Carrick (from the
Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...
, meaning 'rock') is a former
comital district of
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
which today forms part of
South Ayrshire.
History
The district of Carrick originally formed part of the 11th- to 12th-century
Kingdom of Galloway, whose lords ruled it until 1186, when it was granted to Duncan, son of Gilbert of Galloway. He became the first to hold the
Earldom of Carrick. His son Neil became the second Earl, but he had no male heir - accordingly, his daughter, Margaret (also known as
Marjorie of Carrick) inherited and became Countess of Carrick.
Upon her death in 1292 the earldom passed to her son
Robert de Bruce, later to become King
Robert I of Scotland
Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (), was King of Scots from 1306 until his death in 1329. Robert led Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland during the First War of Scottish Independence against Kingdom of Eng ...
().
Carrick saw some involvement in the
Scottish wars of independence under the said
Robert the Bruce
Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (), was King of Scots from 1306 until his death in 1329. Robert led Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland during the First War of Scottish Independence against Kingdom of Eng ...
, which culminated in his victory over the English at
Bannockburn (1314). It witnessed much inter-family feuding during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, with various branches of the powerful
Kennedys
The Kennedy family () is an American political family that has long been prominent in American politics, public service, entertainment, and business. In 1884, 35 years after the family's arrival from County Wexford, Ireland, Patrick Joseph "P ...
contending for land and honour.

Carrick's scattered villages and rugged terrain made it a favourite haunt of the persecuted
Covenanter
Covenanters 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. It originated in disputes with James VI and his son C ...
s in the seventeenth century, and its rocky coastline with its many hidden coves and inlets has made it a favourite location for smuggling.
Robert Burns
Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the List of national poets, national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the be ...
made his living as an exciseman along that coastline in the late-eighteenth century.
In 1469, the title "
Earl of Carrick
Earl of Carrick (or Mormaer of Carrick) is the title applied to the ruler of Carrick, Scotland, Carrick (now South Ayrshire), subsequently part of the Peerage of Scotland. The position came to be strongly associated with the Scottish crown when ...
" became one of the lesser titles of the heir-apparent to the Scots (later British) throne; this title is borne by
William, Prince of Wales
William, Prince of Wales (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982), is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales.
William was born during the reign of his pat ...
, whose principal Scottish title is "
Duke of Rothesay".
The name ''Carrick'' comes from the
Gaelic word , meaning 'rock' or 'rocky place', and may preserve an earlier name from
Brittonic , which has a similar meaning (cf. modern
Welsh ).
Compare the English ''crag'', from the Celtic.
[
- "probably from a Celtic source akin to Old Irish 'rock', and 'cliff', Welsh 'rock, stone', Manx , Breton ".]
Maybole
Maybole (, ) is a town and former burgh of barony and police burgh in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It had an estimated population of in . It is situated south of Ayr and southwest of Glasgow by the Glasgow and South Western Railway. The town is ...
functioned as the historic capital of Carrick. The county was eventually subsumed into
Ayrshire
Ayrshire (, ) is a Counties of Scotland, historic county and registration county, in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. The lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area of Ayrshire and Arran covers the entirety ...
, which was divided naturally according to its river valleys into the three districts of
Cunninghame (in the north along the
River Irvine),
Kyle (in the centre along the
River Ayr), and Carrick (in the south along the
River Doon). These three districts formed
Ayrshire
Ayrshire (, ) is a Counties of Scotland, historic county and registration county, in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. The lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area of Ayrshire and Arran covers the entirety ...
, one of the
counties of Scotland
The counties or shires of Scotland () were historic subdivisions of Scotland.
The shires were originally established in the Middle Ages for judicial purposes, being territories over which a Sheriff principal, sheriff had jurisdiction. They wer ...
. A major reorganisation took place in the wake of the
Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889
The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889 ( 52 & 53 Vict. c. 50) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which was passed on 26 August 1889. The main effect of the act was to establish elected county councils in Scotland. In this it fol ...
; this Act established a uniform system of
county council
A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.
Australia
In the Australian state of New South Wales, county councils are special purpose ...
s and town councils in Scotland, and restructured many of Scotland's counties.
Kyle and Carrick was the former name (1975–1996) of a local-government district in the
Strathclyde
Strathclyde ( in Welsh language, Welsh; in Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic, meaning 'strath alley
An alley or alleyway is a narrow lane, footpath, path, or passageway, often reserved for pedestrians, which usually runs between, behind, or within buildings in towns and cities. It is also a rear access or service road (back lane), or a path, w ...
of the River Clyde') was one of nine former Local government in Scotland, local government Regions and districts of Scotland, regions of Scotland cre ...
region of Scotland. In 1996, it was re-constituted as a
council area {{Unreferenced, date=May 2019, bot=noref (GreenC bot)
A council area is one of the areas defined in Schedule 1 of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 and is under the control of one of the local authorities in Scotland created by that Ac ...
, but renamed
South Ayrshire.
See also
*
Galloway
Galloway ( ; ; ) is a region in southwestern Scotland comprising the counties of Scotland, historic counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire. It is administered as part of the council areas of Scotland, council area of Dumfries and Gallow ...
*
Galwegian Gaelic
References
External links
Map of Carrick 1654
{{Scottish provinces, major
Carrick, Scotland
Geography of South Ayrshire