Cumnock and Holmhead
Encyclopedia
Cumnock and Holmhead, a police burgh
of Ayrshire
, Scotland
, on the Lugar, 333/4 m. S. of Glasgow by road, with two stations (Cumnock
and Old Cumnock
) on the Glasgow and South Western Railway
. Pop. (1901) 3088.
When Alexander Peden (1626–1686), the persecuted Covenanter, died, he was buried in the Boswell aisle of Auchinleck church; but his corpse was borne thence with every indignity by a company of dragoons to the foot of the gallows at Cumnock
, where they intended to hang it in chains. This proving to be impracticable they buried it at the gallowsfoot. After the Revolution the inhabitants out of respect for the Prophets memory abandoned their then burying-ground and turned the old place of execution into the present cemetery. Five miles SE. lies the parish of New Cumnock (pop. 5367) at the confluence of Afton Water and the Nith.
When Alexander Peden (1626–1686), the persecuted Covenanter, died, he was buried in the Boswell aisle of Auchinleck church; but his corpse was borne thence with every indignity by a company of dragoons to the foot of the gallows at Cumnock, where they intended to hang it in chains. This proving to be impracticable they buried it at the gallowsfoot. After the Revolution the inhabitants out of respect for the Prophets memory abandoned their then burying-ground and turned the old place of execution into the present cemetery. Five miles SE. lies the parish of New Cumnock at the confluence of Afton Water and the Nith.
by Royal Charter
in 1509. It became a police burgh, with the name Cumnock and Holmhead, in 1866. Holmhead was removed from the title in 1960.
Police burgh
A police burgh was a Scottish burgh which had adopted a “police system” for governing the town. They existed from 1833 to 1975.-The 1833 act:The first police burghs were created under the Burgh Police Act, 1833...
of Ayrshire
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, on the Lugar, 333/4 m. S. of Glasgow by road, with two stations (Cumnock
Cumnock (second) railway station
Cumnock railway station was a railway station serving the town of Cumnock, East Ayrshire, Scotland. The station was originally part of the Annbank to Cronberry Branch on the Glasgow and South Western Railway.- References :...
and Old Cumnock
Cumnock (original) railway station
Cumnock railway station was a railway station serving the town of Cumnock, East Ayrshire, Scotland. The station was originally part of the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway.- History :The station opened on 20 May 1850...
) on the Glasgow and South Western Railway
Glasgow and South Western Railway
The Glasgow and South Western Railway , one of the pre-grouping railway companies, served a triangular area of south-west Scotland, between Glasgow, Stranraer and Carlisle...
. Pop. (1901) 3088.
Location
It lies in the parish of Old Cumuock (pop. 5144), and is a thriving town, with a town hail, cottage hospital, public library and an athenaeum. Coal and ironstone are extensively mined in the neighborhood, and the manufacturers include woolens, tweeds, agricultural implements and pottery.When Alexander Peden (1626–1686), the persecuted Covenanter, died, he was buried in the Boswell aisle of Auchinleck church; but his corpse was borne thence with every indignity by a company of dragoons to the foot of the gallows at Cumnock
Cumnock
Cumnock is a town in East Ayrshire, Scotland. The town sits at the confluence of the Glaisnock Water and the Lugar Water...
, where they intended to hang it in chains. This proving to be impracticable they buried it at the gallowsfoot. After the Revolution the inhabitants out of respect for the Prophets memory abandoned their then burying-ground and turned the old place of execution into the present cemetery. Five miles SE. lies the parish of New Cumnock (pop. 5367) at the confluence of Afton Water and the Nith.
History
At the beginning of the last century, Cumnock and Holmhead lay in the parish of Old Cumnock (pop. 5144), a police burgh of Ayrshire, Scotland, on the Lugar water, 33¾m. south of Glasgow by road, with two stations close by on the Glasgow and South Western Railway. With a population in 1901 of 3088 it was a thriving town, with a town hall, cottage hospital, public library and an athenaeum. Coal and ironstone were extensively mined in the neighbourhood, and the manufacturers included woolens, tweeds, agricultural implements and pottery.When Alexander Peden (1626–1686), the persecuted Covenanter, died, he was buried in the Boswell aisle of Auchinleck church; but his corpse was borne thence with every indignity by a company of dragoons to the foot of the gallows at Cumnock, where they intended to hang it in chains. This proving to be impracticable they buried it at the gallowsfoot. After the Revolution the inhabitants out of respect for the Prophets memory abandoned their then burying-ground and turned the old place of execution into the present cemetery. Five miles SE. lies the parish of New Cumnock at the confluence of Afton Water and the Nith.
Boswell family
It is the seat of the Boswell family, three generations of which achieved greatness.- Lord Auchinleck, the judge (who dubbed Dr Johnson Ursa Major)
- James Boswell, his son. A biographer
- Sir Alexander Boswell, his grandson, the author of Gude nicht and joy be wi you a, Jennys Bawbee, Jenny dang the weaver, and other songs and poems. He perished in a duel.
Name change
Cumnock became a burgh of baronyBurgh of barony
A burgh of barony is a type of Scottish town .They were distinct from royal burghs as the title was granted to a tenant-in-chief, a landowner who held his estates directly from the crown....
by Royal Charter
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
in 1509. It became a police burgh, with the name Cumnock and Holmhead, in 1866. Holmhead was removed from the title in 1960.
Further reading
- "Cumnock and Holmhead Burgh", The National Archives