Sorn ( gd, Sorn, meaning a

kiln A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, a type of oven, that produces temperatures sufficient to complete some process, such as hardening, drying, or chemical changes. Kilns have been used for millennia to turn objects made from clay int ...

) is a small 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. It is situated on 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 ...

. It has a population of roughly 350. Its neighbouring village is

Catrine Catrine is a village in East Ayrshire, Scotland which was formerly a centre of cotton manufacture. It has a population of around () Geography The village lies on the River Ayr which previously provided water power for local industry. It is in t ...

Sorn Castle Sorn Castle is located by the River Ayr just outside the village of Sorn, East Ayrshire, Sorn in East Ayrshire, Scotland. The castle comprises a medieval Tower houses in Britain and Ireland, tower house, which was extended over the years, and rem ...

lies just outside the village. Catrine and Sorn from the air (geograph 5613185)

History

Sorn was a parish in Ayrshire. One gazetteer states "It is bounded on the north by Galston; on the east by

Muirkirk Muirkirk ( gd, Eaglais an t-Slèibh) is a small village in East Ayrshire, southwest Scotland. It is located on the north bank of the River Ayr, between Cumnock and Glenbuck on the A70. Conservation The Muirkirk & North Lowther Uplands Special ...

; on the south by

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

; and on the west by

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 ...

." Another states that Sorn did not exist until 1658 when it was disjoined from the parish of Mauchline. Sorn has a

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 ...

history.

Sorn today

Local services include: a pub, a cafe, a church, a general store (closed 2019), a motorbike shop and a television shop. There is also a village hall and a bowling green and primary school. In November 2007 the school was threatened with closure by East Ayrshire Council. Sorn is known for its success in the

Britain in Bloom Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

competition. In 2004 it won gold in the "Small Villages" category and has previously won, amongst other awards, the "Highly Commended Certificate" a number of times in the 1980s. Sorn is also the first village in Scotland where all parking is off-road parking. Sorn is situated on the River Ayr Way which opened in 2006 as Scotland's first source to sea long-distance path.

Notable people born in Sorn

* John Campbell of Sorn nonconformist minister. * Rev

Lewis Balfour Lewis Balfour (1777–1860) was a Scottish minister of the Church of Scotland. He was a pivotal figure in the family life of Robert Louis Stevenson. Life He was born on 30 August 1777 at Pilrig House between Edinburgh and Leith, the son of ...

, minister of Sorn 1806 to 1824. *

George William Balfour George William Balfour FRSE (2 June 1823 – 9 August 1903) was a Scottish physician, known as a heart specialist. Early life and education Born at the manse of Sorn, Ayrshire, on 2 June 1823, he was the sixth son and eighth of the thirteen c ...

, physician *

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 ...

- preacher *

Sir John Rankine Sir John Dalzell Rankine (8 June 1907 – 19 February 1987) was a British British Empire, colonial administrator. Early life and career Rankine studied at Christ's College, Christchurch, Christ's College, in Christchurch, New Zealand, and we ...

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...

- legal author * Very Rev John Rankine, minister and

Moderator of the General Assembly The moderator of the General Assembly is the chairperson of a General Assembly, the highest court of a Presbyterian or Reformed church. Kirk sessions and presbyteries may also style the chairperson as moderator. The Oxford Dictionary states th ...

in 1883 (father of above) * James Rennie - natural historian, author, and educator * James Seaton, Member of New Zealand's Parliament (1875-1879 and 1881–1882)

References

Citations

Sources

* * * * * * *

External links

Video footage of Dalgain Church.

Video footage of Holehouse Mill.

Video footage of Dalgain Lime Works and Haggis Bank lime kiln. Villages in East Ayrshire {{EastAyrshire-geo-stub