Failford ( sco, Failfuird) is a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

South Ayrshire South Ayrshire ( sco, Sooth Ayrshire; gd, Siorrachd Àir a Deas, ) is one of thirty-two council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of Ayrshire. It borders onto Dumfries and Galloway, East Ayrshire and North Ayrshire. On 30 June 2 ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. It is west of

Mauchline Mauchline (; gd, Maghlinn) is a town and civil parish in East Ayrshire, Scotland. In the 2001 census Mauchline had a recorded population of 4,105. It is home to the National Burns Memorial. Location The town lies by the Glasgow and South Wes ...

, where the

Water of Fail The Water of Fail, or River Fail, is a fast-flowing river in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It rises in the hills north of Tarbolton, flowing generally south through Tarbolton Loch into Montgomery Woods where it joins the larger River Ayr at Failford, ...

flows into the

River Ayr The River Ayr (pronounced like ''air'', ''Uisge Àir'' in Gaelic) is a river in Ayrshire, Scotland. At it is the longest river in the county. The river was held as sacred by pre-Christian cultures. The remains of several prehistoric sacrificial ...

History

A minor ford would have been located where the Water of Fail has its confluence with the

however the name of the hamlet is also linked to the major ford over the

that led to a lane leading up into the Fail Hill Woods on the eastern bank, one termination being what may have been a sandstone quarry. The ford branched off from the old toll road just prior to the first building in the row of houses that includes the Failford Inn. By 1895 this ford was out of use apart from an access for farmers to collect stones and sand from the river for agricultural and other purposes. The Water of Fail at Failford on Ayr

Robert Burns and Highland Mary

The

betrothal An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding). During this period, a couple is said to be ''fi ...

of the poet

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 "

Highland Mary ''Highland Mary'' is a song composed in 1792 by Scottish poet Robert Burns. It is one of three works dedicated to Mary Campbell, with whom Burns was in love in the 1780s. The others, "Highland Lassie, O" and "Will Ye Go to the Indies My Mary?" ...

" (Mary Campbell) is said to have taken place here in 1786 or at nearby Coilsfield. In 1921, local

Freemasons Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

erected a memorial stone to commemorate this event. By 1895 the ford is no longer shown.

The Failford almshouses

One unusual feature of the village is a range of

Almshouse An almshouse (also known as a bede-house, poorhouse, or hospital) was charitable housing provided to people in a particular community, especially during the medieval era. They were often targeted at the poor of a locality, at those from certain ...

s that were constructed using funds from a bequest and had conditions of character, situation and age attached as recorded in 1846 :- "''A range of almshouses was erected and endowed, by a bequest of the late Alexander Cooper, Esq., of Smithston, at Failford, near the junction of the Ayr and Fail rivers, for eight persons, who have each a weekly allowance and an allotment of garden ground. The hospital is spacious and handsome, and is designed for inhabitants of

Tarbolton Tarbolton ( sco, Tarbowton) is a village in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is near Failford, Mauchline, Ayr, and Kilmarnock. The old Fail Monastery was nearby and Robert Burns connections are strong, including the Bachelors' Club museum. Meaning o ...

and

, in indigent circumstances, upwards of forty years of age, and who have never solicited alms''".

Montgomerie Quarry

By 1895 a fairly substantial red sandstone quarry had developed at the northern end of Coilsholm Wood, known as Montgomerie Quarry after the owners of the Coilsfield or Montgomery Castle estate, linked by a fright branch to the Mauchline to Ayr railway line. This provided local employment and after it ceased to work the quarry flooded and still exists as such (datum 2017).

Peden's Pulpit

In the 17th century the covenanter minister Alexander Peden is said to have held conventicles in the remote Coilsholm Wood using a sandstone outcrop that overlooked the

and this is known as 'Peden's Pulpit'. A path through the nature reserve runs to the site and an interpretation board has been supplied by the

Scottish Wildlife Trust The Scottish Wildlife Trust is a Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, registered charity dedicated to conserving the Natural history of Scotland, wildlife and natural environment of Scotland. Description The Scottish Wildlife Trust has well ...

. A set of steps were later cut into the rock to provide access to the upper path however this is now too worn to be used safely.

Natural history

The nearby

Ayr Gorge Woodlands nature reserve in Coilsholm wood is a

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...

, notable for its

ancient woodland In the United Kingdom, an ancient woodland is a woodland that has existed continuously since 1600 or before in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (or 1750 in Scotland). Planting of woodland was uncommon before those dates, so a wood present in 16 ...

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

ash Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non- gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...

and

beech Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engle ...

Micro-history

A toll house was located on the road to Mauchline at Woodhead on the lane up to the old Failford tileworks on the Yonderton Burn below Tunnockhill Farm. The name Failford also officially applied as late as 1842 to the nearby hamlet at Fail where the Trinitarian

Fail Monastery Fail Monastery, occasionally known as Failford Abbey, had a dedication to 'Saint Mary',Love (2003), Page 209Groome, Page 561 and was located at Fail (NS 42129 28654) on the bank of the Water of Fail, Parish of Tarbolton near the town of Tarbolto ...

once stood. Its ford was located about 80 yards downstream from Fail Bridge.Dillom, p.118 Substantial quantities of wood were removed from the Coilsholm policies during WWII and the concrete bases of the sawmill machinery are still extant on the path to Alexander Peden's Pulpit.

References

;Notes ;Sources *Dillon, William J. ''The Trinitarians of Failford''. AA&NHS 'Collections 1955 - 1957'. Volume 4. *Hecht, Hans (1936). ''Robert Burns. The Man and His Work''. London : William Hodge.

External links

Video and commentary - 'Icebergs' on the River Ayr at FailfordCommentary and video on the Robert Burns and Highland Mary Memorial at FailfordPeden's Pulpit video
{{authority control Villages in South Ayrshire