Ochiltree is a conservation village 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 headquart ...

, Scotland, near

Auchinleck Auchinleck ( ; sco, Affleck ;
gd, Achadh nan Leac

and

Cumnock Cumnock (Scottish Gaelic: ''Cumnag'') is a town and former civil parish located in East Ayrshire, Scotland. The town sits at the confluence of the Glaisnock Water and the Lugar Water. There are three neighbouring housing projects which lie just o ...

. It is one of the oldest villages in East Ayrshire, with archaeological remains indicating

Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistoric period during which stone was widely used to make tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years, and ended between 4,000 BC and 2,000 BC, with t ...

and

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

settlers. A cinerary urn was found in 1955 during excavation for a new housing estate.

Etymology

The name ''Ochiltree'' was spelt ''Uchletree'' in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

, and has a

Brythonic Brittonic or Brythonic may refer to: *Common Brittonic, or Brythonic, the Celtic language anciently spoken in Great Britain *Brittonic languages, a branch of the Celtic languages descended from Common Brittonic *Britons (Celtic people) The Br ...

etymology Etymology ()The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the Phonological chan ...

: ''Uchil tref'' - the high steading, either a reference to its landscape position (commanding views to south and east), or as a significant local centre.

Notable residents

Covenanter Covenanters ( gd, Cùmhnantaich) were members of a 17th-century Scottish religious and political movement, who supported a Presbyterian Church of Scotland, and the primacy of its leaders in religious affairs. The name is derived from ''Covenan ...

radical

John Fergushill John Fergushill (1592–1644), was a 17th-century Minister of the Church of Scotland who supported the 1638 National Covenant and was an associate of Presbyterian fundamentalists, including Archibald Johnson. He died on 11 June 1644. Life Joh ...

(1592–1644) was

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 Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t ...

minister for Ochiltree between 1614 and 1639. Main Street is lined with stone cottages and one of these was ''

The House with the Green Shutters ''The House with the Green Shutters'' is a novel by the Scottish writer George Douglas Brown, first published in 1901 by John MacQueen. Set in mid-19th century Ayrshire, in the fictitious town of Barbie which is based on his native Ochiltree, ...

'' in the 1901 novel of that name by

George Douglas Brown George Douglas Brown (26 January 1869 – 28 August 1902) was a Scottish novelist, best known for his highly influential realist novel ''The House with the Green Shutters'' (1901), which was published the year before his death at the age of 33 ...

, who was born in Ochiltree. An annual event, The Green Shutters Festival of Working Class Writing, is held here in Brown's memory. The Tennant family, described by

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 ...

, originate from the village. Amongst their number are

Charles Tennant Charles Tennant (3 May 1768 – 1 October 1838) was a Scottish chemist and industrialist. He discovered bleaching powder and founded an industrial dynasty. Biography Charles Tennant was born at Laigh Corton, Alloway, Ayrshire, the sixth of thi ...

, Alexander Tennant and The 1st Baron Glenconner. Also from the village was a close associate of

King James I of Scotland James I (late July 139421 February 1437) was King of Scots from 1406 until his assassination in 1437. The youngest of three sons, he was born in Dunfermline Abbey to King Robert III of Scotland, Robert III and Annabella Drummond. His older bro ...

Michael Ochiltree Michael Ochiltree ''Ouchtre(d. 1445 x 1447) was a 15th-century Scottish prelate and administrator. A close associate of King James I of Scotland, from the late 1410s he rose in rank from canon to Dean of Dunblane and then Bishop of Dunblane. He ...

Johnny Cymbal Johnny Cymbal (born John Hendry Blair; February 3, 1945 – March 16, 1993) was a Scottish-born American songwriter, singer and record producer who had numerous hit records, including his signature song, "Mr. Bass Man". Overview During a 33-ye ...

, the famous American-based singer, songwriter and record producer, was born in Ochiltree on 3 February 1945. He is best remembered for his 1963 signature hit "Mr. Bass Man".

Features

The population of Ochiltree in 2019 was 1050. The village is home to Ochiltree Primary School and is served by one small shop at the bottom of Main Street. Two sporting venues exist: the Community Centre (next to the school); and the

Ochiltree Bowling Club Ochiltree is a conservation village in East Ayrshire, Scotland, near Auchinleck and Cumnock. It is one of the oldest villages in East Ayrshire, with archaeological remains indicating Stone Age and Bronze Age settlers. A cinerary urn was found in ...

by the river. There is also a

council house A council house is a form of British public housing built by local authorities. A council estate is a building complex containing a number of council houses and other amenities like schools and shops. Construction took place mainly from 1919 ...

estate. The new Ochiltree Community Hub building opened in July 2019 to encourage the community to improve health and wellbeing, social inclusion and community spirit. Since inception in 2013, the hub supports the local community and surrounding areas with a number of initiatives in line with our charitable aims. The hub offers a wide range of activities to suit all age groups, including fitness, recreation, education, a library and cafe serving snacks and meals. The ruins of ancient

Auchencloigh Castle Auchencloigh Castle or Auchincloigh Castle (NGR NS 4945 1666 ) is a ruined fortification near the Burnton Burn, lying within the feudal lands of the Craufurd Clan, situated in the Parish of Ochiltree, East Ayrshire, Scotland. Auchencloigh Castl ...

are located near

Belston Loch Belston Loch (NS 34894 16186), also recorded as Dromsmodda Loch is a small freshwater loch in the East Ayrshire Council Area, near Sinclairston, 2 miles south-east of Drongan, lying in a glacial Kettle (landform), Kettle Hole.Love, Page 197 Paris ...

. To the east of the village is the

Barony A Frame The Barony A Frame is a preserved headgear in East Ayrshire, Scotland, located west of Auchinleck. One hundred and eighty feet high, it was built in 1954 as part of the modernisation of the Barony Colliery, which had been opened in 1907. The co ...

, the preserved headgear of the Barony Colliery, which closed in 1989. A small loch, used latterly as a curling pond, known as Loch of the Hill lay close to South Palmerston Farm until it was drained in the late 19th century. Ochiltree Castle (meaning: "the lofty dwelling-place") was a castle built next to the

Lugar Water The Lugar Water, or River Lugar, is created by the confluence of the Bellow Water and the Glenmuir Water, just north of Lugar, both of which flow from the hills of the Southern Uplands in East Ayrshire, Scotland. Course Source to Cumnock The ...

by the Coville family in the 12th century, and was destroyed in 1449, by

William Douglas of Glenbervie Sir William Douglas of Glenbervie, Knt. (c. 1473 – 9 September 1513) was a Scottish nobleman, who fell at Flodden. Biography Douglas was the second son of Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus, and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Robert Boyd, 1s ...

. Peden's Cave is located on the banks of the

River Lugar The Lugar Water, or River Lugar, is created by the confluence of the Bellow Water and the Glenmuir Water, just north of Lugar, both of which flow from the hills of the Southern Uplands in East Ayrshire, Scotland. Course Source to Cumnock Th ...

near Auchinbay Farm.

Alexander Peden Alexander Peden (162626 January 1686), also known as "Prophet Peden", was one of the leading figures in the Covenanter movement in Scotland. Life Peden was born at Auchincloich Farm near Sorn, Ayrshire, about 1626, and was educated at the U ...

was a

minister of the 1680s who had to hide from the King's soldiers who were attempting to prevent covenanters from practising their version of the

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

faith. Kemp's Castle is a large and impressive boulder on the top of the River Lugar Gorge near Slatehole Farm that is named from the Scots for a champion or person of great strength. Ochiltree_Dam

Lessnessock Farm was a breeder which produced prize-winners in the 1920s.Ayrshire Digest - Volumes 6-7 - Page 5 1920 Golden Love was Canadian Champion in 1919, and his offspring won all along the line. Bred by Mr. Montgomerie, he is by Bargower Bright Diamond and out of that great dam Lessnessock Gem, the dam of Lessnessock Gem's Good Gift and

References

External links

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Ochiltree Castle and the Colvilles

Peden's Cave on the River Lugar
{{authority control Villages in East Ayrshire

Etymology

Notable residents

Features

See also

References

External links