ( Modern Irish: ; mga, ogum, ogom, later mga, ogam, label=none ) is an Early Medieval alphabet used primarily to write the early Irish language (in the "orthodox" inscriptions, 4th to 6th centuries AD), and later the Old Irish langu ...
, which is sometimes referred to as the "''Celtic Tree Alphabet''", ascribing names of trees to individual letters. ''Beithe'' in
Old Irish
Old Irish, also called Old Gaelic ( sga, Goídelc, Ogham script: ᚌᚑᚔᚇᚓᚂᚉ; ga, Sean-Ghaeilge; gd, Seann-Ghàidhlig; gv, Shenn Yernish or ), is the oldest form of the Goidelic/Gaelic language for which there are extensive writt ...
means ''Birch-tree'' (cognate to Latin ''betula''). There is reason to believe that the whole of the district was covered with woods. The town of Beith itself was once known as 'Hill of Beith' as this was the name of the feudal barony and was itself derived from the
Court Hill near
Hill of Beith Castle
The old Barony and castle, fortalice, or tower house of Hill of BeithCoventry, Page 135 lay in the feudal Regality of Kilwinning, within the Baillerie of Cunninghame, and the Sherrifdom of Ayr, now the Parish of Beith, North Ayrshire, Scotland.
...
.
Alternatively, Beith may be derived from
Cumbric
Cumbric was a variety of the Common Brittonic language spoken during the Early Middle Ages in the ''Hen Ogledd'' or "Old North" in what is now the counties of Westmorland, Cumberland and northern Lancashire in Northern England and the souther ...
''*baɣeδ'', 'boar' (
Welsh ''baedd''). The local pronunciation of the name would favour this theory.
The Wood of Beit, now the 'Moor of Beith', has been identified as an Arthurian site where according to
Taliessin in a poem under the name of 'Canowan' it was the site of a ''battle in the wood of Beit at the close of the day.''
Saint Inan
Beith is said to have been the occasional residence of
Saint Inan, a confessor of some celebrity, whose principal place of abode was
Irvine. He flourished about 839. Although he is said to have been a
hermit
A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions.
Description
In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Ch ...
,
according to tradition
Saint Inan often visited Beith, frequenting Cuff Hill with its Rocking Stone and various other prehistoric monuments. A cleft in the west-front of Lochlands Hill is still known as "''St. Inan's Chair''" and said to have been used by the saint as a pulpit.
[Smith, John (1895). ''Prehistoric Man in Ayrshire.'' Pub. Elliot Stock. P. 83.] An unsuccessful search for the saint's writings which were said to be preserved in the library of Bonci,
Archbishop of Pisa, was made by Colonel Mure of Caldwell in the 19th century.
[Dobie, James (1876) ''Cunninghame topographised by Timothy Pont'' Pub. John Tweed, Glasgow. P. 41.]
Saint Inan is said to have preached to the assembled people from the chair on the hill. There was not a great population in the area at that time and the people were located not in Beith, but up on the top of the Bigholm near to the old Beith water
dam
A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...
s. The first settlements were in the heavily wooded areas around the dams where people were safe from attack and could get food from the land, and fish in the lochs. The Saints of old went where the people were, and they also tended to go where there had been worship of heathen gods. It has been suggested that High Bogside Farm, which used to be called Bellsgrove, was really "''Baalsgrove''", which fits in with the story of
Saint Inan going to where the
pagan gods were.
There is an annual civic fete held in the town bearing
Saint Inan's name.
Alexander Montgomerie
The sixteenth century poet
Alexander Montgomerie
Alexander Montgomerie (Scottish Gaelic: Alasdair Mac Gumaraid) (c. 1550?–1598) was a Scottish Jacobean courtier and poet, or makar, born in Ayrshire. He was a Scottish Gaelic speaker and a Scots speaker from Ayrshire, an area which wa ...
was probably born in Hazelhead (now
Hessilhead) Castle, which is on the outskirts of Beith, beyond
Gateside. Montgomerie is regarded as one of the finest of
Middle Scots
Middle Scots was the Anglic language of Lowland Scotland in the period from 1450 to 1700. By the end of the 15th century, its phonology, orthography, accidence, syntax and vocabulary had diverged markedly from Early Scots, which was virtually ...
poets, and perhaps the greatest
Scottish exponent of the
sonnet form.
[Jack, R. D. S., ''Alexander Montgomerie'' (Edinburgh: Scottish Academic Press, 1985)]
Smugglers
Beith has a historical connection to
smuggling and built a reputation during the 18th century as being a town which harboured those whose intentions were not always lawful. In 1733 forty or fifty Beith smugglers sacked the
Irvine Customs House, escaping with a rich booty of confiscated contraband goods
and by 1789 a company of 76 soldiers were quartered in the town dealing with the continuing illicit trade in tea, tobacco, and spirits. This caused great inconvenience to the law-abiding citizens on whom the soldiers were billeted. The town was policed in this fashion for some time thereafter. Hence, the Main Street's popular public house is still called the Smugglers Tavern, recalling the days when Beith's location between the coast and
Paisley and
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
, made it a convenient stopping off point for those involved in nefarious activities.
A possible relic of the smuggling days of Beith is the
ley tunnel that is said to run from Eglinton Street to Kilbirnie Loch.
Morrishill and James Montgomery
Now a small housing estate, the house and land of Morrishill stood a short distance south of Beith. It commanded an excellent view and was well sheltered with trees. Owned by Robert Shedden, who purchased the land in 1748,
[''History of the counties of Ayr & Wigton Scotland'': Cunninghame, by James Paterson. ] it is notoriously linked to the case of James Montgomery.
James Montgomery, an enslaved
African, was brought from
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
to Beith by Shedden. He wanted Montgomery, then called "''Shanker''", apprenticed to a joiner so that he would learn a skill and could then be sold for a large profit back in
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
. James was trained in carpentry by Robert Morrice, husband of Shedden's sister Elizabeth Montgomery.
When ''Shanker'' was baptised in Beith Parish Church (by the
Rev. John Witherspoon) with the name James Montgomery in April 1756, Shedden objected. Montgomery was dragged nearly to
Port Glasgow behind horses to be taken back to
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
but escaped to
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
before the ship sailed. Montgomery sought justice but before a decision could be made by judges he died in Tolbooth Gaol.
Rev. John Witherspoon
A signatory of the
American Declaration of Independence,
the Rev. John Witherspoon, was a former minister of one its
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland.
The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Reformation of 1560, when it split from the Catholic Church ...
parishes between 1745 and 1757.
In 1745 he led the men of Beith to Glasgow to defend King George III against the Young Pretender in the '45 rebellion. Despite receiving orders to return to Beith, Witherspoon carried on, was captured at the
Battle of Falkirk and imprisoned for a time in
Doune Castle
Doune Castle is a medieval stronghold near the village of Doune, in the Stirling council area of central Scotland and the historic county of Perthshire. The castle is sited on a wooded bend where the Ardoch Burn flows into the River Teith. It ...
.
He later emigrated and became a member of the
US congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washin ...
and in July 1776 he voted for the ''Resolution for Independence''. In answer to an objection that the country was not yet ready for independence, according to tradition, he replied that it "''was not only ripe for the measure, but in danger of rotting for the want of it.''" Witherspoon was also the sixth president of
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...
and showed great commitment to liberal education and republican government.
He died in 1794 on his farm that he had built"''Tusculum,''" just outside
Princeton
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ni ...
, and is buried in the
Princeton Cemetery. –His direct descendants include actress
Reese Witherspoon
Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon (born March 22, 1976) is an American actress and producer. The recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards, she ...
, and he is commemorated by statues in
Washington D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...
br>
at the
University of the West of Scotland
The University of the West of Scotland ( gd, Oilthigh na h-Alba an Iar), formerly the University of Paisley, is a public university with four campuses in south-western Scotland, in the towns of Paisley, Renfrewshire, Paisley, Blantyre, South Lanar ...
in
Paisley, and a plaque, placed by DSDI in 2009 in Beith town centre.
Robert Tannahill
The Scottish Poet
Robert Tannahill's relatives lived at
Boghall Farm near
Gateside. His mother, Janet Pollock, came from Boghall although she spent much of her life at the home of her uncle, Hugh Brodie, who farmed at Langcroft at the foot of Calder Glen, near
Lochwinnoch
Lochwinnoch (; sco, Lochineuch, gd, Loch Uinneach) is a village in the council area and historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. Lying on the banks of Castle Semple Loch and the River Calder, Lochwinnoch is ...
.
[Lochwinnoch Village Website](_blank)
Retrieved 2010-11-24 Robert Tannahill (3 June 1774 - 17 May 1810), was known as the 'Weaver Poet', his music and poetry is contemporaneous with that of
Robert Burns
Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who hav ...
and they both died when relatively young.
Henry Faulds
Henry Faulds, the originator of the concept of forensic use of
fingerprint
A fingerprint is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. The recovery of partial fingerprints from a crime scene is an important method of forensic science. Moisture and grease on a finger result in fingerprints on surfac ...
ing, was born in Beith in 1843. A well-travelled man, he explained the suitability of
fingerprint
A fingerprint is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. The recovery of partial fingerprints from a crime scene is an important method of forensic science. Moisture and grease on a finger result in fingerprints on surfac ...
ing for the identification of criminals and also wrote to
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended ...
to forward his ideas. The letter was never published and he died in 1930, aged 86, bitter at the lack of recognition he had received for his work. His work in
Japan is remembered by a memorial stone in
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
.
In 2007 a memorial was also placed in view in ''Woolstanton'' near to St Margaret's churchyard, where he was laid to rest.
On 12 November 2004 a substantial memorial stone with interpretation plaques were dedicated to his memory in Beith town centre close to the site of the house in New Street where he was born.
Robert Aitken
Aitken was a land surveyor and cartographer who published in Beith a New Parish Atlas of Ayrshire in 1829.
Industry
Textiles
About the time of the
Act of Union, trade in
linen cloth was introduced to Beith, which became so considerable, that the Beith markets were frequented by merchants from the neighbouring towns every week. By the 1730s, the declining
linen cloth business was being succeeded by considerable trade in
linen yarn. Crawford Brothers, flax spinners and makers of linen thread and shoe thread opened in Crummock in 1775 and moved to a factory at Barr Farm,
Barrmill in 1836. The factory changed hands, continuing in production as the English Sewing Company until 1946. Beith merchants purchased the yarn made in the local area, and sold it to
Paisley and
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
manufacturers. The demand for the commodity encouraged local farmers to raise great quantities of
flax, and the
linen yarn trade peaked around 1760. The manufacture of
silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the ...
gauze superseded both trades and, from 1777 to 1789, the number of looms in the town producing the gauze peaked at approximately 170.
Furniture making
From 1845 until the 1980s, Beith had the honour of being the most important furniture-manufacturing town in
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
with a reputation for high-quality furniture. The origins of the industry can be traced back to Mathew Dale who started by making hand-built furniture for local people in 1845. A former employee of Dale, Matthew Pollock progressed the manufacturing by introducing machinery in a factory setting outside of the town at Beith North railway station. After approximately twelve years, Pollock and his brothers sold the factory to Robert Balfour, and moved into the town to expand their business. Balfour suffered the same problems as the Pollock Brothers in being unable to attract employees from the town willing to walk the to work. In 1872, he built a factory near the Beith Town railway station and persuaded the railway company to build a siding to allow easy transportation of raw materials and finished products.
The industry expanded across the local area making it a centre of excellence in furniture manufacturing, and building its reputation throughout the world. In the late-1920s, transportation switched away from the railway but the industry continued to burgeon with many companies producing high-quality furniture: Macneill Bros, specialised in board room and library fittings,
Stevenson and Higgins made lift cages, which were fitted in many hotels and department stores, Balfours were for a number of years the main manufacturers of mantlepieces in
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
, some were designed in the elegant style, and required the skill of expert woodcarvers. Matthew Pollock Ltd supplied furniture to both the
RMS Queen Mary and the
RMS Queen Elizabeth II. I am from beith and believe it was beithcraft who supplied furniture for the RMS Queen Elizabeth II
Furniture is no longer produced in Beith due to the closure of the various manufacturing firms. The closures were caused by a multitude of problems such as the economic downturn, and an inability to compete with self-assembly furniture firms and their increase in popularity. The last major furniture manufacturer to close was ''Beithcraft'' (formerly Balfours) which finished in 1983 (after a major fire a few years earlier, which destroyed large sections of the plant) with the loss of 420 jobs. With this final closure came the end of Beith's reputation for being one of the main furniture manufacturers in the country.
This history of carpentry is remembered in the nickname of the local football team,
Beith Juniors, who are commonly referred to as "''The Cabes''" (Cabinet Makers).
DM Beith
A large Defence Munitions (DM) centre is located between Beith and Barrmill. The site was originally developed in 1943 as a conventional Royal Naval Armaments Depot, munitions store, for the Royal Navy, the
Ministry of Defence continues to maintain the armament depot,
DM Beith
Barrmill is a small village in North Ayrshire, Scotland about east of Beith on the road to Burnhouse and Lugton. Locally it is known as the ''Barr''.Reid, Donald L. (2009). ''Discovering Matthew Anderson. Policeman-Poet of Ayrshire''. Beith : ...
, in the area.
As part of
Ministry of Defence reorganisation plans in 2005, the 360 posts at DM-Beith were cut by 60. This was attributed to changes in the way equipment and supplies were stored and distributed, and it was hoped at the time, that it would reduce costs by £50m a year by 2010.
Regional industries
Historically in recent times, the major employers in the area were the
Glengarnock Steelworks and the
Linwood car manufacturing plant. Outwith the furniture industry, a large proportion of the local population were employed within these industries. At its peak, the local ''Steelworks'' had 3,000 employees, but by the time it closed in 1985 it had been reduced to 200.
The
Linwood car plant manufactured the
Hillman Imp, a competitor to
BMC's Mini
The Mini is a small, two-door, four-seat car, developed as ADO15, and produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors, from 1959 through 2000. Minus a brief hiatus, original Minis were built for four decades and sold during ...
, and provided up to 9,000 jobs during peak production but was closed by
Peugeot-Citroen
The PSA Group (), legally known as Peugeot S.A. (Peugeot Société Anonyme, trading as Groupe PSA; formerly known as PSA Peugeot Citroën from 1991 to 2016) was a French multinational automotive manufacturing company which produced automobiles ...
in 1981.
It has been estimated that 13,000 workers were left jobless in the region as both direct and indirect consequences of the
Linwood Linwood may refer to:
Places
Many of the place names for Linwood come from the presence of linden trees. Australia
*Linwood, South Australia
* Linnwood, Guildford, 11-35 Byron Road, Guildford, New South Wales
Canada
* Linwood, Ontario
* Linwood, ...
closure.
Beith today
In 1966 a local survey estimated that 48% of the population worked outside the town whilst today the figure is more likely to be around 80%. The current population is around 7,000 helped by the completion of ten private housing estates dating from 1966 to the present and by redevelopment of sites within the town. The town has good transport links to
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
.
Deprivation and regeneration
North Ayrshire is ranked fifth highest in
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
in terms of percentage of the population living in the most deprived areas. These areas have been targeted for regeneration by the
local authority
Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...
. This involves the targeting of activity and resources by the community planning partnership in relation to housing, crime, income, employment, health, skills and training and access to services.
A small area of Beith is one of three regeneration areas in the
Garnock Valley. These are the smallest regeneration areas in
Ayrshire. This is partly because rural deprivation tends to be less geographically concentrated than urban deprivation, and so it remains more hidden, being experienced by individuals and households rather than the larger communities.
The area of Beith targeted for regeneration amounts to 359 households and 635 people (approximately 10% of the town's population).
Town landmarks
The Auld Kirk
The Beith Auld Kirk began as a parish church in 1593. It was built in the form of a cross and was dedicated to
Saint Inan. A bell tower and clock were added in 1800. The old bell still stands, and bears this inscription: "''This bell was given by Hew Montgomerie, sone of Hessilhead, anno 1614, and refounded by the
Heritor
A heritor was a privileged person in a parish in Scots law. In its original acceptation, it signified the proprietor of a heritable subject, but, in the law relating to parish government, the term was confined to such proprietors of lands or house ...
s of Beith, anno 1734''″.
The kirk had been built in a rather precarious position on a cliff-side, and from 1807 to 1810 it was rebuilt a little further up the hill as the new
Parish Church
A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...
. The
Heritor
A heritor was a privileged person in a parish in Scots law. In its original acceptation, it signified the proprietor of a heritable subject, but, in the law relating to parish government, the term was confined to such proprietors of lands or house ...
s then moved the older portions of the Auld Kirk to the new one, leaving only the front door, the clock and the belfry.
There was not much left of the old kirk after that, and it came to be used as a burial ground for the Woodside family. Later on, however, it was closed for further burials and partly renovated, with the old high wall replaced by railings and paths dugs over the ground. Presently, there are no sepulchres of the old baronial families left standing, and the earliest graves date back only until 1710.
There are a number of memorials to the Spier
[ John Spier's Auld Kirk memorial][ John Spier's memorial][ Memorial to John Spier's wife] and Dobie
[ James Dobie Auld Kirk memorial] families within the grounds of the Auld Kirk, and also a memorial to Robert Patrick of Hazelhead (Inspector General of Army Hospitals).
[ Robert Patrick Auld Kirk memorial] A sundial dating from the 1840s is also visible,
[ Auld Kirk sundial] and a stone coat of arms thought to originate from the Auld Kirk manse can be seen nearby, in Reform Street.
[ Auld Kirk manse coat of arms]
The Townhouse
Beith Townhouse was built by public subscription in 1817; the lower part of the building originally consisted of two shops, one of which was an ironmonger's operated by George B. Inglis from 1862 until around 1900. There was also a small room where prisoners were kept prior to their appearance in the upper hall which was used as a JP Court,
Sheriff Small Debt Circuit Court, meeting of the road trustees and as a public meeting room.
It was also used as a public reading room. For the first twenty years the management of the Town House was in the hands of the JPs of Beith, Dalry, and Kilbirnie, the heritors of the parishes, the propietors of certain houses in Beith, and finally tenants of said houses within of the cross.
Places of worship
Beith hosts three ''listed'' 19th-century churches: Two
Beith Parish Churches of the
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland.
The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Reformation of 1560, when it split from the Catholic Church ...
, and the
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour.
The Trinity Church was built in 1883, designed by architect Robert Baldie. The chief external feature is a graceful octagonal tower. The interior was destroyed by fire in 1917, and rebuilt in 1926. Gothic style, with rectangular nave, Gothic arched chancel and one transept on the east side. The stained glass windows are by John C Hall & Co. Organ 1937 by Hill, Norman & Beard. The church is a category C listed building.
The Beith High Church was built in 1807 and extended in 1885. Gothic T-plan kirk dominated by the tall five-stage tower. Stained glass by Gordon Webster. Harrison & Harrison pipe organ 1885. The High Church is a category B listed building.
Our Lady of Perpetual Succour RC Church was built with a churchyard, in 1816, to replace the 1761 building on a different site. Re-built in 1910, it became a Roman Catholic place of worship in 1921.
File:Beith High Church.JPG, High Church
File:Beith_Trinity_Church_-_geograph.org.uk_-_34619.jpg, Trinity Church
File:Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Beith.jpg, Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Church
Scapa Cottage
Scapa Cottage is known locally as "''Dummy Cottage''". The entire outside of the sandstone building is indented with marks giving it a most unusual appearance; in earlier years it was a
Toll House
A tollhouse or toll house is a building with accommodation for a toll collector, beside a tollgate on a toll road, canal, or toll bridge.
History
Many tollhouses were built by turnpike trusts in England, Wales and Scotland during the 18th an ...
. A
deaf-and-dumb young man lived in the cottage in earlier times, hence the unfortunate acquired name "''Dummy Cottage''".
File:Scapa Cottage.JPG, Scapa cottage
Local landmarks
Kilbirnie Loch
Kilbirnie Loch (NS 330 543), is in the floodplain of between
Kilbirnie,
Glengarnock and Beith, and runs south-west to north-east for almost , is about wide for the most part and has an area of roughly . The loch is fed mainly by the Maich Water and is drained by the Dubbs Water that runs into
Castle Semple Loch. Early authors often use the term "Garnoth" or "Garnott" and may be referring to a single large loch incorporating
Kilbirnie Loch and Loch Winnoch (Barr and Castle Semple Lochs). Boece in his book of 1527 the ''Historia Gentis Scotorum'' (History of the Scottish People), says that this one entity was "nocht unlike the Loch Doune full of fische".
[Dobie, Page 314]
There is a long history of drainage schemes and farming operations in the
Lochwinnoch
Lochwinnoch (; sco, Lochineuch, gd, Loch Uinneach) is a village in the council area and historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. Lying on the banks of Castle Semple Loch and the River Calder, Lochwinnoch is ...
area, with co-ordinated attempts dating from about 1691 by
Lord Sempill, followed by Colonel McDowal of Castle Sempil in 1774, James Adams of Burnfoot, and by others.
[Dobie, Page 315] Until these drainage works Loch Winnoch and Kilbirnie Loch nearly met and often did during flooding, to the extent that, as stated, early writers such as Boece, Hollings and
Petruccio Ubaldini
Petruccio Ubaldini (c.1524 – c.1600) was an Italian ('' Tuscan'') mercenary soldier for Henry VIII (1545–47) and in Edward VI's Scottish war (1549) a calligraphist and illuminator on vellum, who was working in England in the reign of Queen ...
regarded the lochs as one, using the name "Garnoth" or "Garnott".
Spier's school
Spier's (pron. ''Speers'') school stood on the
Barmill Road near the old
Marshalland Farm. It was built for Mrs Margaret Spier of the Marshalland and Cuff estate in 1887 to commemorate John Spier, her son, who had died at the age of 28, the last of her ten children. It was designed by
Campbell Douglas. The school started as a fee paying day and boarding school, becoming part of the county education system in 1937. Following the construction of
Garnock Academy,
Spier's school closed in 1973 and the buildings were demolished in 1984. Robert Spier and family lived in Beith at number 62 Eglinton Street, formerly Whang Street, and they unusually had their own private chapel in the grounds.
The of woodland and gardens remain a popular site for dog walkers, bird watchers, and those out to enjoy the rural surroundings. There are a number of memorials to the Spier's family in the Auld Kirk grounds and in the local area.
The Spier's family left a trust for providing financial help to those from the Garnock Valley pursuing further education. The Trust is a committee of North Ayrshire council. The trust committee decided in 2007 to investigate ways of making better use of the assets of the trust in particular the former school grounds and the council worked in partnership to set up a Friends of Spiers (FoS) organisation to develop ideas and seek funding. North Ayrshire Council was successful in an application to the Forestry Commission to provide funding for a footpath network around the woodland area.
Geilsland House
William Fulton Love, writer and bank agent in Beith, built
Geilsland House
Geilsland House lies in between the village of Gateside (Garnock), Gateside and the town of Beith in North Ayrshire, Scotland. After serving as a private house it became a school and most recently (2015) has passed into the ownership of the Beith ...
and developed this small estate near
Gateside in the 19th century although the deeds go back to the 17th century.
[Dobie, James (1876). ''Cuninghame topographised by Timothy Pont.'' Pub. J.Tweed. Edinburgh. P. 214.] Geilsland was a special school, run by the
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland.
The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Reformation of 1560, when it split from the Catholic Church ...
as part of its ''CrossReach''
initiative.
Crummock House
This mansion house and estate stood on the outskirts of Beith in an area now cut through by the main
Dalry to
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
road. Built for the Kerr family in the 18th century, Crummock was sold in 1815 to William Wilson, who added to the house and improved the grounds.
James Dobie, the historian and author, and his family lived here from 1836. Now demolished and a housing estate built on the site, some boundary walls and a cottage remain. Historic stones which had been built into the kitchen garden were donated to the North Ayrshire Heritage Centre,
including the arched stone known as the ''shrine''. Images of these
shrine
A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred or holy space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon, or similar figure of respect, wherein they ...
stones can be viewed in ''The Gallery'' section below. A plaque remembering James Dobie resides in Beith Auld Kirk.
The Court Hill
The ''Court Hill'' is near Hill of Beith, below the site of
Hill of Beith Castle
The old Barony and castle, fortalice, or tower house of Hill of BeithCoventry, Page 135 lay in the feudal Regality of Kilwinning, within the Baillerie of Cunninghame, and the Sherrifdom of Ayr, now the Parish of Beith, North Ayrshire, Scotland.
...
,
Gateside, in the old Barony of Beith. Dobie states that this is the
moot hill on which the
Abbot of Kilwinning used to administer justice to his vassals & tenants. It is a sub-oval, flat-topped mound, situated at the foot of a small
valley
A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams ove ...
.
[ Beith Court Hill] A number of large stones are visible in the sides of the mound. It is turf-covered, probably situated on a low outcrop, and is mostly an artificial work.
[ Beith Court Hill mound] Pre-dating the channelling of the burn which detours around it, the mound was probably isolated in this once marshy outflow of the former Boghall Loch (see NS35SE 14).
In the 12th century the Barony of Beith was given to the
Tironensian
The Tironensian Order or the Order of Tiron was a medieval monastic order named after the location of the mother abbey (Tiron Abbey, french: Abbaye de la Sainte-Trinité de Tiron, established in 1109) in the woods of Thiron-Gardais (sometimes ''Ti ...
monks of
Kilwinning Abbey
Kilwinning Abbey is a ruined abbey located in the centre of the town of Kilwinning, North Ayrshire.
History
Establishment of the Abbey
Kilwinning was a Tironensian Benedictine monastic community, named after Tiron in the diocese of Chart ...
by the wife of
Sir Richard de Morville. The farm or Grange of the monks is indicated by the name Grange Hill and a castellated tower indicated as once existing in the area may have been the local dwelling of the
Abbot of Kilwinning when he was visiting the barony to deliver justice at the ''Court Hill'' or attend to other business and later the local laird. No clearly undisputed remains have been found of the tower or grange buildings, however the New Statistical Account of 1845 written by the local minister, George Colville, states that the castle stood close to the Court Hill.
Boghall Loch
Loch Brand or Bran was the name by which Boghall Loch was formerly known. The loch, now almost completely drained, is the main source of the Powgree Burn and partly lay on the lands of Boghall. On or around the margin of the loch piles or stakes of oak or elm have been discovered and it is thought that these may be the remains of
crannog
A crannog (; ga, crannóg ; gd, crannag ) is typically a partially or entirely artificial island, usually built in lakes and estuarine waters of Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. Unlike the prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps, which were bu ...
s.
Beith Rocking Stone
The Beith
Rocking Stone, sits on top of Cuff Hill. According to local folklore,
Saint Inan frequented the stone. Legend states that the stone rocked from side to side on an unseen fulcrum, however this is no longer the case and the stone is now fully set into the ground. An article was published in Cumnock Chronicle in 1907 on the reason for the stone being dislodged. Signed by a Messer's Robert Boyle & Robert Currie.
Willowyards (Angel's Share fungus)
The area surrounding
Willowyards and its whisky bond are characterised by a black staining that covers all living and non-living surfaces to varying degrees. The research that first led to the scientific identification of the organism causing this black and velvety encrustation was partly carried out using samples from Willowyard. The organism causing what is commonly known as 'Warehouse Staining', is a black fungus, ''Baudoinia compniacensis'' which is harmless and feeds upon the 'Angels's Share' of alcohol evaporating from the whisky barrels.
B. compniacensis
Retrieved : 2011-04-14
Demographics
According to the Office for National Statistics
The Office for National Statistics (ONS; cy, Swyddfa Ystadegau Gwladol) is the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority, a non-ministerial department which reports directly to the UK Parliament.
Overview
The ONS is responsible for t ...
, based on the 2011 Census estimates, 91.2 per cent of the 6,200 inhabitants of Beith were born in Scotland, with 6.9 per cent born in the United Kingdom, 0.8 per cent from other countries in the European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
and 1.2 per cent classified as other country.
The 2011 Scotland census reported 99.2 (6,156) per cent of people from Beith being White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
, 0.4 per cent are Asian, followed by mixed/multiple descent being 0.3 per cent and 0.1 per cent reported "Other" origins.
Social and cultural life
Saint Inan's Fete
There is an annual celebration that parades through the town each summer. It normally commences outside the town's Community Centre, going through the town and ending in the grounds of the Primary School for the Fete in the afternoon. A gala dance is normally held in the evening.
Friends of Spiers (FoS)
This is a support group, affiliated to The Conservation Volunteers (TCV), which works with the Spier's Trust, North Ayrshire Council Ranger Service & Beith Cultural & Heritage Society.
The first substantial signs of the regeneration of the site was the construction of the Spier's Commemorative Wall, erected in 2010, resurfacing of the paths and roads within the site and the restoration of the Coronation Garden, completed in 2011.
Youth Making Beith Better (YMBB)
The YMBB youth group was set up by members of the community to give the young people of Beith and district an opportunity to involve themselves in improving their town and the surrounding area, whilst at the same time providing a forum for learning additional skills, sharing ideas and socialising with their peers. The group was closely involved with the Saint Inan's parade and other local events.
YMBB met in the Beith Community Centre twice a week, supervised by adults from the NAC Youth Services. The YMBB committee included youth members, adults from the community and local councillors who assist in the overview of the group and with forward planning.
Local pubs and restaurants
The Merchant's Yarn
* The Eglinton Inn
* Masonic JACZ
* The Saracen's Head Hotel
* The Smuggler's Tavern
Transport
The town was once served by two railway stations: Beith North, commonly referred to as "''the Low station''" and Beith Town. Beith North closed in 1951 and the Beith Town station closed in 1962. The nearest railway station is just over away, at Glengarnock which provides direct rail links to Glasgow Central station
, symbol_location = gb
, symbol = rail
, image = Main Concourse at Glasgow Central Station.JPG
, caption = The main concourse
, borough = Glasgow, City of Glasgow
, country ...
and services to the Clyde coast and Glasgow Prestwick airport.
Beith is approximately south-west of Glasgow International Airport
gd, Port-adhair Eadar-nàiseanta Ghlaschu
, image = Glasgow Airport logo.svg
, image-width = 200
, image2 = GlasgowAirportFromAir.jpg
, image2-width = 250
, IATA = GLA
, ICAO = EGPF
, type = Public
, owner = AGS Airports
, hub =
*easy ...
, north of Glasgow Prestwick airport and west of Edinburgh Airport
Edinburgh Airport is an airport located in the Ingliston area of Edinburgh, Scotland. It was the busiest airport in Scotland in 2019, handling over 14.7 million passengers. It was also the sixth-busiest airport in the United Kingdom by ...
.
Leisure and sport
Football
The local football club, Beith Juniors, formed in 1938 to succeed Beith who had played in the Scottish Football League in the 1920s. The team participate in the and play their home games at Bellsdale Park, which is famous for its ''slope''. The club's most famous former player is Steve Clarke
''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen
Notable people with the name include:
steve jops
* Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people
* Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people
* Steve ...
, who went on to play for St Mirren and Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
, and has been the manager of West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pl ...
, Reading and Kilmarnock. He is the current manager of the Scotland national team.
Beith Astro
Beith Astro
was generated through the enabling efforts of th
Beith Trust
As a result of campaigning and lobbying throughout 2010, North Ayrshire Council committed £300,000 towards the refurbishment of the synthetic pitch in advance of the facilities coming under community management in April 2012. Beith Trust also enabled community ownership of two grass pitches, and changing pavilions.
is an eleven-a-side, full-size synthetic astro pitch now used by not only the trust and its affiliated community programmes and groups but als
and all twelv
Rugby
Beith's only rugby football club, ''Old Spierians'' was amalgamated, along with ''Dalry High School FP'' into Garnock RFC in 1972 when ''Spier's School'', ''Dalry High'', ''Kilbirnie Central'' and ''Beith Academy'' schools were closed to form ''Garnock Academy''. The ''Old Spierians'' club had been founded in the early years of the 20th century and joined the Scottish Rugby Union
The Scottish Rugby Union (SRU; gd, Aonadh Rugbaidh na h-Alba) is the governing body of rugby union in Scotland. Styled as Scottish Rugby, it is the second oldest Rugby Union, having been founded in 1873. The SRU oversees the national league s ...
in 1911. ''Garnock'' play their home games at ''Lochshore'' on the banks of Kilbirnie Loch and currently (2010) participate in the ''Scottish Hydro Premier League 3''.
Golf
Beith also has its own 18-hole, 68-par golf course, in the Bigholm area just east of the town, a short walking distance from Saint Inan's chair at Lochland's Hill.
Cinema
The town's ''George'' cinema was put up for sale in the autumn of 1982, but a surprisingly good run of E.T. over that Christmas period helped keep it open until the following summer. It finally closed on 25 June 1983 for conversion to a snooker club, although the building has since been demolished.
People from Beith
* Archibald Clark (1805-1875) First Mayor of Auckland City
The Mayor of Auckland City was the directly elected head of the Auckland City Council, the municipal government of Auckland City, New Zealand. The office existed from 1871 to 2010, when the Auckland City Council and mayoralty was abolished and ...
* James McCosh Clark (1833–1898), 8th Mayor of Auckland City
* Sandy Brown (1879–1944), footballer
Gallery and other images
File:Wilson-Street Beith Ayrshire 20160828-1357HDR.jpg, Wilson Street
File:Main-Street Beith Ayrshire 20160828-135701894HDR.jpg, Main Street
Image:Beith house.JPG, House on Barmill Road
Image:Beith Memorial.JPG, A sundial recording the donation of the Beith War Memorial plot by Lady Cochran-Patrick of Ladyland and Mosside
Image:Beith War Memorial.JPG, The War Memorial
File:Shrine Stone - Shrine Stone 2.jpg, Shrine Stone: A horse with what may be a mason's tools above
File:Shrine Stone 1.jpg, Shrine Stone: A standing figure holding a horse with carved letters or tools above
File:Arthurian Ayrshire map.jpg, Arthurian locations showing Beith Moor
See also
# Beith Juniors
#Hill of Beith Castle
The old Barony and castle, fortalice, or tower house of Hill of BeithCoventry, Page 135 lay in the feudal Regality of Kilwinning, within the Baillerie of Cunninghame, and the Sherrifdom of Ayr, now the Parish of Beith, North Ayrshire, Scotland.
...
#Blae Loch, Beith
The Blae Loch is a small freshwater loch situated in a hollow in a low-lying area beneath Blaelochhead Hill in the Parish of Beith, North Ayrshire, Scotland.
History
The loch is a natural feature, a post-glacial kettle hole once of a greater ...
# Broadstone, North Ayrshire
# Giffen, Barony and Castle
# Clark, Katy
# Clarke, Steve
# Corrie, John
# Faulds, Henry
#Gateside, North Ayrshire
Gateside is a small village in North Ayrshire, Scotland about east of Beith on the B777.
The village
Gateside Primary School was opened in 1903, and nowadays it has 74 pupils (2009). The school has an extension built in 1998 which provided indo ...
# Gibson, Kenny
# Hessilhead
# Inan, Saint
# Kilbirnie Loch
# Lands of Threepwood
# Lambie, David
# Montgomerie, Alexander
# Nevill, Ted
# Spier's school
# Wilson, Allan
# Wilson, Brian
# Witherspoon, John
# Murder of James Young
References
External links
The Natural & Local History of Spiers
Commentary and video on the Bark Mill at Beith
Commentary & video of the murder of the 'Beauty of Beith' Mary Gunn
Commentary & video of St Inan's Well
Commentary & video of the Cuff Hill Rocking or Logan Stone
Commentary & video of the Weaver's or Threepwood Well'
Kilbirnie Loch on YouTube
Beith Community Website
Beith Golf Club
Beith Juniors Football Club
{{Authority control
Towns in North Ayrshire