Galston ( Lowland Scots: ''Gauston'',

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...

: ''Baile nan Gall'') is a municipality in

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 headquar ...

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 ...

, which has a population of 5,001 (

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanist ...

) and is at the heart of the

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

of the same name. It is situated in wooded countryside four miles up-river from

Kilmarnock Kilmarnock (, sco, Kilmaurnock; gd, Cill Mheàrnaig (IPA: ʰʲɪʎˈveaːɾnəkʲ, "Marnock's church") is a large town and former burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland and is the administrative centre of East Ayrshire, East Ayrshire Council. ...

and is one a group of the small towns located in the Irvine Valley between the towns of

Hurlford Hurlford (Scottish Gaelic: ''Baile Àtha Cliath'') is a village in East Ayrshire, Scotland. It has a population of 4,968. Hurlford's former names include Whirlford and Hurdleford. The village was named Whirlford as a result of a ford crossing ...

and Newmilns. To the north of the town is the ruin of Loudoun Castle, the site of Loudoun Castle theme park from 1995 to 2010. In 1874 the population was 4,727.

Etymology

The name Galston means "place of the strangers" from the

Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, an ...

word ''Gall'' (a stranger), and the ''Toun'' or ''Ton'' was a farm and its outbuildings. The word ''baile'' was anglicised in more recent history as toun like many other place names in Scotland which were originally "bal".Warrack, Alexander (1982)."Chambers Scots Dictionary". Chambers. .

Churches

* Galston Parish Church, church designed by John Brash of Glasgow, built in 1809 on site of pre-reformation church. Spire 120 feet in height. Chancel added 1912 and 3-manual pipe organ by J J Binns 1913

The 17th-century Presbyterians forbade burials taking place within churches. In 1609 John Schaw of Sornbeg decided to bury his recently deceased wife within Galston Kirk. He entered the kirk with a party of armed men and proceeded to break up flagstones and dig a grave where he interred his wife's body. He was fined £20 for this action and promised never to attempt this act again. * St Sophia's Church, 1885, Byzantine style church designed by architect Sir Robert Rowand Anderson, based on

Hagia Sophia Hagia Sophia ( 'Holy Wisdom'; ; ; ), officially the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque ( tr, Ayasofya-i Kebir Cami-i Şerifi), is a mosque and major cultural and historical site in Istanbul, Turkey. The cathedral was originally built as a Greek Ortho ...

in Istanbul. Is a Category A Listed building

* Galston Gospel Hal

The Burn Anne

The Burn Anne joins the Irvine at Galston. It is named after

St Anne According to Christian apocryphal and Islamic tradition, Saint Anne was the mother of Mary and the maternal grandmother of Jesus. Mary's mother is not named in the canonical gospels. In writing, Anne's name and that of her husband Joachim come ...

, said to be the mother of the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

. "St Anne's Holy Well" is marked on the 1860 OS map and lies above Bank Wood, flowing into the Burn Anne. The Holy Well has been destroyed by the construction of a concrete tank which collects the spring water for

Cessnock Castle Cessnock Castle is a 15th-century keep greatly enlarged into a baronial mansion, about south east of Galston, East Ayrshire, Scotland, and south of the River Irvine.Coventry, Martin (1997) ''The Castles of Scotland''. Goblinshead. p.117 History ...

, first constructed for the Duke of Portland in Victorian times. The Carsewell Hole nearby was used for adult baptism.Kyle, Thomas (1928). ''Burnawne'' Kilm Glenf Ramb Soc. Annals. 1919 - 1930. p. 126. The woodlands here have a high plant biodiversity value and are a registered provisional wildlife site as designated by the Scottish Wildlife Trust. Species noted in 2007 include woodruff, bird cherry, primrose, common violet, oak, stitchwort, golden male (scaly) fern, bugle, opposite-leaved golden saxifrage, bluebell, dog's mercury, broad buckler fern, watercress, lady fern, male shield fern, kidney vetch, woodrush, woodsedge, blackthorn, hawthorn, marsh marigold, foxglove, sweet cicely, herb robert, red campion, bistort, ribwort plantain, water avens, wood avens, moschatel, elm, alder, and many liverworts. A pair of buzzards were noted. A great danger is the presence of the alien invader, the pink purslane or Stewarton flower, which will spread rapidly and destroy the native herbs by out-competing them (2007). It needs to be removed as matter of urgency. A new (2008) metalled path has been created through part of these woods, greatly improving access. A new wood has been planted along part of the new path and this will in time extend and protect the habitats and the biodiversity of the site. This tributary of the Irvine was famousMacIntosh, John (1894). ''Ayrshire Nights Entertainments: A Descriptive Guide to the History, Traditions, Antiquities, etc. of the County of Ayr.'' Pub. Kilmarnock. p. 11. for its rich

jasper Jasper, an aggregate of microgranular quartz and/or cryptocrystalline chalcedony and other mineral phases,Kostov, R. I. 2010. Review on the mineralogical systematics of jasper and related rocks. – Archaeometry Workshop, 7, 3, 209-213PDF/ref ...

pebbles; semi-precious stones which were collected, cut and polished for use in jewellery.

Galston railway station

This station on the Glasgow and South Western Railway line to Stonehouse via Strathaven, closed in 1964.

The Barr Castle

Probably dating from the 15th century, this five-storeyed red sandstone tower castle still stands as a prominent feature (NS 505 360) on a rocky knoll close to the Burn Anne, within the town's boundaries. It was also known as Lockhart's Tower and was built to control the nearby access points up the Irvine Valley.Irvine Valley Regeneration Partnership Accessed : 2009/12/05

William Wallace Sir William Wallace ( gd, Uilleam Uallas, ; Norman French: ; 23 August 1305) was a Scottish knight who became one of the main leaders during the First War of Scottish Independence. Along with Andrew Moray, Wallace defeated an English army ...

is said to have taken refuge from pursuing English soldiers within the tower, eventually escaping siege by climbing down an overhanging tree. It has a practical, if not authentic, roof which does not hide a view of the continuous corbelling of the parapet. The bottom section of the four angle towers are discernible.Campbell, Thorbjørn (2003). Ayrshire. A Historical Guide. Edinburgh : Birlinn. . p. 142 The castle was built for the Lockhart family who held the Barony of Galston; enthusiastic opponents of the Catholic faith. In 1670 the property was purchased by the Campbells of Cessnock Castle nearby. In 2019 celebrations will be held to mark the 125th anniversary of the castle being used as a Masonic Lodge by Lodge St. Peter 331. It also houses a museum of local artefacts. The castle is open to the public on occasions and has proved a very popular venue for weddings. In August 1528, James Campbell of Lochlee abducted Alexander Pawtoun from Mauchline and imprisoned him for 5 days in the dungeon ('spelunca') of the Tower of Galston in order to extort the sum of £20. In an old charter of 12 March 1438, John Lockhart, Lord of Barr, provides for an annual rent to be paid to the chaplain for saying three masses annually for the repose of his soul at the altar of the church of Saint Peter in Ardrossan. The renowned reformer and Protestant martyr George Wishart preached at the castle in 1545 and in 1556

John Knox John Knox ( gd, Iain Cnocc) (born – 24 November 1572) was a Scottish minister, Reformed theologian, and writer who was a leader of the country's Reformation. He was the founder of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland. Born in Giffordgat ...

also preached here; both were under the protection of John Lockart of Barr and his fellow reformers.

The Galston Handball Game

This game was popular with farm workers who used clenched hands to hit a hard ball off the side wall of the Barr Castle – similar to

Gaelic handball Gaelic handball (known in Ireland simply as handball; ga, liathróid láimhe) is a sport where players hit a ball with a hand or fist against a wall in such a way as to make a shot the opposition cannot return, and that may be played with two ( ...

and

fives Fives is an English sport believed to derive from the same origins as many racquet sports. In fives, a ball is propelled against the walls of a 3- or 4-sided special court, using a gloved or bare hand as though it were a racquet, similar to ...

, or rather like squash without the use of rackets or a soft, squashy ball. The court was of earth, beaten hard. Galston became World Champions at this handball sport, however it is no longer played, the last official game being in 1939. Local legend has it that the game was used by William Wallace to help keep his men fit for battle. Handball was popular in these parts during the 19th century and Galston was the site of the most important competition, held on the Saturday of the Glasgow Fair. It belonged to the group of sports that

still represents.

John Galt John Galt () is a character in Ayn Rand's novel ''Atlas Shrugged'' (1957). Although he is not identified by name until the last third of the novel, he is the object of its often-repeated question "Who is John Galt?" and of the quest to discover ...

refers to handball being played in Irvine against the back wall of a malt-kiln.Galt, John (1895). ''Annals of the Parish and The Ayrshire Legatees''. Edinurgh : William Blackwood & Sons. p. 265

The Judge's Hill

justice hill Justice Hill (born November 14, 1997) is an American football running back for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Oklahoma State and was drafted by the Ravens in the fourth round of the 201 ...

survives in a patch of woodland on the Hag Burn near the Loudoun Country Club. This site may have been linked to the old Barony of Galston and the feudal rights of the Campbells of Loudoun. The site has a nearby lime kiln and old ruins next to the Hag Burn which may have been a forge.

Notable residents

* Alison Begbie (possibly Elizabeth Gebbie, 1762–1863), friend of 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 ...

*Rev Dr Robert Stirling (1790–1878), inventor of the Stirling engine was minister of Galston Parish Church * Lady Flora Hastings (11 February 1806 – 5 July 1839) of Loudon Castle was a

lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...

's mother, the Duchess of Kent. Her death in 1839 was the subject of a court scandal that gave the Queen a negative image. Buried in Loudoun Kirk * James Howie (1878–1963), footballer with

, Huddersfield Town,

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East En ...

, and

* Andy Cunningham (1891–1973), footballer with Kilmarnock, Rangers and Scotland * James Leslie (1908–1980), footballer with Kilmarnock * Rev Prof Hugh Anderson DD FRSE (1920–2003), theologian

References

External links

* https://scotlandschurchestrust.org.uk/church/galston-parish-church/ * https://scotlandschurchestrust.org.uk/church/st-sophias-galston/ * http://www.galstongospelhall.co.uk/
The Barr Castle or Lockhart's Tower

The James Smith Memorial Cairn, Gallow Law, Molmont Hill

The Galston Handba' Game.

Census data (PDF)

East Ayrshire Forums - Tenants Portal

The old Loudoun Nature Trail in the Orchard Plantation

1860 OS Maps

Saving a British Railway sign at Galston 1969

{{authority control Towns in East Ayrshire Castles in East Ayrshire