Lochlea or Lochlie (pronounced 'Lochli') was situated in a low-lying area between the farms and dwellings of Lochlea and Lochside in the Parish 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 ...
,
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. The loch was natural, sitting in a hollow created by glaciation. The loch waters ultimately drained via
Fail Loch
Fail Loch or Faile Loch was situated in a low-lying area near the old monastery of Fail in the Parish of Tarbolton, South Ayrshire, Scotland. The old Lochlea Loch lies nearby and its waters still feed into Fail Loch via the Mill Burn.
History
T ...
, the Mill Burn, and the Water of Fail. It is well-documented due to the presence of a
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 ...
that was excavated and documented circa 1878, and its association with 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 ...
, who lived here for several years whilst his father was the tenant.
[Arch Hist Coll, p. 30][Love, p. 210] Lochlea lies northeast of Tarbolton, and just over northwest of Mauchline.
History
The loch also recorded as 'Lochly',
[Thomson's Map](_blank)
Retrieved : 2011-01-04 'Lochlee'
[Dillon, p.118] and 'Lochlie' may derive its name from 'Liath', Gaelic for the 'Grey Loch'. It was once much more extensive, and changes in the water level are indicated by the successive alterations identified within the site's crannog.
[Smith. p. 144]
![Water of Fail at Fail](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/Water_of_Fail_at_Fail.JPG)
The Duke of Portland abolished
thirlage
Thirlage was a feudal servitude (or astriction) under Scots law restricting manorial tenants in the milling of their grain for personal or other uses. Vassals in a feudal barony were thirled to their local mill owned by the feudal superior. Peopl ...
on his estates in the mid-19th century, making Millburn Mill, and its head of water, Lochlea, redundant,
[Paterson, p. 751][Arch Hist Coll, p. 87] resulting in active attempts at drainage causing its demise circa 1840. The lands became part of the fields of Lochlea Farm.
Adamson records that the loch was drained in 1839, during which two canoes were found near the crannog.
[Adamson, p. 104] The waters still contributed to the flow to Fail Mill that stood on the rivulet of the Water of Fail. This mill survived into the 20th century. Much of the surrounding lands in the area and those of Lochlea originally belonged to the monks of
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 ...
.
The natural drainage, the Mill Burn, was from the south-east corner, running into a narrow valley that ran eventually into
Fail Loch
Fail Loch or Faile Loch was situated in a low-lying area near the old monastery of Fail in the Parish of Tarbolton, South Ayrshire, Scotland. The old Lochlea Loch lies nearby and its waters still feed into Fail Loch via the Mill Burn.
History
T ...
.
[Arch Hist Coll, p. 86]
William Muir was the tenant of the Mill of Fail at the time 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 ...
.
Blaeu's map of 1654 clearly shows the loch and indicates that it was somewhat smaller, less than half the size, of Fail Loch. Roy's map of 1747 shows the loch and indicates a 'Lochleehill'. Thomson records a 'Lochbar'.
In 1842 drainage was underway and it was being converted into arable land and the associated mill was abandoned.
The early Ordnance Survey maps show the site as fully drained, however drainage is now inadequate and the area is becoming re-established as a seasonal loch.
Shaw relates in the 1950s that "''Lochlee, Fail Loch and Tarbolton Loch are no longer so full of water as when they were required to supply water for the meal mills, and gave good skating and curling in a hard winter. They are now to a large extent drained away, but are still the haunt of snipe, goose, duck, and swan''."
Drainage
Although the loch's drainage may have begun in the 18th century when
Alexander Montgomerie, 10th Earl of Eglinton
Alexander Montgomerie, 10th Earl of Eglinton (10 February 172325 October 1769), was a Scottish peer.
Eglinton was the son of The 9th Earl of Eglinton. His mother, who was the third wife of the 9th Earl, was Susanna, Countess of Eglinton, the ...
, was pursuing a number of agricultural improvements on his extensive estates and other landowners followed his example, drainage work may have taken place in the 1740s as part of the improvements undertaken to provide employment for Irish estate workers during the Irish potato famines of the 1740s and the mid 19th centuries. Many drainage schemes also date to the end of World War I when many soldiers returned en masse to civilian life.
The loch may have survived during the Burns family's time as Robert and
Gilbert Gilbert may refer to:
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* Gilbert (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
*Gilbert (surname), including a list of people
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* Gilbert River (Queensland)
* Gilbert River (South ...
grew
flax
Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. Textiles made from flax are known in ...
and probably used the loch as a
retting pond for the preparation of the flax.
The crannog
This artificial island was mainly visible in the summer months and lay about 75 yards from the southern bank of the loch. Despite its prominence during Robert Burns's time, he made no recorded reference to it.
A wooden walkway ran to it from the south-east side of the loch.
At least five dugout canoes were found, some distance from the crannog.
[Smith, p. 145] The land had become marshy again by 1878
[Adamson, p. 105] and the re-discovery at this time generated enough interest to spark an excavation;
[Campbell, p. 218] the site and Lochlea Farm were owned by the Duke of Portland and his Mr Turner, his factor, helped to organise the excavations, together with Mr. Cochrane-Patrick of Woodside, Beith.
[Arch Hist Coll, p. 31] Much of the wood associated with the crannog was that of oak, hazel and birch,
[Arch Hist Coll, p. 32] together with alder and poplar.
[Arch Hist Coll, p. 82] Animals present included sheep, roe deer, red deer, reindeer, pig, and horse.
[Arch Hist Coll, pp. 80-81]
The crannog had several separate periods of occupation. Among the finds was a 9th-century ringed pin, and also several finds of 16th- or 17th-century origin, such as a brass mounted knife and a number of iron implements. It measured overall circa 33 m east–west by 23 m transversely, with its centre at NS 4574 3027.
The Burns family connection
Lochlie or Lochlea, Robert Burns used both versions, became his home in 1777 when his father William Burnes moved here from Mount Oliphant. The 130-acre farm and loch were owned by David McLure, an Ayr merchant. Burns moved to Mossgiel Farm near
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 ...
in 1784, having spent some nine unhappy months away in
Irvine Irvine may refer to:
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*Irvine Glacier
*Mount Irvine (Antarctica)
Australia
*Irvine Island
*Mount Irvine, New South Wales
Canada
*Irvine, Alberta
* Irvine Inlet, Nunavut
United Kingdom
*Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotla ...
learning flax processing. The farmland was very mossy and
William Burnes
William Burnes or William Burness (11 November 1721 – 13 February 1784) was the father of the poet Robert Burns. He was born at either Upper Kinmonth or Clochnahill Farm, Dunnottar, Kincardineshire, and trained as a gardener at Inverugie Cast ...
had problems paying his rather high rent resulting in a successful court case against the landlord that used up his savings and contributed to his premature death in February 1784. Burns is said to have roofed the barn himself and upon its demolition an engraved lintel from it was incorporated into the new farmhouse that replaced it. In 1879 the poet's home had become a barn.
[Adamson, p. 106]
William Burnes had a verbal agreement in the early 1780s to pay rent on the mill dam, referring to the land covered by the loch. David McClure had not yet drained this land and therefore William disputed the payment.
In Burns's day Lochlea was one of three plains that were deliberately flooded in winter to provide water to power the mill that only worked in winter once the harvest was in. Lochlea Loch had an acreage of twenty and its small island was a breeding site for watefowl.
[Lowe, p. 49]
William Ronald was a gauds boy to Burns at Lochlea Farm, assisting him with the ploughing by encouraging and guiding the horses whilst carrying a plough staff to clean the ploughshare when it clogged with earth. He later became a farmer at
Mauleside, a small estate near
Beith
Beith is a small town in the Garnock Valley, North Ayrshire, Scotland approximately south-west of Glasgow. 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 ...
on the road from
Dalry.
[Boyle, p. 102]
Isabella Burns
Isabella Burns (Isabella Begg) (1771–1858) or Isobel Burns (Isobel Begg) was the youngest sister of the poet Robert Burns, born to William Burness and Agnes Broun at Mount Oliphant Farm on the 27 June 1771 and christened on 2 July 1771 by R ...
recounted from memory the nursery story
The Marriage of Robin Redbreast and the Wren
The recorded source of the children's story The Marriage of Robin Redbreast and the Wren is Isabella Burns, later Mrs Isabella Burns Begg, the youngest sister of Robert Burns. Isabella recalled that her brother, Robert Burns, was the author an ...
that Robert Burns had written and used at Lochlea Farm to entertain his young siblings
Annabella, William and John.
The Burns family left Lochlea in 1784 and moved to Mossgiel Farm near
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 ...
.
Highland Mary
Burns met
Mary Campbell aka 'Highland Mary' in church while he was living near
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 ...
. His song "Will ye go to the Indies, my Mary, And leave auld Scotia's shore?" suggests that they planned to emigrate to Jamaica together, however after a brief illness she died at Greenock. Burns and Mary Campbell apparently exchanged Bibles over a water course in the area around Coilsfield or
Failford
Failford ( sco, Failfuird) is a hamlet in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is west of Mauchline, where the Water of Fail flows into the River Ayr.
History
A minor ford would have been located where the Water of Fail has its confluence with the River ...
and possibly some sort of traditional Scottish matrimonial vows
[Burns Encyclopedia]
Retrieved : 17 March 2012 on the banks of the River Ayr, either at the
Failford
Failford ( sco, Failfuird) is a hamlet in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is west of Mauchline, where the Water of Fail flows into the River Ayr.
History
A minor ford would have been located where the Water of Fail has its confluence with the River ...
, where the Mauchline Burn has its confluence with the River Ayr, or near Coilsfield.
Lochlea Whisky
The farm released its first own whisky. It is called "Lochlea First Release" and was matured in First Fill Bourbon and Pexdro Ximenez (PX) Casks. At first it was released in scotland and then sold worldwide. In March 2022, the distillery announced the release of a four bottle strong limited edition series. The first bottling of the series, the "Lochlea Sowing Edition (First Crop)" is announced for March 21, 2022. The distillery has also announced the release of its core release "Lochlea Our Barley" for summer 2022.
Micro-history
James Thom was born near Lochlea and went on to become a famous sculptor of Robert Burns and his contemporaries.
Lochlea 1 & 2 collieries were situated in the vicinity of the farm and operated from 1949 to 1973. Little visible remains survive.
Lochlea is the site of a wildfowl Wetland Bird Survey (WEBS) count.
Lochlea WEBS
Retrieved : 2011-02-13
References
;Notes
;Sources
# Adamson, Archibald R. (1879). ''Rambles through the Land of Burns''. Kilmarnock : Dunlop & Drennan.
# Archaeological & Historical Collections relating to the counties of Ayrshire & Wigtown. Edinburgh : Ayr Wig Arch Soc. Vol. II. 1880.
#
# Campbell, Thorbjørn (2003). ''Ayrshire. A Historical Guide''. Edinburgh : Birlinn. .
# 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.
#
# Love, Dane (2003). ''Ayrshire : Discovering a County''. Ayr : Fort Publishing. .
# Mackay, James (2004). ''Burns. A Biography of Robert Burns''. Darvel : Alloway Publishing. .
# MacIntosh, Donald (2006). ''Travels in Galloway''. Glasgow : Neil Wilson. .
# Paterson, James (1863–66). ''History of the Counties of Ayr and Wigton''. V. - II - Kyle. Edinburgh: J. Stillie.
# Shaw, James Edward (1953). ''Ayrshire 1745-1950''. Edinburgh : Oliver & Boyd.
# Smith, John (1895). ''Prehistoric Man in Ayrshire''. London : Elliot Stock.
External links
{{Commons category, Lochlea, South Ayrshire
Lochlea Farm & Robert Burns.
Lochlea Farm in 1878.
Robert Burns and the Carnell Estate Lime Kilns, Fiveways, South Ayrshire
Researching the Life and Times of Robert Burns Researcher's site.
Former lochs
Lochs of South Ayrshire
History of South Ayrshire
Crannogs in Scotland
Freshwater lochs of Scotland
Lakes of South Ayrshire