South Palmerston Loch
Encyclopedia
South Palmerston Loch or Flush, previously known as Loch of the Hill, lying to the east of the 500ft Back o'hill Mount. It was one of several small lochs within the Parish of Ochiltree
. The loch, lying in a glacial Kettle Hole, drained into the Lugar Water
via the Burnock Water.
's map of circa 1600 shows a Loch of the Hill lying near a Jockston, with an outflow running into the Lugar Water
after passing through the grounds of the Auchinleck
estate.
Roy's map of 1747 records the loch position, with a Bogbrae and Boghead on higher ground to the south. The loch was present in 1857, lying below Back o'hill Farm and mount. Much of the higher land to the south was very marshy at this time. The 1872 OS shows the loch as open water. In 1897 the loch is marked as a curling pond, seasonally flooded and remains so until circa 1910. In the 1920s the loch is shown as a marshy area with no open water, fed by a burn running down fron near Ochiltree railway station
. The 1950 aerial survey appears to show that the loch had been drained with only a small area of open water present. In the 1990s only a small area of wetland is shown on the OS map
records that curling matches took place on the loch in February 1857 and 1860.
Ochiltree
Ochiltree, spelt Uchletree in the Middle Ages, is a 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....
. The loch, lying in a glacial Kettle Hole, drained into the Lugar Water
Lugar Water
The Lugar Water, or River Lugar, is created by the confluence of Bello Water and Guelt Water, both of which flow from the hills of the Southern Uplands in East Ayrshire, Scotland....
via the Burnock Water.
Cartographic evidence
Blaeu's map of circa 1654 taken from Timothy PontTimothy Pont
Timothy Pont was a Scottish topographer, the first to produce a detailed map of Scotland. Pont's maps are among the earliest surviving to show a European country in minute detail, from an actual survey.-Life:...
's map of circa 1600 shows a Loch of the Hill lying near a Jockston, with an outflow running into the Lugar Water
Lugar Water
The Lugar Water, or River Lugar, is created by the confluence of Bello Water and Guelt Water, both of which flow from the hills of the Southern Uplands in East Ayrshire, Scotland....
after passing through the grounds of the Auchinleck
Auchinleck
Auchinleck ; is a village five miles south-east of Mauchline, and a couple of miles north-west of Cumnock in East Ayrshire, Scotland.Near the village is Auchinleck House, past home of the lawyer, diarist and biographer James Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck.Auchinleck has much been associated...
estate.
Roy's map of 1747 records the loch position, with a Bogbrae and Boghead on higher ground to the south. The loch was present in 1857, lying below Back o'hill Farm and mount. Much of the higher land to the south was very marshy at this time. The 1872 OS shows the loch as open water. In 1897 the loch is marked as a curling pond, seasonally flooded and remains so until circa 1910. In the 1920s the loch is shown as a marshy area with no open water, fed by a burn running down fron near Ochiltree railway station
Ochiltree railway station
Ochiltree railway station was a railway station serving the village of Ochiltree, East Ayrshire, Scotland. The station was originally part of the Annbank to Cronberry Branch on the Glasgow and South Western Railway.- References :...
. The 1950 aerial survey appears to show that the loch had been drained with only a small area of open water present. In the 1990s only a small area of wetland is shown on the OS map
Uses
The Royal Caledonian Curling ClubRoyal Caledonian Curling Club
The Royal Caledonian Curling Club is the mother club of the sport of curling, and the governing body of curling in Scotland. The RCCC was founded on 25 July 1838 in Edinburgh, and granted its royal charter by Queen Victoria in 1843, after she had witnessed a demonstration of the sport played on...
records that curling matches took place on the loch in February 1857 and 1860.