In 1887, John Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the British Isles described Irvine like this:
Irvine, parl. and royal burgh, market and seaport town, and par., Ayrshire, near mouth of river Irvine, 7 miles W. of Kilmarnock and 390 NW. of London by rail - par., 3930 ac., pop. 6013; royal burgh, pop. 4508; parl. bor., pop. 8498; town, pop. 8517; P.O., T.O., 4 Banks, 3 newspapers. Market-day, Monday. ...
The parl. burgh and town include the large suburb of Fullarton, in Dundonald par. The industries of Irvine include shipbuilding, engine-making, iron-founding, and the mfr. of chemicals. Irvine was formerly the third port in Scotland; it is now merely a sub-port of Troon, but since the harbour improvements of 1873 trade has revived. The principal exports are coal, iron, and chemical products. Irvine was made a royal burgh by Alexander II. (1214-1249). It was the seat of a monastery of White Friars, founded in the 14th century by the Fullartons. It contains interesting ruins of an old mansion (Seagate Castle), said to have been a town residence of the Earls of Eglinton. James Montgomery (1771-1854), the poet, and John Galt (1779-1839), the novelist, were natives. Irvine is one of the Ayr District of Parliamentary Burghs, which returns 1 member.
Irvine through time
Irvine is now part of North Ayrshire district. Click here for graphs and data of how North Ayrshire has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Irvine itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Irvine in North Ayrshire | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/16522
Date accessed: 16th April 2024
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