A vision of Britain through time
A vision of Britain from 1801 to now.
Including maps, statistical trends and historical descriptions.
A vision of Britain through time
A vision of Britain from 1801 to now.
Including maps, statistical trends and historical descriptions.
Barr (Gael. ` point ' or ` upper part '), a village and a parish of Carrick, S Ayrshire. The village lies in the NW, on the left bank of the Stinchar and the right of the confluent Water of Gregg, 8 miles ESE of its post-town Girvan, and 5¾ SE of Killochan station. At it are three inns, a post office, the 17th century parish church (390 sittings), and a Free church; the ruins of ` Kirk Dominæ,' a pre-Reformation chapel, stand 1¾ mile lower down the valley.
The parish is bounded NE by Dailly and Straiton, SE by Minnigaff in Kirkcudbrightshire, SW by Colmonell, and NW by Girvan and Dailly. It has an extreme length from E to W of 13¾ miles, an extreme breadth from N to S of 10 miles, and an area of 55,190½ acres, of which 314 ½ are water. Besides innumerable burns, each with its pretty waterfall or two, three principal streams here take their rise-the Stinchar, flowing first some 6 miles N by W near or upon the NE boundary, then 14 WSW through the interior, thus parting the parish into two unequal portions (by much the larger that to the S), and passing into Colmonell on its way to the sea at Ballantrae; the crystal Cree, which, issuing from Loch Moan, for 4½ miles traces the SE frontier; and the Water of Minnoch, running 4¾ miles southward from Rowantree Hill, and entering Minnigaff, there to fall into the Cree. Loch Moan (6½ x 3 furl.) lies just upon the SE border; and on the SW are the smaller Lochs Farroch, Crongart, and Goosey; in the interior, Lochs Aldinna, Sgalloch, and Dinmurchie, with half-a-dozen still more tiny tarns. The surface is less than 300 feet above sea-level in the furthest W, but rises rapidly eastward, to Kirkland Hill (971 feet), Auchensoul (1028), Mull of Miljoen (1164), Milton (823), Jedburgh (1172), Whiterow Scaurs (1370), Lennie (1181), and the Tappins (1163)-all to the right or N of the Stinchar. To its left are Knockodhar (767 feet), Drumneillie (1121), Cairn Hill (1571), Balshaig (1047), Larg (1441), Balloch (1168), Haggis (1709), Polinaddie (1802), Rowantree (1811), Pinbreck (1133), Eldrick (1593), Black Hill (1425), Shalloch (1777), and Shalloch on Minnoch (2520). The Stinchar's source, this last is the highest summit of both parish and shire, though dominated by its southward prolongations, Kirriereoch (2562), which culminates just beyond the SE border, and Merrick (2764) in Minnigaff beyond. Lastly, in the SW, are Cairn Hill (1571 feet), Knockinlochie (1057), Knapps (1053), Pindonnan (1097), Standard (867), and Garleffin (744). The chief formation is the Lower Silurian, giving striking evidence of glacial action; barely a fiftieth of the whole area is cultivated, and less than as much again is cultivable, the rest being solitary moss and moorland, with nothing but rocks and heather, yet furnishing good pasturage for sheep. There are many memories of hunted Covenanters; and Dinmurchie farm, near the village, was the birthplace of James Dalrymple (1619-95) first Viscount Stair and author of Institutions of the Law of Scotland. The Marquis of Ailsa is the great proprietor, but 6 others hold each an annual value of £500 and upwards, 8 of between £100 and £500,3 of from £50 to £100, and 3 of £20 to £50. Barr is in the presbytery of Ayr and synod of Glasgow and Ayr; its minister's income is £390. Two public schools, at the village and at Clashgulloch (3 miles ENE), with respective accommodation for 120 and 42 children, had (1879) an average attendance of 71 and 16, and grants of £69, 8s. and £28, 2s. Valuation (1880) £15, 103. Pop. (1801) 742, (1841) 950, (1861) 910, (1871) 672, (1881) 600.—Ord. Sur., sh. 8,1863.
(F.H. Groome, Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland (1882-4); © 2004 Gazetteer for Scotland)
| Linked entities: | |
|---|---|
| Feature Description: | "a village and a parish" (ADL Feature Type: "populated places") |
| Administrative units: | Barr ScoP Ayrshire ScoCnty |
| Place: | Barr |
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